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Veteran comedian Bill Murray almost got himself arrested on Thursday night when he threw a couples phones out of the 2nd floor of a restaurant after they clicked photos of him without his permission.

The owner of the restaurant told TMZ.com that Bill was not drunk but just got angry when the couple began clicking photos of him, and threw their phones out.

Bill left before the police arrived, but police said that they had spoken to the Ghostbusters actor on Friday who agreed to pay for damages to the phones of the couple, who werent pressing charges against him.
Anupama Parameshwaran, whose Malayalam film Premam became a blockbuster last year, had signed three Telugu films following that.

Apart from the almost complete A.. Aa.. with director Trivikiram Srinivas, she has signed the remake of Premam with Naga Chaitanya.

The third one was supposed to be opposite Ravi Teja, but the film didnt take off. The actress has now got a big project, but in Tamil.

She is going to paired with Dhanush in Kodi, directed by Durai Senthilkumar. Interestingly, Dhanush is also producing the film and Trisha is the other lead actress.
Surabhi says that there is a bundle of talent here in Tollywood.

Surabhi is on cloud nine these days as her Sankranti release Express Raja is a huge hit.

I am happy about the success as I really worked hard for the film. People are talking about the film, my role and my work. I am getting very positive feedback and am really looking forward for more roles like this, says Surabhi.

The actress is now busy shooting for her next film opposite Nani directed by Indraganti Mohan Krishna.

The Delhi girl has been interested in films from her school days. I used to participate in shows during my school days and then I participated in pageants when I entered college, she says.

She got her first break in Tamil in 2013, when she was in her second year of college. I balanced both acting and exams at that time. When I had my exams I concentrate on them, she says.

The actress has also completed her degree in Fine Arts and Painting. Yes, I paint in mediums like oil and water. I paint portraits and on canvass. It was a four-year degree in Fine Arts, she says.

Surabhi adds that she still paints whenever she gets the time. Earlier, whenever I wanted to paint nature, I used to Google and then paint. But now I have got the opportunity to travel a lot and I get many ideas to paint.

The actress has completed one schedule for her upcoming film with Nani and will join the unit soon in Kodaikanal. Yes, thats a beautiful place and I love greenery. I will carry my sketch pad and pencils this time when I go for shooting to Kodaikanal, says Surabhi.

After a couple of Tamil films, Surabhi debuted in Telugu last year with Beeruva.

I met Sundeep Kishan in Chennai as we were supposed to work for a Tamil film, but we both opted out. Later he asked me to come to Hyderabad for an audition for his Telugu film Beeruva. I got selected for the film and thats how my Telugu debut happened, she says.

Her performance in the film was appreciated and Merlapaka Gandhi roped her in for Express Raja, which was a blockbuster.

In between, Surabhi signed and shot for Ram Gopal Varmas Attack. It was a great experienced working with RGV Sir. He never behaves like a big director on the sets. He gives full freedom to artistes and gives us our space. I am comfortable working with him. He gave suggestions which improved my acting skills. Thats why I called him guru, says Surabhi.

She adds that she met actors like Jagapathi Babu, Manchu Manoj and Prakash Raj in that film.Its a completely different script and my role was not a typical commercial one. I am eagerly waiting for that film which will release soon, she says.

Surabhi says her first preference is the director and then the story. I will also look at my character and how important it is in the film, and of course the rest comes next, like the production house, etc., she says.

She is now more confident in the industry after working in a few films. Though I cant speak the language, I can understand it now, she says, adding, There is a bundle of talent here with good technicians and actors.

The actress wants to have a painting exhibition in the coming years. In the coming four to five years I want to hold a painting exhibition in Hyderabad and Delhi, she says, adding that her mother too is an artist.
Once upon a time in absolute reality, a very handsome guy in his late twenties approached me at a conference in Malaysia that I was attending as a speaker. He sat next to me and with a strong gaze said sweetly, Maam, I am planning a perfect crime and I need your help. I replied almost choking on my pasta giggling and mustered a, Well, what help? He replied with a smoldering intensity which could give competition to Shah Rukh Khan with I want to steal your heart.

I was on floor laughing and if not anything else I was impressed with his confidence, charm, and the honesty in his eyes. I did not help him in the love crime but interestingly, that instance indeed made me believe that someday I would meet my soul mate just like that and also I would, with utmost sincerity from the bottom of my lungs, kidneys and other organs, help him in stealing my heart forever and ever. THAT is the magic of love  that most amusing, charming, and profound feeling that exists in the deepest caves of our heart. It is also the eventual bliss available to us when all your desires can succumb to a point where you crave for simply nothing more in life. The incredible Kamasutra, one of the most profound ancient scriptures on love, reads If a wise human being has to choose between power, fortune, fame and love, he will choose love and only love for an eternal bliss.

Ancient Wisdom Reads, Modern Life Reeks We are increasingly becoming loveless in our daily life running around like a headless chicken for money, fame, career and other pursuits while we neatly compartmentalize our love life in a long forgotten closet that is rarely opened. Life is too short to focus on anything but to LOVE effortlessly. When all the chaos ceases, when all your varied roles have played out, just one role will remain divinely cherished and treasured  that role my friends is the role of a lover.

There is still time, never too late; if you love someone, no matter who and the prevailing circumstances, go and spend time with that person. That time you spend together is probably the one of the very few times when you would actually get to experience the true taste of being human. Forget about everything else, fall in love, and stay there. There is no better FALL than a LOVE FALL. Now, imagine choosing between gazing at your smartphone or your lovers deep love drunken eyes. Your choice. I really hope the Malaysian heart thief found his partner in crime. And you, yours.
Exposing sleeping people to a series of short flashing lights at night might help them adjust more quickly to time zone changes, according to a new U.S. study.

In experiments, the technique  which is based on the way non-visual parts of the brain respond to light  was much more effective than sustained bright light similar to that from devices sometimes used to combat sleep disorders or seasonal depression.

Jet lag itself is really a nuisance syndrome as it is self-resolving, said senior author Jamie Zeitzer, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine in California.

Zeitzer was on the committee that removed jet lag as a "disease" from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), the guide that psychiatrists use to diagnose mental illnesses.

However, the treatments that are developed for jet lag can be used for less prevalent, though far more significant societal problems including delayed sleep in teens (in whom we have an ongoing clinical trial using the flash technique) and shift workers who try to flip between a night time schedule for work and a day time schedule for leisure, he told Reuters Health by email.

The study included 39 people, 31 of whom were exposed to a series of two-millisecond light flashes with changing intervals while sleeping, and eight of whom were exposed to 60 minutes of continuous bright light.

A series of flashes similar to a camera flash delivered every 10 seconds over a 60-minute period delayed sleepiness by two hours, compared to a 36-minute delay for those exposed to continuous light for an hour, according to the results published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

In essence, using the night before you traveled from California to N.Y. would move your circadian system two-thirds of the way there before you even left, Zeitzer said.

Arriving in New York, you would be synced to the local time after one day, he said.

The circadian clock is the central conductor of the many clocks that are found in nearly all tissues of your body, Zeitzer said. This clock remains synchronized with the external day through regular exposure to light.

Nighttime flashes change the timing of the circadian clock, he said.

For moving your system to a later time, such as would be necessary when traveling East-to-West, light during the first few hours of the night is ideal, he said. For moving your system to an earlier time, such as would be necessary when traveling West-to-East, light during the last few hours of the night is ideal.

The night flashes require special technology and equipment, beyond just a smartphone, which are still in development, Zeitzer said.

In a previous study, the short flashes of light at night did not interrupt sleep or reduce its quality, he added.

This is one of the real advantages of this system - you can change circadian timing while you sleep, without interfering with sleep, he said.

Mistiming light therapy can make jet lag worse, cautioned Anna Wirz-Justice, professor emeritus at the Center for Chronobiology at the University of Basel in Switzerland, who was not part of the new study.

As for frequent flyers trying this themselves, it is far too early  neither the methodology is available outside research, nor any guidance about safety, nor tests of simulated jet lag in an appropriate realistic protocol, Wirz-Justice told Reuters Health by email.
Effortlessly buoyant and ardently passionate  Princess Mriganka Singh of the royal family of Jammu and Kashmir, has a lot more to her than just an illustrious lineage. In a candid tete a tete when she was in the city, she divulges how it feels to be a royal in todays era and believes its the journey that matters more than the destination

Dressed in a pristine white blouse and perfectly creased black trousers, Mrigankas impeccable sense of style reflects upon a trait that fails to wear off  a stickler for perfection. Her visit to Bengaluru marks her debut as the brand ambassador of a luxe jewellery brand, Diacolour.  This is my first visit to Bengaluru and I must say that its a lovely city, I believe its the people that make the city, and the people here are very warm and welcoming, she remarks.

Unfazed about the hullabaloo around her regality, Mriganka Singh opines that being a royal today has become casual. I have a lot of friends from similar backgrounds, as there are a lot of royal families in India . While we are aware of the significance, I look at it as a responsibility more than a privilege. Raised and schooled in the capital, Mriganka Singh mentions that her childhood was little different from the rest. I had a grounded upbringing. I went to the Vasant Valley in New Delhi and spent a chunk of my time learning how to paint and playing polo. I was always into outdoor activities, she reminisces.

An artist since childhood, Mriganka traces her inclination towards art to her mother Yuvrani Chitrangada Singhs works. Our families were patrons of art and music. Ive grown up seeing her take to the canvas. She used to paint horses in various settings. Her works greatly inspired me and egged me on to take to painting and art installations, she adds.

An ardent traveller and a self-confessed foodie, Mriganka Singh is an unfussy eater who relishes Indian cuisines. Stating how she likes to keep a low-profile, she calls herself a regular girl. A typical day revolves around this school started by my grandmother Maharani Raja Lakshmi. Its a vocational training centre where we train children with special needs to help them create a living for themselves.

While she holds unwavering family support as the biggest motivation, Mriganka mentions that shes the closest to her grandfather, Dr Karan Singh, I look forward to my evenings with him. His philosophy has moulded me into what I am. We play a session of rummy everyday, she smiles. Believing that shes presently in a happy space,Mriganka urges women to go with the flow. What I admire most about the women in this era is that were all so brave. Also, be passionate about everything you do. Then it wont feel like work and itll seem like you were born to do it, she signs off.
Bengaluru: A city software engineer thought it was his lucky day when two men offered to sell him an iPhone and a laptop at a throwaway price of Rs 60,000 while he was on his way home from work on Thursday.

But he was in for a shock as the duo made away with his cash leaving him with merely bricks wrapped in a bright cover.

Mr Venkat Narayana, who lives in HSR Layout II stage, was accosted by the two men on Venkatapura road. Showing him the expensive gadgets, they offered to give them to him at the bargain price, claiming they were badly in need of money.

Seeing that the laptop and iPhone were in good condition, Mr Narayana readily agreed to buy them and going to a nearby ATM withdrew the money they had asked for.

Taking it, the two men gave him a plastic bag, which he assumed had the laptop and iPhone in it, and sped away.

Excited about the deal, Mr. Narayana opened the bag on reaching home only to find bricks inside. He at once rushed to the Madiwala police station and lodged a complaint.



This is not the first time that people have been duped by such conmen in the city. Last year, several gullible techies in HSR Layout, Madiwala, Whitefield and Electronic City were take for a ride in a similar fashion. The police had then arrested three men from Uttar Pradesh for the racket.

The gang appears to have now returned, according to a senior police officer. The police are verifying the CCTV footage from in and around the area to identify the conmen.
BENGALURU: A two-and-a-half year-old girl, who was playing in the corridor in front of her house, went missing and was later found dead in the bushes near her house.

The incident was reported in Gopalappa Layout under the Hebbal police station limits on Thursday night. The police have taken up a murder case and have launched a probe.

The deceased was the daughter of a couple from Darjeeling. The couple came to the city about four years ago. The father works as a cook at a restaurant in Halasur, while the mother ran a beauty parlour till six months ago.

The mother gave coffee and a biscuit packet to the child around 7.30 pm, and the girl went out to play in the corridor. The mother, who went inside the kitchen, returned after a few minutes, but found her daughter missing.

She enquired with the neighbours but they had no clue. They searched for the girl for sometime and when she was not found, the mother filed a missing complaint with the Hebbal police around 9.30 pm.

The police rushed to the spot and searched for the girl. Around 11.30 pm, the girls body was found in the bushes inside the house compound, the police said.

The police suspect that the girl was strangled to death. The family stayed on the first floor and the girls parents have stated in the complaint that their child never went down by herself. It is suspected that someone came up and abducted the girl. More than 50 houses in the area are occupied by people from Darjeeling. The local residents are being questioned, the police said.

The police are also not ruling out the possibility of someone sexually abusing the girl before killing her. The exact reason behind the girls death will be known after postmortem report, the police said.
Mumbai: A minor girl, who just turned 15, is now eight months pregnant and has been admitted to a hospital after a 16-year-old boy, a distant relative, allegedly raped her at their residence in Khar.

Instead of immediately informing the police about the crime, the boys family, in a bid to save him, concealed the facts for months till the girls condition worsened.

The Nirmal Nagar police has now arrested the boy, his 38-year-old father and his 40-year-old aunt for being complicit in the alleged crime. The police, to protect the girls identity, has withheld the name of the two accused. All of them live in a chawl near Nirmal Nagar.

The girl is poor and hails from a village in Bihar. The accused brought her here when she was a 13-year-old on the pretext of educating her but made her do all the household work.

A family member of the accused is ailing and the girl was made to look after the person. The 16-year-old-son then allegedly raped the girl at their home due to which she got pregnant. The family members didnt inform the police and when the girls bump started showing, the 38-year-old man sent her to the boys aunts house in Malad.

Someone informed a social activist, who in turn tipped off a lady constable from the Social Service Branch. The girl was then brought to the police station and later admitted to a hospital where she will be delivering the child.

Senior inspector of Nirmal Nagar police Vasudev Jamdade confirmed that an FIR has been registered under section 376 (rape) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and 4 (penetrative sexual assault), 8 (sexual assault) and 12 (sexual harassment upon a child) of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

They were arrested on Thursday night and produced before a sessions court on Friday where they were remanded to judicial custody. The juvenile was produced before a juvenile court, which has sent him to the Dongri correction home.
After an avalanche near the Siachen glacier killed 130 Pakistani soldiers in 2012, Pakistan had then requested India for withdrawal of troops of both countries from the Siachen region. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: With 10 Indian soldiers perishing in the avalanche at Siachen glacier, Pakistan on Thursday made a fresh reiteration that both countries should mutually agree to withdraw from Siachen, adding that the issue be treated in an urgent manner between our two countries to ensure that more lives are not lost on both sides on account of harsh weather conditions. After an avalanche near the Siachen glacier killed 130 Pakistani soldiers in 2012, Pakistan had then requested India for withdrawal of troops of both countries from the Siachen region.

But despite the deaths of hundreds of Indian soldiers in the past three decades and the mounting human cost of holding on to the Siachen glacier, India has been maintaining that it would not vacate the dominating heights of the Siachen glacier, unless Pakistan agrees to authentication of the position of ground troops in the region and gives iron-clad guarantees that its troops will not occupy positions vacated by Indian troops in case of any agreement on demilitarisation.

We sincerely hope the issue of Siachen would be treated in an urgent manner, said Abdul Basit, Pakistan High Commissioner.
The security forces were in action to neutralise terrorists who were holed up in a house. (Photo: ANI Twitter)

Srinagar: Five militants and two Army jawans were killed and four others injured in a 22-hour long gun battle in Chowkibal woods of Jammu and Kashmirs Kupwara district on Saturday.

The dead soldiers have been identified as Naik Shinde, Shankar Chandrabhan and Gunner Sahadev Maruti. Chief of Northern Command, Lt Gen. DS Hooda has expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased. Defence spokesman Colonel S.D. Goswami termed the killing of five militants as another major blow to the terror outfits in Jammu and Kashmir. The identities of the dead militants are being ascertained, he said.

Police and Army officials said that the fighting started at 3. 30 PM on Friday after troops from Armys 41 Rashtriya Rifles, 16 Grenadiers and 19 Maratha Regiment along with the men from J&K polices counterinsurgency Special Operations Group (SOG) and CRPF moved in to take on a heavily armed group of militants hiding in a house close to Zunreshi forest area.

The operation was started after reports that militants are hiding in a house near a forest in the area. As the security forces were zeroing on it, they came under a barrage of gunfire, injuring one Army jawan, said a police officer over the phone from Kupwara.

The exchange of fire continued till around noon on Saturday, killing five militants and two Army jawans. Among the injured is an Army Major, reports said. Earlier reports put the number of militants killed to four, but SSP Kupwara Ijaz Ahmed Bhat said that the corpse of another militant has been retrieved from the debris of the house. He also said that five AK-47 rifles were also found at the encounter site.

Intelligence inputs available with the police authorities said the militants group had been active in the area for the past three months after it sneaked into Kupwara, trespassing the Line of Control (LoC). The group may have also one or two local militants on it, officials said.

A report from Kupwara said that the house in which the militants were hiding was blown up by the security forces using explosives during the fighting. The police officer said that the injured soldiers were shifted to a nearby military hospital; the soldiers are in a stable condition now. The officer said that one of the two other soldiers died on his way to the hospital, whereas the latter died after reaching the hospital.

Defence spokesman Col. Goswami confirmed the Army casualties, saying Two brave soldiers of the Indian Army attained martyrdom when they were engaged in a fierce encounter with a group of terrorists hiding in a built up area.

Srinagar-based defence spokesman Col. NN Joshi giving the details of the encounter said, As the Army commenced the search of the suspected house, it drew heavy volume of fire and grenades from terrorists hiding in the house. He added while the soldiers engaged the militants, additional reinforcement effectively cordoned off the house to prevent their escape.
Bengaluru: Bengaluru boy Rohith Subramanian couldnt wait to turn 21, just so he could set off on the adventure of a lifetime. On Jan 15, Rohith, who now calls himself the Lone Wanderer, got on his trusty Bullet, bid his family and friends goodbye and embarked on the 25 million metre ride (that's 25,000 km) which will take him across every state in India, 10 countries in South Asia and 36 in Europe.

Travelling the world had always been at the top of his to-do list, but it was a chance Facebook post that finally triggered it.

I read a piece written by an American man who had always chosen his corporate life over the things he truly wanted to do. He seemed to have a lifetime of regrets and I didnt want that to happen to me.

Being born into a society where being a doctor or an engineer are the only two acceptable options, taking off on an extended road trip was a big leap. All our stories are the same, said Rohith, who was 20-km shy of Hampi when we spoke and taking a break from doing odd-jobs at a local dhaba.

We go to school, college, marry, have children, who do all the same things. I wanted a different story, one that I would be excited to hear! Still, he says, his parents took it surprisingly well. They were the ones who urged me to go to Europe and to South Asia, I was only thinking of India, he said.

The India-leg of the trip will take him about five months to complete, after which Rohith will head off to South Asia through Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore and Malaysia, all of which are connected by road  I'm taking a ferry to Indonesia, he added.

Riding through China proved too expensive for his current hand-to-mouth lifestyle, so he will fly to Finland before he begins the trip through Europe.

That's not all. During his journey, Rohith intends to do all the things he wanted to do as a child, which, he says, include being a farmer, a waiter and an odd-jobs man. I was an ice-cream vendor for a day, I've waited some tables and even helped lay a road one morning in Kochi, he said exuberantly.

In keeping with his theme to promote universal brotherhood, Rohith has also decided against staying in hotels, relying instead on the kindness of strangers. I've had someone new host me everyday, people have been so kind, he said.

I stayed with an 80-year-old man, was hosted at a college hostel by the students, camped out with a whole lot of bachelors and met some really nice families as well, he explained.

It would take me six months to gather experiences like these living in Bengaluru, now, I can find them in the course of a week.

Completely unfazed by the thought of not finding an obliging host, he said, I'll sleep in a bus stop, or a petrol bunk and if I can't do either, I'll head to the nearest police station and spend the night there!

Brands supporting him on the trip include Wrangler for apparel, Wicked Ride sponsors fuel for his bike, Zeus provides him with riding gear and Ustraa is even paying him to grow a beard.

"For the most part, though, the trip has been crowdfunded, said Rohith, adding with a laugh, They were happy to give me money so I'd get out of here quickly!

Rohith rides about 350 km a day, because he wants to punctuate his trip by meeting new people and doing things he wouldn't have a chance to do otherwise.

I also skip breakfast and lunch, my only meal is dinner, he said. My doctors warned me against this, saying I would overeat after about ten days, but its been thrice as long and Im still going strong! My body seems to be coping beautifully under the strain so far.
The Supreme Court collegium headed by the CJI at its meeting held on January 11 has taken this drastic step. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur has cracked the whip on errant and deviant judges by ordering a mass transfer of high court judges across the country. Earlier, such mass transfers were effected during the tenure of S.H. Kapadia as CJI.

The SC collegium headed by the CJI, at its meeting on February 11, took the drastic step with a view to stop alleged corruption in the judiciary. Though there is some resentment, sources said this step is for the improvement of the judiciary. Though the number of judges being transferred is not known, sources confirmed that a large number of judges are being shifted either on complaints of alleged corruption and deviant behaviour, inefficiency, for administrative exigency and since eithers daughter or son is also practising in the same high court. Sources said this is the first round and there will be another round of transfers shortly.

This list includes Justices R. Sudhakar and C.S. Karnan of the Madras HC.

While Justice Sudhakar is being sent to Jammu and Kashmir on administrative reasons, Justice Karnan is being shifted to the Calcutta high court based on complaints from the Chief Justice. A couple of judges are being transferred from the high courts of Madras, Karnataka, Delhi, AP and Allahabad and some other high courts. Sources said that after the receipt of the list from the Supreme Court, the law ministry will process the transfers which are expected to materialise in a fortnight.

At present, there is no legal mechanism for dealing with complaints against judges, who are governed by the Restatement of Values of Judicial Life, adopted by the judiciary as a code of conduct without any statutory sanction. The Judges (Inquiry) Act contemplates only impeachment and there is no other form of punishment for errand judges.

The Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, providing for a mechanism to deal with complaints against judges of the high courts and the Supreme Court, could not be passed by Parliament. As a result, any complaint against judges has to be dealt with only by the Supreme Court collegium.
ABVP members shout slogans during a protest in New Delhi against JNU students who during a program described execution of Afzal Guru as 'judicial killing.' (Photo: AP)

New Delhi: Constrained over the ongoing 'anti-national' activities going on in the Jawaharlal Nehru University, ex-servicemen of 1978 batch of the National Defence Academy (NDA) have said that they are finding it difficult to be associated to the university and therefore they would return their degrees.

In a letter to the vice-chancellor of the university, ex-servicemen of the 54th NDA course said, "We the proud fraternity of ex-servicemen of the June 1978 Batch of National Defence Academy, who are proud recipient of the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts Degree from your esteemed University, are today constrained at the ongoing anti-national activities on your university campus like celebration of Afzal Guru day, and consider it an affront to be equated with the present student fraternity of the university which is indulging in such anti-national activities."

The ex-servicemen feel that the present activities in the JNU campus negate the sacrifices made by the past degree holders of the esteemed university.

Read: Won't allow JNU to become hub of anti-national acts: Kiren Rijiju

"We, the proud, patriotic ex-servicemen of the 54th NDA course find it difficult to be associated to a university which has become a hub of anti-national activity, and would therefore be constrained to return our prized and well earned degrees to your esteemed institution if such activities are allowed to be conducted inside the University Campus," the letter added.

Meanwhile, expressing their dissent over the ongoing row, a delegation of Left parties on Saturday met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and asked him to release Kanhaiya Kumar, the university's students' union president.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) politburo member Sitaram Yechury, who led the Left delegation to the Home Minister, said that the actions taken by the police in the university, were even worse than what happened during the emergency.

Read: Protest at JNU anti-national, should be tackled sternly: Union minister Ananth Kumar

"We informed the Home Minister about the happenings inside the university. We told him that the kind of actions taken by him, dubbing the whole university as anti-national, is even worse than what happened during the emergency," Yechury said.

He also said that no one who would accept that JNU students are anti-national.

"We also presented our dissent that the RSS is trying to spread its ideology in all the universities of the country. He assured that no action would be taken against any person who is not guilty. Acknowledging his assurance we said that Kanhaiya Kumar, university's students' union president, should be immediately released," he added.

"The 20 people, who are being targeted and against whom the sedition charges are being slapped, are not seen raising slogans in the video. The list of those 20 people includes the name of D. Raja's daughter also. The Centre is just using this to interfere in higher educational institutions and spread the ideology of the RSS," he further said.

"It should be proved that they are at fault. It should be proved that these incidents actually happened. The university has no cameras, so where did the tape come from?" he added.

Hours after Rajnath Singh and Human Resource and Development Minister Smriti Irani denounced the raising of alleged anti-India slogans in the JNU, the Delhi Police on Friday arrested Kanhaiya Kumar on charges of sedition and criminal conspiracy.

Kumar's arrest evoked strong reactions from JNU students and teachers, past and present, and Opposition parties even as the RSS's students wing ABVP 'thanked' police for arresting the 'anti-nationals'.

The arrest of Kumar, a member of the CPI's students wing AISF, was made a day after BJP MP from East Delhi, Maheish Girri, registered a complaint.

The alleged anti-India slogans were reportedly raised during a protest march on the campus on Tuesday against Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's hanging.

The protest was staged even though the JNU administration had revoked permission following a complaint from the ABVP.
Whoever did this was very particular that this hoax share should get wider publicity. Because, it just worked. The image, which started figuring in message sharing platforms on Wednesday, went viral among all other message sharing platforms, said another senior police officer. (Photo: PTI)

Chennai: An image, doctored with an image strip lifted from state polices official website, with the content as if the city police has launched an SMS helpline for women traveling alone, went viral.

The body of the message reads: Chennai city police have started a good service with a dedicated helpline for women. Before boarding the taxi or auto, sms the Vehicle Number to +91-99697778 88. You will get an acknowledgment via sms. Vehicle will be tracked via GPRS. Share with as many as you can. Help your sister, mom, your wife and female friends.

In fact, the actual helpline was originally launched by Mumbai police way back in March 2015 close on the heels of the murder of an Andhra based techie.

Ever since, miscreants had been using it successfully for spamming. One version of it said Bengaluru police had launched it and the Karnataka police had to respond to the hoax through their official social networking platforms.

The present version with the image strip was done in such a way that it looks more credible in the first look itself, triggering the urge to share among unmindful receptors. The text alone was getting shared in FB since the first week of February and the oldest one was in May 2015.

When contacted, Chennai police officials clarified that they had not launched any such helpline. On the use of the official image lifted from TN police website, the official said they would look into the matter.

Whoever did this was very particular that this hoax share should get wider publicity. Because, it just worked. The image, which started figuring in message sharing platforms on Wednesday, went viral among all other message sharing platforms, said another senior police officer.
New Delhi: India on Saturday expressed disappointment over US administration's decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, saying it disagrees that such arms' transfers will help combat terrorism.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will be summoning US Ambassador Richard Verma to convey India's "displeasure".

"We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama Administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircrafts to Pakistan. We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism.

We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama Administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircrafts to Pakistan pic.twitter.com/NGdrAL2m9i  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) February 13, 2016

"The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself. The US Ambassador will be summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs to convey our displeasure," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

Read: Congress questions Modi's foreign policy over US' decision to sell F-16 jets to Pak

MEA summoned US Ambassador Verma to express its displeasure over the US decision.

According to MEA sources, Verma met Jaishankar at South Block this morning, though it was not clear immediately as to what the MEA had conveyed to him during the nearly half an hour-long meeting.

The Obama administration on Saturday notified the US Congress of its decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan worth nearly USD 700 million, notwithstanding American lawmakers' demand for stopping the proposed sale.

Read: Barack Obama administration notifies Congress of sale of F-16s to Pak

The estimated cost of the sale is USD 699.4 million, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency a wing of the Pentagon - said in a statement, adding that this proposed sale contributes to the US foreign policy objectives and national security goals by helping to improve the security of a strategic partner in South Asia.

Read: US' proposed sale of F-16s to Pak likely to face resistance
Bengaluru: The proscribed Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT), which had masterminded the 26/11 carnage in Mumbai that had claimed the lives of 166 people, had appointed its army chief Muzammil Bhat, the over six-foot-tall bearded man, as its commander for South India operations.

The LeT reportedly stripped Muzammil of his portfolio after his test run and the key India module, comprising Ishrat Jahan and Pranesh Pillai alias Javed Gulam Sheikh, botched up and ended up dead in an alleged police encounter.

Ishrat was an alleged member of Muzammils LeT module and was radicalised and converted to jihad by her friend and accomplice Javed at the behest of Muzammil. She was reportedly caught in the terror web by Javed, said an officer on condition of anonymity.

The 26/11 accused Daood Gilani alias David Coleman Headley had reportedly told the team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) officers, who had interrogated him in 2010 in the Chicago prison, that Ishrat was recruited and converted to terrorism by Sheikh.

In their report, the NIA had quoted Headley in paragraph 168, in which he allegedly stated that in late 2005, the top LeT leader Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi had introduced Muzammil (Bhat) to him as a Lashkar commander, whose every big project had ended in failure. He had added that Ishrat Jahan module was also one of Muzammils botched up operations.

While the top LeT commanders, Hafiz Saeed and Lakhvi directly coordinated the 2008 Mumbai serial terror attacks with the support of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Muzammil was instructed to plan terror attacks in South India. The LeT took away that role from him after Ishrat along with Javed, Amjad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar was killed on the outskirts of Ahmedabad in an alleged shootout with the police on June 15, 2004, the officer said.
Mumbai: LeT and Al-Qaeda were convinced that 26/11 attack masterminds Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman would face only "superficial" action from the Pakistani authorities and within months plans were afoot for another terror strike in India, Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley said on Saturday.

Headley, who is serving a 35-year jail term in the US in connection with the 26/11 case, said this before a special court here via video link from the US during his deposition which concluded Saturday.

Read: Was instructed by ISI to recruit Indian Army personnel: Headley tells court

The 55-year-old LeT operative told the Special Judge G A Sanap that after the attacks in Mumbai he was concerned about the safety of Saeed and Lakhvi and hence was in constant touch with LeT operative Sajid Mir, who was his handler, and Al-Qaeda member Abdul Rehman Pasha (former LeT cadre).

"FIA (Federal Investigating Agency of Pakistan) was conducting investigations, interrogating people and pursuing people from LeT. Hence I asked Mir about 'old uncle' (Saeed) and 'young uncle'(Lakhvi). Mir, in his reply, said that young uncle is fine and flying high. I think by this Mir meant that Lakhvi's morale was high even though he was in prison at that time," Headley said.

Mir also said that "old uncle is fit and healthy like anything. Don't put ears to rumours, he is moving back and forth like a tornado for his business and he (Mir) gave solace," the LeT approver said.

Responding to one of his mails, Pasha had written, "don't worry everything here is normal. By this Pasha meant that I need not worry (about Saeed and Lakhvi) as the action against them and other LeT members are superficial," said Headley.

Giving further details about anti-India activities, Headley said eight months after the Mumbai strike, Mir had sent an e-mail to him saying that another location needs to be scouted in India for future attacks.

"Mir in his mail has said an 'investment plan' needs to be made (meaning another location for attack). I told Mir that this time the attack should not be in 'Rahul (Bhatt's) City. I referred to Mumbai as Rahul City," he said while informing the court that all the emails had coded language.

Headley, who had scouted the November 2008 targets in Mumbai, said he had visited Pushkar, Goa and Pune in March 2009 and recced the cities as sought by Ilyas Kashmiri of Al-Qaeda.

He also visited the Indian Army's Southern Command headquarters at Pune in 2009 on the instructions of ISI's Major Iqbal, who wanted him to recruit some military personnel to get "classified" information, Headley revealed.

After the deposition which began on Monday, the court adjourned the case for cross-examination by accused and key 26/11 plotter Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal's lawyer for a future date.

Headley said Mir and Major Iqbal had encouraged him to develop close relations with Raja Ram Rege (a former member of Shiv Sena) and they would decide in the future if he (Rege) would be of any use to them.

"On May 19, 2008 Rege has sent me an e-mail regarding certain investment I forwarded it to Mir, Iqbal and Rana and sought their advice. While Rana was ready to make the investments, Iqbal was not ready for any terror strike and only wanted information about military while Pasha, Mir and me wanted (a terror) attack," he told the court.

He also claimed that he had suggested to Rege to call late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and his son Uddhav to US so that they could 'take care' of them.

Major Iqbal, Headley said, had raised some questions about the use of Rege. "Iqbal wanted to know if Rege could provide information on Indian military and paramilitary force. Iqbal asked me to keep Rege engaged in seminars and conferences in US," Headley said.

When the court played the audio transcripts of the conversation between the LeT handlers operating from a control room in Karachi and the attackers, Headley identified the voices of Abu Kahfa, Mir and Abu Al-Kama (LeT operative).

"I cannot understand or identify any other voice," he added. Headley told the court that when he asked Mir 'are most of the problems solved for uncle and his friends' he was referring to leadership of LeT that is Saeed and Lakhvi.

He said that in another e-mail to Mir referring to Saeed he wrote 'old uncle got H1 Virus too? Do the docs in hospital wants to give him checkup'. By this I meant if Hafiz Saheb was under investigation and he would be arrested," he said.

He also told the court that once Pasha told him that 'Chacha revealed some facts about Ismael under pressure'.

"Pasha referred to Lakhvi as Chacha while Ismael was me," he said.

He also told the court that he (Headley) was never arrested or called for interrogation by FIA despite several visits to Pakistan after 26/11 attacks, which left 166 dead and 309 injured.

"Investigating agencies in Pakistan had never arrested me at any point of time neither FIA ever called me for interrogation during my stay in Pakistan. Mir or Major Iqbal were also nerver arrested by FIA," Headley told the court.

He said though Pasha was not arrested in the 26/11 attacks case in July-August 2009, he was arrested in connection with another case.

Headley told the court that after the November 2008 attacks, he apprehended his arrest or killing in India which he was going to visit in March and hence had made a will which he sent to his business partner Tawahur Rana.

"In March 2009, I sent a mail to Rana and enclosed my will, I sent it as I knew that I was going back to India and in the event that I would be arrested or killed. I wanted him to take care of certain personal/family matters as I thought it was a responsible thing to do," the LeT operative said.

After Nikam concluded his examination, Jundal's lawyer sought four weeks' time for cross-examining Headley.

While Nikam objected to this, assistant attorney in US Sarah told the court that they would not be available in the near future and a fresh request would have to be made to fix a date for cross-examination.

The court asked Jundal's lawyer to inform Nikam by February 22 the exact time and number of days he would require to cross examine Headley after which the prosecutor would initiate further process.
Army Capt Shikhardeep who went missing, at Kotwali police station in Faizabad, UP (Photo: Twitter)

Katihar (Bihar): A week after he went missing from a train on way to New Delhi from here, Army Captain Sikhardeep on Saturday appeared before Faizabad police in Uttar Pradesh.

"I have talked to Captain Sikhardeep over phone. He is in Kotwali police station of Faizabad district and he is fine. The army personnel took him to Dogra cantonment (in Faizabad)," Superintendent of Railway Police (SRP) Jitendra Kumar Mishra said.

Mishra said Sikhardeep called his sister on her mobile in Katihar this morning and informed her that he was at Kotwali police station of Faizabad.

She then informed their father Anant Kumar, a Lt Col-rank officer posted at Ranchi, who in turn told the SRP about his son's sudden appearance at Faizabad.

Mishra said Shikhardeep told him that he got off Mahananda Express at Patna Junction to drink water and lost consciousness thereafter.

When he regained consciousness, the Captain said he found himself tied to a chair at an unknown place. He managed to free himself, ran a few kilometres and then took Kamakhya Express.

However, the SRP said, the Army officer could not tell him the place where he boarded Kamakhya Express and where he got down from the train.

The Captain said he somehow reached Faizabad and went to Kotwali police station where he introduced himself.

Sikhardeep, who is posted in Jammu and Kashmir, had boarded Mahananda Express from Katihar on February 6 to go to New Delhi. His family had last spoken to him on phone that night but he did not reach Delhi.

The police team, which has been camping at Mugalsarai station to look for Sikhardeep, has been asked to reach Faizabad.

His brother-in-law, who had registered an FIR with Katihar GRP on February 9 about his disappearance, had also gone with the police team.

The 24-year-old Army officer, presently posted with 8th Sikh Light Infantry at Nowshera in Jammu and Kashmir, had come home for a month long holiday and was returning on February 6 by Mahananda Express.
Mumbai: All are aware of Prime Minister Narendra Modis new media alacrity. Be it Facebook or Twitter, the Prime Minister seems to be the most sought after personality in all of these platforms. However, he saw a major slip on Friday as he tweeted birthday wishes to Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on February 12. However, Ghanis birthday is on May 19.

Probability could be that one of the Prime Ministers yes man might have scrolled through search engines and bumped into some flimsy biographical excerpts on the Afghan President which might have flashed the Ghanis birthday on the February 12.

Heres how the Afghan President replied:

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's reply to Narendra Modi's glitch on twitter. (Photo: Twitter)
Patna/Ara: One person was arrested and five others detained in connection with the killing of Bihar BJP vice president Visheshwar Ojha, police said on Saturday.

"Harendra Singh alias Bhua Singh, named accused in Visheshwar Ojha murder case, has been arrested by the police," a statement from state police headquarters said.

Seven persons, including Harendra Singh, have been named accused in the murder case of Ojha, who was shot dead last evening at a place between Sonvarsha and Parsaura villages under Shahpur police station of Bhojpur.

Shahabad DIG A Rahman said in Ara that Singh was arrested, while five others were detained in the case.

A special team, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Reshu Krishna, has been constituted to conduct raids to nab the accused, Rahman said.

He said on the basis of information received from the five detainees, a team had been sent to Uttar Pradesh's Balia district in search of Ojha's suspected killers.

If the named accused continue to hide from police for the next two-three days, police would request the court concerned to grant order to attach their property, the DIG said.

BJP state president Mangal Pandey had yesterday served a 72-hour "ultimatum" to the government for the arrest of Ojha's killers, failing which the party would agitate.

BJP has given a call for 'Shahabad bandh' tomorrow to protest against the killing of the party leader and alleged lawlessness in the state, party spokesperson Sanjay Mayukh said.

Shahabad region comprises four districts -- Bhojpur, Rohtas, Kaimur and Buxar.

Mayukh said a delegation of the NDA would meet Governor Ram Nath Kovind tomorrow to apprise him of the law and order situation in the state.

BJP leaders Sushil Kumar Modi, Mangal Pandey, Prem Kumar, Ashwini Choubey among others reached Ojha's native village Ojhwalia in Bhojpur district to attend his funeral.
New Delhi: The political slugfest over David Headley's deposition that Ishrat Jahan, who was killed in an alleged fake encounter in Gujarat, was an LeT terrorist, escalated on Friday with Congress asking BJP since when it has started believing in terrorists.

BJP on its part accused Congress of "whitewashing" facts due to its "congenital dislike" for Narendra Modi because it foresaw him as a "political threat".

Trashing demands of BJP that the Congress leadership should apologise in the matter, party leader Kapil Sibal said that the implicit faith in the statements of the Pakistani-American terrorist was "yet another example of opportunism of BJP."

Sibal said it was "very surprising" as also a "matter of some concern" that suddenly BJP and its leaders have got implicit faith in terrorists and what they say.

"All over the world, Headley is a known terrorist, not to be believed. Suddenly BJP finds truth in what he says", Sibal said, taking a jibe at the ruling party remarking that it would now also believe in what terrorists Masood Azhar and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi are saying.

"Since when has BJP started believing terrorists?" Headley yesterday said that Ishrat Jahan, who was killed in 2004, was actually an Lashkar-e-Taiba(LeT) operative.

Seeking an apology from Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, then Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and other party leaders lined up to "weave a fictional tale" to target Modi, then Gujarat Chief Minister, the BJP also virtually defended the police personnel arrested for killing Ishrat, saying the then UPA government made sure they were put behind bars.

"A battery of Congress leaders were lined up who went on giving statements there are evidences (against BJP leaders), there are conversations happening, there are people who said the man with white beard and black beard. It was done because Congress has a congenital dislike for Modi," BJP leader and Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said at a party briefing.

"He much to their dislike was the state's chief minister. Who much to their dislike ran the state so successfully that they foresaw a potential political threat to themselves and so they targeted him... They wove theories like white beard, black beard," he added.
They alleged that the council is on the side of Pachauri and is willing to defend him at the cost of losing the respect and support of its university students. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: A day after R K Pachauri was asked to go on leave, a group of TERI University alumni today condemned the decision, saying it was a step to "cool the protests" while "keeping the channels open" for the environmentalist to influence the witnesses.

"On behalf of TERI alumni, we would like to express unhappiness regarding the governing council's decision of sending Pachauri on an indefinite leave. We condemn this decision as we believe that the council needs to understand that requesting the 'removal or suspension from a position of higher power' is not equivalent to sending him on a 'paid leave'," 2008-batch Nitasha Sharma, who is the part of the group, said.

Pachauri was on Friday asked by its governing council to go on leave from TERI, its council and TERI university, amidst mounting outrage over his elevation as executive vice chairman despite facing a swirl of sexual harassment allegations.

On February 11, Pachauri had proceeded on leave from TERI University after students had refused to receive degrees from him. He had said that he would not be part of the varsity's convocation which is scheduled to take place on March 7.

"Even on 'leave from all positions', Pachauri remains associated with TERI and the University. We perceive this decision by the council as a step to cool the current protests because it not only opens the possibility of him joining the institute anytime the governing council deems appropriate but also keeps the channel of influencing the the witnesses indirectly," Sharma said.

They alleged that the council is on the side of Pachauri and is willing to defend him at the cost of losing the respect and support of its university students.

The alumni group had submitted a letter to TERI's governing council on February 10 demanding his suspension from the green body and also started an online petition to mobilise support against him.

Former Competition Commission chief Ashok Chawla was appointed new chairman of the organisation yesterday after TERI's chairman B V Sreekantan resigned.

The alumni perceived this decision by the Council as a step to cool the current protests because it not only opens the possibility of him joining the institute anytime the Governing Council deems appropriate but also keeps the channel of influencing the witnesses indirectly.

"We are extremely disappointed by actions of the Governing Council members who have not only disrespected the power and trust invested upon them but also the law and public morality.

"By showing an utter disregard to the TERI university alumni's letter sent the day before yesterday which requested that Pachauri be removed or suspended from any position at TERI or TERI University until he is cleared of all legal proceedings clearly prove that the Council is on the side of Pachauri and is willing to defend him at the cost of losing the respect and support of the current and ex-students of TERI university," the statement released by Nitasha, an alumni of 2008 batch, said.

The alumni group had submitted a letter to TERI's governing council on February 10 demanding his suspension from the green body and also started an online petition to mobilise support against him.

Former Competition Commission chief Ashok Chawla was yesterday appointed Chairman of TERI yesterday after incumbent B V Sreekantan resigned in the midst of current controversies.

On February 11, Pachauri had proceeded on leave from TERI University after students had refused to receive degrees from him. He had said that he would not be part of the varsity's convocation, which is scheduled to take place on March 7.
New Delhi: Former IB Special Director Rajinder Kumar on Saturday said that he was offered allurements to give false evidence for implicating the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case.

"Allurements were offered that post retirement you will be given a big post, but I said that I will not give false evidence. They wanted that I should give a statement which would be an evidence for implicating the then Gujarat chief minister who was emerging as the biggest challenge to the then government, UPA. But I said that I will not give false statements," said Kumar.

He also said that the IB doesn't have any connections with the encounters and has nothing to do with the actions taken by the police.

"It was the police who did the encounters. Our work is only to give information and inputs. The IB has nothing to do with the actions taken by the police," he said.

The former IB special director said that a detailed affidavit was filed by the MHA on August 6, 2009 which proved that the inputs provided by the IB in the encounter were all correct.

"After that affidavit which proved that the inputs provided by the IB were correct, some people got disgruntled. They pressurized the witnesses and tried to prove that the affidavit was wrong by doing various manipulations," he said.

"It was all part of the conspiracy in which a very senior Congress leader, who hails from Gujarat, was the mastermind and was giving instructions to the people with an aim to somehow prove that the affidavit of the MHA is proven wrong. He, along with some of the disgruntled police officers, did all this," he added.

He also said that the witnesses were pressurized and told to give their testimonies.

"It was all part of the conspiracy which was targeted at the then Gujarat chief minister and home minister," he added.

Testifying via video-link from the US, main conspirator of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, David Coleman Headley picked up Ishrat's name when quizzed by Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam about a 'botched up operation' mentioned to him (Headley) by LeT commander Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi and said that the 19-year-old girl was an LeT operative.

The CBI had filed the charge sheet against Kumar and three other IB officers despite the Law Ministry's denial of sanction to prosecute them.

The CBI has alleged that the IB officers had conspired to eliminate the victims, kidnapped them and held them in illegal confinement before the killings. It said Kumar had supplied arms and ammunition used in the crime to another accused IPS officer Girish Singhal to be handed over to Deputy SP Tarun Barot.
Ahmedabad: Patel quota stir spearhead Hardik Patel has alleged that he was offered Rs 1,200 crore and a plum position in BJP's national youth wing by the Gujarat government to withdraw the agitation seeking reservation for his community under the OBC quota last year.

The large-scale protests by Patidars had triggered violence in many parts of the state, culminating in the arrest of Hardik and his aides under the charge of sedition. The claim of "monetary offer" was made in a letter received on Friday by various media houses, which members of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), of which Hardik is convener, claimed is written by Hardik who is currently lodged in Surat jail. However, the letter did not bear any official stamp of authorities of Lajpore jail in Surat.

The letter is addressed to Hardik's father Bharatbhai Patel and his mother. "I was offered Rs 1,200 crore by Gujarat government to withdrew the Patel quota agitation. The offer was made to me by an IAS officer of the government who had come to meet me in jail," the letter alleged. "They also offered me that they will make me national youth president of the ruling party. However, I have rejected both the offers," it said.

Repeated attempts to contact the state BJP leaders for reaction did not fructify.

Hardik (22) was booked in two cases of sedition, one in Ahmedabad and another in Surat, besides under sections 121 (A) (conspiracy to wage war against government) and 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy) along with his aides by Ahmedabad crime branch. "I have full faith in the judiciary and I will come out of the jail by legal process and carry on the agitation," the letter stated.

In the chargesheet filed last month, Ahmedabad Crime Branch termed the quota agitation as a "pre-planned conspiracy" hatched to put pressure on the state government to accept their "unconstitutional demand of quota." A separate chargesheet was filed against him last month by Surat police for sedition and other charges for allegedly instigating a fellow Patel youth to kill policemen rather than committing suicide during the agitation.
The new set up will integrate feed from all other existing CCTV systems.

Hyderabad: Around 10,000 CCTV cameras will be installed soon in Hyderabad and Cyberabad police commissionerates. The cameras will be installed in areas where the public has not come forward to participate in the Community CCTV Project.

The cameras will be directly connected to the new command control center and any government department can access the required feeds and analyze them as per their need, said Hyderabad police commissioner M. Mahender Reddy.

Currently the police is setting up CCTV cameras at various locations in the city as part of the Community CCTV Project. However, in some areas the project got only a lukewarm response due to financial problems. Keeping this in mind and the need for surveillance at vital locations in the city like the Assembly,

Secretariat, DGPs office and other important offices, the Telangana government is planning to set up 10,000 cameras in the city area and has appointed the Hyderabad police as the nodal agency to finalise tenders.

Out of 13 bidders who participated in the tender, two have qualified for the final stage. The new set up will cover both commissionerates, command control centers, zonal viewing centers and police station viewing centers and will also integrate feed from existing CCTV systems, community based CCTV systems and external CCTVs install-ed at various locations.

The command control center will have a desk for other government departments and they can collect the feed when required, the commissioner added.
BENGALURU: A cycle enthusiast was slapped by a woman railway ticket collector, beaten to pulp by five Railway Policemen, fracturing his hand, and foisted with false cases, all for carrying his foldable cycle in a train.

The victim, Deshmukh Dishendra, has written letters to the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission and Additional Director-General of Police (ADGP), Railways, seeking their intervention and action against the woman railway employee and guilty Railway Policemen.

In his complaint to Railways ADGP Amar Kumar Pandey, Mr Deshmukh has said that he boarded the train from K.R. Puram and had gotten down at the Cantonment Railway Station.

I had recently bought the foldable bicycle from Decathlon, as I believe in saving the environment. On Tuesday, I got down at the Bengaluru Cantonment Railway Station and was carrying my bicycle when the woman ticket checking officer caught me and told me that carrying the bicycle attracted a fine. I told her that once folded, the bicycle hardly occupied any space and it weighed only 14 kg. But she insisted that I pay a fine, which was six times my train fare. When I asked her to show me the railway book that specified this rule and the receipt for the amount paid, she took away my railway pass and the cycle, and made me wait for 30 minutes. She later came back with an excuse that she did not know the luggage rules. I told her that if that was the case, six times my fare amount would be around Rs 60, I would pay her Rs 100 and she could keep the change. But she demanded Rs 300.

Mr Deshmukhs complaint stated, I told her that even if it was Rs 1,000, I would pay, but I needed the receipt. When I asked her to stop indulging in corruption, she lost her cool and came charging at me. She slapped me, pushed me and later called police constables, telling them to take me to jail for misbehaviour. One of the constables took me to the station and started beating me. Soon, five others joined. They rained blows on me, kicked me and hit me with sticks before undressing me, the complaint stated.

After begging for more than an hour, one of the constables allegedly asked Mr Deshmukh to call one of his friends and ask him to bring Rs 5,000 for the release.

I called my manager Harish Haswani, who arrived at the station with two other colleagues and pleaded with the Railway Police for my release. After taking Rs 5,000, they released me. To my shock, the woman railway officer had fined me Rs 190, stating that the bicycle weighed 40 kg. I was also fined for ticket-less travelling, though I had a monthly pass. My left hand has been fractured by the policemen, he said.

Superintendent of Police (Railways) D. Prakash told Deccan Chronicle, A petition was submitted to ADGP Railways, Amar Kumar Pandey, by the victim following which an internal inquiry has been ordered. On Saturday, I visited the station where the incident took place and have ordered a preliminary probe into the matter. We are talking with both the parties as the woman ticket collector has filed a counter-complaint of molestation against Mr Deshmukh Dishendra. We have registered both cases. Disciplinary action will be taken if the policemen are found guilty.

Voice recorded entire incident: Victim

Fortunately, I had voice recorded the entire incident. Also, the footage from the CCTV installed at the railway station will prove that I am innocent and that I did not misbehave with the woman ticket collector. I have written letters to all the senior police officers as well as human rights commission seeking action, said Mr Deshmukh.

Online campaign

Friends and well-wishers of Mr Deshmukh Dishendra have launched an online campaign, #justicefordeshmukh, urging railway authorities to take action against the guilty policemen.
The parents and friends of 9-year-old Hardik Jena staged a protest against Olive Hospitals on Saturday alleging that their negligence killed the boy. (Photo: DC)

Hyderabad: The State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has directed the Hyderabad district medical and health officer and the West Zone DCP to submit a detailed report on the death of Class III student Hardhik Jena, of Glendale Academy.

Hardhik who was injured while playing in his classroom, did not regain consciousness after surgery at Olive Hospital on January 28.

A medical negligence case was registered against the hospital. On Saturday, the parents of Hardhik and the Glendale Academy Parents Association, staged a protest at Dharna Chowk demanding action against the doctors who performed surgery on Hardhik.

On January 27, nine-year-old Hardhik suffered a serious injury on his left wrist after falling on a window pane. The wound was nearly 1.5 inch deep and 3 inch long. He was admitted to Olive hospital at Mehdipatnam, where doctors performed surgery on him. Hardhiks parents said that in spite of the injury he was able to walk and talk.

All reports said his condition was normal. After the surgery doctors said it was successful and that he was conscious and we could talk to him after some time, but he did not regain consciousness after the surgery, said the boys father Mr Ashish Jena.

The parents alleged that the negligence of the doctors killed their son. They also lodged a complaint with SCPCR.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and CPI MP D. Raja, Congress leader Anand Sharma and others sit with students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi on Saturday. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: A batch of ex-servicemen, alumni of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, threatened to return their degrees as they found it difficult to be associated with an institution that has become a hub of anti-national activities.

Meanwhile, the HRD ministry has sought a status report from the university on the issue. However, the varsity administration maintained that it has not received any such communication so far.

The universitys alumni association also came out in support of the students saying they are pained to see the attack on university's image which stands for its democratic culture.
New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and other political leaders joined the protest at the JNU campus demanding the release of arrested students union president Kanhaiya Kumar.

Mr Gandhi also attended a meet organised by JNUSU demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the students union president, end to police raj on the campus and witch-hunting of JNU students.

There was a person in Germany named Hitler who had destroyed millions of people. If only he had listened to others, may be that country would not have gone through that much of pain, Mr Gandhi said to loud cheers by Left-leaning students.

Mr Gandhi was shown black flags by a group of ABVP members. He asserted that most anti-national people are those who are suppressing the voice of students in this institution.

While admitting that anti-India sentiment is unacceptable, Mr Gandhi said the right to dissent and debate is an essential ingredient of democracy.

CPI MP gets threat calls

CPI MP D. Raja on Saturday claimed that he has received calls carrying threats to his daughter, who is a student activist in the Jawaharlal Nehru University, whose students union chief has been arrested on sedition charges.

He said on late Friday night he got a call from a man who spoke in Hindi and asked him why he was fighting with BJP and ABVP.

Magisterial probe sought

Leaders of Left parties and JD(U) on Saturday called on chief minister Arvind Kejriwal here seeking a magisterial probe to establish the authenticity of evidence produced against JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar.

The delegation termed the on-going developments at the JNU as a political conspiracy by Centre to terrorise the students, reminding of days of Emergency.
Chennai: The DMK and the Congress on Saturday joined hands to take on the AIADMK in the coming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.

The DMK appears to have agreed to share power should its alliance win the elections. This is a significant departure from the hard-held position by the Dravidian major that the people of Tamil Nadu would never accept a coalition.

The Congress will be part of the DMK alliance to face the Assembly elections. The alliance will be successful and form the government. If more parties join, it (alliance) will be invincible, Congress lea-der Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters outside DMK chief M. Karunanidhis Gopalapuram house, after meeting the 92-year-old Dravidian stalwart.

DMK to take call on more allies

After meeting DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, First of all, our goal is that DMK-led government is put in place, triggering excitement among the mediapersons who pressed for details whether it would be a coalition government and if so, how many ministers the Congress had now bargained for.

In a guarded response, Mr Azad said, It is a small thing to be part of the government or not to be part of the government. That is not the only goal but the goal is to form the government under the leadership of the DMK.

Mr Azad met Mr Karunanidhi along with his colleagues Mukul Wasnik and PCC president E.V.K.S Elangovan. The DMK team included party treasurer M.K. Stalin and Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi.

The leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha heaped praises on Karunanidhi and DMK, calling him an esteemed leader and describing the party as most dependable.

Karunanidhi was an esteemed leader since the times of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, he said, adding that the DMK has always been and shall remain a most dependable partner.

Asked what had changed between 2013 and 2016 for the two to join hands again, Mr Azad said there were political compulsions and pressures.

On if any other party will join the alliance, he said it would be left to the DMK to bring in more allies. The DMK, he said, is the principal party and principal ally under whose leadership the elections are fought. The decision is left to the DMK leadership. They are sitting here. They know that who are the potential parties who can be roped in.

Commenting on the development, political analyst A. Marx said, The term DMK-led government means that the Congress will be given a few ministerial berths. While the Congress, after its electoral losses and party-split here, desperately needs a share in power to retain its cadre and supporters in this state, the DMK remains isolated as no party is willing to join hands with it without the assurance of sharing power. And so the DMK has no option except to accept a coalition government.

Commenting on the development, political analyst A. Marx said, The term DMK-led government means that the Congress will be given a few ministerial berths. While the Congress, after its electoral losses and party-split here, desperately needs a share in power to retain its cadre and supporters in this state, the DMK too remains.
Pakistan signed an agreement with the US over the purchase of 18 new F-16C/D block 50/52 aircraft.

New Delhi: Taking serious note of the United States decision to sell eight nuclear-capable F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, India on Saturday summoned US ambassador Richard Ver-ma to convey its displeasure and disappointment over the development.

Foreign secretary S. Jaishankar summoned Mr Verma to South Block and during the 45-minute meeting told him about Indias concerns over US military aid to Pakistan which New Delhi belie-ves goes into anti-India activities.

The ministry of external affairs (MEA) also issued a strong statement expressing its disappointment over the US decision to supply F-16 fighter jets to the US. It said it disagrees with the rationale that these arms transfers to Pakistan will help combat terrorism.

We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan. We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism. The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself, the MEA statement said.

Meanwhile agency reports from Washington said the Obama administration has decided to sell eight nuclear-capable F-16 fighter jets, worth nearly $700 million, to Pakistan. The proposal has now gone to the US Congress, which has 30 days to take a decision on it.

Despite mounting opposition from influential legislators from both the Republican and Democratic parties, the US state department notified the Congress that it has made a determination approving a possible foreign military sale to the government of Pakistan for F-16 Block 52 aircraft, equipment, training, and logistics support, agencies reported.
Jashodaben Modi, wife of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the hunger strike against the demolition of slums during monsoon, at Azad Maidan. (Photo: DC)

Mumbai: Just a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modis arrival to inaugurate the biggest business event Make In India, his wife Jashodaben Modi was in town on Friday. Though her visit to the city was a low-key affair unlike the Prime Ministers programme, she was seen supporting a social cause and fasting against demolition of slums and in support of destitute and orphan children on Friday.

Initiated by Good Samaritan Mission, a trust from Vikhroli, Jashodaben remained present at the day-long hunger strike at Azad Maidan on Friday. Dressed in a purple sari, sporting a mangalsutra with a golden chain and spectacles, Jashodaben sat calmly with the organisers to extend her support. She did not show much interest in interacting with the media. Her brother Ashok Modi, who was accompanying her, said she has a hearing problem and answered most of the questions posed to Jashodaben.

Azad Maidan had huge cutouts of Jashodaben with organiser Brother S. Peter Paul Raj.

After repeated requests from the media, for Jashodaben to speak, she said that she wanted to continue her social work. I want to work for orphan children, destitute and slum dwellers. The slums should not be demolished. I am fasting for them today. I want to work for a social cause, she said in Gujarati. Organiser Mr Raj did not want the media to ask her too many questions and was speaking on her behalf.

She is an educated woman. She is a retired teacher. She will work for the social cause. The organisers had come to us for the event and we agreed. They are doing good work and we support them, Ashok Modi said. Even Ashok Modi dodged questions related to Narendra Modi and the organisers stopped journalists from asking questions related to the PM.

Mr Raj, who was the organiser, said he had met Jashodaben on a few occasions earlier. I have met her earlier and always seen her being a devotee. Her participation will make a difference for us and we would be able to take our protest to maximum people, Mr Raj said. She had even visited the Good Samaritan Missions trust in Mumbai a few months ago.

Inspired by Mother Teresa, Mr Raj has been working for street children in Mumbai from 1994.
Tirumala police on Friday took one Srinivasulu, PA of Kurnool legislator S.V. Mohan Reddy for misusing the letterhead of the MLA and selling break darshan and Suprabhata Seva tickets. (Representational Image)

Tirupati: The Tirumala police on Friday took one Srinivasulu, PA of Kurnool legislator S.V. Mohan Reddy for misusing the letterhead of the MLA and selling break darshan and Suprabhata Seva tickets.

Incidentally, the legislator himself faced an uncomfortable situation because of the PA when he went for break darshan during the early hours of Friday.

TTD staff manning the Vaikuntam queue complex denied permission to four relatives accompanying the legislator since their names did not match the names on the tickets issued. The PA admitted that he sold the tickets to someone else when the legislator questioned him on the spot.

Tirumala I-Town police took Srinivasulu into custody based on a complaint by Mr Mohan Reddy. According to sources, he sold the the four tickets for Rs 17,000 and two Suprabhata seva tickets for Rs 5,000.

In similar incident on January 22 this year, letterheads of Tirupati MP V. Varaprasad Rao were misused by Hari, a hawker.

He secured 12 darshan tickets using the letterhead of the MP and sold them for Rs 24,000 to a group of devotees from Karikudi in Tamil Nadu and some working in SV Engineering College at Chittoor.

The issue came to light after vigilance staff noticed the difference in the names and ID proof when the devotees came for darshan.
India is no stranger to student protests. Indeed, the culture of protests can said to have its origins in our freedom movement. But it continued in independent India as well, at times with extraordinary ferocity. Nevertheless, wisdom has generally prevailed in dealing with young people who, while pursuing their studies, are also learning the ropes of political activity and social responsibility, and are in a phase of their life when everything is up for questioning.

This was not in evidence in JNU earlier this week when the university authorities called in the police who arrested the president of the students union on sedition charges. Last Tuesday, some students were protesting against the death sentence handed through a proper judicial process to Afzal Guru three years ago in the Parliament attack case, and presumably making hot speeches against the Indian state. In every generation, students have done this sort of thing, but calling in the police to check peaceful protests has been anathema to our university system.

This is how it ought to be. If the police become a standard feature on university campuses, the free atmosphere of debate and discussion, so essential to the process of product ion of knowledge, will be a casualty.

There is therefore no surprise that the JNU Teachers Union and the various deans of the university have raised their voice against calling in the police, and slamming the student leader, Kanhaiya Kumar, with the charge of sedition.

The action by the university looks to be absolutely grotesque in the larger scheme of things. It can even be said to be intended to appease the powers that be, for the police moved in after Union home minister Rajnath Singh and HRD minister Smriti Irani spoke threateningly about not tolerating anti-national activities.

Of course, the students were wrong in questioning the judicial process in the Afzal Guru case, which was transparent. But it is hard to see how they were being seditious. Now the police are going hell for leather and demanding of the vice-chancellor that the university produce some more students so that they too may be prosecuted for sedition. This is not the tradition of any university, leave alone JNU, an iconic institution of education and knowledge-generation respected everywhere in the world.

The government does not seem to realise that it is playing with fire, so soon after what we saw in Hyderabad in the wake of the recent suicide of a dalit student who had been grossly discriminated against by the university.

If the denouement there was instigated by BJP leaders, the JNU episode seems to be going the same way. Who knows, Kashmir University could also erupt. What the home and HRD ministers need is a sense of proportion. They must ensure that those arrested are freed.
There was predictable outrage when the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) recommended that there should be 27 per cent reservation for backward classes in the private sector. I say predictable because any proposal that seeks to further the cause of social justice is met with expected howls of protest by those who believe that they alone have the sacrosanct right to be the primary beneficiaries of economic development.

The fact of the matter is that even after 69 years as an independent nation, India has the worlds largest number of the abjectly poor, the illiterate and the malnutrioned. Moreover, in spite of a great deal of empowerment  both political and socio-economic  in the last few decades, the numerical majority in our nation, consisting of dalits, the scheduled tribes and the backward classes, does not as yet have a level playing field in terms of opportunities.

Can one segment of a nation grow and another languish in perpetuity? A nation is an organic whole. All its parts are inter-related and must benefit with equity from the fruits of economic growth. However much they wish to, the successful cannot secede to form their own Republic. We must either swim or sink together.

That is why, when the visionary founders of our nation wrote the Constitution, they included the element of affirmative action in the form of reservations in government jobs for the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). Later, this reservation was extended to include Other Backward Classes, with the caveat, as laid down by the Supreme Court (SC), that reservation should not exceed 50 per cent of total jobs available.

These reservations were restricted to government jobs. But after 1991, when we opened up our economy, government jobs have reduced in number. In the period between 2006 and 2012, they fell from 18.2 million to 17.6 million  a 3.3 per cent decline. In the same period, jobs in the private sector grew by 35.7 per cent, from 8.7 million to 11.9 million.

In other words, if we accept that social justice was an article of faith enshrined in our Constitution, the opportunities to implement it have constricted where government jobs are concerned, and grown exponentially in the corporate sector.

Is it unfair to ask the corporate sector, for which I have the highest respect, to partner with the government in furthering the cause of social justice? I believe not, because I am convinced that this will be, in the long run, in the corporate sectors own interest. Some corporate houses  alas, by far a minority  have volitionally implemented a policy where along with profits, they have invested in welfare programmes for the under-privileged and the marginalised. They understood that by doing so they were increasing the market size and the catchment area from which talent could be recruited.

In fact, in 2004 the corporate sector gave a categorical assurance that it will volitionally implement a programme of affirmative action. In a letter written to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, 218 of our top corporate houses and their associations said we will expand our current activities for disadvantaged persons with regard to scholarships, company run private schools, vocational training and we will implement in letter and spirit a programme of affirmative action to empower persons who are socially and educationally backward.

More than a decade has passed since then, but can the corporate sector say with honesty that it has fully, or even in substantial measure, implemented this pledge? Any objective survey will show that SCs, STs and OBCs, even today, constitute a miniscule minority in the senior managements of the top 500 BSE companies.

For all its entrepreneurial energy, the corporate sector cannot become an island unto itself. Many, if not all, private firms are beneficiaries in some form or the other, of government support policies. The other day Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself remarked sarcastically that when financial interventions are made by the government in favour of the under-privileged they are called subsidies, but when the same support is given to corporates it is called incentives.

If the private sector has grown with the help of the government  and that support is valid  why should it not lend its support to goals of social inclusiveness that is the unambiguous intent of our Constitution?

The argument that merit will be compromised by affirmative action is an elitist fallacy. In fact, the opposite is true. If more people are given the opportunity and exposure to become full participants in the national mainstream, we will increase the talent pool, as also the scope of the competition to select the best.

To argue that only those who have been the beneficiaries of societal benevolence for centuries are entitled to have a monopoly on opportunity is the worst form of unsustainable elitism. The Constitution specifically speaks of affirmative action for the socially and educationally backward because under our repressively hierarchic caste system certain castes were for millennia kept socially and educationally backward.

The already privileged do not have an extra cranium that makes them inherently superior. And no democracy can be truly effective unless all its citizens are provided the opportunity of a level playing field.

At this stage, what the NCBC has recommended is precisely that: a recommendation. Parliament will have to consider it to take matters forward. I would suggest that in the interim the leaders of our dynamic corporate sector do some introspection on their own. It would be best if they voluntarily accept a substantive and verifiable programme of affirmative action as they had promised to do in their letter to

Dr Singh 12 years ago. The government and our private sector must become partners in the great project of making our nation a more equitable and egalitarian entity. Economic growth with social justice should be the goal not only of the government but also the captains of business and industry.
I am very disappointed by Trai ban on Differential Data Pricing. I am strongly in favour of Differential Data Pricing and am anti-Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality is total nonsense from a technological point of view. You cannot build a packet switched network which guarantees that each bit of data will be treated equally.

Net Neutrality is neither technologically feasible nor desirable business wise. Trai has succumbed to pressure from activists who know nothing about how packet switched networks work. I have spent 35 years in telecom engineering, I challenge anyone in the world to design a packet switched network that can consistently implement Net Neutrality.

How many of those millions of laypeople shooting their mouths off about Net Neutrality even know what Net Neutrality is?

The definition of Net Neutrality in the Open Systems Interconnect Seven Layer model is: Net neutrality is the adherence to the paradigm that operation of a service at a certain layer is not influenced by any data other than the data interpreted at that layer, and in accordance with the protocol specification for that layer.

This is impossible to achieve technologically since packet switched networks inherently prioritise different types of data. Packet switched networks are stochastic, not deterministic. You cannot predict with certainty how a stochastic packet switched network will behave over time.

The internet is full of unintentional inequalities. Fast lanes are already a fact of life as in Content Delivery Networks, where the big content providers (Google, Facebook, Netflix, Microsoft) use deep hosting and bypass the internet backbone.

Trai ban on Differential Data Pricing goes against international business practices, peering and interconnection agreements.

The European Union decided not to ban Zero Rating. Only Chile, Slovenia, Netherlands and Finland had banned Zero Rating, and the European countries have to reverse this since the European Union voted in October 2015 to permit Zero Rating schemes. The USA regulates Zero Rating on a case-by-case basis. Data tariffs will go up in India greatly now. Facebook has to be blamed for its terrible public relations and media relations strategies, which aroused suspicions over its intentions.
Iowa State University in 2014 found that many devices are not accurate and some have never been tested before. (Representational image)

Fitness trackers proved to be rather popular in 2015, with a grand total of 3 million sold in the UK alone. However, as Dr David Ellis, lecturer at Lancaster University, and Lukasz Piwek, research associate at the University of Bath, point out on The Conversation, there appears little evidence to suggest that owning a device which records every step, calorie and sleep pattern will actually make you any healthier.

Dedication

Surprisingly, the trackers are more likely to be bought by individuals who already lead a healthy lifestyle and just wish to track their progress.

When you think about it, if youre a couch potato there appears little, if any incentive to spend thousands of rupees, for hourly confirmation that you are indeed, lazy.

It would appear that the need to charge them on a regular  sometimes daily  basis, proves too much of a commitment resulting in more than one in three users giving up on the device after six months.

The figure then increases to 50 per cent within a year. Existing health conditions and the unattractive features of ageing are other reasons as to why the novelty wears thin.

Technicalities

Of course, choosing to opt out will ultimately lead to the failure of the healthier lifestyle promised by the device. However, even when individuals remain committed to the bitter end can experience warped results.

Like any other accessory, the trackers come in a variety of shapes, colours and sizes but a study by Iowa State University in 2014 found that many devices are not accurate and some have never been tested before. When accuracy levels were compared on different devices, error rates reached as high as 25 per cent, which of course can be disheartening. Some users have even gained weight when using a device and follow its calorie guidelines.

As the two researchers point out, when using the device, the consumer is only allowed to view summary statistics while the raw data is stored by the manufacturer and regularly sold to other organisations. This makes it unclear as to whether the data is safe, lost, stolen or distorted.

Furthermore, the data often relies on single reports rather than a collective branch of studies, which appear to offer the individual the support of consultations with healthcare professionals. This improves the progress of the person using the device and ultimately the effectiveness of the device.

Alternatives

To add further insult to injury, a study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association on Tuesday, suggested that significantly cheaper apps on a smartphone do the job just as well, or even better in terms of measuring steps and calories.

 Source: www.i100.independent.uk

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New Delhi: Facebook India Head Kirthiga Reddy is moving back to US headquarters of the social media giant days after telecom regulator Trai ruled against differential pricing of data services in the country. Facebook had said on Thursday that it was shutting down its controversial programme in India  Free Basics, after Trais new regulation. Facebook had carried a mega campaign in India in support of its Free Basics.

However, Trai had said that such plans were violating two key principles of tariff regulation: non-discrimination and transparency. Under Free Basics, users could access some websites including Facebook for free without paying Internet charges on Reliance Communications network. The social media giant had claimed that Free Basics is to introduce people to the value of the internet through hundreds of free basic services, beyond Facebook. Ms Reddy said she along with William Easton, MD of Emerging Markets (APAC) and Dan Neary, VP Asia Pacific, have started looking for her successor in India.

When my family relocated to India, we knew that we would move back to the US some day. Its a bittersweet moment to share that the return timeframe is coming up in the next six to twelve months, she said in a social media post.

What am I going to be doing? It will be business as-usual over the next 6-12 months. I am working closely with William Easton and Dan Neary as we search for my successor in India. I have also begun to explore new opportunities at Facebook back at Menlo Park, she said.
"At least 35,000 Baloch are missing. There is a grave violation of human rights on the people of Balochistan and all this is being perpetrated by the Pakistan Army and the ISI," said Mama Abdul Qadir Baloch in an interview to PTI yesterday in front of the White House.

Washington: Demanding an end to Pakistan's "forceful" occupation of Balochistan, hundreds of Baloch- Americans and leaders from this restive Pakistani province held a peaceful protest in front of the White House to seek US intervention and deployment of NATO troops in the region.

"At least 35,000 Baloch are missing. There is a grave violation of human rights on the people of Balochistan and all this is being perpetrated by the Pakistan Army and the ISI," said Mama Abdul Qadir Baloch in an interview to PTI yesterday in front of the White House.

Vice president of the Voice for Baloch Missing Person, Qadir Baloch who came from Pakistan to attend this peaceful protest in front of the White House had carried out a 3,000 km long march from Quetta to Islamabad in 2013 against human rights violations in the province.

The White House protest was organised by the Baloch National Movement (BNM) to condemn the cold-blooded murder of its secretary general, Dr Mannan Baloch allegedly by the Pakistani army in Balochistan.

"We urge US President Barack Obama to ask the Pakistani Government to immediately stop human rights violations against the people of Balochistan. We also urge US to send NATO forces in Balochistan to save its people from the atrocities perpetrated by the Pakistan Army on us," he said.

Calling for a free and independent Balochistan that can guarantee peace and stability in the region plagued by religious extremism and terrorism perpetrated by the Pakistani army, the peaceful protestors alleged that the military is currently engaged in a bloody campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing of the indigenous population.

"We are asking the US government to intervene and stop military aid to Pakistan as American weapons are used by them for genocide against the Baloch people," Waheed Baloch, former speaker of Balochistan Provincial Assembly said.

"Recently they killed three political leaders. There is a war going in in Balochistan. There are protests in the streets, in the mountains," he said. Dr Mannan Baloch was assassinated because of his unwavering struggle to end Pakistan's forceful occupation of Baloch lands, deep sea port of Gwadar, resources (natural gas, minerals, copper and gold mines) and brutal human rights violations of civilians, he alleged.

Senge Sering, president of Gilgit-Baltistan Institute, in his address supported the struggle for the independence of Balochistan. He also condemned the brutal murder of the BNM leader Dr. Mannan Baloch.
He was charged with unlawfully dispensing prescription painkillers to patients outside the usual course of medical practice. (Representational image)

Washington: An Indian-American physician in the US has pleaded guilty to the charges of unlawfully dispensing controlled substances and health care fraud.

The 111-count indictment filed in April 2014 charged 63-year-old Pawankumar Jain, whose license has been revoked, with 61 counts of unlawfully dispensing controlled substances and 50 counts of healthcare fraud.

The indictment alleged that Jain committed the offences between April 2009 and June 2010, in Dona Ana County, New Mexico. He was also charged with unlawfully dispensing prescription painkillers to patients outside the usual course of medical practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.

During that time, he was a licensed physician with a neurology subspecialty and also operated a pain management medical practice in Las Cruces. Jain has been in federal custody since April 2014, and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which is yet to be scheduled.

Under the terms of his plea agreement, Jain will be sentenced to a prison term within the range of 42 to 108 months followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
These additional F-16 aircraft will facilitate operations in all-weather, non-daylight environments, provide a self- defence/area suppression capability, and enhance Pakistan's ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counterterrorism operations. (Photo: AP)

Washington: The Obama administration on Saturday notified the US Congress of its decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan worth nearly USD 700 million, notwithstanding American lawmakers' demand for stopping the proposed sale.

Despite mounting opposition from influential lawmakers from both the Republican and Democratic parties, the US State Department notified the Congress that it has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Pakistan for F-16 Block 52 Aircraft, equipment, training, and logistics support.

The estimated cost is USD 699.4 million, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency a wing of the Pentagon said in a statement, adding that this proposed sale contributes to the US foreign policy objectives and national security goals by helping to improve the security of a strategic partner in South Asia.

Asserting that this will not alter the basic military balance in the region, the Pentagon said the proposed sale improves Pakistan's capability to meet current and future security threats.

These additional F-16 aircraft will facilitate operations in all-weather, non-daylight environments, provide a self- defence/area suppression capability, and enhance Pakistan's ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counterterrorism operations.

"It will increase the number of aircraft available to the Pakistan Air Force to sustain operations, meet monthly training requirements, and support transition training for pilots new to the Block-52. Pakistan will have no difficulty absorbing these additional aircraft into its air force," the Pentagon agency said.

"This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded," said the Defence Security Cooperation Agency.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a State Department official defended the decisions of the US Government. "We strongly support the proposed sale of eight F-16s to Pakistan. This platform will support Pakistan's counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations, and has contributed to the success of these operations to date," the official said.

"These operations reduce the ability of militants to use Pakistani territory as a safe haven for terrorism and a base of support for the insurgency in Afghanistan," the official said, adding that these operations are in the national interests of both Pakistan and the US, and in the interest of the region more broadly.

"Let me be clear, before any arms transfer we take into account regional security and a range of other factors. We believe our security assistance contributes to a more stable and secure region," the official said when asked about India's apprehensions that this F-16 would finally end being used against it.

"The US does not view its security cooperation in the region in zero sum terms our security relationships with Pakistan, India and Afghanistan are distinct, but each advances US interests and regional stability," the State Department official said.

Obama administration's notification to the Congress comes amidst mounting opposition from lawmakers. Early this week, Senator Bob Corker wrote to Secretary of State John Kerry that he would put a hold on any such decision.

Two days later, the State Department notified to the Congress its intention to sell F-16 to Pakistan. While the Congress has 30 days' time to act on it, senior administration officials exuded confidence that the sale would be approved by the lawmakers.
Saying that the Syrian peoples determination to topple al Assad was unbroken despite heavy Russian air strikes and persecution within the country, al Jubeir criticised Russias involvement in the five-year-long war. (Photo: AP)

Berlin: Bashar al Assad will not be ruling Syria in the future and Russias military interventions will not help him stay in power, Saudi Arabias foreign minister Adel al Jubeir told a German newspaper in an interview published on Saturday.

There will be no Bashar al Assad in the future, al Jubeir told newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

It might take three months, it might take six months or three years -- but he will no longer carry responsibility for Syria. Period.

Saying that the Syrian peoples determination to topple al Assad was unbroken despite heavy Russian air strikes and persecution within the country, al Jubeir criticised Russias involvement in the five-year-long war.

He said that Assads previous calls for help to his own military, Iran, Hezbollah and Shia militia forces from Iraq and Pakistan were all in vain.

Now he called the Russians, but they wont be able to help him either, al Jubeir said.

Russia entered the war on September 30, 2015 in support of the Syrian President. At least 250,000 people have been killed, 11 million made homeless and hundreds of thousands have fled to Europe since the conflict began in 2011.

Moscow has said its air strikes are against the extremist militant groups Islamic State and the al Nusra Front, but other countries and rebel groups say the attacks target civilians.

Asked about a more direct military involvement with boots on the ground, al Jubeir said such discussions were currently underway among the member states of a US-led coalition against the Islamic State.

If the coalition should decide to deploy Special Forces in the fight against IS in Syria, Saudi-Arabia will be ready to participate, he said, using the initials IS to refer to Islamic State.

At a peace and security conference currently underway in Munich, major powers said a peace deal could only be reached if Moscow stops bombing insurgents other than Islamic State.

But Russia pressed on with its air strikes in support of al Assad, who vowed to fight until he regained full control of the country.
Mexico: Mexico greeted Pope Francis on Friday with mariachi music and throngs of Catholic faithful lining the streets after he held historic talks with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Cuba.

President Enrique Pena Nieto welcomed Francis at the airport while a mariachi band played before he climbed into the Pope mobile to wave at crowds across the capital of the world's second largest Catholic country.

"Francis, brother of the Mexican people!" the crowd chanted as an estimated 300,000 people braved the evening cold, holding up telephones to light his way.

But before beginning a five-day trip across violence-torn Mexican regions, Francis stopped in Cuba to mend a 1,000-year-old Christian rift with Russian Patriarch Kirill.

"At last we meet. We are brothers," said the 79-year-old pope, in white robes and a skullcap, as he met the white-bearded Orthodox leader, 69, in black robes and a white headdress.

"Clearly, this meeting is God's will."

It was the first meeting between the heads of the Eastern and Western churches since the great schism of 1054, with the Eastern Church rejecting the authority of Rome.

"For nearly one thousand years, Catholics and Orthodox have been deprived of communion in the Eucharist," they said in a joint declaration signed after they hugged and kissed at Havana's airport.

"We are pained by the loss of unity, the outcome of human weakness and of sin," they said.

"Mindful of the permanence of many obstacles, it is our hope that our meeting may contribute to the re-establishment of this unity willed by God."

Neutral ground

Their meeting was driven by rising violence in recent years in the Middle East, where Christian communities have suffered at the hands of extremists.

"We call upon the international community to act urgently in order to prevent the further expulsion of Christians from the Middle East," the religious leaders said.

Between them, they are the spiritual leaders of more than 1.3 billion Christians. The main barrier to a rapprochement over the years has been the Orthodox Church's refusal to accept the primacy of the Roman pontiff.

"I felt like I was in front of a brother," Francis told reporters on the flight to Mexico. "We talked about a program of possible activities in common."

The meeting on neutral ground, hosted by the communist, atheist Cuban leadership of Raul Castro, was decades in the planning, with the final obstacles swept away by the pope's determination and global politics.

But Francis has also framed the encounter in a broader context of engaging Russia, saying Moscow could be an important partner for peace in the world.

Troubled Mexico

The layover in Havana overshadowed the start of a trip that will highlight many of Mexico's ills, from drug cartel violence to the plight of migrants from Central America risking their lives to reach the United States.

"Hopefully, his visit and prayers will help Mexico because things are bad and violent," said Ana Gonzalez, a 49-year-old housewife among the crowd greeting the pope.

The Popemobile's convoy briefly stopped when bodyguards tackled a person who had crossed a barrier.

After arriving at the nunciature, where he was spending the night, Francis surprised the crowd by coming out to greet them and lead a prayer.

"Remember the people you love but also those you don't love," he said. "Let's put all those we love and all those we don't love in front of the Lord so that he, with us, blesses them all."

Nadia Zapata, who accompanied 250 boy scouts, said: "Everybody is asking Francis to resolve our problems, but he says that he's not a Wise King."

Before his arrival, Francis expressed his condolences to relatives of 49 inmates who died in a prison brawl on the eve of his trip that highlighted the gangs' control over penitentiaries nationwide.

Francis will meet inmates at another notorious prison on Wednesday in Ciudad Juarez, the former murder capital across the border from Texas.

His first event takes place on Saturday when he meets Pena Nieto at the National Palace.

While he is the third pope to visit the country, he will be the first to be hosted at the ornate palace, 24 years after the Vatican and the secular government restored diplomatic ties.

Later that day, he will make a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a major Catholic shrine dedicated to a dark-skinned Virgin Mary.

The pope will wade on Sunday into the crime-riddle suburb of Ecatepec for a massive outdoor mass.

He heads on Monday to the impoverished, indigenous southern state of Chiapas.

On Tuesday, he visits Morelia, the capital of Michoacan, a western state where vigilantes battled a cult-like drug cartel.

His trip ends on Wednesday with a massive cross-border mass in Ciudad Juarez focused on migration and violence.
Pope Francis and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill sign documents after a historic meeting in Havana. (Photo: AFP)

Mexico: With an exclamation of Finally, Pope Francis embraced Patriarch Kirill on Friday in the first meeting between a pontiff and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, a brief but historic encounter held during a stopover in Cuba before the pope flew on to Mexico.

The meeting in the small, wood-panelled VIP room of Havanas airport was a landmark development in the 1,000-year schism that has divided Christianity.

We are brothers, Francis said as he embraced Kirill. The men exchanged three kisses on the cheek.

Now things are easier, Kirill agreed. This is the will of God, the pope said.

Later Friday, Francis flew into Mexico Citys airport to begin a five-day visit during which he plans to bring a message of solidarity with the victims of drug violence, human trafficking and discrimination to some of that countrys most violent and poverty-stricken regions.

A smiling Francis was greeted with a rock concert-like show with blue floodlights illuminating a stage, bandstands and crowds waving yellow handkerchiefs. Mariachis serenaded as his chartered plane pulled to a stop and people shouted Brother Francis, youre already Mexican.

President Enrique Pena Nieto and his wife met Pope Francis on a red carpet. The pontiff made no public remarks before beginning a 22-kilometre (13 1/2-mile) trip to the papal envoys residence for the night.

In Havana, the two church leaders meeting and signing of a joint declaration was decades in the making and cemented Francis reputation as a risk-taking statesman who values dialogue, bridge-building and rapprochement at almost any cost.

In the 30-point statement, the pope and patriarch declared themselves ready to take all necessary measures to overcome their historical differences, saying we are not competitors, but brothers.

Francis and Kirill also called for political leaders to act on the single most important issue of shared concern between the Catholic and Orthodox churches today: The plight of Christians in Iraq and Syria who are being killed and driven from their homes by the Islamic State group.

In many countries of the Middle East and North Africa, entire families of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being exterminated, entire villages and cities, the declaration said.

While the meeting has been hailed by many as an important ecumenical breakthrough, Francis has also come under criticism for essentially allowing himself to be used by a Russia eager to assert itself among Orthodox Christians and on the world stage at a time when the country is increasingly isolated from the West.

The declaration was signed in the uniquely ideal location of Cuba: Far removed from the Catholic-Orthodox turf battles in Europe, a country that is Catholic and familiar to Latin Americas first pope, but equally familiar to the Russian church given its anti-American and Soviet legacy. The pope helped mediate the declaration of detente between the US and Cuba in 2014.

If this continues, Cuba will become the capital of unity, the pope said.

Calling the talks very substantive, Kirill said: The results make it possible to say that today the two churches can actively work together to protect Christians around the world.

The Vatican is hoping the meeting will improve relations with other Orthodox churches and spur progress in dialogue over theological differences that have divided East from West ever since the Great Schism of 1054 split Christianity.

But Orthodox observers say Kirills willingness to finally meet with a pope has less to do with any new ecumenical impulse than grandstanding at a time when Russia is increasingly under fire from the West over its military actions in Syria and Ukraine.

Kirill, a spiritual adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, leads the most powerful of the 14 independent Orthodox churches that will meet this summer in Greece in the first such pan-Orthodox synod in centuries.

The Russian church has long sought greater influence over the Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul.

This isnt benevolence. Its not a newfound desire for Christian unity, said George Demacopoulos, the Greek-orthodox chairman of Orthodox Christian studies at Fordham University in New York. It is almost entirely about (Kirill) posturing and trying to present himself as the leader of Orthodoxy.

Popes as far back as Paul VI have met with the ecumenical patriarch, who is the first among equals in the 250 million-strong Orthodox Church and the only patriarch who can speak for global Orthodoxy. But the Russian Church is the biggest, wealthiest and most powerful in Orthodoxy, and has always kept its distance from Rome.

Catholic and Orthodox split in the Great Schism of 1054 and have remained estranged over a host of issues, including the primacy of the pope and, more recently, Russian Orthodox accusations that the Catholic Church was poaching converts in former Soviet lands. Those tensions have prevented previous popes from meeting with the Russian patriarch, even though the Vatican has long insisted that it was merely ministering to tiny Catholic communities.

The most vexing issue in recent time centres on the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the countrys second-largest, which follows eastern church rites but answers to the Holy See. The Russian Orthodox Church has considered western Ukraine its traditional territory and has resented papal influence there.

Cardinal Kurt Koch, the head of the Vatican office that deals with Orthodox relations, said the future significance of the meeting could not be overstated.

We still dont have contact with a lot of Orthodox patriarchs, and this meeting could help develop intra-Orthodox relations ahead of the pan-Orthodox council, he told Vatican radio. Improved understanding between Rome and Moscow will certainly have positive effects on the theological dialogue.

Such hoped-for progress may seem naive, since the Russian church has always been reluctant to engage in theological dialogue over the primacy of the pope, said the Reverend Stefano Caprio, one of the first priests to arrive in Russia in 1989 to minister to the Catholic community and now a professor of Russian history and culture at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome.

He said the Russian position has long been: Were interested in ecumenism only in the sense of collaboration in managing the crises of a Christianity that is attacked in some countries by violent forces ... and above all to unite against global secularisation, he said.

He noted, for example, that Fridays meeting didnt include any joint prayer  purely talks. Its not an ecumenical encounter, he said.

While a papal trip to Russia is still a long-sought dream, Caprio ruled it out for the foreseeable future.

In Mexico, the pope will visit the crime-plagued Mexico City suburb of Ecatepec, where his visit will shine an uncomfortable spotlight on the governments failure to solve entrenched social ills that plague many parts of Mexico  inequality, rampant gangland killings, extortion, disappearances of women, crooked cops and failed city services.

He will also visit the mainly indigenous southern state of Chiapas, which has the countrys highest poverty rate. There he will celebrate a very Indian Mass and present a decree authorising the use of indigenous languages in liturgy.

Francis will end his trip in the violent northern city of Ciudad Juarez, where he will pray at the border for all who have died trying to cross into the US  a prayer he hopes will resonate north of the border.
Istanbul: Turkey and Saudi Arabia could launch a ground operation against Islamic State (IS) jihadists in Syria, while Riyadh is also sending war planes to a Turkish base to fight the extremists, the Turkish foreign minister said Saturday.

"If there is a strategy (against IS) then Turkey and Saudi Arabia could enter into a ground operation," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted as saying by the Yeni Safak and Haberturk newspapers after taking part in the Munich Security Conference.

He added: "Saudi Arabia is also sending planes to Turkey, to (the base of) Incirlik. They (Saudi officials) came, did a reconnaissance of the base. At the moment it is not clear how many planes will come."
United States has a profound interest in your success, as we do in a very strong UK staying in a strong EU, says Kerry. (Photo: AP)

Munich: The United States strongly backs Britain staying in the European Union as it gears up for a referendum on its membership, US Secretary of State John Kerry told an audience in Germany on Saturday.

"Obviously, the United States has a profound interest in your success, as we do in a very strong UK staying in a strong EU," Kerry said at the Munich Security Conference.

The British government is engaged in an intensive round of high-stakes diplomacy aimed at renegotiating the terms of Britain's EU membership before holding an in-out referendum.

Prime Minister David Cameron is seeking to convince his 27 fellow EU leaders to back controversial reform proposals at a leaders' summit in Brussels on February 18-19.

"The truth is, in every decade since its founding, the EU has been tested by forces internal and external that benefited from a house divided," Kerry said.

"We know many Europeans feel overwhelmed by the latest round of challenges, including concerns about the UK's potential exit from the EU. I want to express the confidence of the United States that as it has so many times before Europe is going to emerge stronger than ever, provided it stays united and builds common responses to these challenges."
If there is a strategy (against IS) then Turkey and Saudi Arabia could enter into a ground operation against IS, says Turkish foreign minister. (Photo: AP)

Istanbul: Turkey and Saudi Arabia could launch a ground operation against Islamic State jihadists in Syria, the Turkish foreign minister said Saturday, adding the kingdom was already sending jets to a Turkish base to attack the extremists.

The coordinated plans by Riyadh and Ankara, who are pursuing an increasingly tight alliance, add a new element to the explosive situation in Syria where Russia has been backing a successful regime offensive against rebels.

"If there is a strategy (against IS) then Turkey and Saudi Arabia could enter into a ground operation," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted as saying by the Yeni Safak and Haberturk newspapers after taking part in the Munich Security Conference.

"Some say 'Turkey is reluctant to take part in the fight against Daesh (IS)'. But it is Turkey that is making the most concrete proposals," he said.

Cavusoglu added that Saudi Arabia is also sending planes to the Turkish base of Incirlik, a key hub for US-led coalition operations against IS, already used by Britain, France and the United States carrying for cross-border air raids.

"They (Saudi officials) came, did a reconnaissance of the base. At the moment it is not clear how many planes will come," Cavusoglu said.

Saudi could send troops

Asked if Saudi Arabia could send troops to the Turkish border to enter Syria, Cavusoglu said: "This is something that could be desired but there is no plan. Saudi Arabia is sending planes and they said 'If the necessary time comes for a ground operation then we could send soldiers'."

His comments come after Assad defiantly told AFP in an exclusive interview published on Friday that he would recapture the whole of Syria and keep "fighting terrorism".

Assad also said he "doesn't rule out" that Turkey and Saudi Arabia would intervene militarily in Syria but said that his armed forces "will certainly confront it".

Saudi Arabia had already said earlier this month that it was ready to join any ground operation against IS. But this is the first time a top Turkish official has publicly raised the prospect, long the subject of speculation, of a joint ground incursion with the kingdom.

Turkey's relations with fellow mainly Sunni Muslim power Saudi Arabia have warmed considerably in recent months. Ties had been damaged by Saudi's role in the 2013 ousting of Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi, a close ally of Ankara.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey both see the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as essential for ending Syria's five-year civil war and are bitterly critical of Iran and Russia's support of the Syrian regime.

Turkey and Saudi back rebels who are seeking to oust Assad and both fear the West is losing its appetite to topple Assad on the assumption he is "the lesser of two evils" compared to the IS jihadists.

Both are outraged by the Russian military intervention in Syria, which analysts believe has given Assad a new lease of life and has also deeply alarmed the West.

New Cold War

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Saturday that strains between Russia and the West over the Syria and Ukraine crises have plunged the world into a "new Cold War".

"Almost every day we are accused of making new horrible threats either against NATO as a whole, against Europe or against the US or other countries," Medvedev said in Munich.

Speaking in Munich, US Secretary of State John Kerry complained that the vast majority of Russia's attacks in Syria were against "legitimate opposition groups" rather than IS jihadists.

"We think it is critical that Russia's targeting change," he said.

Russia also dispatched a new patrol ship armed with cruise missiles to the Mediterranean, with reports saying it was bound for Syria.

With violence still raging on the ground, an ambush by Syrian rebels on pro-regime forces near Damascus this week killed 76 fighters, a monitor said Saturday.

World powers on Friday announced an ambitious plan to stop fighting in Syria within a week, but doubts have emerged over its viability, especially because it did not include IS or Al-Qaeda's local branch.

The 17-nation International Syria Support Group, which includes Turkey and Saudi Arabia, also agreed that "sustained delivery" of humanitarian aid would begin "immediately".
Islamabad: Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain has asked his countrymen to avoid observing Valentine's Day, saying the western tradition was not part of "our culture".

"We should avoid Valentine Day as it has no connection with our culture," Hussain said while addressing a gathering of students - mostly girls - on the death anniversary of freedom movement leader Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar in Islamabad.

Hussain said that a blind following of western traditions will lead to a degradation of "our values", and has led to several problems including increase in attacks against women in a neighbouring country.

Hussain yesterday also said that Pakistan could achieve progress by adopting the philosophies of its great leaders. Hussain's rhetoric against Valentine's Day came a day after the local elected council in Peshawar and Kohat district banned its celebration.

"There is no need to designate a special day where people give cards, chocolates and gifts to each other," district council chairman Maulana Niaz Mohammad said. "Valentine's Day has become a common and unnecessary part of our culture."

The celebration on February 14 has often been criticised by Islamists as an "insult" to Islam. Police, however, said that the ban cannot be enforced as legally there is no bar on celebrating Valentine's Day.

Most people in Pakistan celebrate Valentine's day, usually observed by a limited number of people in major urban centres, at enclosed places due to fear of attacks by Islamists. In the past several such gatherings have been targeted and disrupted by activists of religious parties.
All they seem to share are abstract reference points: guns, liberty, tyranny. No collective notion of how those things connect, Brogan added. No big surprise, really. It seems at least a couple of them, possibly all, are deeply troubled people, drawn to this out of a sense of drama and not because they have a coherent or principled belief system to stand up for.This scattershot non-ideology of yelling Constitution, guns and liberty a lot is the marker of todays modern conservative populism, the kind that Donald Trumps ascension is channeling into electoral fever. Their actual grievance is fury over the fact that white people, especially of the Christian and male variety, are watching their presumed superiority decline, but to say so out loud and bluntly to admit out loud to racism is to court political marginalization in our society.
caconservative said: Would that be like your brainless replies? Click to expand...

The Underground City Of The Lizard PeopleDeep beneath the heart of Los Angeles financial district, hundreds of feet below the huge downtown edifices that house banks, corporate offices, and government agencies, lies another city remembered only in obscure Indian legends, an underground world built by a strange race that vanished five thousand years ago.At least thats what mining engineer W. Warren Shufelt claimed in the January 29, 1934 edition of the Los Angeles Times. According to reporter Jean Bosquet, Shufelt was ready to dig up downtown L.A. in search of this ancient subterranean civilization.Shufelt had first heard of the city in a Hopi Indian legend about the Lizard People. They were a fabled lost race who had who had nearly been wiped out after a meteor shower rained down on theSouthwest back around 3,000 BC. (Arizonas famous Winslow Crater was said to be Ground Zero of this fiery deluge.)The Lizard People constructed thirteen subterranean settlements along the Pacific Coast, to shelter the tribe against future disasters. These underground cities housed a thousand families each, along with stockpiles of food. As the story had it, the tribe used a chemical solution that melted solid bedrock to bore out the tunnels and rooms of their subsurface shelters.
Authorities say a criminal investigation is underway to determine the cause of a Friday-afternoon fire at the Fairview Mennonite Church in Albany.

Linn County Sheriffs Office Lt. Jeff Cone said the investigation seeks to determine whether the fire was started either intentionally or though negligence.

The fire was first detected at about 2 p.m., when Aaron Johnson and his daughters, Emily and Lauren, were decorating a meeting room for a Valentines Day party at the church, 35100 Goltra Road S.E. Thats when Aaron said he smelled something like a candle burning.

I asked Emily if she smelled it too, and just then she looked up and saw smoke coming from one of the ducts.

Johnson said he next noticed smoke billowing in at the bottom of a closed door.

We could feel the heat coming through the door, he said.

Noticing flames coming through the ducts, Johnson said they had to run out of the building through hallways filled with smoke.

I was yelling fire as we were running out, said Johnson, and that alerted a crew from the heating equipment supplier Midway Mechanical, which was on the site to perform maintenance work.

Everyone escaped unharmed, and Johnsons daughter Emily called 911. Albany Fire crews responded with one ladder truck, two engines, three ambulances and two command vehicles. Tangent fire responded with a water tender truck.

By 2:45 p.m., crews had contained the fire, which only affected one Sunday school classroom.
An early morning traffic stop and an ongoing investigation led to the seizure of narcotics, cash and dealer paraphernalia Thursday morning in Lebanon.

Michael Allyn Jung, 36, of Lebanon was arrested at 8:23 a.m. after Linn County Sheriffs Office detectives conducted a traffic stop in the 800 block of South 10th St. and later obtained a search warrant for both Jung and his 2007 Nissan Titan.

Detectives found more than half an ounce of methamphetamine, $1,267 in cash, an operational digital scale, packaging material, 9 mm ammunition, and a Smith and Wesson semi-automatic 9 mm pistol.

Jung was arrested and charged with unlawful delivery of methamphetamine, unlawful possession of methamphetamine, and carrying a concealed weapon.

Jungs two passengers, Joey Eugene Tackitt, 34, a transient of Sweet Home, and Brenda Michelle Baarsch, 32, a resident of Lebanon, were arrested on outstanding warrants.

The Linn Drug Task Force assisted deputies in the arrest.
Calvin Van Winkle volunteered to greet a special visitor to Periwinkle Elementary School on Friday: a savannah monitor lizard with a long, flickering tongue.

The tongues are used for smelling and tasting, explained Richard Ritchey of Colton, better known to school assemblies as Reptile Man.

And theyre used for one other thing, he told Calvin, gently inching the lizard closer: Big, sloppy kisses on the nose. Calvin beamed as the lizard promptly demonstrated.

Ritchey introduced Periwinkle students to an entire menagerie of reptiles during Fridays assembly, including tortoises, lizards, a reticulated python, a Burmese python, a California king snake, a black mamba, an Eastern diamondback rattler (both de-venomed) and a 2-foot alligator named D.B. Cooper.

Second-grader Griffin Zink was introduced to a hognose snake named Miss Piggy, who rolls over and plays dead when frightened. Classmate Alex Royal laughed as Ritchey placed a chuckwalla on his head, explaining that such lizards seek out warm rocks to raise their body temperature.

Reptiles are fun to learn about, but they are wild animals and should be expected to behave like them, Ritchey stressed. If you see a snake in the wild, he said, dont try to catch it. Take a picture and walk away.

Periwinkles parent club made the assembly possible as part of a special focus on science this month.

Principal Bob Daugherty said he appreciated the way Ritchey wove facts with fun: teaching them that a diamondbacks rattles are made out of the same material, keratin, as human fingernails, for instance, and how camouflage helps protect the boa constrictors of Madagascar.

Also, he said, the show was just plain entertaining.

The bottom line is school is an enjoyable place to come. We have a fun culture, he said.
LEBANON  The Lebanon School Board will hold a work session this month on a district restructuring plan that may involve boundary changes and sister school campuses.

The meeting will run from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, at the district office, 485 S. Fifth St. It is open to the public.

Superintendent Rob Hess has suggested different ways of reorganizing the district to accomplish three main goals: balance current enrollment, postpone the need for a new building and concentrate resources at specific grade levels to boost student achievement.

Initially, he proposed returning Seven Oak Middle School to a full-fledged junior high with seventh- and eighth-graders only, bringing sixth-graders back to the elementary level at all district schools but Lacomb.

That plan would require new attendance boundaries, which Hess outlined for board members in early January. The proposals would shift large numbers of students from Riverview and Cascades elementary schools to Hamilton Creek School, with smaller changes affecting Pioneer and Green Acres.

To make the new boundaries work, however, Lebanon would have to either end or greatly change its open enrollment policy, Assistant Superintendent Bo Yates told board members.

So by mid-January, Hess added a new thought to the mix: making sister campuses out of the in-town elementary schools, housing primary grades at some and older grades at others.

He has also mentioned an interest in establishing district-sponsored preschool at some point, which would be easier with a split campus.

Board members stressed no decisions have been made yet  and that the sister campus idea hasnt even come before the board as a formal proposal.

Thats a source of irritation for board members Mike Martin and Liz Alperin. Both said theyve received several emails from parents upset by the proposals but didnt feel they could respond without knowing more about them.

It gives the impression the board is thinking about it. The board is not thinking about it. We know nothing about it, Alperin said.

Martin said its frustrating to receive emails from people who appear to know more about a subject than a voting board member.

Theyre requiring an answer, or at least an honest conversation, about something I know nothing about, he said.

Five people also spoke at Thursdays board meeting, urging members to think carefully about how they approach any restructuring plan and take childrens needs and family preferences into account.

But Chairman Richard Borden said Hesss proposals are merely suggestions and nothing will be done without a board decision. Thats why were having this work session, so we can all get on the same page and work through this, he said.

Hess was not present at Thursdays meeting. Yates said schools as they are arent big enough for a strict K-6 setup, let alone preschool, without major boundary shifts, so the sister campus idea was suggested to solve the problem of unequal class numbers.

Were not trying to push an agenda other than just trying to figure out the best use of our resources, and what is best for our kids, he said.
Library game day this weekend

Board game fans ages 12 and up are invited to Game Day at 1 p.m. today at the Albany Public Library, 2450 14th Ave. S.E.

Participants are invited to bring their favorite game to play, or play with one of the librarys games. The event will last two hours and is free of charge.

This program takes place the second Saturday of each month. No registration is required. For more information, email john.flynn@cityofalbany.net or call 541-917-7587.

Performing arts meeting Monday

Supporters of an endeavor to build performing arts auditoriums at South Albany and West Albany high schools invite all people interested in helping with their campaign to an organizational meeting.

The meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the cafeteria at West Albany High School, 1130 Queen Ave. S.W.

Members of the Albany School Board are reviewing a recommendation to ask voters for a bond measure for more than $117 million in repairs and reconstruction.

The proposal so far does not include auditoriums, which supporters of performing arts students say theyd like to change.

At Mondays meeting, organizers say they plan to discuss the details of what is being proposed and how to best distribute their message.

LB Housing Authority board to meet

The Linn-Benton Housing Authority board of commissioners will meet at 6 p.m., Tuesday at its office, 1250 Queen Ave. S.E.

The public is invited to attend.

TOPS group holds open house Tuesday

The Lebanon Take off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) group is holding an open house 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. Tuesday at the IOOF Building, 20 Ash St.

The group meets weekly and welcomes visitors or prospective members Tuesday mornings.

For information, visit the TOPS website www.tops.org.

Exchange students to speak at meeting

Foreign exchange students will be the guest speakers at the next meeting of the Linn-Benton Unit of the Oregon Retired Educators Association.

The meeting will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Albany Regional Museum, corner of Second Avenue and Lyon Street.

The students studying at area high schools and colleges have been invited to share their experiences in Oregon and their homelands.

The event is free and the public is invited to attend. Refreshments will be served.

VFW soup benefit

set for Wednesday

Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary invite the public to its next benefit soup-a-thon for local National Guard families at the VFW Post 584, 1469 Timber St.

The all-you-can-eat soup supper is from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday. Cost is $4.

For more information, contact the VFW Hall at 541-928-7925.

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.
The campaign for Ann Roe, who is running for Congress against Lyin' Bryan Steil has come out with the best one-liner of this cycle so far: I can't argue...

11 months ago
One of my favorite stories of forgiveness comes from George and Hanna Miley. She was rescued as a child at the last possible minute; her par...
A machete-wielding man stormed a central Ohio restaurant owned by an Israeli on Thursday evening, injuring four people before being shot dead by police.

Authorities identified the suspected attacker as Mohamed Barry, a 30-year-old of Somali background who police say may have traveled to the United Arab Emirates in 2012. The FBI, which has joined the investigation, is probing whether the assault was an instance of homegrown extremism motivated by the mistaken impression that the restaurant owner was Jewish, according to NBC News. Security officials are worried that the incident is the same sort of lone wolf terrorist attacks theyre trying to stop, CBS News added.

Hany Baransi, the Arab Israeli Christian who owns the Nazareth Restaurant and Deli in northeast Columbus, believes that his establishment was attacked because of his background. Obviously we were targeted because theres a whole bunch of businesses around here, he told The Columbus Dispatch. Im the only foreigner. However, authorities cautioned that it is too early in the investigation to identify any motive, with Columbus police Sgt. Rich Weiner saying that right now theres nothing that leads us to believe that this is anything but a random attack.

saying that the attacker had asked about his whereabouts. The outlet added that a small Israeli flag and an Arabic phrase of welcoming Ahlan Wa Shalan were visible near the restaurants entrance.

According to authorities, Baransi left the restaurant for about a half an hour after this conversation, then returned and began his attack.

He came to each table and just started hitting them, said Karen Bass, who was in the restaurant at the time. There were tables and chairs overturned, there was a man on the floor bleeding, there was blood on the floor.

Police say that the restaurants patrons fought back and threw chairs at Baransi, who fled in a car after injuring four diners and led cops on a five-mile chase. He emerged from his vehicle after it spun off the road, lunging at officers with a machete and another knife before he was shot dead. No cops were hurt.

The victims injured in the attack were treated at the nearby Grant Medical Center. They were named as William Foley, 54, who is in critical but stable condition; Gerald Russell and Debbie Russell, who are both 43-years-old and in stable condition; and Neil McMeekin, 43, who was treated for his wounds and released.
A collection of bon mots, non sequiturs, and solecisms.
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Hope in a Darkening Age... news, comment, arts, ecology, wisdom, obsessions, the past, the future... "THE END OF ALL INTELLIGENT ANALYSIS IS TO CLEAR THE WAY FOR SYNTHESIS."--H.G. Wells. "It's always a leap into the unknown future to write anything."--Margaret Atwood "Be kind, be useful, be fearless."--President Barack Obama.
Scotch whisky has recognised the advantages of trading with Latin America and, in particular, targeting its growing middle class population.

This was the conclusion of a conference arranged by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) and Canning House, a leading UK forum on Latin American politics, economics and business in Edinburgh last night (February 10).

The conference was held to explain the advantages of trading with this region. It was the first Canning House trade and business-focussed forum in Scotland.

Keynote speaker, Colombia ambassador HE Nestor Osorio Londono, addressed the audience at the Scotch Whisky Experience, on the opportunities now and in the future. He said Colombia is working to promote exports and imports and is creating a solid base for developing trust and confidence.

He said the four countries in the Pacific Alliance trading group  Colombia, Peru, Mexico and Chile  formed a large market to facilitate the free movement of goods, services and capital in the region. He is hopeful other like-minded countries will join the Alliance.

Canning House chief executive, Rob Capurro put the growth of the middle class in Latin America into context. If you total up all of the middle class in Latin America, there are more than in India and China combined, he said.

Latin America is a significant market for scotch whisky which is said to be popular among young middle class people in developing markets.

The SWA says some 460 million of scotch whisky is exported to the region, one in every six bottles shipped overseas. Scotch now forms a third of all Scottish exports to Latin America.

SWA chief executive David Frost said: Latin America is a big and growing market. Thats why we took the lead in making the first Canning House event in Scotland happen.

Diageo industry affairs director, Peter Smith, said that scotch has been traded in the region for many years and his company archive includes orders from the early 1900s. But he added that such issues as tariffs and customs duties had to be tackled, partly because they are an incentive for alcohol to be sold through unofficial channels.

Concluding the evening, Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, said Scotland is ready to do business and that this is a great opportunity. She described whisky as one of Scotlands greatest assets that, along with the countrys warm welcome, creates a unique selling point to help us forge friendships overseas.

Picture: Colombia ambassador HE Nestor Osorio Londono, (left) and SWA chief David Frost
Dyckia sp, what does this mean? ...and what else?

Dyckia sp is the very same as Dyckia species, in fact short for Dyckia species. It refers to an unnamed Dyckia species.



A Dyckia sp can not be a hybrid Dyckia and never a Dyckia you do not know the name but a nameless Dyckia species. The fact that you do not know the plant it does not mean a nameless one.



A new Dyckia species must be published in order to have its name valid. This obligation doesnt counted on Iternet publications as The World Wide Web didnt exist and publication meant : journals, books, magazine, scientific report magazines.



Nowadays nothing is better published than in the WWW.

Publishing means getting public and there is nothing equal nor close to the WWW.



Public means everybody not just a bunch of selected guys.

These are mates, collegues, fellows not public. Here people publish new Plant species on very restricted magazine or very specialized magazines and assume as published. Publishing means everybody who is willing to know of it. Also the world doesnspeaks Portuguese, nor spanish and less than this doesnt understand old Latim ( Not even those who publishes a new species. They rely on claves and many mistakes are made.) Today publishing means WWW!!! Today it means English!! If a new species is published here in Brazil it must be in Latim as in any other place on the Earth, Portuguese and for Gods sake also in English and entirely not a sinopsis only. Publications with a very restrictec and exclusive public is out of question. Publications with on purposal omitted data is also out of question and not valid. A bunch of readers is not public. A group of readers are collegues never public!!!Public is WWW and your reader may be in Reykjavick or Auckland, Rio or Tokyo and everywhere in between. Portuguese is a lovely sounding language. It makes feel home...but who is going to undertand me in ...in...everywhere else besides people which countries speak Camoes language? English, English for Godssake.

Also there is no sense publising without precise data.

Preservation means showing, educating not hidding an less yet iluding.

What Light is for if it doesnt Brighten up high above everything? Light is to iluminate or it is not Light and if it isnt Light it isnt Science!






The Aliso Canyon gas leak (also called Porter Ranch gas leak) is a massive, uncontrolled, ongoing leak from a natural gas well connected to the Aliso Canyon underground storage facility near Porter Ranch, Los Angeles, California since October 23, 2015.The leak has since spewed more than 5 billion cubic feet of natural gas. Since then, the leak has forced more than 6,000 residents to evacuate the area northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Many residents of the Porter Ranch community complained of headaches, nosebleeds and other symptoms. The leak is expected to cost Southern California Gas Co, a division of Sempra Energy, at least $250m, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. At its peak, the leak was estimated to contribute about a quarter of the states climate-altering methane emissions, leading some to call it the worst environmental disaster since the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.



A blowout at a natural gas well that gushed uncontrollably for 16 weeks and drove thousands of residents from their Los Angeles homes was plugged on Thursday, 11 February 2016. While the well still needs to be permanently sealed with cement and inspected by state regulators, the announcement marked the first time the leak has been under control since it was reported 23 October.

In response to a petition from the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the agencys independent Hearing Board today ordered SoCalGas to take immediate action to minimize odors and air pollution from a massive gas leak near Porter Ranch. Once the leak is stopped, the order requires that SoCalGas permanently shut down the well causing the leak. It also requires enhanced air quality monitoring in the nearby community and completion of a health study on the potential health effects of well emissions on residents in the Porter Ranch area. And it requires a comprehensive leak detection program for all other wells in the Aliso Canyon facility to help prevent future leaks.



Methane is not considered toxic, but it is flammable in very high concentrations.



Measurements conducted by SCAQMD staff and other agencies in the Porter Ranch community show that methane levels are far below the concentrations where flammability could be a concern.



The levels of odorants in the Porter Ranch community are generally low. However, even such low levels of odorants can be smelled in air and can cause some physiological symptoms, consistent with many of the symptoms reported by community members living near the leaking well, such as headaches, nausea, and dizziness. Other symptoms, such as cough and e

ye irritation have also been associated with these odorants. Health experts do not expect any long term effects from these odorants, although there is limited scientific information available.





Learn more at http://methaneeducation.weebly.com





References

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/11/socalgas-fixes-natural-gas-methane-leak-los-angeles-porter-ranch

http://www.aqmd.gov/home/regulations/compliance/aliso-canyon-update






U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power has said the violation by a government of its citizens right to free expression, including a free press, is a bellwether for wider repression.

Look to any region, she said, and you will see alarming warning signs of how a crackdown on press freedom is coupled with a broader crackdown on civil and political rights.

Such a crackdown on press freedom is continuing in Iran. Reporters without Borders says that Iran ranked 173 out of 180 countries in the 2015 World

Press Freedom Index, and noted that Iran continues to be one of the worlds five biggest prisons for news and information providers, with 50 journalists and netizens currently detained.

The Committee to Protect Journalists recently called attention to the arrests in January of freelance journalist Farzad Pourmoradi and former editor of the daily newspaper Kalemeh Sabz Meysam Mohammadi.

The CPJ also noted that authorities have ordered the reformist daily newspaper Bahar to cease publishing on the grounds that it published material harmful to the foundation of the Islamic Republic.

In addition, two Iranian journalists arrested in November - Issa Saharkhiz and Ehsan Mazandarani -- reportedly were recently charged with an additional crime -- actions against national security -- on top of earlier charges against them which included propaganda against the regime.

Secretary of State John Kerry has rightly said that no government, whatever its pretensions and whatever its accomplishments, can fairly call itself great if its citizens are not allowed to say what they believe or are denied the right to learn about events and decisions that affect their lives:

A country without a free and independent press has nothing to brag about, nothing to teach, and no way to fulfill its potential.

The United States will continue to insist to Iran and to all countries around the world, that, as Secretary Kerry has said, Committing journalism, reporting on the truth is not a crime; it is a badge of honor; and the U.S. will continue to demand answers, voice objections, and press for accountability on behalf of imprisoned or threatened journalists everywhere.
The United States joins the international community in expressing zero tolerance for female genital mutilation/cutting. This practice, said President Barack Obama, "harms and holds back entire communities."

It has no place in any community and undermines efforts to empower women and girls.

At least 200 million women and girls alive today have undergone female genital mutilation. The latest figures from Unicef show that nearly 70 million more girls than previously thought have been subject to this barbaric practice.

Female genital mutilation/cutting includes all procedures that involve the partial or total removal of external female genitalia, or injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. There is no excuse for such blatant human rights violations of women and girls. As President Obama said, "Just because this a tradition in some places does not make it right. This practice is harmful and therefore wrong wherever it occurs."

That's why the U.S. has funded programming to combat female genital mutilation and cutting in places like Guinea. At home, the United States has criminalized the transport of girls to undergo female genital mutilation, worked with religious leaders and community-based organizations to raise awareness  especially in some immigrant communities, where the pressures to engage in this practice remain - and provided grant opportunities for domestic non-governmental organizations implementing innovative prevention strategies.

The United States stands with communities at home and around the globe working to prevent female genital mutilation and cutting. "We call on girls and their families, teachers, health workers, community and religious leaders, and government officials to act together to make a difference," said President Obama.

"It's time to put an end to this harmful practice, and to allow communities everywhere to meet their full potential by enabling women and girls to meet theirs."
US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez aka AOC hit a nerve from a couple of two days ago when she tweeted that Apartheid states are not ...
The best part of this years Cowboy Poetry Gathering was the interesting discussions about wildlife, ranching with predators, riparian recovery and beavers. This column comes from Dan Flores talk on his upcoming book Coyote America.

The main point he made was that we have been persecuting coyotes for over 100 years, shooting, trapping, snaring and poisoning them. During this time, coyotes have increased their population and spread across North America.

Over 200 years ago, coyotes were a plains animal. Lewis and Clark had never seen one before when they first described this animal they named the prairie wolf.

We wiped the northern plains clear of bison, elk, wolves and grizzly bears, but not coyotes. The coyotes cunning and shyness probably developed from their surviving among larger grey wolves on the prairies. In 1899, Montana paid out bounties on 45,000 wolves and 30,000 coyotes. Wolves proved easier to kill since they lived in packs and in 1920, the state paid out bounties on only 45 wolves and another 30,000 coyotes. In 1931, the U.S. Congress passed the Animal Damage Act that called for the extermination of coyotes.

Figuring out a way to kill one wolf usually led to killing the entire pack. Coyotes can live in packs when life is good but can also live alone or in pairs when being actively hunted, making it much harder to kill them. One reason they howl is to check on other coyotes around them. They increase their litter size when they sense they are alone. Modern science says if we remove 70% of a coyote population each year, the population will remain level. If we remove 75% and repeat that for 50 years, the population will decline.

We used strychnine to kill coyotes but it killed them too quickly. They learned to stay away from carcasses where others had suddenly died. So 1080 was developed, a poison that killed coyotes a couple of days later. We developed the M44 cyanide device that propelled a dosage of sodium cyanide into a coyotes mouth. We refined trapping and snaring techniques. We used aircraft and helicopters to hunt them. Over the last 100 years, we have killed millions of coyotes.

Coyotes responded to all this persecution by increasing their population. They spread across North America so that 49 states now have coyotes, Hawaii being the only state without them. Coyotes have spread across Canada and into Alaska. They lived in the prairies of central Mexico but have spread south to Panama.

They invaded our cities where they prosper on mice and rats, although they will also eat fruit and insects. An estimated 5,000 coyotes live in Chicago alone. We helped coyotes in this invasion by enforcing leash laws. With far fewer dogs wandering the streets at night, we cleared the way for coyotes.

I checked the Department of Agriculture web sites to find that in 2014, Wildlife Services killed 61,702 coyotes nationwide. During the month of November, 2015, Nevadas Wildlife Services killed 448 coyotes and killed 435 more during December. I have to ask the question: is this money well spent?
ELKO  The best way to find yourself is to loose yourself in the service of others, said spiritual leader Mahatma Ghandi.

There are unmet needs in every community and, often, ready volunteers who are looking for a cause. Connecting the two has always been a big challenge. Elko may be small but, sometimes, in the service industry word of mouth alone is not enough. Now we have Just Serve, an online resource to place those who want to help with those who need it.

Just Serve was started by the LDS Church, explained Dr. Kurt Alleman, as a way to hook up resources for nondenominational needs.

About a year and a half ago this service started gaining a foothold in Elko thanks to the work of Alleman and Summer Alger, who believe that helping others is the right thing to do.

Justserve.org is a website where both agencies and volunteers can find each other. The opportunities are limitless for nonprofits, churches, government agencies and other groups. It also serves as a great way for volunteers to learn about a cause they can get behind. With the click of a few tabs on the screen a person can find his or her town and browse through the various community needs. Scouts and other young leaders can also locate projects here to fulfill their badge requirements.

Because of its service-oriented purpose, the website does not allow political involvement or fundraising.

Some people dont know the needs out there, said Alger. This is a great blessing for people who want to serve.

Likewise, organizations can utilize the tool to locate assistance. Currently posted are opportunities to help gather firewood for the homeless camp, a graffiti cleanup program, and several food donation groups.

Hopefully, organizations will contact us, said Alger. Giving is a healing thing.

People and groups can go directly to the website to register and connect. Alleman and Alger are also available to assist those who might have trouble navigating the software or have other questions. Their phone numbers are 738-5351 and 340-3858.
Politicians tailor their messages to different audiences. Facing New Hampshires primary, Ted Cruz talked more about free-market principles and a commitment to the Constitution and said no one personality can right the wrongs done by Washington. Politico ran the headline Ted Cruz, born-again libertarian.

Im skeptical. Campaigning in Iowa, Cruz had emphasized religion and social conservatism.

But politicians no longer just target voters state-by-state  they target by person.

Last election, President Obama beat Mitt Romney partly by doing just that. Obama had 50 people working in data analytics. Romney had four.

The campaign manager for the Obama campaign said the biggest institutional advantage they had was its use of data, observes Cato Institute fellow Emily Ekins.

Conservatives had data too, she says, but Republican insiders tended to be a little bit closed-minded when it came to new methodologies.

Not Cruz. He told my producers recently, I bought a copy of David Plouffe, Obamas campaign managers book, The Audacity to Win, gave it to our senior team (and told them) we are going to nakedly and shamelessly emulate this.

The Obama campaigns kept detailed computer records on individuals likely to vote for Obama. On Election Day, volunteers concentrated on getting just those voters to vote.

Likewise, this year the Cruz campaign didnt send volunteers to every single door to ask people for their vote. They saved precious time by knocking only on doors of likely Cruz voters who might need a nudge to go to the polls.

Cruz technology manager Chris Wilson told us that the campaign will then do whatever it takes. We go to their house. Well bug them until they either turn out to vote or get a restraining order against us.

Restraining order is a joke, but his volunteers do carry phone apps that even tell them what questions to ask occupants depending on whether a man or a woman answers the door.

Today, all campaigns buy data from marketers. Ekins explains that companies amass enormous amounts of data based on transactions that you and I make  whether we opened a store loyalty card, whether we subscribed to a magazine.

That data tells them something about how you think. Wilson told me, Someone who buys arugula, weve found that they tend to be a little bit more Democratic  someone who buys iceberg lettuce tends to be more Republican.

There is truth in data. Outside Minneapolis, according to The New York Times, a manager of a Target store fielded an angry call from a father who was furious because Target sent his teenage daughter ads for baby products. Youre encouraging my daughter to get pregnant, he complained.

The manager apologized and later called back to apologize again. But this time the father apologized, saying she ispregnant! Target knew before Dad did.

Now politicians use similar data. Wilson says he can track where individual voters stand on moral issues, immigration, national security, on gun rights.

Ted Cruz adds that they then go beyond where people stand to target voters based on why.

If youre a single mom, if youre carrying a revolver in your purse cause you dont want to get mugged, a duck-hunting ad is not going to do a thing to connect with you, Cruz told us. Just on the Second Amendment, we have a dozen different messages.

This offended some people who watched my recent TV special about this. pathgirl888 tweeted: Watching @JohnStossel re Tech Revolution. #Orwellian manipulation of IA voters ... creepy. Others complained, Cruz Camp is monitoring everything and INVASION OF PRIVACY!

But its not just Cruz who does this. The Obama campaign reached into its supporters Facebook accounts and asked them to persuade their friends to support Obama. Facebook then changed its policies to give friends more privacy protection, but its safe to assume all future presidents will be elected with help from this sort of technology.

We asked an Iowa voter if he minded being targeted by Cruz. He said, No, I think its excellent. Use every tool we can, because we have to defeat those people. Theyre using them.

The tech revolution is changing almost everything.
Losing track of federal overreach

Editor:

Did ya like it when the CIA got caught spying on you? Did ya feel good about finding out the FBI sold guns to drug dealers? What did you think when the press told you the IRS got caught targeting citizens with a different political view than theirs? How about the EPAs toxic dump then lies then attempting to cover up and shift blame?

Didnt we all wonder when the Feds made a citizen the villain because he protected whistle blowers and helped expose corrupt government actions? Didnt it hurt you to the core when you found out our vets were dying before they could be treated at a corrupt VA?

These are just a few examples of Fed overreach and corruption. Why is it we refuse to believe the BLM and USFS would do the same? It is the very nature of a bureaucracy to crave power. Good heavens, folks, when American citizens try to sound the alarm, it seems wed rather make a political issue of it, a Republican or Democrat issue. We will add totally different debates. We want to argue fed land exchange, guns, refugees, abortion, save the lizards, clean the air, who we should vote for and what religions are tolerable.

Please stop. We need to understand and educate people that this is about right and wrong, it is about just one more Fed agencys overreach of powers against citizens. If we are thinking stopping this corruption might make it harder for an agenda we believe in and want to come to fruition well, lets set that aside and as Americans just do what is right, what is fair and what is true.

We all want to win our cause but wouldnt we want to win it fair? We just want and need to be heard without a fed machine skewing facts and their big press cronies burying the real story. Please dont let this go on any longer. Please do some homework. Please spread the truth.

If people hear the truth, they generally do whats right. Thank you kindly.

Waddie Mitchell

Twin Bridges
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There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

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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

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This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan

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Sweden was one of the first European countries to establish foreign relations with Vietnam (on January 11th, 1969), and made very significant contribution to the work of Vietnams construction and development after the national liberation as well as currently. On the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2016, the Communist Party of Vietnam Online Newspaper interviewed the Ambassador on highlights in the bilateral relations in 2015, and plans and major programs that Sweden will realize in 2016 to further promote the relations.

Reporter: What are the highlights in Vietnam-Sweden cooperative relations in 2015?

Ambassador of Sweden to Vietnam, Camilla Mellander: I am pleased to see that the bilateral ties between Sweden and Vietnam have now been expanded in areas such as politics, economics, investment into culture, education, and science and technology. As the Swedish Ambassador, I feel it is such an honor to be able to represent Sweden in Vietnam.

Ms. Ambassador was very busy during working days close to Tet.

Over the years, Vietnam has experienced an incredible transformation and is a bright example of poverty reduction and growth. As of 2013, Vietnam is no longer an aid-receiving country of Sweden. With the good socio-economic prospects and projections of the nation, it is so natural for Sweden, with a track-record of successful innovation, industrialization and a knowledge-based economy to try to promote and enhance innovation, science and technology with Vietnam. The gains from innovation and technical developments are necessity to move forward in our modern age and in a more competitive world. Our experience is that it is critical to think sustainably and for the long term. For a fast growing country like Vietnam, there is pressure to maintain its growth performance without significantly harming its natural resources and environment.

In order for Vietnam to become an industrialized country, it is also necessary to attract new flows and higher quality of FDI, and to seriously consider modernization and innovations. Global firms will not invest in Vietnam if they are not promoting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and producing in a way that will not harm the firms reputation through negative publicity.

We should also not forget that Vietnam has a young work force, with about two thirds of the total population being under 40 years of age. It is important to have a national strategy to stimulate these young and creative minds, for there is no doubt that they will carry this process forward.

Our cooperation with Vietnam is definitely long-term. Given the above reasoning, it will be crucial for us to continue encouraging the minds of the future to think about using technology innovatively that will contribute to a strong sustainable society. We will be happy to work with Vietnamese ministries, agencies, organisations, partners and local businesses to realise this objective.

Reporter: As Sweden is one of the most innovative countries in the world, in your view, how should Vietnamese enterprises innovate their performance for international integration?

Ambassador Camilla Mellander: As I said earlier, Sweden is one of the most innovative countries in the world and often comes out at the top in indices describing innovativeness, creativity and competitiveness. A number of international indexes such as Global Innovation Index, Global Creativity Index and Innovation Capacity Index measure the ability of countries to foster innovation, and Sweden is often found at the top. Sweden also has the third most registered number of patents per capita in the world.

With a number of new free trade agreements to be implemented from 2016 onwards including a FTA with the EU, Vietnam is moving forward with a great opportunity to innovate and reach a higher level international integration. From our experience, Research and Development (R&D) is very important. Nearly 4% of Swedens GDP goes towards to R&D - one of the highest rates in the world.

Apart from research, we also encourage independent thinking and are very open to new influences. Things that contribute to this innovative spirit include schools that encourage creativity from an early age, and a society steeped in strong beliefs in development, equality and diversity.

Many Swedish brands such as ABB, Ericsson, Electrolux, SKF and TetraPak have managed to reinvent themselves and stay in tune with modern developments and technological progress. Sweden, with its excellence in sustainability and egalitarian methods, is also able to provide a bounty of solutions for the ever-increasing urgency to fight poverty and global warming, provide clean water and stop environmental destruction on at both national and international levels.

We are willing to share these experiences with Vietnam and a number of business delegations are planned for 2016. By boosting bilateral trade ties, we can transfer technology and exchange business solutions that will promote a culture of creativity and inspire Vietnamese innovations. Important fields to start with are urban transport, health care, clean tech and ICT. The cooperation and sharing of ideas within these sectors have an enormous potential. As an example, we can help Vietnamese companies in thinking green and which is a big comparative advantage, especially if you turn to the European market. In general, the European buyers and consumers prefer products that are produced in a manner which takes the environment and working conditions of the laborers into consideration.

Reporter: Could you please share with us the cooperation plan and major programs that Sweden will realize in 2016 to further promote bilateral relations between the two countries?

Ambassador Camilla Mellander: The current focus of the embassy is to increase trade relations between Sweden and Vietnam, where we will work very closely with Swedish businesses. In recent years, the economic and trade relations between the two sides have expanded substantially in many ways. More businesses from both sides trade with each other, at increasing volumes and in broader variety of business areas. The trade volume surpassed USD1.2 billion in 2015. There are also increased interests from Swedish enterprises expecting to invest or do business in Vietnam. To date, more than 60 Swedish companies have successfully established themselves in the country. Many Swedish companies are now looking at Vietnam for investment opportunities.

I believe that innovation and economic growth are interlinked. Vietnam aims to increase its innovative capacity and climb the global value chain, while Sweden is currently recognized as one of the world's most innovative countries. Sweden has a lot of offer on green technology and sustainable solutions, in line with Vietnams strategy for green growth and sustainability. We also have an impressive track record as a leading supplier of innovative solutions and products in a wide range of industry sectors on a global scale. High-tech sectors such as IT, telecommunications, medical equipment continue to win international recognition while Swedish innovations have taken the lead in emerging fields such as sustainable transport, environmental technology and renewable energy.

Our plan is to find ways with Vietnamese partners and businesses to strengthen and expand these areas of cooperation. We hope to continue sharing our practical and innovations with Vietnam, for Vietnams continued growth and for a new height of Sweden-Vietnam bilateral relationships.

We have in January 2016 kicked-off a national Smart Water Innovation Contest, targeting students in year 1-5 to come up with creative, feasible and smart water solutions. It is also on the agenda and in line with the campaign First Generation initiated by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Reporter: These days, Vietnam is jubilantly welcoming a great political event, the 12th National Party Congress during the 2016-2020 tenure. Could you please share your view about the significant events, especially the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, over the past time?

Ambassador Camilla Mellander: We have followed with keen interest the 12th National Party Congress, organized to shape Vietnams leadership for the next five years till 2020. I am informed that it was attended by some 1,500 delegates representing about 4.5 million Party members across.

As the Congress concluded in Hanoi, nineteen members were voted to the Politburo. I am happy that there have been three female included. The National Party Congress has also named Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong as the General Secretary for the second term, as well as 200 members (180 official and 20 alternate) of the Party Central Committee representing key leaders in Ministries, government agencies and cities or provinces. I would like to congratulate the General Secretary, all members of the Politburo and all members of the Party Central Committee.

The 12th National Party Congress marks an interesting stage of development for Vietnam or a turning point in which the nation will face both opportunities and challenges created by its integration with the international community. Vietnams deeper economic integration requires the completion of suitable legislation and transparent regulations, in order to create the essential premise of improving the potential of the domestic economy, increase the flow of foreign investment, and ensure sustainable development.

I clearly see the commitments of the leadership in stepping up the reform, the delivery of high economic growth, and the fight against corruption... in accordance with Vietnams Constitution. There is really high hope in the Vietnamese society and from the international community that these commitments will be realised and enforced accordingly.

Reporter: How do you feel about the Lunar New year (Tet)? What memories made you miss the special holiday most during your term of office in Vietnam?

Ambassador Camilla Mellander: If theres a Swedish friend asking me about Tet, I will say that it is a beautiful time of the year to come to Hanoi. You see the cherry blossom, you see the motorbikes with the cumquat trees and theres special atmosphere around. Everybody is getting ready, buying presents, buying new clothes, repainting homes, settle outstanding debts, and stock up on traditional Tet delicacies. Everything should happen before the end of the old year as a sign for a good or better year ahead.

Swedish Ambassador and her daughter are making Chung cake for Tet

I think Tet and Christmas are very much alike, because in both Vietnam and Sweden we try to bring a new tree inside the house. We decorate it with many colours, and we buy presents for the children. And we meet with the family and eat good food. So, it is a very nice tradition in both countries. Tet reminds me of the festive season we have back home in Sweden.

What I like most about Tet is that it is also a time for family reunions, and for paying respect to ancestors and the elders. Many cultural, social activities and festivals also take place around the month of Tet.

Past memories told me that Hanoi would become comparatively quiet during this time of year. The city will be so different with less people, less traffic and most the shops are closed for a week or so. It is fantastic to go for a walk during those days to enjoy the spring Hanoi where you are not disturbed by much traffic and noise.

This is actually my fourth Tet in Vietnam. On the occasion of the Lunar New Year of the Monkey, I would like to wish all Vietnamese leaders and people, especially the readers of the Communist Party of Vietnam Online Newspaper, good health, peace, happiness and success throughout 2016.

Reporter: Thank you so much and also wish you a warm Lunar New Year!
A ship from Da Nang joins the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. (Photo: VNA)



The Clipper Race, including a Da Nang-Vietnam team with city resident and crew member Nguyen Tran Minh An on board, arrives in Da Nang shortly after the Tet Lunar New Year Festival. The stopover, running from February 17th to 27th, marks the end of the 7th of 14 global stages that make up the world's longest ocean race, the only event of its kind that enables amateur sailors to circumnavigatethe world.

World famous yachtsman and Clipper Race Chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail solo, non-stop around the worldin 1968-69, who is also making his first visit to Vietnam, said, "Clipper Race crews and supporters have been looking forward to the Da Nang stopover with huge anticipation ever since we announced the news last summer, so to be just days away now is very exciting for all involved, including myself.

"As our international crew members become fully immersed in Vietnamese culture and make a positive impact on local tourism, we also invite the people of Da Nang and its surrounding communities to join us to celebrate the Clipper Race spirit of adventure and discovery. This is a unique journey and there will be plenty of great opportunities to get very close and experience these colourful boats and meet the remarkable crews that are competing in this tough challenge."

After arriving for a special Vietnamese welcoming ceremony in Han River Port, more than 200 international crew members, who come from all walks of life and represent over 20 different nationalities, will have the chance to participate in many different cultural activities in Da Nang.

Such events include the Cau Ngu (The worshipping of the whale) Festival, barefoot beach runs, kayaking, basket shaking and mesh making demonstrations, as well as a visit to a local Unicef Day Care Centre for Children, the chance to enjoy traditional musical performances and, of course, try local culinary delights.

In turn, members of the community are invited to come to the Han River Port daily between February 23rd to 25th to take tours of the race yachts and meet the crews at local events to better understand what life is like on board one of the toughest endurance challenges that exists on the planet.

There is also an opportunity to see the Clipper Race fleet parade, as it sails through the Han Bridge, which will swing open to allow the yachts to sail down the river as far as the fire and water breathing Rong (Dragon) Bridge on the evening of February 25th.

Huynh Duc Tho, Chairman of the Da Nang city's People's Committee, noted, "We have followed the Da Nang-Viet Nam team proudly since the Clipper Race departed London last summer, and with the race fleet now just days away, we look forward to welcoming all the crews to Da Nang."

"We have an action packed stopover planned for the crews, who have travelled over half way round the world to get here. We want to ensure that our long sandy beaches, rich culture and warm hospitality creates a memorable experience in our fantastic city, making a return visit for crew members and Clipper Race supporters inevitable."

A first-time Host Port and Team Sponsor of the Clipper Race, the city of Da Nang is using its partnership as an opportunity to boost trade, investment and tourism, along with improving its social and diplomatic relations.

As a fast-growing, tourism-friendly city, gifted by nature with a beautiful river, mountains and beaches, Da Nang is striving to become a world-class destination for tourists. It has been named Number One in the Tripadvisor 2015 Top 10 World's Destinations on the Rise.

At 40,000 nautical miles in length, the Clipper Race takes eleven months to complete. It is the only event of its kind that trains amateur sailors to race around the world, with 40 per cent of Clipper Race crew having never sailed before they start their extensive training.

Before arriving in Da Nang, the Clipper Race has already visited London, Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town, Albany, Sydney and the Whitsundays in Australia. Da Nang is the first South East Asian stopover on the Clipper 2015-16 Race circuit.

The Clipper Race departs Da Nang on February 27th to sail to Qingdao, China, then continues on to Seattle, Panama, New York, Derry Londonderry  Northern Ireland and Den Helder  the Netherlands, before returning in a victorious homecoming parade in London on July 30th, 2016./.
Roadrunner RecordsDream Theater has earned their first number-one album on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart with their latest effort, The Astonishing. The prog-metallers' 13th studio album sold 30,000 copies in its first week, which was also good enough for the number 11 spot on the Billboard 200.

The Astonishing also debuted at number one on the Hard Rock Albums chart, which is the band's third leader on that tally, following 2009's Black Clouds & Silver Linings and their 2013 self-titled album.

This spring, Dream Theater will be performing The Astonishing in full on a North American tour, which kicks off April 14 in Quebec City.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
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
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has raised the issue of recent repression in Crimea occupied by Russian authorities during the negotiations of "Normandy Four" foreign ministers in Munich (Germany).

"I particularly noted that the atmosphere of today's meeting is very much affected by what is now happening in Crimea with constant searches and arrests. Lavrov [Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov] pretended not to react to this as well," Klimkin told reporters after the negotiations of "Normandy Quartet" foreign ministers (Russia, Ukraine, Germany, France) in Munich on Saturday.

He added that a useful exchange of negotiators took place in the context of determining the agenda for the next meeting in Paris.

"It was an intermediate, useful meeting, and I thank Steinmeier [German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier] for its organization in Munich. But we'll have a real meeting in early March," Klimkin added.
A meeting of the Advisory Committee of President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda will be held in early March, spokesman for the president of Ukraine Sviatoslav Tseholko has said.

"A meeting of the Advisory Committee of the presidents of Ukraine and Poland will be held in early March," he wrote on Twitter.

The press service of the Ukrainian president reported Poroshenko and Duda agreed on holding an Advisory Committee meeting during the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

"The heads of the two states exchanged views on a wide range of issues of bilateral relations, as well as security problems. Among other things, they highlighted the importance of the holding this year of the next meeting of the intergovernmental Ukrainian-Polish commission on economic cooperation," the press service said.

The parties also welcomed the start of work of the joint Polish-Lithuanian-Ukrainian brigade and discussed the ways to intensify a dialogue in the context of Ukraine's relations with NATO.
EP will immediately proceed with visa free regime for Ukraine after relevant proposal made by EC - Schulz

President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz has assured that the European Parliament (EP) is ready to consider the issue of a visa free regime with Ukraine after Kyiv adopts all the necessary laws and the European Commission (EC) makes a relevant proposal.

"We expect a proposal from the European Commission as for a visa free regime after the Ukrainian parliament passes all the decisions. We are waiting for proposals from the European Commission and the European Parliament will immediately start its part of the work," he told reporters after talks with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko in Munich on Saturday.

The president of Ukraine, in turn, noted he has submitted the remaining bills to the parliament.

"Yesterday I filed the last package of bills for a visa free regime and I hope they will be adopted in parliament next week," Poroshenko said.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz have discussed the process of implementing the Minsk agreements and the continuation of sanctions against the Russian Federation.

"We talked about the Minsk agreements and coordination of efforts to extend sanctions against Russia," Poroshenko told reporters after talks with Schulz in Munich on Saturday.

He noted that today, unfortunately, we cannot talk about their fulfillment on the part of Russia.

"When we are attacked 70 times per day, OSCE observers are not allowed to enter the uncontrolled part of the border with Russia, when Russia is under arms, when our hostages are held in appalling conditions in the occupied territories and in Russian prisons, including Nadiya Savchenko and Oleh Sentsov," the president said.
Japanese Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Hitoshi Kikawada has assured Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin that Tokyo will continue to provide support for Kyiv.

According to the press service of the Ukrainian foreign ministry, during a meeting held at the International Security Conference in Munich on Saturday the Japanese side confirmed the unchanged position of official Tokyo to support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as the need to continue the reform policy of Ukrainian authorities.

The parties also noted the need to maintain the positive dynamics of a political dialogue at the highest level and agreed to continue close coordination in the United Nations, particularly within the Security Council, and cooperate in the context of preparations for the summit.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 13

Trend:

A junior sergeant of Azerbaijan's Armed Forces, Elmir Zeynalov, was killed Feb. 12 as a result of the ceasefire violation on the contact line between the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Feb. 13.

The ministry offered deepest condolences to friends and family of the killed serviceman.

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 withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 13

By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:

Azerbaijan and India will discuss the development of relations in the areas of investment, trade, transport, information and communication technologies, and education.

Discussions will be held during the 4th meeting of the Azerbaijani-Indian intergovernmental commission in April in Baku, India's Ambassador to Azerbaijan Sanjay Rana told reporters.

"A delegation led by the co-chairman of the intergovernmental commission, Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman will visit Azerbaijan," he said.

"The delegation will include not only officials, but also businessmen. The expansion of the relations in various fields will be discussed," he added.

The co-chairman of the intergovernmental commission from the Azerbaijani side is the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Huseyn Bagirov.

Rana also noted that pharmaceutics is one of the priority areas in the development of the relations.

"Indian pharmaceutics is known worldwide today. We supply medicines to all developed markets, but our presence in the Azerbaijani market is quite small and we want to change that," he said.

"We can offer drugs and medicines at lower prices to Azerbaijan, and the quality of these drugs is not inferior to European, which is confirmed by certificates received by our enterprises," added Rana.

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and India was $305.04 million according to the results of 2015, $270.24 million of which accounted for the export of the Azerbaijani products to India, according to the State Statistics Committee.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Anvar_Mammadov
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 13





Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Munich Feb. 13.

The sides expressed satisfaction with the successful development of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Germany. They stressed the importance of such meetings and visits in terms of the further development of the bilateral ties. It was noted that despite the ongoing international financial crisis and falling oil prices, Azerbaijan paid attention to developing its economy, particularly non-oil sector, and ensured the implementation of social programs.

During the meeting, they discussed cooperation between Azerbaijan and OSCE, which is chaired by Germany this year, and exchanged views over the current state of the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 13



Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with EU Commissioner for the European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn Feb. 13.

Successful development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union was stressed during the meeting. The sides emphasized the importance of meetings and reciprocal visits in terms of intensifying the relations.

They hailed successful development of Azerbaijan-EU energy cooperation, underlining the necessity of focusing efforts on this sector.

They also exchanged views over other issues of mutual interest.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Feb. 13

By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend:

Turkmenistan is creating the second national artificial satellite, the government said Feb. 13.

This project was considered at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers. Focusing on the creation of the second national artificial satellite, the president instructed to analyze the work in this direction, the statement says.

Turkmenistan's first telecommunications satellite TurkmenAlem 52E was launched Apr.28, 2015, from Cape Canaveral (Florida, US). It was brought to the space by Falcon

9 v1.1 rocket carrier. The satellite entered its orbital position May 17.

After the successful completion of all the tests, TurkmenAlem 52E was officially handed by contractor Thales Alenia Space to Turkmenistan for operation.

The satellite has three antennas covering a part of Europe, Africa and Asia.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 13

By Aygun Badalova - Trend:

Despite the risks that Iran's business environment could create for investors, in the long-term, the outlook on the country's energy sector is very positive, Emma Richards, an oil and gas analyst with BMI Research, which is a part of Fitch Group, believes.

Richards told Trend that the re-opening of the economy will draw in a high level of investment, in particular from companies in Europe.

"Iran remains a challenging operating environment, but the rewards more than outweigh the risks," Richards said.

"Contract revisions have been favourable, the country has huge oil and gas reserves and the cost base is very low. It will probably be one of the strongest growth stories over the next 10 years," she said.

On January 16, the International Atomic Energy Agency verified Tehran's compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), opening the way for Iran's return to the global energy market. The same day, the US and the European Union announced that they were lifting their sanctions against Iran.

Free of sanctions, the country plans to increase its oil export by 500,000 barrels per day (bpd), and then raise the figure by another 500,000 to two million bpd within a six month period at the next step.

Iran's return will add to the glut in the global oil market in the near-term, Richards said.

"They've managed to increase their production by around 80,000 bpd over the past few weeks and they're also unwinding barrels from storage," she said.

Richards noted that BMI Research expects the country's production to increase by 500,000 bpd by 2017 and the lion's share of that will go to exports.

"Competition for buyers is intense, so we can assume there will be some competitive discounting, which will put further downward pressure on global oil prices," Richards said.

According to OPEC's February Oil Market Report, Iran produced 2.925 million bpd in January 2016, about 38,000 barrels more than in the previous months.

With regards of the prospects for the global oil market overall, Richards said that the first half of 2016 looks very volatile, both because the market is so oversupplied and because of the broader uncertainties around the health of the global economy.

"Companies are making aggressive cutbacks in spending, which will help the market begin to re-balance in the second half," she said adding that it's unlikely that oil prices will stabilise until that re-balancing gets underway.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 13

By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:

Kazakhstan's Central Election Commission (CEC) registered candidates from all six parties intending to take part in the parliamentary election.

The country's Birlik (Unity) party was the last party registered for the election, the CEC said Feb. 12.

The Nur Otan Democratic People's Party, the Ak Zhol Democratic Party of Kazakhstan, the Aul Democratic People's Patriotic Party, the Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan, the Nationwide Social Democratic Party and the Birlik Party will participate in the election.

In total, the candidate list includes 234 registered candidates.

The previous parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan in 2012 was attended by the seven political parties, but only three of them overcame the seven percent barrier and entered the Parliament - the Nur Otan Democratic People's Party, the Ak Zhol Democratic Party of Kazakhstan and the Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan.

The parliamentary election in Kazakhstan will be held March 20.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Feb. 13

By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend:

A report on the progress of a new international airport's construction in Ashgabat was heard during a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, Altyn Asyr TV channel reported Feb. 13.

The new airport includes 95 different facilities, 60 of which are large and 35 - small, according to the project.

Currently, 31 objects are already commissioned and 31 objects are at the final stage of construction.

"The Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammadov instructed to keep a strict control on all the work carried out in the important infrastructure facility of the strategic transport sector," said the report. "The country pays special attention to the development of this infrastructure in the context to extend international cooperation and integration of Turkmenistan into the global system of world economic relations."

It was earlier reported that Turkmenistan's national air carrier (Turkmenistan Airlines) signed a contract with the Turkish Polimeks company on this project. The cost of this project is estimated at more than $2.2 billion.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Feb. 13

By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend:

The Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammadov signed a decree on approval of the new procedure for conducting tenders for selection of suppliers of goods, works and services for budget users, the Turkmen government said.

The project of the document was introduced at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers.

"Improving the procedure for conducting tenders for selection of suppliers of goods, works and services under the state order will promote fair competition in this area, as well as increase the volume of high-quality domestic products," said the president.

The strengthening of national economy's legal basis, a systematic analysis of the legislation regulating economic relations in the country has great importance for the further development of the national economy, according to him.

Turkmenistan, according to the BP's report, was ranked the fourth in the world for natural gas reserves and at this stage the country exports fuel to China and Iran. It was reported at the beginning of 2016 that Russia has stopped purchases of Turkmen gas.

Ashgabat carries out the diversification of the local economy; the country actively develops the industries of textile, oil products, oil and gas chemistry, and for the production of building materials.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said at the Munich Security Conference on Friday that she would be glad to visit Iran in spring 2016, Sputnik reported.



According to Mogherini, during the visit she will be accompanied by the delegation of European Commission members for discussion of the bilateral EU-Iran relations, which have new perspectives following removal of sanctions from Tehran.



In August 2015, Tehran and six international mediators, including Russia, reached a historic deal on Iranian nuclear program, which was set to ensure the peaceful nature of its nuclear program in exchange for the termination of anti-Iran sanctions, in particular in oil sector.



In mid-January, the sanctions were removed after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified Tehran's compliance with the nuclear agreement. The move makes it possible for Iran to develop relations in different spheres with the European Union.


Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 13

By Fatih Karimov- Trend:

The 11th round of human rights talks between Iran and Japan was held in Tehran on February 13, Iran's ISNA news agency reported.

The Iranian delegation was headed by Mansureh Sharifi Sadr, foreign minister advisor and the director of foreign ministry department for human rights and women's affairs.

The two parties discussed policy and held measures regarding the human rights as well as issues of mutual concern.

The Iranian and Japanese delegations also talked about the cooperation with the United Nations regarding the issue.

The experts from the two sides also exchanged views about the judicial systems of their countries.

The next round of the talks is scheduled to be held in Tokyo next year.

The 10th Japan- Iran human rights dialogue was held in Tokyo in 2014.
President Hassan Rouhani will pay an official visit to Turkey in a couple of months to attend the 3rd Iran-Turkey High Council for Strategic Relations, Iranian Ambassador to Ankara Ali-Reza Bikdeli said on Saturday, IRNA reported.

Bikdeli made the remarks in a meeting with the Turkish media reporters at the end of his diplomatic tenure.

'No matter at what level the relations between the two countries are, the media play a decisive role in altering the level and Iran and Turkey enjoy excellent level of relations, so we can deduct that the media have played their positive role perfectly well,' said the outgoing Iranian ambassador.

He said that Iran and Turkey have broad relations in political, economic, cultural and security fields and therefore the media naturally reflect relations everyday.

'Iran-Turkey friendly relations ensure us that the ties are on the right and positive track and that the path will continue in the long term,' said the Iranian ambassador, adding, 'problems and conflicts might emerge at any possible time, but we need to make sure that the required mechanism for resolving such issues are at hand.'
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 13

Trend:

Iran can use Georgia's territory for transit of energy resources, said Ivane Mtvralashvili, a member of the Board of Directors at the Georgia-Iran Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GICCI).

Perspectives of the Georgian-Iranian trade and economic relations were discussed at the conference organized by the GICCI and held at the Tbilisi Marriott Hotel.

The Georgian officials and Iran's ambassador to Georgia participated at the conference, Sputnik Georgia reported.

"Trade and economic, industrial relations between Georgia and Iran have dynamically developed in the recent years," said Mtvralashvili adding that the abolition of visa restrictions for Iranian tourists gives an additional impetus to the development of these relations.

"After the removal of sanctions on Iran money transactions will be restored and there won't be any problem with the arrival of a large Iranian capital to Georgia, which will also contribute to the deepening of trade and economic relations," he added.

"The embargo on the export of oil and natural gas on Iran was removed and the use of Georgia's territory as a transit for energy resources is possible on this basis," he said. "We have great expectations that this relationship will also develop dynamically."

The visit of the Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili to the Islamic Republic is expected in the near future, during which some important agreements will be signed, Iran's Ambassador to Georgia Abbas Talebifar said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 13

Trend:

The Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili met with the Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev within the framework of the Munich Security Conference, Novosti Gruzia reported.

The issues on political and economic cooperation, the European and Euro-Atlantic agenda of Georgia and regional security topics were discussed during the meeting, according to the Georgian government.

The sides emphasized the importance of the timely completion of the visa liberalization process with the EU and noted that Georgia has successfully met all the technical requirements.

Rosen Plevneliev reiterated Bulgaria's support for Georgia's European integration and visa liberalization.
The ministers of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany are planning to hold their next Normandy format talks in March following the Saturday meeting in Munich, a Western diplomatic source told Sputnik on Friday.

"After the meeting in Munich, the next one will be held in a month time, also on the sidelines of a big summit," the source said.

The source added that the next rounds of Normandy format talks are likely to be held regularly every month, most likely in line with the schedule of big international events.

The Normandy Four group was created in 2014 to secure a peaceful settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. In February 2015, the quartet leaders' worked out a ceasefire deal in Minsk, Belarus, signed by representatives of the Kiev authorities and militias from the eastern Ukrainian Donbass region.

On Saturday, the ministers will discuss the deal implementation on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.




US and Cuban officials are scheduled to sign an agreement on Tuesday that will allow up to 20 scheduled flights a day between the communist island nation and the US, The Guardian reported.



The agreement, which had been expected since Barack Obama announced an easing of travel restrictions and normalising of trade relations last year, will allow commercial carriers to operate between Cuba and any city in the US for the first time in half a century.



The US deputy assistant secretary of state for transportation affairs, Thomas Engle, characterised the agreement, which will be signed in Havana next week, as "a very positive development". It will allow 20 flights a day to Havana and as many as 10 per day to each of the nine other international airports in the country.



The loosening of restrictions is expected to further speed up the rapid transformation of Cuba's US-focused tourism business. While US law technically prohibits travel to Cuba for tourism, the country has long been a destination for American travellers willing to undergo the formality of passing through the Bahamas, Canada or Mexico on their journey.



According to Bloomberg News, US airlines including American, Southwest and United are looking at opening up routes to Havana later this year. This spring, Carnival plans to send the first cruise ship to Cuba in more than 50 years.



The flood of US visitors is already under way. Authorised US visits to Cuba rose 50% last year, the US embassy in Havana, with visitors eager to see it before the changes their presence will make are made permanent.



Recent reports suggest that change is already well under way. Havana's rooms in hotels and guesthouses are frequently booked solid while tourist prices for even basic amenities are soaring.



Still, the rush of visiting celebrities has only just begun. According to the Wall Street Journal, the British series Top Gear recently tore around the streets outside Havana in cars filled with jet fuel, while Universal Pictures is planning to shoot a sequence of its next Fast & Furious sequel on the island.



The Rolling Stones, too, are booked to play in Havana next month at the end of their current Latin American tour, narrowly ahead of the luxury brand Chanel that last week sent out invitations for an ultra-exclusive cruise collection show in May, apparently unaware of the self-evident philosophical or political contradictions of staging such an event on an island where the average income is $20 a month.


Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 13

Trend:

NATO does not seek confrontation and does not want a new Cold War, Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, said.

Stoltenberg made this statement at the Munich Security Conference Feb. 13.

He said that a dialogue is required and only it can help Europe achieve stability.

Stoltenberg said that the borders of sovereign countries must not be violated and this principle is fundamental to European security.

The Munich Security Conference has held an annual conference in Munich (Germany) since 1962. It was called the Military Affairs Conference until 1993 and was held under the auspices of the Christian Social Union. It has been financed by the German government since 1998.

The 52nd Munich Security Conference started on Feb. 12.
Increased tensions on the Korean peninsula are caused by the North Korean leadership's irresponsible and unacceptable actions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday, Sputnik reported.

"The situation on the Korean peninsula has dramatically worsened recently as a result of the irresponsible and absolutely unacceptable actions by the DPRK leadership," Lavrov said at the Munich Security Conference.

"However, there is a tendency here as well to resort to unilateral steps - bypassing the UN Security Council - to punish Pyongyang and increase foreign military presence in the region at the expense of teamwork and de-escalation through existing negotiating mechanisms," he added.
The European Parliament (EP) may lift sanctions imposed against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and other politicians from the country on February 15, Chairman of the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs Elmar Brok told reporters on Saturday.

In October, the European Union suspended sanctions it imposed against Lukashenko until the end of February.

"It might be a possibility," Brok said, when asked if sanctions could be lifted as early as Monday.

According to the parliamentarian, there has been a progress on the issue of Belarusian political prisoners.

Belarus, a former Soviet republic, has been under US and EU sanctions for about a decade, including visa bans and financial restrictions on Belarusian individuals and entities.

The West has accused the Belarusian authorities of persecuting the political opposition and denying citizens' basic rights and freedoms, in particular, freedom of expression. Lukashenko has insisted that the accusations are groundless and that putting pressure on Minsk is pointless.
Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said the PKK terrorist group's Syrian affiliate, Democratic Union Party (PYD), has committed "war crimes".

In his address in eastern Turkey's Erzincan province Saturday, Davutoglu said: "It [PYD] carries out ethnic cleansing and commits war crime. All the documents are obvious. International organizations have also certified these."

About the recent dispute between Turkey and the U.S. over Washington's objection to describing the Syrian group PYD as a terrorist organization, which instead classified it as "a reliable partner", Davutoglu said: "We expect from the U.S. to adopt a loud and clear position against the inhumane slaughter."

The premier also reiterated that Turkey would not hesitate to take "necessary measures" in Syria, if any threat was directed against Turkey.

"If we get involved in such a struggle, we expect from friendly and ally countries to stand by us," he said.

About the Russian airstrikes in Syria, Davutoglu said: "The humanitarian logistics corridor between Turkey and Aleppo has been closed by these forces [Russia]".

A recent offensive backed by Russian air power has seen Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces score a series of victories against rebel groups while forcing hundreds of thousands of civilians from Aleppo -- Syria's largest city -- towards the Turkish border, which triggered a new migration wave towards Turkey.

Davutoglu said if the corridor was not opened, hundreds of thousands Syrians will face starvation. "We will help our Aleppo brothers with any kind of opportunities," he added.

Currently, Turkey hosts 2.7 million Syrians and 170,000 Iraqi refugees.

So far, Turkey has spent $9 billion on the refugees, while UN's Refugee Agency has only granted $455 million.
Saudi Arabia has deployed its combat aircraft at Turkey's Incirlik airbase near the Syrian border, Sputnik International reported.

Last week, Riyadh said it stood ready to deploy ground troops to Syria to fight the "Islamic State" (Daesh) jihadist group.

Saudi warplanes were stationed at the Incirlik airbase in Turkey to take part in the international coalition against the "Islamic State", said Brig. Ahmed Asiri, Al Arabiya reported.

He said the number of fighter jets used in the mission would depend on "objectives outlined by the coalition."

"Saudi aircraft in Turkey are not part of any bilateral agreement, but are within the framework of anti-terrorist actions of the international coalition," he stressed.

The Incirlik base is 5 miles north of the Turkish city of Adana near the Syrian border.
Xinjiang to Cultivate More Labor-intensive Firms in Next Five Years

Xinjiang is China's largest producer of cotton. (Photo : Getty Images)

For the next five years, China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region eyes to cultivate more labor-intensive employers, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.



The region will also welcome the influx of medium and small enterprises to create more jobs for its residents.



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Official data shows that there are 1.85 million people in Xinjiang who are still living in poverty. The article noted that the figure is tantamount to 8 percent of the region's population.



During China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020), local officials will take advantage of the region's abundant resources of cotton and labor and create plans to lure textile and clothing manufacturers.



Authorities said that the local government will rely on the support of policy, capital and training to implement their scheme.



On the same period, they will also encourage as many as 200,000 residents to look for employment in clothing and textile companies located in eastern inland areas.



In the last Five-Year Plan (2011-2015), the garment and textile industries created around 130,000 new jobs in Xinjiang.



The region's westernmost part is known as the biggest cotton cropper in the country. In 2015, it harvested 3.5 million tons of cotton, which is 62.5 percent of China's total yield nationwide.



A lot of Xinjiang residents have left farmlands and opted to work in factories where they earn stable income. According to officials, this holds especially true in Tarim Basin, one of the region's biggest cotton producers.



Authorities have earlier expressed their drive to make more jobs for their citizens. As outlined in a 2014 official document about the expansion of Xinjiang's textile industry, the region aims to "promote employment as a permanent cure to maintain social stability and achieve long-lasting peace, and, particularly, solve [unemployment problems.]"



The officials are also very much focused on the residents in the region's southern part where much violence unfolds.



Boosting the textile hub has always been on the top priority of President Xi Jinping. In fact, it is a key program in the Chinese leader's landmark "One Belt, One Road" initiative that aims to establish a new silk road and economic belt across China to Central Asia and Europe.


A regulation will be made to help foreign experts participate in national science and technology programs. (Photo : Getty Images)

It's not just the Chinese who are experiencing prosperity thanks to this year's Spring Festival. Retails from the world over are also thriving due to the increasing number of Chinese travelers, according to a report by China Daily.



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As more Chinese consumers get rich, the more their wanderlust grows.



More and more wealthy Chinese are traveling abroad for the Spring Festival, which adds another month of shopping to the usual season.



A mall in Costa Mesa, California, was able to rake in $1.7 billion in sales last year. The South Coast Plaza, considered as the highest grossing mall in the United States last year, enjoyed a prosperous shopping season which started after Thanksgiving and continued well into the Chinese New Year celebrations.



Big designer brands like Balenciaga and Carolina Herrera dressed their mannequins with scarlet red dresses to entice Chinese customers. Meanwhile, Dolce & Gabbana released a limited-edition, monkey-print shirt sold exclusively at South Coast Plaza.



It's not unusual for malls in the United States to cater to their Asian-American or Asian customers, but South Coast Plaza is looking to attract more customers from mainland China.



The mall started courting China in the early 2000s, before foreign tourism boomed in the country. South Coast Plaza was the first mall in the U.S. to accept Chinese UnionPay bank cards. It's all well and good for the shopping center, as Chinese consumers make up 30 percent of the world's luxury goods market.



The Japanese economy is also benefitting as Chinese tourists spent an average of $2,393 in the country last year, according to the Japan Tourism Agency. This represents 40 percent of total consumption made by foreigners in Japan in 2015.



According to the Chinese government, there will be about 2.91 billion trips that will take place over the course of the Spring Festival's 40-day travel season.



The peak of these overseas visits will take place over the weeklong holiday season, with tourists estimated to reach approximately 6 million, said Ctrip, a major online travel site. This record high indicates a 15-percent increase compared to the total number of overseas visits by Chinese tourists over last year's Spring Festival travel season.


Unlike the dragon and the tiger, which both enjoy an exalted status in Chinese mythology, the monkey is given a humbler placement. (Photo : Getty Images)

Among the 12 zodiac animals, the one that is closest to humans is the monkey. Raymond Zhou takes a look at the different meanings and uses of 2016's zodiac animal in an article by China Daily.



Unlike the dragon and the tiger, which both enjoy an exalted status in Chinese mythology, the monkey is given a humbler placement.



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Keeping a money as a pet is rare, and the best place to find one is in the zoo. Often viewed as mischievous and clever, monkeys are sometimes reported to pickpocket from tourists or commit other types of misdemeanors.



Despite this negative light, monkeys are viewed as loyal, thanks to an ancient Chinese tale. Unfortunately, not a lot of people know about the story as it is lost to all except to a number of historians.



The monkey enjoys a strong presence in Chinese culture, however, with appearances in language, arts and literature. A famous Chinese character, The Monkey King, was a popular figure from the novel "Journey to the West" by Wu Cheng'en.



Monkeys are often considered as animals that possess conflicting traits. Aside from symbolizing cleverness, the human's closest relative also symbolizes impatience in Chinese culture. This contradicts another ancient Chinese tale of monkeys waiting patiently for the right time to snatch food from hunters.



There is also the English expression "monkey business," which implies slyness, trickery and deceit. Other times, it is used to refer to harmless pranks and acts of mischief.



The Chinese word for monkey, "hou," also has several patronyms with contradicting meanings. On one hand, denghou means patience and "the uncharacteristic tendency to resist instant gratification," Zhou wrote. On the other hand, zhuhou means quick-headedness, a word believed to be derived from hou.



Regardless of its meaning and roles in various cultures over the world, the monkey is an undeniable force of nature for its quick wit and cleverness. There may be scientific reasons why humans feel close to the primate, but perhaps its contrasting qualities also force us to reflect on and acknowledge our own strengths and weaknesses.


Prospective buyers look at cars displayed at a dealership in China, where auto financing firms have reported growth last year despite sluggish sales. (Photo : REUTERS)

Auto financing companies in China that offer car loans to individual consumers and car dealers saw robust growth last year despite slow car sales, the Xinhua News Agency reported.



The report cited the 31-percent year-on-year growth of SAIC-GMAC, China's first official auto financing firm, in 2015, registering 570,000 new retail contracts and 68 billion yuan ($10.41 billion) of outstanding loans.



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Yu Yarui, general manager of SAIC-GMAC, attributed the growth mainly to a higher auto financing penetration rate, which measures the percentage of consumers that buy cars through loans.



The report said that the penetration rate has risen to around 25 percent from only 5 percent a few years ago.



"The auto financing industry in China still has huge potential if you consider the 80-percent penetration rate in more mature markets in the United States or Europe," Chen Guiqiong, vice president of Ford's auto financing arm in China, said.



By 2020, auto financing in China will be worth around 2 trillion yuan, analysts have predicted.



According to the report, many consumers take the option from professional auto financing firms, which usually offer a lower downpayment rate and require little collateral, unlike traditional bank loans.



Financing companies also provide customized financial products for specific groups such as university students and farmers.



For the country's slowing auto industry, the increasing popularity of auto financing could be its hope.



Auto sales in China accelerated in 2015, though at the slowest pace in three years, the report said



Around 23.5 million to 25.5 million automobiles are expected to be sold in China in 2016, Ford predicted.



A statement released by China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) released on Jan. 20 said that passenger cars exceeded 20 million for the first time.



The statement added that the production and sales of passenger cars in 2015 reached 21,079,400 and 21,146,300 units respectively, up 5.8 percent and 7.3 percent year-on-year, 2.5 percentage points and 2.6 percentage points higher than the overall growth of automobiles.



But by type, SUV continued a high-speed growth for the whole year, as the production and sales were up 49.7 percent and 52.4 percent, respectively, CAAM said.


New Directive Calls for More Patriotic Education of Chinese Students, Even Those Abroad

China's Ministry of Education is calling for more patriotic education for Chinese students, including those studying overseas. (Photo : REUTERS)

The Communist Party Organization of the Ministry of Education has issued a new directive urging that Chinese students must be made even more patriotic and devoted to the party, even when they are studying in universities abroad, an article published in the New York Times said.



According to the directive, each stage and aspect of schooling, through textbooks, student assessments, museum visits and the Internet--a main source of information for many young Chinese--must be suffused with patriotic education.



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"Organically instill the patriotic spirit into all subjects, curriculums and standards for primary, secondary and higher education in morals, language, history, geography, sports, arts and so on," according to the document, which was approved in late January but made public only on Tuesday, Feb. 9.



The document also demanded that university and college students be instructed more thoroughly to "always follow the party" and be "clearly taught about the dangers of negativity about the history of the party, nation, revolution and reform and opening up, as well as of vilifying heroic figures."



The report said that Chinese students have already been taught that the Communist Party has been the sole engine of progress in modern Chinese history and rescued the country from humiliating suppression of foreigners, restoring respect and power on China on the global stage. Since the 1989 protests of students at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, party leaders have made a priority of veering them from liberal values.



The report, however, said that the new document shows that President Xi Jinping is taking it even further than his predecessors did, even beyond China's borders. The directive said that Chinese students studying abroad must also be given instruction on Xi's "China Dream" of national revival.



"Assemble the broad numbers of students abroad as a positive patriotic energy," the document said. "Build a multidimensional contact network linking home and abroad--the motherland, embassies and consulates, overseas student groups, and the broad number of students abroad--so that they fully feel that the motherland cares."



The move is likely to raise concern among critics who have blamed the government of applying pressure on students abroad, the report added.



According to data from the Ministry of Education, almost 1.7 million Chinese students were studying abroad by the end of 2014, many of them are in Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States.



In the 2014-15 school year, more than 300,000 Chinese students have been studying in the United States, an increase of nearly 11 percent over the previous year, the Institute of International Education, a nonprofit organization, said.


The European Union has launched a public consultation that will help it decide whether to grant China market economy status before the expiration of rules in December. (Photo : REUTERS)

The European Union (EU) has launched on Wednesday, Feb. 10, a public consultation to seek inputs for its in-depth assessment of Chinas status-changing and decide on whether to grant China the market economy status (MES) on the bloc's economy, the Xinhua News Agency reported.



The European Commission, the EU's executive body, said in a statement that the online consultation is open for 10 weeks, which will tackle the methods used in the EU's "anti-dumping" procedures on imported Chinese products, since the current measures are set to expire in December.



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According to the report, the commission was currently conducting a "comprehensive" assessment on the economic effects of changing the treatment of China as a market economy in its "anti-dumping investigations."



Based on the rules of the World Trade Organization, EU's current adopted rules to calculate dumping margins on Chinese products (which does not consider China as a market economy in anti-dumping proceedings) will expire on Dec. 11.



The report said that the commission is set to offer a proposal to the European Council and the European Parliament on whether to grant China MES before the deadline.



As the EU has not regarded China as a market economy, China has been suffering from some unfair and discriminatory EU practice, the report added.



Under the current EU anti-dumping investigations against China, the assessment is based on a comparison of the export price in a "surrogate country" with MES, instead of the domestic price of the product in question.



China's status as a market economy has been recognized by more than 80 economies, which include Russia, New Zealand, Singapore and Australia.



In January, the WTO ruled in favor of Chinese fastener makers, which gave China a major victory in its seven-year dispute with the EU.



The WTO said in its ruling that the EU decision to impose heavy tariffs on fastener imports from China is illegal.


Aedes aegypti mosquitos are seen in a lab at the Fiocruz institute on January 26, 2016 in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil. The mosquito transmits the Zika virus and is being studied at the institute. (Photo : Getty Images/Mario Tama)

The southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, known for receiving the most number of land-entry passengers in the country, has adopted a laboratory test for the Zika virus, the Xinhua News Agency reported.



After detecting the first imported case of the Zika virus, the citys Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau has implemented stricter border quarantine checks, according to local officials.



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The patient is a 34-year-old male hailing from Jiangxi Provinces Ganxiang County. He had traveled from Venezuela and was reported to have shown symptoms of headache, dizziness and fever on Jan. 28 prior to his return on Feb. 5 via Hong Kong and Shenzhen.



Now recovering, he has been receiving treatment in a local hospital in his hometown since Feb. 6.



The Zika virus case was confirmed by the countrys National Health and Family Planning Commission.



The heightened quarantine checks also coincide with the rising number of returnees from work and travel overseas in light of the Spring Festival holiday.



As part of this initiative, officials of the Shenzhen Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau also urged pregnant women to avoid traveling to South America, where the virus is spreading explosively, as warned by the World Health Organization.



According to the organizations estimate, there have been 3 to 4 million infections in the region for the past year.



Reports suggest that the Zika virus is linked to primary microcephaly.



The virus, which spreads through mosquito bites, has symptoms including fever, joint pain, headache, rash, conjunctivitis, muscle pain and eye pain. On Feb. 1, WHO declared an international health emergency over the virus.



Bernhard Schwartlander, WHOs representative to China, said that imported cases of the virus are to be expected considering the volume of travel between China and South America.



"Chinese health authorities are well prepared to respond to this and any further imported cases, he added.



Meanwhile, Hong Kong has also stepped up inspections in its airport, a statement from its Department of Health said.



Xinhua said that health authorities in Guangdong have also encouraged its citizens to stay vigilant as the dengue season approaches. Officials also vowed to intensify their efforts for the early detection of the illness.


The Zika virus is strongly linked to primary microcephaly. (Photo : Getty Images)

Yunnan, a southwest Chinese border province, has heightened its alertness over the Zika virus, offering 24-hour laboratory tests, according to a report by state-run Xinhua News Agency.



Lu Lin, Yunnan's Center for Disease Control and Prevention director, shared that test results can be immediately obtained after four hours.



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Lu noted that the center has already investigated the risks of imported cases of the virus, emphasizing that they have done the assessment in all the province's cities and prefectures.



Yunnan borders Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos.



Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international health emergency as it found that the virus has been rapidly spreading, especially in the Americas, for the past 12-month period.



China's National Health and Family Planning Commission has also confirmed the first case of Zika virus in the country.



The 34-year-old male patient has been receiving treatments in a local hospital in his hometown in the Ganxian County of Jiangxi Province. Reports said that he has fully recovered.



The man, said to be working in Dongguan, a bustling manufacturing city in Guangdong, returned from Venezuela via Hong Kong and Shenzhen.



Prior to his return, he has exhibited the symptoms of the Zika virus such as headache, fever and dizziness.



Research fellow Li Dexin from the National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention stressed that the virus, spread through mosquito bites, is spreading not only in South America but also in other Southeastern Asian countries.



Bernhard Schwartlander, a WHO envoy, also pointed out that imported Zika virus cases are to be expected, citing the large volume of travelers going to and from South America and China.



Since the news of the virus's rapid spread, Chinese health authorities have been intensifying their efforts to implement strict quarantine checks.



The stepped-up inspections come in light of the influx of returning travelers who flew abroad during the Lunar New Year celebration.



Guangdong and Shenzhen, both located in southern China, have earlier committed to heightening their initiatives on the early detection of illnesses related to mosquito bites.


South Korea has asked the help of the United States in building a defense system against missiles. (Photo : Getty Images)

China recently summoned South Korea's ambassador to receive the government's official protest over the country's request for a U.S. missile shield, The Telegraph reported.



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The Chinese government fears that a regional neighbor having an advanced anti-missile system, such as the U.S.'s Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system, will "compromise the effectiveness of its own nuclear deterrent," the report said.



Previously, South Korea has only been considering the said request, as it received concerns over antagonizing China. Nonetheless, it was forced to come up with its final decision when North Korea held its latest missile test, after four earlier nuclear tests.



South Korean President Park Geun-hye announced on Sunday that they would ask the U.S. about the "earliest possible" arrival of the THAAD missile defense batteries.



"The security of South Korea and its people are under threat as nobody knows the reckless provocations that North Korea will make," Park said during a meeting of the National Security Council on Sunday.



Apart from the compromise in China's missile capacities, the Chinese government is also wary of a possible recovery of the U.S.'s influence in South Korea. China has been intensively wooing the country over the last two years.



Despite China's objection, South Korea is adamant that the THAAD is only a defensive system rather than an offensive weapon. It is designed to destroy forthcoming ballistic missiles.



According to experts, South Korea's inevitable decision was prompted by North Korea's regular conduct of nuclear weapon and ballistic missile tests.



Defense consultancy IHS Aerospace affiliate Ben Goodlad told to Agence France Press that "the nuclear testing coupled with the testing of ballistic missile technology was always likely to strengthen the argument that South Korea needs to bolster its missile defenses."



An additional concern is North Korea's plan to carry out yet another underground nuclear test. In case, it would be the fifth detonation the country will undertake in a decade.



North Korea has been receiving condemnation for its latest provocations, even from its old allies like Russia and China.


Thousands of visitors came to the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing City in Jiangsu Province during the Chinese New Year holiday. (Photo : REUTERS)

Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum attracted nearly 200,000 visits by local and foreign tourists in the first three days of the Chinese Lunar New Year starting Feb. 8, mausoleum sources said on Thursday, Feb. 11, the Xinhua News Agency reported.



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The mausoleum was built in honor of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, founder of the Kuomintang Party and a forerunner of China's anti-feudalism revolution, and was completed in 1929 in Nanjing City, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.



"I'm here because I'm interested in modern and contemporary Chinese history but I didn't expect to see so many people," Lucas, a Brazilian tourist, was quoted as saying.



Since this year is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference last year decided to hold a commemoration on Nov. 12 this year, the report said.



"I'm glad to be here after visiting the Sun Yat-sen memorial hall in Taiwan," a Taiwan businessman who visited the mausoleum said. "I'm looking forward to the commemorations on both sides of the Taiwan Strait."



Born in 1866, Dr. Sun is known to the Chinese as a "great revolutionary and statesman" for his leading role during the 1911 Revolution, which overthrew the imperial Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and put an end to more than 2,000 years of feudal rule. He died in 1925.



Other places in China also reported an upsurge in tourist visits. In Shanghai, for instance, the number of tourists who visited the city over the weeklong Spring Festival holiday rose by 4.8 percent year-on-year to 3.8 million, according to the city's tourism authority, Shanghai Daily reported.



The Shanghai Tourism Administration said tourist revenue in the period gained 4.9 percent from last year to 3.75 billion yuan ($599.6 million).



The administration also monitored the admissions at the 120 tourist attractions and recorded an increase of 6 percent from last year to more than 3.5 million, while the city's major parks welcomed 3.7 million visitors.


Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf praised the Chinese government for extending assistance to help rebuild its military. (Photo : REUTERS)

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf praised the Chinese government for donating equipment in support of efforts for the rebuilding of a new Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), the Xinhua News Agency reported.



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The Liberian leader said on Wednesday, Feb. 10, that the donation, valued at $3 million, came at the right time since most of the equipment used by the Liberian army have now broken down.



Sirleaf pledged to use the donated equipment for its intended purposes, the report said.



Military equipment donated by the China government included 20 heavy-duty trucks, two graders, 10,000 sets of uniforms, and 40 military tents.



"We are here to participate in the demonstration of true partnership; a partnership that comes to you at a time when you are really in need," the president said.



The report added that the donation was the second batch of substantive military assistance handed over by China to Liberia, during the tour of duty of Chinese Ambassador to Liberia, Zhang Yue.



The Chinese envoy stressed that in the past decade, China has been actively assisting the Liberian government and its people in their efforts to rebuild the country.



"We take Liberia's priorities as our assistance priorities and aim at bringing tangible benefit to the Liberian people," Zhang added.



Zhang also expressed appreciation of the economic achievements made by the Liberian government led by President Sirleaf and the accelerated infrastructure construction, as he stressed that the donation was another proof of China's sincere and strong support for Liberia in its efforts to keep peace and maintain social stability, especially during the course of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and Liberia's post-Ebola recovery.



In his address at the U.N. Peacekeeping Summit in October last year, President Xi Jinping vowed to provide $100 million in military aid to the African Union's standby force over the next five years.



Xi also said that China will provide a helicopter squad to assist U.N. peace operations in Africa and will offer military training to 2,000 peacekeepers from other countries in the next five years.


China plans to set up an Antarctic air squadron this year to support its scientific expeditions to the polar region. (Photo : REUTERS)

The State Oceanic Administration has announced plans to set up an Antarctic air squadron this year to support its scientific expeditions to the polar region, China Daily reported.



The agency did not reveal details about the squadron but said it will be used to support polar exploration as well as serve as an aerial observation platform.



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In a statement released on Friday, Feb. 12, the administration said that the country will continue to develop technologies and equipment to improve research on remote sensing and oceanography.



On Nov. 7 last year, the research vessel and icebreaker Xuelong, which is being used in the 32nd Antarctic expedition, left Shanghai for a 159-day round trip of 55,500 kilometers.



The research and experiments in Antarctica were conducted by a 277-strong team from more than 80 domestic institutions, the report said.



During the mission, researchers will be making a final survey for China's fifth Antarctic station site at Victoria Land on the Ross Sea, and map the site and assess the ecological and environmental impacts of the setup.



Scientific experiments will also be performed by reseachers at China's Changcheng, Zhongshan, Taishan and Kunlun stations, as well as at Prydz Bay, on the Ross Sea, on the Amundsen Sea and the Antarctic Peninsula.



During their stay in the Antarctica, members of the expedition used a fixed-wing aircraft for the first time. The plane was bought from the United States and now maintained by a Canadian company. It carried out airborne remote sensing and telemetry tasks before leaving for Canada last week. China previously used only helicopters for its polar expeditions.



Sun Bo, deputy head of the Polar Research Institute of China, said that China is now training pilots, ground support staff members and scientific instrument operators for fixed-wing polar aircraft so they can operate and manage the planned polar aircraft fleet.



In related news, the State Oceanic Administration will launch several deep-sea projects this year involving seabed mining experiments, biological diversity research and deep-water exploration. Part of the development plan includes the establishment of a deep-sea exploration station.



The administration said that the country will send its seventh research mission to the Arctic this year. It is also planning the first Sino-Russian Arctic mission.


Air Pollution Hits Parts Of China (Photo : Getty Images)

Chinese have named the chronic lung disease they get from constant exposure to smog the Beijing cough which air purifiers in homes could not avert because of the unhealthy level of air pollution enveloping urban areas.



Because almost 300 cities in China failed badly in meeting air-quality benchmarks in 2015, 1.6 million Chinese die yearly from breathing toxic air, according to Greenpeace. RAND estimated the cost of pollution to the Chinese economy is about $11 trillion or 6.5 percent of its annual GDP, reported CNBC.



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Statements from outdoor workers, such as traffic police, about the ill effect of constant pollution to Henans pollution and survey results both point to the urgent need for the Chinese government to provide smog incentives to these people at high risk.



However, while there is consensus that the smog incentives, likely in the form of protective gear and cash are definitely needed, Zhengzhou city officials admit the process takes a long time. They cite the need to draft a proposal and present it to the government as the initial step.



The next move is for departments to conduct the necessary research on the planned incentives. A draft policy would be sent to the city lawmaking body to review and decide if a law should be passed.



Those steps are needed for the provincial government to pass the needed law, said Li Guowo, member of Henans provincial advisory body. The other difficult part is identifying the groups who would be given the incentives because workers in some small plants are also exposed to air pollution in the workplace, added Li.



In December 2015, a labor union that belongs to the All-China Federation of Trade Unions conducted a survey in Henans capital city which has been severely affected by the smog. About 96 percent of the 400 respondents liked the proposed incentive and 90 percent identified outdoor workers as the first who should be given the subsidy.



The survey did not specify what type of incentives would be provided, but one respondent  a traffic police officer deployed in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei Province  stressed the details regarding the incentive such as the type of protective gear or amount of cash is not that necessary. However, what is more urgent is to implement the subsidies as soon as possible while outdoor workers health could still withstand the toxic air.



Among the reactions to the proposal is that companies do not want to shoulder the cost because of its impact on the finances. Managers have also expressed apprehension if outdoor workers are given shorter working hours or long breaks because it would mean lesser number of workers performing road-cleaning tasks.






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Kuwait and Italy will finalise a multibillion-euro deal next week for the Gulf state to purchase Eurofighter jets, Kuwait's defence minister has said.

Sheikh Khaled Jarrah Al-Sabah did not specify the number of planes involved in the deal but the Eurofighter consortium said in September that Kuwait had agreed to buy 28 fighter jets.

"Italian Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti will visit Kuwait next week to sign the Eurofighter warplanes deal," Al-Sabah was quoted as saying Thursday evening by the official KUNA news agency.

Media reports said the value of the deal was between 7-8 billion euros ($8-9 billion).

The minister said he met with his Italian counterpart earlier Thursday on the sidelines of an anti-Islamic State group coalition meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

The Kuwait deal follows Oman's order of 12 Eurofighter Typhoons in December 2012. Saudi Arabia already uses the fighter jets in its air force.

Kuwait is looking to upgrade its firepower against the backdrop of increased security concerns in the region linked to the rise of IS.

Its parliament last month unanimously approved a request by the government for $10 billion in additional funds for military spending over the next 10 years.

The emirate is a member of the US-led coalition that has been bombing IS targets in Syria and Iraq since last year and is also taking part in a Saudi-led coalition striking Iran-backed rebels in Yemen.

In November, Kuwait signed 2.5 billion euros worth of fixed and provisional military deals led by the purchase of 24 Airbus-built Caracal helicopters.

Paris said Kuwait would purchase the helicopters for one billion euros, with an option for a further six.

Further deals included the purchase of French light armoured vehicles and patrol boat maintenance.

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Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi listed on Saturday his achievements since his inauguration and the current challenges facing the country, in his first speech in front of the newly convened parliament.

I announce the transition of legislative authority to the elected parliament, the president began his speech, declaring the end of a four-year legislative hiatus in which law-making powers were in the hands of the president.

We were able to break terrorism in the (Nile) valley, in Sinai, on the Western borders, and we are still ongoing, El-Sisi started, listing his achievements.

El-Sisi said that one of the current regimes aims is to attract more foreign investments, and that could a marked increase in the GDP.

In order to attract such investments, according to El-Sisi, the infrastructure is currently being developed.

El-Sisi added that at the same time, huge projects have been launched that aim to decrease population density in the Delta and Nile valley.

He also referenced a project, launched last year, to build 5,000 kilometres of road, as well as the development of the electricity networks that have helped reduce power cuts and deficits.

The president also cited the building of new civilian airports and ports and the Dabaa project to build the country's first nuclear power plant, which according to El-Sisi, will start construction within the next few weeks.

He said that the highlight of his achievements is constructing the new Suez Canal, completed last year, as well as the Suez Canal Area development projects which are currently being built.

The building of the new Suez Canal restored faith to the Egyptians in themselves as well as their abilities, El-Sisi added.

All these projects, according to the president, created job opportunities for over one million citizens.

But the projects nonetheless will take a long time to reap the benefits," El-Sisi stated.

The president also said that Egypt had regained its regional and international role, by winning a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, and by mediating in attempts to solve the Syrian, Libyan, Yemeni crises and advocating for the Palestinian cause.

This nation accommodates everyone, El-Sisi stated, and from this notion, he said that using his constitutional powers he pardoned many imprisoned youths.

He hoped that the states institutions will integrate these pardoned youths in the national process, he said.

El-Sisi added that although he extended the social pensions to encompass three million families, there is much to be offered to simple people who suffered in the past decades from negligence and marginalisation.

Challenges

The president urged that the issues of education, health, the media, and renewing religious discourse be at the top of the parliaments agenda.

What this country faces in terms of challenges makes worry and fear valid. But the amount of unprecedented achievements make hope inevitable and a national duty, El-Sisi said addressing the parliament.

We shouldnt forget that we successfully aborted a dangerous conspiracy [against Egypt]. We should realise that there are those who want to seek harm and endanger our national project of development and stability, the president warned.

"Let's build a strong, youthful country," concluded El-Sisi. His speech was met by enthusiastic applause from parliamentarians, and cries of "long live Egypt!"

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The former judge said he might reconsider his decision to resign from parliament as MPs work hard to keep him on board

Sirri Siam, an MP appointed to parliament by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi who submitted his resignation request last week, told reporters Saturday that he might change his mind "if God wills."

Siam, a former high-profile judge who was one of 28 public figures appointed by El-Sisi to parliament last month, seemed to be in a good mood after he attended El-Sisi's inaugural speech before the newly elected parliament on Saturday afternoon.

In his resignation request on 8 February, Siam complained that he was being sidelined and marginalised by the parliament's leadership, and as a result he had chosen to submit his resignation.

A lot of MPs said they were happy to see Siam coming to join them in listening to the speech on Saturday.

After El-Sisi finished speaking, a large number of MPs encircled Siam and accompanied him to the nearby lobby, where many tried to dissuade him from resigning.

Appointed MPs in particular were anxious to sit down with Siam and talk about the resignation request with him. Novelist Youssef El-Qaeed told reporters that he and other appointees exerted strong pressure on Siam to reconsider his resignation.

"We told him parliament is still one-month old and it is too early to pass a judgement about its performance," El-Qaeed said.

Minister of Justice Ahmed El-Zind also met with Siam outside the parliamentary hall. El-Zind was keen to hug Siam and even kiss his head, imploring him to withdraw his resignation request.

The two deputy speakers, Soliman Wahdan and El-Sayed El-Sherif, also joined forces, announcing they had met Siam after the speech to tell him that there is widespread opposition to his resignation.

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Magdi El-Agati also told reporters that "Siam's resignation is just a summer cloud, and it will leave soon; I am sure that he will abandon this resignation in the end."

Siam told reporters Saturday that he was keen to attend El-Sisi's keynote speech. "President El-Sisi chose me to be one of the appointed MPs and so I was keen to come in person to parliament to listen to his speech, not to exercise any parliamentary legislative or supervisory roles," said Siam.

He also said he thanked El-Agati for his kind words.

Although Siam insisted last week that his resignation was "a final decision," he told reporters Saturday that "I hope everything will go okay in the next few days and that I can change my mind and take the right decision."

The head of the parliamentary secretariat, Ahmed Saad El-Din, told reporters that parliament will discuss Siam's resignation request when it holds a plenary session next Sunday.

"We all hope that Judge Sirri will change his mind," said secretary-general Saad El-Din.

Informed sources told Ahram Online on Wednesday that parliament's internal bureau, led by the speaker and his two deputies, refrained from taking a decision on Siam's resignation.

"The whole matter will be left for MPs to decide next Saturday," sources said.

Novelist El-Qaeed sounded optimistic.

"Siam was in a good mood after El-Sisi's speech today and after many MPs told him that they will vote down his resignation request on Sunday," he told Ahram Online.



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The IED exploded while experts were attempting to dismantle it

An army officer and a soldier were killed on Saturday morning during attempts by army personneol an improvised explosive device (IED) in North Sinai's Karm Al-Kwadis area, Egypt's army said in a statement.

A non-commissioned officer was also injured.

The army spokesman Colonel Mohamed Samir said on his Facebook page that an IED, thich was planted by ' terrorist elements', was discovered by the army during a a routine combing of the area. The device exploded as experts attempted to defuse it, the spokesperson said.

Egypts security forces have been fighting a decade-long Islamist militant insurgency that has spiked in the past two and half years. IEDs planted by insurgents have killed and injured hundreds of security personnel during that period.

Authorities have also announced that hundreds of militants were killed during army campaigns in the North Sinai governorate.

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The country's forensic authority sent its report to the body investigating the death of Italian PhD student Giulio Regeni

Egypt's Forensic Authority sent its report on slain Italian student Giulio Regeni to the general prosecution on Saturday.

Judge Shaaban El-Shamy, aide to Minister of Justice Ahmed El-Zend, said the report included photos from the autopsy.

Regeni, a PhD student, was found dead on a roadside on the outskirts of Cairo on 4 February.

The 28-year-old Cambridge University student was first reported missing on 25 January, according to his friends and relatives.

Regini's body showed signs of torture, Italian officials have said.

Shortly after Regini's body was found, Egypt's prosecution said there were cigarette burns and other signs of torture on Regeni's body.

Two days following the discovery of Regini's body, the corpse was repatriated to his homeland upon Rome's request.

His funeral was held in his hometown of Fiumicino on Friday.

Late last week, Egypt's interior minister said in a press conference that the government "is waiting for the forensics authoritys report to determine whether (the victim) was tortured."

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Turkey and Saudi Arabia could launch a ground operation against Islamic State (IS) militant group in Syria, while Riyadh is also sending war planes to a Turkish base to fight the extremists, the Turkish foreign minister said Saturday.

"If there is a strategy (against IS) then Turkey and Saudi Arabia could enter into a ground operation," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted as saying by the Yeni Safak and Haberturk newspapers after taking part in the Munich Security Conference.

"Some say 'Turkey is reluctant to take part in the fight against Daesh (IS)'. But it is Turkey that is making the most concrete proposals," he said.

Cavusoglu added that Saudi Arabia, which has become an increasingly close ally of Turkey in recent months, is also sending planes to the Turkish base of Incirlik to fight IS.

"They (Saudi officials) came, did a reconnaissance of the base. At the moment it is not clear how many planes will come," Cavusoglu said.

Incirlik is a key hub for US-led coalition operations against IS, with planes from Britain, France and the United States carrying out raids inside Syria from the base.

"They (Saudi Arabia) said 'If necessary we can also send troops'. Saudi Arabia is showing great determination in the fight against terror in Syria," said the Turkish minister.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey both see the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as essential for ending Syria's five-year civil war and are bitterly critical of Iran and Russia's support of the Syrian regime.

Asked if Saudi Arabia could send troops to the Turkish border to enter Syria, Cavusoglu said: "This is something that could be desired but there is no plan. Saudi Arabia is sending planes and they said 'If the necessary time comes for a ground operation then we could send soldiers'."

His comments come after Assad defiantly told AFP in an exclusive interview published on Friday that he would recapture the whole of Syria and keep "fighting terrorism".

Turkey's relations with fellow mainly Sunni Muslim power Saudi Arabia have warmed considerably in recent months.

In December, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Riyadh for talks with King Salman as well as key decision-makers crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef and deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Meanwhile, Turkey has also been tightening relations with Qatar, another key opponent of Assad in the Syria conflict.

Erdogan on Friday held several hours of talks in Istanbul with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the presidency said, but the contents of the talks was not revealed.

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Israeli occupation forces shot dead a Palestinian woman as she tried to stab a soldier in the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday, the army claimed in a statement.

"An assailant drew a knife and attempted to stab a soldier," it claimed. "Responding to the attack, forces fired at the perpetrator, resulting in her death."

The Palestinian health ministry confirmed that a woman was killed but could not immediately give her age or name.

It was the latest incident in an almost four-month long surge of Israeli-on-Palestinian deadly repression met with violent responses by Palestinians against settlers and Israeli soldiers.

The recent surge in violence has raised concern of wider escalation, a decade after the last Palestinian uprising subsided.

Since the start of October, Israeli occupation forces have killed at least 170 Palestinians. Meanwhile, almost daily stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks by frustrated and unarmed Palestinians have killed 26 Israelis as well as an American, a Sudanese and an Eritrean, according to an AFP count.

The current wave of protests by Palestinians and repression by Israeli occupation forces started in late July when toddler Ali Dawabsha was burned to death and three other Palestinians were severely injured after their house in the occupied West Bank was set on fire by Israeli settlers.

Settlement-building, racial discrimination, confiscation of identity cards, long queues at checkpoints, as well as daily clashes and the desecration of Al-Aqsa mosque, describe Palestinians' daily suffering.

The anger of Palestinian residents of Jerusalem has increased in the last three years after the Israeli authorities allowed increasing numbers of Jewish settlers to storm the Al-Aqsa mosque.

The surge in violence has been fuelled by Palestinians' frustration over Israel's 48-year occupation of land they seek for an independent state, and the expansion of settlements in those territories which were captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.

Palestinian leaders say a younger generation sees no hope for the future living under Israeli security restrictions and with a stifled economy. The latest round of US-brokered peace talks collapsed in April 2014.

*The story has been edited by Ahram Online.

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Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Saturday said Turkey would, if necessary, take military action against fighters from the Syrian Kurdish PYD, which Ankara considers a terror group.

"We can if necessary take the same measures in Syria as we took in Iraq and Qandil," Davutoglu said in a televised speech in the eastern city of Erzincan, referring to the relentless bombing campaign last year against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq on their Qandil mountain stronghold.

"We would expect our friends and allies to stand by us," he added.

Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia to be branches of the PKK which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state that intensified in the last months.

Turkey this week reacted furiously to comments by the US State Department spokesman saying Washington did not recognise the PYD as a terror group and would continue to support its operations in Syria.

"The leadership cadre and ideology of the PKK and PYD is the same," argued Davutoglu.

"Those who say that they are not terror groups either do not know the region or have bad intentions," he said, in apparent reference to the row with Washington.

"We will be sending documentation to the United States very soon to show that the PYD is a branch of the PKK," he said. Washington recognises the PKK as a terror group, as does the European Union.

Davutoglu accused the PYD of cooperating both the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad -- who Turkey wants to see ousted -- and his Russian allies, as well as committing war crimes.

"We are expecting a clear and unambiguous stand from the United States -- who we believe to be our allies -- against this slaughter of humanity," said the premier.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby said last week that the Kurdish fighters "have been some of the most successful" in fighting Islamic State (IS) group militants inside Syria.

He said the United States had supported the Kurdish fighters, mostly with air power, "and that support will continue."

Turkey last year claimed killing dozens of PKK fighters and destroying their hideouts in cross-border air raids on northern Iraq.

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Turkish artillery on Saturday shelled areas of Aleppo province in northern Syria held by Kurdish forces, a monitor said, as Ankara said it could launch a ground assault alongside Saudi troops.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Turkish artillery struck areas of Aleppo, including Minnigh airbase recently taken by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia from Islamist rebels.

Ankara considers the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its YPG militia to be branches of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state.

The shelling came shortly after Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Ankara would, if necessary, take military action against the PYD.

"We can if necessary take the same measures in Syria as we took in Iraq and Qandil," he said in a televised speech.

The premier was referring to Turkey's bombing campaign last year against PKK targets in their Qandil mountain stronghold in northern Iraq.

A YPG source told AFP that the Turkish shelling targeted the strategic Minnigh airbase, which Kurdish forces retook late on Wednesday.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, quoted in Turkish newspapers, said Riyadh and Ankara were coordinating plans to intervene in Syria, where Russia has been backing a successful regime offensive against rebels.

"If there is a strategy (against the Islamic State group), then Turkey and Saudi Arabia could enter into a ground operation," he said.

Cavusoglu said Saudi Arabia is also sending planes to the Turkish base of Incirlik, a key hub for US-led coalition operations against the IS group already used by Britain, France and the United States for cross-border air raids.

"They (Saudi officials) came, did a reconnaissance of the base. At the moment it is not clear how many planes will come," Cavusoglu said.

Turkish media later quoted military sources as saying between eight and 10 Saudi jets would be deployed in Incirlik within the coming weeks, with 4 F-16 fighters to arrive in a first wave.

Asked if Saudi Arabia could send troops to the Turkish border to enter Syria, Cavusoglu said: "This is something that could be desired but there is no plan. Saudi Arabia is sending planes and they said 'If the necessary time comes for a ground operation then we could send soldiers'."

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, for his part, said in a German newspaper interview: "There is discussion on whether ground troops are needed against the IS group.

"If a decision is taken to send in special units against IS, Saudi Arabia is ready to take part."

In an interview with AFP released on Friday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he "doesn't rule out" that Turkey and Saudi Arabia would intervene militarily in Syria but said that his armed forces "will certainly confront it".

Saudi Arabia had already said earlier this month that it was ready to join any ground operation against the IS group.

Turkey's relations with fellow mainly Sunni Muslim power Saudi Arabia have warmed considerably in recent months.

Ties had been damaged by Saudi's role in the 2013 ouster of Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi, a close ally of Ankara.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey are both staunch supporters of rebels seeking to oust Assad and see his overthrow as essential for ending Syria's five-year civil war that has cost more than 260,00 lives.

They fear the West is losing its appetite to overthrow him on the assumption he is "the lesser of two evils" compared to the IS jihadists.

Both are outraged by the Russian military intervention in Syria, which analysts believe has given Assad a new lease of life and has also deeply alarmed the West.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Saturday that strains between Russia and the West over the Syrian and Ukraine conflicts had plunged the world into a "new Cold War".

"Almost every day we are accused of making new horrible threats either against NATO as a whole, against Europe or against the US or other countries," Medvedev said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry complained that the vast majority of Russia's attacks in Syria were against "legitimate opposition groups" rather than IS jihadists.

"We think it is critical that Russia's targeting change," he said.

Russia also dispatched a new patrol ship armed with cruise missiles to the Mediterranean, with reports saying it was bound for Syria.

An ambush by rebels on pro-regime forces near Damascus this week killed 76 fighters, the Syrian Observatory said on Saturday.

World powers on Friday announced an ambitious plan to stop fighting in Syria within a week, but doubts have emerged over its viability, especially because it did not include the IS group or Al-Qaeda's local branch, which is fighting alongside other rebel groups in several areas.

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A convoy carrying medical aid entered the besieged rebel-controlled Douma area near the Syrian capital on Saturday, the official SANA news agency reported, citing the Syrian Red Crescent.

The aid consists of medicines and also milk for children, said Syrian Red Crescent director of operations Hazem Bakla.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) confirmed the aid delivery to Douma in the Eastern Ghouta, a rebel stronghold east of Damascus besieged since 2013.

According to UN figures, some 486,700 people in Syria currently live in areas besieged by either government or rebel forces.

Scores are reported to have died of malnutrition or because of a lack of medical treatment.

On Friday, the world body said it hoped to deliver aid to people in besieged Syrian cities "without delay", after world powers agreed a plan to cease hostilities in the war-wracked country.

The United Nations has said that only around a dozen of 116 access requests to reach people in need have been granted by the Syrian authorities.

The United States and Russia agreed Friday in Munich on a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria within a week with the aim of relaunching the peace process and halting the exodus of civilians.

The two countries and their main allies within the International Syria Support Group also agreed on "immediate" access to humanitarian aid for needy civilians.

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Somalia's Shebab insurgents on Saturday claimed responsibility for a bomb attack which ripped a hole in a passenger plane shortly after takeoff from the capital Mogadishu earlier this month.

On February 2, Shebab "mujahideen carried out an operation targeting dozens of Western intelligence officials and Turkish NATO forces aboard an airplane bound for Djibouti," said a statement issued by the group.

The blast left a metre-wide (three-foot) hole in the fuselage of the Daallo Airlines plane shortly after it took off from Somalia's main airport, killing the suspected bomber and forcing an emergency landing.

Two of the 74 passengers aboard were slightly injured.

A passenger believed to be the bomber, identified as Abdulahi Abdisalam, was killed, probably after being propelled out of the aircraft in the explosion, investigators said.

The man had initially intended to board a Turkish Airlines flight but the Turkish plane did not turn up and Daallo Airlines agreed to fly the passengers onwards to Djibouti.

Somali intelligence officials have released surveillance footage appearing to show a passenger being given a laptop in which the bomb was concealed.

Shebab said the bomb attack was "retribution for the crimes committed by the coalition of Western crusaders and their intelligence agencies against the Muslims of Somalia."

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Iran is exporting 1.3 million barrels a day (bpd) of crude oil, and will be pumping 1.5 million barrels a day by the start of the next Iranian year on March 20, a vice-president was quoted as saying on Saturday.

Oil traders are closely watching the pace of Iran's return to the market after a nuclear deal with world powers relieved Iran of sanctions that had cut its oil exports by more than half from their pre-sanctions 2011 peak of around 3 million bpd.

"Today our oil exports have reached 1.3 million barrels a day, and by the end of the (Iranian) year will reach 1.5 million barrels a day," Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri was quoted as saying by the Shana news agency.

"In the early parts of the next (Iranian) year, they will reach 2 million barrels a day: Iran must preserve its share of the global oil market," he added.

Some in the market fear that a ramp-up of Iranian exports could worsen a global oil glut that drove crude prices down to 12-year lows this week.

Iran is also trying to increase production of gas and refined products, particularly petrochemicals. Shana reported on Saturday that Iran had produced 35 million tonnes of petrochemical products in the nine months to December, of which 14.3 million tonnes were exported.

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Amy Abd El-Baky will display her works at Al-Mashrabia Gallery in Dokki

On 20 February, Humanity, a painting exhibition by Egyptian artist Amy Abd El-Baky, will open at Al-Mashrabia Gallery in Dokki (not to be confused with another gallery called Mashrabia, in Cairo's Downtown).

Amy Abd El-Baky is a young artist whos known by her method of linking art to life and society. Her choice of colour and texture reflects the movement and state of humanity in its vast arrays of civilisation, according to Al-Mashrabia Gallery's press release.

Her previous art exhibition, Jars of Clay, was held February 2015 at the Pop-Up-shop, where the people in her paintings go through journeys of emotional turmoil, trying to discover who they are and what their purpose is.

Programme:

The exhibition opens on 20 February at 7pm and runs till 4 March

Al-Mashrabia Art Gallery, 80 Mohi Eldin Abul Azz Dokki, Giza, Cairo, Egypt

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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The feature film is directed by Mai Masri and is already screening in Palestine

From Palestine, 3000 Nights, Mai Masri's feature film will screen on Sunday at the European Film Market at the ongoing Berlin International Film Festival.

The screening will take place in Dffb Cinema.

3000 Nights film centers on a young newly-wed Palestinian school teacher who is jailed in a top -security Israeli prison where she eventually gives birth.

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.

The film is currently screening in Palestine.

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 Berlinale 2016 runs until 21 February.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Did a collection of 157 ancient Egyptian artefacts disappear from Saqqara archaeological gallery? If so, who is responsible?

A report sent to Egypt's prosecutor general accusing the minister of antiquities and the director of Saqqara archaeological galleries of responsibility for the disappearance of 157 ancient Egyptian artefacts from Saqqara archaeological storage facilities has caught today's headline.

The report was sent by Egyptian lawyer Samir Sabri, who also requested a ban on their travelling out of the country.

According to Sabri, a reliable source inside the ministry told him that the 157 objects disappeared from Saqqara storage three years ago. Interpol has seized an authentic ancient Egyptian limestone relief on auction Switzerland. Its description matches the relief of "the seven oils" stored in Saqqara gallery #1.

Interpol asked the ministry of antiquities to make an inventory of all the Saqqara galleries, in order to verify the relief. Regretfully, Sabri said, the relief in Switzerland is the authentic piece and the one in Saqqara storage is a replica.

The supervisor of the minister of antiquities' office told Ahram Online that the ministry in 2014, during the tenure of former minister Mohamed Ibrahim, sent an official letter to the Public Funds Prosecution stating that the archaeological committee formed to select artefacts from Saqqara gallery #1, to transport them to the Grand Egyptian Museum overlooking Giza plateau, was responsible for a number of irregularities.

The supervisor continued saying that the ministry also sent a request to the prosecutor general in October to give the ministry a green light to make a comprehensive inventory of Saqqara storehouses, as well as undertake legal procedures, if required, but that no approval was given to the ministry, and that the case remains in the hands of the general prosecution.

Investigations are currently underway to clarify the situation.

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Last October, the media reported that an agreement between the Egyptian government and the World Bank (WB) was imminent, under which Egypt would receive $3 billion in loans over three years to finance economic development programs.

The impending agreement came thanks to the efforts of Minister of International Cooperation Sahar Nasr, who scrambled to cover the sizeable gap in financing resulting from low levels of local and foreign investment, the collapse of tourist revenues, and the inevitable decline of Gulf assistance. These efforts were crowned with the conclusion of an agreement for the first tranche of loans worth $1 billion on December 19, 2015.

On January 1, 2016, she announced that the first tranche had been disbursed, but the governor of the Central Bank denied the news three days later, leading the minister to confirm that the delay was the result of executive procedures and that the money would be here soon.

Regarding the content of the agreement, on December 21, 2015 the WB published on its website an eighty-page detailed memorandum on the loans (not the legal contract) with an executive summary, both dated November 23.

The documents indicate that the agreement requires the Egyptian government to carry through three programs. The first involves reducing the budget deficit by increasing tax revenue, reducing the annual increase in civil servants wages relative to GDP, and improving the management of internal debt.

The second program involves the expansion of private-sector participation in energy, while the third seeks to improve the investment climate through new laws, facilitating licensing, and improving competitiveness.

In fact, nothing in the three programs deviates from Egyptian economic policies of the last two years, indicating that the WB has linked its funding to Egypt with an economic program that the government is already working to implement without outside or extraordinary conditions.



So the talk about the World Banks "prescription" for Egypt and its stringent conditions is misplaced. The economic measures discussed in the WB document concord with previous state declarations, the July statement from the Finance Ministry, and the policies of the past two years.

This doesnt necessarily mean the program is good or will achieve the development and social justice that Egyptians wantIve personally criticized some aspects of it in the past, especially in relation to megaprojects, public spending priorities, and the inappropriateness of investment policies and lawsbut its useful to realize that the agreement with the WB is an expression of the Egyptian governments program and choices.

We must discuss and engage with it on its own terms, not as the product of a consensus imposed from Washington by the WB and the International Monetary Fund.

In fact, such a discussion, free of conspiracy theories, could have been had if the government had not hemmed and hawed about releasing the details of the deal with full transparency, which opened the door to suspicion and doubt. In my view, the public is waiting for clear answers to the following questions:

1. Why werent the terms of the agreement released by the Egyptian government? As it stands, the only comprehensive source of information is the English-language document published on the WB website on December 21.

2. Why were civil servants and the public told that the civil service law would not affect the rights of public workers when the WB document requires the government to reduce public wages from 8.2 percent of GDP to 7.5 percent within three years?

3. Does the loan agreement with the WB or any other international institution require the implementation of a value added tax (VAT) or is it still under discussion? In its document, the WB lists the VAT as a condition for the second tranche of the loan. The executive summary only notes the need to increase corporate and sales tax revenue from 5.4 percent of GDP to 6.7 percent within three years.

The copy of the loan agreement leaked to the media last weekwhich the government has neither confirmed nor deniedincludes a clear term on the need for a VAT. Where does the truth lie? Is there an obligation to impose a VAT? If so, whats the timetable, rate, and scope? What kind of revenues will it generate? What impact will it have on prices and economic growth and activity?

4. Where is the loan? Why hasnt it reached the Central Bank? The first tranche of a similar agreement with the African Development Bank ($1.5 billion over three years) concluded at the same time was disbursed in December. Is the problem really executive procedures or is it the rejection of the civil service law? Does a VAT need to be imposed first? Or does the parliament need to approve the agreement before the loan is disbursed?

5. Finally, is there any truth to press reports that the government is thinking of not putting agreements with international financial institutions to the parliament, to avoid any rejections or amendments as seen with the civil service law? I personally dont believe this report and cant imagine that the government would violate the constitution so flagrantly, but a clear denial is needed.

These are legitimate questions. The purpose isnt to harass or impede the governmentthe economic situation is too serious for such games. These are questions that plague investors, small business owners, professionals, civil servants, and all citizens, so they require clear answers. Ambiguity is more damaging and costly than any statement on the governments economic program, no matter how painful or controversial.

Its said that people hate what they dont know. The longer the truth is delayed, the more natural it is to expect the worst.

The writer holds a PhD in financial law from the London School of Economics. He is former deputy prime minister, former chairman of the Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority and former chairman of the General Authority for Investment.

This article was published in Arabic in El-Shorouq newspaper on Monday, 8 February.



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The Indonesian government wants instant messaging apps to remove all same-sex emojis or be banned from the country.

The emojis in question are found on messaging apps like LINE, Whatsapp, Facebook, Tinder and smartphones and show members of the same sex holding hands.

"Such contents are not allowed in Indonesia based on our cultural law and the religious norms and the operators must respect that," said a spokesman for the Communication and Information Ministry in an interview with the French news agency, adding that the emojis could appeal to children.

"Those things might be considered normal in some Western countries, while in Indonesia it's practically impossible," he said.
Argentina eliminates taxes on all mining exports

2016-02-13 13:00

BUENOS AIRES, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Argentine President Mauricio Macri on Friday announced the complete elimination of taxes on mining exports.

That would allow the mining industry and regional economies to return to growth, attract more investment and create jobs, he said in a speech in the western city of San Juan.

Specifically, the removal of these taxes would be a strong incentive for the 12 provinces where "mining is a key industry ... and has enormous future potential," he added.

However, Macri reiterated his commitment to developing the mining sector "with full respect and care for the environment."

According to data from Buenos Aires, the mining industry can generate five new indirect jobs for each direct job created and can lead to a boom in new small- and medium-sized enterprises.

An official press release accompanying the announcement stated that the 5-10 percent taxes imposed on mining exports presented "an important obstacle for the growth of the sector, which led to a loss of competitiveness, and led to potential investments going instead to other mining countries like Peru, Chile, Colombia and Brazil."

In addition, Macri pledged to finish the Agua Negra tunnel, a major infrastructure project which would connect Argentina's San Juan Province with Coquimbo in Chile.
Chinese FM, U.S. Secretary of State hold talks in Munich, Germany

2016-02-13 12:41

MUNICH, Feb. 12, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) meets with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Munich, Germany, Feb. 12, 2016. (Xinhua/Luo Huanhuan)

Related:

Spotlight: Syria deal reached in Munich to be tested

MUNICH, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- The deal reached by top diplomats on Syria here on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference offered a glimpse of hope for an end of hostilities in the country.

However, resolution of the crisis in Syria still hinges on the willingness and determination of key parties to implement what has been agreed on. Full story

Implementation urged after deal reached on cessation of hostilities in Syria

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Top diplomats attending the fourth foreign ministers' meeting of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) here have agreed on a nationwide cessation of hostilities to be implemented soon in the war-torn Middle East country.

Members of the ISSG also agreed to immediately accelerate and expand the delivery of humanitarian aid to besieged areas in Syria. A working group is to start meeting in Geneva to oversee this issue. Full story

Chinese FM calls for implementation of hard-won agreement at Munich Syria talks

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Friday that the Munich meeting on Syria had achieved hard-won results, and all sides involved should make efforts to get the newly-reached agreement implemented.

Representatives from the 17-member International Syria Support Group (ISSG), including Wang Yi, gathered in Munich on Thursday for talks, hoping to restart the Syrian peace talks after UN-mediated Geneva negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition groups within Syria were suspended earlier this month. Full story
Jeff Yeager/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesThis fall, Metallica will release a book that tells the "visual history" of their seminal 1986 album, Master of Puppets. As a preview of the book, which is called Metallica: Back to the Front, the band has shared a few sample pages, as well as a new cover.

Along with the photos, Back to the Front includes interviews with members of Anthrax, Faith No More and Ray Burton, father of Metallica bassist Cliff Burton who died in a bus accident just months after Master of Puppets was released.

In other Metallica news, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo will participate in a Q&A panel to benefit the Surfrider Foundation environmental organization. The event will be held as a part of the San Francisco Giants' fourth annual Metallica Night, which is scheduled for May 6 at AT&T Park. Metallica also will perform the national anthem and throw out the first pitch before their hometown Giants take on the visiting Colorado Rockies.

Metallica currently is working on their first studio album since 2008's Death Magnetic.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
From Chinatown to Midtown: Chinese New Year fanfare gets rolling in 'Big Apple'

From:chinadaily.com.cn | 2016-02-13 17:41

In the Big Apple known as the "melting pot", a spate of festive activities were held at iconic venues across the city and saw a broad participation of local communities.[Photo/Xinhua]

On a wintry morning in New York, traditional lion dancers and a classic Chinese dragon made their way from Manhattan's Chinatown to the Upper East Side, then down Madison Avenue, before arriving at East Midtown where families with children were lining up the streets, ready to embrace the Chinese Lunar New Year -- the Spring Festival.

In the Big Apple known as the "melting pot", a spate of festive activities from the Chinese New Year Concert by famed New York Philharmonic to a spectacular fireworks display on the Hudson River, to an Empire State Building light show, were held at iconic venues across the city and saw a broad participation of local communities.

On Saturday, a flash mob featuring 100 monkey performers broke loose at Times Square, to the cheers and excitement of passers-by, while a video introducing the Year of Monkey was aired at the "Crossroads of the World."

"The celebration of Chinese Lunar New Year is no longer a purely Chinese event but an occasion that celebrates the diverse cultures that make up our communities today," said Shirley Young, chair of U.S.-China Cultural Institute.

With so much fun in the air, it might be hard to imagine a time when Lunar New Year celebrations had been forbidden in the city.

Michael Perrone, in his Belleville Times column, wrote: "There was at the time (around 1870) a very strong anti-Chinese sentiment in the country, backed by state and federal laws restricting the immigration, employment and rights of the Chinese. For example, it was illegal for the Chinese to gather publicly in large groups in New York City."

[Photo/Xinhua]

Therefore, many Chinese of the New York area had to travel to the New Jersey town of Belleville, home to the first Chinese immigrants in the east coast, to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Thanks to the efforts of the ever growing Chinese communities, the Spring Festival celebrations on the east coast of the U.S., which took shape from a small scale festivity in the Jersey town of Belleville, are no long confined to Chinatown, but extended to the main streets of the city, making ever bigger splashes every year.

In New York City, 2016 is the first year when the Chinese New Year was added to the city's public school calendar, allowing 1.1 million school students to have one day off celebrating the traditional Chinese holiday.

"I think that by giving recognition to this, it actually shows that we are giving respect to the culture diversity of this country, and also, giving the recognition to the great contributions the Chinese-American community made to this society," said Consul General Ambassador Zhang Qiyue.

Meanwhile, at the annual Lunar New Year concert of New York Philharmonic on Tuesday, UN chief Ban Ki-moon took the stage and wished the audience Happy New Year in Chinese.

"It sets a precedent in the history of New York Philharmonic. No guest was invited before to deliver a speech in their concert," said Zhou Wei, founder of the New York-based Weiber consulting company and one of the organizers of the event.

Ban's five-minute speech, not on the official schedule, indicated the growing importance of the Chinese New Year in the world, she added.

[Photo/Xinhua]

Adding to the festivity, Twitter released its first-ever Chinese New Year emoji in a move to become the leading social platform for celebrations.

The hongbao, or red envelope used for gift giving, appeared on tweets containing special hashtags, including #KungHeiFatChoy, #HappyCNY and #GongXiFaCai.

And on Monday, the first day of the Chinese Year of the Monkey, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a written statement that "The Lunar New Year has long been one of the city's most treasured traditions."

This year, U.S.-China Cultural Institute co-chaired a five-day festival dubbed "Year of the Monkey Celebration" to mark the Lunar New Year holiday in partnership with the China Central Academy of Fine Arts, the Nature Conservancy, New York Philharmonic, and other culture entities.

"We are trying to bring both Chinese and people of all ethnic backgrounds together in New York through art, education and the conservation of nature," said Chair Young.

To most New Yorkers, the events are a welcome effort to know more about the Chinese culture.

Poring over a large installation made from over 1,000 dance shoes at an exhibition held at Javits Center North Saturday, Havi Rampersaud, a Bronx resident, said "I think the art piece is super cool. There should be more events like this."

The exhibition will help break the stereotype of the Chinese culture that had been deeply set in people's minds, and add a fresh, modern dimension to its understanding, she added.

A quick tour around the exhibition that showcased contemporary Chinese art, including delicate handcraft, fine costume, painting, public art pieces, and creative photography, one may easily get the feel of how Chinese art charms the Chinese and westerners alike.

[Photo/Xinhua]

"I started to take notice of Chinese contemporary art about two years ago after visiting several universities in Beijing," Ellen Fisher, dean of New York School of Interior Design, told Xinhua.

Noting a shift in today's China art, she said: "I think Chinese, especially Chinese young people, are very sophisticated" as they can think things from a global perspective rather than the parochial view.

Recent years, especially after 2008, have seen an increase in both quantity and quality of cultural programs coming into the United States, said Zhou, who has been working to bring in Chinese cultural events into the world's largest economy.

Exposure to the Western culture gives young Chinese artists an advantage in resonating with their western audience, she said.

Meanwhile, observers said, China's rise on the world stage also helps extend the global reach of the Chinese New Year festival.

Addressing the crowds ahead of a fabulous fireworks over the Hudson River which drew thousands of people to the pier, Consul General Ambassador Zhang said: "It (The celebration) is a reflection of the dynamic growth of our bilateral relations."

"The China-US relationship has become one of the most important bilateral relations in the world. China is also already the largest trading partner of the United States," Zhang said.

According to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, up to 35 million people of Chinese origin now live overseas, making it the largest migrant group in the world. In New York City, Chinese immigrants are now the second largest foreign-born group and soon to overtake Dominicans for the top spot.
Truss' tenure was scarred by turmoil as her economic policies threatened the country's financial stability, driving the pound to record lows, sparking chaos on bond markets and increasing mortgage costs.
#USFK fire drills U.S. Forces Korea reveals artillery firing drills The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) on Friday disclosed footage of its recent "routine" artillery live-fire training, after North Korea fired artillery shells on the pretext of responding...
Whether or not you've been following the US Presidential campaign closely, there's no doubt you would've heard at least one or two of Donald Trump's insane campaign promises.

Arguably the most controversial of them all has been his promise to build a wall between Mexico and the Unites States (which Mexico would pay for) to stop the influx of illegal immigrants.

If you thought that said promise was just something Trump came up with in the heat of the moment think again. He's still quite serious about that idea and he's even come up with an estimate as to how much it will cost. $8 billion. Which of course should be paid by Mexico (don't count on it Donald).

When explaining how he came up with that figure (he apparently didn't just pull it from his nether regions) he referenced the Great Wall of China as a shining example of what his project could be.

What were doing is we have 2,000 miles, right? 2,000 miles. Its long but not 13,000 miles like they have in China, he said, comparing his self-declared great wall with the Great Wall of China, which took hundreds of years to build and reportedly resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of workers. Of the 2,000, we dont need 2,000, we need 1,000 because we have natural barriers  and Im taking it price per square foot and a price per square, you know, per mile,



Commentators from CNBC agree that the cost would indeed be in the billions but it would be far greater than the sum Trump is suggesting. Though we must not forget Trump's bullish claims about walls when first suggested the idea.

I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and Ill build them very inexpensively.





So the wall will be both great and inexpensive. Or free considering he's asking another nation to pay for it.

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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.
Description

2016 is the year of the red monkey and the 4,713th Chinese Year. For the New Year celebration at Coe Hall, the rooms will be decorated with over 500 red Chinese lanterns. In Chinese tradition, red is regarded as a symbol of energy, happiness and good luck. Coe Hall will be decorated with fruits and flowers traditionally associated with Chinese New Year celebrations, including oranges, which look like the sun and therefore symbolize happiness. At Coe Hall there will be many Chinese New Year celebration performances and activities all weekend.

PRE-SALE TICKETS can be purchased, visit

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chinese-lunar-new-year-celebration-at-coe-hall-planting-fields-tickets-20955698057

All activities are included with admission fee

Lion dance

Face Off (Chinese opera stunt performance)

Various martial arts performances and Taichi

Chinese traditional music (Zither and etc)

Piano performances, Chinese traditional dances (Fans Dance, group dance etc)

Chinese Waist Drums, Chinese traditional painting

Hand puppet show (Monkey King in Journey to the West)

Chinese Calligraphy (including the Lunar New Year Spring Couplet)

Chinese traditional songs by the Long Island Chinese Chorus

Talk of Chinese collectible (including Jade)

Traditional holiday dress (Chi-pao Show)

Actors dressed in God of Wealth costume to handout red envelopes

Chinese traditional paper cut arts demo

Chinese holiday sculpture in flour

Chinese Lunar New Year traditional activity illustration and demonstration

Childrens Crafts; fan decorating, tangram puzzles, dragon masks and more



** In case of inclement weather the event will be rescheduled to Saturday, February 20th, and Sunday, February 21st, 2016. Check plantingfields.org for information.

This event is sponsored by Planting Fields Foundation & Long Island Chinese American Association (LICAA), Co-hosted by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. For further information, please contact Jennifer Lavella at (516) 922-8678 or jlavella@plantingfields.org
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reflections, updates and homilies from Deacon Mike Talbot inspired by the following words from my ordination: Receive the Gospel of Christ whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe and practice what you teach...
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A companion to AfriClassical.com, a website on African Heritage in Classical Music.
BEIJING (Reuters) - Underground banks in China did more than 1 trillion yuan ($152 billion) in transactions last year and the government will step up efforts to combat the problem this year, state media said on Saturday citing the foreign exchange regulator.

China's economic slowdown and market volatility have sparked a wave of capital outflows running into hundreds of billions this year, triggering alarms for China's foreign exchange management system.

Zhang Shenghui, head of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange's inspection division, told the official Xinhua news agency his department last year had participated in breaking up more than 60 underground banks suspected of doing more than 1 trillion yuan in transactions.

The regulator will also demand that above-board banks increase their oversight of any suspicious activities, and will also look more closely at securities, insurance and third-party payments providers, Zhang added.

Last year, Chinese police, the central bank and the foreign exchange regulator busted the country's biggest-ever underground banking case involving transactions totalling $64 billion.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Richard Pullin)
Colgate's 4Q15 Results: Earnings Bring Smiles but Sales Dwindle

(Continued from Prior Part)

Africa/Eurasias 4Q15 revenue

Colgates (CL) Africa/Eurasia segments net revenue fell 16.4% to $0.2 billion in 4Q15. The unit volume fell 1.5% with 8.0% higher pricing while foreign exchange was -23.0%.

Volume declines in Russia and the Central Caucasus region were partially offset by volume gains in South Africa and the Sub-Saharan Africa region. Organic sales for Africa/Eurasia rose 6.5%.

Operating and gross profit

Operating income rose 13.8% and increased 60 basis points to 20.5% as a percentage of net sales. The increase was due to a decrease in SG&A expenses due to decreased advertising, which was partially offset by a decrease in gross profit.

The Africa/Eurasia segments gross profit fell due to higher costs, which included higher raw and packaging material costs from higher foreign exchange transaction costs. The decline was partially offset by cost savings from the companys funding-the-growth initiatives and higher pricing.

Market share gains in Russia

Colgate continued its toothpaste leadership in Africa/Eurasia, driven by market share gains in Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Qatar, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Uganda, Ukraine, Algeria, and Tunisia. For example, the recent launch of Colgate Maximum Cavity Protection with Sugar Acid Neutralizer in Russia and South Africa increased market shares to 35.2% and 49.6%, respectively, year-to-date.

Other products that contributed to the growth of this region include Colgate Total, Colgate Optic White Instant, Colgate Slim Soft Charcoal, Colgate Natural Extracts, Colgate Zig Zag manual toothbrushes, Palmolive Men Citrus Crush shower gels, and Protex Complete 12 bar soaps.

Differentiated packaging

Like Procter & Gamble (PG), Unilever (UL), and Kimberly-Clark (KMB), Colgate aims to strengthen in-store innovation and execution. The company plans to launch Colgate Total Pro Breath Health toothpaste across the region with differentiated packaging. This will help consumers identify the benefits like unique breath freshening technology.

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Colgate makes up 1.4% of the iShares Morningstar Large-Cap ETF (JKD).

Apart from oral care and personal care, CL also has a presence in pet nutrition. We will focus on Hills pet nutrition results in the next part of the series.

Continue to Next Part

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Delta Airlines Boeing 747-400 JFK Airport

Delta Air Lines announced on Friday that its 80,000 employees will receive $1.5 billion in profit-sharing.

According to the airline, this is the largest amount ever paid out in the history of profit-sharing programs.

For Delta's employees, individuals will receive the equivalent of 21% of their annual compensation.

"We are often asked what makes Delta different, Delta CEO Richard Anderson and President Ed Bastian said in a memo to employees.

"The difference is you. Our unique people-focused culture is the advantage that none of our competitors can match."

According to AirwaysNews, Delta's profit-sharing plan is structured to so that employees are returned roughly 10% of profits, but can escalate to 20% if the company earns more than $2.5 billion a year.

Delta is coming off of a stellar 2015 in which the company reported adjusted, pre-tax profits of $5.9 billion.

This latest round of profit-sharing comes on the heels the $1.1 billion the airline paid out to employees in February of 2015.

In total, Delta states that it has doled out a total of $4.1 billion in profit-sharing and other performance rewards over the past five years.

Employees at fellow legacy carrier, United, earned $698 million in profit sharing for 2015 while American Airlines does not engage in the activity.

Earlier this month, Anderson announced that he will retire from his role as CEO in May and will be succeeded by Bastian.

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El Chapo Guzman lawyer trial plead case

Jailed Sinaloa cartel kingpin Joaquin El Chapo Guzman would be willing to testify on behalf of Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, according to comments from one of his lawyers, reported by EFE.

I dont see any problem [with] any legal prosecution, she did interview with me, we did talk of the movie, but it is a lie that she received a single peso on my part, I never gave her a single peso, Guzman said during a meeting at Altiplano maximum-security prison, his lawyer, Jose Refugio Rodriguez, told Radio Formula.

The Mexican Attorney Generals office is investigating del Castillo on suspicions that her tequila company was involved Sinaloa cartel money laundering. Mexican Attorney General Arely Gomez has said there were "indications" the actress may have used money from Guzman to help finance the business.

Del Castillo and her lawyers have said their meeting was only related to a possible movie about the drug kingpin's life.

Kate del Castillo

A Mexican official said that their meeting, in which actor Sean Penn also participated, was what helped the government track down Guzman.

In late January, del Castillo said that she thought the Mexican government was trying to destroy her.

Earlier this month, the attorney generals office put out an order calling del Castillo in for questioning.

Her lawyer said that she would be willing to speak with Mexican investigators, but only if they meet in Los Angeles, where she lives.

"Obviously if they want to talk to her, they can come here, through the US government, and she'll be happy to talk," her lawyer told AFP.

"If the Mexican government wants to talk to her," he added, "they can call the US government and the US government arranges it."

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el chapo kate del castillo sean penn

Del Castillo was closely involved in arranging the meeting between Guzman and Penn, which yielded Penns widely criticized Rolling Stone article.

Del Castillo, according to her lawyer, has said she feels "betrayed" and "used" by Penn in his effort to secure an interview with Guzman.

NOW WATCH: Forget 'El Chapo'  this is Mexico's most powerful drug lord





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Daniele Nouy, chair of the Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank, looks on during a Thomson Reuters newsmaker event at Canary Wharf in London November 28, 2014. REUTERS/Neil Hall

ATHENS (Reuters) - There is no reason to believe that Greek banks will need further recapitalisation, after the latest round provided them with 14.4 billion euros of funding, the head of the European Central Bank's supervisory agency was quoted as saying on Saturday.

"The capital plans have been fulfilled, so there is no need for additional capital requirements. We are in good shape in that respect," Daniele Nouy, who chairs the Single Supervisory Mechanism, told the Greek newspaper Agora.

Nouy said Greek banks would be excluded from the ECB's stress tests this year, since they had already gone through "rigorous" health check last year.

The ECB carried out an asset-quality review and stress tests of the four biggest Greek banks in October, after they were weakened by political instability, a loss of deposits and the imposition of capital controls in July, which remain in force.

She called on the banks to use "all available tools" to tackle bad loans, including selling them.

"All possibilities should be examined as we have a wide variety of situations," she said.

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.

(Reporting by George Georgiopouls; Writing by Karolina Tagaris; Editing by Larry King)
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras looks on during a meeting with Mayor of Piraeus Yannis Moralis (not pictured) at his office at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, February 11, 2016. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Saturday that differences between the country's international lenders over its pension reform plans are delaying the first review of its latest financial bailout.

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.

The government has faced widespread protests over its reform plans however, as austerity-weary Greeks push back against yet more cuts to the country's welfare system.

"There are differences among the lenders on Greece's pension reform that are delaying the whole process," Tsipras said without elaborating, in an interview in the newspaper "Sunday's Avgi" released on Saturday.

He added that the negotiations for the review are in the final stage and repeated that he is willing to increase contributions to the pension funds to save pensioners' income.

On Friday thousands of farmers from all over the country rallied in Athens in their first major demonstration in the capital. The pension reforms would triple their pension contributions.

The International's Monetary Fund director for Europe, Poul Thomsen, said on Friday that Greece will need to implement extra measures worth about 9 billion euros to meet its fiscal targets by 2018.

"We cannot see how Greece can do so without major savings on pensions," Thomsen said.

Tsipras was elected last year on a promise to end austerity. But he was forced to accept a third bailout for the country in July and is struggling to conclude the bailout review and convince angry Greeks that after six years of belt-tightening the latest measures are worth it.

Greece is being asked to cut pension spending by 1 percent of gross domestic product this year. Athens has refused to cut pensions as part of its bailout, and says it will increase social security contributions instead.

"We have presented our proposals on the pension reform, and informed the institutions (lenders) at the beginning of January. So far we don't have their official position," Tsipras said.

(Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
hillary clinton nevada

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is crushing Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) by 16 points in the next nominating state of Nevada.

That's according to the last major public survey of Nevada voters, a CNN/ORC poll.

Only problem? It was conducted four months ago.

That was long before Sanders began to pick up steam in Iowa, where he narrowly lost to Clinton in the state's caucuses. And it was long before the senator racked up a 22-point victory over the former secretary of state in New Hampshire.

A flood of new polls emerged from those first two states, sometimes daily. But with about a week to go before the crucial Nevada caucuses  seen by some Clinton allies as the first of her "firewall" states that could stop Sanders' surge  there's almost no recent public information gauging how the last four months of the race have affected Nevada voters.

There's a reason for that: Nevada has become an incredibly difficult to poll.

Public polls of the 2008 presidential election missed the mark when they predicted that Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) would prevail over eventual President Barack Obama. They also incorrectly prejudged the 2010 Senate election, forecasting that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) would lose to insurgent Tea Party challenger Sharon Angle.

Voter transience, unusual working schedules, and voter-response habits in the state make it difficult to poll, analysts say. Pollsters have found that different groups of voters in the state, such as Latinos, are less responsive to initial polling calls, which skewed the 2010 results.

Tom Jensen, the director of the Public Policy Polling firm, told Business Insider that Nevada is probably "the hardest state to poll."

"People have unusual work schedules, theres a lot of turnover in the population," Jensen said. "That led to polls being way off there in both the 2008 and 2010 general elections."

Jensen said polling caucus-goers is so costly and tedious that PPP wouldn't conduct any surveys unless the organization was commissioned to do so.

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"Caucuses are also always going to be both more expensive and more difficult to poll because the electorate is so small and unpredictable," Jensen said. "You have to call a lot more people to get a decent sample size and that drives your costs up. So once you get beyond Iowa, I just dont think youre going to see a lot of investment in public polling in caucuses."

Princeton University professor and polling expert Sam Wang said that there's little financial incentive for public pollsters to survey a state like Nevada because the short time between nominating states can render results incorrect very quickly.

"Partly it's the short time scale between primaries," Wang said when asked why Nevada is polled so infrequently.

Bernie Sanders

Nevada's voter-mobility issue isn't just a problem for pollsters  even the campaigns have a hard time keeping tabs on voters.

The Clinton campaign's Nevada operation told Business Insider late last year that its "voter file"  or list of information collected by the national or state party to target supporters  was out of date due to the fluid nature of the population.

Campaign strategists pointed out that Nevada is home to the fewest people born in state. The state's residents are more mobile  and thus more difficult to canvas.

"Nevada has notoriously bad lists, and its a fairly transient state," Jorge Neri, the Clinton campaign's Nevada organizing director, told Business Insider.

He added: "So were making sure that were laying that foundation to be successful for the caucus and were cleaning our lists and making sure were talking to the right voters."

Prominent Nevada Democratic strategist Andres Ramirez shared a similar sentiment. He told Business Insider that voter mobility is a major problem that can prove troublesome for campaigns that don't do the proper amount of organizational legwork.

"The problem is not the file as much as the transient nature of people in Nevada. This makes it harder to assess performance from previous elections to help guide you for the current election," Ramirez said.

He added: "This can pose a huge problem for campaigns who don't understand Nevada and caucus mobilization."

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An Iranian worker walks at a unit of of South Pars Gas field in Asalouyeh Seaport, north of Persian Gulf, Iran in this November 19, 2015 file photo. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA/Files

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran will load 4 million barrels of crude oil on tankers destined for Europe in the coming 24 hours, a senior official was quoted as saying on Saturday, including 2 million barrels to be bought by France's Total (TOTF.PA).

"In the coming 24 hours, 4 million barrels of crude oil will be loaded onto 3 tankers destined for Europe," Rokneddin Javadi, managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company, was quoted as saying by the Shana news agency.

"Of those 4 million barrels of crude, 2 million barrels are assigned to France's Total, and 2 million barrels have been bought by two companies in Russia and Spain," he added.

(Reporting by Sam Wilkin; Editing by Toby Chopra)
The Google internet homepage is displayed on a product at a store in London, Britain January 23, 2016. REUTERS/Neil Hall/Files

MILAN (Reuters) - Prosecutors are investigating five managers at Alphabet Inc's Google as part of a probe into allegations the firm evaded taxes worth 227 million euros ($257 million) in Italy, investigative sources said on Thursday.

Lawmakers across Europe are looking for ways to change tax rules which allow multinationals to shift untaxed profits into low-tax jurisdictions.

Meanwhile, tax authorities in some countries, including Italy, are also trying to use existing tax rules to force companies to pay more tax on the profits generated by sales in their countries.

In response to a request for comment on the investigation, Google said in a statement, "Google complies with the tax laws in every country where we operate. We continue to work with the relevant authorities."

It made the same statement in response to reports last month that the Italian authorities were accusing the company of evading paying 227 million euros in taxes between 2009 and 2013.

Italy believes the company failed to declare some 100 million euros in revenues over five years which would have fallen into a 27 percent corporate tax bracket, investigative sources said in January.

Finance police also suspect the company should have disclosed some 600 million euros of royalties which would have led to a tax demand for some 200 million euros.

During a parliamentary hearing in London on Thursday, Google declined to confirm Italy's tax claims and a similar discussion in France.

Google has based its regional headquarters in Dublin, where corporate tax rates are much lower than in Italy. The firm says its Italian presence merely provides consulting and marketing services for Google Ireland, the Middle East and Africa.

In January Google agreed to pay the British government 130 million pounds ($188 million) in back taxes in a deal which opposition parties criticised as too little.

Last year Apple, which also has its European base in Ireland, agreed to pay Italy's tax office 318 million euros to settle a tax dispute, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.

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The European Union is expected to bring forward new rules on tax and financial disclosure to curb corporate avoidance which the European Parliament estimates costs the bloc 70 billion euros a year.

($1=0.8828 euros)

($1 = 0.6915 pounds)

(Reporting by Manuela D'Alessandro in Milan and Tom Bergin in London; Writing by Isla Binnie; Editing by Greg Mahlich and Crispian Balmer)
Yesterday's Consumer Pops and Drops: NWL, COTY, TEN, and HAS

(Continued from Prior Part)

Price movement of Coty

With a market cap of $9.0 billion, Coty (COTY) fell by 4.9% to close at $26.69 per share on February 8, 2016. The stocks price movement on a weekly, monthly, and year-to-date (or YTD) basis is 9.8%, 13.7%, and 4.1%, respectively.

At times, the stock has broken the support of all moving day averages. Currently, COTY is trading 12.9% above its 20-day moving average, 4.6% above its 50-day moving average, and 1.3% below its 200-day moving average.

The AdvisorShares TrimTabs Float Shrink ETF (TTFS) invests 0.93% of its holdings in Coty. This ETF aims to outperform the broad US equities. The actively managed, equal-weighted fund selects stocks based on trends in outstanding shares, firm leverage, and free cash flow. The YTD price movement of TTFS was -7.4% as of February 5, 2016.

The market caps of Cotys competitors are as follows:

The Procter & Gamble Company (PG): $223.5 billion

CVS Health Corporation (CVS): $99.3 billion

The Estee Lauder Companies (EL): $33.1 billion

Levi & Korsinsky investigation

New York law firm Levi & Korsinsky has commenced an investigation of Coty for possible breaches of fiduciary duty by the board of directors of the company.

Performance of Coty in fiscal 2Q16

Coty reported 2Q16 net revenues of $1,210.5 million, a fall of 3.9% compared to net revenues of $1,259.6 million in fiscal 2Q15. Revenues of its Fragrances segment fell by 9.4%, and its Skin and Body segment fell by 8.2%. Revenues of its Color Cosmetics segment rose by 10.1% in fiscal 2Q16 compared to fiscal 2Q15. The companys cost of sales as a percentage of net revenues and operating income fell by 4.5% and 17.0%, respectively, in fiscal 2Q16 compared to fiscal 2Q15.

Coty reported acquisition-related costs of $45.5 million in fiscal 2Q16 compared to $1.6 million in fiscal 2Q15. Its net income and EPS (earnings per share) fell to $89.0 million and $0.25, respectively, in fiscal 2Q16, compared to $125.4 million and $0.35, respectively, in fiscal 2Q15.

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Meanwhile, the companys cash and cash equivalents rose by 41.4%, and its inventories fell by 9.3% in fiscal 2Q16 compared to fiscal 4Q15. Its current ratio fell to 1.1x, and its debt-to-equity ratio rose to 14.3x in fiscal 2Q16 compared to a current ratio and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.2x and 5.0x, respectively, in fiscal 4Q15.

Coty (COTY) has authorized a $500 million share repurchase authorization of its Class A common stock. This program can be made from time to time, based on the capital needs of the business, the market price of its common stock, and the general market condition.

The PE (price-to-earnings) and PS (price-to-sales) ratios of Coty were 27.8x and 2.1x, respectively, as of February 8, 2016.

Coty focused on growing its power brands around the world through innovation, strong support, and improved in-market execution. It also focused on cost optimization opportunities to improve profitability and to provide for investment in its power brands in fiscal 2016.

Continue to Next Part

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Michael Bloomberg

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) has confirmed to The Financial Times that he's considering a 2016 presidential run.

Bloomberg's confirmation comes after a report last month in The New York Times that cited sources close to the billionaire who said he had asked his advisers to come up with a plan for what a theoretical third-party campaign would look like.

He told the FT that he is "looking at all the options" and that he's "listening to what candidates are saying and what the primary voters appear to be doing."

"I find the level of discourse and discussion distressingly banal and an outrage and an insult to the voters," Bloomberg told the publication.

Bloomberg has considered running in the past but opted against a run. But with the rise of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president, and of Republican front-runner Donald Trump, he appears to be more seriously considering entering the fray.

The 73-year-old Bloomberg has reportedly said that he would be willing to spend $1 billion of his own money on a run for the White House, according to The New York Times. Bloomberg will reportedly decide on whether to go ahead with a campaign by early March. Any later entry might make it impossible for him to get on the ballot as an independent candidate in all 50 states.

A source familiar with Bloomberg's thinking told Business Insider in October that Bloomberg might run if he "sees a highly flawed field of candidates emerge." The sources said that if Trump looks set to take the Republican nomination and Sanders is primed to win the Democratic nomination, then Bloomberg would run. The Times added Saturday that Bloomberg would be likely to run in the event that Cruz wins the GOP nomination.

Bloomberg, a Democrat turned Republican turned independent, would likely try to carve a path up the middle to counter Trump's popularity with the far right and Sanders' with the far left.

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Veteran Republican pollster Frank Luntz said last month that a Bloomberg entry could "quite literally turn this election upside down." But Luntz sees a good opportunity for Bloomberg.

"Theres more than a political lane available to the former mayor; its an interstate highway," Luntz wrote in a memo.

Sanders and Trump are currently leading the polls in New Hampshire, the first primary state, and Sanders very narrowly lost the first-caucus state of Iowa to Clinton.

NOW WATCH: Watch Trump go head-to-head with a reporter and attack Megyn Kelly for being a lightweight reporter





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The prosecution of women in Northern Ireland over abortion has become a key campaign issue ahead of regional elections (AFP Photo/Paul Faith) (AFP/File)

London (AFP) - The Northern Ireland regional assembly voted against relaxing strict abortion laws on Wednesday, despite a ruling by the Belfast High Court that the legislation breaches human rights.

After a debate that ran to almost midnight, members of the Stormont Assembly voted 59 to 40 against a proposal to allow terminations in cases of sexual crime or fatal foetal abnormality -- when the baby has no chance of survival after birth.

The reform was proposed by representatives of the centrist Alliance Party, including Trevor Lunn, who recalled his family's experience of trying to access abortion in the case of a fatal foetal abnormality.

"The pain of that decision lives with us today," he told the Assembly.

"This is important. It is important to women and to men and it is important for the self respect of this little country. Sooner or later we are going to have to do something about it."

The rejection was expected after the right-wing Democratic Unionist Party, the nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party indicated they would oppose the reform, saying more time was needed to examine the issue.

Unlike the rest of the United Kingdom, the law in Northern Ireland currently bans abortion unless it is required to save a woman's life or if there is a serious risk to her health.

Hundreds of women travel out of socially conservative Northern Ireland for terminations each year.

In November, the Belfast High Court found that Northern Ireland's legislation was in breach of human rights law, but any reform would have to be decided by the Assembly.

Ahead of the vote, rights group Amnesty International said moves to oppose the reform were a "betrayal of women and girls".

"Northern Ireland's abortion law dates from Victorian times, is among the most restrictive in the world and is in urgent need of reform," Northern Ireland programme director Patrick Corrigan said.
Over the weekend, North Korea earned further worldwide scorn after it tested a highly technical long-range rocket system.

Pyongyang claimed that the test was part of a peaceful and benign space program.

However, the rogue regimes' latest launch is almost assuredly a cover for testing a ballistic and nuclear weapons program.

Gordon Chang, writing for The Daily Beast, notes that the satellite system that North Korea claims to have launched over the weekend would weigh essentially as much as a nuclear warhead. This satellite launch could thus dovetail with Pyongyang's claimed successful testing and detonation of a miniaturized hydrogen bomb.

Although there is still no indication that North Korea would be able to develop missile and nuclear warheads en masse, let alone successfully deploy them beyond tests, this latest rocket launch is alarming.

north korea missile map

According to The Heritage Foundation, North Korea's new Taepodong 3 missile has an estimated range of 13,000 kilometers. This would place the entire continental US within range of the missile. Assuming that Pyongyang would be able to attack a warhead to a Taepodong missile and manage to launch it at the US, the missiles could be capable of delivering major damage to the country.

"If its warhead is nuclear and explodes high above the American homeland, an electromagnetic pulse could disable electronics across vast swatches of the country," Chang writes.

In October, Admiral Bill Gortney, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also assessed that North Korea has "the capability to reach the [US] homeland with a nuclear weapon from a rocket," The Guardian reported.

Gortney also warned in an April 2015 news conference that he was confident that, according to a Pentagon assessment, Pyongyang would be able to place miniaturized nuclear warheads on its KN-08 intercontinental ballistic missile.

However, Gortney did qualify this assessment.

"Should one get airborne and come at us, I'm confident we would be able to knock it down," he told reporters.

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In the face of such a challenge, the US has agreed to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system to South Korea.

The missile system is able to knock enemy missiles out of the sky, hopefully limiting the utility of any long-range missiles in North Korea's arsenal.

NOW WATCH: Meet THAAD: Americas answer to North Korean threats





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kn 08 north korea

The Pentagon outlined in a report to congress on Friday that North Korea's mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are a top threat to the nation, Bloomberg Business reports.

According to the Pentagon report, Pyongyang has already developed and deployed six "road-mobile" launchers for the KN-08 missile.

Estimations of the missile's range vary, although The Heritage Foundation published in its 2016 Index of US Military Strength that the missiles could have ranges up to 9,000 km.

This estimation was echoed by the Pentagon today, Bloomberg notes, as the military believes that the KN-08 would likely be capable of reaching much of the continental United States."

The Pentagon did clarify the threat from the KN-08 by saying that "ICBMs are extremely complex systems that require multiple flight tests to identify and correct design or manufacturing defects."

And currently, the missile's reliability is likely extremely low due to a lack of testing.

But the KN-08 remains the most serious missile threat emanating from the hermit kingdom.

kn08 north korea

The KN-08 is a road-mobile intercontinental missile, meaning Pyongyang can move the launch system throughout the country. In contrast, other long-range missiles must be fired from stationary launch pads.

"It's the relocatable target set that really impedes our ability to find, fix, and finish the threat," Adm. Bill Gortney, the commander of NORAD, told reporters in April 2015. "And as the targets move around and [if we] don't have the persistent stare and persistent [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance] that we do not have over North Korea at this time, that relocatable nature makes it very difficult for us to counter it."

The KN-08 is also different from the Taepodong 3, which North Korea tested earlier in the month. That ballistic missile is nuclear capable with an estimated range of 13,000 kilometers  which would place the entire US in range.

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north korea missile map

The missiles, however, are both unlikely to have the accuracy required for precision targeting on large US cities. And although the Pyongyang may soon develop the capability needed to launch missiles toward the US, it's still possible that it wouldn't be able to evade existing US missile defenses.

"Should [a missile] get airborne and come at us, I'm confident we would be able to knock it down," Gortney told reporters.

In the face of such a challenge, the US has agreed to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system to South Korea.

The missile system is able to knock enemy missiles out of the sky, hopefully limiting the utility of any long-range missiles in North Korea's arsenal.

NOW WATCH: Meet THAAD: Americas answer to North Korean threats





More From Business Insider


Ecatepec (Mexico) (AFP) - Pope Francis will celebrate an open-air mass in a crime-plagued Mexico City suburb on Sunday after thousands of pilgrims spent the night outdoors, awaiting his message of peace in the cold.

The Catholic faithful wrapped themselves in blankets, using plastic and cardboard to build makeshift tents on a university's field, where 300,000 were expected for the service.

Ecatepec, a concrete maze of 1.6 million people, is in the state of Mexico, a region that has become infamous for a spate of disappearances of women, whose bodies sometimes turn up in abandoned lots or canals.

Some 600 women have been killed between January 2014 and September 2015 in the state, according to the non-governmental National Citizen Observatory of Feminicides.

Some pilgrims said that despite the city's bad reputation, they were not concerned about spending the night outside. Hundreds of police officers stood guard around the field.

"We know that Ecatepec has a lot of problems like the lack of security and kidnappings," said Rodrigo Perez, a 25-year-old public security student.

But the pope's visit, he said, is a chance to "talk about peace and unity."

- 'Prophetic courage' -

The Argentine-born pontiff made it clear before his arrival in Mexico that he would speak out about the corruption and crime afflicting parts of the country.

He used his visit to the National Palace and the capital's cathedral on Saturday to bluntly tell political and religious leaders to do more to bring peace to the country.

At the palace, with President Enrique Pena Nieto by his side in a patio packed with lawmakers and government officials, Francis told them they had a duty to give "true justice" and "effective security" to Mexicans.

Later, he told bishops at the cathedral to take on the scourge of drug trafficking with "prophetic courage" and avoid hiding "behind anodyne denunciations."

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Many Mexicans, fed up with a decade of drug violence that has left 100,000 dead or missing, had hoped to hear such words from the 79-year-old pontiff.

Pope Francis has chosen to visit some of Mexico's most troubled regions during his five-day trip to the world's second most populous Catholic country.

The crimes against women in the state of Mexico, which surrounds the capital, prompted the federal government to declare a "gender violence alert" requiring protective measures in 11 towns, including Ecatepec.

- Faith in God -

"People who kill or who are wicked should think about the fact that we are women and that we should be respected," said Mariana Virginia Hernandez, 45, who came from the neighboring state of Hidalgo for the mass and wore several sweaters and a poncho to resist the cold.

Ana Yeli Perez, legal adviser at the National Citizen Observatory of Feminicides, said the organization is "concerned about the lack of visibility of the issue because the government controls it. We hope the pope speaks about it."

But Karla Paola Romero, a 21-year-old activist who was nearly kidnapped three years ago, said gender violence would not be resolved "with a miracle."

Romero, who will not be at the mass, spoke near a hill where a woman's body was found in December. The victim had been raped and hanged.

The pope will face other tough issues during his trip.

On Monday, Pope Francis will travel to Mexico's poorest and least Catholic region, the southern indigenous state of Chiapas.

He will visit on Tuesday the capital of Michoacan, a western state where farms formed vigilante forces to counter a drug cartel in 2013.

The pope caps the trip in Mexico's former murder capital, Ciudad Juarez, for a mass that will span the US and Mexican borders to highlight the plight of migrants.
BRATISLAVA, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Slovakia should take advantage of negative yields on its sovereign debt to invest in major public infrastructure projects, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Saturday as campaigning for next month's general election heats up.

Yields in primary auctions of short-dated Slovak government bonds and secondary market yields on short- to mid-term maturities have been in negative territory during the last 11 months.

"If we enjoy such tremendous trust in the financial markets, why not gather huge financial means and start carrying out the tasks that await us?" said Fico, whose leftist party looks set to win on March 5 though it might lose its outright majority. [ID:

In a pre-election speech at his Smer party's convention, Fico said that if re-elected he would seek agreement with opposition parties to amend a constitutional law on budget responsibility that limits the public debt to 60 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and imposes sanctions when it exceeds 50 percent of GDP.

The finance ministry expects the central European country's public debt to fall to 52.1 percent of GDP this year from last year's 52.8 percent before falling to 51.3 percent in 2017 and 48.9 percent in 2018.

If those targets are reached, it would represent one of the lowest national debt burdens in the euro zone.

Following estimated growth of 3.6 percent last year, Slovakia's economy is expected to expand by 3.2 percent in 2016 before accelerating to 3.6 percent in 2017 and then by more than 4.0 percent as new assembly lines at automotive plants begin operations in 2018/19.

The nation of 5.4 million is home to three car plants and is expecting a fourth to come online in 2018 after the government signed a deal with Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) last year for a 1.4 billion euro ($1.6 billion) factory.

Still, foreign investment has not benefitted the whole country equally, with western and central regions faring better that worse-off southern and eastern regions affected by high unemployment and inadequate highways.

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Opinion polls show Smer well ahead of the next closest party, the newcomer centrist party Siet, but it may lack the votes to rule alone due to a shrinking double-digit lead.

Fico has highlighted the health of the economy during campaigning and his government has boosted welfare spending while sticking to EU budget deficit rules.

(Reporting by Tatiana Jancarikova; Editing by Helen Popper)
Ed. note: Remember the Arab Spring? Once seen as a progressive leap forward, the wave of protests that began in 2010 have fallen flat in many countries. A rare bright spot has been newly democratic Tunisia, the place where it all began. Even there, however, pessimism is rising. Harvard graduate student Ethan Mefford, after a recent stay in the country, offers some reasons to be worried and hopeful  below.

tunisian beach

January 14 marked the five-year anniversary of Tunisian dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Alis flight to Saudi Arabia, and the country is in a retrospective mood. In the lone bright spot of the Arab Spring, a phrase that western media has made the countrys unofficial tag line, there is a general sense of apprehension. For such a young democracy, Tunisia is remarkably politics-weary.

Nidaa Tounes (Call for Tunisia), the secular party of President Beji Caid Essebsi, formed a four-party governing coalition after winning a plurality of seats in the 2014 parliamentary election but itself is splintering from lack of direction and the disillusionment of many members with an autocratic structure built around Essebsi and his son, Hafedh. In the callow world of Tunisian politics, Essebsis Nidaa relied as much on its opposition to the Islamist Ennahda party as on any positive vision, and Ennahdas participation in the coalition has denied Nidaa its raison detre.

The sense of political disillusionment is spiked by an anemic economy, with security fears crippling the countrys critical tourism industry, linked to as many as one in five jobs in the country. This combination is fueling a sense of nostalgia among Tunisians for the good old days under Ben Ali.

tunisia tunis drinking tea naguib mahfouz

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The nostalgia has been building for several years. A late-2014 documentary, 7 Vies (Seven Lives, a double entendre that refers to the Arabic saying that cats have seven lives, rather than our familiar nine, as well as to a symbol of Ben Alis reign, inaugurated by a bloodless coup on November 7, 1987), created by the young Tunisian director Amine Boufaied and the French-Tunisian journalist Lilia Blaise, examines the resurgence of Ben Alis popularity, interviewing a broad swath of Tunisians, of whom roughly half, modest and elite alike, look back fondly on the felled strongman.

The sentiment is most common among Tunisians over 40, while the youth who drove the revolution remain broadly anti-Ben Ali, relishing their freedom to post any and all ideas to social media, and their sense that they can bring about change by taking to the streets. Dismissive of traditional news sources as tendentious, corrupt, or both, young Tunisians turn to online sources of content to get what they consider to be an unfiltered look at the state of the country. Nawaat.org, a leader among such sites, offers content in Arabic, French, and English, indicating the cosmopolitan outlook of the cohort of young Tunisian activists who are its contributors. Such sources, while skeptical of Tunisias tyro class of politicians, would rather see Ben Ali return to Tunisia to serve time in prison than further time in the presidency.

The lack of youth nostalgia for the deposed dictator is not an indication of faith in the current political establishment, nor of optimism for the future of the country: a recent Nawaat article raised the question of whether it was even worth voting. The glut of unemployed recent college graduates was a major cause of the revolution, and little has been done to release that pressure over the past five years. The youth unemployment rate is estimated to hover around 30%, or twice the national average.

tunisia flags zaytuna mosque tunis

They are all the same, Osama, a 20-year old business major said of the parties involved in the governing coalition, though the coalition headed by the secular Nidaa Tounes includes the Islamist Ennahda party. Osama plans to spend a year studying in Moscow to let things settle down, but he does not anticipate improvement in the economic situation and believes that his future may lie in France. Under Ben Ali, at least there was security, Osama added, though he acknowledged that things could never return to how they were.

In 2011, it was revealed that the emperor had no clothes, observed Youssef Seddik, an esteemed Tunisian philosopher and anthropologist in 7 Vies. Ben Alis feared security apparatus, which reportedly comprised some 150,000 agents in a country of just under 11 million, was said to have infiltrated every neighborhood but was revealed to be a paper tiger in the face of overwhelming popular anger. When army chief General Rachid Ammar refused to commit his soldiers to crushing the popular uprising in mid-January 2011, Ben Ali had nowhere left to turn. For a man whose name was synonymous with the security apparatus, the revelation that his prize creation was ineffectual should have dealt a death blow to his prestige.

And it has, in a sense. The longing that many Tunisians express for the security and stability of the Ben Ali era is notional, nostalgia for a simpler bygone era rather than a true desire to see him reinstalled. Few Tunisians believe that Ben Ali, toppled by unarmed youth, could actually smother the well-armed Islamist insurgency that pesters the countrys security forces in the mountainous and desert reaches of the south and east of the country and occasionally lands dramatic urban blows  the attacks on the Bardo Museum and the beach resort at Sousse and the bombing of the Presidential Guard bus last December in the heart of Tunis. Ben Ali could not put the security problems back in the box, Osama concluded ruefully.

tunisia graffiti

At the root of Tunisias insecurity is the chaos in neighboring Libya. Tunisian extremists easily cross the border to gain training and combat experience in the militia and ISIS-infested melee. At 285 miles long, securing the border against the importation of arms and explosives is a Sisyphean task for Tunisias overstretched security forces. The government has begun to erect a fence that will eventually stretch from the coast 100 miles inland, but smuggling across the border via official border crossings is an essential economic activity in southern Tunisia, and weapons have found their way into the steady stream of goods.

Troubles across the region stemming from the Arab Spring also weigh heavily on the collective conscience of Tunisia, the birthplace of the uprisings. There is a remarkable lack of triumphalism among Tunisians regarding the moment that this small country acted as the fulcrum for the entire Arab world.

We feel sorry for what other countries have suffered, lamented Sihem, an architect in her thirties. Educated Tunisians are acutely aware that their country enjoyed significant advantages over its regional counterparts that made the compromises critical to its foray into democracy possible. The religiously homogeneous population (Tunisians are overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim) is enriched by an active and broad-based civil society, and the army has a tradition of professionalism and political quiescence. The lack of one or more of these conditions has led to the failed revolutions and bloodshed that have marred Libya, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, and Syria.

tunisia berber village takrouna

It is this striking degree of national self-awareness and maturity that fosters optimism for Tunisias future. The mutterings of nostalgia for Ben Ali are fueled by immediate concerns over security and the economy, and while these issues will remain intractable in the near-term, there is a general recognition among Tunisians that the only path through the difficulties leads forward.

The democratic path is, however, beset by challenges from across the political spectrum. Short of the violent danger posed by Islamic extremists, secular Tunisians read into Ennahdas willingness to subordinate itself to Nidaa Tounes in the current governing coalition an underhanded plan to dominate the next elections at the expense of the discredited secular parties, ushering in an Islamist political hegemon that may sooner or later reject the constraints of democracy. Ennahda, for its part, has reason to perceive in the nostalgia for Ben Ali a willingness among secular Tunisians to forgo civil liberties in exchange for a crackdown on Islamists, extreme and moderate alike, of the kind that Ben Ali launched in response to Islamist agitations at the time of the Gulf War.

Countervailing these corrosive suspicions is an awareness among Tunisians of what is at stake. As they look around the region, they see spoiled hopes and scarring violence. It is this perspective that paved the way for the crucial compromise that defined the 2014 constitution: Sharia was not mentioned as a source of legislation for the country, while Article One declared Tunisias religion to be Islam. It is also this perspective that can keep the country united and moving forward.

NOW WATCH: Saudi Arabia is building the worlds tallest building  nearly twice the height of One World Trade Center





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If youre looking for a less costly Viagra, you might want to ask your doctor about sildenafilits the generic version of the drug Revatio, approved to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension. Sildenafil is also the same active ingredient thats in the brand-name erectile dysfunction drug, Viagra. (Generic sildenafil as Revatio is available only in a 20-mg strength, while Viagra comes in 25-, 50-, and 100-mg doses).

For those who pay out-of-pocket, the generic version is way less expensive than Viagrawe found it for less than $1 per pill compared to almost $50 per pill for the branded version. So, if your doctor says its OK, you could save a lot.

Since sildenafil by any other name is still sildenafil, the results should be the same, says Consumer Reports chief medical adviser, Marvin M. Lipman, M.D. The 5-mg difference between sildenafil and the lowest dose of Viagra could easily be made up by taking an extra half pill, if needed."

If youre holding out for a generic version and dosing of branded Viagra, youll have to wait until December 2017. That's because Pfizer, the maker of both Revatio and Viagra, maintains exclusive rights to Viagras patent through 2020originally set to expire in 2012after suing generic drugmaker Teva in 2010 for patent infringement. While the terms of the settlement are confidential, Teva will have to pay Pfizer a royalty for a license to produce the generic in 2017, according to statements by both companies.

Dont Fall for 'Cheap Viagra'

An online search for generic Viagra and or cheap Viagra will lead you to a plethora of websites (some claiming to operate out of Canada) selling deeply discounted pills without a prescription. But dont be temptedmost of these online pharmacies are not legitimate.

The Food and Drug Administration urges you avoid supplement versions as well. Hundreds of herbal or all-natural supplements that promise to enhance sexual performance contain undisclosed drug ingredients, combinations of undisclosed ingredients or excessively high doses, and even unknown contaminants. For example, one of the tainted products recently tested by the FDA included 31 times the prescription dose of tadalafil (the generic version of the drug Cialis), in combination with dapoxetine, an antidepressant that is not approved by FDA.

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Use ED Drugs Cautiously

Before relying on a pill to manage erectile dysfunction (ED), consider nondrug treatments first. Studies shows that reducing blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and weight, stopping smoking, exercising more, and rigorously treating diabetesmay help correct ED. A 2011 review published in JAMA Internal Medicine found an association between lifestyle changes and improved ED symptoms. Therapy or counseling might also help some people. If those measures dont work, your doctor should assess your risk of heart disease, review all of your medications for possible interactions, and rule out other medications as the cause for experiencing ED.

While the ED drugs are effective, our medical experts warn that they should be used cautiously since they can cause potentially serious side effects. The risks may include an increased chance of heart attack or stroke among men already at risk of such eventsincluding those with coronary diseaseas well as fertility problems and worsened sleep apnea. In some men, the drugs may also cause temporary vision or hearing problems. And they can interact with many medications, most notably nitrates (used to relieve angina) and certain herbs, such as including St. John's wort.

Editor's Note: These materials were made possible by a grant from the state Attorney General Consumer and Prescriber Education Grant Program, which is funded by a multistate settlement of consumer fraud claims regarding the marketing of the prescription drug Neurontin (gabapentin).





More from Consumer Reports:

8 Ways to Boost Your Home Value

Why your cable TV bill is going up

Get the Best Cell Phone Plan for Your Familyand Save up to $1,000 a Year





Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright  2006-2016 Consumers Union of U.S.
President Robert Mugabe, who turns 92 later this month, has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980 (AFP Photo/Mujahid Safodien) (AFP/File)

Harare (AFP) - A Zimbabwean lawyer on Friday asked the country's highest court to order an investigation to determine President Robert Mugabes fitness to hold office, after a series of blunders that prompted speculation about his health.

The papers filed by lawyer Tinomuda Chinoka seek to order the speaker of parliament and the president of the senate to conduct the investigation.

"Having a president that may lack capacity to carry out the job threatens democracy, undermines the constitution and puts in jeopardy the very foundation, security and future of the nation," read the papers filed with the Constitutional Court.

Chinoka listed a number of incidents casting doubt on Mugabe's ability to rule, including his tumble on a red carpet at Harare International Airport in February 2015.

They also referred to a gaffe last year when he read the wrong speech at the opening of parliament.

"Any person with their mental alertness intact would have recognised a speech that they have read only three weeks previously," said the papers.

Mugabe, who turns 92 later this month, has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980.

His health has been the subject of speculation in recent years.

In January he returned from his annual month-long holiday during which rumours flared that he had collapsed and died in Asia.
Jane Austen's First Love by Syrie James Syrie James confirms her skills as brilliant story-teller and creator of lively pictures of Regency life. Well-researched historical novel as well as delightful summer read, her new Jane Austens First Love is based on an imaginative ...

Giorni di spasimato amore by Romana Petri Romana Petri is an exceptionally good writer and a translator from Portuguese. Her "Giorni di spasimato amore" is perfect in its moving semplicity. In wartime, Antonio meets a beautiful girl, Lucia. They bump - or better crash - into e...

Non so niente di te by Paola Mastrocola "Non so niente di te" (I know nothing of you) is the story of Fil, Filippo. His parents are sure he is studying at Stanford University, US, instead he is in Oxford, UK, where, they hear, he was supposed to present his new project on ec...

Jane Austen and Names by Maggie Lane "They say his name is Henry. A proof of how unequally the gifts of Fortune are bestowed  I have seen many a John & Thomas much more agreeable. " (from J. Austen, Letters) What's in a name? According to William Shakespeare - or better ...

Come un respiro interrotto by Fabio Stassi "Come un respiro interrotto" is such a complex narration which makes it quite impossible to tell you thoroughly what it is about. It is a choral narration, with numerous voices and many points of view. It is the story a woman, Soledad, S...

Allegiant by Veronica Roth After reading Divergent and watching the movie, I was too curious to know what happened next, so I provided my iPad with the ebooks of the two sequels which completed the Divergent trilogy and was more than willing to take up the journe...

Insurgent by Veronica Roth After reading Divergent and watching the movie, I was too curious to know what happened next, so I provided my iPad with the ebooks of the two sequels which completed the Divergent trilogy and was more than willing to take up the journe...

The Slave by Pauline Montagna A real page turner. I was first drawn to it by the original love story the author proposes as the main feature in the plot. A young woman from a rich Italian family doomed to obey her father first, then her husband, the man his father c...

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves, that we are underlings". Probably John Green had this line from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in his mind while trying to give his beatiful love story a proper title. But more...

Urban Grimshaw And The Shed Crew by Bernard Hare Leeds in the 1990s is the setting for this story. Chop is an ex social worker who dropped his job and retreated in a world of drinking and drugs, living at the margins of society. It is in those unfortunate situation that he meets Urban ...

Divergent by Veronica Roth Just finished reading Divergent by Veronica Roth and now I'm ready to see the movie coming out on April 3 (here in Italy). What is it with these YA novels? I know Im definitely not the intended demographic but 1. They are fun 2. They a...

Gli sdraiati by Michele Serra It is a small Italian book titled "Gli sdraiati", in English something like, the lying down, or "those flat on their backs". Anyway, the mentioned book is about a father and his relationship with his teenage son. Yes, teenagers. They ...

Jawbreaker - Unlock the (U)niverse by Jolene Stockman Teenagers arent the easiest people you can find yourself dealing with. Its the word of an expert, meaning someone with long-lasting experience not someone with an answer to any question. As a teacher to teenagers, Im still and co...

Happy Birthday, Mr Darcy by Victoria Connelly Happy Birthday, Mr. Darcy is the fifth installment in the Austen Addicts series by Victoria Connelly. I've read and loved them all, could I miss this new one? A delightful novella set in the magnificent Purley Hall, where two of the l...

Share book reviews and ratings with Maria Grazia, and even join a book club on Goodreads.
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Taipei, Feb. 13 (CNA) Reconstruction and rehabilitation following damage and losses caused by the magnitude 6.4 earthquake that battered southern Taiwan last week are set to begin, with the Executive Yuan scheduled to hold a meeting Sunday for discussions on what sources and regulations can be used for the work.
'60 Minutes' to profile Justin Trudeau in an upcoming episodeThe most-watched American news program will profile Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in an episode to air soon, CBC News has confirmed.CBS's 60 Minutes has been filming Trudeau for months  including at last November's swearing-in ceremony  for the segment.Lara Logan, chief foreign correspondent for CBS News and co-host of the weekly newsmagazine, is the correspondent attached to the Trudeau episode, a source familiar with the show's plans told CBC News.Likely timed to state dinnerThe episode looks set to air on March 6, just days before Trudeau visits Washington, DC for a state dinner with U.S. President Barack Obama on March 10.The state dinner will be the first of its kind between the two countries in nearly 20 years. The last time a Canadian politician was featured on the program was in 2003, when then-deputy prime minister John Manley was featured in a segment called "North of the Border," which documented Islamic terrorist groups operating in Canada.The program will continue filming Trudeau over the coming days. Trudeau is in Quebec City this weekend for the city's famed Carnival.
heh, I know eh.The government of Canada would like you to know how reluctant, how unwilling, how supremely disinclined it is to bail out Bombardier. Not that it isnt going to, or that there was ever the slightest doubt it would. But when it inevitably does, you are meant to understand what a hard bargain it struck.First it was put about that, unlike those feckless spendthrifts in the government of Quebec who put up $1.3 billion no questions asked, the feds would insist that Bombardier present a business case for why it should receive a similar wad of funds from the taxpayer  on top, that is, of the hundreds of millions it has already collected over the years. Then came news Ottawa had reservations about forking over the cash without unspecified changes in Bombardiers governance structure, though it conceded it had not actually asked for any. Now Bloomberg is reporting on the six-point checklist the Trudeau government is supposedly looking at, including such harsh requirements as viability and efficacy.mo
CTVNews.ca StaffPublished Friday, February 12, 2016 12:25PM ESTLast Updated Friday, February 12, 2016 2:55PM EST Police are calling a seven-year-old boy a hero after he managed to hold onto his classmate who slipped off a ski lift at an Ontario ski resort long enough for resort staff to set up a safety net below.Durham police say the seven-year-old skier is in stable condition at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children after sustaining serious injuries in the fall.The boy was heading up a hill on the ski lift at Lakeridge Ski Resort in Uxbridge, Ont., located about 65 kilometres northeast of Toronto, on Thursday with three other classmates when he lost a ski.Police said the boy turned in his seat to look back when he slipped off the seat and began to fall.A classmate sitting beside the boy managed to grab him and hold onto him for about two minutes as he was dangling about 40-feet off the ground. Meanwhile, staff at the resort had enough time to set up a safety net below.The boy fell into the net and then bounced onto the hill."For a seven year old to have that type of maturity and willpower, that is something that goes beyond the expectation for any kid -- it's basically heroic," Durham Regional Police Sgt. Bill Calder told The Canadian Press.The boy was airlifted to Sick Kids hospital and he's expected to make a full recovery.The classmate who held onto the boy and staff from the ski resort are being recommended for a citizen recognition award.
OHIO BLOODBATH: Muslim Muhammad Barry Named MACHETE ATTACKER HACKING PEOPLE in Nazareth Restaurant

Where is selfsame??



   President Trump!   

Toppled chairs, bloody towels now in the Nazareth restaurant after machete attack. 4 people hurt.Theres blood all over inside the restaurant, Steven Bass, Karens husband, told WSYX.Patrons called it a bloodbath. READ MORE HERE. Knife jihad in America. Imams across the world and devout Islamic military groups exhort the faithful to wage jihad with knives.Police shot and killed the jihadi who stormed into a central Ohio restaurant wielding a machete and began hacking people as they sat unsuspectingly at their dinner tables, after inquiring where the owner was from. The owner is an outspoken Christian from Israel. Inside the restaurant, guests are greeted bya small Israeli flag. According to CBS News , investigators have identified the suspected attacker as Mohammad Barry, a man who has a Somali background. Further, law enforcement may be investigating the incident as a possible lone wolf terrorist attack, the report states.Nazareth Restaurant and Deli in Columbus, Ohio. Image source: WBNS-10TVThere are no lone wolves in the global jihad. There is one of an army.He came to each table and just started hitting them, Bass said. There were tables and chairs overturned, there was a man on the floor bleeding, there was blood on the floor.I fell like five times. My legs felt like jelly. I just thought he was going to come behind me and slash me up, she recalled.Patrons threw chairs at the suspect in an effort to stop the attack. He fled the scene in a car before police caught up with him. They first attempted to subdue him with a stun gun before fatally shooting him.Four people were injured in the attack and taken to a local hospital. They are expected to recover.The machete wielding savage ask the owner where he was from (Christian from Israel) and came back an hour later swinging.[He] immediately began swinging a machete at customers and employees inside, Sgt. Rich Weiner with the Columbus Police Department said. There was no rhyme or reason as to who he was going after as soon as he walked in, according to some of the witnesses.One comment at Free Republic said , Nazareths is just around the corner from our home. My wife and I go there often. They have wonderful Greek food. Hani, is the very popular owner. He engages with the customers and is very jovial.The latest news is that the, but no detail as of yet. This is in a very quiet neighborhood with little crime. Gahanna is kind of a all-American town. Their weekly newspaper lists the previous weeks crimes. I read it for chuckles as they consist of things like, woman notified police of a loud noise, mailbox knocked over, neighbor complained of dog poop on his porch. Weve lived here for 15 years and nothing like this before  at least this close to our home.- See more at: OHIO BLOODBATH: Muslim Muhammad Barry Named MACHETE ATTACKER HACKING PEOPLE in Nazareth Restaurant | Pamela Geller .................................
Muslim Beats His Sister to Death with Hammer, Sets Fire to Her Body, Victims modern lifestyle didnt sit well with the family

Arab man bludgeoned sister to death with hammer

In honor killing, Hussein Rahal, 22, allegedly then set fire to the body of Ranin, 19



The brother of an Arab woman who was beaten to death with a hammer and set on fire in northern Israel was arrested last month on suspicion of murdering his sister in an honor killing.



Details of the case were under gag order until Thursday evening.



Hussein Yussuf Rahal, 22, of Bayt Zarzir was arrested on suspicion of murdering his 19-year-old sister Ranin. According to details of the investigation released by police, on the night of January 12, Rahal allegedly kidnapped Ranin from a village outside the Galilean city of Nazareth, drove her to a forest nearby and bludgeoned her to death with a hammer before setting her body on fire.



Her remains were found in a forest near Kibbutz Hanaton, a few miles away, the next day. Rahal was arrested five days later, on January 17, and hasnt cooperated with investigators since.



Police officials told Channel 10 that the motive for the murder was believed to be family honor.



The investigation found that the victims modern lifestyle didnt sit well with the family, a police official said. The brother didnt love that she wore modern clothes and left the house to live alone.



The police added that he had tried to kill her in the past. Last August he attempted to run Ranin over, injured her, and was brought to trial, Channel 10 said.



Maariv reported, by contrast, that while charges were filed against him, he wasnt located by the authorities.



Rahal is to be charged with murder and kidnapping with intent to murder at the Nazareth District Court on Sunday.

   President Trump!   

Unimaginable inhumanity and misogyny. Whats worse is listening Gloria Steinem arguing with Bill Maher, defending Muhammad and the sharia. Muslims commit 91 percent of honor killings worldwide. A manual of Islamic law certified as a reliable guide to Sunni orthodoxy by Al-Azhar University, the most respected authority in Sunni Islam, says that retaliation is obligatory against anyone who kills a human being purely intentionally and without right. However, not subject to retaliation is a father or mother (or their fathers or mothers) for killing their offspring, or offsprings offspring. (Umdat al-Salik o1.1-2). In other words, someone who kills his child incurs no legal penalty under Islamic law. In this case, of course, the victim was the murderers wife, a victim to the culture of violence and intimidation that such laws help create.- See more at: Muslim Beats His Sister to Death with Hammer, Sets Fire to Her Body, Victims modern lifestyle didnt sit well with the family | Pamela Geller .......................
A Fremont man recently made the announcement that he will be running for a Fremont City Council seat.

Don Cunningham, who is running for a Ward 4 seat, said in a released statement that he chose to run because he wants to create an iconic attraction in town that would turn peoples heads toward the Fremont community.

Ward 4 seats are currently held by John Anderson and Jennifer Bixby.

Cunningham said that Grand Island, Hastings, and other comparably sized towns have major attractions that pull people in  Grand Island hosts the Nebraska State Fair.

With Omaha just 30 miles away, serviced by a four-lane roadway, an iconic attraction would be a hit in Fremont, he said.

If a major attraction sat just off the Morningside and Military exits, visitors would flock to Fremont, he said.

Four sites pique his interests: The area near Johnson Lake, the downtown area, the area north of the Fremont State Recreation Area and south of the impending U.S. Highway 275 bypass and Midland University.

My goal is to add energy to the existing projects we have going, and to fuel potential designs, Cunningham said.

Anybody wishing to run for a city government position must fill out a candidate filing form by March 1, and incumbents must do so by Feb 16.
One day you wash up on the beach, wet and naked. Another day you wash back out. In between, the scenery changes constantly.
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From Glam to Sleaze and ALL HAIR in between!

Glitter2Gutter is a review site of all things hard rock! Whether your thing is glam, sleaze, hair metal, arena rock, AOR, or modern hard rock acts, we have them all! Classic, power, progressive, and thrash metal can be found here, as well! We even throw in some grunge and hard alternative! Old classics, hot new bands, well-knowns and relative unknowns...all can be found here...at GLITTER2GUTTER!


HOUSTON, Feb. 12, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The first regular direct container/ roro service between Houston and West Africa was launched by Grimaldi Lines at the Port of Houston Authoritys Barbours Cut Container Terminal today.



The Grimaldi West Africa Service Direct, which also is the only direct container service from the Gulf of Mexico to West Africa, will have a fleet of six identical ships and will call Barbours Cut every 11 days, according to the company. The service deploys multipurpose ro-ro container vessels capable of carrying containers as well as autos and other rolling stock.

Grimaldi is pleased to announce the added port call to Houston on its successful East Coast West African service, the company said in a statement. The Gulf region is an important market in the growing trade from the United States to West Africa. We are excited to be able to offer manufacturers, traders and the oil and gas sector the facility of a regular direct container service from Houston to a wide range of ports on the West African coast.

Service to a range of 15 ports in West Africa will be offered, the company said.

The Port Authority is pleased that Grimaldi is expanding into Houston, said Chief Commercial Officer Ricky Kunz.

Having an established carrier like Grimaldi expanding operations into Houston is an extremely positive development, Kunz said. Businesses will appreciate having direct service across our docks to and from West Africa.

Established in 1947, Grimaldi is a fully integrated multinational logistics group specializing in the maritime transport of cars, rolling cargo, containers and passengers. The Grimaldi Group has expanded in recent years and its fleet now is comprised of more than 100 vessels. The companys international management team is based at the groups headquarters in Naples, Italy, as well as subsidiary companies and branches in more than 25 countries.

The Port of Houston Authority is the largest container port in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, handling about two-thirds of all the containers that move through the gulf. In 2015, the Port Authority handled more than two million twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) for the first time in its history. The Port Authority also set a record for tonnage in 2015, handling 30.5 million tons of cargo at its facilities.

About the Port of Houston Authority

For more than 100 years, the Port of Houston Authority has owned or operated the public cargo-handling facilities of the Port of Houston  the nation's largest port for foreign waterborne tonnage. The port is an economic engine for the Houston region, the state of Texas and the nation. It supports the creation of more than 1.175 million statewide jobs and more than 2.1 million jobs nationwide, and the generation of economic activity totaling more than $265 billion in Texas and $499 billion across the nation. For more information, visit the Port Authority website at: www.portofhouston.com.

The Port of Houston Authority logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=720




Hi there,Thanks for sharing your information with us. First question I have is what do you want to do after your MBA? Understanding your goals helps narrow down which schools are a good fit for you. Further, you mention you had a lot of "good" roles at work and demonstrated leadership qualities - care to share the details of those? This could be how you differentiate yourself from the crowd, but you have to be able to show it through what you did.Otherwise, your academic profile puts you in the conversation. I think now is the time to shift your focus to your story and the details of your application. Speaking of which, you have some decent set of involvement/extra curricular activities. How does this work you do connect with your goals at an MBA or afterward? Would you continue, or is this work something you see tapering off after you start school?Looking forward to hearing more!_________________
AutoGard Are you a car enthusiast and does the brand Auto-Gard sound familiar to you? Well, they have been here in the Philippines sin...
The Gorilla Radio archive can be found at: www.Gorilla-Radio.com. G-Radio is dedicated to social justice, the environment, community, and providing a forum for people and issues not covered in State and Corporate media. Gorilla Radio airs live Thursdays between 11-12 noon Pacific Time. Airing in Victoria at 101.9FM, and featured on the internet at: http://cfuv.ca and www.pacificfreepress.com. And check out Pacific Free Press on Twitter @Paciffreepress
Mike Birbiglia's warm-hearted one-man show Thank God For Jokes considers the collateral damage that comedy can cause, even on topics as seemingly banal as tardiness. Over the course of 90 relentlessly funny minutes, we learn that Birbiglia, an unusually sensitive and empathic stand-up comedian, is acutely aware of what it's like to be the butt of a joke, dating back to the Catholic school bullying to which he was subjected as a lad.

The evening begins with Birbiglia reflecting on the massacre at the Paris office of satirical paper Charlie Hebdo, and the questions some asked in its aftermath, namely, must comedians make jokes that others may find deeply offensive? Birbiglia's answer, revealed through a series of thematically-related personal stories, is clear: jokes, by their very nature, "have to be about something," and there is typically a person on the other end of that "thing" who may not find the joke very funny at all. Escorting his audience through the minefields of his joke-making process, Birbiglia shows how some of the funniest moments of his life were decidedly unfunny when they happened, like when his dream gig performing with The Muppets went obscenely sideways, or when he was reduced to eating a sandwich in an airplane bathroom.

Addressing the audience with a soft-spoken, congenial manner (except when he's reenacting David O. Russell screaming at Lily Tomlin), Birbiglia comes off as the self-effacing lovable dork at the party who hides in the kitchen making English muffin pizza and keeping you in stitches with his subtle, unhurried humor. He's the nice guy from the neighborhood who turns out to be far more subversive and idiosyncratic than he first appears. Here we're treated to more of Birbiglia's analytical side, and at times it's like watching an easily-sidetracked high school chemist explain the molecular compounds of an explosive compound.

While Thank God For Jokes lacks the cohesive, narrative depth that sustained Birbiglia's previous one-man shows, it is uproariously funny, marvelously absurd, and intellectually satisfying. The central premiseof comedy's consequences in an interconnected worldis a sturdy hook on which Birbiglia hangs his whimsical array of hilarious stories, and by the end my face was sore from laughing. It's unclear if Birbiglia believes in God, but he has enormous faith in the power of jokes, so thank Xenu for that. Just don't be tardy... by the end you'll know why.

Thank God For Jokes continues through March 13th at the Lynn Redgrave Theater at 49 Bleecker Street in the East Village. Get tickets here.
The Forever 21 location at Kings Plaza in Mill Basin is facing its second harassment lawsuit in less than a year: in court papers filed yesterday, a former employee claims that his supervisors sexually harassed him and called him racist nicknames such as "Nutella."

Brooklyn resident Mickael Louis worked at the store as an assistant store manager from January 2014 through April 2015, during which time his manager, Patrick Walmsley, allegedly told him "I love muscular Black guys like you," "I bet you have a big dick," and "I bet you're packing." The suit further alleges that Andy Liu, the store manager, called him "Nutella" to "differentiat[e] Mr. Louis from his White employees," and told him to "Look out for the Black people, they are going to steal."

Liu's alleged racist comments didn't stop there: according to the complaint, he told Louis that "Black people come in here with fake gift cards and fake credit cards"; said that black employees should not work the cash register "[b]ecause they steal"; and referred to black customers as "Ghetto" and "Your people" when discussing them with Louis.

When Louis asked Liu not to call him "Nutella," Liu responded, "Well that's my name for you," and when Louis told Liu that Walmsley was sexually harassing him, Liu laughed and said, "Well maybe you should take him out," according to the complaint. Louis directly confronted Walmsley, who allegedly told him to stop "being so sensitive," and that he was just "playing around." Finally, Louis quit working at Forever 21 on April 3rd, 2015, and is now a nurse technician.

He's seeking monetary and other unspecified damages, claiming that his employers violated the New York City Human Rights Law, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender, sex, and/or race.

This is not the first time that this particular Forever 21 has come under fire for harassment: in April, 2015, Alexia Daskalakis filed a lawsuit claiming that she was discriminated against and ultimately fired because she is transgender. Walmsley allegedly told her that "[i]n my eyes and in the Company's eyes, you're still a male," later stating, "[y]ou used to be a hard worker when you were a guy, but not anymore!" That suit alleges a host of other discriminatory statements made by Forever 21 management against Daskalakis, who claims her supervisors called her "offensive," "disgusting," and "a hot mess" because of her transition.

Attorney David E. Gottlieb, who represents both Daskalakis and Louis, told Gothamist that there is "clearly a pattern" at the Kings Plaza store.

"At this point at least two people have confirmed that these managers engaged in completely unacceptable harassment and discriminatory conduct," Gottlieb said. "I'm not aware of anything going on at any of the other stores, but the fact that this was going on so blatantly within this store indicates a certain level of acquiescence to this conduct at the very least at the regional level, if not at a corporate level."

Gottlieb said that after Daskalakis's case received so much media attention last April, the company asked the court to have the case be litigated in arbitration, which is a private and confidential forum that would prevent future details from becoming public. He suspects that Forever 21 will attempt to do so with this case as well, and intends to fight any attempt at arbitration, as he is currently doing for Daskalakis's case.

"I think it's very clear that one of the reasons that Forever 21...has filed a motion in court to push [the Daskalakis case] into arbitration is that they want to keep the problems at the stores confidential and outside the public's view, and my opinion is that the public has a right to know what's going in the businesses in their community," Gottlieb said.

Gottlieb believes that Walmsley is no longer employed by the Kings Plaza location.

Forever 21's lawyers did not immediately respond to request for comment, nor did media representatives for the company.
A Korean man is facing hate crime, robbery, and assault charges after he allegedly beat and robbed Chinese women in separate incidents in Flushing. The Queens District Attorney's Office announced the indictment of Key S. Lee, 34, a former cab driver, yesterday.

"He allegedly sought out these two women because of their race," Queens DA Richard Brown said in a statement. "This kind of bigotry and racism is not acceptable in a civilized society."

Prosecutors say Lee first lashed out on January 27th. His alleged victim was cleaning snow from her car as Lee stood on a nearby corner smoking, according to the DA's Office. When she opened the back door of her car, he allegedly ran over, pushed her into the backseat, closed the car door, and beat her in the face, then grabbed her purse with $2,000 and her credit card and ID inside.

Prosecutors claim that investigators showed Lee a video of the attack and he said that he was angry because of an argument with his wife, and it revived his resentment of Chinese people from his time as a cabbie.

"I wanted to fight someone because the Chinese people were rude and smoking in the car...I wanted to pick a fight and that is when I saw one female cleaning snow and we made eye contact," he allegedly said. "I couldnt take it any more. I decided shes the one. I started beating her."

The second attack allegedly took place on February 10th, when prosecutors say Lee punched another woman in the face as she was walking to her apartment building, and grabbed her handbag containing credit cards, ID, and $2,000 cash.

Prosecutors say Lee explained that he had been driving to his home on Hawthorne Avenue when the woman had cut him off without signaling, and he followed her home. This is seemingly contradicted by his next alleged statement: "I don't like the Chinese and I went to Flushing to look for Chinese people."

Lee was arraigned yesterday afternoon on seven felony charges, including assault as a hate crime, unlawful imprisonment, and possession of stolen credit cards. A judge held him on $1 million bail. He faces as many as 50 years in prison. His lawyer at Queens Legal Associates could not be reached for comment.
Standing in front of a residential construction site in the East Village where a worker recently fell four stories to his death, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a series of initiatives to increase worker safety at construction sites.

"We're here at a site where a tragedy occurred. We wanted to be at a site like this to make a point that we will not tolerate unsafe construction conditions," de Blasio told reporters gathered in front of 356 East 8th Street earlier today. "We won't tolerate anyone putting profit ahead of the lives of their workers and the people that live in our communities, and that's what's happened too often in the name of greed."

While de Blasio acknowledged the positive aspects of increased constructionin 2015, the city saw 88 million square feet of new constructionhe said that "no building is worth a person's life."

In 2015, 11 construction workers were killed on the job, and 432 others were injured in accidents, a 98% increase since 2009, according to data from the Mayor's Office. Last year's fatalities were primarily from undocumented immigrant laborers, meaning they would not have been encouraged to point out safety concerns.

In the past, construction companies with safety violations had little incentive to change their ways.

The new initiatives include mandatory supervision at sites citywide, increased penalties for safety violations, and a "90-day enforcement blitz" at 1,500 building sites around the city. The Department of Buildings will inspect 1,000 construction sites on buildings less than 10 stories and around 500 buildings over 15 stories in the next 90 days, penalizing construction companies for unsafe conditions.

Additionally, all major construction projects on buildings with less than 10 stories will have to employ a construction superintendent, with stop-work orders and fiscal penalties for companies that fail to comply. These supervisors will be required to inspect the work site on a daily basis, which de Blasio believes will minimize risk at the site.

"Many construction accidents are preventable. Most are preventable with strict adherence to safety rules," he said.

A superintendent's presence could have prevented Luis Alberto Pomboza from falling four stories to his death in December, de Blasio said. The construction permit at 356 East 8th Street listed a construction superintendent, when in fact there was none.

"We won't accept no supervision as an excuse for an accident," said de Blasio. The site later received two Class 1 violations, and the mayor indicated that the DOB was investigating another construction site run by the same company.

A NY Times investigation from November 2015 pointed out that many of these incidents were caused by a lack of supervision. It also cited the fact that few sites encouraged measures against falling, so the workers did not wear harnesses or hats.

EV Grieve reported that Pomboza was also undocumented.
A dump truck driver was arrested today after he struck and killed a pedestrian who was crossing the street in Midtown.

Police say 51-year-old Carlos Torres was turning left onto 11th Avenue from West 37th Street at around 10:00 a.m. when he failed to yield to Elsie Marie Lachowyn, who was crossing 11th Avenue from east to west.

According to the Daily News, Lachowyn was visiting the city from Canada. Torres is charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian.

The charges against Torres come a week after Manhattan DA Cy Vance Jr. decided to drop failure to yield charges against the driver of a Coca-Cola truck who killed 86-year-old Peter Romano on the Upper East Side in 2014.

Vances office said the charges couldnt stick, because Romano was 55 tall, and therefore the driver, Victor Hernandez, could plausibly argue that his truck prevented him from seeing Romano.

Paul Steely White, the executive director of Transportation Alternatives, called Vances decision positively chilling.

By dropping the Right of Way charge, the Manhattan District Attorney is further codifying the cliched excuse I didnt see him as a legal term of art that any negligent or reckless driver can use to avoid accountabilityeven professional drivers who have been trained to be aware of blind spots, White said in a release.

A Transportation Alternatives report released in December that evaluated the traffic safety records of the city's five DAs praised Vance for his willingness to prosecute dangerous drivers in some instances, but also noted that his office "places traffic violence as a priority well below cybercrime and money theft, even though traffic is the leading cause of injury-related death for New York City children."
The NYPD fired the partner of Peter Liang immediately after the officer was convicted of shooting and killing an innocent man in a Brooklyn housing project in 2014.

Shaun Landau was with Liang on the night 28-year-old Akai Gurley was shot to death in the stairwell of a Brooklyn housing project. Landau, who was on the force for 18 months before Gurley was shot, testified during Liang's trial that Liang radioed his superiors immediately after the shooting, contradicting his earlier claim (and evidence) that Liang had taken 20 minutes to contact superiors. Evidence also showed that Landau also did not immediately contact authorities, and in fact argued with Liang over who should call. Landau was not criminally charged, but he was a probationary officer at the time of the shooting and was therefore subject to at-will firing. Liang was also fired after Thursday night's conviction.

Jurors told reporters that they did not believe Liang's testimony, in which he claimed his weapon went off accidentally after he was jostled. All 12 jurors were given the opportunity to hold Liang's gun and pull the trigger to test the likelihood it could go off. We knew his testimony wasnt completely true, juror Carlton Screen told the Post, noted that it was very difficult to pull the trigger. I dont think we hit it like that, that he was an intentional liar. But we all agreed he wasnt being truthful.

Liang, who was found guilty of manslaughter and official misconduct charges, will be sentenced on April 14th. He could face up to 15 years in prison, or no prison time at allGurley's family says justice won't fully be served until Liang goes to prison. They are also calling for the court to charge Landau. "Though Liang has been found guilty, we want to make sure that his sentencing is heavy and that there is no appeal, the family said in a statement. We will continue to struggle and ensure that Peter Liang and Shaun Landau are held accountable.

Liang's conviction has drawn criticism from the Asian-American community, which claims Liang was targeted for being Chinese-American. In the wake of unfortunately so many deaths of unarmed black men, some cops gotta hang, John C. Liu, the former New York City comptroller who ran for mayor in 2013, told the Times. The sentiment in the Asian community is: Its easier to hang an Asian, because Asians, they dont speak up.
Success Academy head Eva Moskowitz held a press conference yesterday afternoon to denounce the New York Times for publishing a video that showed one of her teachers excoriating a first grader and ripping up the student's paperwork.

"I can't stand by as the New York Times uses selective and 'gotcha' tactics," she told a group of reporters and 170 hand-picked parents and teachers inside the schools' headquarters on Wall Street. "It is really beyond disappointing that we can't seem to get a fair shake from the paper of record."

Standing next to Moskowitz, occasionally breaking down into tears, was Success Academy Cobble Hill first grade teacher Charlotte Dial. Dial was caught on video in October 2014 yelling at a first grader for stumbling over a math problem. In the video, she rips up the child's worksheet before banishing her to a "calm down chair." She did not speak for herself on Friday.

This was the second press conference Moskowitz hosted that featured one of her crying subordinates. The first was in November, after the Times revealed a Success school's "Got-to-Go" list.

"I don't believe that we have systemic problems," Moskowitz said yesterday. "I am very, very confident that we have a culture of respecting children and nurturing children."

Success Academy administrators argued on Friday that the video stood out as an anomaly both in Dial's teaching career, and in the network as a whole. "If the New York Times wanted to tell the true story, they would't be focusing on a 60 second video that happened 15 months ago," said Success Academy Cobble Hill Principal Kerry Nichols.

While some parents and politicians have praised Success Academy for its academic rigor, its focus on students, and high test scores, others say that the scores come at the expense of struggling students, some of whom have allegedly been disciplined to the point of expulsion.

According to five current and former teachers interviewed by the NY Times, ripping up papers is common practice at Success Academies (one teacher said the tactic was encouraged as a way to "demonstrate urgency" and get a child's attention). According to one, the practice even had a namea "rip and redo."

Dial was suspended for a week and a half when the video was shown to school administrators, and underwent a week of specialized teacher training. "Charlotte Dial made a mistake," Moskowitz told reporters. "A big mistake. I don't condone what is in the video...But we're all human."

Moskowitz went on to compare the role of a teacher to that of a parent, suggesting that the same heated emotions are acceptable for both. "If someone had videotaped me as a parent during any moment of my 16 hour day with my children, I might not have come off so great," she said. "Frustration is a human emotion, and particularly when you care so much for your children... it can be frustrating."

Asked about the so-called "rip and redo" method, Moskowitz spoke defensively of her school's high academic standards. "It is not our policy to rip up student work," she said. "It is our policy to insist that children re-do. We make no apologies for the need to re-do work when it's not done."

Moskowitz also demanded that the Times publish reporter Kate Taylor's interviews with the parents of Dial's current first graders (some of which are excerpted in the original piece). When Taylor herself asked Moskowitz to confirm whether the girl singled out in the video still attends Success Academy Cobble Hill, the charter head declined to provide the information for the crowd.

"We're going to get you that information, we just want to make sure it's accurate," she said. When Taylor pressed for more information, Moskowitz replied, "Could you not be snarky?"

Parents selected to speak at today's conference had nothing but praise for Success. "I have never seen anything that's made me feel uncomfortable there," said Natasha Shannon, a parent in the system for ten years. "People who don't like it, they don't have to send their children there. I stand here as a tax payer and as a parent, and I can tell youyou don't have to go there."

Outside the press conference several parents of special needs children who formerly attended Success schools chanted, "Eva! Eva! You can't hide!" Some of those parents had spoken to the press about Success Academy Fort Greene's controversial "Got To Go" list of 16 students, all of whom were allegedly targeted for forced expulsion.

Fatima Geidi's son Jamir was suspended from Upper West Success Academy numerous times, as detailed in a PBS feature last fall (PBS latter issued an apology for failing to offer Moskowitz a chance to comment on Jamir's case in particular).

"It's not just the child that this happened to," said Geidi, referring to the Dial video. "What does this say to the other children in the classroom, who might have special needs? It's not just a one-time thing. It's an atmosphere, and it's scary to me."
Police say that an attempted sneaker robbery in Brooklyn yesterday resulted in a teen being run over by an SUV and having his arm ripped off.

This incident unfolded around 1 p.m. on Friday on E. 86th Street near Avenue M in Canarsie when 17-year-old Zachary Sam met with 39-year-old Phillippe Pierre so the younger man could buy a pair of Air Jordans off of him. When Pierre, a married father of three, asked for $190 for the Air Jordan 8 Retro sneakers, Sam allegedly pulled a gun on him inside Pierre's SUV and demanded the shoes for free.

As you can see in the (very ominous) surveillance video below, via ABC, Sam took the shoes and exited the car. Pierre sped down the block, made a U-turn, then slammed into the teen, pinning him against a metal fence.

Surveillance video shows teen robbery suspect being run down b... Exclusive surveillance video shows a teen suspect being run down by the victim he allegedly robbed at gunpoint in Brooklyn. (Warning: Video may be considered disturbing) Details: http://7ny.tv/1SmvHk4 Posted by ABC7NY on Friday, February 12, 2016

The impact of the SUV apparently sheared off Sams right arm just below the elbow. "I saw a kid under a car," witness Alex Saint Fleur, a bus driver who lives across the street, told the Post. "The guy ran him over. He got out, the driver said, 'Hes trying to rob me. Hes trying to rob me.'" Fleur says he saw the gun on the ground: "The arm was on the floor near the gun." Then Sam ran onto a city bus: "Everyone is screaming, 'Come back, come back, your arm. Youre bleeding too much,'" Fleur added.

Sam got off the bus and eventually collapsed in the middle of Avenue M; he was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where doctors spent hours trying to reattach his arm. He remains in serious but stable condition, and it is unclear whether doctors will be able to save the arm.

Sam has been charged with robbery and criminal possession of a weapon, while Pierre has also been arrested and charged with attempted murder. "Two families are destroyed tonightmy cousin, and this kid's family," Pierre's cousin, Michael, told ABC. "I know what the video's showingif somebody pulls a gun in your head, and you're trying to get the cops to catch him, what would you do? You're telling me just let him go?"
"When terrorists start changing their methods to the point where their explosive devices are no longer just a bag of bolts or a steel pipe, then the rest of the world needs to be worried. These sorts of disguised devices are disturbing. A perpetrator may not fool the world-trained expert looking at the device on an X-ray, but a half-bored official without the same training might let something slip by. They are starting to defeat visual technology. It's only as good as the operator," the expert said.
Welcome Visitors! Live Traffic Stats READING LIST The Lucky One, Nicholas Sparks--2 stars Chestnut Street, Maeve Binchy--5 stars Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng -- 4 stars

While I Was Gone--Sue Miller--4 stars Olive Again--Elizabeth Strout--4 stars The Burgess Boys--Elizabeth Strout--4 stars The Offing--Bernard Myers--4 stars Rainsong--Sue Hubbard--5 stars

Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet--5 Stars Christmas at War --5 Stars The Wife's Tale--Lori Lansens -- 5 Stars Patron Saint of Ugly--Marie Manilla -- 5 Stars Christmas at Harringtons--Melody Carlson-- 1 Star A Time to Dance and Other Stories -- 4 Stars Midwinter Break--Bernard Laverty --4 stars On Folly Beach---2 stars Olive Kitteridge--Elizabeth Strout--5 Stars A Spool of Blue Thread--Anne Tyler -- 5 Stars The Girl From Hoxley--5 Stars Addie: A Memoir--Settle --5 Stars

Don't Tell 'Em You're Cold--Manley --5 Stars The Glass Castle--Walls -- 5 Stars Where the Crawdads Sing--Owens --2 Stars There, There--Tommy Orange -2 stars

Dust Bowl Diary --5 Stars The Peace of Wild Things --5 Stars Delights and Shadows--Kooser --5 Stars Bedside Book of Famous French Stories --4 stars Ghosts of the Ohio River --3 Stars Big Book of Ohio Ghost Stories --3 stars The Moon-Eyed People --Peter Stevenson-- 5 Stars Morality for Beautiful Girls (No.1 Ladies Detective Agency)--5 Stars Haunting Experiences: Ghosts in Contemporary Folklore --4 Stars Cornish Ghost Stories -- 5 Stars The Persecution of Witchcraft and Magic --4 Stars A Pity Youth Does Not Last An Old Woman's Reflections What Lies Beyond the Frame Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune Telling World Made and Unmade Country Life in England Cornish Tales The Good Earth by Pearl Buck Good Earth Mother (Buck biography) River Rats The Poems of Edna St. Vincent Millay Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm Outwitting the Devil The Hogboon of Hell Broonies, Silkies and Fairies Miracle at Hominy Falls The Civil War Diary of Henrietta Fitzhugh Barr Winter Morning Walks by Ted Kooser Irish Ghost Stories by Jeremiah Curtin The Apple That Astonished Paris by Billy Collins Volume 24, WV Encyclopedia Volume 25, WV Encyclopedia Windfall by Maggie Anderson (poetry) Mountain Trace Book 3 The Handy Book Snyder's Hound and Other Poems by Elaine Rowley Hickory & Lady Slippers: Life and Legend of Clay County People, vol 3 Remarkable Words with Astonishing Origins by John Train






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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
Raith Dominic Kurtz, 23, from Scobey, was killed in a one-vehicle crash on Sierra Road early Saturday morning, and a 23-year-old female was seriously injured, according to Lewis and Clark County coroner M. E. Mickey Nelson.

Kurtz died at the scene of the accident, said Nelson.

The injured woman, Logan McDougall Weidman, 23, was in serious but stable condition Saturday morning at St. Peters Hospital, according to Montana Highway Trooper Nate Boespflug, who responded to the scene of the accident.

The accident occurred at 2:30 a.m. in the 2200 block of Sierra Road, according to Nelson.

Kurtz and Weidman were traveling in a 2004 Chevrolet truck that was traveling eastbound on Sierra Road, when it failed to make a right-hand turn onto Floweree Drive.

The truck rolled multiple times, said Nelson, and both occupants were ejected. Neither was wearing a seat belt.

Speed and alcohol are believed to be factors, according to the MHP report. The accident is still under investigation, Boespflug said Saturday night, adding that investigators are still going through a crash reconstruction.
MISSOULA -- After Udo Fluck got three degrees from the University of Montana, he picked up a doctorate from UM as well.

His doctoral dissertation was the blueprint for a program called the Global Gateway, he said, and he's been running the "window to the world" at UM with a mission to promote "cultural awareness and global competence" for 13 years.

Last month, Fluck learned UM would not be renewing his contract as part of its plan to address an estimated $12 million shortfall. The decision left him "baffled" -- and other community members dismayed at the loss to UM and the state.

UM has a mission of "Building a University for the Global Century," and Fluck said he was thrilled when President Royce Engstrom declared a priority that aligned directly with his program.

"I am and have been a loyal supporter of that mission long before it was a mission," Fluck said.

Fluck teaches two classes each semester, and he runs seminars on global competence and cultural awareness that are growing in demand and reach schools across Montana as well as members of the Missoula community. He said he has worked at UM on a letter of appointment with a $72,000 salary.

Paulo Zagalo-Melo, director of the Office of International Programs, said he considered all aspects of the job in making the decision to cut Fluck. He said the department needed to realign its budget to "maintain fiscal responsibility."

"The position of director of Global Gateway will be closed after June 30, 2016," Zagalo-Melo noted in an email. "Internationalization continues to be a priority for UM, therefore, the Office of International Programs will continue to work tirelessly toward building a university for the global century."

Nonetheless, the decision to let Fluck go has community members raising questions about the process UM used to make the cut as well as the impacts of the loss. In a letter to UM and the Montana Board of Regents, Missoula lawyer Thomas Orr said Fluck is "the primary provider of cross-cultural trainings at UM."

The program is a recruitment tool for the university, with Fluck's established connections to Missoula schools, Orr said. Fluck has provided more than 340 seminars in local schools in the past two years, and young students are being groomed early to develop an interest in cultural and global competence, Orr said.

"I know that President Engstrom and his staff have an unenviable job to perform during these trying times," Orr wrote in the letter. "I would like to think, however, that the decisions regarding academic offerings, student services and faculty involve a logical and considered process which will not cause additional harm to the institution now and in the future."

Fluck doesn't track how his seminars affect recruitment, but he talks with students in his classes who he recognizes from his workshops a couple of years earlier.

Additionally, Fluck has had a long-standing relationship with the Montana World Affairs Council as well, and president Bob Seidenschwarz said when it comes to helping people understand cultural awareness, "there is nobody better."

"His ability to convey his subject matter and expertise is second to none," Seidenschwarz said.

At the Academic WorldQuest event last year, students came to Missoula from across the state, as far away as Wolf Point, he said. And he said the competition and international immersion serve to highlight UM at a time enrollment is down.

Plus, he said, the Global Gateway programs in general are helping Montanans understand different cultures and put their best feet forward in welcoming outsiders whether on campus or in the business community.

"This is an investment that has been building for years, and now that we've gained traction, now that we've gained penetration into people's awareness and thinking, the best is yet to come," Seidenschwarz said. "You don't fire your sales force when you're trying to make payroll."

The UM president has a difficult job to do, he said, but the board of the nonpartisan, nonprofit World Affairs Council has approved a letter to UM that outlines the loss to the community if the decision stands to cut Fluck.

Fluck said he isn't sure if the Global Gateway programs will continue since he's a "one-man show." However, he said he still hasn't wrapped his head around the termination, and he isn't sure how he'll proceed.

"The program has grown, and it is in higher demand than it was in years ago. That's the part that is confusing to me because it doesn't make sense. It would make sense if I would be doing something that is counterproductive to the mission of the university, or something that would present a very small value," he said.

In an email, Zagalo-Melo said the director position is funded out of the budget for the Office of International Programs; the 2015 UM budget book, the most recent one posted on the UM website, did not list Fluck or his position as a part of the International Programs personnel.

Zagalo-Melo also said personnel decisions are considered final.

"Administrators have heard feedback about several decisions; some people are very understanding about the difficult decisions that were made, and some disagree with the decisions," Zagalo-Melo said.
"... 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!"
CARBONDALE  Around 30 Southern Illinois farmers and representatives of small businesses attended a seminar on incorporating renewable energy and energy-efficient upgrades into their farms and businesses.

Mike Hornitschek, director of strategic development for StraightUp Solar, spoke on solar energy incentives for agribusiness, as well as commercial and residential customers.

He gave the group some sunny statistics: Southern Illinois gets 92 percent of the solar energy of Miami and gets an average of 4.7 hours of noontime equivalent of sunlight per day. The area's electricity usage was not so sunny. The average electricity use in the U.S. is 903 kilowatts per hour, but jumps to 1,150 kwh in Illinois and Missouri.

While traditional utility rates are increasing, the cost of solar is decreasing -- about 11 percent last year. Hornitschek said now is a good time to add solar energy to a home or business. Incentives offer a 25 percent state tax break and a 30 percent national tax break.

Rusty Wanstreet, Area 3 director for USDA Rural Development, spoke about grant funding guidelines for the USDA Rural Energy for America Program. The program helps finance purchase and installation of renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements for rural small businesses and agricultural producers.

To be eligible, produces must be directly engaged in ag production and at least 50 percent of the person's income must come from farming or agricultural production. Small businesses must meet guidelines in annual receipts or number of employees.

Wanstreet said benefits include higher income through lower energy costs, the business or farm is powered with clean energy and extra power sold to the energy grid provides additional income.

I grew up on a farm. This is near and dear to me. I want rural America to grow and thrive, Wanstreet said.

Brent Ritzel, solar project developer with StraightUp Solar and on the board of directors for Equares Energy Company and Equitech International LLC, spoke about solar energy and the CleanStream Reformer, a renewable biomass-to-energy system.

Ritzel said the sun provides enough energy every 40 minutes to meet the needs of humans for a year, if it were properly harnessed.

Ritzel also explained how the CleanStream Reformer works and its benefits. This system uses steam to break waste down to a molecular level. It separates hydrogen and uses it to create electricity.

This is going to transform Southern Illinois from a center for coal energy to a center for energy, Ritzel said.

The seminar was a continuation of the September 2015 solar conference.

For more information, contact Ritzel at 618-203-4844, Hornitschek at 314-218-2663, ext. 284, or Wanstreet at 618-993-5396, ext. 125.
MEXICO CITY  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."

As part of his trip to Mexico City, Pope Francis will make an emotional stop today 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.

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.
MATTOON  Until June, the Mattoon Area Family YMCA was and will be home to more than exercise equipment and courts to play on, but also church services.

The Fields Church congregation has become mobile with its services in order to allow for timely renovations to its facility located at 900 Dewitt Ave E. For the first time following the start of renovations, the congregation met to pray and worship as they normally would  this time in the Y's Bock Gym on Sunday (Feb. 7).

(The YMCA) does a great job of partnering with other organizations, pastor Travis Spencer said.

Bumping up their normal service times, the church now has identical services at 9 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. Sundays. Getting to the site around 7 a.m., church volunteers transform the YMCA facility into their makeshift church for the time being.

We have incredible volunteers who go above and beyond because they believe in our vision and the church, Spencer said. Serving is part of the DNA of who we are.

Then, they tear down right after the last service and cram the equipment into a 16-foot trailer.

Our church right now fits in the back of a trailer, he said. Its like a good game of Tetris every Sunday putting (the equipment back in the truck).

Each Sunday until the second week of June, when church leaders expect the renovation project to be done, they will repeat the process.

Spencer said when the church was in the planning process to expand roughly five years ago, it was decided they would congregate somewhere else, instead of staying in their facility, which would have lengthened the four-month project by two months.

Having just run through both services, Spencer said the congregation was very receptive and slightly excited about the new location for the time being.

It was different, but it created a lot of energy being in a new space, he said. The excitement of being in a new space just adds to it. We are a very fluid church.

While it was the congregation's first time meeting in the YMCA as a result of the renovations, it was not its first time in the building.

Its almost like a welcome-back party, Spencer said. I guess it isn't our first rodeo.

In 2000, the church community moved to its current facility, but not before selling its own first. For 18 months, in expectation to move into the new facility, they stayed at the YMCA.

Now, the renovations are largely space related. Spencer said additions will be made to the property and walls will be torn down to allow for more space within the existing facility. He said the renovations have been made specifically to not just accommodate the congregation's growing numbers but also for the community to use. He said the space could be used for employee training, big and small, for example.

We will have some great meeting space for the community to use, he said.

The renovations will mean approximately 2,000 square feet added to the 15,000-square-foot facility.
DECATUR  The Decatur Board of Education has informed Superintendent Lisa Taylor that it will not be extending her contract when it expires in June 2017.

Taylor said she met with board President Sherri Perkins on Thursday to discuss her annual evaluation.

She shared that I met all performance goals outlined in my evaluation, Taylor said. However, the board is not going to extend my contract at the end of the term (June 30, 2017). She did say the board is split 4-3, not in my favor.

Taylor's contract and the evaluation criteria are on the district website, www.dps61.org.

Perkins would say only that Taylor's contract is due to expire in June 2017 and did not address a request to comment on why Taylor was told her contract won't be extended.

She will be the superintendent of the district until at least that date. The board of education is not obligated to issue the superintendent a new contract until the existing contract expires, Perkins said.

Board member Brian Hodges is one of three members who voted in Taylor's favor.

People are shocked that she is not extended and when they heard it they have called lots of people. The board was 4-3 on the contract and evaluation. I am very unhappy about the extension, he said.

Fred Spannaus, another of the three who voted in favor of Taylor, released a statement. Spannaus said he visits buildings regularly and possibly more often than any other board member, and has extensive experience in education-related committees.

This is all to say that I have gathered evidence and feedback from a wide range of individuals, both internally and externally, Spannaus' statement read. I have never asked district employees for their assessments of Ms. Taylor's performance; that would be improper. However, they have often volunteered their opinions, which have been without exception positive.

The evidence I have received over the almost two years of Ms. Taylor's service as superintendent is totally at odds with the position taken by the majority of the school board. I see a healed climate, a proud culture, and staff and students engaged in the learning process. I strongly disagree with the decision that has now been reported to the public.

Board member Dan Oakes also supports Taylor.

"I'm a firm supporter of Lisa Taylor. In my opinion, she has fulfilled the goals and objectives as set by the board, and there is no reason why her contract shouldn't be extended," he said.

When Taylor was hired in 2014, Perkins and board member T.J. Jackson voted against hiring her, both citing her lack of experience as a building principal, because the superintendent evaluates principals as part of the job. Taylor had served as an assistant principal. Alida Graham and Oakes mentioned that the community had made it very clear to them that an internal candidate was preferable, and Taylor fit that description.

When contacted for comment on this situation, Graham declined, and said only that Perkins, as board president, was spokesperson for the board.

The remaining board members  B.A. Buttz and Jackson  were asked for a comment and did not respond Friday.

Taylor worked in Decatur schools beginning as a student teacher and rose through the ranks to assistant principal and central administration. The Decatur Education Association has publicly declared support of Taylor in this matter and has urged members to wear yellow as a sign of support.

(Decatur Education Association) leadership believes that the climate and culture of (Decatur schools) has improved under the leadership of Superintendent Lisa Taylor, said Suzanne Kreps, president of DEA. We believe that our district strives to 'grow our own.' She is a perfect example of success in this endeavor. In her short time as superintendent, she has built numerous relationships with students, staff and community members.

"Every day school is in session is about the children, and the adults that work with them. As union leadership, we have a very positive and healthy working relationship.

The 4-3 vote appears to have been held in a closed session. The Illinois Open Meetings Act states that public bodies may go into closed session, after voting to do so in open session, only to discuss specific employees, collective bargaining matters, the sale or lease of public property and possible or pending litigation.

No votes, even on those items, may be taken in closed session. All votes must be taken in open session. The board's most recent announced meeting was Feb. 9, and the superintendent's contract was not on the agenda for a vote, nor was a vote taken in open session during that meeting.

The Herald & Review has sent a formal request for review of the board's actions to the Illinois Attorney General's Office public access counselor.

It is our opinion that the Decatur school board violated the Illinois Open Meetings Act twice in dealing with the contract of Lisa Taylor, said Dave Dawson, managing editor of the Herald & Review. One, they did not provide the required 48 hours advance notice of a public meeting. Two, the vote was apparently taken in closed session. No vote of any kind may be taken in closed session. The board even has to vote in open session to go into closed session.

"Our belief is the board should properly call the meeting to deal with Taylors contact, then take a vote in open session.

The board's next meeting will be a work session to discuss the district budget, at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in the MacArthur High School auditorium.
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Top Wisconsin lawmakers want the state attorney general to issue an opinion to clear up a backlog of requests for high-capacity wells.
Women could receive a one-year supply of birth control at one time under a bill proposed by Rep. Katrina Shankland, D-Stevens Point, and Sen. Nikiya Harris Dodd, D-Milwaukee.
Middleton consumer products company Spectrum Brands has created a new leadership position that could pay as much as $15.2 million worth of salary and potential bonuses in the first year, raising the eyebrows of at least one influential investor.

David Maura was named executive chairman of Spectrum Brands on Jan. 20. The post is a new one for the company, whose brands include Rayovac batteries, Remington shavers, George Foreman grills and Kwikset locks.

Both the job and its pay raise a lot of flags for us, TerriJo Saarela, director of corporate governance for the State of Wisconsin Investment Board, told the Wisconsin State Journal. SWIB owns 18,220 shares, or 0.031 percent, of the companys stock.

Of the Standard & Poors 500, we are aware of  based on how they disclose the information  only 11 percent of the companies have an executive chairman thats paid, she said. When a company has an executive chair ... it brings into question the independence of the board and whether that particular directors interests are aligned with the best interests of the company.

Maura, 43, joined Spectrum Brands board of directors in June 2010 and has served as chairman since his appointment. He also is a member of the boards compensation committee.

Spectrum Brands spokesman Dave Prichard said board members elevated Maura for what they believe are countless invaluable contributions he has made toward the companys growth and expansion in the past six years.

That includes four acquisitions in the 2015 fiscal year that ended Sept. 30: Tell Manufacturing, a Pennsylvania door and lock manufacturer; the IAMS and Eukanuba pet food businesses in Europe; Salix Animal Health, a Florida rawhide dog chew company; and Armored AutoGroup.

Davids role in leading the due diligence process, leading up to buying them, was front and center, Prichard said.

I think the board felt it was time that they have David enter into an employment relationship with Spectrum Brands ... to more fully reflect the leadership and services that hes been providing, Prichard said. They thought an employment agreement would more directly align Davids compensation with the performance of Spectrum Brands, going forward.

Adding an executive chairman is not the norm but it is becoming increasingly common, said Dan Siciliano, a Stanford Law School professor and faculty director of the schools Rock Center for Corporate Governance.

Sometimes, a CEO is occupied with running a company while the executive chairman may handle acquisition plans, he said. I think its sometimes a very smart strategy, said Siciliano, who was not familiar with Spectrum Brands situation but spoke in general terms.

The question for shareholders is: Are the shareholders getting fair value in terms of what they pay for his services? Siciliano said.

Mauras pay package

As the board chairman, Maura earned about $290,000 in cash and stock in fiscal 2015. He also received a one-time award of 100,000 shares of stock, valued at $8.975 million, to be paid in increments over the following three years.

When Maura became executive chairman last month, in a contract that runs through Oct. 1, 2018, his compensation package grew.

Hes being paid more than their CEO is, SWIBs Saarela said. Thats definitely an issue.

Andreas Rouve, who took over as CEO in April 2015, succeeding Dave Lumley, received a total package amounting to $7.2 million last year, according to the companys proxy statement to shareholders. But $3 million of that has not yet been calculated or paid. It is a potential stock award for company performance, and payment will be split over two years. His fiscal 2016 compensation is not yet available.

Spectrum Brands is one of the few local companies whose stock is publicly traded and is, therefore, required to file compensation data for top executives and directors with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. Privately owned companies most often do not have those requirements.

The executive compensation plans and reappointment of three Spectrum Brands board members were up for approval at the annual shareholders meeting, held Jan. 28 at the Diplomat Resort and Spa hotel in Hollywood, Florida.

SWIB voted against them. Another SWIB concern: Maura served on the Spectrum Brands boards compensation committee, which would have decided how much he should be paid. No mention was made that he did not participate in those conversations, Saarela said.

Thats a very concerning position to have, is to be in a role where youre on the compensation committee and youre being paid significantly more than everybody else, Saarela said.

Stanfords Siciliano said Mauras package feels like generous compensation but not so generous as to be completely out of line.

A big question will be what Maura is paid in the next fiscal year, Siciliano said.

It would be pretty eye-popping if every year looks like that. Secondly, what was the process? He cannot have had anything to do with decision-making on this appointment, he said.

Spectrum Brands spokesman Prichard said Maura ended his service on the compensation committee when his appointment as executive chairman took effect in January.
Already years in the making, Madison officials must now struggle with two radically different choices as it moves to deliver the massive Judge Doyle Square project south of Capitol Square.

A $125 million proposal from Beitler Real Estate Services and a $200 million offering from Vermilion Development, both of Chicago, contrast in cost, design, a hotel for Monona Terrace, housing, commercial space, parking, and public investment.

The development will rise on two Downtown blocks that now hold the Government East parking garage and the Madison Municipal Building, which will be renovated separately.

A new, 10-page analysis of the proposals by the citys negotiating team highlights differences and deficiencies  but recommends no choice  and will be discussed by the Board of Estimates on Monday.

The two proposals before the city provide it with a variety of choices, city project director George Austin said. Theyre both quality development teams. They both can get it done.

Both proposals are compelling, but neither fully meets all of the citys stated requirements, the staff report says. On the bottom line, Beitler would need $27.5 million in public investment while the larger Vermilion project, with more costly underground parking sought by the city, requires $59 million, it says.

The negotiating team, which says a choice must be made soon because a Downtown tax incremental financing (TIF) district will soon close, offered several options for next steps. They range from The Board of Estimates deciding Monday whether one, both or neither proposal proceeds, to doing no more work until the City Council gives direction.

Mayor Paul Soglin declined comment until after a public presentation of the report.

The proposals

Beitler proposes a 252-room hotel, 210 apartments, retail and limited office space, and 910 parking spaces, most above ground. A glass-sheathed structure with public parking, retail and a bicycle center would be on the Municipal Building block. The glassy hotel and apartments would be above parking across the street.

The proposal has a more bold design, is simpler and a better financial deal for the city, company president J. Paul Beitler said. Every decision we made was to maximize return to the city, he said.

Vermilion offers a 279-room hotel, 125 apartments, 94,000 square feet of office space, retail and 1,108 parking spaces, almost all underground. The hotel, restaurant and some retail would be on the Municipal Building block, with housing, offices, retail and a bicycle center on the other. A hotel skywalk connects to the Hilton hotel across East Wilson Street, which has a skywalk to Monona Terrace.

Vermilion says its plan delivers what the city sought with no public investment beyond underground parking.

We tried to translate the citys objectives into a complete physical program for the two blocks, Vermilion president David Cocagne said.

Both proposals fail to meet some city requirements, the staff report says. Beitler uses TIF for retail/office elements on the Municipal Building block and lacks fully below-ground parking. Vermilion doesnt pay full market value for land. Both proposals lack detail on labor commitments.

Hotels

The proposals meet the citys required 250 hotel rooms, but the hotels differ in size, location and amenities.

Vermilions Renaissance Hotel is bigger, set on the Municipal Building block, and full-service, meaning it has a sit-down restaurant, bellhops, valets, and other features, Cocagne stressed.

The full-service hotel is important, he said.

Beitlers EVEN Hotel, a brand with a focus on fitness and wellness, is farther from Monona Terrace and offers grab and go meals and a bar, with the expectation that guests will want to explore establishments nearby. The hotel better fits the evolving demands of travelers and millennial tastes, Beitler said.

Weve got two good projects, Monona Terrace director Gregg McManners said.

But he said the Vermilion hotel has advantages in rooms, service level and proximity to the convention center.

Beitler has more apartments and little office space. The citys market for housing is strong, but we dont see the demand for (offices) there, Beitler said.

Vermilion is confident about demand for offices but would build them only with extensive pre-leasing, Cocagne said, adding that the space could be a third phase or used for more housing.

Parking

The city has a big choice on parking.

We tried to be responsive to what the city requested, Cocagne said.

But Beitler countered, Were not digging all the way to China and the parking structure will appear as an attractive building with glass exterior, roof, heating and more.

Beitler makes more public parking available during construction, meaning the Parking Utility loses less, the staff report says.

Wed prefer to keep as many spaces available as possible, assistant Parking Utility manager Sabrina Tolley said.

Design, financials

The designs are a stark choice for a city sensitive to development near historic buildings. Beitlers curved, glassy, modernistic structures reflecting an ellipse created on Pinckney Street contrast sharply with Vermilions nods to both modern and historic surroundings.

The city needs more vibrant architecture, Beitler said, adding that the companys design should not be changed.

This is the embodiment of modern architecture, he said. You want something unique, something special.

The Vermilion design, Cocagne said, better respects its neighbors.

The question is, how do you blend the new with the old? he said. Its a balance.

On public investment, both proposals use $13 million in Parking Utility funds  the cost of replacing Government East above ground  and $2 million to replace Fleet Services parking and build a bicycle center, the staff report says.

Vermilion would pay the city $2 million for land on both blocks valued at $11 million, adding a $9 million subsidy to the $35 million it seeks in TIF, the report says. Its an overall package, Cocagne said.

With Beitler, the city owns all land, with the developer paying ground leases for property on the Government East block, which is valued at $6.5 million. The ground leases deliver $5 million to the city in the first 10 years, and more afterward. The city would also get lease income for retail space on the Municipal Building block. Beitler would need $11 million in TIF, the staff report says.

The financing plan is designed to maximize return to the city, minimize its risk, and provide long-term flexibility, vice president John Paul Beitler III said.

Both proposals leave a surplus in the TIF district far in excess of the required $19 million minimum seen at the end of 2014, the staff report says.

Comparing the Judge Doyle Square proposals

Hotel

BEITLER

Rooms: 252

Flag: EVEN Hotel by InterContinental Hotels Group; no operator selected

Hotel commitment letter: Yes

Cost: $57.9 million

Meeting space: 7,818 with option of up to 23,450 square feet if less retail space is provided

Other features: Select-service hotel with a focus on wellness. Marketplace with grab and go retail area with food options, hot and cold drinks, small selection of not retail items, and bar service. 1,200-square-foot fitness center. Lean staffing model.

VERMILION

Rooms: 279

Flag: Likely to be Renaissance by Marriott; Marcus Hotels and Resorts as operator

Hotel commitment letter: No

Cost: $90 million

Meeting space: 17,629 square feet, including 11,000-square-foot ballroom

Other features: Full-service hotel with amenities including formal restaurant, valet and bellhop. Indoor skywalk connecting to Hilton Madison and Monona Terrace. Full staffing model.

Other uses

BEITLER

210-unit upscale apartment building

On Municipal Building block, 31,000 square feet of retail, food court, bicycle center and office space on first two floors. Second-floor retail space could be changed to other use if desired.

On Government East block, 7,816 square feet of street retail.

VERMILION

125-unit, upscale apartment building

94,000 square feet of office space

On Government East block, 13,000 square feet of street retail and bicycle center

Parking

BEITLER

910 total spaces, all above ground. Of those, 621 spaces public spaces would be in a glass-sheathed structure on the Madison Municipal Building block and 306 spaces  also glass sheathed  would serve serve a hotel and apartments on the Government East parking garage block

Cost per public supported space: $30,000

Phasing: First build 621-space public parking structure to ensure no loss of existing public parking during the project. Initial structure built in 14 months. Then, Government East is demolished and construction begins on parking and other development on that block, taking 18 months.

VERMILION

1,108 total spaces, all below ground. Of the total, 358 would be mostly below the hotel on the Municipal Building block and 750 stalls below the apartments and offices on the Government East block.

Cost per public-supported space: $44,662

Phasing: First build hotel and parking on Municipal Building block and deliver 352 public parking spaces 11 months into construction. At 11 months, Government East is demolished and 22 months later 750 public parking spaces become available on that block.

Design

BEITLER

Design revolves around a new elliptical median on South Pinckney Street to be called JD Plaza. New curved median will feature landscaping and fountains with traffic flowing one way on each side. The modernistic, glass-sheathed structures reflect that elliptical form.

The public elements of the project  public parking, bicycle center, retail space  are in an eight-story structure on Madison Municipal Building block. Private elements  the 12-story hotel and 13-story apartment building  are in separate, side-by-side structures above parking for those uses. In between the hotel and apartments, atop the third floor of parking, is a rooftop terrace for apartment users with grills, fire pits and other amenities.

VERMILION

Design is intended to reflect context of the neighborhood, which is a mix of historic and modern buildings.

Architecture and materials for nine-story hotel on the Municipal Building block feature natural, rich tones, and the project would have a skywalk connecting to the Hilton Madison. Buildings on the Government East block are more contemporary and use masonry and metal panels for 11-story apartment and six-story office buildings. All glass is transparent and non-reflective. The design, including step-backs, intends to break down the scale of the structures.

Pinckney Street would be lined with a restaurant and retail, and the sidewalks would have landscaping, street furnishings and bike racks.

Financing

BEITLER

Total cost: $125 million

Developer contribution: $35 million equity; $64 million in debt

Land transaction: Developer leases land valued at $6.5 million, beginning at $575,000 a year and escalating 5 percent every five years to $733,863 by 30th year

Direct city investment: $26 million, including $11 million in TIF, $13 million from parking utility, $1 million for city fleet parking; $1 million for bike center.

Extra revenue to city: In addition to the land lease, city get income from leasing retail space it would create, starting at $620,000 annually and escalating to $1.2 million in 30th year. The city could sell the land and/or retail space to the developer at any time.

Project value: $58 million

Ratio of assessed value added to TIF: 5.3 to 1

VERMILION

Total cost: $200 million

Developer contribution: $45 million in equity; $105 million in debt

Land transaction: Developer pays $2 million for land valued at $11 million

Direct city investment: $50 million, including $35 million in TIF, $13 million from parking utility, $1 million for city fleet parking; $1 million for bike center.

Project value: $76 million

Ratio of assessed value added to TIF: 2.2 to 1
TOWN OF SPRINGFIELD  The American Locomotive Co. was once one of the largest builders of steam engines in the world.

In 1907, six years after the New York company was formed by a merger of the Schenectady Locomotive Works and seven other companies, ALCO, as it was then known, set a production record. Its 6,200 workers built 942 locomotives, turning out an average of 18 of the steel and cast iron behemoths every week at a cost of about $20,000 each, according to the Schenectady Digital History Archive.

Restoring just one of the 60-ton pieces of history is taking considerably more time and money.

More than two years after one of ALCOs locomotives was taken apart and shipped 37 miles from North Freedom to a rural machine shop north of Middleton, nearly two years of work still remain on the $2 million rebuild.

The 1385, built for the Chicago & North Western Railroad and owned for over 50 years by the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in central Sauk County, is starting to look like its old self again. But the relic that used to pull the Great Circus Train from Baraboo to Milwaukee and back might not hit the Mid-Continent tracks until 2018.

A project of this magnitude takes patience.

Its been a very long, long process, said Peter Deets, a volunteer with the museum and the last person to fire up the locomotives engine before it was taken out of service in 1998. Everything thats been done here has equaled if not surpassed original build. And thats really what our aim is, to return the engine to original build specifications.

So when an open house is held Feb. 20 and 21 at SPEC Machine, 7175 Riles Road, fans of the massive undertaking will see progress but not a locomotive ready for a tender filled with coal.

The engines three sets of 63-inch-diameter drive wheels, one set of which weighs 15,000 pounds, are resting on tracks in the rear of the shop and are connected to the 40-foot-long chassis. The drive arms are attached, much of the locomotive has coats of fresh paint and there are newly minted parts made of steel and brass.

The wooden cab is nearing completion at a shop in Fond du Lac, while the design of the boiler could be completed this spring by Performance Engineering in Waunakee. Instead of using rivets, the boiler will be welded this summer by Hamon Deltak, a maker of industrial boilers and steam generators in Plymouth, Minnesota.

But the bulk of the restoration is being done at SPEC Machine, where owner Steve Roudebush has used lathes and milling machines to repair farm implements and create highly specialized parts and machines for biomedical, manufacturing and food companies. His shop has also made high-tech rat cages for experiments aboard the International Space Station.

Working on the locomotive for Roudebush, who has an affinity for anything steam-related, has been a passion more than a business decision.

Its important for me to see it run again, Roudebush said. Every part you need to make it, fit it, and see how it affected the 14 pieces in front of it and the 14 pieces that follow it. And thats what takes so much time, the researching.

The locomotive was a workhorse for the Chicago & North Western Railroad from 1907 to 1956. When it was retired, Mid-Continent members scraped together $2,600 to buy it in 1961. Beginning in 1963, the locomotive pulled cars on the museums 3.5 miles of track but was taken out of service in 1998 for what museum officials thought would be $125,000 in boiler repairs. A closer inspection revealed the engine needed a complete restoration that is now being paid for through donations and grants.

When completed, the 1385 will become the only operating C&NW steam locomotive in the country and one of only eight that have been preserved. But the restoration is about more than just bringing a piece of history back to life.

The 1385 is tied to the future success of Mid-Continent, a nonprofit museum that showcases railroad equipment made between between 1885 and 1915, when steam locomotives moved 90 percent of the nations passengers and freight. A working 1385 has the potential to draw thousands of tourists each year to the museum, located a short drive from the tourist hotbed of Wisconsin Dells, officials say.

Roudebush, 52, who grew up in Waunakee and remembers the Circus Train rolling through the village, has used old photos, history books and over 700 blueprint drawings from the Lake States Railway Historical Association in Baraboo to guide him on the restoration.

He also has a series of encyclopedias on locomotive construction from 1908 and another set of 14 books from 1910 that cover topics like engine management and installation, steam engine and valve gears, and riveted joints.

It all looks like big pieces but every big piece has a whole heap of little pieces rolled into it, and they all need attention and care, Roudebush said of the locomotives design. Its been a lot of work because nothing is straightforward.

The front truck (four smaller wheels that sit in front of the drive wheels) of the locomotive is in pieces, with the frame of the truck being recreated after decades of wear that has compromised much of the steel beyond repair, including the pins and bushings. The footplate of the locomotive, which serves as the connector between the frame and drawbar and needs to withstand massive forces, was littered with cracks and replaced with a stronger version.

An Underwood portable boring bar machine from the 1890s was recently used to bore out one of the locomotives cylinders. The machine is a collection of gears, drive shafts and cutting heads driven by an air motor. The antique device is from Mid-Continents museum collection and has been used on two other locomotives over the years.

The machine that they built to maintain the machine still can hold the accuracy and still does everything we need it to do to todays standards, Deets, the museum volunteer, said.

It was designed for this purpose and its also honoring the people who built these machines and maintained them.
Bernie Sanders is a proud and self-described socialist, a veteran Vermont senator who wants to bring some European ideas to the United States. One of those ideas is a single-payer health care system: a government-funded program in which the patient bears little to no cost. Sanders describes it as Medicare for all.

Its an excellent idea. The United States is the richest country in the world, and it ought to grant every citizen guaranteed access to doctors and hospitals. Thats what Canada, Japan and the countries of Western Europe have all done.

But Sanders is vague  and his supporters quite naive  about the prospects of bringing a single-payer system to the United States. He insists he could accomplish that in a prospective first term if many millions of people demand it.

Heres the rub: They wont  at least not in the systematic and sustained manner that would be required to bring about that sort of, well, revolutionary change to the American medical-industrial complex.

Theres a reason the U.S. doesnt have Medicare for all: politics. Do Sanders and his supporters remember the epic battle to pass the Affordable Care Act?

Democrats have been trying to pass a version of universal health care since the days of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. But conservatives have fought every proposal that would increase access for ordinary Americans, including Medicare. Ronald Reagan, then a neophyte political activist, toured the country campaigning against it.

Bill Clinton made universal health care a cornerstone of his presidential campaign in 1992, and he appointed his wife, Hillary, to head a task force to propose legislation after he won. They tried mightily to pass it, but conservatives denounced it, and the insurance industry spent millions to defeat it.

Thats why President Barack Obama brought the insurance industry on board when he started toward the Affordable Care Act. He knew he needed their support to have a prayer of passage. So the ACA preserves the business of selling health insurance through private companies.

Still, it has helped millions of families. Nearly 9 million more Americans had health insurance in 2014 than the year before, according to government data. Moreover, the ACA prevents insurance companies from banning patients because they are sick and prohibits insurers from placing lifetime caps on the amount of money any person can collect for health care.

Would a single-payer plan have been even better? You bet. But listen to Obamas former aide, David Axelrod, describe the difficulties of trying to pass such a proposal.

I support single-payer health care, but having gone through health reform, we couldnt even get a national consensus around the public option! It was Democratic votes that were ultimately missing on that issue, Axelrod remembered. (The public option was a proposal for a government-run health insurance plan to compete with private health insurers.)

History shows that Obama and his allies spent months trying to make the ACA more palatable to conservatives to entice a few GOP votes. Actually, the mandate requiring that all adults have health insurance was originally a conservative idea. While the federal government provides subsidies to help families with modest incomes buy insurance, it doesnt pay the full cost. (Obamacare also sets aside billions for states to expand Medicaid, but the Supreme Court made that optional, and many states have refused to expand.)

Still, the ACA did not get a single Republican vote in the end  not one. Republicans are still trying to repeal the law, taking more than 60 votes in Congress and going to the Supreme Court with challenges. Most of those Republicans will be easily re-elected to Congress.

Given recent history, its clear that Sanders plan would face very long odds  and thats before details become clear. The Vermont senator proposes an extraordinary range of patient care  dental and vision coverage, mental health care, long-term care  while, he says, saving trillions of dollars. Many health care experts say that cant be done, so health care spending would likely increase. You dont have to be a conservative voter to fear where that would lead us.

If Vermonts audacious senator has a plan for overcoming an ultraconservative GOP caucus in Congress, a right-leaning U.S. Supreme Court, and millions of voters who still flinch from the word socialist, he ought to lay it out. It would be quite a revolutionary plan, indeed.
MILWAUKEE  It was like walking into your first Major League Baseball game. Actually, its always a kick to breathe the same air as famous people.

At the Democratic debate on Thursday in Milwaukee I kept saying to myself: Theres Kasie Hunt of MSNBC.

Oh. Shes a political reporter who covers the presidential race. Dont know her? Well, those of us who are political junkies do.

Then I saw him. John Heilemann of Bloomberg Politics was sitting right there, working on his laptop. John Heilemann and his partner Mark Halperin have taken the place of Theodore H. White, who wrote The Making of a President, 1960. That book was really the first time we went inside the ropes of a presidential campaign from beginning to end.

In 2008, Heilemann and Halperin wrote Game Change, with a fascinating section on Sarah Palins bizarre run that turned into an HBO movie. Four years ago, Heilemann and Halperin wrote Double Down: Game Change 2012.

I said, John, do you have a minute for a quick interview? He said, Sure. Have a seat.

Feeling like I was talking to Theodore H. White himself, I said, Do you think Wisconsin could still matter in the race? He said, Sure. In fact, I think this will be a long, protracted fight for every state and every delegate.

Heilemann rejects the notion that Hillary Clinton has a firewall in South Carolina.

She has a big advantage with African-Americans and Latinos, but Bernie (Sanders) won a majority of women in New Hampshire. He won big with working-class voters as well. Remember in 2008, Hillary won that vote over Barack Obama.

He continued: If Bernie can hold that vote along with independents and win big with young people (another Obama constituency) then he could offset Hillarys advantage with minority voters.

Then his eyes widened for emphasis: If Bernie could cut into her lead significantly with African-American and Latinos, we could have a fight to the end.

I thanked him and walked away like I just scored Arnold Palmers autograph. I shouldnt be this weird at 54, but its too late to change. The attitude of the traveling press corps was that of a freshman reporter covering a city council meeting. Eyes glazed over when a group of Black Lives Matter protesters came to the media center entrance chanting for a $15-an-hour minimum wage.

TV reporters at all levels showed no looks of empathy. They just made eye contact with their news photographers with the silent command, Make sure you get this.

The biggest chuckle of the night among the press corps came after Hillary was calling out Bernie for being critical of President Obama in a number of ways. The laughs came after Bernie said, Only one candidate up here ran against Barack Obama, and I was not that candidate.

After it ended, the campaign spokespeople came out to give sound bytes or explanations on why their candidate won the debate. For me, none of that was as important as when Kasie Hunt of MSNBC tripped over my foot and said, Excuse me.

Eye contact was made. For a political geek like me, it was the same as being 12 years old. No wonder Im divorced.
We have some trends, tricks, & treats up our sleeves and so we We hope you're ready for another fun hour with #ChicagonistaLIVE. Great prizes, too! #ChicagoOctober 28th, Wednesday, 2pm CSThttp://www.ChicagonistaLIVE.com
The movie Thank You, Dad by Hrach Keshishyan tells a story of an American-Armenian girl, named Virgy. Although, she had hardly ever see...
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.
The second semifinal on February 13 works just like the first one. Six acts and three will be televoted to the final and it all takes place at YLE's studios in Helsinki. Many returns in this one from Cristal Snow to Mikael Saari and Kimmo Blom aka Angelo de Nile. Also last year's Pihja ja Myrsky returns as songwriters to Attention 2, as does Jimi Constantine from Euroviisut 2011, today the man behind megasuper popular Robin. And there's that obstrusive fan team as songwriters. And the song blamed of plagiarism..... And finally a couple of the most succesful and famous Finnish dancemusic producers Kaivo and JS16.

Attention 2 - Ready for the show

(Henna Helasvuo, Lasse Turunen/Lasse Turunen) Review

Cristal Snow - Love is blind

(Cristal Snow, Jimi Constantine, Samuel Kovanko) Review

Annica Milan & Kimmo Blom - Good enough

(Michael James Down, Primoz Pogladen, Jonas Gladnikoff, Matthew Ker) Review

Rafaela Truda - Rise up

(Kalle Makipelto, Olli-Matti Kalliosaari, Rafaela Truda/Olli-Matti Kalliosaari, Rafaela Truda) Review

Ylona - Blazing fire

(Tero 'Kaivo' Kaikkonen, Jaakko 'JS16' Salovaara/Tero 'Kaivo' Kaikkonen, Ylona) Review

Mikael Saari - On it goes

In YLE's video previews Cristal Snow won the whole thing, and Mikael Saari and Annica & Kimmo came 3rd and th in overall, so these three were their favorites for final.Finnish fan forum clearly sends Mikael and Annica & Kimmo to the final, while Cristal and Rafaela fight for the third place.The international forum also agrees; Annica & Kimmo, Mikael and Cristal to the final but then this is the most fan wanked semifinal of them all - let's see what the television viewers think. Are we in for surprises?In my little poll the top-3 is Cristal Snow, Annica & Kimmo and Rafaela Truda as well for our preferences but who do we think will qualify is a mess; the same three get two votes, but all the others get one vote, too....
Friday Illinois State Representative and Assistant Republican Leader Chad Hays announced that he has joined Governor John Kasich's presidential campaign as a Illinois Co-Chair.

Despite his trailing in the national polls, Ohio Governor John Kasich - who came in second at the New Hampshire primary this week - is gathering more endorsements among Illinois elected officials. Pundits speculate that Kasich is focusing on midwestern states rather than the southern states for support in upcoming primaries.

"As someone who has balanced budgets before, I know that balancing the federal budget is not for the faint of heart. Yet John Kasich did it once before, and he has a plan to do it again," Hays said in a statement. "Over the years, he has consistently impressed me with his willingness to make hard choices while bringing people together. I enthusiastically support his presidential campaign and look forward to joining the rest of the team to communicate his message to voters."

Hays, a native of Vermillion County, has served in the Illinois legislature since 2010. He previously served two terms as Mayor of Catlin, where he balanced eight consecutive budgets.

"It's an honor to win the support of State Representative Chad Hays, a strong leader who understands the unique pressure of being an executive," Kasich said in a statement. "With a little over a month to go before the Illinois primary election, our ground operation is growing stronger and reaching more voters every day."

Kasich for America Illinois Team

Chairman:

Christine Radogno, Republican Leader, Illinois Senate

Co-Chairs:

Dan Cronin, DuPage County Board Chairman

Dave Syverson, Illinois State Senator, 35th District

Ed Sullivan, Illinois House of Representatives, 51st Distrct

David Harris, Illinois House of Representatives, 53rd District

Ron Sandack, Illinois House of Representatives, 81st District

Tom Demmer, Illinois House of Representatives, 90th District

Jil Tracy, Illinois House of Representatives, 94th District (former)

Randy Frese, Illinois House of Representatives, 94th District

Chad Hays, Illinois House of Representatives, 104th District

The Honorable Joseph Mohorovic, Commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Jim Schultz, Director, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity; Chairman, Citizens for Rauner

Pat Brady, former Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party

Sean Morrison, Cook County Commissioner, 17th District

Leadership Team:

Aaron Del Mar, Chairman of the Cook County Republican Party

Seth McMillan, Chairman of the Christian County Republican Party

Jerome Groniger, Chairman of the Coles County Republican Party

Liz Gorman, former Cook County Commissioner, 17th District

Cory Jobe, Director, Illinois Office of Tourism, Ward 6 Alderman

John Farney, Champaign County Auditor

Kristy Stephenson, City Treasurer, City of Metropolis
UPDATE Saturday 3:42 PM: Rep. Dunkin tells FOX 32's Mike Flannery he's always been pro-union, and that he will very likely support an effort in the Illinois House this week that's been reintroduced that would weaken Governor Rauner's power in public sector negotiations.

CHICAGO - As former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar likes to say, "In Illinois politics is a blood sport," and House Speaker Mike Madigan and the 42nd Ward Democrats are beating up State Rep. Ken Dunkin, who is paying a price for defying Speaker Madigan by missing a couple of crucial votes in the 2015 legislative session.

Dunkin, whose re-election is being challenged in the March 15th primary by Democrat Juliana Stratton, is instead being backed by groups that support Governor Rauner's Turnaround Agenda. Illinois Opportunity Project boasted sending Dunkin $500,000 two weeks ago. Rauner's representatives are encouraging pro-Agenda groups to financially support Dunkin, too.
One 77-year-olds search for the truth: 9/11, election fraud, illegal wars, Wall Street criminality, a stolen nuke, the neocon wars, control of the U.S. government by global corporations, the unjustified assault on Social Security, media complicity, and the "Great Recession" about to become the second Great Depression. "The most important truths are hidden from us by the powerful few who strive to steal the American dream by keeping We the People in the dark."
Four terrorists were killed today during an encounter between militants and security forces in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir.

By India Today Web Desk: Two Army personnel were martyred and four terrorists were killed today during an encounter between militants and security forces in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir.

A gunbattle broke out after police assisted by army launched a cordon and search operation at Marseri village in Chowkibal area following specific information about a group of militants hiding in a house, officials said.

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Soon after the cordon was established, the search party were attacked by the hiding ultras. The security forces then returned fire.

The gunbattle resumed this morning in which two soldiers were martyred.

ALSO READ

Terrorist killed in encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara



--- ENDS ---
By India Today Web Desk: Nakul Sharma travelled solo across Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam for 38 days, covering 34,000 km, walking 300 km, and taking 4,900 pictures with only one purpose. Read his first-hand experience to know what:

Everyone's got a reason to travel the world. I got mine in 2010 when I lost my father. I just wanted to travel get rid of the pain. But with the passage of time, the reason has changed. Now, I travel so that I can gain experiences, educate myself and share my stories with others in the form of photographs. I hope that these stories not only educate, but also help in inspiring others to travel the world like me.

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In December 2015, I decided to go on my self-titled expedition, South East Asia Solo Photography Expedition. I travelled across three countries (Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam) for a period of 38 days. I covered 34,000 km, walked 300 km and took 4,900 photographs with only one purpose -- I wanted to inspire everyone who wants to travel the world freely without any worries. But that's never easy -- job always comes in the way. I realise this, and that's the reason I travelled all these places with a single message -- "Job can wait, travel can't."

Here's a quick look at the Myanmar chapter:

Myanmar

Myanmar's true beauty lies in its deep-rooted connection with culture. I believe it's a place that can please those who love to travel the world in order to learn and experience varied cultures. Not to forget, nature lovers would also fall in love with this place. For a photographer, Myanmar has a treasure trove of uncountable stories, people and places to explore.

The itinerary I followed was: Delhi-Yangon-Bagan-Mandalay-Inle Lake-Yangon.

Yangon

The first destination in my itinerary was Yangon, the capital of Myanmar. Yangon is an amazing city with a lot to experience, from street life to Pagodas (temples). The first two nights in the city were a bit hard for me, traveling solo in a new place had made me nervous. But after spending some time with the other solo travellers I met in this place, there was no fear left in me. I spent most of my time exploring the street life of Yangon, because it gave me a glimpse into the local culture. The street food is something a traveller must not miss out on.

Bagan

From Yangon, I took the overnight bus to Bagan. I believe everyone should visit Bagan at least once in his lifetime in order to experience its inherent beauty and the serenity it offers.



Bagan is a photographer's paradise -- it is steeped in abundant natural beauty, has a deep-rooted connection with its culture, has warm people as its residents and has some of the most amazing views of both sunrise and sunset.

A beautiful sunrise in Bagan. Picture courtesy: Nakul Sharma

It took me a while to figure out the places that offer the best frames. But after talking to locals, I found the spots that are not usually flooded with tourists, thus allowing me to take some really good photographs. I think the best way to explore the city and its beauty is to hire e-bikes and get lost in the city's bylanes. For me, it was three long days of more riding and less sleep. I have captured Bagan and its beauty in my camera, and deep in my heart.

The group of Monks Nakul met on the way to Inle Lake. Picture courtesy: Nakul Sharma The group of Monks Nakul met on the way to Inle Lake. Picture courtesy: Nakul Sharma

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Mandalay

Something that really attracted me to Mandalay was not the city itself, but a very rare cave temple called the Datdawtaung Cave. Located at a distance of 40km from Mandalay, it's no less than a hidden temple in Myanmar. Forget tourists, even the locals hardly know about it. I got to know about it through a blog written by a tourist who had visited the place sometime back. That blog post, along with its photographs, was the only source of information for me, as there's no other information about this place available on the web. So, the main purpose of my visit to this place was to explore a new destination and promote the same through my blog.

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Also see: All photographs from the Myanmar trip



If you ever happen to visit Mandalay, don't miss out on the beautiful U Bein Bridge. Built in 1850, it is believed to be the oldest and the longest teakwood bridge in the world. This bridge provide the perfect ending to my day in Mandalay with a beautiful sunset.

Inle Lake

Located in the the Nyaungshwe township of Taunggyi district, Inle Lake is the second largest freshwater lake in Myanmar. Choosing a shared taxi as my mode of transport from Mandalay to Inle Lake proved fruitful, as it allowed me to experience an amazing road trip. Sharing the taxi with a group of monks made my journey all the more interesting. Leading the way through undulating hills, the scenic route offered some of the best views of my trip.



The best thing to do when you are in this place, is to visit the lake and explore the floating villages around. The survival tales of the indigenous population and their unique culture are worth exploring. The best way to explore this lake and its surrounding floating villages is through a shared boat ride with a guide on board -- that's how I did it as well. Although I was really looking forward to take some nice photographs of the fishermen along with the sunrise acting as a great backdrop, but bad weather conditions didn't allow me to do so. But that was compensated by an exploration of the interesting daily life of the villagers, their markets, and temples as well.

A fisherman at the Inle Lake. Picture courtesy: Nakul Sharma

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After spending two memorable weeks in Myanmar, it was time to visit Cambodia for my forthcoming adventures.

Click here for Nakul Sharma's Facebook page.



Click here to see the Facebook page of the expedition.

Link to Nakul Sharma's official photography website.



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Three paramilitary personnel have been injured in an IED blast triggered by Maoists in the Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.

Three paramilitary personnel have been injured in an IED blast

By India Today Web Desk: Three paramilitary personnel have been injured in an IED blast triggered by Maoists in the Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.

According to the officials the incident took place around 11:15 AM when a patrol party of the 111th battalion of the force was in the jungles of Aranpur. A hidden improvised explosive device placed in the dirt track went off injuring the three men, who have been identified as Assistant Sub Inspector Mohan and Constables A Ghosh and Rajinder.

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The injured have been airlifted to Dantewada.

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Sitaram Yechury and D Raja today discussed the JNU issue with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. The Left leaders met Rajnath to complain against the arrest of Jawaharlal Nehru University students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar by Delhi Police. Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi also reached Rajnath's residence.

By India Today Web Desk: Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja today discussed the JNU issue with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. The leaders met Rajnath to complain against the arrest of Jawaharlal Nehru University students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar by Delhi Police. Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi also reached Rajnath's residence.

Sitaram Yechury told the media that Rajnath has assured them that investigation won't be carried out on any innocent person and they told the home minister what is happening in JNU is worse than what happened during Emergency.

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Yechury also alleged that Vice-Chancellor Jagdeesh Kumar is behind the clampdown.



Should be proved that these incidents happened, JNU has no cameras so where did the tape come from?: Sitaram Yechury pic.twitter.com/WJgi7vEaNk&; ANI (@ANI_news) February 13, 2016

Kanhaiya, who was arrested on Friday on charges sedition and conspiracy, was remanded for custodial interrogation for three days by a local court while at least 8 other students were debarred from academic activities by the JNU pending a disciplinary enquiry into an event held in support of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru who was hanged in 2013. Later, Kanhaiya was later produced before metropolitan magistrate Lovleen where the police sought his custodial interrogation for five days to ascertain the alleged links of the accused persons, including those who are allegedly on the run, with the terrorists.



Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi to meet Home Minister Rajnath Singh at 11:30 am today over #JNU issue.&; ANI (@ANI_news) February 13, 2016

The Delhi Police on Friday launched a massive search operation in south Delhi and old Delhi to arrest Omar Khalid, Anant Prakash, Rama Naga, Ashutosh and Anirban who are absconding from university campus.

However, Kanhaiya told the court that he was neither shouting any slogan nor saying anything against integrity of the country.

The Delhi Police action came after Rajnath Singh made it clear that anti-India activities will not be tolerated in India and the government will take strict action against the troublemakers.

Meanwhile, both Yechury and Raja have alleged that the Left-linked student group has been subjected to arbitrary arrests as part of a nefarious political agenda. JNU students' union also terms the incident as RSS plot to shut the University.

Bassi on Friday justified the sedition charges on the students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University for eulogising Afzal Guru and warned people of indulging in anti-state activities saying the punishment for the same ranged from three years to life imprisonment.

A group of students had on February 9 held an event in the campus and allegedly shouted slogans against the hanging of Afzal Guru in 2013. However, the university claims it cancelled permission for the Afzal Guru event, which was allegedly pitched as a cultural function. JNU Vice-Chancellor Jagdeesh Kumar has called it an act of indiscipline.

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ALSO READ:

JNU campus row: Anti-national activities will not be tolerated, says Rajnath Singh



Arrest of JNUSU president triggers a chain of reactions



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Tearing into former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's criticism of Modi government, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said the transition from UPA to NDA government has been from "policy-paralysis" to a global "bright-spot" and in this government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the last word.

By India Today Web Desk: Reacting to India Today's interview with former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said in NDA government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the last word.

In an exclusive interview with Jyoti Malhotra, Manmohan Singh spoke freely on a wide variety of subjects. The shrinking of the economy and the Modi government's flip-flops on Pakistan worried him. He said Modi must do much more to heal the country, and rued that the PM didn't reach out to the main Opposition party, the Congress.



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Jaitley said the transition from UPA to NDA government has been from "policy-paralysis" to a global "bright-spot" while Congress' stand on the crucial GST Bill has been motivated by "real politics".

In a Facebook post titled 'What Manmohan Singh should advise his Party', Jaitley said unlike in the UPA regime when policies were framed from Congress headquarters at 24, Akbar Road, in the NDA government Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the last word.

"Former Presidents and Prime Ministers rarely speak, but when they do, the nation should listen to them with rapt attention. They represent the wisdom of the nation.

"They are expected to be non-partisan, render constructive advice and at times send a powerful message even to their own political party to act in broader national interest," he said.

Stating that he had consistently held Singh in high respect, he expected the same from him.

Referring to Singh's interview to a periodical over Modi not reaching out to the opposition and government not doing enough to move up the country's economy, he said, "I am sure if Singh would dispassionately analyse the present government, he would really realize India has a government where the Prime Minister has the last word, where natural resources are allocated without corruption through transparent process...

"... where industrialists no longer visit North Block to push files/decisions, where environmental clearances are dealt with in routine and not stalled on sadistic or corrupt considerations."

Posing a question if there was any change in the work culture, the Finance Minister said the public sector banks were hardly run by their own Boards or even by North Block during the UPA government.

"They were run from 24, Akbar Road. In power and infrastructure areas, sectoral challenges were not addressed during the UPA. It is the present government which is clearing up these accumulated challenges," he said.

ALSO READ:

Arun Jaitley: India needs to aspire to economic growth rates of 8-9 per cent

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The Udupi District and Sessions Court in coastal Karnataka has sentenced a school bus driver to 16 years of rigorous imprisonment after finding him guilty of raping a minor girl.

By Mail Today: The Udupi District and Sessions Court in coastal Karnataka has sentenced a school bus driver to 16 years of rigorous imprisonment after finding him guilty of raping a minor girl.

Shubhakumar (26) committed the crime in September 2013 inside the school bus in the evening. Later, he had dropped the 4-year-old girl to her home in an auto-rickshaw. Shubhakumar went absconding and the incident had shocked the coastal Karnataka district.

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The police managed to nab Shubhakumar and following a detailed probe, filed a chargesheet in the court. Judge Shivashankar Amarannavar pronounced the sentence and also imposed a fine of Rs 13,000 on the convict.

ALSO READ | Teenage girl burnt alive by stalker when she resisted rape attempt



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By Moeena Halim: Slumdog Millionaire- 2008

Location CST (formerly VT) Station

If it is Dharavi where Jamal is the so-called 'slumdog', it is Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus where he redeems his hero status, reunited with the love of his life Latika (Freida Pinto). This is where Jai Ho, which plays along with the end credits, was choreographed with a troupe of 100 dancers in true-blue Bollywood style.

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Mumbai has often been described as the place you either love, hate or love to hate and the cinematic portrayal of the city has mirrored this notion. If New York has a specific identity in Hollywood, it is Mumbai that offers the alternative in Hindi films. "It is at once the city of dreams as well as the corrupt, dark Gotham city that births gangsters," observes Nasreen Munni Kabir, a documentary filmmaker and film writer.

Different genres of cinema have looked at different aspects of the city. "There was Gaman (1978), where Farooq Shaikh played a taxi driver and the poignant question 'Seene mein jalan, aankhon mein toofan sa kyon hai? Is sheher mein har shaqs pareshaan sa kyon hai?' remains. Then there was Satya (1998), which turned Mumbai inside out and showed us its sleazy side, onionsmelling bars and slippery-with-body-fluids rooms. There was Rohan Sippy's Bluffmaster! (2005), which rephrased the city, looking for forgotten beauty. And there were those neglected films-Chhoti Si baat (1975), Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983) and Gharonda (1977)," remembers Jerry Pinto, author, poet and journalist.



Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na- 2008

Location Bandra Fort



Bandra Fort is where Jai (Imran Khan) knows he can find his best friend Aditi (Genelia D'Souza) every time she's feeling blue. The film's most popular song 'Kabhi Kabhi Aditi' is filmed here, while Jai tries to cheer her up after she loses her kitten.

According to Rachel Dwyer, Professor of Indian Cultures and Cinema at SOAS , University of London, it is director Raj Khosla who best depicts the grimy side of the city in his noir films. His 1956 film CID, she says, is a wonderful example with images of Worli Seaface in 'Le ke pehla pehla pyar', the streets of 'Ye hai Mumbai meri jaan' and the rain-soaked urban night scenes. "Offbeat films are adventurous. Kiran Rao's Dhobi Ghat (2011), used wonderful locations, for example. It's also a pleasure to see the city in older films, such as Marine Drive in Anmol Ghadi (1946) or Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978). Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958) has some great shots of the city as do many of Guru Dutt's films, including Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955)," says Dwyer.

The cinematic lens gets a rose-tinted hue when romance is the genre in question. The Mumbai rain allows for the perfect setting to showcase love and longing, notes Dwyer, who has written an essay on 'Rimjhim gire saawan' one of her favourite songs shot in the city, "when Moushumi and Amitabh run about the rain, 'owning the city'."



Wake Up Sid- 2009

Location Nariman Point



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Sid's (Ranbir Kapoor) realisation of his love for Aisha (Konkona Sen Sharma) comes just in time with the first rain in Mumbai. The city soaked in a shower of romance is best enjoyed at Nariman Point, and even the new girl in the city knows that.

Quite often, iconic spots become characters in themselves. Danny Boyle's ode to the city and its underdog hero, Slumdog Millionaire (2008) has the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST ) play the role of the matchmaker. That's where Jamal (Dev Patel) finally reunites with his long-lost love Latika (Freida Pinto). But Jerry Pinto sees this image of the CST station as the "Mumbai-asmnemonic" filmmakers often employ. "Mumbai has been under-utilised, either because of the bureaucratic difficulties or because of the laziness of filmmakers.



Saathiya- 2002

Location The Local Train



Having met each other briefly at a friend's wedding, Aditya (Vivek Oberoi) chooses the local train to propose marriage to Suhani (Rani Mukherjee). A remake of Mani Ratnam's Alaipayuthey, the original was shot in the trains of Chennai.

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Why isn't Banganga used more often? Or the lovely art deco precincts around Shivaji Park?" he questions. In Shaad Ali's Saathiya (2002) (a remake of Mani Ratnam's Tamil film, Alaipayuthey), which explores a new form of marriage of a couple living together as equals and discovering themselves in the process, it is the local train, the lifeline of Mumbai city, that plays a crucial role. "The train journey creates a dimension to their quest, as the couple moves around on the local trains, finding themselves through loving and forgiving," points out Dwyer, who admits to having a personal fondness for the film. "I introduced Shaad to Yash Chopra and went to the screening of Mani Ratnam's film after which Shaad joined YRF," she exclaims.

Bombay- 1995

Location Gateway of India



Clearly the most recognisable symbol of the city, the film's poster has the couple pose against the backdrop of the Gateway of India. In the film, it features prominently as the spot the happy couple brings their twin boys to before the city begins to burn.

Another Mani Ratnam film, Bombay (1995), depicts the broad-mindedness of Mumbai pre-1992. It is in Bombay that Shekhar (Arvind Swamy) and Shaila Banoo (Manisha Koirala) are able to marry and start a family, away from their conservative families in Tamil Nadu. Whether it is the image of them running down the steps of Town Hall after their registered marriage or clowning around with their twin boys at the Gateway of India, Mumbai before the riots is a friend of this multi-cultural family. Here Simply Mumbai pays ode to the romantic portrayals of the city in films that showcased some of the most recognisable spots of Mumbai.

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Both parties have joined hands after a period of three long years.

By India Today Web Desk: With Tamil Nadu Assembly elections around the corner, the Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) hammered out an alliance in the state today.

Senior Congress leader and leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad met DMK president M Karunanidhi at his residence and announced the tie-up with the regional party which he described as "the most dependable partner".

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Azad said that the election would be fought under the DMK leadership and he put on Karunanidhi's party the responsibility of roping in more constituents into this alliance, including DMDK.

He also said that issues such as seat sharing and being part of the DMK led government were not a priority now and that the main goal was to ensure that the DMK comes to power in Tamil Nadu.

Both parties have joined hands after a period of three long years.

As to what had changed between 2016 and 2013 when DMK snapped ties accusing the Congress of betraying Sri Lankan Tamils, Azad said that there were "compulsions and pressures" in politics and that the two parties had won elections together in the past also.

The DMK-Congress split had also come against the backdrop of the arrests of former Union Minister A Raja and Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi, in the alleged spectrum allocation scam.

Congress had contested the last Lok Sabha elections on its own and had drawn a blank. It had contested the last Assembly elections along with DMK but secured just 5 out of 234 seats.

Congress is out of power in Tamil Nadu for nearly five decades and has generally been aligning with either of the Dravidian party - DMK or AIADMK. It has contested alone too but without much success.

(With PTI inputs)



ALSO READ

Rain will not have hit Chennai this hard if govt had been prepared: DMK's Stalin



3 medical students found dead in Tamil Nadu, suicide note blames college

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India has expressed its disappointment with the decision of the Obama administration to notify the sale of F-16 fighter jets to old NATO ally Pakistan which has became a breeding ground for terrorists like Hafiz Mahammad Saeed, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Mullah Omar and David Headley.

By India Today Web Desk: India has expressed its disappointment with the decision of the Obama administration to notify the sale of F-16 fighter jets to old NATO ally Pakistan which has became a breeding ground for terrorists like Hafiz Mahammad Saeed, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Mullah Omar and David Headley.

India got annoyed after the US government on Friday said it had approved the sale to Pakistan of eight F-16 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp, radars and other equipment, in a deal valued at $699 million. The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency said it had notified lawmakers about the possible sale on Thursday. It said the sale would improve Pakistan's capability to meet current and future security threats.

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However, India thinks, the decision to sale US military hardware to Pakistan will escalate a full-fledged arms race in south Asia and bolster the morale of the terrorists nurtured by the neighbouring country. India has decided to summon US Ambassador Richard Rahul Verma to convey its displeasure over the US decision.

"We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism. The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself. The US Ambassador will be summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs to convey our displeasure," the MEA said.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador Richard Verma has reached South Block after being summoned by MEA.



US Ambassador Richard Verma reaches South Block (Delhi) after being summoned by MEA pic.twitter.com/MnAmxIQJuK&; ANI (@ANI_news) February 13, 2016

In a tweet, MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup on Saturday wrote that such arms transfers, which aim at combating terrorism, may backfire in future. In the past, the F-16s and the military equipment that were provided to Pakistan were used against their own people.

Vikas Swarup wrote:

We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama Administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircrafts to Pakistan pic.twitter.com/NGdrAL2m9i Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) February 13, 2016

On January 12, the US Congress stalled the sale of eight new F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan as a mark of growing anti-Pakistan sentiments on Capitol Hill.

The Obama administration received a "hold" notice from the Senate, using this legislative process to delay floor action on the proposed sale to Pakistan. But this did not kill the proposed sale.

At recent Congressional hearings, key US lawmakers raised a host of questions about the end use of the F-16 aircraft and about US relationship with Pakistan.

"I don't know how an F-16, with all of its hardware on there for combat, can be used for humanitarian aid. If they were buying C-130s... I could see those being used for humanitarian aid. But F-16! It's not really humanitarian aid," Congressman Ted Poe said.

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"Those F-16s and the military equipment that we are providing to Pakistan are being used against their own people, just like they did against the people over there in Bangladesh," another Congressman Dan Rohrabacher added.

Dawn said both lawmakers belong to a growing lobby in Congress which not only oppose arms sales to Pakistan but often urge the US administration to sever its ties with Islamabad.

The Obama administration had notified Congress of its intention to sell eight F-16s to Pakistan during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's October, 2015, Washington tour.

The US decision to sell the warbirds to Pakistan has dismayed India in the wake of Lashkar terrorist David Coleman Headley's deposition before a Mumabi court on how Pakistani terrorist, sponsored by both the ISI and Army, were directly involved in the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers in America and 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks.



ALSO READ:

US Congress halts sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan

Obama to Pak: Be careful with your new nuclear weapons



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The Foreign-Secretary level talks between India and Pakistan are unlikely to take place in February, top sources said.

By India Today Web Desk: The Foreign-Secretary level talks between India and Pakistan are unlikely to take place in February, top sources said.

The talks are in freeze even as foreign secretaries and National Security Advisers (NSAs) of both the countries are in touch.

Sources said that India too is not in a hurry to propose new dates for talks. They added that the information on action against Pakistani terrorist Masood Azhar and Jaish-e-Mohammad post-Pathankot terror attack is also very unclear.

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In the midst of immense uncertainty over Foreign Secretary-level talks after the Pathankot terror attack, advisor to Pakistan Prime Minister on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz had earlier said that they are waiting for India's response. "We are still waiting for India to suggest the dates for the Foreign Secretary-level talks. The ball is in India's court," Sartaj Aziz had said.

The Foreign Secretary-level talks which were to be held on January 15 in Islamabad has mired in murky waters after the fatal Pathankot terror attack. The attack was reportedly carried out by Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists on the intervening night of January 1 and 2.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had said that his government is fully determined to expedite the implementation of a National Action Plan to eliminate terrorism and assured that all steps will be taken to root out the menace of terrorism.

ALSO READ | India-Pakistan talks: Ball is in India's court, says Sartaj Aziz

Terror and talks can't go on together: President Pranab



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In a tweet, Jawahar Yadav wrote "For the girls who are protesting in JNU, I only have one thing to say that prostitutes who sell their body are better than them because they atleast don't sell their country".

By India Today Web Desk: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's former-officer on special duty (OSD) Jawahar Yadav, has given a shameful twist to the ongoing Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) row by comparing the females protesting in the campus to prostitutes.

In his tweet, Yadav wrote "For the girls who are protesting in JNU, I only have one thing to say that prostitutes who sell their body are better than them because they atleast don't sell their country".

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Almost after two hours, Yadav wrote a clarification and deleted his previous tweet. In the clarification he said: "No girl has been compared to any prostitute in my previous tweet. Instead I meant that the girls who are forced to enter prostitution are rather better than the girls who were protesting in JNU and raising anti-India slogans, Pakistan Zindabad slogans. The daughters and sisters who are forced to sell their body are better than the girls who were demanding the freedom of Kashmir and Kerala and shouting that their fight will continue till India is destroyed."

Jawahar Yadav's twitter account.

In another tweet Yadav said, "My earlier tweets were misunderstood so I take back my previous statement. My intention was not to hurt anyone's feelings."

A group of students had on February 9 held an event in the campus and allegedly shouted slogans against the hanging of Afzal Guru in 2013. However, the university claims it cancelled permission for the Afzal Guru event, which was allegedly pitched as a cultural function. JNU Vice-Chancellor Jagdeesh Kumar has called it an act of indiscipline.



The alleged anti-India protest at Jawaharlal Nehru University has triggered a spate of political reactions with Union ministers Smriti Irani and Rajnath Singh advocating strong action against those involved in the act.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh warned of strongest possible action against those involved in raising anti-India slogans. "If anyone raises anti-India slogans and questions the country's unity and integrity, they will not be spared. Stringent action will be taken against them," he said. The home minister said he has asked Delhi Police to take strongest possible action.

Echoing his view, HRD Minister Smriti Irani denounced the protest march against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru saying the nation will never tolerate insult to mother India. "I only want to say that today is the day of worship of Goddess Saraswati, who blesses every family that whatever they speak is for progress and strengthening the nation. Let mother India be praised. The nation will never tolerate insult to mother India," she said.

In her speech earlier, at an event organised by an RSS linked body, Irani made a veiled reference to the protests at JNU, saying that when she heard Vande Mataram being recited by students, she experienced a sense of satisfaction. "I felt satisfied that there are teachers who teach children to pray for the nation and not anti-India slogans," she said.

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ALSO READ:

JNU campus row: Anti-national activities will not be tolerated, says Rajnath Singh

Arrest of JNUSU president triggers a chain of reactions

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Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi was today shown black flags by ABVP at the JNU campus. Gandhi was suppose to meet the protesting JNUSU students, who are agitated over the arrest of their president Kanhaiya Kumar.

By India Today Web Desk: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi was today shown black flags by ABVP at the JNU campus. Gandhi was suppose to meet the protesting JNUSU students, who are agitated over the arrest of their president Kanhaiya Kumar. Kumar was arrested in a sedition case over an event at the varsity campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

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Here is what Rahul Gandhi said at JNU: People who showed black flag on my face, I feel proud that in my country they have the right to show black flag in front of my face They are terrified of weak Indian people raising their voice They do not understand that by crushing you they are making you stronger A youngster expressed himself and the government says he is an anti-national The most anti-national people are the people who are suppressing the voice of this institution I was in Hyderabad a few days back and these same people or their leaders said that Rohith Vemula was an anti-national Later, a Minister turns around and says he was not even a Dalit Sushma Swarajji nobody asked whether he was Dalit or not, the question is why wasn't an Indian student allowed to say and fight for what he believes When we fought the British, we fought them for our land and we fought them for our voice I came here to tell you, there are more than billion people in country who believe what you believe in and are standing right behind you Only message to you from me, "Don't let these bullies push you around"

Rahul Gandhi had said Modi government "bullying" an institution like JNU was "completely condemnable", but at the same time asserted that anti-India sentiment is "unquestionably unacceptable".

"Modi Govt & ABVP bullying an institution like JNU simply because it won't toe their line is completely condemnable.

"While Anti-India sentiment is unquestionably unacceptable, the right to dissent & debate is an essential ingredient of democracy", the Congress Vice President tweeted.

Gandhi's remarks came within hours of the arrest of JNU Students' Union President Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case over an event at the varsity campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, sparking massive outrage among students and criticism from non-BJP parties which dubbed it as an "emergency-like" situation.

Kumar was arrested and later remanded to three-day police custody by a local court, a day after police filed a sedition and criminal conspiracy case against him on complaints from BJP MP Maheish Girri and ABVP members.

A meeting was organised on Tuesday on the JNU campus where a group of students mourned the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) co-founder Maqbool Bhat and shouted anti-India slogans.

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By Shashank Shekhar: The Ghaziabad police are struggling to verify details of the 36-hour ordeal narrated by Snapdeal employee Dipti Sarna, who returned home safely on Friday morning. 24-year-old Dipti was allegedly kidnapped by four unidentified persons while she boarded an auto rickshaw from outside Vaishali metro station on Wednesday night. Though her safe return brought relief to the family, the police are puzzled and are yet to identify the kidnappers. Cops are yet to ascertain the exact sequence of events, the motive behind the kidnapping and the places she says she was taken to in the last 36 hours. Cops have not ruled out the involvement of someone close to the family but Dipti, in her statement to the police, has categorically denied that the kidnappers were known to her. Police also said the family was reluctant to let the victim undergo a medical examination.

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Ghaziabad SSP Dharmendra Singh said the police have taken Dipti's statement and are investigating the case as per the details furnished by her. However, they are yet to verify her statement and establish if she was actually kidnapped.

Cops have started drawing sketches of the men involved in the kidnapping and a police team is also questioning auto drivers operating on the route from where she was abducted. The district administration has installed CCTV cameras at her residence in Kavi Nagar and a police team has also been deployed.

In her statement to the police, Dipti said: "I was returning home in an auto rickshaw. There were already six people inside. Two girls were seated on the rear seat. Three men, including the auto driver, were in front. After few minutes, the auto broke down at Mohan Nagar and I, along with the two men, boarded another auto."

According to Dipti, a woman was already inside the auto but was forced to get off near Hindon river at knife point by the four men inside the vehicle. Dipti said she was taken near Raj Nagar Extension where her kidnappers assured her that no harm would come to her.

"They took Dipti to various locations in an i10 car and then on a bike. They kept changing locations for several hours. She said she was made to walk for around 10 km. Finally, she was taken to a sugarcane field and kept under watch the whole day. They gave her food. The kidnappers said they will make her meet someone but later said the person won't come. On Friday, they allowed her to leave and also gave Rs 100," a senior officer said.

Dipti's statement to the police says early on Friday morning, the men brought her to a suburban railway station and made her board a Delhi-bound train. She recognised Narela station and borrowed a mobile phone from a passenger and called her family.

Cops also suspect that the abductors may be novices who panicked after the massive search operation launched by the UP police.

Thanking the police, media and social media, Dipti's father, Narendra Sarna, said she was abducted by four men at knife-point. He also said she did not wish to press charges. "They blindfolded her and dropped her at some railway station at 3 or 4 am... (They) didn't harm her in any way and even gave her food on time. I don't know how she managed to escape. She called me from the phone she borrowed from a co-passenger. She was found in a state of shock," he said. Her family, however, declined to reply to other media queries.

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Ghaziabad residents on Thursday evening had blocked traffic on NH-24 and also staged a sit-in at the office of the senior superintendent of police. UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's office had tweeted that he had asked the Ghaziabad SSP to "personally head the search operation" and that several teams had been formed.

After Dipti went missing, her company appealed on its Twitter page to help find her. The appeal was retweeted by thousands.

ALSO READ



Snapdeal employee kidnapped in Ghaziabad

Snapdeal employee Dipti's abduction: 4 goons, 48 hours, a 10-km walk and freedom



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The 25-year-old Army officer showed up at Kotwali Police station in Faizabad and said that he had been abducted.

By India Today Web Desk: Army Captain Shikhar Deep, who was missing since February 6, after he boarded a train from Bihar, has been found in Uttar Pradesh's Faizabad today.

The 25-year-old Army officer showed up at Kotwali Police station in Faizabad and said that he had been abducted. An Army team reached the spot subsequently.

The Army on Wednesday had sought public assistance for locating Shikhar Deep.

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In a public appeal, the Army had said that Captain Shikhar Deep, posted in Jammu and Kashmir with the 8 Sikh Light Infantry regiment, 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 officer's relatives had registered a case of suspected abduction with the railway police on Tuesday.

Shikhar Deep's father, Lt Col Anant Kumar, had claimed that his son's disappearance could be linked to some terrorist organisation.

ALSO READ

Army officer goes missing from train on way to Delhi



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By India Today Web Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called upon the global business community to invest in Indian manufacturing by showcasing achievements of his government, which he said has helped attract the largest ever FDI into the country in the period upto December 2015, at a time when FDI inflows were slack in most countries. This, the PM attributed to a string of measures that the government announced, including a much friendlier tax regime that was transparent, stable and predictable, and major policy corrections.

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India has seen a 48 per cent rise in FDI inflows last year, and has jumped 12 ranks in ease of doing business as per World Bank estimates. Investment effectiveness ranking improved from 15 to 9. "The perception on India as an investment destination has changed, and this has forced us to correct policies and improve efficiency," he said. India has no time for wait for incremental development. The country needs a quantum leap, he said, adding that there is no time to wait for incremental growth.

The government, he said, wants to channelise this positive climate into manufacturing, which will be a major source of employment, especially for the youth. "As much as 60 per cent of Indians are of age below 35, and this is the biggest strength for the country," he said, addressing business delegates and corporate leaders at the inauguration of the Make In India Week in Mumbai. Several industrialists, including Ratan Tata, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Adi Godrej and YC Deveshwar. Overall, in 2015 India contributed 2.5 per cent to the global growth.

The fast tracking of arbitration procedures to make doing business easy in India, and separate commercial division at the High Courts, along with the new IPR policy, and the impending bankruptcy law in Parliament are measures that will enable the smooth functioning of enterprises.

This is the century for Asia and international agencies like IMF, World Bank and OECD have predicted highest growth for Asia he said. "I am appealing to the world, that to make this your century, come and make in India," he added. India, as a country, is known for its 3Ds - democracy, demography and demand. 'We have added a fourth D - deregulation. Now India has become four dimensional, he said.

Allaying the fears of critics that unemployment was still rampant in the country, Modi said that the Indian job market is getting strengthened. The Start up India initiative will transform Indian youth from being job seekers to job creators.

Earlier, addressing the event, Prime Minister of Sweden Kjell Stefan Lofven said his country is keen on partnering Indian companies in the field of energy, environment, health and defence. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the week long event venue of the Make in India centre in Mumbai would be converted to an International Business Finance Centre. Maharashtra has eased business permissions by 60 per cent and a new building plan approval process in Mumbai has come down from 360 days to 60 days. Three major MoUs were signed already for investment in Maharashtra (with Sterlite, Raymond and Coca Cola) and many more are likely.

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In an exclusive interview to IndiaToday.in, Rahul Thakkar, who is winning an Oscar at the Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation ceremony on February 13, opens up on his passion for cinema production, his own excitement before D-Day and the blurred lines between science and art in cinema-making.

By Aparna Singh: Last year's most notable film and India's entry to the Academy Awards 2016, Court, might be out of the Oscar race, but there is still an Indian who will keep the tricolour flying high at the awards this year. Britain-born Rahul Thakkar, who has spent most of his childhood in India, will be honoured at the Oscars' annual Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation Ceremony on February 13 this year for his groundbreaking design.

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ALSO READ: Oscar for person of Indian origin - Rahul Thakkar honoured for the 'groundbreaking design'



Thakkar will receive the prestigious Technical Achievement Award for his contribution to cinema through groundbreaking design, for the work he had done when he was with DreamWorks Animation Media Review System.



Rahul designed this system back in 2002 under the guidance of his mentor Richard Chuang, who will share the trophy with Thakkar.

In an exclusive interview to IndiaToday.in, Rahul Thakkar opens up on a wide range of topics including his passion for cinema production, his own excitement before D-Day and the blurred lines between science and art in cinema-making.

Excerpts from the conversation:



How does it feel to win the world's most prestigious award in cinema?



Surprise, shock, confusion, awe, joy, humility, nostalgia - then go back and start from the beginning and repeat those emotions in any order a million times, then fit that into random moments within a day.

How does your DreamWorks Animation Media Review System function?



To understand the software, one needs to understand the process of production and the history.

Think of a movie going through a pipeline, and at each major turn, it gets enhanced. It is also a continuous process where portions of the film go back to any part of the pipeline if they don't satisfy the creative chiefs, such as the directors, producers, supervisors, editors, leads, etc. Each phase of production for an animated feature has a lot of technology associated with it.

Tell us more about your contribution in making DreamWorks Animation Media Review System a reality.



I was fortunate to be the creator and designer of the system. We were a small team and everyone had a lot of hats on. This was one of three major projects I was in charge of, in addition to their colour management system and software and high performance particle system rendering software.



I drew from Richard Chuang's prior work, mentorship and an immense body of technical wisdom. I created the product and then grew it until 2002. The rest of the award recipients also supported the tools during or after I left. The software has stood the test of time and is still in use.

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Christopher Nolan's Interstellar received an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, thanks to Prime Focus. A company owned by India-born Namit Malhotra. Do you think the Indian film fraternity can have the same vfx/visual effects as Hollywood?



I have great regard for Indian VFX. We are already there. If you look at Hollywood film credits on VFX-heavy films and animated features, you will notice Indian names everywhere. India has played a globally leading role in technology. Bollywood is ubiquitous to filmmaking not just in Mumbai, but all over India. When we combine the two, we realize we are already there. As I've maintained in the past, there are several big Hollywood studios including DreamWorks who have a presence in India. The short answer to your question - a resounding yes.

Namit Malhotra's journey and the body of work of his team and of the companies that are part of Prime Focus are also a testament to our leading presence in the world of VFX. I ask you to take a moment and appreciate where Indian filmmaking and the visual effect revolution in India have come. There is so much opportunity for talent. I believe that what we are seeing happening in India right now is the tip of an iceberg. India loves movies and tech; we are making both in India, and lots of it!



How does art and science go hand-in-hand? Specifically in films?



The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was a clear representation of both the art and the science. If you think of it, the camera, the lens, the housing, the mechanics, the film, the projection are all science. What one makes from it is art. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was created in 1927 and the first Science and Technical awards were presented in 1930.

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There are only a few Indians who have won the Academy Award like AR Rahman, Gulzar and Satyajit Ray. Do you think Indian films have a brighter future ahead at the global stage? Will Bollywood be more visible at the Oscars in the coming years?



In addition to the names above, there are a few who have won an Academy Award in the Technical Achievement Awards category. These are people of Indian origin. As I was looking into the archives of the Academy, I noticed a few more names.



There is one thing I truly believe. I grew up watching Indian cinema. Those films are now part of who I am. Indian cinema has had an incredibly rich past and continues to thrive both locally within the country and outside.

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You may already be familiar with Pakistani actor Mawra Hocane, whose shows have appeared on Zindagi channel.

By Suhani Singh: Indian housewives may already be familiar with Pakistani actor Mawra Hocane whose shows have appeared on Zindagi TV channel. But the 23-year-old first drew plenty of "Who's that girl?" questions when actor Ranbir Kapoor shot a video wishing her the best. Looks like the wishes worked with Hocane making her Bollywood debut with Sanam Teri Kasam.

Childhood ambition

To work in Bollywood

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Proudest moment

When my directors, Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru, said they were proud of me.

Wildest dream

Winning all best debutante awards this year.

Fondest memory

Every memory with my parents has been a fond memory for me.

Worst date

I don't remember those bad dates; they get automatically erased from my memory.

Biggest weakness

My compassionate nature; it's both a boon and a bane.

Dream role

Umrao Jaan

Qualities you most despise in a man

Insensitivity towards women.

One Hollywood actor you'd like as your co-star

Ryan Gosling

Last book you read

The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Safak, Turkish author. The best book ever.

A movie you saw because everyone was talking about it

The Fault in Our Stars

Guilt-pleasure viewing

Bigg Boss

Favourite hotspot

Pali Village Cafe in Bandra, Mumbai

Biggest strength

Patience

Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with?

Harsh (co-star Harshvardhan Rane in Sanam Teri Kasam)

If you could take one thing from India to Pakistan and vice versa

I would take Sanam Teri Kasam to Pakistan and get my sister, Uraw, to India.

If you could be a fly on the wall of any actor's home

Ranbir Kapoor. I am a very talkative person and the mere mention of him makes me giggle, smile, blush, all emotions put together. I get tongue-tied. And that's rare. I want to meet him one day.

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The Punjab police on Saturday arrested an ISI agent, Sajjad Hussain, from Hari Marhot in Surankote area in Jammu.

The Punjab police on Saturday arrested an ISI agent, Sajjad Hussain, from Hari Marhot in Surankote area in Jammu for his alleged involvement in Pathankot spying case. Pathankot police had recently picked up Irshad Ahmed from Mamoon Army Cantonment area when he was taking pictures on his mobile phone.

According to sources, Arshad Ahmed told the Pathankot police that Sajjad Hussain had assigned him with this task and Pakistani spy agency ISI was paying him.

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Sources said, Sajjad Hussain had gone to Pakistan on valid passport and there he came in contact with ISI and the spy agency asked him to provide them secret information regarding army and other installations.

Sources also said that Sajjad Hussain had received money from ISI through Western Union and in lieu of that he sent pictures of vital installations to ISI.

The Punjab police and Central Intelligence Agency are working on Pathankot ISI network and they have picked up one Hindu youth from Moga in Punjab also.

Meanwhile, the Punjab police has taken transit remand of Sajjad Hussain from Poonch court in connection with ISI spying case.

ALSO READ



Pathankot attack: 250 persons being questioned by cops, 1 held for selling SIM to Pak spy

Ultras smuggled arms from Pakistan to Pathankot, says NIA probe26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed praises Pathankot air base attack, warns of escalation



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Ranveer Singh has flown all the way to Toronto to be with his ladylove Deepika Padukone, who is currently shooting for XXX The Return Of Xander Cage.

Deepika Padukone, DJ Caruso and Ranveer Singh on the sets of XXX The Return Of Xander Cage

By India Today Web Desk: It seems like Ranveer Singh is maverick enough to travel thousands of miles to Toronto just to meet his love, Deepika Padukone on the sets of XXX The Return Of Xander Cage. As the Valentine's day is round the corner, the Bajirao Mastani actor has decided to give one hell of a surprise to Deepika.

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ALSO READ: Leaked - Plot of Deepika Padukone and Vin Diesel's XXX The Return Of Xander Cage

ALSO READ: Ranveer to celebrate Valentine's Day with ladylove Deepika in Toronto. Here's the proof

The two lovebirds are spending some quality time in Toronto as it can be seen in the picture shared by XXX director DJ Caruso. The trio posed for a selfie together on the film sets. Caruso shared the photo with the Bollywood stars on Twitter and captioned it, "Special visitor on set today. #RanveerSingh and a very happy #DeepikaPadukone. Great spirit and smile. #Cooldude (sic)"

Indeed, Deepika looks ecstatic after meeting her boyfriend Ranveer. But what is more striking is DJ Caruso using a hashtag #Cooldude for Ranveer. It seems as if Bajirao Mastani actor has charmed the Hollywood director.

The 30-year-old actor's recent stint was when he clicked a picture with a cab in Mumbai which had the words XXX written behind it. Ranveer captioned it, "Check it out! Already a rage in India! #XXX @deepikapadukone all the best for your 1st day of shoot! Kill it! (sic)"

Check it out! Already a rage in India! ??? #XXX @deepikapadukone all the best for your 1st day of shoot! Kill it! pic.twitter.com/Pa5sx88Oet Ranveer Singh (@RanveerOfficial) February 9, 2016

When Ranveer arrived in Toronto, a fan named Will Wong shared the actor's picture on his Instagram account. Wong wrote, "Awesome meeting major #Bollywood star and boyfriend of #DeepikaPadukone, #RanveerSingh. He is visiting #Toronto for Valetine's Day weekend with his love, who films #XXX: #TheReturnofXanderCage in #The6ix (sic)."

Awesome meeting major #Bollywood star and boyfriend of #DeepikaPadukone, #RanveerSingh. He is visiting #Toronto for Valetine's Day weekend with his love, who films #XXX: #TheReturnofXanderCage in #The6ix. A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on Feb 10, 2016 at 8:33pm PST

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Deepika Padukone has all the reasons to gush about her boyfriend Ranveer as he doesn't leave any chance to impress his ladylove Deepika. On the work front, Ranveer will next be seen in Aditya Chopra's Befikre.

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Telly stars Divyanka Tripathi and Vivek Dahiya are ready to ring in this year's Valentine's Day in Sri Lanka.

By Hemul Goel: Fans may have been disappointed after the recent reports about Divyanka Tripathi and Vivek Dahiya's onscreen characters Ishita and Abhishek's romance on the hit show Ye Hai Mohabbatein were thrashed, but there's a lot of real-life romance going on between the couple to make up for it.

Also read: Here's how Vivek Dahiya proposed to Divyanka Tripathi

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The couple, who recently got engaged in an intimate ceremony in Chandigarh, is all set to celebrate their first Valentine's Day together in a grand manner. Seems like the surprise Divyanka was expecting from her beau is here for all of us to see.

Lovingly called Divek by fans, the couple is in Sri Lanka to celebrate the day of love. Divyanka took to Instagram to post a selfie with her fiance Vivek, from the island nation.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/@divyankatripathi

In pictures: Inside pics: Divyanka Tripathi and Vivek Dahiya's engagement ceremony

And if you wanted to take a look at their accommodation, then Vivek Dahiya has something for you. The actor posted a picture of the view from the balcony on Instagram, and it is bound to make you jealous!

Picture courtesy: Instagram/@vivekdahiya08 Picture courtesy: Instagram/@vivekdahiya08

Now, if we could only take a look at some more pictures from Divek's vacation!





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Rajballabh Yadav, the RJD MLA from Nawada district in Bihar has been accused of kidnapping and molesting a minor girl. The state's DIG has ordered the arrest of the MLA and an investigation is currently underway.

Rajballabh Yadav, the RJD MLA from Nawada district in Bihar has been accused of kidnapping and molesting a minor girl.

By India Today Web Desk: Rajballabh Yadav, the RJD MLA from Nawada district in Bihar has been accused of kidnapping and molesting a minor girl. The state's DIG has ordered the arrest of the MLA and an investigation is currently underway. The MLA meanwhile is absconding.

The complainant has also accused Yadav of offering Rs 30,000 to her for keeping quiet and not to drag his name into the scandal. This incident took place on February 6.

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The woman who escorted the victim to the MLA's house has been arrested by the police.

It is worth noting that Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar had chaired a meeting to review the law and order situation in the state, after numerous incidents of abduction and murder have been reported.

This is not an isolated incident as last month an FIR was filed against Janata Dal-United (JD-U) MLA Sarfaraz Alam for misbehaving with a woman passenger on Guwahati-Rajdhani Express.

Another RJD MLA Rajballabh Pd found involved in a rape of minor girl.Police found the case to be true . He may also get bail like Sarfaraj ? Sushil Kumar Modi (@SushilModi) February 13, 2016

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France led international criticism of Russia on Saturday for bombing civilians in Syria, a charge Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev rejected as major powers bickered openly just a day after they agreed a pause in combat in Syria.

By Reuters: France led international criticism of Russia on Saturday for bombing civilians in Syria, a charge Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev rejected as major powers bickered openly just a day after they agreed a pause in combat in Syria.

The differences between the stakeholders in a Syria settlement highlighted their lingering divisions despite Friday's "cessation of hostilities" agreement, which was not signed by any of the warring parties on the ground - government forces and the opposition - and does not take effect for a week.

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French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, in a head-to-head debate with Medvedev at a security conference in Munich, pressed Russia to stop bombing civilians in Syria, saying this was crucial for achieving peace in the country.

"France respects Russia and its interests ... But we know that to find the path to peace again, the Russian bombing of civilians has to stop," Valls told the conference.

The major powers clinched their deal on a pause in combat in late night talks in Munich on Friday, at a time when Syrian President Bashar Assad's government is poised to score its biggest victory over rebels - in Aleppo, Syria's biggest city before the war - with the backing of Russian air power.

If implemented, the truce deal would allow humanitarian aid to reach besieged towns. But several Western countries have said there is no hope for progress without a halt to the Russian bombing, which has decisively turned the balance of power in favour of Assad after almost five years of conflict.

Late on Friday, Turkey's foreign minister said Russia was targeting schools and hospitals with its bombing. Mevlut Cavusoglu put the blame squarely on Moscow for the wave of tens of thousands of displaced people who have arrived at the Turkish border over the past week.

Medvedev rejected the accusations as "just not true".

"There is no evidence of our bombing civilians, even though everyone is accusing us of this," Medvedev told the Munich conference moments after Valls, seated next to him, said Russian bombing of civilians must stop.

"Russia is not trying to achieve some secret goals in Syria. We are simply trying to protect our national interests," Medvedev said, adding that Moscow wanted to prevent militant extremists getting to Russia.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the conflict, reported on Saturday that Syrian government forces were poised to advance into the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa province and allied Russian jets kept up air strikes on rebel-held towns north of Aleppo.

NEW COLD WAR?

Russia's assertive posture in Syria and over Ukraine has raised diplomats' concerns about geopolitical instability.

Medvedev said NATO's stance towards Russia was hostile.

"You could say even more sharply: we have fallen into a new Cold War," he said. "Nearly on a daily basis, we are being blamed for the most terrible threat to NATO as a whole, to Europe, to America, to other countries.

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"They make scary movies where Russia starts a nuclear war. I sometimes wonder - are we in 2016 or 1962?"

Reacting to Medvedev's comments, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite told the conference the situation was more serious.

"We are probably facing a hot war," Grybauskaite said. "Russia is demonstrating open military aggression in Ukraine, open military aggression in Syria. There is nothing cold about this, it is very hot."



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The direction came after a PIL was filed by lawyer Gaurav Kumar Bansal, who sought a direction to the MEA to intervene and expedite the process of release of the abducted Indians.

By Harish V Nair: Concerned over the fate of 39 Indians taken hostage by ISIS one-and-a-half-years ago from a construction site in Iraq's Mosul, the Supreme Court on Friday asked the External Affairs Ministry to appoint a nodal officer to ensure better coordination with Baghdad and international agencies for securing their release. The direction came after a PIL was filed by lawyer Gaurav Kumar Bansal, who sought a direction to the MEA to intervene and expedite the process of release of the abducted Indians.

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Bansal claimed he had information that the abducted Indians may not be alive. "I have learnt that one of the missing persons Harjit Masih, who successfully managed to escape from the hands of ISIS, is claiming that all Indian Nationals were asked to kneel shoulder to shoulder by militants dressed in black near a railway track and were shot at one by one," said the PIL.

The court's direction comes five days after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met families of those abducted and, based on her recent meetings with Arab and Palestinian leaders, told them they were "alive".

Swaraj had also assured them the Centre was "fully and continuously engaged" and "every possible effort" was being made to ensure their release. Bansal said an RTI revealed that the MEA is yet to issue a "protocol" for securing release of those abducted. "It is pertinent to mention here that the absence of protocol provides the government a free hand to follow such modus operandi which suits them most," said his PIL.

The SC's direction was in line with what it had ordered in a case where seven Indian seamen were held captive by Somali pirates since 2010. A nodal agency, which was formed by the MEA after the SC direction, was very effective in that case and the seamen were rescued within months.

While Bansal tried to convince the court that the Iraqi kidnapping case stood on a different footing and direct interference of the court was required, the CJI said: "Even if they are at a sea or a desert, rescue is a rescue. Some were taken away by pirates some taken away by ISIS, but the issue and concern is the same."

Also read:

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Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who is currently shooting for Sarbjit, a biopic on Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh, on Friday (February 13) visited the Golden Temple for shooting of the film in Amritsar.

By India Today Web Desk: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who is currently shooting for Sarbjit, a biopic on Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh, on Friday (February 13) visited the Golden Temple for shooting of the film in Amritsar.

Clad in Punjabi suit with her head covered with a dupatta, the Jazbaa paid obeisance in the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple. Thereafter, she went to Langar (community kitchen) of the Golden Temple where she cooked food, cleaned the floor with devotion to seek blessing from Almighty. Aishwarya's fan club shared her pictures on Twitter.

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Shooting for film began in the afternoon and it continued till evening whereupon different kind of scenes were shot including inside the community kitchen while cleaning utensils, cleaning floor of Langar, cooking vegetables. She was seen standing before the deg (big ironed rounded utensils) used for cooking for several hundred people.

In the Omung Kumar-directed movie, the 42-year-old actor plays the role of Sarabjit's sister Dalbir Kaur, while actor Randeep Hooda will be seen in the titular role. The film is slated to release on May 20. It will be shot in various cities of Punjab including Amritsar, Malerkotla and Patiala. The film captures the plight of prisoners lodged in various jails across the border.

"I hope the biopic will highlight the plight of Indian prisoners lodged in various jails in Pakistan," said Dalbir Kaur sister of Sarbjit Singh, who struggled for decades to get her brother out of the Pakistani prison.

Sarabjit died after a brutal attack by jail inmates in a Pakistani jail in 2013. He was convicted of terrorism and spying by a Pakistani court and sentenced to death in 1991 but the government had stayed his execution for an indefinite period in 2008. His sister and family started a campaign for his release saying he was the victim of mistaken identity and had inadvertently strayed across the border in an inebriated state. About Aishwarya playing the role, Dalbir told PTI, "She is the right choice. I came to know that while shooting a scene for the film earlier," she turned emotional.

"I strongly wish that film should depict the hardships faced by Sarbjit Singh during his life time especially the time he had spent in the Kotlakhpatrai jail of Lahore in Pakistan where he was killed in a murderous attack by one of the jail mate" Kaur quipped.

Directed by Omung Kumar, Sarbjit is slated to release on May 19 this year.

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The images saved in Google Picasa web album will now be transferred to Google Photos account of a user. The changes will be rolled out from May 1, 2016.

By Manish Sain: Ever since the launch of Google Photos last year, the fate of its predecessor Picasa was uncertain. It's not uncertain anymore. The Google Photos head Anil Sabharwal announced on Friday that the company would kill support for Picasa from March this year.

"We believe we can create a much better experience by focusing on one service that provides more functionality and works across mobile and desktop, rather than divide our efforts across two different products," said Sabharwal.

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The images saved in Google Picasa web album will now be transferred to Google Photos account of a user. The changes will be rolled out from May 1, 2016.

In case a user doesn't want to use Google Photos, they will be able to access their Picasa data on a separate place. The company also specifies the users will only be able to view, download, or delete the content and not use any other services previously offered such as organising and creating albums.

The post also confirmed that Google will kill all support for the Picasa desktop application from March 15, 2016. That includes the end of updates and development on the photo sharing app. However, the company said that people who already have Picasa on desktop would be able to use it the way they do now. It's just that the applications won't be updated.

The services offered by Picasa will now be included in Google Photos. However, it is not confirmed yet whether an updated Google Photos will let users edit photos as well. Google Photos lets users manage and backup photos online. The service is available on web and desktop. In Android smartphones, Google Photos comes pre-installed.

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Investigative reporting from the inner city to Wall Street to the United Nations This is the blogspot version InnerCityPress.com
[This article is an excerpt from my book, Willing Accomplices .] What is Political Correctness? PC is easier to identify than it is ...
The next meeting of the Normandy Quartet (Russia, Ukraine, Germany, France) on the situation in Ukraine at the ministerial level will be held in Paris (France) in early March, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has stated.

"There are no concrete results. It was a meeting to prepare for the next real meeting in the Normandy format. We hope and we have previously agreed that this full-scale meeting will be held in Paris in early March," he told reporters after negotiations in Munich on Saturday.
U.S. links termination of sanctions against Russia with full implementation of Minsk accords - Kerry

The United States links the termination of U.S. sanctions against the Russian Federation with the full implementation of the Minsk agreements, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has stated.

"The Russian Federation faces a simple choice: to fully implement the Minsk agreements or continue to experience the impact of sanctions," Kerry said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

He stressed the need for an unhindered humanitarian access to the territories not controlled by Ukrainian authorities, as well as holding "free elections according to Ukrainian laws."

At the same time, the official noted that Ukraine must also fulfill its part of the Minsk agreements.
To the best of my ability I write about my experience of the Universe Past, Present and Future
The AmeriKat taking a much needed

nap in preparation for opening all those

Valentine's Day cards...

Pemetrexed

Pharmacists will follow Actavis's SmPC which states that the product must be diluted with dextrose. The likelihood of pharmacists departing from the SmPC depends on when the saline stability data becomes available and whether it would motivate a pharmacist to actually use saline in light of the steps Actavis has taken to prevent the use of saline (including product labels, leaflets, letters and calls to hospitals, etc). None of this was foreseeable, held Arnold J.

Lilly's Alimta

First, the stability data is unlikely to become available. Actavis had undertaken not to make such data available and confirmed that they were willing to continue the undertaking. Stability data would have to be obtained somewhere other than from Actavis. It was unlikely that a third party would carry out further stability studies, especially given that the SmPC stated that the dextrose solution was stable for 14 days. One of Actavis's experts stated that in he was not aware of any hospital storing Alimta for more than 24 hours. It was further unlikely that a third party would carry out stability studies with saline (whether as a comparison with dextrose, or not). Even if a third party carried out saline stability studies and the reliability of the study was confirmed, there would be concerns as to the potential for the formation of microparticles and bacterial growth. If such data was published, it would be 2-3 years from Actavis' launch (meaning 2-3 years until the expiry of the patent).

Second, even if the stability data was available there would be no motivation to use the saline rather than the dextrose solution. There were no issues with dextrose (potential for phlebitis, saline being the default dilutant, risk of bacterial growth) that were significant enough to motivate the use of another dilutant. Even if the saline stability data was available, this does not necessarily lead hospitals to change dilutants. Case and point was the fact that although there was stability data available for Alimta with dextrose, hospitals still diluted it with saline. The only plausible motivation for departing from the SmPC would be in respect of diabetic (or pre-diabetic) patients. However, the expert evidence was that because 5mg of glucose (the amount to be administered) was so small (equivalent of one jelly baby - for non-UK readers these are tiny creepy fruit-flavored gelatin candies in the mold of a baby), an endocrinologist would not be concerned. Other chemotherapy drugs, including carboplatin and oxaliplatin, are also routinely administered at 5% dextrose solutions and do not cause problems for diabetic patients. The addition of dexamethasone (which is known to cause significant increases in blood sugar levels) to the treatment would not be an issue, as diabetic patients would be advised to monitor their glucose levels more frequently and adjust their medication accordingly. None of pharmacists' evidence suggested that they were ever concerned about the use of dextrose in diabetic patients. However, Mr Justice Arnold noted that he could not exclude the possibility that in a few years some pharmacists will decide to switch to saline.

Third, even if the stability data was present that would motivate the use of saline, Actavis's safeguards would be effective in preventing such use.

Lilly's potential appellant's notice re-imagined in

love hearts....

, look no further. Mr Justice Arnold seems to have heard your cries for help in handing down his decision in the latest Eli Lilly and Actavis battle concerning lung cancer treatment pemetrexed disodium . Read with a plummy Joanna Lumley voice, Mr Arnold's decision in [2016] EWHC 234 may be just the thing to set the mood for a romantic candlelight dinner (although, some may say it is a mood killer depending what side you are on). Although the AmeriKat has not had a chance to fully digest each and every word of the mere 58 page judgment, she sets out a skeleton summary of the decision below:Lilly's pemetrexed disodium - a chemotherapeutic treatment for lung cancer. Marketed under the brand name Alimta as a freeze-dried powder, it contains instructions as to how to reconstitute and then dilute it in a 0.9% solution of sodium chloride (saline).European Patent No 1 313 508 protects the use of pemetrexed disodium in combination with vitamin B12 or a pharmaceutical derivative thereof and optionally a folic protein binding agent. The patent expires on 15 June 2021.The case is the latest installment in the long-running dispute,which started in July 2012 when Actavis sought declarations for non-infringement (DNIs) in respect of the French, German, Italian, Spanish and UK designations of the patent. The DNIs were sought initially in respect of the dipotassium version of the product, then later diacid and ditromethamine. This was in advance of the planned launch of their generic pemetrexed product.Following a dispute as to the jurisdiction of the DNIs (see High Court and Court of Appeal decisions here and here) , Lilly counterclaimed for infringement of the UK designation. At the time, Actavis's product was planned to be reconstituted and/or diluted with sodium chloride (saline), but they didn't raise an issue with B12. Two years later in May 2014, Arnold J held that Actavis's proposed dealings would not amount to direct or indirect infringement (see here ). The Court of Appeal upheld the decision in respect of direct infringement, but reversed the indirect infringement finding on the basis that if the products were reconstituted/diluted the saline solution would contain sodium ions and pemetrexed ions in a ratio of at least 2:1. This would fall within the claims and thus the supply of Actavis's products would amount to indirect infringement. Both sides have appealed to the Supreme Court. In the meantime, the Court of Appeal's judgment is binding.Following the Court of Appeal's judgment, Actavis requested and the Court Appeal allowed to remit back to the Patents Court a new issue as to whether the supply of their products would constitute indirect infringement of the Patent if marketed with instructions to reconstitute and/or dilute the products with 5% dextrose solution instead of saline (the Dextrose Remission Issue). Actavis therefore requested DNIs in respect of the UK, French, Italian and Spanish designations of the patent.Actavis subsequently launched a pemetrexed diacid product which does not require reconstitution. The Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) which forms part of Actavis's marketing authorization states that the product is only to be diluted with dextrose solution (not saline). Lilly argued that it is foreseeable that the Actavis product will be diluted with saline by some customers in light of concerns about the use of dextrose ( glucose ) in diabetic patients. As soon as the stability data for Actavis's products with saline became available this switch will be foreseeable. Lilly therefore resisted the DNI sought by Actavis in respect of the Dextrose Remission Issue. It did not counterclaim for infringement.Besides the Destrose Remission Issue, there was the so-called Letters Issue, relating to the effect of two letters written by Actavis's solicitors to Lilly's solicitors. The issue was whether the letters were legally binding undertakings. The judge held they were not (which will be subject to another post).Do Actavis know, or it would be obvious to a reasonable person in the circumstances, that the Actavis product is likely to be diluted at least in some cases by some of Actavis' customers? Is it foreseeable?No, because:Mr Justice Arnold held that it was not foreseeable that Actavis's product would be diluted with saline. Their product, for the foreseeable future, will not infringe Eli Lilly's patent. He therefore granted the DNIs, but gave the parties liberty to apply in the event that at some point in the future should saline be used Lilly would be able to seek appropriate relief.Although Mr Justice Arnold could not foresee the use of saline in the future, the AmeriKat can easily foresee one future event - an appeal to the Court of Appeal. With the parties clashing since 2012 and the first round subject to at least three appeals (including a potential Supreme Court outing), the evidence points to another appellate visit. Well, what could be more romantic than an appellant's notice this Valentine's Day...?
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.
Psalm 96:13 speaks of all creation rejoicing at the coming judgement. The idea of rejoicing and judgement are not usually connected in our minds, but ...

2 weeks ago
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.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story and photo, courtesy of the MHS Mirror newspaper staff, are part of items offered weekly by MHS journalism students for the JG-TC website.

I just generally love reading writing, and I know that if I let that passion show, then maybe at least a couple of you will latch on to that, and it will help you learn.

Many teachers throughout the years leave their students with a message they will remember for the rest of their lives. However, there is one teacher at Mattoon High School who has impacted all of her students not only by the lessons she teaches in class, but also by the ones outside of the classroom: English teacher Kaleigh McRoberts.

Shes really creative. She tries to make English class, which could be a dry subject, pretty fun and entertaining. She also challenges her students to be the best writer that they possibly can, MHS junior Ryan Taylor said.

Taylor also says that McRoberts excels at her job by ensuring the engagement of all of her students.

I can see some teachers that Ive had where their class is pretty cut and drytheyre just doing what theyre required to do, and she goes beyond that to try to go the extra mile to get her students engaged in the class, Taylor said.

McRoberts credits the investment to the students in her classes, as well as their various personalities.

Even though we have a set schedule everyday of stuff that we need to do, having a set dynamic for every class makes things go a little differently, and it changes the conversations that we have and it makes it more fun, McRoberts said.

The classroom dynamic isnt the only tool that McRoberts uses to make students more invested in English; she also has a variety of decorations and posters that make unique talking points for students.

I think most of it is just up because it makes me smile for one reason or another and I know that at least some of these decorations will make other kids smile, or at least I hope so, McRoberts said.

Although the class itself is full of life, McRoberts has relationships with students outside of the class, which are a major part of the impact.

I feel like I can talk to her about anything. I dont feel like a lot of teachers in the school have that quality, MHS senior Taryn Kracinski said.

Kracinski isnt the only student who enjoys visiting with McRoberts outside of class. According to Kracinski, students can almost always be found spending time in her room.

I think theres a lot of people that really enjoy her company, and I feel like her room is really popular whether youre in there in the morning or the afternoon, Kracinski said. People like her teaching style and her personality. Having a teacher thats likable and relatable is really important to a lot of people.

Even though there is always a lesson to be taught and a paper to grade, she never loses the energy and motivation to teach.

I think for me that comes down to, I just generally love reading and writing, and I know that if I let that passion show, then maybe at least a couple of you will latch on to that, and it will help you learn. I guess the bottom line there is, yes, my students are the primary source of what motivates me, but then the other part of that that kind of extends out of it is just my general love for reading and writing, McRoberts said.

With all of the time spent with her students, there is one key lesson she wants them to take away from her.

I think for me the bottom line is as you walk out of the room you say to yourself I can write. Thats it, McRoberts said.
A before and after of the Hollister brothers' marker in a Middle Haddam, Conn., cemetery. Like this blog on Facebook | Follow me on Tw...
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Its sad to see my time in Norway coming to an end as I have had such an awesome time here. Still a few things unfinished though, so will def...
As American agriculture grinds through Februarys dull weather and even duller commodity markets, two Chinese firms have used the month to make inroads into the American farm and food colossus.

First, on Feb. 3, China National Chemical Corp., known as ChemChina, announced its purchase of Syngenta, the Swiss-based chemical and seed giant, for the equivalent of $43 billion. While thats a 22 percent premium to Syngentas total share price, its 10 percent less than Monsanto Co. offered to pay for the firm just last summer.

Two days later, on Feb. 5, Nebraskas unicameral legislature voted 34-14 to end the states 18-year ban on meatpackers owning livestock for more than five days prior to slaughter. The move, noted the Lincoln Journal Star, means Nebraska will now join those states in allowing meat processors like Chinese-owned Smithfield to contract with farmers to raise pigs in large, concentrated operations.

Smithfield Foods, owned by China-based WH Foods since 2013, raises and slaughters millions of hogs throughout the U.S. Its record $15 billion in sales last year easily makes it the worlds largest pork producer.

WH Foods and ChemChina are not independent, shareholder-owned firms like the companies they bought. Both are state-owned, both are almost entirely state-financed, and both are driven by national interests as much as by economics.

As such, these companies and their acquisitions are less about geopolitics and international finance and more about owning -- or at least controlling -- the means to supply Chinas 1.4 billion eaters with safe, abundant and cheap food.

In fact, noted a Feb. 3 New York Times story dissecting the Syngenta deal, China is very sensitive to its reliance on foreign food. Three years ago, 30 million Chinese were eating Western-style foods and now, according to market estimates,  by 2018, 300 million Chinese (will) be consuming Western-style foods

That Western-style food, however, doesnt mean Western companies or Western farmers will be in charge. They may grow the food, but they wont own it.

Indeed, Chinas recent moves to lock up key elements -- and Syngenta is just the latest key element -- of the Wests food chain is what feeding the world will look like in rural America tomorrow: China either owning or controlling the technology used to grow food with American soil, water and labor.

I know, I know; you thought youd be the one feeding China. While that remains partly true, its now quite clear that China is buying technology to boost domestic production. Equally clear is that it hopes to make a profit selling you the technology you need to grow the food it will import.

Those clever Reds; the Long March never ended.

Chinas growing investment in offshore food production is not, however, manifest destiny. Its just the latest example of how globalization, the freer, legal movement of money and ideas around the world, will shape our collective and individual futures.

It also is a clear signal that American agricultures ironclad belief in a feed the world future is no longer the future. Oh, we may still feed part of the world, but its more likely well do it to honor a contract, not our conscience.

This should not be news to anyone who has been paying attention. American farmers and ranchers played an outsized role in creating this future, a future where the World Trade Organization now has more control over American farm policy than the American Farm Bureau Federation and where 34 legislators in Nebraska can open the states front door to international hog conglomerates despite 1,100 local citizens petitioning them to keep it locked.

A generation ago neither would have even been considered. Now both hardly raise a yawn. What changed?

The world changed. Not long ago it bought our production; now its buying our means of production. Christopher Columbus was right. The world it flat and getting flatter.
Supporters of legal protection against workplace discrimination for gay and lesbian Nebraskans say most of the state is on their side.

A recent report by two University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers appears to lend credence to that claim.

Of more than 1,600 Nebraskans who responded to a statewide survey in 2013, 74 percent said they support laws that protect gay men and lesbian women from job discrimination, the UNL researchers wrote in an article published in December by Sexuality Research and Social Policy, a peer-reviewed academic journal.

And while backing was stronger in urban areas  topping 80 percent  more than two-thirds of rural Nebraskans who responded also agreed with such laws.

"An overwhelming majority of Nebraskans support workplace fairness," said state Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln, sponsor of a measure that would ban employers from discriminating against employees or job applicants based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Morfeld introduced the bill (LB586) in the Legislature last year but had it tabled because it lacked the votes to advance. He re-prioritized it Thursday, meaning the measure should return to lawmakers' agenda for debate in the coming weeks.

"This bill would provide critical protection to hardworking Nebraskans so that they are judged on the basis of their work performance and not who they are and how they were born," Morfeld said.

Groups that oppose the bill say it asks businesses and church groups to affirm lifestyles that violate their religious beliefs.

Al Riskowski, executive director of Nebraska Family Alliance, said similar measures have been used to target people for their religious beliefs, including in Oregon, where a bakery was ordered to pay $135,000 in damages for refusing to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple.

Oregon officials cited a 2007 law in that state which they said bans private businesses from discriminating against potential customers because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

"We believe that everyone should be treated with dignity and respect," Riskowski said, "but we don't believe this type of legislation accomplishes what the introducers of this bill claim that it does."

Opponents in the Legislature have questioned whether the bill is necessary and expressed concern about creating additional protected classes in state law.

Morfeld says his bill would provide much-needed clarity for LGBT workers.

While the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state bans on same-sex marriage nearly eight months ago, and people are already protected from discrimination based on marital status, gay couples could still face workplace retaliation for following the "natural progression" toward marriage when they date, Morfeld said.

He said the bill also would help address Nebraska's workforce crunch. That's a key concern for the state's business community, and the Lincoln and Omaha chambers of commerce supported Morfeld's measure during a public hearing last year.

"If Nebraska's going to be competitive in the 21st century in terms of workforce and talent, we cannot lack fundamental protections for LGBT Nebraskans," Morfeld said.

The UNL study found lower levels of support for other policies intended to support gay men and lesbian women, and the survey questions did not specifically mention bisexuals, transgender individuals or other people who might qualify for protection based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Respondents showed slightly less enthusiasm for housing-related protections, with 72 percent calling them favorable. Previous failed legislation has included those protections, too, but they are not included in Morfeld's bill.

About 60 percent of survey respondents said they favor either marriage or civil unions for same-sex couples.

Some 56 percent said they support allowing same-sex couples to adopt children.

The study is authored by Mathew Stange, who recently completed his doctorate in survey research and methodology, and Emily Kazyak, an assistant professor of sociology and women and gender studies. Data was taken from the 2013 Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey, an omnibus survey conducted through the mail by UNL's Bureau of Sociological Research.

Kazyak, whose past research has focused on gay and lesbian people in rural areas, said she wasn't surprised by the results herself but suspects they run counter to stereotypes people have of rural, Republican-leaning states.

"I think they would be surprising for a lot of people," she said.
Mennonites to host Sunday concert

The Hesston College Chorale and Chamber Orchestra will perform at 10:45 a.m. Sunday at First Mennonite Church, 7300 Holdrege St.

The concert will feature the "Overture to Marriage of Figaro" by Mozart and overtures by Beethoven and Sheldon. The chorale will present sacred music related to the season of Lent. The orchestra will collaborate with the choir on works by Bach and Mozart. The concert is part of a weekend tour of churches in Nebraska.

The program is free and open to the public. An offering will be taken to help defray traveling expenses. Hesston College is a two-year liberal arts college of Mennonite Church USA in Hesston, Kansas.

Politics and identity focus of series

National identity and the politics of nationalism are the themes for the 2016 winter lecture series hosted by the Unitarian Church, 6300 A St.

The free series runs from 7 to 9 p.m. Sundays through March 20. The first hour features a guest lecture, followed by refreshments and a one hour audience discussion.'

The lecture series schedule is as follows:

* Sunday -- Introduction and overview presented by Professor David Forsythe of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

* Feb. 21 -- Europe, presented by Professor Mark Orsag of Doane College.

* Feb. 28 -- South Asia, presented by Professor Robert Oberst of Nebraska Wesleyan University.

* March 6 -- The Middle East presented by Professor Mahood Monshipouri of San Francisco State University.

* March 13 -- Africa, presented by Dane Kennedy of George Washington University.

*March 20 -- Panel discussion addressing reactions and summary to the entire series.

For information call the Unitarian Church of Lincoln at 402-483-2213 or email admin@unitarianlincoln.org.

Lenten series studies catechism

First-Plymouth Congregational church begins its Wednesday Lenten Worship Series: Catechism: Foundations of our Christian Faith this week at the church, 2000 D St.

The program, led by pastors Jim Keck and Jacob Buchholz, will be held from 6 to 6:30 p.m. each Wednesday through March 23. Each program will be followed by an intergenerational worship service in the First-Plymouth sanctuary.

Catechism was the ancient church's process of initiating someone into the church. It was often a period of three years of learning everything people needed to know about Christianity and concluded with a baptism service on Easter morning.

The six-week series will study the fundamentals of Christianity: the trinity, bible, church, prayer, mission and sacraments.

Dinner will be served anytime between 5 and 6 p.m. in the churchs Pilgrim Hall. Cost of the meal is $6 for adults and $3 for children.

Child care is available. To learn more go to firstplymouth.org or call 402-476-7565.

Divorce recovery classes to begin

St. Marks United Methodist Church will hold an eight-week Divorce and Relationship Recovery Workshop beginning Thursday. The class will meet 6:30-8 p.m. in the Vermeer Education Center, on the church campus at 8550 Pioneers Blvd.

The workshop is open to anyone experiencing the ending of a marriage or significant relationship. The format consists of a weekly presentation followed by small group discussion. Weekly topics include: basic causes of divorce, grief and the emotional roller coaster, healing, setting boundaries, conflict resolution, new relationships, forgiveness and letting go.

The workshop is designed to be sensitive to varied faith experience and beliefs. Cost is $20, and partial scholarships are available. Free child care is available for children elementary school age and younger, with one week advance notice. To register go to stmarks.org. For information contact Gayle Schroeder at gschroeder@stmarks.org or Joanne Bell at jbell@stmarks.org.

Living Your Strengths class offered

What would happen if wed think about what is right with people rather than what is wrong? That is the format of Living Your Strengths, a two-week class offered from 8:30 a.m. to noon Feb. 20 and Feb. 27 in the Vermeer Education Center at St. Marks United Methodist Church, 8550 Pioneers Blvd.

The class, led by Sue Ochsner, former Gallup Strengths Consultant, teaches people how to identify and affirm their talents, and use those talents at home, work and church. It also is designed to help people understand and recognize the strengths of others. Participants will receive a book with an ID code that provides access to the Clifton StrengthsFinder, a personality assessment that reveals their top five talent themes.

Cost of the class is $21. To register, go to stmarks.org or call Joanne Bell at 402-489-8885.

Grief workshop at First-Plymouth

Lisa Borchardt will hold a Loss, Grief and Mourning workshop from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Feb. 20 at First-Plymouth Congregational Church, 2000 D St. This workshop will help people cope and heal from their grief. Cost is $10. Preregistration is required. Call 402-476-7550 or email addie@firstplymouth.org to register.

Healing prayer service is Feb. 21

Southpointe Christian Church, 7010 Helen Witt Dr., will hold its monthly evening prayer service of Healing, Mercy and Light from 7 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21.

The come-as-you-are service meets in the sanctuary and features meditative music, a Bible story of healing and then a quiet time of prayer and candle-lighting.

The prayer service is held the third Sunday of every month. Upcoming dates are March 20 and April 17. For information, call the church at 402-420-2750.

Bad Writers workshop at church

Award-winning author Kelly Madigan will lead Bad Writers, a workshop for people who want to tell good stories, but struggle, from 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 21 at First-Plymouth Congregational Church, 2000 D St.

Madigan is a three-time winner of the Nebraska Arts council Fellowship for Writers and the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship.

Cost of the workshop is $30. Preregistration is required. Call 402-476-7550 or email addie@firstplymouth.org to register. Participants should bring a notebook to class.

Submit your summer camp info

Summer camps for children from preschool through high school abound in Lincoln.

And we're compiling a list of them to run in an upcoming Sunday 402 section.

Our list caters to just about every interest, including fine arts, computers, sports, robotics, vacation Bible schools and church camps.

To be a part of the list, send information (dates, times, tuition fees, contacts, etc.) to calendars@journalstar.com.

Deadline is Monday.
The Diocese of Lincoln appointed John Freeh to be its inaugural director of the new Newman Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture.

Freeh is an associate professor of humanities at Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, Wyoming.

The Newman Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture (NICTC) is a collaborative project of the Diocese of Lincoln, St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward and the Newman Center on the University of Nebraska-Lincolns downtown campus. The institute offers accredited academic courses in the humanities: literature, history, and philosophy, designed for university students.

A native of Jersey City, New Jersey, Freeh has taught English Literature to undergraduates at Oxford University, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Gonzaga University and Hillsdale College. He also served as director of university ministry at Gonzaga and worked as a reporter and editor for The Associated Press and the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Freeh holds a doctorate of philosophy with an emphasis in English language and literature from St. Catherines, Oxford University. He earned a bachelors and a masters degree in English from Georgetown University and a masters degree in journalism from Northwestern University. He also earned a masters of philosophy in renaissance literature at Oxford.

John Freeh has a classical mind  a poetic imagination," said Bishop James Conley, who founded the institute this past year. "And, as important, his life is dedicated to the ministry of teaching. He is, through and through, a good teacher, and I know hell have a profound impact on our students.

Freeh credited Conleys vision for NICTC for inspiring him to apply for the directors position.

Wisdom is the spark that ignites in us the desire to accomplish great things, with great here meaning all that is noble, magnanimous and worthwhile, all that lifts us from the ordinary, or transforms the ordinary in such a way that we are never quite the same, ever again, Freeh said.

I have had the great privilege of seeing students themselves make the connection between what they learn and how they choose to live, he added. The great adventure of liberal arts learning  interdisciplinary courses that touch on all aspects of our common humanity  is that such learning can make us better human beings: men and women interested in that fullness of life which the Gospel promises; those who are passionate to know whatever is true, good and beautiful; those who want to serve the common good.

Freehs plan for the NICTC is to expand the institutes reach offering service opportunities, cultural activities and social gatherings throughout Lincoln and surrounding communities.

We will also plan domestic and foreign trips, for example, to Greece and Italy, the wellsprings of Western civilization, Freeh said.

Freeh, his wife, Helen, and their two children, plan to move to Lincoln this summer.

To learn about the NICTC go to newmaninstitute.com.
All $2.4 million required to build Olin Lecture Hall at Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1966 came from the foundation set up by industrialist Franklin W. Olin.

As at 77 other campuses across the country, the Olin Foundation gift created classrooms, labs, offices and lecture halls for biology, chemistry and physics at Wesleyan.

But times have changed.

At that time, there were no computers on desks, the DNA double-helix model was just discovered, chemists were using large flasks and mechanical balances, NWU President Fred Ohles said. All of those disciplines have changed dramatically.

Plans for a new science building to meet the needs of today's students and faculty have been discussed since 2008, Ohles said.

For at least the last two years, leaders at the liberal arts college in northeast Lincoln have been drawing plans and raising funds for a $27 million, three-story building with 75,000 square feet of space.

The proposed building, which would be the first new academic space at Nebraska Wesleyan since 1981, would be home to the biology, chemistry and psychology programs, while also signaling campus growth.

Faculty members have been involved in the design process, said Frank Ferraro, an associate professor of psychology, and two main themes have emerged.

One is to put science on display -- were trying to show how all the areas of science are engaging and exciting, and you do that by showing those activities," Ferraro said.

New labs and classrooms would be open and inviting and allow students to see research taking place, Ferraro explained.

The second is allowing the programs to interact more, he added. We want to see more of the happy collisions between biology students and professors and psychology students and professors in the study zones outside of the classroom and the laboratories.

Each of the departments slated for the new building have worked to ensure the individual needs of those disciplines are being met, while talks about common spaces have been a major focus.

"Some of that is going to be by design, but some of it will be organic and come about when the building opens," Ferraro said.

The deliberate placement of the building would also significantly contribute to the Wesleyan campus.

By positioning the building to the west of Old Main and vacating part of 50th Street, Ohles said Wesleyan will create an academic quad where the sciences and humanities surround an underused green space on campus.

Doing so would also push Wesleyan closer to the hub of University Place, Ohles said.

Matt Hansen, who represents northeast Lincoln in the Legislature and also serves as president of the University Place Community Organization, said the group sees benefits to the new building and growth at the college.

"The neighborhoods success and the universitys success are tied together," he said.

UPCO has some concerns about the potential closing of 50th Street, however.

Hansen described the street as a thoroughfare for residents who want to travel between the north and south sides of the neighborhood without using 48th or 56th streets.

We are certainly willing to work with the university and we do appreciate the work they have done with us and their planners on it, Hansen said. A lot of the plans are in early stages and kind of hypothetical; when we get some concrete plans, we can take a formal position in the future.

First United Methodist Church, across 50th Street from the Wesleyan campus, supports the plan, said church Board of Trustees member Lynn Ayers.

After six months of negotiating parking deals and plotting future growth of both institutions -- whose partnership dates back more than 120 years -- Ayers said both sides were able to reach a compromise that supports the new science building.

We understand Wesleyan is hemmed in and needs to grow, Ayers said. They own the land and they need to be able to expand their facilities.

In exchange for closing down part of 50th Street, NWU offered to build new parking accessible by the churchs 800-plus members on Sundays as well as during weddings and funerals, Ayers said.

Is it ideally what we wanted? No, she said. But is it something thats good for the community, University Place, and the City of Lincoln? Is it a partnership worth renewing? Absolutely.

Ohles said fundraising for the project is over halfway but still has a way to go.

We are grateful for the number of people who have been encouraging thus far, Ohles said.
Religion Today

Mission Sunday at Yorkville UMC

The second Sunday of the month is mission Sunday at Yorkville United Methodist Church, 17645 Old Yorkville Road, Yorkville, when a special offering is taken to support the churchs commitment to two mission partners. Guest speaker during the 10:15 a.m. service Sunday, Feb. 14, will be Arlene VanEss, coordinator of the Union Grove Area Food Bank. The Kids in Christs Kingdom Choir will sing You Gotta Show It.

Wednesday Lent service set

Lent services will be held at noon and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17, at Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, 322 Ohio St. The key text will be Matthew 7:24-29. In this closing image of Jesus sermon on the mount, Jesus speaks of those who study his word.

Study on Prayer during Lent

A soup and sandwich meal followed by a Study on Prayer will be held each Wednesday in Lent at First Reformed Church, 7110 Old Spring St. The meal begins at 5:30 p.m. and the prayer study begins at 6:30 p.m.

Valentine service invites parishioners to bring a friend

A Bring-A-Friend Valentines Day service at Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist Church, 625 College Ave., will include readings on love and music from the Olympia Brown Adult Choir during the 9 and 11 a.m. services on Sunday, Feb. 14.

Discovering Your True Self is topic for Bahai devotional

The Bahais of Racine will conduct the monthly interfaith devotional and spiritual discussion for people of all faiths at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, in the home of Barry and Loralee Uhlenhake, 3223 Wright Ave. The event affords a chance for all people attending to share quotations and prayers on the theme of Discovering Our True Selves. There will be live music. Call 262-672-5269 for more information.

Lenten services continue

Lenten services will continue at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 2417 Drexel Ave. A meal will be served at 6 p.m.

Mid-week Lenten worship services offered at Grace

A mid-week Lenten worship service begins at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17, at Grace Lutheran Church, 3700 Washington Ave. The Lenten theme is The Shadow of the Things to Come with the focus being Our Substitute in Genesis 22:1-14.

St. Paul the Apostle offers three-day mission

In this special Year of Mercy, three women share their stories of Gods mercy in their lives during a mission with talks, multi-media presentations and live music at 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Feb. 22-24 at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, 6400 Spring St.

The schedule for the three-day mission includes:

Monday  Catholic recording artist Anna Nuzzo shares how through her Marian Consecration, God has freed her from fears and guided her to His Mercy and the creation of her new Divine Creation Chaplet CD. Nuzzo will sing her original songs daily.

Tuesday  As executive producer of the video,Mass: The Heart of the Matter, Margie Mandli speaks about her own love for the Mass and about the beauty, mercy and depth of the Mass as discovered in the mission God gave her.

Wednesday  Inspirational speaker Nancy Salerno shares her message of Gods love and mercy and how the light of Christ shines through her special needs son Nicholas; how through small acts of kindness, a broken heart can be mended and spirits lifted.

An offering will be accepted.

Youth Choir presents quarterly musical Feb. 21

The Youth Choir will present their quarterly musical at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21, at Searching Together Missionary Baptist Church, 825 21st St.

Siena Retreat Center schedules programs

The following programs are being offered at the Siena Retreat Center, 5637 Erie St.:

Reclaiming Wisconsins Legacy of Environmental Stewardship: An Overview of Our Challenges, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16. Curt Meine, senior fellow with the Aldo Leopold Foundation, will provide a broad overview of the state of our land, air, waters, wildlife, and communities, and suggest ways to reclaim our responsibilities as members of Earth, conservationists and citizens. Cost to attend is $10.

Lifting Up the Human Voice: The Beauty of Human Presence, and The Need for Human Wisdom in a Digital Age, 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19. Presenter Wayne Muller is the author of several books including Sabbath. The presentation will be followed by book signing. Cost to attend is $15.

For more information or to register for a program, go to www.SienaRetreatCenter.org or call 262-898-2590.
The Corporate Volunteer Council of Racine joined forces with the Volunteer Center of Racine County at the start of 2016. And this new partnership creates a wonderful opportunity to promote volunteerism within local companies, to galvanize support on group projects which benefit the entire community, according to Al Volmut, executive director of the VCRC.

Originally formed in 1989 under the umbrella of the Racine Kenosha Community Action Agency, the CVCR is a coalition of more than 20 employers and agencies in Racine County which recognize the critical importance of volunteerism and have either established, or plan to establish, employee volunteer programs (http://cvcracine.com/home).

The councils new relationship with the Volunteer Center will not only provide its members with more connections to a wider range of volunteer opportunities, but will help increase visibility of the council and its work, said Pat Widmaier, CVCR coordinator and recently retired executive assistant at We Energies.

If an organization such as Preservation Racine, for example, lets the Volunteer Center know that it needs volunteers for an event, the VCRC can share that information with the council and the council can then offer those opportunities to its member companies, Widmaier said. And, by increasing awareness of the CVCR through the VCRC, the council hopes to build its membership.

While the number of CVCR companies has grown through the years, the council is always looking to add new members and new ideas, as others retire or move out of the area, she said.

This is a really good fit for us, Widmaier said of the partnership.

Corporate Award

One benefit that has already resulted from the merger is the addition of a Corporate Award, to be given out at the Volunteer Centers annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon on April 15. It will be the first time in the events 14 years that a company (rather than an individual) will be recognized for its volunteer efforts, according to Volmut.

The Corporate Award recipient will be chosen by the CVCR from among its member companies, which range from small businesses to large corporations, Widmaier said.

Another first that has grown out of the partnership is a new $1,000 scholarship that will be awarded by the CVCR to the winner of the VCRCs annual Youth Award. The VCRCs award honors a young person who selflessly volunteers to improve the community through service to any individual or organization, and this year the recipient will also receive the councils scholarship.

The CVCR had been looking at ways to offer a volunteer scholarship, Widmaier said, and members are thrilled to be able to make it happen with the Volunteer Center.

We plan to offer the youth scholarship every year, she said.

Light Our Lives

In addition to the new awards, the Volunteer Center will continue its tradition of recognizing volunteers throughout the community with awards in a wide range of categories at the April 15 luncheon and ceremony, which this year has a theme of Volunteers Light Our Lives.

Nominations for outstanding Racine County volunteers are being accepted through Monday, Feb. 15, and nomination forms are available on the VCRC website, www.volunteerracine.org/luncheon. Nominees can be anyone who goes above and beyond while volunteering and can be nominated in the following categories: Agriculture; Arts and Culture; Economic Development; Education; Environment; Good Neighbor; Health Services; Heroic; Human Service; Seniors (ages 55 and older); Youth (kindergarten through college); and Veterans.

In addition to the nomination form, a one-page support letter should be submitted. The letter should include information about the volunteers accomplishments, impact on the community, leadership position and a quote from the nominee. Applications should be discussed with the nominee prior to submission, and all recipients must be present at the luncheon, which will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. April 15, at the Racine Architect Hotel & Conference Center (formerly the Marriott), 7111 Washington Ave.

Nomination materials can be submitted to the Volunteer Center of Racine County, 6216 Washington Ave., Suite G, Mount Pleasant, WI, 53406; or sent via email to avolmut@volunteerracine.org. Recipients will be chosen by a panel of six judges from throughout the community.

For more information, call the VCRC at 262-886-9612.
Whats Going On includes upcoming one-time events in and around Racine County such as breakfasts, dinners, car washes, rummage sales, parties and dances intended to be money-raisers by or in behalf of nonprofit community organizations, either held or requiring reservations within the next two weeks. Events held on a regular basis are not used. Announcements must arrive at The Journal Times by noon Tuesday before the desired Saturday publication date. Announcements may only be used one time. Send information to the Online Calendar at www.journaltimes.com/calendar and pick the Benefit-and-Fundraiser category; mail information to Community, 212 Fourth St., Racine, WI 53403; fax to Loreen Mohr, 262-631-1780; or send email to lmohr@journaltimes.com.

SUNDAY

DANISH AEBELSKIVER BRUNCH

Bethania Lutheran Church, 4120 Wright Ave., 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14. Aebleskiver is a Danish pancake. Costs are $5 for adults and $4 for children ages 6-12. Children ages 5 and younger eat free.

Friday

FISH FRY

Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 2201 Northwestern Ave., 5-7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19. The menu includes fried and baked cod, handmade fries or potato pancakes, cheese pizza, dessert and coffee, soda, milk or beer (first beer is free). Costs are $9.50 for adults and $7 for seniors. Carryout orders and gluten-free meal options are available.

Feb. 20

VEGAS NIGHT

Festival Hall, 5 Fifth St., 7-10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20. The $5 admission fee includes $100 in fun money, free instant winner entry and grand prize drawing entry to win a trip to Las Vegas and $500 cash. Sponsored by Racine Founders Rotary.

ST. CLARE ICE FISHING JAMBOREE

6 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, on Wind Lake. Ticket signup for cash prizes on fish will be held until 4 p.m. The fish board closes at 4 p.m. at Sportsmans Landing, 25313 W. Loomis Road, Wind Lake. Meat, basket and special raffles will be held from noon-4 p.m. at Sportsmans Landing. Raffles will also be held at other locations. For more information, go to www.stclarewindlake.org.

WINTER FESTIVAL CHILI COOK-OFF

Roma Lodge, 7130 Spring St., Mount Pleasant, 5-11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20. The event features a silent auction, 50/50 raffle, cash bar, chili tasting, celebrity judging from 5-8 p.m. and live music by Lunch Money Bullies from 7-11 p.m. Trophies will be awarded to first, second and third place chili judged by celebrity judges, and first and second Peoples Choice Chili winners. The cost is $10. Presented by the South Shore Firefighters Charities and Roma Lodge. Proceeds will benefit the PFFW Charitable Foundation Alliance for Fire Safety. For more information, go to www.facebook.com/ssfdcharities.

Feb. 27

GEORGE WASHINGTON LIBERTY BALL

Fountain Banquet Hall, 8505 Durand Ave., Sturtevant, 6-11:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27. The event will include live music by Final Approach at 7 p.m., a silent auction and raffles. Costume dress is encouraged or semi-formal attire. Tickets cost $10 each or $15 per couple and are available at Hugs & Kisses, Racine Masonic Center, Sew N Save and Fountain Banquet Hall. For more information, go to www.racine4thfest.org.

Proceeds will benefit the 4th Fest of Greater Racine for the 2016 Racine July 4 parade and fireworks.
RACINE  The Racine Unified School District has spent or allocated nearly half  about $62 million  of the $127.5 million, 15-year referendum that district voters approved in 2014, according to district officials.

So far, the district has spent about $17 million outright over the last two years and has slated another $45 million over the course of the next 13 years to pay for the three new school buildings now under construction, according to Unified Chief Operations Officer Dave Hazen.

Although spending in first two years has been dominated by large maintenance and construction projects, Hazen said the district plans to come to relative rhythm in coming years of regularly using referendum funds on maintenance, debt service and new technology.

Background

District officials sought the referendum from voters in 2014 primarily to address a $128 million list of overdue and shortly due maintenance on numerous district buildings.

With about $600,000 per year going toward maintenance at the time, administrators said they would need to boost that to $3 million to $4 million to keep pace with the needs. In addition, the district sought to completely rebuild several schools to cover some of that maintenance.

Voters approved the referendum in November 2014, allowing the district to collect $8.5 million more in taxes than its state-imposed revenue cap for the next 15 years to pay for the work as well as technology and security upgrades.

New school construction

In a presentation to the School Board earlier this month, Hazen gave a brief, year-by-year summary of what has been spent so far and how the district expects to spend referendum funds on next year.

Of the $17 million already spent last year and this year, about $7.75 million has gone directly to new construction projects, with another $2.5 million slated for next year. Those projects include:

Rebuilding Knapp Elementary School, 2701 17th St., for about $14 million.

Rebuilding Olympia Brown Elementary School, currently located at 5915 Erie St., Caledonia, on a 20-acre lot at 5 Mile and Novak roads for about $15.1 million.

Building an addition to Gifford Elementary School, 8332 Northwestern Ave., also in Caledonia, to make it into a 4K through grade 8 school for about $16.4 million, with $2.4 million more in renovations.

The budgets of those projects does not include about $2.2 million in reserve funds for unforeseen contingencies. Those, if unused, would be put towards other referendum expenses, Hazen said.

In addition to the $10.25 million put straight into the projects, the district took out about $37.79 million in loans to cover the initial construction of the projects.

With about $7.7 million in interest to repay those loans over the coming 13 years, the new schools construction will end up being about $55.74 million of the total referendum funds, according to Hazen.

Other spending

In addition, the district has so far spent about $6.6 million on major maintenance projects, such as renovating the field house and replacing the roof at Case High School, 7345 Washington Ave., Mount Pleasant, and replacing the roof of Dr. Jones Elementary School, 3300 Chicory Road, Racine.

Over the course of the referendum, district administrators plan to gradually increase spending on maintenance to about $4 million per year to avoid the backlog that spurred the current referendum borrowing, Hazen explained.

The district has also spent about $2.46 million on new technology over the past two years, the bulk of that on a $2.26 million purchase of 5,250 Chromebook laptop computers about a year ago.

Reiterating goals set before the referendum, Hazen said the district plans a flexible annual spending goal for the remaining years of the referendum: about $1 million on technology, about $3.5 million on debt service for the new school buildings, and about $4 million for maintenance and other debt service.
BURLINGTON  Two donations recently received by the Burlington Area School District will significantly bolster the districts educational capabilities in key areas, district officials say.

At the Mondays School Board meeting, board members learned about the donations, one from Project CAPE, Inc. and another from the Chris Roanhaus Memorial Scholarship Fund. Collectively the gifts total $27,000.

The donation from Project CAPE, a division of Waterford-based Runzheimer International, was for $17,000. According to BASD Assistant Superintendent Connie Zinnen, the money came through a grant application and will go to directly to improving literacy instruction for the districts younger students.

The funds will be used to purchase reading materials for grades K through five and the professional development that goes along with use of those materials, Zinnen said.

Specifically, the district will invest in a program called The Units of Study for Teaching Reading. The professional development money will go toward bringing in trainers from New York to help train BASD teachers, according to Zinnen.

The global goal is to improve literacy scores and literacy of all students, but also to improve teaching practices of teachers in the teaching of reading, she said.

Lasting legacy

The second donation, from the Chris Roanhaus Memorial Scholarship Fund, was for $10,000 and will benefit Burlington High Schools special education program.

Zinnen said Chris Roanhaus was a Burlington High School Student in the special education program some years ago when he died in a car accident. His parents, Norma and Bill, award a scholarship to a successful student in the district each spring, but decided they would do something different this year, according to Zinnen.

They made a grand gesture to the special education program at the high school, donating the remainder of the fund to the special education program, she said.

Since the gift came in so recently, Zinnen said the money has yet to be earmarked for any project in particular. However, due to the generosity of the donation, shes convinced it will help the program for years to come.

Its a very generous donation, Zinnen said. It can certainly be put to good use to help students in the special education department.
RACINE  After sitting in the Racine County Jail for about 72 hours, a man accused of barging into a Racine womans home to remove a Confederate flag hanging in her window has another shot at freedom.

Tajaun D. Boatner, 38, of Racine, is accused of entering the womans residence sometime before 5:47 p.m. on Aug. 7 after a dispute reportedly arose about the flag in her window. The Confederate flag is viewed by some as a symbol of Southern heritage. Others, however, consider it a divisive symbol of racial hatred.

Boatner was scheduled to go on trial on Jan. 21, but failed to show up after also missing an earlier hearing last month. He had been free on a $100 cash bond, but during a hearing on Tuesday, Boatner appeared in court and Racine County Circuit Judge Charles Constantine subsequently increased his bond to $5,000 cash and ordered him jailed.

Boatner was back before the judge on Friday.

I dont buy for a second that you didnt know you had a trial, Constantine told him. Im not gonna tolerate it.

But after Boatner spent several days in jail, Constantine decided to reduce Boatners bond back to $100, as previously set and paid. Boatner may be released, but the judge issued a warning:

Dont even be late, he said regarding Boatners new trial date, which is slated for 8:30 a.m. May 26. You show up at 9 (a.m.), youre going into custody.

The allegations

Boatner is charged with criminal trespass, misdemeanor battery, disorderly conduct, misdemeanor theft and obstructing an officer  all misdemeanors.

The woman told police that Boatner approached her at her home in the 1300 block of Center Street and politely asked her to remove the flag from her kitchen window, according to Boatners criminal complaint. She then moved it to her bathroom window. The woman said Boatner became upset and called her a expletive, the complaint states.

She admitted to Racine police that she called Boatner a racial slur and she and Boatner began yelling at one another, the complaint states.

A neighbor reportedly told police he saw Boatner push the woman in her apartment and walk out with the flag, the complaint states.
RACINE  Police released new information Friday about the early-morning Downtown crash on Feb. 6 at Fifth and Main streets.

The latest report from Racine police said officers were dispatched at about 2:30 a.m. that day for a report of shots fired in the area of Eighth and Main streets. Soon after that, a crash occurred at Fifth and Main streets in which one vehicle had rolled over and was engulfed in flames with people trapped inside.

Numerous people responded to the scene to help accident victims, police said. The crash sent two men, ages 20 and 25, to Wheaton Franciscan-All Saints hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said. Both men were later taken to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa for additional treatment and are expected to survive.

A 23-year-old woman also was taken to a hospital for treatment.

The investigation determined the shots-fired incident and car crash were directly related, police said. No one was in police custody as of Friday afternoon.

The Haymarket Building at the northwest corner of Main and Fifth streets was heavily damaged in the crash. At least three other Main Street buildings sustained minor damage, including RG Natural Babies, 430 Main St.

Police investigators want to speak with anyone who witnessed the incidents or who responded to help. Police are also seeking any surveillance or cell phone video that may have captured the incidents  specifically from these areas: 10th Street and Washington, eastbound on 10th Street to Main Street and north on Main Street to the crash site. The time frame would be 2:20 a.m. to 2:45 a.m. on Feb. 6.

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call the Racine Police Departments Investigations Unit at 262-635-7756.

Callers may also anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 262-636-9330 or by texting RACS plus the message to 274637 and referring to Tipsoft I.D. #TIP417 within the text message.
Department of Corrections secretary Ed Wall has resigned amid a wide-ranging investigation of the states youth prison, now led by the FBI.

The disclosure Friday of Walls resignation came hours after federal officials confirmed that the FBI is leading the investigation of alleged abuses at the states only youth prison, Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls in Irma.

It came less than a day after Gov. Scott Walkers office acknowledged it was warned of safety problems at Lincoln Hills dating back to 2012  which appeared at odds with Walkers previous comments.

Walker announced Friday that Jon Litscher, a former Corrections secretary appointed by Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson, will take Walls place at DOC.

Walker also told reporters in Appleton on Friday that he wouldnt rule out shutting down Lincoln Hills.

What I talked to John Litscher about was  we werent taking any options off the table there or anywhere else, Walker said. If he came in and made recommendations to me not only about that institution, but about anywhere else in the Department of Corrections we would take it seriously.

Under state law, Wall has the ability to immediately return to his previous position as head of the Department of Criminal Investigation. But to protect the integrity of the Lincoln Hills investigation, Mr. Wall will be placed on paid administrative leave and the current DCI administrator will continue in his role, said Department of Justice spokeswoman Anne Schwartz on Friday.

Walker signed a bill Friday that overhauls the states civil service system, designed to prevent political influence in the hiring and firing of state workers. The law doesnt go into effect until July 1, and it was unclear Friday if the new law would prevent Wall from taking back his old job if it was in effect now.

Wall resigned from DOC Feb. 5, according to Walkers office. His last day is Feb. 27. Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick said the resignation wasnt made public until Friday because Governor Walker met with Jon Litscher on Wednesday of this week, and the announcement of his appointment was made today in order to allow for a smooth transition of leadership at DOC.

Litscher was appointed by Walker to be chairman of the states group insurance board and most recently worked as an interim superintendent of the Cambria-Friesland School District.

According to Walls resignation letters, he intended to work his last day on March 19 but on Friday said he wanted to move up his resignation date to Feb. 27 because Walker had found his replacement.

Walker told reporters Friday that restoring credibility to the DOC played into Walls decision to resign.

Thats good, Walker said. I think thats what the public expects.

Democratic lawmakers blasted Walkers administration Friday, saying Walls resignation doesnt alleviate the governors responsibility for the problems at Lincoln Hills.

Walls resignation doesnt change the fact that Gov. Walker and his top aides ignored critical safety warnings for more than four years, Democratic Assembly Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, said in a statement.

GOP lawmakers leading panels that oversee state prisons responded that the issue shouldnt be politicized.

It is easy for this to become a political hot potato, said Rep. Rob Hutton, R-Brookfield, chairman of the Assembly Corrections Committee. I would implore everybody to be focused on making sure our juvenile population is safe.

Better days ahead

Troy Bauch, AFSCME union representative for employees at Lincoln Hills, said Friday that Litschers appointment is a signal for better days ahead at Corrections.

Bauch praised Litschers ability to work collaboratively with employees in the states prisons.

State lawmakers who lead panels that oversee state prisons, speaking Friday, continued to resist calls from Democrats to hold immediate hearings on Lincoln Hills.

Hutton and Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, said lawmakers should not step in until federal investigators conclude their probe of the facility.

This is not going to be tried in the media by having a circus of a hearing, said Wanggaard, who chairs the Senate Public Safety and Judiciary committee. Let the FBI do their jobs, instead of everybody jumping to conclusions.

The investigation began under the Department of Corrections in 2014 over allegations of abuse. The DOJ took over in January, and in October a John Doe investigation was opened into the matter.

FBI takes over investigation

The U.S. attorney for western Wisconsin confirmed Friday the FBI was now leading the investigation. The investigation targets a wide range of potential crimes, including child abuse, sexual assault and misconduct in public office.

John W. Vaudreuil, U.S. attorney for Wisconsins western district, said the narrow focus of federal officials will be to determine if any violations of federal civil rights laws occurred at Lincoln Hills and its role had nothing to do with Wall returning to DCI.

Vaudreuil said the FBI began discussions with DOJ officials in mid-January about assuming the new role, and said hes not sure how long federal officials will lead the probe.

We will go wherever the facts take us, Vaudreuil said.

2012 warning

A Racine County judge warned Walkers office of severe safety issues at Lincoln Hills in 2012, and soon after the county stopped sending its juvenile offenders there.

Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick said the governor was not shown the letter from Racine County Circuit Judge Richard Kreul in which Kreul said official indifference in this sordid tale is inexcusable.

Kreul also shared a Racine County Human Services memo that described an inmate-on-inmate sexual assault and how Lincoln Hills and DOC officials responded to it.

Walker said Friday the information from the judge was one of nearly 350,000 constituent contacts his office received in 2012. His staff forwarded it to Corrections, and he said the agency made policy changes as a result.

Senior staff in his office might have gotten more involved if DOC hadnt taken action, Walker said. Wall was not Corrections secretary at the time.

The Walker administration released Kreuls letter and the Racine County memo Thursday. It didnt include the records in its Dec. 17 response to a request from the Wisconsin State Journal under the state Public Records Law.
JURIST Guest Columnist Robert Percival from University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law discusses what can be learned from the tragedy in Flint, Michigan

Americans who visit China quickly notice one significant difference from travel in the US. Even if they are staying in luxury five-star hotels, they are told not to drink tap water because in China it is not safe to drink. By contrast, no matter where one travels in the US tap water should be safe to drink because of a federal law called the Safe Drinking Water Act [PDF] (SDWA), 42 U.S.C. 300f et seq. Since its enactment in 1974, the SDWA has required tap water in the US to meet minimum federal standards to protect public health.

Thus it was shocking to learn that for more than a year impoverished residents of Flint, Michigan were drinking lead-laden tap water that poisoned their children. How could this happen in the 21st century in the most developed country in the world despite the SDWA and the now well-known dangers of exposure to lead? It seems astonishing that government officials violated the SDWA and failed promptly to inform Flint residents that their water was poisoned.

The Flint tragedy originated with the appointment by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder of Darnell Earley as emergency manager for Flint. To save money Earley decided in April 2014 to shift the source of the citys water supply to the polluted Flint River. Because Flint River water is highly corrosive, lead from pipes in Flints water supply system leached into the drinking water, poisoning Flint residents. Shockingly, after test data revealed the lead contamination, state and federal officials failed to inform Flint residents. Officials initially denounced private groups who tried to publicize test results. Yet when General Motors complained that the water was corroding parts at a plant in Flint, government officials quietly reconnected the plant to its former water supply.

Behind these shocking events are dark realities that require reassessment of our current system for protecting public health. First, history demonstrates that it is easier to muster political will to control health risks that are highly visible. Long before the US had national environmental laws, Congress in 1912 imposed a prohibitive excise tax on the use of white phosphorous in match manufacturing because it inflicted a horribly disfiguring disease on workers exposed to it. Because lead exposure causes neurological damage that is less apparent to the naked eye, it took much longer for environmental policy to respond to it. While much of the rest of the world banned lead-based paint at the beginning of the 20th century, the US did not do so until 1978, more than a half-century later. Lead additives in gasoline were banned only in the 1990s after a prolonged struggle that extended for decades more than the effort to ban lead-based paint.

A second lesson from Flint is the folly of changing policy simply to save costs without considering the impact on public health. Incredibly in 1982 [PDF] the Reagan administration proposed to allow more lead to be added to gasoline simply to reduce costs to oil refiners. Even as it was touting a new executive order requiring agencies to balance costs against benefits before taking regulatory action, the administration said only cost reductions need to be considered when proposing to relax existing rules. It was self evident to Reagans minions that any measure saving industry money was desirable regardless of its effect on public health. Fortunately public outcry forced Reagans Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) not only to abandon this disastrous proposal but eventually to eliminate gasoline lead additives entirely. Leaded gasoline now has been banned in virtually all the world. This is probably the most successful public health measure in the history of environmental law with economists estimating that it generates more than trillions of dollars in net benefits to society each year.

Third, the Flint tragedy dramatically highlights an environmental justice problemenvironmental risks continue to be disproportionately concentrated on poor and minority communities. Flint is a majority African-American community with more than 40 percent of the population living below the poverty line. In 1982, columnist George Will wrote a remarkable column opposing the Reagan administrations effort to allow more lead in gasoline. Entitled The Poison Poor Children Breathe, Will observed that the problem of lead in the environment . . . is a childhood health problem that illustrates how societys hazards are often distributed regressively  persons lowest on the social ladder have special handicaps for climbing. Will noted that [a]ny childhood disease that threatened affluent children as lead poisoning threatens poor children would produce public action faster than you can say swine flu. The same is true today, as illustrated by the Flint tragedy. Government officials in Flint responded promptly to GMs complaints about the water, but its poor residents were not warned of the hazard.

Fourth, Flint exposes fundamental inadequacies in how lead in drinking water currently is regulated under the SDWA. When EPA first regulated lead in drinking water in 1991, 56 Fed. Reg. 26,460 (1991), it knew that there is no safe level of exposure to lead. Because of leads potentially severe health effects at even low levels of exposure, EPA established a health-based goal of zero lead in drinking water. The SDWA directs EPA to set limits on contaminants in drinking water as close as is feasible to the health-based goal. Thus EPA had to determine how close to zero the standard could feasibly be set.

Although the use of lead pipes and lead solder in drinking water systems was prohibited in 1986, an enormous number of homes still have such plumbing or are served by lead service lines. EPA concluded that Congress had not anticipated the problem of drinking water contamination occurring as a byproduct of pipe corrosion. It argued that public water systems should not be responsible for contamination from portions of the distribution system beyond their control. 56 Fed. Reg. 26,460, 26,476 (1991). Because a requirement that all lead service lines be removed would cost cities many billions of dollars, EPA instead required water suppliers to employ relatively inexpensive corrosion control measures to prevent lead from the pipes leaching into the water. Under the regulations EPA adopted if more than 10 percent of a citys water samples exceed 15 ppb lead at the tap, the city water supplier is required to add a chemical to the water to inhibit corrosion. If these corrosion control measures failed to reduce the percentage of samples exceeding this action level, water suppliers were required to replace lead service lines on a schedule stretching to 2014.

When it shifted to the corrosive Flint River water, Flint failed to use corrosion controls, even though a March 2015 consultants report urged it to do so. This clearly would have reduced levels of lead in Flints water, though it would not have completely eliminated lead contamination. It is well known that levels of lead in tap water can vary widely within a single system. Some cities gamed the system by choosing to do most of their testing at locations where they knew they would be less likely to find lead contamination. Environmentalists argued that EPAs regulations were inadequate because they could leave up to one-tenth of a citys population exposed to unlimited levels of lead. Faced with legal challenges from environmentalists attacking the rules as too weak and cities attacking the rules as too stringent, a reviewing court upheld EPAs regulations. American Water Works Assn v. EPA, 40 F.3d 1266 (D.C. Cir. 1994).

Fifth, the Flint tragedy illustrates the difficulty of remediating environmental harm once toxic materials are incorporated into the infrastructure of urban areas. More than a decade ago high concentrations of lead were found in Washington, D.C.s drinking water as a result of testing by Marc Edwards, the very Virginia Tech professor who blew the whistle on Flints contamination. In addition to employing corrosion control measures D.C. began replacing lead service lines. Like the widespread use of asbestos and lead paint in homes and buildings, lead in water supply systems can continue to pose severe risks to public health long after use of the toxic materials is banned. Many cities like Flint and Washington, D.C. have lead pipes and plumbing in their water supply systems that eventually must be removed and replaced at great expense.

Sixth, Flint illustrates the importance of civil society groups serving as a backstop when government officials fail to implement or obey the law. Private parties were the first to publicize the lead contamination in Flint. Predictably they initially were dismissed as alarmists by the very government officials who failed to ensure that Flints drinking water was safe. In 1882 the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen wrote An Enemy of the People, a play about a communitys demonization of a local doctor who exposes contamination of the towns economically vital baths. The play captures a timeless pattern that has been repeated for more than a century. Fortunately environmental laws in the US encourage private parties to hold government officials accountable when they fail to protect public health. This now appears to have happened, at least belatedly, in Flint. One can only hope that the lessons embodied in the Flint tragedy will make it less likely to be repeated in the future.

Robert Percival is the Robert F. Stanton Professor of Law & Director of the Environmental Law Program at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. He specializes in environmental law.

Suggested citation: Robert Percival, The Poison Poor Children Drink: Six Lessons from the Flint Tragedy, JURIST  Academic Commentary, February 11, 2016, http://jurist.org/forum/2015/11/robert-percival-six-lessons.php.

This article was prepared for publication by Elizabeth Dennis, an Assistant Editor for JURIST Commentary. Please direct any questions or comments to her at commentary@jurist.org.
JURIST Guest Columnist Nicholas M. Wooldridge of LV Criminal Defense discusses the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015 and its problematic aftereffects on offenders, society and the criminal justice system

The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015 has not yet even been scheduled for a vote in the full Senate, but it is already dead. Yes, you read it here first. It is dead. Youve heard the expression: if you like sausage, you shouldnt watch it being made. The same is true with legislation. The past two years have seen a lot of enthusiasm and optimism for criminal justice with former federal prosecutors, federal judges, defense attorneys, and even Congress weighing in on the issue. Yet the proposed legislation, the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015, does nothing to fix the root causes of Americas failed approach to crime and criminal justice. Instead, the proposed legislation, as recently revised by the Senate Judiciary Committee, creates the appearance of reform without doing much of anything to effect actual reform. Lets recap a little.

We call ourselves the land of the free, but we have the highest incarceration rate of any nation in the world. We have five percent of the worlds population, but more than twenty-percent of the worlds prisoners. We imprison folks in the US longer than anywhere else for their crimes, we permanently shame and disintegrate ex-offenders from society upon their release and then act surprised when they re-offend. Lets acknowledge the irony in this the land of the free.

American criminal justice over the past four decades has been characterized by three events: over-criminalization, the rise of mass incarceration, and an increasing tilt towards the prosecution in the adversarial process leading to a significant rise in the conviction rate to nearly 93.3 percent.

Proliferation in Federal Criminal Laws

Prior to the 20th century, criminal law concerned itself mostly with acts that everyone knew and understood were morally wrong. Thus, the old saying ignorantia juris non excusat (ignorance of the law is no excuse) could be taken seriously. This is no longer the case today. When the Government exercises its power to prosecute and imprison, it is exercising its most awesome power, short of warfare. It is a power that must be exercised with precision and clarity. Yet, recent decades have seen a proliferation in federal criminal laws, a dramatic expansion in their application to various contexts and factual scenarios, and even their extraterritorial application even beyond our borders. The sheer number of federal laws that impose criminal penalties has grown to an unmanageable point. In point of fact, the Congressional Research Service has been unable to come up with a definitive total of federal criminal laws; the best they have been able to do is to come up with an estimate that the number is in the thousands.

The Rise of Mass Incarceration

Prior to the sentencing reform movement across the US of the late 1970s and 1980s, probation was the starting point for most non-violent first-time offenders. In the 1980s, a little less than half of offenders in the federal system received probation. Fast forward to 2014nine in ten federal offenders received prison sentences.

Until the Supreme Courts decision in US v. Booker, judges had limited sentencing discretion, and calculating the appropriate sentence simply required adding up points to determine where a defendant fell in the Sentencing Guidelines grid. Yet, even after Booker, which rendered the Sentencing Guidelines advisory, the Pew Charitable Trusts research report demonstrates that a period of imprisonment is still the norm. After decades of sentencing, Judges have become accustomed to seeing imprisonment as the most viable criminal sanction to meet the goals and purposes of sentencing set forth in 18 U.S.C.  3553(a). While judges may decry any responsibility for the rise of mass incarceration, they can no longer skirt responsibility by simply blaming the Sentencing Guidelines. Of course, federal judges can still blame mandatory minimum, but fixing or reducing the application or eliminating statutory mandatory minimums, is not enough. On this point, while the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015 reduces some statutory mandatory minimums, it introduces a myriad of new offenses, which trigger mandatory minimums. Federal judges who have the weighty task of sentencing need to understand that criminal sanctions short of lengthy imprisonment often suffice to fulfill all the goals of sentencing, namely, just punishment and deterrence. Moreover, criminal justice reform opponents universally recount, often in graphic detail, the details of offenders criminal conviction and appeal to morals and mass hysteria. Yet, two wrongs dont make a right. Years of empirical and academic research by criminologists have put numbers to the lie that has permeated the nations collective psyche that more and longer incarceration is the solution.

Are Defendants Still Innocent Until Proven Guilty?

The US likes to boast that our criminal justice system is heavily tilted in favor of criminal defendants because wed rather that ten guilty men go free than an innocent man be convicted. As noted in a recent law review article by US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski, there is reason to doubt the continued applicability of this principle first expressed by English jurist William Blackstone in his seminal work, Commentaries on the Laws of England, published in the 1760s. For fiscal year 2013, the US Department of Justice achieved a 93.3 percent conviction rate [PDF, charts]. This ever-increasing conviction rate calls into question whether prosecutors have too much leverage and whether the Constitutionally-protected and prized adversarial system remains just and fair. Worse, a defendant who exercises his Constitutionally-protected right to put the Government to its proof at trial may receive a trial penalty: a punishment that is far in excess of the sentence that could have been imposed had the defendant pled guilty. This is because prosecutors have exclusive discretion over when to charge, which charges to bring against the defendant and control the facts, including the set of facts known as acquitted conduct and relevant conduct that are shared with the Probation Office. These facts determine how many or which of the many enhancements available under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines apply. Worst still, these facts can lead to what numerous judges and academics have described as a case of the tail wagging the dog where the acquitted conduct or relevant conduct and not the offense of conviction determines the sentence, subject only to the statutory maximum of the offense of conviction. On this point, the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act 2015 is completely silent.

We Are Not a Nation of Second Chances

Most politicians and most Americans proudly state we are a nation of second chances. This statement is utter rubbishit is misleading, and is nothing more than a soundbite for the media. An offender convicted of a felony offense becomes an instant pariah and his debt-to-society will technically never be paid; his conviction will often be used to insure he is denied access to housing, jobs, and even education. A person convicted of a felony in the federal system who serves his sentence without incident, will not magically turn his life around and become a doctor, a lawyer, a judge, or licensed professional. Instead, he will be disenfranchised at almost every turn. In most cases, a felony conviction will result in the loss of the right to vote; preclude future employment in many licensed professions; and even the run-of-the-mill jobs that require a background check. A felony conviction will also exclude many offenders from accessing education, federal and state benefits and even housing.

Not surprisingly, criminal punishments and a permanent criminal record can actually increase future offending among the punished. According to labeling theorists, criminal behavior often shows an increase after sanctioning because formal sanctions significantly reduce legitimate life pathways. Moreover, especially in the case of young adults, sanctioned criminals may engage in a process of value identification with their label, and thus adopt norms and behavior patterns typical to that label, i.e. once a criminal always a criminal. Imprisonment may serve as a powerful conduit to the adoption of criminal identity, as it is the most severe sanction that one can receive from the state (except for death) and in fact, bestows a more stigmatized label than lesser sanctions (e.g. probation). In short, being imprisoned and labeled a convicted felon for prolonged periods of time, may serve to increase future offending, not reduce offending. Thus, the American criminal justice system does not provide or foresee second chances.

On this point,  211 of the original version of the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act 2015 borrowed from Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rand Pauls (R-KY) legislation, REDEEM Act, and contained an expungement and sealing provision to help young adults petition the sentencing judge to expunge their non-violent juvenile delinquencies, and seal their felony convictions. The original provision covered both juvenile delinquencies and felony convictions, provided the conduct leading to the juvenile delinquency or felony conviction (not the date of conviction) occurred before the offender turned twenty-one years old. Currently, the broad availability of criminal record information, which can often be accessed through a simple Google search, disables adults who have turned their lives around from finding employment and becoming productive members of our communities years  sometimes, decades  after their criminal conviction.

Yet, even here, the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015, falls short: after the Senate Judiciary Committees markup, the expungement and sealing provisions in  211 were limited to only those with juvenile delinquencies. And Senators Booker and Pauls REDEEM Act, which provided broad access to expungement and sealing procedures, appears to be dead in the Judiciary Committee.

Conclusion

While the few reforms in the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015 are not inconsequential, they do not go far enough and place too much of an emphasis on drug crimes. This is because federal drug offenses only represent 46.5 percent of the federal prison population.

In the end, this draft legislation betrays a more fundamental problem in America: a failure to appreciate or even acknowledge the need to fundamentally alter our response to crime and criminal justice. Reducing a few mandatory minimums and adding a few new ones, with a few superficial changes to prohibit prolonged periods of solitary confinement, will hardly reverse the carnage that decades of over criminalization and mass incarceration have brought on America and the fundamental rights of the accused. Finally, back to the sausage: even this modest reform has run into stiff opposition from Senator Tom Cotton (R-AK), who has warned that it would make American communities unsafe and may fail before the election season swings into full gear.

Nicholas Wooldridge is a prominent criminal defense attorney in Las Vegas, NV, as well as the founder of LV Criminal Defense. An expert in federal crimes defense and white collar crime, Nicholas is also a published author and frequent media contributor.

Suggested citation: Nicholas M. Wooldridge, The Failure of the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act 2015, JURIST  Professional Commentary, Feb. 13, 2016, http://jurist.org/hotline/2016/2/nicholas-wooldridge-sentencing-reformphp
Fire guts property worth Rs 10-15 million in carton warehouse

A massive fire engulfed a paper carton warehouse belonging to Bharat Adhikary at Kalopul in Teku, Kathmandu, on Saturday morning. The fire is under control now.
Gas stations to sell fuel from today

Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) said gasoline stations in the Kathmandu Valley would start distributing fuel regularly from Saturday.
Kanchanjunga Conservation Area office set up

Eighteen years after its establishment, the government has finally set up the office of Kanchanjunga Conservation Area (KCA) in Taplejung district.
Prabhu, Grand start joint ops after merger

Prabhu Bank and Grand Bank Nepal started joint operations on Friday after their merger. The amalgamation of the two follows a flurry of mergers that has brought down the number of commercial banks in Nepal to 29.
Sending foreign secy to Kathmandu at last moment was not good, says Ex-Indian PM Manmohan Singh

Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has criticised the government of Narendra Modi for putting up a blockade against Nepal.
Warm welcome awaits Oli in Delhi

India is all set to accord the highest honour to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli during his visit to the southern neighbour starting on February 19.
1. Yes. Its important to cast my votes early and avoid the lines on Election Day.

2. Yes. With nearly two weeks of early voting, its a more convenient way to take part.

3. No. Its better to wait until Election Day, in case any last-minute information surfaces.

4. No. Im not planning to vote early or on Election Day. It isnt worth my time.

5. Unsure. It depends on how the campaigns are shaping up. Ill play it by ear.

Vote

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Title: Past and Present LovesAuthor: kiraGenre: Slice of LifeCharacters: Germany, ItalyPairing: Germany/ItalyRating: PGWord count: 750Warning: NoneSummary: Italy, missing his first love, wonders if he came back to himAuthors Note: Thanks to my beta Kat for looking this over for me.Germany entered the coffee shop and briefly scanned the patrons for his friend. Spotting him, he walked over to Italy. Hello, he said as he sat down. Im sorry to keep you waiting, but I had a last minute meeting with my boss and I couldnt get away.Italy smiled. Its okay; I know youre busy with work. He closed his sketchbook and set it aside. You want anything? I could use another cappuccino.Germany pushed back from the table. Let me get it.Okay. Italy watched as his friend walked up to the counter and ordered. He sighed softly. Today was the anniversary of the day his dear childhood friend and love, Holy Roman Empire, went off to war. It still hurt after all these years that Italy had no idea what happened to him, other than some vague answers from Prussia shortly after the end of the war, which Italy had attributed to grief over his brothers death. Yet, Italy still could not shake the feeling that his friend was still alive and out there somewhere.Germany returned with the two cappuccinos. Are you okay? He handed a cup to his little buddy and sat down.Italy nodded. He let out a soft sigh as he reached for his cappuccino and drank. Yeah he said softly.Italy.He looked up at his friend. What?Germany sighed. Nothing, he said. What were you drawing? Germany said, hoping the change of subject would pull his little buddy from his morose mood.Italy reached for his sketchbook. Remember I told you my first love was a boy?Germany nodded. You also said he thought you were a girl because Miss Hungary used to dress you in her old clothes.Yup. Italy smiled. Anyway, I was sketching him.And that made you feel sad? Germany frowned.Italy made a face. Yes and no. I mean I miss him, he went off to war and never came back, but that was such a long time ago. He smiled ruefully. You do kind of remind me of him and thats not really a bad thing.Yeah? Germany was not sure how he felt about this little revelation.Yeah. He was very serious, and reserved, and he had blond hair and blue eyes like you. And he was very sweet to me and kind, like whenever I was hungry; hed bring me some pasta. Italy smiled at the memory. And I dont know if my memory is playing tricks on me or not, but whenever I draw him, I feel like Im drawing you as a child. Italy opened his sketchbook to his latest sketch. He handed it to his friend.Germany looked it. It did resemble him somewhat, but having no memory of his childhood, he could not be sure if actually was him or not. He looked up at his little buddy. Its really good, Italy, but I have no idea if thats me or not. He blushed. My memory of that time is even hazier than yours.Sorry. Italy took his sketchbook back.Its okay. It is what it is. Germany shrugged.Yeah.So thats your first love?Yup! Italy looked away and back. Hey, Germany?Yeah?Do you think my first love came back to me? Reaching out, he put his hand on his friends, giving it a gentle squeeze.Germany blushed. I dont know He tried pulling his hand away, and changing his mind, he left it there. If it made his little buddy happy, thinking he was his lost first love, then Germany would be happy with it too. He made a mental note to ask his brother about Holy Roman Empire when he got home.Italy nodded. AnywayWe should go. Would you like to come over? Germany said. We can build a pillow fort.And youll read while I sketch you and when we get tired of that, we can nap?Germany nodded. A faint smile tugged his lips upwards. As silly and childish as that was, he loved indulging Italy, plus he appreciated the gesture for what it was; a chance to create childhood memories of his own. Lets go.Finishing their cappuccinos, they got up from the table. Italy gathered his sketchbook and pencil case while Germany brought their used cups and silverware over to the bins set aside for it. Together they left the coffee shop, Italy regaling Germany with stories of his first love, while Germany listened, happy his little buddys mood lightened.
World Bank Group < paolina@speedy.com.ar > 5:36 AM (6 hours ago) to The World Bank Group have confirmed your fund in Benin republic ministry of finance and am here on behalf of world bank group to guide you with the agreement issued on your fund because united nation president had appointed our board to travel and stand as the eyes of both party to ensure that everything goes straight forward on your transfer if possible to transfer your fund by our self to make sure that your fund reach to your account before four days.



Note that after all necessary investigation had be positively made in your transfer and the only fee you needed to pay is $65 dollars according to Benin republic ministry of finance to settle with the commission on turn over the clearance of your fund in their custody.They Benin republic ministry of finance insisted that the receipt of this $65 must confirmed from you in their office for them to confirmed that you are the one we are going to transfer your fund after the clearance to avoid wrong transfer.



You are to send this $65 quickly to help us settle with the commission on turn over the clearance of your fund for me to personal remit your fund before flying back as am still in Benin republic now because i don,t want to hand this transfer over to any body to avoid further excuses in your transfer that is why am still here waiting to finalize your transfer.



Get back to me so i will give you information were to send the required fee of $65.00USD. Reply through my private email address ( assis1938@hotmail.com ) or call +2262423908



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Private Email: assis1938@hotmail.com



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....
U.S. Army airborne and Ranger units are testing a new, jumpable pack with a built-in equipment harness.

The MOLLE 4000 is the Armys new airborne rucksack, designed to satisfy requests from paratroopers for a pack thats smaller than the large MOLLE ruck but with more capacity than the medium MOLLE that the Army introduced in 2009 for up to 72-hour missions.

There was no kind of in-between capability, Col. Dean Hoffman IV, the head of Armys Project Manager Soldier Protective and Individual Equipment, told Military.com.

Equipment officials worked with the 82nd Airborne Division to design the new pack, which will hold approximately 4,000 cubic inches worth of kit, Hoffman said. The large MOLLE ruck  short for Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment  holds about 5,000 cubic inches. The medium MOLLE holds about 3,000 cubic inches.

The new pack has a single-point release harness built into the bottom.

This new rucksack actually has it to where it is integrated into the ruck, Hoffman said. You can literally just zip it back up, throw your attaching straps in there and you are ready to go.

The MOLLE 4000 uses the same hard plastic frame as the U.S. Marine Corps ruck system.

Everybody loved the ALICE pack because it had a metal frame, Hoffman said. Then there was some concern about the plastic frame and it breaking, but I will tell you, we have been dropping these things for a while, and we havent had one report yet that it broke. Innovation in industry is getting materials that can withstand large, heavy packs being dropped.

Equipment officials are also looking at putting lighter materials into the final version of the pack, such as 500 denier Cordura instead of the traditional 1,000 denier.

We are looking at where do we need 1,000 denier, if any, and were we can get by with 500, Hoffman said.

The MOLLE 4000 is currently being tested by the 82nd Airborne, the 75th Ranger Regiment as well as airborne troops in Alaska and Hawaii, Hoffman said. The plan is to get soldier feedback, make any changes that are need and field the new pack sometime in 2019.
"If you run out of ideas follow the road; you'll get there." - Edgar Allan Poe.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry appealed to China again to use its influence over North Korea to increase pressure on Pyongyang in the wake of its nuclear and missile tests, the State Department said Friday.

Kerry made the appeal when he met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in the Germany city of Munich, the department said in a statement.

"The Secretary reaffirmed U.S. commitments to security and stability on the Korean peninsula and urged China to use their influence in Pyongyang to help the international community increase pressure on the DPRK," it said.

"Both ministers reiterated their support for the six-party process and for achieving the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. The secretary noted that the onus remains on the DPRK to return to that process," the department said.

China has condemned the North's provocations, but has been lukewarm about calls for stern responses. Analysts have long said Beijing fears that pushing Pyongyang too hard could lead to its collapse, instability on its border with China and the ultimate emergence of a pro-U.S. nation.

Beijing has instead repeated calls for dialogue and negotiations.(Yonhap)
The United States must not undermine China's security interests as Seoul and Washington are set to start formal talks on the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system in South Korea, China's foreign minister said.



During a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Munich, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated China's opposition to the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in South Korea, China's foreign ministry said in a statement late Friday.



Wang urged the U.S. side to "act with caution, not to use the opportunity to undermine China's security interests," the statement said.



South Korea and the U.S. are poised to hold their first formal talks next week on the deployment of the THAAD battery after North Korea defiantly launched a long-range rocket Sunday following its fourth nuclear test last month.



With North Korea continuing to develop its nuclear and missile arsenals, analysts in Seoul say South Korea has no choice but to adopt the THAAD battery, which would be deployed at a U.S. base in South Korea, home to about 28,500 American troops.



U.N. Security Council members remain divided over how to punish North Korea for its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6, with China, one of five veto-wielding council members, reluctant to put crippling sanctions on North Korea.



Meanwhile, Kerry called on China again to use its influence over North Korea to increase pressure on Pyongyang.



Speaking to Wang on the sidelines of the Munich meeting, "The Secretary reaffirmed U.S. commitments to security and stability on the Korean peninsula and urged China to use their influence in Pyongyang to help the international community increase pressure on the DPRK (North Korea)," according to a statement by the U.S. State Department.



"Both ministers reiterated their support for the six-party process and for achieving the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. The secretary noted that the onus remains on the DPRK to return to that process," the department said. (Yonhap)




It took three and a half months, but the Southern California Gas Company finally has control of the leaking well at its Aliso Canyon natural gas storage field. The gas leak that has terrorized neighboring Porter Ranch has been temporarily plugged, and officials say the leaking well could be permanently sealed with concrete as early as today, according to the LA Times. This is certainly welcome news to the gas company, as well as to the beleaguered and displaced residents of Porter Ranch, but while the well may no longer be leaking, the aftermath of this ordeal will be long and far-reaching. Questions have surfaced about the safety of the massive gas storage facility moving forward, and whether the Porter Ranch neighborhood can get back on its feet. The magnitude of the Porter Ranch disaster has LA City Councilmember Mitchell Englander referring to it as a "game-changer."

Plugging the well permanently

It's been a long time coming, but the gas company entered the final stages of plugging the well this week. Workers have dug nearly 8,500 feet into the ground to pierce the walls of the leaking gas well just above its connection to the gas reservoir below. They now pump mud into the well to plug the leak, and monitor it for gas bubbles. If no gas bubbles appear in the mud for 24 hours, workers will have the all clear to pump concrete undergroundand seal up the damaged well for good. Gas well SS25 will then be permanently out of commission. From there, it's up to state regulators to declare the Porter Ranch gas leak officially over. All deadlines for resident relocation will begin as of that announcement.

Resident PTSD

It's been a rough few months for the residents of Porter Ranch. They suffered through the health effects of breathing natural gas fumes, relocated from their homes when the nosebleeds and headaches became unbearable, and watched helplessly from (often hyper-expensive) temporary housing as their property values fell. Now, as they move back into the homes they abandoned months ago, they may never feel quite comfortable with the safety of their air. Paula Cracium, president of the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council, says they'll feel "a version of PTSD" should they ever smell a gas odor. Other Porter Ranch residents raised concerns at a neighborhood council meeting that chemicals from the gas leak have been absorbed by their furniture and carpets. They know the leak has stopped, but they are still not sure they're safe.

Who exactly is in charge?

With information trickling in from so many sources, residents don't know who they can trust for accurate information about the gas leak and its effects. Despite assurances that the leak will soon be plugged, there are conflicting views as to how long it will be before the air in Porter Ranch can be deemed definitively safe. SoCal Gas was initially giving relocated residents just 48 hours to move back into their homes, before the City Attorney's office made them extend that window to eight days. Meanwhile, the LA County Board of Supervisors said that the eight-day window the City Attorney's office fought for still wasn't enough time to accurately assess air quality; they called for a 30-day period for residents to return home so the Department of Public Health could monitor air quality for at least a month. Not even government agencies are consistent and authoritative in assisting the Porter Ranch refugees.

Lawsuits

Between the price of relocating almost 5,000 Porter Ranch households, digging a relief well, and all the natural gas it lost into the atmosphere, the Aliso Canyon gas leak has already cost SoCal Gas somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 million. Unfortunately for the gas company, they'll be spending a lot more money on the gas leak in years to come. According to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, some 67 lawsuits are pending against SoCal Gas.

Despite all these staggering costs for the gas company, it should not result in any rate increase for SoCal Gas customers. The California Energy Commission is overseeing the gas company's costs so they are not passed on to consumers.

The future of gas wells in Aliso Canyon.

The gas leak that caused all the havoc for Porter Ranch is just one of 115 wells that SoCal Gas operates in its Aliso Canyon storage facility. The storage field has a capacity of 86 billion cubic feet of gas, making it one of the largest storage facilities in the country. The gas company itself has admitted that many of the 115 wells in Aliso Canyon are "corroded and mechanically damaged." If it plans to store 86 billion cubic feet of natural gas underground again, SoCal Gas will need to embark on some major inspections and upkeep.

 Road to recovery begins in Porter Ranch as gas leak is halted at last [LA Times]

 Huge Porter Ranch Gas Leak Has Finally Sort of Been Stopped [Curbed LA]

 Gas Company Wants to Rush Residents Back Into Massive Gas Leak Neighborhood [Curbed LA]
For the past few months, the sounds of custom-made electric guitars have occasionally echoed through the hall of the Coulee Region Business Center, also known as the small business incubator, in La Crosse.

Thats because a former French photojournalist and current pilot and aerial photographer has started San Graal Guitars LLC, an electric guitar manufacturing business, in the incubator at 1100 Kane St.

Bruno Jacquet moved into his space in the incubator at the end of November. Since then, he has been busy setting up his manufacturing operation and making his first components and complete guitars.

Since moving into the incubator, Jacquet has made four complete guitars  including three of the five models he intends to market to guitar shops (including one or two in the area) and online. And he has designed and made several sets of pickups that can be used on Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster guitars.

Jacquet, who is 59, plans to hire two employees who probably will begin working at San Graal Guitars this spring, when he begins his May-through-November job as a photographer and pilot for the La Crosse-based Scenic Concepts aerial photography business. He will make guitars himself part time during those months.

Jacquet uses computerized technology to create his guitars unique sound and unique pickups.

San Graal means Holy Grail, Jacquet said, adding that his goal is to produce the Holy Grail of custom guitars.

Todd Wolfgram, amplifier and electronics technician at Daves Guitar Shop in La Crosse, designed control circuitry that allows San Graal Guitars to produce an expanded range of sounds.

He said he wanted the widest range of sounds we could create, Wolfgram said of Jacquet. Wolfgram also serves as a technical adviser to him.

The sounds range from almost an acoustic sound to an overdrive sound without using any external pedals or effect on an amplifier, Jacquet said. And its done with no preamp or batteries inside the guitar.

Jacquet uses high-quality wood (with varieties such as rosewood, quilted maple, mahogany and ash) to make his guitars. Depending on the guitar, Jacquet said, it can take him 40 to 80 hours to make one if hes working by himself.

The first San Graal Guitars will sell for $2,000 to $3,700 each, depending on the model and options.

Later  probably no sooner than the end of this year  Jacquet plans to begin offering a line of lower-priced guitars with parts made in a foreign country, probably India or China. They still would be assembled in La Crosse so that I can control the quality, but would sell for less than $900, he said.

Before starting San Graal Guitars in the incubator, Jacquet made and sold guitar bodies, necks and complete guitars under the Jacquet Guitars name.

Jacquet had played guitars in bands while growing up in France, and in 2005 he built his first guitar for his son, Jacob.

For the next five years, he used the Internet, local resources and working with two local luthiers (a term for someone who makes musical stringed instruments) to learn more of the art of guitar making.

Working from home, he began selling unfinished guitar bodies in 2005 on eBay, and since then has sold about 300 guitar bodies. He also began manufacturing guitar necks, and made about 55 complete guitars under the Jacquet Guitars name.

These guitars and parts were sold all over the world  the U.S., England, France, Italy, Israel, Austria, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and Canada, and Ive probably missed some, Jacquet said.

Jacquet said he has an extensive woodworking and technical background.

He began playing guitar at the age of about 11 or 12.

He was a photojournalist covering wars in the early 1980s, including conflicts in Afghanistan and Lebanon. He later became an aerial photographer in France and came to the United States in 1994 to be a pilot in this country.

Jacquet moved to La Crosse in 1996 to work for Scenic Concepts.
As a single mother living in poverty in a city known for its weak record of educating students of color, Kanesha Wingo realized her odds of finding success were slim. But with help from a learning center in her apartment complex, Wingo completed her college education, creating a foundation for herself and young daughter.

Wingo, 28, earned a bachelors degree in psychology, sociology and religious studies from Alverno College in 2013 and recently earned a masters degree in business administration from Cardinal Stritch University. Wingo earned both degrees from the Milwaukee schools with the help of scholarships through the community learning center.

Wingo said she believes education is the key to avoiding that stereotype, that statistic that I was kind of born into  a young black woman living in low-income housing.

Experts say centers like the one at the neighboring Greentree and Teutonia apartment complexes in Milwaukee where Wingo lived offer a promising method, developed over the past two decades, of shrinking academic achievement gaps.

The challenge is daunting: As reported in the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism Children Left Behind series in December, Wisconsin has the largest disparity between the performance of black and white students in the country, the worst graduation rate for black students and the nations highest suspension rate for black students.

Greentree and Teutonia are two of six low-income housing sites run by Carmen Porco, an executive at the nonprofit Housing Ministries of American Baptists in Wisconsin. These properties, in addition to Northport Apartments and Packer Townhouses in Madison, are available through the national rental assistance program, commonly known as Section 8.

Under this housing voucher program, rent is based on ability to pay. This ensures residents can still afford monthly payments, even if they have been laid off, take a job with lower pay or have to cut work hours.

The groups properties provide numerous services to the low-income residents, including child care, family literacy classes and after-school tutoring for residents of all ages. College scholarships for up to $1,500 each semester are also provided through the sites.

Funding for the programming and scholarships is generated on site from tenants rent, Porco said. The Northport learning center costs $237,000 and the center at Packer is $284,000 to run per year, which includes funding the scholarship program and staff payroll. The learning center shared by Greentree and Teutonia in Milwaukee costs close to $243,000 to operate, he said. About 670 students between ages 3 and 18 live at the six Madison and Milwaukee properties.

Such low-income housing sites in Madison and Milwaukee are working to break the link between poverty and poor academic performance.

Coming to the center really helped me a lot, said Wingo, who now works as Greentree-Teutonias leasing agent. Education helps you gain skills, and it takes you places you probably wouldnt (go) on your own.

The number of poor Wisconsin students, measured by those who qualify for free or reduced-price meals at school, has risen significantly over the past decade, from 30 percent in 2005-06 to 42 percent in 2014-15. In Madison, 48 percent of students are considered economically disadvantaged; in Milwaukee the figure is 83 percent.

University of California-Irvine education researcher Deborah Lowe Vandell found in 2013 that when elementary students consistently participate in after-school enrichment programs, achievement gaps in math between low-income and high-income students narrow.

Education, Porco said, cannot just occur in the public schools.

Home away from home

Ien Roder-Guzman, 24, describes the learning center in the apartment complex where he lived as a home away from home that kept my head focused on future stuff.

Roder-Guzman grew up at the Packer Townhouses on Madisons North Side and began going to the community learning center when he was 5. Despite moving around Madison and attending several schools, Roder-Guzman kept coming back to the learning center. He now works there part time.

Roder-Guzman graduated from Madison College in December with a two-year liberal arts degree that will help him transfer to a University of Wisconsin System school, but he said he also is considering joining the military. He said the learning center became a main support system for him while in school.

Data on Porcos learning centers are limited. But what is available indicates students who are participating in the on-site educational programs are succeeding, said Charles Taylor, an education professor at Madisons Edgewood College.

Taylor gathered data from students in Porcos housing units and compared them to Madison and Milwaukee students overall. Although the sample size of 68 students was small, Taylor found that students living in the stable, low-income housing complexes exceeded their peers in each city when it came to academic performance and graduation rates.

From 2010-14, 97 percent of students in the study at the Madison properties graduated, and 100 percent of students in the study who lived at the Milwaukee properties graduated, Taylor found. The four-year graduation rate in the Madison district is 79 percent and Milwaukees is 61 percent.

This is something that I believe is worth celebrating and duplicating, Taylor said.

Eric Grodsky, an education researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, acknowledged Porcos work on Madisons North Side sounds amazing, but without a more rigorous study of the program, it is hard to know the extent of the centers effectiveness.

With a strong evaluation I think their work could benefit hundreds if not thousands of kids, Grodsky said. Without that evaluation, its a lot harder to get other entities to commit the sorts of resources necessary to do what they have done.

Scholarships key to college success

Since 2006, the properties in Madison and Milwaukee have given out about $668,000 in scholarship money to more than 115 individuals. Residents pursuing undergraduate or masters degrees said the scholarship and rent-assisted housing were critical to completing their degrees.

Wanda Melton, 33, who has a 12-year-old daughter, is a school counselor at Northwest Catholic School in Milwaukee. She completed her bachelors degree in psychology at Upper Iowa University in 2010 and earned her master's degree in school counseling at Mount Mary University in 2014 while she was a resident of Greentree-Teutonia.

While she was completing her counseling degree, Melton said she was required to complete an internship and had to take an unpaid leave of absence from her job.

I definitely was able to lean on the scholarships, Melton said.

Jean Knuth, Greentree-Teutonias housing manager, said the learning center has turned the complex into a community that meets many needs. There is child care, tutoring for students and a computer lab that helps residents search for jobs or write resumes.

We cant fix everybody and we cant fix all of their children, but we can do something, Greentree-Teutonia program director Vicki Davidson said. All they have to do is let us know what they need.

Stanford University professor Sean Reardon, who has studied racial achievement gaps, concluded that schools alone can reduce such disparities but they cannot eliminate them because of larger socioeconomic disparities.

That is where Porcos anti-poverty housing model may come in. Porco began his experiment after taking over several low-income housing sites in 1974  including Packer and Northport in Madison and Greentree-Teutonia in Milwaukee. Porco said he aims to fill a community gap by making services readily available rather than waiting for residents to seek them out.

Susan Goetz, an instructor with Madison College, teaches adult basic education and GED classes at Packer and English as a second language at Northport in Madison. She works with adult students who did not make it through high school and are already at a disadvantage.

I try not to let people give up, said Goetz, who has worked at the learning center for 17 years.

June Johnson, a Northport resident, is among those who did not give up. In 1989, after a divorce, Johnson moved into the low-income apartment complex with her three children. She began working at the learning center eight years later.

Johnson attended but did not graduate from Madison East High School and eventually earned her high school equivalency degree through the learning center.

(The center is) a great salvation for some people, and I was one of them, Johnson said.

Unstable housing, poor performance closely related

Housing instability is another barrier to school success. Thousands of Wisconsin students have no permanent home.

In the 2014-15 school year, there were at least 18,000 homeless students across Wisconsin  a number that has more than tripled since 2003-04. Among homeless students across the state, there are 14,294 students who share housing with other families, 333 who have nowhere to live, 2,271 living in a shelter and 1,409 living in a hotel, according to data from the state Department of Public Instruction.

Housing stability allows people such as Martinus Roper to form crucial bonds with struggling students. Roper is the assistant program director at Milwaukees Greentree-Teutonia community center. Roper, called Mr. M by the students, recently earned an associate degree in business management through Cardinal Stritch University classes at the learning center.

Roper grew up in the Greentree-Teutonia complex and said he can identify with many of the students. He grew up without a father and understands the importance of having a consistent adult presence in a childs life.

I kind of take that role of a dad, big brother, uncle, whatever you need me to be in that moment, because I know how much that means, especially going through that as a child, Roper said.

Packer program director Jacki Thomas has seen generations of students grow up on the property and in the learning center. Her involvement at the center allows her to form important bonds that help students succeed.

People need to feel known, Thomas said. No gaps in education are ever going to change without relationship.

Eileen Guzman agreed. She said the Packer community center became a pseudo-parent to her son, Ien, who spent many hours in and around the center, safe under the watchful eyes of neighbors.

If the learning center was not available, Guzman said, we would have lost a lot of kids.
NEW DELHI (AP)  The Roman Catholic church in southern India has lifted the suspension of a priest convicted last year of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in the United States more than a decade ago, a spokesman said Saturday.

The suspension of the Rev. Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul was lifted last month after the bishop of the Ootacamund Diocese in Indias Tamil Nadu state consulted with church authorities at the Vatican, said the Rev. Sebastian Selvanathan, a spokesman for the diocese.

Bishop Arulappan Amalraj of Ootacamund had referred Jeyapauls case to the Vaticans Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the suspension was lifted on the church bodys advice, Selvanathan said.

After Jeyapauls release from the United States and his return to India, this matter was referred to Rome, and according to the guidelines of the Vaticans Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the suspension against Jeyapaul was removed, Selvanathan said.

The Vatican office of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith declined immediate comment.

Jeyapaul was sent to Minnesota in 2004 and served at the Blessed Sacrament Church in Greenbush, near the Canadian border.

He was suspended in 2010 after being charged with sexually assaulting two girls who were both 14 at the time of the alleged abuse.

Jeyapaul fled the United States, but was arrested in India by Interpol in 2012 and extradited to the U.S. Jeyapaul pleaded guilty to molesting one of the teenagers who hasnt been identified publicly. The charges involving sexual abuse of the second teenager, Megan Peterson, were dropped as part of a plea deal. Peterson accused Jeyapaul of raping her in his office in a statement posted under her name on the website of The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, which has advocated for victims rights.

Jeyapaul, now 61, was sentenced to a year in jail, but was freed on account of time served while awaiting trial.

Jeyapaul returned to India five months ago, and the process to lift the suspension was started soon after, Selvanathan said.

Bishop Amalraj lifted the suspension in mid-January, but Jeyapaul has not yet been assigned any responsibilities, Selvanathan said. That will be decided in May, when decisions are taken by the diocese on changes and assignments, he said.

Jeyapaul could not be contacted, with Selvanathan saying the church did not know his whereabouts.

The two Minnesota women both sued the Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota, and settled out of court.

Attorney Jeff Anderson of St. Paul, Minnesota, who represented the women, criticized church authorities for lifting Jeyapauls suspension.

The Vatican must be held accountable. ... This is on them. This is on the pope, Anderson said.

While Peterson has spoken publicly about her case before in hopes that it would help others, Anderson said she was too upset to comment Saturday.

Theyre both quite upset, disturbed and feel deeply betrayed that they would have the audacity to consider even putting him back in ministry, Anderson said. To use Megans words, Theyll never get it and Im feeling re-victimized.

Anderson, who has represented hundreds of victims of sexual abuse by clergy, said theyre exploring further legal action over the decision to lift Jeyapauls suspension and will announce details soon.

Were not going to let this go. Were not going to stand silent, Anderson said.
MADISON  Wisconsin Department of Corrections Secretary Ed Wall has resigned amid an investigation into allegations of abuse at the states youth prison, the governors office said Friday as news emerged that the FBI had taken over the inquiry there.

Gov. Scott Walkers staff says Wall submitted his letter of resignation Feb. 5. He will be replaced by Jon Litscher, who served as the corrections secretary more than a decade ago.

The announcement follows the revelation that a judge sent a letter four years ago warning the governor of possible criminal conduct at the Lincoln Hills School in Irma. Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick has said the governor never saw the note and that it had been referred to the Corrections Department.

The state Department of Justice opened an investigation last year into allegations ranging from sexual assault to misconduct in public office.

The FBI has transitioned from assisting in the investigation to leading the investigation, FBI spokesman Leonard Peace said Friday. He said he couldnt comment on the reason for the switch, since it was an ongoing federal matter.

Litscher, Walls replacement, has most recently worked as a school superintendent in Cambria. He ran the Corrections Department from 1999 to 2003.

Wall said in his letter of resignation that the time has come to turn the page for the Department of Corrections and step aside to allow a new person with fresh perspectives to lead the agency forward. The letter makes no mention of the Lincoln Hills probe.
A nurse practitioner who was among the top prescribers of opioid medications in the Department of Veterans Affairs Great Lakes region is no longer with the Tomah VA, which has not disclosed the terms of her separation.

VA spokesman Matthew Gowan said Deborah Frasher no longer works at the Tomah VA as of Feb. 9 but would not comment on the circumstances of her departure.

Multiple sources familiar with the case say she was allowed to resign.

Along with former Chief of Staff David Houlihan, who was fired from the VA in November, Frasher is under investigation by state regulators for allegations of unsafe practice and substandard care.

Frasher and Houlihan were put on administrative leave last year after the publication of a report by the nonprofit Center for Investigative Reporting detailing high levels of opioid prescription at the facility, which patients dubbed Candy Land because physicians there dispensed prescription painkillers so freely, and a pervasive culture of intimidation and retaliation against employees who spoke out.

Houlihan was fired Nov. 9. and had his clinical privileges revoked.

Spokespersons for Sens. Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson, as well as Rep. Ron Kind, said their offices were not notified. The VA alerted the congressional delegation when it fired Houlihan.

The Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services is investigating a complaint filed last year against Frasher claiming she collaborated with a physician in gross overprescribing at VA hospital.

An attorney representing Frasher in the DSPS investigation did not immediately respond to a message left on his cellphone Friday.

The DSPS is also investigating two complaints of overmedication filed against Houlihan, who is advertising a private practice in La Crosse.

According to DSPS records, complaints were filed against Houlihan in 2003 and 2008, though he was not disciplined.
The Titanic could have a sequel in 2018.

No, not the 1997 film with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet  as Jack and Rose  breaking down class barriers to fall in love as the HMS Titanic hits an iceberg and sinks beneath the Atlantic Ocean.

Rather, the actual ship that did the sinking will have a sequel in the form of a replica called Titanic II, according to Australian billionaire Clive Palmer.

Palmer initially announced the plans in April 2012 on the hundred-year anniversary of the April 14, 1912, disaster, but those plans were thought sunk after years went on and no ship was built. A spokesman for Palmer announced that the plans werent scrapped, but merely delayed, saying Palmer hopes to launch the Titanic II in 2018.

The announcement went viral on social media this week as people expressed their excitement to take a ride in the replica. These people apparently need to be reminded about what happened to the first one.

For those whose history class failed them, the original Titanic was built by White Star Line to be the largest ship in history. The ship struck an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean during its maiden voyage from Great Britain to New York, breaking apart and sinking into the sea in an incident made more tragic after it was discovered there were only enough lifeboats for half of the people on board. A total of 1,500 lost their lives.

The Titanic II will be as close to a perfect replica as possible, although designers say it would have modern amenities included, such as air conditioning, and updated features to prepare for an emergency.

The Titanic II would be wider than the original to meet new maritime safety standards, and the hull will be welded, not riveted. Its not clear whether it will have the hull compartments which gave the original the fate-tempting description, unsinkable.

The vessel will be just under 300 yards long, 58 yards tall and weigh 40,000 tons, with nine floors and 840 cabins. The ship will have space for 2,400 passengers and 900 crew members, which is nearly 1,200 more people than were on board the Titanic Is maiden voyage. An estimated 705 people on that voyage survived.

Thats not to say theres nothing about the new ship that tempts me to take a ride. Not only would I be delighted to act out the iconic Im the King of the World scene from the movie, but also Blue Star Line, which is in charge of construction, released photos of its plans for the interior design, which are gorgeous from top to bottom.

Designers used photos of the original ship to recreate actual rooms, from first-class bedrooms with velvet drapes over the bed and space for a sitting table to third-class bunk-beds of polished wood.

Restaurants, sitting rooms and gymnasiums also have been recreated to match the luxury of the 1912 Titanic.

Titanic IIs proposed maiden voyage would take it from Jiangsu, China, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, but theres no guarantee that the ship will be built as planned.

Plans have been delayed several times as Palmer and his company, Queensland Nickel, have faced investigation by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission over his use of aliases while doing business with the company and issues over corporate donations to a political party Palmer founded, named Palmer United Party. Palmer, who could face criminal charges, said he cant remember making a $6 million donation from his company to the political party.

Im a little concerned that the guy behind building a ship that will hold more than 3,000 people forgot about $6 million. Is it sort of how the guys behind the original Titanic forgot that lifeboats were sort of important?

If you want to chance it, far be it from me to tell you what to do with your life, though you should probably be aware that tickets are estimated to cost just under $1 million.

If it sinks, I hope you get to be the one on the door. Poor Jack.
MIAMI (TNS)  Two additional Zika infections were confirmed in Florida on Friday, raising the statewide total to 20 reported cases, including seven in Miami-Dade and three in Broward counties, the Department of Health said.

As Zika infections continued to rise in Florida and other states, the nations top agency for combating infectious disease issued a new warning about the virus  advising Americans that Zika can be transmitted by a man to his sex partners.

Sexual transmission of Zika virus is possible, and is of particular concern during pregnancy, said the advisory published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC advises men who might have been exposed to Zika to consider abstaining or using a condom.

Zika is primarily transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquito bites, though spread of the virus also has been reported through blood transfusions.

As of Wednesday, the CDC had confirmed 52 Zika cases in 16 states and the District of Columbia. In Florida and other states, all Zika infections were acquired outside the country, health officials reported.

None of the Florida cases involves pregnant women, who are considered to be at greatest risk because of a suspected link between Zika virus and microcephaly, a birth defect. The CDC has not reported whether any Zika cases in other states involve pregnant women.
Gen. Mark Milley, the Army chief of staff, and Gen. Robert Neller, commandant of the Marine Corps, both testified this month that because all combat roles are now open to women, women should register for the selective service as all American men must do when they turn 18.

Although Republicans have long opposed women serving in combat, several GOP candidates for president, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, endorsed the idea ahead of the New Hampshire primary.

Is this equality realized? Or equality gone too far?

Joel Mathis

Women? In the military? Fighting wars? If I had pearls, Id clutch them.

The debate were suddenly having about drafting women is very silly, for two reasons. First, you may have noticed that we dont actually draft people anymore  modern American conscription ended in January 1973.

America has fought a few wars since then. A couple of them  both in Iraq  were kind of big. In fact, the first Gulf War took place my senior year in high school. I remember old hippies offering lessons in how to avoid the draft, if it were reinstated, but it never was. The war came and went, the troops came home, and the emergency faded away.

The second invasion and occupation of Iraq might have justified a draft. That war stretched our military  along with reserve and National Guard units  to the breaking point, making it increasingly difficult for the all-volunteer military to recruit and retain, ahem, the volunteers. Still, renewal of the draft was never a serious likelihood.

Absent some big change in our political mindset, then, a draft is only likely if civilizational survival is truly at stake  if the barbarians really are at the gates. If that ever becomes the case, it wont matter much whether the hands holding weapons belong to men or women.

The other reason the argument is silly? Women already fight and die in our wars. Roughly 140  different sources offer different counts  died fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. You really didnt hear all that much about it. Our hatred of seeing women come home in caskets, it seems, is more theoretical than proven.

Listen: The draft is an awful tool. It rips people away from their families to go kill and risk being killed for causes they may or may not support. It has always fallen most heavily on poor and working class men. If were only now disturbed by the prospect of conscription, it doesnt necessarily mean we hold women in esteem. It probably just means we value the lives of poor men too little.

Ben Boychuk

What kind of man would think it a good idea to compel a woman to fight and die in a war? What sort of man would put somebodys daughter or mother harms way before himself?

Its bad enough when the elite consensus no longer objects to women in combat, in practice let alone in theory. Political expediency demands that women have the opportunity to serve on the frontlines. Politics will also require the armed services to change the standards to make sure they do.

Still, its one thing to let American women volunteer for an infantry or armored unit, assuming the standards remained untouched. The question is whether they should be compelled to serve and fight.

Of course they shouldnt.

(To anticipate an objection: Yes, Israel requires men and women of a certain age to serve in the military. Israel is also a country roughly the size and population of New Jersey, surrounded by enemies that would kill every man, woman and child given half a chance. We arent Israel.)

Say what you will about Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, but his response to his fellow Republican presidential candidates who lent their support to this Selective Service scheme was precisely right: Are you guys nuts?

Im the father of two little girls. I love those girls with all my heart. They are capable of doing anything in their hearts desire, Cruz said. But the idea that their government would forcibly put them in the foxhole with a 220-pound psychopath trying to kill them doesnt make any sense at all.

Not only that. We hear so much about the rape culture that supposedly permeates Americas college and university campuses  a crisis so great that the Obama administration has made combatting campus sexual assault a top priority. Yet this same government would subject women to rape, torture and slaughter at the hands of an enemy because equality somehow demands it. Strange.

Extending the draft to women isnt about fairness or equality. Its madness born of forgetfulness. Were forgetting what it means to be men and women. Were forgetting why our daughters and sisters should be protected, not made into cannon fodder. Were forgetting what it means to be a civilization worth defending in the first place.
We began with more than 20 Republican candidates. Seventeen made it to a formal announcement. Eleven reached Iowa. Now six remain; and with Ben Carson going nowhere, only five have a chance to win the nomination. Here is how each of them could do that.

Donald Trump wins by repeating what he did in New Hampshire. As long as the rest of the field is split, hell benefit in two ways: Negative ads will be aimed at other Republicans, and a third of the vote will be enough to win.

It remains an unlikely path. Losers drop out. Before long Trump will probably have only one or two opponents. This is bad news for a candidate who remains unpopular among many Republicans and appeared vulnerable to negative ads in Iowa. His ability to dominate the media has been his greatest strength, but thats more difficult now than it was before Iowa, and it will continue to get harder.

Ted Cruz wins by surviving as other candidates wash out, then by defeating Trump head to head. Rubios setback in New Hampshire helps him. If Cruz can crush the Florida senator and the other mainstream conservatives in South Carolina, hell be in good shape whether he beats Trump there or not.

The challenge for Cruz is his unproven ability to draw votes from the ideological center of the Republican Party and his prospects for dominating groups most likely to support him. He has a fair amount of support from party actors, but it is factional. And it cant help that so many Republicans who have worked with him cant stand the guy.

Marco Rubio wins if his post-debate collapse in New Hampshire turns out to be short term. He had a large lead over Jeb Bush and John Kasich nationally before Tuesday and in South Carolina in January, the last time its GOP voters were polled. If that holds, hell knock both Bush and Kasich out soon, and he remains the logical destination for most of their voters. Thats the same path hes been on all along: survive the early events, and appeal to the widest range of groups, eventually consolidating all of the anti-Trump and-or anti-Cruz vote.

He remains the most likely nominee right now, even though he has lost a lot of leeway. Another bad debate performance could doom him, as might anything that reinforces a view of him as an empty suit. Most party actors are still sitting on their hands. Still, Rubio has more support from them than anyone else in the race, and that backing is not just from members of Congress. He now has a large lead in support from current and former state legislators. He has added about 100 endorsements from those state-level politicians in the last three weeks, and now has 324 current and former state legislators backing him; Cruz has picked about 50 in this group over the same period and is second at 244. Bush (185), Kasich (141) and Trump (37) havent been adding to their support at all.

Jeb Bush wins if he surges off of his mediocre fourth-place finish in New Hampshire. His path to victory is basically the same as Rubios. He moves up to a strong third (behind Cruz and Trump) or better in South Carolina and knocks Rubio and Kasich out, then consolidates anti-Trump and anti-Cruz votes.

He faces several hurdles that make success unlikely. We have little polling this week, but Bush still probably trails Rubio in South Carolina and nationally. If the press touts one candidate for his showing in New Hampshire (besides Trump), its more likely to be Kasich than Bush. Republican voters just havent liked Bush much so far, even though hes outspent everyone. Also a problem for Bush: In a three-way contest with Trump and Cruz, his more moderate image and positions would make it tougher for him to compete for conservative and very conservative votes (in contrast to Rubio, who has positioned himself as more conservative).

John Kasich wins if his second-place finish in New Hampshire generates plenty of press attention, producing a surge of voter support, which in turn allows him to beat Rubio, Bush and Cruz in the coming contests. But he would need to do well even in conservative states, beginning in South Carolina. He cant win the nomination without that support.

A big theme of this election cycle is that any candidate can get a sudden surge. But so far theres no sign the Ohio governor is receiving one. Even if this happens, Kasich may just be too moderate to win. Well know more when we get some post-New Hampshire polling. Kasichs campaign has talked about hanging on until some big Midwestern states vote in March, but thats not a winning path.
The three candidates for the Wisconsin Supreme Court agree on at least one thing: the conversation about the race is one about impartiality.

Where they disagree is why that's been a focus.

Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Joe Donald's campaign thinks it's been instrumental in driving that message, as it has sought to portray Donald as the only true independent candidate in the race.

"Weve been on that message since day one. I think both campaigns are responding to that," said Donald campaign manager Andy Suchorski.

But Appeals Court Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg says Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley deserves the credit  or blame.

"The reason that the focus is on impartiality in this race is because of the way Rebecca Bradley got to be on this Wisconsin Supreme Court and be a candidate now," Kloppenburg said. "Her having been appointed three times in three years to three judgeships by Gov. Walker, culminating in his very political decision to appoint her, as an announced candidate, in October, bring to the forefront the concern with nonpartisanship."

And Bradley says she's just staying positive.

"Ive been running my race very focused on a positive message that relates to the credentials and qualifications that I bring to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as well as my judicial philosophy," Bradley said. "Ive also been emphasizing the endorsements that Ive received on a bipartisan basis."

While outside spending has been limited to one group in the primary advertising in Bradley's favor, it's all but certain to ratchet up after the two top vote-getters head into the April 5 general election.

Despite the fact that few Supreme Court cases contain any element of crime, the issue has been a winning one for outside groups as their involvement in such races has grown.

In 2008, now-Justice Michael Gableman successfully unseated then-Justice Louis Butler with an aggressive "tough-on-crime" campaign. Accompanying Gableman's ads was a campaign by the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce Issues Mobilization Council portraying Butler as a judge who tried to use technicalities and loopholes to favor criminals.

And in the 2011 election in which Kloppenburg was defeated by Justice David Prosser, Prosser was presented by WMC as a justice capable of protecting families, while Kloppenburg was painted as soft on crime.

"In 2011, they made up attacks that I was too soft on crime and that I was too hard on crime," Kloppenburg said. "They said both things. and Im sure they will throw a lot of things at the wall to see what sticks, and regardless, I will stand up to whatever the special interests do, as I have in the past."

Should Donald make it past the primary, his campaign anticipates a similar challenge.

"Joe is clearly the most experienced judicially ... but we're 100 percent certain that the Bradley campaign or the Republican Party or any of these groups  have already found their one case to demonize Joe in a 'soft on crime' ad," Suchorski said. "And that ads coming. We know that. They did it to Louis Butler. We know that is coming."

Chris Martin, spokesman for the Wisconsin Alliance for Reform, declined to say whether the group will stay involved in the race beyond the primary or what that involvement might look like.

The group has aired TV and radio ads praising Bradley as "fair and impartial."

"Our efforts have highlighted Justice Rebecca Bradley's successful record of bringing people together to take on Wisconsin's most pressing challenges. Justice Bradley embodies the kind of leadership and courage we expect from members of Wisconsin's highest court," Martin said in a statement.

A spokesman for WMC did not respond to a request for comment, but the group told the Wisconsin State Journal in January it expects to be involved "at the same level (as) in the past."

A September column from WMC spokesman Jim Pugh referred to Bradley as a "judicial traditionalist" while calling both Kloppenburg and Donald "liberal" judges. The column resurrected the group's 2011 attacks on Kloppenburg, quoting her as saying, "I never said I was tough on crime."

"Its somewhat hard to predict," Bradley said when asked whether she expects criminal themes to emerge in the race, "because there are a number of different people and groups that participate in communicating about that race. Sometimes people have different areas that they want to talk about or emphasize, so well have to wait and see whether the criminal side of the work that we do emerges as a significant issue."

The liberal group One Wisconsin Now said Bradley is exactly the kind of candidate conservative money has attacked in past races for lacking crime-fighting experience.

The group cited her 2013 application for the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, in which she classified her legal experience as 95 percent in civil practice and 5 percent in family issues, with none in criminal law.

"The facts show she's a historically inexperienced candidate, with a grand total of one trial decided by a jury and zero criminal cases while she was lawyer," said OWN executive director Scot Ross. "Now Gov. Walker's money machine is trying to buy the race, pouring $1 million in before the primary to protect the crony who owes her spot on the bench to being appointed by Walker an unprecedented three times in just three years."

But Bradley says as a trial court judge, she developed a reputation as "tough but fair" on crime.

"I think its important to have somebody with the right experience and background, and I think Id bring an excellent background of 20 years in the legal and judicial professions, as the first Supreme Court justice in state hirstory to have served on the trial court bench and on the court of appeals," Bradley said, adding that she will apply the law as it's written and not as she wishes it to be.

Going forward, Kloppenburg said she thinks integrity is the most critical quality in a Supreme Court justice, again citing Bradley's appointments from the governor and Donald's past support for Bradley as she sought those positions.

"All of those things raise issues of integrity, and voters want justices who they can take at their word. So questions have been raised, and voters can draw their own conclusions," Kloppenburg said.

But Suchorski said their campaign strategy has been to stay true to Donald's identity, even if it puts him at a disadvantage on election day. He expects Bradley to take 55 to 60 percent of the vote, with Donald and Kloppenburg battling for the rest of the electorate.

They won't be fighting over an abundance of voters, according to projections from the Government Accountability Board.

The board predicts that 10 percent of eligible voters, or about 444,000 people, will vote on Tuesday.
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The Beat is New Mexico!---Do we have to be stuck at the bottom of the barrel?--- Perspectives from Southern NM and the border region
Although Article 7 and 26 impose limitation on Parliament that no law which is inconsistent with any provision of the Constitution can be passed, Article 47 saved certain laws and gave protection to some laws which, on its face, are inconsistent to the various provisions of the Constitution. Of those saved and protected laws, the most dangerous are the laws passed in relation to the war crimes and crimes against humanity introduced by the First Amendment of the Constitution. Initially these laws were made with a view to try identified Pakistani army officers arrested on the suspicion of war crimes. These laws were amended in 2009 to include ordinary citizens and group of citizens of Bangladesh. Now any citizen of Bangladesh can be arrested under this law. The black side of this law is that once someone is arrested on suspicion of war crime and crime against humanity, he will be denied of his fundamental constitutional rights (i.e. fundamental rights and the right to apply to the High Court for judicial review). As any citizen can potentially be targeted by this law, there is a strong possibility that it can be used politically in future. As a result, innocent people may be victims  despite being citizens of the country by birth they will be denied of their inherent fundamental rights of the countrys constitution! All these are contrary to the principle of rule of law.
Leaders of the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church have met for the first time in history.

Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill sat down together Friday in the Cuban capital, Havana. The meeting is part of an effort to heal a 1,000-year-old dispute between the two churches. That is when Eastern and Western Christianity divided.

Cuban President Raul Castro and Cardinal Jaime Ortega, the Vatican's highest representative in Cuba, met Francis as he arrived at the airport. Then, the pope and patriarch greeted each other with hugs and kisses. A short time later, they held a two-hour personal discussion.

They were expected to unite in an appeal for an end to killing and other violence against Christians in the Middle East.

Officials of both churches announced the meeting between the two religious leaders a week ago. But it had been planned for two years in secret. Kirill arrived in Cuba Thursday for an official visit. Francis stopped there on his way to a five-day visit to Mexico.

Pope Francis was influential in Cubas decision to re-establish ties with the United States. Now, he is seeking to repair a much longer break in relations.

Eastern Orthodoxy split with Rome in 1054. Today, the Russian church has about 165 million of the world's 250 million Orthodox Christians. The Roman Catholic Church has more than one billion followers.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has supported the Russian Orthodox Church. In exchange, the church has supported Putins foreign policy, including positions on Ukraine and the Middle East.

Putin has also improved Russian relations with Cuba, which were damaged following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Im Caty Weaver.



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Words in This Story

heal - v. to make (someone or something) healthy or well again

influential - adj. having the power to cause changes

collapse - n. a situation or occurrence in which something (such as a system or organization) suddenly fails


As refugees and migrants flood Europe, Finland is teaching its new arrivals about appropriate behavior.

Over 1 million migrants arrived in Europe in 2015. Most were fleeing struggling economies and war in places like Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and East Africa.

Many of these people arrive in new countries like Germany, Sweden or Finland and expect life to become easier almost immediately, a recent news story by the BBC explained.

After all, they just traveled months by foot and by boat just to get to a new country and start fresh.

But when they arrive, the migrants face a world that can be confusing in many ways.

Melissa Fogg is the program manager for the Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Collaborative (PRMHC). The PRMHC is an organization that helps refugees entering the U.S. build their lives in their new country. The PRMHC teaches the refugees skills and helps them adjust to living in a different environment.

Fogg told VOA that weather, language and safety issues are only some of the things that can cause problems.

"A lot of immigrants and refugees  when they come, they have a very idealized version of the United States from movies, magazines, the media  And a lot of that is just not true.  Generally, our country is very welcoming and very accepting of immigrants. But it can be a tough environment to come into, with a lot of barriers."

What seems normal in one country might be illegal in another country. For example, men and woman have equal rights under the law in Finland and the U.S.

One male student from Mali told the BBC, "It's quite amazing.  In my country a woman should not go out without her husband or brother."

There are laws about gender equality in many countries. These laws can be hard for new arrivals to understand. But that is not the only confusing thing about being in a different country.

Some laws and rules are written down. You can learn about them before you arrive. But there are lots of "unwritten rules," too.

Unwritten rules are behaviors that no one talks about, but that most people understand. People in a host country might think their behavior is normal, while newcomers might find it offensive or inappropriate.

Fogg said that these differences can make becoming part of a new culture seem impossible.

"When people come to a new country, at first theyre very excited... Shortly after that, there is reality that sets in. Americas not a perfect country."

But, after some time and a lot of work, most new arrivals begin to feel like they belong, Fogg said.

Also, it is important to know that not all differences are major.

Often there can be small differences between places that share a border and a language. A person from Canada might find people in the United States are less polite. Likewise, Americans might find Canadians too reserved.

Fogg and VOA worked together to create a list of five important issues any new arrival to the U.S. should know about.

Be "on time." In some cultures, time is not a big issue. If you tell your friend to meet you at 2 p.m. and you arrive at 2:45 p.m., there is no problem. In the U.S., people feel that being on time is a sign of respect. If you are late by more than a few minutes, people will think you do not care. They will feel you are wasting their time. They will take your lateness as an insult. Being on time is even more important in a professional or formal situation, such as a job interview or when you plan to see a doctor.

Be sure you always "tip." In many countries, after you eat at a restaurant, you only pay the amount shown on the bill. But, in the U.S., people who work in restaurants and bars often earn a low hourly wage. So, they try to provide excellent service, hoping the customer will give them a tip, meaning a little extra. Tips are extra money you pay above the cost of the meal. People in the U.S. tip between 15 percent and 20 percent of the bill. You also give tips to taxi drivers, hotel employees and the people who cut your hair.

Be careful what you say. Any place you go there will be some things that are appropriate to talk about and some things that are not. Would you talk about how good you feel with a person who is very sick? Probably not. In addition, many people in the U.S. can feel strongly about some topics that people in other cultures have no problem discussing. Assuming that people have the same beliefs as you is a bad idea. In the past decade, people in the U.S. have become more open about discussing strong political and religious views. But it is still best to listen to people share their opinions first and then decide about sharing your own. Also, there are several topics you should avoid asking questions about: how much money a person makes and if they are married. But if a person offers this information, then there is no problem.

Be aware of "personal space." Physical contact is the best way to show someone they are your friend or loved one in some cultures. Other cultures feel that showing affection in public is highly inappropriate. People in the U.S. fall somewhere in the middle on this issue. Two people usually do not kiss when saying Hello, unless they are family members or very close friends. Shaking hands is the most common thing to do when meeting someone. Also, people in the U.S. dislike it when strangers stand very near them.

Be polite for the situation. People in the U.S. define being polite in very special ways. For example, waiting in line involves a strong set of rules in this country. You must wait until the people in front of you have done what they are waiting to do. When going through a door, the person behind you expects you to hold the door for them. Also, it is common for people you do not know to say some form of hello to you when passing you. But this does not always mean they are inviting you to stop and talk for a long time! Many times the person is just being friendly. If you dont say hello back to them they may think you are being unfriendly. You should examine the situation and think about what you want to do next.



Im Dan Friedell.



And Im Pete Musto.

Dan Friedell and Pete Musto wrote this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck and George Grow were the editors.

We want to hear from you. What are some situations you faced while visiting the U.S. that you were not prepared for? What are some things people should know about the culture before visiting your country? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

appropriate  adj. right or suited for some purpose or situation

migrant(s)  n. a person who goes from one place to another especially to find work

confusing  adj. difficult to understand

adjust  v. to change in order to work or do better in a new situation

idealized - adj. someone or something that people think of as being perfect

tough  adj. very difficult to do or deal with

quite  adv. to a very noticeable degree or extent

amazing  adj. causing great surprise or wonder

set(s) in  p.v. to begin to be present or show something unpleasant or unwanted that often lasts for a long time

polite  adj. having or showing good manners or respect for other people

newcomer(s)  n. a person who has recently arrived somewhere

reserved  adj. not openly expressing feelings or opinions

customer  n. someone who buys goods or services from a business

assuming  v. thinking that something is true or probably true without knowing that it is true


Candidates for president are talking a lot about their religious beliefs.

Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, recently asked New Hampshire supporters to commit to lift this country up in prayer each and every day from now until the election.

Cruz is a Southern Baptist.

And when Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, was asked recently about fixing Americas problems, he, too, spoke about religion.

Theres only one savior, and its not me, Rubio said. Its Jesus Christ who came down to Earth and died for our sins.

Rubio is Catholic.

Businessman Donald Trump, another Republican presidential candidate, recently put up a video on Facebook showing the Bible his late mother had given him.

It's just very special to me, Trump said.

Candidates talking about how religious beliefs will guide them is a big change from 1960. That year, Democrat John Kennedy won the presidency after telling voters his Catholic religion would not affect his decisions as president.

American democracy was founded on freedom for individuals to speak, write and worship as they like. Religion and government will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together, wrote James Madison, 4th president of the United States.

Robert Schmuhl, a professor of American Studies at Notre Dame University said: Today we see candidates stressing their religious beliefs as part of their campaigns.

A report last month by the Pew Research Center might explain why.

Pew found that 51 percent of Americans say they are less likely to vote for a candidate who does not believe in God. Not believing in God is viewed by voters as worse than having a relationship outside of marriage, Pew said.

Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were asked about their religious views during a town hall meeting last week in New Hampshire.

All the Republican presidential candidates are Christians, as is Clinton. Sanders is Jewish.

Sanders does not often talk about religion. He has said he is not active in any organized religion.

But at meeting with New Hampshire voters, he said, I would not be running for president of the United States if I did not have very strong religious and spiritual feelings. He said his faith makes him care deeply about people who do not earn enough to afford college, health care or feed their families.

At the same meeting, Clinton was asked how she finds balance in her life. The question came from a rabbi, who said a president must balance confidence with wisdom.

Clinton said her Methodist faith and help from clergy keeps her balanced.

I get a scripture lesson every morning from a minister that I have a really close personal relationship with. And, you know, it just gets me grounded, Clinton said.

Sanders won Tuesdays New Hampshire Democratic primary by a large margin over Clinton.

In New Hampshires Republican primary, Trump won twice as many votes as his nearest opponent, Ohio Governor John Kasich. Cruz, who won the Iowa caucus the week before, finished third in New Hampshire. Rubio, who finished third in Iowa, finished fifth in New Hampshire.

Cruz and Rubio talk about their Christian beliefs more than most other candidates.

One reason they did not do as well in New Hampshire as in Iowa: Thirty nine percent of Iowa voters say they are very religious, compared to only 20 percent in New Hampshire. This information comes from a study last week by the Gallup organization.

Not everyone is happy with all the religious talk in the 2016 presidential race.

Are Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio running for president or pastor? asked writer Steve Chapman of the Chicago Tribune.

Chapman said the United States Constitution requires separation of church and state, and the government should not be guided by religion.

At the annual National Prayer Breakfast last week, President Barack Obama said people of faith should respect the right of every single American to practice their religion. Obama attends prayer services led by a Southern Baptist pastor.

Obama has criticized Donald Trump over Trumps views about Islam. Trump said he would stop Muslims from migrating to the U.S. because he fears they would bring terrorism.

Im Bruce Alpert.

Bruce Alpert reported this story for VOA Learning English. Kathleen Struck 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

commit  v. to make (someone or something) obligated to do something

savior  n. coming to the rescue

sin  n. an action that is considered to be wrong according to religious or moral law

Bible  n. a book of sacred writings. Christians use the New Testament. Jews use the Old Testament.

stress  v. special importance or attention that is given to something

rabbi  n. spiritual leader of a Jewish congregation

scripture  n. the books of either the Old Testament or the New Testament or of both

lesson  n. an activity that you do in order to learn something

caucus  n. a meeting of members of a political party for the purpose of choosing candidates for an election

pastor  n. a minister or priest in charge of a church or parish








about LML is also available.

If you are looking for any specific attachments, try contacting Dr Sunil Deepak at - sunil.deepak(at)gmail.com More information about LML is also available.

Leprosy Mailing List is a free moderated email list that allows all persons interested in this theme to share ideas, information, experiences, questions. The list is run by Dr Pieter Schreuder, Maastricht, The Netherlands with support from Dr Sunil Deepak, Bologna, Italy, Dr Salvatore Noto, Genoa, Italy, and Dr Ben Naafs, Netherlands.To join Leprosy Mailing List (LML) send an email to editorlml(at)gmail.comThis LML Blog presents the archives of this mailing list. However, any attachments mentioned in individual messages on this blog may not be accessible.
JF Ptak Science Books Post 2573

Earlier in this blog I posted about an article that appeared in Life magazine on the various invasion/attack routes on the United States in 1941. (I believe this was the most visited of all 4000+ posts over eight years, with something on the order of 200k visits.) It came to mind while I was working my way through the P.J. Mode Persuasive Map Collection (digitized) at Cornell University and found this glorious appraisal of the possibilities of a Japanese attack on Los Angeles and the western U.S. It screamingly appeared in the Los Angeles Examiner on November 7, 1937 (p. V-8), and no doubt was meant to incite some sort of thinking in the paper's reading population. (I don't think it a coincidence that California is shown in yellow in the details when under attack and blue before being attacked.) Remember that the Japanese had already been mucking around in China for several years and the (Second) Sino-Japanese War was already full-on for a year by this point, so giving the possibility of Japanese imperial designs on the U.S. in 1938 is not necessarily so far out of reach. (On the other hand many of the high command in Japan thought it a miserable and in some cases an insane idea to finally attack the U.S. in 1941, so there's that--plus there's the larger and more substantial issue of the incredible amount of ships and planes and support and energy that goes into manufacturing an invasion of this scope that would just be out-of-hand for Japan.) All that said, it is an interesting to see this play out in the pages of the Examiner.

Mapping the Invasion of America, 1942 http://longstreet.typepad.com/thesciencebookstore/2009/12/mapping-the-invasion-of-america-1942.html

Invasion Routes to the U.S. 1940 http://longstreet.typepad.com/thesciencebookstore/2011/06/invasion-of-the-us-1940.html

The Invasion of America, 19?? (1935) http://longstreet.typepad.com/thesciencebookstore/2010/01/the-invasion-of-america-19-1935-scenario-for-invasions-via-canada-mexico-and-the-caribbean.html

[Source: PJ Mode Persuasive Maps Collection, at Cornell: https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/ss:3293952]

And the vision for San Francisco:



[Source: PJ Mode Persuasive Maps Collection, at Cornell: https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/ss:3293952]

And the full page, showing the importance of the Aleutians to the general plan:

[Source: PJ Mode Persuasive Maps Collection, at Cornell: https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/ss:3293952]




Mumbai: Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley today said that his handlers told him that "nothing will happen against" Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi and Hafiz Saeed and that actions taken by Pakistan Federal Investigation Agency against them and other LeT members in 26/11 case are "superficial".

Shedding more light on terror activities post 26/11 attacks, the 55-year-old terrorist, who is testifying via a video-link from the US since Monday, said he visited the Indian Army Southern Command headquarters at Pune in 2009 on the instructions of ISI's Major Iqbal, who wanted him to recruit some military personnel to get "classified" information.

Headley, who turned approver in the case, told a court here today that in March 2009 he had visited Pushkar, Goa and Pune and had recced the cities as sought by Ilyas Kashmiri of Al-Qaeda. He also said that after Pakistan government started investigating the 26/11 attacks, he was told by his handler, Sajid Mir of LeT, that "both Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi and Hafiz Saeed are safe and nothing will happen against them." Headley told the court that Abdul Rehman Pasha, a former Pakistan army major who joined LeT and later al Qaeda, told him that the action taken by Pakistan Federal Investigation Agency against Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, Hafiz Saeed and other LeT members are "superficial".

He said that on March 16, 2009 he went to Pune and visited the Southern Command headquarters there. "Earlier too, Major Iqbal had also asked me to visit this place. At that time, I had made a general video of the (Army) station from outside," he said. Also, "Major Iqbal wanted me to try recruiting someone from the Army who would give us classified information.

It was the same like the BARC (drill)." "In all three cities, I took general videos of several locations there," he said. The LeT operative also revealed details of e-mails between him and his main contact Sajid Mir. "From July 3, 2009 to September 11, 2009, there was an exchange of emails between me and Sajid Mir of LeT. I had time and again expressed concerns about the safety of the leadership of LeT," he told the court.

"From December 2008 onwards, after the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, the Pakistan government was conducting investigations, interrogating people and pursuing people from the LeT which is why I wanted to know if Hafiz Sahab and Zaki Sahab were safe," he added. Headley also said that Mir had replied to his e-mails and said that "Zaki Sahab is doing fine.... His morale is high even though he was in prison (at that time) and he was not depressed."

Headley and Mir had referred to Hafiz Saeed as the "older uncle" and Zaki as the "younger uncle" in the e-mails using code language.

The court was told that on August 20, 2009 Headley had sent a mail to Mir asking if "older uncle" (Hafiz) was also under investigation and would be arrested to which Mir replied after three days saying that "the older uncle is fit and healthy and is moving back and forth for his business" even as Mir asked Headley to not put ears to rumours.

Mir also assured Headley that "both Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi and Hafiz Saeed are safe and nothing will happen against them." Yesterday, Headley told the court that al-Qaeda was in touch with him to attack Delhi's National Defence College and unravelled the plot by LeT and ISI to target Mumbai airport, BARC and the Naval air station here.

Headley had also told Special Judge G A Sanap that he attempted to develop close relations with a Shiv Sena member (Rajaram Rege) as he thought LeT would be interested in future to either attack the Shiv Sena Bhawan here or assassinate its head (late Bal Thackeray).

Headley also claimed he discouraged the LeT about Naval air station and Siddhivinayak temple as targets for the attack as they were heavily guarded. Headley had said that his handlers in Pakistan spy agency ISI and LeT wanted to target Mumbai airport and Naval air station during the terror attack in November 2008.

He also said NDC was a high-value target as it housed senior military officers, from Brigadier to General rank. Headley also said that as per Kashmiri's orders, he also visited the Chabad houses located in Pushkar, Goa and Pune as they were secondary targets of the terror outfit.

He said he had videographed BARC at Trombay in Mumbai in July 2008 and that LeT had asked him to recruit some employee of BARC who would work for ISI. Headley had also identified the executed lone 26/11 convict, Ajmal Kasab, when he was shown a photograph of him.

In further disclosures, he said that after he had conducted a reconnaissance of Mumbai, he had several meetings in Pakistan with LeT leader Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Sajid Mir, Abu Kahfa and Abdul Rehman Pasha and Major Iqbal. Headley revealed that during his last visit to Mumbai in July 2008, prior to the 26/11 attacks, he had surveyed and videographed the Chabad House in south Mumbai.

He also spilled beans on how during his last visit to Mumbai in July 2008, he had gone to Siddhivinayak temple and made a video of it besides purchasing red and yellow wrist bands so that the ten youths (attackers) could wear it as a cover so that people would think they were Indians.

PTI
Mumbai: Pakistani-American terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley on Friday said the global terror network Al Qaeda wanted to attack Indias National Defence College in New Delhi as he also revealed a medley of Lashkar-e-Taiba plans to strike terror in the country.

Headley, who has been testifying through video-conferencing since Monday before a special court in Mumbai for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, claimed that Al Qaeda considered the defence college as "a good, high-value target with many senior military officers".

He said he visited the college campus casually for a survey in 2007 at the instance of Al Qaeda leader Ilyas Kashmiri.

In his ongoing deposition before Special TADA Judge G.A. Sanap, Headley revealed how the Lashkar nefariously planned to eliminate Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray.

Headley, 56, spoke of developing close links with Rajaram Rege, the former PRO of present Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray, by luring him with a business offer to access Shiv Sena Bhavan which was also on the target list of LeT.

I took videos of the Shiv Sena Bhavan from outside and inside... I thought LeT would be interested in attacking it or even carry assassination of its (then) head (Bal Thackeray), Headley said.

He said he provided two-three videos to his Pakistani handlers Sajid Mir and Major Iqbal.

Rege admitted that he knew Headley but said he never took him to the Shiv Sena Bhavan.

Sena MP Sanjay Raut said the Thackerays and the party have always been targeted by international terror groups "since we are the only ones who speak out against Pakistan.

The terrorist-turned-approver also talked about the Lashkar plans to hit Mumbais famed Siddhi Vinayak Temple and attempts to recruit staffers from the sensitive Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) to tap them for classified information.

"The ISI wanted to recruit BARC staffers for future... to get classified information from them," Headley said.

The Lashkar operative, jailed in the US for his terror activities, said that he came in touch with actor Rahul Bhatt, son of veteran film-maker Mahesh Bhatt, through the in-charge of the upmarket Moksha Gym. Headley was a member of the gym from October 2006.

He said he again surveyed the NDC, Chabad Houses in international tourist destinations like Goa, Pune and Pushkar after the Mumbai attack on the instructions of Kashmiri.

He said he handed over videos of the famed Siddhi Vinayak Temple in Dadar and the Naval Air Station to his main contacts Mir and Iqbal.

Outside the temple, he said, he bought a bunch of around 15 red and yellow coloured sacred threads and sent them to Mir so the terrorists could tie them around their wrists and pass off as Hindus and avoid detection.

Headley claimed to have discussed the temple and other terror plans with his LeT handlers and the ISI discouraged them from targeting the temple, Indian Navy's air force station, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and Gateway of India in Mumbai as they were very heavily guarded sites when he surveyed them.

On his spying activities, Headley said he followed the progress of Indian Army and on one trip to Mumbai, he bought a book "Indian Army-Vision 2020" from Nalanda Books & Record Shop in Hotel Taj Mahal Palace.

He had purchased four other books - "Royal Rajasthan", "India's Jewish Heritage", "The Grand Trunk Road" and "Polo In India" - but the army book was of great interest to him, he said.

"The other four books were mostly pictorial and there was nothing sinister about them."

At this, Judge Sanap enquired whether there was anything "sinister" (motives) about the book on Indian Army, Headley replied: "Yes... My Lord!

At one point in the deposition, Nikam suddenly shot a question about a woman named Kainaz.

"She was a friend from Mumbai," Headley replied.

"Friend or girlfriend," Nikam countered.

"Not a girlfriend, just a friend," a visibly irritated Headley replied.

Later, identifying a picture of the captured and hanged terrorist Ajmal Kasab, Headley said the LeT was saddened by his arrest during the November 26, 2008, Mumbai attack.

IANS
New Delhi: The governing council of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) on Friday asked executive vice chairman RK Pachauri to go on indefinite leave, reports NDTV. Ashok Chawla, former Competition Commission of India chief has been nominated to take over Pachauri's post.

Former director general of Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) Ajay Mathur was on late Thursday night appointed as the new TERI-DG. A press release issued by TERI said, "Dr RK Pachauri, who had been at the head of the institute since 1982 will be on leave from TERI, TERI governing council, and TERI University till this is reviewed by the governing council given the sub-judice nature of the matter." According to DNA, this, however, only means that Pachauri's powers as executive vice-chairman of TERI will remain largely unaffected  Pachauri won't be able to sit in on the meetings of the governing council.

Earlier Ajay Mathur was to take over on 8 February 2016 as the TERI chief. Pachauri, who is embroiled in a second sexual harrassment case now, was removed by the green body last year but was brought back again in the capacity of executive vice chairman.

An official statement said the TERI governing council at its meeting held in Bengaluru on Thursday took the decision to appoint Mathur as the new director general.

"Mathur will take up his new responsibilities as soon as he is in a position to do so, subsequent to being relieved from his current responsibilities by the government after a brief period of transition," the statement said.

According to TERI, the issue of succession to the current leadership was first discussed in detail by the general council in its meeting held in Mumbai in September, 2014.

Subsequently a well-known search firm was entrusted with the task of carrying out a search of candidates for the position.

"The decision to appoint Ajay Mathur is the culmination of an extensive search process and an intensive evaluation of candidates from across the globe," TERI said.

"We hope the GC is certain that the 1,200 people working for TERI in different parts of the world would welcome this development," it added.

Mathur holds a PhD and a Master of Science from the University of Illinois and completed his bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of Roorkee.

He began his career at TERI in 1986 and rose to the position of dean, Energy and Environment Engineering, from 1995 to 2000. Mathur later worked with the World Bank, Green Climate Fund, before taking over as the director general of the BEE.

Pachauri was granted anticipatory bail on 21 March but was directed not to enter the TERI offices till investigation is complete. On 17 July, a court allowed the environmentalist to visit the offices, except two establishments in one of which the complainant worked.

After the sexual harassment complaint, Pachauri stepped down as chairperson of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in February and proceeded on leave from TERI as its director general.

TERI University students and alumni wrote a letter to the acting vice chancellor on Wednesday, condemning the appointment of Pachauri as executive vice chairman of the organisation. The students also refused to take their degrees at the March convocation, reports Hindustan Times.

According to NDTV, close to 200 students are expected to receive their final degrees at the convocation (to be held on 7 March) of the university. According to the television channel's website, the students wrote in the email that Pachauri's re-appointment was "anti-thetical" to their beliefs and they did not wish to accept degrees from Dr Pachauri.

The Indian Express quotes the students' letter, "We reiterate the trajectory that the university is taking is dangerous and grossly inconsiderate, and as alumni, we sincerely hope that Teri Universitys board of management seriously re-evaluates Pachauris continuing role as chancellor..."

After the rebel by the students, Pachauri on Thursday went on leave probably forcing the institute to appoint Mathur.

With inputs from agencies
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent birthday greetings to Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani  some 96 days before the occasion.

Modi greeted the Afghan leader through a tweet which said, "Happy Birthday @ashrafghani. Praying for your long life and exceptional health and a joyful journey ahead."

Happy birthday @ashrafghani. Praying for your long life & exceptional health and a joyful journey ahead.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 12, 2016

An obviously surprised Ghani, who was in Munich, responded, "@narendramodi Greetings from Munich Mr PM. Although, my birthday is on 19th May, but I'd still like to thank you for your gracious words :)"

@narendramodi Greetings from Munich Mr. PM. Although, my Birthday is on 19th May, but I'd still like to thank you for your gracious words  Ashraf Ghani (@ashrafghani) February 12, 2016

PTI
Jeevan vyartha gayawon madho agar JNU me na padh payo, said a friend in late 1980s while taking long swigs of fresh air and a little bit of something else near Ganga Dhaba. He was right.

Where on earth do you get a 1000-acre campus located amid hills, forests, bushes, rugged yet lush green terrain, beautiful buildings, great faculty and bragging rights of studying in one of Indias premier institutions? And all for practically nothing by way of tuition fees?

What did really happen in JNU a few days back under garb of a cultural show?

A group of students celebrated the martyrdom of Afzal Guru (convicted and hanged for his role in armed attack on Parliament) and Maqbool Bhatt (founder of JKLF, who masterminded the first hijacking of Indian Airlines plane in 1971).

Slogans such as Bharat ki Barbadi tak Kashmir ki Aadi tak jung karenge jung karenge; Bharat ke solah tukrade honge Insa Allah Insa Allah; Kitne Afzal maroge har ghar se Afzal niklega; Afzal hi hatya nahi sahenge nahi sahenge, halla bol halla bol, ladkar lenge Azadi, cheen kar lenge Azadi, Azadi Azadi, Pakistan Zindabad, Pakistan Zindabad

Move over from south Delhi to central Delhi.

A Type VII bungalow has been allotted to Press Club of India. All top government of India establishments  Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament, PMO, North Block, South Block, Rail Bhawan, Sena Bhawan, Krishi Bhawan, Shastri Bhawan, Udyog Bhawan, RBI, Niti Ayog, etc are all within its vicinity to make life easier for journalists to do their duty.

A day after the cultural show in JNU, similar scenes were witnessed at the Press Club office. The poster in the backdrop for the seminar read: Celebrating martyrdom of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhatt. During the event at PCI, some JNU students raised the same slogans Bharat ki barbadi tak jung karenge Pakistan Zindabad!

If this not an anti-national act then perhaps the term anti-national should be deleted from the dictionary.

Even if a terrorist is caught and sentenced to death after the due process of law, some so called progressives and liberals would proclaim the likes of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhatt as innocents and turn them into martyrs of judicial killing.

Those who are caught supporting them would be endearingly called unintelligent fools as if they are not aware of the criminality of their act and were motivated by well-meaning anger. The state which brings them to book would be termed as Hindu Taliban (as this article by a JNU student argued), because it is currently ruled by a BJP government with Narendra Modi as Prime Minister.

No one, however, cares to define since when this 20-plus or 30-plus JNU students have become unintelligent fools (as this article by a senior Firstpost colleague argues).

Yesterday a purported tweet (withdrawn later by Twitter) by Jamat ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed alarmed intelligence and security agencies.

The 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind allegedly announced to the world that he stood in support of miscreants in JNU and created a hashtag #PakStandsWithJNU, asking his "brothers" to trend it.

The handle used was @HafeezSaeedJUD, but it couldn't be verified if the tweet came from an official handle as it was soon deactivated.

Relax. No one is shutting down JNU.

But the argument that all this was happening at the University for a long time because it has always been a Left bastion and we should not get alarmed by a little seditious behavior because its essentially harmless, is specious and should be called out.

This argument takes as axiomatic the belief that this 1000-acre institution should be allowed to follow a certain ideology, however toxic, in perpetuity at a great cost to our taxpayers and that the students shall never be questioned and the laws of the land shall never apply to them.

How cute!

We are Left, we are students, we have a right to subsidy and thus different laws should be applied to us. The state which questions us is bad, the nation where we live deserves to be dismembered and the government which rules is Hindu Taliban. If this is the propaganda, it needs to be countered.

One of the prominent protestors gave a sound bite that curtailment of free speech and expression of dissenting views will breed more terrorists.

In videos, he along with others is seen lustily raising anti-India slogans.

The so-called liberals have targeted home minister Rajnath Singh for publicly calling the incident in JNU as an anti-national act and for saying that he had asked Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi to take strong action against those behind this incident.

It is the same group of people who cry hoarse and rap the government for any delay in statement by senior ministers or Prime Minister on issues which they on their own decide are of national importance.

Singh was right in speaking out his mind, more so because these pro-Pakistan, anti-India propagandist events have been happening in the national capital. The States silence would have come as a huge sign of weakness and, worse, as a manifestation of a soft government.

In the last two days, Singh spoke to Delhi Police chief thrice  Thursday night, Friday morning and Friday evening. Other intelligence agencies have also been roped in to investigate whether this was a standalone event or it had its wires spread over elsewhere and how far.

Finding this as an opportunity to train guns against Modi government, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has come out in support of these students.

He tweeted No one supports anti-national forces. But targeting innocent students using that as an excuse will prove v costly to Modi govt.

He has also retweeted some tweets suggesting students innocence and critical of Modi governments police action.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that by attempting to stifle those voices which are not in line with its views, the government has only succeeded in making them stronger.

"They do not understand that by crushing you they are making you stronger. They are terrified of weak Indian people raising their voice," Gandhi said at the JNU campus in New Delhi. "I tell you,there are more than billion people in country who believe what you believe in and standing right behind you," he said.

The Congress second-in-command visited the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus to express solidarity with students and teachers who are protesting against the arrest of JNU Students' Union Kanhaiya Kumar on Friday on charges of sedition.

However, the Congress vice president was angrily greeted by members of the BJP students' wingAVBPwith black flags who vociferously resorted to slogans like Rahul Gandhi wapas jao.

Despite the dramatic protests, the Congress vice president was able to address the students albeit for a very short time.

"What is anti-national? The most anti-national people are the people who are suppressing the voice of this institution. You must question them at every single step," Gandhi said. "A youngster expressed himself and the government says he is an anti-national."

Gandhi also took on the AVBP workers who waved black flags at him while entering the campus.

"People who showed black flag on my face, I feel proud that in my country they have the right to show black flag in front of my face," the Congress vice president said.

Comparing the JNU incident with Rohith Vemula's suicide in the Hyderabad Central University recently, Gandhi said, "I was in Hyderabad a few days back and these same people or their leaders said that Rohith Vemula was an anti-national."

He even took potshots at External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. "Later, a minister turns around and says he was not even a Dalit. Sushma Swarajji nobody askd whether he was Dalit or not. Ques is why wasn't Indian students allowed to say and fight for what he believes?"

https://twitter.com/office0ffRG/status/698509086027964417

https://twitter.com/office0ffRG/status/698510293068959745

On Friday, Gandhi had said Modi government's "bullying" an institution like JNU was "completely condemnable", but at the same time asserted that anti-India sentiment is "unquestionably unacceptable".

"Modi Govt & ABVP bullying an institution like JNU simply because it won't toe their line is completely condemnable.

"While Anti-India sentiment is unquestionably unacceptable, the right to dissent & debate is an essential

ingredient of democracy," the Congress vice president tweeted. Gandhi's remarks had come within hours of the arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case over an event at the varsity campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, sparking massive outrage among students and criticism from non-BJP parties which dubbed it as an "emergency-like" situation.

Apart from Kumar, seven other students have been detained by the police.

Kumar was remanded to three-day police custody by a local court. He was arrested for sedition and criminal conspiracy after complaints from BJP MP Maheish Girri and ABVP members.

Union ministers Smriti Irani and Rajnath Singh have advocated strong action against those involved in the alleged "anti-India" act even as the students continued with their protests on the campus for the third day, saying they are being "witch-hunted".

https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/698488873282772993

Home Minister Singh on Saturday asserted that no innocent will be harassed but the guilty "will not be spared" as Left leaders met him questioning the police action against students including arrest of JNUSU leader.

"No question of harassment of students. But the guilty will not be spared," he told reporters on the sidelines of a

function in New Delhi.

CPI MP D Raja on Saturday claimed that he has received calls carrying threats to his daughter, who is a student activist in the university. The CPI leader said late Friday night he got a call from a man who spoke in Hindi and asked him why he was "fighting" with BJP and ABVP. He was also "reminded" that his daughter was a resident of the University and she would be shot down, Raja said.

At a glance

 Rahul Gandhi visits JNU campus, greeted with black flags by AVBP members. Congress leaders Anand Sharma and Ajay Maken are also there.

 CPI leader D Raja and CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury also present. Both the Left leaders met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh early Saturday.

 Home Minister Minister Singh asserted that no innocent will be harassed but the guilty "will not be spared".

 Ex-servicemen who are alumni of JNU on Satuday threatened to return their degrees, saying they "find it difficult" to be associated with an institution that has become a "hub of anti-national activities"

 Left parties condemn JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar's arrest. Blame Centre saying it is reducing India to an "Emergency State".
Why shouldnt the JNU Student Union president Kanhaiya Kumar be arrested? He led the anti-national crusade supporting a terrorist. He is not a child. And he spearheaded the rally in medias backyard. Enough of this hiding behind the bushes in the groves of academe.

When it suits them these rabble-rousers become students. Otherwise they can be hellions and break the law and then scream with righteous indignation.

Nobody has given students a special benediction to offend, insult or provoke and this silly idea that whatever nonsense they espouse is an intellectual pursuit is so much dross.

Students debate, they do not propagate.

You want to discuss the merits of hanging the man who masterminded an attack on the Indian Parliament knock yourselves out in a 'for and against' debate. Give the prize to the best speaker. You can even have a round table conference in-house. That is acceptable freedom of expression. Do it on campus.

To make it public, to have an agenda, to be political and to offend your nation and your Constitution and to promote material about you that turns the issue into a cause and the student into a rebel is not an exercise in grand thought.

It is sedition, pure and simple.

Think about it. They made cartoons and sketches honouring the man. The meet was held in his memory. In his memory! What more proof of treachery does one need?

Sure, as the famous words go: I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

That is an opinion and everyone is entitled to it. But when it becomes an encroachment on my rights then your freedom stops.

In no country would this be allowed. Sorry, did I say allowed? In 83% of the world Mr Kumar would have disappeared. Game set and match.

It is only in 17% of the globe, and that includes India, that we can sit and discuss the issue and even have sections whinge about arresting students as if they were some special breed of humanity deserving special privileges.

What is the big deal about arresting anyone who engages in anti-national activity? There is nothing fascist about stopping such absurdities so comparing the arrests to the Emergency is ridiculous. The Emergency was a citadel of excess. Here the students are the poster children for excess.

In fact if the government took no action that would be wrong. It cannot afford to be populist and mollycoddle young men and women who have yet to contribute to the commonwealth and are largely dependents being paid for and maintained by their parents and the state.

In this country we take this student power concept to foolish lengths. There is not a scintilla of saving grace in the protest meet held at the Press Club. Also this idea that somehow students are exempt from acceptable conduct and can be outrageous because they worship at some special altar of knowledge is tripe.

You want to flirt with danger and you want to be hostile and vicious then face the consequences. No wet behind the ear lad who should be studying in class is going to tell 1.2 billion Indians that the very Parliament that represents the freedom which let this group even get as far as to hold such a meet deserved to have been attacked by Afzal Guru and the terrorist is a hero for doing so.
ATHENS Angry Greek farmers clashed with riot police in Athens then paraded their tractors and pick-ups outside parliament on Friday, in their first big protest in the capital against pension reform plans after weeks of road blockades.

Officers guarded the entrance to the agricultural ministry and fired tear gas to disperse protesters who hurled tomatoes, eggplants and stones at the building, smashing windows and using shepherd's crooks to repel police during scuffles.

"They won't make us bend!," the protesters shouted.

After the afternoon violence died down, farmers drove their vehicles through crowds outside parliament, blocking the road and shouting slogans against the pensions overhaul which will bring in tax hikes and a tripling of their social security contributions.

Cheered on by supporters waving Greek flags, they honked horns as police in riot gear stood guard. A few demonstrators burnt olive branches while others unfurled a large banner reading: "Take back this monstrous reform plan."

Some farmers pitched tents on Syntagma Square, the scene of violent clashes during anti-austerity protests in recent years.

"We live on loans, this reform will destroy us," said olive oil producer Manolis Niolakis, a 50-year old father of four. "We won't back down, there is no way. If we do, we'll starve."

Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Toskas criticised the violence, telling state TV: "This is not how social battles should be fought. This is not the right way of expression."

DEADLOCK

The pension reform has also angered lawyers and doctors and members of other professions.

The government says the changes are necessary to ensure future pensions for the farmers, whose benefits have so far been almost completely subsidised by the debt-ridden state.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, elected last year promising to end austerity but then forced to accept a third bailout in July, is struggling to conclude a bailout review with lenders and convince angry Greeks that after six years of belt-tightening were worth it.

His task is not made any easier by the fact that his government has only a tiny majority in parliament.

Earlier this week, Tsipras said he was willing to hold talks with the farmers on possibly amending the pension reform bill to lessen the pain, but they rebuffed his overtures.

The EU and the International Monetary Fund are not expected to back down on their demands that Athens cut pension spending by 1 percent of gross domestic product this year. The IMF said Greece will need to take extra measures worth about 9 billion euros to meet its fiscal targets by 2018.

"We cannot see how Greece can do so without major savings on pensions," said IMF's director for Europe, Poul Thomsen.

After a meeting of euro zone finance ministers in Brussels, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said that pension reforms remained a major sticking point in talks with Athens.

The Greek economy contracted in the last three months of 2015 as fiscal austerity and capital controls continued to weigh on investment and consumer spending.

(Additional reporting by Lefteris Karagiannopoulos and George Georgiopoulos in Athens, Tom Koerkemeier in Brussels; Writing by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Karolina Tagaris and Andrew Heavens)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
JERUSALEM Israel said on Friday it had resolved its differences with the European Union after weeks of diplomatic tension following an EU decision not to allow goods produced in settlements in the occupied West Bank to be labelled "Made in Israel".

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, Israel's foreign ministry said.

The two "agreed that relations between the two sides should be conducted in an atmosphere of confidence and mutual respect," it said.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said that Israel would no longer insist on the exclusion of EU bodies from peace talks with the Palestinians over a two-state solution to the Middle East peace process.

Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in April 2014 and there have been no signs of them resuming.

While the United States has traditionally played the lead role in peace efforts in the region, the EU is Israel's largest trading partner and is the biggest donor to the Palestinians, and is looking to play a larger role in peace negotiations

"The conversation resolved the tensions and we are, Israel and the EU, back to good and close relations," Nahshon said in a text message to the media.

In November, the EU said that goods produced in settlements could not labelled "Made in Israel" and should be marked as coming from settlements, which the EU considers illegal under international law.

The EU holds the position that the lands Israel has occupied since the 1967 Middle East war, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, are not part of the internationally recognised borders of Israel.

After the guidelines were published, Israel suspended contact with EU bodies involved in peace efforts with Palestinians, although the government said bilateral ties with nearly all EU countries remained strong.

The Palestinians want the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank for their future state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Nahshon said Mogherini had expressed solidarity with Israel at a time of heightened Israeli-Palestinian violence and had strongly opposed attempts by various groups to boycott Israel.

Since October, 27 Israelis and a U.S. citizen have been killed in near-daily Palestinian attacks that have included stabbings, shootings and car-rammings.

Israeli forces have killed at least 157 Palestinians in the same period, 101 of them assailants, according to Israeli authorities. Other Palestinians have died during violent anti-Israeli protests.

The bloodshed has been partly fuelled by Palestinian frustration over the stalled peace talks and anger at perceived Jewish encroachment on a contested shrine in Jerusalem.

(Editing by Hugh Lawson)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Beirut: An ambush by Syrian rebels on pro-regime forces near Damascus this week killed 76 fighters, a monitor said Saturday, in one of the deadliest attacks of its kind since the conflict began.

Militants from the powerful Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) rebel group opened fire last Sunday on around 240 government forces that were preparing to storm the opposition stronghold of Eastern Ghouta, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Observatory said at the time of the attack, which it described as "the largest ambush of regime forces in the war", that 35 people had died.

Director Rami Abdel Rahman on Saturday gave a new toll, documenting 45 pro-regime fighters killed by gunfire and another 31 killed when landmines were detonated during the clashes.

At least 100 remain unaccounted for, Abdel Rahman added.

Families of those killed or missing -- many of whom hail from the coastal province of Latakia -- are demanding to receive the bodies of their loved ones, he told AFP.

Jaish al-Islam is the strongest opposition faction in Eastern Ghouta, a large suburb of Damascus that is regularly bombarded by government forces.

AFP
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is expected to announce a revamped frontbench on Saturday that will promote a swag of younger MPs and increase the number of women in the cabinet.

Special Minister of State Mal Brough, who is also minister for Defence Materiel and who stood aside from the ministry last December because of his involvement in the James Ashby/Peter Slipper affair, resigned on Saturday ahead of Mr Turnbull's reshuffle.

Trade minister Steven Ciobo will be in Europe this week to discuss a free trade deal. Credit:Paul Jeffers

Fairfax Media has been told that Queensland MP Steve Ciobo is all but certain to move from his international development junior ministry and enter cabinet, picking up the trade portfolio vacated by Andrew Robb.

Victorian Nationals MP Darren Chester, now the Assistant Defence Minister, is expected to pick up the portfolios of infrastructure and transport vacated by outgoing party leader Warren Truss.
Envoys from Iran and Saudi Arabia took part in peace talks in Germany this week to try to resolve the Syrian conflict, which produced a rare public attempt to bridge the two rivals' deep differences.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif appeared to extend an olive branch, saying, Iran and Saudi Arabia must overcome years of strained relations and work for stability in Syria and the Middle East.

Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have soared in the past year over the wars in Syria and Yemen, as well as accusations on both sides that they are fanning Sunni-Shi'ite sectarian tensions across the Middle East.

Relations worsened in January following the Saudi execution of a prominent Shiite cleric. That led to attacks on Saudi missions in Iran, a move that prompted the kingdom to sever ties with Tehran.

But during the Munich Security Conference, Zarif expressed hope for collaboration.

We believe there is nothing in our region that would exclude Iran and Saudi Arabia working together for a better future for all of us," he said.

He said the two countries faced common threats, including the Islamic State and al-Nusra Front terrorist groups.

The Islamic State and terrorism as a whole were underlying themes for the high-ranking government officials who spoke at the conference. Many called for broader international efforts to combat terrorist groups.

More than military response

The global threat posed by the Islamic State requires not only a military response but also efforts to hamper the groups infrastructure and logistics, said French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Drian. He said world powers needed to cooperate more in efforts to disrupt the terror groups communications in order to stop its ability to spread propaganda.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said external factors had contributed to the presence of militants in his country.

Unfortunately, not enough work has been done to combat the flow of terrorists, foreign terrorists, from Turkey to Syria to Iraq, he said.

Jordans King Abdullah said combating terrorism required a holistic approach with a global perspective.

World powers will not succeed by focusing on Islamic State in Iraq and Syria while other terrorist groups and affiliates strengthen in Africa and Asia, he said.

The Munich Security Conference is an annual global forum for discussions on security policy. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is among speakers who will address the group Saturday.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has affirmed the strong bond between the United States and Europe, saying the United States has "a profound interest" in its strength and success as it faces new tensions with Russia and a near-unprecedented flood of refugees.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference Saturday, Kerry assured U.S. allies of Washington's support on multiple problems that European leaders are facing.

"It's pretty obvious that probably never in history have we been dealing with as many hotspots, as many failing or failed states, all at one time," Kerry said. "... I want to express the confidence of President [Barack] Obama and all of us in America that, just as it has so many times before, Europe is going to emerge stronger than ever, provided it stays united and builds common responses to these challenges."



Medvedev condemns NATO's policies

In an earlier speech Saturday in Munich, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev condemned NATO's policies and suggested the West is starting a new Cold War.

Kerry said, "It is clear today that while the Cold War is long over, the need for courage and resolve in defending liberty and pursuing peace is just as vital as it was a half century ago."

'Unwavering support for a democratic Ukraine'

"And nowhere is that more clear," Kerry said, "than in our joint, unwavering support for a democratic Ukraine." He hailed Europe's "resolve ... to stand up to Russia's repeated aggression" in the conflict between the central government in Kyiv and Kremlin-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

"Europe and the United States are going to continue to stand united, both in sustaining sanctions [against Russia] for as long as they are necessary and in providing needed assistance to Ukraine until ... the full implementation of the Minsk agreement."

Minsk agreement



Of that peace agreement reached in Belarus last year, brokered by France and Germany, Kerry said: "Russia has a simple choice: fully implement Minsk or continue to face economically damaging sanctions."

The top U.S. diplomat said Russia must withdraw its weapons and troops from Ukraine's Donbas region, ensure that all Ukrainian hostages are returned; allow humanitarian aid into occupied territories; support free and fair elections in Donbas; and restore Ukraine's control of its side of the international border.



The United States plans to quadruple its military spending in Europe to $3.4 billion in 2017, as NATO increases its troop strength, stockpiles military hardware and arms, and forms a rapid reaction force.

Russia has called NATO's moves a threat to stability in Europe. The military alliance says the new plans are aimed at reassuring eastern European allies concerned about Russian aggression.

Isabela Cocoli and Marrissa Melton in Washington also contributed to this story
The United States has temporarily deployed an additional Patriot missile battery in South Korea. The move was done in response to North Korea's nuclear test and long-range missile launch.

Commander of the U.S. Eighth Army Lt. Gen. Thomas Vandal said "exercises like this ensure we are always ready to defend against an attack from North Korea."

The temporary deployment came ahead of talks the U.S. and South Korea are set to hold in the coming week on deploying a more advanced missile defense system, a Seoul defense official confirmed.

THAAD missile system

Washington and Seoul formally announced last week they intend to deploy the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense missile system, known as THAAD, in South Korea at the earliest possible date.

Exactly when and where the system will be deployed will be the subject of formal discussions to take place "as early as next week," according to a South Korean defense ministry official, who spoke anonymously Friday.

The official also stressed the THAAD deployment is only meant to protect South Korea from the north's growing nuclear and missile capabilities, and will not target other countries in the region.

U.S. officials have not commented on when the talks will take place.

China, Russia complaining

China and Russia have both complained about the possible deployment. In a statement Friday, Beijing's Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed "serious concern," saying the system would "significantly undermine the strategic interest of China."

The U.S. and South Korea have long been reported to be considering the THAAD deployment. But the plan appears to have accelerated after North Korea launched a long-range rocket Sunday and placed what it described as an "Earth observation satellite" into orbit, just weeks after carrying out its fourth nuclear test.

In recent years, North Korea has repeatedly threatened to carry out nuclear attacks on the U.S., Seoul and Japan. With its latest tests, Pyongyang appears to be closing in on the capability to do so.

The U.S. and its allies have responded with calls to ramp up international sanctions against the north.

US, South Korea coordination

On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich, Germany.

"The two ministers agreed to continue our close coordination towards a robust and united international response to the DPRKs violations of multiple U.N. Security Council Resolutions that threaten international peace and security," said a U.S. statement.

Kerry "reaffirmed the U.S. ironclad commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan and noted the vital importance of continued communication and cooperation among the three countries," the statement added.

Kerry met separately with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang. During the meeting, he "urged China to use their influence in Pyongyang to help the international community increase pressure" on North Korea, the State Department said.

The North's rocket launch and nuclear test also set off a new round of tensions between North and South Korea, which have remained in a technical state of war since their 1950s conflict.

Kaesong closing



This week, North Korea ordered all South Koreans to leave the jointly run Kaesong industrial complex that lies along the border and is one of the only areas of cooperation between the two countries.

Pyongyang said employees could only take personal belongings with them and ordered a "complete freeze" on the assets left behind. It said the expulsions were a reaction to Seoul's decision a day earlier to shut down its operations at the park.

South Korea on Friday warned the North that it acted "illegally" in freezing the South Korean assets and in forcing out the personnel. Meanwhile, the North said South Korea's actions amounted to "a declaration of war."

The North also declared the area a military zone, and said it was cutting off all military communications with Seoul, including the hotline at the border truce village of Panmunjom.
A predominantly one-topic blog: how is it that the most imminent and lethal implication for humankind - the fact that the doctrine of "Mutually Assured Destruction" will not work with Iran - is not being discussed in our media? Until it is recognized that MAD is dead, the Iranian threat will be treated as a threat only to Israel and not as the global threat which it in fact is. A blog by Mladen Andrijasevic
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TWIN FALLS  An inmate at the Twin Falls County Jail was charged with bringing drugs inside the jail by smuggling them inside a body cavity.

Katherine Elaine Shankland, 29, of Ketchum was arraigned Friday in Twin Falls County Magistrate Court on felony counts of possession of a controlled substance and introduction of certain articles into correctional facilities.

Prosecutors say another inmate at the jail told sheriffs deputies Shankland might have a syringe on Wednesday, court documents said. Jail staff ordered Shanklands housing unit to be cleared for a cell search and strip searched Shankland.

During the strip search a deputy found a black glove containing a spoon, a clear syringe and two plastic baggies, court documents said. Tests came back positive on the baggies for methamphetamine and amphetamines.

Online court records do not show why Shankland was arrested Wednesday, but she told a sheriffs sergeant she was arrested during a traffic stop with a man named Donald. She said Donald gave her the black glove before he was arrested and she had concealed it inside of her.

Shankland told the sergeant the drugs were probably either cocaine or methamphetamine and said there was no needle, just a broken syringe, court documents said. She said she took the glove out in the jails shower area and began to rinse out the baggies because she wanted to get rid of the drugs but was scared of clogging the toilet if she tried flushing them.

She told the sergeant she did not use the drugs while in custody and she didnt tell deputies about the drugs when she was booked into jail because she said she was scared, court document said.

Shankland is being held in county jail in lieu of $10,000 bond and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 19.
TWIN FALLS  A witness testified Friday there was a second gunman during a September shooting at Harry Barry Park.

During a preliminary hearing for Jesus Hilario Manjares-Contreras, 20, of Twin Falls, a witness testified that Manjares-Contreras also had a gun and shot at her and Marcus Loya early in the morning Sep. 1.

During previous statements to police, the woman said another man whos also charged in the shooting, 27-year-old Fred Zapata Paiz, was the only person with a gun.

Paiz was arrested in September and Manjares-Contreras was arrested in December. Both men are charged with felony counts of aggravated assault and aggravated battery.

Prosecutors say Manjares-Contreras and Paiz met up with Loya and a woman at Harry Barry Park just after midnight Sep. 1.

Shortly after the two men arrived in a black Pontiac sedan, Paiz shot Loya in the arm and fired several shots that hit a Jeep the woman was driving.

The woman saw Loya fall after being shot and drove away fearing for her own life and believing Loya was dead, she testified. She tried to hit the two shooters with her Jeep as she left.

When officers arrived at the park they found a large amount of fresh blood in the parking lot, court documents said. Loya later checked himself in at the Cassia Regional Medical Center in Burley, where he had surgery for a gunshot wound that broke a bone in his left forearm.

During Fridays testimony, the woman who was at the park with Loya the night he was shot said Paiz was the one who shot Loya, but added that Manjares-Contreras also had a gun and shot at her Jeep.

They both had guns, the woman said during questioning by Twin Falls County Deputy Prosecutor Rosemary Emory.

How was Contreras holding the gun? Emory asked.

He was shooting at me, the woman answered.

How was Fred Paiz holding the gun? Emory asked.

He was shooting at Marcus, the woman answered.

Dan Brown, Manjares-Contreras defense attorney, asked the woman why she didnt identify his client and Paiz by name the night of the shooting.

The woman answered she didnt know their names at the time, but had previously said she met Manjares-Contreras a few hours before the shooting.

Were you fearful of retaliation? Brown asked the woman.

Very fearful, she answered.

I was a mess, the woman said when Emory asked about her emotional state the morning of the shooting. I was still under the impression Marcus was dead.

She said she was afraid of retaliation and was less than forthcoming with information the morning of the shooting, but testified that she never lied to police.

Do you have any doubt Jesus Contreras was shooting at you? Emory asked.

No, the woman answered.

Do you have any doubt Fred Paiz was shooting at Marcus Loya? Emory asked.

No, the woman answered.

After hearing the womans testimony and the testimony of another woman whose car police say was used in the shooting, Magistrate Judge Thomas Kershaw said there was substantial evidence against Manjares-Contreras and ordered both counts against him to be bound over to district court.

Marcus Loya, who was held in contempt of court while testifying during Paizs preliminary hearing, was not called to testify Friday.

Paizs case is set to go to trial March 8. A date for the district-court arraignment of Manjares-Contreras has not yet been set.
BOISE (AP) | Every day 18-year-old Lewiston resident Maddie Creutzberg wakes up early to care for her 5-month-old daughter, Emily, before heading to work at a local nursing home in the afternoon.

It's far from the typical routine of a teenager. But Creutzberg, who is also married and attending a local college, is an outlier among her peers. She's also one of the few students who graduated from Idaho Online Academy within four years.

The Department of Education released statistics revealing Idaho's graduation rates had dropped from 88 percent in 2012-2013 school year to 77.3 percent the following year. The statistic prompted the Idaho Board of Education to investigate further, explained Blake Youde, the board's spokesman.

The Idaho State Department of Education announced Friday, graduation rates for the 2014-2015 school year rose slightly to 78.9 percent.

The investigation revealed that Idaho's online schools are Idaho's worst performers, with only 20 percent of the students who started out as freshman went on to graduate as seniors. Alternative schools were the second worst, graduating only 36 percent of students in four years.

"To the board, that's just not an acceptable outcome, regardless of what school they attended," Youde said. "Certainly (the investigation) was not done to focus or to point a finger at any type of schooling and say it's your fault."

The board's statistics revealed Idaho's regular public high schools graduation rates were 88 percent. Public charter schools performed the best, graduating 91 percent of their students.

"I think we can't lose sight of the bigger picture which is no one is at 100 percent," he said. "And there are 5,000 students across the state that did not graduate; it is incumbent upon us to come up with policies to meet those students' needs."

However, the specific policies needed to raise those low graduation rates remains unclear, while educators scramble to understand what went wrong. Youde and other administrators say the nearly 11 percent drop to 77.3 percent is partially due to a changing metric used in measure graduation rates. This year was the first year graduation rates were measured from the entire cohort of students who start freshman year together. Before, the rates were gleaned from each senior class.

Also, the statistics don't reflect students who take extra time to graduate, says Kelly Edginton, Head of School for Idaho Virtual Academy. She insists the measuring stick used in creating the graduation rates is flawed, not taking into account the students who come to the school already behind in their studies who may need a little extra time graduating.

"We didn't create these kids," Edginton said. "They are out there."

The new graduation rate does not consider the type of students they are teaching. Furthermore, there's a greater risk of a student being considered a drop out from an online school if they move to another state or another school.

According to school officials, most students who seek online or alternative schools are behind in their credits, have extremely low GPAs, come from impoverished backgrounds, or have special learning needs that make learning in the traditional classroom difficult.

Kim Zeydel, an award-winning math teacher and mentor at Meridian Academy, says only 67 percent of incoming freshman at her alternative schools are proficient in reading and 34 percent are proficient at math. That means most students at her school start high school not knowing how to multiply.

"We're saving these kids; we're helping them graduate," she said. "But when they come to us with 5th grade level skills, you cannot expect us to graduate them in four years. For us to get them from 5th grade to 12th grade in five years, we are doing a pretty good job."

Dustin Barrett, the school's principal, said next year they will institute a new, mastery-based curriculum that blends online, self-motivated learning with teacher instruction. He said that gives students a stake in their own education and allows them to move at their own pace.

"Will it be perfect, right out of the gate? No," Barrett said. "But it will be better than what we have now, even in its very first form."
TWIN FALLS | Whats the value of a community college?

A study released Monday says the College of Southern Idaho and its students contributed $255.3 million in added income to the region for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. That number is roughly 3.6 percent of the gross regional product  nearly equal to the impact of the entire finance and insurance industry, the report said.

But for Associate Dean of Institutional Effectiveness Chris Bragg, the true value of the report was measuring the effect on students lives.

Higher education is getting more expensive in many ways, Bragg said. We dont often talk about the return on investment.

Economic Modeling Specialists International reported students at CSI were expected to receive $2.80 in higher future earnings for every $1 invested in their education. That figure was slightly higher than the average return on investment for all four of Idahos community colleges.

We feel at CSI we did a pretty good job of giving students a pretty good value, Bragg said.

Students will receive an average annual return of 12.1 percent, the study reported.

The report was part of a statewide study pushed by the state board of education, he said. Individual institutions were given the option to have a breakout of their impact. CSI chose to do so.

It really focused largely on the students that come to CSI that spend money that otherwise wouldnt be here, Bragg said.

The impact to the business community took into account the colleges $40 million payroll, day-to-day operations, construction spending, and student and alumni spending.

During the time period surveyed, the college had 751 full and part-time employees and an enrollment of 11,747. About 20 percent of those students came from outside the eight-county region. Students paid $12.3 million to cover the cost of tuition, fees and supplies.

Twin Falls City Manager Travis Rothweiler recognized the college as a major employer in the local community, and "one of the city's strongest partners."

"As a partner in the area of economic development," Rothweiler said, "the college's ability to really help build the talents and skills of the workforce ... is a vital component of what we do."

More important than its payroll, he said, is how CSI presidents have understood the college's role and championed partnerships to offer community support.

Its really a pretty conservative study in a lot of ways, Bragg said, noting that the report gave CSI credit only for the difference in what comes into the economy versus if the college were not here.

I think our goal for the study was to try to look specifically at the importance the educational wing of the college has on the community, he said.
Bernie Sanders has made great strides casting doubt on the credibility of Hillary Clinton as an agent of change. How can you take on Wall Street if you take quarter-million-dollar speaking fees from its leading banks? How can you be a credible reformer if you have been so dependent on money from the status quo?

But Sanders has his own credibility problem. Its called Congress. The Vermont senators agenda is a fiction, the Post editorial board declared, because there is zero chance it could get through the legislature, and not just because there are more Republicans than Democrats on Capitol Hill. Even when President Obama had a super-majority of Democrats in Congress, he couldnt get climate change legislation passed or a public option included in Obamacare. The threat of the powerful energy and health-care industries pouring millions of dollars into campaigns against Democrats was enough to get the leader of the last great revolution in U.S. politics to stand down. Until we change the way that money matters on Capitol Hill, the more sober-mindedthey call themselves realistswill just roll their eyes at the fantastical promises of Americas most authentic politician.

Sanders should have an easy response to this reality-based skepticism: His first move as president, he should insist, would be to get Congress to change the system that so systematically blocks real reform.

And, indeed, that was precisely what Sanders seemed to say in the fifth Democratic debate. When asked by Chuck Todd what his priority as president would be, Sanders was quite clear: Youre not going to accomplish what has to be done for working families and the middle class unless there is campaign finance reform. So long as big-money interests control the United States Congress, it is going to be very hard to do what has to be done for working families.

No truer words have been uttered by a candidate for presidentat least since Obama said essentially the same eight years ago: If were not willing to take up that fight [to change the way Washington works], then real changechange that will make a lasting difference in the lives of ordinary Americanswill keep getting blocked by the defenders of the status quo. The kind of systemic, fundamental change that Sanders now, and Obama then, are talking about will require a fundamental change in the economy of influence in Congress. It was enormous progress when Sanders made that clear.

But on the same day that Sanders declared that campaign finance reform must come first, his campaign released a statement completely negating the significance of that promise. Responding to a crowdsourced question on change.orgs new politics platform, Sanders again promised to commit to making reforms that change the way campaigns are funded a primary objectiveof his administration. But when he listed what he would actually do in his first 100 days in office, his list included three minor changes related to transparency in political spending. As to the only change that could make his platform crediblerevamping the way congressional elections are funded by adopting a system of small-dollar, citizen-funded campaigns, such as the one Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Maryland, has proposedSanders indicated this was something to move toward over the long term.

Over the long term? What exactly does Sanders expect to accomplish in the short term, before this change is enacted? As Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, said in a speech on the floor of the Senate on the anniversary of the Supreme Courts Citizens United decision, this is not a fight for the long term. This is the fight to be having right now. The only way real change will happen in the United States is if Congress is set free from its corrupting dependence on interested money. Yet, bizarrely, Sanders doesnt commit to promoting this essential change in Congress as a priority of his administration.

Like Obama before him, Sanders has excited a progressive base with powerful ideas about how to improve the United States. Like Obama before him, he has attacked the money from special interests that so powerfully defends the status quo. But like Obama before him, Sanders has failed to make central the one change that could make his revolution credible: changing the way congressional campaigns are funded. Progressives looking for a revolution should heed Warrens words: This is not a change for the long term. This is a fight to be having now.
About Me Mohd. Kamal bin Abdullah I am Mohd. Kamal bin Abdullah, who resides in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. I hold a post-graduate law degree from the United Kingdom. I blog to tell MALAYSIANS THE TRUTH. View my complete profile

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Sacramento area community musical theater (esp. DMTC in Davis), Liberal politics, Meteorology, "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" filming locations reference site, New Mexico and California arcana, and general weirdness.
Should the Philippines be proud or be ashamed of prematurely risking the safety of its population, particularly children, just to utilize a P 3.5-billion budget for dengue immunization?





The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization is still reviewing the evidence for the dengue vaccine in question and yet to consider major issues such as vaccine safety, vaccine efficacy, disease burden, programmatic suitability, and cost-effectiveness.





WHO-SAGE is yet to discuss the specified dengue vaccine (CYD-TDH) in April 2016, after which it will provide recommendations to the WHO Director-General on the same and recommendations for use.





Yet here we are with national health authorities ready to treat our grade-school kids like lab animals and guinea pigs!?





Photo provided by the Zuellig Pharma Corp. shows laboratory specialists inspecting the dengue vaccine during the launching and press conference at the company laboratories in Paranaque yesterday. EDD GUMBAN

The worlds first ever dengue vaccine is now available in the country, and doctors in several private hospitals are providing the vaccine against the potentially deadly dengue virus, the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines (PIDSP) reported yesterday.

Chit Santos, Sanofi-Aventis Philippines country manager, said the first shipment of dengue vaccine has arrived in the country and is ready for the market.

The shipment arrived last week and we have already distributed the vaccine to some private medical practitioners so children can visit their doctors and get the dengue vaccine, Santos reported.

Santos said the Philippines is the first country in the world to have access to the vaccine, although Mexico was the first to have it licensed for the market.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the distribution of the dengue vaccine in the country last December.



Status of vaccine development The first dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia (CYD-TDV) by Sanofi Pasteur, was first registered in Mexico in December, 2015. CYD-TDV is a live recombinant tetravalent dengue vaccine that has been evaluated as a 3-dose series on a 0/6/12 month schedule in Phase III clinical studies. It has been registered for use in individuals 9-45 years of age living in endemic areas. Questions and answers on CYD dengue vaccine The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization is currently reviewing the evidence for CYD-TDV and will advise WHO on a policy position for CYD-TDV. Key considerations include vaccine safety, vaccine efficacy, disease burden, programmatic suitability, and cost-effectiveness. It is expected that SAGE will discuss CYD-TDV at its April 2016 meeting and will then provide recommendations to the Director-General, WHO on the public health utility and any recommendations for use. There are approximately five additional vaccine candidates under evaluation in clinical trials, including other live-attenuated vaccines, as well as subunit, DNA and purified inactivated vaccine candidates. Additional technological approaches, such as virus-vectored and VLP-based vaccines, are under evaluation in preclinical studies. SAGE Working Group on Dengue Vaccines and Vaccination Challenges to vaccine development Infection by one of the four dengue virus serotypes has been shown to confer lasting protection against homotypic re-infection, but only transient protection against a secondary heterotypic infection. Moreover, secondary heterotypic infection is associated with an increased risk of severe disease. This and other observations suggest an immunopathological component in dengue pathogenesis, which is referred to as immune enhancement of disease. Due to these dengue-specific complexities, vaccine development focuses on the generation of a tetravalent vaccine aimed at providing long-term protection against all virus serotypes. Additional challenges are posed by the lack of an adequate animal disease model and the resulting uncertainty around correlates of protection. In spite of these challenges, vaccine development has made remarkable progress in recent years, and the current dengue vaccine pipeline is advanced, diverse and overall promising. WHO activities

The WHO Initiative for Vaccine Research (IVR), in collaboration with a wide range of partners, aims to facilitate the development and future introduction of safe, effective and affordable dengue vaccines. Activities focus on the following main objectives:

Identify knowledge gaps and research needs related to the development, evaluation and implementation of dengue vaccines.

Build scientific consensus and develop guidance on the evaluation of dengue vaccines.

Review and evaluate the evidence base for policy recommendations related to the introduction and use of dengue vaccines.

Develop guidance on vaccine implementation, including introduction strategies.









Then what could be behind the Philippine government's rush for distribution of this vaccine?




For to me, to live is Christ... (Philippians 1: 21)
South-Sudans President Salva Kiir Mayardit on Thursday appointed Dr Riek Machar Teny as the first Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan, a move to implement a peace agreement that was signed by the two parties in August 2015.

The nomination decree was read out on state-owned SSTV late on Thursday night.

South Sudans President Kiir and Dr Riek Machar have been rivals since 15 December 2013 when war broke out in Juba as Dr Riek Machar took arms against the government in what the government termed as a failed coup.

Tens of thousands of people were killed and over two million displaced from their homes.

The rebel leader, who has been living in Ethiopia, welcomed his appointment as a step forward in the implementation of the peace agreement.

The oil-producing East African country was expected to set up a unity government last month, in accordance with the peace agreement signed in August 2015.
Nigerian Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun on Thursday said 23,000 ghost workers unraveled in the Federal Civil Service in the West-African nation would be handed over to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Adeosun stated this when she appeared before the Senate committee of Finance for budget defense on Thursday.

According to her explanations, the ghost workers were discovered through the adoption of the Personnel Payroll Information System and Bank Verification Number platforms.

We have about 23,000 that we need to investigate, she explained, adding that the Government will not only sack them but will make sure to recover the money they have been collecting over the years from the Federal government.

We will try as much as possible to conclude that investigation within 30 days, she said insisting on the need to clean the payroll.

She hinted that the ministry would have registered the entire federal workforce on the BVN platform by the end of June.

With the drop in the price of oil, Nigerias main export and the source of 95 percent of foreign earnings, government revenues have nose-dived while the naira has tumbled to record lows on the black market.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, the worlds largest source of cobalt and Africas biggest copper producer, has not dropped plans to revise its mining code, the mines ministry said on Friday.

This contradicts comments made by the mines minister earlier this week.

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has not renounced revising the mining code. Quite the contrary, the ministrys Chief of staff Valery Mukasa told reporters on Friday.

However, in the context of targeting potential investors interested in the mining sector, the mines minister sought to reassure that the legal framework that governs the sector is the mining code of 2002, still in effect, he added.

Congo began reviewing the 2002 mining code in 2014. Revised laws approved by the government in March included increases in profit tax to 35 percent from 30 percent, raising the governments free share of new mining projects to 10 percent from 5 percent and royalties on copper and cobalt revenue to 3.5 percent from 2 percent.

As to the closure of one of the largest copper mines in Congo, which produced 113,674 tons of copper in the first nine months of 2015, the ministry said it is not expected to reopen until mid-2017.

Congos economy is highly dependent on the mining sector, which accounts for about 20% of gross domestic product (GDP.) Copper and cobalt alone accounted for 79% of the countrys exports in the second half of 2015.
As a Vietnam veteran it has long been my desire to visit and honor as many memorial sites as I can. Now, in retirement, I have the time to to make my dream a reality.
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Even as you mutter sweet nothings and give in to all the razzmatazz that accompanies Valentines Day, Im willing to wager you remember every little thing about the first time you fell in love and the moment you first kissed.

By the time I was in Class X, pretty much all of the boys had started discussing their exploits with girls and the magic that it is to be with one. I couldnt help but feel wistful because the right one" hadnt come along yet. I must confess to being a late bloomer and Class XII is when it happened for me.

My eyes cant forget seeing her for the first time. She had shoulder-length hair, wearing a floral top and faded blue jeans. She spoke in an accent that originated from what was then called South Bombay. She was as tall as I was. The high-heeled shoes she wore made her look a little taller.

She was petite, svelte and straight out of a Vikram Seth poem. Not that I had read Seth then. But in hindsight, this sounds just right to describe me setting my first gaze on her:

In a clear brook

With joyful haste

The whimsical trout

Shot past me like an arrow

I play the line of the song, I play the leaps and plunges of the right hand of the piano, I am the trout, the angler, the brook, the observer.

I tried awfully hard to get her attention. I failed. There were others in the fray and they seemed infinitely smarter and better looking than me. All of that changed when the stars conspired and our class was taken on an overnight field trip to the outskirts of Mumbai.

As marinated kebabs and paneer were thrown into the mandatory bonfire to cook, guitars were strummed and talented counterparts crooned, I continued to look wistfully at her. Until, that is, a part of me argued if I continued to look and do nothing about it, one of those cooking and crooning jokers would have her and I would end up singing tragic songs to mend my broken heart.

So, with much trepidation and a faux confident look, I walked up to her and asked if she would like to go out for a walk with me to stare at fireflies in the night. I thought it a romantic opening line. I suspect my pants fell off when she smiled shyly and said yes.

What I thought would be an hour-long rendezvous ended in the wee hours of the morning when we finally thought it was time to get back to base camp. How can I forget my hand grazing hers, so very deliberately, and so horribly unsure whether to hold it or not! If I werent younger, I would have died of a cardiac arrest.

There was no stopping me after that. Academia be damned. All of my waking hours were devoted to writing poetry that may impress her, thinking up conversations she may find interesting, anything, everything, to have her. I was in lovefor the first bloody time. It was inevitable then that I ached to kiss her for the first time.

The stars conspired in my favour yet again. We had migrated from talking about all things pointless that I thought may impress her to walking around the lovely promenade that is Marine Drive in Mumbai.

After one such long walk, we sat down to stare at the sea. The moral police hadnt descended on the city yet and this was one of those few places that offered couples their privacy. In an act of gumption, I put my left hand over her shoulder.

I suspect she smiled shyly and snuggled closer to me. It was only a matter of a few moments before our eyes locked. The act that followed was a spontaneous one. Our lips locked and we kissed.

What happens when we kiss? Philosopher Alain de Botton describes that moment with much detail in his lovely book How to Think More About Sex.

Then comes the kiss. The deeply private realm of the mouththat dark, moist cavity that no one else but our dentist usually enters, where our tongue reigns supreme over a microcosm as silent and unknown as the belly of a whalenow prepares to open itself to another. The tongue, which has no expectation of ever meeting a compatriot, gingerly approaches a fellow member of its species, advancing with something of the reserve and curiosity exhibited by a South Sea islander in greeting the first European adventurer. Indentations and plateaus in the inner linings of the cheeks, hitherto thought of as solely personal, are revealed as having counterparts It could sound disgustingand that is the point The privileged nature between the union of two people is sealed by an act, that with someone else, would have horrified them both."

I dont know about her. But I do know when that passionate moment was over, I could barely walk. My knees were all wobbly. The mind was in a haze. Our hands clasped tightly, we walked in silence. We hailed a taxi, sat quietly through the ride, our hands still clasped.

Once at her place, we got out, I waited until she walked through the gate into the lobby of the building where she lived, turned around, bid a knowing smile, threw a flying kiss and walked slowly to the lift that would take her home, on the 10th floor. I walked back to the nearest train station, robotically got into a local train until I was home, skipped dinner and got into bed without uttering so much as a peep.

Every moment of the moments in the months that led to the evening is etched in my memory. And thats why I have described all of this in excruciating detail. It is only fair on your part then to ask me what the larger point is.

Very recently, I stumbled across a blog post by Julia Shaw in the Scientific American. The post draws from the findings of a 2015 paper by Kayo Takahashi and team that posits passionate love and sex have a significant impact on long-term memory. Not just that, it has disorienting effects" and is highly pleasurable". No rocket science there.

What caught my attention in the paper was this line that described the purpose of a kiss and the sex that eventually follows: Our aim was to learn whether there is any increase in dopamine release during phases of romantic love in humans, and whether the increase could be localized to specific areas of the brain."

As Shaw interprets it in her post, Kayo and team looked into the brains of people who were in the early stages of romantic relationships, and they found that when shown pictures of their romantic partners, participants experienced a flood of dopamine to parts of their brains. As it turns out, brains need to release dopamine in order to store long-term memories."

Dopamine is a chemical signal in the brain that carries information from one neuron to another. As chemicals go, it has a hopelessly complex job to perform because an addiction to anythingfrom music to drugs or writing and love for that matteris inevitably accompanied by a dopamine rush.

Very crudely put, when engaged in an intense activity that offers much pleasure or joy, if you will, higher levels of dopamine get to work. And because there is enough evidence on hand that proves dopamine can enhance long-term memory, all explanations fall into place on why most people remember their first love, or encounter, in much detail.

But a few caveats ought to be filed here.

Caveat 1: It is possible to enhance dopamine levels in the brain through mood drugsparty drug Ecstasy being a case in point. But evidence exists that when dopamine exceeds a certain threshold, it causes memory impairment. So, stay off drugs. Love and sex are good enough.

Caveat 2: All memories are not true. What has been recounted above is from my perspective. To that extent, this story is my truth. If you were to ask the girl who was my partner then, her version of the episode may be entirely different from mine. Scientists have identified a phenomenon called fake memories and it can actually be implanted into somebodys head.

Moral of the story: Love and sex are pretty damn good ways to create a chemical called dopamine that can enhance long-term memory. So, you can either love a person as much as you want to or have as much sex as you desire because both are, as neuroscientist Kayo puts it, an all-encompassing experience".

Before I sign out to celebrate Valentines Day with my significant other, allow me to leave you with a deeply interesting thought.

Theres a not-so-subtle difference, De Botton argues, between love and sex. Its time for the need for sex and the need for love to be granted equal standing, without an added moral gloss. Both may be independently felt and are of comparable value and validity. Both shouldnt require us to lie in order to claim them."

Charles Assisi is co-founder and director at Founding Fuel, a digitally-led media and learning platform for entrepreneurs.

His Twitter handle is @c_assisi

Comments are welcome at feedback@livemint.com

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HELENA  New farmers and ranchers face numerous challenges when getting an operation off the ground and into the field.

Finding land for lease or purchase, securing financing and accessing markets are just a few of the necessities agricultural industry newcomers must learn. A new service, called Farm Link Montana, is looking to become a one-stop shop for help with those challenges.

Wed hear from a lot of beginning farmers that knew these resources were out there, but didnt know how to track them down, said Annie Heuscher, program director for Community Food & Agriculture Coalition in Missoula. There are so many resources out there and we wanted to create something user friendly and Montana specific.

The coalition secured a $250,000 USDA grant to launch the website farmlinkmontana.org. The website includes information on production planning, financials and marketing, along with links for internships, mentorships and a land link to provide a venue for land seekers and providers to find each other.

A lot of our information is more business oriented, then trying to connect people and encourage them to reach out to their county extension agent to give them more knowledge and connections about where they want to go, Heuscher said.

Farm Link Montana also provides some free, in-person classes geared toward agricultural business and marketing. More classes will be offered throughout the state this year, with hopes to have a class in Helena by next winter, she said.

We developed this business curriculum, which is fully on the site now for those who want to self-guide when a workshop isnt offered, Heuscher said. But with a lot of the financing and marketing, it helps to have someone there with these workshops.

Lewis and Clark County agricultural extension agent Brent Sarchet says the MSU Extension Service has had limited involvement thus far, but has helped teach or host some of the beginning farmer classes.

I have been testing the water in the Helena area to see if there is interest in such a workshop/program, he said. I think we will offer a course next year.

While anyone hoping to start farming and ranching can benefit from the information, Farm Link Montana may be most useful to those interested in selling at farmers markets or community supported agriculture programs, Heuscher said.

The Montana Farm Bureau Federation is not affiliated with Farm Link Montana, but according to director of member relations Sue Ann Streufert, helping young farmers and ranchers get started is a priority for the future of the industry. The federations board of directors may look at supporting the program in the future, she said.

Its great these guys are tackling this issue.  To do it well is a full-time job, and theyve dedicated themselves to this one mission, she said.

MFBF has looked at ways to incentivize transitioning agricultural land between retiring landowners and new producers interested in continuing the legacy. What the federation found, Streufert said, was a capital gains tax hit that consistently became a stumbling block.

We have looked into this in the past, and what we really got stuck on is where we felt there should be some kind of tax incentive or credit, she said. I think a concept like this could really grow if we could figure that missing piece to incentivize retiring producers giving a young farmer or rancher a leg up.

Building up the land link feature that brings land seekers and owners together is a major priority for Farm Link Montana over the next year, Heuscher said. The interest from seekers has been very strong with a lot of them looking to start cow-calf operations, but not enough land available for all the interest, she added.

Farm Link Montana is also looking to build its business sponsorships going forward. The USDA grant funds the project through 2017, and sponsorships will be necessary to keep the site and services free, Heuscher said.
A small town can feel like an aquarium. You feel eyes on you constantly. Everyone knows your name, your history, your family, what kind of beer you drink, and how often you have too many. There is comfort in this, but there is also discontent.

Rachel Flood has returned to her small hometown, armed with the AA Big Book and an unrelenting need to be forgiven for the sins of her alcoholic youth.

Quinn is a community of less than a thousand people somewhere near Missoula in western Montana, where the people are genuine but not necessarily kind. Jake, Rachel's high school best friend's son, is the epitome of a young gay man in a rural town who has found his confidence through thrift store fashion, Madonna, and idolizing the strong female characters of Jackie Collins novels.

Jake works keeping score for the local softball league. Rachel is cajoled into playing right field for The Flood Girls, a softball team sponsored by her estranged mother's bar and ruled by her iron fist. The relationship between Rachel, her mother, and the softball team tends to take center stage while Jake's fashionably loud, yet audibly quiet life flows in the under story.

Rachel and Jake bond quickly, but other relationships in Quinn are easily disrupted and grudges are not dismissed or forgiven with ease. Yet, Jake and Rachel both find family and support in the quirky fringe that seems abundant within the town.

Quinn is an unhappy but entertaining place. It is inhabited by your typical town drunks, raucous lesbian miners who love to participate in a good bar fight, cult-like religious groups, and, of course, a group of desirable volunteer fire fighters  most of whom are named Jim. Fifield has created a cast that draws the reader in, allows them to glimpse and connect with characters that tend to be on the periphery.

"The Flood Girls" is a surprising debut novel. Fifield, a creative-writing instructor and social worker in Missoula, crafts a story that is as endearing and humorous as it is heartbreaking." Filled with detailed and often beautiful description, the writing gets down to the nitty-gritty of small town Montana. It's a funny book, but it is snarky and dirty. He holds nothing back and there is a meanness that pervades the town of Quinn. All of the residents' connections are like rubber bands that have been stretched and retracted to the point of brittleness. Written with the urgency of a confessional and the honesty of a middle-school slam book, "The Flood Girls" is daring and raw.

"The Flood Girls" is obviously a semi-autobiographical novel. In a blog post on XOXO After Dark, a romance reading and writing website, Fifield discusses his own childhood fascination with Jackie Collins as a young gay man in Troy. There are moments when "Flood Girls" comes off in the same exaggerated fashion of a Collins novel. Often, the characters are so contemptible and dramatic they could easily fit in on a soap opera. A small town can be exceptionally hard on a young person who feels out of place, but Quinn comes off as overwhelmingly malicious and cruel. The reader comes to a point where the characters' anger and open disdain for their neighbors reaches the point of absurdity. If you are from a small town, you may find yourself on the defensive  Quinn is not a quaint and lovable small town.

But it is funny. It's the kind of funny that happens when you are sitting at a table with friends, talking about people you don't like." Flood Girls" is jaded. There is a lot of throwing shade and side-eye. It's Fannie Farmer for the sarcastic and jaded; it's "Fried Green Tomatoes" meets "Valley of the Dolls." If you've ever felt like a fish out of water in your hometown, you will relate to this book.

***

Mara Panich-Crouch is a bookseller at Fact and Fiction Books in Missoula. She received her bachelor's in English literature and creative writing from Purdue University and found her home in Missoula in 2002 while pursuing post-graduate studies at the University of Montana. She loves giving (and receiving) book recommendations of all genres. She is an avid painter, thrift-shopper and adventurer.
MIDDLETOWN, Conn.  Hoping they could make even the smallest dent in what's become the worst international refugee crisis since World War II, the Rev. Mary Anne Osborn and the parishioners at Christ Episcopal Church in Haddam came up with an idea late last year: Offer the church's vacant rectory as a home to a Syrian family resettling in the United States.

About 12 miles away, similar thoughts of how to help refugees were going through the minds of members of South Congregational Church in Middletown. Many had seen the heartbreaking images in the media of millions of people escaping war-torn Syria  particularly photos of a drowned 3-year-old boy on a Turkish beach.

"You cannot see a picture of a child washed up on the shore and not address that from the pulpit," South Congregational's pastor, the Rev. Thea Racelis, said.

But how could these small churches with limited funds and resources help with such a major crisis so far away?

Believing that strength in numbers was the way in greater Middletown, about 20 groups and individuals joined together in December to form the Middletown Refugee Resettlement Coalition.

Soon, they will take on the task of providing homes for three refugee families in Middletown and ushering them through the comprehensive federal resettlement program.

"It was one of those moments of synergy I think where the same conversation was happening in different places," Racelis said. "It just made sense at that point to say, why don't we tackle this together, partly to share our resources and also as a way to include the communities that are more rural but still have the heart, energy and passion to help out?"

***

Osborn placed a call to another clergy member, who then reached out to other religious groups in and around the city of about 50,000. They soon learned that they were not alone in their desire to help desperate refugee families.

Local resettlement experts say the recent formation of the Middletown coalition and others like it throughout the state demonstrates the continued commitment Connecticut citizens have to helping refugees despite polls showing a majority of Americans oppose admitting Syrian refugees in to the United States and opposition in Congress by lawmakers who worry that terrorists could pose as refugees in order to sneak into this country.

"It's been really powerful to see how the support has been growing, to see the interest and enthusiasm not being daunted by the negative rhetoric in the media and the scare tactics by politicians," Racelis said. "In fact, it's been the opposite. People are wanting to show more and more support and get engaged."

Officials at the New Haven-based Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, more commonly known as IRIS, a nonprofit that helps resettle immigrants and refugees, said that for years individual organizations have been co-sponsoring refugees.

But in recent orientation programs at IRIS, officials there said multiple organizations have been pooling their resources to form larger groups that want to co-sponsor refugees.

"Traditionally, it has been a congregation or two collaborating," said Ashley Makar, IRIS' outreach coordinator. "Now, we're also seeing more diverse coalitions, various groups, faith-based congregations partnering with one another as well as including secular groups so they're much more diverse which is really exciting  more people from more groups with different affiliations coming together."

***

While pulling from a larger network in a community can present challenges in terms of coordination and communication, Chris George, executive director of IRIS, said religious groups and organizations with dwindling members and fewer resources can still honor their commitments to various causes if they combine their aid and support.

George said the Middletown coalition was the first group to go through the agency's newly revamped sponsorship program, which includes more intensive training.

IRIS is looking to double the number of refugees it plans to resettle in 2016, from 240 to 500. Of that number, about 300 refugees would come from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, about 100 from each country. The remaining refugees, George said, would come from South Sudan, Eritrea and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Middletown coalition has progressed quickly in a short period of time, he said. Once they give IRIS word that they are ready for resettlement, George said, a refugee family from any of the world's trouble spots could be placed in Middletown within two weeks.

"They are motivated and they bring a very strong spirit of collaboration which makes me wonder if they've collaborated on other things," George said. "They seem to know each other well."

Many do know each other and have worked together for years on various social justice causes, said coalition volunteer Izzi Greenberg, who is also director of the Middlesex Coalition for Children and a Middletown resident.

Greenberg is using her skills as a coalition builder  skills she honed while working with nonprofit groups for 15 years  for the resettlement group and is helping with the administrative work. She said she is amazed at the broad range of help, from doctors offering free medical services to residents donating home furnishings and those who just wish to write a check.

The coalition communicates through Google Groups and has set up a Facebook page and the Welcoming Middletown Fund at the Community Foundation of Middlesex County to provide financial support for the program.

"Everybody's bringing their skills to the table," Greenberg said.

***

The effort, while intense and requiring much organization, is in many ways simple, tangible and immediate for those dedicated to finding solutions to issues in their communities, she said.

"I think it will also be really great to know what can these families do for our community? How will they be able to contribute and what will they bring to us?" she said.

Greenberg said Middletown's size, its access to social services and Wesleyan University and its diversity across racial, ethnic and socioeconomic lines make it a perfect home for those seeking asylum from foreign lands.

"We have a really special community in terms of understanding resources and connecting to them," she said, adding that the group is searching for language interpreters and apartments for the families  homes close to public transportation and grocery stores.

Volunteers said that in forming the coalition, they did not want to be deterred by the backlash that occurred against Syrian refugees following recent terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif. In communications, the group has explained the strict vetting process for refugees before they can resettle in the United States.

"Our group also needs to make sure we are educating people and providing the right information so that families feel welcomed when they come here," Greenberg said.

To do that, the coalition plans to hold forums aimed at bridging the widening gap between America and the Muslim world.

One such forum, titled, "Honest Conversations with Muslim Neighbors," drew about 100 people recently to First Church-United Church of Christ on Court Street, including some people who oppose refugee resettlement and who handed out anti-Sharia pamphlets presenting Islam as a threat to the U.S.

The forum  sponsored by The Connecticut Council for Interreligious Understanding, The Muslim Coalition of Connecticut and the Hartford Seminary  highlighted the experiences of prominent Muslims both here and abroad and included the opportunity for those in attendance to ask questions.

The questions ranged from how Connecticut residents could make refugee families and immigrants from the Middle East feel more accepted by Americans to whether homeless veterans in the U.S. should be cared for ahead of foreign refugees.

Panelist Linda Miller, secretary of the New England chapter of the International League of Muslim Women and member of the refugee resettlement coalition, addressed the homeless veteran question. She told the audience that people and organizations can have more than one focus for their community and country, donating to and volunteering for a wide range of causes.

One audience member objected to the answer and interrupted the forum moderator, Terry Schmitt, quoting statistics about homeless veterans. The protester was later escorted out of the church by forum organizers.

"I'd like to point out that charity is a requirement in the Islamic religion and hospitality is one of the key tenets of many of the cultures from which our Muslim immigrants, refugees and citizens are coming," Schmitt, executive director of the Connecticut Council for Interreligious Understanding, said.

***

The U.S. this year is expected to increase its acceptance of refugees by about 20 percent, from about 70,000 to 85,000. Of that number, about 10,000 will come from Syria. About 2,600 Syrian refugees have so far resettled in this country; that includes about a dozen families in Connecticut.

Racelis said support of refugees from both the governor and Middletown Mayor Daniel Drew has been "a huge part of the ethos of all of our congregations as well as wanting Connecticut to be a place of radical welcome."

"The more that the scare tactics have tried to dissuade people from opening borders, the more it's been very evident in our communities that this makes no sense. These are people, humans just like us and we can do better," Racelis said.

When Drew received emails in November from a resident asking him if he was willing to "bar the door" to refugees in Middletown, the mayor took to social media to explain his position.

Instead of responding personally to the resident, Drew broadcast his thoughts in a long Facebook post that was shared more than 350 times across the country.

Drew outlined the government's intense screening process for refugees and warned against politicians opposed to the resettlement of refugees using "fear for personal gain," saying the "last thing we ever want to do is allow fear to lead us away from who we are."

Drew said recently that at the time he wrote the post, there was "some concern" from residents about how safe it was to resettle Syrian refugees in the United States but that he has experienced "overwhelming support" from residents in Middletown, a place with a long history of migration of people from all over the world.

"We never want to make decisions out of fear," Drew said. "It is important that we understand what we are dealing with and what we are facing and that we make decisions based on all of the information. This is a community that cares about people and has a nuanced understanding of complicated issues. I'm proud of the people who live here and the things that they do to improve people's lives."
HAMILTON  If everything comes together as planned, this will be the last summer that floaters will have to fear the Supply Ditch Diversion Dam.

Earlier this week, the Bitterroot Conservation District learned it had been awarded a $300,000 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers grant for the project to rework the century-old diversion dam.

It was the last piece of a funding package needed to make the dam safer for people who enjoy floating the Bitterroot River.

At this point, Im cautiously optimistic, said Molly Davidson, the lead Morrison-Maierle engineer for the project.

On Feb. 22, the Bitterroot Conservation District will host an open-house style meeting at its Hamilton office at 5:30 p.m. to provide an update on the project to the public.

Our next step is to go through the permitting process, Davidson said. We want to meet with the public to get people up to speed about the project and take any comments they might have on the design.

Under certain water flows, the irrigation diversion dam creates a dangerous recirculating current that has caused numerous boating accidents, including one that killed a 6-year-old girl in 2013.

In January, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission approved a biennial rule that allows Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials to close a portion of the river that includes the dam if conditions warrant.

The rule was in place last floating season, but it wasnt used after floaters were able to use a different river channel that bypasses the dam.

Davidson said the project will be engineered to allow floaters to safely cross the structure and provide for fish migration, while ensuring that irrigators can access the water they need for their crops.

Most importantly, the dangerous hydraulic roller immediately below the dam will go away, she said.

Other funding sources for the project include $40,000 from Fish, Wildlife and Parks and a Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Renewable Resource Grant of $125,000.

Bitterroot Conservation District Chair Howard Eldredge said the district has served as an intermediary to apply for grants and secure engineering services while working in concert with FWP and the ditch companies.

Its been a true team effort, Eldredge said.

The hope is the projects design will be completed this spring and bids let this summer. That would allow construction to get underway after the irrigation and fishing seasons come to an end next fall.

Work should begin in early November, he said.

Eldredge said Morrison-Maierle will oversee the bidding and handle the detailed supervision of the project. The contract will be between the ditch companies and the work contractor.

At this point, the estimated cost of the project is $478,000, but Davidson said it could end up being less.

The hole behind the dam was not as deep as originally thought. That fact will save some money in the cost of rock needed to fill it.

Its an estimated cost at this point, Davidson said.

The project has garnered a lot of support from a variety of sources. That support has been helpful in obtaining the necessary funding to make it happen, Davidson said.
HAMILTON  Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials want to know what people think about the potential of adding 215 acres of donated land to the Threemile Wildlife Management Area.

The proposed Antrim Addition to the WMA was offered to the state agency as a bequest in the will of Priscilla Antrim, the late owner of the property.

The land shares about a mile of common boundary on the WMAs northern end and nearly a mile with national forest lands.

FWPs Bitterroot-based biologist, Rebecca Mowry, said the land includes a good mix of habitat types for elk and deer.

Inside its boundary is an unnamed drainage with south-facing open slopes that will provide good forage for elk, she said. The north-facing slopes are covered in thick forest that will offer some nice security cover for deer and elk.

The Threemile Wildlife Management Area currently consists of 6,169 acres northeast of Stevensville. FWP purchased most of the land in 1967 and 1968 for elk winter range.

There are an estimated 100 to 200 elk that winter on the wildlife management area.

FWP will hold a public hearing to discuss the proposal and take public comment at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Teller Wildlife Refuges Slack Barn, 1180 Chaffin Lane, near Corvallis.

Mowry said she would like to hear what kind of wildlife people have seen in that area over the years. She would also like to hear what they think about the idea in general.

Its a donation, so were not spending any money other than some additional costs for weed control and fencing, she said. I would like to hear what people have to say about it.

A draft environmental assessment on the proposal and opportunity to comment can be found online at fwp.mt.gov under Submit Public Comments, or emailshrose@mt.gov; mail Region 2 FWP, 3201 Spurgin Road, Missoula, MT 59804; or call 542-5500. Comments must be received by 5 p.m. March 8.

The Fish and Wildlife Commission will make a final decision on the acquisition at its April 14 meeting in Helena. The Montana Board of Land Commissioners must also consider the proposal for approval.
The Vatican is very well aware of the seriousness of this issue, and the Holy Father is very aware of it, Father Rosica said. Were waiting to see how the local churches in those countries respond.

But Father Rosica said church teaching on abortion and contraception remains the same. The Zika epidemic, he said, presents an opportunity for the church to recommit itself to the dignity and sacredness of life, even in very precarious moments like this.

The five countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that have advised women to delay pregnancy are Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador, Colombia and Jamaica. But access to contraception is limited throughout the region, especially for poor and rural women. Abortion is restricted in many countries, and it is illegal without exceptions in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Nicaragua, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The Zika virus is spread by mosquitoes of the Aedes genus, but researchers have found some cases transmitted by sexual contact. Experts are not yet sure whether Zika is the cause of a sudden surge in babies born in Brazil with microcephaly  unusually small heads and, often, damaged brains. Microcephaly could lead to serious disabilities  but not always.

There is no vaccine for the Zika virus, and no cure for microcephaly. The World Health Organization this month declared the Zika epidemic an international public health emergency. The organization advised that women should have full access to a range of contraceptive options, as well as safe abortion services to the full extent of the law.

Many church officials are wary that the Zika epidemic will lead to the loosening of laws on abortion and contraception. Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Honduras, who serves on Pope Francis nine-member advisory council, denounced the notion of therapeutic abortions for women carrying babies with microcephaly. He spoke at a Mass attended by the Honduran president and first lady.
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ORIGINAL NOTICE

IN RE THE CUSTODY OF

V.B.,

JOHNATHAN ROSENKILD,

Petitioner,

and Concerning

KELSEY BEASON,

Respondent.

TO THE ABOVE-NAMED RESPONDENT:

You are notified that a Petition to Establish Paternity, Custody and other issues of the minor child. V.B., born in 2015, was filed in the office of the Clerk of this Court on August 10, 2015, naming yoti as Respondent in this action. The attorney for the Petitioner is Esther J. Dean, whose address is 1102 Park Avenue, Muscatine, Iowa 52761. That attorney's telephone number is (563) 264-5523 and the facsimile number is (563) 264-8406. The attorney's e-mail address is deanIaw@machlink.com.

You are notified that there will be a hearing on the application for temporary issues before the lowa District Court for Muscatine County, at the Courthouse in Muscatine, Iowa, at 8:30 a.m. on the 3rd day of March, 2016.

You must serve a motion or answer within 20 days after service of this original notice upon you, and within a reasonable time thereafter, file your motion or answer with the Clerk of Court for Muscatine, at the County Courthouse, Muscatine, Iowa. If you do not, judgment by default may be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the petition.

This case has been filed in a county that uses electronic filing. If you are going to represent yourself, you must register to eFile through the Iowa Judicial Branch website at

https://www.iowacourts.state.is.us/Efile and obtain a log in and password for filing and viewing documents in your case and for receiving service and notices from the court.

For further information on electronic filing, refer to the Iowa Courts Rules Chapter 16, Pertaining to the Use of the Electronic Document Management System, available on the Iowa Judicial Branch website.

If you are unable to proceed electronically, you must receive permission from the court to file in paper. Contact the Clerk of Court in the county where the petition was filed for more information on being excused from- electronic filing. I f you electronically file your Answer or Motion, it will be served automatically on the Petitioner or on the Petitioner's Attorney(s). A Notice of Electronic Filing (NEF), will tell you if the Court has excused Petitioner from electronic filing. If the Court has excused Petitioner from electronic filing, you must mail a copy of your Answer or Motion to the Petitioner.

If you need assistance to participate in court due to a disability, contact the disability coordinator at 563-263-6511. Persons who are hearing or speech impaired may call Relay Iowa TTY(I-800-735-2942.). Disability coordinator cannot provide legal advice.

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO RESPONDENT: YOU ARE ADVISED TO SEEK LEGAL ADVICE AT ONCE TO PROTECT YOUR INTERESTS.

STATE OF IOWA JUDICIARY

Case No. DRCV023317

County Muscatine

Case Title JOHNATHAN ROSENKILD V. KELSEY BEASON

THIS CASE HAS BEEN FILED IN A COUNTY THAT USES ELECTRONIC FILING.

Therefore, unless the attached Petition and Original Notice contains a hearing date for your appearance, or unless you obtain an exemption from the court, you must file your Appearance and Answer electronically.

You must register through the Iowa Judicial Branch website at

http://www.iowacourts.state.ia.us/Efile and obtain a log in and password for the purposes of filing and viewing documents on your case and of receiving service and notices from the court.

FOR GENERAL RULES AND INFORMATION ON ELECTRONIC FILING, REFER TO THE IOWA COURT RULES CHAPTER 16 PERTAINING TO THE USE OF THE ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: http://www.iowacourts.state.ia.us/Efile FOR COURT RULES ON PROTECTION OF PERSONAL PRIVACY IN COURT FILINGS, REFER TO DIVISION VI OF IOWA COURT RULES CHAPTER 16: http:/twww.iowacourts.state.ia.us/Efile

Scheduled Hearing:

If you require the assistance of auxiliary aids or services to participate in court because of a disability, immediately call your district ADA coordinator at (563) 328-4145. (If you are hearing impaired, call Relay Iowa TTY at 1-800-735-2942.) Date Issued 0 1 /26/2016 08:03:28 AM District Clerk of

Muscatine County

/s/ Traci Harper
AN ORDINANCE VACATING A

PORTION OF THE SPRING STREET,

E. 4TH STREET, AND POPLAR STREET RIGHT-OF-WAY

IN THE CITY OF MUSCATINE, IOWA.

WHEREAS, the Planning and Zoning Commission of the City of Muscatine has recommended approval of the vacation of a portion of right-of-way the City of Muscatine, Iowa; and

WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Muscatine has conducted a public hearing on said vacation request;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MUSCATINE, IOWA, AS FOLLOWS:

Section I. The following described real estate be vacated by the City of Muscatine, Iowa:

ALL OF SPRING STREET AND POPLAR STREET LOCATED BETWEEN THE SOUTHERLY LINE OF 5TH STREET AND THE NORTHERLY LINE OF 4TH STREET AND ALL OF 4TH STREET FROM THE WESTERLY LINE OF SPRING STREET TO THE WESTERLY LINE OF THE IOWA, CHICAGO & EASTERN RAILROAD RIGHT OF WAY, IN THE ORIGINAL TOWN, CITY OF MUSCATINE, MUSCATINE COUNTY, IOWA. PARCEL "Q" CONTAINS 1.53 ACRES AND SUBJECT TO EASEMENTS OF RECORD.

Section II. Any Ordinance or part thereof in conflict or inconsistent with the provisions of this Ordinance is hereby repealed.

PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 4th day of February, 2016.

BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE

CITY OF MUSCATINE, IOWA

Diana Broderson, Mayor

ATTEST:

Gregg Mandsager, City Clerk

1st Reading: January 7, 2016

2nd Reading: January 21, 2016

3rd Reading: February 4, 2016

Published: February 13, 2016
The Board of Education of the Muscatine Community School District, in the County of Muscatine, State of Iowa, met in regular session on Monday, February 8, 2016 at 7 p.m. at City Hall. President Tammi Drawbaugh called the meeting to order. Directors Tim Bower, John DaBeet, Aaron Finn, Nathan Mather, Randy Naber, and Mary Wildermuth were present. Also present were Superintendent Jerry Riibe and Director of Finance Jean Garner.

The board recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

President Drawbaugh welcomed visitors and media representatives.

No one spoke during Citizens Speak.

Student Council Representatives Isaiah Smith and Megan Custis updated the board on recent and upcoming student council activities.

Mia Frommelt, partner with Bohnsack and Frommelt LLP, Certified Accounts presented the FY 15 audit.

A motion was made by Director Naber and seconded by Director Bower to approve the consent agenda as follows: the minutes of the January 21, 2016 special session, the January 25, 2016 planning session, and the January 25, 2016 regular session, the bills and claims against the district dated February 8, 2016, and the following:

Employment Recommendations:

Certified Resignations: Nicole Bradley - WMS Special Ed teacher, and Kelly Preslan - MHS Band (both effective at the end of 2015-16 school year);

Schedule C Resignations: Sally Echelbarger - MS Girls Volleyball and Cathy Kramer - MHS Dept Chair/Science;

2015-16 New Hires - Certified: Valarie Paca - Franklin/Jefferson Reading Support, and Emily Schroeder - Madison/Washington Reading Support;

2016-17 New Hires - Administration: Jared Smith - MHS Principal.

Policies:

401.12 Worker's Compensation

601.8 Summer School

601.28 Multicultural Gender Fair

900.8 Public Examination of School District Records

All ayes; motion carried.

Superintendent Riibe presented the 2016-17 academic calendar for approval. Student start date for grades 1-12 is August 23, 2016 and end date is May 26, 2017 (if no snow days). New teachers will start August 10, 2016 and all teachers will begin August 16, 2016 with the last day for teachers as May 30, 2017 (if no snow days).

A motion was made by Director Bower and seconded by Director Wildermuth to approve the 2016-17 academic calendar. All ayes; motion carried.

Director of Finance Jean Garner explained that because the district experienced declining enrollment this school year, this puts Muscatine in a position to qualify for the budget guarantee in FY2017. In order to receive the 101% budget guarantee authority, eligible districts must adopt a local school board resolution.

A motion was made by Director Bower and seconded by Director Naber to approve the Budget Guarantee Resolution of:

RESOLVED, that the Board of Directors of Muscatine Community School District, will levy property tax for fiscal year 2016-2017 for the regular program budget adjustment as allowed under section 257.14, Code of Iowa.

All ayes; motion carried.

A motion was made by Director DaBeet and seconded by Director Mather to accept and place on file the Audit of FY2015. All ayes; motion carried.

Superintendent Riibe presented the 2016-17 Student Fee Structure. All of the fees remain the same except for those that are out of district control (i.e. yearbooks). The district is also recommending an increase in the Instrumental Rental fee from $45 to $50 to cover the extra costs incurred from repairs. Food service fees are recommended to remain the same.

A motion was made by Director Mather and seconded by Director Finn to approve the General Student Fee Structure for Fiscal Year 2016-17. All ayes; motion carried.

Mr. Mike McGrory, MHS Principal, along with Mr. Chris Nienhaus, MHS Assistant Principal, and Mrs. Elena Bobay, MHS At Risk Coordinator, updated the board on student performance at the high school.

The board heard a first reading on the following policies:

102 Equal Education Opportunity

304 Succession of Authority to the Superintendent

305 Communication Channels

402.2 Nondiscrimination - Employees

403.15 Use of School-Owned Vehicles

403.18 Employee Conduct and Appearance

404.10 Contracts with Certified Staff

406.4 Employee Political Activity

407.3 Public Complaints About Employees

601.31 Citizenship

602.3 Pilot-Experimental-Innovative Projects

704.2 Treasurer's Annual Report

705.1 District Records

707 Internal Controls

709.4 Transportation of Nonresident and Nonpublic School Students

709.5 Transportation of Nonschool Groups

709.6 District Vehicle Idling

809 Asbestos Containing Material

900.4 Use of Public Facilities During School Hours

900.12 Public Conduct on Premises

900.14 Transporting Students in Private Vehicles

Board members are requested to send any questions or concerns regarding the above policies to the board secretary for consideration at the next meeting.

Director of Finance Jean Garner presented the financial statements for the month of January, 2016.

President Drawbaugh presented the following announcements/meetings/events:

February 15, 2016 - President's Day, no school.

February 22, 2016 - Board Planning Session at 6 p.m. and Regular Session at 7 p.m. at the Administration Center.

Director Mather, along with Director Naber, thanked the district, administrators, custodial/maintenance staff and all others for helping and providing assistance with the caucuses that were held at the various school buildings throughout the district on February 1, 2016.

A motion was made by Director Mather and seconded by Director Wildermuth to adjourn the meeting. All ayes; motion carried. Time: 9:27 p.m.

Tammi Drawbaugh, President

Lisa Mosier Bunn, Secretary
FRUITLAND, Iowa  The Fruitland Community Lions Club will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17, at the Fruitland Community Center, 104 Sand Run Road.

District Governor Donna Woods will be attending. Items on the agenda include a report on the Lions Club brochure, donation to Senior Citizens, veterans memorial, serving Loaves and Fishes, trivia night March 19, and slate of officers for upcoming year.

Anyone interested in learning more about the Lions Club is encouraged to attend. Membership is not limited to Fruitland residents.

For more information, contact Wayne Shoultz at 563-264-2373.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  The Muscatine City Council has approved a resolution of support for an application by HNI to the state's High Quality Jobs program.

"This project is a multi-location, modernization investment. It will be approximately a $26.8 million investment. Part of that, $8 million of that, is in additional research and development efforts. The rest of it is predominantly in machinery and equipment. So this is an investment in equipment. It is an investment in processes. It's an investment in layout. It is also and investment in ergonomics," said HNI Vice President Gary Carlson.

With the council approval, the city becomes the sponsor of the application.

"It is really focused on making us more efficient and effective," Carlson told the council Thursday night.

Councilman Scott Nativig asked Carlson about a note in the application about HNI keeping manufacturing in Muscatine. HNI does have manufacturing facilities elsewhere.

"It's a wonderful city for HNI Corporation and we have a great partnership with the city and with the county and with the community and I guess our heart is here as well," Carlson said.

The High Quality Jobs program provides qualifying businesses tax credits and direct financial assistance to off-set some of the costs incurred to locate, expand or modernize an Iowa facility.

"This is going to be a super project for our community. HNI continues to invest for all of us in the town and it's a great opportunity to extend their commitment to the community," said Greg Jenkins, president & CEO of the Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "We talk often about how economic development is about existing industry growth and sustaining it. This is the truth."

The Iowa Economic Development Authority board is expected to review the application at its meeting next Friday.
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 []
Imagine its Valentines Day and youre sitting in a restaurant across the table from your significant other, about to start a romantic dinner.

As you gaze into each others eyes, you wonder how it can possibly be true that as well as not eating, your sweetheart does not  cannot  love you. Impossible, you think, as you squeeze its synthetic hand.

Could this be the future of Valentines Day for some? Recent opinion indicates that yes, we might just fall in love with our robot companions one day.

Already, robots are entering our homes at increasing rates with many households now owning a robot vacuum cleaner.

Robotic toys are becoming more affordable and are interacting with our children. Some robots are even helping rehabilitate special needs children or teach refugee children the language of their new home.

Robot romance

Will these appliances and toys continue to develop into something more sophisticated and more human-like, to the point where we might start to see them as possible romantic partners?

While some may compare this to objectophilia (falling in love with objects), we must ask whether this can truly be the case when the object is a robot that appears and acts like a human.

It is already the norm to love and welcome our pets as family members. This shows us that some varieties of love neednt be a purely human, nor even a sexual phenomenon.

There is even evidence that some pets such as dogs experience very similar emotions to humans, including grief when their owner dies.

Surveys in Japan over the past few years have shown a decline in young people either in a relationship or even wanting to enter a relationship.

In 2015, for instance, it was reported that 74% of Japanese in their 20s were not in a relationship, and 40% of this age group were not looking for one.

Academics in Japan are considering that young people are turning to digital substitutes for relationships, for example falling in love with Anime and Manga characters.

What is love?

If we are to develop robots that can mirror our feelings and express their digital love for us, we will first need to define love.

Pointing to a set of common markers that define love is difficult, whether it be human-to-human or human-to-technology.

The answer to what is love? is something that humans have been seeking for centuries, but a start suggests it is related to strong attachment, kindness and common understanding.

We already have the immensely popular Pepper, a robot designed to read and respond to emotions and described as a social companion for humans.

How close are we to feeling for a robot what we might feel for a human? Recent studies show that we feel a similar amount of empathy for robot pain as we do human pain.

We also prefer our robots to be relatable by showing their imperfect side through boredom or over-excitement.

According to researchers in the US, when we anthropomorphise something  that is, see it as having human characteristics  we start to think of it as worthy of moral care and consideration.

We also see it as more responsible for its actions  a freethinking and feeling entity.

There are certainly benefits for those who anthropomorphise the world around them. The same US researchers found that those who are lonely may use anthropomorphism as a way to seek social connection.

Robots are already being programmed to learn our patterns and preferences, hence making them more agreeable to us. So perhaps it will not be long before we are gazing into the eyes of a robot Valentine.

Societys acceptance

Human-robot relationships could be challenging for society to accept, and there may be repercussions. It would not be the first time in history that people have fallen in love in a way that society at the time deemed inappropriate.

The advent of robot Valentines may also have a harmful effect on human relationships.

Initially, there is likely to be a heavy stigma attached to robot relationships, perhaps leading to discrimination, or even exclusion from some aspects of society (in some cases, the isolation may even be self-imposed).

Friends and family may react negatively, to say nothing of human husbands or wives who discover their human partner is cheating on them with a robot.

Robot love in return

One question that needs to be answered is whether robots should be programmed to have consciousness and real emotions so they can truly love us back?

Experts such as the British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking have warned against such complete artificial intelligence, noting that robots may evolve autonomously and supersede humanity.

Even if evolution were not an issue, allowing robots to experience pain or emotions raises moral questions for the well-being of robots as well as humans.

So if real emotions are out of the question, is it moral to program robots with simulated emotional intelligence?

This might have either positive or negative consequences for the mental health of the human partner. Would the simulated social support compensate for knowing that none of the experience was real or requited?

Importantly, digital-love may be the catalyst for the granting of human rights to robots. Such rights would fundamentally alter the world we live in  for better or for worse.

But would any of this really matter to you and your robot Valentine, or would love indeed conquer all?

Kate Letheren, Postdoctoral research fellow, Queensland University of Technology and Jonathan Roberts, Professor in Robotics, Queensland University of Technology

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

More on robots

The drive towards responsible robots

Congress on Love and Sex With Robots is illegal
Official blog for historical novelist Nancy Bilyeau, author of the Joanna Stafford trilogy, Dreamland, The Blue, and The Fugitive Colours
WASHINGTON  Congress voted Thursday to permanently bar state and local governments from taxing access to the Internet, as lawmakers leapt at an election-year chance to demonstrate their opposition to imposing levies on online service.

On a vote of 75-20, the Senate gave final congressional approval to the wide-ranging bill, which would also revamp trade laws. President Barack Obama is expected to sign it.

The Internet is a resource used daily by Americans of all ages, said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who brokered an agreement with a Democratic leader earlier this week that helped clear the way for passage. Its important that they be able to do all of this without the worry of their Internet access being taxed.

The ban on local Internet access taxes had broad support. Even so, some lawmakers remained unhappy over its trade provisions and because the measure omitted a separate, more controversial proposal to let states force online retailers to collect sales taxes for their transactions.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the bill was full of missed opportunities and half-measures.

Since 1998 in the Internets early days, Congress has passed a series of bills temporarily prohibiting state and local governments from imposing the types of monthly levies for online access that are common for telephone service. Such legislation has been inspired by a popular sentiment that the Internet should be free, along with Republican opposition to most tax proposals.

Until now, states that imposed Internet access taxes have been allowed to continue. Under the approved bill, those states would have to phase out their taxes by the summer of 2020.

Seven states  Hawaii, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin  have been collecting a combined $563 million yearly from Internet access taxes, according to information gathered by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.

Forty-nine Republican and 26 Democratic senators backed the legislation Thursday while 17 Democrats and three Republicans voted no.

The House approved the compromise in December with the backing of nearly all Republicans but just 24 Democrats.

The White House did not immediately provide a statement on whether Obama would sign the measure despite lawmakers widespread expectations that he would. That seemed to reflect the difficult political balancing act Democrats faced between a popular ban on Internet access taxes and trade provisions many of them considered insufficient or harmful.

The legislation, especially its trade provisions, has pitted the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups supporting the bill against opponents including the AFL-CIO and other labor organizations.

Supporters say the measure would strengthen U.S. trading by improving protections for American intellectual property like copyrights and trademarks and upgrading trade law enforcement at the countrys borders.

They also cite provisions reinforcing the governments ability to head off China and other countries from manipulating their currency to make their exports more affordable, cracking down on imported products made with child labor and accelerating investigations into companies accused of evading the payment of duties.

Democratic critics complained that its trade protections were insufficient and said negotiators who wrote the compromise weakened it significantly, including the currency manipulation language.

Democrats also disliked provisions barring trade agreements that would curb some efforts to restrict greenhouse gas emissions, a major contributor to climate change, or would force the U.S. to revamp its immigration laws.

For years, the drive in Congress to permanently bar taxes on Internet service has languished alongside another effort to empower states to require online retailers to collect state and local sales taxes for online purchases. Supporters of enhancing the collection of online sales taxes say without that, brick-and-mortar stores face a competitive disadvantage.

In hopes of gaining leverage, senators backing the collection of online state sales taxes have long linked the two efforts.

A breakthrough came this week when McConnell agreed to hold a vote this year on the online state sales tax proposal. He reached that deal with No. 2 Senate Democratic leader Dick Durbin of Illinois, a strong advocate of the separate Internet sales tax measure.

Even so, some lawmakers were upset that the sales tax measure would be considered later, with no guarantee of success.
MILWAUKEE  Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders battled for the crucial backing of black and Hispanic voters in Thursday nights Democratic debate and clashed heatedly over their support for Barack Obama as the presidential race shifted toward states with more minority voters.

Clinton, who has cast herself as the rightful heir to Obamas legacy, accused Sanders of diminishing the presidents record and short-changing his leadership.

The kind of criticism I hear from Senator Sanders, I expect from Republicans. I do not expect it from someone seeking the Democratic nomination, Clinton said in a sharp exchange at the close of the two-hour debate in Milwaukee. Her biting comments followed an interview in which Sanders suggested Obama hadnt succeeded in closing the gap between Congress and the American people  something Obama himself has acknowledged.

Sanders responded sharply: Madam Secretary, that is a low blow. And he noted that Clinton was the only one on the stage who ran against Obama in the 2008 presidential race.

After splitting this years first two states with Sanders, Clinton also renewed her assertion that her unexpectedly strong rival was energizing voters with promises that cannot be kept.

Seeking to boost his own support with minorities, Sanders peppered his typically economic-focused rhetoric with calls to reform a broken criminal justice system.

At the end of my first term, we will not have more people in jail than any other country, he said.

In one of many moments of agreement between the candidates, Clinton concurred on a need to address a criminal justice system that incarcerates a disproportionate number of minorities. But she cast her proposals for fighting racial inequality as broader than his.

Were going to emphasize education, jobs and housing, said Clinton, who was endorsed earlier in the day by the political action committee of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Long viewed as the overwhelming front-runner in the Democratic race, Clinton has been caught off guard by Sanders strength, particularly his visceral connection with Americans frustrated by the current political and economic systems. Clintons own campaign message has looked muddled compared to his ringing call for a political revolution, and her connections to Wall Street have given Sanders an easy way to link her to the systems his supporters want to overhaul.

Seeking to stem Sanders momentum, Clintons campaign has argued that his appeal is limited to the white, liberal voters who make up the Democratic electorate in Iowa and New Hampshire. Clintons team says that as the race turns now to Nevada, South Carolina and other more diverse states, her support from black and Hispanic voters will help propel her to the nomination.

The candidates both vowed to pursue comprehensive immigration reform, using the emotional issue to draw a contrast with Republicans who oppose allowing many of the millions of people in the United States illegally to stay.

We have got to stand up to the Trumps of the world who are trying to divide us up, said Sanders, referring to Republican front-runner Donald Trump, who has called for deporting everyone in the country illegally and constructing a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Both Clinton and Sanders disagreed with a series of raids authorized by President Obama to arrest and deport some people from Central America who recently came to the country illegally. Immigration advocates and some Democratic lawmakers have condemned the raids, calling them inhumane.

We should be deporting criminals, not hardworking immigrant families who do the very best they can, Clinton said.

Both candidates were largely restrained in their head-to-head contest  a contrast to their campaigns increasingly heated rhetoric on the campaign trail. While Clinton played the aggressor in the previous Democratic debate, she is mindful of a need to not turn off Sanders voters, particularly the young people that are supporting him in overwhelming numbers.

The former secretary of state sought to discredit some of the proposals that have drawn young people to Sanders, including his call for free tuition at public colleges and universities and a plan for a government-run, single-payer health care system. Clinton said those proposals come with unrealistic price tags. And she accused Sanders of trying to shade the truth about what she said would be a 40 percent increase in the size of the federal government in order to implement his policies.

Sanders didnt put a price on his policies, but neither did he shy away from the notion that he wants to expand the size of government.

In my view, the government of a democratic society has a moral responsibility to play a vital role in making sure all our people have a decent standard of living, Sanders said.

Sanders has focused his campaign almost exclusively on a call to break up big Wall Street banks and overhaul the current campaign finance system that he says gives wealthy Americans undue influence. His campaign contends that his message will be well-received by minority voters, arguing that blacks and Hispanics have been hurt even more by what he calls a rigged economy.

Clinton was more animated when discussing foreign policy, an area where her campaign believes Sanders is weak. She peppered her comments on the Islamic State and Russia with reminders of her four years serving as Obamas secretary of state.
SACRAMENTO  California prosecutors announced Friday that they are seeking to block Gov. Jerry Browns proposed ballot initiative to reduce the states prison population.

The California District Attorneys Association and Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert say in a lawsuit that the initiative Brown announced last month was improperly amended onto an existing ballot measure.

They filed a lawsuit asking a Sacramento County Superior Court judge to bar Attorney General Kamala Harris from issuing the title and summary that would let Brown and his supporters begin collecting signatures.

The original measure would require judges instead of prosecutors to decide if juveniles should be tried in adult court.

In his initiative, the Democratic governor added provisions to increase sentencing credits for adult inmates who complete rehabilitation programs. It would also allow non-violent felons to seek parole after they have completed their base sentences.

The Governor cut in line bypassing the normal initiative process, Ventura County District Attorney Greg Totten said in a statement. The association wants Brown and supporters to file a new initiative and go through the normal public review process instead of amending an existing measure, delaying when they can begin gathering signatures.

Its perplexing why these DAs would deny the people of California their right to vote on this important public safety measure, Brown said in a statement.

Harris spokesman David Beltran said he could not immediately comment.

The association opposes the measure Brown is proposing for the November ballot.

Its lawsuit says the measure effectively repeals nearly four decades of determinate sentencing law, several voter-approved initiatives, and would permit the granting of parole to tens of thousands of current adult felons serving terms in state prison.
Editors note: This column was written by Doug Ernst, the Napa Valley College public information officer.

When Graciela Rodriguez Garcia first arrived at Napa Valley College in 2005 from Santa Maria High School, two years after emigrating from her native Mexico, she felt like she didnt belong.

Never mind that she finished four years of high school in two years, picked strawberries on weekends and kept perfect attendance.

Then, thanks to NVC mentors such as Mary Salceda-Nunez from Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS), Roberto Alvarado from the TRIO Program, Cristina Rivera and Cathy Gillis from the Puente Project, Professor Alex Guerrero and the writing center, Graciela became one of nearly 2,500 first-generation and low-income Americans the college helped graduate to four-year universities since 1997.

Most, like Graciela, were the first in their families to graduate from college.

For the first time in my life, someone talked to me about going to a four-year college  something I didnt know was an option for me, she said. They helped me create a plan and walked me through every step.

After graduating from NVC in 2008, she transferred to San Jose State University, where she graduated in 2010 with honors and bachelors degree in social work.

Over the next three years, she went to work for Napa Emergency Womens Services where she co-founded the Kids Exposed to Domestic Violence Program. As the program manager, she provided case management, education, advocacy and support for children and their mothers.

In 2013, she earned her masters degree and the Graduate Student Honors Award from California State University, Long Beach, for her academic achievement and community work. She was also honored by the Napa Valley Vintners and Can Do with the first ever Can Do Spirit Award, celebrating an exceptional young individual in the nonprofit sector.

Theres more: She counseled families and facilitated bilingual support groups for local couples and survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse through her work at Mentis, a nonprofit agency dedicated to the emotional well-being of the community.

She co-founded the Napa Valley Dream Team, an organization focusing on immigrant rights that made possible the publication of the book about immigrants in Napa County called DREAM: A Book of Undocumented Migrant Spectrum of Education (in) Access, and graduated from Leadership Napa Valley, Class 28.

Today, she works for Napa Countys Mental Health Division, counseling children and working with families and the community to help children with complex emotional and behavioral challenges to succeed at home and at school, and to realize their valued place in the community.

She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and serves the Napa County Bi-national Health Alliance Task Force.

Coming full circle, she also serves the college mentorship programs that discovered that new student lost in Napa nearly 11 years ago.
On a chilly winter night, nothing beats relaxing in front of the fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate and a bowl of popcorn. While our body is warmed, the dancing flames stir memories of good times with family and friends around a crackling fire.

Since fire has played a major role in the survival of the human race, it is only natural that we gravitate to our fireplace, even though it is no longer needed for warmth, cooking, or to prevent attack from wild beasts.

Were passionate about fireplaces. If we grew up with one in the house  which most of us did  we still want one. We associate it with happy memories of gathering together in the center of the home with loved ones, said John Czerwonka, vice president of sales for Napoleon Fireplaces, during a phone interview last week. The Ontario, Canada-based company is the largest privately owned manufacturer of fireplaces in North America.

It looked like the centuries-old love affair with fireplaces might end when wood-burning fireplaces got a bad reputation for polluting the air. That coincided with the economic downturn in 2008. Many homebuilders assumed fireplaces would surely go the way of the dinosaur. They were proven wrong, according to Czerwonka.

Most homes had fireplaces. Homebuilders were putting fireplaces into 70 percent of the new homes in 2000, Czerwonka said.

To save costs, the homebuilders cut back on fireplaces, limiting them to just over 20 percent of new homes for a brief time. It didnt take them long to discover their mistake.

Weve done the research. The latest data indicates that a fireplace amplifies the positive emotions that lead to purchase of a home, Czerwonka said.

Builders who are able to trigger a consumers desire for feelings of comfort, relaxation, warmth and romance in their homes have a distinct advantage,

An upscale fireplace representation is also important to millennials, he added.

In many regions gas fireplaces are replacing wood-burning fireplaces for a number of reasons.

In the Bay Area, wood burning is restricted from Nov. 1 through the end of February. Over this four-month period, wood burning is illegal during a winter Spare the Air alert day.

After Nov. 1, 2016, no wood-burning stoves or fireplaces will be allowed in new homes. This is a change from the 2008 allowance of EPA-certified wood-burning stoves and fireplaces in new construction, according to Ralph Borrmann, public information officer of Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

Most people find that gas fireplaces are the most convenient and clean option, and they have the ambience of traditional fireplaces, Borrmann said.

As gas and electric fireplace design more closely replicates the look of authentic wood-burning fireplaces, more people are choosing them for ease, and for economic as well as environmental reasons.

Natural gas provides a more constant heat supply than wood; the fireplaces are easier to clean. Theres no chopping or hauling wood required. There are no sparks, no chimney, no bans and no creosote, the black residue left by burning wood.

Some natural gas fireplaces can be operated by a remote control similar to a television remote.

The cost of installing a natural gas fireplace is often cheaper than a wood-burning fireplace, and it can be installed by either a do-it-yourselfer or a professional.

A great amount of effort is going into creating more appealing gas fireplaces, according to Czerwonka, who is enthusiastic about Napoleons new Vector LVA50 linear fireplace, which integrates a series of LED lights that mix with the gas flame to create an infinite palate of glowing reds, blues, greens, oranges and yellows. It will be controlled with an iOS or Android mobile app that will enable the remote control of all aspects of the fireplace. Driftwood logs and river rock media enhancement kits enable further customization.

The new smartphone control app will hit the market a few months from now.

From your iPhone you can click on color and will be able to create 1.3 million color combinations, Czerwonka said.

He said many buyers still want the traditional look of the old-fashioned fireplace while still others seek a sleek European look.

The current trend in the fireplace and design industry is for more linear-designed fireplaces that can be placed virtually anywhere on the wall, from near the floor to almost eye level, and in any room, including bathrooms and bedrooms, according to Czerwonka.

Czerwonka advises people to deal with their local fireplace and hearth stores for purchase and installation of fireplaces or to convert wood fireplaces to gas.

Nearby hearth stores have been swamped with customers this winter.

We havent been this busy since the last El Nino, said Dan Wendt, sales manager of Village Sweep Village Hearth and Home in Fairfield. We must have had 25 no burn days last winter. This year, well probably have only two.

Wendt said that 80 percent of their sales involve converting wood-burning fireplaces to gas, which usually costs between $3,200-$5,000 for the insert and installation.

Napa Wood Stoves has been providing fireplaces and fireplace accessories from a variety of manufacturers at its location at 1527 Silverado Trail for 28 years.

Dozens gas and electric fireplaces, in every style and shape imaginable, provide warmth and cast an enchanting glow throughout the hearth store.

We dont even have one wood stove or fireplace anymore  five to 10 years ago it was different  but we have to be respectful of the environment, said Napa Wood Stoves owner Patricia Perez.

Perez believes that traditional wood fireplaces will eventually phase out in this area due to air quality concerns, but she is confident that the popularity of gas fireplaces will continue as manufacturers offer innovative products and upgrades.
Napa Countys food scene will take a new celebrity turn in June when two nationally known chefs open a destination restaurant near St. Helena.

Sonoma-based Douglas Keane and Los Angeles-based Sang Yoon will open Two Birds One Stone, an Asian-themed restaurant at the newly renovated home of Freemark Abbey, formerly the site of Silverado Brewing Company, on Highway 29.

We loved the thought of doing something different in an old historic building, Keane said this week. This is different.

The food will be based on the Japanese style known as yakitori, which features grilled meats on skewers, particularly chicken. The chefs say the Asian theme is a natural for both men: the Korean-born Yoon has made a name in high-end Asian restaurants while Keane professes a food philosophy he learned in Japan, shibumi, or refined simplicity.

Both chefs have also, however, worked extensively in restaurants featuring Californias farm-to-table style, and they say they will locate their Asian-inspired food firmly in the Northern California tradition, including a heavier reliance on vegetables than is normal in yakitori.

Were looking at [yakitori] in a non-traditional way, Yoon said.

Yoon is owner of Fathers Office gastropub and Lukshon, an Asian-themed fine dining restaurant, both in Los Angeles. Keane owns the Healdsburg Bar & Grill, but is most famous for Cyrus, the Michelin-starred restaurant in Healdsburg that closed in 2012 after a legal dispute with his landlord, the Les Mars Hotel.

Keane said the new restaurant is not a replacement for Cyrus, which he still hopes to revive in a similarly rural location in Sonoma County.

Both men have been frequent guests in the world of TV food shows, most prominently the Top Chef series on the Bravo channel, where they served as judges for the cooking competition. Their friendship was sealed when they later competed as contestants on the spin-off Top Chef Masters, that pits accomplished chefs against one another in high-pressure timed competitions.

We didnt come up with the idea for the restaurant on the show, Yoon said, but you have a lot of time hanging out for a month; youre kind of trapped on the set.

The high-profile chefs join a small, but growing, collection of high-end chefs Upvalley, including Meadowoods Christopher Kostow and Solages Brandon Sharp.

Chefs Keane and Yoon continue the valleys wonderful momentum of attracting the highest caliber of chefs (and winemakers and artists and entrepreneurs in general) wanting to be an important part of the fabric of the Napa Valley, said Clay Gregory, president and CEO of Visit Napa Valley. We are extremely fortunate to offer both visitors and residents so many extraordinary and varied culinary offerings, all within such a tiny and special valley.

The new restaurant is part of a newly renovated complex at historic Freemark Abbey, one of the original Napa County wineries. About the same time as the restaurant opens, the winery will debut a new tasting room, event space, wine library, and deli in the same stone building, opened on the site in 1906.

While the restaurant is likely to cater to tourists, drawn both by the winery complex and the celebrity of the chefs, Freemark is hoping it is a draw as well to locals, the way the previous brewing company was  and the chefs promise to restrain their prices to make such local clientele more practical.

The locals have really been missing a restaurant in that corner, said Freemark Brand Ambassador Barry Dodds.

Keane and Yoon say they plan an innovative approach to wine. While the restaurant will have a full bar and wine list, they will encourage customers to buy wine locally and bring it in, whether that be from Freemark or another vintner. The restaurant will not charge a corkage fee. They will install a tap system for wine and plan to ask winemakers from the region to create small, one-off batches of wine that will be served exclusively at the restaurant.

Yoon and Keane also have backgrounds in serving local craft beers at their restaurants, and Keane said that will feature prominently in the beverage lineup. Keane said they are hoping to collaborate with local breweries to do special brews, perhaps in partnership with area winemakers.

The two men say they are not put off by the fact that the new location is fairly rural and isolated, lying along a stretch of Highway 29 at Lodi Lane, with few nearby lodgings or homes. They say the growing lodging sector in Calistoga and the proximity of St. Helena guarantee a base of tourists and locals alike.

I kind of like that were not in a crowded area with a bunch of well-known chefs, Yoon said. But I dont feel like its that remote.
An initiative that would set aside a portion of Napa Countys budget for childrens programs such as early education could go to voters in November.

Proponents on Wednesday filed papers with the Registrar of Voters announcing what they call Yes on Napa Kids: The Napa County Child Wellness Act. They will try to collect 3,900 signatures to place the initiative on the ballot.

Our children are Napa Countys most valuable resource, yet many face significant barriers to their ability to thrive, the papers say.

The proposal calls for no new taxes. Rather, the county would have to place part of its discretionary income into a Napa County Fund for Children. The amount would be .2 percent for the first year, 1 percent for the second, 2 percent for the third, 3 percent for the fourth and 4 percent thereafter.

An oversight committee appointed by the Board of Supervisors would devise a proposed spending plan that the Board would consider. Money could go toward early child learning and preschool programs, mentoring and educational enrichment programs, affordable child care services and similar efforts.

Theres no childrens lobby, said Sara Cakebread, who is working on the initiative. Theres no childrens union. Thats what were doing.

Napa Countys budget lists about $112 million in discretionary income. Were four percent to be directed to a Fund for Children today, the set-aside money would be about $4.5 million.

Money set aside for the fund is to supplement, not supplant, county funds already used to directly benefit children. The measure estimates existing funding is 8 percent of the countys discretionary budget. It also states that 22 percent of county residents are children.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Alfredo Pedroza said hes analyzing the proposed initiative to understand what it is asking and what the funds would do. He noted the county and nonprofit groups work on childrens issues, and he wants to see what gaps exist.

We all believe in investing in our kids and our future, Pedroza said. Its not a question of if we want to do that. I think the fundamental question is whether an initiative that sets aside money is the most appropriate way to accomplish that.

The Board must also address such needs as roads, housing and transportation and make certain it is fiscally responsible with taxpayers money, Pedroza said. It must understand the fiscal impacts of the proposal.

Should proponents gather enough signatures, the Board of Supervisors will have the choice of adopting the initiative or placing it on the ballot.

Cakebread said county property tax revenues should keep rising over the period of time that the amounts going to the Fund for Children ramp up. The fund would receive money from a portion of this growth, she said.

We will not impact any existing programs or services as a result of redirecting these funds to children, Cakebread said.

The proposed measure says child care is available for only one in every five children who need it. It says that 30 percent of children enter kindergarten with no previous learning experience, such as preschool.

Napa County does not invest enough resources in her children, in school readiness, prevention of child abuse or prevention of childrens health problems, the proposed measure says.

Cakebread doesnt view the measure as a cure-all for such challenges. The proposed 4 percent set-aside isnt a magic number, but an amount that proponents view as being reasonable, she said.

The needs could go far beyond, she said. Even if you just looked at child care and subsidies for child care, you could go into the tens of millions of dollars.

Cakebread said proponents asked the county to create the Fund for Children, but that the county declined. Pedroza said he doesnt remember a Board refusal.

Polling data indicated a sales tax to raise money for the fund wouldnt pass, Cakebread said. Another idea was to run a joint tax measure that would also raise money for a new county jail, but that didnt work out.

We ran out of options, Cakebread said. This is our solution to the work weve done over the last year or so.

Cakebread mentioned the Funding for the Next Generation movement that promotes seeking dedicated money streams for childrens programs. The movement has its roots in a successful 1991 San Francisco ballot measure that sets aside 4 percent of property tax revenues in that city for children.

Funding for the Next Generation Napa in April 2015 brought a Childrens Bill of Rights to the Board of Supervisors. Cakebread addressed the Board during that meeting.

Children have a right to food, shelter, clothing, health care and child care, the Bill of Rights says. They have a right to feel supported by the community and to have a sense of hope.

The Board of Supervisors adopted the Bill of Rights, though some supervisors said that tougher questions would follow.

What do we have the ability to do from a funding standpoint? Supervisor Keith Caldwell said at the time. Thats where I think the deeper conversation is going to occur.

With the proposed ballot initiative, the time for the deeper conversation has arrived.
Disputes over Napa County winery and tourism growth dont necessarily end after the county Board of Supervisors approves a project.

A state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) license needed to sell wine and hold wine tastings is the new flashpoint for Relic Wine Cellars. The county approved Relic in 2010 and the winery is open for business at 2400 Soda Canyon Road north of Napa.

Eleven people filed protests with the ABC over Relics license. Theyve expressed concerns about winery tourism noise in a remote area and the potential that winery visitors could end up in auto accidents and cause fires along narrow, dead-end Soda Canyon Road.

ABC administrative hearings took place Tuesday through Thursday in the Napa City Council chamber before Administrative Law Judge David Sakamoto.

Proceedings went along like a typical court session. Witnesses testified and underwent cross-examinations, with occasional cries of objection! from opposing attorneys.

Sakamoto is to announce his decision within 30 days. Meanwhile, Relic Wine Cellars can continue to conduct tastings under an interim ABC license.

During a break in the proceedings, Relic co-owner Schatzi Throckmorton reflected on the license challenge by protesters that for the most part are the winerys neighbors on Soda Canyon Road.

I think theres a lot of emotion involved, she said. I hope they see their fears wont come to reality.

The 11 protesters described their concerns as they were called up to the witness stand and sworn in. Lynne Hallett, who lives next door to Relic, said her ability to have quiet enjoyment of her property is threatened by noise from winery tourists.

We bought our home here in 1999 because of the location, she said. Its quiet, its peaceful, its rural countryside.

Several people expressed concern that an auto accident on the narrow road with a blind curve could start a fire in the brushy canyon. Accidents could also block the sole escape route for residents, they said. Soda Canyon Road extends about seven miles from Silverado Trail and Relic is located about three miles before the dead-end.

David Heitzman lives in Circle Oaks about four miles away from Relic as the crow flies. He said a fire starting along Soda Canyon Road could spread and sweep over the ridge into his rural neighborhood.

On that road, theres a little bit of alcohol and tasting, and its not a good mix, he said.

Anthony Arger of Soda Canyon said that Relic could make wine at its Soda Canyon winery and hold wine tastings at another, more appropriate location.

Attorney Kristen Techel spoke on behalf of Relic. She called the case by the protesters a rehash of issues that came before the county in Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors hearings.

Napa County approved Relic Wine Cellars, and has more knowledge than the ABC about local roads, fire conditions and traffic, she said.

Nor is Soda Canyon Road zoned as a residential area, Techel said. It has agricultural watershed zoning and agriculture as defined by Napa County includes making and selling wine, she said.

The protesters are concerned about the commercialization of Soda Canyon Road and Napa County in general, Techel said. But she saw these as issues for Napa County to tackle, not the ABC.

Arger disagreed during closing arguments. He and Yeoryios Apallas represented the protesters.

If the ABC cannot overrule a county decision, then it would be a watchdog without teeth, Arger said. He said the ABC inadequately investigated the protesters claims. He urged the judge to correct the situation.

Then Sakamoto took the matter under consideration. He will announce in coming days a proposed decision that will go to the ABC director for either adoption or rejection.

The ABC directors decision on the protest can be appealed to the ABC Appeals Board. That decision can be appealed to the District Court of Appeals and ultimately to the California Supreme Court.

The Napa County Planning Commission approved Relic Wine Cellars in August 2010. David HallettLynne Halletts husbandand Daniel McFadden appealed the decision to the Board of Supervisors.

In December 2010, the county announced that Relic and the appellants had reached a settlement calling for revised approval conditions that did such things as lower visitation limits. The Board of Supervisors approved Relic 5-0 with annual limits of 20,000 gallons for wine production and 4,500 for visitors.

But some in Soda Canyon and nearby rural areas didnt like the outcome. They are looking to the ABC to do what the Board of Supervisors wouldnt do in 2010stop Relic from holding wine tastings and bringing tourists to Soda Canyon.
ST. HELENA  Senior residents of the Silverado Orchards retirement center are objecting to the citys plan to eliminate on-street parking from a segment of Pope Street to make way for a bike lane.

Their protest prompted others to defend the bike lane, saying it would help children to travel to and from school more safely.

Despite heavy criticism by the residents and owners of the retirement home, the Active Transportation Committee voted 4-1 last week to recommend that the City Council approve the striping of a bike lane that would eliminate about 14 on-street parking spaces on the south side of Pope between Mariposa and Starr avenues, directly in front of Silverado Orchards.

Opponents, most of them affiliated with the retirement home, said the plan would endanger seniors and their visitors who park on the street by requiring them to walk across the street to get to their cars. They wanted the committee to either move the proposed lane to the north side of Pope or just keep the street the way it is.

However, most of the committee agreed with the Public Works Departments recommendation to move ahead with the current plan, since redesigning it at this stage might add weeks to the process and jeopardize the citys access to a $40,000 state grant for the re-striping project, which runs the entire length of Pope Street.

We have this grant money available to us for a limited time period, said committee member Donna Hinds. The safety of cyclists is of utmost importance, as well as the safety of pedestrians, and I think  these lanes will actually improve the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.

Residents of Silverado Orchards strongly disagreed, saying the new lane would force them and their guests to cross Pope Street.

Our parking lot is always full, or most of the time, said Mary Sharp. Most of the people who come to visit need to park on Pope Street.

Other residents accused the committee of putting money ahead of pedestrian safety and argued that a bike lane is unnecessary because not many cyclists use Pope Street.

Kerry Baldwin, one of the owners of Silverado Orchards, said eliminating the parking would create very unsafe conditions for senior citizens walking farther and crossing the street at crosswalks far away from the retirement home.

Opponents repeatedly interrupted the committee even after the meetings heated public comment period was over, and at one point Committee Chair Jake Scheideman, who operates St. Helena Cyclery, said he would have to ask the hecklers to leave if they wouldnt let the committee have its own discussion.

Noting that the tone of the publics comments was emotional and very personal, Scheideman said the committee was trying to improve safety for everyone in the public right-of-way, not single out Silverado Orchards, as some opponents had suggested.

When one Silverado Orchards resident interjected, Its our home, Scheideman responded, Its your street. Thats your home, pointing to the retirement home on a map.

We are tasked with getting our citizens  and visitors alike safely up and down the street, while maintaining the safety of everybody here, Scheideman said, adding that Pope is the busiest street in town other than Main, with lots of cars and bikes sharing the road.

Committee member Ric Henry said the bike lane would help kids get to school, including those who live at Stonebridge Apartments or attend the St. Helena Montessori School, which are both on College Avenue.

Michael Chisek, another member of the committee, said the real problem is that Silverado Orchards obviously doesnt have enough parking to serve its residents, visitors and staff.

If the city moves the proposed lane to the north side of the street across from Silverado Orchards, as residents urged, four houses would lose their on-street parking. The city would have to notify those homeowners of the new plan, and the committee would have to hold another hearing to let them have their say, Public Works Director Steve Palmer said.

The grant requires the work to be done by May. Palmer said he wants to get the councils approval as soon as possible so he can put the project out to bid and get work underway by late March or early April.

The city has already spent about $10,000 of the grant, which the city may use only for striping, not for improved crosswalks or sidewalks, as requested by some Silverado Orchards residents.

Additional design costs might cause the project to exceed the amount of the grant, which would require the city to chip in the extra money, Palmer added.

Patrick Band, executive director of the Napa County Bicycle Coalition, spoke in support of staffs recommendation, calling it a strong starting place toward making one of St. Helenas busiest bike corridors safer for all users.

The narrower traffic lanes would also slow down traffic, which would make Pope Street safer for pedestrians, Band added.

Some opponents suggested changing the proposed segment from a Class II bike lane (striped on the side of the road and separated from cars) to Class III (where bikes share the lane with cars). The narrowest segment of Pope, closest to Main, is already proposed to be Class III, which is basically the status quo.

Palmer said that putting a Class III lane in front of Silverado Orchards wouldnt be ideal because cyclists riding along Pope would have to switch repeatedly between Class III and Class II, which wouldnt be as safe as the proposed design.

Scheideman noted that a Class III lane wouldnt change anything in terms of safety. Brian Cramer was the only member of the committee who favored either moving the lane to the north side of Pope or creating a Class III lane that would preserve all on-street parking.

The citys bicycle master plan from 2013 lists segments of Pope Street as high or medium priorities for Class II bike lanes.

While the current project is not related to the countywide Napa Valley Vine Trail, the trails St. Helena route might end up using part of Pope Street. However, Palmer said that proposed route is still tentative and subject to change.
To low-income residents and the groups that fight for them in expensive cities, new market-rate housing often feels like part of the problem. If San Francisco and Washington are becoming rapidly unaffordable to the poor, why build more apartments for the rich?

New housing, these voices fear, will only turn affordable neighborhoods into unaffordable ones, attracting yet more wealth and accelerating the displacement of the poor. And so protesters rally against new market-rate apartments in Oakland. Politicians propose halting construction in San Franciscos Mission District.

Economists typically counter with a lesson about supply and demand: Increase the sheer amount of housing, and competition for it will fall, bringing down rents along the way to the benefit of everyone.

Its understandable that skeptics raise their eyebrows at this argument. Its theoretical, based on mathematics and not peoples lives. It seems counterintuitive  that building for people who arent poor will help the poor. But the California Legislative Analysts Office just released some excellent data backing up this point: Particularly in the Bay Area since 2000, the researchers found, low-income neighborhoods with a lot of new construction have witnessed about half the displacement of similar neighborhoods that havent added much new housing.

Heres another way to look at that: Places without much new market-rate construction have more displacement. That is, no doubt, the opposite of what protesters want.

Importantly, the benefits of all this building arent about inclusionary policies, which require developers to set aside some affordable units in market-rate buildings. Theres less displacement in high-construction neighborhoods whether they have inclusionary policies or not.

In this research (hat tip to Daniel Hertz, CityCommentary, for noticing it), displacement is defined when census tracts have population growth over time but a simultaneous decline in low-income households. The researchers also counted census tracts where the overall population was falling  but falling particularly rapidly among the poor.

In tight markets, poor and middle-class households are forced to compete with each other for scarce homes. So new market-rate housing eases that competition, even if the poor arent the ones living in it.

Over time, new housing also filters down to the more affordable supply, because housing becomes less desirable as it ages. That means the luxury housing were building today will contribute to the middle-class supply 30 years from now; it means todays middle-class housing was luxury housing 30 years ago.

The report concludes that boosting private construction would do more to broadly help poor households than expanding small and costly affordable housing programs that can serve only a fraction of them. Those programs also dont resolve the underlying cause of high rents  the housing shortage itself.

And that shortage actually undermines affordable programs like housing vouchers, because its a lot harder for the poor to use vouchers in a market where theyre fiercely competing with everyone else.

Adding one more point: None of this dismisses the very real fact that displacement from specific homes happens when low-income housing is literally knocked down to build high-end towers. A good amount of new supply in cities, though, can rise on under-utilized land (former industrial plots, surface parking lots, abandoned properties, etc.). And the cumulative effect of all that new supply can hold down rents across neighborhoods and cities, including for the poor.

Emily Badger is a reporter for The Washington Posts Wonkblog covering urban policy. She was previously a staff writer at The Atlantic Cities.
The anniversary of Abraham Lincolns birthday (Feb. 12) passes at a time when weve begun to witness the discord of our primaries, its important to note that there are many critics about who take pleasure in blowing the candles out of the birthday cake of one of our most celebrated leaders, long after the match (or was it a flint?) had lost its spark.

Not that Abe didnt have his share of contemporary adversity his side of the Mason-Dixon during the War of Secession. In fact, he had his own Snowden, but this was appreciably before metadata (although North had three times the lineage on the South with Abe ever at the War Departments telegraph).

J. Ross Snowden, a Democrat opposed to the war, took to the 1863 campaign stump (in Philadelphia, not Moscow) to oppose Commander-in-Chief Lincolns earlier suspension of habeas corpus and his administrations use of the Confiscation Act to stifle antiwar criticism when it sympathized unduly with the Confederacy or approached encouragement of conspiring with the Rebels.

The thunder in Snowdens speeches however was stolen by our victory at Gettysburg and the resounding echoes of Lincolns Pericles like oration.

Now in the redacted era of Edward Snowden we find a residue of revisionist history with dearth of facts, abstruse behavioral theories and fictions some as perverse as the Punch-like cartoons on display at the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum, endeavoring to extinguish the core archetypes we hold of our 16th President, such as:

He was a homosexual, in that he slept with men; He was not a true emancipator because he once advocated colonization; He could have avoided the war through mediation, but chose not to mediate at the great cost of lives; He was responsible for the death of 38 Indians in Minnesota, the largest mass hanging in U.S. history; He told dirty stories; Slavery was not an issue in the Secession.

But, mindful of Lincolns yarn about a milkmaid and farmhand caught in the hayloft, this is no place to attack straw dogs. Lincoln remains with us as he was truly larger than life, he still Walks at Midnight as Vachel Lindsay reminds us, despite at times slipping away from us/into his legend and his fame, admonished by Stanley Kunitz.

I recently heard a poet cry out from Iraq, Take Saddam Hussein/and give us Abraham Lincoln/or give us no one! (Saadi Youssef).

He remains, America, yours to discover, with all his unbelievable authenticity.

Bob Austin

Napa
NIAGARA, Ontario

Missing Canada man to reunite with family after 30 years

An Ontario man who disappeared three decades ago and was believed dead is about to be reunited with his family after recovering some of his memory.

Police said Friday that Edgar Latulip was reported missing in 1986 from the Waterloo region and suffered a head injury that robbed him of much of his memory.

Const. Phil Gavin says Latulip went on to live in the Niagara region for the next 30 years, but recently began having memory flashes that made him believe he was living under the wrong name.

Latulip shared his concerns with a social worker, who Googled his name and discovered that he was the subject of a long-standing missing persons investigation.

Gavin says Latulips identity has been confirmed through a DNA test.

HAVANA

U.S., Cuba to sign agreement on restarting commercial flights

U.S. officials say the United States and Cuba will sign an agreement next week to restart commercial air traffic for the first time in five decades.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx flies to Havana on Tuesday to cement the deal.

It will let U.S. airlines bid on routes for dozens of U.S.-Cuba flights per day. Thats more than five times the current number of flights, all of which are charters.

There has been no commercial air traffic between the nations since shortly after Cubas 1959 revolution.

Resuming commercial passenger flights would be the most important development in U.S.-Cuba trade since the countries announced in late 2014 that they would begin normalizing ties.

MUNICH

Iran sees chance to bring down wall of mistrust with U.S.

Irans foreign minister says the nuclear deal with world powers offers a chance to demolish a wall of mistrust between Iran and the United States, but its not a task for Tehran alone.

Julys agreement led to the lifting last month of international sanctions against Iran after the United Nations certified it had met all its commitments to curb its nuclear activities.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said at a security conference Friday that the nuclear agreement gives an opportunity to both sides to try to at least bring down the wall of mistrust that has separated Iran and the United States from each other for the past 40 years.

He said Iran is doing its part in implementing the deal, and the U.S. should also show good faith.

BELGRADE, Serbia

Serbia passes Holocaust restitution law

Serbian lawmakers passed a bill allowing the restitution of heirless and unclaimed Jewish property expropriated during the Holocaust.

The World Jewish Restitution Organization said Friday Serbia is one of the first countries in Eastern Europe to pass such a bill, which means the property will be returned to the local Jewish community.

Gideon Taylor, WJRO chairman of operations, says this is a step toward justice and the recognition of history.

Taylor said in a statement we look to other countries to follow Serbias lead.

The organization had actively campaigned for the law to be passed.

Tens of thousands of Jews living in Serbia during World War II perished in brutal Nazi-run death camps or were mass deported to the camps outside the Balkan country.

LONDON

UK factory-owner gets 27 months for exploiting trafficked Hungarians

A British factory-owner was sentenced to 27 months in prison for employing Hungarian workers for as little as $14.50 a week.

Mohammed Rafiqs company Kozee Sleep made beds for major retailers including Next and John Lewis, and was supposed to abide by their ethical-trading policies.

But prosecutors said men brought from Hungary worked up to 16 hours a day for between 10 pounds and 20 pounds per week.

Rafiq was convicted in January of human trafficking. Sentencing him Friday at northern Englands Leeds Crown Court, Judge Christopher Batty said the workers had suffered hideous exploitation.

The judge said Rafiq was a fallen man who has lost it all. You must now lose your liberty.

Two Hungarian men were sentenced to three and five years for trafficking.

PARIS

Unknown DNA found on explosive vest linked to Paris attacks

The Paris prosecutors office says unidentified DNA was found on two explosives belts linked to assailants in the November attacks around Paris.

Authorities have not said how many people may have been involved in the attacks by Islamic extremists.

A street cleaner found one explosives belt in the Paris suburb of Montrouge, near where fugitive attacker Salah Abdeslams mobile phone had been found, raising speculation that he aborted a suicide attack mission. He remains at large.

The prosecutors office said Friday that DNA traces found on the belt were not Abdeslams but those of an unidentified person. That persons DNA was also found on the suicide belt of Abdeslams brother Brahim, who blew himself up in the Nov. 13 attacks that killed 130 people, and an apartment in Belgium.
Thank you, Wolfgang, for that kind introduction.

And for making Munich such a vibrant forum for debate.

This is even more important at a time of such turmoil and uncertainty, stemming from both the east and the south.

This week, NATO defence ministers took important decisions to address challenges from the south.

We agreed to deploy a Standing Maritime Group to the Aegean to assist in tackling the refugee and migrant crisis in Europe. We decided to intensify intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance at the Turkish-Syrian border.

And we agreed to step up our support for the international coalition to counter ISIL.

Im happy to take questions on these issues afterwards

But now, I want to focus on the challenges from the East.

Russia is our largest neighbour and an international power. We have seen a more assertive Russia. A Russia which is destabilising the European security order.

NATO does not seek confrontation. We do not want a new Cold War. At the same time our response has to be firm.

So how do we square this circle?

I strongly believe that the answer lies with both more defence and more dialogue.

Pursued together, they can help us to achieve greater stability in Europe.

Let me start with defence.

Russias actions in Ukraine have triggered a robust response from the international community. Involving sanctions, suspension from the G-8, and increased support for our eastern partners.

And NATO is undertaking the biggest strengthening of our collective defence in decades. To send a powerful signal to deter any aggression or intimidation. Not to wage war, but to prevent war.

And this is why deterrence is a key part of our overall strategy.

Modern deterrence must deter todays threats, not yesterdays.

Whether they come from the east or the south. from state or non-state actors. hybrid, conventional or nuclear.

Deterrence starts with resolve.

Its not enough to feel it. You also have to show it.

This week, NATO Defence Ministers took important decisions in that respect. We agreed to enhance our forward presence in the eastern part of the Alliance.

This presence will be multinational.

To make clear that an attack against one Ally will not just be met by national forces, but by forces from across the Alliance.

It will be rotational and supported by a programme of exercises. With the right infrastructure and pre-positioning of equipment to facilitate rapid reinforcement.

In a clear sign of Allied solidarity, the United States has set out plans to significantly increase their military presence in Europe. With more troops, more exercises more pre-positioned equipment.

At our summit in Warsaw in July, I expect NATO Heads of State to decide to further strengthen the Alliance's defence and deterrence.

Our deterrence also has a nuclear component.

Russias rhetoric, posture and exercises of its nuclear forces are aimed at intimidating its neighbours. Undermining trust and stability in Europe.

For NATO, the circumstances in which any use of nuclear weapons might have to be contemplated are extremely remote. But no one should think that nuclear weapons can be used as part of a conventional conflict. It would change the nature of any conflict fundamentally.

NATO has continued to reduce the number of our nuclear weapons. We keep them safe, secure and effective. For deterrence and to preserve the peace. Not for coercion or intimidation.

Our policy on ballistic missile defence has also been clear all along.

It is purely defensive. Designed to defend our territory, our people and our forces against threats from outside the Euro-Atlantic area.

NATOs missile defence is neither designed nor directed against Russia. It does not  and cannot  undermine Russian strategic deterrence.

Moreover, we have offered Russia cooperation on missile defence. We remain transparent as we continue to develop our programme.

In response to Russias actions, we are significantly strengthening our defence and deterrence.

Some are concerned that we are sleepwalking towards escalation with Russia.

I understand those concerns, but I do not share them.

We strive for a more constructive and cooperative relationship with Russia.

We see defence and dialogue as complementary.

Dialogue has many dimensions. Russia is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

And Russia played a constructive role in the Iran nuclear deal.

Allies engage with Russia bilaterally and in multilateral organisations such as the OSCE.

The NATO-Russia Council is another important forum for dialogue with Russia.

We need dialogue for a number of reasons.

It is important to promote strategic stability. To clearly communicate our intentions, our posture and our expectations to Russia. Dialogue is important to increase transparency and predictability, and to reduce the risk of incidents and accidents. And if they do happen, to avoid escalation between our forces. The downing of the Russian fighter plane over Turkey underlines how urgent this is.

I believe we should update our mutual inspection regime. And the reporting of our military exercises. Including those held at short notice.

We publish a schedule of Allied exercises on our website. I invite Russia to do the same.

And finally, dialogue is important for those issues where our differences run deep, like Ukraine.

Especially when times are as difficult as they are now.

We have clear principles. Borders must not be violated. Sovereign nations have the right to chart their own course. These principles are fundamental for European security. It is essential that we engage with Russia. The NATO-Russia Council is a good place to have a more substantive engagement.

Yesterday I met with Minister Lavrov, and we agreed to explore the possibility for convening a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council.

Ladies and Gentlemen, there can be no choice between defence and dialogue. To ensure long-term stability in Europe, we need both.

And given the complex security environment we face today, I believe we need more defence and more dialogue.

Political engagement does not mean a return to business as usual. We are in a new reality with Russia.

But we do need a constructive dialogue.

And that begins when we stop talking past each other, and start talking with each other.

(Applause)

MODERATOR: Thank you very much, Jens. We have time for maybe two or three questions. Who would like to go first? Questions, dont be timid. Francois, you had your moment yesterday already. The gentleman here in the middle.

MAN: (Question in German)

MODERATOR: Yes, please.

KONSTANTIN KOSACHEV (Russian parliamentary): Konstantin Kosachev, of the Russian Parliament. Mr. Secretary General, exactly twenty-five years ago, we signed together the Paris Charter for a new Europe. In that document, if you re-read it, NATO is not mentioned a single time, neither EU, as a component of a future common security arrangement in Europe. As we understand, the development started to lead somewhere else. Do you believe that NATO, by its enlargement, by its one-sided actions in certain countries, by spreading its responsibility, so-called responsibility outside of NATO borders, has now a responsibility for what has happened in our common Europe and in relations between NATO and Russia? Thank you.

MODERATOR: And maybe one, a third one. I saw somebody, yes, behind here.

ROBERT HUNTER (Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO): Thank you, Wolfgang. Robert Hunter, former ambassador to NATO. I was pleased to hear the Secretary General mention his discussions yesterday with Minister Lavrov about the NATO-Russia Council as part of deterrence, defence and dialogue. The NATO-Russia Founding Act and the Rome agreement had 19 areas of possible cooperation. I was wondering what NATO, to the extent you can talk about it, would like to try to engage the Russian in as a way of testing whether Mr. Putin is prepared again to play a constructive rather than deconstructive role in broader European security?

MODERATOR: Jens, you have exactly four minutes to answer these questions.

JENS STOLTENBERG (NATO SECRETARY GENERAL): First on ballistic missile defense. As I said, it's not designed, and it's not directed against Russia. I very much welcome and actually offer transparency to Russia on the development of the program. Second, I very much welcome the Iran nuclear deal, where Russia played a constructive role. But that is about nuclear war heads, nuclear weapons. Iran and other countries are continuing to develop their ballistic missile programmes, so that is a threat which still exists. And our programme is aimed at threats from outside the Euro-Atlantic area and we will continue with the programme because the threat is still there.

Second, on NATOs role on enlargement. Well, enlargement is something which is based on a very fundamental principle in the Helsinki Final Act, that every nation has the right to decide its own path. So we respect it when countries want to join NATO and also respect them if they dont want to join NATO. And whether they join or not is a question which has to be decided by 28 allies and the applicant nation. No one else has a right into it because every nation has the right decide its own path. Then we have, of course, addressed issues, challenges outside NATOs territory, like in the Balkans. I think that NATO has played and plays an important role to stabilize the Balkans. We have worked with partners from all over the world to fight terrorism, to prevent Afghanistan becoming a safe haven for international terrorism, and we have worked together with partners also in many other different national conflicts because if our neighbours are more stable, we are more secure. And NATO will continue to do so.

Then on the NATO-Russia Founding Act and the NATO-Russia Council: well I think it's useful to use that tool to develop dialogue with Russia; but I have to underline that what we decided after the annexation of Crimea to suspend practical cooperation, but to keep channels for political dialogue open, meaning also the NATO-Russia Council. We are not re-establishing practical dialogue, but we would like to see more political dialogue on different levels, including in the NATO-Russia Council.

That was as brief as I could be.

MODERATOR: That was fantastic. We have time for one last question, if there is one. Francois? Yes, now. But be brief.

FRANCOIS: A very brief question. Russia has an ABM system around Moscow. NATO intends to go forward with its ABM system. Is there any scope for any form of negotiation vis-a-vis these two systems?

JENS STOLTENBERG: What we are doing is that we are developing our ballistic missile defense programme - or - system, and we are offering transparency. Then, there are bilateral negotiations and contacts in many different fields between the United States and Russia. I welcome that, but I think I should leave it to the United States to answer on their bilateral contacts and possible agreements with Russia.

MODERATOR: Mr. Secretary General, thank you very much. That was a great opening session. Thank you so much. Lets give a hand to Jens Stoltenberg. (Applause)
Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance. Through promotion of free debate on our website, New Age Islam encourages people to rethink Islam.
Newspaper: Why is Iran in hurry to open consulate in Armenias Syunik Province?

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
PLEASE NOTE!

Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!

All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!

(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)
WASHINGTON, D.C.  This week, the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) submitted written testimony to the Helsinki Commission's hearing entitled: "Update on the OSCE: Religious Freedom, Anti-Semitism, and Rule of Law," citing Azerbaijan's escalating and deadly cease-fire violations and urging additional action.

"As the Commission is aware, the Assembly remains deeply concerned about the authoritarian regime in Azerbaijan, its jailing of journalists and abandonment of democratic values, particularly for America's ally Armenia," Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny's testimony stated.

Chairman Smith opened the hearing by stating his concern for human rights crises in Europe and Eurasia. Smith described repression in Azerbaijan as "rife," especially in regards to freedom of the press. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Azerbaijan is the leading nation in Eurasia for jailing journalists. The Human Rights Watch 2016 World Report states that "the [Azerbaijan] government's unrelenting crackdown decimated independent nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and media," resulting in imprisonment, criminal investigations, harassment, or travel bans.

The Assembly, for its part, highlighted Azerbaijan's continued ceasefire violations in 2014 and 2015, which have been marked by an unprecedented increase in civilian casualties, including the targeting of a kindergarten in Armenia's Tavush Province. There have been over 54,000 cease-fire violations committed by Azerbaijan on the line of contact from 2014 through 2015, with an estimated total of nearly 1 million shots fired.

"These violations constitute a clear disregard for the rule of law and pose a direct threat to fundamental freedoms," Ardouny said.

During the hearing, Chairman Smith noted that members of the Commission recently traveled to Baku twice, where they met with President Aliyev in rather lengthy meetings on human rights issues on both occasions. As a result of these discussions, Chairman Smith introduced the Azerbaijan Democracy Act of 2015. Chairman Smith said the reaction by the Aliyev government and parliament was "startling." "They claimed the Armenians put me, Chris Smith, up to it. The Armenians had absolutely no input, advance notice, or anything else about the bill," according to Smith. "So when I hear this coming from the parliament, and coming from major media and presidential spokesmen, I wonder about their credibility on other things," he said.

The Assembly also welcomed the Royce-Engel initiative to U.S. Ambassador James Warlick, U.S. Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, calling for: (1) an agreement from all sides not to deploy snipers along the line of contact; (2) the placement of OSCE-monitored, advanced gunfire-locator systems and sound-ranging equipment to determine the source of attacks along the line of contact; and (3) the deployment of additional OSCE observers along the line of contact to better monitor cease-fire violations.

"We strongly urge the Commission to support this important initiative by convening a special hearing to examine the scope and nature of these violations as well as review steps needed to bring about a peaceful resolution of the conflict," stated Ardouny.
YEREVAN.  President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on Friday hosted representatives of the legislative, executive and judicial branches power, and the regional and local governance agencies in the country.

At the event, Sargsyan delivered a statement on the implementation of the constitutional amendment, and with respect to corruption, he said:

Just like basic rights and freedoms of our citizens, democracy too needs protection. First, protection from corruption which breeds connivance, unfreedom, and injustice. We already have such a protective mechanism. Its centerpiece is the court. We must create a modern efficient court which will act in accordance with the amended Constitution and will correspond to the contemporary notions. We have to also get rid of mistrust towards the law and the court, sometimes even contemptuous attitude, which has become a sad tradition. The existing law enforcement structure should have normal working conditions and should resolutely rid itself of swindlers. We shall elevate protection of human rights and freedoms in the law enforcement bodies to a qualitatively new level. Illegal pressure on the judicial acts must be eliminated, regardless of the ideas its been inspired by. We have registered progress in this area, too, but the process must be brought to a conclusion. After all, the judicial branch can sort out for itself what is good for the state and what is good for a corrupt official, or for a selfish enterprise. Respect towards political culture, respect towards legitimacy, rights of the others, including property rights, should become a tradition. Through the public support, courts are called upon to rid the country of corruption. Its a very complex issue, but it is solvable. Other countries were able to do it.

The Ethics Commission on high-ranking officials, which was established in 2012 in our country, assumed a responsible but also a mission full of challenges  to ensure publicity regarding the property and income of the officials as well as transparency of their actions.

In this context, it would be appropriate to speak about the disclosure of the conflict of interests and the need to create the most efficient mechanisms for its prevention. We believe that added authority for the Ethics Commission will give new impetus to that crucial work, providing for adequacy of the means necessary for carrying out this difficult task.
YEREVAN. - If so far the process of cooperation between the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Dashnaktsutyun dragged on due to the political bargaining of the Dashnaks for portfolios, the process is now halted by RPA.

Political consultant Karen Kocharyan told the aforementioned to Armenian News  NEWS.am correspondent.

I think the Armenian President has perhaps decided to make structural changes also in the portfolios belonging to the Republican party, Kocharyan said.

Referring to the opinion that the cooperation drags on due to the RPAs dissatisfaction with senseless concession of portfolios, Kocharyan stressed: This is not news. This problem has existed since 2007. The situation is the following: we are stronger, why should we share? And this situation is the same in all countries, the political consultant said.

Responding to the question on why RPA needs to cooperate with ARF-D, Kocharyan noted: I think this is the result of internal and external stimuli. The internal one has to do with the constitutional reforms, while the external one relates to the processes going on on the international platform.

He also noted that in connection with the recent developments in the Russian-Turkish relations, the Turkish Presidents criticism against the U.S. and Syrian crisis, the ARF-D has a work front. I think ARF must play a certain role in the anti-Turkish field, since the other forces arent involved in the play, Kocharyan said.
The former BJP MLA was yesterday gunned down near Ara in Bhojpur district in south-central Bihar.

Ojha was returning from a wedding when some unidentified assailants fired at him and fled the scene. Ojha's driver and a man also got injured in the incident.

This was the second BJP leader to be killed in the last 48 hours. Yesterday morning another local BJP leader Kedar Singh was shot dead in Chapra.

Expressing sadness over the deaths of two leaders, BJP spokesperson Shahnawaaz Husaain said that people of Bihar do not want jungle raj to return. (ANI)
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned United States (U.S.) Ambassador to India Richard Verma on Saturday and expressed India's disappointment over the Barak Obama Administration's decision to notify the sale of eight F-16 Fighting Falcons to Pakistan. According to MEA sources, Ambassador Verma met Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar at South Block this morning, though it was not clear immediately as to what the MEA had conveyed to him during the nearly half an hour-long meeting. "We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama Administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircrafts to Pakistan. We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help combat terrorism. The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself," the MEA said in a statement," the Ministry of External Affairs had said in a statement, adding that "U.S. Ambassador Richard Verma would be summoned to convey the government's displeasure". The U.S. decision to notify the sale of F-16 Fighting Falcons comes at a time when a prime accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror David Coleman Headley testifying the roles of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Islamabad's backdoor support to terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in perpetrating terrorism in India. Moreover, the Pakistan Government has, so far, not taken any tangible action on the evidences provided by India with regard to the Pathankot attack. After the Pathankot terror attack, the U.S officials had said that it would become very difficult for their government to convince the Republican-controlled Congress to approve the sale of eight F-16s to Pakistan, if Islamabad is seen as reluctant in taking action against these terrorist groups. Earlier too, India had expressed disappointment over reports that the U.S. Government had, during the visit of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to the U.S, notified the U.S. Congress about a proposed sale of eight F-16 fighters to Pakistan and also to offer a civil nuclear deal to them. As per reports, the U.S. is selling the eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan at a cost of 69.90 billion dollars. The Pentagon's Defence Security Cooperation Agency said it had notified lawmakers about the possible deal. The agency said the F-16s would allow Pakistan's Air Force to operate in all-weather environments and at night, while improving its self-defence capability and bolstering its ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter terrorism operations. (ANI)
Expecting that the world would take a "serious note" of Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley's revelations on the devastating 26/11 Mumbai attack that claimed 166 lives, security and legal experts believe they "conclusively established Pakistan's role in terror attacks on India". They, however, believed that there would be "a little impact" on Pakistan of what Headley tells a court in Mumbai via videoconferencing from a jail in the US. "As for whether these revelations would have any impact in the larger context of the world then I would say yes. Let the whole world know about it, so that we (India) can have more support of the world community," former Indian Army chief General Ved Malik told IANS on the phone from Panchkula in Punjab, where he has settled down after retirement. "We know that we have to fight our battle but we need to have international support as it also matters," he added. Headley, a Pakistani American, in his deposition before Special TADA Court Judge G.A. Sanap, has made startling revelations, among others that the Pakistani terrorists who attacked several buildings and establishments in Mumbai in November 2008 were recruited and trained by the Pakistani Army and spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). He has also listed a series of potential targets like Mumbai's Siddhi Vinayak temple and the naval air station, as also the National Defence College here. At the same time, Gen. Malik said Pakistan would remain in denial in spite of Headly's revelations. "It's not going to take us anywhere as far as the question whether Pakistan would actually take any action against those responsible for Mumbai attacks as they have been in denial and would continue with the same stand," he said. According to Rear Admiral Raja Menon (retd), Headley's revelations "are substantive" but Pakistan "will continue denying that it was ever involved in terror acts either in India or elsewhere in the world". "They would say that Headley is saying what he was required to say as he is jail. But this does not take away the fact that the (Pakistani) state is involved in terror acts," he added. Another security expert, Brigadier Arun Sahgal, said Headley's testimony "carries a greater credibility and to say that he would say what he is required to say is wrong as he is not in an Indian jail". India must turn the revelations "into a major political campaign all across the world and expose Pakistan further". Senior Supreme Court lawyer K.T.S. Tulsi described Headley's revelations as "an exculpatory statement which has higher credibility in a court of law". "This deposition is undeniable, and the world has to come together and exert more pressure on Pakistan to stop this practice of terror," Tulsi told IANS. He, however, did not expect much from Pakistan after Headley's disclosure, saying for the country, it would be a "business as usual". "I don't think anything new will happen or Pakistan will do something new in the case that India has presented before it. It's going to be a business as usual with Pakistan," Tulsi maintained. Security analyst Brigadier S.K.Chatterji (retd) echoed these views. "David Headley's deposition corroborates the Indian point of view that Pakistan has been indulging in terror acts against India," Chatterji told IANS. "There is nothing new in the statement given by Headley. Pakistan has been known to be a terror state," he said, adding: "It just reinforces our case against Pakistan." (Sushil Kumar could be contacted at sushil.k@ians.in) --Indo-Asian News Service sk/vm/ky/tb ( 596 Words) 2016-02-13-14:29:34 (IANS)
Lashkar-e-Toiba(LeT) operative and 26/11 terror attack key accused David Coleman Headley today said that after 2008 attacks in this mega city, he had visited India in 2009 and conducted surveillance in few other cities-- Pushkar, Goa and Pune-- with motives to strike terror again in the country. Continuing his testimony before the Special Court here for the fifth day, through video conference from a location in the US, the Pakistani-American terrorist told the court that places visited by him in 2009 included Chabad Houses at Pushkar-Rajasthan, Goa and Pune in Maharashtra. He also made video of the places he visited in the three towns, the 26/11 accused turned approver said. He also testified his signatures and entries in registers of Hotels in Pushkar and Pune where he stayed during his visits.''In Pune, from 16 March 2009 to 17 March 2009, I stayed in in hotel Surya Villa..,..visited Indian Army installation..,,..I was told by Maj Iqbal to visit Indian Army installation(Pune)to recruit people from Indian army to have some classified information..,..From March 11, 2009 to 13 March 2009,I visited Pushkar..,..I travelled and made a video of the city including Chabad House.", he said. Headley also told the court that after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, he met Tahawwur Rana in Chicago in March 2009. He said, "Rana was pleased with the terror attack, which left 166 people dead..,..on March 3, 2009, I sent a copy of my will to Rana through e-mail..,..because I was going back to India again post 26/11 attacks and thought that I may be killed or arrested in India".Headley further added after 26/11 attacks, he was continuously in touch with LeT's Sajid Mir and was concerned about safety of Hafiz Saeed, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. In emails, he referred Hafiz Saeed as "Uncle" and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi as "his friends". He admitted that gulati22@hotmail.com, inodgulati@gmail.com were his email Ids and rare.laymon@gmail.com was Sajid Mir's email Id, they used to exchange messages through these email Ids in code language. The mail that was written from gulati22@hotmail.com included"old uncle (Hafiz Saeed) got H1 Virus too? Doctor in hosp want to give check up". On August 28, 2009, a mail was written from gulati22@hotmail.com to Sajid Mir. In this mail, content ofmail included "old uncle got H1 Virus too?".''Sajid Mir assured me that nothing will happen to Hafiz Sahab,'' Headley replied to query from Special public prosecutor Nikam. In a email from Headley's above handlers there was a mention in the name of Shiv Sena supremo Bala Sahib Thackeray and his son and successor Udhav Thackeray.UNI SS SB 1354 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0089-588365.Xml
Releasing a booklet titled Kejriwal ek saal Delhi Behaal on the one year of the Kejriwal government, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) Chief Ajay Maken charged the Delhi government with going back on its principles on which it had come to power in Delhi last year.

Mr Maken addressed the news conference along with chief spokesperson Sharmistha Mukherjee, former Delhi Assembly speaker Yoganand Shastri and members of the Cabinet of the former Congress government in Delhi led by Ms Sheila Dikshit.

They charged the government for failure of governance, bringing development in Delhi to a standstill, failing to check price rise of essential commodities and crime against women and letting down the poor and marginal sections in the society.

He also charged the AAP government with violation of proper procedure due to which 14 crucial bills were pending with the Central government.

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Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today hit back at former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his comment that the NDA government was not doing enough to move up the economy, by saying that unlike in the UPA regime, where decision-making was remote-controlled by 24, Akbar Road, the Prime Minister has the last word in the incumbent dispensation.Mr Singh made the remark in an interview published in the latest edition of India Today magazine. The ex-PM has also expressed concern in the interview that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government were not reaching out to the Opposition.I am sure if Dr Singh would dispassionately analyse the present government, he would really realise that India has a government where the Prime Minister has the last word, where natural resources are allocated without corruption through transparent process, where industrialists no longer visit North Block to push files/decisions, where environmental clearances are dealt with in routine and not stalled on sadistic or corrupt considerations, Mr Jaitley has written an article posted on his Twitter page.Has there been any change in the work culture of the Government ? he asks. Then he goes on to answer the question himself, During the UPA government, the public sector banks were hardly run by their own Boards or even by North Block. They were run from 24, Akbar Road.In Power and Infrastructure areas, sectoral challenges were not addressed during the UPA. It is the present government which is clearing up these accumulated challenges, he adds.Many stalled infrastructure projects have now started moving. Indias journey is from policy-paralysis to a global bright-spot, as the fastest-growing economy moves on notwithstanding major challenges, Mr Jaitley says .Responding to Mr Singhs charge that the NDA government is not reaching out to the Opposition, the Finance Minister says, Almost all political parties except the Congress, support the GST. The Congress has done a volte face. Both the Parliamentary Affairs Minister and myself have discussed the GST with every senior Congress leader in Parliament. Is the Congress position on Constitutional cap not motivated by real politics?The economist in Dr Singh should advise his party that tariffs are not provided for in the Constitution. This is what nation expects from the senior leaders and statesmen like former Prime Ministers, Mr Jaitley adds.UNI NM RSA AE 1456 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0311-588463.Xml
Approximately 51.69 per cent polling was recorded till 1330 hrs in Maihar assembly by-election where the key contest is between Madhya Pradeshs ruling Bharatiya Janata Partys Narayan Tripathi and the principal opposition Congress Manish Patel though 13 other candidates are also trying their fortunes. "Polling commenced at 0700 hrs this morning and will continue till 1700 hrs. Nearly 52.7 per cent of the male voters and 51.69 per cent of the female electorate have exercised their franchise," Madhya Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Saleena Singh told media here. "So far, polling has been peaceful and no untoward incident was reported. Voters initially boycotted polling at polling centre 35- Kislikala. However, the district administration convinced the electorate to participate and polling began at the centre. Thus far, nearly 150 voters cast their votes," she said. A total of 291 centres have been set up and 164 marked sensitive. The biggest is Centre Number 125 in Maihar town with 1,325 listed voters and the smallest is Pathradatas Centre Number 13 having 261 electors. As many as 1,600 officials are on duty. Six companies of central armed police forces are deployed since Monday along with state police. New Delhi appointed 164 micro-observers. The 2,27,803-strong electorate includes 1,08,232 women. The result is to be announced on Tuesday. The Samajwadi Party fielded Mr Ramniwas Urmaliya and the Bahujan Samaj Party reposed faith in Mr Ramlakhan Patel. In 2013, Mr Tripathi emerged victorious as the Congress nominee but subsequently entered saffron ranks. The by-poll was necessitated by Mr Tripathis resignation from the Vidhan Sabha. Mr Patel recently quit the BSP. Following the debacle in the Ratlam parliamentary by-election, Maihar has become nothing short of a prestige issue for the saffron party that left no stone unturned to ensure a victory. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan himself addressed numerous meetings in an endeavour to drum up support for Mr Tripathi. In fact, the Chief Minister stayed in Maihar on the final three days of campaigning. Other BJP leaders also hit the campaign trail. Buoyed up by the Ratlam win, the Congress is hoping for a repeat. The last day of campaigning witnessed a road show by parliamentarian and former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and the partys state chief Arun Yadav also an ex-Union minister established contact with the people. Congress General Secretary and former chief minister Digvijaya Singh was in action.UNI TEAM PS AE VN1500 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-588406.Xml
An ancient painting dating back to 6th century AD in the Sitabhanji cave in Odishas Keonjhar district is fast fading away and will disappear if proper conservation measures are not taken forthwith. An INTACH team led by its state convenor A B Tripathy and Anil Dhar which recently visited the site,lamented that the Sitabhanji cave, the only site in the state known for its ancient tampera paintings will disappear from the heritage sites of Odisha. The painting depicts a royal procession with a king seated on an elephant with a sword in hand, followed by women attendants and a few horsemen. On the lower part of the painting there are verses inscribed in Sanskrit that describes the scene and its history. An engraving on a stone attributes the King to be Maharaja Disabhanja, one the earliest Bhanja king. Mr.Dhir said the painting lies between two giant boulders known as Ravana Chhaya and the place is named after the stream Sita that flows nearby. It is believed that Sita took exile here and Luv and Kush were born in the cave. Pre-historic implements and tools have been discovered in abundance in this area. He further said the discovery of a four faced Mukha Linga confirms the early Shaivite influence in the area. There are many rocks with Pali inscriptions, earlier soapstone figurines and Kushan coins were also excavated from the area. The site and the beautiful paintings, protected by the Archaeological Survey of India are now gradually fading away. Proper conservation of the paintings and the other archaeological finds need to be done or Odisha will lose a very valuable and unique heritage site, Mr Tripathy said. He regretted that the conservation undertaken by the ASI was not completed and left halfway and said if immediate steps are not taken, the paintings will disappear. Mr Dhir, who has been visiting the site every year since the last decade, claimed that the paintings are deteriorating at a fast pace. He has prepared a report based on photographs taken in the last few years and is dismayed at the neglect by the authorities. INTACH Odisha, he said will take up the matter with the ASI and the State government adding that it was willing to co-operate in any effort for saving this precious heritage of the State.UNI DP KK PY RK1350 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0212-588243.Xml
The AAP begins its second year in office in Dehi Sunday, earning, surprisingly, more bouquets than brickbats despite a tumultuous period when it was at war both within and with others. When income tax commissioner-turned-activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal took power on Valentine's Day last year, there was more of an air of uncertainty coupled with lots of expectations. While there are plenty of critics, Kejriwal finishes his first year in office seemingly with more admirers, primarily due to the odd-even traffic scheme he unleashed from January 1-15 and will repeat from April 15-30. It was a unique experiment that put only petrol and diesel driven cars with odd registration numbers on roads on odd dates and even registration numbered cars on even dates in a bid to reduce pollution. While it is not clear if the aim was met, the curbs brought great order to Delhi's otherwise perennially choked roads, making driving a pleasant experience. "On substantive issues it has been a government with good governance," Pradeep Kumar Dutta, a professor of political science in Delhi University, told IANS. "The odd-even scheme was a much needed step, in the right direction." Rajesh Jha, also a political science professor at Delhi University, felt the Kejriwal government had "under-performed" but he also called the "odd-even scheme a good and bold decision". Kejriwal, undoubtedly the heart and lungs of the Aam Aadmi Party, feels that his government's major achievements were slashing electricity tariff and providing free water up to a limit, benefitting millions. Both were major election pledges. "Our government deserves accolades for fulfilling its promises despite the central government's constant efforts to derail our good governance agenda," AAP leader Dilip Pandey told IANS. "We fulfilled our key promise to provide cheap electricity and free water. For the first time in 22 years, electricity rates were not hiked." Saying corruption had fallen in Delhi, he said: "We removed our own minister (Asim Ahmed Khan) when we found he was involved in corruption." Pandey admitted that not every election promise had been fulfilled, including the provision of free WiFi in the entire city. "We are committed to meet all our promises. We still have four years." Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told IANS that the AAP government's focus on revamping the educational and health sectors in the capital which he claimed had derailed over the years were solid achievements. Analyst Jha admitted that the AAP had "started clean politics as the level of individual corruption is very low in this government. But concrete development is yet to be witnessed". Within weeks after taking office, the AAP, born from the anti-corruption movement of Anna Hazare, sacked two of its founder members, Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan. They promptly called Kejriwal a dictator. And thanks to the complex power structure in Delhi, the Kejriwal government has also been locked in unceasing conflicts with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. With Delhi Police not reporting to the Delhi government but to Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung, the central government's representative, the Kejriwal-Modi row has often taken ugly turns. Six AAP legislators -- or 10 percent of the 67 members it has in the 70-member Delhi assembly -- have been arrested on various charges and let off on bail. Each arrest has ignited more ugly spats. Lt. Governor Jung has often spiked schemes and transfer of officials announced by Kejriwal, making it clear that it was he - and not Kejriwal - who was the real boss in Delhi. Analyst Dutta warned that the Delhi government's frequent fights with the Modi government was affecting development. With the AAP's brute majority in the legislature, the three-member Bharatiya Janata Party has failed to mount an effective opposition. The Congress has no presence in the house -- for the first time. On Thursday, AAP ministers unveiled a whole lot of plans they have for Delhi including a two-level elevated East-West road corridor, a medical insurance scheme for people in Delhi, 1,000 Mohalla Clinics as well as several Polyclinics, and hundreds of classrooms in government schools. Kejriwal's friend-turned-foe Yogendra Yadav told IANS that the AAP government was "a shade better" than the earlier Congress regime but its performance was "modest" keeping in mind the promises it made. BJP spokesman Praveen Shanker Kapoor added: "One year of Kejriwal government had been a year of complete failure of governence. They made a mockery of administration." Not everyone agrees. Astha Choudhary, a resident of upscale Vasant Vihar in south Delhi, told IANS that her electricity bill had halved thanks to Kejriwal. "This is the biggest achievement of his government." Added Arpit Bansal, who works in a multinational and resides in west Delhi: "Kejriwal is delivering his poll promises. The odd-even plan shows he is serious in fighting pollution." (Ashish Mishra can be contacted at ashish.m@ians.in) --Indo-Asian News Service am/mr/ ( 811 Words) 2016-02-13-15:29:33 (IANS)
Three gunmen shot dead a journalist in Gosaiganj area of the district today, police said here.Superintendent of Police Vinay Kumar said Karina Mishra, bureau chief of a daily published from Lucknow was shot at by three criminals near Semra roundabout when he was going to Ambedkar Nagar on a motorcycle along with his brother.Mr Mishra was rushed to the district hospital where he was declared dead. Meanwhile, brother of the journalist escaped unhurt.The SP said a manhunt has been launched to nab the culprits.UNI MB AJ AE 1536 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0109-588545.Xml
Upset over the Obama Administrations decision, announced last night, to sell F-16 aircraft to Pakistan, India today summoned US Ambassador Richard Verma to lodge its strong protest and concern over the move for which it said it saw no rationale. ''We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan. We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement here today. Later, the Ministry summoned the US Ambassador to the South Block to convey its strong protest against the decision of the Obama administration to sell up to eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, hours after Pentagon notified the deal. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar called the US envoy to the External Affairs Ministry and conveyed India's displeasure over the sale of the fighters, ostensibly to counter terrorism. The meeting lasted for over 45 minutes, sources said. India clearly rejected the US' argument that the move will help improve Pakistan's self-defence capability and bolster its ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations. "We disagree with their rationale that such arms' transfers help combat terrorism. The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself," said MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup, in a strongly worded statement. "We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan," he said. The sale has sparked anger in India at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit America next month. The Pentagon's Defence Security Cooperation Agency, which oversees foreign arms sales, said it had notified the sale to Pakistan of upto eight F-16 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp, radar and other equipment in a deal valued at 699 million dollars. The agency said the F-16s would allow Pakistan Air Force to operate in all-weather environments and at night, while improving its self-defence capability and bolstering its ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations. Reports from Washington said the Obama Administrations move was not likely to have smooth sailing in the Congress. Both Democrats and Republicans have voiced their concern over Pakistan providing safe havens to terror groups which use its soil for launching operations against India and Pakistan. A number of law makers have in the past few days have shot off a flurry of letters to President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry, objecting the decision to sell F-16 to Pakistan. They told the Obama Administration that they would have to ensure that Pakistan does not get these fighter aircraft until terrorist safe havens were supported by ''state actors''.UNI NAZ/MK RSA AE 1606 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0091-588584.Xml
A day after Left parties alleged that the Centre was trying to paint JNU as 'Anti-National,' the BJP today hit back, saying that commemoration of death anniversary of the main conspirator of Parliament attack was not doing good to the prestige of the varsity. ''We want to ask Communist Party leaders whether supporting the mastermind of Parliament Attack case, who was executed after he was found guilty by Supreme Court, directly or indirectly comes under treason or not ? Does one see reputation of this prestigious institution increasing when these things happen ?'' asked BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi during a press conference here. Citing slogans such as 'Bharat Ki Barbadi Tak Jung Jari Rahegi' (We will fight India till it is destroyed), which were reportedly raised during an event inside JNU campus on February 9 against the hanging of Afzal Guru, Mr Trivedi described it as the 'same language' and 'same words', which terrorists like 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafeez Sayeed use against the nation. ''When such slogans are echoed inside the varsity, is it not destroying the image of JNU ?'' Mr Trivedi questioned. ''Our stand is very clear, there can be political dissent but we cannot permit anti-nationalism,'' Mr Trivedi added. The BJP leader said people do have freedom to protest but they cant be allowed to indulge in violence or to follow it as their ideology. ''When some students of the same university used foul language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while protesting outside RSS office, didnt it lower the dignity of the institution,'' Mr Trivedi said. Blaming one segment of students for bringing 'bad name' to the varsity, Mr Trivedi said those were the same students, who were arousing anti-national sentiments in the name of political opposition and indulging in violence under stealth of demonstrations and protests. Taking a jibe at JD-U General Secretary KC Tyagi, who met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh this morning on the JNU issue, along with Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja, Mr Trivedi said he should focus more on Bihar, which he claimed was turning into a hotbed of criminals since the advent of JDU-RJD government in the state. Terming the JNU countrys one of the most 'renowned' institution, the BJP leader said students and teachers of the varsity must come forward and take a stand against those students who were trying to malign its image. UNI RG RSA AE 1614 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0377-588566.Xml
Three ultras were shot dead during an encounter with a team of District Reserve Force at Sendra village this morning. Police recovered the bodies of slain Maoists and five weapons, including one 303 rifle and four loaded rifles. Search is continuing in the area, said Bijapur Superintendent of Police Kanaiyha Lal Dhruv.

In a separate instance, three personnel of the Central Reserve Police Forces 111 Battalion were injured when Maoists triggered a landmine explosion. Assistant Sub-Inspector Mohan Prakash, constable Rajendra Kumar and constable Ghosh were going for construction work when the blast occurred.

Likewise, Border Security Force constable Harikesh was injured when Naxals opened fire on a BSF camp and he received a gunshot wound on his head. He was admitted to hospital in Pankhajoor in serious condition. Angry personnel beat up a youth, Karia Ram, who was also hospitalised. Meanwhile, Naxals killed a villager at Alparas village suspecting him to be a police informer.UNI XC-PS AE SB1652

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Police today arrested two people in connection with killing of BJP leader Visheshwar Ojha near Sonbarsa Bazar under Shahpur police station area in Bhojpur district last evening. Two persons Illiyas Bhuwa and Harendra Singh were arrested on the basis of an FIR lodged by one Bhuwar Ojha at Shahpur police station, naming them among eight and others as the accused. "Both the arrested persons are being interrogated in connection with the case," police said adding that some others had been taken into custody for their interrogation. BJP leader Mr Ojha was shot dead by criminals near Sonbarsa Bazar under Shahpur police station area in Bhojpur district late last evening.UNI XC KKS KK ADG CS1638 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0212-588485.Xml
The polling, which was totally peaceful, started at 8 a.m. amidst tight security and ended at 5 p.m without any interruption. The counting will be on February 16.

"No untoward incident has been reported so far and polling was completely peaceful and smooth. Around 88 percent votes were recorded when polling ended at 5 p.m.," Additional Chief Electoral Officer, Debashish Modak told IANS.

There were 51 polling stations. Of the total 38,270 eligible voters, 18,807 are women.

Though there were seven candidates in the by-election, the main contest was likely to be between ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) nominee Parimal Debnath, Congress's Chanchal Dey and Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Ranjit Das.

There are four other aspirants from local parties.

The by-election was necessitated following the resignation of CPI-M legislator Manoranjan Acharjee after he was alleged to have molested a minor girl.

Acharjee, who was elected in 2008 and again in 2013 from the constituency, has denied the charges. The CPI-M expelled him on charges of wrongdoing.

"I was let down by a section of party men who do not tolerate me," the 54-year-old leader told IANS.

--Indo-Asian News Service sc/pm/vm

( 226 Words)

2016-02-13-18:10:03 (IANS)
Talking to newspersons here on the sidelines of the farmer union leaders, Mr Sugnakar Rao said the Centre constituted a nine-member committee headed by Joint Secretary (Seeds) Ministry of Agriculture, Centre to fix appropriate price to the cotton seeds. He was the only person from the farm sector in the Committee.

He held consultation with all political and non-political farmer leaders hailing from the districts of Warnagal, Nalgonda, Mahabunagar and Karimanagar to ascertain information on the seeds.

Mr Rao also conducted field visit at his native place of Karimnagar. He will visit Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra to seek information from the cotton farmers on cotton seeds.

The BJP leader said the farmers have given valuble information on reduction of the price of cotton seeds and for the development of cotton crops.

He would submit his report to the committee to fix appropriate price to the cotton seeds 2016-17 Kharif season, he added.UNI VV KVV AK 1840

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Defence Ministry spokesman Col N N Joshi said two brave soldiers of the Indian Army attained martyrdom in a counter militant operation in Kupwara district today.

Naik Shinde Shankar Chandrabhan & Gunner Sahadev Maruti More were martyred when they were engaged in a fierce encounter with a group of militants hiding in a built up area.

As per latest inputs, five militants have been gunned down and operations are still in progress, he said.UNI BAS QAB AE CS1832

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held bilateral talks with his Swedishcounter part Stefan Lofven and Finland PM Juha Sipila at the sidelines of the launch of the Makein India week here.In his talks with Mr Lofven that were held after inauguration of the Make in India Centre Expo, MrModi lauded Sweden as a significant participant under the Make in India initiative. He invited Swedish companies to forge partnerships in the fields of defence, electronic goods, medical equipment.During his interaction with the Finnish Prime Minister Mr Sipila, Mr Modi invited Finlands active participation in engineering, power plants, biotech and innovation. Putting technology to good use, the two Prime Ministers tele-inaugurated the new state-of-the-art manufacturing unit of Trivitron Healthcare in Chennai. Mr Modi recalled long association of his home state Gujarat with Poland through Jamnagar during his bilateral talks with the Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Piotr Glinski. The Prime Minister discussed areas of cooperation in food processing, clean energy and transportation sectors. UNI SS AJ RJ 1934 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0089-589117.Xml
In a statement here today, the JAC said when students organised a public meeting for justice for Rohit in Mahatma Gandhi University, Nalgonda, ABVP disrupted the meeting, attacked the students by shouting slogans Anti- nationals, Khabardar against Rohith Vemula and the protesting students.

ABVP's politics has always gone hand in hand with violence and vandalism. ABVP attacked the protesting students for Justice for Rohith in Lucknow University, Ambedkar University, Delhi and many other places.

In Haryana Central University, ABVP vandalised the candle march that was taken out for Justice for Rohith. The University administration filed FIR against these students alleging them with carrying out 'anti-national' activities.

The administration forced the students to give a written letter against conducting any protests in future. Student members of a Left organisation were attacked by ABVP in Sikar (Rajasthan), Dehradun and Lucknow. MORE UNI VV KVV AK 1950

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A high level delegation from Hunan Province consisting of 12 officials led by Zhou Yue, Dy. Director, Dept of Commerce, Hunan province met Telangana State delegation led by Mr. Arvind Kumar, Secretary, Industries & Commerce & Energy, Government of Telangana in Mumbai in Telangana stall of Make in India today.

Other members were Zeng Zi Li, Director, Industrial Promotion, Chen Daging, Dy. Director, High Tech Zone and James Wu, Dy. Director, Industrial Development Zone.

On the occasion, they expressed their willingness to set up Hunan Park in Telangana and requested for 2500-3000 acres for setting up SMEs units in different sectors.

Mr Arvind Kumar suggested that this can be done in NIMZ, Medak area. Mr Manicka Raj, Commissioner of Industries, Telangana also attended the meeting, an official statement said here today.UNI VV KVV AK 1948

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Polling for byelection to three seats ofKarnataka Legislative Assembly and Phase one of ZP & TP in 15Districts were held peacefully today. About 65 per cent polling was reported in the byelection, whilethe approximate per centage in Panchyat election was 70 per cent. The bypolls for Hebbal Assembly segment in Bengaluru city,Deodurg in Raichur and Bidar city were necessitated due to the deathof the sitting candidates. While BJP held Hebbal and Bidar, Congresshad won the Deodurg seat in the 2013 elections. Election authorities have postponed polling in Betadur, homevillage of Saichen hero Hanamanthappa Koppad the army soldier fromMadras Regiment who had died in an avalanche, has been postponed toFebruary 15 as the village is mourning his death. In Hubballi there were protests from the agitators fighting forKalasa-Banduri Nalla diversion project linking Mahadayi river. Butit did not affect the adult franchise. The agitators had called forboycotting of election in view of alleged failure of the Governmentto comply with their demand. The police had made strong security arrangements in Navalgund andNaragund tlauks in view of agitation by Kalasa- Banduri Nallastrugglers. However, the process went on smoothly as the voters didnot heed to boycott call. In Gadag district also the voting process went on peacefullywithout any hitch stated official reports. At the close of theprocess more than 60 percent of the voting was recorded, it is said. In Haveri district also there were no reports of any disturbancesand the rural voters participated in the process on their own. Dharwad police arrested BJP candidate Yogish Gouda on theallegation that he had violated the election code and held meetingof workers even after deadline for campaign was over. Apart from,the police have alleged that he had caused hindrance to the routineduties of the police on election duty. He has been ordered to bekept in judicial for 14 days by the court. The second phase of ZP and TP polls in the remaining 15 districtswill be held on February 20. The counting of votes in all thesegments will be taken up on February 23. (Eds: pick up suitably from earlier series).UNI MSP/XR KVV AK1930 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0286-589076.Xml
: BJP district president P Sathyaprakash today demanded legal action against the District Central Jail authorities for violations of prison rules, and the doctors, who had submitted fake medical reports in favour of the CPI(M) district Secretary P Jayarajan, 25th accused in Manoj of Kathirur murder case. Mr Sathya Prakash said the Kerala High Court is the prima-facie evidence of the involvement of Mr Jayarajan as an accused in RSS district functionary Manoj murder case and led to reject the anticipatory bail plea of Jayarajan on February 11. After the judgement, Jayarajan surrendered before the District Sessions Court and he was remanded to judicial custody. However, following the doctors advice, Mr Jayarajan had been hospitalised at Pariyaram Medical College Hospital(PMCH), which was controlled by CPI(M)-led Director Board. The BJP leader also alleged that Mr Jayarajan has been admitted in PMCH, to escape from the CBI probe. . He said if the CBI takes Mr Jayarajan into its custody, more CPI(M) leaders are likely to trapped in murder the case during its probe. To evade, incurring the wrath of CBI and avoid facing them, Mr Jayarajan was undergoing medical treatment for heart ailment at PMCH, Mr Sathyaprakash charged. The BJP leader said the High Court has stated time and again that all citizens have equal rights before the law, but the prison authorities shun aside the court version and, instead, provide maximum facilities to the CPI(M) leader, bearing in mind, the party;s influence over the officials by deliberately flouting jail norms and regulations. UNI AK KVV AK 2100 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0324-589053.Xml
Intensifying its offensive against the ruling Trinamool Congress before the coming Assembly elections, BJP today alleged that West Bengal has become a 'terror hub' under the Mamata Banerjee's government. Speaking to mediapersons in Kolkata, BJP Vice President Dinesh Sharma also condemned the 'appeasement policy' of the State government, saying West Bengal has also surpassed other states in terms of crime and corruption. "It is Trinamool's vote bank politics and appeasement that has turned Bengal into a terror hub as we see in the reflection of several recent incidents, including that in Malda," he said. "Terrorists, anti-nationals and criminals have made Bengal their safe haven. Bengal has become a hub of terrorist activities. The state is now like a nursery to all those indulging in anti-national activities across the country," Mr Sharma said. His onslaught was in fact, an extension of the diatribe launched by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who had said last month that even police were not safe in Bengal under Mamata Banerjee's rule. Mr Sharma claimed that in the coming assembly election there would be a direct fight between the BJP's nationalism and the combined "anti-national politics" of the Trinamool, Congress and the Left Front. "Generally Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are said to be synonymous to crime, corruption and rape of women, but under Mamata Banerjee, Bengal has surpassed other states... the state is now know for rapes and it leads the country in corruption and crime," Mr Sharma said. Taking on the Mamata Banerjee government on the issue of industrialisation, the BJP vice president claimed that his party alone could bring in the real change in the state. "First the Congress and the Communists ruined Bengal, and whatever was left has now been destroyed by the Trinamool. This assembly polls will be battle between the BJP's nationalist agenda and the Trinamool, Left Front and Congress combined anti-national politics," he said.UNI KDG AD SHS RJ RAI2139 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0129-589380.Xml
Stating this here, Chief Electoral Officer VK Singh said 1500 police personnel and six companies of Para-military forces were deployed for the smooth conduct of the by-election.

He said the Police and civil administration had taken adequate security measures to avoid any untoward incident during the polling all through the day.

Besides this a total of 850 polling staff and 150 micro observers had been deputed by the election department, also controlled polling procedure in all the 210 polling booths. About 133 polling stations were set up where as four polling stations were declared highly sensitive and sensitive.

Adding further, Mr Singh said that there are 1, 87,481 voters in the constituency. Meanwhile strict compliance of the model code of conduct announced by the ECI from January 12, 2016 till the completion of the electoral process would remain enforced in Tran Tarn district, said Mr Singh.

Counting of votes will take place on February 16, 2016 at 0800 hrs. Mr Singh thanked the voters and general public of Khadoor Sahib constituency for peaceful poll. Eds: Pick up suitably for earlier series. UNI NC VS SHS RJ RAI2124

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The sources said , the Shiv Sena Kajuwadi, Upa Vibhag Chief, Madhukar Kadam (52), was present and electioneering in Dahanu this afternoon and at about 1400 hrs he complained of chest pain and was rushed to a hospital where he died while being treated.

He was campaigning for the Sena candidate Amit Ghoda of the Sena who is contesting the seat which fell vacant following his father Krishna Goda. Krishna also died in a heart attack last May while he was returning home from a function.

Kadam was camping in Dahanu since the last one week along with the Thane former Mayor Ashok Vaity and involved in the campaign programme.

He is survived by wife, two sons and a daughter.UNI XR RB SHS RJ BL2117

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President Pranab Mukherjee today presented the Infosys Prizes to six scientists and researchers and said the prizes will go a long way towards nurturing the innovation ecosystem in the country and inspire young minds to solve real-world problems.The winners, Prof Umesh Waghmare, Prof Jonardon Ganeri, Dr Amit Sharma, Prof Mahan Mj, Prof G Ravindra Kumar and Dr Srinath Raghavan, got the awards in recognition for their outstanding achievements and contribution in scientific research.Speaking on the occasion, the President congratulated the winners of the Infosys Prizes and said their research is laying the groundwork for an evolved, enabling and sustainable world. He stated that awards like the Infosys Prize were an important step towards recognising the path-breaking research, being pursued by scientists and academicians across the world. By rewarding excellence in cutting-edge research, the Infosys Science Foundation was spearheading the quest for breakthrough innovation amongst young scientists. Innovation is integral to economic development of a nation, and society at large, he added. The President said, ''India's future is inextricably linked to the progress we can make in establishing strong foundations for scientific research within our country. ''To ensure that we continue to lead the world in terms of technology breakthroughs, we need to ensure that our youth has access to a supporting ecosystem, an education system that helps them hone their research acumen and a wide network of industry mentors,'' he added. SD Shibulal, President, Board of Trustees, Infosys Science Foundation said, ''We are here to applaud the winners of Infosys Prize 2015 for their wonderful achievements. ''Their work spans fields as diverse as analytical Indian Philosophy, the atomic structure of the killer malaria parasite, and India's foreign and security policies. Their research analyses the world we live in on several complex planes, and helps us understand it better,'' he said.The Infosys prize is given in six categories Engineering and Computer Science, Humanities, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences. The winner in each category was awarded a cash price of Rs 65 lakh, a 22-karat gold medallion and a citation certificate. UNI RBE RJ 2312 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0329-589404.Xml
Charging the ABVP activists of physically attacking senior party leader Anand Sharma on the JNU campus, Congress today asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take action against those involved in the attack. ''Today is a black day for India's democracy, when Deputy Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma was publicly attacked with sharp-edged weapon by government-protected ABVP goons on JNU campus. We condemn this cowardly attack in strongest words,'' AICC Media In-charge Randeep Surjewala told reporters here. Mr Sharma had accompanied Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi during a visit to the JNU campus to express their support for the students and teachers, protesting the police crackdown on the varsity, following an event on February 9 to observe the death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. ''The incident happened this evening, when Opposition leaders, including Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, had gone to JNU campus to express solidarity with the campaign titled 'Stand With JNU/Save JNU and Nation,' organised by all the students organisations, teachers union and present/former office bearers of JNU,'' Mr Surjewala said. Asking the PM to take action against those involved in the attack, Mr Surjewala said, ''Will PM, Modi take action against ABVP goondas? Will PM, Modi take action against Delhi police who failed to provide security and permitted anti-social elements of ABVP to gather together with weapons?'' Terming the ABVP attack on the Congress leader as an example of attempts by Modi government to stifle voice of students, Mr Surjewala said, ''this rank goondaism by ABVP goons reflects the mental frame of mind of the BJP and the Modi government, who want to stifle the voice of students, shut down JNU and curb civil rights with brute force of hooligans, protected by Delhi police.'' While condemning the raising of anti-India slogans at the February 9 event, Mr Surjewala, however, charged the government of launching an anti-JNU tirade in the name of action against those responsible for the February 9 incident. ''We had said it earlier and we reiterate again that debate, discussion, dissent and difference of opinion are essence of our democracy, provided they are not hijacked by anti-India sentiments. ''Congress had severely condemned (the) incident of raising anti-India slogans by a handful of persons on JNU campus on February 9 and had demanded strict action against them. ''BJP government, in garb thereof, has unleashed its anti-JNU tirade. None less than Prime Minister Narendra Modi (when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat) had branded JNU as a laboratory of secularists, which needs to be shut down. ''Different BJP leaders have been tarnishing entire JNU as anti-national. Truth is that JNU is a laboratory of liberal and democratic thought process, producing some of the finest minds in India and world in every sphere. BJP government sent police into JNU campus, conducted room to room search and even sent male policemen into women's hostel. All this was done with a view to intimidate and stifle the voice of liberal and democratic thought process.'' Demanding an explanation from the PM and the BJP president for police crackdown on the institution, he said, ''Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and BJP President owe an explanation to the Nation. Will PM, Shri Modi take action against ABVP goondas? Will PM, Modi take action against Delhi police who failed to provide security and permitted anti-social elements of ABVP to gather together with weapons? Will Prime Minister tell the student community of India the reason for curbing the freedom of expression? It is time that the Prime Minister stood up to the prestige of high office he holds and takes decisive action and answer these questions to the Nation, he added. UNI AR RJ 2336 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0329-589423.Xml
A total 71.77 per cent of a 2,27,803-strong electorate including 1,08,232 women peacefully exercised their franchise today in the Maihar Assembly by-election and the turnout of female voters was marginally higher than male counterparts, official sources said. Polling was scheduled between 0700-1700 hrs, though electors queues were observed outside some centres even after 1700 hrs and they were permitted to vote, as is the norm. Brisk polling was observed from 0900-1300 hrs, and by 1300 hrs 51.69 per cent voters had exercised their franchise. The key contest is between Madhya Pradeshs ruling Bharatiya Janata Partys Narayan Tripathi and the principal opposition Congress Manish Patel, though more than a dozen other candidates are also trying their fortunes. The official polling time was 0700 hrs-1700 hrs. A total 291 centres were set up and 164 marked sensitive. The biggest was Centre Number 125 in Maihar town with 1,325 listed voters and the smallest was Pathradatas Centre Number 13, having 261 electors. As many as 1,600 officials were on duty. Six companies of central armed police forces were deployed since Monday, along with state police. New Delhi appointed 164 micro-observers. The result is to be announced on Tuesday. The Samajwadi Party fielded Ramniwas Urmaliya and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) reposed faith in Ramlakhan Patel. In 2013, Mr Tripathi emerged victorious as the Congress nominee, but subsequently, entered the saffron ranks. The bypoll was necessitated by Mr Tripathis resignation from the Vidhan Sabha. Mr Patel recently quit BSP. Following the debacle in the Ratlam Parliamentary by-election, Maihar became nothing short of a prestige issue for the saffron party. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan himself addressed numerous meetings in an endeavour to drum up support for Mr Tripathi. In fact, the Chief Minister stayed in Maihar on the final three days of campaigning. Other BJP leaders also hit the campaign trail. Buoyed up by the Ratlam win, Congress is hoping for a repeat. The last day of campaigning witnessed a road show by Parliamentarian and former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and the partys state chief Arun Yadav also an ex-Union minister established contact with the people. Congress General Secretary and former chief minister Digvijaya Singh was in action.UNI XC-AC RJ BL2253 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-589395.Xml
Bashar al-Assad will not be ruling Syria in the future and Russia's military interventions will not help him stay in power, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told a German newspaper in an interview published today."There will be no Bashar al-Assad in the future," al-Jubeir told newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung."It might take three months, it might take six months or three years - but he will no longer carry responsibility for Syria. Period."Saying that the Syrian people's determination to topple al-Assad was unbroken despite heavy Russian air strikes and persecution within the country, al-Jubeir criticised Russia's involvement in the five-year-long war.He said that Assad's previous calls for help to his own military, Iran, Hezbollah and Shiite militia forces from Iraq and Pakistan were all in vain."Now he called the Russians, but they won't be able to help him either," al-Jubeir said.Russia entered the war on September 30 2015 in support of the Syrian president. At least 250,000 people have been killed, 11 million made homeless and hundreds of thousands have fled to Europe since the conflict began in 2011.Moscow has said its air strikes are against the extremist militant groups Islamic State and the Nusra Front, but other countries and rebel groups say the attacks target civilians.Asked about a more direct military involvement with 'boots on the ground', al-Jubeir said such discussions were currently underway among the member states of a US-led coalition against the Islamic State."If the coalition should decide to deploy special forces in the fight against IS in Syria, Saudi-Arabia will be ready to participate," he said, using the initials IS to refer to Islamic State.At a peace and security conference currently underway in Munich, major powers said a peace deal could only be reached if Moscow stops bombing insurgents other than Islamic State.But Russia pressed on with its air strikes in support of al-Assad, who vowed to fight until he regained full control of the country. REUTERS DS PR 0502 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0137-587978.Xml
Major powers agreed to a pause in combat in Syria, but Russia pressed on with bombing in support of its ally President Bashar al-Assad, who vowed to fight until he regained full control of the country.Although billed as a potential breakthrough, the "cessation of hostilities" agreement does not take effect for a week, at a time when Assad's government is poised to win its biggest victory of the war with the backing of Russian air power.If implemented, the deal hammered out during five hours of late night talks in Munich would allow humanitarian aid to reach besieged towns. It was described by the countries that took part as a rare diplomatic success in a conflict that has fractured the Middle East, killed at least 250,000 people, made 11 million homeless and sent hundreds of thousands fleeing into Europe.But several Western countries said there was no hope for progress without a halt to the Russian bombing, which has decisively turned the balance of power in favour of Assad.US Secretary of State John Kerry said that if the peace plan fails, more foreign troops could enter the conflict."If the Assad regime does not live up to its responsibilities and if the Iranians and the Russians do not hold Assad to the promises that they have made ... then the international community obviously is not going to sit there like fools and watch this. There will be an increase of activity to put greater pressure on them," Kerry, who was in Munich, told Dubai-based Orient TV."There is a possibility there will be additional ground troops."US President Barack Obama has ruled out sending US ground troops to Syria, but Saudi Arabia this month offered ground forces to fight Islamic State.A White House spokesman, Eric Schultz, called the agreement "an important step," but added, "In the coming days, we will be looking for actions, not words, to demonstrate that all parties are prepared to honor their commitments."The complex, multi-sided civil war in Syria, raging since 2011, has drawn in most regional and global powers, producing the world's worst humanitarian emergency and attracting jihadist recruits from around the world.Rebels said the town of Tal Rifaat in northern Aleppo province was the target of intensive bombing by Russian planes yesterday morning. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring body, said warplanes believed to be Russian also attacked towns in northern Homs.The news agency AFP quoted Assad as saying he would continue to fight terrorism while talks took place. He said he would retake the entire country, although this could take a long time.Another week of fighting would give Syria's government and its Russian, Lebanese and Iranian allies time to press on with the encirclement of Aleppo, Syria's biggest city before the war, which they are now on the verge of capturing.They are also close to sealing the Turkish border, a lifeline of rebel territory for years.Those two victories would reverse years of insurgent gains, effectively ending the rebels' hopes of dislodging Assad through force, the cause they have fought for since 2011 with the encouragement of Arab states, Turkey and the West.The cessation of hostilities agreement falls short of a formal ceasefire, since it was not signed by the main warring parties, the opposition and government forces.REBEL MISSILESTwo Syrian rebel commanders told Reuters they had been sent "excellent quantities" of ground-to-ground Grad missiles with a range of 20 km by foreign backers in recent days to help confront the Russian-backed offensive.Foreign opponents of Assad including Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been supplying vetted rebel groups with weapons via a Turkey-based operations centre. Some of the vetted groups have received military training overseen by the US Central Intelligence Agency.Russia suggested it might not stop its air strikes, even when the cessation of hostilities takes effect in a week.Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would not stop bombing fighters from Islamic State and a rebel group called the Nusra Front, which is affiliated with al Qaeda, neither of which were covered by the cessation deal. "Our airspace forces will continue working against these organisations," he said.Moscow has always said that those two jihadist groups are the principal targets of its air campaign. Western countries say Russia, in fact, has been attacking mostly other insurgent groups. Turkey's foreign minister said yesterday Russia was targeting schools and hospitals in Syria.NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Moscow must halt strikes on insurgents other than Islamic State for any peace deal to work."Russia has mainly targeted opposition groups and not ISIL (Islamic State). Air strikes of Russian planes against different opposition groups in Syria have actually undermined the efforts to reach a negotiated, peaceful solution," Stoltenberg said.Britain and France said a peace deal could be reached only if Russia stops bombing insurgents other than Islamic State.The United States has been leading its own air campaign against Islamic State fighters since 2014. US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said yesterday he expected Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to send commandos to help recapture Islamic State's eastern Syrian stronghold, Raqqa.Assad said he believed Saudi Arabia and Turkey were planning to invade his country. Russia has said Saudi ground troops would make the war last forever.Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, said in an interview published today that Russia's military interventions will not help Assad stay in power. "There will be no Bashar al-Assad in the future," al-Jubeir told a German newspaper.Kerry had entered the Munich talks pushing for a rapid halt to fighting, with Western officials saying Moscow was holding out for a delay.The tactic of agreeing to a break in hostilities while battling for gains on the ground is one Moscow's allies used in eastern Ukraine only a year ago. A ceasefire there eventually took hold, but only after Russian-backed separatists overran a besieged town after the deal was reached.Diplomats from countries backing the plan met yesterday to discuss sending urgent humanitarian aid. "Convoys can go very soon if and when we have the permission and the green light from the parties," said Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, who chaired the meeting in Geneva. REUTERS DS PR 0610 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0137-587986.Xml
The United States needs to proceed with caution on possible deployment of an advanced US missile defence system following North Korea's recent rocket launch and not use this as an excuse to affect China's security, the Chinese foreign minister said.Speaking to US Secretary of State John Kerry in Munich, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed Beijing's opposition to the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system, China's Foreign Ministry said late yesterday.Wang "demanded the US side must act cautiously, not use the opportunity to harm China's security interests and not add a new complicating factor to regional peace and stability", the ministry said.South Korea and the United States are expected to begin talks next week on possible deployment of the system.North Korea launched a long-range rocket on February 6 carrying what it called a satellite, drawing renewed international condemnation just weeks after it carried out a nuclear test.It said the launch was for peaceful purposes, but Seoul and Washington have said it violated UN Security Council resolutions because it used ballistic missile technology.Wang also repeated China's stance that sanctions "are not the aim" and that everyone should think of ways to restart talks on the North Korean nuclear issue."This completely accords with the interests of all sides, including China and the United States," Wang added, according to the statement.In Seoul, the US military stationed in South Korea said it had deployed an additional Patriot missile defence unit to the country in response to recent North Korean provocations.An air defence artillery unit from Texas is conducting ballistic missile defence training with existing troops deployed in the South, the US Forces Korea also said in a statement.The Patriot system is a high-velocity interceptor that defends against incoming ballistic and cruise missiles as well as aircrafts. REUTERS DS PR 0710 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0137-587990.Xml
The leaders of the two gangs Jorge Ivan Hernandez and Juan Pedro Saldivar, whose clash caused the riot, were among the 233 relocated prisoners, Xinhua quoted Nuevo Leon Governor Jaime Rodriguez as saying on Friday.

Rodriguez, who took office in October 2015, said shortage of funds and lack of custodians coupled with irregularities in the prison contributed to the deadly riot.

Most of the deaths were caused by knife wounds or knocks from sticks and hammers, said the governor, adding one of the prisoners died after being shot by a prison custodian.

Police found 60 hammers and 68 knives after the incident.

The two rival groups inside Topo Chico belonged to the same criminal organisation called "Los Zetas".

Tension in the prison had been running high since Saldivar's "Z-27" group was moved from the state of Tamaulipas to Topo Chico in November 2015.

Since the arrival of "Z-27," local authorities had tried to move Hernandez's "El Credo" group to another prison but a court order prevented them from doing so.

Local police are currently in control of the prison with the help of federal police agents.

--Indo-Asian News Service py/bg

( 231 Words)

2016-02-13-15:23:35 (IANS)
France led international criticism of Russia today for bombing civilians in Syria, a charge Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev rejected as major powers bickered openly just a day after they agreed a pause in combat in Syria. The differences between the stakeholders in a Syria settlement highlighted their lingering divisions despite yesterday's "cessation of hostilities" agreement, which was not signed by any of the warring parties on the ground - government forces and the opposition - and does not take effect for a week. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, in a head-to-head debate with Medvedev at a security conference in Munich, pressed Russia to stop bombing civilians in Syria, saying this was crucial for achieving peace in the country. "France respects Russia and its interests ... But we know that to find the path to peace again, the Russian bombing of civilians has to stop," Valls told the conference. The major powers clinched their deal on a pause in combat in late night talks in Munich on Friday, at a time when Syrian President Bashar Assad's government is poised to score its biggest victory over rebels - in Aleppo, Syria's biggest city before the war - with the backing of Russian air power. If implemented, the truce deal would allow humanitarian aid to reach besieged towns. But several Western countries have said there is no hope for progress without a halt to the Russian bombing, which has decisively turned the balance of power in favour of Assad after almost five years of conflict. Yesterday, Turkey's foreign minister said Russia was targeting schools and hospitals with its bombing. Mevlut Cavusoglu put the blame squarely on Moscow for the wave of tens of thousands of displaced people who have arrived at the Turkish border over the past week. Medvedev rejected the accusations as "just not true". "There is no evidence of our bombing civilians, even though everyone is accusing us of this," Medvedev told the Munich conference moments after Valls, seated next to him, said Russian bombing of civilians must stop.MORE REUTERS AJ VN1654 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0109-588709.Xml
In a move that has angered India, the Obama Administration has cleared the sale of F-16 fighter aircraft to Pakistan, holding that the arms transfer would ''contribute to US foreign policy objectives'' by enabling Islamabad in counter-insurgency and counter-terror operations. The Defence Security Cooperation Agency of Pentagon delivered the required certification notifying the Congress of the possible sale on February 11. The decision was announced late last night. ''The proposed sale contributes to US foreign objectives and national security goals by helping to improve the security of a strategic partner in South Asia,'' the agency said. Rejecting the US argument in support of sale, India today lodged strong protest to the country, summoning its envoy Richard Verma to South Block in New Delhi. In a 45-minute meeting, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar told Mr Verma that about Indias strong objections to the proposed sale. Earlier, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said, ''We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan. We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism. India clearly rejected the US' argument that the move will help improve Pakistan's self-defence capability and bolster its ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations. "We disagree with their rationale that such arms' transfers help combat terrorism. The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself," the MEA spokesperson said. The sale has sparked anger in India at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit America next month. The Pentagon's Defence Security Cooperation Agency, which oversees foreign arms sales, said it had notified the sale to Pakistan of upto eight F-16 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp, radar and other equipment in a deal valued at 699 million dollars. The agency said the F-16s would allow Pakistan Air Force to operate in all-weather environments and at night, while improving its self-defence capability and bolstering its ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations. The agency also said that ''the proposed sale will not alter the basic military balance in the region''. Reports from Washington said the Obama Administrations move was not likely to have smooth sailing in the Congress. Both Democrats and Republicans have voiced their concern over Pakistan providing safe havens to terror groups which use its soil for launching operations against India and Pakistan. A number of law makers have in the past few days have shot off a flurry of letters to President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry, objecting the decision to sell F-16 to Pakistan. They told the Obama Administration that they would have to ensure that Pakistan does not get these fighter aircraft until terrorist safe havens were supported by ''state actors''. UNI NAZ/MK RSA AE 1810 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0091-588893.Xml
Afghanistan's government today appealed to Pakistan to take action to find and free a former provincial governor who has been kidnapped in Islamabad. Fazlullah Wahidi, former governor of Afghanistan's western Herat province, was abducted yesterday afternoon in the Pakistani capital, the Afghan foreign ministry said. The motive for the kidnapping was not clear, but the Afghan government asked Pakistani authorities "to use all their tools and possiblities to identify the group of kidnappers and take action to free Wahidi immediately", the foreign ministry said. The former Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, who is reportedly close to Wahidi, issued a separate statement on Facebook about the "respectable elder", who he said had travelled to Pakistan to apply for a visa to the United Kingdom. The UK does not issue visas to Afghans in Kabul. An official in Pakistan's foreign ministry said on Saturday that the Afghan embassy had reported Wahidi missing, and local police were investigating. Pakistan and Afghanistan have been seeking to mend relations in recent months in part to foster peace talks with the Taliban to end Afghanistan's nearly 15-year-old war. Mistrust on both sides is deeply ingrained, however, with each accusing the other of failing to crack down on Islamist militants who find safe haven in lawless border areas.REUTERS SHS BL1835 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-588992.Xml
Omani leader Sultan Qaboos is to travel to Germany on Sunday for a limited period of time for medical checks, the official Oman state news agency said today.Qaboos had previously spent eight months in Germany for medical reasons returning to Oman in March.His long absence had fueled concern over succession in the Arabian peninsula state over which Qaboos, nearly 75, has been absolute ruler since 1970.Western-backed Qaboos has ruled since taking over from his father in a bloodless coup with the help of Oman's former colonial power, Britain. REUTERS SHS AS2006 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-589230.Xml
Support for the two parties that make up Ireland's coalition government fell by a combined five percentage points in a poll published today, in the latest sign a general election in two week's time may produce an inconclusive outcome. Support for prime minister Enda Kenny's centre-right Fine Gael party fell by 3 percentage points to 28 percent in the Sunday Business Post/Red C poll, its weakest result in the poll since September. Its centre-left junior coalition partner Labour fell 2 percentage points to 8 per cent, leaving the two parties on a combined 36 per cent, significantly short of support needed to come close to a majority of seats. With no obvious alternative, if the coalition parties fail to gain the added support needed or come close enough to cobble together a majority with independents or smaller parties, that may spell a period of political instability or fresh elections. Left-wing nationalist Sinn Fein were up 3 points to 20 percent, while centre-right Fianna Fail was up 1 point to 18 per cent. Kenny's Fine Gael has ruled out a coalition with either party.REUTERS SHS BL2339 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-589429.Xml
The time has come for you to join a man named Cyril Popplewell in his journey in life after death that isn't actually much different from life itself.

The time has come for you to join a man named Cyril Popplewell in his journey in life after death that isn't actually much different from...well, life itself? Cyril invites you into his little slice of the afterlife as he tries to figure out exactly what has been keeping him on earth. Bedtime Stories with Popplewell is a one-act play filled with laughter, a bit of heartbreak, and the drama of ghostly power struggles, all told through the eyes of Popplewell - the most charming man to ever set foot on this planet. (At least that's what he thinks.)

Bedtime Stories with Popplewell is written, directed, and performed by a group of young students of the theater arts in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

You only have two chances to see this new play and help support not only the arts, but UNM students who were brave and put this show on all by themselves. Your presence means everything to us, so please come and enjoy.
By Philip Pullella and Daniel Trotta HAVANA (Reuters) - Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill embraced and kissed on Friday in a historic meeting, uniting to issue a global appeal for the protection of Christians under assault in the Middle East. Nearly 1,000 years after the Eastern and Western branches of Christianity split apart, the meeting at an airport terminal in Cuba was the first ever between a Roman Catholic pope and a Russian Orthodox patriarch. "In many countries of the Middle East and North Africa whole families, villages and cities of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being completely exterminated," they said in a joint declaration in apparent reference to violence by militant groups such as Islamic State. "Their churches are being barbarously ravaged and looted, their sacred objects profaned, their monuments destroyed." They also said large-scale humanitarian aid was required to tend to refugees fleeing Syria and Iraq, lamenting the "massive exodus of Christians." Cuban President Raul Castro stood to the side during the ceremony, enjoying another moment in the international limelight after receiving Francis last year and restoring diplomatic relations with the United States recently, meeting President Barack Obama in Panama in April. Cuba is also sponsoring peace talks between the Colombian government and leftist rebels seeking to end a 50-year war. "If it continues this way, Cuba will be the capital of unity," Francis said. "Now what's left is Colombia," Castro told reporters after the pope boarded his plane for Mexico, where Francis arrived on Friday evening for a five-day visit to some of the poorest and most violent corners of the country. Dissidents in Cuba's one-party political system have remarked on the government's willingness to promote dialogue for foreigners while dismissing political opponents as mercenaries doing the bidding of the United States. "FINALLY" The two religious leaders, guests of a Communist government, came together only a week after the encounter was announced. Such a meeting had eluded their predecessor, but Francis had issued a standing invitation to meet anytime, anywhere. The moment came while Kirill was visiting the Caribbean island and Francis added a brief stop on his way from Rome to a long-scheduled visit to Mexico. "Finally," Francis said as he and Kirill entered through doors on opposite sides of a room at Havana airport. "We are brothers." Francis, dressed in white with a skullcap, and Kirill, wearing a tall, domed hat that dangled a white stole over black robes, joined arms and kissed on both cheeks. "It is very clear that this is the will of God," Francis said. Their meeting carried political overtones, coming at a time of Russian disagreements with the West over Syria and Ukraine. The Russian Orthodox Church is closely aligned with the Kremlin, which is in turn an ally of Cuba. The Argentine pontiff helped the rapprochement between the United States and Cuba after more than five decades of estrangement. The pope, leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, is seeking to repair a much longer rupture. Eastern Orthodoxy split with Rome in 1054. The declaration called for Europe to remain faithful to its Christian roots and restated several traditional Christian teachings such as opposition to abortion and marriage being reserved for a man and a woman. The Russian Orthodox Church takes a stronger stand on these issues in public than Pope Francis, who supports these teachings but often speaks of other issues such as poverty and protecting the environment, which were also mentioned in the text. (Reporting by Daniel Trotta and Philip Pullella; Additional reporting by Tom Heneghan; Editing by Andrew Hay, Alistair Bell, Toni Reinhold)
I love milk teas in all thinkable forms, Hong Kong style, Teh Peng (iced milk tea), Teh Tarik, good ol English Breakfast Tea with a side of milk and of course, Thai Milk Tea. I mean, whats there not to love about the Thai Milk Tea flavour, its creamy, velvety, sweet and definitely satisfying. And this ceylon tea brew only gets better when its in the form of an ice cream.

In an effort to alleviate the general publics pressure of finding these delicious Thai Milk Tea desserts, Ive taken it upon myself to hunt down the best Singapore locations that offers up Thai Milk Tea ice cream or any other frozen form it comes in. I friggin love Thai Milk Tea ice cream.

11. Marble Slab Creamery

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Single Scoop with One Topping ($6.20). Marble Slab Creamery stocks a variety of flavours and theyre widely available around the country. The best part is how you can choose mix ins to go with it, where you can fry your ice cream with your toppings on a cold slab of stone.

I asked for a recommended topping to go with the Thai Milk Tea ice cream and was recommended granola, and Id have to agree with the servers choice. The added crunch gives more flavour and an extra layer of texture. It was a tad bit too sweet for me but I know of people who loved the sweetness of it, so it really depends on your preferences.

Marble Slab Creamery: 6 Eu Tong Sen Street, #01-27 Clarke Quay Central, Singapore 059817 | Tel: +65 6224 4278 | Website

10. Udders

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Thai Milk Tea ($4.45). Creamy and sweet, this scoop of ice cream surely tastes like how a Thai Milk should. Could be tiny bit sweeter and also tiny bit cheaper but I guess this is the market price now. Oh well.

Udders: various outlets around Singapore

9. Little Prince Creamery

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Waffle with Double Scoops ($9.30). Tucked away in Toa Payoh is yet another cute little ice cream parlour with The Little Prince theme. Ultra children friendly with a good stock of The Little Prince, the creamery mimics a dream-like fantasy novel and serves up waffles with Thai Milk Tea ice cream.

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The Little Prince Creamery: 47 Lor 6 Toa Payoh, Singapore 310047 | Tel: +65 8684 8218 | Website

8. Kanemochi

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Milk Tea Mochi ($2.30). How cute is this tiny frozen mochi? These frozen little pockets of happiness are just about the right size for when youre having sweet cravings but have no one to share with. Located in the linkway between Bugis + and Bugis Junction, Kanemochi offers up Thai Milk Tea mochi and many other flavours.

It isnt too sweet and is extremely satisfying and also terrifying because of how addictive it is. The sweetness of the Thai milk tea ice cream is offset by the chewy mochi skin, balancing out the entire dessert.

Kanemochi: 201 Victoria Street #02-50, Singapore 188067 | Tel: +65 9747 5678 | Website

7. Haha Thai

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Coconut and Thai Iced Milk Tea Ice Cream ($4.80 for double scoops). With an exceedingly prominent black tea flavour, Haha Thais Milk Tea ice cream can be slightly more intense, which Ill recommend to those looking for a less sweet option.

Read our full review of Haha Thai here.

Haha Thai: 391 Orchard Road, Ngee Ann City #05-29, Singapore 238873 | Tel: +65 62994401 | Facebook

6. Meet and Melt

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Single Scoop ($4.20). Nestled away in Tampines, Meet and Melt offers Thai Milk Tea ice cream that has robust flavour of the tea and the creamy texture of ice cream. It isnt overly milky with a good touch of ceylon black tea. It gets more flavourful with each mouthful and would definitely recommend having a scoop.

Meet and Melt: Tampines Street 91, Singapore 520915 | Tel: 9185 8173 | Facebook

5. Double Scoops

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Waffle with Thai Milk Tea flavour ($6.80 with a single scoop). While the waffles are a bit denser than most ones you get, it is definitely more substantial and filling, remaining crispy on the outside, moist and fluffy on the inside.

The Thai Milk Tea ice cream carries a strong black tea flavour and it is appropriately sweet.

Read our full review of Double Scooop.

Double Scoops: Block 226A Amk Avenue 1 #01-627 Singapore 561226 | Tel: 6452 0208 | Website

4. Creamier

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Waffle with Single Scoop Thai Milk Tea Ice Cream ($8.80). Nestled away in Toa Payoh Lorong 1 is Creamier, serving up scoops of ice cream with a choice of waffles.

With a really wide selection of ice cream, it was really hard for me to stick to only Thai Milk Tea flavour, I mean theres Black Sesame, Earl Grey Lavender, Rum and Raisin etc. That was a good one minute of hell.

I got a waffle to go with it and best decision I made all day. The waffles were exceedingly fluffy and fragrant with a subtle hint of sweetness. Paired with the rich thai milk tea ice cream that has a vivid ceylon black tea essence, what a way to start the day.

Creamier: Block 128 Toa Payoh Lorong 1, #01-835, Singapore 310128 | Tel: +65 6250 1476 | Website

3. Churn Creamery

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Single Premium Scoop ($5.80). Amidst all the Korean BBQ places is Churn Creamery, your ice cream pit stop for dessert after all the spicy and greasy goodness. Truth be told, a decadently sweet smell flooded the stall and that really whet my appetite. Choose the thai milk tea ice cream and have your artisan ice cream in molten chocolate cones, how satisfying.

Churn Creamery: 124 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088533 | Tel: +65 6221 2987 | Website



2. Sunday Market

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Bangkok Toast ($12.85). Order the Bangkok Toast, which is a glazed brioche with condensed milk, served with a cup of frozen Thai Milk Tea ice cream. While you can get it in a single scoop, it is always better with a cake, am I right or right.

I like their frozen rendition of Thai Milk Tea ice cream. It is definitely way less sweet compared to the others, with a more frosty and icy texture but still packed with flavour.

Sunday Market: 22 Lim Tua Tow Road, Singapore 547772 | Tel: +65 6287 8880 | Website

1. Som Tam

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Molten Lava Cake ($11.55).

Id definitely recommend going to Som Thai for their desserts if youre into Thai green curry because they have it in gelato form as well, how fascinating. Trying to remain focused, I had a chocolate lava cake with Thai Milk Tea gelato.

You could get the lava cake in matcha or thai milk tea flavour as well and if youre only feeling for ice cream, they do serve solely gelato.

I really loved the thai milk tea gelato here and I daresay its my favourite out of this entire list. It mimics the drink itself, capturing the of it  velvety and aromatic. There is a distinct black tea taste and has a very well balanced sweetness to it.

Som Tam Modern Thai Fusion: 181 Orchard Central #08-13, Singapore 238896 | Tel:+65 6238 6872 | Website

The post 11 Best Thai Milk Tea Ice Creams in Singapore that are Thai-rrifically delicious appeared first on SETHLUI.com.
ISLAMABAD/KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's government on Saturday appealed to Pakistan to take action to find and free a former provincial governor who has been kidnapped in Islamabad. Fazlullah Wahidi, former governor of Afghanistan's western Herat province, was abducted on Friday afternoon in the Pakistani capital, the Afghan foreign ministry said. The motive for the kidnapping was not clear, but the Afghan government asked Pakistani authorities "to use all their tools and possibilities to identify the group of kidnappers and take action to free Wahidi immediately", the foreign ministry said. The former Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, who is reportedly close to Wahidi, issued a separate statement on Facebook about the "respectable elder", who he said had traveled to Pakistan to apply for a visa to the United Kingdom. The UK does not issue visas to Afghans in Kabul. An official in Pakistan's foreign ministry said on Saturday that the Afghan embassy had reported Wahidi missing, and local police were investigating. Pakistan and Afghanistan have been seeking to mend relations in recent months in part to foster peace talks with the Taliban to end Afghanistan's nearly 15-year-old war. Mistrust on both sides is deeply ingrained, however, with each accusing the other of failing to crack down on Islamist militants who find safe haven in lawless border areas. (Reporting by Mehreen Zahra-Malik and Mirwais Harooni. Writing by Kay Johnson; Editing by Andrew Bolton)
(Reuters) - An Alabama woman convicted of murder in the running death of her 9-year-old granddaughter died on Friday, less than a year into her sentence of life in prison without parole, a prison spokesman said.

Joyce Garrard, 50, was convicted last March in the 2012 death of Savannah Hardin. Garrard made Hardin run for almost three hours while carrying wood as punishment for lying about having eaten chocolates.

The girl collapsed and went into seizures, later dying of dehydration and low sodium, prosecutors said.

Garrard was pronounced dead in an Alabama hospital at 5:23 p.m., said Alabama Department of Corrections spokesman Bob Horton. She had suffered a heart attack in prison a few days earlier, said her defense attorney, Dani Bone.

Bone said it had been a difficult time for the family.

"I believe the family is going to be somewhat relieved with the thought that Joyce is going to be in heaven with Savannah and her pain and suffering will be gone," said Bone.

Garrard said in a conversation with Hardin's school bus driver captured on a bus video that "she's going to run 'til I tell her to stop" as punishment. Hardin had a bladder condition and was not allowed to have sweets or caffeine, Garrard told the bus driver.

(Reporting by Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Sandra Maler)
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The presumed mastermind behind the murder of a Mexican journalist was arrested in the eastern state of Veracruz on Saturday, the state's governor said, as Mexico struggles with a wave of attacks on reporters. Anabel Flores, who covered the police force for regional media outlets, was violently dragged from her home in Veracruz by a group of armed men earlier this week and found dead on a highway. "Josele Marquez (alias) El Chichi is implicated, among other crimes, as (the one responsible) for the assassination of journalist Anabel Flores," Governor Javier Duarte wrote on his verified Twitter account in announcing the arrest. "The attack on the media outlet El Buen Tono is also attributed to (Marquez)," Duarte wrote, referring to last year's attack presumably aimed at journalists from that newspaper. State officials were not immediately available for comment. Veracruz is considered one of the most dangerous states for reporters in Mexico, with at least 12 journalists killed there since 2010, when Duarte became governor, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. (Reporting by Anna Yukhananov and Jean Luis Arce; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
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Anderson Silva is back from a year long suspension after testing positive for a cocktail of random drugs following his fight with Nick Diaz. The former middleweight champion tested positive for Drostanolone, Oxazepam and Temazepan, which he blamed on a mysterious sexual enhancement drug and medication he was taking for a sleeping disorder.

But were not here to rehash Silvas sketchy test results, or why hes back after testing positive for steroids when his opponent Nick Diaz is still under suspension for a simple marijuana offense. Silva has a big international fight against Michael Bisping on February 27th in London, and during the latest press conference he had some firm words for rising star Conor McGregor. Via FOX Sports:

(Conor) McGregor, hes a great fighter and hes doing his job very well. Hes very intelligent and he knows exactly what hes doing. But Rafael (dos Anjos) can not get led on by his antics because it didnt work out very well for Jose Aldo, Silva said during an open workout with media on Thursday in Los Angeles. I think both Jose Aldo and Rafael can both beat him and I also think Conor McGregor should really be careful about what he says about the Brazilians. Because the last person that spoke about a Brazilian, it didnt end too well for him.

Thats Anderson referencing his one time nemesis Chael Sonnen, who hyped up both of their fights with a ton of trash directed at both Anderson and the Brazilian people. At the height of their feud, Chael referred to the nation as a piglet tribe of savages, and the UFC had to provide the outspoken fighter with bodyguards when he visited the country.

As for how things ended, Sonnen lost his second fight to Silva in embarrassing fashion, whiffing on a spinning backfist that dropped him on his ass, leaving him open for Silva to finish him with a flying knee to the chest. Its still considered to this day to be one of the single worst mistakes in title fight history. But Sonnen still made a ton of money and secured himself in the history books as one of the best trash talkers the sport has ever seen, so maybe it was a net win?

Now Watch: UFC Fighter Miatt Mitrione Suffered Perhaps The Worst Eye Injury Youll Ever See
Angus Sampson has landed a regular role in Shut Eye, Hulus original series from creator Les Bohem, TriStar Television and Mark Johnsons Gran Via Productions. It takes a darkly comedic look at the underground world of Los Angeles storefront psychics and the organized crime syndicate that runs them. Sampson will play Fonzo, a macho and powerful Romani kingpin with a taste for the finer things in life. A single father still mourning the loss of his wife, he appears affable and easygoing  but in fact, hes a dangerous, menacing man who runs his business with an iron fist. KaDee Strickland and Isabella Rossellini also star. Sampson, whose recent credits include Insidious: Chapter 3 and Mad Max: Fury Road, is repped by Gersh, Ellen Meyer Management and Australias Creative Representation.

Manny Montana has been cast in ABCs legal drama pilot Conviction, from the Mark Gordon Co. and ABC Studios. Co-created by Liz Friedman and Liz Friedlander, it stars Hayley Atwell as the brilliant but neer-do-well daughter of a former U.S. president who is blackmailed into taking a job as the head of Los Angeles newly created Conviction Integrity Unit. She works with her team of lawyers, investigators and forensic experts to examine cases where theres credible suspicion that the wrong person may have been convicted of a crime. Montana will play Franklin Frankie Rios, who is in charge of Forensics and has a street-savvy reserve that co-exists with a boyish excitement for science. He became interested in the field after watching a forensics show almost daily when serving two years in prison for car theft. Repped by Innovative Artists and Trademark Talent, Montanas credits include Graceland, South Beach and the feature Blackhat.

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Washington (AFP) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is "deluded" if he thinks there is a military solution to the war in Syria, nearly five years into a brutal conflict that has killed more than 260,000 people, a US official said.

In an exclusive interview with AFP released earlier, the defiant Syrian strongman vowed to recapture Syria as a whole and keep "fighting terrorism."

"He's deluded if he thinks that there's a military solution to the conflict in Syria," deputy State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters on Friday.

"All we're looking at, if the Syrian regime continues the fighting, is more bloodshed, more hardship and, frankly, a greater hardening of positions on either side."

The conflict has fueled the meteoric rise of the self-proclaimed Islamic State group, which controls large swathes of the country.

Rebel forces also hold significant territory.

Assad spoke hours before world powers agreed on an ambitious plan to cease hostilities in Syria within a week, but doubts soon emerged over its viability, especially because it did not include IS or Al-Qaeda's local branch.

"The proof is in the pudding," Toner cautioned, in reference to the deal.

"We need to see action on the ground on the part of those parties, and that includes the regime. That includes the opposition. They need to stop the fighting, and then we can determine who is part of this process and who is not."
Pakistan president Mamnoon Hussain has urged the nation to refrain from celebrating Valentine's Day, while other officials blasted it as "vulgar and indecent" as they moved to outlaw festivities.

The president made the remarks to a crowd of students on Friday, saying the day -- traditionally celebrated in the West by lovers -- had no place in the Muslim-majority nation.

"Valentine's Day has no connection with our culture and it should be avoided," the president told students at a gathering held to honour one of the country's heroes of independence.

Hussain urged the young people to focus on their studies instead.

In Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, members of the district assembly on Friday unanimously passed a resolution to ban Valentine's Day celebrations.

"A particular segment of our society wants to impose Western values and culture on our youth by celebrating Valentine's Day," said the resolution, which was presented by a member of Jamaat-e-Islami, one of the largest Islamist parties in Pakistan.

"There is no place in our culture and in our civilisation for such an unnecessary and rude day, which aims to spread vulgarity and indecency amongst the youth," it said.

Authorities in the conservative northwestern Kohat district also instructed police to halt any celebrations of Valentine's Day.

Despite the ban, an AFP reporter in Peshawar witnessed shops openly selling red balloons, toys and chocolates.

A conservative Urdu language newspaper ran an industry-funded advertisement which called the day "a festival of obscenity".

"Just ponder...tomorrow our children will start celebrating Diwali of Hindus, Christmas of Christians and who knows what other un-Islamic festivals so let's kick out this festival of obscenity from our lives for the sake of Allah," the last lines of the advertisement said.
Die Another Day director Lee Tamahori has always wanted to make a Western, but says he can't get one financed in Hollywood.

"I'm a great fan of the American Western. It's my favorite genre and always has been," the New Zealand director told a Saturday Berlin Film Festival press conference for Mahana, his latest film that comes two decades after his breakout hit Once Were Warriors.

"I always wanted to make one, but the chances are diminishing very fast for anyone to make an American version of an American Western because no one will finance such things," Tamahori added. So he finally directed Mahana, a Western drama set in 1960s rural New Zealand.

"My publicist told me not to call the film a Western, but I'm calling it a Western," Tamahori said. The Kiwi drama, having its world premiere in Berlin, portrays the Mahana family rivalry and reconciliation, set against the stunning backdrop of rural New Zealand in the 1960s.

Read More: Cannes: Adrien Brody to Play Charles V in Lee Tamahori's 'Emperor'

Temuera Morrison, who played Jake the Mus in Tamahori's 1994 film Once Were Warriors, in Mahana is an older, staunchly traditional grandfather to 14-year-old Simeon Mahana, played by Akuhata Keefe, who struggles with emerging modern ways. As the Mahana family ties start to unravel, the young boy reveals the truth of his community's deeply buried divisions.

Between Once Were Warriors and Mahana, Tamahori has had a thriving Hollywood career, directing movies like xXx: State of the Union and The Edge. Now returning to his New Zealand roots, Tamahori said he likes the American Western for being a pure morality play.

"It has very few complexities. There's good, there's bad, there's evil," he explained. Tamahori said Mahana shares with the American Western such things as a vast landscape, rugged people, loners like Morrison's patriarchal character and self-made men.

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His Kiwi drama even includes a scene from the classic 3:10 to Yuma shown on a cinema screen, with the "overblown sequence done just so the girl can kiss the boy," Tamahori revealed.
Throughout his career as a filmmaker, Oliver Schmitz has explored the institutional racism and violence that tore apart his home country of South Africa.

His first feature, 1987s Mapantsula, followed a petty gangster caught between personal gain and joining the anti-apartheid struggle to fight for the greater good. The 2000 feature Hijack Stories looked at the rise in violent crime post-apartheid, and 2010's Life Above All examined the scourge of HIV/AIDS and its impact on South African women.

For his latest, Shepherds and Butchers, which premieres in Berlins Panorama section on Saturday, Schmitz returns to South Africa and to the deeps scars apartheid has left in his country and its people. But theres a difference. This time, the victim is white.

The films story, based on real events, follows the trial of a 19-year-old white South African charged with murder after gunning down a group of seven black men. During the trial, it emerges he was a prison guard and, over a period of two years, was forced to execute some 160 men, mainly black activists. His lawyer  British comedian Steve Coogan in a rare dramatic role  believes the experience has left him traumatized and fights to save his client from the death penalty.

For the first time, it's a film that shows the conflict at the heart of the white soldiers, many of whom had their innocence destroyed by the apartheid system, says Schmitz. They were brought up to be racists, to obey blindly. It is the question inherent in any fascist society: What turns people into monsters? I think the perspective of the white South African racist is a valid one and one that hasnt been addressed in film before.

Read More: Berlin: Why 'Midnight Special' Director Wanted More Michael Shannon, Less Dialogue Onscreen (Q&A)

The pics title comes from the dual role assigned to prison guards on Death Row in South Africa. They were charged with caring for black prisoners sentenced to death  they cooked for them, talked to them, were often their only companions in their final weeks  but the same men marched them to the gallows and watched them hang, says Schmitz.

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This wasnt a film I could have done 20 years ago. I was personally so disgusted and angry at the society I grew up in, I would never have considered looking at the humanity of the white killers, he says. But I think this is something we have to take a deep hard look at, because it's part of the issues that are still troubling South African society.

Two decades after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission  the films protagonist is based on the sole prison guard who testified before the committee, and was subsequently ostracized by his family and friends  Schmitz says white South Africans still gloss over their countrys racist past.

The filmmaker cites the current movement to tear down statues of former South African prime minister and fervent racial imperialist Cecil Rhodes. I think white South Africans share a collective guilt  we all benefited from the apartheid system  and thats been buried and forgotten," says Schmitz. "Personally, Id like to see the country keep its Rhodes statues, but put them all on Robben Island [where Nelson Mandela was detained]  make a museum where people could go to mock Rhodes ideas.

South Africa has done a lot to try to give a voice to the countrys once-silenced black majority, Schmitz says. But real healing, he argues, can only come when the white population begins to dig deep into its own past and examine the damage the old system did  to all South Africans.

WestEnd Films is selling Shepherds and Butchers in Berlin.

See More: The Scene at Berlin Film Festival
On his deathbed in 2009, celebrated Israeli writer Amos Elon begged his daughter, documentary director Danae Elon, never to return to Israel. But Elon ignored her fathers dying wish and, with a camera and family in tow, left Brooklyn in 2010 for Jerusalem, where she grew up, to touchingly honor the memory of her dad.

The result is P.S. Jerusalem, a documentary with a home-movie aesthetic set for a European premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival as part of the Forum sidebar. The pic captures Elon and her family as they are quickly exposed to, and eventually exhausted by, the seeming endless war, occupation and human-rights abuses during their three years in the city.

"I wanted to be brutally honest. I didnt want to hide behind poetic, liberal ways of thinking," Elon tells The Hollywood Reporter about her filmmaking style.

Read More: Berlin Hidden Gems: 'The Singhampton Project' Is a Feast for the Eyes, Too

Like so many other docs about Israel, P.S. Jerusalem is about perceptions, such as how Israelis and Palestinians choose to see and define themselves. But the filmmaker says she had no interest in choosing sides.

"I didnt want to talk about peoples  neither Palestinians or Israelis. I wanted to focus on individuals," she explains. The result is hardly reality TV, even though Elon seemingly keeps her camera rolling at all times.

P.S. Jerusalem is at its most moving when, through the prism of parenthood, Elon captures the reactions of her family to the complexity of the conflict surrounding them. We learn quickly that the Hebrew and Arabic that the oldest of her three sons learns in school are survival tools. In one tense scene, Tristan, 4, whispers to his Palestinian friend as they enter a Jewish neighborhood: "Dont speak Arabic here." Minutes later, his friend whispers to Elons son in Arabic as they pass back into a Palestinian zone: "Not a word in Hebrew!"

In time, Elon captures the boy asking endless questions about soldiers and air-raid sirens and why he lives a different life than those of his Palestinian pals.

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Elon ultimately has to confront her deeply conflicted role as mother, wife and filmmaker when her partner, Philippe, a French-Algerian Jew living for the first time in Israel, declares hes had enough with war, occupation and "craziness."

Read More: Berlin Hidden Gems: Kiwi 'Born to Dance' Steps Up

"You do want to explode," Elon says of Philippe waiting to get out of Israel. "You just cant take it anymore."

After three years, Elon and her family leave, but not before a final scene where her son is tearful as hes forced to part with his Palestinian friends.

Elon arrives in Berlin with no regrets over putting her family through an ordeal to capture their experiences in P.S. Jerusalem. "I exposed some of our most painful moments in conversation," she says, "and I tried to be true to them and not to polish them and not hide behind imagery."

See More: The Scene at Berlin Film Festival
Lee Tamahoris out of competition screener Mahana (The Patriarch) won loud kudos from critics and reporters following its screening at the Berlin Film Festival on Saturday.

Media reps attending the press conference that followed were treated to philosophical discussions on Maori culture, John Ford westerns, the role of gender in society and were left ultimately stunned by a Maori haka impressively performed by actors Temuera Morrison and Akuhata Keefe.

The film, which marks the directors return to his native New Zealand, is an adaptation of Whale Rider author Witi Ihimaeras autobiographical novel. The story centers on a Maori family in the 1960s that is shaken by a teenagers rejection of tradition as he grows close to the daughter of a rival clan.

Morrison, who toplined Tamahoris 1994s Once Were Warriors, plays the authoritarian family patriarch who sees it as his responsibility to keep the family together, whatever the cost.

Tamahori noted that Ihimaeras novel was not as pervasive as some of the authors other works, but added,It spoke a lot to me. I wouldnt say nostalgic, but it touched memory for me.

The director, whose works include the James Bond film Die Another Day, Nicolas Cage-starrer Next and The Devils Double, said he saw the story as a western with its focus on rugged individuals who work the land.

The publicists dont want me to refer to it as a western, but it is a western, Tamahori said. Im a great fan of American westerns. Its the purest form of a moral play. He added that while The Patriarch was not in essence a proper western, it shared many of the same elements and had many echoes of the American western.

Producer Robin Scholes said the story examined a transition of generations seen in many parts of the world. This new generation represents the first generation to be educated. The older generation worked the land, but their children became the first to read books, to be able to earn a living with their minds rather than by physical labor.

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Tamahori added that the character of the patriarch represented a dying breed of man  men who had seen war, men of action and of few words who worked hard but were not given to great show of emotion.

Actress Nancy Brunning added that while Morrisons character is seen as somewhat of a tyrant, he, like many of his generation, saw it as their responsibility to keep the family together in a time of social upheaval. This was a time when Maoris were moving to cities and families were falling apart, so many families were trying really, really hard to stay together.

Scholes pointed out that Maori culture had been matriarchal in the past but society and things like land ownership changed with the arrival of colonialism, leading screenplay writer John Collee to quip that all bad things today, from ISIS to Donald Trump, seemed to result from a lack of equilibrium between men and women.

Asked about a Maori haka performed in the film, Morrison and Keefe proceeded to awe the audience with an impromptu version of the traditional dance and war cry.

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New York (AFP) - Disgraced US TV legend Bill Cosby appealed a Pennsylvania judge's refusal to dismiss a sexual assault case against him, according to a document seen by AFP.

The 78-year-old actor and comedian is accused by dozens of women of sexual assault dating back decades, but the vast majority of cases have expired under statutes of limitations.

The small number of cases that are proceeding are playing out in civil court -- except in Pennsylvania where Cosby is standing trial for the first time on a criminal sexual assault charge.

Cosby's appeal centers on a decision in Pennsylvania earlier this month by Judge Steven O'Neill, who threw out an attempt by the actor's lawyers to have the case dismissed.

Cosby's lawyers filed their notice of appeal against that decision to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania on Friday.

The sexual assault accusation against Cosby dates back to 2004 and the matter was originally settled in 2006 by a civil suit.

The accusation was brought by Andrea Constand, who said Cosby forced himself on her at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. Prosecutors say he urged her to take pills and drink wine, leaving her unable to resist as he made his move on her.

In a deposition Cosby gave as part of the civil suit, he admitted giving Constand a pill, but said all relations with her were consensual and accused her of lying about the assault.

Prosecutors reopened the case last year, claiming that new evidence came to light in July.

Cosby's legal team argued that that violated a 2005 agreement that he would never be prosecuted over the allegation of assault made by Constand, a former employee of Temple University in Philadelphia.

The avalanche of accusations against Cosby have led television networks to back away from projects connected to him, and several universities have stripped him of honorary degrees.

On Friday, Cosby also appealed another decision in which the judge refused to disqualify the lead prosecutor from participating in an eventual trial.
UK-based fashion retailer River Island has revealed a sneak peek at its upcoming collaboration with London label Sibling.

The brand's high street debut, described by Sibling designers Cozette McCreery and Sid Bryan as "pretty in pink", is feminine, youthful, funky and tough. Inspired by Ellen Von Unwerth's photographs, silver screen siren Brigitte Bardot, and daisies, amongst other things, it captures a carefree and fun vibe, woven from a palette of pastel pinks and blues.

A candy pink patterned denim jacket and a royal blue knitted two-piece skirt suit with coral piping are just some of the pieces that will be available when the collection hits stores on February 22. The line also includes a swimwear range, featuring a purple one piece and bikini with a frilly trim and contrast orange strap. Pieces will be priced from 15 - 55 (approximately $22 - $80).

"Both Sid and I love River Island's own product, especially the level of quality and design," says McCreery. "Also their list of previous collaborators: hello Rihanna! Quite an honor to be asked really."

Founded in 2008 by McCreery, Bryan and Joe Bates, Sibling was originally conceived as a menswear label but has been creating womenswear designs since Autumn / Winter 2012. The brand has become known for its bold approach to color, pattern and knitwear, with pieces often featuring animal print, sequins and stripes.

Sibling is the latest in a line of labels to join forces with the UK retailer as part of its Design Forum initiative. Previous collaborations have featured Eudon Choi, Zoe Jordan and Jean-Pierre Braganza.

The Sibling x River Island Design Forum collection will be unveiled in full during London Fashion Week, during the British Fashion Council's "Fashion Film Initiative". It hits selected stores in the UK and internationally on February 22 and will also be available to purchase from www.riverisland.com
BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States needs to proceed with caution on possible deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system following North Korea's recent rocket launch and not use this as an excuse to affect China's security, the Chinese foreign minister said. Speaking to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Munich, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed Beijing's opposition to the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, China's Foreign Ministry said late on Friday. Wang "demanded the U.S. side must act cautiously, not use the opportunity to harm China's security interests and not add a new complicating factor to regional peace and stability", the ministry said. South Korea and the United States are expected to begin talks next week on possible deployment of the system. North Korea launched a long-range rocket on Feb. 7 carrying what it called a satellite, drawing renewed international condemnation just weeks after it carried out a nuclear test. It said the launch was for peaceful purposes, but Seoul and Washington have said it violated U.N. Security Council resolutions because it used ballistic missile technology. Wang also repeated China's stance that sanctions "are not the aim" and that everyone should think of ways to restart talks on the North Korean nuclear issue. "This completely accords with the interests of all sides, including China and the United States," Wang added, according to the statement. In Seoul, the U.S. military stationed in South Korea said it had deployed an additional Patriot missile defense unit to the country in response to recent North Korean provocations. An air defense artillery unit from Texas is conducting ballistic missile defense training with existing troops deployed in the South, the U.S. Forces Korea also said in a statement. The Patriot system is a high-velocity interceptor that defends against incoming ballistic and cruise missiles as well as aircrafts. (This story has been refiled to correct date of North Korea rocket launch in paragraph five) (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Jee Heun Kahng in Seoul; Editing by Michael Perry)
Washington (AFP) - In freezing President Barack Obama's plan to tackle carbon emissions, the US Supreme Court delivered a blow to a global climate deal - but experts say that US commitments to the deal will survive.

Obama's "Clean Power Plan" would require the power sector to cut carbon dioxide emissions by at least 32 percent compared to 2005 levels by the year 2030.

The high court's surprise decision unleashed a wave of concern around the world.

"For a vulnerable country like India, it is important that the Paris Agreement leads to ever more ambitious actions by all countries," said Navroz Dubash of the New Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research, referring to the global climate deal.

"From that perspective, this early indication from the US Supreme Court risks taking us in the wrong direction."

The court "threw an unexpected monkey wrench into the Obama administration's plan to cut carbon pollution from power plants," said Union of Concerned Scientists president Ken Kimmell.

However, Kimmell told AFP, "it would be quite premature to conclude that is a blow to the Paris Agreement."

The freeze will only last about 18 months -- until a legal challenge by a coalition of 27 mostly Republican states is heard -- and Obama himself has said he is confident the White House is on "strong legal footing."

The Environmental Protection Agency gave US states individual greenhouse gas emission targets, but they have until 2022 to comply, which Kimmell noted was a "very long" timeline.

"The immediate effect of the ruling is to push back the deadline for our states to submit implementation plans, but this delay does not necessarily imperil the United States' meeting its 2030 target," said Scott Fulton, president of the Environmental Law Institute.

- 'Historic' freeze... -

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey echoed fellow Republicans when he hailed the "historic and unprecedented victory against (the) EPA," backed by the five conservative justices of the nine-seat court.

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But climate experts note that the Supreme Court did not rule on the substance of the Clean Power Act, sending the matter back to an appeals court that will probably rule in June.

Other lower courts will also make related decisions.

"This is merely a temporary pause on the Clean Power Plan, and we are confident that it will prevail in the court hearings to come," said Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune.

Bill Hare, founder and CEO of Berlin-based Climate Analytics, also gave a positive forecast.

"The Paris Agreement will ride through this," he said.

"There are many challenges ahead and I am more concerned about countries like Japan pressing ahead with coal than this action by the US Supreme Court."

- ...or 'procedural' delay? -

In his first public reaction to the justices' "unusual" decision, Obama rejected a potential end to a project he has held so dear.

"Don't despair," Obama told donors in California on Thursday.

The Clean Power Plan is at the heart of Washington's commitments under a global climate deal agreed by 195 governments in Paris in December.

Could the freeze encourage other major polluters, like China and India, to halt their efforts to transition toward more clean energy?

"Countries like China, India and others are moving forward with their Paris commitments because moving to a clean energy future is in their national interest for a whole host of reasons, including clean air and public health, energy security and international competitiveness," said Rhodium Group's Kate Larsen.

"I don't imagine this speed bump on the path to a single policy in the US will keep them from pursuing those national priorities."

That said, Larsen acknowledged that some countries may be concerned since the Clean Power Plan is the "most international visible climate policy" that Washington has presented thus far.

And the plan is but one element of many in US climate policy.

"This temporary setback to one piece of the US climate strategy will not the deter the tremendous momentum globally coming out of Paris," said Center for Climate and Energy Solutions executive vice president Elliot Diringer.

"Many US states and power companies have already said they will continue working to reduce emissions despite the court's ruling."
Congress is nowhere near ready to regulate seating on passenger jets, and a recent vote in House committee proves it. In other words, airlines can keep shrinking airplane seats and make air travel as uncomfortable as they want without worrying about breaking any laws.

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Whats clear from recent proposals for airplane seating is that airlines are considering reducing the available space per passenger even further, in an effort to increase maximum load without actually buying bigger planes.

I am disappointed, Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, said in a statement. This was a vote against the safety and health of airline passengers, he added, referring to the 26-33 defeat of a bill that would have asked for standard seating space on passenger jets.

The vote was part of the House transportation committees vote on amendments to a bill to fund the Federal Aviation Administration, CNN reports. According to Cohen, average seat width has shrunk by 1.5 inches in more than 40 years  seats measured 18 inches wide in 1970s, but now theyre about 16.5 inches.

The issue isnt just about comfort, Cohen said, as it also concerns passenger safety. The FAA is putting passengers at risk because there hasnt been adequate emergency evacuation testing for seating where rows are set with a pitch of under 29 inches. The term pitch refers to the distance between any point on one seat to the same point on the seat in front of it.

Cohen says that airline seats are hard to get out of and they keep getting smaller and smaller, in response to other committee members who said that the bill already contains provisions for evaluating airline evac procedures.

Were down to four major carriers and they do what they want, Cohen said, adding that he wont give up on his plan to regulate airplane seating.

Not everybody agrees with Cohen. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Illinois, responded that I think we got to the root of the issue as a whole. Its your issue with the airline industry.

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Unsurprisingly, the airlines dont agree either. Washington airline lobbyist group Airlines for America said in a statement on Wednesday that the government shouldnt regulate airplane seating, and competition should determine what is offered.

[Customers] vote every day with their wallet, the group added.

If you want to see how airlines might overhaul airplane seating one day, check out this link. Furthermore, make sure you know what the safest seats are in the event of a plane crash.

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This article was originally published on BGR.com
Havana (AFP) - Cuba's president Raul Castro awarded the country's highest honor to Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill on Saturday, hailing his role in the communist island's relations with Moscow.

The 84-year-old president handed the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church the Order of Jose Marti, a Cuban national hero, in the governmental Palace of the Revolution in Havana.

The ceremony came a day after talks at Havana airport between Kirill and Pope Francis -- the first such meeting between the heads of their two branches of the Church in nearly a thousand years.

Those talks were seen as significant in the context of tensions between Russia and the west over the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine.

The Church leaders vowed to work together for peace.

Castro's role as host for the meeting was seen to reflect Cuba's growing stature in international affairs.

The island is strengthening ties with the United States and Europe, but has been a longtime ally of Moscow.

"The Russian Orthodox Church, and in particular Patriarch Kirill, has played an important role in forging that relation," said a state decree read out by one of Castro's aides.

"He has contributed to spreading the best values that unite us."

Kirill said he considered it his "duty to support these relations and to do all I can to help relations between our states and peoples reach a higher level."

He earlier laid flowers at a Soviet memorial in Havana.

Cuba hosted Russian soldiers during the Cold War and is currently home to some 3,000 Orthodox worshipers.

On Sunday, Kirill will hold Mass in Our Lady of Kazan Orthodox cathedral, which he consecrated in 2008 during one of his three previous visits to Cuba.

His 11-day trip will also take him to Paraguay and Brazil.
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 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. 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)
TAIPEI (Reuters) - The death toll at a building that collapsed from a strong earthquake in southern Taiwan reached 114 as rescue efforts came to an end on Saturday, a week after the temblor hit. "The search and rescue has come to an end," said Tainan Mayor William Lai, in remarks carried live on local television, identifying the last individual to be pulled out from the rubble as Hsieh Chen-yu, who was part of the fallen building's management committee. All of those believed missing in the building have now been accounted for, city officials said. The 6.4-magnitude quake struck at early dawn on Feb. 6 at the beginning of the Lunar New Year holiday, with almost all of the dead found in Tainan's toppled Wei-guan Golden Dragon Building. Two other people died elsewhere in the city. Rescue work has focused on the wreckage of the 17-storey building. The building had 256 registered residents but when more than that number were pulled out in the initial days after the quake, it became clear more people were in the building when it toppled. Of a total 289 people pulled out, 175 were alive with 96 of them taken to the hospital, Lai said. No survivors had been brought out since Monday evening, when more than 100 were still reported missing. The Wei-guan was the only major high-rise building in the city of two million people to have completely collapsed. Its lower storeys, filled with arcades of shops, pancaked on top of each other before the entire U-shaped complex toppled in on itself. Local authorities are investigating the reasons for the building's collapse and earlier this week took into custody three individuals, including the developer of the Wei-guan Golden Dragon Building, on suspicion of professional negligent homicide. No one has yet been formally charged. (Reporting by J.R. Wu; Editing by Richard Pullin)
By Rupam Jain MUZAFFARNAGAR, India (Reuters) - At a campaign rally in a north Indian city, a visibly drunk election worker from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nationalist party climbs unsteadily onto the stage after being called to speak. Swaying, he unzips his leather jacket, drops a saffron party flag and declares: "I want to teach Muslims a lesson; a lesson that will prove Hindu unity and protect our religion from Islam." A year before Uttar Pradesh holds a state election that could make or break Modi's chances of a second term, political opponents, analysts and commentators say his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is re-testing a divisive formula at a by-election on Saturday in a troubled corner of India's most populous state. It was here in Muzaffarnagar, in 2013, that at least 65 people were killed in communal clashes between Hindus and Muslims. Around 12,000 people were driven from their homes in the surrounding villages where farmers grow sugarcane. The following year, the BJP won 71 of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh in a general election, handing Modi India's biggest parliamentary majority in three decades. Despite two major state poll defeats since, the BJP recently re-appointed Amit Shah as its campaign manager, counting on him to win again in the 2017 regional vote. Shah, who holds the rank of party president, was banned by the Election Commission of India from campaigning in 2014 for statements promoting "hatred and ill will" between religions. A senior aide to Shah told Reuters the Muzaffarnagar campaign raised legitimate issues to expose the flaws of the state government, led by the left-wing Samajwadi Party that is widely supported by Muslim voters. "It's not illegal to voice the concerns of Hindus," said the aide, who did not want to be named. "To assume that we will only win elections by polarisation is ridiculous. Our work will prove a point and Modi's image will work the best for us." ALL-OUT ATTEMPT At the BJP rally in Muzaffarnagar, a town of 300,000 people, a businessman chants a Hindu prayer and, to cheers, says girls should not fall for Muslim boys waging a "Love Jihad" against his community. As the party worker totters off the wobbly podium, he gets a pat on the back from Sanjeev Balyan, the union agriculture minister who was elected as the local member of parliament in the 2014 landslide. Balyan, 42, is being tried in a Muzaffarnagar court for rioting, disturbing the peace and unlawful assembly during the 2013 clashes, his lawyer said. He spent 12 days in prison before being granted bail. Further hearings are pending, and Balyan has pleaded his innocence. With this reporter present, Balyan gives no speech; only expressing gratitude to his voters. Asked later by Reuters about the broader significance of the Muzaffarnagar by-election for Hindu unity and for Uttar Pradesh, he described it as a prelude to "an all-out final attempt to protect Hindus." BIGGEST PRIZE Modi must win in Uttar Pradesh, India's biggest electoral prize, to sustain his hope of one day gaining full control of parliament, where he lacks a majority in the Rajya Sabha that represents the states. A victory there would help the 65-year-old leader advance his development agenda by passing land, tax and labour reforms that have been thwarted by the opposition. Defeat could turn his government into a lame duck ahead of the 2019 general election. With Modi's promise of growth and jobs yet to materialise, the temptation to shore up his political base is growing, say political analysts. "The party has nothing to boast about on the economic or development front," said Sanjay Kumar, director of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, a New Delhi think-tank specialising in social sciences and opinion research. "If polarisation works, then they will be tempted to replicate it in the 2017 state elections." Party leaders say the BJP is determined to keep its base intact with a message of Hindutva, or the idea that India is a Hindu nation. "Many people are taken aback by the directness of the BJP's Hindutva messaging in the Muzaffarnagar by-election, but we are only speaking the truth," Chandra Mohan, a BJP spokesman in Lucknow, told Reuters by telephone. Hindus make up nearly 80 percent of India's 1.3 billion people. Uttar Pradesh, home to one in six of the population, is also predominantly Hindu. But, in the west of the state, Muslims are in a slight majority. "The BJP has mastered the art of winning elections by labelling Muslims as terrorists and traitors," said Sajida Khatoon, a 54-year-old Muslim whose brother and eight neighbours were killed in 2013. She says she has warned her two teenage sons to avoid Hindu youths and not get involved with Hindu girls. "They're at an age when they easily get attracted to girls, but a Muslim falling in love with a Hindu can lead to riots here." (Reporting by Rupam Jain; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Ian Geoghegan)
Today in One Paragraph

Republican presidential candidate Jim Gilmore ended his campaign. Donald Trump threatened to sue Ted Cruz for not being a natural born citizen. The heads of the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches met for the first time in nearly 1,000 years. The U.S. government plans to open commercial flights to Cuba. Secretary of State John Kerry announced an upcoming temporary ceasefire in the Syrian civil war. Two high-school students were killed in a shooting in Glendale, Arizona. And President Obama has designated three new national monuments.

Top News

Jim Gil-no-more. The former Virginia governor has ended his campaign for president after failing to gain momentum. Gilmore said he would continue working to ensure that our next President is a free-enterprise Republican who will restore our nation to greatness and keep our citizens safe. (Daniel Chaitin, Washington Examiner)

Recommended: The 2016 Presidential Cheat Sheet: Farewell, Jim Gilmore

When in Doubt, File a Lawsuit. Donald Trump threatened to sue Ted Cruz for his birthplace, tweeting that if Cruz doesnt clean up his act, stop cheating, & doing negative ads, he has grounds for a lawsuit against him. (Bradford Richardson, The Hill)

A Historic Meeting. For the first time since the Great Schism in 1054, the pope met with the leader of the Russian Orthodox church in Cuba, marking an important step toward inter-faith relations. (Doug Stanglin, USA Today)

School Shooting. Two female students were found fatally shot at a high school in Glendale, Arizona. This is not an active-shooter situation, and we realized that once we got on scene, authorities said. ( Megan Cassidy, Ricardo Cando, and Anne Ryman; The Arizona Republic)

Your Ticket to Havana. The U.S. government will announce Tuesday that it will open commercial air travel to and from Cuba for the first time in decades, according to a notice sent to congressional offices. It will approve up to 110 flights per day. (Jake Sherman, Politico)

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A Pause in Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry announced that a compromise between Russia and U.S. has led to a cessation of hostilities in the Syrian civil war. The U.N. hopes to deliver aid to some areas within the next 24 hours. ( BBC News)

The Weekend in One Paragraph: Its Presidents Day weekend, and whats better a holiday treat than another presidential debate? On Saturday, the GOP presidential candidates will debate at 9 p.m. ET in Greenville, South Carolina. And a new batch of Hillary Clintons emails are expected to be released to the public.

Follow stories throughout the day with our new Politics & Policy page. And keep on top of the campaign with our 2016 Distilled election dashboard.

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The Social Security Administration found, for example, that life expectancy for the wealthiest American men at age 60 was just below the rates in Iceland and Japan, two countries where people live the longest. Americans in the bottom quarter of the wage scale, however, ranked much further down  one notch above Poland and the Czech Republic. The New York Times Sabrina Tavernise on the disparity in life expectancy between high- and low-income Americans.

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Gift to the GOP. Even though Carly Fiorina dropped out of the presidential race this week, she was a blessing to the Republican party, argues The National Reviews Ian Tuttleand shes expected to be back in the media hot seat again soon.

Recommended: Why Carly Fiorina's Exit from the 2016 Race is a Defeat for Conservative Feminism

Where Christie Went Wrong. The New Hampshire primary marked the end of the New Jersey governors campaign, but it also helped boost John Kasich moving into the South Carolina primary. Why? (Nora Kelly, The Atlantic)

An Effective Attack. By pointing out Bernie Sanderss unwillingness to address to issues other than income inequalitylike racismHillary Clinton might have finally found her footing in her fight against him. (Jamelle Bouie, Slate)

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How Widespread Is Lead Poisoning? It stretches the entire U.S. To see which states are reporting high blood lead levels, check out this interactive explainer. (Julia Lurie, Mother Jones)

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A former governor of Afghanistan's Herat province has been kidnapped from a market in an upscale district of Islamabad, Pakistani police said Saturday.

Pakistan is in the grip of a homegrown Taliban insurgency but the tightly-guarded capital has a very low crime rate in general and the F-7/2 sector where Sayed Fazlullah Wahidi was seized is a high security area that houses politicians, bureaucrats and expats.

Wahidi was going to a restaurant in the market with his grandson Friday evening when he was abducted by unidentified men, a police official, who requested anonymity, told AFP

The boy reported the kidnapping to the local police station and said Wahidi was in Islamabad to apply for a British visa, police said.

"We have registered a case against kidnapping of the former Afghan governor and the case is being investigated," Zia-ul-Qamar, a spokesman for the Islamabad police, told AFP.
Paris (AFP) - France notched up their first victory over Ireland since 2011 on Saturday, a late converted Maxime Medard try producing an unlikely 10-9 victory to make it two from two in this year's Six Nations.

Such was the disparity between the two sides over the opening hour, it would not be harsh to say France, 23-21 winners over Italy in their opening match last weekend, snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

Two-time defending champions Ireland, who opened their campaign with a bruising 16-16 draw against Wales, were completely dominant against a toothless French side in the first 60 minutes, but were unable to convert that pressure into points.

Jonathan Sexton kicked three penalties to one from Jules Plisson in the first-half, before Medard crossed for the decisive try, converted by Plisson, the result of some outstanding forward pressure.

Ireland opened the match in dominant fashion, pinning the home side back deep in their own half.

Sexton spurned a pot at goal in the sixth minute after France strayed offside, instead going for the corner flag, but a knock-on put paid to any hopes of scoring points.

In slick conditions at a packed out Stade de France, handling proved testing at times, with both teams producing numerous knock-ons.

When lock Yoann Maestri took out Sexton in the 14th minute with a shoulder charge off the ball, the Irish fly-half made no mistake with the penalty.

Ireland suffered a hammer blow when rampaging openside flanker Sean O'Brien, who had often acted as first receiver in the opening quarter, limped off after 20 minutes.

The French seemed rudderless in managing their gameplan, a misfiring line-out and under-pressure scrum at set-piece aligned with silly moments of ill-discipline to hand the advantage to Ireland.

Sexton booted his second penalty just before the half-hour mark after a French ruck infringement on the edge of their 22m area.

Winger Dave Kearney added to Ireland's injury woes when he failed to recover from a monstrous tackle from France skipper Guilhem Guirado.

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A lazy effort to roll away from a ruck by Devin Toner handed Plisson a chance at goal just minutes later, the Stade Francais playmaker nailing France's first points of the rugged encounter.

That preceded France's first real passage of sustained attack, ended by a Plisson drop-goal that drifted wide.

Sexton hit his third three-pointer as the French scrum worryingly imploded, Plisson then missing his second, to take Ireland into the break 9-3 up.

The second period saw Noves ring the changes to shore up the scrum and add some zip into the backline.

A more open game promptly followed, Guirado opting for a kick to touch instead of a relatively simple penalty effort for Plisson in the 63rd minute.

Andrew Trimble was on hand to palm down what would have been a try-making pass by Plisson, but French tails were up.

France re-mobilised well and were denied a try by the television match official George Ayoub after driving over the Irish line.

Bolstered by replacement props Eddy Ben Arous and Rabah Slimani, the home side was awarded a series of penalties in front of the posts and opted for three scrums instead of taking the points.

With the backing of a vociferous crowd, the pressure eventually paid off, full-back Medard slicing over the line after a nice dart and pass by Maxime Machenaud.

Plisson kicked the extras to seal an unlikely victory and leave the Irish scratching their heads.
Athens (AFP) - Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Athens on Saturday in solidarity with farmers who have blocked dozens of highways and border crossings in recent weeks in protest over a pensions overhaul.

An estimated 12,000 people gathered in the Greek capital's central Syntagma Square outside parliament, police said.

More than half were members of the communist-leaning Pame trade union, offering support for the huge wave of farmers who arrived in Athens from the countryside Friday to protest against the reforms.

On Friday evening, around 10,000 protesters waving black flags, including thousands of farmers, marched through Athens behind a column of tractors blaring their horns.

Earlier Friday, protesters had clashed with police in front of the agriculture ministry and on a motorway outside the city.

Vowing to keep up the protests throughout the weekend, dozens of farmers spent Friday night camped out in Syntagma Square, lighting a fire in front of parliament.

The farmers are angry about government plans to increase their social security contributions as part of pension reforms demanded by Greece's creditors in exchange for a third massive bailout agreed last year.

Widespread opposition to the reforms has led to the rare sight of professionals marching alongside blue-collar workers in recent weeks, a phenomenon that has been dubbed the "necktie movement".

Farmers also reject plans to scrap benefits such as cheaper fuel and double their income tax by 2017 as the debt-wracked Greek government tries to replenish its coffers.
People around the world cheered yesterday morning (Feb. 11) when scientists announced the first direct detection of gravitational waves  ripples in the fabric of space-time whose existence was first proposed by Albert Einstein, in 1916.

The waves came from two black holes circling each other, closer and closer, until they finally collided. The recently upgraded Large Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) captured the signal on Sept. 14, 2015. Not every scientific discovery gets this kind of reception, so what exactly is all the hype about, and what's next for LIGO now that it has spotted these elusive waves?

First of all, detecting two colliding black holes is thrilling by itself  no one knew for sure if black holes actually merged together to create even more-massive black holes, but now there's physical proof. And there's the joy of finally having direct evidence for a phenomenon that was first predicted 100 years ago, using an instrument that was proposed 40 years ago. [Gravitational Waves Detected by LIGO: Complete Coverage]

But what is truly monumental about this detection is that it gives humanity the ability to see the universe in a totally new way, scientists said. The ability to directly detect gravitational waves  which are generated by the acceleration or deceleration of massive objects in space  has been compared to a deaf person suddenly gaining the ability to hear sound. An entirely new realm of information is now available.

"It's like Galileo pointing the telescope for the first time at the sky," LIGO team member Vassiliki (Vicky) Kalogera, a professor of physics and astronomy at Northwestern University in Illinois, told Space.com. "You're opening your eyes  in this case, our ears  to a new set of signals from the universe that our previous technologies did not allow us to receive, study and learn from."

"Up until now, we've been deaf to gravitational waves," LIGO Executive Director David Reitze, of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), said during an announcement ceremony in Washington, D.C. "What's going to come now is we're going to hear more things, and no doubt we'll hear things that we expected to hear  but we will also hear things that we never expected."

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With this new sensory view of the universe, here are some of the things scientists hope to discover.

New windows on the universe

LIGO is particularly sensitive to gravitational waves that come from violent cosmic events, such as two massive objects colliding or a star exploding. The observatory has the potential to locate these objects or events before light-based telescopes can do so, and in some cases, gravitational-wave observations could be the only way to find and study such events.

For example, in yesterday's announcement, scientists reported that LIGO had identified two black holes spinning around each other and merging together in a final, energetic collision. As their name suggests, black holes don't radiate light, which means they are invisible to telescopes that collect and study electromagnetic radiation. Some black holes are visible with light-based telescopes, because material in their immediate vicinity radiates, but scientists haven't seen examples of merging black holes with radiating material around them.

In addition, the black holes spotted by LIGO are 29 and 36 times the mass of the sun, respectively. But Reitze said that as LIGO's sensitivity continues to improve, the instrument could be sensitive to black holes that are 100, 200 or even 500 times the mass of the sun that are further away from Earth. "There could be a really nice discovery space that opens up once we get out there," he said.

Scientists already know that studying the sky in different wavelengths of light can reveal new data about the cosmos. For many centuries, astronomers could only work with optical light. But relatively recently, researchers built instruments allowing them to study the universe using X-rays, radio waves, ultraviolet waves and gamma-rays. Each time, scientists got a new view of the universe.

In the same way, gravitational waves have the potential to show scientists totally new features of cosmic objects, LIGO team members said. [Study of Gravitational Waves Could Unravel Many Mysteries (Video)]

"If we're ever lucky enough to have a supernova in our own galaxy, or maybe in a nearby galaxy, we will be able to look at the actual dynamics of what goes on inside the supernova," said LIGO co-founder Rainer Weiss of MIT, who spoke at the announcement ceremony. While light is often blocked by dust and gas, "gravitational waves come right out [of the supernova], boldly unimpeded," Weiss said. "As a consequence, you really find out what's going on inside of these things."

Other exotic objects scientists hope to study with gravitational waves are neutron stars, which are mind-bogglingly dense, burned-out stellar corpses: A teaspoon of neutron-star material would weigh about a billion tons on Earth. Scientists aren't sure what happens to regular matter under such extreme conditions, but gravitational waves could provide extremely helpful clues, because these waves should carry information about the interior of the neutron star all the way to Earth, LIGO scientists said.

LIGO also has a system set up to alert light-based telescopes when the detector seems to have spotted a gravitational wave. Some of the astronomical events that LIGO will study, such as colliding neutron stars, may produce light in all wavelengths, from gamma-rays to radio waves. With LIGO's alert system in place, it's possible that scientists could observe some astronomical events or objects in various wavelengths of light, plus gravitational waves, which would provide a "very complete picture" of those events, Reitze said.

"When that happens, that'll be, I think, the next big thing in this field," he said.

Relativity

Gravitational waves were first predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity, which was published in 1916. That famous theory has stood up to all kinds of physical tests, but there are some aspects that scientists haven't been able to study in the real world, because they require very extreme circumstances. The extreme warping of space-time is one example of this.

"Until now, we have only seen warped space-time when it is very calm  as though we had only seen the surface of the ocean on a very calm day, when it's quite glassy," Kip Thorne of Caltech, another founding member of LIGO and an expert on warped space-time, said at yesterday's ceremony. "We had never seen the ocean roiled in a storm, with crashing waves. All that changed on Sept. 14. The colliding black holes that produced these gravitational waves created a violent storm in the fabric of space and time." [The History & Structure of the Universe (Infographic)]

"This observation tests that regime beautifully, very strongly," Thorne continued. "And Einstein comes out with beaming success."

But the study of general relativity via gravitational waves is far from over. Questions remain about the nature of the graviton, the particle believed to carry the gravitational force (just like the photon is the particle that carries the electromagnetic force). And scientists have many questions about the inner workings of black holes, which gravitational waves may help illuminate (so to speak). But all of that, the scientists said, will be revealed slowly, over the course of many years, as LIGO and related instruments collect more data on more events.

A legacy for the future

Looking toward the next three years, Reitze said the collaboration is focused on increasing LIGO's sensitivity to its full potential. This will make the observatory  which consists of two big detectors, one in Louisiana and the other in Washington state  more sensitive to gravitational waves. But scientists don't know how many events LIGO will see, because they don't know how often many of these events occur in the universe.

LIGO detected the binary black hole merger even before the instrument began its first official observation campaign after its recent upgrade, but it's possible that this was a lucky break. To get the gravitational astronomy train rolling, LIGO simply needs more data.

When asked to comment on LIGO's impact on the world beyond the scientific community, and about how gravitational-wave science might influence people's daily lives, Reitze simply said, "Who knows?"

"When Einstein predicted general relativity, who would have predicted that we'd use it every day when we use our cellphones?" he said. (General relativity provides an understanding how gravity influences the passing of time, and this information is necessary for GPS technology, which uses satellites that orbit further away from the gravitational pull of the Earth than people on the surface).

LIGO is "the most sensitive instrument ever built," said Reitze, and the technological advances that have been made while building the observatory may feed into technologies that will be used in ways people can't yet predict.

Thorne said he sees the larger contribution of LIGO slightly differently.

"When we look back on the era of the Renaissance, and we ask ourselves, 'What did the humans of that era give to us that's important to us today?' I think we would all agree it's great art, great architecture, great music," he said.

"Similarly, when our descendants look back on this era, and they ask themselves, 'What great things came to us?'  I believe there will be an understanding of the fundamental laws of the universe and an understanding of what those laws do in the universe, and an exploration of the universe," Thorne added. "LIGO is a big part of that. The rest of astronomy is a big part of that. And I think that cultural gift to our future generations is really much bigger than any kind of technological spin-off, than the ultimate development of technology of any kind. I think we should be proud of what we give to our descendants culturally."

Follow Calla Cofield @callacofield . Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

Copyright 2016 SPACE.com, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - At least 30 people have been killed in fresh Boko Haram raids on two villages in northeast Nigeria, vigilantes told AFP Saturday, again calling into question President Muhammadu Buhari's claim that Nigeria had largely defeated the jihadist group.

Gun and knife-toting assailants on bikes and in vans stormed the remote villages of Yakshari and Kachifa on Friday and Saturday, said Mustapha Karimbe, a local vigilante assisting the military in the fight against Boko Haram Islamists.

"The attackers killed 30 people in two separate attacks on the two villages last night (Friday) and this morning (Saturday)," Karimbe told AFP adding that they also looted and stole cattle.

The village of Yakshari was attacked at around 9:30 am on Saturday, with the assailants slaughtering 22 residents "by slitting their throats before emptying food stores and taking away all the cattle", Karimbe said, speaking from the town of Biu approximately 120 kilometres (75 miles) from the village.

Late Friday evening, meanwhile, Boko Haram Islamists also raided nearby Kachifa village, killing eight people.

"We believe the same gunmen carried out both attacks on the two villages," Karimbe said.

Dozens of people have been killed in Boko Haram attacks in recent weeks near Maiduguri, capital of northeast Borno state, despite Buhari's December boast that the jihadist group had been more or less defeated.

Since then the militants have killed dozens in raids and suicide attacks, including across the border in Cameroon.

On January 30, at least 85 people died when insurgents stormed and torched one village, while on Thursday two female suicide bombers killed at least 58 at a camp for people made homeless by the insurgency.

Rights group Amnesty International has also accused the military itself of committing war crimes and possible crimes against humanity in the course of its operations against the group.

Boko Haram, which seeks a hardline Islamic state in northern Nigeria, has killed some 17,000 people and forced more than 2.6 million others to flee their homes since the start of its insurgency in 2009.
By Krisztina Than BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Thousands of Hungarians protested on Saturday against education reforms implemented by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, which critics see as another attempt by the right-wing leader to boost his control over state institutions. Teachers, whose demands include a sharp reduction in teaching hours and a free choice of textbooks, were joined in the rain outside parliament by other unionized workers including miners and civil servants. Protesters say the reforms form part of a centralization drive by Orban over the past six years that has brought state media and other public institutions under his government's control. Singing the national anthem, some protesters shouted "We won't let this happen." Others held banners saying "Don't chase our youth away." "This is our last chance to ensure that our children live in a normal country getting good quality education instead of the destruction that is going on," said Katalin Egressy, 46, who has four children. Marta, a former English teacher and mother-of-three, said she came to protest because her children's future was at stake. "The situation is worsening day-by-day, the raising of mandatory hours is overburdening teachers and I don't like the mandatory textbooks either," she said, accompanied by her three-year-old son. Orban's government took control of schools from local authorities three years ago and a central body now regulates the system. It has increased teachers' workload and implemented a new curriculum using textbooks critics say contain errors. Teachers at a school in the northeastern town of Miskolc ignited the protests when they drew up a petition demanding the government restore schools' autonomy. The first big protest was held in Miskolc last week. The government responded by replacing its education state secretary and has started negotiations with teachers. Orban's ruling Fidesz party leads opinion polls after his tough stance on Europe's migrant crisis bolstered his support. His chief of staff Janos Lazar said on Thursday that there were issues to be tackled but pointed a finger at "some who want to stir political trouble." (Reporting by Krisztina Than)
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's forensics authority handed over to the prosecutor general's office on Saturday its final autopsy report on the Italian student who was tortured and found dead in Cairo last week. Giulio Regeni, 28, had been researching independent trade unions in Egypt and had written articles critical of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's government - prompting speculation that he was killed at the hands of Egypt's security forces. Egypt's interior and foreign ministers both dismissed the notion of security forces being behind Regeni's murder. The prosecutor general's office said it would not publicly disclose the contents of the report as the investigation was ongoing. Reuters was not able to obtain a copy to verify the contents. However, a senior source at the forensics authority told Reuters Regeni, a graduate student at Britain's Cambridge University, had seven broken ribs, signs of electrocution on his penis, traumatic injuries all over his body, and a brain hemorrhage. His body also bore signs of cuts from a sharp instrument suspected to be a razor, abrasions, and bruises. He was likely assaulted using a stick as well as being punched and kicked, the source added. A second autopsy in Italy "confronted us with something inhuman, something animal", Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano told Sky News 24 television last week. Egypt's initial autopsy report showed Regeni had been hit on the back of the head with a sharp instrument. Rights groups say police often detain Egyptians on scant evidence and that they are beaten or coerced. Scores have disappeared since 2013, the groups say. Egypt denies allegations of police brutality. Regeni was given a funeral in his hometown on Friday and Italy's prime minister once again insisted that those responsible be caught and punished. Italy has sent investigators to work with Egyptian authorities in an effort to establish what happened to Regeni. (Reporting by Haitham Ahmed; Writing by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Alison Williams)
Japan has voiced frustration at North Korea's decision to scrap an investigation into its past abductions of Japanese citizens.

Ministers nevertheless said they hoped to somehow persuade Pyongyang to make good on its promise, saying resolution of the emotional issue is a priority of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

"It is extremely regrettable that (North Korea) declared the termination of the investigation," Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida told a press conference Friday in Canada, where he was visiting this weekend.

"We will continue to do our best to encourage concrete action by North Korea," he said.

Pyongyang on Friday scrapped an investigation into its agents' past abductions of Japanese citizens in response to fresh sanctions imposed by Tokyo over its recent nuclear and long-range rocket tests.

Under an agreement brokered in Stockholm in May 2014, North Korea undertook to reinvestigate all abductions of Japanese citizens in what appeared to be a significant breakthrough on an issue that has long hampered Tokyo's relations with Pyongyang.

But there has been almost no progress since then, despite Tokyo's efforts to pressure the North into pushing forward with the probe and presenting its findings.

Katsunobu Kato, state minister in charge of the abduction issue, said Tokyo had no wish to discard the Stockholm accord.

"Considering the thoughts and feelings of the families of the kidnapping victims, we will give our all toward achieving the homecoming of their loved ones at the earliest time possible," Kato told journalists in Tokyo.

The abduction issue is a highly-charged one in Japan, where there are suspicions that perhaps dozens of people were taken.

North Korea outraged Japan when it admitted in 2002 that it had kidnapped 13 Japanese in the 1970s and 1980s to train its spies in Japanese language and customs.

Five of those abducted were allowed to return to Japan but Pyongyang has insisted, without producing solid evidence, that the eight others are dead.
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's shilling held steady on Friday and traders said they expected it to firm due to foreign currency inflows from sectors like agriculture and non governmental organisations. Stocks closed lower. At official close of trade at 1330 GMT, commercial banks quoted the shilling at 101.80/90 compared with 101.75/85 at Thursday's close. "The market is very quiet. Both counters are well-matched," said a senior trader at one commercial bank. A second trader at another bank said the shilling was seen gaining in coming days, helped by dollar inflows from tea exporters and non governmental organisations. On the Nairobi Securities Exchange, the main NSE-20 Share Index was down 34.64 points, or 0.91 percent, to close at 3,790.54 points, hit by bargain hunting. ...........................Shilling spot rates .....................Shilling forward rates .......................Cross rates ..................................Local contributors .......................Central Bank of Kenya Index .....................Kenyan Bonds contributor pages ...............Treasury bill yields ..................Central bank open market operations .........................Horizontal repo transactions ,................Daily interbank lending rate .............................Kenya Bond pricing ..................Real time Africa economic data ...........................African economic news .................................NSE-20 Share Index .................................NSE All Share Index ...........................FT NSE Kenya 15 Index .......................... FT NSE Kenya 25 Index SPEED GUIDES: (Reporting by George Obulutsa; Editing by Drazen Jorgic)
MUNICH (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry accused Russia on Saturday of hitting legitimate opposition groups and civilians with its bombing campaign in Syria and said Moscow must change its targets to respect a ceasefire deal clinched on Friday. "To date, the vast majority of Russia's attacks have been against legitimate opposition groups. To adhere to the agreement it made, Russia's targeting must change," Kerry told a security conference in Munich. He accused Russia of dropping so-called "dumb bombs" in Syria that do not have a precise target, saying this has led to the killing of civilians. (Reporting by Warren Strobel and Noah Barkin)
Munich (Germany) (AFP) - The United States strongly backs Britain staying in the European Union as it gears up for a referendum on its membership, US Secretary of State John Kerry told an audience in Germany on Saturday.

"Obviously, the United States has a profound interest in your success, as we do in a very strong UK staying in a strong EU," Kerry said at the Munich Security Conference.

The British government is engaged in an intensive round of high-stakes diplomacy aimed at renegotiating the terms of Britain's EU membership before holding an in-out referendum.

Prime Minister David Cameron is seeking to convince his 27 fellow EU leaders to back controversial reform proposals at a leaders' summit in Brussels on February 18-19.

"The truth is, in every decade since its founding, the EU has been tested by forces a- internal and external -a that benefited from a house divided," Kerry said.

"We know many Europeans feel overwhelmed by the latest round of challenges, including concerns about the UK's potential exit from the EU.

"I want to express the confidence of the United States... that a- as it has so many times before a- Europe is going to emerge stronger than ever, provided it stays united and builds common responses to these challenges."
Pope Francis launched a broadside against endemic corruption on his first visit to Mexico as pontiff on Saturday, calling on President Enrique Pena Nieto and his government to combat it.

Corruption is deeply ingrained in Mexico, and Pena Nieto, his wife and finance minister have all been embroiled in conflict-of-interest scandals involving homes purchased from government contractors.

Drug-trafficking gangs have infiltrated police forces across the country, and more than 100,000 people have been killed in drug violence over the last decade. Some 26,000 are missing.

"Experience teaches us that each time we seek the path of privilege or benefits for a few to the detriment of the good of all, sooner or later the life of society becomes a fertile soil for corruption, the drug trade, the exclusion of different cultures, violence and also human trafficking, kidnapping and death," the pope said in a speech to Pena Nieto, the government and foreign diplomats.

He said Mexico's leaders have a "particular duty" to move past corruption and violence and work for the collective good.

From the U.S. border to the indigenous south, Francis will visit some of Mexico's poorest and most violent corners on his five-day trip.

Mexico is the world's second most populous Roman Catholic country and hundreds of thousands of people are expected to join the pope on Saturday afternoon in a Mass at Mexico City's basilica for the country's patroness, the Virgin of Guadalupe.

"'Don't be afraid,' that is what she tells me," the Argentine-born pontiff said ahead of his visit, adding that he wanted to reflect silently in front of her image.

Carrying pictures of the pope and the Virgin of Guadalupe, and wrapped up against the winter chill, thousands converged on Mexico Citys historic center as the pope addressed the government at the presidential palace.

"This country needs his blessing. Were really struggling with corrupt politicians, unemployment and drug gangs, and everyone knows it," said Juanita Lopez, a 58-year-old maid, as she walked to the Zocalo, the capitals main square, clutching a rosary.

The pope earlier this month urged Mexicans to fight against corruption and brutal drug gang violence. Some Mexicans are looking to him to take that even further while he's here.

"We want him to demand that the president kick out all the corrupt people," said Marbella Vargas, whose son Edgar was one of 43 students abducted and apparently massacred in 2014, a grisly case that hammered the government's reputation.

During his visit, the pope will say Mass with indigenous communities in Mexico's poorest state Chiapas, and speak with young people in Morelia, the capital of Michoacan state that has been plagued by violence between drug gangs and armed vigilante groups.

The pope's trip will end with a prison visit and Mass in the notorious northern border city of Ciudad Juarez, where he will meet relatives of victims of violence.

In a reminder of Mexico's corruption and violence, 49 people were killed in a fight between rival gangs in a prison just days before the pope's arrival.

There has been speculation that the pope might also meet with relatives of the 43 missing students.

Francis, the first pope from Latin America, has won plaudits for his leadership of the Church over the last three years. But in Mexico he may struggle to match the lasting appeal of Pope John Paul II, who made multiple visits to the country.

More than half of those polled by newspaper Reforma last month said they identified most with John Paul II, versus 14 percent for Francis.

Reuters
By Svea Herbst-Bayliss

BOSTON (Reuters) - Billionaire investor Daniel Loeb has told clients his firm has taken more defensive bets in the face of tumbling markets by dramatically increasing its short positions, which helped Third Point avoid "calamitous" losses last year.

The fund manager also said the firm cut stakes in companies that were exposed to China and commodity prices, which have fallen sharply.

"A renewed focus on generating alpha on both sides of the portfolio has led us to increase single-name equity shorts by four-fold over the past year. Our total equity short exposure is nearly $4.5 billion today," Loeb wrote in a letter to clients dated February 12 and seen by Reuters.

Loeb, whose $17.5 billion hedge fund has delivered an average return of 16.2 percent a year over the last two decades, did not mince words in his assessment of tumbling markets.

"The indices' drastic declines actually fail to capture the true carnage revealed when you take a closer look at the breadth of S&P companies experiencing massive losses," he wrote.

Loeb was among the first big name fund managers to say that he was putting on new short bets last year, a decision he said on Friday helped his clients preserve capital. The fund lost 1.4 percent in 2015, far less than rivals David Einhorn and William Ackman who each lost roughly 20 percent. The S&P 500 ended 2015 with a 1.4 percent gain.

He blamed a sell-off in high yield credit markets, jitters about lower growth in China, plus what he called "incoherent" statements from U.S. central bankers for exacerbating markets' fears. And he said "a rise of populism in the Presidential race is creating further uncertainty."

For now, Loeb said the trouble is confined mostly to Wall Street, but he warned that if it hits Main Street and Americans cut back on spending, "the economic picture in the U.S. becomes grim."

In turn he has reoriented his portfolio, noting that his credit team and his stocks teams are betting on more declines.

(Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss; Editing by Tom Brown, Diane Craft)
PORT LOUIS (Reuters) - Mauritian hotel group Lux Island Resorts' second-quarter pretax profit rose by nearly 23 percent year on year to 327.82 million rupees ($9.26 million) on higher tourist arrivals, it said on Friday. The company is benifiting from a growth in a tourism sector that is a key source of hard currency for the Indian Ocean island nation known for its spas and beaches and which is expected to attract up to 10 percent more visitors this year. The luxury hotel group, which also has properties in the Maldives and Reunion, said occupancy rates nudged up to 83 percent, lifting group earnings in the three months to Dec. 31. Revenue rose to 1.54 billion rupees from 1.36 billion, with earnings per share climbing to 2.11 rupees from 2.06 rupees. The company said that both occupancy and the average daily rate for the current quarter for its Mauritius properties are ahead of last year. Performance of its Reunion unit is expected to be similar to last year, while visitor numbers in the Maldives are also on the rise, the company added. ($1 = 35.4100 Mauritius rupees) (Reporting by Jean Paul Arouff; Editing by George Obulutsa and Susanna Twidale)
Melissa McCarthy is the richest woman in America, Michelle Darnell, in her upcoming comedy The Boss. After Michelle is incarcerated for insider trading she tries to rebrand her image with the help of her former assistant Claire, played by Kristen Bell.

McCarthy's character, with her plethora of scarves and turtlenecks, has an insult and opinion for everyone in the red-band trailer. She tells a man that his late wife was "a whore" who "fed her way through the whole IT department," and mocks a young girl for having what she calls "a stripper name."

For her comeback, Michelle strives to start a "brownie empire" with the help of Claire's daughter and Dandelion troop friends. There seem to be more than a few hiccups along the way  watch below.

Read More: Melissa McCarthy's Michelle Darnell Teaches Girls How to Build a Brownie Empire in 'The Boss' Trailer
Nepal's former Maoist rebels paid tribute to fallen comrades Saturday in a ceremony marking 20 years since the start of an insurgency that transformed the Himalayan nation from a Hindu monarchy to a secular republic.

On 13 February, 1996, Maoist guerrillas attacked a police post in western Nepal's Rolpa district, launching a decade-long civil war that eventually claimed some 16,000 lives and left hundreds of people missing.

Hundreds of Maoist cadres gathered at the party's office in Kathmandu, waving red flags as senior leaders placed garlands on the "martyr's pillar" -- a monument built to honour fallen and missing combatants.

The rebels laid down arms in 2006 before entering politics and eventually helping to draft the country's new national constitution.

Introduced in September, the charter established Nepal as a secular federal republic, reflecting Maoist ideology.

"The constitution is the product of our war and we... take ownership of the new constitution," Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal, better known by his nom-de-guerre Prachanda, told cheering cadres in Kathmandu.

But for many ordinary Nepalis, who voted for the party in Nepal's first constituent assembly elections held in 2008, the Maoists failed to deliver on their pledge of bringing equality and progress to the deeply feudal country.

"Many people lost their lives, many went missing or became disabled so things would change in this country," Rina Tamang, a shopkeeper in Kathmandu, told AFP.

"Now we have a new constitution but we are still waiting for the change the Maoists promised us. Personally, I have no hope left anymore," the 39-year-old said.

After sweeping to victory in the 2008 polls, the former rebels soon came under fire for abandoning revolutionary ideals and developing a taste for luxury.

They alienated their voter base and crashed out in Nepal's second constituent assembly elections in 2013, finishing in third place.

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"A few leaders compromised on their promises, a few betrayed the revolution for lucrative positions in government... all this needs to be rectified to bring real change," said former guerrilla, Laxmi Prasad Chaulagain.

The constitution, the first drawn up by elected representatives, was meant to bolster Nepal's transformation into a peaceful democratic republic after decades of political instability.

But it has instead sparked violence, with more than 50 people killed in clashes between police and demonstrators from Nepal's Madhesi ethnic minority, who say it leaves them politically marginalised.

Ongoing discussions between the government and protesting parties have failed to yield an agreement.
Munich (Germany) (AFP) - Foreign ministers put pressure on Libya Saturday to finalise its unity government and head off the growing threat from the Islamic State group.

"There is no time to lose for the national unity government to assume its functions and securely establish itself in Tripoli," said the newly appointed French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, following a meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

The meeting was attended by US Secretary of State John Kerry and his counterparts from Britain, Egypt, Germany and Italy, as well as EU and UN representatives.

The speaker of Libya's internationally recognised parliament, Aguila Saleh, was also present.

His parliament has given itself until Sunday to form a new national unity government aimed at ending years of chaos in the North African country.

The Islamic State jihadist group has taken advantage of the turmoil to establish a stronghold with thousands of fighters in the coastal city of Sirte.

"The time of tactical maneuvering is over. Now it's time for Libya to show responsibility," said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

"Germany, Europe and the international community are ready to offer any help to support the Libyan government in this.

"This also applies to state-building and the training of security forces," Steinmeier added.

Ayrault, who took over as France's foreign minister from Laurent Fabius this week, warned that anyone obstructing the process would face international sanctions.

"That point is clear," he said.

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.

Last month the recognised parliament rejected a 32-member unity government announced as part of a UN-brokered deal, saying it was too large.
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - The White House said on Friday it will not oppose legislation approved by Congress to expand sanctions against North Korea after it recently conducted a rocket launch and a nuclear test. "Like many members of Congress, the administration is deeply concerned about North Korea's recent actions and the serious setback that this test represents," White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters in a briefing. "We're philosophically and intellectually in the same place as the Congress on this," Schultz said. (Reporting by Jeff Mason)
MUSCAT (Reuters) - Omani leader Sultan Qaboos is to travel to Germany on Sunday for a limited period of time for medical checks, the official Oman state news agency said on Saturday. Qaboos had previously spent eight months in Germany for medical reasons returning to Oman in March. His long absence had fueled concern over succession in the Arabian peninsula state over which Qaboos, nearly 75, has been absolute ruler since 1970. Western-backed Qaboos has ruled since taking over from his father in a bloodless coup with the help of Oman's former colonial power, Britain. (Reporting By Fatma Alarimi; Writing By Maha El Dahan; Editing by Toby Chopra)
Russia said on Saturday a ceasefire deal for Syria agreed by major powers was more likely to fail than succeed, as Syrian government forces backed by further Russian airstrikes gained more ground against rebels near Aleppo.

International divisions over Syria surfaced anew at a Munich conference where Russia rejected French charges that it was bombing civilians, just a day after world powers agreed on the "cessation of hostilities" due to begin in a week's time.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reiterated accusations that Russia was hitting "legitimate opposition groups" and civilians with its bombing campaign in Syria and said Moscow must change its targets to respect the ceasefire deal.

The conflict, reshaped by Russia's intervention last September, has gone into an even higher gear since the United Nations sought to revive peace talks. These were suspended earlier this month in Geneva before they got off the ground.

The Syrian army looked poised on Saturday to advance for the first time since 2014 into the province of Raqqa, held by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), apparently to pre-empt any move by Saudi Arabia to send ground forces into Syria to fight the insurgents.

The cessation of hostilities deal falls short of a formal ceasefire, since it was not signed by the warring parties  the government and rebels seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad in a five-year-old war that has killed 250,000 people.

If its forces retake Aleppo and seal the Turkish border, Damascus would deal a crushing blow to the insurgents who were on the march until Russia intervened, shoring up Assad's rule and paving the way to the current reversal of rebel fortunes.

Russia has said it will keep bombing ISIL and the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, which in many areas of western Syria fights government forces in close proximity to insurgents deemed moderates by Western states.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, asked at a security conference in Munich on Saturday to assess the chances of the cessation of hostilities deal succeeding, replied: "49 percent."

Asked the same question, his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier put the odds at 51 percent.

The complex, multisided civil war in Syria, raging since 2011, has drawn in most regional and global powers, caused the world's worst humanitarian emergency and attracted recruits to militancy from around the world.

Assad, backed on the ground by Iranian combatants and Lebanon's Hezbollah in addition to big power ally Russia, is showing no appetite for a negotiated ceasefire. He declared this week that the government's goal was to recapture all of Syria, though he said this could take time.

The U.S. government said Assad was "deluded" if he thought there was a military solution to the conflict.

Syrian state television announced the army and allied militia had on Saturday captured the village of al-Tamura overlooking rebel terrain northwest of Aleppo.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported advances in the same area, adding that Russian jets had hit three rebel-held towns near the Turkish border.

Government offensives around Aleppo have sent tens of thousands of people fleeing towards the Turkish border.

The Observatory said government troops had also edged to within a few miles of the provincial boundary of Raqqa after making a rapid advance eastwards along a desert highway from Ithriya in the last few days.

The Syrian government has had no serious foothold in Raqqa province since ISIL captured Tabqa air base in 2014. "They are on the provincial borders of Raqqa," Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters.

ISIL, driven by the goal of expanding its "caliphate" rather than reforming Syria  the original goal of the opposition when the conflict began as an unarmed street uprising in 2011  is being targeted in separate campaigns by a U.S.-led alliance and Assad's government with Russian air support. Regional Kurdish forces supported by Washington are also fighting ISIL in Raqqa province.

Gulf states that want Assad gone from power have said they would be willing to send in troops as part of any U.S.-led ground attack against ISIL. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday he expected Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to send commandos to help recapture Raqqa.

In what may have been a response to those remarks, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Saturday in Munich there was no need to scare anyone with a ground operation in Syria.

Speaking at the same conference, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls called on Russia to stop bombing civilians in Syria, saying this was crucial to achieving peace there.

"France respects Russia and its interests ... But we know that to find the path to peace again, the Russian bombing of civilians has to stop," Valls said.

Medvedev said that was simply not true.

"There is no evidence of our bombing civilians, even though everyone is accusing us of this," he said. "Russia is not trying to achieve some secret goals in Syria. We are simply trying to protect our national interests," he said, adding that Moscow wanted to prevent Islamist militants getting to Russia.

Russia also has a major air base and large naval installation on Syria's Mediterranean coast.

Kerry, however, accused Russia of dropping so-called "dumb bombs" in Syria that do not have a precise target, saying this has led to the killing of civilians.

"To date, the vast majority of Russia's attacks have been against legitimate opposition groups. To adhere to the [ceasefire] agreement it made, Russia's targeting must change," Kerry told the Munich conference.

Two Syrian rebel commanders told Reuters on Friday insurgents had been sent "excellent quantities" of Grad rockets with a range of 12 miles by foreign backers in recent days to help confront the Russian-backed offensive in Aleppo.

Foreign opponents of Assad including Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been supplying vetted rebel groups with weapons via a Turkey-based operations center.

Some of these groups have received military training overseen by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. The vetted groups have been a regular target of the Russian airstrikes.

Reuters
Muscat (AFP) - Sultan Qaboos of Oman is to fly to Germany on Sunday for a medical checkup on his progress after eight months of treatment there in 2014-15, his government announced.

The 75-year-old monarch will undergo a "routine medical examination" during a stay that will be of "limited duration, God willing", a statement carried by the official ONA news agency on Saturday said.

Qaboos, who has ruled Oman since overthrowing his father in a bloodless 1970 coup, has made only short public appearances since his return from treatment in Germany last March.

There has never been any official statement on the nature of his illness, but diplomats have said he was treated for colon cancer.

State television reported at the time that his treatment was a "total success".

But he has since returned to Germany at least twice, a diplomatic source said.
By Jim Urquhart

BURNS, Ore. (Reuters) - The cost of the six-week standoff in rural Oregon that ended peacefully on Thursday will likely cost millions of dollars, with local and state agencies looking to the federal government - and the arrested occupiers - to shoulder the bulk of the bills.

The total outlay may not be known for weeks or months, but the remote location of the occupation, at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in the eastern part of the state, combined with the complexity of the law enforcement response, suggest a costly operation, said Brian Levin, a criminal justice expert at California State University San Bernardino.

"When you have an unpredictable occupation like this you have to free up a lot of personnel assets and resources," Levin said. "The cost of maintaining a multi-agency task force can get very expensive."

The protest over federal control of Western lands began in early January and ended Thursday when the final four holdouts surrendered.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown is seeking up to $1 million from the state legislature to offset expenditures by counties and towns, and said the state in turn would seek reimbursement from the federal government.

Ron Hosko, former assistant director of the FBIs criminal investigative division, said while the FBI will pay for its own personnel, the state of Oregon and the affected counties will likely be expected to cover their own costs. Its going to be every agency for themselves, he said.

The governors $1 million figure, equal to half of the law enforcement budget of Harney County where the refuge is located, is based on the estimated cost of personnel, transportation and lodging incurred by the state's 36 counties, which all sent reinforcements to help Harney County deal with the occupation, said Kristen Grainger, a spokeswoman for Brown.

Harney County alone spent nearly $240,000 through the end of January, the latest figures available, said Laura Cleland, who was contracted to act as the countys temporary spokeswoman during the standoff. Clelands $6,400 monthly fee is included in the countys tabulation of the standoff cost.

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Harney County Judge Steven Grasty, who also serves on the county commission, said the total cost to the county could reach $500,000. Grasty said the county plans to seek reimbursement directly from the occupiers, and is prepared to take legal action.

"If youre going to come in and undo a little a community, come prepared to pay the cost of it, he said.

Other agencies and municipalities are also beginning to weigh in. The week-long closure of public schools in the area in early January over safety concerns adds $160,000 in teacher salaries and other expenses to the bill. The city of Burns, closest to the refuge, incurred $30,000, neighboring Hines spent about $25,000.

Figures are not yet available for the costs of repairing the damage to the refuge itself, a popular bird sanctuary operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

On Friday, the FBI said it had deployed its Art Crime Team, trained in cultural property investigations, to work with the Burns Paiute Tribe to identify and document damage to the tribe's artifacts and sacred burial grounds located at the sanctuary, a process they estimated would likely take weeks.

The FBI declined to provide budget information on the standoff but a law enforcement official estimated that a minimum of 90 federal agents would have been required to staff the three checkpoints set up outside the standoff compound 24 hours a day.

The U.S. Attorneys office will be looking into whether the federal government will join the county in seeking reimbursement from the occupiers, the source said.

The FBI could go to Congress and request supplemental funding, but the agency would likely simply dip into its cash reserves, Hosko said.

You respond first, and people back in headquarters are saying, Hey, do what you got to do,  Hosko said.  And that may mean other good ideas are cut out because we spend on this."

The standoff did bring some benefit to the local economy in the normally sluggish winter season. Business was triple the norm at the Silver Spur Motel in Burns, where rooms run from $40 to $60 a night, said owner Robert Carlson.

The Bella Java coffee shop hired two workers after receiving an order from law enforcement for a weeks worth of meals, including biscuits with gravy and chicken wraps, said Tammy DeLange, store manager. "It was a huge financial boost, she said.

(Additional Reporting by Julia Edwards in Washington, Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, California and Eric M. Johnson and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Sara Catania and Lisa Shumaker)
By Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura is very keen to hold a new round of peace talks after big powers agreed on a "cessation of hostilities", a U.N. spokesman said on Friday, but plans to reconvene the negotiations were still "cloudy". De Mistura abruptly suspended a first round of talks on Feb. 3, saying there was more work to be done by the big powers sponsoring the talks between the Syrian sides, but he hoped to bring them back to the table in Geneva by Feb. 25. The big powers, led by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, struck a deal in Munich early on Friday to start to bring an end to hostilities in a week and to provide rapid humanitarian access to a handful of besieged Syrian towns as a first step. Diplomats from the countries sponsoring the Syria talks held a first weekly humanitarian meeting in Geneva on Friday and demanded besieged areas are opened up to aid within days. We have already submitted requests for access to the parties surrounding besieged areas, said Jan Egeland, who chaired the meeting. We expect to get such access without delay. Finally, the civilians who have been deprived of their basic right of humanitarian access for so long, will have hope. Egeland earlier said he hoped the Munich agreement could be "the breakthrough we have been waiting for", but it needed all countries to use their influence with the warring sides. De Mistura will brief the U.N. Security Council on Feb. 17, U.N. spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said. But it was unclear whether the Munich deal was enough for him to reconvene the peace talks. "Youre asking for certainty in a very cloudy situation. Politics is the art of the possible," Fawzi told a U.N. briefing. Aid agency chiefs said the humanitarian deal covered only the tip of the iceberg, with U.N. figures showing 486,700 people under siege among 4.6 million who are hard to reach with aid, plus 5 million refugees and millions more homeless within Syria. "In the short-term, ceasefire or not, we need unconditional, rapid and regular access to all affected areas across the country to help millions of people," said Robert Mardini, regional head of operations at the International Committee of the Red Cross. David Miliband, head of the International Rescue Committee, said the agreement needed detail and urgency. "You don't wait a week for an emergency operation and the people of Syria should not have to wait a week for relief from bombings," Miliband, a former British foreign secretary, said in a statement. "We wait with eager anticipation to see whether this agreement is a turning point or a false dawn." (Reporting by Tom Miles, additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and Andrew Heavens)
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - President Mamnoon Hussain has urged Pakistanis not to observe Valentine's Day, the romantic holiday that hardline Muslim clerics want banned but officials in the capital say they cannot suppress. The president criticized Valentine's Day, which falls on Sunday this year, as a Western import that threatens to undermine the Islamic values of Pakistan. Despite its roots as a Christian holiday, Valentine's Day has gained popularity among Pakistanis, with flower vendors reporting booming sales this year, as in recent years. "Valentine's Day has no connection with our culture and it should be avoided," Hussain said at a ceremony celebrating a nationalist leader. Local media reported earlier in the week that Islamabad would ban celebrations on Valentine's celebrations as an "insult to Islam", but city officials later said such a rule would be unenforceable. The northwestern city of Peshawar, near the Afghan border, has banned Valentine's Day celebrations, local media said. (Writing by Kay Johnson; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian teenager as she tried to stab a soldier in the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday, Israeli and Palestinian authorities said.

"An assailant drew a knife and attempted to stab a soldier," an Israeli army statement said. "Responding to the attack, forces fired at the perpetrator, resulting in her death."

Palestinian hospital officials named her as 17-year-old Kalzar al-Uweiwi.

Palestinian security sources said Israel passed her body to Hebron hospital so she could be buried by her family.

The incident took place as Washington's UN ambassador, Samantha Power, arrived for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

"Arrived in Israel... to discuss US commitment to 2 states side by side in security & peace," she wrote on her official Twitter account earlier.

Since the current round of bloodshed erupted at the beginning of October, 167 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces. Most were carrying out attacks but others died during clashes and demonstrations.

The violence has claimed the lives of 26 Israelis, as well as an American, a Sudanese and an Eritrean, according to an AFP count.

The army statement said Saturday's incident occurred near Hebron's shared religious site known to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs and to Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque, a site of frequent friction between the sides.

Hebron is a regular flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with several hundred Jewish settlers living in the heart of the city under heavy military guard among around 200,000 Palestinians.

A large number of the Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks that began on October 1 have occurred in and around the city.
The chief minister of India's popular tourist state of Goa moved to smooth ruffled feathers on Saturday after a proposal to reclassify the national bird, the peacock, as vermin sparked an outcry.

Laxmikant Parsekar appeared to rule out including peacocks in a list of "nuisance animals" being drawn up by the state to make them easier to cull, according to the Press Trust of India.

After complaints the colourful birds were becoming a widespread menace in rural areas, the agriculture minister suggested including them in a list of vermin along with wild boar, bison and monkeys.

"I don't think it is included. It cannot be included in the list. It is a national bird," Parsekar, a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, was quoted by the news agency as saying.

"It does not damage the crop. Even if there are complaints, we can have measures to handle it," the chief minister said.

The peacock is India's national bird and is protected under the country's Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.

Animal rights activists and opposition politicians had reacted with fury to the proposal.

Senior state Congress party leader Luizinho Faleiro branded the move "suicidal" and said that "killing (peacocks) is definitely not an option", PTI reported.
WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland is unlikely to send troops to fight against Islamic State, Polish state-run news agency PAP quoted President Andrzej Duda as saying on Saturday. Poland's Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz had said on Wednesday the country would join the fight against Islamic State, 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. "Perhaps some comments are over interpreted. Today there are absolutely no such decisions. These are open issues which we will discuss at the NATO forum," PAP quoted Duda as saying at a security conference in Munich, when asked about the defense minister's comments. "I am as far as I can be from any decisions to send Polish soldiers anywhere. But let's remember that we are a member of NATO," Duda said. "If we want to be treated seriously in NATO, if we want our expectations to be respected we have to understand that other NATO member states also have their fears and interests in other parts of Europe and the world," he said. Duda said that he would like to see a permanent presence of NATO forces and equipment in Poland, but that this could be "of rotating nature". "This rotation has to be so intense that in practice it would mean permanence," he said. Warsaw, which is due to host a NATO summit in July, has repeatedly pressed for more NATO forces on its soil and elsewhere in former communist-ruled Europe, arguing there should be a stronger response to Russian actions in eastern Ukraine. (Reporting by Agnieszka Barteczko and Jakub Iglewski; Editing by Andrew Bolton)
A view of life and commercial real estate from Newark and Licking County, Ohio
Mexico City (AFP) - Francis will be the first pope to enter Mexico's National Palace to meet the president on Saturday as he starts a cross-country tour that will highlight the country's violence and migration troubles.

After hundreds of thousands of Catholics swarmed the streets to welcome him when he arrived late Friday, the pontiff will hold talks with President Enrique Pena Nieto at the ornate palace in Mexico City's Zocalo square.

The choice of location has symbolic significance as none of the pope's predecessors were ever invited there, even though heads of states are usually greeted at the palace.

While Mexico is the world's second most populous Catholic country after Brazil, governments throughout most of the 20th century were militantly secular and had testy ties with the Church.

But diplomatic relations with the Vatican were restored in 1992.

The pope's presence at the National Palace "closes a cycle," said Mexico's ambassador to the Vatican, Mariano Palacios Alcocer.

The meeting with the Argentine-born pontiff could also give Pena Nieto a breather from the nation's persistent problems, like a prison riot that killed 49 inmates on Thursday or the disappearance of 43 students in 2014.

The palace meeting "offers a study in contrasts" between a popular pope and "an unpopular head of state who faces one setback after another," said Andrew Chesnut, religion professor at Virginia Commonwealth University.

"It's the Mexican president, of course, who has the most to gain from basking in the glow of one of the world's most popular figures," Chesnut told AFP.

Hours before arriving in Mexico, Pope Francis took care of another, much older rift by holding a historic meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, in Cuba in a bid to end a 1,000-year-old Christian rift.

The two religious leaders called for "unity," while Francis later said they had talked about a possible program of "activities in common."

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- Virgin of Guadalupe -

After his meeting with Pena Nieto, the pope will make a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a major Catholic shrine.

The basilica houses the image of a dark-skinned Virgin Mary that Catholics believe miraculously imprinted on a piece of fabric afer she appeared before an indigenous peasant in 1531.

"The pope's encounter with Guadalupe will be monumental -- he's strongly Marian and she's not only Queen of Mexico but Empress of the Americas," Chesnut said.

The pope has asked for time alone to pray quietly in front of the image after the mass.

The following days will take the pope to some of Mexico's notoriously poor and violent regions.

"The Mexico of violence, corruption, drug cartels: That's not the Mexico that Our Mother loves," he said days before his visit, referring to the Virgin. "I don't want to cover up any of that."

Many who waved at him after his arrival on Friday voiced hope that he would speak out during this trip.

"The pope should tell our leaders that they should resolve the poverty, the illegal migration, the abuse of power, once and for all," said Rogelio Cantu, a 57-year-old lawyer.

- Cross-country trip -

The pope has chosen to visit regions affected by many of these problems.

On Sunday, he will lead a massive outdoor mass in Ecatepec, one of the many Mexico City suburbs hit by crime and an epidemic of murders against women.

The next day, he travels to Chiapas, the poorest state in the country, where he will preside over a mass that will be conducted in three indigenous languages and approve a decree allowing native languages at Churches.

On Tuesday, Francis goes to Morelia, the capital of the western state of Michoacan, were farmers formed vigilante forces in 2013 to combat the cult-like Knights Templar drug cartel.

He will cap his trip on Wednesday in Ciudad Juarez, the former murder capital of the world across the border from Texas.

There, he will lead a cross-border mass with hundreds of thousands of people, with the parents of the 43 missing students expected to be in the crowd.
By Philip Pullella and David Alire Garcia MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis launched a broadside against endemic corruption on Saturday on his first visit to Mexico as pontiff, calling on President Enrique Pena Nieto and his government to combat it. Corruption is deeply ingrained in Mexico, and Pena Nieto, his wife and finance minister have all been embroiled in conflict of interest scandals involving homes purchased from government contractors. The pope also exhorted Mexico's bishops to take a more active stand against the drug trade, which he said "devours like a metastasis." He told them to make it clear to drug dealers that they could not consider themselves good Catholics if their hands were "drenched in blood, but pockets filled with sordid money and their consciences deadened." Drug-trafficking gangs have infiltrated police forces across the country and more than 100,000 people have been killed in drug violence over the last decade. Some 26,000 are missing. "Experience teaches us that each time we seek the path of privilege or benefits for a few to the detriment of the good of all, sooner or later the life of society becomes a fertile soil for corruption, the drug trade, the exclusion of different cultures, violence and also human trafficking, kidnapping and death," the pope said in a speech to Pena Nieto, the government and foreign diplomats. He said Mexico's leaders have a "particular duty" to move past corruption and violence and work for the collective good. Speaking in his native Spanish before bishops inside the city's main cathedral, the Argentine-born pontiff urged religious leaders to do more to help migrants, "pouring balm on their injured feet" through social and charity programs. "Brothers, may your hearts be capable of following these men and women and reaching them beyond the borders," he said, calling on Mexico's Church to strengthen its ties to the U.S. episcopate. The pope has made migration one of the central issues of his papacy, and is due to end his visit to Mexico in the notorious northern border city of Ciudad Juarez, where he will meet relatives of victims of violence. MASS AT VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE From the U.S. border to the indigenous south, Francis will visit some of Mexico's poorest and most violent corners on his five-day trip. Mexico is the world's second most populous Roman Catholic country and hundreds of thousands of people are expected to join the pope on Saturday afternoon in a Mass at Mexico City's basilica for the country's patroness, the Virgin of Guadalupe. "'Don't be afraid,' that is what she tells me," the pope said ahead of his visit, adding that he wanted to reflect silently in front of her image. Carrying pictures of the pope and the Virgin of Guadalupe, and wrapped up against the winter chill, thousands converged on Mexico Citys historic center as the pope addressed the government at the presidential palace. "This country needs his blessing. Were really struggling with corrupt politicians, unemployment and drug gangs, and everyone knows it," said Juanita Lopez, a 58-year-old maid, as she walked to the Zocalo, the capitals main square, clutching a rosary. The pope earlier this month urged Mexicans to fight against corruption and brutal drug gang violence. Some Mexicans are looking to him to take that even further while he's here. During his visit, the pope will say Mass with indigenous communities in Mexico's poorest state Chiapas, and speak with young people in Morelia, the capital of Michoacan state that has been plagued by violence between drug gangs and armed vigilante groups. In Juarez, he will also visit a prison. In a reminder of Mexico's corruption and violence, 49 people were killed in a fight between rival gangs in a prison just days before the pope's arrival. (With reporting by Christine Murray, Anahi Rama and Lizbeth Diaz; Writing by Simon Gardner; Editing by Anna Yukhananov, Kieran Murray and Mary Milliken)
Remind them that Harry Potter and Hermione Granger have to bend the rules to fight against the Dark Arts, Adam Grant, a psychology professor, on how to encourage kids creativity.

We hear members of Congress complain about it almost as if were victims. We are not. We are the perpetrators, Mike Lee, a Republican senator from Utah, on a strong executive branch.

Maybe it can start with women getting paid more.

I dont get why were not, because were more qualified, Leilani Carlos, who is 11, and Mandisa Bailey, who is 13, on how to deal with gender inequality.

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This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Sanaa (AFP) - The International Committee of the Red Cross said Saturday that it had delivered medical supplies to Taez, the second desperately needed shipment to Yemen's rebel-besieged third city in a week.

The ICRC "has managed to enter the city of Taez, one of the worst-affected places in Yemens fighting, and deliver life-saving medical supplies," a statement said.

It was the first time since August last year that an ICRC team had been able to enter the city, where forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi are under siege by Huthi Shiite rebels and their allies.

"This is a breakthrough and we hope that today's operation will be followed by many more to come," said Antoine Grand, head of the ICRC delegation in Yemen.

"We have provided three tonnes of medical supplies including surgical items, intravenous fluids and anaesthetic supplies that will help treat hundreds of wounded," he said.

"All of these items are in high demand by the hospitals in Taez that continue to receive a daily influx of wounded people."

The ICRC delivery came after the World Health Organization said on Wednesday that it had delivered more than 20 tonnes of medical supplies to Taez in its first convoy into the city in eight weeks.

Some 200,000 civilians are caught up in the fighting in Taez. In November, pro-government forces and their supporters in a Saudi-led coalition announced a major offensive to try to break the siege but it has made little headway.

In early January, Doctors Without Borders said it had made the first "significant" delivery of medical supplies to hospitals in the city since August.

That came a few days after a Saudi charity said Saudi-led coalition aircraft had dropped 40 tonnes of medical equipment and food to the city.

Since the coalition launched its intervention in March last year, pro-government forces have pushed the rebels out of five southern provinces but they have made slow progress in the north, which remains largely in rebel hands.

The United Nations says more than 6,100 people have been killed in the fighting, around half of them civilians.
Rihanna at the Fenty x Puma fashion show at New York Fashion Week. Photo: Getty Images

Rihanna is die-hard, said her tattoo artist, Keith Bang Bang McCurdy. She takes pain like its nothing. Shes like a super hero.

But Rihanna is also a fashion iconthe CFDA says soand as of tonight, an official NYFW designer. Her debut collection, Fenty x Puma, just hit the catwalk, with audience members like Naomi Campbell, Jeremy Scott, and Anna Wintour sitting front row. (Gigi Hadid closed the show, wearing our dream outfit: black lipstick and a hoodie.)

We spoke with Rihanna backstage about her latest project and the Work videos ETA!

Youve always been a fashion maven. But after working with couture labels like Dior, why pair with Puma?

Because I grew up wearing them! Their sneakers were everything to us as kids in Barbados. And their team now is a dreamreally collaborative, really open to new ideas, really easy to talk to And I love the idea that the collection will be available for so many people to buy and wear. For people to be using something we made to express themselves, thats exciting.

The term celebrity designer can go either way

Right? It has some disadvantages, doesnt it?

What do you think those are, for you?

With the disadvantages, a lot of times celebrities dont get looked at as credible when it comes to designing, or when it comes to the fashion world. So Im coming into this project in a very humble manner.

And the advantages?

In terms of advantages, I mean, I love fashion. It comes easily to me. Its hard work, I dont mean to say that its easy to dobut its a pleasure to do it. And I have a broad fan base, and an amazing fan base, that I can expose to the work I create. But I cant make them want it, you know? Its up to them to love it! So the advantages are getting so many eyes on what I want to do. The challenge is keeping it credible.

Youve worked with Anna Wintour and Raf Simons, among other fashion legends. Do you have a mentor in the fashion world?

I have no mentors, actually! But I have a really small team that I work withpeople Ive been working with for a few years, so they know what I like. And we all worked together, and with Puma, on this collection. We got together and made it together, and for me, it was an opportunity to showcase all the ideas that come into my head when Im traveling, or when Im looking for clothes that I cant quite find.

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Like your killer wedge boots?

Thank you so much! You really like them?

They dont look like Puma. They look like a biker heiress in Paris got them.

Yeah, we wanted to push it a little bit. So they have some gothic inspiration, some Japanese streetwear, some punk and I pushed Puma to do the wedge, because I love a heel, but I know girls want to be comfortable if theyre running around or going out all night and dancing. Like youI know youre going out all night!

Well, speaking of dancing when is the Work video coming out? All our Twitter followers are asking about it.

Oh, well Id tell them, youve done a good job being patient, and it will be out soon. And thats the hintsoon.

Like tomorrow?

Soon!

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.


EXCLUSIVE: Disaster action thriller Category 5 has sold out the majority of the world for Mark Damons Foresight Unlimited here at the EFM. Announced just before the market with Rob Cohen (The Fast And The Furious, xXx) directing, its eyed as a franchise-starter and has drawn keen interest as a theatrical offering. Foresight is showing a promo reel that sets the tone of the action which takes place during the storm of the century. Cohen has been in town talking to buyers this week. A U.S. studio deal is expected later down the line. Production begins in spring/summer on the pic thats casting now.

Category 5 follows a team of tech hackers who infiltrate a U.S. Mint facility in a small coastal town to steal $102M in cash just as a disastrous hurricane is about to strike and level it to the ground. The only other people left in the town are a meteorologist/storm chaser and a female treasury agent who must survive the horrific storm while stopping the thieves from getting away with the heist.

Producers are Karen Baldwin, Michael Tadross Jr, and Danny Roth. Howard Baldwin, Damon, Bill Immerman and Tamara Birkemoe will executive produce.

Among key deals so far are Germany/Austria/Switzerland (Telepool), Latin America (California Filmes), Scandinavia (Mis.Label), Benelux (Dutch Film Works), Eastern Europe (Prorom), South Africa (Times Media Films), India/Turkey (Tanweer), Poland (Kino Swiat), Iceland (Myndform), Indonesia (PT Prima Cinema), Thailand/Malaysia/Cambodia/Laos /Vietnam (Sahamongkol), Taiwan (Applause), and Philippines (Pioneer).

Cohen most recently directed The Boy Next Door starring Jennifer Lopez for Universal Pictures, and is attached to The Adventures Of Marco Polo for Jerry Bruckheimer and Chad Oman at Paramount.

Foresights slate also includes the Neil Bogart biopic Spinning Gold starring Justin Timberlake, which is due to shoot in June, and the $130M sci-fi epic Inversion.

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Barack Obama First-Date Movie 'Southside With You' Near Deal With Miramax, Roadside Attractions
By Paul Carrel and Warren Strobel MUNICH (Reuters) - The United States and France criticized Russia on Saturday for bombing civilians in Syria, a charge Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev rejected as major powers bickered openly a day after agreeing to a pause in combat. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry accused Russia of hitting legitimate opposition groups and civilians with its bombing campaign and said Moscow must change its targets to respect the ceasefire deal clinched on Friday. Medvedev earlier said such accusations were "just not true", while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the ceasefire was more likely to fail than succeed, as Syrian government troops made fresh advances around Aleppo, the biggest city in the country before the war. International powers agreed on a break in the fighting in late night talks in Munich on Friday. But the deal does not go into effect for a week and in the meantime, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces, backed by Russian air power, are consolidating their gains against rebels. "To date, the vast majority of Russia's attacks have been against legitimate opposition groups," Kerry said at the Munich Security Conference, an annual event that attracts leaders from across the world and where policymakers often clash openly on stage. "To adhere to the agreement it made, Russia's targeting must change." He accused Russia of dropping so-called "dumb bombs" in Syria that do not have a precise target, saying this has led to the killing of civilians. The differences between the stakeholders in a Syria settlement highlighted their lingering divisions despite Friday's "cessation of hostilities" agreement, which was not signed by any of the warring parties on the ground - government forces and the opposition. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, in a head-to-head debate with Medvedev, also pressed Russia to stop bombing civilians in Syria. "We know that to find the path to peace again, the Russian bombing of civilians has to stop," Valls told the conference. SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS If implemented, the truce deal would allow humanitarian aid to reach besieged towns. But several Western countries have said there is no hope for progress without a halt to the Russian bombing, which has decisively turned the balance of power in favor of Assad after almost five years of conflict. On Friday, Turkey's foreign minister said Russia was targeting schools and hospitals with its bombing, putting the blame squarely on Moscow for the wave of tens of thousands of displaced people who have arrived at the Turkish border over the past week. Medvedev rejected the accusations. "There is no evidence of our bombing civilians, even though everyone is accusing us of this," he told the conference, sitting next to Valls. Moscow wanted to protect its national interests and to prevent militant extremists getting to Russia, Medvedev said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the conflict, reported on Saturday that Syrian government forces were poised to advance into the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa province and allied Russian jets kept up air strikes on rebel-held towns north of Aleppo. Russia's assertive posture in Syria and over Ukraine has raised diplomats' concerns about geopolitical instability. Medvedev said NATO's stance towards Russia was hostile. "You could say even more sharply: We have fallen into a new Cold War," he said. "Nearly on a daily basis, we are being blamed for the most terrible threat to NATO as a whole, to Europe, to America, to other countries. "They make scary movies where Russia starts a nuclear war. I sometimes wonder - are we in 2016 or 1962?" Reacting to Medvedev's comments, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite told the conference the situation was more serious. "We are probably facing a hot war," Grybauskaite said. "Russia is demonstrating open military aggression in Ukraine, open military aggression in Syria. There is nothing cold about this, it is very hot." (Additional reporting by Noah Barkin in Munich, Lidia Kelly in Moscow, Shadia Nasralla in Vienna; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Hugh Lawson)
By John Irish and Warren Strobel MUNICH/AMMAN (Reuters) - Major powers agreed on Friday to a pause in combat in Syria, but Russia pressed on with bombing in support of its ally President Bashar al-Assad, who vowed to fight until he regained full control of the country. Although billed as a potential breakthrough, the "cessation of hostilities" agreement does not take effect for a week, at a time when Assad's government is poised to win its biggest victory of the war with the backing of Russian air power. If implemented, the deal hammered out during five hours of late night talks in Munich would allow humanitarian aid to reach besieged towns. It was described by the countries that took part as a rare diplomatic success in a conflict that has fractured the Middle East, killed at least 250,000 people, made 11 million homeless and sent hundreds of thousands fleeing into Europe. But several Western countries said there was no hope for progress without a halt to the Russian bombing, which has decisively turned the balance of power in favor of Assad. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that if the peace plan fails, more foreign troops could enter the conflict. "If the Assad regime does not live up to its responsibilities and if the Iranians and the Russians do not hold Assad to the promises that they have made ... then the international community obviously is not going to sit there like fools and watch this. There will be an increase of activity to put greater pressure on them," Kerry, who was in Munich, told Dubai-based Orient TV. "There is a possibility there will be additional ground troops." U.S. President Barack Obama has ruled out sending U.S. ground troops to Syria, but Saudi Arabia this month offered ground forces to fight Islamic State. A White House spokesman, Eric Schultz, called the agreement "an important step," but added, "In the coming days, we will be looking for actions, not words, to demonstrate that all parties are prepared to honor their commitments." The complex, multi-sided civil war in Syria, raging since 2011, has drawn in most regional and global powers, producing the world's worst humanitarian emergency and attracting jihadist recruits from around the world. Rebels said the town of Tal Rifaat in northern Aleppo province was the target of intensive bombing by Russian planes on Friday morning. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring body, said warplanes believed to be Russian also attacked towns in northern Homs. The news agency AFP quoted Assad as saying he would continue to fight terrorism while talks took place. He said he would retake the entire country, although this could take a long time. Another week of fighting would give Syria's government and its Russian, Lebanese and Iranian allies time to press on with the encirclement of Aleppo, Syria's biggest city before the war, which they are now on the verge of capturing. They are also close to sealing the Turkish border, a lifeline of rebel territory for years. Those two victories would reverse years of insurgent gains, effectively ending the rebels' hopes of dislodging Assad through force, the cause they have fought for since 2011 with the encouragement of Arab states, Turkey and the West. The cessation of hostilities agreement falls short of a formal ceasefire, since it was not signed by the main warring parties, the opposition and government forces. REBEL MISSILES Two Syrian rebel commanders told Reuters they had been sent "excellent quantities" of ground-to-ground Grad missiles with a range of 20 km (12 miles) by foreign backers in recent days to help confront the Russian-backed offensive. Foreign opponents of Assad including Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been supplying vetted rebel groups with weapons via a Turkey-based operations center. Some of the vetted groups have received military training overseen by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Russia suggested it might not stop its air strikes, even when the cessation of hostilities takes effect in a week. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would not stop bombing fighters from Islamic State and a rebel group called the Nusra Front, which is affiliated with al Qaeda, neither of which were covered by the cessation deal. "Our airspace forces will continue working against these organizations," he said. Moscow has always said that those two jihadist groups are the principal targets of its air campaign. Western countries say Russia, in fact, has been attacking mostly other insurgent groups. Turkey's foreign minister said on Friday Russia was targeting schools and hospitals in Syria. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Moscow must halt strikes on insurgents other than Islamic State for any peace deal to work. "Russia has mainly targeted opposition groups and not ISIL (Islamic State). Air strikes of Russian planes against different opposition groups in Syria have actually undermined the efforts to reach a negotiated, peaceful solution," Stoltenberg said. Britain and France said a peace deal could be reached only if Russia stops bombing insurgents other than Islamic State. The United States has been leading its own air campaign against Islamic State fighters since 2014. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday he expected Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to send commandos to help recapture Islamic State's eastern Syrian stronghold, Raqqa. Assad said he believed Saudi Arabia and Turkey were planning to invade his country. Russia has said Saudi ground troops would make the war last forever. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, said in an interview published on Saturday that Russia's military interventions will not help Assad stay in power. "There will be no Bashar al-Assad in the future," al-Jubeir told a German newspaper. Kerry had entered the Munich talks pushing for a rapid halt to fighting, with Western officials saying Moscow was holding out for a delay. The tactic of agreeing to a break in hostilities while battling for gains on the ground is one Moscow's allies used in eastern Ukraine only a year ago. A ceasefire there eventually took hold, but only after Russian-backed separatists overran a besieged town after the deal was reached. Diplomats from countries backing the plan met on Friday to discuss sending urgent humanitarian aid. "Convoys can go very soon if and when we have the permission and the green light from the parties," said Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, who chaired the meeting in Geneva. (Additional reporting by Denis Dyomkin, Shadia Nasralla, and Robin Emmott in Munich, and Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman; Writing by Peter Graff, Anna Willard and Will Dunham; Editing by Andrew Roche and Andrew Hay)
Moscow (AFP) - Russia has dispatched a new ship armed with cruise missiles to the Mediterranean, the navy announced Saturday, as reports said it is bound for Syria.

The Zelyony Dol, a patrol ship armed with Kalibr cruise missiles that only joined the Black Sea fleet in December, departed for the Mediterranean, the Black Sea fleet said in a statement.

RIA-Novosti news agency further quoted a security source in Crimea -- where the Black Sea fleet is based -- saying that the ship is bound for Syria and may take part in Russia's campaign to support the Syrian army.

"The goals of the ship are not public but considering that it is carrying long-range cruise missiles, its participation in the military operation should not be excluded," the source was quoted as saying just a day after world powers agreed to cease hostilities in the war-ravaged country.

Zelyony Dol was only built last year and this week took part in a massive landing operation exercise to train "holding the coast" while landing troops attempt to take control.

Moscow is under fire for its bombing campaign in Syria, with the United States this week accusing it of undermining peace talks by helping in an offensive on the rebel stronghold of Aleppo.

Russia meanwhile warned against any ground intervention in Syria by countries in the US-led coalition with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev saying it would unleash another war.

"Don't threaten anyone with a ground operation," he said Saturday in Munich in a speech that lashed out at the West and talked of a "new Cold War."

Russian navy used cruise missiles to strike Syria in October, launching them from the Caspian Sea, as well as in December, when they were launched from a submarine in the Mediterranean.
By Robin Emmott and Shadia Nasralla MUNICH (Reuters) - Violence in eastern Ukraine is intensifying and Russian-backed rebels have moved heavy weaponry back to the front line, international monitors warned on Saturday as Moscow responded by accusing the West of dragging the world back 50 years. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev described East-West relations as having "fallen into a new Cold War" and said NATO was "hostile and closed" toward Russia, in the latest sign that peace efforts have made scant progress almost two years since Moscow annexed Crimea. "I sometimes wonder - are we in 2016 or 1962?," Medvedev asked in a speech to the Munich Security Conference. Implementation of a deal agreed in Minsk a year ago, which would allow for the lifting of sanctions on Russia, and a lull in violence late last year raised hopes that the conflict that has killed more than 9,000 people could be resolved quickly. But Lamberto Zannier, who heads the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitoring eastern Ukraine, said the situation had "become difficult again." "We see a multiplication of incidents, violations of the ceasefire," he told Reuters at the Munich Security Conference. "We've seen cases of redeployment of heavy armaments closer to the contact line ... and multiple rocket launchers, artillery being used," he said, referring to the heavy weaponry that is meant to be removed under the Minsk deal. Medvedev accused Kiev of trying to shift the blame onto Moscow for the continued shelling in the industrial regions of eastern Ukraine now under rebel control. "The Minsk agreements have to be observed by everyone. But we believe that it's first and foremost up to the Kiev authorities to do that," he said. The West says it has satellite images, videos and other evidence to show Russia is providing weapons to the rebels and that Moscow has troops engaged in the conflict that erupted following Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea in 2014. Russia denies such accusations. NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Philip Breedlove said Russia had the power to "dial up and down" the conflict as it wished to put pressure on the government in Kiev but he said NATO did not want, nor currently see, a new Cold War. AMNESTY Extended at the end of last year, the Minsk peace deal signed by Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany aims to give Ukraine back control of its border with Russia, see all heavy weapons withdrawn, return hostages and allow an internationally monitored local election in the east. Zannier said the vote could not happen until there was a ceasefire and even then it would be difficult to do by mid-year because international observers need to be in place. Medvedev said Ukraine, not Russia, was in breach of the Minsk deal because Kiev was yet to change Ukraine's constitution to grant special status to eastern Ukraine. Russia wants an amnesty for mainly Russian-speaking people in the east who seized government buildings during the upheaval of early 2014, when pro-European protesters toppled Russia-backed President Viktor Yanukovich. "Without this amnesty, these people won't be able to participate in the elections," Medvedev said. Kiev's Western backers acknowledge the government of President Petro Poroshenko must speed up reforms, especially those tied to its $10-billion International Monetary Fund bailout, but say Russia must respect Ukraine's sovereignty. "Neither the people of Ukraine nor their partners in the international community believe they have done enough," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said. (Additional reporting by Warren Stroebel; Editing by Helen Popper and David Evans)
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia will send aircraft to NATO-member Turkey's Incirlik air base for the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was reported as saying on Saturday. Saudi Arabia has resumed its participation in air strikes against Islamic State in recent weeks and U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday welcomed its commitment to expand its role. "Saudi Arabia is now sending planes to Turkey, to Incirlik. They came and carried out inspections at the base," Cavusoglu told the Yeni Safak newspaper, adding it was unclear how many planes would come and that the Saudis might also send soldiers. Saudi officials could not immediately be reached for comment on Cavusoglu's remarks. U.S. President Barack Obama has ruled out sending U.S. ground troops to Syria. But Saudi Arabia this month offered ground forces to fight Islamic State and Cavusoglu said Turkey and the Saudis would support a coalition ground operation. "We said that if there is such a strategy, Turkey and Saudi Arabia can join a ground operation," he told the Yeni Safak paper on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich. Major powers agreed in Munich on Friday to a pause in combat in Syria, but Russia pressed on with bombing in support of its ally President Bashar al-Assad, who promised to fight on until he regained full control of the country. Four months of Russian air strikes in Syria have helped Assad wrest back territory from rebels fighting government forces, alarming Gulf Arab states who back the insurgents. Asked if Saudi troops could enter Syria from Turkey, Cavusoglu said: "This is a wish, not a planned thing. Saudi Arabia is sending planes and says, 'I can send soldiers for a ground operation when it is necessary'". (Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
By Abhimanyu Singh for Youth Ki Awaaz:

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Image Credit: V. Arun Kumar/MPhil, JNU

Shock. Anger. Anguish. This is what one of the countrys top universities, JNU felt yesterday. Shock at its president Kanhaiya Kumar of the AISF (All India Students Federation) being picked up by the police on charges of sedition and conspiracy against the State. Kumar was produced at Patiala House Court yesterday where he was sent to a three-day police remand for further interrogation. The Amnesty International has condemned the development.

It is learnt that five other students have also been named in the FIR. They are Umar Khalid, Rama Naga, Anant Prakash, Anirban Bhattacharya and Ashutosh Kumar. While Khalid and Bhattacharya are ex-DSU (Democratic Students Union) activists who organised the event The Country Without a Post Office, Naga is a JNUSU office bearer. Kumar was JNUSU president in the last Union while Prakash was the Vice-President. The police is also reportedly looking for other students, including those who organised the event on Tuesday. I spoke to one of the organisers yesterday afternoon and was told that they had not been picked up till then. It has been reported that eight students have been debarred from academic activity pending an enquiry.

It is pertinent to note that on Thursday, in a speech outside the Administration Block in JNU, Kumar had said: true freedom will come from Parliament and Constitution. Behind him, a large tri-colour loomed. While he did say that there was a necessity to discuss the concept of violence and the reasons and motives behind terrorism, he also added for good measure, we dont support terrorist activities.

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D. Raja. Image Credit: V. Arun Kumar/MPhil, JNU.

Kumar also pointed out that a University stood for the critical analysis of the common conscience.



The anger visible yesterday among JNU students was because they felt that their right to critically analyse the conscience of the nation had been taken away, as several of them told me, in one way or another. Not only did the police pick up Kumar, they also raided hostels, at least two of them, according to sources, to look for more students to apprehend. The anger was so palpable that a correspondent from an internationally reputed news channel was heckled as students were unsure about his identity. News anchors were also criticised in strong terms by the students, who had assembled in front of the Administration Block, for sensationalising the issue and leading a vicious campaign against the University.

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The anguish was clearly felt at being branded anti-national. D. Raja, senior leader of the CPI (Communist Party Of India), who came to meet the V-C later in the day, said so in no uncertain terms. He pointed out, in an improvised speech to the students assembled that the AISF had a history of fighting the British and it needed no lesson in patriotism from anyone, least of all the right-wing forces. He also made it clear that the issue would be raised in the Parliament and that the CPI would take it up with the Home Minister.

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Image Credit: V. Arun Kumar/MPhil, JNU.

He stated that there was an atmosphere of terror in the University. He condemned the arrest of Kumar and pledged that the CPI would ensure that he wont stay in jail for long. He demanded that all charges against him should be withdrawn. The police in connivance with the government cant intimidate us. It hasnt become a dictatorship yet. The constitution has given us the right to stand up and question our government. It is the universities that have become the real battlegrounds for ideas, he said. On its part, the Home Minister from BJP, Rajnath Singh has tweeted that anti-national activities wont be tolerated. Raja also exhorted the students to be united and courageous. The AISF is the student wing of the CPI.

I asked him for his response on allegations that pro-Pakistan slogans were raised at the event. If such slogans were raised, they should not have been. One should not stretch the issue beyond a point, he told me. He added that the arrest of Kanhiaya was symptomatic of attacking Left forces of all hues.

As far as sloganeering is concerned, Left sources admitted that some provocative ones were raised but they added that it was some Kashmiri students who had come from outside who were responsible.

Some divide within the student community was apparent too. A Left activist said that the DSU had Maoist tendencies and they had pushed the envelope too far, making it difficult for other Left organisations to fend for them. The JNUSU, with two AISA members, has already disassociated itself from the event and the sloganeering that followed.

However, despite differences, almost a thousand students marched at night after the Teachers Association read out a statement in support of Kumar, the president. The Teachers Association representatives met the V-C earlier in the day to discuss the events that have transpired beginning Tuesday evening at the campus.

It is indeed shocking that the highest offices of the government are extending no quarter to basic Constitutional rights like freedom of speech and expression and harping on sedition. This creates a grave doubt in any reasonable observers mind that more is underway than is being demonstrated. It is well-known that the BJPs ideological mentor, the RSS, cant stand JNU and its spirit of dissent and critical enquiry and has demanded its closure many times.

The JNU students have cried foul and rightly so. The sooner the government realises its folly and releases Kanhaiya, the better it will be for the democratic set-up of this country. Otherwise, pitched battles in the streets and derailing of Parliament will be par for the course.

Video of Kanhaiya Kumars speech hours before his arrest:

NOTE: The post was updated to include quotes and other developments.

The post Its Shocking That Govt. Is Harping On Sedition, JNU Students Are Right To Cry Foul appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.
By Jack Kim and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea and the United States are expected to begin talks next week on possible deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system following North Korea's recent rocket launch, officials said on Friday, as Seoul cut power to a factory park run jointly with the North. The discussions would focus on placing one Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system with the U.S. military in South Korea, a South Korean defense official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Pentagon spokesman Commander Bill Urban said in an email that a joint working group would "review all aspects regarding the potential of deployment of a THAAD system to South Korea." "We expect the first meeting to occur next week," he said. North Korea launched a long-range rocket on Feb. 7 carrying what it called a satellite, drawing renewed international condemnation just weeks after it carried out a nuclear bomb test. It said the launch was for peaceful purposes, but Seoul and Washington have said it violated United Nations Security Council resolutions because it used ballistic missile technology. North Korea carried out a nuclear bomb test last month, also banned by a U.N. resolution. On Wednesday, South Korea suspended operations at the Kaesong industrial zone as punishment for the rocket launch and nuclear test. The zone, just inside North Korea, had operated for more than a decade. The North on Thursday called the action "a declaration of war" and expelled the South's workers. Kaesong was the last venue for regular interaction between the divided Koreas. The 280 South Koreans who had remained in Kaesong rushed to leave the industrial park on Thursday evening, completing the pullout at 11:05 p.m. (9.05 a.m. ET/1405 GMT), according to the South's Unification Ministry, which handles relations with the North. A few minutes before midnight, the South shut off the supply of electricity into Kaesong that powered the factory zone, the ministry said early on Friday. It also cut the water supply. The United States, Japan and South Korea are seeking tougher U.N. sanctions against North Korea in the wake of the nuclear test and rocket launch. CHINESE, RUSSIAN CONCERNS Wang Yi, the foreign minister of China, North Korea's neighbor and main ally, said on Friday that Beijing supported a U.N. Security Council resolution to make Pyongyang "pay the necessary price" for the launch. He also expressed concern over a possible U.S. deployment of its sophisticated THAAD missile defense system to South Korea, saying it could also be used to target China. U.S. military officials have said the THAAD system is needed in South Korea, but Seoul had been reluctant to openly discuss its deployment given the risk of damaging ties with China, its biggest trade partner. Russia has also expressed concern about the potential deployment of THAAD, saying it could trigger an arms race in Northeast Asia. South Korea and the United States have said the system, built by Lockheed Martin Corp and designed to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles inside or just outside the atmosphere during their final phase of flight, would be focused only on North Korea. South Korea accused North Korea of "illegal" acts by freezing the assets of South Korean companies in Kaesong, and warned that Pyongyang would be held responsible for any consequences from the industrial park's suspension. The Kaesong project employed about 55,000 North Koreans, who were given a taste of life in the South, working for the 124 mostly small- and medium-sized manufacturers that operated there, about 54 km (34 miles) northwest of Seoul. Except for Kaesong, both countries forbid their citizens from communicating with each other across their heavily armed border. Despite volatile North-South relations, Kaesong had been shut only once before, for five months in 2013 amid heightened tensions following Pyongyang's third nuclear test. (Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Dean Yates, Toni Reinhold)
JERSEY CITY, N.J.  The Force is strong at Liberty Science Center this Presidents Day weekend.

"Star Wars" remixes and tribute songs filled the air as crowds of dressed-up fans and their parents (and children) packed into the learning center in New Jersey Friday to kick off "Science, Sabers and Star Wars," a celebration of the movies' world.

The event runs from Friday (Feb.12) through Monday (Feb.15), and visitors who dress up get $5 off the price of admission. Once there, they can train to be a Jedi, design a droid, blast rockets at the Death Star, meet R2-D2, and even see arcs of electricity pulsate to the beat in a "Star Wars"-themed Tesla Coil show  all activities aimed at teaching a bit of science with the movies' help. ['Star Wars and the Power of Costume' Exhibition: Gallery]

"We're able to marry something people like anyway  and, of course, that's their enthusiasm for 'Star Wars'  with actually going a bit into the science behind it," Paul Hoffman, Liberty Science Center president and CEO, told Space.com. "We need[ed] activities that have science in them, we need ones that we can move lots of people through, we need ones that will be interesting for the spectators even though they're not doing it  it's fun to see people try to shoot down the Death Star, or fly a drone."

Most of the activities are clustered together on the center's second floor, with crowds packing in to fly a mini Millennium Falcon, build a lightsaber, construct Death-Star-bound rockets, learn about holograms and plasma and even show off a Wookie call in a contest. Visitors practice impromptu saber fights in the back, and stormtroopers, Jedi knights and Mandalorian warriors weave in and out, posing for photos. (A life-size R2-D2 also offers a more stationary photo opportunity.)

"It's good seeing adults smile, [] reliving their childhood," one of the Mandalorians told Space.com. He's a part of the Mandalorian Mercs  a group who wears homemade costumes to events to raise funds for children's charities. Stormtroopers from the 501st Legion and Jedi from Empire Saber Guild  similar charity organizations  join the Mercs on the floor.

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"The younger children, they just light up  when they're not running away," he added.

There's one other activity attendees can pursue, although it's not in the program. In 2007, a staff member hid a secret "Star Wars" "Easter egg" somewhere in the science center. Now, a series of clues will lead inquisitive guests to the little-known interactive feature, hidden right inside one of the exhibits. Anyone who locates the Easter egg will be "experientially richly rewarded," Hoffman said. (At the time of this writing, Space.com had not located the Easter egg, but we're going to try again later.)

Hoffman estimated at least 10,000 people will make their way through the exhibits and special "Star Wars" activities over the course of the weekend. "That's what's fun about it," he said. "It really is a party, and to be able to celebrate with people that have the same enthusiasms you do, in this case 'Star Wars,' is a pretty fun thing."

Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

Copyright 2016 SPACE.com, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A relief rally on Wall Street is giving investors a breather after a rough week. Is this the beginning of a market comeback or the calm before another storm? Mark Martiak, Dan Burns, and Dan Alpert join Yahoo Finance's editor-in-chief Andy Serwer to discuss.

China to roil markets?

What should we expect to see out of China's central bank in the short term? Is the PBOC able to take the political risk to prevent a significant fall in the value of the yuan? Barry Eichengreen, an economics professor at University of California/Berkley, joined the Final Round to explain why China's central bank is in a box.

Winners and losers

Stocks that slipped into the red include real estate site Zillow, Pandora, and Activision Blizzard - the Call of Duty game maker getting hit after reporting earnings and revenue that came in below estimates.



Stocks that finished the week on a high note include JPMorgan on Jamie Dimon's big stock purchase, Groupon on earnings, and Wynn Resorts - the casino operator reporting an earnings beat, with strong results for its Las Vegas operations making up for weakness in Macau.

Looking ahead
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a tart-tongued champion of conservative interpretation of the Constitution, has died at a West Texas ranch resort, government officials said Saturday. Scalia, the longest-serving justice on the court and its first Italian-American member, was 79.

President Barack Obama, on a trip to California, praised Scalia as a larger than life presence on the bench and a deeply influential brilliant legal mind with an incisive wit.

And Obama flatly rejected Republican demands that he leave the job of replacing the late justice to whomever wins the November elections.

I plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time, he said, pressing the Senate to fulfill its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote.

Scalias death had instantly triggered a pitched political battle in Washington, with Democrats urging President Obama to nominate a new justice rather than leave a vacancy for the next occupant of the White House. But top Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and several of the partys presidential candidates, immediately called for leaving the decision to Obamas successor.



An SUV and hearse from Alpine Memorial Funeral Home arrive at Cibolo Creek Ranch in Shafter, Texas, on Feb. 13, 2016, to pick up the body of the late Justice Antonin Scalia. (Photo: San Antonio Express-News via ZUMA Wire)

Slideshow: Justice Antonin Scalia  A look back >>>

Obama learned of Scalias passing while on a trip to California, White House spokesman Eric Schultz said in a brief statement that offered no clues as to the presidents plans. The president and first lady extend their deepest condolences to Justice Scalias family, Schultz said. Obama was expected to say more later.

A knowledgeable source with close ties to the White House, speaking on condition of anonymity, shared a short list of potential Obama nominees.

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The list included Sri Srinivasan, a U.S. Court of Appeals judge for the District of Columbia circuit; Merrick Garland, chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit; Attorney General Loretta Lynch; Neal Katyal, a Georgetown law professor who spent one year as Obamas acting solicitor general; Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson; Solicitor General Don Verrilli, beloved in the White House for his high-profile successes in defending Obamacare before the court; and former Attorney General Eric Holder.

One long-shot contender could be Charles Wilson, U.S. circuit judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, in Florida.

But any Obama nominee has only a 1 out of 1,000 chance of getting confirmed in the face of Republican opposition, the source said. Still, the president could make things difficult for the GOP by nominating a woman or minority to the Supreme Court, the source said.

Obama has told friends that he views nominating two women to the court as a key part of his legacy. The president could now try to name a third, after Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

His death meant that his votes on a series of high-stakes and controversial cases will be invalidated. The surviving eight justices will have to renegotiate their decisions on issues from whether universities can continue to use affirmative action to whether unions can collect fees from nonmembers to survive.

On behalf of the court and retired justices, I am saddened to report that our colleague Justice Antonin Scalia has passed away, Chief Justice John Roberts said in a statement.

He was an extraordinary individual and jurist, admired and treasured by his colleagues, Roberts said. His passing is a great loss to the Court and the country he so loyally served.

In the Senate and on the campaign trail, Scalias passing drew careful tributes from Democrats, who acknowledged his intellect and commitment to his principles, while Republicans mourned a loss for the conservative movement.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, a former Supreme Court clerk now seeking the GOPs presidential nomination, called Scalia one of the greatest justices in history and insisted that Obama leave the job of filling the vacancy to the winner of the November elections.

We owe it to him, & the Nation, for the Senate to ensure that the next President names his replacement, Cruz, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on Twitter.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, one of Cruzs rivals, agreed, saying, The next president must nominate a justice who will continue Justice Scalias unwavering belief in the founding principles that we hold dear.

McConnell also agreed, saying: The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton denounced those demands.

The Republicans in the Senate and on the campaign trail who are calling for Justice Scalias seat to remain vacant dishonor our Constitution, she said in a statement. The Senate has a constitutional responsibility here that it cannot abdicate for partisan political reasons.



And Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said Obama can and should send the Senate a nominee right away.

In a statement, Reid said that with so many important issues pending before the Supreme Court, the Senate has a responsibility to fill vacancies as soon as possible.

It would be unprecedented in recent history for the Supreme Court to go a year with a vacant seat. Failing to fill this vacancy would be a shameful abdication of one of the Senates most essential Constitutional responsibilities, the Nevada Democrat said.



Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, his partys senior member on the judiciary committee, also sharply disagreed.

The Supreme Court of the United States is too important to our democracy for it to be understaffed for partisan reasons, Leahy said in a statement. It is only February. The president and the Senate should get to work without delay to nominate, consider and confirm the next justice to serve on the Supreme Court.

Democrats quickly pointed out that President Ronald Reagan nominated Anthony Kennedy to the Supreme Court in late 1987 and the Senate confirmed him in February 1988  Reagans final year in office.

The No. 2 Senate Democrat, Dick Durbin of Illinois, did not weigh in on the timing of a nomination. While our opinions on the law and jurisprudence were frequently at odds, he was steadfast and true to his beliefs during his tenure, Durbin said in a statement.

Donald Trump, another Republican presidential hopeful, tweeted that the totally unexpected loss was a massive setback for the Conservative movement and our country.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, another Republican White House contender, mourned Scalias passing but did not weigh in on the timing of a nomination.

Justice Scalia was a brilliant defender of the rule of law  his logic and wit were unparalleled, and his decisions were models of clarity and good sense, Bush said in a statement. I often said he was my favorite justice, because he took the Constitution, and the responsibility of judges to interpret it correctly, with the utmost seriousness. Now it is up to all of us to fight for the principles Justice Scalia espoused and carry forth his legacy.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said his thoughts and prayers were with Scalias family and colleagues on the court.

While I differed with Justice Scalias views and jurisprudence, he was a brilliant, colorful, and outspoken member of the Supreme Court, Sanders said in a statement.

The news was first reported by mysanantonio.com, which cited federal officials.

(Cover tile photo: Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)
Beirut (AFP) - An ambush by Syrian rebels on pro-regime forces near Damascus this week killed 76 fighters, a monitor said Saturday, in one of the deadliest attacks of its kind since the conflict began.

Militants from the powerful Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) rebel group opened fire last Sunday on around 240 government forces that were preparing to storm the opposition stronghold of Eastern Ghouta, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Observatory said at the time of the attack, which it described as "the largest ambush of regime forces in the war", that 35 people had died.

Director Rami Abdel Rahman on Saturday gave a new toll, documenting 45 pro-regime fighters killed by gunfire and another 31 killed when landmines were detonated during the clashes.

At least 100 remain unaccounted for, Abdel Rahman added.

Families of those killed or missing -- many of whom hail from the coastal province of Latakia -- are demanding to receive the bodies of their loved ones, he told AFP.

Jaish al-Islam is the strongest opposition faction in Eastern Ghouta, a large suburb of Damascus that is regularly bombarded by government forces.

The regime has struggled to take back territory there despite air support from its ally, Russia.

More than 260,000 people have been killed and millions have been forced to flee since Syria's war erupted in 2011.
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army intends to advance into Islamic State-held Raqqa province having captured positions at the provincial border of the jihadists' stronghold, a Syrian military source said on Saturday. A move into Raqqa province would reestablish a foothold for Damascus in a region where it has had no presence since August 2014, and complicate any attempt by Saudi Arabia to send ground forces to the area to fight Islamic State. The military source who was briefed on the matter said the operation had been going on for a number days. The army had captured several positions from Islamic State at the provincial border between Hama and Raqqa in the last two days. "It is an indication of the direction of coming operations toward Raqqa. In general, the Raqqa front is open ... starting in the direction of the Tabqa area," the source said. Tabqa is the location of an air base captured by Islamic State in 2014. The army had moved to within 35 km (20 miles) of the base. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war, earlier reported the army's had advanced to the provincial borders of Raqqa. Saudi Arabia, which wants Assad gone from power, has said it would be willing to send in troops as part of any U.S.-led ground attack against Islamic State. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday he expected Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to send commandos to help recapture Raqqa. U.S. allied Kurdish militia are also fighting Islamic State in Raqqa province, advancing into the province from the northeast last year with help from U.S.-led air strikes. (Reporting by Tom Perry/Laila Bassam; Editing by Toby Chopra)
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army has retaken a village that overlooks major rebel-held towns around Aleppo, state television said on Saturday, part of a government campaign to encircle and recaptured insurgent areas of the major northern city. It said the army entered the village of al-Tamura located on high ground above the towns of Anadan, Hayan and Haritan that have been heavily bombed in recent days and become a front line in Syria's almost five-year-old war. The army, backed by allied militias and heavy Russian aerial bombing, began a big offensive this month aimed at cutting rebel supply line with Turkey and regain full control of Aleppo, Syria's largest city and commercial hub before the war. (Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Nairobi (AFP) - Thousands of people took to the streets of Burundi's capital Bujumbura Saturday to condemn what the country's embattled government calls neighbouring Rwanda's meddling in its affairs.

Around 4,000 people rallied to the government's call to demonstrate over Rwanda's "acts of aggression" towards Burundi, journalists at the scene said. The organisers estimated the turnout at over 10,000.

"We condemn (Rwandan President Paul) Kagame and his plan to destabilise Burundi and the entire Great Lakes region," a placard waved by one of the protesters read.

Relations between Burundi and its neighbour to the north have deteriorated since Burundi sank into a deep political crisis ten months ago over President Pierre Nkurunziza's quest for a third term in office.

Saturday's demonstration in Bujumbura came to a halt outside the Rwandan embassy in Bujumbura where Kagame was copiously booed.

"We are on the battlefield. Encourage our soldiers! Kagame is an enemy, we are going to wash him away," the crowd sang.

Burundi has accused Rwanda of backing rebels intent on overthrowing Nkurunziza, who was returned to power in July elections, despite weeks of protests that were violently repressed and calls from world leaders for him to step aside.

Smaller anti-Rwandan demonstrations also took place Saturday in the Burundi's second city of Gitega and in Nkurunziza's home province of Ngozi.

Last week, UN experts told the Security Council that Rwanda has recruited and trained refugees from Burundi, among them children, who wanted to remove Nkurunziza from power.

Rwanda has denied the allegations. This week Kigali announced it would relocate the estimated 75,000 Burundians sheltering on its soil to third countries, saying the "long-term presence of refugees so close to their country of origin carries considerable risks for all involved."

- 'Adding fuel to the fire' -

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Hundreds of people have been killed in the unrest in Burundi, which has become entrenched, with armed opposition members periodically engaging in shootouts with the security forces.

Over 230,000 people have fled the fighting abroad.

Saturday's pro-government demonstrations have dampened expectations for a breakthrough in the crisis during an upcoming visit by African heads of state.

"Of course, Rwanda has meddled in Burundi's affairs but it's clear Nkurunziza is overdoing it. He's adding fuel to the fire to try show he is facing an external aggression and not a domestic political crisis that is turning into a civil war," a Western diplomat based in Burundi, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Saturday said Turkey would, if necessary, take military action against fighters from the Syrian Kurdish PYD, which Ankara considers a terror group.

"We can if necessary take the same measures in Syria as we took in Iraq and Qandil," Davutoglu said in a televised speech in the eastern city of Erzincan, referring to the relentless bombing campaign last year against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq on their Qandil mountain stronghold.

"We would expect our friends and allies to stand by us," he added.

Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia to be branches of the PKK which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state that intensified in the last months.

Turkey this week reacted furiously to comments by the US State Department spokesman saying Washington did not recognise the PYD as a terror group and would continue to support its operations in Syria.

"The leadership cadre and ideology of the PKK and PYD is the same," argued Davutoglu.

"Those who say that they are not terror groups either do not know the region or have bad intentions," he said, in apparent reference to the row with Washington.

"We will be sending documentation to the United States very soon to show that the PYD is a branch of the PKK," he said. Washington recognises the PKK as a terror group, as does the European Union.

Davutoglu accused the PYD of cooperating both the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad -- who Turkey wants to see ousted -- and his Russian allies, as well as committing war crimes.

"We are expecting a clear and unambiguous stand from the United States -- who we believe to be our allies -- against this slaughter of humanity," said the premier.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby said last week that the Kurdish fighters "have been some of the most successful" in fighting Islamic State jihadists inside Syria.

He said the United States had supported the Kurdish fighters, mostly with air power, "and that support will continue."

Turkey last year claimed killing dozens of PKK fighters and destroying their hideouts in cross-border air raids on northern Iraq.
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey hit Kurdish and Syrian regime targets on Saturday as Ankara mulled a ground assault with Saudi troops, further complicating efforts to end the war just days after the US and Russia agreed on a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria within a week.

State-run news agency Anatolia said the armed forces shelled Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) targets around the town of Azaz, and also responded to regime fire on a Turkish military guard post in Turkey's southern Hatay region.

There were no further details on the nature of the Turkish strikes, which triggered alarm in Washington, but they probably involved artillery fire from tanks.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Minnigh airbase, recently taken by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia from Islamist rebels, was hit in the Turkish shelling.

Ankara considers the PYD and its YPG militia to be branches of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state.

Saturday's shelling came shortly after Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Ankara would, if necessary, take military action against the PYD.

"We can if necessary take the same measures in Syria as we took in Iraq and Qandil," he said in a televised speech, referring to Turkey's bombing campaign last year against PKK targets in their Qandil mountain stronghold in northern Iraq.

Also in the Aleppo region, which has taken centre stage in the conflict, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, launched a two-pronged attack on Tal Rifaat, one of the remaining rebel bastions north of Aleppo city, the Observatory said.

It said Tal Rifaat also came under attack in at least 20 Russian air strikes on Saturday.

The US State Department said it was concerned about the situation north of Aleppo, was working to "de-escalate tensions on all sides" and urged Turkey to halt its strikes.

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"We have urged Syrian Kurdish and other forces affiliated with the YPG not to take advantage of a confused situation by seizing new territory," US State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.

"We have also seen reports of artillery fire from the Turkish side of the border and urged Turkey to cease such fires."

- 'Saudi ready to take part' -

With the conflict directly drawing in more international players, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, quoted in Turkish newspapers, said Riyadh and Ankara were coordinating plans to intervene in Syria, where Russia has been backing a successful regime offensive against rebels.

"If there is a strategy (against the Islamic State jihadist group), then Turkey and Saudi Arabia could enter into a ground operation," he said.

Cavusoglu said Saudi Arabia is also sending planes to the Turkish base of Incirlik, a key hub for US-led coalition operations against IS already used by Britain, France and the United States for cross-border air raids.

Turkish media later quoted military sources as saying between eight and 10 Saudi jets would be deployed in Incirlik within the coming weeks, with four F-16 fighters to arrive in a first wave.

Asked if Saudi Arabia could send troops to the Turkish border to enter Syria, Cavusoglu said: "This is something that could be desired but there is no plan. Saudi Arabia is sending planes and they said 'If the necessary time comes for a ground operation then we could send soldiers'."

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, meanwhile, said in a German newspaper interview: "There is discussion on whether ground troops are needed against IS.

"If a decision is taken to send in special units against IS, Saudi Arabia is ready to take part."

In an interview with AFP released Friday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he "doesn't rule out" that Turkey and Saudi Arabia would intervene militarily in Syria, but said his armed forces "will certainly confront it".

- 'New Cold War' -

Saudi Arabia and Turkey both staunchly support rebels seeking to oust Assad, and see his overthrow as essential for ending Syria's five-year civil war that has cost more than 260,000 lives.

They fear the West is losing its appetite to overthrow him on the assumption he is "the lesser of two evils" compared to the IS jihadists.

Both are outraged by Russia's military intervention in Syria, which analysts believe has given Assad a new lease of life and has also deeply alarmed the West.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Saturday strains with the West over the Syrian and Ukraine conflicts had plunged the world into a "new Cold War".

US Secretary of State John Kerry complained that the vast majority of Russia's attacks in Syria were against "legitimate opposition groups" rather than IS jihadists.

An ambush by rebels on pro-regime forces near Damascus this week killed 76 fighters, the Syrian Observatory said on Saturday.

World powers on Friday announced an ambitious plan to stop fighting in Syria within a week.

But doubts have emerged over its viability, especially because it did not include IS or Al-Qaeda's local branch, which is fighting alongside other rebel groups in several areas.
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkish forces on Saturday shelled a Syrian air base and a village captured by Kurdish fighters from insurgents in recent days in northern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. A Kurdish official confirmed the shelling of Menagh air base in the northern Aleppo countryside, which he said had been captured by the Kurdish-allied Jaysh al-Thuwwar group rather than the Kurdish YPG militia. Both are part of the Syria Democratic Forces alliance. There was no immediate comment from Turkey. (Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Alison Williams)
By Orhan Coskun and Daren Butler ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's military shelled Kurdish militia targets in northern Syria on Saturday and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu demanded that the group withdraw from the area in a move that further complicated the conflict across the NATO member's border. The shelling took place after Kurdish YPG fighters backed by Russian bombing raids drove Syrian rebels from a former military air base, south of the town of Azaz and near the Turkish border. "Today retaliation was taken under the rules of engagement against forces that represented a threat in Azaz and the surrounding area," the prime minister told reporters in comments shown live by state broadcaster TRT Haber. A Kurdish official said the Menagh base which was hit had been captured by the Kurdish-allied Jaysh al-Thuwwar group rather than the YPG. Both are part of the Syria Democratic Forces alliance. The shelling came amid growing anger in Ankara with the United States for supporting the YPG, which Ankara regards as a terrorist organization, in its fight against Islamic State militants. The Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), which backs the YPG, controls most of the Syrian side of Turkey's border and Ankara views it as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade-old insurgency for autonomy in southeast Turkey. U.S. State Department spokesperson John Kirby urged both Turkey and the Syrian Kurds to step back, saying they should focus instead on tackling a "common threat" of Islamic State militants who control large parts of Syria. "We have urged Syrian Kurdish and other forces affiliated with the YPG not to take advantage of a confused situation by seizing new territory," Kirby said in a statement. "We have also seen reports of artillery fire from the Turkish side of the border and urged Turkey to cease such fires." Davutoglu demanded that the Menagh base be evacuated and said he had spoken to U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to make that point and stress that the PYD was an extension of the PKK and a direct threat to Turkey. "We will retaliate against every step (by the YPG)," he said after a visit to the eastern Turkish city of Erzincan. "The YPG will immediately withdraw from Azaz and the surrounding area and will not go close to it again." Turkey's disquiet has been heightened by the tens of thousands of people fleeing to the Turkish border after attacks by Russian-backed Syrian government forces, swelling refugee numbers in the area to 100,000. Turkey, which already hosts 2.6 million Syrian refugees, has kept the latest arrivals on the Syrian side of the border, in part to pressure Russia to cease its air support for Syrian government forces near the city of Aleppo. Davutoglu earlier condemned the attacks in Aleppo as "barbarity, tyranny, a war strategy conducted with a medieval mentality" and said hundreds of thousands faced the danger of starvation if a humanitarian corridor was not opened. "We will help our brothers in Aleppo with all means at our disposal. We will take those in need but we will never allow Aleppo to be emptied through an ethnic massacre," he said. NATO-member Turkey is one of Assad's most vehement critics and an ardent supporter of opposition forces. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was reported as saying on Saturday that Saudi Arabia would send aircraft to Turkey's Incirlik air base for the fight against Islamic State. (Reporting by Orhan Coskun and Tom Perry in Beirut; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Dominic Evans)
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu confirmed on Saturday that Turkish forces had struck Kurdish YPG militia targets in northern Syria and demanded that the group withdraw from the area it has recently captured. "We will retaliate against every step (by the YPG)," he told reporters in comments shown live by state broadcaster TRT Haber. "The YPG will immediately withdraw from Azaz and the surrounding area and will not go close to it again." (Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Dominic Evans)
(Reuters) - Twitter Inc Chief Executive Jack Dorsey has agreed to continue to forego any form of direct compensation, a regulatory filing by the company showed on Friday. Dorsey in June agreed to no salary until the company's compensation committee agreed upon a package for him. The committee decided on Wednesday to introduce a performance-based equity compensation program for Twitter's top executives to tie their performance more closely with that of the company, according to the filing. Twitter reported its first quarter of no growth in users earlier this week, stoking fresh concerns on how long it will take for the company to reverse the trend. In January, four top executives left the company. Following the departures, Twitter named American Express Co executive Leslie Berland as its chief marketing officer. Facing slowing user growth, Twitter has been experimenting under Dorsey, who became interim CEO in July and then CEO in October, with ways to make its website more engaging. (Reporting By Lehar Maan in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)
By David Schwartz GLENDALE, Ariz. (Reuters) - Two 15-year-old girls who were believed to have been romantically involved were found shot dead on Friday at an Arizona high school in an apparent murder-suicide that initially triggered a security lockdown of the campus, police said. The pair, whose identities were not made public, were both 10th-grade students at Independence High School in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, and a suicide note was recovered from the scene of the shooting, according to a police statement. After a report of gunfire at the school, the two girls' bodies were found near the cafeteria under a covered patio, each having sustained a single gunshot wound, and a weapon was discovered nearby. Although the incident remained under investigation, evidence from the scene has led homicide detectives to determine that one of the girls apparently killed the other before taking her own life, and that no other students witnessed the shooting, police said. "Information gathered by detectives reveals the two girls were very close friends, appearing to also be in a relationship," and no other suspects are being sought, the police statement said. "The investigation has led detectives to believe this incident was a murder-suicide," it added. Glendale police spokeswoman Tracey Breeden said the school was placed on lockdown after the shooting, and the street in front of the campus was also shut down. Students, meanwhile, posted updates on social media from their classrooms as dozens of anxious parents, who were barred from the campus, gathered in the parking lot of a nearby Wal-Mart store to await their children. Jasmine Molina, 15, was in English class when the lockdown was declared. "I never thought it would happen here. This tells me that it could happen anywhere, at any school, even if it's a good school," said Molina, who was holding a stuffed bear her boyfriend had given her that morning for Valentine's Day. Ana Lisa Romero, whose son, Lalo, attends the school, said in a Facebook message to Reuters, "I am going crazy just thinking that could have been my son or nieces or nephews." Public officials expressed condolences over the shooting. "Our hearts remain with the students, educators and families of Independence High School and the entire Glendale community," Arizona Governor Doug Ducey said in a statement. Independence High, which is just a couple miles outside Phoenix, has about 2,000 students, school district representative Sara Clawson said. (Additional reporting by Eric Johnson in Los Angeles and Gina Cherelus in New York,; Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis and Steve Gorman; Editing by Scott Malone, Bill Trott, Jeffrey Benkoe and Lisa Shumaker)
A fierce gun battle killed two soldiers and five suspected militants Saturday in Indian-administered Kashmir near the de facto border with Pakistan, army officials said.

The seven died during a heavy exchange of fire in the border village of Marsari, 130 kilometres (80 miles) northwest of the main city of Srinagar, defence spokesman N. N. Joshi said.

The 16-hour gun battle began on Friday when government forces zeroed in on an abandoned house after receiving information about the presence of suspected rebels.

"One more militant was killed in the operations, bringing their number up to five," Joshi told AFP.

Another defence spokesman, S. D. Goswami, earlier said that two soldiers had been killed.

Two other soldiers were injured and have been taken to a military hospital, according to police.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan by a heavily militarised Line of Control since the end of British colonial rule in 1947.

Both countries administer parts of the restive Himalayan territory separately but claim it in full.

Since 1989 several rebel groups have been fighting an estimated half a million Indian forces deployed in the region, for independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan.

Overall violence in the disputed territory has declined sharply during the last decade, but armed encounters between rebels and government forces occur regularly.

Last week eight suspected rebels were killed in different gun battles with Indian government forces in the Kashmir valley, according to the army.

The fighting has left tens of thousands dead, mostly civilians.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies conducted 20 strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on Friday, the Combined Joint Task Force leading the operations said in a statement on Saturday. In Iraq, there were 17 strikes near eight cities, with five strikes near Mosul and four near Ramadi hitting Islamic State tactical units, equipment and fighting positions, the statement said. In Syria, a vehicle, a road and a crane used by the militant group were destroyed in three strikes. (Washington newsroom; Editing by Toby Chopra)
By Emma Farge DAKAR (Reuters) - Two high-profile strikes in West Africa since November by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) could further strengthen the Islamist militant group, a U.S. commander for North and West Africa said. AQIM, a militant group that emerged from the Algerian civil war in the 1990s and is now mostly north Mali-based, is emerging from a period of near dormancy marked by factional infighting. The group, linked to veteran jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar, claimed two hotel sieges in the Mali and Burkina Faso capitals in November and January that killed dozens, including many Westerners, proving its ability to strike further south. Some experts say the urban attacks, and a slew of recent propaganda, may be a bid to compete with ultra-hardline group Islamic State, which now has a base in Libya. "(The hotel attacks) raised the profile of the group and will help the group do a (few) things," said Colonel Bob Wilson, Third Special Forces Group Commander, in an interview with Reuters and The New York Times in Dakar this week. "One, show that it's still relevant. Two, help it to recruit personnel and commit resources. And three, create the impetus to do more attacks like that," he said on a visit to Senegal during the annual U.S.-led 'Flintlock' counter-terror training program in the Sahel region. The United States has its own Africa Command with between 1,000-1,200 forces on the continent at any given time, mostly in training and support roles. Wilson's North and West Africa command is the largest of three regional groups, with around 500 deployed across a dozen countries. U.S. officials say this year's event is marked by a growing threat of Islamic State (ISIS) in Libya, Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin and AQIM in the Sahel which, while deeply concerning, is also boosting African security cooperation. Wilson said he expects ISIS to spread beyond Libya to other African countries in the next year, echoing fears expressed by Niger and Chad to the south. The Islamic State has thousands of fighters in the former Italian colony and controls parts of Libya's northern coastal strip, including the city of Sirte. "I think it (ISIS) is going to expand beyond Libya where it can find subordinate elements to cooperate with," he said, adding that he was worried about "increased collusion and cooperation" between militant groups. He declined to comment on plans for special operations in Libya amid speculation of possible Western air strikes. Wilson welcomed the creation of a regional task force last year to fight Nigeria's Boko Haram, which has pledged allegiance to ISIS and is blamed for 15,000 deaths. But he said the countries involved -- Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Benin -- have yet to prove that they can work effectively together in joint operations and that a regional headquarters is still "nascent". (Reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government said on Friday it had approved the sale to Pakistan of up to eight F-16 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp, radar and other equipment in a deal valued at $699 million. The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which oversees foreign arms sales, said it had notified lawmakers about the possible deal. The agency said the F-16s would allow Pakistan's Air Force to operate in all-weather environments and at night, while improving its self-defense capability and bolstering its ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations. Lawmakers have 30 days to block the sale, although such action is rare since deals are well-vetted before any formal notification. India said it was disappointed with the U.S. decision. "We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism," Vikas Swarup, a spokesman for India's Foreign Ministry, said on Twitter. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker notified the Obama administration that he would not approve using U.S. funds to pay for the planes through the foreign military financing (FMF) program. That means Pakistan must fund the purchase itself, instead of relying on U.S. funds to cover about 46 percent of the cost. Given the funds it has available, Pakistan may be able to buy only four of the F-16 Block 52 models, and the associated radar and electronic warfare equipment, said one U.S. source familiar with the situation. Corker told Secretary of State John Kerry in a letter that he was concerned about Pakistan's ties to the Haqqani network, a militant group that U.S. officials have said is behind attacks in Afghanistan. "I may reconsider my blanket hold on U.S. FMF assistance should the Pakistanis make progress on addressing my significant concerns about their support for the Haqqani network, but for now, if they wish to purchase this military equipment, they will do so without a subsidy from the American taxpayer," he wrote. One U.S. official said the administration was convinced that F-16s were the right platform to support Pakistans counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations. "These operations reduce the ability of militants to use Pakistani territory as a safe haven for terrorism and a base of support for the insurgency in Afghanistan, which is in the national interests of both Pakistan and the United States, and in the interest of the region more broadly," the official said. Lockheed referred questions about the deal to the U.S. government. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Additional reporting by Douglas Busvine in New Delhi; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli and Leslie Adler)
By Elias Biryabarema KAMPALA (Reuters) - Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni dismissed as fiction attacks from rivals over allegations of corruption, unemployment and the state of healthcare in a televised debate on Saturday ahead of next week's presidential election. Museveni, 71, has ruled the east African country for 30 years, and is widely expected to win the election on Thursday although analysts say it is his toughest political contest yet. His two main challengers, Kizza Besigye, a popular opposition figure, and Amama Mbabazi, his former prime minister, have both been drawing huge crowds during the campaign. Besigye lost three times against Museveni although his Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party and government critics have often blamed rigging, violence by security forces and illegal use of state funds for his losses. Mbabazi questioned his former boss's assertion of having restored security in the country, saying absence of war did not mean the country was stable. "What security do our youth, 83 percent of them that are unemployed ... what security do they feel?" Mbabazi said. Museveni is credited with restoring economic and political stability after years of turmoil in the 1970s and 1980s. Critics say unemployment, especially among youths, has surged under his rule. They also accuse him of failing to tame rampant corruption. Another candidate, Abed Bwanika, also accused him of running down the country's healthcare, pointing to hospitals going without drugs while some officials travel abroad for first class medical care at the taxpayers' expense. "I am here to talk about Uganda, not about fiction," Museveni said. "If you want fiction and you want a Nobel prize for literature ... then you can talk the way you want to talk." Museveni has turned down debate invitations in the past and refused to attend a first debate held on Jan. 15, saying he was too busy campaigning. However, some Ugandans said he was reluctant to participate because he did not want to be subjected to tough questioning by the hosts and his opponents in Saturday's second face off. (Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by George Obulutsa)
World

Under Russian fire, Syrian rebels blame West for abandoning their fight

Amid a Russian-backed regime offensive in Aleppo, rebel factions in Syria say they face defeat without imminent military aid from the U.S., Turkey and other allies. Since last week, Russian airstrikes and regime troops have cut off rebel supply lines from the Turkish border to Aleppo. Tens of thousands of city residents have fled toward the border in fear of a protracted siege, raising tensions with Turkey, a key backer of Syrias opposition. The rebels battlefield setbacks have shone a spotlight on an apparent pullback by their international supporters ahead of failed U.N.-led peace talks last month to resolve Syrias conflict.

For the last year we havent received anything. The U.S. is preventing everyone from supplying the opposition with weapons out of fear they will fall in the hands of Islamic State. Bassam Hajji, a political officer in a CIA-backed rebel group in Aleppo

One consequence is that beleaguered rebel groups are likely to deepen their collaboration with more Islamist-oriented factions seen as more effective fighting forces. The overlap between groups has long been contentious, as the U.S. fears indirectly arming rebels that arent vetted. However, rebel commanders argue that (what the West considers) moderate rebels and jihadist alliances were born not out of ideological affinity but necessity. They blame the international community for allowing the Syrian regime to kill civilians with impunity over the past five years, while the West blames Russia for airstrikes that are disabling opposition groups and directing enabling ISIS.
Seoul (AFP) - The United States has temporarily deployed an additional Patriot missile battery in South Korea following North Korea's recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch, US Forces Korea said Saturday.

The move came as the two allies plan to start detailed discussions on bringing in an advanced, high-altitude US missile defence system opposed by China as early as next week.

"This deployment is part of an emergency deployment readiness exercise conducted in response to recent North Korean provocations," the US Forces Korea said in a press statement, referring to the temporary roll-out of a Patriot missile battery, which was flown from Fort Bliss, Texas this week.

"Exercises like this ensure we are always ready to defend against an attack from North Korea," said Lieutenant General Thomas Vandal, commander of the US Eighth Army.

The newly deployed Patriot battery is conducting ballistic missile defence training with the Eighth Army's 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Osan Air Base, some 47 kilometres (30 miles) south of Seoul.

The brigade has its own two Patriot battalions. One Patriot battalion is reportedly composed of four batteries.

Just hours after North Korea launched a long-range rocket that both condemned as a disguised ballistic missile test, South Korea and the United States announced their intention to start discussions on deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence System (THAAD).

The Pentagon has since stressed that it would like the system to be deployed in South Korea "as quickly as possible".

A senior South Korean defence ministry official said Friday detailed discussions on THAAD deployment would kick off as early as next week.

China and Russia argue that it would trigger an arms race in the region, with Beijing voicing its "deep concern" over the deployment.

South Korea had previously declined to formally discuss bringing in THAAD in deference to the sensitivities of China, its most important trade partner.

But North Korea's continued missile testing and frustration with Beijing's resistance to imposing harsh sanctions on Pyongyang apparently triggered a change in Seoul's stance.
Kabul (AFP) - The top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan was bullish on the country's future despite concerns over peace talks, as he confirmed his looming retirement at a press conference in Kabul Saturday.

General John Campbell voiced confidence about the future of Afghanistan as he neared the end of an 18-month tour of the country, though he admitted any political solution could be jeopardised by divisions within the Taliban.

"Right now I'm not sure who's in charge" of the insurgents, he said when discussing hopes of bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table.

Long-time Taliban leader Mullah Omar was confirmed dead last summer in an announcement that threw off a nascent peace process. Mullah Akhtar Mansour was named as his successor, but the insurgency has been riven with discord over his rule, and at least one faction has broken away to challenge him.

Campbell also admitted recent estimates that the Taliban now have control over around 30 percent of Afghanistan "may not be that far off".

The US and NATO-led mission in Afghanistan has transitioned into an Afghan operation, with allied nations assisting in training and equipping local forces to tackle Taliban and other groups.

But throughout 2015 the Taliban dealt some stinging blows to Afghan forces, including a short-lived takeover of the northern city of Kunduz.

However Campbell dismissed any notion that a recent push by the insurgents could see entire provinces fall in 2016. "[The insurgents] are not ten feet tall. They can be beaten."

Further complicating the fragile security situation is the emergence of Islamic State jihadists who have made alarming inroads in eastern Nangarhar province.

The US military has been given legal authority to target the group's fighters in Afghanistan. "I think today I have what I need to go after Daesh," Campbell said Saturday, using another name for Islamic State.

He confirmed his retirement after his tour ends in March, when he is due to hand over to replacement Lieutenant General John "Mick" Nicholson.

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But he denied the move had anything to do with a catastrophic US strike on a charity-run hospital during October's Kunduz offensive that caused international outrage.

"I'm doing this on my own terms and Mrs Campbell's terms," he said, adding that he had been offered another post by the US Secretary of Defense but had turned it down.

Afghanistan, he said, will remain in his heart. "I believe... that they are worthy of our continued investment and sacrifice."
Sunderland (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Louis van Gaal dismissed suggestions that his side's 2-1 Premier League defeat at Sunderland on Saturday has put him under even more pressure as Manchester United manager.

An unfortunate 82nd-minute own goal by David de Gea condemned United to a loss that prevented them from closing the six-point gap that separates them from the Champions League places.

Van Gaal's position has been the subject of speculation for weeks and reports emerged last week that United have approached former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho to replace the 64-year-old Dutchman.

But when asked if the defeat at the Stadium of Light put him under more pressure, he replied: "No. I have to do my work and I do my work to my utmost best and I cannot do more.

"I shall prepare my players against Midtjylland (in the Europa League) 100 percent and I shall do that always."

Defeat was doubly frustrating for United as with fourth-place Manchester City hosting Tottenham Hotspur and leaders Leicester City visiting third-place Arsenal on Sunday, they had a chance to make ground on the top four.

United were also pegged back by a late goal in their previous game, conceding a stoppage-time equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Chelsea, and Van Gaal conceded that their top-four hopes were fading.

"It will be very difficult now because we give five points away, Chelsea and now," he said. "It's too much at this time."

Van Gaal agreed when it was put to him that United's best chance of reaching the Champions League is to win the Europa League.

"After this match, I think that is the best route," he said. "But that's not so easy because a lot of very good teams are participating in this event."

Tunisian home debutant Wahbi Khazri put Sunderland ahead in the third minute with a free-kick from wide on the left that eluded everyone and crept in at the far post.

Anthony Martial equalised before half-time, but Sunderland regained the lead when Martial's attempt to clear Lamine Kone's header from Khazri's corner off the line hit De Gea's elbow and rolled over the line.

A crestfallen Wayne Rooney admitted that United now face a struggle to secure a place in the top four and with it an immediate return to the Champions League following their group-stage exit this season.

"It will be difficult to get into the top four now," the United captain told BT Sport. "We have to somehow move on."
New York (AFP) - Wall Street is hoping to reset the debate on US corporate governance following a wave of shareholder activism that has challenged many of the biggest companies.

Since August, JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon has been working with leaders in finance and investing to hash out guidelines on best practices for corporate governance, according to people familiar with the talks.

The initiative follows a rising wave of investor activism that has roiled numerous large companies, including JPMorgan, which has successfully beaten back shareholder efforts in recent years to split the chief executive and chairman roles.

Other big shareholder campaigns have targeted Apple, PepsiCo and insurer AIG, which Thursday announced it installed activists John Paulson and Carl Icahn on its board, removing the chance of them mounting proxy fight against the management.

Dimon has convened meetings at JPMorgan's Park Avenue headquarters with financial luminaries that include investing legend Warren Buffett, BlackRock chief Laurence Fink, Fidelity chief executive Abigail Johnson, as well as executives from Vanguard, Capital Group and Canadian pension fund CPPIB, said people close to the talks.

The working group has so far produced a draft, but a final version is not expected for another two or three months. The initiative was secret until news of the meetings were reported by financial media.

Key questions addressed by the group include: How many members should be on the board of directors? Should the role of chief executive and chairman be held by the same officials? What should be the key factors in setting corporate compensation?

Other topics include the relative benefits of reporting earnings on a quarterly basis as opposed to less frequently, and whether 65 years old remains a useful target for retirement.

The idea is to reflect what the world's biggest investors believe "is the best way to govern a company," said one meeting participant.

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"It's not like they are saying, 'This is how you have to do it,'" this person said.

"They are just saying, 'We studied this a lot and this is what we are came up with.'"

The group could produce a report in time for the 2016 proxy season, when shareholders are able to vote on company governance rules.

The annual spring event has become a battle ground in recent years at companies including Bank of America, DuPont, Yahoo, Sotheby's and others.

Activists often push for major and occasionally radical actions, such as selling off assets, firing management or returning capital to shareholders.

News of the Dimon-led project was greeted by Investor Shareholder Services, which makes recommendations to investors on proxy votes.

"We support in principle initiatives that help promote good governance and constructive engagement between companies and their shareholders," said ISS head of global research Georgina Marshall.
By Stephanie Nebehay and Ben Hirschler GENEVA/LONDON (Reuters) - The suspected link between the Zika virus and two neurological disorders, the birth defect microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome, could be confirmed within weeks, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday. A sharp increase in microcephaly cases in Brazil has triggered a global health emergency over the mosquito-borne virus, which had previously been viewed as causing only a relatively mild illness, and spurred a race to develop a vaccine, medicines and better diagnostic tests. The WHO said U.S. government scientists and an Indian biotechnology firm were the front-runners in the vaccine effort but said it would take at least 18 months to start large-scale clinical trials of potential preventative shots. The U.N. health agency also for the first time advised pregnant women to consider delaying travel to Zika-affected areas. Brazil is at the center of the Zika outbreak that has spread to more than 30 countries. Researchers there are working to determine whether Zika has caused a big rise in cases of microcephaly, a birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and may have developmental problems. Brazil's health ministry issued fresh figures on Friday, reporting 4,314 suspected and confirmed cases of microcephaly, up from 4,074 cases on Feb. 2. The ministry said it had confirmed 462 of those cases as microcephaly or other alterations to the central nervous system. Researchers have identified evidence of Zika infection in 41 of these cases, either in the baby or in the mother. But scientists have not confirmed that Zika can cause microcephaly. "It seems indeed that the link with Zika (and microcephaly) is becoming more and more probable, so I think that we need a few more weeks and a few more studies to have this straight," Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO assistant director-general for health systems and innovation, told a news briefing in Geneva. Studies of Zika-infected pregnant Latin American women who were due to deliver their babies soon should yield evidence, Kieny said, adding that data also was coming from studies in French Polynesia and Cape Verde. Kieny said Zika-hit areas also have experienced increased cases of the neurological disease Guillain-Barre, adding: "The direct causality has still to be demonstrated but the association in time and in location seems to be clear." Guillain-Barre syndrome, in which the body's immune system attacks part of the nervous system, causes gradual weakness in the legs, arms and upper body and sometimes total paralysis. In a statement, the WHO reiterated it was not recommending any general travel or trade restrictions related to the virus. But it added, "Women who are pregnant should discuss their travel plans with their healthcare provider and consider delaying travel to any area where locally acquired Zika infection is occurring." Brazil is set to host the Olympics in August in Rio de Janeiro, an event expected to draw hundreds of thousands of athletes, officials and spectators. Many scientists are convinced the link between Zika and birth defects is real. New evidence of Zika in the brain of an aborted foetus, reported on Wednesday, added to the case. Speaking at an American Association for the Advancement of Science news conference in Washington, another WHO official, Christopher Dye, reiterated the agency's strong suspicion. "If we take all the information we have at the moment, the case for a causal link is quite strong," Dye said. "We should now say that Zika is guilty until proven innocent." VACCINE RACE The WHO's Kieny said two vaccine candidates seem to be more advanced: one from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and one from the Indian company Bharat Biotech. The NIH is working on a DNA-based vaccine that uses the same approach as one being developed for West Nile virus. India's Bharat said last week its experimental vaccine would start pre-clinical trials imminently in animals. Overall, about 15 groups are working on Zika vaccines. Kieny said new diagnostic test kits also were being rapidly developed and could be available within weeks. Zika is predominantly spread by mosquito bites, but scientists are studying transmission by blood transfusions and sexual contact. British health officials reported Zika was found in a British man's semen two months after being infected, suggesting the virus may linger in semen long after infection symptoms fade. They said the 68-year-old man, infected in 2014 in French Polynesia, had low levels of the virus in initial blood tests. Subsequent tests of semen showed positive results at 27 days and 62 days after the start of Zika symptoms, with higher levels of the virus in the semen than the initial blood tests. "Our data may indicate prolonged presence of virus in semen, which in turn could indicate a prolonged potential for sexual transmission" of this virus, the researchers from Public Health England and the National Institute for Health Research in Liverpool wrote in Emerging Infectious Diseases, a journal of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The WHO has advised women, particularly pregnant women, to protect themselves from mosquito bites in Zika-affected areas and to practice safe sex through the use of condoms. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Ben Hirschler in London, Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago, Jeffrey Dastin and Bill Berkrot in New York, Caroline Stauffer in Sao Paulo; Writing by Ben Hirschler, Stephanie Nebahey and Frances Kerry; Editing by Will Dunham, Bernard Orr)
By Jeffrey Dastin (Reuters) - Some 38 percent of U.S. multinationals, universities and non-profits surveyed by an arm of the State Department are allowing female employees to defer travel or leave countries where the Zika virus has been reported. A fifth of the 321 respondents said they were giving male employees similar options, a sign of how employers' travel policies are diverging as they react to the mosquito-borne virus and uncertainty about the way it is transmitted. Scientists are investigating a potential link between Zika infections of pregnant women and more than 4,000 suspected cases in Brazil of microcephaly, a condition marked by abnormally small head size that can result in developmental problems. The State Department's Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), which has a membership of more than 3,500 U.S. companies and institutions that do business abroad, surveyed its members and reported the results on Feb. 5. Boeing Co, Microsoft Corp, Walt Disney Co and others assist OSAC, according to its website. The largest share of the survey's respondents, none of whom were identified, were only recommending ways employees can avoid mosquito bites or inform themselves via the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the World Health Organization (WHO). Multinational companies contacted separately by Reuters showed a similar split over how to respond to the virus's rapid spread in Latin America and the Caribbean. While airlines and cruise ship operators have yet to report declines in bookings because of the disease, that may be in store if the virus lingers, Credit Suisse analyst Julie Yates said in a research note on Thursday. FASTER THAN EBOLA In line with CDC guidance, Wal Mart Stores Inc, American Express Co and snack-maker Mondelez International Inc have told workers who are pregnant or considering pregnancy to consult with health professionals before visiting any of the 26 countries and territories where Zika is active. The WHO declared an international emergency for Zika on Feb. 1, but much remains unknown about the virus. Chevron Corp, which has significant operations in Brazil and Venezuela, is among companies with a more expansive policy that allows any concerned employee to opt out of travel, spokesman Kurt Glaubitz said. By contrast, Ford Motor Co, General Motors Co and security products company Allegion PLC have told employees about precautions for travel but they have not publicly disclosed policy changes for women of child-bearing age. U.S. companies have reacted faster than during past epidemics, such as the two-year-long outbreak of Ebola in West Africa that began in December 2013, because Zika is spreading in their backyard, said Christopher Pardee, manager of health intelligence at travel risk consultancy iJET. Some 41 percent of Americans aware of the disease have said they are less likely to take a trip to affected regions, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found a week ago. [nL2N15L00R] (Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin in New York; Additional reporting by Bernie Woodall in Detroit and Nathan Layne in Chicago; Editing by Christian Plumb and Grant McCool)
[Warning: Spoilers ahead for Zoolander 2.]

Of all of the new castmembers in Zoolander 2, one of the biggest parts belongs to Cyrus Arnold, who plays Derek Zoolander Jr. in one of his first movies.

Viewers got a brief glimpse of Derek Jr. at the end of Zoolander, with the then-baby already taking after his dad, with spiky black hair and the ability to flash a modeling look like his father. But 15 years later, at the start of Zoolander 2, Derek (Ben Stiller) and his son are estranged, with the former living in seclusion, as a "hermit crab" as Zoolander says, after his son's been taken away from him following the death of Derek's wife Matilda (Christine Taylor). It seems the dim-witted male model had trouble raising his son on his own, struggling to figure out things like how to make dry pasta soft.

Derek later learns that his son is at an Italian orphanage and the two reunite. But the "fat little smarty pants" Derek Jr. has become doesn't have much in common with his looks-oriented father. Still, when Derek learns that Mugatu (Will Ferrell) has conspired to kidnap his son, who may possess the key to eternal youth, he and Hansel (Owen Wilson) join forces with swimsuit model-turned-Interpol agent Valentina Valencia (Penelope Cruz) to get Derek Jr. back.

In the process, Derek Jr. has a showdown with Mugatu and he and his father ultimately reconnect, with the youngest Zoolander flashing another modeling look.

Read More: 'Zoolander 2' Premiere: Ben Stiller, Co-Writer Reveal How Long-Awaited Sequel Finally Came Together

Arnold  who previously appeared on Comedy Bang! Bang!, Sam & Cat and the About a Boy and Richie Rich TV series  auditioned for the role of Derek Jr. twice and didn't hear anything for four months. Then he and his mom/manager were asked to fly to New York to meet Derek Zoolander himself, Ben Stiller, who also wrote, directed and produced both movies.

"He was really nice; he's really open to people," Arnold says of his first impressions of Stiller.

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And it was Stiller who surprised Arnold with the news that he landed the part in the highly anticipated sequel. A week after their trip to New York, Arnold's mom picked him up from school and told him he had a commercial audition via Skype.

"I get in front of the computer at the house and then the casting director supposedly pops up on the screen  and I'm like, 'You look a lot like Ben Stiller' and it was, and he told me I got the role," Arnold tells The Hollywood Reporter, explaining he can't even remember what his reaction was apart from sheer "shock and awe."

"I would never dream of working beside one of the greatest comedian-actors of all time," he adds.

Read More: 'Zoolander 2': Film Review

Arnold was a fan of the first Zoolander, particularly the walk-off between Derek and Hansel, he says.

"All of those insults are hilarious," Arnold explains. "And the David Bowie cameo's pretty good."

And when Arnold filmed Derek Jr.'s face-off with Mugatu, Ferrell's ad-libbed rant also had Arnold laughing.

"The one time I broke character [while filming] in that entire shoot was during the scene with Will Ferrell," Arnold says. "It was just so funny  the insults he came up with in that movie. You know how he says an entire monologue? In the script it was one or two sentences, and then he extended that and improvised the entire speech. I laughed a lot; it was really hard for me to film it."

Although Derek Jr. impresses his father with his ability to speak Italian, Arnold himself doesn't speak the language and was shocked when he was told he had to deliver an entire speech in the foreign language.

Read More: Ben Stiller Reveals Actor Playing Derek Zoolander's Son

"That afternoon, I did not know that that entire speech was in Italian, and I didn't speak any Italian whatsoever even though I was in Rome. The PA asked me at lunch, 'Are you ready for the Italian speech?' And I'm like, 'What?!' My mom didn't blink for like a full minute and me neither. I was really worried. I had to memorize an entire speech in Italian, a foreign language that I didn't know how to speak."

He also worked hard, with Stiller, to master the modeling look he flashes at the end of the film.

"It took me a whole day to perfect my own interpretation of blue steel," Arnold says. "It's such a unique look  it's harder than it looks! It's not just a good looking fish face. It's really hard. It took an entire day to do, so that shows how hard it was to perfect."

Arnold is quick to note that any onscreen challenges he faced were quickly forgotten because he was having so much fun with his co-stars.

Read More: How to Look Like the Ridiculously Good Looking Characters in 'Zoolander 2'

He cites Derek Jr.'s harrowing car ride with his dad, in which the senior Zoolander pulls out a selfie stick and tries to snap a few photos while driving, as his most memorable scene, noting that they worked on that scene during his first and last days of filming.

"That specific scene shows so much about what Derek Jr. feels about his dad," Arnold says. "[Derek Jr.'s] nothing like [his dad], and he doesn't think they'll bond anytime soon, and it kind of makes him sad because he really did want to bond with his dad, he really tried, but they're just so unalike that it was hard for them.  But they get along in the end."

See More: Jennifer Aniston, Kendall Jenner Step Out for the 'Zoolander 2' NY Premiere
Cops to view surveillance footage in murder probe

Nagakiya was staying at Picton Court with other Japanese visitors who had come to this country to take part in the Panorama competition.

The victim played with the Silver Stars Steel Orchestra, and was described as very friendly, very articulate and a person who had a genuine love for steel pan and this country.

Her friends stated that she looked forward to Carnival.

Police believe that the man last seen with Nagakiya could assist them with their investigation into the murder.

Her Japanese friends who were also staying at Picton Court were also interviewed by police as investigators wanted to ascertain why no missing report was made to the police, either on Carnival Tuesday or Ash Wednesday when Nagakiya failed to return to her apartment.

On Ash Wednesday, her body still clad in her Carnival costume, was found close to a tree stump opposite Queens Royal College.

An autopsy carried out on Thursday revealed that death was due to manual strangulation.

Swabs and tissues have been sent to a lab to ascertain if Nagakiya was sexually assaulted, prior to her death.
State to pay for police cover up

Justice Vasheist Kokaram yesterday ordered the State to pay compensation, with interest, to Deryck Warner who, in 2010, was a student of the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) when he was shot by police, sustaining a near fatal wound on Carnival Friday (February 12) at the BWIA Boulevard in Piarco.

The police claimed Warner had given them a bad drive and refused to pull over and had to be pursued from the Mausica district to Golden Grove Road where he evaded a police road block at the Youth Training Centre (YTC), shot at the officers some 16 to 20 times, before he was eventually apprehended by police on the BWIA Boulevard, after he was shot by police when he again allegedly engaged in more gun play with the officers.

No ammunition, no gun, no gun powder residue on Warners body and no ammunition or residue discharge in the panel van he was driving were ever found by police; facts which the judge noted in his ruling.

According to the judgment, Warner is to receive $233,630 in special damages with three percent interest from August 1, 2013; and a total of $500,000 for assault and battery, false imprisonment and malicious prosecution, with six percent interest from 2014 to yesterdays date as well as exemplary damages in the sum of $90,000 and a little over $95,000 in costs.

Kokaram acknowledged that the courts have repeatedly expressed its angst in cases of oppressive arbitrary and unconstitutional action by police officers in the service, while also condemning the actions of the police officers who were involved in Warners arrest and subsequent prosecution.

Their actions in this case is to be soundly condemned, resorting to cover ups when there should be a full appreciation of police error and wrong and dealing with the victim humanely, he maintained.

Kokaram also stressed that such conduct by the police destroyed the trust between the police and lawful abiding citizens, as he suggested that the TT Police Service revisit their approach to police errors as in Warners case.

Dragging the obviously innocent through a doomed criminal process and later stoutly defending civil proceedings should, I hope, be a strategy of the past. In the future, apologies to the victim and their families for the first thing will be useful as well as the more frequent use of mediation where matters such as these can afford officers the privacy needed to atone for their wrongs to the victims who may receive the satisfaction of mental healing and the rebuilding of trust in the police force, Kokaram suggested.

In his 16 page ruling, he was critical of the police conduct of the case against Warner who, after being shot, was charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition and six counts of shooting with intent.

The charges against Warner were eventually dismissed more than three years later in the magistrates court.

Kokaram said he was inclined to believe that the police officer who charged Warner, Acting ACP Clarke, was simply trying to save face for a police shooting of an unarmed civilian with no probable cause and was complicit in a cover up. It was an outright abuse of the criminal process to protect officers who acted recklessly, Kokaram said.

He also said the person who had the motive to conceal the truth of what took place was not Warner, but experienced police officers with their reputations on the line in the face of an obvious embarrassment. ASP Clarke also came in for heavy criticisms for his abysmal attendance record at the magistrates court.

It is very easy to see that ASP Clarke by his own inactivity had very little faith in the success of this prosecution. He did not sift the evidence.

Had he done so, he would have to conclude that there was no reasonable and probable cause to charge the claimant with any such gun related offences, the judge said.

Representing Warner were Senior Counsel Sophia Chote, Anil Maraj and Nesha Abiraj while Coreen Findley, Ronelle Hinds and Bryan Basdeo appeared for ASP Clarke and the Attorney General, who were named as defendants.
Chain snatcher tells court he was chained up

Kareem Bruce, 18, of Ste Madeleine, pleaded guilty before outgoing Deputy Chief Magistrate Mark Wellington in the First Court, charged with robbing a pedestrian, Alexander Moodie, of a gold chain and pendant, together valued at $4,200.

PC Ameer Ali of San Fernando CID laid the charge.

Court prosecutor, attorney Cleydon Seedan told the Court that at about 7.15 pm on Thursday, Moodie was standing on the Curepe taxi stand located at Upper High Street, San Fernando, when Bruce and another man approached him.

The prosecutor added that the men ordered Moodie to hand over his personal valuables to which he complied, fearful for his life. Moodie handed over his gold chain and pendant and both men ran off along the street. Moodie reported the incident to PC Boodai and WPC Gonzales who were at the time on mobile patrol duties.

The victim accompanied the police officers in search of the robbers and while along St Vincent Street, San Fernando, spotted Bruce.

When police informed him about the report, Bruce claimed that he knew nothing about it.

But on the ground next to him, police recovered only the pendant.

PC Ali subsequently charged him with robbery with aggravation.

Standing before Wellington yesterday, Bruce admitted that he committed the act and apologised for his actions. He added that he got chained up to do it.

Magistrate Wellington scolded Bruce saying he (Bruce) is a big man and knew it was wrong to do it.

He fined Bruce $4,000 to be paid within six weeks failing which he will serve nine months in jail.
Brother in court for housebreaking and larceny

He appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate, Mark Wellington, in the First Court, charged with breaking into the home of Samdeo Sohan at Mapepire Road ,Gasparillo, and stealing an estimated $97,000 worth of jewelry.

The incident occurred on January 21 last and yesterday Bedassie pleaded not guilty.

PC Leelum, of the Gasparillo Police Station, laid the charge.

It is alleged that at about 8 am on January 21, Bedassie and his brother Brian, broke a glass window to gain access into the house.

Corporal Hosein and Constable LeeLum conducted investigations and arrested Brian last month.

Brian made his first court appearance on January 25 when the presiding magistrate denied bail and remanded him into police custody.

The brothers, police said, are from Cooper Grange Street, St Johns Village, San Fernando.

Yesterday Magistrate Wellington denied bail to Bedassie and remanded him into custody for tracing to reappear on February 22. Brian is also scheduled to reapear in court on that date.
Young car thief caught driving stolen car

According to reports the blue Skoda car belonging to a woman was stolen from Trial Street, Chaguanas where she had earlier parked it to go and conduct business.

The young suspect of Rio Claro allegedly told police he had hotwired the vehicle. Investigators say he is well known to them.

A report stated that a woman had reported that her car had been stolen  an All Points Bulletin was sent out  Sgt Thompson, PCs Villafana, Langley, St John, Navaro and Martin of the Chaguanas Hotspot, and 500 Patrol Units intercepted the vehicle as it travelled along the northbound lane of the highway. It is believed the car was heading into Nelson Street, Port-of-Spain.
UN body warns leaders against blaming women victims

In an interview with Newsday, Christine Arab  Head of UN Womens Multi-Country Office, Caribbean  said trends have shown an increase in instances of sexual violence. She said statements  like those recently made by Port-of-Spain Mayor Raymond Tim Kee  are dangerous, and that the case of Japanese national Asami Nagakiya was heartbreaking.

Arab, who was officer- in-charge of the UN agencys Afghanistans office in 2003, and was first posted as its sub-regional office for Arab States in 1998, said while the contexts differed, the root cause of victim shaming in Caribbean and Arab states was the same belief that a womans life was less valuable than a mans.

It is essential that the response of State parties and also cultural icons, elected officials, and religious leaders in no way convenes the idea of impunity for any acts of violence, Arab said, speaking from her office at Barbados.

This is how moral compasses are shaped. Arab continued, Every time a person of influence makes statements that diminishes accountability that, de facto, can be read as impunity....That is a dangerous thing. The UN official said a survey done five years ago by Caricoms advocate for gender justice Dr Rosina Wiltshire showed a large proportion of teenagers now believe violence against woman is tolerable.

Teenaged girls and boys have the same perception of when it is acceptable for him to hurt her, Arab said. Youth have been taught there is a degree of tolerance to violence. There is the romanticisation of violence. That is deeply concerning. Arab  whose office has jurisdiction for matters in the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean  said whenever there is discussion of violence against women, the discourse differs radically from discussion of violence in relation to men, such as gang violence.

The regional trend is when there are acts against women the dialogue very quickly shifts to victim-blaming, and not on bringing the perpetrator to account, she said. Violence against women is less concerning at a social level than street violence and gang violence against men, and it is very striking and it happens time and again. It is very striking that when actions of violence  rape, intimate violence, homicides  against women occur the dialogue so quickly goes to the idea that there must be a justifiable reason for it. She continued, The law says the person who commits the crime is wholly accountable. Are lives valued differently? Are different acts acceptable as opposed to other acts? All persons have equal rights. A persons back story has zero to do with what violence they face. She said the problem of victim-shaming is also prevalent in regional neighbours like Guyana, Jamaica, Barbados, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, and St Vincent and the Grenadines. She also noted similar problems exist in North America, where rapes in American universities have attracted scorn for the victims.
US Ambassador from Laventille

In a brief statement issued yesterday, the Public Affairs Section of the Embassy of the United States in Port-of-Spain said The US Senate today (Friday, February 12) confirmed the nomination of John Estrada as US Ambassador to TT. Please check our Twitter and Facebook accounts for future updates. Estrada, who migrated to the US when he was 14 years old, became a Marine and business executive.

In a Twitter interview on Wednesday, 31st July 2013 with senior writer for Marine Times, Dan Lamonthe, Estrada was quoted as saying he was excited to be nominated. However, he declined to comment further at the time, saying he must wait for nomination process to play out. He must be confirmed by the Senate.
Results mix-up: Chase Village cops second

While Watap Promotions remain winners with their presentation of Fan 2 See, Chase Village Carnival, parading with Not So Traditional has moved up to second place from third position.

Central Elite, with its presentation of Of the Universe, which was originally named as taking second place, actually didnt qualify for judging as they did not cross the stage on Monday night. While the band actually lined up on the drag, they couldnt parade before the judges, because the police ordered us to stop proceedings, although it was long before Monday midnight, explained Ramchand Rajbal Maraj, Chairman of the Couva Carnival Committee.

However, Central Elites runners-up position in the Band of the Year competition on Carnival Tuesday remains official.

When the tabulations were done for Tuesdays Parade of the Bands, Central Elite actually placed second. The scoresheets for Monday Nite Mas were on the judges table on Tuesday, and it seemed that the result were mixed-up. We regret the error, which was human, and apologise to both Central Elite and Chase Village Carnival for issuing the wrong results for Monday mas, added the CCC Chairman
Rowley mourns Jack Bynoe

Bynoe served as chairman of the then National Housing Authority (NHA) and president of the then TT Society of Architects.

In his practice, he had built 65 public secondary schools and seven health-centres and had done many private jobs, he revealed in his eulogy.

Rowley spoke to Newsday after Bynoes funeral yesterday at a packed St Finbars Church, Four Roads, Diego Martin, which he attended with his wife, Sharon Rowley.

Among the mourners were House Speaker Brigid Annisette- George, contractor Afra Raymond, sociologist Prof Selwyn Ryan, architect/music Clive Zanda Alexander, veteran politician Ferdie Fereira, and entertainer Paul Keens-Douglas.

Dr Rowley hailed Bynoe for contributing over the years in both the private and public sectors.

He represented the best of Trinidad and Tobago, he told Newsday.

Dr Rowley related that Bynoe came from humble beginnings, but worked hard to reach the highest levels of his profession of architecture. The PM said Bynoe conducted his profession with great personal integrity. It is a great loss to the architectural fraternity, and to the nation as a whole, said Dr Rowley.

Officiating priests were Rev Fr Fortune and Abbott Perreira. The eulogy was delivered by Bynoes son, Michael Bynoe.

Michael said Bynoe began work as a drafting technician at Watkins and Partners, but then decided to go to England to study architecture on a government scholarship to improve himself, with his wife and three children.

Contrary to the sentiments of some, he took the entire family with him to pursue his dream, related Michael. He was a committed family man. It may have been easier for him to go alone, and have the family follow, or not go at all, but that was not the course he chose. Michael said their mother Nazelah, would later on in life relate stories of the challenges the family faced during their four years in England.

She would tell us about times when they had one pound ($10) between them for a family of five.

For exactly how long this pound had to stretch I am not sure, but the lesson to us, was that you had to sacrifice, and make the effort for the things you want, as they dont always come easy. Michael related that on return to TT, Bynoe had served as an architect in the Ministry of Works from 1964 to 1967 to repay his scholarship.

Bynoe often expressed his gratitude to the government for allowing him to pursue his dreams after having voiced a commitment to develop TT by his architectural designs.

In 1967 he decided to go into private practice and rejoined his old firm, Watkins and Partners and went into partnership with Percy Philips as the principals of the firm, related Michael. The firm has had a few name changes over the years and now operates as Bynoe, Rowe, Wiltshire Partnership.

Michael said that after 51 years of working life, Bynoe had retired as a partner in his firm last December, aiming to relax and visit the office just twice a week as a consultant starting this month, but God had other plans for him.

My father was a very calm and easy-going fellow yet he was very focussed. He loved family and friends, and liked everyone to have a good time. He said Bynoe had earned a pilots licence and had bought a yacht which he had sailed up to Grenada and the Grenadines. I believe he was somewhat fearless, but he would take carefully calculated risks. Yesterday a paid press advert by one George Butcher of Portof- Spain, noted that Bynoe had died just a week after the High Court had rejected his claim for $14 million in payment for works done for the State. Rejecting the statute of limitations logic of the ruling, Butcher argued it was a low blow that had shortened the life of a very principled individual, and a true patriot.
House to sit next week

This was the information provided to Newsday yesterday by senior government officials.

This sitting will take place after Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley returns from the 27th Inter-Sessional Caricom Heads of Government Conference in Belize.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to leave for Belize on February 15. The conference is scheduled to take place from February 16 to 17, with Rowley to make a presentation on security to Caricom leaders.

However, no information was provided as to the agenda for the upcoming sitting of the House. Speaking in the House on January 11 last when he presented the Finance Bill 2016, Finance Minister Colm Imbert indicated that Government would be bringing a second finance bill to Parliament which would deal with incentives for the private sector for housing construction. In his address to the nation on December 29 last, Rowley identified housing construction as one way Government would seek to stimulate economic growth given the current economic circumstances facing the country.

On Ash Wednesday, the countrys parliamentarians put the Carnival festivities behind them, and got back to work. While some persons opted to go to Maracas Beach for the traditional post Carnival cool down or took an extra day off, there was no rest for the members of the Joint Select Committee on Public Administration and Appropriations which met in closed session yesterday in the Arnold Thomasos Meeting Room (East) at Tower D of the Portof- Spain International Waterfront Centre from 1.30 pm.

This JSC is chaired by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Bridgid Annisette-George.

Other members include Communications Minister Maxie Cuffie, Opposition Senator Wade Mark and Independent Senator Melissa Ramkissoon.

The JSC on the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property (Amendment) Bill 2015 met at the same venue yesterday at 9.30 am. This meeting is also in camera.

Imbert is the chairman of this JSC, which includes Rural Development and Local Government Minister Franklin Khan, Independent Senator David Small, and Opposition Senator Wayne Sturge.

The JSC on the Whistleblower Protection Bill 2015 met in the Arnold Thomasos Room (West) in Tower D yesterday at 11.30 am. Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi is the chairman of this committee.

National Security Minister, Edmund Dillon, St Augustine MP Prakash Ramadhar and Independent Senator Sophia Chote SC, are also members of the committee.

On March 3, the Cabinet will hold its weekly meeting at the Madgalena Hotel in Tobago.

Following that meeting, Government will go into retreat at the same venue from March 4 to 5.

In making these disclosures last Sunday, the Prime Minister indicated that Cabinet will meet in Tobago at least twice a year. Rowley explained that this will help to foster greater collaboration between Central Government and the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).

The Prime Minister said this arrangement was worked out in discussions he held with the THA late last year.
Deyalsingh: No truth about Modecate meds

There was an unfortunate article in the Express last week titled Madness, giving the population the impression that the ministry and/or Nipdec (National Infrastructure and Property Development Company Limited) was negligent in the supply of the drug called Modecate, Deyalsingh said during a news conference yesterday at the ministrys head office, Park Street, Port-of- Spain.

The minister said a letter from the manufacturer of the drug, Sanofi, stated there was a temporary global shortage of the Modecate injection.

The letter stated that there was a limited supply of the drug in the United Kingdom, and the supply was expected to return to normal in summer 2016.

Sanofi said the shortage had arisen due to manufacturing problems and was not due to any safety issues.

Supplies of Modeccate Concentrate 100 mg injection were expected to be depleted by the end of last month.

Limited supplies of Modecate 25 mg injection were currently availabe, but were anticipated to be depleted before further supplies were expected. The article in the Express also alleged that the last administration was to be blamed because of unpaid bills which was why the drug was in short supply.

That is totally incorrect.

Here am I defending the last administration because what is right is right regardless of circumstance. The reason for the shortage of Modecate has nothing to do with the none payment of bills as alleged in the article, but a global shortage.

I called members of the Psychiatrists Association of Trinidad and Tobago and all of them were appalled because there is an alternative drug that is available, so no patient in TT were disadvantaged due to the global shortage of Modecate, Deyalsingh said.

The minister assured that an alternative drug, Clopixol (Zuclopenthixol Hydrochloride), which was widely available to treat the same conditions Modecate was used to treat.

He said not everything that needed to be sensationalised because some of the doctors said they were put under unwarranted pressure by their patients who made all kinds of allegations against them when, in fact, there was a suitable alternative to treat their patients.

All members agreed that the method for dealing with these issues was to communicate with the ministry as a first recourse, Deyalsingh said.
$5 million to fight Zika

This was announced by Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh, yesterday, during a news conference at the ministrys head office, Park Street, Port-of-Spain.

This funding, which came from the ministrys 2015-2016 budget, was allocated to purchase additional chemicals for spraying the Aedes Egypti mosquito, the vector for the virus.

The minister said he advised Cabinet that Zika was bigger than the Health Ministry, which was why they declared a national public health emergency.

What is important is not what we know, but the fear of the unknown, what we do not know. More and more information on Zika is coming out every week, and it is frightening.

Zika is now found in semen  there has been one confirmed case of Zika being sexually transmitted  saliva and amniotic fluid, so what all the evidence is pointing to, is that the Zika virus, as opposed to Chikungunya or dengue, is now finding its way into bodily fluids, he said.

The minister said a declaration of a public health emergency was not meant to create panic, but to raise awareness among all stakeholders to get on board with the fight against Zika.

Deyalsingh said Trinidad and Tobago was now going to be a recipient of international funding to fight the virus. However, he declined to provide further information from whom, saying that he needed to first get certain approval.

He added because Zika needed a multi-sectoral response, they needed the regional corporations to share their resources with the ministry, which included equipment and human resource.

The minister said there were clusters of areas which showed the distribution of chikungunya and dengue cases in Trinidad.

There was a cluster along the East/West Corridor from Diego Martin to Trincity, several clusters in central Trinidad, La Brea in the south, and several clusters in East Trinidad.

These were the areas where the Aedes Egypti mosquito was endemic.

Deyalsingh also stated that they would be indiscriminately spraying the entire country, but only in clusters which have been identified.

We are doing strategic targeting spraying where the clusters are located.

 There is no need for aerial spraying because it was not the whole of Trinidad that is affected.

But, another reason why we cannot do that was the last time this was done in Trinidad, it killed the bee population and when we do that we would destroy an entire industry built around honey.

We cannot engage in indiscriminate spraying because the evidence shows exactly where the Aedes Egypti is endemic in different areas of TT, and these are the areas that we are focussing on, he said.

The minister also said he was now going to fight Zika on a legislative footing. He said the ministrys legislative department was now reviewing the yellow fever regulations which fell under the Public Health Ordinance to significantly increase the fine from the current $500 to a multiple, I cant give you the multiple yet, but I am taking legislative reform to the Cabinet to fight Zika by putting a severe financial penalty on owners of properties who do not keep their properties cut, especially abandoned lots, he said.

He said 73,066 houses have already been inspected for the Aedes Egypti mosquito.

However, he noted that they have been unable to gain access to 26,695 houses because of locked gates.

This is a problem that we have to find ways to address because it is a high percentage of properties we cannot get direct access to, he said.

The minister added that the number of confirmed laboratory cases of H1N1 was now 74, up from 72. The number of fatalities remained at eight.

However, Deyalsingh said there was no room for complacency and the ministry, via its agencies, continued to aggressively vaccinate the at-risk populatio
Garcia insists no registration fee for primary schools

In a media statement on Thursday, the Ministry observed that some principals were placing parents under unnecessary stress and hardship in registering their children in public primary schools. In some instances, parents are expected to visit schools as early as 4 am to collect entry forms.

Reports also indicate that demands are also being made for children to attend an interview, or sit an examination, contrary to guidelines provided by the Ministry, the Ministry stated.

The Minister of Education, has expressed his utmost dissatisfaction with this practice and the resulting hassle and frustration faced by parents. Minister Garcia is requesting that this practice cease immediately, the Ministry added. The Ministry also advised that where application forms were required to be completed by parents, these forms should be made available over an extended period, during normal working hours with admission lists posted at the school and parents notified by May 15, each year.

Principals are also required to notify parents who are unsuccessful in securing a place for their children of the reason/s for non-acceptance, the Ministry stated, adding that parents were asked to note that children shall be admitted to primary schools not earlier than the first day of the term in which they attain their fifth birthday. Residence in the catchment area (three kilometres) of the school is the first criterion for admission, and refusal to admit is permissible only on grounds of overcrowding, the Ministry stated.

It also noted that when the number of applicants exceeded the number of spaces available, priority would be given to applicants residing in the catchment area of the school, and on the age of the child with older children receiving preference.

Parents are also reminded that no registration fee or contribution is a condition for acceptance of a child into a public school, the Ministry stated.
Latin America has spawned a rich breed of online news publishers who are challenging mainstream journalism. These digital natives have achieved significant influence by innovating with digital tools.





They often aim to provide an alternative to the traditional voice of mainstream media, which are usually linked to political and business interests that have long predominated in these countries.





"Digital-ness" of highly influential websites.





These are among the findings of a new study of 67 native-born digital news publications by Ramon Salaverria of the University of Navarra (Spain) and Summer Harlow of Florida State University. The study , published in the journal, is an ambitious effort to measure the innovation, influence, and goals of these 67 digital natives -- "Regenerating Journalism: Exploring the 'alternativeness' and 'digital-ness' of Online-Native Media in Latin America".And while the scholars have not set out to create a viral listicle a la Buzzfeed, they have created two tables in their article with fascinating detail, one of which I have condensed (at left).are based on measurement of each site's use of multimedia, interactive elements, and degree of audience participation.by the researchers, based on measuring their per-capita Facebook and Twitter following and their global ranking in the Alexa audience measurement service.Since there is no comprehensive directory of digital publications, the researchers did their own systematic search among the 20 Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. The 67 they identified from 13 countries all were active in September 2014. Interesting new ventures like Ojo Publico in Peru, Efecto Cocuyo in Venezuela, and Nomada in Guatemala launched too late to make the cut.Of the 67 sites, 38 were non-profit, 27 were commercial, and two could not be determined by the researchers. As for their "alternative-ness" to the mainstream media, 48 sites aimed to be innovative or alternative and the rest had traditional goals and positioning.For those of us who are trying to identify the best practices in digital media and help create a road map for sustainable, high-quality journalism, this article offers a wonderful model. The researchers have developed quantitative and qualitative methods to measure each publication's contribution to their community and, by extension, to our knowledge.The rankings in this article introduced me to some media I was unaware of and also reaffirmed my own perception of who are some of the leading innovators making an impact in Latin America.I was surprised not to see any media from Brazil in the rankings, so I sent an inquiry to Prof. Salaverria by email. He answered that none of the media there qualified as "highly influential" based on the study's criteria of measuring social media followers as a percentage of total population. Given the country's large population (200 million), no website had a sufficient number of followers.I had often thought that one of the best ways to share successful business and journalism models in digital media for Latin America would be to create an online database and information hub in Spanish. As it happens, a friend and colleague, Janine Warner , had been thinking along the same lines.Janine has launched SembraMedia.org to do exactly that, and I am participating as an adviser. The Sembra Media team is now building a searchable database alongside teaching materials, instructional videos, and more. We invite your contributions. We are excited to see where the effort takes us.
What you need to know about the Octagon Art Festival on Sunday in Ames

news
Towards a unified approach to aqueous processing--materials, minerals and solutions; science, technology and sustainable development in Africa
PM addresses Akhil Bharatiya Prachaarya Sammelan

New Delhi, Sat, 13 Feb 2016 NI Wire

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, addressed the Akhil Bharatiya Prachaarya Sammelan, organized by the Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharati Shiksha Sansthan in New Delhi.

The Prime Minister exhorted the gathering to work towards establishing even more firmly, the image of Vidya Bharati, as an institution committed to "education with values." He urged the Principals to work towards instilling excellence in every aspect of students' lives. As an illustration, he asked them to work to prepare sportspersons who could win gold medals at the 2020 Olympics.

The Prime Minister said students of Vidya Bharati schools can also work towards bringing positive changes in society, in areas such as Cleanliness (Swachh Bharat), and Energy Conservation (Bijli Bachao). Explaining that use of LED bulbs helps save electricity, he asked Vidya Bharati Schools to make maximum use of them.

The Prime Minister emphasized the need to imbibe technology in all aspects of education, and to take full advantage of the benefits it offers. As an illustration, he said inspirational stories of various schools could be easily shared across the Vidya Bharati school network, using technology.

The Prime Minister urged the assembled Prachaaryas to become torch-bearers of positivity and positive energy.

Union Minister for HRD, Smt. Smriti Irani, was present on the occasion.

Source: PIB
Speech by the President of India on the occasion of call on by Ashoka Fellows for the year 2015

New Delhi, Sat, 13 Feb 2016 NI Wire

Shri Pranab Mukherjee on the occasion of call on by Ashoka Fellows for the year 2015. I extend you and the representatives from the 'Ashoka Innovators for the Public' a warm welcome to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

1. I am happy to meet this young, enterprising group of Ashoka Fellows for the year 2015. At the very beginning, I extend you and the representatives from the 'Ashoka Innovators for the Public' a warm welcome to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

2. 'Ashoka Innovators for the Public' (ASHOKA) is a worldwide network of social entrepreneurs comprising people with innovative solutions to urgent social problems. It provides an enabling platform to social entrepreneurs to think and act as change agents. It is a matter of pride that this organization has over the last 35 years of its establishment, mentored and supported over three thousand Ashoka Fellows in eighty two countries, including over 380 Fellows elected from India.

3. I am told that ASHOKA applies a rigorous selection process to elect their Fellows. The candidates and their innovations have to fulfill criteria like system-changing idea, entrepreneurial quality, creativity, ethical fiber and social impact. It is heartening to know that the Ashoka Fellows for the year 2015 who are present here have devised innovative solutions in areas like education and skills training, healthcare and urban development.

Friends:

4. There are many social needs that public, private and civil society institutions are not able to meet fully. At the same time, there is tremendous ingenuity amongst the people, which if tapped, could address the necessities of the common men and women. Much as the blooming of the spring, innovations by students, professionals, common man and local communities can bring smiles on the faces of millions of people.

Friends:

5. The process of innovation converts knowledge into social good and economic wealth. It encourages the engagement of talent with the society to improve the quality of life. India has had a long tradition of innovation.From time to time, the common people in our country have ushered in novel solutions to overcome their day-to-day difficulties.The drivers that influence the pursuit of innovation are many  from basic survival to propulsion of growth.A healthy eco-system is needed to harness innovative potential of various segments in different sectors and at multiple levels in our society.

6. Creating an inclusive eco-system call for linkages between innovators on the one hand, and academic and research institutions and market forces, on the other. Countries successful in building such a network have become innovation leaders. As an attempt to bring educational institutions and innovators within the ambit of an inclusive innovation system, a programme for Innovation Scholars In-Residence was started in Rashtrapati Bhavan. I would like to inform you that two batches of innovation-scholars have come so far, one group of five scholars in the year 2014 and a second group of ten scholars in 2015. During their stay at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, they have been mentored and connected with relevant stakeholders to provide wings to their ideas.

Friends:

7. Educational institutions have a critical role to play in nurturing innovations in society. The large network of higher educational institutions of 712 universities and over 36,000 colleges in India is poised to play a leading part in developing an innovation eco-system. To catalyze the institutions of higher learning in this process, I have been urging the leaders of the higher education sector to establish a connection between their institutes and innovations in their hinterland, and to also set up Innovation Clubs. I am happy to state that in over sixty central higher educational institutions, innovation clubs have been set up. They provide a platform to encourage students tosense the unmet needs of the common men and women, and search, spread and celebrateinnovations.Once unmet needs are mapped, the pedagogy and research process can be reoriented suitably.

8. For the first time ever, a week-long Festival of Innovations was organized at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in March 2015 in collaboration with the National Innovation Foundation. It demonstrated new technologies and products made by the grassroots innovators. TheGlobal Roundtables on Inclusive Innovation and Financing of Innovation in the Festival saw the participation of distinguished thinkers, policy-makers, academicians, entrepreneurs and financiers. The second Festival of Innovations will be held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in March this year. You may like to consider participating in this event. The presence of renowned participants from India and abroad will provide a global platform to all the innovators and participants of this Festival.

9. With these few words, I conclude. I wish you all the very best for your endeavours. Chase your dreams as you fulfill the dreams of your country and countrymen.

Thank you.

Source: PIB
Minister for Telecom & IT to Launch Electronics Development Fund (EDF)

New Delhi, Sat, 13 Feb 2016 NI Wire

Department of Electronics & Information Technology and M/s. Canbank Venture Capital Fund Ltd will Launch Electronics Development Fund (EDF) on Monday in Mumbai. Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Honble Minister for Communications & Information Technology will formally announce the launch with handing over of the letter of commitment to the first group of Daughter Funds under EDF.

The Electronics Development Fund Policy was launched by Honble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, during the inauguration of Digital India Week on 1st July 2015.Government of India has appointed M/s. CANBANK Venture Capital Fund Pvt. Ltd. (CVCFL) to house Electronics Development Fund (EDF) on 04.09.2015.

Electronics Development Fund (EDF) an initiative of IT Department is formulated as a Fund of Funds to participate in Daughter Funds which in turn will provide risk capital to companies developing new technologies in the area of electronics, nano-electronics and Information Technology (IT). The target beneficiaries of the EDF will be Daughter Funds (set up to achieve the objectives of the EDF policy) registered in India and abiding by the relevant rules and regulations including the SEBI regulations on Venture Funds.

The corpus of a Daughter Fund will be determined by market requirements and the capacity of its Fund Manager to cater to the requirements of the Fund. The supported Daughter Funds will promote innovation, R&D and product development within the country in the specified fields of electronics, nano-electronics and IT. They will also support acquisition of foreign companies and technologies for products imported in India in large volume. The core focus of the Daughter Funds would be to develop domestic design capabilities. The Daughter Funds supported will create a resource pool of IP within the country in the specified fields.

EDF therefore enables creation of an ecosystem for providing risk capital to both industry and academia to undertake research and development in these technology areas. It will, in the process, enrich the intellectual property in the country and encourage more entrepreneurs towards product and technology development.

Details at http://deity.gov.in/esdm/edf

Source: PIB
Next month, the worldwide semiconductor industry will formally acknowledge what has become increasingly obvious to everyone involved: Moores law [semiconductor scaling], the principle that has powered the information-technology revolution since the 1960s, is nearing its end.

Moores law states that the number of transistors on a microprocessor chip will double every two years or so  which has generally meant that the chips performance will, too.

The semiconductor industry has released a research road map every two years to coordinate what its hundreds of manufacturers and suppliers are doing to stay in step with the law  a strategy sometimes called More Moore. It has been largely thanks to this road map that computers have followed the laws exponential demands.

Top-of-the-line microprocessors currently have circuit features that are around 14 nanometres across, smaller than most viruses. But by the early 2020s, says Paolo Gargini, chair of the road-mapping organization, even with super-aggressive efforts, well get to the 23-nanometre limit, where features are just 10 atoms across. Is that a device at all? Probably not  if only because at that scale, electron behaviour will be governed by quantum uncertainties that will make transistors hopelessly unreliable. And despite vigorous research efforts, there is no obvious successor to todays silicon technology.

The industry road map released next month will for the first time lay out a research and development plan that is not centred on Moores law. Instead, it will follow what might be called the More than Moore strategy: rather than making the chips better and letting the applications follow, it will start with applications  from smartphones and supercomputers to data centres in the cloud  and work downwards to see what chips are needed to support them. Among those chips will be new generations of sensors, power-management circuits and other silicon devices required by a world in which computing is increasingly mobile.

The question now is what will happen in the early 2020s, when continued scaling is no longer possible with silicon because quantum effects have come into play.

Quantum computing, which promises exponential speed-up for certain calculations, or neuromorphic computing are possibilities.

A different approach, which does stay in the digital realm, is the quest to find a millivolt switch: a material that could be used for devices at least as fast as their silicon counterparts, but that would generate much less heat. There are many candidates, ranging from 2D graphene-like compounds to spintronic materials that would compute by flipping electron spins rather than by moving electrons. There is an enormous research space to be explored once you step outside the confines of the established technology, says Thomas Theis, a physicist who directs the nanoelectronics initiative at the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), a research-funding consortium in Durham, North Carolina.

Unfortunately, no millivolt switch has made it out of the laboratory either. That leaves the architectural approach: stick with silicon, but configure it in entirely new ways. One popular option is to go 3D. Instead of etching flat circuits onto the surface of a silicon wafer, build skyscrapers: stack many thin layers of silicon with microcircuitry etched into each. In principle, this should make it possible to pack more computational power into the same space. In practice, however, this currently works only with memory chips, which do not have a heat problem: they use circuits that consume power only when a memory cell is accessed, which is not that often. One example is the Hybrid Memory Cube design, a stack of as many as eight memory layers that is being pursued by an industry consortium originally launched by Samsung and memory-maker Micron Technology in Boise, Idaho.
Kazakhstans Kazatomprom reported their uranium production increased 4.3 percent in 2015, to 23,800 tonnes uranium (52.5 million pounds). This was an increase of over 970 tonnes (2.1 million pounds) from the 22,829 tonnes that Kazakhstan produced in 2014.

Idling Japans reactors for a few years caused Japanese utilities to accumulate about 120 million pounds of uranium since they still had to honor their existing supply contracts. This is enough to fuel its restarting fleet for the next decade.

The price of uranium has little effect on the price of nuclear power since the fuel is such a small part of the total cost and the cost of fuel itself is dominated by the fabrication costs, not the cost of uranium. Decisions to build nuclear power plants do not hinge on uranium supplies. And there are sufficient uranium deposits in the world to provide nuclear energy at any level for many thousands of years.

Eighty-nine percent of the fuel requirements of the current fleet of nuclear reactors worldwide, totaling some 377 million pounds U3O8 (yellowcake), will be met in 2016 by Canada, Australia, and Kazakhstan.

Japan will restart about 40 of its nuclear reactors over the next few years.

China will build out over 100 nuclear reactors over the next ten years

India, Russia will also build out nuclear reactors.

SOURCES  Forbes James Conca, Kazatomprom
Trump has previously argued that if Cruz won the Republican nomination, Democrats would argue that the Canada-born Texas senator was ineligible for the presidency. But after Marco Rubio's strong third-place finish in Iowa, a three-man contest suddenly spoiled that plan.

The new spot is the campaign-aide-trump-running-the-seinfeld-candidacy.html">latest in a flurry of recent political attacks that Trump and Cruz have levied at one another as they've battled in the early states.

President Obama bound for LA for fundraisers, 'Ellen'

Bernie Sanders did the same in the state's Democratic primary, trouncing longtime front-runner Hillary Clinton by double digits. It moves forward when it's based on us. "When there is frustration in Washington, that animates the electorate", Schultz said.

Both Trump and Cruz are eying key primaries in southern states starting with SC, which holds its primary February 20. It started yesterday, when Trump alleged that Cruz is making negative robo-polls.

Trump's Twitter slaps at CFG have each been re-Tweeted about 500 times and received over 1,000 likes. "I have no idea. I know how to do that". "So I had read reports of what is being said but somebody else is doing them, not us", he said.

Woodstock 50th anniversary festival in the works

Lang was the promoter of the seminal '60s event that drew 400,000 rock music fans to Max Yasgur's farm . He said that "potential partners and different locations are being explored" for an event in 2019.

Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush have also scorned Trump for saying things like he would bomb the (stuff) out of the Islamic State and echoing claims that Cruz is a (wimp), not to mention occasional "hells" and "damns" - to the point where the NY billionaire says he will give up swearing on the campaign trail. "Cruz caught cold in lie after denial of push polls...How can he preach Christian values?" the real estate said in another tweet.

"Lying Cruz put out a statement, 'Trump & Rubio are w/Obama on gay marriage.' Cruz is the worst liar, insane or very dishonest".

Russian Federation blames United States for bombings in Syrian Aleppo

At NATO headquarters in Brussels, Carter tried to drum up support for accelerating the fight against the militants. The Latest developments on the war in Syria, the refugee crisis and security talks in Munich, Germany.

Trump was referring to rumors, generated by Cruz aides on the night of the Iowa caucuses, that Ben Carson was dropping out of race and urging Carson's backers to support Cruz. "So this has to be looked at overall, and we have to go at it from every possible angle", Clinton said in response to a question on ISIS.
Cramer statement on Supreme Court's stay of Clean Power Plan

Obama introduced the Clean Power Plan in August 2015 to curb USA power plant carbon pollution by 32 percent in the next 15 years. They had sought a stay on implementation of the plan while their suit works its way through the U.S.

Bill Clinton Accuses Bernie Bros of Sexism. Yes, That Bill Clinton

Hillary Clinton is now running behind Sanders in New Hampshire, a fact most Clinton aides are happy to point out in an effort to lower expectations.

Five things that Ryan Reynolds wants you to know about Deadpool

The film is Marvel's first R-Rated superhero outing - and given its warm reception - probably won't be its last. He wakes up in the morning exclusively to annoy everyone around him.

Kompany boost for City

Maybe we have a lot of criticism when we don't play well but I'm happy with the squad over the whole season. The statistics above indicate that, domestically at least, Man City fare much better when Kompany plays.

House road funding plan hits bumpy stretch in Senate

However, using the fund should always be a last resort as we never know if the next fiscal year might be even worse. The plan is scheduled to be rolled out at a committee meeting Thursday morning.

Assassin of Robert Kennedy Denied Parole

Sirhan "couldn't shoot Robert Kennedy and didn't, he was never in the position to do this", Schrade told KGTV San Diego this week. Robert Kennedy's assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, will attend a parole hearing on Wednesday, his fifteenth since Kennedy's death in 1968.

Obama salutes NBA champs at White House

Bogut tweeted before the visit, saying he was excited about trying the White House coffee. It was Curry's second 50-point game of the 2015-2016 season and the fourth of his career.

Obama Preaches 'Better Politics' To Bitterly Partisan Nation In Springfield

Rather, the perceptions of mingling with a Democratic president, or perhaps with President Obama , took on a new meaning. Obama's speech was chock full of references to Illinois' history of strong political figures who've inspired him.

North Korea says to freeze assets of South Korean firms at Kaesong

Vehicles from Gaeseong industrial park pass through the transit gate in Paju , Gyeonggi Province, to enter the South on Thursday. The announcement was made shortly before Japan also announced fresh sanctions against North Korea for its actions.

S. Koreans still at joint factory after deadline

South Korea's intelligence service said past year that 70 North Korean officials have been executed since Kim's inauguration. China has said it does not want to trigger regional instability. "But, like the others, I'm very frustrated", he said.

UAE to send troops to battle Daesh in Iraq

Saudi Arabia is a Sunni nation whose extreme interpretation of Islam, Wahhabism , has inspired groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda. Earlier in January, Saudi Arabia and some of its allies broke off ties with Iran over the embassy attack.

ICC judges exclude key evidence against Ruto

Ruto and Sang have pleaded not guilty to charges of orchestrating violence after Kenya's 2007 presidential elections. Clashes after the flawed vote left more than 1,000 people dead and forced 600,000 from their homes.

Machete-wielding attacker killed by Ohio police

Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs said Friday that authorities don't have a motive yet and the man wasn't known to police. After an unsuccessful attempt to subdue the man with a Taser, he lunged towards cops forcing them to open fire.

Brazil, Texas state hospital reach deal on Zika vaccine

Other counties where the virus has been discovered are: Hillsborough (3), Broward (2), Osceola (1), Santa Rosa (1), and St. Still, several countries where Zika is widespread have taken the very unusual step of advising women not to get pregnant.

Murray beats Raonic in 5 to reach 5th Australian Open final

He had a lot on his mind Friday against Raonic, who was playing in only his second Grand Slam semifinal, and aiming to be the first Canadian man to reach the final of a major.
The death toll from a powerful quake that struck Taiwan on February 6 has increased to 94 with some 30 people still reported missing, the authorities announced on Friday.

Relatives, religious leaders and government officials attend a memorial for the victims of the collapsed building complex caused by an natural disaster in Tainan, Taiwan, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016.

All but two of the dead were killed in the collapse of an apartment complex in Tainan, the oldest city in Taiwan.

Manhole cover crashes into windshield, killing Boston driver

In 2007, a MA man was seriously injured when a storm drain grate flew off and struck his auto on Route 128. The tunnel was built during Boston's "Big Dig", which has been subject to problems since completion.

Meanwhile, 281 people were rescued out of the building, but nine were still missing more than a week after the quake.

At least nine are believed to be missing and presumed trapped under the rubble.

"The Tainan district court handled it quickly, and granted... provisional seizure up to Tw$30 million of the assets of the related people", the statement said.

Obama's Speech To State Legislature Unique

Before his address, Obama stopped by the Feed Store restaurant to pick up some barley soup and take selfies with customers. Obama thanked the lawmakers Wednesday afternoon "for such a warm welcome" as he returns home.

Earlier this week, police arrested three executives of a defunct construction firm that built the high-rise, after prosecutors sought their detention on charges of professional negligence resulting in death.

Distraught relatives of residents said they had complained over cracks in the walls of the building.

The quake, which the China Earthquake Administration said had a magnitude of 6.7, hit southern Taiwan at 3:57 a.m. Saturday, just two days ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year.
Okay... I'm going to start off by saying "YAY! It's off the needles!" I actually have not had that feeling about a project in a long time. This is one I jus...

5 weeks ago
These don't trade publically but can be converted to about 3.52 million Class A shares - a 9.99% stake in the publicly-traded share class.

Visa Inc. has disclosed details of its almost five-year-old investment in Square Inc., raising questions about Visa's plans for its stake in the mobile-payment startup.

Visa already had an investment in Square.

Visa's substantial holding in Square is interesting for a couple of reasons.

Pope signals hope for visits to China, Russia

The Russian Orthodox Church has considered western Ukraine its traditional territory and has resented papal influence there. Kirill will be there for an official visit; Francis will fly off later that day for Mexico, where he will spend six days.

Square shares were up 8 percent in afternoon trading.

Visa, which originally invested in Square in 2011, has recently increased its digital initiatives, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The move is a large vote of confidence in the San Francisco-based Square, which has struggled in the stock market since its November initial public offering at $9 a share. The market is trying to figure out how to value the company because it is considered a financial services and a technology firm.

Shares of Square rose more than 9 percent, to $9.37, in early trading.

President Obama bound for LA for fundraisers, 'Ellen'

Bernie Sanders did the same in the state's Democratic primary, trouncing longtime front-runner Hillary Clinton by double digits. It moves forward when it's based on us. "When there is frustration in Washington, that animates the electorate", Schultz said.

Square stock prices have been down overall, however, since the beginning of 2016.

The stock price of Visa also climbed more than 2% to $70.01 per share.

NEW YORK (AP) - Visa is now a major shareholder in Square, the mobile payment services company co-founded and led by Jack Dorsey. It would be the second largest shareholder behind just the stake of 12.4% that is held by the large mutual fund firm Capital Research and Management, whose headquarters are located in Los Angeles. So Square's overall stake in the company is closer to 1.1%.
The epicenter of the first quake, which struck at 11:07 a.m., was located approximately 17 miles north of Fairview, Oklahoma.

The United States Geological Survey reports two earthquakes centered near Fairview, Oklahoma occurred shortly after 11 a.m. Saturday morning. The TV station said no injuries or damages had been reported.

JNU students union's head arrested for sedition

The protest was staged although the JNU administration had revoked permission following a grievance from the ABVP. The JNU administration tried to distance itself from the issue as it barred entry of outsiders inside the campus.

A 5.1 magnitude quake shook northwest Oklahoma and was felt in seven other states on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, the third-strongest temblor ever recorded in the state where the power and frequency of earthquakes has dramatically increased in recent years.

A 3.9 quake followed in the same area about 10 minutes later.

Flint Water Crisis: Lead Water Pipe Replacement Being Worked On, Mayor Says

The committee hearing is titled, "The Flint Water Crisis: Lessons for Protecting America's Children". Households where residents are deemed to be high-risk would be given priority for pipe replacement.

The larger natural disaster was "probably the second-largest in Oklahoma and the largest in this general area", said John Bellini, a geophysicist at the USGS National quake Information Center.

A clerk at the Fairview Love's Country Store said there were no injuries and no damage in the store. We also have heard reports of the quake being felt in Kansas. Gov. Mary Fallin last month approved the use of almost $1.4 million in state emergency funds for state agencies working to reduce the number of earthquakes linked to the wastewater disposal.

Ryan Reynolds torn about picking between Manning, Newton

Green Bay beat the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II, and the Kansas City Chiefs dominated the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV. Much of the early money was on Carolina and when the line reached -6, Denver money arrived and forced the line back down.

Though Oklahoma has a history of earthquakes, the USGS suggests that there has been a significant increase in the rate of quakes since 2009. This method of retrieving oil and natural gas is known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
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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.




Eleicoes 2022 Jantar marca virada de jogo de Bolsonaro no lugar em que foi alvo de Doria
Ted Cruz is lucky that some voters like him, because nobody else seems to. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

With the Texas primary coming up on March 1, three of the states major newspapers have now passed on the chance to endorse native Senator Ted Cruz for the GOP nomination  and thats putting it mildly. As the Hill points out, the states largest newspaper, the Dallas Morning News, went with pragmatic Ohio governor John Kasich on Friday, and both the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News have now opted for Jeb Bush as well. Said the Morning News of Cruz, As much as wed like to see a Texan in the White House, we fear that Cruzs brand of politics is more about disruption than governing and threatens to take the Republican Party to a dark place. While the Express-News admitted that Bush was not the flashiest candidate in the race, they thoroughly rejected Cruz as an alternative:

[T]he freshman senator has demonstrated a frightening willingness to push the American economy to the brink of disaster to pursue his ideological agenda  even when he clearly does not have the votes to get his way. The freshman senators methodical run for the White House is obviously well-planned, but Cruzs self-centered approach has thoroughly alienated even his Republican Senate colleagues. And that is obviously a recipe for a weak, unsuccessful administration. He lacks the temperament to be president.

Cruzs hometown Chronicle went even further, insisting that Cruz is basically terrible at this whole representative-government thing, let alone the fact that everybody pretty much hates him:
Black Lives Matter was once a problem for Bernie Sanders. Now the movement is Sanderss strongest base of support in the African-American community.

The Vermont senators struggle to reach black voters gained national attention last summer, when BLM protesters disrupted two of the candidates events. Sanders showed visible irritation when a pair of activists commandeered his microphone at a rally in Seattle. Since then, though, Sanders has met repeatedly with leading advocates for police and criminal-justice reform. In his speeches, Sanders began lacing the names of high-profile victims of police violence in between his signature torrents of economic statistics. He then produced an extensive, if occasionally vague, racial justice platform.

As the Democratic race pivots toward South Carolina, the biggest hurdle between Sanders and the Democratic nomination is his tepid support among black voters. Fully aware of this fact, Clinton has produced a series of endorsements from African-American leaders, including (most of) the Congressional Black Caucus. Sanders has gone virtually without endorsements from national Democrats of any color. But the protest candidate has fared far better among the leaders of the African-American communitys most vital protest movement. On Thursday night, the Sanders campaign touted the endorsement of one of that movements most vocal members in an extraordinary political ad.

The four-minute mini-documentary opens with Erica Garner reflecting on her life as a mother. We see her helping an adorable 6-year-old put on her winter coat. As the child walks to school, backpack in tow, Garner says, She just learned about Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King.



She said, but those were in the old days, right, Garner continues. And I had to explain to her, its not really over. Moments later, the camera settles on a drawing of the childs grandfather, Eric Garner, whose death by police chokehold became a staple of the nightly news in 2014.

No one gets to see their parents last moments, and I was able to see my dad die on national TV, Garner says as that infamous video plays.

She then reflects on how her fathers death turned her into a protester. Clips of Sanders decrying police violence begin interweaving with scenes from Garners life, until she says, I believe Bernie Sanders is a protester  Hes not scared to go up against the criminal-justice system. Garners endorsement is the most powerful in a series of nods from BLM leaders. On Wednesday, two of the movements intellectual pillars, Ta-Nehisi Coates and Michelle Alexander, made their preference for Sanders public. Harry Belafonte released his own Sanders endorsement video on Thursday. Daily News columnist and social media celebrity Shaun King endorsed Sanders several weeks ago. Hillary Clinton, of course, is not without support from African-Americans with a deep personal stake in police reform, including Erica Garners grandmother. The split in the Garner family is representative of the generational divide in many Democratic groups: Sanderss insurgent candidacy has been propelled by his unprecedented support among white millennials, and although he trails Clinton among young black voters, he does so by a far smaller margin than he does with older blacks.



With endorsements as earnest (and well produced) as this, Sanders stands a fair chance of convincing young African-American progressives to join their white counterparts and expand his domination of the millennial vote across the color line.
Whoa there. Photo: Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images

Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev told a meeting of top defense and diplomatic officials on Saturday in Munich that one could go so far as to say we have slid back to a new Cold War when looking at Western policies targeting Russia over the past few years, according to the Associated Press. Medvedev was referring to the sanctions passed against Russia in response to its 2014 annexation of Crimea as well as NATOs hostile and closed attitude toward Moscow and its moves to strengthen the defenses of partner countries that neighbor Russia. Sometimes I wonder if its 2016 or if we live in 1962, Medvedev added at one point. In response, NATO officials told Russia to take a long hard look in the mirror. Pointing to how Moscow is demonstrating open military aggression in Ukraine, open military aggression in Syria, Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaite insisted that its nothing about cold. It is already very hot. Speaking of Ukraine, Reuters reports that the conflict there seems to be heating up again after a comparative lull following the signing of a peace deal one year ago. According to an official at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the use of banned heavy weaponry in eastern Ukraine is now on the rise, as both the Ukrainian government and Russia-backed rebels accuse the other of violating the ceasefire.
blog of the State Geologist of Arizona
Marco Rubio and Donald Trump are not competing for the humaitarian vote. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Max Boot has a powerful and welcome column in the conservative magazine Commentary blasting Donald Trump for proposing to bring back torture. Trump has suggested that we should do things a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding to captured terrorists, writes Boot. He didnt spell out what that would be: Pulling out their fingernails? Putting them on the rack? Burning them alive? But he did offer a hint when he noted that ISIS was cutting heads off Christians and plenty of others. He seemed to be suggesting that the U.S. should engage in some head-lopping too. There are, however, two relevant points that Boots Commentary readers might be surprised to learn.

First, Trump is not the only Republican candidate defending torture. Another pro-torture Republican is Marco Rubio. Senator Rubio opposed a Senate measure affirming the ban on torture by the United States government. As Rubio says over and over, If we capture any of these ISIS killers alive, they are going to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and were going to find out everything they know. Like Trump, Rubios method is to thrill audiences with the promise of torture without delving into specifics. It seems a little odd to single out Trump for doing something without mentioning that one of his rivals is doing it, too.

Second, and perhaps related, Boot is a foreign-policy adviser to Marco Rubio, a fact that is not disclosed in his Commentary story.
Alexander Wang at spring 2016 New York Fashion Week. Photo: JP Yim/Getty Images

Shoes and wallpaper will be on hand at Adam Lippes: The ever-busy designer is debuting collaborations with Malone Souliers and De Gournay. Zimmermann, which recently got a plum placement in Beyonces fashion-packed Formation video, will show at noon. (Another Queen B favorite, 5:31 Jerome, is on at five.)

Also at noon, Rebecca Minkoff will present her consumer-facing show, which will feature some of her top customers in the front row. With Burberry, Tom Ford, and Vetements among the designers turning to in-season show schedules, this will be an early indicator of how well that approach works.



None other than Ms. Erykah Badu will be styling the Pyer Moss show. The collaboration between Badu and designer Kerby Jean-Raymond is like Picasso inviting Monet over, she told Complex, with characteristic self-deprecation.

Phelan, designed by Alexander Wang alum Amanda Phelan, had a stunning, dance-filled debut last season. She will once again show a bit off the beaten path (at La MaMa in the East Village) and is collaborating for a second time with the modern dance company Vim Vigor, who ought to bring her tech-influenced designs to stunning life.

Alexander Wang (at 5 p.m.) and Altuzarra (at eight) are holding it down for New Yorks young Establishment tonight. Itll be hard for Wang to top last seasons tenth-anniversary fete, complete with Hooters wings, but were sure hell try.
When did they stop wearing capes to propose? Photo: Sasha/Getty Images

I had a feeling that my boyfriend was going to propose  mostly because we discussed it in advance, and I picked out the ring.

I know that disappoints people. I watch their faces drop after they ask for the story. Oh, you knew? they say, and its not so much a question as a statement of their sudden lack of interest. Even some of my most feminist friends find my situation strange. Was it weird? a brilliant and decidedly progressive editor asked once. Was it weird telling him exactly what you wanted?

It wasnt weird. Engagement is weird. The inescapable fact is that straight engagements are a minefield of inherently anti-feminist rituals meticulously tended by marketers. Putting feminist principles into practice amid such a mess of sexist prescriptions gets complicated the second you decide to mark your partnership by any means other than burning your bra at Tiffany. Rejecting tradition quickly becomes a game of logistical whack-a-mole: Does my personal interpretation of feminism accept a diamond ring? Is it offended by a Valentines Day proposal? Can I still post a picture of my hand? Since its nearly impossible to jettison the set of customs entirely, getting engaged becomes about maneuvering through lesser evils, figuring out step by step what makes you the least uncomfortable.

Even in more progressive, egalitarian heteronormative relationships, there remains a strange emphasis on how things ought to be done. It can be surprisingly difficult to outrun expectations around the cost of the ring, getting Dads permission, or ensuring its a surprise. So much about the world has changed since women were first marked as their future husbands property-to-be, yet engagement has done little to catch up.

The most obvious anti-feminist aspect of getting engaged is the ring itself. More than 80 percent of engagements include a diamond, though more and more women are coming out as opposed to everything it symbolizes.

I didnt see the rush in getting married at all. I already felt like Kris was my partner and knew I wanted to spend my life with him. I needed a reason beyond We love each other, so why not? Last February, I got one. I realized from our daily phone calls that my grandma wasnt quite as sharp as she once had been. I knew something was off, and I wanted her to experience my engagement while she was her fullest possible self.

I knew I wanted a ring, but it seemed weird for Kris to pick it out without me. We had discussed our engagement at length, so sending my best friend out with style, size, and cut specifications seemed like a lot of unnecessary pageantry. So Kris and I planned a trip to the Catbird Wedding Annex. We looked at rings together, and I agreed he could plan the actual proposal part. He asked me to marry him a few days later, and it was almost too perfect. (We were watching the sunset, and he got down on one knee, but I was also wearing leggings as pants.)

We waited a few days before making the clarion call for likes that is the Facebook engagement post. We told our parents and my grandma, to a flurry of excitement and happy tears that made me realize what a massive deal this was. Kris was my partner before, but this was an important, official, performative step. And it made a big difference.

The fact that I picked out the ring and let Kris plan the asking part as a surprise made for its own mixed bag of irrational chivalry-evasion tactics. But what else was I supposed to do? Shake hands after we paid for the thing?

What else was I supposed to do? is the response to a wide spectrum of possible tradition-evading options. There are few ways to get engaged that arent offensive to somebody. And 99 percent of grooms still propose, so theres not exactly a rush to burn down the entire engagement institution.

During our trip to Catbird, the saleswoman told us that about 50 percent of straight couples come in together to pick out the ring, while the other half of men arrive alone and plan the entire thing as a surprise. Most women are definitely part of the process, Catbird manager Jess Miller told the Cut via email, whether its a joint consult with both parties or having their friends tag him in an Instagram post of the ring. Lots of couples come in together and look at rings before they are even engaged. I think its important to get the opinion of the person who is going to be wearing it every day forever.

So why is it that selection continues to be shrouded in secrecy? Even for the happiest, most feminist couples, heteronormative relationships are bogged down with prefab expectations about engagement. When I asked for engagement stories, I heard about so many nonsensical deliberations about the ring. There were boyfriends emailing moms and sisters for information, hosts of friends armed with specifications, should he happen to ask. But even when the element of surprise is dropped, a veil of absurdity remains.

One woman picked out her own ring, found it hiding in the apartment, discovered the jeweler had gotten things wrong, and was too scared to ask her significant other to change things. She was the first to admit there was no rational reason she would pick her own ring, yet refuse to ensure it was what she actually wanted. But maybe that strange in-between is an awkward step forward. It still seems impossible to eschew the prescriptions of engagement altogether, so weve settled for illogically navigating grander compromises.

Consider the cost of the ring, which is only now beginning to shift. According to a Harris poll conducted this past June, 66 percent of Americans are opposed to spending on an expensive ring (the average one cost about $4,000 in 2012, down from $5,300 six years earlier). The idea that the ring should cost two months salary was fabricated by a De Beers ad campaign in the 1930s. As the companys CEO, Nicky Oppenheimer, told the New York Times in 1999, diamonds are intrinsically worthless except for the deep psychological need they fill.

My friend EJ, 26, initially didnt want a ring but never really considered another option. After a series of conversations about getting married, eventually mixed with mounting pressure from her mother, her now-fiance, Alex, proposed with his grandmothers ring in a paddleboat in the same camp in the Catskills where her own grandparents got married. Its gorgeous, and Im obsessed with it, she told me, but the engagement made her feel like a bad feminist. I didnt want a ring at first, you know; I didnt want to be marked as chattel, but I never really thought about what the alternative would have been.

This is such shitty advice, she added, but you just kind of have to get over it and be happy.

My friend Claire, 27, had a very different experience, though it still hinged on her boyfriend popping the question. She carefully chose her ring from an ethical Chicago jeweler, informed her then-boyfriend Greg what she wanted, and said no grand proposal was needed. A few discussions and six months later, he met her at their apartment with a card, a speech, and the diamond she had selected. Thats exactly what Claire wanted, and yet she feels like something is missing when she tells people how it happened.



Its normal to want a big, romantic gesture, because thats the way were taught to be valued, she told me. Greg is always very affectionate, but we dont really have big romantic gestures in our relationship, so this felt right to us. But sometimes I feel like I need to apologize that its missing.

As for my own engagement story, Ive gotten used to the raised eyebrows. We worked together to figure out the right amount of romantic artifice for us, but the symbolism was mostly for my grandma.

Less than a week after we got engaged, I learned that she wasnt just less with it than before: She had brain cancer and about two months to live. I rushed to the hospital, where she insisted I tell her the story again in person. Do you want us to get married right away? I dont even care about the ceremony that much, I babbled, fighting the urge to cry. All I want is for you to be there. She was a rare divorcee of the early 60s, so while the institution wasnt so important to her, I knew that seeing her only granddaughter walk down the aisle might mean everything.

Oh, honey, no, she said, squeezing my hand so I knew she meant it. She wiped away my stray tears and smiled. I knew he made a commitment to you a long time ago. Anyway, marriage is bullshit.
The latest OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report is just out. The data is Crude Only production and does not reflect condensate production.

Also the charts, except for Libya, are not zero based. I chose to amplify the change rather than the total. The charts do not include Indonesia. That will be added within the next few months when I am able to get better historical data for Indonesian crude only production.

All Data is in thousand barrels per day.

OPEC production, not including Indonesia, was up 130,700 barrels per day in December.

Related: France To Build 621 Miles Of Solar Roads

OPEC uses secondary sources such as Platts and other agencies to report their production numbers. These numbers are pretty accurate and usually have only slight revisions month to month.

Algeria peaked in November 2007 and has been in a steady decline since that point.

Angola has been holding steady since peaking in 2008 and 2010.

Ecuador appears to have peaked last year. It is likely production will be down, but only slightly, in 2016.

Sanctions were just lifted, in the middle of January, on Iran. I expect their production to be up by about half a million barrels per day by years end. However I believe Iran will be the only OPEC nation with any significant production increase in 2016. Most other OPEC countries will, I believe, be flat to down slightly.

Related: Oil Glut Compounded By Cracks In Global Economy

Iraq increased production more than any other OPEC nation in 2015. However I believe their increase in 2016 will be very moderate, if any.

I expect Kuwait will continue its slow decline from its peak in 2013.

Libya is struggling with its own Arab Spring. There is no way of knowing when, if ever, peace will break out there. I think it extremely unlikely they will produce as much as 1,000,000 bpd within the next 5 years or so.

Nigeria is struggling with its own political revolution. But it appears they are in decline regardless of their political problems. However they had the largest increase in January, up 74,000 bpd.

I believe Saudi is producing every barrel they possibly can. They will be lucky to hold this level for much longer.

Qatar has lots of natural gas but their oil production has clearly peaked and is now in decline.

From 2005 through 2010 the oil rig count in the UAE averaged around 12. In November their oil rig count stood at 48, 4 times their average. They have managed to increase their production about 11% above their 2008 peak. I believe UAE production is about to follow Kuwaits lead and rollover. The UAEs rig count stood at 44 in January.

Not much can be said about Venezuela. Their conventional oil is in decline but their bitumen production is keeping production relatively flat. They took a hit in January however, down 34,500 bpd.

Related: ISIS Forced To Cut Wages As Oil Revenues Tank

The combined production of OPEC, less Saudi Arabia and Iraq, peaked in January 2008 at 19,931,000 bpd and is down 2,778,000 bpd since that date 17,153,000 bpd.

Since the combined production of the other OPEC 10 nations peaked in January 2008, Saudi and Iraq have increased their production by 3,625 bpd, from 10,850,000 bpd to 14,475,000 bpd. That is 33,000 bpd below their peak in June 2015.

Again, none of this data includes Indonesia. Historical crude only data for Indonesia is not available. I will include Indonesia in OPEC charts when I can calculate those numbers.

OPEC average crude only production in 2015 was 31,152,000 barrels per day. In January their production was 31,628,000 barrels per day.



OPEC expects Non-OPEC liquids production to be down 720,000 barrels per day in 2016. If OPEC manages to hold production relatively flat from January, their 2016 production will be up 475,000 bpd. That is their gain would be about 250,000 bpd short of Non-OPECs decline.

However I expect OPEC to be slightly up this year due to Iran increasing production. But the increase will be modest as the rest of OPEC will likely be down. However I believe Non-OPEC will be down a lot more than 720,000 barrels per day.

China, the worlds fifth largest oil producer, has peaked and will suffer a sharp decline in 2016.

Why Declining Chinese Oil Production Is Good for Global Prices

Chinas role as a big oil consumer has become a crucial factor in energy markets in recent years. Now, its role as a major producer is gaining attention as well.

China is among the worlds top five oil producers, but its fields are growing depleted and are increasingly expensive to pump. The countrys leading companies are choosing to leave more of their oil in the ground and some analysts now say Chinese oil output may have peaked.

Cnooc Ltd., Chinas third-largest oil producerwhich produces most of its oil from offshore fieldsalso said last month it expected output to decline by 5% this year, after years of rapid growth.

As Chinas production starts to decline, demand for oil from overseas should remain firm, which would be good news for prices, which have been languishing near multiyear lows amid a global supply glut and weak demand in the rest of the world.

By Ron Patterson

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Being a Roman Catholic woman and a registered nurse, I have some experience about symbolic headwear.





An article by Elif Batuman in the February 8 & 15, 2016 The New Yorker, describes the author's development as a Muslim woman using the hijab, or traditional women's head scarf, as a metaphor. Batuman writes about how she unexpectedly developed respect for the hijab, as her family's history and culture have been influenced by recent political developments in Turkey and with the rise of conservative Islam.

My opinion about hijab is - "Mirror,mirror on the wall...how old am I?" Nothing ages a woman faster than wearing a head scarf. Hijab diminish a woman's natural mane, being our hair, and adds age to our appearance. Yet, to some Muslim women, the scarf is a symbol of acceptance and respect.





In "Cover Story: The head scarf, modern Trkey and Me", Batuman leads the reader to a stage in her development where she's challenged about the traditional role of modern Muslim women, especially given her upbringing in New Jersey into a secular community, where her educated, and professional immigrant parents from Turkey, supported the "Atraturk" position on Islam, established after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.





Although I'm far from any sort of a scholar about Islam, I certainly have an opinion about the hijab tradition. Of course, I join Batuman in respecting a woman's right to wear hijab, but I'm not a supporter of headwear as being symbolic of anything other than fashion.





Here's why:





1. Growing up Roman Catholic in pre-Vatican II days, covering a woman's head was a custom practied when a woman entered the sanctuary of a church. When women didn't or couldn't own a hat, for a variety of reasons, the head was often covered with a tissue held in place by an old fashioned ugly bobby pin. There was no point in continuing a tradition when the tissue didn't represent any purpose.

More to the point, however, women who couldn't afford fashionable hats often looked poor when they were only able to afford tissue for head coverings. Therefore, the tradition often identified a class differentiation between those who could afford stylish hats and others who were unable to stay ahead of fashion. Today, some women continue to cover they heads when inside the sanctuary of a Roman Catholic church, but the custom never carried outside the sanctuary. In other words, a head covering doesn't identify a Roman Cathlic woman in the secular world unless she is a religious nun. Wearing a tissue doesn't automatically make a woman religious, but a hat can be expensive. Therefore, covering a woman's head in the sanctuary of a church doesn't symbolize anything at all, unless the wearer is a religous nun.





2. A a Registered Nurse, I've grown through the tradition of wearing "nursing caps". This once standard practice for nursing began when nearly all nurses were religious nuns. In fact, in England, many nurses continue to be called "sister". I've transcended the "capping ceremonies", once sacred to the nursing profession, to the practice today, when patients complain because no one in the hospital wears a nursing cap, anymore. Many nurses believed the "cap" represented being subservient to physicians, so they disappeared with the rise of feminism. Other nurses, however, felt the caps empowered them to be better caregivers, because they were recognizable and respected for their authority. Practically speaking, the nursing caps are an infection control risk because nurses seldom washed them; instead, we kept them stiff as boards with copious amounts of starch. In other words, nursing caps would be tabu today, because of the danger of hospital acquired infectons. With the passage of time, the purpose of the nursing cap has been eliminated. Today, a nursing cap doesn't symbolize anything except the past.





On the other hand, the hijab is a symbol of being a Muslim woman. In a secular society, wearing hijab is optional, but it's becoming more common for conservative Muslim womento wear one routinely. Modern scarfs are quite beautiful but, in my opinion, a head scarf ages a woman. Regardless of how pretty a scarf is, given the myriad of designs and fabric colors, there's nothing a woman wears that ages her faster than a head scarf. Even a child looks older when wearing a head scarf. In my mind, this head symbol means the woman is expected to be subservient to males, assume traditional female roles as wives, be less inclined than men to achieve educational success and to bear at least three to five children, so the culture can grow. Yet, I don't understand why a woman needs to wear hijab to aspire to all of the above. Many Jewish and Christian women aspire to

the very same traditional values as our Muslim colleagues, without hijab. Besides, a head scarf undermines a woman's beauty and adds age to her years. Consequently, the purpose of hijab, in my opinion, seems to minimize a woman's intelligence, beauty and enlightenment, regardless of our age.





Batuman describes living in Istanbul "sans hijab", because she didn't accept the inference it represented, being contrary to her Muslim feminist feelings. Yet, when required to cover her head for the purpose of entering a historic religious shrine, her acceptance by other Turkish Muslim women and the respect she received from men became palpable. Therefore, hijab made her life more pleasant, while in Istanbul. Wearing a head scarf gave her a sense of belonging to the history and culture of her parents and ancestors, even though they raised her in a secular, rather than an Islamist, tradition.





Consequently, wearing hijab began to make sociological sense, even though Batuman still questioned its visual purpose as identifying traditional Muslim women, rather than feminists. (I suspect the label "feminist" is probably caustic to many Muslim women.)





As I've lived through two transitions of cultural traditions specifically related to head wear, the concept of proving feminine identity by wearinng hijab is antiquated, based on my experiences.

Indeed, by finally wearing hibaj, Batuman felt she was helping those around her, in Istanbul, to feel more comfortable. Her awareness led to understanding about how she could respect the hijab tradtion. Unfortunately, the hijab is counter to the progress made by Roman Catholic women and nurses, who have proven this tradition of covering our heads to be useless. I'm still a Roman Catholic woman, regardless of whether or not I wear a hat in church. Yes, I'm still a professional registered nurse, although I haven't worn a nursing cap in decades.





In my opinion, if a Muslim woman must wear hijab to prove who she is, then there isn't much self awareness about the essential role of 50 percent of the Islam population within the culture. Of course, therein is the purpose of hibab. Until this purpose becomes as antiquated as tissues held with bobby pins or germ infected nursing caps, the hijab will continue to define Muslim women as less than equals to men.





Hijab is symbolic of nothing other than cultural tradition and, in my opinion, it is a metaphor for subservience. As Roman Catholic women and nursing have outgrown the tradition of covering our heads, the Muslim women are finding it easier to achieve acceptance among peers and with men by regressing to this past custom. Regretably, hijab is differentiating Muslim women from others who do not practice Islam, and thereby contributing to the polarization of the world's great religions.

Labels: Elif Batuman, Istanbul, New Jersey, The New Yorker, Turkey
Broken clock awards!





As a matter of fact, a few "persons on the street" interviews, where voters were asked why they support Senator Cruz, received a response about how he's a Constitutional expert! Well, okay, if Cruz is such a Constutitonal expert, why do challenges continue to raise red flags about his Canadian birth? Does Canadian birth disqualify Cruz to run for President? Honestly, it doesn't bother me one bit about where Senator Cruz was born. In fact, as far as I'm concerned, he could've been born on the moon, as long as he's an American citizen. But, the US Constitution may not be so forgiving. Here's the stats: Senator Raphael "Ted" Cruz was born on December 22, 1970, in Canada . It's certainly odd to read his Wikepedia biography, where there's no name for the location of his birth. This lack of transparency is another reason I believe Senator Cruz is a total hypocrite. Every other Wikepedia biography has a place of birth named in biographies, but I can't find this simple and factual information on Senator Cruz's page.





Therefore, the political broken clock award goes to Donald Trump for raising the "birther" issue as a potential disqualificatoin for the Cruz presidential campaign.





Another broken clock award goes to Governor Chris Christie, for pointing out how inept Florida's Senator Marco Rubio is to be considered for the office of President of the United States. Governor Christie reminded smitten Republican voters about the lack of Rubio's Presidential qualifications. "We're not electing a high school student council president," warned Christie.





Indeed, Senator Rubio is running for president because he used his Cuban heritage to his advantage in Florida to win elections and gain ethnic support. Nevertheless, Senator Rubio fails whenever he's thrust into the spotlight, given the opportunity to show a "Kennedy-esque" moment. It never happens.





It's unbelievable, but the Republicans are wasting invaluable political time by exposing each others hypocritical positions. Moreover, the Senator Cruz birthplace in Canada might be contrary to the US Constitutional qualfiications to be elected US president.





In my opnion, it's unconcionalbe for Senator Cruz to run for President when the Cosntitutional issue about his birthplace has not been compleely resolved.





Therefore, Donald Trump "the Chump" deserves credit for raising the Cruz "birther" issue before it reaches the Supreme Court.





As for Governor Christie's broken clock award, the nation can only say "thank you", because Senator Marco Rubio simply isn't qualified to be President of the United States.





Republican kudos to Donald Trump and Governor Chris Christie.

Labels: Canada, Donald Trump, Governor Chris Christie, Marco Rubio
This is the fourth in a five-part series from Madison365 highlighting Wisconsin residents of Latino heritage who have accomplished great things in business, education, government, media and the nonprofit sector. Click here to read part one, part two or part three.

Ernesto Gonzalez, Jr.

Ernesto Gonzalez, Jr founded Casa Hispana, a service agency for the Latino community of the Fox Cities, in 2006. Gonzalez got his start in community service with United Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS), helping agricultural migrants relocate in the early 1970s. Through the 1980s, he became deeply involved in the Catholic Diocese of Green Bays ministry to Latinos bringing students and others to Spanish-language masses. He still serves as president of the Casa Hispana board and was ordained in 2014 as a deacon of St. Therese Parish.

David Villa

David Villa is the Chief Investment Officer for the State of Wisconsin Investment board (SWIB) with more than $98 billion in assets under management. Villa joined SWIB in June 2006 after serving for two and a half years in a similar position in Florida and 12 years with UBS Global Asset Management. He is a board member and the treasurer of the Marguerite Casey Foundation and a member of the board of Madison College Foundation and the advisory board of the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center. He earned his bachelors or arts degree from Princeton, masters degree from Stanford and MBA from Northwestern. In 2013, Villa was the highest paid state employee with total compensation of over $1.3 million.

Oscar Tovar

Oscar Tovar is the staff assistant to Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett in the states largest city. For Mayor Barrett, he handles all public relations, community outreach and constituent services. The Milwaukee native was deputy director of Gov. Jim Doyles Milwaukee office, overseeing the governors priorities and constituent services in the entire southeastern quarter of the state. Tovar serves on the boards of directors of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Community Services, and the Lynde and Harry Bradley Technology & Trades High School Commission.

Nancy Hernandez

Nancy Hernandez, a lifelong Milwaukee resident, is the founder and president of the multicultural marketing and communication firm ABRAZO, with offices in Milwaukee and El Paso, Texas. In 2013, Governor Scott Walker appointed her to the board of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), and a year later, she was elected to the Marquette University board of directors. She is the past president and founding member of the Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee. Nancy has earned numerous awards and recognitions including Hispanic Business of the Year, Business Journal Women of Influence and the Biz Times Innovator Award.

Jim Gallegos

Jim Gallegos is one of the handful of Latinos or African Americans in Dane Countys private sector with the title Senior Vice President. He holds that title for Alliant Energy, where he is General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, overseeing 17 attorneys. Gallegos has earned numerous awards; in 2007, he was recognized as one of the 100 most influential Latinos by Hispanic Business Magazine. In 2009, Hispanic Business also recognized him among their 25 corporate executive elite. Jim currently serves on boards of the Urban League of Greater Madison and the Madison Symphony Orchestra.

Sandy Morales

Sandy Morales, the new CEO of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Dane County, believes that building solid relationships not only transform young peoples lives, but the whole community. Morales is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and the first in her family to graduate from college, earning her degree from Marquette. She is the former president of the Latino Professional Association of Greater Madison, a group that she founded two years ago in Madison to recognize and enhance the lives of Latino professionals through community engagement and professional development. Morales is also a former board member of the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Dane County and the Edgewood College Advisory Board.

Dr. Victor Miranda

Dr. Victor Miranda is the Chief Medical Officer-Neurology at GE Healthcare in Waukesha, where he previously served as vice president of Medical Operations. His long career in the medical device industry includes stints at Bio-Rad Laboratories, Biosense Webster, LifeScan and Johnson & Johnson. In addition to a medical degree from the World University Medical School, he holds a masters degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA from Pepperdine. He serves on the board of directors for AIDS Resources Center of Wisconsin and the Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee.

Lucia Nunez

Lucia Nunez recently became be the new vice president for Equity, Inclusion and Community Engagement at Madison College. Nunezs responsibilities focus on diversity and inclusion efforts throughout Madison Colleges 12-county district. Prior to this recent appointment, Nunez, as the director of the City of Madisons Department of Civil Rights, led a team that worked as a catalyst for change to improve the quality of life for all people in Madison. Born in Cuba, Nunez also served as the executive director of Centro Hispano of Dane County and the deputy secretary at the Department of Workforce Development.

Pastor Marcio Sierra

Pastor Marcio Sierra puts his faith into action at Lighthouse Church in Madison. He works to help those in the most need and to address one of Wisconsins most glaring issues, our education gap for kids of color. The mission at Lighthouse Christian School is to provide education for low-income families of color, and the stats show they are doing just that: 77 percent of their students qualify for free or reduced cost school lunches.
Waited until the last minute to make a Valentine's Day plan? Don't worry, we won'te tell. Here's a list of a few specialty options to entertain your sweetie this weekend.



Cafe Hollander

7677 W. State St., (414) 457-6671

Celebrate in downtown Tosa with a three course Prix Fix menu paired with either beer or wine for $45 per person. The menu is available Friday thru Sunday from 3 p.m. to midnight. In addition, you can opt for brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Mimosa's like the Passionfruit Mimosa, X-mosa, and the Fram Cham will be $1 off in the spirit of all things pink and pretty.



Devon Seafood Grill

7670 North Port Washington Rd., (414) 967-9790

www.devonseafood.com

Devon Seafood Grill opens early on Sunday, featuring a special menu designed for two for just $75. Couples will enjoy a three course meal, choosing two items for each course from a list of selections. Options include appetizers like Maine lobster bisque and fresh shucked oysters, main entrees like tuna, scallops and filet mignon as well as a final dessert course featuring vanilla creme brulee and chocolate butternut scotch tart.



Dream Dance Steak

1721 West Canal St., (414) 847-7883

www.paysbig.com

Dream Dance Steak at Milwaukees Potawatomi Bingo Casino will be offering guests a Valentines Day weekend to remember this year  complete with a special menu, free valet parking and a complimentary rose to pass along to that special someone.



El Guapos Cantina

342 E. Silver Spring Dr., (414) 897-8624

The newest Mexican restaurant in Whitefish Bay is offering a special all weekend long that cant be beat. Bring your love in for a Valentines meal complete with one drink, one appetizer, one entree and one dessert for each of you for just $49.95.



Hinterland Erie Street Gastropub

222 E. Erie St., (414) 727-9300

www.hinterlandbeer.com

Opening specially for Valentines Day on Sunday, enjoy the same daily changing menu plus a few Valentines Day specialties. Reservations are recommended and can be made online or by calling the restaurant.



Il Mito

6913 West North Ave, (414) 443-1414

www.ilmito.com

Open on Saturday night only, Il Mito offers a specialty three-course dinner at 6 p.m. for $59.95 per person or three-courses plus wine at 8 p.m. for $79.95 per person. For reservations, call (414) 443-1414.



Mos Irish Pub

142 W. Wisconsin Ave.

www.mosirishpub.com

Hit Mo's Irish Pub in Downtown Milwaukee on Friday night for its "Single's Night." Wes McKane from Kiss FM will be there and 100 women will get gift bags full of stuff including a limited edition OnMilwaukee.com CD of local music (OMCD03.0). First 100 guys get a cool Stella glass.



Pfister Hotel

424 East Wisconsin Ave., (414) 273-8222

www.thepfisterhotel.com

Spend your Valentine's Day weekend doing something for the heart. Attend the annual "Heart Ball" for the American Heart Association at the Pfister Hotel to savor specially prepared, heart-healthy gourmet appetizers, entrees and desserts plus partake in live and silent auctions offering unique items, services and experiences. Eat and bid, then dance to live music from the Eddie Butts Band. For more information, please contact the AHA at (414) 227-1458.





ROMANTIC DINING

Take your love somewhere sweet for a great Valentine's Day dinner. Find the perfect place with the OnMilwaukee.com "Romantic Dining Guide."
Abu Ghraib torture video

Let's not mince words. The way the US acts in the world should be referred to as Crime, Inc.

It has become the most sinister entity on Earth.

Most sinister because what it does is under the guise of bringing "freedom and democracy" to others while using the Constitution and the rule of law as a fig leaf cover but betrays with impunity. And all done in the name of the American people which makes it so despicable.

Consider all the illegal wars from Viet Nam in the 1960's to Iraq in 2003 to Syria today, the "false flag" operations from the Tonkin Gulf incident in 1965 to downing of the Malaysian passenger plane over Ukraine in 2014, the occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the resort to torture from Guantanamo to Abu Ghraib, targeted assassinations-including American citizens in Yemen-drone strikes and missile attacks killing innocents in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, initiating coups against legitimately elected governments from Iran in 1953 to Ukraine in 2014, supporting and arming ruthless, brutal dictators from the Shah in Iran after the 53' coup to Ukraine in 2014,training and arming terrorist mercenaries from the death squads in Central America in the 1980's to al Qaeda in Syria today-just to name a few of the many lawless, criminal acts the US has committed since the end of WW II. It has "earned" the ignominy it has wrought in the world.

Of course none of this is brought before the eyes of the American public. That ended with televised images beamed back from the Viet Nam war. Now what's delivered to the public is all sanitized and made palatable by the complicit corporate MSM. We only kill "terrorists" and if innocents are killed they're merely "collateral damage". Torture-"enhanced interrogation" is done only "by a few bad apples". Certainly not a widespread practice as was authorized by the "Dubya" Bush administration using Justice Department memos to give it "legal" cover but kept secret for reasons of national security.

The wars fought with untold thousands, maybe millions dead were simply fodder to keep the wheels of the war machine's defense contractors and their assorted corporatist henchmen thriving while enriching themselves in the process.

None of the above should come as a surprise. It's been pretty much the same since the country's inception.

First the land was stolen piece by piece from the indigenous peoples who were exploited and plundered through "Manifest Destiny" then killed off in genocide being portrayed as nothing more than savages.

The trail of colonialism, slavery and death runs right through today only now it's called neo-liberalism, globalism, accompanied by harsh austerity measures and debt peonage to the big banks. Nothing has changed.

C'mon, even domestically today, let's open our eyes.

When an older person dies in America because they couldn't afford the meds they needed so it was either eating and doing without the meds then eventually dying, who is to blame for that? Could it be big Pharma that charges the exorbitant prices?

How about the ex-GI's that commit suicide after they've returned from the unnecessary wars and occupations. Figure they would just off themselves anyway and it had nothing to do with what they and others were ordered to do but they couldn't live themselves any longer so they just ended their agony with a bullet to the head.

Or the people from former industrialized "rust belt" areas who lost their jobs when the company plant they'd worked for years closed and left for some 3rd world backwater meanwhile blaming the American worker for the "high" wages and benefits they earned which caused the company to close its doors in the US.

This should not happen in a country that truly cares for its people, putting their interests first.

The sad fact is the "deep state"-those unelected bankers, defense contractors, former generals, oil company execs, billionaire insiders, Rockefellers, Rothschild's, the Carlyle Group et al who actually run the country behind closed doors while having the politicos they've bought do their bidding-simply don't give a damn what happens to the people.

More and more Americans are coming to that conclusion yet many (most?) won't allow themselves to believe it. They're too indoctrinated, too propagandized to believe anything beyond what they were taught. What writer, philosopher, filmmaker Andre Vltckek refers to as those Americans who are "totally, blissfully ignorant about America's role in the world". They can't fathom the thought their country could be so sinister, so evil. It would undercut the very ground they're standing on, too horrible to fully comprehend, much less face squarely.
TSA: Total Security Abyss Image via FrontPage Mag



Intelligence officials released



Several



The Somalia incident is not the only suspected in-flight inside job of late. Investigators believe a ramp worker at Egypts Sharm el Sheikh airport was recruited by ISIS to



America can rest easy knowing that TSA aggressively tackled my harmless chignon like the Denver Broncos on Super Bowl Sunday.



But as the TSA carries out its multibillion-dollar charade of homeland security on babies bottles of breast milk, veterans prosthetic devices and suburban moms updos, who is screening the screeners?



Last summer, the Department of Homeland Securitys inspector general raised the alarm on the TSAs faulty aviation worker vetting process. The IGs testing showed that TSA did not identify 73 individuals with terrorism-related category codes because TSA is not authorized to receive all terrorism-related information under current interagency watchlisting policy. Nor does the transportation bureaucracy have effective controls in place for ensuring that its employees had not committed crimes that would disqualify them from having unescorted access to secure airports areas and had lawful status and were authorized to work in the United States.



On top of that, thousands of records used for vetting workers contained potentially incomplete or inaccurate data, such as an initial for a first name and missing social security numbers, investigators found. TSA did not have appropriate edit checks in place to reject such records from vetting.



Stunningly, the IG disclosed that TSA has had to deny credentials to 4,800 individuals that the airports had previously cleared for work in the United States because it could not verify lawful status for those individuals. The report does not specify when exactly these 4,800 potential illegal immigrants from around the world finally had their badges yanked.



Eight months after this disclosure, the IG reported this week, as few as one percent of all aviation workers applications at larger airports are subjected to the inspections process to screen out aliens here illegally, visa overstayers and individuals convicted of disqualifying crimes.



Only in the last year has the Obama administration cracked down on airport and airline employees unfettered access to sensitive areas and ability to bypass security checkpoints.



Only in the last week has the federal government finally changed its policies to allow TSA to access counterterrorism databases.



Actually, its not clear from the DHS inspector general John Roths follow-up testimony on Capitol Hill this whether and when exactly this will happen. TSA now or will soon have access to this information, he told Congress. Hmm.

Even if and when TSA officials gain access to terrorism data, however, the question is whether that information is worth anything at all. DHS whistleblower Philip Haney, a 15-year veteran of the bureaucracy, reported last week on politically correct purges of counterterrorism databases ordered by his superiors. He says he was forced to delete or modify several hundred records of individuals tied to designated Islamist terror groups like Hamas from the important federal database, the Treasury Enforcement Communications System.



It gets worse. Going forward, Haney recounted, my colleagues and I were prohibited from entering pertinent information into the database. Whitewash in, whitewash out.



A budget of $7 billion. A workforce of 55,000. Useless explosives-screening puffing machines. Unreliable full-body scanners. Thousands of lost and stolen badges and weapons. Unknown numbers of criminals, illegal aliens, impostors and terror operatives with security clearance to do as they please on ramps and runways across America.



Welcome to TSA: The Total Security Abyss.

------------------

Michelle Malkin is mother, wife, blogger, conservative syndicated columnist, and author. She shares many of her articles and thoughts at MichelleMalkin.com.

Tags: Michelle Malkin, commentary, TSA, Total Security Abyss, jihadist, threats, Somalia, airplane, terror attack, illegal immigrants To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks! by Michelle Malkin : While a TSA agent pawed my hair bun this weekend, presumably on high alert for improvised explosive bobby pins, I pondered the latest news on the Somalia airplane terror attack.Intelligence officials released video footage of airport employees in Mogadishu handing a laptop to a jihadist suspect before he boarded Daallo Airlines Airbus Flight D3159 last week. The device allegedly contained a bomb that exploded on the plane, which created a massive hole out of which the bomber was fatally sucked. Two other passengers were injured in the blast before the pilot successfully made an emergency landing.Several airport workers have now been arrested and the FBI is in Africa assisting the investigation.The Somalia incident is not the only suspected in-flight inside job of late. Investigators believe a ramp worker at Egypts Sharm el Sheikh airport was recruited by ISIS to plant a bomb on the Russian airliner that crashed last fall in the desert of the Sinai Peninsula. All 224 passengers and crew members aboard Metrojet Flight 9268 perished.America can rest easy knowing that TSA aggressively tackled my harmless chignon like the Denver Broncos on Super Bowl Sunday.But as the TSA carries out its multibillion-dollar charade of homeland security on babies bottles of breast milk, veterans prosthetic devices and suburban moms updos, who is screening the screeners?Last summer, the Department of Homeland Securitys inspector general raised the alarm on the TSAs faulty aviation worker vetting process. The IGs testing showed that TSA did not identify 73 individuals with terrorism-related category codes because TSA is not authorized to receive all terrorism-related information under current interagency watchlisting policy. Nor does the transportation bureaucracy have effective controls in place for ensuring that its employees had not committed crimes that would disqualify them from having unescorted access to secure airports areas and had lawful status and were authorized to work in the United States.On top of that, thousands of records used for vetting workers contained potentially incomplete or inaccurate data, such as an initial for a first name and missing social security numbers, investigators found. TSA did not have appropriate edit checks in place to reject such records from vetting.Stunningly, the IG disclosed that TSA has had to deny credentials to 4,800 individuals that the airports had previously cleared for work in the United States because it could not verify lawful status for those individuals. The report does not specify when exactly these 4,800 potential illegal immigrants from around the world finally had their badges yanked.Eight months after this disclosure, the IG reported this week, as few as one percent of all aviation workers applications at larger airports are subjected to the inspections process to screen out aliens here illegally, visa overstayers and individuals convicted of disqualifying crimes.Only in the last year has the Obama administration cracked down on airport and airline employees unfettered access to sensitive areas and ability to bypass security checkpoints.Only in the last week has the federal government finally changed its policies to allow TSA to access counterterrorism databases.Actually, its not clear from the DHS inspector general John Roths follow-up testimony on Capitol Hill this whether and when exactly this will happen. TSA now or will soon have access to this information, he told Congress. Hmm.Even if and when TSA officials gain access to terrorism data, however, the question is whether that information is worth anything at all. DHS whistleblower Philip Haney, a 15-year veteran of the bureaucracy, reported last week on politically correct purges of counterterrorism databases ordered by his superiors. He says he was forced to delete or modify several hundred records of individuals tied to designated Islamist terror groups like Hamas from the important federal database, the Treasury Enforcement Communications System.It gets worse. Going forward, Haney recounted, my colleagues and I were prohibited from entering pertinent information into the database. Whitewash in, whitewash out.A budget of $7 billion. A workforce of 55,000. Useless explosives-screening puffing machines. Unreliable full-body scanners. Thousands of lost and stolen badges and weapons. Unknown numbers of criminals, illegal aliens, impostors and terror operatives with security clearance to do as they please on ramps and runways across America.Welcome to TSA: The Total Security Abyss.------------------ Posted by Bill Smith at 2:58 PM - Post Link
Crediamo di morire per la patria, ma moriamo per le Banche! Ci sono eroi sconosciuti che hanno dato la vita, e sono ricordati nei cuore di poche persone. Poi ci sono eroi che sono ricordati solo per un mese, perche hanno combatuto guerre sbagliate con nemici sbagliati. Questi sono gli assassini dei nostri veri eroi. (Michele Altamura)
Ban Ki-moon urged Nawaz Sharif to resolve Saudi-Iran conflict

ISLAMABAD: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon telephoned Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday and urged him to use his good office to resolve the Saudi-Iran conflict, said a statement issued by the PM Office.



Ban told Nawaz he can play a vital role in normalising ties between the regional rivals as the premier has "good relations with both countries," reads the statement.



It goes on to say that PM Nawaz also briefed the UN secretary general about his recent visits to Riyadh and Tehran in a bid to resolve the conflict.



Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif visited Saudi Arabia and Iran last month and met their leaders to defuse tension between the two countries that spiralled after the execution of Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia.



In his meeting with Saudi royals, the PM urged the Kingdom to resolve its differences with rival Iran peacefully and stressed that Pakistan is following a policy of promoting brotherhood among members of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), adding that confrontation damages the larger interest of Muslim Ummah while in Iran, he told media that Pakistan will appoint a focal person on Saudi-Iran issue and sincere efforts are being done in this regard.



Taking his cabinet into confidence over the issue and visits, the premier said that Pakistans image abroad had improved due to the 'untiring efforts' of his diplomatic team.



But despite the premier's claims, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al Jubeir denied that Pakistan mediated between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Bahrains state media had reported on January 25.
Obama administration to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration notified the Congress on Friday that it planned to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.



The proposed deal will now go through a 30-day notification period after which it will be finalised.



Earlier this week, the US State Department informed Congress that it was committed to improving Pakistans precision strike capability, which was seen as a veiled reference to F-16 fighter jets.



And on Thursday, a State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, said at a news briefing that US weapon sales to Pakistan contributed to the fight against terrorism and furthered Americas foreign policy interests.



The remarks followed a move by some US lawmakers and a campaign in the US media to stop the Obama administration from selling eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.



Although Congress has delayed the proposed sale, the administration still seems interested in pushing it through, insisting that its in vital US interests to do so.



At the State Department news briefing, an Indian journalist asked spokesman Mark Toner if US Secretary of State John Kerry had received a letter Republican Senator Bob Corker sent to him on Tuesday, asking him to stop the proposed sale to Pakistan.



As a matter of policy, we dont comment on proposed arms sales or transfers or even our preliminary consultations with the Hill, with Capitol Hill, prior to any formal congressional notification, Mr Toner replied.



But he offered to address the broader issue of US security assistance to Pakistan, saying: We are committed to working with Congress to deliver security assistance to our partners and our allies that we believe furthers US foreign policy interests by building the capacity to meet shared security challenges.



Responding to another question about terrorists using safe havens inside Pakistan to attack US troops in Afghanistan, Mr Toner said: We believe US security assistance to Pakistan actually contributes to their counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations.



Further explaining this point, he added that such operations reduce the ability of militants to use Pakistani territory as a safe haven to carry out terrorist attacks and as a base of support for the insurgency in Afghanistan.



Thats why, he said, the United States believes these operations are in the interests of both Pakistan and the United States and in the interests of the region more broadly.



Asked if he had any figures to back up the claim that US assistance to Pakistan had reduced terrorist activities, Mr Toner said he did not have such figures in front of him but noted that no country in the region had been more touched by terrorism than Pakistan.



We believe its in our vital national security interests to support Pakistan in carrying out its efforts to destroy these terrorist networks, and we believe its an important partner in the region in achieving a stable and secure Afghanistan, said the US official.



Mr Toner said the US also welcomed Pakistans efforts to support Afghan-led reconciliation talks. He noted that recently, Pakistan hosted the Heart of Asia ministerial and two of the first three meetings of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group.



And they have carried out multiple operations against some of these terrorist networks that are operating on their soil, he said.
Valentine Day has no connection with our culture

ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain on Friday urged people of the country not to observe Valentines Day, saying that it was not a part of Muslim tradition, but of the West.



Addressing a function held here to pay homage to Pakistan Movement leader Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar on his death anniversary, the president said: Valentines Day has no connection with our culture and it should be avoided.



He said drawbacks of western culture had adversely affected one of our neighbouring countries.



Talking about the education system in the country, the president said there was a need to formulate educational curriculum of Pakistan according to the requirements of the modern age and ideology of Pakistan. Work in this regard is under way and soon new curriculum with consensus of all stakeholders would be implemented, he said.



He said Pakistan could achieve progress by adopting thoughts and philosophy of our great leaders and could earn a distinguished status in the comity of nations as dreamt by our founding fathers.



We could not derive full advantage of our strategic geographical location in the past but now the government is endeavouring to take Pakistan to newer heights of prosperity through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and development of Gwadar port, he said.



Paying tribute to national heroes, the president said Pakistan came into being because of struggle waged by Sardar Nishtar and others under the leadership of the Quaid-i-Azam. We need to emulate the principles and self-belief of our founding fathers to make Pakistan strong and prosperous country, he said.



The president said Sardar Nishtar was blessed with many qualities which were instrumental in enabling the nation to overcome many challenges after the creation of the country, adding that his conducts were exemplary during those testing times.



He said Sardar Nishtar was the only ray of hope during political instability in the country in the 50s and 60s. He enjoyed the trust of Mader-i-Millat Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah who entrusted him with the leadership of the party.



He said Sardar Nishtar never took advantage of his official position and led a dignified and simple life as governor of Punjab. He never utilised official resources for his sake or for his children as he believed in judicious and meaningful use of national resources, he added.



Mr Hussain said after assuming the office of the president he had decided that ceremonies would be organised at the Aiwan-i-Sadr to nourish the ideology of Pakistan and strengthen national identity. Todays ceremony is part of this process to pay homage to national heroes, he added.



The president asked students to attain higher education in their respective fields and go abroad if there was need of it but always maintain their religious and national identity.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. On February 11, the Delegation led by the President of Republic of Armenia National Assembly (NA) Galust Sahakyan left for the Nagorno Karabakh Republic on a working visit.

MPs Artak Zakaryan, Artak Davtyan and Tevan Poghosyan are included in the delegation led by the NA President.

As Armenpress was informed from the Public Relations and Media Department of the National Assembly of Armenia, at the beginning of the working visit the President of the National Assembly and the members of the delegation accompanied with the Vice President of the Artsakh Parliament Vahram Balayan visited Stepanakert Memorial Complex. Galust Sahakyan laid a wreath at the monument eternalizing the memory of the freedom fighters, who died in the Artsakh War and put flowers on the freedom fighters tombs.

Afterwards, President of the Armenian National Assembly Galust Sahakyan met with the NKR National Assembly President Ashot Ghulyan.

Welcoming the present and thanking them for the warm reception, Galust Sahakyan underlined with satisfaction that during the recent years a close relationship has been formed between the state bodies of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, and in that context highlighted the role of the inter-parliamentary relations.

Galust Sahakyan noted that the issue of the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict has been and remains at the centre of attention of the Parliament of the Republic of Armenia. He has added that the MPs always strive to make the Karabakh issue recognizable at the international platforms. Galust Sahakyan highly assessed the mutually beneficial cooperation shaped between the Standing Committees of the parliaments.

NKR NA President Ashot Ghulyan expressed satisfaction with the current level of the cooperation between the NKR and the Republic of Armenia legislative bodies and highly appreciated the contribution of the Speaker of the Armenian Parliament.

Afterwards the meeting continued with the participation of the members of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Cooperation between the Armenian and Artsakh parliaments and the deputies of the two parliaments.

In the course of the meeting issues of bilateral interest were discussed, which were related to the exchange of experience in the legislative activities, mutual visits, inter-parliamentary relations and budgetary programmes.

Presidents of the parliaments of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh summed up the results of the meeting in a joint press conference.

On the same day the Delegation led by the Armenian NA President Galust Sahakyan met with NKR President Bako Sahakyan. During the meeting the sides discussed a number of issues of deepening and development of the ties between the parliaments of the two Armenian Republics.
From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As...
Persecution and the Kingdom

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.



IT MAY SEEM strange that Jesus should pass from peacemaking to persecution, from the work of reconciliation to the experience of hostility. Yet however hard we may try to make peace with some people, they refuse to live at peace with us. Not all attempts at reconciliation succeed.

John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount



First of all, rather than talking hypothetically about this passage, we know that thousands of Christians are being persecuted and killed for their faith in Jesus Christ. In Assyria, groups of Christians are being slaughtered for their faith including women and children. It's funny we don't hear much about this in the news, but the United Kingdom has recently deemed this genocide. It is estimated that one Christian is being martyred every five minutes in Iraq. You can read more of the sobering details at this link



http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7046/christian-slaughter



As Christians we often think we are immune to this, as it happens so far away. But we are called to be the body of Christ. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:26, "When one part of the body suffers, we all suffer with it." It is easy in the West to get individualistic with our faith, but these issues call us to look outside of ourselves. The least we can do is pray for our brothers and sisters in the faith, and especially their children.



I guess the only hope they can have, as is mentioned, is the promises that theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. While they may not see the reward for their faithfulness today, they will certainly realize it when Jesus calls them home. Although we should never seek persecution, the more and more we stand up for what we believe, the more likely we are to be persecuted. This can happen even in subtle ways. Today, it is much riskier to talk about one's faith in Jesus, than even 20 years ago.



It is interesting that many presidential candidates are talking about faith, and even mentioning faith in Jesus on the campaign trails. Pollsters continue to talk about how important the evangelicals vote has become. Franklin Graham, while not advocating any candidate is going around the country urging Christians to get involved in the political process at least by voting. Early returns show many more Christians are showing to vote realizing that this election will have a lot of importance for our country.



Jesus says, "Happy are those who are persecuted". That seems paradoxical in nature, but maybe this beatitude will become more familiar to us in the days and years ahead!












by Valerian Kkonde

PEARL NEWS SERVICE

Retired Col. Kizza Besigye on the campaign trail. Ugandans are skeptical about Museveni's willingness to hand over power peacefully. Monitor Photo

It is unfortunate and shameful that after thirty years in State power, the old man with a hat- Yoweri Museveni- cannot comprehend the dignity of the office and that of the people he has subjected to his whims for such a long period.





Thirty years is not only a long period but it speaks for itself, volumes and volumes of messages, and is so evident and articulate that the blind can see its fruits, bitter or sweet, and the deaf can here its sobs, screams, wails and laughter.





The Uganda Constitution, promulgated by Museveni in 1995, talks of the Office of the President as a fountain of honour. But the most disturbing fact is that president Museveni has deliberately, and selfishly, refused to give due respect to democratic governance as the guiding criterion for his political life. He offers himself as the alpha and omega after crippling all the institutions.





For the last thirty years, a number of issues have remained unattended to despite the fact they are of significant importance to the populace. Of great concern is the displacement of villages by people having close ties with the regime and are often given protection and support by the Police. Hundreds of thousands of Ugandans have been rendered homeless, and in effect became refugees in their own country.





All president Museveni has done, and continues to do, is blame the Judiciary and even look the other side as regime demagogues exact their pound of flesh. It is shameful, and a disgrace, for the president to keep pointing a finger at the rich people as the ones displacing the poor Ugandans. Where is the government and all the resources and machinery at its disposal? What is the work of government?





If at all the president is having sleepless nights over land-grabbing why doesnt he use the same force he uses to stifle the Opposition and other critics, to protect these now homeless and destitute Ugandans being stripped of their dignity and rights of ownership? He has been going around the country telling the people that he should be re-elected so that he handles the issue of land-grabbing using his Resident District Commissioners (RDC).





Museveni has tried to absolve himself of the sin of displacing people by blaming it all on the Courts of law. In any case, the RDCs have always been present and the people have witnessed how they sided with the grabbers. Even some grabbers have come from the presidents office. Where has Museveni been all these years? What is he going to do, and what stopped him from doing it earlier? This is an interesting case of what Museveni did, catching up with him. That is Mother Nature.





Failure to categorically speak out against such injustices as well as failing to act decisively to end these gross human rights violations and robberies does not help the situation; instead it raises suspicion to the extent of concluding that the president is an accomplice with vested interests.





As Uganda goes to the polls, beginning February 18, 2016, there is worry among the public that the elections will not be free and fair. To start with, the public has no trust in the Election Commission (EC) chairman, Engineer Badru Kiggundu and his team.





On its part, the EC is sending out messages urging the public to turn up and vote, maintain peace and respect one another. While these messages are being repeated over and over, the EC is not coming out to reassure Ugandans of its commitment to organise free and fair elections. Is this by coincidence or design?





Such accusations against the EC are of a grave nature that the Chairman should have resigned at once. If the public doubts Kiggundus moral ability to perform such an important duty, then who is he serving most especially after the Supreme Court declared him unfit for the position?





To make matters worse, even the president is evading important issues at this crucial moment in the life of Uganda. The country is going to elect the president and parliamentary representatives but Museveni is only talking about decisively crushing those who will cause violence. The president has also taken to calling the Opposition rats! During the 1994 Rwanda genocide, those in power referred to the Opposition as cockroaches. Of late, the armys political commissar, Felix Kulayigye, talked of spraying people like bedbugs.





If Museveni is still allergic to political competition, he should do the country a lot of good by declaring himself the life president of Uganda. Idi Amin Dada did it and it can still be done in Uganda. The declaration would save the countrys meager resources from being spent on bogus elections. The electorate would as well be saved the dangers associated with electioneering in Uganda.





Museveni has avoided the issue of handing over power peacefully, in effect grossly failing to account to the people he has ruled for thirty years! Either way, actions speak louder than words. Signs indicate that Museveni is preoccupied with oppressing any dissenting voices after rigging the elections.





The arbitrary recruitment of the Crime Preventers and importation of tear gas vehicles all are signs of pre-meditated oppression and suppression by government. The president has a duty to come out clearly and say that he is committed to free and fair elections, and that he will hand over power peacefully to whoever will be elected.





There are a number of cases that point to Musevenis unwillingness to hand over power peacefully. For the last thirty years, Museveni has displayed unprecedented hatred for political competition. In 2005, presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye was arrested and trumped up charges brought against him. These included rape and treason after a hitherto unknown Peoples Redemption Army (PRA), a rebel outfit and a creation of government was said to belong to him.





All sorts of legal frameworks have been put in place with the sole purpose of impeding the Oppositions ability to mobilise and recruit members. Notable among these is the Public Order Management Act of 2012. It strips Ugandans of their right to assemble and arbitrarily hands the Inspector General of Police the power to decide for the people as to when and where they can assemble, and for what reason.





The question as to whether President Museveni will handover power peacefully is as good as answered. He has been in power for thirty years but he is as nervous as someone who has never been in state power. Primitive advertising gimmicks are being employed meaning he is bent on winning the elections at any cost!





Adverts showing skulls and skeletons of those sacrificed for State Power in Luweero, during the five year bloody guerrilla war that brought Museveni to power, have once again been brought on the screens of the media. What a shame! The president has gone so native that he has told the nation and the world at large that if he is not voted back in power he will have to wage another war. He even goes around saying that the oil in Uganda is his. Pity the so called presidential advisors and the campaign team.





During the last five years, president Museveni has, at every event, been showering praises on the Kampala Capital City Authoritys (KCCA) Executive Director Jennifer Musisi for bringing order to the city. The street vendors and hawkers they have been demonizing and holding responsible for lack of planning in the City, have been called back to the streets!





Many of these vendors were imprisoned, severely beaten and their merchandise distributed among the Law Enforcement Officials. They have shed their blood to be able to fend for themselves and their families.





These people may be hawkers but they are human beings like Musevenis children and grand children. And most importantly, they are victims of Musevenis oppressive economic policies. Many of these hawkers bore the regimes dehumanising treatment while they eked a living in the Park Yard market. This was the scene of constant fires lit by the regimes cohorts who wanted the land for their mall. The idea was to force them away without compensation.





There is no doubt that these atrocities, like those committed in Luweero triangle, are still fresh in the minds of many. They have not forgotten and they know that many such atrocities will be committed as long as these people are in power.





Many soldiers, perceived to be supporters of the Opposition, have been thrown in jail, mistreated and arbitrarily stripped of their benefits and dignity. Even members of the ruling party, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) who are objective in their analysis of issues and events have not been spared.





The unwritten law in Musevenis NRM is that you either sleep and wake up to vote for the NRM, shut up or quit. There is no room for critics and independent thinkers. These are no signs of a civilized regime; a regime that appreciates the fact that power belongs to the people. A regime like the one of Museveni, which looks to the gun for all solutions, cannot hand over power peacefully.





The publics fear that there could easily be a war after elections is an enormous statement discrediting a government that has been around for thirty years. In the first place it means that the people have no trust in the government, and that it is a government that does not consider the common good.





The bitter fact is that the public is basing on the thirty years to judge Musevenis potential and to thus conclude that it is time he left the stage. It is a general and genuine yearning for change; a change for good governance and peace of mind. The public continues to state categorically that Museveni has out lived his usefulness yet he does not want others to take over. But the call for change grows steadily, louder and firmly.





As Ugandans go to the polls on February 18, 2016 they want to state categorically that they want change. If President Museveni maintains that he will not hand over peacefully, then the people will have no option but to force him out.




























YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. The film Map of Salvation telling about the 5 women who supported Armenians will be presented at movie rentals. The author of the idea, general producer and Founding Director at Man Pictures Studio Manvel Saribekyan informed Armenpress about this.

The film has already been shown in 6 countries: Armenia, Iran, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Finland. It is expected to be shown in a number of other countries as well in the near future. Unfortunately, we are able to organize the film show only through personal ties. In mid-April or May the film will also be presented at movie rentals. Afterwards, there will be also hard discs and later, TV premiere will take place. Manvel Saribekyan mentioned.

In his words the film was last shown on January 28, in Helsinki.

There are countries where the embassies or Armenian institutions create opportunities to present the film. Up till now we have received quite positive feedback wherever the film was shown, which makes us more happy, he said.

The film was also shown at the hall of Armenpress news agency. The staff of the agency and some more guests watched it.

The film Map of Salvation was presented to the audience in 2015. The film tells about five European women, Maria Jacobsen (Denmark), Karen Jeppe (Denmark), Bodil Birn (Norway), Alma Johansson (Sweden), Anna Hedvig Bull (Estonia), who were witnesses to the Armenian Genocide and subsequently founded shelters for Armenian children and women. The documentary was directed by Aram Shahbazyan. The film is about the Armenian Genocide, focusing more on the humanitarian activities of the 5 women.
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YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. On 13 February President Bako Sahakyan received a group of the Artsakh National-Liberation Movement activists.

As Armenpress was informed from the Central Information Department of the Office of the Artsakh Republic President, the meeting addressed a range of issues related to the contemporary history and state building process of Artsakh, as well as regional developments in a warm and unconstrained atmosphere. President Sahakyan afforded satisfaction with the traditional character of meetings with the Movement veterans, regarding them relevant and important.
It is not enough, for example, to be repulsed by a tradition such as foot binding or female genital cutting that has been standard practice in certain societies for centuries. Rather, the social entrepreneur "sets out to make sense of the problematic equilibrium itself: how did it come to be and why does it persist?" To do that, Martin and Osberg write, the social entrepreneur must "navigate three powerful tensions" with respect to the world they wish to change: abhorrence and appreciation; expertise and apprenticeship; and experimentation and commitment.

Through their work at the Skoll Foundation and the Skoll World Forum , Osberg and Martin have observed that transformative change involves four key stages: first, the social entrepreneur must understand the system she is trying to change; then, she must envision a future in which that system has been changed, build a model for achieving the change, and, finally, scale a solution.

Martin and Osberg define social entrepreneurship as direct action aimed at transforming, rather than incrementally improving, an existing system; in the process, a new equilibrium is created. Moreover, social entrepreneurs work in "ways that do not fit neatly into the traditional modes of government and business." Whereas businesses are constrained by a need to earn profits, and government-led change efforts are designed to provide services to citizens rather than cultivate new customers, social entrepreneurs are able to "[negotiate] these constraints. The creative combination of elements from both poles...is what enables [them] to build models designed for a particular context."

In Getting Beyond Better: How Social Entrepreneurship Works , business strategist Roger L. Martin and Sally R. Osberg, president and CEO of the Skoll Foundation , provide an overview of the burgeoning field of social entrepreneurship and share the stories of several social entrepreneurs who have changed  and are changing  the world for the better. And, like the entrepreneurs they highlight  nearly all of whom have been recognized by the Skoll Foundation for their efforts  Martin and Osberg mostly succeed in their objectives, providing a definitional framework for the field, explaining the joys and challenges of the work, and finding compelling examples of people who have overcome those challenges.

Take the case of Molly Melching, the much-honored founder and executive director of Tostan , a nongovernmental organization headquartered in Dakar, Senegal. Melching, who arrived in Senegal in 1974 as a young academic and, after her program was canceled, found work as a translator for various development agencies, soon fell in love with the country and its people and "began heading out from the urban familiarity of Dakar, with its French enclaves of cafes and bookstores, into rural villages." There, she saw signs of failed development and ineffective educational initiatives almost everywhere. "There was little appreciation [within the development community] of the reasons indigenous communities operated as they did," write Martin and Osberg, "[or] why the unhappy equilibriums that prevailed in Africa persevered even in the face of new incentives." After a few years, Melching "came to believe that a different approach was necessary if change was to happen sustainably in Senegal." Continuing her travels, she "sought to engage ever more deeply with communitieslearn[ing] from and build[ing] relationships with village elders and young people, to explore community networks, and to shape her knowledge of how the society was structured." In the process, she became intimately familiar with the established equilibrium that prevailed in rural communities  and eventually realized she could do something to change it. After learning and helping teach rural children in their native Wolof language, Melching founded Tostan as a vehicle to scale a community empowerment program and start a conversation about human rights and women's health issues.

Before long, Melching was approached by three local women who asked for her help in ending the practice of female genital cutting (FGC), which was widespread in the Senagalese countryside. At first she balked at the idea, believing FGC to be so ingrained in Senagalese culture that, by taking it on, she risked losing the trust she and Tostan had established with local tribal leaders. But she could not ignore the inherent cruelty of the practice. Calling "on all she had learned about the structure and norms of Senagalese society," Melching turned to her longtime adviser, Demba Diawara, himself a descendant of Malian royalty, and urged him to reconsider his opposition to the women's efforts to eliminate "the tradition"  which he did after consulting with local imams, doctors, and village women. Demba then spent months engaging villagers in more than a dozen communities in discussions about FGC and eventually convinced representatives, both women and men, from thirteen villages to gather to debate the issue. They did, and at the end of two days, they collectively agreed to declare their "firm commitment" to not only end the practice but to spread what they had learned to other villages. "If you truly want to bring about widespread change," Demba told Melching, "you must understand something. When it comes to important decisions, they must all be involved." The lesson: Had Melching taken the standard development route and tried to impose a decision on Senegalese villagers based on Western notions of freedom and human rights, she would have failed.

Of course, some problems defy simple solutions, and what works in one cultural milieu may not work elsewhere. Indeed, it is not uncommon for a social entrepreneur to come up with an innovative solution to a problem only to discover that the particulars of the local context make it impossible to scale beyond the initial group of individuals he had hoped to help. Given that reality, Martin and Osberg seem to suggest that real, lasting social change is largely the result of leadership  the hallmarks of which include humility and the ability to think outside the box.

It was the latter, for example, that enabled Bart Weetjens, founder of APOPO (Anti-Personnel Landmines Detection Product Development), a registered Belgian nongovernmental organization, to reduce the costs of detecting and disabling land mines. For much of the second half of the twentieth century, dogs had been used to sniff out mines in post-conflict countries, at a cost of $300 to $1,000 per mine. Meanwhile, training a single mine-sniffing dog can cost upward of $40,000. Weetjens, who kept small rodents like rats and hamsters as pets when he was young, recognized that the animals might be both intelligent enough and small enough to do the job for a fraction of the cost. The result of his epiphany? APOPO's army of rats has cleared nearly seventy thousand mines and more than twenty-five million square meters of land since 2004, and along the way Weetjens learned that they could also be trained to sniff out tuberculosis in human tissue samples.

If the book has a shortcoming, it can be blamed on the relative immaturity of the social entrepreneurship field and the lack of a research base detailing the impact of such endeavors. By the authors' own admission, the book is a step, but only a step, down the long road to a cleaner, safer, more sustainable world. It also raises, for this reader at least, as many questions as it answers. For example, as the first generation of social entrepreneurs passes from the scene, who and what will keep their organizations, many of them founder-led, from fading away? And what of the millennial generation, which seems long on good intentions but lacking in resources and, at times, resolve? Perhaps Martin and Osberg will answer those and other questions in their next book. In the meantime, Getting Beyond Better is both a good read and an excellent illustration of the real potential of social entrepreneurship to change the world. That's something we should all embrace in these uncertain times.

Matt Sinclair is editor of Philanthropy News Digest. For more great reviews, visit our Off the Shelf section.
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.


Clockwise, from top left: Rachel Ruvinsky, 22; Sam Brehm, 21; Bennett Marschner, 26; and Hannah Schott, 22. The group of friends carry on multiple relationships simultaneously. (Photo by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)

By Lisa Bonos



Polyamory: No, its not cheating. Or similar to polygamy. Or even having a few side pieces.



...I spent some time in December with four 20-somethings in the Washington area to learn what its like to be young and polyamorous. (You can read about them here.)



In the course of my reporting, I spoke to several experts on polyamory. Here are some of their views on whos drawn to consensual non-monogamy and what types of challenges arise when it comes to raising a family or creating a life with multiple partners.



1. What types of people are drawn to polyamory?



Franklin Veaux, a sex educator and co-author of More Than Two: A Practical Guide to Ethical Polyamory, has five partners  and all of his partners have other partners. He notes that he knows people in their 20s up through their 80s who are in polyamorous relationships.



In my experience, Veaux said in a phone interview, theres a huge range of people drawn to polyamory. The only thing they have in common is that they dont want monogamy.



And they often have non-traditional ideas about relationships, he added. Theres a lot overlap with polyamory and BDSM, polyamory and swinging.



That doesnt mean, however, that polyamorists are always casual about relationships; they take them very seriously. Its not for people who are afraid of relationships, Veaux said, noting that thats a common misconception about polyamory. That would be like saying mountain-climbing is for people who are afraid of heights. If youre scared of relationships, youre certainly not going to do multiple relationships.



2. Why is polyamory becoming more popular with young people?



Increasingly, sexuality is being understood as more of a spectrum than a gay-straight binary. In a 2015 YouGov survey, for example, more than half of millennials agreed that sexuality is a continuous scale. I asked Veaux whether this understanding of sexual fluidity could also mean that young people are more apt to view relationships as fluid and therefore be less focused on monogamy. Absolutely, he replied. Millennials are growing up in a world where polyamory is a choice among many [types of relationships].



The fact that the gay and lesbian community has been so mainstream, Veaux said, means that people are more aware of the variety thats out there, that theres more than one way to have a relationship.



When Veaux started getting into non-monogamy in the 1980s, we didnt have a language, we didnt have a community, we didnt have a way to find each other....



3. What about jealousy?



If youre an extremely jealous person, polyamory might not be for you, says Tamara Pincus, a therapist in the Washington area who works with a lot of polyamorous clients and is poly herself.



Its helpful for people to figure out what their jealousy is about, she advises, whether its stemming from a fear of being replaced or feelings of inadequacy; both responses can arise when multiple relationships are involved.



Pincus sometimes suggests coming up with an after-care plan, of what to do when someone comes back from a date, for how they might comfort a partner whos jealous.



People expect to be jealous, Pincus adds. I think people are more surprised when theyre not as jealous as they expect.



Of course there are those who want to be polyamorous but the jealousy undermines the whole thing, Pincus says. Theyre not prepared for the amount of emotional work thats its going to be....



4. How do you deal with co-parenting when more than two parents are involved?



Franklin Veaux doesnt have children, but one of his partners has a daughter, who was 7 when they started dating and is 17 now. He doesnt take a parenting role with the child. I never wanted kids, he says. All of his other partners are child-free.



When it comes to custody of kids, U.S. legal policy is structured around the two-person nuclear family and isnt well-suited to protecting polyamorous families with three or four adults in childrens lives.



Still, Diana Adams, managing partner of Diana Adams Law & Mediation in New York, works with polyamorous individuals to come up with creative prenuptial, co-parenting and co-habitation agreements to give them as much financial and legal stability as possible in a legal system that does not recognize their family form, she says.



Ive seen many poly families create stable co-parenting relationships, Adams notes. Its critical they dont rush into that situation without professionals.



The problems, she says, arise in such situations as when a couple with a child might have a girlfriend move in and its unclear: Is she a third parent or just a cohabiting friend? Those kinds of muddled relationships are where the real problems lie, Adams says, both in co-parenting situations as well in sperm-donor agreements.



Since polyamorous families dont necessarily have legal rights, you may be up against the proclivities of a specific judge in a co-parenting or custody dispute, Adams notes. She tries to create contracts that a court would enforce, but ultimately the judge would be looking at the best interest of the child as well as whatever agreement came before.



5. Does the legalization of gay marriage open the door to plural marriage?



In Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Robertss dissent in the courts gay marriage decision, he posited that legalizing same-sex marriage could lead to next allowing polygamy. But none of the polyamorists I spoke to are rushing to advocate for it.



Plural marriage would be helpful, but I dont think itll happen anytime soon, Veaux says. Its not something most poly people are pushing for.



Veaux currently wears two rings, signifying his deep commitment to multiple partners, but hes legally single. With the law allowing only two partners in a marriage, he doesnt want to marry one person and put any one partner over another, he says.



Now that weve achieved same-sex marriage theres an awkward shift, Adams says, an acknowledgement that heterosexual marriage between two partners is not the only valid family form.



At this point, Adams says, multi-partner marriage seems like a far-off potential because theres already so much backlash continuing from same-sex marriage.







Hi! I'm the Bennett in the article. Thank you for saying such nice things, I was unnervingly aware that we were representing not just ourselves in those interviews. We definitely weren't poly wise at the start, but Rachel and I are coming up on three years now!



Ms. Bonos had a very tight deadline to meet and I'm sure editing for space in the magazine cut it down a bit. Before researching for the article, I believe she said she didn't really know anything about poly. Considering that, I think she did a great job on the article and a fantastic job approaching the subject respectfully and with an open mind!



The bit about youthful optimism that may crash and burn later was one part of the article we found puzzling, as when asked about the future, we all replied that poly was definitely going to be a part of our lives and identities going forward. I personally know more than a few older, more settled poly people  couples, triads, and at least one ... uh, quartet?



There were a few turns of phrase I wasn't thrilled about and there's a lot more to ALL of it than could be included in the article. It's been already been a long, amazing, and often difficult adventure and it's only just getting started and I'm actually still nervous about it even existing as a thing on the internet with my name attached to it....





That nice Washington Post story yesterday ? Maybe it did well (thanks, all of you who helped spread it on Facebook etc.!)  because this afternoon the writer followed it up with another. She used the same lede photo.She chose the therapist, lawyer, and sex educator in the title well. They're Tamara Pincus, Diana Adams, and Franklin Veaux.Here's the complete story (February 12, 2016).----------------------------I praised the people featured in yesterday'sarticle for representing us so well. One of them was Bennett Marschner. Today he posted a comment. In case you missed it,

Labels: Diana Adams, Franklin Veaux, Wash. DC region
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill and Pope Francis are pained by the loss of church unity, a declaration they signed at today's meeting says. Armenpress reports, citing TASS, the meeting took place on February 12 in the capital of Cuba, Havana.

"Notwithstanding this shared Tradition of the first ten centuries, for nearly one thousand years Catholics and Orthodox have been deprived of communion in the Eucharist," the declaration states.

"We have been divided by wounds caused by old and recent conflicts, by differences inherited from our ancestors, in the understanding and expression of our faith in God, one in three Persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit," it says.

"We are pained by the loss of unity, the outcome of human weakness and of sin, which has occurred despite the priestly prayer of Christ the Savior: "So that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you  so that they may be one, as we are one" (Jn17:21)," the document says.

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and Pope Francis have called on the world community to consolidate to do away with terrorism on the planet. "We urge the international community to seek an end to the violence and terrorism and, at the same time, to contribute through dialogue to a swift return to civil peace," they said in a declaration.

The two religious leaders noted that violence in Syria and Iraq has claimed thousands of victims and that many other millions have been left without a home or means of sustenance. "Large-scale humanitarian aid must be assured to the afflicted populations and to the many refugees seeking safety in neighbouring lands," the declaration says.

"We call upon the international community to act urgently in order to prevent the further expulsion of Christians from the Middle East. In raising our voice in defence of persecuted Christians, we wish to express our compassion for the suffering experienced by the faithful of other religious traditions who have also become victims of civil war, chaos and terrorist violence," the declaration says.

The two religious leaders hope their meeting will inspire Christians worldwide to pray for full unity of the churches, a declaration signed at their meeting said.

"Mindful of the permanence of many obstacles, it is our hope that our meeting may contribute to the re-establishment of this unity willed by God, for which Christ prayed," it said.

"May our meeting inspire Christians throughout the world to pray to the Lord with renewed fervor for the full unity of all His disciples. In a world which yearns not only for our words but also for tangible gestures, may this meeting be a sign of hope for all people of goodwill!" the declaration said.

Orthodox Christians and Roman Catholics rule out any forms of proselytism, says the text of the declaration.

"Orthodox and Catholics are united not only by the shared Tradition of the Church of the first millennium, but also by the mission to preach the Gospel of Christ in the world today. This mission entails mutual respect for members of the Christian communities and excludes any form of proselytism," it says.

The two religious leaders have called on Christians of the Western and Eastern Europe to unite to preserve Christian tradition.

"The process of European integration, which began after centuries of blood-soaked conflicts, was welcomed by many with hope, as a guarantee of peace and security. Nonetheless, we invite vigilance against an integration that is devoid of respect for religious identities," says the joint declaration.

"While remaining open to the contribution of other religions to our civilization, it is our conviction that Europe must remain faithful to its Christian roots. We call upon Christians of Eastern and Western Europe to unite in their shared witness to Christ and the Gospel, so that Europe may preserve its soul, shaped by two thousand years of Christian tradition," the document says.
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YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. The delegation led by the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Galust Sahakyan visited one of tank regiment of NKR Defense Army during the working visit to Nagorno Karabakh.

The main goal of the visit of the President of the National Assembly was to get acquainted with combat readiness of the armed forces, organization of military duty in combat positions, ongoing military activities and the foodstuff of the servicemen.

As Armenpress was informed from Public Relations and Media Department of the parliament of Armenia, in a free conversation with NA President Galust Sahakyan the servicemen mentioned that they are always ready to adequately retaliate to the enemy.

The head of the legislative thanked the officers and the soldiers for their faithful service.

He addressed his speech of gratitude to the servicemen, who, withstanding the rivals provocations, ensure peace in our country.

The head of the parliament toured in the area and familiarized himself with the social conditions of the regiment.

President of the National Assembly of Armenia Galust Sahakyan presented the regiment with computers.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. Russia is our largest neighbor and an international power with which NATO does not want a new Cold War, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the Munich Security Conference. Armenpress reports also added that NATO is not a sleepwalker to enter into confrontation with Russia.

Dialogue has many dimensions. Russia is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

And Russia played a constructive role in the Iran nuclear deal.

Allies engage with Russia bilaterally and in multilateral organisations such as the OSCE.

The NATO-Russia Council is another important forum for dialogue with Russia.

We need dialogue for a number of reasons, he said.

"It is important to promote strategic stability. To clearly communicate our intentions, our posture and our expectations to Russia. Dialogue is important to increase transparency and predictability, and to reduce the risk of incidents and accidents. And if they do happen, to avoid escalation between our forces. The downing of the Russian fighter plane over Turkey underlines how urgent this is".
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. On February 13, in Munich Edward Nalbandian, Foreign Minister of Armenia, had a meeting with Andrei Galbur, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova.

As Armenpress was informed from the Department of Press, Information and Public Relations of MFA Armenia, congratulating his counterpart on assuming the office of the Foreign Minister of Moldova, Edward Nalbandian attached importance to the implementation of consistent steps aimed at the development of bilateral relations.

Andrei Galbur thanked Minister Nalbandian for good wishes and noted that Moldova is interested in the deepening of friendly cooperation with Armenia.

The sides discussed issues related to the intensification of political dialogue, expansion of legal framework, strengthening of cooperation within international organizations.

Reference was made to the pressing regional and international issues.

Foreign Minister of Moldova presented the efforts of his Government to ensure internal stability of Moldova.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. To reach the young and faithful, Pope Francis is not afraid to try new things. To guide young Catholics through Lent, which started February 10, the popular 266th pope is on messaging apps; late last year he dropped a rock album.

On March 1, Pope Francis will release a new book that contains handwritten letters and illustrations from children around the world, with his personal responses to their questions. Dear Pope Francis, published by Loyola Press, reveals the worries and queries of young Catholics, and offers a quiet profundity that even non-believers can get into.

Pope Franciss predecessor wrote countless titlesbut with this new volume, the leader of the Catholic Church departs from the usual topics of charity, mercy, and responsibility, and answers questions that are both simpler and bigger: Why do people go hungry? What happens to angels? Why arent there miracles anymore?

Armenpress reports, Quartz introduces some of the questions and answers.

Can non-Catholics go to heaven?

Will my grandpa, a non-Catholic who is not a person willing to do something evil, go to heaven when he dies? In other words, if someone never makes any penances, how big a sin must he commit for him to go down to Hell?  Ivan, 13, China

The popes answer: Jesus wants us all to go to heaven.

Why is the devil still around?

If God loves us so much and didnt want us to suffer, why didnt he defeat the devil?  Alejandra, 9, Peru

The popes answer: The devil is like a dragon that wags its tail after death.

Why did God create flawed humans?

Why did God create us even though he knew that we would sin against him?  Maximus, 10, Singapore

The popes answer: God gave us freedom, which means the freedom to choose sin.

Whats Gods real job?

What did God do before the world was made?  Ryan, 8, Canada

The popes answer: He loved.

Why the headgear?

Why do you need that tall hat?  Faith, 8, Singapore

The popes answer: Its a symbol of being a bishop.

What about miracles?

Why are there not as many miracles anymore?  Joaquin, 9, Peru

The popes answer: Its not true!

Can we go back to the way things used to be?

Will the world be again as it was in the past?  Mohammed, 10, Syria

The popes answer: No.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. On February 13, in Munich Edward Nalbandian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar.

As Armenpress was informed from the Department of Press, Information and Public Relations of MFA Armenia, the Foreign Ministers thoroughly discussed issues concerning the deepening of bilateral relations and emphasize that there is a huge potential for the development of cooperation between the two countries.

The sides agreed to intensify the high-level dialogue.

Minister Nalbandian noted with satisfaction that the agreement reached on the level of Foreign Ministers last year on the launch of Doha-Yerevan direct flight is already being implemented.

During the meeting issues related to the intensification of business contacts, development of legal framework, activities of intergovernmental committee were discussed.

The Foreign Minister of Armenia and Qatar exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East, the settlement of the Syrian crisis.

Edward Nalbandian invited Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani to Yerevan.
FORT EDWARD  Blind in one eye. Too many broken bones to list. Three months in a hospital, battling not only injuries but numerous secondary infections.

Somehow, despite nearly dying from the June 2014 truck-motorcycle crash in Kingsbury, Fort Edward resident Thomas B. Cioffi walked to the witness stand Thursday to tell Washington County Judge Kelly McKeighan what he and his wife had been through after they were hit by an impaired driver.

Cioffi said he endured 17 surgeries, continues to have pain and cant pursue any of his hobbies due to injuries from the collision. His and his wifes medical treatment resulted in more than $800,000 in bills.

How many years (of life) will I lose, besides the freedom of life I have already lost? Cioffi asked.

Cioffi, 53, and his wife, Heidi L. Cioffi, 46, were both hospitalized and wheelchair-bound for months after a pickup truck driven by Robert D. Copeland II, 66, veered into the wrong lane and hit a motorcycle that Mr. Cioffi was riding nearly head-on.

Copeland was sent to jail Thursday in a plea deal that both the prosecutor and judge said highlighted the issues authorities have proving drugged driving cases, particular at what levels people are impaired by drugs they are prescribed.

Mrs. Cioffi was thrown an estimated 25 feet in the air and landed in the back of the pickup truck. The truck drove on top of Mr. Cioffi.

He has metal plates, rods and screws holding numerous bones together.

I never felt so hopeless and upset, laying there not able to move, laying on my back for months, he told McKeighan.

Copeland was found to be driving under the influence of Diazepam, an anti-anxiety drug also known as Valium that is also used to treat muscle spasms. He had a prescription for the drug, but the Washington County Sheriffs Office reported an analysis found he had more of the drug in his system than would have been there for a prescribed dose.

He pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, a felony.

Washington County District Attorney Tony Jordan marveled at the fact that Mr. Cioffi returned to work as a campus security officer at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy despite his limitations, and said he was struck at how Mr. Cioffis concerns throughout the case were not for his injuries but for what he could have done to better protect his wife.

Despite the countless surgeries he has had, his only concern was his wife, he said.

Jordan said a plea deal that spared Copeland a state prison term was proposed because of the vagaries of science in drugged driving cases.

Police found no indication Copeland was impaired at the scene of the crash, but a blood sample found that he had elevated levels of the metabolite of Valium in his system that indicated he took more than his prescribed dose. He also had a blood alcohol content of 0.01 percent, well below the 0.08 percent threshold for alcohol intoxication.

At what level someone is impaired by a prescription drug like Valium is at issue, and a users tolerance of drugs is a complicating factor, Jordan explained.

We dont know what the standards are for these drugs, he said. This is where you run into problems with proof beyond a reasonable doubt. We ran a real risk of acquittal, so we decided to take the plea to assault with jail time and five years of probation supervision.

McKeighan said the criminal justice systems struggles with identifying drugged driving evidence resulted in a plea deal that spared him a harsher sentence.

Im not satisfied with this disposition. You should be going to prison for this, he said.

But he honored the plea agreement, imposing a 90-day sentence in Washington County Jail followed by 5 years on probation. Copeland also paid $3,400 in restitution.

Copeland declined to make a statement before he McKeighan imposed the sentence. He will have to serve at least 60 days before becoming eligible for release.
WILTON  Dollar General has decided against building a new distribution center off Exit 16, for now.

Company spokeswoman Crystal Ghassemi said Friday the company decided the 90-acre parcel near the intersection of Ballard and Edie roads was not suitable for the project, which came with an estimated cost of $92.4 million.

We regret that the conditions of the site are such that we cannot move forward on the project at this location, Ghassemi said in a prepared statement Friday. Dollar General will continue to evaluate potential sites in the region to find a suitable property to build a new distribution center to better serve our stores in the Northeast.

The distribution center proposal called for a structure spanning approximately 900,000 square feet and employing around 250 people within the first two years of operation, rising to a range of 400 to 500 jobs by the end of the first five years, according to plans filed with the town.

Saratoga Countys Industrial Development Agency in January approved an incentive package for the project that would have saved the retail giant $7.9 million in property taxes and $3.7 million in sales taxes, if it decided to build in Wilton.

Im certainly disappointed with that news, said Wilton Supervisor Arthur Johnson. It was a nice project  a lot of jobs. But weve got a great town; weve got lots of other spots there, and that particular site there is a prime site for any type of business. Something else will come along, but anytime you think youve landed something and lose it, its frustrating.

Dollar General is expanding rapidly in the area, as part of plans to open about 900 new stores nationwide this year, according to Ghassemi.

The company recently announced it would open a new store in Fort Ann. The retailer has also recently opened new stores in South Glens Falls, Queensbury and Greenwich and has proposed stores in Chester and Schuylerville.

The next-closest Dollar General distribution center is in Bethel, Pennsylvania. Each of the companys 12 distribution centers serves about 1,000 stores, according to Ghassemi.
FORT EDWARD  A tax credit for farmers, a break on Thruway tolls and money to improve infrastructure and revitalize downtowns are among initiatives in Gov. Andrew Cuomos $1.6 billion budget proposal that are designed to boost the economy.

About 97 percent of businesses in the state are small companies and they employ more than 2.7 million people, according to state Department of Labor Acting Commissioner Roberta Reardon.

Unemployment is down in every area of the state, but she said the state wants to make the business climate better by cutting the corporate tax rate from 6.5 percent to 4 percent and allowing sole proprietors and farmers to exempt 15 percent of their income for tax purposes.

It will save more than one million small businesses $1.5 billion over five years, she said Friday to about 20 people who attended her presentation at the Rogers Island Visitor Center.

Reardon and other cabinet members have been going around the state to highlight the spending plan and answer questions from local officials.

Cuomo is also proposing to freeze Thruway tolls until 2020 and provide a tax credit for businesses and frequent users.

The Capital Region and the North Country missed out on $500 million in funding awarded to three regions in the state in the governors upstate economic development competition. Reardon said Cuomo is proposing another $200 million for regions that did not win funding.

The governor is also allocating $100 million to give grants of $10 million each to 10 communities for downtown revitalization. Reardon said the funding is not just for big cities, but small towns and villages to improve their urban core.

The governor has also proposed spending $22 billion over five years on improvements to roads and bridges.

Cuomo also proposes a public-private partnership to expand broadband access by 2018 with $500 million in state money and $500 million in private funds.

She also touted the initiative to create a New York State Certified High Quality food label for foods produced through sustainable methods. Farmers participation in the program would be voluntary.

She touched on the governors proposal to increase minimum wage for certain jobs gradually to $15. The phase-in would be completed in 2018 in the rest of the state and 2021 upstate.

Businesses will have time to adjust, but remember this is putting a tremendous amount of money back into the economy, she said.

People spend their extra pay at local shops, helping businesses and boosting sales tax revenue, she said.

Cuomo is pushing for 12 weeks of paid family leave. Reardon pointed out the U.S. is one of only three countries out of 185 that do not guarantee paid maternity leave. The other two are Suriname and Papua New Guinea, she said.

Cuomo is proposing making it easier to vote by having an early voting option 10 days before an election.

Bob Henke, chairman of the Washington County Board of Supervisors, said he is concerned about that proposal, which would require one polling place to be open for every 50,000 residents. That would mean two polling places in Washington County.

Its going to virtually double county costs for holding an election. Why is that any better than absentee balloting? he said.

Salem Supervisor Seth Pitts said the state should make it easier to consolidate municipalities. The village of Salem is in the process of dissolving, but it has some expenses, such as $3,000 for legal newspaper notices. He cannot pay that unless he receives the promised state funding, he said.

Reardon promised to relay those issues to the governor.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. On February 13 by 17.00 all state and interstate highways Armenia are mainly passable.

As Armenpress was informed from the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations of the Republic of Armenia, Sotk-Karvachar highway is difficult to pass.

Black ice is formed on Vardenyats pass and Goris-Sisian roadway.

MTAES of the Republic of Armenia warns to drive on the high-mentioned roads only with winter tires and in urgent cases.

As the department of Emergency Situations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of The Republic of Georgia informs Stepantsminda-Lars highway is open for all types of vehicles.
GLENS FALLS  In more than 32 years on the job, traffic control assistant Mary Gooden can only recall two bad moments, but she can remember hundreds of smiling faces.

On Friday morning, in a packed Great Hall, the St. Marys-St. Alphonsus Regional School community bid farewell to the longtime city employee, who, as part of her duties, served as crossing guard at the school.

Shes an institution there, said Warren County District Attorney Kate Hogan, whose children attended the school. She starts every day for the kids with a smile, so whatever they have to face during the day ... at least theyre going in with a smile because of her.

The children, Gooden said, are her favorite part of her job.

I love my kids, she said. They give me hugs every morning and some tell me if I wasnt there, they didnt have a good day.

This has always been the best part of my day, Gooden told the crowd Friday.

Its clear the feeling is mutual, as class after class lined up onstage to express their love for the woman who saw them safely across the citys streets. Kindergartners through eighth-graders wrote poems and essays to express what Goodens warm smiles meant to them.

To the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb, the youngest students sang Mary Had a Segway, paying tribute to Goodens well-known preferred mode of transportation.

Other classes commented on Goodens fashion sense (first-graders said Youre the best crossing guard in the world, everyone loves how your hair is always curled; eighth-graders said With your fingernails done in fuchsia pink and hair fit for a rock star); her upbeat attitude (third graders said, Your smile is like the sun to us before diving on her in a large group hug); and how she has made their world better (sixth graders recited, You always try to give and make this world a better place to live ... You are Gods extraordinary gift).

The morning started with a parade at the school, winding down Church Street, across Maple, past City Hall on Ridge and back up Warren to St. Marys.

On a frigid morning, students didnt seem to mind the cold.

Mary has such a warm heart, that kept us warm out there, said the schools principal, Tim Forti. It was great.

The idea to fete Goodens last day came about as a flip comment from Hogans 13-year-old son, Patrick, a seventh-grader at St. Marys.

Last week, I was doing the dishes with my son, and I said, Patrick, the 19th is Ms. Marys last day on the job, so we need to give her a big sendoff, Hogan said. What do you want to do, give her a parade? he said, being a sarcastic 13-year-old.

And I said, As a matter of fact, I do, Hogan said.

Hogan helped line up Assemblyman Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, and state Sen. Elizabeth Little, R-Queensbury, to speak and Glens Falls Mayor John Jack Diamond to declare Feb. 12, 2016, Mary Gooden Day.

For three decades, Mary has been ever-present on the streets of Glens Falls, creating order, Diamond said, and doing so with an infectious smile.

Thats easy to have when you love your job, Gooden said.

I work with a great group of men and the chief, theyre wonderful, she said. The day shift, were like a family; they call me Mama Mary.

For the better part of 20 years, Gooden was the only woman in the department, she said.

And over the course of three decades, she saw several chiefs come and go.

Every chief was different, she said, chuckling over a few with whom she butted heads. I have determination and Im not a quitter.

Gooden recalled one of her partners, whose name she didnt want to say. The woman was hired in the middle of the coldest part of winter  It was the worst; Ill never forget it, she said  and quit after the second day.

In three decades on the job, Gooden only had to call for backup twice. Each time, a person she asked to move their illegally parked car became irate.

But she would much rather remember the times people got creative in their efforts to get out of a ticket.

One time, she saw a woman park in a handicap spot without a proper permit. As Gooden was writing a ticket, the woman came back to her car and started pleading with her, saying she was sorry she parked illegally, but she was on the way to the hospital to have a baby and only ran in quickly to get a drink.

Gooden looked the flat-bellied woman up and down. The woman admitted that, while she was indeed in the early months of pregnancy, she was not in labor and was trying to avoid the $130 ticket.

I couldnt do anything but laugh, Gooden said.

That laid-back attitude has garnered Gooden fans of all ages around the city, where she is known as much for her work on the board of Open Door, as a leader of the local NAACP branch and choir director at Faith Tabernacle Baptist Church as she is for zooming around the city on a Segway.

The mother of five and grandmother of seven said some of her proudest moments are when students she knew at the start of her career return with their families to meet her.

That they thought that much of me, they came back with their families ... she said, choking up at the ceremony Friday.

I could not feel more loved and blessed.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) submitted written testimony to the Helsinki Commissions hearing, citing Azerbaijans escalating and deadly cease-fire violations and urging additional action, Armenpress reports, citing the official website of the Assembly.

As the Commission is aware, the Assembly remains deeply concerned about the authoritarian regime in Azerbaijan, its jailing of journalists and abandonment of democratic values, particularly for Americas ally Armenia, Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardounys testimony stated.

Chairman Smith opened the hearing by stating his concern for human rights crises in Europe and Eurasia. Smith described repression in Azerbaijan as rife, especially in regards to freedom of the press. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Azerbaijan is the leading nation in Eurasia for jailing journalists. The Human Rights Watch 2016 World Report states that the [Azerbaijan] governments unrelenting crackdown decimated independent nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and media, resulting in imprisonment, criminal investigations, harassment, or travel bans.

The Assembly, for its part, highlighted Azerbaijans continued ceasefire violations in 2014 and 2015, which have been marked by an unprecedented increase in civilian casualties, including the targeting of a kindergarten in Armenias Tavush region. There have been over 54,000 cease-fire violations committed by Azerbaijan on the line of contact from 2014 through 2015, with an estimated total of nearly 1 million shots fired.

These violations constitute a clear disregard for the rule of law and pose a direct threat to fundamental freedoms, Ardouny said.

During the hearing, Chairman Smith noted that members of the Commission recently traveled to Baku twice, where they met with President Aliyev in rather lengthy meetings on human rights issues on both occasions. As a result of these discussions, Chairman Smith introduced the Azerbaijan Democracy Act of 2015. Chairman Smith said the reaction by the Aliyev government and parliament was startling. "They claimed the Armenians put me, Chris Smith, up to it. The Armenians had absolutely no input, advance notice, or anything else about the bill, according to Smith. "So when I hear this coming from the parliament, and coming from major media and presidential spokesmen, I wonder about their credibility on other things, he said.

The Assembly also welcomed the Royce-Engel initiative to U.S. Ambassador James Warlick, U.S. Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, calling for: (1) an agreement from all sides not to deploy snipers along the line of contact; (2) the placement of OSCE-monitored, advanced gunfire-locator systems and sound-ranging equipment to determine the source of attacks along the line of contact; and (3) the deployment of additional OSCE observers along the line of contact to better monitor cease-fire violations.

We strongly urge the Commission to support this important initiative by convening a special hearing to examine the scope and nature of these violations as well as review steps needed to bring about a peaceful resolution of the conflict, stated Ardouny.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues.
ANOTHER BLOG FROM NEVILLE STEPHENS ON BIBLICAL ESCHATOLOGY.
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
The Business Side of Green Blog is where Peter Arpin gets to interact with the community on an ongoing basis. Here, Peter will share his thoughts and ideas when it comes to helping our community move towards a more sustainable future. Peter is also looking for your ideas and thoughts to promote and share through the Arpin Broadcast Network and its affiliates, Arpin Group, Arpin Van Lines and Arpin International Group.
In line with our process of being on the ground in the countries we invest in, Senior Investment Analyst of the AFC Asia Frontier Fund, Ruchir Desai, traveled to Bangladesh to attend an investor trip in Dhaka.

Since this was my first visit to Bangladesh I was looking forward to it as we have been quite bullish on the consumer story in Bangladesh given the large young population with rising disposable incomes. This was not the first time in Bangladesh for the AFC team, as our fund manager and CEO Thomas Hugger has visited on multiple occasions. Just to give a quick snapshot, the country has a population of ~160 million with a median age of 26 and GDP per capita of just above USD 1,000, which is rising. These demographics reflect the potential that the country holds in the long run and the fund has exposed itself primarily to consumer related companies in Bangladesh.

Dhaka airport is like that of any developing economy but it serves its purpose. Getting through immigration on arrival was not time consuming as there were not many foreign passport holders in the "foreigners" line. This is kind of a good sign as the country is not yet on the radar of most foreigners except for the global garment industry. Garment exports from Bangladesh were about USD26 billion in the latest financial year and account for around 82% of the country's exports. Bangladesh has drawn a lot of global retailers to source from the country due to low wages compared to China and the garment industry now employs about 4 million employees.

I have heard a lot about the traffic in Dhaka and I guess seeing is believing in this case. Getting out onto the main highway (Dhaka-Mymensingh highway) from the airport took around 20 minutes which would be 5 minutes if there was no traffic and it was almost 11pm. This highway connects Dhaka city to the outskirts of Dhaka as well as other cities and so is always quite busy. Hats off to the traffic policeman who was managing the chaotic traffic as I did not see any traffic lights at this junction. Dhaka city has a population of close to 9 million so to have such traffic situations in a large developing city is not surprising.

The meetings were taking place at the Westin; the same place where I was staying. There are only a few well established hotel chains operating in Dhaka and that is why room rates are high at USD200+ per night. The Westin and Radisson have been around for quite a few years but Le Meridien has opened recently next to the airport and a JW Marriott is under construction as well, which suggests that the city offers potential to multi-national hotel chains, while it also indicates that room rates might go down in the future.

Over the next two days of meetings, I got a chance to meet sixteen companies across the banking, consumer staples, energy, financial services, pharmaceutical, power utility, and telecom sectors. One thing that stood out from the meetings with corporates was the discussion about political stability until the next election in the end of 2018.

Bangladesh witnessed a lot of political protests and blockades in the run up to the 2014 elections which were held in January 2014. As a result, the last quarter of 2013 and early part of 2014 impacted the country's economic activity. Things settled down towards the second half of 2014 but political protests marked the beginning of 2015 and economic activity was again impacted in the first quarter of 2015. Things have settled down since then and the past 9 months have not seen any political protests or blockades as the current government in power, led by Awami League's Sheikh Hasina, has strengthened its position while the opposition, led by Khaleida Zia of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, has been weakened. Just to give a brief background, the opposition had boycotted the 2014 elections as the current government did not meet their demands regarding certain constitutional amendments. This resulted in the opposition resorting to political protests and blockades but th is did not stop the elections from going ahead and the ruling Awami League was back in power as they did not have any opposition. The tactics used by the opposition over the past few years have weakened their support base and as a result, political stability has returned for the time being.

This political stability is obviously a good thing for the economy as corporates and consumers have been holding back on expenditures. With stability expected in the near term, banks expect loan growth to pick up while consumers could look to purchase more expensive consumer discretionary items such as apartments. Mortgage financing in Bangladesh is a growing market with housing loan penetration at less than 3% and one could see this type of financing pick up in the coming years on increasing urbanisation and income levels.

Besides loan growth, an industry which is expected to do well over the coming years is the Bangladeshi pharmaceutical industry. This industry's exports is still in the nascent stage of development with exports at only around USD 75 million which is just around 5% of the overall Bangladeshi pharmaceutical industry's total sales. The domestic market also offers potential given higher healthcare spending due to rising disposable income and urbanisation. Between 2010-2014, the domestic pharmaceutical market has grown at a compounded rate of 15.3% per annum.

Traffic in Dhaka city Source: Asia Frontier Capital

Food Court in Jamuna Future Park Source: Asia Frontier Capital

From the consumer companies I met, the one which has done exceptionally well and continues to have large market potential is a domestic biscuit company. The company has seen double digit growth rates in revenue and earnings over the past few years as its distribution network and brand have been well established. Furthermore, the price points of its products are focused towards the sizeable market opportunity that the country offers. For example, a packet of biscuits from this company sells at 12-15 taka which is around USD15-20 cents. Imports are also not a threat as import duties make these products almost six times more expensive.

After the second day of meetings, some of the attendees took a walk around the surrounding areas of Gulshan. This is where the Westin is located and Gulshan is one of the upmarket areas of Dhaka where many embassies are located. The walk-about was intended to get a feel of the city and also check out some of the retail stores, pharmacies, and grocery shops. First off was the most well established shoe retailer in Bangladesh and maybe even the sub-continent. The shop was fairly crowded for a Tuesday evening with affordable price points for most products. You can get a pair of leather shoes for USD30-40. Since this company is listed it is a great consumer discretionary story for this developing economy. We also ventured into one of the pharmacies to check out the range of products that were on offer given the potential that this industry holds. Lastly we checked out a grocery chain named Shwapno (the Bengali word for dream) to get a look at which products were being sto cked by the grocery since many products being sold are produced by listed companies we had met earlier. Checking out the local grocery store is a good way to get a grasp of what is selling well or which products are being promoted.

The latter half of the evening was spent checking out Jamuna Future Park which is supposed to be the largest mall in South Asia. Since we were there towards closing hours one couldn't get an idea of footfalls but I am told it gets crowded on weekends. The mall is spread over five floors along with a food court and multiplex and many of the shops are wasting a lot of space given the way they are designed. You wouldn't see shops so big in Hong Kong or Singapore or even Mumbai! Most of the brands at the mall are local but it wouldn't be surprising to see this change in the coming years as consumer disposable incomes rise.

Open Market outside of Dhaka Source: Asia Frontier Capital

Farmland Outside of Dhaka Source: Asia Frontier Capital

The last day was spent doing factory visits. The first was to the leading biscuit company in Bangladesh with the factory around two hours south of Dhaka. Getting out of city limits gave a good idea of logistical issues companies are facing as there are occasions when roads are clogged up and traffic does not move. There is obviously room for improvement here like in most developing countries. Getting to see the biscuit factory first hand was a good way to get an idea of which brands of products are in demand and the managers of the factory, who have been with the company for more than a decade, run a pretty tight ship. The last stop was to the third largest pharmaceutical company by revenue but the biggest in terms of export revenue. The company's factory was at Tongi, which is north of Dhaka, so we were in the bus for another couple of hours. Our lunch included Hilsa fish which is the national fish of Bangladesh, which is tasty but requires care as it has many bones in it. After lunch we got a chance to tour the manufacturing facilities which was insightful as pharmaceutical manufacturing is carried out in a very clean and safe guarded environment. It was good to know the company is taking the right precautions as it has recently got approval from the US FDA for this facility and it will begin exporting a blood pressure drug to the US later this year. Generic pharmaceutical companies in Bangladesh have a slight cost advantage over India given lower wages and it seems this is only the beginning of increasing pharmaceutical exports from Bangladesh.

Three days of company meetings combined with the experience of city life and visits outside of Dhaka gave me a good opportunity to gauge the potential of Bangladeshi companies. Though the country could face political uncertainty again, the young population of the country like many of its neighbours want to move forward economically and they form a rising consumer class which should offer opportunities to consumer-focused companies over the next decade. Though political uncertainty could come up at times, the country's macro stability is good, with rising foreign exchange reserves and a manageable fiscal deficit. Low oil prices are a positive for the economy as the country imports most of its fuel needs. Lower oil prices have not been passed onto the consumer yet and this could happen in 2016 which is another positive for consumer spending. With Bangladesh expected to post the third fastest GDP growth globally in 2016 at 6.5%, the outlook for the country is positive an d I look forward to visiting Dhaka again.

For foreign investors it is still very difficult to access the Bangladeshi stock market. Local brokers are very reluctant to accept foreign direct investors and foreigners need a "tax consultant" which calculates the 10% capital gain tax (only applicable to foreigners).

Other ways to gain Bangladesh stock exposure:

- db tracker Bangladesh (underperforming though)

- Beximco Pharma GDR (listed in London) and trading at huge discount to the Dhaka listed stock (>70% discount!)

- Funds like AFC Asia Frontier Fund (has a 16% Bangladesh exposure as of 31st January 2016)

Disclosure: I am/we are long BEXIMCO PHARMA.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Source: Asia Frontier Capital's Bangladesh Travel Report
Several forthcoming titles show how people explored the world in decades and centuries past, from a 17th-century womans travels across England on horseback to a Chinese-born professor observing life in mid-20th-century New York City.

A Barbarian in Asia

Henri Michaux, trans. by Sylvia Beach

New Directions, Mar.

French poet and painter Michaux, who died in 1984, recounts his travels in India, China, Japan, and other areas of the East in 19301931. New Directions first published this translation, by Shakespeare & Company bookstore founder Sylvia Beach, in 1949.

The Magic Island

William Seabrook

Dover, Mar.

Originally published in 1929, this book by explorer Seabrook tells of his experience in Haiti and his encounter with various occult practices there. According to a Vice article, Seabrook did more than anybody else to make zombies fodder for horror films and literature in the 1930s.

Breaking Ground

Hesperus Classics, Mar.

This collection of writings by women explorers spans three centuries and several continents, with entries from such figures as Celia Fiennes, who traversed England on horseback in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and May Kellogg Sullivan, who traveled to the gold-mining regions of Alaska and the Yukon Valley at the turn of the 20th century.

The Silent Traveller in New York

Chiang Yee

Applewood, May

This book, originally published in 1950, is one of a dozen Silent Traveller books written and illustrated by Yee from 1937 to 1972; the Chinese-born artist, calligrapher, and Columbia University professor died in 1977. Applewood Books will publish two more from the seriesThe Silent Traveller in Boston and The Silent Traveller in San Franciscoin July.

American Daredevil

Cathryn J. Prince

Chicago Review, June

Journalist Prince examines the life of explorer Richard Halliburton, whose various adventureshe was the first to swim across the Panama Canal and shot the first aerial photographs of Mount Everestmade him a media darling during the 1920s and 30s.

Click here to return to the main feature.
M WAQAR..... "A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary.Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." --Albert Einstein !!! NEWS,ARTICLES,EDITORIALS,MUSIC... Ze chi pe mayeen yum da agha pukhtunistan de.....(Liberal,Progressive,Secular World.)''Secularism is not against religion; it is the message of humanity.''    
He said the police, contrary to AGA's claims, have rather "increased the number of our men there.

ASP Tanko added that the police in the region are working with authorities in Obuasi to ensure peace and tranquility.

We have worked hand in hand with the authorities in Obuasi to ensure that there is peace and tranquility on their concession.We have been able to do that for a very long time, we have also been able to drive all the illegal miners from the concession and we are still policing the place and providing support to protect lives and property, he said.

AGA suspended mining operations following disturbing clashes between illegal miners and some of its staff, resulting in the death of the Communications Director of the company,Mr John Owusu.

READ MORE

Mr Owusu was run over by a company vehicle during a swoop on galamsey operators in a concession of AGA at Obuasi. He was then rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead.

In press release Wednesday Feb. 10, AGA asked for troops protection from the Ghana Army under a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ghana Army and the Chamber of Mines, on behalf of its members.

"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.

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."

The Ghana Mine Workers Union, (GMWU) in an interview with Citi FM ,condemned the clashes in Obuasi.

General Secretary of the Ghana Mine Workers Union, Prince William Ankrah said the security agencies must be tough on illegal miners so as to protect lives and properties.
He also challenged the claim by members of the independent evaluation panel that vetted and endorsed Afriwave's bid, that they did not have access to the final report and could not have leaked it.

" The NCA, before the press conference on Thursday, agreed that the errors in the document IMANI has were the same errors they had corrected in the buildup to the submission of the final report. All of a sudden they deny knowledge of the report, and all of a sudden, the errors in their documents are different for ours." he said.

On the issue of why multiple licenses will not be awarded to different companies alongside Afriwave, Franklin Cudjoe said the excuse of cost cutting as given by the Director General of the NCA cannot hold.

" The award of a multiple license to different companies to operate several Clearing Houses at a time is best practice. That is the situation in Nigeria, and they are benefiting tremendously from it. The Director General's excuse of cost cutting does not make sense." he said on Citi Fm's Big Issues.

Mr. William Tevie, Director General of the National Communications Authority told Pulse Business that the NCA's decision to award a single license was to minimize the cost of employing more than one company to operate a clearing house.
The local government in Kohat, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has told police officers to stop shops from selling Valentine's Day cards and items.

Kohat district is run by a religious political party and borders Pakistan's conservative tribal areas.

The Kohat district administrator Maulana Niaz Muhammad told the BBC Urdu's Azizullah Khan: "Valentine's Day has no legal grounds, and secondly it is against our religion, therefore it was banned."

While giving cards and flowers was not in itself a bad thing, linking this to a specific day was not appropriate, Mr Muhammad said.

He added that he felt such practices could encourage obscene behaviour.

There are about 30 shops in Kohat city selling gifts, cards and flowers for Valentine's Day, although no action appears to have been taken against them so far, our correspondent says.

Earlier this week, there were unconfirmed media reports that Valentine's Day gifts had been banned in the capital Islamabad - although this was subsequently denied by the government.

Religious groups have protested against Valentine's Day celebrations in previous years, calling it immodest.

In 2013, human rights activist Sabeen Mahmud held a campaign in support of Valentine's Day, but subsequently had to go into hiding after receiving death threats.

She was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2015.
According to Ms Nesrin Bayazit, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Ghana, the visit is to strengthen the bilateral relation and enhance economic cooperation between the two nations.

Ms Bayazit made the disclosure in Accra at a pre-departure session of a delegation from the World Trade Centre's (WTC), Trade and Investment Mission to Istanbul, Turkey.

It was organised under auspices of the WTC Accra with the support of the Turkish Embassy in Ghana to brief delegates participating in the Trade and Investment Mission to Istanbul on the economic and cultural outlook of Turkey.

Ms Bayazit lauded the organisers for choosing Istanbul for their first Trade and Investment Mission this year.

She observed that Turkey is the 17th largest economy in the world with a GDP of about $ 800 billion in 2012.

She said Turkey has a successful economic performance, young population, qualified and competitive labour force, liberal and reformist investment climate, highly developed infrastructure, advantageous geographic position, low tax rates and incentives and large domestic market, as well as a customs union with the European Union since 1996.

Ms Bayzit said so far 18 economic agreements had been reach with the Government of Ghana, which were awaiting ratification and urged the delegation to take advantage of the programme to woo Turkish investors into the country.

Togbe Afede XIV, the Executive Chairman of WTC said the Centre was well positioned to support businesses and trade activities to attract investment and prosperity into the country.

He said the Centre was a member of the prestigious World Trade Centres Association in New York, which covered over 300 World Trade Centres operating in 100 countries.

He said the Centre provided services such as conference facilities, trade fairs and exhibitions, trade missions, trade information services, market research and other miscellaneous services.

Togbe Afede XIV said the Trade and Investment Mission was geared towards promoting international trade as a means of fostering global trade.

He pointed out that most of the conflicts in many countries were over limited resources; stating that If we can expand the wealth of many nations through trade, we can create wealth for all.

He recounted that the Centre had organised similar Trade and Investment Missions in past in countries such as Italy and Qatar.

He urged members of the delegation to be well prepared to market Ghana to their Turkish counter parts.

The 20-member delegation would be leaving Ghana at the weekend for a five-day investment tour of Turkey.

Mr Andrews Bright Mensah of Menjes Group of Companies and a member of the delegation in an interview with the Ghana News Agency expressed his joy to be part of the trip.

He said it would enable him meet his Turkish counterparts who were into real estate industry and solar lighting.
Yaw Antwi Boasiako and Kweku Akorsah, were said to have conspired and robbed one Godwin Brocke of his Toyota Camry Saloon private car worth US$ 48,000.00.

Prosecuting, Police Inspector Kwabena Adu, told the Court that the complainant is an Engineer and lives at Community 3, Tema, while Yaw is a Goldsmith and Kweku, Driver.

He said the accused persons together with one Ivan Kofi Danso now at large have been good friends.

On June 18, 2015 Ivan invited the accused persons together with one Faisal also at large to his house at Kwabenya and told them that he had seen a Toyota Camry in town and wanted them to steal it for him and they agreed.

The prosecution said on June 19, the same year, in the evening, the accused persons together with Faisal went to Kofis house and he drove them to a drinking spot at Abelenkpe, after which he drove them again to Kwakus house.

He Kofi provided a locally manufactured gun to Faisal and drove them to Dzorwulu towards Fiesta Royal Hotel and spotted the complainants car being driven by himself with a friend on board.

He said they followed the car to a house on the same street, where the complainant parked for his friend to alight.

They parked directly behind the complainants car and Faisal pointed a gun at the complainant and forced him and his friend to come out of the car.

He told the Court that Faisal drove the car with the accused persons to Kofis house.

The complainant reported the matter to the police and on October 5, 2015, acting on intelligence, the police retrieved the complainants car which had been re-registered from Kofis house.

He said investigations led to the arrest of the accused persons and they admitted the offences in their caution statements.
According to a statement issued by the ECOWAS Commission, and made available to the Ghana News Agency, Mr Joachim Guack, the President of Germany, gave the assurance during a working visit to the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, on Wednesday.

The visit was meant to strengthen German ECOWAS cooperation in uniting West African people and helping the states in the region to attain greater peace and stability.

It was also to reaffirm the place of democracy, human rights and good governance within the context of emerging global realities.

President Gauck said it was important to continue to strive together to enable the citizens of West Africa live to live in peace, security, prosperity and dignity in recognition of the fact that one nation could not solely solve trans-border problems.

The experiences of the past years, he noted, had taught leaders and the led that they must defend our common values and principles again and again, he explained.

It is only by working together that we can build a West Africa house strong enough to withstand the storms in the future, adding that the people in your countries are counting on you.

Germany and Europe will continue to accompany you on your path. In the spirit of respect for your own solutions, we will stand by your side as a partnerGermans and Europeans will stand by your side in all areas where you assume responsibility for your countries development and where you demonstrate the will to uphold democracy, the rule of law and human rights, President Gauck stated.

President Gauck said despite the difficulties in Europe, many were realising that nations could play greater roles on the global scene if they acted together.

This, he said, was one of the main reasons why Germany wanted to make greater contributions toward the attainment of security and stability.

He commended ECOWAS role over the years, for instance in bringing stability and restoring democracy to a number of states, the establishment of community institutions, and trade harmonisation, President Gauck, however , called for the intensification of the dialogue on immigrating, saying regardless of the positive impact it could make on economies, migration to Europe would not solve Africas problems.

President Gauck addressed the broad spectrum audience after an initial holding room discussion that involved his close entourage where the scope of cooperation between the European giant and the regional block was highlighted.

The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Kadre Desire Ouedraogo, expressed appreciation for the support continuously flowing from Berlin.

He told their guest that more and more people in West Africa were resorting to seeking justice in the Community Court because they had confidence in its independence.

ECOWAS Commission president Kadre Desire Ouedraogo requested a one minute silence in honour of the February 9, 2016 train crash near Bad Aibling in the German state of Bavaria.

He listed some of the main achievements and significant progress of ECOWAS within the last forty years to include the promotion of peace, good governance and democracy, with the adoption of relevant protocols and tools on conflict prevention, management and resolution, the consolidation of regional market with the adoption of ECOWAS Common External Tariff, Free Movement of Goods and Persons as well as the abolition of visa for all ECOWAS citizen as well as the recent adoption of ECOWAS biometric card among others.

He however acknowledged that the region still face some challenges, most of them also highlighted by Mr. Gauck bordering on human security and development, migrations, climate change, health system.

He stated that ECOWAS is working hard to address all these challenges for the deepening regional integration process.

President Gaucks visit is the second high level event since that of Chancellor Angela Merkel to ECOWAS, in 2011.
He argued that the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) is capitalizing on the murder of their colleague to make false claims about the state of security in Ghana.

I do not believe that there is a sense of general insecurity. There are countries that are more developed, more advanced, have better security arrangements but on a daily basis suffer this kind of incidents. It is attractive to do politics with this but I dont think that it is reasonable, he said during a panel discussion on Joy FMs News File on Saturday.

J. B. Danquah-Adu was murdered in the early hours of Tuesday in his home at Shiashie in Accra.

The NPP subsequently put out a list of unresolved murders which have occurred in the country over the last few years and called on the security operatives to step up efforts in protection Ghanaian citizens.

According to the Deputy Minister however, that list which was put out by the NPP was unnecessary.

It was unnecessary. We can discuss the need for heightened security in the wake of this particular incident; that we can discuss but I dont think it was proper for them to have used the murder of their colleague. They ought to have shown more sensitivity to the family and avoided this sort of thing, he said.

He indicated that the Mahama-government has over the years taken steps to fully resource the security agencies to effectively protect lives and property within the country.

Any objective observer will tell you that today, the Police look smarter and more prepared for the job, he argued, adding that, in recent times, they have covered themselves in glory. They beat the Metropolitan Police in the UK to it when they arrested the suspect who slipped through British security recently and they have demonstrated competence.

We have security agencies which have a proven track record in carrying out their work. Our role as a government is to resource them as well as offer any form of support that they require to do their job, he remarked.

Mr. Kwakye-Ofosu however, admitted that of course as a developing country, we will face certain constraintsbut to the best of my knowledge, we have done what many other governments have been unable to do in the past.

Of course there are lapses in their operational procedure and some of the outcomes of the things they dobut I dont think any objective analyst can say that as a government we have not done what needs to be done.
But a press release dated February 13, 2016 and signed by Police Director of Public Affairs Superintendent Cephas Arthur, said "the Police can state on authority that the suspect has never mentioned Mr Stan Dogbe or any politicians name as of now.

The Police service has therefore cautioned the public to desist from dangerous lies and half truths, since they have the potential of jeopardizing the investigation process."

"The Police Administration has not issued any statement on the result of the investigation being conducted so far, and therefore dissociates itself from stories being peddled regarding the interrogation of the suspect.

"The Police Administration wishes to entreat the public to desist from acts that border or criminality, as anyone arrested would be made to face the full rigours of the law, the statement added.

Meanwhile, the presidential staffer had earlier denied having any hand in the death of the late MP, JB Danquah Adu.

In a statement released on Saturday, February 13, 2016, Mr. Dogbe said I cannot explain the deliberate silence of the Ghana Police Service in allowing what is a politically motivated and concocted story to fester throughout the day. But let me emphasise that: I have not been arrested by any security agency. I have not and have never been involved in any criminal act or with criminally-minded persons. I have not and have never offered anybody any inducement to commit any criminal act. I have never sent a threatening SMS or message to anybody involved in this matter and have no dealings whatsoever with any such persons. I have not been contacted by any security agency or officer in connection with any criminal act involving the murder of anybody.

The Abuakwa North MP, Joseph Boakye Danquah Adu was stabbed Tuesday dawn in his bedroom at his Shiashie residence in Accra.
The curfew hours which began from 6pm to 6am will now begin from 8pm to 4am.

On Wednesday,some Muslim youth and loyalists of the Old Tafo Traditional Council clashed over a piece of land at the communitys cemetery.

The clashes claimed one life and injured several others and the situation forced REGSEC to impose a curfew on the area.

Also, property belonging to some churches and mosques in the area were destroyed.

REGSEC later announced on Thursday that it was imposing an indefinite curfew on the area following intelligence gathered on the ground.
According to him, the political class in the country has over the years given the Ghana Police Service and the BNI too much leeway in their sloppiness.

The Manhyia South Legislator made these remarks during a panel discussion on Joy FM over the murder of his colleague MP, Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu.

He questioned why the security operatives have been unable to resolve the numerous high profile murders which have hit the nation over the years.

He thus recommended that it is high time, the banter between politicians ceases and rather start asking the Police after giving them all the resources that you [Felix Kwakye-Ofosu] enumerate why they still cant solve these murders that are sitting on our books for ages.

A murder is a murder and the Police can never convince meEven chiefs are murdered, their heads are cut off and they are shot at in their palaces and yet, politicians allow the Police to get away with it. It is absolutely wrong, he complained.

Why will a Policeman go to a murder scene and be calling MPs or media houses? he asked, adding that, instead of the Police concentrating on doing forensic work and arresting people, they are competing for attention and Facebook likes by calling people to come to the crime scene to muddy the waters.

He recalled that on 11 July 2007, the late Professor Mills who was then the Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) organized a press conference and listed about four high profile murders which had been unresolved.
The party eventually took the decision after a series of back and forth regarding the possible re-run of the Parliamentary elections in the constituency.

This was after an Accra High court dismissed an application by the embattled Klottey Korle parliamentary candidate, Nii Noi Nortey who had asked the court to set aside a default judgment for a rerun of the primaries.
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The report by Punch says one of the suspect was apprehended during a raid after the police found him in possession of cocaine he reportedly gave gave out informations on the whereabout of his fellow gang members in police custody.

The kidnappers reportedly confessed to a series of kidnapping within Imo and Abia states,

According to one of the suspects called Mbah he confession he was deported from Angola where he had initially travel for a better life.

They said that I do not have up to N1m in my account. They said if I did not have enough money that I was likely going to commit crime. It was the Igbo community that conspired against me. I genuinely wanted to do business there but they refused. Back in Nigeria, I was broke and since all my efforts to live a good life were frustrated, I decided to survive by any possible means.

The only person who gave me accommodation when I came back home was Richard (now in prison) and he was the one who brought me to Owerri. He told me what he was doing for a living and the need to return to Owerri for full time kidnapping. He introduced me to Nduka as a capable hand. I assisted them to raise money to buy enough equipment (guns) needed for the job.

On January 7, 2016 when we were patrolling MCC Road, close to Toronto roundabout in Owerri, we spotted the man driving an exotic car. We kidnapped him. After many days of negotiation, his family paid the ransom of N1m. he said

Mbah spoke on his arrest:

I realised that God allowed Richard to call while I was praying with my family to use that to warn me to stop crime. I am destined to be a pastor; its just that I have not accepted my calling. Kidnapping was just a temporary job for me. Now, I preach to my co-inmates. Some of them have even given their lives to Christ.

Meanwhile, the victim of the kidnap, Victor Ogadinma, also shared his experience

I was in the front of my house waiting for my family members to open the gate, when three heavily armed men accosted me and forced me out of the car to the back seat. It was around 7.30pm, and my wife came out while they were struggling to push me into the car but they pushed her down.

I told them I had N220,000 and $2,000 and some European currencies. I was picked on January 7 and released January 10. They offered me food but I chose to drink only water. says Victor
It was gathered that one of the suspects had invited the mother of the stolen children aged six months and a two years old to Umuahia with a promise to marry her.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ezekiel Udeviotu, who confirmed the incident, said the child trafficking gang members were arrested after the victims statement.
It was reported that the suspects were caught by the community vigilante group on their way to sell the stolen goat in Asaba, Delta state.

John Okolie and Peter Egbo confessed to have stolen the goat from the owners compound at night and have contacted the buyer before they were confronted by the security operatives.

Due to the suspects insufficient explanation of the ownership of the goat, they were arrested and handed over to the police for further investigation.

Comfirming the arrest of the tricycle driver and his friend by the Asaba Vigilante chairman, Nnamdi Chukwuedo he said
According to a report by Daily Trust, the stadium was billed to host the grand reception of former members of the Peoples Democratic Party, who had defect to the APC but was held by the authorities of the stadium, who claimed a PDP rally had been scheduled to hold at the venue on the same day.

A source in the stadium said, 'The APC members were told to look for an alternative venue, because a PDP Youth rally is billed for the venue.'

It was further reported that the APC chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun and other top shots had arrived Calabar on Friday, February 12, 2016 ahead of the formal reception of former Senate leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba and 10 other stalwarts of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
According to multiple reports, the group has demanded the reversal of the decision, which was signed by the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu on the orders of the President, Muhammadu Buhari.

The group maintained that the action contravenes the provisions of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act No.11 of 1993 (as amended) by decree No.25, 1996 and further amended in 2003 and 2012 respectively and other agreements as contained in the 2009 FGN staff union agreement.

In a protest letter by the coalition of civil society group to President Buhari, signed by its President, Etuk Bassey Williams and Secretary-General, Ibrahim Abubakar, the group demanded the reversal of the decision in which the NOUN VC was replaced with Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu of the Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano.

"The constitution is quite clear on the procedures to be followed in the appointment and disengagement of Vice Chancellors and none of these procedures were followed in the above case.

"The appointment of Vice Chancellors is a tenured appointment, which presupposes that every appointee is expected to serve the prescribed number of years as stipulated by the Acts governing the institutions," the statement read in part.

The affected Vice Chancellors include Prof. Vincent Tenebe of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), who was replaced by Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu.

According to the public statement conveying the sack of the VCs, the substantive Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, Prof. Mohammed Kundiri, was transferred to the Federal University, Wukari, Taraba State.

A former Head, Department of International Relations at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof. Kayode Soremekun, who was said to be on Sabbatical in NOUN is the new Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

While the Federal University, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State has Prof. Auwal Yadudu of the Faculty of Law, Bayero University, Kano as its new VC, Prof. Fatima Batoul Muktar of the Department of Biology, North West University, Kano is the VC of Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State.

A lecturer in the Department of Pharmacy, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Haruna Abdu Kaita is the new VC of Federal University, Dutsin Ma, Katsina State, while Prof. Andrew Haruna of the Department of Linguistics, University of Jos will now function as VC, Federal University, Gashua, Yobe State.

While another lecturer in the Department of Pharmacy, ABU, Zaria, Prof. Magaji Garba, will now be VC in Federal University, Gusau, Zamfara State, Prof. Alhassan Mohammed Gani of the Institute of Maritime Studies, Federal University, Kashere in Gombe State has been elevated to the position of VC in same University.

A lecturer in the Department of Physics, Federal University, Lafia, Prof. Muhammad Sanusi Liman will henceforth be VC of same institution.

For Prof. Angela Freeman Miri of the Linguistics Department, UNIJOS, she is the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja.
This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday by Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the president.

The statement recalled that late Koko, who had waited nine hours in Kebbi early 2015, to donate one million naira to Buhari as the then presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Buhari described her as ``a woman with a good heart, who stood by her convictions, and gave sacrificially.

``Hajiya Koko had offered virtually her life's savings to candidate Buhari then, saying she admired his honesty, discipline, and stand for truth.

Receiving the news of her passage, President Buhari commended Koko's conviction and sacrificial giving, urging Nigerians to learn vital lessons from her life.

``She gave practically all she had towards our campaign. Though well advanced in age, she still believed a new Nigeria was possible, and followed her conviction with action.

``What generosity of spirit and what tenacious faith in her motherland. Nigerians, old and young, have a lot to learn from her, he said.

The president condoled with the family and relations of the departed.

He urged them to take solace in the fact that their matriarch lived to a ripe old age, ``and she saw the beginning of the change she had long yearned for.

``The onus is now on all of us to ensure that the change gets entrenched and solidified for even generations yet unborn to benefit from.

The President also sympathised with the governor and people of Kebbi, whom he said would all miss the sterling qualities of Koko.

Buhari said that the life of the departed would serve as a standard to emulate in the service of God, humanity and country.
According to a report by Punch, the topshots that include NAMAs Managing Director, Ibrahim Abdulsalam; General Manager, Procurement, Olumuyiwa Adegorite, and General Manager, Finance, Nurudeen Segun Agbolade, were arrested over N5bn fraud relating to the Treasury Single Account.

It was further reported that the EFCCs visit might not be unconnected with petitions by some aggrieved aviation unions over an alleged wide spread sleaze in the aviation industry.

It was gathered that the EFCC traced the N5bn to an account of NAMA and that the fraud was TSA-related.
The EFCC spokesperson, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

NAN reports that the other aviation agencies are the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).

Uwujaren confirmed that the Managing Director of NAMA, Mr Ibrahim Abdulsalam, and some other top officials of the agency were in the custody of the commission over alleged financial impropriety.

"It is not about the aviation industry; if any agency or person has issues, that is when the commission comes in.

It is a specific matter, but I can't go into details now because we are still carrying out investigation," he said.

A reliable source had earlier told NAN that Abdulsalam and the two other directors were arrested on Friday night after over eight hours of interrogation by EFCC team of investigators.

The source said the heavily armed operatives had stormed NAMA headquarters and its annex office at the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos around 11.55 am

"For several hours, the operatives detained staffers of the agency and kept them incommunicado until the search was over," the source said.
Mr Charles Adeyemi, the President of the group, gave the advice in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Osogbo on Saturday.

He said that the continuous fall in prices of crude oil in the international market had underscored the need for the state government to play less emphasis on its monthly allocations from the Federation Account.

Adeyemi, therefore, urged the state government to focus its attention on how to develop specific sectors of the economy that could generate considerable revenue.

``The government must initiate measures and implement policies that would alleviate the suffering of the masses, he said.

He said that the state government should initiate projects that would yield more revenue to boost the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state.

Adeyemi, however, urged the government to carry along all the stakeholders in the agriculture and tourism sectors in its efforts to develop the sectors.

He also called for the establishment of public-private partnerships in efforts to develop the states economy.
Osiyi, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lokoja, said it took the intervention of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to resolve the impasse.

He said that the Acting National Chairman, Mr Uche Secondus, summoned members of the party in both factions to Abuja and advised them against allowing the executive arm to influence their choice of who led the house.

According to him, the chairman "pleaded passionately with the two factions to sheath their sword and allow the incumbent speaker, Momoh-Jimoh Lawal, to continue in office pending the determination of legal issues surrounding the governorship election.

For me, no sacrifice is too big for my party. We have decided to downplay our crisis, come together and resolve to support the leadership, hoping that the leadership has learnt from its mistakes.

So, we have asked Momoh-Jimoh to continue with the hope that he will be responsive to the plight of the people and welfare of honourable members.

"I decided to let it go, no sacrifice is too big for my party, Kogi State and Nigeria,"he said

Osiyi said PDP members in the House, though now in the opposition, had resolved to support the governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to succeed in the onerous task of steering the statecraft.

There is enormous job on the executive governor of the state, we will support him in whatever way we can to succeed,"he said.

Buttressing the position of Osiyi, Momoh-Jimoh Lawal commended members of the House for the maturity exhibited with the amicable resolution of the leadership tussles which polarised the House in the last three months.
OTML

DESPITE having temporarily suspended operations since August due to dry weather, Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML) has continued to support relief efforts in the food crisis afflicting the Western Province.

OTML and the Heduru Trust have responded to the crisis with each donating K5 million to initially purchase 1,600 tonnes of rice to be delivered from Port Moresby for distribution the.

The company has begun shipping containers to Aiambak and Kiunga ports in order to supply the North and Middle Fly Districts.



The first 115 tonnes of rice is being distributed across the Middle Fly corridor and into Lake Murray villages with the assistance of provincial administration officers, PNG Defence Force personnel, Ok Tedi, Starwest and the communities.



OTML acknowledges Trukai Industries for supplying food at discounted prices and offering cartage to shipping sites for loading and Horizon Oil for sponsoring the cartage of containers to the storage location in Kiunga.
Kanu is facing charges of treasonable felony, managing an unlawful society and illegally shipping radio equipment into the country.

Speaking from Kuje Prison, Abuja, he told AFP that he is a prisoner of conscience.

A Federal High Court in Abuja had on Tuesday, February 9, turned down an application by Kanu, seeking the release of his British and Nigerian passports among other items.

Counsel to the Biafra leader had sought the release of the items, which he said would not were not be needed by the prosecution since they were not listed as part of exhibits to be tendered.

They will kill us but by the end Biafra will come. Biafra has come to stay, Kanu said in a text message forwarded to AFP through his brother , Prince Emmanuel Kanu. He had visited him in prison on Thursday.

The 48-year-old IPOB leader, who described Igbos as third class citizens, said Nigeria has failed them in so many way. He referred to the country as a zoo which has to come to an end.
Speaking for the group, the Director of Publicity, Salihu Dantata Mahmud noted that aside having a political undertone, the trial would create instability in the National Assembly if not discontinued.

In a statement released by the group, Mahmud said, '' why did they have to wait till Bukola became Senate President before bringing up these allegations? I think it is not right and appropriate at this material time going by the unstable nature of the National Assembly."

Continuing, he said, 'The Code of Conduct Bureau as well as the tribunal and judicial arm of government should have read the handwriting on the wall that their sister arm of government, the legislature is facing turbulent times. The trial of Bukola Saraki is purely politically motivated and has already attracted sympathy for him.

'Whoever is behind this should have a rethink as it cant work. For a man who got mass support to emerge as the president of the 8th Senate cannot be toyed with, there are more serious issues than the Senate Presidents case that the code of conduct tribunal has not deemed fit to bring up; we cannot be taken for a ride irrespective of our party, religious and ethnic affiliations, we stand firmly behind Senate President Bukola Saraki, because he is qualified and competent to be Nigerias Senate President at this material time,' he said.

Querying the need for reopening the case, Mahmud said further, 'What stopped the CCT from bringing up the case while the later was a floor Senator four years ago? We widely believe that he is being tried because he is Senate President and some people are envious of his rising profile.

'As northerners, we support the choice of Bukola as Senate President especially coming from the north-central. There is no way the northeast which already has the position of Secretary toGovernment of the Federation, (SGF). Chief of Staff to the President (COS) National Security Adviser (NSA) and the chief of Army Staff could be allowed to still produce the Senate President.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the I-G, Mr Solomon Arase, made this known in a news conference in Abuja on Feb. 3.

Mr Tunde Lawal, a lawyer, said that it was a good development, adding that the introduction of stun guns to replace firearms would reduce cases of accidental discharge and extra judicial killing.

``This is a good development from the Nigeria Police as this will gradually put an end to cases of accidental discharge or extra judicial killings," he said.

In the same vein, Mr Alex Ovili, a security consultant, also commended the plans of the Nigerian Police, and stressed that it would reduce the number of casualties from their irrational acts.

``The introduction of stun guns by the Nigeria Police will make it easier for police to arrest more suspects.

It will also aid their investigations instead of losing suspects to fatal gunshot, Ovili said.

Mr Jide Ageaga, Head of Operations at Pendulum Securities, however, advised that the police should be strategic and tactical in the handling and distribution of the equipment.

Ageaga said that the police should ensure that hardened criminals dont take advantage of the plan to wreak more havoc on the society.

``The police needs to be trained on how to use these stun guns in a way that they don't allow criminals take advantage of the situation and take the policemen for granted," he said.

Meanwhile, a retired military personnel, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that it was a long awaited development, which scholars and experts in crime and intelligence had recommended long ago.

``It is indeed a welcome development because the recommendation had been made long ago,he said.

Mr Isaac Omoziele, a legal practitioner, also corroborated what the retired military personnel had said.

``It's a long awaited development from the Nigeria Police, as this will emphasise the saying that the Police is truly your friend.
Speaking on the development, the chairman of the party, Alhaji Umar Bobboi, said the party decided to boycott the election because it was illegal as there was an existing Abuja High court order stopping its conduct.

"Our candidate, Mr Laori Kwamoti, who was prevented from participating by INEC, has on Friday obtained a court order stopping the election and that is why you can see that the turn-out is very low.

"What they are doing today is like scoring a goal after the referee had blown off-side." Bobboi said.

When contacted on the development, the Adamawa Resident Electoral Commissioner, Alhaji Abba Baba-Yusuf, said he was not aware of any court order stopping the election.
"I woke up very early today, imagine I am still here and nobody wants to let me on," she complained.

Fifteen-year-old Khalid is among hundreds of thousands of students in Tanzania's largest city who suffer taunts and abuse at the hands of conductors on crowded buses, popularly known as dala dala, because they pay a reduced fare.

"I have to be very tough to get in otherwise I will stay here forever," she said. "I sometimes miss important lessons and teachers won't go over it again because they don't understand why I'm late," she said.

In an effort to help fellow students, Modesta Joseph, another 15-year-old high school student, has created an app that gives pupils a platform to vent their frustrations.

Named "Our Cries", the mobile app allows students to report abuse to the police and the transportation authority.

"When we are humiliated and adults see it, authorities can do something but because they are busy doing other things, we end up suffering," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

There are about 1.4 million primary and secondary school students in Dar es Salaam, who are often punched, beaten or in some cases sexually assaulted when using public transport, Joseph said.

Students can report their "cries" anonymously to the Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory

"When we receive such reports and evidence, we forward them to SUMATRA for action," she said.

Ziada Mwakilusa, also 15, suffered a fractured ankle when a bus conductor pushed her last year.

"I used my mobile phone to report the incident and within days the suspect was traced, fined and made to pay for my treatment," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Since it was created in 2014, "Our Cries" has received and filed hundreds of reports to the authorities and now has a popular website, www.ourcries.com.

"I haven't tried that app myself but I am happy something is being done to end this mess," said Khalid, still waiting at the bus stop. "I can't wait to see those nasty guys severely punished."

"Our Cries", which is supported by SUMATRA, grew out of a coding club aimed at empowering women and girls and attended by Modesta Joseph.

The young campaigner is now the winner of several awards.
As Valentines Day arrives on Sunday, the words serendipity, destiny and devotion would best describe how one Pahrump couple ended up meeting.

Dr. Tom Waters said several chance occurrences and encounters, along with the urging of a family member, was the catalyst of he and his wife Fe Armen Waters union, a marriage that is closing in on 19 years.

Waters, now a retired Air Force Lt. Colonel, met his wife while stationed overseas at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines.

At the time, Waters was chief of training on the island, while Fe worked as an administrative clerk in training at the Air Forces training section.

I was a major at the time and she was obviously a civilian working for the Air Force, he said. Because she was so good and I knew that she needed a promotion, I got a call from the legal office and they asked me if I would recommend her for a job in legal. I really did not want to lose her, but at the same time I never believed in getting in the way of anybody so I gave her a high recommendation and she transferred over to the legal office.

When Waters was promoted to squadron commander, Fe and several others attended the Change of Command ritual. At the time, both were good friends, but not dating.

After a period of time, Waters said he returned to the states, but Fe stayed in the Philippines.

Two weeks later, Waters was transferred to the island of Guam, when he had a chance encounter with someone who looked vaguely familiar.

I was at the airport, on the Island of Guam waiting for a person who was being transferred in, he recalled. I saw this woman who looked familiar, and she was looking at me and we were just staring at each other. She came over and called me Major Waters but now it was Colonel Waters. I gave her my card and told her I was stationed on the island. I asked her if she wanted to see the island because I wanted to show her around.

Days later, Waters finally received the phone call he was hoping for.

She told me that she knew that I went to church on Saturdays, he said. She also said she was interested in my religion and asked me if it was okay if she could go to church with me and I said sure. I started picking her up on Saturday mornings and taking her to church with me. After church, I would take her back to her cousins house.

Soon thereafter, Waters said the church pastor told him Fe was interested in getting baptized.

I told him thats great and said I would try to be there, he said. They had the baptism scheduled, but I had to go to the island of Diego Garcia and got stranded. Because of that, I missed the baptism.

Unbeknownst to Waters, Fe called off the baptism.

When I arrived back in Guam, I called the pastor and ask him how the baptism went, he said. He told me she canceled it because I wasnt there. I then wondered why my absence would make any difference in her getting baptized. Fe told me, since it was I that introduced her to the church, she wanted me to be there as her sponsor for the baptism. They rescheduled it, and she was baptized in the Pacific Ocean in a little cove right off the island of Guam.

Waters then noted that his 13-year-old daughter came to visit him in Guam, where she got the chance to meet Fe.

My daughter had also been in the Philippines with me for those four years so she had met her before but really didnt know her until she arrived in Guam, Waters said. After I came back to the States and Fe went back to the Philippines again, my daughter said since you and mom are not going to get back together and you are divorced, you need somebody with you.

Waters said his daughter told him that he needed someone to spend time with.

He began naming some of the women that he knew, but when Fes name came up, his daughter told him she would be a perfect match.

After I rolled off several names, I eventually mentioned Fe, he said. My daughter told me she would be perfect for me and thats when I began thinking about that. I have thought about her but I am older than she is and Ive never really talked to her about being a boyfriend.

After a phone conversation, Waters asked whether she was interested in changing their relationship.

Her initial reaction gave Waters cause for concern, as he was living in Maryland at the time.

Thats when the phone went silent, he said. It terrified me because Im a little older and thats the first thing that hit me. Im just sitting there and she still had not said anything. I asked her if she was still on the phone and she said yes. She also said she always wanted to find someone like me, but she just never thought it could be me.

After untold phone calls and letter writing between the States and the Philippines, Waters finally popped the question.

It was about two years of talking on the phone and writing letters that led to our marriage, he said. I asked her if she would be interested in coming to the states and if so, it would be on a 90-day fiancA visa because Im very interested. She said yes, she would be willing to come, but before anything else, I asked, are you willing to marry me? and she said yes, so it will be 19 years on June 30th, after we met in the Philippines.

Waters noted it was his daughter that helped both he and Fe find love, which he often points out from time to time.

I have reminded my daughter of that several times and let her know how happy I am and how it has all worked out so very well, he said. At the time, I was retiring from the Air Force after 32 years.

With the luxury of time and hindsight, Waters imparted some sage advice to would-be newlyweds and all couples.

It would have to be communication, he said. Communication is the key. Over the years weve had some disagreements, but we have never had a fight. Fighting is just not in it for me.

Additionally, Waters said hes not exactly sure what kind of gift he will give to his wife on Valentines Day coming up on Sunday.

Over the years I used to bring her candy, but because she says she doesnt want to gain any weight, I stay away from the candy, he said with a laugh. Flowers dont last long enough, so Im trying to figure out what Im going to do for Valentines Day. Right now I have no idea what Im going to do this year. I will have to figure out something though.

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com
BEATTY  Approximately 220 freshmen and sophomores from Nye County high schools descended on the Beatty Community Center on Thursday for a college and career fair presented by Nevada Gear Up.

The students came from Pahrump, Beatty, Tonopah and Gabbs.

During the four-hour event, students were able to visit with representatives from nine colleges and 28 companies and organizations to learn about higher education and career possibilities. Nye County Schools Superintendent Dale Norton said he would tell them some things about their school district that they or their parents might not know.

Nye County School District is geographically the largest school district in the United States, said Norton. It covers 18,000 square miles and buses carry our students over a million miles a year taking students to and from school.

The superintendent then took a selfie for his Twitter account with the audience behind him before introducing Mark Robinson, a magician and motivational speaker from Atlanta, Georgia. Of course, several students had to seize the opportunity for a photo bomb.

Most people dont fail because they aim too high, Robinson told the students. They fail because they aim too low and hit.

He told them not to believe that things are impossible and gave examples of accomplishments that were once believed impossible. He also told them to take care of the little things because big things are just a collection of a lot of little things.

Robinson also advised students to enjoy the ride of life, not to wait for events far in the future to enjoy it.

Lisa Hamrick, the Gear Up representative for Pahrump Valley High, said that Gear Up provides the students with tutoring, counseling, field trips and activities to encourage them to graduate from high school and to develop plans for what they will do after graduation, whether it be college, trade school, military service, or other worthwhile goals.

When asked, students said they enjoyed the opportunity to find out about college and career opportunities, but they also seemed to have a good time. There was usually a group of admirers gathered around a Corvette from Ron Fellows Performance Driving School.

Asked for a highlight of the event, PVHS student Pamela Lyke quipped, The mustaches were free, referring to paper Rebel mustaches on sticks given out by a UNLV representative. When her friends thought she should have said something more serious, she responded, Its called a sense of humor. Get one!
Congressman Cresent Hardy will host a veterans town hall meeting in Pahrump on Thursday, Feb.18.

The question-and-answer session will take place at the Nye County Commission chambers, located at 2100 E. Walt Williams Drive from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The most important thing I can do to effectively represent my constituents is to listen to them, the Republican Hardy said in a statement. These town halls will provide that opportunity and a way for us to discover potential solutions to some of our veterans most pressing issues.

Tonopah residents can watch and participate in the Pahrump town hall at Tonopah County Commission Chambers, located at 101 Radar Road in Tonopah.

Beatty residents can participate at the event at Bill Sullivan Justice Center, located at 426 C Avenue South in Beatty.

Jacob Fullmer, communications director for Hardy, said officials at the event will answer questions on many topics such as home loans, education benefits and medical benefits.

Congressman Hardy feels that our veterans have given the highest service possible to our country and its important to make sure they receive the service that was promised to them, Fullmer said.

Panelists at the event include state Assemblyman James Oscarson, Director of Veterans Benefits Administration Shelia Jackson, Director of VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System Peggy Kearns, Deputy Director of Benefits at NDVS Kathleen Dussault and Patrick Shipley, Southwest Regional Director for Tri-West.

The event will be held nearly three weeks after a groundbreaking event for the long-awaited Pahrump Valley Veterans Clinic. The $12.1 million project is expected to open next year north of Desert View Hospital on South Lola Lane.

Hardy is currently seeking a second term in Congress, while the Republican Oscarson is seeking another term representing Assembly District 36.

Contact reporter Daria Sokolova at dsokolova@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @dariasokolova77
The book, published in 2008, includes many diagrams on the subject of road and bridge building during the World War II battles at Kokoda, Buna, Wau, Aitape and Wewak.

But I recently purchased, at bargain basement rates ($25 reduced to $13), the book Maker and Breaker by Army Engineer Lt John Grover.

They had been jotted down during our five weeks of practical training to become Kiaps at Kwikila at the end of 1969 (Paul Oates, author of With These Tools , and I were on the same course).

MY NOTES and sketches on road and bridge building in Papua New Guinea no longer exist.

Grover goes into depth describing his work, mainly manual and without the benefit of mechanical pile-drivers, bulldozers and graders, and he writes of everything from negotiating swamps to punts and bridges, even building on a curve or against a cliff.

My specific interest in the book was Grovers bridge-building in the Buna area of Northern (Oro) District, where I was posted as a Kiap from 1969 to 1973.

During this period, I was given the task of locating a route from Pongani on the coast to the Musa Gorge (Safia) for a Comworks bulldozer which would open a track for a diamond drilling rig. It was a distance of about 100km, usually a four day walk.

I walked the track four times but never got to be driven along my road, as District Commissioner David Marsh called it.

He was pleased to find an interested officer to go on patrol out of Safia to conduct a lengthy and difficult chain and compass and Abney level (clinometer) survey in the Musa Gorge along with land ownership investigations and the usual Kiap work.

Im not a road builder. My long-time calling in Australia has been in both the law and tourist accommodation.

In reality my PNG work was achieved through Randolph Gangai, my interpreter (little Pidgin or Motu used in this remote area in those days) and good friend, the always reliable outstation police and with the willing cooperation of village men and women, over 100 of whom enthusiastically regarded the task as a self-help project.

I was no more than the catalyst while the locals hand-felled the dense forest by axe, gently explaining that it was too dangerous for me and to keep out of the way in our bush camp.

I did get to inspect their work as we moved forward over a seven-week period. Regrettably my road, especially in the Didana Range, eventually returned to the forest but you can still see some end parts on Google Earth around bearing 9.54S x 148.66E (search in Google Earth for -9.54 148.66).

In recent years the Collingwood Bay people of Oro have built jetties for the coastal ferry. Gangai Kokona, a son of my old interpreter, comment on this in December 2011 on the Tufi Walkabout and Village Stays Facebook group.

Nowadays, returning as a volunteer, it is abundantly clear to me that the everyday people still have the well-being of visitors in the fore.

They are wonderful people who deserve so much more from their government.

At least Governor Gary Juffa is battling in the right direction against tough odds, not just for these Northern (Oro) nationals but for the whole of PNG.

In Maker and Breaker, Lt Grover says, We learn from the past to live in the present and to take action so that our people and generations unborn may survive in the future echoing Torres Strait Islander philosopher, Ephraim Banis the Past must exist for the Present to create the Future.
There is a strong spirit of of competition, camaraderie and compassion across Quad-City businesses and organizations this month as workers team up to fight hunger for the QCommunity Hunger Drive.

Formerly known as the Student Hunger Drive Corporate Challenge, the month-long campaign has enlisted more than 30 companies and offices to collect food and cash donations for River Bend Foodbank. The Davenport-based food bank provides food for 132,000 people in our community who are missing meals not by choice.

"In the spirit of Student Hunger Drive in the fall, we now have the QCommunity Hunger Drive because people are hungry all year long," said Mike Miller, executive director of the food bank, which is partnering for the first time with Quad-Cities Student Hunger Drive on the food drive.

At participating businesses of all sizes, employees are organizing activities from potlucks to games, cook-offs, bake sales and casual days to draw their co-workers into the effort. To entice participation, employers also are offering incentives such as free days off, premium parking spots and event tickets

"It's getting them excited and breaking up their usual routine," said Liz Treiber, executive director of the Student Hunger Drive.

Treiber hopes the new name invites more participants. "The corporate challenge name might have made some people think that since are not a corporation (they could not join in),'' she said. "This is not only for businesses, but churches, organizations and other groups. Our goal would be for everyone in the community to get involved in one way or another."

The QCommunity Hunger Drive  pronounced QC Community  continues through Feb. 29.

According to Treiber, the corporate challenge began in 2010 at the request of area businesses that wanted to get involved like the students do in Student Hunger Drive, which celebrated 30 years in 2015.

"That food the students collect (in Student Hunger Drive) is gone, but there still is a need," she said, adding that by spreading the events out it keeps up the awareness of the problem of hunger.

Among the new participants is Elliott Aviation, Moline, which already donates almost quarterly to River Bend. But employees Ginny Zink, marketing coordinator, and Toni Jensen, a service writer, are rallying a little inter-office competition pitting the company's three buildings against each other.

When the first email updating food totals from each building was sent, Jensen said her co-workers realized "now it's on" and the competition heated up.

With her office as her building's collection point, she has built a food pyramid as a constant reminder of the month-long campaign. "If you can see (the food donations), it can make a difference on how you participate."

Zink, who had been involved in the challenge at her previous employer, said "Our goal is 10,000 pounds of food. We have a long way to go. But as a family company, our community is our family."

Estes Construction Co., Davenport, is no stranger to the campaign and has a goal of winning it this year, said president Kent Pilcher. "We're a very competitive industry, so our people always rise to the competition."

Last year, Estes won its division, based on employee count, and had one of the highest results of pounds collected per employee with 136.73 pounds.

Estes, which accepts collections from suppliers and customers, joined the challenge at the suggestion of some of its support employees. "That is what we like, the fact this is a grassroots effort,'' Pilcher said, crediting employees for taking charge and coordinating the effort.

Pilcher, who is in the Quad-Cities Regional Vision effort, said a study conducted as part of the community planning process found "the good news was our income is rising faster than the national average, but our poverty rate is as well." Because of the company's awareness of that statistic, he said "We all realize how lucky we've been." In turn, the company has accepted the responsibility of helping others less fortunate.

That same philosophy drove Tri-City Electric Co., Davenport, to join in last year after years of donating food to other participating companies it does business with, said Natalie Polich, the company's human resources director. "We believe in giving hope and support to those communities that have helped us to be so successful."

"Hunger is so overwhelming and you don't think about that being in our backyard," she said, adding that "Our employees are very generous and always willing to give what they can to help other people's lives."

The Davenport company has held jeans days and a Super Bowl Squares event, in which the winner donated the winnings back. It also has plans for an office olympics, in which each team pays to enter and will play a variety of Minute to Win It games. A Penny War games, which has divided the office by eye colors, collects pennies for positive points. Donated silver coins and paper bills are negative points, with all the money raised going to the food drive.

Jake Ward, R.I.A. Federal Credit Union's vice president of marketing, said the Bettendorf-based credit union is stepping up its competition not only by inviting customers to donate, but by tying in America Saves Week. For every customer who signs a pledge to save, they will get a chance to win $500 and R.I.A. will make a donation to River Bend.

As in past years, the John Deere Foundation will provide a match to any new participating business as well as any past participants who recruit a new participant. To get involved, email Treiber at liz@studenthungerdrive.org or Nancy Renkes at nrenkes@riverbendfoodbank.org.

Miller added "This is part of the effort to triple the number of meals we provide over the next 10 years so we can put an end to hunger in our community."
COLUMBUS JUNCTION, Iowa  Despite a negative response from the local school board, Columbus Junction city officials are planning to move forward with the development of a new subdivision.

The city presented the school board with a request last month to approve a five-year extension of a current tax-increment financing agreement and agree to a 15-year period for a new TIF. The two TIFs would have helped the city collect revenue for the development of the New Heritage Village - Phase II subdivision. The school and the county must approve any TIF request longer than 10 years. Louisa County approved the request on Jan. 12, but the school board rejected the proposal at its Feb. 8 meeting.

The city council met Wednesday and Columbus Junction Community Development Director Mallory Smith and Mayor Pro-Tem Mark Huston both reported the city was already looking into its options, following the schools rejection.

Its not the end of the world. It didnt work out this time and well go to Plan B, Huston said.

Smith agreed, explaining the initial proposal that was rejected by the school would have helped develop the subdivision sooner, but now the city would likely look at a longer phased project.

Why did the school vote no? Councilman Jason Payne asked.

Huston said two of the school board members had indicated they were opposed because there could be a small property tax increase for all school district property owners. He said the other opponent shared that concern, but also apparently objected to the project concept.

Huston indicated he was disappointed with the boards decision, especially since the city had provided detailed information on the TIF process and impact on the school finances.

There also appeared to be differing opinions between city and school officials concerning the schools Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL). Smith said Wednesday the PPEL would not be affected by the TIF extension, but school officials said during their meeting there would be a negative impact.

Despite the setback, Smith said city officials had already talked with the developer and staff at Southeast Iowa Regional Planning to investigate other possibilities.

She hinted that could mean development over a longer period, especially the extension of New Heritage Trail, a street that would have provided another outlet to Colton Street.

Council member Hal Prior agreed the development would slow down.

Well develop a little slower and the income to the school will come in a little slower, he predicted.

In other action, Smith also reported the school board had approved an agreement with the Washington Community Y for management services at the pool. She said the Community Y would be paid $13,000 for the service and collect concession and other fees. Under the agreement, the school would provide water and chemicals.

Smith said that since fiscal year 1998 the city had been providing the district with $4,000 to support the pool and had also provided the pool water. She also pointed out the district received around $28,000 annually through a voter-approved Public Education and Recreation Levy (PERL).

She suggested the school may no longer need the citys assistance since the PERL funding would appear to meet the Community Ys management fee. A swimming pool committee is expected to review the development.

In final action, the council:

Approved a March 17 St. Patricks Day Parade;

Learned the city would hold a FY17 budget public hearing on Feb. 24.
For the first time in at least five years, Rock Island Countys general fund may end up with a small surplus instead of a deficit for the last fiscal year.

County Administrator Dave Ross said that unaudited general fund numbers for fiscal year 2015 point to a surplus of $74,000 rather than an anticipated $1.3 million deficit.

In looking back on five years of data, Ross said there was a deficit in the general fund at the end of each of those years.

It all seems to be a game of numbers, but if its true, Im glad, said county board member Don Johnston of Moline. I hope its 100 percent accurate because we need some good news.

Johnston said that elected officials have cut back in many ways and that department heads of been cutting back on what theyre spending. There are all kinds of ways to keep costs down, he said.

Ross said the equation is simple: increased revenues and decreased expenditures.

We can thank all of the hardworking board members, the elected officials, the department heads, and all employees who buckled down and did a great job, Ross said.

We kept positions open as long as possible when a vacancy occurred, he said. Several positions are still open.

We also received more sales tax than budgeted, Hope Creek (Care Center) paid back money it owed to the general fund, county recorder fees were up, we received additional zoning fees and, most importantly, we reduced expenditures whenever possible.

Just about every single department or office operating with general fund money spent significantly less money than they were authorized to spend, Ross said.

Board member Ron Oelke of Andalusia said that while many had a hand in cutting back and saving money, Ross led the way.

Thats one of the reasons Ive been advocating for professional management of the county, Oelke said. We needed someone to get us on the right track. Hes working hard to bring best practices to everything that we do.

Still, there is more than can be done to save taxpayers money, he said.

Oelke said the size of the board should be reduced as soon as possible. I think we could go smaller than 15, but 15 members is better than 25, he said. Cutting benefits for board members such as health insurance and retirement also is necessary.

I still support selling Hope Creek, Oelke said. I think we could find a buyer and sell it at a benefit to the county. Wed be able to pay off our obligations and still end up with some cash to put toward some other things.

When it comes right down to it, do we really need to have a zoo, Oelke said of Niabi Zoo, the county-operated facility in Coal Valley.

A community group has promised substantial donations to the zoo if the county board relinquishes control and allows a community group or professional zoo management company run the facility, he said.

If that private money doesnt materialize then I think we need to look at selling the zoo or shutting it down, Oelke said.

The budget surplus could have been larger had the state of Illinois paid its share.

County auditor April Palmer said that the turnaround in the budget has occurred despite the state being months behind paying us in many areas, including salary reimbursements.

If revenues promised by the state had been received on a timely basis, Rock Island Countys financial performance would have achieved an even greater surplus, she added.
What we saw in New Hampshire was a political earthquake. The headlines were dramatic  fittingly so: "Sanders, Trump Stun America," CNN declared on its website. The American Prospect summed it up with a tidy statement: "The Establishment Sinks."

The establishment didn't just sink in New Hampshire  the earth swallowed it whole. Whether this fault line runs through most of America will be revealed as each primary unfolds. Nevertheless, New Hampshire was a major political shakeup with severe political casualties.

In the nation's first primary, New Hampshire voters flatly rejected the political veterans, men and women alike, in favor of the so-called outsiders.

Ironically, the outsiders, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and businessman and former reality TV star Donald Trump, are establishment figures. Trump has spent his whole life as a "real estate mogul," a billionaire who hobnobs only with those in power, while Sanders has 35 years holding office from mayor to congressman to senator. Each man is running not against Washington insiders  that's been done  but against our political system itself, claiming it's dysfunctional, unfair and so out-of-touch with "We, the People" that only a political revolution can correct it.

In the process, Trump has scared many voters, and Sanders looks like a pied piper luring America's youth into a Joan of Arc mission. Despite these misgivings, New Hampshire voters of every stripe emphatically voted for our politics to change. Voters demonstrated they're willing to upend Washington and shake everybody out of it, if that's what it takes.

This isn't about ideology. This is a voter revolution based on revulsion with how we conduct politics. However, instead of following President Obama's advice, voters are looking to a no-frills solution  choosing candidates who talk simply, who seem authentic because they distain nuance, and who reject the same politicians the voters themselves shun. It's all built on voter distrust, and the failure of leaders to achieve voters' objectives.

"The future we want," Obama said in his final state of the union address, "will only happen if we fix our politics. ... It's one of the few regrets of my presidency  that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better."

The "fix" in New Hampshire was to choose candidates who don't sound like politicians, who say what the voters have been thinking and who pledge to address their deepest anxieties and fears, and in Sanders' case, their hopes.

Although Trump got the elephant's share of media publicity, Sanders got the lion's share of votes in New Hampshire, racking up 151,584 votes compared to Trump's 100,406 votes, even though 30,000 more Republicans voted than Democrats. Trump was distinctly a minority winner  more Republicans voted for Trump's opponents than for him. Trump took only 35.3 percent in the Republican primary, while Sanders achieved a whopping 60 percent in the Democratic contest.

Exit polls painted a stark landscape of voter concerns: Both Democrats and Republicans share a loathing of Washington politics and a profound distrust of entrenched leaders. Democrats and Republicans alike are anxious about the economy. Yet Democrats are focused on income inequality, while the Republicans want jobs.

Republican voters have two fears Democrats don't share: terrorists and immigrants  and they sometimes don't distinguish between the two. Voters are being drawn to simple solutions. They're willing to forgive the absence of details in the hope that simple solutions will work: Wall out the immigrants, and toss out the big billionaires and their money from the halls of Congress.

We knew Sanders' and Trump's months-long double-digit leads in New Hampshire would be close to impossible to overcome, even as voters in Iowa were handing victories to Clinton and Cruz. Still, the magnitude of their wins and the abandoning of ideology and partisanship to unite around candidates who have, as Obama put it, "that new car smell," was gobsmacking.

New Hampshire's upheaval was felt in every state of the nation. We will see if South Carolina has its own political earthquake, or if it merely registers the tremors from the Granite state. For Clinton, there is no excuse for her loss, just as there was no excuse for Trump's loss in Iowa.

In July 2015, Hillary Clinton was beating Sanders by 40 points. She lost that lead by running a campaign that has not been able to reach out to the disaffected -- however much it holds on to those choosing experience. A truly national leader will have to heal the schisms in both our parties and our nation, if Washington gridlock and dysfunction are to end.

States are like individuals. South Carolinians could vote differently than Iowans and New Hampshirites. There are red and blue states in general elections. But in the 2016 primaries, it's still the Outsiders vs. The Establishment. *

Donna Brazile is a senior Democratic strategist, a political commentator and contributor to CNN and ABC News, and a contributing columnist to Ms. Magazine and O, the Oprah Magazine.
Is Bernie Sanders a closet foreign policy "realist"? Reading his few pronouncements on foreign policy, you sense that he embraces the realists' deep skepticism about American military intervention. But he has said so little about foreign policy that it's hard to be sure.

Foreign policy is the hole in Sanders' political donut. We know what he doesn't like -- the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which he mentions, in nearly every debate, almost robotically, describing it as "one of the worst foreign policy blunders in the modern history of the United States." But there's far less clarity about what he does favor.

"I fully concede that Secretary [Hillary] Clinton, who was secretary of state for four years, has more experience -- that is not arguable. But experience is not the only point, judgment is," Sanders said in a Feb. 4 debate before his big New Hampshire win.

Now that Sanders has nearly tied Clinton in Iowa and won New Hampshire, there's a real possibility that he may emerge as the Democratic nominee. And the question is: How scared should mainstream Democrats be about Sanders as a foreign policy president?

It's hard to know. Sanders is running a populist campaign that centers on economic justice. Foreign policy is an afterthought. If I had to guess, I'd say that Sanders would continue -- and reinforce -- President Obama's wary approach to using force, whereas Clinton would be more hawkish.

But that's just a guess. Perhaps Sanders would be far more dovish. Clearly, if he wants to be taken seriously as his party's potential nominee, Sanders needs to explain how he would behave as commander in chief. The nation is at war against a terrorist adversary. How would Sanders lead?

Sanders' statements on Syria suggest that he would take a position embraced by many self-described realists. His first priority, he says, would be a "broad coalition, including Russia" to defeat the Islamic State. "Our second priority must be getting rid of [President Bashar al-Assad], through some political settlement, working with Iran, working with Russia."

Some critics would argue that it's immoral to make replacing a leader who used chemical weapons a secondary concern. But Sanders' defenders could argue that foreign policy is about making clear choices, especially when they aren't easy.

Foreign policy just hasn't been on Sanders' radar: His campaign website lists 22 important issues. "Income and wealth inequality" is at the top, and 19 are about domestic policy. Just three involve foreign concerns, and one of these is climate change, which Sanders has described as the biggest threat to national security.

Unease about Sanders partly reflects the fact that he seems to have no real foreign policy mentors. The Sanders campaign made comical missteps the past few weeks when it tried to name his key foreign policy advisers. Several of them said they had just briefed the candidate once or twice; one was a full-time White House staffer.

In Sanders' speeches, and comments in the last five televised debates, his foreign policy views are vague, but not all that different from those of a Democratic electorate that is skeptical about U.S. military power and insistent that other countries do more fighting. His views do, however, mark a sharp break with the centrist foreign policy view that the U.S. needs to be more assertive in projecting power after the Obama years.

Pressed about his foreign policy views, Sanders often cites a November speech he gave at Georgetown in which, among other things, he embraced the label "democratic socialist." That speech laid out a policy "to destroy the brutal and barbaric [Islamic State] regime. ... But we cannot -- and should not -- do it alone." He cited a standard liberal list of failed U.S. military interventions, in Iran in 1953, Guatemala in 1954 and Chile in 1973.

Sanders needs to answer a range of foreign policy questions: Would he enforce navigation in the South China Sea, even if it meant possible confrontation with China? How would he combat Russian aggression in Ukraine?

In that Georgetown speech, Sanders evoked President Franklin Roosevelt and his argument, in Sanders' words, that "real freedom must include economic security." Which raises the question: What does Sanders think of the FDR who, as commander during World War II, astonished his aides by insisting that "unconditional surrender" of Germany and Japan was the requirement for victory?

One can imagine a President Hillary Clinton making such a harsh demand. But what about a President Bernie Sanders?
JOHNSTON, Iowa  Sixteen days before private companies are to begin delivering managed care to 560,000 Iowans on Medicaid, a key legislative leader said shes not convinced its a done deal yet.

Im not willing to concede to it yet, Senate President Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, said about the privatization of the management of Medicaid services during taping of Iowa Public Televisions "Iowa Press" Friday.

Jochum isnt convinced that Gov. Terry Branstads plan to transition the states $5 billion Medicaid program over to out-of-state managed-care companies in early 2015 will happen March 1. Thats two months later than the Republican governor planned because the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which still must approve the plan, delayed the start from Jan. 1, citing readiness concerns, including an inadequate provider network and communication problems between the state and the providers and beneficiaries.

In fact, she managed Senate passage Thursday of legislation to halt the transition. She argued, in part, that of the 16 issues the federal agency told Iowa to address, only one has been resolved.

House Human Resources Committee Chairman Dave Heaton, R-Mount Pleasant, was more optimistic about the March 1 transition and the potential benefits of managed care.

Like the goals of the Affordable Care Act, he said, the goal is to get low-income Iowans covered so they can access health care without going to emergency rooms.

Medicaid recipients will be moved from a fee-for-service system that was just curing peoples ills to a whole culture of wellness, Heaton said. The secret to lowering health care costs is to move people to wellness, take on chronic disease and then at the same time offer them the very best health care for these people that we possibly can.

Another goal of the transition is to contain costs, which have been consuming a growing portion of the state budget. Jochum, however, is not convinced the plan would yield real savings despite lawmakers building the projected $111 million savings into their budget plans.

Heaton thinks the changes will result in improved services for Iowans with disabilities as well as savings. For example, he expects fewer Iowans will be living in residential institutions where costs can be as much as $1,000 a day. Instead, they will be in community-based residences that cost about a quarter of that.

Heaton also thinks services such as home health care and adult day care will allow older Iowans to remain in their homes longer and thats where the rewards are.

The Medicaid transition will not affect recipients in nursing homes until 2017.

"Iowa Press" can be seen on IPTV at 7:30 p.m. Friday and noon Sunday, at 8:30 a.m. on IPTV World and online at iptv.org.
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PIERRE | The governors proposal to increase the state sales and use tax to 4.5 percent carries both a clear truth and an unspoken admission.

South Dakotans dont want to raise their property taxes much beyond the bare minimums, if at all. Rather than raise their taxes by using the local opt-out that has been in place for 20 years, they widely believe state government should send more help to their public schools.

Thats the obvious truth. Heres the unspoken admission.

South Dakota consumers dont spend enough within the states borders for the 4 percent sales and use tax to cover state government at its current size and provide enough for public school boards to offer competitive salaries to K-12 teachers.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard has focused on making internal budget changes to improve South Dakotas bond rating to AAA. Now hes trying to dig South Dakota out of 51st place among states and the District of Columbia for paying public school teachers.

The South Dakota average last school year was $40,023. Daugaard wants to provide enough from the state treasury to average $48,500.

The additional 1/2 of 1 percent of sales and use tax hes asking from the Legislature would provide more than $100 million. About $60 million of that would go to school districts, with the requirement that 90 percent of the additional money be put toward teacher salaries.

At the same time he wants $40 million for property-tax relief. Its not a big amount when considered against the total $1.9 billion of all property taxes collected for all purposes in South Dakota in 2015.

But it would be the first significant reduction since Gov. Bill Janklow left office in 2002 having completed $120 million of property tax relief.

That was a 30 percent reduction from the 1994 levels. South Dakota voters nearly approved a ballot measure in November 1994 that would have cut property taxes by about two-thirds without a replacement source.

Prior to Janklows property-tax reduction plan taking effect, public schools received state aid equivalent to about 29 percent of state general-fund spending. State aid climbed to 38 and 39 percent in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

During the second term of Gov. Mike Rounds administration, state aid slid to less than 33 percent. Since Daugaard took office, its fallen back to 29 percent.

Since the 1996 budget year, state aid to public schools grew 149 percent, while state spending on Medicaid climbed 279 percent.

Spending on other public assistance programs and the state veterans home rose 172 percent during the same period, while programs for protecting the public increased 176 percent.

What didnt grow under Rounds and Daugaard was property-tax relief. Instead, school districts turned increasingly to the capital-outlay tax, which primarily is used to pay for construction and maintenance of buildings.

School districts also greatly increased their reserves.

General-fund reserves climbed from $123.1 million in Janklows last year to $226.1 million last year.

Capital-outlay reserves rose even faster, from $67.7 million during Janklows last year to $199.4 million last year.

Its why Daugaard this year proposed, in a separate piece of legislation, putting reserve caps back into place.

Property-tax relief isnt part of the rival plans for teacher pay being offered this winter by Democratic legislators or by House Majority Leader Brian Gosch, R-Rapid City.

The debate began Wednesday on the governors sales-tax proposal in the House of Representatives but Republican opponents brought it to a halt until Tuesday.

Rep. Lee Schoenbeck, R-Watertown, plans on Tuesday to bring the debate to a stop again until Thursday, when Rep. Scott Munsterman, R-Brookings, returns from a health care treatment for his wife.

Daugaard, a Republican, needs 47 ayes in the House to pass the tax increase. The estimates on Wednesday ranged from 45 to 50 representatives committed to his plan.

That means carrying the 12 Democrats and at least 35 of the 58 Republicans. A Gosch amendment failed Wednesday, but the unrecorded procedural vote appeared to have about 28 Republicans standing in support.

The second amendment attempted Wednesday by Rep. Jeff Partridge, R-Rapid City, led to Rep. Jim Stalzer, R-Sioux Falls, using rule 5-17 to stop the debate and provide a full day to consider the amendment.

Partridge said afterward he didnt intend to become part of a political maneuver. It is a serious amendment, he said.

It calls for gradually rolling back the proposed 4.5 percent sales by one-tenth of 1 percentage point to 4.4 percent for every $20 million of tax revenue collected on remote sales of goods shipped into South Dakota.

His proposal ties into another piece of legislation, SB 106, sponsored by all of the Senate and House leaders from both political parties.

The bipartisan measure is intended to attempt taxation of remote sales by going through the U.S. Supreme Court to get approval, because Congress stands opposed.

It isnt clear how Gosch would attach either of the two options hes proposing for Daugaards plan. He said that in a 3-year period, enough money could be found in existing sources to reach the governors teacher-salary goal.

Gosch said hes against the sales and use tax increase. He said there are many South Dakotans whose pay is at 51st nationally just like the teachers.

I think its going to cause a lot of hard feelings, he said Thursday after legislators finished for the week.

Gosch said his two options are ready if the Daugaard plan cant get the votes to pass.

I think theres a lot of support for it, Gosch said about raising teacher salaries. We dont know what the final bill is going to look like, because theres six or seven amendments out there.

He added, Do you abandon the whole plan or find a way to fund it?

There has been a steady stream of school boards, local chambers of commerce and statewide business organizations urging support for Daugaards plan.

Daugaard has issued a column for newspaper op-ed pages talking about teacher pay. He said he understands schools have other needs but teacher pay is the problem we are trying to solve.

Legislators are discussing additional ideas to ensure that new funding goes to teacher pay, and I am open to those ideas. I am confident that we can direct these dollars to the teachers, so that every legislator with this concern can vote for the proposal, he wrote.
Its hard to believe that today there are medical facilities in South Dakota where staff are washing surgical instruments by hand because the sterilization machine has been broken for six months  where no infection control measures were taken for a patient with a history of an untreated, highly infectious disease  where a pregnant young woman was left to give birth unattended on the floor of the hospital bathroom. But these situations have occurred. Theyve occurred within the last year at an Indian Health Service unit in South Dakota.

The federal government is responsible by treaty for providing health care to tribal members and it does so through the Indian Health Service  or IHS. Sadly, there are deep-rooted problems within IHS that have gone unresolved for a decade or more, leaving tribal health care in the state of emergency we find it in today.

Over the last four years, funding for IHS has increased by more than a half-billion dollars and yet the system as a whole stands in a state of disrepair. What is needed more than anything is reform.

First, IHS priorities must be realigned. Too much money is being spent on administration and anecdotal evidence of waste is extensive. This question of where the money is going is something Ive been aggressively working to uncover. I issued a formal request on this to IHS in December and Im hopeful a response will arrive in the coming weeks.

I would like to see less of a financial emphasis on administration and more on mental health. I was glad IHS shifted another $1.8 million toward suicide prevention efforts recently, but still, questions remain about how they intend to use that money. Currently, much of it is expected to go toward an intensive behavioral program in Rapid City, hundreds of miles from the people it is designed to help. Is this the best way to leverage these dollars? Were still working through the answer to that question.

Second, we need to improve the physical condition of IHS hospitals. The broken equipment and crumbling infrastructure has a significant impact on care. Knowing this, we adjusted the budget breakdown for 2016 to reflect a 12 percent funding increase for maintenance and repairs. More will likely need to be done, but this is a necessary start.

Finally, patients deserve a dedicated and fully trained medical staff. In a 2010 Senate Indian Affairs Committee report, Senator Byron Dorgan described instances in which health care providers were under the influence of drugs or alcohol while on the job. More recent reports have shown physicians practicing with expired licenses and nurse practitioners without the proper certifications. While the problems are known, little has been done to improve the situation. This must change.

I recognize part of the challenge is recruiting the right individuals. Were looking at multiple options in this area. For instance, currently if you work for IHS, the federal government helps pay your student loans. The employee, however, is then taxed on this benefit, diminishing the incentive. Perhaps we could lift that burden and make the student loan repayment benefits tax free, as it is for employees at other agencies.

Fixing the situation at IHS is personal. As many of you reading this know, Bryon and I have three children. When theyve gotten sick or hurt, weve been able to take them to a hospital that was clean and safe. The young people Ive met in Rosebud and Pine Ridge dont have that option. There are no excuses for the kind of care being delivered. The time to resolve this issue is now, and the faster we turn it around, the more lives we will save.
ROSEBUD | Even as the Indian Health Service hospital in Rosebud recovers from problems that led to the temporary closure of its emergency room, new problems have been detected.

Mike Fierberg, spokesman for the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, acknowledged by phone Friday that new violations of Medicare requirements have been discovered, and a new corrective plan is being negotiated. He declined to divulge details of the problems until the plan is complete.

At the hospital Friday, Kathleen Wooden Knife, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council and vice chairwoman of the tribes Health Board, said the violations had apparently been turned up in a recent inspection.

The new violations come on the heels of October and November inspections that produced reports of broken-down sterilizing and disinfecting equipment, a woman giving birth to a premature baby on a bathroom floor, and a heart-attack victim waiting 90 minutes to receive care, among other things.

Fierberg said the problems from the October and November inspections have been addressed.

Those are closed, Fierberg said. A plan of correction was agreed to, and inspections have been accomplished.

There was little sign of progress Friday at the hospital, where U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., took an hour-long tour. The small tour group walked through a series of unused rooms and corridors in the facility, which was all quiet except for one waiting room that appeared to contain about 50 people.

The hospitals obstetrics area is temporarily closed because of inadequate staffing, and pregnant reservation women, many of whom lack trustworthy transportation, are being diverted to Winner (55 miles away); Valentine, Neb. (45 miles); Rapid City (175 miles) and Sioux Falls (220 miles).

The hospitals emergency room is closed while work continues to restore it to acceptable working order, and ambulances are being diverted elsewhere. Evelyn Espinoza, the tribes health administrator, said a dialysis patient from Rosebud died Thursday night in an ambulance 15 miles from Valentine.

Thune listened to that and several other grim stories during the tour.

These are life-and-death issues, he said.

The problems at Rosebud and similar problems at the IHS hospital in Pine Ridge have caught the attention of the media and government officials in Washington, D.C. The scrutiny has resulted in promised reforms to address staffing shortages and other problems. A new interim director was named for the Great Plains Area office of the IHS, and a Senate committee conducted hearings on the issue.

Earlier this week, Thune requested monthly updates from the IHS regarding the state of its facilities in the Great Plains Area, and U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., met with a top IHS official to discuss what she termed a health emergency on South Dakotas Native American reservations.

Thunes Friday tour of the Rosebud hospital was led by a contrasting mix of people: tribal members Wooden Knife and Espinoza, who told numerous stories about the problems at the hospital, and a crew of three federal officials in Navy-like uniforms who appeared uncomfortable with the medias presence and spoke only in hushed tones directed at Thune.

The uniformed officials were from the U.S. Public Health Service, which is under the direction of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Federal officials this month announced that a four-member team would be deployed to try to solve problems at Rosebud, Pine Ridge and on the Winnebago Reservation in Nebraska.

Wooden Knife said the uniformed officials were sent to help us get on track.

If the hospital cannot get on track, the federal government could terminate its Medicare agreement, which would result in a loss of financial reimbursements for the care that the hospital provides to Medicare-eligible patients. Fierberg, of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said federal officials are working to make sure that does not happen.

Around the small, remote community of Rosebud on Friday, residents interviewed by the Journal expressed a mix of gratitude for the hospitals presence in their community and disappointment about its recent problems.

Jolene Arcoren, a tribal member who lives in White River, said she recently took her daughter to the Rosebud hospital for a sore throat and waited a week for the result of a strep test.

The response time was horrible, Arcoren said.

Another time, Arcoren said, physicians at the Rosebud hospital diagnosed her son with appendicitis and sent him to Winner for surgery, where other doctors said he was misdiagnosed.

Lenard Shadow Wright, a longtime former member of the Rosebud Tribal Health Board, is undergoing a physical therapy regimen at the Rosebud hospital as he recovers from a fall that shattered his pelvis. He has been happy with his care but said the hospital is chronically understaffed. During his time on the health board, he said, there were 22 positions at the hospital, and typically only half of them were filled.

During Fridays tour, Thune asked if telehealth  technological connections with doctors at other locations through videoconferencing technology  might be helpful. Espinoza said the telehealth equipment at the hospital is old and inoperable, and the uniformed officials said some functionality should return as the hospitals corrective plan is carried out. Digital medical record-sharing technology at the hospital, meanwhile, is only partially functional and is also targeted for improvement.

The nature of the complaints lodged by Espinoza and Wooden Knife during the tour ran the gamut from life-threatening to irksome. Wooden Knife, for example, said the televisions in patient rooms are as old as the 1989 hospital and alleged that previous donations of flat-screen televisions ended up in physicians homes.

Espinoza said she wants to look forward from the past problems and work with others to get the hospital functioning appropriately again for the people of the tribe, who have treaty rights to health care from the federal government.

I dont want to point fingers, she said. I want us to come together and use each others strengths.
Ashley Harlon of Victor has great timing.

Harlon, 23, Randy Fogle, 25, and their year-old baby girl are in the process of moving into a new house.

Harlon, bought a $2 Deluxe Super-Hot 7s Montana Lottery Scratch ticket early this morning. It turned out to be a $15,000 winner. The family promptly drove to Helena to redeem their winnings.

This is the down payment on our new place, Harlon said, smiling.

They plan on getting a newer car and saving the rest.

Harlon bought her ticket at the Town Pump in Lolo.

That was the second winning lottery ticket purchased by a Bitterroot Valley resident in a week at a Town Pump in Lolo.

Earlier this week, a Stevensville man won a $300,000 jackpot after buying the last $300,000 Jackpot ticket from that locations dispenser.

The Montana Lottery was created by voter initiative in 1986. Since its inception, the lottery has paid out $497 million in prizes and transferred approximately $224 million to help support state programs.
If everything comes together as planned, this will be the last summer that floaters will have to fear the Supply Ditch Diversion Dam.

Earlier this week, the Bitterroot Conservation District learned it had been awarded a $300,000 federal Army Corps of Engineers grant for the project to rework the century-old diversion dam.

It was the last piece of a funding package needed to pay to make the dam safer for the people who enjoy floating the Bitterroot River.

At this point, Im cautiously optimistic, said Molly Davidson, the lead Morrison Maierle engineer for the project.

On Monday, Feb. 22, the Bitterroot Conservation District will host an open house style meeting at its Hamilton office, 1709 N. First St., starting at 5:30 p.m. to provide an update to the public on the project.

Our next step is to go through the permitting process, Davidson said. We want to meet with the public to get people up to speed about the project and take any comments they might have on the design.

Under certain water flows, the irrigation diversion dam creates a dangerous re-circulating current that has caused numerous boating accidents, including one that killed a 6-year-old girl in 2013.

In January, the state Fish and Wildlife Commission approved a biennial rule that allows FWP officials to close a portion of the river that includes the dam if conditions warrant it.

The rule was in place last floating season, but it wasnt used after floaters were able to use a different river channel that bypasses the dam.

Davidson said the project will be engineered to allow for floaters to safely cross the structure and provide for fish migration, while ensuring that irrigators can access the water they need for their crops.

Most importantly, the dangerous hydraulic roller immediately below the dam will go away, she said.

Other funding sources for the project include $40,000 from Fish, Wildlife and Parks and a Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Renewable Resource Grant of $125,000.

Bitterroot Conservation District Chair Howard Eldredge said the district has served as an intermediary to apply for grants and secure engineering services while working in concert with FWP and the ditch companies.

Its been a true team effort, Eldredge said.

The hope is the projects design will be completed this spring and bids let this summer. That would allow for construction to get underway after the irrigation and fishing seasons come to an end next fall.

Work should begin in early November, he said.

Eldredge said Morrison Maierle will supervise the bidding and handle the detailed supervision of the project. The contract will be between the ditch companies and the work contractor.

At this point, the estimated cost of the project is $478,000, but Davidson said it could end up being less.

The hole behind the dam was not as deep as originally thought. That fact will save some money in the cost of rock to fill it.

Its an estimated cost at this point, Davidson said.

The project has garnered a lot of support from a variety of sources. That support has been helpful in obtaining the necessary funding to make it happen, Davidson said.
The free Spring Speaker Series returns to the Daly Mansion Saturday with fun performances.

The Daly Mansion and Humanities Montana are bringing living history performers and historians to entertain and inform the community each Saturday for five weeks.

Darlene Gould, volunteer manager at the Daly Mansion, said the series is full of characters.

This years speaker series is unique in that most of the speakers are living history speakers, Gould said. In other words, the presenters are in costume and playing the part of the person they are portraying. We have some very interesting characters.

Those include teachers, a founder of Missoula, a onetime governor of Montana Territory who presents his story in song, a woman who married a baron who talks about her surprise when she saw her new home, a preacher whose church was a saloon, and a madame.

The Feb. 13 performance begins at 10 a.m. with Jennie Pak portraying Montana pioneer Mrs. Sara Elizabeth Woody with her trunk of memories.

Pak uses items from Woodys trunk to recall the wagon train journey, her marriage to the co-founder of Missoula and its first mayor, Frank H. Woody, and living in a small cabin in the burgeoning village of Missoula, Gould said.

At 11:15 a.m., a second performance will begin. Kim Kaufman will give a portrayal of Mary Gleim a woman with a controversial role in Missoulas history.

Called the Madame of Missoula, Gleim was a businesswoman suspected of some businesses slightly on the border of legality, Gould said.

The speaker series includes: Feb. 20  at 10 a.m. Thomas Lewis presented by Rev. Paul Armstrong and at 10:30 a.m. Christopher P. Higgins co-founder of Missoula presented by Bob Brown; Feb. 27 at 10 a.m. is Meagher of the Sword presented by Neal Lewing; March 5  at 10 a.m. Anna Lester OKeefe presented by Emily Darling and at 10:15 a.m. Emma Slack Dickenson presented by Dawn Dambaugh.

On March 12 at 10 a.m., Maureen Lischke will present From Hungary to the Bitterroot Valley.

Although not a living history presenter, this is a very interesting history of the Countess Margit who inherited the Bitterroot Stock Farm from her grandmother, her life in Hungary and the Bitterroot Valley, Gould said. All of them are great subjects.

The Spring Speaker Series will take place in the Daly Mansion Trophy Room and is free to the public. The doors open each Saturday of the series at 9:30 a.m.

To reserve your place at these presentations call (406)363-6004 4# or email darlelne.gould@dallymansion.org. For more information, visit the website dalymansion.org.
A Hamilton man was arrested for felony driving under the influence after a Hamilton police officer first noticed his vehicle because of abnormally loud exhaust that could be heard from a block away.

Robert Eugene Sanchez, 47, appeared before Ravalli County Justice Jennifer Ray Thursday on the felony DUI charge and misdemeanor counts of driving while license is suspended, failure to have liability insurance and failure to drive on the right side of the road.

Sanchez was arrested on Feb. 11 at about 1:50 a.m. when the officer first spotted his vehicle on Hamiltons N. Second Street, in part because it was loud, according to an affidavit.

When the officer began to follow the vehicle, he noticed it was driving completely on the left-hand side of the road. As the officer followed, the vehicle continued to drift over to the wrong side of the roadway.

After being pulled over, Sanchez told the officer that he wasnt weaving across the lanes, the affidavit said. The officer could smell alcohol.

Sanchez was able to provide an Arizona drivers license, but didnt have any other of the required documents.

Sanchez initially refused to exit his vehicle to perform the standardized field sobriety tests. He eventually stepped out and when the officer said he was going to do a DUI investigation, Sanchez replied: I know this game.

Sanchez was unable to successfully complete the test. He refused to provide a breath sample. The officer confirmed his Montana drivers license was suspended.

Sanchez has prior DUI convictions in Oregon, Arizona and Montana.

Ray set bail at $10,000.
Revenue declines, the pandemic, and rising competition create new realities in higher education.
America must return to conservative principles of less government,reduced taxes, less spending and a balanced budget! Cut,cap and balance!
Uprooted Palestinians are at the heart of the conflict in the M.E Palestinians uprooted by force of arms. Yet faced immense difficulties have survived, kept alive their history and culture, passed keys of family homes in occupied Palestine from one generation to the next.
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.
I am the wrong person to be reviewing this film, I suppose. Im not American, and although this story apparently has worldwide ramifications (Australia has its own metadata laws), I think its very much a film for Americans about America, post 9/11. Its also not a very good film, and I will deal with that, whilst also being a bit ranty on how I so dont care about this as much as Im apparently supposed to. This Oscar-winning doco from Laura Poitras concerns former NSA consultant Edward Snowden and his attempt to convince everyone that he isnt anywhere near as important as the message he is trying to get out (Either hes insincere, or the filmmaker disagrees with him about that. Actually, I think its both). I found the main issues at play incredibly boring, and like WikiLeaks and Julian Assange, I think what Snowden has done, if not putting people in more danger, has the potential to do so. Therefore, I just cant get around to supporting these kinds of actions. Call me naive, but nothing that has been revealed about this whole metadata thing before or after the release of this film, has me overly concerned. Even if I were an American, I still think my attitude would largely be: Well, I have nothing to hide, so why do I care? I think anyone who is genuinely scared about all of this stuff, is just buying into conspiracy theory nonsense, or has something to hide. Also, nothing that Snowden (or WikiLeaks for that matter) revealed/released has terribly surprised or interested me. Either Im too much of a conspiracy nut or not enough of one, and it makes it really difficult for me to get into a film about this subject. I dont like the idea of government spying seemingly without having to be reined in (youd have to be insane not to havepause about it), but I just didnt care enough about it, I guess. Im more concerned with how releasing such information could lead us down a dangerous path (and even that Im not especially frightened by, to be honest).
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Local narcotics officers seized more than 20 pounds of methamphetamine on northern Arizonas highways in three days.

According to Coconino Countys multi-agency Metro narcotics task force, an Arizona Department of Public Safety trooper pulled over a passenger vehicle for an undisclosed traffic violation at about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday on eastbound Interstate 40 at milepost 198, which is near the East Butler Avenue exit on Flagstaff. The vehicle, which was on its way from California to New Mexico, contained 5 pounds of meth. Officers arrested two men on multiple charges, including transportation of a dangerous drug for sale, and booked into the Coconino County Detention Facility.

At about 2 p.m. the same day, troopers pulled over a rental vehicle heading from California to Colorado on I-40 at milepost 204, which is near the Walnut Canyon Road exit. They brought in a K-9 unit, which alerted on the vehicle. A search revealed 10 pounds of meth. One woman was arrested on charges including possession of dangerous drugs for sale and booked into the Coconino County Detention Facility.

Troopers arrested another suspect with 4.5 pounds of meth in his vehicle on Tuesday near Heber.

Three more men were arrested on drug charges Thursday after they were pulled over at about 10:54 a.m. on North Highway 89 at milepost 425, located in the Doney Park area. Officers found 3 ounces of meth and a handgun inside the vehicle. Investigators believe they intended to sell the drugs on the Navajo Nation. All three men were booked into the Coconino County Detention Facility.
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.
Hit and run

Flagstaff police are investigating a hit and run.

According to the police report, officers responded to Flagstaff Medical Center at about noon last Friday after a postal worker was brought there by ambulance. The victim said he was crossing the street in the 400 block of North Humphreys Street to deliver some mail when a gold Ford Explorer turned north onto the street. It struck him on his left side, causing him to land on the hood. The vehicle was going slowly at the time.

When he regained his footing, the victim saw the driver wave at him and then proceed northbound on North Humphreys Street once the victim started walking again. Afterward, the victim reported pain in his leg and back. He did not appear to be seriously injured.

The victim described the driver as a white male in his 50s with a dark gray beard. The investigation is ongoing.

Burglary

There was a burglary at a Flagstaff apartment last week.

According to the police report, a resident in the 4300 block of East Soliere Avenue left her apartment at approximately 10:30 a.m. last Friday. When she returned about five hours later, the side door was open. The victim noticed an envelope containing $1,000 was missing by from her dresser drawer.

The investigation is ongoing.

Charged with DUI

 Evelyn Vizcarra Hurtado, 21, of South San Francisco Street was arrested by Flagstaff Police Department and charged with DUI at 1:57 a.m. Thursday.

 James Ruben Reyes, 36, of North Hollygreen Road was arrested by Flagstaff Police Department and charged with extreme DUI at 7:48 p.m. Wednesday.

 James Patrick Holland, 30, of Charleston, S.C. was arrested by Flagstaff Police Department and charged with DUI at 10:29 p.m. Monday.

City and county residents who want to report a crime but wish to remain anonymous may call Silent Witness at 774-6111 or (877) 29-CRIME, submit a tip online at www.coconinosilentwitness.org, or text the word Flagtip along with your information to 274637 (CRIMES). Rewards of up to $2,000 are given for information that leads to an arrest.
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Nearly 17 years ago, high school students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold planned an attack on Columbine High School, which would ultimately kill 15 people, including the two shooters.

This year, in response to instances of gun violence around the world, students from Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy brought the story to the stage. The play, called "columbinus," was originally shown in 2006 off-Broadway, and was revised in 2013.

The show follows students from different stereotypical groups, such as the jock, the nerd, the stoner and the rebel, throughout their time at Columbine High School. Slowly, two of the students, labeled the loner and the freak, emerge as Klebold and Harris.

Students Jesse Haviland and Will Reddig portray the two shooters in the play.

The play depicts the two planning the attacks for months, despite completing a juvenile diversion program after they get caught stealing from a car. While in the program, both boys files were closed, and their caseworkers notes say they expect the boys to lead successful lives.

Reddig, who plays Harris, depicts the mastermind behind the attacks, a student who was beat up by bigger boys and researched how to build a pipe bomb. Haviland portrays Klebold as more fearful, worried about the consequences of his actions and afraid of death. However, he ends up giving in to Harris plan and following through with the shooting.

In the play, Reddig and Haviland pound on the back wall to symbolize shooting their fellow students. However, they do point toy guns at themselves during the scene where they take their own lives.

FALA theater teacher and show director Mike Levin said he was inspired to put on the show by instances of gun violence throughout the world, including the terrorist attack in Paris in November 2015. The group actually began rehearsing for the play the Monday after the Paris attacks, Levin said.

When I brought the idea to the students, I told them that if everyone is on board, we will do it, but if anyone said they didnt want to, we wouldnt, Levin said.

The students all agreed, though some admitted they did not quite know what they were getting into at the time.

Even reading the script made me cry, said Sophie Collier, who played one of the student stereotypes, named Perfect. Its hard to do, but it must be done.

Nina Hoover, who played the stereotype called Faith, said before the show that the performance was going to be difficult.

Its kind of terrifying, Hoover said. I knew it would be very emotionally straining.

The cast, made up of 12 students, some who were not yet born when the attack happened in 1999, were not strangers to difficult roles. However, many said that portraying characters their own age, and based on real people, made separating themselves from the act much more challenging.

In preparation for the play, Levin invited Crystal Miller, a survivor of the Columbine shooting, to speak to the high school students at FALA. Miller was in the library studying with friends when Harris and Klebold began the killing spree.

The library was the scene of the most carnage -- 10 out of the 13 victims killed were shot in the library, and 15 of the 20 who were injured were there.

We had been in there about five minutes and we began to hear chaos, Miller told the students in her speech. A teacher ran into the library and said there were guys with guns and bombs, and told us to hide under the tables.

Miller said soon another teacher came in, and told students to get out of the library immediately.

We heard popping noises and explosions, Miller said. We knew it was too late to get out.

Miller hid under a table with her friends Seth and Sara. Their table was the only one in the library where no one was killed or injured.

Seth told me, I promise I will take a bullet for you, Miller said. At that moment, I thought This is it, Im not walking out of here alive.

Miller said a girl in the library asked the two shooters why they were killing students, and they said they had been waiting to do it their whole lives.

Our school had a problem, Miller said. Bullying is a problem in big and small ways. The boys were told they were too different, too strange to ever fit in, that there would never be a place for them. For an entire year they planned these attacks on our high school. That makes me feel sad for those two boys.

When Klebold and Harris left the library, Miller and her friends took the opportunity to come out from the table and run to safety.

The room looked like a war had taken place, Miller said. I was forced to step over the bodies of my friends and classmates so I could get out alive.

Harris and Klebold ultimately returned to the library, where they turned the guns on themselves.

Miller said since the shooting she has worked to spread information about bullying, kindness and mental illness, including as a public speaker, author and working through a foundation in honor of one of the shooting victims, Rachel Scott.

In the play, during the library scene, the 911 call from inside the library is used to describe the ordeal. In the call, the shooters can be heard telling any jocks to stand up, and asking who wants to die next.

The dialogue of the call, placed by a school employee, was projected on the wall during the play. Throughout the call, sobs from audience members could be heard.

After Reddig and Haviland, playing Harris and Klebold, shoot themselves, the cast wrote the names of all 13 real victims on the wall with chalk, and held up images of the students and one teacher who were killed. While the students held the photos, audience members held each other in embraces and sobbed.

Its heartbreaking and breathtaking, Levin said. Its too much. Its too much that high schoolers went into school and shot their peers, and we are portraying that as art.
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Dusk was settling in on a warm evening last summer as Shaula Hedwall ventured into the forest below Mormon Mountain. The senior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist and two Forest Service staffers were on a mission to track a Mexican spotted owl whose calls were heard in the area the night before.

She led the group through drainages and onto ridges, pausing occasionally to mimic the owl's calls, then listening silently for a response.

Trips like Hedwalls to detect Mexican spotted owls are among a wide array of monitoring activities gearing up across the Four Forest Restoration Initiative.

While much of the focus on the 2.4 million-acre project has been on thinning trees, another major component involves tracking the environmental impacts and effectiveness of the forest work. That information will be used to adjust thinning, prescribed fire and restoration activities as needed  a process called adaptive management.

Monitoring also is crucial to maintaining trust in a project that affects thousands of acres and dozens of communities, stakeholders said.

There is a long history of contention between the Forest Service and other monitoring groups, said Travis Woolley a forest ecologist with the Nature Conservancy and a member of 4FRIs multiparty monitoring board. As the pace of restoration continues, were going to have to show the desired conditions are what we're attaining on the ground.

Tracking trees, birds and weeds

Within its annual 4FRI budget, the Forest Service has $700,000 to $800,000 to monitor forest treatments and their impacts on trees, animals, soils, watersheds and more, said Dan Kipervaser, the 4FRI monitoring coordinator.

So far, that work has included:

Sending out trained birders to specific locations in the forest, where they spend six minutes in each spot watching for songbirds and listening for their calls. The goal is to measure how or whether the populations of various bird species change before and after thinning operations.

Counting the number and diameter of trees, record the types of grasses, shrubs and other plants beneath the trees and note the presence of invasive species in designated plots. The plots will be checked again after thinning to see whether the logging achieved goals like diverse tree diameters and varied tree groupings.

Studying high resolution aerial photography to map forest canopy patterns before and after thinning.

Traveling to different spots in the forest to document northern goshawk occupancy and reproduction. Surveyors play recordings of the birds' different calls in hopes of getting a response that would indicate their presence in the area. Surveyors then use telescopes and more calling to track the birds to their nests in order to count their offspring.

Owls and bugbane

Monitoring rare or threatened species, such as the Mexican spotted owls and the herbaceous Arizona bugbane, is required by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

An initial component of the Mexican spotted owl monitoring plan calls for scientists to intensively study four owl habitat areas slated for mechanical treatment and prescribed fire.

Wildlife officials first go on nighttime calling trips to detect the owls, then do daytime follow up visits, where they set out mice to attract the adult birds. The owls will swoop down to snag the rodents and, if they have young, will carry the food off to the nest, Hedwall said. What the owls do with the mouse and where they take it allows scientists to find out whether the birds are nesting or caring for young and where that nest is located, Hedwall said.

When it comes to Arizona bugbane, forest managers will focus on the Upper West Fork area, comparing plants in areas that will see low-severity prescribed fire with plants in no-burn control areas. Officials will count plants, take photos of them and note their general condition, then see how all those things compare post-fire, Hedwall said.

Monitoring help

Several organizations are conducting their own research projects to add to the pool of 4FRI data as well.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department is studying how mammals and songbirds respond to thinning experiments that will create tree groups of varying sizes, said Jessica Gist, habitat evaluation and lands specialist with the department. The project's initial phase involves listening and watching for songbirds to estimate density and species diversity and making population estimates for Aberts squirrels by looking for munched up pinecones or ponderosa pine tree buds, the main food source of the gray tuft-eared animals, Gist said.

The city of Flagstaff, Northern Arizona University and the Rocky Mountain Research Station are comparing watersheds that receive 4FRI treatment with those that do not. Precipitation gauges will measure rain and snowfall across each watershed and a system of time-lapse cameras will show where and how much snowmelt runoff and precipitation flow through the forest.

The Nature Conservancy is developing and testing different types of computer tablet technologies that could be used to collect spatial data on where trees are cut in the forest, Woolley said.

On top of that, the Forest Service is getting inundated with requests to conduct research in the 4FRI area, Kipervaser said.

Like no other project

While monitoring over multiple years and thousands of acres presents some difficulties, the answers that come out of 4FRI will prove useful for many forest projects to come, Gist said.

Amy Waltz, with NAU's Ecological Restoration Institute, voiced a similar perspective about the benefit of landscape-scale monitoring.

It will contribute a lot for the body of science, Waltz said.
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With tomorrows arrival of Valentines Day, love is in the airand the sky beyond. The universe is loaded with symbols of this special day, from the flower-shaped Valentines Day Nebula in the constellation Cepheus, to heart-shaped craters and mesas on Mars.

But in this era when scientists using the New Horizons spacecraft have unveiled the face of Pluto, nothing in space evokes thoughts of Valentines Day like that icy bodys distinct heart-shaped feature.

For years, scientists detected splotches on Plutos surface that were brighter than surrounding areas. Former Lowell Observatory astronomer Marc Buie led efforts to create albedo maps of Pluto based on these observations, but not until New Horizons would Buie and his colleagues see detailed images of these blemishes  most notably the so-called Heart and begin to decipher their extent and physical characteristics.

The Heart is located a little north of Plutos equator. With a diameter of almost 1,000 miles, it is easily the largest surface feature on a parent body that only measures 1,474 miles across (a feature at that scale on Earth would spread twice the width of the United States!). On July 15 of last year, a day after New Horizons made its closest approach to Pluto, members of the New Horizons team informally named it Tombaugh Regio; the first word honors Pluto discoverer Clyde Tombaugh while the second word is Latin for region.

Tombaugh Regio consists of lobes, each with its own distinct geology. Even in the early stages of deciphering initial observations of these regions, scientists have discovered a number of fascinating features, particularly in the western lobe, informally known as Sputnik Planum (Sputnik after Earths first artificial satellite, Planum the Latin word for plain).

Sputnik Planum takes up an area of about 323,000 square miles, roughly the combined size of Texas and Oklahoma. It is smoother than the eastern lobe and may have been formed by an impact that gouged out a crater, which eventually filled with nitrogen ice.

Scientists, to their surprise, have not detected any craters here, indicating a relatively young surface that suggests Pluto may be geologically active. In fact, Sputnik Planum has quickly turned into a geologists paradise, with areas of blocky hills, 11,000-foot-high mountains of ice, 20-mile-wide polygons, wind streaks, pits, and ice flows.

Scientists, including Lowells Will Grundy, head of the New Horizons Surface Composition team, still have months of data to receive from the spacecraft, and that will result in years of analysis. Who knows what further treasures they will uncover in Tombaugh Regio? If the new discoveries are anything as compelling as whats already been revealed, space enthusiasts will no doubt continue their love for the little world with the big heart.
Author's Note

A literary vent, a one-sided, free-wheeling discussion, everything posted on this blog is true. Don't mistake that to mean everything here is fact. Frequently, I paint with a broad brush, coloring things to a degree of my own choosingfor the sake of art.



My characters remind me of what Dr. J. Kennedy Schultz once said--and they insist I post it here:



When I say something about you, it may or may not be true about you, however, I always reveal something of myself.



Judging from some of the comments people have made to me, I wish to remind them this works in BOTH directions.



Thank you.




The Zynna store entrance

As the country begins to embrace an oncoming change of season, the roster for events in the city is revving up more than before, for this precise reason; new season new things to do. With trade and commerce being a major focus to revive the country's economy, French fabric maker Stof, has joined hands with Indian design based firm, Zynna to launch their new collections in India. The main focus of their launch has been the Digital Collection (a series of 30-printed fabrics, replicating the exact drawings), Toile De Jouy (a collection depicting landscapes and classic scenes, and Linen ( a 100% linen) collection.

Zynna furnishings

Since the Indian market remains a large playing field for the foreign brands, there is always a different reason why each brand ties up with one here in India. On asking Reteish Sharma (MD, Zynna) about this, he mentioned, " The fact that STOF is the world's 3rd largest fabric producer and the brand personality it has, we thought of that as a perfect partnership between us." The obvious question arising, as to what the identity of the Stof brand is, Thibaut Fradet (Area Sales Manager) replied with some French elan, " A nature designer, colorful, a dynamic spirit, and a strong persona, is what Stof is about." For those delving into designing, especially Retesh himself, an alumni of NID (National Institute of Design), the image and persona makes a genuine bit of difference to the customers they target. So, is it the generic customer, or who is it that they are after? Or is it a special category, since the product list is obviously expensive?

Zynna fabrications

Thibaut mentions, " For us, its architects, interior designers, the hotels, for example the Mariott, and even some private homes." For those making an identity for themselves through their home, the options available with Stof and Zynna will be what they are looking for. The Thibaut was generous about showing a picture of the Stof fabric put up in the lobby area of the premier hotels of the city, and it has indeed hit the right notes so to say.









Some of the solid block fabrics of the Stof's latest lot





India is a market that generously takes to things which are foreign, especially in the aesthetic and creative space. The word itself rings a bell, and hence should be attention grabber for the audience here. However, in such a scenario, the big question also comes as to whether Stof and Zynaa will experiment with anything Indian or not. Retesh clarified, "We love Indian fabrics. We do a lot from India, but need to create a blend of our offerings to make it more interesting." What this translates into is that while Stof is wholly about French aesthetics for Indian consumers, Zynna is right now focusing on creating that blend with emphasis on designs from outside India, to create the perfect mix.





Some more of the French fabrics





With Stof's entry into India, the next question arising from the business point of view would be, how does the arrangement work? Thibaut says that Stof will be selling through Zynna. The process would begin with Zynna buying from Stof, getting billed for it, and then delivered at Zynaa for final delivery to customer. Retesh then pitched in further clarity that the products reach the customers through franchise outlets, 'Shop-in-Shop' stores, but such an expansion would not be a haphazard one. There will be just 1 store per city as per currently plans, and the person taking up the responsibility for the brands, will not just have the minimum financial criterion to fulfill, but some with the right 'sensibility'. The last word actually clicks it for Retesh, who as mentioned before, happens to be a NID alumni.





The extensive line up from Stof





For the time being, the outlet in New Delhi will be the main focus, and working through the known names of architecture and interior design will be quiet the task. Later, the footprint ought to increase in Mumbai, Kolkata, and even Bangalore, which are main metropolitan cities of the country.





The brand identity





Rounding-off with Thibaut, he describes what the Stof brand signature is like. "Good Quality fabrics, obviously French, trendy, and would love to suggest the French taste in India. But would also be adopting accordingly to the Indian tastes," commented Thibaut. While the lot of us who like to 'Indianize' things, the use of foreign brands will actually stand the test of time, only when their main brand identity remains on the lines of what the Area Sales Manager of Stof discussed. Till then, this is to great homes!





Some more glimpses of event:





A very French style chair with Stof fabrics





Thibaut Fradet showing of some designs









Retesh Sharma




You have your Valentine's Day dinner reservation all locked down, right? And it's somewhere romantic? And you're sure it's not going to give you and your date food poisoning? Well, bad news kidos, as we learn today that that last bit may be even more beyond your control than you previously thought. You see, it seems that in many cases the weekly updated list of restaurant inspection scores is woefully out of date  and even if your go-to spot has a perfect score it may be so old as to longer be relevant. The San Francisco Department of Public Health has reportedly been so understaffed that it can't even maintain its own standards for restaurant inspection frequency.

So reports the San Francisco Business Times, which notes a shortage of health inspectors means that the goal of visiting SF restaurants at least once every six months to look for rats in your food goes frequently unmet. A quick check by the publication shows that Foreign Cinema (which we just called out for having a dope all-season patio), for example, was last inspected on March 26 of 2014. While we hasten to add that Foreign Cinema received a perfect score the last three times it was inspected, the point remains that an inspection score so out of date essentially becomes meaningless.

The Executive Director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, Gwyneth Borden, agreed with this assessment in conversation with the Times.

Although restaurants are supposed to be inspected every six months, some have gone 18 months without an inspection, noted Borden. This lapse of time means that the score is out of date, which is not of benefit to the restaurant or the consumer.

A department spokesperson told the Business Times that, well, they're working on it.

In the Bay Area, the food industry has experienced tremendous growth in recent years, from food trucks to brick-and-mortar restaurants, explained Nancy Sarieh. Currently the Environmental Health Branch is able to conduct routine inspections of restaurants in the City and County of San Francisco once per year.

Er, well, almost once a year, anyway.

Perhaps more reassuringly, Sarieh noted that the Department hired ten more inspectors last month, and that with those hires it is much closer to meeting its goal of 29 health inspectors. The new employees, however, need to be trained and won't hit the mean streets of SF until March.

Until that time, well, bon appetit!

Related: Yelp Now Explicitly Warning You Off Restaurants With Poor Health Scores
The alleged gay bashing of 28-year-old Jeffery Lafayette outside of the Marina's Hi Fi Lounge last weekend is a painful reminder that, even in San Francisco, violence is still perpetrated against people because of their perceived sexual orientation. And so, in an act of defiance and solidarity, a group calling themselves the Gay Mafia plans to take over the Hi Fi Lounge a week from today on February 19.

First picked up by San Francisco Magazine, the event is billed as less of a protest and more of a party.

"Join us for a festive gay takeover of a straight bar in Marina," reads a Facebook post from the group. "Repeat! A *festive* and *fun* takeover of a straight bar (or maybe just one that's not typically gay?), where we show up as a big gaggle of glittery nonsense and feel comfortable to be silly and loud because there are so many of us."

The bar, for its part, is welcoming the group with open arms.

"We at the HiFi Lounge want to be very clear that our doors are ALWAYS open to EVERYONE," reads a HiFi Lounge Facebook post. "Over the last 16 years at HiFi we have opened our doors and hosted and thrown events that are inclusive of all San Franciscans and their friends, no matter what race, gender or sexual orientation. While we are not sure what led to the events of last Saturday outside of our business we want to be very clear that we hold no bias in our place of business. And most importantly, we NEVER want to see any type of hate."

The Gay Mafia, notes SF Mag, follows in the footsteps of Guerrilla Queer Bar  which in the 90's and early 2000's would organize groups of LGBTQ people to descend en masse on traditionally straight bars.

No one has been arrested in the assault on Lafayette, and although he initially declined to file a police report, in a comment on SFist earlier today he noted his intention to do so.

"I am working with the SFPD already," he writes, "and the report will be filed on Tuesday!"

Previously: Confirmed: Gay Bashing Took Place In The Marina, Outside Hi Fi Lounge


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When you think that you are right, you could be wrong...When you think that you are wrong, you could be right...Things are never what they at first appear to be. Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
If you're interested in Sierra Madre politics (and if you are reading The Tattler chances are pretty good that you are), you owe it to yourself to check out the Neuroblast Films site on You Tube. It features some key filmed moments from recent Sierra Madre history, all from the perspective of those who love the place. Be sure to rate the films and leave comments. Click on "videos" to see the entire inventory, there is a lot available. Another fine website for you to enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/neuroblastfilms
STORM LAKE, Iowa | The Rev. Tim Friedrichsen smiled wide on the morning of Ash Wednesday at his office in the new St. Mary's Parish Center.

"I did my first Spanish Mass last night after returning from four weeks in Nicaragua," he said.

The brief mission trip contained two aims:

First, to help Friedrichsen with his growing comprehension of Spanish, a language spoken in a large percentage of the 1,600 households served by St. Mary's Catholic Church in Storm Lake, where this native of Schleswig, Iowa, has served for 2 1/2 years.

Second, the experience further solidified the "sister Parish" relationship St. Mary's enjoys with Santa Lucia Catholic Church, a church serving the rural community of Santa Lucia in the state of Boaco.

"Our parishes contact and pray for one another," Friedrichsen said. "We support their efforts of religious education through funding. We brought one of their priests, Padre Sergio to St. Mary's last October. He's a new pastor serving Santa Lucia."

Padre Sergio, who speaks very little English, was helped along during his stay by the Rev. Dave Esquiliano, who serves St. Mary's in Storm Lake with Friedrichsen. It is Esquiliano, a native of Mexico, who has been aiding Friedrichsen in his beginning studies of Spanish.

January represented a brief break from the classroom for Friedrichsen, who also serves as priest/president of St. Mary's School. While examining his calendar, Friedrichsen determined he could set aside a month-long period for an extended field trip to Nicaragua, the second poorest country of the Western Hemisphere.

"I wanted to learn about the parish at Santa Lucia while studying Spanish," he said.

Did he learn? In a word, "Si." (That's "yes," in Spanish.)

"It was the longest and farthest outside of my box that I have been," said Friedrichsen, 58, who experienced first-hand a faith community that's vibrant and challenged by daily difficulties surrounding modern conveniences like running water.

"To shower, you pour room-temperature water over your head," said Friedrichsen, a priest for the past 31 years. "You must carry the water you use, so you become very conscientious about water use."

He noted that Santa Lucia, a city of about 1,800 people, strives to become connected to the rest of the world. The city park in town, like other city parks Friedrichsen witnessed, boasted of having free Wifi.

"They strive to make phone connections good," he said.

On the language side, Friedrichsen worked each day with a tutor. He also listened and attempted to follow conversations, most of which were done in Spanish.

"As a student, I had studied Dutch, German and Latin for one year," he said, stifling a laugh. Spanish, a Romance language, has some similarities to English and Latin. But, not enough for a newcomer.

"During my second day there, the priest motioned to me to con-celebrate the Mass," Friedrichsen said, mocking his own limited ability. "I shook my head because I knew nothing at that point."

His goal, at that time, was to preside and preach at all three Masses at Santa Lucia on the final Sunday of January. Friedrichsen met that goal.

"The Jesuits like to say that a good liturgy is when no one gets hurt," the affable priest said with a laugh. "Well, nobody got hurt at the three Masses I celebrated on that last Sunday."

Friedrichsen even wrote and delivered a 15-minute homily. Impressive? Perhaps, but he said parishioners at Santa Lucia, and throughout Nicaragua are accustomed to 25-minute homilies.

At the Spanish Mass in Storm Lake on Tuesday, Friedrichsen read from The Bible. He then delivered a homily that covered 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Several among the 40 to 50 parishioners present praised him for his effort.

"Bueno" and "muy bien" were common reactions.

The experience has left Friedrichsen in awe of immigrants who come to cities like Storm Lake and tackle work and family assignments while attempting to learn a new language and culture.

"I had to focus on the language during my stay," he said. "I had that luxury, if you will. There are people who come here and work two to three jobs and then try to learn the language at the same time.

"It is hard work," he concluded. "It was as hard a month as any I've had while researching and working as a priest."

That said, it was also most rewarding. Friedrichsen will attempt to build on the foundation he's building with this, a second language. He'll also attempt to grow the relationship shared between two rural Catholic congregations, one in Iowa and one in Boaco.

"Doing this was a joy," Friedrichsen said. "I will go back. Definitely. We'd really like to take some upperclassmen (at St. Mary's High School) and some parishioners."

If things go well, it might happen by the end of this year.
To know more visit Philippine-International

Hot Air Balloon Fiesta sites

Promo video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ6361G5YcQ

Official hashtag: #BalloonFestPH

Official website:

http://philbaloonfest.net

Official Facebook Page:

@pihabf

Official Twitter account:

@philballoonfest

Official Instagram account:

@philballoonfest

You can do many things while at the 20th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Clark Field, Pampanga. After watching the flight of the balloons, you have many options that you can do around the venue, you can do a food trip, try visit the activity booths, shopping at the bazaar area and get a close encounter with the members of the air force and army.There are also some car drifting show, sky diving, aerial fly bys of fighter jets, mini planes and RC flying toys and so many more.Ive listed a compilation of Things to do and this will give you a preview of whats inside the hot air balloon fest.For details of the event just go here - http://azraelsmerryland.blogspot.com/2016/01/20th-philippine-international-hot-air.html For program schedule, just visit http://www.philballoonfest.net/2016-official-program/ PHOTO OP WITH THE BALLOONSSympre the trip will is not complete if you dont have a photo op with the hot air balloons. If you are at the ramp area, then you are lucky to have a snapshot close to the balloon. For people who are staying at the audience area, I suggest that take a selfie photo right away when you saw that the balloons are flying above you.If you are alone, then bring a monopod and a smartphone for your selfies.CAMPINGThey allow camping inside the venue, just bring your own tent. But take note that cooking or making a fire place are now allowed inside.DONT FORGET TO HAVE A PHOTO HEREThe back of the hanger is a good back drop for your photo souvenir.FOOD TRIP AROUND THE FOOD COURT AREAIm happy that the food that they sell for this year have reasonable and affordable prices. Thanks to the balloon fest organizers for putting up a value meal deals.I bought my Pampanga tapa with fried rice, 2 eggs and tocino for a price of less than PHP 200.TRY LOTS OF FOOD TASTINGYes..I love food tasting!!!! I noticed these booths that sells noodles and coffee from Malaysia (I think)You can try the food taste before you buy the actual food or drinks.The coffee is goodits a must try it if you love dark roast coffee.TAKE A REST AT THE DINING AREAThe dining area is for your dining pleasure and also a place where you can take a rest after an early travel to Clark Field Pampanga.Btw, the Globe mobile internet signal here is strong. we received 4G or LTE signal here.A time to post photos on Instagram, after eating our late breakfast.BE CAREFUL WALKING ON THE GRASSY FIELDJust be careful walking on the grassy field especially to those who have kids. Just walk slowlydont run and always hold the hands of your kids or senior loved ones.I accidentally stepped on a crater covered with lots of grass and my right foot got twisted Im glad that the pain was gone after some rest.MEET YOUR FRIENDS AT THE BALLOON FESTI was surprised to see our blogger friends at the balloon fest event.Greeting time and selfie moment to immortalize the accidental meet up.yo James! mag blog ka na uli hahahaa.VISIT THE HANGAR FOR BOOTH ACTIVITIES AND PHOTO OPSThere are two hangars at the site that contains lots of exhibits and activity booths. At the other side of the venue there are more hangars filled with Aviation school booths and mini bazaars.JOIN THE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST AT THE BONAMINE BOOTHIf you want to challenge yourself, then I suggest you join the photo contest by Bonamine.Just visit their booth for the mechanics and registration.PHOTO WALL AREAVisit the Bonamine booth for a photo op at their photo wall.Its freeINFLATABLE PLAYGROUND FOR THE KIDDIESFor the kiddies.. you wont get bored here because a jumpy and soft inflatable playground is available for you. I think theres a fee in using the playground.FOR ADULTSVISIT OKAMOTO BOOTHValentines day na kaya bumisita ako dito sa booth. I giggled like a kid when I saw this brand hahahahah. Visit the booth and get free samples of their product Btw, for those who are not aware on how to use it, these two girls will teach you on how to use it properly. They use their hands only for the demo. Kaya relax and have an open mind.to Eli and Ian..you need this pre hahaha.SHADE INSIDE THE HANGAR AND HAVE A MINI PICNIC AWAY FROM THE SUNIt was scorching hot inside at around 11am. I noticed that many people do camp under the shade of the hangar. Plus the wind is much cooler and its less stressful because you are well protected under the heat of the sun.Bring a picnic mat or banig and have a rest while waiting for the sun to shift to the other side.BIKE AROUND THE BALLOON FEST EVENT AREAIve seen a lot of bicycle riders inside the venue. I asked this teenager if he rode the bike going from Angeles City main city to Clark Field. He said that the bike belongs to his friend and he used it as his transport from school to this venue.VISIT AND SHOP AT THE BAZAAR AREANovelty items, clothings, toys, shoes and other stuff are sold at the bazaar area.SHOES SHOPPINGIf you broke your shoe during your trip, then heres a store that can help you replace your broken shoe with a new one.All Nike shores are sold here at the bazaar area.ANYTHING THAT FLIES ITEMSInvite your kids or loved ones to play the kite with you. You can buy a kite here at the bazaar.There are styro planes available too and some bubble maker that are perfect for the windy environment.RUB ELBOWS WITH THE AIR FORCEAt the 2nd hangar, theres a booth of our Philippine Navy, Air Force, Army and search and rescue team.Visit their booth if you want to know more about the job that they do for our country.JOIN THE AIR FORCE BOOTHIf you have the guts..then join the air force teamJOIN THE ARMYor join the army.. ..or as an army reserve.omg.your truly is an army reserve ( I havent reported to them after graduating ROTC)CLOSE UP LOOK OF THE ARMAMENT OF A JET FIGHTER PLANETheres a real jet fighter plane inside hangar 2, also you can have a closer look of the armament of the fighter jet.Our country have these old jets and they are still operational.Luma na..pero pwede pa sa bakbakan yan(group photo by Tess Claudio )WEAR THE GEAR AND UNIFORM OF THE SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAMOur rescue team unit invites every one to visit their booth and also try to wear their uniform and gear.Have a feeling of being part of their team.CLOSE UP LOOK OF HAND GRENADESDont worry, they are empty hand grenades for exhibitPHOTO OP WITH THE BIG GUNSMy fave part here is that you can try hold and carry our armys heavy artillery.And then just imagine, you carry these while trekking the mountains and its with you for the sake of your lifeTAKE A PORTALET BREAKHeres the portalet CR area behind the walls of hangar 2Just be careful walking on the grassy area, because the middle part is covered with mud.YKL PRINTING SERVICESAnother way of immortalizing your photos print it here at YKLPHOTO BOOTH BY THE PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL HOT AIR BALLOONOfficial merchandise of the event are sold here.VISIT THE JOLLIBEE FOOD TRUCK AND MEET THE MASCOTSThe crazy part of our tour around the venue is to meet the Jollibee mascots.PHOTO OP WITH JOLLIBEEObligatory photo op sympre with Jollibee.FLY KITEFlying a kite is my fave hobby here in Cavite and also at a beach. I became a kite flyer again last 2013, so here I am at the hot air balloon fest trying to fly my newly bought kite.priced at PHP 80left: kite of Jollibeeright: my preferred type of kite, its only sold at PHP 80 and its a waterproof type of kite. Heto gamit ko pag nasa beach ako. Nalipad sya kahit nabasa sa dagat.BEAT THE SCORCHING HEAT WITH AN ICE CREAMIndulge yourself with an ice cold ice cream. This ice cream truck is so cute.Another Instagramish item for you.PHOTO OP AND RIDE THE MINI TANKSReal tanks that are available for photo op.PHOTO OP AND CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH THE VEHICLES OF OUR AIR FORCEI just wished that my son is with me.Im sure he will enjoy having a close encounter with real life jet fighter planes and helicoptersThe old jets are for exhibit, but the helicopter and the planes at the back of the fence are still operational.VISIT THE AVIATION SCHOOL BOOTH AREAIf your kid wants to be a pilottheres a place here at the balloon fest that can help you decide which school and course is best for you kidMINI AIRPLANE EXHIBITJust spotted this one propeller mini plane.SHINY SMALL PLANE THAT CAN BE INVISIBLE IN THE SKYIm sure the shiny metal body will give proper stealth when this plane soars in the skyDRIFT CAR SHOW AT THE RAMPCars are also included in the show., they do not fly but they do drift and do stunts with other aerial fly bys.SOUVENIR SHIRTSTake home a souvenir shirt as your memorabilia of the balloon festPLAY THINGS FOR THE LITTLE TOTSI was planning to buy one, but its too big!Its hard to carry it when commuting.MEDICAL CITY ON STAND BYDocs and nurses are on stand by here at the balloon festINFORMATION BOOTHAll questions will be answered here.FREE WATER FOR ALLRefill your tumbler here theres an ice cold water available for everyoneand its FREE!HORSE BACK RIDINGIf you nearly finished the activity and booths inside the balloon fest, then check out the horseback riding near the parking lot.Thanks for viewing my blog post coverageFeel free to surf around my blog post about the 20th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2016here are my collection of blog post2. Things you can do inside the balloon fest 3. Behind the scenes 4. Food tripping around Angeles City during the balloon fest You can also read my past hot air balloon fest story and coveragejust go to http://azraelsmerryland.blogspot.com/search/label/hot%20air%20balloon%20fest%20blog%20series The 20th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta is made possible by The Philippine Army YKL Colors , and FujiFilm
SIOUX CITY | Four of the five Woodbury County officials whose terms expire at the end of 2016 plan to run for re-election in November.

The Journal surveyed all five officeholders ahead of the March candidate filing period. Those seeking re-election are Sheriff Dave Drew, Auditor Pat Gill and County Supervisors Jackie Smith and Mark Monson.

Supervisor Larry Clausen, the longest-tenured supervisor, said he is still making a decision but leaning toward not running again. Clausen was first elected in 1982.

There are five supervisors seats, and the three supervisors with expiring terms are all Democrats. The other two supervisors are Jeremy Taylor and Matthew Ung, both Republicans, who are two years into their first terms and won't face re-election until 2018.

All the county office seats are for four years, for terms that would run from 2017 through 2020. The filing period for people to officially file for county office in Iowa runs from March 7 to 30. So far, no other people beyond the incumbents have announced their candidacies for county office.

Smith, who won terms in 2008 and 2012, said she hopes to move up to 12 years of service with another term. Smith served as board chair in 2012.

"For me, the last eight years has not been about power or ego, but about service. I would like the opportunity to continue to serve the citizens of Woodbury County, because there is more to be done to make a strong community," Smith said.

Monson is seeking a fourth term after first being elected in 2004. Monson was chairman of the supervisors in 2015, when he said he was proud to lead a modernization of the county with more transparent decision-making. He said that includes more strategic planning and improving the budgeting process.

"I think we've made some tremendous changes in the past year. It has opened up a lot of possibilities to make great headway in county government," Monson said.

Gill, a Democrat, is seeking a sixth term. He is nearing the end of 20 years as auditor after first being elected in 1996. The auditor office handles elections and payment of bills, and Gill currently leads a team of 16 employees.

"I love doing the job. I hope they give me the opportunity to continue. I love working in elections and administering those for the county," Gill said.

Drew, a Republican, has worked for the Sheriff's Office in varying capacities since 1984. He was elected sheriff in 2012.

Drew said he enjoys the work of leading a staff of 118 in new elements of community policing, making the jail run efficiently and transitioning to the addition of body cameras on personnel so the public can see how they perform on the job.

Drew said he wants a second term since he enjoys leading the office.

"You are a servant of the people but you are a leader out there," Drew said.
SIOUX CITY | There's a brotherhood that develops between men who wear oversize shoes and big, bulbous noses.

This is the contention of Chris Twiford, 38, a member of Abu Bekr Shrine Clown Unit for the past 16 years.

"When in costume, we get to do things we can't ordinarily do," the Dakota City native explained, adding it can be a real bonding experience.

Twiford will soon have plenty of time to bond with his fellow big-top inhabitants.

Clowns from throughout North America will be coming to Sioux City, Wednesday through Feb. 20, as a part of International Shrine Clown Association (ISCA) mid-winter convention at the Shrine Centre, 820 Nebraska St.

"Conventions are usually held in bigger communities," Twiford, who goes by the name "Clyde the Clown," said. "This is the first time one has been held in Sioux City."

While the majority of the convention will be dedicated to private, educational meetings in which clowns hone their skills, a free and open-to-the-public skit competition will be held at 9 a.m. Feb. 20 in the Shrine Centre's auditorium.

"We're hoping for a good turnout," Twiford said of the judged program. "It's more fun when clowns have a big audience reacting to our silliness."

As a child, Twiford said he was attracted to slapstick.

"When we got cable, I remember watching (Chicago Superstation WGN's) 'Bozo's Circus' every day," he remembered. "Plus I've been to every (Abu Bekr) Shrine Circus since I was an infant."

This made joining Abu Bekr Shrine Clown Unit an easy transition for Twiford, who is one of the unit's youngest members.

"I was 22 years old when I joined," he recalled. "It wasn't intimidating because most of the other members joined as young men. The only difference is that they'd been Shriners for 30 or 40 years."

Twiford said he learned proper clown etiquette from Kelly Houts, past president of the Abu Bekr Clown Unit and a member with more than 35 years of experience.

While Houts -- who goes by the stage name "Whoops" -- prefers to be made up as a classic clown, Twiford has developed a tramp clown character in "Clyde."

"'Clyde' is a mix between (legendary clown) Emmett Kelly as well as (comedian) Red Skelton's Freddie the Freeloader character," Twiford noted. "I think (tramp clowns) are less scary for kids."

Indeed, it is children and their families who benefit from the charitable arm of the Shriners.

The International Shrine Clown Association members participate in programs in support of the 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

In addition, the association's Sneaker Fund is a specific program that raises donations going toward burn research at all of the Shriners Hospital for Children.

"Being a clown may be fun," Twiford said, "but visiting the hospitals and seeing, first hand, the impact we're having on families really touches our hearts."

Twiford said he's looking forward to clowning around with Shriners from all across North America.

"A smile is a terrible thing to waste," he said, "We're changing the world one smile at a time."
Todays top picks from our online calendar. Find more events at siouxcityjournal.com/calendar.

Bagels and Birds: Join us for the Great Backyard Bird Count! We will view and count birds at our feeders while we snack on tasty bagels 9-10:30 a.m. at Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, 4500 Sioux River Road. Also make a small, edible bird feeder for your birds in your own backyard. Please pre-register by calling 712-258-0838 or email tkruid@woodburycountyiowa.gov.

Sioux City Symphony: Music selected by, presented by and performed by the musicians of the Sioux City Symphony 7:30 p.m. at the Orpheum Theater, 528 Pierce St. Call 712-258-9164 for more information.

Instrument donation day: Donate an instrument for musicians in need 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at The Sioux City Conservatory of Music, 1309 Pierce St. All gear accepted, all must be in working condition. Individuals who donate will receive a 2016 membership to The Conservatory, and a show pass to a Conservatory live show. Visit www.siouxcityconservatory.com or call 712-574-1751 for more information.
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
doug.d.lins@gmail.com

If you are excited about the work the Barefoot Doctors are doing in Myanmar, you may wish to contribute to the fund for the medicines and medical supplies they need every month. You can use either of the addresses below, but please make sure you note that you want your donation to go toward the Barefoot Doctors ministry. The mission that sponsors the Barefoot Doctors program is called Frontier Labourers for Christ.You may also wish to jump over to FLC's website and/or use their donation page: http://frontierlabourersforchrist.org/donate.html for making your contribution.Please make sure you note that you want your donation to go to the "Barefoot Doctors" program.Thanks for your help!For tax deductible donationsU.S.A. :Doug Lins, FLC TreasurerP.O. Box 630382Highlands Ranch, CO 80163Tel. O: 303-904-2177E-mail:CANADA:David Kindy, FLC TreasurerP.O. Box 194Selkirk, ON N0A 1P0Tel.: 905-776-3847E-mail: flc@ocainc.ca
For Book Clubs

I am available to book clubs, either in person or via Zoom, upon request. Contact me at morelonhouse --at-- optonline --dot-- net for details.
For Caspers Construction, one of the best compliments is when a satisfied customer comes back with another job request.

Owner Gene Caspers said its a compliment the Beatrice contractors get a lot.

I would say probably 75 percent of our work is repeat customers, Caspers said. Getting satisfaction out of the people you work for that appreciate you doing the work, has been one of the best parts of being a contractor, he said.

Caspers has had a hand in building many major landmarks in Beatrice. The Beatrice High School House of Orange outdoor stadium was a Caspers joint venture with another company, as was the Beatrice Community Hospital and Health Center at the north edge of the city. Now Caspers and a Lincoln company are working together on a 17,500-square-foot expansion for the hospital.

The company has also been busy in the industrial park, Caspers said, doing construction work for the soon-to-launch Duonix Biodiesel plant and putting up an office building for Neapco.

Some customers have a long history with Caspers. He said he has been doing work for Neapco for about 25 years, and that contracting work at the old hospital at 10th and Arthur streets is what brought him to Beatrice decades ago.

I was laying brick there in 1968. Id just gotten out of the service, Caspers recalled. He later founded his construction company in 1974 with his wife, Elsie.

Caspers daughter, Deanne Caspers-Moon, is the companys project manager. She said over the years theyve been involved in repeated expansion projects with growing businesses.

Thats a great compliment, when we have customers that continue to come back to us because of the quality of work that we deliver, Caspers-Moon said. We strive very hard to maintain those relationships.

Another long-term relationship of the company is with its employees, some of which Caspers-Moon said have been working with them for over 20 years.

Thats unusual in construction, to have employees that stay that long with the company, she said, adding that its fortunate to have such an experienced crew.

Caspers-Moon said they have 15 regular employees, which they try to keep busy year-round. A lot of contractors lay off in the winter; we try not to do that.

The biggest challenge for the company and the industry in general, Caspers-Moon said, is finding the right employees. She said its less about experience and skills, and more about having the right attitude.

Were willing to train, but youve got to find somebody who has the work ethic, she said. And finding people that have that work ethic, that want to get into the construction field, is challenging.

But, Caspers-Moon said theres a lot of satisfaction in the work they do.

One of the things thats fun about what we get to do is we get to work with a customer whos having a challenge and we can help them solve their challenge, she said.  Its a lot of fun that theres a beginning and an end, and at the end youve got a satisfied customer.

Mitch Deines, president of the Beatrice Community Hospital board of directors, said when the hospitals board chose Caspers and Lincoln company Sampson Construction to build the new hospital, it was in part because they wanted to keep business local and because Caspers had a first-rate reputation.

The hospital was completed in 2012. Three years later, when services had grown so much BCH needed to expand again, Deines said there wasnt much discussion about who would do the work.

We had so much success with the first go round that we went right back to them, Deines said. When you put your name on something, you have a stake in it. Especially when youre local, thats your reputation on the line, and they produce a great, solid product.

Beatrice Public Schools Superintendent Pat Nauroth said the Caspers-Sampson partnerships work on the hospital was one of the reasons the two companies were selected to oversee potential construction of a proposed new elementary school. He said the good outcome of hospital project indicated the joint venture could handle a large community development.

We also like the idea that Caspers is a local company and this is something local taxpayers would pay for, Nauroth said.

BPS Business Manager John Brazell said even though being a local company is a plus for Caspers, they wouldnt have been selected to build the proposed school or the House of Orange (completed in 2012) if they didnt have the best proposals.

Although the proposal for a bond to fund building a new elementary school did not pass last year, Brazell said the Caspers joint venture still would be the school boards likely choice for the project if a bond passes in the future.

To me, more key than anything, is with construction projects something always happens. Working with (Caspers) to resolve issues, they took care of everything that came up, Brazell said, recalling the companys work on the high school stadium. If there was a problem, he said, they did the right thing.
Three members of the NGage economic development groups board of directors will each serve additional three-year terms.

The group hosted its annual meeting Thursday, where contributing members were given the opportunity to nominate and vote for board members.

Andrea Schafer, Patrick Ratigan and Steve Hovendick were all selected to remain on the board and continue in their roles as officers. No other nominees were presented.

Schafer is the current president and Ratigan the vice president and Chamber of Commerce representative on the NGage board. Executive board positions will be reassigned at the boards next meeting, Feb. 18.

Contributing members who attended Thursdays meeting included representatives from Gage County and the city of Beatrice, the two groups that each contribute up to $100,000 annually to NGage. Representatives from contributing businesses Diode Communications, Beatrice Community Hospital Foundation, Caspers Construction, First National Bank of Omaha, Precise Fabrication and Security First Bank also attended the meeting.

The villages of Adams and Cortland, which both contribute to NGage, voted by proxy.

Glennis McClure, executive director of NGage, presented NGages annual report during the meeting.

Highlights from the past year include Beatrice being recertified as an economic development community last January and announcements of expansions at Beatrice Community Hospital and Health Center.

McClure also discussed NGages goals for the area with those in attendance.

There are six objectives that NGage has, three primary ones. Attracting business, retaining business and also working with small businesses as they grow and develop here in this area, she said. Those are our key activity objectives.

McClure said other highlights from 2015 included announcements by Landmark Snacks, DaVita Dialysis and Scooters Coffee to move into the area, and also the upcoming opening of the Duonix biodiesel plant.

Thursdays meeting also featured a presentation from Deborah McCaslin, executive director of the Custer County Economic Development Corporation, who discussed previous success stories with the group.
The honor society of agriculture, Gamma Sigma Delta, at the University of Nebraska selected Paul C, Hay of Beatrice and Steve Waller of Lincoln as 2015 Distinguished Service to Agriculture, Award of Merit honorees.

The awards were presented at a Jan. 31 awards banquet. The first ever Distinguished Service Award also went to a Gage County Extension educator, the first one from 1913, Otto Liebers.

Also honored at the banquet were McKenzie Beals, a junior in Animal Science from Alexandria, Neb., as an undergraduate initiate and Hillary Fischer, a senior Insect Science student from Beatrice (headed to graduate school at the University of Arkansas) was awarded the Arthur Von Bergen Memorial Award for High Academic Record.
The specter of raising Nebraskas cigarette tax brought out a long list of supporters and opponents from inside and outside of the state Thursday.

But before the Legislatures Revenue Committee could get through the list of opponents wanting to testify, the power to the building shut down, leaving the hearing room in the dark.

A short in a lightbulb in a master control panel blew fuses in both the primary power source and the backup, the governors spokesman Taylor Gage explained.

Not knowing when the power might be restored, Revenue Chairman Mike Gloor, who introduced the bill (LB1013), canceled the hearing and two others that were to follow. They will be rescheduled.

The proposal would raise the current 64-cent tax by $1.50 per pack, and the average total tax on cigarettes in Nebraska to $3.62 a pack, including federal cigarette tax and state and local sales taxes.

It also would increase the tax on tobacco products  cigars, chew, loose tobacco  from 26 percent to 31 percent by weight.

But it could raise an extra $120 million in revenue for the state in its first year  much of it going to property tax cuts, with the leftover $30 million divided among various health care-related programs.

And the added bonus, Gloor said, is that its expected people will stop or reduce their smoking rather than pay higher taxes.

The property tax components include $45 million in additional tax credits for property owners and another $45 million to expand personal property tax exemptions that lawmakers approved last year.

Gloor estimated the long-term Medicaid savings would be close to a half billion dollars.

He knew some people would call the tax regressive, he said, because a large segment of smokers are low-income.

Committee member Jim Smith of Papillion said people who are addicted to cigarettes are not going to stop. Theyll just pay more, many out of wages that are stagnant.

Proponents of the bill said the higher tax could dissuade teens and young adults from starting to smoke.

Joanna Hejl, a Lincoln High School student, said every year about 1,400 young Nebraskans pick up the habit of smoking daily.

If this trend continues, 38,000 minors alive in our state today will die prematurely from smoking, she said.

Dr. Ali Khan, dean of the UNMC College of Public Health, gave senators a list of UNMC health programs that would benefit from the tax revenue produced by the bill. One was a program that recruits, trains and retains behavioral health professionals, especially in rural areas.

Sen. Jim Scheer of Norfolk asked whether it was the responsibility of the state or the responsibility of an exclusive portion of the population to fund those programs.

You cannot sit and tell me that all of the health problems in the state of Nebraska are going to be cured by raising the cigarette taxes and providing the funds for those entities on this list, Scheer said.

All of those programs at the end of the day help smokers, Khan said.

A few opponents got to testify before the lights went out.

Coby Mach, in his role as co-owner of the Nebraska Cigar Festival, said the tax increase on people who enjoy an occasional cigar was not the way solve the states tax problems, or a way to get people to quit smoking cigars.

The bill would increase taxes on Nebraska businesses and citizens  businesses that are in a battle that is so large, it could actually be called a war, Mach said.

People would go to Internet retailers, he said, that do not collect or remit any taxes.

Rich Marianos, a law enforcement consultant, said increasing the cigarette tax could decrease public safety, as criminal activities come into the state through the black market and organized crime, even terrorists.

I will guarantee you, and my word is my bond, that if a large increase comes in, you are going to import criminal activity from the lower-tax states. Its just how this new face of organized crime is operating, he said.
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry expressed optimism Thursday about the badly needed replacement of the deteriorating runway at Offutt Air Force Base.

From all indications, Fortenberry said after meeting with the Air Force director of civil engineers, the Offutt runway replacement is not a matter of if. It is a matter of when.

At stake is continued location of the 55th Wing and its 5,500 military and civilian employees at the base near Bellevue.

The design process is already underway, Fortenberry said.

During the coming year, the Air Force will engage in additional considerations about the type of runway replacement, he said.

Fortenberry, whose 1st Congressional District includes Offutt, met Wednesday with Maj. Gen. Timothy Green in the congressmans Washington office to discuss the project.

Rep. Brad Ashford of Omaha also participated in the meeting and a member of Rep. Adrian Smiths staff was on hand.

Gov. Pete Ricketts also is actively engaged in the effort to retain the Air Force unit and protect Offutt.

Fortenberry is ideally positioned as a member of the House Appropriations Committee and its subcommittee on military construction.

Ricketts said he appreciated the opportunity to convey to (Green) Nebraskas commitment to Offutt Air Force Base.

Congressman Fortenberry has provided leadership on this issue and I will continue to partner with him and the members of this task force to ensure a bright future for the base, the governor said.

Ashford said, Offutt plays a vital role not only in our district but also in defending our nation and I am fully committed to ensuring that we secure the funding necessary to complete the runway project.

A $7.5 million appropriation is contained in the already agreed-to 2016 spending package for design of the runway.

The 55th Wing performs a global reconnaissance and intelligence mission.
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.
There is always hope
UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik)  On Friday, an attack was launched against the camp of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) in Kidal, a town in northern Mali. Around 30 people were injured in the attack, according to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and six peacekeepers were killed.

"The members of the Security Council called on the Government of Mali to swiftly investigate this attack and bring the perpetrators to justice and stressed that those responsible for the attack should be held accountable. They underlined that attacks targeting peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law," the Council said in a Friday statement.

The radical Ansar Dine group has reportedly claimed responsibility for the Friday attack.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The outlet cited sources as saying Boko Haram gunmen pillaged the remote villages of Kachifa and Yakhari "In utility vehicles and on bicycles."

"[Boko Haram] has slaughtered 22 people in Yakhari village today, including children, and our food items were looted," a JTF source told the outlet by phone near the Borno state town of Biu.

Eight people were shot dead late Friday in Kachifa before the village was burned down, the JTF source added, saying "there is nothing standing there as I am speaking to you."
However, irrespective of how similar the Russian position at MSC in 2007 and 2016 can be, one difference is clear  this time, Russian voice is likely to be heard better.

Back in 2007, "in the West, if the message was received at all, it was not understood. Russian security thinking was widely ignored by the West while Russia was weak and could easily be overlooked except as a potential source of dangerous instability itself in the event of state collapse," Berger said.

Now, instead, there is a growing understanding that Putin was right in many of his predictions and that major regional and trans-regional crises cannot be resolved without a close cooperation between the global powers.

A bright example of Putins prophesy of 2007 is the rise of extremism in the Middle East. Almost ten years ago he said that the increasing social tension in depressed regions inevitably resulted in the growth of radicalism, extremism, feeds terrorism and local conflicts. If this happens in the Middle East, then there is the risk of global destabilization, he said.

"Putin was correct in his analysis  a sense of rage fed by the belief that the world is unfair, especially to Muslims, has helped destabilize the Middle East. The problem is, is there any way that international community can make the world seem more just in the eyes of the millions of alienated young men in that region?" Breger said.

Today, Syria and fight against terrorism and extremism is a number one topic at MSC and the main security problem for the whole world. The only way for the US, Russia and other stakeholders to address it is to forget about differences and work out a joint, consistent approach.

Russias Official delegation at this years MSC is headed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
"The Obama era has forged a terrible alliance of neoconservatives and humanitarian bombers. They united to destroy Libya [in order to] grab its gold and run guns to Syria," Armstrong stated.

The Obama administration had supported French and British airstrikes on behalf of Libyan rebels, but the Libyan people had suffered far more because of that intervention, Armstrong noted.

"Libya has been destroyed and turned into a misery; nothing is safer, better or more secure," Armstrong concluded.

Executive Intelligence Review Senior Editor Jeff Steinberg told Sputnik that in his Munich speech, Putin had predicted the strategies of the Obama administration almost two years before it took office.

"It is invaluable to go back nine years to read Putins Munich speech. He spelled out his personal, frank assessment of where the world was heading, in the waning years of the Bush-Cheney administration. Sadly, all of the trend lines and warnings he issued then have come to pass, under Obama," Steinberg said.

Obama and his first secretary of state Hillary Clinton claimed they wanted improved US-Russian relations, but instead they appointed fierce critics of Russia to key policymaking positions, Steinberg pointed out.
"I would not separate the historic and the symbolic. It is in some senses a powerful historic moment precisely because of its symbolic dimension. These two men are meeting in Cuba, a surprising site (at least from a United States perspective). It is a place in which neither man is in charge and where each can demonstrate that there are greater concerns today that overshadow the differences of the past (though those differences remain serious)," Yocum told Sputnik.

Patriarch Kirill said his meeting with Pope Francis in the capital of Cuba was brotherly and that both agreed that they should actively cooperate. The two religious leaders called on the international community to prevent the expulsion of Christians from the Middle East, as well as to put an end to violence and terrorism in the region in a joint declaration signed after the meeting.

"Their uniting to stop the atrocities against Christians in the Middle East will require actions that are beyond the power of the pontiff and patriarch. One can hope that the moral authority that each of these men possess within each of their communities will inspire political leaders and others active in peace-making in the Middle East to attend more vigorously to protection of Christians in the Middle East and to assist those who have been forced to flee from their homelands," Sandra Yocum said.

She explained to Sputnik that even though the meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill might not directly lead to certain action in the Middle East, it has great potential in terms of influencing individual action.

"I would suggest that a way to promote religious tolerance that is within reach for all of us is through a concerted effort to understanding different faiths not only through education about other faiths but also in face-to-face meetings with those of the other faiths. This meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill is a dramatic example of this kind of meeting. Beyond seeking the cessation of violence, Pope Francis is enacting something of his theology of encounter, a conviction that the Christian missionary disciple encounters Jesus in all whom we meet in our daily lives," Yocum told Sputnik.

Thomas Groome, Professor of Theology and Religious Education at Boston College, told Sputnik that the historic meeting in Havana does have political implications, even though its primary drive is a spiritual one.
James Bretzke, theology professor at Boston College School, told Sputnik that the meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill, which is the first time a Catholic pope and an Orthodox patriarch met since Christianity split into western and eastern branches in 1054, has deep political implications, particularly in relation to the Middle East.

"It is quite clear that the meeting already has had wide-ranging and deep political implications and very likely will contribute to, but not of itself, bring about a settlement in Syria and broader and deeper religious tolerance in the Middle East," Bretzke told Sputnik.

On December 18, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 2254, reaffirming the goals of the previous Vienna deals to bring the entire spectrum of political groups in crisis-torn Syria to the negotiating table.

"Working towards a peaceful resolution of the current crisis in Syria on the part of both leaders also shows an important recognition and commitment to the process of peace-building which often begins by outlining and cementing points on which both parties can agree and then seeking to build on these common points to address the larger concrete pressing moral issue of the catastrophe in Syria," Bretzke said.

He pointed out the significance of the location choice for the Friday meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill.

"A good recent example of the success of this [Pope Francis] pastoral strategy will be underscored by the location of the meeting of the two Patriarchs  namely the capital city of Cuba. Pope Francis had an important role to play in the relaxing of tensions between Cuba and the USA and both political leaders (Raul Castro and Barrack Obama) have explicitly acknowledged the Pope's role in this key area," Bretzke told Sputnik, expressing hope that "the meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill will lay the ground for similar fruit on many levels."

On Thursday, members of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), which includes the United States and Russia, reached an agreement on a cessation of hostilities in Syria and agreed to ensure humanitarian aid deliveries to those in need.

Syrian government forces, loyal to President Bashar Assad, have been fighting against several opposition factions and militant organizations, including Daesh (also known as the Islamic State), which is banned in Russia and a number of other countries.
President Obama made his final budget request to Congress this week. At $4.1 trillion, it is the most expensive budget proposal in history.

The presidents 170-page budget increases spending by $2.5 trillion, raises taxes by $3.4 trillion, and adds $9.3 trillion to the national debt over 10 years. In fact, under this proposal, the national debt would be more than double what it was when President Obama took office. As usual, his budget also never balances.

Considering our national debt now exceeds $19 trillion, these numbers are unrealistic enough. However, the truly absurd aspects of the presidents budget are the government-down policies which force Americans to shoulder the costs.

One of the presidents proposals is a $10.25 tax on each barrel of oil, which would mean a 25-cent average increase in the cost of a gallon of gas. When speaking about this new tax, White House economic adviser Jeff Zients said, We recognize that oil companies will likely pass on some of these costs. This means passing on the costs to consumers through higher prices, which will hurt the most those who can afford it the least.

The presidents budget also makes no mention of fixing Social Security. Prior to his inauguration in 2009, president-elect Obama said, We have to signal seriousness in this by making sure some of the hard decisions are made under my watch, not someone elses. To prevent millions of Americans from seeing reductions in benefits, we need long-term solutions to ensure solvency of Social Security.

Although he has included Social Security reform in every prior budget, making the program solvent is regrettably no longer one of the presidents fiscal priorities. On top of this, the Social Security Administration has said increased consumer costs from the presidents oil tax would make Social Security less solvent.

Additionally, the president proposes cutting crop insurance by $18 billion. It is counterproductive to undermine producers who manage risk. Cuts to this program could lead to increased premiums for producers, which in turn would likely raise the cost of food for consumers. Rather than cutting this fiscally responsible public-private partnership, we should be working to strengthen it while eliminating truly wasteful government spending.

The Ways and Means Committee held two hearings this week on the presidents budget request with Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew. The billions of dollars in the presidents budget dedicated to funding Obamacare deeply concern me following the collapse of 12 Obamacare Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans (co-ops) under HHSs management, including CoOportunity Health in Nebraska and Iowa.

In our hearing with Secretary Burwell, I again asked her about the circumstances surrounding CoOportunity Healths collapse and the financial status of the co-ops still operating. I will be requesting more detailed answers from HHS on these inquiries. With more than $1 billion in federal loans already lost due to co-op failures, taxpayers deserve to know whether these funds will ever be recovered.

The presidents final budget is a wish list rather than a serious proposal to deal with our debt and strengthen our economy. The House will soon begin the appropriations process, through which we can conduct needed oversight over federal agencies in addition to determining how government revenue is spent. We must use the legislative process to make hard choices and put our economy on a sustainable path to growth.


TOKYO (Sputnik)Seoul wants to cooperate with Moscow and Beijing on the issue of response to Pyongyangs recent nuclear test and rocket launch, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said Saturday as cited by local media.

"In the United Nations 70-year history, only North Korea has the distinction of having disregarded a countless number of UNSC resolutions, tested four nuclear devices and fired off six long range missiles," Yun said, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency.

According to Yonhap, the minister pointed out that while there are some differences among states on sanctions that need to be imposed on Pyongyang in light of its UN resolution violations, all agree in that the country must pay for its actions.
"This naturally has a lot to do with her political style, in which she only speaks up when the time is right and with non-committal but catchy statements for everyone and everything."

"There is always a nod. Wiretapping scandal? It is not acceptable to bug friends. She's right  again. Does anyone know of a political consequence to this statement?" Crusius asks, highlighting Merkel's almost "uncritical allegiance to the US" and big business as further example of unwillingness to rock the boat.

"There are many serious things which she says nothing about, at least nothing at first, for example during the Volkswagen scandal. Ironically, the press is always late to notice, 'Now at last the chancellor should say something.'"

She is in love again <3 <3 https://t.co/SgLLnXM5Qh  Viltus Evan (@ViltusEvan) 13  2016

'Chancellor without foresight: Angela Merkel take Europe to the wall,' Reinhard Crusius' article was published in DWN.

"Like no other politician she is a master of good words that allay the concerns of the press or public, soothes emotions or acknowledges them (a prime example was her recent New Year's address). The word is too often the fact, and nobody asks again later."

The negotiations with Greece that gave the Eurozone a reprieve revealed the chancellor to be a neoliberal and "merciless populist  depending on opinion polls or her distinctive instinct to signal which way to go."
Both Ankara and Riyadh appear confused by making contradictory statements on the Syrian issue, said Georges Masse, head of the International Affairs department at the American University of Science and Technology in Beirut.

"They talk about a ceasefire and at the same time threaten to invade. Somethings not right," he told RIA Novosti. "They lack a clear strategy, they are utterly confused. If they attempt to enact a military scenario, that would mean the end of the world for them. They have to be mad to try and do this."

Masse also pointed out that both Turkey and Saudi Arabia are facing a host of internal problems.
The information has been confirmed by geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor, which provided satellite imagery of the Rmeilan airfield. Furthermore, it is known that the US Special Ops have been deployed in Syria.

On Friday US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter met with his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates in Brussels. After the meeting, Carter said that the UAE had agreed to deploy its special forces troops in Syria to assist Sunni Arab fighters on the ground to capture Raqqa, the Associated Press reported.

The news is especially interesting in light of the recent Saudi vow to launch a ground operation in Syria with US backing.

At the same time, in mid-January, Ash Carter announced the US 101st Airborne Division would be deployed in Iraq to advise and assist Iraqi armed forces for an attack on Mosul.

Moon of Alabama offers a scenario of a potential advance of the US-led coalition against Raqqa.

"The Saudis would deploy from Saudi Arabia, likely via a US controlled airstrip in western Iraq towards Syria, while the brigade from the 101st would probably deploy from the Kurdish area in north Iraq through the Kurdish areas in north-east Syria towards Raqqa. Raqqa would thereby be attacked from a north-eastern and a south-eastern," Moon of Alabama suggests, adding that the airport of Rmeilan would be one of the major bases.

Currently Damascus' major objective is to preserve the unity and sovereignty of Syria. The loss of Raqqa would mean a devastating loss of the country's eastern oil fields.

Moreover, a new advance of the US-led coalition in Syria may trigger a new wave of violence in the region and result in a long and wider war.

"A ground operation would involve all participants in a war. Therefore, the Americans and our Arab partners must consider well whether they want a permanent war. They are wrong if they think they could win this war quickly, especially in the Arab world where everybody fights against everybody," Russian Prime Minister Medvedev stressed in an interview with Germany's Handelsblatt newspaper Thursday.
In Tajikistan, the professor warned, the State Department may attempt to reignite the embers of the country's civil war, which took place between 1992-1997, taking advantage of disagreements between the country's north and south. "US NGOs, which operated freely in the country until recently, are taking advantage [of discontent] among both northern and southern elites. It was not until about a year ago that President Emomali Rahmon began to restrict their activities."

In Kyrgyzstan, meanwhile, "the situation has changed little since the last color revolution. The protest mood remains strong. US NGOs and foundations have been working actively with the rural population, which is not very versed in politics, but is easy to agitate to participate in demonstrations against authorities, as the 'melon' revolution of 2010 demonstrated."

In all the countries of Central Asia, Manoilo noted, "there is the strong factor of Islamist radicalism. By and large, only the presence of Russian military bases holds back an Islamist offensive in the region."

Unfortunately, he says, "practice has shown that when it comes to overthrowing undesirable governments, the State Department easily finds a common language with even the most rabid fundamentalists. It's sufficient to recall the color revolutions of the so-called Arab Spring. It would not be out of place to presume that the US is preparing their repetition, except this time in the post-Soviet space."

"In addition to Central Asia, there is the southern Caucasus. Last summer, Armenia saw a rehearsal of a color revolution under non-political slogans  a new technology called the 'Electro-Maidan'. Armenia is a Russian ally in the South Caucasus, and the US has plans for regime change, using their methods of the so-called 'democratic transition'."

Ultimately, Manoilo warns, "by dismantling the political order in Russia's neighboring countries, the US wants to create a vacuum around our country. Simply put, this indicates a repeat of the Ukrainian scenario. After all, until very recently it was simply impossible to imagine Ukraine as a country which is hostile to Russia."

Russia's Response
"It's noteworthy," independent Russian newspaper Svobodnaya Pressa writes , "that the nationalists unveiled their blockade on the day that Moscow and Kiev reached agreement on transit and exchanged temporary quotas." In January, countermeasures introduced by Moscow as part of a sanctions-countersanctions war with Kiev had prevented the transit of Ukrainian goods through Russia to Asia.

The Ukrainian activists' 'blockade' follows on the suspension of cargo transit between Russia and Poland. On February 1, Warsaw suspended the agreement, following a disagreement with Moscow on the number of licenses issued for bilateral cargo transport haulage. As a result, Russian trucks had begun using alternative routes, including through Ukrainian territory.

"Experts," the newspaper notes, "do not exclude the possibility that the Ukrainian nationalists are acting on the request of their 'Polish friends'. After all, the next round of negotiations between Moscow and Warsaw will be held on February 16, and the shutoff of virtually the entirety of freight traffic with continental Europe may very well be used as a bargaining chip."

Speaking to the paper, Semyon Uralov, chief editor of the Russian internet newspaper Odnako, said that "the struggle against the Russian truckers is nothing more than an excuse to establish 'private' customs posts," in other words, a racket.

"We are dealing with the decomposition of Ukraine's statehood. The emergence of private customs offices is the first sign of this decomposition. It's worth remembering that the first such customs posts appeared in the Donbass [in Ukraine's civil war-torn southeast], where checkpoints controlled by various nationalist battalions were established to make money. Then the same thing began on the border with Crimea. All this was done under the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. But in actuality it is just a sign of the feudalistic fragmentation into which Ukraine is sinking."
"It turns out that at the moment we are not talking about Crimea. We are not saying that Crimea should be given back to Ukraine. We are not even talking about Donbass and Donetsk. Right now, we are talking about whether Russia will help us solve the problem of Iran. Russia is arming Iran, and arming Syria. It is building up areas inaccessible to other countries. Russia is building up its position  and wants to be a strategic, rather than a local player."

With his interviewer commenting on the ongoing discussions in Europe about the removal of anti-Russian sanctions, possibly by the end of this year, General Skrzypczak noted that "of course, already today, on the sidelines, it is being said that sanctions should be limited or, as you've said, removed altogether, possibly next year. In turn, the Russians will look to revive their [economic] power, and their role in the world."

"The question," General Skrzypczak suggested, "is whether the world needs Russia. I believe that the world does need Russia, very much, and so too does the United States, because Russia is taking upon itself a great burden with regard to what is happening in the Middle East. That is, it is taking part in the operation against the Islamic State."

"Europe," he noted, "is looking at Russia differently than the Poles do. This is happening because the West clearly sees that Russia is effectively dealing with the terrorists by a campaign of their wholesale destruction."
3D printers could theoretically print a person in just 2 hours 47 minutes and may soon be able to print human organs, experts explained during an international conference on 'New Directions in Bioprinting,' held at the Skolkovo Innovation Center on Thursday.

"Ten to the power of 14  that's roughly how many cells are contained in the body of a person who weighs 100 kilograms," Professor Boris Chichkov, lead researcher in nano-engineering at the Russian Academy of Sciences' (RAN) Institute of Laser and Information Technologies, told Rossiiskaya Gazeta (RG).

"Now lasers exist which can generate 100 million impulses a second, and with every impulse we can print 100 cells. Using those kinds of lasers a person can be printed in two hours and 47 minutes. For example, a heart could be printed in 30 seconds."
Well, ISIS is evil. What is Satan? I think most people would say that Satan is evil. If I were to ask your viewers right now DiCiccio told local station 12 News.

Followers of the Satanic Temple are generally agnostic or atheist, and dont believe Satan actually exists, but use him as a symbol of rebellion. Members of the group are fierce proponents of freedom, including the freedom to offend.

Sputnik asked de Haan what he thought of DiCiccio comparing him to a terrorist group, and he had some choice words for the councilman.

He's a psychic vampire and incompetent. He'd get his city into a losing lawsuit on some tribal pandering principle rather than do his job. He doesn't even understand extremely basic constitutional law. Arizona deserves better, de Haan said.

He has now set off a campaign to deliver invocations at meetings across the state, and ultimately plans to challenge the Ten Commandments statue that stands outside City Hall by requesting to place the famed 7-foot-tall statue of Baphomet next to it. The monument features Baphomet flanked by a child on either side, on a throne featuring a large pentagram. It is currently being stored at an undisclosed location in Michigan.

While de Haan has not revealed what exactly he plans to say during the invocation, he told Sputnik that it will be innocuous, nothing offensive, and will not feature criticism of any other religions.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is using $500,000 contributed by Wall Street institutions to purchase attack advertisements in the South Carolina primary contest, US Senator Bernie Sanders campaign said in a press release.

"Hillary Clintons super PAC [political action committee], Priorities USA Action, will be spending at least half a million dollars in paid advertising in the South Carolina Democratic primary," the release noted.

In the latest reporting period, Priorities USA Action reported that it received $15 million in donations from financial industry interests, which equates to 60 percent of all donations.
Agriculture is the undisputed foundation of Nebraska. The economic engine of our state, Nebraska agriculture represents one in every four jobs and over $23 billion in economic impact. The vitality of our rural communities, the conservation of our natural resources, and the protection of our defining culture as Nebraskans is inextricably linked to the success of the 50,000 Nebraska farm families who provide food, fiber and fuel for every Nebraskan and millions more globally.

Protection of Nebraska agriculture is my highest priority. It is for that reason my legislative priority bill for the 2016 session will be LR 378CA, a resolution to establish a constitutional Right to Farm and Ranch in Nebraska.

Nebraskas farm and ranch families are producing higher quality crops and meats with greater sustainability and a smaller environmental footprint than ever before. Modern stewardship practices and the use of technology for crop protection and promotion of animal health have enabled family farms and ranches of every size to thrive in a competitive global commodity market. As a national leader in agriculture and natural resources research, the opportunities for Nebraska to be home to new agricultural innovation are limitless.

Unfortunately, as fewer and fewer consumers have a direct connection to agriculture and food production, misconceptions about modern agriculture created by activist groups take root. In the social media age, anyone with an anti-agriculture agenda can quickly undermine Nebraskas farm families, even using the guise of pro-farmer or pro-food groups. Activist groups also promote increasingly restrictive legislation and regulation that impairs the right of family farmers and livestock producers to use accepted, safe practices on their farms and ranches.

Nebraskas farm families do not have the resources to defend legal challenges in response to suits filed by deep-pocketed, anti-agriculture activist groups. Even incremental adoption of their agenda is crippling to Nebraskas rural communities and to our entire state. With constitutional protection provided by LR 378CA, Nebraskas family farmers and ranchers will have certainty as they build their operations and invest in our rural communities.

Proposing an amendment to the Nebraska Constitution is no trivial matter. The significance of Nebraska agriculture, economically and culturally, raises it to the level of inclusion in the guiding principles of our state. Doing so clearly codifies the role and significance of agriculture as the foundation and stabilizing force of Nebraska.

Placing the protection only in statute, which can be amended, fails to provide adequate protection. The constitutional amendment process in the Unicameral will require a super-majority of 30 votes on final reading to be placed on the general election ballot. Then people of Nebraska have the final voice.

In the past year Nebraska has seen the disruption that can be caused by anti-animal agriculture extremists targeting producers. Misinformation about the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and animal health practices is rampant on social media. Activist anti-agriculture legislation in California, Ohio and Rhode Island has been crippling to agriculture not only in those states, but has had far reaching impacts on states nationally due to the interconnected nature of agriculture. The threat is real. The time to proactively protect Nebraska agriculture is now.

Constitutional Right to Farm already exists in North Dakota and Missouri, and the Oklahoma legislature has placed the issue before the voters this November. As the national leader in crop and livestock production, Nebraska needs to provide a similar level of protection to our farm families, now and for generations of future farmers and ranchers.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The historic meeting between head of the Roman Catholic Church Pope Francis and head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia occurred at Havanas Jose Marti International Airport on Friday. The meeting marks the first time a Catholic pope and an Orthodox patriarch meet since Christianity split into western and eastern branches in 1054.

"We talked about the future of Christians [at the Havana meeting], about how we can develop our cooperation, possible joint projects, the exchange of pilgrims, the pilgrimage of the Orthodox to the holy places of the Catholic Church, to the relics of the saints, the pilgrimage of [Catholics] to Orthodox shrines. Some very specific projects related to cooperation between the two churches were mapped out," Metropolitan Hilarion said on the Rossiya 24 TV channel after the Havana meeting.

Patriarch Kirill said his meeting with the head of the Roman Catholic Church Pope Francis in the capital of Cuba was brotherly and that both agreed that they should actively cooperate as they carry responsibility for the future of world civilization.
Russia will certainly react, probably by moving more of its own heavy weapons, including advanced missiles, to its Western borders, possibly along with a number of tactical nuclear weapons. Indeed, a new and more dangerous US-Russian nuclear arms race has been under way for several years, which the Obama administrations latest decision can only intensify, Stephen F. Cohen suggested.

It will also have other dire consequences: it will undermine ongoing negotiations between Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the Ukrainian and Syrian crises, and it will further divide Europe itself, which is far from united on Washingtons increasingly hawkish approach to Moscow.

The political analyst was also very vocal in criticizing the mainstream media coverage of the standoff between the two countries and of a failure to address the issue by any of the presidential candidates in their presidential campaigns.

Never before in modern times has such a dire international situation been so ignored in an American presidential campaign, he noted.

The reason, he suggested, may be that everything related to the new Cold War in US-Russian relations since the Ukrainian crisis erupted in November 2013 has been attributed solely to the aggression of Russian President Vladimir Putin or to Putins Russia- a highly questionable assertion, but long the medias standard policy narrative.


MUNICH (Sputnik)Brussels could lift anti-Russia sanctions only upon implementation of the Minsk deal on the Ukrainian reconciliation, the chair of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee said Saturday.

"Minsk is the basis for all that we do with the Russians at the moment, and only if the Minsk deal is implemented sanctions can be lifted," Elmar Brok told reporters on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

The Minsk accords to deescalate the situation in eastern Ukraine were signed by representatives of the government in Kiev and the Donbas militias in February 2015. Key points of the Minsk deal include a ceasefire, weapons withdrawal from the line of contact in eastern Ukraine, constitutional reforms, including a decentralization of power in the country, and the granting of special status to the Donbas region.
And while the US intends to remain Turkeys ally, its unlikely that its stance on the Kurdish issue would change, Turkish journalist Ilhan Tanir told Sputnik.

"The only issue that the candidates of the upcoming 2016 US presidential elections could agree upon was the need to supply more weapons to the Syrian Kurds. At the present moment Kurds enjoy the support of the US leadership because the former play an important role in the fight against Daesh. And then President Erdogan suddenly demands that the US label Kurds as terrorists," he said.

Tanir explained that Ankara's demands are pinned on hopes that the US would be reluctant to give up its alliance with Turkey for the sake of supporting Syrian Kurds who want to create their own state. However, considering the crisis in relations with Russia and certain difficulties in its relationship with the EU, Ankara cant really afford to lose any more allies right now, and the US is well aware of this fact.
After overcoming an early miscue and surviving a judges inquiry to win the second leg of The Count B Series on a frigid Friday night (Feb. 12) at Woodbine Racetrack, War N Munn heads into next weekend's final with potential to pull off the series sweep. Meanwhile, Ainsleynoelle posted a mild upset in round two of the Ontario Girls Series.

Despite the first quarter break, odds-on favourite War N Munn scored another impressive victory in the $17,000 second leg of The Count B Series.

Driven by Jonathan Drury, War N Munn got away fourth, but made a quick break heading towards the first turn and was brought to the outside. Once off the pylons and back pacing, Drury sent his charge to the lead in the second quarter. War N Munn was mistake-free in the final three-quarters and cruised to a three-length victory. Early leader Gotti (Trevor Henry) finished second, while The Loan Ranger (Doug McNair) was third. Three Truths (Sylvain Filion), who also won a first leg division, finished fourth. The race fractions were :27.1, :56.2, 1:26 and 1:55.

A three-year-old son of Stonebridge Regal, War N Munn is now two-for-two in The Count B Series and in 2016. He is trained by Carmen Auciello for owner George Munniksma. War N Munn now has four career victories and earnings exceeding $60,000. He paid $3.10 to win.

In order to be eligible to The Count B, the three-year-old pacing colts and geldings had to be non-winners of three races or $40,000 lifetime as of October 31, 2015.

Ainsleynoelle pulled off a mini upset against seven rivals in the $18,000 Ontario Girls second leg.

Driven by Randy Waples, Ainsleynoelle got a pocket trip and was able to convert in the lane for a 1:55.2 score at odds of 7-1. Mach Magic (Doug McNair) cut the mile (:28.1, :57.1, 1:25.1), but gave way late to finish second by a length. Pinky Tuscadero (Mike Horner) finished third. Amazing Control (Jody Jamieson), who won a first leg division, finished fourth, while favourite Double Olives (Mike Saftic) was sixth.

A four-year-old daughter of Jeremes Jet, Ainsleynoelle is trained by Colin Johnson for owners Debbie Element, David Heffering and Ecurie JGV Enrg. Fridays victory was her first win in six starts this season and eighth victory overall. Ainsleynoelle, who finished fifth in a first leg division last week, now has over $89,000 in career earnings. She paid $17.40 to win.

In order to be eligible to the Ontario Girls, the Ontario-sired four-year-old pacing mares had to be non-winners of $60,000 lifetime as of October 31, 2015.

Richard Moreau trainees Sandbetweenurtoes and Ms Mac N Cheese swept the top two spots in the $30,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred Pace on the eve of the O'Brien Awards, where their conditioner will be seeking an unprecedented third straight Trainer of the Year title.

Driver Jody Jamieson directed even-money favourite Sandbetweenurtoes to the lead during the second quarter, sweeping from third to overtake her leading stablemate who clocked a :27.1 opening quarter. Sandbetweenurtoes reached the half-mile mark in :56.1 and three-quarters in 1:24.4 before fending off the pylon-skimming Ms Mac N Cheese (Sylvain Filion) for the neck victory in 1:53.3. Our Hot Majorette (Randy Waples) finished one length behind in third.

The win was the second on the card for owner Brad Grant, who also watched his recent acquisition A Plus, driven by Jamieson and trained by Ben Wallace, earn her first win since being purchased for $80,000 from the January Select Mixed Sale in an $18,000 conditioned event.

Driver Phil Hudon, who surpassed the $50 million career earnings mark on Thursday, was honoured for his achievement in a winners circle presentation following his sixth race victory aboard Kayla Grace on Friday night.

Live racing has been cancelled for Saturday night at Woodbine Racetrack due to the projected extreme cold temperatures. Live racing resumes Monday night (Feb. 15). Post time is 7:30 p.m. The finals of The Count B and Ontario Girls Series will be contested next Friday (Feb. 19).

To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Racetrack.

(With files from WEG)
Under the feudal mode of production, peasants were often allowed to cultivate plots of land for themselves on a rental basis. However, those tenant farmers rarely succeeded in becoming landowners in their own rights because a major share of what they harvested was taken away by landlords as rent, often leaving them with a bare subsistence amount of what they produced. When the harvest was poor, they incurred debt. If peasants were unable to pay off their debts, they could find themselves reduced to the condition of serfs or slaves.

Today, under conditions of market dominance by parasitic finance capital, a similar relationship can be detected between the powerful financial oligarchs (as feudal lords of our time), on the one hand, and the public at large (as peasant population of today), on the other. In the same manner as the landed aristocracy of times past extracted rent by virtue of monopolistic ownership of land, so today the financial oligarchy extracts interest and other financial charges by virtue of having concentrated the major bulk of national resources in their hands in the form of finance capital.

The Marxist term wage-slaves refers to those who, lacking capital or means of production, have only their labor power to sell to make a living. This describes the vast majority of people in todays capitalist societies whose sole means of subsistence is the sale of their capacity to work. Just as the feudal-era serf had no choice but to enslave himself and his family to the manor-house lord, the modern-day serf must indenture himself to banks to own a car or home or buy a college education [1].

In the latest edition of her book, Occupy Money, Professor Margrit Kennedy shows that today between 35 percent and 40 percent of all consumer spending is appropriated by the financial sector: bankers, insurance companies, non-bank lenders/financiers, bondholders, and the like [2]. Obviously, this means that, as Ellen Brown points out: By taking banking back . . . governments could regain control of that very large slice (up to 40 per cent) of every public budget that currently goes to interest charged to finance investment programs through the private sector [3].

Distribution Effects: Escalation of Poverty and Inequality

Like the feudal rent, the hidden tribute to the financial sector, the nearly 40 percent of consumer spending that is appropriated by the financial sector, helps explain how wealth is systematically transferred from Main Street to Wall Street. The rich get increasingly richer at the expense of the poornot just because of greed or the blind forces of the market mechanism but, more importantly, because of deliberate monetary/economic policies, which have steadily come under effective control of the financial oligarchy. Indeed, the very mechanism of money creation and/or monetary policy itself exacerbates inequality.

Although obfuscated and/or mystified, the planned or premeditated mechanism by which redistribution of economic resources from the bottom to the top takes place is fairly straightforward. The insidious mechanism of redistribution in favor of the financial oligarchy is expertly sanitized and benignly called monetary policy. Private central banks (such as the Federal Reserve Bank in the U.S.) are usually the main institutional vehicles that carry out the monetary policy of redistribution. Central banks polices of cheap or easy money benefits, first and foremost, the big banks and other major financial players that can outbid small borrowers who must borrow at much higher rates than the near-zero rates guaranteed to the big borrowers.

By thus gaining privileged access to nearly interest-free money, the financial elites can enrich themselves in a number of ways. For one thing, they can snap-up income-producing assets at the expense of small borrowers who lack access to cheap money. For another, they can boost the value of their wealth by creating an artificial demand (such as stock buybacks) for those ill-begotten assets with the cheaply borrowed money. In addition, they can skim vast wealth by loaning out the cheap they obtain from central banks to everyone below the top of the wealth/income pyramidat near four percent (mortgages), at seven or eight percent (auto, student and other loans), and above 15 percent (credit cards). Obviously, this would funnel much of the national income stream to those who can borrow cheap and lend at much higher rate [4].

Instead of regulating or containing the disruptive speculative activities of the financial sector, economic policy makers, spearheaded by central banks, have in recent years been actively promoting asset-price bubblesin effect, further exacerbating inequality.

Proxies of the financial oligarchy at the helm of monetary/economic policy making apparatus seem to believe that they have discovered an insurance policy for bubbles that burst by blowing new ones:

Both the Washington regulators and Wall Street evidently believed that together they could manage bursts. This meant that there was no need to prevent such bubbles from occurring: on the contrary, it is patently obvious that both regulators and operators actively generated them, no doubt believing that one of the ways of managing bursts was to blow another dynamic bubble in another sector: after dot-com, the housing bubble; after that, an energy-price or emerging market bubble, and so on [5].

It is obvious that this policy of effectively insuring financial bubbles would make financial speculation a win-win proposition, a proposition that is aptly called moral hazard, as it encourages risk-taking at the expense of othersin this case of the 99%, since the costs of bailing out the too-big-to-fail gamblers are paid through austerity cuts. Knowing that the central bank/monetary policy would bail them out after any bust, they go from one excess to another.

This shows how the proxies of the financial oligarchy, ensconced at the helm of central banks and their shareholders (commercial banks), serve as agents of subtlely funneling economic resources from the public to the financial oligarchyjust as did the rent/tax collectors and bailiffs of feudal lords collected and transferred economic surplus from the peasants/serfs to the landed aristocracy.

Contractionary or Anti-developmental Nature of Parasitic Finance Capital

As mentioned earlier, today between 35 percent and 40 percent of all consumer spending is appropriated by the financial sector. Not only does this redistribute resources in favor of the financial oligarchy, it also drains the real sector of the economy of the necessary resources for productive investment and economic development.

Experience shows that, contrary to the extractive or parasitic private banking, public banking has proven quite beneficial to the developmental objectives of their communities and/or nations. Nineteenth century neighborhood savings banks, Credit Unions, and Savings and Loan associations in the United States, Jusen companies in Japan, Trustee Savings banks in the UK, and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia all served the housing and other credit needs of their communities well.

Perhaps a most interesting and instructive example is the case of the Bank of North Dakota, which continues to be owned by the state for nearly a century, and which is widely credited for the states relatively healthy budget and its robust economy in the midst of budgetary problems and economic stagnation in many other states. The bank was established by the state legislature in 1919, specifically to free farmers and small business owners from the clutches of out-of-state bankers and railroad barons. The banks mission continues to be to deliver sensible financial services that promote agriculture, commerce and industry in North Dakota [6].

Explaining how the Bank of North Dakota utilizes peoples savings for productive credit and/or investment, Eric Hardmeyer, president of the bank, points out, Really what separates us [from private banks] is that we plow those deposits back into the state of North Dakota in the form of loans. We invest back into the state in economic development type activities. The bank president further indicates that in the course of the last dozen years or so weve turned back a third of a billion dollars just to the general fund to offset taxes or to aid in funding public sector types of needs [7].

Contrary to the case of North Dakota, most other states, burned by interest payments and other financial obligations to private banks, are forced to cut investment on public capital formation, to slash jobs and liquidate state-owned properties or state-sponsored servicesoften at fire-sale prices. Consider California, for example. At the end of 2010, it owed private banks and other bondholders $70 billion in interest only44% of its total financial obligations of $158 billion. If the state had incurred that debt to its own bank, writes Ellen Brown, California could be $70 billion richer today. Instead of slashing services, selling off public assets, and laying off employees, it could be adding services and repairing its decaying infrastructure [8].

At the national level, the U.S. federal government paid in 2011 a sum of $454 billion in interest on its debtthe third highest budget item after the military and Social Security outlays. This figure amounted to nearly one-third of the total personal income taxes ($1, 100 billion) collected that year. This means that if the Federal Reserve Bank was publicly owned, and the government borrowed directly from it interest-free, personal income taxes could have been cut by a third [9]. Alternatively, the savings could be invested in social infrastructure, both human and physical, thereby drastically augmenting the productive capacity of the nation and elevating the standard of living for all.

It can reasonably be argued that the ravages wrought on todays economies/societies by parasitic finance capitals extraction of economic resources are even more destructive than was the extraction of feudal rent to the social fabric under feudalism. There are at least two major reasons for this judgment.

For one thing, the landed aristocracies appropriation of the major bulk of economic surplus, or rent, required production and, therefore, employment of the farming labor force. This meant that although the farming workforce was, of course, exploited, it nonetheless benefitted from productionalbeit at poverty or subsistence levels of remuneration. In the age of finance capital, however, profit making or surplus extraction by the parasitic financial oligarchy is largely divorced from real production and employment, as it comes largely through parasitic appropriation from the rest of the economy. As such, it employs no or a very small percentage of labor force, which means that, today, the financial sector generates income/profits without sharing it with the overwhelming majority of the public.

For another, whereas periodic cancellation of unsustainable peasants debts by landed aristocracies were considered as restorative measures for maintaining the feudal mode of production and social structure, under todays rule of finance capital such healing measures are ruled out as omens of economic catastrophe. Historical records show that debt cancellation in the Bronze Age Mesopotamia took place on a fairly regular basis from 2400 to 1400 BC. Ancient documents decoded from cuneiform inscriptions have led many historians to believe that the Bronze Age tradition of debt cancellation in the Near/Middle East may have served as the setting or model for the Biblical pronouncements of debt relief.

Careful studies of those records indicate that, contrary to todays perceptions (shaped largely by the influential financial interests) that debt cancellation may lead to economic disorder, as epitomized by the too-big-to-fail refrain, those earlier practices of debt relief were carried out precisely for the opposite reasons: to restore economic revival and social harmony by undoing the ravages of debt wrought on the economy and the overwhelming majority of the population. Freedom in those days meant real, economic freedomfreedom from debt bondagenot the abstract or hollow concept of freedom promoted today.

The type of economic freedom being referred to was the royal act of cancelling back taxes and other personal debts, restoring traditional family landholding rights and freeing citizens who had been enslaved for debt. These royal interventions ensured rather than encroached on general economic freedom [10].

What is to be Done?

Many critics of parasitic finance capital have called for a robust regime of regulation of the financial sector. Experience shows, however, that as long as the dynamics and structures of the accumulation of capital are left intact, regulation cannot provide an effective long-term solution to the recurring crises of financial bubble and bursts.

For one thing, due to the political influence of powerful financial interests, financial regulations would not be implemented in a meaningful way, as evinced, for example, by policy responses to the 2008 financial implosion and the ensuing Great Recession.

For another, even if regulations are somehow implemented, they would provide only a temporary relief. For, as long as there is no community or real democratic control, regulations would be undermined by the influential financial interests that elect and control policy-makers. The dramatic reversal of the extensive regulations of the 1930s and 1940s that were put in place in response to the Great Depression and World War II to todays equally dramatic deregulations serves as a robust validation of this judgment. This means that the need to end the recurring crises of the capitalist system requires more than financial regulation; it calls for changing the system itself.

Other critics of parasitic finance capital have called for public banking. The idea of bringing the banking industry, national savings and credit allocation under public control or supervision is neither complicated nor necessarily socialistic or ideological. In the same manner that many infrastructural facilities such as public roads, school systems and health facilities are provided and operated as essential public services, so can the supply of credit and financial services be provided on a basic public utility model for both day-to-day business transactions and long-term industrial projects.

As pointed out earlier, provision of financial services and/or credit facilities after the model of public utilities would lower financial costs to both consumers and producers by about 35 to 40 percent. By thus freeing consumers and producers from what can properly be called the financial overhead, or rent, similar to land rent under feudalism, the public option credit and/or banking system can revive many stagnant economies that are depressed under the crushing burden of never-ending debt-servicing obligations.

Even in the core capitalist countries public banking has occasionally been used to save capitalism from its own systemic crises. For example, in the face of the Great Depression of the 1930s, and following the Hoover administrations unsuccessful policy of trying to bailout the insolvent banks, the F.D.R. administration was compelled to declare a bank holiday in 1933, pull the plug on the terminally-ill banks and take control of the entire financial system. The Emergency Banking Act of 1933, introduced by President Roosevelt (four days after he declared a nationwide bank holiday on March 5, 1933) and passed by Congress on March 9th, guaranteed full payment of depositors money, thereby effectively created 100 percent deposit insurance. Not surprisingly, when the banks reopened for business on March 13, 1933, depositors stood in line to return their stashed cash to neighborhood banks [11].

Similarly, in the face of the collapse of its banking system in the early 1992, the Swedish state assumed ownership and control of all the insolvent banks in an effort to revive its financial system and prevent it from bringing down its entire economy. While this wiped out the existing shareholders, it turned out to be a good deal for taxpayers: not only did it avoid costly redistributive bailouts in favor of the insolvent banks, it also brought taxpayers some benefits once banks returned to profitability.

Both in Sweden and the United States once profitability was returned to insolvent banks their ownership was returned to private hands! It is perhaps this kind of capitalist governments commitment to powerful financialcorporate interests that has prompted a number of critics to argue that one definition of capitalism is that it is a system of socializing losses and privatizing profits.

In the absence of incestuous businesspolitical relationship between Wall Street and the government apparatus, nationalization of banks and other financial intermediaries is not as complicated or difficult as it may sound; since banking laws already empower regulators to impose extraordinary controls and close supervision over these institutions. It is certainly easier than public ownership and management of manufacturing enterprises that require much more than record keeping and following regulatory or legal guidelines.

Indeed, in the immediate aftermath of the 2008 financial implosion, the U.S. and British governments became de facto owners of the failed financial giants such as Citibank, A.I.G, the Royal Bank of Scotland, and Anglo-Irish Bank. Through the provision of enormous amounts of public funds, these governments effectively became the main investors in the collapsed institutions. Were it not because of political and/or ideological reasons, they could have easily made their de factoownership legal ownership [12].

The fraudulent compensation of Wall Streets gambling losses at the expense of everyone else is testament, once again, to the demagogical pretentions of the champions of austerity and neoliberalism that the government should stay out of the markets affairs.

While public banking could certainly mitigate or do away with market turbulences that are due to financial bubbles and bursts, it will not preclude other systemic crises of capitalism. These include profitability crises that could result from very high levels of capitalization, from insufficient demand or under-consumption, from overcapacity or overproduction, or from disproportionality between various sectors of a market economy. To do away with the systemic crises of capitalism, therefore, requires more than nationalization of banks; it requires changing the capitalist system itself.

References

[2]. Margrit Kennedy, Occupy Money: Creating an Economy Where Everybody Wins, Gabriola Island, BC (Canada): New Society Publishers 2012.

[4] For a concise and clear exposition of this insidious redistribution from the bottom up see, for example, Charles Hugh Smith, If We Dont Change the Way Money Is Created and Distributed, We Change Nothing

[5] Peter Gowan, The Crisis in the Heartland, in M. Konings (ed.) The Great Credit Crash, London and New York, Verso 2010: 52.

[6] For more on the unique experience of the Bank of North Dakota see, for example, Ellen Brown, Cutting Wall Street Out

[7] Interview, as quoted by Public Banking Institute, http://publicbankinginstitute.org/

[9]. Ibid.
Students spread the love this week.

Classrooms of all age groups in area schools celebrated Valentines Day this week with sweet treats and notes, parties and other activities.

At Lewiston Consolidated Schools, club members of Leadership Character Service and other students helped make the occasion a special one for hundreds of students by selling, assembling and distributing Valentines Day balloons attached to cookies and notes.

Two foreign exchange students who helped in the effort said they like the tradition and that Valentines Day is not as celebrated in their home countries.

I like it, said Lewiston sophomore Kajsa Gard, from Sweden. I wish we had more of these (at home). You feel special.

Gard said such Valentines Day gift giving wouldnt be allowed in Sweden schools because everything needs to be equal so everyone gets the same amount and nobody feels left out.

Lewiston sophomore Sophie Trauner said schools in her home country of Austria wouldnt celebrate Valentines Day either and that gifts are sometimes given, usually by older people. She called Lewistons 10-year-old tradition really cool.

Other Lewiston students had varying opinions of Valentines Day. Their thoughts:

* Valentines Day is awesome. Its a great way to show love. Its the one day out of the year that you can show more love than usual.  Eighth grader Danny McMurray.

* I think its kind of boring if you dont have a boyfriend or girlfriend, but you can make it fun in other ways, like by giving gifts to your friends.  Eighth grader Alayna Hughes.

* I dont really see the point to it. If you want to celebrate love on one day, then go ahead.  Eighth grader Genevie Allen.

* I think its an OK idea. Why not spend a day with someone you love and care about?  Eighth grader Sydney Rath.

The valentines were assembled and distributed to preschoolers through seniors on Friday by students in Nancy Barrs family consumer sciences classes and students in Leadership Character Service (LCS) club, who are high schoolers. Barr said the group sold between 225 and 250 valentines at $3 each. The balloons and cookies were ordered and the helium tank was rented from a Beatrice company.

LCS provides services to the communities Lewiston school families belong to, Barr said. The group hosts three blood drives each year as well as a soup supper and other events.
The purpose of this blog is for me to publish not-quite-daily updates on my continuing research on the English Reformation and its aftermath, especially for Catholics until Emancipation in 1829; I'll particularly highlight the stories of the Catholic Martyrs of England and Wales, especially those beatified and canonized by the Holy See. I will also highlight promotional events for Supremacy and Survival: How Catholics Endured the English Reformation.If you like my blog, you might like my book, available from these retailers , on Kindle , and Nook ! [If you want a signed copy, please contact me via email: englishreform(at)cox(dot)net].Comment moderation is turned on; please be patient with me logging in to approve comments.
This Blog gives vivid description about places of interest in Tamil Nadu to help the the tourists visiting this beautiful and enchanting State.
ACT: English language learners (93%) and students with disabilities (94%)

ACT WorkKeys: English language learners (92%)

Grade 10 Mathematics: English language learners (93%)

The U.S. Department of Education has issued a testing compliance ultimatum to several states, including North Carolina, and the ultimatum includes the threat of legal action. This activity is tied to controversial re-authorization of No Child Left Behind, known as Every School Succeeds Act (ESSA).Lawmakers had touted that ESSA would return schools to local control; however, when it comes to testing, this is definitely not the case.Testing compliance under ESSA is essentially the same as it was under NCLB. States are required to have at least 95 percent of students participate in standardized tests for the purpose of "accountability." The U.S. Department of Education has tied federal Title I funding to the administration of these tests and the 95 percent compliance threshold.In December 2015, the U.S. Department of Education sent letters to more than a dozen state school chiefs whose states had fallen below the 95 percent threshold in the prior year. The letters included threats of loss of funding should the state not comply going forward.North Carolina was included in this list alongside Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, Delaware, Idaho, New York, Colorado, California, Connecticut, Maine and Illinois.What's interesting is that just recently John King, the acting Secretary of U.S. Department of Education, put out a video statement calling for "less testing." Mr. King appears to be trying to play "Good Cop/ Bad Cop." Of note, this is the same John King who was the education commissioner in New York and was chased out of the state by parents opposing Common Core and the testing Opt-Out Movement.When asked about the Title I letter, DPI Communications Director Vanessa Jeter noted that the following testing areas and she included the participation rates:At my request, Ms. Jeter provided a copy of North Carolina's response letter, which verifies this summary. At the end of the response was this paragraph, mentioning that North Carolina does not have an "Opt Out" policy:It is true North Carolina does not have an "Opt Out" policy. What it does seem to have is a "your child will be given the test regardless of refusal" policy. Read Dr. Garland's 2014 letter to the school districts.In North Carolina, the testing window for any given state test can be upwards of a week long. This is arguably done in order to force higher compliance rates to make it more difficult for parents who wish to opt their child out to keep their children home on testing days, lest they run afoul of truancy charges.North Carolina's testing policy also attaches penalties should a student attempting to opt out simply leaves the answer sheet blank. The student will receive the lowest possible score and the assessment will have a value of up to 20 percent of the student's grade.State policy leaves the penalty up to the individual school to administer. Parents who are concerned about over-testing or are considering opting their child out should inquire with their individual schools about which tests may have grade values added to them.I've recently been made aware of schools in Wake County using a rather unofficial "parental opt out agreement" form. To my knowledge, the NC Department of Public Instruction requires no such letter nor has published one. Parents being offered this letter should question its function and source.The Opt Out Movement that was so huge in New York state and saw over 20,000 students opting out of Common Core aligned tests last year has not yet really manifested in North Carolina. New York's push back was loud and very public. It was in response to concerns about the online test methods, the validity of the scoring and even the quality of the questions themselves.Perhaps one reason the Opt Out Movement hasn't hit North Carolina is because the public tends to associate Common Core with the two testing consortia, SBAC and PARCC.North Carolina's legislature blocked funding for the SBAC. However, DPI went ahead and did a pilot test. The following year, allegedly, the state's End of Grade and End of Course tests in math and English language arts were quietly Common Core-aligned.Opt out or opt in? Either way, it is clear that both state and federal education entities are going to attempt to force compliance.




Bonding & Learning the Other Sides of Your Family and Friends





Tet, Bayee & Paulo at Terrace of The Leper King at Siem Reap, Cambodia

Dad, Mum and Paulo at a Thrilled Ride at E-Da Theme Park at Kaohsiung, Taiwan



Knowing Where and Who We Are





Children playing at a ruined temple at Siem Reap, Cambodia

Taking Well-Deserved Breaks





Alison and Charlotte at The Fisherman Wharf, Macau

Satisfaction





Sweet Family Photo taken at Umeda Sky Building at Osaka, Japan





So what's your reasons to travel? Do share them in the comment column :-)

For Your Pinning

Seeing the World, taking great travel photos, experiencing other culture, savoring great and exotic food, making new friends etc are always common and good enough reasons for our travel trips. But sometimes without realizing, there are also other great reasons for us to do so. I like to share with you on my other reasons here:Be it traveling with family and friends, traveling together will always help to create the extra cohesiveness among your traveling partners. You have to consider each other interests and feelings when planning the itineraries. Your traveling members may also show you a different side of themselves which you never expect to see in your normal life.For example, during my recent trip to Japan, I was discussing with Alison at a Osaka's train station on the best route getting to a planned destination. We were still in the midst of sorting out the way when Charlotte suddenly pointed to the map and said: "Daddy, I think we shall take this route to our destination. It seems the most direct and shortest." We were really taken aback as we did not expect any input from our young daughter. The biggest surprise was that she had pointed the solution to us! I would learn later that she had been picking up the knowledge since our first family trip to Tokyo two years back and would put them to good use for the later trips. Rather than just discussing with my wife, I always want to hear Charlotte's opinions also after this incident!Another good example happened during our trip to Taiwan together with my aged parents. I had included E-Da theme park at Kaohsiung for my daughter but was worried that my parents would be bored. But how wrong I was to be. They (especially my father) thoroughly enjoyed their day and took on the challenging rides whenever they had the chances. This was something I did not expect to see from them.It's important to know where and who we are in the planet. This applies especially to the privileged children of our country. They are born with no worries for the basic necessities and are comfortable with their life. Many of them have taken this for granted. Instead of always planning trips to the developed countries, I also try to plan at least a trip per year to visit the less developed countries. These trips served as eye opener for Charlotte that there are less fortunate people in the World and life is not a bed of roses.During our trip to Indonesia, Yogyakarta, Charlotte had the chance to see young children working hard under the hot sun to earn a living. She saw children almost the same age as her or some even younger helping out their parents at their stalls or pestering tourists to buy souvenirs from their self-carried stocks. She would then question me: "Daddy, shall these children be studying at this time of the day? Why are they working?" I took the opportunity to tell how lucky she is to be not working but having a good education at this stage of her life. Not everyone in this world enjoy the same privileges. I feel this is very important and send a strong message to our young ones that they shall strive hard for themselves if they want to have a fruitful life in the future.When I mean well-deserved breaks, I really meanI am referring to holiday that really help me recharge my often drained biological batteries. I made mistakes in my early travels and often cramped the itineraries like a can of sardines. In the end, I felt more tired as though I had not taken a holiday at all. The experience taught me to be more relaxed and accommodating when planning for my trips. I learnt that it's perfectly OK not to see everything when visiting a country. The key thing is to enjoy and recuperate. More importantly, Alison and Charlotte would minimize their complaints on my hectic traveling schedules :-P !Nothing beat thethat I had after every travel to see that everyone has enjoyed the trip. Though I have invested days and sometimes even months to do research and plan for the trips, it is always a happy feeling that we have benefited from the breakaways. The smiles that my parents wore on their faces after the Taiwan trip, the grateful thanks from my traveling mates after the Cambodia venture, the sweet dreams that Charlotte has after the Japan travel, the unending recollection of the good traveling memories with Alison are good enough reasons for the efforts put in to arrange a great trip for everybody.
The Sea Hawks use a strong serve and balanced attack for a commanding win in the opening round of the Division 2 playoffs.
Dr. Scott Burns, Portland State University professor emeritus of geology, will speak about the major floods in the Portland-Vancouver area in 1948 and 1996 at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Vancouver Water Resources Education Center, 4600 S.E. Columbia Way, Vancouver.

Attendees are also encouraged to view the Vanport and Columbia River floods exhibit at the Water Center.

Burns talk will cover floods as far back as millions of years that shaped the regions geology, along with the 1948 flood that innundated Vanport, which was then Oregons second-largest city. It was near the current Portland International Raceway. In 1996, the area had another rain-on-snow event that caused a huge set of floods in the area.

The talk is sponsored by the Mount St. Helens Institute and City of Vancouver. There is a $5 suggested donation for admission.
Clatskanie is considering shutting down its police department and contracting with the Columbia County Sheriffs Office for police protection.

There are three reasons were considering this: Budgets. Budgets. Budgets, Clatskanie City Manager Greg Hinkleman said Friday. The only reason were looking at this is if we can have budget savings and a level of law enforcement that is adequate to protect the citizens of the city.

Under Oregon law, the police departments three officers, one sergeant and office clerk would have to be transferred into the sheriffs department, and theres talk about leasing the city police station to the county for use as a sheriffs satellite location, Hinkleman said.

Hinkleman and County Sheriff Jeff Dickerson will discuss the idea at a City Council workshop at 7 p.m. Feb. 17 at Clatskanie City Hall. No public testimony will be taken at that time. However, the Council will take public comment at a later date if it decides to explore the idea further, Hinkleman said.

We dont want to do that until we have a very good idea of what (the cost) and level of services will be, and those details still are being worked out, he said.

Hed like a decision on the matter before the city adopts its 2016-17 budget, which takes effect July 1.

Its been obvious for several years that the city spending is unsustainable, as the city keeps tapping its cash reserves to cover its spending, Hinkleman said. The citys general fund in the current fiscal year is $1.24 million, and the contingency fund for emergency expenses is down to only $4,600.

The city this year had to cut on-call pay for officers and also cut police training and operating budgets. The city also cut its contribution to Columbia County Rider, the transit service.

Our beginning fund balance has been eaten away. Its less and less every year. That tells the lay person that we are spending more than we are taking in, the city manager said.

Hinkleman believes that by contracting with the sheriffs office the city will save money and improve police service. For example, Clatskanie has no detective, but the sheriffs office does and could help work city cases should the city contract with the county.

Other Oregon cities  including Troutdale, Cornelius and Banks  have contracted out police services to save money. This has been going on for a while. Weve known this was coming down the pike, Hinkleman said.

He emphasized that none of the many controversies surrounding the police department in recent years is prompting discussions of a police transfer. The budget crunch driving it arose well before the latest of those scandals, in which Police Chief Marvin Hoover resigned Aug. 19 following allegations that he made racist remarks, Hinkleman said.

This is purely budget-driven.
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.
In the early 1950s, love-struck teens who wanted to take their significant other on a date headed to one place: Whitneys Chicken Inn in Castle Rock.

That was a big deal for prom if your parents let you go that far, said Millie Grocott, who was born and raised in Longview.

That was an experience in those days  to go 11 miles to Castle Rock with your date, said her husband, Dave Grocott, whos spent the majority of his life in Longview. He was born in Ryderwood, which was founded as a logging town by the Long-Bell Lumber Co.

When the couple began dating in 1951, theyd head to the Castle Rock eatery for pan-fried chicken. Or to Fergusons Triple X (XXX), a Longview hamburger joint that served sodas and milkshakes on platters attached to car windows. It was not uncommon for the Grocotts to dine on a burger after seeing a movie at the drive-in theater, which was located at site where The Home Depot is today.

On a typical day, though, Commerce Avenue was the social hub of the town.

That was the center of Longview, very definitely, Millie said.

The Grocotts remember Longview as a place where everyone knew everyone, and meeting up with friends was as easy as strolling among the shops that dotted Commerce Avenue.

Its difficult for us at our age to accept some of the changes (to the town) because we can look back and say, This is the way it was,  Dave said.

Longview isnt at fault for all of those changes, however. The Grocotts said culture as a whole has shifted since they were young. Technology has replaced face-to-face encounters on city streets with social interaction through phones or computers.

Dave said he hopes a sense of community is re-established someday.

Theres nothing more constant than change, and were going through that, Dave said. Ive longed for some of the more closely connected parts of Longview.

Still, the couple said they wouldnt want to be anywhere else. Dave said Portland traffic is a good reminder of why they enjoy living in a small community.

Millie said Longview was a good place to grow up. She was raised by a mill worker in the Highlands neighborhood, which she said was significantly different than it is today and didnt have a noticeable drug problem. One of her most significant memories, however, is going to grade school during World War II, when Longviews population surged.

A lot of people were moving in, she said, explaining that the increased population led to classes of at least 40 students. Classes were packed because of the war industry, and people were coming in for the jobs.

When young men were drafted to the war, many of the mill jobs became vacant. People came in to fill those jobs because industry had to be kept going, she said.

Dave said that during the war his dad became an air raid warden, and he was a junior air raid warden. During blackouts  which were required as a precaution against air raids by Japanese bombers  the pair walked around town, ensuring that no light was showing.

It was scary, Millie recalled. I remember headlines in the paper  War breaks out. I think the letters were in black. My parents were extremely distressed at what was happening.

Millie and Dave met when Millie was 5 years old. She thought he was sweet and so polite, she said with a grin. The pair began dating in 1951 and will have been married 63 years this month.

The couple has stayed in Longview their entire lives, except for a short stint in Bellingham while Dave was in college. Millie was a homemaker, and Dave was a principal in the Longview School District for 30 years.

Were locals through and through, Dave said.

Despite the changes the couple has seen over the years, they said theyre optimistic about Longviews future, and theyre glad theyve stayed.

Theres so much good here, Millie said. I just really want to see it developed and continue to enjoy that.
COLUMBIA, S.C.  As Donald Trumps GOP opponents descend on South Carolina, they are running smack into a phenomenon. In this state, Trump is riding a wave of adulation more common for rock stars, faith healers or South American dictators. His rallies run into the thousands  some in excess of 10,000  with cars parked for miles down the side of roads leading to venues. South Carolina Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster  who recently endorsed Trump  describes a woman waiting eight hours without eating to keep her place in the front of the crowd, and promptly fainting when Trumps speech began. Nineteen-year-old girls have him sign things and have tears in their eyes, says McMaster, tracing lines down his cheeks.

McMaster is what Trump hopes for the future: an establishment figure who has accommodated to his version of political reality. The lieutenant governor  courtly and dressed to the nines  was once South Carolinas attorney general and the chairman of the state Republican Party. Speaking to me in his office in the state capitol, McMaster describes three recent rallies he attended with Trump. At each stop, Trump asked me, You have been in politics for decades. Have you ever seen anything like it? Each time I told him, I have never seen anything like it.

What explains this level of enthusiasm? It is not Trumps political organization in the state, which local pros describe as more of a glorified advance operation. Trumps South Carolina co-chairman Ed McMullen explained Trumps appeal to me this way: He is the alpha male who says exactly what is on his mind.

A revealing description, more biological than philosophic. Trump is running an exceptionally visceral campaign. His goal is not so much the inspiration of the country as the domination of the other candidates. And it has generally worked. They respond to his attacks, hush when he shushes them and envy his huge ... poll numbers.

Trump appeals fairly broadly in South Carolina  many opponents of Trump I talked with in the state report having some relative who loves him. But there are lots of angry, rural white males at his rallies. They have reason to feel disadvantaged in our economy and overlooked in our politics. This is mixed here (as elsewhere) with baser motives. On racial matters, according to one senior South Carolina Republican, Trump is using not a dog whistle but a train whistle. His Muslim immigration ban was announced in Charleston Harbor, aboard the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier. His questioning of Ted Cruzs faith because not too many evangelicals come out of Cuba was taken as an argument that Cruz is foreign, not one of us. And the Trump campaigns willingness to associate with Jake Knotts  the former state senator who famously called Gov. Nikki Haley a racial epithet  has been taken as a signal.

In South Carolina, Trump is encouraging elements of the party for which old times there are not forgotten. And this is clearly complicating Haleys attempt to reform and modernize the GOP here, symbolized by the empty spot on the front lawn of the statehouse where the Confederate battle flag once flew.

Everyone I spoke with in South Carolina who wasnt paid by one of the candidates (there are a few) believes that Trump will win. And it now seems likely that Trump will be unstoppable in much of the South, the region that dominates the primary calendar through mid-March.

Republicans who remain unreconciled to the Trump dynasty now comfort themselves with one scenario. After the shock of early Trump victories wears off, some candidate in a winnowed field will need to rise and restart the race. Trump, this heretofore mythic figure will argue, has won some early primaries in the South. But he has a ceiling of support  just 35 percent in the GOP  that dooms him with the national electorate. So, here I am, the only candidate who can unite the party and win a majority in November. At that point, the spigots of Republican money will open and the electoral terrain  in Illinois, Missouri and Ohio, and eventually in New York and California  will dramatically improve.

All of which depends on two questionable assumptions. First, I can remember when Trumps ceiling was supposedly 25 percent. After a series of victories, it may rise again. Second, this scenario assumes that any of the mainstream candidates are capable of cutting the alpha down to size.
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.
Thumbs up: Comedy about corpses

Thursdays "local boy does good" story by Tom Paulu focused on Chris London, who has acted in, written and directed a few films. London is now raising money for his latest work  a short film called Uncle Gareth  a Comedy About Corpses."

As of this writing, he was just $1,886 away from his goal of $8,250. London hopes to enter his film at the Sundance Film Festival. We hope he makes it. Weve seen the trailers and look forward to watching the film.

He also spoke of hoping to filming a movie here in Longview. Although we dont know London, we do know his father. In fact, one of us grew up with his father, Jon. Once we got over the fact that were old enough to have a kid that is an aspiring filmmaker, we realized we were proud of this young man and can only imagine the pride his family has for him. Well done young man! We wish you great success in what we hope is a long and fun career.

Thumbs down: Dipping violators

Every year that smelt dipping is allowed, Fish and Wildlife officers hand out dozens of tickets to violators. In 2015, some 200 smelt dippers were cited for exceeding the bag limit. These 200 dippers exceeded the bag limit by a combined 3,500 pounds. This year, 68 people were cited for over-dipping and another 94 received warnings. A majority of persons cited harvested more than 25 pounds of smelt, when the bag limit was 10 pounds. An infraction can cost $150 or more; maybe Fish and Game should consider increasing the fines.

Smelt are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and have been since 2010. We can do better.

Thumbs up: 23 Club

TDN received rave reviews for its Vietnam veteran series, which concluded on Veterans Day last November. We put our heads together and decided to run a series on 23 Club members, and its been a huge hit! People seem to really enjoy reading about the area's history through the 23 Club members. Kudos to the TDN news staff for taking on the series in addition to covering their normal duties.

The series has been great for another reason, and thats the upbeat outlook 23 Club members have about the future of Longview. We think Dorothy Gevers-Wojtowych said it best, I still think Longview has a bright future ahead of us. We agree Dorothy.

Thumbs sideways: Kelso Airport

The Port of Longview dropped out as a partner in Kelso's Southwest Regional Airport. Port commissioners voted 2-to-1 to exit the existing contract, which would potentially bind them to airport expenditures. For the record, Commissioner Doug Averitt voted no, indicating he wanted the port to stay in the contract with the airport. The port indicated it would be open to supporting the airport in the future, but nothing concrete seems to be in the works.

While we see this as setback for the regional airport, we also understand the Port of Longview is under immense pressure to bring in new tenants and grow local jobs. The $76,000 the port committed to the airport could instead be used to help land new clients. But at the same, $76,000 represents just .27 percent of the port's 2015 expense budget, far less than 1 percent of its total budgeted expenditures. Some will argue an upgraded airport with a longer runway to accommodate larger aircraft would help attract new businesses.

It seems to us the airport is likely to expand as the local economy does, not before. Only time will tell whether the port dropping out of the contract will have much effect on airport expansion.
Anirudh Regidi

The self-driving is going to usher in a significant cultural shift. Todays roads are a hellish mess of potholes, errant pedestrians (and drivers), and other such terrors. There are those who love driving and dream of long, winding road, a powerful engine at their fingertips and the wind in their hair. For everyone else, the car is not that appealing and they'd rather be driven than take the wheel.

With the advent of the self-driving car, all that will change. Driving will cease to be a necessity, and might very well evolve into the new form of public transport. When it comes to driving, we are the weak link in the chain.

Putting a puny, petulant human in charge of a couple of tonnes of steel that hurtles around the Earth at 70km/hr is not such a good idea and the statistics bear that out. The last time we checked, 1.2 million people died in road accidents over a period of a year. Cars are getting safer, yes, but that doesnt mean that accidents are less dangerous to pedestrians and the like.

Google's self-driving cars on the other hand, are actually less safe than the average American driver (1 accident in 74000 for the car vs. 1 in 230,000 for an American) and they still have a ways to go. That said, the Google self-driving car hasn't been involved in any kind of accident that can be considered serious and they're getting better and better.

With electric vehicle and self-driving vehicles now taking centre-stage, cars are finally set to evolve into the next generation of transport. Self-driving cars promise a world where driving is a lost art, where travel might just be a click away (Smart, self-driving cars?).

When the horse-drawn carriage was introduced as a mode of transport, it was revolutionary. The horse was faster, more efficient and could carry greater loads over greater distances. At the peak of its popularity, that very same carriage was seen as a nightmare. Cities were inundated with horse dung and gutters were overflowing; horses started to seem like a real menace. As Top Gears James May put it, the car, with its little puffs of blue smoke was a saviour. It brought succor to this world that smelled only of dung and resounded with the buzzing of flies.

Today, the car is noisy, polluting and it's everywhere. The self-driving car, nay, the electric self-driving car will change all of that, and maybe a little more. Right now, the self-driving car is still, well, a car.

When the first, true self-driving car is realised, there will be no need for windows, no need for a dashboard and no need for everyone to face forwards. An electric car doesn't need a large engine and all the paraphernalia that it entails. No engine, no bonnet, no fuss.

Wouldnt personal comfort be more important than high-speed and large engines? How would you like to spend a two hour journey with your feet on a settee (or equivalent), sipping tea and contemplating the workings of the universe? Imagine a world with no traffic stops, no pestiferous traffic cops and best of all, no traffic jams. A smart, self-driving car will do all of this and more.

The vehicle youll use will only be a car by the strictest definition of the word.
Nash David

Facebook India's Managing Director, Kirthiga Reddy, on Friday announced that she is quiting from her current position to relocate to Facebook's headquarters at Menlo Park, California.

Kirthiga Reddy joined Facebook in 2010 as its first employee in India. According to an update on her Facebook page Reddy said she would be relocating to the United States in the next 6-12 months.

"I have also begun to explore new opportunities at Facebook back at Menlo Park," Reddy said in a Facebook post.

Reddy said she was working closely with William Easton, MD of emerging markets (Asia Pacific), and Dan Neary, vice president of Asia Pacific, to search for her successor.

Since the move comes days after regulators in India introduced rules to prevent differential pricing policies based on content, it is widely speculated that this move could be a result of the setback to Facebook's plan to roll out Free Basics in India.

Facebook in India was tight-lipped saying there was nothing more to add in addition to the post by Kirthiga Reddy. In fact, responses indicated that the Facebook update by Reddy was the sole communication they had received. However, a Facebook spokesperson issued a comment to Reuters saying "As she had planned for some time, Kirthiga Reddy is moving back to the U.S. to work with the teams in Headquarters." In addition, the spokesperson said, "During her time in India, Kirthiga was not involved in our Free Basic Services efforts."

Effectively, the statement highlights that in Facebook's key growth market  India  the MD wasn't involved in Free Basics which required close liasoning with government authorities. That seems odd. Probably the local leadership of the market could have helped handle the matter in a better way. Effectively, the scathing letter from TRAI to Facebook wouldn't have happened either.

I remember several years ago, when Facebook didn't have an India office, reaching out to Facebook for a comment required the request to go to Menlo Park for approval by Mark Zuckerberg. However, considering that Facebook had a presence in India with a local Managing Director, it seemed that the best thing to do would be to engage with the authorities to find a balanced way out. But as per the statement from Facebook, Reddy wasn't involved in the activities around Free Basics in India.

In effect, Zuckerberg's pet project and its failure has come in as an opportunity for the India MD to relocate to the Facebook headquarters and "explore new opportunities at Facebook." Even member of the board of directors and investor in Facebook Marc Andreessen was in the news recently for linking India's opposition to Free Basics with its 'anti-colonialism.'

We hope she finds the "right kind of opportunity" at Facebook in Menlo Park in the US, one of the two places she can call home. More importantly, we hope her successor is given more responsibility in furthering future projects by Facebook in the India market.

Kirthiga Reddy did her engineering from MGM College of Engineering in Nanded. She passed out in 1992 as the second rank in the University. Interestingly, when she was looking out for job opportunities, she was led to Yashwant Kanetkar, author of the popular book in engineering colleges in India  Let Us C. As an intern, she would help the author with the programming examples in his book. It's been an impressive journey for her rising up from Nanded to Stanford, to joining Facebook and taking over as the India MD.

With inputs from Reuters.
tech2 News Staff

Android 6.0 Marshmallow has started rolling out for the Moto G (2nd Gen) smartphone in India. The update offers features such as Doze, Google Now on Tap, app permissions and more. The company had kicked off a small-scale Marshmallow update soak test for users in India and Brazil back on 22 January.

The company says, "We are excited to announce a new software update for Moto G (2nd Gen.) by Motorola. This update brings Android 6.0 Marshmallow to your phone along with other improvements. Android 6.0 Marshmallow improves your mobile experience with battery-smart features and new app permissions that give you even more control." However, one feature that will not be present is the Moto Assist, which Motorola deprecated in favor of the Do Not Disturb functionality from stock Android.

Some of the new features such as App Standby helps to reduce the drain of the smartphone by putting the seldom-used apps into a reduced activity state. With App Links, one can decide what the right action is for each of your apps when you tap a web link. Android Marshmallow also enables the smartphone's SDcard to fully extend device internal storage rather than just being used for media files. With Do not disturb, you can now easily configure interruptions by tapping the Do not disturb button in the quick settings panel.

If you have not received a notification message for this update, you can follow the steps below to manually update your phone. Select the Settings icon in the apps menu and then select "About phone". Select "System updates" and then select "Yes, Im in". After the software is downloaded, select "Install now". After the software is installed, your phone will re-start automatically. Your phone will then be updated to Android 6.0.
hidden

Scientists, including one of Indian origin, have developed a smart chip that can be paired with neural implants for efficient wireless transmission of brain signals to help combat Parkinson's disease or allow paraplegic people to move their prosthetic limbs.

Neural implants need to be connected by wires to an external device outside the body. For a prosthetic patient, the neural implant is connected to a computer that decodes the brain signals so the artificial limb can move. These external wires are not only cumbersome but the permanent openings which allow the wires into the brain increases the risk of infections.

The new chip by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) scientists can allow the transmission of brain data wirelessly and with high accuracy. Assistant professor Arindam Basu from NTU's school of electrical and electronic engineering said the research team have tested the chip on data recorded from animal models, which showed that it could decode the brain's signal to the hand and fingers with 95% accuracy. "It is about a hundred times more efficient than current processing chips on the market.

"It will lead to more compact medical wearable devices, such as portable ECG monitoring devices and neural implants, since we no longer need large batteries to power them," said Basu.

To achieve high accuracy in decoding brain signals, implants require thousands of channels of raw data. To wirelessly transmit this large amount of data, more power is also needed which means either bigger batteries or more frequent recharging. This is not feasible as there is limited space in the brain for implants while frequent recharging means the implants cannot be used for longterm recording of signals.

Instead of enlarging the power source to support the transmission of raw data, Basu tried to reduce the amount of data that needs to be transmitted.

Designed to be extremely powerefficient, the smart chip will analyse and decode the thousands of signals from the neural implants in the brain, before compressing the results and sending it wirelessly to a small external receiver.

The smart chip is designed to analyse data patterns and spot any abnormal or unusual patterns. The research was published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits and Systems.

PTI
tech2 News Staff

The new WhatsApp for Android version 2.12.441 that is gradually rolling out to users finally brings an updated emoji set. Users will now have access to a number of new emoji symbols like unicorn, popcorn box, champagne bottle, racing cars, medals, and even a new detective emoji in the faces tab. Talking about tabs there are more tabs (making it simpler to find them), with eight tabs showcasing the new sports, flag, bulb, and a separate beverage tab.

The switch takes place as the Android app finally gets support from both Unicode 7 and 8 bringing the app on par with iOS users who had access to the same since iOS 9.1. The problem for now remains the Google Play Store, which has yet to reflect 2.12.441 version of the app. But for those who cannot wait, you can simply head to Android Police, download .apk files from apkmirror and install the same over your existing app.

Strangely, the version available in the Google Play Store is tagged as 2.12.449, but still does not have the new emoji inside. So the only way to get the new emoji right away is from apkmirror. Since the latest version on the Play Store that was updated on 11 February in India reflects 2.12.449 and the new emoji on apkmirror is tagged as 2.12.441, getting the new emoji update would only mean downgrading to an older version. Hopefully the new emoji update rolls out with a new version number (like 2.12.450) to the Play Store soon making it easier for users to update their app.

WhatsApp recently bumped up the number of group members from 100 to 256. While this came as good news, this is indeed a good indicator of its business move, which was brought to light after the app went free for everyone.
In an ambitious corporate education program that started about two years ago, he is offering to pay for classes (at least some of them) to help employees modernize their skills. But theres a catch: They have to take these classes on their own time and sometimes pay for them with their own money. To Mr. Stephenson, it should be an easy choice for most workers: Learn new skills or find your career choices are very limited.





Now that really makes sense. You want to educate C students on their own dime to become A+ students. Well fish without wings will have trouble flying.





The article continues:





By 2020, Mr. Stephenson hopes AT&T will be well into its transformation into a computing company that manages all sorts of digital things: phones, satellite television and huge volumes of data, all sorted through software managed in the cloud. That cant happen unless at least some of his work force is retrained to deal with the technology. Its not a young group: The average tenure at AT&T is 12 years, or 22 years if you dont count the people working in call centers. And many employees dont have experience writing open-source software or casually analyzing terabytes of customer data.





Yes, 22 years, you have to remove the call centers. Is there a way to "train" someone to be a high techy? Not really. Never works. These people have been encultured to be followers, paper sorters, understanding the GEI, the General Executive Instructions. Yes there is or was a "book" that you followed. For the most part he has a workforce of 220,000 chosen to do what they are told, by the book. The world has changed however.





Then there is this statement:





But Randall said his brother was not necessarily like the rest of the work force because there will always be hard, outdoor tasks for people like him. There will be people turning screws and digging trenches. Ill be long gone before that is over. But other guys I know in Oklahoma will do a skills pivot with additional training, he said.





The problem is that technology will make this outdoor workforce obsolete. Strange the lack of discussion on wireless here. It is wireless that will replace lines, be they copper or fiber. 5G will be Gbps to each users from towers that can be set up in a day or actually purchased and facilitated by the customers themselves! As Tom Sawyer go the others to white wash the fence so too can a carrier get customers to create and operate their own network. That is thinking outside the box. ATT is still justifying copper lines on poles in Oklahoma. That is why Google may win, if it gets rid of that fiber business. But alas most likely it will be some other new Creative Destruction entity which will do that.



And the key risk is that if one tries to bring in better people, like Google, the existing culture will generate "antibodies" and attack and eliminate the new. Happens all the time. It is a Gresham's law applied to competence, bad employees chase out the good. Right now ATT has a somewhat monopoly in wireless along with Verizon. That is the survival hook for a while. The barrier to entry is the license. The risk there, however, is that when unlicensed bands can become more effective then the value of the license deteriorates. Things always change.

In a NY Times piece today there is a long discussion on how ATT is trying to adjust its workforce to meet the challenge from Amazon, Google, Netflix. Well good luck guys!I had spent, on and off, about ten years in the System before and after Divestiture. Early on in NY Tel and Bell Labs. Frankly it was the most rigid environment ever. Only after doing a few dozen start up and even Corporate America the old Bell System was designed for drones.For example, when I went to NYNEX at a dinner one night the head of HR said that the rule was that "The A students went to ATT and the Labs, the B students to Western Electric, and the C students to the Operating Companies" Furthermore in the Operating Companies you had grads from fourth rate schools like Manhattan College, I spent time there, and few if any from say Harvard or MIT (again went there too). Schools like Manhattan educated great swarms of followers, for NYC jobs, Con Ed, the Telephone Company, the Government. You learned how to separate green papers from pink ones.Now along comes a world of competition. The Old Bell System approach is to set the walls up higher. Remember that the new ATT is really South West Bell, an Operating Company filled deliberately with all those C students.But wait! Their competition such as Google, has A+ students from MIT and Stanford. The world is now technical, and how do we see the paper sorters competing? Not well.So according to the Times the ATT CEO is trying to retool. Good luck. It is a 40 year task. First they cannot attract the great students. For when they do these people will report to the old C students and the smart one do no tolerate fools very well, so they will leave, and the old guard will say to themselves that the new ones were bad to begin with.The CEO is now trying to revamp the company. The Times states:
This Blog was born during the Troubles of 2007, and thereafter continued as a weekly update on our life and thought within the work of Testimony Faith Homes, a 'home from home' for Kenya orphaned and destitute children,.
Friedman notes that there's plenty of blame to go around and that Hamas fullsomely deserves its share.





It's called reality and it's the rarest of commodities when Canada's political leadership addresses the subject of Israel. Mention Israel and they become so gushing that I sometimes fear one of them might drown. It's the perpetuation of myth at its very worst and they're all bleating from the same page. Sheep.Maybe they should take their cue from the New York Times columnist, Thomas Friedman . He's written what should be a real wake-up call for Mona and Tommy and Justin - Israel has already imposed its own one-state solution. It's over.If you're expecting any of Canada's political leaders to have the sand to recognize the obvious, don't hold your breath. Immediately you treat Israel and the Palestinian territories as a one-nation state, you have to explain your tolerance for the enslavement of the Palestinian people in their own homeland. Maybe we'll just turn our back on them as we've done to so many others in so many places.
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Twitter user Shari Lynn on Trump sycophant Rep. Jim Jordan's 7/31/20 attack on Dr. Anthony Fauci

Clippers coach Doc Rivers on ex-officer Derek Chauvin's killing of George Floyd

About Me culturegeist Hamilton, New Jersey, United States Culture: (noun) the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place or time. Geist: (noun) a German word translated as ghost, spirit or mind depending on its context. View my complete profile

NY Times columnist Frank Bruni in a 10/14/20 Times Op-Ed

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Republican Rep. Ted Yoho calling her a 'fucking bitch" in public


Auschwitz trial: Ex-guard Reinhold Hanning in German court

A 94-year former Nazi SS guard at the Auschwitz death camp has gone on trial in Germany over the murder of at least 170,000 people.

Prosecutors say Reinhold Hanning met Jewish prisoners as they arrived at the camp in occupied Poland

and may have escorted some to the gas chambers. Mr Hanning has admitted being a guard but denies involvement in mass murder. He is being tried in the city of Detmold, in what is likely to be one of the last cases of its kind. Mr Hanning is one of four elderly former Nazi guards - three men and a woman - who are due to go on trial in the coming months. The Nazis killed about 1.1m people at Auschwitz, most of them Jews. Mr Hanning was an SS guard at Auschwitz from 1943-44, at a time when hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews were murdered there.

His trial is being held in the west German city's chamber of commerce, in order to accommodate more people. Each trial session will last just two hours, due to the defendant's age.

Survivors of the World War II death camp are due to testify against Mr Hanning. "The chimneys were spewing fire... the smell of burning human flesh was so unbelievable that one could hardly bear it," 94-year-old Leon Schwarzbaum was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying. Until recently, prosecutors were required to provide evidence that defendants were directly involved in the killings.

But that changed with the 2011 conviction of John Demjanjuk, when a judge concluded that his activities as a camp worker in Nazi-occupied Poland amounted to complicity in mass murder. Last year a German court sentenced Oskar Groening, 94, to four years in jail as an accessory to the murder of at least 300,000 people at Auschwitz. Known as the SS "book-keeper of Auschwitz", he was allegedly responsible for counting banknotes confiscated from prisoners.
3 overseas flights diverted to Ctg Airport



Three international air flights could not land at Shah Jalal International Airport , Dhaka on Friday midnight due to dense fog prevailing in Dhaka and its adjoining areas.

Failing to land in Dhaka airport, these flights diverted to Shah Amanat International Airport, Chittagong and landed after midnight, an airport sources said.

Two flights of Malinda Airlines came from Kualalumpur and Kathmandu and another one of Regent Air's flight from Kualalumpur landed in Chitttagong after 12 midnight , Airport civil aviation sources said.

Later after weather situation improved, these flights leave Chittagong Airport on same night lately.


Brick kilns hit farmland in Faridpur

UNB, Faridpur :

Brick kilns are springing up in Faridpur in a large number posing a serious threat to croplands in the region.

The brickfields are operating causing both environmental havoc and decline in quantity of cultivable land.

Defying all the rules and regulations of the administration, owners of the brick kilns are running their business illegally.

The existing rule prohibits setting up a brick kiln within three kilometre radius of the government reserved and residential areas, schools, colleges, and crop fields. But there is seen no reflection of the rule in reality.

Sources at the Department of Environment (DoE), Faridpur, said there are 333 brick kilns in five districts of greater Faridpur which are being run legally. Among them, 258 are zigzag brick kilns while the number of chimney brick kilns is 72.

Sayef Ullah Talukder, deputy director of DoE, Faridpur, said there are 107 authorised brick kilns in Faridpur, 38 in Gopalganj, 52 in Shariatpur, 68 in Madaripur and 67 in Rajbari. Among them, the number of environment friendly brick kilns is 296.

"If we get any allegations about illegal brick fields, we conduct drive against them," added the official.

Replying to a question on decreasing of crop lands for the large number of brick fields, he added, "Normally, we give permission for setting up a brick kiln in case of one-cropping land, not two or more cropping land."

The number of brick kilns in nine upazilas of Faridpur is more than 100.

Brick kilns are increasing in number day by day, causing decline in quantity of arable land. In the past three years, 25 new brick kilns have been set up, which are almost on crop lands and adjacent to the residential areas.

Consequently, environment is being polluted and local people are being affected with different diseases.

Abul Hasan, a college student of C and D Ghat area, said there is a brick kiln near his house (within 100 yards).

He alleged that owner of the brick kiln extended the area of the kiln every year by buying the nearby crop lands.

Sultana Begum, a housewife, said it has become very much difficult to survive in the area for the excessive pollution from coal burnt in the brick kiln.

Children in the area have also been suffering from various respiratory problems.

She also demanded that the local administration relocate the brick kilns from the densely populated areas.

The local administration conducted several drives and fined the owners of brick kilns. But with the passage of time, their activities had become normal.

Sujan Mazumder, additional director of the Department of Agriculture Extension, Faridpur, said for excessive heat from the brickfields, cultivation is being affected in nearby crop fields.

He also demanded framing a stringent law for setting up brick kilns.

Nasir Uddin Khan Dulal, president of Faridpur District Brick Kiln Owners Association, said, "The brick kilns which are under our association are environment friendly because they were set up following the environment law."

He also demanded taking steps against the illegal brick kilns in the district.

Sardar Sarfat Ali, deputy commissioner of Faridpur, said they conduct drives against the illegal brick kilns when they are informed about them.

"We are always ready to protect our crop lands in the district," added the DC.




After 1,000-year split, Pope, Russian patriarch embrace in Cuba

Pope Francis, left, embraces Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill after signing a joint declaration on religious unity at the Jose Marti International airport in Havana, Cuba, on Friday.

Reuters, Havana :

Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill embraced and kissed on Friday in a historic meeting, uniting to issue a global appeal for the protection of Christians under assault in the Middle East.

Nearly 1,000 years after the Eastern and Western branches of Christianity split apart, the meeting at an airport terminal in Cuba was the first ever between a Roman Catholic pope and a Russian Orthodox patriarch.

"In many countries of the Middle East and North Africa whole families, villages and cities of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being completely exterminated," they said in a joint declaration in apparent reference to violence by militant groups such as Islamic State.

"Their churches are being barbarously ravaged and looted, their sacred objects profaned, their monuments destroyed."

They also said large-scale humanitarian aid was required to tend to refugees fleeing Syria and Iraq, lamenting the "massive exodus of Christians."

Cuban President Raul Castro stood to the side during the ceremony, enjoying another moment in the international limelight after receiving Francis last year and restoring diplomatic relations with the United States recently, meeting President Barack Obama in Panama in April. Cuba is also sponsoring peace talks between the Colombian government and leftist rebels seeking to end a 50-year war.

"If it continues this way, Cuba will be the capital of unity," Francis said.

"Now what's left is Colombia," Castro told reporters after the pope boarded his plane for Mexico, where Francis arrived on Friday evening for a five-day visit to some of the poorest and most violent corners of the country.

Dissidents in Cuba's one-party political system have remarked on the government's willingness to promote dialogue for foreigners while dismissing political opponents as mercenaries doing the bidding of the United States.

The two religious leaders, guests of a Communist government, came together only a week after the encounter was announced. Such a meeting had eluded their predecessor, but Francis had issued a standing invitation to meet anytime, anywhere.
Russia keeps bombing despite Syria ceasefire

Photo show the Rostov-on-Don submarine launching Calibre cruise missiles in a strike against Islamic State positions in Syria.

Reuters, Munich :Major powers agreed on Friday to a pause in combat in Syria, but Russia pressed on with bombing in support of its ally President Bashar al-Assad, who vowed to fight until he regained full control of the country.Although billed as a potential breakthrough, the "cessation of hostilities" agreement does not take effect for a week, at a time when Assad's government is poised to win its biggest victory of the war with the backing of Russian air power.If implemented, the deal hammered out during five hours of late night talks in Munich would allow humanitarian aid to reach besieged towns. It was described by the countries that took part as a rare diplomatic success in a conflict that has fractured the Middle East, killed at least 250,000 people, made 11 million homeless and sent hundreds of thousands fleeing into Europe.But several Western countries said there was no hope for progress without a halt to the Russian bombing, which has decisively turned the balance of power in favor of Assad. "If the Assad regime does not live up to its responsibilities and if the Iranians and the Russians do not hold Assad to the promises that they have made ... then the international community obviously is not going to sit there like fools and watch this. There will be an increase of activity to put greater pressure on them," Kerry, who was in Munich, told Dubai-based Orient TV. "There is a possibility there will be additional ground troops." U.S. President Barack Obama has ruled out sending U.S. ground troops to Syria, but Saudi Arabia this month offered ground forces to fight Islamic State.A White House spokesman, Eric Schultz, called the agreement "an important step," but added, "In the coming days, we will be looking for actions, not words, to demonstrate that all parties are prepared to honor their commitments."The complex, multi-sided civil war in Syria, raging since 2011, has drawn in most regional and global powers, producing the world's worst humanitarian emergency and attracting jihadist recruits from around the world. Rebels said the town of Tal Rifaat in northern Aleppo province was the target of intensive bombing by Russian planes on Friday morning. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring body, said warplanes believed to be Russian also attacked towns in northern Homs.The news agency AFP quoted Assad as saying he would continue to fight terrorism while talks took place. He said he would retake the entire country, although this could take a long time.
Supreme Court issues stay in Obama's Clean Power Plan; McCrory joined lawsuit after Cooper refused

RALEIGH - Gov. Pat McCrory and a host of business leaders were quick to praise the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on Tuesday blocking President Obama's signature climate change program from moving forward until a trial in federal court is concluded.McCrory lauded the 5-4 decision that could spell legal doom for the administration's Clean Power Plan, which a 22 percent spike in home energy costs in North Carolina, critics of the plan say. The North Carolina Chamber, which opposes the plan, may file a brief on behalf of the state's businesses as the lawsuit heads to trial."We are pleased the Supreme Court recognizes that the federal power plan will dramatically increase North Carolina's electricity rates with little, if any, environmental benefit," McCrory said in a written release. "We will continue to fight the Obama administration's illegal attempts to take over North Carolina's power system."McCrory contends the federal plan would restructure radically the way electricity is produced and consumed throughout the country, drastically increase energy costs, and threaten job creation.Among other goals, the rules the Environmental Protection Agency articulated under the Clean Power Plan aim to reduce carbon emissions 32 percent by 2030 when compared to 2005 levels. Shutting down coal-fired energy plants, along with increasing the use of natural gas and more expensive wind and solar energy, would accomplish that.North Carolina is one of 29 states that sued to halt federal encroachment on states' rights to set their own energy policy. McCrory joined the lawsuit after Attorney General Roy Cooper declined to sign on.The Supreme Court issued no comment explaining its order. Chief Justice John Roberts, and Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito were in the majority. Dissenting were Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan, all Democratic appointees.White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the Obama administration is confident it will prevail on the merits of the case, which is being heard by a federal appeals court on an expedited basis. Arguments are scheduled for June 2. Depending how quickly a decision is rendered, the Supreme Court could get the case in time for its October term.Earnest said.Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, took the opposite view.Timmons said in a post on the organization's web site.U.S. Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Thomas Donohue said in a statement.Aside from putting government in control of energy choices, and driving up electricity costs, the plan "reduce our nation's global competitiveness," Donohue said.Research by the U.S. Chamber's Institute for 21st Century Energy said the Clean Power Plan would hit the South Atlantic region the hardest. North Carolina, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia are in that region.the institute reported.Prior to the Supreme Court ruling, the North Carolina Chamber was considering filing a friend-of-the-court brief in a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Chamber and 14 other business organizations against the EPA. A decision was anticipated "very soon," according to Gary Salamido, state chamber spokesman.he said.The Clean Power Plan has infused uncertainty into the state's business climate, and "makes it unpredictable" for businesses to determine future plans without knowing what energy costs might be, Salamido said.Salamido said.The state Department of Environmental Qualitydepartment spokeswoman Stephanie Hawco said.The state is developing a "primary plan" that complies with "the only component of the plan that is legal," Hawco said. That is the "best way to comply with the law, protect energy rates, and prevent a federal takeover of the state's energy program."The state Environmental Management Commission, a 15-member regulatory agency that must adopt all environmental rules governing state air and water quality programs before they are implemented, will vote on DEQ's primary plan at its meeting next Tuesday.Hawco said.North Carolina has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 25 percent since 2005 without federal intrusion while keeping energy costs low, she said. The state is on track to meet its 30 percent reduction by 2030.But a sharp point of contention is that the federal power plan uses 2012 as a baseline for North Carolina. That bars the state from receiving credit for any emissions reductions made between 2005 and 2012, and ignores the state's prior investments in making its power fleet more efficient, Hawco said.
Welcome Bashonto

Celebrating Pohela Falgoon.

Staff Reporter :Pohela Falgoon, heralding the arrival of Spring, the king of all seasons, was welcomed by the residents of capital Dhaka on Saturday as well as in other parts of the country amid much fanfare, festivity and gaiety. The capital put on a colourful festive look celebrating the first day of Bangla month Falgoon with several socio-cultural organisations and educational institutions organising a wide range of programmes marking the day.Thousands of people thronged the traditional venues, especially Dhaka University campus and its adjacent places since morning, turning the places into a yellow festive look. Every year, people of all strata of life welcomed the 'season of flowers' symbolising youth, vigour and love.Clad in yellow, orange and other bright colours that symbolise the Spring, the people welcomed the Falgoon with flowers, poems, songs and dances.Dhaka University has always been the cultural heartbeat of the city since time immemorial, hence it is the venue for all cultural celebration, and Pohela Falgun this year is no different.As thousands of people thronged the Dhaka University campus to celebrate the day and enjoy various events, Ekushey Boi Mela also witnessed a huge crowd in the evening yesterday.Women and girls wearing Bashonti (yellow) sarees and adorning floral ornaments and boys in colourful panjabis participated in various events in a jovial mood. Many Dhaka residents attired in traditional dresses started pouring onto the streets since morning to exchange pleasantries with their near and dear ones. As the Winter leaves have been evolved by nature, the Spring's flowers such as shimul, polash and marigold are being worn by women, who adorn themselves with 'Bashonti' clothing - mostly in yellow, orange and red colours.Apart from Dhaka University area, Jatiya Boshonto Utshab Udjapon Parishad-1422 organised cultural programmes in celebration of the day in different places in the city. Beginning with a sarangi recital by Motiar Hossain, the programme featured noted music and dance schools like Surer Dhara, Sur Saptak, Nritya Nandan, Dhriti, Bhabna, Turongomi, and Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts. Students of the institutes were seen painting motifs on the cheeks and hands of visitors.This was followed by musical performances by Rezwana Chowdhury Bonnya, Ferdous Ara, Laisa Ahmed Lisa and poetry recitations by Bhashwar Bandopadhyay and Golam Sarwar, among others.The second phase of the programme began at 4:00pm at Bakultala, Bahadurshah Park at Laxmibazar in Old Dhaka, and Rabindra Sarobar at Dhanmondi. Jatiya Boshonto Utsav Udjapon Parishad organised programmes, including chorus songs, folk dance, folk music, recitation of poems, drama, and procession.Security at the entrance of all venues was beefed up. A huge crowd caused severe traffic congestion in the areas adjacent to the Dhaka University. Different private universities and colleges also arranged programmes marking the day.
Russia casts doubt on Syria ceasefire deal as army gains ground

Protests have been held around Australia in recent weeks against the government\'s offshore detention policy. Internet photo

Reuters, Munich/Beirut :

Russia said on Saturday a ceasefire deal for Syria agreed by major powers was more likely to fail than succeed, as Syrian government forces backed by further Russian air strikes gained more ground against rebels near Aleppo.

International divisions over Syria surfaced anew at a Munich conference where Russia rejected French charges that it was bombing civilians, just a day after world powers agreed on the "cessation of hostilities" due to begin in a week's time. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reiterated accusations that Russia was hitting "legitimate opposition groups" and civilians with its bombing campaign in Syria and said Moscow must change its targets to respect the ceasefire deal.

The conflict, reshaped by Russia's intervention last September, has gone into an even higher gear since the United Nations sought to revive peace talks. These were suspended earlier this month in Geneva before they got off the ground The Syrian army looked poised on Saturday to advance into the Islamic State-held province of Raqqa for the first time since 2014, apparently to pre-empt any move by Saudi Arabia to send ground forces into Syria to fight the jihadist insurgents. The cessation of hostilities deal falls short of a formal ceasefire, since it was not signed by the warring parties - the government and rebels seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad in a five-year-old war that has killed 250,000 people. If its forces retake Aleppo and seal the Turkish border, Damascus would deal a crushing blow to the insurgents who were on the march until Russia intervened, shoring up Assad's rule and paving the way to the current reversal of rebel fortunes.

Russia has said it will keep bombing Islamic State and the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, which in many areas of western Syria fights government forces in close proximity to insurgents deemed moderates by Western states. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, asked at a security conference in Munich on Saturday to assess the chances of the cessation of hostilities deal succeeding, replied: "49 percent."

Asked the same question, his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier put the odds at 51 percent.

The complex, multi-sided civil war in Syria, raging since 2011, has drawn in most regional and global powers, caused the world's worst humanitarian emergency and attracted recruits to Islamist militancy from around the world. Assad, backed on the ground by Iranian combatants and Lebanon's Hezbollah in addition to big power ally Russia, is showing no appetite for a negotiated ceasefire. He declared this week that the government's goal was to recapture all of Syria, though he said this could take time. The U.S. government said Assad was "deluded" if he thought there was a military solution to the conflict.

Syrian state television announced the army and allied militia had on Saturday captured the village of al-Tamura overlooking rebel terrain northwest of Aleppo. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported advances in the same area, adding that Russian jets had hit three rebel-held towns near the Turkish border.

Government offensives around Aleppo have sent tens of thousands of people fleeing towards the Turkish border.

The Observatory said government troops had also edged to within a few kilometres (miles) of the provincial boundary of Raqqa after making a rapid advance eastwards along a desert highway from Ithriya in the last few days. The Syrian government has had no serious foothold in Raqqa province since Islamic State captured Tabqa air base in 2014. "They are on the provincial borders of Raqqa," Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters. Islamic State, driven by the goal of expanding its "caliphate" rather than reforming Syria - the original goal of the opposition when the conflict began as an unarmed street uprising in 2011 - is being targeted in separate campaigns by a U.S.-led alliance and Assad's government with Russian air support.

Regional Kurdish forces supported by Washington are also fighting Islamic State in Raqqa province.

Gulf states that want Assad gone from power have said they would be willing to send in troops as part of any U.S.-led ground attack against Islamic State. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday he expected Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to send commandos to help recapture Raqqa.

In what may have been a response to those remarks, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Saturday in Munich there was no need to scare anyone with a ground operation in Syria.

Speaking at the same conference, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls called on Russia to stop bombing civilians in Syria, saying this was crucial to achieving peace there.

"France respects Russia and its interests ... But we know that to find the path to peace again, the Russian bombing of civilians has to stop," Valls said. Medvedev said that was simply not true.

"There is no evidence of our bombing civilians, even though everyone is accusing us of this," he said. "Russia is not trying to achieve some secret goals in Syria. We are simply trying to protect our national interests," he said, adding that Moscow wanted to prevent Islamist militants getting to Russia.

Russia also has a major air base and large naval installation on Syria's Mediterranean coast.

Kerry, however, accused Russia of dropping so-called "dumb bombs" in Syria that do not have a precise target, saying this has led to the killing of civilians. "To date, the vast majority of Russia's attacks have been against legitimate opposition groups. To adhere to the (ceasefire) agreement it made, Russia's targeting must change," Kerry told the Munich conference. Two Syrian rebel commanders told Reuters on Friday insurgents had been sent "excellent quantities" of Grad rockets with a range of 20 km (12 miles) by foreign backers in recent days to help confront the Russian-backed offensive in Aleppo.

Foreign opponents of Assad including Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been supplying vetted rebel groups with weapons via a Turkey-based operations centre. Some of these groups have received military training overseen by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. The vetted groups have been a regular target of the Russian air strikes.
Iran ready to work with oil giant KSA

Al Jazeera News :

Iran's willingness to negotiate with Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members over the global oil glut reflects its desire to hike prices soon in order to revamp its oil sector, which was crippled for years by international sanctions over its nuclear programme, analysts say.

Iran will load four million barrels of crude oil on tankers destined for Europe in the coming 24 hours, a senior official was quoted as saying on Saturday. The oil was purchased by companies in Russia, France and Spain.

"Iran must preserve its share of the global oil market," Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri told the Shana news agency.

Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh said this week his country was ready for dialogue with Saudi Arabia and other members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on the oversupply of oil in the international market - and its debilitating price slump.

Patrick Clawson, director of research at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Zangeneh's comments indicate "how badly Iran is being hurt by the low oil price". Since the lifting of Western economic sanctions after Iran reached a nuclear deal with world powers, the country announced it is prepared to add an extra 500,000 barrels to its estimated 2.9 million barrels a day (bpd) output. Saudi Arabia is the biggest OPEC oil producer with foreign reserves exceeding $600bn at the end of 2015.

"Unlike the Saudis, the Iranians do not have ample reserves with which to ride out a prolonged period of low prices," Clawson told Al Jazeera. The international oil market has been suffering since the summer of 2014, losing more than two-thirds of its value. OPEC countries have flooded the market with a production ceiling of 30 million bpd - with no signs of cutbacks. Oil prices recently fell to $28 a barrel - a 13-year low.

On Thursday, Suhail bin Mohammed al-Mazroui, energy minister of the United Arab Emirates was quoted in the Wall Street Journal saying OPEC members are ready to cooperate on a production cut. The next day, oil prices surged in Asia by more than five percent. Sara Bazoobandi, an Iran analyst at Regent's University in London, said if Tehran can initiate a "collaborative approach" with other oil producers it would have a positive ripple effect on its own industry.

She added it is hard to distinguish whether Iran's comments on a dialogue with Saudi Arabia and others are out of desperation, or an attempt to claim more influence among OPEC players now that sanctions have been lifted.

"What has happened within OPEC is that Saudi Arabia and all the GCC producers created a cartel within a cartel. It gives them more power and more influence in decision-making. If Iran could either join that cartel or create some sort of a balance of power with that cartel, of course it'd be a good idea for Iran," Bazoobandi told Al Jazeera. In 2014, Iran's crude oil exports averaged 1.4 million bpd under the imposed economic sanctions. Prior to the sanctions, Iranian oil exports averaged 2.6 million bpd in 2011.

According to the latest OPEC oil market report, Iran's oil production was 2.9 million bpd in January.

The United Arab Emirates said last month Iran's pledge to increase production by 500,000 bpd would "harm the market". Bazoobandi described Tehran's moves as a "tit-for-tat" strategy. "They're implying that if other producers continue not cutting back, we are going to do the same thing. So if they continue producing, we're going to increase our production... Basically, they're hurting the prices, we're going to hurt the prices as well."

Economist Mamdouh Salameh said Iran increasing oil production will not have a significant effect on the market when compared to other OPEC producers.

In January 2016, OPEC producers averaged output of 32.33 million bpd.

"They are already overproducing above the production ceiling agreed by OPEC members, which is 30 million barrels... So if you want to remove the glut, you cut your production by 2.2 [million bpd]. Iran bringing a few thousand barrels are neither here nor there," Salameh told Al Jazeera.

Salameh added Iran's extra oil production might not be directly translated into exports as there is a "glowing demand" for oil inside the country. Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia reached a new low last month after the Saudi Kingdom severed relations after an attack on its embassy in Tehran.

The attack came in response to Saudi Arabia's execution of Nimr al-Nimr, a Shia religious leader in Riyadh. The incident sparked an escalated war of words between the regional rivals.

Commenting on Iran's readiness to have a dialogue with Saudi Arabia over the oil market, Bazoobandi said economic disputes may be the easiest to resolve in the volatile Middle East.

"Political and strategic interests are a lot more complicated. It could be a great step towards normalising relations with Saudi Arabia," she said.

Salameh, however, said he didn't think tensions would be resolved any time soon, even through economic cooperation.

"Saudi Arabia is OPEC. It is the heart of OPEC... Iran doesn't accept that. Iran is not in a position in terms of oil to confront Saudi Arabia. The tension will always remain there," he said.

But Salameh added Saudi Arabia will eventually have to reach an agreement within OPEC "whether they like it or not" to cut back on production.

In December, the world's leading oil producer announced a record $98bn budget deficit citing rock-bottom global petroleum prices. "Saudi Arabia is on the verge of changing its policy under the pressure and pain it's suffering now," said Salameh.

A report by the Kuwait Financial Centre released on Tuesday said 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, amid dramatically plunging revenues because of the steep drop in oil prices.




Non-MPO teachers' indefinite work abstention from today

Staff Reporter :About 15 thousand non-Monthly Pay Order (MPO) teachers will observe indefinite work abstention from today (Sunday) in demand of their inclusion in the MPO process across the country. Bangladesh non-MPO Educational Institution Teachers and Employees (BNEITE) at a press release on Saturday called the non-MPO teachers and employees to observe the programme. Earlier on February 6, the BNEITE at a press conference held in the VIP Lounge of National Press Club announced the programme. The organisation also threatened of going on hunger strike if their demand were not met. BNEITE President Pradip Chandra Ray said that they had repeatedly requested the Education Ministry to take the initiative to include the Non-MPO teachers under MPO. But the government is yet to pay heed in this regard. "We do not want disturbing situation in the education sector. We would like to contribute to the sector to develop and build the future generation. But the Education Ministry compels us to opt for work abstention programme," Prodip said. He also said that the non-MPO teachers are in crucial situation, as they do not get any money from the government fund. "About 15 thousand teachers from all over the country are in difficult situation to run their daily life. They want to live like the other professional bodies in the society," he said. Pradip Chandra Ray sought Prime Minister's intervention to include the teachers under MPO.
NCPS seeks UN-led EIA to protect Rampal project

Staff Reporter :

'The National Committee to Protect Sundarbans' NCPS demanded of a United Nations-led committee, comprising of scientists and environment experts, to protect the World's largest mangrove forest.

The National Committee also demanded that the plan for setting up two power plants in the Sundarbans- the government-run Rampal and private-run Orion- be suspended till a new Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) under the new UN-led committee is formed. They sought UN intervention in this regard.

Meanwhile, the BNP has alleged that the government is forcibly setting up the power plants, giving up the

country's interest though it knows it very well that the projects will badly affect the Sundarbans.

The National Committee and the BNP viewed their allegations in two separate programmes at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU) ahead of the visit of a UNESCO delegation, which is scheduled to come to Bangladesh soon to assess the possible impacts of the proposed coal-based power plants.

Convener of the National Committee Sultana Kamal, its joint convener Dr Abdul Matin, energy expert Dr Shamsul Alam and Executive Director of the TIB Dr Iftekharuzzaman, among others, were present at the press conference of the National Committee in the DRU Auditorium.

Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan (BAPA), TIB, Save the Sundarbans Foundation, Green Voice Centre for Human Rights Movement, Rampal Krishi Jomi Rakkhha Committee and Bagerhat Development Commission and Nature Campaign and some other organisations are under fold of the National Committee.

In her speech, Sultana Kamal, also an adviser to the former caretaker government, presented several other demands including withdrawal of all projects in and around the Sundarbans. "The Sundarbans is our national resource. It is our constitutional right to protest any activity that will harm the forest," she said.

Dr Abdul Matin, who is also general secretary of BAPA, blamed the government for ignoring the demands of the environmentalists about the issue. Dr Iftekharuzzaman said, "We are the worst victim of climate change. It will be very embarrassing for us if we become a polluter country through constructing coal-based power plants in the Sundarbans, as our Prime Minister was recently awarded for her efforts in the environment sector." Meanwhile, BNP Joint-Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, who is current spokesman of the party, at a roundtable discussion alleged that the government is forcibly setting up the power plants, giving up the country's interest and as a result of 'deep affection' towards India.

Save the Sundarbans Foundation arranged the roundtable to mark 'The Sundarbans Day', which day will be observed today (Sunday).

Rizvi Ahmed said, "A vast portion of the Sundarbans is in India. There had been a move to set up a thermal power plant near it there. But India shelved the plan following their peoples' strong protest and filing of a case. But, our government's stance to set up the power plant for the Prime Minister's stubbornness aimed at to making the neighbouring country happy."

BNP is not against India, the BNP leader said, that they are opposing the plan of power plants, as it will badly harm Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, the high-profile UNESCO delegation is coming to Bangladesh any time in March to assess the environmental impact of the Rampal coal-fired power plant, and to see the steps taken by the government to address the possible impact. It will also review the damage caused by sinking of vessels in rivers through the mangrove forest carrying oil and coal.

"UNESCO wants to send its team this month (February) but we have requested them to be here in March next," Chief Conservator of Forests Yunus Ali told media on Saturday. An official at UNESCO's Dhaka office, however, said that the team is coming in late February or early March.

Yunus Ali said that the UNESCO team, which will be accompanied by a delegation of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is going to visit the Sundarbans, as it is a UNESCO's world heritage site. During the visit in Bangladesh, the team will hold talks with the government, inhabitants around the forest, civic bodies, media, university teachers and experts, he added. In 1997, the Sundarbans was declared as a world heritage site by the UNESCO. Bangladesh signed a deal with India in 2012, to set up a 1,320-megawatt thermal power plant in Bagerhat's Rampal, which is located about 14 kilometers from the Sundarbans. But the peripheral area of the forest begins within four kilometers from the Power Plant.

The two countries will have equal partnership in the venture called Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Ltd.

Environmentalists and locals have been saying that the coal-fired power plant will threaten the ecological balance of the Sundarbans. The project, if implemented, would destroy the forest already under several threats. The government, however, insists that proper measures will be taken to protect the environment from pollution. According to the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) of the project, the Rampal power plant will produce 7.5 lakh tonnes of fly ash and 2 lakh tonnes of bottom ash per year. About 15 percent of the ash will be generated as a result of burning coal.
RAB man among 5 held on extortion charge in N'ganj

Staff Reporter :A member of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) along with four people was held on charge of extortion in Sonargaon Police Station area of Narayanganj district on Saturday morning.The RAB man has been identified as Humayun Kabir, a constable of RAB-13. The others are: Mahbub Islam, 30, driver of a microbus used in the extortion; Hasanuzzaman, 24, brother of the microbus owner of Rangpur, and one Amzad, 31, and victim's wife Shahida Akhter of Munshiganj district. Acting on a tip-off, a special squad of elite force RAB caught red-handed Humayun Kabir along with the four persons from Ashariar Char area while they were extracting toll from a village doctor (Kabiraj) named Mohammad Mohsin. They were later handed over to the Sonargaon Police Station. A case was lodged with the police station in this connection in this connection. Humayun Kabir, introducing himself as the constable of RAB- 11, along with his accomplices continued to extract money as toll from Mohsin. Deputy Commanding Officer of RAB-11 Lieutenant Commander Gulzar Hossain told journalists that Humayun has so far extorted Tk 3.5 lakh from Mohsin in the last five months.On Saturday, Humayun along with his four accomplices riding a microbus came to Narayanganj for collecting more Tk one lakh. Sources at the Rab-11 battalion said one Mohsin of Asariar char of Sonargaon upazila was implicated in a case filed by his wife Shilpy Akhter over a family feud last year. Constable Humayun Kabir contacted Mohsin saying that her wife lodged a complaint with RAB-11 battalion headquarters against him and he will be arrested in this connection, said Lt Commander Md Gulzar Hossain of RAB-11. As Mohsin wanted to settle the problem through negotiations, constable Humayun demanded huge money from him. Mohsin gave him around Tk 3.5 lakh to Humayun in phases, Md Gulzar Hossain added.Finally, Mohsin informed the RAB-11 about the matter when constable Humayun demanded more money from him although Mohsin's wife withdrew the case.When constable Humayun and his four accomplices went to Asariar char from Rangpur around 11:00 am, an operational team of RAB-11 arrested them.
Muggers shoot 2 bKash agents, loot Tk 13 lakh

Staff Reporter :A gang of unidentified muggers looted Tk 13 lakh after shooting two employees of bKash, a mobile phone money transfer provider, in the city's Kafrul area on Saturday morning.The victims are Mosharraf, 35, and Alamin, 32, collected the money from a number of bKash agents of Mirpur Section-13 area. They were admitted to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital in critical condition.Quoting the victims, General Manager of the bKash company Zainul Abedin said, "When they were returning to the office of distributors Mirpur Section-14, five to six muggers, on riding two motorcycles, intercepted their motorbike opposite to the Police Staff College around 10:15 am." As the two employees tried to resist the muggers, gunshots were heard and the criminals fled the scene with the money, leaving them injured, he said.Mosharraf sustained bullet injuries in his two hands, while Alamin in one hand.Assistant Commissioner (Pallabi Zone) of DMP Zakir Hossain said, police are trying to arrest the culprits.A General Diary was filed with the Kafrul Police Station in this connection, the police official said.
Tk 90 crore paid defying objection

JS body irked over payment for imported rotten wheat, demand quick Govt action: Minister denies any knowledge

Sagar Biswas :

Defying objection from concerned government departments and intelligence agency, the Directorate of Food has recently paid Tk 90 crore to the importing agency which was responsible for importing about 1 lakh tones inconsumable wheat from France.

Of the total Tk 100 crore, the Directorate of Food paid Tk 90 crore without maintaining official rules and regulations where some unscrupulous officials have allegedly benefited financially.

In this backdrop, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Food has expressed severe annoyance over faulty procedure of wheat import and money payment.

Blaming the Food Directorate for large-scale corruption, the JS body at a meeting on February 7, presided over by committee chairman Abdul Wadud MP, directed the concerned ministry to realise the money [Tk 90 crore] from the responsible officials.

At the same time, the JS body also asked the government to blacklist the importer Impex Consultant Limited and give exemplary punishment to dishonest officials of Food Directorate. It said the large-scale payment was made without testing standard of wheat properly.

When contacted, Minister of Food Advocate Quamrul Islam told The New Nation Saturday night, "Not my ministry, rather Directorate of Food is solely responsible for importing such wheat from France. Yes, they are also responsible for payment of bill."

The Minister said, "They [Food Directorate] did not inform me about the payment of bill. As per procedure, the Food Directorate can pay bill for importing food grains. And for that reason, they did not send any copy of the bill to my ministry." Interestingly, Director General of Food Fayez Ahmed refrained from making any comment despite repeated attempts yesterday night.

Terming former DG of Food Directorate Md Sarwar Khan as 'cooperator', the JS body also asked the government to ensure tough punishment for making such deal for importing rotten what from France.

When asked, Md Sarwar Khan said, "No payment was made during my period."

Meanwhile, the issue of rotten wheat came again to the forefront, when National Security Intelligence [NSI] recently submitted a report to government high-ups accusing chief of Food Directorate for large-scale corruption in wheat import spending huge government money.

After the Brazilian wheat scandal, the Food Directorate opened a fresh controversy importing about 52, 500 metric tons of 'inconsumable' wheat from France in a tender at US$243.69 a tonne, including CIF liner out on March 24 last year. The wheat laden ship reached at Chittagong Port on May 10 samr year.

Official sources said that the French wheat was not found up-to-the-mark after conducting joint test by Food Directorate and Chittagong Port Authority [CPA]. And for that reason, they made objection to unload the wheat.

The NSI report said, "The DG of Food Directorate is a man of immoral character and for that reason he used to involve in corruption getting immoral pressure from others. Especially, he obeys all sorts of directives given by the 'corrupt syndicate' of Food Directorate without any question."

Officials said, last year France had emerged as a key wheat supplier to Bangladesh and a French farm Phoenix Commodities won the deal. A fall in the euro and low freight rates helped France to sell feed wheat to Asian buyers, part of its rain-affected 2014 crop that failed to meet the requirements of some bread-wheat importers, the officials said.

In the backdrop of wheat scandal exposure, Secretary of Food Ministry Musfeka Ikfat had said, "There were some problems about the wheat imported from France. The primary test report had shown that the wheat quality was not good enough for consumption..The Directorate of Food can explain the reason why they did not send back the wheat to the country of origin."


Relocation of key offices will help save Dhaka city

UNB, Dhaka :What could be saved easily through rapid 'political decentralisation' is being destroyed with its unplannedexpansion and building heavy structures everywhere, experts say about capital Dhaka.Talking to UNB, urban planner and former chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Prof Nazrul Islam, Prof of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) Sarwar Jahan and professor of Khulna University's Urban and Rural Planning Department Dr Rezaul Haque said there is no alternative to decentralisation to reduce pressure on Dhaka.They suggest decentralising government offices and relocating key installations and industries, mainly tanneries and readymade garment factories, from the capital to elsewhere to bring it back on track.Stressing the need for a strong political will of parties, especially the one in power, they advocated for a comprehensive, practical and farsighted plan to save the country's capital, which remains at the bottom of global ranking for the past five years.A report published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) in August last year ranked Dhaka as the second least livable city in the world. According to another report conducted by United Nations in 2014, Dhaka is the 11th most populous city of the world with a population just under 1.7 crore. Dhaka was the 24th in 1990 with only 66.21 lakh people and saw a 3.6 percent annual rise in its population between 2010 and 2015, the report said. Prof Nazrul Islam said the problems of Dhaka city are very serious and complex. "There had been assurances from the highest political level to make Dhaka a livable and dynamic city. But, we hardly see similarity between the commitment and actions ...political leaders don't bother about Dhaka. They must take care of it because the development of entire country largely depends on Dhaka," he said.Noting that political, administrative and socio-economic decentralisation is a must for the overall development of the country, the urban planner said, "We must start with political decentralisation Political decentralisation means strengthening local government. Then we'll have to go for administrative and socioeconomic decentralisation." He also noted that the scope and opportunities have to be increased at divisional, district and upazila levels for meaningful decentralisation.Prof Sarwar Jahan said it is a must to empower local government institutions for effective decentralisation. "In the present context, no local government institution is independent. All are dependent on the central government to discharge their duties. In many countries, mainly in developed ones, local government institutions are very strong. They have policies to run local government institutions," he said. Proper decentralisation takes place when local government institutions enjoy the power to work out plans and implement those accordingly, said Prof Sarwar."Then economic opportunities will be created at the grassroots level and people will hardly come to Dhaka seeking jobs as most people now come to the capital in search of jobs," he continued.Dr Rezaul Haque said there is no alternative to decentralisation to reduce pressure on Dhaka. "Why are all the important offices located in Dhaka? Shipping Ministry can be relocated to either Khulna or Chittagong. This is how Agriculture Ministry can be shifted to Rangpur. If we don't think this way, the pressure on Dhaka will never ease." He questioned further, "Why all garment factories be located in Dhaka? Why not outside of it? If it's set up outside Dhaka, people from rural areas will get greater scope of jobs."Dr Haque said, the unwillingness of political parties has been the main reason behind the absence of proper decentralisation in Bangladesh. "Political parties, mainly the ruling ones, consider that if Dhaka remains under their grip, everything will remain under their control. So they don't want to think of anything outside Dhaka. They should come out from that mindset."
Preparations taken to punish corrupt cops

Staff Reporter :

Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Hoque has said that the preparations have been for filing departmental cases against the errant police across the country.

The accused policemen have already been suspended in order to ensure proper investigation.

The police chief said this while unveiling the cover of 'A Police's Diary' written by former Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Shafiq Ullah, in the city's Dhaka Club on Saturday afternoon. He was the chief guest.

Ekushey Padak laureate and noted cultural personality Ataur Rahman presided over the programme.

The IGP said, "The punitive actions will be taken against the guilty police members who are responsible for tarnishing the image of the force."

The errant policemen will also face legal action.

In reply to a query about bloggger Avijit murder, the IGP said, the criminals behind the killing of all bloggers, except Avijit, have already been detected. "We've already identified the faces through scrutinising video footages in Avijit murder case," he said.
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Press Release:

UNCSA will receive $10.9 million from Connect NC

Contact:

Crystal Feldman

govpress@nc.gov

Winston-Salem, N.C.  Governor Pat McCrory led an educational discussion about Connect NC today at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Governor McCrory is the first governor to visit the UNCSA campus in more than 10-years. The conversation focused on what the bond would bring to UNCSA and the Triad region.Governor McCrory said.On the panel discussion before nearly 200 members of the community, Governor McCrory was joined by UNCSA Chancellor Lindsay Bierman, DNCR Secretary Susan Kluttz, Forsyth Technical Community College President Dr. Gary Green and Winston-Salem State University School of Art Dean Corey Walker.Connect NC will provide $1.3 billion to the UNC System and community colleges.Forsyth Tech President Dr. Green said these funds will help community colleges update equipment and meet growing needs, evidenced by Forsyth Tech's needed addition of a third shift welding program from 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. Winston-Salem State University Dean Walker said the funds going towards the science building will help with research.UNCSA will receive $10.9 million in repair and renovation funds for re-purposing the old library ($8 million), and repairing and partial renovation of Performance Place ($2.9 million).Chancellor Bierman said the investments will help the UNCSA reach more people through the arts and education.UNCSA School of Drama is ranked No. 6 in the world by The Hollywood Reporter, which also ranked the UNCSA School of Filmmaking No. 14 in the country. The university is also ranked No. 38 on Money magazine's 2nd annual list of 736 best colleges.Three graduates of UNCSA's School of Drama are in Oscar-nominated films and two graduates of UNCSA's School of Filmmaking are on Oscar-nominated sound editing crews. Additionally, a dozen students and alumni from UNCSA worked on or appear in eight films that screened recently at the Sundance Film Festival.Including UNCSA, Connect NC will invest a total of $354.9 million in the Piedmont Triad region. Seven community colleges, four universities, four state parks, the North Carolina Zoo and the Guilford County National Guard Readiness Center all stand to receive funds from the bond.In addition to investments in education, the $2 billion bond includes investments in state parks, agriculture, National Guard facilities and water and sewer infrastructure.Governor McCrory stated that North Carolina's population has grown by 2 million since the last bond was passed 15 years ago. He also reiterated that no tax increase is necessary to finance the bonds, now or in the future, given the state's strong revenue growth and ample debt service capacity.
Challenge is how to free Syria from Russian occupation





MAJOR powers agreed on Friday to a pause in combat in Syria, but Russia pressed on with its relentless bombing in support of its ally President Bashar al-Assad, who vowed to fight on until he regains full control of the country. Although billed as a potential breakthrough, the "cessation of hostilities" agreement does not take effect for a week, at a time when Assad's government is poised to win its biggest victory of the war with the backing of Russian air power.

If implemented, the deal hammered out at five hours of late night talks in Munich would allow humanitarian aid to reach besieged towns. It was described by the countries that took part as a rare diplomatic success in a conflict that has fractured the Middle East, killed at least 250,000 people, made 11 million homeless and sent hundreds of thousands fleeing into Europe. But several Western countries said there was no hope for progress without a halt to the Russian bombing, which has decisively turned the balance of power in favour of Assad.

World powers all say they support a "political transition", but there has been disagreement for years over whether that requires Assad to leave power, as Western countries have been demanding in vain since 2011. Another week of fighting would give the Damascus government and its allies time to press on with the encirclement of Aleppo, Syria's biggest city before the war, which they are now on the verge of capturing. They are also close to sealing the Turkish border, lifeline of rebel territory for years.

A pause in fighting in Syria would do little to help the Syrians in the long-term, and provide only temporary relief from the attrition of war. The Syrians have, most unfortunately, become pawns of some of the most powerful states in the region and in the world, who are using one side or the other to further their ideologies. The Western states and their allies like the US and Saudi Arabia support the rebels while the Russians, Iranians and the Lebanese support the Assad government. In the meantime none support ISIS, which is being bombed by everyone - such an intense object of hatred it has become.

It is so hurtful that Russians are using a ruthless killer like Assad protecting him in power to keep Syria under its occupation. So the Western powers cannot ignore the reality of how Syrian people are suffering miseries as refugees in other countries. The country has to be freed from Russian occupation and it is heartless to say Syrian people can solve their problem.
The face is one of the first places that shows signs of aging. Fine lines and wrinkles can appear as early as your twenties, and by the time you reach your forties, you may start to see more pronounced changes such as sagging skin and deeper creases. But did you know that the face shape can also affect how you age?

How Face Shape Affects the Aging Process

The shape of your face can impact the aging process in a few different ways. First, certain face shapes are more susceptible to sagging skin and wrinkles due to gravity. Second, the thickness of your skin can also affect how quickly fine lines and wrinkles appear. And finally, the placement of your features can also play a role in the aging process.

Different Face Shapes and How They Age

There are seven different face shapes: oval, round, square, oblong, heart, diamond, and pear. Each face shape ages differently due to the inherent characteristics of that particular shape.

Oval

Oval faces are considered to be the ideal face shape because they are well-proportioned and tend to age very well. The skin on oval faces is of medium thickness, which allows it to retain its elasticity and resist wrinkles and sagging skin for a longer period of time.

Round

Round faces tend to age a bit quicker than oval faces because the skin on round faces is thinner and not as resistant to gravity. Additionally, round faces tend to have fuller cheeks, which can sag over time.

Square

Square faces are similar to round faces in that they also have thinner skin that tends to age quicker. However, square faces are less susceptible to sagging cheeks since the cheekbones are more pronounced. Instead, square faces tend to develop wrinkles around the mouth and eyes.

Oblong

Oblong faces have a longer shape with less width, which can cause the skin to sag and wrinkles to form around the mouth and eyes. Additionally, the thinner skin on oblong faces makes them more susceptible to sun damage, which can further accelerate the aging process.

Heart

Heart-shaped faces are characterized by a wide forehead and narrow chin. This face shape ages well overall, but the skin around the chin is thinner and can sag over time.

Diamond

Diamond-shaped faces have a narrow forehead and chin with wider cheekbones. This face shape also has thinner skin, which can cause wrinkles to form around the mouth and eyes. Additionally, the thinner skin around the chin can cause it to sag over time.

Pear

Pear-shaped faces are characterized by a narrow forehead and wide chin. This face shape is similar to diamond-shaped faces in that it has thinner skin and can experience wrinkles around the mouth and eyes. However, pear-shaped faces are less susceptible to sagging skin since the chin is not as pronounced.

So, which face shape ages the worst? While there is no definitive answer, square, oblong, and diamond-shaped faces tend to show signs of aging sooner than other face shapes. This is due to the thinner skin and less pronounced features of these face shapes.

However, all face shapes will eventually show signs of aging. The best way to combat the aging process is to take care of your skin by cleansing, exfoliating, and moisturizing on a regular basis. You should also wear sunscreen every day to protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun. By following these simple steps, you can help keep your skin looking its best no matter what face shape you have.
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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


"There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bou...
It's been a four year wait, but it looks like we're finally seeing the Cooper regime at the Department of Justice DO SOMETHING. The DOJ has issued an "Investigative Demand" to I-77 Mobility Partners, the entity empowered by NCDOT, the legislature and the governor's office to build and manage the toll lanes in Northern Mecklenburg County. It's not pleasant to receive one of these demands. It's an experience along the lines of being told you're the subject of an IRS audit, or that your arms and legs will be amputated, or that you have DAYS to live.We've followed this toll issue extensively since then-speaker Thom Thilli$ and Gov. Pat McCrory were strong-arming the deal through the legislature. The dispute between the Raleigh crowd and local residents has racked up a lot of courtroom time and produced a primary challenger to McCrory. Thilli$ was able to survive the controversy to make it to DC for a six year stint. But many others still in office in Raleigh and locally in Mecklenburg County have not been - or will not be - as lucky.Cornelius resident and anti-toll activist Diane Gilroy has scored some important political hits on the toll project recently. She's taken her concerns to the head of The World Bank, and to the Inspector General of North Carolina:Gilroy's letter lays out the facts about charges of bribery, corruption and negligence that have been leveled in Europe and domestically against this partner with the state of North Carolina in this highway project.Gilroy and her fellow toll opponents have even produced legal opinions suggesting that the toll deal was structured so the Spanish contractor will never actually have to share ANY revenue with the State of North Carolina.
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!
Press Release:

Working with local health departments to investigate all potential cases of Zika virus infection in returning travelers;

Coordinating Zika virus testing, currently available only through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;

Providing information to pregnant women and others about Zika virus and travel recommendations;

Providing guidance to obstetricians and other health care providers on Zika virus diagnosis and management; and

Working with mosquito experts at state universities to plan mosquito control trainings for local health departments.

2001 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC 27699-2001

news@dhhs.nc.gov (919) 855-4840

RALEIGH, N.C. - State health officials continue to monitor for Zika virus, and encourage North Carolinians to be aware of the possible risk of exposure to the virus before traveling to Central and South America, Mexico and the Caribbean.To date, no cases have been reported in North Carolina. Fifty-two travel-related Zika virus infections have been reported in the United States as of Feb. 10, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."While our attention has been focused on educating health providers, and citizens who are traveling to countries with active Zika virus transmission, we are simultaneously prepared to respond to vector-borne diseases in North Carolina," said State Epidemiologist Megan Davies, MD. "Suspected cases of Zika are required to be reported by order of the State Health Director so that we can actively monitor any cases should they appear in North Carolina."The Department of Health and Human Services has been collaborating with local health departments on education and monitoring of Zika virus, including:A pregnant woman infected with Zika virus can pass the virus to her unborn baby. A serious birth defect of the brain called microcephaly, and other adverse pregnancy outcomes have been reported in some women who were infected with Zika virus while pregnant. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all pregnant women consider postponing travel to any area with active Zika virus transmission.Zika virus testing is recommended for all pregnant travelers returning from areas with ongoing Zika transmission. This includes both pregnant women with symptoms of Zika and pregnant women with no symptoms. Testing is also recommended for men and non-pregnant women who develop symptoms of Zika within two weeks after travel to areas with ongoing transmission.Zika virus is spread through the bite of an infectious mosquito. Isolated cases of the virus spreading through sexual contact and blood donation have been reported. Symptoms can include rash, red eyes, fever and body aches. Only about one in five people infected with Zika virus will show symptoms.To protect against any mosquito vector-borne illness, individuals are always encouraged, as a routine precaution, to take steps to prevent mosquito bites, such as wearing insect repellent registered with the Environmental Protection Agency, wearing long sleeves and pants and tipping containers that can hold water and serve as breeding sites for mosquitos. When travelling, choose lodging with window screens or air conditioning.Because Zika virus has been sexually transmitted, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that men who have traveled to an area with active Zika virus transmission who have a pregnant partner should abstain from sexual activity, or consistently and correctly use protection for the duration of the pregnancy. People who have traveled to areas with active Zika virus transmission are asked not to donate or sell blood products for 28 days after they return.Again, no cases of Zika virus infection have been reported in North Carolina to date.For more information about Zika virus, visit http://epi.publichealth.nc.gov/cd/diseases/zika.html or www.cdc.gov/zika NC Department of Health and Human Services
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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.
Welcome to the Rundell Family Blog. Our family has lived in China for three years and has now moved to Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Our adventure continues! Hope you enjoy our blog.



Things We Want from the USA A HUGE Steak w/ Baked Potato

Board Games

Books

California Pizza Kitchen

Cilantro

Crystal Light

Deodorant

DIET MOUNTAIN DEW

Diet Sunkist

Lawry's Seasoning Salt

Makeup and hair products

Memory Foam Mattress Pad

Mexican Vanilla

Popcorn and Popcorn Popper

Slap Your Mama

Sunflower Seeds

Taco Seasoning

Tortilla press

Warm clothes and shoes

X-Box games
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.
CARBONDALE  As local Catholics continue to celebrate the "Holy Year of Mercy," two local congregations are planning to celebrate this Lenten season by focusing on themes of 'mercy.'

The congregations of St. Francis Xavier Church and the Newman Catholic Student Center at Southern Illinois University will host a Paulist priest in joint services from Feb. 28 to March 2.

Father Robert Cary, Congregation of St. Paul, from Chicago, will speak in Carbondale during that time. During that four-day period, he plans to discuss the God of Mercy (Monday); 'Jesus, the One who Does Mercy' (Tuesday); 'Virtue and Works of Mercy' (Wednesday); and "Our Call to Justice and Mercy' (Thursday).

The joint mass is in recognition of the church celebrating the "Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy," also known as the "Holy Year of Mercy," so proclaimed by Pope Francis.

As they focus on issues of mercy, the congregants will also have the chance to renew their faith, said Father Robert Flannery of St. Francis Xavier Church.

"Its a way for us to do something spiritually together, as well as socially and come to get to know each other better," Flannery said of the combined masses.

The talks are free and open to the public and non-Catholics as well as Catholics are encouraged to attend, Flannery said.

Paulists are committed to evangelizing to the unchurched, reconciling alienated Catholics and having ecumenical and interfaith dialogue, according to the Paulist Fathers' website. The group began in July of 1858 when four former Redemptorist missionaries formed a new religious movement around the vision of Father Isaac Thomas Hecker.

The nearly yearlong observation, announced in March 2015, started in early December and runs through Nov. 20, 2016; it calls attention to the extension of mercy and forgiveness to Catholics.

The times of the sessions are:

 Sunday evening, February 28, from 6 to 7:15 pm at the Newman Center located at 715 S. Washington Street, Carbondale.

 Monday, February 29, 7 to 8:15 pm at Saint Francis Xavier located at 303 S. Poplar Street, Carbondale;

 Tuesday, March 1, from 7 to 8:15 pm at the Newman Center;

 Wednesday, March 2 from 7 to 8:15 pm at Saint Francis Xavier.

A social event will follow each session. There is also a session at 11 a.m. Monday, February 29, prior to the 12:15 p.m. Mass, followed by an Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration.
WOLF LAKE  When the December rains came and the floodwaters rose, the levees protecting Shawnee Jr/Sr High School held  even in spite of sand boils and a couple dozen levee slides.

We were lucky, said Clear Creek Levee District Commissioner Mitchel McLane. We didnt know what was gonna happen.  I think we dodged a bullet on this.

McLane joined commissioners and levee officials from Jackson, Union and Alexander counties on Friday in updating Shawnee students on the status of levee repair and improvement efforts.

About 50 students gathered in teacher Jamie Nash-Mayberrys classroom as part of the schools award-winning Levee Project. Nearly half of the students had helped sandbag vulnerable levees in the run-up to record water levels on the Mississippi River in early January.

For the students, Fridays Q&A session was a chance to get up-to-date  and to find out what more they could do to help.

Youre doing such a great job with public awareness, McLane said, urging them to continue keeping residents informed. People know so much more than they ever did.

Most of Southern Illinoiss Mississippi River levees have received a U, or Unacceptable rating from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, making them even more vulnerable to breaches during a flood.

South of Shawnee, the overtopping of a levee, followed by a levee breach west of the Alexander County community of Olive Branch, caused widespread damage to homes and farms.

North of the school, in Grand Tower, officials worried an unfinished construction project on the levee might cause it to bust. By the time floodwaters started receding, the district had experienced 23 slides, but no breaches, and little property damage.

On Friday, Grand Tower Levee Commissioner Craig Miller said construction has not yet resumed on the project, which aims to replace a busted drainage pipe.

The grounds too wet as of right now, he said.

Once construction starts anew, it should only take a month or so to replace the pipe, he said.

Incomplete construction left Grand Tower levee vulnerable GRAND TOWER  It wasnt a levee breach that forced an emergency evacuation of this floodplai

For McLane, its time to look toward the future  although, he said, its nearly impossible to predict how bad spring flooding will get.
WEST FRANKFORT  The family of Gaege Bethune is convinced that posts on Facebook and other sites are responsible for sending an innocent man to jail.
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CARBONDALE  Commissioners with the Carbondale Liquor Advisory Board approved three items Thursday night, advancing plans for two gambling parlors and one restaurant.

The board approved a request from the Uffelman Corporation, owners of Key West on West Main Street, for a standalone video gaming establishment license in June. But when submitting his application to the state gaming board, CEO Scott Uffelman said the state basically told him there was no chance of getting the license because it was under the same roof line as another business with video gaming  Key West.

Developer wants another liquor store on The Strip in Carbondale CARBONDALE  The plans for a downtown development at 518 S. Illinois Ave. have changed once again.

In order to alleviate any confusion, he decided to move the parlor down the street to 1224 W. Main St, in the same plaza as Jane's Consignment Shop. The board approved the transfer and the request for an additional six month permit to operate the business under the name Reel Lucky.

Also in the world of video gaming, Little Vegas Gaming, LLC, managed by Trace Brown, requested a B3 license for 100 N. Glenview Dr., which is the current location of Ashley Furniture Outlet.

The board questioned the fact that the gaming establishment was less than 500 feet away from Larrys House of Cakes, which also features video gaming. However, the B3 license ordinance states that a stand-alone video gaming establishment cant be less than 500 feet from another stand-alone gaming establishment, not just a business that features video gaming.

The board also approved this request.

If both licenses are granted by the city and the state, it would make the amount of B3 licenses stand at four. The Carbondale Liquor Commission capped the amount of licenses at five.

Carbondale council to consider new liquor ordinance CARBONDALE  The City Council will talk tonight about whether or not it wants alcohol to be 

The board also approved an additional liquor license for Srinivas Gundala, representing Bombay Olive, LLC. This liquor license is for a proposed restaurant at 518 S. Illinois Ave.

This would be the second liquor license at this location since Gundala was granted a license for an upscale liquor store for 1,200 square feet of the establishment. This license was granted under the corporation American Tap Liquor, LLC, of which Gundala is also a manager.

Thursdays license request was for the Indian fine dining restaurant occupying the remaining 3,800 square feet.

Board Chairman Mark Robinson showed concern with Gundalas operation because he already has a license for a liquor store and is now requesting a liquor license for the restaurant. The reason for concern is because similar businesses in Old Town Liquors just to the right and Reemas Indian Cuisine is just north of the potential business.

My concern is that if you do well, then there were will be a vacant property to the left and right, he said. If you dont do well, there will be an expensive vacant property in your location.

The board also questioned the amount of money Gundala proposed to operate the restaurant and the amount of employees he proposed to hire in the beginning.

Eventually, the board approved the liquor license for the restaurant.

The final word on all the aforementioned items will be rendered at the Feb. 23 Local Liquor Control Commission, made up by the members of the City Council.
CARBONDALE  The family of a 19-year-old Southern Illinois University student found dead in February 2014 vows not to give up until their questions are answered.

Lovely Varughese, the mother of Pravin Varughese, will make the trip down Interstate 57 from her Morton Grove home to visit the memorial site where her son was found dead two years ago.

The family will host a memorial service. They are asking interested individuals to meet at the Buffalo Wild Wings parking lot in Carbondale at about 12:40 p.m. From there, the Carbondale Police Department will lead a group back about a mile into the woods where Pravin Varugheses body was found on Feb. 18, 2014, said Lovely Varughese.

She said there is a small memorial at the site constructed by the family. After a service, the family will head to the Alumni Lounge in the Engineering Department at SIU for refreshments and a gathering.

Lovely Varughese said Wednesday that the last time she spoke with the States Attorney Appellate Prosecutor's office was in November, and the director Patrick Delfino told her he was about 98 percent finished with his offices report. The special prosecutor's office has been looking into the case since a Jackson County Grand Jury returned a no true bill on four different counts of first-and second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and concealment of homicidal death against Gaege Bethune.

Bethune reportedly is the last person to have seen Pravin Varughese alive.

She said he was waiting on more lab work, but wouldnt disclose to her which labs were needed. According to Lovely Varughese, Delfino told her a report wouldnt be ready until the end of January.

When asked Thursday about the status of the report, Delfino told The Southern that his office is still reviewing information, and it would be inappropriate to make any comments.

Two years later and we are still in the same circus, Lovely Varughese told The Southern. We still have no idea what is going on.

There have been questions about Pravin Varugheses death since he went missing the night of Feb. 12-13, 2014. He was found five days later in a wooded area off the 1400 block of East Main Street.

Officials defend investigations into hypothermia deaths In two years, three people have reportedly disappeared into wooded areas of Southern Illinoi

Police said they learned Varughese got a ride on Feb. 12 after leaving a house party in the 600 block of West College Street from Bethune. During the ride, Varughese and Bethune got into an altercation, the police say. Varughese got out of the vehicle and ran into the wooded area where he was later found.

Varugheses February 2014 autopsy revealed there were no signs of foul play and that hypothermia was the preliminary cause of death, according to Jackson County Coroner Dr. Thomas Kupferer.

Later in February, it was learned that a state trooper actually came in contact with Bethune shortly after the altercation took place on Illinois 13 at about 12:10 a.m. on Feb. 13.

The troopers report said Bethune told him he picked up a pedestrian on Illinois 13. Bethune reportedly told the trooper he asked the pedestrian for gas money, then he was struck in the face, and the pedestrian got out and ran into the nearby woods.

The trooper then did a search of the tree line on Illinois 13 and asked Bethune if he needed any more assistance. When Bethune declined, the trooper and Bethune left the scene.

Two months later, the Varughese family commissioned a second autopsy finding different results from Jackson Countys. The report from Dr. Ben Margolis of the Autopsy Center of Chicago showed blunt force trauma to the head was the underlying cause of death for the SIU student.

No charges to be filed in Varughese case CARBODNALE  No charges will be filed against Gauge Bethune in the death of Pravin Varughese

In August, the Varughese family decided to take legal action to get the answers they sought. The family filed a five-count, $5 million wrongful death and negligence lawsuit against Bethune, the city of Carbondale, and then-Carbondale Police Chief Jody OGuinn. Kupferer was later added to this lawsuit, but was later dismissed by the family, along with the city and OGuinn.

Bethune has not been dismissed from the lawsuit.

A little more than a year after Varugheses death, the Jackson County Grand Jury returned the no true bill. At the time, Jackson County States Attorney Michael Carr said from his perspective, the criminal investigation was over.

Shortly after the grand jury, Carr recused himself from the Varguhese case, and The States Attorney Appellate Prosecutor was appointed to look into the case.

Lovely Varughese said she would like to have her sons belongings back  his laptop, cellphone, clothes and shoes. She said everything the police found on his body is still in the possession of the authorities. She said they are citing an open investigation as the reason the items haven't been released.

Carr steps down from Varughese case, special prosecutor assigned Jackson County States Attorney Michael Carr recused himself from the Pravin Varughese crimi

I want to have his phone back, she said. Those are memories that we are dying to see.

Lovely Varughese said no matter what, she isnt going to stop looking for answers regarding her sons death.

We are not going to give up, she said. If I give up, then I am going to fail my son, which I will never do.
CHICAGO  Written by hand, the autopsies on the seven bullet-riddled bodies vividly describe why the Valentine's Day massacre of 1929 is still considered Chicago's most infamous gangland killing.

The reports were recently unearthed with inquest transcripts from a warehouse after eight decades, and the Cook County medical examiner's office is now considering how best to preserve and display them.

Executive officer James Sledge, a local history fan and a Chicago native, said he felt a chill down his back when he first read the documents outlining the attack at a Lincoln Park garage that left seven men dead and more than 160 machine gun casings littering the scene.

The attack, carried out by men dressed as city police officers, is widely believed to have been ordered by famed Prohibition-era gangster Al Capone. The crime was never solved.

Shortly after Sledge joined the medical examiner's office in 2014, he asked for permission to look at the autopsy records. His staff took multiple trips to a Cook County government warehouse to find the reports, which were tucked away in a metal file cabinet.

Sledge is weighing where the documents should be stored and how accessible they should be, he told the Chicago Sun-Times in a story published Thursday.

"On the one hand, we want to have them readily available," Sledge said. "But we don't want them so accessible that we in some way anger some part of the population who feel we are not paying proper respect to the deceased."

The victims of the Feb. 14, 1929 massacre were five men who were known gangsters working for Capone rival George "Bugs" Moran, an optometrist who was friends with Moran's crew and a mechanic at the garage that served as Moran's headquarters. They were gunned down by four men, two of whom were wearing police uniforms. Since there was no evidence of a struggle, it's believed that Moran's men thought it was a police raid.

The documents that are now in Sledge's possession offer insight into the 87-year-old investigation of the unsolved crime.

"The reports are very graphic about what happened," Sledge said. "You read about history, you talk about it, but to have something in your hands  it gives you an odd feeling."

Those documents include an inquest interview with the optometrist's mother in which the coroner prepares her for the grisly state of her son's body. Other documents also outline the difficulties investigators faced while attempting to solve the crime, including witnesses who were too afraid to testify, the limits of forensic science and photographers who were eager to document the event.

Sledge wasn't immediately available for comment Friday.

Becky Schlikerman, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office, said the office is still considering what to do with the documents.

The documents have to remain the property of the Medical Examiner's office because they are autopsy reports, she said.
It seems to me theres an epidemic sweeping the nation  an entitlement epidemic. Give me  give me  give me, I want more free stuff, is the battle cry of many who apparently never got the memo that theres no such thing as a free lunch.

I grew up in an era when the phrase the good Lord helps those that help themselves was used often. The 21st Century version of that old proverb now states the government helps those who lack the ambition to help themselves.

As I sometimes do, today I will take two separate thoughts and tie them together to make a single point.

This month 21 states (Illinois is not one of them) implemented new work requirements to receive food stamps. This will impact more than one million people. The rule change in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was triggered by an improving economy  which is obviously why Illinois is not involved.

The key point in this new provision is that it applies to only able-bodied adults ranging in age from 18 to 49 who have no children or other dependents in their home. It requires these folks to work, to volunteer or attend education or job-training courses at least 80 hours per month in order to receive food stamps. If they dont, their benefits will be cut off after three months. If youre like me you might be asking the question: OK  whats wrong with that?

Well, according to the many advocates for more entitlements and more free stuff this new provision is akin to an armed robbery. Can you believe the outright gall of lawmakers in those states to expect able-bodied people to work a meager number of hours per month in order to receive government assistance?

But, if past history is any indicator, thousands will be booted from the food stamp line because they will not meet requirements. Wisconsin began phasing in these requirements last year and of the 22,500 able-bodied food stamp recipients nearly 70 percent were dropped from rolls three months later for failing to meet the requirements. The same has proven true in other states.

The entitlement police quickly denounced the new provision and issued a laundry list of obstacles that they say many of these adults will face including criminal records, no high school diploma and lack of transportation. When I read through the lengthy list of reasons why these folks couldnt meet the requirements I was reminded of something my dad said to me countless times  you either find a way or you find an excuse.

For those who think there is not an entitlement epidemic throughout the nation, consider these numbers. In 2000 there were 17.2 million food stamp recipients and at the end of 2015 that number has risen to 45.8 million. During that same time frame the costs have soared from $20.7 billion in 2000 to $83.1 billion in 2015. And the greatest growth in the food stamp caseload has been among able-bodied adults without dependents. During the past eight years the number of able-bodied adults receiving food stamps has more than doubled from two million to more than five million people.

A few years ago I read a column written by Jim Davison and the point of his column was one that I wont forget. It ties in well with the fact that many able-bodied adults have become so accustomed to feeding at the government trough that they simply refuse to even try and find work.

Davison wrote about a story out of Punch Island, Maryland. It seems that a large fishing fleet made Punch Island the center of its operation. Each day the fleet of boats would sail in with that days catch. The fishermen would clean the fish and throw the entrails and remains off to the side, providing a feast for the seagulls. Each day hundreds of seagulls would gather and wait for the food that they knew would arrive. This same scenario went on day after day and week after week until one day the entire fleet of boats moved down the coastline to another village.

During the next few weeks many of the seagulls literally starved to death waiting on the fishermen each day. They had become so dependent on the fishermen that they could no longer fish for themselves and take care of their own needs. Clearly, there is a parallel between this story and the fact that able-bodied people refuse to help themselves.

I want to emphasize that I believe any person who is unable to work should get help, period. However, able-bodied adults who refuse to even try are clearly not looking for a hand-up, instead theyre looking for a hand-out.

During the current crazy season of politics that has engulfed us we hear daily from candidates promising free college, free student loans, free cell phones, free this and free that. Except, these things are not free because taxpayers are picking up the tab.

Sadly, during the entitlement epidemic we see around us, government assistance and acquiring free stuff is now a career choice for many.
COLUMBIA  The Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service has hired two agricultural economists to buoy the expansion of an agribusiness assistance program at the universitys Sandhill Research and Education Center in Columbia.

Our goal is to get more people into agriculture and help our existing farmers make a great living and be productive for South Carolina, said Sandhill REC Director Kathy Coleman. We have hired two of the best and our plan is to continue to recruit top-quality agribusiness Extension specialists to come to Clemson to build our team.

The university intends to hire three additional agricultural economists to join newly hired economists Nathan Smith and Adam Kantrovich.

In addition to hiring more agribusiness specialists, the Sandhill REC launched a farm incubator program to help aspiring entrepreneurs hatch successful careers in agriculture. Also at Sandhill, Extension specialist Dave Lamie is leading a series of educational workshops as part of the S.C. New and Beginning Farmer program that helps entrepreneurs craft fruitful business plans.

The added assistance to farmers and entrepreneurs is available through an investment by the state. Agribusiness and forestry represents the states top industry, with economic output of $41.7 billion and employment exceeding 200,000.

Smith joined the team in December. A Clemson University alumnus with advanced degrees from Auburn University and the University of Kentucky, Smith spent the past 15 years advising Southeastern growers while working at the University of Georgia. He has worked with the nationwide Cooperative Extension Service since 1996.

Smith is an expert in federal agriculture policy and will assist South Carolina growers with navigating the 2014 Farm Bill. He also will emphasize his educational efforts on production costs, crop marketing and risk-management analysis to help growers reduce expenses and increase revenues.

Clemson also has hired Kantrovich as an agricultural economist. He starts this spring. He received his bachelors and masters degrees from Southern Illinois University and received a doctorate in agricultural education from Virginia Tech. He currently works as a farm management educator at Michigan State University Extension and has taught numerous courses in agriculture throughout his career. Kantrovich is an expert in farm financial management, farm succession, labor issues and policy, and he speaks nationally about compliance of the Affordable Care Act for agriculture employers.

A frequent speaker and author of education papers and other publications, Kantrovich is a member of the American Association for Agricultural Education Research and chairman of the Holland CTC Agricultural Education Program advisory board.
The Regional Medical Center maternity care unit Her Place has implemented two programs to encourage young children to read.

Through a partnership with Save the Children, RMC has established a childrens reading corner in the Her Place waiting room. RMC has also partnered with Orangeburg County Library to encourage ongoing reading, said Stephanie Crider, MSN, RNC-OB, director of Her Place, Newborn Nursery, 2 East and Pediatrics at RMC.

The reading corner in Her Place waiting room has a selection of books in both English and Spanish for children and families to enjoy as they wait for the arrival of new family members.

In addition to the reading corner, Her Place participates in the Peek a Boo Read With You program in partnership with the Orangeburg County Library. Each new mother receives a free book, bib, calendar and pamphlets on early literary and the importance of reading to her baby. Her Place emphasizes reading to babies during their discharge teaching class, and encourages patients to get their library card to continue checking out books for their children and participate in circle time reading.

The Regional Medical Center health care system includes a 286-bed, acute-care hospital and 21 primary and specialty care practices. RMC is affiliated with MUSC Health, the largest academic teaching facility in South Carolina.
DENMARK  Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton returned to The T&D Region on Friday, unveiling a $125 billion economic revitalization initiative for Americas under-served communities.

The predominant focus will be improving communities of color, she said at a Clinton campaign Corridor of Opportunity town hall meeting in Denmark.

The former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state said she will build on President Barack Obamas agenda.

He doesnt get the credit he deserves for taking our economy from the ditch the Republicans dropped us in in the first place, she said.

According to Clintons Breaking Every Barrier Agenda, a $50 billion investment is included to create millions of new jobs and provide opportunities for unemployed Americans.

There would be $20 billion invested in local programs to put jobless people back to work.

Clinton said funds for the initiative will come from a tax to be imposed on financial institutions that contributed to the Great Recession.

Those that contributed to the Great Recession are going to contribute to bringing back communities that were the hardest hit, she said.

This is to end the school-to-prison pipeline, tackling disparities in health and nutrition, and to fight for environmental justice, including clean water, she said.

Clinton said the initiative is modeled from S.C. 6th District Congressman Jim Clyburns 10-20-30 concept to target communities most in need.

Clinton said she plans to build on the Affordable Care Act, extend the Social Security trust fund and ensure that Republican attempts to privatize Social Security will be stopped.

I will not promise you something that I cannot deliver. I will not make promises that I know I cannot keep. We dont need any more of that, she said.

Commitment and determination to follow through are what Clinton says America needs.

She highlighted her experience in working with Marian Wright Edelman with the Childrens Defense Fund in the 1970s.

(Wright) had this radical idea that children deserve every opportunity in life to make the most of their God-given potential, she said. I was attracted to that idea, and was honored to go to work for her.

One of Clintons first assignments required her to be sent to South Carolina to gather information about housing juveniles in adult prisons.

I think about that work with this campaign, because you see Im running for president to break down all the barriers that stand in the way of Americans achieving their dreams, she said.

Clinton said people must look at reality.

Here in South Carolina, if you look at life through the eyes of a child  a lot of small towns and rural areas here  youll see crumbling schools in decrepit conditions. Teachers are overworked and underpaid.

There are too many situations like this around the country, she said.

Clinton cited the contaminated water crisis in Flint, Michigan.

If the water had been poisoned in a white affluent suburb of Detroit, if the schools had been falling apart in a rich suburb, we wouldnt be still talking about it. There would have been an outcry. Action would have been taken, she said.

Clinton said she and her opponent Sen. Bernie Sanders are in a very vigorous contest for the Democratic nomination.

We agree on what needs to be done to get unaccountable money out of politics. We each set forth plans and argue that we have the best approach, she said.

Heres what I want you to know: I am not a single-issue candidate, and this is not a single-issue country, Clinton said.

The candidate said the citizens of the United States must be ready to stand up to indifference to negate the kind of bigotry that still determines too much about what happens in America.

I know we can make a difference, she said. The choice in this election could not be clearer. I want you to keep your eyes on what is the most important part of this election.

We must keep the White House so that the progress that weve made will not be ripped away, Clinton said.

In a separate interview with The T&D, Clinton said she hopes to be able to provide federal support for refurbishing and modernizing schools.

I want us to be partners with state and local school boards to try to do more to make sure that schools are really prepared for the 21st century and the children attending them get a chance at the best possible education, she said.

The candidate said peoples hearts and minds have to be changed, and everyone should be treated with respect and tolerance.

Similarly with women, Equal Pay for Equal Work is not a government program. It is changing the attitudes in work places, so that women are not discriminated against for doing the work we do, Clinton said.

Theres much people can do that has nothing to do with government programs or spending money. Living up to our values and our ideals as Americans is key, she said.

Nancy Jones of Denmark said she hopes Clinton will win the presidential election.

Her experience makes her the best president candidate. I think she is well experienced and qualified, Jones said.

Elder William E. Smith, pastor of Progressive Church in Denmark, said he too thinks Clinton is the best-qualified candidate based on her experiences.

Its just a blessing to have her here in Denmark  of all the places she couldve gone, or come to, shes here in Denmark. Were really proud of that, Smith said.

Smith said hes hoping everyone will exercise the right to vote.

Not stay home  no matter who your candidate is or who you support. You have to be a part of the process to bring about change. Im hoping this will be a spark for everyone in the community and all across the country to vote, he said.
The Sunny Vista Church of God on Dragstrip Road in North is missing two of its televisions.

Deputies responded to a call from a woman at 2:28 p.m. Thursday that someone broke into a rear window of the church to gain entry.

Once inside, the thieves removed a 32-inch Dynex flatscreen TV and a 48-inch LG flatscreen TV. They have a combined value of $1,050, according to the OCSO incident report.

The theft occurred sometime between 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. and 2:20 p.m. Thursday.

In another report, a guest staying at the Hampton Inn on Citadel Road reported she left her watch, necklace and earrings on her bed and they disappeared. The resident of Mobile, Alabama said the items may have been taken away with the dirty linens but she wasnt sure.

When she contacted deputies at 9:47 a.m. on Thursday, she said the jewelry went missing between 9 and 9:44 a.m.

The combined value of the jewelry is $1,200, the report states.

 T&D Staff Report
A Bamberg man already charged with kidnapping is facing more charges after DNA evidence connected him to a 2014 burglary in Norway, according to the Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office.

Many times a case isnt solved within a day or even a week or two. There are times when it simply takes longer, Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said. But this case in particular shows that it may be nearly a year and a half later, but were still working each one.

Bryan Alexander Pierson, 28, is currently behind bars facing one count each of first-degree assault and battery and kidnapping from an unrelated assault in January.

The Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office now has another warrant against the Orange Grove Road man after forensic evidence came back implicating Pierson in a 2014 burglary.

In September 2014, someone broke into the Carolina Fresh Farms near Neeses where they damaged vending machines before stealing a four-wheeler, electronics and tools. The forensic evidence recovered by sheriffs office investigators at that scene came back as a match to Pierson, according to the warrant.

Pierson has been in jail since December on a burglary charge. On Jan. 1, he was taken to the hospital for treatment when witnesses said he attacked a nurse, choking her after grabbing her by the neck.

Orangeburg County Magistrate Meree Williamson denied bond for Pierson at an earlier hearing because of the severity of the kidnapping and other charges pending against him.

Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office Victims Advocate Alexis Guinyard told the court at that bond hearing the victim was terrified of the man, saying he was also twisting her head sideways.

A bond hearing date has not been set for this latest charge.

Pierson is also facing charges in Bamberg County, including two counts of first-degree burglary, one count of third-degree burglary, two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, one count of grand larceny, two counts of petit larceny, one count of trespassing and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

His brother, 19-year-old Kevin Pierson of Orange Grove Road, is also facing burglary charges in Bamberg County.

Ravenell said the burglary case against Bryan Pierson was solved in the same manner as an unrelated 2015 break-in.

Two weeks ago, forensic evidence collected at the scene of a July 17, 2015 burglary on Neeses Highway came back to a North man. Dell McMichael, 29, is now facing a first-degree burglary charge.

A lot of cases take a while to solve because we have to build the case through evidence that will stand up in court, the sheriff said. Were solving more and more cases using DNA.
Ohio Governor John Kasich brought a message of strong families and small government to Orangeburg on Friday afternoon.

People ought to have more power where they live, he told a standing room-only crowd at Dukes Bar-B-Q on Chestnut Street.

We dont want to run a country from the top down. We want to run it from where we live up, Kasich said.

Kasich, a Republican candidate for president, spoke about small town communities and the importance of people returning to the values that made America great. He also spoke of the importance of border control, improving education, controlling drugs and protecting Social Security.

Can we have a welfare philosophy where it is a sin not to help people who need help, but it is equally a sin to help people who need to learn to help themselves? Kasich said to applause.

Kasich noted he comes from an industrial town, McKees Rocks, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

We did not have anybody in our family who was rich, but my mother and dad taught me one thing: never accept failure, he said. The rich people, I dont worry too much about them. They always got their say. But there are a lot of people where I grew up, they dont have much say. Somebody has to say for them.

He called for a return to genuine kindness and faith in personal interactions.

I believe the strength of our country and the glue of our country is us and I believe the glue that keeps all of us together is the power of the Lord, he said.

Kasich talked about losing his parents in a car accident in 1987 to a drunk driver and how the experience helped bring him closer to God.

Kasich also said he was not interested in mudslinging, choosing to live in the positive lane of America and calling for all, regardless of party, to come together.

He also stressed the importance of the family.

Our country is founded on the family and the family is strong when we work, he said. When we dont have a job, the family is not as strong and our communities are not as strong.

Kasich is the first Republican presidential candidate to visit Orangeburg during this election cycle.

Janet Huckabee, wife of former candidate Mike Huckabee, visited Cameron and Orangeburg in August and November. Huckabee later dropped out of the race.

The Orangeburg stop was among many the Ohio governor made throughout the state as the Feb. 20 Republican primary nears. Kasich stopped in the Pee Dee and the Lowcountry before heading to Columbia.

Kasich came in second in the New Hampshire primary, garnering 16 percent of the vote. Kasich ended up seventh in the Iowa caucuses.

Donald Trump has consistently led the polls in South Carolina for the past several months. Kasich is currently polling seventh, but several Republican candidates have since dropped out of the race.

People are the same, Kasich said to media following his speech. I am a conservative, so I am very comfortable here.

I think people have the same concerns across the country and weve got to address them. Weve got to get jobs, weve got to help our kids have a great life and weve got to save Social Security. We also have to make sure our veterans are going to be in a position where they are given the care they need.

Those in attendance said they like Kasich for his honesty and openness.

North resident Terry Kiser described Kasich as one of the more viable candidates out there.

He is at the top as far as I am concerned, Kiser said. He does not argue, he does not fight with people and he tells you what is on his mind. I truly believe the man is an honest man and he will back up what he has said.

Aiken resident Katy Lipscomb said she traveled to Orangeburg to see Kasich.

I am working my a- off for Kasich in Aiken, she said. I think he has the most experience, I think he has the best heart and I think my Democrat and Republican friends will all come out better in the long run if our country is led by somebody who looks at the issues and respects everybody.
WASHINGTON -- Several days ago, I was leafing through my old columns and found myself faced with Afghanistan! Only, it was the Afghanistan of the late 1980s, which was an immeasurably different kind of place than it is today -- or so I thought.

In one column from that era, from the fall of '88, my words almost cheered: "The rich and powerful Russians are being forced to leave Afghanistan. They are withdrawing in a humiliating rout that already has them fleeing in increasing confusion to 'Fortress Kabul.'"

By February of '89, my report had gained in confidence, in historic resonance to, yes, some level of braggadocio. I imagine that many of you remember the scene I described: "Lt. Gen. Boris Gromov, commander of Soviet forces in Afghanistan, was marching slowly but resolutely across the 'Friendship Bridge' dividing the two countries at Termez.

"Incongruously, he had his young son on his arm. Even more incongruously, he was smiling, and said only that he was 'not looking back.'"

Then I, even more strangely, focused on the fact that Gen. Gromov, who was famously pictured as the last Soviet abandoning Afghanistan on that famous bridge, was physically very short. I explained the emphasis on this photo-shoot of memory as being due to my sudden realization that the Russians were not, as so many Americans had assumed, "10 feet tall."

After a while, I shook myself back into 2016 and proceeded to read the morning's papers. Gen. John F. Campbell, commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, had recommended that the U.S. military role in Afghanistan be expanded to help local forces confront the Taliban and other militants. This was, of course, in direct contrast to President Obama's promise to withdraw most American troops by the end of the year.

Oddly enough in historical terms, remembering how the U.S. supplied anti-Soviet Afghan fighters with Stinger anti-aircraft missiles during the Soviet occupation, the U.S. was now worrying about supplying its own Afghan army with air support.

Gen. Campbell, who will turn over his command in March to what Pentagon officials are predicting will be a "bloody 2016," could not have been clearer about his analysis of the lingering war. "I do believe we're going to have to have a continued modest forward presence ... for years to come," he testified on Capitol Hill. "We shouldn't sugarcoat it."

What a strange world we live in. After 14 years of war, the self-described "greatest power on Earth" sits tied up in a wild, faraway, tribal buffer state that neither Germans nor Brits nor Russians, nor even Philip of Macedon nor the Mongol kings, could vanquish for more than a brief passing of history's wand.

As a matter of fact, Afghanistan as a COUNTRY has virtually none of the institutions, education and equality among persons and groups that characterize genuine nations. Historically, it has always been a huge, amorphous borderland -- in between Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China. Its people are tribesmen, acquainted not with urban civilized living but with tribal and clan blood feuds, which largely rule their lives.

The British, in particular, learned the hard way to regret their fascination with Afghanistan. After settling in as an occupier in the 1830s in Kabul and other Afghan cities, by 1842 the Brits' Grand Army of the Indus was being driven out by Afghan troops. More than 16,000 British troops began the perilous journey, through impassable snows and narrow mountain passes, followed by Afghan troops the British at first were foolish enough to think were protecting them.

In the last battle before today's city of Jalalabad, virtually all of the British troops were killed. All but one! A Dr. William Brydon somehow managed to come through, riding desolately into the waiting city on his badly wounded pony, which immediately lay down and died. The city lit fires for days to lead any other survivors to safety, but no one ever came.

The British "adventures" in Afghanistan were not so despairingly disastrous as were the Soviets' in the 1980s. The British did not lose their empire until after World War II, while the Russians marched out of Afghanistan in 1989 on their own power and then officially abolished the Soviet Union in 1991.

Forgive me if I refer back to that earlier column of 1988, titled "Soviets' Humiliating Rout in Afghanistan," when I wrote: "We do know that we are witnessing a breathtaking new period in international affairs. The Afghanistan demarche marks the first time since World War II that the Soviets have withdrawn from a country."

That was certainly not the last time Afghanistan -- with its vast spaces, its rough-hewn fighters, its ancient ruins of cities and antiquities, its mineral wealth -- will destroy an occupier. One cannot help but look at it and ask, "DOES history truly repeat itself?"

I'm not taking any bets.

-----

Georgie Anne Geyer has been a foreign correspondent and commentator on international affairs for more than 40 years. She can be reached at gigi_geyer@juno.com.
President Barack Obama closed his speech at last week's National Prayer Breakfast with a prayer for forgiveness.

"I pray that my failings are forgiven," Obama told the audience of spiritual leaders. "I pray that we will see every single child as our own, each worthy of our love and of our compassion. And I pray we answer Scripture's call to lift up the vulnerable, and to stand up for justice, and ensure that every human being lives in dignity."

Obama may find that asking for forgiveness is a lot easier than receiving it, at least in this life. Chief among the many things for which this president needs to be forgiven is his expansion of George W. Bush's drone assassination program. According to reporting by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, thousands of civilians, including hundreds of children, have fallen victim to his preemptive drones strikes over the last seven years.

One person who will not forgive Obama is Nasser al-Awlaki. He is the grandfather of Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, a 16-year-old American citizen who was summarily executed in a 2011 drone strike as he sat in a cafe in Yemen. Abdulrahman was looking for his father, American citizen Anwar al-Awlaki, who had already been assassinated by Obama two weeks earlier. U.S. officials would later concede that Abdulrahman's killing was a case of mistaken identity.

"I cannot comprehend how my teenage grandson was killed by a Hellfire missile, how nothing was left of him except small pieces of flesh," Nasser told Time magazine in October 2011.

"I urge the American people to ... expose the hypocrisy of the 2009 Nobel (Peace) Prize laureate. To some, he may be that. To me and my family, he is nothing more than a child killer."

Obama has tried to disguise his illegal drone program with the patina of legal legitimacy. Perhaps the most horrifying aspect of the drone program -- aside from the serial child killing -- is the normalization by the U.S. of extrajudicial assassination as an accepted practice under a tortured interpretation of constitutional due process and International law.

Obama first publicly acknowledged the pre-emptive first strike drone program during a May 2013 speech at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.

"America's actions are legal," Obama said. "We were attacked on 9/11. Within a week, Congress overwhelmingly authorized the use of force. ... We are at war with an organization that right now would kill as many Americans as they could if we did not stop them first. So this is a just war -- a war waged proportionally, in last resort, and in self-defense."

This argument had previously been rejected by Christof Heyns, the U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, summary or arbitrary executions. "It's difficult to see how any killings carried out in 2012 can be justified as in response to (events) in 2001," Heyns told a conference in Geneva, Switzerland.

Addressing criticism of civilian casualties, Obama argued that before any pre-emptive first strike is taken, "there must be near-certainty that no civilians will be killed or injured -- the highest standard we can set."

In April 2015, the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI) released a report that "casts serious doubt on whether the ... 'near-certainty' standard is being met on the ground, and whether the U.S. is complying with international law."

"All of them (the victims) were innocent and poor people who had nothing to do with any terrorist group," the relative of a family killed in a Yemen drone strike told OSJI: We had hoped that America would come to the region with educational and development projects and services, but it came instead with aircrafts to kill our children."

The OSJI's findings were supported later in the year by a U.N. report from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. "If accurate, the U.N.'s estimates would represent a significant rise in confirmed civilian casualties in the country as a result of drone strikes," Vice News reported in September 2015.

"The illegal use of armed force, knowing that it will inevitably kill large numbers of civilians, is a crime against humanity," attorney Benjamin Ferencz wrote in response to a journalist's 2012 request for a statement on Obama's drone program. "(T)hose responsible should be held accountable by national and international courts."

Ninety-five-year-old Ferencz knows a thing or two about international law. He was the chief prosecutor in the Nuremberg SS Einsatzgruppen 'death squads' trial after World War II.

During a 2011 speech in Boca Raton, Florida, Ferencz spoke about the legal strategy used by the Nuremberg defendants accused of killing unarmed men, women and children; that the German soldiers were acting in self-defense.

"Didn't you have any qualms about killing all these people, little children and all that?" Ferencz recalled asking the lead defendant, SS-Gruppenfuhrer Otto Ohlendorf.

"No, because we relied on the head of state" Ohlendorf replied. "He had more information than I had, and he told us that the Soviets planned to attack, so it was necessary in presumed self-defense."

"In our military jargon, we call such assaults a 'pre-emptive first strike,'" Ferencz told his audience, in a pointed comment on U.S. military strategy.

"That Ohlendorf argument was considered by three American judges at Nuremberg, and they sentenced him and 12 others to death by hanging." Ferencz said. "So it's very disappointing to find that my government today is prepared to do something for which we hanged Germans as war criminals."

-----

Nat Hentoff is a nationally renowned authority on the First Amendment and the Bill of Rights. He is a member of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and the Cato Institute, where he is a senior fellow. Nick Hentoff is a criminal defense and civil liberties attorney in New York City.
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NEW YORK  Thomson Reuters (TSX/NYSE: TRI) today announced that it is exploring strategic options for its Intellectual Property & Science business. With leading products and solutions such as Web of Science, Thomson CompuMark, Thomson Innovation, MarkMonitor, Thomson Reuters Cortellis and Thomson IP Manager, the Intellectual Property & Science business provides its customers with comprehensive intellectual property and scientific information, decision support tools and services supporting the innovation lifecycle for governments, academia and corporations.

"Our Intellectual Property & Science division contains growing and profitable businesses which operate in attractive markets, said James C. Smith, president and chief executive officer of Thomson Reuters. "By sharpening our strategic focus, we are increasingly prioritizing investments behind the many opportunities we see at the intersection of global commerce and regulation. I believe that Intellectual Property & Science will continue to thrive in the future and we want to put it in the best position possible to realize its potential.

Thomson Reuters would plan to use any net proceeds from a potential transaction for general corporate purposes, including investing in its core businesses, repaying debt and accelerating share buyback activity.

Intellectual Property & Science had revenues of approximately $1.0 billion and a segment EBITDA margin of 32.4% in 2014, representing approximately 8% of the companys 2014 revenues and approximately 10% of the companys 2014 adjusted EBITDA.

Thomson Reuters full-year 2015 consolidated results will include Intellectual Property & Sciences results.

Thomson Reuters also announced that Vin Caraher has been appointed President of the Intellectual Property & Science business, effective immediately. Mr. Caraher is a longtime Thomson Reuters executive who previously led the Thomson Scientific business as one of his many assignments with the company over the years. Basil Moftah, formerly President of Intellectual Property & Science, is leaving Thomson Reuters to pursue other opportunities. The company wishes him success in his future endeavors.

Guggenheim Securities, LLC and J.P. Morgan are acting as financial advisors to Thomson Reuters.

Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial and risk, legal, tax and accounting, intellectual property and science and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organization. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges (symbol: TRI). For more information, go to www.thomsonreuters.com.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking, including the companys current expectations regarding uses of proceeds if a transaction involving the Intellectual Property & Science business occurs. These forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and reflect our companys current expectations. As a result, forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations. There is no assurance that a transaction involving all or part of the Intellectual Property & Science business will be completed or that other events described in any forward-looking statement will materialize. Except as may be required by applicable law, Thomson Reuters disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. Segment EBITDA is a non-International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) measure. Segment EBITDA for the Intellectual Property & Science business and EBITDA for the company are defined and reconciled to the most directly comparable IFRS measures in the companys 2014 annual report, which has been filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
You won't see me coming....
The second freight train from Ukraine consisting of 32 cars, which joined the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor, has arrived today morning at Baku International Sea Trade Port. According to Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company, the cargo consists of food and drugs. The train on route Ukraine - Georgia - Azerbaijan - Kazakhstan  China, officially known as Trans-Caucasus-Asia transport corridor or New Silk Road, left the Ukrainian port of Illichivsk on Jan. 15 and arrived in China on Jan. 31. One car from the Baku port will be sent to Aktau, and the rest 31 wagons will be sent to Turkmenbashi.

On January 14, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Georgia signed a protocol on the establishment of preferential tariffs for cargo transportation on this transport route.

/By Azertac/
On February 10, USACC in cooperation with America-Georgia Business Council and American Turkish Council with support of Embassies of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey hosted a Wine Tasting event for its members at renowned Georgetown University.

The event was attended by the member-companies of organizing associations, officials of U.S. government, diplomatic corps, media representatives as well as experts and distributors of wine products in D.C. metro area.

In her welcoming speech, Executive Director of USACC Susan Sadigova greeted the guests and informed them about the purpose of the event. Ms. Sadigova underlined Azerbaijan as a country with rich and old history and culture of winemaking. She also highlighted the growing importance of increasing Azerbaijani exports and the role USACC plays in promoting and bringing Azerbaijani products into U.S. market.

Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the United States Elin Suleymanov stressed the importance of the event in the context of strong strategic partnership between Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. The Ambassador emphasized that Azerbaijan is known for its abundant resources of oil and gas reserves. However, one of the economic priorities of the country is to develop its non-oil sector by utilizing the revenues from the export of these resources. This event is significant in terms of stimulating and promotion of the export of non-oil products, in particular, Azerbaijani wines, said Ambassador Suleymanov.

Georgian Ambassador Archil Gegeshidze, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Turkey Tugay Tuncer, President of America-Georgia Business Council Dr. Mamuka Tsereteli and President of American-Turkish Council Howard Beasey also spoke about the friendship and cooperation the three countries share and enjoy, and praised the event as a good opportunity to promote Azerbaijani, Georgian and Turkish wines to the U.S. customers.

The event attendees showed great interest to the Azerbaijani wines and praised them highly. Azerbaijani wines are now available for purchase at Potomac Wines & Spirits.

/By Azertac/
/By Azernews/

By Fuad Guliyev

Azerbaijan is underlying agricultural products exports with ever increasing importance, and agriculture development is one of top priority sections in the State Program on 2014 2018 Socio-Economic Development.

Recent changes in the political relations between many countries in the region, especially those neighboring Azerbaijan, greatly affected the economic ties as well.

In contemporary situation the country can benefit new opportunities. For instance, sanctions on Russia enable to increase trade with the European Union and lifting sanctions on Iran allow increasing the exports to Iran. Kazakhstan, with an economy by low crude prices, is also interested in more trade with Azerbaijan. Lately the country constructed a large refrigerator on Russian border to store the export products which otherwise were spoiled due to long period of delays in border crossing.

Government Support

Government support to agriculture is expected to push forward production in this very important field of economy. MP Eldar Ibrahimov, the chairman of the Agricultural Policy Committee, said $1.2 billion tax revenue concessions were made to the farmers over the past 10 years. Government also allocated more than $629.8 million paid to farmers in subsidy from 2007 to 2015 to cover the fuel costs, wheat and rice cultivation, pesticide and seed purchase expenses.

More than 5,100 entrepreneurs received loans on favorable terms in amount of $8.1 million in 2015. Currently wheat is being grown by 29 large farms in 19 regions and 40,000 hectares of land with 58-60 centners of productivity obtained from each hectare.

A total of $31.9 billion was spent on 2 socio-economic development programs, with $10.07 billion for the first and $21.8 billion for the second program. Further $464.4 million was allocated to the development of agriculture at the presidential decree.

Increasing production

Azerbaijan, which enjoys better climatic conditions and productive soil, is able to meet its needs for the most of the agricultural products independently, including 64 percent of its demand for wheat, largely reducing the imported amount of the agricultural products from abroad.

Ibrahimov said the government is keen to eliminate the dependence on imports absolutely and increase the exports of agricultural products. Last year non-oil exports of Azerbaijan amounted to $944.7 million, of which $380.4 million, or 41.3 percent, fell on agriculture products -- $10.7 million worth of tea, $13.1 million worth of potato, and $121.3 million worth of fruits.

He eagerly gave an example of a 4,800 hectares big enterprise in Agjabadi, specializing not only in growing wheat but also breeding cattle with annual 6,000- 7,000 litres of milk supply.

Among all agricultural products, cotton has peculiar place. Azerbaijan used to produce 1 million tons of cotton before. Last year $17 million worth of exports of cotton were made. MP also noted that 50 large enterprises are to be created to increase cotton production.

Coming Cooperatives

Ibrahimov especially stressed the need for cooperatives to increase the efficiency. Small farms with only a few hectares of land are not productive and there is a need for integrating large farms and various players in production chain to form scales of production. Such cooperatives will allow marketing the final product rather than just unprocessed raw materials. It will increase the revenue stream as well. Finally Ibrahimov told about the draft Law on Cooperatives to be discussed in the session of the National Assembly.
/By Azernews/

By Fuad Guliyev

Azerbaijan is exploring new ways to tackle the economic difficulties and all new ideas are welcome.

Youth Inc. Business Incubation Center is a youth entrepreneurship program proposed by the youth of the nation to the president of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev during the meeting dedicated to the 20th Anniversary of the Youth Forum. It is founded by the Coca Cola, Ministry of Youth and Sports, as well as a public organization named Civil Society Debate.

According to the program manager Mushvig Hasanov Youth Inc. has been active in this field since its foundation in 2013. Primary goal of the organization is to support the young entrepreneurs, new firms in high technology industries, boost start ups and enable technology transfer. This project is part of the Youth of the Azerbaijan in 2011-2015 State Program. During last 3 years Youth Inc. trained well over 5,000 young entrepreneurs.

President Ilham Aliyev appraised the activities of Youth Inc. and added that so far a large amount of long term loans, worth of 1.7 billion manats (around $1 billion) were lent to the entrepreneurs and another 250 million manats ($157 million) are planned to be lent. The president also added that such organization of young entrepreneurs is welcome and currently business incubators are being created in Baku and regions. Young entrepreneurs are essential part of the development of many different aspects of the economy of Azerbaijan.

Further developing the idea, Farhad Hajiyev, the executive director of the Youth Fund, added that to this date Fund supported 2.333 business projects both in Baku and the regions.

Youth entrepreneurship is especially important in the perspective of the need for stressing taxes as an important source of budget revenue in the period of shrinking oil and gas revenues.
/By Azernews/

By Aynur Karimova

The United Kingdom, the largest foreign direct investor in Azerbaijan, followed by the U.S. and Japan, has invested more than $23 billion in Azerbaijan's economy.

This was announced by Azerbaijan's Economy and Industry Minister Shahin Mustafayev at the first meeting of the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and the UK in London on February 11.

Currently, there are 473 companies with British capital in Azerbaijan. UKs companies act as contractors in the projects being implemented in Azerbaijan, the minister said.

Today, Azerbaijan and the UK successfully cooperate in various fields - banking, ICT, water supply, tourism, health care and other sectors.

The two countries also cooperate in the humanitarian field, in particular through the cooperation of universities and exchange of students.

"Currently, 569 Azerbaijani students are studying in 38 universities in the UK, and talented British youth are trained in Azerbaijani universities," Mustafayev noted.

"The two countries enjoy great prospects for expanding relations and the established intergovernmental commission will play a significant role in developing economic ties and resolving the issues of common interest," he added.

Later, the two countries signed a protocol of the first meeting of the Azerbaijan-UK intergovernmental commission, which envisages further cooperation of the two countries in the trade, economy, industry, tourism, energy, education and other fields.

The document also says the UK does not recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh and supports the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by peaceful means.

Azerbaijan and the UK have benefitted from close bilateral partnership and cooperation since 1992, in the framework of international organizations such as the United Nations, OSCE, Council of Europe, and NATO. The relations have covered a wide range of issues, from high-level political dialogue to growing trade and investment, as well as strengthening cultural and humanitarian ties.

Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and the UK stood at $564 million in 2015, according to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee. Some $553.33 million of this figure accounted for import of UK products.

Economic cooperation between the two countries, especially in the energy sector, is at the core of the relations between Azerbaijan and the UK.

Azerbaijan cooperates with the UK in the exploration and transportation of oil and natural gas from the Azerbaijani part of the Caspian Sea.

To date, the two countries have signed 24 documents.




President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Goetzpartners Holding GmbH & CO. KG Stephan Goetz in Munich.

Stephan Goetz said Goetzpartners, which is one of the 10 largest consulting firms in Germany and has 12 offices in nine countries, was interested in operating in Azerbaijan.

The head of state said there was favorable environment for foreign companies in Azerbaijan, adding that all necessary conditions were created for their successful activities.

President Ilham Aliyev invited Goetzpartners to operate in Azerbaijan.

Stephan Goetz thanked the head of state for the invitation. The sides also discussed cooperation prospects.

/By Trend/
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with chairman of the Eastern Committee of German Economy Wolfgang Buchele in Munich.

The sides expressed satisfaction with the development of bilateral economic relations between Azerbaijan and Germany. It was noted that there is favorable environment in Azerbaijan for making investment.

During the conversation, the sides stressed the importance of organizing reciprocal business trips of Azerbaijani and German businessmen, and exchanged views over cooperation prospects.

/By Trend/
Institutions of civil society, the mass media have broad opportunities to promote national values, multicultural ideas in Azerbaijan, and we are trying to gradually increase their role in this area, the Azerbaijani President`s Assistant for Public and Political Affairs Ali Hasanov said in an interview with AZERTAC.

Ali Hasanov emphasized that the range of coverage of the mass media is gradually increasing in the country. During the day, more than 75 percent of population watch television, browse online resources, read newspapers. Therefore, officials working in central and local executive bodies should make greater use of the capacity of civil society, including the media in the dissemination of multicultural ideas, enrichment of national values.

Touching upon the meetings in the regions, Ali Hasanov said that these meetings were held in accordance with the instructions of the head of state. According to Mr Hasanov, the new economic policy outlined by the President of Azerbaijan set important tasks for the central and local executive authorities, including communication with local people, coordination of the initiatives of the population, executive bodies and the overall civic initiatives in regions, creation of conditions for more intensive and effective reforms.

/By Azertac/
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with US Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Marcel Lettre in Munich.

They hailed the successful development of bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and the US. The sides emphasized that the bilateral relations reached a level of partnership in a variety of fields. They noted that there were good prospects for cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

They also exchanged views over the issues of mutual interest.

/By Azertac/
First Deputy Chairman of Azerbaijan`s State Customs Committee, Customs service Lieutenant-General Safar Mehdiyev has met newly-appointed Korean Ambassador to the country Kim Chang-gyu.

Safar Mehdiyev highlighted current relations between Azerbaijan and Korea, adding there was great potential for boosting cooperation in various fields. He stressed the role of customs bodies in ensuring the economic security in the country.

Mr. Mehdiyev stressed the importance mutual experience exchange in implementation of information communication technologies.

Kim Chang-gyu, in turn, said the Korean government attached great importance to the cooperation with Azerbaijan, and highlighted the current state of ties between the two countries. The Ambassador stressed the importance of experience exchange and mutual activity for deepening the ties between the customs services of Azerbaijan and Korea. The diplomat said the customs service had crucial role in developing economic-trade bonds. The Ambassador expressed assurance that the bilateral bonds would further continue to develop between the relevant bodies of both countries.

/By Azertac/
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Munich Feb. 13.

The sides expressed satisfaction with the successful development of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Germany. They stressed the importance of such meetings and visits in terms of the further development of the bilateral ties. It was noted that despite the ongoing international financial crisis and falling oil prices, Azerbaijan paid attention to developing its economy, particularly non-oil sector, and ensured the implementation of social programs.

During the meeting, they discussed cooperation between Azerbaijan and OSCE, which is chaired by Germany this year, and exchanged views over the current state of the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

/By Trend/
The political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom have been held in London.

Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov headed Azerbaijani delegation, while the UK delegation was chaired by Minister of State for European Affairs David Lidington.

The parties applauded level of political dialogue between Azerbaijan and Great Britain.

Khalaf Khalafov said such format created an opportunity for exchanging views over various aspects of bilateral relations.

The Deputy FM stressed the importance of arranging the high-level political contacts in terms of deepening the bilateral cooperation.

Mr. Khalafov highlighted the current level of cooperation in humanitarian and cultural fields. The Deputy Minister also provided an insight into the causes and consequences of Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

David Lidington spoke about to the strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom said that his country attaches great importance to cooperation with Azerbaijan and stressed the existence of wide potential in terms of further expansion of dynamically developing bilateral cooperation.

He said the United Kingdom would continue to strongly support the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and emphasized the absence of any contact with the self-proclaimed regime.

The Minister of State also applauded the contribution of Azerbaijan in fighting against the international terrorism.

They also exchanged views on geopolitical processes undergoing in Southern Caucasus, Caspian and Central Asia regions.

/By Azertac/
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo agreed Friday that Britain should stay in the European Union if it honors the blocs key principles, Sputnikreported.

Speaking at a joint press conference, Merkel reiterated that the United Kingdom should remain part of the 28-nation bloc  but only in case of "maintaining all of the principles, for example the principle of freedom of movement."

Szydlo, who was on her first official visit to neighboring Germany, added that "a strong Germany and a strong Poland mean a strong EU."

UK Prime Minister David Cameron is seeking to renegotiate UKs relationship with Brussels. The nations EU membership will be put to vote no later than end 2017. Cameron said the governments position was to campaign for Britain to stay in the European Union.



Cameron has spent months going between London and Brussels in an effort to clinch a deal on better EU membership terms, including an exemption from the EU principle of an ever-closer union and curbs for EU immigrants.

The European Council is scheduled to meet in Brussels on February 18-19 to discuss the UK plans for an in/out referendum based on a proposal tabled last week by Councils President Donald Tusk.

/By Trend/
Pope Francis arrived in Havana on Friday to meet the head of the Russian Orthodox Church nearly 1,000 years after Eastern Orthodoxy split with Rome, marking the first encounter in history between a Roman Catholic pope and a Russian Orthodox patriarch.The two religious leaders, guests of a Communist government, will address the millennium-long rift between the Western and Eastern branches of Christianity, according to Reuters.

Cuban President Raul Castro and Cardinal Jaime Ortega, the church's highest representative in Cuba, greeted the pope as he got off the plane, minutes before Francis met Patriarch Kirill.

Francis, dressed in white with a skullcap, and Kirill, wearing a tall, domed hat that dangled a white stole over black robes, joined arms and kissed on both cheeks when they met inside the terminal. They then sat down for a chat with aides on either side.

They were expected to unite in an appeal for an end to persecution and killing of Christians in the Middle East.

Their meeting, announced just a week ago, also carried political overtones, coming at a time of Russian disagreements with the West over Syria and Ukraine.

The pope was scheduled to remain in Cuba for three and a half hours before continuing on to Mexico for a five-day visit.

Kirill arrived in Havana on Thursday and was also greeted by Castro, an ally of Russia who also received Francis in Cuba just five months ago.

The Argentine pontiff previously played a role in rapprochement between the United States and Cuba, which restored diplomatic relations last year after a 54-year break.

Now the pope is seeking to repair a much longer rupture. Eastern Orthodoxy split with Rome in 1054, and today the Russian church counts some 165 million of the world's 250 million Orthodox Christians.

Kirill, on a longer stay, will also visit Cuba's small Russian Orthodox Church, built between 2004 to 2008 and attended by Russian holdovers from the decades of Soviet influence in Cuba.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has supported the Russian church, which in turn has backed Kremlin foreign policy, most notably in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Putin has also improved relations with Cuba, which were strained following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Glendale police spokeswoman Tracey Breeden said it was too early to determine if the incident at Independence High involved a suicide. But police were not seeking a suspect in the shooting and the school and surrounding community faced no threat, she said.

After a report of gunfire on Friday morning, police rushed to the school and found the two girls under a covered patio on the campus, Breeden said.

Each girl had a single gunshot wound and both were declared dead at the scene, with the gun beside them, she said. Police did not immediately release the girls' names.

The school was placed on lockdown after the shooting and the street in front of the campus was shut down. During the lockdown students issued updates on social media from their classrooms as dozens of anxious parents, who were barred from the campus, gathered in the parking lot of a nearby Wal-Mart store to await their children.

Jasmine Molina, 15, was in English class when the lockdown was declared.

"I never thought it would happen here. This tells me that it could happen anywhere, at any school, even if it's a good school," said Molina, who was holding a stuffed bear her boyfriend had given her that morning for Valentine's Day.

Ana Lisa Romero, whose son, Lalo, attends the school, said in a Facebook message to Reuters, "I am going crazy just thinking that could have been my son or nieces or nephews."

Public officials expressed condolences over the shooting.

"Our hearts remain with the students, educators and families of Independence High School and the entire Glendale community," Arizona Governor Doug Ducey said in a statement.

Independence High, which is just a couple miles outside Phoenix, has about 2,000 students, school district representative Sara Clawson said.




By Laman Ismayilova

Turkmenistans Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredow has held a series of meetings with heads of international organizations, including director general of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Roberto Azevedo during his Geneva visit, the Turkmen government reported.

During the meetings, a special attention was paid to implementation of initiatives of President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov aimed at strengthening global energy security, environmental protection, development of international transport infrastructure, regional trade, as well as addressing water problems.

The EU proposed Turkmenistan to join WTO in January 2011. The move is expected to increase Turkmenistan's share in regional and global trade and have a positive impact on economic development, which is necessary for long-term prosperity and well-being of the country.

Brussels announced that it is ready to help Ashgabat in joining the WTO, as it optimizes attracting foreign capital and facilitates creating new jobs.

Fuel-energy complex, high-technological industrial spheres, transport, communications, banking and financial sector are among the promising areas of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the EU.

At present, Ashgabat is negotiating with the EU and Azerbaijan on the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline construction project.

Brussels hopes to diversify the sources of gas consumption through Caspian resources, most of which is ensured by Russia.
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The rental market in the UAEs real estate sector will soften further in 2016 due to the widening gap between demand and supply.



The focus on the affordable housing market sector will further enable the industry to maintain sustainable growth levels, stated global property agency Chestertons.



The industry expert also called upon developers to consider projects within the affordable segment to further support this sector.



"The industry should strike the right balance between demand and supply to strengthen the market this year. Residents in Dubai have shelled out a substantial amount on rents since 2011. However, rents have cooled in some parts of Dubai since the last quarter of 2015,"remarked Declan McNaughton, the managing director at Chestertons UAE.



"With the oil prices plummeting, the real estate market in Dubai may, in all likelihood, undergo a squeeze on prices and rents in the short term. The correction will be more of a normal real estate cyclical downturn of 15 to 20 per cent. However, a lot depends on the impact of the external macro-economic factors and also how the UAE economy continues to perform, he stated.



According to Chestertons, the price correction has been absorbed at different levels depending upon the location and type of property.



There has been a correction between 8 to 15 per cent year on year (YoY) in villa properties. This is partly due to the current price trend and also future supply that the segment is expected to see once projects such as Jumeirah Park, Villa Lantana, MBR City, Arabian Ranches (Phase Two) are completed.



The supply could potentially double by 2020 and residents are expected to move out from older communities to newer communities as they are completed, it stated.



Revised rental rates by Rera (Real Estate Regulatory Authority) are 10 to15 per cent lower than current market rentals. We expect the rental correction to be higher in secondary locations as supply increases, revealed Declan.



The risk with regard to excess supply is difficult to quantify, however, the number of units developed every year are on the rise. The residential property market currently faces the prospects of easing due to the upcoming supply factor and also the recent price correction in the industry. The market now needs to be closely monitored to avoid the challenges that it faced in 2008, he said.



Robin Teh, the country manager for Chestertons UAE, pointed out that 18,000 units were delivered and over 2,000 villas were added in 2015 to the existing inventory.



"These units are expected to cushion Dubais rents that have soared since the last few years. Increase in supply will surely impact the market, particularly the new developments. The villa segment will also experience increased competition as more units are expected to enter the market by 2017," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
The Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) said it has signed an agreement with Khalifa Student Empowerment Program (Aqdar) for the speedy activation of the National Charter for Students Awareness.



According to the MoU, a joint committee will be established between both sides to oversee the implementation of the provisions, and to ensure the adoption of the National Charter as an essential reference to unify awareness and prevention messages intended for students and make sure they are used at the different schools affiliated to Adec.



The MoU was signed by Dr Mugheer Khamis Al Khaiaili, the acting director general at the Adec and Major General Dr Nasser Lakhrebani Al Nuaimi, the chairman of the Higher Committee for Aqdar in the presence of Lt General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior.



Dr Al Khaiaili said through the joint co-operation with the Ministry of Interior, Adec will work to integrate and introduce Khalifa Student Empowerment Programs topics in schools curriculum, in line with the objectives and policies of the educational curricula.



"Adec will also take part in the organisation of various events and activities; and consolidate co-operation and integration mechanisms, in accordance with common goals between the two parties," he stated.



The council said it will also hold joint periodical meetings to standardise the awareness and guidance content designed for student, and learn about the latest developments and mechanisms to incorporate this content into the educational system.



Dr Al Nuaimi said the MoU focuses on ensuring proactive co-operation and co-ordination with Adec to promote the Khalifa Programs events and activities, in order to empower students in different schools and achieve the coveted goals.



He pointed out that the signing of the MoU represented a quantum leap in the efforts to achieve the coveted goals of the Aqdar.



These include promoting student-related joint institutional work mechanisms; activating common goals towards building the country and good citizenship, and reinforce the nation and societys defenses against potential challenges, especially those faced by the young generation, which is the backbone of the future, and the real power to sustain and safeguard the countrys national gains.



As per the deal, Aqdar will provide the Adec with the executive plan adopted prior to the beginning of the school year.



It will also train and qualify Adecs coordinators and competent entities and acquaint them with the goals, objectives and work mechanisms of the Khalifa Student Empowerment and the means to put them to good use in accordance with the applicable mechanisms, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Dubai-based global marine operator DP World said it plans to invest more than $1 billion in India over the next few years mainly in infrastructure development at its port operations in the country.



The group has already invested capital of $1.2 billion and is currently the only foreign operator with six port concessions in the country with approximately 30 per cent market share.



The announcement was made during a visit to New Delhi and Mumbai by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the UAE, and Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, the group chairman and chief executive of DP World.



The visit follows a two-day official trip by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the UAE last August.



The DP World investments could cover expansion in brownfield container terminals, long-term greenfield container concessions, inland container depots (ICDs) and expansion of existing inter-modal rail services for rolling stock.



Welcoming the investment plan, Sheikh Mohammad said: "The UAE and India enjoy historic bilateral relations and these potential investments reinforce our confidence in the long-term growth of the Indian economy and our desire to actively contribute to the economic development of this friendly nation."



"DP World has established a leading position in the Indian market and is a pioneer in the development of container terminals. It has the biggest portfolio along the Indian coast and is looking to enhance its presence there, transferring the UAEs experience of infrastructure development in line with our plans to enhance the strategic relations between our countries and to take them to a higher level," he added.



In Mumbai, Sheikh Mohammad and Bin Sulayem also inaugurated the new 330-metre berth at Nhava Sheva (India) Gateway Terminal (NSIGT), at Indias premier gateway Jawaharlal Nehru Port.



Speaking at the launch, Bin Sulayem said: "We are reinforcing our commitment to enabling Indias growth and economic development through our operations in the country, where we have invested over $1 billion in the past supporting over 30 per cent of Indias container trade."



According to him, Dubais non-oil foreign trade with India has seen a striking 144 per cent growth from 2004 to 2014. By the end of 2014, trade between the two countries amounted to Dh109.34 billion ($30 billion), compared to Dh44.87 billion ($12.2 billion) in 2004.

India was Dubais second largest trading partner in 2015, with bilateral trade of Dh73.86 billion ($20 billion) during the first nine months of 2015  comprising imports of Dh41.73 billion ($11.3 billion); exports of Dh14.54 billion ($3.9 billion) and re-exports of Dh17.59 billion ($4.78 billion),. he stated.

Being one of the strongest emerging economies in the world, India offers immense potential for growth in the maritime sector. With this new Mumbai terminal, DP World will contribute even more to Indias growth offering our customers the ability to grow and expand their business, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Bashar Al Assad will not be ruling Syria in the future and Russia's military interventions will not help him stay in power, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told a German newspaper in an interview published on Saturday.



"There will be no Bashar al-Assad in the future," al-Jubeir told newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung.



"It might take three months, it might take six months or three years - but he will no longer carry responsibility for Syria. Period."



Saying that the Syrian people's determination to topple Assad was unbroken despite heavy Russian air strikes and persecution within the country, Al Jubeir criticised Russia's involvement in the five-year-long war.

Earlier on Friday, the Saudi minister, in an exclusive televised interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, said: "A man who's responsible for the murder of 300,000 plus people, the displacement of 12 million people, the destruction of a country, is a man with absolutely no future in this country."



"Assad will leave, have no doubt about it. He will either leave by a political process or he will be removed by force. The Syrian people will not accept him being in power," he added.



He said that Assad's previous calls for help to his own military, Iran, Hezbollah and Shiite militia forces from Iraq and Pakistan were all in vain.



"Now he called the Russians, but they won't be able to help him either,"Al Jubeir said.



Russia entered the war on September 30 2015 in support of the Syrian president. At least 250,000 people have been killed, 11 million made homeless and hundreds of thousands have fled to Europe since the conflict began in 2011.



Moscow has said its air strikes are against the extremist militant groups Islamic State and the Nusra Front, but other countries and rebel groups say the attacks target civilians.



Asked about a more direct military involvement with 'boots on the ground', Al Jubeir said such discussions were currently underway among the member states of a US-led coalition against the Islamic State.



"If the coalition should decide to deploy special forces in the fight against IS in Syria, Saudi-Arabia will be ready to participate," he said, using the initials IS to refer to Islamic State.



At a peace and security conference in Munich, major powers agreed on Friday to a pause in combat in Syria, but Russia pressed on with bombing in support of its ally Assad, who vowed to fight until he regained full control of the country.

Western countries said there was no hope for progress without a halt to the Russian bombing, which has decisively turned the balance of power in favour of Assad.



US Secretary of State John Kerry said that if the peace plan fails, more foreign troops could enter the conflict.



"If the Assad regime does not live up to its responsibilities and if the Iranians and the Russians do not hold Assad to the promises that they have made ... then the international community obviously is not going to sit there like fools and watch this. There will be an increase of activity to put greater pressure on them," Kerry, who was in Munich, told Dubai-based Orient TV.



"There is a possibility there will be additional ground troops."



Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Moscow must halt strikes on insurgents other than Islamic State for any peace deal to work.



"Russia has mainly targeted opposition groups and not ISIL (Islamic State). Air strikes of Russian planes against different opposition groups in Syria have actually undermined the efforts to reach a negotiated, peaceful solution," Stoltenberg said.



Rebels said the town of Tal Rifaat in northern Aleppo province was the target of intensive bombing by Russian planes on Friday morning. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring body, said warplanes believed to be Russian also attacked towns in northern Homs.



Russia suggested it might not stop its air strikes, even when the cessation of hostilities takes effect in a week.



Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would not stop bombing fighters from Islamic State and a rebel group called the Nusra Front, which is affiliated with al Qaeda, neither of which were covered by the cessation deal. "Our airspace forces will continue working against these organisations," he said.



Britain and France said a peace deal could be reached only if Russia stops bombing insurgents other than Islamic State.



Meanwhile, two Syrian rebel commanders told Reuters they had been sent "excellent quantities" of ground-to-ground Grad missiles with a range of 20 km by foreign backers in recent days to help confront the Russian-backed offensive.



Foreign opponents of Assad including Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been supplying vetted rebel groups with weapons via a Turkey-based operations centre. Some of the vetted groups have received military training overseen by the US Central Intelligence Agency.



The US has been leading its own air campaign against Islamic State fighters since 2014. US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday he expected Saudi Arabia and the UAE to send commandos to help recapture Islamic State's eastern Syrian stronghold, Raqqa.



Kerry had entered the Munich talks pushing for a rapid halt to fighting, with Western officials saying Moscow was holding out for a delay.



The tactic of agreeing to a break in hostilities while battling for gains on the ground is one Moscow's allies used in eastern Ukraine only a year ago. A ceasefire there eventually took hold, but only after Russian-backed separatists overran a besieged town after the deal was reached.



Diplomats from countries backing the plan met on Friday to discuss sending urgent humanitarian aid.



"Convoys can go very soon if and when we have the permission and the green light from the parties," said Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, who chaired the meeting in Geneva.-Reuters
Air India Express, Indias leading low-cost carrier, will start flights to Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, from Kozhikode (Calicut) in the Indian state of Kerala on March 28.



This comes on the back of the commencement of scheduled flights by Qatar Airways between Ras Al Khaimah and Doha and the announcement of other development projects at RAK International Airport, a statement from Ras Al Khaimah International Airport said.



Initially, Air India Express will fly four times a week, but the airline looks to expand it to a daily service in the near future.



The growing number of Indian expatriates in the Northern Emirates has had to cope with limited options from air carriers over the past few years as demand has risen. The new route will help to alleviate those issues, the statement said.



Engineer Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, chairman of RAK Airport and Department of Civil Aviation, said: I am delighted to welcome Air India Express to Ras Al Khaimah. There was much need for this connectivity, but we also believe that this route may require more than a daily frequency to satisfy the growing demand. We would therefore urge the authorities to consider the needs of the passengers and increase seat allocations for high demand sectors. - TradeArabia News Service
CHEYENNE  Public enemy No. 1 for climate change and no longer the fossil fuel utilities prefer to burn to generate electricity, coal has few allies these days. But one state is still fighting to save the industry: Wyoming.

From a proposal to burn the stuff underground to hosting a contest to find profitable uses for carbon dioxide from power plants, the top coal-producing state has spent tens of millions of dollars for a coal savior  with little to show.

Big-time state spending was easy in Wyoming not long ago. Good times for coal, oil and natural gas created huge budget surpluses.

Now that all three industries are suffering from low prices, looming deficits in the Cowboy State are raising an old question: Is it time to diversify the economy beyond fossil fuels?

Theyve chosen to support the coal industry whether it makes any sense or not. I mean, were basically a coal colony, said Bob LeResche, chairman of the Powder River Basin Resource Council landowners group.

Some of the coal industrys top players, including Arch Coal and Alpha Natural Resources, have filed for bankruptcy as utilities switch to cheaper and cleaner-burning natural gas and the cost of renewable energy keeps falling. The Obama administration on Friday suspended the leasing program for coal on federal lands, most of which occur in Wyoming and neighboring Montana.

Will a Superman for coal come to the rescue in time?

The odds look pretty slim right now, said Rob Godby, a University of Wyoming professor.

The stakes for Wyoming are high. Coal mining and directly related business account for 14 percent of the economy and 1 in 5 jobs in the state, according to the universitys Center for Energy Economics.

Heres a look at what Wyoming has doneoften at public expenseto try to save coal:

Underground coal

gasification

Wyoming regulators recently agreed to let an Australian company pollute groundwater to experiment with a use for coal that doesnt involve burning it in a power plant.

Underground coal gasification involves partially burning coal still in the ground. The process yields a mix of gases called syngas, which can be burned more cleanly than coal directly.

An Australian company, Linc Energy, has proposed a demonstration plant in the Powder River Basin, an arid coal-mining region in northeast Wyoming and southeast Montana that supplies about 40 percent of the nations coal.

The process leaves a chemical brew in the ground. Regulators in Queensland, Australia, accuse Linc of causing serious environmental harm at underground coal gasification projects there. Wyoming and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency agreed to let the Wyoming project proceed even if it contaminated groundwater. But low natural gas prices appear to have stalled the project. Linc officials didnt return a message seeking comment.

Carbon sequestration

Six years ago, the University of Wyomings Carbon Management Institute began investigating whether a 25-square mile area in southwest Wyoming could trap carbon dioxide emitted from power plants.

The institute spent $17 million of taxpayer money drilling a 12,000-foot-deep well in 2011. But it stopped because researchers realized it would cost as much as $750 million to acquire enough carbon dioxide to complete the experiment.

I dont think it was a waste at all. It was a good chunk of research in the real world, said Rob Hurless, deputy director of the University of Wyomings School of Energy Resources.

Coal to liquid fuel

Turning coal into diesel, gasoline and other liquid fuels isnt a new idea. Germany did it during World War II and a company proposed it in Wyoming as oil prices began to creep toward record highs in 2007.

The $2 billion DKRW Advanced Fuels plant outside the tiny town of Medicine Bow in southern Wyoming never got off the drawing board  except for a couple concrete pads and $1.9 million in state funding to rebuild 13 miles of road for the project.

Low global oil prices now threaten to shut down the project once and for all. DKRW officials recently warned local officials it isnt feasible at current prices.

Carbon XPrize

Utilities that burn coal might have more of an incentive to remove carbon dioxide from smokestacks if they could put the gas to profitable use.

Thats the theory behind a $20 million competition organized by the XPrize Foundation. Private energy industry is funding the prize, but Wyoming has pledged $15 million to build a lab at Basin Electrics Dry Fork Station, a coal-fired power plant near Gillette in northeast Wyoming.

The lab will have room for several scientific tenants besides XPrize to conduct research into using smokestack carbon dioxide. It is slated to become operational in July 2017.

Finding new markets

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead and other Wyoming officials also have been to Japan, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia and China in recent years to promote Wyoming coal  with no new markets to show for their efforts.

One problem is that the West Coast lacks port facilities to export much of Wyomings coal. Regulators are reviewing big coal terminal proposals in Oregon and Washington  projects supported by some locals but opposed by others, including American Indian tribes and environmentalists.

Last year, the Wyoming Legislature authorized issuing up to $1 billion in state bonds, if necessary, to finance construction of those terminals. The state hasnt gone that route yet, but Mead said he expects the port facilities to win regulatory approval.

Listen, coals valuable. Its plentiful, Mead said. It is being used and will continue to be used around the planet, regardless of what we do in this country.
A pair of bills dealing with public lands failed Friday in the Wyoming Legislature.

The fifth day of the 2016 budget session was the last for bills to receive the two-thirds vote necessary to make it past introduction. HB126, sponsored by Rep. Dan Laursen, R-Powell, would have required a study of restricted access to public land in the state. HB142, sponsored by Rep. Scott Clem, R-Gillette, would have instructed the United States to transfer most of the federally owned land in the state to Wyoming ownership.

These bills are both part of a long-term strategy that a very small number of legislators are pursuing to take over public lands in Wyoming, said Chris Merrill, associate director of the Wyoming Outdoor Council.

Laursens bill failed to make the intro vote threshold, while Clems failed to even make it to a vote amid a crowd of other legislation the House didnt have time to hear Friday.

After a first week that saw the House move quickly through dozens of bills, lawmakers addressed new legislation at a considerably slower pace on the fifth day of the session. The House had about 60 bills on its calendar for the day and cut off bill introduction at 3:45 p.m.

Two bills that dealt with marijuana were also voted down Friday. The first, HB 129, would have specified how the state prosecuted edibles, like brownies or candy, that contain marijuana. The other, HB 152, would have defined that the hemp extract cannabidiol, or CBD oil, does not fall under the states definition of marijuana. The bills joined other marijuana legislation that failed on the floor earlier in the week.

Another casualty of Fridays House session was HB 158. The bill would have opened the Hathaway scholarship program for Wyoming high school students to non-citizens. The legislation would have given those students an incentive to attend high school, college and contribute to the states economy, Rep. Cathy Connolly, D-Laramie, said.

Immigration status should never restrict ones academic future or their ability to thrive, Connolly said.

The bill failed its introduction vote, with 13 votes in support and 46 against.
Boost your business profile in the Star 200  the annual special section listing the major employers in Southern Arizona.

To create this comprehensive list, the Arizona Daily Star needs the input of area businesses and large employers.

We use the Star 200 as a resource for our business-development clients when they want to learn about major businesses operating here in Southern Arizona, said Laura Shaw, senior vice president of marketing at Sun Corridor Inc.

The same clients, once established here, will look for vendors and partners, and having these kind of listings is a win-win for everyone, she said.

For more than three decades, the Star 200 has given companies looking to locate here information on the size and types of businesses in the area.

Market your business among the biggest and best in Southern Arizona. The Star 200 is also used year-round by job-seekers, your customers and business associates.

All employers in the region with 100 or more full-time workers are urged to submit survey responses. Expand your organizations visibility and make sure your workforce is counted by filling out the survey at speedway.tucson.com/star200/index.php?entry

Deadline to fill out the survey is March 1.

The special section, ranking the 200 largest employers in Southern Arizona and highlighting current trends, will be published later this spring.
Assurance Health appoints Puente executive VP

Nick Puente joins Assurance HealthCare as executive vice president.

Puente co-founded the fastest growing company of its size in Tucson prior to coming on board with Assurance, Assurance said. He was named a top 35 entrepreneur under 35 in Arizona. He was admitted to the University of Arizona at age 17 and got his bachelors at 19.

PMCU names director of home loans

Pima Federal Credit Union has named Adam Stewart director of home loan originations.

Stewart was director of regional mortgage sales at First Tech Federal Credit Union.

He received his bachelors in economics from Bellarmine University, is active in the Tucson Association of Realtors and on the Hearth Foundation board.

Ohlson to spearhead Capital Connect business division

Walter H. Ohlson has moved from Denver to Tucson to spearhead the commercial business division of Capital Connect, Inc..

Ohlson, who holds a University of Arizona B.A. in classics, has 20 years of management, sales and services experience.

The Planning Center team joined by Figueroa

Yvonne Figueroa has joined The Planning Center as an administrative assistant.

She has overseen scheduling, accounts receivable and customer service at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, Childrens Orthopedic Specialists and Pinal County Health Department facilities.

Metro Title Agency hires Relich as escrow officer

Metro Title Agency of Arizona has hired Vicki L. Relich as senior commercial escrow officer. She specializes in land transactions, apartment complex closings and retail and industrial closings. She is also active in CCIM.

Dudani, Johanson, Nicholls

join UA pediatrics, Diamond

The University of Arizona pediatrics department and Banners Diamond Childrens Medical Center welcome: Dr. Rajesh Dudani, assistant professor, neonatology. A pediatric neonatologist, he will care for infants in the neonatal intensive care unit at Diamond.

Dr. Timothy David Johanson, clinical associate professor, general pediatrics. A general pediatrician, he will provide care at Arizona Elks Pediatric Clinic at Banner.

Dr. Lauren Nicholls, assistant professor, hematology, oncology and bone marrow transplant. A pediatric hematologist/oncologist, she will care for children with cancer and blood disorders at Diamond.

Marketing developer added by Leader Law
Sweat can reveal more than an impression of ones personal hygiene habits.

Someday in the not-too-distant future, sweat-monitoring devices might be able to tell how healthy a person is, thanks in part to groundbreaking work under way at the University of Arizona.

A lab at the UAs Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine is working to develop devices to monitor a subjects health by measuring biological markers in sweat such as salts, proteins, fats and hormones.

The goal is to create noninvasive devices that can measure health by tracking key molecules in sweat  much like physicians now do with blood tests, said Dr. Esther Sternberg, director of the UA Institute on Place and Wellbeing and research director at AzCIM.

Our premise is that the same molecules and some different molecules that are present in sweat will tell you about the whole health of the individual, said Sternberg, a former National Institutes of Health researcher recruited by Dr. Andrew Weil in 2012 to start the UA Integrative Medicine Centers research program.

Sternberg, a trained rheumatologist and a 26-year veteran of the NIH, brought with her research including studies on sweat monitoring for health. She also has written a book on the correlation between health and places  personal environments like offices.

The goal is health and well-being and prevention, she said.

The Defense Department is particularly interested in developing devices to gather sweat for performance monitoring.

But Sternberg said the technology her group is working on will allow analysis of many more molecular targets and could be adapted to a variety of collection devices.

The group cant talk about some of the work its doing with industry partners, but beyond skin patches the technology could be adapted to clothing and other textiles, cellphones or even carpeting.

With a new focus on wellness and especially the growing popularity of fitness monitors like the FitBit watch, which analyzes heart rates, the time is coming for more sophisticated wearable wellness devices, Sternberg said.

Its very popular. Everyone wants to know why their fitness level is and helps you maintain your optimal health and performance, she said. There isnt at this point a way to get at the molecules, and thats what were doing.

TRACKING HEALTH

IN REAL TIME

Sternbergs sweat studies began more than a decade ago at the NIH when the research director of the General Services Administration challenged her to find a way to monitor the health of employees  without drawing blood.

So Ive spent the last 15 years trying to figure that out, she said. Measuring molecules in sweat gives you a method to track the molecular outcomes of health and well-being in real time, which is what we ultimately want to do, without drawing blood.

To help translate her research at the UA into marketable devices, Sternberg recruited two NIH colleagues, chemist Min Jia and engineering expert Perry Skeath, to come with her to the desert.

Jia, a chemistry Ph.D. and UA research assistant professor, published a paper on a technology to measure sweat biomarkers  specific biological molecules  and created a system to print molecules on glass slides.

In their lab, Sternberg and her team are working on developing a way to isolate and count molecules in sweat. Jias technology uses antibodies that cling to molecules of interest, later tagging them with fluorescence for microscopic analysis. Skeath is working on aspects related to devices that will collect and analyze sweat.

PROMISING WORK ATTRACTS FUNDS

Shortly after arriving at the UA, Sternberg got a call from the Air Force Research Laboratory, which wanted to work with her to develop the technology into a device to measure biomarkers in sweat in real time.

For the military, Its really important for them that whatever people they have involved in a mission are performing well, so they want continual, unobtrusive measures of that persons ability to perform their duty, said Skeath, who worked for Navy labs for years before joining NIH.

That led to UA awards from the Nano-Bio Manufacturing Consortium, launched in 2013 with support from the Air Force Research Labs to form industry and academic collaborations to advance flexible electronics.

Sternberg and the UA lab also became members of the FlexTech Alliance, an industry consortium funded partly by the Army and Air Force research labs and focused on flexible electronics across a broad range of industry uses.

Last September, the UA research center got a boost when the FlexTech Alliance won a $75 million federal contract to lead a Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Flexible Hybrid Electronics, one of six advanced manufacturing institutes established by the Obama administration. Industry partners have committed another $96 million to the effort.

The UAs demonstration project on sweat-based health monitoring was the top project listed in the winning proposal for the Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Flexible Hybrid Electronics, which is now known as NextFlex.

The institute was the seventh funded by the Obama administration as part of its drive to build innovation hubs around the country, and the second involving the UA. In July 2015, the UA and its renowned College of Optical Sciences were part of a national team of schools that won $110 million to launch the Manufacturing Innovation Institutes Photonics Institute, aimed at developing integrated circuits that use light rather than electrons to carry instructions and data.

The group also is collaborating with several major industry partners and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. All told, Sternberg said her lab is receiving about $2 million annually from various research partners.

FROM LABoratory

to MARKETPLACE

While much of her background is in basic research, Sternberg said shes excited about the collaborative process embodied in the new manufacturing institutes and the emphasis on creating a development path to manufacturing.

FlexTechs membership includes includes a Whos Who of top manufacturing companies, including industrial giants GE, Corning, Boeing, Dupont, General Motors, defense contractors Raytheon, General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin, and health-care leaders Eli Lilly and Roche Diagnostics.

The UA also may benefit from any inventions that come out of the FlexTech effort.

Each FlexTech Alliance member gets to keep the patent rights to whatever they discover or invent, but they must license the technologies to alliance members on reasonable terms, Skeath said.

So far, Skeath said, the group has filed three invention disclosures  sort of placeholders for a patent: One involving a new biomarker found in sweat, one involving a sweat patch and another related to skin that could have applications in the cosmetic industry.
To be or not to be.

A rare collection of William Shakespeares works will be opened to the most-quoted line from Hamlet when it is displayed at the University of Arizona Feb. 15 through March 15.

To mark the 400th anniversary of the Bards death, the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is sending First Folios to every state in the nation. The UA is Arizonas host site.

What is a First Folio? After Shakespeare died in 1616, friends and actors in the Kings Men, the playwrights troupe, collected 36 of his works and published them together as a folio.

That was a pretty big deal, said Jane Prescott-Smith, the special assistant to the dean of the university libraries.

It was kind of scandalous back in 1623 to have a folio of plays, because folios were traditionally reserved for serious stuff like the Bible, Prescott-Smith said.

However, if these men hadnt put together the folio, 18 of Shakespeares plays would have been lost, including Macbeth, Julius Caesar and Taming of the Shrew, said Lisa Falk, the exhibits project manager.

By the numbers: Only 750 folios were printed, and 223 remain today, Prescott-Smith said. The Folger Shakespeare Library has 82 of those copies and is sending six on a cross-country tour this year . A folio will visit every state and Puerto Rico.

The Tucson stop: Falk said one reason that the university was chosen is because the Arizona State Museum knows how to handle artifacts like the folio.

The folio is a rare book, so it has specific climate controls that are important, and office security controls, Falk said. The museum has a renowned conservation staff, and they (The Folger ) were interested in having it here because we have a conservator on staff.

The folio will be enclosed in a climate-controlled space and open to the To be or not to be soliloquy in Hamlet.

Several local events surround the folios visit here, including discussions at the Tucson Festival of Books, March 12-13 on the UA campus.

More than thou and thee: Though the impact the folio has had might not be immediately apparent, examining the contemporary English language reveals its long-lasting effect.

I think that one of the things thats going to be most surprising for people who visit the exhibit is coming to understand how much our language today  phrases we take for granted  were first penned by Shakespeare, Prescott-Smith said. She has a daughter named Jessica, and said she learned that Shakespeare was the first person who used the name Jessica in print.

What Folger (the Shakespeare library) emphasizes is that Shakespeares words are your words, Falk said.

Sayings like brave new world, all the worlds a stage, and the be all and end all were first used by Shakespeare.

Can I touch it? Because visitors wont be able to flip through the folio to find their favorite plays, the exhibit will offer two alternatives. Several iPads will allow visitors to scroll through the folio.

There will also be a touchable facsimile made of rag paper, created in collaboration with Panther Peak Bindery, so visitors can see how pages were sewn together in the 1600s and get a feel for how hefty the folio is.

This interactive display will have the first seven pages of the folio printed in it.

Along with these hands-on aspects of the exhibit, there will be six informational panels with accompanying Spanish and Braille handouts .

But the real star of the show is, of course, the folio itself.

Theres something very powerful about seeing the primary resource, the original document, as opposed to just reading the words on a screen or in a contemporary book, Prescott-Smith said.

If you live in a place like Arizona, unless youve got the money to fly to D.C., chances are good youre never going to see this book. Its really an icon.
58th Annual Grammy Awards

The Grammys will be given out at the Staples Center in Los Angeles beginning at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 15. Catch it live on CBS.

The classical music awards will be handed out among dozens of other Grammy categories Monday afternoon and will not be broadcast. Check out tucson.com/calientetunedin for an update as soon as those Grammys are announced.

Et cetera: See related interview with Stephen Paulus's widow on tucson.com/calientetunedin
A popular trail through the cactus forest at Saguaro National Park east of Tucson will be upgraded and given a hardened surface to make it suitable for visitors who use a wheelchair or other equipment to assist with mobility.

The 0.7-mile Mica View Trail, which links a trailhead near the eastern end of Broadway with the Mica View Picnic Area, will be closed from Feb. 22 through May while work is underway.

Once reopened, the trail will meet standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act for recreation trails, said Andy Fisher, spokeswoman for the park.

It will be known as a challenge trail, Fisher said. Its not intended to be a pedestrian sidewalk. Its more adventurous, but still suitable for mobility impairment.

She said workers will use a stabilizer product to create a hardened surface without paving the trail.Its not going to look like a sidewalk through the desert, Fisher said. It will blend nicely.

She said the parks other two trails suitable for wheelchair use  one in the district east of Tucson and another in the west district  are quarter-mile paved loops that offer more of a stroll, not really a hike.

The trail, which has been open to equestrian use, will be closed to horseback riding when the project is complete due to the nature of the upgrades, Fisher said. Alternate routes from the Broadway trailhead to the picnic area will be available to equestrians.

The area has more than a dozen other trails for hikers and equestrians.

Darla Sidles, superintendent of the park, said, We are pleased to be improving access through the historic cactus forest for all of our visitors. This project will make it easier for visitors with limited mobility to enjoy this iconic landscape and their backyard national park.

The Mica View Trail, know for its rich mix of desert vegetation, attracted attention last year when a dramatically leaning cactus  known as the leaning tower of saguaro  remained standing for months before finally toppling to the ground.

Fisher didnt have a cost estimate for the project but said it will be partially funded through grants from the Friends of Saguaro National Park and the Arizona Trails Heritage Fund.
OPINION: "Pima Community College belongs to the entire Tucson community. The governing board is the communitys way to hold the college accountable and to steer the institution toward best serving the greatest number of people. Help secure the brightest future for our community college and join us in supporting Theresa Riel for the District 2 seat on the PCC Governing Board," writes Makyla Hays, president of the Pima Community College Education Association.
PHOENIX  Two decades after Arizona helped pioneer the charter school movement, enrollment data show the schools dont match the school-age demographics of the state or, in many cases, their neighborhoods.

White, and especially Asian, students attend charter schools at a higher rate than Hispanics, who now make up the greatest portion of Arizonas school-age population.

Hispanic students account for 44 percent of all students in Arizona, but they make up just 36 percent of charter school students. White students, who make up 40 percent of the school-age population, account for 48 percent of all charter students.

The mission of public education is to give every child in our state the equal opportunity to excel to the maximum of their capabilities, said Tim Ogle, executive director of the Arizona School Boards Association. When you have disparities of opportunity, you are systemically inhibiting some groups over other groups through public policy, and thats just inherently wrong.

The Arizona Department of Education hasnt conducted a formal analysis of the school enrollment demographics, but the agencys spokesman, Charles Tack, said theyre anecdotally aware of the disparity, and that the data confirm that there is work to be done.

The disparity could be explained by a number of factors, researchers, education policy experts and school administrators say. The lack of transportation at some charter schools can be a barrier. Or an information gap about the charter school system may affect how minorities choose to participate in it. Parents might simply choose schools where the ethnic profile more closely matches that of their family.

Arizona lawmakers established charter schools in the 1990s so that parents could send their children to schools specializing in rigor, the arts or Montessori teaching methods. The intent was to provide education that was more tailored than what was traditionally available in public schools.

Today, roughly 17 percent of all students in Arizonas public schools attend a charter school  about triple the national average of 5 percent. Only the District of Columbia has a greater portion of charter school students.

Charter schools here receive state funding based on enrollment and operate independent of school districts. Theyre either run by nonprofit or for-profit groups. In fiscal year 2014, the state provided $8,041 per student to charter schools, compared to $9,096 per student to district schools.

District schools generate additional funding through voter-approved bonds and overrides. These funding streams arent available to charters, but they can raise more money through donations and grants.

Arizonas open-enrollment law allows parents to send their children to any school they choose  district or charter  even if its outside their neighborhood, provided there is room.

The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting analyzed school enrollment demographics for public schools in Arizona, categorizing each and then comparing it to the demographic data from the surrounding communities and schools within a 10-mile radius.

The analysis provides a snapshot of Arizona school demographics from 2014, the most recent statewide data available. It did not look at elementary schools and high schools separately because schools have a variety of different grade levels and ethnicity data is provided only by school, not grade level and school.

While there are exceptions, when charter schools are compared to their neighborhoods and to other nearby schools, the data show that they are more likely to be whiter than the surrounding area, while district schools tend to overrepresent Hispanic students.

One of every six Hispanic students in Arizona attends a charter school. But for white students, its one in every four. Among Asians, its one of every three, and for Native Americans its one in 10.

The trend is more pronounced for charter schools located in more rural communities with fewer school choices, and among specific types of charters.

In both rigorous and progressive charter schools, more than half of the student population is white, and less than 30 percent is Hispanic. Alternatively, among at-risk charter schools, which cater to students at risk of failing out of school, Hispanics make up an overwhelming majority of the students, with white students making up less than 20 percent.

In the Tucson area, almost every school with a high ethnic disparity is a charter school.

A 1999 study of Arizonas then-nascent charter school system found similar trends.

Diversity is good for schools, and the figures shed light on a need for greater awareness of education options, said Eileen Sigmund, president and CEO of the Arizona Charter Schools Association.

Results for students are better if theres mixed demographics, Sigmund said. That is the research and my leaders know it. And theyll often ask me, How do I get more of a mixed demographic? Im concerned that Im not able to serve as many students as I can.

Jonathan Butcher, education director for the Goldwater Institute, said charter schools shouldnt be criticized for their student demographics because being diverse wasnt the initial goal.

Yes, we want (charter schools) to serve diverse populations, but I think its unfair to criticize them for not doing something that isnt part of the main goal that they were set up to do, Butcher said. Their goal was to give parents more options and to improve student achievement. Thats what they were set up to do.

The BASIS charter schools, which consistently rank among the highest-performing public schools in the country, are particularly popular among Asian families. Nearly 28 percent of all BASIS students are Asian, although Asians only make up about 3 percent of the states K-12 public school students.

BASIS Chandler has the greatest percentage of Asian students of any BASIS school. Sixty-eight percent of the schools population  497 out of 731 students  are Asian, though the surrounding neighborhood is only 5 percent Asian. Overall, the combined student population at the BASIS schools is 57 percent white and 11 percent Hispanic.

BASIS representatives didnt respond to repeated requests for comment but said in an email that BASIS is incredibly proud of the diverse nature of its student population.

Andrew Morrill, president of the Arizona Education Association, said public schools have historically had a strong connection to the community in which theyre located and that its difficult for charter schools to build that same connection when they dont serve the students from around the area.

When you have schools that may encourage folks of some ethnicities but not necessarily the ones in those communities, how connected is that school to the local neighborhood? Morrill said. What really is that charter school then to the local community?

CHARTER SCHOOL BARRIERS

Researchers at the Civil Rights Project at UCLA found in 2009 that access to charter schools and other school choice options are constrained by a number of factors, including socioeconomic status, language barriers and parents social networks.

Their research found that charter schools that dont provide transportation create a barrier for students whose parents arent able to arrange alternative transportation.

In Arizona, neither charter nor district schools are required to provide transportation, and only district schools get funding to pay for it.

However, charter schools get additional assistance from the state, included in the overall per-pupil funding, that can be used flexibly, including for transportation costs.

A 2014 national PDK/Gallup poll found that most parents dont have a clear understanding of what charter schools are or how they operate. Half of the poll respondents said they thought charters were not public schools. Forty-eight percent thought they can teach religion. The majority believed charter schools can charge tuition and admit students based on academic ability.

Chicanos por la Causa (CPLC), a nonprofit that provides social services primarily to Arizonas Hispanic community and runs two charter schools, conducted a small focus group with 22 Hispanic parents in Phoenix that produced similar results.

Magdalena Verdugo, CPLC vice president of education, said most parents didnt know they could send their children to charter schools, saying, The perception was that charter schools were private.

Hispanic parents whose children are enrolled in charter schools believe charter schools are better than district schools because of their small and organized classrooms, disciplined students, secure environment and challenging academic curriculum.

For the most part, Hispanic parents who dont have children enrolled in charter schools have a positive view of charters. Spanish-speaking Hispanic parents, however, perceive charters as the last resort for students who have been expelled from other schools. Some also think charters are religious schools.

Spanish-speaking parents were also unaware of school choice and thought low-income students dont have the right or ability to attend a high-quality school, regardless of whether the school is a district or charter.

The lack of transportation presents the biggest barrier for Hispanic parents who want to enroll their children in charter schools, Verdugo said. For Spanish-speaking parents, its the inability to communicate with charter school staff in their native language.

CPLC plans to create a program to raise awareness of charter schools and school choice options among primarily low-income Hispanic families in Phoenix. The grant-funded program will include attending community events and meeting with parents to educate them about school choices.

David Garcia, an Arizona State University professor who also ran unsuccessfully for superintendent of public instruction in 2014, conducted a study in 2008 that tracked individual students moving from public schools to charters from 1997 to 2000.

White students left district elementary schools to enter charter elementary schools that were, on average, 10 percent more white. Black elementary school students entered charters that were, on average, 29 percent more black than the district schools they left. For students leaving district high schools, however, both white and black students entered charter schools that had similar percentages of white and black students.

Native Americans across all grade levels chose to attend charter schools that had a higher concentration of Native Americans than the district schools they exited. Hispanic elementary school students were the only group that didnt self-segregate into charter schools with a higher percentage of students from the same ethnic group.

If you look around, we spend a lot of time with people like ourselves, Garcia said. And the question I have is, why then when it comes to sending your kids to school, what makes us think we would do anything different? That is, to me, a legitimate challenge when we stand up and say we should have more integrated schools.

INTEGRATION RULES

At least three states have laws in place that attempt to ensure charter schools are more integrated and reflect the communities in which theyre located.

North Carolina mandates charter schools to reasonably reflect the racial and ethnic composition of the community it serves within a year of opening. South Carolina requires charter schools to have the same racial and ethnic composition as the local school districts where theyre located. And in Nevada, the racial and ethnic composition of a charter school cannot differ by more than 10 percent from that of the surrounding public schools.

All three states require charter schools to provide open enrollment to any student in the state.
Help India!

By Mudassir Rizwan, TwoCircles.net,

Patna: Madrasa Madinat-ul Islam is just like any other Madarsa in India. But a few students make this Madarsa different and very special. These students are Ashish Vidyarthi and Hemlata. They are the children of Mr. Dilip Kumar Chaudhury, an Indian Railway employee.

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Ashish is 6-years-old and Hemlata is 9-years-old. They are studying the Holy Quran and the Urdu language at Madarsa Madinat-ul-Islam. It is situated in Khagaul, near Danapur Railway Station, Patna, Bihar. They are also studying in a local English medium School. Hemlata is studying in class IV and Ashish in class I. Their hectic schedule begins in the early hours of the morning. They return from school by 1 pm and after short break they head to the Madarsa immediately. They complete their studies in Madarsa by 4 pm. Their school teachers have pointed out to Mr. Chadhuri that the Madarsa education will put extra burden on Hemlata and Ashish. Mr. Chaudhris reply to the teachers was that any suffering in search of knowledge should be appreciated.





Ashish Vidyarthi and Hemlata



In an Interview with TwoCircles.net, Hemlata said I was learning The Holy Quran to understand Islam and striving to be a Hafiza (female who memorize whole Quran) because I wanted to get enriched with all kinds of knowledge. She added that acquiring knowledge of any religion is a good practice.

She also mentioned that some of the neighbors had objected and remarked about studying in a Madarsa. They are continuing at the Madarsa due to their parentss strong motivation and support. Initially school friends used to ask Hemlata, why are you studying the Quran? In her elegant response she asked, why you are studying Hindi or English in school? Now school friends are very co-operative and understanding. Neighboring Muslims have empathy with them and are happy that they being Hindu are learning the Quran.

Presently she is reciting Aampara (30th Part of the Quran) and has completed Urdu Quaida, Yasarnal Quran. Younger brother, Ashish has started with Urdu Qaida.

Madarsa teacher Hafiz Mohammed Azmat Hussain appreciated the fact that Hemlata and Ashish are intelligent and able to memorize whatever they are taught in the Madarsa with ease, so they do not have to spend much time revising at home. He added she has a strong will to acquire knowledge. Other students of Madarsa are also supportive of Hemlata and Ashish.





Ashish Vidyarthi and Hemlata with parents



When father Dilip Kumar Chaudhry was asked about his motive behind enrolling his children in the Madarsa, he replied, I was always attracted to the Quran from childhood as I had seen my fathers close friend teaching the Quran. He added, I want my children to do well in life by gaining knowledge of different kinds of education especially from the Quran.

When reminded about media reports of terrorism and extremism being taught in Madarsa. He rejected this allegation and added this is not true, Madarsas provide education like any other educational institution, they teach about Islam, justice, truth, service to humanity and love, not terrorism. He added, Madarsas are being wrongly projected by the Media.

This Madarsa is supervised by Maulana Mohammed Amanullah Qadri and it is run with the help of donations given by local people. There are 11 teachers and about 130 students presently studying here and the management has plans to provide modern education to its student in future.

Slideshow for this story

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Help India!

By Mohammed Siddique, TwoCircles.net,

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradeshs budget for the year 2009-10, with a total outlay of more than Rs 1 lakh crore, has come as a big disappointment to the Muslim minority as the states Congress government has not increased a single rupee in its last years allocation of Rs 177 crore.

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In the budget presented by the state finance minister K Roshaiah in the state assembly, the total budget of minority welfare department has been retained at Rs 177 crore. But the total figure has been shown as Rs 222 crore by adding the Rs 45 crore of central governments schemes for the minorities.

The allocation of Rs 177 crore out of the total budget of Rs 1 lakh three thousand crore means that the share of the minorities was less than quarter of a percent. On the contrary, the government has allocated Rs 702 crore for the backward classes welfare and Rs 309 crore for the tribal welfare.

According to the Census 2001, Muslims constitute 9.17% of the state population of 762,10,007.

An amount of Rs 700 crore will be spent on the educational scholarships and fee reimbursement of BC students and Rs 83 crore on tribal students.

The minority welfare budget, which was Rs 120 crore in 2007-08, was increased to Rs 177 crore in 2008-09 crore. As the support of the Muslim minority had played a crucial role in bringing Congress back to power both in the state and the center, the minority community was hopeful of being rewarded with a handsome increase in its budget. But they were in for a big disappointment as the allocation for some of the schemes was drastically reduced.

The state government has earmarked an amount of Rs 153 crore for the educational scholarships and fee reimbursement and the central government has provided another Rs 45 crore for the scholarships to the minority students of Andhra Pradesh. This will take the total fund for educational programs to Rs 198 crore.

There has been a big change in the component of scholarship and free reimbursement. The budget for pre and post metric scholarship has been reduced from last years Rs 80 crore to Rs 75.09 crore, the allocation for fee reimbursement for the higher education and professional courses has been increase from Rs 35 crore of last year to Rs 72.75 crore. Rs 10 crore is provided for the minority girls residential schools.

However the budget for the mass marriages, which was Rs 5 crore last year has been reduced to mere Rs 1.25 crore Similarly the budget for the repair of mosques and churches was reduced from Rs 5 crore to Rs 1 crore. The government retained Rs 2 crore subsidy for the Christians going on pilgrimage to Bethlehem.

Voicing the dejection and unhappiness of the Muslim minority over the budgetary allocation Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen described the budget as ridiculous and disappointing.

Several representations were made to the state government for the welfare and over all development of minorities specially Muslims. But the decision of the government shows that it only wants to use Muslims as a vote bank, said MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi.

Warning the Congress party to change its attitude, Owaisi said that Muslims can not be placated by offering the lollypops.

The state government is making a lot of noise about allocations for the educational scholarships and fee reimbursements, but the fact is that still there are thousands of minority students at every level who are not getting the scholarships, he said.

Apart from causing the disappointment all around, the budget will also have a crippling impact on various minorities institutions including the AP Urdu Academy, Waqf Board and state Haj Committee. The petty allocations made include Rs 34.62 lakhs for minorities commission, Rs 36 lakhs for Urdu Academy, Rs 2.80 lakh for Dairatul Maarif, 8.61 lakh for Waqf properties administration and Rs 15.68 lakh for Waqf Tribunal.

Demand for higher allocations for the minorities also echoed among the Muslim leaders of Congress party. The state Congress general secretary Abid Rasool Khan said that while an amount of Rs 6000 crore was allotted for the welfare of all the sections of society, the budget for minority welfare should be increased to Rs 1000 crore.

He pointed out that Muslims will also benefit from the budgetary allocations made for various other schemes like free health insurance and Indiramm Housing.
Help India!

By IANS,

Hyderabad: Nearly two months after the demise of spiritual guru Sathya Sai Baba, the trust managing his empire Tuesday decided to open Yajur Mandir, his personal chamber in Prashanti Nilayam ashram at Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradeshs Anantapur district.

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As the speculation continued about what was inside, the Sathya Sai Central Trust decided to open the locks soon. The decision was taken at the meeting of the trust in the pilgrim town of Puttaparthi.

Trust member and former chief justice of India P.N. Bhagwati said the trust would open Yajur Mandir and declare what they find inside. He appealed to Sathya Sai Babas followers to have faith in him and other members of the trust.

Bhagwati, the most famous and respected of the five trustees, assured the devotees that the trust would do everything to protect the property of Sathya Sai Baba.

Yajur Mandir, also known as Yajurveda Mandir, has remained closed ever since Sathya Sai Baba was hospitalised March 28.

The keys to this personal chamber of the Baba were with his caretaker Satyajit, who later handed these over to the trust after Sathya Sai Babas death April 24.

There are speculations that the chamber contained huge quantities of gold, jewellery and cash donated by devotees from across the world.

A section of devotees also alleged that valuables were taken out of Prashanti Nilayam when Sathya Sai Baba was battling for life. However, the trust has denied this.

The trust at its meeting held last month could not take a decision on the issue as Bhagwati could not attend it. He is believed to have given legal opinion at Tuesdays meeting.

The issue of opening Yajur Mandir has also taken a political overtone with former minister and opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader D. Nagireddy demanding that the locks be opened only in the presence of devotees.


Help India!

By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net

Srinagar: A day after the arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar, President, Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union, by Delhi Police in connection with Afzal Gurus event and subsequent anti-India slogans inside the JNU campus, leaders and students of Kashmir stood in solidarity with Kumar.

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The arrest has become a talking point among people in Kashmir, who see it as a sign of solidarity from the Indian Intelligentsia class with regards to the step-motherly treatment meted out to Kashmiri students and prisoners.

The separatists too jumped into the fray and aimed their guns at center for coming down heavily on JNU students.

Syed Ali Geelani, Chairperson, All Parties Hurriyat Conference (G), issued a statement condemning the government action, calling it totally against the democratic claims of India and against the freedom of expression.

It has no constitutional and legal justification. The students of JNU held a peaceful protest demonstration to express their solidarity with the Kashmiri nation and it is not any crime. Many prominent leaders of India and human rights activists had raised questions over the secret hanging of Mohammad Afzal Guru and had termed it as a judicial murder, Geelani was quoted by a Valley-based magazine Kashmir Life.

If the students in JNU also express their concern, then how can it be termed as a crime? Detention of JNU Students Union president and slapping of sedition against him is completely a grave injustice with him and this injustice cannot be tolerated in any way, he added.

On Friday, the JNUSU president was arrested following police claims that he was seen in a purported video raising anti-national slogans. Kumar was picked up from the campus by two policemen in plain clothes. This came after Delhi Police registered a case of sedition in connection with an event at JNU against the hanging of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

The FIR was filed following complaints by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Maheish Girri and the ABVPs student wing. A case was registered under Sections of 124 A (sedition) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC against unknown persons at Vasant Kunj (North) Police station.

The Centre had also stepped into the raging controversy on Friday morning after the Home Minister, Rajnath Singh directed the police to take action against those raising anti-national slogans which is seen as a possible reason for crackdown on the JNU students.

For Usman Farooq Mir, a Kashmiri Graduate preparing for UPSC, the arrest of JNU president shows extension of Indian govt. policies in Kashmir to the Students in Delhi.

This used to happen with Kashmiri students in Kashmir when they used to raise their voices but it is surprising to see it in Delhi. The arrest of JNUSU President is also going to malign India image internationally for being the worlds largest democratic country. Does speaking out against country wrong doings amounts to sedition? he asked.

Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM) chairperson Aasiyeh Andrabi also joined the fray to condemn the arrest of, Kanhaiya Kumar.

By harassing all those who stand for truth, India is actually trying to stop the sun shining in the world which, however, it is not possible. The student leaders arrest is highly condemnable. On one hand India claims to be the largest democracy of the world and on the other hand it curbs the freedom of expression and wants to stop everybody from speaking truth. Anybody who has a clear and truthful heart can stand for truth anywhere and that is exactly what JNU students did by standing for the justice, Aasiyeh said in a statement.

Instead of filing fake cases against these future leaders, India should be thankful to them that they want to show them a way out of the mess India is trapped in because of its stubbornness and rigidness she added.
Help India!

By TCN News

The seventh annual India Health Initiative by US-based India Muslim Relief and Charities IMRC to provide medical services to economically disadvantaged members of society in India will take place from February 20 March 6, 2016, with medical camps in Lucknow, Hyderabad, and Kerala.

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This year, ten US-based Indian doctors with backgrounds in internal medicine, family medicine, gynaecology, paediatrics, surgery, geriatrics and emergency medicine, will provide free medical services.

I was looking for some platform to do service for the needy, and then I came across IMRC health initiatives in India and got to know about their medical aid projects. Since the past four years, I have gone to treat women in Assam, UP, Hyderabad, says Dr. Farida Ghogawala, a volunteer physician for the India Health Initiative.

For Dr. John Rosenberg, the work is both exhilarating and rewarding. Its not an easy job, but we are making an effort to help people in need. Dr. Rosenberg said.

In Lucknow, doctors will organise camps at the Jahangirabad Institute of Technology (JIT), Barabanki road, Lucknow from February 20-23, 2016.

In Hyderabad medical camps will be conducted at the Bright Future School (Hassan Nagar), Indo-US School (Kishan Bagh), Shaheen Nagar Markaz, and Indo-US School (Baba Nagar) from February 26-29.

In Kerala, medical camps will be organised in Mukkam, Omassary, Koliwada and the Engapuza villages of Kozhikode District between March 3 and March 6.

The India Health Initiative was started by IMRC in 2010.Since its inception, IMRC has successfully conducted six India Health Initiatives comprising of medical camps across different rural areas, poor localities and slums in India. This annual program is unique because it provides basic education in health care with an emphasis on preventive health care to the community; and provides technical training to the local doctors and medical students.

This initiative has shown that many illnesses afflicting the poor are preventable, and that these medical conditions are worsened mostly because of poverty, ignorance, and lack of hygiene. said Manzoor Ghori, Executive Director, Indian Muslim Relief and Charities (IMRC). Last year, about 10,000 patients were seen in medical camps in Hyderabad, Bijapur, and Bangarpet.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/ideology-not-tactics-killed-trumpcare-w494720 "There was no plan in that seven years, an...
US House sends DPRK sanction bill to Obama Updated: 2016-02-13 04:48 (Xinhua)

WASHINGTON -- US House of Representatives on Friday overwhelmingly passed a legislation to impose new sanctions on Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), sending the bill to President Barack Obama to sign into law.

In a 408-2 vote, lawmakers approved legislation that requires the Obama administration to sanction anyone involved with DPRK's nuclear program, luxury goods, money laundering and human rights abuses.

The measure also authorizes $10 million annually over the course of five years for expanding DPRK people's access to media and providing humanitarian assistance to refugees, according to news website The Hill.

The Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed the legislation by a vote of 96-0. It now heads to Obama's desk for his signature. The White House has signally support for the bill.

The move comes after the DPRK said it had launched a Kwangmyongsong-4 Earth observation satellite into orbit on Sunday and last month tested what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb.

The US has condemned the DPRK's "destabilizing and provocative" actions and vowed to "take all necessary steps to defend ourselves and our allies."

"This fourth nuclear weapons test and this latest ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) test over the weekend ... has focused the attention of the members of the Senate and the House on the fact that the administration's policy of strategic patience is not working and that we have to take concerted action," said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce.

"It is a goal to get North Korea (DPRK) to the table, but we must be serious about applying the sanctions," Royce added.

The House had previously passed another version of the DPRK sanctions measure last month but opted to clear the Senate amendments that included the authorized funds for media access and humanitarian aid, according to The Hill.
Implementation urged after deal reached on cessation of hostilities in Syria Updated: 2016-02-13 04:48 (Xinhua)

MUNICH -- Top diplomats attending the fourth foreign ministers' meeting of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) have agreed on a nationwide cessation of hostilities to be implemented soon in the war-torn Middle East country.

Members of the ISSG also agreed to immediately accelerate and expand the delivery of humanitarian aid to besieged areas in Syria. A working group is to start meeting in Geneva to oversee this issue.

The agreement on a pause in fighting in Syria marks a significant step towards the aim of ending the country's civil war. Top diplomats here called for real steps to implement this deal after it was reached.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Friday the Munich meeting on Syria has achieved hard-won results and "China is pleased to see this result."

As a next step, it is important to ensure that the reached agreement will be implemented, Wang said.

"China advocates a strict implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2254 on Syria which was adopted last year, especially the commitment to find a political solution to the Syria issue," Wang told reporters.

He said China would continue to participate in the peace process in Syria and, when necessary, continue to play an active and constructive role and offer proposals to help resolve the Syria issue.

Representatives from 17 countries and international organizations, including Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, gathered here on Thursday, hoping to restart the Syrian peace talks.

Speaking to reporters early Friday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said a cessation of hostilities across Syria will be carried out within a week, so as to reduce violence and allow delivery of humanitarian aid to besieged civilians.

He added that details of the truce, including ways to monitor and verify it, have yet to be worked out.
Russian PM warns against 'new cold war' at MSC Updated: 2016-02-13 20:53 (Xinhua)

MUNICH, Germany - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev warned here on Saturday that the world has slid into a "new cold war," criticizing the West's "unfriendly" policy against his country.

"Almost every day we are called one of the most terrible threats either to NATO as a whole, or to Europe, or to the United States," Medvedev said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference (MSC).

"We have slid back to a new cold war," he warned, "Sometimes I wonder whether it is 2016 we are living in or 1962."

Different positions in Syrian conflicts and Ukraine undermined the relations between Russia and the West. Both sides posed sanctions against each other.

Medvedev criticized that policies including expansion of NATO towards eastern Europe were "unfriendly" towards Russia. Facing various challenges including terrorism and regional conflicts, cooperation instead of confrontation was necessary, he said.

"Sanctions are not only against those whom these sanction are introduced to, but also against those who use those sanctions," Medvedev said, adding that "active dialogues on the future architecture of security" was particularly important to avoid repeating mistakes in history.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday promised more economic reforms and a stable tax regime so as to take manufacturings share in the gross domestic product to 25 per cent in the near future.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Sweden PM Stefan Lofven, Finland PM Juha Sipila and Poland Deputy PM Piotr Glinski inaugurate the 'Make in India Week' in Mumbai

Outlining great potential for cooperation with India, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven on Saturday said the global business focus has shifted to India from China.

"I see many areas of cooperation (with India). First is innovation. There is great potential for cooperation in this field. Stockholm is now one of the cleanest capitals in the world from being a heavily polluted one 100 years ago, he said at the launch of Make in India (MII) Week here this evening.

"Let us be guided by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore who said 'you cannot cross the ocean merely by staring at the sea'. I am sure Make in India will be a centrepiece of the cooperation," Lofven maintained.

"The world's eyes are now on India. They used to be on China earlier, but they are now on India," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister of Finland Juha Sipila said its truly great to be in India. Lauding the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sipila said he has set a remarkable goal on the energy front.

"Renewable energy is the core of future. The world needs it. Biomass is another sector where several Finnish companies can contribute in India," he said.

Earlier, Modi and Lofven jointly inaugurated the Sweden Country Pavilion at the MII meet.

Lofven is accompanied by a high-level delegation consisting of government officials, heads of agencies and industry leaders. The Scandinavian nation has one of the largest delegations at the jamboree.

"The Swedish industry has always believed in India as a perfect trading partner, right from the time Ericsson laid the first cables in 1903 to the current times when our companies are looking to raise their investments and their manufacturing units here," Swedish Ambassador to India Harald Sandberg said.

There are some 160 Swedish companies operating in India employing 160,000 people directly and 1.1 million indirectly. Over 18 Swedish companies are participating in the mega event, where the theme of its pavilion is 'Smart Manufacturing'.

Swedish participants include ABB, Atlas Copco, Camfil, Ericsson, Ikea, Saab, Sandvik, SKF, TetraPak and Volvo.

"For Sweden, which is striving to be an open innovation-driven economy, India is a natural partner and Maharashtra is one of the most important hubs," said Fredrika Ornbrant, Consul General of Sweden in Mumbai.
Wayne Robinson of Canadian Mountain Adventure's newly revised blog! Drop by to read about our mountain lives, guided trips, mountain travel tips, back-country recipes, and gear reviews.
JOHNSTON  Sixteen days before private companies are scheduled to begin delivering managed care to 560,000 Iowans on Medicaid, a key legislative leader said shes not convinced its a done deal yet.

Im not willing to concede to it yet, Senate President Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, said about the privatization of the management of Medicaid services during taping of Iowa Public Televisions Iowa Press on Friday.

Jochum isnt sure Gov. Terry Branstads plan to transition the states $5 billion Medicaid program to out-of-state managed-care companies will happen March 1. Thats two months later than the Republican governor planned because the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which still must approve the plan, delayed the start from Jan. 1. The agency cited readiness concerns including an inadequate provider network and communication problems between the state, providers and beneficiaries.

Jochum floor managed Senate passage Thursday of legislation to halt the transition. She said of 16 issues the feds told Iowa to address only one has been resolved.

However, House Human Resources Committee Chairman Dave Heaton, R-Mount Pleasant, was more optimistic about the March 1 transition and the potential benefits of managed care.

Like the Affordable Care Act, he said, the goal is to get low-income Iowans covered so they can access health care without going to emergency rooms.

Medicaid recipients will be moved from a fee-for-service system that was just curing peoples ills to a whole culture of wellness, Heaton said. The secret to lowering health care costs is to move people to wellness, take on chronic disease and then at the same time offer them the very best health care for these people that we possibly can.

Another goal of the transition is to contain costs, which have been consuming a growing portion of the state budget. Jochum, however, is not convinced the plan would yield real savings despite lawmakers building the projected $111 million savings into their budget plans.

Heaton believes the changes will results in improved services for Iowans with disabilities as well as savings. For example, he said, he expects fewer Iowans will live in residential institutions, where costs can be as much as $1,000 a day. Instead, they will be in community-based residences that cost about a quarter of that.

Heaton also believes services such as home health care and adult day care will allow older Iowans to remain in their homes longer, and thats where the rewards are.

The Medicaid transition will not affect recipients in nursing homes until 2017.

Iowa Press can be seen on IPTV at noon today.
WATERLOO  The local Honor Flight organization is inviting Vietnam-era veterans to apply for its one-day trip to visit Washington, D.C., war memorials.

However, more donations are needed to ensure the group will be able to make three flights in 2016, as well as into next year.

We have scheduled flights for 2016, said Black Hawk County Supervisor Frank Magsamen, a co-organizer of Cedar Valley Sullivan-Hartogh-Davis Honor Flight. We have funding for two of them. Were going to continue to try to raise money so we can secure the third flight. The flights cost about $100,000 each.

Previously the flights were open to World War II, Korea and 1950s-era Cold War veterans. The applications for World War II and Korean vets were at a point where we wouldnt have had the planes filled up.

The first flight, scheduled for May 24, is partially filled. The second and third flights would be in September. The second flight, typically held in June, is being moved to September to avoid Washingtons hot weather.

The fact is we need funds for the upcoming (third) and future flights. If we want any in 2017, we have to raise a lot of money, Magsamen said.

Priority will still be given World War II and Korean War veterans, Magsamen said, but Cold War and Vietnam veterans are invited to apply to fill out this year s flights. This years flights will be the 15th, 16th and 17th since flights started originating out of the Waterloo Regional Airport in 2011.

The one-day trips to Washington, D.C., include tours of military memorials like the National World War II, Vietnam and Korean War memorials as well as Arlington National Cemetery. The public is encouraged to attend departures and homecomings at the Waterloo Regional Airport.

Organizers have taken more than 1,300 World War II and Korean vets to D.C. so far, White said. There are more who could go  and should go, he said, while those aging vets are in reasonably good health.

Veterans from Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Grundy and the northern half of Tama counties are eligible. There are other Honor Flight hubs elsewhere in the state, including Cedar Rapids.

Applications can be picked up at any of the Waterloo, Cedar Falls and Waverly Hy-Vee Stores or by going to the organizations website, www.cedarvalleyhonorflights.org or the Cedar Valley Honor Flights Facebook page.

The local Honor Flight group will sponsor its annual Variety Show on April 22 at Electric Park Ballroom. Doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets will be available at local Hy-Vee stores. Magsamen said talent is being secured and details are forthcoming.

Questions maybe directed to co-organizer and Black Hawk County Supervisor Craig White at whitedog67@q.com or Magsamen at fmagsbhc@hotmail.com.

Donations to support Honor Flights for Veterans can be sent to P.O. Box 182 Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613.
WATERLOO  A male pulled from a burning four-plex in Waterloo late Friday has died, according to fire officials.

Ray Anthony Reed, 53, who lived in the residence was found dead in the fire, according to the Waterloo Police Department.

The fire was reported about 11:38 p.m. at 1686 Mount Carmel Drive. When fire officials arrived within three minutes of the call, flames were showing in a front window.

Reed was found in a different room than the fire, pulled from the residence and taken to UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

It is the first fire death in Waterloo of 2016.

Reed's body was taken to the state medical examiners office in Ankeny for an autopsy, officials said.

All other residents of the building escaped before firefighters arrived.

On Saturday, neighbors remembered a friendly acquaintance they saw from time to time as he went out running errands or heading to the bus stop.

He was so friendly, and Im so sorry for his family, said neighbor Lynne Hodges. I just want to give my condolences.

Hodges said she heard the sirens late Friday, but assumed it was the police until she smelled the smoke coming from across the street.

Another acquaintance whose mother lives in the neighborhood said Reed was always a nice guy. She dropped off a few roses in front of his residence on behalf of her mother.

They included a note, May you rest in peace, neighbor.

The residence of the deceased was badly damaged in the fire. The fire was contained to the one residence, however, so residents on either side of the fire-stricken home were able to return to their places after the fire was contained.

Friday nights frigid temperatures did mean fire officials took extra care to safely tamp down the fire, but it did not delay their efforts.

The fire remains under investigation, but Waterloo Police say it does not appear to be suspicious.
A look at the world through the eyes of three generations.
"He writes with sensitivity, passion, intelligence and with an eye to the common good."

"[He is] clearly one of those silly people who believes in 'civilization,' probably along with the Tooth Fairy and justice."

"He lives in a magical fantasy world."

"Powerfully spoken."

"A balanced and sensible view concerning the crazy ideas that often prevail regarding war and freedom."

"You do good work."



"Our political differences are vast and irreconcilable but he earnestly believes what he wants is best for the country; hes firmly committed to it, makes no apologies for it and wont settle for less."

"God bless you!"



"SHUT THE FUCK UP."
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Those years when we cant reason with you. When you cry at the drop of a hat. When everything you do is overshadowed by emotion and a lack of common sense. When you are random in your activities and illogical in your motives. When you still require us to do so many of the mundane things  dress you, tie your shoes, brush your teeth, entertain you, keep you focused or occupied, and on it goes.
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. Like many casinos, Coral Casino offers a wide variety of games, including plenty of video slots and table games. New players can benefit from a huge 100% match bonus up to 1000, while existing customers enjoy 25% cash back on deposits made within 48 hours of opening an account.

Ladbrokes Casino:

Ladbrokes Casino is owned by the same company as the famous bookmaker that started life in 1921. With more than 500 games from leading software providers such as Amaya, NetEnt and Microgaming, you wont be disappointed by the quality of the games here. New players get a 200% match bonus up to 500, while existing customers can claim 35% cashback on their first three deposits.

Paddy Power Casino:

Paddy Power is another Irish-owned casino that operates throughout Europe. Not only does Paddy Power Casino offer traditional casino games like blackjack, roulette and slots, but it also provides a full range of sports betting, including football, tennis, boxing and horse racing. New players can receive a massive 100% match bonus up to 200, while existing customers can claim 35% cashback on their first three deposits.

William Hill Casino:

William Hill Casino is one of the biggest names in the industry, operating in Europe, Asia and North America. Founded in 1984, this online casino has more than 400 games to choose from, including slots and table games, with a wide array of software providers like WagerLogic, Big Time Gaming and Rival.

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If youre interested in trying out an online casino but arent quite ready to commit to one, why not try out one of the many no deposit casinos weve reviewed? You can test drive various casinos completely risk-free, so you can feel confident about your choice before you make a single penny deposit.
Duncan Kelly at the Financial Times:

Realpolitik began as an argument about the possibilities of German unification following the European revolutions of 1848. Its originator was August Ludwig von Rochau, a radical who was jailed for his politics as a student, worked in exile as a travel writer, then returned home to Germany to become a political journalist and, eventually, a politician. In 1853 he published Grundsatze der Realpolitik (roughly translated as Foundations of Realpolitik), whose arguments applied particularly to the ramshackle confederation of German states. Rochaus book suggests all the things you might think of when you hear the word Realpolitik: that politics is about power, about manoeuvring coalitions, about social forces (he focused on the rising middle class in Germany) and their capacity to influence politics, and about the power of ideas in shaping political possibilities  though it takes work to pull that out of his convoluted text.

Rochau published a second version of Realpolitik in 1869, now calling for a strong German national-liberal state able to defend itself against Bonapartist tyranny and to extricate itself from its Austro-Hungarian neighbour. It took a powerful Prussia under Otto von Bismarck make that happen  and, when it did, the German chancellor quickly became regarded as a political visionary. For admirers and critics alike, his name became synonymous withRealpolitik. And as Bew suggests, the subsequent story of Realpolitik is really one of how a historically contingent German idea became divorced from its origins, morphing into a polemical term signalling hardheaded realism (as opposed to moralism) about politics.

more here.
The U.S. Supreme Court has issued an injunction that delays implementation of the Environmental Protection Agencys Clean Power Plans greenhouse-gas regulations. EPAs plan must wait until after a legal challenge in a lower court, as well as an expected appeal to the Supreme Court, are decided. These events are expected to take a year or more.

The Adirondack Council issued a statement today calling the ruling a disappointment. A lengthy delay in the compliance deadlines for the Clean Power Plan is bad news for the Adirondack Park, Council Executive Director William C. Janeway, said. Our ski areas and our winter carnivals are taking a beating from recent warm winters. That hurts the local economy. Most of our towns are on the shores of lakes and rivers. Flooding has been a significant problem and remains a major concern for the future.

The Adirondack wilderness isnt faring any better, he said. Climate change threatens the viability of cold-water fisheries, especially trout in rivers and streams. Some of the parks wildlife habitat is melting away northward, along with the colder weather.

Without significant cuts in greenhouse gases, the Adirondack climate is expected to resemble that of Richmond, Virginia by the end of the century, Janeway said. That would make the Adirondack Park very different from the park we all know and love today.

The Clean Power Plan is the national program for curbing climate-changing carbon emissions from power plants. In order to achieve its goals, most power plants are expected to stop burning coal. Advocates for the plan say that in addition to slowing the rate of climate change, it would help curb acid rain in the Adirondacks and reduce smog in New Yorks cities.

Last year, coal producers filed a complaint with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, asking the court to overturn the Clean Power Plan. Plaintiffs also asked the appeals court to delay the compliance deadlines, saying they would harm the coal business. The appeals court ruled that no delay was warranted. Plaintiffs appealed that refusal to the Supreme Court, which granted the stay.

Voting in favor of the delay were Justices John Roberts, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Anthony Kennedy. Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen G. Breyer, Elena Kagan and Ruth Bader Ginsburg voted against the stay.

That means the rule is suspended while the Court of Appeals hears the case and rules on its merits, and will remain suspended if the loser appeals that final decision to the Supreme Court. Both sides said they would appeal a loss in the appeals court.

The appeals court is slated to hear oral arguments in June. It is not expected to reach a verdict until the fall, so the rule will remain suspended through Novembers Presidential Election. Consequently, the next president will decide whether the EPA will defend and continue to implement the plan.

The Clean Power Plan is designed to reduce carbon emissions from power plants by 32 percent by 2030 (based on 2005 emissions levels). EPA proposed the rule using its authority to protect public health under the Clean Air Act, after the Republican led Congress refused to take action to curb carbon emissions.

EPA said it had anticipated some delays due to legal challenges to the rule, and tried to work them into its implementation schedule for the Clean Power Plan. States are not required to file final compliance plans for carbon reductions until 2018. The first round of reductions is due in 2022.
Air Force leaders met with the media to discuss specifics of the services fiscal year 2017 space budget at the Pentagon Feb. 11.Winston A. Beauchamp, the deputy undersecretary of the Air Force for space, and Maj. Gen. Roger Teague, the director of space programs for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, highlighted major themes of the space budget in relation to the Air Forces

strategic understanding of the space environment.



In fiscal 2016, the Air Force focused investments in space in two major areas. First, assuring the use of space in the face of increasing threats, and secondly providing capabilities to deter and defeat potential attacks.

Beauchamp said there have been no changes to that strategy in the past year.

All of the threats we saw last year have continued to evolve. We remain postured to get ourselves on a path to make our systems more resilient, said Beauchamp, who also serves as the director, principal Defense Department Space Advisor Staff. In (fiscal 2017) the emphasis is on sustaining mission capabilities while improving resilience. To achieve this outcome we approach it with several lines of effort.

Those efforts include determining appropriate investments, leveraging the base budget to improve resilience in programs of record, revaluating operational techniques, tactics and procedures, exploring innovative contract strategies such as public-private partnerships, and utilizing international cooperation.

The Air Force plans to invest in areas such as command and control, space situational awareness, the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle, and satellite communications in fiscal 2017 to enhance space mission assurance.

In command and control we know our potential adversaries are developing capabilities to deny, degrade and destroy our space capabilities, Beauchamp said. As countries around the world increasingly derive benefits from space, we have to join together with our allies to deal with those threats.

For space situational awareness, the Air Force will continue its investment in the Space Fence, aiding the ability to perform collision detection and protecting those aboard the International Space Station and other manned space programs.

We will preserve our ability to access space by investing in an indigenously produced launch capability. This serves not only as a capability to replenish our space assets as they reach end of life, but also to improve our capabilities and reconstitute our forces, Beauchamp said. To that end, the (fiscal 2017) fully funds the (Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle) program.

To support satellite communications the Air Force will fund the Pathfinder Three program, which is a method to investigate new business models used to acquire satellite communications.

Teague said there is an emphasis on how we might better prepare for space operations through a contested environment. Although it wont directly impact the budget, there is an effort called Space Mission Force which reorganizes space personnel into shifts where both experienced Airmen and recently trained Airmen will be blended together to work on operational teams.

This ensures appropriately experienced personnel are on the operational staff at all times should problems arise, while better developing the core workforce over time and keeping them in the operational flow.

Its a tribute to the Air Force Space Command professionals that theyre doing this on the fly  without any interruption to our operational systems and certainly maintaining that degree of readiness that we need to make sure that our systems are performing their missions at all times, Teague said.

Although there will not be an increase in manpower for space, there will be a focus on making better use of the workforce currently available through initiatives like Space Mission Force.

Our investments in (fiscal 2017) are consistent with our strategic understanding of the space environment that informed the (fiscal 2016) budget, Beauchamp said. We remain committed to delivering space capabilities to the warfighter in spite of adversary attempts to deny, degrade or destroy our systems in space.
AF temporarily transitions to contract maintenance for some active-duty units

The Air Force will temporarily transition some legacy active-duty maintenance units to contract maintenance beginning in fiscal year 2017 and continuing through fiscal year 2020.



The move to contract maintenance for some legacy non-deployable flying units and back shop maintenance will allow the Air Force to cross train approximately 1,100 experienced maintainers from legacy aircraft (F-16 Fighting Falcon, A-10 Thunderbolt II, and C-130 Hercules) into the F-35 Lightning II program.



There is a shortfall of 4,000 maintainers as a result of budgetary constraints that has significantly impacted our overall maintenance manning, said Lt. Gen. John B. Cooper, the deputy chief of staff for logistics, engineering and force protection.



Changes in the geopolitical environment also require us to maintain our current fleet, rather than divest legacy aircraft, Cooper said. All of this has affected our plan to transition maintenance manpower from legacy aircraft to the F-35A as originally planned.



Cooper said contract maintenance is a short-term solution that will ensure the Air Force remains on a steady path toward full operating capability for the F-35A as the maintenance career fields grow and strengthen.



This is one of many deliberate measures we are taking to help manage this shortage of experienced aircraft maintainers until we can grow and develop our new accessions, he said.



Additional initiatives to manage the maintainer shortage include: increasing the number of maintenance accessions; offering selective reenlistment bonuses as an incentive to improve retention; offering experienced former Airmen the opportunity to return to active duty; offering high year of tenure extensions; implemented direct duty prior service accessions; implemented voluntary limited period of active duty; and evaluating total force manning solutions.



Locations affected include formal training units at Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, and Little Rock AFB, Arkansas; A-10 Weapons Instructor Course and operational test and evaluation units at Nellis AFB, Nevada; F-16 aggressor maintenance at Eielson AFB, Alaska; aerospace ground equipment units Anderson AFB, Guam; Holloman AFB and Kirtland AFB, New Mexico; Peterson AFB, Colorado; and Rota Air Base, Spain; and avionics units at Eglin AFB and Tyndall AFB in Florida.



Beginning in fiscal 2017, the Air Force will use an existing contract vehicle to begin the transition. As contract maintainers come onboard, military members will begin moving to operational units in the summers of 2017 and 2018. As accessions grow, it will allow the Air Force to phase out the contract support by 2020.
Air Force officials released force structure changes resulting from the presidents fiscal year 2017 budget Feb. 12.



This years budget request continues the momentum gained from the recovery provided by the 2015 Bipartisan Budget Act, but still reflects the tough choices the Air Force was forced to make as the demand for Air Force capability continues to increase as the Budget Control Act looms in fiscal 2018.

The fiscal 2017 budget leverages the total force -- active duty, Guard and Reserve -- to maintain the services ability to support ongoing operations while ensuring the service is ready to face future threats. The budget keeps the active-duty force at 317,000 while posturing the force for future growth. Guard and Reserve manning will remain constant, but the Air Force will continue plans to transfer aircraft and flying missions to Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve locations that would otherwise have no mission due to fleet divestments.

We are using the strengths of our total force team while we continue to balance readiness today and tomorrow, said Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James. In this budget, we will transfer some strategic airlift capability from active-duty to Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve locations, maintaining critical surge capability in the Reserve component.

The budget rephases divestment of the A-10 Thunderbolt II to coincide with fielding of follow-on capabilities and will delay retirement of the first A-10s until fiscal 2018 to align with F-35 Lightning II bed down, keeping the A-10 in the inventory until fiscal 2022.

Rephasing the retirement of the weapons system until later in the Future Years Defense Program ensures critical capability is retained in the near term to support ongoing operations, as well as any potential changes in the geopolitical environment, said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III. This plan will allow us to maintain vital fighter capacity as we transition to the F-35 and deal with a resurgent Russia and a protracted counterterrorism war in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.

The Air Force also plans to grow the tanker force over the next several years to the required 479 tanker aircraft before it considers divesting tankers as it receives KC-46A Pegasus aircraft to replace them.

The fiscal 2017 plan also maintains all 14 of the current EC-130H Compass Call fleet through fiscal 2018, while retiring 28 C-130H Hercules aircraft between fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2019 to reduce excess capacity and free up resources to invest in enterprise requirements. Additionally, a small number of F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft will be transferred to formal training units to help increase the rate of pilot production to help fill critical fighter pilot shortages.

The actions in this budget represent our best plan to balance readiness for the warfighter today and into the future, but we need to ensure our Air Force stands ready for any unseen challenge of tomorrow, James said. Our (fiscal 2017) budget continues the recovery and gives us a larger and better equipped force. However, we still had to make tough choices in modernization, infrastructure and people to live within Bipartisan Budget Act limits. We need to continue the recovery, repeal sequestration in FY18, and give America the Air Force it deserves ... now and in the future.
Preparing to support remotely piloted aircraft operations is no easy task. Still, Airmen assigned to the 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing recently spent time showing leadership exactly what it takes to provide RPA intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support at any time.Chief Master Sgt. Michael Ditore, command chief of the wings, shadowed two Airmen from the 432nd Aircraft

Communications

USAF. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario "Charo" Gutierrez)

Maintenance Squadron Feb. 10 and learned about how the unit provides the link between RPAs and ground support at Creech Air Force Base.Senior Airman Robert, a communications mechanic, and Staff Sgt. Rachel, a communications supervisor, are responsible for ground control squadron maintenance. Assigned to the 432nd ACMS, they maintain the electronic link between pilots in the ground control station and their RPAs.Both Airmen are also part of the only communications squadron that services ground control stations at Creech AFB. A station acts as a cockpit to pilots and sensor operators who control MQ-1 and MQ-9 aircraft from the ground, and being the only specialists with the tools to maintain them makes their job especially important to the RPA mission.As they conducted a preventative maintenance inspection (PMI) with Ditore, the Airmen covered important aspects of the job, and provided him with valuable insight. The Airmen showed Ditore how to properly care for the station, as well as how to fix it if something goes wrong.Robert said that keeping the stations maintained enables pilots and sensor operators to fly, and demonstrated that without them, RPA flights wouldn't be possible."When you're enabling combatant commanders to successfully complete the mission, it's a great feeling," Robert said. "I love being in the Air Force and being in communications because there is a requirement everywhere for us. We can go anywhere in the world, we can set up anywhere in the world."For Robert, station maintenance often involves more than wrench turning. It also focuses on servicing the computers and the technical aspects of communications that enable RPA crews to talk with ground crews and the aircraft itself.As part of his efforts to develop Airmen at Creech AFB, Ditore developed the shadow an Airman for a day program to put faces to the Airmen of the community."It's really important that we get to know our Airmen and what they are doing," Ditore said. "We all bring something to the fight. It's important for us not to lose that perspective of one another."As a former maintainer, Ditore felt at home performing the PMI alongside the ACMS Airmen. Ditore finished various tasks alongside the Airmen, from cleaning computer screens to taking apart station items.Like most other jobs in the Air Force, paperwork is a crucial part of maintenance inspections. When Ditore was finished with the shadow, Robert showed him how to fill out forms and mark discrepancies found during the inspection, explaining what each one meant and how to write them.Ditore said shadowing the Airmen allowed him to gather a new perspective on the 432nd ACMS and their importance to the mission."(Working with) communications gives me variety," Ditore said. "It lets me see how these Airmen are making a difference, helps me find out how to help and show we care."Editors note: Some last names were removed due to security concerns.




WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James spoke during the Air Force Associations Air Force Breakfast Series Feb. 12 at the Key Bridge Marriot in Arlington, Virginia.

James emphasized that her number one priority is to take care of Airmen and she ensured the fiscal year 2017 budget focused on this.

Our Airmen have shouldered the lions share of this effort (the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant), and I am very cognizant that it is (taking) a toll, James said. Were asking them to do more and more. For this reason, we have got to preserve the force we have today and I believe we need to grow it for the future.

James thanked Congress for their support to modestly upsize the active-duty force from roughly 311,000 to 317,000 by the end of this fiscal year. She also expanded on how the fiscal 2017 budget will support Airmen, such as: a 1.6 percent pay raise for military and civilian forces, an expanded Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program, additional support for child care facilities, and educational benefit boosts.

The secretary also spoke to the numerous operations Airmen are currently supporting around the world.

Besides Daesh, a resurgent Russia now supports Assad in the skies over Syria  (and) we observed North Korea conduct another illegal nuclear test, and a rocket launch last Sunday, James noted. We continue to see worrisome Chinese military activity in the South China Sea, and we have growing threats in both space and cyberspace. Bottom line is: the Air Force has a key role to play in each of these areas. We are fully engaged in every region of the world, every mission area, and across the full spectrum of military operations.

One part of taking care of people is ensuring the Air Force modernizes its aircraft fleet and develops its capabilities to ensure Airmen maintain an advantage as adversaries close the technological gap.

In terms of readiness, we will fund flying hours to their maximum executable level, invest in weapons system sustainment, and ensure combat exercises like Red Flag and Green Flag remain strong, James said. Well continue to advance the F-35 (Lightning II), the KC-46 (Pegasus), the Long Range Strike Bomber, Combat Rescue Helicopter programs, and we will get going with the (Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System) recap as part of this budget.

James message was clear. Current operations keep the Air Force busy  Airmen continue to go above and beyond to get the mission done, she said.

Airmen and their families are the Air Forces most important resource and our budget submission reflects this truth.
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) proposes to felicitate Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a degree of Doctor of Law during its convocation ceremony later this month where he will be present as the Chief Guest.

According to a BHU statement, the university will be organising its centennial year convocation on February 22 and the Prime Minister has accepted the varsitys invitation to be the Chief Guest at the function and will also deliver the convocation address.

The university is also organising academic, literary and cultural programmes to mark the centennial year celebrations, the statement said.

BHU has proposed to confer on him a degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) (honoris causa) in recognition of his yeoman services as an innovator, reformer and an outstanding leader in public service and governance during the convocation and has requested for his consent, it said.

The Prime Minister will also visit Ravidas temple at Seer Govardhan area in the city on the same day. He will address a gathering there, BJPs Eastern UP media-incharge Sanjay Bhardwaj said.

He said over one lakh pilgrims will be arriving from Punjab and other states on the occasion of Ravidas Jayanti here.

A pandal is being erected near the Ravidas temple, where the PM will address the gathering.
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Delhi is divided in political debates. The entire event looks like a great political conspiracy. Anyway, if the students have to be believed, then the people who created chaos, are some unknown students group who came there passed slogans and vanished from the event. However, after that ABVP and AISF students got into argument. The entire issue is painted as National vs Anti-national, and then the arrest of JNU Students Union President Kanhaiya Kumar in a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy has highlighted a grey area lying between the statutory provisions and their enforcement. After Independence, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court upheld the validity of Section 124-A in the celebrated case of Kedar Nath Singh vs. State of Bihar in 1962, but laid down that a person can be charged with sedition only if there is incitement to violence in his speech, writing or an intention or tendency to create disorder or disturbance of law and order.

The left parties and Congress both criticised the BJP government, accusing it of bullying the prestigious institution which is known as breeding ground for Indian left leaning politics. They believe that the BJP is trying to saffronise all educational institutes. To save the skin, BJP dismissed the charge that education under the present government was being saffronised. To strengthen the point that education was not being discriminated along religious lines, Irani referred to the appointment of Vice Chancellor of Central University of Gujarat, Syed Bari to strengthen her argument.

Whereas, Congress believes that the diffusion of education through malicious controversies hallmark of Modi government, entire education system of India is politicised. If you remember, previously Children in Gujarat were forced with moral prescriptions, some of which advocate against blowing of candles on birthdays. The prescriptions from books authored by Dina Nath Batra, convenor of Shiksha Bachao Andolan Samiti also advises students to include Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and other countries in India map, calling it Akhand Bharat. The attempt to radicalise young minds in over 42,000 primary and secondary government schools across the state later on triggered a controversy. BJP has started believing that if the education system is saffronised then the ideology from that education will be strong towards Hindurashtra, but they are ignoring the secular fabric of this country and getting attacked from all sides.

On October 5, at National Museum in New Delhi an organisation called the Akhil Bharatiya Itihaas Sankalan Yojana held a symposium on Maharaja Hemchandra Vikramaditya, alias Hemu. The ABISY claims that Hemu established a Hindu raj in north India before the second battle of Panipat, albeit for 29 days, until the Mughals ousted him. Reputed historians regard this as Hindutva-inspired mythmaking. No rewards for guessing that the ABISY is sponsored by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. It even functions out of the Sanghs office at Jhandewalan in Delhi. Among the scheduled speakers were ABISY office-bearers, the Bharatiya Janata Party Subramanian Swamy, and the-then Minister for Culture Shripad Naik, who had to suddenly left for Goa. Swamy was the star of the show. He shockingly demanded, to deafening applause, those books written by Romila Thapar, Bipin Chandra and other Nehruvian historians must be burnt.

Strange as this might seem, but the Modi government is even resisting conservationists efforts, underway for five years, to get Delhi declared Indias first heritage city by UNESCO a status like Romes or Cairos that is coveted the world over. Why, it is even putting pressure on universities to create chairs in cultural studies to be named after Vivekananda  a figure the RSS has successfully milked through the Vivekananda International Foundation and the rock memorial at Kanyakumari  and, even more controversially, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, whose contribution to culture remains unknown. It is also planning to award National Research Fellowships to three Sangh sympathisers (SL Bhyrappa, Ashok Modak and Suryakant Bali), only one of whom (Bhyrappa) has a distinguished record despite his fevered hatred of Indian Muslims, as Sudheendra Kulkarni describes it. These fellowships were earlier held by people like CV Raman, Satyendranath Bose, Mahasweta Devi and Andre Beteille. Let it bringing change in culture or education, BJP has become aggressive with its agenda and ideology.

Recent issues like Rohit Vemulas suicide and JNU protest, opposition has accused the BJP-led central government of saffronising the Delhi Police and university campus. On the other hand, there has been death of a six-year-old student at a private school, but no one has been arrested so far. A teacher of a government school was brutally beaten up. Besides, there have been several crimes of rape and murder, but police is not arresting anyone. Delhi Police is focused on selective issues. In other words, if AAP-Congress and Left is to be believed, Delhi police has become communal and pets of ruling party in centre. They are taking extra interest where it is not needed. AAPs one year saw arrest of six party MLAs in various cases including on charges of rioting, domestic violence and forgery. Deputy CM of Delhi, Manish Sisodia alleged that Khaki is being saffronised so much that it has never been done in any other state before. Delhi Police personnel have earned respect for khaki by sacrificing their lives, but centre is saffronising the Delhi Police.

The entire battle halts at Saffron Vs Green, blue, red and black. God knows, Indian politics may emerge in how many colours with time.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
By Dan Olmsted

Every journalist who has been at it for a while (in my case, four decades or so) has a treasure trove of bone-headed mistakes they can recount.

-- A friend of mine at the paper back in Danville wrote up a short item about a drunk driver being arrested by a state trooper. What could possibly go wrong? Well, you could inadvertently switch the names of the state trooper and the drunk driver. ...

-- Filling in for the county government reporter, I ignored something called the multiplier and wrote that taxes were going up when, in fact, they went down for the first time in years. My editor said the subsequent story, which we artfully attributed to new information, was the first time the paper ran a (disguised) correction bigger than the original article.

-- OK, one more, told to me by an assistant city editor from Kansas, possibly apocryphal but too good to omit. A paper in his home state had two big front-page stories the same day  a dilapidated barn burned down, and the mayors wife died. You may sense where this is going: Under the barn photo the headline read, Mayors Wife Dies at 70. Under the mayors wife? Old Eyesore Gone at Last.

So, mistakes happen. Its funny in retrospect, but not so much at the time. The trick for journalists is to learn how easy it is to get things wrong before we look like complete idiots when it really matters.

By that standard, Steve Silberman, John Donvan and Caren Zucker look like complete idiots to me. They make mistakes in their new books on autism (the formers NeuroTribes and the latters In a Different Key) that suggest they dont really know what theyre talking about. And they dont know it in a way that shows the biased a-s-s-umptions they substitute for real reporting.

Several AOA contributors, in particular our indefatigable Anne Dachel, have pointed up the macro-mistake of both these books  the idea that autism has been around forever and basically needs TLC rather than a massive public health response. To my mind, a mistake this big requires getting a lot of little things wrong, little things that add up to a complete lack of mastery. To compare great things to small, as Milton put it, here are a few.

NeuroTribes, by Silberman, says that parents first raised concern about mercury in vaccines. No -- it was the government.

After an outcry from organizations like (Barbara Loe) Fishers National Vaccine Information Center, the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta and the American Academy of Pediatrics asked vaccine manufacturers to remove thimerosal from the their products. 

No, no, no! The FDA was ordered by Congress to look at medicines that contained mercury, leading to the government announcement in 1999, leading to parents outcry.

You make this kind of mistake when you think the idea that mercury might be dangerous in vaccines is so absurd that the crazy anti-vaccine parents must have started it; when you think Fisher is a wild-eyed loon who can help you make whatever point you want.

Ditto In a Different Key. The authors report that in response to 9/11, Congress added the infamous thimerosal rider to the bill creating the Department of Homeland Security, sparing Eli Lilly from liability.

The discovery of the rider caused a brief outcry, they write. Families were now obliged to pursue their cases through a process known as vaccine court.

That was some brief outcry! Donovan and Zucker appear not to know it was repealed under massive public pressure, and not just from anti-vaccine nut jobs. Thus it had no effect on whether families were obliged to pursue their cases through vaccine court.

In a Different Key mangles the other foundational issue for vaccine safety concerns  Andy Wakefields study in 1998. According to Zucker and Donvan, the study reported that, the measles virus was present in all 12 children.

No! If youre going to spend seven years on this, read the damn paper! I sent that to Andy, who commented: Absolute garbage! The Lancet paper makes no reference to detection of measles virus. A later paper by Kawashima from Japan, on blinded samples of cases and controls, found measles genetic material in some autistic children. He published this result.

But of course, since Andy is a fraud, he must have said that!

History is built of blocks called facts. Before you try to interpret the edifice they create, you need to make sure the foundation is solid.

One more: Silberman completely mangles a story about Leo Kanner, before he discovered autism. It's not worth untangling the whole thing here, but it totally confuses the way Kanner went about looking for a neurological form of syphilis in Native Americans. Silberman makes a cautionary tale out of his messed-up version, portraying Kanner as a glory hound intent on sniffing out a disorder to stamp his name on -- as he would subsequently do with autism, in Silberman's fevered version of things.

I could go on and perhaps I will in a follow-up because there is much more here  Zucker and Donvan misspell my name, for cryin out loud  but let me just say again that, as a journalist, these kind of mistakes are red flags. How much, to compare great things to small, should we rely on the depth of their understanding of the autism-as-epidemic argument? How much should we care about Donvan and Zucker's column in the Washington Post Saturday doling out tips to presidential candidates and calling a vaccine link scaremongering?

The autism world, like the world in general, needs less discord, they write, spreading the kind of soothing caca that suits their mistaken, mistake-prone view of autism.

No! The autism world needs a loud and persistent revolution with as much unpleasantness as is required until eyesores like that are gone at last.

--

Dan Olmsted is Editor of Age of Autism.








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Date: January, 2015.

Place: outer space, near comet 2004 BL86.

65 million years ago, the Earth was shaken by a massive extinction. Almost every form of life died due to an enormous explosion caused by a visitor from space: a 10 kilometres diameter asteroid which fell near the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.



In order to avoid a new catastrophic event like this, astronomers aim their telescopes to heaven to search for celestial bodies that could represent a potentially destructive threat to Earths life.

Fortunately, most of the bodies detected do not represent any threat to our planet. One of them is the asteroid 2004 BL86. Discovered in 2004, this 325 metres diameter asteroid passed about 1,200,000 kilometres from our planet in January 2015, which gave scientists the opportunity to study its characteristics in detail.

However, while doing this, they found out that there was a small shiny object surrounding it. After some debate, they declared that this strange object was a natural satellite Thus, since then, the asteroid is considered as a binary system.

But recent images have shown some unusual aspects of this satellite. For example, a close take of it displays an almost perfectly round-shaped body which could fit with the description of a UFO. In addition, it does not seem to be orbiting, but flying away from the asteroid. Just coincidence?

For further information: http://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/2016/02/nasa-finds-70-meter-ufo-orbiting.html

NASA Finds 70 Meter UFO Orbiting Asteroid Near Earth, Feb 2016, Photos, UFO Sighting News.

Date of sighting: January 26, 2016

Location of sighting: Passed Earth on Jan 26, 2016

News source: http://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/dsnnews/index.cfm?fuseaction=ShowNews&newsID=13

Below, you see the close up view of the UFO that is orbiting asteroid 2004 BL86 right now. The UFO is 70 meters long. They call the UFO a small moon, but its not. As you see from the focused photos below, The UFO has a long metallic cylinder hull and two more smaller cylinder sections on opposite sides. The UFO is spinning, which gives us a great view of it from different angles as you see below. It came 750, 000 miles from Earth.



Scott C. Waring

www.ufosightingsdaily.com





Deep Space Network JPL News States:

1/27/2015 UPDATE: The Goldstone scientists observing 2004 BL86 are part of a team of astronomers from around the world who have been characterizing the asteroid. Spectroscopic observations of 2004 BL86 made by Vishnu Reddy, a research scientist at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, using the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, indicate the asteroid's spectral signature is similar to that of massive asteroid Vesta. Located in the heart of the solar system's main asteroid belt, asteroid Vesta was the recent destination of NASA's Dawn mission, which is now on its way to the icy world Ceres.



Scientists working with NASA's 230-foot-wide (70-meter) Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, California, have released the first radar images of asteroid 2004 BL86. The images show the asteroid, which made its closest approach today (Jan. 26, 2015) at 8:19 a.m. PST (11:19 a.m. EST) at a distance of about 745,000 miles (1.2 million kilometers, or 3.1 times the distance from Earth to the moon), has its own small moon. The 20 individual images used in the movie were generated from data collected at Goldstone on Jan. 26, 2015. They show the primary body is approximately 1,100 feet (325 meters) across and has a small moon approximately 230 feet (70 meters) across. In the near-Earth population, about 16 percent of asteroids that are about 655 feet (200 meters) or larger are a binary (the primary asteroid with a smaller asteroid moon orbiting it) or even triple systems (two moons). The resolution on the radar images is 13 feet (4 meters) per pixel. The trajectory of asteroid 2004 BL86 is well understood. Monday's flyby was the closest approach the asteroid will make to Earth for at least the next two centuries. It is also the closest a known asteroid this size will come to Earth until asteroid 1999 AN10 flies past our planet in 2027. Asteroid 2004 BL86 was discovered on Jan. 30, 2004, by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) survey in White Sands, New Mexico.
February 12, 2016

CAIRO  The Yemenis in Egypt maintain a low profile. They mingle quietly with Egyptian society, hoping that one day they will be able to go back to their own country.

There are few Yemenis in Egypt  an estimated 5,000. Many are concentrated in the Dokki and Agouza districts of Cairo. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Cairo does not have any information about Yemenis in Egypt. According to some in the Yemeni community, the UNHCR has been of little help to them. Many Yemenis do not even bother to visit the UNHCR and are not applying for refugee status.

In mid-2015, Yemenis who came to Egypt for medical reasons were unable to go back to their country. Khaled al-Shayba, an official at the Yemeni Consulate in Cairo, said by phone that the consulate took care of those who were stranded as well as it could, but with few resources.

Egypt is one of the few countries that allow Yemenis in. It has changed its visa policies toward Yemenis, allowing those who are above 45 or below 18 to enter without a visa. Among those in the age group of 18-45, only a few wealthy Yemenis are able to enter. With the current economic situation in Egypt, Yemenis who do enter also struggle to find jobs.

Al-Monitor met with three Yemenis who are living in different areas of Cairo and come from different backgrounds.

Akram Houthi traveled to Egypt with his father, who had to undergo a heart operation. A month later, the coalition started striking Yemen. There was no passage home, so they have been in Cairo for almost a year now. Houthi, a former engineer in Sanaa, lives with his brother and father in a downscale area in Dokki. They are surviving on minimum means in Egypt.

We can't ask anyone in Yemen to send us money; they tell us we still live in better conditions than them, he said. Houthis wife and three children live in Sanaa. His last child was born while Houthi was in Egypt.

Houthi, his brother and father once tried to flee to Lebanon, hoping to find passage back home through Beirut. But they were stopped five minutes before boarding the plane. You are banned from traveling, an Egyptian officer told them. The Houthi family remains in Cairo even though they cannot find full-time jobs.

This war will only stop when America commands Saudi Arabia to stop. Why arent they doing so? Houthi told Al-Monitor at a cafe in the upscale area of Zamalek.

Houthi recalls that the UNHCR office told them they can't register as refugees until they spend two years in Egypt. They only gave us a [$150] coupon to buy food from a supermarket, but they never helped us again, he said.

Currently, he is trying to start a restaurant with a friend, a Yemeni who is living in Egypt to get medical treatment for his son. They have not found anyone yet to fund their project.

Houthi  who is a member of the Zaidi Shiite-led movement of northern Yemen known as the Houthis  believes that the current war is not justified. He thinks that despite a lack of vision, Houthis do not deserve to be destroyed.

Houthi rebels are resisting Saudi Arabia-backed forces trying to restore the government of ousted President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

Because of whats happening now, there is almost no one in Yemen who did not see the death of at least one relative, he said.

Another Yemeni who Al-Monitor spoke to, Rana Ghanem, was a political activist at home. She took part in the 2011 revolution against former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and supports Hadi. In her support of Hadi, she packed her bag and went to attend the talks in Saudi Arabia on Yemen.

I wanted to show support for the legitimate president, she said.

But Ghanem is now in exile. After leaving Yemen, she said that a shame campaign was launched against all those who attended the talks. They said we were traitors to Yemen and that it would be patriotic to kill me, she recalled.

Ghanem is anti-Houthi; she believes they are supported by Iran. They would talk to us at the table and do the opposite after they left, she said.

So she stayed in Riyadh. Her family joined her and they lived in Saudi Arabia for some time. When Egypt changed its visa policy, her husband, who is 45, moved to Cairo. He was then able to apply for a visa that allowed his family to join him. It took them a month before they were able to live together again. Her brother, who lives in Geneva, helped them get their three-room apartment in a Cairo suburb.

The parents of three, Ghanem and her husband are considered one of the lucky Yemeni families in Egypt. They used their connections to get their children into Egyptian schools, though many other Yemenis are still unable to do so. Her 18-year-old son enrolled in law school at the public Ain Shams University.

Like many others, Ghanem does not want to apply for refugee status. They are awaiting the time when they will be able to return to their country.

Some Yemeni refugees in Egypt have been in the country for quite some time. Qoussayad Abdel Ghani fled to Cairo back in 1996, long before most others. He has worked at a Yemeni restaurant in Cairo for the past 11 years. Abdel Ghani, a southern Yemeni and former journalist, decided to start a new life, moving with his family and running from his own issues back home. He eventually married an Egyptian woman and lives in Cairo with their children. He speaks fluently in the Egyptian dialect.

The most difficult period we had experienced in Egypt was from 2011 to 2015  but what we have witnessed from 2015 until today is far worse. Yemenis here are tired; they do not want to talk anymore about Yemen and how they feel about it, Abdel Ghani said.

He believes the attitude toward Yemenis has changed in Egypt. In Cairo, Abdel Ghani has become a Yemeni political activist. His job helps him meet many of the Yemenis coming in and he hears their stories. He cheers for the Gulf coalition to end the Houthi siege.

During his meeting with Al-Monitor, he called a Yemeni friend named Akram who was imprisoned by the Egyptian police just for being a Yemeni, he said.

Akram said, I was going to help my brother with a problem in his shop in Cairo. During a misunderstanding over passports, the police took me and my brother to prison.

During the four days in jail, we were asked to pay or we couldnt sleep. They let us sleep next to the bathrooms. They said, Take out what is in your pocket or we will stab you. I gave them the 50 pounds [$6] I had in my pocket.

Akram had been an information technology teacher at an American school in Sanaa. He has been in Cairo for the past 3 years. He and his brother opened mobile accessories shops to help support themselves in Egypt.

Abdel Ghani concluded, Yemenis suffer, but they do it in silence. They believe they will go back to their country.
February 12, 2016

Unless we break away from the villages in East Jerusalem, our capital will become an Arab city with a Palestinian majority. But theres more. As soon as the Arabs from East Jerusalem exercise their voting rights, Jerusalems mayor will be a Palestinian one. I would strongly advise Jews not to rely on them not ever exercising those rights. Presenting that equation in an interview with Al-Monitor, former Minister Haim Ramon will try to relay his plan to the general public in a bid to mobilize them and save Jewish Jerusalem. This is also the name of the movement Ramon launched earlier in February together with other public figures, some with a security background. The movements overriding objective is to apply pressure on the Israeli government to unilaterally disengage from 28 villages in East Jerusalem by amending the Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel, aka Jerusalem Basic Law. Among the people who support the move are retired generals Ami Ayalon, Amos Yaron and Amiram Levin as well as retired police commissioners Elik Ron and Aryeh Amit.

Despite being nonpartisan, the movements underlying tenets express a centrist, pragmatic political outlook. It is fashioned after former Prime Minister Ariel Sharons plan to disengage from the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria in 2005. In other words, it seeks to do away with the Israeli-Palestinian status quo by taking unilateral action. The lone-attacker intifada, one of whose key factors are the Palestinian villages in East Jerusalem, should serve as tailwind for the movement to engage the Israeli public at large.

After a tumultuous career that started in the Labor Party and culminated in Kadima  the centrist party that had been his dream and which he co-founded  Ramon left the world of politics in 2009. Upon Kadimas establishment in November 2005, he believed that a centrist political platform could lead to a historic diplomatic arrangement resulting in the partition of the land into two states. Seeing his dream fading, he is now trying to make a difference from the outside.

The full text of the interview follows:

Al-Monitor: How is your plan supposed to save Jewish Jerusalem?

Ramon: First, we need to recall the original sin. Intoxicated by its victory at the end of the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel annexed 28 West Bank Palestinian villages that historically had never been part of Jerusalem, such as Jabel Mukaber and the Shufat refugee camp. Almost 50 years later, what we ended up with is a reality whereby out of a city of 800,000 residents, 300,000 are Palestinians. In other words, close to 40% of Jerusalems permanent residents are Palestinians. Furthermore, in the demographics of children up to 18, 60% are Palestinians, most of whom attend the Palestinian educational system thats funded by the Israeli taxpayer. If I were to use [Prime Minister] Bibi Netanyahus rhetoric, I would be saying that the Israeli taxpayer is funding incitement in the Palestinian Authoritys [PA] schools, which includes the children of Palestinian Jerusalem. We all agree that the security reality in Jerusalem is intolerable. What we are saying is that there is a solution to this unacceptable situation. The Jerusalem Basic Law must be amended in a way that those Palestinian villages with some 200,000 residents will be cut off from Jerusalem and be returned to their original status in the West Bank. This is where areas A and B will be formed [Area A being under Palestinian security control and Area B under Israeli security control].

Al-Monitor: Will this materialize in a unilateral move?

Ramon: Their annexation was a unilateral move too. Those people were never asked whether they wanted to be residents of East Jerusalem, and most of them never asked for it. They didnt take as much as a single act on their own to remain in Jerusalem. Im only talking about the permanent residents that were willy-nilly [forcefully] annexed and will be returned, albeit not necessarily willy-nilly. After all, President Mahmoud Abbas demands that these villages be returned to the Palestinian state. This 1967 annexation has been adhered to by all of Israels governments over the years. The only one who did something about it was Ariel Sharon, who set up a fence from [Palestinian West Bank village of] Kalandia to the southern part of the Shufat refugee camp. When I served in his Cabinet, I demanded that he continue building the fence. He refused to do so and told me, Right now, Im not going to confront the radical right, because he was busy with the disengagement from Gaza. The point is that even Sharon didnt amend the Jerusalem Basic Law and the 50,000 Palestinians he kept outside the fence continue to enjoy all the benefits that permanent residents do.

Al-Monitor: The Israeli public was sorely disappointed with the disengagement from Gaza, which was a unilateral move. How will you convince it that this [the "save Jerusalem plan"] is the right thing to do?

Ramon: The plan were proposing has three advantages. It improves security in the sense that there will be a fence and that the Israel Defense Forces [IDF] will be able to operate in those villages. Today, Jabel Mukaber is exactly like Tel Aviv in the sense that the IDF cannot operate there. The second aspect is demographics. From a situation of 60% Jews and 40% Palestinians, we will move to a ratio of 80% Jews and 20% Palestinians. And third, the government will be saving some 2 to 3 billion shekels [approx. $500-$750 million] that it can invest in more vital spheres. Israelis need to understand that theyre financing social security benefits, full health services, as well as welfare and educational services in the villages of East Jerusalem. As minister of Jerusalem affairs, I started talking about it. It was then that I realized the extent of the absurdity. Today I understand it even more so.

Al Monitor: And how will you explain to the world such a radical move that weakens the PA and perhaps strengthens Hamas?

Ramon: Im not throwing the residents of East Jerusalem under the bus. They will be part and parcel of the PA. Hamas? Im not aware that it is present in [the Palestinian town of] Abu Dis. These are right-wing arguments that the radical left has adopted. Those villages will be part of the PA. Why would Hamas go there instead of Nablus? Whats the difference? There will be no difference. Why is there no Hamas presence in [the Palestinian city of] al-Eizariya? Because the IDF is in control there and because of the PA. The PA will fight Hamas as it does across the West Bank, and it will find it easier to do so. You need to realize that currently the PA is unable to operate in Shufat, which has become a no-mans-land. Were not going in there because the police are afraid. The military is prohibited from going in. The PA cant go in either because its not its territory. According to our plan, these areas will finally have a landlord.

The claim that Hamas will take over is nonsense voiced by radical right-wingers who want [Israel] to keep staying there. What I understand much less is why the radical left is opposed to the plan. On the other hand, the radical left was also opposed to the separation fence and the pullout from Gaza. Had we listened to those people, we would have been without a fence today and we would have still been controlling the Gaza Strip. I can tell you that according to the polls we conducted, our plan enjoys a large majority: 70% of the public support it. Of the 30% that are opposed to it, two-thirds are the radical right and another third is the radical left, which apparently cares about the Palestinians and is less interested in the Jews. I can also say that many Likud voters support this move. Were talking about huge numbers of supporters.

Al-Monitor: How will you explain to the public that this is not the partition of Jerusalem, as the right claims it is?

Ramon: What were talking about is saving Jerusalem. Im not cutting off the Temple Mount, the Old City or the Holy Basin. What embodies the true essence of Jerusalem stays that way. 100,000 Palestinians will remain in the city. I believe that the public knows whats good for it. My explanation consists of three things that the Jewish public is in favor of: It doesnt like giving money to Arabs, it wants its state to be Jewish and it wants to have security. If our plan doesnt go through, Jerusalem will become an Arab city with a Palestinian majority. Moreover, if the Palestinians stop being stupid [as they boycott the municipal elections], Jerusalems next mayor wont be [incumbent Mayor] Nir Barkat  he will be a Palestinian. Once they decide to take part in the elections, [Jerusalem] will have a Palestinian mayor.

Al-Monitor: The chair of the Zionist Camp, Isaac "Buji" Herzog, has recently presented his plan to separate from the villages in East Jerusalem. Whats the difference between his plan and yours?

Ramon: The problem is that Herzog adopted it in a warped way, because he doesnt have the guts to go the whole hog. He doesnt say that the Jerusalem Basic Law  which is the key element  needs to be changed. What he talks about is separation and a fence. He is throwing slogans into the air without elaborating. The right thing to do is to come before the Knesset tomorrow morning and propose to amend the Jerusalem Basic Law. The only positive aspect in all of this is that the Labor Party has finally started addressing diplomatic issues instead of just dealing with having more assistants in kindergartens. After two election campaigns during which they thought that by focusing on the salaries of senior officials and kindergarten assistants they would rise to power, they finally realized that they also need to tackle diplomatic topics. By contrast to them, we are an apolitical movement, so Likud supporters can join us as well. You can support a movement to save Jerusalem and still root for Bibi, and vice versa. What were saying is that we need to do away with the status quo or else well lose the Jewish majority in Jerusalem, and down the line well lose the [Jewish] majority in the state. Our interest is to have two states or else we will first become a binational state, which will then become an Arab state.

Al-Monitor: Does the plan herald your return to politics?

Ramon: Im really not into that. And most of the people who set up the movement with me do not aspire to become Knesset members or ministers.

Al-Monitor: How do you react to Akiva Eldars remark in Al-Monitor to the effect that this movement is out to save your political career that came crashing down following your conviction of an indecent act with a servicewoman in 2007?

Ramon: Not only does this remark not have a grain of truth, but it is actually meant to malign me in the eyes of those who are unfamiliar with the facts  mainly figures and officials outside Israel who read Al-Monitor. After all, anyone who is versed in Israeli politics, knows that in 2007, just a few weeks after my trial ended, I returned to the Cabinet table as vice prime minister. I served in that capacity until Netanyahus government was formed in 2009. In its ruling, the court allowed me to continue to serve as a Knesset member. The High Court of Justice asserted that I should be allowed to fulfill my role in the government since I was not morally flawed. Subsequently, I was re-elected to the Knesset, but when it became apparent that Kadima would not be forming the government and would not be part of it, I decided to resign from the Knesset, where I had served for 26 straight years. Pursuant to a proposal of then Kadimas chairwoman Tzipi Livni, I was elected as chairperson of the Kadima Council. In 2012, when Shaul Mofaz was elected Kadimas chairman, I decided to resign. I did that partly because I realized that Kadimas political role had run its course. Nevertheless, I continue to appear before state-run, political and public bodies and to write in the daily press about important topics on Israels national agenda.
February 12, 2016

Saudi Arabia has offered to deploy ground forces in support of the US-led coalitions fight against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria  apparently with American support. Such a move will undoubtedly make the conflict even more nightmarish.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has stated, The United States government was very supportive and very positive about the kingdom's readiness to provide special forces to the operation in Syria. It seems Washington and Riyadh have not learned from their past mistakes, of which there have been many:

The United States supported the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt and even flirted with supporting the Muslim Brotherhood. The United States made the mistake of believing that Syria could follow in Egypt's footsteps, even though Syria had a far more sensitive sectarian and political balance than either of those countries.



Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia cast aside their relatively friendly relations with Syria the second they saw an opening for the Muslim Brotherhood (in Turkey and Qatars case) or Salafi groups (in Saudi Arabias case) to seize power. They wanted to advance their interests at the expense of Irans and were willing to do anything to this end, including taking an extremely sectarian position in the Syrian conflict and trying to uproot Alawites from power  regardless of the cost.



The administration of US President Barack Obama also saw an opportunity in toppling the Syrian government and supporting US allies in the region  namely, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia  while in reality, it only perpetuated the neoconservatives creative chaos vision. The result after years of conflict is that the United States demand for the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is now unattainable.



By participating in a major anti-government demonstration in 2011, US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford emboldened extremist forces by making them believe Washington was on their side.



In June 2012, the United States and Russia signed the Geneva I agreement, which set the ground for a road map to resolve the Syrian conflict. Instead of vigorously and rapidly pursuing this plan to forge a peace process, the United States backed off and delegated its policies to the Turks, Qataris and Saudis, who unleashed massive military and financial support to the opposition. This was the biggest misstep of the past five years. Diplomacy, just as it solved the Iranian nuclear dispute, is the only way to resolve the Syrian conflict. The situation ultimately became such that Assad could not afford to step down without both himself and the Alawite minority facing a mortal threat. He thus responded with extreme military force after being surrounded in a winner-takes-all conflict. Subsequently, his extreme response backfired by inflaming the opposition and reducing the chances for reconciliation.



Supplying the Syrian opposition with arms and unlimited financial and logistical support, even as it had no credible political, secular or nationalist leadership, opened the door to extremist elements becoming dominant and killing the Syrian peoples democratic aspirations. The Syrian army could no longer rely on the majority Sunni population for its base and had to open the door for Hezbollah, Iran and more recently Russia to counter the terrorist groups it faces. The conflict has thus became an all-out regional and international proxy war. The Syrian militarys reliance on air power led to the massive destruction of towns and cities as terrorist groups entrenched themselves in civilian quarters. Areas controlled by the terrorists have become fierce battle grounds. This has caused an unprecedented refugee situation internally and externally.



Drawing a line between moderate and extreme opposition factions has now become impossible, and almost a sad joke. These groups draw their ranks based on who pays the highest salaries, tribal and regional affiliations, and ever-shifting allegiances and financial sponsors. They are often led by fanatic religious zealots who are willing to do anything to advance their agenda. Every foreign member of IS, al-Qaeda and Jabhat al-Nusra has entered Syria via NATO-member Turkey, where in many instances they were supplied with money, weapons, drugs, women and training camps and then sent off to Syria.

These and many other elements have contributed to the tragic mess in Syria today. The current challenge posed by IS is the biggest threat currently facing both the Muslim world and Western civilization. IS is now the No. 1 threat to the peace, stability and security of the Middle East  and the world. It is of supreme importance to note that IS was for years funded by wealthy donors in Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, all of which are US allies.

Make no mistake: Saudi Arabia's main goal in Syria is to overthrow Assad. In this vein, Saudi ground troops entering the conflict would only strengthen terrorist groups like IS. While the Saudis have in the past pressured the United States to attack both Syria and Iran, they have launched a brutal assault on Yemen to uproot the Houthis from power. The United Nations has confirmed that Saudi forces have violated international humanitarian law, requiring an international investigation. Riyadh also deployed military forces into neighboring Bahrain in 2011 to quash the Arab Spring-inspired uprising there in support of the continued minority rule of the Sunni al-Khalifa monarchy. Saudi Arabia has failed to achieve the aims it has sought through all of these measures.

By supporting a Saudi ground invasion of Syria, the United States would be aiding and abetting the expansion of terrorism as well as pushing Iran and Russia toward threatening the very viability of the House of Saud. This would be a devastating mistake that the United States and Saudi Arabia should not make. Riyadh is already overstretched and does not have the capacity to meet its commitments. Last but certainly not least, one should bear in mind the Russian prime ministers dire warning: Deploying ground troops in Syria would spark World War III.
Ruben Studdard 021216

Birmingham's Ruben Studdard, left, and Season 15 contestant Avalon Young sing "Flying Without Wings" on the Feb. 11, 2016, episode of "American Idol." (Fox photo/Michael Becker)

Velvety smooth. Supremely confident. Charmingly supportive.

And sweaty. Definitely sweaty.

Birmingham's Ruben Studdard returned to "American Idol" this week, performing two high-profile duets with contestants from Season 15.

Studdard, 37, a Birmingham resident, earned the "Idol" crown in 2003 with a combination of talent, personality and hard work. These qualities were much in evidence on Thursday's broadcast, as the R&B crooner teamed with a couple of newbies on the Fox reality series. Showing his growth and maturity, Studdard also mentored them during the semi-finals.

Other "Idol" veterans were featured on the two-hour episode, including winners Fantasia Barrino, Scotty McCreery, Caleb Johnson and Nick Fradiani.

For Alabama viewers, however, Studdard's appearances were a definite highlight, as he sang "Superstar" with Stephany Negrete (who later was eliminated) and "Flying Without Wings" with Avalon Young (who advanced to the Top 14.) Both of these tunes became signature anthems for Studdard during his successful run on the show.

Watch their performances in the videos below.

Alabama has a new contestant on "Idol" this season, Shelbie Z., who's reached the Top 24. The Sumiton native -- full name Shelbie Zora James Panter -- wasn't featured on the show this week, but she's scheduled to appear on the Feb. 17-18 episodes.

If Shelbie Z. survives the next cut -- pleasing the judges with a solo performance and a duet that features an "Idol" veteran -- she'll move into the Top 14. She'll also continue her quest to be the third "Idol" winner from Alabama, following in the footsteps of Studdard and Taylor Hicks.
Saturn by Tamika.JPG

Saturn is at 200 41st St. South in Birmingham, Ala. (Tamika Moore/tmoore@al.com)

Since another blast of cold weather is expected to move back into Birmingham this weekend, a serving of hot chili sounds like a good idea.

And there should be plenty to eat at a chili cook-off Saturday night at Saturn, the new music menu that opened last year in Avondale.

Teams will compete to see who makes the best chili and guests will be able to sample all of the entries. The event is open to those 18 and over.

The judging and tasting begins at 7 p.m., and the winners will be announced about an hour later, according to David Smith, who is organizing the cook-off.

"We've already met our expectations," Smith said. "Over 20 teams have registered that we know of, and we are anticipating a few more."

Late entries will be accepted between 6:15 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Smith said. The entry fee is $5 per team, and the cost for guests to sample the chili entries is also $5. To register or order tickets in advance, go here.

"(Guests) will be able to sample as much of the chili as they want," Smith said. "There will be vegetarian chili, regular spicy chili, and there are always some that are completely off the wall. So there should be something for everybody."

The entries do not have to be prepared on site, Smith said, but contestants do need to serve their chili in a crock pot or similar warmer.

Saturn is at 200 41st St. South in Avondale.

For more information about chili cook-off, email david@dsmithimages.com.
A Walker County hospital must pay $10 million to a family whose infant son was left with hearing loss, seizures, and brain injuries after doctors failed to diagnose and treat the boy's bacterial meningitis, a jury said Friday.

The verdict against Walker Baptist Medical Center came about 3 p.m. Friday after a trial that began Jan. 11, lawyers said. It was the longest trial and the largest medical malpractice award in the history of Walker County, plaintiffs' lawyers said.

The hospital's lawyers say they are considering an appeal.

The lawsuit was filed in 2011 by the father of Daniel Cantu, a 3-month-old who was brought to Walker Baptist's emergency department on two consecutive days with a number of symptoms, according to a statement from plaintiff's attorneys. The boy was admitted to the hospital, but received no tests to rule out a bacterial infection and was not given antibiotics, according to the statement.

The baby was discharged from the hospital despite continuing to exhibit symptoms indicative of a serious bacterial infection, according to the statement.

But the following morning Daniel's parents took him to a family doctor, who immediately performed a lumbar puncture that confirmed the baby had bacterial meningitis. The baby was flown to Children's Hospital in Birmingham, where he was treated and underwent multiple surgeries, according to the statement. "Despite the efforts of his treating physicians, Daniel Cantu suffered permanent brain injuries, hearing loss, and seizure disorders as a result of the delay in diagnosis and treatment of his condition," according to the statement.

"We are excited for the Cantu family," said Dennis Goldasich, one of the attorneys for the Cantu family. "This verdict will help Daniel receive the care he will need for the rest of his life. We feel the jury got the decision right."

Josh Vick, Bob Bryan and Justin Owen also represented the Cantus in the trial before Circuit Judge Jerry Selman. Goldasich, Vick, and Owen are attorneys with the Birmingham law firm of Goldasich & Associates. Bryan is a member of the Jasper law firm of Nelson, Bryan & Jones.

"As always, we trust the citizens of Walker County to make the right decision when called upon to serve as jurors in such a serious matter," Bryan said in a prepared statement.

Vick said they are "humbled by the jury's willingness to carefully listen to more than twenty witnesses for five weeks and render a verdict in favor of this child."

Walker Baptist issued a statement Friday through one of its attorneys, Jay Juliano, regarding the verdict.

"We were very disappointed in the jury finding on Friday," according to the hospital statement. "There was no direct claim of fault against Walker Baptist, instead a claim that the hospital was liable for the conduct of a private physician."

"We are considering our appellate options. Because of this we are unable to comment further," according to the hospital's statement.
Francis wants to stand with victims of corruption, violence and organised crime during his five-day visit to Mexico.

Pope Francis trip to Mexico  his first as pontiff  is packed with events that will underscore the endemic violence and corruption found across the country.

His itinerary reads like a trip to combat zones  Ecatepec, a gritty violent sprawling suburb of Mexico City; Michoacan, the state where drug cartel violence spawned a vigilante movement; and Ciudad Juarez, once known as the most violent city in the hemisphere.

To top it off, hell also reach out to indigenous Catholics in Chiapas, leading prayers in their native languages. This is a group former Vatican officials and popes have kept at arms length.

It is all part of a wider point. Francis wants to stand in solidarity with the millions of Mexicans touched by corruption, violence and organised crime.

By holding a Mass on Sunday in Ecatepec, he is shining a light on a community that for many is a microcosm of Mexico. Femicides, extortion, kidnapping and killings are daily occurrences there. There are reports of lynchings too, by mobs fed up with violence and government neglect.

READ MORE: Pope Francis calls on Iran to promote Middle East peace

When interviewing an anti-crime activist, Osmar Leon, we asked him his title. Confused that we were asking for a title for the news story he said The Hell of Living in Ecatepec.

Just one mans opinion, but it shows how bad the situation is for those who live on the violent periphery of Mexico City.

Many who attend Francis Mass on Sunday will likely either be victims of violent crime, family members of murder victims or relatives of someone whos gone missing or disappeared.

Ecatepec also highlights the possibility of Mexico. It is home to about 1.7 million people  many of whom just want to work hard to get ahead. I met one such woman, Pilar, who cleans houses in Mexico City. She built a house in Ecatepec with her husband more than 20 years ago. They still keep fixing it. One of their five children is an engineer, another is a doctor and one more is in university. She and her family carry on despite regular run-ins with armed robbers on buses and criminal gangs in their neighbourhood.

By visiting Michoacan state, Francis is trying to show his defence of priests who have stood up to cartels there. Some of those priests were kidnapped and killed.

Michoacan was so thoroughly controlled by La Familia Michoacana and its offshoot, the Knights Templar, that vigilantes took up arms to fight back  with mixed and complicated results.

Francis will wrap up his trip on February 17, with a visit to a prison that used to be run by drug gangs in Ciudad Juarez. He will then say Mass at the border with participants on both the U.S. and Mexican sides. He will say a prayer for all the migrants who have died on their journey to the U.S..

Each of these visits to areas better known for past or present conflicts will allow Francis to draw attention to the suffering and pain wrought by corruption, drug trafficking and criminal gangs.

Popes calls for stability

It also makes for some uncomfortable moments for the government of President Enrique Pena Nieto.

When Pope Benedict XVI came to Mexico in 2012, he visited typical holy sites in Mexico City and the conservative centre of the country.

Francis will do that, too. He says his greatest desire is to stand in front of the cloth with the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe  the holiest shrine in Mexico and the most visited Marian shrine in the world. But after he fulfils his personal goal to pray and look on the most potent religious and cultural symbol in Mexico, the trip becomes more controversial and politically loaded.

Still, if the president and his administration artfully manage the trip and back some of Francis calls for a more secure, less corrupt Mexico, they could even boost their capital with voters.

As the first Latin American pope, Francis is extremely popular here. The president and other politicians are hoping some of his shine rubs off on them.
Nablus, occupied West Bank  Aslan Tiles, located in downtown Nablus, is the last remaining producer of traditional Palestinian tiles in the West Bank. Since the 1930s, four generations of the Aslan family have honed the craft, and recently they have resisted lucrative offers to move the operation to Israel.

Palestinian flagstone tiles reached the height of their domestic popularity in the 1930s, when many urban homes throughout Palestine decorated their floors and walls with intricate floral and geometric patterns.

With the rise of inexpensive, mass-produced tiles in the 1980s and 1990s, the demand for local tiles waned, and local tile producers around the West Bank disappeared. In the past decade, however, Anan Aslan has seen a renewed interest in their bespoke product, which is handmade by a staff of seven on the companys small, three-building premises.

In the last 10 years, there has been a growing appreciation of this product because people now feel like it is a tradition, a heritage, something that reminds them of their past and their roots, Aslan said. It used to be a necessity and people liked its durability, but now it is seen as more of a luxury. People want to enjoy this art.

READ MORE: Growing the traditional art of Palestinian ceramics
ISIL is likely to be dismantled militarily, but who will address the diverse grievances of its former militants?

To counter the ideals of the self-declared Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the long-run and to identify potential negotiation partners, it is necessary to rethink the mainstream understanding of Sunni violent extremism and highlight its human and pragmatic features. Religious ideology is not the only driving force behind militancy.

In 2013, while in Syria, I got to know Abu Khalid, a rebel commander who was fighting in Ras al-Ayn for a Muslim Brotherhood-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) brigade (one of the so-called Shields). Later on, Abu Khalid pledged his military support to the al-Nusra Front, linked to al-Qaeda in Syria.

When Abu Khalid is asked about his reasons for siding with the al-Nusra Front, the pragmatic considerations  that is to say, for example, how the FSAs corruption slowed down the overthrowing of the Asad regime  are greater than his commitment to al-Qaedas dogmatic tenets.

Total chaos



Paradoxically, Abu Khalid is now profiting from taking foreign hostages: he turned out to be after the money, just like the corrupt FSA, which was the target of his criticism.

The kidnapping business under the auspices of the al-Nusra Front has most likely upgraded his stature, something not possible under the FSA. He is also fully aware of his limited options in northern Syria, where the al-Nusra Front has almost wiped out the FSA.

Just like the clan leaders in Syria and Iraq  first under the Baath regimes, and then under ISIL  Abu Khalid sought protection and empowerment under the shadow of the umpteenth ruling party. It is worth remembering that the United States-backed Sunni tribal councils (also known as Sahawat or Awakening) were largely successful in crushing al-Qaedas insurgency in Iraq between 2007 and 2008, only because al-Qaeda had started challenging their interests  as in reconstruction contracts and illegal revenues  thus prompting Sunni tribal fighters to defect from al-Qaedas ranks.

The mainstream opinion leaders have portrayed ISIL as an embodiment of absolute evil, while leaving out of the equation the social, political, ethical and economic variables. by

However, Washington left them unemployed a few years later, when its troops started withdrawing from Iraq, and failed to integrate the defected Sunni tribals in the security apparatus due to the resistance of Nouri al-Malikis pro-Iranian central government.

The result was that many of these former tribal members rejoined insurgent groups. Numerous Iraqi tribes have remained neutral rejecting the US attempts to revive the Sahawat to fight ISIL, and they have their good reasons to do so in absence of long-term guarantees.

On the other hand, pragmatism might be understood as a call for a new patronage system between central governments and tribal leaders, which is one of the aspects of patriarchal autocracy the Arab youth rose up against in 2011. However, the most progressive Syrian activists have long been sidelined by the militarization of the uprising, and are unable to destabilise the ISIL territories.

Young people clearly are playing a crucial role in ISIL. Counterterrorism centres are obsessed with profiling radicalised youth. Nonetheless, even in Syria, the red lines between moderate and radicalised youth are particularly blurred.

No distinction for the Western powers



In 2011, during the peaceful phase of the Syrian uprising, I met a young Syrian musician in southern Damascus. We were chatting about politics and he touched upon the former leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, praising him as a fearless mujahidin who fought the Americans in Iraq.

He was passionate about a musical genre that originated in the US, but this did not prevent him from admiring Zarqawi, who would have despised his love for haram music. In his neighbourhood and in Syria in general, many young men went to fight for their just cause in Iraq during the US occupation.

OPINION: Who to blame for ISIL

If the musician, too, had gone to Iraq in those years, he could have become an ISIL militant. Would he have shown no regret in giving up on Western music  the same music that earned him a significant audience in Syria? As noted by some terrorism scholars, behind the balaclava, a jihadist is still a troubled human being.

The fascinating story of a young Syrian citizen journalist from Deir Az Zor is worth pondering: He saw his three best friends joining ISIL, and despite that, he kept meeting them secretly for a chat over a cigarette from time to time.

I got to know his story a few months ago. He still considered the militants as his friends, being aware that the reasons why they started fighting for ISIL were only partially ideological. They were given weapons, started earning a salary and found their own destructive redemption from the failure of the Syrian uprising they took part in.

OPINION: Has the West betrayed the Syrian people?

However, they were not ready to spend the rest of their lives under the Caliphate and, later on, they managed to flee Syria. The journalist is now exiled in Turkey, fearing arrest at the hand of ISIL. He is deeply opposed to the Russian offensive on his city, which has resulted into the death of many civilians. In the end, even his friends could have remained trapped inside the country and died under the air strikes.

Unfortunately, international powers rush to conclusions when tracing the above-mentioned red lines between moderates and radicals in the conviction that shelling the militant youths and their families will eradicate ISIL from the region.

Their civilised response to ISIL brutality is merely a military one. No one seems to take into consideration the diverse array of motivations that pushed all these men to join radical factions, whether it was a voluntary choice and how they would act in times of peace.

Jihadists and local tribes will remain actively involved in the Syrian-Iraqi insurgency once the anti-ISIL war trumpets fall silent, unless they become the targets of far-sighted policies and are granted tangible benefits. After ISIL, young militants will keep fighting under a different banner for their just cause against foreign occupations and brutal dictatorships.

The mainstream opinion leaders have portrayed ISIL  and other radical groups  as an embodiment of absolute evil, while leaving out of the equation the social, political, ethical and economic variables. ISIL is likely to be dismantled militarily, but who will address the diverse grievances of its former militants?

Andrea Glioti is an Arabic-speaking freelance journalist and a research consultant covering the Middle East.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Any future engagement between Turkey and the PKK are marred by changing realities on the ground.

Since the Syrian civil war erupted, the Kurdish forces have consolidated control over large portions of the countrys north. The Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing, the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), now dominate three large enclaves of Kurdish-majority territory along the Turkish border where they proclaimed the self-governing Rojava administration in November 2013.

While the PYDs accumulation of power seems to have originated from its de facto alliance with Bashar al-Assad regime, its expansion also roots in support from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Given the rise of the PYD  and its strategic alliance with the PKK  this new emerging picture appears to have a tremendous effect on Turkeys Kurdish issue and seems to push the Syrian Kurds more into the future of peace talks between the PKK and the Turkish government.

PKKs achievements in Syria

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the PKK saw an opportunity to establish a strategic base in Syria to have more leverage in its conflict with Turkey. Although it was effectively kicked out from Syria in the late 1990s, after the breakout of the Syrian Civil War the PKK again increased its activities in northwest Syria. Marking the recent achievements by Kurds in the region, its ambitions further evolved in the war-torn country.

However, the capture of Tell Abyad in mid-2015 by the YPG changed all the equilibria in the region, particularly from Turkeys point of view. As the YPG expanded control in northern Syria and increasingly clashed with jihadi groups, the unspoken alliance between the PKK and the PYD levelled up. Since then, the PKK fighters have been reportedly commanding YPG battalions, leading strategic decision-making, and overseeing recruits ideological and military training.

With the PKK's achievements and further aspirations in Syria on the one hand, and Turkey's strict opposition to any Kurdish political formation in northern Syria on the other, any future engagement between Turkey and the PKK is marred by changing realities on the ground. by

Not surprisingly, the PYD secured representation for a larger segment of Kurds in Syria with the PKKs assistance. As the YPGs influence takes hold of Kurdish-populated areas along the border with Turkey and throughout much of the northeast, the PKK begins to consider this as a historic opportunity to implement its programme of democratic self-administration  its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalans concept to initiate a community-based Kurdish local governance.

Conflict of interest?

However, the re-escalation of violence, effectively ending the Kurdish peace process in Turkey, pushes the PKK to exert more control over the legal Kurdish political entities.

Many pundits think that the PKKs influence over the HDP is increasing significantly. The co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), Selahattin Demirtas, recently endorsed some of the PKKs aspirations both in Turkey and in Syria during the last gathering of the Democratic Society Congress  an umbrella organisation representing Turkeys Kurdish civic entities.

Consequentially, the HDPs recent change of narrative in favour of the PKKs strategic objectives both in Turkey and in Syria convinces a large segment of Turkish society that the HDP is forced to be on the same line as the PKK in general and with the PYD in particular.

OPINION: Kurds in Turkey: Caught in the crossfire

Accordingly, high-ranking members of the PKK in Iraqs Qandil Mountains  where the armed group has its stronghold  have severely criticised HDPs current leadership for its easy-going stance on some of the issues that are vital for the PKKs strategic concerns in Syria.

If it wasnt for the pressure by the PKK, many experts claim the party wouldnt risk its grand project of becoming a mainstream political party in Turkey through engaging with the Turkish electorate.

Regional and international dynamics

On the regional stage, Kurdish forces pay the utmost attention not to differ substantially from the positions taken by Iran, the Assad regime and Iraq on the future of Syria. With conflicting objectives about Syria, the counter trio is represented by Kurdistan Regional Governments leader, Masoud Barzani, Turkey and the Syrian opposition. Considering the effect of Turkey-Russia tension on Syria, Kurdish forces in the region now enjoy being on the same line particularly as Iran and Russia.

The stance taken by the West vis-a-vis Kurds in Syria is much more complex. For the United States, the PYD fighting ISIL on the ground is considered as an ally. This was confirmed once again by the recent visit to Rojava of Brett McGurk, the US special envoy to the multinational coalition against ISIL.

OPINION: Turkeys Kurdish issue  from peace to low-intensity war

However, the US keeps supporting Syrian opposition and doesnt consider Bashar al-Assad as an option for the future of Syria. In such a multifaceted political landscape, Kurdish forces try to stick to a balanced line where they can sustain relations with the regime in Damascus while making sure they are not squeezed between the two elephants in the room, namely Russia and the US.

What is evident is that the PKK and PYD now control much of northern Syria along the Turkish border, and seem to remain there owing to regional and international realities.

With the PKKs achievements and further aspirations in Syria on the one hand, and Turkeys strict opposition to any Kurdish political formation in northern Syria on the other, any future engagement between Turkey and the PKK is marred by changing realities on the ground. This was already tested with the diverging positions taken by both sides on war in Kobane in 2014, when the then-Kurdish peace process took a knock.

Ebubekir Isik is a PhD researcher at the Free University of Brussels. His work focuses on stateless nationalist and regional parties.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Latest installation by renowned Chinese artist highlights plight of refugees risking their lives to reach Europe.

The renowned Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei has once again highlighted the plight of refugees risking stormy waters to reach Europe.

In his latest art installation in Berlin, the 58-year-old artist used 14,000 life jackets to cover the columns of the German citys famous Konzerthaus venue.

The bright orange vests were brought to Germany from the Greek island of Lesbos, where they had been abandoned on beaches after being used by refugees crossing from Turkey.

More than 400 people have died this year trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, and refugee crossings in the first six weeks of 2016 ran at nearly 10 times the rate of the same period last year, the International Organization for Migration said last week.

The activist, who often uses his social media accounts to highlight social issues, has repeatedly visited Lesbos since the beginning of the refugee crisis.

READ MORE: A portrait of the artist as a dead boy

In late December, he began sharing pictures and videos from the Greek island on his personal Instagram page, drawing attention to the troubles suffered by the thousands of people making the dangerous journey to escape war and hardship.

Last month, Ai Weiwei announced the closure of his Ruptures exhibition in Copenhagen in protest against the Danish parliaments approval of laws to deter asylum seekers from entering the country.
Group says it attacked Daallo Airlines after its initial target, a Turkish Airlines flight, cancelled Mogadishu flight.

Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for a purported bomb attack on a passenger plane in Somalia earlier this month, saying it was targeted at Western officials and Turkish NATO forces.

The blast punched a one-metre-sized hole in the side of the Airbus A321 about 15 minutes after it had taken off from Mogadishu heading for Djibouti on February 2.

A senior source within the group told Al Jazeera that its initial target was a Turkish Airlines jet, but it only attacked Daallo Airlines after Turkeys national carrier cancelled its flight to the Somali capital.

In a statement obtained by Al Jazeera, the armed group said on Saturday the attack on the Daallo Airlines flight was part of an operation targeting dozens of Western intelligence officials and Turkish NATO forces.

It added that while the operation did not bring down the plane, it struck terror in the hearts of the crusaders, demonstrating to the disbelievers that despite all their security measures and the strenuous efforts they make to conceal their presence, the Mujahideen can and will get to them.

Al Shabab said the operation was retribution for the crimes committed by the coalition of Western crusaders and their intelligence agencies against the Muslims of Somalia.

Al Shabab is fighting to overthrow Somalias government and establish a state based on its interpretation of Islamic law.

READ MORE: Somalia airplane damage caused by bomb

Last week, Somali Transport and Aviation Minister Ali Ahmed Jama said the mid-air explosion, which forced the plane to make an emergency landing, had been caused by a bomb.

The suspected bomber identified as Abdulahi Abdisalam was killed, probably after being propelled out of the aircraft in the explosion, investigators said.

The explosion did not damage the planes navigation system, and this is what enabled the pilot to make the emergency landing.

READ MORE: Somali jet suspect checked in on Turkish Airlines

Last Sunday, the head of Daallo Airlines told Al Jazeera that the suspected bomber on the jet was meant to board a Turkish Airlines flight.

Mohamed Ibrahim Yassin Olad said the flights 74 passengers were originally checked in with Turkish Airlines, which flies to Somalia three times a week.

They were not our passengers. Turkish Airlines cancelled its flight from Mogadishu that morning because the incoming flight from Djibouti could not come to Mogadishu because of what they said was strong wind, Olad said.

They requested we carry the passengers on their behalf to Djibouti where they would continue their journey on a Turkish Airlines flight, he added.

The February 2 incident is the third aircraft attack to be claimed by al Shabab.

In December 2014, the group claimed to have shot down a Kenyan army jet over southern Somalia.

In 2007, al Shabab said it had shot down a civilian aircraft carrying supplies and eastern European engineers for the African Union Mission over Mogadishus airport.

Also in the same year, the rebel group claimed to have shot down an Ethiopian military aircraft in southern Somalia amid fighting with troops from the neighbouring country.

Follow Hamza Mohamed on Twitter: @Hamza_Africa
With Russia changing the balance of power, Syrian president vows to retake the country, but a heavy price will be paid.

Syrias Bashar al Assad is deluded if he thinks his forces will retake all of the country from rebel fighters, the US said, after the president claimed in an interview that victory was just a matter of time.

While vowing to win the war, Assad said the involvement of regional players in the conflict would mean the solution will take a long time and will incur a heavy price.

We have fully believed in negotiations and in political action since the beginning of the crisis. However, if we negotiate, it does not mean that we stop fighting terrorism, Assad told the AFP news agency in an interview published on Friday.

The two tracks are inevitable in Syria: first through negotiations and second through fighting terrorism.

READ MORE: Assad vows to retake Syria without hesitation

Assads comments came as world powers agreed on a cessation of hostilities on Friday in an attempt to halt the nearly five-year Syrian war that his killed an estimated 250,000 people and driven millions from the country.

The agreement falls short of a formal ceasefire, since it was not signed by the main warring parties  the opposition and government forces.



Will Syrias war be won or lost in Aleppo?

The United States reacted to Assads interview with disdain on Friday.

Hes deluded if he thinks that theres a military solution to the conflict in Syria, deputy State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters.

All were looking at  if the Syrian regime continues the fighting  is more bloodshed, more hardship and, frankly, a greater hardening of positions on either side.

Al Jazeeras Zeina Khodr, reporting from Turkeys Gaziantep on the Syrian border, said Assads comments were in stark contrast to ones he made months ago with his forces pinned down by rebels  until Russia came to his aid with air operations in late September.

Clearly the Syrian president is speaking from a position of strength, said Khodr. Ever since the Russians intervened militarily, the balance of power shifted in the favour of the government and theyre continuing those advances. The opposition is on the retreat.

READ MORE: Russian PM warns of world war if troops sent into Syria

Meanwhile, Russia continued its military campaign in support of Assad on Friday, just hours after the international call for a cessation of hostilities.

Activists told Al Jazeera at least 18 people were killed in suspected Russian air strikes in the northern suburbs of Homs province.

Another week of fighting would give Syrias government and its Russian, Lebanese and Iranian allies time to press on with the encirclement of Aleppo, Syrias biggest city before the war, which they are now on the verge of capturing.

They are also close to sealing the Turkish border, a lifeline for rebel territory for years.

Those two victories would reverse years of insurgent gains, effectively ending the rebels hopes of dislodging Assad through force, the cause they have fought for since 2011 with the encouragement of Arab states, Turkey and the West.
Chief Justice Roberts confirms death, saying his colleague was an outstanding individual and jurist.

Conservative United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has died, aged 79.

On behalf of the court and retired justices, I am saddened to report that our colleague Justice Antonin Scalia has passed away, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said in a statement confirming the death on Saturday evening.

He was an extraordinary individual and jurist, admired and treasured by his colleagues. His passing is a great loss to the court and the country he so loyally served. We extend our deepest condolences to his wife, Maureen, and his family.

Scalias death was first reported by the San Antonio News-Express, who said he had apparently died of natural causes while visiting a luxury resort in West Texas.

Appointed to the top US court in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan, Scalia was known for his strident conservative views and theatrical flair in the courtroom.

President Barack Obama extended his condolences to Scalias family.

The president will face a stiff battle to win confirmation of a nominee to replace Scalia, with Republicans likely to delay in the hope that one of their own wins the November election.

But if Obama does successfully nominate a replacement before his term ends in January, it could tilt the court to the left for the first time in decades.

Justice Scalia was an American hero. We owe it to him, and the nation, for the Senate to ensure that the next president names his replacement, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, a Republican presidential candidate, said on Twitter.

The nations highest court is set to decide its first major abortion case in nearly 10 years as well as key cases on voting rights, affirmative action and immigration.
Tensions deepen after North Koreas rocket launch as Washington and Seoul in talks on controversial missile deployment.

The US has deployed an additional Patriot missile battery in South Korea, the military said on Saturday, ahead of talks to set up an even more sophisticated US defence system  a move that has worried China and Russia.

The US military command in South Korea said an air defence battery unit has been conducting ballistic missile training using the Patriot system at Osan Air Base near Seoul.

Lt Gen Thomas Vandal said exercises like this ensure we are always ready to defend against an attack from North Korea.

North Koreas continued development of ballistic missiles against the expressed will of the international community requires the alliance to maintain effective and ready ballistic missile defenses, Vandal said in a statement.



North Korea launches rocket despite criticism

The new tough stance follows South Koreas decision to shut down an inter-Korean factory complex that had been the rival Koreas last major symbol of cooperation, but that Seoul said had been used by North Korea to fund its nuclear and missile programmes.

North Korea responded by deporting South Korean citizens, seizing South Korean assets and vowing to militarise the park.

South Korea on Friday cut off power and water supplies to the industrial park and announced that its planned talks with the US on deploying the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, one of the most advanced missile defense systems in the world, could start next week.

South Korean media have long speculated that the two countries are working on a THAAD deployment in South Korea, but it took the Norths rocket launch last Sunday, which outsiders see as a test of banned ballistic missile technology, for the allies to formally announce they will begin the missile defence talks.

Beijing and Moscow are sensitive to the possibility of THAAD in South Korea. Critics say the system could help US radar spot missiles in other countries.

Chinas state media quickly made the countrys displeasure known, while Russia also expressed worries about the deployment.

North Korea has previously warned of a nuclear war in the region and threatened to bolster its armed forces if the THAAD deployment occurs.

READ MORE: South Korea cuts off power to complex in the North

In Munich, US Secretary of State John Kerry met with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts to discuss the response to North Koreas actions, including the missile system.

Thats what were talking about today, Kerry told reporters Friday on the sidelines of a Munich security conference.

Seoul and Washington want to deploy the system at an early date and the upcoming talks will discuss where and exactly when the deployment can be made, a South Korean defence official said, requesting anonymity because of department rules.

The official said the THAAD deployment is designed to protect South Korea from North Korean threats and isnt targeting China or anyone else.

The current standoff flared after North Korea carried out a nuclear test last month, its fourth, followed by the long-range rocket launch on Sunday.
Wildlife officials in Florida say uncontrolled population of pythons threatens the Everglades delicate ecosystem.

The most famous resident reptile in the Everglades in the US state of Florida is probably the American alligator.

But the 1.5 million-acre park wetlands is also home to many non-native invasive species, including the Burmese Python.

This python is the focus of a campaign to rid the wetland habitat of all non-indigenous newcomers, which are said to destroy the areas ecosystem.

Now, wildlife officials are issuing hunting licences in the hope that the pythons, which number thousands, can be brought under control.

Were never going to win the battle, but if we can keep the numbers down, at least we have some type of control, Ozzy Gonzalez, an Everglades tourist guide and resident of the area, told Al Jazeera.

Gonzalez said the danger pythons pose is real and deadly.

We could be sitting here and not even know that they could be sitting inside these willows. Youll never see them, he said.

Leo Sanchez, a python hunter, bore some of the scars from hunting the invasive snake. Over the past few years, he said, he has captured 80.

You know I have respect for them. I love them, I like to dance with them but after that bite I realised that if I had been alone that day, and that python bit me where it bit me, I probably wouldnt have made it alive, he said.

When the first hunting licenses were issued, around 1,500 people from 38 states travelled to Florida for the hunt.

Still, some remain sceptical that a reptile so suited to the states sub-tropical climate can ever be completely eradicated.
Recent overtures to OPEC cartel, including rival Saudi Arabia, seen as an attempt to revitalise its oil sector.

Irans willingness to negotiate with Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members over the global oil glut reflects its desire to hike prices soon to revamp its oil sector, which was crippled for years by international sanctions over its nuclear programme, analysts say.

Iran will load four million barrels of crude oil on tankers destined for Europe in the coming 24 hours, a senior official was quoted as saying on Saturday.

The oil was bought by companies in Russia, France and Spain.

Iran must preserve its share of the global oil market, Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri told the Shana news agency.

Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh said this week his country was ready for dialogue with Saudi Arabia and other members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on the oversupply of oil in the international market  and its debilitating price slump.



UpFront  Reality Check: Beyond the Saudi Arabia-Iran feud

Patrick Clawson, director of research at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Zangenehs comments indicate how badly Iran is being hurt by the low oil price.

Since the lifting of Western economic sanctions after Iran reached a nuclear deal with world powers, the country announced it was prepared to add an extra 500,000 barrels to its estimated 2.9 million barrels a day (bpd) output.

Saudi Arabia is the biggest OPEC oil producer with foreign reserves exceeding $600B at the end of 2015.

Unlike the Saudis, the Iranians do not have ample reserves with which to ride out a prolonged period of low prices, Clawson told Al Jazeera.

READ MORE: Oil surges on report OPEC will co-operate to cut output

The international oil market has been suffering since the summer of 2014, losing more than two-thirds of its value. OPEC countries have flooded the market with a production ceiling of 30 million bpd  with no signs of cutbacks. Oil prices recently fell to $28 a barrel  a 13-year low.

On Thursday, Suhail bin Mohammed al-Mazroui, energy minister of the United Arab Emirates, was quoted in the Wall Street Journal saying OPEC members were ready to co-operate on a production cut.

The next day, oil prices surged in Asia by more than 5 percent.

Sara Bazoobandi, senior lecturer in international political economy at Regents University London, said if Tehran could initiate a collaborative approach with other oil producers it would have a positive ripple effect on its own industry.

She added it was hard to distinguish whether Irans comments on a dialogue with Saudi Arabia and others were out of desperation, or an attempt to claim more influence among OPEC players now that sanctions had been lifted.



UpFront  Saudi Arabia vs Iran: Is the cold war heating up?

What has happened within OPEC is that Saudi Arabia and all the GCC producers created a cartel within a cartel. It gives them more power and more influence in decision-making. If Iran could either join that cartel or create some sort of a balance of power with that cartel, of course itd be a good idea for Iran, Bazoobandi told Al Jazeera.

In 2014, Irans crude oil exports averaged 1.4 million bpd under the imposed economic sanctions. Before the sanctions, Iranian oil exports averaged 2.6 million bpd in 2011.

According to the latest OPEC oil market report, Irans oil production was 2.9 million bpd in January.

The United Arab Emirates said last month Irans pledge to increase production by 500,000 bpd would harm the market.

Bazoobandi described Tehrans moves as a tit-for-tat strategy.

Theyre implying that if other producers continue not cutting back, we are going to do the same thing. So if they continue producing, were going to increase our production Basically, theyre hurting the prices, were going to hurt the prices as well.

READ MORE: Irans oil for sale  who wins, who loses?

Economist Mamdouh Salameh said Iran increasing oil production would not have a significant effect on the market when compared with other OPEC producers.

In January 2016, OPEC producers averaged output of 32.33 million bpd.

They are already overproducing above the production ceiling agreed by OPEC members, which is 30 million barrels So if you want to remove the glut, you cut your production by 2.2 [million bpd]. Iran bringing a few thousand barrels is neither here nor there, Salameh told Al Jazeera.

Salameh added that Irans extra oil production might not be directly translated into exports as there is a glowing demand for oil inside the country.

Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia reached a new low last month after the Saudi kingdom severed relations after an attack on its embassy in Tehran.

The attack came in response to Saudi Arabias execution of Nimr al-Nimr, a Shia religious leader in Riyadh. The incident sparked an escalated war of words between the regional rivals.

Commenting on Irans readiness to have a dialogue with Saudi Arabia over the oil market, Bazoobandi said economic disputes may be the easiest to resolve in the volatile Middle East.

Political and strategic interests are a lot more complicated. It could be a great step towards normalising relations with Saudi Arabia, she said.

Salameh, however, said he didnt think tensions would be resolved any time soon, even through economic co-operation.

Saudi Arabia is OPEC. It is the heart of OPEC Iran doesnt accept that. Iran is not in a position in terms of oil to confront Saudi Arabia. The tension will always remain there, he said.

But Salameh added Saudi Arabia would eventually have to reach an agreement within OPEC whether they like it or not to cut back on production.

In December, the worlds leading oil producer announced a record $98B budget deficit, citing rock-bottom global petroleum prices.

Saudi Arabia is on the verge of changing its policy under the pressure and pain its suffering now, said Salameh.

A report by the Kuwait Financial Centre released on Tuesday said the oil-rich states of the Gulf Co-operation Council are expected to see their public debts double and their assets decline by one-third by 2020, amid dramatically plunging revenues because of the steep drop in oil prices.

Follow Mohamed Hashem on Twitter: @mhashem_
Girl, 17, shot after reportedly attempting to stab a soldier near a mosque in occupied West Bank city.

Israeli soldiers have shot dead a Palestinian teenage girl near a mosque in the West Bank city of Hebron.

The Palestinian health ministry also confirmed the death, identifying the girl as 17-year-old Kilzar Mohd Abdulhaleem al-Owiwi from Hebron.

The Israeli army said the young woman was killed after attempting to stab a soldier on Saturday.

An assailant drew a knife and attempted to stab a soldier, the army said in a statement.

According to local media reports, the woman could be as young as 16.

Sources told Al Jazeera the woman was shot near a shared religious site in Hebron known to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs and to Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque.

Hebron is a regular flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with several hundred Israeli settlers living in Jewish-only settlements in the heart of the city under heavy military guard among about 200,000 Palestinians.

Protests against Israels ongoing occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, have become increasingly violent in recent months.

Since October 1, Israeli forces or settlers have killed at least 173 Palestinians, including bystanders, unarmed demonstrators and attackers.

At least 27 Israelis have been killed in attacks carried out by Palestinians.

More than half a million Israelis live in more than 150 Jewish-only settlements across the West Bank, including in several enclaves within East Jerusalems Palestinian neighbourhoods.

Residing in heavily guarded communities, settlers are protected by both Israeli security forces and private security guards.
A 16-hour firefight began after Indian forces raided an abandoned house where fighters were holed up.

Two soldiers and five suspected rebels were killed in a fierce gun battle in Indian-administered Kashmir near the existing border with Pakistan.

Police and soldiers cordoned off a village in northern Kupwara district, 90km away from the main city of Srinagar, after they got a tip that fighters were hiding in the area, said army spokesman Colonel Nitin Joshi on Saturday.

The 16-hour firefight began on Friday when government forces zeroed in on an abandoned house and the fighters who were holed up inside opened fire.





Another two soldiers were wounded and taken to a military hospital, according to police.

The incident took place near the Line of Control, an official border that divides the Kashmir region into two parts, one administered by India and the other by Pakistan.

Kashmir has been divided between the nuclear-armed South Asian rivals since the end of British colonial rule in 1947.

Both countries administer parts of the Himalayan territory separately but each claim it in full.

India accuses Pakistan of training and arming rebel fighters, and infiltrating them across the Line of Control. Pakistan denies those allegations.

Since 1989, several rebel groups have fought an estimated half a million Indian forces deployed in the region for independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan.

The fighting has killed tens of thousands, mostly civilians.
The MiG-23 flown by forces loyal to Libyas recognised government is the second to go down in the past week.

A MiG-23 fighter jet flown by Libyas internationally recognised government was shot down as it carried out air strikes on opposition positions in the coastal city of Benghazi.

Nasser el-Hassi, spokesman for the governments forces, told AFP news agency the plane was shot down in Qaryunes, northwest Benghazi, as it bombed targets on Friday.

A military source said the pilot survived, having parachuted to safety, but his whereabouts were not immediately clear. It was the second military air crash this week.

Brigade General Saqr al-Jaroushi, a Libyan military official, also confirmed the incident to the Associated Press.

On Monday, another MiG-23 operated by forces loyal to Libyas recognised government crashed near the eastern city of Derna after attacking fighter positions.

The LANA news agency, which is close to the recognised government, blamed technical problems for the downing.

Before crashing, the fighter had carried out raids on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) positions about 15km from Derna.

Two administrations are vying for power in war-ravaged Libya, one based in the capital Tripoli backed by a coalition of fighters, and the recognised government, exiled in the east.

In early January, another MiG-23 came down in Benghazi, the main city in the east.

The air force answers to the internationally recognised government in the east of the country, where its soldiers have been fighting armed groups since 2014.

Chaos has engulfed Libya since the fall of dictator Muammar Gaddafis regime in 2011, and has fostered the rise of ISIL, which based itself in Sirte in eastern Libya.
Thousands line Mexico Citys streets to cheer leader of Catholic Church as he starts historic week-long visit.

Pope Francis has begun his visit to Mexico by calling on the countrys political leaders to provide true justice and security to its citizens hit by drug violence.

Francis told President Enrique Pena Nieto and other politicians on Saturday that they have a duty to help citizens to have real access to the material and spiritual goods including housing, dignified employment, food, true justice, effective security, a healthy and peaceful environment.





The Argentine pope is the first Catholic pontiff to visit the presidential palace since Mexico and the Vatican restored diplomatic relations in 1992, after years of animosity because of the churchs role in the countrys politics.

In a subsequent hard-hitting speech to his own bishops, Francis challenged church leaders to courageously denounce the insidious threat posed by the drug trade and not hide behind their own privilege and careers.

He told them to be true pastors, close to their people, and to develop a coherent pastoral plan to help Mexicans to finally escape the raging waters that drown so many, either victims of the drug trade or those who stand before God with their hands drenched in blood, though with pockets filled with sordid money and their consciences deadened.

The speech was met with tepid applause, with only a handful of bishops standing in ovation.

READ MORE: Pope makes scathing attack on Vatican ills

During his week-long trip, he is expected to address the issue of drug violence, migration and corruption in Mexico, the largest Spanish-speaking Catholic country in the world.

Francis arrived in Mexicos capital on Friday night, welcomed by adoring crowds waving yellow handkerchiefs.

Men in broad sombreros and women in flowing red skirts danced on the tarmac as Francis was greeted by Pena Nieto and his wife.

On Saturday morning, cheers erupted as Franciss popemobile pulled out of his Mexico City residence. Bundled against the morning chill, tens of thousands of people lined his motorcade route to the citys colonial heart.

As he flew toward Mexico City, Francis said his most intimate desire is to pray before the shrine of Mary, the mother of Jesus, also known in the Americas as the Lady of Guadalupe.

Extremely popular

Al Jazeeras Adam Raney, reporting from Mexico City, said the visit was a welcome distraction for Pena Nieto, who is suffering the lowest approval ratings of a Mexican leader in some 25 years.

He is an extremely popular pope. It does no harm for Pena Nieto to embrace him, he said.

But Mexico was reminded of its troubles on the eve of the popes arrival, when 49 inmates were killed in a prison brawl between rival groups.

Francis wraps up his day on Saturday with a Mass at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

The Mexico trip follows a brief but historic meeting in Havana on Friday, when Francis embraced Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in the first papal meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in nearly 1,000 years.
On World Radio Day, UN says 44,000 radio stations broadcast to five billion people, or roughly 70 percent of the world.

The United Nations cultural agency UNESCO has marked World Radio Day by calling for more freedom of expression and wider access to information in times of emergencies and disasters.

While digital technology dominates the modern means of transmitting information, UNESCO said on Saturday that radio remains the primary source of information for most people in the world.

Radio still remains the medium that reaches the widest audience worldwide, in the quickest possible time, the UNESCO statement said.





According to the UN, an estimated 44,000 radio stations broadcast to at least five billion people, representing 70 percent of the population worldwide.

Radio is a platform that allows people to interact, despite different educational levels, so somebody may be illiterate but still be able to call in a show to give a testimony and participate in radio, Mirta Lourenco, a UNESCO spokesman, told Al Jazeera.

This is not the same if the person wants to read a newspaper.

For almost 100 years, the radio has been available in homes and workplaces around the world. The invention of portable radio in 1947 made it even more popular.

In developing countries, an estimated 75 percent of households have access to a radio, making it an essential and reliable part of disaster and emergency response, UNESCO said.

In India, the biggest advantage of radio is that it is cheap, making it accessible to 99 percent of the population, Dilip Cherian, radio commentator at Radio One India, told Al Jazeeras Jane Dutton.





Its a lifeline for many people, he said.

The arrival of mobile phones has changed the consumption habits of millions, but many come with built-in radio chips and this has helped to keep the radio industry effective more than 120 years after the first radio broadcast.

In countries such as Zambia, a third of the people listen to the radio on their phone handset every week.

Needing only a few towers to broadcast a signal over wide areas, radio has remained popular especially in areas where mobile networks are patchy or absent.

Its very local, very community-driven, so people feel that they can really relate to presenters and the conversations on the radio, Amy ODonnell, a spokesman for the aid organisation Oxfam, told Al Jazeera.

Its actually a very participatory mechanism in local communities for people to have their say and have their voices heard.
Independent film-makers from Jeddah get a warm reception at Berlinale for their movie Barakah Meets Barakah.

When it comes to cinema, Saudi Arabia does not have much of a tradition, with only a few feature films and documentaries produced every year.

But a group of young independent film-makers from Jeddah are hoping to change that  by bringing their film to the Berlin film festival.

Barakah Meets Barakah, a quirky comedy which debuted at this years Berlinale, shows the challenges of dating in Saudi Arabia, while also imparting some commentary about the limitations of public space in the country.

The film follows an amateur actor in a theatre company and a stylish adopted daughter of a rich couple as they try to navigate their relationship.

READ MORE: Saudis put cinema ban in the frame

In the last 30 years, public space in Saudi Arabia is getting smaller, there is less room for liberals, for women, for minorities. They are less visible in the streets, so no one wants to watch a film in a public space, Mahmoud Sabbagh, the director of the film, told Al Jazeera.

So I had to make a love story, and in the background there is the story of the city and of public space.

The international premiere of the film generated a lot of interest, with the first screening attracting a sell-out crowd.

The young Saudi team behind the movie financed it themselves  and apart from getting round the censors, they also had to constantly explain to people what they were doing.

The entire film was shot inside Saudi Arabia.

When I was in character, people would see me and they wouldnt see Bibi [the character]. They would see me, Fatima and ask me what I was doing, so I had to deal with that, Fatima al-Banawi, the leading female character of the film, told Al Jazeera.

Barakah Meets Barakah, which got a great reaction from the Berlin audience, is careful to show traditional Saudi culture in a positive light.

But it does not pull punches about the societys problems.

One audience member said he was surprised by how in-your-face the film was.

The director and the actors said they hoped they would inspire other film-makers to follow in their footsteps.
President addresses parliament for first time, after thousands of doctors protested in Cairo against police brutality.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi says his country has completed a transition to democratic rule after years of turmoil since the uprising that brought down former president Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Sisi made the remarks on Saturday as he addressed Egypts parliament for the first time since it was convened in January.

From this place, under parliaments dome, the Egyptian people declare to the entire world that they have laid the foundation of a democratic system and rebuilt constitutional institutions, the president said.

The speech, which came a day after a rare large-scale public protest took place against Egyptian authorities, was largely composed of generalities and a list of Egypts achievements under the presidents rule.

READ MORE: Is Egypt better off under Sisi?

But despite the talk of democracy, analysts said the half-hour speech did little to assuage critics accusing the Sisi-led government of waging a brutal crackdown on opposition forces within the country.

Since 2013, Sisis government has imprisoned more than 40,000 people across the country, activists say. It has also implemented laws restricting street protests and press freedoms, as well as given the police vast powers.

Khalil al-Anani, associate professor of political science at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera that Sisis speech appeared to be directed purely at his supporters.

I dont think what he said today will materialise in any means, particularly when you speak about democracy and freedoms, Anani said.

Its just rhetoric. Everybody knows that Egypt is not by any means on the right track for democracy.

[Sisi] recognises that there is growing resentment against his rule and his government. He knows that his popularity is not what it used to be when he came to power.

Egypts last parliament was dissolved in 2012 by the top court in the country, less than a year after it was elected in what was seen as the countrys first democratically elected chamber.

Mohamed Morsi attempted to reinstate the parliament after his election as president that year, but was shot down by the courts in a move seen to strengthen the military that deposed him a year later.

On Friday, thousands of doctors and their supporters gathered outside the Egyptian Medical Syndicate in Cairo, calling for the prosecution of police officers who allegedly assaulted two doctors last month in Cairos Matariya hospital, a northern district of the capital.

There are conflicting reports about what triggered the incident to occur, but Dr Ibrahim el-Zayat, president of the Dakahlia Medical Syndicate, said the assault took place after an injured police officer went to the hospital to treat a minor wound on January 28.

When he tried to interfere in the writing of the medical report about the wound, the doctors objected, Zayat said.

The police officer then allegedly attacked the doctors, before being joined by another police officer. The doctors were then taken by a group of officers to a nearby police station, Zayat said.

Regardless of any disputes, it does not give anyone the right to violently assault the doctors, he told Al Jazeera.

READ MORE: Anger over red carpet rolled out for Sisis convoy

The policemen were questioned about the assault and then released, triggering Fridays protest and an emergency meeting among doctors.

The meeting concluded with a list of demands, including requests for the government to ensure justice for the assaulted doctors and to introduce laws to better protect hospital staff from violence.

The syndicates list of demands also included the resignation of Egypts health minister, Ahmed Rady.

On Friday, the Arabic hashtag support the doctors trended on Twitter, reflecting support and anger from a large number of Egyptians.
Government recaptures key towns from rebels, as doubts grow about a pause in fighting and humanitarian crisis worsens.

Syrian government forces continue to make military advances and tighten their grip around the key city of Aleppo, days after the main players in the nearly five-year conflict pledged a cessation of hostilities.

World leaders have admitted the likely success of a plan to cease hostilities in Syria within a week is roughly 50-50.

The Syrian army, backed by Russian air strikes and fighters loyal to Syrian President Bashar al Assad, on Saturday regained control of al-Tamoura town and several surrounding hills in Aleppos northern suburbs, according to Syrian activists and the state news agency.





The offensive means government troops are now closer to cutting off one of the main supply routes for Syrian rebels, who still control much of Aleppo city.

Army units, in co-operation with supporting forces, restored security and stability to al-Tamoura village at the northern countryside of Aleppo, Syrian state news agency SANA said.

Sami Kekhia, a Syrian activist on the Turkey-Syria border, confirmed to Al Jazeera that al-Tamoura was captured, but said that rebels were fighting back in ongoing clashes.

The Syrian government launched a major offensive from the north of Aleppo and captured several strategically important towns earlier this month.

The offensive has led to the displacement of more than 50,000 civilians from Aleppo, tens of thousands of whom have amassed in camps at the Turkish border.

Abu Thaer al-Halabi, who heads the media office at the rebel-controlled Aleppo local council, told Al Jazeera that most of Aleppos northern suburbs had been evacuated.

The humanitarian situation in Aleppo is horrible. We are running out of supplies and resources are very limited. People are fleeing their homes and heading north towards Turkey or west towards Idlib suburbs, he said.

READ MORE: Telling Syrias story  media across the battle lines

What the government is trying to do is push further south and control a supply line that connects northern areas to western areas. In return the government would have surrounded Aleppo city, blocking it from Nubul and Zahra.

Heavy clashes are still taking place as rebels are trying to recapture al-Tamoura town, Halabi added.

As the situation worsened in Aleppo earlier this week, world powers  including the U.S., Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia  agreed to a cessation of hostilities in Syria that could serve as a bridge towards the resumption of genuine peace talks later this month.

But when asked on Saturday at a security conference in Munich to assess the chances of the ceasefire deal succeeding, Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov answered: 49 percent.

Asked the same question, his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier put the odds at 51 percent.

READ MORE: Syrias future shaped by Russian designs

Their comments came after the publication of an interview with President Assad, in which the Syrian leader said his armed forces would try to retake the entire country without hesitation.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that government and Russian war planes targeted areas near the town of Azaz near the border with Turkey on Saturday.

The Observatory reported on Wednesday that at least 500 people, including 89 civilians, have been killed since the offensive began on February 1.
Bombardment comes after Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu says Ankara may take military action against Syrian Kurdish fighters.

Turkish forces have shelled Kurdish-held areas, including an air base, in Syrias northern province of Aleppo, sources have told Al Jazeera.

Syrian Kurdish fighters from the Peoples Protection Units (YPG) reported on Saturday that Turkish artillery targeted their positions in Menagh airport and a village near Azaz, which were recently captured from the Syrian opposition.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu confirmed on Saturday that Turkish forces had struck Kurdish YPG targets in northern Syria and demanded that the group withdraw from the area it recently captured.

We will retaliate against every step [by the YPG], he told reporters in comments shown live by state broadcaster TRT Haber. The YPG will immediately withdraw from Azaz and the surrounding area and will not go close to it again.

READ MORE: Syrian Kurds and Turkeys Kurdish question

Al Jazeeras Zeina Khodr, reporting from the Turkish city of Gaziantep, near the Syria border, said the timing of the attack is interesting, as it comes at a period when the YPG and their allies have been capturing rebel-held territory, taking advantage of an ongoing government offensive in Aleppo.

Now, we can only speculate  was this a warning from the Turkish authorities who do not want to see the YPG expand control in Syria? Khodr said.

In the past, Turkey has fired shells across its border but usually in retaliation  after a shell lands on Turkish soil, or if fighting is getting closer to its border they fire shells as a deterrent.

:          . pic.twitter.com/aibMtXFbTa  pyd rojava (@PYD_Rojava) February 13, 2016

US State Department spokesman John Kirby urged Turkey on Saturday to halt military strikes on Kurdish and Syrian regime targets in the northern province of Aleppo.

We are concerned about the situation north of Aleppo and are working to de-escalate tensions on all sides, Kirby said in a statement.

Same measures

The shelling came after Davutoglu said on Saturday that Ankara would, if necessary, take military action against fighters from the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD).

We can if necessary take the same measures in Syria as we took in Iraq and Qandil, Davutoglu said in a televised speech in the eastern city of Erzincan, referring to the bombing campaign last year against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq on their Qandil mountain stronghold.

We would expect our friends and allies to stand by us, he added.

Turkey considers the PYD and its YPG militia to be branches of the PKK, which has waged a decades-long armed campaign against the Turkish state.

Earlier this week, Turkey reacted furiously to comments by the US State Department spokesman saying Washington did not recognise the PYD as a terrorist group and would continue to support its operations in Syria.

READ MORE: Syrian army tightens grip on Aleppo amid peace doubts

The leadership cadre and ideology of the PKK and PYD is the same, Davutoglu said on Saturday.

Those who say that they are not terror groups either do not know the region or have bad intentions. We will be sending documentation to the United States very soon to show that the PYD is a branch of the PKK.

Washington recognises the PKK as a terrorist group, as does the European Union.

Last week, Kirby said that Kurdish fighters have been some of the most successful in fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group inside Syria.

He said the U.S. had supported the Kurdish fighters, mostly with air power, and that support will continue.

With reporting from Al Jazeeras Diana Al Rifai
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad vows to retake all of country even as efforts to reach peace are underway.

The Syrian war has left hundreds of thousands of people dead and millions more displaced, either internally or as refugees seeking asylum in other countries.

The crisis has led many global leaders wondering if a peaceful resolution can be found to the conflict after several failed efforts at getting all parties involved in dialogue.

But Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has declared that the conflict will not end until all of Syria is back under his control.

Meanwhile, in Munich, a new effort is being seen as a last chance to stop the carnage in Syria.

A joint effort by the United States, Russia, and other powers, have agreed on a cessation of hostilities which is set to begin next week.

The plan is to allow humanitarian aid to be rushed to besieged areas across the country.

But how would that be implemented on the ground? And will it pave the way for renewed peace talks in Syria?

Presenter: Mike Hanna

Guests:

Omar Mohamed  Research analyst at the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies

Igor Sutyagin  Senior research fellow for Russian Studies at the Royal United Services Institute

Sohrab Ahmari  Editorial writer for the Wall Street Journal
As the WHO investigates the massive outbreak of microcephaly in Brazil, we travel to ground zero of the epidemic.

Each February, Brazil hosts one of the most colourful and euphoric gatherings in the world, and millions came to celebrate the 2016 carnival in Rio de Janeiro.

Meanwhile, the city of Recife in the northeast of the country is at the heart of a global health crisis over the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease that is suspected of causing birth defects in babies.

Theres an unusual increase in the number of cases of microcephaly among newborns, a condition in which babies are born with smaller than normal heads, causing their brains to not develop properly and impacting their overall development and health.

We have more or less 15 exams per day here [in the hospital]. Out of those 15 exams, we have an average of five exams with patients with suspected Zika virus, patients who had the rash on the skin, but with microcephaly, I believe, we have a new case every week, says Dr Alex Souza from the Maternal Infant Institute of Pernambuco.

It is a serious condition that cannot be cured, and many families there are already poor and cannot afford all the necessary medication.

All my debts are accumulating  the medicine is expensive, the government is not giving anything. There is a medicine  that she needs to take, she cannot miss it. [It] costs 80 reais [$20]. Apart from that, there are eye drops the doctors said she needs to use, not to mention a medicine for her nose. So, I need to stop paying my bills so I can buy things for her, says Nadja Bezerra, a mother who gave birth to a girl with microcephaly.

Brazils president, Dilma Roussef, has promised that the government will do everything it can to help the families financially. And globally, efforts are under way to understand what is behind the outbreak. Last week, US President Barack Obama suggested spending $1.8bn to fight it.

Meanwhile, scientists are exploring different methods to stop the spread of the disease.

Zika is very new [for us]. We have more questions than answers at this point. We have right now in Brazil a group of scientists that  are trying to understand everything that [they] can. We knew that the zika virus existed, but nobody worked with [it] because it was in Africa, very content, says Professor Margareth Capurro of the Bio-Medicine Institute at the University of Sao Paolo.

So what is the true scale of this crisis? Is Brazil, and the region, losing the battle against the virus? How far is the world from finding a cure? And will the Brazilian government help the mothers and their babies?

Today on Talk to Al Jazeera, we travel to the centre of the crisis to find out how the children and parents are coping, whether they receive the help they have been promised, and we talk to a scientist about a possible way to stop the disease.

You can talk to Al Jazeera, too. Join our Twitter conversation as we talk to world leaders and alternative voices shaping our times. You can also share your views and keep up to date with our latest interviews on Facebook.
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POINT DE VUE Assad and Russia unnecessarily worked-up w/o understanding legal implications of UN Syria Resolution

Alwihda Info | Par Hem Raj Jain - 13 Fevrier 2016





Sub:- (i)- Now boots-on-ground are not needed to eliminate terrorists ISIS, Al-Qaeda etc from Syria (ii)- Sunni terrorist have to merely handover their territories to opposition to frustrate Shias through elections (iii)- After elections entire Syria bound to come under Sunni majority government (iv)- Assad and Russia unnecessarily worked-up without understanding legal implications of UN Syria Resolution



-- Of course boots on ground were needed before December, 18 UN resolution to eliminate ISIS etc but now situation has changed. The salient features of December, 18 UN Syria Resolution are:-



(i)- Opposition is party to UN Resolution that means Russia acknowledge opposition has some territory and is willing to fight terrorists (ISIS. Al-Qaeda etc) as per UN Resolution.



(ii)- UN Resolutions acknowledge there are three types of territories in Syria namely Government territory, opposition territory and terrorist territory. The fate of Government territory and opposition territory will be decided politically through elections.



(iii)- Govt and opposition can bomb territories of each other till ceasefire is announced (while taking care it does not frustrate UN Resolutions mandate which expects both parties to support and accelerate all efforts to achieve a ceasefire).



(iv)- Assad and Russia can not expect international / UN protection while bombing opposition territory by saying it is terrorist territory.



(v)- Terrorist territories (under ISIS, Al-Qaeda etc) will be decided militarily before elections.



But people have not understood one very important legal implication of UN Resolution. If terrorists (ISIS, Al-Qaeda etc) flee Syria and before fleeing handover entire terrorist territory to opposition then Assad and Russia can not bomb thus transferred territory (by saying that it is terrorist territory) and this transferred territory will also be considered opposition territory and like original opposition territory this transferred territory will also be decided by elections.



In a heightened Shia-Sunni conflict exacerbated by Russian military intervention with Shia support, the Sunni terrorists are bound to prefer to transfer their territories to Sunni opposition than to see it going to Shia backed Assad Government / Russia in military conflict. In such scenario there will be no need for boots on ground (for eliminating non-existent ISIS etc) and merely elections are enough.



Because Russia doesn't want elections (due to removal of Russian military bases from Syria after inevitable victory of Sunnis in elections) this entire gory drama & confusion (in the wake of bombing of Aleppo etc with huge humanitarian & refugee crises) is going on in Syria.



[Here Christian USA & its European allies should also not forget that they have alienated Sunnis through Syria where Sunni rebels who were supported by them in every way to go for armed rebellion were bombarded by Christian Russia in violation of UN December,18 Resolution (by calling opposition territory also as terrorist territory) but they did nothing and which resulted in huge territory loss to opposition coupled with huge humanitarian & refugee crises.]



Regards



Hem Raj Jain



(Author of Betrayal of Americanism)



Bengaluru, India





Dans la meme rubrique : < > Tchad : "une cuisante defaite" pour "les pessimistes" du Dialogue national (Abdelmanane Khatab) Tchad : lechec de la politique de lemploi, une opportunite entrepreneuriale ? Tchad :  aller au federalisme dans ce contexte, cest cautionner leclatement  (Dr Oguelemi) Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)
United Nations human rights experts* today urged the Government of Nigeria to ensure that the areas they say they claim to have liberated from Boko Haram forces are truly safe for people displaced by the violence, enabling them to return home. They also called for camps, both formal and informal, for internally displaced persons (IDPs), []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric...
In cooperation with the government and the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security, IOM Malawi has organized a one- day national consultative meeting to address mixed and irregular migration. The consultation in the capital Lilongwe follows the latest Migration Dialogue for Southern Africa (MIDSA) Conference which was held in Zimbabwe in July 2015. During []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric...
The Secretary-General wishes to pay tribute to the first ever all-female Formed Police Unit (FPU) deployed to a United Nations peacekeeping operation, which will end its mission in Liberia after nine years. The 125 women and supporting personnel will return to India this weekend. Through their unwavering performance, professionalism and discipline, including during the Ebola []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric...




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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]
Europe is on fire, in a social and financial crisis of its leaders own making. Its public places are now spectacles of the obscene, and its women are sexual objects for a predatory race of invaders. Its social systems are stretched to the breaking point by belligerent "refugees" who are devouring their host countries at will, while Europes leaders defend the invaders and blame their own citizens.

Western civilization is under attack, and rational citizens are at a loss to understand why their leaders are allowing the destruction of their societies.

Much has been written about the outrageous acts that have been committed by Muslim migrants, so we need not repeat them here. We can simply agree that the situation in Europe is disastrous, and its getting worse. And America is not far behind.

Western leaders are aiding and abetting this insanity with a consistency and single-mindedness of purpose that can only be explained in one way: they must think they have something to gain from the chaos created by this crisis.

What other conclusion can be drawn from the brazen ascendancy of Islam in the western world, and the deafening silence that permits its success? Clearly, Western leaders think they can use Islam for their own ends, to consolidate their own power.

Whether their motivations are globalist, nationalist, pro-Islam, or merely megalomaniacal, they all seem to hold one belief in common: the belief that they can control Muslim migration to create the chaos necessary to justify their predetermined solutions.

These European -- and American -- leaders think they can control what is pouring out of the Pandoras box theyve thrown open; they think they can put the Jinn back in the bottle at their whim.

Illustration of Jinn via AlArabiya.net

But they are dangerously underestimating those they presume to use as pawns.

In the First Century, the Moors -- Muslims of antiquity -- invaded and nearly conquered the entire European continent (Spain, France, Greece, Turkey, etc.) It was only the strength of Christianity and the unity this inspired, which turned back the scourge of Islamic imperialism in Europe.

The world of today is very similar, but with one key difference. Europe, and less so America, now exist in a moral and religious vacuum. There is no concrete ideology or religious paradigm posing a credible challenge to the radical adherents of Islam.

Islam is now controlling most of Europe, either actively, or passively, due to the absence of any response from local governing authorities -- a curious void of law and order. Peace in our time has now given way to the Religion of Peace.

Unless Europeans and Americans rise up now to reverse this trend, one of two things will occur. Either those in power will succeed in using this crisis to advance their aims and fundamentally transform their societies, or, more likely, Islam will become dominant in the West past the point of no return.

The Moors have come home. The Muslim hoard hastily imported into Europe over the cries and screams of voters are living up to the archetypes people in the West have come to fear, especially when cartoons result in lynch-mobs, and when a woman clothed according to western custom is mercilessly raped by migrants.

Some would say that the murderous attacks perpetrated by Islamic radicals should be considered an aberration and unrelated to the religion of Islam. Very well; then consider:

The head of the moderate Muslim group CAIR Omar Ahmad (which was investigated by Congress and then ignored by Congress), wants to replace the Constitution with the Quran, saying, The Quran  should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on earth. Sirraj Wihhaj, unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 WTC bombings and the original person selected by President Obama to give the prayer before the 2012 DNC, also believes the Constitution should be replaced: "It is my duty and our duty as Muslims to replace the U.S. Constitution with the Quran." A majority of Muslims living in Britain say they want full Sharia law, a separate Muslim police force, and death for anyone who speaks against Mohammed. The same survey revealed a majority percentage also favor terrorist attacks against Britain and the United States. 51 percent of American Muslims also say they want Shariah and the US government to become Islamic. The Netherlands openly advocates placing Shariah -- the desert law which commands death for adulterers, death for gambling, death for leaving the faith (or having no faith), and death for homosexuals -- on the ballot. German courts are already enforcing Shariah when requested, and the impetus for this golden nugget originated in Nuremburg. France has over 751 no-go zones, i.e. areas of land ruled by Islamic law and totally unrecognizable as French. This was verified again after the recent French attacks. The British already have actual Shariah courts in operation all over the United Kingdom. These courts are chaired by a man who thinks amputation for petty crimes is a great idea, something he wants to offer British society.

Americans and Europeans need to stop acting surprised when Muslims behave like Muslims. They are acting according to what the Quran says to do. Its there in plain sight for anyone to read. And its ultimate aim is conquest and complete domination of any other culture but Islam.

Winston Churchill referred to it as a militant and proselytizing faith.

Like the Moors, history is repeating. And not only is history repeating, but it is repeating on a crash timetable, and with the perverse backing of the host countries destined to be remade in the image of Islamic hegemony. Why would any true German, Frenchman or Briton cooperate in their own organized destruction if there were not some goal or elusive purpose to be accomplished by the ever less accountable and more distant governments that make such decisions?

It would only be logical to deduce that French leaders, German leaders and British leaders have determined that there is an acceptable cost to property and lives if the chaos resulting from the indiscriminate welcoming of new migrant hoards can be directed towards an unspoken goal. This is not out of left field. Angela Merkel calling her own people neo-Nazis and turning water cannons on her own citizens is indicative.

Amazingly, this mindset is evident in every recent action to open the borders of Europe and America to their new visitors. Controlled chaos is the desired result. We underestimate the depravity of Western leaders if we think the lives of American and European citizens mean anything more to them than plot points in a narrative, one leading inevitably to the end of national sovereignty.

The old expression, the genie is out of the bottle, comes from Arabic folklore, surrounding the devilish character known as the Jinn who grants wishes in exchange for the soul of the seeker.

Western leaders have let the Jinn out of the bottle, and like Pandoras box, the resulting chaos will not be contained.
Barack Obama's foreign policy  and by extension Hillary Clinton's  received a stinging rebuke this week...from Obama's own intelligence chiefs. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Lieutenant General Vincent Stewart, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, gave Congress an assessment of threats around the globe that amounted to a direct indictment of Obama's failed foreign policies.

Clapper called the dangers currently facing the United States "a litany of doom." He told the Senate Armed Services Committee, "In my fifty-plus years in the intelligence business, I cannot recall a more diverse array of challenges and crises that we confront as we do today."

Where have Obama's policies failed? You might as well put on a blindfold and throw a dart at a map of the world.

On the nuclear accord with Iran, which Obama seems to think is his crowning foreign policy accomplishment, Clapper said that Iran could begin construction of a nuclear weapons program at any time. "Iran probably views the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as a means to remove sanctions while preserving some of its nuclear capabilities, as well as the option to eventually expand its nuclear infrastructure."

And Clapper cast significant doubt on whether the mullahs will try to honor their part of the bargain. "Iran's perception of how the JCPOA helps it achieve its overall strategic goals will dictate the level of its adherence to the agreement over time."

But surely Obama's Iran deal will improve relations with Tehran, right? Not according to his own intelligence director. "Iran's Supreme Leader continues to view the United States as a major threat. We assess that his views will not change."

Clapper warned that Iran is still "the foremost state sponsor of terrorism" and added, "Iran and Hezbollah remain a continuing terrorist threat to US interests and partners worldwide."

On the subject of terrorism, Obama has bragged that al-Qaeda has been decimated during his watch, but according to Clapper, "al-Qa'ida affiliates are positioned to make gains in 2016."

Obama shrugged off ISIS (or ISIL) as a "jayvee team." Hardly, says Clapper.

"ISIL, including its eight established and several more emerging branches, has become the preeminent global terrorist threat. They've attempted or conducted scores of attacks outside of Syria and Iraq in the past 15 months. ISIL's estimated strength worldwide exceeds that of al- Qa'ida. ISIL's leaders are determined to strike the US homeland  beyond inspiring homegrown violent extremist attacks."

If that's the jayvee team, let's call off the varsity game.

Regarding the threat posed by North Korea, even Obama's current secretary of state, John Kerry, has admitted that Obama's  and Clinton's  approach hasn't worked. And Clapper testified this week, "It [North Korea] 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." The testimony came mere days after North Korea successfully launched a satellite into orbit.

Nor has Obama's  and Hillary Clinton's  policy of "leading from behind" worked so well in the Middle East, according to Clapper.

"In Libya, despite the December agreement to form a new 'Government of National Accord,' establishing authority and security across the country will be difficult to put it mildly, with hundreds of militia groups operating throughout the country. ISIL has established one of its most developed branch outside of Syria and Iraq in Libya."

Obama's policies haven't improved things in Afghanistan, either. "Afghanistan is at serious risk of a political breakdown during 2016, occasioned by mounting political, economic, and security challenges. Waning political cohesion, increasingly assertive local powerbrokers, financial shortfalls, and sustained countrywide Taliban attacks are eroding stability."

And then there's Syria.

Obama infamously drew a red line against the Assad regime's use of chemical weapons. (Assad has them, but Saddam didn't?) But, as the Washington Post's David Ignatius told PBS's Frontline documentary series, "at the last minute, the president blinked." As a result, the documentary concluded, "extremist groups, including what would eventually become ISIS, exploited the decision not to attack, gaining a foothold by promising Syrian locals what the U.S. had not: protection from the Assad regime."

Clapper testified this week that Assad has continued to use his chemical weapons, even after supposedly agreeing to give them up. "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" (in October 2013, after Obama drew his red line, and after Syria supposedly handed over its chemical weapons).

The intel chiefs also contradicted Obama's prediction that Russia's intervention in Syria is doomed to fail, with General Stewart declaring, "The Russian reinforcement has changed the calculus completely."

Arkansas senator Tom Cotton asked the two intel chiefs a telling question regarding what seems to be the central tenet of Obama's foreign policy: "Is the Middle East a place that prizes concessions and negotiations or strength and toughness?"

The two intel chiefs looked at each other for a moment before Stewart replied, "I would argue that in almost all these cases, strength is preferred over signs of weakness."

Stewart, perhaps less vulnerable to political winds, later added:

I think that over the last several years there have been some concerns among our partners about our commitment to the region. Our willingness to employ the force where our interests, both national and strategic interest, lies. And I think that has caused just a little bit of concern among our partners about our commitment to the region.

In other words, the Russians have backed up their words with action. Obama has backed up his words with...well, words. And more words.

Obama derided Mitt Romney in the 2012 campaign for calling Russia a geopolitical foe, even as he pleaded for Vladimir Putin to allow him "flexibility." Obama ridiculed Romney's more hard-line stance. "[T]he 1980s, they're now calling to ask for their foreign policy back, because, you know, the Cold War's been over for 20 years."

Yet, after seven years of Obama's "flexibility" with Putin, Obama's intelligence chiefs are warning that the Cold War could be a very 21st-century thing.

"A lot of these aggressive things that the Russians are doing for a number of reasons, Great Power status, to create the image of being co-equal with the United States, etc.  I think could possibly go on," Clapper told the Senate committee this week, "and we could be in another Cold War-like spiral here."

That phone you hear ringing, Mister Obama? It's the American people calling. We want our 1980s president back.
A chef in the United Kingdom was forced to remove the delicacy foie gras from his Valentine's Day menu after death threats from animal activists and vegans.

Time:

The chef at Kings Arms at Fleggburgh opted out of serving the decadent dish during Valentines Day dinner this weekend after being subjected to harassment by activists who threatened to protest the menu, the Guardian reports. Foie gras is traditionally made by force feeding geese until their liver becomes enlarged. Mark Dixon, an award winning chef, posted the Valentines Day menu on Facebook in January. For 50 pounds per person, diners could indulge in a specialty tasting menu that included vodka cured salmon and grilled halibut. Also on the menu, foie gras and chicken liver parfait which drew the ire of activists. Soon after the menu was posted, the restaurant was reportedly bombarded with phone calls, threats, and fake reservations. We have listened to every opinion but when people go as far as ringing our staff, constantly, calling them murderers and death threats we class this as harassment and also inhumane to humans on the vegans behalf, and completely disgusting and unacceptable, reads a Kings Arms Facebook post. To stop this unfair behaviour on our staff we have decided to remove the Foie Gras from the menu and apologise to all of our customers who enjoy our parfait dish.

There are two sides to the debate over the productionn of foie gras, but the bottom line is that it's legal and approved by the FDA. You are perfectly free to protest what some consider cruelty to animals, but why force others to adopt your point of view by preventing them from enjoying the delicacy?

Animal rights activists are the most annoying moralists in the lefty universe. Their arrogance is insufferable, and many of their actions, such as throwing paint on women who wear furs, are unconscionable. Almost all of the meat and meat by products we eat are produced by animals bred for that purpose. There may be ways to make the lives of those animals more bearable until we slaughter them. But it's illogical and extreme to oppose eating them when humans domesticated and bred these animals for our consumption.
Your name is Hillary Clinton. You run for president. Six different dead-locked precincts tossing tie-breaking coins all fall your way. Per Las Vegas odds makers, six consecutive appearances of heads-or-tails is a statistical probability of 1.5%. That's 64-to-1 against, an exceedingly lucky outcome.

For Democrats, there is no hand-wringing, no equivalent "hanging chads" controversy. Unlike Bush/Gore in 2000 in Florida, there are no recounts demanded, no cadre of lawyers dispatched to Iowa, no lawsuits filed. Mrs. Clinton claimed victory before all the results were tallied, ultimately managing a microscopic victory of four delegates. That's people, not percentage points. (Does she know something the rest of us don't?)

In New Hampshire, Bernie Sanders  an avowed Socialist who took his blushing bride to Russia for their honeymoon  gave Madame a real shellacking by 22 percent. A Donald Trump-like primary performance. That translates into 15 delegates for him to her 9. However, despite the Iowa virtual tie and the clear New Hampshire win, it turns out today that Bernie's been burnt. That's because in the all-important delegate count  the convention electors who ultimately select the Democrats' presidential nominee  she leads him going into Clinton-friendly South Carolina 394 to 44.

Nonexistent in the Republican Party for the very good reason that they can easily thwart the voters' intentions, the discrepancy lies in little-understood Democrat super-delegates. These are the "important" people, party insiders like Bill Clinton (no nepotism there). Instituted in 1982  no doubt due in large part to Ronald Reagan's landslide 1980 victory over unpopular incumbent Jimmy Carter  super-delegates are designed to prevent brokered conventions and their result: weak or insurgent candidates. They make up 712, a whopping 30% of the 2,382 delegates needed to secure the Democratic nomination.

Importantly, unlike with Republicans, the Democrats' modern election "process" is ironically autocratic, not democratic. Super-delegates may ensure a unified decision-making process, but it is top-down and based upon the party's stamp of approval rather than a generalized expression of whom the voters want. In this way, a top-down process is antithetical to the traditional bottom-up process the Founding Fathers intended: common people choosing informed electors who in turn choose the nominee.

But it's worse than that. Super-delegates beholden to no one  save the party itself  make this nominating process inherently corrupt, based upon backroom dealing completely removed from the American people's influence. Case and point is New Hampshire. With two uncommitted, six of the eight super-delegates support Hillary. That evens the scale in the contest to a tie of 15 apiece. Indeed, months before a single vote was cast, Hillary started the race with 15% of the total she needs.

Simply put, Hillary wins even though she loses. Super-delegates prove that the fix is in; the creeping Clinton coronation is actually in full swing. Likewise, the MSM-moderated debates are a complete sham  extended political commercials peppered with softball questions. In the final analysis, how is this at all different from Russia when Vladimir Putin is the only name on the ballot?

Apparently untroubled, debate handshaking Bernie comfortably plays his role in this "Democratic" farce that guarantees Hillary the nomination.

David L. Hunter is on Twitter and blogs at davidlhunter.blogspot.com. He has previously been published in multiple in The Washington Post, The Washington Times, and FrontPage Mag, and extensively in Canada Free Press and American Thinker.
Gone are the days when under Barack Obama the Democrats pretended to end the role of big money in politics. Now that Bernie Sanders is raising more money than Hillary Clinton, her puppets at the Democratic National Committee are scared. And the prospect of running against a Republican with ample financial resources at his command  either his own money or that of an energized base (or both!)  is just as scary.

So, as Tom Hamburger and Paul Kane of the Washington Post tell us:

The Democratic National Committee has rolled back restrictions introduced by presidential candidate Barack Obama in 2008 that banned donations from federal lobbyists and political action committees.

You can tell this is the work of Hillarys people, probably including Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the DNC chair, because:

The only portion of the old rules now remaining in place is that lobbyists and PAC representatives will still not be able to attend events that feature Obama, Vice President Biden or their spouses, according to Mark Paustenbach, deputy communications director for the DNC.

Thats right: no pictures incriminating the Obama legacy. Other than that, get out the checkbooks.

Of course, Hillarys campaign has already been working around the old guidelines, and funneling the supposedly banned money to the party. Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, has set up a joint fundraising committee with the DNC called the Hillary Victory Fund, which raised $26.9 million through the end of 2015. Sanders has set up a similar joint fundraising committee but Federal Election Commission records show it has not been active, raising a total of just $1,000. The new Clinton Fund collects money from large donors that is then distributed between Clintons campaign and 33 state Democratic Party committees. In recent months, a Clinton solicitation asked supporters to give up to $366,100 to the fund. Her campaign then received $2,700 of the total for the primary period, while the rest went to the DNC and 33 state party committees. Federal Election Commission records show that through the end of the year, 56 donors had written checks of $100,000 or more to the Hillary Victory Fund. Most of the contributions came from individuals, but a handful came from corporations or labor unions. Reformers complain that the new rules have already changed Washington ethics. They provide opportunities for influence-buying by Washington lobbyists with six-figure contributions to the Hillary Victory Fund, said [Fred] Wertheimer, suggesting that lobbyists could also face political extortion from those raising the money.

Of course they do. Just like donations to the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation could be used to shake down favor-seekers to write the checks that keep the Clintons from the indignity of flying commercial and fund their private political staff.

The rationales offered for this change are hilarious, if you are a connoisseur of doubletalk. White House spokesman Eric Schultz offered this gobbledygook:

The guidelines that were previously in place at the DNC were guidelines that were instituted when Barack Obama, then Senator Obama, became the Democratic nominee for president of the United States, Schultz said. Those were guidelines that were modeled after his campaign for the presidency. He added: Were now at the point where the fundraising for the DNC is going toward candidates who are on the ballot in 2016. Those candidates will have to make choices about the resources they are using.

Well, the two leading vote-getters, Trump and Sanders, have made their decisions and are not accepting funds like these. And voters do seem to think they may have a point.

But hey, it is panic time in Hillaryland.

Hat tip: Ed Lasky
A report in The Daily Signal exposed Obamacare's Medicaid expansion as an invitation to fraud and abuse, as millions of possibly ineligible residents have enrolled.

Now Congress is interested in investigating the fraud, as hundreds of millions of dollars may be handed out to millionaires, illegal aliens, and others.

This is what happens. You open the door. You dont do your verification. You dont know who is coming into the program, and yes, youre going to see a program like this balloon and get out of control quickly, Blackburn said when asked if Congress should investigate the findings. Is it an issue? Yes. It was an issue for TennCare, it will be an issue for Obamacare. Similarly, Darin Miller, spokesman for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told The Daily Signal the congressman would be open to investigating the [Medicaid] expansions that allow this sort of thing to happen. This is just another reason why Obamacare needs to be repealed, he said. On Tuesday, The Daily Signal reported that under the Affordable Care Act, Americans who have significant sums of money in assetsin some cases up to $5 millionbut low monthly incomes can qualify for and enroll in Medicaid. Obamacare, as it was written and passed by Congress, did away with an asset test previously used in traditional Medicaid, and the new system allows asset-rich Americans to enroll in government-sponsored health insurance so long as their monthly incomes are low enough. The trend is particularly prevalent in the 31 states and the District of Columbia that expanded Medicaid, as eligibility requirements were loosened to include individuals who make below 138 percent of the federal poverty line, or roughly $16,000 annually.

How bad is it? The state of Illinois hired an independent auditor in 2014 to examine its Medicaid rolls. What the auditor found was astonishing:

In January, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, or HFS, began a new project verifying eligibility for Illinois 2.7 million Medicaid enrollees. For years, state workers had failed to take adequate steps to ensure the people receiving Medicaid benefits were actually eligible for the program. As an Auditor General report noted, state workers failed to verify basic eligibility criteria, such as income, residency and citizenship status. Worse yet, some of the annual eligibility checks had been delayed for more than five years. So state lawmakers pushed HFS to hire an independent vendor who specializes in this kind of work to review Medicaid eligibility. Since January, the independent vendor has reviewed nearly 419,000 case files of individuals currently enrolled in Medicaid. Of those, the vendor identified more than 210,000 that were ineligible for benefits, which amounts to more than 50 percent of all cases reviewed so far. Another 47,000 cases reviewed so far this year were eligible for some benefits, but enrolled in the wrong program. For example, some individuals enrolled in Medicaid may only qualify for programs with greater cost-sharing. Overall, the review has yielded an eligibility error rate of more than 61 percent.

And it's not just ineligible enrollees who are wasting Medicaid money. The Government Accountability Office found that a whopping $14 billion had been improperly paid to so called "managed care organizations."

Specifically, the wrong payments made were for treatments or services not covered, not necessary, or billed for but never provided, GAO found. States that expand Medicaid programs under Obamacare will receive a 100 percent reimbursement from the federal government for MCOs for the next two years, the report said. Given that state and federal governments have recovered "only a small portion" of the wrongly paid money, unless they ramp up their oversight of MCOs, even more Medicare dollars will be "vulnerable to improper payments," GAO said.

For two years, the Obama administration has been touting its Medicaid expansion program as a huge success. But at what price? If the government is not going to properly vet potential enrollees or oversee payments to organizations, massive fraud, abuse, and incompetence will bury the already dysfunctional program.
Last month, National Review released its Trump issue, or rather its anti-Trump issue. RedState has been running nonstop anti-Trump coverage, to the satisfaction of its readership. Undoubtedly, Trump inspires great animosity; statistically, he is one of the most disliked politicians. However, Trump also inspires great affection among a subset of voters, and it isn't the voters that you might think.

Noticeably absent from Trump's New Hampshire victory speech were culture war staples like abortion and gay marriage. Nor were tax cuts or other fiscal conservative red meat being served up. Instead, Trump harped on trade, border security, and jobs. As S.E. Cupp pointed out, the typical Trump supporter is not a GOP hardliner, but what could more accurately be called a Reagan Democrat.

As Emily Elkins described it, [p]olling data reveal that Trump supporters are more likely to be male, white, older, with less education but they are not more likely to be right-wing.

These are older, blue-collar white voters, who have become disaffected from the present-day Democratic party; in fact, many of them are still registered Democrats (a group Trump does particularly well among).

This is also not a group that the Republican party can safely ignore. They have voted Democratic in the past and could easily return to that party in the future. Blue-collar white voters are also prominent in the key swing states that the Republicans need in order to win the White House (Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania). The Republican Party should make a serious effort to figure out what issues are important to these voters and how it can appeal to them.

Immigration is a sensitive and complex issue, and it is one that the Republican party needs to take seriously. Trump's message is resonating for a reason. There are solid economic, cultural, and political reasons to support a reduction in immigration, both legal and illegal. Further, when voters look at what is happening in Europe, they say, No, thank you.

Trump is not a one-issue candidate; voters are being drawn to his populist message on trade and jobs. It isn't a coincidence that Trump does best in economically depressed rust-belt states and more poorly in areas with higher rates of economic growth. At the moment, Trump is luring these voters with the promise that he will bring our jobs back from "China, and Japan, and Vietnam."

Trump's success is partially the result of walking through an open door. Blue-collar white Democrats are understandably frustrated that the Democratic Party has become so minority-focused, and they are shopping for a candidate who is talking about issues of concern to them.

RedState took a break from bashing Trump in order to bash John Kasich for expanding Medicaid. Kasich is a moderate Republican who is comfortable with the existence of a social safety net. Apparently, for the libertarian purists at RedState, this makes him an evil RINO traitor. Meanwhile, Trump is telling disaffected voters how he is going to improve their lives. Is it any wonder that Trump's brand is selling among less ideological voters?
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will soon hold an auction for broadcast airwaves available for wireless carriers to bid on. These Airwaves can substantially improve wireless coverage for whoever ends up winning the auction. According to some industry forecasters, it was highly expected for Google to participate in the auction. Unfortunately, those speculations are incorrect since a spokeswoman for Google came out Friday declaring that Alphabets Google will not be a part of the auction. Industry forecasters expected the search giant to join the auction due to the launch of a wireless service the company launched last year.

The service Google launched last year switches between wifi and an actual cellular network hosted on Sprint and T-Mobiles networks. Since Alphabet has no intentions on joining the auction to bid on broadcast spectrum, they will be following the auction closely to see who wins. The last time the search giant participated in an FCC auction was in 2008 but the company didnt purchase any airwaves. In this years auction, the FCC has 600 megahertz of broadcast airwaves that they plan on auctioning off. These airwaves are special in their own way due to the fact that they can travel for extremely long distances and even go through the walls of buildings. Whoever ends up with the winning bid on these broadcast airwaves will seriously improve their coverage since they offer a more wider reach than normal.

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Although Google will not take part in this auction for spectrum airwaves, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Comcast will. As the spokeswoman for Google said, the search giant will closely follow the auction. The reason behind this is probably because of T-Mobile whose network they use for their wireless service. If T-Mobile were to win the auction, Googles wireless coverage would greatly become increased due to the 600 megahertz. Even if T-Mobile doesnt win the auction, Google might be paying close attention to the other carriers in hopes to work a deal with them. The FCCs official deadline for the auction ended Wednesday, so any company that wished to join will have to wait the next time the FCC holds another auction. March 29th will be the day the auction is held and hopefully by then we will know who the owner of those 600 megahertz of spectrum belong too.
For those who develop apps for Android, the process can quite often be a difficult one. Putting the app together is only one aspect of the story. You then have to go through the various testing which needs to be done and worry about the likes of device compatibility, bugs, tweaks, Play Store listings, descriptions, screenshots, it goes on. This is partly why a number of the bigger players like Facebook and Twitter often release tools which are designed to make the app development process a little easier and beneficial for everyone. Not to mention, better for them when more developers are using their tools.

In Twitters case, today has seen the launch of a new tool dubbed Screengrab. As the name suggests, this is a tool which can be used to take screenshots. While this might sound like a simple tool, in development, it can often be the simple aspects which are the most time-consuming and screenshots are often like that. Taking screenshots to add to the Play Store and promote an app can be tedious, with each screenshot needing to represent the vital points, be aligned properly, in order and so on. This is where Screengrab comes in as the tool automatically takes screenshots and then localizes them for use when needed. Not to mention, Screengrab has the added benefit of ensuring all screenshots are already in a logical order. This is all done effortlessly thanks to Screengrab automatically generating the screenshots from the command line. Another additional benefit of Screengrabs automated nature is that it does not require select members of the development team to generate screenshots. Once the application is in place, anyone part of the development team will have an easy way to generate screenshots.

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The announcement came via the companys Fabric blog and has been released as part of the Fastlane developer toolkit and therefore, will work seamlessly with Fastlane. Those who developer for iOS will liekly already be familiar with a similar Fastlane tool, Snapshot. However, as that was specifically for iOS, it seems the new Screengrab is the alternate and dedicated Android development equivalent. Screengrab has been released as an open source tool and is now available through GitHub. You can check out an example of how Screengrab looks and works in the image below or head through the link to head over to the GitHub listing.
(ANSA) - Rome, February 12 - The Sovereign Order of Malta, a lay religious order of the Catholic church, announced Friday that it has launched a new humanitarian mission to assist and rescue refugees in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey.

Since December 15, its Italian Relief Corps (CISOM) has already rescued 529 people, including 59 children, in the Aegean search and rescue operation.

The Order said the mission is "operative 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with medical teams composed of doctors and nurses".

The operation is taking place aboard a responder vessel of the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS), a Malta-based NGO dedicated to rescuing refugees and migrants at sea, the majority of whom come from Syria. That vessel carries two rescue boats named Aylan and Galip Kurdi, in memory of the two Syrian brothers aged 3 and 5 whose bodies washed up on the shores of a Turkish beach last September in their attempt to reach European shores with their family.

In light of the new Aegean operation, the Order of Malta also announced a new campaign called "And Free Them From the Sea" to raise public awareness of the plight of migrant men, women, and children at sea, as well as to raise funds for the CISOM rescue mission.

Since 2008, CISOM has provided timely and efficient medical assistance at sea in the Strait of Sicily aboard vessels of the Italian Coast Guard, Finance Police and Navy.

In those seven years, the doctors and nurses of the medical teams have developed specific abilities in healthcare assistance at sea, becoming specialists in the field.

This has allowed CISOM to assist more than 42,000 migrants in the Mediterranean Sea and the Aegean Sea.

CISOM Director Mauro Casinghini said his organisation hopes the new patrols announced by NATO to fight human trafficking in the Aegean "will work, and will reduce the arrival, but above all the deaths, in the Aegean".

Casinghini spoke on Friday about the new CISOM mission to members of the press gathered at the Rome Foreign Press Association for a presentation titled "The Endless Massacre of Migrants in the Aegean".

He was hopeful regarding the agreement to cease hostilities in Syria within a week, reached late Thursday in a meeting between world leaders in Munich.

"We've seen the images of a Syria devastated by bombings, and we hold in our eyes the images of the desperation of Syrians who come to Europe because of war," Casinghini said.

"We hope that (the agreement) is real and that it will allow Syrians to be able to remain in Syria".

Meanwhile, the Grand Priory of the Order of Malta has assisted more than 150,000 people in poverty in its work across Rome and throughout the regions of Lazio, Tuscany, Umbria and the Marche.

The Order provides medical assistance as well as overnight shelter to those in need.

Priory volunteers, together with specialised teams of psychiatrists and psychotherapists, also served around 170,000 hot meals in 2014.

Grand Prior of Rome Giacomo Dalla Torre said volunteering "isn't doing things in your free time, but donating real time to those in need".

"We don't ask those who knock on our door where they come from or what faith they profess. For us they are all brothers and sisters," Dalla Torre said.

Volunteers have cumulatively assisted 10,000 elderly, performed more than 1,000 social service interventions, 2,500 works of charity and 350 medical exams.

They have also distributed nearly two million kilograms of food, and allocated 350,000 euros in donations to those in need.


Air Force Reserve Command crowns public affairs champ

The commander of the Air Reserve Personnel Center, Brig. Gen. Samuel Bo Mahaney, was presented the Air Force Reserve Command Public Affairs Champion Award by Maj. Gen. Michael Kim, mobilization assistant to the AFRC commander at the AFRC PA Leadership Symposium in Marietta, Ga., Feb. 9.



The AFRC PA Champion award recognizes commanders who provide exceptional leadership and support to their public affairs office and the career field as a whole. The competition was open to all AFRC. Nominations were submitted by their respective PA Office and judged by leadership at the command level.



During his acceptance speech Mahaney thanked the audience of more than 140 Reserve PA professionals from around the command. When one gets an award from outside one's career field, it's a big deal. I have always said that my two most trusted advisors, as a commander, are my PA and my judge advocate.



As commander of ARPC, Mahaney is responsible for personnel support to nearly 1 million Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and retired members, ensuring they are ready to deliver strategic Total Force war fighting capability for the Air Force. From initial entry to retirement, the center provides world-class support for "Generations of Airmen" throughout their military careers.



In addition, Headquarters Individual Reservist Readiness and Integration Organization reports directly to Mahaney. Headquarters RIO is responsible for the readiness, accountability, personnel and administrative servicing of more than 8,500 Individual Reservists worldwide. The center is a major command direct reporting unit of Air Force.



I believe that units with a great relationship between PA and CC are the strongest in the Air Force...why? Communication! Communication is the key. And without a strong PA, chances are that effective communication will not take place, Mahaney said.



While the general was eager to point out that PA professionals provide critical guidance during strategic and change management planning, the general shared that he finds working with PA on internal messaging the most enjoyable.



Ive worked with ARPC PA to present a vision, complete with strategic goals and objectives, and my tenets of leadership. We have had loads of fun creating both serious and humorous videos, emails, voice messages, strategic documents, snapshots, Commanders Calls, Porch calls, road shows, etc., said Mahaney.



My favorite part of each week is the time I get to meet with PA. When I see that meeting on my schedule I get excited. My expectations sky rocket! I know that when that meeting is over something will have been created: an idea, a concept, a storyboard, an outreach plan. I love to innovate, create, and envision a future that works. That's my common ground with PA.



Mahaney went on to praise individual public affairs people and units reflecting what effect they have had on his work as a commander.



Public Affairs professionals think in a way that awakens that part of me. You facilitate mission accomplishment at a different level and in a way that brings human experience and perception into the mix.



I have a great deal of respect for the PA career field. Because of PA I have built wonderful relationships with members of the community. I get to introduce amazing celebrities like former Colorado Rockies pitcher Jason Hirsh and the Big Bang Theory actress Kaley Cuoco to the Air Force Reserve, he said, smiling. Because of PA, I have jumped from a perfectly good aircraft with the Canadian Parachute team. Because of PA, I have been on stage with Brad Paisley in concert. Because of PA I have built relationships with organizations like the USO and Sweethearts for Soldiers. And all the while we tell the stories of our amazing Citizen Airmen.



The general wrapped up his speech commenting on what the award meant to him personally. I do this as a labor of love, because you all have done so much for me especially those whom I have served as their commander. As I look out on this crowd, I see many that I have served with. I just want to say thanks to those people and to you all. When I was notified I had been selected for this award, I jumped at the opportunity to come before you all. Not to accept the award for myself, but as an opportunity to tell you all what you mean to me and what you mean to the Air Force. May God bless you all as you continue to move our Air Force into the future! Thank you very much.
During his meetings with Mexican authorities and bishops, Francis paid tribute to la Morenita. Drug trafficking represents "a moral and anti-social challenge for Mexican society as a whole, including the Church. Pastors should "show a singular tenderness for "indigenous peoples and their fascinating but not infrequently decimated cultures. The pontiff calls for communion with the North American episcopate to help migrants keep alive the roots of the faith [. . .], as well as the motivation for their hope and the power of their charity.

Mexico City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis delivered the first major addresses of his visit to Mexico on Saturday, to the nations civil authorities and the diplomatic corps as well as the countrys bishops.

After arriving last night at 8 pm (local time), he made his way amid enthusiastic crowds, until the Nunciature in Mexico City, where he spent the night.

This morning, he travelled to the Palacio National (National Palace) for the welcome ceremony, where he met Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, Mexican dignitaries, civil society representatives, and the diplomatic corps.

He centred his speeches on the common good, the common good which in this twenty-first century is not in such great demand, without any kind of privilege that leads to corruption, violence and drug trafficking, which represents "a moral and anti-social challenge" for Mexican society as a whole as well as the Church, which is called to bear witness to seeing Jesus.

In the meetings with civic and other dignitaries as well as Mexican bishops, the pontiff also focused on Latin Americas patron saint, la Morenita, as the Virgin of Guadalupe is affectionately called. For Francis, Only by looking at la Morenita can Mexico be understood in its entirety.

Today, he said in his first address in the National Palace, I come as a missionary of mercy and of peace but also as a son who wishes to pay homage to his mother, the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe, and place himself under her watchful care. Endeavouring to be a good son, following in our mothers footsteps, I wish in turn to pay my respects to this people and to this land which is so rich in culture, history, and diversity.

Seeking privilege leads to corruption

Mexico is a great country. It is blessed with abundant natural resources and with an enormous biodiversity that extends across its vast territory. [. . .] I believe and I dare to say that Mexicos principal richness today has a young face; yes, this richness is your young people. Just over half of the population is made up of youth. This makes it possible to contemplate and plan for a future, for a tomorrow. This offers hope and future prospects. A people with a youthful population is a people able to renew and transform itself; it is an invitation to look to the future with hope and, in turn, it challenges us in a positive way here and now.

This reality inevitably leads us to think about ones own responsibilities when it comes to constructing the kind of Mexico we want, the Mexico that we want to pass on to coming generations.

It also leads us to the realization that a hope-filled future is forged in a present made up of men and women who are upright, honest, and capable of working for the common good, the common good which in this twenty-first century is not in such great demand. Experience teaches us that each time we seek the path of privileges or benefits for a few to the detriment of the good of all, sooner or later the life of society becomes a fertile soil for corruption, drug trade, exclusion of different cultures, violence and also human trafficking, kidnapping and death, bringing suffering and slowing down development.

Faced with such reality, the pope warned that Leaders of social, cultural and political life have the particular duty to offer all citizens the opportunity to be worthy contributors of their own future, within their families and in all areas where human social interaction takes place. In this way they help citizens to have real access to the material and spiritual goods which are indispensable: adequate housing, dignified employment, food, true justice, effective security, a healthy and peaceful environment.

This is not just a question of laws which need to be updated and improved  something always necessary  but rather a need for urgent formation of the personal responsibility of each individual, with full respect for others as men and women jointly responsible in promoting the advancement of the nation. It is a task which involves all Mexicans in different spheres, public or private, collective or individual.

The Virgin of Guadalupe was also at the centre of the long speech Francis delivered before the bishops of Mexico in the cathedral, where he arrived in the popemobile among almost one hundred thousand people in Mexico Citys Plaza de la Constitucion (Constitution Square).

I am pleased to have this opportunity of meeting you the day after my arrival here in this beloved country, he said. How could I not come! Could the Successor of Peter, called from the far south of Latin America, deprive himself of seeing la Virgen Morenita? [. . .] Please allow la Guadalupana to be the starting point of everything I will say to you. [. . .]

Above all, la Virgen Morenita teaches us that the only power capable of conquering the hearts of men and women is the tenderness of God. That which delights and attracts, that which humbles and overcomes, that which opens and unleashes, is not the power of instruments or the force of law, but rather the omnipotent weakness of divine love, which is the irresistible force of its gentleness and the irrevocable pledge of its mercy. [. . .]

Bow down then, quietly and respectfully, towards the profound spirit of your people, go down with care and decipher its mysterious face. The present, so often mixed with dispersion and festivity, is it not for God a preparatory stage, for him who alone is fully present? Familiarity with pain and death, are they not forms of courage and pathways to hope? And the view that the world is always and uniquely in need of redemption, is this not an antidote to the proud self-sufficiency of those who think they can do without God?

Naturally, for this reason it is necessary to have an outlook capable of reflecting the tenderness of God. I ask you, therefore, to be bishops who have a pure vision, a transparent soul, and a joyful face. Do not fear transparency. The Church does not need darkness to carry out her work. Be vigilant so that your vision will not be darkened by the gloomy mist of worldliness; do not allow yourselves to be corrupted by trivial materialism or by the seductive illusion of underhanded agreements; do not place your faith in the chariots and horses of todays Pharaohs, for our strength is in the pillar of fire which divides the sea in two, without much fanfare (cf. Ex 14:24-25).

Many young people "commercialize" death in exchange for money

In a world that is today dominated by a view of life which more than ever many consider to be hesitant, itinerant and lawless because it lacks a firm foundation. [. . .] It is in this very world that God asks you to have a view capable of grasping that plea which cries out from the heart of your people. [. . .]

If our vision does not witness to having seen Jesus, then the words with which we recall him will be rhetorical and empty figures of speech. They may perhaps express the nostalgia of those who cannot forget the Lord, but who have become, at any rate, mere babbling orphans beside a tomb. Finally, they may be words that are incapable of preventing this world of ours from being abandoned and reduced to its own desperate power.

As he did in his speech at the presidential palace, the pope expressed concern for young people. I am particularly concerned about those many persons who, seduced by the empty power of the world, praise illusions and embrace their macabre symbols to commercialize death in exchange for money which, in the end, moth and rust consume and thieves break in and steal (Mt 6:19). I urge you not to underestimate the moral and antisocial challenge which the drug trade represents for Mexican society as a whole, as well as for the Church.

The magnitude of this phenomenon, the complexity of its causes, its immensity and its scope which devours like a metastasis, and the gravity of the violence which divides with its distorted expressions, do not allow us as Pastors of the Church to hide behind anodyne denunciations. Rather they demand of us a prophetic courage as well as a reliable and qualified pastoral plan, so that we can gradually help build that fragile network of human relationships without which all of us would be defeated from the outset in the face of such an insidious threat.

Only by starting with families, by drawing close and embracing the fringes of human existence in the ravaged areas of our cities and by seeking the involvement of parish communities, schools, community institutions, political communities and institutions responsible for security, will people finally escape the raging waters that drown so many, either victims of the drug trade or those who stand before God with their hands drenched in blood, though with pockets filled with sordid money and their consciences deadened.

The pope also touched two other particularly sensitive issues in the nations life. I ask you to show singular tenderness in the way you regard indigenous peoples and their fascinating but not infrequently decimated cultures. [. . .]

Allow me a final word to convey the appreciation of the Pope for everything you are doing to confront the challenge of our age: migration. There are millions of sons and daughters of the Church who today live in the diaspora or who are in transit, journeying to the north in search of new opportunities. Many of them have left behind their roots in order to brave the future, even in clandestine conditions which involve so many risks; they do this to seek the green light which they regard as hope. So many families are separated; and integration into a supposedly promised land is not always as easy as some believe.

Brothers, may your hearts be capable of following these men and women and reaching them beyond the borders. Strengthen the communion with your brothers of the North American episcopate, so that the maternal presence of the Church can keep alive the roots of the faith of these men and women, as well as the motivation for their hope and the power of their charity.
The first meeting in centuries between the Pope and the Patriarch of Moscow took place in a relaxed and fraternal atmosphere. Two hours of private talks were followed by the signing of a Joint Declaration. As he thanked Raul Castro, the pope said, "If things continue like this, Cuba will be the capital of unity." Both leaders are committed to defending Christians around the world and support "the foundations of morality, the family and the person".

Havana (AsiaNews)  Finally! is the first thing Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill said to each other when they met and hugged in a VIP room at Havana Airport.

Across centuries of excommunications, theological differences and mutual acrimony, the first meeting ever between a Roman Pontiff and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church took place in a plain secular room. The only touch of colour came from the green flag of the Moscow Patriarchate, and the white and yellow flag of the Vatican.

In a relaxed and fraternal atmosphere, the two leaders sat down and started talking. Kirill stressed the "long way" it took for them to meet, adding right away that it was all the work of the Holy Trinity." Both said they had wanted and "waited so long for this meeting".

The patriarch mentioned the difficulties of "the past ten years", which "have not gone away," i.e. charges of proselytising and the problem of the Greek Catholic Church. Nevertheless, "Today we have the opportunity of filling our hearts."

For his, Pope Francis said, "We are brothers. We have everything in common. The Lord sent us to Cuba to unite ourselves further."

In fact, the Cuba meeting has something quite providential. Kirill is on the island nation on a pastoral visit to the local Orthodox community. Francis plane made a technical stop in Havana ahead of his 11th apostolic trip outside of Italy.

Walking together, pope and patriarch met in private for nearly two hours. Afterwards, they went back to the VIP room and sat at a table where they signed two copies of the Joint Declaration, which they then proceeded to exchange followed by another hug. Behind them stood a large icon of the Virgin Mary, a Hodegetria (literally: "She who shows the Way").

In the presence of the two delegations as well as Cuban President Raul Castro, Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis spoke briefly without a written text, in a very relaxed manner.

Kirill, who spoke first, said that the meeting "gave us the opportunity to understand and hear the position of each other."

"The result of the conversation, he noted, is that our Churches can actively work together and with full responsibility defend Christians around the world as well as ensure no more war and respect for human life everywhere, so that the foundations of morality, the family, and the person can be reinforced, and the holy name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit can be glorified through the participation of the Christian community in the human community."

In his address, Francis also insisted on the brotherly spirit of the meeting. "We spoke like brothers. We have the same baptism. We are bishops. We spoke about our Churches.

The pontiff went on to say that unity is built as we move along. We spoke clearly, without mincing our words. I confess I felt the consolation of the Spirit in our talk," he explained.

The pope thanked Patriarch Kirill for "his brotherly humility and strong desire for unity," and mentioned a number of feasible initiatives [. . .] that can be implemented."

In his final thoughts, the pontiff turned to President Castro, whom he thanked "for his active readiness," noting that "If things continue like this, Cuba will be the capital of unity." On the island in fact, relations between Orthodox and Catholics are good.

Like Kirill, Francis also ended his address with a doxology. "May all this be for the glory of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and for the good of the people of God under the mantle of the Holy Mother of God."

Lastly, the two delegations were introduced, gifts were exchanged and the two leaders held a final private moment together. After that, Pope Francis walked back to his plane for the final leg of his trip to Mexico City.
King Faisal University raises the alarm. Groundwater will be used up in just over a decade, leaving the country high and dry. Gulf States have the largest per capita gap between renewable water supply and demand. Aquifer depletion is already visible.

Riyadh (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Groundwater in the Kingdom will run out over the next 13 years, leaving the country high and dry, this according to a water expert at King Faisal University, a public university whose main campus is in the city of Hofuf in the Eastern Province (ash-Sharqiyyah).

Mohammed Al-Ghamdi, a faculty member at KFU, made the comments in the wake of a sobering report issued by the World Bank on global natural water scarcity, particularly in Gulf countries that have some of the highest rate of water consumption per capita in the world.

Groundwater refers to the water found beneath Earth's surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. In some cases, it is renewable; in many, it can be located across national borders, thus lead to tensions between ethnic groups and nations.

Gulf Co-operation Countries are seeing the largest gaps between renewable water supply and demand, where Bahrain used 220 per cent of its renewable water reserves versus 943 per cent in the Kingdom and 2,465 per cent in Kuwait.

Official estimates have been disclosed showing an acute drop in water levels in agricultural areas, and that indicates the seriousness of the situation, Al-Ghamdi said. This is a dangerous situation for all future crops that depend on these aquifers.

Al-Ghamdi explained that the Kingdom mainly relies on two sources of water: groundwater and water from desalination plants that remove salt from seawater in an extremely energy intensive procedure.

The Kingdom lacks rivers and lakes so that groundwater represents about 98 per cent of total water sources.

Al-Ghamdi explained that this type of water is being depleted because of unstudied agricultural expansions in wheat, barley and forage crops that use large amounts of water.

He also noted that other crops also contribute to increased groundwater depletion, such as palm plantations, olives and fruits.

The agricultural sector is the most consuming of water in addition to the industrial sector and human consumption. Agricultural consumption is estimated around 95 per cent and 5 per cent for industrial and human consumption, he noted.

Al-Ghamdi said that the only choice available right now is renewing groundwater to increase natural water supplies. However, on the long run, some of the potential consequences of overused aquifers are starvation, war and death.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

The leaders of two hieratic religious traditions hugged in a bare "Soviet" atmosphere, sterilised from the presence of people, but with dignitaries, politicians and journalists. The Joint Declaration contains important points, and sets the stage for missionary work for the coming centuries. Putin overshadows the Syrian issue. Kirill wins over Uniatism and Ukraine. However, the real world will be the test of the agreement.

Moscow (AsiaNews)  The sudden but not unexpected meeting between the Roman pontiff and the Patriarch of Moscow yesterday in Havana has opened a window on the future, but it has also opened the attic of the past.

After a quarter-century since the end of the Soviet Union  which also led to the demise of Soviet studies as an academic and journalistic specialty  the whole world brushed up their Russian history and its inter-confessional relations, which had been neglected by the withering away of the ecumenical movement in the 21st century.

Starting with the early councils of the first millennium, commentators struggled to remember schisms, insults and biases, as well as persecutions, secret negotiations, revolutions and revivals, to explain the historic significance of a meeting that all the world "waited for centuries," perhaps not really knowing what it was for.

Now the big event has taken place, and everyone claims  starting with the white-coiffed patriarchs  that they feel calmer and more confident. Although no one knows yet why, some will find a reason; after all, a 30-point declaration was signed, which is to start work that might last at least three centuries.

In fact, to say that the meeting took place is a highly charged statement, almost surreal. Havanas airport, which is named after Cuban poet and philosopher Jose Marti, founder of the Cuban Revolutionary Party and author of the lyrics of the famous Guantanamera, served as a colourful backdrop with its typical red and blue, as well as contrast for a meeting between the highest representatives of the worlds hieratic ritualism, the two "traditional churches," on the island of transgression.

The paradoxical atmosphere was also accentuated by the absolute sterilisation of the area from the presence of ordinary people, a Cuba without Cubans, an airport without passengers: only politicians, prelates and journalists, a set where reality was suspended. Rather than stopover in a Caribbean tourist paradise, it was a step outside of time and space, an act of history stepping into the eternal paradise of the afterlife.

If the outside was a non-place, an empty space, the set inside was the opposite in its unmistakable matter-of-factness. Like many buildings in Russia and its former satellites countries, the outside paint could not hide the sense of anguish generated by a cramped interior, the architectural and existential hallmark of real socialism.

The small meeting room where the two Church Fathers came together kept its proportions, colours and of course the smell of the so-called Khrusciovke, the post-war Soviet buildings that optimised socialist space, with its three-metre and under ceilings and its inferior, almost see-through materials, that allow everyone to hear their neighbours' sighs and denied everyone some privacy.

When the room divider opened up to let the two main protagonists solemnly enter the other half of the room where bystanders were waiting in two neat rows, for a moment, there was a flashback to the good old days of the Cold War when Red Army green uniforms escorted unwelcome guests.

In fact, a great veteran of those tragic times, Raul Castro, escorted the two Holinesses. Once a persecutor of Christians and dissidents, today he is a bit of Francis groupie, not to mention an agent for Putin and Kirill. Although he was the host, Castro looked more like the butler of the Russian Patriarch, to whom the island had been temporarily rented out. The headmaster of Orthodox diplomacy positioned the two in such a way that it was Francis, the South American primate, who went towards Kirill, who was waiting for him at his home, as if Havana was his summer house, a dacha by the Black Sea, Bermuda-style.

However, without wishing to dwell too much on the uniquely "minimalist" circumstances, as some charitable commentator defined them, we can finally put the substance behind us. They met, they smiled, they hugged, and they acknowledged each other. Somos hermanos, Francis said. Now everything will be easier, Kirill said.

If with other Eastern patriarchs, starting with that of Constantinople, interaction is always very formal and solemn, everything takes on a simpler and more informal tone between Russians and Catholics, despite paradoxes and mistrust. Those two, the first and third Rome, deal the cards to others. They are the only two to cover their heads in white, a universal sign that Moscow copied from Rome when it imposed its Patriarchate to save the world, in the distant past.

The deck of cards is well stacked, with aces and wildcards. The pope and the patriarch signed an ambitious deal on the rickety table provided by the Castro brothers. The document goes beyond the defence of Christians in the Middle East, which was the original reason for the meeting but was eventually pushed into the background by their impromptu statements.

The 30-point Joint Declaration calls for the defence of persecuted communities, but also for the defence of human civilisation from terrorism  which requires coordinated actions by the powers that be (Putin's mantra in Syria)  as well as the protection of human nature from attacks against the family and life, with the frankness that Patriarch Kirill has always had and always called for in other Christian leaders, but which Francis had soft-pedalled a bit.

The declaration includes issues dear to Kirill, like the integration of peoples and migrants without multiculturalism and the defence of the Christian identity of European nations. However, it also talks about justice, the option for the poor mentioned by Francis, without references to the protection of creation, a theme the pope shares with Bartholomew of Constantinople, but not Kirill, who sees ecology with suspicion, as an excuse to introduce anti-Christian reforms.

With respect to the conflict in Ukraine, Uniatism continues to be strongly condemned, and is treated by the Russians as condition for any kind of dialogue. Ukrainian Christians are urged to stop arguing, and accusations of external interference are excluded.

Some ecumenical-theological points are made, but mostly from a Russian perspective, namely correctly expressing the Trinitarian faith, and the Bizantinisms of the Filioque but there is no mention of the various interpretations of the Primacy of the Church, which the latter has been trying to add to the agenda of theological dialogue, but which the Russians reject out of hand.

Now what? How will the relationship between Rome and Moscow evolve? What impact will this meeting have on the Pan-Orthodox Synod of Crete, in June? Crete too is an island, albeit in middle of the Mediterranean, also chosen in this case to avoid the tensions on the mainland.

Sooner or later, we shall have to sail off from the islands into the real world, and from the empty airport immerse ourselves in crowds of the metropolis, as Francis will do in Mexico City and Kirill did in Havana.

The Cuban city has become the "capital of unity" of the Churches and of the times, past and future, in the name of two brave men who can believe in the fantasy of the Spirit, blowing where and how it wants and not just " from the Atlantic to the Urals ", but also beyond the ocean and islands.
The Geutanyoe Foundation has named fishermen from the Indonesian province for the Nansen Refugee Award. The UNCHR awards the prize each year for action on behalf of refugees and displaced people. Last year, the fishermen saved scores of Rohingya and Bangladeshis drifting on boats in the high seas.

Jakarta (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Fishermen in Indonesia's Aceh province have been nominated for a United Nations award for rescuing hundreds of migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh stranded in Indonesian waters.

The Aceh-based humanitarian group Geutanyoe Foundation had proposed the fishermen as candidates for the 2016 Nansen Refugee Award from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR), the groups international director Lilianne Fan said on Wednesday.

"If they hadn't been rescued by the Aceh fishermen, the lives of the children and the Rohingya people and Bangladeshis may not have been saved," she is quoted as saying.

The Rohingya, a stateless ethnic minority from Myanmar, were allowed to enter Aceh temporarily in May last year during the regional migrant crisis, which is not yet abating.

Last spring, a Thai crackdown on trafficking networks after the discovery of a mass grave on the Thai-Malaysian border made matters worse.

Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia reacted by turning away the boats until the latter two countries reached an agreement to give the migrants refuge for one year.

As Thailand, then Indonesia and Malaysia turned away boats, scores of boats were left drifting on their own in the Andaman Sea.

The UNCHR gives the annual Nansen Refugee Award to an individual, group of people or an organisation to honour 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.

Lilianne Fan said that the Aceh fishermen exemplify concrete humanitarian action in saving the lives of the refugees without exhibiting racial or ethnic bias.

The number of Rohingya refugees currently living in Aceh province has reportedly fallen to 350 from the initial 1,010 people.

The refugees currently live in shelters located in Kuala Langsa harbour, in the town of Langsa, and camps in Bayeun village in East Aceh and Blang Ado village in North Aceh.
Derek Zoolander Center For People Who Dont Age

The Derek Zoolander Center For People Who Dont Age Is A Real Thing

On any given day while walking the streets of Americas largest city, you can run into the most attractive person youve ever seen. Surprisingly, this happens all the time. But what doesnt always happen is for that individual to be that good-looking by accident.

For many, its genetics. For others, its the surgical hand of a skilled sculptor. And then, theres magic. Derek Zoolander, the really, really, ridiculously good-looking star of the newly released film Zoolander 2, is a magical specimen if ever weve seen one.

But even models of the highest caliber like Derek and his partner in crime Hansel who hone the ability to maintain youthful good looks forever care about those who arent so, well, magical. Thus, the Derek Zoolander Center For People Who Dont Age Good (DZCFPWDAG) was born. It is essentially a place where beautiful people go to continue being perfect.

Located in New York City (of course), the state-of-the-art anti-aging center was created in partnership with Kiehls, a time honored, dermatologist recommended cosmetics brand. The 6.5-step youthification process offered at the center is designed to ensure youth, vigor, and ridiculous good looks.

The opening was a spectacle featuring all the fanfare expected from a Zoolander-inspired experience, with male models in matching silver suits lined up on a red carpet  complete with razor scooters, trumpeters, and drones. The centers lead scientist took the podium to detail the youthification process. And if you were able, just for a moment, to pull away from his captivating, boyish good looks and razor-sharp wit, youd realize his methods were sound  if not groundbreaking. His speech was followed by canons firing confetti in unison.

Guests where then invited inside, strolling along a leopard print carpet. They took in the beautiful space and all the celebrities that filled the room. Then, they got the opportunity to beautify themselves through the revolutionary process that helps people age good.

With over 165 years of skincare expertise (and Dereks sophisticated approach to looking good) Kiehls took the traditional concept of 12-step anti-aging programs and strategically scaled it down. This streamlined procedure is a faster way to maximize youth and achieve childlike, supple skin.

All images: Getty Images for Kiehl's

Guests are guided through this personalized process by male models that reek of handsomeness in its highest form  which provides comfort and reassurance to those who may second-guess the genius of this 6.5-step curriculum. Whether we are talking about the Phalangeal Preservation, Scents, Sensibility Test or Decontamination treatment, each step works alongside its counterpart.

The Derek Zoolander Center For People Who Dont Age Good (77 Eight Ave.) isnt just a place for perfect looking people; its a place for those who plan to stay good looking for the remainder of their days. The center is welcoming youthification clients from Friday, February 12 (3 p.m. to 9 p.m.) to Saturday, February 13 (12 p.m. to 6 p.m.). Zoolander 2 opens in theaters today.
(Bloomberg)  Two hot issues in Silicon Valley  the lack of diversity and the battle for talent  have collided at Twitter Inc.



Less than a year after the Valleys male-dominated culture gained worldwide attention in a discrimination case involving the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a similar suit against Twitter has also highlighted long-standing questions about how technology companies vie for employees.



Tina Huang, a former Twitter engineer, claims she was denied promotions and ultimately forced out because shes a woman  and that an old colleague from Twitter can back her up.



But the companys lawyer, Lynne Hermle  who successfully defended Kleiner Perkins in its high-profile fight with Ellen Pao  has warned the potential witness may have violated an employment contract with Twitter by helping Huang find a new job. Twitter says Huangs claims are baseless and plans to ask the judge to dismiss the suit.



D iversity, hiring



The twin debates over gender diversity and hiring practices in the technology industry have been simmering for years, but theyve rarely come together like this. While Paos case failed to win over a jury, it did reveal an industry in which women often seemed relegated to secondary roles. Silicon Valleys hiring practices, meanwhile  including the use of so-called non-solicitation agreements designed to keep people from poaching former colleagues  have been the subject of intense scrutiny and court fights as companies compete for top prospects.



In her complaint, Huang says men dominated senior positions in the software-engineering group where she worked. After complaining to then-Chief Executive Officer Dick Costolo, she was placed on indefinite leave while Twitter looked into her claims. She resigned in May 2014.



Twitter has denied her allegations and has said that, at the time, women accounted for about 10 per cent of its technical staff worldwide, and 21 per cent of its leadership. The company has pledged to raise those figures this year to 16 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively. Twitter declined to comment on the case and Hermle didnt respond to requests for comment.



Huang said in a deposition that a former Twitter colleague, Sam Pullara, could support her discrimination claims. Pullara works at the venture capital firm Sutter Hill Ventures, where Huang is now an entrepreneur in residence.



A distraction



In September after Huangs deposition, Hermle wrote to Pullara advising him that he may have violated an agreement with Twitter to not try to hire away employees. Pullara declined to comment.



Huangs lawyer, Jason Lohr, said in an email that the question of the non-solicitation clause represented a distraction from the fundamental claim in this case, which is that women are systematically denied advancement at Twitter.



Huang also said such agreements violate California law.



Twitter has attempted to influence Ms. Huangs prosecution of this case by threatening to enforce a non-solicitation clause, according to Huangs filing last month.



Expanded class?



Huang is seeking to add the issue of the clauses on behalf of all Twitter employees in California, as well as to expand the sex-discrimination claim to cover all women who worked in the software engineering group in the year before Huang filed her complaint.



Hermle told the court that adding non-solicitation agreements would make the case massive.



Neither side offered any specifics on how many employees might be affected if either of the classes were allowed.



In the August deposition, Hermle questioned Huang on her post-Twitter career and Pullaras role in it, according to filings associated with the case. She noted that Pullara and Huang had signed contracts barring them from soliciting Twitter employees for 12 months after leaving. Hermle asked Huang whether she was aware Pullara had such a contract, and whether her discussions with him about top women engineers at Twitter breached her own obligations.



Re: Contract breach



Hermle then wrote to Pullara in September, saying he encouraged Huang to leave Twitter and join a company called Bitmoon, later known as Sigma Computing and one in which he had a financial interest. Her letter, bearing the subject line re: contract breach, said his communications with Huang may have violated his agreement and that he should retain any documents related to solicitations of Twitter employees.



Your electronic exchanges with her regarding your intention are quite clear, Hermle wrote. Twitter is currently investigating your potential solicitation of other Twitter employees and/or your assistance in the solicitation of such employees during the period you agreed not to do so.



The case is Huang v. Twitter Inc., CGC-15-544813, California Superior Court (San Francisco).








Since opening its doors last July, Unison Outsourcing based in Wollongong has grown rapidly.We knew if we could produce high quality work at a similar price to competitors in India and the Philippines, in regional Australia with our Australian skill set demand would be strong, but we didnt expect it to be as strong as it and we didnt know who would be more interested, CEO Craig Osborne told Australasian Lawyer.Lloyd Rayney, formally and prominent Perth barrister, has won the right to practice law again after his career was put on hold following accusations he had murdered his wife and tampered with evidence during a police investigation.He was cleared of both charges but was still stripped of his practicing certificate by the Legal Practice Board which he then appealed.Like anybody else, it would be nice to be able to earn a living, Rayney told reporters outside the State Administrative Tribunal.The Sydney Clyde & Co office has opened its 2016 art exhibition as part of its community support strategy.The firm identified that young and emerging artists have a great deal of difficulty finding an opportunity to have their work seen by the public and this gives an opportunity for these young artists to have their work seen, said Clyde & Co consultant Oscar Shub.
Hi everyone,



I am a 26 year old currently in Melbourne the last 4 years on a Higher Education visa. Due to changes in family circumstances and financial hardship, I am now unable to continue with my last year at university. However, I would like to continue staying in Australia as I have been with my partner for 4 years now. We live together, and have joint accounts and finances.



After reading through many helpful threads (thank you very much to everyone who's offered advice!), here are my options and questions regarding specific options.



1. Cancel student enrolment and student visa, which means that I will be an unlawful citizen and will be put on Bridging E until partner visa is approved -> Undesirable, as I need to work to share the financial load. I am unsure how easily it is to apply to lift the working ban.



2. Switch from my current Bachelor course to a shorter Cert 3 course to fulfil study requirement -> However, will this work, as I will have to switch from a Higher Education visa to one for TAFE as they are different (if I am not wrong?). If this is a possible option, am I able to switch visas onshore? The new semester is also starting soon and I am afraid I will not have time to cancel uni and re-enrol at TAFE. The course that I am looking at is less than 3 months in length.



3. Cancel student visa and leave the country, then re-enter on a tourist e-visa, then apply for a partner visa on-shore within the 3 months stay to be granted a Bridging A -> Is this how it would work, or would I have a re-entry ban due to the cancellation of student visa? I have heard mixed advice on this, but am happy to leave for my home country for upwards to a few months if that means I can re-enter. I understand also that I will be re-entering as a genuine tourist, and definitely do not have the intention to work illegally during the 3 months of tourist visa. However, I will be re-entering with the intention to lodge the partner visa - is that ok?



Thank you very much again for taking the time to read my long thread, and I appreciate any advice I can get!
But this really happened, and the violent video games have nothing to do with it. Instead, the man behind the wheel was driving under the influence of some drugs (powerful ones, wed assume), which were causing him to act erratically, to say the least.The guy drives with absolutely no regard for the others safety, or even his own. He makes U-turns, drives on the wrong side of the road, splits lanes like hes on a motorcycle and, finally, parks his truck in a very awkward position, smashing its cab against a highway overpass.But for all the clouding of his mind, the drugs dont seem to do anything to harm his physical condition, as our man gets out of the vehicle and keeps running, trying to get into some of the cars that are around him, but to no avail. In the end, he is immobilized by a group of men after a short struggle, pulled on the side of the road and probably kept there until the police arrived.The best part is that, at least from what can be seen in the footage, nobody appears to be hurt. His insurance company will have a hefty bill to pay, though, but were pretty sure him being on drugs exonerates him of any kind of responsibility. As for the driver himself, hes probably going to a place where drugs can only be obtained in exchange for cigarettes or personal favors. Really personal favors.
The CAFE Foundation this week announced the dates for their 10th annual Electric Aircraft Symposium, May 19 and 20, at the Marriott Waterfront in San Francisco. CAFE Foundation believes that collaborative efforts are key in order to push forward electric flight, the group said in a news release. EAS 2016 will bring together the people who are vital to this effort, with a special focus on early entry practical market opportunities. CAFE also said they are working with industry agencies and organizations to broaden the scope of topics and the roster of speakers. The event will be competing with a similar event, also set for May in the Bay area, that is being promoted by Brien Seeley, the former executive director of CAFE, who has formed a new organization, the Sustainable Aviation Foundation.

The CAFE Foundation has pressed Seeley to be clear that his symposium is a new event, and not a continuation of the CAFE symposium. The two websites appear to be working to differentiate the two programs. SAF says it aims to encompass all sectors of aviation, across the globe, from UAVs and sport/recreational through commercial air carriers, since sustainability is everyones concern. CAFE recently posted a new mission statement at its website: To advance the development of low-emission flight by fostering and promoting early entry practical market opportunities. CAFE has not yet announced a roster for its symposium. We look forward to an exciting, professional conference that once again welcomes the experts in the industry to gather for two days of networking and information-sharing, said Johanna Bumgarner, the new chairman of the CAFE board, in a news release.
13 February 2016 12:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Jim O'Neill

The outbreak of the Zika virus, like Ebola before it, has highlighted the risk that infectious diseases can pose to the health of entire countries  and the importance of vaccines to the fight against fast-moving epidemics. Indeed, efforts are already underway to find ways to inoculate people against both viruses.

But vaccines also have a crucial role to play in protecting us against a far deadlier and far more predictable threat: drug-resistant infections.

In contrast to unexpected, rapidly spreading outbreaks such as the Zika epidemic, antimicrobial resistance is like a slow-motion car crash that has already begun. Resistant pathogens cause about 700,000 deaths every year. If we fail to take the necessary precautions, they will be killing some ten million people a year by 2050.

Developing new antibiotics and putting in place methods to extend the lifespans of existing medications will help maintain a supply of effective treatments. But vaccines offer a unique opportunity. By reducing the number of infections, they limit the need for medication. And because the use (or overuse) of antibiotics is what leads to drug resistance, the pressure on the pipeline of effective treatments will be alleviated.

Unfortunately, the value that vaccination can provide in this area has yet to be properly recognized. As a result, we are not moving fast enough to develop the types of vaccines that could be used to prevent antimicrobial resistance.

Vaccine development takes a long time, often more than ten years. It is a high-risk endeavor, with the vast majority of potential vaccines failing to reach the market. Consequently, many vaccines are not commercially viable, even if they would be useful for society.

Indeed, there is no vaccine available for any of the three resistance threats that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers urgent: Clostridium difficile, carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae, and drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Nor are there enough candidate vaccines against these pathogens undergoing clinical trials.

There have also been problems developing vaccines to combat tuberculosis or  more worrying still  multidrug-resistant TB. The World Health Organization has warned that the Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating TB by 2035 will not be achieved unless new drugs, better diagnostics, and improved vaccines are developed. And yet a new vaccine remains many years away, especially given that funding for TB vaccine research has declined in recent years.

Even vaccines that are already available are not being used widely enough to have a large impact on antibiotic use and resistance. Every year, infections caused by the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria kill more than 800,000 children under the age of five. These deaths are completely preventable  by a jab that is already available in many parts of the world, the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Universal vaccination would save millions of lives and prevent 11.4 million days of antibiotic use per year in children younger than five. Similarly, the rotavirus vaccine could be used to prevent outbreaks of diarrheal diseases, a chief cause of child mortality in developing countries and a major driver of antibiotic use.

Vaccines also have an important role to play in protecting livestock and fish from infections, optimizing the application of antibiotics in agriculture  where their overuse is an important cause of growing resistance.

Maximizing the potential of vaccines to fight antimicrobial resistance thus requires the wider application of existing vaccines in humans and animals. But it also entails developing new vaccines, which, in the short-term, could be kick-started by a $2 billion Global Innovation Fund for early-stage research in vaccines and other viable alternatives to antibiotics.

And in areas where research and development is not an attractive proposition, developers must be provided an opportunity to make a return from useful products. Depending on the characteristics of different products, possible interventions would include advance market commitments and market-entry rewards.

Vaccines hold the potential to have a huge impact on drug resistance, if they are included as part of a broad series of interventions to combat the problem. Fortunately, awareness of this challenge is starting to take root.

At the World Economic Forums annual gathering in Davos last month, 85 companies, including vaccine developers, large pharmaceutical companies, diagnostic developers, and biotech firms, committed to further action to reduce drug resistance. And later this year, the World Health Assembly, the G-7 and G-20 summits, and the UN General Assembly will all address the topic. The momentum now gathering in the public and private sectors is creating an opportunity that must not be missed.

Copyright: Project Syndicate:Vaccines Versus Superbugs
13 February 2016 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who is on a working visit to Germany to join the Munich Security Conference, held high-level meetings here.

President Aliyev met with Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Goetzpartners Holding GmbH & CO. KG, Stephan Goetz, on February 12.

Stephan Goetz said Goetzpartners, which is one of the 10 largest consulting firms in Germany and has 12 offices in nine countries, was interested in operating in Azerbaijan.

The head of state said there was favorable environment for foreign companies in Azerbaijan, adding that all necessary conditions were created for their successful activities.

President Ilham Aliyev invited Goetzpartners to operate in Azerbaijan. Stephan Goetz thanked the head of state for the invitation.

The sides also discussed cooperation prospects.



Then the President received chairman of the Eastern Committee of German Economy Wolfgang Buchele.

The sides expressed their satisfaction with the development of bilateral economic relations between Azerbaijan and Germany. It was noted that there was favorable environment in Azerbaijan for investment making.

During the conversation, they stressed the importance of organizing reciprocal business trips of Azerbaijani and German businessmen, and exchanged views over cooperation prospects.



President Aliyev later met with US Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Marcel Lettre.

They hailed the successful development of bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and the US. The sides emphasized that the bilateral relations reached a level of partnership in a variety of fields. They noted that there were good prospects for cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

They also exchanged views over the issues of mutual interest.

The President also held meeting with Chairman and CEO of Kaspersky Lab Eugene Kaspersky.

They expressed their satisfaction with the cooperation of Kaspersky Lab with relevant bodies in Azerbaijan. The sides noted that there was good potential for expanding the bilateral ties. The parties exchanged views over prospects for cooperation in the fight against cybercrime and other areas.

A three-day Munich Security Conference is expected to 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.



President Ilham Aliyev met with Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier on February 13.

The sides expressed satisfaction with the successful development of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Germany. They stressed the importance of such meetings and visits in terms of the further development of the bilateral ties. It was noted that despite the ongoing international financial crisis and falling oil prices, Azerbaijan paid attention to developing its economy, particularly non-oil sector, and ensured the implementation of social programs.

During the meeting, they discussed cooperation between Azerbaijan and OSCE, which is chaired by Germany this year, and exchanged views over the current state of the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.



The President also received EU Commissioner for the European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn.

Successful development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union was stressed during the meeting. The sides emphasized the importance of meetings and reciprocal visits in terms of intensifying the relations.

They hailed successful development of Azerbaijan-EU energy cooperation, underlining the necessity of focusing efforts on this sector.

They also exchanged views over other issues of mutual interest.

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13 February 2016 11:00 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan has handed over to the UK a list of the companies engaged in illegal activity on the territory of the Nagorno-Karabakh temporarily occupied by the Armenians.

The list was handed over by Azerbaijani Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev to the UK Minister of State for Trade and Investment Francis Maude within the framework of Azerbaijani-UK intergovernmental commissions meeting, which took place in London Feb. 12.

Mustafayev stressed inadmissibility of activity of the UK companies on the territory of the Nagorno-Karabakh and said that the UK government should take measures to prevent such actions.

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 withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

It was noted in the protocol that the UK doesnt recognize independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh and supports peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.

It should be noted that following the intergovernmental commissions meeting a protocol was signed, which provides for extension of cooperation between the two countries in economic, investment, trade, industrial, tourist, energy, education and cultural spheres.

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13 February 2016 11:30 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan can help Turkey to solve the problem of doctors shortage in the country, a source in the Turkish ministry of health told Trend Feb. 12.

Currently, doctors from Azerbaijan work in a number of public and private hospitals in Turkey, and their number may increase in the future, according to the source.

The source in the ministry also said that a number of effective measures are taken in Turkey to prevent the shortage of doctors.

The source in the ministry expressed hope that it will become possible to solve this issue in Turkey over the next six or seven years.

Turkish Health Minister Mehmet Muazzinoglu said that currently there is an acute shortage of doctors in Turkey.

The minister noted that Turkey's health care needs 30,000 doctors.

In 2015, the Turkish Ministry of Health already reported a severe shortage of doctors in the country.

Then the Turkish Ministry of Health urged the countrys doctors working abroad to return home.

In 2015, more than 500 foreign expert doctors applied to the ministry for a license to work in Turkeys health care.

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13 February 2016 14:00 (UTC+04:00)

A junior sergeant of Azerbaijans Armed Forces, Elmir Zeynalov, was killed Feb. 12 as a result of the ceasefire violation on the contact line between the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Feb. 13.

The ministry offered deepest condolences to friends and family of the killed serviceman.

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 withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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13 February 2016 13:30 (UTC+04:00)

Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has called on Saudi Arabia to work together to bring peace to the region.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have shared interest in Syria, Zarif told the 52nd Munich Security Conference (MSC).

Saying that Tehran and Riyadh need to work together, he added that we are ready to work with Saudi Arabia, Irans state-run TV IRINN reported.

He said Iran and Saudi Arabia cannot exclude each other from the region adding unfortunately Saudi Arabia has followed the practice of exclusion.

He further said that There is no win loss game in our world today adding we need to redefine the problems in the Middle East.

Problems can be defined in way that can be resolved, the foreign minister added.

Zarif called for the elimination of sectarianism describing it as a challenge for the world and region.

Iranian foreign minister made the remarks at the 52nd Munich Security Conference (MSC) held to discuss ongoing crises and future challenges to international security.

Hundreds of international senior policymakers, dozens of heads of state, foreign and defense ministers as well as directors of intelligence services are attending the conference.



US Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev and Foreign Minister Lavrov, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and Zarif as well as his Saudi rival Adel al-Jubeir are among the participants.

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13 February 2016 12:30 (UTC+04:00)

World powers discussed reaching a ceasefire between the Syrian government and the opposition groups during a recent session held in Munich on Syrian crisis.



Two issues were discussed during the session, one of which was to establish ceasefire in all non-terrorist held areas in Syria within one week, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for African and Arab Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told Irans state-run TV.

The second topic of discussions was dispatching humanitarian aid to all areas, with emphasis on food, medicine, and other humanitarian aids, he said.



US Secretary of State John Kerry said earlier that a nationwide ceasefire should be implemented within a week. His Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov also said that with a ceasefire, access to all besieged areas in Syria, will be secured.



Earlier in the day, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held talks with United Nations Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson. A day earlier, Zarif met UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura on the sidelines of the Munich talks held by the group known as the International Syria Support Group (ISSG).



Zarif also held separate talks with Lavrov and his Omani and Chinese counterparts.



A new report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research (SCPR) has put the number of fatalities caused directly and indirectly by the foreign-backed militancy in Syria at 470,000.



It estimates that in all 11.5 percent of Syrias population have been killed or injured since the crisis erupted in March 2011.

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13 February 2016 16:00 (UTC+04:00)

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif met IAEA Director General Yukia Amano on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference here on Friday, Irna reported.



He also held a meeting with heads of Europe's major trade, banking, industrial and economic institutions in which expansion of relations following removal of sanctions was reiterated.

'In defining its new trade, industrial, and economic ties with Europe, Iran will not be a consuming market,' Zarif said.

He said the infra-structures in Iran are ready for organizing long-term relations with the world including Europe.

Zarif, who is in Germany to attend Munich Security Conference, has a tight schedule of bilateral meetings during his stay.

On Thursday, he held meetings with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for Syria Staffan de Mistura, Foreign Minister of Oman Yusuf bin Alawi, and Secretary General of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Iyad Ameen Madani discussing with them regional developments, including Syrian crisis.

Deputy Foreign Minister For Arab-African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is accompanying Foreign Minister Zarif.

The 52nd Munich Security Conference is being held from February 12-14 and 23 heads of states and tens of ministers are attending the conference.

The topic of Zarif's speech to be delivered in the Munich Security Conference on Friday evening will be Security in the Persian Gulf and Iran's proposals in this concern.

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13 February 2016 12:23 (UTC+04:00)

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said at the Munich Security Conference on Friday that she would be glad to visit Iran in spring 2016, Sputnik reported.



According to Mogherini, during the visit she will be accompanied by the delegation of European Commission members for discussion of the bilateral EU-Iran relations, which have new perspectives following removal of sanctions from Tehran.



In August 2015, Tehran and six international mediators, including Russia, reached a historic deal on Iranian nuclear program, which was set to ensure the peaceful nature of its nuclear program in exchange for the termination of anti-Iran sanctions, in particular in oil sector.



In mid-January, the sanctions were removed after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified Tehrans compliance with the nuclear agreement. The move makes it possible for Iran to develop relations in different spheres with the European Union.

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Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable.
Free Malecon Sculpture Walking Tours Every Tuesday

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The very popular free Malecon Sculpture Walking Tour created and conducted by Galeria Pacifico owner Gary Thompson began its 10th season on November 17, 2015, and will continue through the middle of April.

This free tour begins every Tuesday morning at 9:30 in front of the "Millennium" sculpture, next to the Hotel Rosita at the north end of the Malecon in downtown Puerto Vallarta. There, sculptor Sr. Fernando Banos (also known as Mathis Lidice) starts the tour off by explaining the history, the making, and the details on this towering figure.

Afterwards, Gary leads the tour along the Malecon, explaining the artist and history behind about 15 art works. He also points out minute details that you might have otherwise missed, giving you a deeper understanding of the significance of each sculpture. Gary's personal experiences and interactions with the sculptors, as well as his numerous personal friendships with many of Vallarta's other artists, make the walk both entertaining and educational.

Another treat along the way is Kevin Simpson, of Colectika and Peyote People art galleries, explaining the numerous Huichol symbols that are etched into the Malecon's pavement.

The walking tour takes about two hours, before ending at Galeria Pacifico on Aldama Street, where sculptor Jim Demetro is usually available to discuss his sculptures, Dancers of Vallarta, Woman Washing Clothes, and Andale Bernardo. As well, he is always happy to explain the complex wax process he still uses to create his sculptures in bronze.

A representative of the Los Mangos Public Library will also be present to explain their many activities and will provide a no pressure opportunity to make a donation to this worthy cause. No reservations are needed for these free tours, but more information is available by calling Galeria Pacifico at 222-1982 or emailing GaleriaPacifico(at)gmail.com.
A third suspect in last month's triple homicide in Lakeland was arrested Thursday in Miami.

Jamaal Smith, 25, is facing multiple charges, including first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.

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Tobias Mack, 24, and Dorothy Collier, 23, were also arrested Thursday. Deputies say Mack had an outstanding narcotics warrant and that Collier, who is Smith's girlfriend, was charged with accessory after the fact.

Investigators say they received a call at 6:45 a.m. Jan. 6 about a shooting at a house on East Magnolia Drive. When deputies arrived, they found David Washington, 24, Eneida Branch, 31, and Angelica Castro, 23, dead from gunshot wounds.

Felix Campos, 18, had also been shot. He was the only one to survive.

Andrew Joseph, 35, and Jonathan Alcegaire, 26, both of Miami, have also been charged in the killings.


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Legendary rancher Richard King paved the destiny of Corpus Christi by hosting the mayor and a colonel in the Corps of Engineers with a hunt at King Ranch and a bottle of whiskey at the "Big House." There, they settled on the site for what would become Port Corpus Christi, officially opening on September 14, 1926.

Perched on a bluff, Corpus Christi owns the distinction as the highest point along the tide between Miami, Florida and Veracruz, Mexico.

It was this positioning, which mitigates destruction from hurricanes, plus the convenience of four railroad lines that sealed Corpus Christi's fate as an international port city.

After hurricanes devastated the area in 1916 and 1918, business leaders pushed for the development of a port. The site was settled on a fall hunting trip at King Ranch in 1921, and five years later, the city dedicated Port Corpus Christi.

RELATED: Vintage photos show King Ranch, through the years

The photographs in the above gallery are from the archives of the San Antonio Express-News as the paper covered the evolution of Corpus Christi from a quiet seaside town with tourist appeal to a developing industry hub.

In the early 1910s and 1920s, stately hotels opened their doors drawing an air of glamour to the quiet seaside community. The Plaza, the State Hotel, the Nueces Hotel, the Beach Hotel (renamed the Breakers) and the Princess Louise Hotel  all but one have since been demolished. The Princess Louise is now an apartment building, according to the Corpus Christi Caller Times.

In the 1930s, Corpus Christi developed its seawall, dubbing it their very own eighth wonder of the world.

RELATED: Vintage photographs from Port Aransas portray a budding Texas vacation spot

Before your next visit to the "Texas Riveria," now a mecca of budget resorts and industry, recall its earlier history when the city was just beginning to publicize itself as a "port of play and profit."

jmscott@mysa.com
Private health insurance premiums are high, rising and will cost the federal government approximately $300 billion to subsidize in 2016, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation.

Here are five things to know about health insurance premiums, how much they will cost and what determines this cost, according to the CBO and JCT.

1. The CBO and JCT estimate the average premium for an employer-based plan in 2016 will total $6,400 for single person and $15,500 for families. According to the CBO, employer-based premiums are typically higher than individual coverage because they are more extensive and require less out-of-pocket payments.

2. Premiums are expected to grow about 5 percent per year on average over the next decade. This is about 2 percentage points quicker than the pace of income per capita. This means people are committing an increasingly larger portion of their paycheck toward healthcare premiums. By 2025, average employer-based insurance premiums are expected to be $10,000 for a single person and $24,000 for family coverage, according to the CBO and JCT.

3. One of the main determinants of premiums is federal subsidies, taxes and fees. Almost all premiums for employer-based coverage are excluded from taxes, which subsidizes about 30 percent of the average premium, according to the report. The government also offers tax credits for people to buy coverage on the exchanges. The subsidies reduce how much individuals have to pay for their premiums, but they also impact how much premiums cost because they incentivize healthier people to enroll in insurance, which lowers costs.

4. Federal regulations also affect premiums. For example, the individual mandate under the Affordable Care Act also encourages more healthy people to enroll, lower the costs to insurers and ultimately keeping premiums lower. However, other regulations can increase premiums, such as requirements to now cover certain healthcare services and pay 60 percent of those costs.

5. Payers themselves also determine how high premiums are. It is in the payers own benefit to keep healthcare costs down because those costs directly cut into premium revenue. This can be done by trying to manage the use of care, increasing the amount of money people pay out-of-pocket and negotiating lower rates with healthcare providers, among other strategies that can affect the end amount of the premium.



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The city of Cleveland has withdrawn a court filing that said Tamir Rice's family owed $500 for the 12-year-old boy's ambulance ride and for first aid services rendered after a city police officer shot him, reports The Plain Dealer.

Here are five things to know about the filing.

1. The document filed Tuesday notified Mr. Rice's estate it owed the city $500 for ambulance advance life support and mileage expenses to the hospital where he later died, reports The Plain Dealer.

2. In February 2015, the city originally absorbed the remainder of Mr. Rice's unpaid medical bills and closed the account after it determined the family would likely be unable to afford the bills.

3. However, the account was reopened this week when Douglas Winston, the executor of Mr. Rice's will, filed an inquiry with the city in regard to Mr. Rice's medical expenses. After learning of the estate as an alternative to Medicare, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said the city was by law required to notify the estate of unpaid bills, according to the article.

4. Owing to the sensitivity of the case, Mayor Jackson said officials should have reconsidered issuing the billing claim. "It was a mistake in terms of us not flagging it, but it was not a mistake in terms of the legal process," said Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson in a press conference Thursday.

5. After withdrawing the claim, the city of Cleveland has agreed to pay the remainder of Mr. Rice's medical bill not covered under Medicare.
One of the underpinnings of the Affordable Care Act is the notion that everyone should have a primary care physician, ideally in the community in which they live. For patients, bumping into their physician on the street or in the supermarket can help remind them to schedule that missed visit or refill a prescription. For physicians, interacting with patients inside the community lends them a different kind of insight.

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD, a physician at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Bellevue Literary Review and contributing writer to various publications, recently penned an article in The New York Times detailing just how valuable knowing patients outside of the office walls is.

Dr. Ofri generally liked seeing her patients milling around town, but she began to feel slightly uncomfortable seeing them in the school setting. When her children began attending the local elementary school, she said, "I felt a discomfort that was different from what I had experienced on the street," and she could sense her patients felt just as awkward. Exchanges were limited to quick smiles and hellos.

But one experience with a patient changed her perspective. Dr. Ofri was called in to evaluate a woman with pneumonia who had been in a psychiatric ward for several months. Severe depression had led to numerous hospitalizations over the last decade, making her unable to hold a job or spend much time with her kids.

"It broke my heart to hear this, imagining how difficult it must be for her children," Dr. Ofri wrote.

When Dr. Ofri parted the woman's hospital gown to place the bell of her stethoscope, she saw an elaborate tattoo of a "one-of-a-kind" name across the patient's back. Dr. Ofri recognized it immediately. It was the name of one of Dr. Ofri's children's classmates.

As it turns out, Dr. Ofri knew the child had behavioral difficulties and struggled socially. "Now I had the context for this," she wrote, "the painful effects of a parent with mental illness."

"As I listened to the reedy murmurings of my patients breath, I tried to sort through my own feelings. Part of me felt guilty that I was in possession of 'insider information' from the nonmedical part of my life," Dr. Ofri wrote. "On the other hand, this knowledge offered me a broader and more empathetic understanding of the implications of my patient's illness. It wasn't as if I'd obtained this information in any sort of unethical manner. Yet it made me uncomfortable."

Although the experience produced conflicting emotions within Dr. Ofri, being a local physician has advantages. With a more nuanced understanding of each patient as a person with a family, family difficulties, personal interests and aspirations  not just as a medical chart  physicians have access to the information and tools necessary to provide the most patient-centered care possible.
A mysterious stomach virus has struck 174 college students at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa.

While the exact cause of the outbreak remains undiscovered, a common thread amongst patients seems to be eating at the on-campus dining hall. The suburban campus, located about 30 miles outside of Philadelphia, has closed its dining halls. The Montgomery County Health Department officials are conducting a thorough search of the campus kitchens. Friday classes were canceled.

According to USA Today, a representative from the MCHD stated that gastrointestinal illnesses commonly circulate in institutions like colleges this time of year.

Valirie Arkoosh, MD, interim medical director of the MCHD, in a joint release with Ursinus encouraged students and staff experiencing symptoms to be wary of dehydration and to seek medical care.

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Thanks to continuous mandates like Meaningful Use and other government regulations intended to keep patient information safe, healthcare organizations around the nation have slowly and steadily made the conversion to electronic health records. With more and more providers requiring EHR systems, many vendors have stepped up to the plate and are vying for business.

EHR Numbers at a Glance

In 2013 the CDC released the findings from their National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS), part of which took a look at how office-based physicians (a sample of 10,302) have been adopting and using EHR systems. The following were some of the key findings of that survey:

 Between 2010 (the earliest date trend data is available) and 2013, physician adoption of EHRs increased significantly.

 78% of office-based physicians used an EHR system. That number was way up from18% of physicians in 2001.

 Nearly 13% of respondents reported that they planned to participate in Meaningful Use incentives and had EHR systems that were capable of supporting MU2 objectives.

 Roughly 56% of all physicians surveyed intended to participate in the EHR incentive programs but did not have systems with enough capabilities to support all of MU's core objectives.

 Adoption increased 12% for the objective recording patient demographics and increased 80% for the objective sending prescriptions electronically.

The Top 5 EHR Vendors to Partner with in 2016

As you can see from these numbers, it's very important to partner with the right vendor whose EHR system can fully support incentive programs. The following 5 vendors are very popular among physicians and their staff because they offer proven technology solutions that maintain compliance along with incredible customer support.

Kareo

Kareo offers a cloud-based suite of products and services for Electronic Health Record (EHR) management, practice management and Revenue Cycle Management (RCM). It was reported in 2014 that over 30,000 healthcare providers were using Kareo's EHR system and medical billing services.

Kareo's EHR achieved Meaningful Use 2014 Edition Stage 2 certification in March of last year, and in March of 2015 the company acquired DoctorBase, a mobile-based patient engagement platform. In 2013 the company was awarded the "2013 North American Physician Practice Management Customer Value Enhancement Award" by global growth consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.

Athenahealth

Athenahealth, Inc. provides physicians with cloud-based solutions and point-of-care mobile apps. Cofounders Jonathan Bush and Todd Patrick started Athena Women's Health back in 1997 and experienced firsthand reimbursement problems because they had no real way to track insurance claims.

The partners officially formed athenahealth, Inc. with the intent to develop practice management systems and solve common billing problems. Today the company offers a suite of "patient engagement services" that include a cloud-based EHR system, population health campaign tools, financial solutions for rural hospitals, a patient portal, scheduling tools and an answering service.

Practice Fusion

Practice Fusion offers advertising-supported free web-based EHR and medical practice technology solutions including scheduling, medical billing, MU certification, charting, training and support. Founded in 2005 by Ryan Howard, an IT billing integration consultant and engineer Matthew Douglas, the platform connects medical professionals, patients, labs, imagining centers and billers, which streamlines services and allows for better quality of care and improved patient outcomes.

Their EHR system supports Meaningful Use, PQRS, and ICD-10 incentives and all of their products and services are HIPAA-compliant. With Patient Fusion, patients have access to their personal health records (PHRs) that contain test results and diagnoses as well as prescriptions. When physicians update patient records and charts, their patients can easily retrieve this new information.

NextGen

NextGen Healthcare Information Systems develops and sells EHR software and practice management systems to healthcare providers nationwide. The company was first formed in 1973 under the name Quality Systems, Inc., (QSI) an Irvine, California-based dental software company.

In 1996, QSI purchased Clinitec, a company that sold software which converted paper medical records into electronic medical records. In 1997, QSI merged with Micromed, a company that offered front- and back-office practice management solutions. And finally in 2001, QSI combined Micromed and Clinitec to create NextGen Healthcare Information Systems.

Besides electronic health records, NextGen also offers practice management solutions, revenue cycle management, data protection, inpatient clinicals and financials tools, health information exchange (HIE), health quality measures, and patient portals.

CureMD

CureMD provides an all-in-one cloud-based solution that integrates EHR with practice management, patient portal, and iPadapp for healthcare providers. The company's focus is on specialty content and workflow customizations that make their offerings ideal for practices of any size.

One of the fastest and most comprehensive implementation services in the industry, CureMD assigns each practice a dedicated account manager to ensure a smooth running of the practice even beyond the go-live stage.

Their products and services include:

 Certified EHR

 Practice Management

 Patient Portal

 Medical Billing Services

 Population Health

 Avalon-EHR for iPad

Founded by Bill Hashmat and colleagues back in 1997, CureMD was selected by Cuidamed, the leading HMO in Venezuela, for improving the health delivery operations in the region. This made CureMD one of the first US-based Practice Resource Systems selected for implementation by a leading HMO in another country.

In 2015, CCS Oncology, a cancer care conglomerate based in Buffalo, NY picked CureMD as their EHR of choice to use in all of its facilities because of CureMD's advanced chemotherapy management modules, evidence-based chemotherapy regimen libraries, automated drug dosage calculations, drug utilization forecasting, therapy flow sheets, DICOM/PACS imaging, patient engagement and population health management.

Voted the most Usable EHR by KLAS, Black book Rankings and other third party analysts, the company recently rolled out a free training tool for physicians to help them with the daunting ICD-10 transition. They have also reported that 98% of their clients attested for Meaningful Use last year.

With 2016 right around the corner, if you haven't yet partnered with an EHR vendor who is an industry leader, you'd do well to look into any of these five companies who are helping their clients be compliant while providing the best possible care to their patients.

Author Bio:

Alex Tate is a health IT Consultant at CureMD who provides perceptive, engaging and informative content on industry wide topics including EHR Vendors, EMR, practice management and compliance.

The views, opinions and positions expressed within these guest posts are those of the author alone and do not represent those of Becker's Hospital Review/Becker's Healthcare. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions or representations. The copyright of this content belongs to the author and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with them.
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Steven Spielberg's film Bridge Of Spies is at the centre of a court battle

An author has launched legal proceedings over Steven Spielberg's Hollywood hit Bridge Of Spies.

Giles Whittell, who wrote a non-fiction book of the same name in 2010, is suing two DreamWorks companies and Twentieth Century Fox.

In September last year, Mr Whittell alleged that he owned goodwill attaching to the title Bridge Of Spies and that the use of it for the film would amount to passing off.

Both book and film concern the exchange of pilot Gary Powers and Soviet spy Rudolph Abel on the Glienicke bridge in Berlin.

That claim was settled in November with one term being that Dreamworks and Fox were required within 14 days to use reasonable endeavours to place a link on the film website to three websites, including Amazon, which were advertising Mr Whittell's book.

Another term involved Mr Whittell releasing all claims against the companies and their affiliates throughout the world.

The link was placed by the end of November - slightly later than anticipated, say Dre amworks and Fox, because of Amazon's website not being in their control and the Thanksgiving holidays.

Three days before that, Mr Whittell issued a claim alleging a breach of the reasonable endeavours clause and that his worldwide release of all claims was anti-competitive and therefore void.

In papers at a preliminary hearing before Mr Justice Mann at London's High Court on Friday, Dreamworks and Fox said that, at best, the breach of contract claim was worth less than 4,000 if liability - which is denied - was established.

They said that, through the competition claim, which they described as hopeless, Mr Whittell wanted to set aside the settlement agreement so he could sue for passing off, unfair competition and trade mark or copyright infringement in different jurisdictions around the world.
Songs of Praise presenter Claire McCollum (41) lives near Whiteabbey in Belfast with her husband, financial advisor Alastair Clarke, from Dungannon, and their children Samuel (nine) and Rosa (seven). Currently in talks with the BBC for other projects, Claire, originally from Newtownabbey, celebrates her 15th wedding anniversary this summer. Claire says:

I'd heard about Ali when I was at university in Dundee and he was at Queen's in Belfast. My friend Pinky (Malcom Pinkerton) thought I'd like him and I was intrigued. I was attracted to him before I met him, which was seven years later. I bumped into him at The Fly bar near Queen's. I was out with a group of girls and he walked in, and I clocked him straight away. I knew the guys he was with and we got chatting.

We hit it off and Pinky arranged for us to go out in a crowd for the next couple of weeks. Then, Ali asked me out to dinner. We went to the Washington, behind the City Hall. It was sort of romantic - we were really comfortable with each other; there were no awkward silences.

Yes, I fancied him! That was a huge part of it. It was definitely attraction at first sight. I was with Downtown at the time, reading the news, and Ali was just starting out as a financial advisor. It was a bit of a whirlwind romance - I can't even remember what we did for our first Valentine's; isn't that terrible?

But we knew very quickly we were right for each other and, as it was a leap year, I proposed to him nine months later, live on air. Yes, he knew. I tested the water the night before to make sure!

I was working on the Downtown Radio breakfast show with Maurice Jay. I'd been going out with Ali for eight months and it was a leap year and everyone at work kept winding me up about it. I decided to take the opportunity to propose to Ali and stupidly told Maurice my plan.

I'd just finished reading the news when Maurice caught me on the hop - he loves a bit of banter. He told me he had a surprise for me and all of a sudden Ali was live on air. I didn't have much of a choice to do anything but ask Ali if he fancied making things a bit more permanent.

He knew rightly what was going on so he played it dumb and asked what I meant. I just said 'will you marry me?' and thankfully he said 'yes'. It was a great laugh and even made it on to the UTV news that evening. UTV loved it.

He did propose to me eventually, on the day before our wedding. We were having a family lunch at The Edge restaurant in Belfast and he finally got down on one knee then.

He is quite romantic, and he's very thoughtful and level-headed, especially if I'm worried about something. He's the voice of reason. I wouldn't like to go into what niggles me about him!

He surprises me with little presents. Early on, after we met, I had the chickenpox and he send me a lovely bouquet of flowers.

Romance is put on hold when you have children - we have two - as family time is all consuming and hectic - but we're so happy to have two wonderful kids. We always do something for Valentine's Day. We're going to Fontana restaurant in Hollywood on Saturday night, rather than Sunday. We still give each other a card with a bit of humour; not soppy. I get flowers sometimes - I'll just have to wait and see this year!

I get him a wee gift -his favourite chocolate or something. As for having a free-pass for a Valentine's date with anyone in the world, I haven't a clue. George Clooney's a bit busy... No, I'm happy to have Ali as my Valentine, thank-you!

Now a journalism lecturer at Belfast Metropolitan College, the former broadcaster Lynda Bryans (53) lives in Belfast with husband, Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt and their sons PJ (20) and Christopher (18). Married for 24 years, the Nesbitts first met each other while working for BBC Northern Ireland in the late 1980s. Linda says:

Michael is very thoughtful and always remembers Valentine's Day - even if it's only a little token gift and card, he always does something. Although, with his job these days, time is a precious commodity that we have little of. So we don't get too much time to slip away together or to have a night out, but we try to catch up with something special regularly. Apart from Valentine's Day, there are other little gestures and actions too - he puts real thought into gifts.

As for our very first Valentine's together - honestly, I can't remember that far back. Not very romantic, is it?

When we first met, Michael and I didn't pay much attention to each other. He worked in sport and I was a copy typist in the newsroom. We were also both in relationships with other people. As time went on though, both of those relationships ended and we started working together on Good Morning Ulster, and became soul mates.

We were perfectly happy going along for a couple of years without making plans. We were wary of rushing into anything, as we'd been in serious relationships beforehand, but I think we both knew we were kindred spirits.

We had talked a lot about the future and when the leap year came round in 1992, I decided to follow the tradition and pop the question. He had never been to New York before, so I booked a long weekend there to coincide with February 29. I don't know if Michael had any idea what I was planning but a colleague of ours told him just before we left, so on the day, he was prepared.

We'd booked a table for dinner in the Russian Tea Room. Michael had secretly tipped a waiter to bring champagne at his signal, knowing what was coming. I made my little speech about the two of us travelling the same road together and asked him if he would marry me - thankfully he agreed! The champagne arrived and we had a lovely evening.

Because I organised the engagement, Mike organised the wedding in Hawaii, the following July.

We're 24 years married this summer - if we do have a date night, it's usually Friday nights on the terrace at Ulster Rugby home games, with a takeaway afterwards. Luckily we're both Ulster Rugby fans.

We always exchange cards and a small token of some sort. Last year. Michael gave me a unique gift - a gin-tasting kit, consisting or six little miniature bottles of different and unusual gins with tasting notes, which I had fun with over the space of a few weekends. I don't drink much these days but do enjoy an occasional gin and tonic, so that's what I mean about him putting real thought into the right gift for the right person.

If I was allowed a one-off Valentine's date with anyone in the world, it would be my husband. His free time is really limited so it would be good to catch up with each other with a romantic dinner date, where his phone and all forms of social media would be barred.

Comedy duo Sean Hegarty (32) and Diona Doherty (26) got engaged last November. Londonderry-born actress Diona was a finalist in Britain's Next Top Model and had performed live at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Sean, from Lurgan, is best known for the Cool FM Saturday Show and his comedy character Rodney, who has attracted over three million views on Facebook and 30,000 likes. The couple recently moved to Craigavon, Diona says,

When Sean and I met at Edinburgh Fringe Comedy Festival, I thought he was surprisingly quiet, despite being a comedian. He was only quiet in a larger group, though - once it was just us he wouldn't shut up. Nearly needed a muzzle!

Who made the first move? To be honest, I genuinely think we both went in for the kill. I think we both knew it felt right and just went for it. Cringe...

One of our first dates, within the first few weeks of meeting, was a hike up to Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh. Sean planned a midnight barbeque, so we were rewarded with a few burgers after the trek up. We could see the whole city from the top and it was magical. Sean brought me back there to propose to me. It was perfect.

I think falling in love was a very instant thing. From the day we met, we basically became a couple and did everything together. We had definitely found our best friends. Within the first few days, we basically began living together - us and about 15 other comedy actors and comedians in Edinburgh - for the month of the Fringe. We immediately began acting like a couple and doing joint food shopping, etc, so it all got comfortable very quickly. It was all just, easy...

For our first Valentine's, we took a picnic to Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge on the north coast and went for a nice, big, peaceful walk - it's the simple things we like.

So, last November, Sean pretended to me that he had a comedy gig in Edinburgh and that he was bringing me with him. We flew there the next day and we had a few hours to kill, so Sean suggested we went back to the place we had one of our first dates. After trekking up Arthur's Seat, Sean set up his camera for a few selfies but sneakily left it running and popped the question.

I still thought there was a gig and we had to rush back down to get to it, then I realise it was all a big fat lie to get me there. I was delighted - not because I didn't have to go listen to him tell jokes; more because we were engaged!

I love Sean's sense of humour and his honesty, but he folds his feet into the bottom of the duvet before bed time and it makes me want to jump out the window. Momentarily.

Is romance important to us? It is and it isn't. I feel like we are a very close couple and very affectionate, and we do nice things for one another all the time, so big extravagant gestures aren't important. But time together most definitely is.

I genuinely don't even like cards, unless they are homemade. I hate buying them and think it's a mad money-making industry and I only get cards for people who I know actually want them. Sean doesn't care about cards either. The poor thing will probably just get a wee hug.

If I had to date someone else on Valentine's Day, I would go with that internet comedy character Rodney, because at least then I am still getting to spend it with Sean.

Actually, he made me say that. I'd have said Tom Hardy...

Sean says: When I saw Diona for the first time, I thought to myself, 'I wonder if she'd fancy going to get a gravy chip?' I was really hungry at the time.

Obviously Diona made the first move. She used all the stereotypical female pulling techniques - ignore him and eventually he'll come over; act repulsed when he starts talking in his Lurgan accent; hold your nose during the first kiss, that type of thing.

When did we first realise we had a future together? When Diona got the 'all clear'. I love when she dyes her hair, gets her eyebrows re-shaped, puts on fake tan, squeezes into a dress that doesn't fit, makes her nails a different colour, gets her teeth whitened, wears shoes that she hates because Kim Kardashian wears them, and talks in a different accent so people can understand her, and when she puts on loads and loads of make-up.

For me, it's all about being real, y'know?

The only thing I hate is: she has a really weird foot fetish, no socks before marriage.

Romance is very important to me. Just last week, I made Diona breakfast in bed. She got so mad. Apparently, you're supposed to make it in a frying pan. The sheets were ruined - but it was the thought that counts.

As for card-giving, by the time I got to the shops last year, they were all sold out of Valentine's Day cards, so I had to improvise. I bought her a card that said 'You're 2' and wrote 'kind' underneath.

This year, Diona wants me to surprise her, so I'm getting a sex-change and her and 'Shauneen' are going SHOPPING!!

If I was allowed a one-off Valentine's date with anyone living or dead, in the whole world, it would have to be someone living. The deceased aren't much banter.

Superstar Valentines gifts

Brad Pitt once gave Angelina Jolie breath mints as a joke present for Valentine's Day, according to the New York Daily News, but Mrs Pitt is known to be much more extravagant.

On St Valentine's Day 2010, Angelina gave her husband a 200-year-old olive tree to plant at their French chateau. The tree was estimated to be worth between $18,000 and $30,000. Brad has also reportedly received $1.6 million helicopter and flying lessons from the wife.

David and Victoria Beckham are often thousands of miles apart on Valentine's Day, due to his UNICEF and promotional activities, and her busy fashion career but the pair always mark the occasion.

Victoria's Valentine's gifts have reportedly included a Bulgari necklace worth $8 million, a $100,000 diamond-encrusted handbag, a $500,000 Rolls-Royce and a $2.4 million Boucheron ruby and diamond necklace.

Jay Z and Beyonce are well known for giving each other lavish gifts. For Valentine's Day 2009, Jay-Z bought his Mrs Carter a platinum-covered mobile phone that was reportedly worth $24,000. Other gifts exchanged between this pair include a $2 million car for Jay-Z, and at least two Hermes Birkin bags costing $350,000 for Beyonce, chosen personally by Jay-Z in a private room at the Hermes store.

Never one to miss a branding opportunity, Beyonce released her own underwear range in time for Valentine's Day 2014, with 'YOURS' and 'MINE' printed on them. The box set costs around $40.

Hollywood heart throb Channing Tatum likes to give his Valentine, wife Jenna Dewan, jewellery from Neil Lane, whose trinkets range from $5,000 for a plain chain to well over $100,000 for a custom-made ring.

Describing her last Valentine's jewels as "really amazing" and "awesome", Jenna has actress Sienna Miller to thanks for recommending the designer to Channing, on the set of GI Joe: The Rise of the Cobra. The actor also bought a custom-made engagement ring and wedding bands from Neil Lane, whose clients include Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears and Kate Hudson.
Back on our screens with her new Foolproof Cooking series, Mary Berry tells Kate Whiting her year has started as it means to go on - busily.

In 45 years of writing cookery books, Mary Berry has seen many a newfangled device bid for a permanent space on her spotless worktops. But the latest one - the spiralizer - hasn't passed the all-important Berry test.

"Everybody said: 'What about these spiralizers, what are they like?' So, I brought several in and tried them and then used them in the programme, just because people are talking about them and they want to see people like me using them," says the 80-year-old, referring to her new show, Mary Berry's Foolproof Cooking.

"I think it's quite fun, if you want something light that spins the vegetables out and looks attractive," she adds, before concluding: "I expect it'll be something here today and gone tomorrow." Incidentally, she's not much of a fan of "superfood" veg kale either, calling it "strong and bitter".

She's certainly earned the right to express an opinion, with yet another cookbook now added to her ever-expanding collection.

The one that accompanies the BBC Two series takes her total to "about 70", all kept in what one can only imagine is a very sturdy bookcase in her immaculate Buckinghamshire home.

"I can never remember which recipe is in which book," she admits, although she does refer back to them for her favourite dishes.

The idea for Foolproof Cooking came from her love of helping budding chefs nail even the smallest details in the kitchen.

"I wanted to give every possible detail with the recipes, so I included tips all the way through the book," she explains. "So in every recipe, it says, 'Mary's foolproof tip'. Like, it's important to use smoked paprika rather than the hot variety, which has more chilli powder in it and can make a dish too hot."

The series so far has seen the Great British Bake Off judge visit a garlic farm and go lobster fishing on the Isle of Wight, dine at London restaurant Rules to see how they make their famous Beef Wellington - "mine's much easier" - as well as catching crayfish in Oxfordshire.

"I've always liked fishing, but I enjoyed catching crayfish with an expert. It's such a privilege to talk to experts, so they can give me tips on how to do it."

In her series last year, Mary Berry's Absolute Favourites, "Granny Cocoa", as she's affectionately known in her family, cooked on screen with her grandchildren - including twins Abby and Grace, who make an appearance this time round, too, helping her with a chicken and bacon lattice pie, while her younger grandsons crop up to create cranberry and coconut energy bars.

"They love cooking," she says warmly. "They don't think about it as being on television. They just think it's a fun day to do things."

A "wartime baby", Berry grew up in Bath and had a housewife mum who cooked everything from scratch. She studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris in her early 1920s, but was "lonely" living in a hostel in the city of love.

She married husband Paul in 1966 and had three children, Thomas and Annabel, and William, who tragically died aged just 19.

"I'm very lucky to have family and there's nothing better than cooking with children - there's no happier way of keeping children amused than teaching them," she says with a smile.

With busy family and work commitments, it's amazing Berry even gets a minute to sit down and eat, let alone make dinner for anyone else. But her mantra, as she reveals in the series, is: "Get organised and try and do things ahead."

To demonstrate, she tells me about her upcoming weekend plans: "We've got a lot of people coming on Sunday for lunch and I've already made the cottage pies. They're in the fridge, ready, because you never know what's going to happen."

Doesn't cooking for family gatherings feel like a bit of a busman's holiday?

"Oh, no, no, no," Berry insists. "There's usually something in the freezer, so we have that."

She turns 81 in March. Not that age has any bearing on the TV personality's work life; her schedule for 2016 is looking pretty crowded already.

Currently there's the Great Sport Relief Bake Off, which has already seen Prime Minister's wife Samantha Cameron win an episode, and then the normal Bake Off, now in its seventh series, as well as a Comic Relief special to make in the autumn.

"And I'm doing an Easter programme as well," she says mysteriously, acknowledging it's "a busy year".

Will there be time for a holiday?

"Oh, yes," says Berry. "There'll be a holiday in the summer with the children."

She cites her favourite spot in the UK as Salcombe, because she likes the coast.

Her childhood holidays were spent by the sea: "We used to stay on a farm in Devon and we walked to the beach every day, did the same thing - paddling, castles, picnic - and then came back at about four o'clock and helped with milking and gathering eggs and had tractor rides."

When she's not doing anything remotely Bake Off-related, Berry likes to watch other cooking programmes - "you always learn, they're always fun and they're often abroad" - though she's so far resisted her Bake Off co-star Sue Perkins' attempts to get her hooked on Game of Thrones.

She doesn't keep in regular contact with co-judge Paul Hollywood and presenters Mel Giedroyc and Perkins outside of term-time, or the previous contestants, although she says she's "very proud of them".

Hollywood once revealed that Berry had ironed some of his shirts - and today the famously snappy dresser chuckles at the mention.

"I like to see him smart," she confesses. "I don't give style tips, but if there's nobody there, I would iron his shirt and look after him, of course I would."
Immigrants leaving Ireland for the US in the 1800s

A forgotten love story involving a young woman from Fermanagh has emerged after more than a century.

Romantic letters sent to Anne Weir - one containing a proposal of marriage - were unearthed by staff at the Public Record Office (PRONI) in Belfast.

Miss Weir had a series of American suitors after emigrating to the United States in the 1800s.

One admirer became so enamoured with her that he wrote asking her to marry him.

But she later returned to Ireland and married a local man.

The tale is detailed in papers held by the Weir family, now in the care of PRONI.

The family were farmers in the townland of Edenclaw, near Ederney.

The two eldest daughters, Isabella and Anne, emigrated to Michigan in America's midwest in 1885, where they worked for their uncle

Around 350 letters and family documents - dating from 1885 to 1933 - are held in PRONI's archives.

Some are letters addressed to Anne from friends and family at home, and from her sister and other acquaintances in America.

The correspondence includes the story of two men's quest to win her affections.

Janet Hancock from PRONI explained: "One is from a Caleb Jackson who lived in Birmingham, Michigan, to Anne and it shows how their feelings towards one another changed over the years.

"In this letter, Caleb states '... I think I know nearly what your feelings were towards me in the past, whether they have changed or not I do not know.

"'But I do know that mine have towards you, for I have learned to appreciate sense and sincerity better than I used to'.

"He goes on to ask for permission to correspond with Anne 'if you have no other gentleman friend of whom you think more highly'."

But Caleb had competition for Anne's affections from William J Weir, another American who refers to her as 'Dear Cousin'.

Janet added: "William J Weir's romantic intentions become increasingly pronounced in his writings, and eventually lead to a proposition of marriage.

"This proposal was clearly taken seriously, as a draft response is the sole item of correspondence written by Anne in the archive. However, she declined."

Undeterred, William continued to write to Anne until she returned to Fermanagh in the summer of 1892.

Anne remained in Ireland after this visit and, in the end, chose neither of her admirers in America.

She went on to marry a local man by the name of John Weir, who despite sharing a surname was no relation.

Her elder sister Isabella married and made a home in America.

Janet said: "While it might seem old-fashioned in the days of the internet and dating apps, love letters were one of the few ways of wooing a potential partner in the late 1800s.

"Relationships took place across continents, and over weeks and months.

"Carefully written letters, rather than texts or instant messages, were the main form of communication.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing, and those which survive in the PRONI archives provide a valuable and personal insight into people's lives."
'Anna' was raped as a child and had to travel to England for an abortion

A Belfast businesswoman raped as a child of 13 and forced to have an abortion by her Christian parents has opened her heart about the depth of her trauma which destroyed her life for 36 years.

As a child Anna had no say in what happened when she fell pregnant after being raped by an 18-year-old on a first date.

She says her parents who were church-going Presbyterians couldn't face the shame and very quickly arranged for her to travel to Liverpool for an abortion.

It was at the abortion clinic when a nurse described in cruel detail what was going to happen to her baby that she was left traumatised.

Anna was never allowed to talk about or grieve for the child she lost. She says knowing what happened to it and having to hold the pain of her "secret" inside destroyed her life and led to her abusing alcohol for many years.

Now in her 50s, it wasn't until she went through an eight-week Christian post-abortion trauma course called Surrendering the Secret six years ago that she says she finally felt healed and allowed herself to be happy for the first time since she was a child of 13.

It is because of her own experience that Anna believes abortion should not be allowed under any circumstances.

In a week when once again the emotive issue made headlines as MLAs voted against a change in the law to permit abortion in the case when an unborn baby has fatal foetal abnormality, Anna felt compelled to share her story in the hope of reaching out to the thousands of women she believes are living with the trauma of abortion.

She is now happily married with two young children who she wants to protect which is why she feels she cannot be identified and we have changed her name to protect her.

She hopes her powerful story will give an insight into the real horror of abortion which women who opt to go through it for whatever reason will, she believes, inevitably suffer.

She says: "In those 36 years before I got healing the rape never figured and it wasn't the boat journey to England either which traumatised me - it was the taking away of my baby.

"I was haunted every year the date of the abortion came round, thinking what age he would have been because I am now convinced it was a son and I have named him Michael.

"I didn't have children until I was nearly 40 years old and I spent all those years wondering what it would be like to have a child. Nothing, even having my own children, could ever replace that baby taken from me."

In her search for peace Anna did go to two psychologists but they didn't recognise post abortion trauma and couldn't help her. Even though she went on to climb to the top in her profession as a business manager and had all the trappings of a successful career woman including the big house, the expensive car and good holidays, inside she said she was never happy.

As an innocent 13-year-old who readily dated her rapist, she spent decades blaming herself for what happened and didn't understand that she was the victim of rape.

She recalls: "I had met him at a disco. Even though my parents were upstanding churchgoers there were no boundaries when I was growing up.

"He was the sort of boy about town whom all the girls fancied and wanted to go out with so when he asked me to go out I was so happy. He suggested meeting the next night and we went to his home where the rape happened.

"I didn't recognise it as rape because I had gone there with him and I thought it was my fault and always blamed myself.

"I had really bad morning sickness and was vomiting in the school corridors and my parents took me to every hospital and doctor. Then one day my mum asked me if I could be pregnant and it had never entered my head and I said 'no'.

"I went to my room and just sat on the side of my bed rocking myself thinking 'oh my goodness'. I had a friend who worked in a pharmacy on Saturdays who arranged for a pregnancy test. I never even knew there was such a thing. I had to tell my mother I was pregnant."

Anna remembers everything happening very quickly after that. Her parents took her to a house in south Belfast to meet a woman to arrange the abortion. She remembers the cost of 300 which back in 1972 was a lot of money and she remembers a warning from the woman that it would get even more expensive the longer the pregnancy was left.

Within just four or five days of discovering her pregnancy she was on a boat to Liverpool with her mum. She was never told what was going to happen or why, just that the baby was going to be terminated.

On arrival in Liverpool she went direct to a clinic inside a terrace house and straight into pre-med.

She recalls in vivid detail the trauma of the experience: "I remember going over on the boat having a sense of a person being alive inside me.

"I was lying in the corridor of the clinic when a nurse came along and said to me, 'Do you know what they are going to do to your baby'.

"She told me that they were going to cut it all up into bits inside me and then suck it out and put it in a bag and into the bin. Even though what she said was cruel, now with hindsight I realise she was the only one who was ever honest with me.

"What she told me has haunted me all of my life.

"I remember after the operation being put into this big dormitory type room with lots of other women. I felt very lonely. They were discussing their second, third and fourth abortions. One of them said to me, 'Don't worry love I've just had my fourth'. It was horrendous."

Anna had the abortion on a Friday and was back at school the following Monday. The abortion was never mentioned again.

Signs that all was not well were immediate as her school work suffered straightaway. As a child who was always top of her class, her performance went downhill drastically.

She started to abuse alcohol in her teens and continued to abuse it until six years ago when she went through her counselling.

She says: "I had loads of friends, a good social life, I went on to have a successful career, a big house, and wonderful holidays but underneath I could never feel happiness. I abused alcohol to mask the pain and I am ashamed to say that I struggled with alcoholism. I heard about the eight-week Bible study course for post-abortion trauma and that started the healing process. In all those years before, I would have loved to have talked to someone and I tried but nobody recognised post-abortion trauma which is now being compared to post traumatic stress disorder.

"It is just all swept under the carpet and you can't talk about it. For years and years I didn't equate my inability to grieve subsequent deaths with family and friends with the fact that I hadn't grieved for my child.

"I was lonely despite all the friends and parties. It is such a big secret which many people are keeping. I feel very privileged that I came through the healing process and have come out the other end and can now help others.

"The sadness never leaves me. I hadn't grieved the death of my aborted baby and one of the most beautiful things to witness was women crying tears of grief in that course. I couldn't ever cry for my son. I wasn't allowed to and it is a great relief to be able to grieve."

Anna also struggled over the years with conflicting feelings towards her parents who she blamed for her abortion.

It wasn't until she came through the counselling course that she felt for the first time that she could talk to them. It is one of her biggest regrets that they had both passed away and she never got that chance.

She says: "I didn't like them for it. Unfortunately they both passed away without me voicing that to them. I think they did it because of their involvement with the church and the shame they would have felt among people in the church and neighbours.

"It was 1972 and a very different time. I suppose I don't know what they felt in their hearts and if they went on to have any regrets but it is too late now."

Because of her first-hand experience, she has now trained in the Surrendering the Secret Programme and will be holding courses to help others.

She says: "Abortion is freely discussed in our society and is not a secret anymore yet despite this openness many women have pain and don't feel comfortable telling anyone about their abortion.

"It is all over the media, yet women are crying inside. They're suffering severe consequences which is greatly affecting the quality of their lives. After the course I felt whole again and I feel free from my secret."

Now a Christian herself she believes abortion is not right under any circumstances but especially following a rape.

She says: "I would advise women to think twice. Don't go into having an abortion because it's a quick fix - it's not. That abortion experience will stay with you for the rest of your life. It will haunt you.

"If a woman finds herself pregnant as a result of rape, she really needs to have some care. She needs compassion, she needs counselling, and she needs a great deal of support. She doesn't need another act of violence in abortion."

For those who have been told their baby has a fatal foetal abnormality, she also has strong views: "I know people who have given birth or lost their babies through miscarriage and they were able to grieve and bury their babies and I know babies who went on to live full and rewarding lives. Doctors don't always get it right."

For more information on courses to help with post-abortion trauma, go to www.surrenderingthesecret.com or www.abortionrecovery.org or www.womenhurt.ie
This week Northern Ireland's MLAs voted against legalising abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormality.

A fatal foetal abnormality diagnosis means doctors believe an unborn child has a terminal condition and will die in the womb or shortly after birth.

Abortion is illegal in Northern Ireland under most circumstances, and only allowed for strong medical reasons.

In 2013 Sarah Ewart shared her personal story of how, at 20 weeks pregnant, she travelled to England for a termination after her baby had been diagnosed with anencephaly - a condition in which the brain has not developed.

Under the abortion law in Northern Ireland, she was advised that as her health was not at risk she would have to carry the baby full term.

The 1967 Abortion Act which applies to the rest of the UK was never extended to Northern Ireland, and hundreds of women travel to the mainland UK each year for abortions.

The province is currently governed by a 19th-century law under which medical teams could be sentenced to serve time in prison for carrying out abortions.

This week the Assembly voted down an amendment to the justice bill last week that would have made abortion legal for women suffering from fatal foetal abnormalities.

It followed a Belfast High Court ruling in November where Mr Justice Horner found that the near-total ban violated the human rights of women, including those suffering from fatal foetal abnormalities, as well as rape victims made pregnant through sexual crimes.

The ruling followed a case brought by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to extend abortion to cases of serious foetal malformation, rape or incest.
Thomas 'Slab' Murphy has been a prominent figure in Irish republicanism for decades, and was alleged to have been a senior IRA commander.

The 66-year-old is one of three brothers, and his farm at Ballybinaby straddles the Louth/Armagh border.

In 1998 Murphy lost a libel action against The Sunday Times after investigative journalism by the late Liam Clarke claimed Murphy was a senior IRA commander who had directed the IRA's bombing campaign in Britain, as well as being involved in the importation of weapons from Colonel Gaddafi's Libya.

For the past 14 years Murphy has been under investigation for suspected tax fraud.

During raids on his farm hundreds of thousand of euro in cash were found by revenue investigators.

Amongst the wealth uncovered by officers was a UK and Irish property portfolio including office blocks, houses, hotels and pubs.

In December last year Murphy was found guilty by Dublin's Special Criminal Court of nine charges of tax evasion related to his cattle farming business.

He had denied all the charges, but the republican now faces up to five years in jail.

After Murphy's conviction Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams strongly defended him in a statement.

He claimed Murphy had been "treated unfairly" by the justice system and that his rights had been denied.

The Sinn Fein leader's defence of Murphy led to outrage among rival political figures in the Republic, who felt it was completely inappropriate for the leader of a political party to act as a character referee to a convicted tax fraudster.
McDonalds at Donegall Place in Belfast city centre where the assault took place

A man has been found dead in the toilets of a McDonald's restaurant in Belfast city centre.

The circumstances surrounding the death in the early hours of Friday morning remain unclear, and a post-mortem is set to be carried out.

Belfast councillor Jim Rodgers said the news was very concerning. "This is a real tragedy," he said.

"Although the details surrounding the death are unclear at the moment, my thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased.

"I want to urge any members of the public who were in the McDonald's restaurant at the time, or who know the deceased, to please assist the police in any way they can."

Police cordoned off the restaurant on Donegall Place for a few hours to investigate the death. It was reopened again for business on Friday morning.

A spokesman for the PSNI said: "Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the sudden death of a man whose body was discovered in a business premises in Donegall Place on the evening of Thursday, February 11.

"A post-mortem examination will be conducted to determine the cause of death, which is not being treated as suspicious at this time."

McDonald's also issued a statement which said: "We can confirm that there is an ongoing police investigation following a fatality at our Donegall Place restaurant in the early hours of this morning.

"The PSNI are investigating. Due to the sensitivities and out of respect for the individual's family and friends, we will not be making any further comment.

"We are offering support to the staff who were working at the time, and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the individual involved."

It is not the first tragedy to take place in a McDonald's restaurant in Belfast.

In 1998, Ciara McGinley (22) from Strabane, Co Tyrone, collapsed and died after touching live wires on a hand dryer in the toilets of their former restaurant at Bradbury Place.

Diamond Restaurants Ltd, trading as McDonald's, later pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the safety of its staff and customers.

Miss McGinley, a languages student at Queen's University in Belfast, had been out celebrating the end of her final exams in June 1998 when the incident occurred.
Niall and Sharon with their children Savannah (15), Kay-lee (11) and Rihanna (7)

The hotel swimming complex at the resort in Benidorm

Niall Coulter at home in Strabane with his wife Sharon

A father-of-three has claimed a dip in a swimming pool on holiday cost him his hearing and his job.

Niall Coulter, from Strabane, splashed out on a break to a four-star resort, but a last-minute change left him in a basic hotel.

During the trip, after joining his family for a swim in the pool, he woke the next morning find warm liquid that resembled a "yellow pus-like substance" coming from his ears.

The 36-year-old, who now wears a hearing aid, said he had to give up his job as a taxi driver because he could no longer hear his customers' directions.

"This has robbed me of my life and career," Niall added. "If I could turn back the clock and get my hearing back, I would do it in a heartbeat.

"All it took was spending the first day of my holiday in and around the hotel pool to ruin my hearing.

"This is a living hell. Every day is a struggle because my ears are still pumping out goo three years on.

"It's never-ending pain, and now I'm told I need two more operations on both ears and am stuck with a hearing aid. I don't want any other person going through the hell I'm in."

Niall had been looking forward to his 2,600 holiday in Benidorm with his sisters, wife Sharon and three children.

But, he said, a week before they were due to go, his holiday company, the Global Travel Group Limited, arranged for his travel agent to call him to advise they were changing his hotel.

Despite his objections, Niall said he was told the new venue was an "upgrade" compared to his original Gemelos family-friendly Apartments.

He packed his bags and got on a plane but was devastated when he arrived to see what his upgraded hotel actually looked like.

"It was the absolute pits," Niall said. "It was like a backpackers' hostel, full of young people partying. It would have been fine for a lads' first-time holiday but not in the least bit suitable for a family holiday at all.

"The room was in need of a complete overhaul with the shower head hanging off the wall and dirty, broken wooden slats in the bed.

"The swimming pool looked like it belonged in the back of a villa. It was nothing like the waterslide pool, kids-friendly resort I had booked and was promised.

"I had paid for a fun-filled family break and was given something like Fawlty Towers instead."

Niall tried to make the best of things and joined his kids playing in the pool of the Palm Court Apartments.

The following morning, he woke up and felt warm liquid coming from his ears. He went to the bathroom and was horrified to see a yellow, pus-like substance.

"It was disgusting gunge and was just pouring out like a running tap," he said.

"The bed where I was sleeping was covered in it and looked like I had been in the gunk tank, it was that bad."

Niall went to a chemist who gave him ear drops but then, he said, his ears started ringing loudly and for the rest of the holiday he was unable to go into bars with loud music.

"It was a complete nightmare and wrecked the whole holiday," he said. "I could hardly sleep at night, the ringing was so loud. The liquid kept coming out."

When he later went to his GP, Niall was diagnosed with swimmer's ear. After returning home in September 2012, he said his hearing suddenly deteriorated.

After a series of hospital visits, he was told he had to have an operation on his right ear after the infection worsened.

He then had a procedure at Altnagelvin Hospital, a year after his holiday, but his hearing loss continued.

Niall said he was then forced to give up his job of three years as a private hire driver.

He added: "I had to give up my job I loved. I was gutted. But I just couldn't hear the customers properly any more.

"It had been my career, my life and the main source of income for my family. But, for safety, I had to stop. It was horrible."

To add to his misery, he was then fitted with a bulky hearing aid in the hope that it would improve his hearing.

Now, two years on, the dad's ears continue to leak and he has been told he faces a further two operations on both ears, and that his hearing will never recover.

He has now decided to take legal action.

Following his experience, Niall refuses to travel abroad, instead opting to go on holiday much closer to home.

He said: "I am too scared to go abroad on foreign holidays now. It's the kids and wife who are suffering."

Travel lawyer Paul Stevens of Simpson Millar, who is handling Niall's claim, said his company deals with hundreds of cases across the UK involving victims of swimming pool and water-related illnesses every year.

"Unfortunately, getting infections from hotel swimming pools is quite common," he added. "This has been very distressing for Niall and he will likely have complications for the rest of his life."

A spokesperson for tour company Global Travel Group Ltd said: "We are unfortunately unable to comment on the claims made by Mr Coulter as the matter is currently the subject of legal proceedings.

"Selling great holidays to the highest standard is of the utmost importance to members of the Global Travel Group."
The 20mph speed limit was introduced on January 31

A controversial 20mph speed limit was introduced in central Belfast despite the majority of people who responded to a public consultation opposing the measure, it has been revealed.

The speed limit was cut on 76 roads across two weeks ago.

The move has divided opinion, with some claiming it is a further step towards Belfast becoming a cold house for motorists.

Now it has emerged that two-thirds of people who took part in a consultation were against cutting the speed limit.

Only six out of 19 responses received during the three-week exercise in 2014 supported a 20mph zone, although the Department for Regional Development said there was strong online support.

The details emerged after an Assembly question from Ukip MLA David McNarry.

Mr McNarry, who sits on Stormont's regional development committee, branded the consultation "a sham".

"It is clear the Department for Regional Development had already made its mind up," he said.

"This consultation was clearly a box-ticking exercise. Why else would the department ignore the findings?

"It is contemptible how they treat the public with contempt.

"This also brings into question all consultations and how departments react irrespective of public opinion."

The 20mph speed limit came into force on January 31, three months later than planned.

It had been due to take effect on October 12, but was postponed to minimise disruption to Christmas shoppers.

The zone includes May Street at the back of City Hall, extends to the Cathedral Quarter and past the back of Castlecourt shopping centre.

Plans to cut the speed limit had been in the pipeline for more than six years. A full public consultation was carried out in July 2014 as part of the legislative process.

The proposals were advertised in three daily newspapers and allowed 22 days for any representations or objections.

DRD said 19 responses were received. These included:

Nine objections, from five members of the public, Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, the Federation of Small Businesses and a member of the Institute of Advance Motorists.

Two requests for more information on how to object.

Six responses supporting the proposal in principle, from a member of the public, Sustrans, an A&E consultant, NI Cycling Initiative, Belfast City Council, and Belfast City Centre Management.

Two representations containing general comments about bus lanes, disabled parking and existing slow-moving traffic in Belfast city centre.

Responding to Mr McNarry's question, Regional Development Minister Michelle McIlveen said: "A pre-consultation phase for the Northern Ireland Road Safety Strategy was carried out between March 2009 and February 2010.

"This involved engagement with 500-plus stakeholders to identify key road safety issues and draft solutions. An extensive public consultation was then carried out in March 2010. This confirmed a general support for pilot 20mph signed only schemes."

But Mr McNarry said the consultation showed the lack of support for 20mph speed limits.

He added: "This consultation was an absolute sham. On the basis of the responses, there is clear evidence that people do not want a 20mph speed limit, and they should scrap it."

A DRD spokeswoman said: "The consultation showed overwhelming support for the introduction of 20mph zones as a roads safety measure to protect vulnerable road users, with 76% of online respondents supporting 20mph zones."
David Cameron has put security at the heart of his case for Britain staying in the EU as the moment of truth approaches for his renegotiation drive.

Delivering a speech in Hamburg, the Prime Minister insisted Europe had to "stand together" against threats such as Islamic State (IS) and Russian aggression.

He also appealed for Germany's help in finalising reforms, stressing the countries' shared interests and values.

The comments come with just a week to go until a crucial Brussels summit that could make or break Mr Cameron's hopes of securing a package that he can recommend to the UK public.

There are reports that US president Barack Obama is preparing to make a "big, public reach out" once the referendum campaign begins in an effort to convince Britons to vote to stay in the EU.

Senate foreign relations committee chairman Bob Corker discussed the tactic openly with witnesses during an evidence session, saying he "knew" that was Mr Obama's intention.

Mr Cameron told the dinner in Hamburg that he was "fighting" to get the changes the UK needed to remain in the union.

He argued that Anglo-German co-operation would be vital for success, stressing his close relationship with chancellor Angela Merkel. "It is our shared commitment to enterprise that means time and again at European Council meetings it is Britain and Germany working together, standing up for cutting bureaucracy, standing up for growth and standing up for jobs," he said.

"It is Britain and Germany - with our belief in sound finances - who are at the table arguing that you cannot spend your way out of problems and that you have to deal with your deficits.

"And I am proud of the way that chancellor Merkel and I worked to secure that historic deal to cut the European budget in real terms for the first time."

Mr Cameron said he "made no apology" for the fact that Britain was "argumentative and rather strong-minded".

"The need to protect our sovereignty has always been paramount for us. But we are also an open nation," he said. "That openness drove the decision to join in 1973. Just as it drives our approach in so many other ways, including our role in bringing down the Iron Curtain and championing the entry into Europe of countries that lost so many years to communism.

"We have always been a country that reaches out. And I never want us to pull up the drawbridge and retreat from the world.

"So when it comes to the question of Britain's future in Europe, my aim is clear: I want to keep Britain inside a reformed European Union."

Mr Cameron said forging trade deals such as TTIP with the US, and establishing clear rules for eurozone and non-eurozone states, was good for both the UK and Germany.

"And when Britain says we need to have a Europe that respects nation states and that we should be able to run our own welfare systems - those are calls which I believe resonate around Europe," he added.

Mr Cameron said he believed it was possible to achieve changes, and if so he would "unequivocally" recommend staying in the EU.

But he insisted the "job will not be done" even after the renegotiation, and "many things would remain to be reformed".

"At the end of all this, the reason why I believe it is so vital to keep Britain in a reformed European Union is that when I look at the world today and where it is going I am convinced more than ever that we need Britain and Germany working together to shape a European Union that can deliver prosperity and security for us all," he said.

"In a world where some countries claim you can be a great economic success but bypass democracy, restrict the free press and go without the rule of law, we need to stand together, and show that - far from holding countries back - these things make us stronger.

"In a world where Russia is invading Ukraine and a rogue nation like North Korea is testing nuclear weapons, we need to stand up to this aggression together - and bring our economic might to bear on those who rip up the rulebook and threaten the safety of our people.

"And in a world where people look at the threat of extremism and blame poverty or the foreign policy of the West, we need to say: no, it's about an ideology that is hijacking Islam for its own barbaric purposes and poisoning the minds of our young people.

"And just as Europe has faced down dangerous and murderous ideologies in the past, so again we must stand together in this, the struggle of our generation."
Jamie Oliver says raising the prices of sugar-laden fizzy drinks and snacks is the best way to cut consumption

Ministers will stop short of imposing a "sugar tax" as part of a childhood obesity strategy being unveiled in the coming weeks.

Instead the Government is expected to use the threat of a levy in future to encourage the food industry to take action.

The move will frustrate campaigners such as celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who insist that pushing up the prices of sugar-laden fizzy drinks and snacks is the best way to cut consumption.

Prime Minister David Cameron appeared to signal a change of heart on the issue last month when he suggested a specific tax could be needed to tackle the obesity "crisis" among young people.

The strategy will reportedly recommend that junk food adverts are banned from being screened near family programmes such as The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent - classified based on the percentage of under-18s in the audience.

Companies will be warned to reformulate products to reduce sugar content.

A feasibility study is likely to be launched to establish how a compulsory sugar tax could work if firms do not take adequate measures.

A Department of Health spokesman said: "Our childhood obesity strategy will look at everything, including sugar, that contributes to a child becoming overweight and obese. It will also set out what more can be done by all sides."
The editor of The Independent has told readers many of the newspaper's journalists will continue working on the website - but said he could not mention names because they are "in negotiation".

A source close to the business said about 75 jobs are at risk in the wake of the decision to close the print editions of The Independent and The Independent on Sunday.

The owners of the newspapers confirmed on Friday that the print version of the titles will close, leaving an online-only edition.

In a letter to The Independent's "treasured" print readers, editor Amol Rajan said he realises news that the newspaper is to cease its print edition will have come as "a shock".

He wrote: "The simple fact is, there just aren't enough people who are prepared to pay for printed news, especially during the week. With our circulations and advertising down, very substantially, the future of our print edition would inevitably be one of managing decline."

He added: "Many of our world-class journalists will continue writing just the same amount of journalism over on independent.co.uk. I can't mention them now because we are in negotiation - but I hope to update you soon."

ESI Media said The Independent, launched in 1986, will become "the first national newspaper title to move to a digital-only future".

The Independent on Sunday will go online only on March 20, with The Independent following on March 26.

The move comes after the paper's owners, Alexander and Evgeny Lebedev, agreed a deal to sell its cut-price sister paper i to regional publisher Johnston Press for around 24 million.

The Independent newspapers are part of the group owned by the Lebedev family, who have other media assets including the Evening Standard and local TV station London Live.

In his letter a day after the news was announced, Mr Rajan said: "I know it is a hard thing to say here and now, but I want the message to go out loud and clear that even after we cease to print, in spirit and in impact this great newspaper will live on."

He added: "All I can say is we will deliver great journalism until the very end. That is because we have the most kind, industrious, dedicated and brave staff in the history of Fleet Street."

ESI Media said as a result of the move it will create 25 new digital content roles, launch a new subscription mobile app and continue to invest in quality journalism.

It added that due to the expansion of independent.co.uk new editorial bureaux will open in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and its US operation will be boosted.

The group said the Evening Standard is unaffected by the move, "which continues to grow as a profitable and successful newspaper brand in its own right".

The Independent was launched by a group of journalists led by Andreas Whittam Smith. It enjoyed initial success rising to a circulation passing 400,000 by 1988, and claimed it was free from proprietorial influence.
More than half of the human race could be unemployed in 30 years time as job vacancies are filled by machines, a scientist has predicted.

A life of leisure could be the norm for a majority of people in decades to come, according to computer expert Moshe Vardi - but he warns that it may not be a bed of roses.

Speaking at a major conference in the US, he considered the social implications of a global economy with greater than 50% unemployment.

Professor Vardi, from Rice University in Houston, Texas, told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): "We are approaching a time when machines will be able to outperform humans at almost any task.

"I believe that society needs to confront this question before it is upon us: if machines are capable of doing almost any work humans can do, what will humans do?

"A typical answer is that if machines will do all our work, we will be free to pursue leisure activities.

" I do not find this a promising future, as I do not find the prospect of leisure-only life appealing. I believe that work is essential to human well-being."

He added: " Humanity is about to face perhaps its greatest challenge ever, which is finding meaning in life after the end of 'in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread'. We need to rise to the occasion and meet this challenge."

His presentation was entitled Smart Robots And Their Impact On Society.

Prof Vardi argued that the pace of progress in artificial intelligence was increasing, even as the same technology was eliminating growing numbers of middle-class "white collar" jobs and driving up income inequality.

In November last year the Bank of England's chief economist warned that up to 15 million jobs in the UK are at risk of being lost to robots.

Andy Haldane said automation posed a risk to almost half of British employees and warned that a "third machine age" was set to widen the gap between rich and poor.

Administrative, clerical and production tasks were most at threat, according to a Bank of England study.

Addressing the Trades Union Congress (TUC) he said: "Technology appears to be resulting in faster, wider and deeper degrees of hollowing-out than in the past.

"Why? Because 20th-century machines have substituted not just for manual human tasks, but cognitive ones too. The set of human skills machines could reproduce, at lower cost, has both widened and deepened."

Low-paid jobs were most at risk, but mid-range skills would increasingly be affected as well, he claimed.
Another arrest has been made over the murder of Akhtar Javeed

A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a company director who was shot in the neck during an armed raid.

West Midlands Police said the suspect was detained at a property in Leicester on Friday night by detectives investigating the death of Birmingham businessman Akhtar Javeed.

A police spokesman said a 19-year-old woman had been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, while an 18-year-old man arrested in Derby on Thursday remains in custody.

The female suspect was also arrested in Leicester at the same address as the 26-year-old man.

Detective Chief Inspector Martin Slevin, who is leading the inquiry, said: "This is a fast-paced investigation and further arrests have been made as we continue to investigate Mr Javeed's murder.

"I continue to appeal to people to come forward. I firmly believe that someone out there may still have information that could help our investigation and I am urging them to call me or one of my team."

Mr Javeed, who lived in east London, was among five staff members who were tied up by masked men at his soft drinks distribution business in Rea Street South, Digbeth, on February 3.

The 56-year-old father-of-four is believed to have been trying to fight back when he was shot.

Detectives have seized a silver Renault Megane as part of the inquiry, having appealed for sightings of a car seen leaving Rea Street South with its lights off shortly after the shooting.
The camp's legal centre has filed eight complaints of police brutality and five against civilian militia at The Jungle

French police and armed civilian "militias" have launched a series of attacks against migrants in Calais in the last three weeks, a British charity said.

Migrants including a boy aged 10 have been attacked as they were leaving The Jungle or near the border, leaving two in intensive care with life-threatening injuries.

A team from the camp's legal centre has filed eight complaints of police brutality and five against civilian militias to the French judiciary, according to Care4Calais, a charity that helped compile some of the incident reports.

Victims include a 10-year-old boy subject to police violence and a 13-year-old who suffered a broken foot and broken nose, the charity's founder said.

The attacks mark a sudden increase in the level and frequency of violence around the camp and more than 50 incidents have been documented in the last three weeks.

Marianne Humbersot from the legal centre, who is demanding an investigation by French authorities, said it had received an increase in complaints and added that the civilian militias were armed and organised.

She said: "We are seeing increasing breaches of human rights here in Calais - everything you can imagine. And the refugees, who have already endured so much to escape conflict, are finding themselves at the centre of hostility and violence here in France."

The charity Medicin Sans Frontieres (MSF) has treated some of the victims and its staff have seen injuries, some of which have been life threatening, including fractures, stabbings, broken bones, head trauma and severe bruising.

Dr Marlene Malfait, MSF medical co-ordinator at the camp clinic, said: "Some of the injuries are severe, resulting in fractures, now averaging 12 cases a week."

Clare Moseley, founder of Care4Calais, said she had interviewed a 16-year-old boy who was first beaten with sticks by police, who handcuffed his arms behind his back, and then by a civilian militia.

She said: "These incredibly worrying claims compound the urgency of unprovoked brutality.

"These refugees have come here because they have no choice. They have fled from horrific circumstances. For these things to happen to them shows a total disregard for humanity."
A British teenager arrested in connection with cyber-crime offences is suspected of hacking into an email account used by the head of the CIA, according to reports.

The South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) declined to comment on "speculation" linking the 16-year-old boy to a series of hacks against the CIA, FBI and other parts of the US government.

Reports claim the teenager - from an unnamed area of the East Midlands - is suspected of co-ordinating a series of cyber-attacks perpetrated by a group using the name "Crackas With Attitude".

The unnamed teenager is said to have had his computer and mobile phone seized following his arrest on Tuesday.

In a statement, SEROCU said: "The South East Regional Organised Crime Unit can confirm we have arrested a 16-year-old boy on Tuesday in the East Midlands on suspicion of conspiracy to commit unauthorised access to computer material."

The youth was also detained on suspicion of committing other offences under the 1990 Computer Misuse Act, including conspiracy to commit unauthorised acts with intent to impair a computer, SEROCU said.

The teenager has been bailed until June 6 pending further inquiries.
The suspects are wanted for crimes including murder, attempted murder, rape and sex offences

The majority of police forces in the UK have refused to name wanted suspects, at least 20 of whom are suspected rapists or murderers, an investigation has found.

Almost half of the 45 forces declined to reveal the identities of suspects on privacy grounds, the Daily Mail said.

Some of the police forces claimed releasing names would breach the individual's rights, a ccording to an FOI request by the newspaper.

The suspects are wanted for crimes including murder , attempted murder, rape and sex offences - some against children.

The request asked police to state how many wanted suspects there are in their force area, and for the names, pictures and details of the 10 who have been wanted for the longest time.

Fourteen forces refused to disclose names on cost grounds, while one said naming suspects was not in the public interest, the paper said.

Two of the 45 forces, Surrey and Northamptonshire, fulfilled the request completely.

Khalid Mahmood, Labour MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, told the Mail: 'This is absolutely absurd. For the police to protect the rights of criminals rather than the victims of crime is completely wrong."
A homeless woman and her dog who "courageously" confronted a thief were able to return goods worth over 1,000 stolen from a beauty store.

Staff at the Oxford branch of Lush said they felt invaded "on a personal level" after they discovered a laptop and large box of cosmetic s had disappeared when they opened the store on Wednesday.

Twenty-four hours later, Lottie - who is homeless and has been sleeping outside the store on and off for around five years - marched in with the stolen products, having successfully challenged the man who took them.

The store has since set up an online campaign to raise money for Lottie to express their thanks, raising more than 400 so far.

Store manager James Atherton said staff were "completely surprised" to be reunited with the stolen items.

The 26-year-old said: "We were amazed and just so joyful. It was fantastic. We weren't expecting to get them back at all.

"She confronted him as he walked out. She said: 'I know you are not from Lush', and took the stuff back. This was around 4am."

On their Facebook page staff, describing themselves as a "family", wrote: "We have known Lottie for years, and have always felt safer with her outside of our shop.

"Lottie knows us, knows our delivery staff, knows Lush.

"She knew that the man walking out of our shop was not us, and she did the extraordinarily brave thing of challenging him.

"We want to share what Lottie did with all of you, because we are greatly moved by her selfless actions in protecting us, and want to thank her from the bottom of our hearts."

Mr Atherton said he believes Lottie's dream is to own a caravan, but that she would decide how the money was spent, and any extra would go to charities helping homeless people in Oxford.

Lush has a proud history of campaigning for issues involving human rights, animal cruelty and the environment, Mr Atherton added, and the Cornmarket Street branch has been active in opposing cuts to services in Oxford.

Earlier this week, David Cameron's mother and aunt signed a petition opposing Oxfordshire County Council cuts that would result in 44 children's centres being closed. The Prime Minister has previously expressed "disappointment" against cuts in his capacity as MP for Witney.

Mr Atherton said: "It's awful - almost hypocritical that he puts forward these cuts for the country and opposes those in his constituency - it's such a shame.

"Oxford is quite a divided city - such extreme wealth and also a lot of vulnerable people. More cuts will really affect people like Lottie.

"We are really hoping to support Lottie to repay her for her amazing kindness. We have given her a hamper of food and Lush products but it doesn't seem enough.

"There is a lot of stigma attached to homeless people, and this proves those feelings wrong. Kindness is kindness."

:: To donate to the appeal for Lottie visit www.gofundme.com/hnwj2dfd.
Social media comments about the junior doctors dispute have made any resolution more difficult, the Government's chief negotiator has said

Attempts to find an agreement over a new junior doctors contract were made "more difficult" by medics voicing their opposition on social media, the Government's chief negotiator has said.

Sir David Dalton said comments on Facebook and Twitter had been a "huge impediment" to the negotiations, which failed to produce a deal with doctors' union the British Medical Association (BMA).

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he would impose new pay and conditions on junior doctors in England, following advice from Sir David that an agreement was "not realistically possible".

The decision was met with anger from medics and the BMA has vowed to fight the imposition.

Sir David, chief executive of Salford Royal NHS Trust, said social media meant compromise was "increasingly going to be difficult" but was not the main reason talks failed.

He told the Times: "It's been done in a goldfish bowl of people giving real-time commentary and that makes it more difficult to create the space for negotiations.

"In the cold light of day the gap between us is tiny. Is it really worth going on strike for more pay on Saturdays for the people who only attend work on Saturday once a month?

"There's an extent to which the dispute isn't really about the contract. The contract is the totem pole that people have danced around. But it's all the other factors - the not feeling valued, taken for granted - that are more at play than the terms of the contract."

Among those that attacked the Health Secretary was doctor Rich Bowman, 27, who said "screw you Jeremy Hunt" in a Facebook post shared almost 26,000 times.

"All we do is for our patients, how dare you try and turn them against us. All of this is your government's fault," he said.

Sir David's comments come after several hospital bosses distanced themselves from suggestions they agreed to a new junior doctors contract being imposed after their names were linked to a letter Mr Hunt used to justify the decision.

The names of 20 NHS health trust bosses in England were attached to a letter from Sir David advising the Government to do "whatever it deems necessary" to break the deadlock.

But around half of the chief executives named have said they did not agree to the contract being forced on medics, even though they backed the terms being offered by the Government.

The BMA has already staged two walkouts and further strikes and legal actions are possibilities, while some junior doctors may refuse to sign new contracts which are due to be implemented from August.
Ash Carter says the nuclear deterrent is an "important part of the deterrent structure of Nato" (AP)

Britain must keep its Trident nuclear deterrent to maintain its "outsized" role in the world, according to the US defence secretary.

Ash Carter said the nuclear-armed submarines are an "important part of the deterrent structure of Nato".

MPs are expected to vote on Government plans to renew the weapons system, while Labour is split over its policy on the issue.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) estimates that acquiring four new submarines to carry the Trident deterrent will cost 31 billion over the course of the 20-year procurement programme, with a further 10 billion set aside to meet any additional unexpected cost increases.

Mr Carter told the BBC that Trident enables Britain to "continue to play that outsized role on the global stage that it does because of its moral standing and its historical standing".

"It's important that the military power matches that standing and so we're very supportive of it," he added.

"We depend upon the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom depends on us, that's part of the special relationship. We build Joint Strike Fighters together, we build Trident missiles together."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn favours unilateral disarmament but faces a showdown with some of his shadow cabinet, including shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn, who said he believed in multilateral action.

Shadow home secretary Andy Burnham, a supporter of Trident renewal, said the party's split "may be impossible to reconcile".

In the House of Commons earlier this month, Julian Lewis, chairman of the Defence Select Committee, questioned why No 10 was delaying a vote on renewal, which he said had been expected within weeks.

Commons Leader Chris Grayling replied a debate would be held "in due course" but did not give a date.
An on-the-run paedophile has been arrested after handing himself into police.

David Chadwick, 58, who was released from prison recently after being jailed three years ago for child sex offences, was being hunted by Dorset Police after breaching his licence conditions.

Detectives said Chadwick had surrendered to Suffolk Police in Lowestoft and will be returned to prison.

He had been wanted by Dorset Police since Wednesday travelling around the county by public transport and hitchhiking before leaving the county. It was thought he could have been heading to Norwich.

Detective Inspector Joe Williams said: "Earlier this evening David Chadwick presented himself to police officers working in Lowestoft, Suffolk. He will be immediately recalled to prison.

"I would like to thank members of the public, as well as the media, for their assistance in this investigation."
Retired soldiers should be drafted in to work as a teachers in "secure schools" for young offenders, a Government adviser has said.

Ministers are considering a radical overhaul of youth custody which could see criminals aged under 18 serve their sentences in "more therapeutic" settings than prisons.

A report by Charlie Taylor, the government's adviser on youth justice, suggested the system would be more effective and better able to rehabilitate young people if education was at its heart.

The former head teacher says he wants the armed forces to be involved and for retired soldiers to teach youngsters, who could also be part of a cadet corps.

He told The Times: "The people who come out of the Army now are so unbelievably well trained, with incredible leadership skills and the ability to work with people. They do discipline very well but so much more than that.

"Lots of the boys could go into the forces and do really well."

Prime Minister David Cameron has confirmed the Government will explore establishing free schools to set up secure academies for young offenders.

There are five youth offender institutions and three secure training centres for young people in England and Wales.

Under the proposals, they would be replaced with secure schools to help children master the basics in English and maths and provide high-quality vocational education "in a more therapeutic environment".

It is part of a number of measures being considered by the Government to drive down reoffending rates.

Mr Taylor's review found that around 40% of those detained in young offender institutions ( YOIs) had not been to school since they were 14, while nearly nine out of 10 had been excluded from school at some point.

Children in YOIs only receive 17 hours of education a week, compared with an expected level of 30 hours.

The report found that the number of children in custody has fallen by almost two-thirds in the last decade, reaching the lowest recorded level.

In 2014/15 the population stood at 1,048 and it is currently below 1,000, but two in three children commit a new offence within a year of being released.
A policeman comforts pupils after the shooting at Independence High School in Glendale (AP)

The shooting of two 15-year-old girls at an Arizona high school was an apparent murder-suicide, police have said.

The shocking incident at Independence High School in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix, initially caused panic among parents who could not reach their children.

But police later announced that a suicide note was found at the shooting scene near the cafeteria area. They said the girls were each shot once and a weapon was found near the bodies.

"Information gathered by detectives reveal the two girls were very close friends (and) appeared to also be in a relationship," Glendale police spokeswoman Tracey Breeden said.

It is believed nobody at the school witnessed the shooting.

Ms Breeden said the girls' names "will not be confirmed or released at this time by the police department due to their juvenile status".

Social workers and counsellors will be available to talk to students and staff when school classes resume on Tuesday.

Minnie Kramer, the mother of a 15-year-old pupil, said she rushed from work when she received a text from her son after the shooting, telling her that he was OK.

As she waited to be reunited with her son, Ms Kramer said she worried about whether any of his friends were harmed.

"I know that my son is OK, but emotionally you don't know what it does, especially at 15, especially if it's someone he knew," she said.
Health workers spray insecticide to combat the mosquito that transmits the Zika virus (AP)

More than 200,000 army, navy and air force troops are fanning out across Brazil to show people how to eliminate the mosquito that spreads the Zika virus, which many health officials believe is linked to severe birth defects.

The nationwide offensive is part of President Dilma Rousseff's declared war on the virus that has quickly spread across the Americas.

The government said 220,000 members of the armed forces accompanied by community health agents and mosquito control teams are taking part in the effort to educate the population on how to eliminate Aedes aegypti mosquito breeding areas in and around their homes.

The government said troops will visit three million homes to hand out explanatory pamphlets.
The international body set up to establish who is responsible for chemical attacks in Syria says it has identified at least five potential cases for investigation - four where chlorine gas was allegedly used against rebel-held areas and one involving mustard gas.

The body, established by the United Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), said in its first report, obtained by The Associated Press, that it plans to start the next phase in March including in-depth analysis of the cases, field visits, witness interviews and obtaining relevant information from UN member states and others.

The Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) said that phase would continue "until sufficient information and evidence is gathered" to enable it to report its findings to the UN Security Council.

Until the council established Jim last August, the UN and the OPCW were able to only investigate attacks without laying blame on the government or rebels.

Syrian president Bashar Assad's government denies using chemical weapons, but the United States and other Western nations contend it is to blame, especially for dropping barrel bombs containing chlorine and other toxic agents by helicopter. The opposition does not have aircraft.

Reports also have surfaced in recent months that the Islamic State (IS) extremist group has used toxic chemicals.

The Jim report said OPCW investigators mentioned 116 alleged incidents of the use of chemicals as weapons in Syria in their reports and investigated 29 of them, dating from April 2014 to August 2015.

The Jim experts evaluated the OPCW reports and identified five potential cases for its investigation as of early January.

Four involve the alleged use of chlorine gas dropped from barrel bombs - in Kafr Zita in Hama governorate on April 11 and April 18 2014, and in three villages in Idlib governorate, Talmenes on April 21 2014, and Qmenas and Sarmin, both on March 16 2015.

Jim said the fifth case was on August 21, 2015 in the strategic town of Marea near the Turkish border, a time when IS extremists were attacking rebels. The OPCW said its inspectors found evidence that mustard gas was used by insurgents on that day.

The OPCW report cited two other cases that are likely to merit investigation, one involving a possible sarin gas attack in the Damascus suburb of Daraya on February 15 2015 and the other an alleged chlorine attack in Binnish in Idlib province on March 23 2015.

Jim's leaders said they strongly believed "that all individuals, groups, entities or governments that have any role in enabling the use of chemicals as weapons, for whatever reason and under any circumstances, must understand that they will be identified and made accountable for these abhorrent acts".
The robbery occurred at the Pasino casino in Aix-en-Provence

Police are searching for four gunmen who stormed a casino in the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence, causing several injuries and stealing cash before fleeing.

Regional police chief Laurent Nunez said the robbery occurred overnight at the Pasino casino.

The gunmen fired warning shots with automatic rifles, prompting panic among the 700 people inside, he said.

Many people are still on edge after Islamic extremist attacks around Paris in November that killed 130 people, and the country remains under a state of emergency, but Mr Nunez insisted the robbery was "absolutely not a terrorist act".

Jean-Marc Barre of the local fire department said 15 people were evacuated with light injuries suffered in the panic.

The casino reopened on Saturday under extra security.
A cross bearing the name and likeness of Dylan Klebold and a message saying 'How can anyone forgive you?' on a hill in Littleton, Colorado, near Columbine High School (Denver Rocky Mountain News /AP)

The mother of Columbine High School killer Dylan Klebold has said she had no idea anything was wrong with her son before the attack and thinks about the victims and their families every day.

In a special edition of ABC News' 20/20 current affairs programme - her first TV interview since the shooting - Sue Klebold told presenter Diane Sawyer that before the attack on April 20 1999 she considered herself a parent who would have known something was wrong.

"I think we like to believe that our love and our understanding is protective, and that 'if anything were wrong with my kids, I would know'. But I didn't know, and it's very hard to live with that," she said.

"I felt that I was a good mom ... That he would, he could talk to me about anything.

"Part of the shock of this was that learning that what I believed and how I lived and how I parented was an invention in my own mind. That it, it was a completely different world that he was living in."

Wearing black trenchcoats and carrying four guns, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris opened fire at the school in Littleton, Colorado, a suburb of Denver, after their plan to blow up hundreds of classmates failed.

They murdered 12 pupils and a teacher during their rampage before killing themselves. Twenty-four people were injured in the attack.

Mrs Klebold said that after the massacre happened "I just remember sitting there and reading about them, all these kids and the teacher".

"And I keep thinking - constantly thought how I would feel if it were the other way around and one of their children had shot mine. I would feel exactly the way they did. I know I would. I know I would.

"There is never a day that goes by where I don't think of the people that Dylan harmed."

"You used the word 'harmed'," Ms Sawyer said. Mrs Klebold replied: "I think it's easier for me to say harmed than killed and it's still hard for me after all this time.

"It is very hard to live with the fact that someone you loved and raised has brutally killed people in such a horrific way."

The interview coincides with the release of Mrs Klebold's memoir, A Mother's Reckoning: Living In The Aftermath Of Tragedy, on sale on Monday.

She has said the Sandy Hook shootings in 2012 helped convince her to share her story, and would be donating any profits from the book to mental health charities and research.
Pope Francis kicked off his first trip to Mexico on Saturday with a long popemobile ride past cheering crowds on a day that will start with tough love speeches to the country's political and church elite - and end with a silent prayer before the Virgin of Guadalupe at the largest and most important Marian shrine in the world.

Cheers erupted as Francis's popemobile pulled out of the residence where he was staying, and he abruptly stopped to greet elderly, sick and disabled people who had gathered outside. He handed out rosaries to faithful in wheelchairs and embraced a young boy wearing a surgical mask.

Tens of thousands more, bundled against the morning chill, lined his motorcade route to the city's colonial heart as history's first Latin American pope basked in the welcome from the largest Spanish-speaking Catholic country in the world.

As he flew toward Mexico City, Francis said his "most intimate desire" is to pray before the dark-skinned Madonna.

She is the patron saint of Mexico and "empress of the Americas", and millions of pilgrims flock each year to pray before the cloak that bears her image.

Francis arrived in Mexico's capital to adoring crowds waving yellow handkerchiefs. Mariachis serenaded as his chartered plane pulled to a stop.

President Enrique Pena Nieto, suffering the lowest approval ratings of a Mexican leader in a quarter century, and his wife met Francis on a red carpet.

Onlookers roared as the three walked together, then the lights dimmed and the crowd waved lights as the official song composed for Francis' visit played. Men in broad sombreros and women in flowing red skirts danced on the tarmac.

Along the route to his residence, people chanted in rhyming Spanish: "You see him, you feel him, the pope is present!" and "Francis, friend, the whole world loves you!"

Tania Vasquez came with her six-year-old son, Carlos, and other relatives. She held a pennant with the colours of the Mexican flag and images of Francis, a dove and the Virgin of Guadalupe.

"He's coming to talk tough to us," Ms Vasquez said. "In Mexico there are a lot of economic and security problems, there is a lot of egoism, and he comes with a message of peace and hope that we need."

At one point the motorcade paused when a man ran toward the popemobile, but he was detained by security officers before reaching it and the convoy moved on.

As the pope passed her, Mariana Dieguez was moved to tears and had difficulty speaking.

"I feel like my heart could jump from my chest. He comes to give us peace because we are living a difficult moment," she said, alluding to a month-old grandson who was born ill.

On Saturday, Francis meets with Mexican officials and foreign ambassadors at the National Palace. The speech, which is a fixture of every papal trip, is usually the pope's most political message, and Francis is expected to touch on some of the grave problems facing Mexico stemming from drug violence, migration and poverty.

The pope also will speak to Mexico's bishops at the Cathedral of the Assumption. He is expected to urge them to be close to their people and accompany them through their hardships, amid criticism even from within the Mexican clergy that many in the church here are often highly deferential to the wealthy and powerful.

Francis wraps up his day with a Mass at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe and a silent prayer before the icon.

According to tradition, the 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 canonised as the hemisphere's first Indian saint in 2002 during the papacy of John Paul II.

The Mexico trip follows a brief but historic meeting in Havana on Friday, when Francis embraced Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill and with an exclamation of "finally", took a momentous step toward closing a nearly 1,000-year schism in Christianity.

The two religious leaders signed a 30-point joint declaration of religious unity that committed their churches to overcoming their differences. Francis tweeted that the meeting was a "gift from God".

Francis and Kirill also called for political leaders to act on the single most important issue of shared concern between the Catholic and Orthodox churches today: the plight of Christians in Iraq and Syria who are being killed and driven from their homes by the Islamic State group.

"In many countries of the Middle East and North Africa, entire families of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being exterminated, entire villages and cities," the declaration said

Later aboard his plane, Francis said the declaration was not a political statement, but rather a pastoral one. It came from "two bishops who met and discussed their pastoral concerns", he said.
Mevlut Cavusoglu was speaking after taking part in a security conference in Munich (AP)

Turkey and Saudi Arabia could launch ground operations against Islamic State in Syria, according to the Turkish foreign minister.

After taking part in a security conference in Munich, Mevlut Cavusoglu said Saudi Arabia was "ready to send both jets and troops" to Turkey's Incirlik air base.

"Turkey and Saudi Arabia may launch an operation (against IS) from the land," Saturday's edition of the Yeni Safak pro-government newspaper quoted him as saying.

Mr Cavusoglu did not specify the number of troops or jets or the timing of a possible deployment, but said exploratory visits had been made.

The base is used by the US-led coalition in the campaign against IS.

Turkish television channels NTV and CNN Turk carried remarks by the minister suggesting that Turkey and Saudi Arabia see eye-to-eye on the need for ground operations in Syria.

Syrian state TV and an opposition activist group said later that government forces had captured another village near Aleppo, tightening the noose around rebel-held parts of the northern city.

State TV and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops captured Tamoura on Saturday.

Hezbollah-run Al-Manar TV said troops are overlooking the town of Hayan and parts of the town of Anadan. The Lebanese militant group is fighting alongside forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Government troops have been advancing under cover of intense Russian air strikes with the aim of besieging rebel-held parts of Syria's largest city.

The US and Russia have announced a plan to halt the violence within a week, but it is unclear whether fighters on the ground will adhere to it.

Russia's foreign minister sounded a pessimistic note on chances of securing a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria within a week as planned, putting the chances at less than 50%.

Appearing at a security conference in Munich a day after diplomats secured a deal to work towards the temporary truce and to speed deliveries of humanitarian aid to besieged Syrians, Sergey Lavrov said Russia remains deeply suspicious of US intentions.

He said everyday military co-operation between the US and Russia is "the key tool" to ensuring the delivery of humanitarian supplies and an end to hostilities in Syria, but he said co-ordination has not gone beyond an agreement to avoid in-air incidents.

"If we are moving closer to practical goals of (a) truce, then without co-operation between the military nothing will work out," Mr Lavrov said.

Pressed by conference moderator Wolfgang Ischinger to say how confident he is that a "cessation of hostilities" will be implemented within a week, Mr Lavrov replied, 49 out of 100.

UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, sitting alongside Mr Lavrov, said the Russian's comments made the chances sound more like "somewhere close to zero".

Mr Cavusoglu said: "At every coalition meeting we have always emphasised the need for an extensive, result-oriented strategy in the fight against the (Islamic State) terrorist group.

"If we have such a strategy, then Turkey and Saudi Arabia may launch an operation from the land."

Turkey hosts more than 2.5 million Syrian refugees and tens of thousands more have massed at its borders after a fierce government offensive in Aleppo.

More than 250,000 people have been killed in Syria since 2011.
Democratic US presidential hopefuls fighting for black voters have been seeking an edge in South Carolina as Republicans criss-crossed the state for a path out of Donald Trump's long shadow.

Hillary Clinton stepped up her hammering of Democrat rival Bernie Sanders for what she said were his false claims about President Barack Obama's legacy.

Prominent black leaders echoed the theme - an effort to use the first African-American president as a wedge between Mr Sanders and black voters.

"He has called the president weak, a disappointment," Mrs Clinton said of Mr Sanders at a forum in Denmark. "He does not support, the way I do, building on the progress the president has made."

In the wake of her bruising rout in New Hampshire, the former US secretary of state hopes the first-in-the-south primary will showcase her strength with at least one core segment of the Democratic coalition.

A Democrat cannot win the nomination, much less the White House, without significant backing and enthusiasm from black communities.

For Republicans, South Carolina is another chance to emerge as the viable alternative to Mr Trump, the billionaire reality TV star who snatched the race away from the Republican establishment.

Although he appears to have a solid lead in the polls in the state, the rest of the field is hoping to peel off support from the large and influential evangelical community.

As his rivals hustled through rare snowfall, Mr Trump showed he would not make it easy and was able to steal the spotlight with a Twitter threat to sue his closest competitor.

"If @TedCruz doesn't clean up his act, stop cheating, & doing negative ads, I have standing to sue him for not being a natural born citizen," Mr Trump wrote.

Another tweet questioned Mr Cruz's faith, saying: "How can Ted Cruz be an evangelical Christian when he lies so much and is so dishonest?"

Mr Trump's broadside was a response to cutting new ads shown by the Cruz campaign in South Carolina.

Jeb Bush and his allies also are aiming attacks on the bomb-throwing front-runner, hoping his coarse style and record on social issues will turn off voters.

Right To Rise USA, the super political action committee backing Mr Bush, released an attack ad blasting Mr Trump for supporting partial-birth abortion, allegedly defrauding students of Trump University and trying "to seize private property to line his own pockets".

Mr Bush campaigned at a faith forum at conservative Bob Jones University in Greenville, where he mused about what his famous father, former president George Bush senior, would think of Mr Trump's cursing.

"I can't imagine my dad ... ," Mr Bush said, trailing off as the audience laughed.

Mr Bush has embraced his family's network in the state. He is inviting his brother, former president George W Bush, to campaign with him.

On Friday, he picked up the endorsement of South Carolina's former first lady Iris Campbell, a long-time Bush family ally.

Mr Trump was the only Republican to bypass South Carolina on Friday, redirecting his typically unconventional campaign to Florida, where he was holding a rally in Tampa.

On the Democratic side, Mrs Clinton's attacks on Mr Sanders were backed up by the Congressional Black Caucus PAC.

Mr Sanders wants to "undo" Mr Obama's accomplishments, said PAC chairman and congressman Gregory Meeks, pointing to Mr Sanders' past criticism of the president and his 2011 suggestion that Democrats should mount a primary challenge to Mr Obama.

"I believe Senator Sanders' disparaging comments towards the president are misplaced, misguided, and do not give credit where credit is due," the New York Democrat said.

Mr Sanders says he has been largely supportive of Mr Obama, despite his occasional critique.

"Last I heard, a United States senator had the right to disagree with the president, including a president who has done such an extraordinary job," Mr Sanders said in Thursday night's debate.

Mr Clinton has significantly bulked up her campaign advertising plan, reaching well beyond the next two states in the state-by-state voting to decide who will represent each party in the November general election.

She has an eye on the March 1 "Super Tuesday" contests and now plans to air ads in 17 additional states, including Texas, Minnesota and Georgia.

Former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore, meanwhile, ended his campaign after failing to win support. The Republican said he would support the party's nominee.
The United States has temporarily deployed an additional Patriot missile battery in South Korea in response to North Korea's nuclear test and a long-range rocket launch.

The move comes ahead of talks next week to set up an even more sophisticated US missile defence, which has worried China and Russia.

The tough new stance follows South Korea's decision to shut down an inter-Korean factory park that had been the rival Koreas' last major symbol of co-operation, but Seoul said it had been used by North Korea to fund its nuclear and missile programmes.

North Korea responded by deporting South Korean citizens, seizing assets and vowing to militarise the park.

South Korea cut off power and water supplies to the industrial park on Friday and announced that its planned talks with the United States on deploying the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD), one of the most advanced missile defence systems in the world, could start next week. Officials say they have yet to set a specific starting date for the talks.

In the meantime, the US military command in South Korea said an air defence battery unit from Fort Bliss, Texas, has been conducting ballistic missile training using the Patriot system at Osan Air Base near Seoul.

Lt Gen Thomas Vandal, commander of the US Eighth Army, said "exercises like this ensure we are always ready to defend against an attack from North Korea".

"North Korea's continued development of ballistic missiles against the expressed will of the international community requires the alliance to maintain effective and ready ballistic missile defences," he said.

A spokeswoman for US Forces Korea could not confirm how long the Patriot missile battery from Texas would be deployed in South Korea. The US military already has an operating Patriot missile defence system in South Korea to counter the threat of North Korea's shorter-range arsenal and medium-range missiles.

South Korean media has long speculated that the two countries are working on a THAAD deployment in South Korea, but it took the North's rocket launch on Sunday, which outsiders see as a test of banned ballistic missile technology, for the allies to formally announce they will begin the missile defence talks.

Beijing and Moscow are sensitive to the possibility of THAAD in South Korea; critics say the system could help US radar spot missiles in other countries.

China's state media quickly made the country's displeasure known, while Russia also expressed worries about the deployment. North Korea has previously warned of a nuclear war in the region and threatened to bolster its armed forces if the THAAD deployment occurred.

In Munich, US secretary of state John Kerry met his Chinese and South Korean counterparts to discuss the response to North Korea's actions, including the missile system.

In talks with South Korean foreign minister Yun Byung-se, Mr Kerry expressed support for Seoul's decision to shut down the factory park in the North Korean border town of Kaesong and discussed a broad range of potential sanctions against the North, South Korea's foreign ministry said.

Seoul and Washington want to deploy the system at an early date and the upcoming talks will discuss where and exactly when the deployment can be made, a South Korean defence official said.

The official said the THAAD deployment was designed to protect South Korea from North Korean threats and was not targeting China or anyone else.

The current stand-off flared after North Korea carried out a nuclear test last month - its fourth - followed by Sunday's long-range rocket launch. Pyongyang said the launch, which put an Earth observation satellite into orbit, was part of a peaceful space programme.
Russia's prime minister has accused the West of rekindling the Cold War, telling senior defence officials and national leaders that sanctions imposed after the annexation of Crimea and new moves by Nato "only aggravate" tensions.

Dmitry Medvedev said Russian President Vladimir Putin told the same Munich Security Conference in 2007 that the West's building of a missile defence system risked restarting the Cold War, and that now "the picture is more grim; the developments since 2007 have been worse than anticipated".

"Nato's policies related to Russia remain unfriendly and opaque - one could go so far as to say we have slid back to a new Cold War," he said.

Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg threw the blame back at Moscow: "Russia's rhetoric, posture and exercises of its nuclear forces are aimed at intimidating its neighbours, undermining trust and stability in Europe."

Ukraine's president said Russia is living in a "completely different universe" and pointed to the risk of an "alternative Europe" led by Mr Putin.

Petro Poroshenko criticised Russia's actions in Ukraine and Syria and said they are "a demonstration that we live in a completely different universe with Russia".

He said the main danger to Europeans is an "alternative Europe with alternative values" such as isolation, intolerance and disrespect of human rights, adding: "This alternative Europe has its own leader. His name is Mr Putin."

The annual conference is known for frank talk among officials, and participants this year include US secretary of state John Kerry, French prime minister Manuel Valls, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.

Mr Medvedev's comments came shortly after Mr Stoltenberg told the group that in response to a "more assertive Russia... which is destabilising the European security order", the alliance does "not want a new Cold War but at the same time our response has to be firm".

Mr Stoltenberg stressed the need for dialogue, but also defended Nato's move to strengthen defences, including moving more troops and equipment to countries bordering Russia, and said that at a summer summit in Warsaw he expected member countries "to decide to further strengthen the alliance's defence and deterrence".

He underlined that Nato's deterrent included nuclear weapons, saying "no-one should think that nuclear weapons can be used as part of a conventional conflict - it would change the nature of any conflict fundamentally".

Mr Medvedev scoffed at what he said was a suggestion that Moscow may use nuclear weapons in a first strike, saying: "Sometimes I wonder if it's 2016 or if we live in 1962."

He called for sanctions on Russia implemented after it annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 to be lifted, saying they were "a road that leads nowhere".

Earlier in the day, Mr Medvedev suggested the West would harm itself if it did not lift the sanctions soon.

"The longer the sanctions continue, chances for the Europeans to keep their position at the Russian market as investors and suppliers are fading. That's why one has to act quickly."

Mr Kerry criticised Russia for its actions in Ukraine and Syria, accusing Moscow of "repeated aggression" in both places.

He said Russia is defying the will of the international community with its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine and its military intervention in Syria on behalf of President Bashar Assad.

Mr Kerry praised European nations for holding firm on the Ukraine sanctions and urged Moscow to act in good faith in forging a truce in Syria and allowing a political transition.
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? Could it be the dawning of the most romantic day of the year, when love is in the air ... its all around us ... its written in the wind?

Yes, tomorrow is St Valentines Day, a day where everyone, even the most cold-hearted and cold-blooded, are inevitably forced to feel something.

Im not a huge fan of the occasion, as you can probably tell. In fact, Im downright cynical about it, but dont let that put you off sending me dozens of red roses and boxes of chocolates, all of which will be gratefully received!

In the meantime I thought Id mark the event by sharing with you a St Valentines Day memory from a few years ago ...

It wasnt long since Id got divorced and I had just joined an online dating website. Among the many potential cyber-suitors that had appeared in my inbox was someone who really caught my eye.

He described himself as a photo-journalist (ooohh, interesting!) who specialised in wildlife (even better!).

He was from Scotland and from his photographs he looked dark and swarthy, a bit like a young Sean Connery (hallelujah, my ultimate heart-throb!), so I decided to investigate a bit further and sent him an email.

I found out that he was working on a project in the Outer Hebrides islands, photographing and tracking migrant birds as they arrived from or set off to the Arctic, for a wildlife book he was compiling.

Or at least thats what he told me.

As a life-long birdwatcher and keen naturalist, this was music to my ears. He was also well educated, articulate and intelligent.

Before long the emails were flying back and forth as quick as Cupids arrow. He became very romantic, very quickly.

My darling, I have been gazing at your photograph. You are a truly exquisite creature! Your azure eyes remind me of a peacocks dazzling feathers; your smile is to me as captivating as an exotic rare bird; your radiant skin as soft and as pure as a doves wing! ... that kind of thing.

Now it did seem a tiny bit over the top, I must admit.

Nevertheless, it had been ages and ages since anyone had uttered anything remotely romantic to me and, well, it was a huge boost to my damaged and divorced ego. So I gladly accepted all his compliments and revelled in the attention.

Now it so happened that Valentines Day was just around the corner and this guy decided that it would be lovely and very fitting if we could actually speak to each other for the first time on that specific evening.

So far, for more than two weeks, all we had done was email each other. And, after all, you can often tell a lot more about someone by the sound of their voice and the things they say spontaneously than anything put down in print, so I agreed and gave him my phone number.

The plan was that he would call me from a village phone box (he said there was no reception for mobile phones on the island) at precisely 8pm on the evening of St Valentines.

Never before had a single phone call been so greatly anticipated!

I wonder what hell say? I wonder if his voice is like Sean Connery? I wonder if hell recite a poem or quote Shakespeare? I wonder ... oh my God I was so nervous I actually jotted down a few notes about things to talk about, in case I got all tongue-tied.

Eventually, the time came.

At precisely 8pm the phone rang. I let it ring three times even though Id been hovering above it since 7.30pm. Well, you dont want to come across as desperate, do you?

Hellloooooo? Is that Frances? he said in a Scottish accent more like Rab C Nesbitt than Sean Connery. My heart sank.

Look, doll, Ive only got a poooond on me, so well have tae be quick!

So gowan, describe yer diddies will ya?
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Zeman again: European culture is incompatible with a culture of hatred towards infidels. EU must deport economic migrants and jihadists

13. 2. 2016

cas cteni 2 minuty





Muslim refugees are incapable of integrating into European culture. There are jihadists among them who could be preparing terrorist attacks, said Czech Prezident Milos Zeman at the conference entitled "Social Democracy in the 21st Century", which took place in Bratislava, Slovakia, on 12th February. Czech president continued:

"Social democracy should protect national interests, it should protect the historical roots of not only its own, but also of European culture and realize that this culture is incompatible with the culture of hatred towards infidels and with the culture which is based on the attempts to subjugate these infidels and to turn them into its slaves."

When we talk about migration, we forget about one adjective, and that is islam migration. It is impossible to integrate and to assimilate islam migration into European culture."

Zeman said that the muslim civilisation denies women access to education and to public appointments, (ignoring the fact that the Czech Republic has never had a female President or Prime Minister, while many muslim countries have had them). He also pointed to the fact that in his view, testimony of a muslim woman at court has only half of the value of the testimony of a muslim man. He praised the large community of the Vietnamese and the Ukrainians in the Czech Republic who, as he said, have been able to integrate well into Czech society.



Zeman continued: ""It is necessary to deport those who came here not as refugees from a civil war, but as economic migrants who do not want to work here but who want to live exclusively on social welfare, which of course in our country is a slightly different category of people, who are often called the "unadaptable" [i.e. the Roma] but there is no reason to increase the number of people in this category."



"The European Union has failed in its approach to the migration crisis. When the migration wave came, the EU lost time with endless twaddle which it called debate. The arguments that we should welcome immigrants because we need labour are nonsense," said Zeman, pointing out that the EU average unemployment rate is 11 per cent.

"2016 may be a watershed year for the European Union," warned the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico at the conference, adding, "The defence of the EU external borders has become a life-and-death issue. Fico warned that if the Schengen countries start closing their borders, this will have serious economic and political consequences. "The closed borders could mean the end of the European project," said Fico.

Sources in Czech HERE HERE

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Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/02/2016 (2442 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Local music showcase Rockers Corner is back by popular demand, and the shows creators are hoping its newest incarnation will be the best one yet.

Host Breeze Bocking says interest in resurrecting the show spiked last year when WCGtv started airing Rockers Corner reruns on Sunday nights. After some hemming and hawing, Bocking decided to give the show another shot  mostly for the sake of the shifting local music scene.

Were going to give it another run and see how it works because theres a lot more new talent out there, he said, speaking to the shows three-year hiatus. All of the old bands dont exist anymore. It seems like theres a whole new generation.

Tim Smith/Brandon Sun WCGtv mobile producer Brad W. Smith, audio tech Brodie Hay and host Breeze Bocking are bringing local music TV show "Rocker's Corner" back to life for WCGtv.

Rockers Corner started out in 2008 as a music talk show on Assiniboine Community Colleges campus radio station, CJ106. When Bocking and his wife and co-host, Kim Walters, decided to move the segment to cable TV, the response from local bands was overwhelming.

Between 2009 and 2012, Bocking and his volunteer crew filmed 132 episodes and the show became one of WCGtvs most popular programs.

The stations recent decision to air old Rockers Corner episodes was a strategic one, according to WCGtvs administrative co-ordinator Dave Stantial.

Not going to lie, we wanted to get the show up and going again, so we kind of hoped (by) airing the old episodes wed be able to get the interest back, Stantial said. It was a popular show and we do like to highlight local music here.

On Monday night, the crew finished taping the sixth episode of the new series  although Stantial says it will likely be another month before any of the new episodes go to air.

The amount of post-production work is pretty high with this show, so its just a matter of getting everything edited and on the air, he said.

Since the shows last foray in the studio, WCGtv has moved to an HD format and that means viewers can expect higher production value from Rockers Corner this time around  something Bocking believes is essential.

Poor sound quality was one of the reasons Bocking called it quits three years ago.

Some of the episodes were horrible sound-wise  there was a couple of bands that got a really bad, raw deal and we just felt really bad, he said.

Aside from the new format, Bocking is looking forward to the return of the shows original sound tech, Brodie Hay.

Im back because Brodies back, Bocking said. Its one thing to be sound man, but you really got to know how to mic a band in a small area like that. Its not just plug it in and there you go.

Hay is a musician himself and because he has been recording music since the age of 14, he understands the dynamics of different bands and appreciates the challenges of working in a tight space.

Drummers dont play quietly  Ive never met a quiet drummer  so thats the real challenge is to try and get anything else to punch through, he said.

Right now, Rockers Corner records a new segment every month, and Hay makes the hour-long drive from his home in Elkhorn for the evening taping sessions. For Hay, the ability to bolster the local music scene is worth the drive.

We dont get any support in this area, so its really hard to build a scene of any type, he said. If a song was on the radio of a local artist saying theyre playing at such-and-such location, it would be a good boost, but otherwise theres just nothing.

That sentiment has always been one of the main driving forces behind the show.

One thing Ive noticed  and I try to stay out of it because its politics at its best  a lot of the bands here in Brandon  cant get any paid work, Bocking said. So if they can get onto Rockers Corner and get a really nice promotional video, maybe they can get that paid gig every blue moon.

While he doesnt know of any bands who have landed record deals after appearing on the show, Bocking says several of his previous guests have reported booking extra gigs after their 30 minutes of fame.

So it is making an impact. There are people out there who are watching the show.

In the past, most of the bands featured on Rockers Corner came from Brandon and Westman  save for the occasional touring group from nearby provinces and even one time as far away as the Northwest Territories.

This time around, Bocking hopes to feature a wide selection of artists from every musical genre.

Of all the bands that came on last time, I think we got one gospel and one country band on, he said. I think they get the wrong impression when they hear Rockers Corner  they think its just for rock bands.

Bocking himself comes from an eclectic musical background. The classically trained drummer starting playing the instruments as a kid to get rid of pent-up energy before taking lessons and playing percussion in various bands and orchestras.

Bocking, who grew up in Montreal, says he even backed Celine Dion  before she started recording in English  for six months while she toured around Quebec. He came to Manitoba at the age of 37 prior to the 1995 Quebec referendum

I really thought (Quebec) was going to separate and I didnt want to be part of it, so I got out.

Starting up Rockers Corner was a way to maintain his connection with the music world and in doing so, the ageless long-haired musician has become a local personality.

Ive always wanted to meet Breeze, hes always such a character  I grew up seeing (Rockers Corner) on Access 12 back in the day and Ive always wanted to get on here someday, said Codey Teetaert, whose band Sink or Swim played their first-ever public gig during the recording session Monday night.

After seeing a promotional video announcing the return of the show, Teetaert jumped on the opportunity to fulfil a dream and promote his new band. Sink or Swim has only been together for a year, but the five-piece band is getting ready to break into the local scene and Teetaert hopes the return of Rockers Corner will bring audiences back to local shows.

People arent going to shows like they used to, he said. A lot of good bands have come through here and played at local community centres and you get 10 to 12 people there  how are we going to keep more (bands) coming to the shows if no ones going out to support them?

 ewasney@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @evawasney
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/02/2016 (2442 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A heartbreaking photo of a sick Ukrainian child sparked a desire in Nadiia Bulych to send help to her home country.

When I was looking at my kids, they were happy, healthy, and I was like, We have enough to help her, she said, referring to the photo she saw on social media.

Bulych started gathering donations a year ago from fellow Ukrainian immigrants in Brandon, as well as other Canadian friends. She now regularly sends care packages to the foundation The Future of Ukraine, which then distributes the supplies to orphaned, sick and disabled children in need in the city of Chernivtsi.

Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun Nadiia Bulych collects donations and supplies to send back to her home country of Ukraine. Care packages are sent to The Future of Ukraine foundation to help sick, disabled and orphaned babies and children.

When the child is sick, but the child has parents, its a little bit different, she said, her eyes welling up with tears. But when you look at the child, who is an orphan  you see their picture and they are in a bed and nobody hugs them, nobody kisses them  I was thinking we should give him what we can.

Bulych is originally from Lviv, Ukraine. She now lives in Brandon with her husband and two young sons. She is happy to be in Canada where its safe, in a country that offers more opportunities for her children.

Now that her family is settled, Bulych said she cant forget the children back home.

Some families have a sick child and they need help because they cant afford treatment or medicine, she said.

Other children are orphaned, due to the war, or abandoned because they are sick or disabled.

Submitted Nadiia Bulych (left) and Nadiia Velykopolska pack boxes with donated supplies for children, including food, diapers and medicine. The boxes are sent to The Future of Ukraine, a charitable foundation, to help sick, disabled and orphaned babies and children.

Some kids never had a doll or even a small (toy) car, she said. We just want to make them happy, so our heart is with them.

Baby food, formula, diapers, medicine, toys and shampoos are some of the items regularly sent to the foundation. Bulych has also been collecting bouncing chairs for children who cant get out of bed.

They can sit in that chair and watch a cartoon or something so they are not always in a bed, she said. We are trying to find some bassinets for kids so we could give them to the hospitals, where very small orphans are.

Bulych will be travelling to Ukraine to visit relatives in May. She plans to deliver donations in person to the children with the head of the foundation, Marta Levchenko.

Bulych had a message of gratitude for those who have stepped up to help over the past year.

Submitted After seeing this photo of Baby Nadiia last year, Nadiia Bulych was inspired to gather supplies and donations to send back to needy children in Ukraine.

They bring us food, they bring us everything. We are volunteers, she said. Without our friends help, their support and donations, we would never be able to do this.

To help the cause, email nadiiabulych@wcgwave.ca, call 204-721-4548 or visit the Facebook page No Child Left Behind.

 jaustin@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @jillianaustin
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/02/2016 (2442 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Long before becoming prime minister, Justin Trudeau touted his plan for putting people in positions where their strengths could be on display. His latest play may ultimately test that skill as Canadians change how they fit into the bigger picture battling the rebel militant group ISIL.

Appearing before the National Press Theatre in Ottawa earlier this week, Trudeau  flanked by Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Minister of International Development Marie-Claude Bibeau  laid out the Liberals plans for pulling the controversial CF-18 fighter jets out of the embattled Syrian region and upping the Canadian commitment to the mission by putting more forces on the ground.

The Liberals are following through on an election promise to scale back the Canadian air combat efforts in the war-torn state. Their hope is to accomplish this by mobilizing more training forces to work with allies in the region in an attempt to help stabilize the area. Roughly 200 more soldiers will be on the ground but will not be in what is considered an active combat scenario.

It is a somewhat far-fetched concept that Canadians wont be forced to engage militants at some point, a fact that was quietly shared by Canadian Forces Gen. Jonathan Vance.

With that said, the idea seems to make sense for what our government is able to commit to in the fight against ISIL. It also is a clear indicator that Trudeau is prepared to go out on a limb in carrying through on his election promises.

The idea that Canadians would change strides from the CF-18 missions to a boots on the ground scenario is clearly a more volatile position as there is a greater risk to Canadian lives in this scheme.

It also appears to be something the Conservatives are looking to score cheap political points on by challenging Trudeau and the Liberals on their stance, calling the move wrong-headed.

Interim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose also challenged the prime minister on his personal position, stating that if he doesnt think we should use our military against this group, I dont know when he would think we should ever use our military.

Im not sure what Ambrose thinks troops on the ground are, but clearly to most Canadians they represent a large portion of what constitutes the military.

The Liberal strategy is about making a wise decision with resources, and calculating the best possible option for Canadians to assist in the region  both of which point to the training plan.

The Canadian impact of CF-18s in the region was minimal, with only 20 per cent of missions actually resulting in attacks on targets. Not to demean the bravery of the soldiers and pilots in the fight, but Canada was a small player as part of the coalition working in the region.

Where our troops are, and will continue to be, most effective is on the ground, training and assisting our allies in stabilizing the area. Canadians have long been very adept in this role, and it harkens back to the days when our military took an active role in peacekeeping throughout the world.

The best approach the Trudeau government could take when addressing Ambroses comments is to do as their predecessors did and simply ignore them.

This government rose to a majority mandate on their plan for Canadians. The Conservatives, however miffed they are about having failed in 2015, are in that position for a reason. They lost a connection with the ideals of everyday Canadians  something, although at times unpopular, the Liberal government is trying to engage in again.

The very fact that this government is open to discussing their position, or for that matter speaking to the media about it, is a step in the right direction.

The prime ministers first 100 days in office have flown by, but there have been plenty of accomplishments of note in hitting that first benchmark.

Those accomplishments include finally having a government launch an inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women, embarking on true Senate reform discussions, achieving gender parity in cabinet, welcoming refugees to this country, attending to and assisting in helping devise a plan to buoy Alberta during the oil slump, and finally engaging veterans again in their care and well-being following service.

There are many challenges that lie ahead, including the fight against ISIL, but in finding the courage of their convictions to do what they told the voters they would, Trudeau and company appear to be heading down a path of good governance for everyday Canadians.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/02/2016 (2442 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When youre fuelling up your vehicle and that tank of gas is $25 or $50 cheaper than it was before, its easy to forget the bigger picture.

You would have to be living in a cave not to know how hard hit our friends in the oil patch are by this development. And if you ever travel south of the line, youre well aware that trips to the United States are a little tougher to pay for with the Canadian dollar sitting at 72 cents.

As a resource-based economy, these things happen when prices rise and fall around the world.

Its funny how quick conservatives are to blame Justin Trudeau for these problems, just like those left of centre were all over Stephen Harper before. Here is a little bit bad news for all of you ideologues out there: blaming the Canadian prime minister for oil prices is like swearing at the teenager who pumps your gas.

He may be peripherally in the picture, but hes a long way from the real powers that are pulling the strings behind the scenes.

In this case, oil prices are dropping because of Saudi Arabia and that countrys insistence on flooding world markets with their product.

At first blush, it doesnt make sense. Why would someone depress the price of their own resource?

Its actually common sense. If you own the biggest ice cream store in town but you have a bunch of smaller competitors in town, the best way to get rid of them is to depress the value of cones until the competitors fold up the tent and leave.

Despite repeated pleas from other oil-producing nations, Saudi Arabia is forging ahead with their strategy to increase their market share.

The theory behind how this can work is that the actual production of a barrel of oil is far cheaper in Arab countries than it is in deep water drilling or oil sands. As a result, they can cope with low prices for far longer.

Canada is the fifth largest oil producer in the world, behind Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United States and China.

Russia, the No. 1 producer, has been trying to broker an agreement with the other members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, but has failed to agree so far. OPEC still accounts for 41 per cent of production, so they swing a big stick.

A fiendishly clever side result of Saudi Arabias strategy is that lower oil prices also make the need for the innovation and development of other energy sources less pressing.

They have enough money to wait this out. In the meantime, the development of other oil projects around the world have largely been shelved.

You have to appreciate the Machiavellian lengths theyll go to.

Of course, the day will come when oil prices rise again. Its inevitable.

It will be interesting to see how much damage has been done to the industry around the world and if the projects that are currently sidelined will once again be developed.

So when you pay less for that tank of fuel at your favourite station, remember that old adage.

Nothing ever comes for free. You pay for everything in this life somehow.

Just ask our friends in Alberta.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/02/2016 (2442 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Seniors are becoming the forgotten people

There are many of us who, after working and paying taxes for a lifetime, are now, for one reason or another, having to rely on our Old Age Pension and CPP. I recently read about the food allowance that is being given to Syrian refugees in Vancouver. I did the calculations and if we were to receive just that food allowance, it would total just under $1,000 a month more than our total income! We seniors are the forgotten people and we have too much dignity to speak up. We are here, however, going so far as to stop taking medications prescribed to us because we cannot afford them. Yet there seems to be no limit to government spending in other areas. Fifty-seven cents does not go very far these days.

Chocolates dont cut it, bullying boss

I would like to thank my boss for all the bullying he does to me since he has become my boss. It amazes me how low you are willing to sink to try to get back at me for being me. I am the best worker you have and yet you degrade me for standing up for myself and allowing you to abuse me daily. Thank you for the chocolates for Christmas  is this to make up for being a jerk to me through the year? I have done nothing to you but thank you again for ruining another year.

Show me the price

If Brandon automobile sellers would put the price and mileage on the windshield of all the cars they have for sale, like a number of other cities such as Calgary, they would find it would increase traffic and sales.

Fear-mongering or fact?

Please dont compare twinning roads to building bridges! The First Street bridge will be completed as the government (whoever that will be) will have no choice but to follow through on their construction. So yes, fear-mongering!

Thief deserves more than a slap on the wrist

After reading the story on the front page of the paper about the man who stole from the hotel and the volleyball players and just got another slap on the wrist, it is an insult by the justice system. Why was he not forced to pay back all his victims and then given at least five or six years in jail? Enough of these wimpy sentences.

Do the Irish have best grip on bullying?

Apparently school bus drivers cannot control unruly students as they had in the past, and now need monitors (babysitters) at a cost of $799,000 to ride the bus to and from schools to prevent bullying. Maybe it is time to make an example to students by removing these bullies from school. We have become too lenient with these bullies by worrying about what their future would be if we give them the boot. Now really  another request is to send two staff members on a paid holiday to Dublin, Ireland, to better understand bullying. Do the Irish have a better understanding of bullying than Canadians? How about a weekend trip to Winnipeg or Regina? I doubt many staff members will volunteer for that trip.
By David Raleigh

Gardai are investigating a number of what are thought to be hoax calls made to emergency services this morning.

At approximately 7:30am, emergency services in Limerick received calls that a woman had entered the water at Thomond Bridge in the city.

Limerick City and County Fire and Rescue Service launched their rescue boat FireSwift alongside ground crews who performed searches the river.

Gardai, and the Limerick Marine Search and Rescue Service, and a HSE ambulance crew, also all responded to the alert.

A source in the emergency services said they believed the 999 caller had removed the sim from their mobile phone, thus preventing gardai from making direct contact with the person.

All measures are been looked at to try to track the caller.

"The call was determined to be a false alarm," said the source.

"Immediately after this incident, Limerick Fire and Rescue Service were alerted to a call to a car on fire in St Mary's Park," they added.

"This was also determined to be a hoax call."

Around 30 emergency service personnel responded to both alerts.

Three fire tenders with 12 firefighters including a five-man swiftwater rescue team on a boat responded to the river alert.

One fire tender with six firefighters on board responded to the "car fire" callout.

Gardai at Henry Street are investigating.
Detectives in England believe they have established the identity of a woman thought to have been abducted from a city street.

The yet-to-be-traced victim and another woman were attacked at around 11.20am on Friday by four men who got out of an Audi A4 which mounted a pavement in Foleshill Road, Coventry.
Russia's prime minister has accused the West of rekindling the Cold War.

He told senior defence officials and national leaders that sanctions imposed after the annexation of Crimea and new moves by Nato "only aggravate" tensions.

Dmitry Medvedev said Russian President Vladimir Putin told the same Munich Security Conference in 2007 that the West's building of a missile defence system risked restarting the Cold War, and that now "the picture is more grim; the developments since 2007 have been worse than anticipated".

"Nato's policies related to Russia remain unfriendly and opaque - one could go so far as to say we have slid back to a new Cold War," he said.

Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg threw the blame back at Moscow: "Russia's rhetoric, posture and exercises of its nuclear forces are aimed at intimidating its neighbours, undermining trust and stability in Europe."

Ukraine's president said Russia is living in a "completely different universe" and pointed to the risk of an "alternative Europe" led by Mr Putin.

Petro Poroshenko criticised Russia's actions in Ukraine and Syria and said they are "a demonstration that we live in a completely different universe with Russia".

He said the main danger to Europeans is an "alternative Europe with alternative values" such as isolation, intolerance and disrespect of human rights, adding: "This alternative Europe has its own leader. His name is Mr Putin."

The annual conference is known for frank talk among officials, and participants this year include US secretary of state John Kerry, French prime minister Manuel Valls, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.

Mr Medvedev's comments came shortly after Mr Stoltenberg told the group that in response to a "more assertive Russia... which is destabilising the European security order", the alliance does "not want a new Cold War but at the same time our response has to be firm".

Mr Stoltenberg stressed the need for dialogue, but also defended Nato's move to strengthen defences, including moving more troops and equipment to countries bordering Russia, and said that at a summer summit in Warsaw he expected member countries "to decide to further strengthen the alliance's defence and deterrence".

He underlined that Nato's deterrent included nuclear weapons, saying "no-one should think that nuclear weapons can be used as part of a conventional conflict - it would change the nature of any conflict fundamentally".

Mr Medvedev scoffed at what he said was a suggestion that Moscow may use nuclear weapons in a first strike, saying: "Sometimes I wonder if it's 2016 or if we live in 1962."

He called for sanctions on Russia implemented after it annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 to be lifted, saying they were "a road that leads nowhere".

Earlier in the day, Mr Medvedev suggested the West would harm itself if it did not lift the sanctions soon.

"The longer the sanctions continue, chances for the Europeans to keep their position at the Russian market as investors and suppliers are fading. That's why one has to act quickly."

Mr Kerry criticised Russia for its actions in Ukraine and Syria, accusing Moscow of "repeated aggression" in both places.

He said Russia is defying the will of the international community with its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine and its military intervention in Syria on behalf of President Bashar Assad.

Mr Kerry praised European nations for holding firm on the Ukraine sanctions and urged Moscow to act in good faith in forging a truce in Syria and allowing a political transition.
Police are searching for four gunmen who stormed a casino in the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence, causing several injuries and stealing cash before fleeing.

Regional police chief Laurent Nunez said the robbery occurred overnight at the Pasino casino.
The United States has temporarily deployed an additional Patriot missile battery in South Korea in response to North Korea's nuclear test and a long-range rocket launch.

The move comes ahead of talks next week to set up an even more sophisticated US missile defence, which has worried China and Russia.

The tough new stance follows South Korea's decision to shut down an inter-Korean factory park that had been the rival Koreas' last major symbol of co-operation, but Seoul said it had been used by North Korea to fund its nuclear and missile programmes.

North Korea responded by deporting South Korean citizens, seizing assets and vowing to militarise the park.

South Korea cut off power and water supplies to the industrial park on Friday and announced that its planned talks with the United States on deploying the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD), one of the most advanced missile defence systems in the world, could start next week.

Officials say they have yet to set a specific starting date for the talks.

In the meantime, the US military command in South Korea said an air defence battery unit from Fort Bliss, Texas, has been conducting ballistic missile training using the Patriot system at Osan Air Base near Seoul.

Lt Gen Thomas Vandal, commander of the US Eighth Army, said "exercises like this ensure we are always ready to defend against an attack from North Korea".

"North Korea's continued development of ballistic missiles against the expressed will of the international community requires the alliance to maintain effective and ready ballistic missile defences," he said.

A spokeswoman for US Forces Korea could not confirm how long the Patriot missile battery from Texas would be deployed in South Korea.

The US military already has an operating Patriot missile defence system in South Korea to counter the threat of North Korea's shorter-range arsenal and medium-range missiles.

South Korean media has long speculated that the two countries are working on a THAAD deployment in South Korea, but it took the North's rocket launch on Sunday, which outsiders see as a test of banned ballistic missile technology, for the allies to formally announce they will begin the missile defence talks.

Beijing and Moscow are sensitive to the possibility of THAAD in South Korea; critics say the system could help US radar spot missiles in other countries.

China's state media quickly made the country's displeasure known, while Russia also expressed worries about the deployment.

North Korea has previously warned of a nuclear war in the region and threatened to bolster its armed forces if the THAAD deployment occurred.

In Munich, US secretary of state John Kerry met his Chinese and South Korean counterparts to discuss the response to North Korea's actions, including the missile system.

In talks with South Korean foreign minister Yun Byung-se, Mr Kerry expressed support for Seoul's decision to shut down the factory park in the North Korean border town of Kaesong and discussed a broad range of potential sanctions against the North, South Korea's foreign ministry said.

Seoul and Washington want to deploy the system at an early date and the upcoming talks will discuss where and exactly when the deployment can be made, a South Korean defence official said.

The official said the THAAD deployment was designed to protect South Korea from North Korean threats and was not targeting China or anyone else.

The current stand-off flared after North Korea carried out a nuclear test last month - its fourth - followed by Sunday's long-range rocket launch.

Pyongyang said the launch, which put an Earth observation satellite into orbit, was part of a peaceful space programme.
PARIS: At least 92 people have been killed as Iran has cracked down on women-led protests sparked by the death of...
A chant of "let them stay" drowned out federal Labor Member for Griffith Terri Butler at a rally against the return of baby Asha to Nauru.

Young families, patients in wheelchairs, the head of the Queensland Nurses Union Beth Mol and popular children's book author author Isobelle Carmody were among the 200-strong crowd objecting to the detention of children.

"They are words, this is pure hypocrisy, we want you to say that you are going to close the detention camps," protesters yelled at Ms Butler.
Princes pop up in the strangest places these days. In what promises to be the most exalted moment in its history, Waverley Library, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, will, on Sunday, host one-time socialite and self-styled royal Lorenzo Montesini for a one-off lecture on the marvels of the ancient world.

"We are very excited to have Mr Montesini agree to talk to us," a member of the executive committee of the Friends of Waverley Library told Fairfax Media. "Lorenzo is a delightful man, and it should be a fascinating talk."

Sydney's Waverley Library is to host self-styled royal Lorenzo Montesini for a one-off lecture on the marvels of the ancient world.

Montesini, whose full title is Prince Giustiniani, Count of the Phanaar, Knight of St Sophia and Baron Alexandroff, will present a lecture on the Great Library of Alexandria, in Egypt, a symbol of culture and learning that took 280 years to build and was destroyed by a series of fires starting around 30BC.

It's a topic close to his heart. "I was born in Alexandria. My family goes back there to my great-great grandfather. They came with Napoleon in 1799, during his invasion of Egypt, and they stayed.
Crude prices surged briefly last month on speculation the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries would team up with Russia to cut production. Credit:Alexander Zemlianichenko

Instead they were greeted by a cacophony of voices from some of the largest oil producers, refiners and traders delivering the same message: There are few reasons for optimism. The world is awash with oil. The market is overwhelmingly bearish.

The thousands of attendees seeking reasons for optimism didn't find them at the annual International Petroleum Week.

Prices will stay low for up to a decade as Chinese economic growth slows and the US shale industry acts as a cap on any rally, according to Ian Taylor, chief executive of Vitol Group, the world's largest independent oil trader.

Even refiners, whose profits have held up better than expected, are seeing a worsening outlook.

The sliding oil price has been the icing on the cake for miners.

"The oil industry is facing a crisis," said Patrick Pouyanne, CEO of Total SA, Europe's biggest refiner. BP Plc boss Bob Dudley described himself as "very bearish" and joked that the surplus is so extreme that people will soon be filling swimming pools with crude.

As the world runs out of places to store oil, "I wouldn't be surprised if this market goes into the teens," said Jeff Currie, head of commodities research at Goldman Sachs Group.
After all the students had studied their horoscopes they were asked how accurate the prediction for their star sign had been.

A philosophy lecturer raised the subject of astrology with his class and distributed forecasts to the students, checking their star sign as he went. "Taurus? Here you are. Over there, which one are you? Aires, yes  read this. Pisces  here's yours."

Somehow we find it comforting to read what a writer somewhere has cooked up  a few centimetres of type which is just about you and the 8.3per cent of the world's population who share your star sign. We're required to believe that this person's reading of the planets interacting with each other will directly influence our lives.

Have you read your stars today? Did you discover whether this week represents an important transit for Sagittarians, or that midweek Jupiter will press the button on a new cycle of growth for Aquarians? Do you realise that this week's eclipse is designed to uncover old, unresolved attitudes?

There was general agreement that each horoscope had been surprisingly accurate. The lecturer then admitted that everyone had been handed the same prediction, regardless of their designated star sign.

One of the strengths of having a faith  whether it's Muslim, Jewish, Christian or another  is that it affirms us as individuals and gives us belief in ourselves. Christians remember Jesus saying he had come so that we can have life and have it more abundantly. Jews emphasise that their faith gives them a sense of meaning, and Muslims say that achieving peace is to be at rest with our own desires and at peace with the world around us.

So why do people need to examine the wisdom that has been cooked up by an anonymous writer who claims to predict our short-term future? Who believes that someone can look at the movement of the planets and interpret it for the earth's population, which has been mysteriously divided into 12 groups?

Here's a challenge. This week forget your horoscope. Take charge of your future: write your own prediction for next week. In 50 words say what you want to happen, what you believe you haven't done that needs fixing, what things need to be sorted out in your relationships with partner, friends, work colleagues.

For example: this week I'm going to apologise to a friend for the difficult situation I've put them in; I'll call on that elderly relative I've been ignoring; I'll make time for reading that challenging book I've been lent. And I won't neglect my exercise, so I can remain physically healthy.
Usain Bolt, fast on his feet. William Wordsworth, man of letters. Tony Abbott, perhaps never left the seminary. These are examples of what scientists call "nominative determinism" -- the idea that our names influence what we do and who we are.

On Friday, The Telegraph in Britain reported that new research is being carried out into this phenomena, citing a paper from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology entitled Why Susie Sells Seashells by the Seashore: Implicit Egotism and Major Life Decisions. The paper was actually published in 2002 -- but the idea keeps popping up.

When friends of Melbourne grandmother Kristina Love googled her name, they found it had been taken on "by a large number of Russian prostitutes". Credit:Nicki Davey

When friends of Melbourne grandmother Kristina Love googled her name, they found it had been taken on "by a large number of Russian prostitutes".

Mrs Love -- who loves her name is one of 100 people named Love listed in the Greater Melbourne phone book. We were calling to ask how the Loves of the world live up to their name.
Fairfax Media revealed last year that three-year-old girl Fatoumata Binta Conteh and her mother had fled to Sierra Leone from relatives in Guinea after repeated attempts to abduct the toddler and force her to undergo female genital mutilation.

The issuing of the visa brings to an end a terrifying six-month ordeal for the family, who have been living in hiding and have travelled across three countries in Africa to get help from Australian government officials.

A young Australian girl at risk of genital mutilation overseas will be flown to Melbourne after her African mother was granted a permanent humanitarian visa.

The mother, Fatoumata Diarriou Bah, appealed to the government for help through the media, saying she could not leave her child's side because she was being bombarded with threats from her estranged husband's family. They were also not safe with Ms Bah's own family, who, like many in West Africa where FGM is widely practiced, support the barbaric ancient ritual.

Australian child Fatoumata Binta.

Ms Bah is herself a victim of female genital mutilation. She has a basic education and was forced into an arranged marriage as a teenager with an African-Australian man three times her age.

After a sustained campaign to rescue the pair, the Immigration Department issued a fast-tracked visa to the 24-year-old mother that allows her to live in Australia permanently with her daughter. The family is expected to arrive in Melbourne within weeks.

"My sister just called me with tears of joy that she now has a visa and they are trying for the tickets out of Africa," said Ms Bah's brother Ibrahima, who lives in China and has been advocating for his sister and niece.
Organised crime gangs are making upwards of $150,000 a fortnight from suburban drug runs that deliver cocaine, cannabis and ice to hundreds of customers' doors across Sydney.

A day after a man appeared in a Sydney court charged over his alleged role in supplying cocaine in an area stretching from the city's south-west to the central business district, Fairfax Media can reveal there are dozens of similar drug runs operating in Sydney.

Senior law enforcement sources say drug runs are the lifeblood of Sydney's suburban crime gangs and fund other criminal activities and their lavish underworld lifestyles.

Conflict over the turf of drug runs is often the catalyst for drive-by shootings across Sydney.
She is the elusive brothel madam who is outfoxing authorities and making millions of dollars from an illegal prostitution racket inside Sydney apartment buildings.

Suki Wu is operating an underground vice den, which masquerades as a remedial massage centre, from inside the foyer of the Maestri Towers residential complex, alongside Town Hall station, in Kent Street.

A Fairfax Media investigation has found that during one typical day at "Town Hall Massage" last week, five female workers provided services to 59 male clients, over an 11-hour shift.

Based on a minimum spend scenario, Wu is accumulating an annual cash turnover of at least $2 million. Not only has she ignored one "cease use" notice served by the City of Sydney on January 4, she is the same madam who was prosecuted by Willoughby Council in the Land and Environment Court 15 months ago for running an identical racket in another residential complex at North Sydney.
Contrary to popular belief, there are still many vestiges of Ye Olde Brisbane in our midst, from underground bars to restaurants, churches to theatres, hotels to swimming pools.

Been to the 50 year old Italian restaurant lately? Swum in the Victorian baths where signs still tell men not to loiter? Taken a wander down Brisbane's oldest lane? Sunk a beer at the oldest licensed pub? If not, check out the guide below, where we've rounded up the Oldest of Everything in Brisbane.

Nundah Historic Cemetery Credit:Must Do Brisbane

Oldest Restaurant
A Thangool teenager died in a single-vehicle crash, 10 kms south of Biloela in Central Queensland, on Friday afternoon.

The 17-year-old was driving a car with five passengers on Elchmann's Road around 4pm when the sedan rolled off the road.

A teenage driver has died in a crash near Biloela in Central Queensland.

Three male passengers, aged in their late teens, were treated for their injuries at the scene by the Queensland Ambulance Service. Another passenger, also a male, was airlifted for treatment of serious injuries.

Stay informed. Like the Brisbane Times Facebook page.
Alannah MacTiernan has categorically ruled out challenging Mark McGowan for the leadership of the state Labor party.

The announcement came on Saturday morning 24 hours after the Federal Member for Perth announced she would not be recontesting the seat at the next election.

Alannah MacTiernan says she won't challenge WA Labor leader Mark McGowan. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Ms MacTiernan told the media that she was resigning from Federal Parliament because she wasn't happy with the role.

"I have had to make a judgement whether or not the nature of the role is actually worth the huge, intrusions in one's life. I have had to make the hard decision that it is better now to hand on to someone else," she said.
A Malaysian man wanted over a serious sexual assault in Scarborough 20 years ago appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Saturday morning.

Alfred Gerard Eravelly, 49, was arrested when he flew into Sydney airport on Thursday evening and WA police subsequently successfully sought his extradition over the 1996 attack.

Alfred Gerard Eravelly is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Scarborough 20 years ago. Credit:Facebook

Police allege Mr Eravelly, who was studying in Perth at the time, broke into a Scarborough villa in March 1996 and committed numerous offences against a (then) 38-year-old female resident.

He arrived in WA on Friday afternoon and faced the following charges:
The cry of the baby was heard across the land almost nine months to the day after World War II ended  resulting in a massive generation of baby boomers now aging past 65 at a rate of 250,000 a month. And facts show many of them struggle to make ends meet.

The percentage of seniors living in poverty is staggering, New York City Department for the Aging Commissioner Donna Corrado told CityLimits magazine in June. Too many older New Yorkers make difficult choices about purchasing food, medicine, and paying their rent.

More than 25 million Americans aged 60-plus live at or below the federal poverty level of $29,425 per year for a single person (or $11,770 for a single senior), but Supplemental Security Income provides just $433 each month for the average elder and may be the individuals only source of income, according to the National Council on Aging.

Retirement security was a major topic at last years once-a-decade White House Conference on Aging, but many seniors dont realize Federal help is available, according to a civic activist at the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, which will hold a panel discussion called New York Seniors and the Rising Food Insecurity Crisis at Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Plaza on Feb. 23.

We want to educate them about the possibility of supplementing their income with government subsidies, so they get to keep more dollars in their pockets, said Blaine Arthur, program manager of social services.

The symposium, which is aimed at seniors whose annual pre-tax income is $23,544, is the result of a partnership between the New York City Department for the Aging and the Aging in New York Fund. Jennifer Goodstein, the President and Publisher of Community News Group  the owner of this publication  will be a guest speaker along with: Caryn Resnick, Deputy Commissioner for the New York City Department for the Aging; Lisa A. Boyd, Chief Operating Officer of the Northeast Brooklyn Housing Development Corporation; Terry Kaelber, Director of Community Engagement Projects at United Neighborhood Houses of New York; Maggie Meehan, Associate Director of Nutrition Education at City Harvest; and Jose Luis Sanchez, Program Manager at Citymeals-on-Wheels.

Workers will pre-screen seniors for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as food stamps). The allowance  based on certain financial factors and immigrant status  has been a lifeline for poor Americans for 40 years as the first line of defense against hunger and a powerful tool for improving nutrition among low-income people. Benefits come to the household via electronic debit Electronic Benefit Transfer cards that recipients can use to buy food at more than 246,000 approved retail stores nationwide.

Gothams graying

The golden years of New Yorkers could be tarnished ones:

 More foreign-born seniors live here than in any other American city  with one out of every 10 older immigrants in the country calling the Big Apple home, according to the Center for an Urban Future.

 The citys 60-plus community will equal Chicagos current population by 2020, increasing the odds that more seniors will struggle to put food on the table and pay their bills, Mayor DeBlasio informed an astonished American Association of Retired Persons forum in December.

Bridging the gap

The first national food stamp program was instituted in 1939 after the Great Depression. Its chief architects were Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace and Milo Perkins, the programs first administrator.

We got a picture of a gorge with farm surpluses on one cliff and under-nourished city folks with outstretched hands on the other, Perkins famously said. Then we set out to find a practical way to build a bridge across that chasm.

Panel discussion New York City Seniors and the Rising Food Insecurity Crisis at Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Plaza [1368 Fulton St. between New York and Brooklyn avenues in Bedford-Stuyvesant, (212) 6024460] on Feb. 23 at 3 pm. RSVP by Feb. 20; https://nycseniorsfoodinsecurity.eventbrite.com.
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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 ...
The UKs largest ever art exhibition dedicated to the Somerset and Dorset Railway is set be staged in Burnham-On-Sea next month to mark the 50th year since the rail line closed.

West Country railway artist Alan Ward is organising the exhibition from 1st  6th March at Burnham-On-Sea Community Centre in Berrow Road from 10am-4pm daily.

Alan has scoured the country to gather original works from patrons and private collectors of his paintings over the many years.

Added to which will be a sparkling array of new original oil paintings and sketches amounting to over 100 works produced especially for this one-off event, many of which will be for sale.

Also displayed will be a comprehensive collection of limited edition Somerset & Dorset fine art prints, both framed and unframed.

Burnham is a fitting choice for the exhibition, since it was the terminus for the Evercreech Junction/Glastonbury branch of the line, says Alan.

Notable paintings on show will include the Last Pines depicting the preparation of the 9F 2-10-0 EVENING STAR for the last ever run on S&D metals to Bournemouth prior to re-routing the service in 1962.

Another painting of note will be Requiem for the Somerset and Dorset portraying Southern Pacific Battle of Britain locomotive Biggin Hill and West Country light pacific BUDE passing over Midford Viaduct on the final run south on the weekend of closure in March 1966.

It is hoped that related societies will have a presence at the show, together with other attractions and displays of 0 Gauge locomotives working the line at the time together with CD presentations of the railway and it infrastructure.

Admission will be free and souvenir brochures and catalogue of works will be on sale.
Anil Agarwal owned Twinstar Display Technologies on Saturday signed an agreement with Maharashtra government to set up an LCD manufacturing unit, also known as Panel FAB, at an investment of $10 billion over five phases.

The deal was signed at the inaugural day of Make in India week in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Maharashtra government also signed investment MoUs with Raymond, Coca Cola and Jain Irrigation.

"We have made good of the promise we made to the nation during the Digital India Summit in July 2015. We are happy to participate in two of the government's key initiatives - Make in India campaign as well as Net Zero Electronics import by 2020. We will endeavour to make India a significant export hub of display units with the setting up of Panel FAB," said Anil Agarwal, chairman, Vedanta Group. Agarwal had announced similar investment plans in Bihar during the Digital India week held in July last year.

Maharashtra government signed MoUs with Coca Cola and Jain Irrigation for juice manufacturing facility to support farmers growing oranges in Vidarbha. The project is expected to benefit 5,000 farmers with an average landholding of two acres each.

The host state also signed an MoU with Raymond to set up a unit in Nandgoan Textile Park at an investment of Rs 1,400 crore. The unit will procure cotton from the farmers in the district and Vidarbha region which has been affected by drought.

Agarwal said Panel FAB production will begin by 2018. Upon completion, the project will provide direct and indirect employment to over 30,000 people, and contribute 7-10 per cent to Maharashtra's industrial gross domestic product. The project requires about 300 acres of land and two locations have been selected so far. However, the state government official hinted that the project may come up in the under-developed Vidarbha or Marathwada regions.

"An FAB unit can only be successful if the whole ecosystem around it develops and Twinstar Display Technologies is confident of bringing many ancillary partners to the country and make India a leading Electronic System Design and Manufacturing (EDSM) destination," the company said.

Chinese heavy equipment major Sany group said it plans to ramp up its presence in the country and will be taking its overall commitment in India to $1 billion over the next decade. "We have already invested $100 million in our plant in Pune and are looking at taking our investment in the country to the tune of $1 billion over the next 10 years," Sany Group President Tang Xivguo told PTI.

Kalyani-Saab partnership

Swedish defence major Saab on Saturday tied up with Kalyani Group to form a joint venture firm for the multi-billion dollar contract for short-range surface-to-air missile and man-portable very short-range air defense (VSHORAD) programmes.

The joint venture, which will be set up by Saab and Kalyani Strategic Systems Ltd (KSSL), the defence arm of Kalyani Group, will handle the main part of production and delivery of these air defence systems to the Indian customer if they win the ongoing tender process.

The production in India will comprise of subsystems and systems for SRSAM and VSHORAD with the aim to transfer production as well as development knowledge to India. "I am glad to announce our contribution to Make in India through our agreement with KSSL and the Kalyani Group to establish a joint venture company in India for the Air Defence Programmes. "The JV is already under preparation within both companies, and will be ready to launch soon," said Gorgen Johansson, head of Saab business area Dynamics.

To secure production quality, orders of missile parts have already been issued to KSSL and production-readiness reviews are ongoing. Saab and KSSL are already planning for the technology transfer for different packages within the programmes.

"The joint venture company will combine Saab's knowledge and experience as a developer and supplier of high-technology radar and missile systems, with the engineering excellence and manufacturing capabilities of the Kalyani Group. The joint venture will create a global supplier in the area of Ground Based Air Defence Systems based in India," said Amit Kalyani, executive director, Kalyani Group.
Kirthiga Reddy's decision to step down as managing director of Facebook India could not have come at a worse time. The Menlo Park-headquartered social networking giant has just pulled back one of its pet projects, Free Basics, following regulatory hurdles and a huge public outcry.

Facebook has gone into damage control mode, dissociating Reddy from the Free Basics controversy, but questions remain on the timing of her move. Experts also say one of the reasons for her leaving could be that Facebook has not been able to monetise its platform well despite having a huge user base in the country.

Reddy, 44, a management graduate from Stanford, had joined Facebook India as its first employee in July 2010 at its first office in Hyderabad. She was heading the online operations of the company as a director before being made managing director of the social networking company's India business three years ago. As a part of that role, she was responsible for driving advertising revenue, located out of Mumbai.

During her tenure with the company over the past five-and-a-half years, Facebook's users in the country have grown from 8 million to 138 million, making India its second largest market after the US. "For the last few years, Facebook has been the Internet in villages. It, therefore, was one of the strongest forces and the biggest frontier of how the Internet spread autonomously in less connected areas," said Parminder Jeet Singh, executive director, IT for Change.

However, India provides a minuscule part of Facebook's $17 billion revenue. According to different reports, Facebook India's revenue stood at Rs 124 crore in 2015, up from Rs 98 crore in 2013, despite having clients like Airtel, ICICI, Coca Cola and Cadbury. Rival Google has been more successful in monetisation. In the year ended March 31, 2015, Google's India unit posted revenues of Rs 4,108 crore, a growth of 35 per cent over the previous year.

Facebook was banking on its Free Basics platform to drive growth, which would have provided it the scale to monetise better. However, the plan crumbled when the telecom regulator ruled in favour of net neutrality and did not allow differential pricing on which Free Basics was built.

"India and Indians have believed in democracy and equal ways of reaching out. The idea of net neutrality remains a very basic ethos for the Internet Indian, and Facebook did not understand this very well," said Harish Bijoor, a brand and marketing expert.

"They spent Rs 150 crore and Indians do not by and large like the Goliath mentality. To that extent, Facebook has suffered a brand rubbing," he added.

In her Facebook post late Friday evening, Reddy said she would relocate to the company's headquarters in the next 6-12 months, to take up a global role.

"I am working closely with William Easton, managing director (emerging markets, Asia-Pacific) and Dan Neary, vice-president (Asia-Pacific) as we search for my successor in India. I have also begun to explore new opportunities at Facebook back at Menlo Park," she said.

People who have worked with her say Reddy has always been down-to-earth and friendly, and she steers teams with constant motivation. "In fact, she had big plans at Facebook, of taking the company's India operations to new heights over the next five years. And we believe that she has accomplished those," said a Facebook India employee requesting anonymity.

Prior to joining Facebook India, Reddy, who also holds an MS in computer engineering from Syracuse University, worked with Phoenix Technologies, where she headed the company's India operations in Bengaluru as a vice-president and general manager. Before that, she spent a number of years leading Motorola's Good Technology Group in Hyderabad.

AMID UPS AND DOWNS
Hoteliers from the suburban parts of Mumbai have nearly doubled their room rates as the city prepares to welcome VIPs and corporate honchos for the Make in India week that kicked off on Saturday.

Luxury and premium hotels such as Taj, Sofitel, Trident, Hyatt, which have properties closest to the venue, have increased room rates in the range of 40 to 188 per cent for the most basic room, during the duration of the event.

The week-long event is happening inside the Bandra Kurla Complex (a central business district), which houses offices of many premier such as ICICI, Wockhardt, SAIL, Shell India to name a few.

Nearby hotels based in Andheri, Santacruz and Juhu have witnessed improved demand for rooms over the last few weeks. These hotels not only have close proximity to BKC but are within one to seven kilometres from the airport.

Taj Lands End, the Arabian Sea-facing hotel, is charging Rs 26,000 per night as compared to its normal rate of Rs 9,000, a jump of 188 per cent. Moreover, it is disallowing stay for a single night. The guest will have to pay for three nights (February 15-17), with average Rs 22,000 per night.

The rates charged by Taj Lands End are much higher than the iconic Taj Mahal Palace in Colaba, the groups most luxurious and expensive property in India.

But the two hotels that are set to make a killing during the week are Sofitel and Trident, both of which are opposite the venue and a stones throw from the US Consulate.

Accor-controlled Sofitel is charging $305 (Rs 20,731) per night including taxes, or twice its usual price of $162 (Rs 10,243). The 302-room luxury property, partially owned by realtor Shree Naman Group, is sold out for Tuesday.

EIH-controlled Trident, which is next to Sofitel but is much bigger, has also hiked rates for the week. The 412-room hotel is running a special offer for the Make in India Week with rooms at Rs 23,740 per night (including breakfast), which is a sharp markup from its usual rate of around Rs 10,000.

Even basic hotels are raking it in for the duration of the event. Some hotels that run under OYO Rooms, a budget hotel aggregator brand, have declared a sell out on February 15, 16 and 17. An OYO Room Apartment in Kalina, Santacruz, does not have any vacancies through February 18.

In addition, rooms under OYO, which are usually available for around Rs 1,200 in this city, have more than tripled rates to Rs 4100 a night during the event week.

The Make in India Week-2016, to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will see the participation of 1,000 international and 8,000 domestic along with heads of state of half a dozen countries.

The venue will have 27 pavilions spread over 220,000 square metres, with participation from focused on defence, aerospace, automobile and auto components, chemical and petrochemical, construction equipment, materials and technology, food processing, infrastructure, textile, MSME, industrial equipment and machinery, IT and electronics.
Hindustan Unilever (HUL) trying to sell off its atta (flour), salt and rice; all sold under the Annapurna brand. The move is a part of HUL's objective to exit the commodities space.

Now, branded packaged food is likely to be the wind in its sails. The company has followed such a strategy for quite a few years now. For instance, in 2006, HUL sold off Nihar hair oil to Marico, which it had bought 13 years before from the Tatas.

In December last year, it reentered the hair oil market by acquiring Indulekha, from Kerala-based Mosons for Rs 330 crore. This, too, experts claim, was a strategic move, to up its game in the herbal and ayurveda sector. Indulekha operates in the super-premium hair oil category; said Abneesh Roy, associate director, research, institutional equities, Edelweiss. A bottle of Indulekha oil is priced three time that of brands such as Kesh King.

Price realisation is, therefore, significant; something that HUL has been seeking in most of its products. The challenge with commodity-led businesses, notably those in the staples category, is the inability to derive a price premium, analysts claim. Margins are typically thin, which is not the case with branded packaged foods, where the price premium is comparatively better.

Sanjiv Mehta, MD and CEO, HUL, has also frequently reiterated how branded packaged food remains an under-penetrated category in India and has a significant scope for growth. While releasing the company's recent third-quarter results, Mehta said that brands including Knorr (soup) and Kissan (jam, ketchup etc.) were doing well.
The Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is offering discounts on diesel and petrol at a few fuel stations in Gujarat and the scheme may be widened if sales increase. Some retailers, however, fear the discounts could jeopardise their income.

Sources said RIL executives last week visited Gujarat to find out why sales at fuel outlets were not picking up. After their visit the company decided to launch the discount scheme. A questionnaire to RIL regarding the development did not draw a response.

RIL is offering a discount of Rs 2 per litre of diesel at a few company owned, company operated (COCO) retail outlets. If sales pick up, the scheme may be extended to other cities, said a RIL fuel retailer in Gujarat.

RIL had over 750 working retail outlets till December 2015. It has a 1,400 retail outlets in all. While diesel sales are up 64 per cent quarter-on-quarter, RIL said after its third quarter results it had achieved the highest retail outlet throughput of nearly 200 kilolitres per month compared to key competitors.

RIL said it re-secured its customer base with a 3.5-per cent market share. Diesel is RILs mainstay.

At its company owned, dealer operated (CODO) outlets, RIL is offering a discount of Rs 1 per litre of diesel and petrol. RIL has offered to bear 75 paise of the discount and the rest will be borne by dealers. The discount schemes, dealers said, would be in place till May 2016.

This way RIL will jeopardise our business. One, if it offers a Rs 2 discount at its own outlets, why will customers come to us? Two, if we are to bear 25 paise in the Rs 1 discount, it will further dent our income. RIL has not revised our commissions, which are 25 per cent less than what dealers of state-owned oil receive, said a dealer operating a retail outlet owned by RIL.

RIL pays a dealer commission of Rs 1.22 per litre on diesel and Rs 1.96 in petrol. Dealers have been asking for a raise but RIL has not heeded their requests.

Industry players said, given RILs handsome gross refining margins, the company could offer a larger discount to customers. The gross refining margin measures earnings from turning every barrel of crude oil into fuel.

RIL has been posting strong gross refining margins, defying the Singapore benchmark by $3-4.5 a barrel for two consecutive quarters. The October-December quarter saw its GRM increasing to $11.5 a barrel from $10.6 a barrel in 2014-15. A major factor, RIL said, was reduction in the crude oil basket cost.
The risk of developing dementia is decreasing for people with at least a high school education, according to a new study that suggests changes in lifestyle and improvements in physical can help prevent or delay cognitive decline.

The study, published recently in The New England Journal of Medicine, provides the strongest evidence to date that a more educated population and better cardiovascular are contributing to a decline in new dementia cases over time, or at least helping more people stave off dementia for longer.

The findings have implications for policy and research funding, and they suggest that the long-term cost of dementia care may not be as devastatingly expensive as policy makers had predicted, because more people will be able to live independently longer.

There are wild cards that could dampen some of the optimism. The study participants were largely white and suburban, so results may not apply to all races and ethnicities. Still, a recent study showed a similar trend among African-Americans in Indianapolis, finding that new cases of dementia declined from 1992 to 2001. The 2001 participants had more education, and although they had more cardiovascular problems than the 1992 participants, those problems were receiving more medical treatment.

Another question mark is whether obesity and diabetes, which increase dementia risk, will cause a surge in dementia cases when the large number of overweight or diabetic 40- and 50-year-olds become old enough to develop dementia. In any event, in the next few decades, the actual number of dementia patients will increase because baby boomers are aging and living longer.

"You don't want to give the impression that the Alzheimer's or dementia problem is disappearing - it's not at all," said Dallas Anderson, a programme director on dementia at the National Institute on Aging, one of two agencies that financed the study. "The numbers are still going up because of the aging population." Still, he added, the new research shows that "what happens in a person's life becomes important."



"It's not just: Oh, it's in your genes. You're going to get it," he said. "You can take steps to postpone the disease."



The decline reported in the new study was strongest in vascular dementia, which is most directly linked to cardiovascular problems. Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia, also declined, but the trend narrowly missed what researchers consider statistically significant. Still, Maria Carrillo, chief science officer for the Alzheimer's Association, an advocacy group, said "this tells me there absolutely is hope for Alzheimer's" if a push for healthier lifestyles accompanies efforts to find dementia treatments.

Dementia experts and advocacy groups have long predicted that the number of Americans with dementia, now about five million, would triple by 2050. But a burst of new research in Europe, Canada and the US has pointed to decreases in recent decades in more educated populations with better-controlled cholesterol, blood pressure, and heart and lung health.

"There's more studies suggesting that the risk is going down and we might have to rethink some of the projections of how big a problem dementia will be 30 years from now," said Kenneth Langa, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan. On Saturday, he will present at an international conference preliminary results from another large study, which found that the prevalence of dementia in a more nationally diverse population declined by about 21 per cent from 2000 to 2010.

Results like this suggest, he said, "that even without a big breakthrough in medication or a vaccine that would stop the Alzheimer's process, that we can do things that lower the risk of dementia long-term."



The New England Journal research is considered especially strong because it looked at the emergence of new cases of dementia, or incidence, and is based on data from the Framingham Heart Study, a large collection of detailed health information that began in 1948 with participants from Framingham, Mass., and has continued to follow them and their children and grandchildren.

Researchers evaluated the cognitive status of 5,025 people aged 60 and older in four time periods beginning in 1977 and found a steady decline of about 20 per cent in new dementia cases each decade. They also found that on average, people were older when they were found to have dementia: 80 years old in the 1970s, compared with 85 in the group evaluated 40 years later.

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 didn't parse that out," said Sudha Seshadri, a neurologist at Boston University Medical Center and a senior investigator with the Framingham Heart Study. She 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 study's early groups, it was hard to tell.

2015 The New York Times News Service
Indian cities' air pollution was even higher than the WHO set standards and worse than most cities even on the days pollution was at its lowest
In a development unprecedented in recent years, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar on Saturday summoned US Ambassador Richard Verma to South Block to express Indias disappointment at the Obama Administration deciding to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

The last time a US envoy was summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs was in the wake of the handcuffing and strip search of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade in New York in December 2013.

In a statement issued today morning, the Ministry of External Affairs said: We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama Administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircrafts to Pakistan. We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism. The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself.



It said, the US Ambassador will be summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs to convey our displeasure. Following which Verma was summoned to the South Block for a meeting with the Indian Foreign Secretary, who lodged Indias protest at the US governments decision to sell the fighter planes to Indias neighbour.

On Friday, the Obama Administration notified the US Congress about the sale of eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan worth nearly $699 million.

The Pentagons Defence Security Cooperation, responsible for foreign arms sales, said the F-16s would allow Pakistans air force to operate in all weather conditions, including at night. It said the fighter jets will improve its self-defence capabilities and help with its counter-terrorism operations. The Congress can block the sale within 30 days, but such a course of action is rare as such decisions are taken after extensive consultations.

But the US Senates Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Bob Corker, has notified the Obama Administration that he would block the sale of the jets through the foreign military financing programme of the US. This would mean that Pakistan would have to cough up the money for the jets, instead of the US providing nearly half of the cost of the F-16s.

Corker, in a letter to US Secretary of State John Kerry, said he had concerns about Pakistans links with the Haqqani network. The terror group has been responsible for several lethal attacks in Afghanistan in the past. Corker said he might reconsider his position if Islamabad were to take effective action on the terror outfit.

News agencies quoted an unnamed US State Department official defending the decision of the US Government to sell the F-16s to Islamabad. The official said the F-16s, the US Government strongly believed, have contributed to the success of several counter-terrorism operations.

Instances of the Ministry of External Affairs summoning an American ambassador are extremely rare. The last such instance was after Indian diplomat Khobragade was handcuffed and strip searched in New York in December 2013. Relations between the two countries had hit a low during the time, as India protested the treatment meted out to the Indian diplomat.

Later in the day, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said that the singular achievement of Prime Minister Narendra Modis foreign policy was that both the US and Russia were now major arms suppliers to Pakistan.
"An Iraqi biscuit is all I can offer you." This is what the Indian ambassador to Iraq is heard telling Ranjit Katyal (played by Akshay Kumar), a Kuwait-based Indian businessman, when he approaches the ambassador for help during the 1990 Iraq war in the movie Airlift. Kamal Bakshi, the real-life Indian ambassador in Baghdad during Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, was, however, far from the helpless, incompetent officer projected in the movie. He takes Veenu Sandhu through the events as they occurred then



At what stage of Iraq's invasion did you realise that Indians needed help?



Iraq occupied Kuwait on August 2, 1990. This was not anticipated by most diplomats in Baghdad. We were trying to understand what implications this would have when three days after the invasion, a group of Indian pilgrims came to me. They had performed Haj and had come to Iraq for pilgrimage to sites that are sacred to the Shia Muslims like Najaf and Karbala. They had return tickets of Air India but now all flights into or out of Iraq were banned. I suggested they go to a neighbouring country and take a flight from there. But we soon found they couldn't go to Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey or Syria. The only place they could fly out of was Amman in Jordan. But there were no buses that would take them from Baghdad to Amman.

So, I talked to the Indian ambassador in Amman and we decided to get six buses from Amman to Baghdad for these 300 pilgrims. The buses travelled 850 km to Baghdad, picked the pilgrims and took them to Amman from where they flew to India. That is how it started. That was our trial run for sending Indian citizens from Kuwait and Iraq back to India.

What happened as the crisis escalated?



Foreign minister I K Gujral came to Baghdad and met Saddam Hussein who assured all cooperation for the evacuation of Indian citizens. Gujral then went to Kuwait and took me along. To a large gathering of Indians there he said, "Iraq doesn't recognise Kuwait as an independent country. It says it is a part of Iraq now. It does not recognise our ambassador and embassy in Kuwait. So, I have brought with me Kamal Bakshi who is our ambassador in Baghdad. You come to Baghdad and he will arrange your evacuation to India."



When the panic started, the people to run really were the worker class. There is a system in West Asia even now that the passport of a worker is taken by the employer. Hundreds of workers fled Kuwait and reached Baghdad. Ninety per cent of them did not have their passports. The first thing we did was give them emergency passports or else they would not be allowed to cross over to Jordan.

Secondly, till we arranged buses for them, they had to be looked after. We didn't have the accommodation and we couldn't cook for all of them. So, without any authorisation from the Indian government, I started giving them $5 a day for food and accommodation. The money was entered in their temporary passports.

Eventually, the Iraqi government also helped us set up a camp for them with basic facilities. This went on from August till part of November. While we did this in Baghdad, the Indian government, external affairs and civil aviation ministries and Air India organised flights from Amman to India to evacuate the people.

This must have required tremendous coordination?



This was possible because of the coordination among our missions in Kuwait, Baghdad and Amman and with the community in Kuwait. The community helped organise people and bring them to Baghdad and we took over from there. This was in the middle of summer - August and September are very hot in Iraq. But not one Indian national died due to lack of medical attention and not one Indian woman was badly treated.

This was the time before mobile phones and the internet. How difficult was the communication?



There was no communication from Delhi for a while. All this that I was doing was on my own. Sometimes we had a telephone or telex connection, but most of the times we did not. Our contacts with Amman were better, but there were hardly any telephone links with Kuwait. The decision to give money to Indian nationals, to get the buses - all this was paid for by the embassy in Baghdad. I spent enormous amounts of money without any sanction from the Indian government, which was, I must admit, given to me post facto by the government.
Twinstar Display Technologies, promoted by Volcan Investments, today sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Maharashtra, to set up a LCD manufacturing unit, known as Panel FAB. Under the agreement, Twinstar Display Technologies will invest $10 billion over 5 phases. The deal was signed at the inaugural day of Make In India Week in the presence of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the MMRDA grounds, Bandra Kurla Complex.

"We have made good of the promise we made to the nation during the Digital India Summit in July 2015. We are happy to participate in two of the Government's key initiatives - the 'Make in India' campaign as well as 'Net Zero Electronics import by 2020'. We will endeavour to make India a significant export hub of display units with the setting up of Panel FAB," said Anil Agarwal, Chairman, Vedanta Group.

Panel FAB is expected to begin production by 2018, with full production over next 10 years subject to external environment. Upon completion, the project will provide direct and indirect employment to over 30,000 people, and contribute 7% - 10% to Maharashtra's Industrial Gross Domestic Product. The project requires about 300 acres of land and two locations have been shortlisted so far. However, the state government official hinted that the project may come up in the under developed Vidarbha or Marathwada.

The company release said India's is one of the fastest growing markets for LCD Panel based products such as TV/Smartphones/Tablets/Desktops/Laptops. At present, all LCD panels are imported. By 2020, India's LCD Panel import bill is expected touch $10 Billion. Panel FAB will not only significantly reduce this, but also earn foreign exchange through exports.

''A FAB unit can only be successful if the whole ecosystem around it develops and Twinstar Display Technologies is confident of bringing many ancillary partners to the country and make India a leading Electronic System Design and Manufacturing (EDSM) destination,'' the company said in a release.



PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

* Project envisions to realise the targets of Make in India and Net Zero Electronics import by 2020

*Over 30,000 people will get direct & indirect employment with the setting up of one of the world's largest LCD fab units

* Requires about 300 acres of land and two locations have been shortlisted so far

*Company claims it is India's first and one of the world's largest LCD fab units.
Hardly anyone can be happy investing in bonds these days but for some, life has little mercies.

As yields rise and bond prices fall due to a glut of supply from both the central and state governments, treasury profits are getting wiped out. However, thanks to an archaic rule on how state governments bonds can be valued, the losses are getting understated in the treasury results.

It is a valuation trick and gets nullified when actual sale of bonds takes place, when a bank must book the actual loss. Rules of the Fixed Income Money Markets and Derivatives Association (FIMMDA) say state development loans (SDLs) should be valued at equal maturity government security plus 25 basis points (bps) when trading data is not available. However, the secondary market for SDLs is almost non-existent.

Compounding the problem, states do not reissue their bonds but keep issuing new papers at every auction. Consider the 10-year government benchmark bond that ended at 7.72 per cent on Wednesday. If a bank or an insurance company, which bought SDLs, has to value the bonds at book value today, it should be at 7.97 per cent, if the SDL in question has not been traded in the secondary market. This is often the case.

The latest cut-off of a 10-year SDL was as high as 8.55 per cent. This means, the spread between the 10-year government security (G-Sec) and an equivalent maturity is 75 bps (a basis point is a hundredth of a percentage point). However, according to the FIMMDA norms, the bonds get valued in the book at about eight per cent. The extra 50 bps spread, translating to Rs 3 a bond, is a valuation gain in the book, to remain there unless the bonds are sold or traded in the market.

Some money market participants allege this gain is, being used to suppress losses incurred in the government bond portfolio, rising as yields are rising or kept static despite Reserve Bank of India (RBI) rate cuts. The valuation in these bonds has to be based on market prices, as the secondary market is quite robust. The net effect is the bond portfolio looking relatively healthy, whereas it should have shown steep losses.

It is difficult to quantify how much of suppression is taking place in the banks books and insurance companies, the primary SDL buyers. It is not a small amount. For example, in the past few months, as the cut-off spread widened in auctions, at least Rs 1 lakh crore of SDLs have been issued. A rough calculation shows the investors were able to suppress about Rs 3,000 crore of losses in their portfolio, taking advantage of the illiquid secondary market and FIMMDA valuation trick.

Business Standard spoke with several bank treasurers and bond traders for this report. Most of them confirmed the loophole and none wished to be named.

RBI is aware of this practice. According to sources, the central bank tried several times to introduce a market-linked valuation for the bonds, to take into account the average auction prices for valuation purposes. However, it could not implement this, in the face of rising yields and mounting losses. Some resistance from investors also helped in keeping the decision at bay for now.

Multiple securities and less liquid secondary markets are a major cause for such valuations. However, the prevailing condition is not conducive for introducing new changes, said Soumyajit Niyogi, associate director, credit and market research, at India Ratings.

G-Sec yields will rise sharply if the valuation leeway is gone. Let the government figure out if they want to borrow at those high coupons, said another. However, one bank treasurer said, the masking is not much with banks, as the lenders are not major buyers of the SDLs and there is is no point in suppressing the losses, as there is no actual gain.

That may be the case but at the quarter end, the treasury book of and insurance companies can still show lower impact of adverse yield movement.

PROCEDURAL LOOPHOLES
24th National Homoeopathic Congress Homeo-Vision 2016 inaugurated by Shri Shripad Yesso Naik in Nagpur . . Scientific validation of principles and practice of Homeopathy will help increase its credibility and acceptability: AYUSH MINISTER . .

The twenty fourth National Homoeopathic Congress Homeo-Vision 2016 was inaugurated by the Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge) and Health and Family Welfare, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik in Nagpur today. Indian Institute of Homoeopathic Physician (IIHP), Maharashtra State Branch, Nagpur has organized this two-day National conference (13th and 14th February, 2016) to discuss the recent advances in technology, innovative research and quality education in Homeopathy. .

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Inaugurating the conference, Shri Shripad Naik appreciated the contribution of Indian Institute of Homoeopathic Physician (IIHP) to the cause of development of Homoeopathy in India. He expressed happiness over the fact that more than 500 Homoeopathic practitioners and educationists from all over the country are participating in this national conference. On this occasion he opined that Homoeopathy is well assimilated into the ethos of Indian heritage and it is widely accepted by the public for many of their health care requirements. He also informed that 10 % of the population depends on Homeopathy for their health care needs. .

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While highlighting the research field in Homeopathy he said that several institutions are now showing keen interest to undertake research in Homoeopathy and Central Council of Homeopathy (CCH) and Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH) under Government of India are encouraging Education and Research in Homeopathy. Credibility and acceptability of Homoeopathy will increase if scientific validation of the principles and practice of Homeopathy is undertaken, he stated. .

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The Minister also underlined the vital role of Homeopathy in one of the strategies envisaged under National Health Mission for providing accessible and affordable quality health services to the poorest households in the remotest rural regions. Reduced Maternal Mortality Rate, Infant Mortality Rate and Total Fertility Rate are some of the noticeable outcomes of Homeopathy in NRHM project, he informed. .

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He also stressed upon the objective of Ministry of AYUSH to develop the four core areas such as education, research, drug development and health care delivery. In this National Conference, he announced that, International professional body of Homeopaths, LMHI has proposed to organize the World Homeopathy Day, 2016 (10th April 2016) in New Delhi and Ministry of AYUSH has directed the Central Council for Research in Homeopathy to jointly organize this event with LMHI. He appealed to all professional bodies to organize state level and district level seminars and road shows on World Homeopathy Day, 2016 across the country in order to make it a mass movement and to create awareness on the strength of Homeopathy in all districts, talukas and villages. .

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To mark the inauguration of 24th National Homoeopathic Congress Homeo-Vision 2016 a special postal stamp and souvenir was inaugurated at the hands by AYUSH Minister, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik. On this occasion, Dr. M.P Arya, Professor, D.S. Homeopathy College, Pune received Prestigious Padmashree Dr. K.G. Saxena lifetime achievement award from the Minister for his outstanding contribution in the field of Homeopathy. .

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Dr. Renzo Galassi, President, LMHI also appealed to the delegates and practioners participating in the conference to attend the World Homeopathy Day, 2016 celebrations at New Delhi in April 2016. .

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Dr. Ramakant Dagade, President, IIHP expected that homeopathy will flourish in India under the able administration of Ministry of AYUSH. .

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Dr. Virendra Kumar, Director, ISRO, Ahmedabad informed about the facility of tele-medicine being provided by ISRO with the help of Ministry of AYUSH to access the far-flung areas of the country for consulting with homeopathic medical aid. .

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Dr. V. K. Gupta, Former Principal, NHMC , New Delhi, Dr. R.G.Manchanda, DG , CCRH , many delegates and practioners, medical students were present at the inaugural session.
Make in India Week in Mumbai . . Bilateral talks with Sweden, Finland and Poland

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After inaugurating the Make in India Centre Expo in Mumbai today, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with the Prime Ministers of Sweden and Finland and Deputy Prime Minister of Poland. .

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In his talks with his Swedish counterpart Mr.Stefan Lofven, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi lauded Sweden as a significant participant under the Make in India initiative. He invited Swedish companies to forge partnerships in the fields of defence, electronic goods, medical equipment etc. .

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During his interaction with the Finnish Prime Minister Mr. Juha Sipila, Shri Narendra Modi invited Finlands active participation in engineering, power plants, biotech and innovation. Putting technology to good use, the two Prime Ministers tele-inaugurated the new state-of-the-art manufacturing unit of Trivitron Healthcare in Chennai. .

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Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi recalled long association of his home state Gujarat with Poland through Jamnagar during his bilateral talks with the Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Piotr Glinski. Shri Modi discussed areas of cooperation in food processing, clean energy and transportation sectors. .

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Shri J P Nadda at NIMHANS Convocation: True to philosophy of development for all, health being embedded in growth story of India . .

True to philosophy of development for all, health is being embedded in the growth story of India. This was stated by the Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Shri J P Nadda, at the 20th Convocation ceremony of National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), at Bengaluru today. He further stated that India is at an exciting phase of development and being recognised at various global platforms to be charting an impressive growth curve. Shri Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affair, and Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation was also present at the ceremony. .

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Congratulating the graduating students, the Health Minister applauded their hard work, diligence and industriousness and stated that this was a momentous day for them which marked the threshold of an even more arduous and exciting expedition. He echoed the words of Swami Vivekananda while guiding them in their journey ahead: we have the power to make ourselves" and never forget to take risks in your life, if you win, you can lead! If you lose, you can guide!" .

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In his ceremonial address, the Union Health Minister stated that NIMHANS has always been a leader in the country and its work is recognised globally as well. NIMHANS does not just rest on its laurels but strives to continuously improve and innovate. Apart from being recognised as an Institute of National Importance, its list of recent achievements makes all of us proud of NIMHANS, Shri Nadda said. Acquiring the facilities like Gamma knife, fMRI, PET MRI, MEG, proteonomics laboratory are some examples, he pointed out, adding that initiating a comprehensive centre for rehabilitation, centres for addiction medicine, well-being, public health, legal aid, brain bank are indeed trendsetters. .

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Shri Nadda stated that NIMHANS for taken steps to host the genetic and cellular repository of patients with mental health problems which is the first of its kind in India. This futuristic vision heralds the utilisation of existing and emerging cutting edge technologies, and this will go a long way in understanding the biology of mental disorders, he pointed out. The repository is being built under the prestigious and aspirational mission of the Prime Minister under the program 'Accelerating the application of Stem cell technology in Human Disease', Shri Nadda informed. This is a giant collaborative effort that involves eminent and premier Indian institutions including NIMHANS, NCBS, Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, among others. .

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The Health Minister also stated that NIMHANS is successfully blending the traditional with the modern systems of health care. Over the past years, the AYUSH centre at NIMHANS has thoughtfully and diligently developed an evidence base for integrating Yoga therapies for mental and neurological problems. Shri Nadda added that this is the right time to look for its expansion and to mainstream these approaches in healthcare. I am sure Yoga has much to offer in helping us manage these conditions. I would like NIMHANS to suggest methods and mechanisms that would further facilitate this integration", he said. .

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Also present at the convocation ceremony were Dr K Radhakrishnan, former Chairman of ISRO, and Prof. B.N. Gangadhar, Director and Vice Chancellor, Registrar Dr.Sekar and former Director and Vice Chancellor Prof. P. Satishchandra. .

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Bank of America awarded Chief Executive Officer Brian T Moynihan $16 million for his work last year, raising his potential compensation 23 per cent. Moynihan received $14.5 million in stock grants for 2015 and left his salary unchanged at $1.5 million, according to a regulatory filing. A year earlier, the Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank gave the CEO of the second-biggest US bank a $13 million pay package. Moynihan, 56, survived a battle with investors in 2015 over whether he should be stripped of his role as chairman as the bank's stock lagged behind peers. The company also ...
Luxury-home sales in Central London's best districts dropped to their lowest level in seven years in January as buyers awaited the effect of pending stamp-duty tax changes and sellers only slowly cut their prices. A total of 167 existing homes were sold in neighbourhoods including Kensington, Chelsea, Mayfair and Westminster last month, 30 per cent below the average volume for the time of year since 2010 and the weakest month since January 2009, according to data compiled by London-based broker Huntly Hooper. Selling prices in Central London's best districts in January were 1.8 ...
The thousands of attendees seeking reasons for optimism didn't find them at the annual International Petroleum Week. Instead they were greeted by a cacophony of voices from some of the largest oil producers, refiners and traders delivering the same message: There are few reasons for optimism. The world is awash with oil. The market is overwhelmingly bearish. Producers are bracing for a tough year. Prices will stay low for up to a decade as Chinese economic growth slows and the US shale industry acts as a cap on any rally, according to Ian Taylor, chief executive officer of Vitol Group, ...
Jeera (cumin seed) prices have gained by about 10% in a week despite fresh arrivals, especially in major producing states like Gujarat and Rajasthan.

The commodity's prices moved up by Rs 250-300 per 20 kg to Rs 2,250-2,750 per 20 kg in different regions. According to industry sources and traders, prices moved up on speculation of lower yield and fresh export enquiries. "New crop is arriving in small quantity in Gujarat and Rajasthan, though the same is likely to pick up soon. Prices gained as there were some speculations of crop damage," said Gaurang Patel, chairman of Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Unjha.

On the other hand, jeera prices increased in futures by 15% over the past 10 days. At the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) jeera prices stood at Rs 14,980 per quintal on Friday as against Rs 13,010 per quintal 10 days ago.

In May 2015, jeera prices had increased by over 25 to hit a historic high of Rs 18,960 per quintal in futures market. Spot price was at Rs 3,950 per 20 kg at that time. Prices had risen then on the back of good export demand and lower production in India.

According to experts and traders, jeera arrival this year has been a bit late in Gujarat as the weather was quite hot at the early stage of sowing which delayed planting. However, overall acreage of jeera sowing has increased in the state and crop conditions have so far been normal in both Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Jeera sowing saw a rise of 10.8% at 295,400 hectares in Gujarat, compared to 266,700 hectares last year. In Rajasthan, sowing of jeera was done on 160,000 hectares as against 178,000 hectares.

Quantity of new jeera arrivals have been in the range of 1,500 bags (a bag of 40 kg) in Gujarat and close to 300 bags in Rajasthan.

"Prices got support on the expectation of lower yield and fresh export enquiries in Gujarat, though arrival of new crop capped the gains," said Ajay Kumar Kedia of Kedia Commodity Comtrade Private Limited.

According to Kedia, prices for the short term look firm to test around Rs 15,200-15,500 levels due to delay in new season crop which will come only in March. Add to that, a weaker rupee has also been beneficial for the exporters.

Traders are expecting some more uptrend in the price till the arrivals begin in a full-fledged manner.

"Once supply of new crop begins in full force, prices of the commodity will reduce. Full-fledged arrival will be reported from March. Before that, prices may go up slowly. However, price trends also depend on demand," said a Rajkot based jeera trader.

Traders estimate that jeera exports are likely to remain at around 90,000 tonnes during the current fiscal down from 155,000 tonnes in the previous year.

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David Coleman Headley's deposition over the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack entered its fifth day on Saturday.

The deposition which is happening via video conferencing began today as special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam arrived at Mumbai court.

In yesterday's deposition, Headley made a startling revelation that a recce of Mumbai's Siddhivinayak temple and asked the LeT not to attack the shrine as it was heavily guarded.

Nikam said that Headley was asked by Major Iqbal to recruit the people from Baba Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in order to collect confidential information from there.

"David Headley has made some new revelations today. He said that he had conducted a recce of BARC and he was asked by Major Iqbal to recruit some people from BARC to collect information," Nikam told the media here.

"He said that he conducted a recce of the Siddhivinayak temple and Shiv Sena Bhawan. He said that he asked the LeT not to attack Siddhivinayak temple and the Naval Air Base because they were heavily guarded," he added.

Headley, who deposed before a Mumbai court via video conferencing from an undisclosed location in the US, has disclosed the relationship between the Pakistan's Inter-State Intelligence (ISI) service and LeT.

Headley had also admitted that he had met both Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Hafiz Saeed and then operational commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.
Ras al-Khaimah International Airport has announced that Air India Express, India's leading low cost carrier, will start flights to the northern UAE emirate from March this year.

Air India Express will start with four flights per week to Kozhikode (Calicut), starting on March 28, and is looking to expand to a daily service in near future to cater to the growing Indian expatriate community in the Northern Emirates.

The WAM news agency quoted Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of RAK Airport and Department of Civil Aviation, as saying, "I am delighted to welcome Air India Express to Ras al-Khaimah. There was much need for this connectivity, but we also believe that this route may require more than a daily frequency to satisfy the growing demand. We would therefore urge the authorities to consider the needs of the passengers and increase seat allocations for high demand sectors."

He assured Air India Express of full support from RAK Airport.

Ras al-Khaimah International's CEO, Mohammed Qazi, said, "India has strong ties with Ras al-Khaimah for the and leisure markets, going both ways. We are confident that the route will be a great success, as the market already exists and is growing. We hope to see Air India Express grow its footprint in the Northern Emirates, both in terms of frequencies and routes. As well as passengers originating in Ras al-Khaimah, the Airport is easily accessible from Fujairah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, and Sharjah, and with quick passenger processing, efficient aircraft turnaround, no slot restriction and free car parking, we are the ideal location for low cost airlines to operate from."

Ras al-Khaimah is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. Its name could be taken to mean "Top of the tent" or alternatively "headland of the small hut". It has become a popular base for Indian with over 6000 companies availing themselves of the emirate's free zones and other operating formats.
Lauding the contribution of art in society, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said art brings history to life, and described it as ageless and timeless.

"This is a society that has influenced three centuries. The strength and the message of art is the reason. Is art only about being the pride of our walls or is art about being the strength of society. Art brings our history to life," Prime Minister Modi said at the inauguration of the Bombay Art Society here.

"Art can't have any restrictions or limits. Art is first in the heart and mind of the artist, then on the paper or canvas. Art is ageless, race, region or religion less and timeless," he added.

He further stated that art is the strength of the society and it resides in temples.

"Art resides in God's place. You can see art in temples. It shows how much art is important in our cultural journey. Art must be rewarded. There must be no restriction to art. It is the responsibility of every state to reward art," he said.

Prime Minister Modi will launch the 'Make in India' Week, a week-long series of events to showcase India as a preferred manufacturing destination to the world.

The objective of the Make in India Week is to showcase the world the achievements of India in its manufacturing sector and to promote the country as preferred manufacturing hub globally and its theme is innovation, design and sustainability.

The Prime Minister of Sweden Kjell Lofven, the Prime Minister of Finland Juha Petri Sipila and the Prime Minister of Lithuania Algirdas Butkevicius will be guest of honour on this occasion. (ANI)

(We have a video to back this story. Please access the same.
Congratulating the Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for entering into a pre-poll alliance in Tamil Nadu, the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) on Saturday said both of them together "ruled and ruined" the country, as they were together in the UPA and now it's going to be "UPA-Tamil Nadu".

"Best of luck! I don't think it would have any impact on Tamil Nadu's politics. The Congress and the DMK are coming together is quite but natural. Both of them together ruled and ruined the country. They were together in the UPA, now it's going to be 'UPA Tamil Nadu', said M. Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation.

Naidu, however, said both the parties are having same problems. "You know what has happened to the DMK and what has happened to the Congress Party; unless they realise that, mere coming together is not going to help them at all," he added.

Earlier today, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad formally announced that his party would contest the assembly polls in alliance with the DMK.

"It was a courtesy call. We have decided to fight the elections together. We will have an alliance. Karunanidhi ji is an esteemed leader. Our goal is to put in place a government led by the DMK," Azad told media here.

"I am more than sure that we will form a government under the leadership of DMK Party. DMK, Congress and other allies will be a very formidable combination to defeat other political parties," he added.

Welcoming the alliance, DMK treasurer M.K. Stalin said, "Congress has promised full cooperation. Karunanidhi has already given an invitation to DMDK. We are hopeful of a positive response.
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday formally announced that the party will fight the Assembly polls in an alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

"It was a courtesy call. We have decided to fight the elections together. We will have an alliance. Karunanidhi ji is an esteemed leader. Our goal is to put in place a government led by the DMK," Azad told media here.

"I am more than sure that we will form a government under the leadership of DMK Party. DMK, Congress and other allies will be a very formidable combination to defeat other political parties," he added.

Azad further stated that DMK leadership will identify other potential allies and initiate talks.

On seat sharing, he said further talks would take place with the DMK.

Welcoming the alliance, DMK treasurer M.K. Stalin said "Congress has promised full cooperation. Karunanidhi has already given an invite to DMDK. We are hopeful of a positive response."

Earlier, Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, who met M. Karunanidhi, downplayed reports that he had come on behalf of the Congress to form an alliance in the poll-bound state and said that the final decision in this regard rests in the hands of the DMK chief.

Replying to a poser on whether he had come on behalf of the Congress to urge him and form an alliance in the poll-bound state, the Conference leader said that it was for Karunanidhi to decide.

"That will be his decision. I cannot say anything as I don't belong to the Congress. I am sure he would do very well in the coming elections. I wish him the best of luck," he added.
With the United States turning volte-face and deciding to decision to notify the sale of eight F-16 Fighting Falcons to Pakistan, the Congress Party in a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday sought to know from the NDA Government as to what is the net result of the so-called friendship between the Indian Prime Minister and U.S President Barak Obama.

"The so-called friendship between the Indian Prime Minister and the US President, which was very much publicised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and this government, what is the net result now," asked P.C Chacko.

"It shows the miserable failure of Indo-U.S. relations and India conveying its opinion on matters to the U.S. or convincing the US," he added.

Till recently, the US was taking a position that Pakistan was inhibiting and supporting terrorism, and they would not do any kind of arms deal with a country like Pakistan which harbours terrorism, he said referring to the U.S officials statement that it would become very difficult for their government to convince the Republican-controlled Congress to approve the sale of eight F-16s to Pakistan, if Islamabad is seen as reluctant in taking action against these terrorist groups.

"After this public stand, now if they (the US) have decided to do that, that means the U.S. is not at all concerned with India's concerns, which is a miserable failure of the India's foreign policy, especially towards America," Chacko added.

The Pakistan Government has, so far, not taken any tangible action on the evidences provided by India with regard to the Pathankot attack.

The U.S. decision to notify the sale of F-16 Fighting Falcons comes at a time when a prime accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror David Coleman Headley testifying the roles of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Islamabad's backdoor support to terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in perpetrating terrorism in India.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned United States (U.S.) Ambassador to India Richard Verma this morning and expressed India's disappointment over the Barak Obama Administration's decision to notify the sale of eight F-16 Fighting Falcons to Pakistan.

According to MEA sources, Ambassador Verma met Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar at South Block this morning, though it was not clear immediately as to what the MEA had conveyed to him during the nearly half an hour-long meeting.

"We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama Administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircrafts to Pakistan. We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help combat terrorism. The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself," the MEA said in a statement," the Ministry of External Affairs had said in a statement, adding that "U.S. Ambassador Richard Verma would be summoned to convey the government's displeasure".

Earlier too, India had expressed disappointment over reports that the U.S. Government had, during the visit of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to the U.S, notified the U.S. Congress about a proposed sale of eight F-16 fighters to Pakistan and also to offer a civil nuclear deal to them.

As per reports, the U.S. is selling the eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan at a cost of 69.90 billion dollars.

The Pentagon's Defence Security Cooperation Agency said it had notified lawmakers about the possible deal.

The agency said the F-16s would allow Pakistan's Air Force to operate in all-weather environments and at night, while improving its self-defence capability and bolstering its ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter terrorism operations.
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has rejected former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's contention that the current NDA Government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have failed to reach out to the opposition on key issues, particularly on legislations pending in Parliament.

In a stinging letter of rebuke, Mr. Jaitley said that first of all former Presidents and Prime Ministers rarely speak, but when they do, the nation should listen to them with rapt attention. They represent the wisdom of the nation.

He said that they are expected to be non-partisan, render constructive advice and at times send a powerful message even to their own political party to act in broader interest.

He said that he has consistently held Dr. Manmohan Singh in high respect, and that he expected the same from the latter.

Acknowledging that he had read Dr. Singh's interview in the latest edition of India Today, Mr. Jaitley, in his letter, said that were Dr. Singh to dispassionately analyse the present government, he would really realise that "India has a government where the Prime Minister has the last word, where natural resources are allocated without corruption through transparent process, where industrialists no longer visit North Block to push files/decisions, where environmental clearances are dealt with in routine and not stalled on sadistic or corrupt considerations."

Emphatically maintaining that there has been a change in the work culture of the government, the Finance Minister said, "During the UPA Government, the public sector banks were hardly run by their own boards, or even by North Block. They were run from 24, Akbar Road. In power and infrastructure areas, sectoral challenges were not addressed during the UPA. It is the present government which is clearing up these accumulated challenges."

"Many stalled infrastructure projects have now started moving. India's journey is from 'policy-paralysis' to a global 'bright-spot', as the fastest growing economy moves on notwithstanding major challenges," Mr. Jaitley maintained.

On the issue of the passing of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill in Parliament, which Dr. Singh said had no chance of being passed as long as the NDA Government targeted Congress president and vice president Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, Mr. Jaitley said, "Almost all political parties except the Congress, support the GST. The Congress has done a volte face. Both the Parliamentary Affairs Minister (M.Venkaiah Naidu) and myself have discussed the GST with every senior Congress leader in Parliament. Is the Congress position on "Constitutional cap" not motivated by real politics? The economist in Dr. Singh should advice his party that tariffs are not provided for in the Constitution. This is what nation expects from the senior leaders and statesmen like former Prime Ministers.
Communist Party India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechuri on Saturday met Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and demanded an independent probe into the Jawaharlal Nehru University row.

"We have requested Arvind Kejriwal to institute independent magisterial enquiry in the matter. He assured us that he will take decision based on the evidences he has. The authenticity of the evidence must be established. This was deliberately done by ABVP to ensure and create such a situation in JNU," Yechury told the media here.

The communist leader pointed out that to create a threat in the university is a political conspiracy of the Central Government.

"We have requested the Chief Minister to punish the offenders. To create a threat in the university is a political conspiracy of the Central Government. We believe the evidences are wrong. It must be proved whether the evidences are right or wrong," he added.

A day after Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student's union president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested in connection with a case of sedition, the Delhi Police on Saturday detained seven more students from the university.

The police had cracked down on a group of protestors at the JNU on Friday and arrested the student leader on sedition charges for allegedly raising anti-India slogans during a demonstration in the campus to mark the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru on Tuesday.

Kumar's arrest evoked strong reactions from JNU students and teachers, past and present, and Opposition parties even as the RSS's students wing ABVP 'thanked' police for arresting the "anti-nationals". The arrest of Kumar, a member of the CPI's students wing AISF, was made a day after BJP MP from East Delhi, Maheish Girri, registered a complaint.

The protest was staged even though the JNU administration had revoked permission following a complaint from the ABVP.
A day after Jawaharlal Nehru University student's union president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested in connection with a case of sedition, the Delhi Police on Saturday detained seven more students from the university.

According to reports, the students, who were trying to protest at Indira Gandhi Kala Kendra, have been taken to the Parliament Street police station for questioning in connection with the case.

The police had cracked down on a group of protestors at the JNU on Friday and arrested the student leader on sedition charges for allegedly raising anti-India slogans during a demonstration in the campus to mark the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru on Tuesday.

Kumar's arrest evoked strong reactions from JNU students and teachers, past and present, and Opposition parties even as the RSS's students wing ABVP 'thanked' police for arresting the "anti-nationals". The arrest of Kumar, a member of the CPI's students wing AISF, was made a day after BJP MP from East Delhi, Maheish Girri, registered a complaint.

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The protest was staged even though the JNU administration had revoked permission following a complaint from the ABVP.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, visited the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in Mumbai, as part of his three-day visit to India.

The BSE, which was established in 1875, is Asia's oldest stock exchange and the world's fastest stock exchange with a median trade speed of 6 microseconds. There are more than 5,500 companies publicly listed on the stock exchange.

Sheikh Mohamed was received by Ashish Kumar Chauhan, Chief Executive Officer of BSE, and a number of senior Indian economists.

During the visit, Sheikh Mohamed was accompanied by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, H.H. Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court, a number of ministers, businesspersons and economists.

Sheikh Mohamed met with BSE's CEOs and a number of businesspersons at the International Convention Hall. He exchanged talks with them about the existing economic, trade, investment between the UAE and India.

Sheikh Mohamed said that economic relations are witnessing remarkable growth in the two countries. He expressed the wish that ties would witness an increasing pace in the future in the light of the joint positive potentials and multiple opportunities in the two countries.

In his statement, Chauhan welcomed Sheikh Mohamed, noting that the UAE-Indian relations date back to hundreds of years and the UAE is one of the biggest trade and investment partners with India.

He also pointed out the initiatives launched by the UAE to promote economic, trade, and environment protection, citing the interest of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed in the knowledge-based economy.

He added that the UAE is the 10th largest foreign investor in India with investments ranging to more than US$3 billion, while India represents the third largest foreign investor in the UAE.

Chauhan spoke about BSE's achievements, saying that it is now the fastest in the world where the market could deal with more than 500,000 companies in one second. He noted that the value of listed companies on the Bombay Stock Exchange amounted to US$1.4trillion, and added that the BSE is the largest stock exchange in the world today in terms of number of listed companies which amounted to about 5400.

Sheikh Mohamed rang the ceremonial gong at the BSE to mark the closing of BSE trading for the day. He received a souvenir from the BSE Chief Executive and watched a short video film about the market, date of establishment, which was founded in 1875 and development stages as well as its role in the economic activity in Mumbai.

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) presented a Green Certificate to Sheikh Mohamed on the occasion of planting 25 trees after his name in the Sundarbans delta in the Indian state of West Bengal, India.

For their part, businesspersons, and economic officials expressed their happiness at the level of relations between the UAE and India. They also expressed their appreciation at the visit of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed to India, which came in the framework of the relations between the two countries, particularly in the economic and investment areas.

Later, Sheikh Mohamed toured IT technology Department and was briefed by BSE's officials on the adopted electronic systems and mechanism of work as well as and the listed companies' performance.

During the visit, Sheikh Mohamed was accompanied by Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, Saqr bin Ghobash Saeed Ghobash, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State for International Cooperation, Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy, Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State, Ali bin Hammad Al Shamsi, Deputy Secretary General of the Security Council, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority, Dr. Ahmed Abdul Rahman Al Banna, UAE Ambassador to the Republic of India, Mohammed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Under-Secretary of the Court of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and a number of senior state officials.
The Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, in partnership with Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) convened a high - level South Asian regional consultation on February 11 and 12 2016 in New Delhi.

The consultation was organized in the wake of the newly created Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to support the development of improved nutrition outcomes in the context of food and agriculture systems. Participants comprised senior policymakers and representatives from organizations in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Burma and Bangladesh.

This consultation aimed at building a shared high-level vision of future malnutrition challenges in South Asia and a consensus on action by governments and other stakeholders to develop and guide sustainable nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive policy development. One of the principal aims is to develop a consensus and way forward for South Asia in addressing malnutrition in all its forms. In recognition of the success of the Panel's 2016 Ghana meeting and the emergent "African Leaders for Nutrition" initiative, the organizations partnered today explored how the Global Panel might draw on this experience and feedback from the consultation to develop a new initiative, called "South Asian Policy Leadership for Nutrition and Growth" -SAPLING.

Ambassador Shyam Saran, Chairman, RIS highlighted, "South Asia is most ecologically integrated region and thus more interconnectivity between people from South Asia will help to address the regional issues of climate change like changes in monsoon, glacier melting and river systems. There is also a need to focus on energy, water and food as interlinked sectors in relation to the new set of Sustainable Development Goals."

Professor K Srinath Reddy, President PHFI and Member of the Global Panel said, "Agriculture and food systems need to promote adequate, appropriate and affordable nutrition for all at each stage of life. While nurturing nutrition, we also need to ensure that agriculture and food systems are economically viable and ecologically sustainable. This calls for concerted multi -sectoral action at national and regional levels. SAPLING is intended to provide a platform for accelerating action to position nutrition within this integrated framework of sustainable development."

Focusing on the agriculture, Professor Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General, RIS said, "There is a need to breed crops that are of more value in terms of nutrition. For this, increased regional cooperation and connectivity are required. We need to look at how we can make agricultural productivity economically viable and sustainable."

Professor Sandy Thomas, Director of the Global Panel said, "Working together across South Asia clearly has great potential to achieve common goals in nutrition. The Global Panel looks forward to working with its partners on this ambitious agenda."

Good nutrition provides a vital foundation for human development. Much has already been achieved in South Asia in the drive to address malnutrition, and in tackling the multiple challenges at the nexus of agriculture, food and nutrition. A significant example is the reduction of stunting in India in children under the age of 5, from 48 percent in 2005-2006 to 39 percent in 2014.

Despite these gains, India is experiencing the "double burden" of both underweight and obesity. New policies across agriculture and food systems dealing with production, marketing, processing and consumption will need to be coherent and based on the best available evidence.

By aligning their strategies and policies even more closely, South Asian countries will be able to make informed and effective progress at the necessary pace to achieve the goal of nutritional wellbeing for all.

Governments working in concert with civil society, business, and the knowledge community will need to create integrated approaches and develop a strategic view of food systems and agriculture to help ensure that today's decisions and investments are robust to future uncertainties.
Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has said that a national consensus government is the need of the hour.

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Oli said that all political parties should work together to further develop the country and strengthen democracy.

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He was on the way to the Dharan based BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences to attend its convocation ceremony, reports The Himalayan Times.

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Talking to mediapersons at Biratnagar Airport, the Prime Minister said political parties which demonstrated unity in concluding the Constitution drafting process after the earthquake should once again come to a common ground for the building of nation.

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He expressed his hope on the upcoming visit of India and said that it would further consolidate the bilateral ties.

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Oli further added matters of delineation of federal provinces would be sorted out by forming a separate body.
Reacting sharply to the twin murders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Bihar, senior BJP leader Sushil Modi on Saturday said Nitish Kumar has become a "bechara" (helpless) chief minister, who has lost control over the state government.

"The murder of Visheshwar Ojha, senior BJP leader and Bihar unit vice-president, is a political conspiracy. The accused worked for the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) during the assembly polls. As long as Ojha and his sister-in-law (younger brother's wife) were MLAs, nobody dared to touch him, but after he lost the last assembly election and the RJD returned to power, the accused became fearless and perpetrated the crime," said Modi.

"The people of the state have lost their confidence in this government. We were hopeful that the government would be able to at least tackle crimes and would establish law and order situation in the state, but the government has fallen flat on people's expectations," he said.

"It's not just about the murder of two leaders, as more than 600 murders have been committed in Bihar in the past two-and-a-half years. And, the way the murders are taking place, nobody is feeling safe in the state," said Modi.

"Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is holding meetings one after another, but in vain. Since, Nitish Kumar entered into an alliance with the RJD, the morale of criminals is high," he said.

Ojha, 45, was shot dead in Bhojpur district in central Bihar on Friday evening while returning from a wedding party in his SUV. Another senior leader Kedarnath Singh was killed in Taraiyya area of Saran district.

Modi said: "There were cases against Visheshwar Ojha, but he was not convicted. There were some disputes over land dating before 2000, but the state government is purposely portraying it in a wrong way."

"The chief minister had said if an incident like murder took place, they would act against the SP and DM concerned. Has he acted against any SP or DM (in 600 cases of murder)? He has been repeating his old promises, such as installing CCTV cameras, time and again, but is unable to control crimes," he added.
The Punjab Police on Saturday arrested one more Pakistan's spy agency Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) suspected agent from Surankote, Poonch.

According to reports, the suspected agent, whose name is Sajjid Hussain, was receiving money from Pakistan's spy agency.

In last three months the Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) across India have arrested more than 12 ISI agents, who had been working on the payroll of the Pakistani agency and had been allegedly providing vital information to them.
Pakistani-born astrophysicist Dr Nergis Mavalvala was among the team of eagled-eyed scientists who, for the first time, observed ripples in the fabric of spacetime called gravitational waves.

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The detection announced on Thursday confirms a major prediction of Albert Einstein's 1915 general theory of relativity and opens an unprecedented new window onto the cosmos, reports Dawn.

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Professor Mavalvala worked with researchers at the US-based underground detectors Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) Laboratory to build sophisticated sensors to detect gravitational ripples.

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Dr Mavalvala, 47, was born to a Parsi family in Karachi where she did her primary schooling.

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She attended the Convent of Jesus and Mary before going to the US as a teenager where she graduated with a BA in physics and astronomy from the Wellesley College in 1990.

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During her graduation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) she started working on gravitational waves which would lead her to one of the biggest discoveries of the century.

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By the time Nergis received her PhD in 1997, she was already working on building LIGO.

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She focused on instrument development for LIGO during her post-doctoral work at California Institute of Technology (CalTech) before joining LIGO as a staff scientist in 2000.

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Nergis also joined MIT's physics department as an assistant professor in 2002, rising to become the department's associate head in February 2015.

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In essence, her work on gravitational waves has spanned for over 20 years leading to the path-breaking discovery .
Pakistani troops are likely to participate in a joint military exercise in Saudi Arabia over the next week, though it is still unclear whether Islamabad will join the proposed Islamic Military Alliance (IMA).

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According to the London-based daily The Nation, the planned "North Thunder" military exercise is aimed at sending a clear message to Iran and the countries in the region it supports that any hostile intentions and actions will be firmly dealt with by Riyadh.

The military drill is scheduled to be held in the northern region of Saudi Arabia in the next few days and a number of countries will be participating in it, local media has reported.

Military experts have warned that the next probable threat to the Gulf states is likely to come from the northern areas, after Iran demographically occupies Iraq and uses that country as its military arm to meddle in the affairs of neighboring countries and drain Gulf states' resources.

The Nation quoted Col. Ibrahim Al-Marie, military and strategic analyst, as saying that the three main goals of the exercise are to ensure joint security of the Gulf, Arab and Islamic states, increase combat readiness and coordinate joint operations between participating forces.

"Participating countries are Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Jordan, the UAE, and some Gulf states, through maritime, air and land efforts," he said.

He further stated, "This manoeuvre is considered the most important in the past five decades conducted by Gulf, Arab and Islamic countries. It will rely on the latest technology in light of the growing regional terrorism and turbulent environment, and after the success of Decisive Storm."

Col. Al-Marie said the exercise provides a chance to improve and activate the Islamic military alliance announced by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, second deputy premier and defense minister, for joint participation of Gulf, Arab and Islamic countries in a number of these exercises.

He denied any link between North Thunder and the recent announcement by the Kingdom regarding ground military intervention in Syria, noting that these exercises were announced previously and are part of a defensive, not offensive, approach.

Al-Marie revealed that Iran seeks control in Iraq for extremist Shiites who are loyal to Tehran, and not Baghdad. "We know that Iran has been trying to widen its footprint in Iraq through a so-called demographic occupation and emptying Iraq of Sunnis, either by displacing them or wiping them out, as well as by emptying the country of moderate Shiites loyal to Iraq," he said.

However, Pakistan is yet to take a formal decision on joining the 34-member Islamic Military Alliance, though verbally has extended support to Saudi proposal.

Informed sources told The Nation that the government is yet to inform the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs about this.

Answering a question raised by Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry said that details about the 'counter-terrorism coalition' were still not clear and that the government would take a decision in due course of time.

Members of the committee, however, called for a categorical statement from the foreign ministry on the issue and said that avoiding the matter would not send a positive message to the public.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said it was unwise for the government to take any position on the basis of media statements.

He said that he had already stated in a policy statement that the foremost objective of foreign policy was to protect national security.

Talking to reporters after the meeting Mr. Sayed said "the government's response was ambiguous".

A statement issued by the committee said its members had voiced concern over any possibility of the country's involvement in the Syrian conflict and that this could have repercussions for internal situation.

"National interest should be protected and neutrality observed at all costs," the statement said.
Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain has urged the people of the country not to observe not to observe Valentine's Day saying that it was a western culture and not part of the Muslim tradition.

According to the Dawn, the President said that Valentine's Day has no connection with Pakistan's culture and it should be avoided and that the drawbacks of the western culture had adversely affected one of their neighbouring countries.

He said Pakistan could achieve progress by adopting thoughts and philosophy of their leaders and could earn a distinguished status among nations

"We could not derive full advantage of our strategic geographical location in the past but now the government is endeavouring to take Pakistan to newer heights of prosperity through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and development of Gwadar port," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday expressed grief over demise of Jnanpith awardee Malayalam poet ONV Kurup.

"Shri ONV Kurup's demise is a major loss to Malayalam literature. His works were admired widely. May his soul rest in peace," Office of the Prime Minister of India said in a tweet.

Kurup died at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram due to age-related illness. He was 84.

He was suffering from illness for a while and suffered a heart attack on Saturday 4.50 p.m.

As a lyricist, the Malayalam poet-lyricist, won the Award for Best Lyricist in 1989 and had won the Kerala State Film award 13 times.

He was conferred with Padma Shri in 1998 and Padma Vibhushan in 2011.

He is survived by his wife Sarojini and two children.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Make in India Centre at Mumbai's MMRDA Grounds in Bandra.

He cut the ceremonial ribbon in the presence of Finland Prime Minister Juha Petri Sipila and Sweden Prime Minister Kjell Lofven along with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other high profile dignitaries.

The Make in India Centre is focus location of the Make in India Week. Spread over an area of 2.2 lakh square meters and 27 halls; it is holding and international exhibitions.

Along with 17 state exhibitions, the Centre is holding exhibitions from Sweden, Germany and South Korea.

Later in the evening, Prime Minister Modi will officially inaugurate the 'Make in India' Week at NSCI, Worli where he will address a gathering of more than 800 delegates comprising senior leaders and captains of industry from both India and abroad.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is expected to sign some important MoUs with at least three major companies in the presence of Prime Minister Modi this afternoon.

Make in India Week is the flagship event to provide greater momentum to the Make in India initiative, and to promote India as a preferred manufacturing destination globally.

Government delegations from 49 countries and business delegations from 68 countries are slated to attend the event. The Prime Minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with senior foreign leaders.
Amid the ongoing controversy following the arrest of JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in a veiled attack on the BJP alleged that most anti- people are those suppressing the voice of students.

"The voice of people is most important, a youngster expressed himself and the government says he is an anti- . The most anti- people are the people who are suppressing the voice of this institution," Gandhi said while addressing the students who gathered to protest arrest of JNUSU president.

Gandhi further lambasted the Centre over JNUSU president arrest, saying it is terrified of people raising their voices.

Reacting to black flags shown to him during his visit to JNU, Gandhi said he feels proud that people in the country have the right to show black flag to him.

Gandhi also said that the Centre does not understand that by crushing the students it is making them stronger.

The Congress vice president was earlier shown black flags during his visit on the varsity to meet students protesting for the release of Student Union president Kanhaiya Kumar.

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The protestors also raised slogan of "Rahul Gandhi go back" in the varsity.

Besides Rahul, several leaders of the Congress and the Left parties, including deputy leader of Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma, CPI politburo member Sitaram Yechury, D. Raja, also gathered on the JNU campus.

Scores of students have been demanding the release of Kumar, who was sent to a three-day police custody yesterday.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi was on Saturday shown black flags during his visit on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus to meet students protesting for the release of Student Union president Kanhaiya Kumar.

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The protestors raised slogan of "Rahul Gandhi go back" in the varsity.

Besides Rahul, several leaders of the Congress and the Left parties, including deputy leader of Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma, CPI politburo member Sitaram Yechury, D. Raja, also gathered on the JNU campus.

Scores of students have been demanding the release of Kumar, who was sent to a three-day police custody yesterday.

Gandhi had yesterday said that the Modi government is "bullying" an institution like the Jawaharlal Nehru University and it is "completely condemnable".

Gandhi at the same time asserted that anti-India sentiment was "unquestionably unacceptable".

His remarks came after the arrest of JNU students' union president Kumar in a sedition case over a protest event at the campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, which sparked massive outrage among students.
Exploiting narrow windows of fair weather, the Indian Army on Saturday successfully managed to move the remaining mortals of the nine bravehearts, who were buried alive by an avalanche, from Siachen to the base camp in Leh.

"Exploiting very narrow window of fair weather army avn heptrs, in a daring act, succeeded in moving mortal remains of 9 bravehearts. Mortal remains moved from northern glacier to airstrip close to base camp," The Additional Directorate General of Public Information for Indian Army (ADG PI) tweeted.

With the weather continuing to be extremely adverse, the bodies have been moved to the Military Hospital in Hunder for embalming and custody.

After certain formalities, a quick wreath laying ceremony will be done following which, all mortal remains will be transported to Delhi from Thoise in an IAF aircraft.

"In Delhi, another wreath laying ceremony is planned, following which the bodies of the nine martyrs will be transported to their home towns," said the Northern Command in a statement.

The lone survivor of the Siachen Glacier Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad died on Thursday after almost a week-long battle.
Expressing deep concern over the murder of a journalist in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday instructed Director General of Police (DGP) Javeed Ahmed to form special teams to nab the culprits.

According to the state's Chief Minister's office, Yadav has also announced Rs.10 lakh ex-gratia compensation for the family of the journalist.

Earlier this morning, a journalist named Karun Misra was shot dead in Sultanpur District by unknown assailants on Saturday.

Misra was returning to his home around noon when three motorbike-borne assailants shot at him in Sultanpur.

Misra was rushed to hospital but he succumbed to bullet wounds on the way.
The UAE businesspersons have hailed the visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to India, and the resolutions that followed his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On the sidelines of the Business Forum, they stressed that the visit of Sheikh Mohamed would open new horizons for cooperation based on strong foundation between the two countries.

Nora bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of State for Federal Council, told Emirates News Agency (WAM) in a statement that the visit of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, which came in the wake of the Prime Minister Modi's visit to the UAE in August, "reflects the interest of the two sides to follow up on the resolutions of the two meetings to further strengthen the relations between the two countries"

She added the tour uncovered potential cooperation opportunities between the two countries in the areas of politics, economy and investment, citing that Indian economy is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and is currently on its way to build a knowledge-driven economy. Al Kaabi noted that the two share a similar strategy to benefit from advanced technology.

Ahmed Al Sayigh, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), said the visit gains momentum at a time when India is experiencing fast growth that could be built on to open new horizons in the economic, trade and investment relations between the two countries. He added, "We, in the ADGM, hope that the market would be a gateway for the Indian financial institutions accessing the Gulf region in particular, and the Middle East in general."

Hani Rashid Al Hamili, Secretary-General of the Dubai Economic Council, said India represents a strategic hub for the UAE, especially Dubai given the mutual trade.

"We, in the council, work to bolster the trade and economic cooperation with India in accordance with the vision of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum."

Al Hamili said the council, during the visit of Sheikh Mohamed to India, signed an agreement with India's Import and Export Bank with the aim to woo investments, strengthen funding of projects and prepare market studies.

He stressed that economic and trade relations between the UAE and India were set for further growth and development in line with the high growth rates in both countries, and within the framework of the strategic partnership between the UAE and India, which was strengthened by the visit of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to India.

The Business Forum kicked off with the inaugural speech of Ahmed Hareb Al Falahi, Commercial and Trade Attache at the UAE Embassy in India, in which he stressed that the visit of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed would achieve positive results in the area of trade between the two countries.

He underlined that the visit presents a strong model of partnership in the world when it comes to economic partnership based on deep-rooted trade relations between the UAE and India.

Mohammad Al-Mubarak, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, said the Authority is interested in the Indian market, given its huge opportunities, including a large number of Indian tourists travelling to the UAE in general and Abu Dhabi in particular. He pointed out that the number of Indian tourists to Abu Dhabi stood at over 250,000 in 2015, and more than 1.2 million tourists to Dubai.

Ganesh Natarajan, Vice Chairman and CEO of Zensar Technologies, demonstrated the development of telecommunications and technology sector in India, stressing that these sectors were considered the most extensive growth sectors in India and attract investments to scale even better heights in the field of smart government in India, including the use of smart phones in the commercial, economic and service transactions in various fields.

Natarjan called on the telecommunications companies and Emirati businesspersons to take advantage of great opportunities in the sectors of telecommunications and technology in India, especially following the availability of a joint investment fund worth 2 billion dollar that has been offered.
The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has sought Pakistan's help in defusing tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Ban Ki-moon telephoned Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday evening and asked him to play a 'pivotal role' in defusing the row owing to Pakistan's good ties with both nations, reports Dawn.

Pakistan Prime Minister has good relations with both Iran and Saudi Arabia and thus he can play a pivotal role in finding a solution to the problem and can resolve the issue, said Ban Ki-moon.

The officials said Premier Nawaz also briefed the UN secretary general about his visits to Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Pakistani businessmen called on Prime Minister Nawaz at the PM House on Friday.

The delegates lauded him for bringing about macroeconomic stability in the country.

They credited the government's 'prudent economic policies, efficient and transparent management, deployment of available resources, investments and improvements in overall security in the country for the economic turnaround.
The United States Government said that it has approved the sale of eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan built by Lockheed Martin Corp, radar and other equipment in a deal valued at 699 million dollars.

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The Dawn reports that Pentagon's Defence Security Cooperation Agency which oversees foreign arms sales said it had notified lawmakers about the possible deal.

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The proposed deal will go through a 30-day notification period after which it will be finalized.

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The agency said that F-16s would allow Pakistan's Air Force to operate in all weather environments and at night, improving its self-defense capability and bolstering its ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations.

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India said it was disappointed with decision of US.

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'We disagree with their rationale those arms transfers help to combat terrorism,' Vikas Swarup, spokesperson for India's Foreign Ministry, said on Twitter.

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Lawmakers have 30 days to block the sale, although such action is rare since deals are well-vetted before any formal notification.
Former IB Special Director Rajinder Kumar on Saturday said that he was offered allurements to give false evidence for implicating the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case.

"Allurements were offered that post retirement you will be given a big post, but I said that I will not give false evidence. They wanted that I should give a statement which would be an evidence for implicating the then Gujarat chief minister who was emerging as the biggest challenge to the then government, UPA. But I said that I will not give false statements," Kumar said.

He also said that the IB doesn't have any connections with the encounters and has nothing to do with the actions taken by the police.

"It was the police who did the encounters. Our work is only to give information and inputs. The IB has nothing to do with the actions taken by the police," he said.

The former IB special director said that a detailed affidavit was filed by the MHA on August 6, 2009 which proved that the inputs provided by the IB in the encounter were all correct.

"After that affidavit which proved that the inputs provided by the IB were correct, some people got disgruntled. They pressurized the witnesses and tried to prove that the affidavit was wrong by doing various manipulations," he said.

"It was all part of the conspiracy in which a very senior Congress leader, who hails from Gujarat, was the mastermind and was giving instructions to the people with an aim to somehow prove that the affidavit of the MHA is proven wrong. He, along with some of the disgruntled police officers, did all this," he added.

He also said that the witnesses were pressurized and told to give their testimonies.

"It was all part of the conspiracy which was targeted at the then Gujarat chief minister and home minister," he added.

Testifying via video-link from the US, main conspirator of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, David Coleman Headley picked up Ishrat's name when quizzed by Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam about a 'botched up operation' mentioned to him (Headley) by LeT commander Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi and said that the 19-year-old girl was an LeT operative.

The CBI had filed the charge sheet against Kumar and three other IB officers despite the Law Ministry's denial of sanction to prosecute them.

The CBI has alleged that the IB officers had conspired to eliminate the victims, kidnapped them and held them in illegal confinement before the killings. It said Kumar had supplied arms and ammunition used in the crime to another accused IPS officer Girish Singhal to be handed over to Deputy SP Tarun Barot.
With his deposition entering the fifth day today over the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, David Coleman Headley revealed that he had been instructed by the Pakistan ISI to recruit personnel from the Indian Army to gain access to classified information.

Here are the revelations made by Headley so far in the deposition that is underway:

1. From March 11, 2009 to 13 March 2009, Headley visited Pushkar in Rajasthan) where he made a video of the city including Chabad House.

2. From March 16 2009 to March 17, he stayed in the Hotel Surya Villa in Pune.

3. When he was in Pune, he visited the Indian Army installation defining it as the 'headquarters of the Southern Command of the Indian Army'.

4. Major Iqbal from the ISI told Headley to the visit the Indian Army installation in Pune to recruit people from the Indian Army to get classified information.

5. When he was in Pune, Headley made a general video of the city including the Indian Army installation and the Chabad House.

6. On March 3, 2009, Headley sent an e-mail to Dr.Tahawwur Rana, with the subject on the mail 'Headley's personal will' which he had executed.

7. Headley said that he sent the will because he was going back to India again and he thought that he would be killed or arrested.

8. Headley returned to India despite having apprehensions of being arrested.

9. Headley admits, gulati22@hotmail.com was his email id and rare.lemon@gmail.com was Sajid Mir's email id and they used to exchange mails.

10. On 8th July, Headley sent a mail to Sajid Mir where he made a query asking if most of the problem has been solved for his 'uncle & his friends'.

11. In this mail, David Headley refers Hafiz Saeed as "Uncle" and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi as "his friends".

12. Headley said that he sent this mail because after the terror attack in Mumbai, the Pakistan Government carried out an investigation.

13. On 8 July 2009, Headley wrote in mail "how is uncle doing'? to which Sajid Mir replied "Uncle is doing well and flying high".

14. The mail that was written from gulati22@hotmail.com included "old uncle (Hafiz Saeed) got H1 Virus too? Doctor in hospital wants to give check up"

15. Headley said that the mail indicated that an investigation might be ordered on them leading to their arrest, so he got concerned for Hafiz Saeed.

This is a developing story. More details to follow.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday said the NDA Government is not the type of government where a "PM presides and Madam decides".

"That was the case during the former prime minister's regime, because you could not act. There used to be a famous quotation: "PM presides, Madam decides". That's not the case with this government," said M. Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation.

"This government is working as a team. The entire world is saying that India is a bright spot, because of the initiatives taken by the government," he added.

With Manmohan Singh saying that there is a lack of confidence within the business community, Naidu said, "It will take some time to repair the damage that was done by the Manmohan Singh's regime for 10 years, and we are repairing it."

"What we have inherited? We have inherited fiscal deficit, revenue deficit, trade deficit among others. Things have improved now: World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Asian Development bank are saying that India is the hot spot for investments," he added.

"With all this our friends in the Congress Party, particularly the former prime minister, is not able to see the reality and makes negative comments only to please the boss, who has made him the prime minister. And thus, we can only feel sorry for what he is saying, because, in the entire country there is new enthusiasm, new awakening, things are happening, world has recognised India and respecting India also, on the economic front changes are coming," he added.
Around 88 per cent of the 38,270 voters on Saturday cast their ballots in the by-election to the Amarpur assembly seat in Tripura, an official said.

The polling, which was totally peaceful, started at 8 am amidst tight security and ended at 5 pm without any interruption. The counting will be on February 16.

"No untoward incident has been reported so far and polling was completely peaceful and smooth. Around 88 per cent votes were recorded when polling ended at 5 pm," Additional Chief Electoral Officer, Debashish Modak told IANS.

There were 51 polling stations. Of the total 38,270 eligible voters, 18,807 are women.

Though there were seven candidates in the by-election, the main contest was likely to be between ruling CPI (M) nominee Parimal Debnath, Congress's Chanchal Dey and BJP Ranjit Das.

There are four other aspirants from local parties.

The by-election was necessitated following the resignation of CPI (M) legislator Manoranjan Acharjee after he was alleged to have molested a minor girl.

Acharjee, who was elected in 2008 and again in 2013 from the constituency, has denied the charges. The CPI (M) expelled him on charges of wrongdoing.

"I was let down by a section of party men who do not tolerate me," the 54-year-old leader told IANS.
Terming the first year of the AAP government in Delhi as a "black year" in the history of the capital, the Delhi BJP on Saturday said the city government failed to fulfill its poll promises and "deceived" the people.

"The last one year has proved to be a black year in the history of Delhi. Delhiites last year gave a historic mandate to the Aam Aadmi Party seeking a change in polity but it turned out to be a year of betrayal," Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay told reporters.

He said that by raising a new constitutional crisis every day, the Delhi government blocked development and administration work.

Leader of Opposition in the Delhi assembly Vijender Gupta presented a report on how the Kejriwal government's "habit" of creating constitutional crisis and conflicts brought development and administrative work to a standstill.

"The year turned out to be a year of deceit. The government has brought development and administration to a standstill by creating constitutional conflicts," Gupta said.

Ramesh Bidhuri, the BJP Lok Sabha member from South Delhi, raised the issue of the Kejriwal government's "betrayal" in the name of regularising unauthorised colonies and villages in the city.

The AAP government will complete one year in office on Sunday. To mark the day, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet will answer questions from the people during a live phone-in programme at the NDMC Convention Centre on Sunday.

Upadhyay said the Delhi BJP will observe a 'Protest Day' on Sunday.

"Tomorrow (Sunday), we will hold a protest at Jantar Mantar against the completion of one year of the AAP government which has failed to fulfil its promises made during the assembly elections," Upadhyay said.
Afghan security forces on Saturday started an operation against Islamic State (IS) militants' positions in the country's Nangarhar province, the defence ministry said.

"Personnel of Afghan National Army (ANA) launched a joint military operation on Saturday in close coordination with police and national intelligence agency staff in Achin district, Nangarhar province," Xinhua quoted a ministry statement as saying.

The security forces would help pro-government militiamen to deploy security checkpoints in the surrounding areas of the district and the operation will continue before the area is cleared from IS militants, it added.

"The army air force will also provide air support to the local anti-IS uprising groups," the statement said.

The Achin district, located in the southern part of provincial capital of Jalalabad, has been regarded as the IS militants' stronghold.

Several dozens of IS militants have been killed after Afghan army helicopters and drones of US forces carried out airstrikes in Achin bordering Pakistan over the past couple of months.
The Afghan government on Saturday expressed deep concern for the safety of a former governor kidnapped in Pakistan.

Unidentified gunmen kidnapped Sayed Fazalullah Wahidi, former governor of Afghanistan's Herat province, on Friday in Islamabad, Xinhua reports.

"Given the fact that Wahidi was kidnapped in Pakistan, Afghanistan wants Pakistan to take immediate and serious action through its security agencies using all possibilities in identifying the kidnappers and securing his release," the Afghan Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal, Afghan ambassador in Islamabad, has expressed serious concern over the incident and was in touch with Pakistani authorities shortly after the kidnapping, according to sources.

Wahidi reportedly went to a restaurant along with his 12-year-old grandson when he was taken away by gunmen.

No one has claimed responsibility for the incident.
The militant group Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the bomb attack on the Daallo Airlines last week, terming it as a campaign to hit Western targets and Turkish NATO forces present in Somalia.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the group said it carried out the operation "as a retribution for the crimes committed by the coalition of Western crusaders and their intelligence agencies against Muslims of Somalia," Xinhua reported.

The statement came as investigations are underway by the Somali intelligence and US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as the Somali government declared it an act of terror.

The Daallo Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing barely 35 minutes after taking off last week from Mogadishu's Aden Adde Airport.

Over 40 people have been arrested as investigations go on with reports of aviation staff having been involved in the attack.

The group has particularly singled out Turkish interests in Somalia noting that its involvement in the Horn of Africa nation and its alliance in NATO is destroying the religion of Islam in Somalia.

"Turkey, a member of NATO and one of the principal partners of the West in its war against Islam is actively engaged in a destructive form of economic warfare against the Muslims of Somalia," read the statement in part.

Initial reports from the Daallo attack investigations indicate the suspect whose body was sucked out of the plane following the explosion was to board a Turkish airline which has cancelled the flight.
Albania and Croatia are mulling plans to establish maritime and air routes between the two countries, the media reported on Saturday.

Albanian Transport and Infrastructure Minister Edmond Haxhinasto met Croatia's newly appointed ambassador to Albania, Sanja Bujas Juraga, to discuss bilateral cooperation in transport, Xinhua reported.

Both sides agreed on planning a meeting of the joint commission on transport.

The two sides agreed to establish a new sea line linking Albania's biggest port Durres with Croatia's southern port of Dubrovnik.

Authorities were also looking into the possibility of introducing direct air links between Zagreb and Tirana.

Albanian authorities hope the planned maritime and air links would promote the country's tourism industry and business with Croatia.
The BJP on Saturday expressed anger over the killing of its Bihar unit vice president Visheshwar Ohja by forcing closure of markets in the Bhojpur district while the police said it picked up eight people in connection with the murder.

According to reports reaching here, protesting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers forced closure of markets in Shahpur, Bihia and Karnamepur in Bhojpur district to protest against the killing of Ojha (53) who was shot dead on Friday evening in Ara in the district.

They also shouted slogans against the state government and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Meanwhile, the police said it had arrested Harender Singh, the "main accused" as well as "another accused" in connection with the case.

Six other suspects have been detained for interrogation, the police said.

Ojha will be cremated on Saturday. His funeral is expected to be attended by top leaders of the state BJP.

The railway authorities have tightened security at railway stations in Bhojpur district in view of political tensions.

Ojha was the vice president of the BJP's Bihar unit. His body was riddled with more than a dozen bullets on Friday as he entered his car after meeting a relative near Sonbarsha bazaar in Bhojpur district, about 60 km from here.

He had unsuccessfully contested last year's assembly election against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate Rahul Tiwari from Shahpur constituency.

Ojha's murder took place less than 24 hours after another BJP leader Kedar Singh was gunned down in Saran district of the state.

Earlier this month, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Brijnathi Singh was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Patna.
S.S. Rajamouli's magnum opus "Baahubali", one of India's biggest blockbusters, will release in over 6,000 screens via E Star Films in China in May.

"This will be the biggest ever release for an Indian film in China, superseding Aamir Khan's 'PK', which released in 5,000 screens. The makers had planned to release the film this month, however, it had to be postponed due to unavailability of suitable dates," a source from the production team told IANS.

The film has already been sold to over 30 international territories, including Latin America and Japan.

Presently, the shooting of the second part of the film is under way. It is expected to hit the screens later this year or early next year.
Alleging that the Trinamool Congress's appeasement has turned West Bengal into a "terror hub", the BJP on Saturday said that under the Mamata Banerjee government, the state has left behind the country in terms of crime and corruption.

Interacting with mediapersons here, BJP vice president Dinesh Sharma said the upcoming assembly polls was a direct fight between the Bharatiya Janata Party's nationalism and the combined "anti-national politics" of the Trinamool, Congress and the Left Front.

"Generally Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are said to be synonymous to crime, corruption and rape of women, but under Mamata Banerjee, Bengal has left behind the entire country.

"Despite having a woman chief minister, Bengal is now known for rapes, it is now leads the country in corruption and crime," said Sharma.

Referring to the several incidents of violence including that in Malda in which a police station was attacked and many vehicles torched, Sharma said the Trinamool's of vote bank and appeasement has turned Bengal into a "terror hub".

"Terrorists, anti-nationals and criminals have made Bengal their safe haven. Bengal has become a hub of terrorist activities. The state is now like a nursery to all those indulging in anti-national activities across the country," he said.

In January, union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP president Amit Shah too had lambasted the Banerjee government over law and order issues and described Bengal as a centre of anti-national activities.

Sharma also ridiculed the Banerjee government on the industrial scenario in the state and asserted that only the BJP can bring real change in Bengal.

"First the Congress and the Communists ruined Bengal, and whatever was left has now been destroyed by the Trinamool. This assembly polls will be battle between the BJP's nationalist agenda and the Trinamool, Left Front and Congress combined anti-national politics," he said.
Maharashtra got a bonanza on the inaugural day of the Make In India Week expo on Saturday with three major MoUs, worth over Rs.21,400 crore, signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi here

They include one between Sterlite Group's TwinStar Display Technologies and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) to set up a LCD manufacturing unit - Panel FAB - in technical collaboration with Autron, Taiwan.

The project entails an investment of Rs.20,000 crores and the location of the proposed plant will be decided shortly.

The second MoU is between Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd, Jain Irrigation Pvt. Ltd and the Maharashtra government to set up a juice manufacturing facility to support farmers growing oranges in Vidarbha, or the eastern part of the state.

The project intends to offer higher value to orange growers, generate gainful employment and benefit 5,000 farmers with an average landholding of two acres each.

The third agreement was signed between Raymond Industries and MIDC as part of the 'Farm to Fabric' initiative of the government.

Raymond will invest Rs.1,400 crore for a plant to manufacture linen yarn and fabric and garmenting in Amravati district of eastern Maharashtra.

The plant will come up at the Nandgaon Textile Park which will procure cotton from farmers in the district and other parts of Vidarbha region hit by farmland suicides.

The MoUs were exchanged in the presence of Modi, Governor C.V. Rao, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Industry Minister Subhash Desai, Minister of State for Industry Pravin Pote, Chief Secretary Swadhin Kshatriya, senior state government and departmental officials and executives of the concerned companies attending.
The by-elections to three assembly seats in Tripura, Punjab and Telangana passed off peacefully on Saturday, officials in the three states said.

In Tripura, around 88 percent of the 38,270 voters cast their ballots in the by-election to the Amarpur assembly seat, an official said. The polling, which was totally peaceful, started at 8 a.m. amidst tight security and ended at 5 p.m. Counting will take place on February 16.

Over 70 percent polling was registered on Saturday in the by-election to Narayankhed assembly constituency in Telangana's Medak district, officials said.

"The polling came to an end at 5 p.m. but those standing in queues were still being allowed to cast their votes," Medak District Collector Ronald Ross said.

No untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the constituency as tight security arrangements were in place. Long queues were seen in majority of the polling centres since morning. There were 1,88,236 eligible voters for the by-poll.

The by-election was necessitated due to the death of sitting Congress legislator P. Kishta Reddy in August 2015.

There are eight candidates in the fray but the main contest is between P. Sanjeeva Reddy, son of Kishta Reddy, from Congress, M. Vijayapal Reddy from Telugu Desam Party and M. Bhupal Reddy from ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

In Punjab's Khadoor Sahib seat, over 55 percent voting had been recorded till 5 p.m. Scores of voters were still queued up outside polling station even beyond the deadline for end of voting.

Polling remained peaceful in this seat. There were over 1.87 lakh eligible voters in the constituency.

Voting started on Saturday morning amidst a boycott of the election by Congress and AAP, making it a one-sided contest for the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal.

Akali Dal candidate Ravinder Singh Brahmpura faces six other candidates, including five independents.

The seat fell vacant after sitting Congress legislator Ramanjit Singh Sikki resigned in October 2015 over recent incidents of sacrilege of Sikh holy book, Guru Granth Sahib, in Punjab and the state government failing to stop such incidents.

The candidate winning the Khadoor Sahib seat in the by-election will remain a legislator for only about one year as assembly elections to 117 seats in Punjab will be held in February 2017.

In Tripura, the voting remained peaceful.

"No untoward incident has been reported so far and polling was completely peaceful and smooth. Around 88 percent votes were recorded when polling ended at 5 p.m.," Additional Chief Electoral Officer Debashish Modak told IANS.

Though there were seven candidates in the by-election, the main contest was likely to be between ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) nominee Parimal Debnath, Congress's Chanchal Dey and Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Ranjit Das.

The by-election was necessitated following the resignation of CPI-M legislator Manoranjan Acharjee after he was alleged to have molested a minor girl.

Acharjee, who was elected in 2008 and again in 2013 from the constituency, has denied the charges. The CPI-M expelled him on charges of wrongdoing.
China will set up an Antarctic air squadron this year to support its scientific expeditions to the polar region, the media reported on Saturday.

According to the State Oceanic Administration, it is aimed at supporting polar exploration and will serve as an air observation platform, the China Daily reported.

China will continue to develop technologies and equipment to improve research on remote sensing and oceanography, the administration said.

Research vessel and icebreaker Xuelong, which is being used for China's 32nd Antarctic expedition, left Shanghai on November 7, 2015, for a 159-day round trip of 55,500 km.

A 277-strong team from more than 80 domestic institutions are conducting research and experiments in Antarctica.

During the mission, researchers are making a final survey for China's fifth Antarctic station site at Victoria Land on the Ross Sea, mapping the site and assessing the ecological and environmental impacts.

A deep-sea exploration station is also included in the administration's equipment development plan.

The country will send its seventh research mission to the Arctic this year and is planning the first Sino-Russian Arctic mission, it added.
The CPI-M in Kerala will certainly face the heat if the CPI-M in West Bengal goes forward with an alliance with its arch rivals here - the Congress party.

CPI-M State Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told reporters in Kozhikode on Saturday that the upcoming party meetings in Delhi would take a decision on the matter.

"There has been no decision of any alliance and the final call will be taken by the politburo of our party next week," said Balakrishnan.

The Visakapatanam Party Congress of the CPI-M held last year had categorically decided that it will have no association with the Congress party, but things have appeared to change when a huge majority of the West Bengal unit of the party during a meeting on Friday decided to have a tie-up with the Congress as it heads for the assembly polls.

Senior CPI-M leader and convenor of the Left Democratic Front Vaikom Viswan said he has no knowledge of it.

"I have no clue of this, but we have our central committee and politburo meetings in the coming week," remarked Viswan.

Kerala and West Bengal go to the polls at the same time and the BJP here is certain to rake up the issue of this new found alliance to its maximum, if the CPI-M decides to have a tie-up in West Bengal.

Political commentator S.Jayasankar said that it would be foolish of the CPI-M to enter into a tie-up with the Congress as it will undermine their performance here.

"The CPI-M's stock has been going down since it entered into a tie-up with the Congress led UPA formation since 2004 and it has not recovered since then and hence it will be suicidal for the CPI-M to have any electoral alliance," said Jayasankar.
Here is a love story at the smallest scale imaginable: particles of light.

It is possible to have particles that are so intimately linked that a change to one affects the other, even when they are separated at a distance.

This idea, called "entanglement", is part of the branch of physics called quantum mechanics, a description of the way the world works at the level of atoms and particles that are even smaller.

Now, the technology used to study the "love" between particles is also being used in research to improve communications between space and Earth.

"What is exciting is that in some sense, we're doing experimental philosophy. Humans have always had certain expectations of how the world works, and when quantum mechanics came along, it seemed to behave differently," said Krister Shalm, physicist with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Boulder, Colorado.

In 1964, however, John Bell published the idea that any model of physical reality with such hidden variables also must allow for the instantaneous influence of one particle on another.

While Einstein proved that information cannot travel faster than the speed of light, particles can still affect each other when they are far apart according to Bell.

Scientists consider Bell's theorem an important foundation for modern physics.

"Our paper and the other two published last year show that Bell was right: any model of the world that contains hidden variables must also allow for entangled particles to influence one another at a distance," explained Francesco Marsili from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

The design of the new experiment can potentially be used in cryptography -- making information and communications secure -- as it involves generating random numbers.

Cryptography is not the only application of this research. Detectors similar to those used for the experiment could eventually also be used for deep-space optical communication.

Information can never travel faster than the speed of light - Albert Einstein was right about that.

"But through optical communications research, we can increase the amount of information we send back from space," Marsili said.

"The fact that the detectors from our experiment have this application creates great synergy between the two endeavours," he pointed out in a paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

And so, what began as the study of "love" between particles is contributing to innovations in communications between space and Earth.

"Love makes the world go 'round'", and it may, in a sense, help us learn about other worlds.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday warned of catastrophic consequences in case the conflict in Syria dragged on.

Speaking to top diplomats at Munich Security Conference (MSC), Medvedev said it was important to prevent Syria from disintegrating, Xinhua reported.

"The consequence of this scenario will be catastrophic to the Middle East as a whole," he said.

He went on to explain that terrorists would take advantage of the situation and the whole world would have to face up the consequences if the situation in Syria and other hot spots were not normalised.

According to Medvedev, the work of International Syria Support Group (ISSG), which produced a statement early Friday, was inspiring.

He also called for all sides to come to the negotiating table instead of just monitoring the situation in Syria.

He said "a civil war is raging there. We have to work together to address this issue. We have to work efficiently, not just to monitor how the situation is developing there."

Medvedev refuted the accusation that Russia was bombing civilian targets in Syria. "That is not true," he said and added there was no evidence of it.

"Russia is not trying to pursue some secret goal in Syria," he said.

Medvedev said his country was trying to prevent the militants from going back to Russia from Syria to commit terrorist acts. "We are simply protecting our national interests."

Medvedev hoped to see positive developments within the frame of dialogue at the MSC.

The ISSG meeting on Thursday reached an agreement that a nationwide cessation of hostilities should be implemented soon in the war-torn Middle East country.
Keralites can now enjoy a new flavour of ice cream -- jackfruit -- made completely from natural juice and without synthetic additives.

State-run Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (Milma) launched the jackfruit ice cream as part of its diversification plan on making more milk products.

"This new ice cream made out of jackfruit has just hit the markets and been received well. Milma specialises in ice creams made out of natural juice and not from synthetic additives. Thus we are able to make the product without any change in flavour or texture," Kallada Ramesh, chairman of the Thiruvananthapuram Regional Cooperative Milk Producers Union, told reporters here on Saturday.

Believed to have originated in the southwestern rain forests of the country, the word jackfruit comes from the Portuguese word 'jaca', which in turn is derived from the Malayalam word 'chakka'.

The fruit also doubles up as a vegetable in its raw form.

"We have to diversify to remain in the market as selling milk alone is not enough. We are now entering into the field of organic vegetables. Here too, it would be entrusted to our own farmers who supply us milk. We will ask them to cultivate vegetables and we will do the marketing of these vegetables," Ramesh said.
The US has decided to sell eight F-16 combat jets to Pakistan to "support (its) counter-terrorism and counterinsurgency operations", prompting India to summon American ambassador Richard Verma to lodge its strong protest against the move.

Verma was summoned after India reacted strongly to the US decision taken on Friday.

"We are disappointed at the decision of the (Barack) Obama administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan," the external affairs ministry said in a statement in New Delhi.

"We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism. The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself," it added.

The Obama administration on Friday approved the sale of eight F-16 Block-52 aircraft to Pakistan worth $699 million in the face of US lawmakers' opposition to the deal over Islamabad's alleged support for terrorist groups

The US State Department has approved the sale, the Pentagon's Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said as it notified US Congress of the possible sale.

"We support the proposed sale of eight F-16s to Pakistan, which we view as the right platform in support of Pakistan's counter-terrorism and counterinsurgency operations," a US government officialcited by DefenseNews said.

"These operations reduce the ability of militants to use Pakistani territory as a safe haven for terrorism and a base of support for the insurgency in Afghanistan, which is in the national interests of both Pakistan and the USt, and in the interest of the region more broadly."

The official, DefenseNews said, confirmed that there had been Congressional objections to the sale, but said that contrary to recent "erroneous reports", "concerns were raised in regard to financing the sale, not the transfer itself."

According to the DSCA's statement, the proposed sale will "facilitate operations in all-weather, non-daylight environments, provide a self-defence/area suppression capability, and enhance Pakistan's ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations."

According to the DSCA, Pakistan is not expected to have difficulty absorbing these additional aircraft into its air force. The sale is also meant to increase the number of aircraft available to the Pakistan Air Force to sustain operations, meet monthly training requirements and support transition training for pilots new to the Block-52.

The pending sale to Pakistan includes: eight F-16 Block-52 aircraft - two C and six D and models with the F100-PW-229 increased performance engine; 14 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems; eight AN/APG-68(V)9 radars; and eight ALQ-211(V)9 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suit.

The approval of the sale came days after Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker wrote a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry objecting to subsidised sale of up to eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

Citing Islamabad's relationship with the Haqqani network, an extremist group that has a history of destabilising Afghanistan, Corker in a February 9 letter to Kerry notified the Obama administration of his intention to block the F-16 deal.

"After years of pressuring the Pakistanis on this point, the Haqqani terrorists still enjoy freedom of movement, and possibly even support from the Pakistani government," he wrote.

"This is highly problematic given the Haqqanis' clear involvement in killing the very Afghan army and police we have worked for years to train," Corker added.
Finland on Saturday expressed its support for India's bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.

"The prime minister of Finland reiterated the support of Finland to India to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council," a joint statement issued following a bilateral meeting here between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Finnish counterpart Juha Sipila said.

"The two countries called for forward movement in the intergovernmental negotiations on United Nations Security Council reform, and expressed their commitment to initiate text-based negotiations within the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly," it stated.

Sipila is in Mumbai to attend the 'Make in India Week' that got underway here on Saturday.

He along, with Modi, jointly digitally inaugurated Finnish firm Trivitron's Labsystems Diagnostics IVD (in-vitro diagnostics) factory in Chennai.

According to the statement, in their joint effort to strengthen global non-proliferation objectives and the multilateral export control regimes, Sipila took a positive view on India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group and Missile Technology Control Regime.

"Both prime ministers acknowledged that there is wide convergence in views on the international political and economic situation," it said.

Both the leaders also "condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reiterated zero tolerance for this menace which seriously undermines international peace and security, growth and development".

"They emphasised the importance of ratification and implementation of all UN legal instruments to counter terrorism and encouraged enhanced efforts towards making progress on the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism," the statement said.

The two prime ministers agreed on the need to tap the full potential of the European Union (EU)-India strategic partnership and welcomed the prospect of resumption of talks on the India-EU Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA).

There are over 100 Finnish companies in India and some 25 Indian companies in Finland.

"Many of the Finnish companies in India have manufacturing plants in the country and are truly Make in India companies," the statement said.

Several Finnish companies are engaged in the renewable energy and clean-tech segments while a Finnish energy firm already owns two solar power plants in India and has won a bid to build a third one.

A Finnish mobile phone network manufacturer has a research and development centre in India that employs 6,000 people and their equipment serve 280 million mobile phone subscribers, according to the statement.

The Indian companies in Finland are operating in diverse sectors including information technology, health and tourism and have promising prospects for enlarging their investments and involvement in Finland.

Sipila welcomed the efforts of the Indian government and Prime Minister Modi himself in outreach to the business sector and linking with it in a meaningful manner, the statement said.

Modi mentioned that several initiatives, including ease of doing business have been taken to bring in consistency, clarity and predictability in policies.

Sipila also highlighted Finland's capacities in the civil nuclear energy field. Finland has four reactors in operation and new ones are being built and planned.

"

"Both prime ministers agreed that there would be a lot to gain to increase cooperation in innovation and transforming ideas into internationally marketable product"," the statement said.

"

"They agreed that the cooperation between universities and institutes of higher learning is an important part of this cooperati"n."

According to the statement, around 20,000 Finnish tourists visit India every year and the facility of eTourist visa to Finnish nationals as also recent Indian investment in Finland in this sector is going to further facilitate people-to-people exchanges.

The two sides also appreciated the recent conclusion of memorandum of understanding (MoU) between civil aviation authorities on code shares, intermodal services, routing flexibility, open sky on cargo and on domestic code-sharing.

Thy also appreciated the decision to move forward with a bio-refinery project for production of fuel grade ethanol, acetic acid, furfural and bio-coal from bamboo in Assam, the statement said.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Saturday that a sustainable transition toward peace should be organised in Syria.

"The solution cannot only be a military one, we need to organise a sustainable transition toward peace," Valls said while addressing the Munich Security Conference (MSC) on the second day during a session of prime ministers' debate with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

He also said this process would be a long one, so a true ceasefire and humanitarian assistance to besieged populations need to be organised without delay.

Valls said the newly-reached agreement on Syria negotiated in Munich was an important step that should be welcomed. But it needs to be materialised.

"Only the facts matter," he reiterated.

In addition, Valls said more than 1,000 French citizens or people living in France are now part of jihadist groups that were related to IS and thousands people have been influenced by the ideology. Even a certain number of women were taking part in these networks.

At the end he calls for a collective answer amongst Europeans, which requires being more efficient and a lot faster when implementing decisions that have been made.
A giant, flightless bird with a head the size of a horse, wandered about in the winter twilight of the high Arctic some 53 million years ago, scientists have revealed.

The confirmation came after researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and University of Colorado, Boulder, analysed the first and only fossil evidence from the Arctic of a massive bird known as Gastornis.

The evidence is a single fossil toe bone of the six-foot tall, several-hundred-pound bird from Ellesmere Island above the Arctic Circle.

The bone is nearly a dead ringer to fossil toe bones from the huge bird discovered in Wyoming and which date to roughly the same time.

"The Gastornis fossil from Ellesmere Island has been discussed by paleontologists since it was collected in the 1970s and appears on a few lists of the prehistoric fauna there," said professor Thomas Stidham from Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.

But this is the first time the bone has been closely examined and described. Gastornis fossils also have been found in Europe and Asia.

"We knew there were a few bird fossils from up there, but we also knew they were extremely rare," added associate professor of geological sciences Jaelyn Eberle from CU-Boulder.

A paper by Stidham and Eberle appeared in Scientific Reports, an open access journal from the publishers of Nature.

"About 53 three million years ago during the early Eocene Epoch, the environment of Ellesmere Island was probably similar to cypress swamps in the southeast US today," Eberle said.

Fossil evidence indicates the island, which is adjacent to Greenland, hosted turtles, alligators, primates, tapirs and even large hippo-like and rhino-like mammals. Today, Ellesmere Island is one of the coldest, driest environments on Earth.

Originally thought to be a fearsome carnivore, recent research indicates Gastornis probably was a vegan, using its huge beak to tear at foliage, nuts, seeds and hard fruit.

A second Ellesmere Island bird from the early Eocene also is described by Stidham and Eberle in the new paper.

Named Presbyornis, it was similar to birds in today's duck, goose and swan family but with long, flamingo-like legs. The evidence was a single humerus, or upper wing bone, collected by the same paleontology team that found the Gastornis bone.

"Like Gastornis, Presbyornis was mentioned in several lists of Ellesmere Island fauna over the years but the bone had never been described," Stidham noted.

The new study has implications for the rapidly warming Arctic climate, primarily a result of greenhouse gases being pumped into Earth's atmosphere by humans.

"What we know about past warm intervals in the Arctic can give us a much better idea about what to expect in terms of changing plant and animal populations there in the future," the authors noted.
Since 2014 when Narendra Modi won his famous victory, the only change has been a marginal decline in his popularity. Otherwise, his other advantages and disadvantages have remained more or less the same.

As a result, a clear-cut prognosis of the future is not possible for it is difficult to assess how the gains and losses will pan out.

For instance, the political benefits which accrue to Modi from having weak opponents are likely to remain unchanged. It was this advantage which helped him to win in the first place.

Since then, little has changed so far as the Congress is concerned, for the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) main adversary is still tethered to its feudal traditions which are unappealing, if not positively offensive, to a large section of the voters, especially the middle class.

The main drawback of feudalism is that it is seen as antithetical to modernity. Its emphasis is on an anti-industrial, rural way of life. Much of Modi's appeal lies in his success in projecting himself as pro-development which, in today's world, translates into a vision of industrial growth.

Since the Congress's scuttling of the Modi government's amendment of the land law comes in the way of acquiring land for industries, it shows that the party wants India to remain primarily agricultural, which has a connotation of backwardness.

In addition, the Congress's longstanding baggage of corruption has been reinforced by the solar panel scam in Kerala where the party's chief minister, Oommen Chandy, is involved.

It is not only the Congress which panders to the "India lives in its villages" outlook; others like the parties of the Hindi heartland - the Janata Dal (United), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Samjwadi Party (SP) - also have a similar mindset.

Although they ostensibly favour investments in their states, this is no more than a token gesture, for neither the law and order situation nor the infrastructure offers any incentive to potential entrepreneurs.

To make matters worse, both the Bihar and U.P. governments have expressed their preference for introducing quotas in the private sector companies which will be a surefire way of destroying their viability as profit-making enterprises.

The quotas will undoubtedly be grabbed by the backward castes who constitute the main supporting bases of the Janata Dal (United) and the SP. It is to keep them in good humour that the two ruling parties are following this palpably anti-development path.

Of the BJP's two major opponents in north India, where it is more influential than in the east or south, the Congress is feudal and the Hindi heartland parties are casteist. Both seem to prefer the earlier centuries, as the SP's one-time opposition to English and computers showed.

The BJP, too, used to look towards the medieval ages for inspiration in the 1990s. But not now under Modi although there are sections in it - the so-called fringe elements - who still live in the days of the Ramjanmabhoomi movement.

There is little doubt that they diminish Modi's appeal despite his efforts to control them. To an extent, he has succeeded in curbing the enthusiasm of, say, Yogi Adityanath for ghar wapsi and of Sakshi Maharaj for Nathuram Godse.

Even the Bajrang Dal has said that it will not engage in moral policing targeting courting couples on Valentine's Day.

But there are still elements like a Haryana minister who says that there is no place for beef-eaters in his state and an M.P. in Madhya Pradesh who is stoking communal tension by insisting that Hindus will not share space with the Muslims while offering prayers in the Bhojshala shrine which is sacred to both the communities.

Apart from acting more firmly against these elements, what Modi needs is a major electoral boost. After the initial bull run following the 2014 victory with wins in Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir, the defeats in Delhi and Bihar have taken the wind out of his sails.

To recover his political poise, he has to win in Assam, which is his best chance. As of now, however, one cannot be certain, especially if the Congress reaches an understanding with the United Democratic Front of the perfume baron, Badruddin Ajmal, to secure the Muslim vote.

Notwithstanding all these uncertainties, Modi's plus point remains his progressive outlook with the vision of a modern, industrial India of bullet trains and smart cities.

Neither feudalism, nor casteism can dent this appeal, especially for the younger generation of all communities who realize that the concept of the patronizing mai-baap sarkar which favour doles and handouts over self-help, entrepreneurial endeavours is passe.

Not since Jawaharlal Nehru's "dams are the temples of modern India" comment and Narasimha Rao's opening up of the economy has there been an Indian leader who is in tune with the modern world. Rajiv Gandhi also had such an attitude, but he did not live long enough to fulfil his promise.

Since Modi is a successor of the earlier modernizing prime ministers, there is still considerable goodwill for him. The support for him will increase exponentially if only he cracks down on the Hindutva hardliners.

(Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached at amulyaganguli@gmail.com)
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the government was trying to crush students' voice in the country by ordering police action in university campuses.

"They (the government) do not understand that by crushing you (students), they are making you stronger," Gandhi said at a meet at the Jawaharlal Nehru University that was organised to protest against the police crackdown on the campus and the arrest of the university students' union president in a sedition case on Friday.

The students' union has declared a strike in the university from Monday.

Gandhi drew comparisons with the Hyderabad university controversy involving students owing allegiance to ABVP and Ambedkar Student Association and the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohit Vemula following his suspension from the university.

"I was in Hyderabad a few days back. A youngster there expressed himself and the government says he is an anti-national. What did he do? Later, the minister turns around and says that he was not even a Dalit," said Gandhi, refering to the government's reaction to the suicide.

On Tuesday night, some JNU students organised a meet to mourn the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) co-founder Maqbool Bhat, where anti-India slogans were allegedly raised.

Another commemorative meeting was held at the Press Club of India in Delhi on Wednesday where anti-India slogans and placards were raised.

Gandhi said the government was terrified of poor Indians raising their voices against it.

"They are scared of the poor Indians, weak Indians getting a voice because they might turn around and ask them a question. They do not want to be questioned," he said.

"People who showed black flags on my face, I feel proud that in my country they have the right to show black flags in front of my face," Gandhi said.

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI national secretary D. Raja, CPI-ML leader Kavita Krishnan and other leaders were present on the occasion.
The Islamic movement is open to any initiative that ends the suffering of the Palestinian people due to keeping the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt closed, a senior Hamas official said on Saturday.

Ismail Haneya, Hamas deputy chief, said his movement was ready to cooperate with any party that presents any initiative to keep the key crossing permanently open, Xinhua reported.

Haneya welcomed Egypt's decision to temporarily open the terminal for two days as of Saturday.

"Egypt's historic, Arab and Islamic role cannot be abandoned, and the Palestinian cause is one of the major concerns of Egypt," he said.

Internal division between Haneya's movement and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party that started in 2007, was the major reason for keeping the crossing closed, mainly differences on who rules the crossing.

Egyptian officials had repeatedly said the country would not keep the crossing open from its side for the Palestinians, while the Palestinians are divided, and it would only open it permanently when the internal Palestinian division ends.

Haneya called on Egypt to extend the opening of the crossing for more than two days to let a bigger number of Palestinians to travel, mainly patients and students.

According to the Hamas-run Ministry of Interior, there are 25,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who are in an urgent need of travelling through the sole and main gate for the Palestinians to travel abroad.

Last week, delegations of the two rival groups; Fatah and Hamas held a two-day round of talks in Qatar to implement former reconciliation deals and understandings reached between them in the last four years.

The two groups agreed on the principle of implementing their agreements, but said both will get back to their political leaderships to agree on the mechanism of implementing their reconciliation agreements.

Egypt competes with Qatar on sponsoring the issue of Palestinian reconciliation and sponsors the internal Palestinian dialogue since it started in 2007.

Earlier in the day, Egypt temporarily opened the Rafah border crossing for two days after it remained closed for 70 days, officials said.

The last time Egypt reopened the terminal was on on December 3 last year for two days.

In a statement, the Hamas-ruled Borders and Crossings Corporation said Egypt reopened the crossing from its side and the first bus of passengers had already crossed.

It added that the crossing will be working on Saturday and Sunday for Palestinians who want to travel in both directions, adding that priority was for humanitarian cases, students and those who hold dual citizenships.

Hundreds of Palestinians gathered on Saturday morning at the Palestinian side waiting for busses to move them into Egypt.

The corporation said the Rafah terminal was opened for only 21 days in 2015, adding the year was the worst ever for operating the crossing, the only gate for around two million Palestinians in Gaza to the world.

Since 2007, Hamas movement has been ruling the Gaza Strip, including Rafah crossing after it violently seized control of the enclave following weeks of internal fighting with security forces of President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party.
The nearly 30-hour-long examination of Pakistani-American terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley -- for five out of six days this week -- before Special TADA Court Judge G.A. Sanap ended here on Saturday afternoon.

Cross-examination was started but could not be completed and will be conducted sometime later this month after consultation with the US authorities, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told media persons.

An acknowledged criminal lawyer specialising in terror cases, Nikam shot off over 750 questions and supplementaries to Headley, 56, who deposed via video-conferencing from a US jail in an undisclosed location since the morning of February 8.

Headley, who was given conditional pardon by the Mumbai Special TADA Court on December 10 last year after he agreed to turn approver in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case, is undergoing a 35-year-old jail term in the US.

On the final day Saturday, Headley listened to three video tapes recorded during the attacks on November 26-28, 2008 and identified different voices of handlers who were guiding and directing the 10 Pakistani terrorists from a control room in Karachi.

"This testimony is very important for us. He (Headley) has clearly named and identified the three people present in the control room that night who were directing and guiding the terrorists here," Nikam said later.

Lawyer Wahab Khan of another Indian co-accused Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal started Headley's cross-examination, but could pose only five questions due to paucity of time.

Besides, Khan argued that he was not handed over the statement which Headley referred to during his deposition and also needed to study the confession of the captured and hanged terrorist Ajmal Kasab.

Following a heated exchange between Khan and Nikam, counsel Mahesh Jethmalani intervened and told Special Judge Sanap that even if the timings were extended by two hours on Saturday, it would not be possible to complete the cross-examination.

Special Judge Sanap then enquired of US attorney Sarah whether cross-examination could be resumed on Monday, but she replied in the negative.

Later, Khan said he would communicate to the Special Court the time required for the cross-examination by February 22.

It was decided that the US Department of Justice would be informed and fresh dates for the cross-examination would be fixed accordingly.

In the cross-examination by Khan, Headley said his family had shifted to Pakistan after Partition in 1947.

"My father is from Pakistan and mother is from the US. He lived in Punjab on the Indian side and worked in Lahore, but after Partition, moved to Pakistan," Headley told the Special Court.
Expecting that the world would take a "serious note" of Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley's revelations on the devastating 26/11 Mumbai attack that claimed 166 lives, security and legal experts believe they "conclusively established Pakistan's role in terror attacks on India". They, however, believed that there would be "a little impact" on Pakistan of what Headley tells a court in Mumbai via videoconferencing from a jail in the US.

"As for whether these revelations would have any impact in the larger context of the world then I would say yes. Let the whole world know about it, so that we (India) can have more support of the world community," former Indian Army chief General Ved Malik told IANS on the phone from Panchkula in Punjab, where he has settled down after retirement.

"We know that we have to fight our battle but we need to have international support as it also matters," he added.

Headley, a Pakistani American, in his deposition before Special TADA Court Judge G.A. Sanap, has made startling revelations, among others that the Pakistani terrorists who attacked several buildings and establishments in Mumbai in November 2008 were recruited and trained by the Pakistani Army and spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

He has also listed a series of potential targets like Mumbai's Siddhi Vinayak temple and the naval air station, as also the National Defence College here.

At the same time, Gen. Malik said Pakistan would remain in denial in spite of Headly's revelations.

"It's not going to take us anywhere as far as the question whether Pakistan would actually take any action against those responsible for Mumbai attacks as they have been in denial and would continue with the same stand," he said.

According to Rear Admiral Raja Menon (retd), Headley's revelations "are substantive" but Pakistan "will continue denying that it was ever involved in terror acts either in India or elsewhere in the world".

"They would say that Headley is saying what he was required to say as he is jail. But this does not take away the fact that the (Pakistani) state is involved in terror acts," he added.

Another security expert, Brigadier Arun Sahgal, said Headley's testimony "carries a greater credibility and to say that he would say what he is required to say is wrong as he is not in an Indian jail".

India must turn the revelations "into a major political campaign all across the world and expose Pakistan further".

Senior Supreme Court lawyer K.T.S. Tulsi described Headley's revelations as "an exculpatory statement which has higher credibility in a court of law".

"This deposition is undeniable, and the world has to come together and exert more pressure on Pakistan to stop this practice of terror," Tulsi told IANS.

He, however, did not expect much from Pakistan after Headley's disclosure, saying for the country, it would be a "business as usual".

"I don't think anything new will happen or Pakistan will do something new in the case that India has presented before it. It's going to be a business as usual with Pakistan," Tulsi maintained.

Security analyst Brigadier S.K.Chatterji (retd) echoed these views.

"David Headley's deposition corroborates the Indian point of view that Pakistan has been indulging in terror acts against India," Chatterji told IANS.

"There is nothing new in the statement given by Headley. Pakistan has been known to be a terror state," he said, adding: "It just reinforces our case against Pakistan."

(Sushil Kumar could be contacted at sushil.k@ians.in)
India's new envoy Navtej Sarna told leading members of the Indian community in the UK that India House is an "institution open to all Indians" and the community could play a "huge role" in helping to channelise foreign investment and in the development of its key infrastructure.

At a well attended Indian community function here on Friday, Sarna, who took over from Ranjan Mathai last month, said Indians in the UK had flourished extensively in every field of human endeavour, economics and business, politics, culture, medicine and finance, and had acquired a political weight and strong voice.

"Even while they flourish in the UK they have not forgotten their cultural roots. On the contrary, their culture has become part of British life -- tandoori is more popular than fish and chips, Bhangra is a byword in London," the high commissioner said.

Sarna said UK's Indian community has a huge role to play in helping India attract foreign investment and expertise that would help develop its infrastructure, its ports, airports and smart cities and the cleaning of the Ganga river.

"The intention of the High Commission is to initiate a two way conversation with members of the community wherein all problems could be freely shared and discussed," he said.

The High Commission would make every effort to resolve "all concerns", said Sarna.

"This is actually the first of such conversations," he told about 100 representatives of social and cultural associations of the Indian and Indian origin members of the British Parliament who attended the function.

Welcoming the community to India House, the historic building housing the Indian High Commission, Sarna said all community members must feel that "this is their home" and they would always be welcome here.

Each community member's life journey could be described as A Tale of Two Countries -- that of India and the UK, that of the "matrabhumi" and the "karmabhumi," said Sarna, an acclaimed author and short story writer in his personal life.

The high commissioner also noted that the UK had the highest share of electronic visas that had been issued -- 24 percent, adding that 300,000 OCI cards (multiple entry lifelong visa for Overseas Citizens of India) had been issued and 300 applications were being received every day.

He said the high commission had recently expanded its telephone exchange to one with 15 lines so that queries could be more efficiently handled.

There are an estimated over a million people of Indian origin in the UK, comprising the largest single ethnic minority group in Britain making up almost a quarter of the total ethnic minority population.
China's Hunan province has expressed willingness to set up an industrial park in Telangana and requested the state government to set up land for establishing small and medium enterprises in various sector.

A high level delegation from Hunan province consisting of 12 officials led by Zhou Yue, deputy director, department of commerce, met Telangana officials in Telangana stall at "Make in India" event in Mumbai on Saturday.

According to a state government statement here, they expressed their willingness to set up Hunan Park and requested for allotment of 2,500-3,000 acres.

Arvind Kumar, secretary, industries and commerce suggested that this can be done in National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) coming up in Medak district.

The two delegations had elaborate discussions on investments from Hunan. The Telangana officials explained the industrial policy and enquired the sectors in which companies from Hunan might be interested in investing.
India has criticised a UN plan to combat violent extremism saying it lacked sufficient options for international cooperation and a unified UN mechanism to tackle the modern-day plague. The Assembly did not adopt the plan Friday and instead opted to give it "further consideration" because of strong differences among nations. The differences centered on whether issues like "foreign occupation" and "self-determination" should be included in it.

"The current architecture at the United Nations is not sufficient to tackle this virus (of violent extremism) that threatens us collectively," India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin told the General Assembly Friday. "The Action Plan provides no solution to this shortcoming."

As an example of the flaws in Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's plan of action for fighting violent extremism, Akabaruddin cited the lack of a single contact point to assist countries seeking UN help. "Having gone through the entire Action Plan," he said, "unfortunately, we did not find an answer to this simple and basic question."

Making the case for more international cooperation to deal with the terrorist threat, Akbaruddin said, "What we are tackling is not merely a local problem that can be addressed unilaterally; it is a global contagion. Global links, franchise relations, home-grown terrorism and use of cyberspace for recruitment and propaganda, all these present a new level of threat."

He said social, political, economic, psychological and cultural factors played a role in the spread of violent extremism. The UN had the potential to come up with solutions to deal with the problem because of its experience in putting together partnerships across sectors to address multi-dimensional issues, he said.

"Hence inter-connectedness between security and development as a central philosophical tenet of the approach outlined through the action plan is understandable," Akbaruddin added.

The main disagreement that stalled the plan's adoption centered on what Saudi Arabia's Permanent Representative Abdallah Y. Al-Mouallimi, who spoke on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), described as "foreign occupation" and "denial of self-determination." These were not addressed in Ban's plan.

Pakistan's Permanent Representative Maleeha Lodhi joined in asserting that violent extremists exploited injustices done to people under foreign occupation, the denial of the right to self-determination, and long-festering and unresolved international disputes were being exploited by violent extremists. She avoided being more specific in the statement that appeared to provide justification for some acts of terrorism.

She added that there was no clear definition of "terrorism" and "violent extremism" in the plan.

But Akbaruddin said it was a "sagacious approach" to not "enter into the divisive minefield" of trying to define violent extremism. "We in the General Assembly would once again have been subjected to theological debates even though the need is for action," he added. "The approach to indicate pathways to address the problems with the best tools we have rather than going down the route of definition has our support."

Ban's seven-point plan of action called for dialogue to prevent conflicts; strengthening good governance; promoting human rights and the rule of law; engaging communities; empowering youth; ensuring gender equality and empowering women; improving education and increasing jobs, and strategic communications that also harnesses Internet and social media.

Most of the Western countries supported the plan. Britain's Permanent Representative Matthew Rycroft called it pragmatic and comprehensive. Its recommendations could be the basis of national action plans based on respect for human rights and rule of law, he added.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in)
An Indian-origin space scientist says the suspected meteorite strike in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, last week that killed a man on a college campus in Tamil Nadu state is a glaring reminder that India needs to seriously think about putting in place a meteor defence and reconnaissance infrastructure and evolve a national meteor disaster preparedness policy.

"Catastrophies originating from outer space are no fiction," Chaitanya Giri, who was earlier with Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany and is currently with the Earth Life Science Institute in Tokyo, told this correspondent in an email.

Such catastrophies "are potential and credible threats to our national interests," he said.

Giri said the US, in 2005, mandated its NASA space agency to build infrastructure for surveillance of potentially hazardous asteroids and to divert those on a likely collision course with Earth. The European Union, Japan, and Russia followed suit and are continually tracking comets and asteroids while Canada has its own "near earth object surveillance satellite" to identify unwelcome visitors from space, he said.

"Space capable India has not joined this club," Giri said.

In fact, the seven-foot wide satellite junk that fell off the southern coast of Sri Lanka on November 13, 2015, was identified by a US ground-based sky survey infrastructure while its fall trajectory was projected by the the European Sky network, Giri said.

"While these nations have built up the networks to ward of dangers from space, India is totally unprepared to counter the impact of destructive meter-scale meteorites and extinction-level kilometre-scale asteroids or comets," he said.

Giri said India's prehistory is dotted with meteors of different sizes such as Lonar in Maharashtra (two km wide) and Ramgarh in Rajasthan (four km wide), adding an 11-km-wide meteorite that hit Dhala in Madhya Pradesh "could have unleashed energy many times higher than the largest atomic detonation".

While it is true such kilometres-wide meteorites fall once in several thousand years, smaller metre-scale meteorites fall frequently and unleash limited regional destruction, he said.

Giri pointed out that a 20-year (1994-2013) global map released by NASA in 2014 shows numerous metre-scale meteors exploding all over the Indian Ocean region and the Indian sub-continent with energy approximately equivalent to the atomic bomb dropped over Nagasaki in 1945. Also, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in the past 15 years has reported numerous meteoritic falls -- mostly centimetre-scale chunks -- from all over India.

In February 2013, a meteor, 20 metres in diameter, exploded 30 km above the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia with an energy approximately 25 times more powerful than the Nagasaki bomb, causing thousands of human injuries and damage worth billions of dollars. Bangkok experienced meteorite falls twice in September 2015. Nearer home, on February 27, 2015, a meteor exploded over Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad and Thrissur in Kerala to finally impact at several locations in Ernakulam district. All these events demonstrate that the threat from meteors is real, Giri said.

With its massive geographical land mass and vast exclusive economic zone, India has all the legitimate reasons to develop a planetary defence programme of its own and create an operational national preparedness policy for various meteor disaster scenarios, he said.

"To this effect, New Delhi should exploit ISRO's capabilities for constructing an indigenous ground- and space-based reconnaissance network that would track potentially hazardous objects as small as one metre," he said. Had such a system been in place, there would have been no room for controversy over the cause of explosion heard in Vellore last week.

"The verdict -- whether it was due to meteorite or not -- should be supported by peer-reviewed evidence," Giri said, dismissing news reports quoting scientists of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIAP) in Bengaluru that the sample it examined did not look like meteorite.

"The Geological Survey of India is the authority on meteorite curation and not IIAP whose faculty are mainly astronomers," Giri said. Further, the IIAP scientists did not collect the samples themselves but tested the sample given by the police "which is not the most appropriate thing to do," he said.

"I also do not know if they looked for the presence of iridium, an element that you do not get on Earth and is predominantly extra-terrestrial in origin. Hence I do not consider IIAP's sampling and verdict at face value."

Giri said a video uploaded on the internet shows the trail of a meteor over Chennai with its trajectory towards the West (the direction to Vellore). If this video is true, the Vellore event is most likely due to meteorite, he said.

(K.S. Jayaram can be contacted at killugudi@hotmail.com)
An international inquiry to determine responsibility for the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict has narrowed down its initial targets from 116 to five, said a report.

The five potential cases for investigation have emerged as Kafr Zita in Hama on April 11 and 18, 2014, Talmenes in Idlib on April 21, 2014, Qmenas and Sarmin both in Idlib and on March 16, 2015, and Marea in Aleppo on August 21, 2015, Xinhua cited the report as saying on Friday.

"This is an ongoing process and as more information is received and analysed, the list of potential cases may change," said the Joint Investigation Mechanism of the UN and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in the report.

The report was sent to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who relayed it on Friday to members of the UN Security Council, which mandated the investigation in August 2015.

The report said out of an initial 116 allegations of use of chemical weapons, the OPCW investigated 29. Its fact-finding mission concluded that the incidents lent credence to the view that toxic chemicals were used.

The report said investigators narrowed down targets by looking into the severity, delivery method and ammunition and quantity of data, among others.

The UN-OPCW team is the first mission to determine who was responsible for various attacks. There have been allegations that both the government and opposition groups used chemical weapons in Syria.

The investigation team was asked to identify to the greatest extent feasible individuals, entities, groups or governments that were perpetrators, organisers, sponsors or otherwise involved in the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

The worst previous chemical-weapons attack in Syria confirmed by a UN mission occurred in the early hours of August 21, 2013 in the Ghouta area of the outskirts of Damascus where hundreds of people were believed killed and thousands injured by rockets carrying sarin gas.

The area affected was so large and the confusion caused by the early-hour rocket strikes so great that it made it difficult to determine exact casualties.

Doctors without Boarders said more than 3,000 people were injured. Various sources reported deaths ranging from more than 200 to several hundred.

Less than one month after the Ghouta attacks, Syria said it wanted to dispose of its chemical-weapons stash and called for help from the United Nations and the OPCW.

In June 2014 the UN and the OPCW announced the removal of Syria's declared chemical weapons.
Pakistani-American Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley told Special TADA Court Judge G A Sanap that post-26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, he had surveyed sensitive military establishments in Pune, here on Saturday.

When asked by Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam what military establishments he referred to, Headley readily said it was the (Indian Army's) Southern Command Headquarters.

"The intentions here were similar to the nuclear establishments (BARC). The ISI wanted to recruit military officers and get 'classified information' from them," Headley told during his deposition on the sixth day.

He surveyed and videographed the Southern Command HQ Building between March 16-17, 2009, preceded by recce of Chabad Houses in Goa on March 15 and earlier Pushkar between March 11-13 that year - nearly four months after the terror attacks were executed in Mumbai on November 26-28, 2008.

The Pune assignment was carried out at the behest of Major Iqbal of the ISI, to whom the videos were later handed over.

Headley has been giving his deposition from a jail in the US at an undisclosed location via video-conferencing continuously since last Monday, barring February 10 when it was adjourned owing to certain technical uplinking issues on the US side.
A delegation of political leaders on Saturday met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and requested him to launch a probe to establish the authenticity of the evidence of the JNU campus incident.

The delegation included CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI national secretary D. Raja and Janata Dal-United secretary general K.C. Tyagi.

"Authenticity of evidence must be established, which is only possible through an independent inquiry," Yechury said after meeting Kejriwal.

"We requested the CM to institute an independent inquiry in the matter."

Jawaharlal Nehru University students on Tuesday had organised a meet on the campus to mourn the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) co-founder Maqbool Bhat, where anti-India slogans were raised.

Another commemorative meeting was held at the Press Club of India in Delhi on Wednesday where too, anti-India slogans were raised and placards were shown.

Yechury said that since the incident took place in the territory of Delhi, so the "city government reserves all rights to establish the authenticity of evidence".

Tyagi said the veracity of the video clippings -- showing people shouting anti-national slogans -- that were being circulated should be checked and "Kejriwal is best in doing so".

Delhi Police on Friday arrested JNU Students Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar on charges of raising anti-India slogans during the demonstration on the campus.
A journalist was shot dead in broad daylight by motorcycle-borne assailants on Saturday in Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, prompting Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to order an enquiry.

Tarun Mishra, the bureau chief of a newspaper in Ambedkar Nagar, was driving to Sultanpur with his maternal uncle when two people on a motorcycle opened fire at his car.

The incident took place around noon at Inayatpur in Sultanpur district, 135 km from here.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has announced compensation of Rs.10 lakh to the family of the deceased journalist and directed Director General of Police (DGP) Jawed Ahmad to solve the case at the earliest and arrest the culprits.

A special team has since been constituted to probe the matter, an official said. It would be supervised by the district magistrate of Sultanpur, he said.

There has been a spate of attacks on journalists in the state over the past one year.

The state government had responded to the situation by directing all district police chiefs and district magistrates to take special care and by launching a 24x7 helpline telephone service.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the JNU incident where anti-India slogans are said to have been raised.

The announcement was made soon after a delegation of political leaders met Delhi CM and requested him to launch a probe to establish the authenticity of the evidence in the incident.

"There are claims that JNU student leaders shouted anti-India slogans and counter claims that ABVP activists did it.

To find truth, Delhi government is directing District Magistrate (DM) to conduct an enquiry," Kejriwal tweeted.

Jawaharlal Nehru University students on Tuesday had organised a meet on the campus to mourn the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) co-founder Maqbool Bhat, where anti-India slogans were raised.

No anti- activity shud be tolerated under any circumstances. Those who did it must be identified and punished  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 13, 2016

There are claims that JNU student leaders shouted anti-India slogans and counter claims that ABVP activists did it(1/2)  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 13, 2016

To find truth, Del govt is directing DM to conduct an enquiry(2/2)  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 13, 2016

A delegation that included CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI Secretary D Raja and Janata Dal-United Secretary General K C Tyagi on Saturday met Kejriwal and demanded an independent inquiry in the matter.
At least three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) functionaries were in direct touch with some of the Pakistani terrorists carrying out the 26/11 terror attacks at various locations in Mumbai, Pakistani-American terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley informed Special TADA Court Judge G A Sanap here on Saturday.

Certain audio tapes recorded during the 26/11 were played in the Special Court in Mumbai for the benefit of Headley on the sixth day of his deposition via videoconference from a US jail.

In the tapes, Headley identified the voices of LeT's Sajid Mir, Abu Khafa and Abu Alkama when they were "handling" the 10 Pakistani terrorists in Mumbai during the 26/11 terror strikes at multiple locations.

From a control room in Karachi, the trio was speaking with the terrorists attacking the Taj Mahal Palace and Hotel between November 26-28, 2008, which Headley heard and recognized.

The Pakistani side was heard telling them (the terrorists) that the ATS Chief (Hemant Karkare) had been killed and Mumbai was struck by fear and terror.

The ATS chief Karkare, Additional Police Commissioner Ashok Kamte and the Anti-Extortion Cell chief Vijay Salaskar were gunned down in a fierce shoot-out with the terrorists in the early hours of November 27.
More than 230 inmates were relocated from the overcrowded Topo Chico prison in the state of Nuevo Leon in Mexico after a riot there left 49 prisoners dead, authorities said.

The leaders of the two gangs Jorge Ivan Hernandez and Juan Pedro Saldivar, whose clash caused the riot, were among the 233 relocated prisoners, Xinhua quoted Nuevo Leon Governor Jaime Rodriguez as saying on Friday.

Rodriguez, who took office in October 2015, said shortage of funds and lack of custodians coupled with irregularities in the prison contributed to the deadly riot.

Most of the deaths were caused by knife wounds or knocks from sticks and hammers, said the governor, adding one of the prisoners died after being shot by a prison custodian.

Police found 60 hammers and 68 knives after the incident.

The two rival groups inside Topo Chico belonged to the same criminal organisation called "Los Zetas".

Tension in the prison had been running high since Saldivar's "Z-27" group was moved from the state of Tamaulipas to Topo Chico in November 2015.

Since the arrival of "Z-27," local authorities had tried to move Hernandez's "El Credo" group to another prison but a court order prevented them from doing so.

Local police are currently in control of the prison with the help of federal police agents.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday committed a faux pas when he greeted Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on his 'birthday' on twitter. Ghani's birthday is on May 19.

"Happy birthday @ashrafghani. Praying for your long life & exceptional health and a joyful journey ahead," tweeted Modi.

Ghani was quick to respond: "@narendramodi Greetings from Munich Mr. PM. Although, my Birthday is on 19th May, but I'd still like to thank you for your gracious words :)"

The mistake may have happened as Google throws up Ghani's date of birth as February 12, 1949.

Their tweets went viral, with the twitterati speaking out in jest.

"@ashrafghani if shri shri @narendramodi has wished u on 12th Feb, then u must celebrate ur bday on this dt every yr frm now on ?? Bas final ??," tweeter user Komal.

Another user Santoesha Bissesar tweeted: "Don't the trust the Google :)"

The tweets of both the politicians were later not available on their twitter handle, but the screenshots of the two tweets were re-tweeted by many.
A group of scholars, artist, writers and others on Saturday initiated an online petition condemning the arrest of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case.

"We condemn the arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar on trumped up charges of sedition and demand that he shall be released immediately," they said in the petition, adding that "the only way to counter such incidents, when they occur, is through a deepening of dialogue, not through police action."

"The police has no business to enter places of learning and harass students (including students who were clearly trying to defuse the situation and to take a stand against the irresponsible elements who gave the objectionable slogans) when there had been no breach of peace," it said.

The petition also condemned the irresponsible sloganeering by some people at the fringes of a gathering on the JNU campus to mark the third anniversary of the execution of Afzal Guru.

The petition was signed by Centre for the Study of Developing Societies' fellows Ashis Nandy, Sibaji Bandyopadhyay and Ravi Sundaram, its director Rajeev Bhargava, Jamia Millia Islamia's AJ Kidwai Mass Communication Research Centre associate professor Sabina Kidwai and Sabena Gadihoke, professor Shohini Ghosh and artist Sarnath Banerjee.

The online petition "Say No to Police Action in JNU and all Universities" was created by artist Shuddhabrata Sengupta in change.org.

A meeting was organised on Tuesday on the JNU campus where a group of students mourned the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) co-founder Maqbool Bhat and shouted anti-India slogans.

Delhi Police registered a sedition case on Thursday and arrested Kanhaiya Kumar. He was later sent to three days police custody on Friday.
The Congress, CPI-M, CPI and JD-U on Saturday came together to participate in a protest meet against the arrest of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi accused the Narendra Modi government of trying to crush students' voices in university campuses by ordering police crackdowns.

Speaking at the protest meet held in the JNU campus here, Gandhi said: "They (government) do not understand that by crushing you (students) they are making you stronger."

He was referring to Friday's police action at the JNU campus and the arrest of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case on Friday.

The students' union declared a strike in the university from Monday onwards.

At the end of the protest, senior Congress leader and former Union minister Anand Sharma was attacked by an assailant allegedly linked to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

The protest was held in a volatile atmosphere with the ABVP activists constantly shouting slogans against what they called "anti-India sloganeering" by students at a commemorative function held at the campus to mark the death of Afzal Guru who was hanged in the Parliament attack case.

Gandhi was received by the ABVP activists with black flags and cries of "go back".

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken, Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Communist Party of India national secretary D. Raja, senior Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist leader Kavita Krishnan and others also joined the protest attended by a 2,000-strong gathering of students and teachers.

Gandhi drew comparisons with the Hyderabad university controversy involving students linked to ABVP and Ambedkar Students' Association (ASA) and consequent suicide of a Dalit student activist, Rohit Vemula, following his suspension from the university.

"I was in Hyderabad a few days back. A youngster there expressed himself and the government says that he is an anti-national. What did he do? Later the minister turns around and says that he was not even a Dalit," said Gandhi referring to the NDA government's reaction to the suicide of Vemula of the ASA who was suspended after an ABVP activist accused him of physically assaulting him.

Earlier in the day, Yechury, who was himself a JNUSU leader, met union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and demanded the release of the JNUSU leader.

"We apprised home minister that whatever is happening is worse than that happened during the Emergency. It should be proved that the 20 people, who are being targeted, are at fault," he told reporters after the meeting.

"Home minister guaranteed us that action won't be carried out on any innocent person. We demanded him to release the arrested student leader... which he assured us to look into the matter," Yechuri added.

A delegation comprising Yechury, Raja and Janata Dal-United secretary general K.C. Tyagi also met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and requested him to launch an independent probe to establish the authenticity of the evidence provided in the JNU campus incident.

Kejriwal later ordered a magisterial inquiry.

Kanhaiya Kumar's parents who live in Bihar also asserted that their son was being victimised for his opposition to Hindutva politics and was not an anti-national.

"My son is not anti-national. There is no question of his following an ideology of anti-nationalism. He is a nationalist like hundreds of thousands of youths of his age," said Jaishankar Singh, Kumar's paralysed father.

Kumar's mother, Meena Devi, said her son is a nationalist, but not a supporter of RSS-BJP's Hindutva politics.

Bharatiya Janata Party national vice-president Dinesh Sharma however hit out at the CPI-M and Congress.

"Both Congress and CPI-M who are supporting such anti-national elements, should drop India from their party names because they are pursuing anti-national politics. They are as guilty as the protesters," he said.

Meanwhile, a group of retired servicemen of the June 1978 batch of the National Defence Academy, who are recipients of the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees from JNU have written a letter to the varsity vice chancellor and said they are unhappy at the ongoing anti-national activities like celebration of Afzal Guru inside the campus.

"We have told JNU vice chancellor that if such anti-national activity will continue then we are constrained to return our degrees," said Brig. Rakesh Chhibber (retd.) of the batch.
Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday slammed the Samajwadi Party government for failing to protect journalists, following the murder of a Hindi journalist in Sultanpur.

Leaders cutting across party lines condemned the incident and urged Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to ensure that the fourth pillar of democracy was protected from criminals.

The incident "was not only sad but a blot on democracy", Sultanpur Lok Sabha member Varun Gandhi told IANS.

Bahujan Samaj Party leader Swamy Prasad Maurya, expressing his condolences over the killing of journalist Karun Mishra, said their allegations of "jungleraaj" in the state were sadly being proved true.

"We have always been saying that no one is safe in the Samajwadi Party regime, and now for the past one year, even journalists are being brazenly attacked and killed," he said.

Congress leaders also condemned the incident and called for immediate arrest of the culprits.
A day after the president of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested on the charge of sedition, his parents in Bihar said their son is not anti- and is being victimised for his opposition to Hindutva politics.

"My son is not anti- . There is no question of his following an ideology of anti-nationalism. He is a nationalist like hundreds of thousands of youths of his age," Kanhaiya Kumar's father Jaishankar Singh, who is suffering from paralysis, said on Saturday.

Kanhaiya's mother Meena Devi said her son is a nationalist, but not a supporter of RSS-BJP's Hindutva politics.

"We are proud of his Left ideology. There is nothing wrong in it. He has been fighting against right wing politics and now being targeted for it," she said.

His parents live at Bihar Maslanpur village in Begusarai district, considered a stronghold of the Left wing or communist politics in the state. There was a time when Begusarai was known as 'Leningrad' of Bihar, but no more.

Singh said his son was arrested under a conspiracy by his political rivals. "My son is a Left party activist and rivals of Left ideology are playing dirty politics."

Meena said that she is confident and sure that his son will win the battle against Hindutva politics.

Most of the villagers of Kanhaiya's native place are sad over his arrest on the charge of sedition.

"We had celebrated last year when Kanhaiya was elected JNU students' union president. It was a proud moment for us. But now we are upset at his arrest. It is a matter of disbelief for us to accept that he is anti-national," a village youth Santosh Kumar said.

Another villager Ramchander Singh supported Santosh's view and said Kanhaiya cannot be anti- . "Our soil has produced only nationalists so far."

Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested on Friday allegedly for raising anti-India slogans at an event organised by students on JNU campus to commemorate the death of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, who was executed in 2013.
A complaint has been registered against a caste panchayat in Rajasthan's Barmer district for forcefully marrying a minor girl against the wishes of her parents.

"A complaint has been lodged against 17 members of a panchayat by Genaram for forcefully marrying his 15-year-old daughter Champa," a police official at Sheo police station in Barmer district, over 530 km from Jaipur, told IANS over phone.

In his complaint registered a few days ago through a court order, Genaram alleged that the caste panchyat also ordered ostracisation of the family if they refused to send Champa to her in-laws' place.

Police have started investigation the incident.

Genaram in his complaint said that despite his opposition, his daughter was married to Bastaram on April 11, 2015.

"I told members of the panchayat that my daughter is a minor and I would not like her to get married. But they (panchayat) did not listen to me and forcefully got her married.

"The next day, I refused to send my daughter to her in-laws' place but she was forced to go.

"After a few days, I brought my daughter back and I refused to send her back to her in-laws till she became an adult," he said.

He said the panchayat on January 30, "while insulting me, ordered social boycott of my family and ordered me to pay Rs 25 lakh as fine".
President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday felicitated six winners of Infosys Science Foundation Prizes 2015 for their outstanding contribution in their fields.

The winners are Umesh Waghmare in engineering and computer science category, Jonardon Ganeri for humanities, Amit Sharma in life sciences, Mahan Maharaj in mathematical sciences, G. Ravindra Kumar in physical sciences and Srinath Raghavan in social sciences.

Mukherjee awarded each laureate with a purse of Rs.65 lakh, a 22-carat gold medallion and a citation certificate, the foundation said in a statement here.

The winners were chosen by six jury chairs - Pradeep Khosla for engineering and computer science, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen (humanities), Inder Verma (life sciences), Srinivasa S.R. Varadhan (mathematical sciences), Shrinivas Kulkarni (physical sciences) and Kaushik Basu (social sciences).

Waghmare, professor of theoretical sciences at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bengaluru was awarded for use of principles of theories and modelling in investigations of microscopic mechanism responsible for specific properties of materials.

Ganeri, global network professor of philosophy in New York University, was hnonoured for scholarship and originality in interpreting and scrutinising analytical Indian philosophy.

Sharma, head, structural and computational biology group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, was recognised for pioneering contributions towards deciphering the molecular structure at the atomic level of key proteins involved in the biology of pathogenesis of the malarial parasite.

Maharaj, professor of mathematics at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai, won the award for his contributions to geometric group theory, low-dimensional topology and complex geometry.

Kumar, senior professor of department of nuclear and atomic physics at TIFR, was recognised for pioneering experimental contributions to physics of high intensity laser matter interactions.

Raghavan, senior fellow at Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, won the award for research that synthesizes military history, international politics and strategic analysis into imaginative perspectives on India in the global context.

Eminent scientists and industry leaders and foundation trustees, including S.D. Shibulal, trustees board president N.R. Narayana Murthy, Mohandas Pai, Kris Gopalakrishnan, Srinath Batni, K. Dinesh and R. Seshasayee were present on the occasion.
A group of retired servicemen have decided to return their degrees to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) over ongoing anti-national activities taking place inside the campus, a statement said on Saturday.

Ex-servicemen of the June 1978 batch of the National Defence Academy, who are proud recipients of the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees from JNU have written a letter to the university's vice chancellor and said they are unhappy at the ongoing anti-national activities like celebration of Afzal Guru inside the campus.

"We have told JNU vice chancellor that if such anti-national activity will continue then we are constrained to return our degrees," said retired Brigadier Rakesh Chhibber who also belonged to the 1978 batch.

"We the patriotic retired officers of the 54th NDA course, feel that the present activities in the JNU campus negate the sacrifices made by the past degree holders of your esteemed university," said the letter written by the ex-servicemen to the vice chancellor.

"We, the proud, patriotic ex-servicemen of the 54th NDA course find it difficult to be associated to a university which has become a hub of anti-national activity, and would therefore be constrained to return our prized and well earned degrees to your esteemed institution if such activities are allowed to be conducted inside the university campus," the letter said.

A meeting was organised on Tuesday on the JNU campus where a group of students mourned the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) co-founder Maqbool Bhat and shouted anti-India slogans.

Delhi police registered a sedition case on Thursday and arrested Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar. He was later remanded to three-days police custody on Friday.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday warned the world has slid into a "new Cold War", criticising the West's "unfriendly" policy against his country.

"Almost every day we are called one of the most terrible threats either to NATO as a whole, or to Europe, or to the US," Xinhua quoted Medvedev as saying at the Munich Security Conference (MSC).

"We have slid back to a new Cold War," he said, adding: "Sometimes I wonder whether it is 2016 we are living in or 1962."

Different positions in Syrian conflicts and Ukraine undermined the relations between Russia and the West. Both sides imposed sanctions against each other.

Medvedev criticised that policies including expansion of NATO towards eastern Europe were "unfriendly" towards Russia.

Facing various challenges including terrorism and regional conflicts, cooperation instead of confrontation was necessary, he said.

"Sanctions are not only against those whom these sanction are introduced to, but also against those who use those sanctions," Medvedev said.

"Active dialogues on the future architecture of security" was particularly important to avoid repeating mistakes in history.
At least 10 militants were killed and 12 others arrested in an operation carried out by security forces in Pakistan's Balochistan province on on Saturday, a media report said.

According to Dunya TV, the security forces launched the operation after receiving an intelligence tip-off of presence of suspected militants in Sangan area of Sibi district, Xinhua reported.

The forces raided three camps of the militants who opened retaliatory fire, engaging the troops into a gun-battle in which 10 insurgents were killed and 12 others surrendered.

The report added that the troops also recovered hundreds of bombs, rocket launchers and other explosive materials from the militant camps.

Three among the killed militants were members of outlawed outfit Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan who were plotting terrorist activities in the province, it added.

The arrested militants have been shifted to some unknown place for investigations.
The Snapdeal woman executive, who was taken to Haryana and managed to return to Ghaziabad, was abducted by someone close to her, police said on Saturday.

Deepti Sarna, 23, was abducted by four criminals in the garb of an auto-rickshaw driver and passengers on Wednesday night while returning home from the Vaishali Metro station. On Friday, she called up her father Narendra Sarna and told him that she managed to flee from her abductors and reached the New Delhi Railway Station.

Superintendent of Police (City) Salman Taj Patil on Saturday said it was established that Deepti was kidnapped, based on the last location of her mobile phone in Morti village.

He, however, said her return to the New Delhi Railway Station was "shrouded in mystery".

Police teams were working on this aspect, "to ascertain under which circumstances the kidnappers allowed her to go and that too with a return fare of Rs.100", he said.

On Deepti saying her abductors treated her well, providing her food of her choice, the police officer said: "The courtesy extended to her also raises some questions as to why they provided items of her choice.

"These questions remain to be solved. But primary investigation indicated that someone close to the executive was definitely behind the kidnapping."

Police said they were looking into the woman executive's personal life and friends circle.

Top police sources said they were focussing on her former boyfriend Vikram and the current one whom she called when kidnapped.

The woman said the abductors told her that they had high connections in political circles and could arrange a meeting with a top politician.

Her mobile phone, laptop, purse and some other personal articles were taken by the abductors and were yet to be recovered.
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven on Saturday said that that Sweden and India are partners in many fields and that his country's interest in India is a long-term one.

"Sweden and India are partners in many fields such as sustainable cities, education and health," Lofven said while addressing the Sweden Country Seminar at the Make in India Week that got underway here on Saturday.

Lofven is being accompanied by a high-level business delegation to attend the mega event.

According to Lofven, there are about 160 Swedish companies operating in India providing direct employment to 160,000 people and indirect employment to over one million people, a statement issued by the CII said.

He also pointed out that the business ties between the two countries go back many decades and that Sweden's interest in India was definitely a long term one.

In a joint statement issued after bilateral discussions he held with Prime Minister Narendra, Lofven also appreciated the initiatives for ease of doing business in India.

"Prime Minister Lofven welcomed the Indian government's efforts to improve the ease of doing business," the statement said.

"The two prime ministers committed to a continued dialogue within the framework of the joint commission to enhance the environment for doing business in their respective countries and further facilitate and promote bilateral economic cooperation."

Modi and Lofven also welcomed the launch of the joint working Group on sustainable urban development under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in 2015 and agreed to encourage their companies and government agencies to support the development of smart cities.

Recognising that that Sweden was one of the leading nations in the world in innovation and that India has a vast pool of talented professionals and was known for its world-class engineering, both sides agreed that this created synergies to be explored by both business and government partnerships, the statement said.

On global issues, both the leaders reiterated the need for urgent reform of the UN Security Council through an expansion in both categories of membership, to make it more effective and representative of the contemporary geo-political realities.

"Prime Minister Lofven expressed the view that it would be inconceivable that an important global actor such as India not be a permanent member of an enlarged Security Council and said that he will seek parliamentary support for this view," the statement said.

The two leaders also recognised the common interest in preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism and the benefits of a closer dialogue and mutual exchange of information and good practices.

The two prime ministers agreed on the need to tap the full potential of the European Union (EU)-India strategic partnership and welcomed the prospect of resumption of talks on the India-EU Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA).

Lofven also invited Modi to visit Sweden on mutually convenient dates.
The Syrian army was preparing to advance toward the city of al-Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria, a monitor group said on Saturday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the army was a few kilometres from the provincial borders of al-Raqqa, following the rapid progress it has recently achieved on the desert high way near the town of Athraya, Xinhua reported.

Advancing toward al-Raqqa will grant the Syrian army a foothold in that city for the first time since the IS terror group captured the al-Tabaqa airbase in 2014, the last government stronghold in the city.

In Aleppo, where the Syrian army is making strides against the foreign-backed militants, the Syrian state TV said the military forces captured the town of Tamura on Saturday, overseeing thus the entire rebel-held town of Hayan and the town of Andan.

Separately, the Observatory, which relies on a network of activists on ground, placed the toll among Syrian soldiers who were ambushed last week near the capital Damascus to 76.

Last Sunday, the rebels Islam Army, backed by Saudi Arabia, ambushed a groups of Syrian soldiers in the town of Tal Sawan in the eastern countryside of Damascus, said the Observatory, adding 100 soldiers and officers were still missing.

The fresh development on ground comes as Saudi Arabia and Turkey mull intervening militarily in Syria under the pretext of fighting the IS.

Such an intervention will spark extra chaos in the already war-torn country, particularly after Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said any foreign troops entering Syria without the consent of its government "will be sent home in wooden coffins."
The cash-for-vote case allegedly involving leaders of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) came to the fore again with Telangana's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Saturday issuing notice to an accused, Jerusalem Muthaiah.

The ACB has asked him to appear before it for questioning. He has been directed to make himself available at the ACB office within a week.

The anti-graft agency served the notice on Muthaiah at his house in Uppal here, though he initially refused to accept it on the ground that he has nothing to do with the case. He also cited a high court accepting his quash petition.

Muthaiah is the fourth accused in the case registered by the ACB last year. He was absconding and had taken shelter in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

He had also lodged a complaint at a police station in Vijayawada against Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

He had alleged that Rao's followers assaulted him to force him to give a statement against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in the case.

The notice to Muthaiah was served amid reports that ACB might arrest TDP legislator M. Gopinath in the case. Gopinath is a member of Telangana assembly from Jubliee Hills constituency in Hyderabad.

The sensational case had come to light in May last year when TDP legislator Revanth Reddy was arrested by the ACB while he was offering Rs.50 lakh as a bribe to nominated member Elvis Stephenson reportedly to induce him to vote for TDP candidate Narender Reddy in the elections to Telangana legislative council.

The ACB, which laid a trap on a complaint by Stephenson, also arrested two aides of Revanth Reddy.

Another legislator Sandra Venkata Veeraiah was also arrested in the case. The agency also questioned several others including Narender Reddy.

The case had snowballed into a huge row between the two states when an audio tape of Naidu's purported conversation with Stephenson was aired by some television channels in June.

TRS accused Naidu of plotting to topple the government while TDP alleged that the TRS government illegally tapped the telephones of the Andhra chief minister and his cabinet colleagues in Hyderabad, the joint capital of the two states.

However, the investigations into the case over the last few months had almost come to a halt with the improvement in relations between the two chief ministers. Rao had visited Andhra Pradesh at the invitation of Naidu to attend the foundation stone laying ceremony of new state capital Amaravati in October.

In December, Naidu reciprocated by attending 'Ayutha chandi yagam' -- a mega religious event hosted by the Telangana chief minister.

The latest development in the case came amid defections of TDP legislators in Telangana. As many as four MLAs quit TDP and joined TRS this week, taking the number to 10 since the 2014 election.

TDP had bagged 15 seats in the 119-member Telangana assembly in the election.
The Turkish artillery shelled positions of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria' s northern province of Aleppo on Saturday, the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) said.

The PYD confirmed in a statement that Turkey is firing artillery toward Kurds positions in Aleppo, including the Manegh airbase which the YPG has recently captured from Turkey-backed rebel groups, and the city of Afreen, Xinhua reported.

No casualties or losses have been reported so far.

The shelling came just hours after Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Saturday that Turkey, "if necessary", will take military action against the Kurds in Syria.

In a televised speech, Davutloglu said, "We would expect our friends and allies to stand by us."

The Kurds have been Ankara's worst nightmare, especially after they have made notable gains in northern Syria, something Turkey apparently cannot accept.

Turkish officials have repeatedly said that they will not allow the Kurds in Syria to expand more near the Turkish border.

The recent escalation also came as the talks about a ground intervention by Saudi and Turkey troops in Syria have made headlines in the past few days.

Such an intervention will spark extra chaos in the already war-torn country, particularly after Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said any foreign troops entering Syria without the consent of the Syrian government "will be sent home in wooden coffins."
Two army personnel were injured on Saturday in an ongoing gunfight between militants and security forces in north Kashmir's Kupwara district.

"Security forces including Rashtriya Rifles (RR), Special Operations Group (SOG) of state police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) surrounded a house in Marsari village last evening on information that a group of militants were hiding there," a senior police officer told IANS here.

"When the security forces closed in on the house, the militants opened fire triggering a gunfight."

"Two army personnel including an officer have been injured in this operation," the official added.
The US government has announced the upcoming signing of a memorandum of understanding with Cuba in the field of civil aviation that will pave the way for direct commercial flights by the year end.

Up to 20 direct flights daily will be permitted from the US to Havana, and 10 more to another nine international airports in Cuba, including those at Santiago de Cuba, Manzanillo and Camaguey, Thomas Engle, deputy assistant secretary of State for transportation, said on Friday.

The memorandum of understanding will be signed on February 17 in Havana by Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and his Cuban counterpart, Adel Yzquierdo.

The accord will permit the continuation of charter airlines' existing operations, which amount to between 10 and 15 flights a day to Cuba, Engle said.

"This provides for a very important sizable increase in travel between the two countries," Engle said.

The accord is part of the process currently underway to restore relations between the US and Cuba.

On December 17, 2014, Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro announced the beginning of a process to normalize bilateral relations that led to the reopening of the two countries' respective embassies in Havana and Washington in July 2015, after a gap of over 50 years.
India on Saturday reacted strongly to the US decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan and said Washington's envoy will be summoned over this.

"We are disappointed at the decision of the (Barack) Obama administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan," the external affairs ministry said in a statement.

"We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism. The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself. The US ambassador will be summoned by the ministry of external affairs to convey our displeasure," it added.

The Obama administration on Friday approved the sale of eight F-16 Block-52 aircraft to Pakistan worth $699 million in the face of US lawmakers' opposition to the deal over Islamabad's alleged support for terrorist groups

The US State Department has approved the sale, the Pentagon's Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said as it notified US Congress of the possible sale.

"We support the proposed sale of eight F-16s to Pakistan, which we view as the right platform in support of Pakistan's counter-terrorism and counterinsurgency operations," a US government officialcited by DefenseNews said.

"These operations reduce the ability of militants to use Pakistani territory as a safe haven for terrorism and a base of support for the insurgency in Afghanistan, which is in the national interests of both Pakistan and the USt, and in the interest of the region more broadly."

The official, DefenseNews said, confirmed that there had been Congressional objections to the sale, but said that contrary to recent "erroneous reports", "concerns were raised in regard to financing the sale, not the transfer itself."

According to the DSCA's statement, the proposed sale will "facilitate operations in all-weather, non-daylight environments, provide a self-defence/area suppression capability, and enhance Pakistan's ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations."

According to the DSCA, Pakistan is not expected to have difficulty absorbing these additional aircraft into its air force. The sale is also meant to increase the number of aircraft available to the Pakistan Air Force to sustain operations, meet monthly training requirements and support transition training for pilots new to the Block-52.

The pending sale to Pakistan includes: eight F-16 Block-52 aircraft - two C and six D and models with the F100-PW-229 increased performance engine; 14 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems; eight AN/APG-68(V)9 radars; and eight ALQ-211(V)9 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suit.

The approval of the sale came days after Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker wrote a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry objecting to subsidised sale of up to eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

Citing Islamabad's relationship with the Haqqani network, an extremist group that has a history of destabilising Afghanistan, Corker in a February 9 letter to Kerry notified the Obama administration of his intention to block the F-16 deal.

"After years of pressuring the Pakistanis on this point, the Haqqani terrorists still enjoy freedom of movement, and possibly even support from the Pakistani government," he wrote.

"This is highly problematic given the Haqqanis' clear involvement in killing the very Afghan army and police we have worked for years to train," Corker added.
The Obama administration has approved the sale of eight F-16 Block-52 aircraft to Pakistan worth $699 million in the face of US lawmakers' opposition to the deal over Islamabad's alleged support for terrorist groups

The US State Department has approved the sale, the Pentagon's Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said Friday as it notified US Congress of the possible sale.

"We support the proposed sale of eight F-16s to Pakistan, which we view as the right platform in support of Pakistan's counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations," a US government official cited by DefenseNews said.

"These operations reduce the ability of militants to use Pakistani territory as a safe haven for terrorism and a base of support for the insurgency in Afghanistan, which is in the national interests of both Pakistan and the United States, and in the interest of the region more broadly."

The official, DefenseNews said, confirmed that there had been Congressional objections to the sale, but said that contrary to recent "erroneous reports", "concerns were raised in regard to financing the sale, not the transfer itself."

According to the DSCA's statement, the proposed sale will "facilitate operations in all-weather, non-daylight environments, provide a self-defense/area suppression capability, and enhance Pakistan's ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counterterrorism operations."

According to the DSCA, Pakistan is not expected to have difficulty absorbing these additional aircraft into its air force. The sale is also meant to increase the number of aircraft available to the Pakistan Air Force to sustain operations, meet monthly training requirements and support transition training for pilots new to the Block-52.

The pending sale to Pakistan includes: eight F-16 Block-52 aircraft - two C and six D and models with the F100-PW-229 increased performance engine; 14 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems; eight AN/APG-68(V)9 radars; and eight ALQ-211(V)9 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suit.

The approval of the sale came days after Senate Foreign Relations committee Chairman Bob Corker wrote a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry objecting to subsidised sale of up to eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

Citing Islamabad's relationship with the Haqqani network, an extremist group that has a history of destabilizing Afghanistan, Corker in a Feb. 9 letter to Kerry notified the Obama administration of his intention to block the F-16 deal.

"After years of pressuring the Pakistanis on this point, the Haqqani terrorists still enjoy freedom of movement, and possibly even support from the Pakistani government," he wrote.

"This is highly problematic given the Haqqani's clear involvement in killing the very Afghan army and police we have worked for years to train," Corker added.

Asked about Corker's charges, US State Department spokesperson Mark Toner Thursday suggested "US security assistance to Pakistan actually contributes to their counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations."

Corker, following a recent trip to Afghanistan, said he would shelve the funding needed to finance the deal. However, he offered to lift his hold on the sale of the warplanes itself.

"If they wish to purchase this military equipment, they will do so without a subsidy from the American taxpayer," Corker was quoted as saying in the letter by Foreign Policy magazine.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
Ahead of the next round of nominating contests, the US presidential race is turning testy with rival candidates of both parties attacking each other with no holds barred.

Republican frontrunner Donald Trump on Friday threatened to sue rival Iowa caucus winner Ted Cruz, for "not being a natural born citizen" if the Texas senator "doesn't clean up his act" and stop running negative ads against him.

Trump has previously argued that if Cruz won the Republican nomination, Democrats would argue that the Canada-born candidate was ineligible for the presidency.

Trump also questioned the sincerity of Cruz's faith, accusing his opponent of being "so dishonest."

"How can Ted Cruz be an Evangelical Christian when he lies so much and is so dishonest?" he tweeted.

"There is more than a little irony in Donald accusing anyone of being nasty given the amazing torrent of insults and obscenities and vulgarities that come out of his mouth," Cruz told reporters in South Carolina on Friday.

"Being attacked by Donald, it is always colourful. I will give him this: he's not boring."

Cruz's campaign also pulled down an attack ad on Florida senator Marco Rubio after it was revealed that one of the actors Amy Lindsay had performed in soft core porn films.

Lindsay had merely responded to an open casting call and blamed the company that recruited the actors for not properly vetting those who appeared, Cruz said.

"It happened that one of the actresses who was there had a more colourful film history than we were aware," he said. "We would not have cast her had we known of that history."

"I have no ill will towards Ted Cruz right now. He's got a job to do," Lindsay told CNN. "And I'm a middle class working girl and I had a job to do."

Meanwhile, after Thursday night's sharp exchanges during the Democratic debate, the battle between Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders is also turning testy.

Representatives from both campaigns have accused the other side of mudslinging and negative campaigning.

Sanders' campaign manager Jeff Weaver accused Clinton of "flinging personal mud" at Sanders.

"The mudslinging seemed really out of place," Weaver told CNN. "It seemed very much like what you see in a Republican debate."

Jennifer Palmieri, Clinton's communications director, in turn accused Sanders of getting "increasingly personal and negative."

"He's had a lot of innuendo about how she took donations [from Wall Street] and how that must mean it's affecting her views -- without any evidence."

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Sitaram Yechuri on Saturday met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh regarding the JNU campus incidents and demanded the release of a student leader arrested over sedition charges.

Delhi Police on Friday arrested Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar here on charges of raising anti-India slogans during a demonstration on the campus to mark the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

"We apprised home minister that whatever is happening is worse than that happened during the emergency. It should be proved that the 20 people, who are being targeted, are at fault," Yechuri told media after meeting Singh.

"Home minister guaranteed us that action won't be carried out on any innocent person. We demanded him to release the arrested student leader to which he assured us to look into the matter," Yechuri added.

JNU students on Tuesday had organised a meet to mourn the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) co-founder Maqbool Bhat, where anti-India slogans were raised.

Another commemorative meeting was held at the Press Club of India in Delhi on Wednesday where also anti-India slogans and placards were raised.
In the run-up to the 2016 Assam Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has found its first ally in the Bodoland People's Front (BPF) in the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD), comprising the Kokrajhar, Kajolgaon, Udalguri and Baksa districts.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Naresh Gujral tells Aditi Phadnis that differences with alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party are not irrevocable



Your party is an important ally of the BJP, yet, you along with some others, had complaints about the conduct of the party as an alliance partner....



We are one of the oldest alliance partners of the BJP and now that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has come to power at the Centre, we want them to do some things that Punjab has been fighting for, over several decades.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has joined hands with the Congress to contest the upcoming Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu. The announcement was made official by Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday.

Our main goal is to put in place a government led by the DMK. We are sure of forming the next government under the leadership of M Karunanidhi, along with other parties, Azad told reporters after meeting the DMK president.

He added that seat sharing talks would take place going forward.

DMK treasurer M K Stalin said, Congress has promised full cooperation. We have also extended an invite to the DMDK. We are hopeful of a positive response.



DMDK joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The PMK and MDMK were also a part of the alliance. Whether these parties continue to work with the BJP is something only time will tell.

DMK and the Congress have been partners before; 18 DMK MPs were a part of the United Progressive Alliance-II government. The DMK ended the alliance in 2013 over the Tamil issue in Sri Lanka.

DMKs senior leaders Dayanidhi Maran, A Raja, T R Baalu and M K Alagiri held key portfolios in the UPA-II government, including telecom, shipping, fertilizers, and textiles.

During the 2011 Assembly elections, the Congress negotiated for 63 seats. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress and DMK fought separately, with 38 of the 39 DMK candidates losing their election deposits in Tamil Nadu.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, along with other political leaders, on Saturday joined the protest at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to demand the release of JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who was arrested on sedition charges.

"Most anti-national people are those who are suppressing the voice of students in this institution," said Gandhi.

Earlier, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday assured a delegation of Left and Janata Dal (United) leaders that "no innocents will be harassed but the guilty will not be spared" in the matter of sedition charges against students in connection with an event organised on (JNU) campus against the hanging of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

The leaders demanded the release of Kumar, who is a member of the Communist Party of India (CPI)'s student wing All India Students' Federation. The police detained seven other students on Saturday.

Meanwhile, videos of the protest that took place inside the JNU campus on Tuesday were posted on social media. The posts claimed the videos showed that it was the students affiliated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) who infiltrated the protesters to raise anti-India and pro-Pakistan slogans. The ABVP, the students' wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has rejected the allegations.

After meeting the home minister, Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, who was joined by CPI National Secretary D Raja and JD(U) spokesperson K C Tyagi, said the new vice-chancellor of JNU was acting on the instructions of the government and allowed the police to go ahead with a "crackdown". "This is happening across all universities that VCs are being removed and the government is appointing persons who are acting on their instructions," Yechury said.

The Left leaders also questioned the "authenticity" of the videotape that showed anti-national slogans being raised by a group of people. "Police has released a list of 20 students, including the daughter of D Raja, who have been slapped with sedition charges without enquiry," Yechury said.

"Who can question mine or my daughter's integrity? Who can accuse us of anti-national, anti-constitutional activities? Are they mad?" said D Raja, adding that he has received calls carrying threats to his daughter.

The BJP also upped the ante on the issue. "Rahul Gandhi and his friends are speaking in the voice of terrorist Hafiz Saeed, who had tweeted in support of the anti-India event in JNU. It is an insult to our martyrs and armed forces who sacrifice their lives on the border and will boost the morale of anti-national forces," BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said.

Reacting to the arrest of the student leader over the controversial JNU event, Rahul Gandhi had said, "The Modi government and ABVP bullying an institution like JNU simply because it won't toe their line is completely condemnable. While anti-India sentiment is unquestionably unacceptable, the right to dissent and debate is an essential ingredient of democracy."



Ex-servicemen of the 54th National Defence Academy (NDA) course, who are alumni of JNU, threatened to return their degrees. In a letter to JNU Vice-Chancellor Jagdeesh Kumar, they said they "find it difficult" to be associated with an institution that has become a "hub of anti-national activities".
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Saturday that the Congress demand for changes in the Constitution amendment Bill for the goods and services tax (GST) was politically motivated. In a Facebook post, he also asked former prime minister Manmohan Singh to advise his party, the Congress, that its demands for a constitutional cap on GST tariffs were inconsistent with the countrys Constitution.

Jaitley also said that public sector banks under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rule were run not by their boards or from North Block but from the Congress headquarters at New Delhis 24, Akbar Road.

The finance ministers post followed the former prime ministers interview to the India Today magazine. In the interview, which was published on Friday, Singh had said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government, particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was half-hearted in reaching out to the Congress on important issues, including on GST.

In his response, Jaitley disagreed with the former prime ministers assessment about GST. On consultations with the Opposition, almost all political parties, except the Congress, support the GST. The Congress has done a volte-face. Both the parliamentary affairs minister [M Venkaiah Naidu] and I have discussed the GST with every senior Congress leader in Parliament, the finance minister said.

He added that the economist in Dr Singh should advise his party that tariffs are not provided for in the Constitution.

The finance minister also said that former presidents and prime ministers rarely speak, but when they do, the nation should listen to them with rapt attention. They represent the wisdom of the nation. They are expected to be non-partisan, render constructive advice and at times send a powerful message even to their own political party to act in broader national interest.



Jaitley said that he has consistently held Singh in high respect, and expected such a non-partisan approach from him. On Singhs critique of the government, Jaitley hinted at the BJPs criticism of the former prime minister having been controlled by the Congress first family during his tenure and several scams that hit the UPA in its last few years.

The finance minister said that many stalled infrastructure projects have started moving in the 20 months of the BJP-led government at the Centre. Indias journey is from policy-paralysis to a global bright-spot, as the fastest growing economy moves on notwithstanding major challenges, he wrote.
At least 10 militants, including a top commander of a separatist outfit, were killed and 12 others arrested today in an operation carried out by security forces in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province.

The security personnel conducted an operation in Sangaan area of Sibi district and demolished three militant hideouts.

They also apprehended 12 suspected militants following an exchange of fire in which 10 terrorists were killed.

"A key militant commander was also killed during the operation," an official told Dawn .

Spokesman for Balochistan government, Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, said a key commander of the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) Aslam Acho was reportedly killed by security forces in Sibi.

Kakar said, "the dead commander was allegedly involved in the attack in Quaid's residency in Ziarat."



The security forces claimed to have recovered a huge cache of weapons including rockets, improvised explosive devices and bombs from the possession of the militants.

All the dead and apprehended militants belonged to an outlawed militant organisation operating in the area, the security official said.

The arrested suspects were shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation.

The militants were reportedly involved in a series of attacks on security forces and blowing up of gas pipelines and other vital installations in the area.
Two militants, belonging to different outlawed insurgent outfits, were arrested by the security forces in Manipur's Churachandpur district and Thoubal district, a Maniour police statement said today.

A combined team of police commando and Gorkha Rifles arrested one Zaliangrong United Front (ZUF) identified as Psalmpu Golmei (36) from Lower Ngariyan of Churachandpur district yesterday, the release said.

In another operation conducted by Thoubal district police commando of Manipur police at Wapokpi Bazar in the district on Feb 11 last, one hardcore activist of United National Liberation Front (UNLF) Thounoujam Manglemba Singh Alias Kanbiba (32) was arrested, the statement said.
Two Egyptian soldiers were killed today while trying to defuse a bomb in the country's restive North Sinai, the army said.

An army officer and a conscript were killed in North Sinai while trying to defuse a bomb, army spokesperson Brigadier General Mohamed Samir said in a statement.

Another officer was injured in the incident which took place in Qarm el-Quadis, Samir said.

The army personnel were on a mission to attack terrorists in the area when they discovered a bomb that was planted by militants.

Army engineers tried to defuse the bomb which exploded, killing an officer and a conscript, Samir said.

Egypt's North Sinai has witnessed many violent attacks by militants since the January 2011 revolution that toppled ex-president Hosni Mubarak.

The attacks targeting police and military increased after the ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in 2013 by the military following massive protests.

Over 700 security personnel have been reportedly killed since then.

The military has launched campaigns in the area, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip.
Over 46 per cent votes were today polled in the by-election to the Bikapur, Deoband and Muzaffarnagar assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh.

A total of over 46.33 per cent polling was reported in by-elections being held in Bikapur (Faizabad district), Deoband (Saharanpur district) and in Muzaffarnagar constituencies till 5 pm.

"A total of 46.33 per cent polling was today witnessed till 5 pm in the by-elections," according to the office of the UP Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in Lucknow.

While in Deoband polling was 50 per cent, in Muzaffarnagar it was 44 per cent and in Bikapur it was 45 per cent till 5 pm.

The final poll percentage could rise as those standing in queues, if any, will be allowed to caste their votes, CEO office said



There was no report of any untoward incident from anywhere during the by-election, Home department officials said here.

The by-elections were necessitated in Muzaffarnagar, Deoband and Bikapur due to demise of SP MLAs Chitranjan Swaroop, Rajendra Singh Rana and Mitrasen Yadav last year.

Gaurav Swaroop is the SP candidate from Muzaffarnagar, while Anandsen Yadav and Meena Devi are the party candidates from Bikapur and Deoband seat.

The counting of votes for these seats will be held on February 16.
Fifty five per cent of the voters today cast their ballots in the bypoll to Khadoor Sahib assembly seat of Tarn Taran district.

Fifty five per cent votes have been polled till 4.30 pm, official sources said here.

However, there was no report of untoward incident in the bypoll.

Voting today remained slow in the morning as five per cent votes were polled till 9.30 am after commencing at 8 am.

Various polling booths in the constituency wore a deserted look initially when the polling started.

But later in the day it picked up with voters reaching polling stations in large numbers.

There are total 1,87,184 voters and interestingly this time five cross genders were also included in the voter list.

Around 2,100 security personnel were deployed in the polling booths, including 1,500 policemen and six companies of para military forces.

The bypoll is being held as the seat fell vacant after Congress MLA Ramanjit Singh Sikki resigned in protest against sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib last year.

There are seven contestants in the fray but among main political parties, only Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has put up his candidate. The main opposition party Congress and Aam Aadmi Party have not fielded any candidate for the bypoll.

Ravinder Singh Brahampura, son of Akali stalwart, Ranjit Singh Brahampura is contesting on SAD ticket. The six others are Puran Singh of BSP (Ambedkar) and Independents - Sumel Singh Sidhu (AAP rebel), Bhupinder Singh Bittu (Congress rebel), Sukhdev Singh, Harjit Singh and Anantjit Singh Sandhu.

Congress pulled out of the contest on the last date of filing the nomination and had said that the issue on which Sikki had resigned was still unresolved. Sikki had even appealed to voters to boycott the bypoll.

The counting of votes will take place on February 16 and the result will be declared on the same day.
At least seven people were killed and over 30 others were injured after a Gujarat state transport bus overturned near Luvara village in Amreli district this morning, police said.

"Seven people died and 30 others sustained injuries when the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation bus turned turtle after the driver failed to negotiate a sharp turn. The incident took place near Luvara village in Savarkundla taluka," a police official from Amreli district said.

The bus was heading to Mahua in Bhavnagar district from Upleta in Rajkot district when the incident took place, he said, adding the injured have been shifted to various hospitals in Savarkundla and Amreli.

Chief Minister Anandiben Patel expressed grief over the incident and announced Rs four lakh compensation to the kin of the deceased. She also declared that state government will bear the medical expenses of injured people.

In Gandhinagar, Transport Minister Vijay Rupani said that doctors and nursing staff have been rushed to Savarkundla from nearby towns to treat the injured patients.

Further investigation is on.
Seven youths were detained today after they were found trying to enter the venue of a cultural programme in New Delhi area with posters, which the police claimed could have disrupted law and order.

According to police, the first one to be stopped at the security check point at Jashn-e-Rekhta event at Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, was a Delhi University student, who claimed to be the member of Left student group SFI.

Several posters, containing slogans of democracy, equality and justice, were recovered from him.

Soon, six others from the same group were detained and taken to Parliament Street police station.

During questioning, they claimed that they belong to a theatre group.

Three of them were also carrying tambourines.

While six of them were released late afternoon, the youth who was stopped first, identified as Umar Shaqib, was released in the evening.

"It was a case of preventive detention. The youths could not be allowed to enter the concerned premises with the articles they were found to be carrying," DCP (New Delhi) Jatin Narwal said.
Over 72 per cent voter turnout was registered in the Maihar assembly seat bypoll today in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh.

"Over 72 per cent voters have exercised their franchise till 5 PM. The polling was peaceful," a public relations department official said.

Though 15 candidates are in the fray, the main contest is between BJP and Congress. BJP has fielded Narayan Tripathi who had won the seat in 2013 on Congress ticket before joining BJP in 2014 during the parliamentary elections.

The bypoll was necessitated as Tripathi resigned his seat after joining BJP.

Congress has fielded former BSP leader Manish Patel who had secured third position in 2013 election, polling more than 40,000 votes.

BSP has fielded former MLA Ram Lakhan Singh Patel and Samajwadi Party has fielded Ram Niwas Urmalia.

The counting of votes will take place on February 16.

There are a total of 2,27,803 registered voters in the constituency.

The administration had deployed six companies of the central para-military forces in addition to the police to ensure peaceful voting.
Terming the first year of AAP government as "year of confrontations", Delhi BJP today demanded that the Centre "dismiss" the Arvind Kejriwal dispensation for "violations of the Constitution".

A day before the Aam Aamdi Party government completes one year in office, Delhi BJP President Satish Upadhyay said the state unit will observe 'Protest Day' tomorrow.

Addressing a press conference here, Opposition Leader in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta and South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri demanded that the Centre "dismiss" the AAP government.

Gupta referred to a list of 52 notifications released by Delhi government and claimed these were in "violation of the Constitution and laid down rules".

"The central government should not overlook the violations of the Constitution. I will soon meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and apprise him of major instances of violation of the Constitution, laws and rules by AAP government," Gupta told reporters.

Bidhuri said the Centre should "dismiss" the city government.

The Arvind Kejriwal government will complete one year in office tomorrow. The government has issued phone numbers through which Chief Minister and his cabinet colleagues will interact with the people.

"Tomorrow, Delhi BJP will hold a protest at Jantar Mantar against the completion of one year of the AAP government which has failed to fulfil its promises made during the Assembly elections. Kejriwal is a dream merchant as he has failed to deliver on his poll promises made to the masses.

"We will stage protests in different areas against the government till February 28," Updhyay said here.

He alleged that ever since the AAP came to power, it has followed a course of conflict with the Centre and other agencies to divert focus away from their governance and lack of delivery on its promises.
At least 14 members of ABVP and AISF were today taken into preventive custody at the Osmania University here after they got into a heated argument over a planned protest against JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar's arrest in Delhi.

AISF members had gathered in front of Arts College on the campus for burning an effigy of the Central government to protest Kumar's arrest, demand his immediate release and dropping of sedition charge against him.

But a group of ABVP members objected to it, which led to a row. The members of two organisations almost came to blows before the police stepped in.

"Police immediately intervened and separated students and took them away....There was no clash...Situation is completely peaceful," OU police station's Inspector Ashok Reddy told PTI.

Ten members of ABVP and four of AISF were taken into preventive custody, he said.

Kumar, a member of CPI's student wing AISF, was arrested in connection with an event against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. There were allegations that anti-India slogans were raised during the event.
Prashant Kishor, poll strategist of Narendra Modi in 2014 Lok Sabha polls who later worked for Nitish Kumar in Bihar assembly elections in 2015 will now work for Punjab Congress in the forthcoming state elections to be held in early 2017.

Disclosing this, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh said "the All India Congress Committee has given its approval for Kishor to assist Punjab Congress in the forthcoming assembly elections in Punjab".

Punjab assembly elections are due early next year and Congress which has been out of power for the last nine years after been defeated twice at the hustings by ruling Akali-BJP combine, is seeking to wrest power again.

Punjab Congress will work out its poll strategy jointly with Kishor in the run-up to the polls, especially in the wake of growing support for AAP, which had won four Lok Sabha seats, sources said.

They said that Amarinder has been working with Kishor for some time and he is also learnt to have told the Congress not to contest the Khadoor Sahib bypolls in the state.

Congress has since decided not to contest the bypolls, despite the AICC having officially declared the candidature of sitting MLA Ramanjit Singh Sikki.

Sources said that Kishor has already started his work and is making an assessment of the ground situation along with surveys while formulating the party's strategy.

Kishor and the Citizens for Accountable Governance (CAG), an election-campaign group he conceptualised, helped the Narendra Modi-led BJP win an absolute majority in the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

In 2015, Kishor and some members of CAG regrouped as and started the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and started working for the 2015 Bihar assembly election.

Working closely with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Kishor helped Kumar's "Grand Alliance" win the elections.
A convoy carrying medical aid today entered the besieged rebel-controlled Douma area, a flashpoint near the Syrian capital, the Red Crescent said.

The aid consists of medicines and also milk for children, said Syrian Red Crescent director of operations Hazem Bakla, quoted by state agency SANA.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) confirmed the aid delivery to Douma in the Eastern Ghouta, a rebel stronghold east of Damascus besieged since 2013.

According to UN figures, some 486,700 people in Syria currently live in areas besieged by either government or rebel forces.

Scores are reported to have died of malnutrition or because of a lack of medical treatment.

Yesterday, the world body said it hoped to deliver aid to people in besieged Syrian cities "without delay", after world powers agreed a plan to cease hostilities in the war-wracked country.

The United Nations has said that only around a dozen of 116 access requests to reach people in need have been granted by the Syrian authorities.

The United States and Russia agreed yesterday in Munich on a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria within a week with the aim of relaunching the peace process and halting the exodus of civilians.

The two countries and their main allies within the International Syria Support Group also agreed on "immediate" access to humanitarian aid for needy civilians.

The United Nations has said that only around a dozen of 116 access requests to reach Syrians in need had been granted in the past.
BJP president Amit Shah today said he will push for global cultural centre status for famous Digambar Jain pilgrimage site of Mangi Tungi near here in north Maharashtra.

Shah said he will seek cooperation from the Maharashtra government and Centre for recognition of Mangi Tungi as an international cultural centre.

He was speaking at a programme organised as part of religious events underway to consecrate the 108-ft tall idol of Lord Rishabhdeva, the first Jain Teerthankar, atop Mangi Tungi hills.

The idol, carved out of a single rock, is 108 feet tall and 184 sq feet in size, and is said to be the world's tallest Jain idol.

Shah arrived at Mangi Tungi by a helicopter from Aurangabad this afternoon and was received by state BJP president Raosaheb Danve and Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan, among others.

The main 'Mahamastabhisheka' (a grand Jain event) will be organised from February 18 to March 6. In the run-up to the main event, another ceremony ('garbha kalyanak') was held where Jain devotees from all over India took part.

The giant idol will be opened for public after its ongoing installation and the main ceremony, Jain saint Ravindrakirti Swami said.

Shah, Danve and Mahajan were felicitated by prominent Jain community leaders at the function.
Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma tonight alleged that he was attacked physically by ABVP activists in JNU campus when he was returning with Rahul Gandhi after attending a protest meeting held by students there.

Sharma, Deputy Leader of Congress in Rajya Sabha, told PTI that the SPG had to take Gandhi out by an alternate vehicle as the alleged attackers had surrounded the vehicle of the Congress Vice President as well.

The "attack" took place some distance away from the place where the meeting was held at the varsity campus with the ABVP activists using "cover of the darkness," he claimed.

"There was a bleeding from my left ear following the attack and I also suffered some cuts," Sharma said, adding his personal security officer too was "pushed from behind" by the attackers.

The former Union Minister said he was a "few steps" behind Gandhi.

He said his PSO has lodged a complaint with police.

"Differ with us, but you have no right to attack us," he said, while slamming his attackers.

(Reopens DEL73)



Meanwhile, the Congress termed the alleged attack, which it said was carried out by a "sharp weapon", as a "black day" in country's democracy.

"This is a black day for India's democracy when Deputy Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha was publicly attacked with a sharp weapon by government-protected activists. We condemn the attack in strongest possible terms," AICC spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.

He alleged that ABVP activists "reflect the frame of mind of the Modi-government," who want to siphon off the voice and take away civil rights of students.

He asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah to take against the culprits and also give an explanation on the attack, as law and order is the responsibilities of the government and Delhi Police.

"Prime Minister and BJP President owe an explaination...We want to ask the Prime Minister whether law and order is not his and Delhi Police's responsibility," he said.

"Will Prime Minister now take action against those goons and hooligans...Will Modi take action against Delhi Police who failed to protect and provide security.

"Is this the intolerance that is in the mind of the government and BJP, by which, if you disagree with BJP, either you will be branded as anti-national or you will be physically attacked and bodily harmed caused to you," he said.

Meanwhile, ABVP rubbished the allegations, saying its members did not indulge in any such activities.

"They were peacefully registering their protest against the presence of politicians on the campus which has politicised the whole issue," ABVP leader and JNUSU Joint Secretary Saurabh Kumar Sharma said.
As many as 200,000 fish bones discovered in and around a pit in Sweden suggest that the people living in the area more than 9000 years ago were more settled and cultured than previously thought, scientists say.

The study provides earliest evidence of food fermentation in Scandinavia, from the Early Mesolithic time period, about 9,200 years ago. The findings suggest that people who survived by foraging for food were actually more advanced than assumed.

The Mesolithic period, which spanned around 10,000-5,000 BC, marked the time before people started farming in Europe.

At this time, researchers believed groups of people in Scandinavia caught fish from the sea, lakes and rivers and moved around following the sources of food they could find.

"This is a really exciting and surprising finding that gives us a completely new picture of how the group lived," said Adam Boethius, said PhD student at Lund University in Sweden.

"We'd never seen a site like this with so many well preserved fish bones, so it was amazing to find," Boethius said.

The foraging people stored huge amounts of fish in one place by fermenting them, suggesting the people had more advanced technology and a more sedentary life than we thought.

If the people were more sedentary, they would have been better able to develop culture.

This makes their culture more comparable to the Neolithic people in the Middle East, who were traditionally thought to have settled much earlier than their northern European counterparts, researchers said.

Researchers had been excavating a site at Norje Sunnansund to rescue any artifacts from Mesolithic settlements before a road was built. As they started to dig, they found lots of fish bones, which indicated people had lived there.

They then uncovered an elongated pit or gutter surrounded by small stake holes and completely filled with fish bones.

"It was really strange, and because of all the fish bones



in the area we knew something was going on even before we found the feature," said Boethius.

Researchers analysed the feature and the contents and discovered the fish bones were from freshwater fish. He also showed the fish had been fermented - a skillful way of preserving food without using salt.

The amount of fish they found could have supported a large community of people. Given the amount and type of fish found at the site, researchers believe freshwater sources played a more important role in the development of culture in the area than we thought.

The study was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.
Anganwadi workers in large numbers from across the country will take out a protest march to the Parliament in Delhi on February 15, pressing for their demand to release pending salaries.

President of Maharashtra Rajya Anganwadi Karmachari Sangh, MA Patil told a press conference yesterday that lakhs of anganwadi workers in many states have not been getting their wages for the last five-six months.

He said in addition to salaries, funds to pay rent of the anganwadi premises too have not been release as a result, many anganwadi centres are either being vacated or workers are facing harassment by land owners.

An action committee of all controlling unions including AICCTU, AIUTUC, AITUC, CITU, HMS and INTUC have been formed which has given the call for the morcha of February 15 in Delhi during the Parliament's Budget session, said Patil.

He condemned the steep cut in the central budget allocations for ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) by the current NDA government from Rs 18108 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 8245.77 crore in 2015-16.

The sharp decline in funds has already started to affect scheme in states like Bihar, Punjab UP etc, he said.

In the name of lack of funds, government was forcing state governments to hand over anganwadi centres to corporates and corporate NGOs, he alleged.
NRI billionaire Anil Agarwal today announced that it will set up India's first LCD manufacturing facility, which will see an investment of $10 billion (nearly Rs 68,000 crore) in five phases.

Agarwal-led firm Twinstar Display Technologies will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Maharashtra government to set up the facility. .

In July last year, the firm had announced an investment of Rs 40,000 crore to set up a LCD panel plant in the country, generating 50,000 jobs.

"Twinstar Display Technologies promoted by Volcan Investments will sign a MoU with the Government of Maharashtra to set up India's first LCD Manufacturing Unit, known as Panel FAB. Under the agreement, Twinstar Display Technologies will invest $10 billion over five phases in setting up India's first and one of the world's largest LCD fab units," the company said.

Volcan Investments  the parent company of Twinstar, Vedanta Group and Sterlite Technologies  will sign an MoU with Government of Maharashtra during the 'Make in India' week, it added.

"We have made good of the promise we made to the nation during the Digital India Summit in July 2015. We are happy to participate in two of the Government's key initiatives - the 'Make in India' campaign as well as 'Net Zero Electronics import by 2020'," Agarwal, chairman of the Vedanta group, said.

The firm will try to make India a significant export hub of display units with the setting up of Panel FAB, he added. Panel FAB is expected to begin production by 2018, with full production over the next 10 years subjected to external environment. Upon completion, the project will provide direct and indirect employment to more than 30,000 people, the firm said.

It will also contribute 7-10 per cent to Maharashtra's Industrial Gross Domestic Product. The project requires nearly 300 acres of land and two locations have been shortlisted so far, it added.

India's is one of the fastest growing markets for LCD panel-based products such as TV, smartphones, tablets, desktops and Laptops.

At present, all LCD panels are imported. By 2020, India's LCD Panel import bill is expected touch $10 Billion. Panel FAB will not only significantly reduce this, but also earn foreign exchange through exports.

"A FAB unit can only be successful if the whole ecosystem around it develops and Twinstar Display Technologies is confident of bringing many ancillary partners to the country and make India a leading electronic system design and manufacturing (EDSM) destination," the firm remarked.
Andhra Pradesh government would soon commission a study on the economic condition of backward classes in the state, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced here today.

"We will soon undertake a study on the economic condition of BCs. Our ultimate aim is to eliminate economic inequalities and establish a poverty-free society," the Chief Minister said addressing a loan mela for the backward classes.

There are 139 backward communities in Andhra Pradesh and the government is taking all steps for their welfare, he said.

A group among the participants tried to disturb the meeting, as the Chief Minister was addressing, demanding that the government desist from diluting reservations for BCs in the backdrop of the move to include the Kapu community in the BC list.

The Chief Minister admonished the group stressing that his government would never do injustice to backward classes.

"Backward classes are the backbone of TDP. The TDP remains non-existent without the BCs, so there is no question of doing any injustice to them. We will ensure reservations for backward Kapus without disturbing the quota structure for existing BCs," he asserted.

The government would only try to do something more for the BCs, he added.

Naidu noted that no other country in the world had caste system.

"Being born in a particular community is only an accident. In fact, there are only two castes -- the rich and the poor. The rich can take care of themselves and our government will do everything for the upliftment of the poor," he said.

The Chief Minister distributed a sum of Rs 115 crore to over 34,000 BC beneficiaries for taking up self-employment ventures.

In the first phase a few months ago, Rs 127 crore was distributed as loan to 37,000 BC beneficiaries.

Deputy Chief Minister K E Krishna Murthy, ministers Kollu Ravindra, P Pulla Rao, MPs, MLAs, leaders of BC associations and others attended.
Family members of Subhash Chandra Bose today met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and asked for a proper inquiry to ascertain the true identity of Gumnami Baba of Faizabad, who several people believed was Netaji.

The family members who met Yadav at his official residence asked him to constitute a committee to inquire into the real identity of Gumnami Baba alias Bhagwanji, a Hindu sanyasi who lived in the house Ram Bhawan in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh at least till 1985.

This committee should thoroughly look into all things connected with Gumnami Baba in order to find out his true identity and the chief minister has assured that a decision in this regard will be taken soon, an official release said.

They also thanked the Chief Minister for taking a decision for setting up a museum/gallery for exhibiting the things belonging to Gumnami Baba.

The chief minister said that this museum/gallery will be completed in a time framed manner and Netaji's family will also be invited on the occasion of its inauguration.

Those who met Yadav included Netaji's grand niece Jayanti Rakshit and her husband Amiy Rakshit, grand nephew Arya Bose among others.
An Australian man who woke from a coma speaking fluent Mandarin has found love on a Chinese dating show.

Ben McMahon was involved in a serious car accident in 2013 which left him in a coma for more than a week.

When he awoke, to the astonishment of his family, the Melbourne man started speaking in Mandarin.

Broadcaster SBS reported that McMahon had matched with a woman on the dating show "If You Are The One" after two episodes of the Chinese-language show featured contestants from Australia.

The programme sees male contestants attempt to win the hearts of 24 women, and the often frank assessments offered between the sexes have won the English-subtitled show popularity.

"I thought I'd put myself out there and find out if I was the one," McMahon told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation yesterday.

"It's a good insight into Chinese culture and just some of the crazy things that go on and the requirements for relationships," he said of the show which attracts up to 50 million viewers.

McMahon, one of 10 men and 16 women to travel from Australia to China to film the programme, learnt some Mandarin in high school and later travelled in China and studied in Beijing.

But he could not have anticipated that he would briefly lose the ability to speak English after his accident and that his internal monologue would be in Chinese.

"When I came out of that coma, the first words to come out of my mouth were in fluent Mandarin," he told the ABC.

He said the first person he saw was a nurse of Asian appearance and so he had said to her in Mandarin: "Hi, it really hurts here ... What happened to me?"



At that time, his thoughts and dreams were also in Mandarin, while his conversation left his parents wondering whether they needed to learn the Asian language.

McMahon met Sydney-based lawyer Feng Guo on the show, which is yet to air in Australia, and the pair have so far had only one date.

They will travel to the Maldives on holiday together next week for the free trip they won on the show.

McMahon said he wanted to use his language skills to forge better cultural communication between China, Australia and the rest of the world.

"In Chinese there is an idiom that goes along the line of, 'from a tragedy comes something great'," he said.
Australia's prime minister today announced a Cabinet reshuffle after three ministers resigned over scandals and two announced that they will retire at elections due within months.

It is the second major reshuffle for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull since he came to power in September. It introduced six new ministers among 42 who must prove themselves ahead of elections due near September.

Turnbull said he did not expect to make any further ministerial changes ahead of the elections. The reshuffle revitalised the government through the promotion of younger ministers, he said.

"This is transition, this is change, this is renewal and it's very ... important," Turnbull told reporters.

The reshuffle was triggered by two key ministers Andrew Robb and Warren Truss announcing this week that they will retire at the next elections.

Robb has been praised for sealing bilateral free trade deals with major trading partners China, Japan and South Korea as minister for trade and investment. He is replaced by Steven Ciobo, but will remain involved in the portfolio until the elections as a special envoy for trade.

Truss's portfolios will be shared between two experienced ministers when the new Cabinet is sworn in on Thursday.

The first resignation from Turnbull's ministry came in late December in response to a female public servant complaining about a minister's drunken behaviour in a Hong Kong bar.

Another minister resigned on Friday after an investigation found he had a potential financial interest in a trip he made to Beijing with an Australian businessman.

A third minister resigned on Saturday because a police investigation into whether he illegally accessed a House of Representative speaker's diary was likely to drag on for months.
An auto-rickshaw driver was today hacked to death with sharp weapon by suspected group members of a slain youth, who was killed two days ago in Rupnagar under Sonari police station here in East Singhbhum district.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, Amar Kumar Pandey said the 30-year-old victim, Kalicharan was believed to have been killed to avenge the murder of Veeru Mahali two days ago, and it appeared to be a fallout of enmity between two groups over turf control.

A big police force led by Senior Superintendent of Police, Anoop T Mathew rushed to the spot to investigate the killing even as local residents put up road block in protest against the killing and demanding adequate compensation to the victims family.

However, the blockade was withdrawn after 12 hours following the assurance from the district police to arrest the culprits involved, he said.

Pandey said altogether three persons were arrested including one related to the killing of Mahali.

Earlier, Mahali was crushed to death with stones allegedly by the rival group members on Thursday.

Mahalis death also triggered road blockade with the body.
Demanding an end to Pakistan's "forceful" occupation of Balochistan, hundreds of Baloch- Americans and leaders from this restive Pakistani province held a peaceful protest in front of the White House to seek US intervention and deployment of NATO troops in the region.

"At least 35,000 Baloch are missing. There is a grave violation of human rights on the people of Balochistan and all this is being perpetrated by the Pakistan Army and the ISI," said Mama Abdul Qadir Baloch in an interview to PTI yesterday in front of the White House.

Vice president of the Voice for Baloch Missing Person, Qadir Baloch who came from Pakistan to attend this peaceful protest in front of the White House had carried out a 3,000 km long march from Quetta to Islamabad in 2013 against human rights violations in the province.

The White House protest was organised by the Baloch National Movement (BNM) to condemn the cold-blooded murder of its secretary general, Dr Mannan Baloch allegedly by the Pakistani army in Baluchistan.

"We urge US President Barack Obama to ask the Pakistani Government to immediately stop human rights violations against the people of Balochistan. We also urge US to send NATO forces in Balochistan to save its people from the atrocities perpetrated by the Pakistan Army on us," he said.

Calling for a free and independent Balochistan that can guarantee peace and stability in the region plagued by religious extremism and terrorism perpetrated by the Pakistani army, the peaceful protestors alleged that the military is currently engaged in a bloody campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing of the indigenous population.

"We are asking the US government to intervene and stop military aid to Pakistan as American weapons are used by them for genocide against the Baloch people," Waheed Baloch, former speaker of Balochistan Provincial Assembly said.

"Recently they killed three political leaders. There is a war going in in Balochistan. There are protests in the streets, in the mountains," he said.

Dr. Mannan Baloch was assassinated because of his unwavering struggle to end Pakistan's forceful occupation of Baloch lands, deep sea port of Gwadar, resources (natural gas, minerals, copper and gold mines) and brutal human rights violations of civilians, he alleged.

Senge Sering, president of Gilgit-Baltistan Institute, in his address supported the struggle for the independence of Balochistan.

He also condemned the brutal murder of the BNM leader Dr. Mannan Baloch.
Criticising the Centre over the the arrest of the JNU students union president, Uttar Pradesh Minister Azam Khan today said the BJP government is inclined to "closing down" the prestigious institute.

Claiming the charges against Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students were "baseless", he said BJP's "hidden agenda" is to "saffronise the educational system and atmosphere".

"The same attitude is being adopted in case of Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University," he said.

"The students cannot raise voice against their own country and Constitution. It is BJP's inclination to close down JNU," the minister said.

He said the action against the students was part of BJP's "strategy to depute its own agents who opted slogan-mongering".

JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested in connection with an event organised on the campus against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. There were allegations that anti-India slogans were raised during the event. Kanhaiya is member of CPI's student wing All India Student Federation (AISF).

Khan said had BJP not received the electoral drubbing in Bihar "some very dangerous events might have emerged".

In a veiled attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his stopover in Pakistan, the minister said, "PM had arranged a trip to Pakistan on the advice of a capitalist without taking Parliament into confidence and overlooked the consequences of visiting such a country where even a nine-year-old boy walks with rocket launcher."



He claimed the visit posed a threat to the PM.
Protesting against the alleged "anti- people" policies of the Centre and the BJP government in Haryana, Congress held a protest march here today.

Under the banner of a 'Jan Akrosh Pradarshan,' demonstrators took out a procession in the city and raised slogans against the BJP government.

Earlier, a rally was organised at the local old grain market here.

Randeep Surjewala, Congress MLA and media incharge All India Congress Committee, presided over the rally.

A large number of Congress workers from Jind and other districts of Haryana took part in the rally.

Surjewala alleged that Modi government at the Centre and Khattar dispension in Haryana have failed to fulfil their election promises.

He alleged that BJP government had decieved farmers as they were not given remunerative price for their produce.

"There had been distress sale of paddy and cotton after the BJP government came to power," Surjewala said.

Farmers felt cheated by the BJP government as despite promises by the saffron leaders nothing had been done to implement the Swaminathan Commission report.

He alleged that state government was "victimising" the cane growers by not making timely payment of sugarcane supplies to the cooperative sugarmills.

Surjewala alleged that prices of essential commodities have increased under the BJP rule. "Prices of pulses and other eatables have gone up and these are beyond the reach of the poor."



Prices of diesel and petrol are low in the international market, while these are being sold at higher rates in the country, he said.
Thousands of Burundians today participated in government-sanctioned demonstrations against neighboring Rwanda whom it accuses of supporting a rebellion to topple Burundi's president.

The demonstrations highlight the souring of relations between the Central African neighbors since Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza was re-elected for a disputed third term.

Burundi was rocked by violent street protests for months after Nkurunziza's April announcement that he would seek another term.

At least 400 people have died since then in violent street protests, assassinations, attacks by a rebel group and a failed coup attempt. More than 200,000 Burundians have fled to neighboring countries, mostly to Rwanda. Burundi is accusing Rwanda of training and arming rebels in the refugee population.

Rwanda yesterday said it plans to relocate 75,000 Burundian refugees to other countries following the accusations.

Burundi's Interior Minister Pascal Barandagiye, in a radio broadcast urging people to participate in the demonstrations, accused the Rwandan government of trying to topple Burundi's government through military means.

Demonstrators camped at Rwanda's embassy in Bujumbura today, singing songs against Rwanda President Paul Kagame.

The songs described Kagame as an enemy whom Burundians are going to "kumesa." The Kirundi word kumesa means wash. During Burundi's civil war a decade ago, "to wash someone up" was a euphemism for killing people perceived to be enemies.

A UN panel of experts has made similar allegations against Rwanda, saying in a new report that refugees from Burundi received training from Rwandan military personnel last year with the goal of removing Nkurunziza from power. The experts spoke to 18 Burundian combatants who said they had been recruited at the Mahama refugee camp in eastern Rwanda in May and June 2015 and that their numbers total four companies of 100 recruits each.
The All India Network of Sex Workers (AINSW) today called for decriminalising of sex work and recognition of labour rights of sex workers on the concluding day of 'Gender Mela' at Delhi University here.

Participants spoke about the need for sex workers to form unions to resist exploitation by police and officials and push for the removal of discriminatory policies and laws.

"Sex workers' union is part of the country's labour rights movement and we ask that our work be decriminalised and we be given the same rights as any other worker," said Seema, a member of a union of sex workers in Sonagacchhi area of Kolkata.

The AINSW demand was supported by the transgender groups, who insisted that the rights of transgenders must be acknowledged, too, while remedial steps should be taken to address the violence they face.

"The NALSA judgement is incomplete as it only gave recognition to the third gender but did not make any effort to give them services and facilities to improve their lives and mainstream them even though almost two years have passed. So, little has changed on the ground for us," said one Maya.

Maya said there were Nari Niketans set up by the government for women who are victims of violence but there was no acknowledgement of the sexual and other forms of violence faced by transgenders in distress who have nowhere to go.

The three-day Gender Mela was organised by Miranda House on its campus in collaboration with OBR and MenEngage Delhi.

Experts like Prof Sanghamitra Acharya from JNU, Sehjo Singh of Action Aid and Tripti Tandon from Lawyers Collective emphasised on the need for a "deeper understanding of the intersection of Dalit issues with gender and environment".

They also called for change in laws projecting women, particularly sex workers, as 'victims' and thereby depriving them of rights that other workers enjoy.
CBI has registered a case of cheating against three army officials who headed Military farm in Pune between 2009-12 for allegedly causing loss of Rs 2.12 crore to the exchequer in the supply of milk by a dairy.

CBI sources said a case has been registered against Col P K Bahugana, Lt Col J K Joseph and Lt Col Ajit Singh Bhadouria who posted as officer in charge of Military farm, Pimpri, Pune, during different periods between 2009 and 2012 allegedly entered into criminal conspiracy and made fraudulent payments to a private company Aasha Associates.

The sources said these officers allegedly in criminal conspiracy with proprietor Amarpal Singh and other unknown persons and in pursuance of the criminal conspiracy, made certain payment to the firm against the supply of milk by a dairy in Pune to the Military farm and caused an alleged loss of Rs 2.12 crore to the said Military farm under the Defence Ministry.

They said searches have been conducted today at various places at Pune, Jammu, Kolkata, Kota and New Delhi on the premises of suspects.
Chinese heavy equipment major Sany group today said it plans to ramp up its presence in the country and will be taking its overall commitment in India to USD 1 billion over the next decade.

"We have already invested USD 100 million in our plant in Pune and are looking at taking our investment in the country to the tune of USD 1 billion over the next 10 years," Sany Group President Tang Xivguo told PTI.

Its plant at Pune manufactures 1,000 units of heavy equipment per annum at present, he said.

The company has interests in heavy equipment, port machinery, energy and technology solutions.

It has put up a stall, along with many others, at the specially created facility for the Make in India (MII) Week at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Central Mumbai.

Over 2,500 international and 8,000 domestic companies are participating in the week-long multi-sectoral industrial event, which is also being attended by foreign government delegations from 68 countries and business teams from 72 nations.
Beijing blasted Britain today for suggesting that a Hong Kong bookseller believed detained by China was "involuntarily removed to the mainland", accusing the former colonial power of interfering in Chinese domestic affairs.

Britain had earlier released a report describing the disappearance of Lee Bo, who holds a British passport and published books critical of Chinese politics, as a "serious breach" of an agreement signed with Beijing before Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997.

They were Britain's strongest comments yet on a case that has rocked Hong Kong, adding to growing fears that freedoms are being eroded in the semi-autonomous city.

Beijing hit back, slamming London for making "groundless accusations against China".

"Hong Kong affairs are China's domestic affairs," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a statement late today.

"We ask the British side to mind its words and actions and stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs."



Four other booksellers from the Hong Kong-based Mighty Current publishing house also disappeared in October and Chinese authorities have confirmed they are now under criminal investigation.

But questions remain over what has happened to Lee, 65, who went missing in December -- the only publisher to have disappeared from Hong Kong.

Letters purportedly written by Lee and sent to his wife confirmed he was now on the mainland and said he had gone to China of his own volition to help with unspecified investigations.

But Hong Kong lawmakers and activists have accused Chinese authorities of snatching Lee from the city, contravening laws that do not allow mainland police to operate within the territory.

"The full facts of the case remain unclear, but our current information indicates that Mr Lee was involuntarily removed to the mainland without any due process under Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region) law," said Britain's foreign secretary Philip Hammond in a regular parliamentary report on Hong Kong.

"This constitutes a serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong and undermines the principle of 'One Country, Two Systems' which assures Hong Kong residents of the protection of the Hong Kong legal system."



Hammond said Britain had called for Lee's immediate return to Hong Kong and had been in communication with the Chinese government "at the highest level".
In freezing President Barack Obama's plan to tackle carbon emissions, the US Supreme Court delivered a blow to a global climate deal but experts say that US commitments to the deal will survive.

Obama's "Clean Power Plan" would require the power sector to cut carbon dioxide emissions by at least 32 per cent compared to 2005 levels by the year 2030.

The high court's surprise decision unleashed a wave of concern around the world.

"For a vulnerable country like India, it is important that the Paris Agreement leads to ever more ambitious actions by all countries," said Navroz Dubash of the New Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research, referring to the global climate deal.

"From that perspective, this early indication from the US Supreme Court risks taking us in the wrong direction."



The court "threw an unexpected monkey wrench into the Obama administration's plan to cut carbon pollution from power plants," said Union of Concerned Scientists president Ken Kimmell.

However, Kimmell told AFP, "it would be quite premature to conclude that is a blow to the Paris Agreement."



The freeze will only last about 18 months until a legal challenge by a coalition of 27 mostly Republican states is heard and Obama himself has said he is confident the White House is on "strong legal footing."



The Environmental Protection Agency gave US states individual greenhouse gas emission targets, but they have until 2022 to comply, which Kimmell noted was a "very long" timeline.

"The immediate effect of the ruling is to push back the deadline for our states to submit implementation plans, but this delay does not necessarily imperil the United States' meeting its 2030 target," said Scott Fulton, president of the Environmental Law Institute.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey echoed fellow Republicans when he hailed the "historic and unprecedented victory against (the) EPA," backed by the five conservative justices of the nine-seat court.

But climate experts note that the Supreme Court did not rule on the substance of the Clean Power Act, sending the matter back to an appeals court that will probably rule in June.

Other lower courts will also make related decisions.

"This is merely a temporary pause on the Clean Power Plan, and we are confident that it will prevail in the court hearings to come," said Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune.
A Congress delegation, led by Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, today met DMK president M Karunanidhi at his residence here over a possible alliance for the upcoming assembly polls in Tamil Nadu.

Azad was accompanied by state Congress president E V K S Elangovan and the party's Tamil Nadu in-charge Mukul Wasnik.

Fruitful talks could result in the two former allies joining hands after a gap of three years when DMK snapped ties with Congress over the Sri Lankan Tamil issue.

The DMK leader had invited Congress and DMDK as part of his efforts to cobble up a strong alliance against the Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK.
There were calls for the birth centenary celebrations of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to be held at her birthplace here and requests for a member of her family to represent the Allahabad Lok Sabha seat as local Congress leaders met party chief Sonia Gandhi today.

Gandhi arrived in the city last evening on a "private visit" after completing a two-day tour of her parliamentary constituency of Rae Bareli.

Party workers led by MLA Anugrah Narayan Singh and district Congress chief Anil Dwivedi met Gandhi at the historic Swaraj Bhavan this morning.

"However, the AICC president had made it clear that she was not going to give any political message since it was a private visit," said UPCC spokesman Kishore Varshney.

"Nevertheless, the party leaders took the opportunity to place a few requests. These included celebrating the birth centenary of Indira Gandhi -- on November 19 this year -- at Swaraj Bhawan itself where the former prime minister was born," he said.

According to Varshney, the Congress workers are of the view that the celebrations could be used for sounding the bugle against the BJP government at the Centre.

"She was also requested to consider fielding a member of the family (Nehru-Gandhi) from Allahabad in the next general elections which, they assured, would work wonders for reviving the party in the district from where heavyweights like Jawaharlal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri have been elected to the Lok Sabha," the UPCC spokesman said.

The Congress leaders also submitted a memorandum to her seeking pressure be put on the government for construction of a state-of-the-art cancer institute close to Swaraj Bhavan which was conceptualised by former Prime Minister and her late husband Rajiv Gandhi, he said.

Varshney could not give details about the Congress chief itinerary, saying "since it is a private visit, the local party unit has no definite idea of her schedule".

"We had thought she would be flying back to Delhi this morning. Thankfully she stayed back and gave us a hearing.

"Her chartered plane is ready at Bamrauli airport on the outskirts of the city. She is likely to leave later in the day," he said.
CPI MP D Raja today claimed that he has received calls carrying threats to his daughter, who is a student activist in the Jawaharlal Nehru University, whose students union chief has been arrested on sedition charges.

He said late last night he got a call from a man who spoke in Hindi and asked him why he was "fighting" with BJP and ABVP. He was also "reminded" that his daughter was a resident of the University and she would be shot down, he said.

The Rajya Sabha member said he also received calls from a man in Australia, who claimed to be an underworld don, making similar threats. While some of the calls were from "private" and "unknown" numbers, some of them appeared to be from abroad, he said.

Raja said he has apprised Home Minister Rajnath Singh about these threats when he met him this morning as part of a delegation that went to demand the release of release of JNU Students' Union President Kanhaiya Kumar. Kumar was arrested in connection with an event organised on the campus against the hanging of Afzal Guru.

(Reopens DES19)



Meanwhile, CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy took up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing concerns over the security of Raja and his daughter.

In a letter to Modi today, Reddy asked how one can dare threaten a leader of Raja's stature, adding one of the callers identified himself as underground don Ravi Poojari.

"I express my serious concern that there are threatening telephone calls to Comrade Raja that he and his daughter Aparajita, AISF leader in JNU will be shot down if they continue to fight ABVP and RSS.

"One of them claimed he is Ravi Poojari underground don. If there is no security to an MP and well-known senior leader of CPI to whom else you can give security? How dare they threaten a leader of his stature? It is a matter of shame," Reddy said in the letter, which was released to media.

The former Lok Sabha member also urged Modi to be "objective and impartial" and intervene to stop "political vendetta" and instruct Delhi Police to withdraw false case registered against JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar.

Defending Kumar further, Reddy said the action against the JNUSU president took place as the ABVP, students' wing of BJP, was "frustrated" that the AISF leader defeated them.

Reddy also accused the ABVP of "putting" words in mouth of Kumar to prove him as one who shouted "anti-India" slogans.

The Communist leader stated that following the death of Hyderabad Central University student Rohith Vemula, there was "unrest" across many varsities and likened the current situation at JNU campus to the days of Emergency.

"Politics and administration should be separated. Political vendetta against all those who do not agree with ABVP is taking place with the help of police and administration. ABVP is frustrated as Kanhaiya Kumar defeated them in elections," he said.

Kanhaiya, member of CPI's student wing AISF, was yesterday arrested in connection with a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy over holding of an event at the prestigious institute against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, sparking widespread outrage among students and non-BJP political parties.
In an embarrassing move, Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz has pulled a recent campaign commercial after it turned out that the clip, which mocked rival Marco Rubio, featured an adult film actress.

Amy Lindsay, who has acted in multiple adult films such as Erotic Confessions, Carnal Wishes, Secrets of a Chambermaid and Insatiable Desires, had appeared in the Cruz campaign advert decrying Rubio as nothing more than a "pretty face."



Cruz said the mistake happened unknowingly. "It happened that one of the actresses who was there had a more colourful film history than we were aware," he told reporters.

"We would not have cast her had we known of that history."



Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler said the campaign was replacing the commercial with another one. Lindsay yesterday said she was "extremely disappointed" with the decision to pull out the commercial, but added that she has no ill will against Cruz.

"I have no ill will towards Ted Cruz right now. He's got a job to do," Lindsay told CNN's Jake Tapper on 'The Lead.' "And I'm a middle-class working girl and I had a job to do."



Cruz, who won the Republican Iowa Caucus early this month, is currently placed behind frontrunner Donald Trump in both national and South Carolina polls. The primary in South Carolina is scheduled for February 20.

Trump is leading the South Carolina race with 34.5 per cent support, while Cruz has support of 15.5 per cent, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush (13 per cent) and Marco Rubio (12.5 per cent), according to a latest poll.

Lindsay said she still plans to vote for Cruz.

"Like I said, when I did the ad and the words that came out of my mouth... I was speaking from the heart about some of the issues that I think are true problems in this country that we as Americans are facing today," she said.

Meanwhile, Trump yesterday began airing a new ad in South Carolina focused on illegal immigration featuring Jamiel Shaw, whose son was brutally murdered by an illegal immigrant.

"People wouldn't be talking about illegal immigration had I not brought it up when I announced I was running for President," Trump said.

"It is a massive problem in our country and now everybody agrees with me - bad for crime and the economy," he said.

Shaw said: "Donald Trump is the only person fighting to put American families first. He will protect our children and put an end to these senseless acts of violence that are caused by our failed policies and broken immigration system."



"Without strong borders we don't have a country... Donald Trump is a man who stands for what is right. He stands for America and I stand with him," Shaw said.

Addressing his supporters at the University of South Carolina, Trump said he is running an optimistic campaign, refuting reports that he was running a negative campaign.

At the same time, Trump alleged that it was his Republican opponents who were running a negative campaign.

"You see the negative ads now, all phony ads. Those are paid for by lobbyists that are all supporting them," he said.
The dawn to dusk Khunti bandh called by JMM today in protest against the killing of its leader Jidan Horo evoked response in Khunti in Khunti district today.

Majority of the shops and business establishment downed their shutters while road traffic was badly affected due to the bandh, official reports said.

A group of JMM activists took to the streets enforcing bandh though adequate number of police force was deployed to maintain law and order.

JMM Working President-cum-former Chief Minister Hemant Soren also visited Khunti to condole the death.

Talking to newsmen, Soren threatened to intensify the agitation state-wide if the culprits in the killing of Horo were not arrested within 24-hour.

He also demanded for Rs.20 lakh as compensation and a government job to the victim's family.

Meanwhile, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (Khunti), Ranveer Singh claimed that the police investigation into the Horo's killing was going on right track.

A couple of suspects were taken into custody for interrogation in connection with the killing, he said.

Horo had unsuccessfully contested the last assembly election from Khunti constituency on JMM ticket against BJP's Neelkanth Singh Munda, who is a Rural Development Minister in the Raghubar Das-led Jharkhand government.

He was gunned down by motorcycle borne assailants on Friday.
The death toll in a powerful earthquake that struck Taiwan's oldest city of Tainan a week ago rose to 109 today with an estimated nine people missing.

All but two of the dead were pulled from the ruins of the collapsed Weiguan Golden Dragon residential complex, a 17-story building.

The latest update by Taiwan's Interior Ministry said rescuers pulled out 33 bodies yesterday and another eight early today.

About nine people are believed to be missing and presumed trapped under the rubble. Rescuers were still scouring the site to find them.

Authorities detained the building's developer Lin Ming-hui and two architects this week on suspicion of negligent homicide amid accusations his firm cut corners in the construction.

Tainan city officials said they will inspect several dozen other developments built by Lin, as well as other buildings in the Weiguan compound that did not collapse.
: A senior doctor at Mohan



Kumaramangalam medical college government hospital here was killed on the spot when the motorcyle he was riding collided with another two wheeler here early this morning.

The mishap occurred near the Anna park area, police said.

Dr Elangovan was returning from ammapet area to the bus stand when the mishap occurred, they said.
Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain has asked his countrymen to avoid observing Valentine's Day, saying the western tradition was not part of "our culture".

"We should avoid Valentine Day as it has no connection with our culture," Hussain said while addressing a gathering of students - mostly girls - on the death anniversary of freedom movement leader Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar in Islamabad.

Hussain said that a blind following of western traditions will lead to a degradation of "our values", and has led to several problems including increase in attacks against women in a neighbouring country.

Hussain yesterday also said that Pakistan could achieve progress by adopting the philosophies of its great leaders.

Hussain's rhetoric against Valentine's Day came a day after the local elected council in Peshawar and Kohat district banned its celebration.

"There is no need to designate a special day where people give cards, chocolates and gifts to each other," district council chairman Maulana Niaz Mohammad said. "Valentine's Day has become a common and unnecessary part of our culture."



The celebration on February 14 has often been criticised by Islamists as an "insult" to Islam.

Police, however, said that the ban cannot be enforced as legally there is no bar on celebrating Valentine's Day.

Most people in Pakistan celebrate Valentine's day, usually observed by a limited number of people in major urban centres, at enclosed places due to fear of attacks by Islamists. In the past several such gatherings have been targeted and disrupted by activists of religious parties.
Actress Emma Roberts is set to reprise her role as Chanel Oberlin on the second season of TV series "Scream Queens".

Following speculations on who's back for the new instalment of the hit FOX horror comedy series, the actress herself has confirmed that she will return, reported E! Online.

"Yeah, Chanel is back!" Roberts, 25, said at the Ralph Lauren Polo presentation at New York Fashion Week. "I'm so excited for season two of Scream Queens because I can only imagine what the writers have in store for Chanel."



Season 2 will be set in a hospital and will reportedly feature four new male characters, who are all doctors.

Roberts said of the new additions, "I mean I hope there's four hot doctors because I feel like if there is anything season two needs it's four hot doctors."



Asked whom she'd like to fill the four roles, Roberts replied, "I hope they bring a couple people back from the first season cause I love all those boys so much." She added,



"You are putting me on the spot, too much pressure, but I know that if Ryan Murphy does one thing well it's casting amazing, talented and really hot people.
Scores of farmers affiliated to Tamil Nadu Farmers Association, today staged a demonstration seeking protection for their crops from elephants, which frequently stray into their fields.

The body also asked the government to direct the Forest Department officials to shoot the pachyderms, using rubber bullets, to scare them away.

Despite efforts being made by the government, the human-animal conflict continued, Association president, M R Sivasamy said while claiming that there was a provision in a Central Act, where officials can use rubber bullets to scare the elephants away.

He also said of late the animals were targetting property of farmers, besides killing them and causing damage to their crops.

Farmers should also be given permission to use rubber bullets against wild boar, deer and small wildlife, which are damaging the crops, he added.

Meanwhile, Sivasamy demanded that the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) to provide adequate compensation for the agricultural land acquired for erection of electric towers.
Mahie Gill stars in award winning filmmaker Trisha Ray's next venture "Orphan Train" and the actress says working on the thriller was a memorable experience.

The 40-year-old actress, best known for her role of Paro in Anurag Kashyap's critically acclaimed film "Dev D," is playing the lead role in the independent American film.

"I loved the character that I portrayed and Trisha is the funniest and intelligent director, she is superb and I am sure we will work more together soon," Mahie told PTI.

The "Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster" actress plays the role of an Environmental Protection Agent 'Helen Prost,' who is on a mission to investigate the involvement of radioactive isotopes in the deaths of children kidnapped by the local cartel.

"Orphan Train" is shot in a mix of three languages, Hindi, English and Spanish. Set in Mexico the film is based on a screenplay by Arizona-based writer Brian Stewart.

"This is probably the most challenging, fast-paced, hard-hitting, amazingly gritty screenplay that I've ever worked with - so all credit goes to screenwriter Brian (Stewart) for coming up with such an interesting and soulful storyline and for suggesting Mahie Gill, San (Banarje) as the lead villain Yatze," Trisha said.

Produced by Boat Angel Family Films (Arizona)and Next Actor Studio (Texas), the movie is slated for release in 2016.The film also star San Banarje, Sean Vida, Gablu.
Local fishermen today decided to go on indefinite strike from February 26, if their demands, including, release of fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan Navy and their seized boats, were not met.

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of office bearers of various fishermen Associations including T Sesuraja, S Emirit and N J Bose.

They told mediapersons that their primary demand was the release of 27 fishermen and their 82 boats.

They also sought compensation for 27 boats, which were totally damaged inSri Lanka.

They resolved to picket the office of the Sri Lanka Deputy High Commission in Chennai on February 29 to press their demands.
A retired army jawan and four others were held guilty in an 18 year old murder case by a local court here today which sentenced them to life imprisonment.

According to Shyam Singh Rajput, Assistant District Counsel (Criminal), on December 25, 1997, the accused, former soldier Rakesh Kumar, called one Udal Singh to his home in Hasanpur village, Naujheel area.

Rakesh, along with brother Kaptan Singh, got Udal Singh heavily drunk and shot him in the head. The victim died on the tenth day after being shot.

Udal's family members lodged a police complaint against Veeru, Ashwini and Rakesh Singh (Gram Pradhan at that time) along with the two brothers involved in the murder.

After hearing the two parties, Additional Sessions Judge (I)- AK Gupta held Rakesh Kumar, Veeru, Kaptan, Ashwini and Rakesh Singh guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment besides a fine of five thousand rupees each.
In a major success, army killed five suspected Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants while losing two soldiers during an overnight encounter that ended today in Kupwara district bordering Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The encounter in Zonreshi village started yesterday when army launched a search operation following information about presence of some terrorists there, Defence spokesman said today.

He said as the Army commenced the search of a suspect house, the hiding militants resorted to a "heavy volume of fire" and threw grenades.

"Despite the disadvantage of being fired upon by terrorists from the upper floor of the house, the soldiers immediately retaliated the fire," he said.

"As the soldiers engaged the terrorists, additional reinforcement effectively cordoned off the house to prevent escape of the terrorists," he said.

The operation, which concluded today, led to elimination of five terrorists, the spokesman said, terming it as "yet another major blow to the terror outfits".

"Two Army soldiers also attained martyrdom", he said. They were Naik Shinde Shankar and Gunner Sahadev Maruti More.

Police said four army personnel including a Major, were injured in the operation. The injured have been admitted to a military hospital in Drugmulla.

The defence spokesman did not spell out the identity or group affiliation of the slain militants but police sources said they were likely from LeT.

Five AK-47 rifles and a cache of ammunition and other war like stores have been recovered from the site.

The Army spokesman said the force "lost two of its gallant soldiers who were the leading scouts and despite bearing the brunt of the initial volley of fire, stood their ground for each other and the rest of the search team".

Northern Army Commander Lt Gen D S Hooda expressed his condolences to the families of the two soldiers.
A former governor of Afghanistan's Herat province has been kidnapped from a market in an upscale district of Islamabad, Pakistani police said today.

Pakistan is in the grip of a homegrown Taliban insurgency but the tightly-guarded capital has a very low crime rate in general and the F-7/2 sector where Sayed Fazlullah Wahidi was seized is a high security area that houses politicians, bureaucrats and expats.

Wahidi was going to a restaurant in the market with his grandson Friday evening when he was abducted by unidentified men, a police official, who requested anonymity, told AFP



The boy reported the kidnapping to the local police station and said Wahidi was in Islamabad to apply for a British visa, police said.

"We have registered a case against kidnapping of the former Afghan governor and the case is being investigated," Zia-ul-Qamar, a spokesman for the Islamabad police, told AFP.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today released a white paper on financial condition of Assam and asked the NDA government at Centre to come out with a fact- sheet on what it has done for the state during the last 20 months.

"We have made this white paper a public document. The BJP has been demanding it for a long time. Now let the NDA government do the same and publish a white paper on what it has done for Assam since May, 2014," Gogoi said at a press conference here.

Releasing the document 'A White Paper on State Finances', he said the official fact-sheet will be sent to the Prime Minister, Finance Minister and NITI Aayog for their consideration.

The document pointed out that Assam is slated to incur a loss of Rs 9,189 crore during the current financial year due to shortfall in release of funds, cut in money for Centrally- sponsored schemes, de-linking of existing schemes and change in funding pattern.

The white paper presented financial information related to the state from 2000-01 fiscal year, when Gogoi came to power for the first time, to the current financial year.

"The average fund transfer rose from Rs 3,789 crore (in NDA period from 1998-99 to 2003-04) to Rs 12,760 crore (in UPA period from 2004-05 to 2013-14), which was almost four times more," it added.

As a whole, Assam received Rs 22,734 crore during the first NDA government, while it was Rs 1,27,595 crore in the 10 years of UPA tenure.

"The NDA's first term was the worst period in the history of independent Assam regarding economic condition and law and order situation. After lots of effort, peace returned and our economy stabilised. Now, the present NDA government, instead of helping us, is depriving of our rights," Gogoi said.

In the foreword of the document, Gogoi said, "...The



Government of Assam has decided to bring out a white paper on the state finances with view of informing the people regarding the significant improvement achieved during the tenure of my present government and injustice done by the present NDA government to Assam."



He said the per capita income of the state increased to Rs 49,480 in 2014-15 from Rs 13,059 in 2001-02, while the ratio of debt and gross state domestic product (GSDP) came down to 17.03 per cent from 30.54 per cent during the same period.

The GSDP of the state also rose to Rs 1,83,798 crore in FY'15 from Rs 53,398 crore in FY'05, registering a growth of 15.26 per cent at current price in 2014-15.

"The macro-level fiscal parameters are now healthy and stable, and the state is marching towards peace, prosperity and progress.

"However, due to declining trend of plan allocation by the Centre after assumption of the office of the present NDA government, the state government has been facing acute shortage of fund for the state plan," Gogoi said in the white paper.
Stressing that the government will not compromise on quality, Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal today asked electrical equipment manufacturers to ensure quality or face blacklisting.

"On more occasions than one I have requested and appealed to all of you that quality is going to be the defining feature of this government's programmes," Goyal said.

"And if any of you is still harboring hope and desire to use second grade sheets, to use recycled copper or to use any of these products which damage the life, quality or accuracy of electrical equipment, I can assure you that there will be nobody worse than me for you to deal with," he said.

Goyal was speaking after inaugurating 'ELECRAMA-2016 -The World Electricity Forum', organised by the Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers Association (IEMMA) here.

He said he wants the message to go to the entire industry that this government will "not at all" tolerate any compromise on quality.

"Power Secretaries of the states may also kindly note that, because we fund a lot of these schemes that are happening in the states, all of India is one, we want best of quality in the states also," he added.

Stating that after investigation it is found that somebody continues to indulge in malpractices, he said, "I promise you, I will make sure not only they get blacklisted in the government of India and all of associated public sector undertakings, I will ensure that state also blacklists them."



"I will appeal to my friends in the private sector to make sure that such a company is blacklisted and run that business to the ground," he added.

Noting that the world is challenged today and there is a situation where growth is not happening, Goyal said in his recent energy dialogues with the US or Japan or Australia he has observed that they have great technology and ideas, but don't have the capacity to execute it efficiently and effectively and hence moving their bases to China. He said, "I feel that the time has come to show the world that India has arrived, to show the world that this is the place to do business."



Pointing out that India is becoming much more investor friendly and business friendly, Goyal said this process has just begun and one will see a lot more action in the days to come.

ELECRAMA-2016, the five-day event will have world utility summit, reverse buyer seller meet, CEO summit, and international T&D conclave, among others.

Goyal said getting electricity connection played an



important role in the improvement of ease of doing business and anybody who applies should be guaranteed connection if the grid is available within 15 days.

"I do hope by 2019 the country can move to a situation that 24 hours you can have an electricity connection. More ideal situation will be you have bouquet of options to choose from and there by bringing in competition in the sector also better service planning...," he added.

Speaking about transparent bidding process in procuring of LEDs, transformers, cables, meters, Goyal said mission of the government is to make it completely equal opportunity, corruption free and clean administration which also helps to improve standards of quality.

Pointing out about the power crisis that Karnataka faced due to shortage of hydro power, he said unfortunately over many years India has never built an adequate transmission infrastructure to take power whenever there is a problem. He said "In fact for the record in barely last 18 months we have been able to increase the transmission capacity to south India which has perennially faced shortage of power, by 71 per cent."



"Going forward in the next 18-24 months we will expand it further, so effectively in three-and-half years of Modiji's government we would have seen three fold expansion in transmission capacity to south India," he added.
Gujarat ATS today arrested a man from Rajasthan, wanted for allegedly providing shelter to a person, accused of killing a policeman in 2002, and also helping him obtain fake passport for travel to Pakistan, where the latter acquired terrorist training.

The arrested person was identified as Mohammad Salim, who had been absconding since 2002. He was accused of waging war against the country.

"Mohammad Salim was arrested from Rajasthan's Tonk town by our team in the 2002 case of waging war against the country," an ATS statement said.

Salim had given shelter to one Samirkhan Pathan in Rajasthan, after the latter murdered a police constable in Gujarat to avenge the 2002 riots, the statement added.

"Salim had helped Pathan in preparing false documents, on the basis of which a fake passport was prepared by Pathan to travel to Pakistan. Pathan had obtained terror training in Pakistan and returned to India," it added.

It said that police had earlier arrested 13 people in the case and Salim was arrested from Tonk on the basis of information.

Salim will be handed over to Ahmedabad city crime branch, which is investigating the case.
At least 30 people have been killed in Boko Haram raids on two villages in northeast Nigeria, vigilantes have said.

Gunmen on bikes and in vans stormed the remote villages of Yakhari and Kachifa on Friday and yesterday, said Mustapha Karimbe, a local vigilante assisting the military in the fight against Boko Haram Islamists.

"The attackers killed 30 people in two separate attacks on the two villages last night (Friday) and this morning (yesterday)," Karimbe told AFP adding that they also looted and stole cattle.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will launch the state's fourth investment roadshow here tomorrow as part of the ongoing Make in India Week.

The state has set up a Haryana Pavilion at the MMRDA grounds at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in central Mumbai for the Make in India Week, an official statement said today.

The Chief Minister will hold meetings with secretary of the Swedish ministry of enterprise and innovation, Oscar Stenstrom, first deputy prime minister of Poland Piotr Glinski and Czech ambassador Milan Hovorka.

As part of its effort to woo foreign investors into the state, Haryana has already held roadshows in New Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai.

The roadshows are a prelude to the 'Happening Haryana-Global Investors Summit 2016' scheduled for March 7 and 8 in Gurgaon.

During the Mumbai leg of the roadshow, Khattar will hold one-to-ones with heads and chief executives of various industries of national and international repute.
Health is being "embedded" in the growth story of the country as India charts an impressive growth curve that is being recognised at various global platforms, Union Health Minister JP Nadda today said.

"True to the philosophy of development for all, health is being embedded in the growth story of India. India is at an exciting phase of development and being recognised at various global platforms to be charting an impressive growth curve," Nadda said.

He was speaking at the 20th convocation ceremony of National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) at Bengaluru where Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu was also present.

Noting that NIMHANS is successfully blending traditional and modern systems of health care, Nadda said that the AYUSH centre at NIMHANS has "thoughtfully and diligently" developed an evidence base for integrating Yoga therapies for mental and neurological problems.

"This is the right time to look for its expansion and to mainstream these approaches in healthcare. I am sure Yoga has much to offer in helping us manage these conditions. I would like NIMHANS to suggest methods and mechanisms that would further facilitate this integration," he said.

NIMHANS has taken steps to host the genetic and cellular repository of patients with mental health problems, which is a first-of-its-kind step in India, Nadda said.

He asserted that this "futuristic" vision heralds the utilisation of existing and emerging cutting-edge technologies which will go a long way towards understanding the biology of mental disorders.

"The repository is being built under the prestigious and aspirational mission of the Prime Minister under the programme, 'Accelerating the application of Stem cell technology in Human Disease'.

"This is a giant collaborative effort that involves eminent and premier Indian institutions including NIMHANS, NCBS, Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, among others," he said.

Noting that NIMHANS has acquired facilities like Gamma knife, fMRI, PET - MRI, MEG, proteonomics laboratory, Nadda said that initiating a comprehensive centre for rehabilitation, centres for addiction medicine, well-being, public health, legal aid, brain bank are trend-setters as well.

The health minister congratulated the graduating students and praised their hard work, diligence and industriousness.
Hardline separatist organisation Hurriyat Conference today claimed that gangster Ravi Pujari had issued threats to its chief Syed Ali Shah Geelani and said if any harm comes to him, the responsibility will be that of the government of India.

Hurriyat spokesperson said "Pujari called the party headquarters at 8:45 pm on Friday and used unparliamentary language to threaten Geelani. Pujari called himself a patriot and asked Geelani to desist from what he called as provocative speeches."



Geelani termed Pujari's threats as a "childish act", the spokesman said, adding "if anything untoward happens to the separatist leader, the responsibility will lie with Government of India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent birthday greetings to Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani -- some 96 days before the occasion.

Modi greeted the Afghan leader through a tweet which said, "Happy Birthday @ashrafghani. Praying for your long life and exceptional health and a joyful journey ahead."



An obviously surprised Ghani, who was in Munich, responded, "@narendramodi Greetings from Munich Mr PM. Although, my birthday is on 19th May, but I'd still like to thank you for your gracious words :)".
India today expressed disappointment over US administration's decision to sell eight F16 fighter jets to Pakistan, saying it disagrees that such arms' transfers will help combat terrorism.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will be summoning US Ambassador Richard Verma to convey India's "displeasure".

"We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama Administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircrafts to Pakistan. We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism.

"The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself. The US Ambassador will be summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs to convey our displeasure," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

The Obama administration today notified the US Congress of its decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan worth nearly $700 million, notwithstanding American lawmakers' demand for stopping the proposed sale.

The estimated cost of the sale is $699.4 million, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency - a wing of the Pentagon - said in a statement, adding that this proposed sale contributes to the US foreign policy objectives and security goals by helping to improve the security of a strategic partner in South Asia.
With Nokia tax dispute continuing to cast its shadow on India-Finland trade ties, Prime Ministers of the two countries today agreed that seeking "speedy and fair" solutions to investment issues is important to boost investor confidence.

During a bilateral meeting with Finland Prime Minister Juha Sipila on the sidelines of 'Make in India' event here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also talked about several initiatives including to improve ease of doing business that have been taken to bring in consistency, clarity and predictability in policies.

Sipila, accompanied by a large business delegation, was here to participate in the inauguration of the 'Make in India Week' this evening.

According to a joint statement, issued after wide-ranging talks between the two Prime Ministers, the visiting leader welcomed the efforts made by the Indian government and Prime Minister Modi himself for reaching out to the business sector.

"The Prime Minister of India mentioned that several initiatives including Ease of Doing Business have been taken to bring in consistency, clarity and predictability in policies.

"Both Prime Ministers agreed that seeking speedy and fair solutions to investment issues and conduct of Mutual Agreement Procedure are important elements in increasing investor confidence," the statement said.

Nokia is facing a tax demand of nearly Rs 2,000 crore from Indian revenue authorities, and the matter is in court. The tax department had in 2013 slapped a tax notice of nearly Rs 2,000 crore on Nokia's Indian subsidiary for violating the withholding tax norms since 2006 while making royalty payments to the parent company in Finland.

Agreeing on the need to tap the full potential of the EU-India strategic partnership, the leaders welcomed the intention of the two sides to hold a Summit in 2016, the statement said.

"They also welcomed the prospect of resumption of talks on the India-EU Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA)".

Noting that there are more than 100 Finnish companies in India and some 25 Indian companies are in Finland, the statement said many of the Finnish companies in India have manufacturing plants in the country and are truly 'Make in India-companies'.

The two leaders also discussed other key bilateral and regional issues including reforms in the UN Security Council and condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. They reiterated zero tolerance for this menace which seriously undermines international peace and security, growth and development.

Apart from assuring the support of Finland to India to become a permanent member of the UNSC, Prime Minister Sipila took a positive view on India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group and Missile Technology Control Regime.

They also noted with concern mass migration of people in distress in conflict and volatile regions, especially in Africa and the Middle East.

(Reopens DEL44)



The joint statement further said that several Finnish companies are engaged in the renewable energy and clean-tech segments in India.

Apart from a Finnish energy company that already owns two solar power plants in India and has won a bid to build a third one, a Finnish mobile phone network manufacturer has an R&D centre in India that employs 6000 people and their equipment serves 280 million mobile phone subscribers, it added.

The two Prime Ministers also inaugurated, digitally, Trivitron's Labsystems Diagnostics IVD (In vitro diagnostics) factory in Chennai.

Highlighting Finland's capacities in the civil nuclear energy field, Sipila said there are four reactors in operation in his country.

Besides, Finnish companies and relevant government agencies can offer solutions related to safety and security ecosystems in nuclear power plants, he added.
Reacting strongly, India today summoned US Ambassador Richard Verma to convey its "displeasure and disappointment" over Obama administration's decision to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar summoned Verma to the South Block and during the 45-minute meeting told him about India's concerns over US military aid to Pakistan which New Delhi believes goes into anti-India activities.

According to sources, such military aids will embolden Pakistan.

External Affairs Ministry also issued a strong statement expressing its "disappointment" over the US decision. It said it disagrees with the rationale that these arms transfer to Pakistan will help in combating terrorism.

"We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan. We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism.

"The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself," the MEA statement said.

The Obama administration today said it has decided to sell eight nuclear-capable F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan worth nearly USD 700 million. The proposal has now gone to the US Congress, which has 30 days to take a decision on it.

There is a feeling in official circles here that India has turned out be the victim whenever any military aid has been given to Pakistan in past.
India today summoned US Ambassador Richard Verma here and conveyed its "displeasure and disappointment" over Obama administration's decision to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar summoned Verma to the South Block and told him about India's concerns over US military aid to Pakistan which New Delhi believes goes into anti-India activities.

External Affairs Ministry also issued a strong statement expressing its disappointment over the US decision. It also said that it disagrees with the rationale that these arms transfer to Pakistan will help in combating terrorism.

"We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircrafts to Pakistan. We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism.

"The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself," the MEA statement said.

The Obama administration today said it has decided to sell eight nuclear-capable F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan worth nearly USD 700 million. The proposal has now gone to the US Congress, which has 30 days to take a decision on it.
An Indian-American physician in the US has pleaded guilty to the charges of unlawfully dispensing controlled substances and health care fraud.

The 111-count indictment filed in April 2014 charged 63-year-old Pawankumar Jain, whose license has been revoked, with 61 counts of unlawfully dispensing controlled substances and 50 counts of healthcare fraud.

The indictment alleged that Jain committed the offences between April 2009 and June 2010, in Dona Ana County, New Mexico.

He was also charged with unlawfully dispensing prescription painkillers to patients outside the usual course of medical practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.

During that time, he was a licensed physician with a neurology subspecialty and also operated a pain management medical practice in Las Cruces.

Jain has been in federal custody since April 2014, and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which is yet to be scheduled.

Under the terms of his plea agreement, Jain will be sentenced to a prison term within the range of 42 to 108 months followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Acclaimed Pakistani director Sarmad Khoosat, best known for the Fawad Khan-Mahira Khan starrer soap "Humsafar", says he finds it surprising that Indian television offers regressive content at a time when the country's cinema is breaking boundaries and stereotypes.

He feels while the current scenario in Indian movies is impressive, television needs a lot of work.

"Progress happened on Indian TV faster and earlier than us. So, I find this a little surprising that in a scene, where cinema is saying so much, an advertisement can break boundaries, stereotypes... Then why do marketeers bring regression in television dramas. The narrative here offers nothing new," Sarmad said.

The actor-filmmaker was, however, quick to criticise the television scene in his homeland.

Speaking at the ongoing Urdu festival, Jashn-e-Rekhta here, he called for better characterisation and effective writing on television in both the countries.

"I feel we have finished the variety and diversity of stories in both the countries. India, whose cinema is doing great with films like 'Masaan', 'The Lunchbox', 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani', the TV from some time now has become monotonous.

"Characterisation and storytelling have suffered so much that the language is left much behind. The depth is missing in characters on both the sides."



Sarmad, along with Pakistani actress Sania Saeed and popular Indian actors Kanwaljit Singh and Lubna Salim, was part of a discussion "Zindagi Ki Soorat-Giri: TV Par Urdu Ke Rang".

Lubna, who is a known television face, defended the current content on the small screen, saying, "It is about TRPs. The market forces are such that you have to pay heed to them. But I feel within those limitations, we are coming up with better content. The offers that are coming to me right now are very interesting."



The discussion was primarily about changing face of Urdu through television shows in India and Pakistan.

Emphasising on the correct use of language in dramas, Sarmad lamented that today's writers take a lazy approach to make dialogues more popular with the audience.

"Not speaking in one language without bringing in another is an expression of today but the dialogue has suffered because of that... We never read badly or loosely-written novels but to make dialogues comprehensible to all we have taken a lazy approach. I have seen this happening both in India and Pakistan.
The Indian diaspora in Britain is a huge asset for building India-UK relations and plays a big role in attracting foreign investment to India, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK said.

Navtej Sarna, who took over his post in London last month, was addressing a gathering of nearly a hundred representatives of different social, cultural and ethnic associations of the Indian diasporaas well as Indian-origin members of the British Parliamentat a reception hosted at India House on Friday evening.

"They (diaspora) were a huge asset for building India UK relations. They were a bridge of influence that needed to be fully utilised. At the same time they had a huge role to play in assisting India'sdevelopment and in helping India attract foreign investment and expertise that would help develop its infrastructure, its ports, airports and smart cities or the cleaning of the Ganga," an India House statement quoted him as saying.

Sarna described each Indian-origin community member's life journey as "A Tale of Two Countries" --that of India and the UK and that of the 'matrabhumi' and the 'karambhumi'.

The community in the UKhad flourished extensively in every field of human endeavour - economics and business, politics, culture, medicine, finance and so on.

They had acquired a political weight and strong voice and they carried influence, he said.

The career diplomat also highlighted his plans to encourage a two-way dialogue between the community members and the High Commission, which he described asan institution open to all Indians which will make every effort to resolve all concerns.

"It (India House in London) reflected Indian-ness in every inch as it had originally been built for India. All community members must feel that this istheirhome and they would always be welcome," the statement said.

It was announced that consular outreach is being given huge importance by the High Commission as "this aspect of diplomatic work dealt with human beings".

The UK had a high share of electronic visas that had been issued - 24 per cent since the launch of the service last year.
Indian shooters ruled the roost for the fourth successive day as they made a clean sweep of all the six gold medals on offer in the 12th South Asian Games here today.

Omkar Singh (men's 10m air pistol), Rahi Sarnobat (women's 25m pistol) and Anjum Moudgil (women's 50m rifle 3 positions) grabbed a gold each while India also bagged the top spot in all the three team events to simply outshine their rivals at the Kahilipara Shooting Range here.

The home country's domination was such that in the three individual events of the day, India swept all the three medals in two while winning a gold and a bronze in the remaining one.

Pakistan's Kaleemullah (men's 10m air pistol) was the lone non-Indian to get a medal today. He won a silver.

With today's show, the star-studded Indian team, which have six Rio Olympics bound shooters, has so far collected 18 gold, 8 silver and 8 bronze in four days. Two days are left in the competition.

The day also saw Olympics bound Gurpreet Singh coming up with a disappointing performance in men's 10m air pistol as he finished sixth in the event won by compatriot Omkar who shot a total of 198.8 to clinch the gold. Another Indian, Jitendra Vibhute, bagged the bronze.

Omkar, Gurpreet and Jitendra then took the team gold in men's 10m air pistol event with a total score of 1735. Pakistan (1700) and Sri Lanka (1663) took the silver and bronze respectively.

In the women's 25m pistol final, Sarnobat won the gold medal match against compatriot Annuraj Singh with eight points to two while Anisa Sayyed took the bronze by prevailing over Farhat Nasreen of Pakistan.

India took the team event gold with Sarnobat, Anisa and Annuraj scoring a total of 1741. Sri Lanka (1654) and Pakistan (1631) got the silver and bronze respectively.

There was a tough fight for the gold in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions between Moudgil and Elizabeth Susan Koshy. Moudgil was the better of the two in the kneeling position but Koshy made up the deficit with a strong show in the prone.

But, Moudgil took control in the standing position and had taken such a huge lead, that even a very poor shot of 8.0 in the gold medal deciding round could not stop her from grabbing the top spot with a total of 452.2.

Koshy was second with a total of 451.9 while another Indian Lajja Gauswami took the bronze.

Moudgil, Koshy and Gauswami then shot down the gold in the team event with a total score of 1726. Sri Lanka (1686) and Pakistan (1656) won the silver and bronze respectively.
Tearing into former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's criticism of Modi government, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the transition from UPA to NDA government has been from "policy-paralysis" to a global "bright-spot" while Congress' stand on the crucial GST Bill has been motivated by "real politics".

In a Facebook post titled 'What Dr. Manmohan Singh should advise his Party', Jaitley said unlike in the UPA regime when policies were framed from Congress headquarters at 24, Akbar Road, in the NDA government Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the last word.

"Former Presidents and Prime Ministers rarely speak, but when they do, the nation should listen to them with rapt attention. They represent the wisdom of the nation. They are expected to be non-partisan, render constructive advice and at times send a powerful message even to their own political party to act for broader interest," he remarked.

Stating that he had consistently held Singh in high respect, he expected the same from him.

Referring to Singh's interview to a periodical over Modi not reaching out to the opposition and the government not doing enough to move up the country's economy, he said, "I am sure if Dr Singh would dispassionately analyse the present government, he would really realise India has a government where the Prime Minister has the last word, where natural resources are allocated without corruption through transparent process. Where industrialists no longer visit the North Block to push files/decisions, where environmental clearances are dealt with in routine and not stalled on sadistic or corrupt considerations."



Posing a question if there was any change in the work culture, the Finance Minister said the public sector banks were hardly run by their own boards or even by North Block during the UPA government.

"They were run from 24, Akbar Road. In power and infrastructure areas, sectoral challenges were not addressed during the UPA. It is the present government which is clearing up these accumulated challenges," he said.

Jaitley said many stalled infrastructure projects have now started moving. "India's journey is from 'policy-paralysis' to a global 'bright-spot', as the fastest growing economy moves on withstanding major challenges."



On consultations with the opposition, he said almost all political parties except the Congress, support the GST.

"The Congress has done a volte face. Both the Parliamentary Affairs Minister and myself have discussed the GST with every senior Congress leader in Parliament," he said.

He asked if the Congress' position on "constitutional cap" on GST rates is not "motivated by real "



"The economist in Dr Singh should advice his party that tariffs are not provided for in the Constitution. This is what nation expects from the senior leaders and statesmen like former Prime Ministers," he added.
Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) today staged a demonstration seeking immediate dissolution of the state Assembly followed by fresh elections in the state.

Led by JKNPP Chairman Harsh Dev Singh and state party President Balwant Singh Mankotia, over 150 activists staged a demonstration at exhibition ground here.

Addressing the protestors, Singh said it has been more than a month since Governor's rule was imposed in the state, with none of the political parties or coalition staking claim to form the government.

He said on January 31, the Governor had sought a concrete reply from the PDP and the BJP over government formation within two days.

"Subsequently, on February 2 the PDP had put certain conditions on the pretext of confidence building measures and indulged in unwarranted negotiation for forging a re-alliance, while the saffron party preferred to implore for 8-10 days to review the conditions," he said.

Singh said the Governor's office was not the forum to put conditions or buy time for government formation, but a sacrosanct institution where both parties were supposed to "agree" or "disagree" over continuing the alliance.

He said the imposition of Governor's rule, which was constitutionally imperative due to the demise of the incumbent chief minister, could not be prolonged or continued further.

Singh said since the time granted by the Governor was over, it should be deemed that none of the political parties were able to reach the magic figure required for absolute majority.

The JKNPP leader said since the indecisiveness on part of the PDP and the BJP was a clear indication of their inability to form the government, the only option available with the Governor was to recommend dissolution of the Assembly and pave way for the fresh elections.

He said with NC and Congress having conveyed their disinclination to form the government and with PDP putting forth inordinate conditions, it was only BJP which seemed desperate to form government with mere 25 MLAs.

He said it was "unconstitutional" on PDP's part to put conditions and any concessions given by the BJP led government to PDP for clinching a political deal would be "unethical" and hence constitute a corrupt practice.

Flaying the BJP, Singh reminisced that when the dialogue process over government formation in the state was underway last year, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the Centre would use "veto power" to make BJP-PDP alliance a reality.

He alleged that Section 92 of the Constitution could not be used as a ploy by the Centre to impose a proxy rule through the Governor, especially in a situation when the government formation in the state seemed nearly impossible.
The raging JNU row today turned into an ideological battle between the BJP and its Left opponents, with Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi lending them support and comparing the Modi government with Hitler's regime.

The arrest of JNU Students Union President Kanhaiya Kumar, a leader of CPI-affiliated student outfit, set the two sides on the warpath, with the government declaring that the varsity cannot be allowed to be a "hub of anti-national" activities.

The BJP also attacked Rahul Gandhi, saying he and "his friends are speaking in the voice of LeT terrorist Hafiz Sayeed who had tweeted in support of anti-India event in JNU".

The students, agitating for the release of Kanhaiya, who was slapped with sedition charge over an event on the campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, have threatened to go on strike from Monday if he was not freed.

Rahul Gandhi, who visited the campus in solidarity with the Left leaders, addressed the students. He said, "Most anti-national people are those who are suppressing the voice of students in this institution".

Students owing allegiance to ABVP, which is the student's wing of RSS, showed black flags to Rahul Gandhi and repeatedly disrupted his short address during which he often referred to the suicide by Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula of Hyderabad University and attacked the government for that.

"People who suppress the voice of this institute are anti-national. They are trying to crush the voice of the youth. I was in Hyderabad a few days back and these same people or their leaders said that Rohith Vemula was anti-national.

"There was a person in Germany named Hitler who had destroyed millions and millions of people. If only that man had listened to other people, may be that country would not have gone through that much of pain," Rahul Gandhi said to loud cheers by Left-leaning students.

Asserting that JNU cannot be allowed to be a "hub of anti-national activities", Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said freedom of expression cannot be "absolute and unqualified and reasonable restriction" has to be there.

"This was an unfortunate incident. But these are not small kids who don't know what they do. In the name of freedom of speech you can't abuse the nation," the minister added.

Meanwhile, the Chancellor of the university and former ISRO Chief K Kasturirangan, today visited the campus and took stock of the situation even as four Deans of JNU wrote to VC Jagdesh Kumar to protest against the manner in which police "crackdown" was "allowed by the university".

Earlier in the day, a batch of ex-servicemen, alumni of the university, threatened to return their degrees as they found it "difficult" to be associated with an institution that has become a "hub of anti-national activities".

Meanwhile, the HRD ministry has sought a status report from the university on the issue. However, the varsity administration maintained that it has not received any such communication so far.

In the morning, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, CPI



National Secretary D Raja and JD(U) spokesperson K C Tyagi met Home Minister Rajnath Singh here to demand Kanhaiya's release.

After meeting Singh, Yechury said,"We met the Home Minister and apprised him about the tense atmosphere in JNU at present. Delhi Police has released a list of 20 students in connection with the event, which also includes D Raja's daughter, but we are asking are they seen in the video shouting slogans?."



The university's alumni association also came out in support of the agitating students saying they are pained to see the "attack on university's image" which stands for its democratic culture.

Facing criticism for allowing police inside the campus, the varsity administration said the securitymen have been removed from the premises and there are no restrictions on the movement of students. However, outsiders were barred from entering the campus.

Meanwhile, a purported video showing members of ABVP shouting anti-India slogans at the Afzal Guru event was available on social media.

Kanhaiya was arrested yesterday in connection with a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy over holding an event at JNU against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. During the event, anti-India slogans were alleged to have been raised, while denouncing the hanging of Guru.

The case was registered yesterday under Section of 124 A (sedition) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC against unknown persons at Vasant Kunj (North) Police station following complaints by BJP MP Maheish Girri and ABVP.

The event was held despite the JNU administration having cancelled the permission following a complaint by ABVP members, who had termed it "anti-national".

Kanhaiya's family also condemned his arrest."It is alarming that anti-national forces, which played no role in the national movement, are today branding my brother and his university as anti-national. This issue is not about Kanhaiya alone, it's bigger than him," his brother Prince said.

Meanwhile, the police have formed several teams and conducted searches across Delhi NCR today for those who allegedly shouted anti-India slogans. They also contacted the family members of the students who they claimed are absconding and inquired about their possible whereabouts.
A US-based headphone manufacturing company has settled its lawsuit against American Express for profiting from the embezzlement of USD 34 million of its funds by the firm's Indian-American former top executive Sujata 'Sue' Sachdeva.

Koss Corporation where Sujata worked as a vice president finance said that the settlement calls for Koss to receive a gross payment of USD 3 million, but net proceeds will include expenses relating to attorneys' fees and costs, the company said in a statement yesterday.

"The matter has been resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties," said Michael Koss, CEO of Koss Corp.

Koss had accused American Express of profiting from the embezzlement activities by Sachdeva, who spent the stolen funds lavishly on luxury goods using her American Express account.

The accusation and lawsuit came despite the fact that the embezzlement came to light because American Express alerted Koss of Sachdeva's potentially fraudulent activity.

Koss alleged that the credit card firm waited months to report that Sachdeva paid an estimated USD 20 million of her bills with Koss funds.

The lawsuit contended that American Express executives delayed exposing Sachdeva's activities after discovering the embezzlement in an effort to avoid losses and to profit from Sachdeva's business.

American Express had called the claims preposterous and moved to dismiss the lawsuit, which was filed in 2010.

Trial dates in the matter were scheduled for later this month, according to online court records from Superior Court of Maricopa County, Arizona.

Under the settlement, the parties provided mutual releases that resolved all claims involved in the litigation between Koss and American Express Co, according to its press release.

Sujata, now 53, was sentenced to 11 years in prison in November 2010 for embezzling USD 34 million company funds.

Sujata had pleaded guilty to using company funds to pay her personal bills and admitted running up expensive bills at Milwaukee-area companies.
Kotak Mahindra Bank today said its subsidiary Kotak Mahindra (International) Ltd (KMIL) has acquired 17.5 lakh equity shares in Hindustan Media Ventures at Rs 1.75 crore.

Kotak Mahindra Bank has informed BSE about the acquisition of 17,50,000 equity shares at Rs 10 each aggregating Rs 1.75 crore being 2.38 per cent of the paid-up capital of Hindustan Media Ventures Limited(HMVL).

HMVL is the publisher of Hindustan, one of India's leading Hindi language dailies.

Hindustan has 4 editions and 113 sub editions across the Hindi belt.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has decided to work with the Sri Lankan government in assisting the families of those reported missing during the nearly three-decade long separatist conflict in the country, foreign ministry said today.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a meeting with the the ICRC delegation here and discussed the pressing issue of nearly 20,000 complaints of missing individual cases the government has received since 2013.

The ministry outlined the various steps taken by the government so far to deal with issues relating to the missing, including the plan to issue Certificates of Absence which will allow the relatives to proceed with legal procedures.

The government had also allowed the visit of the Working Group on Enforced andInvoluntary Disappearances (WGEID) and signed the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances, the statement said.

Speaking in the parliament on the issuance of Certificates of Absence, Home Minister Vajira Abeywardena said that the certificate would not hamper the investigations on the missing.

"The probes will continue," he said, "even after the issuance of the certificates".

Meanwhile, the presidential commission to investigate disappearances of individuals said that they had received nearly 20,000 complaints of missing individual cases since 2013.

The complaints relate to those missing from the government troops as well as the Tamil minority.

The UN Human Rights Council resolution of last October co- sponsored by Sri Lanka welcomed the country's offer to set up a commission for the missing people.
LeT and Al-Qaeda were convinced that 26/11 attack masterminds Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman would face only "superficial" action from the Pakistani authorities and within months plans were afoot for another terror strike in India, Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley said today.

Headley, who is serving a 35-year jail term in the US in connection with the 26/11 case, said this before a special court here via video link from the US during his deposition which concluded today.

The 55-year-old LeT operative told the Special Judge G A Sanap that after the attacks in Mumbai he was concerned about the safety of Saeed and Lakhvi and hence was in constant touch with LeT operative Sajid Mir, who was his handler, and Al-Qaeda member Abdul Rehman Pasha (former LeT cadre).

"FIA (Federal Investigating Agency of Pakistan) was conducting investigations, interrogating people and pursuing people from LeT. Hence I asked Mir about 'old uncle' (Saeed) and 'young uncle'(Lakhvi). Mir, in his reply, said that young uncle is fine and flying high. I think by this Mir meant that Lakhvi's morale was high even though he was in prison at that time," Headley said.

Mir also said that "old uncle is fit and healthy like anything. Don't put ears to rumours, he is moving back and forth like a tornado for his business and he (Mir) gave solace," the LeT approver said.

Responding to one of his mails, Pasha had written, "don't worry everything here is normal. By this Pasha meant that I need not worry (about Saeed and Lakhvi) as the action against them and other LeT members are superficial," said Headley.

Giving further details about anti-India activities, Headley said eight months after the Mumbai strike, Mir had sent an e-mail to him saying that another location needs to be scouted in India for future attacks.

"Mir in his mail has said an 'investment plan' needs to be made (meaning another location for attack). I told Mir that this time the attack should not be in 'Rahul (Bhatt's) City. I referred to Mumbai as Rahul City," he said while informing the court that all the emails had coded language.

Headley, who had scouted the November 2008 targets in Mumbai, said he had visited Pushkar, Goa and Pune in March 2009 and recced the cities as sought by Ilyas Kashmiri of Al-Qaeda.

He also visited the Indian Army's Southern Command headquarters at Pune in 2009 on the instructions of ISI's Major Iqbal, who wanted him to recruit some military personnel to get "classified" information, Headley revealed.

After the deposition which began on Monday, the court adjourned the case for cross-examination by accused and key 26/11 plotter Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal's lawyer for a future date.
The Libyan coastguard today intercepted a ship with a 12-man foreign crew that it said was smuggling diesel and escorted it to the marine base in Tripoli.

"The coastguard was conducting a reconnaissance mission when it intercepted the tanker carrying about 1.66 million litres of diesel," coastguard official Abu Ajila told AFP.

He said the crew of the "Captain Khayyam" was arrested, adding that they were of Ukrainian, Turkish and Azerbaijani nationality.

Libya has Africa's largest oil reserves, estimated at 48 billion barrels. Its production was estimated at 1.6 million barrels per day in 2011 but has plunged by a third since.

The country is mired in chaos, controlled by armed groups since longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi's fall in a 2011 revolution.

It has had rival administrations since August 2014, when an Islamist-backed militia alliance overran Tripoli, forcing the government to take refuge in the country's far east.

Political and security problems plaguing the North African country have made it easier for contraband and people smugglers to operate.
India and Sweden today resolved to scale up bilateral relations and expressed their commitment to a transparent, fair and predictable global trade regime under the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

"... India's economic development and rise as a global power have created new opportunities to further deepen and extend this partnership to foster economic growth and inclusive development in both countries as well as to meet global challenges," said the joint statement following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Swedish counterpart, Stefan Lofven.

The prime ministers of the two nations have "agreed to scale up bilateral relations and committed to a close bilateral dialogue at all levels", it said.

The two leaders also underlined the need to tap full potential of the EU-India strategic partnership and welcomed the prospect of resumption of talks on the India-EU Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement.

"Both the Indian and Swedish sides remain committed to the WTO and a transparent, fair and predictable global trade regime," the statement said.

The two prime ministers committed to a continued dialogue within the framework of the joint commission to enhance the environment for doing business in their respective countries and further facilitate and promote bilateral economic cooperation.

On increasing cooperation on defence matters, it said both the leaders agreed that India and Sweden will enhance dialogue on defence in key areas.

"The two prime ministers acknowledged the potential for successful collaboration and agreed that under the rubric of Make in India, co-operation possibilities between their respective defence industries could be identified and taken forward appropriately, including in the field of aviation," it added.

Further, both the Prime Ministers agreed to a deeper bilateral dialogue on UN Issues at both capital and UN-Mission level.

"They reiterated the need for urgent reforms of the UN Security Council through an expansion in both categories of membership, to make it more effective and representative of the contemporary geo-political realities," it said.

Lofven was of the view that it would be inconceivable that an important global actor such as India is not a permanent member of an enlarged Security Council and said he will seek parliamentary support for this view.

"The two countries called for forward movement in the inter-governmental negotiations on UN Security Council reforms and stressed their commitment to initiate text-based negotiations within the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly," the joint statement said.

Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed India's support for Sweden's candidature for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council for 2017-18.

According to the joint statement, both the leaders supported a stronger business-to-business dialogue between the two countries and welcomed the creation of an India-Sweden Business Leaders' Round Table.

Recognising the potential benefits of expanding and deepening cooperation in IT and digital industries, both sides endorsed the creation of a new Joint Working Group on digital technologies and economy.

Recognising the potential in the area of transport and infrastructure, the two countries agreed to explore a deeper collaboration.

Both also appreciated the revival of the NSA-level bilateral dialogue and welcomed the commitment to develop a road map for a deeper engagement on issues of mutual strategic interest.

In their joint efforts to strengthen global non-proliferation and disarmament objectives, it said India and Sweden committed to working towards India's further participation in the multilateral export control regimes.

"The two Prime Ministers recognised the common interest in preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism and the benefits of a closer dialogue and mutual exchange of information and good practices," the joint statement said, adding that "they looked forward to an exchange of visits of their respective special envoys, with a view to exploring agency-level cooperation, capacity building... Finalising a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism".

The Prime Ministers, it said, are committed to promoting human rights online, cyber security, combating cybercrime, and developing a common understanding on international cyber issues and supporting an open, inclusive, transparent and multi-stakeholder system of Internet governance as well as the application of international law in cyberspace.

"In this regard, both sides agreed to explore cooperation among relevant agencies through a second round of bilateral consultations on cyber issues," it added.

Meanwhile, after inaugurating the Make In India Centre Expo here, Prime Minister Modi today held bilateral talks with his counterparts from Sweden, Finland and also the deputy prime minister of Poland.

In his talks with his Swedish counterpart Lofven, Modi invited Swedish companies to forge partnerships in defence, electronic goods, medical equipment etc, an official statement said.

Modi recalled long association of his home state Gujarat with Poland during his bilateral talks with the Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Glinski.

He discussed areas of cooperation in food processing, clean energy and transportation sectors with Glinski, the statement added.
Taking a jibe at Devendra Fadnavis over the Make in India Week, which was launched here today, the Shiv Sena said Maharashtra has so far failed to attract investments that would at least compensate for the foreign travel costs of the Chief Minister.

The Sena also said that while efforts of the Chief Minister and state Industries minister to bring investments need to be appreciated, Vidarbha and Marathwada region also need to be developed as over 1,000 farmers have committed suicide there in the past year.

"Maharashtra has always contributed to the nation in a big way, but Mumbai has always been looted. There have been many investor summits held in the city in the last 50 years to boost the industrial growth but Mumbai has to keep struggling to get its dues," the Sena said in an edit in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

"Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is touring foreign nations along with a large number of delegates. What investments has Maharashtra been able to garner through these tours? Not even enough money that would compensate for the travelling costs of these delegates," the Sena said.

It further said that it would thus be important to see what investments would Maharashtra get from the Make in India week, which is hosting 60 countries and 5,000 delegates.

"Along with Mumbai, Vidarbha and Marathwada region also need to be developed as 1,328 farmers have committed suicide there in the last one year," it said.

The Sena said that those in power need to remember that development should not be at the cost of farmers and the working class.

"The Jaitapur nuclear plant will take away the livelihood of thousands of farmers and foreign investments in port sector in Palghar (newly formed district neighbouring Mumbai) will render lakhs of fishermen jobless. Those in power need to remember that they do not insist on development that destroys lives of these people," the Sena said.
A 45-year-old man, who allegedly killed his paramour, before stuffing her body into a sack and dumping it in central Delhi's Daryaganj area, has been arrested, police said today.

The accused, Dhan Kumar Gurung, was tracked down by the police with the help of a mobile phone SIM card which was recovered from the inner garments on the body of the deceased woman, DCP (Central) Parmaditya said.

A week ago, Delhi Police had found the body of a 33-year-old woman inside a stitched sack, dumped at Daryaganj area. Her identity could not be verified immediately, following which police of several states were informed.

Taking leads from the sack in which the body was found the body, they reached a particular market in north Delhi's Lahori Gate area where such sacks are exclusively made. The dealers there mentioned about a man, apparently from thr north-east, who



lived nearby and had recently bought such a sack, police said.

The police later zeroed in on Gurung, a native of Darjeeling in West Bengal, by analysing the SIM card and tracked him down in Gurgaon. During interrogation, it emerged that he was married, though his wife had started living separate recently.

The deceased, also a native of Darjeeling, was married too and had two children. She was in a relationship with Gurung and had been living with him since her husband abandoned her. Gurung suspected her of having an affair with other men and often questioned the woman about her owning several mobile phones and SIM cards.

On February 4 night, he allegedly strangulated her, tied her limbs with ropes, packed the body into the sack and dumped it, police added.
Nandita Das is making a film on the life of famous writer Saadat Hasan Manto and the actress- filmmaker says his struggles to express himself resonates with artists' fight for freedom of expression in today's times.

Manto acquired the title of a controversial writer during his living, but today he is celebrated for his work on both sides of the border.

"Manto's fight for freedom of expression is so much relevant in today's times... It is important for our country but also around the world artists, writers are struggling to find ways to say what they want to say," Nandita said at an ongoing Urdu festival, Jashn-e-Rekhta.

"His fight was really to be himself... If you are a person, you should be progressive, he did not understand the need of progressiveness as an additional value in a person. He also defied national, regional identity, which is also an important issue for us today," she added.

Titled "Manto", the movie traces the writer's time in Mumbai before he left for Lahore post Partition. Nandita revealed the film will touch the non-fiction part of Manto's work more than the fiction aspect.

"I was influenced by his non-fiction writings so my film is non-fiction in nature. Of course, we have fictionalised a few things like his pillow talks with his wife. My movie is about his personal journey, how Partition affected him on a deep, personal level, the places he lived, in fact, Mumbai is a character in the film.

Recalling her first brush with Manto, Nandita, 46, said



she began reading his stories after watching a play based on one of his works.

"I read him first in college... When I started reading his essays I realised his life in itself was an example. His stories are of course very powerful but the ups and downs he saw in his life...," she said while speaking at a special session "Manto Ab Tak Ham-Kalaam".

Nandita feels she shared some similarities with the prolific writer.

"He was rebellious, he was very political but used to say, 'I am not'. He used to say 'I know about politics as much as Gandhi ji knows about cinema'. So, that is something similar to me. People put the label of activist in front of my name but I tell them don't use such a big word for me, leave it for those, who do activism day and night."



"Also, he used to get irritated with labels. He was never associated with Progressive Writers Association, despite being one of the most progressive writers of the times," she said.

When asked if she ever felt he promoted misogyny, Nandita said, "Not at all. In fact, I feel he was a feminist. He was heavily influenced by his mother, sister and wife.

"He stayed loyal to his wife, used to help with household chores, something I don't see men doing today. He threw his most nuanced gaze on women and especially those who are the margins, the sex workers."



The lead actor for "Manto" is yet to be finalised but Nandita plans to finish the film by next year.
A Maoist militia 'deputy commander' operating in Khammam district's Cherla area was today arrested and a weapon used in mine blasts was seized from his possession, police said.

Muka Sodi alias Mukkaiah, who was allegedly involved in three offences including murder of a villager, exchange of fire with a police party and planting explosive material on a road, was apprehended by a joint team consisting of Telangana Police and CRPF personnel, Venkatapuram Police Station Circle Inspector Sai Ramana said.

"A directional mine was recovered from his possession. He had been operating in Cherla as militia deputy commander and besides supporting Naxals, he was also involved in offences since 2012," the Inspector said.

A case was registered and investigations are underway, police said.
The success of Nepal Prime Minister KP Oli's visit to India depends on how he responds to the demands of agitators, a senior Madhesi leader today said as he stressed that their protest has only been temporarily suspended.

Rajendra Mahato, chairman of Sadbhawana Party -- a constituent of the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF), said the six-day visit beginning February 19 would be fruitful only if Oli expresses commitment to address their concerns.

"The people and the government of India have shown overwhelming support to our issues during the six-month-long agitation, launched by the UDMF, so if the Prime Minister wants to make his India visit successful, he should address our issues," Mahato told reporters in Kathmandu.

The Nepal government should show positive gestures before Oli's visit to India begins so that he could get a positive response there, Mahato claimed.

Madhesis, who are largely of Indian-origin, have led a nearly six-month-long violent protest for better political representation, redrawing of the provincial boundaries and the federal structure of the Constitution. The protests have claimed more than 50 lives before being called off unexpectedly this month.

Mahato, however, said the agitation launched by the UDMF, which also comprises the Tarai-Madhesh Loktantrik Party and the Madhesi Jana Adhikar Forum-Nepal, has not concluded.

"We have only changed the form of the movement, it has not yet concluded," he said. "At present we have changed the border-centred agitation, so that people could feel some relief, but movement has not concluded yet," he clarified.

It is just a break, to preserve our energy so that a more intensified agitation could be launched if necessary, he said.

"Boundary demarcation is the bottom-line of our demands and unless the demands are properly addressed through an amendment to the Constitution the movement will not stop," Mahato warned.

Mahato said the government has not taken the agitation seriously even after nearly six months.

The government has enough time to discuss the demands, he said and advised the government to utilise the time wisely.

He urged the three major parties -- CPN-UML, UCPN-Maoist and Nepali Congress -- to display seriousness in addressing the issues raised by the Madhesi Front.
A week after he went missing from a train on way to New Delhi from here, Army Captain Sikhardeep today appeared before Faizabad police in Uttar Pradesh.

"I have talked to Captain Sikhardeep over phone. He is in Kotwali police station of Faizabad district and he is fine. The army personnel took him to Dogra cantonment (in Faizabad)," Superintendent of Railway Police (SRP) Jitendra Kumar Mishra told PTI.

Mishra said Sikhardeep called his sister on her mobile in Katihar this morning and informed her that he was at Kotwali police station of Faizabad.

She then informed their father Anant Kumar, a Lt Col-rank officer posted at Ranchi, who in turn told the SRP about his son's sudden appearance at Faizabad.

Mishra said Shikhardeep told him that he got off Mahananda Express at Patna Junction to drink water and lost consciousness thereafter.

When he regained consciousness, the Captain said he found himself tied to a chair at an unknown place. He managed to free himself, ran a few kilometres and then took Kamakhya Express.

However, the SRP said, the Army officer could not tell him the place where he boarded Kamakhya Express and where he got down from the train.

The Captain said he somehow reached Faizabad and went to Kotwali police station where he introduced himself.

Sikhardeep, who is posted in Jammu and Kashmir, had boarded Mahananda Express from Katihar on February 6 to go to New Delhi. His family had last spoken to him on phone that night but he did not reach Delhi.

The police team, which has been camping at Mugalsarai station to look for Sikhardeep, has been asked to reach Faizabad.

His brother-in-law, who had registered an FIR with Katihar GRP on February 9 about his disappearance, had also gone with the police team.

The 24-year-old Army officer, presently posted with 8th Sikh Light Infantry at Nowshera in Jammu and Kashmir, had come home for a month long holiday and was returning on February 6 by Mahananda Express.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched the largest-ever manufacturing summit Make in India (MII) Week here in the presence of heads of state, a battery of business leaders and foreign delegates.

The event is aimed at attracting investments into the manufacturing sector and showcasing success stories at a specially-created venue at the BKC business district in Central Mumbai.

Prime Ministers of Finland and Sweden and the deputy premier of Poland are also among the attendees.

After inaugurating the mega event, the Prime Minister took a tour of the pavilions, with his Swedish and Finnish counterparts and visiting ministers in tow.

The inaugural ceremony was off-limits for the media despite pre-issued passes and confusion prevailed all throughout over co-ordination.

Modi was scheduled to deliver a speech at an award event later in the evening.

"I can't speculate on the number of memoranda of understanding that will be signed, but this is a brilliant start. All our partners are very enthusiastic," Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters later outside the main venue.

Over 2,500 international and 8,000 domestic companies are participating in the multi-sectoral industrial event, which is being attended by foreign government delegations from 68 countries and business teams from 72 nations.

The participants at the event include foreign heads of government and states, Prime Ministers of Sweden, Finland and deputy premier of Poland, besides other Cabinet ministers.

"India never had this kind of participation from across the world. FDI has grown by 48 per cent in recent months and it will continue to grow in future," Amitabh Kant, Secretary of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, which is organising the jamboree, told PTI outside the MMRDA Grounds.

Bhaskar Bhatt of Titan, the country's largest watch maker, said the visit of the Prime Minister to their stall was "very encouraging" and added that "this is a great country to invest as we have plenty of skilled manpower, technology and a large consuming class".

The Prime Minister also visited the stalls of Tata Steel, ABB, Siemens and Sonalika, among others.

The Prime Minister later had a luncheon meeting with



industry captains, including Ratan Tata, Cyrus Mistry, Mukesh Ambani, Ajay Piramal, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Anand Mahindra and Gautam Adani.

The host state, Maharashtra, is expecting to get investment proposals of over Rs 4 trillion from the event and announced one today with a USD 10 billion investment from an arm of the Vedanta group into a LCD panel manufacturing facility.

As many as 17 states, mostly BJP-ruled ones and the Congress-ruled Karnataka, are participating in the expo and there will be 52 seminars.

There will also be state-centric sessions on Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Odisha and Punjab.

Some 3,000 bilateral meetings -- business to government and business to business -- will be held during the week.

Piramal Group Chairman Ajay Piramal said this 'one-of-a-kind' event will showcase India's talent to innovate and deliver high-quality investments in real estate, financial services, infrastructure and pharma.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today will launch the Make in India Week at NSCI, Worli, a flagship event designed to impart greater momentum to the initiative to boost the manufacturing sector in the country.

On his arrival at the airport today, Prime Minister was received by Maharashtra Governor C V Rao and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Modi will address a gathering comprising senior leaders and captains of industry from both India and abroad.

He will also inaugurate the Make in India Centre at MMRDA Grounds, Bandra Kurla Complex. He will walk through the centre accompanied by Prime Minister of Sweden, Prime Minister of Finland and other senior dignitaries from India and abroad.

Prime Minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with senior foreign leaders, an official press release said.

The Make in India Week is aimed at showcasing to the world the achievements of the nation in the manufacturing sector and promote India as a preferred manufacturing destination.

Over the course of the week, it will offer access, insights and opportunities to connect and collaborate with India and global industry leaders, academicians, central and state administrations, the release added.

Government delegations from 49 countries and business delegations from 68 countries are slated to attend the event.

Some of the key government delegations would include Prime Minister-led delegations from Finland, Sweden and Lithuania and Deputy Prime Minister-led delegation from Poland. High level government representatives are accompanied by large business delegations.

There will also be 17 state exhibitions and several country pavilions at the centre, which would cover an area of 2,20,000 sqm and accommodate 27 halls. The country pavilions will include exhibitions from Sweden, Germany and South Korea.

Over 190 exhibitors would showcase manufacturing prowess of the country across the focus sectors.
A 45-year-old petrol pump owner allegedly shot his wife, son and daughter dead before killing himself due to financial crisis in Bahoriband town of the district, police said today.

The deceased have been identified as Shashank Tiwari, his wife Mini Tiwari (40), their son Abhi (8) and daughter Mani (11), Katni Superintendent of Police (SP) Gaurav Rajput said.

Shashank Tiwari was a member of the BJP, he said.

The incident happened last night when Tiwari opened fire at the trio, then at his two pet dogs, and then shot himself dead, he said.

A suicide note was recovered, which stated that he was facing financial problems, Rajput said.

Two cheques given by Tiwari had also reportedly bounced in Indore and Bhopal cities, and this had added to his distress, he said.

BJP leaders reached the spot upon getting the information, he said.

The bodies have been sent for post-mortem, he said, adding that further investigation was on.
All-women crew Navy vessel "Mhadei" arrived at the port here today ahead of their first attempt to circumnavigate the globe.

The women crew members, led by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi, are undertaking training ahead of the maiden attempt to "circumnavigate the globe next year", an official release said.

This was the first time an all-women crew to man any ocean-going sailing boat of the Navy.

All the crew members have volunteered for the attempt and for the love for sailing and the seas.

Vartika Joshi was appointed as the first woman Captain of Mhadei last week and the boat crew comprises of Air Traffic Control specialists P Swathi, Pratibha Jamwal, Education officers Vijaya Devi, Sub-Lieutenant Payal Gupta. The vessel reached Chennai Port after taking part in the International fleet review in Visakhapatnam last week. After berthing at Chennai, it would reach Kochi later this month and then return to Goa on March 2, 2016, the release said.
A Border Security Force (BSF) jawan was killed allegedly by Naxals in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Kanker district, police said.

The incident took place in Sangam village under the limits of Panchanjur police station when the deceased 30-year-old Harikesh attached to the 122nd battalion of BSF was outside his camp, senior police officials from Kanker district told Bhasha/PTI over phone.

At this time, some ultras fired upon Harikesh and fled away from the spot. He was initially admitted to a local hospital and later shifted to Raipur, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment, they said.

According to police, a manhunt has been initiated to trace down the Naxals who were allegedly involved in the killing.
In a first-of-its-kind effort in the country, premier mental health institute NIMHANS here has taken steps to host the genetic and cellular repository of patients with mental health problems.

The repository is being built under prestigious and aspirational mission of the Prime Minister under the programme 'Accelerating the application of Stem cell technology in Human Disease', Health Minister J P Nadda said here today.

The giant collaborative effort involves premier Indian institutions including NIMHANS, NCBS, Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, among others, Nadda said in his speech at the 20th convocation at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences.

"This futuristic vision heralds the utilisation of existing and emerging cutting edge technologies. It will go a long way in understanding the biology of mental disorders," he said.

Noting that NIMHANS was successfully blending the traditional and modern systems of healthcare, he said over the past years, NIMHANS, AYUSH centre had thoughtfully and diligently developed an evidence base for integrating yoga therapies for mental and neurological problems.

"It is the right time to look for its expansion and mainstream these approaches in healthcare. I am sure yoga has much to offer in helping us manage these conditions," he said.

He asked NIMHANS to suggest methods and mechanisms that would further facilitate this integration.

Observing that India was at an exciting phase of development, he said on the global platform, it was recognised to be charting a growth which was envy of many other nations.

"Being true to the philosophy of development for all, health is being embedded into the growth story.

"With the changing nature of diseases and demographic transition, the burden of non-communicable diseases and injuries are on the rise," he said, citing latest data that indicate that ischemic heart disease, lung diseases and stroke are the top three leading causes of death among Indians.

Depressive disorders rank second in causing disability while road injuries and suicides continue to be amongst the top three causes of deaths amongst the males who are in their most productive period (15 to 49 years).

In this context, he said there had been a renewed emphasis on the ongoing NCD programme.

"We are not only expanding but are also improving the quality of care," he added.
A day after CBI raided NIPER here, the institute's Officiating Director K K Bhutani, who has been booked along with seven others in a case of alleged corruption, today refuted the charge of causing financial loss to government exchequer, saying he will "come out clean".

"I have not done anything wrong. I refute all the charges. I have nothing to hide. We are transparent. I have full faith in the system of the country. I will come out clean," Bhutani, a senior scientist, said here while talking to media.

Yesterday, CBI registered a case of alleged corruption against officials of National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) and a private company in the purchase of licenses for accessing a global patent database software causing losses of Rs 10 crore.

Eight officials of the Mohali-based autonomous institute under Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, including present officiating director, former director and other senior officials, have been booked under IPC sections relating to criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.

It is alleged that the company was supplying annual licenses for accessing global patent database software 'Scifinder' at the rate of USD 36,000 to other companies while it was supplying these licenses to NIPER at the rate of USD 51,000 thus causing a loss of Rs 10 crore between 2007 and 2012.

Bhutani claimed that Scifinder was being purchased before he took over as the Officiating Director of NIPER. "The institute had been purchasing Scifinder since 2006. I was not there at that time. It was done by the previous director," he said.

He claimed that after becoming Officiating Director in 2010, he had even formed a committee to find out whether Scifinder was available at lesser rate.

"We inquired from all institutions to buy at lower rate. But we did not get it," he claimed.

"If they say it (Scifinder) was wrongly bought then prove me wrong. I will prove myself as innocent and I will come out of it," he said.

Bhutani also refuted the charge of diversion of funds and



said they had received Rs 116 crore in 10 different installments from the Centre for various projects under 11th five year plan.

He accused three former faculty members of launching a campaign against him to malign his image after they were shunted out for their alleged acts of omission and commission.

He claimed three of them had lodged several complaints against the institute with CBI, CVC, CAG and other organisations.

About the reported recovery of assets and property documents from his residence during searches by CBI yesterday, he said, "I get a salary of Rs 2.5 to 3 lakh (per month) and I have some savings. There was a recovery of Rs 11 lakh as FDR out of which Rs 3 lakh was in names of my children. Have I done any crime?"



"I will emerge as clean as my assets are in public domain now," he said.

High drama was witnessed during the Officiating Director's press conference when CBI officials sent a message to him to stop it.

However, Bhutani continued with media interaction and asked CBI officials to give instructions to him in writing.

When Bhutani did not relent, CBI officials entered the venue where the media briefing was taking place and whisked him away to his office. The CBI searches were also going on today.

The press conference was organised to inform media about the silver jubilee celebrations of the NIPER to be kicked off by Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Ananth Kumar on Monday.
Bangladesh is determined to deal with terrorists and shares intelligence with countries like India and the US to address the menace, a senior minister has said as he refuted the US intelligence's observation that the Islamic State (ISIS) could expand their presence in the country.

"On the ground, in the investigations that we have carried out, we did not get any evidence of ISIS links as yet," Bangladesh's State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam.

He dismissed the analysis of the American intelligence community that ISIS could gain ground in Bangladesh by exploiting attempts by the ruling Awami League to undermine the political opposition.

"I do not think, any terrorist or groups would ever gain permanent or semi-permanent ground in Bangladesh," Alam, who is the first foreign leader to meet the new US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon, said.

During their meeting, Alam and Shannon reviewed the strength and breadth of Bangladesh-US relationship.

"Our relationship with the United States in the last two years has reached a new height. Both sides agree that we are happy with the level of co-operation with each other," he said after his meetings with State Department officials including Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal.

During his meetings at the State Department, Alam said he raised Bangladeshi government's disappointment on recent statement of James Clapper Director of National Intelligence that the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's continuing efforts to undermine the political opposition in Bangladesh will probably provide openings for transnational terrorist groups to expand their presence in the country.

Alam said that terrorism of Bangladesh in the past during BNP-Jamaat regime flourished under State sponsorship.

Investigations into the recent killings of bloggers and two foreigners certainly indicate that those behind these heinous killings had links with Jamaat-e-Islam or were active member of Jamaat-e-Islamic or to some extent were linked with greater alliance between Bangladesh National Party (BNP) and Jamaat.

He said Hasina Government has a "zero tolerance policy" and would continue to pursue that beyond its borders also.

"That means supporting and working in tandem with the neighbouring countries and exchange intelligence information with countries like US or India or European countries," he said.

"The government is determined to deal with them (terrorists)," he said.
Foreign ministers put pressure on Libya today to finalise its unity government and head off the growing threat from the Islamic State group.

"There is no time to lose for the national unity government to assume its functions and securely establish itself in Tripoli," said the newly appointed French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, following a meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

The meeting was attended by US Secretary of State John Kerry and his counterparts from Britain, Egypt, Germany and Italy, as well as EU and UN representatives.

The speaker of Libya's internationally recognised parliament, Aguila Saleh, was also present.

His parliament has given itself until tomorrow to form a new national unity government aimed at ending years of chaos in the North African country.

The Islamic State jihadist group has taken advantage of the turmoil to establish a stronghold with thousands of fighters in the coastal city of Sirte.

"The time of tactical maneuvering is over. Now it's time for Libya to show responsibility," said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

"Germany, Europe and the international community are ready to offer any help to support the Libyan government in this.

"This also applies to state-building and the training of security forces," Steinmeier added.

Ayrault, who took over as France's foreign minister from Laurent Fabius this week, warned that anyone obstructing the process would face international sanctions.

"That point is clear," he said.

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.

Last month the recognised parliament rejected a 32-member unity government announced as part of a UN-brokered deal, saying it was too large.
Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley today said that his handlers told him that "nothing will happen against" Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi and Hafiz Saeed and that actions taken by Pakistan Federal Investigation Agency against them and other LeT members in 26/11 case are "superficial".

Shedding more light on terror activities post 26/11 attacks, the 55-year-old terrorist, who is testifying via a video-link from the US since Monday, said he visited the Indian Army Southern Command headquarters at Pune in 2009 on the instructions of ISI's Major Iqbal, who wanted him to recruit some military personnel to get "classified" information.

Headley, who turned approver in the case, told a court here today that in March 2009 he had visited Pushkar, Goa and Pune and had recced the cities as sought by Ilyas Kashmiri of Al-Qaeda.

He also said that after Pakistan government started investigating the 26/11 attacks, he was told by his handler, Sajid Mir of LeT, that "both Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi and Hafiz Saeed are safe and nothing will happen against them."



Headley told the court that Abdul Rehman Pasha, a former Pakistan army major who joined LeT and later Al Qaeda, told him that the action taken by Pakistan Federal Investigation Agency against Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, Hafiz Saeed and other LeT members are "superficial".

He said that on March 16, 2009 he went to Pune and visited the Southern Command headquarters there.

"Earlier too, Major Iqbal had also asked me to visit this place. At that time, I had made a general video of the (Army) station from outside," he said.

Also, "Major Iqbal wanted me to try recruiting someone from the Army who would give us classified information. It was the same like the BARC (drill)."



"In all three cities, I took general videos of several locations there," he said.

The LeT operative also revealed details of e-mails between him and his main contact Sajid Mir.

"From July 3, 2009 to September 11, 2009, there was an exchange of emails between me and Sajid Mir of LeT. I had time and again expressed concerns about the safety of the leadership of LeT," he told the court.

"From December 2008 onwards, after the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, the Pakistan government was conducting investigations, interrogating people and pursuing people from the LeT which is why I wanted to know if Hafiz Sahab and Zaki Sahab were safe," he added.

Headley also said that Mir had replied to his e-mails and said that "Zaki Sahab is doing fine.... His morale is high even though he was in prison (at that time) and he was not depressed."



Headley and Mir had referred to Hafiz Saeed as the "older uncle" and Zaki as the "younger uncle" in the e-mails using code language.

The court was told that on August 20, 2009 Headley had sent a mail to Mir asking if "older uncle" (Hafiz) was also under investigation and would be arrested to which Mir replied after three days saying that "the older uncle is fit and healthy and is moving back and forth for his business" even as Mir asked Headley to not put ears to rumours.

Mir also assured Headley that "both Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi and Hafiz Saeed are safe and nothing will happen against them."



Yesterday, Headley told the court that Al-Qaeda was in touch with him to attack Delhi's National Defence College and unravelled the plot by LeT and ISI to target Mumbai airport, BARC and the Naval air station here.

Headley had also told Special Judge G A Sanap that he attempted to develop close relations with a Shiv Sena member (Rajaram Rege) as he thought LeT would be interested in future to either attack the Shiv Sena Bhawan here or assassinate its head (late Bal Thackeray).

Headley also claimed he discouraged the LeT about Naval air station and Siddhivinayak temple as targets for the attack as they were heavily guarded.

Headley had said that his handlers in Pakistan spy agency ISI and LeT wanted to target Mumbai airport and Naval air station during the terror attack in November 2008.

He also said NDC was a high-value target as it housed senior military officers, from Brigadier to General rank.

Headley also said that as per Kashmiri's orders, he also visited the Chabad houses located in Pushkar, Goa and Pune as they were secondary targets of the terror outfit.

He said he had videographed BARC at Trombay in Mumbai in July 2008 and that LeT had asked him to recruit some employee of BARC who would work for ISI.

Headley had also identified the executed lone 26/11 convict, Ajmal Kasab, when he was shown a photograph of him.

In further disclosures, he said that after he had conducted a reconnaissance of Mumbai, he had several meetings in Pakistan with LeT leader Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Sajid Mir, Abu Kahfa and Abdul Rehman Pasha and Major Iqbal.

Headley revealed that during his last visit to Mumbai in July 2008, prior to the 26/11 attacks, he had surveyed and videographed the Chabad House in south Mumbai.

He also spilled beans on how during his last visit to Mumbai in July 2008, he had gone to Siddhivinayak temple and made a video of it besides purchasing red and yellow wrist bands so that the ten youths (attackers) could wear it as a cover so that people would think they were Indians.
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has increased its paid-up capital from Rs 100 crore to Rs 137 crore by broad-basing its stakeholder base of various public and private sector banks.

"This is no longer a speculation. The paid-up capital has gone up from Rs 100 crore to Rs 137 crore by broad-basing our stakeholder base of our current set of private and public banks," NPCI Chairman M Balachandran told PTI on the sidelines of the Unified Payment Interface Hackathon organised by NPCI here.

Balachandran also said the RuPay version of credit cards will be rolled either in June or July this year.

"By June-July we will roll out RuPay version of credit cards," he said.

Earlier, Balachandran said the NPCI had an authorised paid-up capital of Rs 100 crore, shared by 10 banks - six public sector banks, two foreign banks and two private banks.

At present, Balachandran said NPCI has 46 additional shareholding entities and is held by 56 different banks.

"We have increased our capital base. Originally, we had ten banks. We have added another 46 banks into our fold. So, for now NPCI is held by 56 different banks.

These banks include all public sector banks, foreign banks, private banks, cooperative banks and RRBs," he said.

He said the expansion step was taken after Reserve Bank of India had asked NPCI to increase its share capital.

In spite of NPCI not being a listed entity and not declaring dividend, the enthusiasm shown by people to become shareholders in it has been tremendous, Balachandran said.

"Ours is a non-profit company, and in spite of not being a listed entity and we don't declare dividends, the enthusiasm shown by people to become shareholders in NPCI has been tremendous," he said.

The first phase of expansion of its stakeholder base has been completed and the next phase will start soon, he said.

On what kind of capital NPCI aims to raise in the second



phase, Balachandran said, "I really cannot say. It is a long-term process. However, we have an idea but do not have the numbers right now," Balachandran said.

Asked when the three new versions of RuPay - Mudra, international and credit cards - will be rolled out, Balachandran said, "Two foreign card schemes - JCB (Japan Credit Bureau) and China UnionPay - will be enabled in India. From September, these cards will be accepted in India."



"However, NPCI has not worked out the timeline yet for rolling out Indian cards which will be accepted in those countries we have tied up with (JCB and China UnionPay)," he said.

Earlier speaking at the Hackathon event, NPCI Managing Director and CEO A P Hota said UPI is the next generation payment system and it has the potential to revolutionise retail payments in India.

"A key feature of Unified Payment Interface (UPI) is that it would provide interoperable and instant payments driven over the mobile platform," he said.

Besides that, a customer will be able to make payments by providing just a single identifier like Aadhaar number or a virtual address, Hota said.

UPI will leverage trends such as increasing smartphone adoption, deepening penetration of mobile data, Indian language interfaces etc, Hota said.

The NPCI organised UPI Hackathon in association with Indian Software Product Industry Round Table which provided a platform for start-ups and developers community to accelerate innovations in payments arena.

The event was launched by NPCI Advisor Nandan Nilekani along with Balachandran and NPCI Managing Director and CEO A P Hota, besides key iSPIRT officials.

"NPCI would support banks and solution providers to develop solutions based on the Application Programming Interface (APIs)made available by us," Hota said.

"UPI will empower users to perform both push and pull transactions seamlessly which will transform the way customers will make payments in the coming months," he said.
The Obama Administration today said it has decided to sell eight nuclear-capable F-16 fighter jets worth nearly USD 700 million to Pakistan, a proposal that is likely the face stiff resistance in the Republican- controlled Congress.

Despite mounting opposition from influential lawmakers from both the Republican and Democratic parties, the US State Department notified the Congress that it has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Pakistan for F-16 Block 52 Aircraft, equipment, training, and logistics support.

The estimated cost is USD 699.4 million, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency - a wing of the Pentagon - said in a statement, adding that this proposed sale contributes to the US foreign policy objectives and national security goals by helping to improve the security of a strategic partner in South Asia.

Asserting that this will not alter the basic military balance in the region, the Pentagon said the proposed sale improves Pakistan's capability to meet current and future security threats.

These additional F-16 aircraft will facilitate operations in all-weather, non-daylight environments, provide a self- defence/area suppression capability, and enhance Pakistan's ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter terrorism operations.

"It will increase the number of aircraft available to the Pakistan Air Force to sustain operations, meet monthly training requirements, and support transition training for pilots new to the Block-52. Pakistan will have no difficulty absorbing these additional aircraft into its air force," the Pentagon agency said.

"This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded," said the Defence Security Cooperation Agency.

Obama administration's notification to the Congress comes amidst mounting opposition from lawmakers. Early this week, Senator Bob Corker wrote to Secretary of State John Kerry that he would put a hold on any such decision.

Now the proposal will go to the Congress which has 30 days' time to act on it.

In case of any objection, the process would be lengthier and complicated as the proposed sale would be debated and voted in the Congress. Normally this kind of situation does not arise as in case of opposition to major arms deals, both the Congressional leaders and the administration mutually work together to arrive at consensus.
Taliban insurgents killed six Afghan security personnel today in two separate attacks, Afghan officials said.

Four policemen were killed and seven others wounded in double-suicide attacks on their checkpoint outside a security forces station in the southern Helmand province, said Gen Abdul Rahman Sarjang, provincial police chief in Helmand.

Sarjang said five insurgents equipped with suicide vests were shot and killed by security forces. Mohammad Rasoul Zazi, an army spokesman in Helmand, said one soldier was killed and another was wounded in the attack.

Meanwhile, another policeman was killed and four others wounded when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in the southern Uruzgan province, said Rahimullah Khaliqi, the district administration chief.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks in Helmand and Uruzgan. The Taliban have stepped up attacks on Afghan security forces in the past year, waging offensives across the country.

Also today, the Afghan power company said it repaired some power supply cables from Tajikistan that were damaged during fights between Afghan security forces and insurgents.

The company said there were still power shortages in the capital of Kabul because their engineers couldn't work in some areas where gun battles continued to rage.

Kabul has been suffered from severe power outages in the past two weeks because battles between Afghan security forces against insurgents have disrupted power provided by Uzbekistan.
One person was arrested and five others detained in connection with the killing of Bihar BJP vice president Visheshwar Ojha, police said today.

"Harendra Singh alias Bhua Singh, named accused in Visheshwar Ojha murder case, has been arrested by the police," a statement from state police headquarters said.

Seven persons, including Harendra Singh, have been named accused in the murder case of Ojha, who was shot dead last evening at a place between Sonvarsha and Parsaura villages under Shahpur police station of Bhojpur.

Shahabad DIG A Rahman said in Ara that Singh was arrested, while five others were detained in the case.

A special team, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Reshu Krishna, has been constituted to conduct raids to nab the accused, Rahman said.

He said on the basis of information received from the five detainees, a team had been sent to Uttar Pradesh's Balia district in search of Ojha's suspected killers.

If the named accused continue to hide from police for the next two-three days, police would request the court concerned to grant order to attach their property, the DIG said.

BJP state president Mangal Pandey had yesterday served a 72-hour "ultimatum" to the government for the arrest of Ojha's killers, failing which the party would agitate.

BJP has given a call for 'Shahabad bandh' tomorrow to protest against the killing of the party leader and alleged lawlessness in the state, party spokesperson Sanjay Mayukh told PTI.

Shahabad region comprises four districts -- Bhojpur, Rohtas, Kaimur and Buxar.

Mayukh said a delegation of the NDA would meet Governor Ram Nath Kovind tomorrow to apprise him of the law and order situation in the state.

BJP leaders Sushil Kumar Modi, Mangal Pandey, Prem Kumar, Ashwini Choubey among others reached Ojha's native village Ojhwalia in Bhojpur district to attend his funeral.
Myanmar's outgoing president has scrapped a planned trip to the US next week in order to oversee the power hand-off to Aung San Suu Kyi's new government.

Thein Sein was due to attend a summit for leaders from the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc hosted by US president Barack Obama, who has staked large political capital in Myanmar's passage towards greater democracy.

"The president decided not to attend the meeting because this is transition period. The transition process needs to be stable and smooth, so he thinks he should take care of it," Zaw Htay, director of the president's office, told AFP.

Suu Kyi and hundreds of newly-elected MPs from her National League for Democracy party (NLD) took their seats in parliament two weeks ago after dominating the country's fairest poll in decades in November.

But what observers said was a surprisingly smooth initial phase of the political transition has since been clouded by rumours and speculation -- especially over who will be tipped to succeed Thein Sein as president.

The wildly popular democracy icon Suu Kyi is barred from the post by a charter penned by the military that kept her under house arrest for 15 years during repressive junta rule.

The constitution also reserves a quarter of parliamentary seats for appointed military officers, handing the army an effective veto on charter change.

With the NLD-dominated parliament putting off presidential nominations until late March, rumours have swirled that the party is engaged in back-room talks in a bid to amend the charter and pave the way for a Suu Kyi presidency.

The delicacy of the transition was underscored by Thein Sein's last-minute decision to cancel the California trip, seen as his final chance to cement a legacy on the global stage as the reformist leader who guided Myanmar out of five decades of cloistered military junta rule.

Myanmar's Vice President Nyan Tun will now attend the February 15-16 summit at the Sunnylands estate in California, the president's office said.

The Sunnylands gathering comes as Washington is striving to bolster its influence in Southeast Asia as a counterpoint to China's rising power in the region.
Asserting the testimonies of terrorist David Headley before a Mumbai court proved that "there were no non-state actors in Pakistan, only cross-border terror funded by intelligence agency ISI", BJP today demanded India initiate a "diplomatic exercise" to have that country declared a "terrorist state".

"The statements of Headley, who is serving a prison sentence in an American jail, before a Mumbai court through video-conferencing call the bluff of Pakistan which has for long been trying to shirk its responsibility by misleading all with the theory of non-state actors acting on its soil," BJP national secretary Siddharth Nath Singh told reporters here.

"Headley's statements have proved what was always suspected - that there are no non-state actors in Pakistan, but only cross-border terror funded by ISI. India must now seize this opportunity to isolate Pakistan globally by initiating a diplomatic exercise aimed at getting Pakistan formally declared as a terrorist state," Singh said.

Underscoring the jailed Pakistani-American terrorist's statements before the court about alleged LeT operative Ishrat Jahan, who was gunned down in a police encounter in Gujarat in 2004, the BJP leader also lashed out at the opposition parties for having "raked up the issue repeatedly for vote bank politics" and demanded that their leaders "apologise" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah.

"Most opposition parties have engaged in this game at some point of time. Congress president used the encounter case to vilify Modi while he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Sharad Pawar accused him and Shah, who was then the state's Home Minister, of being responsible for the killing of an innocent Muslim girl.

"(Bihar Chief Minister) Nitish Kumar stated that Ishrat was a 'beti' (daughter) of Bihar. (AIMIM leader Asaduddin) Owaisi proudly described the LeT operative was her sister. Now they all must apologise to Modi, Shah and the entire nation," Singh said.

(REOPENS DEL33)



Hitting out at senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Kapil Sibal, who had yesterday questioned the BJP's "implicit faith" in the statements of Headley, Singh said the previous UPA government, led by the Congress, stands "guilty of having tried to bury" the evidence that Ishrat was part of a contingent that was planning to assassinate Modi.

"The Congress stands thoroughly discredited on all counts. Its leaders, who are unable to stomach the party's steady decline, seem to have acquired the habit of making obnoxious statements whenever faced with unpleasant truths.

"We demand that the party's president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi act against loudmouths like Sibal, Sandeep Dikshit and Manish Tewari by expelling them from the party," the BJP national secretary said.

"We would like to warn the Congress that by having such elements in its ranks, the party is ending up providing a platform to the anti-India propaganda that Pakistan has been indulging in," Singh added.
With its wide range of delicacies, the second edition of the Palate Fest 'mini' is in town with the aim of uniting foodies across the national capital at a sprawling beautiful venue set up at Nehru Park.

The festival features nearly 70 food outlets with exquisite range of cuisine including North Indian, Italian, Arabic, Chinese, Continental and Mughlai, home-made desserts, snacks and unique food.

The 3-day event, which began on February 12 is not only limited to food as the organisers are also planning to thrill the visitors with some live music performances.

11 different bands are set to perform throughout the fest including the likes of 'Spaced Cadets', 'Delhi Indi Project' and 'The Silhouette Hearts'.

A miniature version of the much larger 'New Delhi Palate Fest', the event is organised to 'introduce' the budding entrepreneurs.

"We decided to make it a place to introduce new people who want to launch themselves and who need the chance. This is an avenue for them," says co-founder and Director of Palate Fest Aditi Kapoor.

The participants who have set up their stalls are poles apart as they range from a lady with no prior business experience to 'Lionfresh' who import fresh meats from various parts of Europe.

However, the fest also features the biggies of the food restaurants of Delhi including Masalahouse, Bohem, Chinese Cafe, to name a few.

Another endearing feature of the fest is its special stress on 'health and organic food'.

"With so much of health conciousness now, we are also focusing on organic and health food. For example one stall is offering nut milk. It is for lactose intolerant people who finally have something. You can have it in your coffee. There is 'Organica'.

"There is 'The Food Farm' which is again organic. So the fest is dotted with much of lovely organic and health food," says the co-founder and Director of the fest Ruchi Sibal.

The fest concludes on Valentine's Day and the organisers have made special arrangments to provide a perfect experience to the lovebirds on the day of love.

"We have had bands like Euphoria and everything before. But (keeping in view the Valentine's day) we have made it more sufi and romantic this time. So people should come on Sunday and experience this. No one wants to go to retailing and shopping, that's always done. Come under the open sky and you can walk around hand in hand everywhere," says Kapoor.
Parsvnath Developers has terminated its development agreement with the Railways Land Development Authority (RLDA) due to a title dispute related to a 38-acre land stretch that the company had bought for Rs 1,651 crore.

Parsvnath Rail Land Project Private Ltd (PRLPPL), a special purpose vehicle (SPV) created to develop this project, has gone into the arbitration process to settle the issue.

Parsvnath through an auction had bought this piece of land located at Sarai Rohilla-Kishanganj in the national capital from RLDA in 2010 for Rs 1,651 crore.

The company has already paid about Rs 1,200 crore against the purchase of this land parcel, sources said.

"The development agreement with the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) for implementation of the project at Sarai Rohilla-Kishanganj, New Delhi, through its Associate Company, Parsvnath Rail Land Project Private Ltd stands terminated due to certain disputes between RLDA and PRLPPL and the disputes arising under the development agreement are pending adjudication before tribunals," the company said in a regulatory filing.

According to sources, the dispute with RLDA is due to some issues over a land title.

In May 2013, a development agreement was executed between RLDA and Parsvnath Rail Land Project, the SPV that was also incorporated to implement the project.

The company had proposed to develop luxury apartments, commercial/shopping areas, railway housing, railway service building and common facilities, hospital/school and other amenities.

Parsvnath had also appointed Callison LLC of USA as architect for the project in co-ordination with architect Sikka & Associates.

The company had reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 8.87 crore for the quarter ended December.

Delhi-based Parsvnath Developers has till date completed 57 projects, measuring 25.94 million sq ft of developed area.

The company, at present, is working on 48 projects covering 68.40 million sq ft. It has a large land bank, which stands at 141.26 million sq ft.
Noting that art transcends time, race and religious barriers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today pitched for bringing art closer to the common man and using it to spread social messages on issues like 'Swachch India' as it has more appeal than spoken words.

He said art should not remain restricted to the walls of rich people but become the strength of the society.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the new building of the Bombay Art Society in suburban Bandra, he said empty space at railway platforms can be used to allow budding artists to display their skills. This, he said can also be used to spread social messages.

"Art", Modi said, "has better appeal than speeches". He said any art on the issue of sanitation and cleanliness will have more appeal than speeches made by people.

He also called for developing 'digital version' of creative works so that future generations can understand the process by which a piece of art is created.

"When we say art, A stands for ageless, R stands for Race, Region and religionless and T stands for Timeless... Art is ageless, religionless and timeless", Modi said.

He said art should not be dependent on the State for support and funding, but on the other hand it should be honoured by the State.

"Last time I spoke in my Mann ki Baat programme that artists are giving their time and through their artworks, are changing the whole ambience of railway stations in the country."



"This is not a government scheme and neither any budget allocated for that. But, artists have taken it upon themselves and it is having such a good effect. More than giving speech on 'Swacch Bharat' it better to create art works that would inspire people keep India clean," Modi said.

He said to suit the coming generations, artworks should be developed using the digital hybrid world.

"For example, when an work was created, how did the thought first come to artist's mind? How did it then materialise on paper or canvas over a period of time. A 3-4 minute digital version of the whole process. When any person sees the artwork, he should also see a digital version of the process with musical effects," he said.

Modi said today a person with the knowledge of arts needs to be present to make the viewer understand it.

"To change this, digital world can be used. I want people associated with software and IT world to take interest in this and give a new power to artists," Modi said.

Emphasising on the need to cultivate the taste for art at a young age, he said the excursions planned by schools should include visit to art galleries.

"I suggest to schools that when they make annual tour programmes, at least once a year they should make a programme of viewing an art gallery. Similarly, I have also told the Railway department, to make an art gallery on railway platforms. That way, artists from the area will also get a place to showcase their works," Modi said.

Underlining the importance of art, Modi said temples are an example of this. "There, you see gods and art together," he said.

Urging parents to allow their children express freely through art, he said often mothers ask their children to recite a rhyme to guests. "But there are a very few mothers who ask their children to show the drawing they have made...," he said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar were also present on the occasion.
Mexico greeted Pope Francis with mariachi music and thousands of Catholic faithful lining the streets after the pontiff held historic talks with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Cuba.

President Enrique Pena Nieto welcomed Francis at the airport while a mariachi band played before he climbed the popemobile to wave at crowds along the capital of the world's second largest Catholic country.

"Francis, brother of the Mexican people!" people chanted as thousands braved the evening cold, holding up telephones to light his way.

But before beginning a five-day trip that will take him across Mexico's violence-torn regions, Francis stopped in Cuba to mend a 1,000-year-old Christian rift with Russian Patriarch Kirill.

"At last we meet. We are brothers," said the 79-year-old pope, in white robes and a skullcap, as he met the white-bearded Orthodox leader, 69, in black robes and a white headdress.

"Clearly, this meeting is God's will."



It was the first meeting between the heads of the Eastern and Western churches since the great schism of 1054 when the churches split apart, with the Eastern church rejecting the authority of Rome.

"For nearly one thousand years, Catholics and Orthodox have been deprived of communion in the Eucharist," they said in a joint declaration signed after they hugged and kissed at Havana's airport.

"We are pained by the loss of unity, the outcome of human weakness and of sin," they said.

"Mindful of the permanence of many obstacles, it is our hope that our meeting may contribute to the re-establishment of this unity willed by God," the church leaders said.

Their meeting was driven by rising violence in recent years in the Middle East, where Christian communities have suffered violence at the hands of extremists.

"We call upon the international community to act urgently in order to prevent the further expulsion of Christians from the Middle East," they said.

Between them, they are the spiritual leaders of more than 1.3 billion Christians, but the Orthodox Church's refusal to accept the primacy of the Roman pontiff has been the main barrier to a rapprochement.

The meeting on neutral ground -- hosted by the communist, atheist Cuban leadership of Raul Castro -- was decades in the planning, with the final obstacles swept away by the pope's determination and global politics.
Pope Francis kicks off his first trip to Mexico today with speeches to the country's political and ecclesial elites, riding in on the success of his historic meeting in Cuba with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.

During a three-hour stop in Havana on Friday, Francis embraced Patriarch Kirill and with an exclamation of "finally" took a momentous step toward closing a nearly 1,000-year schism in Christianity.

The two religious leaders signed a 30-point joint declaration of religious unity that committed their churches to overcoming their differences. Francis tweeted that the meeting was a "gift from God."



Francis and Kirill also called for political leaders to act on the single most important issue of shared concern between the Catholic and Orthodox churches today: the plight of Christians in Iraq and Syria who are being killed and driven from their homes by the Islamic State group.

"In many countries of the Middle East and North Africa, entire families of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being exterminated, entire villages and cities," the declaration said.

Later aboard his plane, Francis said the declaration was not a political statement, but rather a pastoral one. It came from "two bishops who met and discussed their pastoral concerns," he said.

The focus quickly shifted to Francis' five-day Mexico visit, which will include a very personal prayer before the Virgin of Guadalupe shrine, the largest and most important Marian shrine in the world and one that is particularly important to the first Latin American pope.

Today is a day of grace. The meeting with Patriarch Kirill is a gift from God. Pray for us.  Pope Francis (@Pontifex) February 12, 2016

As he flew toward Mexico City, Francis said his "most intimate desire" is to pray before the dark-skinned Madonna.

She is the patron saint of Mexico and "empress of the Americas," and millions of pilgrims flock each year to pray before the cloak that bears her image.

Francis arrived in Mexico's capital to adoring crowds waving yellow handkerchiefs. Mariachis serenaded as his chartered plane pulled to a stop.

President Enrique Pena Nieto, suffering the lowest approval ratings of a Mexican leader in a quarter century, and his wife met Francis on a red carpet.

Onlookers roared as the three walked together, then the lights dimmed and the crowd waved lights as the official song composed for Francis' visit played. Men in broad sombreros and women in flowing red skirts danced on the tarmac.
Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has called during a historic meeting for restored Christian unity and urgent action to help Christians threatened by violence in the Middle East.

"Conscious of the numerous obstacles that remain to be overcome, we hope our meeting contributes to the re- establishment of this unity wished for by God," they said in a joint declaration yesterday.

They signed the declaration after holding talks in Cuba, the first such meeting between the leaders of the Eastern and Western churches in nearly a thousand years.

"We call on the international community to take urgent action to prevent Christians from continuing to be driven out of the Middle East," they said.

"In Syria and Iraq, violence has already cost thousands of lives, leaving millions of people homeless and without resources."



The 79-year-old Francis, in white robes and a skullcap, and Kirill, 69, in black robes and a white headdress, earlier kissed and embraced before sitting down smiling for the historic meeting at Havana airport.

The Argentine pontiff was looking to heal a nearly 1,000- year-old rift in Christianity that dates back to a 1054 schism that helped shape modern Europe and the Middle East.

Francis is now due to embark on a tour of Mexico, while Kirill continues a visit to Cuba, Brazil and Paraguay.
Russians ranging from Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to ordinary citizens are seeing the landmark meeting of the heads of Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches as having significance far beyond religious doctrine.

The meeting in Havana, Cuba, yesterday between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill was the first between the two church's leaders.

Popes have previously met with other leaders of Orthodox churches; the two churches split about a millennium ago.

Russia's is the largest of the Orthodox churches.

Medvedev, speaking today at the Munich Security Conference, said the pope-patriarch meeting could encourage closer relations between Moscow and the West.

"Just yesterday we saw a bright example in the religious area of how the movement of one toward the other is beginning," he said.
Amid an uproar by non-BJP parties over the arrest of JNU Students Union (JNUSU) president in a sedition case, Union Minister Ananth Kumar on Saturday said government will take strict action against "anti-nationals."



"The protest at JNU is anti- and it amounts to betrayal to the country and should be dealt with strictly. Anyone who raises slogans in favour of Afzal Guru and other terrorists, strict action will be initiated against them," Kumar, the Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.

JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested in a sedition case over an event held at the varsity campus against the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, drawing flak from the Left and Congress which dubbed it an "Emergency-like" situation and called it "curbing" students' voice.

On the killing of BJP Bihar Vice-President Visheshwar Ojha yesterday, he said since Nitish Kumar came back to power in alliance with Lalu Prasad's RJD, "jungle raj" has returned to the state with a spurt in incidents of murders and kidnapping.

"Only people's constant agitation can restore order in Bihar," Kumar said.

Ojha was shot dead by unidentified assailants last evening by unidentified assailants in Bhojpur district, the second murder of a politician in the past 10 days.

"It is very sad that political leaders belonging to BJP and some others are being killed, and people are getting disturbed," the minister said.

On former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh flaying Narendra Modi for keeping "quiet" over issues like beef controversy and Dadri lynching, he said it was Congress which had lost the confidence of people during the last Lok Sabha elections where it was reduced to only 44 seats.

"The people rejected the Congress-led UPA government for lack of confidence in its previous rule. Therefore, Manmohan Singh should introspect the performance of his government and then comment on our government," Kumar said.
In a hard-hitting attack on Modi government over JNU student's arrest, Rahul Gandhi today virtually drew parallel of it with the regime of Hitler, accusing NDA of "suppressing" students' voice and telling students "don't let those bullies push you around".

Gandhi, who visited the JNU campus along with Delhi PCC chief Ajay Maken and former Union Minister Anand Sharma to express solidarity with students agitating against the arrest of JNU Students' Union president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case, was shown black flag by members BJP's student wing ABVP.

Responding to it, Gandhi said,"People who showed black flag on my face, I feel proud that in my country they have the right to show black flag."



Going hammer and tongs against the government, the Congress Vice President said, "People who suppress voice of this institute are anti-national. They are trying to crush the voice of the youth. I was in Hyderabad a few days back and these same people or their leaders said that Rohith Vemula was an anti-national," Gandhi said.

"There was a person in Germany named Hitler who had destroyed millions and millions of people. If only that man had listened to other people, may be that country would not have gone through that much of pain," he said.

Noting that he would be happy debating with the RSS and the BJP and they expressing their opinion, Gandhi said,"in fact if they will listen to us, they will convinced by us."



Asking students not to give up, the Congress Vice President said, "they do not understand that in crushing you, they are making you stronger. Not only this institution, not only us, not only the people sitting here but there are more than a billion people in this country who believe in you and are standing right behind you.

"Don't let those bullies push you around. When they look inside themselves, what they see is fear. They are scared. They are terrified. They are terrified of poor, weak Indian people getting voice. Question them at every single step. Don't only question them, question yourself also."



Gandhi drew parallel between the actions against students in JNU and events leading to the suicide of the dalit scholar Vemula and took potshots at Narendra Modi saying he "only expressed pain over it. That's it."



"This institution represents that voice. I was in Hyderabad some days back and the same people said Rohith was an anti-national element. A youngster expresses himself and the national government says he is anti-national. What did he do? All he said that he feels a little bit of pain that he wants to express what is inside him.

"Later a minister comes and says he was not even a Dalit. Sushma Swaraj ji, nobody asked whether he was a dalit or not. The question is why an Indian student was not allowed to say what he believed in," Gandhi said.

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Emphasizing the significance of allowing people to raise their voice and air their different opinions, Gandhi said a country is nothing without the voice of people.

"When we fought against the British, we fought them for for our voice. The most important thing we have is the voice of our people.

"If India is progressing, growing, that is only because of one reason and that is more and more people in India are getting their voice," he said.

The Congress Vice President, who had yesterday accused Modi government of "bullying" the institution, today scaled up the attack saying "they are simply crushing voices".

In his speech marked by frequent disruptions, Gandhi said that he will be happy to see even people from RSS and BJP express their opinion.

"We respect voices that are raised in front of our voice. We also respect what is raised behind our back," he said.

The Congress Vice President had yesterday tweeted "Modi Govt & ABVP bullying an institution like JNU simply because it won't toe their line is completely condemnable.

"While Anti-India sentiment is unquestionably unacceptable, the right to dissent & debate is an essential ingredient of democracy".

Gandhi's visit to JNU today came a day after the arrest of JNU Students' Union President Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case over an event at the varsity campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, sparking massive outrage among students and criticism from non-BJP parties which dubbed it as an "emergency-like" situation.

AICC Communication department chief Randeep Surjewala alleged that the BJP has been "silencing" the voice of students from FTII, IIT Madras, Hyderabad Central university and other universities.

"To brand the entire JNU as anti-national is a great disservice to the country," he said backing Gandhi's visit to the campus saying it amounts to to stand with students in solidarity who are not guilty and who are not part of anti-India sentiment.

He also said that Gandhi's visit is protest against BJP seeking "revenge against the entire JNU" as an institution.

"It appears from their action that BJP wants to shut down JNU," he said.
BJP today accused Rahul Gandhi of "insulting" the nation for charging the government with suppressing students' voice in the JNU row and alleged that he was supporting "anti-national" forces and speaking the voice of LeT founder and terrorist Hafiz Sayeed.

The party said the Congress vice president's comments amounted to supporting those students who had allegedly raised slogans in favour of Pakistan and terrorists.

"What kind of ideology is Rahul Gandhi supporting? The ideology that says 'Pakistan zindabad' and 'Bharat ki barbadi tak, jang rahegi jang rahegi' (Till the downfall of India, we will fight) is anti-national. His remakrs are an insult to the nation, our Constitution and legal system. It shows his mental bankruptcy.

"Rahul Gandhi and his friends are speaking in the voice LeT terrorist Hafiz Sayeed who had tweeted in support of anti-India event in JNU. It is an insult to our martyrs and armed forces who sacrifice their lives on the border and will boost the morale of anti-national forces," party national secretary Shrikant Shamra said.

He said Gandhi kept quiet when anti-India slogans were raised in JNU and when police took action then he rushed to JNU to use students as a tool for political benefits.

"Congress spokespersons are on record questioning the lack of action after the event in JNU. But once legal action was taken, he is speaking the voice of Hafiz Sayeed. It shows how low the party can stoop to for political interests," said Sharma.

Taking a dig at Gandhi, BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said



he had given a new definition to nationalism by attacking those who had suppressed anti-national voices.

"These shouting anti-national slogans are new kind of nationalists in Rahul Gandhi's definition and the people who suppress these voices and take action are anti-nationals. This is the message he seems to be giving," he said.

Sharma said Rahul Gandhi should fight the political battle with BJP on development agenda and not use educational institutions for political purposes.

"We condemn his actions. JNU has produced many intellectuals and bureaucrats. A handful of people there have given anti-India speeches. Law is taking its course. BJP will urge Congress to not insult our martyrs for political reason," he said.

Referring to the recent deaths of army personnel, he said it was unfortunate that while soldiers sacrificed their lives on the border, anti-India slogans were raised and terrorists hailed as martyrs in an institution like JNU.

Another BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said efforts to give "ideological cover" to violence and anti-India activities cannot be allowed.

"The way foul language was used against the Prime Minister...A group of students is trying to damage the dignity of an institution like JNU in the name of cultural agitation," he said.
Rahul Gandhi today accused NDA government of "suppressing" students' voice as he visited the JNU campus to express solidarity with them, a day after the arrest of its students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case.

The Congress Vice President, who had yesterday accused the Modi government of "bullying" the institution, scaled up the attack saying "most anti-national are people, who are suppressing the voice of students in this institution".

Accompanied by Delhi PCC chief and former Union minister Anand Sharma, Rahul interacted with the agitating students and lauded the university for representing free voice.

Drawing parallel between the actions against students in JNU and events leading to the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad University, he said the question is why a student is "not allowed to say what he believes in".

Noting that India is progressing because more and more people are raising their voice, Rahul said that everybody has a right to disagree.

Making repeated reference to Vemula's suicide and targetting the government especially HRD Minister Smriti Irani on the issue, he said, "A youngster expresses his views and the government says he is anti-national. Later the minister turns around and say you are not even a Dalit."



In his speech marked by frequent disruptions, Rahul said that he will be happy to see even people from RSS and BJP express their opinion.

"We respect voices that are raised in front of our voice. We also respect what is raised behind our back," he said.

Training his guns on the government, he said, "They will not understand that in crushing you, they are making you stronger."



The Congress Vice President had yesterday tweeted "Modi Govt & ABVP bullying an institution like JNU simply because it won't toe their line is completely condemnable.

"While Anti-India sentiment is unquestionably unacceptable, the right to dissent & debate is an essential ingredient of democracy."



Kumar was arrested over an event at the JNU campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, sparking massive outrage among students and criticism from non-BJP parties which dubbed it as an "Emergency-like" situation.

Invoking Adolf Hitler, Rahul said that suppressing voice by the Nazi ruler left Germany in rubbles.

"We do not have problem if RSS and BJP want to express their opinion. We just want to tell them if they will listen to us, they will be convinced by us... They are simply crushing voices," Rahul said.

His visit was opposed by members of ABVP, who waved black flags when he spoke. Taking note of it, he said, "People who showed black flags on my face, I feel proud that in my country they have the right to show black flags.

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Kumar was arrested yesterday and later remanded in three- day police custody by a local court, a day after police filed a sedition and criminal conspiracy case against him on complaints from BJP MP Maheish Girri and ABVP members.

Union ministers Smriti Irani and Rajnath Singh had yesterday advocated strong action against those involved in the alleged "anti-India" act even as the students continued with their protests on the campus for the third day, saying they are being "witch-hunted".

Rahul had joined protests over the suicide of Vemula at the Hyderabad University last month, an issue that had led to outrage over campuses of several universities in the country.

"This govt is anti-JNU & wants to shut down the Univ. They're using this as a trigger to target Left-liberal & progressive forces," Congress spokesman Manish Tewari tweeted.

In an apparent reference to the arrest of Kumar, he said, "Law of sedition is very clear & they'll never be able to substantiate charges under the sedition law."



Tewari insisted that "freedom of speech and expression is circumscribed by reasonable restriction".

Amid the raging JNU row, the Home Minister today asserted that no innocent will be harassed but the guilty "will not be spared" as Left leaders met him questioning the police action against students including arrest of JNUSU leader.

"We met the Home Minister and apprised him about the tense atmosphere in JNU at present. Delhi Police has released a list of 20 students in connection with the event, which also includes D Raja's daughter, but we are asking are they seen in the video shouting slogans," CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury told reporters after the meeting.

"They were present because they are members of students union or groups but that does not mean they were involved in it. We have demanded that Kanhaiya be released and the Home Minister has assured us that no action will be taken against any innocent student," he added.

Yechury, who was joined by CPI National Secretary D Raja and JD(U) spokesperson K C Tygai, alleged, "the new Vice Chancellor is acting on the instructions of the government and allowed the police to go ahead with a crackdown. This is happening across all universities that VCs are being removed and the government is appointing persons who are then acting on their instructions."



"This is a very serious matter and the way all students are being branded anti-national, we have raised all the issues with Rajnath Singh," he added.
Amid mounting bad loan worries at public sector lenders, RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan today said there is no question of going back on the clean-up drive even as he assured full support to all banks including those with problems on their balance sheets.

Rajan, who has set a deadline of March 2017 for the banks to clean up their balance sheets resulting into huge losses being booked by many lenders and sharp profit plunges by others, also asserted that the government and the regulator would not let the system fail.

He also hoped that the banks with weak balance-sheet would also be able to withstand the turmoil.

"Not all our banks are in trouble. There are very strong banks in the system. The banks that have some balance sheet issues have the potential to resolve them. The government is behind them, the Reserve Bank is behind them," Rajan said while delivering the 14th KP Hormis commemorative lecture on 'Financial sector reforms: The past and the future' here this evening organised by Federal Bank.

Late Hormis was the founder of Federal Bank, which is the largest private sector lender in Kerala.

Stating that there was no going back on the clean-up drive, Rajan said, "This is a problem (of NPAs), we will fix without any trouble. I don't doubt that at the end of this process, the franchise value of these banks will come to the fore in a full-fledged manner and that they will be strong and healthy soon."



Rajan's comments came on a day when public sector lender Bank of Baroda reported a massive Rs 3,342 crore loss for the third quarter -- the biggest ever quarterly loss for any lender in the country. Earlier yesterday, IDBI Bank had reported a net loss of Rs 2,183.7 crore. Many of these banks have disclosed NPAs close to 9 per cent.

Earlier this week, the country's largest lender SBI reported a massive 67 per cent plunge in its net profit and warned of an equally bad quarter or two.

Many mid-sized public sector lenders like Oriental Bank of Commerce, Central Bank of India, Allahabad Bank and Dena Bank have also reported deep losses while large ones like Union Bank and PNB have reported massive drop in profits.

Even private sector banks like ICICI and Axis Bank have also reported higher NPAs and lower profits this quarter following the RBI diktat on asset quality review.

The impact of these poor numbers on their stocks has been such that most of the state-run banks are trading below their book value and their combined NPAs are more than double their market capitalisation.

Almost all banks have been reporting large bad loans and the resultant losses/decline in profit following an RBI directive which asked them to make provisions for as many as 150 top troubled accounts.

The system as a whole has over Rs 8 trillion bad loans which is more than 11 per cent of the system as of the September quarter.
The mass influx of refugees and other migrants into Europe spells a "near existential threat" to Europe, US Secretary of State John Kerry said today.

"The United States understands the near existential nature of this threat to the politics and fabric of life in Europe," he told the Munich Security Conference.

"We are not saying 'this is your problem, not ours'," he added. "This is our problem... And that is why we are joining now and enforcing a NATO mission to close off a key access route and we will join you in other ways to stem this tide.
The mass influx of refugees and other migrants into Europe spells a "near existential threat" to the continent, US Secretary of State John Kerry said today.

"We are facing the gravest humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II," he said at the Munich Security Conference, which has been dominated by the Syrian conflict which is driving the mass flight.

"The United States understands the near existential nature of this threat to the politics and fabric of life in Europe," he told the meeting.

Europe has been deeply split by how to handle the mass influx of people fleeing war-torn Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries.

Germany took in 1.1 million refugees last year, while Italy and Greece have been overwhelmed as the main arrival points from the Middle East and Africa.

Sweden and Austria have also taken in large numbers, but many EU members, especially in the east, have been deeply reluctant to open their doors.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said today that the view in Paris is "not favourable" to Berlin's call for a permanent quota system to distribute more refugees across the EU, adding that France had already agreed to take in 30,000 refugees.

Kerry said about the refugee influx: "We are not saying, 'This is your problem, not ours'. This is our problem."



"And that is why we are joining now and enforcing a NATO mission to close off a key access route," he said of an alliance naval surveillance mission off Turkey and Greece.

"And we will join you in other ways to stem this tide because of the potential of its damage to the fabric of a united Europe," said Kerry.

He praised German Chancellor Angela Merkel for showing "great courage in helping so many who need so much" and European communities who are taking in those fleeing the violence and "rejecting intolerance and racism" within their societies.
A gang of around eight robbers today looted passengers of a Malda-bound bus coming from Bankura near Kaliachak at gun point, the police said.

The robbers boarded the bus near Jadupur, where it had stopped briefly and while on the move, the held the conductor Abdul Nurul Hassan at gun point and instructed the driver not to stop the vehicle, an officer of Englishbazar police station said.

The robbers looted Rs 39,000 in cash and three mobile phones from the passengers and then got down at a secluded spot near Jalalpur, the officer said.

No one was injured in the incident, the officer said adding, the conductor has lodged a complaint with Englishbazar police station and search was on to trace the miscreants.
Jesse Hughes, frontman of the US band Eagles of Death Metal whose November 13 gig at the Bataclan theater in Paris was stormed by Islamic extremist suicide bombers killing 89 people, says "my friends died very beautifully, they died very well, with great courage."



The band is kicking off its rescheduled European tour Saturday in the Swedish capital, three months to the day after the Paris carnage.

In an emotional interview on Sweden's TV4 channel, Hughes spoke with tears running down his cheeks. He said, "I am a raw nerve."



Hughes, co-founder of the band recalled that in Paris he "didn't see a single coward, I didn't see anyone doing anything cowardly."



He said he "instantly knew what was happening" on the fateful Friday night before band members dispersed to escape the carnage. "There is heaviness in my heart."



At total of 130 people were killed in the French capital in coordinated attacks.

The band performs at Stockholm's Debaser Medis club before traveling to Oslo for a concert Sunday. The California band will play at the Olympia Theatre in Paris on Tuesday. The tour ends in Cologne, Germany, in August.
The world has plunged into a "new Cold War", the Russian premier said today, as East-West tensions over Syria and Ukraine dominated a gathering of world leaders in Germany.

US Secretary of State John Kerry told the Munich Security Conference that Russia must stop targeting moderate rebels in Syria and pull its troops out of Ukraine.

"To date, the vast majority of Russia's attacks (in Syria) have been against legitimate opposition groups," Kerry told the audience.

"To adhere to the agreement it made, Russia's targeting must change," he said, referring to the international deal forged yesterday, in which foreign ministers agreed to seek a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria within a week.

"This is the moment. This is a hinge point. Decisions made in the coming days and weeks, and a few months could end the war in Syria -- or could define a very difficult set of choices for the future."



He spoke shortly after Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the world had "slid into a new period of Cold War."



"Almost every day we are accused of making new horrible threats either against NATO as a whole, against Europe or against the US or other countries," Medvedev said.

A panel of eastern European leaders were eager to add to the criticism of Russia's assertive foreign policy.

"Every single day, Russian troops, Russian weapons, Russian ammunition penetrate into my country," said Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko.

He addressed Russia's president, who was not present, saying: "Mr (Vladimir) Putin, this is not a civil war in Ukraine, this is your aggression. This is not a civil war in Crimea, this is your soldiers who occupied my country."



Kerry emphasised that sanctions on Russia would remain in place until it implements all aspects of the Ukraine peace agreement reached in Belarus' capital Minsk last year.

"Russia has a simple choice: fully implement Minsk or continue to face economically damaging sanctions," he said.

An emotional Poroshenko also warned that "pro-Russian parties" were undermining Europe from within with an alternative set of values.

"Isolationism, intolerance, disrespect of human rights, religious fanatics, homophobia -- this alternative Europe has a leader. His name is Mr Putin."



By contrast, Medvedev had earlier criticised the expansion of NATO and EU influence deep into formerly Soviet-ruled eastern Europe, which Russia still sees as its sphere of influence.

"European politicians thought that creating a so-called belt of friends at Europe's side, on the outskirts of the EU, could be a guarantee of security, and what's the result?" he said. "Not a belt of friends but a belt of exclusion."



But he also struck a more positive note, saying: "Our positions differ, but they do not differ as much as 40 years ago when a wall was standing in Europe.
Russia must change its military targeting as it backs the Syrian regime, US Secretary of State John Kerry said today, as world powers seek a cessation of hostilities in the war-torn country within a week.

"To date, the vast majority of Russia's attacks have been against legitimate opposition groups," Kerry said. "To adhere to the agreement it made, we think it is critical that Russia's targeting change."



Russia has supported the regime of President Bashar al-Assad against rebel forces whom it collectively labels "terrorists". The United States has provided some support to the rebels and called for Assad to leave power.

Yesterday's agreement called for a "cessation of hostilities" within a week and for greatly increased humanitarian access, but it excludes the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda-linked jihadists.

"There's a lot of work to do before an effective cessation can commence," Kerry said.

He stressed this was the crucial moment in a five-year war that has claimed more than 250,000 lives.

"This is the moment. This is a hinge point," he said. "Decisions made in the coming days and weeks, and a few months could end the war in Syria -- or could define a very difficult set of choices for the future."



He added: "The war in Syria has now lasted for almost five years -- and shows no signs of burning itself out -- which is why we are so focused on a political track.

"If the international community and the Syrians themselves miss the opportunity now before us to achieve that political resolution to the conflict, the violence, the bloodshed, the torture, the bombing, and the anguish will continue -- so will the siren call to jihad.
Sanctions against Russia will continue until it implements all aspects of the Ukraine peace agreement reached in Minsk last year, US Secretary of State John Kerry said today.

"Russia has a simple choice: fully implement Minsk or continue to face economically damaging sanctions," he said at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

"Sanctions are never an end in and of themselves," Kerry said.

"But we shouldn't forget why they were imposed in the first place: to stand up for Ukraine's fundamental rights -- its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"Put plainly, Russia can prove by its actions that it will respect Ukraine's sovereignty, just as it insists on respect for its own," he said.

The West accuses Russia of pouring troops and military equipment into the eastern Donbass region since the conflict began in 2014.

"The path to sanctions relief is clear: withdraw weapons and troops from Donbass, ensure that all Ukrainian hostages are returned, allow full humanitarian access to occupied territories, support free, fair, and internationally-monitored elections in Donbass under Ukrainian law, and restore Ukraine's control of its side of the international border."



Kerry praised European governments for "showing resolve and common purpose in the face of Russia's repeated aggression".

"I am confident that Europe and the United States will continue to stand united -- both in sustaining sanctions for as long as they are necessary and providing needed assistance to Ukraine."



He spoke shortly after Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev who had decried a "new Cold War" between East and West.

"Almost every day we are accused of making new horrible threats either against NATO as a whole, against Europe or against the US or other countries," said Medvedev.
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena today claimed that his victory in the elections saved his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa from being hauled before an international war crimes court.

"He (Rajapaksa) was publicly lamenting that he was to be taken before a war crimes court and executed on an electric chair. The people who voted me against him have prevented that," Sirisena said, responding to Rajapaksa's statement on the UN human rights chief's visit to the country.

Sirisena said his victory in elections in January last year over Rajapaksa was the reason why the former President was prevented from answering a war crimes probe.

Rajapaksa, in a statement on UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein's visit to the country had said that the government's agreement to have a human rights probe on the last phase of the war with the LTTE was a "betrayal".

"There was an attempt to portray this UNHRC resolution as a great diplomatic victory for Sri Lanka. But in reality, it was a great betrayal," he had said.

UN human rights chief visited the country to review the measures taken by the island-nation to investigate alleged atrocities committed during the long civil war that left tens of thousands dead.

Hussein's visit was significant in the wake of a UNHRC resolution last October mandating an investigation into the alleged rights abuses during Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict that ended in 2009.

According to UN figures, up to 100,000 people were killed in the three-decade long civil war. Hundreds of people are still missing.

In the hard-hitting report submitted by him at the UNHRC last September, Hussein had criticised Sri Lanka's failure to deliver justice to the victims of the 26-year conflict.

He has prescribed an international "hybrid court" with foreign judges, prosecutors and investigators. to Sri Lanka.

The UNHRC resolution co-sponsored by Sri Lanka has mandated an accountability probe focussed both on the government troops and the LTTE.

During his regime, Rajapaksa ignored three UNHRC resolutions claiming the resolutions attacked the island's sovereignty.

Sirisena government has adopted a conciliatory attitude towards the UNHRC.
Police are searching for four gunmen who stormed a casino in the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence, causing several injuries and stealing cash before fleeing.

Regional police chief Laurent Nunez said the robbery occurred overnight at the Pasino casino. The gunmen fired warning shots with automatic rifles, prompting panic among the 700 people inside, he told The Associated Press.

Many people are still on edge after Islamic extremist attacks around Paris in November that killed 130 people, and the country remains under a state of emergency. Nunez insisted that Saturday's robbery was "absolutely not a terrorist act."



Jean-Marc Barre of the local fire department said on BFM television that 15 people were evacuated with light injuries suffered in the panic.

The casino reopened today under extra security.
The government today said scientific validation of homeopathy is needed to increase its "credibility and acceptability" and that several institutions are now showing keen interest in undertaking research on this stream.

"Several institutions are now showing keen interest to undertake research on homoeopathy, and Central Council of Homeopathy (CCH) and Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH) under the government are encouraging education and research.

"Credibility and acceptability of homoeopathy will increase if scientific validation of its principles and practice is undertaken," said AYUSH Minister Shripad Yesso Naik at the inauguration of the 24th National Homoeopathic Congress 'Homeo-Vision 2016' in Nagpur today.

Naik said international professional body of homeopaths, Liga Medicorum Homoeopathica Internationalis (LMHI) has proposed to organise the World Homeopathy Day on April 10 this year in New Delhi and his Ministry has directed the Central Council for Research in Homeopathy to jointly organise this event with LMHI.

The minister urged all professional bodies to organise state-level and district-level seminars and road shows on the World Homeopathy Day this year in order to make it a mass movement and to create awareness about homeopathy in all districts, talukas and villages.

Indian Institute of Homoeopathic Physicians (IIHP) Maharashtra branch, organised a two-day national conference to discuss the recent advances in technology, research and quality education in the field.

Noting that homoeopathy is well assimilated into the ethos of Indian heritage and is widely accepted by the public, the minister said ten percent of the population depends on the practice for their health care needs.

Underlining the "vital role" of homeopathy as one of the strategies under the National Health Mission (NHM) for providing accessible and affordable quality health services to the poorest households in the remotest rural regions, he said that reduced maternal mortality rate, infant mortality rate and improvement in total fertility rate are some of its noticeable outcomes.

To mark the inauguration of 'Homeo-Vision 2016' a special postage stamp and a souvenir was released by the minister.

Director of ISRO in Ahmedabad Virendra Kumar said the facility of tele-medicine is being provided by ISRO with the help of AYUSH Ministry to access the far-flung areas of the country for consulting with homeopathic medical aid.
Six UN peacekeepers have been killed and some 30 wounded when suspected Islamists attacked their base in northern Mali, officials said, while three Malian soldiers died in an ambush as jihadists intensify attacks in the restive region.

The six Guinean peacekeepers were killed in an early morning assault on a camp in the northeastern town of Kidal belonging to the United Nation's MINUSMA, according to a Guinean source in the mission and a military source in Conakry yesterday.

The latest attacks highlighted the vulnerability of Mali's sprawling arid north, where UN troops and Malian soldiers are struggling in their fight against jihadists who seized vast swathes of territory in 2012.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the "massive and complex" attack on the MINUSMA base, warning that targeting peacekeepers constitutes a war crime and pledging to support the Malian government.

Suicide bombers drove a vehicle into the base between two rocket launches, then blew it up, the Guinean source in the UN mission said.

The raid coincided with a visit to northern Mali by the new chief of MINUSMA, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, who said the raid was an "odious and irresponsible act" which highlighted the "confusion in the ranks of the enemies of peace."



Annadif was in Kidal a week after a peace pact eased tensions in the town, where the arrival of members of a pro- government group early in February had upset the former rebels in the Coordination of Movements of the Azawad.

Azawad is the name the traditionally nomadic Tuareg people of the desert use for territory they regard as their homeland, straddling the southern Sahara and the Sahel.

In a separate attack, three Malian soldiers were killed and two others were wounded near the fabled city of Timbuktu, a Malian military source said.

"Three of our men died today between Timbuktu and Goundam when they were ambushed by jihadists," a Malian officer told AFP. "Two others were wounded but their lives are not in danger."



The defence ministry confirmed what it said was a "cowardly" strike.

Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said there was a pressing need to secure the north.

"We have to find a solution to this," he said. "Kidal cannot remain like this... Where attacks occur on a daily basis and the international community and we ourselves look on.
All six workers, who sustained burns in the boiler blast at a tyre manufacturing unit at Chettipalayam on the outskirts two days ago, have succumbed to injuries, hospital authorities said.

The workers suffered 100 per cent burns, when the boiler in which tyres were being burnt for extracting oil, exploded.

The six were admitted to the Government hospital here.

While one worker died early yesterday, the other four died last night, hospital officials said, adding, another worker succumbed to injuries this evening.

Police said four persons-- the managing director of the unit, Balaguru, his two sons and the supervisor-- were arrested in connection with the incident, last night. They were produced before a local court which granted them bail.

Meanwhile, the CITU today urged the government to offer a solatium of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased, as according to them the unit was running without proper license from the State Pollution Board.

CITU district treasurer S Krishnamurthy submitted a memorandum to the Collector Archana Patnaik seeking a judicial probe into the incident.
South Sudan's rebel leader said today that he has accepted his appointment by President Salva Kiir as vice president and will return to the country to take up the position when adequate security arrangements are made.

Riek Machar called for the demilitarization of the capital, Juba, adding that the first phase of integrating government and rebel forces should be done before his return.

"We as a movement have welcomed of the issuance of the decree that appointed me as the first vice president of the Republic of South Sudan," Machar told reporters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

Implementation of the peace agreement signed in August stalled because Kiir ordered the creation of 28 states from the existing 10, undermining a power-sharing provision in the accord that gave Machar's side control of two of the original states.

Sporadic fighting has continued between government forces and rebels in some parts of the oil-producing East African country.

Machar had been Kiir's deputy until July 2013, when his firing triggered a political crisis that later boiled over into a rebellion following a violent split among the security forces in Juba. Some of the fighting was along ethnic lines, and both sides have been accused of carrying out serious human rights abuses.

The UN welcomed Machar's appointment and urged him to return to Juba, the spokesman for the secretary-general, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters.

Despite the peace accord, both sides continue to seek new weapons, according to a report released last month by a U.N. panel of experts.
Amid row in Goa over classification of coconut as "palm", Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar today taunted the Opposition saying its planned protest rally on the issue should be launched from his house in Pernem taluka.

Independent MLA Vijai Sardesai had yesterday said that if the demanded change of re-classifying coconut as 'tree' was not made in the Goa Preservation of Trees (Amendment) Bill till February 21, the "anti-BJP" forces in the state will launch a "Maad Yatra" (coconut tree rally).

"They (Vijai and his supporters) should start their 'yatra' from my house in Pernem taluka, which is located in the coconut grove," Parsekar told reportes in Margao town.

He said his private residence in Pernem is located in coconut grove spread over 18,000 square metres. "The entire area around my house is settlement zone, but I have preferred to plant coconut trees," the Chief Minister said.

The BJP-led state government landed in a controversy after it passed amendment to Goa, Daman and Diu Tree Protection Act classifying coconut as a "palm" and not a "tree".

The Chief Minister said just like him, several farmers have to face difficulties in cutting coconut trees when the yield starts going down.

"The farmers face difficulties as they have to go through the tedious process of getting licence from the Forest Department," Parsekar said.

"The amendment to the Act will simplify the procedure and help these farmers who will like to replace the ageing Coconut tree with new sapling with better yield," he said.

The Chief Minister said he was ready for open debate on the amendment to the Act with those raising the issue against the government.
The AAP government started implementing its poll promises from its very first day in office, which is "unheard of" when it comes to politics in India, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today claimed.

Releasing a summary of achievements of Delhi Jal Board (DJB) during the first year of AAP in power, he said, "The Delhi government implemented the provision of free water up to 20 kiloliters per family per month.

"This policy benefited all stakeholders as citizens reaped rewards of zero billing, cross subsidy bolstered revenue and incentivised lower usage."



"The government implemented its poll promises from day one itself, something unheard of in modern Indian politics," Kejriwal said.

He released the DJB annual report of achievements for 2015-16, listing a total of 212 gains and improvements in nine areas, including policy-level decisions, water sector, e-governance, revenue, administration, renewable energy and anti-corruption measures.

Proper demand-side planning, supply side management, organisational water distribution audit and proper water accounting tied to people-oriented planning were the themes of DJB's working under the first year rule of AAP government, said Kapil Mishra, the water minister and DJB chairman.

"DJB also made transformative improvements in water pipeline and supply, reaching constituencies like Dwarka, Sangam Vihar and Tughlakabad, truly moving towards the goal of providing water as a right," Mishra said.

"DJB has managed to improve on its working and monitoring vis-a-vis water and sewage management. An increase in revenue by Rs 170 crore dispelled myths of poor economics and furthered the positive outcomes of good governance," DJB said in a statement.

DJB CEO Keshav Chandra was present on the occasion.
Maharashtra, which is hosting the maiden Make in India Week that started here today, signed agreements of over Rs 21,400 crore with various companies, including Sterlite and Coca-Cola.

Sterlite group company TwinStar Display Technologies and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) signed a deal to set up an LCD manufacturing unit known as Panel FAB, with technical collaboration with Autron of Taiwan, an official statement said.

It entails an investment of Rs 20,000 crore and the location of the plant will be decided soon.

Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages, Jain Irrigation and the agriculture marketing department of Maharashtra signed a pact to establish a juice manufacturing facility to support orange farmers in the Vidarbha region.

It's expected to benefit 5,000 farmers with an average landholding of two acres each, the statement said, without specifying the quantum of investment by the American cola giant.

An MoU between Raymond Industries and MIDC was also inked as part of the 'Farm to Fabric' initiative. Raymond intends to invest Rs 1,400 crore in manufacturing linen yarn, fabric and garments.

The unit will be set up at the Nandgaon Textile Park in Amravati district. It will procure cotton from farmers in the district and elsewhere in the Vidarbha region, which has been in because of farmer suicides.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan today warned officials of Bundelkhand region of stern action if complaints are received from the people of the drought-hit area.

Ranjan said this during his visit to Masaura Kala village of Lalitpur district to inspect ongoing works of various departments.

He also held a meeting with officials in Jhansi to review works of different departments.

Some 30 to 32 thousand people are being provided work under the MNREGS in Lalitpur and Jhansi on a daily basis, the Chief Secretary was quoted as saying in a release.

No labourer is leaving the area because of dearth of employment nor would such a situation be allowed to emerge, he said.

On receiving complaints against the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Lalitpur and Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) of Jhansi from the public and people's representative, Ranjan directed that adverse report be entered in their official records and ordered seizure of financial powers of the former.
Tamil Nadu Government Employees Association (TNGEA) today said more organisations will join the ongoing indefinite strike by the employees if the government continued to be indifferent to their demands, including restoration of old pension scheme.

The Secretariat staff, the elementary school teachers, had expressed support for the strike. The All-India Government Employees Sammelan also had assured to hold a demonstration in support of the striking employees, TNGEA Secretary R Panneerselvam said here.

If the government continued to be indifferent, more associations would join the strike, launched by various associations on February 10 pressing 20-point charter of demands, including old pension scheme and filling vacancies.

Panneerselvam, who was here to attend a meeting organised by various associations of the government employees, urged Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to recall "promises" made by her during the last elections and implement them.

He said the Chief Minister should not allow the agitation to intensify and instead accept the demands.
A Croatian man suspected of having been a guard in several World War II concentration camps, including Auschwitz, has died at the age of 92, local media reported today.

Jakob Dencinger, who had been living in the eastern city of Osijek, died in hospital on Thursday, the local Glas Slavonije newspaper reported.

In 2014, Croatian prosecutors said they had placed him under investigation after his name reportedly figured on a list of people compiled by special German prosecutors in charge of investigating Nazi war crimes.

The Nazi-hunting Simon Wiesenthal Center had at the time urged Croatian authorities to move quickly, saying that "people who served as guards in the largest mass murder factory in human history" did "not deserve any sympathy due to age or to frailty".

Dencinger was born in Osijek, where he served in Hitler's notorious Waffen-SS.

He moved to the United States after the war and worked in business until 1989, when judicial proceedings were launched to strip him of his US citizenship due to his Nazi past, Croatian media reported.

He then returned to his homeland.

Since the allegations against him became public he had refused to leave his apartment in Osijek and declined requests for media interviews.
A revenue official has been booked by the State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) for allegedly tampering with revenue records in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir.

"A case has been registered today against former Patwari Halqa Dudu-Basantgarh, Mohmmad Farooq, and beneficiary, Mohmmad Javed, for tempering with the revenue record pertaining to land measuring 2 kanals 18 marlas in Dudu village in Basantgarh tehsil," an SVO spokesman said in a statement here today.

This step was taken on the basis of an enquiry conducted by Sub Divisional Magistrate, Basantgarh into the allegations of tempering with the revenue record pertaining to Khasra No 76 in Dudu village.

The enquiry reveals that Farooq by abusing his official position hatched a criminal conspiracy with Javed, who intended to grab the land of his sister, Asmat Begum, he said.

Farooq, despite having knowledge that the land belongs to Asmat Begum, abused his official position and made the wrong entry into the Girdawari Register to benefit Javed, he said.

The entry was made in 2005 for 4 kanals 8 marlas, mentioning that it was a self-cultivated piece of land (khud kasht) through Javed by manipulating the records.

The investigation of the case has been taken up, the spokesman said.
An ambush by Syrian rebels on pro-regime forces near Damascus this week killed 76 fighters, a monitor said today, in one of the deadliest attacks of its kind since the conflict began.

Militants from the powerful Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) rebel group opened fire last Sunday on around 240 government forces that were preparing to storm the opposition stronghold of Eastern Ghouta, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Observatory said at the time of the attack, which it described as "the largest ambush of regime forces in the war", that 35 people had died.

Director Rami Abdel Rahman today gave a new toll, documenting 45 pro-regime fighters killed by gunfire and another 31 killed when landmines were detonated during the clashes.

At least 100 remain unaccounted for, Abdel Rahman added.

Families of those killed or missing -- many of whom hail from the coastal province of Latakia -- are demanding to receive the bodies of their loved ones, he told AFP.

Jaish al-Islam is the strongest opposition faction in Eastern Ghouta, a large suburb of Damascus that is regularly bombarded by government forces.

The regime has struggled to take back territory there despite air support from its ally, Russia.

More than 260,000 people have been killed and millions have been forced to flee since Syria's war erupted in 2011.
Syrian state TV and an opposition activist group say government forces have captured another village near Aleppo, tightening the noose around rebel-held parts of the northern city.

State TV and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say troops captured Tamoura today.

Hezbollah-run Al-Manar TV says troops are now overlooking the town of Hayan and parts of the town of Anadan. The Lebanese militant group is fighting alongside forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Syrian troops have been advancing under cover of intense Russian airstrikes with the aim of besieging rebel-held parts of Aleppo, Syria's largest city.

The United States and Russia have announced a plan to halt the violence within a week, but it's unclear whether fighters on the ground will adhere to it.
In the backdrop of the raging JNU row, Union Minister Jitendra Singh today said the country is going through a crisis of values as those who challenge Indianness are considered intellectuals while those speaking for it are labelled as fools.

"We are going through a crisis of values. This is a time when those who talk about 'Bharatiyata' (Indianness) are labelled as fools. While those challenging Indianness are termed as intellectuals," said the Minister of State in the PMO.

"Is this situation a paradox or a perversion?" he questioned and added that humility is considered weakness and oppressors are considered brave.

Singh's comments come amid a row over the arrest of JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar in connection with an event organised on the campus against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. There were allegations that anti-India slogans were raised during the event.

The minister also hit out at the critics of the government on debate over tolerance saying, "Can tolerance be virtue of those who themselves do not have the strength to be tolerant?"



He said governments would come and go, "but can we afford a question mark on the very existence of mother India itself?"



Singh was speaking at an event organised by J&K study circle, a think-tank considered close to RSS, on Kashmiri saint-philosopher Acharya Abhinavagupta where Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and British Parliamentarian Bob Blackman were present.

He also referred to an incident where an American President when asked a question about self-determination in Atlanta, responded by saying it is a closed chapter.

"Such advanced countries, old democracies, have closed chapters. But we have not been able to. And if we close the chapter, we tend to open it. We have no bottomlines," he said.

Singh justified the Congress' decision to enter into an



electoral pact with the Left in West Bengal whereas fighting against them in Kerala, saying this is a question of regional leadership deciding to tie-up with like-minded parties.

"So, therefore, there is no contradiction as such. In West Bengal, the way (Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee has conducted herself..Therefore...There is a reason for Congress party to look for viable option and Left is the viable option in West Bengal," he added.

On whether the "delay" in Rahul Gandhi taking over as Congress president is taking a toll on the party's rank and file, Singh said, "No one is opposing Rahul Gandhi as such. It depends on when the decision (on his taking over) is taken. The decision will be taken by Congress president".
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet ZDavutoglu today said Turkey would, if necessary, take military action against fighters from the Syrian Kurdish PYD, which Ankara considers a terror group.

"We can if necessary take the same measures in Syria as we took in Iraq and Qandil," Davutoglu said in a televised speech in the eastern city of Erzincan, referring to the relentless bombing campaign last year against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq on their Qandil mountain stronghold.

"We would expect our friends and allies to stand by us," he added.

Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia to be branches of the PKK which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state that intensified in the last months.

Turkey this week reacted furiously to comments by the US State Department spokesman saying Washington did not recognise the PYD as a terror group and would continue to support its operations in Syria.

"The leadership cadre and ideology of the PKK and PYD is the same," argued Davutoglu.

"Those who say that they are not terror groups either do not know the region or have bad intentions," he said, in apparent reference to the row with Washington.

"We will be sending documentation to the United States very soon to show that the PYD is a branch of the PKK," he said. Washington recognises the PKK as a terror group, as does the European Union.

Davutoglu accused the PYD of cooperating both the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad -- who Turkey wants to see ousted -- and his Russian allies, as well as committing war crimes.

"We are expecting a clear and unambiguous stand from the United States -- who we believe to be our allies -- against this slaughter of humanity," said the premier.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby said last week that the Kurdish fighters "have been some of the most successful" in fighting Islamic State jihadists inside Syria.

He said the United States had supported the Kurdish fighters, mostly with air power, "and that support will continue."



Turkey last year claimed killing dozens of PKK fighters and destroying their hideouts in cross-border air raids on northern Iraq.
Turkey and Saudi Arabia could launch a ground operation against Islamic State (IS) jihadists in Syria, while Riyadh is also sending war planes to a Turkish base to fight the extremists, the Turkish foreign minister said today.

"If there is a strategy (against IS) then Turkey and Saudi Arabia could enter into a ground operation," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted as saying by the Yeni Safak and Haberturk newspapers after taking part in the Munich Security Conference.

"Some say 'Turkey is reluctant to take part in the fight against Daesh (IS)'. But it is Turkey that is making the most concrete proposals," he said.

Cavusoglu added that Saudi Arabia, which has become an increasingly close ally of Turkey in recent months, is also sending planes to the Turkish base of Incirlik to fight IS.

"They (Saudi officials) came, did a reconnaissance of the base. At the moment it is not clear how many planes will come," Cavusoglu said.

Incirlik is a key hub for US-led coalition operations against IS, with planes from Britain, France and the United States carrying out raids inside Syria from the base.

"They (Saudi Arabia) said 'If necessary we can also send troops'. Saudi Arabia is showing great determination in the fight against terror in Syria," said the Turkish minister.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey both see the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as essential for ending Syria's five-year civil war and are bitterly critical of Iran and Russia's support of the Syrian regime.

Asked if Saudi Arabia could send troops to the Turkish border to enter Syria, Cavusoglu said: "This is something that could be desired but there is no plan. Saudi Arabia is sending planes and they said 'If the necessary time comes for a ground operation then we could send soldiers'."



His comments come after Assad defiantly told AFP in an exclusive interview published on Friday that he would recapture the whole of Syria and keep "fighting terrorism".

Turkey's relations with fellow mainly Sunni Muslim power Saudi Arabia have warmed considerably in recent months. Ties had been damaged by Saudi's role in the 2013 ousting of Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi, a close ally of Ankara.

In December, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Riyadh for talks with King Salman as well as key decision-makers crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef and deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Meanwhile, Turkey has also been tightening relations with Qatar, another key opponent of Assad in the Syria conflict.

Erdogan yesterday held several hours of talks in Istanbul with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the presidency said, but the contents of the talks was not revealed.
Turkish artillery today shelled areas of Aleppo province in northern Syria held by Kurdish forces, a monitor said, as Ankara said it could launch a ground assault alongside Saudi troops.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Turkish artillery struck areas of Aleppo, including Minnigh airbase recently taken by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia from Islamist rebels.

Ankara considers the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its YPG militia to be branches of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state.

The shelling came shortly after Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Ankara would, if necessary, take military action against the PYD.

"We can if necessary take the same measures in Syria as we took in Iraq and Qandil," he said in a televised speech.

The premier was referring to Turkey's bombing campaign last year against PKK targets in their Qandil mountain stronghold in northern Iraq.

A YPG source told AFP that the Turkish shelling targeted the strategic Minnigh airbase, which Kurdish forces retook late on Wednesday.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, quoted in Turkish newspapers, said Riyadh and Ankara were coordinating plans to intervene in Syria, where Russia has been backing a successful regime offensive against rebels.

"If there is a strategy (against the Islamic State jihadist group), then Turkey and Saudi Arabia could enter into a ground operation," he said.

Cavusoglu said Saudi Arabia is also sending planes to the Turkish base of Incirlik, a key hub for US-led coalition operations against IS already used by Britain, France and the United States for cross-border air raids.

"They (Saudi officials) came, did a reconnaissance of the base. At the moment it is not clear how many planes will come," Cavusoglu said.

Turkish media later quoted military sources as saying between eight and 10 Saudi jets would be deployed in Incirlik within the coming weeks, with 4 F-16 fighters to arrive in a first wave.

Asked if Saudi Arabia could send troops to the Turkish border to enter Syria, Cavusoglu said: "This is something that could be desired but there is no plan. Saudi Arabia is sending planes and they said 'If the necessary time comes for a ground operation then we could send soldiers'."



Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, for his part, said in a German newspaper interview: "There is discussion on whether ground troops are needed against IS.

"If a decision is taken to send in special units against IS, Saudi Arabia is ready to take part.
Two persons were detained today after they allegedly tried to disrupt a book launch event where former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah was present as the chief guest.

The incident took place around 5.30 PM when the duo, present at the launch of a book 'Ladakh -- my journey up, down and across' authored by bureaucrat late Pushkernath Kaul, raised notebook-sized placards in favour of Kashmiri Pandits, a senior police official said.

The duo, a man and a woman, were whisked away by security personnel at the event in New Delhi area and later detained by the police. However, the event continued.

"They were detained in view of law and order issues," DCP (New Delhi) Jatin Narwal said.

At the event, Abdullah said, "We need to move forward and find an amicable solution to all the issues between India and Pakistan."



On Kashmiri Pandits, he said his stand is clear that they must return to their native place.

Later, he asked Delhi Police to release the two saying "they are like his own children".
India has criticised the UN's proposed plan to combat violent extremism, describing it insufficient, while underlining the need for greater international cooperation to deal with this growing "global threat".

"Our view is that the current architecture at the United Nations is not sufficient to tackle this virus that threatens us collectively," Indian Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said in his address to the General Assembly on UN chief Ban Ki -moon's report on preventing violent extremism.

The general assembly did not adopt the proposed plan in its meeting here yesterday in view of the divergent opinions expressed by different countries and decided to debate it further.

The main differences revolved around whether issues like "foreign occupation" and "right to self determination", also raised by Pakistan's permanent UN representative Maleeha Lodhi, should be part of the Action Plan.

Akbaruddin said the UN chief's proposed Action Plan provides no solution to this threat.

"Where is the single contact point that will assist member states seeking UN assistance in preventing violent extremism. Having gone through the entire plan, unfortunately, we did not find an answer to this simple and basic question," he said.

Tabled in December 2015, the action plan recommended that each country develop its own national action plan to prevent violent extremism.

Akbaruddin said the plan is full of prescriptions for countries, but short on what the UN would do to help governments.

While underlining that there can be no grievance whatsoever that can justify resort to violent extremism, Akbaruddin stressed the need to ensure that violent extremists are subject to the full force of law as they pose an "imminent and continuing danger".

Acknowledging that addressing this malaise is primarily responsibility of the countries, the Indian diplomat, nevertheless, said there is need for substantive value addition from the UN in this endeavour.

"What we are tackling is not merely a local problem that can be addressed unilaterally; it is a global contagion. All these present a new level of threat. We need significant options of international cooperation, which we do not discern in the plan before us," Akbaruddin said.

Pakistan's representative Lodhi argued that violent extremists exploit injustices like foreign occupation and the denial of the right to self-determination and there is no clarity on an agreed definition of "terrorism" and "violent extremism".

Speaking on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Abdallah Y al-Mouallimi said violent extremism and terrorism undermined peace and no country was immune.

Michele Sison of the US said defeating terrorism on the battlefield was not enough unless the international community addressed the fundamental drives of such extremist actions.

Matthew Rycroft of Britain was of the view that the plan was pragmatic and comprehensive and contained a recommendation to develop robust national action plans based on respect for human rights and rule of law.
Noted lyricist-poet Gulzar says that contrary to the believe that Urdu is dying, the language is alive and moving ahead with time.

"Urdu is alive the same way it was earlier and it is alive with the same old strength. Its energy hasn't reduced. Maybe its aspect is changing... This fear that Urdu is dying... Urdu is the most alive language and moving ahead with times," Gulzar said while Speaking at 'Jashn-e-Rekhta' festival.

Addressing a session on "Kaisa Yeh Ishq Hai Urdu Zubaan Ka" here, the lyricist said while the language is spoken and heard widely, it needs to be seen more.

"Urdu is heard and spoken but the missing thing is that it is not seen much. There should be work done on Urdu scripts. More scripts in Urdu should be written.

"Our artists also, like Vyjantimala ji used to write her dialogues separately in Tamil, her language... Shabana (Azmi) reads in Devnagari, not in Urdu, even though she speaks beautiful Urdu. There is nothing wrong in that but the need of more Urdu scripts is felt because the diction of the language is suffering," he added.

The 81-year-old lyricist, whose translations of famous Urdu poets have a huge fan following, said contemporary writers of the language should be taught so that it is kept alive.

"Ghalib, Mir and others are classic names in relation to Urdu but the language has moved beyond the 19th century and is still alive. So we should move beyond these names too... There are many other poets who should be taught like the other greats. Faiz Ahmed Faiz should be part of your text today," Gulzar said.

The poet, who calls filmmaker Bimal Roy his guru as he began his career with filmmaker's "Bandini", was asked about the influence of Bengali language on the Urdu he writes in.

"I don't know how much of my work has Bengali influence but I have lived in Bengal, know a lot of Bengalis. My first guru was Bimal Roy, my wife is a Bengali everyone knows. You want to hear this only...," the writer said as the audience broke in giggles and laughter.

When the topic came to Hilsa, a fish popular in Bengali region, Gulzar said no one cooks it better than Rakhi.

"I know how that is cooked... I have seen it getting cooked and tasted too. Like I always say, no one in this country makes it as good as she does (Rakhi, his wife) and I have never eaten outside."



On a serious note, he added, "Rabindranath Tagore affected me a lot. He inspired my writings. I got a direction from his work.
The US has pressed Turkey to halt military strikes on Kurdish and Syrian regime targets in the northern province of Aleppo, as Ankara weighs a joint ground assault with Saudi troops.

"We are concerned about the situation north of Aleppo and are working to de-escalate tensions on all sides," State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement yesterday.

State-run agency Anatolia, quoting a military source, said the armed forces shelled Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) targets around the town of Azaz, and also responded to regime fire on a Turkish military guard post in Turkey's southern Hatay region.

There were no further details on the nature of the Turkish strikes, but they likely would involve artillery fire from tanks.

"We have urged Syrian Kurdish and other forces affiliated with the YPG not to take advantage of a confused situation by seizing new territory," Kirby said.

"We have also seen reports of artillery fire from the Turkish side of the border and urged Turkey to cease such fires."



The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Minnigh air base, recently taken by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia from Islamist rebels, was hit in the Turkish shelling.

Ankara considers the PYD and its YPG militia to be branches of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state.

"Turkey and the YPG share a serious threat of ISIL poised just to the east of the Azaz corridor," Kirby added, referring to the self-proclaimed Islamic State group that has seized territory in Syria and Iraq.

"We continue to encourage all parties to focus on this common threat, which has not subsided, and to work toward a cessation of hostilities, as agreed in Munich."



The shelling came just a day after world powers announced announced an ambitious plan to stop fighting in Syria within a week.

But doubts have emerged over its viability, especially because it did not include IS or Al-Qaeda's local branch, which is fighting alongside other rebel groups in several areas.
The US has asked Ukraine to accelerate anti-graft reforms, after the International Monetary Fund threatened to cut aid to the cash-strapped country due to corruption concerns.

Vice President Joe Biden made the comments during a call with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, the White House said in a statement yesterday. It was his second call with Poroshenko in as many days.

"The two leaders agreed on the importance of unity among Ukrainian political forces to quickly pass reforms in line with the commitments in its IMF program, including measures focused on rooting out corruption," the statement said.

Biden and Poroshenko also agreed on the importance of implementing an agreement to end conflict in the country's east between army troops and pro-Kremlin rebels.

In their call Thursday, Biden expressed "serious concern" about a recent uptick in fighting after a months-long lull.

The Ukrainian government has struggled in the face of war that has ravaged the economy and deepened long-standing political divisions.

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde on Wednesday threatened to cut crucial financial aid to Ukraine because of the country's "slow progress" in fighting corruption.

The IMF program is the keystone of a roughly USD 40 billion international bailout of Ukraine that could collapse, with almost-certain disastrous consequences.
Obama Administration's proposal to sell eight F-16 jets to Pakistan is unlikely to have a smooth sailing in the US Congress with both Republicans and Democrats having raised concerns over Pakistan providing safe haven to terror groups acting against India and Afghanistan.

In the last few days, influential lawmakers have sent a flurry of letters to US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry expressing their opposition to the Administration decision to sell F-16s to Pakistan.

They told the White House and the State Department that they would work to ensure that Pakistan does not get these fighter jets until terrorist safe havens exist there and state actors support terror groups.

They also voiced concern over potential of the Pakistani military to use these F-16s to deliver nuclear weapons in conflict scenario with India.

"While it is my intention at this time to clear the sale of eight F-1 6 aircraft to Pakistan, I do not plan to support the expenditure of the very limited Foreign Military Financing (FMF) account to finance this deal, now or in the future," Senator Bob Corker, Chairman of the powerful Senate Committee on Foreign Relations said in a letter to Kerry on February 9.

"I reiterate my present hold on the release of funds via CN 15-319. 1 may reconsider my blanket hold on US FMF assistance should the Pakistanis make progress on addressing my significant concerns about their support for the Haqqani network. But but for now if they wish to purchase this military equipment, they will do so without a subsidy from the American taxpayer," Corker, a Republican party member, told Kerry in his letter.

The State Department today notified the Congress of its determination to sell eight F-16s to Pakistan.

The Congress has 30 days' time to act on the proposal.

In case of any objection, the process would be lengthier and complicated as the proposed sale would be debated and voted in the Congress. Normally this kind of situation does not arise as in case of opposition to major arms deals, both the Congressional leaders and the administration mutually work together to arrive at consensus.

"The Administration's proposed sale of eight new F-16 combat aircraft to Pakistan raises substantial concerns," Congressman Matt Salmon, Chairman of the Asia and Pacific Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee told Obama in a letter dated February 10.

"As several other Members of Congress and numerous independent experts have argued, providing such a significant upgrade to Pakistan's offensive military capabilities is extremely problematic in light of the Pakistani military's widely alleged complicity in terrorist violence, as well as the potential for the Pakistani military to use these F-16s to deliver nuclear weapons in conflict scenario with India. I strongly urge the Administration to reconsider the sale," Salmon, another Republican leader, wrote.
The United States strongly backs Britain staying in the European Union as it gears up for a referendum on its membership, US Secretary of State John Kerry told an audience in Germany today.

"Obviously, the United States has a profound interest in your success, as we do in a very strong UK staying in a strong EU," Kerry said at the Munich Security Conference.

The British government is engaged in an intensive round of high-stakes diplomacy aimed at renegotiating the terms of Britain's EU membership before holding an in-out referendum.

Prime Minister David Cameron is seeking to convince his 27 fellow EU leaders to back controversial reform proposals at a leaders' summit in Brussels on February 18-19.

"The truth is, in every decade since its founding, the EU has been tested by forces -- internal and external -- that benefited from a house divided," Kerry said.

"We know many Europeans feel overwhelmed by the latest round of challenges, including concerns about the UK's potential exit from the EU.

"I want to express the confidence of the United States... that -- as it has so many times before -- Europe is going to emerge stronger than ever, provided it stays united and builds common responses to these challenges.
Thousands thronged the streets of Mexico City today as Pope Francis began a five-day cross-country tour that will highlight the nation's violence, corruption and migration troubles.

A day after adoring crowds welcomed his arrival, Francis left the Vatican ambassador's residence aboard the popemobile on his way to the National Palace for talks with President Enrique Pena Nieto.

The Catholic faithful again lined the streets of the sprawling capital, cheering as the 79-year-old Argentine-born pontiff waved back at them.

"He's our spiritual guide and we hope that he supports us in this difficult moment for our country," said Magdalena Caballero, a 50-year-old government worker whose nephew was kidnapped a few weeks ago. "His presence fills us with hope."



Thousands more awaited his arrival at the historic Zocalo square, which houses the city's cathedral and the ornate National Palace.

The choice of location has symbolic significance as none of the pope's predecessors were ever invited at the palace, even though heads of states are usually greeted there.

While Mexico is the world's second most populous Catholic country after Brazil, governments throughout most of the 20th century were militantly secular and had testy ties with the Church.

But diplomatic relations with the Vatican were restored in 1992.

The pope's presence at the National Palace "closes a cycle," said Mexico's ambassador to the Vatican, Mariano Palacios Alcocer.

The meeting could also give Pena Nieto a breather from the nation's persistent problems, like a prison riot that killed 49 inmates on Thursday or the disappearance of 43 students in 2014.

The palace meeting "offers a study in contrasts" between a popular pope and "an unpopular head of state who faces one setback after another," said Andrew Chesnut, religion professor at Virginia Commonwealth University.

"It's the Mexican president, of course, who has the most to gain from basking in the glow of one of the world's most popular figures," Chesnut told AFP.

Hours before arriving in Mexico, Pope Francis took care of another, much older rift by holding a historic meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, in Cuba in a bid to end a 1,000-year-old Christian rift.

The two religious leaders called for "unity," while Francis later said they had talked about a possible program of "activities in common.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said tensions between Russia and the West have sent the world into a "New Cold War", while speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

"We have slid into a new period of Cold War," he said.

"Almost every day we are accused of making new horrible threats either against NATO as a whole, against Europe or against the US or other countries", he added

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on saturday said that strains between Russia and the West have plunged the world into a "New Cold War".

With tensions high over the lingering Ukraine conflict and Russia's backing of the Syrian regime, Medvedev said: "All that's left is an unfriendly policy of NATO against Russia".

"We can say it even more clearly: We have slid into a new period of Cold War," he said, speaking at the Munich Security Conference.

"Almost every day we are accused of making new horrible threats either against NATO as a whole, against Europe or against the US or other countries."



Medvedev criticised the expansion of NATO and EU influence deep into formerly Soviet-ruled eastern Europe since the end of the Cold War.

"European politicians thought that creating a so-called belt of friends at Europe's side, on the outskirts of the EU, could be a guarantee of security, and what's the result?" he said. "Not a belt of friends but a belt of exclusion."



He added that "creating trust is hard ... But we have to start. Our positions differ, but they do not differ as much as 40 years ago when a wall was standing in Europe."



He urged better East-West dialogue, citing the "shining example" of the historic meeting of Pope Francis and Russian Patriarch Kirill in Cuba.

Medvedev added that "in the 1960s we were on the brink of nuclear apocalypse, but the two enemy sides understood that no conflict of political systems was worth the lives of people."



NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg had earlier addressed the forum on the subject of tensions with Russia, vowing a firm stance while also offering dialogue.

"We have seen a more assertive Russia, a Russia which is destabilising the European security order," he said.

"NATO does not seek confrontation and we don't want a new Cold War. At the same time our response has to be firm."



NATO was now "undertaking the biggest reinforcement to our collective defence in decades, to send a powerful signal to deter any aggression or intimidation. Not to wage war, but to prevent war."



Stoltenberg charged that "Russia's rhetoric, posture and exercises of its nuclear forces are aimed at intimidating its neighbours, undermining trust and stability in Europe."



He stressed that "for NATO, the circumstances in which any use of nuclear weapons might have to be contemplated are extremely remote" and cautioned that "no-one should think that nuclear weapons can be used as part of conventional conflict".

The NATO chief said: "Some are concerned that we are sleepwalking toward escalation with Russia... I understand those concerns but I do not share them."



He urged a "more constructive and more cooperative relationship with Russia... I strongly believe that the answer lies with both more defence and more dialogue.
By Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Boeing Co is nearing a decision to invest "a significant amount" to keep a F/A-18E/F fighter jet production line in St. Louis running as it waits for the U.S. government to approve a delayed order by Kuwait for 28 jets, a senior executive said.

Dan Gillian, who runs Boeing's F/A-18E/F and EA-18G electronic attack jet programs, told the company would decide in coming weeks whether to buy titanium and other materials needed to start work on the jets, even before the Kuwait deal and potential U.S. Navy orders are finalized.

He said Boeing would weigh strong expected demand for the warplanes against the risk that the orders could still fail.

Delays in orders for the jets mean Boeing must decide whether to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into the F/A-18 program, even as its commercial division faces job cuts and a federal investigation into whether it properly accounted for two jetliners, the 747 and 787.

"Based on the demand signals we see today, I'm confident that we'll be building F/A-18s into the 2020s," said Gillian, who spoke to on Thursday before of the accounting probe broke.

Gillian said Boeing was encouraged by the U.S. Navy's proposed funding to buy two F/A-18E/F Super Hornets in a supplemental war budget and 14 more jets in the fiscal 2018 base budget.

Boeing has slowed production from three planes a month to two planes, and needs the Kuwait order to be finalized soon to keep production going until the Navy's expected fiscal 2018 orders, Gillian said. Analysts have said the Kuwait order could be worth more than $3 billion to Boeing.

The U.S. Navy may also add a dozen more F/A-18 fighter jets to its list of "unfunded priorities" in fiscal 2017, a document used by lawmakers to adjust funding in the Pentagon's annual budget request, according to a U.S. official and industry sources who were not authorized to speak publicly.

Congress approved a similar request last year to help the Navy deal with a shortfall in carrier-based fighter. Lawmakers ultimately added $1.1 billion to the Navy's fiscal 2016 budget to buy five F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and seven EA-18G Growlers.

Gillian said current Navy orders will keep the St. Louis plant running through June 2018, but the line could continue into the early 2020s if the additional Navy and Kuwait orders are approved. That would put Boeing in a stronger position to compete for potential orders from Finland, Belgium, Spain and Denmark, he said.

The Kuwait Super Hornet order and a separate Boeing F-15 sale to Qatar have both stalled as the Obama administration negotiates a 10-year agreement with Israel on U.S. military aid.

U.S. defense officials, including Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, have raised concerns about the slow pace of arms sales approvals, and particularly the Kuwait F/A-18 sale, given the consequences for the industrial base.

Delays have prompted Qatar to halve its expected purchase of F-15s and pursue a separate deal with France's Dassault Aviation for 24 Rafale fighter jets, according to sources familiar with the matter.

For its part, Kuwait has said it is sticking to plans to buy both the Boeing planes, and a separate deal for 28 Eurofighter jets. U.S. sources had expected the Boeing deal to win approval last year.

The fighter planes are of increasing importance to Kuwait, which is part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting insurgents in Yemen, and is primarily supporting that effort with its air force and fleet of existing F/A-18s.

(Editing by David Gregorio)
A day after closing down its controversy-ridden Free Basics programme in the country, Facebook India managing director (MD) Kirthiga Reddy stepped down on Friday and will relocate to the US. Facebook had shut down Free Basics after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) barred operators from charging discriminatory rates for Internet access based on content.

The social networking giant has started looking for a successor to Reddy, who would be moving to Facebook's headquarters in the US in the next six to twelve months. Reddy said that she along with William Easton, MD of emerging markets and Dan Neary, vice-president, Asia-Pacific, have started looking for her successor in India.

"When my family relocated to India, we knew that we would move back to the US some day. It's a bittersweet moment to share that the return time frame is coming up in the next 6-12 months," Reddy said in a post on the social networking site on Friday. "It will be business as usual over the next 6-12 months. I am working closely with William Easton and Dan Neary as we search for my successor in India."

Free Basics was offered in India in partnership with Reliance Communications.

Telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has also slammed Free Basics saying such differential pricing modes are plainly not acceptable and Internet should not become a monopoly of few. After months-long consultation process, triggered by the Net neutrality debate, Trai earlier this week barred operators from charging different rates for data access dealing a blow to Free Basics and other such plans like Airtel Zero.
When is hurricane season? Here's what you need to know in South Texas
Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Bob Parker, a biological technician, uses a water cannon to spray cups into the collection channel in the Corpus Christi Bay while aboard a Marine Emergency Response Vessel during a demonstration of its trash collecting capabilities Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. The city is seeking $700,000 in RESTORE Act funds to acquire the vessel that would assist in trash collection and also assist in oil response and fires and conduct water rescue missions.

SHARE Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Wayne Fellers (left), CEO of MERV-Marine USA, demonstrates the functionality of an oil spill response system within a Marine Emergency Response Vessel on Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times City Councilwoman Colleen McIntyre tosses Styrofoam cups into the Corpus Christi Bay during a demonstration of trash collecting capabilities of a Marine Emergency Response Vessel on Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Chris Gunter (right), a naval architect, explains the functionality of an oil spill response system within a Marine Emergency Response Vessel on Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. Related Photos MERV attacks trash and oil

By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times

When red tide ravaged Corpus Christi last September, marina staff was tasked with ridding the water of all the fish that died because of the toxin.

The staff teamed up with other agencies working long hours for two weeks to retrieve 35 tons of dead fish.

"It was a very tedious effort," said Peter Davidson, marina superintendent.

Davidson and Tom Tagliabue are confident they've found the solution to keeping the water clean while minimizing the manpower: a multipurpose boat from MERV-Marine USA.

The company demonstrated the Marine Emergency Response Vessel at the sea wall Friday afternoon. Corpus Christi is seeking $700,000 from RESTORE Act funds to become the first city to use the vehicle.

As city council member Colleen McIntyre tossed bags of Styrofoam cups into the bay, the vehicle slowly chugged along the sea wall picking up the trash with a rotating wheel. The trash would stay in a container within the boat while the water flowed back into the bay.

The MERV also skims oil from the water, and has a water cannon that can be used to fight fires or direct debris into the trash collection channel. Overall, the vessel has 27 different functions.

"The marina has a lot of different responsibilities," said Tagliabue, director of intergovernmental relations. "You'd need multiple vessels to help us accomplish all of those tasks so finding this vessel ... was a godsend."

Wayne Fellers, CEO of MERV-Marine USA, said the watercraft was the result of an idea that came 10 years ago. As a graduate of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, he said it was important to display the boat for the first time ever in the city.

"When you see the pride and the people of this city, it's a pleasure to be a part of that," Fellers said.

The city has until March to apply for the funds, Tagliabue said.

"We think this project is one that achieves the priorities we've established for the last couple of years," he said.
GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Albert Villarreal talks to his lawyers Thursday during his capital murder trial in 28th District Judge Nanette Hasettes court.

SHARE Xadrian Martinez

By Krista M. Torralva of the Caller-Times

The doctor who examined a 6-year-old after he was beaten to death is expected to testify about the boy's wounds on Monday, court officials said.

Jurors on Friday were shown photos of Xadrian Martinez covered in bruises when he was at a hospital after the Aug. 27, 2014, beating. His uncle had previously described the boy's bruises as "leopard prints," court officials said.

Prosecutors are seeking a capital murder conviction for Albert Villarreal, the boyfriend of Xadrian's mother, Nancy Martinez. Martinez, 28, pleaded guilty on Monday to injury to a child and was sentenced to 35 years in prison in exchange for her testimony against Villarreal.

She testified on Thursday to hitting Xadrian while Villarreal beat him because the boy pooped in his Batman pajamas. Xadrian's then-8-year-old sister testified that Villarreal slammed her brother against a refrigerator. He didn't seem to be conscious after that and Martinez couldn't feel his pulse, according to testimony.

Defense attorneys dispute Villarreal did the killing and accuse Martinez, who has a history of child abuse.

Xadrian's grandmother testified Friday morning. She was scheduled to pick Xadrian up to live with her two days after his death.

If convicted, Villarreal, 29, faces an automatic sentence of life in prison without parole.

The trial is being held in 28th District Judge Nanette Hasette's court.

Twitter: @CallerKMT
SHARE Balli-Garcia

By Krista M. Torralva of the Caller-Times

A man who escaped a murder conviction in the shooting death of his longtime friend would have asked the family for forgiveness Wednesday.

Jesus Ruben Balli-Garcia didn't get the chance. The family of Mario Colchado Garcia, 26, didn't attend the final day of his trial, when a jury imposed a sentence of six and a half years on other charges.

A jury acquitted Balli-Garcia of murder on Tuesday but found him guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for shooting his wife, deadly conduct for shooting a house and evading arrest with a vehicle for leading police on an 85-mile chase toward Mexico on Aug. 22.

"The most important thing for me is that I want the family to know that I am remorseful and that I ask for forgiveness," Balli-Garcia told the Caller-Times afterward.

Balli-Garcia, 26, could be released on parole in two years and three months. The jury in 319th District Judge David Stith's court sentenced him to six and half years for the aggravated assault charge and two years for each of the other charges to be served at the same time. He faced a maximum of 20 years in prison. He will get credit for time already spent in the county jail and will be deported to Mexico after his release.

Prosecutor Oliver Neel said he respects the jury's decision but declined to comment on whether justice was served for Colchado Garcia and his family.

Balli-Garcia and Colchado Garcia had been friends since they were five years old in Matamoros, Mexico. Colchado Garcia's father was the godfather to Balli-Garcia, whose own father was not involved in his life.

About 10 days before the shooting, Balli-Garcia found text messages on his wife's phone that affirmed his suspicions the two were having an affair. He continued to work with Colchado Garcia every day until the shooting, he said.

Colchado Garcia's family attended each day of the trial before the sentencing phase. They felt it no longer necessary to be there after the jury found Balli-Garcia not guilty of murder, Neel said.

The day of the shooting Balli-Garcia and his wife, Samantha Marie Estrada, got into an argument in their yard about Colchado Garcia. Colchado Garcia, who lived nearby, went over to intervene. Estrada ran to Colchado Garcia and hugged him just before Balli-Garcia started shooting with a .38 revolver, they testified.

"(The jurors) said what really struck them the most was that Mario went on to the defendant's property and was yelling at him so they found ... there was self-defense and that the defendant did not have the intent ... to murder Mario," Neel said after speaking with the jury.

Estrada said before the verdict was read that she thought a two-year sentence would be just. Balli-Garcia didn't deserve a lengthy sentence, she said, and no amount of time would bring Colchado Garcia back.

The couple has three children together.

Twitter: @CallerKMT
SHARE Courtney Hayden

By Krista M. Torralva of the Caller-Times

A second murder trial for a woman accused of killing her partner in crime is on hold.

An appellate court on Wednesday granted prosecutors' request that the case be put on hold until the 13th Court of Appeals rules on a pending motion.

Prosecutors' motion asks the appellate justices to appeal the trial judge's ruling that granted Hayden a new trial on the basis of prosecutorial misconduct. Prosecutors have agreed Hayden deserves a new trial because certain evidence wasn't provided to defense lawyers until after the trial. But prosecutors dispute that the failure was misconduct.

A jury convicted Hayden, 26, on Nov. 25 of murder in the shooting death of Anthony Macias, 33, on April 30, 2014, in her town house and sentenced her to 40 years in prison. At the start of her trial, Hayden pleaded guilty to an aggravated robbery she was accused of committing with Macias about a week before the shooting. For that plea, she was sentenced to 10 years and fined $10,000.

State District Judge Nanette Hasette's ruling overturned her murder conviction and the sentence for the aggravated robbery.
Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Three police officers were shot while serving a narcotics warrant on Feb. 19, 2015, in the 3000 block of Churchill Drive.

SHARE

By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times

Questions quickly run through a police officer's mind when drawing their gun, including what a Corpus Christi officer thought about when he recently pulled the trigger  the public scrutiny he might receive.

On Feb. 2, Officer Robert Cabello paused and thought about the public's perception before shooting 24-year-old Michael Garibay in the abdomen, even though police said Garibay was pointing his gun at Cabello.

"I heard specifically that he waited until the last possible moment to fire because he was worried about how it would look," Police Chief Mike Markle said. "That's not the position I want our officers to be in. I want them to remember their lives matter."

With more attention on the use of deadly force, police departments around the country have been criticized in cities like Austin, Baltimore and St. Louis for how they use force.

It's a reality that officers work in now.

"It's a new element ... that was not one of those things that might have been in our head back when the chief and I were on patrol," Lt. Chris Hooper said.

Corpus Christi police officers have always been trained to be at peace with every aspect of their life before coming to work. It's about being one with family, one with personal stress and one with their God, Hooper said.

"One very important concept in survival is having a clear mind," Hooper said. "Go to work with a clear mind, because in a split-second decision, you can't have clutter."

Training has evolved to complement that philosophy in ways it didn't before. The drills, which put officers in a 'shoot, don't shoot' scenario, use simulated ammunition and added stress so they acclimate to that type of situation. Hooper said the value of human life is imparted on every officer, but they are taught to try and move past considering public perception when their gun is needed.

"Because of the training and everything that goes into it, officers are clear of (that factor) leading up to (the decision to shoot)," Hooper said. "We've done our best to prepare them. The statistics bear that in Corpus Christi, we're extremely conservative and extremely disciplined."

That discipline was on display last February, when three police officers were shot while executing a raid in a Westside neighborhood.

"Senior Officer Adam Villarreal was cognizant enough that he saw that slide locked back (on the suspect's gun). He knew the gun was empty," Markle said. "He could have shot (the suspect), but he didn't. He took him in custody instead."

That mentality is the reason Corpus Christi police have not been a topic of national conversation like other police forces, Markle said.

"We're already living in this time," Markle said. "Some departments are having a hard time adjusting to that scrutiny. I don't believe we're there."
"Teachers know they have a right, like everybody else, to express their opinions, but obviously there is a clear firewall between the political opinions they express and what they do with students," he said.
"Building on this momentum, the introduction of Aldi to the Majura Park Shopping Centre in mid-2016 will bring another major international retailer to Majura Park, enhancing the offer and allowing us to remodel the southern area of the shopping centre to improve customer experience, external activation and vibrancy," he said.
He was also born with pulmonary atresia with VSD and MAPCAs overriding aorta. Essentially, his pulmonary arteries weren't connected to his heart and they don't have a valve. His aorta sits between two chambers instead of one and his heart has a large hole.
"Portfolios should not be left open, it was generous of the Prime Minister to allow me to step aside when I asked but now is the right time given that the police have informed me that it is going to take so much longer than anyone could have anticipated," he said.
Three college students who first met while attending a Catholic high school in Florida have launched a scholarship fund to help others experience faithful Catholic education at a Newman Guide college. As we went off to different colleges, we kept in touch and found time to catch up whenever we returned []
Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing.

You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
Welcome to SwanseaOnline - your home for the best news, sports and what's on coverage of the city.

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Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Swansea City news | Ospreys news | InYourArea
Hyundai has announced some minor changes for the 2016 Tucson Fuel Cell, which continues to be based on the previous-generation model.



For 2016, the Tucson Fuel Cell adds HomeLink connectivity to the mirror, which allows owners to open and close garage doors, security gates and even control home lighting systems via a button on the rearview mirror. Furthermore, the mirror now includes a digital compass.

In addition, the 2016 Tucson Fuel Cell adds two new exterior colors to the existing Winter White: Hydro Blue and Chromium Silver.

The fuel cell SUV continues to be offered exclusively as part of a lease program (unlike the Toyota Mirai which customers can actually buy).

The lease program remains unchanged for 2016, with customers in the Los Angeles/Orange County region being able to drive Hyundais Tucson Fuel Cell for $499 per month for a 36-month term, with a $2,999 down payment.

As before, this includes unlimited complimentary hydrogen refueling and At Your Service Valet Maintenance at no extra cost. The latter service is similar to what Equus owners have enjoyed since its introduction in 2010. In case a Tucson Fuel Cell requires any service, a Hyundai dealer will pick up the vehicle and provide a loan vehicle, then return the car after service to the customers home or business  all at no charge.

Hyundai says it will expand availability of the Tucson Fuel Cell to other regions of the U.S. as the hydrogen refueling infrastructure develops.

PHOTO GALLERY
Remember the Ferrari 355 Sport Scaglietti sold at auction for close to $36 million? Well, this prancing horse is much, much more affordable.



The 1987-built vehicle is estimated to fetch between 40,000 and 45,000 ($58-$65k equivalent), when it will go under the hammer at Silverstone auctions, and for the money, its future owner will get to enjoy its repainted Azzurro Blue body and the V12 engine that was refreshed with new cam belts, injection system overhaul and oil seals.

The Ferrari 412i comes with a smooth automatic transmission, as the seller states, ABS, Cromodora alloy wheels and air conditioning. On top of that, the classic has traveled for just 19,997km (12,425miles) throughout its lifetime. Did we mention that it has has pop-up headlights too?

The 2+2 GT was sold in Europe, back when it was brand new, and shortly after, was exported to Japan. It was recently discovered in a collection, where it spent the last 10 years of its life, and brought back to the Old Continent, only to go through the previously mentioned refresh.

The vendor says that the car is ready for spring and welcomes all pre-sale inspections, prior to its Birmingham auction, on March 5-6, where it hopes to find a new owner.

PHOTO GALLERY
Mercedes-AMG and Cigarette Racing have joined forces for the sixth consecutive year to create a powerful boat, inspired by the automakers race car.



Referred to as the Cigarette Racing Team 41 SD GT3, its described as the most powerful open performance boat ever and it is motivated by a pair of Mercury Racing engines, with NXT6 Drives, producing 1,100hp and allowing an estimated prop limited top speed of more than 100mph (162km/h).

The 20,000+lbs (9,000+kg) weighing machines design reflects the dynamic characteristics of the Mercedes-AMG GT3. It benefits from handcrafted exterior and interior, matte components, complete teak wood floor, full extreme marine grade leather interior, three high-def 17-inch displays, Bluetooth, Garmin and Cigarette navi, audio and computerized controls.

The one-of-a-kind racing powerboat is offered for sale, with price available upon request. Mercedes-AMG and Cigarette Racing Team have the 41 SD GT3 on display at the Miami International Boat Show, which is open to the public at the Marine Stadium Park & Basin, between February 11 and 15.

This isnt the first time that the two companies collaborate, as their partnership began in 2007, mainly for organizing joint customer and marketing activities. The 38 to 50 long powerboats from the American manufacturer are some of the fastest and most exclusive machines.

PHOTO GALLERY

VIDEO
Four men jumped in the water earlier this week in Amsterdam to save the occupants of a car that had ended up in the middle of the canal.



According to reports, the woman had parked her car but failed to secure it, resulting in moving and endin up in the water.

As the vehicle was sinking, she was trying to save her child. Thankfully four brave bystanders were around to rescue them both, with one of them almost immediately diving into the canal after the car.

They had to break the vehicles windows with stones in order to free both the woman and her child, since the doors were impossible to open under those circumstances.

Ruben Abraham, one of the rescuers, said he doesnt consider what they did to be heroic, arguing that every healthy young man would have jumped into the water. It is quite a natural reaction.

Story references: rtlnews & nltimes

VIDEO
Re: Canadas decision to bring home the CF18s.

Funny as it sounds, I have not heard one of the so called experts say anything about the cost to Canadians in money, let alone whether it is in a combat role or what ever, the government and experts decide to call out our presence in this war.

If you look up the cost of dropping one 500lb laser guided bomb ($29,000 USD), one hellfire missile with a cost of $114,000 USD, fuel, gatling gun rounds, ground crew (at least 300 or so), refuelling, AWAC aircraft and much more, our help is 2%. The useless waste of man power and fuel for each sortie when the hardware is not dropped, then how can we not support MP Fuhr and this government buy removing our CF18s.

Train their personnel to fight their own home land wars. Don't let one capable person to to enter Canada as a refugee and send them back to be trained. Then we can really say we support the free world with their problems.

Dale Dirks
Photo: The Canadian Press

By Charles Lammam and Ben Eisen

Not long ago, Ontario and Alberta were the economic engines of Canada, boasting solid rates of economic growth and comparatively sound government finances.

How times have changed. Ontario's economy has deteriorated to the point where it's now an equalization-receiving "have-not" province. Meanwhile, Alberta has frittered away its savings and is set to become a net-debtor province next year for the first time since 1999/00.

When it comes to economic and especially fiscal performance, Canada's historical leaders have turned into laggards.

Evidence of this remarkable development can be found in a recent Fraser Institute study, which compares Canada's premiers based on their management of provincial finances. Premiers who managed spending more prudently, balanced their books and paid down debt, and reduced or maintained competitive tax rates ranked higher.

The results aren't pretty for either Ontario or Alberta.

Let's start with Ontario. Premier Kathleen Wynne finishes in sixth place, last among sitting premiers (four of the ranked premiers are no longer in office).

A key reason for Premier Wynne's weak performance - Ontario has run a budget deficit every year during her time in office, increasing the burden of government debt. The deficits averaged 1.5 per cent of provincial GDP, the second largest among the premiers.

On taxes, Premier Wynne had a middling ranking due in part to Ontario's uncompetitive personal income tax system. Rates on upper-earners are higher in Ontario, and the province maintains the most tax brackets, ultimately discouraging productive economic activity.

More encouragingly, Premier Wynne has taken steps to at least slow down the rate of spending growth, which was unsustainably rapid under her predecessor. But these steps have been inadequate in resolving Ontario's fiscal problems, as the province continues to rack up debt.

Turning to Alberta, the story isn't much better. Our report evaluates former premier Alison Redford, as the latest historical data does not allow us to measure current Premier Rachel Notley.

Nonetheless, Redford placed seventh out of 10, behind Wynne and ahead only of the premiers in three Atlantic Provinces. Redford fares poorly for two key reasons: 1) rapid increases in government spending and 2) budget deficits and erosion of Alberta's financial position.

Troublingly, there is no clear sign Premier Notley will reverse these trends. In fact, upon taking power, the new government immediately announced spending increases beyond what was already planned, causing the deficit to grow even larger.

The Notley government also tarnished Alberta's only bright spot in this year's rankings, which is on taxes, eliminating the province's single tax rate on personal income and raising the corporate tax rate by 20 per cent.

While Canada's traditional economic leaders find themselves near the bottom, the results at the top of our rankings may also come as a surprise to some. For example, the second place finisher is Premier Philippe Couillard of Quebec, a province that has long held a reputation for poor fiscal management.

Since coming into power, the Couillard government has recognized the severity of Quebec's fiscal situation and taken corrective action. It's projecting a balanced budget this year after years of deficit spending, allowing the province to chart a plan to rein in government debt and consider tax reform.

Top spot went to Christy Clark, premier of British Columbia. Recall that, as recently as the 1990s, B.C. suffered from severe fiscal mismanagement with the '90s often referred to as the province's "lost decade." Premier Clark earned top spot by restraining the growth in government spending and consistently balancing the operating budget. Like all premiers, however, there's room to improve, particularly in the areas of taxation and government debt.

While the progress in B.C. and Quebec is encouraging, the fact remains Canada cannot reach its full economic potential if Alberta and Ontario are economically weak and burdened by unsound fiscal policies.

Charles Lammam is director of fiscal studies and Ben Eisen is associate director of provincial prosperity studies with the Fraser Institute.

 Troy Media
Photo: Contributed - Daryl Robertson

UPDATE: 5:55 p.m.

A car was "flipping through the air" before crashing to a halt on Highway 97 south of Vernon Friday afternoon but the driver sustained only minor injuries, said Cpt. Darren Cecchini of Vernon Fire Rescue.

"One car lost control and ended up rolling, actually flipping about 20 feet in the air, according to a witness," said Cecchini.

The accident slowed southbound traffic as emergency crews kept only a single lane open.

The accident was cleared about 5:35 p.m., Cecchini said.

An accident on Highway 97, south of Vernon has halted traffic heading towards Kelowna.

Police, fire and ambulance were on the scene of the crash, just past the south end of Kalamalka Lakeview Drive.

The crash occurred around 4 p.m.

Castanet will have further details as they become available.
Photo: Contributed

No one has the winning ticket for the $28.6-million jackpot in Friday night's Lotto Max draw.

The jackpot for the next draw on Feb. 19 will be approximately $40 million.

The lottery's grand prize was last won Feb. 5, when someone in Ontario held a ticket worth $60 million.
Photo: CTV

A bitter cold is gripping parts of central and eastern Canada today as temperatures dip to -45 C with the wind chill in some areas.

Environment Canada has issued extreme cold warnings for provinces from Manitoba to New Brunswick.

The national weather forecaster says temperatures could fall to -45 C in Ottawa today with the wind chill, warming up to -35 C overnight.

In New Brunswick, temperatures are expected to hover between -35 C and -40 C with the wind chill until Sunday.

Quebec and Manitoba can expect much of the same, with temperatures warming up early next week.

Meanwhile, Newfoundland is bracing for a winter storm that could bring up to 20 centimetres of snow to eastern parts of the island today.
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Public school is not free in Nigeria. Lee University alum Emmanuel Okenye experienced this firsthand while growing up in the town of Ikorodu, and he often had to skip meals in order to pay for his education. Years later, in an effort to offer better education and health care to children in Nigeria, Mr. Okenye started the nonprofit Child Scholars shortly after he graduated from Lee.

Child Scholars, according to its mission statement, exists to tap into the vast indigenous talent pools in the developing world to solve local problems. The 501-c3 organization accomplishes this through the Veritas Academy, a school Mr. Okenye established using his own savings.

Mr. Okenye grew up knowing he wanted to become a doctor. His family valued health and education, uncommon priorities in an area of the world where the majority of people earn less than $45 a week.

Mr. Okenye attended Lee University through the help of his local church in Nigeria and graduated in December 2011 with a degree in chemistry.

Lee was my primary training ground, said Mr. Okenye. When I first moved here from Nigeria, this is where I developed my morals, my character, and received my nurturing. I dont think I would have been able to do what Im doing without the foundation I received at Lee.

Soon after graduating from Lee, Mr. Okenye spent a year working in Merck labs as a chemist, saving his earnings to build the Veritas Academy. He began his medical education at Lincoln Memorial Universitys DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine in July 2013, the same month he founded the Veritas Academy.

Currently Mr. Okenye is in his third year of medical school and will soon decide whether he will pursue medicine or surgery. He was recently nominated for the National Student Doctor of the Year award, one of only 30 other national nominees.

Mr. Okenye plans on finishing his time in medical school, which means running the nonprofit from thousands of miles away. It was a challenge at first, he said, but now they have a steady pace going.

Initially it was very difficult to run both Child Scholars and be in medical school, but my mom Rosalee has really helped to coordinate the affairs on the ground, and my wife Kaylee has helped with all the paperwork and documentation, said Mr. Okenye.

Since its inception, Child Scholars has awarded 50 scholarships to students in financial need. The majority of these students maintain A and B averages. Veritas Academy currently consists of 43 students on scholarship, as well as other students who come to school and pay their own tuition, and a group of teachers led by Mr. Okenyes mother. He calls daily to check in.

I am so excited to not just talk about needs, but meet them, said Mr. Okenye. Im hearing the kids say they want to be teachers, doctors they are beginning to see the possibilities of what their future could be.

Mr. Okenyes next fundraising venture will be a campaign to fund the building of a permanent home for Veritas Academy. He hopes to raise between $80,000 and $100,000. Additionally, he will be leading a team in June 2016 to assist with medical screenings and wellness checks for children in the community.

God has blessed me with supportive family and friends, and I live in a great country. But the worst thing I could do would be to forget where I came from, said Mr. Okenye. I want to sow a seed and make a difference. The love of God motivates me to continue.

For more information or to donate to Child Scholars, visit www.childscholars.org.

Picture in front of Veritas Academy from left, Rosalee Okenye, Kaylee Okenye, Emmanuel Okenye, and Ben Olajimi, a teacher at the academy. Also pictured are some of the first Child Scholars at the inception of Veritas Academy in 2013.




There's nothing quite like a stack of homemade pancakes, and these Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes

are no exception! Light, fluffy, and filled with fresh juicy blueberries, these pancakes

are perfect to wake up to any day of the week!

I'm back on my breakfast kick again, but this time it's all about pancakes! It's no secret I love pancakes, and on the weekends I love making a batch of homemade pancakes {or waffles} for me and the boys. I usually make a double batch of whatever it is, then freeze the extra for the week ahead. There's nothing like having a homemade pancake or waffle during the week before work or school. It totally beats the ones from a box!





These Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes are light, fluffy, and deliciously healthy. Buckwheat flour is a good source of protein and calcium, and it contains a significant amount of fiber. It has a nice nutty flavor which is perfect in these pancakes. I also made these pancakes lactose free.

Did you know February is Lactose Intolerance Awareness month? So many people suffer from lactose intolerance, but that doesn't mean you need to cut dairy from your diet! They are many lactose free options now, plus there are lactose friendly foods, like certain cheeses and yogurt. Learn more about what lactose intolerance is and how dairy can still be a part of a lactose intolerant friendly meal plan by reading this terrific article from Milk Means More





Now, who's ready to make some delicious pancakes? I know I am!





Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes

Author: Sarah Bates | The Chef Next Door

Makes 4 servings (4 pancakes per serving)





Ingredients:

3/4 cup buckwheat flour

3/4 cup all purpose flour

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups Lactaid 2% lactose free milk

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups fresh blueberries





In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs, then add the milk, oil and vanilla and mix well. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix to combine.





Preheat a griddle or large skillet over a medium heat. Using a 1/4 cup measure, pour the batter onto the griddle. Gently place several blueberries all over the surface of the pancakes. Flip the pancakes when bubbles start to form around the edges, and when the bottoms are golden brown. Cook on the other side until golden brown, about 2 more minutes. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm while the other pancakes are cooking.





Top the pancakes with additional blueberries and syrup before serving, if desired.





Bon Appetit!





{Note: you can use regular milk in this recipe if you prefer!}

I'm honored to be a Milk Means More Ambassador and I thank them for sponsoring this post! I was compensated for developing a Lactose-free recipe in honor of Lactose Intolerance Month. All opinions, as always, are my own.




Chicago Heights Mayor David Gonzalez says he suspects a change in state law opened the door for Franciscan St. James Health to close its hospital in his city, an assertion the health system denies. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)

On Tuesday, south suburban residents had a chance to face the state health planning board about a proposal to close a hospital in Chicago Heights. The hearing lasted more than four hours, as several people spoke out in opposition to the plan.

Their pleas, though, will have no bearing on the board's decision. The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board, in fact, has no authority to stop Franciscan St. James Health from closing the 312-bed hospital.

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The board's discretion was eliminated in July when Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation making it easier to close health care facilities in Illinois. The law relaxed state regulations, in force for more than 40 years, that were meant to protect the public interest by restraining rising health care costs and improving the quality of care.

Hospitals and other health care providers still have to notify the state board of plans to either close a facility or discontinue a service  but that's all they have to do. In other words, a privately owned hospital's decision to close is a fait accompli so long as it files the proper paperwork. It's a significant loss of the planning board's power to determine whether a shutdown is in the best interests of the affected community.

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The Illinois Hospital Association lobbied for the change because its members wanted more flexibility to address the changing economics of health care without going through what at times can be a lengthy review process, spokesman Danny Chun said.

"With so many rapid changes in health care, this law streamlines the process," Chun said. "Hospitals are redesigning their facilities and services to make sure people get the care they need in the most cost-appropriate setting."

But advocates of health care planning rules, known as "certificate-of-need" laws, worry that watering down Illinois regulations could hurt the public by reducing access to care. They fear that rural regions and cities with high populations of low-income residents will suffer the most because hospitals in those areas face more financial challenges. Those hospitals tend to have more patients on government health insurance, which generally reimburses hospitals at lower rates than private insurers do.

"The whole idea behind community health planning is that the community deserves to have a voice in what goes on," said John Steen, immediate past president of the American Health Planning Association. "And health care is one of the more important considerations for the public to get involved in. You don't want to close a hospital without considering the alternatives."

The timing of the regulatory change has become an issue in Chicago Heights.

Even though Franciscan St. James proposes to close the Chicago Heights hospital, it isn't abandoning the south suburbs. It plans to spend more than $100 million to expand and renovate a second hospital it operates about 5 miles away in Olympia Fields to accommodate patients from Chicago Heights and other nearby suburbs.

The proposal includes enlarging the emergency room and adding 56 beds to the 158-bed hospital. The planned construction includes maternity and rehabilitation departments, which currently are available only in Chicago Heights.

Still, the project has caused a public outcry because the Chicago Heights hospital has served the community for more than a century. There's also concern that the enlarged Olympia Fields emergency room won't be able to handle the expected increase in visits.

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Arnie Kimmel, Franciscan St. James' CEO, said the project will save money by eliminating the unnecessary duplication of services. The hospitals on average use less than 50 percent of the combined 470 licensed beds, Kimmel said. The health system said the hospitals had a combined operating loss of $66.5 million in the four years ended in 2014.

Franciscan St. James also proposes expanding outpatient services in Chicago Heights, reflecting an industry shift away from hospitalization to lower-cost treatment in doctors' offices, free-standing surgery centers and walk-in clinics. Inpatient admissions declined 35 percent at the two hospitals from 2010 to 2014, according to state figures.

The closing of the hospital, announced in October, caught local government leaders off guard. Four months earlier, Franciscan St. James disclosed a strategic plan that included reducing inpatient services but keeping emergency services, rehabilitation and hospice care at the Chicago Heights site. Medical and surgical services would move to an expanded Olympia Fields hospital.

Kimmel said in the June 5 news release that the project still had to be approved by its Indiana-based parent company, Franciscan Alliance. The news release did not mention the possibility of Franciscan St. James entirely closing the Chicago Heights hospital.

Chicago Heights Mayor David Gonzalez questions why Franciscan St. James changed course on the Chicago Heights hospital between June and October. He said he suspects the revised law influenced the health system's decision to close the hospital.

Kimmel denied that. In the end, the health system decided it was better to strengthen one hospital than continue to operate two struggling facilities, he said.

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"We went through our own internal process of evaluation," Kimmel said. "If the legislation had not passed, we still would have proposed the same thing."

Since 1974, any major health care construction project, including nursing homes and dialysis centers, and the purchase of new high-tech equipment has required the approval of the state health planning board. The closing of a hospital or the elimination of a service, such as pediatrics, also was subject to review to ensure those actions would not hurt health care for residents in the facility's market area.

More than 60 hospitals have closed in Illinois since 1980, according to the hospital association. The health planning agency, though, has occasionally forced hospitals to alter their plans. For example, in 2011, Cook County won approval to close a hospital in Oak Forest, but only after it agreed to maintain a 24-hour urgent care center on the site as part of an outpatient clinic.

Under the revised law that took effect in July, closing a privately owned facility is exempt from the permitting process. As long as the hospital files the proper paperwork, the nine-member board has no option but to grant the request.

The revisions to the certificate-of-need law passed unanimously at the end of May in both houses of the legislature. Rep. Anthony DeLuca, a former Chicago Heights mayor, said that since there was no legislative opposition to the bill, he took that to mean there were no concerns.

Sen. Toi Hutchinson, of Olympia Fields, did not vote on the bill. She did not return a phone call for comment.

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Franciscan St. James is the second health system to inform the state of its intentions to close a hospital since the regulations were changed. The first was St. Mary's Hospital in Streator, a 90-bed facility about 80 miles southwest of Chicago, which filed its application in September and closed last month.

The regulations still require the state planning board to hold a public hearing on an application to close if one is requested.

Jimmie Lansford, the mayor of Streator, said he and many residents didn't want the hospital to close. There was a public hearing in Streator at the end of October, but the voices of opposition didn't matter, Lansford said.

"I believe in the democratic process," he said. "I believe the public should have an impact."

Steen, of the health planning association, said that if the public doesn't have the power to influence the decision to close a hospital, the public hearing is just a "sham."

Chun disagrees, saying the hearings are an opportunity for hospital officials to hear any public concerns.

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Courtney Avery, the administrator of the state health planning board, and Chairwoman Kathryn Olson did not return phone calls for comment.

Franciscan St. James filed two applications last month: one to close the Chicago Heights hospital and a second to expand the Olympia Fields campus. The expansion requires a permit.

The board is expected to consider Franciscan St. James' project at a meeting next month. Gonzalez said he thinks the board will have no choice but to approve the $137 million expansion plan because the Chicago Heights closure is a done deal.

Without the Olympia Fields expansion, there will be a critical shortage of obstetrics and intensive care beds within 30 minutes of the hospital, Gonzalez said.

"You're tying the hands of the health planning board," Gonzalez said. "That is flawed."

An earlier version of this story said Sen. Toi Hutchinson voted in favor of revisions to a certificate-of-need law. The senator did not vote on the bill.

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asachdev@tribune.com

Twitter @ameetsachdev
The entrance to the bedroom of an Airbnb rental apartment in Chicago that has been outfitted by the Art Institute of Chicago to look like the one Van Gogh painted in "The Bedroom," subject of a new exhibition. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

The challenge, should you be lucky enough to land an overnight stay in the Art Institute's River North re-creation of Van Gogh's bedroom, will be to avoid saying the obvious things relating to the troubled artist's biography.

You cannot, for instance, tell your partner, repeatedly, that you are "all ears," because, well, divorce.

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And you cannot say that it costs "an arm and a leg" to stay there because this little stroke of promotional inspiration, available (although not right now) through Airbnb and meant to tout the museum's groundbreaking new exhibition, "Van Gogh's Bedrooms," is only $10 a night, including tickets to the show.

The Art Institute of Chicago has decorated the bedroom of an Airbnb rental apartment to look like one of Van Gogh's paintings, in connection with a new exhibit "Van Gogh's Bedrooms." (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune)

You are free, however, to join the social media hordes in marveling at the likeness that has been accomplished, a standard-issue contemporary condo bedroom turned into the room you see when you look at the Art Institute's copy of "The Bedroom," arguably one of the most famous sleeping quarters in art history.

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Down Michigan Avenue at the museum, the exhibition has brought the three versions Vincent Van Gogh painted of "The Bedroom" together for the first time in North America, in a show that opens Sunday and explores how significant the image was to the Dutch painter as an idealized representation of an ever-elusive home.

Farther north and a few blocks west of Michigan, there is the 3-D contemporary mock-up of the room, exacting right down to the thick blue paint on the walls and the chartreuse-green cast to the wood floor.

"It's sort of crazy how excited people are over the project," said Glenn Ragaishis, who oversaw the room's fabrication at Ravenswood Studio, the Lincolnwood firm that, more typically, builds sets for Lyric Opera and other theater companies.

But Ravenswood's own staff artists were pretty excited, too, he said. They made the bed just so, out of poplar, although it is a double rather than Van Gogh's more narrow, less optimistic sleeping berth. They hung the threadbare towel on a hook on one wall and blue artist's smock on another. They made a fake Van Gogh self-portrait to hang above the bed.

They even tried to re-create the artist's slightly askew perspective on the room, not so much in the wall that slants inward at the ceiling  "we had to work with somebody being able to sleep in it," said Ragaishis  but in the little bedside table.

"The top is not quite on square," he said. "The legs are not exactly the same width. Those little details add up to make it believable."

The bedroom loses some believability when you step back a bit and realize it is, essentially, a 10-by-12-foot theater set, a wood-and-canvas box, open at the ceiling and one end, fitted into the existing bedroom.

A little more faith is sacrificed in the walk-in closet off the hallway that leads to the bedroom and in the double-sink bathroom and stackable washer and dryer down the hall.

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And you have to wonder what Van Gogh would make of the art that comes with the condo, a female figure outline in the living room signed by an artist named "Morrison," and matching the size and color of the sofa.

But this being an entirely livable space, with cable and Wi-Fi and stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, is part of the point of the promotion, too, which was suggested by the Art Institute's ad agency, Leo Burnett, and will run through the exhibition's May 10 closing. You can step into 1888, when Van Gogh moved to the little Yellow House in Arles, in the south of France, in hopes of establishing an artists' colony. Or you can move back into a 29th floor apartment with balcony and window views overlooking the Rock 'n' Roll McDonald's and Rainforest Cafe in 2016.

The first overnight guest, staying Sunday, will be Robby Sexton, the Art Institute's social media manager. His goal, he said, when he writes about his stay for the Art Institute's Facebook page and elsewhere, "will be to make people feel as jealous as possible."

There are, to be sure, caveats to the deal: Only one night. Only two people. If you want to be faithful to Van Gogh, share the space with the Paul Gauguin figure in your life, someone who is more accomplished and better known in the same business that you are in. Invite your Gauguin. See how that goes.

For Van Gogh, the older artist's two-month stay in the Yellow House bedroom adjacent to his ended in a fight, the infamous severed ear incident and the artist checking into an asylum. It was there he painted the second and third copies of "The Bedroom," and it is that story, of exalted then dashed expectations for the room, that the exhibition tells with poignancy and great art.

Another caveat is that some of the room availabilities are being reserved for "social influencers," artists and bloggers and the like who will share the story of staying there. The February room slots filled up almost as soon as the museum announced the rental, listed as "Van Gogh's bedroom" on Airbnb, on Thursday. Watch the museum's social media channels, officials said, to learn when new reservations can be made.

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While you're visiting, say, the Facebook page, you can also see what Sexton had to say about going Dutch artist in contemporary Chicago.

"I'm going to take as many photos as possible," Sexton said. "I will probably feature myself, put some selfies up."

Yes, selfies. In Van Gogh's day, those would have taken longer to execute, and they were called "self-portraits."

sajohnson@tribune.com

Twitter @StevenKJohnson
Spring break usually is the time for getting away from the classroom, kicking back and relaxing. But just because you're on vacation doesn't mean your brain has to be, too.

Why not take advantage of your time off to learn something  more specifically, something fun?

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We've sleuthed out a wide range of getaways that give you the chance to explore new skills, from playing the bagpipes and sailing to becoming a whitewater rafting guide or driving a snowcat.

Some are multiday programs; others take just a few hours. There are options for young kids and college students as well as adults without children. After all, they need a break, too.

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Bahama Buddies: This inexpensive program at Abaco Beach Resort and Boat Harbour Marina in the Bahamas pairs kids visiting the resort with local children to learn about their lives. Joint activities might include catching, cleaning and cooking fish, and the new friends are encouraged to keep up a relationship by email after the vacation's over. http://tinyurl.com/hbyg67r

Learn how to be a rafting guide at Nantahala Outdoor Center. (Nantahala Outdoor Center)

Cat crawl: If you've been to a ski resort and watched the slopes being groomed, you might have thought it would be fun to charge up and down the mountain at the controls of the snowcat. Time to stop thinking and start doing. In Aspen, Colo., they offer Snowcat Academy, and in Crested Butte, Colo., there's Snowcat Driving XP. Both include instruction, followed by an opportunity to drive the cat for 60 to 90 minutes while accompanied by an instructor. You have to be at least 18. In Aspen, guests at the Little Nell, Residences at The Little Nell or the Limelight Hotel can take along a child who's at least 5. Aspen: http://tinyurl.com/hvssapa; Crested Butte: http://tinyurl.com/zy5mbn5

Your first rodeo: Wannabe cowhands can learn the ropes at the Cowboy for a Day Program at Forever Florida's Crescent J Ranch in St. Cloud, Fla. The day starts with instruction on riding, followed by the chance to help move cattle, round up strays and help with other ranch chores. Minimum age is 10 with a parent or guardian. http://tinyurl.com/ntajdsr

Pipe up: A bagpiper salutes the sunset each day at Sea Island, a resort on the Georgia coast. Guests can arrange a one-hour class with a piper, which includes a practice chanter to keep your lungs busy after you go home. http://tinyurl.com/nzv65nb

Crowds line the Cocoa Beach Pier to watch a launch from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. (Space Coast Office of Tourism)

Sail away: At Washington's newest state park, Cama Beach, the Center for Wooden Boats offers sailing lessons that range from a half-day session to a three-day intensive course. Classes are customized to students' skill levels and are designed for two people. Students must be at least 16, though younger kids can participate if accompanied by an adult. http://tinyurl.com/hefuvzo

Up close with dolphins: Interacting with marine animals is the appeal of trainer-for-a-day programs for nearly all ages. At Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas, ages 10 and older get to experience the dolphins by learning to do a double-dorsal tow and signature "foot push." They also get to feed nurse sharks and stingrays and snorkel with hundreds of animals. At Gulf World in Panama City Beach, Fla., those 12 and older help prepare food, assist in dolphin training sessions and appear onstage during the dolphin show. Atlantis: http://tinyurl.com/j9xqq32; Gulf World: http://tinyurl.com/jhozx7x

Be a guide: The Nantahala Outdoor Center near Bryson City, N.C., is the place to go if you'd like to become a professional rafting guide. The center's Raft Guide School runs six days and includes some classroom time, though most of the instruction takes place on the river. Minimum age is 18. http://tinyurl.com/hso59yy

Sailing lessons at Cama Beach in Washington state range from a half-day session to a three-day intensive course. (Gary Evans)

Take off: It's not a traditional classroom experience, but all ages can thrill to the sight of a rocket launch at Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Kennedy Space Center has a public viewing area, or there are many viewing sites outside the center's grounds. Dates for upcoming launches can be found at www.kennedyspacecenter.com. Afterward visit the center for a tour or have lunch with an astronaut. www.wearegofl.com

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Hit the ice: The Ice Park in Ouray, Colo., is well known to fans of ice climbing. If you're a newbie, San Juan Mountain Guides offers an Introduction to Ice Climbing course. The first day covers the basics, while the second day focuses on more advanced climbs. Classes are offered until mid-March. Minimum age is 7. http://tinyurl.com/zx4wcvk

Give back: Rustic Pathways aims to teach teens from 14 to 18 about other countries and cultures through programs that combine travel and community service. It offers four spring break options: two in the Dominican Republic, one in New Orleans and one in Costa Rica. http://tinyurl.com/zyxs7wv

Back in time: Coggeshall Farm Museum, a living history museum in Bristol, R.I., has a program that gives a taste of tenant-farmer life in the 1700s. Field, Forge and Hearth: Living History Immersion on an 18th-century Farm has participants pitching in to care for heritage-breed livestock, mend fences and stone walls, learn how to cook over an open hearth and more. The four-day/three-night program has rustic sleeping accommodations and is for ages 14 and older, though kids under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. http://tinyurl.com/hzpz9uw

Get fit: Serious athletes can head to Boulder, Colo., for Up Your Game, a one- to three-day package that focuses on aspiring triathletes and cyclists. This offers custom-tailored training and education along with lodging. Also provided: nutrition counseling, fitness testing, gait analysis and strength training. http://tinyurl.com/jsxf8gv

Be a blacksmith: Playing with Fire is a chance to learn the intricacies of ironworking under the tutelage of a master blacksmith. The two- to three-hour class is offered by Wild Dunes Resort in Charleston, S.C. Participants learn the basics of blacksmithing and create their own fire poker, bottle opener, oyster shucker or rose. http://tinyurl.com/jmnu4d6

Phil Marty is a freelance reporter.
Lawyer Candace Gorman looks through some of the more than 70,000 pages of files, including police "street files" related to Nathson Fields' 1986 conviction. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)

The homicide files sat untouched for years in the dingy basement at a South Side police station, thousands of aging manila folders locked away in cabinets cataloging seven decades of long-forgotten killings.

Stuffed with manually typed police reports, scribbled detectives' notes, faded lineup cards and other evidence, the so-called "street files" might never have seen the light of day.

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But now about 500 of the files  located in 23 cabinets  have landed at the center of a court fight over whether the Chicago Police Department for years violated its own directives by hiding evidence from criminal defense lawyers.

The controversy could become another black mark for a Police Department rocked in recent months by the fallout over a disturbing video of an officer shooting teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times.

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With the approval of a federal judge, Chicago attorney Candace Gorman has spent much of the last year combing through street files found in the basement of the old Wentworth Area headquarters, trying to match their contents with evidence that was disclosed by police and prosecutors at the time of trials long ago.

It has been a monumental task. Gorman and her small team of attorneys have spent hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars tracking down prisoners whose murder cases were among the stack she was allowed to review. As they've navigated the archaic bureaucracy of the Cook County courts, Gorman and her team have run into numerous delays and dead ends, from cases missing from boxes buried deep in county warehouses to others that were destroyed long ago by private attorneys who purged their files when cases concluded.

But what Gorman has found so far has been eye-opening.

In the 60 cases she's been able to compare, Gorman said she has found that more than 90 percent have information in the street file that was not in the defense file. The discrepancies run the gamut, she said, including names and accounts of eyewitnesses that apparently were never disclosed, statements in detectives' notes that contradict later versions of typed reports and lineup cards that were missing or different from what the defense eventually saw.

"I knew we'd find stuff that was missing, but I didn't think it would be this much," said Gorman, who will only recoup her expenses if she wins. "These little pieces of information can be so crucial to a defense attorney because you never know which witness could be the key unless you're able to track them down."

The city, meanwhile, has vehemently denied that any evidence was improperly withheld.

Nearly 500 files to examine

The Tribune first wrote about the filing cabinets in the Wentworth Area basement in a front-page report in April 2014. A street file on Gorman's client, former El Rukn lieutenant Nathson Fields, had been found there three decades after his conviction in an infamous 1981 double murder. Fields was sent to death row, but his conviction was later overturned after it was discovered the trial judge had taken a bribe to fix the case.

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After he was freed, Fields filed a wrongful conviction suit against Chicago police and prosecutors alleging his street file was buried in an effort to frame him for the murders. The file contained evidence of other potential suspects that was not turned over to his trial lawyers.

At trial in 2014, Gorman had the grimy, yellow-green filing cabinet hauled into a federal courtroom to show the jury where Fields' file had been found. The jury, however, ruled against Fields on all but one count and awarded him just $80,000 in damages.

But last April, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly ordered a new trial. In doing so, Kennelly made the bombshell decision to allow Gorman to expand her investigation well beyond Fields' file, giving her wide range to dig into the rest of the cabinets in her effort to show the burying of street files was a de facto policy of the Police Department.

Fields, whose retrial is scheduled for May, told the Tribune he hoped his case "can be the lightening rod to help other men who were innocent and fall in the same boat as me."

Filing cabinets in the basement of the Chicago Police Department station at 51st Street and Wentworth Avenue holding "street files." (Courtesy of Candace Gorman)

"You've got people in prison trying to fight a fight where they don't even know what happened because they've never seen their street files," said Fields, who now works with a national organization of former death row inmates.

The filing cabinets contained about 2,700 cases dating to the 1940s, but to keep the search relevant to Fields' claims, Gorman was allowed to dig into homicide files ranging from 1979 to 2006.

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That left her with a total of 466 files to examine  and an equal number of defense files to track down for comparison. Unless she wanted to issue subpoenas for each case, Gorman was advised early on by the Cook County Public Defender's Office to try to obtain authorization to review files from the defendants themselves.

"That started my letter-writing campaign," Gorman said.

'Bureaucratic shuffle'

Using online databases, Gorman located and contacted more than 275 defendants  most still in prison  to ask permission to view their defense files. But in doing so, Gorman was worried about giving false hope to many who had heard about her efforts through the legal grapevine.

"I explained in each letter that I needed the attached authorization signed so that I could try to track down the defense counsel's file and compare the two," Gorman said. "Only then would I know if material was withheld in their cases."

To help with the seemingly overwhelming task, Gorman last fall enlisted lawyers with the Loevy & Loevy law firm, which specializes in police misconduct cases. Also involved was the Committee on Transparent Files, a watchdog panel of about a dozen lawyers from some of the city's top wrongful conviction groups as well as the public defender's office that formed after the Tribune wrote about the basement filing cabinets two years ago.

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Even after finding a defendant and obtaining authorization, locating the original defense file for cases up to three decades old has proven difficult. Armed with a list of defendants, Gorman contacted several dozen private attorneys who had handled some of the murder cases and asked for their files, but it often led to a dead end because the files had either been destroyed or sent to other offices for postconviction litigation.

Meanwhile, the bulk of the files were determined to belong to the public defender's office, which had only one staffer with the knowledge and authority to look up files and find them in one of the county's two sprawling warehouses.

Adding to the difficulty was the county's Byzantine system for storing files. Records that were supposed to be in boxes in a specific area of a warehouse had been removed for postconviction litigation or other reasons. In other cases, their current location was not noted. During one visit to the warehouses in December, attorneys were able to locate only eight of the 20 files they had hoped to find, court records show.

In a court hearing last month, Gorman and other attorneys involved in the search described the frustrating process for the judge, who likened it to a "bureaucratic shuffle."

"Look here, no,' " Kennelly said. "And then that person says, look there. That person says look over there, and that person says look over here. And eventually, you get to the point where you say, this is a stupid system."

Heartbreaking stories

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The controversy over street files first erupted in 1983 when Chicago police Detective Frank Laverty blew the whistle during the trial of George Jones in the murder of a 12-year-old girl. Incensed that the prosecution was going forward despite evidence that Jones was innocent, Laverty turned his street file over to defense attorneys in the middle of the trial. The charges against Jones were dropped.

Laverty, a veteran homicide detective, was demoted to overseeing urine tests for recruits at the police academy, but his whistleblowing wasn't for naught. After Jones successfully sued the police for railroading him, police issued a new general order in 1986 that eliminated street files. In its place the department created what are called general progress reports in which detectives' notes and other updates on the investigation are typed into a form that is inventoried and subject to subpoena.

Lawyer Candace Gorman displays files on Feb. 9, 2016, for inmates' letters, which ask her to look into their case or give her permission to acquire their files. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)

Gorman said that one of the hallmarks of the department's 1986 general order was the inventory log sheet. Essentially a "road map" for each homicide investigation, the inventories were supposed to give defense attorneys a clear idea of what documents and evidence they should expect to receive in discovery.

But there was one problem. In all the defense files Gorman has reviewed as part of the Fields litigation, not one contained the inventory log, even though most of the street files found in the basement had them. When Gorman talked to defense attorneys for those charged, not one knew that the inventory forms even existed or that they were supposed to have been tendered to them, she said.

"They were in a situation where the police were telling them that's all there is," Gorman said. "Without the inventories, defense attorneys did not know what they were even missing."

Most of the details uncovered in the street files search so far is subject to protective order and cannot be revealed publicly. In a recent court filing, however, one case in which evidence appeared to have been withheld was identified as the 2004 homicide of Alonzo Jones, who allegedly was beaten, stabbed and run over by a car by a group of people after he was accused of molesting a child.

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In all, five people were charged in the murder, including a woman who told police in a videotaped statement that while she had been present at the beginning of the incident, she was not in the car when Jones was killed, court records show. The filing does not identify the woman.

The investigative file found in the Wentworth Area basement contained an Illinois State Police lab report that might have bolstered the woman's account, according to a recent court filing by Loevy & Loevy attorney Anand Swaminithan. Among the details in the report: the woman's DNA was not one of the profiles found on cigarette butts in the car's ashtray, and her fingerprints were not on a knife or other evidence gathered at the scene. That report was not included in the defense file, according to Swaminithan.

The street file also contained information that could have been helpful to a defense attorney seeking to track down witnesses to the murder. In a general progress report, a detective stated first-floor neighbors reported seeing the victim being beaten and described what they saw.

But that report apparently was never turned over to the defense. Instead, a supplemental report included in the public defender's file stated only that the neighbors were "highly intoxicated and uncooperative with the investigation" and "denied all knowledge of any crimes," according to the filing.

The woman wound up pleading guilty and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. She isn't eligible for parole until 2025.

While she's found a clear pattern of police withholding evidence, Gorman said, it's difficult to know whether any of the information contains a smoking gun  a piece of evidence that wasn't turned over that could have changed the outcome of a trial.

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As she's pored through the files, Gorman has been struck by the heartbreaking stories they tell, of Chicago's violent history, of victims long buried and of defendants who were mostly young when they were arrested and are now growing old in prison.

The search also has had its notes of irony. The defense file for Cecil Robinson, who was charged in the 1983 murder of a junk shop owner, contained a response to a subpoena asking for the street file in the case. The response, dated March 8, 1989, was typed up by Jon Burge, then-commander of the Area 3 detective division who has since been disgraced over allegations of torture of dozens of black suspects.

"A diligent check of our records disclosed that no investigative file exists on this case," Burge wrote.

Robinson was sentenced to 23 years in prison. Two decades later, his street file was found in the basement cabinets at 51st Street and Wentworth Avenue.

And Gorman has a copy.

Candace Gorman creates files for inmates' letters asking her to look into their case or giving her permission to acquire their files. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)

jmeisner@tribpub.com

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Twitter: @jmetr22b
A day after Chicago Public Schools announced millions of dollars in cuts to school budgets, Walter Payton College Prep Principal Tim Devine told his Local School Council that he'd have find a way to trim $174,000 by Tuesday.

The district's cuts, forced on schools already into the second semester, could have required laying off a few teachers, he said. But because Payton already had a vacant position, in addition to an ongoing fundraising operation, Devine said the school should get by relatively unscathed for the remainder of this academic year.

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Like Devine, many Chicago Public Schools principals will rely on some combination of cash stockpiles, vacant positions and an infusion of federal money to avert program cuts and teacher layoffs in the wake of the district's latest cutbacks.

"I think very few people are actually going to be firing any teachers," Devine told the Payton school council.

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"A lot of neighborhood schools that have a lot more money in discretionary dollars than Payton has ever had or will ever have, they've had the foresight ... to just set money aside in fallow accounts for the reckoning day," Devine said. "The reckoning day is here, so now they're going to allocate it."

After threatening for months that inaction from state lawmakers would mean drastic cuts and layoffs, CPS officials last week said they would trim $85 million from school budgets by reducing per-pupil spending by $214. But the net effect of the cuts was actually closer to $26 million because of an infusion of state and federal money that is often directed toward schools with low-income students, the district said.

The district, which is in contentious negotiations over a new contract with the Chicago Teachers Union, said it told principals not to lay off teachers.

CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey said the union, which argued that midyear budget cuts were unnecessary, is "still waiting for the story to come in from schools.

"But nonetheless, people are starting to get worried about layoffs," he said.

At Hamilton Elementary in Lakeview, Principal James Gray says the school will have to lay off one teacher to absorb a cut of about $72,600. Gray says more than 99 percent of the school's budget goes to teacher salaries each year, so there aren't many other places to trim.

"We do not have the rainy day fund to cover that deficit," Gray said. "I don't think principals and school communities should have to plan for rainy days. And I really strongly believe children should get the benefit of every penny allocated to them each and every year.

"But it's getting to be a sad reality of the environment we're working in now," he said.

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Like Payton, district schools with large enrollments tended to lose the most money. Lane Tech, the city's largest high school with more than 4,000 students, took a $540,000 hit, the biggest in the city. But the North Side selective-enrollment school told parents it has $1.9 million on hand and will be able to get through the year without trimming programs or positions.

In addition to rolling over state aid money to build a surplus, some schools can turn to internal accounts that hold revenue raised through everything from facility rentals to campus cell towers.

Amundsen High School in the Ravenswood neighborhood is also "one of the schools that prepared in advance" for the long-threatened cuts, said Principal Anna Pavichevich. No teachers will be laid off, she said.

"We were really conservative with how we spent money this year," she said. The cut to the district's per-pupil rate originally meant Pavichevich stood to lose roughly $298,000. But an infusion of federal money and "carry-over" state dollars means Pavichevich has to cut a net of about $133,800 from her books by next week.

"It's never good, but it doesn't put us in a situation where we're going to have to cut staff or critical programs," she said.

"My staff won't feel it. The kids won't feel it. $133,000 is a significant amount of money for sure, and it means we're not going to be able to optimize what we might offer," Pavichevich said. "But on the other hand, it's not going to critically jeopardize what we might have provided our students."

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She said the school will scale back some technology purchases and keep relying on teachers willing to volunteer for after-school activities. Amundsen, like many other schools, will also move eligible teacher salaries from accounts funded by student-based budgets to accounts fed by federal dollars.

Much of the total state aid schools get for the year was distributed before classes began in September, while another portion was to be forwarded later in the year. CPS is turning that money loose now to help schools deal with the budget cuts. Schools can carry over unspent state aid dollars from one year to the next, allowing them to build up reserves.

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"Those funds are really intended to be spent in the year they are granted, because they are for children living in poverty and it's to enrich their educational experience," Gray said. "Personally, I don't understand schools rolling over that much money. That's not something I would do as a principal, but I know many of my peers do that for whatever reason."

The district said it received state permission to move federal money meant to underwrite other programs to protect classrooms, though CPS still hasn't identified which efforts will be affected. Several school principals said they aren't sure where that money is coming from.

"I took that money and I said, 'Great,'" Pavichevich said. "You don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

More cuts are looming. The district says its scaled-back per-pupil funding rate means schools will lose a total of $120 million next budget year. That, principals said, portends more difficult decisions.

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"Yeah, schools go on," Gray said. "But I'm pretty worried about the narrative I think is going to play out here pretty soon. That, 'See, it's fine. Not a big deal. We could probably cut another $100 million off schools and it wouldn't be any skin off our backs.'"

jjperez@tribpub.com

Twitter @PerezJr
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Monday touted his approach to interpreting the federal Constitution that focuses on the original intent of the Founding Fathers.



Scalia, a former University of Chicago law professor, called the "originalism" method "the lesser evil."



"I don't have to prove [it's] perfect. The question is whether it's better than everything else," said Scalia, who addressed about 400 people at the University of Chicago Law School.



Originalism was behind his reasoning in a 2008 Supreme Court case that upheld the individual's right to possess a firearm, he said. Scalia wrote the majority opinion for the case and argued that the Constitution's specific language referred to possessing a firearm as a pre-existing right.



The court's longest-serving justice, Scalia said he focuses on historical details and the original meaning of the Constitution to make his decisions, which may not always coincide with his own opinions.



"The Constitution is a static being," said Scalia, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986.



Opponents of originalism, who include fellow Justice Stephen Breyer, say that the Constitution was meant to be more flexible and adaptive to the changing times. Some phrases in the Constitution, such as "cruel and unusual" criminal punishment, are too broad to be interpreted as a specific permanent rule that does not allow for interpretation, critics of originalism say.



The Ninth Amendment, which protects the rights that the Founding Fathers did not list, is also cited as an argument against the originalism approach.



"Maybe there is a right to abortion," Scalia said, answering a question from one of the students. "[The founders] didn't specify, but they didn't leave it up to the courts to do it either."



At the end of his speech, Scalia, who taught at U of C's law school from 1977 to 1982, advised future law students to pursue a job that would give them time to focus on their family and community  what he calls "a human existence."



University of Chicago second-year law student Sarah Staudt, 24, said although she doesn't share Scalia's views, it was interesting to hear his perspective on the way the law should be interpreted.



"It was great to have him talk about the core of what he believes in," she said.



The last time Scalia visited Chicago was in October, when he spoke during a conference on property rights at Chicago-Kent College of Law.



achachkevitch@tribune.com
The bodies of six of the seven men slain on Feb. 14, 1929, in the S. M. C. Cartage Company garage at 2122 N. Clark St. on Chicago's North Side in what became known as the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, sprawl on a floor and a chair. Several of the dead were members of a North Side gang run by George "Bugs" Moran, who had a rivalry with Al Capone and his gang. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)

CHICAGO  Written by hand, the autopsies on the seven bullet-riddled bodies vividly describe why the Valentine's Day massacre of 1929 is still considered Chicago's most infamous gangland killing.

The reports were recently unearthed with inquest transcripts from a warehouse after eight decades, and the Cook County medical examiner's office is now considering how best to preserve and display them.

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Executive officer James Sledge, a local history fan and a Chicago native, said he felt a chill down his back when he first read the documents outlining the attack at a Lincoln Park garage that left seven men dead and more than 160 machine gun casings littering the scene.

The attack, carried out by men dressed as city police officers, is widely believed to have been ordered by famed Prohibition-era gangster Al Capone. The crime was never solved.

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Shortly after Sledge joined the medical examiner's office in 2014, he asked for permission to look at the autopsy records. His staff took multiple trips to a Cook County government warehouse to find the reports, which were tucked away in a metal file cabinet.

Sledge is weighing where the documents should be stored and how accessible they should be, he told the Chicago Sun-Times in a story published Thursday.

"On the one hand, we want to have them readily available," Sledge said. "But we don't want them so accessible that we in some way anger some part of the population who feel we are not paying proper respect to the deceased."

The victims of the Feb. 14, 1929 massacre were five men who were known gangsters working for Capone rival George "Bugs" Moran, an optometrist who was friends with Moran's crew and a mechanic at the garage that served as Moran's headquarters. They were gunned down by four men, two of whom were wearing police uniforms. Since there was no evidence of a struggle, it's believed that Moran's men thought it was a police raid.

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The documents that are now in Sledge's possession offer insight into the 87-year-old investigation of the unsolved crime.

"The reports are very graphic about what happened," Sledge said. "You read about history, you talk about it, but to have something in your hands  it gives you an odd feeling."

Those documents include an inquest interview with the optometrist's mother in which the coroner prepares her for the grisly state of her son's body. Other documents also outline the difficulties investigators faced while attempting to solve the crime, including witnesses who were too afraid to testify, the limits of forensic science and photographers who were eager to document the event.

Sledge wasn't immediately available for comment Friday.

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Becky Schlikerman, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office, said the office is still considering what to do with the documents.

The documents have to remain the property of the Medical Examiner's office because they are autopsy reports, she said.

Associated Press
Alex, 16, sits in a wheelchair outside her apartment building Feb. 12, 2016, not far from where she was shot in the leg on her way to school the morning before. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)

Alex, 16, knows what to do when she hears gunfire outside her West Humboldt Park home: Turn out the lights, lock the door and wait.

That's what she did in November when shots rang out. A 27-year-old upstairs neighbor had been shot. Her mother pounded on the door and Alex came outside to help. They helped the man up the concrete steps. Blood from the man's bullet wound splattered on Alex's clothes and hands.

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Three houses down, 51-year-old Felix McGhee Jr., who sold cigarettes from a green plastic chair on his front porch, was hit in the same shooting. He was pronounced dead that evening.

On Thursday, Alex, who spoke on condition her last name not be used, was hit by a stray bullet in the leg as she rushed to catch a bus to school. She tried to run but quickly found herself too weak to move. She leaned against a fence while someone called the ambulance.

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"It felt like a paintball at first, but knowing this neighborhood, I already knew nobody would have paintballs and I know they have guns," she said.

Police say she was hit by a stray bullet when someone in a car fired at a U-Haul truck about 8:30 a.m. near Kildare Avenue and Hirsch Street.

Alex said she was walking with a friend on her way to Pedro Albizu Campos High School. Other kids quickly scattered as the shots were fired.

She sat in a wheelchair in front of her apartment Friday, a checkered blue blanket pulled to her chin, and winced from the pain of the bullet lodged in her thigh. Doctors told the family it may be weeks or months before they can remove it.

"I'm happy I'm alive, but I just always feel like something's always going to be bound to happen," she said.

The family moved into the apartment in the 1400 block of North Kildare in May and has been trying to leave ever since, said Alex's mother, who spoke on condition her name not be used. Foreclosure forced them from their home in Jefferson Park, and the single mother said she had difficulty finding another apartment in that Northwest Side neighborhood. Their basement apartment in West Humboldt Park belongs to a friend.

"If I had to pack up in one day, I'd do it," she said.

Family members won't visit, not even for birthdays, she said. Alex's friends never come over, but her mother encourages her to sleep over at their houses as much as possible. A summer barbecue ended in a drive-by shooting. Similar shootings happened at least three times a week, Alex and her mother said.

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"We have to run and duck and hide down there," Alex said, pointing to the underground entrance to their apartment.

A black car passed by with a low rumble. Alex and her mother froze.

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"Yeah, we tend to do that every time we hear a car," her mother said. "You can't sit out here or go and get the mail without seeing which car is coming. You see 'em more than once, go around the block, you don't stay out."

Before McGhee was killed, the neighborhood had been livelier. He watched the kids, quizzed them, made jokes. The neighborhood had a vigil after he died, putting up signs and placing a teddy bear in the green plastic chair. It's been quiet since, which Alex said may not be a bad thing.

"Because when it wasn't quiet, you got a lot of guys standing there on the corner," she said. "Now it's just quiet. No people around. That's kind of a good thing."

Her mother interrupted.

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"Not really, because now it being quiet, anything can happen," she said.

mmccall@tribpub.com

Twitter @MatthewMcCall_
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is trying to resurrect Chicago's long-elusive plan for an express train from downtown to O'Hare International Airport by hiring an engineering firm to look at possible routes and costs.

It's a preliminary step, and the Emanuel administration isn't sure who would pay for the massive project, which could run into the billions of dollars.

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Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans said Friday the city will look for a private company to cover construction costs and operate the system, but it's likely public money would go into building stations at the airport and downtown if the project moves ahead. There also might be one other station along the line, she said, if it looks like an opportunity exists somewhere between downtown and the airport to spur development and increase ridership. Evans would not offer any guarantee that additional tax money wouldn't be needed for the project.

While Evans wouldn't talk about specific routes the train could take, she said there are "underutilized assets" that provide several possibilities. Then-Mayor Richard M. Daley talked about the idea of 20-minute O'Hare express service since the early 1990s, and previous proposals have featured bypass tracks on the CTA Blue Line that run down the middle of the Kennedy Expressway as well as use of a Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way near the Kennedy.

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Last spring, Emanuel talked about express rail service being part of his agenda at the start of his second term. But that was back when he was free to concentrate on big legacy ideas. Now, he's mired in controversies involving police shootings in the wake of the Laquan McDonald shooting video, and the precarious financial situation the city and Chicago Public Schools face has became more dire thanks in part to the protracted state budget standoff in Springfield.

Evans declined to say how much the 10 months of engineering work would cost, saying "that will be the subject of negotiations." The aim, she said, is to finish the engineering and present potential investors with a route for the express train and fairly detailed station plans, then put it out for bid in 2017.

If an express train does get built, one-time tickets would likely cost about $30 or $35, with many of those passes purchased by business travelers and tourists, she said. Less expensive monthly passes and family discounts also might be available, she said.

Evans was asked if Chicagoans might be resentful of such a big-ticket project focused on serving out-of-towners at a time the city faces many fundamental problems, and the long-discussed extension of the CTA Red Line south of 95th Street remains on the drawing board.

"Chicagoans will see the benefits, in increased tourism and business travel and the tax revenue that brings" if the express train gets built, Evans said.

Speaking to WLS-AM 890 reporter Bill Cameron in an interview that will air at 7 p.m. Sunday, Emanuel wouldn't say who would be likely to foot the bill to build and operate the express rail system.

"We've done some original work, in-house studies, and we think this is viable not only economically but engineering and otherwise," the mayor said.

Pressed by Cameron on whether Chinese investors might be involved, as Daley discussed, Emanuel demurred. "I'm not going to go there," he said.

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The project was a white whale of sorts for Daley, who became enamored of an express train he took in Shanghai on one of his many trips to China and impaneled an "express rail committee" of business leaders to look into building one here. At one point, Daley envisioned the Block 37 shopping center near City Hall as sitting atop an express train station that would whisk business travelers and tourists to and from the airport.

Block 37 is off the table as the downtown terminal, Evans said, citing "technical concerns" brought to her attention in a recent meeting by representatives of the CTA and other regional travel agencies. The downtown station for the express line might be built in a "high-growth neighborhood" such as the West Loop or River North, Evans said.

Though Daley was unable to achieve liftoff on the express-rail concept, Evans said she's "bullish" on the chances for success this time in part because there's a lot of private equity money "sitting on the sidelines" and investors are interested in getting in on the ground floor of this type of project in the U.S.

jebyrne@tribpub.com

Twitter @_johnbyrne
Democratic presidential candidates, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Hillary Clinton appear during a Democratic presidential primary debate at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016, in Milwaukee. (Morry Gash, AP)

Debating Thursday night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Hillary Clinton felt the fierce urgency of now. So did Bernie Sanders.

With the Democratic primary campaign moving from Iowa and New Hampshire to Nevada and South Carolina later this month, and a bonanza of states in March, both candidates are fighting for support from black and Hispanic voters  and will continue to do so as long as the contest lasts. Neither can win the Democratic nomination without these votes.

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"The stakes in this election couldn't be higher," the former secretary of state said campaigning Thursday. "African Americans can't wait for solutions. They need results now."

Clinton says "President Obama" as often as possible, and toward the debate's end accused the Vermont senator of insufficient loyalty to him. The Sanders campaign implies over and over that Obama couldn't muster the revolution we need and that Clinton's failure would be even greater. She seizes that invitation to defend the record and ethics of the nation's first black president  including his campaign contributions from the financial sector, thereby implicitly defending her own.

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"I'm running for president to knock down all the barriers that are holding Americans back," Clinton said in the debate, citing a litany of black Americans limited by discrimination (black votes, check), immigrants living in fear (Hispanic votes, check) and women working for lower pay (women's votes, check).

Earlier in the day Clinton had received the endorsement of the black establishment in the form of the Congressional Black Caucus PAC. For good measure, Rep. John Lewis, the living symbol of the civil rights movement, took a hard whack at Sanders' personal biography  just as Sanders is casting himself as a long-time fighter for racial justice, who even attended the 1963 March on Washington.

"I never saw him. I never met him," said Lewis, D-Georgia. "But I met Hillary Clinton."

This is the way you win Democratic primaries. Or at least it has been. Obama defeated Clinton in 2008 on a number of fronts. But one of the most important was black voters. He beat her 55 percent to 27 percent in South Carolina, where more than half the primary electorate was black. Obama won black voters 78 to 19 in the state. Clinton never recovered from the blow.

Now Clinton is hoping to do to Sanders what Obama did to her  run him off the field in every state with a large black population. She wants Sanders to be viewed as a dreamy Grandpa without a clue.

Sanders' best course may be to use his enormous advantage among white youth as a bridge to black youth  ceding the Congressional Black Caucus to Clinton while winning their kids and grandkids. He's done pretty well so far without the "establishment."

At the debate, Sanders compared the onerous criminal penalties for black youth smoking pot to the nonexistent penalties paid by financial executives whose companies broke laws. He spoke of minority youth unemployment, a "broken criminal justice system" and the "over-policing" of black communities. And he sought to best Clinton on compassion for undocumented immigrants fleeing violence in Central America.

He's not ceding anything. When Sanders reaches out to voters who are "tired of establishment politics, tired of establishment economics," as he said at the debate, he can just as easily conjure a black face or a Hispanic surname as a white one. He even said race relations would improve under President Sanders.

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Debate moderators Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff knew the score too. They asked several questions specifically about race  the sort rarely if ever raised in the less colorful alter-world of Republican debates.

Metropolitan Milwaukee is reputed to be the most racially polarized metro area in the U.S. It could hardly be more polarized than the two national parties. As the political calendar turns to states with large black or Hispanic populations, the Democratic discussion will turn more acutely toward minority issues. The two candidates are comfortable using phrases like "institutional racism." It may not seem possible, but the vast distance between the two parties and what they talk about is about to grow even wider.

Bloomberg View

Francis Wilkinson writes on politics and domestic policy for Bloomberg View.
Midrise and high-rise apartment and condo buildings in East Lakeview on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015. Chicago Building Commissioner Judy Frydland promises to bring the hammer down on high-rise owners who refuse to make fire safety improvements. (Brian Cassella, Chicago Tribune)

Chicago has 716 high-rises that were built before 1975 and are required by the city to make fire safety upgrades. But 303 of them haven't verifiably completed those improvements.

Some of those lagging high-rises are close to finished, Chicago Department of Buildings Commissioner Judy Frydland reports. Owners of other buildings say they are ready and await city inspection. But as many as 176 buildings are still behind the curve on these vital improvements. That's a potentially deadly gamble.

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Let's review: The city back in 2004 set a reasonable deadline of 2012 for building owners to finish this work. Many of them didn't make it, though. So the city granted an extension to 2015. At the time, Mayor Rahm Emanuel urged owners to act quickly: "This is not like a final exam where you wait until the last hour of the last day to figure this out. I expect you to use this time to put in place a sprinkler system and the safety and security systems you need. ... I don't expect you to use the time all the way to the end."

Many owners apparently ignored Emanuel's plea.

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Some tried to blow smoke at former city Buildings Department boss Felicia Davis, complaining about the expense and architectural difficulty of the upgrades. Davis didn't buy it. She sued scores of high-rise building owners who dawdled on making fire safety improvements. Some 77 building owners are now in court and, Frydland says, cooperating with the city. Another 51 buildings finished upgrades after the city sued.

The rest of the buildings not yet in compliance? The legal hammer comes down on them on April 30, Frydland tells us. That's when she says the city will file suit against scores of buildings that have failed several inspections or those that have not yet scheduled a city inspection to prove that they have completed upgrades.

"We want to finish this," Frydland tells us. "We're not going to wait any longer. Enough is enough."

We heard similar impatience uttered last year by then-commissioner Davis. There's been progress since then. But too many building owners still dawdle.

They know that the upgrades required under the 2004 law are vital to protect residents. Improvements can include enhanced voice communications systems so firefighters can talk between floors and give residents instructions. Or better fire alarm systems. Or elevators that close automatically in the event of a fire. Or additional fire dampers to prevent smoke and flames from spreading between floors. Or emergency backup for electrical generators to run elevators and lighting if a fire erupts. Or enhanced smoke- and heat-detection systems.

What resident wouldn't sleep easier knowing these systems were installed in her building? Who can forget the 2012 high-rise fire that claimed the life of 32-year-old Shantel McCoy? In that case, McCoy didn't know there was a fire in the building. So she rode an elevator to her 12th floor apartment at 3130 N. Lake Shore Drive. The doors slid open and a 1,500-degree plume of heat, smoke and gases blasted her.

That building now has completed its fire upgrades. But another fire tragedy could happen any day because too many buildings remain vulnerable.

Yes, these upgrades are expensive. But remember that under the same 2004 ordinance, pre-1975 commercial buildings were forced to install costly sprinklers even though those buildings are statistically much safer than residential high-rises, where people cook, smoke and light candles.

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This slow dance to make residential buildings safer has lasted more than a decade now. That is unconscionable.

Frydland, who spent years in the city's Law Department, reminds us that she prosecuted many fire safety scofflaws. She promises to aggressively pursue buildings that don't fall into line.

Make it so, commissioner. Make 2016 the Year of No More Excuses.

Follow the Editorial Board on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
Workers prepare to replace older water mains in the 5100 block of West Roscoe Street on Feb. 2, 2016. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)

Across the city, thousands of Chicago residences are hooked up to water mains with lead pipes.

When street construction work or plumbing repairs disrupt pipes, lead can find its way into the water that flows out of household spigots, posing a potential health risk. In a 2013 study, researchers at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that alarming levels of lead can spurt out of household faucets for years after service lines are disrupted, the Tribune's Michael Hawthorne recently reported.

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How would you know if the water is contaminated with lead? You wouldn't. The water may not taste or smell any different.

Let's be clear: Chicago follows federal government protocols to test that water. There is no danger here of repeating what happened in Flint, Mich., where contaminated tap water from the Flint River caused widespread lead poisoning; Flint's water was not correctly treated before making its way to residents.

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But Chicago is testing tap water for possible lead contamination in only 50 homes every three years  the federal standard. That's a pittance in a city of 2.7 million where any home built before 1986 could have lead pipes.

The city doesn't need federal approval to go beyond federal guidelines and test more homes. It should do that, at least in construction zones where pipes have been replaced or disrupted by construction work.

Those federal rules also require water utilities to check only the first liter of water drawn in the morning. "The EPA study found that although the first liter often is lead-free, high levels of the toxic metal can flow through taps for several minutes afterward, depending in part on the length of the service line between the home and street," Hawthorne wrote.

Can the city improve on those rules and test more water, more extensively?

Yes, and we'd like to see that happen.

Nearly 80 percent of properties in Chicago get their drinking water via service lines made of lead. (Michael Tercha, Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune)

Then there's the issue of educating Chicagoans about the possible dangers of ingesting lead, which can be particularly damaging to a child's brain, lowering her IQ and boosting her risk of learning disabilities.

When a water main is replaced, the city warns residents to flush pipes. But the city sends more detailed advice to a few dozen Chicagoans who collect samples of their tap water every three years to help the Department of Water Management comply with the federal testing mandate, Hawthorne reports. Most of those residents are in neighborhoods that have seen few cases of lead poisoning.

Every Chicagoan should know that the federal EPA recommends these methods to protect against lead in water:

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Flush pipes for three to five minutes any time water hasn't been used for several hours, not just once after street work or plumbing repairs. That flush can be accomplished by taking a shower or doing a load of laundry.

Before drawing drinking water, faucets should be flushed for another 35 to 45 seconds to clear any remaining water sitting in the home's pipes.

For greater protection, experts suggest water-filtering pitchers or installing devices on kitchen sinks that screen out lead.

Chicago's water is clean, safe and abundant, the envy of the nation, thanks to Lake Michigan. But peril can flow in pipes.

Replacing lead water pipes is expensive, and it would take years to complete the work. In the meantime, the city can do the next best thing: Educate residents about the possible risks. Let them decide whether to sip or guzzle. Make sure that every Chicagoan who twists a spigot knows how to protect himself or herself from lead.

Follow the Editorial Board on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, right, listens as Ald. Patrick O'Connor, 40th, addresses the city council regarding the Inspector General ordinance at a city council meeting at Chicago's City Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. (Jose M. Osorio, Chicago Tribune)

We have some questions for the 25 aldermen who voted Wednesday to gut the ordinance assigning oversight of the City Council to Inspector General Joe Ferguson.

What assurances can you give taxpayers that the $100 million-a-year workers' compensation fund is being managed correctly? What safeguards are in place to prevent waste, fraud or abuse?

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Can you vouch for how that money is being spent?

We certainly hope so, because you just voted to allow the program, run by Ald. Ed Burke's Finance Committee, to continue to operate in the dark.

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(Scott Stantis)

You did it on purpose, carving out workers' comp and all other legislative programs from the much stronger ordinance that dozens of you had pledged to support. You chickened out. Why? Because you convinced each other that if the inspector general had the authority to audit programs controlled by aldermen, he'd waste his time second-guessing your decisions about which potholes get filled in your wards.

That was an actual argument made by Ald. Danny Solis, 25th, as he urged his colleagues to vote to water down the ordinance. Ald. Will Burns, 4th, worried aloud that the inspector general might find fault with an alderman who skipped a block party or a christening. In the next breath, Burns raised the specter of overzealous prosecutors who send innocent men to death row.

Yes, there are monsters under the aldermen's beds. What's really scary is that those monsters are driving public policy.

In the middle of this hyperbolic nonsense, Ald. Joe Moore, 49th, rose to deliver what he described as a "reality check." For a microsecond, we thought he might exhort his colleagues to get ahold of themselves. Instead, he explained that just because a bunch of aldermen sign on as co-sponsors of a measure, that doesn't mean they actually plan to vote for it.

What does it mean, then? It means they want citizens to think they'd vote for it if only the powers that be  Burke, usually  would let it out of committee.

It's usually a safe ruse. Thirty-five aldermen signed on to an earlier version of the inspector general ordinance in late 2014, months before they stood for re-election. The first name on that list? Ald. Joe Moore.

So back to our question: Aldermen, what are you doing to safeguard the money that you've just walled off from the inspector general's prying eyes?

Ald. Scott Waguespack, 32nd, and Ald. John Arena, 45th, offer one suggestion: In a resolution filed shortly after Wednesday's vote, they called for hearings to consider putting the city's Law Department in charge of workers' compensation claims, "in keeping with the modern legal practice."

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Managing those claims isn't a legislative function in the first place. The workers' comp program covers employees throughout city government, not just in the City Council.

In their resolution, Waguespack and Arena point out that the bureau of workers' compensation has been housed in the Finance Committee since 1913.

That arrangement shields the program from oversight, inviting inefficiency and abuse, the resolution says. It also "creates cynicism among the taxpaying public, undermining trust in the government of the City of Chicago and in this body."

No kidding.

Those cynical Chicagoans aren't buying aldermen's attempts to pitch the vote as an ethical triumph.

Yes, the inspector general is finally empowered to investigate alleged wrongdoing by aldermen and their staffs. But the same ordinance expressly prohibits him from examining the books on programs that distribute hundreds of millions in public dollars. Who is charged with auditing those programs? Nobody. That's a crime against taxpayers.

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After the deed was done, aldermen spent several minutes lauding Burns, who is leaving the council for a job with Airbnb. Burns praised his colleagues in turn, lamenting that they are rarely given credit for meeting the daily challenges of a 24/7 job.

"It's a shame that in this city, the word 'alderman' is a pejorative," Burns said.

Yes, it is a shame.

Aldermen just had a golden opportunity to change that. They blew it.

Once again, here is Wednesday's vote of the Chicago City Council. A 'Yea' vote is the cynical, self-interested vote to shield the aldermen from the scrutiny of the inspector general and, in turn, the scrutiny of the voters:

Yeas (25): Brian Hopkins, 2nd; Will Burns, 4th; Leslie Hairston, 5th; Roderick Sawyer, 6th; Gregory Mitchell, 7th; Michelle Harris, 8th; Anthony Beale, 9th; Patrick Thompson, 11th; George Cardenas, 12th; Edward Burke, 14th; Raymond Lopez, 15th; David Moore, 17th; Derrick Curtis, 18th; Howard Brookins, 21st; Ricardo Munoz, 22nd; Daniel Solis, 25th; Walter Burnett, 27th; Jason Ervin, 28th; Ariel Reboyras, 30th; Gilbert Villegas, 36th; Emma Mitts, 37th; Margaret Laurino, 39th; Patrick O'Connor, 40th; Thomas Tunney, 44th; Joseph Moore, 49th.

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Nays (23): Proco Joe Moreno, 1st; Pat Dowell, 3rd; Susan Sadlowski Garza, 10th; Marty Quinn, 13th; Toni Foulkes, 16th; Matthew O'Shea, 19th; Willie Cochran, 20th; Michael Zalewski, 23rd; Michael Scott Jr., 24th; Chris Taliaferro, 29th; Milagros "Milly" Santiago, 31st; Scott Waguespack, 32nd; Deborah Mell, 33rd; Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, 35th; Nicholas Sposato, 38th; Anthony Napolitano, 41st; Brendan Reilly, 42nd; Michele Smith, 43rd; John Arena, 45th; James Cappleman, 46th; Ameya Pawar, 47th; Harry Osterman, 48th; Debra Silverstein, 50th.

Absent (2): Roberto Maldonado, 26th; Carrie Austin, 34th.

Follow the Editorial Board on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
DuPage County prosecutors have opened an investigation into spending at the College of DuPage following a series of controversies. (Chuck Berman, Chicago Tribune)

The College of DuPage's credit rating was downgraded two notches Friday in response to recent sanctions against the school and vitriolic infighting among trustees.

In lowering the rating to AA from AAA, rating agency Standard & Poor's noted the college had recently been placed on a two-year probation by its accreditation agency  a rare reprimand in higher education. It also cited "unstable board governance and management turnover."

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"The negative outlook reflects the at least 1 in 3 chance that we could lower the rating further within the two-year outlook period, given the uncertainty surrounding the college's probation status and unsettled board turmoil," Standard & Poor's credit analyst Blake Yocomsaid in a statement.

The college's credit rating reflects the likelihood that the school will be able to repay the interest and principal on a loan. A strong credit rating can mean better interest rates on the school's debt and future borrowing  which often is paid off with tax dollars.

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Former President Robert Breuder frequently touted the college's AAA rating  the highest possible  as one of his biggest accomplishments. However, many of the problems cited by the Higher Learning Commission when placing the school on probation came under Breuder's watch, including breaches of the school's investment policies.

Breuder and the college's two top financial officials were fired last year as part of sweeping changes at the state's largest community college. The college is under federal and state criminal investigation.

College spokesman Joseph Moore said that while the college is "still in excellent financial condition," school attorneys "are going to be examining the ramifications of the lower bond rating, including how it might affect current debt."

College trustees have been split 3-3 since the board's chairwoman quit in December, leading to meeting boycotts and at times bringing school business to a standstill. The stalemate is expected to end soon, when the state agency that oversees the school appoints someone to fill the vacancy.

That move could eventually help the college's credit rating.

"We could revise the outlook to stable should the college improve and adhere to its financial management policies and successfully resolve its accreditation probation while demonstrating stable governance," Yocom said.

sstclair@tribpub.com

jscohen@tribpub.com

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Downers Grove Village Commissioner David Olsen, 27, has been appointed to fill a two-month vacancy on the College of DuPage board of trustees. (Friends of David S. Olsen campaign)

A 27-year-old Downers Grove village commissioner  and rising figure in the local Republican Party  was appointed to the College of DuPage board of trustees Saturday, filling a two-month vacancy on the bitterly divided board.

David Olsen's selection aims to bring stability to the state's largest community college, which is on probation and the target of state and federal criminal investigations. Since the board chairwoman quit in December, trustees have struggled to agree on meeting agendas and have frequently brought college business to a standstill.

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Indeed, Illinois Community College Board Chairman Lazaro Lopez picked Olsen after the college's six remaining trustees failed to make their own selection by Thursday's deadline. State officials could not recall another time when the ICCB had to step in to name a trustee because a school board abdicated its responsibility.

"While I am deeply disappointed that the six elected trustees at the College of DuPage were unable to meet their responsibility to fill the vacancy on the board, I am confident that Mr. Olsen has the experience in directing reforms, commitment to ensuring that all stakeholders have a voice in the process, and passion for service that will move the College of DuPage forward," Lopez said in a statement.

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Olsen has ties to at least one current trustee, Vice Chairwoman Deanne Mazzochi, who contributed $1,000 to his campaign fund last year when he toyed with the idea of running for state representative. But Olsen said he plans to reach out to all the trustees before Thursday's board meeting to "listen to them and their perspectives.

"I intend to spend a great deal of time over the next several days looking at the issues," he said. "Ultimately, it all comes back to the issues. If it's block voting, that is just not healthy for the institution and I hope to avoid that. This initial time for me will be about building bridges and not about building walls."

Olsen was not among the 27 people who applied for the trustee position through the college, but he was supported by Republican state Rep. Jeanne Ives of Wheaton and others. His term will run until the next election in April 2017.

"He has the youth, energy and understanding needed for the job," Ives said. "He's not afraid to stand up for what he believes in. He will bring an entirely new perspective to the board."

But Trustee Dianne McGuire criticized the selection, accusing Lopez  who was appointed to his post last year by Gov. Bruce Rauner  of letting politics influence his decision and ensuring the board remains divided. McGuire previously had touted Lopez as the right person to make the decision for the embattled school.

"This appointment is so disappointing," McGuire said. "There was an opportunity to bring someone to the table with objectivity, neutrality and perhaps even some educational experience to help the college restore its full accreditation and address the ongoing disagreements between the veteran and the new trustees. ... What we have, in reality, is a Rauner appointment with tremendously negative implications for the college."

The board has been split 3-3 since Chairwoman Katharine Hamilton abruptly quit for an unspecified personal reason. Her departure left two factions: Hamilton's three allies, who won election last spring, on one side, and three veteran trustees on the other. They have disagreed about legal bills, the college's internal investigation and how to handle a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by former President Robert Breuder.

Olsen is expected to be the swing vote on several controversial matters, including whether to turn over to prosecutors recordings of closed-session board meetings that included discussions about Breuder's employment. He called it a "pressing issue" that he plans to get a handle on quickly.

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"Ultimately, the last thing I want to do is hinder an investigation," Olsen said. "We need to cooperate fully and make sure there is no cloud of whatever it may be, wrongdoing, corruption. Those clouds need to be wiped away to make sure the college is transparent."

He also will play a key role when the board elects a new chair later this spring, and in the selection of a college president this year.

Olsen quickly established himself in local GOP circles after winning election to the Downers Grove Village Council three years ago. At 24 he beat, among others, a council member who had been on the board since before Olsen was born. In one of the more divisive issues he faced, he was the only council member to oppose plans to build a new Village Hall and police station  a proposal that voters later rejected in a referendum.

He had nearly $28,000 in his campaign fund as of December, including a $1,000 contribution that Mazzochi gave him in June. Mazzochi's husband, Tim Grant, gave him another $2,000 before Olsen decided not to run for the Illinois legislature, according to state campaign records.

The contributions came two months after Mazzochi won a seat on the college board along with two others who dubbed themselves the "Clean Slate" with an agenda to reform the college.

After their election, the trustees fired Breuder and made other changes that rankled the veteran trustees.

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Olsen, who was named mayor pro tem of Downers Grove last year, is an ethics and compliance analyst for commodities trading company BP Corporation North America, Inc., experience that could help the college as it faces scrutiny from its accreditation agency. The Higher Learning Commission put the college on two years of probation in December, citing concerns about governance and integrity. On Friday, Standard & Poor's lowered the college's bond rating, citing the rebuke from the accrediting agency.

Olsen was president of the student government at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and graduated in 2011 with degrees in finance and management. After graduation he returned to his hometown of Downers Grove.

He has been vice chairman of the Downers Grove Township Republican Organization since 2014.

College interim President Joseph Collins said Olsen would be "an excellent addition to the board."

"His background as student body president at the University of Illinois demonstrates a strong commitment to students," Collins said.

Mazzochi called Olsen "someone who is well respected throughout the district.

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"His professional career's focus on ethics and compliance issues will serve us well as we can finally begin to move forward to address the issues raised by the Higher Learning Commission," Mazzochi said. "David's Downers Grove accomplishments show he is a bridge-builder and can be a cohesive force in helping the Board work together."

jscohen@tribpub.com

sstclair@tribpub.com
A bill to fund grants to college students prompted the Will County board's legislative committee to oppose a Republican plan to pay for the program by taking funds from various agencies.

House Bill 4521, filed by Rep. Jim Durkin, R-Burr Ridge, and co-sponsored by Rep. Margo McDermed, R-Mokena, is the Republican response to a Democratic bill  Senate Bill 2043, which appropriates more than $720 million for MAP grants and the operations of community colleges.

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SB 2043 has passed both the House and Senate, and the governor has threatened to veto it because it does not provide revenues to fund that appropriation, McDermed said. House Bill 4521 also appropriates money for Monetary Assistant Program grants and community colleges, as well as other higher education institutions. But the measure allows the governor to use money from other sources to pay for grants  including 911 funds.

"(Democrats) don't care about college students. This is just a sound bite for the March 15 (primary election)," she said.

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"Everyone is in a tizzy. No one wants their funds swept," McDermed added, acknowledging that this bill will likely go nowhere, like other bills sponsored by Republicans.

One of those in a "tizzy" is Steve Rauter, executive director of Western Will County Communications Center, a 911 dispatch center serving 21 police and fire agencies.

In addressing the county board's legislative committee Tuesday, Rauter said if McDermed's bill goes through, it would be the ninth year in a row the state has swept 911 funds, which makes Illinois dispatch centers ineligible for federal funds for improvements.

The debate over MAP funds comes as the state mandates that 911 centers be consolidated. Will County is forced to reduce its six centers to three.

"The state wants vast improvements for 911 this year. We need those funds," he told the committee.

Dispatch centers are funded by a surcharge on all telephone bills, not state funds. But the state is six months behind in passing those funds onto the 911 centers, Rauter said. Will County 911 system is owed $1.2 million from the state.

Last year, the state swept up $7 million in 911 funds, of which $700,000 would have come to Will County, he said.

In response to Rauter's concerns, the county's legislative committee agreed to pass a resolution opposing the sweeping of funds.

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"We have to have a voice, or they will come after us locally," said board member Suzanne Hart, R-Naperville, who chairs the legislative committee.

The county's Springfield lobbyist, Brent Hassert, said even though he expects House Bill 4521 to die, the sweeping of funds will come into play "somewhere down the line," since the state will have a $6 billion deficit this year.

The legislative committee's resolution is expected to be voted on by the full county board on Thursday.

In related matters, the county's legislative committee also discussed its legislative priorities for the year, items it will push for when members travel to Washington D.C. later this year. They are:

 Securing funding from the $305 billion Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act for the possible widening of I-80 and I-55, the construction of the Houbolt Bridge from I-80 into the intermodal centers, the redevelopment of the I-80/Route 53 interchange and freight related projects.

 Funding for a control tower at Lewis University Airport, Will County's largest airport, which is owned and operated by the Joliet Regional Port District.

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 Funding for Laraway Road corridor improvement project, to make it a four-lane highway.

 Acquisition of car cameras for the Will County Sheriff's department.

 Increasing agricultural exports.

 Maintaining the tax-exempt status for municipal bonds, as it seeks to sell $275 million in bonds for a new courthouse and other capital projects.

 Supporting federal funding programs to address the heroin crisis.

 Protecting the Community Development Block Grant program for neighborhood improvements in low and moderate income areas.

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slafferty@tribpub.com
A man who pleaded guilty last year to posing as a psychologist in the south suburbs has continued seeing patients, including a 9-year-old, federal prosecutors allege.

Using an identity stolen from a licensed physician, Scott Curtis Redman, 36, formerly of Hammond, Ind., prescribed 71 prescriptions to 44 individuals from December to the end of January, the U.S. attorney's office said.

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The youngest patient Redman issued a prescription for was a 9-year-old who received a 30-day supply of Vyvanse, a drug typically used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, prosecutors said.

In November, Redman used a physician's name, medical license number and controlled substance license number to run a clinic that advertised mental health services on the Near North Side of Chicago, prosecutors said.

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The clinic's website features a picture of Redman using the real doctor's name and advertises psychiatric treatment for young children, adults and adolescents, prosecutors said.

Earlier this month, an investigator with the Drug Enforcement Administration met with the physician whose identity was stolen after a University of Connecticut police officer called the physician to say someone had submitted a fraudulent University of Connecticut diploma in the physician's name to the Blue Cross Blue Shield credentialing department.

Federal investigators also learned that Redman had been arrested in Oak Forest and Oak Lawn earlier this month and charged with a combined 24 counts of pretending to be a psychologist in Cook County, prosecutors said.

This week, the U.S. attorney's office charged Redman with intentionally using a fictitious registration number in the name of another person to distribute and dispense a controlled substance.

The charge is punishable by up to four years in prison, prosecutors said.

In October, Redman pleaded guilty in Cook County to a single count of misdemeanor practicing psychological therapy without a license. His victim in that case, Kathy Baran, said she felt Redman got off with a "little slap."

Last year, Baran told the Daily Southtown that she trusted Redman with her secrets. And when she found out the man she was opening up to wasn't a psychologist, Baran said she felt "crushed," "mortified" and "violated."

"I want him put away," Baran said when informed of the new charges.

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The Daily Southtown reported extensively on Redman last year after he came under scrutiny by state regulators and was arrested in South Holland.

Redman claimed to hold a doctorate in counseling psychology from a school that denied giving him any degree, and records released by the state showed he had been denied repeatedly a clinical psychologist license in Illinois.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Redman previously said he holds a doctorate in counseling psychology from Walden University, a Minneapolis for-profit college. But the school said it had no record of his enrolling or receiving a degree.

Redman has been denied a clinical psychologist license on at least three occasions  in May 2012, October 2012 and February 2013, records show.

Redman also was involved in a licensing dispute in Florida that parallels his problems in Illinois. In 2010, Florida officials determined he had falsely claimed to have received a graduate degree from Kaplan University, records show.

The Southtown confronted him last spring, when Redman was still operating a clinic in Oak Lawn, and he offered to pull his latest posting from Psychology Today if a reporter agreed not to write about his practice.

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"My preference is that you not even pursue this story at all," Redman said. "I'd rather it just go away."

gpratt@tribpub.com

Twitter @royalpratt
Samantha and Omar Mejia, of Romeoville, visit nieces and a local boy in Honduras in December. Samantha was early in her pregnancy during the trip and contracted the Zika virus. She has since miscarried. (Samantha Mejia)

Samantha Mejia remains hopeful she someday will start a family despite her recent miscarriage, apparently caused by the Zika virus that in recent weeks has received growing international attention.

But, the 30-year-old Romeoville resident said her thoughts right now are with the pregnant women in the affected areas  which include Central America and South America, along with the Caribbean  whose babies remain at risk from the mosquito-borne virus.

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"They are really the ones who need our support and prayers," she said.

For Mejia, an unfortunate series of circumstances apparently led to the sad end of her pregnancy.

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For two years, she and her husband, Omar, planned a Christmas 2015 trip to visit his family in Honduras.

"We found out two days before we were leaving that we were expecting," she said.

That was before news about the virus had spread worldwide, or the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had issued any related travel warnings for pregnant women.

Samantha Mejia and her husband Omar sit on the couch together at their home Monday, Feb. 15, 2016, in Romeoville, Ill. Samantha, who discovered she was pregnant only days before their departure, became ill with a fever and rash once they returned to Illinois. It was eventually confirmed she had the Zika virus through a blood test by Center for Disease Control. At their first ultrasound, Samantha and Omar learned she had miscarried, although it was not confirmed that Zika was the cause. (Erin Hooley, Chicago Tribune)

Soon after the Mejias arrived in the Central American country, people there started to talk about the new virus and some of its symptoms, including fever and rash.

"We wore bug spray," she said. "Knowing what I know now, I would have been more vigilant about it."

After they returned to Romeoville, Samantha ended up in bed with what she thought was the flu. After a rash developed the following day, she went directly to the hospital.

"They were like, 'Wait. What do you think you have?,'" she said.

After drawing her blood, the hospital had no lab code for the type of blood test needed, she said. The nurse had to handwrite in the margin what was needed. The CDC tested her blood and called to confirm she had the Zika virus.

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"There was a certain element of relief knowing what I had," she said.

Nevertheless, when she and her husband went for her first ultrasound, they learned she had miscarried. While doctors could not definitively say the virus caused her miscarriage, she said, the fetus tested positive for Zika.

Mejia is one of three confirmed cases of Zika in Illinois, according to the state Department of Public Health.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

"To the general public, the risk is generally nonexistent with these three cases," said Melaney Arnold, spokeswoman for the department.

The Illinois cases are each isolated incidents involving nonrelated persons who traveled to countries where they picked up the disease, Arnold said. The second case involves a pregnant woman who traveled to Haiti, and the third is a man who traveled to Colombia, she said.

The CDC said Zika can be spread from mother to unborn baby, resulting in serious birth defects of the brain called microcephaly.

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"Knowledge of the link between Zika and birth defects is evolving, but until more is known, the CDC recommends special precautions for pregnant women," which includes avoiding travel to areas affected by the virus, according to the CDC website.

The mosquito that transmits Zika is the Aedes aegypti, also known as the yellow fever mosquito, a species "not really found in Illinois," Arnold said. And, even if those kinds of mosquitoes did find their way here, she said they would not survive the state's cold weather.

On the mainland United States, there have been more than 50 confirmed cases of Zika.

Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter.
An appellate court judge in Springfield has agreed with the state board of election's decision to allow incumbent State Rep. Anna Moeller to remain on the Democratice primary ballon to retain her 43rd District seat. (Courtesy of Anna Moeller)

Judge John Schmidt of the 7th Circuit Court in Sangamon County has upheld an Illinois State Board of Elections decision that 43rd District State Rep. Anna Moeller be allowed to stay on the March 15 Democratic primary to retain her seat.

"This Court finds the legal conclusion of the hearing examiner to be correct, and this Court adopts same. The Petitioner-Objector's Petition for Administrative Review is denied," a court document put online Thursday states. "The decision of the State Officers Electoral Board is affirmed. This is a final and appealable order with no just cause to delay its enforcement."

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"I'm very pleased with the ruling," Moeller said. "I am filing this entire episode under 'no good deed going unpunished,' and I continue to remain focused on representing my district and serving my constituents."

Elgin resident Julie Schmidt had contended that Moeller should be removed from the ballot because Moeller signed the nominating papers of Sandy Wegman, Republican candidate for Kane County Recorder, and signed her own statement of candidacy as a Democrat for the representative seat.

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In a hearing document dated Jan. 5, state electoral board hearing examiner J. Michael Tecson recommended to the board that Moeller be allowed to stay on the primary ballot.

According to that document, Moeller's counsel argued that she should remain on the ballot "because her first signature on her own petition sheet affiliated her with the Democratic Party, and therefore, her second signature on the Republican petition sheet is invalid. Thus, the Candidate asserts she did not impermissibly sign nominating petitions for one political party, and then run as a candidate for a different political party."

The document notes that Moeller signed her own petition sheets in support of her nomination to the State Board of Elections on Sept. 5. Moeller signed Wegman's sheets on Sept. 26. Moeller turned in her nominating papers, including her signed statement of candidacy, on Nov. 23.

Citing case law, Tecson wrote, "When voters sign the nomination petitions of more than one political party, the signature appearing on the petition first signed is valid and all subsequent signatures appearing on the nominating petitions of other parties are invalid."

So, on Jan. 7, the electoral board voted 6-2 to allow Moeller to stay on the ballot.

Through her attorney, Jeff Meyer, Schmidt appealed to the court. The matter had to go either to the circuit in Cook County or in Sangamon because the election hearing, while held in Chicago, also had a video link to Springfield.

Meyer said he found the court's decision surprising, particularly because he felt the judge did not seem persuaded by arguments presented by Moeller's attorney. Meyer said he expects his client will ask for the matter to heard by the 4th District Appellate Court.

Moeller stands to be the lone candidate on the Democratic primary ballot for the representative's seat. No Republicans filed to run in a primary for the post, but the GOP could chose to slate a candidate to run in November as it did when Meyer ran against Moeller two years ago. Meyer was elected to the Elgin Community College Board of Trustees in 2015.

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MDanahey@tribpub.com
Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim; Denise Rotheimer, author of a legislative amendment to provide legal service funding for crime victims; Jasmine Jimenez, Rotheimer's daughter; and state Sen. Ira Silverstein, photographed in the Lake County State's Attorney's office in Waukegan this week. (Denise Rotheimer / HANDOUT)

A local victims' rights advocate, the Lake County state's attorney and a state senator from Chicago have teamed up in support of an amendment to the Crime Victims Compensation Act that will allow victims access to attorney fees.

The amendment was authored by Denise Rotheimer, an Ingleside resident who became politically active following the sexual assault of her daughter and the 2003 sentence that sent the offender to prison for 7 1/2 years. The experience led to her quest for a greater voice for victims in the legal process.

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Part of her concern, Rotheimer said, was that her daughter was excluded from making a victim impact statement at the sentencing hearing.

"She wanted to let the judge know what happened to her," Rotheimer said. "It's something I never got past."

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Rotheimer publicly criticized former Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller following the case involving her daughter. She also clashed with Waller in connection with a situation involving her brother, Adam Rotheimer, whose case raised questions about the line between mental illness and criminal behavior.

Rotheimer's relationship with the office has improved since Waller's retirement and Michael Nerheim's election to the office.

"I reached out to her early on in an effort to work with her on her concerns," Nerheim said Friday, following the announcement this week of his support for the new legislation. "She is very passionate about victims' rights and so am I."

The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Ira Silverstein of Chicago, would amend the Crime Victims Compensation Act to include legal representation for crime victims to defend their rights at no cost to victims or additional cost to taxpayers, Nerheim said.

It would ensure that a victim's right to retain legal representation is equally accessible to all victims of crime regardless of their ability to pay, Rotheimer said.

Money for the effort would come from the Crime Victim Compensation Fund, which is comprised of state funds and matching federal grants and is administered by the Illinois Attorney General's Office.

The fund currently serves a variety of purposes, including compensating victims for therapy and providing financial assistance for the care of murder victims' children.

Rotheimer founded and is executive director of the group Mothers On a Mission to Stop Violence.

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"I am grateful that State's Attorney Nerheim understands how crime victims are denied equal protection under the laws in comparison to defendants who are entitled to receive the appointment of legal representation to enforce their rights," Rotheimer said. "Although crime victims do have a right to retain an attorney to represent them during the criminal legal process as though they are a named party  it's at their own expense."

Rotheimer said a recent amendment to the Illinois Constitution's Victims Bill of Rights prohibits the court from appointing attorneys to crime victims who cannot afford or retain legal representation.

"The proposed amendment ensures that all crime victims, regardless of their ability to pay, will receive legal representation and secure their participation during all stages of the criminal legal process," she said.

Nerheim said he believes the bill will have multiple benefits to citizens.

"First, any crime victim who has retained counsel will help maintain a cooperative effort among the victim, his or her counsel, and the prosecutor to ensure that each victim's rights are strictly enforced," he said. "Secondly, this legislation will have the positive effect of encouraging victims to step forward and report their crimes to law enforcement."

"This bill is important because a lot of us have never felt or dealt with a situation where a child or individual has been victimized," Silverstein said in a statement. "You want to protect their child or individual but you also make sure that the person who did this harm to your loved one is punished, properly. You want to be part of that process because it's part of the healing process I believe  a process (from which) you don't want to be excluded."

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Nerheim said the amendment has bipartisan support and is expected to be addressed by the Legislature soon.

Rotheimer is running as a candidate for Lake County Board District 5 in the Republican primary. Nerheim said he is making no endorsements in the race and his support of the bill is based on its content.

jrnewton@tribpub.com

Twitter @jimnewton5
This rendering shows an aerial view of where a proposed Extra Space Storage would be built on 75th Street near Wehrli Road. (Courtesy of City of Naperville)

Plans for a sprawling Extra Space Storage facility on 75th Street near Wehrli Road could face a hurdle if Naperville City Council votes to oppose a zoning change for the development Tuesday.

Although the property is technically outside city limits, its proximity to Naperville's border allows the council to file a formal objection to the zoning change needed for the 730-unit facility to be built on the 3.2-acre site. If that happens, the DuPage County Board would be required to approve the change by a "super-majority" three-quarters vote, rather than the standard two-thirds vote.

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"I think the storage facility is a lousy idea so I will oppose it," Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico on Friday. "I'm all about business development, but I want smart development."

The proposed site is adjacent to a Walgreens, and Naperville annexed that property about five years ago when the store was built.

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John Ferri, 67, who owns and lives on the land marked for the storage facility, said Naperville officials were short-sighted when they approved the Walgreens project. At the time, Ferri vehemently opposed the store opening next door to his house, where he's lived since 1982.

"There's really no big secret about (why I'm selling)," Ferri said. "It was because of the Walgreens."

The new lights and traffic, Ferri said, have discouraged any would-be buyers for his home. His property value has plummeted, he said, and his only recourse is to rezone and sell it as commercial land.

"I'm also tired of picking up garbage that people threw out of their cars constantly," Ferri said. When he moved in, 75th Street was a two-lane road. Now it's four lanes and boasts a 50mph speed limit.

Extra Space Storage Inc. is based in Salt Lake City and is the second-largest operator of storage facilities in the United States, according to the company's website. William Montgomery, a Deerfield attorney representing the developer, declined to comment for this story.

City documents cite a 75th Street Corridor Study, adopted in 2008, as a reason for opposing the rezoning. That study recommends future development along the corridor to include residential, office or limited commercial projects. The plan specifically calls for low- or medium-density home developments and small office or commercial use, among other proposals.

A 105,000 square-foot storage facility with 17 parking spaces, as described by developers in city reports, does not fit into those plans, city officials said.

The DuPage County Zoning Board of Appeals will discuss the issue Thursday. The DuPage County Board would make any final decision.

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gbookwalter@tribpub.com

Twitter: @GenevieveBook
Woman, 69, dies from injuries after being stuck by car

A Valparaiso woman who was struck by a car Thursday night later died at a South Bend hospital as a result of her injuries.

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Valparaiso police were called to the area of Sturdy Road and Chapel Drive at 7 p.m. Thursday for a report of a pedestrian who was struck by a vehicle.

Police said the woman, 69, was crossing Sturdy Road at Chapel Drive when she was struck by a car traveling southbound on Sturdy Road. Police, who are not identifying the driver or the victim, said the driver stopped immediately to help the woman.

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Police said she was transported to Porter Regional Hospital and then airlifted to a South Bend Hospital where she later died.

Police continue to investigate but do not believe drugs or alcohol were a factor in the accident.

Crash near Wanatah claims one

A West Lafayette woman died Thursday afternoon after a two-car crash just south of Wanatah.

According to a news release from Porter County Coroner Chuck Harris, Judith Tudor, 65, was traveling northbound on U.S. 421 just south of Wanatah when a southbound car driven by Ryan Halcarz of Valparaiso allegedly attempted to pass a vehicle in a no passing zone.

Halcarz allegedly struck the car driven by Tudor at the intersection of 1400 South and U.S. 421 in LaPorte County.

Tudor and Halcarz were transported to Porter Regional Hospital, where Tudor was pronounced dead at 4:32 p.m. from blunt force trauma.

The LaPorte County Sheriff's Department and the coroner's office are investigating the accident.

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Laundromat reports burglary in Chesterton

Chesterton police are investigating a burglary at a local Laundromat in which $201 was taken.

Police were called at 7:35 a.m. Wednesday to the Dunes Coin Op Laundromat, 600 Broadway, by an employee who said when she reported to work, nothing looked out of place but she didn't hear the lock "click" when she turned the key, which happens when the door isn't locked.

She went into the office to start her shift and noticed a box on the ground with small boxes of fabric softener. She realized the larger box was where the money drawer was placed overnight.

Police said there was no sign of forced entry, and said the scene appeared to be purposely made messy with the fabric softener boxes and nothing else was disturbed. Police said whoever burglarized the business appeared to know where the money was kept.

Resisting law enforcement charge added for Porter Township woman

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A Portage Township woman wanted on two felony warrants faces an additional misdemeanor charge of resisting law enforcement after she hid under blankets and refused to come out when police arrived at her residence, a police report said.

Police said a 15-year-old girl at the residence also would be charged with misdemeanor false informing after reportedly lying about whether the woman was at the residence.

Deputies with the Porter County Sheriff's Department arrived at a residence in the 600 North block of County Road 500 West around 3:45 p.m. Thursday to serve two warrants to Jody Gursky, 27, of that address.

One of the warrants was for felony counts of strangulation and intimidation and misdemeanor battery; the second warrant was for felony operating while intoxicated with a prior conviction, two misdemeanor counts related to operating while intoxicated, and a misdemeanor count of driving while suspended, the report said.

When deputies came to the door, the teen denied Gursky was at the residence, according to the report. Police who searched the residence picked up a pile of blankets in a room and found Gursky hiding under them. Police said she refused to come out and pulled away when police tried to put her in handcuffs, the report said.

Gursky was transported to Porter County Jail. An officer waited on scene with the teen and a 2-year-old girl who was at the residence at the time until their mother arrived.

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Man airlifted to hospital after Union Township accident

A Valparaiso man was airlifted to a Chicago area hospital with head injuries after an accident Thursday afternoon on U.S. 30 in Union Township.

Sgt. Jamie Erow, public information officer with the Porter County Sheriff's Department, said the man was ejected from his pickup truck. He was transported to Christ Advocate Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill.

A 32-year-old Knox woman was transported St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart with minor injuries.

Police are not releasing the names of the injured drivers, pending notification of their families.

The initial investigation and statements from witnesses showed the driver of the pickup truck was southbound on County Road 750 West and failed to yield the right-of-way to the woman, who was traveling eastbound on U.S. 30, Erow said.

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Toxicology tests are pending, Erow said.

Not guilty verdict in drug case

A jury found a Gary man not guilty of two felony drug charges Wednesday after more than six hours of deliberations.

James Kelly Jr., 44, of the 600 block of Tennessee Avenue, faced up to 20 years in prison on each count of Class B felony dealing in a narcotic drug plus possible extra time on a habitual offender enhancement before being found not guilty.

He was accused of selling heroin to a Porter County Drug Task Force informant in the parking lots of two Portage pharmacies in April 2014, $100 for .28 grams the first time and $140 for 1.2 grams the second, according to charging documents.

Defense attorney Larry Rogers argued that the police never identified the alleged drug seller as Kelly because the informant never focused the recording device on the seller's face, the van used in the deals wasn't registered or connected to Kelly and the camera in a police car that passed the van showed the van had tinted windows that made the person in it unidentifiable.

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--Post-Tribune staff
Working out with the new FLEE classes at Community Hospital Fitness Pointe are, from left, Sandy Marciniec, Dawn Lofgren, Shirley Wilson, Jo Ban, Richard Ban and Ruth Butala. (Community Hospital)

Dunes visitors came from all states, 46 countries in 2015

Indiana Dunes Tourism and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore staff assisted nearly 90,000 people  including visitors from all 50 states and 46 foreign countries  at its Visitor Center during 2015, according to the tourism bureau's just-completed annual visitor report.

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Indiana Dunes Tourism said its visitor register was signed last year by people from as far away as Australia, China, Korea, Poland and Russia. Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Italy were the countries that had the most visitors signing the register. The total number of people served at the Visitor Center rose 10 percent in 2015.

More than 3 million people from across the world visit the Indiana Dunes each year, making it the biggest tourist attraction in Porter County, said Lorelei Weimer, executive director of Indiana Dunes Tourism, the official tourism agency for Porter County.

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Munster fitness program targets older residents

Community Hospital Fitness Pointe, a medical fitness facility in Munster, has a new class geared to active older adults. The Functional Living Exercises for Everyone, or FLEE, class is held at 11 a.m. Mondays and includes exercises that apply to the lives of older residents, such as getting in and out of chairs, carrying bags of simulated groceries and stepping over objects like toys and pets. The class is free to Fitness Pointe members and available to non-members through the Class Pass program for $90 for 12 classes or $50 for six classes. Information: 219-924-5348.

Boys & Girls Clubs pick Youth of the Year candidates

Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County recently announced their 2016 Youth of the Year candidates and will celebrate their extraordinary achievements at the Youth of the Year Reception on March 3. Youth of the Year Candidates include Eric Allison, Duneland Club; Sanja Kirova, Portage Club; Tyler Goodman, South Haven Club; and Allison Thatcher, Valparaiso Club. Since 1947, Youth of the Year has been Boys & Girls Clubs of America's premier character and leadership program where club members, ages 14-18, compete on state, regional, and national levels for Youth of the Year Titles. Candidates emerge through year-round recognition programs in their local Clubs. They progress through state and regional events, culminating in a weeklong celebration in Washington, D.C. where one youth is named National Youth of the Year.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County will announce their 2016 Youth of the Year during a reception at 5:30 p.m. March 3 at Valparaiso University's Christopher Center. Information: 219-464-7282.

Merrillville attorney included in state's top 50

Barry R. Rooth, partner and co-founder of the Merrillville Law Offices of Theodoros & Rooth, has earned the distinction of being selected one of the Top 50 Super Lawyers in the state of Indiana. This marks the 10th consecutive year that Rooth has been named an Indiana Super Lawyer.

Financial aid help offered at Ivy Tech Feb. 21

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Two Ivy Tech Community College local campuses will have experts on hand to offer help to students on College Goal Sunday. This annual national event, starting this year at 2 p.m. Feb. 21, provides assistance in filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the form required for students to be considered for federal and state grants, scholarships and student loans at most colleges, universities and vocational/technical schools. This year, Ivy Tech advisers will be available at the East Chicago campus, 410 E. Columbus Dr., and the Valparaiso campus, 3100 Ivy Tech Dr. Spanish-speaking interpreters will be available at the East Chicago location. Volunteers will walk through the online form line-by-line and answer families' individual questions as needed. More information is at CollegeGoalSundayUSA.org or the Ivy Tech Financial Aid Office, 219-981-4417.

Merrillville FOP goes to the races Feb. 21

Merrillville Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 168 is having a Daytona 500 NASCAR Kick-off fundraiser from noon to 4 p.m. Feb . 21 at American Legion Post 430, 7 Broadway, Merrillville. There is a $10 donation in addition to raffles, door prizes and a chili cook-off.

Nurse group donates $1,000 to clinics

Members of the Society of Nurses in Advance Practice donated $1,000 to support the free Catherine McAuley Clinic in Hammond and the St. Clare Health Clinic in Crown Point. The clinics, managed by nurse practicioners, help treat the uninsured of Lake County.

Identity theft seminar set for April 21

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Centier Bank, Lakeshore Public Media and the Indiana attorney general's office offer a free seminar on guarding against identity theft. The event is part of the Federal Reserve Bank's annual Smart Money Week and will include time for questions. A $25 Visa gift card will be awarded as a door prize at the end of the event. It takes place from 3 to 5 p.m April 21 at the Centier Corporate Centre, 600 E. 84th Ave., Merrillville. Register at www.centier.com/rsvp/. Information is with Carrie Kuck at 219-756-5656, Ext. 306.
Purdue Cal celebrates Chinese New Year Feb. 21

Purdue University Calumet will celebrate the Chinese New Year with a family-friendly event with singing, dancing and food beginning at 4 p.m., Feb. 21 in Alumni Hall of the Student Union & Library. Performers will dance and sing to the accompaniment of Chinese instruments. Traditional Chinese food will be served at 6 p.m. Admission is $5 for Purdue Calumet students and $10 for others. Community members are invited to attend. Tickets are available in advance or at the door. Information is with Linda Robinson at Linda.robinson@purduecal.edu or 219-989-2765.

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Hobart transit meeting set for Feb. 25

The City of Hobart and the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission will host two meetings  at 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Feb. 25  to provide opportunities for public input on the feasibility of establishing transit service for Hobart. The meetings will be held in the council chambers at Hobart City Hall, 414 Main St. The consultants conducting the feasibility study will provide information on responses to a community survey conducted through the fall and will be asking for more input on travel needs, how residents feel about different types of transit for Hobart, and how to potentially fund the services. More information is with Hobart City Planner Sergio Mendoza at 219-942-7985 or smendoza@cityofhobart.org; or Belinda Petroskey, transit planner for Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, at 219-763-6060, Ext. 132, or bpetroskey@nirpc.org.

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Program on history of dunes Feb. 26

The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore has experienced many notable changes since its establishment 50 years ago. In size alone, the park has expanded from 8,330 acres of land in 1966 to its current size of more than 15,000 acres. Join retired ranger Darryl Blink for a historic look into the early days and development of the lakeshore from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Feb. 26 at the Visitor Center, 1215 N. Ind. 49, Porter. Information: 219-395-1882 or www.nps.gov/indu.

Quilting program at National Lakeshore Feb. 27

Join Peggy Whitlow at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore's Visitor Center, 1215 N. Ind. 49, Porter, as she shares her family heritage through quilt making, a tradition passed down by her grandmother, a former slave. Family quilts dating to the 1800s will be on display. This one-hour program is at 2 p.m. Feb. 27. Information: 219-395-1882 or www.nps.gov/indu.

Maple Sugar Time at the dunes on weekends in March

Enjoy an early taste of spring at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore's annual Maple Sugar Time event. In addition to the free ranger-led tours of the sugaring operation at historic Chellberg Farm, a pancake breakfast will be available for purchase from the Chesterton Lion's Club. The farm will be bustling with maple sugaring activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekends of March 5 and 6 and March 12 and 13. Information: 219-395-1882 or www.nps.gov/indu.

Apple tree pruning, grafting workshop March 8

Purdue Extension-Lake County will present an Apple Pruning & Grafting Workshop from 1 to 5 p.m. March 8 at Buckley Homestead. Purdue specialist Peter Hirst will discuss the science behind pruning of fruit trees followed by a live demonstration on trees at Buckley Homestead. The program is free, but there is a $10 fee for those who want to take home up to 5 apple trees. Registration and information are with Nikky Witkowski at 219-755-3240 or at nikky@purdue.edu.

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Chamber seeks couple for Marriage Mill wedding

The Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce is looking for a couple to get married in a one-of-a-kind historic ceremony at the annual Marriage Mill wedding on June 17. The event commemorates Crown Point's historic status as a good place to tie the knot. From 1915 to 1940, nearly 175,000 couples traveled to the city to say "I do," keeping as many as six justices of the peace busy seven days a week.

The event in June include a casual ceremony held in front of the historic Old Lake County Courthouse in Crown Point during the Food & Arts Festival. The couple then is treated to a an old-fashioned reception in the courthouse rotunda, as well as a free one-night stay and breakfast at the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza in Merrillville.

Information: Lee Hartsell at 219-769-8180 or lee@crossroadschamber.org.
Developer Chuck Williams poses by the dilapidated beachfront pavilion at Indiana Dunes State Park in Chesterton, Ind., that he plans to rehabilitate. (Paul Beaty, AP)

The creator of a Valparaiso website filed court documents this week asking that a defamation lawsuit filed against him by Chuck Williams, the principal in Pavilion Partners, be dismissed because the things he posted about Williams on his website "were substantially true."

David Wichlinski and his firm, Hyperion Consulting, were named as defendants in Williams' lawsuit, filed in early December. It alleged that Valpolies.com, as well as its associated Twitter feed and Facebook page, irreparably damaged his reputation and business ventures, including his private-pubic partnership with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to renovate the pavilion at Indiana Dunes State Park and build an adjacent banquet center.

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"Any claim of defamation is precluded to the extent that the statement expresses an opinion," the court documents, filed Wednesday in Porter Superior Court by Fort Wayne attorney Thomas Kimbrough state, going on to say that defamation claims also are precluded "to the extent that the statements made were substantially true."

The documents claim that Williams, as a former member of Valparaiso's Board of Works and Safety, former Republican Party chair for Porter County, and current chair of the Republican Party for the 1st Congressional District, is a public figure.

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"In a nutshell," the response notes, "the Plaintiffs allege that the Defendant has published false statements that have been critical of Mr. Williams, a public figure, and Pavilion Partners, LLC, which was engaged or attempting to engage in pubic work."

According to the court documents, Wichlinski's attorney will be filing a motion to dismiss the defamation lawsuit under the state's anti-SLAPP statute. A strategic lawsuit against public participation, or SLAPP, is a lawsuit meant to silence critics.

Wichlinski admits in the documents that he was the principal and registered agent of Hyperion Consulting, which has been dissolved, and that he was the lone creator of Valpolies.com.

He also admits in the documents that he wrote several of the posts on the website, including those about Williams, though he denies most of the allegations Williams made in his lawsuit.

A point-by-point response to the suit also repeatedly states that Wichlinski "is without sufficient knowledge or information to admit or deny the allegations" made by Williams, or he denies the allegations or that a post is a fabrication.

Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
A Lake Superior Court jury deliberated about three hours Friday before convicting a Michigan man of voluntary manslaughter in a 2013 shooting in Gary.

Jurors rejected Isaiah Hughes' claim that he acted in self-defense when he fatally shot Benjamin Fullilove Jr., 24, after a fight broke out at a house party in Gary and Hughes' wife was being attacked. Jurors acquitted Hughes, 26, of Holland, Mich., of murder.

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Lake Superior Court Magistrate Kathleen Sullivan ordered Hughes held in the Lake County Jail until his March 16 sentencing hearing. He faces 20 to 50 years. Hughes had been allowed to post bond in his murder case.

Hughes testified Thursday that he and his wife went to a party at an apartment at 2131 Carolina St. in Gary in the St. John Homes development. As they were leaving, Hughes said he saw people attacking his wife. Hughes said he began pulling women off of her when he was "blindsided," knocked to his knees and had a gun stuck in his face. Hughes said that as he began to get up, he reached for his pistol in his waistband and fired four shots toward Fullilove, who he said was holding the gun.

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During closing arguments, defense attorney Scott King, who presented evidence with co-counsel Lakeisha Murdaugh, told jurors that the three women who attacked Hughes' wife, Konica Johnson, were cousins who had the opportunity to "concoct a story" in the days and weeks it took for Gary police Detective Sgt. Michael Barnes to schedule interviews with them.

King said that for jurors to convict Hughes of murder, deputy prosecutors Eric Randall and Salina Malone had to prove that Hughes intended to kill Fullilove or knew there was a high probability that Fullilove would be killed when Hughes shot at Fullilove.

King said jurors could acquit Fullilove if they found that his use of deadly force was justified because he reasonably believed it was necessary to prevent harm or death to himself or another person.

In his closing argument, Randall said the accounts of three women at the party meshed with the location of four shell casings in the street. The witnesses said that after the altercation, Hughes had gotten into his car, stopped suddenly in the middle of the street, got out, reached for something and then began shooting.

"One of these sides is lying. Ladies and gentlemen, the liar in this case is Mr. Hughes," Randall said.

King said jurors would have to know Hughes' mindset at the time of the shooting, which Randall said was impossible.

"We're not mind readers. We can't get into the defendant's head, but sometimes actions speak for themselves," Randall said. "You don't point a gun at somebody and fire it four times and not know what it's going to do."

Randall played 911 recordings for jurors, including when Fullilove called police at 3:23 a.m. after a fight started in front of the residence of his girlfriend, Kendra Banks.

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"He's not the aggressor. He is not the instigator as Mr. Hughes would have you believe," Randall said.

Eight minutes after Fullilove's call, Banks made a frantic 911 call to report the shooting.

Ruth Ann Krause is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Marlene Rock of Valparaiso looks over a box of chocolates and a beaded necklace during a Valentine's Day Fair Trade Bazaar Friday at the Valparaiso International Center. (Amy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

Lynn Gordon was in Valparaiso Friday for work and heard about the Valentine's Day Fair Trade Bazaar at the Valparaiso International Center.

"I thought I'd zip over," she said. "I bought some chocolate for my sweetheart and I'm going to make cookies or brownies for my son with a little cookie cutter. Maybe I'll make him some pancakes or French toast."

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Gordon, who lives in New Buffalo, Mich., used to live in Perth, Australia, and worked in a similar shop run by Oxfam, likes the concept of fair trade and shopping to support it.

"I like that it supports local artists in their communities," she said.

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While the international center has held a holiday bazaar for seven years, this was the first year for the Valentine's Day event, a "pop-up" sale, said Duane Davison, the center's founders and one of its board members.

Items from more than 20 countries around the globe were available for sale, including chocolate, jewelry, scarves, quilts, clothing and other accessories.

"Fair trade is creating a relationship with the producer of the product and cutting out as many of the middlemen as possible," he said.

Archana Popli of Valparaiso often stops by the center for its speakers and programs, describing herself as a regular. On Friday, she bought a scarf for herself.

"This is more supporting the artists. These communities are getting more than they put in, so it's fair trade," she said, adding later, "It's nice to browse here and it's so interesting to know when you pick something up here, you're helping people, and that's the best kind of giving."

Marlene Rock of Valparaiso weighed her options as she shopped.

"Chocolate and jewelry  how does a woman decide? I might do both," she said while looking over a box of candy and a beaded necklace, and deciding on both, though she added she might share the chocolate.

She enjoys shopping at the center as well.

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"You experience the art of another country," she said.

Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

Bazaar continues

The Valentine's Day Fair Trade Bazaar continues from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday at the Valparaiso International Center, 309 E. Lincolnway. For more information on the center, go to www.valpovic.org.
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A female panda gifted by China to Belgium has successfully been artificially inseminated, the animal park Pairi Daiza announced Friday.

According to Le Soir newspaper, journalists turned out in large numbers for the announcement at the animal park near the southern Belgian city of Mons.

The park confirmed that two artificial inseminations had been carried out on Hao Hao on February 12. But only in September will a clearer picture emerge of whether or not she is pregnant.

Two experts from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Pandas in Sichuan, Prof. Li Desheng and assistant Li Rengui, arrived at Pairi Daiza earlier this week to help with the procedure.

Le Soir newspaper said the chances of success were about 20 percent.

If Hao Hao does not become pregnant, another insemination attempt will be made next year.

Hao Hao and her male companion Xing Hui were given to Belgium by China on a 15-year loan in 2014.
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Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi vowed on Friday that Iraqi security forces would clear terrorists of the Islamic State (IS) in his country this year.

Addressing audience at the Munich Security Conference, Al-Abadi said Iraqi forces had liberated "more than half" of areas occupied by the terrorists.

"We intend this year to make it the final year and the last year for the existence of Daesh in Iraq," he said.

Anti-terrorism is one of the key issues discussed at the annual security forum which started on Friday and lasts until Sunday. Other topics include Syrian conflicts, refugees, climate change and transatlantic relations.

Al-Abadi said reforms that his government had undertaken improved efficiency of Iraqi forces.

"Daesh is losing ground. They are not only losing militarily in combating our forces, but they are losing ground among Iraqi population," he said.

The minister added that terrorism is not only an Iraqi problem, but also an international one. Conflicts in Syria could also cause terrorists to flee into Iraq.

He said an agreement of "cessation of hostilities" that top diplomats reached early Friday morning "must be successful".

Al-Abadi also warned that Turkish combat troops' presence inside Iraq without his government's permission was "unacceptable" and "very dangerous".

"If you wish to help Iraq, it is up to us to decide in what way you are to help us," he said.
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Catholic Pope Francis was in a three-hour landmark meeting Friday with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill after arriving in Havana for a stopover on his flight to Mexico.

Pope Francis was welcomed at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport by President Raul Castro, before being led to the Protocol Room to hold the historical meeting with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

The two religious leaders will discuss the relations between the two churches, the international situations and the protection of Christians in the Middle East and North Africa under the threat of persecution and genocide. A joint statement will be issued after the meeting.

This is the first meeting between the two churches since Christianity split nearly 1,000 years ago.

Later, Pope Francis will head to Mexico for a pastoral visit while Kirill will continue his official agenda in Cuba until Sunday.
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South Korean vehicles from the Kaesong Industrial Zone (KIZ) pass the customs, immigration and quarantine office in Paju, South Korea, Feb. 11, 2016. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) announced on Thursday that it is expelling all South Koreans from the Kaesong Industrial Zone (KIZ) and closing the joint-run complex. [Photo: Xinhua/NEWSIS]

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is ending investigations into Japanese abductees in the country in response to Japan's expanded sanctions against it following its fourth nuclear test and rocket launch, state media reported Friday.

The special investigation committee probing the whereabouts of Japanese nationals abducted by DPRK agents decades ago "will be dissolved from Feb. 12, 2016," said a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency.

The decision was made apparently in response to Japan's new sanctions against the DPRK adopted Wednesday following its fourth nuclear test and rocket launch.

The new sanctions include banning the re-entry from the DPRK of Japan-based foreign nuclear or missile engineers, banning ships from third countries that have visited ports in the DPRK, and banning remittances of over 100,000 yen (about 870 U.S. dollars) to the DPRK in principle, except for humanitarian cases.

These sanctions had been partially lifted under the Stockholm agreement signed between Japan and the DPRK in mid-2014, but Japan has "reneged on its commitments made in the agreement" and "made a frontal challenge to the DPRK," the statement said.

The statement also warned that Japan's hostile acts will entail strong countermeasures from the DPRK and that the Japanese government will "hold full responsibilities" for such consequences.

The DPRK acknowledged in 2002 that it had abducted 13 Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s. Talks on the issue were shelved in December 2012, when the country launched a long-range missile.

Under an agreement reached in May 2014 in Stockholm, the DPRK would reopen the probe into the abductions, and in return Japan would ease sanctions against the DPRK.

In July 2014, the DPRK announced the establishment of a special investigation committee tasked with probing the fate of these Japanese nationals, who were allegedly kidnapped to become spies.

The committee, composed of about 30 officials, had four panels in Pyongyang and branches in other cities and counties across the country.
A penguin is seen in front of Chinese icebreaker Xuelong, or Snow Dragon, docked at an ice cover area of the South Pole. The icebreaker is on China's 31st scientific expedition to Antarctica. [Photo from official Weibo of CCTV]

China will set up an Antarctic air squadron this year to support its scientific expeditions to the polar region, according to the State Oceanic Administration.

It did not disclose details about the squadron, but said it is aimed at supporting polar exploration and will serve as an air observation platform.

China will continue to develop technologies and equipment to improve research on remote sensing and oceanography, the administration said in a statement on Friday.

The research vessel and icebreaker Xuelong, which is being used for China's 32nd Antarctic expedition, left Shanghai on Nov 7 for a 159-day round trip of 55,500 kilometers.

A 277-strong team from more than 80 domestic institutions are conducting research and experiments in Antarctica.

During the mission, researchers are making a final survey for China's fifth Antarctic station site at Victoria Land on the Ross Sea, mapping the site and assessing the ecological and environmental impacts.

They will also perform scientific experiments at China's Changcheng, Zhongshan, Taishan and Kunlun stations, as well as at Prydz Bay, on the Ross Sea, on the Amundsen Sea and the Antarctic Peninsula.

For the first time, members of the expedition used a fixed wing aircraft during their stay in the Antarctic.

The plane, which was bought from the United States and is now maintained by a Canadian company, carried out airborne remote sensing and telemetry tasks before leaving for Canada last week. Previously, China had used only helicopters for its polar expeditions.

Sun Bo, deputy head of the Polar Research Institute of China, said the country is training pilots, ground support staff members and scientific instrument operators for fixed-wing polar aircraft so they can operate and manage China's polar aircraft fleet.

Meanwhile, the State Oceanic Administration said it will launch several deep-sea projects this year involving seabed mining experiments, biological diversity research and deep-water exploration.

A deep-sea exploration station is also included in the administration's equipment development plan.

The country will send its seventh research mission to the Arctic this year and is planning the first Sino-Russian Arctic mission, it said.
In the Big Apple known as the "melting pot", a spate of festive activities were held at iconic venues across the city and saw a broad participation of local communities.[Photo/Xinhua]

On a wintry morning in New York, traditional lion dancers and a classic Chinese dragon made their way from Manhattan's Chinatown to the Upper East Side, then down Madison Avenue, before arriving at East Midtown where families with children were lining up the streets, ready to embrace the Chinese Lunar New Year -- the Spring Festival.

In the Big Apple known as the "melting pot", a spate of festive activities from the Chinese New Year Concert by famed New York Philharmonic to a spectacular fireworks display on the Hudson River, to an Empire State Building light show, were held at iconic venues across the city and saw a broad participation of local communities.

On Saturday, a flash mob featuring 100 monkey performers broke loose at Times Square, to the cheers and excitement of passers-by, while a video introducing the Year of Monkey was aired at the "Crossroads of the World."

"The celebration of Chinese Lunar New Year is no longer a purely Chinese event but an occasion that celebrates the diverse cultures that make up our communities today," said Shirley Young, chair of U.S.-China Cultural Institute.

With so much fun in the air, it might be hard to imagine a time when Lunar New Year celebrations had been forbidden in the city.

Michael Perrone, in his Belleville Times column, wrote: "There was at the time (around 1870) a very strong anti-Chinese sentiment in the country, backed by state and federal laws restricting the immigration, employment and rights of the Chinese. For example, it was illegal for the Chinese to gather publicly in large groups in New York City."
Pope Francis opened a divisive meeting of the world's bishops on family issues by forcefully asserting that marriage is an indissoluble bond between man and woman. But he says the church must "seek out and care for hurting couples with the balm of acceptance and mercy."

In a solemn Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on Sunday, Francis dove head-on into the most pressing issue confronting the meeting of 270 bishops: How to better minister to Catholic families experiencing separation, divorce and other problems.

He said: "The Church must search out these persons, welcome and accompany them, for a church with closed doors betrays herself and her mission and instead of being a bridge, becomes a roadblock."

One of the major debates at the synod is whether divorced and civilly remarried Catholics can receive Communion.

Few Vatican meetings have enjoyed as controversial a run-up as the three-week gathering of bishops. There have been allegations of manipulation and coercion. Secret caucuses to plot strategy, and on the eve of the synod, a Vatican monsignor outing himself, urging the pope to hear his voice, and denouncing widespread homophobia in the church.

The church has been dogged by deepening divisions between conservatives and progressives over issues of ministering to today's Catholic families in all their shapes and colors, including gays, the divorced and others in "irregular" family situations.
Republic of Korea President Park Geun-hye announced recently that her government will consider the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, an advanced US anti-ballistic missile defense system, in the ROK.

Park's comment came after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea early this month carried out its fourth nuclear test since 2006, giving rise to speculation about the THAAD missile defense system's deployment, which has the potential to readjust the regional strategic structure and trigger an arms race in East Asia.

Unlike the ROK's previous ambiguous "Three Nos" policy - No Request, No Consultation, No Decision - Seoul's more favorable stance toward the US defense system is becoming clear, so too is Washington's strategic ambition.

The THAAD system, if deployed in the ROK, will obviously have a negative impact on regional security. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei has reiterated Beijing's stance that a country should consider other countries' safety and interests as well as the peace and stability of the whole region when seeking its own safety.

Strategically, the possible deployment of the THAAD system in the ROK would further worsen the peninsula situation, fueling the arms race between the ROK and the DPRK and leaving less room for China's neighborhood policy.

As Japan also showed interest in introducing the THAAD system last month, the ROK, and Japan could witness substantial progress in their military alliance with the US, which might even incubate a sort of "Asian NATO", if both Tokyo and Seoul decided to deploy the US system on their soil.

In that case, China would likely face an increasing number of challenges with Japan being empowered to impose stricter containment on it. More importantly, Seoul, which benefits a lot from the trade and investment exchanges with Beijing, as well as from their shared history and cultures, will set an abominable precedent for bilateral relations in the region, if it eventually helps the US to contain China.

As for its national security concerns, Seoul is only 40 kilometers away from the inter-Korean land border, and thus has little reason to resort to the advanced THAAD system, as Pyongyang is unlikely to fire long-range missiles should it seek to attack the south. On the contrary, accommodating the US defense system will only deal a heavy blow to the China-ROK ties and the regional stability and peace.

In other words, deploying the anti-missile system on the peninsula would mainly serve the interests of the US, which wants to generate more deterrent effects on both China and Russia, drive a wedge between Beijing and Seoul, and expedite its trilateral military coordination with Japan and the ROK.

Therefore, Beijing should seek to persuade the ROK not to allow the deployment of the missile system on its soil, enhance its partnership with Seoul, and engage in constructive dialogue with Washington.

The author is an associate researcher at the National Institute of International Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Glaciers in the Tianshan Mountains.[Photo by Cai Zengle/Asianewsphoto]

Tourists have been forbidden from entering glaciers in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, authorities said on Thursday.

"Glacier tourism brought in revenue of less than one billion yuan ($152 million) over the past dozen years, but the loss from shrinking glaciers is incalculable," said Li Jidong from the regional tourism administration.

According to the new regulation, tourists are only allowed to enjoy the sight of glaciers from a distance instead of walking on them.

Statistics showed the temperature of the region has risen 0.33 degrees Celsius to 0.39 degrees Celsius per decade over the past 50 years, almost three times the global average.

China has 46,377 glaciers, with 18,311, or 46.8 percent of the national ice reserves located in Xinjiang. Global warming, grazing, mining and tourism have accelerated destruction of the glaciers, and led to water shortages in several areas.

Glacier meltwater accounts for about 25 to 30 percent of Xinjiang's surface run-off, and the thawing of the glaciers could have a disastrous effect on the region, according to the Tianshan Mountains Glacier Observation Station under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
Last year, Indonesia recorded some 1.3 million Chinese tourists, but expected to increase the number of Chinese tourists to 2 million by the end of this year.[Photo by Peng Huan/Asianewsphoto]

The Indonesian tourism ministry has kicked off its first- ever Chinese New Year celebrations where more than 1,300 Chinese tourists were present.

Officially entitled "Wonderful Indonesia Chinese New Year," the event started Wednesday on the country's famous resort island of Bali.

Some 65 commercial flights including airlines from the Chinese mainland, China's Hong Kong, China's Taiwan, and other Southeast Asian countries, carried thousands of the Chinese tourists to Bali.

"Bali seems to be a favorite destination for people from China," Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said, adding that such event could help Indonesia attract more Chinese visitors into the archipelago.

Last year, Indonesia recorded some 1.3 million Chinese tourists, but expected to increase the number of Chinese tourists to 2 million by the end of this year.

"China is a huge potential market, and so it needs special treatment," Arief said.

Chinese Indonesians account for 2.8 million, or 1.2 percent of the nation's total population of about 240 million, according to census data from the Central Statistics Agency.

During the three-decade rule of the late dictator Suharto, the festivities for the start of the Lunar New Year and other expressions of Chinese cultural identity were prohibited.

In 2001, then-president Abdurrahman Wahid revoked the Suharto-era prohibition and three years later then-president Megawati Soekarnoputri declared the Chinese New Year a national holiday.
Pope Francis (L) embraces Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill after signing a joint declaration on religious unity at the Jose Marti International airport in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Feb 12, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

HAVANA - Catholic Pope Francis was in a three-hour landmark meeting Friday with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill after arriving in Havana for a stopover on his flight to Mexico.

Pope Francis was welcomed at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport by President Raul Castro, before being led to the Protocol Room to hold the historical meeting with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

The two religious leaders will discuss the relations between the two churches, the international situations and the protection of Christians in the Middle East and North Africa under the threat of persecution and genocide. A joint statement will be issued after the meeting.

This is the first meeting between the two churches since Christianity split nearly 1,000 years ago.

Later, Pope Francis will head to Mexico for a pastoral visit while Kirill will continue his official agenda in Cuba until Sunday.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi answers reporter's questions during a Reuters interview in Munich, Germany, February 12, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

MUNICH - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday spoke out against the possible deployment of an advanced US missile defence system in Republic of Korea (ROK), stressing that it would complicate the regional stability situation.

Meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Wang made clear China's opposition to the possible deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system in Republic of Korea.

The United States and ROK have begun negotiations on the deployment of THAAD. The Pentagon made the announcement hours after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) carried out on Sunday what it said was a satellite launch but others believed was a missile test.

Under UN Security Council resolutions, the DPRK is banned from test-firing any rockets based on ballistic missile technology.

As one of the most advanced missile defense systems in the world, THAAD can intercept and destroy ballistic missiles inside or just outside the atmosphere during their final phase of flight.

Despite claims by Washington and Seoul that the missile shield would be focused solely on the DPRK, it is widely believed that the deployment would pose considerable threat to neighboring countries.

In an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of the Munich meeting, Wang said that he was concerned by the possible deployment of the sophisticated anti-missile system in Republic of Korea.

"The deployment of the THAAD system by the United States ... goes far beyond the defense needs of the Korean Peninsula and the coverage would mean it will reach deep into the Asian continent," Wang said.

"It directly affects the strategic security interests of China and other Asian countries," he added.

The Chinese foreign minister urged the US side to act cautiously, not to undermine China's security interests or add new complications to regional peace and stability.

Regarding the DPRK's recent nuclear test and rocket launch, Wang said both moves violated UN resolutions and pose seriously challenge to the global non-proliferation regime.

China and the United States have agreed to speed up the consultation process at the UN Security Council to reach a new resolution and take strong and effective measures to deter further development of nuclear and missile programs by the DPRK, Wang noted in his meeting with Kerry.

Reiterating China's stance on sanctions against the DPRK, he said "it remains to be our common goal to work together and find a way to bring the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue back to the right track of dialogue and negotiations, which is fully in line with the interests of all parties, including China and the United States."

In the interview with Reuters, Wang said China insists that there should be no nuclear weapons on the peninsula, no matter whether they were possessed by the north or the south side, and no matter whether they were developed locally or introduced from the outside.

China, a neighboring country of the Korean Peninsula and a major stakeholder in regional stability, also maintains that the Korean Peninsula denuclearization should be achieved via dialogue, not war, and that China's national security interests should be guaranteed, he added.
US Secretary of State John Kerry delivers a speech at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, February 13, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

MUNICH -- The United States Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday that Syria crisis should be settled on a political track, urging parties to take advantage of current opportunity to end the conflicts.

Kerry said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference that political settlement is the only way to end conflicts in Syria. Agreements reached by top diplomats earlier on Friday provided an opportunity that parties could not miss.

"If the international community and Syrians themselves miss the opportunity now before we to achieve that political resolution to the conflicts, the violence... will continue," he said.

Kerry told audience that humanitarian aid could start flow to areas where in urgent need "today or tomorrow," while a lot of work must be done in order to ensure an effective "cessation of hostilities" within the week.

One of the issues needed to be clarified was which actions could be defined as against terrorists, and which could not, he said.

The United States claimed that Russian airstrikes targeted against oppositions in Syria instead of terrorists. The claim was rejected by the Russian side.
MUNICH -- The annual Munich Security Conference (MSC) has seen intense debates on Saturday between top diplomats from western countries and Russia, showing significant differences between the two sides on major security issues.

MSC, the most important informal meeting on security policy, entered its second day on Saturday, welcoming representatives of countries that are standing in focus of the global security, including Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

Speaking during a Prime Ministers' Debate, Medvedev warned of "new Cold War," saying the West often uses deterrent means and its policy against Russia is "unfriendly," which has resulted in a break-down of dialogue between the two sides.

Medvedev criticized the expansion of NATO and EU influence into Eastern Europe.

"European politicians thought that creating a so-called belt of friends at Europe's side, on the outskirts of the EU, could be a guarantee of security, and what's the result?" he said. "Not a belt of friends but a belt of exclusion."

Speaking of Russia's role, NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said earlier in a statement that "we have seen a more assertive Russia, a Russia which is destabilizing the European security order."

"NATO does not seek confrontation and we don't want a new Cold War. But at the same time our response has to be firm," Stoltenberg added.

Different positions on Syria and Ukraine have undermined the relations between Russia and the West. Both sides posed sanctions against each other.

Speaking of the conflict in Syria, Kerry stressed in his speech the need to negotiate a political solution to the issue, but insisted that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must step down.

Medvedev, who had visited Syria before the conflict started, told the conference that Syria was once a peaceful country, and it would have the chance to continue to enjoy the fruits of economic development if there was no external influence.

"People from the US and European countries said al-Assad must go... but the country has been in a state of war for years... Who should be blamed for that?" he further said.
China WFOE. Do it right or not at all.

If you are doing business in China without a WFOE (or a Joint Venture or a Rep Office) you are probably operating there illegally. And if you have what you think are employees or independent contractors in China and yet you do not have a business entity in China (a WFOE or a Joint Venture or a Rep Office) you are operating illegally. And what China does to those who operate illegally in China  on good days  is to have them pay all back taxes, plus interest, plus penalties, or it shuts them down and kicks them out. Simple. For more on this, check out the following:

But where there is a problem there will always be the con artists and the know-it-alls who purport to have an easy solution to solve it, and that is true in spades for those who seek to operate in China without a PRC business entity. And the biggest scam are those who profit from convincing people that having a Hong Kong entity is a faster and better and cheaper way to get legal in China. It isnt.

Repeat after me:

Doing business in China with a Hong Kong entity is no different from doing business in China with no entity. Doing business in China with a Hong Kong entity is no different from doing business in China with a New York business entity. Doing business in China with a Hong Kong entity is no different from doing business in China with a London business entity. Doing business in China with a Hong Kong entity is no different from doing business in China with a Sydney business entity. Doing business in China with a Hong kong entity is no different from doing business in China with a Frankfurt business entity. Doing business in China with a Hong Kong entity is no different from doing business in China via a Mexico City business entity.

Got it?

The below is a fairly typical sort of exchange our China lawyers have with people on this subject. If you sense our frustration, please understand how unbelievably often our lawyers we get these sorts of emails and how unbelievably often those who send these to us just assume they are on the right track and want to fight us when we say they most emphatically are not. And remember, we respond to these emails strictly out of the goodness of our hearts.

Opening email from American individual: I read an article you wrote a couple years ago on incorporating a business in China and you mentioned at the end that you would be happy to discuss further if needed. I have an office in Portland, Oregon, where I am from, and I am currently moving to Beijing to start a _______ business.

I was informed that it is better for me to register my business in Hong Kong to work in Beijing, since the alternative would cost one million RMB to register a wholly foreign-owned enterprise [WFOE]. My question is after I get a company registered in Hong Kong, how do I get a proper visa to stay and work? I am currently on on a 10-year tourist visa, which isnt suitable for the long run.

My first response: With all due disrespect, whoever is giving you this counsel has no clue. Having a Hong Kong company is no better for Beijing than having an Oregon company. If you do what this person is proposing you do you will be lucky if you are merely deported after your first year because if you get caught after that the punishments will only increase. Certainly you cannot get a visa under your plan and to even try would be about the worst thing you could do because that would alert the authorities and tell them that you are not paying your China taxes and that you are there operating illegally, neither of which are things the Chinese government is fond of these days. My advice to you would be to either do it right or leave the country. Either way, I wouldnt wait to decide.

Next email from American individual: Thank you for letting me know, I was informed that my paying taxes to the Hong Kong Tax Bureau would protect me in China. Its obvious I have got some wrong advice which is the reason I reached out to you. My goal is to get everything clean and clear as can be so I dont have any issues with this in the future. If you were in my shoes, what would be the starting point?

My response: The Beijing tax police do not care whether you may or may not have been paying taxes in Hong Kong. I do not know what your starting point should be because I dont have a good sense for exactly the sort of business you want to do in China (it sounds like it is a business blocked to foreigners and so may be illegal no matter what you do) and, most importantly, I have no idea what you have done so far. About all I can say is that if it were me Id think seriously about returning to Portland and figuring out what to do from there.

The American individual: One thing I havent understood is if its illegal to register a business in Hong Kong to do work in China, why do so many business use Hong Kong as a base for doing business in mainland China?

My response: Having a Hong Kong company is not a substitute for having a PRC entity. Those companies with just an HK business that are truly operating in China or doing business in China are doing so illegally. There is nothing wrong with having a Hong Kong company and a PRC company and many of our clients have a Hong Kong company that in turn owns a PRC company. And by the way, the advice you were given on what it will cost you to form a Beijing WFOE is as worthless as the rest of the advice you have been given in that the cost can be all over the map and it depends on all sorts of factors.

The American individual: But if I sign up with a company, I am concerned the business wont be my business so there is some risk associated with it. What are your thoughts? Would you recommend using another company that is already established in China?

My response: I do not know because I do not have nearly enough facts nor am I at all clear on your goals. And lets not forget, what you are seeking to do may be illegal for WFOEs in any event.

Your thoughts?
(Photo : Getty Images) Motorola could release two new devices soon.

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Following the official release of the Android 6.0 Marshmallow, HTC, Sony, Samsung and LG were quick to roll it out for their flagship devices. Now, Motorola is catching up and rushing to release the new Android upgrade for its 2014 and 2015 handsets.



The 2014 Moto G 2nd Gen with and without LTE phones in India are currently receiving the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update. Motorola had posted Marshmallow update release notes for the aforementioned devices in January and started a soak test in Brazil and India.



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Meanwhile, the company is reportedly getting ready to release the Android 6.0 update for both the 2014 Moto Maxx and 2014 Moto Turbo in March this year. The update for these handsets are said to be pending as partner mobile networks still work on reaching an update release agreement with the mobile manufacturer.



Motorola has confirmed the release the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update to the Droid Turbo 2 device, but users can also get the update through custom ROM. Automobile has provided an easy download and install guide for those who want the custom ROM, but it is important to know the consequences of availing the Marshmallow update through installing a custom ROM.



The Android 6.0 Marshmallow firmware for the 2015 Moto X Pure Edition (or Moto X Style as launched in some countries) has already been rolled out to several U.S. carriers in December 2015. Users in India, Brazil and Europe also got the update as well. Meanwhile, unlocked units of Moto G 3rd Gen in both U.S. And Canada also got the Marshmallow update. The Moto 360 2nd Gen smartwatch will also receive the software update. The Android 6.0.1 update is expected to be rolled out for Motorola devices early in 2016.



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TagsAndroid 6.0 Marshmallow, Moto X Pure Edition, Droid Turbo 2, Motorola, Moto G
(Photo : Reuters) UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond (seen above leaving Downing Street) has accused China of a"serious breach" of the Sino-British treaty under which Beijing took control of Hong Kong in 1997.

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Beijing on Friday lashed at the UK government for impugning China's stand on Hong Kong's autonomy in a report issued Thursday to the British Parliament, according to state-run news agency Xinhua.



The UK Foreign Office says a missing Hong Kong bookseller was likely abducted to mainland China, calling the manner of his disappearance a "serious breach" of the treaty under which control of the city was ceded back to China in 1997..



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UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said in a bi-annual report on Hong Kong affairs that Lee Bo, a British citizen who was last seen in Hong Kong in December, was "involuntarily removed" to the mainland.



"No Change"



"Hong Kong continues to enjoy prosperity and stability, and Hong Kong residents enjoy every right and freedom they are entitled to in accordance with the law," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei. "The Chinese government is resolute in carrying forward 'one country, two systems' and this resolve is subject to no change."



Lee is one of five men linked to the Hong Kong publishing company Mighty Current Media and its Causeway Bay Bookshop, who went missing in recent months only to later resurface in mainland China.



Lee's disappearance, in particular, has sparked concern in the UK and its former colony because the bookseller was reportedly last seen in the company's Hong Kong warehouse. A number of media reports suggest that he did not have his travel permits with him, giving rise to speculation that Lee was snatched then smuggled into the mainland.



"The full facts of the case remain unclear, but our current information indicates that Mr Lee was involuntarily removed to the mainland without any due process under Hong Kong SAR law," Hammond said in the report.



SAR is an acronym for Special Administrative Region, the governing framework upheld by the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong. The declaration is intended to guarantee the city's rights and freedoms for decades after the UK ceded the territory to China in 1997.



"Dissatisfied and Opposed"



The report issued by the British Foreign Office is the strongest signal yet that London believes Lee was abducted, although it makes no mention by whom or how the bookseller was taken. The document has prompted the Chinese foreign ministry to accuse the UK of "irresponsible carping and finger-wagging," says the New York Times.



"I would like to reiterate that Hong Kong is China's special administrative region," Hong said. "Hong Kong affairs are China's domestic affairs in which no foreign country has the right to interfere."



Chinese police officials confirmed in January that Lee is in China, and released letters from the bookseller to his family saying he went to the mainland voluntarily.



China has dismissed the UK's insinuations on the same basis by which it previously rejected a call from the European Union (EU) for the release of all five booksellers.



"The UK government interfered in Hong Affairs and made groundless accusations against China by issuing the so-called Six-Monthly Report to Parliament on Hong Kong," said Hong. "We are strongly dissatisfied with -- and firmly opposed to -- that."



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TagsChina-United Kingdom relations, Hong Kong Bookseller, British Paliament
(Photo : Getty Images) China has apparently reached its breaking point and has declared that North Korea must 'pay the necessary price' for its recent rocker launch and nuclear test.

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China is taking a tough stance against North Korea for its recent nuclear test and rocket launch, saying it will back a new United Nations Security Council resolution to make Pyongyang 'pay the necessary price', China's Foreign Minister told Reuters in an interview.



In a surprising turnaround to Beijing's calls for caution in dealing with North Korea, Wang Yi said on Friday that it was time for a 'strong' resolution' to be adopted by the Security Council to cover a wide range of areas, particularly hitting North Korea with tougher sanctions.



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"(We) support the United Nations Security Council to take further steps and in adopting a new resolution so that North Korea will pay the necessary price and show there are consequences for its behaviour," the minister said.



Back to the negotiating table



Wang made it clear to the news agency that although China is supporting the UN's new resolution, it is still affirming its position that the only way to denuclearize North Korea is to get Pyongyang back to the negotiating table.



The UN Security Council, of which China is a permanent member, has repeatedly slapped North Korea with sanctions since its first nuclear test in 2006.



Last month's nuclear test was the fourth since then and was followed by a rocket launch this month. Numerous ballistic missile tests have also been conducted by the belligerent nation in between the years.



At loggerheads



Beijing and Washington have been at loggerheads over the years in dealing with North Korea with the US pushing for economic sanctions and China opting for the more diplomatic tack.



China insists that it has been making great strides in denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, rejecting the claim of the US that China could do more in reining in Pyongyang.



Wang expressed concern over the possible US deployment of the sophisticated Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in South Korea saying it could also be used against China.



New UN resolution



The UN Security Council is formulating a new resolution containing tougher sanctions, which diplomats said would go beyond zeroing in on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and missile programs.



China, for its part, wants to take future steps in the direction of non-proliferation of North Korea's atomic armaments.



Wang refused to comment on whether Beijing is amenable to imposing economic sanctions against North Korea, but he pointed out that the goal is to restrain Pyongyang's efforts in developing and proliferating its nuclear arsenal and missile technology.



"Sanctions are not the end, the purpose should be to make sure that the nuclear issue in the Korean Peninsula should be brought back to the channel of a negotiation-based resolution," he said.



Talks with US



North Korea, on Thursday, said it was evicting all South Koreans from the jointly-run Kaesong industrial zone. The move was in retaliation to South Korea's suspension of operations after Pyongyang's rocket launch on Sunday.



Reports said South Korea, for its part, will begin talks with the US next week on the possible deployment of the advanced THAAD.



A South Korean military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the missile system will be handled by the US military forces stationed in Seoul.



China's security interests



Wang has urged the US to rethink its military strategy and the possible repercussions that the deployment will have not only on North Korea but the whole Asia as well.



"The facts are clear. The deployment of the THAAD system by the United States ... goes far beyond the defense need of the Korean Peninsula and the coverage would mean it will reach deep into the Asian continent," he said.



"This directly affects the strategic security interests of China and other Asian countries," Wang added.



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(Photo : "JamieBrown2011"/Wikimedia/CC) Congregants worship at an International Church of Christ gathering in 2012.

Large churches are more likely to have less-committed members as compared to smaller churches, according to a research conducted by Duke University, and published in American Sociological Association's journal Socius.

The study found a negative correlation between "size and probability of attendance for Conservative, Mainline, and black Protestants and for Catholics in parishes larger than 500 attenders."

The research was carried out by David Eagle, a pastor and a postdoctoral research student at Duke University. He also said that megachurches mirror the "increasing detachment from religious organisations," which is evident in our society.

The abstract says that the "results support the theory that group cohesion lies at the heart of the size-participation relationship in churches."

The study elaborates that unless one is a visible member of the church, it is not feasible to keep count of other attendees. In such scenarios, the research notes that the church ceases to be a close-knit community, but that its function is relegated to teaching only.

"With the rapid growth of megachurches in the United States, a negative relationship between size and frequency of attendance could serve to accelerate aggregate declines in attendance," the abstract reads.

In an interview with the Christian Post, Eagle said, "... rapid increase in the number of really big churches might actually tie into what many have observed - the declining importance of religion and religious involvement in the US."

"I wondered if megachurches are a reflection of that - they provide places where people can go less frequently, whose comings and goings may not be noticed and where more staff means that they don't need to take on as major a volunteer role as they would in a smaller church," he continued.

The research notes that the results fit within the "theoretical perspective that argues smaller groups have an easier time promoting group cohesion and participation due to the greater density of social relationships contained within smaller organizations."

Those who do not attend church as frequently may also find larger churches appealing since they would not feel pressured to attend regularly, the study adds.

The study concludes by implying that irrespective of the different religious streams, attendance was negatively affected with increase in congregation size.

"The fact that organizational characteristics vary considerably across religious groups, but the overall relationship between size and attendance is negative, suggests that the more general organizational dynamics govern this trend," the study states.

    press@cdaily.co.kr



- Copyright ,    

#Megachurch
Act Now to Save Christians from Genocide Contact: Lisa Jones,



WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2016 /



For centuries, millions of Christians have been the victims of religious persecution in many countries around the world. But in recent months, brutality against members of the Christian faith in Iraq and Syria has been escalated beyond every historical level by ISIS, the Islamic extremist group which claims it is determined to snuff out the very existence of opposing religious groups.



Christians, and Yazidis, a minority sect living primarily in Kurdish parts of Iraq, have been forced from their homes, tortured, raped and murdered by fanatical Islamists throughout a region spanning Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, and Libya.



According to Christian Freedom International president Jim Jacobson, "the Obama Administration makes it impossible for persecuted Christians to seek asylum in the U.S. At the same time, the Obama Administration is allowing tens of thousands of Muslims to pour into the country."



Send President Obama the message that his rejection of Christians who are targeted for genocide in the Middle East does not reflect the values of the American people.



"Congress should act immediately to save as many Christians as possible," says Jacobson.



Sign the petition.



Contact your Representative and Senators in Congress, and mobilize your friends now to support Congressman Dana Rohrabacher's "Save Christians from Genocide Act" H.R. 4017.



For more information and to sign the petition go to



Christian Freedom International is a non-denominational human rights organization for religious liberty providing real solutions to conditions of human misery caused by religious persecution.

Share Tweet Contact: Lisa Jones, Christian Freedom International , 800-323-2273WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- We need to support Rep. Dana Rohrabacher who has introduced legislation that designates Christians and Yazidis in the Middle East as targets of genocide. His bill specifically provides for the expedited processing of 'immigrant and refugee status' for these persecuted religious minorities.For centuries, millions of Christians have been the victims of religious persecution in many countries around the world. But in recent months, brutality against members of the Christian faith in Iraq and Syria has been escalated beyond every historical level by ISIS, the Islamic extremist group which claims it is determined to snuff out the very existence of opposing religious groups.Christians, and Yazidis, a minority sect living primarily in Kurdish parts of Iraq, have been forced from their homes, tortured, raped and murdered by fanatical Islamists throughout a region spanning Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, and Libya.According to Christian Freedom International president Jim Jacobson, "the Obama Administration makes it impossible for persecuted Christians to seek asylum in the U.S. At the same time, the Obama Administration is allowing tens of thousands of Muslims to pour into the country."Send President Obama the message that his rejection of Christians who are targeted for genocide in the Middle East does not reflect the values of the American people."Congress should act immediately to save as many Christians as possible," says Jacobson.Contact your Representative and Senators in Congress, and mobilize your friends now to support Congressman Dana Rohrabacher's "Save Christians from Genocide Act" H.R. 4017.For more information and to sign the petition go to www.christianfreedom.org or call 800.323.2273.Christian Freedom International is a non-denominational human rights organization for religious liberty providing real solutions to conditions of human misery caused by religious persecution.
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.
Ancient footprints discovered in Arizona give glimpse of Native Americans' lives

Archaeologists recently chanced upon very well-preserved ancient footprints which were discovered during a bridge construction project in southern Arizona.

The ancient footprints give a glimpse of how Native Americans lived between 2,500 and 3,000 years ago, at a time when early human beings were transitioning from being nomadic hunter-gatherers to more sedentary village dwellers.

Ian Milliken, an archaeologist for the Pima County Office of Sustainability and Conservation, said in an article by The Scientific American that the footprints seem to belong to a family of fourtwo adults, two children and a dog.

The footprints, considered as among the oldest discovered in the Southwest, appear to have been left on a raised irrigation ditch on fields measuring 15 meters by 15 meters.

"They're exponentially larger than anything we've discovered for this time period," Milliken told The Scientific American.

"What's really unique about this is that it actually captures a point in time, probably down to the day these prints were left," he said.

Paul Fish, curator emeritus of the Arizona State Museum at the University of Arizona in Tucson, said these archaeological findings are significant because they support the belief that Native Americans from this area devised their own, home-grown way of irrigating their crops.

The contrary belief is that the Natives adapted their irrigation technique after migrating from Mesoamerica.

"The presence of well-developed irrigation strategies in the Tucson Basin by 1500 B.C. strongly indicates that large-scale canal technologies of the Phoenix Basin Hohokam developed locally," Fish also told The Scientific American.

Milliken, however, said that these new findings do not necessarily debunk Mesoamerica migration hypothesis.

"We have evidence of very early agriculture in Mexico that predates this, but that doesn't mean it wasn't here at the same time," he said.

The researchers nevertheless agreed that these footprints open up the door for discovering ancient life in the U.S.

"We've got five stratified layers below this one. There's so much more to learn," he said.
Franklin Graham helps put an end to Oregon refuge standoff as last 4 holdouts surrender

It took over 40 days before the standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in the city of Burns, Oregon came to a close, and it was made possible through the help of American evangelist Reverend Franklin Graham.

He, together with a Nevada lawmaker, helped negotiate on Thursday the surrender of the last four remaining holdouts who refused to be "a slave to this system," according to the New York Times.

"Thanking God that the #Oregonstandoff is over and all are safe. After many hours of talks, Sean and Sandy Anderson, Jeff Banta, & David Fry all came out peacefully  and I'm very grateful," Graham wrote on his Facebook page. "I know their family members are extremely relieved. This is a complicated controversy with the government that has roots going back many years. Praying that now their grievances will be heard and addressed through the right channels."

Graham said he spent several hours on the phone with the four men involved in the standoff, and he is happy that he "was able to have prayer with them."

The visit to Burns temporarily halted Graham's planned 50-state political and prayer rally tour called "Decision America," where he hosts a gathering at each statehouse and calls on Christians to consider their spirituality when voting in the 2016 elections.

Graham, a father of four and grandfather of 10, is the president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association as well as an international relief organisation called Samaritan's Purse.

After his arrival at the refuge, three remaining occupiers surrendered to the FBI. After a time, the last holdout, David Fry, also gave himself up, ending the 41-day standoff.

At least 16 occupiers including leader Ammon Bundy  have been arrested. One man, their spokesman Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, was killed by state police when they attempted to arrest him.
ISIS under pressure as Syrian army edges closer

Syrian government forces were poised to advance into the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Saturday.

An advance into Raqqa would re-establish a Syrian government foothold in the province for the first time since 2014 and may be aimed at pre-empting any move by Saudi Arabia to send ground forces to fight Islamic State militants in Syria.

Russia is also pressing ahead with its four-month-old air campaign in support of President Bashar al-Assad ahead of "a cessation of hostilities" agreed by major powers on Friday. The agreement is due to come into effect in a week.

The Syrian army announced the capture of more ground in the northern Aleppo area, where its advances backed by allied Lebanese Hezbollah and Iranian fighters have cut the main rebel supply route from Turkey into opposition-held parts of Aleppo.

If its forces retake Aleppo and seal the Turkish border, Damascus would deal a crushing blow to the insurgents who were on the march until Russia intervened last September, shoring up Assad's rule and paving the way to the current advances.

The cessation of hostilities agreement falls short of a formal ceasefire, since it was not signed by the warring parties - the government and rebels seeking to topple Assad in the five-year-long war that has killed 250,000 people.

Russia has said it will keep bombing Islamic State and the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, which in many areas of western Syria fights government forces in close proximity to insurgents deemed moderates by Western states.

Helped by Russian air power, the Syrian army and its allies have been pursuing offensives on crucial front lines of western Syria, while also attacking Islamic State further east.

The Observatory said government troops were just a few kilometres (miles) from the provincial borders of Raqqa after making a rapid advance eastwards along a desert highway in the last few days from Ithriya. The Syrian army could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Syrian government has not had a major foothold in Raqqa province since Islamic State insurgents captured Tabqa air base in 2014. "They are on the provincial borders of Raqqa," Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters.

The ultra-hardline Islamic State, whose main aim is to expand its "caliphate" rather than toppling Assad and reforming Syria, is being targeted in separate campaigns by a UUS-led alliance and the Syrian government with Russian air support.

U.S.-allied Kurdish forces are also fighting Islamic State in Raqqa. Last year, they advanced into Raqqa province from the northeast, capturing an Islamic State-held town at the border with Turkey.

Gulf states that want Assad gone from power have said they would be willing to send in troops as part of any U.S.-led ground attack against Islamic State. US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday he expected Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to send commandos to help recapture Raqqa.

In what may have been a response to those remarks, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Saturday there was no need to scare anyone with a ground operation in Syria.

The Syrian government has said that any foreign forces in the country without its consent will be fought.

ALEPPO AIR STRIKES

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, said in an interview published on Saturday that Russia's military interventions will not help Assad stay in power. "There will be no Bashar al-Assad in the future," he told a German newspaper.

The complex, multi-sided civil war in Syria, raging since 2011, has drawn in most regional and global powers, producing the world's worst humanitarian emergency and attracting jihadist recruits from around the world.

A US State Department spokesman said on Friday Assad was "deluded" if he thought there is a military solution to the war.

Two Syrian rebel commanders told Reuters on Friday insurgents had been sent "excellent quantities" of Grad rockets with a range of 20 km (12 miles) by foreign backers in recent days to help confront the Russian-backed offensive in Aleppo.

Foreign opponents of Assad including Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been supplying vetted rebel groups with weapons via a Turkey-based operations center.

Some of these groups have received military training overseen by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. The vetted groups have been a regular target of the Russian air strikes.

Russian warplanes carried out at least 12 raids on rebel-held towns north of Aleppo overnight Friday-Saturday, the Observatory said.

The army said late on Friday it had captured three areas to the northwest of Aleppo - advances confirmed by the Observatory.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls called on Russia on Saturday to stop bombing civilians in Syria, saying this was crucial for achieving peace in the country.

"France respects Russia and its interests ... But we know that to find the path to peace again, the Russian bombing of civilians has to stop," Valls said in a speech at a security conference in Munich.

Russia has denied targeting civilians. Medvedev said on Saturday it was simply not true.

"There is no evidence of our bombing civilians, even though everyone is accusing us of this," Medvedev told a security conference in Munich, moments after French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Russian bombing of civilians must stop.

"Russia is not trying to achieve some secret goals in Syria. We are simply trying to protect our national interests," he said, adding that Moscow wanted to prevent Islamist militants getting to Russia.
Kentucky appeals court asked to uphold ruling favouring Christian t-shirt printer in row with gay group

The fight for freedoms of religion and speech is now at the Kentucky Court of Appeals, which will decide whether a Christian t-shirt printer has the right to refuse to print messages of a gay organisation that contradicted his religious beliefs.

The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has asked the appeals court to uphold a lower court's ruling that favoured Blaine Adamson, owner of Hands-on Original, over a case filed by the Gay and Lesbian Services Organization (GSLO) of Lexington after he refused to print t-shirts bearing the message "Lexington Pride Festival 5" in 2012, saying this violated his Christian faith.

In 2012, GSLO filed a discrimination case against Hands-on Original before the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Human Rights Commission, which ruled in 2014 that the company must print the t-shirts.

The ADF filed an appeal with the Fayette Circuit Court, which ruled in favour of Adamson in April last year and reversed the decision of the commission.

The commission appealed the ruling to the Court of Appeals and the ADF has filed a brief urging the court to uphold the court's decision.

"Protecting Blaine's freedom affirms everyone's freedom, no matter the nature of their beliefs or convictions," said ADF Senior Counsel Jim Campbell in a statement. "The government shouldn't be able to force citizens to create speech that conflicts with their deepest convictions, and the trial court's decision rightly affirmed that."

In declining the t-shirt orders of GSLO, Adamson said he wasn't even aware of the sexual lifestyle of the persons making the request, WND reported.

According to the ADF, Adamson regularly declines print jobs when the message violates his faith. In fact, he has rejected a dozen orders in the past years. But he refers them to other printers.

In the brief, it said Adamson has "never declined to work with people because of their race, sex, sexual orientation or other legally protected characteristic. On the contrary, HOO works with everyone, including gay and lesbian customers ... and regularly hires gay and lesbian employees."

"The government ... cannot force it citizens to convey message that they deem objectionable or punish them for declining to convey such messages," it added. "The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held that the government could not apply that law [in another case] to force that organization to convey unwanted messages."

It added, "That constitutional principle, at issue because Mr. Adamson declined to produce advocacy materials for the Gay and Lesbian Services Organization (GLSO), protects all individuals, regardless of their beliefs."

The ADF said it is no surprise that a lesbian-owned and operated t-shirt company and groups that strongly support gay rights have publicly supported Adamson's company.

"For just as surely as the First Amendment protects HOO against the GLSO's discrimination claim, it also forecloses a religious-discrimination claim against an LGBT printer who refuses to create materials that disparage gays and lesbians. Thus, a ruling for HOO upholds the freedom of all who are asked to produce expression that they consider objectionable," the filing explains.

Co-counsel Bryan Beauman of Sturgill, Turner, Barker & Moloney, PLLC, of Lexington said, "The government has no good reason for overriding a person's freedom to peacefully live out his beliefs."

"Everyone who contacts Blaine gets the expressive materials they're looking for, because he will either create the expression for them or refer them to someone who will. It's intolerant to insist that Blaine's business must produce expression that violates his beliefs," he said.
Pope Francis meets Russian church head for first time in 1,000 years

Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill called for restored unity in a historic meeting in Cuba, nearly 1,000 years after the Eastern and Western churches split.

The two men embraced and kissed in the first meeting between a Pope and a Russian church head since the 11th century. The talks, in an airport terminal in Cuba on Friday, resulted in a joint statement calling the protection of Christians in the Middle East.

"In many countries of the Middle East and North Africa whole families, villages and cities of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being completely exterminated," they said in apparent reference to violence by militant groups such as Islamic State.

"Their churches are being barbarously ravaged and looted, their sacred objects profaned, their monuments destroyed."

They also said large-scale humanitarian aid was required to tend to refugees fleeing Syria and Iraq, lamenting the "massive exodus of Christians."

Cuban President Raul Castro stood to the side during the ceremony, enjoying another moment in the international limelight after receiving Francis last year and restoring diplomatic relations with the United States recently, meeting President Barack Obama in Panama in April.

"FINALLY"

The two religious leaders came together only a week after the encounter was announced. Such a meeting had eluded their predecessor, but Francis had issued a standing invitation to meet anytime, anywhere.

The moment came while Kirill was visiting the Caribbean island and Francis added a brief stop on his way from Rome to a long-scheduled visit to Mexico.

The venue was a compromise, according to the BBC's Oleg Boldyrev, who suggested to hold the first meeting in Rome or Moscow would have been impossible.

"Finally," Francis said as he and Kirill entered through doors on opposite sides of a room at Havana airport. "We are brothers."

"I'm happy to greet you, dear brother," said the Russian Church leader, who has had to overcome criticisms from conservatives at home who consider Catholicism a deviation from true Christianity.

Francis, dressed in white with a zucchetto, and Kirill, wearing a tall, domed hat that dangled a white stole over black robes, joined arms and kissed on both cheeks.

"It is very clear that this is the will of God," Francis said after the two men talked for two hours.

Their meeting carried political overtones, coming at a time of Russian disagreements with the West over Syria and Ukraine.

The Russian Orthodox Church is closely aligned with the Kremlin, which is in turn an ally of Cuba.

The Argentine pontiff helped the rapprochement between the United States and Cuba after more than five decades of estrangement.

The pope, leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, is seeking to repair a much longer rupture. Eastern Orthodoxy split with Rome in 1054.

The declaration called for Europe to remain faithful to its Christian roots and restated several traditional Christian teachings such as opposition to abortion and marriage being reserved for a man and a woman.

The Russian Orthodox Church takes a stronger stand on these issues in public than Pope Francis, who supports these teachings but often speaks of other issues such as poverty and protecting the environment, which were also mentioned in the text.

Additional reporting from Reuters.
Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports both saw a record number of passengers in 2015, up 4.2 percent and 1.8 percent respectively, flying on a wide variety of aircraft.

This includes the Airbus A380-800 that can have more than 500 passengers and the Bombardier CRJ700 that can have up to 78 passengers. In total, there were 297,482 flights at these airports in 2015.
A former Child Protective Services worker is facing felony identity-theft charges for opening credit-card accounts with information stolen from at least six people with whom he worked custody cases, Brazoria police said.

Police wrote in affidavits that Patrick Mays, 38, a former investigator with CPS, opened several Capital One and American Express credit-card accounts with "information he had obtained through his official duties as an employee of the Child Protective Services."

Mays is charged with seven counts of fraudulent use or possession of identifying information and was being held Friday in the Brazoria County jail on $175,000 bond.

Public records indicate Mays does not have a court date and has yet to be indicted. He does not appear to have an attorney.

The seven victims lived in San Antonio and Brazoria County. Six of them told police they had cases with CPS, and most of them specifically remembered Mays as the investigator. Another woman reported that she had her purse and other documents stolen in Spring.

Brazoria Police Detective Larry Linscombe said Mays' mother-in-law also alleged that Mays used her information, but she declined to file charges.

Police busted the case open after one of the victims had been tipped off by Capital One that someone was trying to open an account in her name. Police matched the applicant's address with that of Mays in Brazoria County, and subsequently found other victims.

Once police approached Mays about the allegations, Linscombe said he had a nervous breakdown and had to be transported to a mental health hospital before being booked into jail Jan. 14.

The probable-cause affidavits range from January to February, when the credit cards first started arriving at Mays' Brazoria home.

Linscombe said he is still looking into whether Mays used any of the credit cards.

A CPS spokeswoman said Mays was fired in January after some of the allegations came to light.

Mays had worked for CPS in the Angleton area since October 2015, and before that in San Antonio from 2012 to 2014, according to CPS spokeswoman Tiffani Butler.

Butler said CPS does not believe there are any other victims. She said new investigators typically go through training with a mentor who scrutinizes the investigator's work as a measure to protect against crimes such as the allegations against Mays.
District Judge Michael Seiler, who presided for years over the state's troubled civic commitment program for sex offenders and whose conduct drew a reprimand from the state Commission on Judicial Conduct, has ended his bid for another term, his attorney said Friday.

"The reelection campaign of Judge Mike Seiler of the 435th District Court has been permanently suspended," said George Parnham, Seiler's attorney.

The announcement comes days after a former juror in Seiler's court filed a complaint with the commission alleging that the Montgomery County judge had improperly used her personal information for campaign purposes. The judge denied that he had violated a state law prohibiting misuse of official information.

Seiler could not immediately be reached for comment Friday, and Parnham said he would not be available to respond to questions.

"I'm his mouthpiece," Parnham said.

Parnham declined to elaborate on why Seiler, a former prosecutor, ended his reelection bid.

Parnham said a "formal announcement" about the suspension of Seiler's campaign will come Tuesday, when Seiler is expected to address allegations about the juror information.

Seiler was appointed judge of Montgomery County's 435th District Court by Gov. Rick Perry in 2008, after the Legislature changed the law to allow one court to handle all sex offender civil commitment cases. Last year, as part of sweeping reforms made in an attempt to right Texas' troubled civil commitment program, lawmakers stripped Seiler of his role as sole overseer of the program, a move prompted in part by Seiler's courtroom behavior.

Last May, the judge was reprimanded by the state Commission on Judicial Conduct for perceived bias against defendants in the program and improper conduct toward their attorneys and witnesses. He was ordered to undergo additional training, which his lawyer said was completed.

This week, Conroe resident Darin Bailey filed a complaint with the Commission on Judicial Misconduct after receiving an invitation by mail to join the campaign for drinks and music at a Magnolia bar. The form letter also thanked her for serving on a jury in his court.

Bailey said Seiler had to pull information from a juror questionnaire she completed in 2009 in order to contact her.

"This was wrong, " said Bailey, chief deputy for the Montgomery County Clerk's office, which keeps property records, court documents and marriage licenses. "We work very hard to safeguard jurors' information."

The county office isn't responsible for documents from Seiler's court.

In an emailed response to questions, Seiler maintained that he had done nothing wrong.

"Like many judges, I write letters to all of the jurors who have served in the 435th District Court, thanking them for their service." Seiler wrote to a Houston Chronicle reporter.

While denying any wrongdoing, he did not address questions about why he thought it was a proper use of juror information, who has access to it and what are his procedures for handling juror questionnaires.

"I didn't disclose juror information, " he told the Conroe Courier, which first reported on the judge's mailer to some 3,800 former jurors.

Texas law limits access to the completed forms to the judge hearing the case, court personnel and those attorneys involved in the proceeding. The law also prohibits the disclosure or use of private information obtained in an official role for a nongovernmental purpose.

The complaint was filed three weeks before the March 1 Republican primary, in which Seiler was to face Patty Maginnis, a former prosecutor, and Tom Brewer, state counsel for indigent offenders.

Montgomery County Republican Party chairman Wally Wilkerson said he hadn't been formally notified of Seiler's withdrawal, but added that it was too late to remove Seiler's name from the March 1 primary ballot.

"If after the votes are tallied, he gets in a runoff, there is a process to remove his name then," Wilkerson said. "He has three days to file a certificate of withdrawal after the votes are canvassed. If he wins outright, I don't have an answer as to what happens then."

Staff writers Cindy Horswell and Matthew Tresaugue contributed to this report.
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A 24-year-old Austin woman with dyed green hair failed to stop after hitting a pedestrian with her car while driving drunk, police allege.

Austin police arrested Elizabeth Elliott on Wednesday and charged her with intoxication assault and failure to stop and render aid, both felonies.

RELATED: Police: Central Texas prosecutor accused of DWI crashed into parked car, tried to leave scene

A pedestrian was crossing the 1500 block of East 6th St. just before 1 a.m. Wednesday when a car with its headlights turned off struck him, according to a police arrest affidavit.

The impact forced the pedestrian onto the hood of the car and into the windshield, causing it to break, the affidavit said.

The driver did not stop the vehicle to check on the pedestrian and fled the scene, police said in the affidavit.

RELATED: Austin man accused of exposing himself to female joggers told police 'go Broncos'

Police tracked down Elliott at her address after a witness on his bicycle provided a description matching Elliott, the vehicle and the car's license plate number, the affidavit said.

Elliott was sitting in the vehicle with the engine running when police arrived, police said.

A detective observed small pieces of glass from the broken windshield were inside the car, according to police.

RELATED: Nearly 50 suspects, including teacher and umpire, arrested in Central Texas prostitution sting

Elliott refused to discuss the incident and to submit to field alcohol tests, police said in the affidavit.

The detective noticed that Elliott's breath smelled strongly of alcohol and her eyes were bloodshot and glassy, the affidavit said. She also had stuttered speech and swayed while walking, according to police.

The 24-year-old was previously convicted in May 2011 on a driving while intoxicated charge, according to the affidavit.

RELATED: Police: East Texas man stole car from Taco Bueno parking lot after applying for job there

The pedestrian was transported to Brackenridge Hospital in downtown Austin with a broken right shoulder and possible broken bones in his legs, the affidavit said.

Elliott is currently being held in Travis County Jail on a $60,000 bond.

jfechter@mySA.com

Twitter: @JFreports
A man and woman who died when their small plane crashed Thursday off the coast of the Florida Panhandle have been identified as Alvin residents.

James Shumberg, 67, was the pilot, and the passenger was Sheryl Roe, 60, an acupuncturist with offices in Fort Walton Beach and Navarre, Fla., according to WJHG-TV.
With the Americas on alert over the Zika virus outbreak, its probably best to just slather yourself from head to toe in bug spray.

The mosquito-borne illness has proliferated in Latin America in recent weeks. Fifty-two cases also have been reported in the U.S., all from travelers returning from trips abroad (thats not counting the nine locally acquired cases in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands). The disease has potential links to birth defects and the nerve disorder Guillain Barre syndrome.
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An actress who starred in soft-core porn gave an interview to CNN after the Ted Cruz campaign pulled an ad that featured her.

Amy Lindsay, who grew up in Houston, appeared in a 30-second Cruz commercial targeting Marco Rubio, one of Cruz's rivals for the GOP presidential nomination. In the ad, titled "Conservative Anonymous," Lindsay plays a woman attending a therapy session in which conservative voters talk about being double-crossed by Rubio.

READ MORE: Cruz campaign nixes ad featuring Houston porn actress

Once the campaign learned of Lindsay's past film credits, which includes such titles as "Animal Lust" and "Carnal Wishes," Team Cruz pulled the ad on Thursday.

But Lindsay told CNN on Friday she's not upset by the decision.

"I have no ill will towards Ted Cruz right now. He's got a job to do," Lindsay told anchor Jake Tapper. "And I'm a middle-class working girl and I had a job to do."

That reaction is a lot different from the one Lindsay tweeted late Thursday.

The Cruz campaign tried to explain the mix-up. Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler told Politico:

"The actress responded to an open casting call. She passed her audition and got the job. Unfortunately, she was not vetted by the casting company. Had the campaign known of her full filmography, we obviously would not have let her appear in the ad."

Meet Amy Lindsay, the porn actress who starred in a Ted Cruz ad

Lindsay seems to be taking the controversy in stride: "I think this is politics as usual. It was done in a snap moment. Someone's got to make a decision, and sometimes it's just better to take it down," she told CNN.
Texas Senate budget writer Jane Nelson sent a letter Friday to Texas Health Commissioner Chris Traylor asking for answers as to why two state employees are suggesting, in a study they co-wrote, that funding cuts to Planned Parenthood are limiting access to women's health care.

Two researchers with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission were among the study's five co-authors. According to the study, fewer women in Texas received birth control after Republican lawmakers removed Planned Parenthood from a state women's health program in 2013.

"This study samples a narrow population within the Texas Women's Health Program (TWHP)  which represented only 33 percent of the overall number of women enrolled in our women's health program in Fiscal Year (FY) 2014," wrote Nelson, R-Flower Mound. "This ignores the hundreds of thousands of women being served through the expanded Primary Health Care Program; and the 628,000 women of child-bearing age receiving full Medicaid benefits, 75 percent of which received contraceptive services in FY 14."

She goes on to say that the study gives the impression that fewer women in Texas are accessing long-acting reversible contraceptives saying that that is "simply not true."

Nelson writes that there were more claims for long-acting reversible contraceptives in FY 2014 than in FY 2012, when Planned Parenthood was still a provider.

Nelson requested an analysis on the study's methodology and findings, data on contraception access in Texas Medicaid and the women's health programs that were "ignored by this study," a county by county breakdown of Medicaid births between 2011-2014 and those findings' correlation with Planned Parenthood clinics closing, information on how factors outside of provider access may affect use of contraceptives or the number of Medicaid births and an explanation of why two commission employees' names appeared as co-authors of the study.

She included that the study was funded in part by the Susan T. Buffet Foundation, which, she said, is a major supporter of Planned Parenthood.

A commission spokesperson said Traylor agrees with Nelson's concerns, according to the Associated Press.
The Houston Chronicle editorial board has met with dozens of candidates over the past several weeks and made endorsements in the upcoming Democratic and Republican primaries.

Some seats are practically guaranteed victories for a political party in the general election, making these primary races into the real contest.
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.
Cuyahoga Falls police car.jpg

Cuyahoga Falls police are searching for Brian Thompson, 47, who is accused of robbing the Wing Warehouse at gunpoint.

(File photo)

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio -- An Akron man is accused of robbing the Wing Warehouse restaurant at gunpoint nine months ago.

Brian Thompson, 47, is charged with aggravated robbery. A warrant was issued Friday for his arrest and he is not in police custody.

Thompson on May 5 surprised an employee about 9:10 a.m. by walking into the restaurant on Wyoga Lake and Steels Corners roads.

Thompson, wearing a mask, pulled out a handgun and pointed it at several employees. He forced a group in the restroom at gunpoint.

He pointed a gun at the employees and stole cash from the business before driving off in a gray car.

A witness was able to identify Thompson's voice, according to court records. Cuyahoga Falls police reported linking Thompson to the getaway car.

Thompson's criminal history dates back more than two decades.

He was sentenced to serve between three and 15 years for burglary in 1988. He was convicted of theft in 1990 and serve six months in jail.

Thompson was convicted in separate cases in 2007 of making meth, domestic violence and possessing stolen property.

Thompson is currently on probation stemming from a 2015 conviction for domestic violence.
COSE small biz 2015

Derreck Kayongo, founder of the Global Soap Project, speaks during a keynote presentation at the COSE Small Business Convention in October 2015.

(Elaine Manusakis, via GCP)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Twelve years after local economic-development groups joined forces to form the Greater Cleveland Partnership, the small- and big-business sides of the organization are getting a bit more cozy.

The partnership - the metropolitan chamber of commerce - and the Council of Smaller Enterprises announced restructuring Saturday that will merge their back-office operations and, they hope, put them on a better path for growth.

Joe Roman

What does that mean for local businesses, from tiny shops to corporate titans? Not much, at least initially.

The partnership has 8,500 members between its core audience of 600 large and mid-sized companies and COSE's roster of 7,900 smaller businesses. All of those members will have access to the same services and benefits. But the employees serving those companies now will work together, on a single team, instead of in two groups that separate small businesses from their larger counterparts.

What does it mean for employment? Joe Roman and Steve Millard, who lead GCP and COSE, respectively, stressed that the organization isn't cutting jobs. But the leaders acknowledged that they're not necessarily filling empty positions.

"We're really getting rid of some redundant functions," Millard said. "We said to our staff pretty clearly at the end of last year that we would be making some of these changes to work better together, but we weren't going to be doing big layoffs."

Steve Millard

The Greater Cleveland Partnership is one of the nation's largest chambers of commerce. It was created in 2004 through a consolidation of business groups. COSE, launched more than 40 years ago to represent the little guy in Northeast Ohio business circles, was one of those groups.

But GCP and COSE have maintained some administrative separation, including different advocacy and sales staffs and different boards with say-so over finances.

Merging those functions will make the broader organization more efficient, Roman said. He believes the changes, which started in January and will be complete in March, will put the nonprofit in a better position to serve companies of all sizes.

"In our industry, most chambers are actually decreasing their support for smaller businesses," Roman said. "I think we can be one of the few chambers in the country that can actually represent that whole continuum and do it extremely well."

Hanging onto members and finding ways to boost revenue is key for GCP at a time when some traditional chambers are struggling to hang on to their base. COSE lost nearly half its members between 2009 and early 2015. The recession, competition from free or low-cost business-networking groups and the Internet played a role.

But the Affordable Care Act, sometimes called Obamacare, took the biggest bite. COSE helps small businesses buy insurance. After the national healthcare law took effect, some businesses no longer needed COSE's buying help. Or they found cheaper options on the health insurance marketplace created by the ACA. In response, COSE cut back.

"We're in a really good financial position now," Millard said.

Still, he added, it didn't make sense to have two groups of people performing the same tasks for small and large businesses that, increasingly, have similar interests. And since GCP and COSE already collaborated on their budgets, it didn't make sense to maintain so much separation.

"You get to the point where it's kind of silly to be billing each other," he said.

The reorganization maintains staffing for various GCP affiliates, including a tech-focused group called OHTec; the Middle-Market Initiative, tailored to mid-size companies; and the diversity-centric Commission on Economic Inclusion.

"It really is the business community," Roman said of bringing everyone together on lobbying initiatives, philanthropic efforts and other activities. "It's not the large or the medium or the small. That's what we're trying to project."
PEPPER PIKE, Ohio -- Theft from building, Lander Road: Police are investigating the theft of a 42-inch TV -- new and still in the box -- from the maintenance room in the administrative building at the Beechbrook juvenile residential facility sometime between Feb. 5 and Feb. 9.

That was roughly a month after the theft of a $500 iPad2 from the Gund School there, which also occurred over the span of a weekend, between Jan. 8 and 10. Police were given a list of people with key access and an investigation is underway.

Fraud by telecommunications, North Woodland Road: A resident reported $800 in fraudulent charges on her PayPal account on Feb. 9.

Warrant served, Mayfield Road: Police responded to Lyndhurst Municipal Court on the morning of Feb. 9 to pick up a Cleveland Heights woman, 35, who was appearing there but also had an active warrant from Pepper Pike. She was picked up and taken to the Beachwood Jail without incident.

Lost property, Chagrin Boulevard: An Auburn woman and her daughter, 16, arrived at the police station on the night of Feb. 6 to report that the girl's iPhone 5C had been lost or stolen earlier in the day at Orange High School.

There were also unconfirmed reports of a cell phone being turned in the next day to Orange police, who in turn forwarded it to officers in Pepper Pike, since that is where Orange High School is actually located.

Runaways, Chagrin Boulevard: Two juveniles who ran off separately from the New Directions treatment facility on Feb. 6 and 9 were found and returned without incident.

Damage to private property, Fairmount Boulevard: Police found a mailbox in the roadway on Feb. 5 between Gates Mills Circle and SOM Center Road and returned it to the home that was missing one.

Warrant served, Lander Road: A Euclid man, 22, was taken into custody in Ursuline College's Pilla Building on the afternoon of Feb. 5 for an active warrant, then released after he posted bond.

Mutual aid requested, Lander Road: Willoughby police requested an officer to assist in locating a boy, 17, who was entered as missing around 1:15 a.m. on Feb. 3. He was found at Ursuline College's Smith Hall and turned over.

Fraud, illegal use of credit cards; Park Pointe Court, Gates Mills Boulevard: Two residents reported that their credit cards had been misused in separate incidents that occurred between Feb. 1 and 2 , with no further details available.

Identity theft, Northwood Drive: A resident reported Feb. 2 that someone had used his personal information to fraudulently obtain a Best Buy credit card.
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The city of Cleveland has withdrawn a claim seeking $500 dollars from the Tamir Rice estate for ambulance and medical services.

CLEVELAND,Ohio -- Mayor Frank Jackson once again finds himself scrambling to pick up the grains of salt his law department threw into the wounds of Tamir Rice and his family.

Thursday, the Mayor apologized to the family of Tamir, announcing the city had withdrawn its claim seeking $500 for "Ambulance advance support" from his estate.

Cleveland's medical expenses claim against the 12-year-old its officers shot and didn't offer immediate first aid, made national and international headlines.

Jackson argued that the only mistake the law department made was showing a lack of sensitivity in not flagging the claim and bringing it to his attention. "It was a mistake in terms of us not flagging it. But it was not a mistake in terms of the legal process," said Jackson, who also blamed Medicaid policies.

The city will now pay the portion of Rice's medical care that Medicaid did not cover and write it off as a loss to the city.

Subodh Chandra, a Rice family attorney, said the claim "adds insult to homicide." "The callousness, insensitivity, and poor judgment required for the city to send a bill -- its own officers having slain 12-year-old Tamir --is breathtaking."

Chandra challenged Jackson's explanation. "If the city accepts Medicaid reimbursement, there is no additional amount owed. That's the basic principle of insurance and Medicaid/Medicare law. They can't hold out for more."

Chandra said "the suggestion that the estate-administrator sending a routine public-records request to the city about a child's death would them result in the city filing a court claim -- particularly when the city's own police offices killed the child and the claim is already time barred under Ohio law -- makes no sense to the Rice family"

That's just the city being consistent, because everything about this case has been senseless, starting with Tamir Rice being shot and killed in the first place.

This is the second time Jackson has had to apologize for his law department being completely tone deaf in dealing with the Rice case. In March of last year, the legal department caused the city national embarrassment when they issued a legal brief blaming Tamir Rice for his own death.

Aren't lawyers supposed to be smart? What does it say about the aptitude of Jackson's law department that even after the March embarrassment, they were still clueless that anything dealing with the Tamir Rice case should be handled with utmost caution and sensitivity?

At this point, nothing the city and county does regarding the Rice case should be shocking. What is shocking and I'd like someone to explain, is why there is not a long line of credible and electable candidates ready to run against Mayor Frank Jackson?
LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- Lakewood is one of Cleveland's most happening suburbs with a variety of restaurants and bars catering to all different tastes. We decided to look at a few of the taverns and eateries that standout. If you're thinking about a night out on the town in Lakewood, here are a few suggestions:

Humble Wine Bar: Easily the classiest of Lakewood's Detroit Avenue taverns, Humble Wine Bar is a great place to take a date on a Friday night. Dozens of wines in their wine cellar and a stone pizza oven also make this a great place for a dinner with friends or family.

Around the Corner Saloon: One of Lakewood's most popular hang-outs for college kids and young professionals, Around the Corner Saloon is always a happening place on the weekends, especially for those who don't want to make drive to downtown Cleveland's nightlife hotspots. The enormous patio makes this a great summer hangout ... if summer ever arrives.

Vosh Night Club: A throwback to the big band era and one of the west side's premiere music venues, this Riverside Drive hotspot is a favorite of jazz lovers. The stellar cocktail menu and craft beer list serve as the icing on the cake.

Barrio: Famous for their tacos and margaritas, the Madison Avenue branch of this Cleveland-area bar franchise also serves free chips and salsa to customers. I would also check out there guacamole menu. Expect to wait if you plan on going on a Friday or Saturday night.

16 Bit Bar: There isn't much I can say about this one that hasn't already been written. With a creative cocktail menu and an interesting mix of craft beers on draft, you can get sloshed while enjoying classic arcade games. It's best to patronize this bar and arcade during their happy hours on weeknights or early in the afternoon on a Saturday or Sunday when it's not ridiculously crowded.

Melt Bar and Grilled: Just Like 16 Bit Bar, there isn't much more I can say about this famous Northeast Ohio franchise that hasn't been said already. They don't take reservations for groups smaller than 12, so arrive early and expect to wait if you want to enjoy their famous grilled cheese on the weekend or at dinnertime.

Searchable visitors guide

Search the Essential CLE visitors guide, your source for the best places to eat, drink or play near you, or anywhere in Greater Cleveland.

Buckeye Beer Engine: If you've never tried Mead, a libation made from fermented honey, this would be a good place to start. Their menu features eight different varieties of this sweet nectar. Oh, and their title isn't misleading, they've got a great draft beer selection.

Phantasy Nite Club: With a good mix of National and local acts, Phantasy remains Lakewood's premiere music club. A giant pirate ship makes this venue stand out.

The Foundry Concert Club: The Foundry -- which is right across the street from Phantasy on Detroit Avenue -- features mostly hard rock acts.

West End Tavern: One of the best happy hours in Lakewood, this upscale Lakewood bar has drink specials that can't be beat. Don't forget the $2 Tacos on Tuesdays and 40-cent boneless wings on Thursdays.

Forage Public House: With the most eclectic cocktail menu in Lakewood, Forage might empty your wallet, but it will leave you satisfied.

Pier W: As the name suggests, this is the best place to enjoy quality seafood in on the west side. They also have a specialty cocktail menu for anyone who wants to enjoy a drink or two with a nice dinner. It's one of the most expensive restaurants in Lakewood, so I recommend checking out their happy hour prices if you don't want to drain your bank account.

Corky's Place: This neighborhood bar is a favorite for people who want to try their hand at karaoke. It's also an affordable place to grab a drink or two after a hard day of work.

The Side Quest: This Detroit Avenue hangout features dozens of board games in their library, and customers are also allowed to bring their own. The Side Quest also features nights for Cards Against Humanity and Dungeons and Dragons. Check out their calendar for other special events.

Mahall's Lanes: A restaurant, dive bar, music venue, comedy club, Mahall's is undoubtedly the most versatile nightlife hotspot in Lakewood.

Bevy in Birdtown: A music venue, karaoke spot and gastropub, Bevy in Birdtown is one of Lakewood's most interesting bars.

Merry Arts Tavern: With big screen TVs on either side of this bar, and TVs embedded into the booths, Merry Arts Tavern is possibly the best place in Lakewood to watch a big game. Also, try their funnel cake fries.
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United Airlines plane takes off from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in this photo from Jan. 22, 2015. A United Airlines employee was assaulted and robbed Thursday by a man who was later arrested. (Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cleveland man is accused of punching an airline employee in the back of the head in an attempted robbery at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

Shelton Beard, 54, is charged with robbery. He is jailed and waiting for a court date to be set.

Beard about 7:20 a.m. Thursday attacked a 49-year-old woman in an airport elevator, according to a police report.

The United Airlines employee told police Beard watched her as she withdrew $20 from an ATM near the baggage claim.

Beard followed her into an elevator. He punched her in the back of the head and said he was going to take her money, the report says.

The elevator doors opened, and the woman ran to get help, police said. Her attacker ran past her toward the exit.

Airport police officers stopped Beard as he walked into a men's restroom because he matched the attacker's description, the report says. The woman and a witness identified Beard as the attacker.

Beard's criminal history dates to a 1981 conviction for carrying a concealed weapon. He's also been convicted of aggravated assault with a gun in 1984, drug possession in 1991 and attempted burglary in 2002 and 2011.
Edgar, a rare Amur leopard, should go on exhibit at the Metroparks Zoo in the next few days.

(Chris Kuhar, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has acquired a male Amur leopard who once attacked and killed his mate.

His name is Edgar, he is 8 and he is expected to go on exhibit in the next few days.

Alone.

He came here from a zoo in Erie, Pennsylvania, which has had a successful breeding program for the species that is considered the most endangered big cat in the world.

Edgar's job was to make the population numbers go up, not down.

According to news accounts, he attacked his mate quickly in 2014, going for her throat, and she could not be saved.

Male Amur leopards top out at around 190 pounds, while the females commonly get no larger than 130 pounds.

The zoo there told reporters at the time of the death that it would no longer attempt to breed Edgar. He remained there until moving recently to the Metroparks Zoo.

According to the zoo here, he came to this country from Estonia.

Published reports have Edgar arriving in Erie in 2009. Since 1997, the zoo there has successfully bred Amur leopards, producing 10 offspring that are responsible for the birth of at least seven cubs through the United States and Canada.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums, to which the Metroparks Zoo belongs, estimates that there are no more than 40 or 50 Amur leopards in the wild and around 210 in captivity.

Rick Haase, a spokesman for the Metroparks, said Friday that the zoo knew of Edgar's past, but had no intention of breeding him in any case.

"We made the decision not to breed (Edgar) because we do not have the room,'' he said. "It is a situation that works out both for the animal and us."

Haase said Edgar is supposed to go on exhibit around Feb. 18, but that depends on the weather.
One of the hypotheses posited on this blog is that the preoccupation with the end of the world is in reality a displaced existential, and altogether far more internal crisis. Where you can see climate alarmism, you can see a crisis afflicting the individual, organisation or institution which promotes alarm much more clearly  a decline that is far more vivid than any climate change signal. Today, we see the proof of that hypothesis, in the terminal decline of The Independent newspaper.

Back in 2014, the death of The Independent was half-jokingly forecast right here on this very blog, for a little earlier than it actually happened.

But then again, perhaps it wasnt premature  arguably The Independent has been dead for a while, its lifeless corpse kept twitching by desperate attempts to revive it

The Independent, esp under @simon_kelner, did many striking frontpages about climate change. Here's a selection pic.twitter.com/j6MZDUMH2Q  Leo Hickman (@LeoHickman) February 12, 2016

Speaking of dead tree media attempts to flog dead horses

The failed leader of the ailing political party is to pow-wow with the failing newspapers prognosticator in chief, about the political failure of the attempt to rescue ailing governments from their failures..

Are we failing to grasp clear global consensus on how to tackle climate change? Join former leader of the Labour party Ed Miliband and best-selling author and Guardian leader writer George Monbiot as we debate the implications of the historic Paris agreement.

As has been observed here, the externalisation of internal existential crises as climate crisis is a phenomenon we can see in politics, as well as in newspaper circulation figures. Miliband represented the worst of political party machinery failing to engage with the public The more detached from ordinary people and ordinary life politicians and political parties become, so the more they seek legitimacy in ideas that are beyond the senses of ordinary people, and the more they locate power above democratic control on the basis of seemingly global risks. The Guardian has hitched itself to that cause, because it too is incapable of making sense of the world  the thing that people turn towards newspapers for. Thus, the Guardian has tried to assert itself as more than a newspaper, such is the extent of its identity crisis, after such a question mark emerges over its status as such, its circulation figures dropping so violently.

Of course, the same could be said of other broadcasting and print medias struggles to sustain their identity as they, too, struggle to make sense of the world. But the Guardians attempts to reinvent itself is, first, of more interest to us critics of such things as giant, undemocratic political projects, and second, perhaps the epitome of such a struggle. The futility of that struggle is reflected both in the fact of it putting forward such mediocre characters  abject, proven failures  as intellectual giants, and the raw numbers

The Press Gazette reported last month:

Guardian News and Media to slash 54m from annual budget to curb losses

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According to The Guardian, GNM is expected to lose more than 50m in the year to the end of March, more than double last years total.

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As of April last year GNM parent company, Guardian Media Group, had 838.3m in the bank thanks largely to the sale of Trader Media Group. According to The Guardian, this investment fund has been depleted by more than 100m and currently stands at 735m. At the current rate of spending GNM will run out of money within the next eight years.

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Last month print sales of The Guardian fell 7 per cent year on year to an average of 165,672 and The Observer fell 6.2 per cent to 189,383.

If I understand the figures correctly, then, the Guardian lost approximately 1,000 per daily copy circulated in the last year.

For a paper that lectures the world on economic and environmental sustainability, that is truly a remarkable loss.
Sky Nesher | Getty Images

If you've got the money, a $10 million bowl of strawberries is a mere pittance for the cost of wooing your Valentine. A Caribbean vacation, a five-figure dessert and an edible marriage proposal are just a few of the many ways some romantic (and wealthy) souls are using Valentine's Day to court loved ones. Read MoreA billionaire's Valentine's gift guide "Putting together an extravagant, romantic and exciting celebration should be easy," Chet Dudzik Jr., founder and president of Jetway Private Air of Miami told CNBC. On Valentine's Day, his company creates a "once-in-a-lifetime getaway to make romance soar." CNBC has compiled a list of some of the most extravagant Valentine's gifts around. These over-the-top gifts won't be cheap, but they're all but sure to guarantee a day to remember.  By Nicole O'Hara, special to CNBC.com

Posted 13 Feb. 2016

Jet away this Valentine's Day

JetWay Air privat jet. Source: JetWay Air

Say "I love you" 52 times with the help of JetWay Private Air and One & Only Ocean Club Bahamas. Their "52 Love Salute" Valentine's Day Package begins with a private chartered flight to the Bahamas on a luxurious jet from any U.S. state, serenading the happy couple with 52 love songs and poems. At the One & Only Ocean Club Bahamas, the lucky couple will spend two nights in a three-bedroom, luxurious beachfront villa complete with a private infinity pool and garden, a staff of 10 that includes 24-hour butler service and many more lavish amenities. The weekend of romance also includes caviar and Champagne, breakfast cooked by a private chef in the villa each morning, and unlimited use of the hotel's Bentley with a personal chauffeur. Last but certainly not least, the package also includes a stunning 52-carat heart shaped diamond necklace. This package is priced at $490,000 (depending upon the location of the buyer and their departure airport).

A proposal to remember

Arnauds Restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana Source: Arnaud's Restaurant

Planning to propose on Valentine's Day? Millions of people frequently do. If you're one of them  and you have $9.85 million to spare  you can do it in style. That's the amount a couple would pay for eating at Arnaud's in New Orleans' French Quarter, which has been considered by some as the grande dame of Creole dining since 1918. The restaurant's signature dish is Strawberries Arnaud, a luxury dessert that includes fresh Louisiana strawberries, Tahitian vanilla ice cream, a rare port wine sauce, Ceylon cinnamon, lightly sweetened whipped cream, and sprigs of fresh mint for garnish. What makes this dessert worth its nearly eight figures is the rare 10.06-karat natural fancy royal blue diamond ring from M.S. Rau Antiques that comes with it.





A Serendipitous date

Serendipity 3'S $1,000 Golden Opulence Sundae in New York, NY. Source: Serendipity 3

If you're interested in cozying up to some hot cocoa this Valentine's Day, Serendipity 3 in New York City is your spot. In 2007, the eatery's $25,000 Frrrozen Haute Chocolate earned the Guinness World Record for the most expensive dessert, and is infused with 28 different flavors of cocoas, 14 of which are some of the most rare and expensive in the world, says Joe Calderone, a spokesman for the restaurant. The drink is infused with 5 grams of edible 24-karat gold, gold-flaked whipped cream, and a side of La Madeline au Truffle (the world's priciest), which sells for $2,600 a pound. The sweet creation is served in a gold crowned goblet along with an 18-karat gold spoon, and decorated with 3 karats of white, black and chocolate diamonds. Serendipity 3's Frrrozen Haute Chocolate needs to be ordered two weeks in advance and is available all year round. For a more bargain price, the restaurant also offers a Golden Opulence Sundae, which includes Tahitian vanilla ice cream with just an 18-karat spoon, for $1,000. "Well over a thousand have been sold," Calderone told CNBC.





A 'priceless' trip to France

La Reserve Paris, a 5-star luxury hotel in Paris, France. Source: La Reserve Paris

Paris, the City of Light is without a doubt a place for romance. If you're thinking of going away for the holiday, La Reserve Paris, a five-star luxury hotel is offering a romantic three-night package starting at 9,000 (just over $10,000) per night. The Priceless Romance package includes a stay in the hotel's Presidential Suite, where a pianist will play you a private concert on the room's Steinway piano upon arrival. Optional perks include a Rolls Royce car service to and from the airport for an additional $1,243; a three-course dinner served in-suite and prepared by the hotel's executive chef at $872 per couple; and a custom scent with a local perfumer for $13,102.





Fine Japanese dining

Chef, Masayoshi Takayama of Masa in New York, NY. Source: Masa NYC

Is your Valentine a sushi lover? If so, how about taking him or her on a date at what is proclaimed to be the most expensive restaurant in America  Masa. The New York City restaurant in Columbus Circle serves up exquisite Japanese cuisine cooked by acclaimed chef Masayoshi Takayama. There is no menu available at the restaurant; instead diners will enjoy 26 courses of Takayama's choosing which consists of five appetizers, followed by a sushi entree that includes 15-20 types of exotic seafood, and finishes with a dessert course. Expect to spend at least $1,000 on this date; the prix fixe menu for Valentine's Day starts at $450 a person, not including beverage, tax or gratuity.





The 'Proposal of the Century'

The Langham Huntington in Pasadena, Los Angeles. Source: Langham Huntington

The Langham Huntington gives those who want to go above and beyond the perfect way to say "I do." Its $100,000 "Proposal of the Century" package includes a two-night stay in the hotel's 3,200-square-foot Tournament of Roses Presidential Suite and includes in-suite VIP amenities such as a bottle of Louis Roederer Cristal Rose Brut Millesime Champagne, 100 long-stemmed roses from Passion, chocolate-covered strawberries, and a romantic four-course dining experience with wine pairings provided by The Royce Wood-Fired Steakhouse. With the package comes a hand-crafted, custom-designed engagement ring featuring a 2.5-carat, cushion-cut diamond with a total retail value of $35,000 by Single Stone. A further, customized stone upgrade is an option.





A helicopter ride to remember

Sundance Helicopters holds private air tours. Source: Sundance Helicopters
watch now

The market finally broke its five-day losing streak on Friday when it bounced back strongly, with the averages closing in the green. However, the fact remains that stocks have had a hideous start to 2016.

However, Jim Cramer reminded investors that not every stock has sold off. In fact one of Cramer's favorite stocks is Verizon , which has done quite well. Verizon traded near its 52-week high on Friday, as its juicy yield has acted like a magnet for investors seeking refuge from the dull fixed income market. The company has also invested extensively into new technology, and the CEO Lowell McAdam revealed to Cramer last week on "Mad Money" that it is considering an acquisition of Yahoo. "I have to meet customer's needs, or I'm out of business. It's that simple," McAdam said.



The past three weeks have been crazy on the stock market, even for a veteran like Cramer. The volatility has become the main focus of earnings season instead of earnings. However, instead of going off the rails worrying about the big swings, Cramer wants to use the recent volatility to buy individual stocks that have nothing to do with these issues when the moment strikes. "Let's accept the fact that we still have to listen to what individual companies have to say, and when the market calms down, we can figure out what's so darned cheap based on what they told us that it will make sense to do some buying," the "Mad Money" host said. VF Corp : Cramer is intrigued. The stock tends to trade down after it reports, and he thinks there could be an opportunity if it trades down to the point where it yields 3 percent. "Notice how I mentioned yield over and over again? That is because Treasury rates have gotten so low that they are almost uninvestible," Cramer said. Read More Cramer's game plan: Bye bye, Treasuries

In addition to having stocks on his radar, Cramer also likes to keep an eye on privately held companies that can give a powerful read of the industry they are in. Ahead of the 2016 Toy Fair in New York this weekend, Cramer decided to speak with Moose Toys. It is the Australian company behind Shopkins  one of the hottest toys at the moment. Shopkins are a collection of googley-eyed collectibles and miniature versions of everyday items found in a typical store. And the toys have been flying off the shelves. How did this company create such a branding sensation? Cramer spoke with Moose Toys chairman and co-CEO Manny Stul, who commented on the value created with the toys. "If they are limited in availability, which several of them are, they just go up in value. You mentioned some of the prices; some of them have gone up to about $21,000. It's not unusual for some of them to be selling for about $1,000 each," Stul said.

Lowell McAdam Chairman and CEO of Verizon. Justin Solomon | CNBC
Over the years, Jim Cramer has found that charts can help investors to break away from the pack and spot a move before it happens.

So, while homework on the fundamentals of a company is still important, it's a bad idea to pull the trigger on a stock without looking at its chart first.

"I would consider looking at the chart of the stock you like as part of the homework, making it ingrained into your thinking," the "Mad Money" host said. (Tweet this)

Part of looking at the charts is being able to spot the bottom for the best entry points and ceilings for the best places to exit from a stock. When an investor buys a stock, they are betting from the start that the stock will go up. That means understanding the historical patterns of the charts and where it might be headed.

Sometimes, finding a bottom after a long decline can be incredibly lucrative. In 2009, when the market was in a severe decline, Cramer had the sense that the decline's velocity was lessening. He then began looking for the most bulletproof stock he could find.

He came up with AT&T , which had a lot going for it with the fantastic rollout of the Apple iPhone that was going to produce record profits for the company.
The next wave of mobile technology may lie in the hands of special needs users. The boom in tablets and smartphones has only recently begun catering to the special needs population, as well as those who look after them. In many cases, these solutions are being pioneered by parents, or disabled users themselves. "The mobile revolution has largely left special needs users out in the cold," Amish Shah, managing partner of venture capital firm SierraMaya360, told CNBC recently. "We see a real market need for these types of products and we think this space is prime for disruption by innovators."



With more than a million apps available for download and with smartphones essentially acting like computers, some analysts are expecting more businesses to create apps to serve the 15 percent of the world's population, estimated as more than a billion people, who have some form of a disability. "Apps are an invaluable tool for people with communication disabilities  specifically speech, language and hearing disabilities," says Diane Paul, director at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She said they can help improve spoken and written communication, and reduce the stigma of a disability. Read MoreFacebook's WhatsApp hits 1B users Brad Dicianno, associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, tells CNBC that people with disabilities are "a rather tech-savvy group" and can use technology to a high extent if it is made accessible to those with disabilities. One app on the market now is Five, a messaging tool for the deaf and hearing impaired that allows users to send personalized hand signals and sign language to each other. Mateusz Mach of Poland, the 18-year-old CEO of Five, calls the app the "first computer sign language messenger for the deaf." Five, however, wasn't born out of necessity  it was created by accident. Mach, a lover of rap music, was inspired by popular hand signals that artists like Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar throw up in concerts. He originally wanted to create an app to send those gestures to friends. That idea did not catch on, but instead Mach found the app appealed to the hearing impaired.

"Their natural internal voice is reflected better in sign, and texting can feel like a foreign language," Mach told CNBC. "Currently the proper messenger doesn't exist. By using our app the deaf can communicate in almost the entire alphabet of American Sign Language." Read MoreTech giants may be stronger than you think

Since its release in mid-2015, Mach says around 10,000 people are using Five, and he hopes that number will continue to grow later this year when the next version is released.

'Easy to access'
As Valentine's Day approaches, Allen Walton prepares for sales to spike at SpyGuySecurity.com, his online store in Dallas that sells spy cameras and other surveillance devices. His average sales go up at least 20 percent in the couple of weeks leading up to Valentine's Day and shortly after the holiday, he said, as people suspicious their mate is cheating invest in gadgets like spy cameras to verify their hunches. Among his hottest-selling items this year are GPS trackers  tiny devices the size of a deck of cards that can be hidden inside a car or under a bumper. Using a mobile phone, the owners of the gadgets can log in and see exactly where a lover's car is going.



Vicky Kotze | Getty Images

"When I take a customer's phone call, I'm half salesman, half therapist," said Walton. "They have no one to talk to about this kind of thing. They have to get it off their chest and find the best product for what they need." Many Americans shop for roses and chocolate hearts this time of year, with the average celebrant who splurges for a dinner out, a bottle of champagne, a heart-shaped box of chocolates, a dozen long-stemmed roses and princess-cut diamond earrings spending $512.02, according to Bankrate's Be My Valentine Index for 2016. But in relationships where the thrill is gone, it's far from wine and roses. Worried that a spouse or significant other is cheating, many people spend hundreds of dollars on products and services that help them catch their mates in acts of infidelity. The businesses that assist them with their detective work  from those selling surveillance devices to private investigations firms  often see an uptick in business this time of year. "It's interesting there is this business of infidelity discovery, and that people in marriages or relationships that are challenged in some way would turn to an agency or piece of technology rather than their love sitting across the table from them for a solution," said Trish McDermott, founder of Encore Dating, a business in the San Francisco Bay area that helps customers rebuild their lives after divorce. "You're more likely to get a better outcome with a frank conversation. Communication is the key to all relationships  even relationships ending."

That may be so, but many people default to other means of figuring out if their mate is untrue. Maria Coder said she sees a spike in traffic every February on her New York City-based website, InvestiDate. Through the site, founded in 2012, she offers classes to help people check out a potential mate, such as "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing 101" and "Are You Dating an A*S?" One reason people tend to focus more on their suspicions around Valentine's Day, she believes, is that all of the fanfare around romance tends to make it more apparent when a mate is less than enthusiastic. "The focus is on love, and people do start to look around and compare themselves and say, `How is this person I love or have a relationship with treating me on Valentine's Day versus how are other people treating the people they love?'" said Coder, who is also author of the book "InvestiDate: How to Investigate Your Date." "It's not so much like keeping up with the Joneses but looking to see what is the standard, and if the person you're with is living up to the standard."

Often, Valentine's Day carries more significance for women than men, say vendors in the space  and they can be the biggest consumers of investigatory products and services around the holiday. About 60 percent of Walton's customers this time of year are female, compared to the rest of the year, when the purchases at SpyGuySecurity.com are divided equally between men and women, he said. Many customers of both sexes, fearful their purchases will be detected, are just as surreptitious as their sneaky spouses. They insist on paying with gift cards they've bought with cash, Walton said  even though a generic electronics company name would appear on their credit card statement if they made a purchase that way, he said  and often have purchases delivered somewhere other than their home in the nondescript packages he sends. At GlobalIntelConsultants.com, a full-service private investigations firm with 25 investigators based in Boca Raton, Florida, assistant director Efrat Cohen says she, too, sees more business at this time of year, though cheating is a year-round phenomenon. She also has offices in West Orange, New Jersey, and New York City. "Right now there's a whole big spike in women cheating more than men," said Cohen. "A lot of women are bored. And a lot of them have money where they can just sit home. They end up with the personal trainer or the pool boy. It sounds completely ridiculous, because it is like the movies, where you see the wife going to the gym and finding a trainer, but we see that over and over again. It doesn't shock us anymore."

But it's not just stay-at-home spouses who are cheating, she added. More women are meeting men through their work, too  "just like the husband used to do the typical secretary thing," she said. "They are becoming so much more powerful, so that gives them more opportunity," she said.

Taking the DIY spy approach

To catch cheaters, Cohen's firm relies on old-fashioned detective work, in combination with modern technology. "You become their shadow without them knowing," she said. "We take videos of every movement they make." Around Valentine's Day weekend, many cheaters take a couple of days' vacation with a lover, in the guise of attending a business conference, Cohen said. Her investigators will sometimes surreptitiously trail an unfaithful spouse on an airplane flight to meet a lover in Las Vegas or somewhere else or, if the spurned spouse knows where they are going, show up at the hotel. "Most of the time, the wife wants to catch the husband, just for the knowledge she's right in her suspicion," said Cohen.
Russia said on Saturday a ceasefire deal for Syria agreed by major powers was more likely to fail than succeed, as Syrian government forces backed by further Russian air strikes gained more ground against rebels near Aleppo. International divisions over Syria surfaced anew at a Munich conference where Russia rejected French charges that it was bombing civilians, just a day after world powers agreed on the "cessation of hostilities" due to begin in a week's time. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reiterated accusations that Russia was hitting "legitimate opposition groups" and civilians with its bombing campaign in Syria and said Moscow must change its targets to respect the ceasefire deal. The conflict, reshaped by Russia's intervention last September, has gone into an even higher gear since the United Nations sought to revive peace talks. These were suspended earlier this month in Geneva before they got off the ground.

Huseyin Nasir | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

The Syrian army looked poised on Saturday to advance into the Islamic State-held province of Raqqa for the first time since 2014, apparently to pre-empt any move by Saudi Arabia to send ground forces into Syria to fight the jihadist insurgents. The cessation of hostilities deal falls short of a formal ceasefire, since it was not signed by the warring parties - the government and rebels seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad in a five-year-old war that has killed 250,000 people. If its forces retake Aleppo and seal the Turkish border, Damascus would deal a crushing blow to the insurgents who were on the march until Russia intervened, shoring up Assad's rule and paving the way to the current reversal of rebel fortunes. Russia has said it will keep bombing Islamic State and the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, which in many areas of western Syria fights government forces in close proximity to insurgents deemed moderates by Western states. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, asked at a security conference in Munich on Saturday to assess the chances of the cessation of hostilities deal succeeding, replied: "49 percent." Asked the same question, his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier put the odds at 51 percent. The complex, multi-sided civil war in Syria, raging since 2011, has drawn in most regional and global powers, caused the world's worst humanitarian emergency and attracted recruits to Islamist militancy from around the world. Assad, backed on the ground by Iranian combatants and Lebanon's Hezbollah in addition to big power ally Russia, is showing no appetite for a negotiated ceasefire. He declared this week that the government's goal was to recapture all of Syria,though he said this could take time. The U.S. government said Assad was "deluded" if he thought there was a military solution to the conflict. Syrian state television announced the army and allied militia had on Saturday captured the village of al-Tamura overlooking rebel terrain northwest of Aleppo. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported advances in the same area, adding that Russian jets had hit three rebel-held towns near the Turkish border. Government offensives around Aleppo have sent tens of thousands of people fleeing towards the Turkish border.

Advance on Islamic State's Raqqa Bastion

The Observatory said government troops had also edged to within a few kilometres (miles) of the provincial boundary of Raqqa after making a rapid advance eastwards along a desert highway from Ithriya in the last few days. The Syrian government has had no serious foothold in Raqqa province since Islamic State captured Tabqa air base in 2014. "They are on the provincial borders of Raqqa," Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters. Islamic State, driven by the goal of expanding its "caliphate" rather than reforming Syria - the original goal of the opposition when the conflict began as an unarmed street uprising in 2011 - is being targeted in separate campaigns by a U.S.-led alliance and Assad's government with Russian air support. Regional Kurdish forces supported by Washington are also fighting Islamic State in Raqqa province. Gulf states that want Assad gone from power have said they would be willing to send in troops as part of any U.S.-led ground attack against Islamic State. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday he expected Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to send commandos to help recapture Raqqa. In what may have been a response to those remarks, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Saturday in Munich there was no need to scare anyone with a ground operation in Syria.

Russian, French PMs clash

Speaking at the same conference, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls called on Russia to stop bombing civilians in Syria, saying this was crucial to achieving peace there.

"France respects Russia and its interests ... But we know that to find the path to peace again, the Russian bombing of civilians has to stop," Valls said. Medvedev said that was simply not true. "There is no evidence of our bombing civilians, even though everyone is accusing us of this," he said. "Russia is not trying to achieve some secret goals in Syria. We are simply trying to protect our national interests," he said, adding that Moscow wanted to prevent Islamist militants getting to Russia. Russia also has a major air base and large naval installation on Syria's Mediterranean coast. Kerry, however, accused Russia of dropping so-called "dumb bombs" in Syria that do not have a precise target, saying this has led to the killing of civilians. "To date, the vast majority of Russia's attacks have been against legitimate opposition groups. To adhere to the (ceasefire) agreement it made, Russia's targeting must change," Kerry told the Munich conference. Two Syrian rebel commanders told Reuters on Friday insurgents had been sent "excellent quantities" of Grad rockets with a range of 20 km (12 miles) by foreign backers in recent days to help confront the Russian-backed offensive in Aleppo. Foreign opponents of Assad including Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been supplying vetted rebel groups with weapons via a Turkey-based operations centre. Some of these groups have received military training overseen by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. The vetted groups have been a regular target of the Russian air strikes.
1834 Christopher Bechtler $5 gold coin is the K-17 variety as attributed by Donald H. Kagin in Private Gold Coins and Patterns of the United States.

An 1834 $5 gold coin struck by the private Bechtler Mint in Rutherfordton, N.C., and bearing the identification of minter Christopher Bechtler.

The Joys of Collecting column from Feb. 29, 2016, Weekly issue of Coin World:

Pursuing his own interests and satisfying his curiosity, geologist and adventurer George W. Featherstonhaugh visited the private Bechtler Mint in Rutherfordton, N.C., in 1837.

He penned this account later published in two volumes whimsically titled A Canoe Voyage Up the Minnay Sotor.

Connect with Coin World:

Quite a few years ago I bought these copies. The other day, more or less by chance, I came across the text on the Internet.

My gosh, how simple can research get? I share his account (excerpted):

After breakfast I walked a few miles to visit a German of the name of [Christopher] Bechtler. I passed a great part of the day with him at his cottage in the woods. He had resided seven years in this country and had established for himself a character for integrity as well as skill in his profession. I found him rather mystical and imaginative, as many Germans are.

The greater part of the small streams in this part of the gold region have more or less gold in them. Bechtler had obtained some in the usual manner, and having made a die, coined his gold into five dollar pieces. At the period of my visit his gold coin circulated more freely than that of the United States, which were very scarce.

It would be in his power to take improper advantage of the confidence placed in him, but I heard of no instances of his having attempted this. When I mentioned the possibility of this, he answered that it was what an honest man would not do, and that if any man were to do it, he would soon be found out, for the gold did not remain long in circulation, since if found its way very soon to the United States Mint, where it was necessary for him to keep a good character.

I never was so pleased with observing transactions of business as those I saw at his house during the time I was there. Several country people came in with rough gold to be left for coinage. He waited before them and entered it in his book, where there was marginal room for noting the subsequent assay.

To others he delivered the coin he had struck. The most perfect confidence prevailed betwixt them, and the transactions were conducted with quite as much simplicity as those at a country grist mill, where the miller deducts [his fee] for the grist he has manufactured.
Terminal ready to take flight

The new Columbia Regional Airport terminal is open for business. Flights will start next week.
First Tennessee Bank

Right before the holidays, First Tennessee Bank hired an executive to oversee its lending programs in black neighborhoods.

Then it bought $1.5 million worth of preferred stock in Tri-State Bank, one of the largest black-owned businesses in Memphis.

Last month a $1.9 million dispute with the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department was settled, ending a question about mortgage loan applications made by African American and Hispanic borrowers.

Sounds like the city's biggest homegrown bank has a Community Reinvestment Act problem, right?

Not hardly, said First Tennessee president David Popwell.

"We're in acquisition mode," Popwell said.

Moving the bank's Community Reinvestment Act grade from solid to exemplary, he said, can help win favor on merger applications reviewed by banking regulators.

"We've built the bank to grow with acquisitions," Popwell said. "A very good CRA program can help. We're trying to be best in class."

That's a good sign for the bank, and most likely good for Memphis.

Lending in black neighborhoods matters in Greater Memphis, where about half the households are African American, but it also matters that the 151-year-old bank remain in business.

While Leader Federal, Morgan Keegan, National Bank of Commerce and Union Planters were rolled up into larger companies, shifting control out of Memphis, First Tennessee survived, the last big hometown bank left standing from the city's era as a regional financial center.

Looking for mergers signals the 4,300-employ bank has shaken off the 2008 financial hangover created by contentious home appraisals at former sister company First Horizon, a national mortgage lender bought by New York-based MetLife Inc.

An array of hometown companies in recent years were purchased by out-of-town rivals  from Buckeye Technologies to Accredo Health. With its weak stock price, First Tennessee could have taken the same course  made money for its shareholders by attracting a buyer, a move that generally leads to layoffs in the administrative offices.

Instead, bank executives chose to build profitability by getting larger.

"We've come to the conclusion that it probably makes more sense to look for what I would describe as larger transactions," bank chairman Bryan Jordan recently told industry analysts.



"First Tennessee has never been a company that lacked for people to buy it," said Marty Mosby, director of bank and equity strategies at Vining Sparks, a Memphis investment firm. "It has a strong franchise throughout Tennessee. It is in good position to make the decision that it wants to grow."

No merger candidates have been publicly identified, although Mosby figures banks with assets of $5 billion to $15 billion in Tennessee and the Southeast look likely. Pouring those assets onto First Tennessee's books would sharply increase the bank's size and could add a few jobs in the Downtown headquarters. First Tennessee currently has about $25 billion worth of assets  chiefly outstanding loans and investments in securities.

One of the most widely owned local stocks among residents in the region, First Tennessee's hangover and lately the weak economy has held back the share price of parent First Horizon National Corp., a Memphis company headed by the same executives who run the bank.

The parent is an on-paper-only legal entity that owned the mortgage lender and the bank. Its only asset now is First Tennessee, which includes a major investment business named FTN Financial.

Investors have been wary of the stock. First Horizon National traded at $12.06 per share Friday, a price only 2.4 percent higher than five years ago. The Standard & Poor's 500, an index that measures the stock performance of 500 major U.S. corporations, rose 38 percent over that period.

Jordan said acquisitions, which can boost profits and in the turn the stock price, can reward shareholders along with repurchases of First Horizon stock on the open market and dividend payments.

"We think our buyback, used opportunistically, is a great way to get capital back into our shareholders' hand," Jordan told analysts. "And if we have the right deal opportunities, we certainly would consider those, and look for opportunities to grow through acquisition."



As it set the acquisition strategy in motion, First Tennessee took note of regulators urging bankers throughout the nation to remain committed to the Community Reinvestment Act, a federal law that encourage bankers to loan money in poor and minority neighborhoods.

First Tennessee executives last fall invited Keith Turbett to explain how he shaped policies as community development officer at SunTrust Bank's Memphis branches. Turbett and Popwell had worked together at SunTrust and earlier at National Bank of Commerce, which Atlanta-based SunTrust bought in 2004.

"He made a very good impression on us," Popwell remembered after the fall meeting. "We huddled afterward in the parking lot, and asked, 'How do we hire that guy?' "

Turbett joined First Tennessee in November, after Tri-State Bank, seeking to shore up its finances, invited the big bank to buy $1.5 million worth of preferred shares. Popwell said CRA regulators will likely look favorably on the stock investment, although First Tennessee would have bought the stock even if there was no buyout strategy.

"We would have made the investment anyway," Popwell said, noting it was considered important to strengthen Tri-State.

Tri-State is not considered a merger candidate.

Only days after the stock sale was announced, an event unrelated to Turbett, Tri-State or the strategy came up. First Tennessee reached a $1.9 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

First Tennessee denied allegations that it engaged in discriminatory lending, saying the organization that brought the complaint, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, did not provide evidence to support its claims, but the Memphis bank wanted to settle to avoid "the extraordinary expense to all parties."

"I don't see that settlement being a result of systemic problems," Popwell said.
David Waters Columnist SHARE The wall for the Memphis Upstanders Mural measures about 300 square feet. Organizers hope there will be room to honor 12-20 upstanders, depending on how the artist sees it.

The east side of the Downtown building that houses Facing History and Ourselves actually faces history.

It's directly across the street from the iconic Lorraine Hotel sign.

Visitors to the National Civil Rights Museum can see the bland brick wall on the other side of Mulberry, but they probably never notice it.

They will soon. Facing History, an education nonprofit, plans to turn the blank, two-story wall into a monument to compassion, courage and hope in Memphis.

===

Her name was Lucy Tibbs.

No one knows what she looked like.

The only known record of her existence is her brief testimony to the U.S. House Select Committee on the 1866 Memphis Riots and Massacres.

Maybe she was compelled to testify. Maybe she volunteered. Either way, she knew the risk of naming names and telling the truth.

She was a 24-year-old black woman, a newly freed slave, and Memphis was still smoldering  from the war and Union occupation, a burgeoning population of freed men and women, the presence of the 3rd Colored Heavy Artillery at Ft. Pickering, inflammatory Rebel newspapers, and a brutal and largely immigrant police force.

Lucy testified in a room at the old Gayoso House, less than a month after white rioters killed 46 black men, women and children and injured dozens of others. Five black women were raped. Churches, schools and dozens of other buildings were destroyed.

"Did they come into your house?" a congressman from Illinois asked her.

"Yes, a crowd of men came in that night," Lucy testified. "They just broke the door open and asked where was my husband. I replied he was gone. They said I was a liar. I said, 'Please do not do anything to me, I am just here with two little children.'"

"Did they do anything to you?"

"They done a very bad act."

=====

In the end, no one was punished for the crimes of the Memphis Massacre, not even after three separate federal investigations.

But Lucy and dozens of other survivors and witnesses didn't testify in vain.

Their accounts of the massacre galvanized support for Radical reconstruction and sped passage of the 14th Amendment. That's the amendment that guarantees "equal protection under the law."

Memphis history is laden with stories of fear, animosity and brutality.

It's also leavened with stories of compassion, courage and hope.

====

His name was Robert R. Church.

He was a freed slave from Mississippi who owned a billiard saloon on what is now 4th St.

"My father owned my mother," Church testified in 1866, "but my father always gave me everything I wanted, although he does not openly recognize me."

Rioters did. Many of them were police officers and regular customers. They looted his saloon, beat him, shot in the neck and arm and left him for dead.

Church survived and stayed. He became a banker and philanthropist who helped save Memphis from bankruptcy after the yellow fever epidemics in the 1870s.

He later created a park and built an auditorium that hosted such dignitaries such as W.C. Handy, Booker T. Washington and President Theodore Roosevelt.

======

The wall for the Memphis Upstanders Mural measures about 300 square feet.

Organizers hope there will be room to honor 12-20 upstanders, depending on how the artist sees it.

I don't envy the selection committee.

The history of Memphis is filled with people who risked their lives or livelihoods to speak up and stand up for themselves and others.

Yellow fever martyrs and striking sanitation workers.

Missionaries who started schools for freed slaves. Priests, ministers and rabbis who stood against bigotry and violence.

Historic heroes like Ida B. Wells, Benjamin Hooks and James Wax.

Victims and survivors of the 1866 Memphis Massacre.

======

His name was Ewing O. Tade.

He was a minister and missionary from Iowa who built a freedmen's school on Union Street in Memphis.

It was dedicated as Lincoln Chapel on Jan. 1 1866. It was burned by rioters on May 2.

"I went out on Thursday morning after the burning to the ruins of the chapel. Quite a number of the parents came out and a large number of the children,' Ewing testified.

"I told them not to be discouraged; that there were ashes enough there to build another Lincoln Chapel."

They did. Ewing stayed and built a new school on Orleans Street that years later became LeMoyne-Owen College.

====

The Memphis Upstanders Mural will remember and honor those who stood up for social justice in various ways at various times in our history.

Nominations are being accepted online until Feb. 26 at info.facinghistor.org/upstandersmural.

"We think of upstanders as those who speak up and stand up for others, which means they include others in their 'circle of responsibility,'" said Marti Tippens Murphy, Facing History's executive director.

"What actions do people take to create that more perfect union? Those are the upstanders we are looking for."

Soon we'll be looking back at them.
February 10, 2016 - A client of St. Patrick Catholic Church food pantry leaves with his three-day supply of food. The Shelby County Health Department has completed a study that compares poverty, health, environmental and other factors throughout the county by ZIP code. The epidemiologists who did the work say their report confirms what they'd already know. (Stan Carroll/The Commercial Appeal)

SHARE February 10, 2016 - Clients receive food, enough for three days, at the St. Patrick Catholic Church food pantry at 297 S. Fourth. The Shelby County Health Department has completed a study that compares poverty, health, environmental and other factors throughout the county by ZIP code. It found that residents in the combined 38126/38106 ZIP codes have the shortest life expectancy and that its 13 years shorter than the 38017 ZIP code, which has the longest life expectancy at 83 years. (Stan Carroll/The Commercial Appeal) February 10, 2016 - Eugene Champion, St. Patrick Catholic Church deacon and director of their food pantry. (Stan Carroll/The Commercial Appeal)

By Linda A. Moore of The Commercial Appeal

Business at the St. Patrick Catholic Church food pantry might not be brisk but it's definitely steady.

A stream of clients come to the food pantry several days a week to collect old-school brown paper grocery bags filled with big aluminum cans that say simply "pork," plastic bags of dried beans, rice, pasta and other non-perishables.

Located in the 38126 ZIP code on the south end of Downtown, the food pantry serves some of the community's most needy. They may also be some of the county's least healthy.

According to a recent study from the Shelby County Health Department in collaboration with the Tennessee Department of Health and others, people in the surrounding neighborhoods will die sooner, on average, than anywhere else in Shelby County  up to 13 years sooner than people in wealthier areas.

The study results are "sobering," said county Mayor Mark Luttrell, who intends to share the data throughout the county and raise awareness of the disparity in life expectancies.

"When I first saw this report, I can't say that I was surprised, but to see such a graphic display with charts and numbers, it really took my breath away," Luttrell said.

An analysis of data found that residents in the combined 38106/38126 ZIP codes will die at 68.7 years of age on average, compared with those in Collierville's 38017 who will live to see 81.6 years on average.

The research studied data between 2009 and 2013, said David Sweat, health department chief of epidemiology, and looked at statistics on chronic illnesses like heart disease, hypertension, cancer and diabetes, as well as infant mortality, access to health care, grocery stores, tobacco use and other factors like poverty, unemployment and crime.

"We didn't have any predetermined ideas about what the pattern of distribution was going to turn out to be," Sweat said, "but once we saw what it was and we saw the relationship between social determinants, health behavior choices, insurance access, food deserts and, at the end of the day, a dramatically lower life expectancy at birth, it all came together to say somebody needs to know about this."

Researchers could have missed the trends if they'd only looked at death data, said Lilian Ogari, chronic disease epidemiologist. "I think what we learned from this is we need all the data streams for us to be able to identify all the problems."

It shows, Sweat said, that this part of the Memphis needs help.

According to U.S. Census data, the 38106 and 38126 ZIP codes are 96 percent African American with a poverty rate that soars in some pockets to as high as 72 percent.

A member of St. Patrick for 40 years, church deacon and food pantry coordinator Eugene Champion sees the community's distress every time the doors open.

"At one time, we only got a spike when kids were out of school, but now that spike continues whether they're in school or out of school," Champion said.

Champion has long been attached to South Memphis, graduating from Hamilton High School in 1969.

He remembers a different community, with middle-class families who patronized area businesses and were served by doctors and dentists.

"It's the same as always, you leave the blighted areas to go to places where houses are little better, industry is a little better; 38126 fell through the cracks," Champion said.

Shelby County Commissioner Reginald Milton still lives in the house where he was raised in 38106.

Growing up, Milton's nearest neighbors were both doctors. One house is now boarded up and abandoned, the other made into a duplex, he said.

"To be honest with you, I would have thought it was worse," Milton said of the life expectancy statistics.

Some challenges  industrial pollution, lead paint exposure, blight, food deserts, access to health care  can't be left to citizens alone and government must do its part, he said.

Donna Griffin has lived in 38126 for more than 20 years and taught toddlers at the New Glory Preparatory Learning Center for four years.

Longer life expectancies will come when people take responsibility for drug use and other decisions that impact their health and safety, Griffin said.

"People have got a choice. They have to want to do better," she said.

She also believes that government should do more to help.

Making inroads will take time, Luttrell said.

"So what do we do? That becomes the next question," he said. "Like everything we deal with, it first comes with awareness. Awareness doesn't cost any money. As with most issues like this, there's nothing we can do immediately to solve the problem because we first have to get people to buy into the problem."

It will require looking at the Health Department's priorities and its budget. Then, through educational venues like Healthy Shelby, the affected communities can be engaged "as you start to move the needle," Luttrell said.

"What you can hope for is to build some general consensus around the county that this is a problem and hopeful appeal to the humanitarian strain in all of us to do what we can," Luttrell said.

Follow more politics and policy coverage from the InforMemphis team on Twitter and Facebook.
February 11, 2016  Veteran Bobby Bouie Sr. sits in his living room with pictures of himself during his Army days from 1981-1982 as well as other family photos. Bouie, 54, who suffers from PTSD was represented by fiduciary Keith Dobbs and now has his disability account frozen. He done me wrong, but I still love him. Bouie said of Dobbs.

By Marc Perrusquia of The Commercial Appeal

Bobby Bouie sobbed as he stood before the judge, turning heads as he pleaded his case.

The disabled veteran showed up unannounced this week in Shelby County Probate Judge Kathleen Gomes' courtroom with a hard-luck story: His power was getting cut off, he had no money, and he had no where to turn for help. So he returned to the court that oversees the disability payments he receives from the government  payments that suddenly stopped coming.

"My life's been holy hell,'' he later told a reporter.

Bouie's act of desperation marks the latest in a Department of Veterans Affairs unraveling of the actions of a now-fired fiduciary who ran the financial affairs of as many as 19 Memphis-area veterans. As the investigation grinds into its fourth week, some of those veterans, deemed mentally incompetent or otherwise incapable of handling their own money, are reporting severe financial hardships because their VA accounts, their financial lifelines, have been frozen.

"It was heart wrenching,'' said Memphis lawyer Bruce Kramer, in court that day on an unrelated matter. "Judge Gomes came down from the bench and spoke with him. She was as compassionate as I've ever seen a person be.''

Reached later at his home, Bouie, 53, an Army veteran who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, said he was thankful for the help. Gomes referred Bouie to Memphis Area Legal Services, which confirmed it is helping the VA assist veterans whose disability accounts were frozen in January as part of VA investigation.

Bouie said he's been told not to expect any disability payments until at least March 1. But his fears are much larger; he's worried about several hundred thousand dollars that had been sitting in bank accounts since he won a retroactive disability award from the VA in 2012. Family members say they can't get straight answers about whether the money is safe.

"It's got me so stressed out,'' said the solidly built Bouie.

Answers have been slow in coming since The Commercial Appeal reported last Sunday that federal investigators are reviewing actions by Memphis attorney Keith L. Dobbs, who has acted as a VA guardian or conservator for as many as 19 local veterans. Federal authorities have declined to discuss why they've launched the investigation or discuss any specifics of the case.

However, a Jan. 26 email from Dana M. Farr of the VA's fiduciary hub in Louisville, Ky., informed Probate Court the agency was " currently investigating allegations of misuse and replacing Mr. Keith Dobbs as fiduciary for all of our court-appointed Veterans.'' The email said Dobbs was acting as court-appointed fiduciary for 10 veterans, though he also acted as conservator for some other veterans outside court supervision.

Dobbs' attorney, Michael Scholl, said Friday he can't discuss particulars, but emphasized his client is cooperating with the investigation.

"We're going to help in any way we can to expedite this process so the individuals can get their bills paid,'' he said.

A problem, Scholl said, is accounts have been frozen as the VA brings in new fiduciaries to replace Dobbs. The lawyer said he understands that process should be completed next week.

Meantime, veterans are struggling to make ends meet.

One of those vets, David Meadows, woke up Monday to find a cutoff notice in the mail from Memphis Light, Gas & Water  a bill Dobbs regularly paid from Meadows' disability account.

"This is stressing me out,'' said Meadows, 62, of Millington, who, despite a number of health issues, was prepared to hop in his pickup and drive 20 miles to downtown Memphis to pay his bill.

Then suddenly on Tuesday the bill was paid.

Records obtained by the newspaper show MLGW rejected an automatic $223 payment from Meadows' VA account on Jan. 28. "Reason for Failure: ... Account Frozen,'' a report said.

On Tuesday, the bill was paid  not through Meadows' VA account but by way of Dobbs' personal Discover card.

"He's covering his ass,'' Meadows griped when told of the development.

Bouie, too, had an encounter last week with his former fiduciary, his family said.

"He's not supposed to have any contact with him,'' said Cynthia Rivers, Bouie's cousin, who said Dobbs called the family Thursday offering to assist the veteran financially until his situation settles.

Dobbs' attorney, Scholl, disputed the contention.

"My understanding is he hasn't contacted anybody,'' Scholl said.

Bouie's path to his current dilemma started in 2012 when he was awarded a $656,507 retroactive benefit on his claim of PTSD resulting from a stint in the Army back in 1982. His cousin, Rivers, considered becoming his fiduciary, but when she hesitated the family discovered the VA had appointed Dobbs, a stranger who has practiced law in Tennessee since 2007.

Court records show Dobbs quickly put Bouie's money to use, buying the veteran a $153,000 house on Mud Island, a car and other big-ticket items. An accounting in April showed the estate retained $322,000 in cash and investments.

However, Rivers said a VA representative told her last week only $1,600 remained in the account.

"I said, 'Are you serious? That money is supposed to be there the rest of his life.''

The family has been unable to get anything in writing and the VA did not return a reporter's calls for comment. Scholl declined comment.

Meantime, a brother of disabled veteran Blae Bryce said he received a call from the VA around in mid January informing him it was removing Dobbs as fiduciary.

"He said he was under investigation and he couldn't talk about it,'' said Matt Hall, the veteran's brother, who is now acting as her fiduciary.

Hall, who lives in suburban Dallas where he has relocated his sister, said he often warred with Dobbs over his sister's care.

"I thought he was finding ways to charge for stupid things,'' he said.

Hall said he was unaware of any specific irregularities but said he's eagerly awaiting Dobbs' final accounting.

"He has 30 days to account for everything.''
Andrew Harnik/Associated Press Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. jokes with reporters as he leaves his bus to speak at a town hall at Santa Maria Winery in Carroll, Iowa, this month.

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By Michael Collins of The Commercial Appeal

WASHINGTON  When Keller Barnette started campaigning for Bernie Sanders about five months ago, the question he often got was, "Who is Bernie Sanders?"

Barnette never got discouraged.

He made campaign fliers. He worked the phones. He went to organizing meetings. He talked to anyone who'd listen about the wild-haired Vermont senator's background, what he stands for politically and how they could get involved in the political revolution he's leading.

Nobody asks him who Sanders is anymore. People are taking the "democratic socialist" senator and his campaign for president seriously now, especially after he crushed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in last week's New Hampshire primaries and came within a nose of beating her in the Iowa caucuses a week earlier.

"People know this is going to be a revolutionary campaign," said Barnette, 34, a self-employed accountant from Knoxville. "The question is do you want to be a part of the political revolution. And I think a lot of people are saying yes."

Across Tennessee, Sanders' devoted army of organizers and grass-roots volunteers  "Bernie Bros" and "Bernie-bots," as they're sometimes mocked in the blogosphere  sense the political winds are shifting in Sanders' direction since his 22-point rout of Clinton in New Hampshire.

For Sanders, the timing could not be better. Early voting started in Tennessee on Wednesday and runs through Feb. 23. The state's presidential primary is March 1.

The day after Sanders' victory in New Hampshire, Matt Kuhn's cellphone rang and rang and rang. All day long.

"It's getting to the point where it's tough to return my phone calls, which is a good thing," said Kuhn, a Memphis political consultant who is state director of Sanders' campaign in Tennessee.

Kuhn said the sudden surge of interest in Sanders is coming not just from young people who like his message of social and economic equality, but also from people who have been involved in Democratic politics for a long time. Many of them are women, he said.

"A lot of the establishment in Tennessee is really starting to take notice," Kuhn said.

Just in time to capitalize on the wave of enthusiasm, the campaign formally opened offices last week in Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville and will open two more next week in Chattanooga and Johnson City.

Each office will have three or four paid staffers and will allow the campaign to "connect the dots with the Bernie supporters that are out there," Kuhn said. Having offices in strategic locations across the state also will make it easier for volunteers to conduct phone banks and canvass on Sanders' behalf, he said.

Sanders has a lot of work to do in Tennessee, said Kent Syler, a political scientist at Middle Tennessee State University.

The most recent statewide poll on the race gave Clinton a sizable advantage  47 percent of Democratic voters in Tennessee backed her, while just 15 percent supported Sanders. But nearly 26 percent remained undecided, which could provide an opening for Sanders. What's more, the poll was completed three weeks ago  before the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primaries, which have reshaped the race.

Regardless, "Hillary Clinton had the advantage before the New Hampshire primary  I think she still has the advantage here," Syler said. "And it will take a lot of work on Sen. Sanders' part and some significant shifts in Democratic voting blocs in Tennessee for him to be able to win the state."

Deke Pope is doing his part to move those voting blocs in Sanders' direction.

Pope, 73, a retired furniture industry representative from Memphis, puts on his "Feel the Bern" pin every day and goes out and tries to convince other African-Americans that they should get on board the Sanders' campaign.

A child of the '60s, Pope participated in the civil rights marches and demonstrations of the era. He hears in Sanders' platform the same kind of language he heard coming from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"Economic parity, equal pay for women, get big money out of politics  all of the talking points that Bernie had, I aligned myself with," he said. "So I said to myself, this is somebody I can support without question and get my friends and colleagues into as well."

Not all of his friends and colleagues share his enthusiasm for Sanders.

A professor friend got upset with him when he suggested that African-Americans had "surrendered their vote to Hillary Clinton without question, without even listening to what she had to offer as a presidential candidate, and therefore are not even giving Bernie Sanders an ear."

Still, Pope feels like there's movement in Sanders' direction in Tennessee. "I'm getting a lot more positive responses than I did 30 days ago," he said.

Priscilla Sager-Carr of Cordova hears echoes of her late father in Sanders. Like Sanders, her father was Jewish. He was also like Sanders in that he often talked in broad terms about doing good for his fellow man instead of pushing his religion or his beliefs.

"There's not a hateful word from him," Sager-Carr, 50, an administrative assistant at FedEx, said of Sanders. From the Republican side, however, "all I hear is fear, hatred, death and war," she said.

Moved by what she sees as Sanders' "genuine sincerity, his compassion," Sager-Carr started volunteering for his campaign last fall. She likes Clinton and will even vote for her if she's the Democratic nominee in November. But she sees in Sanders a candidate and an opportunity that doesn't come along often  one that, win or lose, already is reshaping American politics.

"What Bernie has brought out, this conversation he already has started, all these things and subjects and what he stands for  it's out there," she said. "We're not going to be able to turn back now and not talk about what Bernie has brought out. I consider that a triumph for Bernie even if he's not the candidate."
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Is it not amazing how quickly our Tennessee legislators can push through gun laws, but cannot get the votes to even experiment with tuition vouchers?

What is more important  letting people with gun-carry permits take their weapons anywhere they please, regardless of whether the folks who own or govern the property want guns on site, or giving a limited number of poor children a chance to get a better education?

We know the answer, and it was demonstrated in stark reality in Nashville Thursday morning when Rep. Bill Dunn, R-Knoxville, acknowledged he lacked the 50 votes needed to pass a controversial school voucher bill. As a result, there is strong likelihood that House version of the bill is dead for this session. The Senate passed a similar version of the bill last year.

What happened Thursday is a shame. Children attending failing schools deserve better.

Vouchers allow parents to take public school funding to pay private school tuition, on the same per-pupil funding level  an average of $7,000 statewide  as public schools receive from state and local appropriations.

The statewide bill provided for 5,000 vouchers to students attending the worst-performing schools in the state's four urban counties in the first year of operation, increasing to 20,000 in the fourth year of the program.

A vote on the bill was originally scheduled for Wednesday, but it was clear the votes still were not there for approval and the vote was rescheduled.

Voucher advocates made a last-ditch effort by advancing an amendment that would have limited vouchers  at least initially  to low-income students in the Shelby County Schools system, on an experimental basis. Under that plan, the state comptroller's office would have evaluated the pilot voucher program, and the legislature could expand it at any time.

The entire process of trying to get a limited voucher bill approved has been loaded down with a lot of baggage packed with issues that overlook what is best for poor students.

Partisanship is at play. Some legislators want a more expansive program. A financially strapped Shelby County Schools is concerned about vouchers pulling more students away from the district, along with most of the $8,500-per-student state funding that will follow them. Rural districts feared a voucher program would eventually harm them.

Nationwide, voucher programs have been controversial. We certainly understand, for example, why SCS is concerned. They already are losing students and state funding to charters and the Achievement School District.

There also is concern about holding schools that accept vouchers accountable, especially in light of what happened years ago regarding the state's day care scandal. In that situation, profiteers opened less-than-quality day care centers to rake in government funding.

The House and Senate bills both have strong regulatory components, and the amendment to limit an experiment voucher program to Shelby County has even stronger accountability requirements.

Memphis has a plethora of failing schools. Students attending SCS iZone and ASD schools are showing progress in being proficient in core subjects, but it is clear that full proficiency is a few years away.

Why not, in an experimental way, give a limited number of students in the worst schools here, or statewide, a chance to attend an established private school that is willing to accept vouchers?

Voucher opponents are forgetting that this should be about giving a poor students a better chance at academic success.
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By Alison Thompson

SKALA SIKAMINEAS, Greece  Standing in the harbor of this Greek village on the island of Lesbos, I am holding yet another soaking wet little girl with blue lips. Minutes before she had been sinking in the deadly Aegean sea crossing from Turkey to Greece. Her parents had fled Syria with only a cellphone and cash after their house had been bombed and the Islamic State had shot three generations of their relatives in cold blood.

My heart swells as I spot tiny specks of orange lifejackets bobbing like oranges in a low-riding boat. The rescue whistles blow, and volunteers from all nations jump into action. The refugees are closer now, and 50 feet from shore the screams of terror begin as two panicked refugees jump out, setting off a crushing stampede as children and babies are catapulted from the boat into the dark sea.

Most Syrians don't swim. I catch sight of a small body in a puffy pink jacket floating away and I plunge into the water to reach her in borrowed time. I struggle to plant my feet on the slippery rocks below as the weight of her lifejacket and wet clothes strain my lazy muscles to work even harder.

By the shore, volunteers call for stretchers in five different languages, but I am focused on one child's heartbeat. Finding no pulse, I fumble at her clothes, free the airway and pump her tiny chest looking for life. After two cycles of CPR, water sputters from her mouth and I turn her over to allow the sea to escape. She is not in good condition, but she is alive. Children and babies are quickly being passed, volunteer to volunteer, to the safety of shore, and we smile and hug the families who were almost swallowed by the sea.

Back on the shore, I reach for a bottle of bubbles to help calm another restless baby and eye the two teenage girls who have been raped by the Islamic State. They remain silent, and their dark lashes spy my every move. With new eyes, I scope the refugee journey of heading toward the "promised land," but finding only paper towns. In Lesbos, I have seen the face of all our gods, where humans embrace and pain is absorbed into a love without borders.

Volunteers work day and night in rain and snow, huddled together around fires and in rental cars, tracking the boats and sending rescue teams out into the angry sea. We rush another hypothermic pregnant woman along the darkened shoreline now lit with magic bright solar lights and wait and pray, always ready with emergency blankets and food and dry clothes.

The volunteers share jubilation in the safe rescues  and bottomless despair when we learn they have capsized and everyone has drowned.

After five months of volunteering in Lesbos, my brain can't solve the larger problems of a world where leaders are also struggling to find answers. I do know that I can help these suffering humans, but I am not naive enough to think that a terrorist couldn't get through any border or inspire people across many nations.

Syria's civil war is the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. Half the country's prewar population  more than 11 million people  have been killed or forced to flee their homes. Last year, more than 800,000 Syrians arrived by sea and in them I have met beautiful, educated families who are just like us.

When did we become so fearful? The Sept. 11 attacks taught me not to live in fear or give in to terrorism. If the world turns its back on the refugees, they will be forced to return to Syria and then the Islamic State wins.

Where has all the love gone in the world? We are not being asked to go shave our heads and become monks, but to imagine a world where everyone does their part, so that the karma banks will overflow with blue-chip stocks of compassion and we all become "billionaires on the inside."

Imagine a world where souls are more valuable than money. Isn't that the way it was meant to be?

It's easy to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but now humanity asks us to transform fear into love. To be in the wrong place at the right time.

Alison Thompson is a paramedic and the founder of Third Wave Volunteers working with Syrian refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos. She is the author of "The Third Wave" and lives in Coconut Grove, Fla. She wrote this for the Miami Herald.
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By Charles Krauthammer

WASHINGTON  The New Hampshire results have solidified the reigning cliche that the 2016 campaign is an anti-establishment revolt of the left and the right. Largely overlooked, however, is the role played in setting the national mood by the seven-year legacy of the Obama presidency.

Yes, you hear constant denunciations of institutions, parties, leaders, donors, lobbyists, influence peddlers. But the starting point of the bipartisan critique is the social, economic and geopolitical wreckage all around us.

Bernie Sanders is careful never to blame Obama directly, but his description of the America Obama leaves behind is devastating  a wasteland of stagnant wages, rising inequality, a sinking middle class, young people crushed by debt, the American Dream dying.

Take away the Brooklyn accent and the Larry David mannerisms and you would have thought you were listening to a Republican candidate. After all, who's been in charge for the last seven years?

Donald Trump is even more colorful in describing the current "mess" and more direct in attributing it to the nation's leadership  most pungently, its stupidity and incompetence. Both candidates are not just anti-establishment, but anti-status quo. The revolt is as much about the Obama legacy as it is about institutions.

Beyond railing against the wreckage, the other commonality between the two big New Hampshire winners is in the nature of the cure they offer. No carefully budgeted five-point plans for them. Sanders and Trump offer magic.

Take Sanders' New Hampshire victory speech. It promised the moon: college education, free; universal health care, free; world peace, also free because we won't be "the policeman of the world" (mythical Sunni armies will presumably do that for us). Plus a guaranteed $15 minimum wage. All to be achieved by taxing the rich. Who can be against a "speculation" tax (whatever that means)?

So with Trump. Leave it to him. Jobs will flow back in a rush from China, from Japan, from Mexico, from everywhere. Universal health care, with Obamacare replaced by "something terrific." Veterans finally taken care of. Drugs stopped cold at the border. Indeed, an end to drug addiction itself. Victory upon victory of every kind.

How? That question never comes up anymore. No one expects an answer. His will be done, on Earth if not yet in heaven.

In truth, Trump and Sanders are soaring not just by defying the establishment, but by defying logic and history. Sanders' magic potion is socialism; Trump's is Trump.

The young Democrats swooning for Sanders seem unfamiliar with socialism's century-long career, a dismal tale of ruination from Russia to Cuba to Venezuela. Indeed, are they even aware that China's greatest reduction in poverty in human history correlates precisely with the degree to which it has given up socialism?

Trump's magic is toughness  toughness in a world of losers. The power and will of the caudillo will make everything right.

Apart from the fact that strongman rule contradicts the American constitutional tradition of limited and constrained government, caudillo populism simply doesn't work. It accounts in a large part for the relative backwardness of Africa and Latin America. In 1900, Argentina had a per-capita income fully 70 percent of ours. After a 20th century wallowing in Peronism and its imitators, Argentina is a basket case, its per-capita income now 23 percent of ours.

There certainly is a crisis of confidence in the nation's institutions, but that's hardly new. The current run of endemic distrust began with Vietnam and Watergate. Yet not in our lifetimes have the left and right populism of the Sanders and Trump variety enjoyed such massive support.

The added factor is the Obama effect, the depressed and anxious mood of a nation experiencing its worst economic recovery since World War II and watching its power and influence abroad decline amid a willed global retreat.

The result is a politics of high fantasy. Things can't get any worse, we hear, so why not shake things up to their foundation? Anyone who thinks things can't get any worse knows nothing. And risks everything.

Contact Charles Krauthammer at letters@charleskrauthammer.com.
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By Faye Flam

It takes a brave man to reject a scientific paper by Albert Einstein. But that's what the physicist Howard Percy Robertson did in 1936, as editor of the journal Physical Review. Einstein was so enraged that he never published there again.

If Einstein were alive today, he might thank Robertson, who saved the great scientist from retracting the most far-reaching prediction of his theory of relativity  the existence of gravitational waves. The first direct detection of Einstein's waves was announced this week to much fanfare and celebration. Scientists say the waves emanated from the powerful collision of two black holes.

The finding was hailed as a vindication, though Einstein was one of the biggest doubters of his own idea. He flip-flopped several times over the years, said physicist Daniel Kennefick, co-author of An Einstein Encyclopedia. The tale ended well, thanks to Einstein's wisdom in knowing when to be sure, when to have doubts, when to ignore his doubters and when to listen to them and regroup.

The idea grew out of Einstein's relativity theories. He published his special theory of relativity in 1905, changing the way scientists understood space and time. He published the general theory in 1915 and changed the way scientists understood gravity, redefining it as the effect of curves in space and time.

In February of 1916, Einstein predicted that if space and time could have lumps and bumps, then perhaps those bumps could move, said Kennefick. "After all, we can see moving hills and valleys on the surface of water that we call waves, so if gravity curves space-time, why couldn't it create moving distortions?"

Einstein understood that these waves would be subtle. Only something dramatic could emit a signal strong enough to provide a chance to detect them  something like a merger of black holes. But Einstein was skeptical about the existence of black holes at all, even though others predicted them based on his theory.

These doubts didn't mean that that Einstein was insecure. He boldly predicted that the curve of space would produce a visible bending of starlight around the sun.

That prompted the world's best astronomers to see for themselves, waiting for a 1919 eclipse of the sun to make the behavior of faint light from background stars measurable. When asked how he'd feel if relativity was disproved by the eclipse experiment, Einstein famously replied: "Then I would feel sorry for the dear Lord. The theory is correct anyway."

Einstein knew when to be certain, said Kennefick. He had a good physical intuition, and he also knew when he was ranging around in new territory.

So it's perhaps understandable that he would at one point decide to quash his gravitational-wave prediction in a high profile journal article. In hindsight, one could see Robertson's rejection as a double negative  a negation of Einstein's doubt that added up to positive support for his original idea.

Einstein didn't see it that way. According to historical accounts, he was furious. He submitted the paper to another journal  the more obscure journal of the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, not that anything with Einstein's name on it could be obscure by that point in history. But before Einstein could reject his gravitational waves in that journal, Robertson indirectly nudged him to change his mind back again.

Robertson did this by becoming acquainted with one of Einstein's assistants, Leopold Infeld, said Kennefick. It doesn't appear that either Infeld or Einstein knew about Robertson's role in rejecting the paper, as it's traditional for reviewers to be anonymous. Robertson explained to Infeld why he thought Einstein was right the first time. That led to discussions between Einstein and Infeld, and before the paper came out, Einstein made radical revisions so that it supported rather than refuted the now famous forecast.

Who knows how history would have unfolded had Robertson let Einstein publish the original anti-gravitational-wave paper. It certainly helped to have Einstein on the favored side of things when it came to the difficult task of detection. The project that eventually led to a positive signal cost $1.1 billion over a period of 40 years. Called the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO, it qualifies as the most expensive apparatus ever funded by the National Science Foundation.

The concept for LIGO was put forward by the MIT physicist Rainer Weiss back in 1972. The experiment is in the form of twin detectors, one near Hanford, Washington, and one near Livingston, Louisiana. In each one, a laser beam travels down L-shaped pipes, each arm stretching 2 miles. In theory, a gravitational wave would move mirrors at the ends of these pipes an inconceivably small distance that could be measured by the lasers.

The apparatus went through two iterations a preliminary version that went up in 2010 and a more advanced version that went online last September. Within a few days of starting operation, the advanced detector registered something, which the physicists say fits the description of two black holes colliding.

The physicists say they can read a lot of information into the signal. They were able to discern the masses of the black holes  29 and 36 times the mass of the sun  and a distance to the event of 1.3 billion light years from Earth.

If they detect more collisions, the project could give scientists a more refined measure of distances to faraway objects and a better handle on the scale and expansion rate of the universe. They may observe other collisions between massive objects known as neutron stars, and learn about the nature of these exotic objects. And then there's always the hope that they will find something completely unexpected.

Faye Flam writes about science, mathematics and medicine for Bloomberg View.
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By Noah Feldman

The Phoenix City Council has voted to no longer to begin its meetings with a public prayer. Sounds like a victory for the separation of church and state, right? Maybe even the influence of Justice Elena Kagan's dissent in the Town of Greece case, in which the court's majority allowed such prayers to continue?

Think again. The Phoenix City Council is banning prayer so that self-described Satanists won't have a chance to give one. The decision isn't about tolerance, but intolerance. In the end, that's a good thing, a sign of the establishment clause working  and of James Madison's First Amendment logic in action.

The law as clarified by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 2014 case is the backdrop against which events have unfolded. According to the justices' interpretation of the First Amendment, the city council can hold public prayer at the beginning of its sessions. Congress does it, after all  and has from the very beginning.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, who wrote the majority opinion in the Town of Greece case, reasoned that, unlike a prayer in a public school, the adults appearing before the city council aren't being coerced to participate in prayer.

Kennedy noted that the town at issue  Greece, New York  hadn't intentionally favored Christianity over other religions in a discriminatory fashion. Although the prayers had been offered by Christian ministers, this reflected the town's demographics. No one had been denied the right to offer a prayer on the ground that the town disapproved of the content of his or her religion.

The legal upshot is that a city council would be violating the Constitution's establishment clause if it picked and chose among potential public prayers, favoring the beliefs it liked and prohibiting those it did not. Another way of putting this legal requirement is to say that, at a minimum, the First Amendment requires the government to be neutral among different religions when it arranges public prayer.

The doctrine therefore created the quandary facing the Phoenix City Council: What to do when members of the Satanic Temple demanded a turn delivering the prayer?

I was disappointed to learn that the Satanic Temple apparently doesn't cater to actual Satan worshipers. A member told the Arizona Republic that the organization "does not believe Satan actually exists and instead views the biblical Satan as a metaphor for rebellion." It's a group of agnostics who don't care for public prayer.

But for constitutional purposes, that doesn't matter. Refusing the group's intentionally provocative request would render the city council's prayer practices unconstitutional.

The city council tried to get around the Constitution by suggesting that each member, on a rotating basis, get to invite people to pray. But the hero of the story, City Attorney Brad Holm, told the council correctly that this would still violate the Constitution, because it would be designed to favor certain religious perspectives over others.

So the council defaulted to a moment of silence. That might not satisfy strict secularists, but it certainly shows greater respect for the separation of religion and government. And the happy ending has strong support in James Madison's ideas about religious liberty. We often forget it, but in fact Madison was against the Bill of Rights before he was for it.

The original Constitution was drafted and ratified without the Bill of Rights. Madison, justly considered the father of the Constitution, thought a Bill of Rights would be largely useless. He disparaged state bills of rights as "parchment barriers" because they couldn't in practice do anything to stop the majority from violating the rights of the minority.

Madison's case in point was Virginia's attempt to levy a tax in support of religion in 1784, before the federal Constitution was adopted. Virginia's Bill of Rights protected religious liberty. Yet a coalition led by Patrick Henry almost succeeded in passing legislation that would've required Virginians to pay taxes in support of their religious denominations.

Madison led the fight against Henry's bill. He won  and concluded that written guarantees of religious liberty weren't useful.

Madison's side prevailed because Virginia had lots of religious diversity. The Anglican majority supported the law, but Baptists opposed it, as did many Presbyterians. To Madison, the true lesson of the fight was that as a structural matter, having lots of minorities could thwart the tyranny of the majority. This was an important precursor for Madison's thinking about how to design the U.S. Constitution.

The Phoenix Satanists illustrate the continuing relevance of Madison's analysis. As interpreted by the Supreme Court, the Constitution doesn't prohibit city council prayer so long as the council is neutral in determining who gives that prayer. But the reality of religious diversity means that the majority itself will choose not to have the prayer  to avoid giving a voice to the rebellious minority. Diversity, not the parchment barrier of the First Amendment, is driving religious liberty.

Noah Feldman, a Bloomberg View columnist, is a professor of constitutional and international law at Harvard.
Theres an entire team at Microsoft that just made an app that can identify your dog.

Called Fetch!, it uses AI to determine -- based on a photo you snap -- if you have a Doberman or a Border Collie. Its obviously a proof of concept (and, sadly, wont work with my Border Collie-Lab mix named Abby because shes not a purebred). You can also take pictures of people and then see which dog they resemble, one of the strangest features in an app Microsoft has ever released.

Youll make fun of each other, comparing which breeds you look like and posting the tagged descriptions, says the app description on the Garage site.

Ostensibly, the apps are always meant to showcase the talents of the team and Microsoft Research. Image identification is not easy because it involves comparing the shape of the image to a massive photo library in milliseconds. It also showcases the speed of the cloud and app development itself. The Garage team just released a news reader app called News Pro. Theres no question these apps are innovative, fun...and a little perplexing.

First, its an obvious admission that innovation takes place on the iPhone and iPad. Its curious Microsoft Garage rarely releases any Android apps or (shudder) something for Windows 10 mobile. It destroys the entire concept of universal apps, those created for a laptop that run just fine on a tablet or a smartphone. Youd think theyd at least make a Surface version.

It points to a problem in the Microsoft ecosystem. They know perfectly well that Apple sells millions and millions of iPhones and iPads all over the world. And it is not just the Garage team. The Outlook app for iOS is one of the best emails apps around, while the Outlook app on the desktop has lagged behind. I even use the mobile app instead of the Gmail app. (It helps that you can quickly switch between mail and cal using a tab). I've typically praise these iOS apps as useful and powerful.

What I want to see is a bigger push with Microsoft touch apps. Its a graveyard. There are quite a few games, a few tent poles like Skype and Evernote, and then a collection of pure mush. I dont even bother with touch apps on a Windows 10 laptop anymore and just install desktop apps, but when I want to try something new with a phone or tablet, I tend to use iOS.

Im not alone. Microsoft owns the enterprise market still, and they have had great success with the Surface tablet. Windows 10 is a hit. The tech giant needs to stop sabotaging their own efforts. The equivalent of this would be if Apple decided to make some brand new innovative app and released it only for Windows 10 desktop. Wed laugh. And, wed wonder what they were smoking. Staying true to your brand is incredibly important in tech. Its another reason Apple keeps their ecosystem so locked down (try renting a movie from Amazon some time). You keep things in the family or the family breaks up and moves to South Dakota.

This is not a ding against the Garage team. It seems to reveal a few things about the popularity of platforms, and possibly how easy it it is to code for iOS these days. My suggestion? Start making your apps work on Windows 10, IOS and Android.

Try it, OK?
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.
Last month Havering Council voted to back the UK leaving the European Union.

On Friday Lincolnshire County Council will debate the same issue.

Cllr Tony Bridges, a Conservative councillor, is proposing this motion on the draft EU/UK deal. It is being seconded by Cllr Mike Brookes, another Conservative councillor:

This council welcomes the Prime Ministers achievement in delivering an in out referendum on our nations membership of the EU so that we can all have a vote on this vital issue.

In the ensuing negotiations the PM identified some clear objectives covering matters such as immigration, welfare and sovereignty which could form part of a revised relationship if we were to remain in.

Unfortunately, due to continental intransigence the current  deal  offers very little in terms of delivering a sustainable and fair welfare and immigration policy for the UK or the ability to repatriate some powers back to this country.

Lincolnshire, particularly on the east coast has seen unprecedented rise in economic migration which inevitably has put pressure on public services many of which this council provides. It has also undermined social cohesion and confidence in some areas.

It is accepted that most migrants come to provide necessary labour and contribute in many ways. However, as the EU has totally failed to deal satisfactorily with mass migration from outside Europe it is vital that this country is able to control its borders before the situation becomes untenable.

We also need to reduce unnecessary interference and bureaucracy from the EU, in order to successfully grow the Lincolnshire economy, which does not seem currently likely in the negotiations.

This council therefore resolves:

That the current EU/EU deal does not offer a good opportunity for Lincolnshire and unless a better arrangement can be negotiated, the United Kingdom would be better placed to grow and develop outside the European Union.

Given that there are 16 UKIP councillors who are members of this local authority I would suspect the motion will pass.

Some will ridicule time at a Council meeting being spent on such a matter.

The first objection is that the motion goes beyond the Councils powers. That is true, but given that there is to be a referendum on EU membership it is quite proper for the councillors to seek to better inform their residents on the issue.

Others will equate it to the loony left Labour councils in the 1980s adopting their own foreign policies and proclaiming themselves nuclear free zones. But our EU membership does have an impact on domestic policy and local local government. The examples are endless. There are the EU procurement rules which the Local Government Association concludes make it harder for councils to save money by sharing services. The EUs role in the loss of weekly bin collections is another. We also have various EU delays to the planning system.

We will hear a lot about the importance of restoring Parliamentary sovereignty during the EU referendum. Lets also remember the value of local democracy and how it is eroded by the EU. We elect councillors who are then told by their legal officers that they must do this or cant do that because of some absurd EU directive.

So it unreasonable to tell councillors to shut up about the EU and mind their own business. The EU doesnt leave them alone  so why should they leave the EU alone?
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Online safety has become a big concern for internet users in India. To help maintain its security, Google India rolled new safety features and resources that are meant to protect the online users. Some intriguing search trends released by Google India last year are a sign that greater cyber security may be required. According to search trends last year, there has been a 20% increase in search term "change passwords" and 97% more searches for "two-step verification".

As per the two-step verification process, you require more than just a password to sign into your Google account. You will be required to enter a 6-digit password that will be sent to your registered mobile number for an added layer of protection. Google also pointed out that in the last year, there has been 591% more searches for "how to track a lost phone", as reported by Economic Times

The company is not only rolling out new features to strengthen the online security of Google accounts for Indian users but will also plan an extensive campaign to explain the users importance of online security. "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 connected' Indians to 500 million online by 2018-2019. It's more important now than ever before to ensure the data and profiles of these users are safe online," Mohanty added.

Google is currently running a campaign for Safer Internet Day is also offering users 2 GB of extra storage in Google Drive for users who successfully completes the security check-up by February 11.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
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Researchers in Australia have discovered a substance that will make the condoms not only much thinner but also the strongest. The material used is spinifex grass, a plant that grows in the sand dunes of Australia. This grass is first processed to become a pulp then added to latex.

A team of researchers from the University of Queensland, led by Professor Darren Martin, will release more details about this condom later this year. The commercial tests so far have been proven successful and the resultant condom is only 45 microns thick, as much as a human hair. "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 percent in pressure and 40 percent in volume compared to the commercial latex control sample," he said. Despite their success, the scientists believe that they can make the product better, as reported by RT.com

"With a little more refinement, we think we can engineer a latex condom that's about 30 percent thinner, and will still pass all standards, and with more process optimization work we will be able to make devices even thinner than this," Professor Martin said in the official press release by the University of Queensland, reports Australia Network

The team also took help of Indjalandji-Dhidhanu, the indigenous people, to procure the nanocellulose from grass. "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.

The condom will not only be increasingly sensitive but its production will also use lesser material which will make it cost less. These factors can encourage people to use condoms moe that can help fight against the sexually-transmitted diseases, says Gizmag

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
ABVP Attacks Congress Leader Anand Sharma With Sharp Weapons In JNU

By Countercurrents.org

13 February, 2016

Countercurrents.org

BJP's student wing Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) attacked deputy leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma, in the JNU campus, when he visited the varsity along with party vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

Indian National Congress' twitter handle tweeted "How could the leader of Opp be attacked by a razor sharp weapon which has caused him injury?"

How could the leader of Opp be attacked by a razor sharp weapon which has caused him injury?: @rssurjewala  INC India (@INCIndia) February 13, 2016

Will PM now take action against goons of ABVP & the Delhi Police who failed to protect & provide security to leader of Opp?: @rssurjewala  INC India (@INCIndia) February 13, 2016

Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said that the attitude of the ABVP goons reflected the mindset of Prime Minister Modi's Government and the BJP, which wants to shutdown JNU.

"Today is a black day for India's democracy. Deputy leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Shri Anand Sharma and a senior Congress leader were publically attacked by government protected ABVP goons at JNU campus in Delhi. We condemn this cowardly attack in the strongest possible words," Congress leader Randeep Surjewala told media.

"They want to shut down JNU by a conspiracy hatched by the RSS. They want to take away civil rights of the students by brute force of hooligans protected by Delhi Police," he said.

Indian National Congress' twitter handle tweeted "None less than the PM when he was Gujarat CM had said JNU is collecting point for secularist & should be shut down"

None less than the PM when he was Gujarat CM had said JNU is collecting point for secularist & should be shut down: @rssurjewala  INC India (@INCIndia) February 13, 2016

Following the arrest of JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar, Rahul Gandhi visited the varsity's campus along with several Congress and opposition leaders. ABVP activists shouted slogans against Rahul Gandhi and he was shown flag. ABVP activists lied down on roads to block Rahul Gandhi from getting on stage. On finally reaching, Gandhi lambasts central government over JNUSU students arrest.

In his address to students, he launched a scathing attack on the BJP and said that most anti-national people are those suppressing the voices of students.

He also lambasted the Centre over JNUSU president arrest, saying it is terrified of people raising their voices.

He said "I was in Hyderabad a few days back and these same people or their leaders said that Rohith Vemula was an anti-national. A youngster expressed himself and the government says he is an anti-national. They do not understand that by crushing you they are making you stronger. They are terrified of weak Indian people raising their voice."

He encouraged the students by saying that there were more than billion people in the country who believe in, and stand behind them. Comparing the situation with the time when India fought the British, he said the most important thing is peoples voice. Rahul Gandhi said "I feel proud that people have the right to show me black flag in this country."

CPI (M) general secretary and CPI leader A. Raja held talks with home minister Rajnath Singh and later visited JNU and expressed solidarity with the students.

Meanwhile a video has emerged that the provocative slogans raised in the event held on February 9, in JNU were raised by activists of ABVP, student wing of ruling BJP. The hashtag #ABVPExposed is trending on twitter








Video: Israeli Bulldozers Raze Jordan Valley Homes

By The Electronic Intifada

13 February, 2016

Electronicintifada.net

On Wednesday, Israeli forces carried out a mass demolition in four areas of the occupied West Banks Jordan Valley  Jiftlik, Fasayil al-Wusta, Ein Kurzliya and al-Mkassar.

Seven homes and six animal shelters were destroyed, leaving 71 people without a roof over their heads.

For families in Fasayil al-Wusta and Ein Kurzliya, it was the fourth demolition in recent years. In al-Mkassar, Israeli forces demolished a tent provided to the family after their dwelling was demolished a week before.

The only access road to Ein Kurzliya was blocked and in Jiftlik, a system of pipes providing water to 300 people was deliberately damaged.

The next day, Israeli forces razed dozens more homes and structures in the Tubas area of the Jordan Valley.

More than 80 homes and livelihood-related structures in seven communities  all but one in the Jordan Valley  were destroyed this week, according to the United Nations monitoring group OCHA.

The Jordan Valley demolitions come one week after Israel destroyed 40 homes in the West Banks South Hebron Hills  the largest such demolition in a decade.

The Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea make up approximately 30 percent of the West Bank and are the most significant Palestinian land reserves, according to the human rights group BTselem.

Since 1967, Israel has pursued various measures to annex this territory de facto. It has prevented the development of Palestinian communities, systematically destroyed homes in Palestinian Bedouin communities, denied access to water and strictly limited Palestinians freedom of movement. At the same time, Israel has exploited the resources of the area for its own needs and has allocated generous tracts of land and water resources to Israeli settlements, the group adds.

Video, editing and reporting by Keren Manor and Oren Ziv of Activestills. Text by The Electronic Intifada.




Targeting Students And Dissent: Time To Defend Democracy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

13 February, 2016

Countercurrents.org

The way Delhi police under the direct order of home minister Rajnath Singh on the issue of 'anti national' activities being allowed inside JNU Campus is shameful to say the least. The police arrested several students and president of JNUSU Kanhaiya Kumar has been charged under section 124A, the charges of sedition.

These are difficult times. Student unrest is everywhere. After the death of Rohith Vemula, the dirty casteist face of our campuses was being exposed not just nationally but internationally. The government and ruling party was on defensive on it. We know well that this government only need Muslims, Pakistan, Kashmir, Nationalism, Cows, Bharat Mata, Ganga to prove anybody as national or anti national.

It is important to understand how the campuses of those Universities are being targeted where BJP's student wing has little presence. JNU is under the target as student there have been in the forefront of all the political movement. They have been demanding justice for Rohith Vemula and solidarity with all the students who were victims of caste oppression. While we may disagree with these diverse student groups ideologically, the police action brings back memories of emergency days. Shamelessly there is a hashtag being promoted to shut JNU. We have to understand why is that the saffronites are so disturbed with JNU, AMU and JMI. It is because these universities are considered to be having different view than that of the saffron school of thoughts. For the Sangh Parivar which only apologised to British to get out of jail and hobnobbed with Indira Gandhi during emergency supporting all the demolition of Turkmangate by Sanjay Gandhi, these campuses are the hotbed of 'anti national' activities.

We should understand why is this government hell bent on destroying our institutions where students have some freedom. I have said long back that our universities are becoming primary schools where students are not supposed to think independently but where Dronacharyas penalise you for being different and dissenters.

In academic discussions, there will be many who will question a certain act of state. These are healthy discussions. BJP and its allies justify the killing of Mahatma Gandhi. After the government came to power two books have remerged in the market which are Hitler's Meinkeimpf and Nathuram Godse, the killer of Gandhi's ' Why I killed Gandhi' ? Unsurprisingly, this government did not even bother to ask its police and administration to arrest those who are glorifying the killers of our 'father of nation'. On January 26th, this year, many of the Hindu Mahasabha volunteers observed black day as reported in the

Hindu. No action has been taken against them.

The government and political parties should come out of the campuses. Let the students decide and debate in their institutions. Ofcourse, Universities and its administration has enough power to penalise and punish a student if he or she violate the law. Would it not have been proper to have appointed a team of professors to investigate the matter and work on its recommendations. I am again saying,' are we punishing our students for having a particular view point ? Can you stop an idea ?

Yes, it is important for students to be careful in organising things. There is nothing wrong in organising debate but need too understand that only democratic voices be invited to the campuses and not those who have no faith in democracy. As we have said many times, India's constitution is our biggest protector and we have to protect it at any cost because those who do not have any faith in it are claiming its legacy now.

We have seen from FTTI, Pune and IIT Madras, how the authorities treated the student's dissent. Is this government unable to digest diverse view points or they are highly unaware of the huge anti brahmin movement in Tamilnadu led by Periyar. If he were alive today, this government would have send him to jail.

The government has to answer why students are feeling restive. Dont try to find pretext in curtailing the freedom of students and suppressing activities in their campuses. Have they provided answer to students in University of Hyderabad as what action are they taking. Instead, they have promoted the Vice Chancellor for his action. It clearly means that VCs will be promoted for such activities. What happened to #OccypyUGC protest ? Has the government given any direction as why the fellowships to students are not being provided ? Why are students at Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia feeling disturbed and restive today. It is because the government want to destroy these institutions under some pretext or others. The removal of minority status of these institutions will crush the spirit behind the building of these institutions which have produced brilliant scholars and activists.

Haven't we seen how eminent journalist Siddhartha Vardarajan was hounded out at Allahabad University when he visited there on the invite of the Student Union there. He was not allowed to speak. The ABVP leaders had earlier invited Gorakhpur's Member of Parliament Adityanath to the campus which was met with fierce resistance from the students.

India's nationhood and democracy can not be handed over to the police and military. We are united not because a government want us but because there is a common will of the people to stay together. It is the people who are worried about what is happening in the country. When a citizen of the country is tortured, killed, we express our solidarity. As citizen of the country, we wish every one follow the constitutional morality which is the only way to protect India's unity

and integrity. Unity does not come by attempting to impose north Indian brahmanical values on every one. The concept of Hindi Hindu Hindustan will only threaten our national integration. This is a huge country which is actually subcontinent and differences and divergent views are bound to happen.

At the time when we should be asking question as who has stolen our money from the government banks as over one lakh fifty thousand crore bad debt now ready to crumble Indian economy. The signs of warning are already here as rupee continue to tumble further. Despite cheapest crude oil prices we still are paying hugely without any question. The elite defaulters are enjoying political protection while the farmers are committing suicide to protect their families from harassment of police and administrators.

The situation is grim yet there is no other way to fight democratically as democracy is seriously under threat. If campuses in universities are closed for socio political debates then where are we going to have it ? How much time Parliament is giving for constructive debates ? It means people will have to now start these debates at Jantar Mantars of their cities and villages.

During emergency we always blamed 'sarkari media' for projecting Indira Gandhi and ruling party while totally blacking out the news of protests and dissent. Ironically, the paid corporate brahmanical media today particularly the electronic channels have become the biggest threat to Indian democracy as not just they are twisting the news to suit the taste of their middle class upper caste crowd to satisfy their egos but also organising media trial and trying to influence the judiciary. Press Council of India and serious journalists and I can say there are many, particularly in print media should now think seriously whether they can form a group and provide guidelines to protect their institutions from mercenaries masquerading as 'nationalists'.

We know very well that once you have managed media, controlled academic institutions the social media will be targeted which is the only frontier so far challenging the powerful status-quoists as political parties have failed to rise above petty political interests. It is time to rise above narrow confined mindset, join hand, work on a common socio-economic-political agenda to meet this threat to our freedom and liberty when our natural resources are opened for corporate loot while we are being fed with high dose of 'nationalism'. Where is your nationalism when you sale our land and our forest for petty sum to your corporate masters ? Will the political parties and all of us who care for the country wake up and join hands to defeat hate mongering communalists ?

Vidya Bhushan Rawat is a social and human rights activist. He blogs at www.manukhsi.blogspot.com twitter @freetohumanity Email: vbrawat@gmail.com




Whether your neighbor, the cops and other Big Brother types can use drones to spy on you as you go about your day-to-day activities may depend on how a judge feels about a few dead chickens in North Carolina and an ancient English law.

The case involves a shotgun-toting Kentuckian who blasted a camera-equipped drone out of the air when it entered his airspace last summer. Though the stuff of late-night TV jokes, it's a serious case that may change the rules for private property ownership and personal privacy.

It involves a Hillview, Ky., man who last summer shot a drone out of the air as it flew over his Bullitt County home.

It seems a bit reminiscent of a time not so long ago when a good many farm folks kept a shotgun or .22 rifle leaning in a corner just inside the backdoor in case a pesky chicken hawk were to come along looking for a free meal among the laying stock.

That in a sense is what William Merideth did last summer when he used a shotgun to blast a recreational drone equipped with a remote camera that he said was hovering over his and his neighbors' properties and lingering over his daughter who was sunbathing in his backyard.

The owner of the drone took umbrage and called police who charged Merideth with criminal mischief. A Bullitt County judge dismissed the charges saying the drone was trespassing and that it represented an invasion of privacy. The homeowner had a right to shoot it down, the judge ruled.

Far from satisfied with that ruling, the owner of the drone last month filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Louisville seeking a clarification of rights for drone fliers as well as $1,500 for damages to his aircraft.

How it goes will hinge in part upon a modern-day interpretation of an old English legal concept.

In the long ago, when a lot of things we take for granted today hadn't been thought of yet, English law established a precedent for what a landowner could claim as his. Basically, the ruling was that if one owned a parcel of ground, he owned everything from heaven to hell as it related to that parcel. That is he owned everything in the ground below it and everything in the air above it.

That concept didn't trigger a lot of litigation or thought until airplanes were invented and began flying over peoples' properties.

By 1938, U.S. Congress was involved and passed a law saying everything above 500 feet was public airspace and in the public domain, like a highway on the ground.

This, by the way, is what enables law enforcement officers to fly over private property and look for illegal activity, such as growing marijuana, without a search warrant. The courts have held that everyone has the privilege of flying over a person's property at 500 feet and if illegal activity is visible from that "public" space it's no different from it's being spotted by person while driving along a surface highway.

The Civil Aeronautic Act basically said, though, planes couldn't fly lower than 500 feet and by default seemed to leave the landowner in possession of airspace from the ground up to that level.

That enabled a North Carolina chicken grower to challenge the authority of Army planes to fly lower over his property during World War II. Their noise scared his chickens to the point he could no longer operate a chicken farm, and he sued the government for damages.

The Supreme Court sided with him, and said the Army planes swooping over his property at a height of only 83 feet were just too low. Justice William Douglas wrote for the court that a landowner owned as much of the airspace below 500 feet as he could use in connection with the land and that trespass into that space was the same as trespass on the surface.

More recently, though, with the rising popularity of drones and the potential for conflict such as the one in Kentucky, the Federal Aviation Administration has attempted to assert authority over all airspace, prompting some suggest you couldn't even launch a paper airplane without filing a flight plan with the FAA.

The current lawsuit asks the federal court to resolve "the boundaries of the airspace surrounding real property, the reasonable expectation of privacy as viewed from the air and the right to damage or destroy an aircraft in-flight, in relation to the exclusive federal regulation and protection of air safety, air navigation, and control over the national airspace."

Until that happens, drone fliers will be well advised to keep a sharp eye for shotgun-toting homeowners.
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Feb. 1 was National Freedom Day. When I looked it up online, I found this definition, "The purpose of this holiday is to promote good feelings, harmony and equal opportunity among all citizens and to remember that the United States is a nation dedicated to the idea of freedom."

"The idea of freedom." What does that mean? I started thinking about the four pillars of the Hindu way of life: Dharma  fulfilling your duties and righteous action, Artha  financial security, Kama  fulfillment of legitimate desires and Moksha.

Moksha is actually a compound word made of two words Moha and Kshaya. Moha means delusion born out of clouded intellect, which is the result of conditioned consciousness, and Kshaya means waning.

I feel that without the fourth pillar, Moksha, our perception of the world can be distorted. Moksha is central to how we perceive the world. It frees our mind from fear, jealousy, hatred, judgments and biases.

There are many factors that can condition our consciousness. Some make it constricted or self-centered, and some expand it. A constricted consciousness results in division of the world into "us versus them" resulting in biases and judgments about the "others."

The biggest delusion we live with is the belief that we are individuals disconnected from the rest of the world.

Reaching a quality of mind where we are completely free of bias is very difficult, but we can try to expand our consciousness. The more we interact with people from diverse cultures and religions, the more we realize our differences are superficial and that we share the same consciousness. We have the same fears, sorrows, sufferings, grievances, emotions and need for being loved. This realization brings transformation in our consciousness.

The saints of all religions addressed the entirety of humanity when they talked about human suffering because they knew humanity is one, and we are all part of the same whole.

I am so glad to see the local educational institutions working toward developing positive relationships among diverse communities in the Tri-State area. We have numerous schools and congregations in the area visiting different places of worship to better understand other faiths.

University of Evansville is actively promoting interfaith understanding by having guest speakers of different faiths and perspectives come and talk to the students and general public. One such dialogue was on Jan. 24 where representatives from eastern religions came together to talk about their faiths. The eastern religions symposium was followed by a talk on Syrian conflict by David Carlson who is an author and religious studies professor at Franklin College.

For more information on talks and/or events like these, check facebook.com/eeipartnership/.

Karuna Pandit is a member of the Tri-State Hindu Society.
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EVENTS

Valentine's Day Party: 6-9 p.m. Saturday at Main Street United Methodist Church, 222 E. Main St. in Boonville. The Temple Airs will provide the music. Light hors d'oeuvres will be served. Cost is $7 per person. Tickets may be purchased at the door or by calling 812-897-3422.

Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand Program: "Jesus' Journey to Jerusalem in the Gospel of Luke," 9:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Feb. 20 in the Monastic Dining Room in Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand. Participants will explore 10 chapters in the Gospel of Luke, learn about discipleship and focus on how Jesus got to the cross physically, theologically and spiritually. Presenter is Father Eugene Hensell. Cost $70, includes lunch. Registration deadline is Wednesday. For more information or to register, call 800-880-2777, or 812-367-1411, ext. 2915, or visit www.thedome.org/programs.

Saint Meinrad Archabbey Library Gallery: St. Meinrad, an exhibit of wall hangings "Healing the Earth" by artist Joanne Weis, through Feb. 28. The exhibit is free. For library hours, call 812-357-6401 or 800-987-7311, or visit saintmeinrad.edu/library/hours/.

Teaching from the Book of Revelation: 11 a.m. every Sunday until completion at Church of God of Prophecy, 3407 Bellemeade Ave. Speaker is Bishop William Gaddis (free). Call 812-459-2359.

The Mighty Acts of God in Zion: The Storyline of the Bible: 7-8 p.m. on Tuesdays in the fellowship hall of St. Ananias Orthodox, 4411 Washington Ave.

Old Friendship Church Celebrate Recovery Program: 7 p.m. on Fridays at Oak Hill Christian Center, 4901 Oak Hill Road.

Traditional Roman Catholic Latin Mass: 3 p.m. every Sunday at St. Paul's Chapel, 629 E. Louisiana St.

music

Choir Day: 3:30 p.m. Sunday at McFarland Missionary Baptist Church, 750 Lincoln Ave.

The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods: will host composer David Haas for a concert and workshop. The concert will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. March 11 in the Church of the Immaculate Conception. The workshop, which will be open to the public, will take place from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. March 12 in the O'Shaughnessy Dining Hall. Cost to attend the concert is $10; workshop is $20 and includes a box lunch. Tickets for the concert and workshop may be purchased online by registering at events.sistersofprovidence.org. Tickets for the concert may also be purchased the night of the performance.

meals

Grace and Peace Lutheran Church: in conjunction with Fresh Air Community of Faith, Unity Church and Emanuel Lutheran Church will offer a free meal from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday in the Fellowship Hall at Emanuel Lutheran Church, First Avenue and Franklin Street. Soups, sandwiches, beverages and desserts will be served.

Lenten Fish Fries: 4:30-7 p.m. Fridays through March 18 at Nativity Catholic Church, 3635 Pollack Ave. Menu includes fried catfish fillet, baked tilapia or chicken tenders with salads, vegetables, dessert, drink and cheese biscuits. Cost is $9 for adults and free for ages 7 and younger with an adult dinner purchase. Call 812-476-7186.

St. James Fish Dinners: 4:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 26 and March 11 at St. James Church Madden Hall, Old Princeton Road, Haubstadt. Menu will consist of fried or baked fish, German potato salad, applesauce, cornbread, dessert, coffee and tea. Carryouts will be available in the old cafeteria.
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MIKE LAWRENCE / COURIER & PRESS The U.S. 41 Twin Bridges might not be the only route across the Ohio River connecting Indiana and Kentucky if Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin follows through on remarks he made in his first-ever State of the Commonwealth speech in January.

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By John Martin of the Courier and Press

Local advocates for a new Interstate 69 bridge say they no longer have to argue the project's merits in Indianapolis or Frankfort.

These days, it's a matter of figuring out how to pay for the bridge, and precisely what route I-69 will take through Henderson County. Neither issue is settled.

But any lingering doubt of state leaders' overall commitment was quashed when Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin stood before lawmakers and a live television audience last month for his first State of the Commonwealth address.

"During the campaign, he came to the visit the BridgeLink board of directors to learn more about the project and hear our thoughts," said Brad Schneider, director of Kyndle, an economic development vehicle for Henderson and three other Northwest Kentucky counties.

After being elected in November, Bevin met again with BridgeLink leaders and a Madisonville group of I-69 backers.

Then, in his address, Bevin said:

"We are going to accelerate forward into this road plan the things that will allow us to look at the bridge in Henderson. These things you will see. We are going to start to study these; we are going to invest in this (I-69) highway because it goes from Canada to Mexico. It is the only north-south run this side of the Rockies that does so. This is the kind of thing we need to invest in because it is going to open up Western Kentucky in extraordinary ways."

Schneider said he "fell out of bed and started whooping and hollering" after Bevin completed that paragraph.

"At that point my phone starts blowing up," Schneider said. "I was getting text messages left and right, because a lot of people were watching that speech ... The fact that he not only mentioned I-69 by name, but an I-69 bridge in Henderson by name, really blew people away. Because he was a new governor, and it was a huge question mark."

Bevin backed up his sentiment to build a new I-69 bridge with some specific actions.

In Kentucky's six-year road plan, he pushed $2.5 million that was to fund an updated environmental impact statement from 2018 to 2017, and he added $300,000 to that endeavor, to explore two possible paths for I-69 around the city of Henderson.

Then, Bevin allocated about $40 million into the Kentucky road plan for 2019-21 for design and utility studies.

"When they get to actual construction of the bridge, there will be some cost sharing (between Indiana and Kentucky), but on the preconstruction work, Kentucky has taken the lead."

Evansville-based members of BridgeLink, including local industrialist Robert Koch and Southwest Indiana Chamber members, traveled to Indianapolis last week to brief Indiana Department of Transportation officials on Bevin's remarks.

"Kentucky is showing they are serious about the project," said Justin Groenert, Southwest Indiana Chamber director of government relations and public policy. "Indiana is going to have to come to the table at some point. During the environmental impact study is when that will happen. Both states are going to have to be involved for this thing to get going, but these states have worked together before. Look at the Louisville bridge project."

The Abraham Lincoln Bridge at Louisville opened in December. The Louisville bridge has tolls, and although some have said tolls on the new I-69 bridge should be a last resort, local advocates interviewed last week described tolls as a foregone conclusion.

Those supporters said all I-69 commercial traffic would be diverted to the new bridge. That would accomplish two goals  establishing a revenue stream to retire construction debt and putting less strain on the rusty U.S. 41 Twin Bridges.

The northbound bridge opened on July 4, 1932, and the southbound span followed on Dec. 16, 1965. The twins are believed to see at least 40,000 light and heavy vehicles daily.

Truck traffic alone on the new I-69 bridge would generate enough revenue over 30 years to nearly pay off the bridge, said Koch, the current president of BridgeLink. He said the commercial vehicle toll could be $6, with a smaller one for light traffic.

Commercial drivers could pay with an electronic device.

"We've talked to a number of trucking companies, and they say it's less expensive for them to pay a $6 toll than to stop at the lights on U.S. 41," Koch said, adding that for 18-wheelers, such stops are costly in terms of time and gas mileage.

Advocates for the new bridge frequently note the bottled-up U.S. 41 corridor in Henderson.

An I-69 pathway over the Ohio River, east of Ellis Park, would enable vehicles to steer around the Kentucky city. The new stretch of road would link to the recently christened I-69 (formerly known as the Pennyrile Parkway) south of Henderson.

BridgeLink officials in 2014 proposed a modified plan for the bridge and the new I-69 route through Henderson County, trimming the construction cost. They said building a four-lane bridge  rather than six as originally planned  with narrower shoulders and a tighter half-circle around Henderson could cut the projected $1.4 billion cost to $850 million.

"It's much shorter than the old route, and it has only two interchanges, one at U.S. 60 and one they would have to build at the U.S. 41 bypass," Schneider said. "The old one had many more interchanges. This new one makes the whole project much less expensive, and so what we have asked is when they do the environmental impact studies in 2017, examine this route too and see if it makes sense. We think it does. Making anything cheaper makes it more likely it will get done."

The shorter route also would trim land acquisition costs. Schneider described "99 percent" of the land as farms and state-owned wetlands. It would not disrupt Henderson's tranquil John James Audubon State Park.

"To put it in the minds of Evansville people, as you come around the south end of town on I-69, what used to be I-164, (the path the new bridge) will either veer toward the river at just west of Green River Road, or maybe closer to where Weinbach Avenue is," Schneider said. "In between Green River and Weinbach, it will veer toward the river and cross it. Where that final path is will be determined by the Kentucky Department of Transportation and INDOT, based on the study they are about to do."

Bevin's ringing endorsement of an I-69 bridge in Henderson County comes amid substantial progress on over-the-road sections of highway.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence in December opened the newest section of I-69 from Crane to Bloomington, a distance of 27 miles. Work is underway on upgrading Indiana 37, from Bloomington to Martinsville, to interstate standards.

Bevin's predecessor in Kentucky, Steve Beshear, in November declared the northernmost 42.6 miles of the Pennyrile Parkway, from Henderson to near Madisonville, as part of I-69.

To I-69 surrogates, those two events conducted only a month apart signaled momentum for the bridge. There's no reason to have bits and pieces of an unconnected highway, they said, and they were relieved Bevin agreed.

Economic development possibilities for both states remain the motivator behind I-69 and the new bridge.

"It's part of an international road connecting Canada with Mexico," said Koch, whose companies conduct international business. "Right now to the north, it stops at Indianapolis and picks up at Bloomington and goes to Evansville and starts again south of Henderson. When it's connected, it will be a major corridor for international trade in North America."
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By Zach Evans of the Courier and Press

After state lawmakers debated granting civil rights protections for sexual orientation, local policymakers aren't waiting.

Evansville code has offered "symbolic" anti-discrimination protections for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community for more than four years. But the symbolic protection is unenforceable, city officials and advocates say.

Days after similar state legislation failed, the City Council is considering whether to strengthen the city's human rights ordinance by "giving teeth" to a city commission to further protect against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

CANVASS: Does our community protect LGBT?

The ordinance the City Council will consider Feb. 22 is short and simple: delete one provision of the Human Relations Commission section from the city code, effective immediately.

The section was added in 2011, with the addition of the protections to sexual orientation and gender identity. While small, it includes one word that makes the 2011 human rights ordinance measure symbolic: voluntary.

City code states "the commission's authority shall be limited to power to accept such complaints, notify respondents of the complaint(s) and attempt voluntary investigation(s) and voluntary mediation(s)."

"It's small in words but has a lot of punch to it," said City Council attorney Josh Claybourn. "By removing that provision, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is then treated the same as discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color etc."

The human relations commission addresses discrimination for protected classes  such as race, sex, age, religion, disability, national origin or ancestry  in places of employment, schools, housing and public accommodations.

Over the last four years, people could file complaints with the city's Human Relations Commission if they feel they were discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The commission then investigates the claim. But with the "voluntary" part of the code, the respondent (the employer, landlord, etc.) does not have to comply with the investigation.

At that point the case is closed, said Diane Clements-Boyd, director of the Human Relations Commission.

If the council changes the human rights ordinance, the commission could hold parties liable  like it does when a person is discriminated against for their race, age, religion, disability, national origin or ancestry.

A violating party could be ordered to stop the discriminatory practice and compensate the victim for damages, Clements-Boyd said.

Since 2012, people have filed 10 complaints about discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.

Wally Paynter, president of LGBT advocacy group Tri-State Alliance, said the numbers can be deceptive.

"I don't think people will file a complaint if it's not enforceable," Paynter said. "Quite possibly they think it's a waste time. But now it won't be a waste of time."

Paynter advocated for the code change in 2011, but said the lack of enforceability was "our best effort at the time."

"But as Indiana continues to be in the national spotlight for not being accepting of the LGBT community, Evansville, with this type of ordinance, is sending a different message  that we're open for business for everybody and that we will make Evansville a safe place for all."

According to Claybourn, there are 12 Indiana cities with human rights ordinances that cover sexual orientation and gender identity: Indianapolis-Marion County; South Bend; Carmel; Hammond; Muncie; Anderson; Columbus; New Albany; West Lafayette; Zionsville; Terre Haute and Bloomington.

City Councilman Jonathan Weaver, D-At-Large, is sponsoring the ordinance.

Weaver wants to "give teeth" to the ordinance to ensure the city's anti-discrimination policies can be enforced.

"It's 2016 and it's time to include all groups," he said.

Councilman Dan McGinn was the sponsor of the 2011 ordinance. McGinn said updating the code to make it enforceable is a positive step.

"Equal protection of the law doesn't have exceptions," he said. "I firmly believe the equal protection clause, since we're a nation of laws, pretty well trumps anybody's religious beliefs. It's black and white as far as I'm concerned."

But religious leaders in the area feel otherwise.

POTENTIAL RELIGIOUS OPPOSITION

Cathy West spent has spent a lot of time at the Statehouse this session.

West, the pastor at Faith Church of The Nazarene in Evansville, came with other religious leaders in the area to pray at the state capital as lawmakers debated Senate Bill 344.

The bill would've extended state civil rights to LGBT people, but was killed in committee this month.

West learned about both sides of the issue while she was in Indianapolis.

"I think there can be a balance, and there needs to be from both sides," she said. "I don't believe that people who have Christian businesses should be sued if they don't believe in promoting that kind of lifestyle."

But after speaking with LGBT advocates, she doesn't think they should be discriminated against in the housing market.

Regardless, she was glad the state bill was defeated in committee.

"We can't legislate morality, but can't afford to legalize immorality either," she said.

It's possible she and other religious representatives in the city could speak out against the pending ordinance at the City Council meeting next week.

"I would be opposed to it if they did not look into it in-depth  unless they cover all boundaries for everyone respecting religious freedom, as well respecting other's humanity, as well  not hurting them; not harming them."

West isn't sure protection from discrimination due to gender identity and sexual orientation "needs to be a civil right."

"But it does need to be looked at," she said.

Religious exemptions could apply, Claybourn said.

Courts have maintained that churches and religious organizations are exempt from employment anti-discrimination laws by citing religious liberty protections in the U.S. constitution and state constitutions. But those protections don't extend to private businesses, he said.
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By Susan Orr of the Courier and Press

Southwestern Indiana officials say they're moving closer to accessing the millions of dollars in Regional Cities funding they were recommended for in December.

With their counterparts in Fort Wayne and South Bend, Southwestern Indiana officials are working on an administrative agreement with the Indiana Economic Development Corp. The agreement must be in place before any of the three regions can receive money.

At a meeting Friday, the Southwest Indiana Regional Development Authority heard an update on the process.

Mike Schopmeyer, the Development Authority's attorney, said the goal is to have the agreement signed by the end of the month.

"We're not too far apart, but there's a little bit of work to be done," Schopmeyer told the group.

The IEDC agreement will be identical for each of the three chosen regions.

"We wanted everyone to be treated the same," Schopmeyer said.

Regional Cities is a newly created program that aims to boost Indiana's population through quality-of-place investments. Collections from a recent tax amnesty program will provide the funding.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. is the Regional Cities administrator. In December, the IEDC recommended $42 million in funding for each of three regions  Southwestern Indiana and the Fort Wayne and South Bend regions.

Southwestern Indiana's plan includes a dozen different projects in Vanderburgh, Warrick, Posey and Gibson counties.

The agreement being drafted with the IEDC spells out numerous administrative details, including funding distribution and rules of compliance.

As laid out in the draft document, the IEDC will release Regional Cities money on a per-project basis  after grantees submit a claim form for the money.

Grantees must also submit to the IEDC quarterly progress reports, with the first reports due by July 31.

Originally, the program was to provide funding for two regions  so the Indiana Legislature will have to agree to fund all three. The legislation passed in the Senate this month, and it has been assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee.

IEDC spokeswoman Abby Gras said her agency is optimistic the House will pass the legislation.

"We're excited to get started," Gras said.

The 2016 legislative session ends March 14.
Mobility News

CRN Exclusive: Google Terminating Play For Education In A Small-Scale Retreat From Android's Educational Market

Joseph Tsidulko

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Google is retreating from a small segment of its booming education business by ending the life of a product that was developed to encourage adoption of Android tablets in schools, Google partners told CRN on Friday.

Google Play for Education, an extension of the Play software distribution platform, was rolled out around two years ago with the intent of putting more tablets into the hands of students. The app store, curated in close collaboration with educators, enabled solution providers to manage both devices and their specialized content.

But the Internet giant from Mountain View, Calif., confirmed to CRN on Friday it will cease selling Play for Education licenses to partner tablet vendors March 14. Google said it will continue supporting all existing accounts, allowing current customers to access the education-focused app store for as long as their devices are in service.

[Related: Google Guaranteed: 8 Google for Work Recommended Cloud Apps]

Play for Education was available to educators, and partners that serve that market, through a select number of Android tablets. The product is in the Google for Education family that also sells Chromebook laptops, the best-selling brand in the educational market.

While Play for Education will be withdrawn from the market, Android tablets will still be able to run all the educational apps that were available through Play. And some of Google's Enterprise Mobility Management partners will continue offering their own Android marketplaces for discovering and pushing content to students.

One Google partner executive who asked not to be named told CRN he learned of the product's termination after attempting to procure tablets for a customer.

"We noticed something funny a couple weeks ago" when a client requested a quote for a number of Play for Work tablets, the Google partner told CRN. "Basically all manufacturers told us all those devices were end-of-lifed."

Asus, then Samsung, said they didn't have replacement devices that were Play-integrated, the reseller said. They told him to look at Chromebook laptops as an alternative.

Google later informed the partner that Play for Education was on its way out, and the company should focus on its Chromebooks practice for serving the educational market.

That partner exec said he believes some capability issues, like a limited number of student profiles that could be loaded onto a single device, coupled with competition from Apple's iPads, kept the Android tablets from deeply penetrating the education market, and convinced Google to step back from the program.

Google made a big marketing push last year for the educational tablets, the partner exec said, but "I'm not sure it ever clicked."

Chromebooks, however, compete really well with iPads as well as traditional desktops and laptops, the partner exec told CRN.

And a new generation of touch-screen Chromebooks entering the market can be flipped into form factors that essentially create functional tablets, sometimes at lower prices than actual tablets, he noted.

The subset of Android tablets that supported the Play for Education app, and were geared for school environments, were models from Google's own Nexus brand, as well as from Dell, HP and Samsung Galaxy.

Google, in a written statement, told CRN: "We're committed to providing schools with the best-in-class tools for the classroom, including Chromebooks, which are the #1 selling device in US K-12 education, and a strong and growing ecosystem of educational apps. We'll continue to support our Google Play for Education customers and the devices that they have purchased."
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To this day, Rocco Calo believes that if there was anyone who could have brought an early end to the debilitating February 2006 strike he organized at Sikorsky Aircraft, it was Jeffrey P. Pino, who died earlier this month in the Arizona crash of a plane he was piloting.

Pino had been installed as president of Sikorsky a few weeks into the strike by parent company United Technologies Corp., which Calo  secretary-treasurer of the union that organized the walkout of 3,600 workers in Connecticut and Florida  recalls kept the new executive away from the bargaining table.

In an interview with Hearst, Calo reflected on the 2006 strike that remains today the severest to hit Connecticut dating back more than a quarter century, as well as his early impressions of Lockheed Martin, which acquired Stratford-based Sikorsky from UTC in November 2015. Sikorsky declined a Hearst request for an interview with managers present during the 2006 strike.

At 6 a.m. on Feb. 20, 2006, Sikorsky workers hit the picket line after a union vote in Wallingford the day before rejecting UTCs contract offer, with the union refusing the companys demand that workers shoulder more of the costs of their health care benefits. The impasse, which lasted six weeks with 108,000 working days lost, was the third largest strike in the United States that year. And it was more than twice as debilitating as a nine-day strike in 2001 by machinists at UTCs East Hartford-based subsidiary Pratt & Whitney involving 5,000 workers.

Any time you go out on strike, the first couple of days is all bliss, but it gets old real quick, Calo said. I think the attitude at that time was: Its time we stand up to the bully. We told (union members) it could go a while.

I think (Pino) would have pushed the process along  thats why I reached out to him, he added. I just thought he was a real level-headed guy  and he was pretty well liked by (employees).

Taking a toll

The walkout inflicted plenty of pain on Sikorsky, its workers and Stratford alike, with union members collecting strike wages from the Teamsters Local 1150 of less than $250 a week.

By the third week of the strike resolution, (it) was taking a toll on the workers and the town of Stratford, recalled U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) who joined workers on the picket lines along with other members of Connecticuts Congressional delegation. I have spent a lot of time with workers on picket lines in Connecticut. This was big.

Sikorskys revenue and operating profits were slashed and by extension UTCs. Making matters worse, UTC was reprimanded by the Pentagons Defense Contract Management Agency over slipshod work from Sikorsky.

Major work stoppages rose in 2015 for the first time in three years, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, which measures the numbers of actions, picketing staffers and working days lost. That was on the heels of a 2014 that was the second least disruptive year since 1947. Only in the recession year of 2009 did U.S. employers see fewer work stoppages involving at least 1,000 employees.

Even as unions nationally saw a slight decline in membership as a percentage of all people with jobs, at 11.1 percent in 2014, in Connecticut unions added about 24,000 members that year to increase unionized jobs to 14.8 percent of all workers.

Unions are not at the level of membership (nationally) theyve had in the past, and I think thats one of the contributors to one of the biggest problems we have in this country  that people are not getting wages that are high enough, DeLauro said. There needs to be more of an uptick.

A new era

Sikorskys own union was thrown into disarray in 2014, after the Teamsters investigated $13,000 in spending by former president Harvey Jackson. Jackson died that same year, with the Teamsters appointing trustees to oversee Local 1150s management during the period of the investigation.

Today, Teamsters Local 1150 represents one of more than 50 collective bargaining agreements in place at new parent Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), with most of the Bethesda, Md.-based conglomerates unionized workforce represented by the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAM).

Calo said he looks forward to contract negotiations with his corporate counterparts at Lockheed Martin before the current agreements expiration in February 2018. Sikorskys union will get a sneak peak at its new parents approach to labor negotiations this summer, with IAM readying for a union vote in July in Texas where Lockheed Martin makes Air Force fighter jets and cargo transports. In April 2012, IAM initiated a walkout of about the same number of employees as Sikorsky in 2006, which lasted nine weeks.

Looking back 10 years, Calo acknowledges the Sikorsky union did not win what it sought on the health care front, but Calo believes the strike served UTC notice that it is better to allow concessions than to absorb weeks of stalled production. He says subsequent contracts support that argument, in wages and pension benefits secured by Sikorskys union.

The most important thing that came out of the strike is that we kind of knocked the arrogance out of UTC a little bit, Calo said. They thought for sure they were going to break us in a couple of days, and they didnt ... It really set the tone for us and I think to this day Sikorsky believes that. Whether Lockheed Martin does or not? Hopefully we wont have to prove that again.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-964-2236; www.twitter.com/casoulman
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Its often the first and last experience a city provides. If drivers find it to be anything other than easy, convenient and readily available, their view of the neighborhood dims. But as some cities are showing, parking doesnt have to be painful.

Among Connecticuts urban areas, one stands out as a developing model for best parking practices, and officials from around the state are increasingly looking to Norwalk.

We are so far ahead of most places except for the biggest cities, said Kathryn Hebert, director of the Norwalk Parking Authority. But even in New York City they just implemented pay-by-cell (technology). Weve had it since 2011.

The states sixth-largest city offers multiple smartphone apps to ease the parking experience, offering real-time data on availability in garages and lots. Nearly everything related to parking can be done online, with no need to rush out to feed an expiring meter.

Norwalk officials say they take pains to make parking easy, not punitive, figuring that it makes for a better overall experience and encourages people to make repeat visits. People can receive notifications 15 minutes before a meter is set to expire, and then add time remotely.

The average amount of time people spend at dinner is two and a half hours, but people typically pay for two hours of parking, Hebert said. We dont want people to feel like they have to rush out into the cold and feed the meter.

Though Norwalk is the avowed local parking leader, other cities are innovating, as well. Danbury offers a prepaid debit card known as a Park Smart card that can be used at specially marked meters. It can be purchased in preset denominations of $10, $20 or $50, can be refilled at any time and has no expiration date.

Stamford, with 9,500 parking spaces in 15 locations, relies heavily on signage, with orange P signs indicating available lots in the city center. Greenwich has several lots that offer a pay-by-phone option, which allow users to pay with cash, coins, credit cards and smartphone.

In many smaller towns, the availability of downtown spaces may draw some grumbles, but parking issues tend to begin and end at the train station, where waiting lists for a spot can take months or years.

Hebert said parking should be seen as part of a citys economic development strategy, not as a revenue stream.

We dont want people to get tickets, she said. We want people to comply, but getting a ticket leaves a bad taste in their mouth. We think were helping move the city forward.

In Bridgeport

Contrast the technology-driven Norwalk scene with downtown Bridgeport, where the parking meters take quarters  and nothing else. No other coins, no credit cards and nothing on a smartphone will help.

A 2014 study by Timothy Haahs and Associates engineering consultants examined an array of downtown Bridgeport parking options, with the replacement of the current, dated meters a top priority. Credit-card-enabled meters, pay-by-phone technology and kiosks to allow payment at multiple spaces are all recommended.

According to the consultants, Bridgeport in 2012 received bids to install credit-card-enabled meters, but postponed the plan due to budgetary and other concerns.

The study also determined that the city could boost revenue by more than $250,000 a year by following its recommendations, though more than half of that would come from increased enforcement. Local merchants say theres more than enough of that already.

Since I took over Moes with my partner in August 2013, I have paid $1,795 in fines. That is ridiculous, said Kelvin Ayala, co-owner of Moes Burger Joint at 997 Main St. Others downtown say parking enforcement officials are too quick to give out tickets and tow cars.

Improvements may be on the way. Mayor Joe Ganims Transition Task Force last week unveiled its priorities for the new administration, which took office Dec. 1. The removal or upgrade of outdated parking meters is among the top development plans.

Mayor Ganim has made it very clear he wants this to be a priority, said David Kooris, who heads the citys Office of Planning and Economic Development. I know the mayor heard a lot about it during the campaign.

The chief administrative office in City Hall is taking the lead on overhauling parking, officials said.

It is definitely on peoples minds, said Michael Moore, head of the Downtown Special Services District.

Walkable streets

Despite stated desires across the state for walkable communities with multifamily housing and transit connections, most Connecticut destinations are still reachable only via automobile, making parking management a critical task.

John Simone, president of the Connecticut Main Street Center, a nonprofit organization that works to revitalize downtowns, said parking must be accommodated.

You need to make sure its not dominating, he said. It needs to be managed as an economic development tool, not a revenue stream.

Included in that strategy is breaking parking down by tiers  short term, where people park in half-hour increments; midrange, where people will spend most of a day in the area; and long range, for people who live or work locally.

You need to make sure its priced right, and make sure its as easy to use as possible, Simone said.

Some practices serve to discourage the local economy. One of the worst things you can see if Mr. Store Owner comes in, parks right in front of the store and leaves it there all day, he said. The value of street parking is that it will turn over, and youll get more people in to visit your stores.

He said parking is often considered to be a bigger problem than it really is.

Wherever we go, people say theres not enough parking, he said. Thats not really the problem. Its usually just not well-managed or well-coordinated.

hbailey@ctpost.com; 203-330-6233; @hughsbailey
More Living Report: Connecticut is a top state for singles

Where are all the single ladies? According to location site, FourSquare, they are at Harlan Social in Stamford.

The site looked at bar visits by gender across the United States in 2015 to find the 55 best bars in the country to meet single women. Harlan Social is the only Connecticut bar to make the list.
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BRIDGEPORT  Alice Gorham-Wiggins, a custodian supervisor at the downtown library, peeked into the upstairs conference room.

She listened as library board members, meeting Wednesday with director Scott Hughes, publicly presented a litany of complaints about his job performance.

He missed the deadline for a $1 million grant. He does not convene staff meetings. He is disliked by employees. He is seldom in the office. He does not communicate with his own bosses, the board.

I love the work that he does, a defiant Gorham-Wiggins told a reporter.

Whether a majority of the board agrees will be known in the coming weeks. Members will meet to possibly discipline or perhaps even fire Hughes, who they hired nine years ago in April from New York state.

Hughes in response is challenging the boards authority in court, alleging members were never properly appointed by the City Council.

And all of this is playing out as Hughes and the board undertake an ambitious plan for underserved neighborhoods, renovating the old Newfield Library on Central Avenue and transforming a former Salvation Army store and the FitzWillys Restaurant site, both on East Main Street, into new branches.

Weve got to seek funds for three more libraries, board member Judge William Holden told his colleagues, concerned about Hughes problems with the $1 million in state aid.

One library worker who, fearing retribution did not wish to be identified, said of Hughes, He cannot handle these projects.

Hughes would beg to differ.

Im hopeful for 2016. Id like your support, he said. I know I have the communitys support.

That includes his fellow black leaders and activists whose neighborhoods are anticipating the new libraries.

Scott has really turned the library around to be more people-friendly, said ex-state Sen. Ernest Newton. And hes tried to use it as an economic tool in some of the depressed areas like the East Side, the East End.

A contentious relationship

Holden, who is also a respected African-American leader in town, was one of Hughes harshest critics last Wednesday. He and other board members claimed that until recently the group stood firmly behind Hughes.

We supported him every step of the way, recalled Library Board President Jim ODonnell.

That past position has been frustrating for many of Hughes employees.

The two unions representing Bridgeports library workers - the National Association of Government Employees and the City Supervisors Association - in 2010 held a no confidence vote in Hughes leadership.

They alleged at the time that he had created a hostile work environment, lacked managerial and communications skills, and violated union contracts.

Six years later the situation appears the same.

It would be kind to say its been a contentious relationship, said Ed Gavin, the supervisors attorney.

Gavin called the board of directors scrutiny of Hughes long overdue.

Based on last Wednesdays meeting and a review of the minutes of prior board gatherings, Hughes handling or mishandling of the $1 million state construction grant was the final straw for the board. Members had made it a key part of Hughes job performance review.

The grant application was due Sept. 1 and, as of the boards August minutes, Hughes claimed everything was on target. Then at the Oct. 22 meeting, Hughes told the board that the deadline had been missed, blaming it on a failure of communication and misinterpretation, according to the minutes.

But, when he addressed the board Wednesday, Hughes claimed, There was nothing about the grant that was a realistic goal for last year.

ODonnell said that was never communicated to us until after the deadlines passed.

Catching a lot of hell

Some of Hughes supporters believe he has been made a target because of his political activities.

In 2009 he helped to stage a successful referendum forcing then-Mayor Bill Finchs administration to create a special library tax to provide more stable funding.

To this day Hughes is often credited for the initiative.

He got the referendum started, recalled Gorham-Wiggins.

But Hughes critics on the library board portrayed him as part of a group of individuals, including ODonnell and then fellow board member Sylvester Salcedo, who forced the issue.

The only reason the referendum got on the ballot was because I and former director Salcedo sued the city, ODonnell said Wednesday.

Then in 2014 Hughes tried to run for state Senate. ODonnell at the time aired some concerns about whether serving in Connecticuts part-time legislature would interfere with Hughes library duties.

Hughes also was elected to the Democratic Town Committee and, not having a great relationship with Finch, last year supported ex-Mayor Joe Ganims successful comeback.

Ralph Ford, an influential East End black leader and Democrat, believes the library board is picking on Hughes because he expanded his political interests beyond the referendum.

And Newton took it a step further and argued Hughes is being punished for endorsing Ganim.

A lot of the board members were upset because Scott didnt support Bill Finch, Hughes said. So hes been catching a lot of hell because of that.

Both Greenberg and ODonnell in separate interviews insisted Hughes politics are not an issue.

Greenberg said Hughes has a lot of good ideas, innovative ideas, but that his job performance has gotten much worse, particularly in the last year.

Hughes has decided not to run for re-election to the town committee.
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Hillary Clinton is on the list.

So are Republicans not named Donald Trump, Wall Street, the billionaire class and the political establishment.

But there was a glaring omission in the snap analysis of who the big losers were in last weeks presidential primaries in New Hampshire. Its a movement synonymous with Connecticut: gun control.

Runaway victories by Trump and Bernie Sanders, the populist U.S. senator from Vermont, have unsettled groups such as Connecticut Against Gun Violence and the Newtown Action Alliance, the latter formed in response to the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings.

Neither candidate stands up to their litmus test like Clinton, the gun-control groups say, citing Sanders voting record and Trumps macho rhetoric. It was just last month that Trump remarked that he could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody without losing votes.

Clintons stumble could create an opening for another favorite gun-control crusader, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is weighing a third-party bid for president.

Of course, Bloomberg has been very helpful on our issue, and we would see (his possible candidacy) as a good thing, said Ron Pinciaro, executive director of Connecticut Against Gun Violence.

A Bloomberg spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

Clintons top messengers in Connecticut, including U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a Yale Law School classmate of Clinton, downplayed the scenario of Bloomberg wresting away the issue of gun control.

I have deep admiration for Michael Bloombergs eloquent advocacy on this issue, but I think Hillary Clinton has demonstrated over many years her equal passion and fervor, Blumenthal said. My hope is that no candidate owns this issue and that they are all on the right side with the same passion and commitment, and that it becomes a defining issue between the Democrat and Republican candidates, not among the candidates on our side.

Clinton vs. Sanders

Blumenthal said its premature to discuss a third-party candidacy by Bloomberg, who has invested more than $50 million into the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety.

There is a lot of speculation in political circles about a potential Bloomberg candidacy if the Clinton campaign runs into real trouble, Blumenthal said. Everyone seems to accept that his decision wont be made until there are additional primaries.

The Newtown Action Alliance, which endorsed Clinton before the New Hampshire primary, accused the National Rifle Association on Twitter last week of aiding Sanders in the Democratic nominating contest.

We clearly want Hillary to move forward because shes the strongest, said Po Murray, the Action Alliance chairwoman. Shell go toe-to-toe with the NRA. Were not confident that Bernie Sanders will do the same.

Clintons gun-control allies, who include Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, have criticized Sanders for his vote against Brady Bill when he was a member of the House. Named for the late James Brady, the Reagan White House aide who was nearly killed during a 1981 assassination attempt on the president, the legislation established a federal background check program and mandatory five-day waiting period for gun purchases.

Another strike against Sanders, they say, was his support of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which shields firearms companies from liability claims when one of their guns is used in a crime.

There is some concern that as to how supportive (Sanders) would be to our causes, Pinciaro said.

Sanders campaign did not respond to a request for comment, but his supporters took great exception to the criticism that the self-described Democratic socialist is soft on gun violence.

He has an F rating with the NRA, said Sal Liccione, a Sanders volunteer and Democratic Town Committee member from Westport.

Tapping into voter anger toward the political establishment, Wall Street, wage disparity and the high cost of health care and college tuition, Sanders defeated Clinton by 22.4 percentage points in New Hampshires first-in-the-nation primary. Gun control factored much more prominently in Clintons pitch to voters in the Granite State.

Its one of those very few areas that Hillary can get to the left of Bernie Sanders, said David Yalof, political science department head at the University of Connecticut. It definitely helps her to harp on it.

Blumenthal said Sanders gun-control record is improving, but isnt on the same plane as Clintons.

There is a contrast. The facts speak for themselves, Blumenthal said. (But) as the primary author of the proposed law that will end the legal shield that gun manufacturers and dealers have, I am delighted that Sen. Sanders seems to be moving in that direction.

Scott Wilson, president of the 21,000-member Connecticut Citizens Defense League, said Sanders isnt much of an upgrade from Clinton for gun owners.

I dont really see Sanders as a protector of the Second Amendment, Wilson said. I believe, being from Vermont, hes tolerated the fact that people own guns there.

But Joe Visconti, a Trump organizer who ran for governor in 2014 on a Second Amendment platform, said Sanders has a following among gun owners.

Long beards ... theyre old hippies and they like their guns and to hunt, Visconti said.

Trump turnarounds

During Trumps victory speech in New Hampshire, the GOP frontrunner termed the Second Amendment as sacred.

Theres not going to be any more chipping away at our Second Amendment, Trump said. Paris has the toughest gun laws in the world. If there were bullets going in the other direction, believe me, it wouldve been a whole different story, folks.

But Trump previously declared his support for an assault weapons ban in his 2000 book, The America We Deserve.

Its so hard to say with Trump, because his positions are so different from his positions at other times, Pinciaro said. You wonder if some of his positions are geared toward the electoral constituency, (as opposed) to what he really believes.

A president who favors furthering gun control would face a major hurdle in the Republican-controlled Congress, which blocked President Barack Obama from expanding federal background checks after 20 first-graders and six educators were killed in Newtown.

As long as the House in controlled by the Republicans, its clear that gun control is not going to be high on the presidents agenda, Yalof said. New presidents dont like to come in and lose. Thatll keep it muted, and thatll keep it from being the great litmus test for Bernie Sanders.

neil.vigdor@scni.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy
Has your team been underperforming and not meeting your expectations? One of the root causes of poor team performance is low engagement by employees.

Related: The Benefits of Practicing Vulnerability in the Office

Now, there are a multitude of reasons that cause employee disengagement, but poor leadership is a big one. And one of the factors behind poor leadership, which leaders themselves often overlook, is their inbility to let themselves be vulnerable. How is vulnerability a leadership attribute that impacts engagement?

The answer is that being vulnerable allows a leader to emotionally connect with employees. And when employees have a strong emotional connection to a manager or CEO, they will walk through fire for them.

A great example of the power of vulnerability comes from entrepreneur Archana Patchirijan, founder of Hubbl, who announced to her team that she had to let all of them go because the company had run out of cash. Her employees refused to hear it. In fact, they said they were willing to have their pay cut in half in order to keep the company afloat.

Why would all of these highly skilled engineers do this? They did it because they'd witnessed Patchirajan sharing her doubts along the way and treating each employee like a family member.

What does vulnerability from you, as leader, look like to employees? It means they see you as being honest when you admit you have doubts and dont have all of the answers. It means admitting and owning the mistakes you have made, large and small.

Leaders also demonstrate vulnerability when they have the courage to be human and show their emotions in a purposeful way, sharing their personal stories, which connect emotionally to other people.

Vulnerability is not a sign of weakness or being submissive, and its not about sharing your deepest, most personal secrets. When purposeful, vulnerability is a strength that can provide the leaders expressing it with a number of benefits.

So, if being vulnerable is a leadership strength, why dont more leaders practice it? Bottom line: fear and ego. Being vulnerable requires taking emotional risks and letting go of pretenses that leaders believe are required of them. It requires their admitting that they dont know all the answers and that being wrong is okay -- just as it is okay for the people they lead.

What steps can you take to start practicing being vulnerable?

1. Sit and actively listen while others control the conversation.

If you are used to driving conversations, this technique will feel uncomfortable. As a leader, when you are able to let go of a conversation's direction, you provide space for other voices, opinions and ideas.

Related: How to Discover the Stronger Side of Your Vulnerability

2. Use personal stories that connect emotionally with an employee or employees and demonstrate that you have been in their shoes.

Most leaders and business owners don't realize that employees often see their leaders as different from them. Personal stories will show your employees that you are human and imperfect just like them.

3. Admit to making mistakes and explain how you learned from them.

When you admit to your mistakes, you are announcing to employees that mistakes are tolerated as long as they aren't repeated. Ultimately, you will receive more timely "bad news" that can be best corrected sooner rather than later. People will no longer be hiding their mistakes.

4. Ask for help when you dont know the answer, because you dont have all the answers.

The reason you have a team of employees is that you can't know it all. When you start asking for help, guess what? People will want to step up and help. I remember the first time that I admitted to my team that I needed help. I felt as though I had dumped a huge load of bricks; I felt such relief.

5. Let go of your belief that you have to always show strength, confidence and perfection as a business leader.

Once you start practicing being vulnerable, employees will see you as an authentic human being, just like them. And, guess what? People like people who are like them more than those who are different. That's human nature. And when people really like you, they will do amazing things, like walking through those fires to rescue you.

Related: Are You Brave Enough to Be Vulnerable?

Related:



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Back in May of this year former U.S. House Speaker and Texas native Jim Wright died at the age of 92.

Wright was a longtime Texas Democrat who became the first House speaker in the nation's history to be driven out of office in midterm.

Although three House speakers had resigned before Wright stepped down in 1989, they all served during the 19th century  and none had been under fire for breaking House ethics rules.

Everyone from President Barack Obama, former President George H.W. Bush., U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn offered up words of condolence in the wake of his death earlier this year.

RELATED: Things to know about former House Speaker Jim Wright

Among all of his honors and accolades, it is sometimes forgotten that Wright played a small part in one of the most devastating chapters in modern American history.

As a prominent Texas Democrat, Wright joined officials in welcoming President John F. Kennedy to Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, riding in the presidential motorcade as it passed through Dealey Plaza. Kennedy's assassination that day cast a shadow on the city and the state for a generation.

"To describe the depth of sadness that engulfed us that day defies vocabulary," Wright once said, recalling how the friendly mood of the Dallas crowds turned to "sheer terror and horror."

Wright was one of the last survivors of the Kennedy motorcade. Now nearly 52 years since the assassination, that group of men and women continues to dwindle. He was a passenger in the second congressmans car, which was a white Ford Mercury Comet Caliente, provided by a local Dallas dealership.

RELATED: Report: CIA withheld damning Cuba evidence in JFK assassination investigation

There were a total of three cars full of congressmen.

Also in the car that day were fellow Texas dignitaries Congressman Albert Thomas from Houston, Jack Brooks of Beaumont, Lindey Beckworth, and Olin E. Teague.

Wright was the last living dignitary from his car, with Brooks dying in 2012. The two men were the youngest politicians in that car.

Other people that were in the Kennedy motorcade that live on today include Secret Service agents Clint Hill and Winston Lawson. Journalists Robert MacNeil, Richard Beebe Dudman, and Sid Davis all tell their stories each November. John Connallys press secretary Julian Read and photographer Harry Cabluck are also part of living history.

RELATED: Iconic Houston surgeon Dr. 'Red' Duke dies

He wasnt directly related to the motorcade that day in Dallas, but renowned Houston physician Dr. James "Red" Duke Jr. was a trauma surgeon who attended to Gov. Connally that day at Parkland Hospital when he and a fatally-wounded Kennedy arrived.

Duke died in August at the age of 86 after spending decades saving lives in Houston.

Reporter Bob Clark was in the national press pool car with Malcolm Kilduff, Kennedys press secretary. He is the last surviving soul from that vehicle.

Stephen Fagin, the associate curator at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza in Dallas, says that there a handful of Dallas media members in the motorcade who are still around too.

RELATED: Noted Houston photographer got closer than he wanted to JFK's funeral

Joe Carter, then a United Press International reporter at the Dallas bureau, covered the aftermath at Parkland Memorial Hospital and Dallas Love Field. According to Fagin, Carter later became a speechwriter for President Johnson.

David Wiegman, Jr. was the official White House photographer for NBC News. He was just six cars behind the presidential limo. He shot footage inside the motorcade that has been widely seen.

James Darnell was a cameraman for local outlet WBAP-TV, just eight cars behind the presidential limousine. Helen Holmes was a public relations director at the Sam Bloom Agency in Dallas.

Bob Jackson, photographer with the Dallas Times Herald, was in camera car and according to Fagin, he had spotted a rifle in the sixth floor window of the Texas School Book Depository building.

Jackson would later grab that iconic shot of Jack Ruby shooting accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize in News Photography.
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Associate Justice Antonin Scalia was found dead of apparent natural causes Saturday on a luxury resort in West Texas, federal officials said.

Scalia, 79, was a guest at the Cibolo Creek Ranch, a resort in the Big Bend region south of Marfa.

Scalia arrived at the 30,000-acre ranch on Friday and attended a private party with about 40 people that night, according to a federal official.

He left the party and retired to bed earlier than others, according to Donna Sellers, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Marshals Service.

When he failed to appear at breakfast, a person involved with the ranch went to his room, where he discovered his body. A priest was called to administer last rites.

A federal official, who asked not to be named, said there was no evidence of foul play and it appeared that Scalia died of natural causes.

RELATED: Inside the West Texas ranch where Antonin Scalia was found dead

Chief U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia, of the Western Judicial District of Texas, was notified about the death from the U.S. Marshals Service.

U.S. District Judge Fred Biery said he was among those notified about Scalia's death.

"I was told it was this morning," Biery said of Scalia's death. "It happened on a ranch out near Marfa. As far as the details, I think it's pretty vague right now as to how," he said. "My reaction is it's very unfortunate. It's unfortunate with any death, and politically in the presidential cycle we're in, my educated guess is nothing will happen before the next president is elected."

RELATED: Ted Cruz, Donald Trump among those to react to Scalia's death on social media

The U.S. Marshal Service, the Presidio County sheriff and the FBI were involved in the investigation.

Officials with the law enforcement agencies declined to comment.

A gray Cadillac hearse pulled into the ranch Saturday afternoon and left about 5 p.m. The hearse came from Alpine Memorial Funeral Home.

Scalia's body was taken to El Paso, where it will be escorted back the nation's capital by U.S. marshals and U.S. Supreme Court Police.

RELATED: Scalia 'respected and idealized' by St. Mary's law students

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott released a statement Saturday afternoon, calling Scalia a man of God, a patriot and an "unwavering defender of the written Constitution."

"He was the solid rock who turned away so many attempts to depart from and distort the Constitution," Abbott said. "We mourn his passing, and we pray that his successor on the Supreme Court will take his place as a champion for the written Constitution and the Rule of Law. Cecilia and I extend our deepest condolences to his family, and we will keep them in our thoughts and prayers."

Scalia's death has far-reaching implications for the Supreme Court and a round of major cases the justices are set to decide this summer, including Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, which challenges the university's affirmative action policy, plus a case that contests Obama's immigration policy and another that reexamines the meaning of "one person, one vote," said former U.S. Rep. Charlie Gonzalez.

RELATED: Key opinions by Justice Antonin Scalia

President Barack Obama is unlikely to successfully name a new justice to replace Scalia before his second presidential term ends, Gonzalez said, because Congress will block any appointment he tries to make.

"I don't see that the Republican-led Senate would confirm anybody chosen by President Obama," Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez only met Scalia once, when he spotted the justice walking in the U.S. Capital to view a Supreme Court exhibit. Gonzalez asked him how Scalia was doing; Scalia said, "Fine."

"I prevailed in my only exchange with the Supreme Court," Gonzalez said.

The death immediately became an issue in the presidential race as during a GOP debate Saturday night, five of the six candidates taking part urged Republicans to block any attempt by the president to get his third nominee on the court.

Only Jeb Bush said Obama had "every right" to nominate a justice during his final year in office.

President Obama, in remarks to the nation, praised Scalia as a brilliant legal mind who influenced a generation of lawyers and students.

The President also announced his intentions to nominate a successor, saying he plans to fulfill his constitutional responsibility to fill the vacancy.

Scalia was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan.

Staff writers Vianna Davila, Tyler White, Richard A. Marini and John MacCormack and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
When couples split up, there are many valuable  albeit painful  lessons to be learned and our ability to move on in a positive way involves seeing the truth, accepting our own culpability and making healthy adjustments for the future.

This same analogy might be applicable to General Electrics announcement that they are moving their world headquarters to Boston.

As with any breakup, we can lament and criticize and place blame on the other party or we can look in the mirror to review our own behaviors and see the opportunities this parting of ways offers us.

Yes, our state pension system is in disrepair, were facing significant budget shortfalls and our roads and bridges need fixing. But GE is not leaving Connecticut simply for those reasons or its frustration over taxes. It is leaving, it says, because Boston offers a wide range of attractive amenities, a sophisticated, concentrated high-tech work force and a proven track record of change, innovation, fiscal responsibility and cooperation.

In its Dear Connecticut letter, GE pointed out, We want to be at the center of an ecosystem that shares our aspirations. Greater Boston is home to 55 colleges and universities. Massachusetts spends more on research and development than any other region in the world, and Boston attracts a diverse, technologically fluent workforce focused on solving challenges for the world.

GE selected Boston after they evaluated the business ecosystem, talent, long-term costs, quality of life for employees, connections with the world and proximity to other important company assets. Those include multiple locations and several thousand GE employees already in Massachusetts. And to help further motivate GE, the state and city worked together to offer a rich incentive package and relocation assistance.

So taxes and Connecticuts fiscal woes may have started the public search, but in the end it was about much more. It was about the future of GE and what location would best serve that.

Lets not kid ourselves by blaming this on corporate narcissism or the high costs of doing business. GE told us what was wrong in our relationship, and we didnt take them seriously, or seriously enough to make them believe we were willing to change. We should lament GEs departure, but theres work to be done.

Connecticut is not Massachusetts, and Boston is Boston  GE looked at 40 other U.S. cities before making its decision. Connecticut has much to offer, including the many Fortune 500 companies and successful manufacturing facilities in our state that belie the naysayers. And we may not have 55 colleges and universities in one city, but we have tremendous private institutions of higher learning, and a robust community and state college system.

So whats missing? Creative, strategic, visionary and tactical partnerships  just what GE and other investors are telling us. Whats also missing is the leadership to get everybody on one page.

Universities, corporations, host cities and the state must be at the same table. Entrepreneurs and forward-thinking companies are looking for technological leadership, smart, sustained investments in education, follow-through on promises and non-partisan cooperation.

A blatant bias to action needs to be our top priority. GE didnt make its decision to leave Connecticut overnight  it waited to see if things were moving in the right direction, and decided they werent.

Connecticut has the resources and talent to become an incubation mecca and true destination. But first we have to mitigate the continued erosion of opportunity. Infrastructure isnt just about roads, trains and bridges. Tomorrows jobs start with increased support for the competitive resources we already have in place  colleges and universities that attract bright students and showcase all Connecticut has to offer. That includes brilliant faculty, visionary academic programming, dynamic internships, apprenticeship programs linked to regional employers, school-to-career cooperation and local jobs once students graduate. Its a continuum, not separate and disparate parts.

We do not have to become Boston or Seattle. We already are a vibrant, multi-dimensional region that attracts thousands of college students and companies begging for an excuse to stay in Connecticut. We have wide-open spaces, easy access to the ocean and mountains, thriving music, food and arts scenes in our cities and short commutes to New York City and Boston.

It is unfortunate that GE chose to move. But as in all aspects of life, what we learn and what we choose to do to improve ourselves is the true lesson. In the long run, we may find that GE did Connecticut a favor  if were wise enough to benefit from this opportunity and work together more effectively and courageously to improve ourselves for the longer journey.

The writer was Connecticuts lieutenant governor from 2007-2011. He is founder and CEO of Stamford-based Pinnacle Group, a nationwide IT firm.
As patriotic Muslim-Americans who believe in the Messiah Ahmad of Qadian (1835-1908), we congratulate President Obama for keeping it real during his first mosque visit at the Islamic Society of Baltimore, Md.

Amidst escalating Islamophobia, violence against Muslims and attacks on mosques, President Obama, along with other Americans, came through by walking the talk.

Just last November, hundreds of our esteemed compatriots, including Governor Malloy, Congresswoman Esty and Mayor Scarpati of Meriden visited our Baitul Aman House of Peace Mosque in Meriden.

Together we demonstrated how through solidarity and by supporting peace-loving communities and their rightful freedoms we can build bridges and establish fruitful connections. Attacks aimed to terrorize Muslim communities all across America just because of their faith ultimately evolved into a ripple-effect of countless cherished opportunities bringing together neighbors and peoples from diverse traditions, like it did for us locally.

Yet, this miracle of the unity of love is nothing new as it had alighted between the hearts of the holy founder of Islam, Muhammad, peace be upon him, and his neighbors.

As the Holy Quran revealed, And hold fast, all together, by the rope of Allah and be not divided; and remember the favor of Allah which He bestowed upon you when you were enemies and He united your hearts in love, so that by His grace you became as siblings; and you were on the brink of a pit of fire and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah explain to you His commandments that you may be guided (3:104).

This heavenly siblinghood was revived again by the blessed Promised Messiah Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, peace be upon him, who championed a bloodless jihad against moral and social injustices over a century ago. Under Divine guidance his holiness founded the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in 1889, which today is at the forefront of religious freedom and pluralism standing as the largest and fastest growing Islamic community unified under one peace-loving leader.

We continue to expand and have now reached over 207 countries worldwide under the spiritual, not political, leadership of the true Khalifa of Islam, Mirza Masroor Ahmad: the Ambassador of peace, justice and service. Both revolutionary figures echo and illustrate the enriching model of Prophet Muhammad and the true empowering teachings of the sacred Quran which includes love and loyalty to ones country of residence.

So, thank you, President Obama also for reinforcing how it really is with us: Youre not Muslim or American. Youre Muslim and American. Thats why we endorse and advocate the 11 values of www.TrueIslam.com based on the Noble Quran, and welcome you to do the same.

You will also find the Interfaith Outreach team of Americas largest and oldest Muslim Youth Organization, Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, actualizing Holy Quran exhibitions in educational venues nationwide. So join the greater Jihad or Crusade for peace, understanding and national security against extremism and distorted versions of religion.

We humbly invite Mr. Donald Trump and all fellow Americans who have not yet met a Muslim or stepped into a mosque to do so and partake of the tranquility through unity. And realize how integral Muslims are to the fabric of American identity, as many already have. Our Baitul Aman House of Peace mosque is open to the public and our Ahmadiyya Muslim Americans are willing to meet you every Friday during our day of congregational prayer-service at 1:30 p.m., and Holy Quran study group at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 1p.m. Were located at 410 Main Street in Meriden and we look forward to hosting you with inspiring Islamic hospitality, enlightening education, and a lasting friendship. What are you waiting for?

Zahir Mannan is the head teacher and associate director of the Early Learning Program, Inc. at Central Connecticut State University. He is also a leading member of the Muslim Writers Guild of America and frequently publishes in newspapers.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order delaying the payment of property taxes across 26 Florida counties struggling from impact of Hurricane Ian.
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The mass migration into Europe of people from North Africa and the Middle East is one of the most significant cultural, social and economic challenges of our time.

Its repercussions will be of historic significance. And yet, gripped by impotence, we appear to have no coherent strategy for dealing with these seismic events.

We veer from hysteria at the sight of dead children washed up on Greek beaches to xenophobic fury at the news of migrants molesting Western women in public.

Politicians dither and recite cliches, while pressure groups issue politically correct platitudes. We are paralysed by inaction. And its easy to see why.

Hundreds of migrants who arrived by train at Hegyeshalom on the Hungarian and Austrian border walk the four kilometres into Austria in September last year

This influx in particular  these poor souls who risk life and limb to cross icy seas in pursuit of something, anything, that is not the brutality of war  are some of the most traumatised people on the planet.

Back home, many of them were doctors, nurses, teachers, artists. But after being cooped up in a rotting boat on the dangerous seas, they are like desperate animals, wild-eyed and shivering in the glare of the TV news camera lights.

How can we, as a compassionate, generous nation, not be alive to their plight?

Their tragedy makes philanthropists of us all. People organise food parcels, schoolgate mothers co-ordinate lorries full of clothes, celebrities pledge their support, pop stars make fund-raising records.

We invite them in, we offer them hospitality. We bask in the reflected warm glow of our good deeds, foreign aid and fine words.

No wonder were so hurt and angry when, instead of falling to their knees in gratitude and embracing our way of life, they too often remain segregated within their own communities, refuse to engage with mainstream Western culture and  in extremis  commit acts of barbarity towards some of the most vulnerable in our societies.

Refugees - some with children - walk towards the Serbian border from a nearby transit centre on Friday

Im talking, of course, of the gangs of Arab and North African men who rampaged through Cologne on New Years Eve, accused of terrorising and raping German women.

Of the asylum-seekers accused of attacking girls at a teenage rock festival in Sweden last summer.

Of the gang of Afghan migrants filmed attacking two German pensioners on a train who intervened to stop them harassing a young woman.

Of the Somalian teenager recently charged with stabbing to death a Swedish woman helping to run a young asylum- seekers hostel in Gothenburg. (This week, a migration agency ruled that the 6 ft migrant is an adult, not the 15-year-old child he claims to be.)

And it is not just the actions and cultural practices of some of the most newly arrived that gives us cause for concern.

In Britain, we have read about case after case of the wicked grooming rings of predominantly Muslim men who preyed on vulnerable white girls in Rotherham, Oxford, Bristol, Lancashire and Manchester.

Last week, three men from Manchesters Somalian community were jailed for the gang rape of a white teenage girl (none of them showed a scrap of remorse  quite the opposite, in fact).

And this week a gang of 12 men of Pakistani origin were jailed for gang-raping a 13-year-old white girl in West Yorkshire.

Here and across Europe, too, weve seen countless examples of forced marriage, female genital mutilation, honour killings and the many injustices perpetrated by Sharia courts  particularly against women.

How we arrived at this unhappy state of affairs in this country is a tale of cultural imperialism in reverse.

Starting out with the best of intentions, over the past century we have invited many other nationalities to the UK.

It most cases, this has been all to the good. British cultural and economic life is all the richer for it. But there are, sadly, a few exceptions. And Im afraid the most troubling is Islam.

Refugees arrive by train at a transit centre near northern Macedonian village of Tabanovce before continuing their journey to Serbia on Friday

Neither at peace with itself nor with the rest of the world, there are aspects of Islam that seem irreconcilably at odds with the British way of life.

In particular, they run counter to what we believe about the freedom of the individual to practise his or her sexuality and the right of women to equality.

As a woman and the mother of a 12-year-old girl growing up in London whose godfather, one of my oldest friends, is gay, whats going on frightens me.

My daughter is nearly the same age as some of the young girls so appallingly abused in Rotherham and, indeed, the girls from the Yazidi community of northern Iraq who were raped and sold as sex slaves by Islamic State fighters.

And you can imagine what her godfather thinks of the barbarians of Islamic State who throw from rooftops young men accused of being homosexual.

I know full well that were I not blessed with a British passport, were I unlucky enough to have been born in such war zones, I would probably be dead by now, having been deemed too old for use. My daughter would have been defiled and my son pressed into becoming a murderer.

Its awful to have to say it like that, but its true.

The fact that there are hundreds of millions of sane, decent, perfectly civilised followers of the Prophet Mohammed in this world should not make us blind to this reality. Like it or not, there is an ugly side to Islam.

Now, slowly but surely, it is beginning to insinuate itself into our culture.

Yet even now, with these realities brought into sharp focus by the sex attacks in Germany and Sweden, there are many, particularly on the Left and in the liberal media, who impose an insidious political correctness that prevents us from discussing any of this like grown-ups.

Acknowledging the nature and origin of one particular threat we face in Europe is not intended, nor should it be interpreted, as a slander on the majority of Muslims. It is simply a long-overdue reality check.

Some migrants clutched yellow plastic bags as they left the Macedonian transit centre and made their way into Serbia on Friday

So what is that threat? Its brutally simple: a culture of misogyny that Western feminists have worked so hard to eradicate within our own societies is starting to re-assert itself. It is invading our shores via individuals and groups who hail from parts of the world  much of Africa and swathes of the Middle East  that are still stuck in an atavistic, patriarchal way of life.

And that instead of standing up for our hard-won freedoms, we allow ourselves to be bullied into ceding ground by an achingly liberal media  particularly the BBC  and cowardly politicians who are running scared of minority pressure groups and fearful of being branded racist.

You have only to look at the response of the German authorities to the New Years Eve attacks to realise how real that threat is.

They downplayed events almost to the point of covering up the truth, wary that the situation was too sensitive for the public to deal with.

Indeed, worrying evidence is emerging that the German media acted in cahoots with the authorities to censor such stories.

Similar things are happening here. You only had to listen to an absurd apologist on Radio 4s Today programme, who tried to argue these sorts of attacks were common in many cultures.

Or the Labour transport shadow minister Jess Phillips, who said that Cologne-style sex attacks are only the kind of thing that goes on in Birmingham every week.

Consider, too, the Labour councillors who, fearful of losing the crucial support of Pakistani voters, failed to act upon what was going on under their very noses in the Rotherham child grooming scandal, in which 1,400 vulnerable girls were routinely exploited by gangs of Asian men for 16 years.

In the words of the former Victims Commissioner, Louise Casey, who almost a year ago published her report into the abuse: By failing to take action against the Pakistani heritage male perpetrators . . . in the borough, the council has inadvertently fuelled the Far Right and allowed racial tensions to grow. It has done a great disservice to the Pakistani heritage community and the good people of Rotherham as a result.

The truth is that multiculturalism  the philosophy that all religions and cultures are equal  has so far not worked.

Allowing very closed immigrant communities to take over parts of cities and, in some cases, entire towns, has not been healthy for the integration of all Britons.

Worryingly, it too often results in racism and the re-emergence of the foul prejudices of the Far Right.

Trevor Phillips, the former head of the equalities watchdog, said recently that Muslim communities are not like others in Britain, that the country should accept they will never integrate and that it is disrespectful to assume Islamic communities would change. Yet isnt that absolutely the wrong message?

Many indigenous Britons love the thought of living in a vibrant, multiracial Britain; what they dont love is the idea of having their own traditions and freedoms undermined.

That is why, when we hear of Sharia courts undermining the British rule of law and depriving Muslim women of their rights, we should not simply chalk it up to cultural differences.

We should denounce such behaviour as wrong and unacceptable in a modern, civilised society.

And when schoolgirls of African heritage are flown to that continent in the summer holidays to have their genitals cut or their Pakistani contemporaries are kidnapped and pressed into forced marriage that, too, must not be tolerated. Not because these are traditions practised by Muslims. But because they are, quite simply, wrong  whatever belief system you happen to espouse.

And yet anyone who dares to point this out is immediately accused of bigotry.

But if we cannot discuss, openly and honestly, how we feel about the growing presence in society of a group of people who openly despise our way of life, how can we hope to find a way through our differences?

It is time to accept the facts, unpleasant as they are, and ask: why is misogyny endemic among certain sectors of Muslim society  and what can we, as women, do about it?

David Cameron was recently heavily criticised when he said it was important for Muslim women in this country to learn English. Yet surely he is right that if the tens of thousands of women who cant speak English  whether they are 16 or 60  arent helped to learn it, they will not have opportunities in education and employment that should be open to them in our liberal society.

Of course Islam is not the only religion built on misogyny. Christianity, and in particular Catholicism, has historically had a warped attitude to women at its heart.

We venerate the Virgin as the only truly good woman who ever lived, a woman who conceived a male saviour in chastity to deliver us from the actions of Eve, that wicked, weak-willed temptress whose lust and betrayal brought misery upon the world.

When you think about it, thats pretty anti-women.

French gendarmes patrol the 'Jungle' migrant camp in Gande-Synthe where 2,500 refugees from Kurdistan, Iraq and Syria live on Thursday

But the key difference between the misogyny in the Bible and that in the Koran is that no one in their right mind would interpret the former word for word.

Those who do  Christian fundamentalists  are rightly seen as bonkers by the rest of the Christian community, a remnant of a bygone age.

It took hundreds of years for feminists  male and female  to extricate society from the clutches of the medieval Church.

The efforts of the Suffragettes and the work of 20th-century feminism was the culmination of that lengthy process, bringing about a permanent change in cultural, legal and social attitudes, and a shift in the balance between the sexes from one based on the innate superiority of men to the present uneasy state of equality.

Its not perfect, but its a lot better than it used to be.

The problem with certain Muslim communities is that they have not yet made that step.

In powerful countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, the Koran is not so much a manual on how to live a civilised and fulfilling life as a set of immutable instructions.

Women in those countries may still be under the thumb of their male oppressors, but we in Europe are not.

We cannot allow our liberal and tolerant instincts to obscure the fact that many Muslim men in our midst simply do not approve of our way of life.

That attitude, ultimately, is the origin of the attacks on women in Germany.

Because less enlightened Muslim men see only the meekest of females as worthy of respect, it follows that they find Western women  free and confident in their sexuality  deeply unnerving.

Challenge what those zealots consider to be their God-given supremacy and some of them respond in the way that men too often used to control women: through violent sexual assault.

What we have to understand is that if we continue to allow these attitudes to take hold, if young Muslim boys are taught this rhetoric in schools and at their mosques, our daughters in Britain may not enjoy the same freedoms as their mothers and grandmothers.

This is effectively what is already happening in Europe.

Young women who can no longer enjoy the same basic freedoms  a night out on the town without being attacked by mobs of men  as previous generations.

It is a backwards step for womankind, and we must not tolerate it.

These are hard and unpleasant things to write. I wish none of this were happening.

But if the behaviour in Cologne, Sweden and elsewhere is not enough evidence that Islam is a feminist issue, I dont know what is.

How many more women and girls are going to suffer before we accept this fact?
Under the bright lights of Ralph Lauren's Manhattan headquarters Friday, models could be found lounging in a mock New York City apartment--their all-American outfits seamlessly blending in to the magazine-worthy backdrop.

For Fall 2016, Polo Ralph Lauren presented a relaxed collection of classic separates in soft shades of grey, cream and camel.

Tailored tweed and suede sat next to cozy hand-knits and slouchy trousers perfect for a long weekend. The brand's signature fringe adorned bags, pants, and generously-proportioned scarves. Meanwhile wool socks were paired with heels and sneakers reigned supreme.

Under the bright lights of Ralph Lauren's headquarters Friday, models could be found lounging in a mock New York City apartment--their all-American outfits seamlessly blending in to the magazine-worthy backdrop

For Fall 2016, Polo Ralph Lauren presented a relaxed collection of classic separates in soft shades of grey, cream and camel

The brand's signature fringe adorned bags, pants, and generously proportioned scarves

Wool socks were paired with heels for an extra dose of comfort

Tailored tweed and suede sat next to cozy hand-knits and slouchy trousers perfect for a long weekend




One boutique is beloved by the richest women in society who wouldnt bat an eyelid parting with 2,000 for a dress.

The other caters for ladies on a budget who would jump at the chance to bag a 10 bargain frock.

The clientele may be worlds apart but the respective shop owners are in fact sisters  Victoria Beckham and her younger sibling Louise Adams.

The former Spice Girl (left) turned award-winning fashion designer runs a multimillion-pound global empire with a flagship store in the heart of Mayfair meanwhile her sister Louise Adams has recently opened a small boutique called Hidden Closet in Hertfordshire

Clothes from Victoria Beckham's shop: (from left) A dress at 2,100, jeans for 350 and a dress for 2,050

Clothes from Louise Adams' shop: (from left) Top and leggings 30, dress 62 and a top and shorts for 15

The former Spice Girl turned award-winning fashion designer runs a multimillion-pound global empire with a flagship store in the heart of Mayfair. Meanwhile Miss Adams, 39, has rather a lot of catching up to do.

She has recently opened a small boutique called Hidden Closet down an alleyway in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire. Clothes start at just a few pounds and range up to around 60. A small rack is currently selling clothes marked down by 70 per cent. Mrs Beckham wouldnt allow anything as vulgar as a sale rail in her 6,000sq ft minimalist store, designed by renowned architect Farshid Moussavi.

As shoppers mount the sweeping staircase, they can watch the designers New York catwalk show projected on the wall.

Upstairs dresses hang on gold chains, with showpiece gowns costing nearly 3,000. Wool coats set clients back more than 2,000 and sunglasses 275. Mrs Beckhams devotees are paying a premium for real leather, the best wool and silk, all tailored in the UK.

But her younger sister doesnt have the same quality controls, stocking clothes made of faux leather and polyester, some of which are made in China.

She does, however, appear to have taken a leaf out of Mrs Beckhams book, banishing tills from the shop floor. Victoria declared they were ugly when she opened her store in 2014, meaning clients have to pay by iPad. Miss Adams has also adopted this approach  although her customer service skills arent completely seamless.

POSH'S MAYFAIR BUSINESS Victoria Beckham Age 41 Most expensive item: 2,890 black floor-length gown Cheapest item: 275 pair of sunglasses Total staff: Around 100 across the brand Annual turnover: Reported to be 34million for the financial year 2014/2015 Shop rent: Estimated to be up to 400,000 a year, per 1,000 metres squared Marital status: Married for 16 years to David Beckham Children: Four Advertisement

HER SISTER'S DRESS SHOP Louise Adams, age 39 Most expensive item: 62 faux leather style shift dress, reduced to 18.60 in the sale Cheapest item: 10 kaftan Shop staff: No sales assistants. Louise and her business partner man the shop floor Annual turnover: No records available yet Shop rent: Estimated to be around 20,000 a year, per 1,000 metres squared Marital status: Divorced mobile phone boss Hayden Isted in 2007 after five years. Married Darren Flood in 2009. It was reported the pair had split in 2014 Children: Four Advertisement

The Victoria Beckham shop in Dover Street, Mayfair, where there are no sale rails and the cheapest item is a 275 pair of sunglasses

Hidden Closet down an alleyway in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire - the most expensive item was a 62 faux leather style shift dress, reduced to 18.60 in the sale

On a recent visit to the store, she was seen deep in conversation with her business partner Leighann Cook while a customer waited to pay.

At Mrs Beckhams store, clients can expect one-on-one attention  even a glass of champagne. Hidden Closet opened in November and is the second clothing venture for twice-married Miss Adams, a mother-of-four.

She told the Daily Mail: Of course theres a massive, massive difference [between her shop and her sisters].

We have budgets to spend on clothes. We obviously sell more affordable clothing.
Every woman dreams of being swept off her feet by a tall, dark, handsome stranger  and preferably a rich one.

Wouldnt Valentines Day be so much lovelier if that dream came true? Glittering jewels, designer handbags, gem-encrusted lingerie... having a billionaire boyfriend would give the most romantic day of the year a little bit more sparkle.

The average British man spends 50 on his sweetheart for Valentines Day.

But just imagine that instead of being greeted tomorrow with a bunch of droopy roses and a hastily scribbled card, youre treated to gifts fit for an A-lister. David Beckham once gave his wife Victoria a 5.5 million Bulgari necklace, while Angelina Jolie bought Brad Pitt a 200-year-old olive tree worth 12,000 to plant in the grounds of their French chateau.

Here, SARAH RAINEY has compiled a guide to the opulent gifts Mr Moneybags could buy you, if he were your Valentine. A girl can always dream...

BEJEWELLED UNDIES

There the 6.9 million Royal Fantasy Bra, covered in 4,200 diamonds, rubies and yellow sapphires (above)

You wont find billionaires traipsing round the underwear section of John Lewis  they buy their loved ones lingerie at Victorias Secret.

The American brands fantasy bras are the most opulent in the world, worn by supermodels from Rosie Huntington-Whiteley to Cara Delevingne.

Topping the list is the 10.4 million Red Hot Fantasy Bra, made from red satin and encrusted with 1,300 gemstones.

Theres also the 8.7 million Sexy Splendour Fantasy Bra, boasting 2,900 diamonds, and the 6.9 million Royal Fantasy Bra, covered in 4,200 diamonds, rubies and yellow sapphires.

They are so valuable they come with two bodyguards and you have to put them on wearing gloves. Whoever said romance was dead?

1,000 GIANT 5FT BLOOMS

Arena Flowers is offering a 9,000 bunch of 1,000 specially cultivated 5ft-tall blooms, which have been grown in the Ecuadorian mountains

Forget cliched carnations from the petrol station, those with money to burn prefer something much more unique.

Traditionalists, of course, can stick to good old-fashioned red roses. Arena Flowers is offering a 9,000 bunch of 1,000 specially cultivated 5ft-tall blooms, which have been grown in the Ecuadorian mountains.

Arenas Will Wynne says that theyre perfect for a high-flyer, a well-heeled gent or a massive show-off.

If your beloved has a taste for the exotic, theres the Shenzhen Nongke orchid, worth 138,700, a yellow flower that blossoms only once every five years, or the rare Gold of Kinabalu orchid, which grows exclusively in the Kanabula National Park in Malaysia. A dozen will set you back 23,360.

It took Wolverhampton florist David Austin 15 years and 3 million to create the Juliet rose, which made its debut at the 2006 Chelsea Flower Show.

But your mans budget doesnt have to quite stretch to that  he can treat you to a 65 hand- tied bunch of the delicate dusky pink roses.

GOLD-DIPPED CHOCS

Gargantua chocolates, by Kazakh company The Ross Limited, are the worlds most expensive, costing an eye-watering 9,700 for just six

The lady may love Milk Tray  but not when her man can afford a box of something far more luxurious.

Gargantua chocolates, by Kazakh company The Ross Limited, are the worlds most expensive, costing an eye-watering 9,700 for just six.

Of course, the chocolates themselves are pretty special, each created in a different geometric shape and encrusted with gold, but youre really paying for the box, made of pure volcanic glass. Another mouth-watering option is La Madeline au Truffle, an extravagant delicacy made from dark chocolate, truffle oil and vanilla.

At its centre is a French Perigord truffle, one of the finest in the world. Made by Danish chocolatier Fritz Knipschildt, it costs 3,960 per kilogram.

ULTIMATE BAG

He cant go wrong with a wardrobe staple, such as the 24-carat gold Fendi Peekaboo bag, which costs 24,900 and is covered in python skin

He cant go wrong with a wardrobe staple, such as the 24-carat gold Fendi Peekaboo bag, which costs 24,900 and is covered in python skin.

Or for the discerning fashionista, theres the Hermes Birkin bag, the most expensive of which, made from albino crocodile skin, costs 128,000.

Hell think nothing of spending 200,000 on a pair of real-life Cinderella shoes, the Princess Constellation stilettos, made by Birmingham designer Christopher Shellis, which are encrusted with 1,290 diamonds and made from 18-carat gold.

They come with a 1,000-year guarantee  so keep the receipt in case you have a change of heart.

The Swarovski Crystallised Amphora from the New York fragrance shop Bond No 9, costs 2,427 for a one-litre bottl

150,000 PERFUME

At 149,000 for a 500ml bottle, the worlds most expensive perfume No 1 Imperial Majesty by London perfumer Clive Christian  is pricier than liquid gold. But hell want you to smell good, and this rose, jasmine and cinnamon-scented cologne, which takes six months to perfect, will do the trick.

If that seems steep, the Swarovski Crystallised Amphora from the New York fragrance shop Bond No 9, costs 2,427 for a one-litre bottle. Its a bargain, really.

90,000 MEAL

Theres no risk of an M&S Dine-in-for-20 deal or a trip to the local Italian if your other half is loaded.

Oh no, hell treat you to the worlds most expensive Valentines menu, created by Michelin-starred Buckinghamshire chef Adam Simmonds, which costs 61,000, plus 31,000 for wine.

You and your beloved can feed each other 6,000 white oysters and 3,000 beluga caviar, served on 2,000 Flora Danica porcelain and washed down with a 3,600 magnum of Salon Blanc de Blancs wine.

If youve got a sweet tooth, he might splash out on the most lavish dessert in the world  the 17,320 Frrrozen Haute Chocolate from New Yorks Serendipity 3 restaurant. Served in a crystal goblet ringed with an 18-carat gold and diamond bracelet, it contains rare African cocoa and truffles.

TEDDY WITH A DIAMOND

A 4.5ft teddy bear might not be top of your Valentines wish list, but the man with more money than sense can afford to buy you one anyway.

The Big Hunka Love Diamond Bear, made in the U.S., costs 20,800 and comes with a 5.9 carat diamond ring.

Hes stuffed with more than enough love to last a lifetime, say the makers.

If oversized teddies arent your thing, how about the Steiff Louis Vuitton bear?

Last sold at an auction in 2000, its covered in monograms of the fashion house and will set your man back a hefty 1.45 million.

The Big Hunka Love Diamond Bear, made in the U.S., costs 20,800 and comes with a 5.9 carat diamond ring

60,000 ON YOUR WRIST

Nothing says I love you like diamonds, especially if your other half can afford a rock.

Tiffanys Jean Schlumberger gold, diamond and cultured pearl bracelet is one of the most expensive on the market.

Dating from 1964, the impressive piece, bearing a gold spray of berries made from black and white pearls and platinum leaves set with diamonds, costs 59,334. The ruffle cuff bracelet from Hollywood jeweller Neil Lane would make a perfect Valentines gift.

For 173,478, the wearer can drape their wrist in 50-carat diamonds set on a platinum band.

Or if he really wants to push the boat out, he could go down on one knee with the 6.58 million blue diamond engagement ring by jeweller-to-the-stars Bulgari.

Better hope that she says yes...

Tiffanys Jean Schlumberger gold, diamond and cultured pearl bracelet is one of the most expensive on the market

1.2MILLION BUBBLES

Toast your love with the worlds most expensive champagne, the Gout de Diamants, worth an astonishing 1.2 million.

The bespoke tipple, produced in a French vineyard and bottled in Londons Knightsbridge, has a white gold label set with a flawless white diamond and engraved with the owners name.

Vintage connoisseurs may prefer to shower their beloved in a six-litre Methuselah of 1996 Dom Perignon in rose gold.

There are only 35 bottles in existence of this special sparkler, and getting your hands on one would cost 34,000.

Toast your love with the worlds most expensive champagne, the Gout de Diamants, worth an astonishing 1.2 million

SILKEN WORDS

Rich men dont shop at Hallmark  instead, they woo you with a romantic message in a Be My Valentine card from Miami-based Gilded Age.

The hand-painted, personalised cards are inlaid with gold and presented in a silk box  yours to present with a flourish for 2,400.

And he can pour his heart onto the page using the worlds most expensive pen, the Graf Von Faber-Castell Pen of the Year.

The latest model, costing 3,300, has an 18-carat gold nib, platinum body and is adorned with semi-precious gems quartz and serpentines  perfect for penning a soppy poem.

The hand-painted, personalised cards are inlaid with gold and presented in a silk box  yours to present with a flourish for 2,400

PRIVATE SHOW

A homemade CD or the latest Adele album simply wont cut it if youre a billionaire.

Instead of buying you a recording of your favourite artist, he can treat you to a live show in your own home.

Forget tickets to your favourite play; he can book the whole theatre - for 36,600, you'll get a private showing of Romeo And Juliet, starring War And Peace actress Lily James, at Londons Garrick Theatre

Have Beyonce repeat her Super Bowl performance in your living room for 1.3 million or get romantic crooner Michael Buble to serenade you for 346,900.

And forget tickets to your favourite play; he can book the whole theatre. For upwards of 218,830, have the Royal Opera House to yourselves for love story La Traviata, or for 36,600 get a private showing of Romeo And Juliet, starring War And Peace actress Lily James, at Londons Garrick Theatre.

DREAM CASTLE

Its hard to beat a Valentines mini-break  but Mr Moneybags wont just take you to a castle; hell buy you one.

Set up home in a 1.96 million, six-bedroom abode in romantic Siena, Italy, which dates from the 12th century and has its own lookout tower and chapel.

Or you could escape to a private atoll for the ultimate getaway  seven nights on Richard Bransons Necker Island in the Caribbean cost 16,900 per couple.

If youd rather a sumptuous suite, the five-bedroom penthouse atop The Mark hotel in Manhattan is the worlds most expensive, costing 48,250 a night. The bathroom has its own infinity pool and theres a 2,400sq ft terrace.

And why fly economy when he can buy you a private jet (an Aerion AS2, perhaps, for 77 million) or a superyacht (such as the 25 million 170ft Resilience) to cruise there in style?
At just 24 hours old, tiny Zoey Jones was taken to the operating theater for her first surgery.

For the little girl, from Nashville, Tennessee, was born with a defect called VACTERL syndrome.

Her esophagus was not attached to her trachea, her small intestine was unattached from her stomach  and she already had serious heart and lung development issues.

And so, for the next two years of her life, Zoey was continuously in and out of the hospital  her parents warned she would need both a heart and lung transplant.

However, a team of specialists from Nationwide Childrens Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, were able to operate on Zoey  and save her from anxious wait of the transplant list.

Zoeys mother Torri Goddard told Daily Mail Online: Even going through all of this, shes really been our rock.

Zoey Jones, three, (pictured) was born with a rare defect known as VACTERL syndrome - and was told she'd need heart and lung transplants to survive. However, a team of specialists was able to intervene and operate on the little girl, sparing her from the transplant list

Zoeys mother and her father, Blake Jones, were aware Zoey would have health problems before she was born.

Ms Goddard said: At our 20-week ultrasound, they found the heart problem  so we knew early on that she would have a heart condition.

The parents-to-be were told Zoey likely had some form of congenital heart defect.

It ended up being worse than they thought, Ms Goddard said.

Zoey was born with VACTERL  which is a disorder that affects multiple body systems.

According to the National Institutes of Health, VACTERL stands for: Vertebral defects, anal atresia, cardiac defects, trachea-esophageal fistula, renal anomalies and limb abnormalities.

In order to be diagnosed with VACTERL, you must have at least three of those features.

Ms Goddard said: Zoey has the three.

The little girl has butterfly vertebrae  which can cause scoliosis when she gets older  as well as cardiac and trachea-esophageal defects.

She has a full heart, but the right side doesnt function as well as the left  and so, all the squeezing power comes from the left side, her mother added.

When Zoey was born, she was given a 75 per cent chance of survival  yet her heart was doing surprisingly well.

When Zoey (pictured left, with her mother)was born, her esophagus was unattached from her trachea and her small intestine was unattached from her stomach. The little girl (pictured right) also had development problems in her heart and lungs from birth

WHAT IS VACTERL? VACTERL is a rare syndrome that occurs in one in 10,000 to 40,000 newborns. It is a disorder that affects many body systems. VACTERL stands for vertebral defects, anal atresia, cardiac defects, tracheo-esophageal fistula, renal anomalies, and limb abnormalities. To be diagnosed with VACTERL, people typically must have at least three of those characteristic features. However, those who are affected may also have additional abnormalities that are not among the characteristic features of VACTERL association. Sixty to 80 per cent of people with VACTERL association have defects in the bones of the spine (vertebrae). Additionally, 60 to 90 per cent of individuals with VACTERL association have narrowing or blockage of the anus (anal atresia). Heart defects occur in 40 to 80 per cent of VACTERL patients, while 50 to 80 per cent have a tracheo-esophageal fistula. That is an abnormal connection (fistula) between the esophagus and the windpipe (trachea). Similarly, kidney (renal) anomalies occur in 50 to 80 per cent of individuals with VACTERL association. Typically, VACTERL is sporadic, which means it occurs in people with no history of the condition in their family. The developmental abnormalities characteristic of VACTERL association develop before birth. Source: National Institutes of Health Advertisement

However, as she began to undergo procedures to treat her health issues, Zoeys heart condition deteriorated after her first heart surgery.

Ms Goddard said: After her heart surgery, thats when we started sliding downhill.

It didnt go as well as anybody had hoped.

Her heart began to expand, pressing on her left lung and airway.

And so, doctors determined shed need to go on a ventilator and have a tracheostomy tube inserted in order to breathe.

In total, Zoey underwent 12 surgeries, two open heart surgeries, seven cardiac arrests and suffered five strokes.

Ms Goddard said: In December of 2014, the hospital at Vanderbilt University said theres nothing else we can do for her; your best option is to get a lung heart transplant somewhere else.

Luckily, Nationwide Hospital was equipped to handle such a procedure.

In March 2015, they flew Ms Goddard and Zoey up to Ohio to look at her heart and lungs.

Dr Darren Berman, of The Heart Center at Nationwide, said: When Zoey came to our Heart Center, we were collecting data and images for her transplant.

In the [catheterization] lab, we found that blocking some of the blood flow to her lungs by using a vascular plug to close off one of her surgically-placed shunts lowered the pressure in her lung arteries enough that operating might be possible.

And so, the doctors informed Ms Goddard that they would be able to perform surgery in just two weeks  instead of having the little girl wait around for a spot on the transplant list.

Ms Goddard told Daily Mail Online: She would have been on the lower end of the transplant list because she was somewhat stable.

Because the family hails from Nashville, Zoey had been treated by doctors at Vanderbilt University - but the hospital did not perform transplants. That's why the family sought help from doctors at Nationwide Children's Hospital (pictured with an X-ray of Zoey's heart and lungs)

The doctors discovered that the little girl could benefit from surgery, rather than a transplant. Now, Zoey (pictured center) is learning how to walk and talk - and starting to act like a typical toddler

It wasnt life or death for her right then, so she wouldnt have been a priority until it became life or death.

The doctors also told Ms Goddard that Zoeys recovery would take quite a while.

Ms Goddard packed up her belongings and got an apartment in Ohio  and prepared to live there for two months while Zoey recovered.

However, the procedure went so well, the family was able to return home in just 10 days.

She acts like a three-year-old, and she wants to be a three-year-old Torri Goddard, Zoey's mother

Since the operation, doctors have been pleased with Zoeys progress.

Shes not in the clear  and may eventually need a heart transplant when she is older  but since the surgery, Zoey has learned to walk by herself and shes been weaning off the vent.

Zoeys also been learning how to talk  since her tracheostomy tube had prevented her from doing so before.

Ms Goddard said: She acts like a three-year-old, and she wants to be a three-year-old.

At the end of the month, Ms Goddard and Zoey will travel back up to Ohio for a follow-up visit.

If Zoeys heart and lung pressures are good, she will be able to have another surgery that will further improve her heart condition.

Ms Goddard said she and Zoeys father wouldnt have been able to make it through such trying times without the support of their family and friends.

Being a heart parent now, even just other heart parents become a support system  and some of those parents dont have any support at all, Ms Goddard said.
One of the worst things I have had to do in my career is explain to someone who had tried to kill himself with an overdose, but then changed his mind, that he was going to die.

He sat there, in floods of tears, begging me to say there was some way to save him.

Unfortunately, he had taken an overdose of paracetamol, but had not come in to A&E quickly enough. His organs had begun to fail, there was nothing we could do and he had to wait to die.

As I walked away, I thought how few of us understand the reality of suicide. People mistakenly think that if you take an overdose of paracetamol, you just slip into a deep sleep and never wake up.

This is not true. Paracetamol slowly kills your liver, as well as your other organs. It takes a long time. While medication can be given to reverse the damage, there is only a narrow time window in which it works.

After that, the treatment becomes much less effective and there is not much else to do except sit and wait. And wait.

It often takes a day or two before the first signs of liver failure become evident. All that time you are sitting there, often in great pain, just waiting, while friends and family come to cry and berate you for what youve done. The sense of regret is suffocating.

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Simon Binner, 57, ended his life at Eternal Spirit clinic in Basel after saying there was nothing positive about living with motor neurone disease; he is pictured here with his wife Debbie

But its not just overdoses that go horribly wrong. I remember another patient who had jumped out of a window. He didnt die. His pelvis was destroyed and his abdomen split open. He is now in a wheelchair and doubly incontinent. I dont think a day passes by without him torturing himself with regret.

These arent easy stories to tell, but ask any doctor and they will have similar ones.

Each year, around 6,000 people succeed in killing themselves. But never kid yourself that it is nice, quick or easy.

The myth that an overdose is a clean, peaceful death is particularly dangerous. And thats why I am uneasy about this weeks BBC film showing someone kill themselves on TV.

A bout 1.2 million people watched as businessman Simon Binner, 57, who had motor neurone disease, took an overdose of drugs in a Swiss clinic, then gently slipped away as his wife held his hand.

It was emotionally devastating, and part of me thinks its only right that people see scenes like this. They need to know what happens in these clinics.

How can you have an open, rational debate about assisted suicide if youve never confronted the reality of it?

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

But my concern isnt specifically to do with that debate, over which Im horribly torn.

What worries me is that the TV programme sanitised suicide. Simon Binners last moments in that tranquil Swiss clinic were a world away from the appalling truth of what its like for most people who take an overdose.

And by presenting suicide in this way  so calm, so controlled, so peaceful  I worry that the BBC cannot help but promote it.

The Samaritans produce clear guidelines for the way suicides are reported in the media or portrayed in dramas. Thats because there is a wealth of evidence that suicide can be catching. It can trigger copycat behaviour if not reported carefully.

This doesnt mean we should shy away from tackling the subject. On the contrary, theres good evidence that talking to people about suicide reduces the risk.

I sit on the judging panel for the mental health charity Minds media awards, and last years nominations included a number of programmes that covered suicide quite brilliantly. Life After Suicide, which won the Best Factual Television category, was an utterly compelling BBC film that explored what its like for friends and family after someone kills themself.

It was sensitive, raw and brave, but it didnt in any way portray suicide as some gentle release.

And yet thats precisely what this weeks programme did. However good the programme-makers intentions, I worry that vulnerable, depressed people would have seen this extraordinary case of suicide and taken it as standard.

The Samaritans intervened in the film at the last moment and asked for certain scenes to be removed that breached their guidelines. All credit to the producers that they listened and complied.

But I couldnt help but feel the finished film still romanticised suicide. It didnt show the bleak reality of what its like to kill yourself. And it couldnt hope to convey how it feels to tell a young man whos taken an overdose that hes going to die  and see in his eyes the desperate longing for life.

To talk to someone confidentially, call the Samaritans free on 116 123. They are available 24 hours every day. Alternatively, visit their website, samaritans.org

Clegg's a dope on cannabis

Nick Clegg is backing a campaign to legalise cannabis for medicinal purposes

Yesterday's man, Nick Clegg, is backing a campaign to legalise cannabis for medicinal purposes.

Im very wary of this  and not just because anything with Cleggy supporting it instantly turns me off.

Theres no doubt that evidence shows cannabis can alleviate the symptoms of some conditions. One estimate suggests that more than a million people in Britain use it for medical reasons.

If that is true  and it seems to me an implausibly high figure  then it is devastatingly sad, because it represents over a million people who are not receiving adequate medical care. Campaigners have jumped on a storyline in Coronation Street to back their cause, but they have completely missed the point.

The soap character, Izzy Armstrong, resorts to cannabis because her usual painkillers dont help after she falls and dislocates her hip.

But its no wonder they dont work, since they were originally prescribed for the chronic pain she experiences from a connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Rather than give up on painkillers and use cannabis, she should be seen by a pain specialist.

She needs to have the right medication for the type and severity of pain she now suffers.

This isnt a storyline about the law making it a crime to get the pain relief you need. Its a storyline about a woman being failed by our health system.

Im not against exploring how cannabis extracts might help as a medicine. And I have great sympathy for anyone whose medication isnt helping them.

But thats a reason to improve the care they receive  not for demanding they be allowed to smoke dope.

Bandwagon-jumping politicians please take note.

It's the end of the world as we know it - again

Are you having sleepless nights over the Zika virus? No, me neither. And I wish the scare-mongers would shut up about it. Are

There is no doubt the mosquito-borne virus can cause serious problems for pregnant women. The problem is, weve been here before, havent we?

Im bored rigid with hearing the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring emergencies and saying civilisation is at risk. Remember bird flu? Or swine flu?

I look back with embarrassment on the swine flu hysteria that swept the globe. It was predicted that millions would die. This was annihilation for the human race. Goodbye.

Actually, in Britain, 457 people died. Thats considerably fewer than die of standard flu each year. In fact, far more people die falling down the stairs.

Yet we panicked, and Britain hastily spent more than 560 million on drugs such as Tamiflu that later turned out to be next to useless.

I happened to be one of the first people in the country to be given Tamiflu when I was exposed to swine flu from a patient in A&E. It was surreal.

In scenes reminiscent of a sci-fi film, I found myself surrounded by people wearing protective suits, shouting at me that I had to put on a plastic mask, leave the department immediately and quarantine myself for a week.

They only just stopped short of giving me a bell to ring and making me shout Unclean if anyone approached.

I was also issued with a box of Tamiflu tablets. I felt totally fine, but did my duty and took them.

Honestly, I have never felt so dreadful in all my life. The drug gave me the most unbearable stomach pain and nausea. I had no symptoms whatsoever of swine flu, just the side-effects of the flaming medication.

I also had to avoid any human contact. As Id not prepared for being struck down with the plague, I didnt have much food in, so my neighbour took to kindly posting me sandwiches wrapped in tin foil through my letterbox.

The whole thing was ridiculous. But because of all the dire warnings, I was petrified that an act as simple as taking out my rubbish might mean I killed off half the residents in my block of flats.

To my great annoyance, when some of my friends eventually succumbed to the virus, they learned from my experience and didnt take Tamiflu. They just stayed in bed for a day or two and were soon right as rain.

It was just a sore throat, really, they said nonchalantly, as I recalled my hours spent with my head down the toilet.

I understand that organisations like the WHO have to warn us of these things.

But they need to appreciate that when their doom and gloom fails to materialise, we start becoming immune to their hyperbole.
Sir Elton John is set to meet Vladimir Putin

Sir Elton John is looking forward to meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin as he is determined to improve the world for the sake of his children.

The Rocket Man star is due to meet with Putin this year to discuss Russias anti-gay propaganda laws and he cant wait to sit down with the controversial leader and debate the issue.

The meeting came about after he was duped by radio presenters pretending to be the politician, but Sir Elton is adamant he was not embarrassed by the stunt and is happy for the chance to try to get some positive change out of it.

'You have to have a sense of humour about these things,' he tells British magazine ES.

'The next day the Kremlin got in contact and were extremely embarrassed about the way Id been treated.

'And within a couple of days I did have a call from President Putin at my home... and we had a 10- minute chat.

'Soon Im going to go to Moscow to talk to him face to face over a cup of tea  whats the worst that can happen...?'

The rocker goes on to insist gay rights will not be the only topic of conversation on his agenda.

contactmusic.com

Hillary and Bernie debate

The Democratic candidates sound more like history professors in their first match-up after Sanders victory.

During their debate, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders might have taken seriously that the event was being televised by PBS.

How else to explain the bizarre turn the evening took in the second half when moderators focused on foreign policy?

Criticising Clintons record of supporting regime change, Sanders launched a history lesson that included a explanation of the US involvement in the overthrow of the Iranian PM Mohammad Mosaddegh.

hollywoodreporter.com

Treatment for lung cancer

A new report by the Experimental Oncology Group will reveal how a new combination of drugs can reduce lung cancers and improve survival rates.

Researchers at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), will be publishing a paper in the journal Nature Medicine explaining how dasatinib and demcizumab specifically and effectively reduces lung adenocarcinomas and improves prognosis.

Once the studies, headed up by Mariano Barbacid and the researcher David Santamaria, have been completed, the next step in this research would be the clinical trials to validate the combination of these drugs,' says Chiara Ambrogio.
The courts direction comes five days after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met families of those abducted

Concerned over the fate of 39 Indians taken hostage by ISIS one-and-a-half-years ago from a construction site in Iraqs Mosul, the Supreme Court on Friday asked the External Affairs Ministry to appoint a nodal officer to ensure better coordination with Baghdad and international agencies for securing their release.

The direction came after a PIL was filed by lawyer Gaurav Kumar Bansal, who sought a direction to the MEA to intervene and expedite the process of release of the abducted Indians. Bansal claimed he had information that the abducted Indians may not be alive.

I have learnt that one of the missing persons Harjit Masih, who successfully managed to escape from the hands of ISIS, is claiming that all Indian Nationals were asked to kneel shoulder to shoulder by militants dressed in black near a railway track and were shot at one by one, said the PIL.

The courts direction comes five days after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met families of those abducted and, based on her recent meetings with Arab and Palestinian leaders, told them they were alive.

Swaraj had also assured them the Centre was fully and continuously engaged and every possible effort was being made to ensure their release.

Bansal said an RTI revealed that the MEA is yet to issue a protocol for securing release of those abducted.

It is pertinent to mention here that the absence of protocol provides the government a free hand to follow such modus operandi which suits them most, said his PIL.

The SCs direction was in line with what it had ordered in a case where seven Indian seamen were held captive by Somali pirates since 2010.

A nodal agency, which was formed by the MEA after the SC direction, was very effective in that case and the seamen were rescued within months.
Raking up the vexed issue of illegal migration, BJPs chief ministerial candidate in Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal, said migrants from Bangladesh have been posing a threat to the identity of the sons of the soil.

Sonowal, who took over the reins of the BJP state unit last month, alleged that the Congress is trying to bring illegal migrants into the state.

"The local people have been reduced to microscopic minority. These people (immigrants) are the enemies of the people of Assam, Sonowal told Mail Today over phone from Guwahati.

PM Narendra Modi with Union Minister of State and Assam BJP president Sarbananda Sonowal (right)

Claiming that unabated infiltration from Bangladesh is still on, Sonowal said if he is voted to power, his party will find a lasting solution to the issue which is threatening the basis of Assamese society.

Rejecting Congress allegations that BJP is trying to escalate communal tension before the upcoming polls, the 53-year-old leader said, It is a question of the identity of the Assamese society and the BJP is determined to protect it.

Sonowal, who during his days as a student leader of the All Assam Students Union had led a massive anti-Bangladeshi movement, accused the Tarun Gogoi-led state government of being hand in glove with the All India United Democratic Front in protecting illegal immigrants in the state.

Assam goes to the polls in April and the state happens to be the only poll-bound state where the BJP has a fighting chance.

Although it had won just five out of 120 seats in the last assembly polls, the BJP surprised its rivals with an impressive performance in the subsequent parliament polls.

The BJP won half of the 14 seats with vote share of 36.50 per cent, overtaking the Congress.

A confident Sonowal said Assams voters have already set their agenda and will reject the Congress this time.

People of Assam will vote for development and BJP has the brightest prospect. From Sadiya to Dhubri and Barak to Brahmaputra valley, people will vote for us, said Sonowal.

Slamming the Tarun Gogoi government, he said in last fifteen years the Congress government has done nothing for the people and has failed to use the huge central funds.

Corrupt practices are going on for last 15 years, the Gogoi government has even failed to submit utilisation certificate for many schemes.

Countering the perception that the BJPs debacle in Bihar will impact Assam, Sonowal said the issues in Assam are different from those in Bihar and so those results are unlikely to influence electoral results in the state.
Industrial production contracted for the second month in a row registering negative growth of 1.3 per cent in December mainly due to drop in the manufacturing sector.

Factory output, measured in terms of the index of industrial production (IIP), had declined by 3.4 per cent in November as well, according to data released by Central Statistics Office (CSO) on Friday.

The data showed a massive decline of 19.7 per cent in the output of capital goods, comprising machines used in factories, which reflects the amount of real investment taking place in the economy.

The manufacturing sector declined by 2.4 per cent in December 2015 as against a growth of 4.1 per cent in the same month of 2014

The manufacturing sector, which accounts for more than 75 per cent of the index, declined by 2.4 per cent against a growth of 4.1 per cent in December 2014.

The data comes close on the heels of CSO figures released last week which showed that GDP expanded by 7.3 per cent in the October-December quarter of this fiscal on the back of a double-digit growth in the manufacturing and services sectors.

However, the industrial production figures for December contradict the doubledigit growth data in manufacturing depicted in the GDP figures.

Crisil chief economist D.K. Joshi said that the two figures are not strictly comparable as the GDP figures cover more goods which are not included in the IIP figures, based on the old classification.

But the two sets of figures should move in tandem, he added. While we should not give too much importance to monthly fluctuations in industrial production, the figures show that there has not been a decisive recovery in manufacturing.

Sunil Kanoria, president, Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, said,

A worried India Inc urged the government to take immediate policy measures to arrest the decline.
Former Delhi University lecturer SAR Geelani has been booked for sedition in connection with an event at the Press Club of India

Former Delhi University lecturer SAR Geelani has been booked for sedition in connection with an event at Press Club of India (PCI) last Wednesday where anti-India slogans had been allegedly raised while praising hanged terrorists Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat.

The PCI administration also came down heavily Ali Javed, the member who had booked the venue for the event and expelled him from the club on Friday.

Javed, a professor at Delhi University, was also questioned by the police at the Parliament Street police station.

An FIR was registered against Geelani and other unnamed persons under Sections 124A (sedition), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the IPC in connection with the event, DCP (New Delhi) Jatin Narwal said.

The police claimed they had taken suo motu cognizance of the media clips of the event. By the time we registered the case, we had received no complaints from any party, Narwal added.

The police also claidmed that Geelani was booked as he was presumed to be the main organiser of the event. According to the police, the request for booking a hall at the club had been done through Geelani's e-mail address and the nature of the event was proposed to be a public meeting.

We are monitoring video footage and trying to ascertain the identity of the ones involved in anti-India sloganeering. We shall question several individuals who were present at the event, a senior official said.

The PCI had on Friday issued a showcause notice to Javed but representatives of the club said they had found his explanation inadequate and unsatisfying owing to which they had expelled him.

The managing committee met today and came to the conclusion that the members reply to the show-cause notice that came in today morning was not satisfying. We act on trust and what he did was to breach that, so we expelled him, said PCI president Rahul Jalali.
Rolls-Royce has cut its dividend for the first time in 24 years and warned of hundreds more jobs cuts to come as it shores up its finances.

The business, which was established by Henry Royce in 1884, is expected to axe around 200 to 400 more management roles over the next few months.

This is on top of 50 senior managers who went last month and a further 3,600 staff who have already left or are in the process of leaving its civil aerospace division and marine business.

Sunnier days: Engineer Rolls-Royce saw its shares jump 13 per cent today as it bolstered its finances by halving its shareholder payout and eased fears by not issuing any fresh profit warning

Chief executive Warren East said: In the last two months we have already announced a 20 per cent reduction in the top two layers of senior management, and there are further reductions planned for 2016 and onwards.

The business has earmarked a one-off charge of between 75million and 100million to pay for these changes and has halved its final payment to investors to help pay for this.

The reduction in dividend to 7.1p-a-share was deeper than the 30 per cent cut that analysts had expected.

But shares in Rolls  which have halved over the past 10 months from fears about the dividend  yesterday soared 14 per cent, up 76p to 606p.

Investors welcomed the fact East did not issue another profit warning and stuck to his earnings forecasts for 2016  set to be 650million lower than this year.

In the past two years Rolls has issued five profit warnings as it struggled as governments and airlines reined-in spending.

ValueAct, an American activist investor, has also built a 10 per cent stake in the business and has been pressing for a position on the board.

Making gains: This Bloomberg graph shows that Rolls Royce share price spiked this morning after it avoided yet another profit warning

Big changes: Last month, Rolls-Royce boss Warren East, (pictured) told employees that a quarter of their 200 senior managers would be made redundant as part of the group's turnaround plans

Underlying profit before tax fell to 1.4billion for the year ending December 31, down from 1.6billion. Underlying revenues were down 1per cent to 13.3billion.

The civil aerospace part of the group, which makes engines for passenger jets and is the biggest part of the business, saw a 14 per cent fall in underlying profit to 812million.

Rolls makes the lions share of its earnings from maintenance contracts and it had not bargained on airline customers mothballing jets containing its engines earlier than planned.

Airlines have also switched to smaller, more fuel-efficient planes which dont tend to use Rolls-Royce engines.

Its marine business also suffered a 94 per cent fall in underlying profits to 15million.

This business, which services offshore oil rigs, has been heavily affected by the crashing oil price. East launched a review of the business when he joined last July.

In December he scrapped the firms two division structure and now has five  defence, nuclear, marine, power systems and civil aerospace engines  reporting directly to him.

He is now trying to cut the firms cost base and yesterday said this is on course to be between 150million and 200million by 2017 and that there would be no need for a rights issue.

Steve Clayton, head of equity research at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: The name may say Rolls-Royce, but lately shareholders might have felt more like they were at the wheel of a Lada.

Rolls-Royce has a huge order book, but cannot translate this into reliable earnings at the moment.
He's been dubbed the warrior king of Wall Street because of his legendary swagger and instinct for survival, writes Hugo Duncan.

Now the boss of JP Morgan Chase  Jamie Dimon  has made an 18million bet on his US banking giant by snapping up 500,000 shares following the dramatic fall in share prices so far this year.

Its a bold bet on the financial health of global banks, and comes despite JP Morgans own stock falling around 20 per cent this year.

Only in America: Jamie Dimon has shown American-style bravado for buying JPMorgan shares, but analysts say British bank chief executives have not been in their jobs long enough to afford to do something similar

Japans banks have lost more than a third of their value in the same period while European banks are down around 30 per cent and UK banks 25 per cent.

The decision by Dimon to plough so much of his own fortune into JP Morgan was seen as a much-needed vote of confidence in the sector.

Jamie Dimon has stepped up to the plate, said Mike Mayo, an analyst at investment firm CLSA. Its a big number.

He said the recent stock market sell-off is either a financial catastrophe or an epic buying opportunity, and Dimon is in a position to know what outcome is more likely.

Dimon, 59, has been chief executive of JP Morgan since the end of 2005 and now owns more than 6.7million shares in the company that are worth almost 250million.

He is not the only bank boss to have gambled on the sector in recent days.

Citigroup chief financial officer John Gerspach bought around 350,000 worth of shares this week while the banks chief executive Michael Corbat and chairman Michael ONeill bought almost 700,000 of stock three weeks ago.

Dimon, who was born in New York, is of Greek descent.

His grandfather was an immigrant who worked as a banker in Athens, and changed the family name from Papademetriou to Dimon to make it sound more French.

Married to Judith Kent, he has three daughters and has a fortune thought to be worth more than 800million

He led the bank successfully through the financial crisis  building what he described as a fortress balance sheet  but has been rocked by a series of scandals in recent years.

JP Morgan lost 4.3billion after trades by the so-called London whale Bruno Iksil turned sour. Dimon initially dismissed the mounting losses at the banks London offices as a tempest in a teapot.
Bricks and mortar took a battering in a week where no sector was safe from stock market strife.

British Land, one of the biggest property companies on the FTSE, saw its share price slide more than 8 per cent this week, while Land Securities has dropped nearly 15 per cent so far this year.

The sharp moves have sparked concerns that the burgeoning property market may be at risk of contagion from the crisis of confidence affecting markets.

Property is a notoriously tricky area to invest in. There are several ways to do so.

Firstly, you could invest in the shares of property companies, or you could put money in a fund which invests in these firms. But most savers interested in property are looking for funds which own actual buildings.

Gloom for builders: British Land, one of the biggest property companies on the FTSE, saw its share price slide more than 8 per cent this week

Some of these are open-ended funds in which you buy and sell units. These type of investments suffered hugely the last time the property market took a tumble.

Savers all tried to pull their money out of the funds at once, but to get their money back the fund managers had to sell the property they owned. When they couldnt sell it quickly enough to meet redemptions, they locked savers in.

Richard Shepherd-Cross, managing director at Custodian Real Estate Investment Trust, says: The problem is that savers put money into these funds when property is most expensive, and want to pull it out when its cheapest.

Investment trusts such as Mr Shepherd-Crosss also own property but they are listed on the stock market where investors can buy and sell shares in them just like any other company. If savers pile out of these companies they dont have to sell their property but the share price takes a major hit. It often means that the shares are trading at a so-called discount compared to the assets that the company owns.

So, when that happens  as it did this week  is it a warning signal to get out, or is it an opportunity?

Tom Becket, chief investment director at Psigma, says: You need to focus on the share price of a company versus the value of its assets. On that basis, British Land is trading at a discount of about 25 per cent and that makes it great value.

Investing in an open-ended fund, in comparison, is a ludicrous decision. They just dont compensate you for the risk youre taking.

As well as general market malaise, the looming question of a British exit from the European Union is making many investors nervous when it comes to owning UK assets.

The impact of leaving the EU is unclear but some forecasters have suggested that the property market in Central London could fall up to 5 per cent a year for five years as a result, while regional property could see a 1 per cent fall.

With so much uncertainty on the horizon, it is likely many investors have decided that now is the right time to take profits.

Property has had an incredibly strong run for the past three years. When the economy is thriving, locations are full and rents will rise. When it is struggling, companies go bust and rental units lay empty.

Until recently, many investors were paying over the odds for their property investments  paying more per share than the actual assets the company owned.

Strong sentiment, a rising stock market and a booming property market have created something of a furore around a sector which Brits notoriously covet anyway.

A lack of development and, in prime areas, the conversion of commercial property into residential units means there is a real lack of supply in the market, which is pushing up rents too.

A ccording to Investment Property Databank, the property sector posted a total return of 14 per cent last year when you take into account income and rising valuations.

Mr Shepherd-Cross is seeing the best opportunities in smaller commercial property developments where rental yields are higher. Custodian is currently yielding around 5.7 per cent.

He says: For those savers who want an investment to grow their cash, then three years ago they would have made a very good call by putting their money into property.

But that easy growth is slowing now, and for the next few years its going to be about growing income.

But experts say that you should only be in property for the income anyway. If you want growth, buy company shares. Property investment trusts pay out their rental income to shareholders as a dividend.

In a world where income is becoming increasingly difficult to find, the prospect of a yield of 5 per cent is incredibly enticing.

Jason Hollands, managing director at Bestinvest, says: Commercial property investing is primarily about owning sites which can generate income from tenants.

'The key attributes here are to own attractive locations that can charge a healthy rent, with high levels of occupancy, low vacancy levels and high-quality tenants who are committed to stay put on long leases.

He likes the F&C Commercial Property Trust. It owns a lot of property in London, including a shopping development near Oxford Street and office space in St Jamess. It also owns business park units in Aberdeen. The shares currently yield 4.7 per cent.

He also likes UK Commercial Property Trust which has its properties spread more across the UK regions in Edinburgh, Manchester and the Midlands. Its portfolio includes an Argos distribution centre in Leicestershire and a car dealership site in Portsmouth. It yields around 3.5 per cent.
Got the look: Actress Cara Delevingne models Burberry

Burberry is facing legal action in America over claims it tricked customers into thinking they were getting bigger discounts at outlet stores than they actually were.

The British fashion brand, which has once again joined forces with actress Cara Delevingne to model its clothing ranges  is accused of labelling garments in its outlet stores in the US to falsely give the impression they had once been for sale at a higher price in its retail stores.

While outlet stores tend to sell excess or old stock from full-price flagship shops, Burberry makes some products specifically for its outlets, meaning any pricing information suggesting otherwise could be misleading.

A spokesman said: Burberry is committed to dealing with all its customers in a transparent and fair manner including in respect of its pricing across the business.

'All pricing policies and practices are designed to ensure compliance with applicable laws and local practices.

'Burberry will be contesting this lawsuit but will not comment further while proceedings are under way.

Burberry is the latest in a string of luxury retailers to face legal action over labelling. American retailer Michael Kors paid 3.3million last year to settle a lawsuit and changed its sales practices over claims it created the illusion of heavy price-cuts.
In the past few years, This is Money has seen and reported on a surge in fraud for both business and personal current account customers. It has happened at frightening pace as more of us rely on technology to bank.

The latest victim Edward Smith, who banks with Santander, fell for a 'smishing' scam which saw 22,700 swiped from his account. Another Santander customer had 40,000 taken in similar fashion.

Mr Smith now faces an anxious wait as he takes his case to the Financial Ombudsman - the banking giant says he is to blame and will not refund the cash. It's a murky area.

Cash target: Fraudsters are targeting current accounts to raid huge sums of money - This is Money is urging all readers to treat e-mails, phone calls and text messages with caution

Fraudsters have an array of tricks in their toolbox to pull these horrific cases off and I cannot help feel anything but genuine sorrow for anyone who loses such a huge, life-changing sum of money.

Many will think they will never fall victim  but scammers prey on fear, and as Mr Smith says, he began to become confused about who was a genuine Santander staff member and who wasn't.

Santander says he authorised a 20,000 payment. Mr Smith disputes this. He has requested all of the phone conversations, which are recorded.

Mr Smith says Santander want 10 for them and warns it could take 40 days to arrive. Hardly what you need when you've lost your life savings. Santander has since told us it would waive the 10 and says the process is a standard procedure and not specific to Santander.

This loss is one in a long line of scams This is Money has reported on. Thousands have been lost from online accounts being compromised, telephone fraudsters tricking banking customers and now text message threads being spoofed.

No doubt more scams will come onto our radar.

And it's happening across all banks. You could be the next random target in the cross hairs of scammers.

We will continue to highlight these cases to raise awareness in a bid to stop readers losing their life savings.

I sometimes receive text messages and e-mails from my bank  but in a world where fraudsters are looking for any avenues to exploit, I'm very wary. It's hard to tell what is genuine and what's not.

I'll give an example. I received an e-mail from First Direct earlier in the week. I'm 75 per cent sure it's genuine, but a few things make me doubt it.

Firstly, it arrived twice in my e-mail in quick succession.

Secondly, First Direct wasn't in capital letters under the username it was sent from.

Thirdly, the e-mail it was sent from was: important@information.firstdirect.com. That looks strange. It carries a link for me to download my new current account terms and conditions.

This could easily contain malware, if it is from a scammer. Instead, I have just ignored it and will wait for a paper copy.

This is Money published a recording earlier in the month asking whether this HSBC answerphone message is genuine or not  82 per cent of our readers think it is a scammer.

In fact, the call - you can listen below - is a genuine message left by HSBC:

I would urge you to be careful too when it looks like you have received an e-mail or text from your bank.

If in doubt, head into your branch before you do anything (if there is one left near to you...) or call the number on the back of your bank card (preferably from a different telephone).

What worries me is the push towards holding huge sums of cash in current accounts makes customers of all banks bumper targets for fraudsters.

Many are holding tens of thousands of pounds in current accounts as banks battle out for current account customers with the lure of high-interest.

In previous years, the battle would have been for savings accounts. Banks have long neglected easy-access rates, fixed-rates and cash Isas.

In my opinion, large sums are safer in savings accounts. Unusual activity is much easier to spot as there will be nowhere near as many transactions happening.

To further fuel the fire as to whether current accounts are now more clearly in the sights of scammers, Experian data this week shows that in December 2015, 156 current account applications in every 10,000 were fraudulent, up from 73 in every 10,000 in January 2015.

Looming shadow: Fraudsters are constantly looking at new ways to scam people of money - but also use techniques that have been around for years

Criminals see current accounts as a lucrative target as they can max out an overdraft as well as using the accounts as a 'gateway' to commit other frauds, including making bogus loan and credit card applications.

Customers are told they must never give out information which may compromise their accounts  but often, genuine calls from banks do want some of your details. It's confusing.

Banks have a duty of care to look after its customers. There needs to be a clear set of rules and guidelines when it comes to fraud.

Maybe it is time for all text message and e-mail contact to customers to be binned  it is too much like the Wild West at the moment, with fraudsters managing to easily impersonate banks with conviction.

Whatever you do, don't fall into the trap of expecting banks to refund you if you do fall victim to fraud.
Royal Bank of Scotland is the lowest-scoring high street bank for customer satisfaction, according to research.

Consumer group Which? found that the beleaguered bank could only muster a satisfaction score of 53 per cent, while the best bank, First Direct, totted up a score of 74 per cent.

RBS customers were particularly unimpressed by the rates offered on their savings accounts, with a satisfaction score of just 48 per cent. That compares to a savings account score of 73 per cent for the highest scoring bank in the category, Metro Bank.

Named and shamed: RBS came bottom of the list of high street banks for customer satisfaction

Customers at the part-nationalised bank also told Which? they were unhappy about the closure of the YourPoints credit card reward scheme in July 2015, although the bank did launch a new current account rewards programme.

'They are ending the reward scheme which attracted me to the card in the first place,' explained one customer.

Another said: '[I] was dissatisfied with the reward scheme taken away, especially when not informed.'

Another seemingly unpopular move was the the bank's stance on credit deals. Rather than compete in the best buy tables for the longest 0 per cent purchase card title, or longest balance transfer, RBS, and NatWest, decided to ditch 'teasers' altogether, replacing the offers with a low APR card.

The results are in: First Direct is top of the pack while RBS sinks straight to the bottom

At the time of the policy change came about in March 2014, the bank said two-thirds of cardholders 'dont switch their card before they hit a payment wall and often dont pay down their debt'. It added that the average 0 per cent balance transfer card holder had 9,000 of debt across multiple cards, and 'increases that debt rather than paying it down'.

But some customers are still unhappy with the change. One said: 'I would be more satisfied but they did away with 0 per cent on balance transfer offers in favour of a lower overall APR. No incentive to use it now.'

NatWest only secured one place higher (29) overall than its parent bank RBS (30), notching up a customer satisfaction score of 54 per cent overall. Again, savings accounts were the area customers were most displeased with - just 47 per cent were satisfied, even lower than the RBS score for the category.

Les Matheson, chief executive of personal and business banking, RBS and NatWest said: 'Whilst we are disappointed in these results, we are determined to do more and we are working with Which? to support their campaign, including raising awareness and education of products - not just for our customers, but across the banking industry.'

He added: 'Our new Reward current accounts are market-leading and the overwhelming feedback we've had from our customers is that they give them help where it matters most by rewarding them 3 per cent back on a range of household bills.

'We've scrapped unfair teaser rates, we offer our best deals to both new and existing customers and our staff are no longer incentivised to sell, meaning they can fully focus on the needs of our customers.'

He added: 'We've also seen the number of complaints we receive reduce by 14 per cent for NatWest, and 11 per cent for RBS.'

Bank of Scotland and Barclays also fared poorly in the Which? customer satisfaction survey, placing at 26 and 25 on the table respectively.

Announcing the findings of its research, based on 20,000 bank customers, Which? said: 'For overall satisfaction, the gap between the bottom and First Direct at the top is a shocking 21 percentage points. When we looked specifically at customer service on current accounts, less than half of the providers scored more than three out of five stars.'

For current accounts alone, Norwich & Peterborough Building Society and First Direct jointly topped the Which? customer score table, while Ulster Bank, Intelligent Finance and RBS were in the bottom three.

How does your bank score? Norwich & Peterborough BS and First Direct come out on top for current accounts

At the top of the overall customer satisfaction table, First Direct scored most highly for its current accounts, with 82 per cent of customers satisfied. Some 76 per cent were happy with their mortgages, while 69 per cent thought their credit card deals were good and 68 per cent were satisfied with their savings account.

Tracy Garrad, chief executive of First Direct, said: 'Were delighted to retain our position as the Most Recommended Provider. There is no magic formula and there is no "good enough"; First Direct genuinely values its customers and we work extremely hard to deliver amazing service and products 24/7.'

Following the internet bank's winning overall performance were Metro Bank and Coventry Building Society in second and third place, with satisfaction scores of 73 and 68 per cent respectively.

Which? said: 'Some banks have proven they can get it right for their customers, with First Direct receiving an overall score of 74 per cent and Metro Bank customers saying they felt "valued" and the "opening hours are very good", yet because of a lack of competition this is not driving up standards effectively enough across the whole industry.'

The consumer group has said it is concerned 'the Competition and Markets Authority's current proposals to reform the current account market are too focused on getting people to switch, rather than tackling the unfairness faced by unauthorised overdraft users and focusing on mechanisms to that will ensure banks are held to account for how they treat their customers and putting customers in control of their accounts'.

In response it is now launching its We Deserve Better Banks campaign to call for coordinated action by the regulators, government and industry to: ensure banks listen to their customers about the quality of service and culture they expect; give customers better tools to put them in control of managing their money; and tackle unfair unauthorised overdrafts.
A 24-year-old black man awarded $23 million by a federal jury last week said Thursday he forgives the sheriff's deputy who shot and paralyzed him but would like an apology.

Dontrell Stephens, speaking publicly for the first time since the verdict, told a news conference he holds no animosity against Palm Beach County Sgt. Adams Lin but feels Lin owes him an apology.

'You have to forgive people. You can't hold a grudge against someone for what they did, but I would like an apology,' Stephens said.

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Dontrell Stephens, who was awarded $23 million by a federal jury last week after suing the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office after he was left paralyzed in a 2013 shooting by a deputy is seen at a Thursday news conference

Dontrell Stephens, speaking publicly for the first time since the verdict, told a news conference he holds no animosity against Palm Beach County Sgt. Adams Lin but feels Lin owes him an apology

Stephens was unarmed when Lin stopped him for riding his bicycle into traffic in 2013

Videotape from a dashboard camera in Lin's patrol car showed Stephens (pictured) had his phone in his right hand and that his left hand was empty

Lin, an Asian-American, shot Stephens in September 2013. Stephens was unarmed when Lin stopped him for riding his bicycle into traffic.

During a federal civil trial that concluded Feb. 3, Lin testified that Stephens put his left hand behind his back and flashed a dark object that he thought was a gun. Videotape from a dashboard camera in Lin's patrol car showed Stephens had his phone in his right hand and that his left hand was empty. The shooting happened four seconds after Stephens got off his bike and walked toward Lin. The two seconds of interaction between Lin and Stephens before the shots happened off camera.

The jury took 3.5 hours to side with Stephens, ruling that Lin had violated Stephens' civil rights.

The sheriff's office didn't immediately respond to phone calls and an email requesting comment on Stephens' request for an apology. It has said it plans to appeal the verdict, which it called 'shocking and disappointing.'

Dontrell Stephens in seen in these file photographs from Facebook. The sheriff's office has said it plans to appeal the verdict, which it called 'shocking and disappointing'

Lin, an Asian-American, shot Dontrell Stephens (seen Thursday) in September 2013

Jack Scarola, attorney for Dontrell Stephens speaks at a news conference on Thursday

If the verdict is upheld on appeal, under Florida law, Stephens could receive only $200,000 from Palm Beach County unless the Legislature approves a claims bill granting him more. Stephens' lawyers, Jack Scarola and Darryl Lewis, hope that public pressure will force the Legislature to act. Such claims bills usually take years to pass, if ever, and are often for much less than the jury awarded.

An expert testified at trial that Stephens' medical bills have already exceeded $2 million and he will likely need another $4 million in care if he lives his expected lifespan. The jury awarded the other $17.1 million for pain and suffering, emotional distress, disfigurement and other items.
The United States temporarily deployed an additional Patriot missile battery in South Korea in response to North Korea's nuclear test and a long-range rocket launch, ahead of talks next week to set up an even more sophisticated U.S. missile defense in a move that has worried China and Russia.

The new tough stance follows South Korea's decision to shut down an inter-Korean factory park that had been the rival Koreas' last major symbol of cooperation, but that Seoul said had been used by North Korea to fund its nuclear and missile programs.

North Korea responded by deporting South Korean citizens, seizing South Korean assets and vowing to militarize the park.

South Korea on Friday cut off power and water supplies to the industrial park and announced that its planned talks with the United States on deploying the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, one of the most advanced missile defense systems in the world, could start next week. Officials say they have yet to set a specific starting date for the talks.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, and South Korea's Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se arrive for a meeting in Munich, Germany, prior to the start of the Munich Security Conference on Friday

South Korean owners who run factories in the suspended inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex, attend an emergency meeting held by the council of South Korean companies operating in the industrial park, in Seoul

In the meantime, the U.S. military command in South Korea said Saturday that an air defense battery unit from Ft. Bliss, Texas, has been conducting ballistic missile training using the Patriot system at Osan Air Base near Seoul.

Lt. Gen. Thomas Vandal, commander of the U.S. Eighth Army, said 'exercises like this ensure we are always ready to defend against an attack from North Korea.'

'North Korea's continued development of ballistic missiles against the expressed will of the international community requires the alliance to maintain effective and ready ballistic missile defenses,' he said in a statement.

A spokeswoman for U.S. Forces Korea couldn't confirm how long the Patriot missile battery from Texas would be deployed in South Korea. The U.S. military already has an operating Patriot missile defense system in South Korea to counter the threat of North Korea's shorter-range arsenal and medium-range missiles.

Transmission towers supplying power to the Kaesong Industrial Complex from South Korea are pictured

South Korean media have long speculated that the two countries are working on a THAAD deployment in South Korea, but it took the North's rocket launch last Sunday, which outsiders see as a test of banned ballistic missile technology, for the allies to formally announce they will begin the missile defense talks.

Beijing and Moscow are sensitive to the possibility of THAAD in South Korea; critics say the system could help U.S. radar spot missiles in other countries.

China's state media quickly made the country's displeasure known, while Russia also expressed worries about the deployment. North Korea has previously warned of a nuclear war in the region and threatened to bolster its armed forces if the THAAD deployment occurs.

A woman poses for a souvenir photo in front of ribbons hanging on a wire fence for the reunification of the two Koreas at the Imjingak Pavilion near the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea

One of the owners who run a factory in the suspended inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex, covers his face with his hands during an emergency meeting held by the council of South Korean companies operating in the industrial park

South Korea announced that its planned talks with the United States on deploying the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) could start next week

In Munich, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts to discuss the response to North Korea's actions, including the missile system. In talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, Kerry expressed support for Seoul's decision to shut down the factory park in the North Korean border town of Kaesong and discussed a broad range of potential sanctions against the North, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said.

Seoul and Washington want to deploy the system at an early date and the upcoming talks will discuss where and exactly when the deployment can be made, a South Korean defense official said, requesting anonymity because of department rules.

The official said the THAAD deployment is designed to protect South Korea from North Korean threats and isn't targeting China or anyone else.

The current standoff flared after North Korea carried out a nuclear test last month, its fourth, followed by the long-range rocket launch on Sunday. Pyongyang said the launch, which put an Earth observation satellite into orbit, is part of a peaceful space program.

South Korean Army military polices check the vehicles at Unification Bridge near the border village of Panmunjom on Friday
He will spend five days in Mexico conveying a message of solidarity to communities struck by violence and poverty

President Enrique Pena Nieto and his wife met Francis on the red carpet

He was greeted by a band and dancers on the tarmac, and briefly donned a sombrero

The Pontiff arrived in Mexico City Friday night after a brief stop in Havana, Cuba

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A smiling Pope Francis has been greeted in Mexico City with a rock concert-like show, with a stage and bandstand waiting for him at the airport and thousands of people lining the city's streets waving yellow hankerchiefs, hoping for a glimpse of the Holy See.

Mariachis serenaded as his chartered plane pulled to a stop and people shouted 'Brother Francis, you're already Mexican.'

President Enrique Pena Nieto, suffering the lowest approval ratings for a Mexican leader in a quarter century, and his wife met Francis on a red carpet as he deplaned.

The crowd roared as the three walked together, stopping to speak with four children in folk dress. Then the lights dimmed and the crowd waved lights as the official song composed for Francis' visit was performed. Men in broad sombreros and women in flowing red skirts danced on the tarmac.

Francis stepped to a group of children dressed in white offering blessings and placing his hand on top of each head.

It is the pope's first papal visit to Mexico, in which he wants to convey a message of solidarity with the victims of violence and communities stuck in poverty.

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He has arrived: Pope Francis waves from the Popemobile upon his arrival in Mexico City on Friday night, ahead of a five-day visit

Mighty welcome: Catholic faithful flocked to the streets of Mexico City in the thousands to greet Pope Francis on Friday night

Catholic faithful line the roadside as they wait to greet Pope Francis on his arrival, outside the presidential hangar at Mexico City's airport

Big waves: Pope Francis greets people upon arrival to Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City on Friday February 12, 2016

History's first Latin American pope traveled to Mexico on Friday for a weeklong tour of some of the most violent, poverty-stricken and peripheral places in the Americas

Thousands gathered to see the pope on his first papal visit to Mexico. He wants to convey a message of solidarity with the victims of violence and communities stuck in poverty

Pope Francis rides past Catholic faithful in his popemobile after arriving in Mexico City after flying in from Cuba on Friday night

The pope arrived at Mexico City's international airport from Havana, where he had an historic meeting with the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox church.

Francis will tour Mexico, the most Catholic country in the Spanish-speaking world, through Wednesday. According to the most recent census, Mexico's percentage of Catholics has declined from 96 percent in 1970 to 83 percent in 2010.

Francis is scheduled to visit places most affected by poverty, violence and immigration.

Upon arrival, a gust of wind blew the pope's hat from his head. He briefly donned a black sombrero before handing it back to its mariachi owner.

He then drove from the airport to the capital's south side in an open-air popemobile waving to the crowds lining the route. As planned, he did not make any public comments.

The motorcade paused at one point when a man appeared to get past security barriers and run toward the popemobile.

The man was intercepted by security officials and the convoy moved on.

Security is tight outside the Vatican ambassador's residence in Mexico City, where the pope will stay for the next five days.

Welcome!: Pope Francis waves upon his arrival at Benito Juarez international airport in Mexico City on February night

The pope was greeted by a major reception from the second he touched down, with singers and dancers waiting to perform for him

Oops: As he stepped off the plane, a gust of wind blew off Francis' skullcap while he walked with President Enrique Pena Nieto and the first lady, Angelica Rivera

Ole!: Pope Francis wears a traditional Mexican hat for a brief moment upon his arrival at Benito Juarez international airport

Pope Francis is welcomed by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto (right) and first lady Angelica Rivera (left) upon his arrival

President Enrique Pena Nieto, suffering the lowest approval ratings for a Mexican leader in a quarter century, and his wife met Francis on a red carpet as he deplaned

Pope Francis greets children dressed in traditional Mexican outfits as he's escorted by Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto, behind, and first lady Angelica Rivera

Pope Francis shakes greets Mexican children next to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto upon his arrival at Benito Juarez international airport in Mexico City

Pope Francis greets children next to Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto after his arrival in Mexico City on Friday night

People stood outside huddled against the cold, some covered with blankets.

Waiting for the pontiff to drive by Friday night, 85-year-old Carlos Garcia said he and other Mexicans loved Pope John Paul II and saw him multiple times during his five visits to Mexico. He said they are now ready for this visit by the first Latin American to be pope.

In his words, 'Mexico really needs the pope's message.'

Lawyer Victor Lopez waited with a large silver cross around his neck. He said: 'The pope visits a wounded country that needs his words of encouragement.'

Rosaura Gutierrez staked out her spot early Friday morning and is looking forward to the pope's prayers and encouragement' for Mexico. She said her country has been 'massacred by people far from God.'

Pope Francis says his deepest desire for his trip to Mexico is to simply pray before the shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Speaking to reporters en route to his first stop in Havana, Francis said he knew that the Virgin is beloved to Catholics and even those who are not.

'This mystery that they study, study, and there are no human explanations,' he said. 'The most scientific study says this is something of God. This is what I'll tell the Mexicans, even those who say 'I'm atheist but I'm a Guadalupeno.'  Then he corrected himself: 'Some Mexicans. Not all are atheists.'

Francis is now due to celebrate Mass in the Basilica of Guadalupe on Saturday evening. The trip to Mexico runs through Wednesday.

Preparations: A man holds a poster of Pope Francis in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas State, Mexico on Friday

Excited: People await Pope Francis' arrival to Mexico City on February 12, 2016. Pope Francis will visit Mexico until February 17

A woman waves a blanket decorated with an image of Pope Francis along the route the pontiff will take upon arrival to Mexico City

A Catholic faithful holds a flag of Pope Francis before his arrival in Mexico City on February 12. Thousands gathered for the visit

People wait along the route that Pope Francis will take from the airport to the Catholic Nunciatura in Mexico City on Friday

Women show their blanket decorated with an image of Pope Francis and the Virgin of Guadalupe where they wait along the route the pontiff will take from the airport to the Apostolic Nunciature, the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Mexico City

Earlier in the day, Pope Francis sent a message of condolences to the archbishop of Monterrey after 49 inmates died in a prison riot in the northern Mexican city.

Francis expresses profound sorrow over Thursday's violence and asks that his message be relayed to the victims' families. He also wishes those wounded in the melee a speedy recovery.

Mexican officials say the victims were bludgeoned, stabbed and hacked to death when feuding factions of the Zetas drug cartel clashed inside the Topo Chico prison.

Francis also had a brief stop in Cuba for a historic meeting with Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Historic: Pope Francis and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill, center left, meet at the Jose Marti aiport in Havana, Cuba, on Friday. It was the first-ever papal meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, a historic development in the 1,000-year schism within Christianity

The two signed a joint declaration on religious unity after their historic meeting in Havana.

The declaration calls for peace in Syria, Iraq and Ukraine and urges Europe to 'maintain its faithfulness to its Christian roots.'
Locals argue that it is a man-made drought created by

The water has allegedly burned the skin of children and left open sores

Persistent rashes, open sores and illnesses are plaguing a small rural mining community after drinking and showering in supplied water that allegedly contains high levels of chemicals and lead.

Severely depleted lake levels have left the 19,000 residents of Broken Hill, New South Wales, scrambling for a fresh water supply after the green, slimy and unhealthy remaining water is making families and their children sick.

Shocking photos show children who have developed open sores and burns that require antibiotics and thousands of residents are crying out on social media that they too have suffered from tooth decay, constant dry and itchy skin and inflamed eczema.

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Broken Hill resident Tina Grillett believes her young son Braxtyn (pictured) received chemical burns to his head from the chemicals added to their local water

Mum of three, Jess Chapman, said she initially thought her daughter's sores (pictured) were from a bug going around the school but was told by a doctor they were caused by the town's water quality

Residents must rely on the Weir pool from the Darling River (pictured) that is then piped to the small town and treated at a reverse osmosis plant

Tina Grillett, mum of six, told Daily Mail Australia that her young son Braxtyn received chemical burns to his head from the chemicals added to the water during treatment.

My children only have very quick short showers now, and don't and won't be having any baths, she said.

Jess Chapman, a mum of three, said she initially believed her seven-year-old daughter Jordys sores on the underside of her thigh were school sores that she had caught from fellow classmates but was told by a doctor that the sores were inflicted by the towns water.

It affected her in so many ways like going to the toilet and even wearing underwear at one stage because it would stick and rip the sores off, Ms Chapman said.

Her daughter was prescribed antibiotics after cream for school sores failed to work.

Jess Chapman said she has to scrub her dog's water bowl (pictured) every day otherwise it becomes overgrown with algae

The Menindee Lakes (pictured in early February) are now bare and almost unrecognisable

'The Menindee Lakes and the Lower Darling are now suffering from a man-made drought and it is a distressing sight,' Broken Hill residents are claiming

Ms Chapman said the smell of the water isnt very nice and that her skin is also very dry and itchy all the time.

To be honest, I knew the water was bad but I didnt take it as serious as I should have, she said.

Even her dogs water bowl must be scrubbed every day because algae begins to grow.

Other residents have also complained that their pets have become sick and thrown up after drinking the water and most are now relying on bottled water.

But how did the once abundant water supply disappear and leave locals relying on pre-packaged water?

The Darling River when it was an abundant source of water in 2013 (pictured)

The Menindee Lakes (pictured) were once a popular tourist destination and altogether contained more water than the Sydney Harbor

Today the water has been depleted and what remains is dry, cracked soil (pictured)

The Menindee Lake System that provides Broken Hill with water was plentiful in 2013 but has been reduced to dry, cracked dirt or small remaining pools, long-time resident Darryn Clifton told Daily Mail Australia.

Now the residents must rely on the Weir pool from the Darling River that is then piped to the small town and treated at a reverse osmosis plant, he said.

New South Wales water authorities claim that heavy ongoing droughts are to blame but residents emphatically deny the claims  pointing their fingers at mismanagement of supply by the Murray Darling Basin Authority and Water NSW.

Grass now sprouts on what used to be the floor of the Menindee lakes (pictured)

'Our beautiful lakes were home to many native birds, wildlife and fish, they are now almost gone and what is left is filled with disgusting blue green algae,' resident Kendi Holloway said

Under a Murray-Darling Basin Agreement between state basin governments, the Menindee Lakes were drained of billions of litres of water to flush the Murray Mouth.

The system works on a rule called the 480/640 rule, where when the water capacity reaches 640gl the Murray Darling Basin Authority has control of the water, when the capacity falls to 480gl, NSW resumes control, Mr Clifton said.

NSW Water continued to release water and continued and continued until the water supply was in jeopardy.

The vibrant animals of the area are now forced to find water sources elsewhere as well (pictured)

The animals rely on the community to put water out for them to drink (pictured)

Deputy Director General of water for the Department of Primary Industries Gavin Hanlon recently told the Sydney Morning Herald that water is a shared resource and that government agencies are just sticking to the set agreement.

Its not all NSWs water, he said.

Our challenge is how we optimise operations so Broken Hill doesnt run out of waterand so we also maintain the best possible outcome for the whole state.

These are the lowest inflows into the lakes in recorded history. We are in record drought territory, he added.

New South Wales water authorities claim that heavy ongoing droughts are to blame but residents emphatically deny the claims  pointing their fingers at mismanagement of supply by the MDBA and NSW Water

People talk about the drought but it wasn't the drought that left us in this situation, resident Kathy Holmes said

Just more than 14,000 members of the Broken Hill community have formed an action group on Facebook to protest the water quality and officials blame on scarce rainfall.

People talk about the drought but it wasn't the drought that left us in this situation, resident Kathy Holmes said.

We had enough water in our lakes to last us several years and it would have more than likely gotten us through the drought.

'The Menindee Lakes and the Lower Darling are now suffering from a man-made drought and it is a distressing sight,' Helen Dalton and Debbie Buller said.

The Daily Mail contacted the Murray-Basin Darling Authority and Health Minister Sussan Ley for comment.

We had enough water in our lakes to last us several years and it would have more than likely gotten us through the drought
Josephita Brown, 27, accused of doing nothing as her boyfriend beat her four-year-old daughter to death was sentenced to four to eight years in prison

A Philadelphia woman accused of doing nothing as her boyfriend beat her four-year-old daughter to death has been sentenced to four to eight years in prison.

Josephita Brown, 27, pleaded guilty two years ago to conspiracy, involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment in the 2013 death of her daughter.

Seanita Brown died in 2013 after a severe beating caused massive internal bleeding.

Prosecutors said the mother covered up for her boyfriend, Edward Golphin, as he repeatedly abused her daughter over the course of two years and stood by as he inflicted horrible injuries, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

'She watched him beat her child to death, and she covered it up,' Prosecutor Christine Kemp said.

Golphin was charged with first-degree murder, but a jury convicted him of third-degree murder.

Brown faced lesser charges in exchange for her testimony against him.

She was shaking in court on Friday as her lawyer argued that her testimony and good behavior in prison should lead to a more lenient sentence, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Her lawyer also noted that she has learning disabilities and 'had to come to grips with the fact that she was criminally responsible for the child's death.'

Kemp acknowledged Brown's learning disabilities and also noted that Golphin manipulated and intimated Brown, cutting her off from her family and friends, according to the Inquirer.

Brown said in a statement read by her lawyer that she cries herself to sleep every night over her daughter, and that she hated Golphin for taking her away.
After a racist chant caught on video last spring led to the disbanding of a fraternity chapter at the University of Oklahoma and the expulsion of two students, an investigation launched by the fraternity's national organization revealed Friday that the chant was used at five other chapters around the country in the last five years.

The Evanston, Illinois-headquartered Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity would not release the names of the other chapters identified after an investigation launched last year, but each of those chapters was educated on diversity and inclusion, said SAE spokesman Brandon Weghorst.

'The organization had to create some level of amnesty to ensure honest and open dialogue and to maintain the integrity of the investigation,' Weghorst said.

Two students at OU were expelled last spring after members were recorded taking part in a chant that referenced lynching and used a racial slur to describe how black students would never become members.

A video that emerged last spring of an SAE member at the University of Oklahoma chanting a racist song led to the expulsion of two students and the closing of the frat chapter

OU President David Boren moved quickly to condemn the episode in March. The university severed ties with the fraternity and instituted mandatory diversity courses for all freshmen and transfer students. About two dozen other students were ordered to perform community service and participate in diversity training.

The fraternity also took action to disband the local chapter.

None of the members interviewed in the SAE investigation reported hearing the racist chant more recently than 2012, except for the incident at OU, according to the statement.

Boren said Friday in a statement he was pleased the national chapter of SAE is taking action to ensure an incident similar to what happened at OU would not occur again.

The university plans to use the former SAE fraternity house as temporary office space for various university departments, said OU press secretary Corbin Wallace.

Levi Pettit (pictured at a March 25, 2015 press conference) was expelled from the University of Oklahoma in 2015 for singing a racist song

Following the university's initial investigation in March, Boren said the school interviewed more than 160 people and discovered members of the OU chapter learned the chant during a national leadership cruise five years ago that was sponsored by the fraternity's national administration.

The fraternity announced in July it had hired Ashlee Canty as director of diversity and inclusion, a new position that would oversee efforts to enhance diversity. Canty, who is African-American, was also tasked to work with local chapters to develop a system for monitoring and reporting diversity statistics.

SAE began collecting racial and ethnic data in 2013. Blaine Ayers, executive director of SAE, reported last year approximately 3 percent of SAE's reporting members identified themselves as African-Americans and 20 percent identified themselves as non-white.

The Greek letter logo of Sigma Alpha Epsilon is taken down from the suspended fraternity house at University of Oklahoma in March, 2015

The fraternity has been involved in a host of other controversial incidents, including a 1992 'jungle party' at Texas A&M University where SAE members wore blackface, a 2002 scandal where the fraternity's Syracuse University chapter was closed after a member went to a bar in blackface, and a 2013 incident where the fraternity got kicked out of Washington University in St. Louis after members of the local chapter was accused of taking pictures of African-American students while pledges sang rap songs with racial slurs, according to MLive.

SAE was the first fraternity to be founded in the antebellum south, according to Greenville Online.
In the lead-up to Valentines Day, one woman received a romantic surprise - in possibly the most Australian fashion you could imagine.

South Australian writer Kathy Packer had been having a rough week, so husband Paul decided to cheer her up with a gigantic love heart - created with about 800 sheep.

Mrs Parker told Daily Mail Australia that Paul had laid out barley feed in the shape of a love heart before letting the sheep loose - and of course they flocked to the food, marking out the heart in a dry, grassy paddock.

The gigantic love heart of about 800 sheep that South Australia farmer Paul Parker created for his wife Kathy

Mrs Parker and her husband Paul, who surprised her with the sheep love heart to help cheer her up

Kathy Parker said the love heart, designed to help cheer her up after a bad week, did the trick

'I was having a pretty cr**** week and I messaged Paul saying 'I'm struggling', she said.

The woolly love heart worked - Mrs Packer called it 'very sweet'.

She wrote on her Facebook page: 'This is how farmer husbands feed sheep when they know their wives need cheering up'.

A lot of work went into the love heart, on the Parker's sheep and beef farm near Robe, in southern SA.

Mrs Parker said the sheep love heart was just one of many examples of the couple making the extra effort which has kept their marriage together for almost 17 years

Mrs Parker said the love heart was just one of many examples of the couple doing a little bit extra for their marriage

While her teenage sons weren't fazed by the gesture, her two younger daughters appreciated it.

But the act wasn't specifically a display of February 14 romantics, just one of many examples of the couple making the extra effort which has kept their marriage together for almost 17 years.

Although modest, her husband was 'very sensitive and romantic', and carried out acts of kindness every day, like bringing her coffee in the morning or massaging her feet at night.

His phone had been ringing constantly since news of the love heart got out.

'He's pretty modest so hes a bit overwhelmed at the moment. I think secretly he kind of likes it a little bit,' Mrs Parker said.

Surprising each other went both ways, she said.

Once, she bought him an old Holden HJ to fix up in his spare time.

On another occasion, she purchased truckloads of firewood so he wouldn't have to do the woodcutting himself.

Being able to do things like that were important to their 17 years of marriage, she said.

'Our marriage has been hard at times, but I think it's those things that keep us together. Just making that extra little effort'.
Almost half the police forces in Britain are refusing to identify dangerous fugitives including ten suspected killers  to protect their 'human right' to privacy.

Many constabularies said naming those wanted for murder, rape, child abuse and kidnapping could cause the suspects 'damage or distress'.

Forces cited the Data Protection Act and human rights laws as excuses not to publish the details.

At least ten of the suspects are wanted for murder, five for attempted murder and ten for rape. Numerous others are being hunted for sex offences, including crimes against children.

In response to the Mails request, Humberside Police said the names were sensitive personal data that it did not consider to be in the public interest to reveal

The refusals emerged from Freedom of Information requests submitted by the Daily Mail to the UK's 45 police forces, asking for the number of suspects classed as 'wanted'. A further question requested the names, photos and details of the ten suspects who had been on the run for the longest time in their force areas.

These could include those who jumped bail after arrest or during court proceedings. But 21 forces refused to give the names on privacy grounds.

Khalid Mahmood, Labour MP for Perry Barr in Birmingham, said: 'This is absolutely absurd. For the police to protect the rights of criminals rather than the victims of crime is completely wrong. Police forces and other organisations in authority have got used to abusing data protection laws. You would think publishing the names and pictures of fugitives might help catch them. They should be looking to expose these people.

Ex-policeman Norman Brennan, a campaigner for victims rights, said: There are a number of criminals who have committed very serious crimes who are free because of the way data protection legislation is being used.

How can the Government expect the law-abiding public  to have faith in the criminal system when those accused of serious crimes are being protected by a technicality. This reinforces the feeling among police officers that the criminal justice system is actually a criminals charter.

Khalid Mahmood (left), Labour MP for Perry Barr in Birmingham, said the practice of police not naming fugitives because of their human rights was 'absolutely absurd'. Former policeman Norman Brennan (right) said the action taken by the police would mean the public wouldn't have faith in the criminal system

Leicestershire Police admitted it was hunting a suspected murderer and rapist, but said naming them would go against principles of fairness

In response to the Mails request, Humberside Police said the names were sensitive personal data that it did not consider to be in the public interest to reveal.

It added that releasing such details would not only breach the data subjects data protection rights, it may also breach the obligations placed on an authority under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Leicestershire Police admitted it was hunting a suspected murderer and rapist, but said naming them would go against principles of fairness. Staffordshire said its response was processed in line with individuals rights.

Other forces that refused to identify fugitives because of data protection were Cheshire, Cleveland, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon and Cornwall, Durham, Kent, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, North Wales, North Yorkshire, Northern Ireland, Suffolk, Warwickshire, West Mercia, West Midlands and West Yorkshire.

They cited exemption Section 40(2) of the FoI Act  covering information relating to personal data. Another 14 forces refused on the grounds it would cost too much. Nottinghamshire refused under Section 30(1) of the FoI Act, saying it was not in the public interest to name the suspects.

West Midlands Police headquarters - the force used the Data Protection Act in August as a reason to not name those on the run

Dyfed-Powys Police provided half the names. Only two forces gave a full list of the ten suspects with pictures  Surrey and Northamptonshire.

Last August, West Midlands Police cited the Data Protection Act as a reason for not naming those on the run. But the Information Commissioners Office  which monitors interpretation of the Act  has insisted there should not be a reason why data protection rules get in the way.

A spokesman said: Too often  organisations have simply said no and used data protection as a duck-out. At the time, West Midlands Deputy Chief Constable Dave Thompson said: We got this decision wrong. We appeared like we were protecting people wanted for serious crimes. The public interest in most of these cases outweighed any privacy duty.

Most forces in the UK are aware of the ICO guidance  and have still refused to release the information.

Cleveland, Cheshire and Derbyshire forces said releasing the names could cause damage or distress to the subject. Devon and Cornwall said it was unfair to disclose this information as the suspect may not be guilty.
Pierre, a father-of-three, is now charged with attempted murder while Sam is due to be charged with armed robbery

Managed to flee but was caught and taken to hospital in serious condition

Teen was dragged under wheels and hit a fence, ripping his right arm off

Sam is accused of getting into car, pulling out a revolver and robbing him

A father-of-three has been charged with attempted murder after he ran over a gun-wielding teenager who stole a pair of sneakers from him, ripping the younger's arm off.

Phillip Pierre, 39, had arranged to meet Zachary Sam, 17, in Brooklyn, New York, at around 12.30pm on Friday in order to buy a $190 pair of Air Jordan 8 sneakers he advertised on Craigslist.

But when he arrived police say Sam climbed into Pierre's Honda Pilot, pulled out a revolver and took the sneakers before attempting to walk away.

CCTV of the incident, obtained by the New York Daily News, shows Pierre made a U-turn and driving headlong at Sam as he was on the sidewalk, pulling him under the wheels and slamming him into a metal fence, tearing part of his right arm off.

This is the excruciating moment a would-be armed thief is run down by his victim in Brooklyn, tearing the 17-year-old's right arm off and leaving him in serious condition

Police say driver Philip Pierre, 39, had agreed to meet Zachary Sam, 17, in order to sell a pair of Air Jordan 8 shoes worth $190 he had been advertising on Craigslist

Despite his severe injuries, Sam can be seen squirming out from under the car and struggling with Pierre and several bystanders before fleeing up the street.

According to ABC Sam left his hand behind at the scene, along with the gun, and footage shows his sleeve flapping loosely in the wind as he runs.

According to earlier reports, the boy managed to climb on to a bus further down the street, stunning passengers with his heavily bleeding arm.

The driver is reported to have stopped the bus, allowing Pierre to catch up who then held Sam until the police and ambulance arrived.

Footage shows Sam approaching Pierre's SUV and climbing in, when police say he pulled out a revolver and took the trainers, before attempting to walk away

Footage shows Sam (pictured with the shoes) crossing the road before Pierre swings his SUV around and drives headlong at him, dragging him under the wheels and slamming him into a metal fence

Despite his severe injuries Sam managed to get up after the accident, and after wrestling with Pierre and a passerby, ran off down the street (top right)

Alex Saint Fleur, who lives nearby, said: 'The guy ran him over. He got out, the driver said, "Hes trying to rob me. Hes trying to rob me."

'I saw the gun on the floor. The arm was in the floor near the gun.

'Everyone is screaming, "Come back, come back, your arm. Youre bleeding too much."'

Sam was taken to hospital in critical condition and is now reported to be serious but stable. Doctors had attempted to reattach his hand, but it is unclear if they were successful.

According to reports Sam then tried to jump on a bus but the shocked driver stopped, allowing Pierre to catch up and hold him until police and medics arrived (Pierre's SUV pictured after the crash)

Sam was taken to hospital in critical condition where doctors attempted to reattach his arm, which was found at the scene, but it is unclear if they were successful (pictured, the crashed SUV)

Police say that when he is well enough he will be taken to jail and charged over the armed theft.

Meanwhile Pierre has also been taken to jail and charged with attempted murder.

ABC News spoke to a man called 'Michael', who purported to be Pierre's cousin, who said: 'Two families are destroyed tonight - my cousin, and this kid's family.

'I know what the video's showing - if somebody pulls a gun in your head, and you're trying to get the cops to catch him, what would you do? You're telling me just let him go?'

Meanwhile Raymonde Jason, Sam's upstairs neighbor, added: 'Should we call that instant karma? I don't know what to say. He should not have been putting himself in a situation to rob.'

Pierre, a father-of-three, has now been charged with attempted murder which Sam is expected to be charged with armed robbery once he recovers
Construction on the Lincoln Memorial began in 1914 and the dedication ceremony took place in 1922

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A wreath-laying ceremony took place at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on Friday in honor of Abraham Lincoln's birthday - 207 years after he was born.

The country's sixteenth president, who was born on February 12, 1809, was shot on April 14, 1865, and died the next day.

An honor guard took part in the commemorative ceremony, which involved placing a wreath in front of a statue showing Lincoln.

The statue itself faces the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and is part of the National Mall in the nation's capital.

According to the National Park Service, 'The decision to place the memorial at its current location came in 1913, and construction was started the following year.

'Henry Bacon designed the building, Daniel French sculpted the statue, and Jules Guerin painted the two murals.

'Working together, they created an iconic symbol of our nation and our ideals.'

Above the statue of Lincoln are the words: 'In this temple as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.'

A wreath-laying ceremony took place at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on Friday in honor of Abraham Lincoln's birthday

The country's sixteenth president was born on February 12, 1809 and would be 207 if alive today. He was shot on April 14, 1865 and died the next day

An honor guard took part in the commemorative ceremony, which involved placing a wreath in front of a statue showing Lincoln

The statue itself faces the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and is part of the National Mall in the nation's capital

Military members are seen dressed up for the occasion on Friday in Washington, DC

A wreath is seen placed in front of the statue of Abraham Lincoln. The statue was sculpted by Daniel French

Construction on the Lincoln Memorial began in 1914 and the memorial was dedicated in 1922

The wreath is seen with a small card that includes the words 'The President'

Above the statue of Lincoln are the words: 'In this temple as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever'

US President Abraham Lincoln is seen in one of the few photos of him. He would have turned 207 on Friday

Two men are seen looking at the wreath underneath the statue of the nation's sixteenth president on Friday

The Washington Monument can be viewed at the other end of the National Mall in this Friday photograph taken at the Lincoln Memorial
By any definition, Idris Elba is a man at the peak of his profession. In the last two weeks alone, the British heart-throb  said to be one of the most desired men in the world  has picked up no fewer than three acting awards.

And tomorrow the 43-year-old, who shot to fame playing a gangster in the U.S. drama The Wire and in BBC crime series Luther, hopes to add a fourth to his cache, a Bafta for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film Beasts Of No Nation, a harrowing depiction of the life of child soldiers.

Yet amid all the hype surrounding the extraordinary trajectory of the star who began life in a Hackney tower block and now sits at the top table in Hollywood, one role continues to elude him.

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Idris Elba this week separated from Naiyana Garth (right, pictured together in 2013). The pair have a 22-month-old baby son, Winston

For all his versatility, his smouldering looks and on-screen charisma, Idris Elba simply cannot pull off a sustained portrayal of a devoted partner and father.

This week he separated from his 28-year-old girlfriend Naiyana Garth  the mother of his 22-month-old baby son, Winston. He has moved out of the family home in South-West London, and into a rented flat nearby.

Perhaps coincidentally  but perhaps not  the news came a matter of days after he was seen leaving a nightclub in New York with man-eating model Naomi Campbell, a long-time friend and admirer.

Meanwhile, reports circulating in America claim he was conducting an affair with American rapper K Michelle for several months while still together with Naiyana.

The rapper told a television show the romance took place when little Winston was a newborn, adding: When I met him I did find out he had a woman. But I did not know they still had that situation. So I kind of looked up and saw that I was the side chick.

The actor (right) has moved out of the family home in South-West London, and into a rented flat nearby. This comes a matter of days after he was seen leaving a nightclub in New York with man-eating model Naomi Campbell, a long-time friend and admirer (left)

Biographer Nadia Cohen, author of Idris Elba: Actor, DJ, Legend, says: People felt that Naiyana had tamed him and that he was ready to settle down finally, but perhaps its just not to be.

Hes at the peak of his career and one of the most desired men in the world and maybe having a young baby doesnt chime with that. It seems like he wont ever settle down.

He certainly has form: Idris split from his first wife while she was pregnant with their daughter, Isan, whos now 15.

A second marriage lasted only a day  and as a young man working as a DJ on a pirate radio station he was known as Mr Kipling, after someone said, Idris, youve got more tarts than Mr Kipling.

Now, as a Hollywood heavyweight, he is surrounded by fawning females. According to Cohen: He just loves all the attention. He loves flirting with everyone in the room, whether its a gay waiter or the coat check girl.

Everybody fancies him. Hes a really, really sexy man and loves the attention.

Idrissa Akuna Elba was born on September 6, 1972, in London, the only child of Eve and Winston Elba.

Winston had come to London from Sierra Leone in search of prosperity and security.

Naiyana Garth and Idris Elba pictured together at the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards in January, 2014

He found a job at the Ford factory in Dagenham and the young family lived in a high-rise flat in Hackney before moving to a house in Canning Town when Idris  who shortened his name  was 11. At his new school, where he was one of a handful of black faces, he was relentlessly bullied and teased.

He said: There was a lot of tension. People would pick on me, call me names. I wasnt equal because I was black.

He left school at 16, completed a BTech in performing arts, and set his heart on a career as an actor like his idol Denzel Washington.

He survived on part-time factory shifts and DJ work before finally making his first screen appearance aged 22 in a Crimewatch reconstruction, followed by small roles in The Bill, Absolutely Fabulous and Silent Witness.

In 1997, when he was 25, he secured a regular role in the Channel 5 soap Family Affairs.

Initially, it looked as though his professional breakthrough might be matched by happiness in his private life. He began a romance with Henne Norgaard, a make-up artist known as Kim, whom he married a year later in June 1998 at Chelsea register office. I liked the idea of being married. I was concentrating on what I was trying to do with my life, and my girl supported me, he said.

Idris, you've got more tarts than Mr Kipling

The following year, convinced that there were better parts for black actors in the U.S., the young couple sold their three-bedroom house, disposed of Idriss flashy Range Rover, and arrived in Brooklyn, New York.

But struggling to master an American accent, Idris failed to secure acting work and the dream began to unravel. He had to DJ to pay the bills and the pair relocated to the cheaper Jersey City. By the time Kim became pregnant in 2001, the relationship had buckled under the strain and, according to Idris, she threw him out.

For several weeks he slept on friends sofas and in his car, a brown Chevy, working as a bouncer and doorman and even, he admitted, selling marijuana to customers at a comedy club. I was hustling  back then I had to, he explained.

Yet the years grubbing around paid dividends. The American accent that had eluded him was finally mastered, and he ended four years of unemployment by securing a role in a new TV series called The Wire in January 2002. It was also the day his estranged wife went into labour.

He went out to DJ at a New York club and afterwards drove himself to the hospital just in time to see his daughter, Isan, being born.

The Wire made him a household name. He got to meet his rap artist idols Jay Z and P Diddy on equal terms and counted Anna Wintour  the editor of U.S. Vogue  among his fans. (We just built up a rapport on emails.)

He earned himself a reputation as a party lover. After one wild evening in 2006  of which little else is known  he impulsively married Sonya Hamlin, a lawyer, in Las Vegas, only to file for an annulment a day later.

Idris Elba pictured left in his starring role as Luther in the BBC detective drama, and right, after winning a Best Actor award for Beasts Of No Nation

Around this time his Wire character, Stringer Bell, was written out of the series, and a run of disappointing roles followed.

While visiting his daughter Isan in Atlanta, where she was then living, he met a pole dancer named Desiree Newberry at the strip club Magic Sky.

They started living together in a beach house in Miami, Florida, and when she gave birth to a son, named Otenga, in 2010, Idris was thrilled.

He had just begun filming the BBC detective series Luther in London, which marked his second big break, and told reporters: The celebration of having a son  from a mans perspective, its massive.

However, when Idris returned to Miami after filming, he became suspicious that the child was not his because he looked nothing like him, and took a paternity test. The results were unequivocal. He was not Otengas father.

To be given that and then have it taken away so harshly, was like taking a full-on punch in the face: pow. You know, the truth is  like, even admitting it, Ill probably get laughed at for the rest of my life. But it is just tragic, and it happened.

The actor in the 2013 film, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

The pair split and Desiree was last heard of working as a pole dancer at the King Of Diamonds strip club in Miami.

Idris, meanwhile, was devastated by the betrayal and made a decision which goes some way to explaining the fate of his subsequent relationships.

I wasnt knocked out. I stood right back up, and I aint aiming to take another punch in the face ever again, he said soon afterwards.

Luther, meanwhile, was a huge hit and a slew of other roles followed. By 2013, he was dating another make-up artist, Naiyana Garth from West London, who had previously worked with chef Jamie Oliver and actors Rupert Everett and Freddie Fox.

Within a year she was expecting their child and accompanied him  big bump proudly on display  on the red carpet to the Golden Globes and Oscars in early 2014, where he was nominated for his portrayal of Nelson Mandela in Long Walk To Freedom.

Baby Winston was born in April 2014, and should have heralded the happy-ever-after that has so far eluded Idris.

In fact, as we now know, it has been alleged that the actor began a relationship with rap artist K Michelle, real name Kimberly Michelle Pate, in the spring of 2014 when he directed a music video for her.

She was clearly smitten, gushing about him: Its really crazy to see how humble and down to earth this man is. Hes so creative. Hes so in the zone. A few months later, she went on a chat show in America and claimed that in fact the two of them had been in an eight-month romance after meeting at a music awards ceremony in November 2013.

We just clicked, she explained, before going on to say how the romance was her inspiration for her album Anybody Wanna Buy A Heart.

You dont have to read too deeply into the lyrics of her hit single Maybe I Should Call to see what she was thinking: Long distance in the way of what could be / even when youre here, youre not with me / shes having the child I shouldve carried / Ill be damned if yall get married.

In an exchange that would not have looked out of place on The Jeremy Kyle Show, she told the interviewer: There was a situation. He has a child and Im not going to get in the way of that.

Yall not gonna call me the home wrecker. Me, I desire a lot of attention and time and when theres a newborn, you have to give your time and attention to them.

Given this unedifying tangle, it is perhaps unsurprising that Naiyana didnt accompany Idris to the Golden Globes this year.

He explained that she couldnt travel with the baby and took his daughter Isan instead.

Social media shows that Naiyana was actually on a beach in South-East Asia with baby Winston at this time.

Naiyana was absent again at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles last month, and also from the Evening Standard Film awards in London.

She failed to get a mention in either of his acceptance speeches.
Alexandra Aitken doesnt mind what you call her, so long as its nothing rude. Nothing that will dent her holy karma.

The daughter of former Cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken has famously adopted a Sikh way of life and has changed her name to Uttrang Kaur Khalsa. This follows her whirlwind marriage to Sikh warrior Inderjot Singh six years ago.

Gosh, it was all so romantic at the start. When she recalls their first meeting in the Indian city of Amritsar in 2009, the former socialite and girl about town makes it sound like something out of a Bollywood film.

Alexandra Aitken doesnt mind what you call her, so long as its nothing rude. Nothing that will dent her holy karma

Alexandra Aitken at The Party at The Penthouse, 1 Leicester Square, following the screening of the film, 'Enduring Love' in which she co-starred in

I was sitting on the roof of the Golden Temple at about 3am, and the most beautiful man Id ever seen in my whole life walked in. He seemed 100 per cent man, gentle and intuitive and poetic and sensitive, but also extraordinarily strong and manly. And you dont see many of these around. So I was like: Oh wow!.

Back in 2010, there was a glossy photo spread on the wedding in Hello! magazine. The new bride wrote an article for this newspaper, telling of how hundreds of holy men came out of their caves to bless their union.

However, despite all the good vibes and multiple benedictions, the marriage turned out to be short-lived.

As early as 2013, her father Jonathan was talking of uncertainty and a rocky patch. Local Indian newspapers claimed in 2014 that Mr Singh had left his wife and was living elsewhere. Now it seems there is nothing left but memories.

I am not the kind of divorcing Sikh but I have to say that to my knowledge, I am not even legally married, she says today.

For although they affirmed their commitment to each other in a ceremony attended by 300 guests, there is doubt that the marriage was ever officially registered. It is a grey area but all I can say is that Inderjot is still romantic and incredible, we talk on the telephone sometimes but I have not seen him for over a year, she says. Now 35, she once said she hoped to have children with him. There were grand plans to build hospitals and schools together  but all of this has turned to dust.

Essentially, I am bound to him for all time. I dont think I will fall in love with someone else now, she adds. I live like a nun and it might be like that for ever.

So, what went wrong? The usually voluble Mrs Singh is not keen to elucidate, but vaguely alludes to religious concerns and the kind of culture clash that was perhaps inevitable.

No matter what he did, I would always act as his wife, she says, mysteriously. He is a very holy person. I was an It Girl and by comparison a huge sinner. Do you see?

Alexandra Aitken attends a charity evening in aid of CLIC Sargent, at the Sanderson Hotel on May 15, 2007 in London

Not really, but we move on. For while she may have given up on love, the former Alexandra Aitken has not given up on the planet.

Currently back in London from her base in India, she is a woman on a mission. Her aim is nothing less than to become a bigger environmentalist than Leonardo DiCaprio by encouraging people to make ethical choices and think about what she calls their karmic balance.

Think about the cows, she cries. Think about the chickens. Any person with a heart does not want a chicken to suffer, so choose food that cares.

I am a vegetarian because I care too much, but every person has the capacity to choose either the loose vegetables or the ones which come in plastic. Spend the extra ten pence on organic milk. Get solar panels, think positive thoughts. Promise you will do this, promise.

Today, the former Miss Aitken is chiefly based in Anandpur Sahib in the Punjab region, where she lives mostly in a gurdwara (a Sikh temple) alongside yogis and meditation masters. In a town of around 16,000 people she is probably the only unattached Western woman.

She spends her time translating Sikh scriptures from Gurmukhi  a script associated with the Sikh religion  into English and studying Sikhism. The temple is high in the mountains where the air is fresh, the cows are hand milked and the day begins at 3am with prayers, followed by temple sweeping and more prayers.

Then after this perhaps I will buy carrots for everybody and chop them up for us all, so there is this great sense of a kind of spiritual family, she says.

It is a miracle! It is so innocent and it is so pure and so kind. Then sometimes after my lunch break I do all the Hoovering in the temple.

Certainly, it is quite a change from the days when she posed naked for GQ magazine, hung out with bad boys like George Bests son Calum and disgraced TV presenter John Leslie, and attended film premieres in the tiniest of dresses and the highest of heels.

People still talk about her 22nd birthday party in London, where the privately educated art school graduate had dwarves wearing Dennis The Menace costumes serve her guests with shots of toffee vodka. Not even her father can entirely understand her abrupt metamorphosis from party girl to devoted Sikh.

She is the most exotic and strange and difficult to understand of my children, he once told me. I find it very difficult to get my head around all of this, but I love her dearly.

We meet in a cafe in Hyde Park because she likes to be near to nature at all times. Walking along a path between the trees and the lake she cuts an exotic figure; her 5ft 10in frame topped off with a large turban, her indigo robes ruffling like sails in the chill February wind.

A silver kirpan dagger is tied to her waist and her feet are bare in tattered bio-degradable shoes, with a hole as big as an egg in one of the soles.

In the cafe she orders an orange and some water and explains that she follows the Sikh practice of never cutting her hair because it is an extension of the nervous system and also connected to the brain.

Under her turban, her hip-length tresses are wound into a knot. Her once-celebrated legs, formerly waxed and bronzed in true socialite style, are now as hairy as a bears.

Not even her father can entirely understand her abrupt metamorphosis from party girl to devoted Sikh

Her grooming routine once involved salons and appointments, now it is primitive and totally natural; she brushes her teeth with crushed mango seeds, chops up soapwort roots to make soap and rubs a cut potato under each armpit as a deodorant. She stays true to this invention of herself, even if very few Sikh women wear these types of warrior robes or follow her extreme routines.

She says she is entitled to wear the outfit because ex-husband Inderjot was a member of the Nihang warrior order, although even this is disputed in some quarters.

That is because, she says, pressing her hands together, only the most pure person can be a warrior Sikh. Inderjot might have said something like he did not deserve it because he is the most humble person in the world. Like a priest saying I cant wear my cassock or dog collar because I ate two croissants this morning.

Shes got an answer for everything, even for the obvious discrepancies that occur when her all-natural, eco-tastic life in India collides with her life in London.

Alexandra Aitken, aged, 21, daughter of disgraced former MP Jonathan Aitken

Her iPhone and charger are on the table in front of us, her baby blue Fiat Cinquecento is parked around the corner; a chic, It Girl car that is so tiny her turban grazes the inside of the roof when she drives.

I like her and her bold and cheerful nature, but Im not sure I want to listen to a lecture on recycled loo paper (nowadays, you can get recycled loo paper that plants a tree  you just have to read the packets) from a poor little rich girl whose carbon footprint is considerably bigger than my own.

My life is all about balance. I have to plant an acre of trees for every years worth of driving. Look at this, she cries, fishing a tatty canvas wallet out of her robes. See! You can always make an ethical choice.

I suppose she means the wallet is not Gucci calfskin or Fendi stripes, like it once might have been, but Im still not terribly impressed.

Inside is a Lloyds bank card, a library card and a stash of crisply folded 20 notes; I count six of them. She also admits that when she flies to and from India, sometimes it is in first class if someone was to buy me a ticket. Lots of people have done that in the past.

People like Daddy? No. He is not some sort of billionaire, he is actually quite a humble person. He is a very modest person. I am very lucky I am funded by all kinds of different methods. I was quite lucky because I made a little bit of money before and luckily it looked after me for quite a while.

Once upon a time, Alexandra Aitkens life was one of extraordinary privilege and she had every reason to expect it to stay that way.

The daughter of Jonathan and Lolicia Aitken, she and twin sister Victoria, along with brother William, lived in a London townhouse with servants, distinguished guests and hot and cold running luxury.

Everything changed when disgraced Jonathan was imprisoned for perjury in 1999, a case that ruined his family life and bankrupted him. At one point it was alleged he had been prepared to have his teenage daughter Victoria lie under oath to support his version of events.

Lolicia left him after he embroiled her in the case, but the children stood by their father, an enormous source of comfort to him, then and now.

The twins would visit him in jail regularly, put on their best happy faces, then burst into tears afterwards. They suffered and, admits their father, there was damage by me, but they have come through it.

Over the next seven years or so, the Aitken girls roared through London life. They never did anything by halves; avoiding the humdrum was their speciality.

The daughter of Jonathan and Lolicia Aitken, she and twin sister Victoria, along with brother William, lived in a London townhouse with servants, distinguished guests and hot and cold running luxury

After all, what can a girl do when her destiny is to make her mark, to sparkle among all the other bright young things, to be different, to be noticed, to be special? Alexandra tried everything, including modelling, acting and becoming an artist  she once made sculptures out of her friends donated eyelashes. But her world only began to make sense, she says, when she moved to California in 2007 to study kundalini yoga, which proved to be her gateway to Sikhism.

Meanwhile, sister Victoria was drawn to the spotlight and has been dogged in her pursuit of singing stardom.

Currently a rap artist, Victoria wrote in a recent newspaper article of how being diagnosed with the developmental disorder dyspraxia explained an adulthood blighted by clumsiness and a lack of focus. It explains why other musicians dont want to work with me, she noted.

Someone should make a film about the Aitken girls  they are absolutely fabulous in every way.

I am encouraging Victoria to sing more songs, says her sister. I think it is amazing she has been in the charts, she was number three in Sweden and is surprisingly really popular. She is way more famous than me, she adds, in a rather telling aside.

Despite her unconventional life, Alexandra remains close to her parents, telling me that her mother is wonderful and underrated because she is so beautiful.

She bangs on so much about her father being a paragon of virtue, a really good person who gives his money away, someone who never did anyone any harm, a man who only wanted to make this country better and so on, that I have to gently remind her that yes, but he did commit a very serious act of perjury.

So? Havent you ever told a lie? she snaps.

Not under oath in a courtroom, no.

My father is one of the worlds biggest experts in prison reform. So the people who might attack him, like you, are in the minority.

What do you know about prison reform?

British actress Alexandra Aitken pays her respects at the Sikh shrine the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India

To be fair, I wasnt attacking Mr Aitken, but how interesting to see that underneath all the peace and love and loo paper proselytising, scratch Mrs Singh and you will find the old Alexandra Aitken not far beneath; as patrician and patronising as any duchess reprimanding a serf who dares to utter a word of reproach against her family.

Still, by her own lights she is a woman who only wants to do good in the world, even if she can sometimes envisage a day when she is not a Sikh any more.

It could happen, but I hope not.

She was in Nepal last year when an earthquake hit, another experience which changed her for ever. The ground started shaking, everyone started screaming, she recalls. I thought I had only three minutes to live, so I ran outside and started singing mantras loudly for everyone. I was saying, Peace be with us, God save us. We thought we were all dying.

She hopes to come back to England one day and open her own Sikh centre, where she could finally prove to everyone she is not just some indulged girl playing at being an Indian pauper.

Everyone could come to it and they would get into it, reading prayers for peace before they go to bed. In the morning Liz Hurley would start washing with my soapwort and Kate Moss would be wearing organic cotton.

Thats good, isnt it? Wed all spread the word, you could come, too, she says.

No, I think. Id be too tempted to run outside screaming, as if I had only three minutes to live.

And with that thought, we walk companionably to her car and she tells me about her new website 1terra.org, which contains even more tips about living an ethical life.
One of the most familiar buildings in Keighley  an old mill town in the heart of Bronte country in West Yorkshire  is the former police station, with its underground car park, on Devonshire Street.

The cop shop car park  as it is still known today  is the unofficial divide between Keighleys two Asian areas: Highfield, which lies on a hill rising from the centre of Keighley up towards the moors, and, at the opposite end, Dalton Lane and Lawkholme.

Young Asians from these neighbourhoods refer to themselves as Top Enders and Bottom Enders respectively. Rivalries between them, fuelled by the drugs trade, have sometimes spilled over into violence.

Khalid Mahood (left), 34, was given an extended sentence of 17 years and Saqib Younis (right), 29, from Keighley jailed for 13 years at Bradford Crown Court

One such drug dealer was teenager Arif Chowdhury. He is 20 now but he was 15 when this story begins.

His runner back then was a vulnerable 13-year-old white girl from a broken home. She didnt just deliver drugs (heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, cannabis, steroids) to Chowdhurys low-life customers, she also became his sexual property and was passed around his associates.

The location where much of the abuse took place was the underground car park of the disused police station, a perverse irony in the circumstances, which has now been converted to an office block. The words Top End are daubed in big blue letters near the entrance.

Chowdhury put a sofa in this subterranean lair  the building was empty at the time  then he and four friends (two sets of brothers, all in their early 20s or late teens) gang raped the 13-year-old at will.

After one sustained attack, they mocked their victim by scrawling their names next to hers on the wall of a parking bay, in the same way that, say, young lovers might innocently carve their initials on a tree.

The car park, which became a dungeon for the girl, was just yards from Keighleys main shopping thoroughfare on Devonshire Street. Often, people would be walking past on the pavement, virtually above her head, while she was being raped.

Faisal Khan (left), 27, from Keighley was jailed for 13 years at Bradford Crown Court and Sufyan Ziarab (right), 22, from Keighley, Yorkshire, for 15 years

Sometimes, Chowdhury went so far as to share the girl with rival Asians from Dalton Lane and Lawkholme, the so-called Bottom Enders. Such was their collective contempt for the girl that traditional rivalries were set aside. In all, 12 Asian youths and men took it in turns to violate her in the course of one hellish year.

The persecution was not just physical. The perpetrators also telephoned her at home and called her a sl*t and a sl*g. One of her tormentors turned up at her house when her mother and stepfather were out and threatened to douse the property in petrol and set it alight unless she had sex with him.

She was insulted on Facebook, and, once, when she was out with her grandmother in the town centre, they shouted out: Well see you tonight.

The punishment handed down to the culprits a few days ago at Bradford Crown Court, following a complex and lengthy police investigation, reflected the wickedness and depravity of their behaviour: 143 years in total, with individual sentences ranging from three-and-a-half to 20 years.

The judge told the convicted men: The attitudes the majority of you have so clearly demonstrated to these proceedings [constantly joking and waving to their supporters in the public gallery] has been contemptuous, disrespectful and arrogant on a scale I have hardly seen before in many years of practice in criminal law.

In scenes that echoed a court case in Manchester last week, when a gang of Somali men were convicted of gang rape amid protests from female members of their families, supporters shouted abuse at the judge and jury when the verdicts were read out. The police were called to clear the public gallery.

Tanqueer Hussain (left), 23, from Keighley was jailed for 13 years and received a five year consecutive sentence for the rape of a second underage victim. Bilal Ziarab (right), 21, from Bradford, was jailed for 12 years

One face, however, was missing from the dock: ringleader Arif Chowdhury, who fled abroad while on bail and has escaped capture. He is believed to be in his familys native Bangladesh and will probably never be brought to justice. What he and his accomplices did to the girl at the centre of this case was alarmingly reminiscent of similar scandals in Rochdale and Rotherham  the two places that have become inextricably linked in the publics mind with the phenomenon of Asian street-grooming gangs.

But the list of towns and cities blighted by such paedophile activity in the recent past is much longer than people might think.

There have been at least 14 major trials, like the ones in Rochdale and Rotherham, across the length and breadth of the country: in Oxford, Derby, Leeds, Aylesbury, Telford, Banbury, Middlesbrough, Dewsbury, Carlisle, Burnley and Blackpool. The prosecutions resulted in the conviction of 66 men, many from a Pakistani background.

But even this figure does not reflect the true scale of a problem that liberal commentators are still shamefully reluctant to confront.

The ongoing inquiry in Rotherham alone  which is expected to run until 2018  has already identified 300 predominantly Asian suspects and an estimated 1,400 young female victims over the past 16 years.

Yasser Kabir (left), 25, from was jailed for 15 years and Nasir Khan, 22, from Keighley, was jailed for 13 years

Keighley itself is in the metropolitan borough of Bradford, where child sexual exploitation is monitored by a multi-agency team currently involved in an astonishing 129 separate investigations into grooming in the area, according to a report presented to the local authority in September.

We asked for the ethnic breakdown of the 183 suspects  66 of whom have been arrested  but at the time of writing this information was not forthcoming.

One doesnt need the sharpest legal mind to realise that the disturbing factors which contributed to past scandals in other parts of the UK are present here in Keighley.

Perhaps one of the most chilling factors was highlighted earlier this week by local Tory councillor Zafar Ali. It is in his Keighley Central ward that the unfortunate girl was groomed.

Like nearly all my fellow Muslims, I want to see these gangs of paedophiles removed from our community and imprisoned for a long time, he said.

The men who committed these awful crimes are a stain on our community and have done untold damage to Keighley as a town.

Note the words nearly all my fellow Muslims. For while many Muslims lead exemplary family lives and share the outrage sparked by these crimes, there is a dangerous minority who do not.

When asked by the Mail this week to explain his statement, the councillor clarified what he meant by the phrase.

Mohammed Akram, 63, was jailed for five years for rape at Bradford Crown Court and Hussain Sardar (right), 19, from Keighley received six years detention in a young offenders institution

It is important to be aware that, sadly, a small number of people within the Muslim community do take the view that the victim is partly to blame, Zafar Ali told us. They believe it takes two to tango. They must be confronted about their abhorrent views.

His shocking admission echoes what brave voices such as former Home Secretary Jack Straw and Kris Hopkins, Tory MP for Keighley, have been saying for years.

The backlash against this victim, who is now 18, from some local Muslims began shortly after the 12 men were sent down on Monday.

The following, barely literate outburst was posted on Facebook at 10.07 pm that night.

A big shout to all mums whos sons got sentenced without any evidence. Am wiv u all . . . today [the victims] mother is wiv her Coz she knows here daughter will get a fat compensation lol [laugh out loud] it makes me sick!!! I seen it all. she was good friends wiv my niece!! Yeah some of erm lads did go wiv her but she wanted it and lied [about] her age!!!!

The girl, remember, was just 13 years old at the time of the attacks. She came from an unhappy home and had been rejected by her mother, a heavy drinker.

During her year-long ordeal, she was frequently beaten.

Three of the convicted  Nazir Khan, 24, his brother Faisal Khan, 27, and Zain Ali, 20  all lived in Dalton Lane, a small street of terraced houses. The trio, together with Saqib Younis  a cousin of the Khan brothers  and Hussain Sardar, 19 (who was 15 at the time), were found guilty of raping her on a single afternoon in 2012.

Israr Ali (left), 19, from Keighley, received three and a half years detention and Zain Ali, 20, from Keighley, received eight years, both in a young defenders institute

There is no evidence against them, said a young woman resident of Dalton Lane. They were just charged. Its a stitch-up.

Other residents told the same story. One was a close relative of Zain Ali (who was 17 at the time he committed the offences). They have not done it, she insisted. Zain was a lovely child. He was so polite. He would do anything for anyone.

Our childrens lives have been destroyed. Its not just our kids who have been punished. All their families have got a life sentence and its so unfair.

The view expressed by some was that even if they might have had sex with a 13-year-old, she had lied about her age and went with them willingly. In other words, in that chilling phrase again, it takes two to tango.

In fact, the judge went into considerable detail in his summing up that made clear there was nothing consensual about what happened on that afternoon more than three years ago.

On that occasion, five attackers took it in turns to rape the girl in a yard near Dalton Lane.

It was, the judge said, degrading and humiliating, and prolonged and sustained as well as being backed up by Arifs [Chowdhury] violence and threats.

Keighley has a population of 56,348, of which 39,971 are white British (71 per cent), according to the last census. There are 10,261 Pakistanis (18 per cent) and around 2,000 Bangladeshis. Unsurprisingly, because of the discredited liberal philosophy of multi-culturalism, which encouraged ethnic minorities to keep their own culture rather than integrate into British ways, the town is geographically divided by race.

Keighley was recently named among the least integrated places in the UK in a report by the Policy Exchange think-tank. The findings were based on key indicators such as the number of people who held a British passport, how many households were ethnically mixed, and employment status.

Anyone who believes that race and cultural differences are incidental to these scandals should study the evidence in this most recent case. The young victim was repeatedly called a little white b*****d, little white sl*g, and white b***h.

Almost all the victims of Asian gangs are white girls. Why? A number of reasons have been cited by both Muslims and non-Muslims.

Im not saying its not happening to Asian girls, Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Muslim youth organisation, the Ramadhan Foundation, told the Mail.

But Asian men do not tend to go for Asian girls because someone could come knocking on their door. They do not want fathers or brothers or community leaders speaking out against them.

Arif Chowdhury, 20, allegedly left for Bangladesh during the investigation after he was arrested in 2012

White girls are seen as more available, more promiscuous and an easy outlet for young Muslims who may be trapped in unhappy arranged marriages.

In extreme cases, such cultural pressures help produce young men like Arif Chowdhury and his cronies who regard white girls as not only available but also worthless.

As the judge made clear: She [the victim] demanded pity and understanding, but their view of her was heartless and demeaning. They saw her as a pathetic figure who had no worth and who served no other purpose than to be an object they could sexually misuse and cast aside. They showed her no shred of decency or humanity.

The girl was introduced to Chowdhury through a friend and soon came under his sociopathic control. She had played truant from school and had run away from home more than 70 times.

It would be all too easy to blame social workers and the police for not doing more to help her, but the judge made no criticism of them.

The truth is that, like so many other vulnerable youngsters, she slipped through the net.

Chowdhury regularly beat her, the court heard. Even if he was not present, the threat of what he might do to her was enough to ensure she did not flee.

Chowdhury lived with his Bangladeshi parents. He had a brother and two sisters, one of whom lived elsewhere. The police, according to neighbours, were regular visitors at their stone-built terrace house.

Although both his parents were unemployed, Chowdhury was always well dressed and had lots of money.

He was dealing drugs from the house and in the street, said someone who knows the family.

His dad was not happy, but he thought he could do what he wanted, so he did.

Chowdhury was arrested in 2013 after his victim finally found the courage to report him and began to tell her harrowing story to social workers.

Where is Arif Chowdhury now? He is believed to be in his familys native Bangladesh.

His victim, on the other hand, is serving her own psycho- logical sentence.

I have struggled to remain in control of my emotions and life in general, she said in a statement which was read out to the court.
If youre hoping to feel the heat of passion this Valentines Day, its perhaps best not to venture outside.

Temperatures are expected to fall as low as -5C (23F) this weekend with up to 6in of snow in some areas.

The Met Office has issued a weather warning for snow in north-east England on Sunday. And for the rest of the UK, wintry showers and freezing overnight temperatures are predicted as the cold snap begins to bite.

Temperatures are expected to fall as low as -5C (23F) this weekend with up to 6in of snow in some areas

The Met Office has issued a weather warning for snow in north-east England on Sunday

In a possible sign of what is to come, thousands of passengers travelling between Kent and London faced disruption due to icy conditions on railway lines in the South yesterday, with some reporting delays of more than two hours.

The Met Office said a slow-moving cold front is expected to make its way southwards on Saturday, with weather warnings in place across Scotland for ice and up to 4in of snow. The chill is expected to continue drifting down to northern England, meaning Valentines Day will start with widespread early frosts before temperatures drop as low as -5C (23F) as the evening draws in.

The North East is predicted to see around 2in of snow on lower ground inland, with up to 6in higher up. The South is likely to feel slightly milder throughout the weekend thanks to a wet weather front. But that could bring its own hazards with the Environment Agency issuing 13 flood warnings across Wales, the South West and the Midlands.

The wet forecast means that despite plummeting overnight temperatures, any scattering of snow across the Cotswolds and Dartmoor is unlikely to settle. Suffolk is also forecast to see some of the coldest temperatures in the south, with lows of -4C (25F) in the village of Santon Downham.

The Met Office said the cold snap is likely to really take hold on Sunday night, as many couples return from their romantic evenings out.

Sharp frosts are then expected across Britain on Monday and Tuesday mornings, with night-time temperatures as low as -5C (23F) in the South and -8C (18F) in the North.

For the rest of the UK, wintry showers and freezing overnight temperatures are predicted as the cold snap begins to bite

Met Office forecaster Alex Burkill said: On Saturday, some of the snow settling in Scotland is likely to start falling in the North East. There could also be scatterings of wintry showers on higher ground in the South  such as the Cotswolds, the Chilterns, even Exmoor and Dartmoor.

As we go into Sunday, well start to see colder air blowing from the North, which typically brings more showers to the East ...where these fall further inland, they are likely to fall as snow or sleet.

By Monday, these wintry showers could even start to move down as far as the Midlands  though they will be much more scattered.

Mr Burkill said the start of next week is likely to see lower-than-average temperatures for this time of year.
Major reforms to tackle obesity will not include a sugar tax.

Instead, ministers will give food and drinks firms one last chance to slash calories and portion sizes voluntarily.

The Government will insist it has not ruled out the tax by using it as an ever-present threat to industry bosses if they fail to act.

But campaigners accused ministers of kicking the tax into the long grass for another three years and sitting on the fence.

Sugar crackdown: Some adverts promoting sugar-laden products could be banned near prime-time family television shows

Ministers have repeatedly changed their minds on a sugar tax. David Cameron had consistently ruled it out and didnt even read a Government-commissioned report last autumn strongly supporting the levy.

Last month, however, in the face of mounting pressure from health experts, he suggested the tax was back on the table.

Although officials have now decided against imposing the levy immediately, they are keen to show it is still under consideration as a long-term ultimatum.

The proposals are due to be announced at the end of the month as part of the Governments childhood obesity strategy.

Ministers will also recommend that junk food adverts are banned from being screened near family programmes. This will depend on the percentage of under-18s in the audience and will cover shows such as The X Factor, Britains Got Talent and major sporting events.

David Cameron last month suggested the sugar tax was 'back on the table'. A third of UK 11-year-olds are now overweight or obese and our rates are among the worst in Europe

A third of UK 11-year-olds are now overweight or obese and our rates are among the worst in Europe. The Government has been repeatedly criticised for failing to address the crisis, with accusations that ministers are too cosy with industry.

Pressure to impose a sugar tax immediately has come from experts including the World Health Organisation, the medical colleges, charities and senior MPs.

To prove the tax is still on the table, ministers plan a feasibility study to establish exactly how it could be introduced. But in reality it is unlikely to be imposed before 2020 and only if manufacturers fail to slash sugar content themselves.

Professor Graham MacGregor, an expert in cardiovascular medicine at Queen Mary, the University of London, and chairman of the pressure group Action On Sugar, said: Its the usual Cameron thing  kick it into the long grass, have a commission on sugar tax and come back in three years time. He hasnt ruled it out but he hasnt ruled it in. Hes sitting on the fence. It would be quite a disappointment.

Tory MP Sarah Wollaston, chairman of the health select committee  which has called for a sugar tax  said: The tax helps nudge behaviour in the right direction and would raise money to do really positive things for childrens health.

The Government fears the tax would be unpopular, bureaucratic to police and not do much to tackle obesity

The Government fears the tax would be unpopular, bureaucratic to police and not do much to tackle obesity. Research shows it would lead to the average Briton consuming only four fewer calories a day.

Studies say the recommended 20 per cent tax put forward by experts would generate only 1billion for the NHS a year  a fraction of its annual budget of 110billion.

By comparison, urging firms to cut the sugar content of products and reduce portion sizes has proved far more effective.

A 2014 study by consultancy firm McKinsey said cutting portion sizes of packaged foods and restaurant meals was ten times more effective than taxing sugary food and drink.
Syria's fragile peace deal was broken within hours after President Bashar al-Assad vowed to retake the entire country

Verbal clashes between Russia and the U.S are nothing new - but rarely are these 'spats' played out on Twitter.

Yet on Wednesday, Russia's MOD took to social media to make the claim that the U.S. had struck Aleppo in Syria, causing a Twitter slanging match to ensue.

The U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition spokesman Col. Steve Warren sparred with the Russian defense ministry after the agency claimed U.S. jets struck Aleppo on Wednesday, resulting in civilian casualties, Turkish news site Andalou Agency reported.

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Russia's MOD took to social media to make the claim that the U.S. had struck Aleppo in Syria, causing a Twitter slinging match to ensue

But a spokesman for the U.S -coalition denied Moscow's claim and said that they had in fact bombed nearby Manjib. Pictured: Heavy smoke rises following an airstrike by the US-led coalition aircraft in Kobani, Syria

The row began when the defense ministry, in a series of tweets, criticized Warrens comments about Russian airstrikes destroying two hospitals in Aleppo that deprived more than 50,000 people of medical services.

Aleppo has been a point of contention for both sides in the ongoing fighting in Syria after Russia said it targeted 1,900 terrorist facilities and that Aleppo was the prime focus, reported CNN.

But the U.S. and its allies said that Russian strikes have cut off people of Aleppo from 'vital food and humanitarian supplies'.

The match began on Wednesday when the Russian MOD tweeted: #SYRIA Yesterday, Pentagon official: allegedly Rus bombers attacked 2 hospitals in #ALEPPO;50,000 Syrians were deprived from med services,

And added: #SYRIA Col. Warren is to be disappointedRus aircraft didn't work near #ALEPPO yesterday. Nearest target was more than 20 km far from city.

Then: Yesterday at 13:55 (MSK), 2 A-10 attack aircrafts of US AF entered Syrian airspace from Turkish territory made strikes on objects in city, the ministry claimed.

But Colonel Steve Warren, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS in Syria, denied the claim that they were holding airstrikes in Aleppo, and tweeted: '@MOD_Russia's tweets are wrong. Furthermore their bombing is reckless and indiscriminate and their efforts are strategically short-sighted.'

He added that that the hospital strikes that he mentioned the day before didnt take place Wednesday and the U.S. hasnt struck Aleppo in 2016.

Reuters reported that United States and its allies conducted 14 strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday, the Combined Joint Task Force leading the operations said in a statement.

The statement said that one strike in Syria destroyed an IS structure near Manbij, which Colonel Steve Warren refered to in his next tweet: '@CJTFOIR hasn't struck in #ALEPPO in 2016. Did strike in Manbij yesterday, 95 km away.'

Russia has come under international criticism since launching airstrikes in Syria at the end of September, after reports that Moscow is targeting Syrian opposition and civilians in an attempt to prop up President Bashar al-Assad.

The tense exchange between U.S and Russia played out on the very public Twittersphere. Five years of conflict have killed more than a quarter-million people, created Europe's biggest refugee crisis since World War II

The slinging match also comes as Syria's fragile peace deal lay in tatters on Thursday after President Bashar al-Assad vowed to retake the entire country despite attempts by world powers to broker a ceasefire.

In a rare interview published just hours after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced a planned truce, Assad said he would continue to fight 'terrorism' regardless.

He also warned it could take a 'long time' to defeat opposition groups, including Western-backed rebels, because so many countries were involved in the conflict.

Up to 50,000 people have fled Aleppo city and countryside since the Russian bombing has intensified

Aid: The nationwide ceasefire, which is expected to begin in a week's time, will provide humanitarian relief to hundred of thousands of Syrians fleeing the fighting and who have been besieged

Assad said his regime's eventual goal was to retake all of Syria, large swathes of which are under the control of rebel forces or ISIS.

His interview was published just hours after Mr Kerry announced a 'pause' in hostilities, due to begin in a week, after a crisis meeting in Munich.

But critics were quick to dismiss the agreement as 'not worth the paper it's printed on', it was reported by the BBC.

Despite this blow, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced early Friday that major world powers have agreed to a "cessation of hostilities" and to the delivery of immediate aid in Syria.
warn move could backfire if President is seen to 'lecture'

Barack Obama will make a public appeal to British voters to stay in the EU despite warnings from White House advisers that the move could backfire.

David Cameron has invited the American president to visit Britain this spring to bolster the case for EU membership before the in-out referendum.

Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, said yesterday that Mr Obama was planning a big, public reach out to Britain on the issue.

Mr Corker questioned the value of Mr Camerons renegotiation package, saying: It is hard to discern whether they are real from the standpoint of substance or whether he is just looking for something, if you will, to say he got something or whether it is being totally driven by internal politics.

Warning: David Cameron with Angela Merkel in Hamburg where the PM attended the annual Matthiae-Mahl dinner; he is pictured with Hamburg's Mayor Olaf Scholz and his wife Britta Ernst

He suggested Mr Obama would focus instead on wider security issues.

But Juliane Smith, a former national security adviser to vice-president Joe Biden, said the visit could easily backfire if Mr Obama is seen to be trying to lecture the UK public.

She said it was never in your interest to tell another man what is in their interest, adding: Our role is going to be a very careful one. If we give a very public bear hug to our friends in London and stress the importance of the EU, in some cases that can backfire.

Mr Obama first spoke out in favour of Britain staying in the EU in June 2014. Speaking alongside the Prime Minister in Brussels, he said it was hard to imagine Britain being better off if it was excluded from political decisions that have an enormous impact on its economic and political life.

Last night Mr Cameron warned that Britains ability to stand up to Russia, North Korea and the Islamic State terror group will be weakened if it quits the EU. In a speech in Hamburg, he brushed aside accusations of scaremongering to warn that being in the EU makes Britain stronger. He said it was vital to keep Britain in a reformed EU

Mr Cameron has promised fellow Cabinet ministers he will refrain from campaigning for EU membership until he has completed negotiations with Brussels on Britains membership. But last night he said the security situation made him convinced more than ever that Britain should never leave.

Juliane Smith, a former national security adviser to vice-president Joe Biden, said the visit could easily backfire if Mr Obama is seen to be trying to lecture the UK public

Mr Cameron, who had travelled to Hamburg for talks with German chancellor Angela Merkel, said: In a world where Russia is invading Ukraine and a rogue nation like North Korea is testing nuclear weapons, we need to stand up to this aggression together  and bring our economic might to bear on those who rip up the rulebook and threaten the safety of our people.

Turning to the threat posed by IS, he said the EU must stand together to confront this evil, and defeat it.

Earlier this week, Tory MPs accused Mr Cameron of scaremongering over claims that leaving the EU would result in Calais-style refugee camps being set up in Kent. In a thinly-veiled swipe at the Prime Minister, Eurosceptic minister Chris Grayling urged supporters of the EU to abandon their Project Fear strategy, saying voters wanted a measured debate, based on facts.

Mr Camerons intervention will further irritate Eurosceptic MPs angry at briefings that Cabinet ministers who defy him over Europe face the sack after the referendum.
Westminster's historic Committee Room 14 has seldom seen such argy-bargy. On Monday evening, some 200 Labour parliamentarians  MPs and peers  crowded into that ornate venue, their mood mutinous.

Within minutes they were jostling and griping amid shouts of rubbish!, liar! and dont you bloody patronise us!. Things became so unruly that their chairman, John Cryer, threatened to suspend the meeting.

There seemed a possibility proceedings might descend into a brawl.

Mr Cryer himself was not the source of grievance. The problem was sitting beside him: a short, tubby woman wearing killer eyeliner and a defiant pout.

Shadow Defence Secretary and Islington South MP, Emily Thornberry, was one of the main speaker's on Monday evening

Shadow Defence Secretary Emily Thornberry was one of the evenings two main speakers and the rumpus kicked off soon after she started explaining her unilateralist ideas about Britains nuclear weapons.

They did not go down well. Correction: She did not go down well. Should we scrap the expensive Trident nuclear deterrent? Might the Royal Navys Vanguard-class nuclear submarines be as obsolete as Spitfires?

Miss Thornberry ludicrously claimed that enemy drones would soon be able to dive into the ocean like guillemots in order to search out the subs and destroy them before they could launch their missiles.

It was not merely the (highly questionable) policy analysis that infuriated the gathering. The uproar was fuelled by something more visceral.

Miss Thornberrys very personality  everything from her political track record to her aura of patrician entitlement  lost her the room.

She might be a pacifist, but she had ignited a civil war inside Her Majestys Opposition. On the face of it, the Islington South MP should be an asset to Labour.

She is a barrister, is not without a sense of humour and can even claim  up to a point  to have been reared on a council estate.

Not that she is exactly a daughter of the poor-house. Her father Cedric was a top lawyer who became Assistant Secretary General at the United Nations. He divorced Emilys mother Sallie when their daughter was seven.

Emily was reared in a modest home in Kent and attended a secondary-modern school after failing her 11-plus.

That scholastic failure is something she often brandishes as a proletarian credential, apparently little grasping that the whole point of the 11-plus and grammar schools was that they offered poor children a route to success.

Im not posh, she once told me. I failed my 11-plus.

I tried to tell her that plenty of posh people are unacademic  but by that point she had sailed off down the corridor, chin in the air.

Despite early academic setbacks, our heroine made it to the University of Kent and was called to the Bar in 1983. She joined Tooks Chambers, which was regarded as a hotbed of Left-wing legal talent.

Tooks was run by flamboyant Leftist Michael Mansfield (whos represented the Guildford Four, the Birmingham Six and those killed in the Bloody Sunday shootings) and he may have imbued Miss Thornberry with her archly superior airs.

These may work in a court of law, but they are less effective in the Commons.

After standing creditably for Labour in Tory Canterbury in the 2001 general election, Miss Thornberry won the nomination to succeed Chris Smith in Islington South & Finsbury. It had been an all-female shortlist.

She duly became an MP in 2005 and her maiden speech in the Commons was memorable for its confident delivery and casual name-dropping.

She painted a picture of a quasi-Dickensian childhood. My mum struggled for years to bring up me and my brothers on benefits, she gasped. I wear the chips that I have on my shoulder with pride.

She added: You can take the girl out of the estate, but you cant take the estate out of the girl.

Cue brass band, hankies, and the old Hovis advert theme tune.

Can this be the same Miss Thornberry who, nine years later, would land her party in such trouble by tweeting a message that appeared to mock working-class electors?

She had gone to Kents Rochester and Strood to campaign in the November 2014 by-election. While there, she tweeted a photo of a modest house festooned with England flags, a white van parked outside its door. The image was interpreted as a sneer at white van man  just the sort of voter Labour was losing to Ukip and the Tories.

Miss Thornberry clumsily claimed that the tweet was posted in admiration, but she was not believed. The wider world reckoned her Leftist metropolitan values had been appalled that anyone should be vulgar enough to parade their patriotism by flying  yuck  the flag of St George.

Her exasperated boss, Ed Miliband, sacked mother-of-three Miss Thornberry as Shadow Attorney General, but the electoral damage was done.

The charge-sheet against 55-year-old Miss Thornberry does not end there.

The biggest hypocrite in Britain? Labour's Emily Thornberry, whose proper title is Lady Nugee

She might profess socialist values, but her personal actions have often been distinctly capitalist. It is not just her voice, as grand and husky as that of a Downton Abbey dowager, or those eyebrows etched with disdain. She conveys a bullet-proof (if deluded) sense of intellectual superiority.

If she did all this with a flash of dimpled smile and measure of self-mockery, such superiority could be forgiven but in the Commons she is a hectoring, acidic presence. She is one of the noisiest Labour hecklers at Prime Ministers Question Time and when she makes interventions she jabs an angry forefinger, her pukka tones descending to something more snarly and feral.

With exquisite irony, the proper name of class-warrior Citizen Thornberry is, in fact, Lady Nugee, courtesy of the knighthood bestowed on her Old Radleain, High Court-judge husband Sir Christopher Nugee.

Such things do not ultimately matter in politics if the person comes across as genuine, but that is Miss Thornberrys problem. She is an embodiment of the do as I say, not as I do school of politics whose defining characteristic is that its members always know best.

While reciting dogmatic London-Left creeds, demanding egalitarian schools and houses for the masses, she has been  surprise, surprise!  sharp-elbowed in advancing her own familys interests.

She sent her children to a selective state school 14 miles from her home  no bog-standard comprehensive for the Nugee offspring, thank you.

The late Chris Woodhead, former chief inspector of schools, waspishly commented: I celebrate her good sense as a parent and deplore her hypocrisy as a politician.

Then there is Miss Thornberrys position, or positions, on property ownership. She has often criticised the sale of council housing. Yet when a housing-association property came on the market, who should snap it up as a rental investment for 500,000 but Sir Christopher and Lady Nugee?

With one breath Miss Thornberry was deploring private landlords. With the next, she herself was becoming one. Her own home, since you wonder, is a spacious 3 million house in a gentrified Islington crescent. Tony and Cherie Blair used to live a few doors down. Another neighbour is multi-millionaire Labour MP Lady Hodge. Connections, connections.

This, and the canny courtship of grievance lobbies and fashionable causes, has been the Thornberry way.

However, such methods are not in tune with the true concerns of Labours patriotic working- class voters.

Lets keep the personal out of politics, is the age-old refrain of many idealists, but parlia- mentary politics are unavoidably, intensely personal.

Miss Thornberrys privileged airs and her contradictory behaviour have won her scant friends over the years. Its easy to understand why. Only this week she had one of her staff write to veteran Tory MP Sir Nicholas Soames inviting him to lunch so that she could pick his brain on defence issues.

The one-time Armed Forces minister took umbrage and fired back a bracing retort.

Would it really have been so difficult for Miss Thornberry to have approached him in person, diplomatically, rather than high-handedly having one of her munchkins send him an email?

The fact is she has a dreadful tin-ear for the human essentials of politics.

She is described as unclubbable and haughty and attracts particular opprobrium from the dwindling number of genuinely working-class Labour MPs. One of her few known friends is fellow Labour MP Fiona Mactaggart. The wealthy MP for Slough is the daughter of a Tory grandee and was educated at Cheltenham Ladies College.

Politically, Miss Thornberry was seen at her most cack-handed during last summers election of a new Labour leader.

Initially, she was one of the Labour MPs who rather patronisingly nominated Jeremy Corbyn on the basis that, OK, he was dotty, but the party needed a broad debate. However, they were pretty startled when he won.

For her part, she had, in fact, voted for Yvette Cooper. But keen to ingratiate herself with her new boss and fellow Islington MP, Miss Thornberry quickly congratulated Mr Corbyn, saying: Im disappointed Yvette didnt win but we move on and theres no point sulking, as the public deserves an alternative to this terrible government.

Miss Thornberry landed her party in trouble by tweeting a message that appeared to mock working-class electors in 2014

When Mr Corbyn soon ran into difficulties  not least the accusation that he was anti-women  although an assiduous feminist, Miss Thornberry defended him. In due course, he sacked his pro-nuclear defence spokesman Maria Eagle. Miss Thornberry was given her job.

It was a striking frontbench return for a woman so recently disgraced.

Labour MPs were uneasy still about her Rochester gaffe. Their unhappiness increased when Miss Thornberry gaily said she hadnt the faintest idea why she had been appointed.

Political observers suspected that Mr Corbyn and his friend Ken Livingstone, who oppose Trident, chose her because she would be easy to manipulate.

In a further sign of her cluelessness about defence issues, she gave an interview to the British Forces Broadcasting Service in which she boasted about her military credentials  saying that she was once, as a lawyer at a court martial, given the temporary rank of colonel.

My father was a peacekeeper [in a reference to his UN role], she noted. Oh, and her brother-in-law was a soldier.

In Committee Room 14 on Monday night, the full might of the Parliamentary Labour Party had gathered for what it hoped would be an adult discussion about the defence of Britain. Crucially, the Government must soon ask MPs to agree to renew our Trident nuclear deterrent.

Quite apart from the daunting moral questions surrounding nuclear weapons, there are concerns about the practicalities of Trident. Thousands of jobs are involved, many of them in Labour-held seats.

Also, there are wider strategic implications, such as our Nato commitments, our relationship with the U.S. and the all-too evident potential threats not only from Russia but also from would-be nuclear North Korea.

Whats more, the Navys V-boats, for all their stark functionality, embody more than nuclear firepower. They may be symbolic of Britains ambitions. Any party opposing them could be seen, fairly or not, as unpatriotic.

For his part, former Labour Defence minister Kevan Jones was so disgusted by Miss Thornberrys feeble presentation on Monday night that he stormed out of the meeting calling it waffly and incoherent. Bridgend MP Madeleine Moons tweeted verdict was: Oh dear oh dear omg oh dear oh dear need to go rest in a darkened room.

During the meeting, Miss Thornberry was attacked by MPs Caroline Flint, Jamie Reed, John Woodcock, Angela Smith and, most devastatingly, by former admiral Lord West. Able no longer to bear Miss Thornberrys theories about sub-surface drones, he boomed: Lets get the facts straight!

Whatever the merits of the anti-Trident case  even when it is put by more accomplished advocates  it is hard to see how Labour can hope to regain the publics trust on the defence of the realm while such infighting persists.
Captive cartel kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman has said he would be willing to testify if Mexican actress and love interest Kate del Castillo is hauled into court over her links to him.

Authorities have said they are keen to speak to soap-star Castillo over her relationship with El Chapo, after suggesting that her tequila business may have been used to launder drug money.

However, El Chapo, who is currently inside Altiplano jail near Mexico City awaiting deportation to the U.S., has told his lawyers that Castillo 'never received a single peso' from him.

Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, the imprisoned head of the Sinaloa Cartel, has said he would be willing to testify if love interest and actress Kate del Castillo is put on trial over her financial links to him

Mexican authorities are investigating whether Castillo used drug money to help launch her Honor tequila brand, though El Chapo said today that she has never 'received a single peso from me'

According to El Universal, El Chapo said: 'I see no problem with testifying, she did interview me, we talked about a movie, but it is a lie that she has received a single peso from me, I never gave her a single peso.'

The Sinaloa Cartel boss was referring to the now-infamous meeting with Castillo and American actor Sean Penn while he was still a fugitive which led to the Rolling Stone interview published last month.

Mexican Attorney General Arely Gomez said that 'there are indications' Castilo may have used money from El Chapo to finance her Honor tequila brand.

Authorities have ordered her to return to her home country for questioning, though say she is only a witness and has not been charged with a crime.

Castillo has repeatedly denied taking any money from El Chapo, and said she would be willing to speak with Mexican authorities if they come to Los Angeles, where she now lives.

Authorities are also thought to be looking into the mechanics of the meeting itself, and whether Casillo accepted expenses money from El Chapo to go and meet him.

Castillo has repeatedly denied accepting any money from El Chapo, but has also rebutted

Del Castillo did not know Penn was planning to write an article for Rolling Stone about the interview with El Chapo, her attorney said

It appears that the actress and drug lord had a close relationship after a series of affectionate texts between the pair in the months leading up to the meeting were revealed.

In them the Sinaloa Cartel kingpin, who calls himself Papa, gushed that she is 'beautiful', 'the best in the world', and said 'I will care for you more than I care for my own eyes'.

The twice-divorced actress responded: 'It makes me so emotional to hear you say that, no one has ever cared for me, thank you!'

Del Castillo was also saved into his cell phone under the name Guapa - meaning beautiful.

While Castillo has not talked at great length about the meeting itself, she did speak out last week over the involvement of Sean Penn, saying she feels 'betrayed' and 'used' by the actor.

Del Castillo did not know Penn was planning to write an article for Rolling Stone about the interview, her lawyer Harland Braun said.

Del Castillo, who was looking into developing a movie about the cartel boss, said the request for an interview was only revealed after Penn arrived, at which point it was too late to go back.

'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?' the attorney asked.

'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.

'That's what made her feel really betrayed by these people. The three of them go together and basically used her and didn't tell her.'

El Chapo was captured in the Mexican city of Los Mochis in January - a day before Penn's article was published.

Both Penn and del Castillo were criticized for communicating with and then meeting with El Chapo without alerting officials.

But the Mexican authorities later said that the stars' meeting with the cartel leader led them to him, even if they did not meant it to.

'We're not afraid of anything because she didn't do anything to hurt anyone,' Mr Braun said. 'She didn't do this to expose Mr Guzman.'

El Chapo was captured in the Mexican city of Los Mochis in January - a day before Penn's article was published - and he is now back in prison

Mr Braun said 'the Mexican government knows that there's no money laundering'.

'You can find out very quickly by looking financial records,' he said.

He also denied there was any relationship between El Chapo and del Castillo.

The court order only applies in Mexico. If del Castillo was found to be in the country then she would be detained to make a statement as a witness and then released after doing so.

El Chapo, who made billions of dollars smuggling drugs from the east of Mexico into America, was first captured by authorities in 1993 when he was sentenced to 20 years behind bars.

However, he was free again in 2001 after bribing prison guards with a reported $2.5million to turn a blind eye as he was wheeled out of jail in a laundry basket.

It took authorities 13 years to relocate El Chapo, who narrowly avoided capture several times, before he was locked away again in 2014.

Despite repeated warnings by U.S. authorities that Mexico did not have the means to hold El Chapo, he was again thrown into their most secure prison, and freed himself for a second time in 2015.

This time his audacious escape used a mile-long tunnel dug underneath his cell complete with oxygen pipes, lighting and a motorbike mounted on rails to help him get away.

El Chapo was recaptured by Mexican marines after a fierce firefight in January this year and is now facing life behind bars on drug trafficking and murder.

This time Mexican authorities have agreed to have the cartel boss extradited, a move which his lawyers are bitterly resisting.

According to legal experts, the appeals process available to El Chapo means that the move could take a year or more to pull off.
Sir Jeremy Heywood has praised a document written by HM Revenue & Customs outlining its agreement with the internet giant

Britains top civil servant sparked fury last night after dismissing criticism of the taxmans deal with Google as myths.

Sir Jeremy Heywood  known as Sir Cover-Up because of his attitude to freedom of information  praised a document written by HM Revenue & Customs outlining its agreement with the internet giant.

He tweeted a link to what he described as an excellent myth-busting piece on how HMRC is securing more tax from international companies.

The article, published on the governments website, says HMRC was setting out some facts to help dispel myths which have arisen about how HMRC ensures compliance among multinationals.

Last night Meg Hillier, chairman of the powerful Commons public accounts committee, described the endorsement as extraordinary adding: It was very highly supported by Jeremy Heywood I notice.

There was anger last month when it emerged that HMRC had signed a deal with Google under which the firm would pay 130million  a decades worth of back tax.

Critics said this was a derisory amount, equivalent to around a 3 per cent effective tax rate on the profits it had made in the UK.

The Mail revealed that Sir Jeremy had held two meetings with the tax-avoiding firm over the past five years, as well as another three with Facebook  another internet firm accused of paying too little.

Google has also had dozens of meetings with ministers since 2010. One of its executives admitted on Thursday that it is likely tax would have been discussed at some of these sessions.

The article that Sir Jeremy highlighted was a submission from HMRC to the public accounts committee ahead of a hearing on Thursday.

He tweeted his endorsement of its findings on Wednesday.

The document  described as a factsheet  said: Ahead of this hearing, HMRC is setting out some facts to help dispel myths which have arisen about how HMRC ensures compliance among multinationals.

Attention has focused on aggressive tax planning, by which some multinationals exploit the complexity of the international tax system to reduce their tax liabilities. This is a global issue that requires a global solution.

The UK is pursuing the modernisation of international tax rules. The UK is also at the forefront in encouraging tax authorities across the world to share intelligence about multinationals tax affairs.

The document, placed on the gov.uk website, lists a series of what it calls myths, including the assertion that the taxman had entered into a sweetheart deal with Google.

It said the National Audit Office had appointed a retired High Court judge to examine its tax settlements with large companies and concluded that HMRC had obtained good settlements for the country in all cases.

Google Vice President Tom Hutchinson (left) and President Matt Brittin gave evidence to the Commons public accounts committee this week - and explained their company's low tax bill

However it did not point out that the 2012 report concluded the taxman had failed to follow their own strict rules whilst negotiating deals. They did not seek proper legal advice, involve its own specialists or even take notes whilst negotiating settlements with large companies.

The HMRC document also said that commentators claims that Google had only paid an effective tax rate of 3 per cent does not reflect how tax law works.

HMRC is satisfied that our enquiry has secured all the tax that is due in the UK, it said.

The document also said there was no ministerial involvement in any of HMRCs decisions over Google.

Government ministers are not informed of the progress of enquiries and play no part in agreeing the amount of tax to be paid by any taxpayer, it said.

This is an important separation between policy, for which ministers are accountable, and the administration of that policy, which is the responsibility of the Commissioners of Revenue and Customs.

We only informed ministers of the outcome of the Google enquiry after it was concluded, and we only told them information that was in the public domain or that Google intended to make public.

The document also denied that HMRC had failed to take into account the fact that Google appeared to have a permanent establishment in the UK even though it says it is based in Ireland.

Some media reports have suggested that HMRC did not look into Googles assertion that its Irish company did not have a permanent establishment in the UK, it said.

Although we cannot go into details of the enquiry into Google, it is wrong to suggest that HMRC does not take into account all relevant factors when making sure multinationals pay the tax due under the law.

The conclusion of HMRCs enquiries means that Google is paying the full tax due in law on profits that are chargeable to tax in the UK.

Sir Jeremy is the most powerful figure in Whitehall. He works so closely with the PM that Mr Cameron sees him as his right-hand mandarin.

Details of the meetings between Sir Jeremy and the two web firms come from transparency records published by the Cabinet Office.
A terrifying simulation shows how a nuclear strike from Russia could trigger a war that kills 34 million people in just five hours. Known as 'Plan A', the four-minute animation aims to highlight the 'potentially catastrophic' consequences of conflict between Russia and NATO countries. It was developed by Princeton University researchers associated with the Program on Science & Global Security (SGS), and was originally released in 2017. However, the Ukraine war has reignited discussions around the prospect of nuclear war, and renewed interest in models like this one. Dr Alex Glaser, one the creators of Plan A, told Newsweek : 'As far as one can tell, this is the most serious crisis with a potential nuclear dimension involving Russia and the United States/NATO since the end of the Cold War, even if the risk of a nuclear war is still considered 'small'-as many analysts would argue. A crisis like the one we are currently facing often results in miscommunication between parties, exacerbated by the fact that there remain very few active lines of communication between Russia and the US/NATO.'
Charlie Sheen has revealed he is starting an experimental HIV treatment that, if successful, would allow the actor to go off his meds.

After being 'duped' into a so-called alternative therapy that replaced antiviral medication with arthritic goats milks, the 50-year-old has consulted with his doctors and will now embark on a clinical trial of an HIV drug created by a small Canadian company.

In an interview with Dr. Oz this week, Sheen explained how he wrongly turned to a specialist in Mexico that did nothing to control his worryingly high HIV numbers, claiming the treatment was illegal.

'I got duped,' Sheen told Dr. Oz. '(But) I'm very excited about this. These are scientists and brilliant doctors and researchers. It's a public company. There's absolute transparency. There's no back rooms or hidden agenda.'

Scroll down for video

'I'm very excited about this': In an interview with Dr. Oz this week, Charlie Sheen revealed he is taking part in a trial for a new HIV drug that would allow him to stop taking antiviral medication, which have serious side effects

After being 'duped' into a so-called alternative therapy that replaced antiviral medication with arthritic goats milks, the actor will now take part in a clinical trial created by a small Canadian company. He is seen here with Dr. Oz (left) and CytoDyn President and CEO, Nader Z. Pourhassan (right)

Sheen appeared on Dr. Oz on Wednesday.

The treatment he is starting is called Pro 140 Monotherapy and has been created by CytoDyn, a publicly-traded company based in Vancouver.

CytoDyn President and CEO, Nader Z. Pourhassan, appeared with Sheen on Dr. Oz.

He explained that Sheen is currently being screened to see if he can join the trial.

If he passes, the treatment would be two injections each week and Sheen would be monitored by doctors.

Pourhassan said the company has patients in the trial that have been off their medications for 18 months because of the treatment.

Some of the patients were taking seven pills a day, he said.

Sheen's personal physician, Dr. Robert Huizenga, associate professor of clinical medicine at UCLA, admitted that the trial had only involved a small group of people, but he supports Sheen's participation in the program.

Earlier this week, in an interview with Inside Edition, Sheen said his precious doctor, Dr Sam - whose real name is Dr Samir Chachoua - should be prosecuted for the work that he does.

'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.

'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

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.

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

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 stopped taking the drugs to try a treatment in Mexico with Dr Sam Chachoua, pictured above, who is not licensed in the United States

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 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.'
A Florida mother, who saw 70 per cent of her skin blister or peel off, was left legally blind and was diagnosed with a rare disorder after she was prescribed a risky pairing of medications.

It was 2009 and Becki Conway was 37 years old, living in Michigan with her husband and five children, when she sought help from a doctor.

At the time, her life was very hectic as among other things she was in a child-custody dispute with an ex-boyfriend, she was feeling anxious and she had been lashing out at her husband, The Chicago Tribune reported.

Becki Conway (pictured left after her reaction), who now lives in Florida, saw 70 per cent of her skin blister or peel off at one point (right), was left legally blind and was diagnosed with a rare disorder after she was prescribed a risky combination of medications

Shortly after her 15-minute consultation with the doctor, Thomas Bellinger, he diagnosed her with bipolar disorder and handed her prescriptions for two medications, Lamictal and Depakote, according to her legal deposition and medical records.

According to depositions, Bellinger said his bipolar diagnosis came after several conversations he had with Conway over a period of months.

Initially after taking the pairing of the prescribed drugs, she began to feel better, but two weeks later she started feeling symptoms similar to those of the flu including a sore throat and a dry cough.

Then more symptoms followed such as chest pains and bloodshot eyes before a life-threatening rash began attacking her body.

The result was red spots appearing on her body before they erupted into blisters that welted on her skin, which later started 'peeling off in sheets', according to the Tribune. She was left unrecognizable.

She also suffered from painful sores that appeared in her mouth and throat.

Conway was eventually diagnosed with the Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS), a rare disorder that begins with flu-like symptoms and is typically a reaction to a medication, and can prove fatal.

She said she had only a 20 per cent chance to survive, but now the mother lives in Florida with her family.

She has slowly regained her strength following the trauma and her approach to taking medication has changed.

'The general public trusts that what their doctors give them is OK,' she told the Tribune. 'They don't question it, but they should question it, every time.'

In 2012, she filed a lawsuit against Bellinger and Sparrow Health System, which was settled two years later under confidential terms, according to the Tribune.

Conway had sought help from a doctor who diagnosed her with bipolar disorder and prescribed her the medications Lamictal and Depakote

Both of the medications that Bellinger had prescribed Conway at the time are used to treat seizures and bipolar disorder, with one of them even carrying a 'black box' warning, the strictest of warnings by the FDA.

The warning flags up the possible danger of combining Lamictal with Depakote and has guidelines for doctors to lower the normal initial dose of Lamictal by half when it is taken with the other drug.

This is because Lamictal's concentration level in the body, when taken with Depakote, more than doubles, according to the Tribune.

Conway was reportedly prescribed a full initial dose of Lamictal.

As her husband, Tom, went to pick up the prescription for her, he said in an interview that he was never told of the rash or of the warning about the risky pairing, according to the Tribune.

The pharmacist who filled the prescription testified that an alert did pop up on the pharmacy computer regarding a potential overlap between the drugs, but did not flag up the drug interaction.

He added that he trusted the prescriber's judgment and filled the prescription, according to the Tribune.

Prior to her SJS diagnosis, Conway's symptoms had worsened, including the self-destruction of the cells in the lining of her eyes, lungs and mouth.

She was sent to urgent care clinic where her chest pains became the focus instead of her massive loss of skin as the condition was progressing.

Conway said she told medics about taking the two medications.

Bellinger noted his prescriptions followed treatment plans for other patients that were successful, according to depositions.

Eventually, she was examined by Dr Kellie Donahue who after learning she was taking both of the medications, told her she thought she had Stevens-Johnson syndrome, according to Conway's deposition.

She also noted that she was suffering from rash caused by the medications.

Both of the medications that Bellinger had prescribed Conway at the time are used to treat seizures and bipolar disorder, with Lamictal (left) even carrying a 'black box' warning, the strictest of warnings by the FDA

Not long after her visit with Donahue, she woke up one day with blisters erupting in her throat and was instructed to go to the hospital.

After battling the condition for several days, she was later transferred to an intensive care unit for burn victims, the Tribune reported.

Kathy Sandoval, a nurse assigned to Conway during her 10th day in the hospital, said in an interview that upon seeing the mother she had never seen anything like it.

'It was red, open, exposed,' she said. 'She wasn't gushing blood, but there was blood everywhere.'

She added, 'she looked like she'd been in a fire.'

WHAT IS STEVENS-JOHNSON SYNDROME (SJS)? Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) is a rare disorder that begins with flu-like symptoms. These are followed by a painful red or purplish rash that spreads and blisters. Then the top layer of the affected skin dies and sheds. The illness, which is a form of Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, is typically a reaction to a drug or an infection, and can prove fatal. Treatment focuses on eliminating the underlying cause, controlling symptoms and minimizing complications. Patient recovery can take weeks to months, depending on the severity of the syndrome. Source: Mayo Clinic Advertisement

Over time, the reaction ran its course and her symptoms started clearing before she returned home after nearly three weeks. Her eyes were stitched closed so that she could heal.

At home her youngest children, her twin boys, were so afraid to sit on her lap because of her appearance that her husband would turn off the lights in the living room as they sat together, the Tribune reported.

As she continued to heal for the next two months, her eyes were still closed, so she eventually came up with a clever way to tell the twins apart - by the shape of their fingernails as she traced their hands.

She also learned how to get around using a cane.

In the years that have followed, the survivor has overtime regained her strength.

But the trauma left Conway legally blind. In her left eye she can see only shadows and light. By holding a computer tablet close to her right eye and magnifying the text, she can read in limited amounts.

She also battles a constant cough due to her lung injuries, according to the Tribune.

And after her tear ducts were damaged, Conway also has to regularly apply medicated eye drops.
Research suggests savers would put about a sixth less into pensions under the reforms

George Osborne is facing a growing revolt over a pensions raid dubbed a time bomb for future generations.

Officials are considering a move in next months Budget to scrap savers tax breaks and provide the Treasury with a windfall of up to 34billion.

But last night Tory MPs, economists, think-tanks and pensions experts rounded on the Chancellor over the plans, with backbenchers warning they would riot if savers were attacked.

Backbenchers warned they would 'riot' if savers were attacked

Mr Osborne was warned he faced being vilified by the middle classes and labelled the new Gordon Brown.

The backlash has been so great that the Chancellor is now considering a partial U-turn over the reforms. He is understood to fear that a significant backlash could damage his chances of succeeding David Cameron as Prime Minister.

Research by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research and the Association of British Insurers suggests savers would put about a sixth less into pensions under the reforms. The average person would save 1,897 a year, down from 2,280, they said.

As savings levels fall, around 6 per cent of Britains gross domestic product would be wiped out over the next 20 years, according to research  the equivalent of almost 120billion in todays money.

Businesses would have to hold back pay rises and lay off staff, wiping around 1,284 off the average salary, and families typical annual mortgage bill would rise by 466 as banks are forced to increase rates.

THE 3 OPTIONS ON THE TABLE - A SINGLE RATE OF TAX RELIEF: This could be cut to 25 or 30 per cent for all savers. This would give basic-rate taxpayers a small boost but anyone earning over 43,000 would lose out - for the first time they would need to pay tax on their contributions - TREAT PENSIONS LIKE ISAS: All savers would pay tax on money going into pensions. But withdrawals would be tax-free in retirement. The Government might offer a top-up worth 30 per cent of anything put into a pension - A LOWER THRESHOLD FOR TAXING PENSIONS: The levels from April will be 40,000 a year and 1 million during a lifetime. These could be cut to 20,000 and 750,000, potentially hitting both higher earners as well as those on just 40,000 according to experts Advertisement

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Conservative MP for North East Somerset, said: Many of those who would be affected are not particularly rich and this could make the difference between a comfortable retirement and having to rely on the state.

Mark Garnier, a Tory on the Treasury committee, called the plans a war of attrition on higher earners.

Mr Osborne was warned that the rebellion in his party is growing rapidly. Backbenchers fear his plans could cost the Conservatives key votes in marginal seats at the next election. There will be riot, one MP told the Financial Times.

Sir Alan Duncan, a former Tory minister, said: Raiding pensions like this destroys peoples planning and it will prove very explosive.

Yvonne Braun, a director of the ABI, warned of a time bomb for future generations, saying: Many savers would be worse off and it would also damage the economy.

Steve Webb, a former pensions minister and director of insurer Royal London, said: When Gordon Brown cut pension tax credits in the Nineties it looked like a no-risk move because few people knew what they were.

But the legacy of that is still with us  and him  today. In a similar way, tax relief is invisible to normal savers, but attacking it could come back to haunt the Chancellor.

Officials are now entering the final stages of discussions on what action to take on pensions in the Budget on March 16.

Money Mail is campaigning to keep tax breaks for middle-class savers. Currently, those who save into pensions get a tax break at their highest rate, whether 20, 40 or 45 per cent. It means that they pay no tax on money put in a pension pot, but do on withdrawals in retirement.

But Mr Osborne, under pressure to raise funds as turmoil in the global economy threatens to hit his deficit-reduction plans, wants to cut the 34.3billion annual cost of pensions tax relief.

Revealed, the 16bn cost of Osborne's stealth taxes

An array of stealth taxes which will increase the burden on families and businesses by 16billion has been brought in by the Chancellor, MPs have found.

Their report highlights hikes to insurance premiums, company dividends and car tax in the last eight months. But the next four years will also see rises in stamp duty and an apprenticeship levy for firms.

An election promise from David Cameron has led to a triple lock preventing the three main taxes  VAT, income tax and national insurance  from going up.

So the need to balance the books means tax revenue is being sought from less conventional sources, said the Treasury Select Committee.

It said taxes will rise 15.9billion by 2020-21 based on measures already announced. Tax cuts revealed so far, such as rises in the personal allowance and reductions to corporation tax, will reach 9.4billion.

Committee chairman Andrew Tyrie said the tax lock appears to be leading the Treasury to find additional tax revenues in new and sometimes less transparent ways. The tax lock, in time, could distort the shape of the tax base.

The Tory MP added that the Chancellors ambition of creating a lower tax society was not being advanced by his measures.

The tax rises plus a 27billion boost from higher tax receipts revealed in December will relieve pressure on Whitehall departments and allow enough money for the recent U-turn on tax credits, the MPs said.

But their report casts doubt on a Tory commitment to build 400,000 affordable homes in the next five years with plans such as shared ownership properties and discounted starter homes.

The MPs said it was far from clear the measures will materially increase the supply of homes.
David Cameron's election manifesto last year called for a blanket four-year ban on migrants to the UK claiming state handouts such as tax credits, housing benefit and child benefit after they arrive

David Cameron is likely be allowed to limit benefit payments to EU workers for seven years.

As his trump card in the renegotiation of Britains relationship with the rest of the EU, the Prime Minister will claim his much-criticised emergency brake has been beefed up following talks with European leaders.

But Eurosceptics say the move is a pitiful red herring which will have no impact on levels of immigration, and amounts to asking the EU for permission to tinker with our own welfare system.

Conservatives who want Britain to remain in the EU have been hoping Mr Cameron will secure a new concession to announce when he returns from the negotiations next Friday.

As he tries to bolster his referendum deal, Mr Cameron is close to clinching agreement that the four-year brake on new migrants claiming benefits in Britain will start straight away and last for seven years.

He is expected to argue that the Government will use this seven-year period to negotiate a permanent solution for benefits with the potential for changes to EU treaties to achieve this.

A leaked draft of his agreement with Brussels has already been denounced as feeble. Further changes leaked this week suggest protections for the City of London have already been watered down.

The Tory election manifesto last year called for a blanket four-year ban on migrants to the UK claiming state handouts such as tax credits, housing benefit and child benefit after they arrive. But the plan met fierce resistance, particularly from Eastern European countries.

It is understood that the seven-year brake on benefits has been secured in recognition of the fact that, unlike other EU countries, Britain did not impose transitional controls on migration from Eastern European countries in 2004 when the EU expanded. The decision was blamed for allowing migration to soar.

Under the new plan, workers coming to Britain will initially be banned from in-work benefits altogether but they will be phased in over four years as they pay in to the system.

However, the emergency brake would only apply when the EU is convinced that the influx of workers is of such an exceptional magnitude that it overwhelms the welfare system or public services.
The battle between supermarket giants is set to intensify as Woolworths and Coles introduce a new service that could kill off checkout queues for good.

Woolworths has partnered with Sydney Trains to install the 'click and collect' lockers at Bondi Junction station, offering the service to the 20,000 commuters travelling through each day.

Customers will be able to order their shopping online and collect it from the temperature-controlled compartments, including freezer and refrigerator, which can be opened by entering a special pin code assigned to the order.

The battle between supermarket giants is set to intensify as Woolworths and Coles introduce a new service that could kill off checkout queues for good

Customers will be able to order their shopping online and collect it from the temperature-controlled compartments at Bondi Junction train station, similar to London's 'click and collect service' (pictured)

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance said the lockers are aimed to reduce the frantic dash to supermarkets after work.

'We're trying to get customers home quicker and avoid the mad afternoon dash to the shops,' Mr Constance said.

'Everyone has time pressures, so we thought 'why not help train customers save time and be able to pick up their groceries at the station on the way home?'

Orders must be a minimum of $30 and have to be placed online by 11am for pick-up that evening. The lockers will be refrigerated and secure.

The 'click and collect' service is an Australia first and based on lockers at London's underground tube stations. Their success will depend on whether consumers believe it's more convenient and cost effective compared to other online supermarket shopping options.

In November the retailer warned that net profits would fall as much as 35 per cent in the December-half as it fast tracked plans to spend more than $600 million reducing grocery prices and upgrading their service.

Aldi is also set to strengthen its market share by opening 65 new stores in Australia by the end of 2016 - its most ambitious expansion since entering the Australian market.

Woolworths chairman Gordon Cairns told Fairfax in November that net profit before one-off items is expected to fall by between 28 per cent and 35 per cent to between $900 million and $1 billion in the December-half, well below consensus forecasts about $1.19 billion.

The lockers are believed to be the supermarket's latest ploy to contend with an influx of German budget supermarkets in Australia.

Lidl, ranked the fourth-largest retailer in the world, is reportedly set to launch in Australia this year. The popular European discount chain, which vows to offer 'big brands at small prices', prides itself on its extensive high-quality wine cellar which is available at a low-cost.

Aldi is also set to strengthen its market share by opening 65 new stores in Australia by the end of 2016 - its most ambitious expansion since entering the Australian market.

Retail expert Barry Urquhart told Daily Mail Australia Aldi's plans would mean an increase in its buying power and in turn pass on savings to consumers.

'Research conducted by Choice shows prices could be low as up to 40 per cent on individual items in Aldi [compared to Coles and Woolworths],' he said.

The lockers are believed to be the supermarket's latest ploy to contend with an influx of German budget supermarkets in Australia








Former 'Survivor' contestant Michael Skupin in his mugshot last week

Survivor star Michael Skupin has compared his charges for possession of child pornography to the wrongful accusations suffered by Jesus Christ, as he speaks out for the first time since his arrest seven days ago.

In a statement released to People magazine, the reality star - who was arrested after police found illegal pictures on his computer while investigating him over an alleged Ponzi scheme - vigorously maintains his innocence.

He says he is 'more shocked by the charges than anyone' and that while the media doesn't subscribe to 'innocent until proven', he will fight it with 'all that he is'

'I am the guy that you think that I am,' he continues. 'There are scores of people that have been wrongfully accused at some point in their life  including our Savior.'

People magazine say this is the only statement that he will issue while the legal case is pending.

Skupin, 54, was booked on 12 felony charges, including six counts of possession of child sexual abusive materials, according to the Michigan Attorney General.

He is perhaps best known for falling into a fire pit during Survivor's second season in 2012, which was set in the Australian Outback, and being the first to be removed from the show by medical evacuation.

In a statement released to People magazine, the reality star - who was arrested after police found illegal pictures on his computer while investigating him over an alleged Ponzi scheme - vigorously maintains his innocence. Pictured: Skupin during his second Survivor stint. He competed twice on the Emmy-Award winning show

During his two seasons, he spent a total of 56 days on deserted islands.

The investigation into Skupin's affairs began after investors who put money into a business run by the reality star complained they'd been tricked, according to the Attorney General Bill Schuette.

'Victims allegedly made $10,000 cash investments in the scheme. Their money would then cycle through a chart in which participants were eventually paid out of other new investors' money,' the Attorney General wrote.

'The scheme was discovered when eventually there were no new investors signing and most people in the scheme lost all of their money.'

Skupin, who lives in Oakland County, had his laptop searched as part of the Ponzi scheme investigation.

On the computer, pictures allegedly belonging to Skupin were discovered that depicted 'underage children in sexual situations'.

'Not only did this man rob people of their hard-earned savings with his financial scams but he victimized innocent children every time he looked at a piece of child pornography,' said Schuette.

'This man seems to have no concept or caring for right and wrong and will be prosecuted under the full extent of the law for these horrific crimes.'

Skupin was also accused of five counts of larceny by conversion and one count of racketeering.

If convicted on all counts, Skupin could face up to 29 years in prison.

'I AM MORE SHOCKED THAN ANYONE': SKUPIN'S STATEMENT IN FULL I'm not even sure what to say. I'm more shocked by this than anyone. Sadly, our media doesn't subscribe to 'innocent until proven. I truly am prayerfully optimistic in our justice system and will fight this with all that I am. Thank you to those who continue to believe in me. I am the guy that you think that I am. There are scores of people that have been wrongfully accused at some point in their life  including our Savior. I'm leaning on Him in faith to walk beside me through this darkness and staying strong for all of those people. Thank you for all of your messages of love and support. You have no idea what they have meant to me and my family. My whole life has been kids: my kids, my family and anyone who ever needed help in any way. I've traveled the globe working with millions of kids both one-on-one, at schools, camps and assemblies. I've coached over 60 seasons of youth sports. I have never, ever hurt a child in any way  not as alleged and not ever. I'm trusting in justice, trusting in our God and continuing to love everyone as God has instructed us. I have faith that despite this difficult time, there are brighter days ahead. "Whatsoever you do, to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me. Source: People Magazine Advertisement




The proportion of pupils achieving a crucial pass in GCSE English could drop by more than a quarter under a major grading shake-up.

Exams watchdog Ofqual is considering measures to make grades across different GCSEs and A-levels more consistent amid growing fears that some subjects are more difficult than others.

But critics have warned that the proposed overhaul  which would make it harder to achieve top grades in so-called easy subjects  could have a catastrophic impact on pupils.

Exams watchdog Ofqual is considering measures to make grades across different GCSEs and A-levels more consistent

Under one option being examined, Ofqual would use a formula to give hard subjects, like German GCSE, more top grades, and easier subjects such as English GCSE, lower grades.

The watchdog found that if this model had been used in 2013, the proportion of pupils achieving a C grade or above in GCSE English would have fallen from 64 per cent to 46 per cent - a drop of 28 per cent.

However, the numbers getting a C grade or above in GCSE German would have risen from 75 per cent to 86 per cent.

This policy option would tackle presumed misalignment of grade standards across subjects directly, according to Ofquals consultation document.

It said: For those who considered the underlying logic sufficiently plausible, it would increase confidence in the value and currency of exam grades, and it would enable grades to be treated interchangeably, with a strong justification for doing so.

However, Ofqual added that it could also lead to accusations of dumbing down due to students getting awarded higher proportions of top grades in some subjects.

Paul Clayton, director of the National Association for the Teaching of English, said schools had already experienced years of tremendous volatility in English GCSE grades, with many seeing inexplicable and unpredictable collapses in the percentage of students attaining C or better.

He told the Times Educational Supplement: I think, therefore, that most teachers of English would be horrified, if, for whatever dubious and specious reasons, some statistical formula were now to be applied that resulted in further turbulence.

He added: Students have always had to work hard for good grades in English; and with the introduction of the new GCSEs this year, they will have to work harder still.

To move the goalposts yet again, in order to achieve some spurious sense of parity with other subjects, may well have catastrophic effects on student motivation.

But critics have warned that the proposed overhaul  which would make it harder to achieve top grades in so-called easy subjects  could have a catastrophic impact on pupils

Malcolm Trobe, interim general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said that a big drop in the number of students achieving a C grade in English would cause major concern and be unfair on pupils.

Meanwhile, Jenny Stevens, a former head of English who is regarded by Ofqual as a subject expert, told a conference organised by the regulator last week that the proposed reform would have a devastating effect.

Ofqual has also put forward an alternative plan that would involve exam boards awarding the same proportion of top grades in every subject.

But this would effectively ration top grades in subjects that attract the brightest pupils, such as further maths, where 56 per cent of A-level entrants received an A or A* grade last summer.

A third option would give students two separate sets of grades. One would be calculated as normal and the other would be adjusted to make subjects comparable in league tables.

Ofqual will decide if it wants to make changes and which option it favours by September.

Any change would be brought in after the move to scrap current A*-G grades and replace it with a 9-1 grading system, with 5 being considered a good pass.

An Ofqual spokeswoman said yesterday: We are continuing with our program of work into inter-subject comparability which we launched in December 2015.

The aim of the programme is to stimulate debate and talk openly about this complex issue.

The grading plans come amid sweeping reforms to exams, which will see a new set of tougher GCSEs and A and AS-levels phased in.

However, the TES revealed that Ofqual has only approved 52 of the 156 new specifications that schools will teach from September.

Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, described the delay as shocking.
The New York Police Department fired the former partner of ex-cop Peter Liang less than 24 hours after Liang was convicted of shooting an unarmed man in Brooklyn.

Shaun Landau, the terminated officer, testified for the prosecution during Liang's trial.

Liang was convicted of manslaughter and official misconduct on Thursday for firing his gun in a darkened public housing stairwell in November 2014 as the two officers began a so-called 'vertical patrol'.

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Shaun Landau (center, in court last week) was fired less than 24 hours after his former partner Peter Liang was convicted of shooting an unarmed black man in a darkened public housing stairwell

Landau avoided criminal charges by agreeing to testify under an immunity agreement during Liang's (pictured) trial. The police department said he had been fired at the discretion of Commissioner Bill Bratton

The bullet ricocheted off a wall and struck Akai Gurley, 28, who had been walking one floor below with his girlfriend.

Neither officer offered medical assistance to Gurley once they realized he had been hit by the shot. Both testified that they felt unqualified to do so because of poor CPR training at the police academy.

Landau avoided criminal charges by agreeing to testify under an immunity agreement. The police department said he had been fired at the discretion of Commissioner Bill Bratton.

Since Landau was a probationary officer  with less than two years on the job  the NYPD does not have to state a reason for the firing beyond 'unsatisfactory probation,' a law-enforcement source said.

His termination came hours after the Gurley family released a statement calling for his dismissal. Liang was fired immediately after the jury's verdict on Thursday.

Liang, who is Chinese-American, was not accused of deliberately killing Gurley.

At trial, Liang said he was startled by an unidentified sound as he entered the stairwell with his gun drawn, causing his finger to slip onto the trigger and fire.

But 12 Brooklyn jurors agreed that Liang wasn't telling the truth about how the gun actually went off.

Retired candy-store owner and Juror No. 10, Carlton Screen, told the New York Post that when the jurors tested an unloaded gun it led them to conclude that the rookie had lied about not having his finger on the trigger when it fired.

'It was very hard to pull the trigger,' he said.

'They had another safety that's on the trigger itself, so you have to pull it hard enough to release that safety in order for it to fire.'

Akai Gurley, 28 (pictured), was unarmed when he was shoot and killed by Peter Liang in 2014. He was the father of a two-year-old girl

Liang had tearfully described his horror when he realized minutes later that Gurley had been hit.

But prosecutors accused him of deliberately firing toward the sound and ignoring the fact that only another person could have made such a noise.

They also said he acted recklessly in drawing his weapon in the first place.

Liang faces up to 15 years in prison at his sentencing in April.

His termination came hours after the Gurley family (pictured center) released a statement calling for his dismissal. Liang was fired immediately after the jury's verdict on Thursday

Police-reform activists, who have come to expect disappointment any time an officer is accused in a killing, expressed surprise Friday over the conviction of a patrolman who shot an unarmed man in a housing project stairwell but said they don't necessarily see the case as a turning point in the national debate over police accountability.

'It's definitely movement in the right direction,' said Lumumba Bandele, a demonstrator who attended nearly every day of the patrolman's trial.

But, he added, 'It's not a victory in the larger scale of having made significant advances. We have a backlog of cases that have yet to be investigated, much less indicted.'

It was the first time in a decade a New York Police Department officer was held responsible for a line-of-duty killing.
Walker, 35, was sentenced to 60 years in prison in 2004 for the murder of a coin laundry manager during an armed robbery

Prosecutors said Chang lost her first baby with Walker in a miscarriage and aborted the second

Chang also allegedly shared intimate photos with Walker and was close with his family, giving them gifts and attending a wedding

A diary detailing their trysts was found in her home, prosecutors said

A teacher at the New Jersey State Prison was arrested after she allegedly had sex more than 20 times with an inmate who reportedly impregnated her twice.

Chong-Hwa Chang, 42, confessed to having a sexual relationship with 35-year-old convicted murderer Rashid Walker, according to prosecutors.

A diary in which Chang detailed the couple's trysts at the Trenton prison was discovered during a search of her home, authorities said.

New Jersey State Prison teacher Chong-Hwa Chang, 42, (left) was arrested after she allegedly had sex more than 20 times with 35-year-old convicted murderer Rashid Walker (right)

The journal also detailed Chang's two pregnancies during the relationship. Chang miscarried in one and underwent an abortion after she learned of the second, according to The Trentonian.

Chang, a naturalized citizen who was born in Korea, was arrested on January 29 after the New Jersey Department of Corrections Special Investigations Division launched an internal investigation.

The basic adult education teacher, who has a master's degree from Rutgers University, was then immediately fired from the prison, according to The New York Daily News.

The Mercer County Prosecutor's Office obtained a warrant to search her home, where they found the journal as well as incriminating evidence on her phone.

Prosecutors said it appeared Chang shared intimate photos with the inmate and was also close with his family, giving them gifts and attending the wedding of a relative.

A diary in which Chang detailed the couple's trysts at the Trenton prison (pictured) was discovered during a search of her home, authorities said

Chang has been charged with a single count of second-degree sexual assault.

Although it appears her relationship with Walker was consensual and although he was not her student, prosecutors said Chang is being charged because of her supervisory role in the prison.

Joshua Markowitz, Chang's lawyer, said she had no control over Walker's actions and has no prior criminal record. He added that she is the mother of two children from a previous relationship.

Walker was convicted in 2004 for murdering 23-year-old Javid Patel, a coin laundry manager, during an armed robbery.
An Alabama woman convicted of murder in the running death of her 9-year-old granddaughter died on Friday, less than a year into her sentence of life in prison without parole, a prison spokesman said.

Joyce Garrard, 50, was convicted last March in the 2012 death of Savannah Hardin. Garrard made Hardin run for almost three hours while carrying wood as punishment for lying about having eaten chocolates.

The girl collapsed and went into seizures, later dying of dehydration and low sodium, prosecutors said.

Garrard was pronounced dead in an Alabama hospital at 5:23 p.m. Friday, said Alabama Department of Corrections spokesman Bob Horton. She had suffered a heart attack in prison five days earlier, said her defense attorney, Dani Bone.

Died in prison: Joyce Garrard, 50, was convicted last March in the 2012 death of her granddaughter, who she made run for almost three hours as punishment for eating chocolate. Garrard died of a heart attack on Friday

Run to death: Testimony showed Savannah Hardin collapsed and vomited in 2012 outside her rural home following an afternoon of running and carrying sticks. She died several days later in a hospital

Bone said it had been a difficult time for the family.

'I believe the family is going to be somewhat relieved with the thought that Joyce is going to be in heaven with Savannah and her pain and suffering will be gone,' said Bone.

A jury convicted Garrard of capital murder in March and recommended a sentence of life in prison. The judge could have given her the death penalty.

Testimony at trial showed that Savannah Hardin collapsed and vomited in 2012 outside her rural home following an afternoon of running and carrying sticks.

She died several days later in a hospital after doctors removed her from life support.

A neighbor testified at the trial that he saw the girl running and carrying firewood and sticks over a two-hour period as he came and went from his home.

Twisted: A jury convicted Garrard of capital murder in March and recommended a sentence of life in prison. The judge could have given her the death penalty

Over a candy bar: A neighbor testified at the trial that he saw the girl running and carrying firewood and sticks over a two-hour period as he came and went from his home. Garrard was punishing her for lying about candy

Failed to intervene: Savannah's stepmother Jessica Mae Hardin has also been charged with murder, with authorities saying she witnessed the punishment

'Joyce and Savannah were in the yard, and Joyce was telling Savannah to keep running,' said Chad Jacobs. 'She was just saying, 'Keep running, I didn't tell you to stop.''

Garrard said in a conversation with the girl's school bus driver captured on a bus video that 'she's going to run till I tell her to stop,' as punishment.

Hardin had a bladder condition and was not allowed to have sweets or caffeine, Garrard told the bus driver.

Garrard denied that she meant to harm the child. She told investigators the girl wanted to run and get faster after finishing second in a race at school, according to police testimony.

After the guilty verdict, Etowah County District Attorney Jimmie Harp said he was pleased with the outcome and would ask the judge to accept the jury's recommended sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The girl's stepmother, Jessica Mae Hardin, has also been charged with murder, with authorities saying she witnessed the punishment and failed to intervene.

The trial and other court documents portrayed Savannah as a sweet child who loved horses, cheerleading and the competition of running at school.
A private autopsy carried out by the family of a prostitute whose disappearance sparked the hunt for the Gilgo Beach Killer has revealed she was likely strangled.

Shannan Gilbert, 24, vanished in 2010 after visiting a client in Long Island, New York, and a later search for her body turned up the remains of ten others, believed to be the victims of a single killer.

A state autopsy in December 2014 ruled the cause of Gilbert's death 'inconclusive', meaning she was never included on the official list of the serial murderer's victims.

But now a new autopsy carried out by former New York medical inspector Michael Baden has revealed evidence that she was strangled, possibly making her the 11th victim.

Shannan Gilbert, 26, disappeared in 2010 on Long Island. The search for her body turned up the remains of ten others and started the Gilgo Beach Killer investigation, but she was never considered a victim

Gilbert's family (pictured, with attorney John Ray, in the red suit) revealed evidence from a private autopsy today which showed evidence that she was strangled

In a report, seen by the New York Post, Baden said that while the majority of Gilbert's skeleton appears normal, the hyoid bone in her neck was damaged and her larynx was missing.

Gilberts family attorney, John Ray, added that the two 'horns' at the end of the U-shaped hyoid bone were broken off.

Baden's report added: 'These structures, the larynx and hyoid bone, are often fractured during homicidal strangulation.

'There is insufficient information to determine a definite cause of death, but the autopsy findings are consistent with homicidal strangulation.'

Until now, police theorized that Gilbert fled a client's house along Gilgo Beach in May 2010 in a drug-induced stupor before getting lost in a marsh and dying.

The autopsy, carried out by former New York City medical examiner Michael Baden (pictured), contradicts a state autopsy carried out in 2014 which ruled Gilbert's cause of death 'inconclusive'

Baden's report said that Gilbert's hyoid bone (pictured) was broken at the end of its 'horns' and that her larnyx was missing, all of which indicates death by strangling

Police found her body in December the following year, but along the way discovered the remains of ten others, including at least five sex workers and a young girl, some of whom were strangled.

While the 2014 autopsy did not reveal any drugs in Gilbert's system, it also showed no conclusive evidence of murder, so she was never identified as a victim of the serial killer.

At the time forensic experts theorized that the water in the marshes could have washed evidence of the drugs away.

However, Gilbert's family have long-insisted that she is the eleventh victim of the Gilgo Beach Killer, and hired Baden to try and prove it.

Police previously believed that Gilbert ran out of a client's house in Long Island in a drug-induced stupor before getting lost in nearby marshes (pictured) and dying accidentally

If Gilbert is official ruled to have been strangled, then she will join a list of ten others including eight women (four pictured), one man and a young girl who are believed to have died at the hands of the serial killer

Relatives argue that, on the night she vanished, Gilbert called police saying that somebody was trying to kill her.

They believe the murderer pursued Gilbert along the beach as she frantically knocked on doors and made phone calls before killing her and dumping her body.

Despite the potential new evidence in Gilbert's case, police appear to be no closer to identifying the killer more than five years after the first remains were found.

Two months ago Suffolk County Deputy Police Commissioner Tim Sini announced that the FBI was joining the investigation in order to help develop new leads.
Leader of the group sponsoring the event spoke before Sanders and told the audience they shouldn't feel 'ashamed' for asking for reparations

Bernie Sanders was repeatedly pressed to endorse reparations tonight by his own supporters at a 'Black America' community forum.

'I know youre scared to say black, I know youre scared to say reparations,' panelist Felicia Perry said, then told him, 'Can you please talk specifically about black people and reparations?'

Sanders replied, 'You and I may have a disagreement on this,' but 'it's not just black. This is Latinos. There are areas of America, more rural areas where its whites, OK?

As he talked about income inequality and poverty in the 'African-American community an audience member interrupted to urge him to use the term 'black.'

'I've said 'black' 50 times. That's the 51st,' Sanders declared.

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Bernie Sanders was repeatedly pressed to endorse reparations tonight by his own supporters at a Black America forum in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Sanders does not support reparations for slavery and said tonight at a Neighborhoods Organizing for Change event located in the heart of Minnesota's Native Americans population that he didn't have a magical solution to the problem.

Midway through the event the Democratic presidential candidate was asked about fixing 'historical grievances' in the context of Native Americans.

He said: 'Anybody who studies the history of our country knows that it has been a very rocky history, it has included the abomination of slavery, it has included horrendous attacks on the Native American community.'

'There's no ifs, buts and maybes about that.'

Unemployment, drug addiction and alcoholism in the Native American population are the result, he said.

'Simply throwing federal money and federal bureaucrats at the problem probably is not going to work,' he said. '

'What is going to work is a relationship with the federal government and the Native American communities, by which the federal government provides resources, but the...Native American communities work out the solutions that are most relevant to particular to their needs.'

Continuing, he said, 'Different people approach things in different way.... the best approach in my experience in government is not from a top down process but from a bottom up process.'

Perry later pressed him to talk about the issue in the context of blacks, though.

'It seems like every time we talk about black people and us getting something and systematic oppression...we have to include every other person of color,' she said.

Building on previous answers about jobs and education for African-Americans he had already given, tonight, Sanders said, 'This is a national issue' and we need 'to invest most heavily in those communities most in need.'

At the forum today, before Sanders arrived, Mike Griffin, the field director for the organization set the tone for the event and said, 'There's this cadence that they use to make us feel ashamed for someone who took a group of people, treated them like property, exploited their labor for over 400 years.

Multiple attendees shouted at Sanders about reparations throughout the 'Black America' community forum

Sanders does not support reparations for slavery and said tonight at a Neighborhoods Organizing for Change event located in the heart of Minnesota's Native Americans population that he didn't have a magical solution to the problem

The audience wasn't satisfied. An audience member shouted at him, 'We were promised reparations! We were told we were going to get it!'

Discussion facilitator Anthony Newby acknowledged the complaint and said reparations,' this room is clearly not afraid to talk about it' before moving on to other issues.

The topic of reparations first came up in the 2016 presidential race at the Fusion-sponsored Iowa Brown Black forum in January.

Sanders said in response to a question on whether he would support reparations, 'No, I dont think so...the likelihood of getting through a Congress is nil.'

He also said, 'I think it would be very divisive. I think the real issue is, when we look at the poverty rate among the African American community, when we look at the high unemployment rate within the African American community, the incarceration rate within the African American community, we have a lot of work to do.'

The U.S. senator said then as he did tonight that the focus should be on investments in cities such as job creation, tuition free college and also mentioned affordable child care.

'Basically, targeting our federal resources to the areas that it is needed the most. And where it is needed the most is in impoverished communities, often African American and Latino.'

The Atlantics Ta-Nehisi Coates tore into him afterward and said, 'the spectacle of a socialist candidate opposing reparations as divisive (there are few political labels more divisive in the minds of Americans than socialist) is only rivaled by the implausibility of Sanders posing as a pragmatist.'

'Sanders says the chance of getting reparations through Congress is nil, a correct observation which could just as well apply to much of the Vermont senators own platform,' Coates wrote.

He added: 'Sanders is a lot of things, many of them good. But he is not the candidate of moderation and unification, so much as the candidate of partisanship and radicalism. There is neither insult nor accolade in this.'

Sanders is seen here at the event with local Congressman Keith Ellison, who has endorsed his candidacy for president

Sanders was subsequently asked about the piece on Meet the Press, where he reiterated his position and pointed out that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton aren't for reparations, either.

'We have got to invest in the future. What we have got to do is address poverty in America,' he said.

'And if you look at my record and if you look at my agenda, raising the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour, creating millions of jobs by rebuilding our infrastructure, focusing on high rates of youth unemployment. I think our candidacy is the candidacy talking to the issues of the African American community.'

Clinton does essentially have the same position on the issue as Sanders. At the Fusion forum she said, ''I think we should start studying what investments we need to make in communities to help individuals and families and communities move forward.

'And I am absolutely committed to that. There are some good ideas out there.'

For instance, she said the Congressional Black Caucus is interested in 'targeting federal dollars to communities that have had either disinvestment or or no investment, and have had years of being below the poverty level.

'Thats the kind of thing Id like us to focus on and really help lift people up'.

At the forum today, before Sanders arrived, Mike Griffin, the field director for the organization set the tone for the event and said, 'There's this cadence that they use to make us feel ashamed for someone who took a group of people, treated them like property, exploited their labor for over 400 years.

'And the proof of that exploitation shows up in things like white privilege, disparities across the country, all across the board, the living conditions and equality of life for black people of all of the diaspora. You understand, this sound familiar?'

Griffin said, 'We have nothing to be ashamed of when we're talking about justice...cause no one in this country' has 'put in the dedication, and work, the blood the sweat the tears that we put into this country.'

Hillary Clinton was also in town this evening. Both candidates spokes at a Democratic dinner across town later in the evening. Sanders has pointed out in the past that Clinton doesn't back reparations, either, but left her out of the discussion tonight

The reparations are due to black communities so that they can enjoy an American quality of life, he said.

'Ya'll keep in mind, you're not asking for anything, you're not begging for anything, there's nothing free that you're asking for, there's a debt, and we here to collect on that debt.'

Black audience members who spoke to DailyMail.com were in near universal agreement that reparations should be paid.

What they couldn't agree on was where to come up with the money. An area with a large Muslim population, several attendees said the money should be cut from the payments to Israel for its defense.

One attendee said it should come from taxes given that the cotton, horseshoes and other products slaves made were taxed and capitalized on by the federal government.

Griffin, the NOC organizer, old DailyMail.com he'd like to see that money divested from police departments and jails and 'things that aren't working' in their community and invested in 'racial equity.'

Reparations can mean 'reinvestment in communities most affected' and a 'payback for harm that is done.'

'I mean, I will take a check,' he said 'This is not an either or, but an and.'

Today Sanders took a 'step in the right direction.' Griffin said. 'Hopefully by the end of the election we're going to get him to say specifically he wants to invest in communities that have been harmed historically that are still being harmed systematically, and that all stemmed from slavery.'
Earl Taylor has been convicted of murdering his first wife after spending 25 years in jail for the murder of his second wife

An Indiana man who served 25 years for the murder of his second wife, has been convicted of killing his first wife.

Earl Taylor was found guilty on Friday of first-degree murder in the 1975 killing of his first wife Kathy Taylor who was 23 at the time.

The Vigo County Sheriff's Office reopened the investigation into Kathy's death with help from Cold Justice , a TNT television show that looks into unsolved criminal cases, according to the IndyStar.

Taylor, who was an insurance agent, was arrested soon after the investigation reopened.

He had taken out several large policies on both wives.

Kathy Taylor was found dead on April 2, 1975 after Earl Taylor, who was 22 at the time, told police he had come home and found his wife dead in the bathtub.

He told deputies that his wife had been home alone taking a bath when an electronic clock radio fell into the tub.

A forensic pathologist testified that Kathy drowned after being held face-down in a bathtub in the couple's home.

However, the defense argued she died of electrocution from a clock radio.

It wasn't until later that detectives learned that Taylor had removed his wife's body from the tub and didn't immediately contact authorities.

Taylor called his father who later reported the death to the sheriff.

Earl Taylor was found guilty of first-degree murder in the 1975 killing of his first wife Kathy Taylor (left) who was 23 at the time. He told deputies that his wife had been home alone taking a bath when an electronic clock radio fell into the tub. Taylor was also convicted of murdering Mindy Taylor (right) in 1988

Vigo County Chief Deputy Clark Cottom said that 'during the investigation detectives noticed that the power cord on the clock radio appeared to have been changed to extend the length', according to the IndyStar.

Because the length of the cord had been changed, the investigation revealed that the length of the factory cord would 'not have allowed the radio to fall into the bathtub'.

Another detective recalled Taylor had 'offered a methodical minute by minute alibi of his whereabouts', which was not completely forthcoming.

Taylor was convicted in 1988 of killing his second wife, Mindy, whose body was recovered from her car in 1987.

Mindy Taylor's body was found on the driver's side of her Pontiac Fiero which was submerged in a lake in Terre Haute, Indiana, according to court documents.

An autopsy revealed that the victim had died of drowning, and that there were no signs of a struggle to escape the car, nor were there any injuries.

Shortly after the victim's death, her husband, made a statement to the police. In his statement, he indicated that the victim had difficulty sleeping that night, and at her suggestion, they had gone for a drive at about 3.00am.

Taylor said the victim swerved the car to avoid hitting a raccoon which was crossing the road in front of them and the car went into the lake, the document states.

Mindy Taylor's body was recovered from the driver's side of her Pontiac Fiero which was submerged in a lake in Terre Haute, Indiana. Earl Taylor was convicted of Mindy's mother in 1988

He said that Mindy was unconscious, and he was unable to rouse her. After the car filled with water, he opened the passenger door and escaped but was unable to get the victim out of the car.

However, an investigation revealed that the seat on the driver's side was too far back for the victim to have driven the car.

The victim's arms were under the seat belt and the seat belt was fastened in the wrong receptacle.
The Central Moriches High School policy prohibits teachers from taking students off campus during school hours

Graf got her father's permission and then took Maddy to a 7/11

A New York art teacher has been removed from the classroom after she tried to comfort a grieving student by taking her out for a cup of hot cocoa.

Janice Graf, a teacher at Central Moriches High School, has been reassigned to administrative duty after consoling senior Maddy Zaminski, who had two close friends pass away in the span of a week.

Maddy said she couldn't stop crying, and went to Graf after she felt her school psychologist and counselor weren't helping her enough.

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Janice Graf, an art teacher at Central Moriches High School in Long Island, New York, has been reassigned to administrative duty after she took a grieving student for a cup of hot chocolate to comfort her

Maddy Zaminski, 18, reached out to Graf after two of her friends died within a week and she felt her school counselor and psychologist weren't doing enough to help

'My whole life, as well as other students, we've been told to trust your teachers and go to them when you need help,' the 18-year-old told PIX11 News.

'And that's exactly what I did.'

Graf said she took Maddy, who was sobbing, to a local 7/11 after asking permission from her father because she felt the student was in 'crisis'.

'She needed someone to talk to,' Graf told WABC. 'She was very distraught.'

Graf took Maddy back to school right after, and said she was able to finish the rest of the day and has not missed another class since.

The teacher reportedly violated a school policy that prohibits teachers from taking students off campus during school hours, but Maddy's mother said she doesn't believe a rule was broken.

Graf said she took Maddy (pictured), who was sobbing, to a local 7/11 after asking permission from her father because she felt the student was in 'crisis'

'She got my daughter back to school and she took care of my daughter,' Joanne Zaminski said.

Now Graf, a 30-year-veteran who was slated to retire only five months from now, is fighting to get reinstated.

Vess Mitev, the teacher's attorney, said that what happened to Graf was an indignity 'that should not be suffered'.

'She's been deprived the ability to teach her students,' he said during a press conference on Thursday. 'She's been reassigned and basically put in a rubber room'.

'I just want to be back with the kids,' Graf said. 'I want to be back in the classroom.'

Parents and students came out to support Graf during a school board meeting on Wednesday night, where Mitev addressed the Board of Education.

School Board President Joshua Foster said he could not comment on specifics but said the board would make sure 'our students, the district and the staff are appropriately protected'.
But they are considered a delicacy in Asian and

They are the lightning fast predators capable of smashing through aquarium glass but these fisherman are not afraid to pluck them from the ocean with their bare hands.

Footage from Christmas Island in Australia shows local fisherman luring giant mantis shrimp out their burrows before pulling them out of the water by their razor sharp claws.

The cranky crustacean - also known as thumb splitters  are considered a delicacy in many parts of the world, and therefore worthy of putting ones fingers on the line.

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The fisherman lure the mantis shrimp to the top of its burrow before wrenching it out by its razor sharp claws

The vision depicts the methods local fisherman use to catch the shrimp, which begin by tapping on the water surface above their burrows.

Once the shrimp have risen to the top of their tunnels, the fisherman take hold of their spiky claws and tug them out.

The brave fisherman run the risk of being cut by the shrimp's slicers  which can severely lacerate ones flesh  or struck by one of their clubbers - which carry a force equivalent to a .22 bullet.

They are used as a sushi topping in Japanese cuisine as well as being favoured in the Mediterranean for their sweet lobster-esque meat.

Mantis shrimps, which can grow up to 12 inches long, have the most complex eyes and the best vision in the animal kingdom.

Their eyes, which are on stalks, contain at least eight different types of cell involved in colour vision, compared to the human three.

The shrimp are considered a delicacy and therefore worthy of putting ones fingers on the line
New York was hit by an arctic blast this morning as freezing temperatures and biting windchill struck the east coast.

Temperatures plummeted to below zero in New York state as windchill made it feel as cold as -22F.

New York City itself was 19F as people woke this morning, but it felt more like 4F as a polar vortex began to sweep across the east of the United States.

Mayor Bill be Blasio warned New Yorkers to take 'extreme precautions' today and on Sunday, which could see the coldest temperatures in a decade for much of the Northeast as forecasters warned of 'life-threatening' subzero conditions.

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New York won't be the only state hit with a chilly Valentine's Day. A cold blast is expected to hit much of the East Coast for a freezing weekend

A fierce polar vortex (swirling cold front pictured on this composite picture over the east coast) will hit New York on Saturday

A wind chill advisory was in effect for New York City and much of the east coast beginning Saturday afternoon and continuing to noon Sunday

In Buffalo it was -1F, with a mammoth windchill making it feel 21 degrees colder. That temperatures was expected to drop another couple of degree this morning as flurries of snow came down.

A wind chill advisory was in effect for New York City beginning Saturday afternoon and continuing to noon Sunday, with the forecast predicting temperatures of 2F.

Wind chills are expected to drop 18F to 24F below across the region and wind gusts may reach 45mph.

But the Big Apple will have it easy compared to the likes Boston, with a low at 2 degrees below zero, and temperatures in Worcester, Massachusetts to drop as low as -11F.

Weather Channel Forecaster Michael Palmer said anyone who dares step outside Sunday morning will feel like they're 'walking into a freezer'.

'This will be the coldest air for more than a decade,' he told NBC News.

The National Weather Service warned that residents take precautions to protect themselves from frostbite or hypothermia conditions.

De Blasio told New York residents to heed cold-weather warnings, adding that city workers would also bring people living on the street to shelters or hospitals.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio warned New Yorkers to take 'extreme precautions' over the weekend, which could see the coldest air mass of the winter

Jake Cote, a carrier with the United States Postal Service, delivers mail along in Utica, NY, on Thursday

A wind chill advisory was in effect for NYC beginning Saturday afternoon and continuing to noon Sunday

Shar Horton, of Syracuse, scrapes ice from the windows of her car visiting a friend in Utica, NY, on Thursday

Firefighters from the Erie, Pennsylvania, Bureau of Fire prepare to leave the scene after checking on the occupants of a sedan that spun out in snowy conditions on Wednesday on the Interstate 79 northbound

The anticipated temperatures were so cold the Central Park Conservancy decided to cancel the annual Central Park Ice Festival, meant to be held on Saturday.

It was the second time the weather dampened fun in Central Park.

Last month a free winter sports day called Winter Jam was canceled because of Storm Jonas.

Lighter winds and sunshine will greet the city on Sunday, but temperatures are still expected to be in the single digits, according to AccuWeather.

Meanwhile, a midwinter heat wave is smashing records in California.

Temperatures on the southern West Coast rocketed into the 90s for the second consecutive day on Tuesday even as the warming Santa Ana winds that came in on Saturday began to fade.

Forecasters said strong high pressure will continue through the week, keeping afternoon temperatures well above normal until at least Valentine's Day on Sunday.
Two brothers missing from Bellevue, Washington, since August have been found in safe condition in Mexico, according to the FBI.

Fifteen-year-old Sage Cook and nine-year-old Isaac Cook were located by authorities in Mexico's Sinaloa state, FBI officials said in a news release.

The children reportedly returned to Washington Friday with their father and stepmother, David and Helen Cook, after they were reunited in Mexico earlier in the day.

15-year-old Sage Cook and 9-year-old Isaac Cook (seen together left and right) were located by authorities in Mexico's Sinaloa state, FBI officials said

The boys were last seen in California at Los Angeles International Airport to have a supervised visit with their biological mother, Faye Ku, on August 28.

The FBI says Ku has been taken into federal custody.

David Cook told KOMO referring to his two sons: 'They're physically in great shape. Emotionally, of course, they're a little bit strained.'

Cook told the station: 'We're ecstatic to have the boys home with us again. We didn't expect this to happen so soon after such a long wait.'

A message on the 'Help find Sage and Isaac Cook' Facebook page said: 'David and I are ecstatic to announce that Sage and Isaac have been found safe and are home in Bellevue tonight.

'We are so grateful to the FBI in Seattle and in Mexico for all they did to make this happen.

'And to all the wonderful people who kept us going for the last five months by supporting us through this page and in many other ways. Thank you all.'

The FBI says Ku has been taken into federal custody. Legal documents show Ku, who hasn't had custody of the boys since her divorce from their father in 2009, tried to leave the country with Sage and Isaac in 2013

Legal documents show Ku, who hasn't had custody of the boys since her divorce from their father in 2009, tried to leave the country with Sage and Isaac in 2013.

The FBI previously said in a press release, referring to the 2013 incident: 'They were detained by a local law enforcement agency before they were able to board a flight to Taiwan.

'Ku was arrested and charged with Custodial Interference.'

The agency also had said that 'Ku has contacts in several states, as well as in Tijuana, Mexico.'

The FBI said in the release: 'Investigators found that Ku left behind personal belongings at her California residence that would have helped law enforcement track her whereabouts.

'In a letter left at the residence, Ku blamed the children's father of trying to control them and asked them to leave the children alone.'

FBI Seattle tweeted: 'Missing Bellevue children Sage & Isaac Cook recovered safely in Mexico, returned home this evening. @FBILosAngeles has Faye Ku in custody.'
The zoo also gave Valentine's Day gifts to monkeys and lemurs

Kali was orphaned as a cub and has been at St Louis Zoo since he was two

A mackerel-filled heart-shaped piece of ice is not on the top of most people's Valentine's Day wish list - unless you're a polar bear.

And Kali - who was the lucky recipient of one such gift - seems to be thoroughly enjoying it.

The 995-pound bear was given the present by St Louis Zoo, Missouri, where he has been a resident since May last year.

In a video released by the zoo on their Facebook page, three-year-old Kali is seen enjoying his gift as he tries to break the heart-shaped ice block to get the treats inside.

No wonder Kali wants to get to the center: The zoo's nutrition staff filled the 202 pound block with mackerel, capelin - a small forage fish - and apples.

And it's not just Kali who got treated to a Valentine's Day surprise, the zoo also gave out heart shaped boxes filled with treats to monkeys and lemurs.

Before arriving at St Louis aged two, Kali had spent the past two years at the Buffalo zoo after he was orphaned in Alaska's wilderness when a hunter unknowingly killed his mother, unaware she had a cub.

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The 995-pound bear was given the present by St Louis Zoo, Missouri, where he has been a resident since May last year

In a video released by the zoo on their Facebook , three-year-old Kali is seen enjoying his gift as he tries to break the heart-shaped ice block to get the treats inside
A journalist who was kicked out of a student protest at Missouri University last year after a professor asked for 'muscle' to remove him has been thrown out of another public meeting.

Mark Schierbecker, a student videographer for The College Fix, was attending a meeting of the Concerned Student 1950, a black activist group, on Wednesday when he was asked to leave.

When he refused, members of the group threatened to call police and campus security to file a 'racial bias report', before telling him: 'This is, like, once again white people being privileged.'

Mark Schierbecker, a student videographer at the University of Missouri, was asked to leave a public meeting by black student activist group Concerned Student 1950 and threatened with arrest when he refused

Footage of the incident, shot by Schierbecker, shows the meeting in the AP Chapel on Mizzou's campus, which was advertised over Twitter as a forum 'for black students and students of color'

As film of the incident begins, several white members of the press can be seen sat along the pews.

Before the meeting gets underway, a woman - who appears to be the leader of the meeting - asks: 'If there are any reporters in here, can you please exit? That was my nice warning.'

A member of the local press then stands up and questions why reporters are being asked to leave, to which the woman responds: 'Just because I asked you to. We just want to discuss some things.'

The man can then be seen handing over his business card before exiting, while two other female journalists also left, according to The College Fix.

However, Schierbecker refused to leave, starting a tense confrontation with the group, during which several of them also took out their phones and began recording.

Schierbecker can be heard saying: 'This is considered a limited public forum. Its open to the public, and especially to students of the university.

The woman (center) who appears to be leading the meeting asks Schierbecker to leave, and when he refuses, tells him: 'This is, like, once again white people being privileged and refusing to leave our spaces'

At another point in the video the woman can be heard asking someone to call the police and campus security in order to file a 'racial bias incident report'

'I am here on assignment for a story and it is my personal preference not to leave.'

The footage then cuts momentarily before coming back to show the leader of the meeting standing next to Schierbecker.

She tells him: 'This is, like, once again white people being privileged and refusing to leave our spaces.'

The woman then asks Schierbecker to lower his camera, which he agrees to, although footage is still being recorded.

As several students try to explain themselves to Schierbecker, the leader of the group again speaks up telling them: 'You dont give him any explanation because, like, thats not necessary.'

She then suggests phoning the police in order to file a 'racial bias incident report', adding that 'I just don't have the time or the patience.'

When Schierbecker asks if she is referring to him, she responds: 'I'm not talking to you.'

Schierbecker was attending a meeting which was advertised as being for 'black students and students of color' on the Mizzou campus, which is public

After a short altercation, Schierbecker tells the group that he is recording 'for my own safety', saying that he wants to keep a record for police.

That statement appears to anger some of the group who raise their voices at him, though other members do ask them to quieten down.

After a brief and heated exchange with the group, Schierbecker again repeats that he will put the camera away, provided the police are not called.

However, before authorities arrive the group decide to move their meeting to a more private location, at which point they get up and leave.

According to Schierbecker, police and campus security never arrived to speak with him, and he received no follow-up call.

This is not the first time Schierbecker has been thrown out of a protest - last year then-assistant professor Melissa Click was filmed asking for 'muscle' to kick him out of a student protest on campus

This is the second time Schierbecker has got into trouble with demonstrators on campus after he tried to film a tent city set up as part of protests that ousted college president Tim Wolfe last year.

On that occasion Schierbecker was confronted by then-assistant communications professor Melissa Click, who told protesters: 'Who wants to help me get this reporter out of here? I need some muscle over here.'
The recipients - the Jesuit Society of Jesus - said the gift '

Anna Kurzweil, who never married and had no children, left relatives puzzled after she left the grand sum in her will

A former nun who spent her final years 'living as a maid' has left a mystery $2 million to a Jesuit society - despite never earning more than $20,000 a year.

Anna Kurzweil, who never married and had no children, left relatives puzzled after she gave the grand sum in her will - while only leaving them $5,000 a piece.

And while the donation's recipient, Society of Jesus, may not come as a surprise - Kurzweil had devoted much of her life to God - the hefty sum certainly does.

But Kurzweil's relatives told Kansas City Star that the money must be the result of wise investing and that she was 'sharp and thrifty' with money.

They said she did inherit a small nest egg left after the familys three farms were sold and divvied up among the children and saved from there.

Kurzweil, who died aged 100 in 2012, had been a longtime member of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, a parish at 1001 E. 52nd St., near Rockhurst University and had lived in a small house nearby.

Her nephew John Van De Vyvere told Kansas City Star: 'Nobody knew she had that kind of money.

'I think even the people at the bank were surprised.'

Relatives said that she had been living off a thousand-dollar-a-month pension.

And John Fitzpatrick, a provincial assistant for the Jesuits, told Religion News Services that Kurzweil had 'exemplified the power of planned giving' and that the gift was unrestricted, meaning the order may use the money however it wishes.

Kurzweil had been a longtime member of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, a parish at 1001 E. 52nd St (pictured) and had spent her final years living in a modest house nearby

According to the paper, Kurzweil grew up the youngest of eight children on a farm in Grandview, Kansas.

After college she became a schoolteacher, which is where she had her heart broken by a fellow colleague - spurring her to commit to a life of God.

In an excerpt from her journal, published by the papers she writes: 'Then. I made my commitment to live for God.'

She joined the order of Sisters of Loretto post- Word War II, but left in the mid fifties to care for her mother.

After her mother's death she traveled the world, working at one point in a leper colony in New Guinea.

She spent her final years living in a small house in Rockhurst.

Nephew Harold Kurzweil told the paper: 'She had gone through a lot and by that time lived pretty much like an old maid.'
A second man has been arrested over the shooting of grandfather Akhtar Javeed as he tried to defend his Birmingham business from armed robbers.

West Midlands Police confirmed they have detained a 26-year-old man from Leicester on suspicion of murder while a 19-year-old woman was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Mr Javeed, 56, was shot in the neck as he bravely refused to hand over cash before his killers made their getaway empty-handed.

Akhtar Javeed was shot outside his business in Brimingham earlier this month. He later died of his wounds

A police spokesman said: 'Detectives investigating the murder of Akhtar Javeed have arrested a second man on suspicion of murder.

'A 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder from an address in Leicester and a 19-year-old woman was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender from the same address in Leicester last night.'

It comes a day after armed police arrested a teenager in connection with the killing.

Officers carrying semi-automatic rifles detained the 18-year-old male after raiding a house in Derby.

West Midlands Police confirmed the teenager was being held in custody and said a silver Renault Megane had also been seized.

Detective Chief Inspector Martin Slevin, who is leading on the investigation, added: 'Extensive investigations into the death are ongoing and we are still appealing for anyone who saw a silver Renault Megane in or around that time to get in touch.

'A man has been arrested but our investigation is still in the early stages and we want to hear from anyone who has any information that could help our investigation.'

A spokesperson for the force added: 'Officers have arrested a man in connection with the murder of Akhtar Javeed who was shot dead in Digbeth last week.

'An 18-year-old man was arrested in Derby by detectives on Thursday night and remains in police custody this morning.

'A silver Renault Megane has also been seized and will be forensically examined. Enquiries are continuing.'

Family have said Mr Javeed was 'a humble, simple family man who worked tirelessly every day'

His daughter Lilas described how her younger brothers will 'have to become men and start life without their role model guiding them' at a press conference this week

A Derbyshire Police spokesperson added: 'We made an arrest at the request of the West Midlands force as part of Operation Aline.'

Five staff members - including Mr Javeed - who were inside the unit at the time of the raid were tied up by the robbers before the fatal shooting last week.

CCTV footage released on Tuesday showed a car which detectives believe may have been used in the offence.

Police are appealing for anyone who spotted the car in the area between 6.20pm and 6.40pm to come forward.

On Wednesday, Mr Akhtar's daughter Lilas Javeed, 30, told how her family had been left 'shattered' by her father's murder and appealed for the public's help in catching his killers.

Ms Javeed described her father as a 'humble and simple' father and grandfather who worked tirelessly to provide for his family.

Earlier this week, police released this picture of a Renault Megane they think may have been used in the raid

An 18-year-old man was first arrested in relation to the armed robbery which turned into a murder

Ms Javeed said: '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 appealed for anyone with information to contact police and added: 'Please, please come forward. It would mean so much to us.
Serious issues are facing Republican presidential candidates in Saturday night's debate in Greenville, South Carolina.

The Palmetto State is home to 38,000 active duty military servicemen and women, and more than 400,000 veterans  putting candidates like Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who favors closing military bases to save money, on the hot seat.

The state is also still reeling from the shooting deaths of nine black parishioners at a Charleston church in June, putting gun violence and race on the front burner for some voters.

But the most anticipated part of Saturday's full-contact spectator sport will be the personalities in play, especially how Florida Sen. Marco Rubio bounces back after a disastrous and infamously robotic performance in the last on-stage throwdown.

IT'S GOOD TO BE THE KING: Billionaire Donald Trump leads the GOP field in South Carolina polling, averaging 36 of the vote going into Saturday's debate

LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz will go toe-to-toe with Trump in an attempt to win over Palmetto State voters accustomed to bare-knuckle political fights

And billionaire Donald Trump has unfinished business with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, after the pair have duked it out with Internet ads, tweets and dueling TV interviews, each claiming the mantle of tea party conservatism.

Trump is leading in statewide polls, averaging 36 per cent to Cruz's 19 and Rubio's 14. He has about the same-sized advantage as he carried into the last week of campaigning before his historic in New Hampshire victory.

Jeb Bush is still struggling to make a mark in a primary season where his best finish to date has been fourth place in New Hampshire.

With Trump saying yesterday that he's been 'asleep at the wheel' and a fundraising advantage that hasn't translated into votes, it's unclear how he can survive without changing his approach.

Likewise Dr. Ben Carson, at one time the front-runner in Iowa, is running out of time to make a mark. And debates aren't his strong suit.

'I'm going to be much more boisterous,' he said politely during a recent Fox interview.

If military issues make an appearance Saturday night, viewers can expect a tussle over which Republicans have advocated for cuts in Pentagon spending.

DARK HORSE NO MORE: Ohio Gov. John Kasich took second place in New Hampshire and will be a bona fide threat if he can pair a strong debate performance with an uptick in fundraising

Cruz in particular has been hammered for a Senate budget vote that would have pared back defense spending. He counters that he supported an amendment that aimed to put much of that money back.

Bush, who recently deployed his older brother  George W. Bush  to campaign for him in South Carolina, will likely insist that the former President of the United States believes he's ready and able to be commander-in-chief.

And Trump can be expected to dust off a well-worn stump line that he's 'the most militaristic person in this room,' although he has emphasized a Reaganesque vision of a military buildup along 'peace through strength' deterrent lines.

It's possible The Donald will arrive at the Peace Center in downtown Greenville with a chip on his shoulder.

Earlier on Saturday he accused the Republican National Committee, the debate's organizer, of dishonestly pitching for money by suggesting he was cooperating in the fundraising blitz.

The ask read: 'Trump wants you to contribute to the RNC.' It ended as soon as he complained.

HARD NUMBERS: Polls in South Carolina tell a difficult tale for White House hopefuls not named Trump

I'M THIS LOUD: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was a national front-runner until Trump and his brash style of absolutism stole all his thunder

WUNDERKIND, INTERRUPTED: The 43-year-old Florida Sen. Marco Rubio needs a standout performance to erase memories of his crash-and-burn debate night a week ago

'The RNC does not treat me well and then uses my name, without my knowledge, to raise money for themselves,' Trump's campaign said in a press release.

'I am self-funding my campaign and this totally unauthorized notice is yet another example of deceptive Washington tricks used to take advantage of the voters and get money from the hard-working people the politicians have failed.'

Trump's rivals, though will have to debate with one eye on their campaigns' bottom lines. A stumble could cost millions and so-called 'bankable moments' aren't named by coincidence.

Kasich, more than anyone else, has tremendous fundraising momentum to gain from his surprise second-place showing in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary. But only if he ventures far enough to the political right to be palatable to South Carolina conservatives.

In past debates he has been an unmistakable back-bencher, struggling to get a word in edgewise whenever Trump, Cruz and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie paused to breathe. (Christie withdrew from the race on Wednesday.)

But now Kasich has a strong rationale to assert himself while he builds a ground game almost entirely from scratch in South Carolina  a place that traditionally hasn't embraced his moderate, positive and sunny style of politicking.

South Carolinians expect smash-mouth campaigning. It's not clear Kasich has that in him.

The same can be said of Bush, the soft-spoken, careful-talking Floridian. Trump branded him a 'low-energy candidate,' early in the election cycle, and the label stuck.

His trump card is his brother, who is still well-liked in the state. Both George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush won South Carolina on their way to the White House, and Jeb has to hope he can resurrect some of that glory to wear for himself.

With the field narrowed to just six candidates  Christie's departure came along with former CEO Carly Fiorina's  no one, including Bush, will be able to fly beneath the debate's high-strung radar on Saturday night.

Trump and Cruz likely won't even try.

FADING FAST? Ben Carson had a moment in the sun at the top of the Iowa standings but is the most likely candidate to drop out of the race if his debating style doesn't get a caffeine jolt

The winners in New Hampshire and Iowa are sometimes vicious and occasionally passive-aggressive, but they have been at each other's throats in recent weeks.

Months ago the pair had a 'bromance' of sorts, a perceived mutual non-aggression pact. But that was long forgotten as soon as the field narrowed.

Trump said this week that Cruz's campaign used 'sleazy and dishonest' tactics in his anti-Trump South Carolina fundraising emails. The Donald's campaign quickly shifted tactics, though, taking the high road by killing off the only TV ad in its stable that was overtly anti-Cruz.

Cruz, though, is still running an add accusing Trump of 'a pattern of sleaze' in his business dealings.

With Cruz reeling from a mini-scandal on Thursday when it was discovered his campaign cast a softcore porn star in an attack ad against Rubio, he has ample incentive to change the subject.

Look for him to raise the volume, raise his fist, and raise the roof with new broadsides fired in Trump's direction.
A major operation involving more than a dozen police vehicles and State Emergency Services crews has commenced at the beach crime scene where a man allegedly raped and tried to kill two backpackers.

They were in search of a number of items including a hammer which were not recovered, but other 'items of interest' were removed from the scene.

Daily Mail Australia understands SES were only looking for items in relation to the attack on the two girls.

It comes as police confirm they are investigating the past of the 59-year-old accused, given the disturbing nature of the alleged crime.

A major operation involving has commenced at Salt Creek beach in Coorong National Park. A man allegedly raped and tried to kill two backpackers who were camping at a popular site near Tea Trea Crossing

They were in search of a number of items including a hammer which were not recovered, but other 'items of interest' were removed from the scene

More than a dozen police vehicles and SES crews searched the beach crime scene on Saturday (pictured are officers deflating their wheels, which makes it easier to travel on sand)

Eerie and remote: Two backpackers barely escaped a horrific sex attack with their lives on Tuesday

One of the young backpackers was forced to run naked and bleeding from sand dunes where they were camping on Tuesday to escape

The women had only met their 59-year-old alleged attacker the previous day and had plans to drive with him from Adelaide to Melbourne. They stopped off at Coorong National Park to camp overnight on Tuesday

A convoy of detectives and volunteers returned to South Australia's Salt Creek on Saturday but SA Police refused to comment further on the purpose of the search.

A SA Police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia Taskforce Coorong - a team of 12 investigators and intelligence officers established on Thursday - had continued their investigations on Saturday.

'Police from Taskforce Coorong were at Salt Creek from 11am to 3pm today to conduct a further search of the crime scene,' the spokesman said.

Police detectives were seen conducting a line search and using metal detectors to search for evidence along a kilometre stretch of beach at the isolated beachside sand dunes where the man and two female backpackers were camping at the time of Tuesday's attack.

The man is known to be a frequent visitor of the beach which is more than two and a half hours from Adelaide and accessed only by 4WD.

The senior investigators walked through the shrubbery and up and down the dunes to the secluded campsite.

Taskforce Coorong - a team of 12 investigators and intelligence officers established on Thursday - continued their investigations on Saturday

Police detectives were seen conducting a line search and using metal detectors to search for evidence along a kilometre stretch of beach at the isolated beachside sand dunes where the trio had been camping

SA Police refused to comment further on the purpose of the search at the isolated beach

The man was said to be a frequent visitor of the Roadhouse (pictured) - a general store/cafe and petrol station next to the entrance to the Coorong National Park

Senior investigators walked through the shrubbery and up and down the dunes to the secluded campsite

The campsite and blood spattered car is now a crime scene as police continue their investigations

The man is known to be a frequent visitor of the beach which is more than two and a half hours from Adelaide and accessed only by 4WD

Locals say they are still shocked at what took place and the sight of the bloodied women being brought into the Salt Creek.

'It was just awful. Everyone's still shaken up. It doesn't feel real,' one witness told Daily Mail Australia.

He says the man was known by locals as a regular visitor but didn't interact much, 'grunting' and unsmiling when he was seen in the Roadhouse.

'They were lucky people came past, so many little things went their way which are why they're still alive now.'

A South African woman and a European woman, both aged in their 20s, had only met their 59-year-old alleged attacker the previous day and had plans to drive with him from Adelaide to Melbourne.

The trio had stopped off at Coorong National Park to camp overnight on Tuesday when their savage encounter started to unfold.

Locals say they are still shocked at what took place and the sight of the bloodied women being brought into the Salt Creek

'It was just awful. Everyone's still shaken up. It doesn't feel real,' one witness told Daily Mail Australia

The two backpackers suffered horrific injuries when they were attacked at the campsite with one of the women later saying one was hit over the head with a hammer, while the other was run over in a in a vehicle

Acting Assistant Commissioner Douglas Barr (pictured) said South Australia Police would be 'trawling' through the man's history and checking to see whether he was linked to any outstanding missing persons

The two backpackers suffered horrific injuries with one of the women later saying one was hit over the head with a hammer, while the other was run over in in a vehicle, Seven News reported.

They split up trying to escape the clutches of their alleged would-be killer, with one of the women getting away to alert nearby fisherman.

But the second woman is believed to have been recaptured and she was found later by rescuers barely conscious and unable to speak.

She is understood to have suffered the most serious injuries, but both were quickly airlifted to Flinders Medical Centre.

While police will not reveal the exact injuries the women suffered, it is understood at least one of the women were tied up.

In a press conference on Friday afternoon, Acting Assistant Commissioner (Crime) Doug Barr said the women had been subjected to 'a terrifying incident.'

'We're not investigating any other crimes at this time in relation to the person who is in custody, but the very nature of this incident cries out to inquire into the background of this suspect,' he said.

Commissioner Barr said that Crime Stoppers had received five calls since the alleged attack.

'It would be too early for me to speculate whether they are going to be useful or not until we've done an investigation into them, but they are certainly not ones that we've discarded,' he said.

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 two backpackers suffered horrific injuries with one of the women later saying one was hit over the head with a hammer, while the other was run over in a in a vehicle

Totally isolated: The women were discovered by local fisherman at a popular camping spot near Tea Tree Crossing
McDonald's costumers tucking into their breakfast watched in horror as police used shotguns to blow out the tyres of a getaway car used by cash machine raiders.

The ATM was stolen from Carnoustie, Angus, around 4.30am yesterday and suspects were traced to Westway Retail Park, Arbroath, less than six hours later.

Witnesses reported gun shots as being 'like paintball ammunition' and saw men being bundled from a Mercedes car by police.

Last night, five men were being questioned following the dramatic McDonald's shootout.

Police used shotguns to blow the tyres of a car and then bundled men out of a Mercedes outside McDonald's

Police swooped on the McDonald's yesterday morning after an ATM was stolen from Carnoustie, Angus

A crowd watched on outside the McDonald's in Arbroath yesterday morning as police cordoned off the area

Police swooped on the McDonald's in Arbroath after an ATM was stolen from Carnoustie, in Angus, yesterday

Police said the detentions were part of an ongoing operation involving officers from the Organised Crime Unit, based in Glasgow, and Titan, the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit in England.

The men were traced by police to the retail park with officers quickly acting to halt the gang, who had been travelling in a Mercedes.

Witnesses saw officers armed with rifles arriving on the scene. Officers fired specialist bullets at the tyres to stop the car.

One witness, who did not want to be named, said: 'I was eating breakfast when someone said there are guys outside on the floor, the police have got them on the floor in the car park. Four or five guys were taken away in police cars.

'They didn't enter McDonald's. Part of the car park was cordoned off.'

Another witness said: 'A man in the Mercedes was calmly having a coffee when two police cars surrounded the car. One came behind it and the other went right up to the driver's door.

'From there they bundled the guy out.

'The police helicopter was overhead the whole time. This happened at around 9.30am.'

One local told the Daily Record: 'You don't really expect this in Arbroath. Downtown LA perhaps, but not downtown Arbroath.'

One young woman, who managed to photograph some of the action, said: 'I saw the police with what looked like some kind of firearm. When they checked the boot of the Mercedes they were pointing firearms at it, as if waiting to see what was going to happen when it opened.'

Officers cuffed the gang just hours after they robbed an ATM machine from this Co-op store in Barry Street, Carnoustie

The Co-operative store was closed following the theft, which led to five people being quizzed by police

Former soldier Scott Barber, 41, who lives in the town, was with son Jay, 13, at McDonald's when the police swoop happened at breakfast time.

Mr Barber, an oil industry worker, told the Daily Record: 'We were sitting in the drive-through parking waiting for our food.

'There was a guy just walking about, looking out towards the sea. As soon as he got back into a white Mercedes, the police swooped.

'The police must have been watching them and waiting for the guy to get back in the car because as soon as he did, they pounced. I think they must have wanted to contain them.

'I heard "bang, bang, bang" and it looked like paintball ammunition. There was a purple puff in the air.

'I thought there were about four or five armed response unit members who rushed at the Mercedes and got the guys out of the car.'

Around 20 children were reportedly inside the McDonalds at the time and they watched the unfolding drama with their 'faces excitedly pressed against the windows'.

A policeman stands guard after armed officers swooped on a McDonald's chain in Arbroath yesterday

Superintendent Graeme Murdoch said: 'We received information that a vehicle of interest to the investigation was situated at the car park at McDonald's in Arbroath. Armed officers were deployed and immobilised the vehicle. A standard weapon was used to deflate the tyres on the vehicle. The ammunition used is designed for that purpose. The public were at no time in any danger.'

A spokesman for Police Scotland revealed the incident had now been referred to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc).

He said: 'As part of the operation, vehicle tyre deflation rounds were discharged directly into the vehicle tyres. In line with the routine procedure, this incident will be referred to Pirc for review.'

A spokesman for the review body said: 'The Pirc is currently in the process of assessing whether there is a requirement to investigate the matter.'

A spokeswoman for McDonald's said their Arbroath branch was closed for an hour as part of a police investigation unrelated to the restaurant.

She added: 'We are co-operating fully with the police in their inquiries.'
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Dramatic pictures from London tonight showed more flooding in upmarket areas of the capital, with cars lying abandoned half-covered in murky water.

Residents were also seen wading through the high water to get to their homes in areas near the Thames, including Richmond.

The floods which has blighted large sections of the city over the past 24 hours has been caused by a combination of the after effects of the recent storms and a high Spring tide.

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A car is partly submerged in flood-water in Richmond, south-west London today after heavy rainfall caused heavy flooding

The River Thames flooded this road near Richmond, west London at high tide

Rain showers are expected to dry up by the end of the day, although the south west could see 10-20mm fall before the weather brightens up across the country by the end of Sunday and into Monday. Pictured: Another road in Richmond in London that is flooded

South-west London, including Richmond (pictured) experienced localised flooding when the River Thames burst its banks as a result of heavy rain and high tides

Rain showers are expected to dry up by the end of the day, although the south west could see 10-20mm fall before the weather brightens up across the country by the end of Sunday and into Monday

Yesterday, the water was seen overflowing in Charing Cross where the average property costs 4.7million, Kew where homes cost about 1m, in Putney where the average home is worth 693,000 and in Greenwich where the average three bedroom house costs around 1.6m

It comes after The Thames Barrier was shut for the first time this year 'to protect London from the threat of flooding due to the high level of rain combined with high tides from the sea'.

The action was taken after Storm Imogen lashed the country with heavy downpours earlier this week.

While some flood warnings still in effect around the River Thames, rain showers are expected to dry up by the end of the day, although the south west could see 10-20mm fall before the weather brightens up across the country by the end of Sunday and into Monday.

An Arctic blast is also set to hit Britain tonight with a fresh cold snap bringing up to six inches of snow with it.

Weather warnings have been issued for north-east England and Scotland overnight and into Sunday while temperatures will drop below freezing for much of the UK.

The slow-moving cold front will begin in the Scottish Highlands today and move south gradually, with snow expected to start falling over England at midnight.

A Met Office spokesperson said there could even be some wintry showers in the south west with Exmoor and Dartmoor warned to expect sleet.

The spokesperson said: 'Snow warnings have been issued across Scotland and the borders and as the night goes on that will move down towards County Durham, with a warning issued for north England between midnight tonight and 12noon Sunday.'

Many in the north will then feel the full force of the cold snap on Sunday and Monday when the temperature will fall as low as -11C in some parts of Scotland.

Flood warnings and alerts are still in place across many parts of the country, with Old Deer Park, Richmond, flooded today, pictured

High tides and previous heavy rain are to blame for the rising water levels, but it didn't put off early morning joggers in Richmond, pictured

The Thames burst its banks in Richmond, pictured, as well as Putney, Greenwich, Charing Cross and the Embankment

Met Office forecaster Alex Burkill added: On Saturday, some of the snow settling in Scotland is likely to start falling in the North East. There could also be scatterings of wintry showers on higher ground in the South  such as the Cotswolds, the Chilterns, even Exmoor and Dartmoor.

As we go into Sunday, well start to see colder air blowing from the North, which typically brings more showers to the East ...where these fall further inland, they are likely to fall as snow or sleet.

By Monday, these wintry showers could even start to move down as far as the Midlands  though they will be much more scattered.

Mr Burkill said the start of next week is likely to see lower-than-average temperatures for this time of year.

Snow, pictured in Glasgow, will continue to fall in Scotland today and start sprinkling over England from midnight tonight

Pedestrians brave the snow in Glasgow, pictured left and right. Up to 6in could fall in parts of Britain overnight say experts

Hikers in the Brecon Beacons trudge through snow, pictured, while wintry showers could move as far south as Devon and Cornwall

In a possible sign of what is to come, thousands of passengers travelling between Kent and London faced disruption due to icy conditions on railway lines in the South yesterday, with some reporting delays of more than two hours.

The Met Office said a slow-moving cold front is expected to make its way southwards on Saturday, with weather warnings in place across Scotland for ice and up to 4in of snow.

The chill is expected to continue drifting down to northern England, meaning Valentines Day will start with widespread early frosts before temperatures drop as low as -5C (23F) as the evening draws in.

The North East is predicted to see around 2in of snow on lower ground inland, with up to 6in higher up. The South is likely to feel slightly milder throughout the weekend thanks to a wet weather front.

The wet forecast means that despite plummeting overnight temperatures, any scattering of snow across the Cotswolds and Dartmoor is unlikely to settle.

Suffolk is also forecast to see some of the coldest temperatures in the south, with lows of -4C (25F) in the village of Santon Downham.

Sharp frosts are then expected across Britain on Monday and Tuesday mornings.

Rain will begin to ease off over the UK but although the weather will be dry, a cold snap will bring freezing temperatures to the country

Drivers are battling blizzard-like conditions as they move through heavy snowfall on the M8 in West Lothian, Scotland, pictured

A dog walker wraps up warm on the Pen y Fan mountain, Brecon Beacons, with temperatures around the country set to plummet from tomorrow onwards

The conditions make the Brecon Beacons, pictured, look more like an Arctic wasteland than a Welsh national park

Weather warnings for snow have been issued for Scotland and north-east England, including Glasgow, where snow is dusting Kelvin Bridge, pictured

But recent spells of wet weather mean this snow in Glasgow, pictured, is unlikely to settle for very long, if at al
A BBC documentary will explore the possibility that Pope John Paul II fell in love with a married Polish-American academic.

The latest Panorama programme will delve into the late Pope's relationship with women and is thought to have discovered a stack of letters sent between him and Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka.

Tymieniecka worked with the Pontiff in the 1970s, when he was still known as Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, on his philosophical treatise The Acting Person.

Monday night's show will investigate claims the Pope and Tymieniecka engaged in a four-year correspondence during the period in which they were working together on the book, when they were both in their fifties.

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Pope John Paul II waving to the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square in 2005, and right, Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka

Tymieniecka, a philosopher and academic, was born into an aristocratic Polish family before later marrying a Harvard professor in 1995, but remained close to the Pope up until his death in 2005.

It is understood that the show will not make the claim that the Pope ever breached his vow of celibacy nor make any firm statements about his relationship with the academic, who died in 2014.

Carl Bernstein, a journalist who wrote a John Paul II biography, conducted interviews with Tymienecka, in which she denied any romantic involvement with the Pope.

However Tymieniecka friend's told the author that she did have romantic inclinations towards him, with one friend, Harvard professor George Hunston Williams, claiming the Pope did not know the depths of her feelings towards him.

Speaking about the Pope, Tymieniecka once told a biographer: 'He had a way of moving, a way of smiling, a way of looking around that was different and exceedingly personal. It had a beauty about it.'

Pope John Paul I, left, greets then Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, in 1978, the future Pope John Paul II

Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca takes aim at Pope John Paul II in 1981. Agca left John Paul critically injured when he fired several shots at close range in St Peter's Square

Pope John Paul won many admirers after visiting his would-be assassin Mehmet Ali Agca in prison

The programme will also investigate the Pope's relationship with Wanda Poltwaska, who caused a stir in 2009 when she revealed 570 pages of intimate messages between them.

The pair met in the 1950s when Poltawska, a Holocaust survivor, reached out to him to help her deal with the trauma of surviving a concentration camp.

Correspondence between the two sees the Pope refer to Poltawska as 'my dear Dusia' and sign his letters 'Br', or brother.

After the letters were published by Poltawska, 94, Vatican officials said talk of them being close was exaggerated, and that the Pope had a gift of making people feel they had a 'special relationship' with him.

Vatican sources said they were aware of the Panorama programme and its interest in Poltawska, with one Vatican official telling the Daily Telegraph: 'There was never any suggestion of wrongdoing.

'It's not like they had a secret lovechild or anything.'
Saudi Arabia is set to move fighter jets to its base in Turkey in preparation for a possible bombing campaign against ISIS jihadists in Syria.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu confirmed the potential plan and suggested Turkey were also considering military options against ISIS.

'If there is a strategy (against ISIS) then Turkey and Saudi Arabia could enter into a ground operation,' Mr Cavusoglu said after the Munich Security Conference.

Saudi Arabia is set to move fighter jets to its base in Turkey in preparation for a possible bombing campaign against ISIS jihadists in Syria

Russia suggested it might not stop its air strikes, even when the cessation of hostilities takes effect in a week

'Saudi Arabia is also sending planes to Turkey, to (the base of) Incirlik,' he said.

'They (Saudi officials) came, did a reconnaissance of the base. At the moment it is not clear how many planes will come.'

The news comes as two Syrian rebel commanders told Reuters they had been sent 'excellent quantities' of ground-to-ground Grad missiles by foreign backers.

The missiles have a range of 20 km (12 miles) and are expected to be used to confront the Russian-backed offensive.

Foreign opponents of Assad including Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been supplying vetted rebel groups with weapons via a Turkey-based operations centre.

Some of the vetted groups have received military training overseen by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

Saudi Arabian jets fly over in formation above the King Faisal Air Academy in Riyadh

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would not stop bombing fighters from ISIS and a rebel group called the Nusra Front

The news comes as two Syrian rebel commanders told Reuters they had been sent 'excellent quantities' of ground-to-ground Grad missiles by foreign backers

Russia suggested it might not stop its air strikes, even when the cessation of hostilities takes effect in a week.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would not stop bombing fighters from ISIS and a rebel group called the Nusra Front, which is affiliated with al Qaeda, neither of which were covered by the cessation deal. 'Our airspace forces will continue working against these organisations,' he said.

Moscow has always said that those two jihadist groups are the principal targets of its air campaign. Western countries say Russia, in fact, has been attacking mostly other insurgent groups. Turkey's foreign minister said on Friday Russia was targeting schools and hospitals in Syria.

Turkish soldiers kill time on guard duty in the town of Suruc, near the long Syrian border
Shoppers have spoken of their horror after a man walked into a crowded Boots store and slashed his own throat with a razor blade.

Paramedics rushed to the scene but the 50-year-old could not be saved and was pronounced dead inside the shop.

It happened just minutes after the store in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, opened at 9am yesterday.

Shoppers recalled hearing screams as the man slit his throat inside the high street store.

Police cordoned off the High Street store following the incident where a man, 50, slit his throat with a razor

The drama unfolded at the Boots store just minutes after it opened yesterday morning at 9am

Witnesses to the terrifying incident said the man had wandered into the store demanding methadone but was refused the drugs.

The man, from Stoke-on-Trent, then took a blade and cut his own throat.

One woman said: 'A woman came running out of the store screaming and carrying a little baby.

'She was shouting 'he's just done it in front of me'. When the police arrived, they swarmed straight around the store and went inside.

'Someone came outside and told us a man had come in asking for methadone but was not allowed to have the drug. Then he took a razor blade and cut his own throat.'

Police arrived on the scene where the man, 50, was pronounced dead - it shocked horrified shoppers

Shopper Mark Abbot, aged 41, from the town, told the Stoke Sentinel: 'The police moved in so fast. The police officers took control of the situation and stopped people from going inside.

'At that point I didn't know what had happened, so it was a shock to see so much activity taking place.

'I was then told a man had cut his own throat.

'I feel so sorry for the man's family and the poor staff and customers who must have witnessed it. They must be traumatised to see that happen in front of them.'

I feel so sorry for the man's family and the poor staff and customers who must have witnessed it

Trevor Miles, 69, from Newcastle-under-Lyme added: 'This is the first time Ive heard of something like this which is very sad for those who witnessed it.'

Police cordoned off the High Street store following the incident. It has reopened today.

The manager of the store told MailOnline: 'My staff have been through quite a traumatic experience. We opened this morning. The staff are happy to work and the customers have been great.'

Fellow traders expressed their shock at the appalling ordeal.

Bryan Kirkham, who runs Kirkham's Jewellers, told the Sentinel: 'It's tragic. I feel sorry for all the staff on duty in the shop who were just going about their business. It must have been traumatising.

'This is the last thing you would expect to happen first thing on a Friday morning. Everyone had been quite confused at first as to what had happened.'

A staff worker at Clinton's Cards said: 'I saw all the police cars. It's a shock. It must have been awful for the people working there as it's not something you want to witness.'

A Boots UK spokesman said: 'We can regretfully confirm an incident happened in our Newcastle store in which a man died.

'Our priority is to support our colleagues and work with the police to aid their investigation.

'We would like to extend our condolences to the family.'

Paramedics were called to the scene just after 9am but were unable to save the man.

A 50-year-old man from Stoke-on-Trent walked into this Boots store and cut his throat with a razor blade

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: 'The man was in cardiac arrest. Our crews immediately began giving advanced life support, but unfortunately it became evident nothing could be done to save him and he was confirmed dead at the scene.'

The victim's family is being supported by specially-trained officers.

A police spokesman said: 'We were called to Boots after receiving reports of a man in the shop with a sharp object. The man had injured himself and sustained serious injuries.
Health Secretary imposed new contract anyway when talks broke down

He claims posts on social media were 'serious

Frenzied social media campaigns by junior doctors destroyed any chance of reaching a deal, according to the man who led negotiations.

Sir David Dalton said comments on Facebook and Twitter were a 'huge impediment' to talks, which failed to produce a deal with doctors' union the British Medical Association (BMA).

He claims they were made 'more difficult' by the fact that union leaders felt pressurised by vociferous complaints by medics.

Sir David (left) eventually advised Jeremy Hunt (right) that there was 'no realistic chance' of reaching a deal, and the Health Secretary imposed the new contracts anyway

He was speaking as another social media campaign by medical staff swept the internet.

The #iamthedoctorwho hashtag was used by NHS workers to highlight the roles they played in patient care.

As polling indicated public opposition to the strike action was growing, medics flooded the sites with images of doctors holding placards explaining exactly how they help people in their hours of need.

Dr Emily Williams is pictured holding up a piece of paper saying she 'cares for your loved ones every day in the final hours of their lives' in her job in palliative care.

Sir David Dalton said comments on Facebook and Twitter were a 'huge impediment' to talks, which failed to produce a deal. Pictured are medics using the #iamthedoctorwho hashtag at the end of last week

Sir David claims they were made 'more difficult' by the fact that union leaders felt pressurised by the barrage of pictures and posts from staff. Pictured are more #Iamthedoctorwho posters

Elsewhere, 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'.

Sir Dalton eventually advised Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt that an agreement was 'not realistically possible', and he decided to impose new pay and conditions on junior doctors in England.

The decision was met with anger from medics and the BMA has vowed to fight the imposition.

Sir David, chief executive of Salford Royal NHS Trust, said social media meant compromise was 'increasingly going to be difficult' but was not the main reason talks failed.

Richard Bowman wrote the impassioned post on Facebook after a shift where he claimed to have cared for 100 patients in one night

He told the Times: 'It's been done in a goldfish bowl of people giving real-time commentary and that makes it more difficult to create the space for negotiations.

'In the cold light of day the gap between us is tiny. Is it really worth going on strike for more pay on Saturdays for the people who only attend work on Saturday once a month?

'There's an extent to which the dispute isn't really about the contract. The contract is the totem pole that people have danced around.

'But it's all the other factors - the not feeling valued, taken for granted - that are more at play than the terms of the contract.'

Among those that attacked the Health Secretary was doctor Rich Bowman, 27, who said 'screw you Jeremy Hunt' in a Facebook post shared almost 26,000 times.

'All we do is for our patients, how dare you try and turn them against us. All of this is your government's fault,' he said.

He claimed that he had been caring for 100 patients in a cancer ward in Birmingham, and that 'if I made a mistake because I was tired, anyone of of these patients could have died'.

But Birmingham QE hospitals have refuted claims made in the post, which was shared 60,000 times, saying that there was 'a whole host of both clinical and senior managers on site'.

Sir David's comments come after several hospital bosses distanced themselves from suggestions they had agreed to a new contract being imposed after they were linked to a letter Mr Hunt used to justify the decision.

The names of 20 NHS health trust bosses in England were attached to a letter from Sir David advising the Government to do 'whatever it deems necessary' to break the deadlock.

But around half of the chief executives named have said they did not agree to the contract being forced on medics, even though they backed the terms being offered by the Government.

The BMA has already staged two walkouts and further strikes and legal actions are possibilities, while some junior doctors may refuse to sign new contracts which are due to be implemented from August.
The al-Qaeda group claimed they were targeting a 'senior western official'

Al-Shabaab have officially claimed responsibility for the laptop bomb attack which blew a large hole in the side of a Somali plane.

The al-Qaeda affiliated group released a statement, declaring the attack was meant to target 'senior Western officials' on board the flight, according to al-Jazeera.

It also claimed the attack was 'retribution for the crimes committed by the coalition of Western crusaders & their intelligence agencies.'

The deadly bomb was concealed inside a laptop and was constructed in such a 'sophisticated' way, it went through the X-ray scanners undetected at the airport.

Most of the passengers who were on the Daallo Airlines flight were scheduled to fly with Turkish Airlines

The al-Qaeda affiliated group released a statement, declaring the attack was meant to target a 'senior Western official' on board the flight

The dead bomber who was blown from the Somali jet from Mogadishu to Djibouti was meant to be flying on aTurkish Airlines flight, Daallo Airlines chief executive later confirmed.

The explosion created a gaping hole in the fuselage and forced the plane to make an emergency landing back at the Mogadishu airport.

The main suspect is believed to be a Somali national known as Abdullahi Abdisalam Borleh. The bomber had been carefully instructed where to sit and how to trigger the deadly device.

It seems that a delay to the flight played a vital part in preventing the deaths of all the passengers as the bomb was triggered before the plane had reached the right altitude.

Mohamed Yassin, CEO of Daallo Airlines, revealed that most of the passengers who were on the flight were scheduled to fly with Turkish Airlines.

But after the Turkish carrier cancelled its flight citing strong wind, the 74 passengers were ferried to Djibouti by one of Daallo planes across the Horn of Africa.

Newly-released footage shows two men handing a laptop to a passenger after he passed through security. One of the two men is wearing a security jacket

The suspected bomber approaches the two men after he passed through security checkpoint

He is being given a laptop, which investigators believe contained the explosives that ripped a hole in the Daallo airlines jet

'That particular passenger (who was behind the blast) boarded the aircraft on a Turkish Airlines boarding pass and was on the list for the Turkish Airlines manifest,' Yassin said.

Yassin told Al Jazeera that the passengers would continue their journey from Djibouti on a Turkish Airlines flight.

'Turkish Airlines have not been in contact with us since the incident happened. You can say they are trying to distance themselves from the incident.' Olad said.

CCTV video has since emerged showing the suspected bomber of the Somali plane at the exact moment when he is being handed a laptop in which the explosives were concealed.

'There are investigations going on and about 15 people have been arrested so far in connection with the incident,' a Somali security official who asked not to be named told AFP.

The airport worker in the white shirt has since died in mysterious circumstances. Three days after the plane attack, he was blown up in a car bomb.
A ifelong friend said the former president was bewildered by the direction of the 2016 presidential elections

With Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton appearing with their families on the campaign trail, Jeb Bush is now hoping a little brotherly love will go a long way.

Former president George W. Bush will gun for his brother Jeb at their first joint rally in North Charleston, South Carolina on Monday, The State reported.

After coming in fourth in New Hampshire behind Trump, John Kasich, and Ted Cruz this week, Jeb is hoping to get a boost in South Carolina, where his brother clinched both the 2000 and 2004 primaries.

Former president George W. Bush will join his brother Jeb, right, on the campaign trail at a joint rally in South Carolina on Monday. Jeb came in sixth among the Republican candidates in Iowa, and fourth in New Hampshire

A campaign spokesperson for Jeb said: 'President Bush has been incredibly supportive of his brothers campaign and Gov. Bush is excited to have him out on the trail'

Kristy Campbell, a campaign spokesperson for Jeb said: 'President Bush has been incredibly supportive of his brothers campaign and Gov. Bush is excited to have him out on the trail.

'With the threats facing our nation and our allies, we need a steady hand. Few people understand that better than President Bush who knows that we need a tested, strong leader as our next commander-in-chief.'

Dubya has kept a low profile since he left the Oval Office, making the news in 2013 when it was revealed the controversial former president had taken up painting.

According to the Washington Post, Clay Johnson, George W. Bush's friend, said the former president was bewildered by the rise of both Trump and Bernie Sanders.

Johnson said: 'He, like everybody else in America, is taken aback.'

Despite the polarizing direction of the 2016 elections, the Bush family has maintained a stronghold of support, with George's favorable ratings near 50per cent. Their father has also maintained his popularity among Republican voters.

Although Barbara Bush famously said in 2013 that 'we've had enough Bushes' in the White House, she has since jokingly backtracked on her remarks and joined her son in New Hampshire.

On President's Day, the brothers will join forces at the North Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center, ahead of the February 20 primary.

Jeb came in sixth in the Iowa caucus on February 1.

Jeb is hoping his brother will help gain support in South Carolina, where his brother clinched both the 2000 and 2004 primaries. Their father, George H.W. Bush also won the state in 1988 before he became president

Dubya has kept a low profile since he left the Oval Office, making the news in 2013 when it was revealed the controversial former president had taken up painting
The husband of a woman found dead at her 500,000 home in Kent has been charged with her murder.

Kent Police confirmed they have charged banker Stuart Andrews, 54, over the death of his wife Caroline, 52, a mother-of-four.

Officers launched a murder probe after discovering her body at the property in Benenden last week.

Stuart Andrews, left, is being held by police over the murder of his wife Caroline Andrews, right

Mr Andrews appeared at Maidstone Magistrates' Court on today accused of murdering his wife.

He was remanded in custody and is due to appear at Maidstone Crown Court on Tuesday, February 16.

A post mortem examination showed Mrs Andrews died from strangulation.

A manhunt involving armed officers across the county ended in the arrest of Andrews after he was found in London.

The IT consultant and former adviser to the Bank of England had sustained serious self-inflicted injuries 24 hours after the discovery of the body of his wife.

The couple moved into this four-bedroom rented property in 2009, after selling their home in Eynsford, Kent, for 700,000

Tributes have poured in for Mrs Andrews, who worked part-time at Benenden Primary School.

A statement on the school's website said: 'The tragic death of Caroline Andrews has left the staff at Benenden CE School shocked and saddened. Caroline and her family live in the village and are well known to the school.

'Caroline has been a loved and well respected supply teacher here for a number of years, who has enriched the lives of the many children she has taught.

'At the present time we cannot comment on what has happened but our thoughts and prayers are with her family, and all who knew her and will miss her.'
A would-be school shooter who was caught by police and jailed after voicing his support for the Columbine killers has talked about how his anger against classmates grew while talking with other angry teens and an 'emotionally damaged' child porn fan online.

Depressed and frustrated with life at Penn High School, Indiana, 16-year-old Russell Frantom sought solace online with like-minded teenagers who sympathized with the Columbine shooters, eventually plotting a similar attack to occur on September 11, 2008, he told ABC News in a report published yesterday.

'At the time I connected with these people because they seemed as hopeless and strange as I did. I found acceptance in it because I was a depressed teenager and I didnt have any other outlets to look through, so I found an outlet through negativity,' he said.

Troubled: In 2008, Russell Frantom (pictured, left), then 16, was given advice on explosives and guns for a Columbine-style massacre by Lee Billi (pictured, right), then 33. Billi was later found to possess child pornography

He spent around a week discussing the possibility of an attack on his school with a stranger in Ohio  a 33-year-old from Cleveland named Lee Billi  on the website MySpace, where Frantom had set up a page supporting the Columbine shooters.

They would call the planned massacre a 'party' and the weapons 'party favors', a report by WNDU said.

Billi, who would later be described by his attorney as an 'emotionally damaged human being,' according to a 2009 report on Cleveland.com, told Frantom how to make explosives and said that he should visit gun shows, where he could buy firearms without them needing to be registered.

But before the proposed date of the killings, Frantom posted a comment online lauding the Columbine killings and hoped that something would happen in his school.

It was enough to catch the attention of a school resource officer, and the young boy found himself being called in to speak to his school's principal  and then the police.

Grateful: Frantom, who is now a visual artist, says he is 'grateful' that authorities found out about about his conversations with Billi, and for his time in a juvenile detention center

Police raided Frantom's home and found more than 100 knives, according to a 2008 USA Today report that describes the house as being 'in a rundown neighborhood scattered with vacant houses.'

But what they found in Billi's residence was even more troubling: three partial boxes of ammunition and child pornography, including images of children being raped.

Billi,claimed that he had been molested as a child, and told the court that he 'wanted to see if they suffered like I did.' He was jailed for 10 years after pleading guilty to inciting violence and 38 counts of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor.

Frantom, meanwhile, pleaded guilty to a juvenile count of conspiracy to commit mass murder. He was placed in a juvenile detention facility for around nine months.

Target: Frantom's school, Penn High School in Indiana, was the proposed target of the shooting  although Frantom now says he doesn't think he would have gone through with it

However, Frantom, now a 24-year-old visual artist, says that he's now 'happy' that the authorities were called, and that at the time he felt 'relieved'.

'Im very grateful that the resource officer was able to intervene and stop it,' he told ABC News. 'I think that I set myself up to be caught in the first place I think maybe I finally felt free.'

'I made it out and it could have been so much worse for me,' Frantom said. 'Theres always a way out. Thats the lesson that Ive learned, and thats why I am in a way grateful for the route that Ive gone down.'

Idols: Frantom met Billi through a MySpace page he'd set up to laud the Columbine shooters, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold (pictured)

In an interview with thejournal.ie, Frantom later said, 'I do apologize for scaring people. I cant see myself doing something like that, I think I was just really in the wrong mindset, I was really frustrated and needed someone to talk to. I didnt have anyone.'

Frantom's grandfather had passed away shortly before he began his online discussions.
A 13-year-old girl who died after trying to save her younger brother from dangerous surf will go on to save more lives as her organs have been donated to children across the country.

Holly Nicholson who went into the surf to help her 11-year-old brother at Williamsons Beach near Wonthaggi, Victoria, about 8pm on Thursday lost her life trying to save that of her brother.

Her father, Harry Mastnak, has told the Herald Sun his daughter would have wanted to help others in her death.

'If anything comes from this tragedy and she can give life back somehow then her life wasn't taken in vain,' he said.

'She had that nature in her to help other kids around her, so I think that's what she would have wanted.'

Holly Nicholson, 13, died after helping to save her younger brother from drowning in rough surf

The teen has been remembered as 'kind and loving' youth who always found a way to make others feel good

Mr Mastnak went into the water to look for his children after calling the emergency services, he said he found his son's head bobbing just above the surface and moments later his daughter 'floating at his feat'.

She could not be revived, he wants to warn other parents and has said 'the beach is a very dangerous place and we dont get a second chance'.

The grieving father has admitted his daughter was living on 'borrowed time' after almost drowning when she was two-years-old.

The 13-year-old girl has been called a 'kind, loving' student by the principal at her school.

She was pulled from the water unconscious and despite paramedics spending more than an hour attempting to revive her, she died,The Age reported.

Holly's school, Wonthaggi Secondary, was in mourning for her on Friday, the day after she died

Williamsons Beach near Wonthaggi, Victoria, where the 13-year-old girl drowned after helping save her younger brother's life

Wonthaggi Secondary School principal Garry Dennis said the school was mourning Holly's death on Friday, the Herald Sun reported.

'She was kind and loving and always found a way to make anyone feel good,' he said.

'We're all feeling the loss today and our thoughts are with her family.'

He said the youth was close with teachers and students alike, and counselling would be available for those who needed it.

'Whilst the boy was saved and received only minor injuries requiring hospitalisation, the young girl also got into trouble and consequently died despite efforts by her family, police and ambulance officers trying to save her,' a Victoria Police spokeswoman told the ABC.

The 13-year-old girl died while trying to save her younger brother at a remote beach in Victoria's south Gippsland (shown on map)

Holly Nicholson died helping to save her younger brother at a remote beach

They had been on a family outing to the beach, which is not patrolled by life savers, when tragedy struck.

Life Saving Victoria general manager Paul Shannon said her death was a reminder of the dangers of the ocean - and swimming at an unpatrolled beach.

He told The Age the beach was 'extremely hazardous'.

'Our hearts just go out to this family - what a tragedy this is,' he said.

'We need people to respect the ocean. If you are going to attend a non-patrolled beach area you need to have a safety plan in place that's going to make your day at the beach a bit more safe.'

The number of people to die in Victoria's oceans this summer is up six on last summer's deaths so far.

Mr Shannon said even one drowning death was too many.

The young woman's heart valve and tissue are to be donated to sick children across Australia.

A report is being prepared for the coroner.
Nabeel Kaukab, 40, of New York, is furious after Nike's customized shoe service, NikeiD, refused to put the word 'Muslim' on a pair of Air Jordans

A man is outraged after Nike refused to customize a pair of Air Jordans with the word 'Muslim' or 'Islam'.

Nabeel Kaukab, 40, of New York, penned an angry letter to the company on Facebook saying the word 'Muslim' doesn't meet any of the guidelines for banned words for NikeiD.

Nike's guidelines exclude 'profanity', 'inappropriate slang', 'insulting or discriminatory content', 'content construed to incite violence', 'material that Nike wishes not to place on products' and anything that 'violates another party's trademark or intellectual property rights' from being written on its shoes.

Mr Kaukab wrote on his Facebook page: 'As far as I (or any rational person) can assume, neither word is profanity, slang (appropriate or inappropriate), insulting or discriminatory (more than a billion people globally find identity in being called Muslims).

'Considering there is no trademark or IP around just the word Islam or Muslim, by process of elimination that leaves your customers to assume only the following:

'Either you believe the word Islam or Muslim incites violence or they are words that Nike doesn't want to place on its products?'

Huffington Post speculates the reason Nike might not put the word 'Muslim' on its shoes is because of an incident involving a stylized version of the word 'air' on one of their shoes that accidentally resembled the word 'Allah' in Arabic.

Nike was forced to withdraw 38,000 pairs of shoes worldwide, issue an apology and ended up paying for a playground at an Islamic elementary school in the U.S.

Other words not allowed on NikeiD include 'Allah,' 'Koran,' 'Jihad' and 'ISIS'. 'Daesh,' an offensive term for the terrorist group, is permitted, as is 'Quran'.

Pictured: A pair of Nike shoes with the word 'air' written in a stylized font in English caused massive backlash when it was revealed they appeared to resemble the word 'Allah' in Arabic

In the letter Mr Kaukab notes the company allows other religious terms like 'Jewish' or 'Hindu', so the exclusion can not be religion-based.

It also allows the names of violent groups on its shoes, Mr Kaukab writes in his letter.

'Unbelievably, even organizations/individuals associated with violence, like the Ku Klux Klan (you can safely go with Ku Klux or K K K), Daesh, Al Qaeda, Osama, PLO, IRA, Blood (think of the gang), Pol Pot or Dahmer, and groups with negative connotations like Commie or Facist are just fine when customizing your shoes,' he said.

He also noted that the word 'Trump' was allowed, and said that was likely a violation of the Donald's intellectual property.

The sporting goods giant has yet to comment on why the word 'Muslim' is not being allowed on its shoes

Mr Kaukab said he's not a religious activist and wants to engage Nike in a conversation about the issue

Mr Kaukab said he's not a religious activist and just wanted to bring attention to the discrepancy. I'm a believer in engagement.

'I don't think this is an issue about Nike "hating Muslims" or being discriminatory in its practices (at least I assume so).

'I think this is an issue of how many corporations (and frankly organizations in general) just don't get Muslims, both in the United States and abroad,' Mr Kaukab told the Huffington Post.

A Nike spokesman said: 'Our intention was to be culturally sensitive to placing religious Muslim references on footwear via our NikeiD customization program.
A crowd of workers from a manufacturing company erupted in anger after they learned their facilities were being moved from Indianapolis to Monterrey, Mexico.

Carrier Heating and Air, owned by United Technologies, revealed to employees on Wednesday that the company will undergo a three-year transition to move its facilities to Mexico, beginning in 2017.

A man identified as company president Chris Nelson by CNN delivered the news to the 1,400 workers, who reacted with boos, obscenities and outrage.

One person yells out 'F*** you!' while another man is seen walking out of the mass meeting.

A crowd of workers erupeted in anger as Carrier Heating and Air revealed on Wednesday that it will undergo a three-year transition to move its 1,400-employee facilities to Mexico

One person yelled out 'F*** you!' as company president Chris Nelson spoke, while another man is seen walking out of the mass meeting (pictured above)

A video of the incident was uploaded to Facebook, where it has been viewed more than 890,000 times.

Nelson continues to try to quiet the crowd down, and stresses that he's 'got information that's important to share as part of the transition'.

The company employs approximately 1,400 workers, according to RTV6, and there will be no immediate impact on jobs.

'I want to be clear  this is strictly a business decision,' Nelson said at the meeting, only to be met with another round of shouts from the crowd.

'This was an extremely difficult decision. It was made most difficult because I understand that it will have an impact on all of you, your families, and the community,' he says in the video.

The jobs will go over two years starting in 2017 when the plants operations move to Monterrey, Mexico.

That plan is under consultation with United Steelworkers Local 1999, the union which represents the employees who face losing their jobs.

One employee told WISH TV that workers were told on Wednesday to shut down their machinery and attend a mass meeting.

'You taking away from this community by taking this job, this plant away,' Dominique Anthony, a Carrier employee who said he has worked at the company for 13 years, told WISH TV. 'The president came today and said we were not making enough sales so they're moving it to Mexico.'

'I have almost 16 family members that work there are Carrier. They have to go and tell our family that we have lost our jobs to feed our family,' he added.

The company, owned by United Technologies, will begin its transition to Mexico in 2017, and hopes to be completely moved by the end of 2019

Carrier is one of two United Technologies facilities to announce on Wednesday that it would be moving to Mexico.

Another facility, run by subsidiary United Technology Electronic Controls in Huntington, Indiana, will also be moving to Mexico, eliminating approximately 700 jobs in the area, according to the Indianapolis Star.

Nelson released a statement following the meeting in which he said the company hopes the move will help 'meet customer needs'.

The statement said: 'This move is intended to address the challenges we continue to face in a rapidly changing HVAC industry, with the continued migration of the HVAC industry to Mexico, including our suppliers and competitors, and ongoing cost and pricing pressures driven, in part, by new regulatory requirements.

'Relocating our operations to a region where we have existing infrastructure and a strong supplier base will allow us to operate more cost effectively so that we can continue to produce high-quality HVAC products that are competitively positioned while continuing to meet customer needs.'

The move is expected to be complete by 2019.

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said shortly after the announcement that he would issue an executive order to help employees who would be affected by the move.
US secretary of state John Kerry has voiced support for Britain staying in the EU, saying the continent needs to be 'united'.

Mr Kerry said it was 'profoundly' in America's interests that the UK voted to remain in the union in the looming referendum.

The comments come as David Cameron's renegotiation drive approaches its moment of truth at a Brussels summit next week.

US secretary of state John Kerry has voiced support for Britain staying in the EU, saying the continent needs to be 'united'

In his last big speech before the gathering of leaders, the Prime Minister told an audience in Hamburg last night that Europe had to 'stand together' against threats such as ISIS and Russian aggression.

He also appealed for Germany's help in finalising his package of reforms, stressing the countries' shared interests and values.

Speaking at a security conference in Munich, Mr Kerry said the EU was facing a number of challenges including Brexit.

'Here again however, I want to express the confidence of President Obama and all of us in America that, just as it has so many times before, Europe is going to emerge stronger than ever, provided it stays united and builds common responses to these challenges,' he said.

Mr Kerry also appealed for Germany's help in finalising his package of reforms, stressing the countries' shared interests and values

The US Secretary of State said it was 'profoundly' in America's interests that the UK voted to remain in the union in the looming referendum

'Now obviously, the United States has a profound interest in your success as we do in a very strong United Kingdom staying in a strong EU.'

There are reports that Mr Obama, who has previously voiced support for British membership of the EU, is preparing to make a 'big, public reach-out' to voters once the referendum campaign begins.

Senate foreign relations committee chairman Bob Corker discussed the tactic openly with witnesses during an evidence session, saying he 'knew' that was Mr Obama's intention.

Leave.EU spokesman Jack Montgomery said: 'It might be convenient for John Kerry, who has repeatedly declined to support the UK in the Falklands, for us to be in the EU, but that doesn't mean it's good for us.
plane changed course to accompany him back to base, keeping the F-16 topped up all along the way

A US air force pilot was saved from ejecting into dangerous ISIS-held territory thanks to the quick-thinking crew of a nearby refueling plane, saving him from potential capture or death, the US Air Force has revealed.

The unnamed pilot, whose F-16 fighter jet was passing over ISIS-held territory, had attempted to refuel with a KC-135 Stratotanker plane when he discovered that his craft had suffered a malfunction that rendered more than 80 percent of its fuel capability useless.

Captain Nathanial Beer, 384th Air Refueling Squadron pilot, explained: 'The lead F-16 came up first and then had a pressure disconnect after about 500 pounds of fuel. We were expecting to offload about 2,500 pounds.' That left the plane with around 15 minutes of flight time. And that meant the pilot might need to eject into ISIS-controlled territory, risking capture  or death.

Scroll down for video

Help from above: The stricken F-16 was trying to refuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker, in a similar way to the scene above. However, a malfunction meant it could only take on 15 minutes of fuel at a time

The heroes' heroes: The Stratotanker crew (pictured) diverted from their original mission to accompany the F-16 back to base, keeping it topped up with fuel whenever it dropped too low

Thankfully, the Stratotanker crew recognized the danger and decided to leave the area, where they were supporting a group of A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-support planes, to accompany the F-16 back to safety.

They escorted the stricken plane home, refueling it every 15 minutes as its supplies dwindled, saving the pilot from a difficult situation.

Once the F-16 was safely on the ground, the Stratotanker returned to its planned operation and was able to complete all of its scheduled missions.

The Air Force has declined to say which territories the planes were flying over.

Savior: Captain Nathanial Beer (pictured, in black jacket) was one of the men in the Stratotanker plane whose quick-thinking saved the F-16 pilot from potential capture or death

'The first thought I had from reading the note from the deployed location was extreme pride for the crew in how they handled the emergency,' said Lt. Col. Eric Hallberg, 384th Air Refueling Squadron commander.

'Knowing the risks to their own safety, they put the life of the F-16 pilot first and made what couldve been an international tragedy, a feel-good news story. Im sure they think it was not a big deal, however, thats because they never want the glory or fame.'
Report comes days before a vote in California to decide whether condoms should be mandatory on set

CDC said: 'Testing alone is not sufficient to prevent HIV transmission'

After an adult film actor in California unknowingly infected two men with HIV because the virus went undetected by lab tests, a new report by the Center for Disease Control calls for greater preventative measures.

The 25-year-old male was diagnosed with HIV just 22 days after he first tested negative. During this time, he had unprotected sex with a total of 12 male performers, and five other men outside of work.

The CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published on Friday, stated: 'Adult film performers and production companies...should be aware that testing alone is not sufficient to prevent HIV transmission.'

The report comes just before a California state board will hold a vote on February 18 to decide whether condoms should be required on set.

A porn actor in California infected two men with HIV after his test results showed up negative. During the 22 days between his first negative test and his eventual diagnosis, he had sex with 12 men on set and 5 others outside of work (file photo)

The 25-year-old was infected with HIV by a partner outside of work in 2014. Because it can take up to 10 days before the virus can be detected, his tests came back negative.

Ten days later, he had a rash, fever and sore throat. The symptoms lasted six days, and it took another six days before lab tests came back positive.

During this time, he transmitted the virus to two of his 17 partners.

California, home to the multibillion-dollar porn industry, has long been embroiled in a controversial debate over safe sex practices on set.

In addition to the February 18 vote, the California Safer Sex in the Adult Film Industry Act will appear on ballots in November.

The law would force producers to cover the cost of testing, vaccinations and monitoring. It would also allow any resident in the state to sue if the regulations are not being enforced.

Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, said the law would have a positive trickle-down effect.

He said: 'Porn is the primary means of sex education that young people get, and it's had a very negative impact on the promotion of safer sex.'

Because it can take up to 10 days before the virus can be detected the CDC warned: 'Adult film performers and production companies...should be aware that testing alone is not sufficient to prevent HIV transmission='

The porn industry disagrees, arguing that its own regulatory system of testing actors every 14 days is sufficient.

Actors are supposed to turn up on set with their results, and co-stars can refuse to work with an individual if they failed to get tested, or if the results came back positive for STIs.

Many actors have spoken up against the mandatory use of condom. They say because filming can last for hours on end, this form of protection can cause uncomfortable chafing or friction burns for both men and women.

In 2004, when two porn stars contracted HIV, most of the major production companies agreed to shut down for 60 days to prevent the virus from spreading.

Eric Paul Leue, the executive director of the Free Speech Coalition which represents pornography producers, said that biweekly HIV tests have successfully prevented outbreaks in more than a decade.

Instead of condoms, he supports the widespread use of a prophylactic drug called Truvada that can lower the risks for HIV-negative porn actors.

The CDC report notes that these drugs have to be taken daily, making regulations even more difficult.
Pope Francis kicked off his first day in Mexico with a long popemobile ride past adoring crowds in Mexico City. But while his greetings for the assembled faithful were warm, his words for Mexico's political elite and bishops were somewhat sterner, with criticisms of corruption and ignoring the needy.

In a speech to Mexican officials and foreign ambassadors at the National Palace, the pontiff addressed his concerns about the violence and corruption that is endemic in the country  and made it quite clear who he thought was to blame.

'Experience teaches us that each time we seek the path of privileges or benefits for a few to the detriment of the good of all, sooner or later the life of society becomes a fertile soil for corruption, drug trade, exclusion of different cultures, violence and also human trafficking, kidnapping and death, bringing suffering and slowing down development,' he said, according to The LA Times.

On tour: Pope Francis's first day in Mexico after landing last night began with a tour, greeting the faithful thousands who lined up in the streets to see him

Speeches: Both The Pope and President Nieto (pictured, right) gave speeches to the country's political elite  but the pontiff was scathing about what he saw as corruption and a lack of interest in the well-being of the poor

Joy and sorrow: The Pope cheerfully waves to the crowd on his way to the National Cathedral after meeting the president, but the speech he gave there was less happy, as he scolded bishops for their conduct

He added: 'This is not just a question of laws which need to be updated and improved  something always necessary  but rather a need for urgent formation of the personal responsibility of each individual, with full respect for others as men and women jointly responsible in promoting the advancement of the nation.

'It is a task which involves all Mexicans in different spheres, public or private, collective or individual.'

The speech, a fixture of every papal trip, is usually the pope's most political message, and Francis did not disappoint.

But Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto did not address the remarks in his own speech, instead talking about issues that face the entire world rather than specific issues affecting Mexico.

The Pope's remarks come at a time when Mexico is questioning the level of violence seen on its streets. Earlier this month, the country was rocked by images of a seven-month-old baby that was slain in gang violence.

Thoughtful: Pope Francis appears thoughtful as he sits at the head of the National Cathedral

Audience: Bishops and priests gathered to hear the Pope speak; some even took photographs for posterity

The pontiff then moved on to the Metropolitan Cathedral at Zocalo Square, where he gave a speech to bishops and other members of the clergy.

This, too, was strongly critical, with Francis saying, 'I am particularly concerned about those many persons who, seduced by the empty power of the world, praise illusions and embrace their macabre symbols to commercialize death in exchange for money which, in the end, moth and rust consume and thieves break in and steal.

I urge you not to underestimate the moral and antisocial challenge which the drug trade represents for Mexican society as a whole, as well as for the church.'

He added that the church should not 'hide behind aondyne denunciations,' but actively seek to improve conditions with a 'prophetic courage' and 'qualified pastoral plan'.

Scolding: The Pope's speech to clergy was stern, telling them to be less enamored of politics and power, and to instead turn their interest towards helping the poor

Waiting: Countless numbers of followers waited outside the National Cathedral to catch a glimpse of the pontiff

He also addressed growing tensions within the Catholic church in Mexico, which in recent times has seen Mexican clergy arguing about whether they should criticize the Mexican government.

'Be vigilant so that your vision will not be darkened by the gloomy mist of worldliness;' he told the amassed clergyman. 'Do not allow yourselves to be corrupted by trivial materialism or by the seductive illusion of underhanded agreements.'

He continued, drawing on Biblical allusions of Moses leading his people away from the Egyptian pharaoh with a pillar of flame and through the parted Red Sea: 'Do not place your faith in the "chariots and horses" of todays Pharaohs, for our strength is in "the pillar of fire" which divides the sea in two, without much fanfare.'

And emphasizing the importance of showing the Mexican faithful the respectful church they seek, he advised: 'Do not lose time or energy in secondary things, in gossip or intrigue, in conceited schemes of careerism, in empty plans for superiority, in unproductive groups that seek benefits or common interests.

'Do not allow yourselves to be dragged into gossip and slander. Introduce your priests into a right understanding of sacred ministry.'

Motorcade: After his speech to the bishops, The Pope left, waving to thousands more delighted people

Crowd pleaser: Even when he swapped his popemobile for a more petite Fiat, Pope Francis continued to delight the tens of thousands there to see him

Despite this, Francis's day had started on a brighter note with the cheers of amassed crowds as his popemobile pulled out of the residence where he was staying that morning. The

He abruptly stopped to greet elderly, sick and disabled people who had gathered outside. He handed out rosaries to the faithful in wheelchairs and embraced a young boy wearing a surgical mask.

Tens of thousands more, bundled against the morning chill, lined his 14-kilometer (8.7-mile) motorcade route to the city's colonial heart as history's first Latin-American pope  he was born in Argentina  basked in the welcome from the largest Spanish-speaking Catholic country in the world.

Along the route to his residence, people chanted in rhyming Spanish: "You see him, you feel him, the pope is present!" and "Francis, friend, the whole world loves you!"

Enthusiasm: Mexico is the largest Spanish-speaking Catholic country in the world, and Francis the first Latin-American Pope, having been born in Argentina. The enthusiasm for his visit was obvious

Meeting: The Pope's morning ride was followed by a meeting with Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto, with whom he had private talks, then speeches for politicians and clergy

President Enrique Pena Nieto, suffering the lowest approval ratings of a Mexican leader in a quarter century, and his wife, met Francis outside the presidential palace. After a brief welcome ceremony, the two men went into private talks.

Tania Vasquez came with her six-year-old son, Carlos, and other relatives. She held a pennant with the colors of the Mexican flag and images of Francis, a dove and the Virgin of Guadalupe.

"He's coming to talk tough to us," Vasquez said. "In Mexico there are a lot of economic and security problems, there is a lot of egoism, and he comes with a message of peace and hope that we need."

At one point the motorcade paused when a man ran toward the popemobile, but he was detained by security officers before reaching it and the convoy moved on.

As the pope passed her, Mariana Dieguez was moved to tears and had difficulty speaking.

"I feel like my heart could jump from my chest. He comes to give us peace because we are living a difficult moment," she said, alluding to a month-old grandson who was born ill.

Speech: The Pope's morning showing was part of a full day's itinerary that included a speech addressed to the country's elite and one to its bishops, both of which sternly warned against the corrupting effects of power

Greeting: The Pope landed last night, and was greeted by President Nieto (pictured, center) and his wife (pictured, left). He was also greeted by a group of Mexican children in traditional dress

As well as his speech to Mexico's politicians, the pope also will speak to Mexico's bishops at the Cathedral of the Assumption. He is expected to urge them to be close to their people and accompany them through their hardships, amid criticism even from within the Mexican clergy that many in the church here are often highly deferential to the wealthy and powerful.

Francis will wrap up his day with a Mass at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe and a silent prayer before the dark-skinned Madonna  a prayer that Francis has said is his "most intimate desire".

According to tradition, the 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.

Happiness: The Pope looks happy here, with President Nieto and his wife, but today's schedule will tackle more serious matters, including speaking to politicians and clergy about the problems facing Mexico

The Mexico trip follows a brief but historic meeting in Havana on Friday, when Francis embraced Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill and with an exclamation of "finally," took a momentous step toward closing a nearly 1,000-year schism in Christianity.

The two religious leaders signed a 30-point joint declaration of religious unity that committed their churches to overcoming their differences. Francis tweeted that the meeting was a "gift from God."

Francis and Kirill also called for political leaders to act on the single most important issue of shared concern between the Catholic and Orthodox churches today: the plight of Christians in Iraq and Syria who are being killed and driven from their homes by the Islamic State group.
Bank details stolen from 100,000 Britons including lawyers, doctors and bankers are being sold on the internet for as little as 1.67.

In what is being described as the most brazen crime of its kind, credit and debit card information stolen from more than one million people worldwide is being offered on an illegal website and not the dark web, where similar offers are usually found.

Bestvalid.cc appears to have been operating since June 2015 without any action taken against it by authorities around the globe.

MP Keith Vaz, pictured, said the availability of British people's card details online was 'deeply disturbing'

Bestvalid.cc, pictured, appears to be selling private information of around 100,000 Britons on the internet

Internet fraud is believed to cost the British economy as much as 27billion each year and has prompted fears the stolen cash could be used to fund terrorism and crime.

Keith Vaz, Home Affairs Select Committee chairman, told The Times the sites ability to sell this information unchecked was deeply disturbing.

He said: The National Crime Agency must act immediately to get this site closed. I will be writing to the NCA to bring this issue to their attention.

The website sells card details in special packages alongside other sensitive information including common answers to security questions such as a mothers maiden name.

Information security expert Daniel Cuthbert told The Times Bestvalid was the biggest site of its kind.

He said: Most illegal card emporiums are on the dark web, or they require a customer to be vetted or pay a fee to enter. Whats interesting about Bestvalid is that theyve decided to operate on the open web . . . Its completely brazen.

A National Crime Agency spokesman said it was working hard to find and stop such websites selling stolen card details, but would not comment on individual sites.

The spokesman said: The NCA, alongside UK and international law enforcement partners and the private sector, are working to identify and, as appropriate, disrupt websites selling compromised card data.

Online fraud is on the rise in Britain with the National Crime Agency pledging to 'strengthen its response' (file picture)

We will work closely with partners of the newly established Home Office Joint Fraud Task Force to strengthen the response.

This may include the provision of information to the appropriate authorities of countries hosting the server.

As part of a prevention approach, alerts to financial institutions providing the details of compromised cards will be considered.

As previously reported, fraud and cyber crime is committed in the UK every four seconds according to the Office of National Statistics.

Police Minister Mike Penning said even his own bank account was targeted by criminals last year.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has warned that the mass influx of refugees and other migrants into Europe spells a 'near existential threat' to the continent.

'We are facing the gravest humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II,' he said at the Munich Security Conference, which has been dominated by the Syrian conflict which is driving the mass flight.

'The United States understands the near existential nature of this threat to the politics and fabric of life in Europe,' he told the meeting.

The mass influx of refugees and other migrants into Europe spells a 'near existential threat' to the continent, according to US Secretary of State John Kerry

Sweden and Austria have also taken in large numbers, but many EU members, especially in the east, have been deeply reluctant to open their doors

Europe has been deeply split by how to handle the mass influx of people fleeing war-torn Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries.

Germany took in 1.1 million refugees last year, while Italy and Greece have been overwhelmed as the main arrival points from the Middle East and Africa.

Sweden and Austria have also taken in large numbers, but many EU members, especially in the east, have been deeply reluctant to open their doors.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Saturday that the view in Paris is 'not favourable' to Berlin's call for a permanent quota system to distribute more refugees across the EU, adding that France had already agreed to take in 30,000 refugees.

Europe has been deeply split by how to handle the mass influx of people fleeing war-torn Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Saturday that the view in Paris is 'not favourable' to Berlin's call for a permanent quota system to distribute more refugees across the EU

Kerry said about the refugee influx: 'We are not saying, 'This is your problem, not ours'. This is our problem.'

'And that is why we are joining now and enforcing a NATO mission to close off a key access route,' he said of an alliance naval surveillance mission off Turkey and Greece.

'And we will join you in other ways to stem this tide because of the potential of its damage to the fabric of a united Europe,' said Kerry.

He praised German Chancellor Angela Merkel for showing 'great courage in helping so many who need so much' and European communities who are taking in those fleeing the violence and 'rejecting intolerance and racism' within their societies.

Refugees walk towards the border with Serbia from the transit center for refugees near northern Macedonian village of Tabanovce
A 14-year-old girl has admitted kill her mother, branding herself a 'monster' as she was jailed for 35 years.

Schoolgirl Jamie Silvonek pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of Cheryl Silvonek, 54, and agreed to testify at the trial of her boyfriend, army specialist Caleb Barnes, who is also accused of killing his girlfriend's mother.

Miss Silvonek also admitted criminal conspiracy, evidence-tampering and abuse of a corpse following the slaying of her mother in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in March last year, the Morning Call reported.

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Schoolgirl Jamie Silvonek (pictured in court last year), 14, admitted killing her mother, Cheryl Silvonek

'I'm a monster': Cheryl Silvonekk (left) pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of Cheryl Silvonek (right), 54, and agreed to testify at the trial of her boyfriend army specialist Caleb Barnes

'I was a monster. There is no sugarcoating it and there is absolutely no sympathy,' the girl told the court.

Miss Silvonek said the couple discussed killing her mother for a week and Barnes talked about weapons he planned to use.

'He had proposed that we kill her and we had discussed things such as luring her away, me luring her away,' Miss Silvonek said.

'And he made a comment such as, "I already have my knives picked out".'

The teenager, who was charged as an adult, was accused of conspiring with Barnes to kill her mother in the driveway of her home.

Prosecutors allege that Barnes, 21, stabbed Ms Silvonek before going to a restaurant with her daughter and then buying gloves and bleach.

Prosecutors allege that Barnes (pictured last year) stabbed Ms Silvonek before going to a restaurant with her daughter and then buying gloves and bleach

Miss Silvonek defended Barnes (pictured), 21, saying he had not made her take part in the murder

'I spent months lying about, about what I did. I can't go on with the rest of my life doing that,' Miss Silvonek said.

'My mother was the glue that held everyone in my family together, including me. And I can't look at myself in the mirror knowing that.'

She defended Barnes, saying he had not made her take part in the murder.

'I wasn't under the influence of anyone, or under any drug, or under anything, but my own selfishness,' she told the court.

'There is nothing, there is no punishment on Earth that can, that can ever compare to how I feel about myself,' she added.

Miss Silvonek was jailed for 35 years as part of deal to plead guilty.

Police found Cheryl Silvonek's body in a shallow grave a few miles from their home, and the victim's blood-soaked car was found nearby.

The Lehigh County court hearing went ahead in private and reporters were not told it was going on, but the judge released a transcript of proceedings after the Morning Call newspaper filed an appeal.
Five people have been killed in a head-on collision in Dayton, Ohio, four of whom were in their late teens or early twenties, police confirmed today. They also confirmed that the at-fault driver had been released after a DUI arrest just 33 hours before the crash.

He is said to be a 61-year-old man who had been arrested two days previously after he 'lost control and collided' with a parked car, WHIO reported. He declined to take a breath test and was booked on an OVI, Ohio's equivalent of a DUI, but released soon after.

The fatal crash occurred some time around 3am this morning when that 61-year-old drove a white sedan the wrong way up the I-75 North, striking an SUV containing the youths.

Tragedy: Four young people were killed when their SUV was hit head-on by a sedan at 3am on the I-75 North today. The sedan driver, who was heading in the wrong direction, had been arrested for DUI two days prior

Police were alerted to the sedan owner's reckless driving by another motorist at 3:02am, WHIO said, but the crash occurred soon after, leaving the SUV on its roof.

In the call, a shaken-sounding man can be heard telling a 911 operator: 'There is a white, four-door sedan driving the wrong way... it was coming right at me, I just pulled over to the side to get out of the way.'

He could not read the license plate at the time.

Police are unsure of the relationship between the occupants of the SUV, and none of the victims could be named until relatives had been informed, he said. It was confirmed that the SUV passengers were three males and one female.
A selfless partner who saved the life of his bride-to-be by giving her half of his liver is looking forward to an extra-special Valentine's Day with his fiance following her miracle recovery.

Paul Jones, 29, went under the knife in October last year after watching his partner of seven years Claire Beams, 24, gradually deteriorate from biliary atresia - a rare life-threatening disease which causes severe inflammation of the bile ducts.

She was born with the condition and in her late teens she began throwing up constantly and experienced terrible pain on a daily basis.

Paul Jones, 29, (pictured) went under the knife in October last year after watching his partner of seven years Claire Beams, 24, (also pictured) gradually deteriorate from biliary atresia

Biliary atresia is a rare life-threatening disease which affected Claire, pictured right, as her partner Paul is seen on the left after the operation

For when the healthcare assistant, Claire, was told she needed an urgent transplant her sweetheart, Paul, didn't hesitate in putting himself forward as a donor

All smiles: A doctor told Claire last year that her liver would fail if she didn't get a healthy transplant so Paul underwent a scan to see if he would be a suitable donor

Chunks of her hair started to fall out and she was so weak she was forced to use a wheelchair.

When a doctor told her last year that her liver would fail if she didn't get a healthy transplant, big-hearted Paul underwent a scan to see if he would be a suitable donor.

It turned it he was a perfect match and following her surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, Claire is full of life again.

Last year they spent Valentine's Day in hospital but on Sunday evening Paul is treating her to a night out at a concert at the O2 Institute in Birmingham.

On Saturday, healthcare assistant Clare, who lives with Paul in the West Midlands, said: 'I was relatively well in childhood but shortly after I met Paul I started to go downhill.

'I would get infections all the time and it would take months for me to get better.

'And couple of years ago I stopped getting better from the infections.

'My liver had deteriorated to the point where it wouldn't have worked for much longer. I had cirrhosis (liver scarring) and daily life was horrible.

'I would wake up and start throwing up constantly. My whole body would itch and I couldn't bear water on my body.

'I had no energy to do anything and I would sleep the days away. I couldn't walk anywhere, so I had to use a wheelchair.

Paul Jones underwent tests to see if his liver would be a perfect match for his partner of seven years, Claire

A happy future: Clare and Paul on holiday in Thailand in 2014 - the couple met on a train five years earlier

'But since the transplant I have never felt this well. I've got so much energy and I'm not in pain any more.

'I spent last Valentine's Day in hospital and there weren't things to look forward to, but that's all changed.

'I was overwhelmed when Paul offered to be a donor, but I was very scared.

'I didn't want him to go through any pain, or his family to go through any heartache, so I felt a bit guilty. But I'm very grateful for what he did.

'I'm also very grateful to the Children's Liver Disease Foundation (CLDF). Their support was a massive help.'

I was overwhelmed when Paul offered to be a donor, but I was very scared. I didn't want him to go through any pain, or his family to go through any heartache, so I felt a bit guilty. But I'm very grateful for what he did Claire Beams

Livers are regenerative organs are and both Paul and Clare's livers will restore to normal size and function.

Pensions administrator Paul, who met Clare on a train in 2009, said: 'It was incredibly painful to see this happening to Clare. I wanted to help but felt I couldn't do anything.

'Then, when the opportunity to help came along I took it with both hands.

'I wanted to give Clare the quality of life she deserved. It was difficult seeing her being admitted to hospital every two to three months due to recurring infections.

'I always said if I could take the pain away I would, I just never imagined I would ever have the opportunity to do so.

'I was nervous, scared and worried about the complications involved with the operations.

'But I'm glad I made the right decision as I can now see Clare enjoying life and doing everyday things that most of us take for granted.

The couple are due to be married at St Peter's Church in Sutton Coldfield in December.
It is still unclear whether the late Maurice White will be included in this year's Grammy Awards live tributes, as producers scramble under time constraints and pressures to diversify the show.

The musician, songwriter, producer and founder of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, died last week on at the age of 74 after suffering from Parkinson's Disease for decades.

Page Six reported: 'Industry insiders are griping that White and Natalie Cole have been banished to a video tribute package with others who died in the past year.'

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Maurice White, who died on February 4, and Natalie Cole, the singer-songwriter and daughter of Nat King Cole who died on December 31, will be relegated to the video tribute package

White was the founder of Earth, Wind & Fire (pictured). The band which will receive a lifetime achievement award, but the ceremony is held a separate event that isn't televised

The Grammys, set to air on Monday night, will see an all-white tribute section to remember David Bowie, Glenn Frey of the Eagles, and Lemmy from Motorhead.

An insider told Page Six: 'The tributes theyve confirmed are all white. As of yesterday, there was no tribute at all for Maurice because Grammy producers said they didnt have time.

'People are afraid to speak on it because its the Grammys. But theres a history of them not acknowledging black artists.'

Another source told the website that the producers are under pressure and still unsure how to acknowledge White's death, given the artist's monumental role in popular music.

Lady Gaga will perform an eight-minute tribute to the late David Bowie on Monday's Grammy Awards. The 69-year-old singer died on January 10, two days after he released the album Blackstar

Jackson Browne will pay tribute to Glenn Frey of the Eagles, and Johnny Depp and Alice Cooper will perform in a tribute to Lemmy from Motorhead

Rapper Kendrick Lamar leads the Grammy nominations with 11 nods for his album To Pimp A Butterfly, the second highest after Michael Jackson's Thriller, which received 12 nominations in 1984.

This comes after the Grammys were criticized last year for its all-white nominations in the Best New Artist and Record of the Year categories.

In the article Confessions of a Grammy Voter, Billboard magazine quoted a source who said: 'The voting bloc is still too white, too old and too male.

'I do see a significant difference from [what it was] three or four years ago -- the voters are becoming more diverse in terms of minorities, females and younger ages -- but there's still a long way to go.'

This year's Oscars have also come under fire for its lack of diversity, sparking a race row after scores of Hollywood names jumped in to comment when Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith decided to boycott the ceremony.
She had spent the morning discussing the world's migration crisis with the one of the most powerful women in the world.

But Amal Clooney made sure she heard all sides of the story as she later sat down for coffee with Syrian refugees Mona and her daughter, 11-year-old Joudi.

The human rights lawyer, who was joined by her husband George Clooney and International Rescue Committee president David Miliband, looked sombre as she listened to the mother, who explained why she left the war-torn country.

Listening: Amal Clooney made sure she heard all sides of the story while discussing the refugee crisis with the German Chancellor as she also sat down for coffee with Syrian refugees Mona and her daughter, 11-year-old Joudi

Revealing: The mother discussed what her life was like in Syria, the reasons she felt she needed to uproot her family and about her future in Germany

Earlier: German Chancellor Angela Merkel hosts the British human rights barrister and her Hollywood actor George Clooney for talks at the Chancellery in Berlin on the migration crisis engulfing Europe

The couple discussed 'refugee policies' and their involvement in the group International Rescue Committee

The Clooneys, who were in the capital to attend the Berlinale film festival, had used their privileged access to discuss 'refugee policies'.

The mother, who was one of three Syrian families the couple met, also told them the reasons she felt she needed to uproot her family and move to Germany.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Clooney said: 'It was an honour to meet three Syrian families whose lives have been shattered by war and inspiring to learn that the people of Germany are helping them put their lives back together.'

Before her marriage to Mr Clooney in September 2014, Lebanese-born barrister Mrs Clooney had forged a highly successful career in her own right, specialising in human rights and international law.

Among her previous roles she served as an adviser to Kofi Annan in his role as a UN special adviser for Syria and also represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in his extradition proceedings.

But in recent months, Mrs Clooney has found herself taking her expertise right to the doorsteps of world leaders.

Her meeting with Merkel comes just three weeks after she was hosted by David Cameron at 10 Downing Street, where the British Prime Minister listened intently for an hour as she urged him to help her free the jailed former president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed.

The pair were accompanied at the 40-minute meeting by David Miliband (left), the former British foreign secretary who heads the International Rescue Committee with which the couple are involved

Mr and Mrs Clooney were in the German capital to attend the Berlinale film festival, which this year also puts Europe's refugee influx in the spotlight

The Hollywood star said he would also meet a group of asylum seekers 'to talk about and ask what messages and what things we can do... to help'

It was also a case that saw her square up to Cherie Blair, the barrister wife of Tony Blair, who has been hired to represent the Maldivian government.

Mrs Clooney also met with U.S. Senator John McCain and other lawmakers last month in an attempt to lobby Congress to level sanctions against the Maldives unless they release political prisoners.

Mr Nasheed, 48, was the first democratically-elected president of the Maldives, but he was deposed in a coup in 2012 and was sentenced to 13 years in jail last March after he was convicted under anti-terrorism laws of ordering the arrest of an allegedly corrupt judge.

The UN ruled in October that his incarceration was unjust and there is growing international pressure for him to be permanently released and pardoned by the country's hardline dictator Abdulla Yameen.

Mrs Clooney's meeting with Merkel comes just three weeks after she was hosted by David Cameron at 10 Downing Street (above), where the British Prime Minister listened intently for an hour as she urged him to help her free the jailed former president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed (left)

Amal Clooney is guided by the president of the Acropolis museum Dimitris Pantermalis during a visit at the museum in Athens. She became the public face of the legal wrangle between Britiain and Greece over the disputed ownership of the Elgin Marbles when she took a role as adviser to the Greek government

But representatives of Mrs Blair's legal team for the Maldivian government argue the former president was fairly convicted of an offence of the 'utmost seriousness' by the courts and say calls for sanctions are 'inappropriate'.

Mrs Clooney had met Mr Cameron before at the House of Commons in June last year to discuss the same case.

She is also understood to have had dinner with then Labour leader Ed Miliband last year.

Mr Miliband was invited to the exclusive gathering at the London home of top human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson to be briefed on proposals to introduce fresh sanctions against Russia.

Mrs Clooney called for the UK government to introduce US-style travel restrictions on Russian citizens allegedly behind the murder of whistle-blower Sergei Magnitsky.

The glamorous barrister also became the public face of the legal wrangle between the British and Greek governments over the disputed ownership of the Elgin Marbles.

Mrs Clooney had been hired by Greece to advise the state ahead of a possible court case aimed at forcing the British Museum to give up the sculptures, which came from the Parthenon temple.

Amal Clooney and Lawyer Geoffrey Robertson arrive for a hearing at the European Court of Human Rights

George Clooney is flanked by his wife Amal Alamuddin as they leave the Aman luxury Hotel on their wedding day in Venice, Italy, in September 2014

She and her husband are among the most high-profile campaigners to push publicly for the return of the Marbles to Greece.

Last year, Mrs Clooney and other lawyers from Doughty Street Chambers delivered a 150-page report to the Greek government advising them on their legal options.

One suggestion was to challenge the UK's possession of the monuments at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

However, the far-Left Greek government announced in December that it will not launch a legal action against the UK  and dropped her services.

The Oxford graduate completed her Masters of Law at New York University and worked in the city at the firm Sullivan & Cromwell.

She returned to London in 2010, joining Doughty Street Chambers as a barrister.
A new smartphone app which helps Iranians dodge the Islamic Republic's 'morality police' is proving popular with the young, tech-savvy population - but has quickly fallen foul of the authorities.

The Gershad app allows users who spot checkpoints set up by the morality police - who enforce Islamic dress and behaviour codes - to tag their location on a Google map with an icon of a bearded man, enabling others to steer clear of them.

The app was blocked by the authorities soon after it was released for Android devices on Monday but many Iranians have managed to bypass Internet restrictions by using a Virtual Private Network.

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The Gershad app (left) helps users circumnavigate the morality police by pinpointing the locations of check points (right)

The morality police, pictured here detaining a woman in north Tehran in 2008, enforce Islamic dress and behaviour codes - but young people are doing their best to avoid the checks

It is already trending on social media and has received almost 800 reviews on the Google Play app store, nearly all of them positive, although Google Play does not show how many times Gershad had been downloaded.

Gershad is seen by some as setting a precedent for 'digital protest' in Iran as elections loom and the country emerges from years of isolation following the lifting of international sanctions imposed over its nuclear programme.

'Technology has created an amazing opportunity to forge a cooperative solution to common social problems,' Gershad's secretive creators said.

Gershad is a contraction of the full title of the Gashte Ershad (guidance patrol), which is part of efforts to purge Western culture from the country.

'For years the morality police have been causing disturbances for Iranian women,' the Gershad team said.

'Avoiding them in the streets, metro stations and in shopping malls is challenging and tiresome.'

Iranian officials have not commented on Gershad but state broadcaster IRIB said the app had been written about on social media and 'networks opposed to the (Islamic) revolution'.

The team behind the app said avoiding the morality police was 'challenging and tiresome' - explaining the instant popularity of the new app

'This is an innovative idea and I believe it will lead to many other creative apps which will address the gap between society and government in Iran,' said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.

The app was blocked by the authorities but many Iranians have managed to bypass Internet restrictions by using a Virtual Private Network

Ghaemi said the app's developers were based outside Iran but had grown up in the country and experienced the problem first hand.

'It's really an indigenous product... these are the kind of people who have been stopped at checkpoints,' he said.

Gershad is an example of how young Iranians are turning to technology to circumvent checks on their everyday lives.

'It's showing a trend in digital protest... I see it as a precedent for future apps of its kind,' said Amir-Esmaeil Bozorgzadeh, a Dubai-based consultant for app makers in the Iranian market.

Gershad does not describe itself as a form of protest, but its website describes it as a 'social movement' and asks: 'Why should we give up the most basic right of choosing what clothes to wear?'

An online video advert shows patrol members, rendered as dopey-looking cartoon figures, fidgeting impatiently at a checkpoint as the app diverts the flow of pedestrians away from them.

'Wander freely!' says the tagline.

Smartphone messaging applications are popular in Iran, where half of the population is aged under 25.

Young Iranians use apps to share news and jokes that would not be allowed in the tightly controlled traditional media.

A recent poll suggested about 20 million Iranians, around a quarter of Iran's population, use Telegram, a messaging app with a focus on privacy and security.
South Carolina's Republican caucus will take place on February 20

theists should vote for him because his religion is separate from his politics

said he is guided by his faith, but even a

GOP presidential hopeful Ted Cruz says his goal isn't to be the 'pastor-in-chief' of the United States.

Cruz said if he becomes president his job will be to keep the American people safe, regardless of faith, during an interview with The Brody File in South Carolina.

But there's no shame in his faith, Cruz was quick to point out.

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Republican Presidential candidate, Ted Cruz, who is Southern Baptist, says he's not running for pastor-in-chief

'I am a Christian and the Word says if you are ashamed of Jesus He will be ashamed of you.

'I don't intend to have that conversation with my maker.

'It is an integral part of who I am my faith.

'Now, at the same time, I'm not running to be "Pastor-In-Chief".

'It is not the calling of a political leader to deliver the salvation message.

'That is the calling of us as believers, it's the calling of a pastor but it's a different role to be a political leader,' Cruz told The Brody File.

Cruz said although he is guided by his faith, he hopes to be the president of all faiths and that even Atheists should vote for him

Ted Cruz prays with members of the Christian Defense Coalition outside the White House in September 2013

Evangelicals in the south have shown strong support for Cruz, coming out in Iowa to win him the first caucus of the election season.

But Cruz said even Atheists should support him, because he intends to be the 'president of every faith'.

'At town halls I get people who periodically ask, "Im an atheist why should I support you?"

'Now, as a believer I hope that atheist will encounter the forgiving love of Jesus Christ but as a president, I intend to be a president of everybody, president of every faith

The Democrats and Republicans will hold their South Carolina Presidential Primary on different days in February of 2016.
History means most when it percolates down the decades and impacts on our own lives. That, at any rate, was the experience of Alisa Proctor when she and her long-time partner Richard bought Kirby Knowle Castle in the heart of James Herriot country, outside Thirsk in North Yorkshire.

When the couple moved into the 13th Century Grade II listed castle, they were soon bored with the story about there being a hidden tunnel somewhere in the walls, became blase about the research showing Kirby Knowle had been visited by Mary Queen of Scots, and quickly tired of showing off its priest hole in a thick wall, where Catholic priests could be hidden from Protestant priest-hunters.

However, there was one item in their new home that fascinated them at the time, and still does today  a line of graffiti found in the castles attics.

Historic: Kirby Knowle Castle is a 13th Century Grade II listed country estate outside Thirsk in North Yorkshire

To understand its significance you must picture the scene in 1940 when tens of thousands of injured troops, rescued from the beaches of Dunkirk, arrived back in Britain. Some of these men were in such an unholy mess that their appearance in London would have damaged the countrys morale.

So they were ushered away to quiet destinations  out of sight  to recover. One of them was Alisas grandfather, George Rogers, from Dagenham, Essex, who passed away in the mid-1990s.

He was a lovely man who absolutely adored his wife Edith, says Alisa, 50, a former banker who now spends much of her time looking after her dozen rescue dogs. Like many old soldiers, he didnt talk much about the war.

But he did tell us about being wounded by shrapnel at Dunkirk, which meant he was taken away to a recuperation centre in Yorkshire.

He couldnt remember its name  it was all a bit hazy for him  but he thought it looked like a fairytale castle.

Now, move on to 2000 when we had just moved in here, she says. Luke, our son, was about ten at the time and, typical boy, he would go exploring. One day we heard a shout  he had found some old engravings in the attics.

'I went to see and, though they were hard to make out, I could see that one of these read G. W. Rogers London Edith.

'It was in grandads distinctive, ornate handwriting and was, undoubtedly, written by him all those years ago, still thinking of Edith, his sweetheart at the time. We had come to live in grandads fairytale castle. It still gives me goosebumps just to think of it.

On offer: Owners Alisa and Richard Proctor are looking to sell their beloved property as they seek to downsize

But the past was the last thing on Richard and Alisas minds when they bought Kirby Knowle Castle. Rather, they were planning the immediate future for their children, Luke, now 27, Harry, 25, Olivia, 23, and Max, 15.

We wanted somewhere they could roam free, says Richard, 49, who owns laboratories in Leeds producing dental implants and dentures.

We wanted them to be able to dam rivers, play in the mud and have fun in the woods. We wanted space and thats what we got  38 acres of it.

The castle, however, was in a sad state. To put all of that right took five years and cost about 1.5 million.

It involved rewiring throughout, replastering, installing two hand-made farmhouse kitchens, putting in new bathrooms, strengthening the castles main tower, and cleaning and repairing all the stonework. The hard work brought results  now it does, indeed, glisten like a fairytale castle.

Kirby Castle was used as a rehabilitation centre for injured soldiers in World War Two, one of its patients was George Rogers, pictured, grandfather of Alisa. His graffiti was later found in the attic of the grand home

Inside, Kirby Knowle Castle is impressive but not in the least ostentatious. It still has the feel of a family home and, as is the case in most family homes, the main kitchen is base camp.

The dozen dogs lie curled up on a giant cushion in front of the four-oven Aga. Next door there is the formal dining room, which the family use only at Christmas.

Two interlinking huge reception rooms and another kitchen line the front of the house, all with high windows giving magnificent views.

Upstairs there are eight bedrooms, four other rooms and five bathrooms. The couple now plan to downsize to a farm, which Alisa wants to run as her own dog rescue centre.

The castle, which also incorporates a one-bedroom apartment and separate three-bedroom cottage, is for sale through Carter Jonas estate agents for 4 million.
Scientists say the bird is an 'iconic symbol of inspiration and hope'

Wisdom, who is the world's oldest known bird at 65 years old, has exceeded all expectations by becoming a mom for the 40th time.

Unlike other Laysan Albatrosses, who typically live between 12 to 40 years, Wisdom has astounded scientists time and time again, since females are thought to become infertile later in life.

The newborn chick, named Kukini after the Hawaiian word for 'messenger', emerged from its shell earlier this month at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in Hawaii, about 1,300 northwest of Honolulu.

Wisdom the 65-year-old Laysan Albatross, gave birth to Kukini at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in Hawaii earlier this month

Most Laysan Albatrosses live between 12 and 40 years, and scientists say the females become infertile in their later years. Pictured, Wisdom feeding baby Kukini

Kukini, named after the Hawaiian word for 'messenger', can be seen breaking out of her shell earlier this month. She is thought to be Wisdom's 40th chick

ALBATROSSES UNDER THREAT Five trillion pieces of plastic litter are floating in the worlds oceans, which is killing countless animals a year, including albatross chicks. It is thought that 269,000 tons of plastic are clogging up the oceans - weighing the equivalent of two large cruise liners. Scientists reported finding billions of plastic shopping bags, bottles, toys, action figures, toothbrushes, fishing gear and even toilet seats floating in the waves. Plastic pollution kills huge numbers of seabirds, marine mammals and other creatures, while discarded fishing nets trap dolphins, sea turtles and manta rays. Fragments also lodge in the throats and digestive tracts of animals, attracted by the bright colours of the plastics and mistake them for fish. One horrific picture of an albatross chick, dead on a beach in the north Pacific, reveals the scale of the global problem. Advertisement

Layan albatrosses are monogamous animals, laying at most just one egg each year.

Wisdom was tagged by scientists in 1956 when she was about five years old. Since then, she's given birth to about 40 chicks and has flown more than 3 million miles.

Because the birds are seen as a barometer for the ocean's ecosystem and its ability to sustain life, Robert Peyton of the Midway refuge, said: 'Wisdom is an iconic symbol of inspiration and hope.'

Experts at the US Fish and Wildlife Service claim Wisdom is the oldest bird they know of in the organisations 90-year history.

She has consistently laid eggs over the past three decades, giving birth to eight chicks since 2006.

Refuge manager Dan Clark said: She provides to the world valuable information about the longevity of these beautiful creatures.

In the case of Wisdom, she has logged literally millions of miles over the Pacific Ocean in her lifetime to find enough fish eggs and squid to feed herself and multiple chicks, allowing us the opportunity to measure the health of our oceans which sustain albatross as well as ourselves.

Laysan albatrosses breed on the Hawaiian islands of Oahu, at Kaena Point, and on Kauai, at Kilauea Point.

About 99.7per cent of the bird's population of 2.5million live in the northwestern Hawaiian islands.

Their feeding grounds are off the west coast of North America, including the Gulf of Alaska, and they spend their first three to five years constantly flying, never touching land. Scientists believe they even sleep while flying over the ocean.
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The first day of the school holidays is renowned for being a driving nightmare with huge tailbacks starting from the early hours.

And in France it appears to be no different as hundreds joined queues in the country's south-eastern region on Saturday afternoon.

Dozens of cars with packed luggage racks joined buses and vans near Chignin as they made their way towards the French Alps.

Dozens of cars with packed luggage racks joined buses and vans on Saturday afternoon as they made their way towards Chignin in the French Alps for a half-term getaway

Some were driven by Brits eager to fit in a week of skiing before the spring while others were packed with French families hoping for a mini-break.

While traffic on the other side of the road was marginally lighter, those heading away from the mountains still saw their journeys lengthened as families battled to get home.

Meanwhile, in England thousands of people were expected to join the roads this weekend as school holidays start in some parts of the country.

Train stations in London - especially St Pancras, where the Eurostar departs from - were packed with families while airports are also thought to be expecting an increase in passengers.

Some were driven by Brits eager to fit in a week of skiing before the spring while others were packed with French families hoping for a mini-break

While traffic on the other side of the road was marginally lighter, those heading away from the mountains still saw their journeys lengthened as families battled to get home

A French gendarme forced vehicles to leave the packed road on Saturday afternoon and told them to take a different route into the Alps

The queue also comes just one day after an arctic blast led temperatures to plummet in Britain, causing traffic chaos across the country.

Ice on the tracks made conditions slippery and dangerous, causing delays that lasted throughout Friday morning.

Among the worse affected stations were London's Victoria, Cannon Street, Charing Cross and Waterloo, all of which experienced widespread delays with some trains delayed by up to an hour and a half.

Earlier today, weather warnings were issued for north-east England and Scotland while temperatures will drop below freezing for much of the UK overnight.

Meanwhile, in England snow tumbled down over the Brecon Beacons as the Met Office warns of a cold snap approaching Britain

Drivers battled blizzard-like conditions as they moved through heavy snowfall on the M8 in West Lothian, Scotland, on Saturday

A dog walker wrapped up warm on the Pen y Fan mountain, Brecon Beacons, with temperatures around the country set to plummet from tomorrow onwards

A Met Office spokesman said there could even be some wintry showers in the south west with Exmoor and Dartmoor warned to expect sleet.

They added: 'Snow warnings have been issued across Scotland and the borders and as the night goes on that will move down towards County Durham, with a warning issued for north England between midnight tonight and noon on Sunday.'
A 'deplorable' psychologist who worked for the controversial Kids Company charity has been banned for one year for taking MDMA with a vulnerable client in a nightclub toilet.

A Health and Care Professions Council disciplinary panel heard that Dr Helen Winter and a colleague took the party drug MDMA on a night out at the Hidden bar in Vauxhall, south London.

They then bumped into two clients of Dr Winter's - who took more of the drug in the toilets of the nightclub as one of the clients watched. She then offered some of the MDMA to the client, the panel was told.

A Health and Care Professions Council disciplinary panel heard that Dr Helen Winter and a colleague took the party drug MDMA on a night out at the Hidden bar in Vauxhall, south London

Kids Company, the charity she worked for at the time, was set up in 1996 by Camila Batmanghelidjh (pictured) to help deprived inner city children

Dr Winter allowed the two clients to stay at her home contrary to regulations.

However she claimed this was because she was worried one of them 'was very ill and she wanted to make sure that she was OK'.

Following a disciplinary hearing on June 5, 2014, Dr Winter was given a written warning which would remain on her file for a period of 12 months.

It later emerged that she also failed a spot-check drug test at Kids Company, as she was found to have cocaine in her system.

Dr Winter allowed the two clients to stay at her home contrary to regulations

Having heard all the evidence, the disciplinary panel chose to suspend Dr Winter for 12 months.

Panel chairman Penny Griffith said: 'In reaching its conclusion the panel had regard to aggravating and mitigating factors.

'The misconduct was extremely serious and there was a significant breach of trust, particularly given the vulnerability of the young people concerned.

'The mitigating factors are that Dr Winter has engaged with these proceedings, made partial admissions, has undertaken extensive reflection and has expressed remorse for her actions.

'A suspension order, in this instance, provides an opportunity for Dr Winter to address the deficiencies identified, and to provide further evidence of reflection.

To impose the more restrictive sanction of striking off from the Register would be unnecessarily punitive and disproportionate at this stage.'

The suspension comes into force on March 9. Dr Winter has until then to appeal against the panel's decision.

Kids Company, the charity she worked for at the time, was set up in 1996 by Camila Batmanghelidjh to help deprived inner city children.

It was said to provide support for up to 36,000 children, although this figure is believed to be exaggerated.

The charity got into serious financial difficulties last year and a 3million government grant was withheld until Ms Batmanghelidjh agreed to resign as chief executive.

However the government then sought to reclaim the money over alleged breaches of the grant's terms, and Kids Company went into compulsory liquidation.

Speaking of her hopes for the future last month, Dr Winter said: I just want to be able to get on and be the clinical psychologist I was on the path to being before life got in the way.
One of the 15-year-old girls shot dead at their Arizona high school sent a string of haunting tweets in the weeks leading up to their deaths.

Dorothy Dutiel tweeted 'good bye' just hours before she and her girlfriend May Kieu, who is also 15, were found dead with single gunshot wounds at Independence High School in Glendale, Phoenix.

Other tweets posted by the sophomore student said she felt 'rejected' and that she could not make a girl happy.

Perhaps most chilling of all, she wrote: 'Who else is ready to shoot themselves?'

Police have called the killing a murder-suicide - saying one girl shot the other before shooting herself - but it is not been confirmed who was the aggressor.

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The second 15-year-old shot dead at a high school in Arizona has been named as Dorothy Dutiel (right), who was in a relationship with May Kieu (left), the other slain girl

Hours before the shooting, Dorothy Dutiel, 15, tweeted: 'Good bye'. She earlier said she felt 'rejected' and asked if anyone else was 'ready to shoot themselves'

Instagram posts showed the girls were very close and police said they (May Kieu, right, Dorothy Dutiel, left) were in a relationship

Investigators said the teenagers' bodies were found on a patio outside the school's cafeteria with a gun and a suicide note nearby

DOROTHY'S LOVING MESSAGE FOR MAY IN DECEMBER LAST YEAR Dorothy wrote this on Instagram in December last year alongside a picture of May. 'This is my lovely babe from a while back. Sadly I dont have any photos from 2013, but thats when we begun dating. It started in 6/7th grade when we were friends. 'Through like 7th grade we were best friends and god I loathed the word. I liked May since 5th grade, a little kid crush I guess. Slowly I began to see what a lovely dork she was. 'There was a point where she thought of me as her sister, and the feels were damaged. Along this time frame we both dated, but that doesnt really matter anymore. She was the light of my life, and by 8th grade I knew she was interested. 'But of course both of us were dorks and I was too scared to verbally ask her. So I wrote it on a sticky note and she said yes. That was Nov. 11, 2013. 'We graduated from 8th grade together, and fearfully entered freshmen year. We had little hard ships along the way but we both grew from them. 'Life seemed to get a little better and she was still there. I couldnt believe she was still there, holding my hand.' Advertisement

Investigators said the teenagers' bodies were found on a patio outside the school's cafeteria with a gun and a suicide note nearby.

Officers did not reveal any details of what the note said, and did not discuss what they believe the motivation for the killings may have been.

Instagram posts showed the girls were close and they were often pictured cuddling and sharing loving messages with one another.

Police have refused to name the pair, though school teacher Phong Kieu earlier named one of the victims as her sister, May Kieu.

Friends have confirmed the second 15-year-old killed to be Dorothy.

Phong Kieu, who teaches science at the school, told ABC 15 she put on the news in her classroom after hearing about the shooting.

'We were watching the live footage and it first said two students,and after half an hour it said two female students, and then it said two sophomore students,' she said.

'My students were on their phones and were friends with her. And one of the students said it was May and her friend.

'That's when I called attendance and I asked for my sister's schedule. They put me on hold for 10 minutes and that's when I knew something was wrong.

'I was escorted from my classroom with one of the vice principals. He held my hand and told me we had to go upstairs. I walked up and I walked past so many people looking at me and they knew what happened.

'That's when they told me. My sister's gone. They confirmed it and she's not coming back.'

Students and teachers were offered counselling at the school today as the grieving school community tried to find a way to move on from the tragedy.

Police have tonight revealed that the 15-year-old girls found shot dead at an Arizona high school on Friday were in a relationship and died in a murder-suicide (pictured, victim May Kieu)

May (right) and Dorothy (left) were found with gunshot wounds outside the school's cafeteria shortly before 8am Friday

Officers did not reveal any details of what the suicide note left by one of the girls said. Left, Dorothy, right, May

Officers have not discussed a motive for the crime, and refused to identify the girls. However, Phong Kieu (right), a teacher at the school, earlier named sister May Kieu (left) as being one of the victims

Teacher Phong Kieu (left) revealed the harrowing moment she realized her sister, May Kieu (right) was one of the two 15-year-old girls shot dead at her school

The teacher also said May had been trying to distance herself from Dorothy, however friends and social media posts suggested they had been a couple for more than two years.

An Instagram post from Dorothy revealed she had 'liked' May since 5th grade - three years before they got together and five years before the shooting.

A gun was found next to the two bodies and police were not looking for a shooter.

Friends on social media posted tributes to May, calling her a 'beautiful angel'.

Yarelli Contreras wrote on Facebook: 'I will never forget the wonderful time I got to spend with May.'

There were dozens more tributes to both girls left on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Police spokeswoman Tracey Breeden said police were called shortly before 8am (10am EST) on Friday and that officers were on scene within two minutes.

'They were able to locate two female students who are 15 years old. They were found by the main building under a covered area,' she said.

'They were deceased at scene. This is a tragic incident and we send our condolences to their loved ones.

'These two girls were found with a weapon besides them and we are not looking for suspects at this time.'

An Instagram post from Dorothy (left of left picture, and right) revealed she had 'liked' May since 5th grade - three years before they got together and five years before the shooting

May's sister said the schoolgirl had been trying to distance herself from Dorothy (in both pictures)

Students and parents were seen crying as they left the school following the shooting of two teenage girls

Police are in the process of notifying next of kin and have not released the names of the girls. Pictured, a mother and daughter embrace after reuniting following the shooting

Two 15-year-old girls have been shot dead at Independence High School in Phoenix, Arizona. Pictured, police cordon off the scene

Desperate family members frantically tried to get in contact with their children after two girls were shot dead

'Tragic situation': Parents were relieved to see their children as they met them at the school this afternoon

Breeden would not initially comment on whether police were investigating a murder-suicide, but later confirmed that was the case.

She added that there did not appear to be any other people near the cafeteria at the time and that no witnesses had come forward thus far.

'This was a tragic situation here today. We send out our condolences to the parents of these two young girls,' she said.

Dozens of police cars and fire crews were seen at the school on Friday morning following the shooting.

The school, which has around 2,000 students, was placed on lockdown but police told parents their children were safe and that they were dealing with an 'isolated incident'.

As many as 150 terrified parents gathered outside a nearby Walmart as they awaited news about their children.

Three siblings embrace after two students were shot and killed at Independence High School in Phoenix

The girls, who both had a single gunshot wound, were found dead and were lying next to a weapon at the school (pictured)

They were found next a cafeteria at the school in Glendale, Phoenix, at about 8am this morning and police have not ruled out murder-suicide. Pictured, emergency crews at the scene

As many as 150 terrified parents gathered outside a nearby Walmart as they waited to meet their children

One mother told ABC 15 that she had spoken to her son on the phone and that he was safe inside a classroom.

'He's safe in the room and he's OK. I thank God,' she said. 'He just said that they were trapped in a room.'

The 14-year-old sister of a student inside the school said: 'Right now we're just glad that most of the kids are safe.'

Another distraught mother said she was reading a story about the Columbine massacre when she saw police cars heading past her home.

She said one of her daughters had spoken to her but she has not heard from another. She was considering keeping her girls home from school in future

'I can't imagine having to drop them off at school next week,' she said.

A spokesman for Glendale Union High School District said: 'Independence High School was put on lock down this morning due to a police investigation. Police have secured the campus. There is no active shooter on campus. The investigation is ongoing.

'The campus remains on lock down and no one will be allowed to enter or exit the campus until the police have lifted the lock down and ensured the safety of the school.

'Parents will be notified as soon as it is safe for students to be picked up from campus.'

Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers tweeted: 'Our hearts go out to everyone at Independence High School this morning. We are standing by for information.'

Stressful: A police officer tries to give instructions to parents waiting to reunite with their children

There were chaotic scenes as police tried to use buses to ferry parents to the school to pick up their children
It was a police raid that seemed designed to make headlines around the world  and it didnt disappoint. Georgia Wawman, an angel-faced blonde from Britain, was still in bed when a dozen masked Argentine officers arrested her at gunpoint.

The privately educated young mother from the Home Counties was, they claimed, the Barbie Bandit, a Raffles mastermind behind a string of violent robberies in the prosperous suburbs of Buenos Aires.

Or as the local press preferred to put it, a female Fagin.

But, as Georgia exclusively reveals today to The Mail on Sunday, there was one problem with this dramatic story. It wasnt true.

Georgia exclusively reveals today to The Mail on Sunday, there was one problem with this dramatic story. It wasnt true

Today, back in the safety of her fathers home in Berkshire, she finally feels free to put into words her anger and sheer bafflement at a vicious turn of events that has not only wrecked her reputation but has, for the moment at least, destroyed her young life

Not that it stopped police ransacking her home, from swearing at her, calling her a whore, taunting her for being British or singing songs about Las Malvinas  Argentinas name for the Falkland Islands.

While she was locked up, terrified and handcuffed, in a grim holding cell, the same officers triumphantly paraded a seemingly damning collection of evidence  including police uniforms, guns and ammunition, laptops, cash, jewellery and watches  while briefing the press about the importance of their arrest.

Today, back in the safety of her fathers home in Berkshire, she finally feels free to put into words her anger and sheer bafflement at a vicious turn of events that has not only wrecked her reputation but has, for the moment at least, destroyed her young life.

Georgia, 26, is neither a glamour-obsessed Barbie nor a ruthless bandit, but an ordinary, if adventurous, nursery school teacher and mother of a two-year-old son, Milo.

There never were any charges against her, nor boyfriend Jose, the father of Milo. In fact, by the time the Buenos Aires press were describing her as the female Fagin, she and Jose had already been released. Neither was ever on bail or under investigation.

My life has been ripped apart, she says, her eyes welling with tears. I have packed up my life in Argentina and cannot imagine ever being able to live there again. It was only when I sat on the plane and the wheels left the tarmac that I began to relax.

You never know what will happen to you if you get on the wrong side of the police in Argentina  it is a very lawless country and when I was arrested I thought I was going to be raped and murdered.

It is little wonder that while she was still in Buenos Aires after her ordeal, Georgia was careful with her words, too frightened to speak in detail for fear of antagonising the police. Even now The Mail on Sunday has flown her home to Ascot, she is still plainly in a state of shock, cautious when she leaves the house, bruised by a nightmare for which there is still no explanation.

While she was locked up, terrified and handcuffed, in a grim holding cell, the same officers triumphantly paraded a seemingly damning collection of evidence  including police uniforms, guns and ammunition, laptops, cash, jewellery and watches  while briefing the press about the importance of their arrest

She plans to sue the Argentine police for wrongful arrest, although for the moment, with her relationship with Jose now in tatters, she is concentrating on her son. I have two priorities  to make sure Milo is protected from the furore, and keep him out of the public eye, and to have some counselling to cope with my feelings, she says.

Wearing jeans and a jumper, her voice cracks as she recalls the moment when armed police swarmed into the home she shared with Jose at 6am on January 14.

I heard an almighty bang and sat bolt upright  I actually thought the gazebo had fallen down.

But when I looked out of the window I saw a dozen armed men in black suits and black masks. I was absolutely terrified. I thought they were going to kill me.

My immediate instinct was to grab Milo, roll him in the duvet like a sausage and lie on top of him to protect him if they shot me. Within moments they were upstairs, thrusting guns in my face and screaming at me to get on the ground.

After a while they lowered their guns and an officer grabbed me  I had Milo in my arms. He was saying, Who are you? Where are you from? They obviously werent expecting me to be in the house.

The officer told me they wanted to search my home.

I still thought they were going to kill me, so I told them they could go anywhere they wanted.

I tried to distract Milo, saying, Isnt this funny?

I was taken downstairs and sat at the kitchen table. All I could hear was banging and things flying around. They were grabbing drawers and chucking everything on the floor, saying, Nothing. Clean. Nothing. Clean.

Finally they asked me where Jose was and I said, Hes gone to work. He drives tankers for one of Argentinas largest petroleum firms.

They then read me a search warrant saying they were looking for stolen goods  jewels, money, plasma TVs and other electrical appliances. I froze. Dont go outside, they warned me. There are vans of officers there and they might think you are trying to escape.

They asked my name and where I was from. When I told them I was British, one officer said sarcastically, Who do the Falklands belong to? Without thinking I replied, They are British. Immediately I realised I had made a big mistake. I was in a total state of panic and went to the bathroom twice to vomit.

Georgia was thrown into a cell with a handcuffed Paraguayan woman, also alleged to be part of the robbery gang

An hour later, the police told Georgia they were taking her to the station to sign a statement. Milo was taken to stay with friends. I thought, OK. I just have to hold it together for a little longer and then I can go home with my child.

But instead of driving to the local station, she was taken along the motorway in a police convoy to another building.

The doors were locked, it was boiling, no windows were open and I was feeling extremely unwell.

Nobody knew where I was and I thought I was going to be raped, killed and chucked away like hundreds of other girls in Argentina. Thats it. Theres no way out. Im dead.

Georgia was thrown into a cell with a handcuffed Paraguayan woman, also alleged to be part of the robbery gang. A female officer walked in and looked me up and down in an intimidating way, saying, On your feet. Turn around. Hands behind your back. I did as I was told and she put the cuffs on me very tightly, told me to be silent and stand up against the wall.

After an hour she began to feel seriously ill. My heart was out of control, says Georgia, who suffers from high blood pressure. It was beating very strangely and I had palpitations. I asked to go to the loo but the female officer ignored me. After 20 minutes she took me there and I threw up again.

By this time it was midday and the police had released a statement saying they had disbanded a gang of delinquents led by a woman from Great Britain that carried out heists in gated communities and weekend homes in the northern suburbs of Buenos Aires.

Newspapers around the world named her boyfriend Jose as the ringleader and reported that he was a dangerous criminal who had served three-and-a-half years in the notorious Sierra Chica prison for armed robbery.

In fact, he had never even been in trouble with the police.

Georgia is convinced they fabricated much of the evidence  all they took from her home was a broken suitcase, her iPad and mobile phone  and leaked the allegations about her boyfriend to strengthen their case.

She says that after she was thrown into the cell she could hear the police laughing as they laid out their haul. They kept whistling a song about the Malvinas. If it wasnt so horrible, it would have been laughable. Hours later the female officer opened her cell door and screamed at her to get in a police van. She had no idea where they were going. I said to her, Is that it? Are you going to put me in jail? She said, That will be later.

In fact Georgia was being taken to be examined by a doctor to fulfil police regulations. I asked the doctor to take my blood pressure and it was dangerously high. I was breathless and was shaking like a leaf. He gave me a cup of water and told me to sit down. Then he gave me a pill to lower my blood pressure.

After returning to the station, still in handcuffs, Georgia was thrown back into the cell but not before getting a glimpse of Jose, who was also in handcuffs. That was when I knew we were in trouble, she says.

Towards the end of the day, the British embassy was alerted. From that moment things started to change, she says. I was taken to the front desk and handed the telephone. This amazing woman said, Hi Georgia. Its Lucy. Im from the British embassy. Are you OK? I burst into tears. She asked whether I had anything to eat or drink. No, I told her. Ok. I will make sure you do, she said. Im not going to let you down. And she didnt. Lucy phoned twice more and Georgia was given a sandwich and a can of Sprite, which she shared with her cellmate. Then, out of the blue, she was released.

A police officer came in and said, Done. He took my cuffs off, opened the cell door and gave me a piece of paper recording the time I was released, she says. Five minutes later, Jose also walked out of the station. He was as white as a sheet and he was just very confused. Argentine men are very macho and dont show their feelings but I knew that underneath he was as upset as me.

The police never explained why they had arrested me. I only found out from the media once I had been released that I was supposed to be the brains of an armed gang.

In fact, neither of us have ever been in trouble with the police and, by the time we were in the headlines, Jose and I had both been released without even being questioned, let alone charged. None of the other six so-called gang members was charged.

I believe they set us up in order to make themselves look good for solving the robberies, she says.

I was back at home when the investigating officer popped up on television boasting at having such a big catch  even though, by then, he knew I was innocent.

Nothing in Georgias early life had prepared her for such an ordeal. She was the daughter of film director Richard Wawman, 61, and his first wife Sophie, 52, and describes her childhood as idyllic.

Her parents separated when she was a toddler but both remarried and the divorce was amicable. Her father, who lives in Ascot, went on to marry her Argentinian stepmother, Laurence, when Georgia was seven. Her half-brother, Charlie, was born shortly afterwards.

She lived with her mother and stepfather in the village of Great Bedwyn, near Marlborough, and went to a private preparatory school.

A keen horsewoman, Georgia was then sent to an equestrian boarding school, but left in her first year and went to a comprehensive.

A keen horsewoman, Georgia was then sent to an equestrian boarding school, but left in her first year and went to a comprehensive

When Georgia left in 2005 after, as she admits, flunking her GCSEs, she stayed with her father, who had divorced for a second time.

It was there she had a chance reunion with Laurence, who had remarried an Argentinian polo player and was visiting to pick up her half-brother Charlie. I wasnt sure what to do, so she suggested I might like to go to Argentina with her and enjoy the sunshine and horses. I loved the lifestyle so ended up staying.

She spent the next seven years living with Laurence and Charlie at a ranch in Manzanares, an hour from Buenos Aires. She learnt Spanish, did some nannying, and ended up running English classes for the local children. Four years ago she met Jose Mino, now 32, in a nightclub.

He came from a good family, Georgia says. Both his brothers are polo players and he worked for a very well respected company. Within six months they had rented a house with a swimming pool. At the beginning of 2013, she discovered she was pregnant. At first I was nervous but Jose was really happy when I told him that evening, and I felt ready to have kids.

Milo was born that October and they were thrilled.

But now, thanks to the Argentine police, her adventure is at an end. Jose and I had a wonderful life in Argentina, but sadly that day spelled the end of our relationship, she says.

I couldnt face going back to the house again.

I never for a second thought he was guilty. But I didnt feel safe in Argentina and I had to leave.
President Barack Obama declared Saturday night he would honor his responsibility to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.

Obama first paid tribute to the 79-year-old Justice, who was found dead from natural causes on Saturday at a hunting ranch in West Texas, calling him 'larger than life' and a 'brilliant legal mind'.

The president's comments followed those of Republicans who wasted little time Saturday night, as news of Scalia's unexpected death spread, arguing that Obama should leave the choice to his successor.

But Obama was quick to remind that the day was meant to 'remember Justice Scalia's legacy'.

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Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, 79, died of died of apparent natural causes at the Cibolo Creek Ranch south of Marfa, Texas on Saturday

Scalia, who held conservative views, was nominated to the US Supreme Court in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan and is the longest-serving justice on the Court

Obama called Scalia 'larger than life' with a 'brilliant legal mind' before adding that he plans to fulfill his 'constitutional responsibilities' to nominate someone to fill his seat

'I plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to name a successor in due time, and there will be plenty of time for me to do so,' he said.

'And for the Senate to fulfill its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote.'

Obama said he took his responsibilities to nominate the next Supreme Court Justice, given to the president under Article Two of the US Constitution, seriously before adding 'as should everyone'.

'They are bigger than any one party, they are about our democracy, they are about the institution to which Justice Scalia dedicated his professional life and making sure it continues to function as the beacon of justice that our founders envisioned.'

Before Obama discussed the nomination he paid tribute to Scalia's life, calling him a 'brilliant legal mind' with 'energetic style, incisive wit and colorful opinions'.

'He influenced a generation of judges, lawyers and students and profoundly shaped the legal landscape,' he continued.

'He will no doubt be remembered as one of the most consequential judges and thinkers to serve on the Supreme Court'.

Scalia died of apparent natural causes while staying at the Cibolo Creek Ranch in the Big Bend region south of Marfa.

The Supreme Court Justice spent the day quail hunting before arriving at the ranch on Friday to attend a private party with approximately 40 other people.

The Supreme Court Justice spent the day quail hunting before arriving at the ranch (pictured) on Friday to attended a private party with approximately 40 other people

A hearse leaves the ranch where Justice Scalia was found dead in his bed on Saturday morning

When he did not show up for breakfast in the morning, a person associated with the ranch went to check on him and found his body in his room at the resort

Scalia (center) died of apparent natural causes and there wasn't any sign of foul play, a federal official said

He wasn't feeling well and went to bed early, CNN reported.

When he did not show up for breakfast in the morning, a person associated with the ranch went to check on him and found his body in his room.

The US Marshal Service, the Presidio County sheriff and the FBI are investigating Scalia's death but there was no evidence of foul play, a federal official told My San Antonio.

A gray Cadillac hearse, coming from Alpine Memorial Funeral Home, arrived at the ranch on Saturday afternoon. An El Paso priest was also called to Marfa on Saturday, KVIA reported.

Scalia leaves behind his wife of 55 years, Maureen, as well as their nine children and 28 grandchildren.

Hours after the conservative Justice's death was announced, Senate Republicans were already promising they would not allow Obama to fill his vacant seat.

The court faces a crowded docket of politically charged cases that were certain to resonate in the presidential campaign on issues such as immigration, abortion, affirmative action, labor unions and Obama's health care law.

Scalia pictured in 1953 for his senior year photo at Xavier High School in Queens, New York

Decisions were expected in late spring and early summer on whether the president could shield up to 5 million immigrants living in the United States illegally from deportation.

With many cases decided by 5-4 margins, and the loss of Scalia leaving the court split with four Democratic and Republican appointees each, the vacancy could have major repercussions, both legally and in the presidential race.

'The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice,' Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement Saturday.

'Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new President.'

GOP presidential hopefuls Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz have made similar comments, already setting precedent for what is sure to dominate Saturday night's Republican debate.

'Justice Scalia was an American hero,' Cruz tweeted after news of his death broke.

'We owe it to him, & the Nation, for the Senate to ensure that the next President names his replacement.'

Justice Scalia was one of the most consequential Americans in our history and a brilliant legal mind who served with only one objective: to interpret and defend the Constitution as written,' Rubio said in a released statement.

The next president must nominate a justice who will continue Justice Scalias unwavering belief in the founding principles that we hold dear.

US District Judge Fred Biery, who first announced the news of Scalia's death to My San Antonio, said he believes 'nothing will happen before the next president is elected'.

Senate Democrats have since begun to hit back, with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid calling on Obama to name a nomination immediately.

'The Senate has a responsibility to fill vacancies as soon as possible', he wrote.

'Would be unprecedented in recent history for SCOTUS to go year with vacancy. And shameful abdication of our constitutional responsibility.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said the Republicans who wanted Scalia's seat to remain vacant were dishonoring the Constitution.

'The Senate has a constitutional responsibility here that it cannot abdicate for partisan political reasons,' she said in a released statement.

'If any of us needed a reminder of just how important it is to take back the United States Senate and hold onto the White House, just look at the Supreme Court.

'I know that our thoughts and prayers are with the Scalia family tonight, and I am also thinking and praying for the future of our country.

'It is outrageous that the Republicans in the Senate on the campaign trail have already pledged to block any replacement that President Obama nominates.'

Democrats pointed out that Justice Anthony Kennedy was confirmed in an election year - 1988 - the final year of Ronald Reagan's presidency. Kennedy had been nominated in November 1987 after the Senate rejected Robert Bork and Judge Douglas Ginsburg bowed out.

The flag at the steps of the US Supreme Court was lowered to half-mast after news broke of Scalia's death

Retiring Chief Justice Warren Burger, right, administers an oath to Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, as Scalia's wife, Maureen, holds the bible during ceremonies on September 26, 1968

'I AM MOURNING THIS REMARKABLE MAN': OBAMA REMEMBERS SCALIA Antonin Nino Scalia was a larger than life, a brilliant legal mind with an energetic style, incisive wit and colorful opinions. He influenced a generation of judges, lawyers and students and profoundly shaped the legal landscape. He will no doubt be remembered as one of the most consequential judges and thinkers to serve on the Supreme Court. Justice Scalia dedicated his life to the cornerstone of our democracy, the rule of law. Tonight we honor his extraordinary service to our nation, and remember one of the towering legal figures of our time. Antonin Scalia was born in Trenton, New Jersey to an Italian immigrant family. After graduating from Georgetown University and Harvard law school, he worked at a law firm and taught law before entering a life of public service. He rose from assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Consul to the judge on the DC Circuit Court to Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. A devout Catholic, he was the proud father of nine children and the grandfather to many loving grandchildren. A devout hunter, and a passion for opera music, which he scared with Ruth Badger Ginsburg Tonight we join his fellow justices in mourning this remarkable man. Obviously today is a day to remember Justice Scalias legacy. I plan to fulfil my constitutional responsibilities to name a successor in due time, and there will be plenty of time for me to do so and for the Senate to fulfill its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote. These are responsibilities that I take seriously as should everyone. They are bigger than any one party, they are about our democracy, they are about the institution to which Justice Scalia dedicated his professional life and making sure it continues to function as the beacon of justice that our founders envisioned. At this moment we most of all want to think about his family, and Michelle and I join the nation in sending our deepest sympathies to Justice Scalias wife Maureen and their loving family  a beautiful symbol of a life well lived. We thank them for sharing Scalia with our country. Advertisement

They also argued that waiting for the next president in January 2017 would leave the court without a ninth justice for more than the remainder of Obama's term as Senate confirmation on average takes just over two months.

Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, the top ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Scalia's death should not be used as a reason for the Senate to stop 'performing its constitutional duty'.

'The American people deserve to have a fully functioning Supreme Court,' Leahy said in a statement.

'The Supreme Court of the United States is too important to our democracy for it to be understaffed for partisan reasons. It is only February.'

'The President and the Senate should get to work without delay to nominate, consider and confirm the next justice to serve on the Supreme Court.'

President Barack Obama was informed of Scalia's passing Saturday afternoon, White House Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz said in a statement.

'The President and First Lady extend their deepest condolences to Justice Scalia's family,' it read.

GOP presidential candidate frontrunner Donald Trump called Scalia's death a 'massive setback for the Conservative movement and our country'.

Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Bernie Sanders also released a statement, calling Scalia a 'brilliant, colorful and outspoken member of the Supreme Court.'

Chief Justice John Roberts called his peer an 'extraordinary individual and jurist' who was 'admired and treasured by his colleagues'.

Former President George W. Bush called Scalia a 'brilliant jurist and important American'.

'He was a towering figure and important judge on our Nations highest court,' read the statement.

Ronald Reagan announces Scalia's nomination to the Supreme Court on June 17, 1986

Scalia leaves behind his wife of 55 years, Maureen (pictured together in 2012), and their nine children

WHY SCALIA'S PASSING SETS UP A MONUMENTAL BATTLE IN THE SENATE Scalia's passing will set up a monumental battle over his replacement, as the White House has announced that President Obama will nominate a new justice but Republicans in the Senate say the next president should fill the vacancy. The Senate has the constitutional duty to provide its consent to major appointments, and Republicans are in control. That means the Judiciary Committee, which holds hearings on federal court nominees, can ignore candidates the GOP doesnt like, holding them in limbo. It's relatively uncommon for Supreme Court jurists to die in office, and more typical for them to retire in old age. Very few have chosen to retire in an election year, fearing their potential successors would become political footballs. For that reason, it's highly unusual for the Senate to confirm Supreme Court justices in the last year of a president's term. Obama can employ a different strategy, known as a 'recess appointment,' bypassing the Senate and placing a justice directly on the bench  but only if the Senate is on a break, or 'in recess.' In order to avoid giving him that opportunity, Senate Republicans will likely leave their legislative body in a 'pro forma' state instead of going on vacation, leaving one senator to gavel-in and gavel-out a brief session every day so the White House can't act on its own. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told DailyMail.com on Saturday at the site of the GOP presidential debate that Scalia's replacement 'will be chosen by the next President of the United States.' Asked if that means the Senate will not go into recess at all until next January, he said: 'If that's what it means, that's what it means.' Advertisement

'He brought intellect, good judgement, and wit to the bench, and he will be missed by his colleagues and our country.'

Scalia was nominated to the US Supreme Court in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan and was the longest-serving justice on the current Court, as well as its first Italian-American Justice.

An advocate of an originalism interpretation of the Constitution, Scalia believed that its meaning was fixed at the time it was written and that it did not evolve and change with the times.

It was the foundation for his staunch opposition to same-sex marriage and affirmative action, his controversial comments in court and colorful dissents often making as many headlines as the decision itself.

'Who ever thought that intimacy and spirituality (whatever that means) were freedoms?' he wrote in his dissent after same-sex marriage was legalized by the Supreme Court in June, a vote he called a 'threat to American democracy'.

'And if intimacy is, one would think Freedom of Intimacy is abridged rather than expanded by marriage. Ask the nearest hippie,' he wrote.

In the same dissent, Scalia wrote that the Supreme Court had descended 'to the mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie' and wrote that California didn't count as a 'genuine' Western state.

Scalia most recently stirred up controversy during a hearing for a case challenging affirmative action at the University of Texas at Austin.

GOP presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz were quick to react to news of Scalia's death

Former president Bill Clinton called Scalia's death a 'surprise' and said he thought 'he'd live to be 100'

SOME OF SCALIA'S MOST CONTROVERSIAL COMMENTS Scalia was praised for his eloquence, but the conservative Supreme Court Justice also often came under fire for the comments he made in his fiery dissents, especially in regards to homosexuality and affirmative action. In the 1996 case Romer V Evans, Scalia dissented the court's majority that allowed individual states the right to ban practices that discriminated against gay people. 'It is our moral heritage that one should not hate any human being or class of human beings,' Scalia wrote. 'But I had thought that one could consider certain conduct reprehensible - murder, for example, or polygamy, or cruelty to animals - and could exhibit even "animus" toward such conduct.' In the 2003 Lawrence v Texas case, Scalia wrote that an anti-sodomy law in Texas constrained liberty in the same way as laws that prohibit 'prostitution, recreation use of heroin, and...working more than 60 hours per week in a bakery'. 'Many Americans do not want persons who openly engage in homosexual conduct as partners in their business, as scoutmasters for their children, as teachers in their children's schools, or as boarders in their home,' he continued in his dissent. 'They view this as protecting themselves and their families from a lifestyle that they believe to be immoral and destructive.' Scalia made headlines last summer in his dissent against the Supreme Court ruling that made same-sex marriage legal across the nation, calling the Court a 'threat to American democracy' that had descended to the 'mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie' and questioning whether California was truly a 'genuine' Western state. 'Who ever thought that intimacy and spirituality (whatever that means) were freedoms?' he asked. 'And if intimacy is, one would think Freedom of Intimacy is abridged rather than expanded by marriage. Ask the nearest hippie. Expression, sure enough, is a freedom, but anyone in a long-lasting marriage will attest that that happy state constricts, rather than expands, what one can prudently say.' Outside of the courthouse, Scalia once asked a Princeton University student: 'If we cannot have moral feelings against homosexuality, can we have it against murder?' At a 2012 book signing, Scalia that his textualist views of the Constitution made a number of hot-button issues easy to interpret. 'The death penalty? Give me a break. Its easy. Abortion? Absolutely easy. Nobody ever thought the Constitution prevented restrictions on abortion, he said. 'Homosexual sodomy? Come on. For 200 years, it was criminal in every state.' Scalia most recently stirred up controversy during a hearing for a case challenging affirmative action at the University of Texas at Austin. 'There are those who contend that it does not benefit African Americans...to get them into the University of Texas where they do not do well, as opposed to having slower-track school where they do well,' he said. 'One of  one of the briefs pointed out that  that most of the  most of the black scientists in this country dont come from schools like the University of Texas.' Advertisement

'There are those who contend that it does not benefit African Americans...to get them into the University of Texas where they do not do well, as opposed to having slower-track school where they do well,' he said.

Scalia, called Nino by his loved ones, was born in Trenton, New Jersey on March 11, 1936 and grew up in the Queens borough of New York City.

His father, an Italian immigrant who arrived at Ellis Island at the age of 17, was a romance languages professor at Brooklyn College and his mother, a second-generation Italian-American, was an elementary school teacher.

Scalia was their only child and, after graduating first in his class at Manhattan military prep school St Francis Xavier, he went on to become valedictorian at Georgetown University.

In his graduation speech he told his peers, 'If we will not be leaders of a real, a true, a Catholic intellectual life, no one will,' according to The Washington Post.

Scalia graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1960, and worked at a private practice in Cleveland for six years before he became a law professor at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.

He then entered public service, including three years as assistant attorney general of the Office of Legal Consul, and was appointed to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit by President Reagan in 1981 after losing his bid for solicitor general of the US.

It would be five years, and the appointment of Sandra Day O'Connor, before Scalia was nominated to the Supreme Court, sailing through the confirmation hearing with a 98 to 0 vote.

Vice President Joe Biden later admitted in 1993 that the vote he regretted the most of his then 15,000 as a senator was the one to confirm Scalia.

Why? 'Because,' Biden said. 'He was so effective.'

Scalia (front, second from left) was nominated to the US Supreme Court in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan and is the longest-serving justice on the Court

A candle was laid on the steps of the Supreme Court on Saturday night
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Owners of high-end luxury houses in the UK are suffering a sinking feeling  thanks to George Osborne.

The Chancellor's dramatic stamp-duty increases a year ago have shocked the top end of the property market, sparking a price slump.

One newly renovated house in North London's prestigious The Bishop's Avenue now costs a bargain 24,995,000, a mere 9 million down on the original asking price.

And an eight-bedroom mansion in Windlesham, Surrey, has been reduced by nearly 5 million to 19.75 million.

But while wealthy owners will be feeling the pain as values tumble, their plight may provoke little more than a wry smile from the UK's average home-owner.

Property consultant Henry Pryor said: 'The seriously rich have worked out that buying and selling now costs too much. The stamp duty on a 25 million home has more than doubled to 2.9 million. After April, if the buyer already owns a home, this tax rises to 3.6 million.

'The London market, which contributes nearly 50 per cent of the total stamp duty, has been overcooked. Transactions are down by 50 per cent in the top end and prices are following.'

Estate agent Knight Frank said stamp-duty revenues in England and Wales declined by 630 million last year, about half of that decline in London and the South East.

Here's a Mail on Sunday guide to how some prices have suffered.

Windlesham Court, an eight-bedroom country house set in four acres in Surrey, has seen its value crash from 24.5 million to 19.75 million

Comedian Ricky Gervais and partner Jane Fallon have seen their luxury five-bedroom home in Hampstead fall in value by about 700,000 to just under 7 million

Nutbourne Park, a 212-acre country estate in Hambledon, Surrey, with a nine-bedroom mansion, is down from 20 million to 15 million

This ten-bedroom mansion in Bracknell Gardens, Hampstead, with cinema, gym and swimming pool, has suffered an asking price dive of nearly 6 million, from 24.65 million to 18.95 million

AND WHY LIFE CAN BE HARD IN THE SHARD Tall story: But Europe's highest flats can't be bought Conspicuously absent from the lists of Londons most expensive properties are the apartments planned for the top of one of Londons newest and most striking landmark buildings, The Shard. When property entrepreneur Irvine Sellar first unveiled architect Renzo Pianos vision for a 95-storey skyscraper 15 years ago, levels 53 to 65 were set aside for ten super-luxury residences. Artist impressions released four years ago revealed the biggest of three duplex apartments was as large as an eight-bedroom house and would cost about 50 million. The apartments were to be the highest in Western Europe  with 360-degree views. On a clear day, it was said, residents would be able to watch ferries cross the North Sea. On a typical London day, it was NOT said, you could see little but the clouds. But while 70 per cent of The Shards office space has been let, the flats are empty and all but two have not even been fitted out. Now, it can be revealed the apartments are not  and will not be  for sale. An industry insider said: Theyve never been marketed. No one has seen them. It is incredible, really. Why the apartments have not been sold is a mystery, although some believe it is because the owners would not be able to command the prices first mooted. They have been retained by the owners for personal use, said one source, adding that the Qatari sheiks who financed The Shard visit the offices for meetings but no one has lived in the residences. Others hinted that, having announced prices of up to 50 million, the owners found the super-rich were put out to discover the base of the building is not in fashionable Knightsbridge, but south of the Thames in less glamorous London Bridge  and withdrew, rather than lose face. Advertisement

Twelve-bedroom Cedar Court, a Grade II listed building in Kingston Upon Thames, has seen its price reduced from 14 million to 9.75 million

Mulberry House, a Grade II listed, seven-bedroom Westminster mansion by architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, is reduced from 24.95 million to 19.95 million

A luxurious and secure 1,950 square metre house in the exclusive Bishop's Avenue, North London, has plummeted in price from about 34 million to just under 25 million

Warren Mere, a picture-postcard estate near Goldalming, Surrey, has had its price cut from 8 million a year ago to 5.65 million now
In 1938, Chamberlain proclaimed 'peace in our time' after talks with Hitler

Bill Cash Tory MP with a letter from Margaret Thatcher written in 1993 and other documents and photographs in his office

Anti-EU Tory grandee Sir Bill Cash is sitting in front me, slumped in an armchair in his Commons office, sobbing uncontrollably. It is a shock: 6ft 4in tall and ramrod straight, Cash is the quintessential buttoned-up English gent in his pin-striped suit.

But not today. He whispers through tears: Im proud of my dad, he was in the front line of the front line. The tanks... just came right at him.

He is talking, painfully, about the moment that shaped his life, his destiny, perhaps Britains too.

Cash was four years old when his father, Captain Paul Cash, was killed in Normandy on July 13, 1944, at the age of 26. He won the Military Cross for his bravery and is still so revered in Fontaine-Etoupefour, where he fell, that they recently named a community centre after him.

Seventy one years ago, young Cash was at home with his mother Moyra when a postman arrived at the door with a telegram.

Just like the mother in the opening sequence of Stephen Spielbergs D-Day film, Saving Private Ryan, Moyra Cash collapsed even before it was handed to her. When its contents were explained to Bill, the little boy told her: Dont worry mummy, I will look after you.

I have known Cash since he became an MP in 1984. He and I have discussed D-Day before: my dad was there, but survived. But I have never seen him like this and awkwardly reach out a hand to this weeping giant as he recovers his composure.

She never got over it, he says, dabbing his eyes and sipping a glass of water.

In truth, I had not intended to interview Cash. His intellect and unflinching patriotic principles have earned him private audiences  and respect  from world leaders as diverse as Margaret Thatcher and Helmut Schmidt.

But I confess that, when he made a beeline for me in the Commons, my first instinct was to give him the slip.

Never mind speak for England, at times it can seem that Bill can bore for England on the subject of Brussels  and he wanted to bend my ear over David Camerons worthless EU referendum deal and the way it was being spun as a historic triumph by No 10.

I listened politely. It was only when he mentioned the word appeasement and an unusual picture in his office that my ears pricked up  and accepted his invitation to go and inspect it.

Bill Cash's father Paul, who died in Normandy after the D-Day landings

Capt Cash would immediately recognise the photograph that dominates his sons dingy office: a sepia tinted portrait of Neville Chamberlain, the man who tried to appease Hitler.

Disconcertingly but deliberately, it stands on the window sill upside down. Permanently. It is a copy of a photo that appeared in the Illustrated London News when Chamberlain came back from his infamous talks with Hitler in Munich in 1938 waving his peace in our time bit of paper.

Cash draws my attention to the caption, attributed to Chamberlains notorious Tory propagandist, Sir Joseph Ball. Said to be Britains first ever spin doctor, he makes Alastair Campbell look like a saint.

Ball was a pro-Nazi, pro-appeasement, anti-semitic, former spy who smeared Churchill with dirty tricks. Incredibly, the caption fawns over Hitler and Mussolini for helping Chamberlain steer Britain towards the port of peace. It talks of Chamberlains immensely enhanced prestige in Germany and how he had abundantly fulfilled the hopes of Il Duce.

YOU can imagine where my headline-grabbing thoughts were heading: Tory PM lands at Heathrow after crisis talks with German dominated Europe as Conservative spin doctors claim he has saved Britains sovereignty. Chamberlain? Or Cameron?

Infamous: Neville Chamberlain proclaiming 'peace in our time' in 1938

Cash reads my mind.

I am NOT comparing Cameron to Chamberlain, he says emphatically.

Here is how he puts it: Appeasement means to placate. By accepting the EU as it is now, we are placating them. And we know who runs the show. [He means Germany] As Churchill said, we should be associated with Europe but not be absorbed by it.

Cash was one of Margaret Thatchers closest confidants and she once asked him to spell out to her pro-EU Cabinet the threat of a German-run Europe.

Tell them what you feel, she urged him.

In front them all, Cash said: You have it tougher than Churchill, Margaret: he only faced bombs and aircraft; you face bits of paper.

Cashs loyal wife Biddy gets cross when people call him a Little Englander: he has campaigned for destitute Indian women rag pickers and against female genital mutilation, she points out, prompting Bob Geldof to joke that Catholic Cash is second only to the Pope in the aid world.

Cash freely admits some critics have called his EU obsession bonkers.

But even the BBC is coming round to his view. I did an interview with John Humphrys and he said as I left, We used to think you were all wrong on Europe, were not so certain now.

Lady Thatcher said Cashs relentless analysis of EU propaganda was living proof a single MP could change history.

He is determined to prove her right in the referendum: People like my dad died to defend our freedom and democracy.
A man who allegedly slaughtered his girlfriend and her two daughters - including his own five-month-old child - has been been caught after three days on the run, police have said.

Twenty-three-year old Michael Sykes fatally stabbed Rebecca Cutler, 26, in front of her children at a Ramada Inn in Willowbrook shortly before 9am on Wednesday morning, Police say.

A third child belonging to Cutler was also injured in the attack.

After being arrested earlier on Saturday he was pictured later that night being walked from his Staten Island precinct.

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Twenty-three-year old Michael Sykes fatally stabbed Rebecca Cutler, 26, in front of her children at a Ramada Inn in Willowbrook shortly before 9am on Wednesday morning, Police say. Pictured: Saturday night in perp walk from the 121 precinct in Staten Island

Sykes (right and left) was caught on camera entering the hotel with his girlfriend (far left and far right) and her three children on Wednesday morning

Michael Sykes is walked out of the 121 precinct in Staten Island after being arrested

Cutler's children have since been identified as two-year-old Miracle, her one-year-old sister Ziana and Syke's own five-month-old daughter, named Maiyah.

The father of Cutler's other daughters has not been identified.

Miracle is the only survivor and is said to be in a stable condition following surgery on Wednesday.

Sykes was caught on camera entering the hotel with his girlfriend and her three children on Wednesday morning, NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said.

Cutler - who was homeless - had been living at the hotel, which served as a shelter under the Department of Homeless Services, since December 6 last year.

After entering the woman's hotel room at 8:50am, Sykes was spotted leaving the Ramada Inn a few minutes later.

A body is carried out of the Ramada Inn on Staten Island after the triple knife murder on Wednesday

This knife was discovered near the scene of the 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

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.

He then made his way across Brooklyn and up to Queens by cab on Thursday, say police.

Sykes was arrested on Saturday and is now being held in custody.

Sources told New York Post that the accused killer became 'unhinged' after he thought that Cutler had been 'fooling around' with the man who had fathered her other two daughters

Boyce noted that Sykes has no previous criminal history, and no previously known psychological issues.

Sources told New York Post that the accused killer became 'unhinged' after he thought that Cutler had been 'fooling around' with the man who had fathered her other two daughters.

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.

Police supplied these photos of Michael Sykes, 23, after he went on the run on Wednesday

All four victims were alive when paramedics arrived on the scene, but Cutler and one child died shortly afterwards, while the second child passed hours later, police and fire officials said.

The family is waiting for the city medical examiner to release the bodies of the young mom and her two youngest kids so they can plan their funerals, the New York Post reported.

It is unclear who will have custody of Miracle at this time.

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.

Speaking at the time of the attack, Mayor de Blasio said: 'Every parent would share my view that our hearts break when see innocent children attacked.'

The Ramada Inn on Staten Island was the scene of the quadruple stabbing Wednesday that left three dead
As the Queen Victoria  part of the Cunard fleet  glides into the bay, lights flash from the towering mountains of one of Europes tiniest countries.

It soon becomes clear that they are the reflections of binoculars, cameras and telescopes wielded by hundreds of people who have taken up position to witness our arrival. This is the medieval walled city of Kotor in Montenegro, our first port of call on a seven-day cruise beginning in Rome and ending in Venice.

Strolling around Kotors twisting white streets, past 14 baroque churches (I go into all of them), you end up in a charming car-free centre where craftsmen turn out traditional Balkan peasant shoes.

A grand affair: The Queen Victoria is a regular, stately presence in the waters of the Adriatic

We head back to the Queen Victoria for afternoon tea (serenaded by a harpist) and even more food. As a first-time cruiser, Im finding it easy to be seduced by the style and service. Two bellboys in pillbox hats wait at the top of the gangway; the Art Deco interior includes vast chandeliers and miles of polished wood.

There is a huge range of activities, day or night  flower arranging, line dancing, wine tasting. Its no contest. I am first in the queue for the wine-tasting and the last to leave. One evening, after dinner, I find myself on stage in one of the bars, doing a rousing rendition of Madonnas Material Girl, with a wealthy Conservative peer and a retired firefighter.

Stop-over: The walls of the fortress in Corfu Town make for an intriguing sight as any boat pulls into harbour

For Cunard, a dinner jacket is as important as a lifejacket. Its the only way you can get into the smarter restaurants. The ship moves on to Dubrovnik, where fans of Game Of Thrones, which is filmed in the city, can take guided tours, offered on the hour. The one-mile walk around the battlements, which withstood a seven-month siege during the Yugoslav war, can take hours if you keep stopping to stare.

One of my favourite stops is Corfu. The beaches are the best yet. Devotees of the Royal Family, and there are several American ones on board, can head for Mon Repos Palace on the Analipsis Hill, where Prince Philip was born in June 1921. The pretty capital, Corfu Town, with its Venetian-style quarters, is a Unesco world heritage site. In one of the many tavernas I learn the sirtaki, the dance made famous by Anthony Quinn in the 1964 film Zorba The Greek. My teacher, an indomitable Greek granny, sinks more ouzo in an hour than I can manage in a week.

Our last night on board is an Abba-themed party. I even take a Lurex shirt and trousers for the occasion. Its much more me than line dancing or Zorba The Greek. I could get used to cruising.
Soap has never shied away from big themes, but it's just weeks into the new year and I'm already feeling overkill. Coronation Street's Simon appears to be even more of a child delinquent, EastEnders' Phineeds a new liver (and let's not forget rapist Dean, mentally ilStacey, and epileptic Nancy), and Emmerdale's vicar Ashley's early dementia is fading into insignificance alongside Aaron's disclosure of sexuaabuse.

January and February are depressing enough as it is, so I was hoping that with Valentine's Day tomorrow, there might have been something of a let-up. Not a chance of it. Love is proving just as difficult a territory to conquer as it ever was. This week, the Street's Tracy is threatening to bring Carla's marriage off the rails, EastEnders's Abi is lying about being pregnant in order to hold on to gay Ben, and Emmerdale's Rhona discovers that Paddy has been having an affair.

Thank goodness for some lighter moments in the Street, keeping us sane through this doom and gloom. But come on, guys. Give us something to smile about. There are stilanother 316 days to go before Christmas. Yes, it's a leap year - an extra day of misery for you all, alas.

CORONATION STREET: WARS OF THE ROSES - AND THE THORN

In agony, Carla Connor [ALISON KING] begs Tracy Barlow [KATE FORD] for her painkillers

How many bunches of flowers has Tracy sold since opening Tracy's Twigs, Psycho's Psyllium (look it up!), or whatever the name of that florist's is? I know I can count them on one hand, and unless people start dying pronto, I don't see the business lasting the tax year.

Incredibly, it has a stand at the wedding fayre this week, where, oh no (cue sinister music), Carla has gone with Michelle to plan her wedding. Convinced that Robert has planned a tryst with Carla, Tracy reveals that she knows about their night of passion and holds on to Carla's painkillers (pictured). Hardly The Shining, is it? WilTracy decide to reveaalto Nick, or does she have something more sinister up her sleeve? Anna is also in mad mode when Phelan declares that Jason has given him extra work. She attacks him, but wilthis be a step too far for Kevin? He'lbe thinking Jenny is the AngeGabrieby the time the week's out.

In an excuse to encourage a woman to get her kit off, the show has Sinead modelling the new Underworld range, but Chesney is less than pleased when the photographer offers her another job modelling for catalogues. Don't get excited, Sinead. I suspect it might be for the wristwatch pages. NutriBullet, at best.

With her usuaaplomb, Sally Dynevor continues to deliver laugh upon laugh with her character Sally's counciaspirations. Just love her.

EASTENDERS: KUSH, CRASH, KISS, ZZZ

Abi waits to see the doctor. Abi Branning (LORNA FITZGERALD), Ben Mitchell (HARRY REID)

I don't know about you, but I'm stilhaving trouble getting that image of Kim in the maid's outfit out of my head from the week before last. Not since Frank appeared at Pat's door wearing nothing but a spinning bow tie have I been so distressed. Only a naked Vincent sitting on the sofa distracted me. But it's stilthere for ever. At least Vincent has other things on his mind this week (lucky him - if only viewers were that lucky) when Sharon, at breaking point, makes a drastic decision. But is Phireally as back on track as he appears? Just in case, I'd stilhang on to your livers for grim death, folks.

There is more drama at the hospitawith Stacey, who wants to go home (No, please!), and after opening up to the doctor about how she is feeling, she has the choice of staying as a voluntary inpatient or continuing treatment at home. As Martin has just been involved not only in a fight with Kush, but a car crash with Arthur onboard (never easy for this lot, is it?), maybe he isn't in the right frame of mind to be making decisions, but when did that ever stop anyone?

Ben is reeling at the news of Abi's pregnancy, and the question now is for how long she can keep up the lie. Ignorant of the truth, Ben decides that he wants to stand by her (pictured) and be a better dad than Phihas been to him (that's not hard - Phiclearly hid the lad's hearing aid years ago), and Pauis gutted when he sees the pair kissing.

Just when they thought life couldn't get any more difficult, Gavin's back. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

EMMERDALE: THE SENSITIVE SIDE OF MANHOOD

The tension is high between Nikhil Sharma [RIK MAKAREM] and Jai Sharma [CHRIS BISSON]

They're very emotionablokes in Emmerdale. After a week that saw Kirin shouting at Johnny, Nikhiworrying that Leyla preferred Jai in bed (the pair have a punch-up this week, pictured), and Aaron sobbing over his past (a great performance from Danny Miller, by the way), there's more to come.

Ashley is concerned that Laurehas hit the bottle again (who could blame her?), Zak is despairing over Aaron and refusing to confide in Joanie, and Paddy is distraught at what he's done to his marriage.
He isn't one to turn down a tough challenge.

But there is one project that TV personality and landscaper Jamie Durie will shake his head at and that's a starring role in I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!

Speaking to News.com.au, Jamie revealed why he would say 'no' to the golden opportunity, but made it clear: 'I'm certainly not scared of the jungle.'

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'It's the premise of the show that scares me': Jamie Durie, 45, reveals why he would never go on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!

'It's the premise of the show that scares me more than wild snakes, hippos and rare diseases,' he said.

'I'm not even concerned about the other celebrities, I'm just not into shows that test the human spirit. [The Living Room] is much more my speed.'

Indeed, Jamie was back on TV on Friday when he filled in for Dr Chris Brown - who is away filming I'm A Celebrity in South Africa - on the Living Room.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, the former Backyard Blitz presenter shared his top tips on keeping roses fresh while on the evening program.

Nope! Sweaty, starving, sleep deprived and the prospect of spending up to two months in the jungle in Im A CelebrityGet Me Out Of Here! is not what is making Jamie turn his head away from the reality show

Have a cherry Valentine's Day! The former Backyard Blitz presenter also provided advice for keeping roses fresh

'Fresh water is the key but there is also a few other things that you can think about,' he explained.

'When you get your roses, tear off the leaves below the water line, wash the inside of the vase because it's the fungus and the bacteria that you want to stop.

'Every time you change the water, you also want to cut the ends at 45 degree angles,' he went on, adding: 'Giving [the roses] a little bit of mist once a day. That will leave the leaves nice and moist because air-conditioning is one of their biggest enemies.'

The buff and bronzed 45-year-old has been engaged three times and recently said he believed his career had stopped him from finding love.

'Over the years, I've been married to my career,' he admitted in a brutally honest interview with Fairfax's Sunday Life Magazine.

Helping out: Jamie has been filling in for Bondi Vet Dr Chris Brown (L) on his show The Living Room

'My biggest regret is that I've put too much energy into it. My work has become my foundation, my stability, the only thing I've really been able to rely on' he added.

The furniture designer believes he made the wrong choices earlier in life, prioritising work over his personal life and hopes the realisation that he's been married to the job will force him to change.

Although love is not lost for the former Manpower performer.

The father-of-one has been romantically linked to Sydney accountant Natasha Kewal, 34.

They were first spotted together in May after he returned from a trip to the US, where he has the show Outback Nation.

It's understood the Sydney accountant and the father-of-one have been dating since then, although neither has confirmed the relationship.

Unlucky in love: The 45-year-old has been engaged three times and recently said he believed his career had stopped him from finding love

A fixer: Jamie is not one to shy away from tough projects




She became Mrs Scott last month following a beach wedding in the presence of family and friends.

So more than happy to take her latest role as wife, Kimberley Walsh proudly paraded her new name as she enjoyed a day in the sun with husband Justin Scott.

Lapping up the beautiful weather in Barbados, the 34-year-old showcased her pert posterior in a personalised bikini set.

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Mrs S: Kimberley Walsh paraded her new name with personalised bikini as she honeymooned in Barbados

Newlyweds: The couple hid their eyes behind aviator sunglasses as they walked together in the sand

Keeping close to one another, the newlyweds were seen hiding behind sunglasses as they walked along the sandy shore.

With her hair tied up, Kimberley looked great in the white twisted bandeau two piece by Melissa Odabash which was decorated the titled 'Mrs. S'.

Loving the wedding gift, Walsh was quick to change her profile picture on Twitter as well as upload a shot of her derriere to Instagram.

The caption which accompanied the image read: 'Thanks @melissaodabash for my custom made bikini such a nice surprise'.

Personalised bikini have somewhat become a staple for celebrities on their honeymoons with the likes of Kim Kardashian and Kate Beckinsale all donning similar swimsuits.

'Such a nice surprise': The 34-year-old changed the profile picture on her Twitter to the shot of her derriere

Picture perfect: Kimberley looked amazing in the twisted bandeau white two piece by Melissa Odabash

Marriage suits her: The mother-of-one tied her hair back as she showcased her toned tum

Kimberley and Justin became man and wife on the 30th January when she walked down the aisle in a bespoke wedding dress by Berta Bridal.

However, despite the bride looking amazing, she didn't think twice about telling off dapper Justin after he failed to turn around to watch her stunning entrance.

Property developer Scott, 33, told Hello!: 'I couldn't wait to see her. Although I quickly realised I was in the doghouse even before we were husband and wife when her first words to me at the altar were, "Why didn't you turn round?"'

He was forced to explain to Walsh - while standing in front of all their guests at the altar - that the minister had told him not to.

Justin continued: 'When I did, though ... wow. She just looked incredible; more gorgeous than I've ever seen her.'

How they were: Back in 2004, Kate Beckinsale and now estranged husband Len Wiseman on their honeymoon

That's not her name! Kim Kardashian also marked her marriage to Kris Humphries with a bikini

Mrs Keating: Ronan Keating posted a picture of his wife Storm Uechtritz adorning her new title

Kimberley and Justin, who have been together for 13 years, welcomed their first child, son Bobby, in September 2014.

The long-term couple announced their engagement months after the arrival of their little boy in November 2014 and the grand reveal came with no words just a picture of the stunning ring.

The engagement was then confirmed by Supersonic PR, the agency which represents Kimberley, with a tweet that read: 'Congratulations on the engagement @KimberleyJWalsh and Justin'.
She is not usually known for pushing fashion boundaries.

But Hilary Duff decided to take a trip to Wonderland with her choice of outfit to watch the Zimmermann show on Friday.

The actress and singer appeared to be channeling Alice from Lewis Carroll's famous tale with her ensemble as she hit New York Fashion Week.

Novel outfit: Hilary Duff decided to take a trip to Wonderland with her choice of outfit to watch the Zimmermann show on Friday

Hilary, who is usually seen more demure garb, most often in her exercise gear wore a blue and white striped pinafore style dress to the catwalk show.

The design featured detail on the waist which appeared to look like a belt.

The hole design was in an intricate pattern, and the thick band accentuated her small waist.

Which way now? The design featured detail on the waist which appeared to look like a belt

Different looks in one: The 28-year-old's frock also featured a see-through lace shirt style underneath the overskirt, which had flamboyant cuffs

No need for structure: It also revealed she had gone sans bra to the event

Lacy lady: Hilary's dress had a lace underskirt which dropped just below the hemline of the blue and white layer of the frock

It's Alice! Her frock was reminiscent of the character from Lewis Caroll's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

The 28-year-old's frock also featured a see-through lace shirt style underneath the overskirt, which had flamboyant cuffs.

It also revealed she had gone sans bra to the event.

Hilary's dress had a lace underskirt which dropped just below the hemline of the blue and white layer of the frock.

In good company: She wasn't the only celebrity at the side of the runway - she was joined by Empire star Serayah McNeill and Australian Jessica Hart

She went for bare legs and a pair of pastel blue strappy sandals.

Her lilac hued locks complimented the pale shades of her ensemble.

As she made her way into the venue Hilary wore a heavy winter coat around her shoulders to keep out the chill.

Specs appeal: The 29-year-old model wore thick framed black spectacles to aid her viewing of the designs

Strapped up: Empire actress Serayah McNeill was also in pale blue

What a belter: She was wearing a dress which was made up of a flared skirt and bra, that had bondage inspired straps

She was joined at the side of the catwalk by Jessica Hart.

The Australian model wore thick framed black spectacles to aid her viewing of the designs.

Her blonde locks were loose and out, and she wore a simple white skirt and pale caramel coloured coat.

She wore a pair of black patent lace ups giving her overall ensemble a preppy look.

Empire actress Serayah McNeill was also in pale blue - wearing a dress which was made up of a flared skirt and bra, that had bondage inspired straps.

Brand: The Zimmermann fashion label, which originated in Sydney Australia, was originally known as ready to wear, but was soon lauded for its swimwear as well

Founder: Created by sisters Nicky and Simone Zimmermann, Nicky, who designs, she takes some inspiration from her childhood growing up Down Under

The 20-year-old wore her long locks poker straight.

The Zimmermann fashion label, which originated in Sydney, Australia, was originally a ready to wear brand, but it is also now known for its swimwear.

Created by sisters Nicky and Simone Zimmermann, Nicky, who designs, takes inspiration from her childhood growing up Down Under and holidays in Bali, and overseas travel for her designs, which often feature delicate prints, light fabrics and lashings of lace.

She started the label from her parents garage.
Jennifer Lawrence has donated $2million to a children's hospital in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.

The money will be used to build the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Kosair Children's Hospital.

The charitable 25-year-old announced the news with a video message, and also used the opportunity to encourage others to raise funds for the cause.

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Charitable star: Jennifer Lawrence has donated $2million to Kosair Children's Hospital in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. The actress is pictured here on Monday

'As part of my effort to help these children and caregivers, I challenge the entire community to get behind this cause and help match my gift by raising an additional $2 million to support all of these brave and inspiring children,' Jennifer said in the clip.

The Joy actress's mother Karen and father Gary - who used to run a children's summer camp - were at the hospital on Friday, speaking to the press about the daughter's donation.

The news comes Jennifer less than two months after Jennifer visited patients at the hospital on Christmas Eve - something she had also done the previous year.

Veronica Tracie, whose daughter Bria, met Jennifer during the visit, said: 'She was very sweet, genuine, and I could sense the beauty of her soul.

See more on Jennifer Lawrence updates as she donates $2M to a children's hospital

Generous: The money will be used to establish the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

Spreading some cheer: The actress visited the hospital on Christmas Eve - and did the same the previous year

'You know how some people just light up the room, or you just feel comfortable in their presence.'

Jennifer also took a break from filming X-Men: Apocalypse in Montreal, Canada, in August to spend time with the patients at Shriners Hospital for Children.

Shriners Hospital wrote on Facebook: 'A very special visitor stopped by our Canada hospital today. Jennifer Lawrence is in Montreal filming a new movie and she made time to visit some of our #ShrinersCanada kids and staff. Everyone had a great time!'

Announcing the news: Jennifer shared a video message revealing her generous donation

Get involved: The 25-year-old challenged others to join her in raising funds to 'support all of these brave and inspiring children'

Jennifer was an assistant nurse at her parents' camp before she became an Oscar-winning actress.

And she previously revealed that she planned to become a nurse full time if she didn't make it in Hollywood.

Jennifer said in May 2014 on Live! With Kelly And Michael: 'I actually had a five-year plan when I came out here to act. I was like, "I'll give it five years, and if that doesn't work, I'll go to nursing school."'
As a runway regular and one of Australia's most popular models, she surely has plenty of access to the best fashions.

So it was no surprise that Jessica Hart indulged in the luxury of changing her front-row-ready outfits in between shows at New York Fashion Week on Friday.

The 29-year-old was seen wearing a grey top and white skirt while attending the Zimmermann Fall 2016 Runway Show, before slipping into a striking purple blouse at the Cushnie et Ochs show.

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Outfit change: On Friday Jessica Hart was seen wearing a grey top and white skirt while attending the Zimmermann Fall 2016 Runway Show, before slipping into a striking purple blouse at the Cushnie et Ochs show during New York Fashion Week

Opting for a neutral colour palette for her appearance at the Zimmerman runway, blonde beauty Jessica sported a chic grey skivvy teamed with a white skirt.

With a laced border at the base, the skirt finished just above her ankles, while a pair of sleek black closed shoes were her footwear of choice.

Adding a fashion-forward touch to her look, the older sister of Ashley Hart also draped a camel coloured coat over her shoulders.

Stunning: Opting for a neutral colour palette for her appearance at the Zimmerman show, blonde beauty Jessica sported a chic grey skivvy teamed with a white skirt

Stylish: With a laced border at the base, the skirt finished just above her ankles, while a pair of sleek black closed shoes were her footwear of choice

Picture perfect: Jessica's locks were worn out in a natural wave while her pout was painted a soft pink

Her golden locks were worn out in a natural wave, while she accessorised with a bold black handbag, and statement spectacles.

While attending the Cushnie et Ochs show, the stunner not only changes her glasses, but also decided to mix her look up by switching outfits.

Not afraid to make a statement, she slipped on a striking purple blouse splashed with a delicate pink pattern all over.

Very chic: The Australian model pictured sitting front row next to Serayah McNeill and Zella Day

Squad: Hilary Duff, Serayah McNeill, Zella Day and Adelaide Kane all joined Jessica front-row at the show

Beauties: All of the famous ladies were dressed to impress for the New York Fashion Week show

The long-sleeved, buttoned up shirt was teamed with a pair of black leggings that wrapped around her trim pins perfectly.

There's no doubt the model was keen to experiment in the style stakes, by wearing a pair of crimson coloured loafers to complete her look.

While attending the Zimmerman fashion show, Jessica was seated front-row next to some notable names.

Details: Jessica accessorised her look with a pair of chic black spectacles

Photo time: Jessica was seen taking snaps of the fashions showcased during the runway show

These included the likes of Hilary Duff, Zella Day and Adelaide Kane.

The Zimmermann fashion label, which originated in Sydney, Australia, was originally a ready to wear brand, but it is also now known for its swimwear as well.

Created by sisters Nicky and Simone Zimmermann, Nicky, who designs, takes inspiration from her childhood growing up Down Under and holidays in Bali, and overseas travel for her designs, which often feature delicate prints, light fabrics and lashings of lace.

She started the label from her parents' garage.

Popping in purple: Jessica pictured with actress and singer Jennifer Hudson at the Cushnie et Ochs show
Supermodel Lily Donaldson voluntarily sexed up proceedings as she lent her support to a pre-BAFTA bash in London on Friday evening.

The Brit-born Mulberry muse injected a healthy dose of glamour into Harvey Weinstein's star-studded dinner which was held in partnership with Burberry and Grey Goose at Little House in Mayfair.

Lily, 29, bent the boundaries between female and male dressing as a mannish suit formed the basis of her party look but she managed to add a racy edge.

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Boy meets girl: Lily Donaldson sexed up a two-piece suit with a plunging semi-sheer body as she lent her support to a pre-BAFTA bash in London Friday evening

She cut a statuesque figure in a pair of black slim-fit tailored trousers and a loose-fitting blazer jacket.

However, Lily was determined to be noticed among the film-industry glitterati and sexed up the look by styling it with a plunging and partially see-through body which enhanced her model figure.

She offered a peek of her cleavage thanks to the deep-V-shaped neckline and flashed glimpses of her taut tummy beneath it.

Underwear as outerwear: Lily, 29, offered a glimpse of her cleavage and taut tummy thanks to the partially see-through fabric

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies sandwich: The British model smiled sweetly as she posed in between thrilled co-stars Matt Smith and Douglas Booth

The Hammersmith native further heightened her towering frame with a pair of delicate black heeled sandals.

She was as impeccably polished as usual with her pretty facial features intensified with natural-coloured make-up tones.

Lily wore her golden locks in a middle parting and tucked behind her ears to unveil a small gold hoop attached to each lobe - her only accessory of the evening.

The stunning catwalk queen appeared to be a hit with the guest list - especially the male attendees - as they couldn't get enough of her.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies actors - and fellow Brits - Douglas Booth and Matt Smith looked like the cats who got the cream as the stunning star stood between them for an obligatory party snapshot.

Award-season queen: Cate Blanchett shone bright as she led the chic arrivals to the pre-BAFTA bash which was attended by a host of film stars - nominees and others

Although there was no denying Lily looked incredible, Hollywood shining star Cate Blanchett firmly stole the spotlight as she was dressed in a show-stopping number.

The 46-year-old Carol leading lady shone bright in a taupe suede maxi dress which was decorated with unique gold trimming and featured a matching sequin panel.

The award-winning Australian suggested she will pull all the stops out come Sunday's show at which she'll be hoping to nab the Best Actress in a Leading Role trophy.

British Academy Film Awards air on BBC One at 9pm on Sunday 14 February
She shared a nearly decade-old image of her and sister Nicky Hilton 'rocking the runway' on Friday.

But that same day sisters Paris and Nicky Hilton instead enjoyed front row seats to Pamella Roland's fashion show at Pier 59.

The ladies were a style tour de force as they sat front row at the designer's Fall 2016 showings during New York Fashion Week.

Sister act: Paris Hilton and her sister Nicky Hilton wore Pamella Roland as they attended the designer's Fall 2016 runway show during New York Fashion Week at Pier 59 on Friday

Paris was preened to absolute perfection with her famous blonde hair worn down in sleek and glossy waves.

The socialite looked right at home as she posed up a storm for photographers, dazzling in her vibrant hot pink Pamella Roland dress with a cut-out in between the cleavage.

The striking garment also featured a silver leaf design.

Her sister Nicky, meanwhile, channelled a very different vibe.

Posing princesses: Hilton dazzled in her hot pink dress with a silver leaf design while Nicky wowed in Pamella's 'Party Dress'

Twice as nice! The ladies took a moment to snap beside their front row seats just before the big show

The hotel heiress, who is pregnant with her first child with husband James Rothschild, wore a preppy white low-cut dress by the designer with a belted waistline.

With a portion of her glossy blonde hair pinned back, the starlet let the rest hang freely in loose waves.

Nicky revealed on Instagram what her final look reminded her of when she shared a snap of herself posing inside what may have been her living room.

Mesmerized: The elder of the Hilton sisters looked transfixed by the passing models

Poised to perfection: The mother-to-be crossed her legs as she watched the catwalk queens take the runway by storm

'Stepford vibes,' she captioned the image.

Fast forward to the runway show, Nicky and Paris had their eyes glued to the catwalk as the models walked in the designer's upcoming styles.

The line launched in 2002, according to its website, now has a fanbase that includes celebrities, who have worn Pamella Roland gowns on the red carpet and even in photo shoots.

In the spotlight: The ladies were given a first look at Roland's upcoming wear in their coveted front row seats

Look who's here! The Hunger Games actress Willow Shields and Sydney Devos posed just before taking in the runway scene

Sheer thing! Cory Kennedy donned a pair of see-through leggings with a silver design

The designer has even expanded with a collection of bridal gowns.

The fashionable week must have made Paris feeling nostalgic, as the heiress took to Instagram to share several flashback snaps of her and her sister Nicky on the runway for Heatherette in 2007.

Meanwhile, Paris' relationship with Thomas Gross has been going from strength to strength.

Just face it! J. Alexander wore a top with a face print as he mingled with Sara Gore and Katherine McNamara

Fashionable fun! Nigel Barker looked sharp in a suit as he posed beside his wife Cristen Barker and Willow and Katherine

The star of the show! Designer Pamella Roland posed proudly backstage

The socialite recently told E! News that 'I've never been happier in my life.'

'I just feel like I'm in a different place in my life. I live in Switzerland now. I'm in love,' Paris said, before adding that Thomas would be surprising her with a beach getaway in honour of the upcoming Valentine's Day and her birthday, which will be celebrated next Wednesday.

'He said, "Pack bikinis." We're going to land somewhere tropical and beautiful and some place I've never been before, so I'm excited.'

Raving about Nicky's upcoming addition, Paris also said that she will be 'one of the coolest aunts ever.'

'She is so excited. The whole family cannot wait. This is the first baby, the first time my parents being grandparents,' Paris said.

Nostalgic? Hilton shared a snap on Friday of herself and sister Nicky working the Heatherette runway in 2007

Wild thing: The 34-year-old also shared a snap of herself playing with the fabric of her animal print dress as she walked for Heatherette in 2007
She has always remained coy surrounding her relationship with Casper Smart.

But there's no denying Jennifer Lopez only has eyes for her hunky beau as she was spotted doing some Valentine's Day shopping on Friday.

The 46-year-old singer and performer made a few purchases at Barneys New York in Beverly Hills just ahead of the romantic holiday.

Something for Casper? Jennifer Lopez was spotted making a few purchases at Barneys New York, ahead of Valentine's Day on Friday

Exiting the upscale department store, the Booty hitmaker was all smiles and looked delighted by her purchases.

She wore a long, black maxi dress that showed off her famous derriere paired with a white halter top which crossed in the front.

The Golden Globe nominee covered her silky mane with a pink and chocolate brown graphic silk scarf and kept concealed behind movie star shades.

Lopez accessorized her ensemble with a cream-coloured designer handbag and several gold bracelets for some added sparkle.

Famous curves! The Booty hitmaker wore a long, black maxi dress that showed off her famous derriere paired with a white halter top which crossed in the front

The Puerto Rican beauty graced the cover of InStyle magazine's February issue and hinted a bit at her personal life with Casper.

But while she has been linked with her handsome boyfriend for years, she explained that she has no plans on marriage.

Playing coy she stated: 'I need to be happy on my own. If someone fits into that, great. But if they dont, thats OK too.'

Evasive: The Puerto Rican beauty graced the cover of InStyle magazine's February issue and remained coy about her relationship with Casper Smart

Flawless! The American Idol judge covered her silky mane with a pink and chocolate brown graphic silk scarf and kept concealed behind movie star shades

However rumours swirled when last May when she was spotted wearing a diamond ring on her wedding finger last last May.

Clearing up any speculation, the American Idol judge spoke to Ryan Seacrest on his KIIS-FM radio show.

'Im not engaged and I didnt know there were rumors,' she said. 'I've been so busy that I havent really had time to keep up with the gossip.'

Lopez began dating her former back-up dancer Casper in 2011 and broke up briefly with him in 2014 before reconciling a few months later.
Tahyna Tozzi-MacManus and Tristan MacManus recently celebrated their second wedding anniversary.

And now, it seems the 29-year-old Australian model and actress could be expecting her first child with her Irish professional dancer husband, 33, after sister Cheyenne Tozzi took to Instagram with a suggestive post.

The 27-year-old model and TV presenter uploaded a snap on the social media site on Saturday, rubbing her sister's stomach outside a Melbourne florist and captioned the image: 'I love you and baby too.'

'I love you and baby too': Cheyenne Tozzi appeared to announce her sister Tahnya Tozzi-MacManus's pregnancy in a post on Instagram Saturday

Cheyenne, who was pictured in figure-hugging black mini dress with a blazer draped over the top, is seen with her hand on what appears to be her sister's growing belly.

Tahyna, who moved to Ireland to be with her Strictly Dancing husband, wore a loose-fitting thin white frilly dress that finished at the knee and was paired with strappy sandals.

As soon as the picture went up, fans and celebrity friends were quick to send their well wishes to the happy couple.

Close: The modelling duo are close and no doubt looking forward to sharing the experience together

Family first: The successful sisters remain very close despite living in different parts of the world and regularly return home to spend time with their mum (pictured) and family in Australia

Australian actress and Hollywood A-lister, Teresa Palmer wrote: 'Me toooooo!!', adding the hash-tag 'Baby Macmanus.'

Actor and TV presenter Dan MacPherson added: 'So awesome.'

While celebrity stylist Katharina Trappe said: 'My baby having a baby lol I am excited and happy for you can't wait.'

The Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Tahyna's representatives for comment.

'Baby Macmanus': Celebrity well-wishers including Teresa Palmer used a hash-tag 'Baby MacManus', which also appeared to confirm the news

Recent anniversary: The actress and model recently celebrated her second wedding anniversary with her Irish professional dancer husband

Apart from becoming an aunt for the first-time, Cheyenne is working on developing her music career.

Last year, she confirmed to the Daily Mail Australia that she had officially moved to Paris.

'I moved for music and the majority of my work is in Europe so it's a long bloody flight,' she said.

Alongside pursuing a singing career, the 1.75 metre glamazon appeared on the last series of Australia's Next Top Model as a model mentor.
He's one of Hollywood's most eligible bachelors, but it seems Colin Farrell may have found his leading lady.

The Lobster actor was spotted enjoying a casual day date with a mystery brunette in West Hollywood, California, on Friday.

Colin, 39, appeared to have taken inspiration from the Indie music scene as he looked cool in a trilby hat and a pair of Cuban-heeled leather boots.

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Who's that girl? Colin Farrell cut a cool figure as he enjoyed a low-key day date with a mystery leggy lady in West Hollywood, California, on Friday

The Golden Globe winner played the perfect gent as he linked arms with the brunette beauty while the shopped in their local neighbourhood with the afternoon sun beating down on them.

Colin nailed his off-duty uniform which comprised a grey T-shirt, slim-fit black jeans, some brown leather boots and a small black hat.

He tucked a pair of sunglasses into the neckline of his tee and sported neat facial stubble.

Unleashing his inner rocker: Colin, 39, appeared to have taken inspiration from the Indie music scene as he looked cool in a trilby hat

Sartorially-in-sync: The Lobster actor and his stunning female companion wore complementing grey T-shirts for their low-key outing

Meanwhile, his mystery female companion put on a leggy display in a pair of denim shorts which rested high on her thighs and featured misplaced rips.

She teamed them with a plain grey T-shirt - a lighter version to Colin's - a white knitted cardigan, which flowed behind her, and a pair of plain black espadrilles.

The pretty brunette was mostly fresh-faced and allowed her naturally glossy and straight to flow freely.

Leggy lady: The Asian beauty paraded her lean legs in a pair of distressed denim mini shorts

During a previous Ellen DeGeneres Show appearance, the Irish favourite, perhaps slightly unconvincingly, begged for tips on how to bag himself a girlfriend.

The True Detective actor told the chat show host: 'Straight up, you are literally the closest thing I have to a girlfriend.

'I don't have a type. A human being, you know? I suppose kindness is kind of nice and sexy.'

Over the years Colin has dated many of the world's most desirable women, including Britney Spears, Angelina Jolie and Michelle Rodriguez.

He is father to two children - 13-year-old son James whose mother is ex-partner Kim Bordenave and another son Henry, seven, with Alicja Bachleda-Curus whom he dated for a year from 2009-2010.
She touched down in London earlier this week ahead of the BAFTAs.

And Julianne Moore was making the most of her time in the British capital, attending a special Q&A about her new film Freeheld at the Ritzy cinema in Brixton on Friday night.

The 55-year-old actress looked incredible as ever for her special appearance, opting for a casual yet chic ensemble.

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A winning look: Julianne Moore looked effortlessly stylish as she headed to a Q&A at The Ritzy cinema in Brixton, London on Friday night

Julianne made the most of her fantastic physique in a pair of figure-hugging leather trousers, paired with a white blouse.

The redhead dressed up the look with a classic black blazer and a pair of peep-toe heels.

She wore her auburn locks down in touseled waves, highlighting her killer cheekbones with bronzer.

Smart casual: The Oscar-winning actress paired her leather trousers with a chic white blouse, peep-toe heels and a black blazer

Out and about: The Danish Girl actress Alicia Vikander was seen arriving at her London hotel ahead of the star-studded BAFTA ceremony

Also spotted out and about in London ahead of the BAFTAs was The Danish Girl star Alicia Vikander, who was spotted heading into her London hotel.

On Friday, Julianne touched down in London ahead of Sunday's 2016 ceremony to see who will take the crown this year.

The actress looked incredibly ladylike as she headed to the BBC Radio 2 studios in an elegeant tweed dress with sexy strappy heels.

Fiery haired: Julianne has just touched down in London ahead of Sunday's 2016 ceremony to see who will take the crown this year

The star looked typically elegant in her structured tweed dress which perfectly flattered her figure and was both sexy and age-appropriate.

Julianne's no doubt-designer piece boasted a polo-neck detail and a nipped in waist while skimming her knee in hem-length.

She added in low denier tights with super-sexy strappy heels - the perfect addition to ensure the prim dress was not aging or overly demure.

Gorgeous in grey: The 55-year-old actress looked incredibly ladylike as she headed to the BBC Radio 2 studios in an elegeant tweed dress with sexy strappy heels

A long-strap handbag which sat at her hip with gold trimmings and a three-section detailing.

Julianne's famed fiery locks were worn in lustrous waves, worked through with a crimped detail.

Her alabaster skin was dewy and smooth while she added lashings of deep mascara and an expertly applied brow which perfectly sculpted her face shape.

Elegant display: The Freeheld actress looked typically elegant in her structured tweed dress which perfectly flattered her figure and was both sexy and age-appropriate

At last year's February ceremony, the North Carolina-born beauty, was honoured with the trophy for her role in Still Alice, in which she plays a doctor struggling with the onset of dementia.

She beat out tough competition from Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), Amy Adams (Big Eyes), Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) and Reese Witherspoon (Wild).

She took to the stage and emotionally thanked the female members of her family, insisting she felt compelled to mention them during her first ever BAFTAs speech - because they hail from the UK.

Former winner: At last year's February ceremony, the North Carolina-born beauty, was honoured with the trophy for her role in Still Alice, in which she plays a doctor struggling with the onset of dementia

She said:' Thank you for including me among these beautiful performances both British Felicity, Rosamund and American Amy and Reese I'm honoured to be honoured with you tonight.

'Film is a collaborative medium, there's no way you can give a performance by yourself and the thing i value most about my job is the creative partnership with others.'

This year's BAFTA ceremony takes place on Sunday.
George Clooney and his wife Amal departed Berlin Tegel Airport Friday night so that they could celebrate Valentine's Day in London.

The 38-year-old human rights lawyer - whose stylist is Alexis Roche - got leggy in a grey-striped mini-dress beneath a black blazer, and booties.

Despite it being dark outside, the British-Lebanese barrister - born Alamuddin - rocked large sunglasses over her camera-ready, flawless complexion.

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Jet setters: George Clooney and his wife Amal departed Berlin Tegel Airport Friday night so that they could celebrate Valentine's Day in London

Amal's 54-year-old silver fox rocked red shades, a black leather motorbike jacket, blue jeans, and beige suede Oxfords for their flight.

While in Germany, the Clooneys managed to indulge both their humanitarian side as well as their glamorous red carpet side.

On Friday, the married couple of 17 months met with three Syrian refugee families through the International Rescue Committee.

Hours earlier, the two-time Oscar winner and the Columbia Law School professor discussed the crisis for 40 minutes with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who accepted a reported 80K refugees in Berlin last year.

See George Clooney updates as he ans Amal fly to London from Berlin for Valentine's

Pin parade: The 38-year-old human rights lawyer - whose stylist is Alexis Roche - got leggy in a grey-striped mini-dress beneath a black blazer, and booties

Hollywood trasformation: Despite it being dark outside, the British-Lebanese barrister - born Alamuddin - rocked large sunglasses over her camera-ready, flawless complexion

Hauling their luggage: Amal's 54-year-old silver fox rocked red shades, a black leather motorbike jacket, blue jeans, and beige suede Oxfords for their flight

Clutching his iPad: While in Germany, the Clooneys managed to indulge both their humanitarian side as well as their glamorous red carpet side

On Thursday, George snapped at a reporter asking him how he could possibly help refugees during a Berlin Film Festival press conference.

'I spend a lot of time working on these things,' the Very Murray Christmas star replied curtly - according to THR.

'I have gone to places that are very dangerous and I work a lot on these things. I'd like to know what you are doing to help the situation!'

Meeting Mona and her daughter Joudi: On Friday, the married couple of 17 months met with three Syrian refugee families through the International Rescue Committee

Privileged meeting: Hours earlier, the two-time Oscar winner and the Columbia Law School professor discussed the crisis for 40 minutes with German Chancellor Angela Merkel (2-L)

'I'd like to know what you are doing to help!' On Thursday, George snapped at a reporter asking him how he could possibly help refugees during a Berlin Film Festival press conference

It's always been clear from Clooney's marital alliance with Amal that he has strong political ambitions.

In the past, the Tomorrowland actor has used his celebrity to advocate for the Darfur conflict, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the 2004 tsunami, and 9/11 victims.

The Clooneys enjoyed a glamorous date night Thursday at the Berlin Film Festival premiere of his latest film Hail, Caesar!

All smiles! The Clooneys enjoyed a glamorous date night Thursday at the Berlin Film Festival premiere of his latest film Hail, Caesar!

Picture perfect: The brainy brunette beauty looked elegant as always in a vintage 1981 Yves Saint Laurent black sequinned gown featuring a chiffon overlay

The brainy brunette beauty looked elegant as always in a vintage 1981 Yves Saint Laurent black sequinned gown featuring a chiffon overlay.

In his fourth collaboration with the Coen Brothers, George plays dim-witted Hollywood heartthrob Baird Whitlock.

The fifties spoof - also starring Josh Brolin, Channing Tatum, and Scarlett Johansson - screens Wednesday at the Glasgow Film Festival and hits UK theaters March 4.

Hostage crisis: In his fourth collaboration with the Coen Brothers, George plays dim-witted Hollywood heartthrob Baird Whitlock
It has been their most highly-anticipated tours for years - but the Rolling Stones tour was plunged into chaos after one of their workers was shot dead.

The rock legends are now under 24-hour armed guard following the shooting.

The stars, currently in Buenos Aires, Argentina, have top-level security escorting them everywhere for their OLE South American tour, theDaily Mirror reports.

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Shooting: The Rolling Stones are under 24-hour armed guard after one of their workers was shot dead while on their South American tour

It is believed the band, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and Charlie Watts, have taken no chances with their safety while in the dangerous region- travelling in separate cars and employing top private security staff.

The protection plan has been put in place after the man was shot dead in a foiled attempt to steal the cash from the drinks vendors at the band's show at La Plata stadium, according to the report.

A source has told The Mirror: 'Of course these things are all considered well in advance of a tour, and massive bands like The Rolling Stones are well aware of the risks posed by these places - so they take no chances.'

Stepping up: It is believed the band, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and Charlie Watts, have taken no chances with their safety

Robbery: The protection plan has been put in place after the man was shot dead in a foiled attempt to steal the cash from the drinks vendors at the band's show at La Plata stadium

Security alert: The rock legends are now under 24-hour armed guard following the shooting

The source added: 'Wealthy personalities are always potential targets, but the band are kept safe and secure at all times by the best security personnel on the planet.'

The shooting earlier this week came as three cars tried to intercept a van carrying the drinks takings as it left the stadium.

55-year-old contractor Pedro Luis Tabares was a passenger in a car transporting the drinks proceeds when he was killed.

Police say the gang had inside information including details of the cash their targets were carrying and the route they had decided to take from the venue.

Tabares was hit by a bullet when the gang opened fire and was later pronounced dead at hospital.

A 31-year-old Colombian, named as Jhon Alexander Bobadilla Vega, was arrested.

The band are next scheduled to perform in Brazil, Uruguay, Peru and Colombia. The tour will wrap-up with a two-night stint in Mexico city on March 14 and 17. A representative for The Rolling Stones has been contacted by MailOnline for comment.
UN probe zeroes in on five Syria chemical weapons cases

A UN investigative team has zeroed in on five potential cases of serious chemical weapons use in Syria but has yet to identify the perpetrators, according to its first report released Friday.

The Joint Investigative Mechanism was established by the UN Security Council in August last year to come up with a list of names of those responsible for attacks using toxic chemicals in Syria.

In its first report, the panel told the Security Council it wanted to further investigate five chemical weapons attacks in Syria's Hama, Idlib and Aleppo provinces, that took place in 2014 and 2015.

A young man breathes with an oxygen mask on March 17, 2015 at a clinic in the village of Sarmin, southeast of Idlib, following reports of suffocation cases related to an alleged regime gas attack in the area Mohamad Zeen (AFP/File)

"The process of identifying those involved in the use of chemicals as weapons is a complex task for which the mechanism will require the continued support and cooperation of all states and other sources," the panel said in the report.

The investigative panel was set up after evidence surfaced of chlorine gas attacks on three Syrian villages in 2014 that left 13 dead.

President Bashar al-Assad's regime and rebel groups have accused each other of using chemical weapons in the nearly five-year war that has killed more than 250,000 people.

The report did not provide details, but four of the five cases point to the alleged use of chlorine gas in barrel bombs, that the West blames on the Syrian regime.

These took place in Kafr Zita on April 11 and 18, 2014, Talmenes on April 21, 2014, Qmenas on March 16, 2015, and Sarmin on March 16, 2015.

A more recent attack in Marea on August 21, 2015, pointed to the likely use of mustard gas by Islamic State militants.

The panel said it may add more cases for investigation to its current list of five attacks.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has identified 116 alleged incidents of use of chemicals as weapons, but the body has no mandate to assign blame for the attacks.
Teen arrested in Britain linked to hack of US spy chiefs

British police said Friday they had arrested a teenager on hacking charges, as media reports said the youth was suspected of cracking the personal accounts of top US intelligence officials.

The news followed a series of bold hacking attacks for which credit was claimed by someone with the screen name "Cracka" who targeted top officials at the CIA, FBI, Homeland Security, the White House and other federal agencies.

A British police spokesman told AFP Friday that authorities had arrested a 16-year-old boy in the East Midlands on Tuesday on charges including suspicion of "conspiracy to commit unauthorized access to computer material" and "conspiracy to commit unauthorized acts with intent to impair."

British police say they arrested a teenager for a series of hacking attacks targeting top officials at the CIA, FBI, Homeland Security, the White House and other federal agencies Thomas Samson (AFP/File)

The spokesman did not link the arrest with the hacking, but news outlets including CNN and Vice Media's Motherboard website said the suspect was linked to the probe into the hacking of US officials.

FBI officials declined to comment on the reports.

Last month, officials disclosed that US national intelligence chief James Clapper's personal online accounts have been hacked, a few months after CIA director John Brennan suffered a similar attack.

In October, Brennan said he was "outraged" that hackers accessed his personal AOL email account. WikiLeaks released information obtained from the account, which included policy recommendations on Afghanistan and Pakistan and family addresses and phone numbers.

Although embarrassing, the document dump did not expose national security secrets and Brennan appeared to have stopped using the account in 2008.

Motherboard published a claim from a hacker who called himself "Cracka" and said he had hacked Clapper's home telephone and Internet accounts, his personal email, and his wife's Yahoo email.

"Cracka" told Motherboard that he changed the settings on the home phone so that calls were rerouted to the California-based Free Palestine Movement.
Cruz campaign pulls US ad featuring softcore porn actress

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz has pulled a campaign ad after it turned out the clip, which attacked rival Marco Rubio, featured a softcore porn actress.

The commercial for Cruz, a champion of the religious right who won the Iowa caucus last week, seemed rather innocuous as far as vicious campaign ads can sometimes go.

It showed disappointed members of what was supposed to be a support group calmly discussing how they had been betrayed by conservative candidates who become moderate once elected.

Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz greets guests after arriving for a speech at the 2016 South Carolina Tea Party Coalition Convention on January 16, 2016 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Scott Olson (Getty/AFP/File)

In a dig at Cruz's telegenic rival Rubio, one of the women in the circle advises another voter: "Maybe you should vote for more than just a pretty face next time."

The actress playing that woman is none other than Amy Lindsay, best known for her softcore porn roles in such films as "Beverly Hills Bordello" and "Private Sex Club."

The Daily Caller news website was the first to point out the actress's questionable resume, after the Cruz ad aired Thursday.

The campaign quickly removed the commercial featuring Lindsay, who says she is a Cruz supporter.

"The actress responded to an open casting call," Cruz campaign spokeswoman Catherine Frazier told The Daily Caller.

"She passed her audition and got the job. Unfortunately, she was not vetted by the casting company. Had the campaign known of her full filmography, we obviously would not have let her appear in the ad.

"The campaign is taking the ad down and will replace it with a different commercial."

An "extremely disappointed" Lindsay responded on Twitter, stressing that "#myvotecounts."

"I think this is politics as usual. It was done in a snap moment. Someone has got to make a decision and sometimes it's just better to take it down," she later told CNN.

Although she had not known which Republican the ad was for when she auditioned, the self-described conservative said she "knew that it was something I could get behind and support."

The actress, who said Cruz was still in the running for her vote despite pulling the ad, told several US media outlets that she had never been featured in hardcore pornography, but has appeared in a number of mainstream films.
US, Cuba to sign agreement resuming regular flights

The United States and Cuba will sign a bilateral agreement Tuesday to restore regular flights between the two countries after more than half a century, the State Department said.

"While US law prohibits travel to Cuba for tourist activities, this arrangement will facilitate authorized travel," the State Department said Friday in a statement.

The United States announced plans to resume the flights in December, on the one-year anniversary of the start of reconciliation between Washington and Havana.

People wait in line to check luggage at the ABC Charters American Airlines flight to Havana, Cuba at Miami International Airport on December 19, 2014 in Miami, Florida Joe Raedle (Getty/AFP/File)

Under the new arrangement, airlines in the two countries can now strike deals in such areas as code-sharing and aircraft leasing, the Cuban Embassy said at the time.

However, tourist travel still remains illegal because the trade embargo that the Americans slapped on Cuba in 1960 after Fidel Castro came to power in a communist revolution remains in effect.

The State Department said flights are expected to be re-established later this year and will "enhance traveler choices and strengthen people-to-people links between the two countries."

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Assistant Secretary of State Charles Rivkin will travel to Havana for the signing.

Commercial flights between Cuba and the United States were cancelled 53 years ago but since the mid-1970s authorized charter flights have been allowed under certain conditions.

The State Department said that the new arrangement "will continue to allow charter flight operations."
US approves F-16 sale to Pakistan

The United States said Friday it had approved selling up to eight Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, along with training, radar and other equipment, worth a total of $699 million.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which coordinates such foreign arms sales, said it had informed Congress of the plans on Thursday.

"This proposed sale contributes to US foreign policy objectives and national security goals by helping to improve the security of a strategic partner in South Asia," it said in a statement.

The Lockheed Martin F-16 would allow Pakistan's Air Force to operate in all kinds of weather, at night, as well as "enhance Pakistan's ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counterterrorism operations" Pierre Verdy (AFP/File)

"The proposed sale improves Pakistan's capability to meet current and future security threats."

The F-16 aircraft would allow Pakistan's Air Force to operate in all kinds of weather, at night, as well as "enhance Pakistan's ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counterterrorism operations."

Pakistan's arch-rival India said it was "disappointed" by the possible sale.

"We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircrafts to Pakistan," Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said on Twitter.

"We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism."

He said India planned to summon the US ambassador "to convey our displeasure."
Outgoing Myanmar president cancels US visit to monitor political transition

Myanmar's outgoing president has scrapped a planned trip to the US next week in order to oversee the power hand-off to Aung San Suu Kyi's new government, a presidential spokesman told AFP Saturday.

Thein Sein was due to attend a summit for leaders from the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc hosted by US president Barack Obama, who has staked large political capital in Myanmar's passage towards greater democracy.

"The president decided not to attend the meeting because this is transition period. The transition process needs to be stable and smooth, so he thinks he should take care of it," Zaw Htay, director of the president's office, told AFP.

Myanmar President Thein Sein (R) walks past Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi (R) during the opening ceremony of Union Peace Conference in NayPyiDaw on January 12, 2016 Ye Aung Thu (AFP/File)

Suu Kyi and hundreds of newly-elected MPs from her National League for Democracy party (NLD) took their seats in parliament two weeks ago after dominating the country's fairest poll in decades in November.

But what observers said was a surprisingly smooth initial phase of the political transition has since been clouded by rumours and speculation -- especially over who will be tipped to succeed Thein Sein as president.

The wildly popular democracy icon Suu Kyi is barred from the post by a charter penned by the military that kept her under house arrest for 15 years during repressive junta rule.

The constitution also reserves a quarter of parliamentary seats for appointed military officers, handing the army an effective veto on charter change.

With the NLD-dominated parliament putting off presidential nominations until late March, rumours have swirled that the party is engaged in back-room talks in a bid to amend the charter and pave the way for a Suu Kyi presidency.

The delicacy of the transition was underscored by Thein Sein's last-minute decision to cancel the California trip, seen as his final chance to cement a legacy on the global stage as the reformist leader who guided Myanmar out of five decades of cloistered military junta rule.

Myanmar's Vice President Nyan Tun will now attend the February 15-16 summit at the Sunnylands estate in California, the president's office said.

The Sunnylands gathering comes as Washington is striving to bolster its influence in Southeast Asia as a counterpoint to China's rising power in the region.
Former Afghan governor kidnapped in Islamabad

A former governor of Afghanistan's Herat province has been kidnapped from a market in an upscale district of Islamabad, Pakistani police said Saturday.

Pakistan is in the grip of a homegrown Taliban insurgency but the tightly-guarded capital has a very low crime rate in general and the F-7/2 sector where Sayed Fazlullah Wahidi was seized is a high security area that houses politicians, bureaucrats and expats.

Wahidi was going to a restaurant in the market with his grandson Friday evening when he was abducted by unidentified men, a police official, who requested anonymity, told AFP

Sayed Fazlullah Wahidi, a former governor of Afghanistan's Herat province, pictured in Berlin in December 2008 John Macdougall (AFP/File)

The boy reported the kidnapping to the local police station and said Wahidi was in Islamabad to apply for a British visa, police said.
Russia decries 'new Cold War' as East-West tensions cloud talks

The world has plunged into a "new Cold War", the Russian premier said Saturday, as Moscow came under attack at a global security gathering over its targeting of moderate rebels in Syria.

US Secretary of State John Kerry told the Munich Security Conference that "the vast majority of Russia's attacks (in Syria) have been against legitimate opposition groups."

"To adhere to the agreement it made, Russia's targeting must change," he said, referring to the international deal forged on Friday, in which 17 countries agreed to seek a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria within a week.

Dmitry Medvedev speaks at the Munich Security Conference on February 13, 2016 Christof Stache (AFP)

"This is the moment. This is a hinge point. Decisions made in the coming days and weeks, and a few months could end the war in Syria - or could define a very difficult set of choices for the future."

He spoke shortly after Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the world had "slid into a new period of Cold War."

"Almost every day we are accused of making new horrible threats either against NATO as a whole, against Europe or against the US or other countries," Medvedev said.

His foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, hit back at Kerry's comments, saying the new deal on Syria could not only focus on Russia's role.

"The fact that the discussions on the truce are beginning to go towards prioritising putting a stop to the actions of the Russian air force creates in me suspicions, gives reasons for sad thoughts, about how our Munich adventure will end," said Lavrov.

- 'This is your aggression' -

Meanwhile, a panel of eastern European leaders lined up to add their own accusations of Russian aggression.

"Every single day, Russian troops, Russian weapons, Russian ammunition penetrate into my country," said Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko.

He addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was not present, saying: "Mr Putin, this is not a civil war in Ukraine, this is your aggression. This is not a civil war in Crimea, this is your soldiers who occupied my country."

Kerry emphasised that sanctions on Russia would remain in place until it implemented all aspects of the Ukraine peace agreement reached in Belarus' capital Minsk last year.

"Russia has a simple choice: fully implement Minsk or continue to face economically damaging sanctions," he said.

An emotional Poroshenko also warned that "pro-Russian parties" were undermining Europe from within with an alternative set of values.

"Isolationism, intolerance, disrespect of human rights, religious fanatics, homophobia -- this alternative Europe has a leader. His name is Mr Putin."

By contrast, Medvedev had earlier criticised the expansion of NATO and EU influence deep into formerly Soviet-ruled eastern Europe, which Russia sees as its sphere of influence.

"European politicians thought that creating a so-called belt of friends at Europe's side, on the outskirts of the EU, could be a guarantee of security, and what's the result?" he said. "Not a belt of friends but a belt of exclusion."

But he also struck a more positive note, saying: "Our positions differ, but they do not differ as much as 40 years ago when a wall was standing in Europe."

- 'Coercion and intimidation' -

NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg also addressed the forum, vowing to combine a firm stance against Russia with more dialogue.

"We have seen a more assertive Russia, a Russia which is destabilising the European security order," he said. "NATO does not seek confrontation and we don't want a new Cold War. At the same time our response has to be firm."

NATO is "undertaking the biggest reinforcement to our collective defence in decades, to send a powerful signal to deter any aggression or intimidation," Stoltenberg added. "Not to wage war, but to prevent war."

Earlier this week, Stoltenberg announced that plans had been approved for an increased NATO presence in eastern Europe -- which sources said would involve between 3,000 and 6,000 troops rotating through the region.

Lavrov hit back, criticising the "fashion for Russophobia in some capitals" and the "failure of NATO and the EU to fully cooperate with Russia".

US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during the second day of the 52nd Munich Security Conference on February 13, 2016 Christof Stache (AFP)
Syria rebel ambush this week killed 76 regime forces: monitor

An ambush by Syrian rebels on pro-regime forces near Damascus this week killed 76 fighters, a monitor said Saturday, in one of the deadliest attacks of its kind since the conflict began.

Militants from the powerful Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) rebel group opened fire last Sunday on around 240 government forces that were preparing to storm the opposition stronghold of Eastern Ghouta, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Observatory said at the time of the attack, which it described as "the largest ambush of regime forces in the war", that 35 people had died.

Militants from the powerful Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) rebel group opened fire last Sunday on around 240 government forces that were preparing to storm the opposition stronghold of Eastern Ghouta, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Amer Almohibany (AFP/File)

Director Rami Abdel Rahman on Saturday gave a new toll, documenting 45 pro-regime fighters killed by gunfire and another 31 killed when landmines were detonated during the clashes.

At least 100 remain unaccounted for, Abdel Rahman added.

Families of those killed or missing -- many of whom hail from the coastal province of Latakia -- are demanding to receive the bodies of their loved ones, he told AFP.

Jaish al-Islam is the strongest opposition faction in Eastern Ghouta, a large suburb of Damascus that is regularly bombarded by government forces.

The regime has struggled to take back territory there despite air support from its ally, Russia.
Nepal Maoists mark 20 years since start of civil war

Nepal's former Maoist rebels paid tribute to fallen comrades Saturday in a ceremony marking 20 years since the start of an insurgency that transformed the Himalayan nation from a Hindu monarchy to a secular republic.

On 13 February, 1996, Maoist guerrillas attacked a police post in western Nepal's Rolpa district, launching a decade-long civil war that eventually claimed some 16,000 lives and left hundreds of people missing.

Hundreds of Maoist cadres gathered at the party's office in Kathmandu, waving red flags as senior leaders placed garlands on the "martyr's pillar" -- a monument built to honour fallen and missing combatants.

The Maoist rebels laid down arms in 2006 before entering politics and eventually helping to draft the country's new national constitution Prakash Mathema (AFP/File)

The rebels laid down arms in 2006 before entering politics and eventually helping to draft the country's new national constitution.

Introduced in September, the charter established Nepal as a secular federal republic, reflecting Maoist ideology.

"The constitution is the product of our war and we... take ownership of the new constitution," Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal, better known by his nom-de-guerre Prachanda, told cheering cadres in Kathmandu.

But for many ordinary Nepalis, who voted for the party in Nepal's first constituent assembly elections held in 2008, the Maoists failed to deliver on their pledge of bringing equality and progress to the deeply feudal country.

"Many people lost their lives, many went missing or became disabled so things would change in this country," Rina Tamang, a shopkeeper in Kathmandu, told AFP.

"Now we have a new constitution but we are still waiting for the change the Maoists promised us. Personally, I have no hope left anymore," the 39-year-old said.

After sweeping to victory in the 2008 polls, the former rebels soon came under fire for abandoning revolutionary ideals and developing a taste for luxury.

They alienated their voter base and crashed out in Nepal's second constituent assembly elections in 2013, finishing in third place.

"A few leaders compromised on their promises, a few betrayed the revolution for lucrative positions in government... all this needs to be rectified to bring real change," said former guerrilla, Laxmi Prasad Chaulagain.

The constitution, the first drawn up by elected representatives, was meant to bolster Nepal's transformation into a peaceful democratic republic after decades of political instability.

But it has instead sparked violence, with more than 50 people killed in clashes between police and demonstrators from Nepal's Madhesi ethnic minority, who say it leaves them politically marginalised.
Russia's Syria military targeting must change: Kerry

Russia must change its military targeting as it backs the Syrian regime, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday, as world powers seek a cessation of hostilities in the country within a week.

"To date, the vast majority of Russia's attacks have been against legitimate opposition groups," Kerry said of Moscow's air strikes in support of President Bashar al-Assad's forces.

"To adhere to the agreement it made, we think it is critical that Russia's targeting change."

Russian servicemen prepare a Russian Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter jet before departure on a mission at the Russian Hmeimim military base in Latakia province, in the northwest of Syria, on December 16, 2015 Paul Gypteau (AFP/File)

Russia has supported the Assad regime against rebel forces whom it collectively labels "terrorists". The United States has provided some support to the rebels and called for Assad to leave power.

Friday's agreement called for a "cessation of hostilities" within a week and for greatly increased humanitarian access, but it excludes the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda-linked jihadists.

"There's a lot of work to do before an effective cessation can commence," said Kerry, whose country together with Russia co-chairs a UN task force meant to find ways toward a durable cessation of violence.

"There is no way to adequately deal with the cessation of hostilities unless we do sit down and work together on every aspect of this, from the political to the humanitarian to the military also. And we are doing that now."

Kerry cautioned that "we are not approaching this with some sense of pie-in-the-sky hope".

In talks with Russia, he said, "we will work through where this targeting should take place, where it shouldn't, how we work together in order to be effective so we don't drive people away from the table.

"Because, obviously, if people who are ready to be part of the political process are being bombed, we are not going to have much of a conversation."

Kerry stressed this was the crucial moment in a five-year war that has claimed more than 250,000 lives.

"This is the moment. This is a hinge point," he said. "Decisions made in the coming days and weeks, and a few months could end the war in Syria - or could define a very difficult set of choices for the future."

He added: "The war in Syria has now lasted for almost five years - and shows no signs of burning itself out - which is why we are so focused on a political track.
India's Modi renews plea for manufacturing investment

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi renewed his call Saturday for firms to invest in India and turn it into a global manufacturing hub, painting the country as a bright spot for investment in an uncertain world economy.

The right-wing prime minister was addressing a gathering of industry leaders, CEOs and foreign dignitaries in the commercial capital Mumbai to mark the start of Make in India week, which runs until February 18.

The glitzy showcase is part of a drive to convince foreign firms to take advantage of cheap Indian labour and invest in factories in the country as rising wages make traditional hubs more expensive.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces a huge challenge in persuading foreign companies -- many of which still eye India's labyrinthine bureaucracy, complex regulations and poor infrastructure with suspicion -- to invest in the country Prakash Singh (AFP/File)

"This campaign has the capacity to boost India's economy and also brighten the global scenario," Modi said.

"This century is Asia's century. My advice to you is to make India your centre if you want this century to be your century," he said.

The Hindu nationalist leader faces a huge challenge in persuading foreign companies -- many of which still eye India's labyrinthine bureaucracy, complex regulations and poor infrastructure with suspicion -- to invest in the country.

He is seeking to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) into 25 key sectors, from traditional industries such as leather goods to high-skill areas such as defence manufacturing.

In the speech Saturday, he said FDI had increased 48 percent since his government took power in May 2014, with December recording the highest monthly inflows ever.

Earlier in the day Modi met with foreign leaders including Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven and Finland's Prime Minister Juha Sipila and officials from Germany, Japan and Poland.

The chief minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, said in a speech he sought to turn Mumbai into an international financial services centre, describing his state as a national powerhouse of FDI.

Indian officials often lament their country missing the boat on manufacturing, while China's drive to skill its vast, low-wage workforce to make goods for the West powered its economic boom.
Turkey shells Kurdish-held areas of Syria's Aleppo: monitor

Turkish artillery on Saturday bombarded areas of Aleppo province in northern Syria controlled by Kurdish forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The monitoring group's head, Rami Abdel Rahman, said Turkish shelling struck areas of Aleppo, including Minnigh, recently taken by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia from Islamist rebels.

Ankara considers the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its YPG militia to be branches of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state.

Rebel fighters at Minnigh air base in Aleppo province in 2013 Zein Al-Rifai (AFP/File)

The shelling came shortly after Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Ankara would, if necessary, take military action against the PYD.

A YPG source told AFP that the Turkish shelling targeted the strategic Minnigh military airport, which Kurdish forces retook late on Wednesday.

"We can if necessary take the same measures in Syria as we took in Iraq and Qandil," Davutoglu said in a televised speech.

The Turkish premier was referring to the relentless bombing campaign last year against PKK targets in northern Iraq on their Qandil mountain stronghold.

Abdel Rahman said the Minnigh base lies between two key roads leading from Aleppo city to Azaz to the north, which would have given Kurdish fighters a launching pad to attack jihadists further east.
Thousands protest in Burundi against Rwandan 'aggression'

Thousands of people took to the streets of Burundi's capital Bujumbura Saturday to condemn what the country's embattled government calls neighbouring Rwanda's meddling in its affairs.

Around 4,000 people rallied to the government's call to demonstrate over Rwanda's "acts of aggression" towards Burundi, journalists at the scene said. The organisers estimated the turnout at over 10,000.

"We condemn (Rwandan President Paul) Kagame and his plan to destabilise Burundi and the entire Great Lakes region," a placard waved by one of the protesters read.

Mayor of Bujumbura, Freddy Mbonimpa (C) gestures as he marches on February 13, 2016 in Bujumbura during a protest against Rwanda

Relations between Burundi and its neighbour to the north have deteriorated since Burundi sank into a deep political crisis ten months ago over President Pierre Nkurunziza's quest for a third term in office.

Saturday's demonstration in Bujumbura came to a halt outside the Rwandan embassy in Bujumbura where Kagame was copiously booed.

"We are on the battlefield. Encourage our soldiers! Kagame is an enemy, we are going to wash him away," the crowd sang.

Burundi has accused Rwanda of backing rebels intent on overthrowing Nkurunziza, who was returned to power in July elections, despite weeks of protests that were violently repressed and calls from world leaders for him to step aside.

Smaller anti-Rwandan demonstrations also took place Saturday in the Burundi's second city of Gitega and in Nkurunziza's home province of Ngozi.

Last week, UN experts told the Security Council that Rwanda has recruited and trained refugees from Burundi, among them children, who wanted to remove Nkurunziza from power.

Rwanda has denied the allegations. This week Kigali announced it would relocate the estimated 75,000 Burundians sheltering on its soil to third countries, saying the "long-term presence of refugees so close to their country of origin carries considerable risks for all involved."

- 'Adding fuel to the fire' -

Hundreds of people have been killed in the unrest in Burundi, which has become entrenched, with armed opposition members periodically engaging in shootouts with the security forces.

Over 230,000 people have fled the fighting abroad.

Saturday's pro-government demonstrations have dampened expectations for a breakthrough in the crisis during an upcoming visit by African heads of state.

"Of course, Rwanda has meddled in Burundi's affairs but it's clear Nkurunziza is overdoing it. He's adding fuel to the fire to try show he is facing an external aggression and not a domestic political crisis that is turning into a civil war," a Western diplomat based in Burundi, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.
Men face higher risk of cancers linked to oral sex

Men are twice as likely as women to get cancer of the mouth and throat linked to the human papillomavirus, or HPV, one of the most common sexually transmitted infections, researchers say.

For men, the risk of HPV-driven cancers of the head and neck rise along with the number of oral sex partners, researchers said Friday at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in the US capital.

Nearly two out of three of these oral cancers in the United States and most western nations are caused by infection with the HPV 16 strain of the virus, and incidence of cancer is on the rise in recent years, said Gypsyamber D'Souza, who teaches epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

For men, the risk of HPV-driven cancers of the head and neck rise along with the number of oral sex partners, researchers said Friday at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in the US capital Joe Raedle (Getty/AFP/File)

Middle aged white men are at particularly high risk compared to other races.

She said her research shows that youths are engaging in oral sex at increasingly young ages, compared to past generations.

"Our research shows that for men, the number of oral sex partners -- as that number increases, the risk of an oral HPV infection increases," she told reporters.

But with women, the number of sexual partners does not appear to raise the risk.

"Comparing men and women with the same number of sexual partners, a man is much more likely to become infected with oral HPV than a woman."

Furthermore, women who have a greater number of vaginal sex partners appear to face a lower risk of oral HPV infection, she said.

The reason may be that when women are first exposed to HPV vaginally, they mount an immune response that prevents them from getting an oral HPV infection, she said.

But men do not seem to have equally robust immune responses.

"Men are not only more likely to be infected with oral HPV infection than women, but our research shows that once you become infected, men are less likely to clear this infection than women, further contributing for the cancer risk."

HPV infection is quite common, and most people clear the virus within a year or two, she said.

In some cases, however, HPV does not go away and can lead to cellular changes in the mouth and throat, which eventually become cancerous.

Oral sex may raise the risk of head and neck cancer by 22 percent, according to a study published January in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

This type of cancer has risen 225 percent in the last two decades.
Turkish military hits Kurdish PYD, regime in Syria: state media

The Turkish military on Saturday hit targets of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the Syrian regime in two separate incidents in response to incoming fire, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.

In line with the rules of engagement, the armed forces shelled targets of the PYD around the town of Azaz in Aleppo province, Anatolia said, quoting a military source.

The army also responded to Syrian regime fire on a Turkish military guard post in Turkey's southern Hatay region, it added.

Syrian government forces patrol after taking control of the village of Kiffin, on the northern outskirts of the embattled city of Aleppo on February 11, 2016 George Ourfalian (AFP/File)

There were no further details on the nature of the Turkish strikes but they likely involved artillery fire from tanks.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also appeared to confirm the strikes against the PYD, without giving precise details.

"Under the framework of the rules of engagement, we responded to forces in Azaz and around that were posing a threat," he said, quoted by Anatolia while on a visit to the eastern city of Erzincan.

Apparently referring to the PYD, he called these forces "a terror group which is a branch of the Syrian regime, collaborationist and... complicit in Russian strikes against civilians."

Davutoglu said he had also spoken by telephone to US Vice President Joe Biden, telling him the PYD was a "threat" against which "we can take all kind of measures".
30 dead in two Nigeria village raids: vigilantes

At least 30 people have been killed in fresh Boko Haram raids on two villages in northeast Nigeria, vigilantes told AFP Saturday, again calling into question President Muhammadu Buhari's claim that Nigeria had largely defeated the jihadist group.

Gun and knife-toting assailants on bikes and in vans stormed the remote villages of Yakshari and Kachifa on Friday and Saturday, said Mustapha Karimbe, a local vigilante assisting the military in the fight against Boko Haram Islamists.

"The attackers killed 30 people in two separate attacks on the two villages last night (Friday) and this morning (Saturday)," Karimbe told AFP adding that they also looted and stole cattle.

Soldiers looks at a burnt house on February 4, 2016 in the village of Dalori in northeastern Nigeria, after an attack by Boko Haram on January 30, 2016

The village of Yakshari was attacked at around 9:30 am on Saturday, with the assailants slaughtering 22 residents "by slitting their throats before emptying food stores and taking away all the cattle", Karimbe said, speaking from the town of Biu approximately 120 kilometres (75 miles) from the village.

Late Friday evening, meanwhile, Boko Haram Islamists also raided nearby Kachifa village, killing eight people.

"We believe the same gunmen carried out both attacks on the two villages," Karimbe said.

Dozens of people have been killed in Boko Haram attacks in recent weeks near Maiduguri, capital of northeast Borno state, despite Buhari's December boast that the jihadist group had been more or less defeated.

Since then the militants have killed dozens in raids and suicide attacks, including across the border in Cameroon.

On January 30, at least 85 people died when insurgents stormed and torched one village, while on Thursday two female suicide bombers killed at least 58 at a camp for people made homeless by the insurgency.

Rights group Amnesty International has also accused the military itself of committing war crimes and possible crimes against humanity in the course of its operations against the group.
Activists say officer's shooting conviction no bellwether

NEW YORK (AP)  Police-reform activists, who have come to expect disappointment any time an officer is accused in a killing, expressed surprise Friday over the conviction of a patrolman who shot an unarmed man in a housing project stairwell but said they don't necessarily see the case as a turning point in the national debate over police accountability.

"It's definitely movement in the right direction," said Lumumba Bandele, a demonstrator who attended nearly every day of the patrolman's trial. But, he added, "It's not a victory in the larger scale of having made significant advances. We have a backlog of cases that have yet to be investigated, much less indicted."

A jury in Brooklyn on Thursday found rookie Officer Peter Liang guilty of manslaughter in the 2014 death of Akai Gurley. Liang and his partner were on a patrol in the public housing development when Liang, who had drawn his weapon, fired a shot. The bullet ricocheted and struck the 28-year-old Gurley, who was walking down the stairs with his girlfriend. Liang said he had been startled by a noise and the shooting was an accident.

Police officer Peter Liang reacts as the verdict is read during his trial on charges in the shooting death of Akai Gurley, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016 at Brooklyn Supreme court in New York in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, Pool)

It was the first time in a decade a New York Police Department officer was held responsible for a line-of-duty killing. The outcome stood in stark contrast to many other cases around the country in which police have been accused of killing unarmed black men and boys.

A grand jury in Cleveland declined to indict a police officer who shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who had been playing with a pellet gun outside a recreation center. A grand jury declined to indict an officer in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Jurors in Baltimore couldn't agree on a verdict for an officer accused of manslaughter in the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who suffered a fatal injury while riding in the back of a police van.

In New York, a grand jury on Staten Island decided not to indict an officer in the 2014 chokehold death of 43-year-old Eric Garner, whose dying words, "I can't breathe," became a rallying cry for protesters.

Garner, who weighed 350 pounds and had asthma, was accused of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes. He was placed in a chokehold by a policeman, Daniel Pantaleo, who was trying to get him to submit to an arrest. Their fatal encounter was recorded on video by a bystander.

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson said the Liang verdict had nothing to do with those other cases.

"There's no message here," he said. "This has nothing to do with Ferguson or Staten island or Baltimore or Cleveland or any other police killing."

The Liang case was different from many others that have captured public attention, involving allegations of recklessness rather than an excessive use of force.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, whose career as a civil rights activist has been largely built around protesting police brutality, said that, if anything, Liang's conviction illustrates a "contradiction" in the criminal justice system, where cases can get wildly different results, depending partly on how they are handled by prosecutors.

"One DA can get an indictment and convict on a guy who says it was an accident ... and another DA in the same period of time in the same city can't, after a guy who was choked to death in broad daylight on tape," Sharpton said, referring to Garner's death.

But the Garner case might not be over. Two police officers who were present for the fatal encounter were called before a federal grand jury in Brooklyn on Wednesday, according to two people who had knowledge of the testimony but asked not to be named because grand jury proceedings are secret.

Pantaleo has said he was applying a legal takedown maneuver called a seatbelt and didn't intend to hurt Garner.

Gurley's relatives said they hoped Liang's conviction would "send a message to all NYPD officers and police departments around the country and around the world that they can't kill and get away with it anymore." They said there are many more police officers who need to be held accountable.

Liang and his partner, Shaun Landau, who was not criminally charged but testified in the trial, were fired after the verdict.

Police officer Peter Liang legal team while sitting in court as testimony before charges are read back to the jury in his trial on charges in the shooting death of Akai Gurley, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016 at Brooklyn Supreme court in New York in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, Pool)

Police officer Peter Liang reacts as the verdict is read during his trial on charges in the shooting death of Akai Gurley, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016 at Brooklyn Supreme court in New York in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, Pool)

Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson, right, is seen in the courtroom after the verdict of police officer Peter Liang's trial on charges in the shooting death of Akai Gurley, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016 at Brooklyn Supreme court in New York in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, Pool)

In this Feb. 2, 2016 file photo, Ferguson mayor James Knowles III, second from left, speaks during a city council meeting in Ferguson, Mo. Ferguson city leaders warned U.S. Department of Justice negotiators last month that approval of a settlement agreement was no sure thing, Knowles said Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
PICTURED: A collection of photos from campaign 2016

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP)  Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders snagged their first win each in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday as early voting in the race for the White House rolled into its second week.

But Hillary Clinton and the pack of Republican candidates came back swinging at their rivals as they seek to rebound in the upcoming contests in South Carolina, Nevada and the group of states voting on Super Tuesday, March 1.

Several contenders, including Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina have dropped out of the race, while Ohio Gov. John Kasich came from behind to surprise many with his strong second-place finish.

James Radcliffe, a volunteer for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, places a sign outside a home while walking through the snow knocking on doors in search of Trump supporters Friday, Feb. 5, 2016, in Londonderry, N.H. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

A collection of photos by photographers with The Associated Press.

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. Ted Cruz, R-Texas speaks at a town hall style campaign event, Monday, Feb. 8, 2016, in Barrington, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Plymouth State University, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016, in Plymouth, N.H. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., center left, waves to the crowd with his wife Jane after speaking 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, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. gestures 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., Tuesday Feb. 9, 2016. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump acknowledges photographers after speaking at a campaign rally in Baton Rouge, La., Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Republican presidential candidate, Dr. Ben Carson meets with attendees during a visit to a campaign office, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

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)

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton campaigns outside a polling place during the first-in-the-nation presidential primary, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush departs after a campaign stop, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016, at University of South Carolina campus at Sumter, S.C. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

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. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton hugs her husband, former President Bill Clinton during a campaign stop, Monday, Feb. 8, 2016, in Hudson, N.H. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Audience members react as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump signs autographs and shakes hands after speaking at a campaign rally in Baton Rouge, La., Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. speaks during a campaign stop at the University of New Hampshire Whittemore Center Arena, Monday, Feb. 8, 2016, in Durham, N.H. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Republican presidential candidate, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie embraces his son Patrick during a primary night rally in Nashua, N.H., Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
US senator calls for backup proof when gas leak sealed

LOS ANGELES (AP)  U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer called Friday for third-party air quality testing to confirm that a massive natural gas leak near Los Angeles has been permanently sealed and it's safe for residents to return home.

Boxer met with residents of Porter Ranch who said they don't trust state and local agencies overseeing the plugging of a 16-week-long leak that drove residents from 6,400 homes.

"The residents I spoke to remain disturbed and unsettled in regards to the air quality within and outside of their homes," Boxer, D-California, wrote in a letter to Gov. Jerry Brown. "It is also discouraging to hear from them that they have very little faith in the air quality testing thus far."

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), holds a news conference with with affected residents at Shepherd of the Hills Church in Porter Ranch to discuss the effects of the devastating Aliso Canyon natural gas leak in the Porter Ranch area of Los Angeles on Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. The massive gas leak that spewed uncontrollably for nearly four months drove thousands of Los Angeles residents to pack up and leave their homes, while others rode it out. The well still needs to be permanently sealed and inspected by state regulators, a process that could take several days. But the announcement by Southern California Gas Co. marked a milestone in efforts to stop the leak first reported Oct. 23. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Southern California Gas Co. said it controlled the leak Thursday, though the blown-out well still needs to be capped with cement.

The company released a time-lapse video Friday that revealed the invisible plume of methane through an infrared camera as the leak came to a halt.

Once state inspectors certify it is sealed and the air is clear, the utility only has to pay for seven more nights of lodging for residents who relocated to short-term housing. Those who rented apartments and houses can stay as late as April 30 if they have a lease.

The leak reported Oct. 23 at an old well in the utility's Aliso Canyon underground storage facility sent a plume of methane, visible by infrared camera, into the sky and blanketed San Fernando Valley suburbs with intermittent foul odors.

Residents complained of headaches, nausea and nose bleeds, though public health officials said they do not believe there will be long-term health problems. Benzene, a cancer-causing compound found in gas, spiked above normal levels more than a dozen times, but was not considered a significant threat, officials said.

Many residents concerned about their health and the value of their homes are skeptical of what the utility and public officials tell them and they want the gas facility  the largest of its kind in the West  shut down.

Boxer said she was pleased the leak appeared to be under control, but she wants residents to be confident they can return safely.

She asked Brown to back her call for third-party testing by another entity such the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to verify the air is safe.

A spokesman for state oil and gas regulators overseeing the operations wouldn't comment on whether the agency would seek third-party testing before declaring the well-sealed.

Donald Drysdale said that was speculative and the process regulators were relying on had been developed with independent experts.

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), third from left, hugs Matt Pakucko, President of Save Porter Ranch, after holding a news conference with affected residents at Shepherd of the Hills Church to discuss the effects of the devastating Aliso Canyon natural gas leak in Porter Ranch area of Los Angeles on Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. The massive gas leak that spewed uncontrollably for nearly four months drove thousands of Los Angeles residents to pack up and leave their homes, while others rode it out. The well still needs to be permanently sealed and inspected by state regulators, a process that could take several days. But the announcement by Southern California Gas Co. marked a milestone in efforts to stop the leak first reported Oct. 23. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Saturday, February 20

Today is Saturday, Feb. 20, the 51st day of 2016. There are 315 days left in the year.

Highlights in history on this date:

1437 - Scotland's King James I is murdered by would-be usurpers in Scottish city of Perth.

1570 - Lord Hunsdon defeats Leonard Dacre's rebel army, ending Northern Rebellion in England.

1792 - U.S. President George Washington signs an act creating the U.S. Post Office.

1809 - Saragossa, Spain, is captured by French forces after a bloody siege; the U.S. Supreme Court rules the power of the federal government is greater than that of any individual state.

1631 - German Protestant princes form alliance with Sweden's King Gustavus II, setting the stage for the Swedish entry into the Thirty Years' War.

1833 - Russian ships enter Bosphorus on way to Constantinople today's Istanbul  to aid Turkey against Egypt.

1928 - Britain recognizes independence of Trans-Jordan.

1933 - U.S. House of Representatives completes congressional action on an amendment to repeal Prohibition, the ban on the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcoholic beverages.

1942 - Japanese invade island of Bali in Dutch East Indies during World War II.

1962 - Astronaut John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit Earth on the Friendship 7 Mercury capsule.

1964 - Morocco and Algeria sign accord to end border conflict which resulted in troop clashes.

1967 - Indonesia's President Sukarno surrenders all executive power to General Suharto, keeping only the title of President.

1975 - Greek Cypriot government calls on United Nations to fix deadline for withdrawal of 40,000 Turkish troops from that island.

1986 - Russia launches the Mir space station.

1988 - Rainstorm triggers floods and mudslides in Rio de Janeiro that kill 65 people and leave up to 100 elderly hospital patients missing and feared dead.

1991 - Slovenia's legislators vote overwhelmingly to initiate secession from Yugoslavia.

1992 - Israeli troops break through U.N. barricades in Lebanon to attack rocket-launching Shiite militias.

1996 - Gen. Hussein Kamel, son-in-law of President Saddam Hussein, returns to Iraq after having defected to Jordan. He is killed with his relatives a few days later.

1999 - Atal Bihari Vajpayee becomes the first Indian prime minister to go to Pakistan in 10 years when he rides the first commercial bus service between the two countries in 51 years.

2002 - A fire breaks out on a crowded train traveling from Cairo to Luxor in southern Egypt, killing 373 people and injuring 60 in the worst train disaster in Egyptian history.

2004 - A police-commission audit says that Atlanta underreported crimes for years to help land the 1996 Olympics and pump up tourism.

2005 - The Irish government identifies three top Sinn Fein figures  including leader Gerry Adams  as members of the Irish Republican Army command.

2009 - Israeli President Shimon Peres chooses Benjamin Netanyahu to form new government.

2010 - Darfur's most powerful rebel group initials a truce with the Sudanese government, marking the rebel group's return to peace talks aimed at ending the conflict in the western part of Africa's largest country.

2011 - Libyan protesters defy a fierce crackdown by Moammar Gadhafi's regime, returning to a square outside a court building in the flashpoint city of Benghazi to demand the overthrow of the longtime ruler.

2013 - Egypt's powerful military shows signs of growing impatience with the country's Islamist leaders, indirectly criticizing their policies and issuing thinly veiled threats that it might seize power again.

2014  Protesters advance on police lines in the heart of Kiev, prompting government snipers to shoot back and kill scores of people in Ukraine's deadliest day since the breakup of the Soviet Union.

2015 Islamic State militants have unleased suicide bombings in eastern Libya, killing at least 40 people in what the group says is retaliation for Egyptian airstrikes against the extremists' new branch in North Africa.

Today's Birthdays:

Sir William Cornwallis, English admiral (1744-1819); Honore Daumier, French artist (1808-1879); Lucien Pissarro, French artist (1863-1944); Robert Altman, U.S. director (1925-2006); Sidney Poitier, U.S. actor (1927--); Peter Strauss, U.S. actor (1947--); Cindy Crawford, U.S. model (1966--); Lili Taylor, U.S. actress (1967--).

Thought For Today:
The Latest: Pope briefly emerges to speak with well-wishers

HAVANA (AP)  The latest on Pope Francis's historic meeting in Cuba with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill and his subsequent trip to Mexico (all times local):

11:10 p.m.

Pope Francis has come out from the Vatican ambassador's residence to greet well-wishers less than an hour after arriving to the delighted screams of the faithful gathered in the street.

Pope Francis greets people from his popemobile upon arrival to Mexico City, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. The pontiff is in Mexico for a week-long visit. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Francis had not been scheduled to speak publicly.

He approached the crowd and accepted two white roses before taking a microphone. He prayed with those gathered and said everyone needed to rest for what was to come Saturday and Sunday.

But first, before they sleep, Francis said: "Look at the Virgin and remember these faces: the people who love us, those we love, those we don't love, those who don't love us and those who have done us harm."

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10:15 p.m.

Pope Francis has arrived at the Vatican ambassador's residence in Mexico City where he will sleep during his five-day visit to Mexico.

He drove from the airport to the capital's south side in an open-air popemobile waving to the crowds lining the route. As planned, he did not make any public comments.

The motorcade paused at one point when a man appeared to get past security barriers and run toward the popemobile. The man was intercepted by security officials and the convoy moved on.

Security is tight outside the papal nuncio's residence. People stood outside huddled against the cold, some covered with blankets.

Laura Garcicrespo said she waited eight hours to see the pope. She wore a homemade cardboard miter with a picture of the pope on her head.

She said Francis "comes to embrace those who suffer," referring to the pope's plan to visit several areas of Mexico most affected by violence and poverty.

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9:35 p.m.

Crowds of Mexicans are gathered on the streets of their capital to cheer Pope Francis as he drives to the Vatican ambassador's residence.

Waiting for the pontiff to drive by Friday night, 85-year-old Carlos Garcia said he and other Mexicans loved Pope John Paul II and saw him multiple times during his five visits to Mexico. He said they are now ready for this visit by the first Latin American to be pope. In his words, "Mexico really needs the pope's message."

Lawyer Victor Lopez waited with a large silver cross around his neck. He said: "The pope visits a wounded country that needs his words of encouragement."

Rosaura Gutierrez staked out her spot early Friday morning and is looking forward to the pope's prayers and encouragement" for Mexico. She said her country has been "massacred by people far from God."

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9 p.m.

A smiling Pope Francis has been greeted at Mexico City's airport with a rock concert-like show with blue floodlights illuminating a stage and bandstands and crowds waving yellow handkerchiefs. Mariachis serenaded as his chartered plane pulled to a stop and people shouted "Brother Francis, you're already Mexican."

President Enrique Pena Nieto, suffering the lowest approval ratings for a Mexican leader in a quarter century, and his wife met Francis on a red carpet.

The crowd roared as the three walked together, stopping to speak with four children in folk dress. Then the lights dimmed and the crowd waved lights as the official song composed for Francis' visit was performed. Men in broad sombreros and women in flowing red skirts danced on the tarmac.

Francis stepped to a group of children dressed in white offering blessings and placing his hand on top of each head.

Then the trio veered from the red carpet and made a pass closer to the crowd in grandstands. A gust of wind blew the pope's hat from his head. He briefly donned a black sombrero before handing it back to its mariachi owner.

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8:25 p.m.

Pope Francis has landed in the Mexican capital for his first papal visit to Mexico in which he wants to convey a message of solidarity with the victims of violence and communities stuck in poverty.

The pope arrived at Mexico City's international airport from Havana, where he had an historic meeting with the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox church.

Francis will tour Mexico, the most Catholic country in the Spanish-speaking world, through Wednesday. According to the most recent census, Mexico's percentage of Catholics has declined from 96 percent in 1970 to 83 percent in 2010.

Francis is scheduled to visit places most affected by poverty, violence and immigration.

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5:30 p.m.

Pope Francis has sent a message of condolences to the archbishop of Monterrey after 49 inmates died in a prison riot in the northern Mexican city.

Francis expresses profound sorrow over Thursday's violence and asks that his message be relayed to the victims' families. He also wishes those wounded in the melee a speedy recovery.

Mexican officials say the victims were bludgeoned, stabbed and hacked to death when feuding factions of the Zetas drug cartel clashed inside the Topo Chico prison.

Francis begins a five-day trip to Mexico later Friday after a brief stop in Cuba for a historic meeting with Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church.

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4:50 p.m.

Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill have signed a joint declaration on religious unity after their historic meeting in Havana.

The declaration calls for peace in Syria, Iraq and Ukraine and urges Europe to "maintain its faithfulness to its Christian roots."

Before flying off to begin a five-day visit to Mexico, Francis said of his meeting with Kirill that "we spoke clearly and directly. I greatly appreciate his desire for unity."

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3:45 p.m.

Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church are exchanging gifts that are deeply symbolic and trace the history of the sometimes tense relationship between East and West.

Francis brought Kirill a reliquary containing a relic of St. Cyril, the 5th century archbishop of Alexandria who is revered by both Catholic and Orthodox churches. He also brought a chalice.

Kirill, for his part, offered Francis a small replica of the Madonna of Kazan icon.

In 2004, the Vatican had returned an 18th century copy of the famous image to Kirill's predecessor, Alexy II, in a bid to forge better ecumenical friendship.

The traditional Byzantine gold-and-wood icon depicts the Madonna and Child. The original 16th century work was revered by Russian believers for its purported ability to work miracles, including the rout of Polish invaders in the early 17th century.

St. John Paul II had hung it in his private chapel after receiving it from a Catholic group in 1993. He had hoped that returning an icon so revered by him personally might forge better ties with the Russian church.

While welcoming the return, Alexy said since it was only a copy of the original 16th century icon that the pope didn't need to personally accompany it back to Moscow, thus dashing his hopes for a visit.

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2:30 p.m.

Pope Francis is meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, in an historic development in the 1,000-year-old schism that divided Christianity.

Francis and Kirill embraced and kissed one another three times on the cheek as they met in a wood-paneled VIP room at the Havana airport. It was the first time a pope and Russian patriarch had ever met.

The Vatican sees the meeting as an important new step in its ecumenical efforts, but many Orthodox observers see Kirill's willingness to sit down with a pope as more an attempt to assert Russia and Russian Orthodoxy at a time when Moscow is being isolated by the West.

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12:10 p.m.

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has brought supportive words for Cuban leader Raul Castro ahead of the patriarch's landmark Friday encounter with Pope Francis.

Russian news agencies reported from Havana that Patriarch Kirill told Castro that the Cuban people "have proved their right to live in the way they believe is fit."

Russia's state RIA Novosti news agency quotes him as saying that "heroism is a spiritual concept that cannot be learned from books. It derives from man's spiritual life."

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9:50 a.m.

A spokesman for Patriarch Kirill says the head of the Russian Orthodox Church will be wearing his everyday vestments at Friday's meeting with Pope Francis.

The meeting in Cuba's capital of Havana will be the first ever meeting between a pope and a head of the Russian Church, the largest Orthodox Church in the world.

Kirill's spokesman Father Alexander Volkov told Russian news agencies on Friday that the Patriarch will be wearing the usual vestments he wears for church services. That consists of a black cassock and a white koukoulion, the traditional headdress of Orthodox monks.

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8:40 a.m.

Pope Francis says his deepest desire for his trip to Mexico is to simply pray before the shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Speaking to reporters en route to his first stop in Havana, Francis said he knew that the Virgin is beloved to Catholics and even those who are not.

"This mystery that they study, study, and there are no human explanations," he said. "The most scientific study says this is something of God. This is what I'll tell the Mexicans, even those who say 'I'm atheist but I'm a Guadalupeno.'  Then he corrected himself: "Some Mexicans. Not all are atheists."

Francis arrives in Mexico Friday night and he's due to celebrate Mass in the Basilica of Guadalupe on Saturday evening. The trip to Mexico runs through Wednesday.

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8:15 a.m.

Popes always receive gifts on their foreign visits, and Francis is no different, getting a sombrero, some chocolate chip cookies and a single white rose, which has significance for him. But Noel Diaz's gift as the pope was flying to Cuba and Mexico was particularly heartfelt.

Diaz runs a Catholic TV station in Los Angeles that covers migration issues closely. He told the pope that as a child growing up poor in Tijuana, his single mother didn't have enough money to buy him a new outfit when he made his First Communion. So at age 7, Diaz started shining shoes on the streets of Tijuana to earn enough to buy a new shirt and pants.

On Friday, Diaz gave Francis a custom-made shoeshine kit, "in memory of all those who work hard every day ... those who get up in the morning and do anything to put bread on the table," Diaz said.

And then he bent down and shined Francis' shoe.

Francis inscribed a book Diaz had brought: "Thank you for your example. And please pray for me."

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8 a.m.

Pope Francis says he plans to visit Colombia in the first half of next year if the Colombian government and rebels make progress and sign a peace treaty to end Latin American's longest-running conflict.

Asked about his plans en route to Cuba and Mexico, Francis told Colombian journalist: "If the peace process goes forward and they sign, I promise that in the first half of 2017 I'll go to Colombia.", he would visit the country in the first half of 2017.

Colombian officials apparently are already taking that for granted.

President Juan Manuel Santos sent a tweet Thursday announcing a papal visit in the first half of 2017. He called the visit "very important."

Francis gave a strong push to the Colombian negotiators while he was in Cuba last year, telling them they don't have the right to abandon peace efforts.

The pope's first stop this time again is Havana, where he's to meet with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in the aims of easing a historic rift in Christianity.

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7:50 a.m.

Pope Francis is taking a big step toward improving relations with the Russian Orthodox Church by meeting in Cuba with Patriarch Kirill. But when might he visit Russia?

Francis was asked the question as he greeted journalists en route to Havana on Friday.

"China and Russia, I have them here," he said, pointing to his heart. "Pray."

Popes have dreamed of visiting Russia but the circumstances continue to dim any hope of a papal visit anytime soon.

The Alitalia jet carrying Francis and his entourage departed Friday morning from Rome's airport. First stop is Havana's airport, where Francis will meet for a few hours with Kirill in a ground-breaking step toward improving Catholic-Orthodox relations.

Francis will then visit Mexico, returning to Rome on Feb. 18.

Pope Francis waves from his popemobile after arriving in Mexico City, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. History's first Latin American pope traveled to Mexico on Friday for a weeklong tour of some of the most violent, poverty-stricken and peripheral places in the Americas. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Catholic faithful line the roadside as they wait to greet Pope Francis on his arrival, outside the presidential hangar at Mexico City's airport, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. History's first Latin American pope travels to Mexico on Friday for a weeklong tour of some of the most violent, poverty-stricken and peripheral places in the Americas. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Pope Francis greets people upon arrival to Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. The pontiff is in Mexico for a week-long visit. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Pope Francis, center, greets youth dressed in traditional Mexican outfits as he's escorted by Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto, behind, and first lady Angelica Rivera, upon arrival to Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. The pontiff is in Mexico for a week-long visit. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Pope Francis waves as he stands between Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto and first lady Angelica Rivera upon arrival to Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. The pontiff is in Mexico for a week-long visit. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

A woman waves a blanket decorated with an image of Pope Francis along the route the pontiff will take upon arrival to Mexico City, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. Pope Francis is arriving in Mexico on Friday for a week-long visit. (AP Photo/Christian Palma)

Pope Francis walks next to Cuban President Raul Castro, at the Jose Marti airport in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. Pope Francis will meet for two hours with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill during a brief stop en route to Mexico. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan)

The aircraft carrying Pope Francis arrives at Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. Francis stopped briefly in Cuba for the second time in less than a year on his way to a tour of Mexico. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan)

A magazine cover welcoming Pope Francis to Mexico is displayed for sale alongside fashion and gossip magazines at a newsstand in Mexico City, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. The pontiff will arrive to Mexico on Friday, Feb. 12 for a week-long visit. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Pope Francis, center right, and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill, center left, meet at the Jose Marti aiport in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. This is the first-ever papal meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, a historic development in the 1,000-year schism within Christianity. (Ismael Francisco/Cubadebate via AP)

Cuba's President Raul Castro speaks to reporters after Pope Francis departed Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016, after the pontiff's meeting with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill. Odd as the location seems, Francis' and Kirill's attempt to reconcile their churches after centuries of estrangement will set the tone for a year of peacemaking in Cuba, a nation trying to shed its historic role as international socialist provocateur. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan)

A worker places a life-size cutout of Pope Francis in the Zocalo in downtown Mexico City, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. The pontiff arrives in Mexico on Friday for a week-long visit. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Pope Francis ascends the stairs to his aircraft at the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. Francis stopped briefly in Cuba for the second time in less than a year on his way to a tour of Mexico. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan)

A man holds cards of Pope Francis outside the Catholic Nunciature, where the pontiff will arrive in Mexico City, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. Pope Francis is arriving in Mexico on Friday for a week-long visit. (AP Photo/Christian Palma)
Pope gives tough love to Mexico's political, church elite

MEXICO CITY (AP)  Pope Francis challenged Mexico's political and ecclesial elites on Saturday to provide their people with security, justice and courageous pastoral care to confront the drug-inspired violence and corruption that are wracking the country, delivering a tough-love message to Mexico's ruling classes on his first full day in the country.

The raucous welcome Francis received from an estimated 1 million cheering Mexicans who lined his motorcade route seven-deep contrasted sharply with his pointed criticism of how church and state leaders here have often failed their people, especially the poorest and most marginalized.

"Experience teaches us that each time we seek the path of privileges or benefits for a few to the detriment of the good of all, sooner or later the life of society becomes a fertile soil for corruption, drug trade, exclusion of different cultures, violence and also human trafficking, kidnapping and death, bringing suffering and slowing down development," he told government authorities at the presidential palace.

Prelates wait for the arrival of Pope Francis who will celebrate Mass at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. The pontiff's five-day visit includes a prayer before the Virgin of Guadalupe shrine, the largest and most important Marian shrine in the world and one that is particularly important to the first Latin American pope. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

In a subsequent hard-hitting speech to his own bishops, Francis challenged church leaders known for their deference to Mexico's wealthy and powerful to courageously denounce the "insidious threat" posed by the drug trade and not hide behind their own privilege and careers.

He told them to be true pastors, close to their people, and to develop a coherent plan to help Mexicans "finally escape the raging waters that drown so many, either victims of the drug trade or those who stand before God with their hands drenched in blood, though with pockets filled with sordid money and their consciences deadened."

The speech was met with tepid applause, with only a handful of bishops standing in ovation.

Francis' entire five-day trip to Mexico is shining an uncomfortable spotlight on the church's shortcomings and the government's failure to solve entrenched social ills that plague many parts of the country  poverty, rampant drug-inspired gangland killings, extortion, disappearances of women, crooked cops and failed public services.

Over the coming days, Francis will travel to the crime-ridden Mexico City suburb of Ecatepec, preach to Indians in poverty-stricken Chiapas, offer solidarity to victims of drug violence in Morelia and, finally, pay respects to migrants who have died trying to reach the United States with a cross-border Mass in Ciudad Juarez.

The grueling schedule appeared to be already taking a toll: By Saturday evening, Francis seemed tired and winded. He appeared to doze off during Mass and lost his balance and fell into a chair set up for him to pray before the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

The 79-year-old Francis has had an exhausting two days, with back-to-back public events, dozens of kilometers (miles) spent standing in his popemobile and a seven-hour time zone difference. In addition, Mexico City's altitude of more than 7,000 feet provides a challenge to anyone not acclimatized, perhaps more for Francis who lost part of one lung as a young man.

Francis began his first full day in Mexico with a winding ride into the capital's historic center to the delight of tens of thousands greeting history's first Latin American pope. Despite an exhausting Friday that involved a historic embrace with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Francis obliged their demands and stopped to hand out rosaries to the elderly, sick and disabled who gathered in front of his residence.

The mileage that Francis is clocking standing up in his open-air popemobile is a testament to his appreciation of Mexicans' need to see him up close: After a 14-mile (23-kilometer) nighttime ride in from the airport and the 9 miles (14 kilometers) logged Saturday morning, Francis still has about 93 miles (150 kilometers) more to go in the popemobile before his trip ends Wednesday.

In a nod to his thrifty ways, three of the five popemobiles Francis will use are being recycled from his U.S. trip in September. Francis is also sticking to an economy car when he's not in a popemobile, using a tiny white Fiat to move around.

Francis began Saturday by meeting with President Enrique Pena Nieto at the presidential palace. He told the president and other members of government that public officials must be honest and upright and not be seduced by privilege or corruption.

Corruption permeates many aspects of Mexican society, from traffic cops and restaurant inspectors who routinely shake down citizens for bribes, to politicians and police commanders who are sometimes on the payroll of drug cartels. Even Pena Nieto's administration has been tainted by what critics call fishy real estate dealings by people close to him, including the first lady, with companies that were awarded lucrative state contracts.

Francis said political leaders have a "particular duty" to ensure their people have "indispensable" material and spiritual goods: "adequate housing, dignified employment, food, true justice, effective security, a healthy and peaceful environment."

In his speech, Pena Nieto said he shared Francis' concerns about hunger, inequality and the dangers of people "letting themselves be carried away by evil."

Francis then met with his own bishops at the city's cathedral, issuing a six-page mission statement urging them to be true pastors and not gossiping, career-minded clerics who spew words and inoffensive denunciations that make them sound like "babbling orphans beside a tomb."

Speaking off the cuff, he urged them to maintain unity and show more transparency. "If you have to fight, fight. If you have to say things, say them, but do it like men: to the face," he said.

Later in the day, Francis celebrated his first Mass in Mexico at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, considered the largest and most important Marian shrine in the world.

Francis has spoken reverently of his "most intimate desire" to pray before the icon so beloved by Latin Americans, Catholic and not. Thousands packed the square outside to welcome the pontiff, holding balloons and flags in a festive atmosphere befitting a rock star's welcome.

Catalina Ramirez, 77, said she came to beseech the Virgin and the pope to help her great-granddaughter recover from surgery for cerebral palsy. She added that she was excited to witness her first papal Mass, and hoped that Francis "comes to rescue us."

Francis' visit has been cheered by Mexicans who have been treated to six previous papal trips  five by St. John Paul II and one by Benedict XVI  and are known for their enthusiastic welcomes.

Vatican officials estimated 1 million people lined Francis' motorcade route or attended one of his events Saturday, some watching from rooftops and balconies, and thousands more gathered in Mexico's main square, known as the Zocalo, to catch a glimpse as he arrived for his meeting with Pena Nieto. Authorities set up huge TV screens that transmitted the scene inside the National Palace.

"What the pope told the president shows he is very aware of the violent situation the country is going through," said 48-year-old Jose Luis Santana, who watched the pope's speeches at the Zocalo. "I think (the speech) was good, and hopefully it will be able to change things."

Francis' denunciation of the social ills afflicting Mexico reflected the reality of the world's largest Spanish-speaking Catholic country: According to government statistics, about 46 percent of Mexicans live in poverty, including 10 percent in extreme poverty.

Mexico's homicide rate rose precipitously after then-President Felipe Calderon launched a war on drug cartels shortly after taking office in 2006, with the bloodshed peaking around 2011. Murders declined somewhat for the next three years after that, before ticking up again in 2015.

Women have been particularly targeted: At least 1,554 women have disappeared in Mexico state, bordering Mexico City, since 2005, according to the National Observatory on Femicide.

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Associated Press writers Peter Orsi, Carlos Rodriguez, Eduardo Castillo, Juan Zamorano and Jacobo Garcia contributed to this report.

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Nicole Winfield on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Pope Francis enters, clutching his pastoral staff, the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. Francis will celebrate Mass at the Basilica, considered the largest and most important Marian shrine in the world. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis delivers his message during his visit at the National Cathedral in Mexico City, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. Pope Francis is demanding Mexican bishops courageously challenge the "insidious threat" posed by the drug trade, saying the Catholic hierarchy must help Mexicans escape the violence and corruption plaguing their nation and not hide behind their own privilege and careers. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

People attend Mass celebrated by Pope Francis at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. The pontiff's five-day visit includes a prayer before the Virgin of Guadalupe shrine, the largest and most important Marian shrine in the world and one that is particularly important to the first Latin American pope. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis meets with bishops during his visit at the National Cathedral in Mexico City, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. Pope Francis is demanding Mexican bishops courageously challenge the "insidious threat" posed by the drug trade, saying the Catholic hierarchy must help Mexicans escape the violence and corruption plaguing their nation and not hide behind their own privilege and careers. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis, back, accompanied by Mexican Cardinal and Archbishop of Mexico City Norberto Rivera, descends from the popemobile as he arrives to the National Cathedral in Mexico City, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. Pope Francis kicks off his first trip to Mexico on Saturday with speeches to the country's political and ecclesial elites. The pontiff's five-day visit will include a very personal prayer at the Virgin of Guadalupe shrine. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Pope Francis is welcomed by Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto and first lady Angelica Rivera, upon his arrival at the Presidential palace in Mexico City, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. Francis kicked off his first trip to Mexico on Saturday with a long popemobile ride past cheering crowds on a day that will see him meet with the countrys political and church elite, and end with a silent prayer before the Virgin of Guadalupe. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Bishops and priest walk to the National Cathedral for a meeting with Pope Francis, in Mexico City, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. Pope Francis is demanding Mexican bishops courageously challenge the "insidious threat" posed by the drug trade, saying the Catholic hierarchy must help Mexicans escape the violence and corruption plaguing their nation and not hide behind their own privilege and careers. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Nuns and faithful wave to Pope Francis as he makes his way on the popemobile to Mexico City's main square, the Zocalo, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. Francis kicks off his first trip to Mexico on Saturday with speeches to the country's political and ecclesial elites, riding in on the success of his historic meeting in Cuba with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. (AP Photo/Enric Marti)

The faithfull wait for Pope Francis in Mexico City's main square, the Zocalo, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. Francis will meet with Mexican officials and foreign ambassadors at the National Palace. The speech, which is a fixture of every papal trip, is usually the pope's most political message, and Francis is expected to touch on some of the grave problems facing Mexico stemming from drug violence, migration and poverty. (AP Photo/Christian Palma)

People wait along the route that Pope Francis will take to Mexico City's main square, the Zocalo, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. Francis kicks off his first trip to Mexico on Saturday with speeches to the country's political and ecclesial elites, riding in on the success of his historic meeting in Cuba with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. (AP Photo/Christian Palma)

Pope Francis reaches out to greet youth dressed in traditional Mexican outfits as he's escorted by Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto, behind right, and first lady Angelica Rivera upon arrival to Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. The pontiff is in Mexico for a week-long visit. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Pope Francis meets with bishops during his visit at the National Cathedral in Mexico City, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. Pope Francis is demanding Mexican bishops courageously challenge the "insidious threat" posed by the drug trade, saying the Catholic hierarchy must help Mexicans escape the violence and corruption plaguing their nation and not hide behind their own privilege and careers. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Mexico warden, 2 other prison officers charged over riot

MONTERREY, Mexico (AP)  The warden, superintendent and a guard have been arrested on murder charges following a prison riot in northern Mexico that killed 49 people, state prosecutors said Saturday.

On Friday, Nuevo Leon prosecutors had said that three state officers had been charged with murder in connection to the riot, but did not identify them by name or position. The two prison officials were also charged with abuse of authority.

On Thursday, rival factions of the Zetas drug cartel slaughtered each other inside the Topo Chico prison. The guard who was charged with murder fired on an inmate and killed him, prosecutors said.

An inmate shouts and makes a hand sign from behind his barred window at the Topo Chico prison, after a riot broke out around midnight in Monterrey, Mexico, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. Dozens of inmates were killed and several injured in a brutal fight between two rival factions at the prison in northern Mexico, according to the state governor. (AP Photo/Emilio Vazquez)

State prosecutor Roberto Flores said prison director Gregoria Salazar Robles and superintendent Jesus Fernando Dominguez Jaramillo were charged for not maintaining the necessary security measures inside the prison. Investigators determined inmates had bats and metal bars that were used in the bloodbath. Some cells did not have locks and inmates were out and about at times they should not have been.

Many prisons in Mexico are under the control of the inmates.

On Friday, Flores said that four of the nine bodies still unidentified could not be named because the prison had no record of them at the facility. The other five bodies were badly burned and were awaiting DNA testing.

"It is a pretty irregular situation," he said of the violence in the prison in Monterrey, which is Mexico's northern industrial hub.

Authorities said the hours-long fight that raged into Thursday morning was a battle between rival drug gang factions that underlined the power that cartels wield inside many of the country's prisons.

Nuevo Leon Gov. Jaime Rodriguez said 60 hammers, 86 knives and 120 shivs were used in the bloodbath in which 49 inmates were hacked, beaten or burned to death and a dozen were injured.

At least 40 of the victims "died from wounds from stabbing and cutting weapons, blows from hammers and clubs," Rodriguez said at a news conference

"What we have to see as a reality in the entire penitentiary system is that there is self-rule" by the inmates, Rodriguez said. "All this corruption inside the prison creates the conditions we have today."

He acknowledged that prisoners effectively lord over the facility and that there were not enough guards watching them. "Nobody wants to be a guard," he said, because of the meager pay.

Before flying from Cuba to Mexico on Friday, Pope Francis sent a message to Monterrey's archbishop expressing profound sorrow for the victims. He also asked that his condolences be conveyed to the victims' families and wished a speedy recovery for those injured in the melee.

About half the inmates at Topo Chico have been sentenced for minor offenses or are suspects still awaiting trial. Nevertheless they are housed in the prison's overcrowded general population alongside many of the country's most hardened killers.

One of them was Raymundo Gonzalez Hernandez, a 23-year-old who is accused of kidnapping but whose trial is still pending. He was not among those listed as wounded during the riot, but his cousin said he was covered by bruises and welts when she was allowed inside to see him.

"Both his eyes were practically closed from all the hits they gave him," Cynthia Hernandez said.

"He couldn't even speak, he just went like this," she added, moving her head from side to side.

No escapes were reported in the clash, which took place on the eve of Francis' arrival in Mexico, a visit that is scheduled to include a trip next week to another prison in the border city of Ciudad Juarez.

Flores confirmed the clash was between two gangs led by two members of the infamous Zetas drug cartel, Juan Pedro Zaldivar Farias, also known as "Z-27," and Jorge Ivan Hernandez Cantu.

Rodriguez blamed the violence on "the old, outdated, obsolete system" under which Mexican prisons are run and suggested after having visited the United States that his country may have to move to U.S.-style, privately operated prisons.

"We have to think about efforts with private initiative," he said. "We have not been doing rehabilitation work."

He also criticized judicial reforms that have given inmates greater ability to appeal transfer orders that could send them farther from their hometowns. Zaldivar had successfully fought to be moved to Topo Chico, while Hernandez won an appeal against transferring him elsewhere.

"Basically this is creating the conflicts in the prisons," Rodriguez said.

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Associated Press writer Mark Stevenson contributed to this report.

Inmates stand on the rooftop of the Topo Chico prison after a riot broke out around midnight, in Monterrey, Mexico, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. Dozens of inmates were killed and several injured in a brutal fight between two rival factions at the prison in northern Mexico, the state governor said. (AP Photo/Emilio Vazquez)

Relatives of inmates try to ram a piece of wood at police, who are standing on the other side of a gate, at the Topo Chico where a riot broke out around midnight, in Monterrey, Mexico, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. Dozens of inmates were killed and several injured in a brutal fight between two rival factions at the prison in northern Mexico, the state governor said. (AP Photo/Emilio Vazquez)

Inmates from the female block shout from the Topo Chico prison after a riot broke out around midnight in Monterrey, Mexico, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. Dozens of inmates were killed and several injured in a brutal fight between two rival factions at the prison in northern Mexico, according to the state governor. (AP Photo/Emilio Vazquez)
Things to know about Obama's summit with SE Asian leaders

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Barack Obama hosts Southeast Asian leaders at an unprecedented summit in California starting Monday as he looks to deepen ties with the region's fast-growing economies. But a nation not invited  neighboring power China  will be the proverbial elephant in the room as the leaders grapple with sensitive territorial disputes.

As part of Obama's so-called pivot in U.S. foreign policy toward the Asia-Pacific, he has made a point of traveling to the region each fall to meet with the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN.

Now, Obama is inviting ASEAN leaders to the U.S., and to the same venue where he hosted China's President Xi Jinping in 2013. U.S. officials say the two-day summit at the Sunnylands estate is not directed against China, a strategic rival of the U.S. But the military might and economic clout of the rising Asian power is likely to loom over their discussions.

FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2015 file photo, President Barack Obama shakes hands with Thailands Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha in Manila, Philippines. When President Barack Obama welcomes Southeast Asian leaders for a shirt-sleeves summit in California this week, hell have some interesting dining companions. There will be a coup leader with a penchant for song, a sultan with a taste for the high life and a ruthless prime minister with 31 years on the job. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Some things to know about the summit:

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TOP ISSUE: SOUTH CHINA SEA

The top security issue on the agenda. China says it has a historical right to virtually all of the South China Sea and has built seven artificial islands, including airstrips, to assert its sovereignty. Taiwan and ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines also claim land features in these potentially resource-rich waters, an important thoroughfare for world trade. Although not a claimant, the U.S. has spoken out against China's conduct and the Navy has sailed close to some of the artificial islands, angering Beijing but getting some quiet encouragement from most ASEAN members. The U.S. is looking for ASEAN to take a unified stance by calling for the territorial disputes to be resolved according to international law.

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TRADE AND TPP

America has longstanding economic interests in Southeast Asia. U.S. companies have invested $226 billion in the region, and two-way trade was $254 billion last year. On Day One at Sunnylands, the leaders will discuss how to expand trade and investment with the help of U.S. entrepreneurship and innovation. Also likely on the agenda: the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, Obama's signal achievement on trade, which the administration often characterizes as an opportunity for the U.S., rather than China, to shape the rules of world trade. The four ASEAN members in TPP  Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam  will want to know if it Congress will ratify the pact, which remains in doubt. Other ASEAN members, like Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, have expressed interest in joining TPP at a later date.

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THREAT FROM ISLAMIC STATE GROUP

The U.S. wants to deepen counter-terrorism and intelligence cooperation with Southeast Asian nations. Despite the region's relative success in combating al-Qaida-linked militancy since 9/11, the Islamic State group, or IS, appears to be gaining a foothold. Indonesian authorities said that IS funded a suicide attack that hit a Starbucks in Jakarta last month, the first major terrorist attack in the capital city in six years. Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, the world's most populace Muslim nation, have all reported citizens traveling to fight in Iraq and Syria, and several small militant groups in the Philippines have pledged allegiance to IS.

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AWKWARD QUESTIONS ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS

The 10 members of ASEAN run the gamut of political systems, from open democracy to one-party rule. Obama will emphasize the importance of the rule of law and civil society but likely avoid open criticism of a particular nation. Human rights activists have faulted the U.S. for inviting unelected leaders, like Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who seized power in a May 2014 military coup. Also attending is Cambodia's Hun Sen, who has used violence and intimidation against political opponents and is making his first official U.S. visit during a 31-year tenure as prime minister.

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WHO ISN'T COMING

Like Obama, several of the ASEAN leaders are lame ducks with little time left in office. They include Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, whose six-year term ends in June, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, who was sidelined at a recent Communist Party congress. Both men are due to come to Sunnylands, but the outgoing leader from Myanmar is sending a deputy in his place. Myanmar's President Thein Sein has overseen democratic reforms in the former pariah state but his pro-military party was trounced in November elections and he'll stand down by April. The new government led by the party of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has yet to take office.
For refugees, finding work in Europe an uphill battle

VIENNA (AP)  Antonio Piani appears to have beaten the odds stacked against refugees finding work in Europe, but the hotel where he works was set up specifically to employ people like him.

The 40-year-old says the janitor's job is his first permanent position since leaving Iran more than 11 years ago  a disheartening message for the hundreds of thousands of new arrivals seeking work in Austria, Germany, Sweden and the few other prosperous EU countries willing to take them.

"It's bound to get more difficult," said Piani, an Iranian Christian who changed his name to Antonio when he was baptized. "Refugee numbers are increasing and so is the sentiment that they are taking jobs from the locals."

In this photo taken Thursday, Dec, 17, 2015, technician Antonio Piani, a 40-year old Iranian Christian, repairs a lamp in Magdas Hotel in Vienna, Austria. Piani works at Magdas, a hotel set up specifically to employ refugees past and present. The janitors job is his first permanent position since leaving Iran more than 11 years ago. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

Nearly 40 percent of those unemployed in Austria were classified as migrants or of a migrant background, according to statistics cited in April by Volkshilfe, Austria's largest NGO dedicated to helping the underprivileged. In Sweden, official figures released Thursday found that 38 percent of the 386,000 registered as unemployed were non-European migrants. And German Labor Office figures from last month show a more than 60-percent rise in the number of non-European migrants without a job over the year.

And numbers are only half the story.

Biases in hiring, lack of documents from passports to diplomas, and legal status needed to obtain a job, provide significant hurdles to refugees looking for employment.

In Austria, fears are being magnified by rising unemployment, and the more than 30,000 new arrivals looking for jobs this year have helped hoist the xenophobic Freedom Party to topping popularity polls. But the job-stealing refugee is only one of the perceptions that make finding a job difficult.

Type-casting refugees as qualified for only the most menial jobs also works against them, even if it could be true for at least some. Thirty percent of Afghans questioned by the Austrian Employment Office in a recent informal survey of 898 refugees granted asylum never attended school.

Near the other end of the scale, 68 percent of Syrians  the largest group  either held a university degree, a high-school diploma or a trade qualification, as did 90 percent of Iranians.

Complicating matters, many arrivals not only lack passports but also paperwork reflecting their education. Johannes Kopf, who heads the Austrian employment office, sees "optimistic results" for job seekers from Iran, Syria and Iraq and "depressing results" for Afghans.

Even the better-qualified candidates face substantial hurdles.

In most cases, only migrants who have been granted asylum can work legally, but that process can take up to two years. Then comes the ability to speak German  crucial for employment.

Yet the challenge of learning the language is made even more daunting by a shortage of courses. Even as refugee numbers continued to climb last year, the national employment office announced that it had cut its classes to 15,000 from 23,000 in 2014.

As opportunities tighten, some may decide it's all not worth it. As of November, the status of all of those who qualified for asylum since then is subject to review in three years to see whether it is safe for them to return to their home countries. That is bound to crimp the motivation to assimilate.

Hajar Al Jashame doesn't fall into that category. But as the 20-year-old Iraqi opens up about her job search in halting but serviceable German, it quickly becomes evident that even those who are here to stay don't have it easy.

Four years after arrival she has managed to complete grade 9 in an Austrian school. Not enough, she says.

"They all want a woman with at least grade 10," she says of responses to her job applications as a dental assistant. And when she asked her own dentist, she was told he wants "a girl without a headscarf."

"I asked, 'how come?' I was told 'that's how it is,'" she says. Austrian social workers relate similar cases of supermarket cashiers told to take off their headscarves while working.

Her one Austrian girlfriend is no help. Al Jashame says she turned to her once for motivation, only to be told "you foreigners are taking our jobs."

Bahram Zai Mohammad Shafak also remains unemployed  but it's not for lack of trying.

Social workers say the 22-year old from Afghanistan finished high school at home but had no diploma to prove it when he arrived. Three years later, he too has an Austrian grade 9 education and has sent out more than 50 applications since April for an apprenticeship as a plumber or mechanic.

He says he got five replies and one interview that turned into an offer to work as an apprentice plumber. Shafak agonized  and turned it down. It was clashing with his German course.

"It was even more important for me to improve my German," he said. "I need to be in a situation where I can write my own job application. I won't have volunteers to help me do that forever."

Both he and Al Jashame say they will go back to school if needed to land a job, while acknowledging that not all young refugees are similarly motivated. Shafak speaks of acquaintances happy to do nothing but collect generous Austrian financial support of about 600 euros (nearly $700) a month  substantially more than twice the average salary back home.

Both say that's not an option for them.

"I want to do something with my life," says Shafak. Al Jashame nods.

"I want to work," she says. "I want to reach my goals."

It is unlikely to be easy, though.

Piani, the janitor, whistles cheerily as he changes a light bulb, then moves on to the next hotel room to do some minor plumbing. He has a job at Magdas, a hotel set up specifically to employ refugees past and present.

Across town from the NGO-run center where the two young people have just told their stories, Piani reflects on the more than a decade of odd jobs, punctuated by months of subsistence on social handouts that ended only when he landed his job two years ago.

Those jobless periods, he says, were the worst of his life in Austria.

"Being able to work is part of life," says Piani. "Sitting around, doing nothing  that's bad for the body, for the soul, for society."

Asked what he would advise Shafak and Al Jashame, Piani smiles.

"Learn German," he says. "Integrate. Respect Austrian laws. Forget everything that came before. Start new."

He also has a message for Austrians,

"We're also human beings with strengths and weaknesses," says Piani. "Have patience with us.

"It pays off."

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Associated Press writers Karl Ritter in Stockholm, Sweden, and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed

In this photo taken Thursday, Dec, 17, 2015, technician Antonio Piani, a 40-year old Iranian Christian poses before an interview with The Associated Press in the Magdas Hotel in Vienna, Austria. Piani works at Magdas, a hotel set up specifically to employ refugees past and present. The janitors job is his first permanent position since leaving Iran more than 11 years ago. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

In this photo taken Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016, Hajar al Jashame, a migrant from Iraq who was granted asylum in Austria, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at Interface, an NGO facility working to integrate refugees, in Vienna, Austria. Four years after arrival she has managed to complete grade 9 in an Austrian school. Not enough, she says. They all want a woman with at least grade 10, she says of responses to her job applications as a dental assistant. And when she asked her own dentist, she was told he wants a girl without a headscarf. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

In this photo taken Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016 Bahram Zai Mohammad Shafak, a migrant from Afghanistan who was granted asylum in Austria, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at Interface, which is an NGO facility working to integrate refugees, in Vienna, Austria. Shafak remains unemployed _ but its not for lack of trying. Social workers say the 22-year old finished high school at home but had no diploma to prove it when he arrived. Three years later, he has an Austrian grade 9 education and has sent out more than 50 applications since April for an apprenticeship as a plumber or mechanic. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

This photo taken Thursday, Dec, 17, 2015 shows one of the rooms in Magdas Hotel in Vienna, Austria. Magdas is a hotel set up specifically to employ refugees past and present. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)
Gaza's Hamas rulers says Egypt briefly opens border crossing

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  The Islamic militant group Hamas that rules Gaza says Egypt has opened its border with the territory for the first time this year.

Hamas said Saturday that the Rafah crossing is open for two days. A few hundred people are expected to be able to pass through during that time.

Egypt and Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza in 2007, after Hamas seized the territory from forces loyal to the Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Egypt only opens the border intermittently. Humanitarian aid and some goods enter Gaza from the Israel side.
Russian PM: West is rekindling the Cold War with NATO moves

MUNICH (AP)  Russia's prime minister accused NATO on Saturday of restarting the Cold War amid increased military maneuvers and troop deployments to countries neighboring Russia, moves the alliance's top official defended as a necessary response to aggression from Moscow.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told a meeting of top defense officials, diplomats and national leaders that sanctions imposed after Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and new moves by NATO "only aggravate" tensions.

"NATO's policies related to Russia remain unfriendly and opaque  one could go so far as to say we have slid back to a new Cold War," Medvedev said. "On almost a daily basis, we're called one of the most terrible threats either to NATO as a whole, or Europe, or to the United States."

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev attends a breakfast with members of a German Economic delegation at the Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

The comments came after NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told the Munich Security Conference that "Russia's rhetoric, posture and exercises of its nuclear forces are aimed at intimidating its neighbors, undermining trust and stability in Europe."

Later, Stoltenberg told The Associated Press in an interview that all of NATO's moves had been made in response to Russian aggression.

"NATO does not seek confrontation and we do not want a new Cold War. But we had to respond to the Russian military buildup, which we have seen over several years," he said. "Not only a military buildup, but the fact that Russia is willing to use military power to change borders in Europe as they have done in Ukraine."

The annual conference in Munich is one known for frank talk among top officials.

Speaking after Medvedev, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry fired back that Europe and the United States would continue to "stand up to Russia's repeated aggression" and noted that in addition to a joint focus on Ukraine, Washington plans to quadruple spending to help European security. That will allow the U.S. to maintain a division's worth of equipment in Europe and an additional combat brigade in Central and Eastern Europe.

NATO also announced this past week it would add new multinational reinforcements to beef up defenses of front-line alliance members most at risk from Russia.

"Those who claim our trans-Atlantic partnership is unraveling  or those who hope it might unravel  could not be more wrong," Kerry said.

Stoltenberg stressed the need for dialogue, but also defended NATO's move to strengthen defenses, including moving more troops and equipment to countries bordering Russia. He said at a summer summit in Warsaw he expects NATO members "to decide to further strengthen the alliance's defense and deterrence."

He told the AP it was also a positive "first step" that NATO members have mostly stopped cuts to their defense budgets and were working toward NATO's expectation that its members spend 2 percent of GDP on defense  a goal few meet.

"I think all politicians would prefer to spend money on education, health, infrastructure. But security doesn't come for free, and as tensions increase then we have to adapt," he said. "When tensions went down after the end of the Cold War there was a peace dividend and defense spending went down. But when tensions are increasing, then we have to again increase our defense investments."

Expressing the concerns of some Eastern European countries, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite told the conference that Moscow is already "demonstrating open military aggression in Ukraine, open military aggression in Syria."

"It's nothing about cold," she said, referring to Medvedev's Cold War comments. "It is already very hot."

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko blasted Russia's actions in both Ukraine and Syria, saying they are "a demonstration that we live in a completely different universe" from Russia.

He said the main danger to Europeans now is an "alternative Europe with alternative values" such as isolation, intolerance and disrespect for human rights. Poroshenko added: "This alternative Europe has its own leader. His name is Mr. Putin."

Stoltenberg, in his conference address, underlined that NATO's deterrent also included nuclear weapons, saying "no one should think that nuclear weapons can be used as part of a conventional conflict  it would change the nature of any conflict fundamentally."

Medvedev scoffed at what he said was a suggestion that Russia may use nuclear weapons in a first strike.

"Sometimes I wonder if it's 2016 or if we live in 1962," he said, referring to the year of the Cuban missile crisis.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov weighed in later, saying "it seems that old instincts are still viable."

"Cliches of ideological confrontation are returning into common use, the conceptual basis of which ceased to exist a quarter of a century ago," he said. "We need to agree on reforms of the world order, because such NATO-centered self-conceit, which reflects political short-sightedness, causes severe damage to the search for responses to common real challenges."

Medvedev also called for sanctions on Russia imposed after it annexed Crimea to be lifted, saying they are "a road that leads nowhere." He suggested the West would only harm itself if it did not lift the sanctions soon.

"The longer the sanctions continue, the more chances fade for Europeans to keep their positions in Russian markets as investors and suppliers," he said. "That's why one has to act quickly."

Kerry said if Russia wants an end to sanctions, it has the "simple choice" of fully implementing the Minsk peace accord agreed upon last year.

"Russia can prove by its actions that it will respect Ukraine's sovereignty, just as it insists on respect for its own," he said.

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Geir Moulson contributed to this story.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev gestures during his speech on the podium at the Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev smiles on the podium at the Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

German Foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier gestures during his speech at the Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, left, and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrive at the Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gestures during his speech at the Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls gestures during his speech on the podium at the Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Kerry takes aim at Russia over Ukraine and Syria

MUNICH (AP)  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday sharply criticized Russia for its actions in Ukraine and Syria, accusing Moscow of "repeated aggression" in both places.

In a speech at the Munich Security Conference, Kerry said Russia is defying the will of the international community with its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine and its military intervention in Syria on behalf of President Bashar Assad.

His comments came just after Russia's prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, told the conference that the West is rekindling the Cold War with sanctions imposed on Russia over Ukraine and with new NATO moves.

U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, gestures during his speech at the Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Kerry praised European nations for holding firm on the Ukraine penalties. He urged Moscow to act in good faith in forging a truce in Syria and to allow a political transition that would end the civil war.

He repeated allegations that Russian airstrikes in Syria have not been directed at terrorists but rather at moderate opposition groups supported by the U.S. and its European and Arab partners. Kerry also said that Russia would have to change tactics if an agreement Friday for a temporary truce in Syria is to actually take effect in a week.

"To date, the vast majority, in our opinion, of Russia's attacks have been against legitimate opposition groups and to adhere to the agreement it made, we think it is critical that Russia's targeting change," Kerry said. "If people who want to be part of the conversation are being bombed, we're not going to have much of a process."

Kerry added that the only way to end the Syrian conflict and ultimately defeat the Islamic State group is a political transition that removes Assad from power.

"Some argue that the reason humanitarian access has been denied and indiscriminate bombing continues is because Assad and his allies, including Russia, might believe that by defying the will of the international community, they can win the war," he said. "If that is what Russia and Assad think, then I believe they would have been missing the lessons of the last five years."

The opposition "may be pushed back here and there but they are not going to surrender," Kerry said.

On Ukraine, Kerry said Russia would continue to be subject to sanctions until it and the rebels it supports in the east come into full compliance with a political agreement reached last year in Minsk, the capital of Belarus.

"Russia has a simple choice: fully implement Minsk or continue to face economically damaging sanctions," he said.

U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, stands on the podium during his speech at the Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, right, talks to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko at the Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Syrian troops capture village near northern city of Aleppo

BEIRUT (AP)  Syrian government forces on Saturday captured another village near Aleppo, tightening the noose around rebel-held parts of the northern city, Syrian state TV and an opposition activist group said.

The ground attack in Aleppo province sparked artillery shelling by Turkish troops at Kurdish positions as Ankara appears to be worried that Syrian Kurdish fighters and Syrian government forces might reach the northern town of Azaz that is home to a major border crossing point that has been controlled by militants since 2012.

Syrian state TV reported late Saturday night that Turkish troops fired five shells at the mountains of the coastal province of Latakia that recently witnessed intense clashes between government forces and Turkish-backed gunmen.

In this Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016 photo, a building is seen with heavy damage in Aleppo, Syria. The fighting around Syria's largest city of Aleppo has brought government forces closer to the Turkish border than at any point in recent years, routing rebels from key areas and creating a humanitarian disaster as tens of thousands of people flee. (Alexander Kots/Komsomolskaya Pravda via AP)

State TV and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops captured Tamoura on Saturday around noon, amid intense shelling and air raids by Russian warplanes.

Syrian troops have been advancing under cover of Russian airstrikes with the aim of besieging rebel-held parts of Aleppo, Syria's largest city. If they are able to do so, it will be the biggest defeat for insurgents since the conflict began in March 2011.

After capturing Tamoura, the troops still have to take several more villages and towns, including Hayan, Anadan, Hreitan and Kfar Hamra, in order to completely encircle the Aleppo rebels.

Hezbollah-run Al-Manar TV said troops are now overlooking the town of Hayan and parts of Anadan. The Lebanese militant group is fighting alongside forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Al-Manar later aired live footage from an area overlooking Anadan in which Syrian troops were heavily pounding the area with artillery shells and white smoke could be seen billowing from several spots on the open area. Al-Manar has a reporter embedded with Syrian troops in Aleppo province.

To the north, warplanes carried out more than 20 air raids on the town of Tel Rifaat, a stronghold of the powerful ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham group, according to the Observatory and activist Amer Hassan who is currently in the nearby town of Azaz. Tel Rifaat is about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the border with Turkey.

"Today is one of the worst days since the revolution began," said Hassan via Skype, adding that activists counted 46 air raids on Tel Rifaat alone Saturday. "We have not seen such intense air raids before."

He added that Tel Rifaat is one of the biggest strongholds for militants in Aleppo province adding that "if Tel Rifaat falls it means that all northern parts of Aleppo will follow."

Saturday's fighting came a day after the United States and Russia announced a plan to halt the violence within a week, but it's unclear whether fighters on the ground will adhere to it.

In another development, Turkish troops fired artillery shells at areas in northern Syria that are held by Syrian Kurdish fighters.

The Observatory said the artillery strikes targeted the village of Malkiyeh and the Mannagh air base, which was captured by Kurdish fighters and their allies earlier this week. Hassan, the activist in Azaz, confirmed that Turkish troops have shelled the air base.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu confirmed that his country's military forces fired at Kurdish fighters in northern Syria. He said Turkish forces retaliated against a Kurdish faction "that presented a threat in Azaz and its environs" in line with the country's rules of engagement.

Turkish troops have bombarded areas under the control of Syria's main Kurdish military, the People's Protection Units or YPG, multiple times in the past. Turkey says the YPG is affiliated with the Kurdish PKK movement, which has waged a long and bloody insurgency in southeast Turkey.

"The YPG must immediately leave (the Syrian town of) Azaz and must not come any where near Azaz," the state-run Anadolu Agency quotes Davutoglu as saying.

Also Saturday, an official with the rebel Army of Islam group that controls areas near the capital Damascus said that they killed scores of soldiers on Feb. 7, when they ambushed an army force that was trying to infiltrate into Tel Soran near the Damascus suburb of Douma.

The Observatory said last Sunday's attack killed 76 government troops adding that 45 were killed in the ambush and another 31 died after entering a mine field.

Syria's five-year war has killed 250,000 people, wounded more than a million and displaced half the country's population.

Also on Saturday, the U.N. refugees agency, UNRWA, said it was able to deliver "urgently needed humanitarian supplies" to civilian residents in the besieged Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk in Damascus for the first time in nine months.

UNRWA Spokesperson Chris Gunness said that although the U.N. agency members did not enter the camp itself, they were able to reach the nearby area of Yalda, where 900 families from Yarmouk, Yalda and the neighboring areas of Babila and Beit Sahem were provided with 35-kilogram (77 pounds) food parcels.

Gunness said despite the fact that some humanitarian assistance has entered these areas since the last UNRWA distribution in June "humanitarian needs remain acute."

"There are clear indications that disease is on the rise, particularly among the most vulnerable such as children. There is an acute lack of medicines to treat them," Gunness said in a statement.

The camp was captured by the extremist Islamic State group in April last year.

In the suburbs of Damascus, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent transported four trucks of aid into an area on the edge of Douma. Operations Director at the SARC Hazem Baqleh said the supplies included baby formula and medicine for people suffering from chronic diseases.

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Pope-Patriarch meeting seen by Russians as significant

MOSCOW (AP)  Russians ranging from Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to ordinary citizens are seeing the landmark meeting of the heads of the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches as having significance far beyond religious doctrine.

The meeting in Havana, Cuba, on Friday between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill was the first between the two church's leaders. Popes have previously met with other leaders of Orthodox churches; the two churches split about a millennium ago.

Russia's is the largest of the Orthodox churches.

Pope Francis, left, embraces Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill after signing a joint declaration on religious unity at the Jose Marti International airport in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. The two religious leaders met for the first-ever papal meeting, a historic development in the 1,000-year schism within Christianity. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, Pool)

Medvedev, speaking Saturday at the Munich Security Conference, said the pope-patriarch meeting could encourage closer relations between Moscow and the West.

"Just yesterday we saw a bright example in the religious area of how the movement of one toward the other is beginning," he said.

Yevgeny Fedorov, a 59-year-old construction worker, held a similar view.

"Maybe this is a small push toward unity, more respect, more correctness in our relations," he said outside Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral, one of the city's most prominent Orthodox sites. But, he added, "''I don't think the West will begin to respect us tomorrow because of the meeting."

The Orthodox-Catholic split involves an array of doctrinal issues including papal infallibility and the nature of the Holy Trinity. In addition, the Russian church has bristled at what it believes to efforts by Catholics in the post-Soviet decades to siphon away believers who it feels should have been Orthodox when the Communist repression of religion was ended.

The Havana meeting is likely to do little to resolve the core disputes, theologian Pyotr Chistyakov told the state news agency Tass.

"In the near future, there can hardly be a resolution of the principal differences between the churches," he said. "It's likely that the sides understood the theological questions are complex and problematic and it was better simply not to discuss them, and instead speak about urgent problems that distress both sides  the political situation, terrorism and the crisis of traditional society and traditional Christianity."

The meeting also was welcomed in strongly Orthodox Serbia. Senior Serbian Bishop Irinej said in an article on the church's website that he hoped the meeting would be "an inspiration for the truthful and peaceful dialogue and work of the representatives of the two Christian churches in our area as well, where Orthodox and Roman Catholics have been living together for centuries. "

Sinisa Mihajlovic, the coach of AC Milan, saw the meeting from both sides of the theological divide, being of mixed Orthodox and Catholic parentage.

"In a period like this, during which religion is often a pretext for war, a meeting of the leaders of two such important religions cannot be anything but an important sign of peace, and I am very happy," he said, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.

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UN peacekeepers prepare for Central African Republic vote

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP)  Thousands of U.N. peacekeepers fanned out across Central African Republic on Saturday, delivering voting materials to polling stations and stepping up security ahead of a historic presidential runoff election.

Voters are choosing Sunday between two former prime ministers who have campaigned on promises of unifying the country torn apart by more than two years of sectarian violence between Muslim and Christian communities.

Bangui is a city awash in weapons, and many have feared that tensions around the vote could re-ignite rivalries between the militias still living among civilians in the capital.

UN peacekeepers from Congo Brazaville walk in the PK5 district after unloading a truck of its voting material and ballots at a polling station in Bangui, Central African Republic, Saturday Feb. 13, 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. Central Africans will also vote in legislative elections. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Lt. Gen. Balla Keita, force commander of the U.N. mission known as MINUSCA, said he was confident the vote would be peaceful. At least 2,000 peacekeepers and police are on hand in the capital, Bangui, while 8,000 others are patrolling in the provinces.

"Right now we are comfortable with the level of securitization," he said. "We are optimistic that everything will go well with the elections. But we know maybe there still could be issues and that with elections there could be sore losers."

On Saturday, peacekeepers helped deliver materials to a polling station in the predominantly Muslim enclave of PK5, where only three months earlier residents could not leave because Christian militia fighters had encircled the periphery in an attempt to thwart attacks on Christian neighborhoods.

Now merchants sit outside, selling fabrics and other wares, while young men carry high stacks of hard-boiled eggs for sale in the streets. Jasmin Menengamokobou, a 29-year-old Christian who has long lived in PK5, said residents of the beleaguered neighborhood are eagerly awaiting Sunday's election.

"We are ready to vote and we want peace to return to the country," he said as he stuffed foam mattress cushions into bright blue and yellow velour covers at the shop where he works. "Everyone has lost family during this crisis but if we focus on this we will never have peace."

Many credit the recent peace to the November visit of Pope Francis, who not only met with Christian leaders but also ventured in his open-air vehicle to the mosque where many have sought refuge since tensions exploded in late 2013. Whether these advances hold, though, is now largely dependent on the success of Sunday's historic vote.

Front-runner Anicet Georges Dologuele received about 24 percent in the first round and also was endorsed by the third-place finisher. However, Faustin Archange Touadera has strong grassroots support after placing second in the December ballot. Both candidates are former prime ministers and both are Christian. The country is currently being led by a transitional government formed two years ago, and the current president is barred from running.

UN peacekeepers from Congo Brazaville walk in the PK5 district after unloading a truck of its voting material and ballots at a polling station in Bangui, Central African Republic, Saturday Feb. 13, 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. Central Africans will also vote in legislative elections. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Ballots and other voting materials are unloaded from a UN truck at a polling station in Bangui, Central African Republic, Saturday Feb. 13, 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. Central Africans will also vote in legislative elections. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

UN peacekeepers from Congo Brazaville help unload a truck of its voting material and ballots at a polling station in Bangui, Central African Republic, Saturday Feb. 13, 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. Central Africans will also vote in legislative elections. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

A UN truck carrying election material drives towards the PK5 district in Bangui, Central African Republic, Saturday Feb. 13, 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. Central Africans will also vote in legislative elections. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Election workers sit after loading the last truck carrying election material at the electoral commission's logistical warehouse in Bangui, Central African Republic, Saturday Feb. 13, 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. Central Africans will also vote in legislative elections. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Supporters of Presidential candidate Faustin Archange Touadera rally during a sand storm in the streets of Bangui, Central African Republic, Friday Feb. 12, 2016.Two former prime ministers, 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)

Supporters of Presidential candidate Faustin Archange Touadera rally during a sand storm in the streets of Bangui, Central African Republic, Friday Feb. 12, 2016.Two former prime ministers, 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)
Army looks to recruit more women, adapt physical testing

WASHINGTON (AP)  Beginning this summer, a visit to a local Army recruiting office will include a new set of gymnastic tests to help determine what military jobs a recruit is physically capable of performing.

Prospective soldiers will be asked to run, jump, lift a weight and throw a heavy ball  all to help the Army figure out if the recruit can handle a job with high physical demands or should be directed to a more sedentary assignment.

The new tests come as the Pentagon is opening all combat posts to women, a process that involves setting physical standards for every job that both men and women will have to meet.

FILE - In this July 15, 2015 file photo, the Times Square military recruiting station displays insignia for each military branch in New York. Beginning this summer, a visit to a local Army recruiting office around the country will include a new set of gymnastic tests to help determine what military jobs a recruit is physically capable of doing. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

As part of the effort, the Army will increase the number of female recruiters to better target women. The goal will be to add 1 percent each year for the next three years in order to get at least one woman at each of the Army's more than 780 larger recruiting centers across the country.

Right now, only about 750 of the 8,800 Army and Army Reserve recruiters are women.

The head of U.S. Army Recruiting Command, Maj. Gen. Jeff Snow, told The Associated Press that adding more women as recruiters will give female recruits someone more credible to talk to about options for women in the military and how an Army career could affect married or family life.

But he said that getting that increase will be tough because other commands across the Army are also competing to get more women in their units.

As women move into combat roles, Army commanders want to have women in leadership positions across the force to serve as mentors and role models. In particular, Army leaders want more women as drill sergeants and platoon sergeants as recruits go through basic and advanced training.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter in December ordered the military services to allow women to compete for all combat jobs. But he and other military leaders have been adamant that the physical standards for the jobs will not be lowered in order to allow more women to qualify.

Brig. Gen. Donna Martin, deputy commander of Army Recruiting Command, said that despite the added recruiting efforts, there may not be a flood of women rushing to compete for combat jobs. But she said the Army may see an eventual increase in women enlistments as they see the array of options.

"I think it's all about awareness  about a choice," Martin said. "It's not forcing any women to go into combat arms. It's about making them aware that this is a choice.

"It's the whole question of can you have it all," said Martin, who has been in the Army for 29 years, has been married for 21 years, and has a 19-year-old son. "You can have as much as you want."

The new physical tests, according to Army leaders, will evaluate all recruits  men and women  and will judge their core strength and endurance. Recruits still will have to take the routine aptitude tests and physical evaluations.

"By doing predictive tests we can marry people up with those specialties that physically they should be able to do, which should reduce attrition and be a better fit for the Army," Snow said. "It is truly about the right person at the right time with the right skill sets to perform, and we think that we're setting them up for success in that particular specialty."

He added, however, that Army leaders are trying to finalize what scores will be needed to qualify for a highly physical job and what would limit recruits to less physical occupations.

While the tests coincide with the campaign to bring women into combat fields, military officials note that setting specific physical standards for all jobs may prevent some men from getting into certain infantry or armor posts if they don't qualify.

The tests stem from the three years of study the Army did as it considered whether all combat jobs, including grueling infantry, Army and special operations careers, should be opened to women, and what abilities recruits needed to succeed at the more difficult battlefront posts.

The questions also reflect concerns that women are injured at a higher rate than men, even during the early days of enlistment. Injuries or difficulties doing physical requirements often lead many women and men to fail or decide to leave the military.

The physical assessment test is made up of four tasks: a standing long jump; an interval, aerobic run; a dead lift of weights; and a seated power throw of a weighted ball. Snow said the tasks test upper and lower body strength, body core strength, endurance and power.

He said it will cost about $3 million to get all the testing equipment to the Army's 1,300 recruiting locations.

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The Latest: Cruz, Trump offer closing arguments to SC

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP)  The Latest on the 2016 presidential race, with the focus turning to South Carolina and the Republican debate on Saturday night (all times local):

10:58 p.m.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz says South Carolina has "a critical choice to make" when it votes in its state primary in one week because "our country literally hangs in the balance."

Republican presidential candidate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, left, speaks as Republican presidential candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush listens during the CBS News Republican presidential debate at the Peace Center, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016, in Greenville, S.C. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Offering his closing argument at Saturday's debate, Cruz took subtle aim at his chief rival: businessman Donald Trump.

Cruz asked the crowd, "Do you want another Washington deal-maker who'll do business as usual, cut deals with the Democrats, grow government, grow debt and give up our fundamental liberties."

Earlier in the debate, he attacked Trump's record on conservatism.

Trump used his closing argument to note that "politicians are all talk and no action" and says that he's different because he isn't controlled by special interest and lobby groups.

He said: "I'm working for you, and I'm not working for anybody else."

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10:55 p.m.

Jeb Bush is using his closing argument at Saturday's Republican debate to echo what he says South Carolina Republicans want from a president.

It's a slight twist on his usual argument. Often, the former governor points to his specific conservative accomplishments in Florida. But the presidency, he says, is often about the "unforeseen challenge."

Marco Rubio is reprising his promise of "a new American century" that he says will be better than today's "difficult time in our country." The Florida senator said in his closing debate argument Saturday that South Carolina Republicans can make 2016 "our turning point."

He also referenced his socially conservative stance on abortion and same-sex marriage, issues that could resonate with conservative Christians in South Carolina.

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10:50 p.m.

John Kasich and Ben Carson agree the spirit of America needs to be restored.

Kasich, in his closing remarks, says it's up to Americans to help their neighbors and contribute to their local schools because the "spirit of America doesnt' come from the top down."

Carson, meanwhile, says he's the candidate who will be "accountable to everyone and beholden to no one." He says its up to "we the people" to stop the decline of America and restore the country's spiritual life, patriotism and morality.

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10:48 p.m.

Donald Trump is bristling at Jeb Bush's suggestions that the reality TV star-turned-presidential candidate went bankrupt in his past business ventures.

Trump said during Saturday's Republican debate that he never personally went bankrupt, and instead, suggested that he only used bankruptcy proceedings and tax laws to protect struggling businesses.

Trump then went on the offensive against Bush, Florida's former governor, saying he wasn't a good governor.

Trump said Bush ran up so much state debt that "as soon as he got out of office, Florida crashed." It was an accusation that made some in the crowd boo in disbelief.

Bush denied the charge and said that Trump's past bankruptcy filings meant those who did business with him didn't get paid for past services.

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10:45 p.m.

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump is defending his bombastic temperament and frequent use of profanity in public.

He said at Saturday's Republican presidential debate that criticism against him "is very unfair," adding that he will not make vulgar remarks again on the campaign trail. Trump says "not using profanity is very easy."

Trump has used profanity when describing how he would bomb Islamic State outposts in the Middle East. At a New Hampshire rally earlier this week, Trump repeated a supporter's vulgar insult of Sen. Ted Cruz.

Trump also tells CBS News moderator John Dickerson that he is capable of keeping advisers who tell him when he acts inappropriately. Asked who could fill that role, the billionaire real estate mogul named his wife, Melania Trump.

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10:40 p.m.

Forget the Republican primary  John Kasich is already courting Democrats for the general election.

Kasich says the Democratic party is losing blue collar voters with talk of socialism, a reference to self-described "democratic socialist" Bernie Sanders.

Kasich said at Saturday's GOP debate that he's a "uniter" who will get working class Democrats to come out and vote for him next fall, "I promise you that."

Conservative South Carolina is not natural turf for Kasich, a candidate who supports expanding Medicaid and doesn't believe in deporting people living in the country illegally. He's visited Democratic areas while campaigning in the state and has been openly appealing to Democratic voters on the trail.

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10:30 p.m.

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson says that Democrats shouldn't blame the rich for the country's economic woes.

Carson warned at Saturday's Republican debate: "We're on the verge of economic collapse."

He says that proposals like free college are unrealistic because of the country's already large debt, which he says "causes the Fed to change their policy. It causes the central bank to keep their rates low."

He says that hurts "Mr. Average, who used to go to the bank every Friday and put part of his check in the bank" to grow a nest egg.

He blamed the government for failing the people, not the wealthy.

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10:25 p.m.

Jeb Bush is bringing his brother, Former President George W. Bush, to campaign in South Carolina on Monday ahead of the Feb. 20 Republican presidential primary.

But under attack from Donald Trump at Saturday's Republican debate, Bush is admitting that he disagrees with his brother on eminent domain.

At issue: The Arlington, Texas, baseball stadium where the Texas Rangers professional baseball club plays.

Before he was Texas governor and then president, George W. Bush was part of the ownership group that owned the Rangers and benefited from the park that was built by the city of Arlington, Texas.

The city used eminent domain to gain control of the land and then used taxpayer money to build the stadium, effectively subsidizing George W. Bush and his fellow owners.

Trump mocked the deal. Jeb Bush replied that "you should not use eminent domain" for a baseball stadium that benefits a privately owned franchise.

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10:15 p.m.

Donald Trump says he feels like a conservative.

"I also feel I'm a common-sense conservative," Trump said in Saturday's Republican debate.

That's not a good enough answer for Ted Cruz, who says Trump has been "very, very liberal" for most of his career. Cruz is warning that Trump would nominate liberal Supreme Court justices if elected president, a claim with more weight following the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

Cruz says Trump is an "amazing entertainer," but adds "you shouldn't be flexible or core principles."

In a heated exchange  the first major sparring match between the two candidates  Trump hit back, calling Cruz a "nasty guy" who will say anything. Cruz, meanwhile, tells Trump that adults should know not to interrupt each other.

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10:10 p.m.

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz says conservative economic policies are the best way to lift millions of Americans out of poverty.

The Texas senator says "big government" and "massive taxation" have driven more people into poverty, and he praises Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan for urging GOP politicians to talk more directly about poverty and ways to ease it.

Cruz used his father, once a Cuban immigrant, to personalize the pitch.

The senator says he thinks about "how these policies would affect my father" when he was a young man working as a dishwasher after first arriving in the United States.

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10:08 p.m.

Marco Rubio is hitting presidential rival and fellow Cuban-American Ted Cruz on his inability to speak Spanish.

Cruz responded in Spanish  although his comments were halting and heavily accented.

During a heated exchange about immigration at Saturday's GOP debate, Cruz chastised Rubio for past comments on the Spanish-language network Univision. Rubio responded that Cruz couldn't have known what he said on Univision "because he doesn't speak Spanish" drawing a raucous response from the crowd. Cruz promptly offered a brief response in Spanish.

Rubio speaks fluent Spanish, while Cruz has for years freely admitted that his Spanish is "lousy."

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10:05 p.m.

Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are once again clashing over illegal immigration, with each accusing the other of being the weak on the issue.

Cruz says there's a "sharp difference" between the pair when it comes to immigration and is once again pointing to Rubio's role in the "Gang of Eight" legislation that would have provided a path to legalization.

Cruz slams the bill as "the Rubio-Schumer amnesty plan," earning boos from the crowd.

But Rubio brings up the fact that Cruz proposed an amendment that would have included a path to legalization.

Rubio says that he's never supported amnesty "without consequence," adding that in order to make progress on illegal immigration, the country must first bring illegal immigration under control

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10:00 p.m.

Two of the top Republican presidential candidates are mixing it up with the crowd more than each other at the Republican presidential debate.

Donald Trump drew boos and sustained catcalls early on, when he suggested that "I get along with everybody" trying to explain his ability to make business deals.

Trump responded that his campaign was self-funded, which only led to more boos.

Later, Ted Cruz sparked hoots and boos when he claimed responsibility for helping defeat an immigration overhaul that Marco Rubio helped carry in the Senate.

Cruz got visibly testy, saying that the "donor class" didn't like his immigration stance. He was suggesting that the crowd in Greenville, South Carolina, was packed with top donors  a charge he's made a previous debates.

The crowd, predictably, reacted by booing with more gusto.

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9:55 p.m.

John Kasich is on the defensive over his decision to expand Medicaid in Ohio, a move widely rejected by Republican governors in South Carolina and other Southern states that vote March 1.

Kasich says his expansion of Medicaid is a good deal because it is keeping people suffering from mental illness and drug addictions out of prisons.

But Jeb Bush pounced on what he sees as a liability at Saturday's debate, accusing Kasich of participating in "Obamacare" rather than fighting it. He says expanding Medicaid is "creating further debt on the backs of our children and our grandchildren."

Kasich notes that Ronald Reagan expanded Medicaid multiple times during his presidency. He says he opposes the health care overhaul law, but expanding Medicaid is a chance to "get people on their feet."

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9:50 p.m.

Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are defending their competing tax policy proposals in the Republican presidential debate in South Carolina.

Cruz defends his business flat tax proposal for a 16 percent corporate tax rate, instead of the current 35 percent, as a way to spur economic growth.

Rubio defends his proposed 25 percent corporate tax rate  which is not as much of a tax cut as many of his rivals are pitching. Rubio says his idea would leave enough revenue in the federal budget to triple the child tax credit for working families with children.

The Florida senator notes that businesses get to write off investments in new equipment. So, he says, families should get bigger tax breaks to boost investments in their children.

Rubio drew big applause when he framed his approach as a "a tax plan that is pro-family."

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9:45 p.m.

Donald Trump is insisting that his economic plan, including no proposed changes to current Social Security payouts, won't add billions to the deficit, as some have claimed.

Trump says, "I'm the only one going to save social security, believe me."

Asked how he'll pay for that, Trump points to a trio of causes.

"You have tremendous waste, fraud and abuse. That we're taking care of," he says.

He adds: "We're not going to hurt the people who've been paying into social security their whole life and then all of a sudden they're supposed to get less."

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9:40 p.m.

Marco Rubio and Donald Trump are engaging in a fiery back and forth over whether former President George W. Bush kept the nation safe.

Trump says the world trade center "came down during the reign of George W. Bush," drawing boos from the crowd.

Trump's forceful remarks came after Rubio said he thanks God "that it was George W. Bush in the White House on 9/11 and not Al Gore." He immediately pushed back on Trump's comments, declaring it's Bill Clinton, not Bush, who is to blame for not killing Osama Bin Laden in the 1990s.

Trump is slamming the former president, brother of candidate Jeb Bush, as the debate focuses on foreign policy and the decision to invade Iraq. He's alone among the six candidates on stage in criticizing Bush.

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9:30 p.m.

Donald Trump is calling the war in Iraq "a big fat mistake," turning it into an attack against rival Jeb Bush.

Trump said the war cost the United States trillions of dollars and thousands of lives. He said it destabilized the Middle East while empowering Iran in the region.

Jeb Bush fired back that he was tired of Trump beating up on his family. He said that while Trump was "building a TV show, my brother was building a security apparatus" to keep the nation safe.

Trump invoked Sept. 11, shooting back that the "Twin Towers came down." Bush said he was proud of what his brother did as president.

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9:28 p.m.

Ted Cruz refuses to rule out using U.S. ground troops in the Middle East to fight the Islamic State group.

But the Texas senator said in Saturday's Republican presidential debate that he doesn't think it's necessary.

Cruz says he believes he would instead use "overwhelming air power" and provide U.S. arms to Kurdish forces.

He adds that he believes "a nuclear Iran" is the gravest foreign policy threat to U.S. security.

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9:23 p.m.

Donald Trump and Jeb Bush are tangling over Vladimir Putin's role in the Syrian civil war.

Bush says it's "absolutely ludicrous to suggest that Russia could be a positive partner in this," as Trump has suggested.

But Trump, who has praised Putin in the past, says he has no problem with Russia's intervention or the man himself.

He says he has no problem with Russia helping to defeat Islamic State militants and says Jeb is "so wrong," provoking boos from the crowd.

"You know who that is? That's Jeb's special interests and lobbyists talking," Trump responds.

Bush derides Trump's response as "ridiculous."

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9:20 p.m.

John Kasich says the United States needs to build a "coalition of civilized people" to take out the Islamic State group and restore American leadership around the globe.

Kasich says the world is "desperate" for American leadership in knocking out terrorist organizations and stopping Russian aggression.

He also says if elected president he would arm Ukrainian rebels fighting against Russia and make it clear to Russia that an attack on any NATO countries is an attack on the United States.

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9:15 p.m.

Donald Trump says that if he is elected president, his first national security decision he would make would be on how to attack the Islamic State, because "we are going to have to hit very, very hard."

Trump also called the group "animals" and decried the war in Iraq and the Obama administration's nuclear deal with Iran.

Sen. Marco Rubio named three foreign policy priorities: dealing with North Korea and China, limiting Iran's growing influence in the Middle East and rebuilding NATO in Europe.

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9:10 p.m.

Ted Cruz is using the latest Republican presidential debate in South Carolina to assure voters that he is the best candidate to pick a Supreme Court successor to Antonin Scalia, who died Saturday, hours before the debate.

A former Supreme Court clerk, Cruz argues he has the "background" and "judgment" and "resolve" to "nominated and confirm principled constitutionalists."

Cruz and his fellow senator, Marco Rubio, agree that the Senate should not confirm whomever President Barack Obama nominates to succeed Scalia.

Cruz avoided a direct question about whether he would pledge as president not to try to fill judicial vacancies late in his term.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is deviating from some of his rivals. He says he wants "a strong executive" who is willing to make court nominations. But Bush says he doubts Obama will offer a "consensus" nominee the Senate would accept.

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9:05 p.m.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says he fully expects President Obama to try to nominate a replacement for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. But he says it's up to Congress to "delay, delay, delay."

Trump says, "If I were president now I would certainly want to try and nominate a justice."

But he says it's up the senate to stop it.

Rival John Kasich is also advising the president to hold off on selecting a successor because he says it would further divide the country.

He says, "I really wish the president would think about not nominating somebody," he says. "I would like the president to just for once here, put the country first."

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson says, "I fully agree that we should not allow a judge to be appointed in his time."

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9:00 p.m.

The latest Republican presidential debate is beginning in South Carolina against the backdrop of news that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died suddenly Saturday.

The candidates and audience observed a brief moment of silence before the debate got under way.

8:00 p.m.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is praising Justice Antonin Scalia as a "dedicated public servant," even as she notes she does not share his conservative views.

She says Republicans calling on the seat to remain vacant until the next president enters office "dishonor our Constitution."

The Senate has a responsibility to confirm a new justice she says and "cannot abdicate for partisan political reasons."

Clinton is in the midst of a weekend campaign swing through Nevada.

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3:45 p.m.

John Kasich is proud of efforts he made while in Congress to trim what he believed to be wasteful defense.

But allies of Jeb Bush  one of Kasich's Republican presidential rivals  see a potential vulnerability for Kasich in military-minded South Carolina. They're trying to slow the Ohio governor's momentum after a strong showing in New Hampshire.

An outside group backing Bush has begun airing a television ad ahead of South Carolina's Republican primary on Feb. 20  using Kasich's own words.

Kasich and others are denouncing the broadside, but it's clear that the rivalry between Kasich and Bush is intensifying. Bush's team sees defense spending as a key area to draw distinctions.

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8:35 a.m.

And then there were six.

The 2016 presidential field is shrinking on the Republican side, and those still in the race are preparing for Saturday night's debate in Greenville, South Carolina.

The latest contender to drop out is Jim Gilmore, a former Virginia governor.

After opening contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, the campaign is heading south for South Carolina's primary on Feb. 20.

There may be fewer White House hopefuls on the debate stage, but the race is still far from being clear.

Who's left? Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio and Donald Trump.

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during the CBS News Republican presidential debate at the Peace Center, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016, in Greenville, S.C. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump speaks to Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., during the CBS News Republican presidential debate at the Peace Center, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016, in Greenville, S.C. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Republican presidential candidate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, left, speaks to Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump during a commercial break during the CBS News Republican presidential debate at the Peace Center, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016, in Greenville, S.C. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., right, right, speaks to Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump during a commercial break during the CBS News Republican presidential debate at the Peace Center, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016, in Greenville, S.C. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Republican presidential candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush poses for a photo at a break for commercial during the CBS News Republican presidential debate at the Peace Center, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016, in Greenville, S.C. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Republican presidential candidates, from left, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, businessman Donald Trump, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson participate during the CBS News Republican presidential debate at the Peace Center, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016, in Greenville, S.C. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump speaks to Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., right, during the CBS News Republican presidential debate at the Peace Center, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016, in Greenville, S.C. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
The Latest: Pope ventures out again to greet faithful

MEXICO CITY (AP)  The latest on Pope Francis' visit to Mexico (all times local):

9:05 p.m.

For a second night, Pope Francis has ventured out of the Vatican ambassador's residence where he is staying in Mexico City to pray with the faithful who have not stopped chanting since his arrival.

Mexican Mariachis Play and wave to Pope Francis on his route to the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. The pontiff's five-day visit includes a prayer before the Virgin of Guadalupe shrine, the largest and most important Marian shrine in the world and one that is particularly important to the first Latin American pope. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

He asked if they were tired, to which he received a resounding "No!"

"We could go until 4 a.m.?" the pope asked. "Yesss," the crowd answered. "Well, but that could be a little long," he responded.

Francis then led the crowd in prayer. He urged them to think of their friends and their problems. Then he urged them to think about a stranger who must have a big problem. He said each person should ask God through the Virgin to take away those problems and to bless the person, their friends and the stranger.

After reminding everyone that they should go to Mass on Sunday, the pope told them to rest and asked them to pray for him, then went back inside the gates.

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8:45 p.m.

Vatican officials estimate as many as 1 million people came out to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis during his first full day in Mexico.

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi says the figure includes people who lined the motorcade routes Saturday as well as those who attended the pope's Mass at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe and gathered at the capital's main square.

Crowds are also expected to be big Sunday when Francis goes to the crime-ridden suburb of Ecatepec for his biggest Mass in Mexico. The site has a capacity for 400,000 people.

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8:05 p.m.

Pope Francis has arrived at the Vatican ambassador's residence in Mexico City.

Unlike Friday night, when the popemobile passed through the residence's gates, Francis had his small Fiat sedan stopped just outside. He exited the car and spent several minutes blessing people in the crowd, placing his hand on their heads and kissing children held out to him.

On Friday night, Francis came out of the gate nearly an hour after arriving and spoke to the assembled crowd.

Saturday night's stop before entering could indicate the very tired pontiff doesn't plan any more activities for the night.

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7:50 p.m.

Pope Francis' address to Mexican bishops on Saturday morning included an apparent criticism of people's devotion to the so-called Santa Muerte, or Death Saint.

Santa Muerte is a skeletal, cloaked female figure who carries a scythe in her bony hand. She is worshipped by drug dealers and other criminals in Mexico, but also by some downtrodden residents of the neighborhoods lorded over by the gangs.

Francis said he was "particularly concerned" by those who "praise illusions and embrace their macabre symbols to commercialize death in exchange for money."

He urged bishops "not to underestimate the moral and anti-social challenge which the drug trade represents."

An academic who has written a book on the Death Saint cults says the pope's words were "a clear allusion" to Santa Muerte. Andrew Chesnut of Virginia Commonwealth Unviersity notes that the Catholic Church views Santa Muerte leaders as "charlatans" who use the image to turn a quick buck.

In 2013, the Vatican's culture minister called Santa Muerte a blasphemous symbol that shouldn't be part of any religion.

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7:30 p.m.

Pope Francis has left the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City after celebrating Mass and spending several minutes praying privately in front of the Virgin's image.

After arriving in the open-air popemobile, the visibly exhausted pontiff opted to take his small Fiat sedan back through the chilly night air.

The Mass was his last scheduled event for Saturday and he was expected to return to the Vatican ambassador's residence for the night.

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6:15 p.m.

After delivering his homily, Pope Francis sat silently in an armchair that was moved in front of the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe while the service continued in Mexico City.

He spent nearly five minutes in front of the image of Mexico's patron saint, fulfilling a wish to simply have time to pray quietly without being rushed.

Earlier in the day at the capital's cathedral, Francis told assembled bishops that "just by looking at the (Virgin), Mexico can be understood completely."

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6 p.m.

Pope Francis is appearing tired toward the end of his second day in Mexico. An aide apparently nudged Francis awake after he nodded off during Mass at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

The 79-year-old Francis has had an exhausting two days, coupled with a seven-hour time zone difference. He has readily admitted to snoozing while praying even when at home.

Mexico City's altitude of more than 7,000 feet provides an added challenge to those not acclimatized, perhaps especially for Francis, who lost part of one lung.

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5:50 p.m.

Pope Francis has delivered a homily at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Not surprisingly, the homily focused on the story of the Virgin revealing herself to the peasant Indian Juan Diego in 1531.

In Francis' words, "Just as she made herself present to little Juan, so too she continues to reveal herself to all of us, especially to those who feel, like him 'worthless.'"

The pope also alluded to the themes of his visit: poverty, immigration and crime.

He said, "On that morning, God roused the hope of the little ones, of the suffering, of those displaced or rejected, of all who feel they have no worthy place in these lands. On that morning, God came close and still comes close to the suffering but resilient hearts of so many mothers, fathers, grandparents who have seen their children leaving, becoming lost or even being taken by criminals."

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4:50 p.m.

Thousands of faithful have greeted Pope Francis at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City, where he is to celebrate the first Mass of his visit to the country.

Stands are packed with people holding balloons and flags in a festive atmosphere befitting a rock star's welcome. Chants of his name can be heard inside the basilica.

Seventy-seven-year-old Catalina Ramirez says she came to the Basilica on Saturday to beseech the Virgin and the pope to help her great-granddaughter recover from surgery for cerebral palsy.

Ramirez adds that she's excited to witness her first papal Mass and hopes Francis "comes to rescue us."

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4:15 p.m.

Pope Francis is rolling through the streets of the Mexican capital again after an afternoon break at the residence where he is staying.

Thousands of people are lined up along the pontiff's route to wave as he passes in an open-air popemobile.

Francis is heading to northern Mexico City to celebrate Mass at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, which is considered the largest and most important Marian shrine in the world.

The basilica is home to an image of the Virgin that is said to have miraculously imprinted itself on a cloak belonging to the indigenous peasant Juan Diego in 1531. The Virgin is known as the patron saint of Mexico and "empress of the Americas."

Francis has spoken reverently of his "most intimate desire" to pray before the icon, which is beloved by many Latin Americans.

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1:00 p.m.

Pope Francis is cruising across Mexico City in a tiny white Fiat, keeping with his tradition of eschewing fancy big cars.

While Francis has clocked nearly 25 miles (40 kilometers) so far in his open-air popemobile, he took a spin in the Fiat after meeting with bishops at the capital's grand cathedral Friday.

Francis moves around the Vatican in a Ford Focus and tends to stick with economy cars when traveling. In South Korea, it was a Kia. In the United States, a black Fiat.

In another nod to his thrifty ways, three of the five popemobiles Francis will use in Mexico are being recycled from his U.S. trip in September.

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11:40 a.m.

Pope Francis is demanding Mexican bishops courageously challenge the "insidious threat" posed by the drug trade, saying the Catholic hierarchy must help Mexicans escape the violence and corruption plaguing their nation and not hide behind their own privilege and careers.

In a hard-hitting speech to a church hierarchy known for its deference to Mexico's wealthy and powerful, Francis told bishops they must be true pastors to their people and not just spew words and inoffensive denunciations like "babbling orphans beside a tomb."

Rather, he said the horrors of drug violence required "prophetic courage" from the church and a pastoral plan that involves families, parishes, schools and communities.

He said that only with such a church-inspired plan "will people finally escape the raging waters that drown so many, either victims of the drug trade or those who stand before God with their hands drenched in blood, though with pockets filled with sordid money and their consciences deadened."

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11:25 a.m.

Two women who came to Mexico City's historic center to see Pope Francis say they are ready to answer his call for young people to build a better world.

Twenty-year-old Brenda Ramirez thinks it's important for the pontiff to focus on young people and progress. She says that "if he needs us for that, that seems good to me."

Seventeen-year-old Alejandra Bautista adds that "young people have good ideas and I like that the pope sees it that way."

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11:20 a.m.

Pope Francis' tour though Mexico's National Palace dramatizes the remarkable turnabouts in the country's relationship with the Roman Catholic Church.

President Enrique Pena Nieto escorted the pontiff beneath enormous murals by Diego Rivera, a flamboyant Marxist who imbued the works with the passionate anti-clericalism of the Mexican Revolution.

The murals give grim images of the Catholic priests who accompanied the Spanish conquest and who helped rule Mexico for 300 years. One is shown as grotesquely obese and pig-like, others as torturers. Mexico's rulers broke with the church after independence and barred public displays of religion. Many of the restrictions weren't lifted until 1992.

Still, the mural doesn't vilify all. Among the heroes it portrays are priests Miguel Hidalgo and Jose Maria Morelos, leaders of the fight for independence.

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10:55 a.m.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto says he shares Pope Francis' concerns about the "great challenges ... doubts and uncertainties" that the nation faces.

In a speech alongside the pope at Mexico's National Palace, Pena Nieto mentioned hunger, inequality and the dangers of people "letting themselves be carried away by evil."

He also criticized "continuing barriers and obstacles to the migration of people who seek a better life."

Francis' visit to the world's largest Spanish-speaking nation comes as it is afflicted by drug violence, corruption and social ills  themes on which the pontiff has repeatedly expressed concern.

Pena Nieto said Saturday it was an honor to receive a pope for the first time in Mexico's ceremonial seat of presidential power, and a reflection of good relations between the country and the Vatican.

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10:30 a.m.

Pope Francis is telling Mexico's political leaders that they have a duty to provide their people with security, "true justice" and basic services as he plunges head-on into the topic of drug-inspired violence, corruption and social ills that afflict the country.

In a speech to President Enrique Pena Nieto and government authorities Saturday, Francis said those in public office responsible for the common good must be honest and upright and not be seduced by privilege.

He said political leaders had a "particular duty" to ensure their people had "indispensable" material and spiritual goods: "adequate housing, dignified employment, food, true justice, effective security, a healthy and peaceful environment." He said it wasn't enough just to pass laws, but for all Mexicans to take responsibility to help the country.

Francis' entire trip is shining an uncomfortable spotlight on the government's failure to solve entrenched social ills that plague many parts of Mexico  poverty, rampant gangland killings, extortion, disappearances of women, crooked cops and failed city services.

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9:35 a.m.

Pope Francis has arrived at Mexico's presidential palace for an official welcome ceremony after taking a 14-kilometer (8.7-mile) journey through Mexico City in his popemobile, to the adoration of tens of thousands of people who lined the route.

Under a brilliant sun and morning chill, Francis was welcomed at the palace Saturday by President Enrique Pena Nieto and his wife. Military bands played the Mexican and Holy See anthems as Francis stood solemnly.

Francis' first order of business is a private meeting with Pena followed by a speech to the country's political leadership, where he's expected to address the drug violence and corruption tormenting Mexico. He then moves to the city cathedral for a hard-hitting address on how the Catholic Church should help Mexicans cope with the many social ills afflicting the country. He ends his day in what he has said would be his "most intimate desire": praying before the Virgin of Guadalupe.

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8:45 a.m.

Tens of thousands of cheering Mexicans have gathered outside the residence where Pope Francis is staying to send him off on his first full day in Mexico: an official welcome at the presidential palace, a meeting with the country's bishops and a Mass at the shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Cheers went up as Francis pulled out in his popemobile and abruptly stopped to greet elderly, sick and disabled people who had gathered outside the residence of the Vatican nuncio. He handed out rosaries to faithful in wheelchairs and embraced a young boy wearing a surgical mask.

Thousands more Mexicans are lining his motorcade route and history's first Latin American pope is basking in the welcome from the largest Spanish-speaking Catholic country in the world.

A musician plays for Pope Francis along his route to the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. The pontiff's five-day visit includes a prayer before the Virgin of Guadalupe shrine, the largest and most important Marian shrine in the world and one that is particularly important to the first Latin American pope. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Pope Francis celebrates Mass at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, where her image is displayed behind, in Mexico City, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. The pontiff's five-day visit included a prayer before the Virgin of Guadalupe shrine, the largest and most important Marian shrine in the world and one that is particularly important to the first Latin American pope. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Prelates wait for the arrival of Pope Francis who will celebrate Mass at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. The pontiff's five-day visit includes a prayer before the Virgin of Guadalupe shrine, the largest and most important Marian shrine in the world and one that is particularly important to the first Latin American pope. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

People wave a blanket with an image of Pope Francis at Mexico City's main square, the Zocalo, during the pontiff's visit to the National Palace, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. The pontiff's five-day visit will include a very personal prayer at the Virgin of Guadalupe shrine. (AP Photo/Christian Palma)

Pope Francis waves to the crowd from his popemobile in Mexico City's main square, the Zocalo, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. Pope Francis kicked off his first trip to Mexico on Saturday with speeches to the country's political and ecclesial elites. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

A bishop listens to Pope Francis' message during pontiff's visit to the National Cathedral in Mexico City, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. Pope Francis is demanding Mexican bishops courageously challenge the "insidious threat" posed by the drug trade, saying the Catholic hierarchy must help Mexicans escape the violence and corruption plaguing their nation and not hide behind their own privilege and careers. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis waves to the crowd, aboard the popemobile in Mexico City's main sqaure, the Zocalo, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. Pope Francis kicks off his first trip to Mexico on Saturday with speeches to the country's political and ecclesial elites. The pontiff's five-day visit will include a very personal prayer at the Virgin of Guadalupe shrine. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Pope Francis, center, greets invited guests following a welcoming ceremony at the National Palace in Mexico City, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. The Pope kicks off his first trip to Mexico on Saturday with speeches to the country's political and ecclesial elites. The pontiff's five-day visit will include a very personal prayer before the Virgin of Guadalupe shrine, the largest and most important Marian shrine in the world and one that is particularly important to the first Latin American pope. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Pope Francis dons a Mexican charro style sombrero, in Mexico City's main sqaure, the Zocalo, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. Pope Francis kicks off his first trip to Mexico on Saturday with speeches to the country's political and ecclesial elites. The pontiff's five-day visit will include a very personal prayer at the Virgin of Guadalupe shrine. (AP Photo/Christian Palma)

Pope Francis laughs along with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto during a welcoming ceremony at the National Palace in Mexico City, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. Pope Francis kicks off his first trip to Mexico on Saturday with speeches to the country's political and ecclesial elites. The pontiff's five-day visit will include a very personal prayer before the Virgin of Guadalupe shrine, the largest and most important Marian shrine in the world and one that is particularly important to the first Latin American pope.(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Pope Francis gives a thumbs up from the popemobile along his route to the National Palace in Mexico City, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. The pontiff is in Mexico for a week-long visit. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Pope Francis waves to the people from the popemobile, along his route to the National Palace in Mexico City, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. The pontiff is in Mexico for a week-long visit. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Pope Francis, center back, along with Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto, right, and his wife Angelica Rivera greet Cardinals during the Pope's visit at the Presidential Palace in Mexico City, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. Francis kicked off his first trip to Mexico on Saturday with a long popemobile ride past cheering crowds on a day that will see him meet with the countrys political and church elite, and end with a silent prayer before the Virgin of Guadalupe. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
GOP congressman mulls run for governor in deep blue New York

KINDERHOOK, N.Y. (AP)  He is a Republican former Army colonel with political positions diverse enough to support gun rights and gay marriage. He won re-election in a Hudson Valley district that favored President Barack Obama and captured a third term by crushing a deep-pocketed Democrat by almost 30 points.

It's enough to make U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson confident he can break the hammerlock Democrats have had on statewide offices in New York since 2006 to become governor.

But as the 51-year-old edges closer to running in 2018, he acknowledges the Republican path to victory is "steep and narrow" in a state with twice as many Democrats.

In this Friday, Jan. 29, 2016 photo, Rep. Chris Gibson, R-N.Y., right, meets with Stephen Manny of the Community Hospice Foundation, in his district office in Kinderhook, N.Y. The 51-year-old Gibson is edging closer to a 2018 run for governor, an office Democrats have held since 2006. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

"My eyes are wide open ... you serve in Iraq your eyes are wide open," Gibson told The Associated Press at his Kinderhook district office. "It's hard, but you look at the disillusionment across this state. People are starving for truth and leadership."

Gibson this past week launched a committee allowing him to raise money for a run. And he's crisscrossing the state for the likes of Republican receptions in western New York and a post office dedication in Long Island as he finishes his final term in Congress this year. It can seem ridiculously early to prepare for 2018, but he's using the head start introduce himself to voters.

Gibson and his wife are raising three teenagers in Kinderhook, the same quaint town south of Albany where he grew up. His 24-year Army career included four combat tours of Iraq and he still keeps a tight-on-the-sides haircut and peppers policy talk with lessons he learned from his time as a brigade commander.

Though he first won his seat during the 2010 tea party surge, Gibson's votes reflect a district closely split between Democrats and Republicans. Gibson opposes Gov. Andrew Cuomo's 2013 firearm restrictions and has supported the repeal of Obama's health care act. But he also was among hundreds of Republicans who signed a friend-of-the court brief at the Supreme Court last year supporting same-sex marriage and introduced a resolution calling for action on climate change.

"Gibson has really, in an odd way, staked out position on both the left and the right," said Iona College political science professor Jeanne Zaino. "It's almost difficult to tell where he stands at some point."

A little-known Republican state senator named George Pataki defeated Gov. Mario Cuomo in 1994 in part by projecting that kind of moderate, suburban-friendly appeal. But other Republicans have not been able to repeat the feat since Pataki left office in 2006, including Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, who lost to the younger Cuomo in 2014.

Republicans running statewide have often become snared in the same campaign-crushing cycle. As underdogs, they have a hard time raising money, which helps cement their longshot status.

Though outspent, Astorino actually got more votes outside of New York City than Cuomo in 2014. But Cuomo ran stronger downstate and won three-quarters of the city vote on his way to a second term. Republicans need to perform better downstate for a decent chance to win statewide.

Gibson has a four-point agenda he believes can rally his party's base while attracting independents and even picking off some Democrats. It includes tax reform, a roll-back of the unpopular Common Core standards, a plan to addresses violent criminals without gun control and a vow to clean up corruption in Albany.

He adds a fifth point too, governing with humility  a shot at Cuomo, who already has $16 million on hand if he runs for a third term. Gibson describes his potential rival as a credit-seeking bully.

"There's too much self-aggrandizement in this governor's approach," he said.

There was no comment on the Cuomo campaign on Gibson's possible run.

Gibson raised $3 million in 2014 to defeat Sean Eldridge, the husband of Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, who tapped his own wealth as he raised more than $6 million. This time, Gibson said he would need a minimum of $20 million to run a credible gubernatorial campaign.

But even if he runs, there are potential roadblocks.

Astorino has shown interest in running again. So has Carl Paladino, the bombastic Buffalo businessman who lost to Cuomo in 2010. There's no guarantee that the state Republican party  home to tea party enthusiasts and white-shoe establishment types  will band together this time.

"I've always felt like the New York Republican party really does eat its young, if you will," Zaino said. "The party really does have to coalesce around him."

In this Friday, Jan. 29, 2016 photo, Rep. Chris Gibson, R-N.Y., right, talks to Stephen Manny of the Community Hospice Foundation, in his district office in Kinderhook, N.Y. The 51-year-old Gibson is edging closer to a 2018 run for governor, an office Democrats have held since 2006. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

In this Friday, Jan. 29, 2016 photo, Rep. Chris Gibson, R-N.Y., talks to a constituent in his district office in Kinderhook, N.Y. Gibson is edging closer to a 2018 run for governor, an office Democrats have held since 2006. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
Dartmouth Winter Carnival theme honors Dr. Seuss

HANOVER, N.H. (AP)  Dartmouth College is again honoring one of its most famous graduates with the theme of this year's Winter Carnival: Seuss on the Loose.

Colorful posters advertising this weekend's event show the Grinch suspended by ropes over a frozen pond. It's the fourth time carnival planners have honored Dr. Seuss's literary legacy by making his characters part of the carnival theme.

Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Geisel, graduated from Dartmouth in 1925. Donald Pease, a Dartmouth professor and Dr. Seuss scholar, said Geisel loved the carnival and sometimes invited his family to join him for the annual celebration of winter sports.

The carnival began in 1911 and has expanded to span three days and multiple locations across campus. In addition to ski races, the carnival includes an ice-sculpting contest and human dogsled races on the college green.
Burundi government has nationwide protests against Rwanda

BUJUMBURA, Burundi' (AP)  Thousands of Burundians on Saturday participated in government-sanctioned demonstrations against neighboring Rwanda whom it accuses of supporting a rebellion to topple Burundi's president.

The demonstrations highlight the souring of relations between the Central African neighbors since Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza was re-elected for a disputed third term.

Burundi was rocked by violent street protests for months after Nkurunziza's April announcement that he would seek another term. At least 400 people have died since then in violent street protests, assassinations, attacks by a rebel group and a failed coup attempt. More than 200,000 Burundians have fled to neighboring countries, mostly to Rwanda. Burundi is accusing Rwanda of training and arming rebels in the refugee population.

Rwanda on Friday said it plans to relocate 75,000 Burundian refugees to other countries following the accusations.

Burundi's Interior Minister Pascal Barandagiye, in a radio broadcast urging people to participate in the demonstrations, accused the Rwandan government of trying to topple Burundi's government through military means.

Demonstrators camped at Rwanda's embassy in Bujumbura Saturday morning, singing songs against Rwanda President Paul Kagame.

The songs described Kagame as an enemy whom Burundians are going to "kumesa." The Kirundi word kumesa means wash. During Burundi's civil war a decade ago, "to wash someone up" was a euphemism for killing people perceived to be enemies.

A U.N. panel of experts has made similar allegations against Rwanda, saying in a new report that refugees from Burundi received training from Rwandan military personnel last year with the goal of removing Nkurunziza from power. The experts spoke to 18 Burundian combatants who said they had been recruited at the Mahama refugee camp in eastern Rwanda in May and June 2015 and that their numbers total four companies of 100 recruits each.

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England players need to show mental strength for series decider - Graham Thorpe

England are being urged to prove their mettle as they seek to reassert their authority over South Africa in the deciding fifth one-day international.

Eoin Morgan's young team opened up a 2-0 lead on their hosts last week, and they were beginning to target a 5-0 whitewash.

But back-to-back defeats at Centurion and Johannesburg have changed all that and the onus is now on the tourists to demonstrate nerve and resilience, especially after the latest defeat where England lost by an agonising solitary wicket in a match Morgan himself admits they should have won.

Eoin Morgan's England have lost back-to-back ODIs and face a series decider against South Africa in Cape Town

Batting coach Graham Thorpe reports England management will be disinclined, in the short time between Friday night's setback at the Wanderers and the first ball at Newlands on Sunday morning, to preach any lessons to be learned.

Little needs to be said, Thorpe believes, because the mistakes were obvious with England losing five middle-order wickets for 21 runs but salvaging 262 all out thanks to Joe Root's second successive century.

They then dropped three catches, the most critical Adil Rashid's at mid-off which reprieved match-winner Chris Morris on only 14 on his way to a maiden ODI 50 from number eight.

Assessing the need for a quick and effective response to seal a series victory, Thorpe said: "It's a good test for them.

"You have to stand up and be a man. You've got knocked down; you have to get yourselves back up, dust yourselves down and go again.

"It's mental strength really (that's required). We're going to learn even more about this group of lads."

The majority of the team set to try to add ODI success to England's Test series victory in South Africa will be in India next month for the ICC World Twenty20.

Their ability, or otherwise, to get themselves out of trouble in Cape Town will therefore be informative.

"You want to see them in pressure situations, because that's when you learn most about them," added Thorpe.

"It's an opportunity for them to stand up. Some (of them) might say 'I'm a little bit shy of a few runs in this series so far'.

"It's a great chance for them to turn round and play a match-winning innings."

He senses the hosts could still be vulnerable too.

"South Africa may feel the momentum is with them - they've got back into the series.

"But that wasn't a perfect performance by them either."

In any case, Thorpe believes encouragement rather than criticism is what England need.

"You've just got to let it settle," he said.

"It's a disappointed dressing-room, naturally.

"But we're not 3-1 down; we're not going to a dead rubber.

"The most important thing is to remind the players what they've done well, and just trying to get it into perspective by the time they get on to the field on Sunday.

"Some of them have had a tough night, and will need to be reminded how good they are to go and win the next game which can win us this one-day series.

"They've got a great opportunity to go out there and finish the series on a high, as a match-winner."

Root has played wonderfully well for his seventh and eighth ODI hundreds in the past week, yet has finished on the losing side each time.

Thorpe was first struck by the 25-year-old Yorkshireman's potential when he saw him make a century as a teenager in a county 2nd XI match seven years ago.

Root has proved him right many times over since, and impressed the former England batsman yet again with his latest performance.

"He's certainly grasped all facets of the game," said Thorpe.

"His tactical nous was on show.

"When you lose wickets around you quite quickly, you have to be quite astute and keep your cool, to get your team a score on the board.

"He did that fantastically well.

"I don't think you could have asked him to play a tactically better innings.

"We've got some real ball-strikers in the side, and he's a great foil for them really, for them to play around him at times."
Man arrested over murder of Birmingham businessman Akhtar Javeed

A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a company director who was shot in the neck during an armed raid.

West Midlands Police said the suspect was detained at a property in Leicester on Friday night by detectives investigating the death of Birmingham businessman Akhtar Javeed.

A police spokesman said a 19-year-old woman had been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, while an 18-year-old man arrested in Derby on Thursday remains in custody.

Another arrest has been made over the murder of Akhtar Javeed

The female suspect was also arrested in Leicester at the same address as the 26-year-old man.

Detective Chief Inspector Martin Slevin, who is leading the inquiry, said: "This is a fast-paced investigation and further arrests have been made as we continue to investigate Mr Javeed's murder.

"I continue to appeal to people to come forward. I firmly believe that someone out there may still have information that could help our investigation and I am urging them to call me or one of my team."

Mr Javeed, who lived in east London, was among five staff members who were tied up by masked men at his soft drinks distribution business in Rea Street South, Digbeth, on February 3.

The 56-year-old father-of-four is believed to have been trying to fight back when he was shot.
Police and 'armed militias' attack migrants at The Jungle camp, says UK charity

French police and armed civilian "militias" have launched a series of attacks against migrants in Calais in the last three weeks, a British charity said.

Migrants including a boy aged 10 have been attacked as they were leaving The Jungle or near the border, leaving two in intensive care with life-threatening injuries.

A team from the camp's legal centre has filed eight complaints of police brutality and five against civilian militias to the French judiciary, according to Care4Calais, a charity that helped compile some of the incident reports.

The camp's legal centre has filed eight complaints of police brutality and five against civilian militia at The Jungle

Victims include a 10-year-old boy subject to police violence and a 13-year-old who suffered a broken foot and broken nose, the charity's founder said.

The attacks mark a sudden increase in the level and frequency of violence around the camp and more than 50 incidents have been documented in the last three weeks.

Marianne Humbersot from the legal centre, who is demanding an investigation by French authorities, said it had received an increase in complaints and added that the civilian militias were armed and organised.

She said: "We are seeing increasing breaches of human rights here in Calais - everything you can imagine. And the refugees, who have already endured so much to escape conflict, are finding themselves at the centre of hostility and violence here in France."

The charity Medicin Sans Frontieres (MSF) has treated some of the victims and its staff have seen injuries, some of which have been life threatening, including fractures, stabbings, broken bones, head trauma and severe bruising.

Dr Marlene Malfait, MSF medical co-ordinator at the camp clinic, said: "Some of the injuries are severe, resulting in fractures, now averaging 12 cases a week."

Clare Moseley, founder of Care4Calais, said she had interviewed a 16-year-old boy who was first beaten with sticks by police, who handcuffed his arms behind his back, and then by a civilian militia.

She said: "These incredibly worrying claims compound the urgency of unprovoked brutality.
Beth Tweddle back on her feet after neck operation for The Jump injury

Britain's most successful gymnast Beth Tweddle is walking unaided after neck surgery following a fall during training for Channel 4 show The Jump.

The 30-year-old, who won bronze at the London Games in 2012, could only walk a few steps assisted by medics after the operation which involved having a piece of bone taken from her hip.

Tweddle said she has started to feel better and is now walking by herself - but it is a case of "taking one day at a time".

Beth Tweddle says she has started to feel better and has started walking by herself

In a statement, she said: "The medical staff here in Austria have been fantastic and I couldn't have wished for better people to be around me at this time.

"I've started to feel a lot better in the past 24 hours and I've begun walking by myself. It's still a case of taking one day at a time, but I'm setting myself goals and I'm determined to be up and about as soon as I can.

"The doctors are happy with my progress and next week we will have a better idea of when I can be discharged from hospital.

"Thank you to everyone that has sent me get well messages. My mum and dad have been reading them to me and, one day, I'll be able to reply to you all. It really has meant a lot to me, so thank you."

Surgeons took a bone from her hip and used it with pins to fuse together two fractured vertebrae in her neck.

The number of injuries on the third series of The Jump - five celebrities have been forced to pull out - has prompted Channel 4 to review safety procedures on the show.

Former Eastenders actor Joe Swash and former England rugby star Ben Cohen have been drafted in to join the dwindling number of competitors.

Swash, 34 and Cohen, 37, have flown out to Austria and will compete for the first time on Sunday's show.

Swash said: "I'm so excited to be a part of The Jump. It is an opportunity that I couldn't refuse and I am delighted to be experiencing this for myself. I cannot wait to get going."

Cohen said: "Being a skier myself it was a no brainer for me to join the cast of The Jump 2016. I've always really enjoyed watching the show and I'm really pleased to be a part of it. I'm looking forward to competing and hope to make it to the final. I'm here to make the most of the experience."

Their introductions follows the return of James "Arg" Argent who was eliminated from the competition last weekend.

The Only Way Is Essex star is back to replace Olympic gold-winning medallist Linford Christie, who was the fifth celebrity to pull out due to injury.

Olympian Rebecca Adlington, 26, withdrew from the show on medical advice after a shoulder injury.

She told host Davina McCall the pain of the fall was ''literally the worst thing that has ever happened to me, it was worse than childbirth''.

Holby City actress Tina Hobley, 44, also headed for the exit after she dislocated her elbow and suffered two fractures to her arm.

On Tuesday it was confirmed that Made In Chelsea star Mark-Francis Vandelli, 26, had also pulled out after fracturing his ankle.
John Kerry urges UK to stay in 'united' EU

US secretary of state John Kerry has voiced support for Britain staying in the EU, saying the continent needs to be "united".

Mr Kerry said it was "profoundly" in America's interests that the UK voted to remain in the union in the looming referendum.

The comments come as David Cameron's renegotiation drive approaches its moment of truth at a Brussels summit next week.

Mr Kerry has urged the UK to stay in the European Union

In his last big speech before the gathering of leaders, the Prime Minister told an audience in Hamburg on Friday night that Europe had to "stand together" against threats such as Islamic State (IS) and Russian aggression.

He also appealed for Germany's help in finalising his package of reforms, stressing the countries' shared interests and values.

Speaking at a security conference in Munich, Mr Kerry said the EU was facing a number of challenges including Brexit.

"Here again however, I want to express the confidence of President Obama and all of us in America that, just as it has so many times before, Europe is going to emerge stronger than ever, provided it stays united and builds common responses to these challenges," he said.

"Now obviously, the United States has a profound interest in your success as we do in a very strong United Kingdom staying in a strong EU."

There are reports that Mr Obama, who has previously voiced support for British membership of the EU, is preparing to make a "big, public reach-out" to voters once the referendum campaign begins.

Senate foreign relations committee chairman Bob Corker discussed the tactic openly with witnesses during an evidence session, saying he "knew" that was Mr Obama's intention.

Leave.EU spokesman Jack Montgomery said: "It might be convenient for John Kerry, who has repeatedly declined to support the UK in the Falklands, for us to be in the EU, but that doesn't mean it's good for us.

"Imagine if Kerry proposed a pan-American union in which an unelected commission would control United States immigration policy, trade policy and regulations, among a host of other important matters. He would be run out of Washington DC on a rail."

Tory backbencher Steve Baker, co-chairman of Conservatives for Britain, said: "I refer Mr Kerry to the US Declaration of Independence. We will do peacefully at the ballot box that for which his nation fought a war of bloody insurrection.
Police arrest British teenager 'suspected of hacking CIA boss's emails'

A British teenager arrested in connection with cyber-crime offences is suspected of hacking into an email account used by the head of the CIA, according to reports.

The South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) declined to comment on "speculation" linking the 16-year-old boy to a series of hacks against the CIA, FBI and other parts of the US government.

Reports claim the teenager - from an unnamed area of the East Midlands - is suspected of co-ordinating a series of cyber-attacks perpetrated by a group using the name "Crackas With Attitude".

The South East Regional Organised Crime Unit confirmed a 16-year-old boy had been arrested

The unnamed teenager is said to have had his computer and mobile phone seized following his arrest on Tuesday.

In a statement, SEROCU said: "The South East Regional Organised Crime Unit can confirm we have arrested a 16-year-old boy on Tuesday in the East Midlands on suspicion of conspiracy to commit unauthorised access to computer material."

The youth was also detained on suspicion of committing other offences under the 1990 Computer Misuse Act, including conspiracy to commit unauthorised acts with intent to impair a computer, SEROCU said.
Independent editor: Many of our journalists will continue writing for website

The editor of The Independent has told readers many of the newspaper's journalists will continue working on the website - but said he could not mention names because they are "in negotiation".

A source close to the business said about 75 jobs are at risk in the wake of the decision to close the print editions of The Independent and The Independent on Sunday.

The owners of the newspapers confirmed on Friday that the print version of the titles will close, leaving an online-only edition.

The Independent will go online on March 26

In a letter to The Independent's "treasured" print readers, editor Amol Rajan said he realises news that the newspaper is to cease its print edition will have come as "a shock".

He wrote: "The simple fact is, there just aren't enough people who are prepared to pay for printed news, especially during the week. With our circulations and advertising down, very substantially, the future of our print edition would inevitably be one of managing decline."

He added: "Many of our world-class journalists will continue writing just the same amount of journalism over on independent.co.uk. I can't mention them now because we are in negotiation - but I hope to update you soon."

ESI Media said The Independent, launched in 1986, will become "the first national newspaper title to move to a digital-only future".

The Independent on Sunday will go online only on March 20, with The Independent following on March 26.

The move comes after the paper's owners, Alexander and Evgeny Lebedev, agreed a deal to sell its cut-price sister paper i to regional publisher Johnston Press for around 24 million.

The Independent newspapers are part of the group owned by the Lebedev family, who have other media assets including the Evening Standard and local TV station London Live.

In his letter a day after the news was announced, Mr Rajan said: "I know it is a hard thing to say here and now, but I want the message to go out loud and clear that even after we cease to print, in spirit and in impact this great newspaper will live on."

He added: "All I can say is we will deliver great journalism until the very end. That is because we have the most kind, industrious, dedicated and brave staff in the history of Fleet Street."

ESI Media said as a result of the move it will create 25 new digital content roles, launch a new subscription mobile app and continue to invest in quality journalism.

It added that due to the expansion of independent.co.uk new editorial bureaux will open in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and its US operation will be boosted.

The group said the Evening Standard is unaffected by the move, "which continues to grow as a profitable and successful newspaper brand in its own right".
Defeat in France sees Ireland's Six Nations title slipping away

Ireland saw their RBS 6 Nations title slipping away after a 10-9 defeat to France, punished in Paris for poor scrummaging and wasting a host of half-chances.

Maxime Medard's late try snatched victory, Jules Plisson landing the vital conversion as France secured their second straight win under Guy Noves.

Ireland failed to fend off France's deliberate ploy of unleashing big-scrummaging props Rabah Slimani and Eddy Ben Arous from the bench and lost Mike McCarthy, Dave Kearney and Sean O'Brien to injury.

Jonny Sexton suffered another injury as Ireland lost a close game in Paris

Joe Schmidt's men let a second successive victory in France for the first time in 89 years slip through their fingers, unable to capitalise on early dominance and severely battered at the scrum in the second half.

Captain Rory Best had promised Ireland would not be "caught cold" at the scrum as in last weekend's 16-16 draw with Wales.

Ireland coped well enough in the first half but had no answer to France's impact front-row replacements.

The visitors knew what was coming but without the injured Marty Moore, and with Cian Healy and Mike Ross still working their way back to fitness, were too depleted in the front row to cope.

France bludgeoned Ireland with four successive five-metre scrums after Damien Chouly was denied a try in a defining final quarter.

Once Les Bleus opted not to chase a pushover or penalty score, full-back Medard cut a neat and tight line off Plisson and scooted under the posts.

Plisson posted the conversion, France led for the first time with 10 minutes to play, and they comfortably kept control until the final whistle.

And so Ireland's attempt at an unprecedented third consecutive Six Nations title is most likely at an end.

France are far from convincing under new boss Noves, and were certainly vulnerable in a listless first half. But somehow Les Bleus are now two from two, following their sterile 23-21 victory over Italy in their first game.

Ireland will be left to count the injury toll once again, O'Brien appearing to suffer a serious knee problem while Dave Kearney picked up a nasty shoulder injury.

Mike McCarthy was removed from the field on a stretcher in a neck brace after a head collision with team-mate Jack McGrath, and Sexton was withdrawn late on with a potential head injury.

Sexton's three penalties had proved scant reward for Ireland's first-half dominance, which later crumbled so spectacularly.

Lock Paul Jedrasiak vowed Les Bleus would "bleed for the shirt" in advance, and France set about rough-house tactics at every turn from the outset.

Yoann Maestri's shoulder-first ruck clear-out on Sexton and Guilhem Guirado's late, high tackle on Dave Kearney could well interest the tournament's citing commissioners next week.

Referee Jaco Peyper was happy to let both go with little censure, Maestri only penalised and Guirado escaping any punishment.

Ireland wasted at least five tangible try-scoring chances in a sloppy first half but turned around 9-3 ahead thanks to Sexton's boot.

First they lost a lineout in Les Bleus' 22 before Robbie Henshaw knocked on deep in French territory.

Rob Kearney was turned over at a ruck, and then Jared Payne wasted a fine chance by refusing to set Andrew Trimble down the right flank.

O'Brien was penalised for holding on before trudging out of the action and then Ireland spilled the ball five metres from France's line.
Global court judges exclude testimony in boost for Kenya's Ruto

By Thomas Escritt

AMSTERDAM, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Judges at the International Criminal Court dealt a major blow to prosecutors trying to convict Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto over post-election violence by ruling on Friday that some testimony against him was inadmissible.

Ruto, expected to run again in elections next year and possibly stand for the top job in 2022, is charged with crimes against humanity. His co-accused, broadcaster Joshua arap Sang, greeted the decision with a jubilant Facebook post:

"Halleluyaaaaaaaaaaaa God is good. THANK you God. THANK you my lawyers. THANK you Kenyans ... ONE step to our FREEDOM."

Friday's ruling means prosecutors can no longer rely on depositions made before the start of the case by witnesses who have since recanted their testimony.

Ruto's lawyers are now expected to reprise their argument that, without the testimony of those witnesses linking Ruto to the violence, the case against him has "evaporated". There was no immediate response from the prosecution.

"The prior recorded testimony was delivered without an opportunity for the accused to cross-examine the witnesses," said presiding appeals judge Piotr Hofmanski, adding that this would prejudice the accuseds' right to a fair trial.

Both men deny accusations that they provoked violence that killed 1,200 people in 2007-2008 after elections.

A similar case against Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta collapsed last year, also following the loss of witness testimony. In both cases, prosecutors alleged witnesses were bribed or threatened into recanting.

After 13 years and spending more than a billion euros, the court has convicted only two people.

Kenya has rallied its African Union allies in a diplomatic and public relations push to depict the court as a colonial institution that had only prosecuted Africans.
"No Bashar al-Assad in the future", says Saudi foreign min -report

BERLIN, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Bashar al-Assad will not be ruling Syria in the future and Russia's military interventions will not help him stay in power, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told a German newspaper in an interview published on Saturday.

"There will be no Bashar al-Assad in the future," al-Jubeir told newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

"It might take three months, it might take six months or three years - but he will no longer carry responsibility for Syria. Period."

Saying that the Syrian people's determination to topple al-Assad was unbroken despite heavy Russian air strikes and persecution within the country, al-Jubeir criticised Russia's involvement in the five-year-long war.

He said that Assad's previous calls for help to his own military, Iran, Hezbollah and Shiite militia forces from Iraq and Pakistan were all in vain.

"Now he called the Russians, but they won't be able to help him either," al-Jubeir said.

Russia entered the war on Sept. 30 2015 in support of the Syrian president. At least 250,000 people have been killed, 11 million made homeless and hundreds of thousands have fled to Europe since the conflict began in 2011.

Moscow has said its air strikes are against the extremist militant groups Islamic State and the Nusra Front, but other countries and rebel groups say the attacks target civilians.

Asked about a more direct military involvement with 'boots on the ground', al-Jubeir said such discussions were currently underway among the member states of a U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State.

"If the coalition should decide to deploy special forces in the fight against IS in Syria, Saudi-Arabia will be ready to participate," he said, using the initials IS to refer to Islamic State.

At a peace and security conference currently underway in Munich, major powers said a peace deal could only be reached if Moscow stops bombing insurgents other than Islamic State.
North Korea to halt search for Japanese abductees-media

TOKYO, Feb 13 (Reuters) - North Korea has declared void an agreement to reopen a probe into the fate of abducted Japanese citizens after Japan imposed sanctions following Pyongyang's rocket launch, Asahi newspaper reported on Saturday.

North Korea will disband a committee set up in 2014 to look into the whereabouts of Japanese abductees, the newspaper said, citing media reports from North Korea.

Japan said on Wednesday it was imposing sanctions on North Korea after a satellite launch seen by Washington and allies, including Tokyo, as cover for development of ballistic missile technology that could be used to deliver a nuclear weapon.

Pyongyang admitted in 2002 to kidnapping 13 Japanese citizens decades ago. Five abductees and their families later returned to Japan but Tokyo wants to know the fate of the remaining eight, who Pyongyang has said are dead, and others that Japan believes were also kidnapped.

Japan eased some sanctions on North Korea in July 2014 in return for the North reopening its probe into the status of the abduction issues, but little progress has been made.
North Korea to halt search for Japanese abductees-KCNA

TOKYO, Feb 13 (Reuters) - North Korea has declared void an agreement to reopen a probe into the fate of abducted Japanese citizens after Japan imposed sanctions in the wake of Pyongyang's rocket launch, according to North Korea's official KCNA news agency.

North Korea planned to disband a committee set up in 2014 to look into the whereabouts of Japanese abductees, KCNA said, adding that Japan's "provocative acts of hostility" toward North Korea would ensure further countermeasures.

"The Abe regime has to hold full responsibility for causing such a grave consequence," it said.

Japan said on Wednesday it was imposing sanctions on North Korea after a satellite launch seen by Washington and allies, including Tokyo, as cover for development of ballistic missile technology that could be used to deliver a nuclear weapon.

Pyongyang admitted in 2002 to kidnapping 13 Japanese citizens decades ago. Five abductees and their families later returned to Japan but Tokyo wants to know the fate of the remaining eight, who Pyongyang has said are dead, and others that Japan believes were also kidnapped.

The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has made resolving the emotive abductees issues a signature pledge of his political career, had stressed it hoped to keep the door to dialogue open.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday it was deplorable for North Korea to unilaterally disband the committee, Kyodo news agency reported. He also said Japan was not going to scrap the agreement made by the two countries.

Japan eased some sanctions on North Korea in July 2014 in return for the North reopening its probe into the status of the abduction issues, but little progress has been made.
Pope urges peace in Mexico's poor, violent corners

By Philip Pullella and David Alire Garcia

MEXICO CITY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - From the U.S. border to the indigenous south, Pope Francis will visit some of the poorest and most violent corners of Mexico on his five-day trip and celebrates Mass on Saturday before an image of the country's patroness, the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Chronic violence and corruption will be themes of his visit to the world's second most populous Roman Catholic country, and he will address the plight of migrants trying to reach the United States with a service at the northern border next week.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to join the pope on Saturday afternoon at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, where pilgrims flock from all over Latin America.

"'Don't be afraid,' that is what she tells me," Pope Francis said ahead of his visit, adding that he wanted to reflect silently in front of her image.

The pope earlier this month urged Mexicans to fight against corruption and grisly drug gang violence. Some Mexicans are looking to him to take that even further while he's here.

"We want him to demand that the president kick out all the corrupt people," said Marbella Vargas, whose son Edgar was one of 43 students abducted and apparently massacred in 2014, a grisly case that hammered the government's reputation.

Mexico has been ravaged by drug violence over the past decade, and President Enrique Pena Nieto has been unable to fulfill his promises to put an end to it.

Francis flew into Mexico City on Friday evening for his first visit as leader of the Catholic Church, greeted by cheering crowds, a mariachi band and Pena Nieto.

During his visit, the pope will say Mass with indigenous communities in Mexico's poorest state Chiapas, and speak with young people in Morelia, the capital of Michoacan state that has been plagued by violence between drug gangs and armed vigilante groups.

More than 100,000 people have been killed in Mexico's drug violence over the last decade and some 26,000 are missing.

The pope's trip will end with a prison visit and Mass in the notorious northern border city of Ciudad Juarez, where he will meet relatives of victims of violence.

In a reminder of Mexico's corruption and violence, 49 people were killed in a fight between rival gangs in a prison just days before the pope's arrival.

There has been speculation that the pope might also meet with relatives of the 43 missing students.

Francis has won plaudits for his leadership of the Church over the last three years but in Mexico he may struggle to match the lasting appeal of Pope John Paul II, who made multiple visits to the country.
Syrian army edges towards Islamic State bastion, jets hit rebel towns

By Tom Perry and Paul Carrel

BEIRUT/MUNICH, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Syrian government forces were poised to advance into the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa province and allied Russian jets kept up air strikes on rebel-held towns north of Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Saturday.

An advance into Raqqa would re-establish a Syrian government foothold in the province for the first time since 2014 and may be aimed at pre-empting any move by Saudi Arabia to send ground forces to fight Islamic State militants in Syria.

Russia is pressing ahead with its four-month-old air campaign in support of President Bashar al-Assad ahead of "a cessation of hostilities" agreed by major powers on Friday. The agreement is due to come into effect in a week.

The Syrian army announced the capture of more ground in the northern Aleppo area, where its advances backed by allied Lebanese Hezbollah and Iranian fighters have cut the main rebel supply route from Turkey into opposition-held parts of Aleppo.

If its forces retake Aleppo and seal the Turkish border, Damascus would deal a crushing blow to the insurgents who were on the march until Russia intervened last September, shoring up Assad's rule and paving the way to the current advances.

The cessation of hostilities agreement falls short of a formal ceasefire, since it was not signed by the warring parties - the government and rebels seeking to topple Assad in the five-year-long war that has killed 250,000 people.

Russia has said it will keep bombing Islamic State and the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, which in many areas of western Syria fights government forces in close proximity to insurgents deemed moderates by Western states.

Helped by Russian air power, the Syrian army and its allies have been pursuing offensives on crucial front lines of western Syria, while also attacking Islamic State further east.

The Observatory said government troops were just a few kilometres (miles) from the provincial borders of Raqqa after making a rapid advance eastwards along a desert highway in the last few days from Ithriya. The Syrian army could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Syrian government has not had a major foothold in Raqqa province since Islamic State insurgents captured Tabqa air base in 2014. "They are on the provincial borders of Raqqa," Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters.

The ultra-hardline Islamic State, whose main aim is to expand its "caliphate" rather than toppling Assad and reforming Syria, is being targeted in separate campaigns by a U.S.-led alliance and the Syrian government with Russian air support.

U.S.-allied Kurdish forces are also fighting Islamic State in Raqqa. Last year, they advanced into Raqqa province from the northeast, capturing an Islamic State-held town at the border with Turkey.

Gulf states that want Assad gone from power have said they would be willing to send in troops as part of any U.S.-led ground attack against Islamic State. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday he expected Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to send commandos to help recapture Raqqa.

In what may have been a response to those remarks, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Saturday there was no need to scare anyone with a ground operation in Syria.

The Syrian government has said that any foreign forces in the country without its consent will be fought.

ALEPPO AIR STRIKES

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, said in an interview published on Saturday that Russia's military interventions will not help Assad stay in power. "There will be no Bashar al-Assad in the future," he told a German newspaper.

The complex, multi-sided civil war in Syria, raging since 2011, has drawn in most regional and global powers, producing the world's worst humanitarian emergency and attracting jihadist recruits from around the world.

A U.S. State Department spokesman said on Friday Assad was "deluded" if he thought there is a military solution to the war.

Two Syrian rebel commanders told Reuters on Friday insurgents had been sent "excellent quantities" of Grad rockets with a range of 20 km (12 miles) by foreign backers in recent days to help confront the Russian-backed offensive in Aleppo.

Foreign opponents of Assad including Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been supplying vetted rebel groups with weapons via a Turkey-based operations centre.

Some of these groups have received military training overseen by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. The vetted groups have been a regular target of the Russian air strikes.

Russian warplanes carried out at least 12 raids on rebel-held towns north of Aleppo overnight Friday-Saturday, the Observatory said.

The army said late on Friday it had captured three areas to the northwest of Aleppo - advances confirmed by the Observatory.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls called on Russia on Saturday to stop bombing civilians in Syria, saying this was crucial for achieving peace in the country.

"France respects Russia and its interests ... But we know that to find the path to peace again, the Russian bombing of civilians has to stop," Valls said in a speech at a security conference in Munich.

Russia has denied targeting civilians. Medvedev said on Saturday it was simply not true.

"There is no evidence of our bombing civilians, even though everyone is accusing us of this," Medvedev told a security conference in Munich, moments after French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Russian bombing of civilians must stop.
Red Cross says delivers medical aid to Taiz in Yemen "breakthrough"

GENEVA, Feb 13 (Reuters) - The Red Cross said on Saturday it had entered the war-torn Yemeni city of Taiz for the first time since August, delivering three tonnes of life-saving medical supplies to four hospitals treating the wounded.

Taiz has been one of the hardest-fought fronts in a war in which local militias and forces loyal to a Saudi-backed government ousted by Houthi rebels last March are seeking to fight their way back to the capital Sanaa.

Many residents of the city of 200,000, in the southwest of the country, say the Houthis have blocked aid from entering and bombed civilian targets.

"This is a breakthrough and we hope that today's operation will be followed by many more to come," Antoine Grand, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in Yemen, said in a statement.

The ICRC team delivered surgical items, intravenous fluids and anaesthetic supplies to help treat hundreds of wounded, he said.

"Essential medicines and supplies for pregnant women were also provided. All of these items are in high demand by the hospitals in Taiz that continue to receive a daily influx of wounded people," Grand said.

Living conditions for civilians in the city have continued to worsen, with residents facing daily insecurity and a constant struggle for medical care, food and water, the ICRC said.

Yemen has become one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The U.N. says famine looms as over half the population, or 14.4 million people, face hunger and not even its hospitals are spared.

The al-Thawra hospital in Taiz has had all its windows blown out by the pressure of bombs landing nearby, and several direct hits have reduced one ward nearly to dust.

ICRC spokesman Francis Markus confirmed that al-Thawra was one of the four that received medical supplies, along with Al-Taawon, Al Hikma and Al-Jumhoury hospitals. "What is needed is regular unimpeded access," he said.

After the government fled into exile, a Saudi-led alliance of Arab states joined the war to restore it to power, recapturing the port city of Aden, where President Abd Rabbu Mansour al-Hadi is now based.
Syrian army gains ground around Aleppo, looks to Raqqa

By Paul Carrel, Shadia Nasralla and Tom Perry

MUNICH/BEIRUT, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Russia said on Saturday a Syria ceasefire plan was more likely to fail than succeed, as Syrian government forces backed by Russian air strikes took rebel ground near Aleppo and set their sights on the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa province.

International divisions over Syria surfaced anew at a Munich conference where Russia rejected French charges that it was bombing civilians, just a day after world powers agreed on the "cessation of hostilities" due to begin in a week's time.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reiterated accusations that Russia was hitting "legitimate opposition groups" and civilians with its bombing campaign in Syria and said Moscow must change its targets to respect the ceasefire deal.

The conflict, reshaped by Russia's intervention last September, has gone into an even higher gear since the United Nations sought to revive peace talks. These were suspended earlier this month in Geneva before they got off the ground.

Turkish forces shelled Kurdish YPG militia targets near the northern Syrian town of Azaz on Saturday, Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, demanding that the group withdraw from land it recently captured.

The United States urged both Turkey and the Syrian Kurds to step back and focus instead on tackling the "common threat" of Islamic State militants who control large parts of Syria.

The Syrian army looked poised to advance into the Islamic State-held province of Raqqa for the first time since 2014, apparently to pre-empt any move by Saudi Arabia to send ground forces into Syria to fight the jihadist insurgents.

A Syrian military source said the army captured positions at the provincial border between Hama and Raqqa in the last two days and intends to advance further.

"It is an indication of the direction of coming operations towards Raqqa. In general, the Raqqa front is open ... starting in the direction of the Tabqa area," the source said.

Tabqa is the location of an air base captured by Islamic State two years ago, and the source said the army had moved to within 35 km (20 miles) of the base.

The cessation of hostilities deal agreed by major powers falls short of a formal ceasefire, since it was not signed by the warring parties - the government and rebels seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad in a five-year war that has killed at least 250,000 people.

If its forces retake Aleppo and seal the Turkish border north of the city, Damascus would deal a crushing blow to the insurgents who were on the march until Russia intervened, shoring up Assad's rule and paving the way to the current reversal of rebel fortunes.

Russia has said it will keep bombing Islamic State and the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, which in many areas of western Syria fights government forces in close proximity to insurgents deemed moderates by Western states.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, asked at a security conference in Munich on Saturday to assess the chances of the cessation of hostilities deal succeeding, replied: "49 percent."

Asked the same question, his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier put the odds at 51 percent.

The complex, multi-sided civil war in Syria, raging since 2011, has drawn in most regional and global powers, caused the world's worst humanitarian emergency and attracted recruits to Islamist militancy from around the world.

Assad, backed on the ground by Iranian combatants and Lebanon's Hezbollah in addition to big power ally Russia, is showing no appetite for a negotiated ceasefire. He said this week that the government's goal was to recapture all of Syria, though he said this could take time.

The U.S. government said Assad was "deluded" if he thought there was a military solution to the conflict.

Syrian state television announced the army and allied militia had on Saturday captured the village of al-Tamura overlooking rebel terrain northwest of Aleppo.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported advances in the same area, adding that Russian jets had hit three rebel-held towns near the Turkish border.

Government offensives around Aleppo have sent tens of thousands of people fleeing towards the Turkish border.

ISLAMIC STATE TARGETED

Islamic State, driven by the goal of expanding its "caliphate" rather than reforming Syria - the original goal of the opposition when the conflict began as an unarmed street uprising in 2011 - is being targeted in separate campaigns by a U.S.-led alliance and Assad's government with Russian air support. Regional Kurdish forces supported by Washington are also fighting Islamic State in Raqqa province.

Gulf states that want Assad gone from power have said they would be willing to send in troops as part of any U.S.-led ground attack against Islamic State. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday he expected Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to send commandos to help recapture Raqqa.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was reported as saying Saudi Arabia will send aircraft to Turkey's Incirlik air base to support the air campaign against Islamic State in Syria.

"Saudi Arabia is now sending planes to Turkey, to Incirlik. They came and carried out inspections at the base," Cavusoglu told the Yeni Safak newspaper, adding it was unclear how many planes would come and that the Saudis might also send soldiers.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Saturday in Munich there was no need to scare anyone with a ground operation in Syria.

Two Syrian rebel commanders told Reuters on Friday insurgents had been sent "excellent quantities" of Grad rockets with a range of 20 km (12 miles) by foreign backers in recent days to help confront the Russian-backed offensive in Aleppo.

Foreign opponents of Assad including Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been supplying vetted rebel groups with weapons via a Turkey-based operations centre.
Pope presses Mexican president on corruption and drugs

By Philip Pullella and Gabriel Stargardter

MEXICO CITY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Pope Francis called on Mexico's government on Saturday to fight endemic corruption and drug trafficking and he then prayed with thousands before the icon that unites the country - the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Corruption is deeply ingrained in Mexico, and President Enrique Pena Nieto, his wife and finance minister have all been embroiled in conflict of interest scandals involving homes purchased from government contractors.

The pope also exhorted Mexico's bishops to take a more active stand against the drug trade, which he said "devours like a metastasis."

Drug-trafficking gangs have infiltrated police forces across the country and more than 100,000 people have been killed in drug violence over the last decade. Some 26,000 are missing.

"Experience teaches us that each time we seek the path of privilege or benefits for a few to the detriment of the good of all, sooner or later the life of society becomes a fertile soil for corruption, the drug trade, the exclusion of different cultures, violence and also human trafficking, kidnapping and death," the pope said in a speech to Pena Nieto, government ministers and foreign diplomats.

He said Mexico's leaders have a "particular duty" to move past corruption and violence and work for the collective good.

The pope later celebrated mass at the vast Basilica of our Lady Of Guadalupe. Some 5,000 mostly well-heeled spectators gathered inside the church, while at least five times as many spectators gathered outside under the beating sun.

Francis had said he yearned to visit the Basilica of Guadalupe, which attracts millions of pilgrims from all over Latin America, and to reflect silently in front of her image.

"'Don't be afraid,' that is what she tells me," the pope said ahead of his visit.

While inside a small niche behind the altar to venerate the icon, he lost his balance and fell back into a chair, causing the crowd to gasp, although it did not seem serious. After praying for about 20 minutes, the 79-year-old pope, who suffers from sciatica in one leg, stood up and walked out.

'BAD, CORRUPT, CRIMINALS'

Carrying pictures of the Virgin of Guadalupe, thousands converged on the basilica, many in family groups, some clutching coveted tickets to enter inside.

Guadalupe Nava, a 23-year-old lawyers, said the pope should ask the Virgin "to intercede for us, to put love in the hearts of those who are bad, the corrupt officials and the criminals."

In his three years as pope, Francis has repeatedly told political leaders as well as senior figures inside his own Church to do better, and earlier this month he urged Mexicans to fight against corruption and brutal drug gang violence.

Some Mexicans are looking to him to take that even further while he's here.

The country is still reeling from the abduction and apparent massacre of 43 trainee teachers by a drug gang in league with police in late 2014. The pope appeared to refer to them in his homily on Saturday, speaking of "children leaving, becoming lost or even being taken by criminals."

He has also taken a stand for migrants around the world, making it a central issue of his papacy, and he will end his visit to Mexico in the notorious northern border city of Ciudad Juarez, where he will meet relatives of victims of violence.

Speaking in his native Spanish before bishops inside Mexico City's main cathedral earlier on Saturday, the Argentine-born pontiff urged religious leaders to do more to help migrants, "pouring balm on their injured feet" through social and charity programs.

"Brothers, may your hearts be capable of following these men and women and reaching them beyond the borders," he said, calling on Mexico's Church to strengthen its ties to the U.S. episcopate.

From the U.S. border to the indigenous south, Francis will visit some of Mexico's poorest and most violent corners on his five-day trip.

He will say Mass with indigenous communities in Mexico's poorest state Chiapas, and speak with young people in Morelia, the capital of Michoacan state that has been plagued by violence between drug gangs and armed vigilante groups. In Juarez, he will also visit a prison.
U.S. commander sees al Qaeda Africa group strengthening

By Emma Farge

DAKAR, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Two high-profile strikes in West Africa since November by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) could further strengthen the Islamist militant group, a U.S. commander for North and West Africa said.

AQIM, a militant group that emerged from the Algerian civil war in the 1990s and is now mostly north Mali-based, is emerging from a period of near dormancy marked by factional infighting.

The group, linked to veteran jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar, claimed two hotel sieges in the Mali and Burkina Faso capitals in November and January that killed dozens, including many Westerners, proving its ability to strike further south.

Some experts say the urban attacks, and a slew of recent propaganda, may be a bid to compete with ultra-hardline group Islamic State, which now has a base in Libya.

"(The hotel attacks) raised the profile of the group and will help the group do a (few) things," said Colonel Bob Wilson, Third Special Forces Group Commander, in an interview with Reuters and The New York Times in Dakar this week.

"One, show that it's still relevant. Two, help it to recruit personnel and commit resources. And three, create the impetus to do more attacks like that," he said on a visit to Senegal during the annual U.S.-led 'Flintlock' counter-terror training programme in the Sahel region.

The United States has its own Africa Command with between 1,000-1,200 forces on the continent at any given time, mostly in training and support roles. Wilson's North and West Africa command is the largest of three regional groups, with around 500 deployed across a dozen countries.

U.S. officials say this year's event is marked by a growing threat of Islamic State (ISIS) in Libya, Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin and AQIM in the Sahel which, while deeply concerning, is also boosting African security cooperation.

Wilson said he expects ISIS to spread beyond Libya to other African countries in the next year, echoing fears expressed by Niger and Chad to the south.

The Islamic State has thousands of fighters in the former Italian colony and controls parts of Libya's northern coastal strip, including the city of Sirte.

"I think it (ISIS) is going to expand beyond Libya where it can find subordinate elements to cooperate with," he said, adding that he was worried about "increased collusion and cooperation" between militant groups.

He declined to comment on plans for special operations in Libya amid speculation of possible Western air strikes.

Wilson welcomed the creation of a regional task force last year to fight Nigeria's Boko Haram, which has pledged allegiance to ISIS and is blamed for 15,000 deaths.
Turkey strikes Kurdish militia in Syria, demands it withdraw

By Orhan Coskun and Daren Butler

ANKARA/ISTANBUL, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Turkey's military shelled Kurdish militia targets in northern Syria on Saturday and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu demanded that the group withdraw from the area in a move that further complicated the conflict across the NATO member's border.

The shelling took place after Kurdish YPG fighters backed by Russian bombing raids drove Syrian rebels from a former military air base, south of the town of Azaz and near the Turkish border.

"Today retaliation was taken under the rules of engagement against forces that represented a threat in Azaz and the surrounding area," the prime minister told reporters in comments shown live by state broadcaster TRT Haber.

A Kurdish official said the Menagh base which was hit had been captured by the Kurdish-allied Jaysh al-Thuwwar group rather than the YPG. Both are part of the Syria Democratic Forces alliance.

The shelling came amid growing anger in Ankara with the United States for supporting the YPG, which Ankara regards as a terrorist organisation, in its fight against Islamic State militants.

The Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), which backs the YPG, controls most of the Syrian side of Turkey's border and Ankara views it as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade-old insurgency for autonomy in southeast Turkey.

U.S. State Department spokesperson John Kirby urged both Turkey and the Syrian Kurds to step back, saying they should focus instead on tackling a "common threat" of Islamic State militants who control large parts of Syria.

"We have urged Syrian Kurdish and other forces affiliated with the YPG not to take advantage of a confused situation by seizing new territory," Kirby said in a statement.

"We have also seen reports of artillery fire from the Turkish side of the border and urged Turkey to cease such fires."

Davutoglu demanded that the Menagh base be evacuated and said he had spoken to U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to make that point and stress that the PYD was an extension of the PKK and a direct threat to Turkey.

"We will retaliate against every step (by the YPG)," he said after a visit to the eastern Turkish city of Erzincan. "The YPG will immediately withdraw from Azaz and the surrounding area and will not go close to it again."

Turkey's disquiet has been heightened by the tens of thousands of people fleeing to the Turkish border after attacks by Russian-backed Syrian government forces, swelling refugee numbers in the area to 100,000.

Turkey, which already hosts 2.6 million Syrian refugees, has kept the latest arrivals on the Syrian side of the border, in part to pressure Russia to cease its air support for Syrian government forces near the city of Aleppo.

Davutoglu earlier condemned the attacks in Aleppo as "barbarity, tyranny, a war strategy conducted with a medieval mentality" and said hundreds of thousands faced the danger of starvation if a humanitarian corridor was not opened.

"We will help our brothers in Aleppo with all means at our disposal. We will take those in need but we will never allow Aleppo to be emptied through an ethnic massacre," he said.

NATO-member Turkey is one of Assad's most vehement critics and an ardent supporter of opposition forces.
Turkish military shelled Kurdish militia in Syria - government source

ANKARA, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Turkey's military has shelled Kurdish militia targets near the town of Azaz in northern Syria, a Turkish government source told Reuters on Saturday, without elaborating on the extent of the shelling or why it had been carried out.
Outgoing U.S. commander says mission in Afghanistan not changing

KABUL, Feb 13 (Reuters) - U.S. troops in Afghanistan will not return to an active role fighting the Taliban despite the likelihood of another difficult year of combat, the outgoing commander of international forces, Gen. John Campbell, said on Saturday.

U.S. special forces units assisting Afghan forces have been involved in firefights in the volatile southern province of Helmand, where a Green Beret was killed last month and where the Taliban have put government forces under pressure.

Another 500 U.S. soldiers have been sent down to the province to bolster local forces that have been hard-pressed to hold on to key district centres such as Sangin and Marjah, but their role will remain to advise and assist.

"The mission hasn't changed," Campbell told reporters in Kabul in what is likely to be his final news conference before handing over to Lt. Gen. John Nicholson in March. But he said they would be able to defend themselves and call in air support if necessary.

"They're not actively going out to fight but if they get attacked, they have to be able to provide force protection to themselves," he said. "That's where you see Apache helicopters, bombs, drones, those kind of things."

Afghan forces, which took over combat operations when NATO's fighting mission ended in 2014, have struggled and are expected to need international assistance for years to come.

Around 9,800 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan. Under current plans that number is due to fall to 5,500 by the end of 2016.

In addition to training Afghan forces, the U.S. military has stepped up operations against Islamic State fighters, mainly in the east of the country. With troop numbers set to fall, questions have been raised about what changes they will have to make to carry out both missions.

Campbell said he has requested more flexibility in the authorisation of force as well as in tactics and procedures used by U.S. forces against the Taliban. Except in very limited circumstances, current rules only allow him to order air strikes or other attacks against the Islamist insurgent movement when U.S. troops are threatened.

In the meanwhile, Campbell said Afghan forces were trying to improve in areas including leadership and recruitment, reducing high rates of desertion and getting more soldiers off ineffective checkpoints and taking on the Taliban.
The Billings Cultural Partners aim to elevate the arts scene around town, so what better place to expand their realm than Corby Skinners Castle.

Skinners iconic downtown home and workplace played host to the organization recently. Diverse groups including those bestowing book awards and others promoting everything from opera to community theater met as they do each month to talk and to support one anothers efforts, according to Lisa Harmon of the Downtown Billings Alliance, whos also chairing the arts partnership.

The diverse group counts attractions like ZooMontana, Pompeys Pillar, the Alberta Bair Theater, a handful of museums and the Montana Audubon Conservation Education Center as partners, as well as programs including the High Plains Book Awards and groups seeking to increase the presence of public art.

The partners also welcomed elected officials representing the Yellowstone County Board of Commissioners and the Billings City Council. The groups mingled over wine and cheese and shared updates.

We dont have any employees or an office, but weve been together for years and are mutually supportive of supporting arts in the community, Skinner told the group.

County Commissioner Jim Reno said cultural attractions and opportunities play a role when people are deciding whether to move to the area. Its a recruiting tool, he said.

He said that while petty jealousies used to hamper partners efforts, now theyre all working together.

I also work for a nonprofit, Reno said, drawing chuckles from the 30 or so people gathered. It is this kind of collage that makes a community good.

Without Billings diverse cultural amenities, Harmon told the group, Billings would be a sad little town. Sharing their initiatives with elected officials, she said, represented a new day for cultural partners.

Among the projects that the partners are undertaking: developing a plan for how the arts can help the community heal if it experiences a tragedy akin to the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City or the 9/11 attacks.

Jack Nickels, a director with the Billings Community Foundation, said that at least 5,000 Billings jobs  and perhaps as many as 10,000  are directly linked to cultural development. The Local Day of Giving, set for May 3, will give volunteers the opportunity to support their favorite nonprofit organization, he said.

Members of the Billings City Council who were present expressed their appreciation for the partners work and spoke about their own roles in promoting the arts.

The arts are important to any culture, and I appreciate art as much as anyone else, Councilman Chris Friedel said.

His colleague, Dick Clark, said hes one of three council members who will serve on a committee to smooth the transition as the Babcock Theatre is given over to the city early next year.

Clark said the recent meeting was the first time hed been inside the Castle since he was a teenager. In those days, his aunt and uncle, a Billings doctor, called the Castle their home.

A public arts committee has a number of projects in development, said Downtown Billings Natasha Potratz. Not only will traffic signal boxes continue to be converted as functional works of art, but an artist is being sought to paint a large-scale Native American heritage mural on a wall of the Best Western Plus Clocktower Inns parking garage.

Billings can be seen, said Alberta Bair Theater Executive Director William Woody Wood, as a complete cultural tapestry.
How will you distinguish "good" from "bad"? For us as humans, it could be difficult as no one has the power to jude good or evil. It is fluid, at least for me. One's good is another's bad. You can argue otherwise and that would prove the point. But for an authority - a government - it is quite easy to make the distinction.

For a power structure, a government in place, there are set parametres, categories and points of distinction through which people are characterised or objectified. An authority always sees people as subjects. So to objectify an individual is a modern tool to impose a rule. Without this, it would be hard to impose the rule or make the distinction.

"The subject is either divided inside himself or divided from others," wrote French philosopher Michel Foucault. "This process objectivises him. Examples are the mad and the sane, the sick and the healthy, the criminals and the 'good boys'."

Doesn't it look like something similar is happening around us? Good and bad. The patriot and the anti-national. Pro-India and anti-India. Anyone who raises questions, with logic and reason, to the authority is considered an enemy. Put aside, boxed, and then perished - as was witnessed at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) last Tuesday evening. A group of scholars had come together to raise questions and express their right to speak, under the open sky. The peaceful gathering was to remember two Kashmiris - Mohammad Afzal Guru and Maqbool Butt, who were hanged to death and lie buried in Delhi's Tihar jail.

The state or its representatives are angry - more like furious about this. "How can students raise pro-Pakistan slogans and support a terrorist who was sentenced to death?" This question has been asked many times in the past few days and will be asked again. Here the parameters are: pro-Afzal and anti-Afzal. Anyone who remembers Guru as a human being is an enemy. It is not a surprise since Nathuram Godse, the man who shot dead India's founding father, is suddenly a hero.

With every change in power structure, the parametres also change. Knowing some of these students, who have organised the protest gathering for several years now, it can be said that their ability to stand and question authority has never changed. They have stood against the authority and stayed on the side of the marginalised.

A young generation of Kashmiris, which stood there to lodge protest against the hanging, has been protesting its whole life. To every Kashmiri born after the 1990s, understanding "power" and "humans as objects" comes as easily as daily meals. That has been life. The moment one goes out in Kashmir, the symbols of power are visible and right next to them the symbols of resistance - piled over the years. You are caged and insanity is imposed.

The protesters were all scholars, studying the very theories that set the world right. They raised questions that the authority would wish to ignore. For Kashmiris though,there were not just questions alone, there were demands. "We want freedom." These three words have been researched, studied and overdone by the authority for last 68 years and yet seem complicated to many.

Now the state has already put aside these scholars - calling some of them seditious and anti-national. Kanhaiya Kumar, the president of the JNUSU, will certainly come out and be part of the next protest. The authority used "sedition" as a parametre, used in past too against many.

Something strange, though, is that an All India Student Association (AISA) member and other organisations, except Democratic Students Union (DSU), have been telling media that they were not comfortable with the slogans, that they condemn what was said about India. One of the AISA office-bearers was quoted as saying they would not support the organisers because they too could get arrested.

This controversy points to the fact that the Left - a major part of it - only uses Kashmir as a plank to promote its parties. Protesting against Afzal Guru's hanging was a star event until the state exerted force. That shows even Left-politics is diplomatic and confusing. If they are scared of standing in solidarity with Kashmiris or Kumar, what Left are they talking about?

When the logical questions are not heard and categories used to distinguish people. When state violence crosses limits. When people's legitimate rights are trampled upon. There comes a time when words turn into actions. And we have seen that happening at many places - more so in South Kashmir's forests.

When young scholars also believe the "gun solution" is the only way out of a decades-old dispute, it is time to address the problem before the very structures of authority are overthrown and history overwritten.
One of the biggest scientific discoveries of the century was announced Thursday, and former Montana State University Billings physics professor Matt Benacquista was once part of the research group that made the discovery.

Benacquista appreciates the significance of the news that proved Einsteins general theory of relativity correct again, because Benacquista spent six years doing research with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory project, known as LIGO. The research was part of the reason he and his artist wife, Marcia Selsor, also a longtime educator at MSUB, moved to Brownsville, Texas, where Benacquista teaches and conducts research at the University of Texas.

Benacquista, who taught at MSUB for 18 years and earned a doctorate at MSU in Bozeman, said LIGOs discovery is another example of Einsteins brilliance.

Its a testament of how bright he was that it has taken us 100 years to determine Einstein was right, Benacquista said by phone Friday.

The discovery is important because it means astronomers will be able to hear violent collisions that reshape the cosmos. When black holes or neutron stars collide, they create gravitational waves.

Its like the first time you opened your eyes, Benacquista said.

The sound has been described as a chirp, but Benacquista, who is used to hearing the sounds of his wife making pots, thought it sounded more guttural.

It sounds like somebody dropped a lump of clay, like a thud, he said.

Benacquista applied to work with the LIGO group in 2005 and in 2006 moved to Texas to conduct research and teach. Because he quit working with LIGO, his name was not among the 1,004 authors who presented the research findings on Thursday.

Most of what I did was mentoring grad students who were running the analysis codes on huge clusters at Cal Tech, Wisconsin and Germany, Benacquista said.

Still, he was asked to lead a press conference in Brownsville at the University of Texas on Thursday to announce the discovery.

I told all of my students that they had to go to the press conference because this is going to be the moon landing of their generation. We had media from Mexico and Texas here. We played it up as big as we could.

Benacquista said the research team was more interested in pure data analysis, and he is interested in astrophysics so he quit working with the program after six years. He suggested that members of the public who are interested in furthering the project get involved through a program known as Citizen Science available through Einstein@Home.

The program uses a computers idle time to search for weak astrophysical signals from spinning neutron stars using data from the LIGO gravitational-wave detectors, the Arecibo radio telescope and the Fermi gamma-ray satellite. So far, Einstein@Home volunteers have discovered 50 new neutron stars.
Most citizens might be surprised that under current law, lobbyists are allowed to buy legislators dinners, drinks and other gifts. More alarming, however, is the volume of and inadequate disclosure for these gifts. Most days during the session, a legislator is eating or drinking something provided by privately funded groups interested in influencing the legislative process.

I often hear from voters that they dont believe politicians care about people like them. We must do everything we can to restore peoples faith that our government is of, by, and for the people. I plan to propose legislation in the next session to change the $50 limit on gifts from lobbyists to a comprehensive and total ban on all gifts from lobbyists to legislators. States like Minnesota and Florida have enacted similar bans on gifts from lobbyists and such measures have enjoyed considerable support.

Crowding out citizens

Though its unlikely that a legislator would change his or her vote on a bill for a free sandwich, it is obvious that lobbyist-funded receptions, dinners and other events can crowd out the voice of regular citizens who cant provide similar gifts. Over the long run, the access that these gifts provide to lobbyists has a distorting influence.

To be sure, lobbyists play an important and legitimate role in the legislative process. Thanks to term limits, few legislators have more than two or three sessions under their belts. Were also citizen legislators. We have real jobs to tend to back home outside of the four months the Legislature meets every other year  and that means leaning on guidance from lobbyists, who have years of consistent experience and knowledge on their issues.

But the influence of lobbyists can cross the line when, in addition to their expertise, they open the door to after-hours dinners, drinks and other gifts. Time is a commodity in short supply during the session. A legislator must vote on hundreds of pieces of legislation in a few months. When a lobbyist can enjoy two hours with a legislator leading up to a critical committee vote, few other citizens get equal time.

The point here is not that legislators whove accepted dinners, drinks or other gifts from lobbyists are corrupt. A comprehensive gift ban isnt about accusing any individual of corruption. It's about creating a healthy framework in which a citizen-driven democracy can function. I have attended dinner events funded by private interest groups, and Ive been consistently impressed by the integrity of those who've stepped up to represent their legislative districts across Montana. It's a hard and largely thankless job.

Last session I was proud to support Republican Sen. Duane Ankneys DISCLOSE Act, championed and signed into law by Gov. Steve Bullock. The bill closed loopholes that previously allowed out-of-state special interest groups to spend millions in Montana politics while keeping the source of the money secret.

Shift to bipartisanship

The pernicious Citizens United decision requires us to build on the success of the DISCLOSE Act, especially since a lobbyist may now be engaged in unlimited independent expenditures aimed at influencing legislative races.

A gift ban will challenge the way things work in Helena. Our state Legislature works better than the U.S. Congress because folks with different perspectives actually work together to solve problems. Medicaid expansion, the water compact, and keeping the sage grouse off the endangered species list all required legislators to reach compromises with those across the aisle. Some of those relationships undoubtedly formed in the wee hours of a downtown dive. Banning privately funded events will require us to replace them with efforts by legislators to continue to get to know one another as people rather than political opponents after work hours have ended.

A bill to ban gifts from lobbyists will rankle special interests, but I welcome the debate. If you agree, I encourage you to contact your legislator. It will take a massive amount of public support to enact such a law, but helping average citizens have the access to their legislators that lobbyists do is worth it. Under a gift ban, legislators can continue to benefit from lobbyists experiences  without benefiting from a free steak, too.
I appreciate this opportunity to address some apparent confusion regarding American Prairie Reserves request to the Bureau of Land Management concerning a potential change-of-use on our Flat Creek BLM allotment in northeastern Montana. Specifically, we asked that bison be allowed to graze year-round versus part of the year (which the BLM has granted to other livestock producers in the area). We also asked to remove interior fences on the allotment.

We are confident that year-round grazing without interior fences will work well. First, many science-based articles support our strategy. The work, including articles by Drs. Brady Allred at the University of Montana, Samuel Fuhlendorf at Oklahoma State and Michel Kohl at Utah State, confirms that bison use the land differently than cows. Rather than graze mostly in one spot, bison tend to move while feeding. They visit water sources far less frequently than cattle and tend to rest far from water and shade, even in extraordinarily hot weather. Once they graze an area, bison generally do not return to that exact same spot for some time, mimicking one of the key features of rest-rotation systems. In short, bison naturally demonstrate the behaviors that rest-rotation pasturing techniques seek to produce.

Medium stocking rates

Second, we know range health is largely determined by stocking rates versus rest-rotation systems. Most livestock producers, biologists and agencies are aware of the steadily growing body of literature questioning the uniform application of rest-rotation as the best management method in all cases. This evolving thinking agrees that there are certain habitats where rest-rotation can be a beneficial and logical choice, but there is significant evidence that nonfragmented, year-round pastures can be just as productive (if not more beneficial).

Working under the direction of and approval from the BLM, we keep bison numbers on our allotments at medium stocking rates to reduce impact. Our end goal is to manage the habitat where bison exist so that it is at least as good, if not significantly better than, the habitat that surrounds it. The BLM range conservationists monitor all of American Prairie Reserves 218,000 acres of BLM allotments. On Telegraph Creek and Box Elder in particular, where we have 620 bison (total live animals versus cow-calf pairs), they consistently report that the range fits well within their desired quality levels.

Thriving since 2005

Third, weve seen this work in practice. Our reserve-based team has logged thousands of hours of close-up observations. They also have analyzed data we collect using satellite radio collars to track grazing patterns on our allotments. They confirm that bison rotate themselves quite efficiently in these large spaces. And we continue to conduct research as part of our bison-grazing plan. We track range and wildlife health on other allotments and will do the same on Flat Creek.

In summary, since starting our herd in 2005, we have shown that bison can thrive on this landscape with no detrimental effects on neighboring operations. We understand that our grazing privileges on BLM land are just that  a privilege  and are motivated to demonstrate that all BLM allotments associated with American Prairie Reserve are good models of high-quality wildlife habitat and are open for public enjoyment, including hunting and camping.

Please dont hesitate to contact me anytime at sean@americanprairie.org with questions.
ROANOKE  An expert with the Virginia Department of Forensic Science linked the fatal shooting of Waynesboro reserve police Capt. Kevin Quick to other crimes through ballistic evidence Friday.

Six defendants face life sentences under federal RICO laws for allegedly being part of an organized criminal enterprise. Four of the defendants are accused in Quicks slaying and in a string of home invasions, robberies and malicious woundings that occurred from September 2013 through early February 2014.

The other two defendants are accused of obstruction of justice and racketeering.

Pieces of a Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistol were recovered Feb. 11, 2014, along Interstate 495 in the Alexandria area, according to Special Agent David Walker with the Virginia State Police.

State and local police were led to the area by Leslie Casterlow, who testified Thursday that she had seen the gun being disassembled and helped dispose of it.

State forensic scientist Lauren Claytor testified that she was able to match a cartridge recovered at the Goochland County location where Quicks body was found to cartridges found at the site of an Oct. 11, 2013, home invasion in Louisa County.

Claytor also linked the same gun to a robbery in Louisa County on Feb. 2, 2014, in which one man was shot and a woman was pistol-whipped.

Claytor said the barrel of the gun was not recovered and therefore bullets and bullet fragments recovered at the various scenes could not be compared. However, all of the shell casings found were fired using the same slide, she testified.

Bradley McManaway of the Virginia State Police also took the stand to describe how investigators were able to locate Quicks body on Feb. 6, 2014, in a remote area of Goochland County.

We had identified that area as a potential route the abductors took, McManaway said, based on information from the Fluvanna County Sheriffs Office and from triangulating pings from a cellphone.

McManaway added that he and other investigators turned onto an old logging road that was muddy from recent rain and observed a bunch of ruts. Soon after, McManaway spotted what he thought was a pants leg and found Quicks body.

The court also accepted into evidence the autopsy report by Dr. Deborah Kay, assistant chief medical examiner for the Central District of Virginia. The report states that Quick died from a single bullet-wound to his head and that there were no defensive wounds. A time of death could not be determined, according to Kays report.

The prosecutors spent much of the day calling law enforcement officers to the stand to identify the evidence officers had collected through search warrants so that the evidence could be entered into the court record.

Items admitted into evidence came from the Front Royal home of Gert Wright, aka Kweli Uhuru, the Goochland location where Quicks body was found, a Days Inn in Alexandria, the Value Place in Manassas and the Cedar Hill Road location in Louisa County where Quicks SUV was found abandoned.

Items seized included clothing, prescription medications, handwritten notes, white powder substances, receipts, cellphones, red bandannas and several Newport cigarette packages.

The trial is scheduled to continue Monday.

Alison Weaver is a correspondent for The (Waynesboro) News Virginian.
A credit rating agency affirmed its top rating for Wyoming last week, bringing with it a spot of optimism as the state suffers from low energy prices.

Standard & Poor's gave Wyoming a AAA credit rating, its highest designation. The ratings agency declared a negative outlook on the state due to declining revenue from low oil prices, but stated it believes Wyoming has enough money saved to maintain strong reserves.

It reflects well on the state of Wyoming that we were able to maintain such a strong rating, said state treasurer Mark Gordon.

While the states reserves could be pressured by the effect of lower energy prices, Standard & Poor stated Wyoming should have adequate time and resources to make future year adjustments in order to maintain strong reserves.

We continue to be hopeful about the outlook and having a rebound in the energy sector, Gordon said. It may take a little bit of time. But Wyoming has faced these crises before, and we have weathered them well.

Gordon said Wyoming does not have much debt, which plays in the states favor.

I think if you look across the spectrum at energy producing states, I think youll see that we have a lot of company, Gordon said. Other states are having the same challenges.

Cheyenne Mayor Richard Kaysen echoed the sentiment.

In my personal opinion, this is a reflection of what the federal government, through the President Barack Obama administration, has done to energy states such as Wyoming, which is not good first of all in the state, nor is it good for any other states where energy has been a mainstay for more than a century, Kaysen said.

Standard & Poor stated it could take away Wyomings AAA rating within the next two years should the state drain reserves by choosing not to make structural adjustments. If the state is able to maintain strong reserves, it could see a more favorable outlook from the ratings agency in the future.

I think theyre waiting to see what the Legislature has in place, Gordon said.

The Wyoming Legislature's 2016 session began Monday. Lawmakers are discussing, among other issues, how to manage the state's budget.

Laramie Mayor Dave Paulekas said the state should continue to practice fiscal responsibility, but should not "just throw in the towel and stop providing services to our citizens."

In any case, Kaysen said Wyoming residents should not panic.

I have confidence that our state leaders, and local leaders as well, are working diligently to maintain what we have, and turn things around as well," he said.
ATHENS - Greece - Greek farmers have stormed the Ministry of Agriculture in the country's capital city, they are not happy about being told to pay tax from now on.

Theres nothing worse for a Greek farmer, who gets massive EU subsidies to plough empty fields, and drives a top of the range Mercedes to be told that he has to now pay tax.

With a country who spent 650 Billion euros in EU loans in less than six years and only having a population of only 11 million people, taxation is never a happy business with the overly emotional Greek populace.

The EU gave us a 400 Billion bailout last year but we need another one this year too. How am I going to fund my summer houses in Crete and Lake Geneva, and I never paid tax in my life? a furious beet farmer, Nicos Calaminitos from Keleftekos, a village 45 kms from Athens told Greek radio station, AKS.

Certainly, the mood is strained, the IMFs Legarde wants assurances first before unloading more billions into the Greek black hole, however how is one to deal with the Greek aversion to paying tax?

Dimitrios Kolokalotiris, a shepherd from Thessaloniki may have the answer: We get the money, the Germans pay tax for us. This is the only way. Now, excuse me, I have to ride to tend my flock in my Porsche.
Federal authorities charged a Fremont County man with aggravated sexual abuse Wednesday.

Kevin Paul Brown raped a girl Nov. 9 on the Wind River Indian Reservation, according to a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of Wyoming. If he is convicted, Brown could face up to life in prison.

Public defender Daniel Blythe is representing Brown. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kerry Jacobson is prosecuting the case.

The charging document does not state the alleged victims age and refers to her only by her initials. She told an FBI agent who investigated the case that she was drinking alcohol Nov. 8 with her boyfriend and Brown. The girl said she became uncomfortable and asked Brown for a ride home.

However, instead of taking her home, the girl told the agent Brown took her to a house and sexually assaulted her, according to the charging document. Brown forced the girl back into the car and assaulted her again, the girl reported. She said she asked Brown to take her to a gas station, where she was able to flee from him and report the crime to a police officer.

The girl underwent a sexual assault examination at a hospital, the charging document states.
Online teaching not working? Maybe you dont know what you are doing. 1. A good online course must be driven by doing, not by listening; ask students to t...

2 years ago
US Ambassador Richard Verma leaves South Block after being summoned by MEA (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Reacting strongly, India on Saturday summoned US Ambassador Richard Verma to convey its "displeasure and disappointment" over Obama administration's decision to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar summoned Verma to the South Block and during the 45-minute meeting told him about India's concerns over US military aid to Pakistan which New Delhi believes goes into anti-India activities.

We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama Administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircrafts to Pakistan pic.twitter.com/NGdrAL2m9i  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) February 13, 2016

According to sources, such military aids will embolden Pakistan.

External Affairs Ministry also issued a strong statement expressing its "disappointment" over the US decision. It said it disagrees with the rationale that these arms transfer to Pakistan will help in combating terrorism.

Read: India disappointed over US decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan

"We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan. We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism.

Read: Barack Obama administration notifies Congress of sale of F-16s to Pak

"The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself," the MEA statement said.

Read: Congress questions Modi's foreign policy over US' decision to sell F-16 jets to Pak

The Obama administration today said it has decided to sell eight nuclear-capable F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan worth nearly USD 700 million. The proposal has now gone to the US Congress, which has 30 days to take a decision on it.

There is a feeling in official circles here that India has turned out be the victim whenever any military aid has been given to Pakistan in past.

Read: US' proposed sale of F-16s to Pak likely to face resistance
Bamako: Six UN peacekeepers have been killed and some 30 wounded when suspected Islamists attacked their base in northern Mali, officials said, while three Malian soldiers died in an ambush as jihadists intensify attacks in the restive region.

The six Guinean peacekeepers were killed in an early morning assault on a camp in the northeastern town of Kidal belonging to the United Nation's MINUSMA, according to a Guinean source in the mission and a military source in Conakry on Friday.

The latest attacks highlighted the vulnerability of Mali's sprawling arid north, where UN troops and Malian soldiers are struggling in their fight against jihadists who seized vast swathes of territory in 2012.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the "massive and complex" attack on the MINUSMA base, warning that targeting peacekeepers constitutes a war crime and pledging to support the Malian government.

Suicide bombers drove a vehicle into the base between two rocket launches, then blew it up, the Guinean source in the UN mission said.

The raid coincided with a visit to northern Mali by the new chief of MINUSMA, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, who said the raid was an "odious and irresponsible act" which highlighted the "confusion in the ranks of the enemies of peace."

Annadif was in Kidal a week after a peace pact eased tensions in the town, where the arrival of members of a pro-government group early in February had upset the former rebels in the Coordination of Movements of the Azawad.

Azawad is the name the traditionally nomadic Tuareg people of the desert use for territory they regard as their homeland, straddling the southern Sahara and the Sahel.

In a separate attack, three Malian soldiers were killed and two others were wounded near the fabled city of Timbuktu, a Malian military source said.

"Three of our men died today between Timbuktu and Goundam when they were ambushed by jihadists," a Malian officer said. "Two others were wounded but their lives are not in danger."

The defence ministry confirmed what it said was a "cowardly" strike.

Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said there was a pressing need to secure the north.

"We have to find a solution to this," he said. "Kidal cannot remain like this... where attacks occur on a daily basis and the international community and we ourselves look on."
Frederic Durand-Baissas, a 57-year-old Parisian teacher and art lover whose Facebook account was suspended five years ago without prior notice for posting a photo of a famous 19th-century nude painting. (Photo: AP)

Paris: A French court ruled on Friday that a case against Facebook over a painting of a nude woman can be tried in France, rejecting Facebooks argument that it is governed by Californian law.

The social networking company blocked the account of a French professor and art lover after he uploaded a picture of Gustave Courbets 1866 canvas The Origin of the World, which shows a close-up view of female genitals.

The Paris appeal courts decision upheld a lower court ruling in March 2015 that a clause in Facebooks terms of agreement signed by users was abusive in reserving exclusive rights to a California court to hear disputes.

Facebook, based in Palo Alto, California, had appealed against a Paris high courts authority to hear the case but the appeal court said Facebooks claim was inadmissible.

Facebook said French courts were not competent to handle the case and that the contract with the user was not a consumer contract because Facebooks service was free.

But a high court judge ruled in 2015 that, if the proposed service was free to the user, Facebook was generating significant profits from the business, including via paid applications, advertising and other resources.
The entry of Islamic State, while its numbers may remain small, would complicate Pakistan's fight against indigenous Islamist militants fighting to overthrow the government. (Photo: AP)

Islamabad: Different officials in Pakistan's government have taken seemingly contradictory stands on Islamic State's influence in the country, after a rare warning by an intelligence chief that the Middle East-based militant group posed a domestic threat.

Reports of stepped-up recruitment by Islamic State and a bloody attack linked to the group last year have stoked fears the movement is gaining momentum in Pakistan, despite the government rejecting its formal presence.

The government reasserted its view on Thursday, a day after Intelligence Bureau director general Aftab Sultan told a parliamentary panel that Islamic State was coordinating with militant groups and that hundreds of people had left Pakistan to join its fight in Syria, media reports say.

"Let me reiterate that there is no organised presence of Daesh in Pakistan," foreign office spokesman Nafees Zakaria told reporters in Islamabad, using the Arabic acronym for the group.

He declined any further comment when contacted by Reuters on Friday.

The entry of Islamic State, while its numbers may remain small, would complicate Pakistan's fight against indigenous Islamist militants fighting to overthrow the government.

On Friday, Pakistan arrested 97 al-Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militants in the southern city of Karachi and foiled a planned attack to break US journalist Daniel Pearl's killer out of jail, the army said.

Mode or denial

The intelligence chief's assertion that Pakistan should be worried about Islamic State's role prompted mixed reactions.

"This is the first time it has been officially admitted," said Col. Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, an opposition parliamentarian of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party and a member of the senate committee that Sultan briefed.

"The government of Pakistan has gone into a mode of denial," he added. "We have to recognise Islamic State's existence and take action."

In May, militants boarded a bus carrying members of the minority Shi'ite Ismaili community in Karachi and opened fire on the passengers, killing 45.

Police in charge of the investigation said the militants were "inspired by Daesh," but did not believe the group had any organizational ties to its leadership in the Middle East.

Authorities have also raised concerns that Islamic State was making inroads in Punjab province late last year "after consolidating its position in Afghanistan," according to a government circular seen by Reuters.

The circular, sent by the Punjab government in December, cited reports that the group was recruiting Afghan nationals living in refugee camps in Pakistan, and distributing propaganda to Pakistani youth "in a large number".
Mahie Gill stars in award winning filmmaker Trisha Ray's next venture "Orphan Train" and the actress says working on the thriller was a memorable experience.





The 40-year-old actress, best known for her role of Paro in Anurag Kashyap's critically acclaimed film "Dev D," is playing the lead role in the independent American film.



"I loved the character that I portrayed and Trisha is the funniest and intelligent director, she is superb and I am sure we will work more together soon," Mahie told PTI.



The "Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster" actress plays the role of an Environmental Protection Agent 'Helen Prost,' who is on a mission to investigate the involvement of radioactive isotopes in the deaths of children kidnapped by the local cartel.



"Orphan Train" is shot in a mix of three languages, Hindi, English and Spanish. Set in Mexico the film is based on a screenplay by Arizona-based writer Brian Stewart.



"This is probably the most challenging, fast-paced, hard-hitting, amazingly gritty screenplay that I've ever worked with - so all credit goes to screenwriter Brian (Stewart) for coming up with such an interesting and soulful storyline and for suggesting Mahie Gill, San (Banarje) as the lead villain Yatze," Trisha said.



Produced by Boat Angel Family Films (Arizona)and Next Actor Studio (Texas), the movie is slated for release in 2016. The film also star San Banarje, Sean Vida, Gablu.




Indian shooters ruled the roost for the fourth successive day as they made a clean sweep of all the six gold medals on offer in the 12th South Asian Games here today.





Omkar Singh (men's 10m air pistol), Rahi Sarnobat (women's 25m pistol) and Anjum Moudgil (women's 50m rifle 3 positions) grabbed a gold each while India also bagged the top spot in all the three team events to simply outshine their rivals at the Kahilipara Shooting Range here.



The home country's domination was such that in the three individual events of the day, India swept all the three medals in two while winning a gold and a bronze in the remaining one.



Pakistan's Kaleemullah (men's 10m air pistol) was the lone non-Indian to get a medal today. He won a silver.



With today's show, the star-studded Indian team, which have six Rio Olympics bound shooters, has so far collected 18 gold, 8 silver and 8 bronze in four days. Two days are left in the competition.



The day also saw Olympics bound Gurpreet Singh coming up with a disappointing performance in men's 10m air pistol as he finished sixth in the event won by compatriot Omkar who shot a total of 198.8 to clinch the gold. Another Indian, Jitendra Vibhute, bagged the bronze.



Omkar, Gurpreet and Jitendra then took the team gold in men's 10m air pistol event with a total score of 1735. Pakistan (1700) and Sri Lanka (1663) took the silver and bronze respectively. In the women's 25m pistol final, Sarnobat won the gold medal match against compatriot Annuraj Singh with eight points to two while Anisa Sayyed took the bronze by prevailing over Farhat Nasreen of Pakistan.



India took the team event gold with Sarnobat, Anisa and Annuraj scoring a total of 1741. Sri Lanka (1654) and Pakistan (1631) got the silver and bronze respectively.There was a tough fight for the gold in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions between Moudgil and Elizabeth Susan Koshy. Moudgil was the better of the two in the kneeling position but Koshy made up the deficit with a strong show in the prone.



But, Moudgil took control in the standing position and had taken such a huge lead, that even a very poor shot of 8.0 in the gold medal deciding round could not stop her from grabbing the top spot with a total of 452.2.



Koshy was second with a total of 451.9 while another Indian Lajja Gauswami took the bronze.



Moudgil, Koshy and Gauswami then shot down the gold in the team event with a total score of 1726. Sri Lanka (1686) and Pakistan (1656) won the silver and bronze respectively.




Dr Astrid Monteiro avers she knows nothing about musical notes  octave, F-sharp, B flat, chromatic scale, neumes. Astrid cannot fathom the rhythmic idiom.





I am not musically inclined, she repeats. But the moment this tall dentist opens her hymn-book, perches spectacles over her nose and readies to take cues from choirmaster Santiago Lusardi Girelli, her voice reaches out to the heavens in a lilting invocation, the musical notes turning into alibis for a divine communion. When the chorus of her choir-group hits a crescendo, Astrid is closer to the Lord, the sacred music resonating in her being much after the church organ has fallen silent.



That moment music is sacred. This is not the only moment music has been sublime. For as long as humankind can remember, sacred music has been an integral part of cultures  and religions  around the world. The notes vary but the world wakes up to murmured prayers, strung in notes. This February, over two weekends, Goa will reverberate with sacred music from around the world.



Organised by Old Goa Music Society (OGMS) and supported by Goa University, music will shed language and geographical barriers and meld blissfully at the first Ketevan Goa Sacred Music Festival.



On the playlist



The sonorous whisper from the hollow heart of Rakesh Chaurasias flute will play rhythmically with the magical vibration from the 88 black-and-white keys of Utsav Lals piano. Leo Rossi, an Argentinian, will draw a bow across his violin while Debashish Bhattacharya will pluck the 24-strings of a hollow-neck slide guitar. Rocio de Frutos, a Spanish soprano will share space with Ignacio L Monteverde, a Spanish flamenco guitar maestro. Marialena Fernandes will perform a classical piano solo, and there will be Jewish and Sephardic music and choir ensemble.



At Ketevan, music from different eras and genres will co-exist on one platform; music will hum in the Goan air. For those weekends, Astrid is hanging to her hymn book tight. As one of the founding members of the festival, she is picking up the nuances of sacred music, one holy note at a time.



Why Ketevan? Why is co-existence the leitmotif of it? I ask Santiago, an Argentinian-Italian choir and orchestra conductor who specialises in the J S Bachs repertoire and is currently a lecturing professor and founder of the Goa University Choir. The festival takes its name from Martyr Ketevan (1560-1624), a queen of Kakheti (a kingdom in Eastern Georgia), who was killed in Shiraz, Iran, for refusing to give up the Christian faith and convert to Islam.



The martyr was canonised later; her relics are found in an urn in St Augustine Church in Old Goa. Ketevans course of her life, her faith, commitment and tolerance inspires our festival. Her life, as the lives of other different saints, illuminates the paths of tolerance and co-existence, says Santiago. Fittingly, the festival will be held at Old Goas The Mount, which includes St Monica Convent, Rosary Chapel and the ruins of St Augustine Church.



What makes Ketevan Festival unique is its harmonious blend of several genres, as if reiterating the truth that music has no language. The 10-day-long festival will include concerts (didactic as well), conferences, lectures, round tables, common chants, master classes and workshops. Nearly 40 performers from around the world will play their own music and merge it with others.



The festival opens with Cappella Della Luce Odysseys which traces the myriad influences that shaped cathedral music in the 17th and 18th centuries, specially in Bolivia, Peru, Guatemala, Mexico; the second part of the programme stresses on the importance of indigenous African culture (including language) and its contribution to sacred music.



When the sun dips into the sea, Jewish Sephardic music will resonate through the church ruins  a music that has roots in the Jewish communities in medieval Spain and Portugal  later assimilating North African high-pitched, extended ululations, Balkan rhythms, and the Arabic maqam mode.



Bachs World (Lent I) will include a selection of arias and choruses of cantatas and passions of the great German composer, while another session will bring alive the link between Indian classical traditions and gypsy culture.



Cultural combination



Ethnic songs will run through the sounds and beliefs of different cultures, including haikus (Japan), bhakti & ragas (India) and Gregorian & medieval melodies (Europe). Ketevan will conclude with Goa University Choir and Seville Chamber Choir ensemble, with texts from Hindu scriptures, Sufi tradition, Christian liturgy and Hebrew, among others. Rudolf Ludwig Kammermeir, Executive Director, OGMS, does not want music to remain isolated; he wants art, research, education, social activities to complement the music agenda. For Santiago, Artistic Director, the festival is a culmination of months of hard work. Music, for him, is never far from theology  he has studied orchestral and choral conducting along with Oriental philosophies, yoga and meditation. Sacred music does not necessarily have a religious tag. At Ketevan, its all about artistic co-existence, he adds.



Over two weekends, music will hang thick in the Goan air. Crowds will mill. Music will play. Devotion will hit the octave. In the ruins of St Augustine Church, faith will live again in cracked columns and drooping arches. Will Ketevan the Martyr be there, too? Will he listen intently?

The festival is on till February 21.
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), an umbrella organisation for all retail payments system in India, plans entry into the RuPay credit cards segment by June 2016, according to its chairman M Balachandran.





By June-July, we will roll out RuPay credit cards, Balachandran said.

NPCI was set up with the guidance and support of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and the Indian Banks Association (IBA) was incorporated in 2008. Launched in March 2012, RuPay currently has over 241 million customers, and handles 20 per cent of transactions in the country.



In a short period of three years, NPCI has partnered with over 600 banks to issue RuPay cards, when compared with international banks, Balachandran said.



Balachandran was in the City, to launch Unified Payments Interface (UPI) Hackathon, in association with Indian Software Product Industry Round Table (iSPIRT), which provided a platform for startups and developers community to accelerate innovations in payments arena. Over 300 participants comprising of technical teams of banks, payments banks and payment solution developers are participating in the event.



The hackathon will be conducted in multiple tracks primarily for two categories  software-based problem-solving  online or onsite event version and workshop format to solve a real-life problem that is plaguing the industry.



Participants shall use the API provided in the sandbox (set of rules that programmers need to use) to develop products/services to generate multiple solution options for each of the perspectives. An eminent panel of jury from iSPIRT and NPCI will evaluate the submissions.



UPI is the next generation payment system and it has the potential to revolutionise retail payments in India. A key feature of UPI is that it would provide interoperable and instant payments driven over the mobile platform. Besides, a customer will be able to make payments by providing just a single identifier like Aadhaar number or a virtual address.




Cloth made of bamboo yarn is stronger than denim



Innovation seems to come naturally to this weaver from Tamil Nadu. He has weaved sarees from natural banana fibre and bamboo yarn. C Sekar, a weaver from Anakaputhur taluk near Chennai, also has to his credit making of herbal sarees with medicinal properties.



The process is simple. He weaves unique cotton mixed sarees and then dips them in dyes of eco-friendly colours and applies herbal paste such as neem, tulsi and turmeric.

The fabric, which already has attracted international textile experts, will absorb medicinal properties of these plants and protect skin from many diseases. It not only protects your skin but also keeps the body cool, the weaver claims.



Sekar, who formed Anakaputhur Jute Weavers Association (AJWA), had earlier made sarees spun with banana fibre mixed with either cotton or silk. Interestingly, the weaving machine, which is operated by about 200 women members of the AJWA, couldnt be seen anywhere as it was specially made by the weavers led by Sekar, who recently got sustainability leadership award in Delhi.



A weaver has to sit on the floor and put his/her legs in a pit to operate the machine, which is fixed below the ground level. Initially, operating the weaving machine was very tough. However, now I can weave a saree in just six hours, Kamakshi, a weaver, said.

The machine is specially designed to deal with even soft threads, which are mixed with herbal products, he said. At present, Sekar takes only a few orders after catering to local market. We sell products through our association so that weavers benefit from it, he said.



At present, the weavers execute orders from different areas as they do not function under one roof. The finished products will be collected and sent to the customers, he said. Sekar asserts that there is plenty of scope for weavers across the country to make good money if they take up weaving of natural fibre. But the governments should encourage the weaving community.



In 2012, the weaver entered into the Limca Book of World Records for weaving a single saree with 25 natural fibres. Recently, the Craft Council of India extended its help to Sekar for getting into the Guinness Book of World Records for using the maximum number of eco-friendly fibres in a single woven item. I am working on it, Sekar said.



The concept of weaving eco-friendly clothes came to my mind when I was about 13-years old. After many trial and error attempts, I successfully produced a cloth made from banana fibre, the 49-year-old Sekar recollects.



Sekars experiment with aloe vera, a plant whose extracts are used in beauty and medicinal products, for weaving a saree became successful a few years ago. It will be very cool if you wear it, he said.



He also used bamboo fibre to weave cloth. The required yarn cannot be extracted directly from bamboo. Therefore, I made bamboo pulp and with some natural process, I get the needed yarn, he said. According to him clothes that are made from bamboo yarn, would be stronger than denim.



The innovative weavers success could be attributed to his wife Padma, who encourages her husband and takes care of her two sons besides helping in the design section of the weaving centre.



Behind success



I create the design and show it to customers before making the dress material, Padma said. As a traditional woman, Padma takes utmost care to get good output of the clothes, especially sarees. Our herbal sarees will not only be good for the skin but also they last long as about 60 per cent of cotton is mixed with the fibre, she claimed.



The price of sarees varies from Rs 600 to Rs 5,000 and some customers want silk strands woven into them for a reception appeal. The couple also make pillow covers, bed spreads, carpets and wall hangings with eco-friendly fabrics besides making shirts.



He makes it a point to visit different places to get authentic material for sarees. He said: I had been to Bihar to collect water reed, Odisha for Chevai grass, Assam for bamboo, Kerala for pineapple, Punjab for woollen fibre and Karnataka for silk.



Everything went well for Sekar and his company till the December rain in 2015. We couldnt execute orders due to heavy rain. Most of our members were affected by the flood. In addition, several weaving equipment were submerged in the water, Sekar said. A majority of the weavers of the association are migrants from Andhra Pradesh and are determined to continue even after they lost their livelihood due to heavy rain.



Though, it was a tough situation, we started our traditional business from scratch and somehow we are back on the track, Sekar said. The determination and success of Anakaputhur weavers was recognised once again as a Japanese company evinced interest in its technology for importing the eco-friendly clothes from them.



A team from China-based Guangxi Zhuang company also visited Anakaputhur recently to learn about the skill of making garments from natural fibres, especially banana and bamboo.



Armed with patent for all his products, Sekar and his team are still waiting for the help from the governments. Many banks are offering loans to us, but we want governments to extend help and give us land so that we could form a weaving cluster soon, he said.



Anakaputhur is close to the airport and Sekar is planning to set up a weaving park in the area as it will help him move the goods easily. We also want to do further research on how to include other eco-friendly fibres in our products, he said.



He says: If our plan gets delayed, all our products could be seen only in the museum in the coming years.




In a statement that challenges Pakistans claims about its probe into the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, David Headley on Saturday said his masters Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and top Lashkar-e-Toiba operatives were okay and doing fine, suggesting that the investigations were superficial.





It is to be mentioned here that based on dossiers sent by India and mounting international pressure, Pakistans Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) conducted a probe. However, the Indian agencies were not satisfied with the measures.



Headley, a US citizen with Pakistani descent, on Saturday, confirmed this before Additional Sessions Judge G A Sanap, during his examination-in-chief conducted by Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam. Nothing will happen with them......this (the probe) was superficial...this is what I was told, he said.



To place on record, Nikam referred to a series of e-mail exchanges during July-August 2009 between Headley, then in Chicago, and his handler Sajid Mir and between Headley and Major Abdul Rehman Pasha, the Pakistan Army officer-turned-Lashkar operative who later joined Osama bin Ladens al Qaeda.



Headley, in coded language, had constantly asked about Hafiz Saeed, the LeT founder and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the LeT chief-of-operations, to check on their wellbeing and also whether his cover was exposed. In fact, he referred to Lakhvi as uncle and Saeed as old uncle. Asked who was he reefering to as these uncles, he said: The LeT leadership.



On one occasion, he asked Mir how is your uncle feeling these days to which he got the reply, uncle (Lakhvi) is feeling high...they are doing well...do not bother about rumours...they are okay and doing. Both are safe and nothing will happen against them, he said.



On one occasion, he asked did old uncle (Saeed) get H1 virus too. Asked what it means, he said: I heard that he was also under investigation and that he might be arrested. When asked what the sentence, does hospital want to a check up, means, he said he wanted to know whether he would be arrested.



When Nikam asked why he wanted to know about his uncles, Headley said, I was concerned. Sajid Mir, in one of his mails, said, Old uncle (Saeed) is like a tornado...he is fine....nothing would happen to them (Saeed and Lakhvi).



Major Pasha in one of the mails told him: Dont worry about here...everything is normal....action against them (Saeed and Lakhvi) is superficial...you need not bother.



Asked whether Sajid Mir and Major Pasha were arrested by FIA, he said: They arrested a lot of people, but not these two, not to my knowledge.



Questioned whether Lakhvi revealed his name to the agencies, he said: Not to my knowledge, dont think so. He also denied FIA calling him to join probe.



In another revelation, Headley said Lakhvis son Qasim was killed in an encounter in Kashmir. He was killed in fire fighting. ...In the memory of Lakhvis son, Sajid Mir adopted his name, he said, and confirmed that in some mails, he has referred to Lakhvi as chacha.




Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence, terror outfits Lashkar-e-Toiba and al Qaeda had different intentions after the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai but the common motive was to create trouble in India.





This was clear from the deposition of David Coleman Headley, the 56-year-old US citizen of Pakistani descent, whose examination-in-chief by Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam concluded on Saturday.



Major Iqbal (of ISI) wanted me to strengthen my cover for military intelligence....Sajid Mir (his LeT handler) and Major Abdul Rehman Pasha (a former LeT man then associated with al Qaeda) wanted attacks, so was I....besides, Dr Tahawwur Rana wanted to make some money, Headley told Additional Sessions Judge G A Sanap, who presides over anti-terrorism cases in Mumbai. Headley also told Special Judge G A Sanap that he attempted to develop close relations with a Shiv Sena member (Rajaram Rege) as he thought LeT would be interested in future to either attack the Shiv Sena Bhawan here or assassinate its head (late Bal Thackeray). On his associating with Rege, he said: ....asked Rege to convince Bala and his son to (visit) the US....the head of Shiv Sena and his son.



Headley said he had informed Dr Rana about Rege and his utility. On some issues, he has also kept Major Pasha and Sajid Mir on the loop.



Nikam told Headley that Major Iqbal has asked him to keep Rege engaged in seminars and conferences in the US  and wanted to know what engaged means. In intelligence, (it means) keeping someone occupied till you figure out what to do, he said.



Mir at one point of time also asked whether you could find some investor, a reference to a possible business association between Rana and Rege.


The nearly 30-hour-long examination-in chief of Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley, spread over six days, concluded on Saturday. However, his cross-examination would be conducted later this month.





The evidence was recorded by Additional Sessions Judge G A Sanap, who presides over anti-terrorism cases at the Mumbai Sessions Court at Kala Ghoda in south Mumbai.



Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, an expert in handling terrorism-related cases, asked over 750 questions and supplementaries to the 56-year-old terrorist who deposed via a video-telephone link from an unidentified location in United States.



Headley, on December 10, was pardoned by the Mumbai court and he turned an approver. In the US, he has been sentenced to 35 years in prison after a plea bargain.



The Indian accused, Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundals lawyer Wahab Khan started the cross-examination but because of paucity of time, he could ask only five questions. He also said that he has not been given the statement which Headley was referring to. I have to prepare and go through the confession statement of Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, he said. After heated arguments between Nikam and Khan, senior counsel Mahesh Jethmalani intervened and told the judge that since it was Saturday if timings were extended, we can conduct just around two hours it would not be possible for the cross-examination to complete.



The Judge then asked the US attorney Sarah whether it can be done on Monday.



However, she said it was not possible. Later, it was decided that Khan would communicate by February 22 how much time he would take for cross-examination following which the Department of Justice in US would be informed and the new date would be fixed.





Wanted to recruit spies from Army

Terrorist David Headley on Saturday said his masters in the Inter-Service Intelligence and Lashkar-e-Toiba wanted him to penetrate the Indian Armys Pune-headquartered Southern Command and recruit spies, DHNS reports from Mumbai.

During his deposition before a Mumbai court, Headley said that on two different occasions, he had undertaken a reconnaissance of Pune, one of the most important strategic locations of Pune. He said in Pune, he had checked in at the Hotel Surya Villa from 16 to 17 March 2009. Asked whether he knows any defence installations in Pune, he said: It is the headquarters of the Southern Command of the Indian Army. Asked whether he visited the place, he said: Nominally on this occasion, but previously, I had visited. Asked about it, he said: I just made a general video of it...took an autorickshaw in Pune for an hour and hour-and-a-half.

When probed as to what was the idea: It was the same like nuclear reactors (referring to his spying of BARC in Mumbai), trying to recruit people and get classified information.

He also confirmed making a video of the Chabad House in Pune and said he had made the video from outside as there was not enough time for survey.
Amid a raging JNU row, Home Minister Rajnath Singh asserted that no innocent person will be harassed but the guilty will not be spared.





Singhs assurance came after a delegation of leaders of Left parties and Janata Dal United met him following reports of police crackdown post arrest of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar on charges of sedition for participating in a programme which criticised the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Kanhaiya is member of All India Students Federation (AISF), the students wing of CPI.



No question of harassment of students. But the guilty will not be spared, Rajnath said on the sidelines of a function here.



The delegation sought to caution the government against taking action without evidence. "We met the Home Minister and apprised him about the prevailing tense atmosphere in JNU. Delhi Police has released a list of 20 students in connection with the event, which includes CPI leader D Raja's daughter, but we are asking are they seen in the video shouting slogans?," CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury told reporters after the meeting.



CPI MP Raja on Saturday claimed that he had received threat calls on Friday night, with persons speaking in Hindi threatening to gun down his daughter for participating in the controversial JNU agitation. Yechury also charged that the new JNU Vice Chancellor was taking instructions from the government and allowed the police "crackdown".



"This is happening across all universities; VCs are being removed and the government is appointing persons who will obey their instructions," the CPM leader remarked.



The politics over JNU hotted up as Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders, including Anand Sharma, protested inside the campus against police high-handedness.



Dont let them (Modi government) bully you, was the message Gandhi relayed to the agitating students.



The BJP countered Rahul by charging that the Opposition leader was attacking Modi government for vote bank politics.



"Rahul Gandhi and his friends are speaking in the tone of LeT terrorist Hafiz Sayeed, who had tweeted in support of anti-India event in JNU.



It is an insult to our martyrs and armed forces who sacrifice their lives on the border and will boost the morale of anti-national forces, BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said.



The slugfest at JNU was virtually a rewind of the war of words that followed the suicide of Hyderabad Central University Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi along with his party colleagues and Left leaders joined the sedition debate on Saturday at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus.





Members of the BJPs student body Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) charged at Rahuls motorcade with black flags, with some even trying to block his way. Im proud that in my country ABVP has right to wave black flags at me, he said.



JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar was charged was arrested on Friday and slapped with sedition and conspiracy charges for his involvement in the protest held on Tuesday to mark the death anniversary of Afzal Guru.



Rahul accused the BJP-led government of suppressing students voice and said the most anti-nationals are people, who are suppressing the voice of students in JNU.



Rahul compared the unrest in JNU with events leading to the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula in University of Hyderabad.
Putting aside their past acrimony, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Congress entered into a poll pact on Friday for the upcoming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.





A decision in this regard was taken after former Union minister and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad met DMK president M Karunanidhi at his Gopalapuram residence here.



Describing the DMK as the most dependable partner, Azad said: The DMK and the Congress will form a formidable alliance in Tamil Nadu elections. We will be fighting elections together...Our main goal is to form the government in Tamil Nadu under Karunanidhi.

The senior Congressman, who was accompanied by his party colleague Mukul Wasnik, also indicated that there would more allies to the DMK-Congress combination, which is back after a gap of three years.



On how the DMK is getting back with the Congress despite the Sri Lankan-Tamils issue, Azad said that there were compulsions and pressures in politics.  The two parties have won elections together in past also, he pointed out. Though Azad and DMK treasurer M K Stalin were tight-lipped about the seat sharing arrangement, sources in the Congress said that it had asked a minimum of 40 seats.



In the 2011 polls, the DMK allocated 63 seats to its ally. In 2006, it was 48 seats. Sources in the Congress told Deccan Herald that the party has already selected the constituencies for which candidates will be selected soon.




Fitoor

Hindi (U/A) Cast: Tabu, Aditya Roy Kapur, Katrina Kaif

Director: Abhishek Kapoor





Aditya Roy Kapur has every right to stare at Katrina Kaif. She is jaw-droppingly beautiful  just as the snowy, dreamy Kashmir where Fitoor is set in.



Tsk tsk, Kaif is mind-numbingly blank, too! So there goes the romantic charm of a visually rich film inspired by Charles Dickens Great Expectations.



Director Abhishek Kapoor spreads out a beautiful canvas as he revisits the English classic where love, rejection and hope fuel the aspirations of its protagonists.



While the little Kashmiri boy displayed a better grip on his feelings for the haughty girl in the mansion, a grown-up Aditya Roy Kapur manages to bring out just the physical urges of a smitten hero. So, the lead pairs longing for each other comes out so plastic that even when they make love, its the aesthetic appeal that catches ones attention, and not the passion.



Some expectations are met though. Tabu, as the hysterical heiress in ornate attire, adds some contours to the plain tale.



Abhishek Kapoor keeps politics mostly out, with just one explosion (a very effective one at that) and a side-plot involving a Pakistan minister, offering fleeting references to the turmoil on border.



The beauty of Kashmir, at times airbrushed though, gives an ethereal feel to the flawed drama. Even the falling chinar leaves lend a melancholic crimson shade to the proceedings. Wish the red-haired Kaif did at least half the job.




Rapes, murders and assaults in the City schools, in recent past, have instilled fear in the minds of parents. One such parent has taken to the online platform to ask the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board to take appropriate action against schools which did not have adequate security measures.





On change.org, a petition by a concerned parent from Bengaluru has registered the support of over 19,000 people from across the country. The petitioner has sought the CBSE to derecognise schools where children have been attacked, raped or killed because of a lapse in security.



Even if a student is raped or killed on the premises, the school will not be answerable. Sign my petition to make schools accountable and take responsibility of the safety of our children, the online petition reads.
Dear Annie: My wife has gotten so many animals that it is out of control. Every time she gets upset or sad, she goes out and purchases another animal. Right now, we own eight cats, four bunnies, six rats, two cows and two horses. Our house smells like cat feces, and our yard smells like cow and horse poop. Whenever we eat, the cats jump onto the table and try to eat our food. And she doesn't clean the litter box often enough, so it's gross and embarrassing when anyone comes to visit. I can see the guests gagging.

I'm not sure if I should tell her, leave her be, or just get rid of some of the animals when she is at work. It has gotten so unmanageable that I've been thinking about a divorce. -- Grossed Out

Dear Grossed Out: Absolutely speak up. Animals are not security blankets to be accumulated when one is feeling down. Tell your wife the situation has gotten out of control and you are going to call the Humane Society and let them take the majority of the animals because it is unhealthy for them, as well as you, to be in this haphazard environment.

Nude modeling

Dear Annie: I'm writing about the letter from "The Husband," whose wife is an art class model for a neighbor. He is making more out of this than it deserves. Many years ago when I was an art student in college, I had to take life-drawing classes, but I was also a model. My wife was OK with the idea. We both knew several of the students. As you pointed out, Annie, it is not a sexual situation. The students are more interested in honing their drawing skills. The instructor is more focused on the students' drawings than the model, and the model is concentrating on holding the pose without shifting or moving.

Most schools welcome outside models as it provides a wider range of body types and sizes than would be found within the student population. I think being familiar with the neighbor is better -- why pose nude for a stranger? And most importantly, after class, she comes home to her husband. -- A Reader in Michigan

Dear Michigan: Thanks for your viewpoint. We heard from a great many readers on this subject. Read on for more:

Dear Annie: Here's another suggestion: The husband could volunteer his services as a model. This actually would serve two purposes: He would understand his wife's experience, and male models are hard to come by. -- Just a Thought from an Artist's Perspective

Dear Annie: I don't feel that sexual desire has anything to do with it. It is just weird. If we had a neighbor who was a gynecologist, I would not want to be his patient. It crosses a line. I can't imagine the wife not getting her husband's clear approval on this. -- K.

Dear Annie: If my wife posed nude without telling me first, I, too, would be uncomfortable. But I would never tell her that she had to stop. I would simply make sure she understood that I did not approve, and that I was changing jobs and moving out of town. It would be up to her whether she wanted to go with me or not. -- Ken

(Annies Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Today's column is adapted from one in 2009. Email questions to anniesmailbox@creators.com or write to Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 Third St., Hermosa Beach, Calif. 90254.)
The tears of Siachen martyr Hanmanthappa Koppads parents have still not dried and another brave soldier of Savalasang village in Vijayapura district fell to militants bullets in Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday.





Martyred soldier Sahadev Maruti More (26) of Savalasang in Indi taluk was hit by a bullet while bravely fighting militants. He was immediately shifted to hospital but died without responding to treatment. Indian Army officers conveyed the news to his family, who are in a state of shock.



The deceased soldier had got engaged only a few months ago during his visit to his village. After his vacation, he was posted to the Kupwara region to take on militants. He is said to have fought bravely trying to repel the militant attack but was hit by a bullet. More, who had joined the army five years ago, leaves behind his mother Rukmabai, two brothers and two sisters and the girl to whom he was engaged. One of his brothers, Amoghasidda, is serving with the Border Security Force (BSF).



Deputy commissioner D Randeep, quoting Army sources, confirmed that More was martyred fighting militants in the Kupwara region of Jammu & Kashmir.



District-in-charge Minister M B Patil, in a press release, mourned the death of More and instructed the district administration to decide the route for taking the soldiers body to his village and other modalities related to his last rites. He has spoken to the chief minister seeking adequate compensation for the martyrs dependents. Patil is scheduled to visit Savalasang on Sunday to offer condolences to the bereaved family.



Siachen victims bodies to reach villages today



The body of T T Nagesh, a soldier from Hassan district who died in the Siachen avalance, is expected to reach his village on Sunday morning.



The body will be flown to Bengaluru via Delhi and Hyderabad at 10 am and later, it will be shifted to Tejuru village in Hassan. Annappa, a family member, said that the last rites will be performed at the village on Monday 11 am.



Similarly, the body of P N Mahesha, a resident of HD Kote and a native of Pashupathi village in KR Nagar taluk will reach Mysuru by 2 pm on Sunday.






The State governments decision to adopt the 2013 Land Acquisition Act under the revised Transferable Development Rights scheme, is most likely to become an impediment for the urban local bodies, including the BBMP, to implement the scheme.





Under the revised TDR, the property losers have an option either to take the TDR or monetary compensation from the ULBs.



The monetary compensation will be fixed as per the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (Central Act), under which the compensation is two times the guidance value of the properties.



As the guidance value has been increased many times in the last few years, the cash-strapped ULBs might find it extremely difficult to pay monitory compensation, sources in the Directorate of Town and Country Planning said.



The property owners have to choose either the TDR or the monetary compensation and cannot refuse to part with their properties as per the new scheme.



The Urban Development Department (UDD) recently notified draft rules for implementing the revised TDR scheme, wherein value of development rights has been increased to two times the total area to be acquired from the existing 1.5 times to make it more attractive.



The new scheme will come into force in all city corporations, including BBMP, in the State. The UDD has given one month time for public to file objections and suggestions to the draft rules.



The genesisThe government conceived the TDR scheme as the land prices were too high for the BBMP to pay monetory compensation for acquiring private properties. But the old version of the TDR met with stiff resistance from people.



The property owners in Bengaluru city refused to part with their properties as they incurred huge loss.



Actually, the TDR had no takers as the existing permissible Floor Area Ratio (FAR) was adequate for constructing high-rises, the sources pointed out.



Moreover, the BBMP failed to give monetary compensation to the aggrieved property owners under the old scheme even though the compensation was fixed as per the 1894 land acquisition Act  which provided for payment of compensation only on the prevailing guidance value of land.



The Palike, as a result, dropped its plan to widen roads.



Of 218 roads identified for widening as envisaged in the Comprehensive Development Plan, it was able to take up only about 30 of them. Of 15.75 lakh sq m TDR issued by the BBMP, only about 5.29 lakh sq m were utilised  a majority of them were builders.



The property owners have an option either to take TDR or compensation. But it will become difficult if majority of the land owners to seek monetary compensation. In such an event, the BBMP will have no option but to reconsider implementing the proposed infrastructure project for which the land is being acquired, Director Town Planning, BBMP, L Shashi Kumar said.



Town planning expert S B Honnur said the revised TDR will not be viable for the ULBs, including the BBMP, if the property owners demand monetary compensation. The government has to take measures to reduce the existing permissible FAR and offer premium FAR in order to make the revised scheme attractive, he added.
Christ University will host the eighth edition of its flagship debate Christ University Parliamentary Debate from February 19 to 21.





More than 200 students from across the country are expected to take part in the debate. The format of the debate is 3-on-3 or more popularly known as Asian Style of Parliamentary Debating. The event is open to all those who are interested (affiliation to any university is not mandatory).



Across the years, students from Vellore Institute of Technology, R V College of Engineering, National Law School of India University etc. have taken part in this event. This years debate boasts of a highly qualified Adjudication Core, which comprises Soutik Bannerjee (NLU-D), Aniruddha Basu (NLSIU), Rishad Sharif (Bangladesh) and Kanna Paramathameva (Singapore).



The registration fees for the event is Rs 2,000 with accommodation and Rs 1,500 without accommodation.


The polling for taluk and zilla panchayat elections in the State was largely peaceful on Saturday barring stray incidents of violence.





In the first phase of elections, the voting was held in the districts of Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Chitradurga, Davanagere, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Shivamogga, Tumakuru, Belagavi, Haveri, Bagalakot, Uttara Kannada, Dharwad and Gadag. Bengaluru Urban (North, North additional, South, East, Anekal) recorded 69.29 pc, Bengaluru Rural (Hoskote, Devanahalli, Doddaballapur, Nelamangala) 83.84 pc polling.



During the early part of the day, votes literally trickled in. At 9 am, only 6.7 pc votes were cast in Bengaluru Rural, which went up to 15.83 pc by 11 am; 36.08 pc by 1 pm; and 52.32 pc by 3 pm. In Bengaluru Urban, only 10 pc votes were cast by 9 am, which went up to 22 pc in 11 am; 37 pc by 1 pm; and 51 pc by 3 pm.



A large police force was deployed at Bindaganahalli and Sulibele polling stations in Hoskote, where the superintendent of police himself kept watch on the polling process. As notorious rowdy sheeter Srinivasmurthy aka Kadabgere Seena had entered the fray in Nelamangala ZP, authorities, anticipating untoward incidents, had made tight security arrangements.



Yesteryear actress Leelavathi, who was recently hospitalised owing to ill health, cast her vote at Mailanahalli in Nelamangala. Polling however wasnt without incidents in the 13 other districts. Tension prevailed in some parts, with altercations being reported.



State Election Commissioner P N Sreenivasachari said that he has sought reports from such districts. He also said that according to the early reports, repolling would be held in only one polling booth on February 15.



Polling officials are said to have mixed up the ballot papers, as a result of which, ballot paper of Manamane taluk panchayat had made way into polling station 66 in Halageri in Siddapura, Uttar Kannada.



Tension in Dharwad



Tension prevailed in Hebballi, Dharwad district, following the arrest of BJP candidate Yogishgouda Goudar, with authorities briefly detaining BJP leaders Pralhad Joshi and Jagadish Shettar who demanded that Gowda be released immediately.



Police also said that two vehicles were torched.



Home Guard assaulted



A home guard was assaulted in Donavada village in Chikkodi taluk of Belagavi when he tried to stop distribution of money to voters. Also, two tahsildars were subjected to medical examination on the suspicion that they were inebriated in Khanapur taluk in the district.



Clashes were reported between party workers of JD(S) and Congress in Shidlaghatta in Chikkaballapur, while BJP and Congress workers struck at each other in Suranagollanahalli taluk in Chitradurga. Voters have boycotted elections in districts including Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Belagavi, Shivamogga.




The Hebbal constituency saw 44.48 percent of the electorate, covering eight BBMP wards, casting their votes in Saturdays byelection. Polling went on peacefully without any major incidents of violence. In 2013, the constituency had recorded 54.89 percent polling.





Congress and BJP workers indulged in a heated argument at Vishwanatha Nagenahalli near Hebbal flyover, each alleging election malpractice. BJP workers objected to some mysterious people roaming around polling booths and charged the Congress with trying to influence voters.



BJP workers accused the Congress of bringing people from outside Hebbal constituency to cast bogus votes. On learning about the incident, BJP candidate Y A Narayanaswamy arrived at the spot and demanded that the police take action against outsiders.



Narayanaswamy charged supporters of Congress MLA from K R Puram Byrathi Basavaraj with distributing money to voters. The ruling party has been misusing its power in the byelection and has been indulging in election malpractice since Friday evening, he added.

The police, however, managed to bring the situation under control. C K Abdul Rahaman Sharief is the Congress candidate, while the JD(S) has fielded Ismail Shariff Nana.



When contacted, Chief Electoral Officer Anil Kumar Jha said he has received some complaints of people distributing money in the constituency on Friday evening. Directions have been issued to take appropriate action, he added. The electorate in the constituency didnt seem to show any enthusiasm for the byelections. Polling booths wore a deserted look early in the morning in most places. But it picked up after 10 am.



Kannada cine actor and Congress MLC Jayamala and her daughter Soundarya were not allowed to vote at a polling booth in Dollar's Colony as they had no proof of identity. They went back home and returned after some time with their electoral photo identity cards and cast their votes.



This apart, JD(S) leader B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan said he deliberately kept away from the party campaign to prevent division of Muslim votes. Both the Congress and the JD(S) candidates are Muslims. Division of Muslim votes benefits the BJP. Hence, I kept away from the campaign to prevent the communal party from winning the byelections, he added.
The police on Saturday arrested Dharwad MP and BJP State President Pralhad Joshi, former chief minister Jagadish Shettar, and a few BJP workers for reportedly creating a ruckus near the deputy commissioners office.





High drama prevailed outside the district administration office, after an ugly spat broke out between the BJP men and the police. Expressing ire against the district administration over the late night arrest of a BJP zilla panchayat election contestant, the BJP workers tried to picket the deputy commissioners office and a minor clash broke out. As the police tried to prevent the agitators from laying siege to the DC office, a miscreant reportedly threw a stone on the police van parked outside the office. Another stone hit Joshi. Taking note of this, the police, as per the orders of the district election officer, arrested more than 25 BJP workers including Joshi and Shettar.



Condemning this move of the police, the workers raised slogans against the police and the district administration, alleging that the government machinery was working in favour of the Congress and had failed to hold the election in a fair manner. The arrested were taken to the town police station and released later.



Following information that BJP candidate from Hebballi ZP constituency Yogishgouda Goudar was holding a late night meeting at Amminbhavi on Friday, Deputy Commissioner Rajendra Cholan directed sub-inspector (SI) S S Kamatagi to check whether there was any violation of model code of conduct. Sources say that Goudar misbehaved with the SI and tried to assault Kamatagi. The police arrested Goudar on charges of misbehaving with the policemen and for violation of the code. He has been remanded in judicial custody.



The BJP men said that the officials had snatched the voting right of their candidate. As the district administration did not heed to their demand, the protesters tried to picket the office, but were arrested.



Joshi and Shettar said that their candidate had been arrested on false charges. Joshi said, Goudar - along with his supporters - had gone to Amminbhavi following news that Congress party was distributing money to woo the voters. As Goudar raised an alarm against election malpractice by the Congress, district incharge minister Vinay Kulkarni directed the officials to arrest him, they said.



Reacting to the incident, Cholan said Goudar was arrested on charges of violation of the election code of conduct and a case had been registered against him under IPC Section 353. The BJP could have fought it in the court, but holding the district administration responsible was unfair, he said.



Kulkarni has denied his involvement in the arrest of the BJP candidate.
Miscreants broke into a house at JP Nagar 2nd phase, belonging to a software professional, and made away with gold valuables and gadgets on Friday morning.





According to police, the thieves broke into the house of Gaurav, an employee of a private company.



He, along with his wife (who is also a software engineer) had gone for work. When they returned in the evening, they found the main door of the house open.



They went inside and noticed the house ransacked. When they checked the cupboard in the bedroom, Rs 35,000 cash and a few gold jewels were missing.



Duplicate key usedAlso, one laptop and two Apple ipods were missing. They informed the police, who visited the spot with fingerprint experts. The miscreants had gained access to the house using a duplicate key, police said.



A case has been registered at the JP Nagar police station.
WOODLAND PARK  Surrounded by a collection of fossilized sea creatures with huge, menacing teeth, the prehistoric fish head a little larger than a mans hand doesnt look like much.

But the fossil of a Rhinconichthys is one of only three now known in the world, Bruce Schumacher, a U.S. Forest Service paleontologist, said Thursday. It doesnt have a wow factor like T-Rex, but there are lots of those fossils. What it lacks, it has to the nth degree in terms of scientific significance.

Schumacher unveiled the fossil, and a cast made from it, to the assembled media at the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, where the cast will be on display.

The centers curator, Anthony Maltese, prepared the fossil, which was displayed in a hall that is home to fossils of predatory sea creatures with gaping jaws and large teeth.

The fossil itself will be part of the Denver Museum of Nature and Sciences collection.

Unlike mosasaurs, marine reptiles, and other sea creatures that lived at the same time as this fish during the Cretaceous period, this creature had no teeth.

It did have large eyes and an underbite so severe it looked like it couldnt close its jaws, Maltese said.

With a lower jaw that was longer than its upper jaw, the animal wouldnt have been able to close its mouth easily, and probably held it wide open most of the time.

The fish  with its gaping mouth and huge eyes  reminds Maltese of the Muppet Beaker, earning it the nickname muppet fish.

When feeding, it strained food particles from water using a specialized filtering structure, similar to that used by some sharks, baleen whales and other sea creatures.

Before the Rhinconichthys fossils were found, scientists didnt know there were any prehistoric filter feeding fish.

Schumacher found the fossil in September 2012, while on a geologic survey in the Comanche National Grassland in southeastern Colorado, as he walked through a dry wash in the Purgatoire River Valley.

He spotted an unusual bulge in the rock wall and cracked it open with a hammer. Then he noticed what had been the rays of a fish fin.

The fossil is a thin, delicate, structure, and ends at the back of the head. It is basically a 3-D hard water stain, Maltese said.

Scientists believe the animals spine was cartilage. Researchers took 150 hours to free the fossil from surrounding rock.

The fish apparently lived throughout the world. The two other fossils were found in Japan and the United Kingdom, Schumacher said. The casts can be sent to researchers elsewhere in the world.
A state audit says the North Dakota Health Department stored thousands of COVID-19 vaccine doses at incorrect temperatures or without temperature data over the past two years  and that some of the vaccine was administered to patients. The health department disputed the audit released Tuesday. Tim Wiedrich, who heads the agencys virus response, says no non-viable vaccines were given to patients. The state analysis said nearly 2,000 Moderna doses were stored at incorrect temperatures and were administered to patients. The audit also found nearly 13,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccines were issued from storage with missing temperature data. Neither the Health Department nor the auditor's office is recommending revaccination.
By John C. Cannon

11 February 2016 (mongabay.com)  The Republic of the Congo announced the allocation of 6 timber concessions on 8 January 2016 covering 2 million hectares (7,722 square miles), an area about the size of Israel. Two of the concessions were awarded ahead of government-established bid deadlines, an apparent breach of protocol, with little explanation as to why. Past operating modes no longer correspond to current issues, said Henri Djombo, minister of the forest economy and sustainable development, who presided over the January forestry commission meeting. He was quoted in the newspaper, La Semaine Africaine, saying: It is about changing culture. Djombos office did not respond to Mongabays requests for comment. Simon Counsell, executive director of London-based NGO, Rainforest Foundation UK, said in an email that the fact that the commission did not wait for the completion of the bidding cycle hinted very strongly at illegal or corrupt allocation processes. The concession announcements come amid escalating criticism from researchers, conservation groups and forestry observers that the Republic of the Congos claimed progress toward a more legitimate logging sector may not be all it seems. [] This years concession agreements stirred up concerns over possible corruption at the highest levels of government, including questionable relationships between officials and the companies they ought to be policing, lax collection of taxes and fines, and possible connections to next months elections in a country with a history of violence around significant national votes. It would not be the first time there had been a fairly big (and corrupt) sell-off of concessions shortly before an election to help fund a political campaign, Counsell told mongabay.com. President Denis Sassou Nguesso, who has held the countrys highest office for 32 of the last 37 years in two separate stints, is running for a third term, which only late-2015 changes to the constitution made possible, with an extension of term limits and age limits for the office of president. Similar attempts to hold onto power are not uncommon on the African continent, and such moves have led to protest and violence in Burundi, Burkina Faso and Niger in recent years. The extreme constitutional measures taken by Nguesso to stay in power, the potential for electoral violence, and the hurried manner of concession awards, have led in turn to speculation about the particular companies involved in the latest logging concession transactions. [more]
By Shreya Dasgupta

10 February 2016 (mongabay.com)  On January 13, dry lightning strikes sparked off a series of fires in northwest Tasmania that spread quickly. So far, the fires have ravaged more than 107,000 hectares of land, according to the Tasmanian Fire Service. As of Monday, there were 81 active fires across the state, of which, 26 are currently either uncontained or uncontrolled. Nearly a month after the fires started, many are still ablaze. One problem is that most active fires are located in remote, rugged areas of Tasmania. Moreover, some fires are burning in deep peat soil, Ted Lefroy, Director of the Centre for Environment at University of Tasmania, told Mongabay. The trouble with peat fires  or fires that result from the burning of partially decomposed plant matter in wetlands  is that these tend to keep smoldering underground without becoming outwardly apparent on the surface. This makes it difficult for firefighters to detect and control the fires. The peat fires do become visible occasionally, Lefroy said, when the temperatures rise further and wind speeds increase. To manage the active fires, over 180 remote area specialists from Tasmania Fire Service, Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, Australian mainland and New Zealand have been operating throughout the state. Given the enormous scale of the fires, firefighters have been focusing most of their efforts on human life and property such as farmlands, and critical infrastructure like major hydro-electric transmission lines. While specialists are striving hard to control the fires, Tasmanias woes are far from being over. The Tasmania Fire Service has planned four more weeks of firefighting operations, Regional Fire Chief Jeremy Smith told reporters. Theres several fires that have the potential [to move], he said. Were putting sufficient resources on those fires to ensure that they dont move. And also looking at other options so if the fire weather eventuates  those days where it is warm and windy, those days that Tasmania notoriously gets in February  that we have plans in place. The current fires have burned down around 11,000 hectares of the states United Nations World Heritage wilderness area. And this has conservationists worried. One reason for their worry is that some of the burned area in the World Heritage region is home to unique vegetation found only in Tasmania. These include cushion plants, and conifers like the King Billy pine (Athrotaxis selaginoides) and the Pencil Pine (Athrotaxis cupressoides). Much of this vegetation is ancient, representing a time when Australia (and Tasmania) were still a part of Gondwana some 170-180 million years ago. These alpine trees  many over 1,000 years  are extremely sensitive to fire. [] Scientists say that conditions for fire in Tasmania were ripe. 2015 had one of the strongest El Nino events on record, and a record-warm Indian Ocean, which helped shape very hot and dry conditions in Tasmania last year. Rainfall was below average across the state, and a record low in western Tasmania, according to Australian Governments Bureau of Meteorology. Last year was also Tasmanias second hottest year on record, behind 1914. These extremely hot and dry conditions  attributed to changing climate  have left fuels and peat soils bone dry, writes David Bowman, a Professor at the University of Tasmania. A critical feature of the current Tasmanian fires is the role of lightning storms  climate is not only creating the precursor weather conditions for the fires, it is also providing the storms that ignite them, Bowman adds. [more]
8 February 2016 (UN)  According to a new United Nations food security and nutrition assessment, the situation in Somalia is alarming and could get worse, especially in parts of Puntland and Somaliland, which have been hard hit by drought exacerbated by El Nino. We are deeply concerned that the proportion of severely food insecure people remains alarmingly high, especially people who are unable to meet their daily food needs. Some 3.7 million people will be acutely food insecure through mid-2016. With severe drought conditions intensifying in Puntland and Somaliland, many more people risk relapsing into crisis, said Peter de Clercq, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, in a press release. Produced by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) managed by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and in collaboration with Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), the report says the situation is critical and could get worse. This latest assessment confirms persistently high and alarming levels of food insecurity and malnutrition in Somalia, with an estimated 4.7 million people  nearly 40 per cent of the Somali population  in need of humanitarian assistance. Nearly 950,000 of these people are acutely food insecure and struggle every day to meet their food needs. Internally displaced people make up more than two thirds, or 68 per cent, of acutely food insecure people and are in dire need of assistance. The level of malnutrition, especially among children, is of serious concern, with nearly 305,000 children under the age of five years acutely malnourished. We estimate that 58,300 children face death if they are not treated. The drought could push these numbers higher in the months to come. We must act now. Partners are ready to scale up response, but funding is urgently needed to ensure this is done in a timely manner, Mr. de Clercq added. While acute food insecurity and malnutrition is prevalent across the country, the report highlights that the drought situation in Puntland and Somaliland is of particular concern. Erratic rains during the 2015 Gu (April to June) and the Karan (August to September) seasons in Puntland and Somaliland resulted in a near-total failure of cereal production (87 per cent below the five-year average). Meanwhile, the 2015 Deyr rains (October to December) were also below average in these areas, putting pressure on pasture and livestock and leading to the migration of 60-70 per cent of households along with their animals to areas with better pasture and water. In addition, poor availability of pasture and water for livestock has significantly exacerbated the humanitarian situation. Increasing movement of livestock  including from Ethiopia and Djibouti  are putting stress on adjacent areas. We must do more to address recurrent hunger stressed Mr. de Clercq. Humanitarian assistance is vital and has achieved enormously positive food security results in recent years. But this alone will not free Somalia from the scourge of hunger. We must look to remove the underlying causes of hunger. Fighting hunger is development priority, as well as a humanitarian one, he said. Positive food security results along the Shebelle River, resulting from timely and well-targeted preparedness work that significantly reduced El Nino-related flooding shows, once again, that early action saves lives and livelihoods, the Humanitarian Coordinator further underlined, noting that these lessons must be carried forward into drought-affected areas. The 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan for Somalia calls for $885 million to address the most urgent needs of 3.5 million people. It seeks to reduce preventable deaths, provide basic services and strengthen the protection of vulnerable people, including the internally displaced.
It gives them an incentive to behave and earn  a room

 Don Redmann, director of facility operations for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, on the importance of temporary housing for inmates at the Missouri River Correctional Center who are nearing release.

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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. I see a park with only a light man-made influence.

 Bismarck landscape architect Jake Axtman, who has been hired by the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department to develop a working vision for the Missouri River Day Park south of Bismarck.

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A lot is happening behind the scenes. Weve produced thousands upon thousands of engineering drawings to be sure the plant is functional. We started construction before we finished the engineering, and it takes a lot of coordination. Without the fast-track process, wed add another six to nine months of construction.

 Jim Greer, project manager for the urea plant being built near Beulah, on the tight timetable.

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"No one is requesting disposal of nuclear materials in the state or at this location. This is a science and engineering project, not a nuclear waste disposal project."

 John Harju, a representative of the Energy and Environmental Research Center in Grand Forks, on a proposal to bore 16,000 feet down into crystalline rock near Rugby. Some fear the research could result in a nuclear disposal site.

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Order, harmony and structure is really important.

 The Rev. Nick Schneider of Christ the King School on a new curriculum planned for next year.

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"One of the challenges of being an independent (not under a major recording label) band just starting out is that getting the word out about our band can be a challenge."

 Vocalist and lead guitarist Jennifer Lyn Kessler, on her blues-rock band, Jennifer Lyn, which was formed in 2015.

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I think downtown Fargo has been really revitalizing for 10 to 15 years. There are many great successes already that have increased activity ... and Block 9 will be contributing to those.

 Kilbourne Group general manager Mike Allmendinger, on a new development planned in downtown Fargo.

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We are going to be in a reduced carbon future. Thats just a given. Its going to happen whether this law happens or not.

 David Glatt, head of the environmental section of the North Dakota Department of Health, updating the interim Taxation Committee on a federal rule that will require the state to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 45 percent. The Supreme Court put the rule on hold on Tuesday.

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Im shocked they havent found anyone to run .... for state office. I didnt think they wouldnt be able to field a candidate.

 Roz Leighton, executive director of the North Dakota Republican Party, on the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Partys lack of announced state candidates.
Columbus-area business profits surged in COVID bounce back

Some Franklin County suburbs did particularly well as the economy recovered from COVID disruptions, according to income-tax receipts.
Forced amalgamation of NSEL against shareholders' interest: FTIL

Financial Technologies India Ltd (FTIL) has challenged the executive fiat merging scam-hit National Spot Exchange Limited (NSEL) with its publicly-listed parent, saying it completely undermines and disregards the interest of 63,000 shareholders of FTIL.

''In the history of corporate India, for the first time a subsidiary company has been forcibly merged with its parent company through an executive fiat and this is a defeat of the fundamental edifice of limited liability concept in the Company Law. This step would have a devastating impact on the corporate landscape of the country and also the global investor sentiments in India,'' FTIL stated in a release.

The forced merger order has been issued despite the fact that 99 per cent shareholders and 100 per cent creditors of FTIL had registered their opposition to MCA as part of their constitutional right, FTIL stated adding that the merger is a travesty of justice for FTIL's 63,000 shareholders.

FTIL pointed out that it is also against MCA's own circular dated 20 April 2011, which states that compulsory merger of government companies under section 396 of the Companies Act, 1956, requires that the companies concerned and an overwhelming majority of their shareholders and creditors must be consenting to the merger.

Also, it said, since the matter is sub judice, the order not only breaches the concept of limited liability and the constitutional rights of the 63,000 shareholders of FTIL but also throws light on the gruesome act of the MCA, which acted on the flawed recommendations of the FMC without conducting any independent inquiry of its own.

''The merger recommendations were made by the FMC to cover up its own wrongdoings as well as those of the defaulters and brokers who are the main culprits for creating the payment crisis at NSEL.

''The FMC which had recommended the merger has not acted in good faith as a regulator of the commodities market while handling the payment and default crisis at NSEL. The FMC, in fact, abused its power to single-mindedly target FTIL and its promoters while deliberately not taking any action against the 24 defaulters with whom complete money trail up to the last paisa had been established by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as well as the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police.

''The FMC has not taken any action against some of the leading and powerful brokerage firms who are equal partners of the defaulters in the crime of money laundering, KYC manipulation and client code modification that led to the NSEL crisis.

''The FMC used the NSEL crisis as a handle to implicate FTIL group and its promoters and bar them from exchange businesses and thereby killing all competition that it posed to National Stock Exchange (NSE) group. Going further the FMC also recommended the merger of NSEL with FTIL to protect the interests of erring brokers and defaulters,'' It said.

FTIL said the issue of forced merger of NSEL with FTIL has all the potential of becoming another 'Vodafone retrospective tax' like situation for the finance ministry when it had implemented the general anti-avoidance rule (GAAR), which rattled foreign investors and raised concerns of tax crackdown with retrospective effect and that it would in a flight of capital.


Swedish defence and security company Saab is setting up a joint venture with Kalyani Strategic Systems Ltd (KSSL), the defence arm of Kalyani Group, to locally manufacture surface-to-air missile (SRSAM) system and very short-range air defence (VSHORAD) air defence programmes in India. The joint venture will bid for production and delivery of these air defence systems to the Indian customer and if they win the ongoing tender process, the JV will handle the main part of the production. Kalyani Group has tied up with Swedish defence major Saab to form a joint venture firm here for the multi-billion dollar contract for short range surface to air missile and man-portable very short-range air defence (VSHORAD) programmes. The joint venture, which will be set up by Saab and Kalyani Strategic Systems Ltd (KSSL), the defence arm of Kalyani Group, will handle the main part of production and delivery of these air defence systems to the Indian customer if they win the ongoing tender process. The JV will handle production of subsystems and systems for SRSAM and VSHORAD, which could lead to the transfer production and development and in the process the technology to India. "I am glad to announce our contribution to Make in India through our agreement with KSSL and the Kalyani Group to establish a joint venture company in India for the Air Defence Programmes. "The JV is already under preparation within both companies, and will be ready to launch soon", said Gorgen Johansson, head of Saab business area Dynamics. KSSL is already production testing of missile parts as part of a review of production-readiness ahead of a technology transfer by Saab for different packages within the programmes. "The joint venture company will combine Saab's knowledge and experience as a developer and supplier of high-technology radar and missile systems, with the engineering excellence and manufacturing capabilities of the Kalyani Group. "The joint venture will create a global supplier in the area of Ground Based Air Defence Systems based in India", said Amit Kalyani, executive director of Kalyani Group. KSSL is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Bharat Forge Ltd, which is engaged in forging for automotive and non-automotive sector, speciality steels and infrastructure. KSSL is leveraging the groups' capabilities in design, engineering and manufacturing.










India today expressed disappointment over the US administration's decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, saying it disagrees that "such arms transfers will help combat terrorism". Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar summoned US Ambassador Richard Verma to convey India's position. "We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama Administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan. We disagree with the rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism. "The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself. The US Ambassador will be summoned by the ministry of external affairs to convey our displeasure," the foreign ministry said in a statement earlier in the day. The Obama administration on Friday notified the US Congress of its decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan worth nearly $700 million, notwithstanding American lawmakers' demand for stopping the sale. The estimated price of the sale is $699.4 million, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency - a wing of the Pentagon - said in a statement, adding that this proposed sale contributes to the US foreign policy objectives and national security goals by helping to improve the security of a strategic partner in South Asia. Asserting that this will not alter the basic military balance in the region, the Pentagon said the proposed sale improves Pakistan's capability to meet current and future security threats. These additional F-16 aircraft will facilitate operations in all-weather, non-daylight environments, provide a self-defence / area suppression capability, and enhance Pakistan's ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations. "It will increase the number of aircraft available to the Pakistan Air Force to sustain operations, meet monthly training requirements, and support transition training for pilots new to the Block-52. Pakistan will have no difficulty absorbing these additional aircraft into its air force," the Pentagon agency said. "This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded," said the Defence Security Cooperation Agency. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a State Department official defended the decisions of the US Government. "We strongly support the proposed sale of eight F-16s to Pakistan. This platform will support Pakistan's counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations, and has contributed to the success of these operations to date," the official said.








Police said they are still investigating the case, and officials could not immediately confirm how the students were connected and whether the shooting was murder or suicide. "It's tragic. Two young people are dead this morning," Breeden said.



"There were, to our knowdedge, absolutely no threats made at the school ... before, during or after," Breeden said.



The girls' bodies were found in an isolated part of campus. Each suffered a single gunshot wound, Glendale Union High School District Superintendent Brian Capistran said.



The school day had just begun, and police don't believe the killings happened while other students were watching.



"We've had no one come forward who has witnessed this incident," Breeden said.



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In Arizona, two 15-year-old female students were killed in a double shooting Friday morning at a Glendale high school. Both reportedly died of single gunshot wounds in a possible murder-suicide.One of the students was identified as May Kieu, a sophomore at Independence High School. It is being reported that Kieu's sister, Phuong Kieu, is a teacher at the school Police were called to the school just before 8:00 am, and arrived within two minutes to find the two girls dead in an isolated area of campus near the administration building. Both had each sustained a single gunshot wound and a weapon was found beside them. They were declared dead at the scene.While police have not yet confirmed how the students were connected or whether the shooting was a murder or suicide, it's being reported that Kieu and the other student were in a relationship.According to Phuong Kieu, her sister had been friends with the other girl since elementary school. May was apprently trying to distance herself from the girl, who may have wanted them to have a dating relationship.Other students at Independence High say the two were indeed dating, but May Kieu wanted to break it off.More here: May Kieu: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Washington is back at its old game of fostering an arms race in Southeast Asia through weapon sales to Pakistan and thereby creating the need for more and superior arms in rival India so as to sustain a demand for its arms factories. The US government on Friday announced plans to sell to Pakistan up to eight F-16 fighter jets, built by Lockheed Martin Corp, along with radar and other equipment in a deal valued at $699 million. India has disapproved the sale of advanced fighter jets to Pakistan which is still in the grip of terrorists and said it was disappointed with the US decision. "We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism," Vikas Swarup, a spokesman for the ministry of foreign affairs, said on Twitter. Foreign secretary S Jaishankar is expected to summon US ambassador Richard Verma to convey India's ''displeasure.'' The Pentagon's Defence Security Cooperation Agency said the F-16s would allow Pakistan's Air Force to operate in all-weather environments and at night, while improving its self-defense capability and bolstering its ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations. The agency, which oversees foreign arms sales, said it had notified lawmakers about the possible deal. Lawmakers have 30 days to block the sale, although such action is rare since deals are well-vetted before any formal notification.



Meanwhile, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker notified the Obama administration that he would not approve using US funds to pay for the planes through the foreign military financing (FMF) programme. That means Pakistan must fund the purchase itself, instead of relying on US funds to cover about 46 per cent of the cost. Pakistan would still be able to buy four of the F-16 Block 52 models, and the associated radar and electronic warfare equipment, said one US source familiar with the situation. The US government may also find a way to circumvent the funds dilemma. In a letter to secretary of state John Kerry Corker also pointed to Pakistan's ties with the Haqqani network, a militant group that is behind attacks in Afghanistan. "I may reconsider my blanket hold on US FMF assistance should the Pakistanis make progress on addressing my significant concerns about their support for the Haqqani network, but for now, if they wish to purchase this military equipment, they will do so without a subsidy from the American taxpayer," he wrote. The US argument is that F-16s are the right platform to support Pakistan's counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations, as ''These operations reduce the ability of militants to use Pakistani territory as a safe haven for terrorism and a base of support for the insurgency in Afghanistan, which is in the national interests of both Pakistan and the United States, and in the interest of the region more broadly," US official say.










Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince charmed by BSE

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, visited the Bombay Stock Exchange in Mumbai on Friday, the concluding day of his three-day visit to India.

The BSE, which was established in 1875, is Asia's oldest stock exchange and the world's fastest stock exchange with a median trade speed of 6 microseconds. There are more than 5,500 companies publicly listed on the stock exchange.

Sheikh Mohamed was received by Ashish Kumar Chauhan, chief executive officer of BSE, and a number of senior Indian economists.

During the visit, Sheikh Mohamed was accompanied by H H Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, H H Lt General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, H H Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court, a number of ministers, businesspersons and economists.

Sheikh Mohamed met with chief executives of leading firms and a number of businesspersons at the International Convention Hall. He had talks with them about the economic, trade, investment between the United Arab Emirates and India.

Sheikh Mohamed said that economic relations are witnessing remarkable growth in the two countries. He expressed the wish that ties would witness an increasing pace in the future in the light of the joint positive potentials and multiple opportunities in the two countries.

In his statement, Chauhan welcomed Sheikh Mohamed, noting that the UAE-Indian relations date back to hundreds of years and the UAE is one of the biggest trade and investment partners with India.

He also pointed out the initiatives launched by the UAE to promote economic, trade, and environment protection, citing the interest of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed in the knowledge-based economy.

He added that the UAE is the 10th largest foreign investor in India with investments ranging over $3 billion, while India represents the third-largest foreign investor in the UAE.

Chauhan spoke about BSE's achievements, saying that it is now the fastest in the world where the market could deal with more than 500,000 companies in one second.

He noted that the value of listed companies on the Bombay Stock Exchange amounted to $1.4 trillion, and added that the BSE is the largest stock exchange in the world today in terms of number of listed companies which amounted to about 5,400.

Sheikh Mohamed rang the ceremonial gong at the BSE to mark the closing of BSE trading for the day. He received a souvenir from the BSE chief executive and watched a short film about the market, date of establishment, which was founded in 1875 and development stages as well as its role in the economic activity in Mumbai.

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) presented a Green Certificate to Sheikh Mohamed on the occasion of planting 25 trees after his name in the Sundarbans delta in West Bengal.

For their part, businesspersons, and economic officials expressed their happiness at the level of relations between the UAE and India. They also expressed their appreciation at the visit of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed to India, which came in the framework of the relations between the two countries, particularly in the economic and investment areas.

Later, Sheikh Mohamed toured IT technology Department and was briefed by BSE's officials on the adopted electronic systems and mechanism of work as well as and the listed companies' performance.

During the visit, Sheikh Mohamed was accompanied by Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, Saqr bin Ghobash Saeed Ghobash, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State for International Cooperation, Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy, Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State, Ali bin Hammad Al Shamsi, Deputy Secretary General of the National Security Council, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority, Dr. Ahmed Abdul Rahman Al Banna, UAE Ambassador to the Republic of India, Mohammed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Under-Secretary of the Court of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and a number of senior state officials.


Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a small smart chip that can be paired with neural implants for efficient wireless transmission of brain signals. Versatile chip also offers multiple applications in various electronic devices Neural implants when embedded in the brain can alleviate the debilitating symptoms of Parkinson's disease or give paraplegic people the ability to move their prosthetic limbs. However, they need to be connected by wires to an external device outside the body. For a prosthetic patient, the neural implant is connected to a computer that decodes the brain signals so the artificial limb can move. These external wires are not only cumbersome but the permanent openings which allow the wires into the brain increases the risk of infections. The new chip by NTU scientists can allow the transmission of brain data wirelessly and with high accuracy. Assistant Professor Arindam Basu from NTU's School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering said the research team have tested the chip on data recorded from animal models, which showed that it could decode the brain's signal to the hand and fingers with 95 per cent accuracy. ''What we have developed is a very versatile smart chip that can process data, analyse patterns and spot the difference,'' explained Prof Basu. ''It is about a hundred times more efficient than current processing chips on the market. It will lead to more compact medical wearable devices, such as portable ECG monitoring devices and neural implants, since we no longer need large batteries to power them.'' Different from other wireless implants

To achieve high accuracy in decoding brain signals, implants require thousands of channels of raw data. To wirelessly transmit this large amount of data, more power is also needed which means either bigger batteries or more frequent recharging. This is not feasible as there is limited space in the brain for implants while frequent recharging means the implants cannot be used for long-term recording of signals. Current wireless implant prototypes thus suffer from a lack of accuracy as they lack the bandwidth to send out thousands of channels of raw data. Instead of enlarging the power source to support the transmission of raw data, Asst Prof Basu tried to reduce the amount of data that needs to be transmitted. Designed to be extremely power-efficient, NTU's patented smart chip will analyse and decode the thousands of signals from the neural implants in the brain, before compressing the results and sending it wirelessly to a small external receiver. This invention and its findings were published last month in the prestigious journal, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits & Systems, by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the world's largest professional association for the advancement of technology. Its underlying science was also featured in three international engineering conferences (two in Atlanta, USA and one in China) over the last three months. Versatile smart chip with multiple uses

This new smart chip is designed to analyse data patterns and spot any abnormal or unusual patterns. For example, in a remote video camera, the chip can be programmed to send a video back to the servers only when a specific type of car or something out of the ordinary is detected, such as an intruder. This would be extremely beneficial for the Internet of Things (IOT), where every electrical and electronic device is connected to the Internet through a smart chip. With a report by marketing research firm Gartner Inc predicting that 6.4 billion smart devices and appliances will be connected to the Internet by 2016, and will rise to 20.8 billion devices by 2020, reducing network traffic will be a priority for most companies. Using NTU's new chip, the devices can process and analyse the data on site, before sending back important details in a compressed package, instead of sending the whole data stream. This will reduce data usage by over a thousand times. Asst Prof Basu is now in talks with Singapore Technologies Electronics Limited to adapt his smart chip that can significantly reduce power consumption and the amount of data transmitted by battery-operated remote sensors, such as video cameras. The team is also looking to expand the applications of the chip into commercial products, such as to customise it for smart home sensor networks, in collaboration with a local electronics company. The chip, measuring 5mm by 5mm can now be licensed by companies from NTU's commercialisation arm, NTUitive. Developed over the past two years by a team of four at NTU's VIRTUS IC Design Centre of Excellence, the project has since received over S$850,000 in research funding.








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Publix is the countrys fifth-largest grocery chain, and this marks the last of the top 25 grocery companies to announce a cage-free timeline. Photo by David Paul Morris/For The HSUS

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Trader Joesone of the nations largest grocers with nearly 500 locationsconfirmed that its switching 100 percent of the eggs on its shelves to cage-free. Its locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington will be exclusively cage-free by 2020 (about half its total stores) and all its locations nationally will be cage-free by 2025. The company has indicated that it may accelerate the timeline, and we surely hope it does.

This has been quite a bumpy journey with The HSUS and Trader Joes. Back in 2005, after Whole Foods Market became the first major grocer to go 100 percent cage-free for eggs in its supply chain, we waged a campaign calling on Trader Joes also to go cage-free, resulting in a compromise where the company committed to switch all its private label eggs to cage-free. According to the company, this resulted in store egg sales today being 62 percent cage-freevery far above the national average.

And we were especially critical of Trader Joes in 2015, when Proposition 2 took effect and the company decided not to align all of its sales of eggs with the standards called for in the landmark ballot measure. But were now pleased that Trader Joes has committing to join nearly 60 other major food companies in creating a timeline to get to the 100 percent mark.

With the egg industry shifting rapidly to cage-free and other companies that use both fewer and more eggs than Trader Joes having faster timelines, our hope is certainly that the company will work to stop supporting cage confinement of hens at all of its stores as quickly as possible.

We applaud our friends at Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) for being a major part of the effort, along with organizations like Change.org and the Albert Schweitzer Foundation, in helping convince Trader Joes to embrace a cage-free future.

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Do you think it is possible for a TVC to make you cry in a minute?

I didnt think so , but when I saw Jollibees #KwentongJollibee Mga Kwentong Pilipinong Pinasarap ng Jollibbe made-for-digital videos, I wept like a baby.

Jollibee had an exclusive media premiere of the 4 heart warming videos at My Cinema in Greenbelt 3 . Of the four TVC Almusal touched me te most.

The ALMUSAL video features an old couple who regularly gets breakfast at Jollibee, getting the same meals as part of their daily morning routine. The story takes a bitter sweet twist as the husband carries on the breakfast tradition with their daughter when the wife passes away.

The four videos captures Jollibees love affair with generations of Filipinos, inspired by real-life experiences that all show how Jollibee has played a meaningful role in the lives of Pinoys. The stories are told through the eyes of a real-life and long-time store manager, who through 22 years have seen more than her fair share of families bonding at Jollibee, which has served as a happy second home for most Filipinos. This is captured in the omnibus video which ties all the stories together.

Jollibee Global Brand Chief Marketing Officer Francis E. Flores said, Every Pinoy can relate to the TV ads as they are based on real stories from our customers. They depict the everyday lives of Filipinos and how they express their love to their families, and the role that Jollibee plays in making each memory more memorable.

Aside from Almusal, theres TAGPUAN featuring a young boy who got lost in the mall and was found by his mom at Jollibee. The story capitalizes on accounts of real moms precautionary practice of telling their kids to go to the nearest Jollibee store if they get separated at the mall.

Emphasizing how Jollibees influence is strongest among kids, the JABEE TVC features a toddler whos first word is Jabee (baby talk for Jollibee), and he utters this line all throughout the day, signifying his fondness for the brand. The #KwentongJollibee TVCs are all directed by Ianco Dela Cruz, TVC Director.

You can watch all the #KwentongJollibee here https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLJfPsD7JozsrLs0hBgTdGeEiPizr9cPL
Gia Arnold





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NIAGARA FALLS -- Former New York State Senate candidate Gia Arnold was charged Thursday with third-degree criminal possession of an assault weapon.The charge is a violation of the SAFE Act, which Arnold campaigned heavily against as a candidate for the 62nd Senate District seat, which she eventually lost to now-Sen. Rob Ortt.According to police records, Arnold was jailed Thursday evening on the charge, however, a fundraising site, Rally.org, says Arnold was actually detained on Wednesday on the weapons charge, as well as Obstructing the duty of a Government Official." The site has raised over $2,000 for her defense thus far.
The restored Van Horn Mansion. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)



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Those of us who live in, or very close to, Burt, NY, have a strong sense of pride in the town that very few people know anything about. Just mentioning the name of Burt, NY, almost immediately receives a return question of, where is that? But more important to Where it is located are the facts behind Who it is named after. Hopefully this article can put some light on the issue, and better inform all of us for our responses in the future.In 1807, a man by the name of James Van Horn purchased 673 acres of land from the Holland Land Company, and moved there with his wife Elizabeth. Elizabeth died shortly after the move, and almost immediately James married his second wife, Abigail Carpenter. It was Abigail that named their plot of land New Fane. In those days, the word Fane meant church or temple, and Abigail wanted her home to be blessed by God. Over the years, the entire area would soon be referred to as Newfane.When the War of 1812 erupted, many settlers in this part of the State simply packed up and left the area, but James Van Horn refused to give up so easily. An early settler here, James figured that the darn Red Coats were beaten before, so there was no need to fret just yet.In December of 1813, at the height of the war, the British along with their Indian Allies, reached Eighteen Mile Creek. Their orders were to destroy all before them west of the creek. They burned everything - homes, mills and factories - leaving the settlers that remained to the mercy of the woods and the harsh winter environment. James Van Horns property was located all on the east side of Eighteen Mile Creek.The British attacks did spare the east side, except for in the case of the Van Horn's. Their flourmill was considered to be a military target since it supplied Fort Niagara with flour. The mill and everything inside was burned to the ground. The fortunate part is that the soldiers followed their orders and spared the family home. And as the saying goes, with the war hitting a little too close to home, James subsequently moved his family to the safety of Seneca County and left their Newfane property completely unattended.By 1819 the entire family returned, officially settling back into their log cabin home. That same year, with a much brighter and peaceful future ahead, James was inspired to build what would become thefirst brick building in the area, and which is better known today as the Van Horn Mansion. The new home was built a little further south on their property, and was constructed using bricks from their own brickyard, and it took a total of four years to complete. That same year, in 1823, the Van Horns would also see the birth of their youngest child, Burt. Their new home was an immense structure, dwarfing their humble log cabin, and much more fitting for their very affluent family. Their new home was so well received that it also became the site of Newfanes first Town Meeting on April 6, 1824.In terms of American history, the most famous of the Van Horn family would be this Burt, who would grow up in this family home, and go on to become an extremely influential man in Niagara County. Burt Van Horn would serve 3 terms as both a Member of Congress from his Congressional district, and as a Member of the State Assembly. His political career began even before the eventful Civil War years, and he was elected to the 37th Congress in 1860, supporting the policies of President Lincoln. Burt publicly liked to brag that he was elected on the same day Abraham Lincoln was elected president.After retiring from Congress, in 1869, Burt spent most of his time working the family farm while also dealing extensively in real estate. He had also inherited the family home from his brother James Jr., and was raising his own family there now, consisting of his second wife, Abigail Schuyler, and three sons and a daughter.In 1877 he was appointed U.S. Internal Revenue Collector for the 28th Collection District of New York, comprised of eleven counties (offices were in Rochester, NY). While away, his sons feverishly worked the farm. Burt returned to Lockport in 1881, and handed the family business down to his children. Burt remained in the area until his death in 1896, and the Van Horn family interned his body in Glenwood Cemetery.Young Burt Van Horn worked the familys fruit farm from a very young age, and would use his skills as an adult to turn his fathers land into one of the finest fruit farms in the country. Burt Jr. would go on to become a graduate of Yale and a lawyer, and a very accomplished businessman of his own.Towards the end of the 19th century, the family mansion was now under the control of Burt Jr., who remained in the family house. He built a large expansion to the house adding a third story and constructed two skylights within it, one over the other. The interior one was imported from the French Exposition of 1899, which still exhibits a beautiful collection of ornate stained glass panes surrounded by lead. The one above was added as a protective cover for the lower one. A new staircase was built to better accommodate the center of the house- a house that could now truly be called a mansion.Burt never forgot his childhood in Newfane, and he would now begin to create a vision of linking Buffalos growing population with the picturesque landscapes of Niagara County, and the pristine sands of Olcott Beach. That vision would soon draw traffic directly through his property.In 1901, the township of Newfane shifted south, renaming the area that had been called Charlotteville. The northern-most acreage of the Van Horn property, including where the mansion stands, would be renamed as the hamlet of Burt, after Burt Jr.s father, the Honorable Burt Van Horn.So the next time anyone asks about Burt, you will have enough background to answer the Who and Where  a well liked Politician from the 1800s, and a place somewhere between Newfane and Olcott.More about young Burts vision next time.


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Two men in the United States illegally were detained by the Niagara County Sheriff's Office and handed over to Border Patrol following a traffic stop on Summit Street on Thursday.According to the NCSO report, Osman Cruz-Calix was stopped for speeding and admitted to patrol that he did not have a valid driver's license and was in the U.S. illegally. He had an expired Honduran passport. His passenger, Jorge Cruz-Borjas also admitted to patrol that he was not in the country legally.Border Patrol responded and took the males into custody and transported them back to their station.
Anna and Daniel Barca of New Springville.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- "Love in the air everywhere you look around."

So, during this Valentine's weekend, what better time than now to take you back and reflect on a marriage that's withstood the time of time -- a whopping 70 years, in fact!

Meet the Barcas!

The former Anna J. Sawyer met Daniel Barca when they were just kids back in Brooklyn. You see Daniel's older brother Paul was married to Anna's older sister Margaret, so they were together all the time, such a cute way we think to get to know someone.



In time, the awesome twosome, who were in one another's company pretty often, began dating. However, Daniel enlisted in the US Navy -- during a time when World War II was raging, so their relationship was put on hold.

It was then that Anna took up employment as a secretary in Manhattan.

The couple opted to wait until the war came to a close to say their "I dos."

So on Feb. 9, 1946, in Holy Family R.C. Church, Brooklyn, they made it all official. The wedding was followed by a small reception hosted in the home of Anna's sister.

The Barcas honeymooned at the former Commodore Hotel, now the Grand Hyatt New York in Manhattan.

Though now New Springville residents, we hear the Barcas purchased their first home in Brooklyn, the borough in which they raised three beautiful daughters.

According to the couple's daughter, Liz Barca, her dad was a trolley driver for the city Transit Authority, then transferred to the subway system where his position was that of motorman.

Anna remained in the work force for several years, but after their first daughter was born she opted to become a stay at home mom.

"She cooked Italian food, baked cookies and cakes and had various part time jobs," Liz goes on to explain.

What's more, she was a cookie lady for the Girl Scouts, sewed clothes for her daughters and made slip covers and draperies, she adds.

"She was a part time secretary for a short time and then became an artist, painting with oils, and was so proficient at her craft, that she sold her art work at local art shows in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn," Liz says with pride.

The Barcas are the parents of Linda Jacobellis, 69, who's married 48 years to Ben and are the parents of a daughter Debbie who has a son, Cole, 16 and a son Steven -- the dad of two boys Luke, 11 and Noah, 9.

The Barcas are also the parents of Jean Barca and Elizabeth Barca. Liz is the mom of two daughters, Lisa and Lauren, and grandmother to James, 5, Ava, 4 and Lea, 2.

"Both mom and dad have said hey are so proud of their children and love spending time with their grandchildren," Liz adds.

Liz recounts that her parents always have always maintained: "family is everything."

"Daniel is also a repairman," Liz enthuses. "There isn't anything my dad can't fix and loves teaching his grandson and great-grandsons how to use his tools"!

She adds, "He's an amazing man and mom is amazing as well."

Fond of exploring the world, the Barcas have traveled to Italy, France, Germany, Scotland, England , Ireland, Wales, Switzerland and the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, Hawaii, Florida, Las Vegas, California, Canada, and Nova Scotia.

At 93 years-young, Anna still loves to read and is able to solve the New York Times crossword puzzle.

And Daniel at 91 professes: "The reason we stayed married for 70 years was because of hard work and a loving wife who stayed home and raised our daughters!"
Google is expanding the right of Europeans to be forgotten on the Internet to domains outside their countries, according to news reports Thursday.

Searches made from European IP addresses for people whom Google has granted whats known as the right to be forgotten will turn up zero links, regardless of which version of Google the search is directed at.

Previously, links from such searches were blocked only from European versions of Google, so a European user could go to a site likegoogle.com, perform a search for someone with right-to-be-forgotten privileges, and see results they couldnt see if they had performed the same search fromgoogle.de orgoogle.fr.

Users with IP addresses outside Europe will continue to see unedited results when their searches include right-to-be-forgotten links.

The European Court of Justiceordered Google to honor right-to-be-forgotten requests in 2014.

European Satisfaction

It remains to be seen whether Googles move will satisfy European regulators.

It seems to be right in line with their demands, French Caldwell, chief evangelist atMetricStream and a former Gartner Fellow, told the E-Commerce Times.

Its a good step forward, said Adam Holland, project coordinator for the Lumen Project at theBerkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.

Theyve been asking Google to take this step for quite some time, so at least on its face, Google is moving closer to what the European regulators have been asking for, he told the E-Commerce Times.

As to whether it will satisfy them, I couldnt say because it isnt always clear what they see the endgame as being, Holland added.

Its unlikely Googles action will appease all members of the European Union, asserted Timothy J. Toohey, an attorney withMorris, Polich & Purdy.

It might satisfy some of them, he told the E-Commerce Times. British authorities, which werent enthusiastic about the right to be forgotten as it was, may be satisfied with it, but I doubt if some of the other European authorities are going to be satisfied.

Getting Around the Rule

Why might they not be totally pleased with Googles actions? For one thing, although European eyes wont see right-to-be-forgotten links, the rest of the world can.

If Im in the U.S. and I go searching for you, Ill still find you, Christopher Budd, global threat communications manager atTrend Micro, told the E-Commerce Times.

Even Europeans can see the links with a minimum of effort.

Theres a very easy workaround for people in Europe who want to see this information, which is to use a virtual private network, which will mask their IP address, Toohey said.

Bing It

For less-tech-savvy Europeans, right-to-be-forgotten links may be just another search engine away.

Since EU citizens must petition each search engine separately, its possible to use other search engines to find the information, MetricStreams Caldwell said.

Thats one of the bizarre characteristics of the ECJs decision to put the burden on the search engine company rather than at the source with the content owner, he added. The content is still out there on the Web, and the Web never forgets.

While there are workarounds to finding right-to-be-forgotten links, Holland doesnt think many searchers will take advantage of them.

Can you get around it? he asked. Sure. Will the average Internet user be able to do so casually? Probably not.

Balkanization of the Internet

The right to be forgotten may be another sign that the Internet is becoming Balkanized, a condition that eventually will impede the free flow of information.

What I see generally happening is the desire of specific jurisdictions to impose their laws on search engines within their territory, Morris, Polich & Purdys Toohey said.

That is a general trend and one that those who believe in the Internet as a free form of communication across boundaries are distressed about, he added.

Although its unlikely anything like the right to be forgotten will jump the pond and take root in the United States, some limited versions of it have appeared.

We see interest in some version of it here and there. It tends to be content-specific. People want to remove from search results a specific category of information, such as mug shots or arrest records, the Berkman Centers Holland said.

I have yet to see anyone looking for a sweeping categorical version of it in the U.S., he added, perhaps because anybody savvy enough to have these conversations would know that would run up against the First Amendment immediately and be a nonstarter.
T-Mobiles Binge On streaming video service violates Net neutrality rules, according to a report authored by Barbara van Schewick, director of The Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School.

The Binge On service, says the report, is problematic for the following reasons:

It doesnt offer unlimited video streaming, raising transparency concerns;

It gives participants a competitive advantage;

It harms competition and stifles free expression;

It is discriminatory due to its substantial technical requirements;

It favors video streaming over other Internet uses; and

It creates a slippery slope.

The report points to three alternatives that would not endanger Net neutrality: a zero-rated low-bandwidth mode, truly unlimited video, and more data for everyone.

At the Heart of the Controversy

The Stanford report represents the latest argument in the already-heated debate over whether Binge On does indeed infringe Net neutrality.

In defense of T-Mobile, its standards dont appear to be onerous, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

Much like requiring a shirt and shoes to eat in some restaurants, T-Mobile is free to set conditions to use a service  particularly if its free  if they have a reason that isnt, at its core, discriminatory, he told the E-Commerce Times.

The company throttles all video, not just the zero rated video on Binge On, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has charged.

That brought a sharp response from Legere, followed by a torrent of criticism that eventually led him to apologize.

Binge On is a free benefit that consumers can turn on or off at will, which makes it pro-Net neutrality, Legere maintained.

However, it is turned on by default.

The company uses proprietary techniques to detect video, determine its source, identify whether it should be free, and adjust streams for viewing on handheld devices, he said.

Potential partners only have to do a minor amount of technical work to help T-Mobile identify their video data reliably, Legere insisted.

Throttling is not an engineering term, pointed out Doug Brake, telecom policy analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.

T-Mobile has to slow down video traffic, but thats a tradeoff to allow them to offer unlimited streaming, he told the E-Commerce Times. Its incredibly misguided to say this is throttling and, therefore, bad.

Carriers dont have the capacity or the financial capability to build out networks to meet the pent-up demand for access to free video, and theyre trying to do it in a way that will keep Net neutrality advocates happy, Brake continued.

T-Mobiles argument is that requiring Binge On participants to use compatible technology is no different than demanding that all telephones on the public switched telephone network have to use the same standards for touchtone dialing, remarked Mike Jude, a research manager at Frost & Sullivan.

However, the FCC isnt talking about tech standards  its talking about discrimination, he told the E-Commerce Times.

T-Mobile on Thursday made it easier for consumers to disable Binge On. It also added new partners, including Amazon, Fox News and Univision.

The Fait Accompli Maneuver

By virtue of the Net neutrality rules, T-Mobiles a Title II telecoms provider, which means they cant discriminate, observed Frost & Sullivans Jude.

Restricting technologies available on the Internet by placing requirements on access means the company is in fact violating Net neutrality, Jude contended, because it is providing a pipeline but putting a gateway in front of it.

The United States Federal Communications Commission will take van Schewicks contentions seriously, Jude suggested, because the argument lends validity to their rules, and they wont pass up any opportunity to establish precedent.

An appeal against the FCCs Net neutrality order is before the courts, but if people tacitly agree, Jude explained, then the FCC could argue that maybe its not within their purview, but its a fait accompli. That approach has been used before.
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.
The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University on Monday released a report that questions the so-called going dark phenomenon.

The U.S. government and its surveillance and law enforcement agencies have been calling for an end to encryption because they say it lets terrorists communicate and plan with impunity and is responsible for going dark  the inability of law enforcement to monitor communications.

Thats not true, according to the Berkman Center, which notes the following:

Not all companies likely will adopt end-to-end encryption and other technology for obscuring user data because most businesses providing communications services rely on access to that data for revenue streams and product functionality, including user data recovery;

Software ecosystems are fragmented and far more standardization and coordination than currently exists would be needed to ensure that encryption becomes widespread and comprehensive;

Networked sensors and the Internet of Things will grow substantially, possibly enabling real-time interception and recording, and, in essence, providing a workaround to encrypted channels; and

Metadata isnt encrypted, and it needs to remain unencrypted in order for systems to operate.

The center is suggesting a think-it-through-first strategy, which seems obvious but apparently isnt, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

What were currently doing isnt very effective, and the government should likely fix the not very effective part before they ask for permission to do more surveillance, he told TechNewsWorld.

Market Forces at Play

Short of a form of government intervention in technology that appears contemplated by no one outside of the most despotic regimes, communication channels resistant to surveillance will always exist, the report states. This is especially true given the generative nature of the modern Internet, in which new services and software can be made available without centralized vetting.

Market forces and commercial interests will likely limit the circumstances in which companies will offer encryption that obscures user data from the companies themselves, and the trajectory of technological development points to a future abundant in unencrypted data, some of which can fill gaps left by the very communication channels law enforcement fears will go dark and beyond reach, the report states.

That hasnt quelled law enforcements calls to limit encryption. FBI Director James Comey has been arguing for an end to encryption, and senior Obama administration officialsmet with high-tech firms CEOs last month in whats been viewed widely as an attempt to get high-tech firms to cooperate with government requests for data and possibly create encryption backdoors.

In November, the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the U.S. National District Attorneys Association released a report on going dark, and made seven recommendations.

Legislators in New York and California last month introduced bills toban the sale of smartphones encrypted by default, on antiterrorism and anti-human trafficking grounds.

More Efficiency Needed

Its not as if law enforcement  or the U.S. National Security Agency  isnt scooping up tons of data already.

Back in 2013, the NSA began work on a 600,000-square-foot data center in Utah to house all the data it was getting.

In May, a federal appeals court ruled that the NSAs telephone metadata collection program was illegal under the Patriot Act.

Some local law enforcement agencies use StingRay phone trackers on the sly, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has been collecting data on Americansphone calls illegally for decades. The U.S. Marshals Service also iscollecting data through specially equipped planes without a warrant.

A Happy Medium?

There is a lot of value to metadata, and the Berkman report might be a compromise that all sides should willingly agree to, suggested Daniel Castro, vice president at theInformation Technology and Innovation Foundation.

The debate on counterterrorism and privacy seems to have some entrenched views, and so the Berkman reports useful in that it tries to shake out some new perspectives, he told TechNewsWorld. Its important for law enforcement to recognize, and start using, many of the other tools at its disposal that do not depend on having backdoor access to encrypted data.
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(Carlos Jasso / Reuters)A medical researcher works on results of tests for preventing the spread of the Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases. Carlos Jasso / Reuters

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed, Wednesday, the link between the Zika virus and microcephaly, the congenital condition associated with incomplete brain development.

CDC director Tom Frieden told members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs that they have identified the virus in the tissue of two deceased babies from Brazil with microcephaly, USA Today reports.

Frieden added that the findings are the strongest evidence so far that point microcephaly as Zika-related. However, he emphasized that the results only confirmed the link of the two; there is still no definitive proof that the mosquito-borne virus indeed causes the birth defect. More tests and studies still have to be carried out to come up with a conclusive result.

CDC's main priority right now is to protect pregnant women, because once they are infected with the virus, the disease can be transmitted to the baby they are carrying.

CDC, a Department of Health and Human Services arm, has warned pregnant women to avoid travelling to places where the virus is reportedly spreading quicklycountries in South America, Central America, and Carribean.

"Zika is new, and new diseases can be scary, particularly when they can affect the most vulnerable among us," said Frieden.

The Wall Street Journal also reported, Wednesday, that a study in the New England Journal of Medicine has also discovered new evidence that connects Zika virus to microcephaly.

In a study conducted by the researchers from Ljubljana, Slovenia, the virus was discovered in the brain tissue of a fetus with microcephaly. The 25-year-old European mother in Brazil, who carried the fetus, started having symptoms in the 13th week of her pregnancy. During the said week, the carrier had a higher fever, pain, and a rash when she was volunteering in Natal, Brazil.

Last week, the World Health Organization has announced that the Zika virus is a global public- health emergency. They are continuously conducting researches to identify suspected links.
Big bridge grant for Austin Free Access Austin Borough has qualified for a state grant to cover construction of a new bridge near the towns northern gateway. A $518,400 allotment from the Multimodal Transportation Fund will allow...

Deeds filed in Cameron County Free Access Following are real estate transactions filed with the Cameron County Recorder of Deeds: Blair A. Lundberg to Alcohol & Drug Abuse Services, Emporium, $185,000; David Jeffrey Smith to Elk Mountain...

These are the best of times for deer hunters Free Access There has rarely been a better time to be a deer hunter in Pennsylvanias northcentral region. Not only has the whitetail population been steadily rebounding, but the deer are healthier...

DuBois family leaves millions for volunteer orgs Free Access Christmas came early to seven community organizations whose work was important to the late multimillionaire Arthur F. DuBois (shown in the inset) of Coudersport. Some $3.1 million in proceeds from...
'Consideration' handed to benefit claimants deemed 'fit-to-work'

Treasury insists its treatment of benefit claimants deemed 'fit-to-work' is more considerate than the UK provision.

The Celtic League is making fresh calls to ditch Dependability Ltd. - joining Liberal Vannin and the Manx Labour Party in condemning it.



The Social Security division of Treasury refutes the claims, insisting the nursing staff making case-by-case judgments are qualified to advise government.



MLC Bill Henderson says it has as much influence as local GPs and specialists in making a decision - he tells us claimants are well catered for:
Meeting to exchange information about job search Hallo everyone and specially the people living around Bern,



It seems to me there are so many people ,looking for job with high qualification, going from one office to another but practically its not fruitful because most of the office just doing formalities. All I wanna say if some of you are interested we can arrange short meeting to exchange information what we already have. As it was also suggested from another member of this froup se is also living close to Bern.



Moreover last week I met some people in Denkmal they arrange short seminars about everyday problem and leagule help for solutions and also networking regarding job.





Feel free to share if you think its worthful.
WASHINGTON (Feb. 12, 2016) - The American College of Cardiology's National Cardiovascular Data Registry was the source of data for several research studies published in the final three months of 2015, including a study examining outcomes between certified and non-certified physicians, gender gaps in the use of oral anticoagulants, and appropriate use criteria.

Are There Differences in PCI Outcomes Between Certified and Non-Certified Physicians?

Physicians who received interventional cardiology certification through the American Board of Internal Medicine had similar outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention as physicians without certification, according to a study published Sept. 18, 2015 in Circulation. The study was the first to evaluate the impact of interventional certification on patient outcomes in the 15 years since certification began. Using data from the ACC's CathPCI Registry, researchers assessed records from 510,708 patients who had undergone PCI performed by 5,175 physicians in 2010. Researchers looked at all-cause in-hospital mortality and bleeding complications as primary endpoints and emergency coronary artery bypass grafting and vascular complications requiring therapy as secondary endpoints. Read more: http://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2015/10/01/10/38/are-there-differences-in-pci-outcomes-between-certified-and-non-certified-physicians?w_nav=LC

Women With Non-Valvular AFib Less Likely to Receive Oral Anticoagulants Compared to Men

Significant gender gaps exist in use of oral anticoagulants to treat patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, accord to new research from the ACC's PINNACLE Registry presented as part of the American Heart Association meeting in Orlando. Specifically, women with an indication for anticoagulation are less likely than men to have oral anticoagulants prescribed across all strata of risk. The study looked at approximately 700,000 patients diagnosed with non-valvular AFib and indication for oral anticoagulants between May 2008 and December 2014. Patients were distributed across all high thromboembolic risk strata, with 47.8 percent of them identified as female. The primary outcome was prescription of an oral anticoagulant, including warfarin or a novel oral anticoagulant like dabigatran, rivaroxaban or apixaban. Overall, the data showed fewer than one in three patients with an indication for an oral anticoagulant received one, with women 9 to 30 percent less likely to have an oral anticoagulant prescribed compared to men of similar thromboembolic risk. The researchers did note a rapid increase in the use of novel anticoagulants in both men (53.5 percent each year) and women (57 percent each year) for non-valvular atrial fibrillation since U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of dabigatran in 2010.

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Read more: http://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2015/11/05/13/49/mon-women-with-non-valvular-afib-less-likely-to-receive-oac-compared-to-men-aha-2015?w_nav=LC

NCDR data was also used in studies previously highlighted during this time period:

Cardiac Patients Receive Comparable Care from Physicians, Advanced Practice Providers

Read More: http://www.acc.org/about-acc/press-releases/2015/10/13/09/09/cardiac-patients-receive-comparable-care-from-physicians-advanced-practice-providers?w_nav=S

Antiplatelet Therapy with Blood Thinners Reduces Mortality for Angioplasty Patients

Read More: http://www.acc.org/about-acc/press-releases/2015/10/19/13/58/antiplatelet-therapy-with-blood-thinners-reduces-mortality-for-angioplasty-patients?w_nav=S

Use of Rarely Appropriate Angioplasty Procedures Declined Sharply

Read More: http://www.acc.org/about-acc/press-releases/2015/11/09/09/59/use-of-rarely-appropriate-angioplasty-procedures-declined-sharply?w_nav=S

First Outcomes Report from Novel Heart Surgery Registry Shows Excellent Results for Evolving TAVR Procedure

Read More: http://www.acc.org/about-acc/press-releases/2015/11/30/13/55/first-outcomes-report-from-novel-heart-surgery-registry-shows-excellent-results-for-evolving-tavr-procedure?w_nav=S

Chronic Kidney Disease Patients Benefit from Pacing Left and Right Ventricles

Read More: http://www.acc.org/about-acc/press-releases/2015/12/07/14/05/chronic-kidney-disease-patients-benefit-from-pacing-left-and-right-ventricles?w_nav=S

Treatment Time Lags for Heart Attack Patients with Prior Bypass Graft Surgery

Read More: http://www.acc.org/about-acc/press-releases/2016/01/04/10/22/treatment-time-lags-for-heart-attack-patients-with-prior-bypass-graft-surgery?w_nav=S

The American College of Cardiology is a 52,000-member medical society that is the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team. The mission of the College is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College operates national registries to measure and improve care, provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research and bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet stringent qualifications. For more information, visit aac.org.
Fighting ants, giant solider termites, and foraging worker ants recently discovered in 100-million-year-old amber provide direct evidence for advanced social behavior in ancient ants and termites--two groups that are immensely successful because of their ability to organize in hierarchies. The new work, led by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History and the University of Kansas, and published today in two papers in the journal Current Biology, proves that advanced sociality in ants and termites was present tens of millions of years earlier than indicated by the previous fossil record.

"Ecologically, advanced sociality is one of the most important adaptive features for animals," said co-author Dave Grimaldi, a curator in the Museum's Division of Invertebrate Zoology. "All ants and termites are social, and they are ubiquitous across terrestrial landscapes, with thousands of described species and probably even more that we haven't yet found."

Advanced sociality, or eusociality, a hallmark of which is reproductive specialization into worker and queen castes, is essentially a phenomenon of the group of invertebrates known as arthropods. Queens and reproductive males take the roles as the sole reproducers while the soldiers and workers defend and care for the colony. Eusociality occurs in a range of arthropods, from some shrimp, beetles, and aphids, to various wasps, though the phenomenon is nowhere more pronounced than in honey bees, ants, and termites. (Among vertebrates, eusociality is found in just two species of African mole rats.)

Eusociality is thought to have appeared first in termites in the Late Jurassic, about 150-160 million years ago. However, before the new work, the earliest termites ever found that could definitively be tied to a caste system were from the Miocene, a mere 20 to 17 million years ago. A similar story held true for ants, whose evolutionary history with eusociality was also thought to be long, but only weakly supported by the fossil record.

"In the Cretaceous amber we examine, the ants and termites represent the earliest branches of each evolutionary tree, and the species are wildly different from what their modern relatives look like today," said co-author Phillip Barden, a recent graduate of the comparative biology doctoral program at the Museum's Richard Gilder Graduate School and a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at Rutgers University. "We wanted to know how social these creatures were, if they were social at all."

A number of spectacular pieces of amber recently recovered from Myanmar gave Barden, Grimaldi, and their colleagues a clear answer: Eusociality was going strong in both groups during the Cretaceous.

In termites, the researchers made this determination based on the diverse anatomy of the animals, indicating the presence of castes. They found six different termite species preserved in the amber, two of which are new to science: Krishnatermes yoddha, comprising workers, reproductives, and soldiers; and Gigantotermes rex, based on one of the largest soldier termites ever found--about an inch in length, half of it being its head, with scissor-like jaws.

The amber ant fossils froze a number of eusocial behaviors in time. Those include: the presence of different castes, including queen ants and workers; groups of worker ants in single pieces of amber, probably nestmates foraging together; and two workers of different ant species engaging in combat.

"We know that wingless solitary relatives of ants don't fight or defend territories against other species," Barden said. "But modern ants war all of the time. The behavior of these fossil ants, frozen for 100 million years, resolves any ambiguity regarding sociality and diversity in the earliest ants."

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Other authors on this work include Michael S. Engel, a professor at the University of Kansas and a research associate at the Museum; and Mark Riccio, from Cornell University.

Funding for this work was provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) grant #s DEB-0542909, DEB-1144162, and DDIG-1313547, an NSF Predoctoral Fellowship, a 2014 College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (University of Kansas) Travel Award, and the American Museum of Natural History's Richard Gilder Graduate School.

Current Biology papers:

http://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(16)00041-5

http://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(16)00042-7

AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

The American Museum of Natural History, founded in 1869, is one of the world's preeminent scientific, educational, and cultural institutions. The Museum encompasses 45 permanent exhibition halls, including the Rose Center for Earth and Space and the Hayden Planetarium, as well as galleries for temporary exhibitions. It is home to the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial, New York State's official memorial to its 33rd governor and the nation's 26th president, and a tribute to Roosevelt's enduring legacy of conservation. The Museum's five active research divisions and three cross-disciplinary centers support approximately 200 scientists, whose work draws on a world-class permanent collection of more than 33 million specimens and artifacts, as well as specialized collections for frozen tissue and genomic and astrophysical data, and one of the largest natural history libraries in the world. Through its Richard Gilder Graduate School, it is the only American museum authorized to grant the Ph.D. degree and, beginning in 2015, the Master of Arts in Teaching degree, which began as a pilot in 2012 and is the only non-university affiliated such program in the United States. Annual attendance has grown to approximately 5 million, and the Museum's exhibitions and Space Shows can be seen in venues on five continents. The Museum's website and collection of apps for mobile devices extend its collections, exhibitions, and educational programs to millions more beyond its walls. Visit amnh.org for more information.

Follow

Become a fan of the Museum on Facebook at facebook.com/naturalhistory, follow us on Instagram at @AMNH, Tumblr at amnhnyc or visit twitter.com/AMNH to follow us on Twitter.
Farmers and consumers around the world are connected and dependent on each other today in a way that is unprecedented in human history - the average chocolate bar will have ingredients from four or more continents and crop failures in Russia affect the price of bread in the US.

Transnational research collaboration between the US and UK is anticipating and protecting our food supplies from a host of new disease threats to crops, animals and humans and which show no respect for international borders.

Professor Massimo Palmarini, Director of the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research will discuss:

New synthetic vaccines that can be quickly produced to tackle the growing threat from midge transmitted viruses. These genome shuffling viruses, which can cause devastating epidemics in animals, have the ability to emerge quickly and spread rapidly.

Professor Alison Power, Cornell University, will talk about Potato virus Y:

In the US, from 2006 to 2011, the proportion of recombinant strains of Potato virus Y grew from 28% to 84% - these recombinant strains cause greater crop damage and are more difficult to control.

New research addresses how the virus interacts with its environment at the plant, field and landscape scale to understand what factors lead to its ability to emerge and spread.

Professor Helen Sang, The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, will present research on:

The threat posed by avian influenza to food security.

The researchers are all funded through a joint programme from BBSRC (UK) and USDA-NIFA (USA).

Professor Jackie Hunter, BBSRC Chief Executive, said: "The global nature of today's agricultural systems means it's essential that the UK collaborates with countries like the US so we can better protect our food system from emerging threats"

Sonny Ramaswamy, Director of NIFA, said: "Human health depends on the safety, security, and quality of the food we produce. Emerging pathogens have no boundaries, and therefore international partnerships such as NIFA's with the BBSRC are critically important for mitigating the impacts of pathogens on the global food supply."

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NOTES TO EDITORS

About BBSRC

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) invests in world-class bioscience research and training on behalf of the UK public. Our aim is to further scientific knowledge, to promote economic growth, wealth and job creation and to improve quality of life in the UK and beyond.

Funded by Government, BBSRC invested over 509M in world-class bioscience in 2014-15. We support research and training in universities and strategically funded institutes. BBSRC research and the people we fund are helping society to meet major challenges, including food security, green energy and healthier, longer lives. Our investments underpin important UK economic sectors, such as farming, food, industrial biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.

For more information about BBSRC, our science and our impact see: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk

For more information about BBSRC strategically funded institutes see: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/institutes

About NIFA

The US Department of Agriculture - National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) provides leadership and funding for programs that advance agriculture-related sciences.

Since 2009, NIFA has invested in and advanced innovative and transformative initiatives to solve societal challenges and ensure the long-term viability of agriculture. NIFA's integrated research, education, and extension programs, supporting the best and brightest scientists and extension personnel, have resulted in user-inspired, ground-breaking discoveries that are combating childhood obesity, improving and sustaining rural economic growth, addressing water availability issues, increasing food production, finding new sources of energy, mitigating climate variability, and ensuring food safety.

For more information about NIFA, our science and our impact see: http://nifa.usda.gov/
TORONTO, CANADA - Cognitive scientists have found more evidence that aging brains work differently than younger brains when performing the same memory task, pointing to a potentially new direction for age-related cognitive care and exploration.

The study, led by the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Health Sciences, found that younger and older adults show very different brain wave patterns when performing the same memory task. The study was published online in January in the journal Neurobiology of Learning and Memory.

"We know that our brains change over time, but fully understanding how we make and recall memories as we age has been a mystery," said Renante Rondina, a University of Toronto and Rotman graduate student in the Department of Psychology and lead author of the study. "Our findings are really novel as they show distinct differences in brain activity from one generation to the next. By mapping these key differences, we may be able to identify new ways to predict, diagnose and screen for cognitive decline."

The findings show that rhythmic activity within key regions of the brain, including the hippocampus, an area that is involved with the formation and retrieval of memories, and the neocortex, the grey matter "wrapping paper" of the brain which is concerned with sight, hearing, attention, and high-level thinking, change with advanced age.

Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which measures the anatomy and structural integrity of the brain, and magnetoencephalography (MEG), which measures magnetic fields created by the brain's electrical activity, were used to track potential age-related differences as groups of younger and older adults performed a memory task. The median ages of the two groups were 24.8 and 65.9 years, respectively.

Rondina explained that brains are made up of billions of cells, which use electricity to communicate with each other. As signals are sent from one cell to the next, rhythmic patterns of electrical activity, commonly known as brain waves, are generated.

"Past studies have shown that brain waves travelling at slower speeds tend to be important for memory, while slightly faster speed brain waves play a role in our attention," said Rondina. "Other studies have looked at brain wave patterns as we process and recall memories, but our study is one of the first to look at key differences between younger and older adults' brain waves as they make and recall new memories."

While participant accuracy in the memory tasks was consistent across both groups, younger adults showed a surge in theta power (slower brain waves) that was predictive of their memory accuracy. In contrast, older adults demonstrated a rush of alpha oscillatory power (relatively faster brain waves) that was not observed in younger adults.

"It's remarkable to see how different the older participants' brain patterns are from the younger participants, while still maintaining accuracy," said Rondina. "According to the MRIs, there were minimal differences in the brain structures in the two groups, yet the brain waves were very different. With additional study, these results may lead to new, more sensitive ways of screening or diagnosing cognitive decline."

Rondina says the study's results do not immediately change diagnosis or treatment options for age-related cognitive impairments, but it will be interesting to see the long-term implications of these results, as we continue to learn how our brains change as we age.

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The research team included Renante Rondina, Rotman graduate student; Dr. Rosanna Olsen, Rotman scientist; Douglas McQuiggan, Rotman research assistant; Zainab Fatima, Rotman graduate student; Lingqian Li, Rotman research assistant; Esther Oziel, Rotman research assistant; Dr. Jed Meltzer, Rotman scientist; and Dr. Jennifer Ryan, Rotman senior scientist.

This study was supported by funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Canada Research Chairs Foundation awarded to Dr. Jennifer Ryan. Renante Rondina is supported by a graduate fellowship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. About Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute

The Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Health Sciences is a premier international centre for the study of human brain function. The primary research focus is on memory and the executive (frontal lobe) functions of the brain, both in normal aging and in the presence of diseases and conditions which affect the brain, such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. World-renowned scientists at the institute promote effective care and improved quality of life of the elderly through research into behavioural changes associated with the aging process.
Members of the International Daya Bay Collaboration, who track the production and flavor-shifting behavior of electron antineutrinos generated at a nuclear power complex in China, have obtained the most precise measurement of these subatomic particles' energy spectrum ever recorded. The data generated from the world's largest sample of reactor antineutrinos indicate two intriguing discrepancies with theoretical predictions and provide an important measurement that will shape future reactor neutrino experiments. The results have been published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Studying the behavior of elusive neutrinos holds the potential to unlock many secrets of physics, including details about the history, makeup, and fate of our universe. Neutrinos were among the most abundant particles at the time of the Big Bang, and are still generated abundantly today in the nuclear reactions that power stars and in collisions of cosmic rays with Earth's atmosphere.

They are also emitted as a by-product of power generation in man-made nuclear reactors, giving scientists a powerful way to study them on Earth in a controlled manner. In fact, the study of particles emitted by reactors led to the first detection of neutrinos in the 1950s, a finding once considered impossible due to the extreme inert nature of these particles, which were then only predicted. Since that time reactor experiments, including Daya Bay, have played a crucial role in uncovering the secrets of neutrino oscillation--their tendency to switch among three known flavors: electron, muon, and tau--and other important neutrino properties.

A crucial factor for many of these experiments is knowing how many antineutrinos are emitted in total in these nuclear reactions (the flux), and how many are being produced at particular energies (the energy distribution, or spectrum). In early studies, scientists relied on calculations or other indirect means, such as electron spectrum measurements made on reactor fuels, to estimate these numbers, based on their understanding of the complex fission processes in the reactor core. These methods have rather strong dependence on theoretical models.

The Daya Bay Collaboration now provides the most precise model-independent measurement of the energy spectrum of these elusive particles, and a new measurement of total antineutrino flux. The data were gathered by analyzing more than 300,000 reactor antineutrinos collected over the course of 217 days. The most challenging part of this work was to accurately calibrate the energy response of the detectors. Through dedicated calibration and analysis effort, Daya Bay was able to measure the neutrino energy to an unprecedented precision, better than 1 percent, over a broad energy range of the reactor antineutrinos.

The measured reactor antineutrino spectrum shows a surprising feature: an excess of antineutrinos at an energy of around 5 million electron volts (MeV) compared with theoretical expectations. This represents a deviation of about 10 percent between the experimental measurement and calculations based on the theoretical models--well beyond the uncertainties--leading to a discrepancy of up to four standard deviations. "This unexpected disagreement between our observation and predictions strongly suggested that the current calculations would need some refinement," commented Kam-Biu Luk of the University of California at Berkeley and DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a co-spokesperson of the Daya Bay Collaboration. Two other experiments have shown a similar excess at this energy, though with less precision than the new Daya Bay result.

Such deviation shows the importance of the direct measurement of the reactor antineutrino spectrum, particularly for experiments that use the spectrum to measure neutrino oscillations, and may indicate the need to revisit the models underlying the calculations. "We expect that the spectrum measured by Daya Bay will improve with more data and better understanding of the detector response. These improved measurements will be essential for next-generation reactor neutrino experiments such as JUNO," said Jun Cao of the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) in China, a co-spokesperson of Daya Bay and the deputy spokesperson of JUNO, an experiment being built 200 kilometers away from Daya Bay.

Daya Bay's measurement of antineutrino flux--the total number of antineutrinos emitted across the entire energy range--indicates that the reactors are producing 6 percent fewer antineutrinos overall when compared to some of the model-based predictions. This result is consistent with past measurements. This observed deficit has been named the "Reactor Antineutrino Anomaly." This disagreement could arise from the imperfection of the models. Or, more intriguingly, it could be the result of an oscillation involving a new kind of neutrino, the so-called sterile neutrino--postulated by some theories but yet to be detected. Whether the anomaly exists is still an open question.

Background on Daya Bay

The Daya Bay nuclear power complex is located on the southern coast of China, 55 kilometers northeast of Hong Kong. It consists of three nuclear power plants, each with two reactor cores. All six cores are pressurized water reactors with similar design, and each can generate up to 2.9 gigawatt thermal power. Every second, the six reactors emit 3,500 billion billon electron antineutrinos. For this measurement, the Daya Bay experiment used six detectors located at 360 meters to 1.9 kilometers from the reactors. Each detector contains 20 tons of gadolinium-doped liquid scintillator to catch the reactor antineutrinos.

###

Daya Bay spokesperson contact information

Jun Cao, co-spokesperson

IHEP

86-10-88235808

caoj@ihep.ac.cn

Kam-Biu Luk

co-spokesperson

UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

510-642-8162, 510-486-7054, k_luk@berkeley.edu

Scientific paper: "Measurement of the Reactor Antineutrino Flux and Spectrum at Daya Bay" http://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.061801

For more information, visit http://dayabay.ihep.ac.cn/

An electronic version of this news release with related graphics and additional links is posted here: http://www.bnl.gov/newsroom/news.php?a=11804

SIDEBAR: Brookhaven Lab's Role in the Analysis of Reactor Antineutrino Energy Spectrum and Flux

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory plays multiple roles in the Daya Bay Collaboration, ranging from project management to data analysis. In addition to coordinating detector engineering and design efforts and developing software and analysis techniques, Brookhaven scientists perfected the "recipe" for a very special, chemically stable liquid that fills Daya Bay's detectors and interacts with antineutrinos.

Brookhaven scientists also led the core analysis group that contributed to the measurements of reactor antineutrino energy spectrum and flux reported in this press release.

"We were the first to notice the surprising feature in the energy spectrum, only a few months after the first experimental hall started taking data in 2011," said Brookhaven physicist Chao Zhang, a member of the team.

The Brookhaven physicists developed the methods to calibrate the detector energy response, which were crucial for this precision measurement, and studied the subtle systematic effects that could impact the measurement and the interpretation of the results.

"We spent a lot of time and effort to fully understand our detector energy response," Chao said. "In the end, this has all paid off and we now have the world's most precise measurement of the reactor antineutrino energy spectrum -- a model-independent reference spectrum that future reactor experiments can safely rely on."

These experiments with reactor neutrinos have played a critical role in scientists' understanding of their cosmic cousins--the abundant neutrinos generated by the Big Bang and in the hearts of stars.

"The surprising feature in the reactor antineutrino energy spectrum indicates that there is still so much we need to understand about the underlying nuclear physics," Chao said.

Brookhaven National Laboratory's participation in the Daya Bay Collaboration is funded by the DOE Office of Science.

Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.

One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE's Office of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by the Research Foundation for the State University of New York on behalf of Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities, and Battelle, a nonprofit applied science and technology organization.

Brookhaven National Laboratory media contacts:

Karen McNulty Walsh

631-344-8350

kmcnulty@bnl.gov

Peter Genzer

631-344-3174

genzer@bnl.gov

Kay Cordtz

kcordtz@bnl.gov
Using ALMA, astronomers have taken a new, detailed look at the very early stages of planet formation around a binary star. Embedded in the outer reaches of a double star's protoplanetary disk, the researchers discovered a striking crescent-shape region of dust that is conspicuously devoid of gas. This result, presented at the AAAS meeting in Washington, D.C., provides fresh insights into the planet-forming potential of a binary system.

Astronomers struggle to understand how planets form in binary star systems. Early models suggested that the gravitational tug-of-war between two stellar bodies would send young planets into eccentric orbits, possibly ejecting them completely from their home system or sending them crashing into their stars. Observational evidence, however, reveals that planets do indeed form and maintain surprisingly stable orbits around double stars.

To better understand how such systems form and evolve, astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) took a new, detailed look at the planet-forming disk around HD 142527, a binary star about 450 light-years from Earth in a cluster of young stars known as the Scorpius-Centaurus Association.

The HD 142527 system consists of a main star a little more than twice the mass of our Sun and a smaller companion star only about a third the mass of our Sun. They are separated by approximately one billion miles: a little more than the distance from the Sun to Saturn. Previous ALMA studies of this system revealed surprising details about the structure of the system's inner and outer disks.

"This binary system has long been known to harbor a planet-forming corona of dust and gas," said Andrea Isella, an astronomer at Rice University in Houston, Texas. "The new ALMA images reveal previously unseen details about the physical processes that regulate the formation of planets around this and perhaps many other binary systems."

Planets form out of the expansive disks of dust and gas that surround young stars. Small dust grains and pockets of gas eventually come together under gravity, forming larger and larger agglomerations and eventually asteroids and planets. The fine points of this process are not well understood, however. By studying a wide range of protoplanetary disks with ALMA, astronomers hope to better understand the conditions that set the stage for planet formation across the Universe.

ALMA's new, high-resolution images of HD 142527 show a broad elliptical ring around the double star. The disk begins incredibly far from the central star -- about 50 times the Sun-Earth distance. Most of it consists of gases, including two forms of carbon monoxide (13CO and C180), but there is a noticeable dearth of gases within a huge arc of dust that extends nearly a third of the way around the star system.

This crescent-shaped dust cloud may be the result of gravitational forces unique to binary stars and may also be the key to the formation of planets, Isella speculates. Its lack of free-floating gases is likely the result of them freezing out and forming a thin layer of ice on the dust grains.

"The temperature is so low that the gas turns into ice and sticks to the grains," Isella said. "This process is thought to increase the capacity for dust grains to stick together, making it a strong catalyst for the formation of planetesimals, and, down the line, of planets."

"We've been studying protoplanetary disks for at least 20 years," Isella said. "There are between a few hundred and a few thousands we can look at again with ALMA to find new and surprising details. That's the beauty of ALMA. Every time you get new data, it's like opening a present. You don't know what's inside."

HD 142527 will be the subject of an upcoming paper led by Rice postdoctoral fellow Yann Boehler, who is working in Isella's group.

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The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation, operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

Isella will speak as part of the "Planet Formation Seen With Radio Eyes" session at AAAS at 8 a.m. on Feb. 13. Other speakers include David J. Wilner with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass., and Kevin Flaherty with Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn.

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international astronomy facility, is a partnership of the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) of Japan in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. ALMA is funded by ESO on behalf of its Member States, by NSF in cooperation with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC) and by NINS in cooperation with the Academia Sinica (AS) in Taiwan and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI).

ALMA construction and operations are led by ESO on behalf of its Member States; by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), managed by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), on behalf of North America; and by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) on behalf of East Asia. The Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) provides the unified leadership and management of the construction, commissioning and operation of ALMA.
HOUSTON - (Feb. 13, 2016) - A Rice University researcher will discuss images that may show the formation of a planet -- or a planetary system -- around a distant binary star at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C., today.

Andrea Isella, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy, will present images of the binary system known as HD 142527, captured by the new Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescope in Chile.

Isella said the binary system has long been known to harbor a planet-forming corona of dust and gas, but ALMA images are providing more detail than ever and allowing for better analysis of the system's contents and mechanics.

Isella studies the formation of planetary systems. In his talk, he will discuss the importance of mapping them and why exoplanetary systems - those outside the solar system - "exhibit such an impressive variety of properties."

The binary star is approximately 450 light years away in the Scorpius-Centaurus association, a cluster of young stars containing objects similar to HL Tau, the subject of the first high-resolution images taken as part of ALMA's long-baseline campaign in 2014. (Long-baseline interferometry allows multiple antennas to act as one. The size of the telescope is determined by the space between the antennas. During the long-baseline campaign, ALMA antennas achieved a maximum separation of 10 miles.) Images of HL Tau revealed ring structures in the dust and gas cloud around the star, an indication that planet formation is under way.

Images of HD 142527 show a broad ring around the double star. Most of it consists of gases, including isotopologues of carbon monoxide, but a huge arc around nearly a third of the star system consists of dust and ice, Isella said.

"Where the red in the image is brightest, the density of the dust peaks," he said. "And where we find a dense clump of dust, the carbon monoxide molecules disappear."

Isella and his colleagues suspect gas molecules freeze in the dust. "The temperature is so low that the gas turns into ice and sticks to the grains," he said. "This is important for planet formation. The solid dust needs to stick together to form a bigger body that will eventually attract more rock and gas gravitationally.

"If you try to smash rocks together, they don't stick together very well," he said. "If you smash snowballs together, they do. So when you form an ice mantle around the grains, you increase their capability to stick together."

He said the crescent-shaped dust cloud may be the result of gravitational forces unique to binary stars.

Until recent years, Isella said, astronomers thought it unlikely that planets could form and survive around binary systems. "The theory was that they could hardly find stable orbits," he said. "Most of the planets would either be scattered or fall into the stars. Then people started to discover planets around binary stars, so clearly they had to tweak the theory. The observation of systems like HD 142527 yields a fantastic opportunity to study the physical processes that regulate the formation of planets around binary systems."

HD 142527 will be the subject of an upcoming paper led by Rice postdoctoral fellow Yann Boehler, who is working in Isella's group.

Isella expects many revelations from the flood of high-resolution data provided by ALMA and other new radio telescopes, which capture images of stellar objects obscured by gas and dust that cannot be seen by optical means.

Isella and his colleagues also plan to discuss the early HL Tau images at the AAAS gathering. "We've been looking at these objects for at least 20 years," he said. "There are between a few hundred and a few thousand they can look at again with ALMA. They are starting with the brightest ones, because they are the easiest to observe.

"HL Tau was the brightest object of this type in the sky, and it has been well-observed, so they used it to make sure the instrument was working OK. But the rings they found in the system were completely unexpected.

"That's the beauty of the Atacama array," he said. "Every time you get new data, it's like opening a Christmas present. You don't know what's inside."

Isella will speak as part of the "Planet Formation Seen With Radio Eyes" session at AAAS at 8 a.m. EST Feb. 13.

###

This news release can be found online at http://news.rice.edu/2016/02/13/proto-planet-has-two-masters/

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews

Related Materials:

Planet Formation and Circumstellar Disks (Isella Research Group): http://planetformation.rice.edu

Wiess School of Natural Sciences: http://naturalsciences.rice.edu

Images for download:

http://news.rice.edu/files/2016/02/0215_BINARY-1-WEB-1ti8pdp.jpg

A composite image of the HD 142527 binary star system from data captured by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array shows dust in red and carbon monoxide gases in blue and green. The carbon monoxide isotopologues are used to probe the distribution of gases in protoplanetary disks, according to Rice University astrophysicist Andrea Isella. A representation of Earth's solar system at bottom right is to scale. (Credit: Andrea Isella/Rice University)

http://news.rice.edu/files/2016/02/0215_BINARY-3-WEB-244p3bi.jpg

A composite image of the HD 142527 binary star system from data captured by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array shows a distinctive arc of dust (red) and a ring of carbon monoxide (blue and green). The red arc is free of gas, suggesting the carbon monoxide has "frozen out," forming a layer of frost on the dust grains in that region. Astronomers speculate this frost provides a boost to planet formation. The two dots in the center represent the two stars in the system. (Credit: Andrea Isella/Rice University; B. Saxton/NRAO/AUI/NSF; ALMA/NRAO/ESO/NAOJ)

http://news.rice.edu/files/2016/02/0215_BINARY-4-WEB-2e5kmhn.jpg

An illustration shows the HD 142527 binary star system from data captured by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. The red body orbiting the center represents the low-mass companion star. (Credit: B. Saxton/NRAO/AUI/NSF)

http://news.rice.edu/files/2016/02/0215_BINARY-2-WEB-200jozr.jpg

Andrea Isella. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,910 undergraduates and 2,809 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for best quality of life and for lots of race/class interaction by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. To read "What they're saying about Rice," go to http://tinyurl.com/AboutRiceUniversity.

Editor's note: Links to images for download appear at the end of this release.

David Ruth

713-348-6327

david@rice.edu

Mike Williams

713-348-6728

mikewilliams@rice.edu
HOUSTON -- (Feb. 13, 2016) -- Rice University computer scientist Moshe Vardi expects that within 30 years, machines will be capable of doing almost any job that a human can. In anticipation, he is asking his colleagues to consider the societal implications. Can the global economy adapt to greater than 50 percent unemployment? Will those out of work be content to live a life of leisure?

"We are approaching a time when machines will be able to outperform humans at almost any task," Vardi said. "I believe that society needs to confront this question before it is upon us: If machines are capable of doing almost any work humans can do, what will humans do?"

Vardi will address the issue in an 8 a.m. Sunday presentation, "Smart Robots and Their Impact on Society," at one of the world's largest and most prestigious scientific meetings -- the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C.

"The question I want to put forward is, 'Does the technology we are developing ultimately benefit mankind?'" Vardi said. He will present a body of evidence that suggests the pace of advancement in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) is increasing, even as existing robotic and AI technologies are eliminating a growing number of middle-class jobs and thereby driving up income inequality.

Vardi, a member of both the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Science, is a Distinguished Service Professor and the Karen Ostrum George Professor of Computational Engineering at Rice, where he also directs Rice's Ken Kennedy Institute for Information Technology. Since 2008 he has served as the editor-in-chief of Communications of the ACM, the flagship publication of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), one of the world's largest computational professional societies.

Vardi said some people believe that future advances in automation will ultimately benefit humans, just as automation has benefited society since the dawn of the industrial age.

"A typical answer is that if machines will do all our work, we will be free to pursue leisure activities," Vardi said. But even if the world economic system can be restructured to enable billions of people to live lives of leisure, Vardi questions whether it would benefit humanity.

"I do not find this a promising future, as I do not find the prospect of leisure-only life appealing. I believe that work is essential to human well-being," he said.

"Humanity is about to face perhaps its greatest challenge ever, which is finding meaning in life after the end of 'In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread,'" Vardi said. "We need to rise to the occasion and meet this challenge" before human labor becomes obsolete, he said.

In addition to dual membership in the National Academies, Vardi is a Guggenheim fellow and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the European Academy of Sciences and the Academia Europa. He is a fellow of the ACM, the American Association for Artificial Intelligence and the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). His numerous honors include the Southeastern Universities Research Association's 2013 Distinguished Scientist Award, the 2011 IEEE Computer Society Harry H. Goode Award, the 2008 ACM Presidential Award, the 2008 Blaise Pascal Medal for Computer Science by the European Academy of Sciences and the 2000 Goedel Prize for outstanding papers in the area of theoretical computer science.

Vardi joined Rice's faculty in 1993. His research centers upon the application of logic to computer science, database systems, complexity theory, multi-agent systems and specification and verification of hardware and software. He is the author or co-author of more than 500 technical articles and of two books, "Reasoning About Knowledge" and "Finite Model Theory and Its Applications."

###

A high-resolution IMAGE is available for download at: http://news.rice.edu/files/2016/02/0504_NAS-Vardi-lg-xphmxq.jpg

CAPTION: Moshe Vardi

Background is available at:

Humans, machines, and the future of work

--Dec. 18, 2015 speech at the University of Oxford

Is information technology destroying the middle class?

--February 2015 column in the Communications of the ACM

http://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2015/2/182648-is-information-technology-destroying-the-middle-class/fulltext

The future of work: But what will humans do?

--Sept. 11, 2015 column in Pacific Standard

http://www.psmag.com/business-economics/the-future-of-work-but-what-will-humans-do

The consequences of machine intelligence

--Oct. 25, 2012 column in The Atlantic

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/10/the-consequences-of-machine-intelligence/264066/

Vardi's homepage

http://www.cs.rice.edu/~vardi/

This release can be found online at news.rice.edu.

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,910 undergraduates and 2,809 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for best quality of life and for lots of race/class interaction by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. To read "What they're saying about Rice," go to http://tinyurl.com/AboutRiceUniversity.
Scientists have inventoried and categorized all of Earth's rare mineral species described to date, each sampled from five or fewer sites around the globe. Individually, several of the species have a known supply worldwide smaller than a sugar cube.

These 2,550 minerals are far more rare than pricey diamonds and gems usually presented as tokens of love. But while their rarity would logically make them the most precious of minerals, many would not work in a Valentine's Day ring setting. Several are prone to melt, evaporate or dehydrate. And a few, vampire-like, gradually decompose on exposure to sunlight.

Their greatest value to humanity lies in the tell-tale clues they offer about the sub-surface conditions and elements that created them, as well as insights into the planet's past biological upheavals. In fact, rare minerals represent Earth's truest distinction from all other planets, according to authors of a paper in press to appear in the journal American Mineralogist.

Scientists Robert Hazen of the Carnegie Institution and Jesse Ausubel of The Rockefeller University say that knowing fully the mineral signature of our life-supporting planet -- understanding the distinct combinations of circumstances that create rare minerals -- also informs anticipation of what an inter-planetary probe might find.

Their paper, "On the Nature and Significance of Rarity in Mineralogy," establishes the first system for categorizing rarities in the mineral kingdom and provides mineralogists a framework that parallels one used for understanding rare plant and animal species.

The authors note the irony that precious gems and other minerals highly valued by humankind -- including so-called "rare earth" minerals required to make electronics -- don't meet the definition of rare as far as Planet Earth is concerned.

Says the paper: "Diamond, ruby, emerald, and other precious gems are found at numerous localities and are sold in commercial quantities, and thus are not rare in the sense used in this contribution. Uses of the word 'rare' in the context of 'rare earth elements' or 'rare metals' are similarly misleading, as many thousands of tons of these commodities are produced annually."

On the other hand, notes Dr. Hazen, the mineral ichnusaite (image, http://bit.ly/1NUniMX), exemplifies a true rarity -- created through a subterranean mash-up of the radioactive element thorium and lead-like molybdenum, with only one specimen ever found, in Sardinia a few years ago.

"If you wanted to give your fiance a really rare ring, forget diamond. Give her Sardinian ichnusaite."

Fewer than 100 of 5,090 known minerals make up 99% of Earth's crust

There are 5,090 known, formally recognized mineral species (see endnotes), fewer than 100 of which make up 99% of Earth's crust, with a handful of feldspar species comprising about 60%.

Of those 5,090, roughly 2,550 are defined as rare -- found at five or fewer locations worldwide. And, according to the paper, more than two-thirds of known mineral species, "including the great majority of rare species, have been attributed to biological changes in Earth's near-surface environment."

"We need to re-think 'animal, vegetable, or mineral'," says Prof. Ausubel. "In the old parlor game, if it isn't alive, doesn't grow and comes from the ground, it's a mineral, but some of these rare minerals do grow and don't entirely come from the ground."

Each rare mineral (a selection of 99 examples is available at http://bit.ly/1KlU6U4) fits into one or more of four categories:

1) Unique conditions that created the mineral

"In very simple terms, imagine making minerals at a kitchen stove using a pressure cooker," says Dr. Hazen. "What results in the pot is a function of variables: temperature, pressure and the ingredients -- one or more of just 72 chemical elements that make up Earth's mineral kingdom."

"Some minerals are rare because, even though they form from the commonest of ingredients, they must be cooked at exquisitely controlled conditions. For example, the mineral hatrurite, (http://www.mindat.org/min-1828.html) is formed from three of Earth's most abundant elements--calcium, silicon, and oxygen. But hatrurite forms only in a very restricted environment with temperatures above 1250C -- many times hotter than the boiling point of water -- and in the absence of another extremely common element, aluminum."

By knowing the idiosyncratic combination of circumstances involved in a rare mineral's creation, scientists can deduce what elements are or aren't present at a specific depth, and in some cases such information as acidity at that level below surface.

2) Planetary constraints:

Incorporation of rare elements, or mineral formation at pressure-temperature conditions rarely encountered in near-surface environments

Other minerals are extremely rare because their ingredients are almost never found concentrated in Earth's crust. Thus, such scarce chemical elements as beryllium, hafnium and tellurium form relatively few minerals and most species are rare.

3) Ephemeral minerals

Some minerals form under unusual conditions--extreme cold or dry environments, for example--but then simply melt, evaporate or dehydrate when exposed to different surface conditions.

A crystalline form of methane hydrate, for example, found in core samples from continental shelf and Arctic drill sites, evaporates at room pressure.

As well, "water-soluble minerals may also be under-reported, and thus appear to be rare," the paper says. More than 100 mineral species can persist in dry environments for many years, "only to be washed away during rare rain events."

Among the least stable are rare mineral species that adsorb moisture from the air then dissolve in it. And a few, like edoylerite (http://www.mindat.org/min-1354.html), Metasideronatrite (mindat.org/gm/2685) and Sideronatrite (http://www.mindat.org/min-3650.html) gradually decompose on exposure to sunlight.

4) Places geologists rarely sample

In the fourth category are rare minerals that simply come from under-sampled regions, from extreme environments such as the flanks of erupting volcanoes, frigid and remote regions of Antarctica, or the deepest reaches of the oceans. Other minerals that may be much more common than are represented in mineral museums include a host of species that are difficult to recognize based of their lack of bright colors or showy crystal faces. Most mineral collectors favour eye-popping specimens for their display case.

As well, some minerals occur only at the micro or nano-scale. A number of rare minerals known only from Otto Mountain, near San Bernardino in southern California, for example, have been discovered recently through the use of high-tech instruments.

Positive sampling biases also likely affect perceptions of mineral rarity. Intensive searches for deposits of gold, uranium and "rare earths" needed by the electronics industry, for example, have undoubtedly led to the discovery and reporting of certain mineral species at more localities relative to commercially unimportant elements, according to the paper.

Most mineral experts are familiar with at best a handful of the 2,550 obscure rarities, says Dr. Hazen, citing the mineral fingerite from El Salvador as "a perfect storm of rarity."

"Fingerite forms under extremely restrictive conditions (category 1), from rare elements (category 2), it is water soluble and disappears when rained upon (category 3), and it comes from dangerous volcanic fumeroles near active volcanoes, so is rarely collected (category 4). Consequently, fingerite is only known from near the summit of the Izalco Volcano in El Salvador.

As in biology, the scientist who first describes a new mineral earns the right to name it. Fingerite (photo: http://bit.ly/1So4Ap4), described in 1983, was named in honour of mineralogist and crystallographer Larry Finger, a longtime colleague of Dr. Hazen.

Biological vs. mineralogical rarity

The paper points out important differences between biological and mineralogical rarity. For example, biological species, once extinct, will not re-emerge naturally. Rare minerals, on the other hand, may disappear from Earth for a time, only to reappear when the necessary physical and chemical conditions arise again.

"In contrast to mineral species, biological species that do not become extinct nevertheless are constantly evolving, in some instances not so gradually, into new forms."

"Minerals do not evolve in this way, though an intriguing and as yet little explored aspect of mineralogy is how trace and minor elements and isotopes in common mineral species have varied through Earth history in response to changing near-surface conditions."

Rare minerals, the authors say:

Are key to understanding the diversity and disparity of Earth's mineralogical environments;

Often point to extreme compositional regimes that can arise in Earth's shallow crust;

Are valuable in understanding Earth as a complex evolving system in which pervasive fluid-rock interactions and biological processes lead to new mineral-forming niches

Increase the likelihood of finding novel crystal structures and advancing crystal chemistry

Finally, they say, "another possible contribution of rare minerals, though as yet speculative, relates to the origins of life. While most origins-of-life scenarios incorporate common minerals such as feldspars or clays, a number of uncommon minerals, including species of sulfides, borates, and molybdates, have also been invoked."

"We live on a planet with remarkable mineralogical diversity, featuring countless variations of color and form, richly varied geochemical niches, and captivating compositional and structural complexities. Rare species, comprising as they do more than half of the diversity of Earth's rich mineral kingdom, thus provide the clearest and most compelling window into the complexities of the evolving mineralogical realm."

The paper was prepared as a contribution to the Deep Carbon Observatory, a cooperative international project concerned with quantities, movements, origins and forms of the element carbon.

###

Endnotes

About the authors:

Robert Hazen is Senior Staff Scientist at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, DC, and Executive Director of the Deep Carbon Observatory.

Jesse Ausubel, Director of the Program for the Human Environment at The Rockefeller University in New York City, is also an adjunct member of the faculty at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and at Resources for the Future. Prof. Ausubel became interested in the question of rare biological species through his participation in the Census of Marine Life research program (2000-2010).

Under the auspices of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Mr. Ausubel, Dr. Hazen and Carnegie colleague Russell Hemley founded the Deep Carbon Observatory in 2009.

A mineral species is defined as a naturally occurring crystalline compound that has a unique combination chemical composition and crystal structure. As of January 31, 2016, the International Mineralogical Association (the official governing body for mineralogy) has approved 5090 species (see rruff.info/ima for a complete list).

In two other recently-published papers, Dr. Hazen and colleagues estimated that more than 1,500 mineral species remain undiscovered. And, of the roughly 5,000 known mineral species, about 8% (406) contain carbon elements.

In a mineral, the presence of carbon -- the stuff of plant and animal life -- is the multi-billion year mash-up result of life meeting rock.

An estimated 145 carbon-bearing minerals are unknown to science, and in December, 2015 the Deep Carbon Observatory created a public challenge to find them all by 2019 (http://mineralchallenge.net/), noting the most likely locations for finding them.
Storrs, CT - A team of researchers at the University of Connecticut is reexamining a decades-long debate as to whether deaf children should learn sign language to maximize their potential for optimal development.

Research has shown that children born deaf frequently exhibit learning deficits and as a result, often underperform in school. Yet research on deaf children has also found children from signing families develop language, cognition and literacy on normal timetables.

One widespread view is that learning deficits stem from lack of auditory experience. And, with the advent of universal newborn hearing screening and improved technologies such as cochlear implants - surgically implanted devices that provide access to sound - more and more deaf children are relying on spoken language from an early age.

While some herald this as a victory, others point to the variability in spoken language outcomes as evidence that excluding sign language may be a risky approach.

"The problem is that we can't reliably predict who's going to succeed with the spoken-language approach, and who isn't," said Matthew Hall, postdoctoral fellow and the lead researcher. "By the time it's clear that a child's spoken language proficiency hasn't supported healthy development across the board, it may be too late for that child to master sign language."

On Saturday, Feb. 13, as part of a panel on bilingualism at the AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., Hall will discuss these issues and how they relate to his current study.

Each part of the study will involve two participant groups of congenitally deaf children between the ages of 5 and 12 - 40 native signers (those introduced to sign language since birth) and 40 cochlear implant users who have never been exposed to sign language.

If Hall and fellow researcher Diane Lillo-Martin, distinguished professor of linguistics at UConn, find that early exposure to sign language can forestall cognitive issues in deaf children, then that would demonstrate that auditory experience is not necessary for healthy cognitive development. The researchers suspect that early exposure to sign language may be what allows these children to develop normally; direct confirmation of that hypothesis will require intervention studies, which they hope to carry out in the future.

"This work is especially meaningful because it has important theoretical implications but it also has the potential to change practices that affect the lives of deaf children and their families," says Lillo-Martin.

But the UConn research team also acknowledges practical challenges surrounding that conclusion. Children born deaf are most often born into non-signing households. Only about 10 percent of congenitally deaf children are born into homes in which linguistic input is available from birth through sign language. As such, many families would need to learn the new language.

The researchers are currently enrolling study participants through schools and organizations serving deaf and hard-of-hearing children throughout the country as well as established connections between UConn and Gallaudet University, a public university for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing located in Washington, D.C.

###

Funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, the project is expected to be completed by fall 2016.
Technological advances are ushering in a new era of understanding in the search for fundamental physical particles - including dark matter - scientists will tell a public event.

Researchers are using analysis of deep space observations together with experiments far underground to hunt for dark matter - an elusive material which, together with dark energy, is thought to account for about 95 per cent of the universe.

Scientists will tell a public symposium in Washington, DC how current theories and experiment point to the existence of dark matter, but how it is little understood by scientists. Its discovery would be a fundamental development in understanding the physical universe, a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) will hear.

Professor Alex Murphy, of the University of Edinburgh's School of Physics and Astronomy, will describe ongoing global collaborations by scientists around the world to detect and define the nature of dark matter. These include astronomy studies to examine its effect on galaxies and light in space, and experiments deep underground that seek to detect it by minimising interference from other particles.

The most sensitive of these experiments is Large Underground Xenon, or LUX, detector - which is located a mile underground in South Dakota, US. Recent improvements have increased the device's chances of identifying sub-atomic particles called WIMPs - weakly interacting massive particles - which are believed to be the main component of dark matter.

Professor Murphy said: "Technology has enabled us to ramp up our search for this fundamental material, and its place in the physical realm."

Professor Murphy will explain the research at a symposium entitled Astroparticle Physics: Understanding Mysteries of the Universe on 3pm, Saturday 13 February at the Marriot Wardman Park, Washington DC. He will be joined by Professor Angela Olinto of the University of Chicago and Professor Eun-Suk Seo of the University of Maryland.

###
The case in favour of the KYC utility model is clear: it removes the need for the same documents to be provided multiple times and therefore reduces operational costs for banks and clients workload.

However, there are a number of utilities in the market that all seem to be jostling for a piece of the same market segment.



Jon May, Markit

Markit operates the KYC.com utility with Genpact. Although there are a number of competing utilities, Jon May, CEO of the joint venture, indicates a consolidation in the market is unlikely. The utilities are different, he says. Swift has its own niche and we dont look to compete in their space.

May argues the benefit of adopting a utility for a bank is the opportunity to work within a fresh regulatory climate.

In the utility databases, there is no burden of legacy, he says. There is not the situation of having different groups of data that dont talk to each other. By centralizing the data, it becomes an asset.

However, collated information requires cross-border regulatory trust, a harmonization of rules and an agreement on market best-practice.



Mahesh Muthu, eClerx

Mahesh Muthu, associate principal, client engagement, financial services, with KYC platform provider eClerx, says: What we are seeing is the rise of standards across the globe.

It used to be perceived that the US was driving the change, but we are seeing higher standards now across the board. In some Asian countries, there is greater stringency around the submission of original documents.

Muthu says that for the utility model to work most effectively, it requires all of the constituent parties to be fully involved. Even when complete, the due diligence to assess the risk of working with the counterparty will remain with the bank.

Singapore is asking for locally certified copies of documents whereas in the past electronic copies were accepted, adds Muthu. We are seeing these changes globally and it is making it harder for utilities. Asking for original documents wont create too many issues, but will make more work.

Markits May thinks the issue is manageable, saying: If you look at Hong Kong and Singapore, for example, these are two jurisdictions where it is often industry practice to require a certified true copy for certain client types.

With kyc.com, we work with our customers to receive documents, which have been certified by a notary or legal department. Our team attests to the origins of the documentation and uploads the information to kyc.com.

End-user benefits

Matt Stauffer, CEO at KYC utility provider Clarient, explaining the benefits of using the utility for end-users, says: Currently, original physical documents are not included in the Clarient solution.

However, Clarient can receive certified copies of original documents and validate them through their internal processes for the end-consumer.

Another shake-up could come through the greater use of the LEI. The LEIs allow for easy recognition of a company and its divisions under a single recognizable code.

As yet, they are not mandated for use outside of derivatives transactions, but the forecast is that they will expand across a broad array of securities and geographies, even in the absence of a coordinated regulatory push.



Alan Samuels, Alacra

Alan Samuels, vice-president, reference data solutions at compliance solutions provider Alacra, says the LEI system will help streamline the process of obtaining multiple information about related entities.

The greater use of the LEI will help with the KYC challenges, he says. It will identify if the company named is the same entity, or even if it has been replicated elsewhere.

Muthu explains its inherent identification characteristics: The LEI contains several core attributes such as the legal name and address of the entity.

The bank has to locate the record in the registry, validate the information is correct, record the identifier within their own system, and match the legal documents when the customers are onboarded.

At present, there are concerns some of the companies with LEIs might not need them, while others that could benefit are yet to subscribe, as it is not a regulatory requirement.

Alacras Samuels says: The most prominent entities are the ones that need to have an LEI. The rated and listed companies need to have it.

There are six million entities that could be using it, and 400,000 now have LEIs. It is still only getting started and needs further change to impact how we do business.



Matt Stauffer, Clarient

Clarients Stauffer says the integration with Depository Trust & Clearing Corporations Global Markets Entity Identifier Utility brought with it 200,000 LEIs issued over 184 jurisdictions.

He says: Clarient includes all LEIs issued globally. Having a consistent identifier, such as an LEI, to support the client lifecycle from pre-trade account set up, including KYC, through post-trade processing certainly helps with the compiling of accurate entity data.

May concludes: LEIs will continue to increase. Through kyc.com, we procure LEIs for every existing entity. We retrieve the LEI information, update the database and reflect that information back to the banks.

The more LEIs that are in place, the easier it will be to update each entity.
Hi All,



I read this forum already for 2 months now, and new in this forum.. First of all I already submit online Application on 2nd Feb 2016, have the appointment on this 17th Feb 2016 from Malaysia VFS. I'm nervous about that. While i had a previous a bad history with UK Border while arrived from Brazil i had previous stamping in my passport which is " Leave to enter until 1st April 2016". But somethings happen that's make them not allowed me to enter and straight away send me back which is the cost I try to pay and they don't want to accept that. the reason for that denied entry is because i just had 60 in my hand So while I'm here at my Home Country now i apply for Fiancee Visa. This is the documents that i will submitted:-



Applicant

1)VAF4 Form

2) online application form

3) My original Passport

4) 1 photo passport size

5) my bank statement for 2 year ( 2 different bank account)

6) working contract ( im freelance film worker and also work based on contract)

7) payment Voucher



Sponsor ( British Citizen)

1) Photocopy Passport

2) 2014-2015 Mortgage Statement

3) Sponsor Letter

4) Jan 2015- Jan 2016 Bank Statement

5) Jan 2015 - Jan 2016 Payslip

6) Comfirmation Letter from his Company



Relationships evidence

1) 21x photo together ( a few of that is selfie)

2) Wassap Conversation 2015-2016

3) Facebook Messenger 2015-2016

4) Card

5) E- tickets & boarding pass ( we went holiday together)

6) FaceTime Call Log/ Wassap Call Log/ FB messenger call log

7) money transfers



Evidence get married

1) email conversation between me and my bridesmaids

2) Wedding Dress & Bridesmaids Dresses receipts

3) Letter from Sheffield Registry Office for booked the wedding



I'm really nervous now, not sure is that the correct documents.. And I'm scared they will reject my application because of the denies entry..
Hello all,



I am looking for some advice on dealing with a pretty frustrating situation.



I moved into my new (first) apartment in France on January 1. When I was visiting the place in November, and on follow up meetings, the landlord informed me several times that he was planning to have work done early 2016 to replace the outdated macerator toilet, and old plumbing, and he wanted to make sure that I would be ok with that work taking place, which I of course was.



Barely 2 weeks after I moved into my new place, on a saturday evening, the grinder in the toilet stopped working completely, so nothing was being broken down before being flushed into the very small pipes. This led to all the plumbing being backed up, and sewage started to fill my bathtub. I called my landlord that night, and he insisted that it was my fault, and that I would have to deal with it. After having a colleague at work call (as I don't speak French very well), my landlord said I would have to wait until Monday to get the issue resolved, because he said he didn't know how to find a plumber who would come by on a saturday. After a few minutes of searching, my colleague and I found a plumber who would, so I had the work done on that night for a pretty high fee.



Early monday morning my landlord contacted me saying he had a plumber to fix the clog, and who would start work on replacing all the plumbing in the apartment so this wouldn't happen again. I told him that I had already had the clog fixed, but arranged with his plumber on when would work for replacing all the plumbing (which is now finished).



Now, my landlord, despite being prepared to hire someone to fix the issue on monday, is refusing to pay any of the fees for getting the clog fixed and toilet (temporarily) repaired on saturday night. He says it was a reasonable thing to ask of me to wait two days without any running water and an apartment that smelt of sewage. He says that I incurred all of these extra fees on my own and that I should have waited until monday until his plumber could come to fix it. I asked why he would have paid for the work on a monday, but is now refusing to pay anything, but he has now started to refuse to address this, saying that he has already said his piece.



I've been as polite to him throughout all of this, but after our most recent exchange the only place I can go is being rude... which I'd like to avoid, because ideally I would have a good relationship with him (though I think that ship has sailed).



So, finally, my question. Is there absolutely anything I can do to recuperate any of my money? He has become unwilling to discuss this any further, and I have explained my side as politely and reasonably as possible, but he still refuses. A few french people I have talked to just told me to stop paying my rent, but that doesn't seem like a good idea!



I really like the place and don't really have time to find a new apartment right now, but now I do plan on moving out at some point within the year, instead of staying here for all of my stay in France (~5 years).



Thanks in advance, and sorry for the wall of text!



David
Yes it is legal for a Spanish born student to apply for a provisional driving licence and then take lessons to then pass the theory and driving exam. The only restriction I can see which the Government has added recently is that they will need a national insurance number. I'm sure the University will be able to sort that out.The student would of held a UK driving licence for 3 years whist studying. When that person returns to Spain and exchanges it - it will be converted to the Spanish equivalent.However, if the student goes back to Spain before the 12 months are up they would be required to display a new learner badge on the car and will only have 8 points on the licence. (After 3 years it will be 12/15 points instead)Please remember a Spanish driving licence does not have as many categories as the UK driving licence, some rights are implied or specified in their driving theory such as:They can ride motorbikes up to 125cc (after 3 years of holding a car driving licence)They can drive a small van of up to 3.5 ton with their regular licenceThey can drive a small MPV of up to 9 seats for personal use only with their regular licence too but B1 for example is not listed as such in their licence formatI hope this information is useful.Any errors please let me know and I will compare them with my Spanish driving licence and my UK driving licence as I have both.
Jess Wong is Angie Redmonds best friend. And thats the most important thing, even if Angie cant see how Jess truly feels. Being the girl no one quite no...

4 years ago
Here are this weeks top stories from FarmandDairy.com:

Kyle Sharp grew up on his familys dairy farm in Amanda, Ohio. After college, he spent 15 years working mostly off of the farm as a farm reporter and in the media industry. During this time, he talked to a lot of people and learned about other farms experiences, including organic farming.

Once Sharp convinced his dad to make the switch to organic, the farm saw positives, including higher and more consistent milk prices. Watch the video to hear from Kyle and how hes made improvements on the farm.

In Carroll County, Ohio, theres been a lull in oil and gas activity, giving the county the chance to get some infrastructure built to support the boom when it returns.

There isnt much new upstream development, but low prices and a supply surplus mean that there are opportunities for midstream and downstream projects. Pipelines are under construction or are waiting to be constructed, the Carroll County Energy plant is under construction and farmers are investing in their operations again.

The Columbiana County Fair Board confirmed last month that one of the donors for the fairs grandstand has pulled out. The Green Family Trust had pledged $300,000 for the grandstand that was built in 2014. At that time, the grandstand was named in honor of Arnold C. Green, but it will no longer be the name of the facility.

The board received $25,000 from the family trust, and it will still be listed on the board of donors.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources issued 16 permits last month, six of which went to Belmont County well sites. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued 126 permits  114 for new wells and 12 for wells to be dug deeper. In West Virginias Northern Panhandle, 10 new Marcellus shale drilling permits were issued.

You can view an infographic of western Pennsylvanias producing wells here.

Experts from Purdue University are warning producers about the risks of overcrowded barns during cold weather. Extreme cold or rapidly changing weather affects animals immune systems, putting them at greater risk of disease.

To combat the risk of disease, experts recommend that producers limit animals access to barns and other shelters. Another tip is to test forage so that animals performance requirements can be met.
Farmers are being urged to monitor their stock carefully and report any clinical signs of disease immediately following the ongoing presence of Bluetongue Disease in France.

The advice comes as the latest risk assessment from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) published this week reveals the UK is at risk of an outbreak during the Spring or Summer months, with an outbreak in late Summer rated the most likely. This would be the result of infected midges being blown across from France to the South East of England.

The disease does not affect people, meat or any other animal products including milk.

Bluetongue can cause illnesses in domestic and wild ruminants such as sheep, cattle, goats, deer, llamas and alpacas. The risk of an incursion in the UK is highly dependent on the level of disease on the continent, the proximity to the UK of cases in the rest of Europe and the weather, including temperature and wind direction.

The UK has robust disease surveillance procedures in place and the government are working closely with the Devolved Administrations and livestock industry.

Restriction zones are already in place in France to control the spread of the disease, and if Bluetongue were to be found circulating in the UK, similar measures such as movement restrictions would be put in place in line with the National Control Strategy across the Devolved Administrations. By reducing the rate of the spread of disease this could help reduce the impact of the disease on businesses.

Commenting on the latest risk assessment, Government Deputy Chief Vet Simon Hall said: We have robust disease surveillance procedures in place and are working closely with the livestock industry to carefully monitor the situation in France where Bluetongue disease control measures are in place.

The risk of incursion from infected midges is difficult to predict at this stage because it is highly dependent on the level of disease on the continent, the proximity to the UK and the weather.

Animal keepers should remain vigilant for any signs of disease and report any suspicions to their vet and the Animal and Plant Health Agency immediately. Livestock keepers should also consider with their vet if vaccination is an option which would benefit their business.

British Veterinary Association Senior Vice President Professor John Blackwell added: We strongly encourage all farmers to closely monitor their stock for Bluetongue symptoms - particularly sheep that are most susceptible to the disease - including eye and nasal discharge, drooling, swelling around the head or mouth, lethargy and lameness.

Vets are there to support farmers in protecting the health and welfare of their livestock. Wed recommend farmers speak to their local vet about the benefits of vaccination, given their locality and individual circumstances, and especially if farmers have any concerns about their livestock.

Commenting on the UKs world class surveillance and response capabilities, Professor Peter Mertens of The Pirbright Institute, the centre for bluetongue epidemiology research in Europe, said: Diagnostic tests used to detect the virus were developed at The Pirbright Institute so we are confident that these tests are fast and reliable. It would appear that the virus circulating now is almost identical to the virus outbreak in 2007 therefore we know exactly what to expect and are well prepared.

Finally NFU Chief Adviser on Animal Health and Welfare, Catherine McLaughlin, added: We are taking the threat of bluetongue seriously and urge all ruminant keepers to maintain vigilance for signs of disease. Vaccine is effective and we recommend farmers have a conversation with their veterinary surgeon to inform their decision based on their business risk.
NFU Cymru has called for sensible and practical rules to accompany the introduction of Quarantine Units on farms in Wales in its response to a Welsh Government consultation.

The Union sees the introduction of Quarantine (isolation) Units, with workable rules attached to them, as an essential element of a wider package of measures to simplify the current complicated and confusing livestock movement rules.

The proposals allow for the introduction of approved Quarantine Units which will let farmers bring cattle and sheep onto their farms. Then by placing them within the Unit for a minimum of six days, the farmer would be able to move animals off the remainder of the holding, providing an alternative to the whole farm 6-day standstill.

NFU Cymru Deputy President John Davies said, We recently welcomed the Welsh Government consultation that proposes the rationalisation of the current County Parish Holding (CPH) system. At the time we highlighted that the full benefits, in terms of a simpler and more robust disease control regime, could only be achieved if concurrent to the CPH changes farmers also had the ability to implement Quarantine (isolation) Units on farm. Both of these were recommendations of the December 2011 Gareth Williams Working Smarter report. We really need to see the Deputy Minister move forward with implementing these measures without any further delay.

We do need to ensure that the costs associated with approving these units are reasonable and as importantly the conditions attached to operating both indoor and outdoor units are not impractical or prohibitive to farmers. I look to the industry being fully involved in finalising and agreeing the guidance notes and approval conditions.

Mr Davies concluded, The 6-day standstill remains one of the most unpopular regulations within the farming industry. Standstill arrangements were originally brought in as a result of the devastating 2001 Foot and Mouth outbreak. We would very much highlight that the most important task is for Government and its agencies to prevent exotic diseases entering the country through vigilance and stringent controls at our ports and border inspections posts.
Growers and suppliers of potato and horticultural produce attending this months Fruit Logistica, the worlds leading fresh produce export event, have praised the high-profile platform provided by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), under their new AHDB Exports brand.

AHDBs new exports brand launched boldly into the international fresh produce arena in Berlin this month, where over 2500 exhibitors and 65,000 trade visitors gathered from over 150 countries.

Convened by AHDB Horticulture and Potatoes, the AHDB stand showcases the excellence of horticulture and potatoes grown in Britain, with growers and science organisations also exhibiting on the stand. This year A. C. Goatham, Bedfordshire Growers, Cranfield University, Frederick Hiam, Skea Organics, James Hutton Ltd, SASA Scottish Government and Moorhouse & Mohan joined the stand.

Always a highlight, the GREAT British Reception this year was hosted by AHDB Exports and supported by UKTI, with Tony Sims, Director of the UKTI and Berlin Embassy in attendance. AHDB Chair, Sir Peter Kendall opened the reception remarking, Total exports of horticultural goods have shown consistent growth year-on-year, suggesting a growing market in Europe and beyond for producers.

UK agriculture and horticulture need to get out there and sell themselves. AHDB Exports has a great role as a hub for UK exporters to meet their customers. It is absolutely right that we are at an event like this.

Breadth of UK produce

The key focus for AHDB Horticulture at Fruit Logistica is to communicate the breadth and quality of horticultural produce grown in GB and the statistics show that horticultural export potential is growing, with the Irish Republic and Egypt as key destinations. With the exception of last year, export to Egypt has been growing since 2012 suggesting this market presents opportunities. Whilst horticultural exports from the UK to Spain, the United States and Poland have all shown growth in the past two years.

Carol Ford of A.C. Goatham, suppliers of apples and pears said, UK quality produce sets the standard and here, we are all united under the British exporting flag. It gives us an amazing platform to really present our businesses and provides an amazing return on investment. Our competitors are no longer the farm down the road, we are competing with the world. We should be competing on a world platform and by exhibiting here under the GREAT British banner, exporting opportunities will come our way.

At Fruit Logistica the key focus for AHDB Potatoes is to communicate the importance of healthy seed potatoes for vigorous potato crops, and how GB produces high-health, high quality seed, suitable for a wide variety of global markets and growing conditions.

Seed potato exports from the UK are well-established and remain strong across most destinations. Despite recent unexpected changes in import regulations from our largest seed potato market Egypt, AHDB Potatoes, Scottish Government and the seed community worked together and succeeded in minimising the reduction in exported tonnages to only 5%, which was much lower than the 20% drop expected.

UK seed potatoes are now exported to Cuba, a market opened in 2014 and India is also an exciting new prospect for seed potatoes with an AHDB-funded export mission in September last year. And new markets in South America and sub-Saharan Africa are being explored by AHDB and industry.

Andrew Skea, owner of long-established seed potato and vegetable exporters Skea Organics said, Being on the AHDB stand works really well. We really have got to get out and let people know we are here. We cant just sit at home and wait for them to come to us.

The AHDB stand, increasing in prominence year on year, is increasingly one of the best places for our producers to promote, do business and network at Fruit Logistica. AHDBs emphasis is on providing opportunities for British growers of to explore new markets and develop new ones.

Commenting further on the AHDB Exports stand, Peter Kendall emphasised, UK agriculture and horticulture is ambitious, it wants to do business and develop export markets. AHDB Exports is all about that.

With constant meetings and networking, this years AHDB Exports stand really consolidated support for our fledgling and established UK exporters alike, and is set to steer our UK producers towards future exports success.
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.
If you are a big animation film fan you are in for a treat in 2016 as there are a whole host of exciting movies on the horizon... Anomalisa is just one of them and it will be hitting screens at the beginning of March.

Anomalisa

Anomalisa is a stop-motion animation feature that sees Charlie Kaufman return to the director's chair alongside Duke Johnson.

Anomalisa is the second feature of Kaufman's career and comes eight years after he made his directorial debut with Synecdoche, New York. As well as being in the director's chair, Kaufman has also penned the film's screenplay.

Anomalisa is a movie that has already been winning over critics on the festival circuit - going on to become the first animated film to win the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival.

This is one of the animation movies that I really cannot wait to see this year and we have a great new clip for you to take a look at:

David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Tom Noonan have come together to lend their voices to the animation project.

Michael Stone (Thewlis) is a successful motivational speaker with fans across the country, but inside him sits a knot of anxiety that renders much of his daily life meaningless. Everything and everyone just seems the same to him. But then Michael meets Lisa (Leigh) on a speaking tour stop in Cincinnati. Lisa is an anomaly.

Michael and Lisa begin with prickly, cautious conversations and then move towards love. But, unlike in a conventional Hollywood romance, that romantic arc is neither simple nor obvious. The love scene at the heart of Anomalisa should instantly rocket up the list of cinema's greatest. It's intimate, awkward, heartbreaking and deeply erotic despite the fact that the lovers are made of felt.

Anomalisa is a movie that has, so far, been met with critical acclaim and is in the Best Animated Feature Oscar race. The movie has been nominated alongside Inside Out, Boy & the World, Shaun the Sheep Movie and When Marnie Was There.

Anomalisa is released 11th March.

by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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By Alexandra Zanet from www.sugardaters.co.uk

Valentine's Day on Female First

Lover's card

The original tradition of a lover's card is to give a transparent card, which shows a picture of the card giver presenting the wonderful gift in front of the light to his sweetheart. Danish people aletered the tradition a little bit and now the cards are filled with colours, music and a personalized Valentine's Day messages.

The tradition is the most popular and romantic way to show your love for someone in Denmark on Valentine's Day. Recent studies show, sugar daddies like to attach precious gems on the card, symbolising how much they appreciate and value their sugar babe.

Custom of White Flowers

Danish people celebrate by the giving of white flowers to show enormous love and care. They send snowdrops to family and friends.

On the other hand, Danish sugar daddies twisted the tradition a little bit and they like to offer flowers to their sugar babes such as Lily of the Valley, Juliet Rose and Stephanotis. It's no surprise that these being some of the most extravagant, exquisite and expensive white flowers that one can buy.

Gaekkebrev

During this international day of love, men also give women Gaekkebrev or a "joking letter". These letters consist of a funny poems or a rhyme written on intricately cut paper and signed only with dots. The woman is supposed to guess who the sender is, based on the context and if she correctly guesses, she receives an Easter egg.

Spa

There is nothing new about this, but each and every woman deserves a full day at the spa. Danish women prefer places where they can be spoiled by a hot stone massage and champagne. This is one of the best gifts to offer to a Danish sugar babe.

Cinema

The romantic type of a Danish sugar daddy would most likely surprise his sweetheart with a high quality projection in his own home. Valentine's Day is the perfect "excuse" for them to be romantic without looking less manly.

Love games

As Danish people are very fond of board games, they don't want to miss out any opportunity to play them. And so, on Valentine's Day some of them like to lock the doors and play love games with their partner. Those are also a great way to discover and explore new hidden needs and thoughts of a lover.

Get married on r

Denmark is probably the simplest place in the world to get married. Danish couples, either they plan it or they do it by impulse. One way they show their commitment and love, on Valentine's Day, is by taking a trip to the well-known, romantic and fairy-tale island of r to get married.

"Blind" date

Danish people are well known for being creative people. One of the things they like to do and not only on Valentine's Day is to cover their sweetheart's eyes and take him/her to a date where all the other senses are involved apart from the sight. The olfactory and auditory senses are mostly used in these cases because, they say, it's the best "butterfly" generator.

Bedroom with memories

It's not like Danish people live in the past, but let's be honest, who wouldn't like to relive a moment that made you feel so special? Usually married couples like to surprize their partner by decorating the bedroom with symbols from the day they were asked to marry.

Exquisite night

A bit of extravagance won't harm anyone. But it's usually the Danish sugar daddies that would like to spoil their sugar babe this way. They hire a limousine and get reservations to fancy restaurants where they serve romantic dinners by the candlelight followed by a glamorous night at the hotel with room service and breakfast in bed.
Happy Birthday to.well us. Fethiye Times is ten years old this year and we will be celebrating the big one-o with a range of articles and images looking back over the last decade.

Naughties

Fethiye Times was first published on 9th Match 2005. But, in best of British tradition, we decided not only to have an official birthday but also time it with a significant date. Yep, you guessed it, we chose 1 April.

No Fools

The concept of Fethiye Times was the brainchild of three like minded and enthusiastic individuals who wanted to share their knowledge and love of Fethiye.

And we did for a while.

But like all good rock bands us creative types move about a bit and so the line-up has changed over the years. But, we like to think, the tunes have nearly always been good.

Way Back WhenThen

Memories fade but not the internet and thanks to the power of a great website called the Waybackmachine we are able to go back in the past and see just how Fethiye Times looked back at launch and the articles we featured.

Best Mayor

One of the first articles we featured was all about the Mayor of Fethiye Behcet Saatci (yes he's been the mayor of Fethiye that long). He had just been awarded 'best mayor award' for the county of Mugla.

PropertyA Popular Subject

We also wrote about changes to the laws on the purchase of land by foreigners. Actually the process had been suspended awaiting a change to the law.

Property seemed to be a popular subject as the next article was a request by a Turkish TV company seeking the views of our readers about their experiences of purchasing property.

We helpfully hosted a survey for them.

Foreign Residents Get A Voice

We also promoted a meeting arranged by Fethiye Council to speak with foreign residents on the 4th April.

March Down, Two Thousand Up

But the best news of all was featured in our March Down, Two Thousand Up article. The new Fethiye Times had welcomed its 2,000th visitor after only being online 3 weeks.

Then and Now  Factiods

In 2005 Fethiye was a town now it wants to be a city.

The Mayor of Fethiye was Behcet Saatci  he still is.

Internet was mostly dial up  now its fibre in places.

You could camp under the Gunluk trees at Katraci Bay  now sadly a hotel and camping is banned.

The Turkish Lira was worth around 2.20 to the British Pound  now its nearer 4 TL.

Interest rates for bank deposits were so high you could live off the interest  Not any more.

Property was cheap and everyone was an estate agent.

A beer was 1.5 TL  now 9 TL.

Tea was 25 Kr and so was a loaf of bread  Now there is a wide variety of bread for sale and tea is around a Lira.

A Year of Celebration

We will be featuring more article from the archives of Fethiye Times  A Decade in the Making over the next few months.

If you have any fond memories or photos of Fethiye over the last 10 years let us know. We would love to see them and share some.u

Images of 2005

Here are a selection of images from 2005 from our archives.
Hi people! Valentine's Day is here and on this special day we bring to you some really adorable pictures of our Bollywood stars (who taught us a lot about love through their films) with their partners...Enjoy! The love stories of some of our Bollywood actors are even more interesting than their films.

Did you know that Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor worked together in LOC Kargil (2003) together but did not feel anything for each other then? Their love blossomed on the sets of Tashan. Tashan was a big flop but it is Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor's favourite film, for obvious reason!

Initially, neither Saif nor Kareena accepted their relationship but finally during a fashion show, Saif told the media, "For the time being all I am comfortable with saying is that we are together. Kareena and I are here and are happy with each other, we are not exactly shouting from the rooftops."

Abhishek Bachchan and Aiswarya Rai Bachchan's love story is also quite similar. They both too, worked together in many films before falling in love. It is said that Abhishek fell head over heels for Aishwarya during the shooting of Guru. Well, we must say he is really lucky to have the most beautiful woman in the world as his wife!

Not many people know that Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna first met during a shoot for Filmfare magazine, in Mumbai and as Akshay himself confessed that he developed an instant crush on Twinkle that day.

However, it was actually during the shooting of their film, International Khiladi, when even Twinkle Khanna too, fell for him, and the rest is history!
Deepika Padukone is the luckiest girl in the world now! Not only has she excelled in every field she ever entered, she also happened to land up with the best boyfriend in the world.

As a kid when she was playing badminton, she was a champion at it, years later when she decided to get into modelling, within months she ended up becoming one of the top models in the country.

Finally there came a time when she had to enter Bollywood and she ends up debuting with the King Of Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan, could she be any luckier? Yes, she can! By having a series of 100 crore movies to her name.

Now, the lass is in Toronto working in one of most prestigious Hollywood project, XXX: The Return Of Xander Cage with Vin Diesel. With the lass away from her home, beau Ranveer Singh flew to Toronto to be with his lady love on the eve of Valentine's Day.

The actor flew in on Thursday to Toronto and will be staying there for few more days, post celebrating Valentine's Day with the love of his life, Ranveer will return.

Director of XXX3, DJ Caruso took to Twitter to post a selfie with Ranveer Singh and captioned it, "Special visitor on set today. #RanveerSingh and a very happy #DeepikaPadukone. Great spirit and smile. #Cooldude."

This message clearly hints that Ranveer is in fact dating Deepika Padukone, whether the couple accept it or not, they are in a committed relationship and all these special things Ranveer is doing proves just that.

DEEPIKA PADUKONE ON THE SETS OF XXX
It's a known fact that Bollywood hunk Salman Khan shares a special bonding with Sushmita Sen and recently, the duo was spotted together attending a dinner hosted by none other than the crown prince of Dubai Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Dubai.

The dinner party was held in the honour of Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan (Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces).

Both of the actors, Salman and Sushmita looked stunning in their formal attires.

Check Out The Pictures Here:

Salman & Sushmita have worked in few films including Biwi No 1, Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya and Tumko Na Bhool Payenge and since then, the handsome hunk and the former Miss Universe have been best pals.

When Salman Gifted Sushmita His Priced Possessions

Few years back, buzz had that Salman had gifted a paining to Sushmita on her 35th birthday. Talking to a news daily, an insider had revealed, "The painting is of a man with sacred prayer beads around his fingers. Sushmita just fell in love with that painting. It was displayed prominently in Salman's Bandra home. But when he learnt that Sushmita wanted it, he willingly parted with it and gave it to her."

Salman, On The Work Front:

On the professional front, Salman Khan is busy with the shooting of his upcoming film, Sultan, which also casts Anushka Sharma. Recently, Salman has gone clean-shaved for Sultan and he is looking so young!

Directed by, Ali Abbas Zafar,the film is slated to be released during this Eid (2016).

EXCLUSIVE PICS: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Visits Golden Temple During Sarbjit Shoot; Looks Exquisite!
Clients poured money into a hedge fund billed as a safe investment backed by a computer algorithm. It was anything but, authorities say.

Two advisors allegedly misled their clients into investing in a fund that they created which then went disastrously south, losing 80% of its value in a single month, according to FINRA, which permanently barred the advisors from the industry on Thursday.

The Wall Street regulator says that ex-advisors Timothy S. Dembski and Walter F. Grenda misrepresented the hedge fund to clients. The two advisors told clients that the fund  which they created with a third person not named in FINRA's disciplinary action  was based on a computer algorithm that had been tested and that it included stop-losses. The fund would purportedly sell individual stock positions daily when the share price rose by 3% or dropped by 1% before 3 p.m., according to FINRA.

However, the Prestige Wealth Management Fund  in which clients started investing in March 2011  was not based on any computer algorithm, the alleged testing never took place and, in fact, the fund's chief investment officer had complete discretion, FINRA says.

Despite what clients were told, it was in fact was a speculative investment, according to FINRA.

MILLIONS LOST

The Buffalo, N.Y.-based advisors recommended the fund to clients who had limited investing experience; some of those clients used retirement assets or surrendered variable annuities in order to invest in the fund, FINRA says.

Dembski's clients invested approximately $4 million while Grenda's clients invested another $8 million, according to the SEC, which filed charges against the advisors last year.

The fund failed to deliver the positive returns as advertised, leading Grenda to withdraw his clients in October 2012, according to the SEC.

His attorney, Joseph Makowski, confirmed that Grenda "pulled his clients out due to the lack of performance in the fund."

"He was not an officer or a director in the fund, nor did he have any equity interest in the Prestige fund. And none of Mr. Grendas clients have pursued any action against him nor have any sought any relief in any FINRA arbitration proceeding," the Buffalo-based attorney added.

In November 2012, the fund's total assets stood at about $3.4 million, according to FINRA. A month later, the assets dropped to approximately $644,000.

FINRA says that the marketing materials created by Dembski and Grenda were also misleading. The materials described the CIO, who was not named by FINRA, as a professional with 15 years of experience and as someone who managed a portfolio of $500 million  neither of which were true.

During the time of alleged wrongdoing, both advisors were registered with Mid Atlantic Capital, a Pittsburgh-based broker-dealer with more than 500 registered representatives. The firm did not respond to requests for comment.

Dembski and Grenda neither admitted nor denied the charges, but consented to the entry of FINRA's findings.

Dembski's attorney, Paul Batista, noted that FINRA action did not include any fines, but the cost of fighting the FINRA complaint would have been too high for his client.

"Mr. Dembski's decision to consent to the FINRA proposal was motivated, in substantial part, by the prospect of paying many thousands of dollars in legal and other fees to defending himself in a FINRA-sponsored hearing that would have consumed at least two months of his and his attorneys' time and effort," Batista said in a statement.

Batista said Dembski was not involved in the creation of the investment formula used by the hedge fund.

"Regrettably, a relatively small number of Mr. Dembski's many investment clients did place money in the hedge fund  which again is a risky investment fund that in writing stresses that an investor can lose all of his or her investment," Batista said.

Grenda's attorney, Makowski, also notes that no fines were imposed upon his client.

"In 2015, FINRA barred nearly 500 brokers from the securities industry and we will continue to root out those brokers who seek to take advantage of their customers," Brad Bennett, FINRA's chief of enforcement, said in a statement.

The SEC also barred Grenda from the industry while SEC charges against Dembski are still pending, according to FINRA BrokerCheck records.

Dembski's attorney said FINRA's action was a "classic case of piling on."

"Both the FINRA and SEC proceedings have to be evaluated against an exemplary, more-than-two-decade career of Mr. Dembski during which he successfully managed funds entrusted to him by dozens of local Buffalo residents," Batista said.

Read more:
Days after US Senate Foreign Relations chairman Bob Corker wrote to John Kerry saying he couldnt allow taxpayers money to fund the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, the Obama administration has notified a deal involving of eight such fighter aircraft.

Pakistans Dawn newspaper has reported that a state department spokesman, Mark Toner, said at a news briefing that US weapon sales to Pakistan contributed to the fight against terrorism and furthered Americas foreign policy interests.

India, on its part, issued a strongly worded statement disagreeing with the US stand that the sale would contribute to fight terrorism and instead argued that it would be used against India. The US envoy to India will be called to foreign office and the governments displeasure would be shared.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will get an opportunity to share his concerns once again when he travels to the US next month for Nuclear Interest Group meeting.

In the coming hours and days Indian TV channels and anchors will go hoarse complaining about the US decision and demand that President Barack Obama take back the notification. Some will argue that US cannot be trusted and that it plays a double game. Others might question Modi governments tilt towards the US saying the Obama administration is not sensitive to Indias security concerns.

But, Indias protest is not going to impact the Obama Administrations decision. Washington does not see Pakistan through Indias prism and make its strategic decisions based on bonhomie shared with New Delhi.

Before we look at the geopolitical reality that has dictated this move it would be pertinent to note that Russia has warmed up to Pakistan. In January a Russian delegation was in Islamabad where discussions on military sales took place. Moscow has been unhappy with New Delhis tilt towards Washington and has, in the last couple of years, offered to sell military equipment to Pakistan.

In November 2014, Pakistan and Russia had signed a bilateral defence cooperation agreement that was followed by another technical cooperation agreement. Last year, Russia signed a deal for the sale of four Mi-35 attack helicopters to Pakistan.

The defence deal marked a major shift in Russian policy towards Islamabad. In this background he US government has decided to sell jets.

Like it or not, Pakistan is central to the future of Afghanistan and US recognises that. In recent weeks the Quadrilateral Talks between Afghanistan, Pakistan, US and China have started with those involved agreeing to a broad outline within which talks would take place with Taliban. In recent months Taliban fighters have made tremendous advance in different districts of the country and the Afghan security forces have lacked both capability and capacity to challenge them. In Kunduz province 500 Taliban fighters took on a few thousand Afghan army soldiers and after holding on to the city centre for some time they have been pushed to the outskirts of the city. They continue to control the area outside and Afghan government knows that they would be challenged again the coming weeks. In Helmand province US troops are being dispatched as Afghan security forces have failed to neutralise the committed Taliban fighters.

A major spring offensive is expected from Taliban once snows melt. Washington needs Pakistans support to influence Taliban factions to join talks for peace. While it is widely believed that Pakistans army and ISI have ample leverage with Taliban the generals have informed the Americans that they have limited influence and their role should not be taken for granted.

Whatever the fact may be, Pakistan cannot be ignored. That is a given around which any discussion or debate on military sales to Islamabad can be conducted. Indias stand notwithstanding, the US believes that Pakistan has been a victim of terrorism and backs army offensive in the tribal areas. General Raheel Sharif and US Army chief have telechats daily to discuss the security situation.

Another reality that stares at South Asia is that the US will soon be consumed by presidential elections. With Iowa and New Hampshire primaries behind us the entire US administration will get into election mode come May. President Obama would soon become a lame duck president and but for important foreign policy decisions no other decision would be taken until a new occupant of White House takes charge in January 2017.

The Obama administration has been under pressure for announcing a withdrawal of combat troops from Afghanistan without a correct assessment of the ground situation and the political reality of a weak government in Kabul. Pakistans geographical and demographic proximity to Afghanistan cannot be ignored any less than its political influence on that country.

Washington uses a carrot and stick policy towards Islamabad and the decision to sell F16s needs to be seen and understood in this light.

The author is a former BBC journalist.
New Delhi: Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on Friday expressed dismay over Indians becoming much too tolerant of intolerance and asked people to work hard to preserve tolerance and plurality of the country. He, however, said intolerance was not a new phenomenon.

The Constitution does not have anything against having beef or storing it in the refrigerator, he said. The problem is not that Indians have turned intolerant. Its on the contrary. We have been much too tolerant even of intolerance. When some people are attacked by organised detractors they need our support. Its not adequate for us to be offended by their attack. We need to do something about it. This is not happening adequately right now. And it did not happen adequately earlier as well, the noted economist said.

He was speaking at the annual Rajendra Mathur Memorial Lecture organised by the Editors Guild of India at India International Centre in New Delhi. The topic was The Centrality of the Right to Dissent.

He blamed the government for not doing enough to protect the renowned artist MF Husain when was chastised by organised groups. He also noted with regret that India became the first country to ban the book The Satanic Verses.

Husain, as may be recalled, was hounded out of India in 2006 by right wing fundamentalists over his allegedly controversial paintings of Hindu deities and lived between London and Dubai until his death in 2011.

Salman Rushdies book, The Satanic Verses, was banned by India in the year of its publication, 1988.

In the animated discussion on freedom of expression vis-a-vis recent crackdown on students for raising their voice, he said in response to a query, Public discussion and debate is necessary over this topic. Freedom is a big thing and Freedom of Expression is well defined in Indian Constitution. Hence, one has to think about many aspects of this freedom. I will give you an example of what freedom of expression is. In this hall, can you shout? No! So, you have to accept certain rules in a society. Theres a need for defending the freedom of expression through public discussion.

Sens prescription for issues related to intolerance, dissent, curbing of democracy, conflict of identity, etc was to see issues in context and in proper perspective.

The author of The Argumentative Indian, Sen argued, while discussing conflict of identity, that argument and reasoning were powerful forces. Citing the example of Islamic fundamentalists, he said, They lay thrust only on the Quran, but never mention how advance they were in Mathematics; they dont talk about Algebra that they had invented. This causes conflict of identity for Muslims. We need argumentative approach to know identity.

Replying to a question on the misuse of religion to silence dissent, Sen said that religion could be used in many different ways and when it was used to silence people because of their faith or no faith, it then clearly violated ones fundamental right to Freedom of Speech.

Sen also called upon people to deal with the attacks on their freedom in a democratic manner as they were living in a democratic society. You should criticize the government, if you feel unhappy. Defeatism takes you nowhere. It is up to you to change the society, he added.
By NR Mohanty

The president of the JNU Students Union (JNUSU) has been arrested on sedition charges in the aftermath of the uproar over the Afzal Guru protest. The question is: should the students union president be held responsible for acts by individual members of the student body? In my view, a students union president must be held accountable for the actions of the JNUSU, the collective body, not that of individual organisations within the university, mainstream or fringe.

It has not been clearly established if a mainstream student organisation was involved in conducting the event that hero-worshipped Afzal Guru, whose terrorist links have been established by the highest court of justice. ABVP and NSUI, student organisations of the BJP and Congress, are ruled out because of obvious reasons  BJP was in the forefront demanding the execution of Afzal Guru and the Congress government hanged him.

That leaves the onus on three left outfits in the campus: SFI, affiliated to CPI (M), AISF, student body of the CPI, and AISA, a radical left group. All three have condemned the anti-India slogans in the protest rally. The JNUSU, in which they are represented, has categorically distanced itself from the event and asserted that those who undermine the Constitution of India must be taken to task.

Kanhaiya Kumar, president of the JNUSU and leader of the AISF, has said that like every other Indian, he believed in the supremacy of the Constitution. To leave no one in doubt, he has also said that he considered Kashmir an integral part of India, not a disputed territory.

Why should he be arrested then if some fringe elements  who are yet to be identified  raised anti-India slogans? After all, a JNUSU president has no control over the actions of individual students. If it is a question of constructive responsibility, then by extending that logic, the chief minister of a state must be hauled up for the anti-national activity of any resident in the state, a ridiculous proposition.

Having been the president of the JNUSU years ago, I faced a similar situation, though it was an incident outside the campus. Some students of JNU had then gone for a late evening show to the nearby Priya Cinema. They had a scuffle with the cinema staff who tried to shuffle some students around to accommodate a few special guests. The scuffle took an ugly turn when some students were evicted. They threw stones and smashed the glass facade and damaged property.

When I learned of the incident, I rushed to the cinema with some friends to take stock of the situation. Students had already fled, but a big police force had arrived. I was arrested once I identified myself. Some students ran back to the campus to inform the administration about my arrest. The vice chancellor, Prof PN Srivastava (PNS to the then JNU community), accompanied by other top officials of the university administration, reached the spot in half an hour. The vice chancellor requested the deputy commissioner of police present there, Ajay Agarwal, that I should be released as I was not involved in the incident. But the DCP told the VC that I must name the culprits if I wanted to be set free. Prof Srivastava told Agarwal that I should not be expected to give police the intelligence inputs. If the police so desired, they could conduct the investigation in the campus the next day and university officials would co-operate, the VC said. But Agarwal curtly told the VC that the police did not need his permission to initiate an investigation in the campus. The VC shot back: Mr Agarwal, remember this, you cannot set foot in my campus without my permission. After this exchange, the VC left.

A furious DCP sent me to a police station before I was to be produced before a magistrate next morning. But this was not to be. The VC came back to his residence and spent the night trying to get in touch with senior police officers to apprise them with the situation and set me free. Thanks to his nightlong efforts, and interventions at the highest level of police hierarchy, I was released early in the morning. In fact, a police jeep dropped me at the VCs residence. Prof Srivastava welcomed me back with a cup of coffee.

Should not the current vice chancellor have taken a cue from PNS and opposed the arrest of the students union president for a crime he has not committed? I think he should have, but then to take such a courageous stand a VC needs to have the moral fibre to withstand political pressure. Unfortunately, not many VCs are cast in the PNS mould.
Borkung Hrangkhawl, or BK as hes more popularly known, has a simple message to give through his music  integrating the North East with the rest of India. Having grown up in Tripura, under the shadow of a politician father, Borkung was sensitized to the struggles of the tribes back home at a young age.

Borkung realized quite young that he wanted to make music. When he was 12 or 13 years old, he realized that rap music really gripped him. A way to be direct, he felt rap was always more than words, that it was poetry.

I always was attracted towards rap because of the way you can tell a story with it, through rhymes and rhythm, its basically poetry. You can say anything on the face, you can be very direct with rap. I started out when I was young, maybe in class 7 or 8. I found that I could write my own songs and rhymes so I thought Ill just take it as a hobby but I never knew I would pursue further, he says.

Of course, in class in 7 and 8, its tough to be sensitive towards social causes, or to even completely grasp such issues. So he wrote about what he could relate to best as a teenager  love.

When I started writing, it was love songs, because we were all into boy bands then. It was in the era when loads of boy bands were coming up, he says.

Once he discovered rap, there was no looking back. A starkly different genre from boy band pop, rap artists were a world apart to Borkung, almost like poets. Some of the artists who had the most influence on Borkung were Eminem, Fat Joe and Fort Minor.

But Borkung was never one to adhere to popular taste  Even though I like doing commercial music, I thought instead I should speak out something people dont like talking about in the media. Being a kid, I always saw my dad working so hard for the welfare of the people of Tripura, to preserve their rights. I got inspired through that. And once I found that I could write my own songs and rhymes, I thought this was the best way to express and anyway, Im not good with politics, he adds.

His protest music has its roots firmly planted in Tripura and in Delhi. Having graduated from Delhi University, Borkung has had his share of incidents that have prompted him to take his lyrics and rhythms more seriously. While crossing a park one day, Borkung was poked in the chest thrice for being misunderstood for a Nepali. The miscreants let him go after being told he was Indian and not Nepali, bought him a bandaid and assured him theyd protect him if anything were to happen to him while crossing the park again.

After they poked me they asked me if I was Nepali and I said I wasnt and told them Im from Tripura, Im Indian. Im pretty sure they were lying because they were searching for my phone and wallet and the racial thing was certainly there, but their intension was mostly to rob. And also I looked different, so thats also probably why.Having lived in Delhi, Borkung believes that as a North East Indian theres always some sort of miscommunication that happens, but its nobodys fault, we just have to bridge the gap and once people know about the north east more theyll accept it more readily. This gap is something we need to fill up.

On being asked why he doesnt want to make music in his native language, he said We are not very rich in dialect and very small in number and there are a lot of tribes and languages in Tripura. I use English and Hindi because I want to encourage people from all across the country so people can accept. I want a tell a story to the rest of the world, let them know what theyre going through.

Borkung echoes thoughts of most from the North East  that they are also part of the mainland, that theirs is a culture still unexplored. He wants people to vacation in the North East, eat their food and learn about their culture and heritage.

As for where he wants to go with his music, hes got big Grammy dreams. I want to represent my people, I want to represent India. I want to win a Grammy, tell them Im Tripuri, Im Indian, tell my story and where I come from.

Through the discrimination and racism, Borkung has managed to remain pragmatic

I have so many friends from the mainland and they are so good and polite and only a few people who dont understand the culture of the North East I guess. Because of those few people we have to call it racial discrimination. Once they know you they accept you as humans. I have seen so many people whore so kind hearted in Delhi. After we got introduced, we became friends. What Im trying to say is all you need is a Jaan Pehchaan. Our responsibility is to make jaan pehchaan (breed familiarity) between the North East and the Mainland.
I start this piece with an anecdote going back to 2008-2009. The UPA government was in power and I was working with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Driving through Delhis VVIP area, I noticed over a period of several months a strange development  small cars and jeeps sporting yellow number plates of taxis with black and white silhouettes of a personality who became a symbol of Punjabs secessionist movement. An event that led to the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi. In fact, he continues to be an inspiration for Khalistan supporters till date. Stickers of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the man who took on the Indian State from within Amritsars Golden Temple and who was eventually killed in Operation Bluestar in the summer of 1984, on glasses on cars zipping through the city.

Surprised to see such brazen display of support for Bhindranwale, I mentioned it to a senior official in the security establishment. He looked surprised and said, Some people have Bhagat Singh stickers for inspiration and others have Bhindranwale. I questioned if a terrorist and a person who was taken on by the Indian Army for waging war against the State could be openly venerated. There was silence. I then asked what the police or security establishment would do if I were to drive around with a sticker of Osama bin Laden on my car. Now, he remarked, I will have to check that.

Our conversation ended there and now, over six years have gone by. Since last year I have noticed that these stickers have now become more explicit. Full length stickers of Bhindranwale with a bhaala or spear in one hand are now pasted on glasses of taxis and people drive around with those, quite happily, with no policeman detaining them and or even investigating the provocation for such stickers to be flaunted.

Some will argue that sporting such stickers is harmless. How does it matter if cabs sport such stickers? After all, the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression. And by that same argument, some would argue today argue that JNUs students were doing no wrong if they organized a meeting to honour Afzal Guru who was accused of plotting an attack on the Parliament in 2001 and whose death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court of India. Similarly there's nothing wrong if the Press Club of India premises were used to hold another such meeting where reportedly anti-India slogans were raised, they would argue.

Freedom of speech and expression are not unfettered rights. Every right has limitations. In the name of intellectual freedom people cannot be allowed to hold public meetings to honour men who worked against the State and its institutions. The Vice Chancellor of JNU was misled by organisers of this meeting where slogans were raised in memory of Guru and against the Indian State. And JNU is a Central University which is funded by the government and is not a private institution.

Can an institution allow such an activity or meeting? While the debate has taken a typical BJP versus others tone here, in the UK similar debate is in progress about the role and responsibility of universities that could be seen as soft on terrorism. A controversial Counter-terrorism and Security Act 2015 has been viewed by some as violative of human rights as guaranteed by the European Human Rights Law and is likely to face legal challenges.

Under the law, universities in the UK have been issued guidance which makes it incumbent on academics to check students spreading radical ideas, monitor them and to not provide a platform to radical speakers. Vice Chancellors have been asked to submit reports about preparedness to implement such guidelines and failure to follow guidelines would invite action.

Currently a major debate is in progress across academic circles on and off UK campuses on whether these guidelines impinge on academic freedom. To address such concern revised guidelines were issued to Universities in September last year that would allow radical speakers space if at the same time there is a speaker present who counters such an argument there and then.

In the case of JNU event there was no academic discussion that was underway. Instead it was a meeting where anti-India slogans were raised. Such a meeting to be organized on the campus of a government-funded university is certainly far from lawful. Anyone who believes such a meeting should have been allowed must be asked if public gatherings honouring LTTEs Prabhakaran, Indias most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim or Hafiz Saeed of JeM fame should be given permission next.

In the pre-9/11 days Britain proud of its democratic traditions allowed anyone and everyone to pitch tents in the UK and openly abuse and call for removal of governments abroad. Khalistan groups and LTTE were proudly hosted in London. Freedom of speech and expression were unfettered to such an extent that even radical Muslim clerics were allowed to hold sermons in UK mosques where they called for an overthrow of British governments.

The events of 9/11 and attacks on London underground changed all that.

The JNU Students Union president has been arrested on Friday on sedition charge and he has claimed innocence. He said, there were outsiders who came in and raised anti-India slogans. The cops must investigate the case and punish the guilty.

But, a democratic right that needs to be cherished and protected must not be allowed to be misused in the name of freedom. There is a line that divides right to have academic debate and support to terrorism or the idea of terrorism, that should not be violated or allowed to be. If it is, then the law must come into play.

The writer is a former BBC journalist
Anti-national and sedition are dire words. These should not be thrown around casually. Its not so much for the reason that the words are hurtful to the intended target, but more for the reason that they would lose gravitas from overuse or indiscreet use. Stretched beyond a point it might encourage a sub-culture of defiance and irreverence to the idea of the nation itself. The leaders of the current regime should be extremely careful with these words.

Are the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University who raised slogans in support of Afzal Guru, calling him a martyr and describing his hanging as a case of judicial killing, anti-nationals? Does the act of pasting posters inviting students to join a march against his hanging qualify as sedition? The reply depends a lot on the meaning you attach to these words at a personal level and to the extent you would allow others to challenge or violate it. It also depends on how you view the latters position and react to it.

Looking it from the perspective of organisations, the ABVPs understanding of nationalism is too narrow, and that of some Left student bodies is too frivolous. One is too much into an elaborate system of symbolism and ritualism while the other takes the idea of the nation for granted so much that it believes rebelling against it continuously it is only normal. In this both share the traits of their ideological fountainheads which have failed to fit the essence of Indian nationalism into their respective worldview fully. In such a situation, a conflict of views is normal.

But the question here is how far would you take the conflict of views? The ABVP has got a foothold in a university known to be a bastion of the Left and would like to create more space for itself. Obviously, this has to come at the cost of the Left student unions. The fact that theres a favourable government at the centre makes the ABVP bolder. The other unions also benefitted from similar patronage from friendly dispensations at the centre and in some states too.

Thats not a problem in itself; the problem is when someone as important as the countrys Home Minister Rajnath Singh wades into what essentially is a matter among students and hints that some are anti-nationals. Soon after he said he had instructed the police to take strict action on the anti-national elements on campus other ministers in the government have followed with similar reactions. When ministers start branding students anti-nationals it becomes a serious matter with grave implications.

Now, coming back to the earlier question, are these students anti-national and seditious? Not by a long stretch. They are young, impressionable, impulsive, ideologically-programmed thus unintelligent, and they love to be seen as rebels. They love the idea of freedom with no real understanding of what it means. They seriously believe their opinion changes the world. They are a harmless lot till they are sloganeering and carrying placards with nonsense written on them. Of course, we know the enthusiasm for ideology vanishes once real life kicks in. This applies to all members of student unions. Only a few establish themselves and shine in politics after campus life.

We should be treating them with some indulgence and affection. Young men after will be young men, a bit irresponsible. The best response would be to let students settle their own disagreements. Its a university with a culture of debates and discussions. This should be allowed to be destroyed by low-level politics. The high profile political intervention threatens to do exactly that. National politics is too acrimonious already, the mutual bitterness at another level should not seep into campuses.

To close, these students maybe fools but anti-nationals they are not. Lets not brand them so.
By Shishir Tripathi

As the storm at the Jawaharlal Nehru University intensified overnight with protesters locking horns with the government over the arrest of students union president Kanhaiya Kumar on sedition charges, some voices have called for an end to the subversive politics of fringe elements while cautioning that ending of politics in campuses is not practicable or even a desirable solution.

Fringe elements and denigrated free-floaters are the real trouble makers. The aim should be to target and weed them out, not clamping down on campus politics, a JNU student told Firstpost.

On Friday night thousands of JNU students participated in a march led by ABVP to laud the arrest of Kumar, demanding the arrest of other anti-national students.

The march clearly spoke of simmering disconcert among students with the activities of a particular group which is perceived as anti-national.

Shashank, a senior research scholar at department of International Relations, said: Most students who raised slogans in favour of Afzal Guru belonged to the Democratic Student Union (DSU) which has no support base. They have not won a single election ever.

And most of those who created the problem were expelled from their party in the past. They are anti-nationals but not at all a benchmark for judging JNU or the leftist politics here. They are the fringe elements, said Shashank.

Anti-national stance has always been part of JNUs political rhetoric. What happened on February 9 was that for the first time, the so-called anti-national acts were put in public domain.

There is nothing new in this. In 2010 when 76 CRPF jawans were killed during a Maoist attack in Dantewada there was a proper celebration at Narmada hostel with music and drinks. It has been part of JNU culture to criticise the state, be it on issues like Kashmir, Naxalism or Nagaland, said another student.

Its fashionable to be anti-establishment here at JNU, it has an intellectual appeal, says Sandeep, another student.

However, I dont think any one of them can go out and cause hurt or injury. I am 100 per cent sure that there can be no concrete manifestation of their anti-India stance. This is all very theoretical and ends with a good job opportunity and exit from the campus, he added.

Spending some time at the Ganga Dhaba or any of the hostels on campus makes it evident that JNU being more than a political place has constituents that are extremely politically aware.

Left politics still holds its ground. The seductive charm of reformative politics  that challenges status quo and talks of equality  attracts a number of young students from places like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar which suffer from deep socio-cultural fissures.

Kumar, the student union leader who was arrested on Friday, is one among them.

His close friend said: I know Kanhaiya for years. He belongs to a very humble family from Begusarai in Bihar. His father is a farmer. He was of course attracted to leftist ideology. You can understand coming from a backward region this place looks very glamorous with all sort of freedom and talks of equality.

The problem is that you can defend anything in the name of defending free speech.

However, most students refused to accept that anti-national politics can be the framework to understand JNU politics.

Shashank said: Against the commonly held perception, voting here is done entirely based on the issues. Kanhaiya had no cadre but was very convincing in his talks and speeches. Nobody expected him to win but he won because his ideas appealed to students. So if you think that anti-national politics can be a ladder to central panel you are wrong. You have to spend some years in JNU to understand the politics of the campus.

Some students feel it is nothing but turf war. The demographic profile of JNU is changing.

Till 2008 when the OBC reservation was implemented, JNU had a system where cities were categorised according to their development. Students from backward districts used to enjoy some leniency, making their number considerably large.

However, with the implementation of OBC quota, the earlier system was put to an end. This led to increasing number of students from urban centres like Delhi University getting entry.

These students had wider exposure and were usually uninterested in politics. They were not easily swayed and indoctrinated. And since then left parties have felt threatened.

And with the BJP coming to power at Centre and the ABVP asserting itself with more vigour and winning a seat in central panel (joint secretary of JNU is from ABVP) after the gap of some 14 years, left parties had more reasons to worry.

Some of the slogans raised at the march on Friday were : Jis jis ghar se afzal niklaga, us ghar main ghus ghus ke marenge ( We shall enter each home which breeds Afzal and kill them), Jitne Kasab laoge, utne Kasab hum katenge ( As many kasabs you bring will be butchered), Desh Ke gaddaro ko ek dhakka aur do (Push the traitors one again).

This was preceded by a solidarity march attended by large number of students and teachers condemning the arrest of Kumar who most of them thought were unjustly targeted.

Quoting an article from The Statesman published on June 6, 1974, Rakesh Batabyal in his book JNU: The Making Of A University writes... Political convictions and the spotlight that is constantly turned on the campus prompt many students and teachers see themselves as actors on the stage of history.

They tend therefore to interpret events according to the role they have assumed for themselves. This may plunge campus into tension and violence.

Batabyal further writes: Theodore Adorno, who was himself an exile, tried to pinpoint the location of intellectual within a society and came to the conclusion that they reside in the twilight zone. The intellectual is both a member of the bourgeoisie and simultaneously trying to annihilate it. The possible intransigence of the intellectual consists in being the proverbial square peg, and one whose sole business to demythologise.

He adds, This has been key factor which propelled many to seek their real location, and significantly the left politics gave them a meaning well beyond mere political ideology. It gave them a vocation and a life world.

But when this left ideology is confused with a misguided rebellion then a rupture happens that JNU is facing currently.
Historians will one day note that the crackdown on JNU students strengthened the very idea the Indian state wants to suppress: That of Afzal Guru.

It is a big mistake.

If the use of force, guns and bombs could have killed an idea, Islamic terror would have been long dead now, bombed into the stone age by those fighting against it.

Yet, the scourge of Islamic terror not just survives, but it also thrives, rampaging across borders, finding new recruits, adherents, flag-wavers and jihadists. Every death inspires a few more--either out of retribution or because of indoctrination; every strike on a terror camp strengthens the resolve of those left behind.

It has been almost 15 years since the West began its war on Islamic terror, yet there is no end in sight. Instead, some like the Russian prime minister now fear that it may spiral out of control and lead to a world war.

Force, the history of Islamic terror teaches us, is an impotent weapon in the battle of ideas. It can never destroy what it aims to demolish, but instead runs the risk of escalating the war to a level where it becomes mutually destructive.

This is precisely why the Indian government has made a huge mistake by using force against "anti-India" protests on the JNU campus. By retaliating with arrests, police action and sedition charges to an idea that should have been countered through the bigger and better idea of India, it has unleashed a bigger monster.

The idea of Afzal Guru

Afzal Guru is a hero to many Kashmiris, an inspiration for its youth. When the UPA government hanged him on the eve of the 2014 Lok Sabha election, hoping that it will be seen as a beacon of patriotism by hanging him in a hurry, it turned him into a martyr in the eyes of separatists.

Keeping Guru alive, just like the killers of Beant Singh and Rajiv Gandhi, may have perhaps allowed him to live long enough to fade away into irrelevance or deprive him of the martyr's aura. But, like Maqbool Bhat, who was executed and buried in the Tihar jail in 1984, he has now become a symbol of freedom struggle and Indian oppression for Kashmiris.

"The Indian Supreme Court hanged Afzal Guru to satisfy the collective conscience of the nation. Even his family particularly the wife and son were not allowed to meet him. His hanging is an unforgettable tragedy of human history. Though he was hanged without being provided justice, his demise gave rise to thousands of Maqbools and Afzals in Kashmir, separatist leader Shabbir Ahmad Shah said on the third anniversary of Guru's hanging.

Unfortunately for India, his words echo the thoughts of many Kashmiris. And a convicted terrorist whose case went right up to the SC has become larger in death than he was in his life.

Every month, dozens of protests against the Indian state are held in the Valley; thousands of mourners participate in funeral processions of militants killed by security forces; IS flags and anti-India slogans surface every alternate day in different corners of the Valley and people support azadi from India at every available forum.

Just a few days ago, the Valley was shut down on the third death anniversary of Afzal Guru, who was hanged for his role in the attack on Indian Parliament. Hundreds of youth, and separatist leaders enforced the bandh in Kashmir and Srinagar, demanding justice for Afzal Guru and mortal remains of JKLF founder Maqbool Bhat. Nobody outside the state noticed or worried too much about it.

What the separatists failed to do with their frequent strikes and protests in Kashmir, the Indian state has achieved with its use of force in JNU: It has brought the idea of Afzal Guru to the national mainstream, allowed it to dominate the country's discourse. It is a tactical triumph Guru's supporters could have only prayed for.

Using a cannon to kill an ant

At the root of the JNU problem is campus politics. Students influenced by the Left's ideology are entrenched deep into the campus. They are mentored, protected and indoctrinated by a faculty dominated by those brought up on similar ideas and politics.

Pitted against them are the right-wingers, represented by the ABVP, the students' wing of the saffron parivar. The battle between the two competing ideas has become intense after Narendra Modi's advent on the national scene. Emboldened by his victory, the saffron parivar sees the JNU as the final frontier for its catch-them-young politics.

In this war of ideas on the campus, both sides cross their tipping points. If the ABVP raises the rhetoric on nationalism, Hindutva--putting the nation above individual--the other side counters its propaganda by putting the rights of an individual over the nation by talking about equality, liberty and freedom.

In 2010, some of them distributed sweets and took out celebrity processions when 75 CRPF personnel were killed by Naxalites in Dantewada. Though it triggered the mandatory war of words between spokespersons of political parties, the brouhaha died down because the ABVP and the NSUI, in a rare show of bon homie, countered it with a protest against the protest.

This time too, the state should have left the two warring ideologies to take on each other. A few students talking about Afzal Guru and shouting anti-India slogans in some corner of a university would have posed no threat to the integrity and security of the country. At best, it was the JNU vice-chancellor's headache, not of the country's home minister.

The idea of India, the rationale of Kashmir as an integral part of India is much bigger than the petty political agendas of a university. Perhaps a passionate speaker armed with facts, rationale and logic could have single-handedly countered the idea of Afzal Guru in the university than the might of the state.
OTTAWA Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who never skips a chance to reach out to voters, marked 100 days in office on Friday by fielding Twitter questions on topics from Star Wars to economics to what he had for lunch.

Critics were already complaining that Trudeau is more style than substance, but he shows no sign of ditching an intensely personal style of governing, which often involves stopping for selfies with well-wishers.

Trudeau, 44, led his Liberals to a surprise election win last October on the back of a promise to change politics. He named a cabinet with an equal number of men and women and dominates the media in a way few of his predecessors did.

His tastes sometimes run to the informal. On Friday he took questions on Twitter for 45 minutes, including one about whether a hot dog was a sandwich.

"Yes. That way, when asked what you had for lunch, you can say 'a sandwich'. Sounds waaaay healthier," he replied.

Other subjects included Arctic security, gay rights, taxes, national security and youth unemployment. He also found time to comment on a toy moose that someone had covered in newspaper pictures of the prime minister.

Trudeau will face a tougher challenge next month when his government releases a budget designed to boost a slack economy. He conceded this week he would run a larger deficit than initially promised.

Perhaps mindful of criticism that he talks a lot without achieving much, Trudeau released a list of what he said his government had done since taking office in November.

The list included pushing through a tax cut for the middle class, launching an operation to accept 25,000 Syrian refugees and creating thousands of summer jobs for students.

The opposition New Democrats were less impressed.

"100 days into a Liberal government and people are still working harder than ever, but can't get ahead," the party said in a statement.

And what does Trudeau think of The Force Awakens, the latest Star Wars movie?

"Loved it. Glad there was no Jar-Jar, literally and metaphorically," he replied on Twitter.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by David Gregorio)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
PERTH, Australia Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Saturday announced more than a dozen changes to his ministry, the second major reshuffle in the five months he has been leader and ahead of national elections expected later this year.

Turnbull was forced into the major cabinet reshuffle by the resignation of one minister, the retirement of two long-standing senior ministers and the sacking of two others over their involvement in political scandals.

The new cabinet lineup represents "a dynamic team which combines youth, new talent, experience, continuity, and a real sense of innovation and enterprise", Turnbull told a news conference in Sydney.

"Change offers opportunity...there comes a time when you need to transition from older leadership to newer leadership. Turnover, change, is good...is is a revitalised government and it is revitalised because of new blood coming in," he said.

Turnbull's Liberal-National coalition is the frontrunner to win elections expected in October - his first poll as Liberal party leader and prime minister. A victory would secure Turnbull a popular mandate and secure his position as party leader.

Turnbull ousted former Liberal leader Tony Abbott in a leadership coup last September and is under pressure to unite his divided government.

The retirement of Australia's deputy prime minister on Thursday saw Turnbull inherit a National party political rival, hard-right, climate change sceptic as his deputy, an appointment that could block any revamp of an emissions trading scheme and give farmers a greater say in government policy.

Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce became deputy prime minister when he was voted to lead the coalition's minor partner, the Nationals.

Turnbull appointed eight new ministers and boosted the number of women in his cabinet from five to six on Saturday.

The major change sees Australia's trade minister Andrew Robb, who led negotiations for landmark free trade agreements with China, Japan and Korea and the multinational Trans-Pacific Partnership, become a special trade envoy. He will be replaced as trade minister by Steven Ciobo.

Australia is in the midst of several trade negotiations, including free trade deals with India and Singapore.

The coalition government won a landslide election in 2013 but Abbott saw his popularity plummet in the wake of a hugely unpopular 2014 austerity budget.

Plummeting commodity prices have depleted the government's coffers, a major financial stumbling block for Turnbull, whose rise was sparked partly by his image as a prudent financial manager based on his background in the private sector.

Australia in December forecast its budget deficit would swell to A$37.4 billion ($26.48 billion) in the year to June as falling prices for key resource exports open a gaping hole in tax revenue.

(Reporting by Morag MacKinnon)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
New Delhi: India expressed disappointment over US administration's decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, saying it disagrees that such arms' transfers will help combat terrorism. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will be summoning US Ambassador Richard Verma to convey India's "displeasure".

"We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama Administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircrafts to Pakistan. We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism. The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself. The US Ambassador will be summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs to convey our displeasure," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

The Obama administration today notified the US Congress of its decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan worth nearly $700 million, notwithstanding American lawmakers' demand for stopping the proposed sale.

The estimated cost of the sale is $699.4 million, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency  a wing of the Pentagon -said in a statement, adding that this proposed sale contributes to the US foreign policy objectives and national security goals by helping to improve the security of a strategic partner in South Asia.

PTI
New York: Indian art and artists are the toast of a potential blockbuster launch of New Yorks Met Breuer museum in the first week of March even as prime minister Narendra Modi speaking in Mumbai made a strong pitch for Indian art and its place in the worlds public square.

Art brings history to life, Narendra Modi said inaugurating a new building of Bombay Art Society.

Even as he spoke, the countdown to one of the most eagerly anticipated museum launches on the world art scene is gaining steam in New York  at the MetBreuer.

Writing in Business Standard on channeling corporate wealth to create better platforms for Indian art, Kishore Singh says the art fraternity is abuzz with news of the Met Breuer in New York opening with a retrospective of Indian artist Nasreen Mohamedi. But what few know is that the exhibition is being supported by Nita and Mukesh Ambani and their Reliance Foundation, Singh writes.

Indian art and artists need much better platforms, both at home and abroad. Even a rough estimate shows that the United States has thousands of exhibition spaces compared with barely more than 20 in India.

With roughly half of the world under 20 years of age and so caught up with experiences museums are swiftly reinventing their images from containers to a sand box people can play in.

For a generation absorbed so intensely with fascination of the now, Met Breuer seeks to inform connections between past and present.

The Reliance Foundation effort to tap into that void and bring Indian art to the worlds doorstep has made it to the The New York Times special on the Met Breuer opening.

The Wall Street Journal touches off the grand scale of what Met Breuer is attempting considering its place as one of the greatest encyclopedic museums in the world.

That Sheena Wagstaff, former chief curator at Londons Tate Modern is about to make her debut at the museums new Breuer building by personally curating on the Indian minimalist Nasreen Mohamedi - India's Agnes Martin, has made headlines already. "Phenomenal and powerful," says Wagstaff of Mohamedi's work which spans "only three decades".

Sheena is particularly interested in figures who are not super well-represented in New York City, say experts who are well aware of the urgent need to bring South Asia and the rich diversity of American's changing demography into the spotlight.

Better education and appetite for art go well together and museums hold up a mirror to immigrants about where they fit in a wider world, says The Economist.

For precisely this reason, Asians in America are more likely to be museum goers.

Reliance Foundations effort at the Art Institute of Chicago in late 2015 and now at the Met Breuer addresses the cultural connect for this cohort which represents the smartest, most educated, most mobile generation ever in recorded history.

Reliance Foundation brought the Gates of the Lord: The Tradition of Krishna Paintings, the first major U.S. exhibit of the art of the Pushtimarg, a Hindu sect of western India, to the Art Institute of Chicago which ran from September 2015 to January 2016. Gates of the Lord featured more than 100 objects celebrating Shrinathji, a form of Krishna.

Reliance Foundation in partnership with BP brought to India the internationally acclaimed exhibition Mummy: The Inside Story. The three-month exhibition increased the footfall of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (earlier called Prince of Wales Museum) to over 261,200 visitors, of which over 100,000 were students from nearly 300 schools.

Its about time, isnt it? says Meenakshi Shankar, 25, who runs in New York's Central Park in Metropolitan Museum's backyard. I grew up in India, it feels great to know that my identity is reflected in one of the worlds greatest museums. Im looking forward to more Asian events at the Met, she says.

Calling the Met Breuer, a standalone home to the Metropolitan museums aspirations in Modern and contemporary art Blouin Artinfo reports that Wagstaff has gathered an inclusive cohort of curators, with specialties ranging from performance, decorative arts, and architecture to regional expertise in Latin America, the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, and South Asia.

As museums around the world stake their claim as cultural centres, going beyond traditional subjects such as art and artefacts, science and history, Met Breuer aspires to be the coolest hangout in the city, headlined by Indian art and artists.

Coinciding with the Nasreen Mohamedi exhibition, Harvard professor and Grammy nominated jazz pianist Vijay Iyer will be performing live at the Met Breuer lobby, redefining the traditional concept of an art installation.

(Disclosure: Firstpost is part of Network18 Media & Investment Limited - owned by Reliance Industries Limited.)
CAIRO Egypt's forensics authority handed over to the prosecutor general's office on Saturday its final autopsy report on the Italian student who was tortured and found dead in Cairo last week.

Giulio Regeni, 28, had been researching independent trade unions in Egypt and had written articles critical of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's government - prompting speculation that he was killed at the hands of Egypt's security forces.

Egypt's interior and foreign ministers both dismissed the notion of security forces being behind Regeni's murder.

The prosecutor general's office said it would not publicly disclose the contents of the report as the investigation was ongoing. Reuters was not able to obtain a copy to verify the contents.

However, a senior source at the forensics authority told Reuters Regeni, a graduate student at Britain's Cambridge University, had seven broken ribs, signs of electrocution on his penis, traumatic injuries all over his body, and a brain haemorrhage.

His body also bore signs of cuts from a sharp instrument suspected to be a razor, abrasions, and bruises. He was likely assaulted using a stick as well as being punched and kicked, the source added.

A second autopsy in Italy "confronted us with something inhuman, something animal", Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano told Sky News 24 television last week.

Egypt's initial autopsy report showed Regeni had been hit on the back of the head with a sharp instrument.

Rights groups say police often detain Egyptians on scant evidence and that they are beaten or coerced. Scores have disappeared since 2013, the groups say. Egypt denies allegations of police brutality.

Regeni was given a funeral in his hometown on Friday and Italy's prime minister once again insisted that those responsible be caught and punished.

Italy has sent investigators to work with Egyptian authorities in an effort to establish what happened to Regeni.

(Reporting by Haitham Ahmed; Writing by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Alison Williams)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Mexico City: Mexico greeted Pope Francis on Friday with mariachi music and throngs of Catholic faithful lining the streets after he held historic talks with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Cuba.

President Enrique Pena Nieto welcomed Francis at the airport while a mariachi band played before he climbed into the Popemobile to wave at crowds across the capital of the world's second largest Catholic country.

"Francis, brother of the Mexican people!" the crowd chanted as an estimated 300,000 people braved the evening cold, holding up telephones to light his way.

But before beginning a five-day trip across violence-torn Mexican regions, Francis stopped in Cuba to mend a 1,000-year-old Christian rift with Russian Patriarch Kirill.

"At last we meet. We are brothers," said the 79-year-old pope, in white robes and a skullcap, as he met the white-bearded Orthodox leader, 69, in black robes and a white headdress.

"Clearly, this meeting is God's will."

It was the first meeting between the heads of the Eastern and Western churches since the great schism of 1054, with the Eastern church rejecting the authority of Rome.

"For nearly one thousand years, Catholics and Orthodox have been deprived of communion in the Eucharist," they said in a joint declaration signed after they hugged and kissed at Havana's airport.

"We are pained by the loss of unity, the outcome of human weakness and of sin," they said.

"Mindful of the permanence of many obstacles, it is our hope that our meeting may contribute to the reestablishment of this unity willed by God."

Neutral ground

Their meeting was driven by rising violence in recent years in the Middle East, where Christian communities have suffered at the hands of extremists.

"We call upon the international community to act urgently in order to prevent the further expulsion of Christians from the Middle East," the religious leaders said.

Between them, they are the spiritual leaders of more than 1.3 billion Christians. The main barrier to a rapprochement over the years has been the Orthodox Church's refusal to accept the primacy of the Roman pontiff.

"I felt like I was in front of a brother," Francis told reporters on the flight to Mexico. "We talked about a program of possible activities in common."

The meeting on neutral ground -- hosted by the communist, atheist Cuban leadership of Raul Castro -- was decades in the planning, with the final obstacles swept away by the pope's determination and global politics.

But Francis has also framed the encounter in a broader context of engaging Russia, saying Moscow could be an important partner for peace in the world.

Troubled Mexico

The layover in Havana overshadowed the start of a trip that will highlight many of Mexico's ills, from drug cartel violence to the plight of migrants from Central America risking their lives to reach the United States.

"Hopefully, his visit and prayers will help Mexico because things are bad and violent," said Ana Gonzalez, a 49-year-old housewife among the crowd greeting the pope.

The Popemobiles convoy briefly stopped when bodyguards tackled a person who had crossed a barrier.

After arriving at the nunciature, where he was spending the night, Francis surprised the crowd by coming out to greet them and lead a prayer.

"Remember the people you love but also those you don't love," he said. "Let's put all those we love and all those we don't love in front of the Lord so that he, with us, blesses them all."

Nadia Zapata, who accompanied 250 boy scouts, said: "Everybody is asking Francis to resolve our problems, but he says that he's not a Wise King."

Before his arrival, Francis expressed his condolences to relatives of 49 inmates who died in a prison brawl on the eve of his trip that highlighted the gangs' control over penitentiaries nationwide.

Francis will meet inmates at another notorious prison on Wednesday in Ciudad Juarez, the former murder capital across the border from Texas.

His first event takes place on Saturday when he meets Pena Nieto at the National Palace.

While he is the third pope to visit the country, he will be the first to be hosted at the ornate palace, 24 years after the Vatican and the secular government restored diplomatic ties.

Later that day, he will make a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a major Catholic shrine dedicated to a dark-skinned Virgin Mary.

The pope will wade on Sunday into the crime-riddle suburb of Ecatepec for a massive outdoor mass.

He heads on Monday to the impoverished, indigenous southern state of Chiapas.

On Tuesday, he visits Morelia, the capital of Michoacan, a western state where vigilantes battled a cult-like drug cartel.

His trip ends on Wednesday with a massive cross-border mass in Ciudad Juarez focused on migration and violence.

AFP
MEXICO CITY From the U.S. border to the indigenous south, Pope Francis will visit some of the poorest and most violent corners of Mexico on his five-day trip and celebrates Mass on Saturday before an image of the country's patroness, the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Chronic violence and corruption will be themes of his visit to the world's second most populous Roman Catholic country, and he will address the plight of migrants trying to reach the United States with a service at the northern border next week.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to join the pope on Saturday afternoon at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, where pilgrims flock from all over Latin America.

"Don't be afraid, that is what she tells me," Pope Francis said ahead of his visit, adding that he wanted to reflect silently in front of her image.

The pope earlier this month urged Mexicans to fight against corruption and grisly drug gang violence. Some Mexicans are looking to him to take that even further while he's here.

"We want him to demand that the president kick out all the corrupt people," said Marbella Vargas, whose son Edgar was one of 43 students abducted and apparently massacred in 2014, a grisly case that hammered the government's reputation.

Mexico has been ravaged by drug violence over the past decade, and President Enrique Pena Nieto has been unable to fulfill his promises to put an end to it.

Francis flew into Mexico City on Friday evening for his first visit as leader of the Catholic Church, greeted by cheering crowds, a mariachi band and Pena Nieto.

During his visit, the pope will say Mass with indigenous communities in Mexico's poorest state Chiapas, and speak with young people in Morelia, the capital of Michoacan state that has been plagued by violence between drug gangs and armed vigilante groups.

More than 100,000 people have been killed in Mexico's drug violence over the last decade and some 26,000 are missing.

The pope's trip will end with a prison visit and Mass in the notorious northern border city of Ciudad Juarez, where he will meet relatives of victims of violence.

In a reminder of Mexico's corruption and violence, 49 people were killed in a fight between rival gangs in a prison just days before the pope's arrival.

There has been speculation that the pope might also meet with relatives of the 43 missing students.

Francis has won plaudits for his leadership of the Church over the last three years but in Mexico he may struggle to match the lasting appeal of Pope John Paul II, who made multiple visits to the country.

More than half of those polled by newspaper Reforma last month said they identified most with John Paul II, versus 14 percent for Francis.

(With reporting by Christine Murray, Anahi Rama and Lizbeth Diaz; Editing by Michael O'Boyle and Kieran Murray)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Washington: The US government said on Friday it had approved the sale to Pakistan of up to eight F-16 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp, radar and other equipment in a deal valued at $699 million.

The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which oversees foreign arms sales, said it had notified lawmakers about the possible deal.

The agency said the F-16s would allow Pakistan's Air Force to operate in all-weather environments and at night, while improving its self-defense capability and bolstering its ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations.

Lawmakers have 30 days to block the sale, although such action is rare since deals are well-vetted before any formal notification.

India said it was disappointed with the US decision. "We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism," Vikas Swarup, a spokesman for India's Foreign Ministry, said on Twitter.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker notified the Obama administration that he would not approve using US funds to pay for the planes through the foreign military financing (FMF) program. That means Pakistan must fund the purchase itself, instead of relying on US funds to cover about 46 percent of the cost.

Given the funds it has available, Pakistan may be able to buy only four of the F-16 Block 52 models, and the associated radar and electronic warfare equipment, said one US source familiar with the situation.

Corker told Secretary of State John Kerry in a letter that he was concerned about Pakistan's ties to the Haqqani network, a militant group that US officials have said is behind attacks in Afghanistan.

"I may reconsider my blanket hold on US FMF assistance should the Pakistanis make progress on addressing my significant concerns about their support for the Haqqani network, but for now, if they wish to purchase this military equipment, they will do so without a subsidy from the American taxpayer," he wrote.

One US official said the administration was convinced that F-16s were the right platform to support Pakistans counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations.

"These operations reduce the ability of militants to use Pakistani territory as a safe haven for terrorism and a base of support for the insurgency in Afghanistan, which is in the national interests of both Pakistan and the United States, and in the interest of the region more broadly," the official said.

Lockheed referred questions about the deal to the US government.

Congressman Matt Salmon, in a letter dated 10 February to Obama, said that such a sale could be "significant upgrade to Pakistans offensive military capabilities is extremely problematic in light of the Pakistani militarys widely alleged complicity in terrorist violence, as well as the potential for the Pakistani military to use these F16s to deliver nuclear weapons in conflict scenario with India", said an article in The Hindu Business Line

A US State Department official on conditions of anonymity said that they strongly support the sale of F-16s to Pakistan as they believe that it would help the Pakistan in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations. They also believe that their security relations with Pakistan, India and Afghanistan are distinct and that "each of them advance US interests".

REUTERS
Battery life in smartphones has been one of the most ignored aspects in recent years. Sure, there has been several improvements in battery technology with faster charging, wireless charging etc. but the battery life has taken a drastic hit due to the phones becoming more power-hungry. With more and more powerful processors and bigger screens, phones require larger batteries to power them. Sure, optimization will help but only to a certain extent and Ulefone is a brand that seems to understand that. The Ulefone Power as its name implies is a smartphone with a massive internal battery. It packs a 6050 mAH battery into an affordable mid-ranger handset. It even offers DualSIM 4G LTE as well as a fingerprint sensor. Lets dive into the review to see whether the phone does manage to impress us with its battery life and other features.

Design, Materials and Build Quality

The first thing that strikes you when you hold the Ulefone Power in your hand is the weight of the smartphone. It is quite heavy at 190 grams but that also gives it a premium feeling. The reason for this weight is the huge 6050 mAH battery under the hood. For the same reason, the thickness of the handset too is a bit more than most smartphones at 9.5mm but we have to give credit to Ulefone for still keeping it under 10mm. The overall footprint is around the same size of the Galaxy Note5 but slightly larger. That is because of the large bezels and as a result, the smartphone is on the larger side for a 5.5-inch smartphone. But it still is smaller than an iPhone 6 Plus/6s Plus in terms of footprint and that is a big thing for a mid-ranger phablet.

The build quality is solid thanks to the use of metal and glass. Our unit has a wooden back which feels good to hold but does feel out-of-place. It doesnt blend in well with the rest of the phone compared to phones such as the OnePlus One or OnePlus 2. It feels like an aftermarket mod rather than an official variant. We would rather have the regular dark blue or white variants.

The front is dominated by the 5.5 display above which you have the earpiece, front facing camera as well as proximity and ambient light sensors. Below the display, you have 3 capacitive buttons which are backlit.

At the right side, you have the volume rocker button, power key and the camera shutter button while the left side houses the Hybrid SIM slot. The phone can take either 2 microSIMs or a microSIM and a microSD card.

At the top, you have the 3.5mm audio jack and IR blaster. You will find the microUSB port, primary microphone and antenna cutouts at the bottom.

At the back, you have primary camera, dual-LED flash and the fingerprint sensor. You also have the loudspeaker grill at the bottom. The back panel is removable but the 6050 mAH battery is sealed and is non-user replaceable.

Display

The 5.5 1080p display has 2.5D Gorilla Glass 3 for protection. The Gorilla Glass 3 does a good job at protecting the screen from scratches and the 2.5D curved glass feels good to use. The company includes a pre-fitted screen protector on the smartphone out of the box which is a good touch but wouldve preferred if they hadnt pre-installed it. The display has black borders on all four corners that gives you the illusion that it is borderless however in reality, the bezels are quite big and you come to know once you switch on the display.

The viewing angles are quite good and so are the colours. The display is a bit reflective but the brightness is good enough to compensate for it and as a result the sunlight legibility is quite good too. The phone also supports adaptive brightness but lacks options to adjust the colour tone or saturation. The phone can be unlocked using the power button or also double tap if you have the option enabled. The three capacitive keys below the display have backlighting is very dim and unless youre in a dark environment, you dont really see the difference. There is a tiny notification LED next to the ambient light and proximity sensors that can glow in red, blue or green and the user can customize the colour settings as well.

Fingerprint Sensor

The fingerprint sensor is located at the back just below the camera module. The placement of the sensor is ideal as it is located at the position where your index fingers normally rest when holding the phone. The fingerprint sensor doesnt require you to wake the phone up in order to unlock it and you can wake the phone up and unlock it directly by just placing a registered finger on the sensor. You can also press the power button or double tap to wake and then authenticate your fingerprint. Additionally, users have to enter a PIN which can be used to unlock the phone if the fingerprint doesnt get detected normally. The fingerprint sensor is quite quick to detect and is also quite accurate but isnt the best in the industry. Still, it is more than we could hope for at this price point.

While the hardware part of the fingerprint sensor is nothing out of the ordinary, the various software tweaks available are certainly attention grabbing. The phone allows you to choose the finger you want to register and then asks you to place your finger on the pad then lift and repeat when it vibrates. Your fingerprint can be used not just to unlock your phone but also to launch applications and each finger can be assigned a particular application. So, by just placing your finger on the sensor, the phone will automatically unlock the phone and open the application. You can even take it a step further and use your fingerprint to take a photo after launching the camera application.

Users can also specify which camera to be launched by default. So for example, your left index finger could be used to unlock the phone and launch the main camera while the right index finger can be used to unlock the phone and launch the front facing camera. You can even set your thumb to unlock the phone and turn on the torch. The fingerprint sensor can be used as a camera shutter button even if you dont have an auto launch option enabled. Any of the registered fingerprints will trigger the autofocus and then take the picture immediately after focusing.

Software and UI

The phone comes with Android 5.1 out of the box and has January 2016 security patch version at the time of writing this review. Ulefone say that the phone will get the update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow but havent specified when exactly the update will be coming. The entire UI is quite similar to a stock Android experience but Ulefone has bundled several features along with it. There is no app drawer and you will have to install a 3rd party launcher if you want one. Several gestures are supported including double tap to wake, slide up to unlock, slide down to camera etc. There are even gestures that can be customized to start apps that you desire.

There is an option called Smart somatosensory which basically is a motion based method of navigating UI and between apps. You can use your hands in front of the display and the phone will track the movement using the front camera and perform corresponding actions. You can use it in the gallery, camera app, launcher as well as music player and even to unlock the phone. However, in our experience, this was more or a hit or miss kind of situation. The phone didnt always recognize our hand movements and when it did, it mostly did so only in one direction. You can also enable automatic calling when you are viewing a message or a contact. The phone also supports scheduled power on and power off.

Calls and Messaging

The call quality is pretty good on the Ulefone Power. The earpiece is loud and clear and your audio also gets relayed well to the party at the other end. The speaker is decently loud but there is distortion at higher volumes. The dial-pad is large and easy to use thanks to the 5.5 screen and there are shortcuts to quickly choose which sim you want to use to make the call as well.

The default keyboard on the device is Google Keyboard and we are fine with that. The layout is easy to use and makes use of the large screen estate. The only downside is the lack of built-in emojis but if you want, you can use a 3rd party keyboard from the Play Store anytime.

Storage, Connectivity and Performance

The smartphone comes with 16GB of internal storage out of which around 11.67GB of free space is available to the user out of the box. The memory can further be expanded using microSD cards up to 128GB in capacity. Once inserted, you can set the microSD as the default write disk if you want and also move compatible apps to the SD card. Additionally, the phone also supports USB OTG so you can connect your HDD or USB drive when needed.

The phone supports 4G LTE however can only be on 4G on one sim at a time while the other switches to 2G. FDD-LTE Band 3 is supported; however, the official listing doesnt specify support for TDD-LTE Band 40. The phone takes 2 microSIMs or a microSIM and a microSD card slot. While a dedicated memory card slot wouldve been ideal, having an option to choose between a SIM or microSD itself is a good thing to have.

The device supports Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0. It is powered by an octa-core Mediatek MT6753 64-bit processor with Mali T720 GPU and 3GB of RAM. The performance is quite smooth without any lag or stutters. While it isnt something we recommend for intensive gaming, it can still playback HD movies and the occasional game or two without breaking a sweat. The good thing to note is that the smartphone does well to keep heat under control always.

Music Player and Audio Quality

The music player on the Power is quite basic but good enough for most regular users. It gives you different ways to sort your music. The now playing screen offers the default track controls as well as a built-in equalizer. The now playing screen also shows you the album art of the song being played. The equalizer has several presents that you can choose from or else, you can make your own custom EQ. There is also a sound enhancement tool within the main settings to tweak the audio output a little bit further.

There is a built-in FM radio app that requires a pair of headphones or earphones to operate. Once, you have it connected, you can listen to the radio using the connected earpiece or the built-in speakers. Users can seek or scan and add their favourite channels to their list. It also supports recording.

The audio quality through earphones or headphones is decent but nothing great. The main issue is that it lacks Power. There isnt enough juice in the phone to get the bass notes right and the songs mostly lack depth. The volume too is a bit on the lower end but it is fine unless you are going to a really noisy environment. The speaker too suffers from pretty much the same issues. It isnt too loud and when you put it to the maximum, the quality reduces due to crackling.

Camera

The Ulefone Power has a 13 Megapixel primary camera with Sony IMX214 sensor, f1.8 aperture and dual LED flash. The image quality is pretty good with good details and colours. The low light performance too is pretty decent thanks to the f/1.8 aperture. Noise does exist but it isnt too bad. The Dual LED flash is powerful but not ideal especially if you want to capture people as the skin tone doesnt show very naturally. Dynamic range is on the lower side but luckily the HDR mode fixes that to an extent. Click on any of the images below for a full resolution sample.

The image on the left is taken in normal mode while the image on the right is taken in HDR mode.

The front facing camera is quite good in terms of details however the field of view is quite narrow and as a result, it becomes difficult to take photos with many people in the frame. For singles or even couple selfies intended for social media purposes, this should be sufficient. The phone can record videos at a maximum resolution of 1080 but the quality is quite poor due to high-compression and the files are saved in the ancient .3gp format as well. We hope they make some changes to improve the video quality in a future firmware update.

Battery Life

Having a large battery capacity doesnt mean that a phone would have great battery life. A lot depends on the processor, the screen size and resolution as well as optimisation. Luckily, in the case of the Ulefone, everything falls into place and as a result, it is the highest scoring smartphone in our battery life test. It got a one charge rating of 24 hours and 46 minutes in our battery test and it most definitely will last even the heaviest of users a full day of use on a single charge if not more. For the full-fledged results, visit this link.

Conclusion

The Ulefone Power is quite a unique phone in several ways. It offers a really great battery life, very different fingerprint scanning experience, a good display and 4G LTE capabilities. It has its drawbacks mainly in terms of speaker output and bulkiness but the latter is something that is expected with most phones having this kind of battery capacity. If you want a well performing phones with a lot of features, fingerprint scanner and a great battery life, then this is something that will really be worth the asking price of US$ 209.99 (Around Rs. 14,300). The only issue here is the availability. Ulefone hasnt yet officially launched in India but judging by the recent surge of Chinese brands in India, we are guessing that they too would enter very soon. You can get the phone from Gearbest.

Pros

Solid Build Quality

Fast Fingerprint Sensor

Hybrid SIM Slot with 4G LTE Capability

Stellar Battery Life

Good Display

Cons

Poor Audio Quality

Narrow FoV (Field of View) on Front Camera

Bad Video Quality
Lenovo India recently teased that it will introduce a new smartphone at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2016 in Barcelona in less than a couple of weeks. Looking at the image, it is clear that company will introduce the international variant of the Lemon 3 smartphone that was introduced in China last month. It could be announced in a different name for the global markets, including India.

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Lenovo Lemon 3 specifications

5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD IPS display, 450 nits brightness

Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 ( 4 x 1.2 GHz Cortex A53 + 4 x 1.5 GHz Cortex A53) 64-bit processor with Adreno 405 GPU

2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, expandable memory up to 128GB with microSD

Android 5.1 (Lollipop)

Dual SIM (micro + micro)

13MP rear camera with LED Flash, 1080p video recording

5MP front-facing camera

Dimensions: 142x71x7.99mm; Weight: 142g

4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS

2750mAh battery

The Lenovo Lemon 3 comes in Gold and Silver colors and was introduced in China for 699 Yuan ( US$ 107 / Rs. 7,290 approx.), so it could be launched in other markets in a similar price range. We will know all the details at the MWC 2016 later this month.

Thanks Onkar!
Yelp's extensive analysis and laborious customer surveys for the top 100 US restaurants have finally given fruitful results.

Yelp released the list of top 100 US restaurants for the year 2016 on Wednesday, after taking the painstaking job of analyzing customer reviews and rankings for each restaurant.

Only the customers' addresses, which matched the region of businesses under survey, were taken into account. For restaurants, which were placed at multiple locations, only the branches with highest ratings were taken into consideration.

The factors that determined the toppers are the customer reviews Yelp rating and the statistical fluctuations, according to Mashable. The listing is done by the rating starting from the year 2004 till date.

The list ranges from what may be the world's greatest meat-and-potato mashup to molecular gastronomy tasting menus. The extensive diversity of listings can be understood through the three restaurants that secured the first three places in the ranking.

The first one is Porto's Bakery & Cafe located in Burbank, California. It is a casual Cuban Bakery. They sell a variety of favorites from the guava and cream cheese pastries to the mashed up potato balls stuffed with spiced ground beef.

The Cheese Board Pizza, which achieved second rank, is a typical Pizza restaurant located in Berkley, California. They provide Pizza menus made from the freshest organic ingredients possible and have light music in the night throughout the year, well suited for romantic dinner. Additionally, they also run a bakery and cheese shop.

Paseo, Caribbean sandwich shop is located in Seattle was ranked third by Yelp. The mouth-watering ingredients of the stuffing of sandwich include grilled pork, sauteed prawns and Havana seared scallops.

Other restaurants, which have secured a position among the top five locations, include Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que located in Kansas City, and TKB Bakery & Deli, located in Indio, California.
It may be hard to believe, but a third year of open enrollment under the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, is officially over.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released its final snapshot for the 13 weeks of open enrollment on Thursday, Feb. 4. The results, which included approximately 3.1 million enrollees from the one dozen states operating their own exchanges, showed that about 12.7 million people had selected plans in 2016. By comparison, some 11.4 million people had selected plans by the end of the enrollment period in 2015, and the Congressional Budget Office forecast just 10 million paying enrollees by the end of 2016. Considering that insurer-initiated cancellations are already factored into this year's 12.7 million figure, it's looking likely that the CBO's conservative estimate will prove low.

As expected, some states performed very well, such as California, which netted close to 1.6 million enrollees (and we're still waiting for a final number that accounts for overtime enrollees), Florida, which tallied more than 1.7 million enrollees, and Texas, with a hair over 1.3 million enrollees.

Three states where Obamacare enrollment grew the most

While these were impressive numbers, it was the percentage gains in select states that really stood out. More than four out of five states saw enrollment rise in 2016 on a year-over-year basis, while three states saw enrollment rise by anywhere from 34% to 43% from the previous year. Best of all, in some instances the number of enrollees still hasn't been finalized, so these figures could rise even more.

Let's briefly take a look at the states where Obamacare enrollment grew the quickest in 2016, as well as note the one state of these three that's a genuine surprise.

Massachusetts: +34%

Ultimately, Massachusetts might wind up demonstrating the best year-over-year growth of any state, but for now it sits in third with an improvement of 34%. But here's the catch with Massachusetts' state enrollment figures: we haven't received an update since the end of December. In other words, we have a full month's worth of enrollment still to be accounted for.

Through the end of December 2015, Massachusetts Health Connector had enrolled 189,700 people. The goal for the entire three-month enrollment period was just 190,000, so the state looked to be well on its way to surpassing that.

Why is Massachusetts suddenly succeeding? A lot of it has to do with putting technical glitches in the rearview mirror. Prior to the launch of ACA, Massachusetts ran its own private health insurance platform which was somewhat similar to Obamacare. When the ACA became the law of the land, Massachusetts struggled to align its program with Obamacare, causing numerous enrollment and reenrollment glitches. However, following $285 million in investments into the exchange, those problems appear to be in the past.

Massachusetts has also done a good job of limiting the number of plans offered within its state. Whereas Obamacare is designed to promote competition, Massachusetts' regulators actively negotiate with insurers on price and only allow a certain number of plans on the exchanges each year. The number of plans in 2016 was about 35% fewer than in 2015, for instance, because regulators felt there was too much confusion being created by essentially overlapping plans in 2015.

Regardless of how you look at it, Massachusetts' 3% uninsured rate suggests its efforts have worked.

Maryland: +37%

The state of Maryland was a true shining star in terms of enrollment performance in 2016. According to data released by Maryland Health Connection, total qualified health plan selections hit 165,123, including more than 49,000 new enrollees. By comparison, just 120,145 Maryland residents enrolled in 2015.

It would appear that some minor approach changes seem to have paid off in a big way for Maryland in 2016. As reported by The Baltimore Sun in November, state regulators focused on website improvements, simplicity, and easier access to information as their formula for success. For example, the Maryland Health Connection website was redesigned prior to the Nov. 1, 2015 start of open enrollment to include icons that helped explain terms that may have confused consumers in prior years.

Additionally, focus groups noted that they would prefer more in-person help. Despite pushing things toward a self-sustaining online marketplace, the key in Maryland wound up being that personal touch. Events set up in storefronts, libraries, and churches served as a starting point to get Maryland residents enrolled. These events helped walk residents through the process, but also explained terms that consumers may not have been familiar with.

Finally, Maryland regulators worked to alert those individuals who may qualify for financial assistance and weren't already aware of it. A whopping nine out of 10 enrollees received some form of financial subsidy in 2015, but Maryland regulators still pointed out that there were people left who were unaware of the aid they could be receiving.

Like that of Massachusetts, Maryland's plan of action seems to have succeeded.

Minnesota: +43%

Remember that surprise I mentioned? Here it is: Minnesota wound up enrolling 85,390 people via MNsure, a 43% increase over the 59,704 people enrolled via MNsure in 2015. Furthermore, Minnesota led the nation with 45% of its enrollees being new to the system, per its own admission.

Why is Minnesota's success so surprising? A recent analysis conducted by Freedom Partners found that the average premium increase in 2016 was higher in Minnesota (up 47.7%) than in any other state in the country. In all fairness, Minnesota's premiums for calendar year 2014 were the lowest in the nation, so seeing them rise closer to the national average over the past two enrollment periods isn't all too surprising. However, seeing this increase coincide in the year when Minnesota led the nation in enrollment percentage growth on a year-over-year basis is really shocking.

How'd Minnesota do it? MNsure attributes its success to its nearly 2,000 navigators and assistors for setting up more than 2,000 enrollment events across the state. These events worked to educate consumers, and, more importantly, made a specific effort to get those who could qualify for financial assistance enrolled. This financial assistance was key with rates rising at the fastest clip in the nation.

Two big questions for insurers

Although these states performed very well in 2016, and Obamacare enrollment looks as if it'll handily top the CBO's estimates by year's end, there's still no guarantee that Obamacare is itself sustainable.

First we have the elections in November, which will determine who winds up in the oval office. Whereas someone like Hillary Clinton might retain and build upon Obamacare, pretty much any Republican taking office would look to repeal and replace the law as it exists now. It's tough for insurers to look into next year when there's no certainty that a next year really exists for the program.

Secondly, there are still questions of sustainability. UnitedHealth Group (UNH 0.11%), the nation's largest health-benefits provider, expects to lose nearly $1 billion on its individual marketplace plans between 2015 and 2016, and it's threatened to pull its plans from the exchange by as early as 2017. UnitedHealth has cited patients' ease in changing plans and higher insurance usage as reasons why the plans are losing money.

For its part, Anthem, the nation's number two insurer, remains profitable on its individual market plans, but it's noted on occasion that the margins associated with Obamacare plans are lower than expected. If giants like Anthem and UnitedHealth Group are having potential problems adapting to Obamacare, it makes one wonder how sustainable the program is over the long run.

So, while it was a solid year for Obamacare based on plan selections, keep in mind that for insurers it's generally been a struggle.
Dr. Dre will be starring in Apple's (AAPL -0.33%) first scripted television series, according to a Friday report from The Hollywood Reporter. The company's move to produce original content follows Alphabet's (GOOG 0.24%), (GOOGL 0.34%) YouTube, Netflix (NFLX -1.55%), Amazon.com (AMZN 0.16%), and other streaming video companies. Here's why Apple may be joining in with its own originals.

Apple's inaugural original

Apple's Beats Electronics acquisition in 2014 has served a number of purposes. But one of the clear takeaways from the start was that a key asset acquired in the acquisition beyond the Dr. Dre-branded hardware was the human capital in Dr. Dre and co-founder Jimmy Iovine. Both have continued to play key roles for Apple, and Dr. Dre is now apparently even starring in the company's inaugural foray into original content.

The new series, which is currently called Vital Signs, will be a six-episode semi-autobiographical series, according to Hollywood Reporter. The show will focus on a distinct emotion in each episode, showing how Dr. Dre's character deals with them. Sam Rockwell and Mo McCrae are reportedly included in the cast, too.

Why an Apple original?

The series, which is bankrolled by Apple, will likely serve to distinguish its Apple Music platform, according to Hollywood Reporter:

"The series likely will be distributed via Apple Music, the company's subscription streaming site, but it's not clear if Apple TV, the iTunes store or other Apple platforms (or even a traditional television distributor) will be involved. Apple and a rep for Dre declined to comment."

This could signal a move for Apple Music toward the way Alphabet is packaging YouTube Red. That service offers an ad-free YouTube and YouTube Music experience, as well as recently launched YouTube originals.

There is an undeniably strong case for producing original content -- a case that first started gaining steam with streaming-video company Netflix. Netflix has seen immense success in funding its own aggressive expansion of original content, so much that it wants to rollout 600 hours of original content during 2016, up 33% from the 450 hours is rolled out in 2015. Companies such as Netflix, Amazon, and now Alphabet's YouTube, are using original content to distinguish their services, helping to attract and retain subscribers. Amazon uses it for its Prime shipping service, and YouTube hopes it will beef up its new YouTube Red service.

Apple likely hopes original content on its platform can help set the company's Apple Music -- and whatever it may morph into -- apart.

Apple could leap onto the scene of "originals" very quickly and with great volume. Thanks to the company's massive balance sheet of over $200 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities, any of the company's film projects could have access to considerable financial support.

With Apple reportedly putting plans for a bundled television service on hold, the company could be shifting its resources and energy for television toward a ramp in original content. For now, however, Hollywood Reporter says that Dre's series is "currently the only scripted original on deck at Apple." So, it's not clear yet just how seriously Apple could be taking this new initiative. It's possible investors may here more about this new show at the company's rumored March 15 event.
HP Inc. (HPQ 0.31%) announced Wednesday that it will report results for its fiscal first quarter, which ended Jan. 31, on Feb. 24. CEO Dion Weisler participated in HP's last four conference calls, but this is the first full quarter in which he has headed an HP Inc. operating separately from Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE -0.08%). Just what do we know about him?

For an executive at the helm of a technology institution -- not to mention a business that did over $50 billion in sales last year -- Weisler, an Australian, has kept a very low profile both in Silicon Valley and on Wall Street.





Dion who?

Indeed, a search for his name in The New York Times' database produced only three articles, the oldest of which was dated Oct. 2014, when Hewlett-Packard announced it would break itself up, with Weisler tapped to lead one of the two resulting companies.

The same search on Barron's turned up nine mentions, but none prior to Oct. 2014. Even The Financial Times, which has superior coverage of companies outside the U.S., turned up just eight articles.

That's not entirely surprising since Weisler has spent the bulk of his 25-year career in the IT industry outside of the United States.

One thing is certain: Weisler is a tested veteran of the hardware business, having joined HP from Lenovo, where he was chief operating officer of one of their units. He also spent 11 years at Acer, where he rose to managing director of Acer UK. (That title in the U.K. is equivalent to CEO.)

In addition, he has operating experience in multiple geographies, from the U.K. to Central/ Eastern Europe and Asia-Pacific/Japan from India to New Zealand.

A fast track to the top

Weisler enjoyed a fast track to the top of HP, having joined the company four years ago. He was then responsible for the printing and personal systems group in the Asia-Pacific and Japan region. Within 18 months, he was heading the group globally, with responsibility for the largest share of HP's revenues of any executive. From there, he was the natural choice to head HP once the enterprise activity was spun out to form HP Enterprise.

What do we know about him as a manager? Going by his participation in the conference calls, he is not immune to speaking in corporate gobbledygook.

However, in his case, that does not appear to be a smokescreen to conceal a lack of vision or a confused strategy. Furthermore, Weisler appears to have a very keen focus on satisfying his customers. For example, at an HP company conference in May 2012, he explained that one of his first actions was to open a China development "that is focused on designing products in China for China."

Getting your hands dirty to win the business

Furthermore, armed with a bachelor's degree in applied science in computing, he is not an executive who shies away from the "shop floor". According to Bloomberg, upon joining HP, he won the firm a contract to supply 1.5 million PCs to a customer in India -- a contract HP had not intended to bid on because it was loss-making.

Weisler demanded a detailed bill of materials, then began systematically wringing costs out of it by going through every line item. By the end of the exercise, his team had reduced the PC's manufacturing cost by $67.40 apiece -- enough to turn a loss-making contract into a profitable one.

Heading a computer hardware business -- even one with a storied name like HP -- Dion Weisler certainly has work cut out for him. It's a brutally competitive industry in which earning a return for shareholders is a real challenge. However, from this columnist's perspective, if anyone is up for that challenge it's Weisler, who has the right combination of attributes experience for the job.

Now that he no longer reports to anyone in the corporate hierarchy (except for the board, of course), he has full freedom to lead a focused HP. This month's earnings presentation will be a good opportunity for analysts and shareholders to get a better measure of the man and his plans for HP.
Earlier this week, President Barack Obama unveiled his final budget proposal (for fiscal 2017), which would begin on Oct. 1, 2016. The president's plan calls for a whopping $4.1 trillion budget, and a deficit that would top $600 billion.

Obama's plan has a number of key points that are likely to draw bipartisan support, including funds apportioned to fighting terrorism, and an increase in the amount being set aside for cybersecurity. Of course, there were also a number of issues that the Republican-led Congress will likely take issue with, including a $10.25 per-barrel tax on internationally imported and domestic oil, as well as increased taxation on the wealthy.

Where does the money really go?

But if we've learned anything from past budget proposals, it's that what President Obama proposes, and what Congress eventually passes, are rarely the same bill. If you want to get a good representation of what the federal budget looks like in the U.S., you need to be able to look in the immediate rearview mirror -- in this instance, the fiscal 2016 budget, which was passed in May, and totaled a cool $3.871 trillion!

Where exactly does all of the money apportioned in an approved federal budget go? This is a question asked regularly by millions of Americans, and the answer isn't always easy to find. However, courtesy of data from the Office of Management and Budget, we can get a pretty detailed breakdown of where these trillions are being spent. As an American citizen and voter, it's important to have a good understanding of where the money is flowing; as investors, we also benefit from knowing which industries and sectors are seeing large amounts of cash inflow.

Let's take a closer look at how the federal government is spending money during fiscal 2016.

Healthcare: $1,107,446,000,000

Nope, your eyes aren't deceiving you; healthcare really accounts for more than $1.1 trillion of the federal budget this year. The cause? It's primarily entitlement programs such as Medicare -- which predominantly covers the elderly -- and Medicaid -- which covers low-income individuals and their families. Medicare and Medicaid, along with CHIP, the Children's Health Insurance Plan, eat up $955.2 billion of the $1.107 trillion healthcare budget. Keep in mind, Medicaid's expansion in 31 states under Obamacare -- officially the Affordable Care Act -- has expanded the annual cost of the program.

The remaining $152 billion is mostly used to support tax credits for Obamacare enrollees, and to assist states with their health insurance marketplaces. About $38 billion of the remaining $152 billion is set aside for health research and food safety.

Social Security: $944,338,000,000

Surprise! Entitlement programs require a lot of spending. As a single entitlement program, Social Security takes the cake, with more than $944 billion in budgeted spending in fiscal 2016. Remember, as baby boomers move into retirement, this figure is going to expand very rapidly.

It's also intriguing to think about our nation's entitlement programs this way: Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid collectively account for $1.9 trillion in annual spending, or basically half of the entire budget!

National defense: $615,515,000,000

No surprises whatsoever here, with U.S. military spending dwarfing that of every other country in the world. But how does this $615.5 billion break down a bit further?

Almost $251 billion is to pay for ongoing military operations across the world, as well as cover the cost of new equipment and supplies. A little more than $148 billion is used to pay the salaries of the United States' military personnel. Finally, $216 billion is used in "other" areas of national defense, which would include rapidly growing industries like cybersecurity, and presumably includes funds for federal agencies like the CIA and NSA.

Income security: $546,350,000,000

Entitlement programs may help protect our nation's seniors, and ensure that low-income individuals and their families have access to medical care, but an additional $546 billion in other forms of income securities were also apportioned in the fiscal 2016 budget.

For example, about $108.3 billion has been set aside for food and nutrition assistance programs that ensure lower-income households have the ability to buy food. Another $51.6 billion assists lower-income families with affordable housing. You'll also find $43.7 billion in income security devoted to paying out unemployment compensation.

Beyond these three categories, another $260 billion is set aside for a variety of programs, including education and child care. Finally, $82.8 billion is used to cover Earned Income Tax Credits and Child Care Tax Credits, which are key tax breaks for low-income households.

Net interest: $283,049,000,000

Someone clearly wasn't present on the day they taught the merits of compound interest in school. With well over $18 trillion in national debt, the 2016 fiscal budget apportions $283 billion just to pay interest on our nation's outstanding debt. As the amount we owe as a nation increases, the amount the President and Congress need to budget for net interest each year will likely increase, too.

Veteran benefits: $180,324,000,000

In addition to $148 billion being spent on the salaries of military personnel, some $180 billion is also set aside to care for veterans of our Armed Forces. Included in this funding is nearly $90 billion apportioned for income and housing support, which may also include access to job training. Of the remainder, $66 billion is used to cover healthcare expenses for veterans, and $24 billion is used for a multitude of "other" purposes.

Education and job training: $106,342,000,000

A sizable chunk of the $106.3 billion apportioned here -- $47.9 billion -- is used to train, or retrain people so they can find work. Employers are becoming more specific about the skill sets they're searching for in today's economy, so this funding is designed to help the unemployed land a job.

Beyond job training, the remainder is focused on education. Just over $30 billion is set aside for financial aid and grants to help college students. Another $15.6 billion covers funding to school districts with low-income K-12 students, and $12.5 billion is set aside to help special education students.

Transportation: $98,742,000,000

There's nothing fancy with the $98.7 billion apportioned to the transportation industry. The federal government's goal is to see this funding used to improve bridges, ports, highways, mass-transit systems, and trains around the country. Ultimately, these improvements should lead to an increase in commerce.

International affairs: $55,951,000,000

Think of international affairs as having a two-pronged approach. First, we have more than $25 billion set aside annually to assist overseas nations when it comes to food and health issues. A good example here would be the threat of the Zika virus spreading. Some of these funds could be used now -- or in future budgets -- to mitigate the spread of this disease in foreign countries. Another $16 billion is apportioned to economic development in areas like Central America.

The other component provides for more than $14 billion to be spent on providing necessary resources to help our allies fight our enemies, such as ISIL. This security assistance provides an added boost for our troops overseas.

Natural resources and environment: $44,311,000,000

The $44 billion set aside for natural resources and environment needs is pretty evenly split between water and land management ($22.3 billion) and pollution control ($21.4 billion). The purpose of this funding is to ensure communities have sustainable ecosystems, as well as hold businesses and consumers accountable for their carbon footprints.

Immigration and federal law enforcement: $38,645,000,000

Here we have yet another category with no major surprises. The $38 billion-plus set aside in fiscal 2016 helps finance immigration-control efforts, as well as covers expenses of the federal judicial system, and federal law enforcement. This is a highly contentious category when it comes to future spending based on the various stances we've observed from the remaining presidential candidates.

Other government programs: $35,075,000,000

If you buy into the Independence Day movie theory that the U.S. government is spending $30,000 on a toilet seat, or $20,000 for a hammer, then this is the category you'd see those expenses. The federal government has about $35 billion in "miscellaneous" expenses in 2016, and while the budget doesn't detail the specifics of these programs, this money is likely being used to pay government administration salaries.

Science, space, and technology programs: $30,968,000,000

For you Neil deGrasse Tyson fans out there, you'll be happy to known that almost 60% of the science, space, and technology budget is devoted to NASA. The remainder is being used for a number of ventures, including President Obama's BRAIN initiative, which is a project designed to map the human brain.

Response to natural disasters: $15,435,000,000

Finally, the $15.4 billion here heads to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which can use the funds post-disaster, or can tap funds prior to a disaster to mitigate its impact.

And for those of you with an aversion to words, here's a handy chart detailing where the money goes:

Did any of these numbers surprise you? Share your thoughts below.
Donald Trump is pushing back against a new wave of negative ads targeting the Republican front-runner on eminent domain.

Do you see the negative ads now, all phony ads, those ads are paid for by lobbyists  those ads, they have them on eminent domain, all sorts of stuff, Trump said during a Tampa, Fla. rally.

Club for Growth Action, a political arm of the Club for Growth announced Friday a 30-second television ad to air in South Carolina. The PAC attacks Trumps conservative credentials to run for president.

His record and rhetoric demonstrate that he is a big-government liberal, the organizations president David McIntosh told FoxNews.com. He believes their ad shows Trump is willing to say anything to get elected, just like the politicians that voters are frustrated with.

Trump defended eminent domain use. If you dont have eminent domain, you dont have roads, highways, by the way, you should be so lucky to get hit with eminent domain because they pay you a fortune.

But the PAC is hitting the businessmans use of the practice. Theres nothing conservative about abusing eminent domain for personal gain, their new ad explains.

Trumps GOP rival Texas Sen. Texas Cruz is also hitting him on the issue.

The Cruz campaign has focused on the real estate moguls fight with a woman in Atlantic City, NJ. Vera Coking owned a home adjacent to one of Trumps casinos where the businessman was looking to expand the property. Trump wanted to buy her property, but Coking refused.

In a new TV spot by Cruz, the ad says public power, private gains  Trump bankrolled politicians to steamroll the little guy, a pattern of sleaze stretching back to decades.

Trump defended his actions during the case in a Fox News interview last fall.

I think for eminent domain, massive projects can creative thousands of jobs, you have somebody in the way and you pay that person far more  we had one house in the way  she was offered four, five, six times what her house was worth.

After a legal battle, Coking was able to avoid selling her home to make way for the project.

Trump added, if she is in the way of a massive hotel expansion that would employ 2,000 people  when ultimately that went away, her house sold for a tiny fraction.
A recent federal probe into alleged misconduct at a Department of Veterans Affairs facility in Cincinnati is focusing on allegations of drugs being improperly prescribed to patients, Fox News learned Saturday.

The agencys inspector general is purportedly looking into whether Dr. Barbara Temeck, the facilitys acting chief of staff and a thoracic surgeon, carries proper authority to prescribe medicine.

Among the allegations is that Temeck prescribed medication to the wife of Jack Hetrick, the director of the VA region that includes Ohio, Indiana and Michigan.

A VA email obtained by Fox News states Hetrick has recused himself from any and all decisions regarding the facility because his wife has a professional and personal relationship with the physician involved."

A source told Fox News on Friday that the VA inspector general is investigating an allegation of misconduct that adversely affects the care of veterans at the Cincinnati facility.

The inspector generals office and Veteran Affairs did not respond to messages Saturday asking to verify the investigation.

The investigation and wrongdoings, if verified, could be another setback for the troubled agency.

In 2014, at least 35 military veterans died while awaiting care at a VA facility in Phoenix.

The finding resulted in the discovery of additional cases of delays in patient care in other facilities in other states. And agency Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned amid the fallout.

Reports about the Cincinnati investigation began circulating on Capitol Hill after what sources described as cryptic phone calls at about 5 p.m. to congressional offices, advising them of a formal inquiry from the inspector generals office.

Multiple offices in the Ohio and Indiana delegations received the calls, which purportedly were scripted. And the person from the VA making the calls would not deviate nor answer questions about the inquiry, sources said.

Lawmakers and their aides are livid about how and when the information was communicated.

A spokesman for GOP Rep. Brad Wenstrup -- a military veteran who represents part of Cincinnati and is a podiatrist and member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee -- said the congressman is deeply troubled by this cryptic news and wants to know more, to include who is being investigated and why.

The spokesman also said the timing of the announcement -- late on a Friday before a federal holiday -- suggests the agency is attempting to hide the story from the public.

Wenstrup is leading a Veterans Affairs committee field hearing in Cincinnati next week that will focus on veteran hiring practices and questions about the investigation are expected to arise.

The Cincinnati investigation could prove embarrassing to new Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald.

He was brought in to clean up the agency after the scandal two years ago. Moreover, McDonald worked for years in Cincinnati as the president and chief executive office at of Procter and Gamble, which is based in that Ohio city.
A 17-year-old robbers arm was severed in Brooklyn after he held up a man at gunpoint for a pair of pricey sneakers, police sources said.

Through the app Wallapop, gunman Zachary Sam and seller Philippe Pierre, 39, had arranged to meet up at 1 p.m. Friday in Canarsie, sources said.

But when Pierre showed up, asking $490 for a pair of Air Jordan 8 Retro sneakers, the teen crook pulled out a gun and demanded the kicks for free inside Pierres gray Honda Pilot, police sources said.

Pierre, who was charged with attempted murder, stepped on the gas pedal, but Sam, who lives nearby, jumped out of his car at the intersection of East 86th Street and Avenue M, sources said.

Instead of speeding off, Pierre turned his car around and drove after Sam, crashing into him in front of a fence. The alleged robbers arm was ripped off when he was pinned against the fence.

I saw a kid under a car, said Alex Saint Fleur, a bus driver who lives across the street.

The guy ran him over. He got out, the driver said, Hes trying to rob me. Hes trying to rob me.

Sam was charged with robbery and possession of a weapon. He was listed in stable condition at a nearby hospital.

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An autopsy report shows a young black man shot dead by San Francisco police suffered 20 gunshot wounds, including six in the back, and had drugs in his system when he died in the shooting that sparked protests and calls for the chief's removal.

The San Francisco coroner's report released Thursday showed that Mario Woods, 26, also had two gunshot wounds in his buttocks and others to his head, legs, abdomen and hands. Some of the wounds could have been from the same bullet, the autopsy says.

It also shows that Woods had used methamphetamine, marijuana, antidepressants and cough medicine before he was shot.

Investigators have said five officers opened fire on the knife-wielding Woods on Dec. 2 and that 27 shell casings were recovered at the scene where Woods died.

Police had encountered him while searching for an assailant who stabbed a stranger earlier in the day.

Police say Woods ignored commands to drop the knife and resisted even after he was shot several times by a "bean-bag" gun and pepper-sprayed.

The shooting was captured on video and circulated widely online, igniting ongoing protests over police tactics.

The department, district attorney and police commission have each launched an investigation.

"It is difficult for anyone to watch videos of the shooting. Similarly, it is equally as difficult to read the medical examiner's report," the San Francisco Police Department said in a prepared statement.

It said the agency is "committed to a thorough review of the shooting, and this report will be an important component of all three ongoing independent investigations."

Chief Greg Suhr says he won't resign as a result of the shooting and Mayor Ed Lee says he won't fire him.

Suhr and the mayor called on the U.S. Department of Justice to review department policy and procedures and advise the city on reforms. The DOJ said last week it would conduct the review.

Woods family has filed a legal claim against the police and the city, arguing that officers didn't have to open fire.

The family's attorney John Burris told the San Francisco Chronicle that the autopsy report bolsters the legal claim and that "the officers should have taken the time when they saw he was not responding, and not created a confrontation with him."
Texas A&M University is investigating an incident involving students who shouted racial slurs and referenced the Confederate flag to a group of black and Latino high school students who were touring the campus Tuesday.

About 60 students from Uplift Hampton Preparatory, a southwest Dallas charter school, said they were taunted by students on campus during the visit. Two black high school students said they were approached by a white A&M student wearing Confederate earrings, state Sen. Royce West said Thursday.

Others in the tour group said they heard white A&M students telling them to Go back where you came from, and using an anti-black slur, said West, who said he was contacted by university officials.

The students were touring the university as part of the Road to College program, which takes students on several college trips across the nation, according to the Dallas Morning News.

West, a Democrat, called for the possible expulsion of the students who were allegedly involved in the incident. He demanded the university take action as soon as next week. Texas A&M leaders have political capital with me, said West, the vice chairman of the Texas Senates higher education committee.

"If you're not going to tolerate this type of behavior, then you've got to make a statement," West said. "This gang of students that participated in this should be disciplined accordingly."

University President Michael K. Young said Friday the lack of video or audio evidence of the incident taking place as complicated the investigation. A counselor from the tour group may have called police, and a campus officer did investigate at the scene, he said.

Young said Friday that racism needed to be addressed broadly at Texas A&M, where the student body is 3.4 percent black, and elsewhere. One element of that discussion, he said, was addressing the meaning of the Confederate flag for white students who might not get the connections it has for many people to slavery and discrimination.

"If this event serves as an occasion to kind of galvanize the community even more to expand and deepen their efforts on that, I'm absolutely delighted to do that, because that's what has to happen," Young said.

Texas A&M is one of the state's biggest and most prestigious universities and is about 90 miles outside of Houston.

The university administration response so far has drawn praise. Dena Marks, associate director of the Southwest Regional Office of the Anti-Defamation League, told The (Bryan-College Station) Eagle of her satisfaction with "what they've done already to, number one, immediately recognize that perhaps there is a problem and, number two, to express that if there is a problem, this sort of thing should not be tolerated."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Two Washington state brothers who were allegedly abducted by their mother last summer were found safe in Mexico and were returned to their father, federal authorities said late Friday.

The FBI said in a statement the missing boys, Sage Cook, 15 and Isaac Cook, 9, of Bellevue, were found in Mexicos Sinaloa state.

This evening, they returned to Washington with their father, David Cook, and stepmother, Helen Cook, after being reunited in Mexico earlier today, the FBI said in the release, according to KCPQ-TV.

King County Superior Court issued a warrant for the arrest for Faye Hsin-I Ku, 41, the mother of the boys, in September 2015. A federal arrest warrant was issued for Ku last month after she was charged with international parental kidnapping.

According to the Los Angeles Times in October, the FBI believes Ku may have forged a court order for a supervised visit which led to David Cook sending the children to California for a quick visit.

Investigators developed information to suggest that Ku crossed the border illegally from San Diego to Tijuana with the three children on August 29, 2015, the FBI said. The FBIs Legal Attache (Legat) office in Mexico City pursued a series of leads to identify their location and passed information to Mexican officials, who took prompt action, assuring the safety of the children.

The FBIs Seattle Division and Legat Mexico City coordinated with Mexican authorities in Kus deportation. She arrived at Los Angeles International Airport late Friday and was subsequently taken into federal custody.

Ku is expected to appear in in federal court Tuesday in Los Angeles.

The boys family thanked federal authorities early Saturday for helping to find the boys.

David and I are ecstatic to announce that Sage and Isaac have been found safe and are home in Bellevue tonight, the message said. We are so grateful to the FBI in Seattle and in Mexico for all they did to make this happen. And to all the wonderful people who kept us going for the last five months by supporting us through this page and in many other ways. Thank you all."

Click for more from KCPQ.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is sharply criticizing Russia for its actions in Ukraine and Syria, accusing Moscow of "repeated aggression" in both places.

Speaking to the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Kerry said Russia is defying the will of the international community with its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine and its military intervention in Syria on behalf of President Bashar Assad. His comments came just after Russia's prime minister told the same conference that the West is rekindling the Cold War with sanctions imposed on Russia over Ukraine as well as new NATO moves.

Kerry praised European nations for holding firm on the Ukraine sanctions and urged Moscow to act in good faith in forging a truce in Syria and allow a political transition.
The U.S. temporarily deployed an additional Patriot missile battery in South Korea late Friday in response to North Koreas nuclear test and a long-range rocket launch, ahead of talks next week to set up an even more sophisticated missile defense system.

There was no immediate word from the Pentagon on the deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, missile system, something that China and Russia wouldnt view favorably.

The extra Patriot missile battery deployment follows South Koreas decision to shut down a shared factory park that had been the rival Koreas last major symbol of cooperation, but that Seoul said had been used by North Korea to fund its nuclear and missile programs. North Korea responded to the closure by deporting South Korean citizens, seizing South Korean assets and vowing to militarize the park.

The U.S. military command in South Korea said Saturday that an air defense battery from Ft. Bliss, Texas has been conducting ballistic missile training using the Patriot system at Osan Air Base near Seoul. Lt. Gen. Thomas Vandal, commander of the U.S. Eighth Army, said "exercises like this ensure we are always ready to defend against an attack from North Korea."

"North Korea's continued development of ballistic missiles against the expressed will of the international community requires the alliance to maintain effective and ready ballistic missile defenses," he said in a statement.

South Korean media have long speculated that the two countries are working on a THAAD deployment in South Korea, but it took the North's rocket launch last Sunday, which outsiders see as a test of banned ballistic missile technology, for the allies to formally announce they will begin the missile defense talks.

Beijing and Moscow are sensitive to the possibility of THAAD in South Korea; critics say the system could help U.S. radar spot missiles in other countries.

China's state media quickly made the country's displeasure known, while Russia also expressed worries about the deployment. North Korea has previously warned of a nuclear war in the region and threatened to bolster its armed forces if the THAAD deployment occurs.

In Munich, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts to discuss the response to North Korea's actions, including the missile system. In talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, Kerry expressed support for Seoul's decision to shut down the factory park in the North Korean border town of Kaesong and discussed a broad range of potential sanctions against the North, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said.

Seoul and Washington want to deploy the system at an early date and the upcoming talks will discuss where and exactly when the deployment can be made, a South Korean defense official said, requesting anonymity because of department rules.

Fox News Lucas Tomlinson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the world was fighting a new Cold War, warning of grave consequences for the West if it didnt cooperate with Russia in Syria and elsewhere.

We have slid, in essence, into times of a new Cold War, Medvedev said in a speech Saturday to senior international officials at a marquee security conference in Germany.

Medvedev cited the Syria conflict as an arena of much needed Russian-Western cooperation, especially on military issues.

The key to resolving that conflict, he said, was the cooperation of Russian and American military officialsregularly, constantly, every day.

Military officials must be in constant contact, Medvedev said, returning to the point later in his remarks. They should be calling each other 10 times a day.

Russia has been using its military intervention on behalf of President Bashar al-Assads regime in the Syria conflict to raise its profile as a player on the world stage. Cease-fire talks in Munich Thursday night elevated Russias profile by creating a working group co-chaired by Russia and the U.S. that was tasked with determining the technicalities of a Syria cease-fire.

Medvedev insisted in his speech and a short Q-and-A session alongside French Prime Minister Manuel Valls that the West faced a stark choice: cooperate with Russia on common interests such as fighting terrorism and ensuring stability in the Middle Eastor face a permanent, global conflict.

He added the U.S. and Western Europe had departed from a post-World War II security architecture that had ensured 70 years of relative stability.

Do we really need a third global shake-up to realize the importance of cooperation rather than confrontation? Medvedev asked rhetorically after mentioning World War II.

Click for more from The Wall Street Journal
Its been two months since 21-year-old Heather Ciccone was executed in a strangers driveway and police say no arrest is imminent.

Ciccone was shot in the back of the head late Dec. 6 while sitting in her 2010 Kia, which was parked in a driveway on Piney Branch Lane in Spotsylvania County. She had no connection to the property where she was found, police said.

Spotsylvania Sheriffs Capt. Jeff Pearce said again Friday that detectives have identified a number of potential suspects in the highly publicized slaying. But he said police have still not targeted a single suspect.

As weve been doing since this happened, detectives are actively following leads and waiting on lab results, Pearce said. Were as anxious as anyone to get this solved, but there is simply nothing new to report at this time.

Police have obtained search warrants for DNA from at least two people and have searched residences in Spotsylvania and King George, along with multiple cellphones. All but one of the numerous affidavits have been sealed by court order.

A second high-profile case that took place about the same time also remains a mystery at this point, Pearce said.

Katelin Akens, 19, went missing Dec. 5 and her whereabouts are still unknown. She was dropped off at the Springfield Mall that day and was supposed to take a flight to Arizona later that evening, but she never got on the plane.

Her luggage was found a couple of days later in a drainage ditch on River Road in Spotsylvania. Her plane ticket and other personal items were in it.

Spotsylvania detectives took over the case, even though it remains unclear if a crime took place in Spotsylvania or if a crime took place at all.

Akens is a native of Caroline County. Her stepfather lives in Spotsylvania and took her to Springfield that day, police said.
UPDATE (2:20 p.m.): The Stafford Sheriff's Office said that Mountain View High School has been checked and students were cleared to return to the school. The Sheriff's Office continues to investigate the source of the bomb threat.

Stafford schools said that Mountain View students returned to the building and that school dismissed at the normal time of 2:15 p.m.

12:15 p.m.: Students and staff at Mountain View High School were evacuated this morning after a bomb threat was called in to the school.

Students are being moved to nearby Margaret Brent Elementary, which is currently in lockdown.

Stafford Sheriff David Decatur has asked parents not to attempt to pick up their children from Margaret Brent until officers have cleared Mountain View. According to the Sheriff's Office, Mountain View students will be returned to their school to finish the remainder of the school day once the building is cleared.

The Stafford schools twitter account posted at 11:55 that students and staff were safely moved to the Mountain View stadium before being relocated to Margaret Brent.
RICHMONDEnergy companies behind the Atlantic Coast Pipeline have carved a new proposed route through parts of West Virginia and Virginia in response to federal concerns about the national gas pipelines initial path through sensitive national forest areas.

The alternate released Friday by Dominion Resources Inc. would reduce by one-third the pipelines footprint through the George Washington and Monongahela national forests, but add 30 miles to the 550-mile project. The alternate route would also affect 249 new landowners in both states, Dominion said.

Dominion said it worked extensively with the U.S. Forest Service to select the new route after foresters rejected the initial plan, in part because of fears it would harm a salamander that lives in high elevations in the Shenandoah Mountains and is found nowhere else in the world.

Aaron Ruby, a spokesman for the energy company, said Dominion believes the new path will satisfy Forest Service concerns.

A Forest Service spokesman on Friday confirmed receipt of the new route and said it would begin its review.

The screening will determine if the proposed route meets required criteria for protecting sensitive resources, spokesman Jason Kirchner wrote in an email. He said the agency had not yet determined how long the review would take.

Dominion is the lead company proposing the 42-inch pipeline from West Virginia, through Virginia and into North Carolina. While politically popular, the energy project has found scattered opposition along its route from landowners, environmental groups and conservation officials.

Critics immediately condemned the new route put forth by Dominion, questioning the need for the pipeline and its impact on national forests.

This new route would still cause dramatic forest fragmentation through some of the most high-quality forest habitat in our region, said Ben Luckett, staff attorney for Appalachian Mountain Advocates.

With the enthusiastic support of Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, pipeline proponents have said it will generate thousands of jobs, enrich local tax collections and attract businesses seeking relatively cheap natural gas from fracking fields in West Virginia and elsewhere.

The Forest Service rejected the initial national forest routes because of their feared impact on two types of salamanders, including the cow knob salamander. The Virginia Herpetological Society lists the blunt-nosed salamander with white or yellow spots as having a high risk of extinction.

Its range includes several counties in Virginia and West Virginia at elevations of 2,500 feet or more.

In rejecting the first proposed route, the Forest Service cited a 1994 conservation agreement with the Fish and Wildlife Service aimed at shielding the salamander from actions that would place it under the Endangered Species Act.
Last week, for the first time in his presidency, President Obama visited an American mosque. His words at the Islamic Society of Baltimore were vintage faith and freedom: We cant be bystanders to bigotry. Together, weve got to show that America truly protects all faiths. Youre right where you belong. Youre part of America too. Youre not Muslim or American. Youre Muslim and American.

This affirmation should not be necessary. But one year ago todaywhen three young MuslimAmerican college students were killed in their home in Chapel Hill, N.C., as the result of an alleged hate crimeit could have made all the difference. For the numerous victims of increased hate crimes perpetrated against Muslims, Arabs and South Asians over the past year, this affirmation could have prevented undue physical and mental anguish.

This affirmation should not be controversial. But some of the Republican candidates seeking to replace President Obama couldnt resist the chance to disagree. Donald Trump suggested, maybe he feels comfortable there, an innuendo aimed at the more than half of all Republicans who think Obama is secretly a Muslim, despite all evidence to the contrary. Marco Rubio saw the presidents words as constant pitting Americans against each other.

Every American should have at least one Muslim friend and the distinct privilege of visiting a mosque. Ill never forget the first time I visited a mosque here in my own hometown (having done so many times overseas), the Islamic Center of Fredericksburg. While I had called in advance and was told someone would greet me, no one seemed to be present to do so. But I was, in the very best sense, being ignored because it was assumed that I simply belonged. It was like I had slipped quietly into a church and sat down in the back pew. The only difference being that in a mosque, there are no pews, no chairs. I prayed, as the others did, and no one seemed to notice.

The imam spoke about how their children and parents face the same challenges as other American families. It could have almost been a sermon by a Christian, except that his text was the Quran, not the Bible, and we were in a mosque, not a church.

Looking back, that was a simpler time. A lot has happened in America since 2013.

Obama spoke in Baltimore of having met with Muslim parents and heard what their children are asking of them: Are we going to be forced out of the country? Are we going to be rounded up? Why do people treat us like this? Conversations you shouldnt have to have with children. Not in this country.

I couldnt help but be moved. Would any child attending a Sunday school class in any Christian church in America have asked such a question? Of course not. Nor should any Muslim child attending a mosque.

In a 2016 poll by the Pew Research Center, 63 percent of Republicans and independents who leaned Republican said that either most or half/some Muslims are anti-American. Forty-one percent of Democrats were similarly persuaded. These and other opinion polls reveal a high degree of suspicion that Islam is violent.

That attitude came out in a raucous community meeting last November in Spotsylvania County, when the same mosque I visited, the Islamic Center of Fredericksburg, asked for reaction to its plan to move to another location. Nobody wants your evil cult in this county. I dont care what you say, every one of you is a terrorist. Every Muslim is a terrorist, said one disgruntled resident.

Tempers flared and some attendees made anti-Muslim statements, Jeff Branscome, a reporter for The Free LanceStar wrote. The Rev. Don Rooney, pastor of St. Mary Catholic Church in Fredericksburg, attended the meeting with the hope of speaking a little bit of peace, according to the paper, but said he didnt think the crowd was ready to hear that message.

Its really wrong, I think, to paint [Islam] with such a broad brush, Rooney told me.

Hes right. Christians dont want to be typecast by the Timothy McVeighs of this world who bomb federal buildings, and Muslims dont want to be smeared by the broad brush of the actions of ISIS.

An answer to the kind of fear revealed at the community meeting must be found. (Im not putting zoning concerns such as traffic in the same category as obvious dislike of Muslims). One solution is to do more interfaith education and communication.

Indeed, Muslim and Christian leaders here in Fredericksburg must do a lot more to reach out across faith lines. They should help heal differences. My experience holding interfaith focus groups in Tennessee and North Carolina is that they successfully build bridges.

Freedoms denied one group will eventually be denied to others. But what does it say about us if we support, much less elect, candidates who dont get this truth? We are better than that.

All of us have a civic, and moral duty, to fight religious bigotry. Thats all our Muslims neighbors ask of you and me. Its not much, but to them it means the world.

The Rev. Richard Cizik, a Stafford County resident, is president of the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good.
I am nauseated that certain institutions spend millionsif not billionson political causes rather than the defense of this country, or the needs of our citizens; that greed and special interests continue to win the day.

I read in local and world publications that certain well-endowed individuals, corporations and companies contribute millions of dollars to lobbyists and political action committees to promote their special interests. What could these funds do to promote a more humanitarian and solvent nation?

We are still at war! But I guess you self-serving scumbags will allow them to protect our freedom.

The United States Supreme Court seriously degraded our national integrity by allowing big-money PACs and other conglomerates to buy influence with politicians and direct policy decisions.

Besides repealing these big-money influences, all current politiciansover eight years in officeshould be retired without anything other than time-served benefits such as military annuities or Social Security benefits, like the rest of the populace.

Heres another thought: Any senatorial/congressional nominee should have actually served in the military.

Kevin R. Siemon

Spotsylvania
Shirley W. Mitchell Signs New Aging Boomer Series on Nine State Tour Everyone seems to think that when you get to that "Golden" number, you are going to wilt away and dry up! Aging is mostly all about one's attitude and faith. Shirley's life "Passion" and "Mission" is to promote "Positive Aging and Vitality in Health" traveling the country and promoting thru her books, speaking and radio shows. View as PDF Print View February 12, 2016 (FPRC) -- Lighthouse Coastal Productions and Lighthouse News Bureau is pleased to announce that Client, Shirley W. Mitchell, will be on a nine state tour signing her new "Aging Boomer Series" with Whitaker House Publishers/Anchor Distributors. The tour is scheduled for AL, OH, PA, IL, IN, MI, KY, TN and GA. The 2016 Tour schedule includes the NRB-International Christian Media Convention in Nashville, TN on Feb. 23-24, and the ICRS-International Christian Retail Show in Cincinnati, OH on Jun. 25-30, which is the first time this event has opened in Cincinnati. There are two meetings scheduled for Mar. 7-9 in the Pittsburgh, PA and GrandRapids, MI areas. On Mar. 5th, Ms. Mitchell will do an Author Signing along side Janet R. Fox at Logos Bookstore in Kent, OH.



Ms. Mitchell will be signing the following books  Fabulous after 50, Sensational after 60, Radiant after 70, Love Like God, Women Will Save the World, Love Notes for Mom, Love Notes for Dad and 101 Great Ways To Improve Your Life.



Author Signings on the Tour include:

Feb. 20, 2016... 9am-3PM-CST... Local Authors Expo & Book Fair Birmingham Public Library 2100 Park Place Birmingham AL

Feb. 26, 2016... 5-7PM-CST... Logos Bookstore 4012 Hillsboro Pike # 6, Nashville, TN

Feb. 27, 2016... 10am-2PM-CST... The New Covenant Christian Bookstore 800 North Main Street Shelbyville, TN

Mar. 4, 2016... 3-5PM-EST... Kent Free Library with Logos Bookstore of Kent 976 West Main Street Kent, OH

Mar. 5, 2016... 11am-2PM-EST... Logos Bookstore of Kent 976 West Main Street Kent, OH

Apr.1, 2016... 4-6PM-CST... Lifeline Christian Books and Gifts 1901 S. Fourth St. Suite 10 Effingham, IL

Apr. 2, 2016 ... 10am-2PM-CST... Handfuls on Purpose Christian Bookstore 922 W Main St. Marion, IL 6

Apr. 12-15, 2016... 2016 Alabama Library Association Convention Univ of AL - G Center 121 North 1st Street Gadsden, AL

Apr. 23, 2016... 9am-4PM CST... 11th Annual Alabama Book Festival 301 Columbus Street Montgomery, AL



Known today as "The Golden Egg of Aging", Shirley W. Mitchell is a national author, writer, speaker, syndicated columnist and celebrity radio talk show host. Ms. Mitchell was writing about, and promoting, a 'Positive Aging Lifestyle' before most were even thinking about it - Her life 'Passion and Mission' is promoting 'Positive Aging and Vitality in Health'. Shirley is the owner of the "Fabulous after 50", "Sensational after 60", Radiant after 70 and "Aging Outside the Box" syndicated media groups; Author of 18 books; Co-author of 5 books; Publisher of the syndicated "Fabulous after Fifty" on-line column; Featured columnist for Senior Lifestyle Magazine, and a member of "The Lit Chicks Literary Writers Critique Group" of Sand Mountain Alabama. Ms. Mitchell is the celebrity radio talk show host of the syndicated radio shows "Aging Outside the Box ~ Talk Radio With A Twist" aired every Wednesday night and "Aging Outside the Box Christian Spiritual Sparks" aired every Sunday, which are produced by Lighthouse Coastal Productions in Sardis City, AL.



Janet R. Fox, Painter and Author of "Desperate Horse Wives", ISBN# 9781511513500 with CreateSpace, earned her B.A. in Education from the University of Akron in Ohio. Janet has had a love of horses her whole life. She lives on a five acre horse farm with Jack, the love of her life, their border collie, Bailey, and their Tennessee Walker horses that they take horse camping and trail riding. Janet enjoys making scrapbooks with the photos taken while riding, making greeting cards, and painting with water colors.



The Association of Logos Bookstores is a non-profit, member-owned, trade association comprised of 18 independent Christian bookstore members located in the U.S., Canada and the Bahamas. Store owners and managers work together as a group to determine the kinds of goods and services that the Association should provide for their benefit. Becky Gorczyca, Executive Director, Association of Logos Bookstores 1675 E. Main St. #204 Kent, Ohio 44240



For more information or to schedule Ms. Mitchell contact:

Lighthouse Coastal Productions Media Group

466 Sardis Cutoff Road

Sardis City, AL 35956

Tel. 256-202-3040

Agent@lighthousecoastal.com





Send an email to O. E. Cruiser Small of r

256-202-3040 Recent Press Releases By The Same User Shelbyville TN Spring Multi-Author Book Signing (Mon 13th Mar 17) Spiney The Unwanted Christmas Tree (Sat 24th Dec 16) New Website System for The Golden Egg of Aging (Thu 3rd Dec 15) New Aging Boomer Series By Shirley W. Mitchell (Thu 3rd Dec 15) The Flame of Triumph in Mid-Life with Author Shirley W. Mitchell (Thu 11th Jun 15)
After first objecting to Louisiana Gov. Jon Edwards dropping the states lawsuit against President Barack Obama that claimed the Common Core State Standards was federal overreach, Attorney General Jeff Landry abruptly reversed course Thursday and agreed to drop it.

Late last week, recently-elected Democratic Gov. Jon Edwards said he dropped the lawsuit, filed by then-Gov. Bobby Jindal, a Republican. The recent passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act, which specifically bars the federal government from mandating standards, coupled with the states own efforts to rewrite its standards, makes the lawsuit educationally and financially unnecessary, according to the Associated Press. The state has paid close to $450,000 to its lawyer, Jimmy Faircloth, to handle the case, the AP reported.

But on Monday, Landry filed papers with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to let him take over as plaintiff instead of Jindal.

Under our Constitution, the person tasked with the authority to make decisions on the legal business of the State of Louisiana is the Attorney General, Landry wrote in a letter to Gov. Edwards.

Edwards lawyer quickly shot back with a motion saying Landry had no authority to intervene in a lawsuit Jindal had filed on behalf of the governors office.

It wasnt long before Landrys attorney Elizabeth Murrill wrote in a motion, The attorney general, after independently reviewing this matter, has concluded he no longer opposes dismissing this appeal.

Jindal brought the suit in late 2014, alleging that Obama manipulated policy waivers and billions of dollars in federal grant money to illegally pressure states to adopt the common core.
Farming has fallen on hard times and the fallout from low commodity prices, extreme weather events and delayed BPS payments, has taken its toll.

Not only has it hit businesses and household bank balances, it is also putting huge strain on relationships and peoples physical and mental health.

But farmers and their families neednt suffer in silence. Instead, there are numerous charities, organisations and other services offering a wide range of help  if only people ask for it.

See also: Farmer tells of depression to encourage others to seek help

This guide brings together practical advice for managing your farm business and personal finances through tough times, and looks at how and when to seek help for physical and mental health problems.

Business matters

1. Plan before disposing of assets

Farmers looking to dispose of assets to free up capital need to ensure sales do not incur a hefty tax bill

Rob Hitch, director at accountant Dodd & Co, says a common mistake is for farmers to sell off a parcel of land, only to create a capital gains tax bill equivalent to 28% or 18% of the sale.

Small blocks of land will usually be fine  small part-disposal rules apply for transactions up to 20,000  but sales of anything of a reasonable size can incur a bill from HMRC. The sale could benefit from entrepreneurs relief, which will reduce the tax bill to 10%.

Mr Hitch says some farmers have benefitted from lease-back agreements where land has been sold and rented back on a long-term tenancy.

This is effective because you dont lose the productive capacity of the land, but you realise the equity from it.

Slimming down the farms machinery is another option to free up funds, but machinery purchased outright using capital allowances relief can also incur taxes, as the sale will be taxed as income.

For hired-in machinery, asset finance companies can be reluctant to extend payment terms, but many will refinance a machine at the end of an agreement, so theres scope for negotiation.

2. Examine your business

Rob Selley, an associate at rural accountant AC Mole & Sons, says an eye for detail is essential. Consider:

* Preparing a cashflow forecast. This will highlight times when money is tightest and show potential cost savings.

* Hire purchase or leasing for essential capital purchases.

* Benchmarking against other similar farming businesses. This can highlight areas for improved profitability, efficiency and cost-cutting.

* Whether your assets can work harder for you. Renting out farm buildings or running a bed and breakfast works for some. However, they can be costly to get off the ground, so good market research, planning and realistic forecasting are essential.

3. Approach your bank for help

Oliver McEntyre, Barclays agriculture strategy director, offers advice.

* Communication is key. It is more impressive to a bank manager if someone asks for money to see their business through a difficult period than spotting that their overdraft has been exceeded.

* Bring your cashbook and budget to meetings and know what will happen if your BPS doesnt come in time or farmgate prices change.

* Overdraft increases are the easiest to facilitate, but banks can look at restructuring existing borrowing. Turning borrowing into an interest-only facility is a useful tool, which can ease pressure on cash.

* Knowing your cost of production and where the market has to go to make a cash surplus shows you know your business.

* Farmers experiencing problems because of delayed BPS payments can access a fee-free overdraft facility from most banks. Note that interest will still apply, though.

4. Making a position redundant

Phil Cookson, a partner at Roythornes Solicitors, warns that handling redundancy badly can cost in the long term.

* Selecting employees to be made redundant often catches farmers out. Individuals must be scored objectively against the needs of the business in the future, rather than operating a last-in, first-out policy.

* The role, not just the employee, must be made redundant.

* Employees with long service will be entitled to longer notice periods (redundancy payments)  one week for every year of service, up to a maximum of 12 years.

* Alternatives to redundancy might include a job share, pay cut or reduced hours.

* Consider the Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment (Tupe) regulations when outsourcing work (this protects employees when they are transferred to another company). If the contractor wont take on your members of staff, you may breach Tupe regulations if you then make them redundant.

Where to go for help

The Farming Community Network (FCN)

Support and guidance for personal and business issues, including tenancies, financial problems and accessing welfare benefits.

Helpline 03000 111 999

General enquiries 01788 510 866 or chris@fcn.org.uk

The Addington Fund

Farmers who find themselves with increased on-farm costs through no fault of their own can apply for hardship grants.

01926 620 135

Rural Support

The Rural Support charity in Northern Ireland offers a listening and signposting service for farmers and rural families and also meets face to face to offer support to those in need.

Helpline 8am11pm, seven days a week 0845 6067 607

The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (Rabi)

For support grants, relief farm workers and expert financial and personal support across England and Wales.

Helpline 0808 281 9490

For general enquiries phone 01865 724 931

The Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI)

Offers a range of financial and practical support to crofters and farmers of all ages in Scotland. Helpline 0300 111 4166

Lincolnshire Rural Support Network

LRSN helps its countys farmers through a range of issues through pastoral and practical support.

0800 138 1710

info@lrsn.co.uk

Tir Dewi/ Davids Land

Rural support service in south-west Wales for both English- and Welsh-speaking farmers.

Call 07814 272 998

The Farming Recovery Fund

Provides money to help farmers affected by the Cumbrian flooding in December 2015.

Forage Aid

Provides forage and/or bedding for livestock farms affected by an extreme weather event. 07967 219 991

HMRC

Businesses that were unable to pay their tax on time can call HMRC on 0300 200 3822 to assess the next steps.

Farming Help

Confidential help with access to the Addington Fund, FCN and Rabi.

0845 367 9990

Citizens Advice

Help with debt, benefits, tax, housing, welfare and many more personal issues.

You Are Not Alone (Yana)

Help for those in farming who may be affected by stress and depression

0300 323 0400

johoey@yanahelp.org

MIND

A national mental health charity with local branches covering England and Wales.

Call 0300 123 3393 weekdays 9am to 6pm

info@mind.org.uk

Samaritans

Confidential support line for anyone who wants to talk to someone about their problems.

116 123

jo@samaritans.org

Papyrus

Suicide prevention support aimed at young people, but open to all.

0800 068 4141, text 07786 20969

pat@papyrus-uk.org

Rural+

Support for young people based in rural communities.

Personal finances

Most issues relating to a farming familys household income will stem from problems with business profits. But a closer look at personal finances may help unlock cash and alleviate the strain.

Rob Harris, communications manager at the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (Rabi), says the support available from the network of rural charities is rich and varied.

Our welfare officers regularly sit down with people needing help and work out a plan  in 2014 they helped people claim more than 380,000 in state benefits and tax credits.

Our package can include paying domestic utility bills, providing food vouchers and hampers, covering the costs of visiting hospital, paying for relief farm staff, or buying emergency items such as disability equipment.

Are you claiming all that is owed to your family?

Child benefit

For parents with dependent children up to age 16, or 20 if in full-time education. Worth 20.70/week for the eldest child, 13.70/week for others.

Child tax credit

State benefit that is worth 10-105/week depending on the number of children you have.

Maternity, paternity and adoption pay

Statutory financial support when your baby is born that amounts to 90% of your average weekly earnings for six weeks, then a maximum of 139.58 thereafter, paid by employers.

Marriage allowance

This could save up to 212 in tax a year. It allows married couples or civil partners to transfer unused personal tax allowances.

Maternity grant

A one-off payment to help pay for baby equipment to the value of 500. Qualification criteria applies.

Maternity allowance

Self-employed workers, or those who dont qualify for statutory maternity pay can get a maternity allowance for up to 39 weeks, worth up to 139/week.

Attendance allowance

For over 65s who need frequent help with personal care. Ranges from 55.10 to 82.30/week.

Carers allowance

Those caring for someone for more than 35 hours a week can claim 62.10/week, depending on earnings.

Statutory sick pay

About 88/week can be paid to employees off sick from work for more than four days, for a period of up to 28 weeks.

State pension

All those who have reached the government-defined retirement age. Currently 115.95/week or 185.45 for a couple.

Winter fuel payments

One-off payments made each winter to those over 60, regardless of the temperature, worth 200-300/year depending on age.

Income support

This payment ranges from 57.90 to 114.85/week to people who are not expected to look for work, for example, carers or lone parents with children under the age of five.

Pension credit

A pension top-up payment for most over 60s  often overlooked by many. Payments vary.

Housing benefit

For those on a low income who struggle to pay their rent. Payments depend on rent and income.

Council tax support

An average council tax reduction of about 25/week for those on a low income.

Cold weather payments

These 25/week payments are made to those receiving certain benefits to help with gas and electricity costs during cold weather.

See Gov.uk or the HMRC website for more about how to claim these benefits and tax credits and what criteria applies. Charities listed under Where to go for help above can also help with this.

Physical and mental health

Tough times in farming can last for months or even years, placing huge physical and mental strain on individuals and families for sustained periods of time.

Thankfully, many long-standing organisations offer support and many new ones are reaching out to rural communities in new ways.

One such example is the Lincolnshire Rural Support Network, which is encouraging farmers to look after their physical and mental health by embedding itself at the markets in Louth and Newark.

Mental health warning signs to watch out for * Sleep  either a lack of it or lots of broken sleep  is one of the first symptoms. * Displaying lots of high-energy emotions such as anger, frustration or irritation. * Eating or drinking more than usual is often an attempt to numb feelings of depression or any other mental health issue. * Not wanting to get out of bed or waking up feeling extremely tired.

Project manager Alison Twiddy says it is making a big difference.

We have had people tell us that if it wasnt for us, their dad would be dead because he wouldnt have gone to see his GP about a problem.

She says health screenings have already taken place at Bakewell and Exeter markets and issues typically seen in farmers include dementia, self-harm among young people, alcoholism, anxiety and depression.

Suicide is, unfortunately, a big issue in the farming community. Simon Howarth, at suicide prevention charity Papyrus, says isolation is a key contributing factor when an individual is thinking about taking their own life.

In rural areas the support is a lot harder to find than in the city, he says. Many contacts come from those who are worried about a friend or family member, he adds.

We will not contact that person directly, but we will help the person who has contacted us to encourage that friend or family member to get in touch.
3 Tips for Delegating Work Effectively

We're entrepreneurs and small business owners for a reason -- we think we can do it better than anyone else. But that doesn't mean we can do it all, and there are some cases where it's necessary to delegate planning, authority, and action to your employees.

It may not be easy, but there are ways to make delegating at work more effective. Here are three of them:

1. Creation

In many cases, it helps to work backwards from your ultimate objective. What do you want to accomplish? Who is best positioned to assist you in getting there? What tools and authority do they need to succeed?

Creating a roadmap to your business destination, before you leave the garage, will create a path for your team, help identify possible assets and blockers, and make sure everyone stays on the same course.

2. Clarity

Your employees should always know exactly what is expected of them, especially when you're handing off important responsibilities. Make sure your staff knows what tasks you're asking them to perform, and how their performance will be judged. Lay out specific goals and markers that are relevant, measurable, and, most of all, attainable.

Encourage your team to ask questions before the project begins, so everyone is on the same page from the start. And make sure the employees you're delegating to acknowledge their understanding of the end goal, and their individual roles in getting there.

3. Congratulations

Everyone wants to be rewarded for hard work. And when you're asking for others' help (which is a big part of delegation), those that help want to be recognized. So establish a system to honor your team, both at the finish and at specific benchmarks along the way.

Whether you also want to have negative consequences for poor performance is up to you, but outlining the rewards system prior to starting the project tends to aid in motivating your staff.

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Pressure is growing for measures to limit EU milk production as the crisis in Europes dairy sector continues.

French agriculture minister Stephane Le Foll is set to propose a range of market measures at Mondays EU Agriculture Council in Brussels.

These are believed to include financial backing for producers who voluntarily reduce output during periods of declining prices, an export credit facility to boost trade and a temporary increase to dairy intervention prices.

It is understood that the Dutch EU presidency wants to delay a formal debate on the French proposals until next months council on 14 March.

See also: Hogan should quit over handling of dairy crisis says EMB

Rob Harrison, NFU dairy board chairman, told Farmers Weekly that he could understand the French drive to bring more confidence to the market given that prices were likely to continue to fall over the next four to five months, leading to more EU milk producers going out of business.

France was likely to receive support from many of the southern member states while the UKs position of staying clear of extra regulations was backed by Denmark, Holland, German and Ireland, he said.

Mr Harrison added he wanted to see processors and co-operatives coming up with ideas to help the market situation, adding that in the medium to long term it would be essential to concentrate on finding new markets and adding value to products.

The NFU said it was interested in the recent decision by Dutch dairy co-op FrieslandCampina to pay an extra 1.5p/litre to its member dairy producers for six weeks to limit production. The co-op processes about three-quarters of milk produced in the Netherlands and has 13,000 Dutch members, 1,000 in Germany and a handful in Belgium.

Richard Potts, NFU Brussels policy adviser, told Farmers Weekly: This has come about from discussions between members and the co-op and is something new that we can look at in the future. Certainly, this type of initiative cant be knocked.

Meanwhile, the European Milk Board (EMB) has criticised the European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker for failing to support its drive to for a new crisis tool to encourage production cuts at times when prices fall significantly.

The EMB lobbies for milk producers and has members 15 European countries and co-operates with organisations in others, representing about 100,000 milk producers.

Mr Juncker said in a letter to the board that the commission had adopted a set of measures supported by 500m, with the aim to offer farmers direct help, especially in terms of market management and cashflow problems. He said that the EMBs regulatory approach was not shared by the main dairy stakeholders.

The EMB described his response as meaningless and did not help in any way. The 500m aid package does not provide the slightest solution to the existing problems. A spokeswoman added however that informal discussions with EU ministers in recent days had been supportive and that the tide was turning in favour of more help for the sector.

Representing EU farming unions and co-operatives, Copa-Cogeca said it did not want to raise the intervention price at the cost of cutting direct payments and was keen to focus on finding new markets and reopening the Russian market.

We want to help farmers get a better return for their produce by, for example, joining co-operatives and getting better protection from the European Investment Bank (EIB) for farmers investments/loans to combat volatility, said a spokeswoman.
Livestock farmers are being urged to remain vigilant over Bluetongue after a recent risk assessment by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) revealed an outbreak in late summer was most likely.

The first outbreak of bluetongue for four years was confirmed in the Allier region of central France last August.

Since it was first detected, surveillance work uncovered 173 outbreaks of the bluetongue serotype virus 8 (BTV-8) as of 4 February, prompting movement restrictions and vaccinations for exported livestock.

See also: Fears grow over bluetongue threat to UK

Last month, Defra said the risk of the virus reaching UK shores was low, but it has since said an outbreak is up to 80% likely by the end of the summer.

In a statement released on Thursday (11 February), following the latest risk assessment, Defra said:

As an approximation and with a high level of uncertainty, we consider the risk of an incursion in a cool spring (for example, with average temperatures of less than 12-15C) to be between 5% and 10%; later in the summer at between 33% and 60% and by the end of the summer at 60-80%.

It added: This would be the result of infected midges being blown across from France to the south-east of England.

The risk of an incursion in the UK is highly dependent on the level of disease on the continent, the proximity to the UK of cases in the rest of Europe and the weather, including temperature and wind direction.

Defra said an outbreak would also hinge on the ability of the French authorities to control disease over the low vector activity period.

Government deputy chief vet Simon Hall said the risk of outbreak was difficult to predict at this stage, but confirmed Defra has robust disease-surveillance procedures in place and was working closely with the devolved administrations and the livestock industry.

The risk of incursion from infected midges is difficult to predict at this stage because it is highly dependent on the level of disease on the continent, the proximity to the UK and the weather.

Animal keepers should remain vigilant for any signs of disease and report any suspicions to their vet and the APHA immediately.

NFU chief adviser on animal health and welfare, Catherine McLaughlin, said farmers should speak to their vet about vaccination.

We are taking the threat of bluetongue seriously and urge all ruminant keepers to maintain vigilance for signs of disease.

Vaccine is effective and we recommend farmers have a conversation with their veterinary surgeon to inform their decision based on their business risk.

Professor Peter Mertens of The Pirbright Institute, the centre for bluetongue epidemiology research in Europe, said they were well prepared for a possible outbreak.

Diagnostic tests used to detect the virus were developed at The Pirbright Institute so we are confident that these tests are fast and reliable.

It would appear that the virus circulating now is almost identical to the virus outbreak in 2007 therefore we know exactly what to expect and are well prepared.

Farmers Weekly poll

In an online poll, a majority of Farmers Weekly readers said they would vaccinate against bluetongue if the disease arrived on our shores.

Of the 38 votes cast, 53% were in favour of vaccinating against the disease. However, 34% said they had not decided.

The remaining 13% voted No when asked: Will you vaccinate against bluetongue if it arrives in the UK?

Last month, the British Veterinary Association (BVA) called on farmers to recognise the risk of bluetongue reaching the UK and urged them to consider investing in vaccinating their livestock against bluetongue.

The NFU agreed, telling Farmers Weekly there is a fairly good risk of bluetongue spreading England from France.

Industry organisations, including the NFU and British Veterinary Association, are lobbying pharmaceutical manufacturers to kick-start production of the bluetongue vaccine ahead of a potential outbreak in the UK.

However, manufacturers will only begin production if there is a guaranteed market for the vaccine, which cost farmers about 80p a dose during the previous UK outbreak in 2007.

Bluetongue facts
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A Pinch of Salt: To vote now or to vote later  that is the question
PORTLAND  Oregon State University President Ed Ray used his annual State of the University address to call for an all hands on deck effort to make an OSU education an affordable reality for every Oregonian.

Speaking to about 700 people in the grand ballroom of the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Ray announced a four-year Student Success Initiative aimed at raising retention and graduation rates and easing the burden of student debt, especially among minority, low-income and first-generation college students.

We intend by the end of this decade to raise Oregon States first-year retention rate from 84 percent to 90 percent and OSUs six-year graduation rate for all undergraduate students from 63.1 percent to 70 percent  without any achievement gaps for underrepresented, first-generation or Pell-eligible students, he said.

Echoing a theme from last years State of the University speech, Ray decried the growing disparity in educational attainment between the wealthiest and poorest segments of society.

Over the last 40 years, Ray pointed out, the likelihood of earning a college degree rose from 44 percent to 82 percent for students whose families were in the top 25 percent of income while climbing from 6 percent to just 9 percent for those from households in the lowest-earning 25 percent.

This is absolutely shameful, Ray declared. Higher education in America is deepening the divide in our nation between haves and have-nots, and this chasm is tearing at the fabric of society and undermining our democracy.

He also bemoaned the growth of student debt. On average, he said, Oregon resident undergrads now face an unmet financial need of $7,256 a year. For low-income students who meet the threshold for Pell grants, the unmet need averages $9,601 annually.

These are near-impossible financial burdens for students and their families, Ray said. Opportunities for success at the graduate and doctoral levels are even further out of reach for those who are economically disadvantaged.

Ray did not specify exactly how much money would be needed to reach those goals or where it would come from, but he said it would require the leadership and support of the business community, alumni, donors, the governor and the Oregon Legislature.

Ray also ticked off a list of the universitys noteworthy achievements in 2015, including:

For the second straight year, OSU total enrollment topped the 30,000 mark.

The class of 2015 was the largest ever, with 6,038 graduates earning more than 6,300 degrees.

OSUs Cascades campus in Bend enrolled its first freshman class and started construction on a classroom building.

The universitys undergraduate online education program was ranked seventh nationally by U.S. News and World Report and fourth in the nation for veterans.

OSU scientists took a leadership role in planning for the impacts of major natural disasters such as a subduction zone earthquake and made important advances in the fight against cancer and Lou Gehrigs disease.

The Oregon State University Foundation had its best fundraising year ever, securing $130.8 million in donations.

And OSU faculty brought in a record $309 million in research funding, almost twice as much as the states other six public universities combined.

Ray trumpeted two major academic initiatives at the university as well.

The Marine Studies Initiative aims to dramatically expand OSUs presence in Newport. Plans call for a $50 million classroom and laboratory building to educate up to 500 students annually by 2025. Another 700 students on the Corvallis campus are expected to take part each year in the interdisciplinary program.

Meanwhile, OSU is moving ahead on a $60 million-$70 million forest science complex in Corvallis. The complex will focus on the development of cross-laminated timbers, a new kind of engineered wood product that can be used in place of structural steel in high-rise construction.

Ray ended his talk on an upbeat note.

Let me assure you, he said, that while we know we are not done, we can be confident  you can be confident  that, working together, the best is yet to come.
This log includes incidents in which there might have been a public disturbance or a risk to the public. Information comes from the Corvallis Police Department, the Benton County Sheriffs Office and Oregon State Police. It does not include all calls for service. The status of incidents might change after further investigation. Locations are approximate. People arrested or suspected in crimes are considered innocent until proven otherwise.

Corvallis Police Department

THURSDAY, FEB. 11

HEROIN: 7:48 p.m., 2080 N.W. Ninth St. Shelby Samantha Sparks, 27, of Philomath, was arrested and charged with possession of heroin and third-degree theft after police responded to Rite Aid for a theft report. Officers reported finding two spoons with heroin residue on them during a search. Sparks was booked into the Benton County Jail.

MAN FOLLOWS BOYS: 7:45 a.m., 2300 block of Northwest Hayes Avenue. Two boys reported that they were followed by a man who took pictures of them. The man was described as being about 6 feet tall, wearing dark clothing and carrying a silver iPhone.

Benton County Sheriffs Office

MONDAY, FEB. 8

SEMI-TRUCK DUII: 7:41 p.m., Highway 99 and Prairie Road, Eugene. A deputy arrested and charged Monty Reid, 49, of Eugene with DUII, reckless driving and possession of methamphetamine following a traffic stop. Reid was reportedly driving an 80,000-pound commercial truck.
Disruption, Interrupted: CA Regulators Catch Up With Zenefits

Zenefits, a Silicon Valley startup that was valued at $4.5 billion late last year, has been violating California regulations by using insurance agents who were not properly certified. This week, the state's Department of Insurance announced that it is investigating Zenefits, according to the Wall Street Journal.

This prompted the startup's founder and CEO, Parker Conrad, to quit. The new CEO, David Sacks, has changed the company motto and taken responsibility, admitting Zenefits' error. But the WSJ points out that this is just one of many seemingly successful startups that got big by ignoring industry regulations and asks if that's the true secret to Silicon Valley's successes.

The Zenefits Story

Zenefits makes cloud-based software for human resources management and sells insurance. The software service is free and Zenefits makes its money, like an insurance broker, by selling benefits plans like insurance.

Just last year the founder, Parker Conrad, seemed like yet another slovenly genius in his thirties, one who had solved human resources management. His HR software service was free, his company was making money, and investors and customers seemed pleased.

Now it looks like Zenefits' staff were not qualified to do their jobs. And a lot of companies must be questioning the coverage they bought through Zenefits.

Disruption, Interrupted

Meanwhile, other Silicon Valley startups that have ignored industry regulations, like Uber, are also paying the price. The ridesharing service this week agreed to settle a set of California class-action lawsuits about safety claims with $28.5 million and a promise to change its marketing language. But Uber still faces scrutiny internationally and is in a legal battle in France over whether its executives incited drivers to offer illegal taxi services.

Disruption is a favorite startup buzzword, made famous by Silicon Valley's brightest stars. But now it looks like companies are only able to make so much money by ignoring the rules first and dealing with consequences if caught.

This mentality explains why Zenefits' motto was "ready, aim, fire" until just this week. The new CEO, David Sacks, changed the motto to "operate with integrity." But it may be too late to convince anyone that this is even possible.

Telling Admission?

Sacks reportedly mailed company employees a memo this week explaining what went wrong. Zenefits had create a special software internally to allow California sales staff to complete education to qualify as licensed insurance sales people "in less than the legally required 52 total hours."

The admission by Sacks seems to be telling. It reveals what many fear is a truth that the genius youth who are making billions of dollars disrupting business as usual have yet to understand. There are no shortcuts to success ... not unless you're cheating.

Worred About Your Biz?

If you are concerned about you rinsurance coverage because you bought it from Zenefits or if you are ocncerned about whether you are operating within industry regulations, speak to a lawyer. Get guidance from counsel.

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AF officials announce FY 2017 budget force structure changes

By Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs, / Published February 12, 2016

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Air Force officials released force structure changes resulting from the president's fiscal year 2017 budget Feb. 12.

This year's budget request continues the momentum gained from the recovery provided by the 2015 Bipartisan Budget Act, but still reflects the tough choices the Air Force was forced to make as the demand for Air Force capability continues to increase as the Budget Control Act looms in fiscal 2018.

The fiscal 2017 budget leverages the total force -- active duty, Guard and Reserve -- to maintain the service's ability to support ongoing operations while ensuring the service is ready to face future threats. The budget keeps the active-duty force at 317,000 while posturing the force for future growth. Guard and Reserve manning will remain constant, but the Air Force will continue plans to transfer aircraft and flying missions to Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve locations that would otherwise have no mission due to fleet divestments.

"We are using the strengths of our total force team while we continue to balance readiness today and tomorrow," said Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James. "In this budget, we will transfer some strategic airlift capability from active-duty to Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve locations, maintaining critical surge capability in the Reserve component."

The budget rephases divestment of the A-10 Thunderbolt II to coincide with fielding of follow-on capabilities and will delay retirement of the first A-10s until fiscal 2018 to align with F-35 Lightning II bed down, keeping the A-10 in the inventory until fiscal 2022.

"Rephasing the retirement of the weapons system until later in the Future Years Defense Program ensures critical capability is retained in the near term to support ongoing operations, as well as any potential changes in the geopolitical environment," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III. "This plan will allow us to maintain vital fighter capacity as we transition to the F-35 and deal with a resurgent Russia and a protracted counterterrorism war in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria."

The Air Force also plans to grow the tanker force over the next several years to the required 479 tanker aircraft before it considers divesting tankers as it receives KC-46A Pegasus aircraft to replace them.

The fiscal 2017 plan also maintains all 14 of the current EC-130H Compass Call fleet through fiscal 2018, while retiring 28 C-130H Hercules aircraft between fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2019 to reduce excess capacity and free up resources to invest in enterprise requirements. Additionally, a small number of F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft will be transferred to formal training units to help increase the rate of pilot production to help fill critical fighter pilot shortages.

"The actions in this budget represent our best plan to balance readiness for the warfighter today and into the future, but we need to ensure our Air Force stands ready for any unseen challenge of tomorrow," James said. "Our (fiscal 2017) budget continues the recovery and gives us a larger and better equipped force. However, we still had to make tough choices in modernization, infrastructure and people to live within Bipartisan Budget Act limits. We need to continue the recovery, repeal sequestration in FY18, and give America the Air Force it deserves ... now and in the future."

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U.S. Department of Defense

Press Operations

News Release

No. NR-054-16 February 12, 2016

Readout of Secretary of Defense Ash Carter's meeting with the Emirati Minister of State for Defense Affairs His Excellency Mohammed Al Bowardi

Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook provided the following readout:

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter met with United Arab Emirates Minister of State for Defense Affairs His Excellency Mohammed Al Bowardi today in Brussels.

Secretary Carter thanked the Minister for participating in Thursday's meeting of Counter-ISIL coalition defense ministers. He also welcomed the UAE's willingness to rejoin the coalition air campaign and provide additional support on the ground.

The secretary acknowledged the online efforts of the U.A.E.-based Sawab Center to counter propaganda and reveal ISIL's true criminal nature and intent, and the work of the Forum for Peace in Muslim Societies to help religious scholars better connect with Muslim youth in the U.A.E. and around the world.

The secretary and the minister agreed to continue the close communications between the two countries.

http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/655588/

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How Burundi's political crisis has crippled its economy

By Desire Nimubona

BUJUMBURA, 12 February 2016 (IRIN) - The crisis that erupted in Burundi in April 2015 following Pierre Nkurunziza's decision to seek a controversial third term as president has claimed more than 400 lives and caused more than 230,000 people to flee the country, according to the UN. But it isn't just citizens who have suffered - the economy is in a bad way too.

Alexandre Nyabenda works as a trader in a shop in Cibitoke, one of the so-called "contested areas" of the capital Bujumbura, which are really just the hotbeds of opposition to Nkurunziza that have seen most political unrest.

Nyabenda, who has been working there for the past six years, told IRIN that trade had really suffered as a result of the instability.

"Before the crisis  I was taking in around 120,000 francs ($76 dollars) of revenue each day," he said. "Since April 2015, just to get 40,000 francs ($25) a day has been a real struggle."

The fall is explained by the fact that so many customers fled the country as Burundi descended into violence. Those who have stayed don't have the same purchasing power so the quantity of goods sold has markedly decline.

"A father who was buying two kilos of rice and two kilos of beans every day to feed his five children and his wife is now buying only half a kilo because his domestic helper, his wife and his children have fled into exile," explained Nyabenda.

"A grenade was thrown near my restaurant"

Things are even worse for Sinkazi Kevin, 32, a coal seller in Cibitoke who has gone practically bankrupt due to the tough economic times.

"Before this crisis I was selling at least six to 10 sacks of coal a day, but now I'm only selling one," Kevin told IRIN, clearly angry. "There are no buyers! People have fled, and restaurant owners who were good potential clients before are now doing hardly any business, or have even closed their restaurants."

Micheella Kanyana was forced to close her small restaurant in Cibitoke because the unrest and insecurity was too great to carry on.

"A grenade was thrown near my restaurant. I was already scared. Next, our customers, who were the motorcyclists, the taxi bike drivers, they stopped coming. And then our coal suppliers, our food suppliers were too scared to come to our area. This is why I closed my restaurant," Kanyana told IRIN.

"I asked three restaurant workers that I had taken on to return home for fear of seeing them arrested or killed because they were all young," she added.

Even the prestigious University of Burundi, the only academic institution in the country with resident accomodation is not immune from the economic crisis. It recently suspended providing breakfast for its boarding students.

"The price of beans has gone from 1,200 francs (76 cents) before the crisis to 1,800 francs ($1.15) today. Rice has gone from 1,100 francs to 1,700 francs a kilo," said Anatole Nzinahora, head of the university management, explaining that they simply didn't have the means now to feed students three times a day.

According to him, the suspension of a morning meal will allow the management to at least feed the students sometimes, in a period when some of the school's food suppliers are hesitant to deliver.

Rents in relatively calm districts of Bujumbura have risen as a consequence of their perceived stability.

"I lost my job because of the crisis. My wife no longer works," Jean Marie Ndaruhayinda, the owner of a house in Gasenyi in northern Bujumbura, told IRIN. "The only income I have is rental income. Because my house is in Gasenyi (a calm area), I have had to double it from 150,000 francs a month rent to 300,000 francs a month."

As for Audace Ndayisaba, the owner of a house in the "contested area" of Mutakura, his tenants left his houses seven months ago.

"I built small houses for tenants," he told IRIN. "In total I was easily earning one million Burundian francs ($637) a month in rental income. Now, all the tenants have gone elsewhere because of the security situation. So I am earning nothing and I don't even have a nightwatchman to look after the premises because of insecurity."

Bleak picture

Prospects for the Burundi economy are not good. Annual GDP growth for 2015 was -7.2 percent, and it is set to fall further with insecurity, a deteriorating business climate and tense relations with donors weighing on the treasury.

The 2016 budget shows a fall in government spending of more than 46 percent, economist Leonce Sinzinkayo told the Iwacu newspaper.

He calculated that revenue has plunged by $14.3 million, with the budget deficit now at $891 million.

The downturn in food production and the difficulty in getting produce to market, is likely to see food prices continue their rise.

dn/ag/oa

Theme (s): Conflict, Economy, Food Security, Governance,

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.

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NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg at Munich Security Conference

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

12 Feb. 2016

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is attending the Munich Security Conference on 12-13 February 2014, against the background of a changed security environment.

The challenges from the east and the south, including NATO's role in tackling the refugee and migrant crisis, were high on the agenda of Mr Stoltenberg's meeting with the British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond. Mr Stoltenberg also met the EU High Representative/Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini to discuss the need for even closer cooperation between NATO and the EU after the Alliance's decision to deploy its Standing Maritime Group 2 to the Aegean. Previously, Mr Stoltenberg spoke about EU-NATO cooperation in dealing with the refugee and migrant crisis with the President of the European Commision Jean-Claude Juncker and the President of the European Council Donald Tusk.

The NATO Secretary General and the Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov reviewed NATO-Russia relations and agreed to continue exploring the possibility of a NATO-Russia Council meeting.

Mr Stoltenberg also met the Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Lamberto Zannier, to discuss the state of the ceasefire in Eastern Ukraine, the need for transparency and predictability in military activities in Europe, and further strengthening the cooperation between NATO and the OSCE.

The NATO Secretary General will make a keynote speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, February 13.

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Doorstep statement by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the start of the Munich Security Conference

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

12 Feb. 2016

(As delivered)



I am glad to be back in Munich.

The Munich Security Conference is an important platform for debate and dialogue.

And this is especially important now when we are faced with a new and more demanding and challenging security environment.

And I'm coming directly from Brussels where we, yesterday and during the two days of ministerial meeting of the NATO Defence Ministers, made many important decisions addressing how we respond. We decided to increase the military presence of NATO forces in the eastern part of the Alliance. That will be multinational forces. They will be there and they will also do exercises and increase our presence in the eastern part of the Alliance.

In this context I very much welcome the announcement of the plans of the US to significantly increase its military presence in Europe. With more troops, with prepositioning of heavy equipment, with more exercises, with investment in critical infrastructure.

And I think this signals a very strong unity in the Alliance, the strong transatlantic bond in the NATO Alliance.

Then we also decided yesterday to assist with the migrant and refugee crisis in Europe. This is the biggest humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War Two. We will send our standing maritime group to the Aegean. We will increase monitoring and surveillance along the Turkish-Syrian border. This is not about sending back the boats but it is about NATO helping our Allies, Greece, Turkey and the European Union to better cope with the migrant and refugee crisis. And we will do so by providing critical information, surveillance, monitoring, so we can better coordinate the efforts, so we can better enable all the different authorities, which are addressing the migrant and refugee crisis, to better cope with the situation.

The migrant and refugee crisis in Europe is mainly fueled by the war in Syria. And therefore I welcome very much the agreement that was reached here in Munich late last night. The important thing now is of course the implementation, that we see that this agreement is translated into realities on the ground.

At the same time I think that it's very important that we remember that we have to stay focused on the fight against ISIL.

The importance of degrading and destroying ISIL, our common enemy.

So I'm looking forward to discussing these and many other issues during my stay here at the Munich Security Conference today and tomorrow.

Q: Your message here today?

My message is that we will welcome a more constructive role of Russia in the fight against ISIL. So far Russia has manly targeted opposition groups and not ISIL and the intense airstrikes of Russian planes against different opposition groups in Syria have actually undermined the efforts to reach a negotiated peaceful solution. But I welcome the agreement reached here yesterday evening. The important thing now is to see this agreement's full implementation on the ground.

Q: Comment on ceasefire agreed for Syria?

We've seen before that ceasefires are not always respected. At the same time, we all have to do whatever we can to support the renewed efforts to find a negotiated peaceful solution to the conflict in Syria. What we need is a lasting ceasefire, we need help to the civilians, a politically negotiated solution and of course, an agreement on transition which can create a lasting peaceful solution to conflict.

Q: Situation in Ukraine?

Ukraine will be on the agenda and of course we are very focused on how we can continue to supporting the efforts to the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements. That's about respecting the ceasefire, withdrawal of heavy weapons and allowing international monitors full access to the area so they can monitor and make sure Minsk is implemented. Of course it is also about making sure that Ukraine regains full control of its international borders, including that with Russia.

Q: Role for Kurds in solution for Syria crisis?

The important thing now is to do whatever we can and support the efforts to try find a political solution to the conflict in Syria. In this context I welcome the agreement last night. We all have to support, try to do whatever we can to make sure it is turned into reality. Kurds are part of the conflict in Syria, but also in Iraq, and therefore they should also be part of the solution. That's why all parties need to contribute to a negotiated solution in Syria.

Q: NATO increased presence in the Eastern part of the Alliance - challenge to Russia?

This is a decision taken by 28 Allies. We are responding to a pattern of behaviour which we've seen from the Russian side overs several years. A more assertive Russia, which is investing heavily in defence, which is conducting snap exercises and which has used military force to change borders in Europe. What NATO does is to respond to that. We do that in a proportionate, defensive way, and fully in line with our international commitments. If NATO hadn't responded, it would have been a reason to criticise us. Because NATO has to adapt when the world is changing. And this is what we do now.

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Militants kill five UN peacekeeping troops in Mali

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 12, 2016 12:45PM

Militants have attacked a United Nations base in northern Mali, leaving five UN peacekeepers dead and injuring 30 others.

Olivier Salgado, spokesman for the UN mission in Mali (MINUSMA), said shelling hit the camp in the city of Kidal early Friday.

'At about 7 a.m. (0700 GMT) the MINUSMA base in Kidal was the target of a complex attack which, according to provisional figures, caused the death of five blue helmets and around 30 wounded,' Mahamat Saleh Annadif, the Mali representative of the UN secretary general, said in a statement.

Resident Ibrahim Ag Mohamed said that after the explosions UN helicopters were seen in the sky and he could hear the exchange of fire outside the city.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon condemned the 'complex' attack on the base, stating that targeting UN peacekeepers is a war crime.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the attack bears resemblance to the modus operandi of al-Qaeda-affiliated militants.

The base is part of the United Nations efforts to end violence in Mali following a takeover of the north by militants in 2012.

The UN mission has failed to stop the violence and militants have expanded their attacks in recent months into other parts of Mali and beyond.

The Kidal UN base was last targeted by mortars last November, killing three people.

Annadif was in Kidal a week after a peace pact eased tensions in the town, where the arrival early in February of members of a pro-government group had upset the former rebels in the Coordination of Movements of the Azawad.

Azawad is the name the traditionally nomadic Tuareg people of the desert use for territory they regard as their homeland, straddling the southern Sahara and the Sahel.

The latest attack came a week after at least four suspected Takfiri terrorists and a Malian soldier were killed in clashes at a UN camp for police officers from Nigeria in Timbuktu, in the northwest of the country.

Large swathes of Mali remain lawless, despite a June peace deal between the former Tuareg rebels and rival pro-government armed groups.

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Yemeni forces kill 20 Saudi soldiers in Jizan

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 12, 2016 9:41AM

At least 20 Saudi soldiers have been killed in clashes in the kingdom's southwestern region of Jizan, Yemen's Defense Ministry says.

They were killed after their attempt to take back the control of the strategic Jabal al-Doud district of Jizan from Yemeni forces was thwarted, the ministry said on Friday.

Yemen's al-Masirah television also said the army and its allied forces fired a missile into an airport in Jizan, with no immediate word on possible damage or casualties.

Elsewhere in Ma'rib Province, Yemeni ground forces advanced against Saudi-led forces in the Sarvah district, while Saudi warplanes bombed two areas to the west.

In Yemen's second city of Aden, at least six militants loyal to fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi were killed in an attack in the al-Basateen district on Friday.

Masked assailants attacked a militant outpost before fleeing, a source told the AFP news agency. The attack came a day after three pro-Saudi militants were killed in the southern port city.

Pro-Saudi forces backed by airstrikes, however, seized control of a military camp 60 km (40 miles) from Sana'a on Thursday, local officials and residents said.

Battles between Saudi-led forces and Houthi Ansarullah fighters left a number of people dead and wounded, they said without giving precise figures.

Saudi Aircraft carried out dozens of strikes during the battles for the camp, located on one of the defense lines for the capital, they added.

The push for the capital came amid reports that Saudi Ambassador to London Abdallah Al-Mouallimi had warned UN and other aid agencies to move their staff away from areas under the control of Yemeni armed forces.

The warning has raised fears that Saudi Arabia and its proxy forces in Yemen might be planning a major offensive.

Yemen has been under airstrikes by Saudi Arabia since March 26 last year. The Saudi strikes have been meant to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement and bring Hadi back to power.

Nearly 8,280 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, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories.

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Saudi urges UN, aid workers to leave war zone in Yemen

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 12, 2016 8:50AM

Saudi Arabia has warned the UN and international aid agencies to withdraw all staff from northern Yemen amid ongoing attacks against the cities and towns in the area.

The short note recently sent by the Saudi Embassy in London said the warning was intended to "protect the international organizations and their employees" from the Saudi airstrikes.

Saudi Arabia has come under international criticism over the civilian death toll of its air campaign, along with a naval blockade that has limited food and other aid deliveries to parts of Yemen held by the Houthis.

Abdallah al-Mouallimi, the Saudi ambassador to the UN, told Reuters that Riyadh issued the warning because it was "just concerned for the safety of the UN staff and their humanitarian agencies."

"We want them to go away from areas that are obvious targets," he said.

Responding the letter, UN official Stephen O'Brien rejected the request and said the humanitarian community would continue to deliver "life-saving assistance as per internationally recognized principles."

The senior UN aid official further reminded Saudi Arabia of its obligations under international humanitarian laws to allow humanitarian access in Yemen. Saudi officials, however, insist the warning is legal.

Yemen has been under military attacks by Saudi Arabia since March of last year in a bid to bring the country's fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a Riyadh ally, back to power.

A recent UN report verified that Saudi Arabia has been systematically targeting civilians with airstrikes throughout the war, documenting 119 sorties and warning they amount to crimes against humanity.

Saudi Arabia has US backing in the war, however, and is confident no UN Security Council measures will be taken against it.

The air campaign has killed over 8,200 people, among them 2,236 children, and more than 16,000 others injured, taking a heavy toll on the country's infrastructure and facilities, including schools and hospital.

Last month, a senior official with Doctors Without Borders said Saudi Arabia is targeting civilians in Yemen with "utter disregard" for international law with "the silent consent" of the West and the UN Security Council.

'The Saudi-led coalition is waging a military campaign that treats civilians and civilian structures as legitimate military targets,' MSF Executive Director in the US Jason Cone wrote in the TIME magazine.

The war 'is being fought with utter disregard for international humanitarian lawwith the silent consent of the US, the UK, France, and other members of the UN Security Council,' he said.

The US, the UK and France 'actively support and supply weapons to the Saudi military,' he added.

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NATO mulls joining US-led coalition in Syria, Iraq: Carter

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 12, 2016 7:38AM

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter says the NATO military alliance may join a coalition purportedly targeting Daesh Takfiri militants in Syria and Iraq.

"Thanks to the leadership of NATO Jens Stoltenberg we are exploring the possibility of NATO joining the coalition as a member itself," Carter said on Thursday after a meeting with the coalition members in Brussels.

All of NATO's 28 members are individually part of the US-led coalition that has been conducting air raids in Syria since 2014.

On Thursday, Stoltenberg said NATO had deployed three military vessels to the Aegean Sea to carry out reconnaissance and surveillance operations for what he called countering human trafficking amid the refugee crisis in Europe.

"This is about helping Greece, Turkey and the European Union with stemming the flow of migrants and refugees and coping with a very demanding situation," he said.

On the sidelines of the Brussels meeting, Carter also met with Saudi Defense Minister and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud, whose country is also a member of the coalition.

Peter Cook, Carter's spokesman, said Saudi Arabia proposed to expand its role in the US-led air campaign.

Riyadh has expressed readiness to deploy special forces to Syria if the US-led coalition decides to deploy ground troops. Bahrain and the UAE also followed in Riyadh's footsteps and hinted at their preparedness for similar deployments.

The United States has praised the deployment plan, which has, in turn, drawn an angry reaction from Damascus and its allies.

On Thursday, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev warned that the involvement of foreign troops in Syria would only lead to a "new world war."

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem has also vowed that his country would send any aggressor home in "coffins."

The new pledges for military deployments in Syria come amid militant losses on various fronts and Syrian army gains.

Members of the US-led coalition are staunchly opposed to the Damascus government and support militants fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad.

The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria has reportedly claimed the lives of more than 470,000 people and displaced almost half of the country's population.

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US, Coalition Troop Drawdown in Afghanistan Raises Prospect of Failure

Sputnik News

20:29 12.02.2016

Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko said that US military advisors and their coalition partners have little or no direct contact with the Afghan National Defense and Security Force units below the army headquarters and regional police headquarters level.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The reduction of US and coalition troops in Afghanistan makes it unlikely Afghan forces can effectively counter anticipated attacks by the Taliban in the year ahead, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko told Congress on Friday.

'The drawdown of troops has imperiled the US ability to monitor and mentor the ANDSF [Afghan National Defense and Security Force],' Sopko told the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

Sopko noted that US military advisors and their coalition partners have little or no direct contact with the ANDSF units below the army headquarters and regional police headquarters level.

'This provokes the obvious question: Is the current level of US military personnel in Afghanistan adequate to ensure that the ANDSF do not fail their mission,' he added.

Sopko also noted that the strength of Afghan security is questionable, in part because of the presence of ghost soldiers on payrolls. In addition, the United States has too few resources to accurately assess the capability of Afghan forces.

President Barack Obama has scaled back plans to reduce US forces below the present level of less than 10,000. Moreover, the president has abandoned his goal of ending the nation's military involvement in Afghanistan by the end of his presidency.

According to the United Nations, the Taliban now control more territory than at any time since 2001.

 Sputnik

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Statement by the Quartet's Principals

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

February 12, 2016



Representatives of the Quartet  European Union High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, United States Secretary of State John Kerry and Deputy United Nations Secretary-General Jan Eliasson  met in Munich on 12 February.

The Quartet condemned all acts of terror and expressed its serious concern over the continuing violence against civilians. Reiterating its call for restraint, the Quartet called upon all parties to reject incitement and actively take steps to de-escalate the current tensions.

The Quartet expressed its serious concern that current trends on the ground  including continued acts of violence against civilians, ongoing settlement activity, and the high rate of demolitions of Palestinian structures  are dangerously imperiling the viability of a two-state solution. The Quartet reiterated that unilateral actions by either party cannot prejudge the outcome of a negotiated solution.

The Quartet underlined its commitment to achieving a negotiated, comprehensive, just and enduring resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, on the basis of United Nations Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973).

The Quartet reiterated that the status quo is not sustainable and that significant steps, consistent with the transition contemplated by prior agreements, are urgently needed to stabilize the situation and to reverse negative trends on the ground. It noted that the continued absence of such steps was leading to further deterioration, to the detriment of both Israelis and Palestinians. The Quartet underscored that both sides must swiftly demonstrate through policies and actions, a genuine commitment to a two-state solution in order to rebuild trust and avoid a cycle of escalation.

It emphasized that a robust Palestinian economy and enhanced governance capacity will serve as cornerstones of a Palestinian state, and that genuine Palestinian unity, on the basis of democracy and the PLO principles, is essential to reuniting Gaza and the West Bank under one legitimate, democratic Palestinian authority.

The Quartet urged an immediate focus on accelerating efforts to address the dire situation in Gaza, emphasized the importance of increased access through legal crossings, and called on all international partners to expedite the disbursement of their pledges made at the Cairo Conference in October 2014.

The Quartet will remain engaged with the parties in order to explore concrete actions that both sides can take to demonstrate their genuine commitment to pursuing a negotiated two-state solution.

The Quartet reaffirms its commitment to act in coordination with key stakeholders, including regional countries and the UN Security Council, to stabilize the situation and to actively support a just, comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In that regard, the Quartet will prepare a report on the situation on the ground, including recommendations that can help inform international discussions on the best way to advance the two-state solution.

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Mali: UN mission chief 'outraged' by attack against base that kills three peacekeepers

12 February 2016  The top United Nations official in Mali said he is "outraged" by an attack earlier today against a UN camp in Kidal, in the north-eastern region of the country, which killed at least three peacekeepers and wounded 30 others.

"My duty, on behalf of the Secretary-General, is to express our outrage over this hateful and irresponsible act occurring a week after the local arrangements between the Coordination of Movements of Azawad (CMA) and Platform, and 48 hours after my visit to Kidal," said Mahamat Saleh Annadif, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Mali, in a press release.

According to the statement, at 7 a.m. this morning, the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) camp in the northern region of the country was the target of a "complex attack."

Expressing deep condolences to the families of the victims and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured, Mr. Annadif emphasized that the "serious act" reflects "the disarray of the enemies of peace," since it comes at a time when the implementation of the peace agreement increasingly becomes a reality in Mali.

This past June, a peace agreement was signed by the CMA, following its signature in May 2015 by the Government and a third party, the Platform coalition of armed groups.

The Government of Mali, with the support of MINUSMA as well as UN agencies and programmes, has been seeking to restore stability and rebuild following a series of setbacks since early 2012, including a military coup d'etat, and renewed fighting between Government forces and Tuareg rebels.

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Europe's restrictive measures draw UN concern as refugee and migrant influx continues

12 February 2016  With the number of refugees and migrants arriving in Europe showing no signs of easing in 2016, the United Nations refugee agency today reiterated its concern over increasing restrictive measures on the part of European Member States, stressing that greater support mechanisms must be urgently implemented to protect the fundamental human rights of the more than 2,000 people who continue risking their lives every day to reach Europe.

Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva earlier today, Melissa Fleming, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), underscored that despite rougher seas, harsh winter weather and numerous hardships endured upon arrival, more than 80,000 refugees and migrants arrived in Europe by boat during the first six weeks of 2016, with more than 400 dying in their attempt. Comparably, large numbers began arriving in Europe only by July 2015.

In the month of January alone, nearly 58 per cent of refugees and migrants arriving in Europe were women and children, and one in three people arriving to Greece were children, as compared with one in 10 in September 2015. More than 91 per cent of those arriving in Greece came from the world's top 10 refugee-producing countries, including Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, UNHCR said.

In response to the situation, Ms. Fleming expressed hope that European Union Member States will implement at a faster pace all EU-wide measures agreed upon in 2015, including the implementation of hotspots and the relocation process for 160,000 people already in Greece and Italy.

She also expressed regret that despite repeated calls by UNHCR to expand legal pathways to allow refugees to access asylum, many European Member States are in fact reducing the available legal avenues, suggesting that some countries are prioritizing keeping refugees and migrants out over finding realistic solutions.

Ms. Fleming noted that in Denmark, restrictive measures on family reunification were imposed in January, with refugees now only able to apply for their family to join them after three years, instead of one. Other countries are contemplating similar or even more restrictive legislation, she said, stressing that the issue cannot simply be shifted from one country to another.

Recognizing that some European countries are facing challenges due to significant arrivals of asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants, as well as the fact that States have a sovereign right to manage their borders, the spokesperson reiterated that such actions must be done in accordance with national, European Union and international law, she concluded.

Quick and thorough support mechanisms will be crucial for integrating people in countries receiving the highest number of refugees, including Germany and Sweden, to help dispel the fear and xenophobia and reinstate the common European principles of dignity, solidarity and human rights that the European Union was founded upon.

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Russia Bristles at NATO Expansion in Eastern Europe

by Daniel Schearf February 12, 2016

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met Friday with the head of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich, after the Western military alliance and the United States announced plans for the biggest military buildup in Europe since the Cold War.

Russia's TASS state news agency quoted Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov as confirming that during the meeting, Lavrov expressed concern about the Western military alliance's plans to strengthen its presence on Russia's borders.

Earlier Friday, Russian news agencies quoted Meshkov as saying that Lavrov and Stoltenberg discussed holding a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council, but agreed that the agenda for the meeting still needs to be worked out.

NATO said on its website Friday that Stoltenberg and Lavrov 'reviewed NATO-Russia relations and agreed to continue exploring the possibility of a NATO-Russia Council meeting.'

The United States is planning to quadruple military spending in Europe to $3.4 billion in 2017 as NATO increases troops on rotation and training, stockpiles military hardware and arms, and forms a rapid reaction force.

Russia has called NATO's moves a threat to stability in Europe. The military alliance says the news plans are aimed at reassuring eastern European allies concerned about Russian aggression.

Russia's military went on high alert and held snap drills in central and southern Russia near Ukraine as NATO defense ministers gathered in Brussels this week to hammer out steps to defend the Baltics and Eastern Europe.

'NATO defense ministers agreed on an enhanced forward presence in the eastern part of our alliance," said Stoltenberg. "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.'

Russian state media described the NATO plan as saber-rattling.

Russia's Foreign Ministry called it a design to contain Russia and a threat to Europe.

'We do not understand what triggered those actions," said spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. "We believe that they threaten not Russia itself but the strategic stability and security expected to prevail in Europe.'

Russia's envoy to NATO promised a military-technical response to the alliance's increased presence in Europe.

But Russian political analysts say they are not worried about a renewed arms race as NATO acts as a deterrent and poses little threat to nuclear-armed Russia.

"I think the expansion of NATO itself is more a geopolitical challenge to Russia because, this means the expansion of the U.S.-led alliance, zone of influence," said Carnegie Moscow Center Director Dmitri Trenin. "Russians would say a zone of security. Others would say a zone of protection."

Cynical Russians see the threat label as mutually beneficial to military budgets. 'It's the mirror image for the Russian authorities," said construction director Yakov Zaichik. "Now, the Russian authorities will use the situation to expand their forces, gain some experience, and for their election benefits."

But most Russians echo the official line repeated on state television.

'I think the encroachment of a border is always a threat," said engineer Yury Semonov. "Russia's not moving in on anybody's borders.'

NATO limited relations with Moscow after Russian forces annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and began supporting pro-Russia rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Russia's military posturing and probing of its neighbors since has increased concerns about its intentions. NATO says Russian military jets have been turning off their transponders, skirting borders, and coming dangerously close to other airplanes. Moscow denies any aggression.

NATO is reinstituting ambassador-level talks at the NATO-Russia Council, which was frozen in 2014, to increase transparency and prevent misunderstandings.

'It's something which we have used only sporadically and allies believe that it's a right time to perhaps try again," said the Brussels-based Acting Head of the NATO Information Office in Moscow Robert Pszczel. "But, it does not mean a return full cooperation at this stage and it does not mean that we are establishing a new institution," he added.

Tensions between Russia and NATO are not expected to ease until there is substantial progress on implementing Ukraine's peace deal, the Minsk agreement.

"The sooner the Ukrainian crisis will be settled, the better," said Retired Lieutenant-General Evgeny Buzhinsky at the Russian Center for Policy Studies. "That's the core of our disagreements and actually the basis of, I do (am) not afraid to use the word, confrontation."

In the most serious incident since the Cold War, jets of NATO member Turkey in November shot down a Russian military plane along its border with Syria. Ankara says the Russian bomber ignored warnings and, as in previous incidents, crossed over the Turkish border. Moscow denied the bomber left Syrian airspace and called the downing a planned provocation.

NATO said Russia's continued air strikes in Syria since September in support of the Syrian government are undermining peace efforts, a charge Russia rejects.

In a sign of progress in Syria, Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced a cease-fire and humanitarian aid plan Thursday to take effect within a week.

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Mali Attackers Kill 5 UN Peacekeepers

by Dan Joseph February 12, 2016

The United Nations says suspected Islamist militants in Mali killed five peacekeeping troops Friday in an attack on a U.N. base.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the early-morning attack in the northern town of Kidal, which also injured about 30 other people.

In a statement, the U.N. chief said the attack will not weaken United Nations support for the Malian government or efforts to establish peace in the country.

The militants reportedly attacked the Kidal base with rockets and a van bomb around 7 a.m. At least three of the soldiers killed were from Guinea.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attack.

In a separate incident, three Malian soldiers were killed and three others wounded Friday when gunmen ambushed a military convoy on a road between Timbuktu and Goundon, also in northern Mali.

Several Islamist militant groups are active in the region, including the Movement for Oneness (MUJAO) and Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.

The groups ruled northern Mali for about 10 months after a coup in Bamako in April 2012, and remain a threat despite being ousted from power in a French-led military operation in early 2013.

Friday's attacks came a week after U.N. peacekeepers and Malian forces retook a police base in Timbuktu that was briefly seized by unknown assailants.

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Daesh has used, can make chemical weapons: CIA director

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 12, 2016 2:36AM

The Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group has used chemical weapons in its attacks and is capable of making small quantities of chlorine and mustard gas, says the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director.

'We have a number of instances where ISIL has used chemical munitions on the battlefield,' John Brennan, the CIA Director told CBS News in an interview reported on Thursday.

The network quoted Brennan as saying the CIA believes that the Takfiri group has the ability to make small amounts of mustard or chlorine gas for weapons.

'There are reports that ISIL has access to chemical precursors and munitions that they can use,' Brennan said.

He also warned of the possibility that the terrorist group could seek to export the weapons to the West for financial gain.

'I think there's always the potential for that. This is why it's so important to cut off the various transportation routes and smuggling routes that they have used,' he said.

The new remarks come two days after similar comments from National Intelligence Director James Clapper before a congressional committee.

'ISIL has also used toxic chemicals in Iraq and Syria, including the blister agent sulfur mustard,' Clapper told lawmakers.

Brennan, speaking at the US Senate Intelligence Committee's annual hearing on Tuesday, also referred to the dire situation that exists in the Middle East.

'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,' he said. 'And the amount of bloodshed and humanitarian suffering is I think unprecedented.'

Previously, the Daesh Takfiri group had been accused of using mustard gas against Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in northern Iraq during clashes in August, 2015.

Gruesome violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since ISIL Takfiris launched an offensive in June 2014, and took control of portions of Iraqi territory.

Daesh Takfiris have also been wreaking havoc on Syria, where the country has been gripped by deadly violence since March 2011. The United States and its regional allies - especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey - have been supporting the militants operating inside Syria since the beginning of the crisis.

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South Korea, US to begin missile system talks: South Korean official

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 12, 2016 7:59AM

South Korea and the US are set to begin talks as early as next week on the deployment of an advanced missile system in South Korea, an official with the Asian country says.

An unnamed South Korean defense official said on Friday that the discussions would focus on stationing one Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) unit with the US military in South Korea.

Seoul says the deployment of the THAAD missile system would be a response to North Korea's recent long-range rocket launch.

THAAD has been designed to intercept ballistic missiles inside or just outside the atmosphere during their final phase of flight.

The US says the deployment of the missile system to the Korean Peninsula acts as a deterrent against North Korea's ballistic missile program, but Russia and China say such a move would undermine stability on the restive peninsula.

China and Russia also view the planned move as an attempt to put their military facilities within the range of US radars.

The decision to deploy the missile system came days after Pyongyang said it had successfully launched a long-range rocket reportedly aimed at placing an earth observation satellite into orbit.

Washington and Seoul denounced the move as a cover for an intercontinental ballistic missile test.

Pyongyang has been under UN sanctions over its nuclear tests and launching missiles considered by the US and South Korea as ballistic and aimed at delivering nuclear warheads.

Senior officials in Pyongyang have frequently said that they are boosting defense capabilities in the face of enemy threats. The country is irked by joint military maneuvers by South Korea and the US and views them as direct threats against its security.

Thousands of US soldiers are stationed in South Korea and Japan.

Earlier this week, military chiefs from the US, South Korea and Japan agreed to step up information-sharing and security coordination to tackle perceived threats from North Korea.

South Korea has also adopted other measures in response to Pyongyang's rocket launch. On Wednesday, it pulled out of a joint industrial zone with the North.

Seoul has accused Pyongyang of using the complex to fund its controversial nuclear and missile programs.

The North called the move "a declaration of war." The joint industrial complex was considered the last venue for regular interaction between the divided Koreas.

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Deploying Missile Defense in S Korea to Cost US $1.25Bln

Sputnik News

15:51 12.02.2016(updated 16:01 12.02.2016)

The South Korean National Defense Ministry said that a single battery of the US THAAD missile defense system deployed in South Korea would cost up to $1.25 billion for 48 interceptors.

TOKYO (Sputnik)  A single battery of the US THAAD missile defense system deployed in South Korea would cost up to $1.25 billion for 48 interceptors, the South Korean National Defense Ministry said Friday.

"One system will cost around 1.5 trillion won [$1.24 billion at current exchange rates]," the Yonhap news service quoted the ministry's press office as saying without disclosing the number of THAAD batteries planned.

The ministry noted that one THAAD battery would include one TPY-2 radar, six launchers, 48 interceptor missiles and a fire control system.

It argued that the THAAD deployment would not cost South Korea additional defense spending.

The US-South Korea Status of Forces Agreement requires Seoul to provide land, power and water for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) unit, leaving Washington to cover deployment and control costs.

Seoul pays $766 million per year to maintain US military presence in the country with 4 percent annual increases. New talks on the costs of US forces' deployment in South Korea are expected in 2018.

On Monday, the Pentagon said Seoul and Washington would begin talks on the deployment of THAAD anti-ballistic missile system to South Korea in the coming days. The move came after North Korea fired a long-range rocket to allegedly place a satellite into orbit in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions, a month after claiming to successfully test fire a hydrogen bomb.

Russia and China oppose the THAAD deployment as a threat to security in Northeast Asia.

 Sputnik

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Seoul: US, South Korea to Discuss Missile Defense System

by VOA News February 12, 2016

The U.S. and South Korea will hold talks next week on deploying an advanced missile defense system in response to North Korea's recent nuclear and missile tests, a Seoul defense official confirmed.

Washington and Seoul formally announced last week they intend to deploy the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense missile system, known as THAAD, in South Korea at the earliest possible date.

Exactly when and where the system will be deployed will be the subject of formal discussions to take place 'as early as next week,' according to a South Korean defense ministry official, who spoke anonymously Friday.

The official also stressed the THAAD deployment is only meant to protect South Korea from the north's growing nuclear and missile capabilities, and will not target other countries in the region.

U.S. officials have not commented on when the talks will take place.

China, Russia complaining

China and Russia have both complained about the possible deployment. In a statement Friday, Beijing's Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed 'serious concern,' saying the system would 'significantly undermine the strategic interest of China.'

The U.S. and South Korea have long been reported to be considering the THAAD deployment. But the plan appears to have accelerated after North Korea launched a long-range rocket Sunday and placed what it described as an 'Earth observation satellite' into orbit, just weeks after carrying out its fourth nuclear test.

In recent years, North Korea has repeatedly threatened to carry out nuclear attacks on the U.S., Seoul and Japan. With its latest tests, Pyongyang appears to be closing in on the capability to do so.

The U.S. and its allies have responded with calls to ramp up international sanctions against the north.

US, South Korea coordination

On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich, Germany.

'The two ministers agreed to continue our close coordination towards a robust and united international response to the DPRK's violations of multiple U.N. Security Council Resolutions that threaten international peace and security,' said a U.S. statement.

Kerry 'reaffirmed the U.S. ironclad commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan and noted the vital importance of continued communication and cooperation among the three countries,' the statement added.

Kerry met separately with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang. During the meeting, he 'urged China to use their influence in Pyongyang to help the international community increase pressure' on North Korea, the State Department said.

The north's rocket launch and nuclear test also set off a new round of tensions between North and South Korea, which have remained in a technical state of war since their 1950s conflict.

Kaesong closing

This week, North Korea ordered all South Koreans to leave the jointly run Kaesong industrial complex that lies along the border and is one of the only areas of cooperation between the two countries.

Pyongyang said employees could only take personal belongings with them and ordered a 'complete freeze' on the assets left behind. It said the expulsions were a reaction to Seoul's decision a day earlier to shut down its operations at the park.

South Korea on Friday warned the north that it acted 'illegally' in freezing the South Korean assets and in forcing out the personnel. Meanwhile, the north said South Korea's actions amounted to 'a declaration of war.'

The north also declared the area a military zone, and said it was cutting off all military communications with Seoul, including the hotline at the border truce village of Panmunjom.

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DPRK expels all South Koreans from Kaesong Industrial Zone

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 09:50, February 12, 2016

PYONGYANG, Feb. 11 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) announced on Thursday that it is expelling all South Koreans from the Kaesong Industrial Zone (KIZ) and closing the joint-run complex.

The DPRK 'will expel all persons of the south side in the KIZ till 5 p.m., Feb. 11, 2016,' the official news agency KCNA reported, citing a statement released by the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK).

The statement said that the DPRK will 'totally block the Military Demarcation Line near the Kaesong Industrial Zone from 10 a.m., Feb. 11, cut off the roads along the west coast in the areas under the control of the north and the south and close the Kaesong Industrial Complex and declare it as an area under military control.

All assets will be frozen including equipment, materials and products of the South Korean enterprises in the complex and the persons to be expelled are not to allow to take things out except for personal belongings, said the statement, adding that the assets will be under the control of Kaesong City People's Committee.

Meanwhile, the military communication and Panmunjom hotline will also be cut off, according to the statement.

It announced that the DPRK workers are leaving the zone on Thursday.

Pyongyang has repeatedly claimed that the hydrogen bomb test was of 'self-defensive' nature and the Feb. 7 satellite launch was aimed for peaceful purposes.

The statement condemned Seoul's shutdown of the industrial complex, saying this 'provocative' measure is 'a declaration of an end to the last lifeline of north-south relations,' 'total denial of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration' and 'a dangerous declaration of war driving the situation on the Korean Peninsula to the brink of a war.'

South Korea on Wednesday announced its plan to shut down 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.

Operations at the inter-Korean industrial zone were thus stopped again in about two and half years after the DPRK's withdrawal of its workers led to the suspension between April 8, 2013 and Sept. 15, 2013.

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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.

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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.

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Congress Receives DoD Report on North Korea

By Terri Moon Cronk DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, February 12, 2016  The Defense Department sent Congress its 2015 report on North Korea's military power today, Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters.

The report, "Military and Security Developments Involving the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," was originally mandated in 2012 to inform Congress and the public of DoD's analytical assessment of North Korea's activities based on continuous U.S. monitoring, according to DoD officials. The latest report does not contain North Korea's underground nuclear bomb detonation on Jan. 6, or missile launch on Feb. 7, but Davis confirmed the detonation.

Addressing the Feb. 7 launch, Davis told reporters that North Korea's use of "ballistic-missile technology, following so closely on the heels of its January nuclear test, is another destabilizing and provocative action and flagrant violation of multiple U.N. security council resolutions."

"North Korea has veiled [the Feb. 7 launch] as a peaceful space launch, but we all recognize that this very technology is used to construct the [intercontinental-ballistic missiles] they aspire to possess and [use] to hold our homeland at risk," Davis said.

North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons program further "undermines peace and security in the broader region [and] represents serious threats to our interests, including the security of some of our closest allies," he noted.

"They continue to prioritize missile and nuclear weapons programs over the well-being of their own people," the spokesman said, "and we remain fully committed to our allies in the region and will take all necessary steps to defend ourselves and our allies and respond to North Korean provocations."

The North Koreans' December 2012 missile launch bears some resemblance to the launch on Feb. 7, he said.

"The December 2012 [Taepodong-2 missile] launch was fired on a southern trajectory," Davis said, adding that the Feb. 7 launch also was a Taepodong-2 intercontinental-ballistic missile fired on a southern trajectory.

"A lot has been made of the satellite they have put into orbit and whether it's in a stable orbit or tumbling," he noted. "What matters is they have now done, on two different occasions, this demonstration of a three-stage rocket capability, which is capable of reaching space. That is the same technology that can be used to put a nuclear warhead on and to hold distant countries at risk."

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US Congress Hits North Korean Leadership with Tough Sanctions

by Cindy Saine February 12, 2016

Something very rare happened in the U.S. Congress this week: Republicans and Democrats agreed to support tough action on North Korea after a series of provocations by Pyongyang.

The House of Representatives passed broad new sanctions Friday against North Korea by a vote of 408 to 2. The Senate passed the sanctions bill earlier this week by a vote of 96-0, meaning that the measure now goes to President Barack Obama's desk for signing.

The legislation directly targets money launderers, human rights abusers, weapons and luxury goods traders, and anyone involved with the nuclear weapons program or anyone who carries out cyber-attacks. It also would impose secondary sanctions against any outlets that support and finance North Korea's aggression.

In addition, the bill would authorize $10 million annually for five years to expand North Korean citizens' access to media and to provide humanitarian aid to refugees.

The legislation passed through both chambers of Congress at lightning speed, less than one week after North Korea launched a long-range rocket. A number of lawmakers expressed concern that the international community is not moving fast enough to counter Pyongyang's dangerous nuclear program, which has the potential to threaten the United States and its allies.

White House officials indicate the president isn't likely to veto the bill due to its overwhelming Congressional support.

Punishing blow

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce sponsored the bill. The California Republican said its broad bipartisan support shows that many lawmakers are frustrated with the Obama administration's policy of "strategic patience" with North Korea and are demanding a new approach.

Royce said the tough legislation is meant to deal such a punishing blow that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is forced to make a choice between returning to the negotiating table and ending his country's nuclear program or having funds for his regime cut off.

Some analysts draw parallels to the tough U.S. sanctions imposed on Iran, which many credit with forcing Tehran to the negotiating table and paving the way for the nuclear deal.

Experts, however, are divided over the question of how much impact the sanctions will have on such an extremely closed, isolated country with an underdeveloped economy.

'Human rights house of horrors'

Ranking Democratic member Eliot Engel said several different U.S. administrations, both Republican and Democratic, had tried in vain to curb North Korea's nuclear ambitions. He said no one should blame any one president.

Engel also made clear that the United States is not angry with the people of North Korea, but with its corrupt leaders.

'I've been to North Korea twice, and it's just sickening that the regime and its friends profit from these crimes while the rest of the country is literally starving,' said Engel. 'On that point, this bill includes important exceptions for the humanitarian aid that benefits the North Korean people.'

Royce highlighted the human rights provisions in the legislation. "Equally important to the strong sanctions in this bill are its critical human rights provisions,' he said. 'North Korea operates a brutal system of gulags that hold as many as 120,000 men, women, and children.

'If a North Korean is suspected of any kind of dissenting opinion from the Kim regime, his entire family  for three generations  is punished,' Royce added. 'North Korea is a human rights house of horrors."

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Iraq PM vows elimination of Daesh this year

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 12, 2016 3:35PM

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says his government is determined to bring an end to the existence of Takfiri Daesh terrorists in the country this year.

'We intend this year to make it the final year and the last year for the existence of Daesh in Iraq,' al-Abadi told a security conference in Germany on Friday.

'The area we have liberated so far is more than half of what was occupied by Daesh before,' he added.

Al-Abadi said Daesh is a global issue and asked the international community to make greater efforts to stop the transit of militants and funds to Iraq.

The Iraqi premier told local German media before the meeting, militants "are coming from Turkey to Syria and from Syria to Iraq. They are still oil smuggling.'

He also called on European countries to contribute to rebuilding Iraq.

In the latest gain by Baghdad, Iraqi forces on Tuesday recaptured several areas from Daesh, including a strategic road that connects the western city of Ramadi to a military base in the capital Baghdad.

The army units also liberated several other militant-held areas, including the town of Husaiba al-Sharqiya, about 10 kilometers east of Ramadi.

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.

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Iraqi PM Reiterates Opposition to Unsanctioned Troop Presence

Sputnik News

20:01 12.02.2016(updated 20:17 12.02.2016)

Iraqi Prime Minister said that foreign military presence in Iraq is prohibited without Baghdad's approval.

MUNICH (Sputnik)  Foreign military presence in Iraq is prohibited without Baghdad's approval, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi said Friday.

'Iraqi sovereignty is very important for us and I have to repeat it again and again: no foreign troops should be allowed in the country without the consent of the Iraqi government,' Abadi said at the 52nd Munich Security Conference.

Anti-Islamic State jihadist group coalition members led by the United States maintain forces to train and equip Iraqi security personnel, he stressed.

'But we don't have armed soldiers, combat troops on the ground, we don't have anybody other than Iraqis,' Abadi stressed.

The prime minister decried as 'very dangerous' Turkey deploying troops and tanks in northern Iraq's Nineveh province in December 2015.

'We should have a say in this. To have troops that roll into Iraq 100 kilometers deep into the country, in a city where historically the Turks claim that it belongs to them  which is Mosul  I think it's very dangerous,' he said.

Abadi urged Ankara to withdraw from Iraq and 'help us in other ways.'

Turkey argued its troops had entered Iraq to ensure the security of the Turkish soldiers previously deployed at the base to train local militias fighting against terrorist groups. Baghdad termed Ankara's actions hostile, and a violation of Iraq's sovereignty.

 Sputnik

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Pakistani forces detain nearly 100 militants in Karachi: Military

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 12, 2016 10:19AM

Nearly 100 people have been arrested in Pakistan on suspicion of having ties to al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups and planning terror attacks across the Asian country, a military spokesman says.

As many as 97 terrorists, including three militant commanders, were detained after counter-terrorism forces raided their hideouts during a series of recent raids across Karachi, Lt. Gen. Asim Bajwa said in Islamabad Friday.

The detained militants had been involved in subversive activities, including multiple major attacks on air bases, a major airport and police installations, he said.

Bajwa also said that several of those arrested were in the advanced stages of planning a raid on the central jail in Hyderabad in order to facilitate a jailbreak. The militants intended to have Khalid Omar Sheikh, a top militant commander held at that prison, released.

Sheikh is a British terrorist of Pakistani descent with links to various terrorist groups. He is best known for his role in the 2002 kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Sheikh was originally recruited by British intelligence agency MI6 while studying at the London School of Economics.

Military sources said al-Qaeda operatives and members of a notorious outlawed anti-Shia terrorist group known as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) are among those arrested.

The terrorist group LeJ, which has been involved in several attacks on Shia Muslim in recent years, is largely funded by Saudi Arabia.

The group has also been involved in an attack on the Iranian Cultural Center in Multan, the assassination of Iranian diplomat Sadiq Ganji in Lahore, and the killing of Iranian Air Force cadets visiting Pakistan in the 1990s.

Rights groups say the Islamabad government must take decisive actions against forces involved in the targeted killings of Shia Muslims. The Shias also accuse Islamabad of failing to provide proper security for the Muslim community.

Shia Muslims make up about a third of Pakistan's population of over 180 million.

Thousands of Pakistanis have lost their lives in bombings and other militant attacks over the past decades.

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Pakistan Dismantles Al-Qaida's Main Regional Network

by Ayesha Tanzeem February 12, 2016

Pakistan announced it has dismantled al-Qaida's main network in South Asia and foiled plans to break out of jail a man involved in the murder of journalist Daniel Pearl.

Lt. Gen. Asim Bajwa, the spokesman for Pakistan's military, said they have arrested 97 militants, including Farooq Bhatti also known as Musanna  the deputy chief of al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), 12 of the group's financiers and 15 explosives experts. The head of this al-Qaida chapter is in Afghanistan, according to Bajwa.

Other arrests

He said Pakistan has also arrested senior leadership of a banned militant outfit, Lashkar e Jhangvi (LeJ), along with 10 of the group's IED (improvised explosive device) experts and six suicide bombers. This group was working with AQIS to plan and execute attacks across Pakistan creating a nexus that was receiving support from the Pakistani Taliban.

Other arrests included 47 militants that belonged to a "common pool" of people used to carry out attacks.

The three commanders from AQIS and LeJ were paraded before the media after Bajwa's news conference.

Progress in Karachi

Most of these arrests were made in Pakistan's largest city Karachi during intelligence based operations carried out over a long period of time.

The city had suffered a major breakdown in law and order until Pakistan's paramilitary force called the Rangers started an operation in September 2013 to clear it out.

The force has since carried out 7,000 operations, leading to a 70 percent reduction in target killings, an 85 percent reduction in extortions, and a 90 percent reduction in kidnappings for ransom, Bajwa told a press briefing.

Some of the major attacks carried out by the nexus of busted militant groups included one on Karachi's airport as well as attacks on two of Pakistan's naval bases and several offices of the country's intelligence agency ISI.

Foiled plans for jail attack

The military spokesman also gave details about a foiled plan for an attack on a jail in Pakistan's city of Hyderabad to break out 100 prisoners including Khalid Omar Sheikh who was involved in killing American reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002. The plan, he said, was 90 percent ready for execution when it was stopped.

Sheikh, a British national of Pakistani decent, was sentenced to death in 2002 for his hand in the murder of Pearl. His appeal is still pending.

The militants had rented a house in Hyderabad and started a business to sell plastic drums out of that house as a cover. Bajwa showed a video of the inside of the house, which was stocked with explosives, detonators and an explosives-grinding machine to help prepare suicide vests or rig cars with the material.

Police uniforms and backpacks used by security personnel found at the house indicated the militants were going to disguise themselves as local police during the attack. A handmade map of the facility indicated inside help. A police constable who worked at the jail was involved in the planning.

Military operation in tribal areas

Bajwa credited the success in busting the network, as well as reduction in violence in the rest of the country, to the army's ongoing military operation to clear out militant hideouts in Pakistan's tribal areas.

He said most of the planning for various attacks was done in Miranshah in North Waziristan tribal agency. "Suicide bombers were prepared there," he said, and then sent to Karachi where members of AQIS or LeJ acted as facilitators.

Miranshah, he said, was like a marketplace where one could buy both people and materials to carry out attacks. The place has since been cleared out by operation Zarb e Azb, launched in June 2014.

He admitted, however, that work still remains.

"It's a slow and frustrating process," he said. "Once you arrest one man the network finds out and they disappear. Then you have to work twice as hard."

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Pakistan Denies Claims of Boosting Nuclear Arsenal

by Ayaz Gul February 12, 2016

Pakistan's chief negotiator Friday dismissed reports its nuclear arsenal program is the world's fastest growing, and repeated Islamabad's demand that it be inducted into a club of nuclear trading nations.

"I think it would be important for us to distinguish between what is propaganda, disinformation and motivated reporting. Pakistan is not in an arms race," asserted Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry, addressing a gathering of experts, officials and foreign diplomats in the Pakistani capital.

A recent joint study by the Carnegie and Stimson research organizations estimates that Pakistan has the capability to produce 20 nuclear warheads annually while its archrival, India, appears to be producing about five warheads.

"Pakistan only goes for credible minimum deterrence. We have every right as a state for self-defense. Our nuclear deterrence is for self-defense. It is not status driven," said Chaudhry.

He again dismissed safety and security concerns about Pakistan's nuclear weapons, saying the United States "in unambiguous terms" is appreciative of safety measures and steps Islamabad has taken over the past 15 years to prevent proliferation of nuclear materials.

Concerns about increased risk

The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency director, Lt. General Vincent Stewart, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this week that Pakistan continues to take steps to improve nuclear security and is aware of the threat presented by extremists to its program.

But the general noted Islamabad's nuclear stockpile continues to grow.

"We are concerned that this growth, as well as the evolving doctrine associated with tactical nuclear weapons, increases the risk of an incident or accident," stated Stewart.

Pakistan insists its "full spectrum" nuclear weapons program is "India-specific" to defend against possible aggression by the larger neighbor.

Officials also maintain that while their long-range nuclear-capable missiles can reach all of India, development of tactical weapons are meant to discourage Indian troops from staging a sudden cross-border aggression.

But U.S. officials are worried the smaller weapons increase chances of an accidental nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan. The two countries have fought three wars since 1947 and their dispute over the divided Kashmir region remains at the center of bilateral tensions.

Nuclear club

Foreign Secretary Chaudhry said Islamabad is aspiring to join the multinational Nuclear Supplies Group and called for both Pakistan and India to be simultaneously given membership.

The 48-nation NSG works to prevent the civilian nuclear trade from being used for military purposes.

Pakistani leaders have been highly critical of the civilian nuclear deal the United States signed with India in 2006 and demand a similar one for Islamabad. Officials appear to be worried about reported diplomatic efforts to get New Delhi into the NSG in the group's meeting set for later this year.

Chaudhry reiterated those concerns in his speech Friday, saying Pakistan needs to be granted NSG membership in accordance with 'non-discriminatory' and 'criteria-based' policy.

'Strategic stability in South Asia has been negatively impacted by the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal and the discriminatory waiver granted to India by NSG," Chaudhry said.

Neither India nor Pakistan have signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a pre-condition for countries to be inducted into the NSG. However, the group granted New Delhi a "clean waiver" from its existing rules in September 2008.

Critics cite the illicit activities of A.Q. Khan, the founder of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program, and his proliferation network, for hampering Islamabad's attempts to become part of the nonproliferation 'mainstream'.

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All S.Koreans withdraw from joint factory park with DPRK

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 11:32, February 12, 2016

SEOUL, Feb. 11-- All of South Koreans on Thursday withdrew safely from a jointly-run factory park with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) after Pyongyang's decision to deport all South Korean nationals from the park.

Seoul's unification ministry said on the phone that all of 280 South Koreans having stayed at the Kaesong Industrial Complex crossed the military demarcation line (MDL) into South Korea's territory.

All of the people, who had stayed in Kaesong to complete the shutdown of factories, returned to the south at about 10 p.m. local time (1300 GMT).

The DPRK decided Thursday to shut down the inter-Korean industrial zone and deport all of South Koreans staying there. All of assets of South Korean companies running factories there were frozen completely.

The move came a day after South Korea announced its decision to stop operations at the industrial zone, which started manufacturing products in December 2004.

A total of 124 South Korean companies had operated factories there, hiring some 54,000 DPRK workers. The industrial zone had been seen as the last remaining symbol of inter-Korean cooperation as it was launched as a result of a historic summit in 2000 between late South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and late DPRK leader Kim Jong-Il.

Seoul's decision to shut down the factory park came in the wake of Pyongyang's long-range rocket launch on Sunday. On Jan. 6, the DPRK tested what it claimed was its first H-bomb, the fourth of its nuclear detonations.

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Syria aid deal? What about Aleppo?

By Annie Slemrod

JERUSALEM, 12 February 2016 (IRIN) - As diplomats hash out the finer details of a deal to cease hostilities and allow increased humanitarian access in Syria, it appears that the civilians of Aleppo may have been left in the lurch.

While the International Syria Support Group (ISSG)  a body including the United States, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and notably no Syrians  announced overnight that it had reached a deal to push for an end to fighting in a week's time, aid access is expected to come sooner.

The ISSG statement said "sustained delivery" of assistance would begin this week and listed Deir Ezzor, Fua, Kefrayah, besieged areas of rural Damascus, Madaya, Moadamiyeh and Kafr Batna as beneficiaries.

A UN source told IRIN that aid convoys were ready to move, but delivering aid in Syria has never been simple, and it is likely to have to be a carefully coordinated process to ensure no side feels aggrieved. The ISSG statement even used the word "simultaneously" to underline this point.

Notably absent from the ISSG list is Aleppo, where intensified fighting, including bombardments by Russian warplanes, have forced tens of thousands to flee and aid agencies to warn of an impending humanitarian catastrophe.

An estimated 300,000-500,000 civilians remain inside what used to be Syria's most populous city. Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have cut off key supply routes in, leading to fears it might become the largest siege yet in a war marked by many horrific and cynical sieges.

Russia, accused by Western powers of seeking to bolster Assad at the expense of Syrian opposition groups, has said it will continue airstrikes against those it considers terrorists.

A loophole for the Russians?

Julien Barnes-Dacey, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, explained that the ISSG agreement contains a key loophole that the Russians will likely seek to exploit, even after any ceasefire.

"The ISSG members agreed that a nationwide cessation of hostilities must be urgently implemented, and should apply to any party currently engaged in military or paramilitary hostilities against any other parties other than Daesh (so-called Islamic State), Jabhat al-Nusra (Nusra Front), or other groups designated as terrorist organisations by the United Nations Security Council," the ISSG statement says.

The Russians have been accused of bombing other moderate opposition groups under the cover of taking on the Nusra Front or IS, and Nusra, an important opposition force affiliated with al-Qaeda, does have a presence in western Aleppo.

"There's a real dilemma," Barnes-Darcey told IRIN. "Even though the Russians clearly manipulate and push the envelope in terms of who is 'Nusra,' there are clearly elements in Idlib and west Aleppo."

This could give Russia cover to keep bombing, and place "backers of the opposition who have signed up to the deal in a difficult position" and even lead to the whole thing unravelling, he warned.

Columb Strack, senior analyst at IHS, also believes that the Nusra Front is so heavily involved in fighting in northern Syria that the deal will mean little change for the city. "Any ceasefire is very unlikely to affect the fighting in and around Aleppo,' he said in a statement.

However, Barnes-Darcey was still hopeful that localised ceasefires would now emerge, allowing vital aid access and supply routes to open up in other parts of Syria.

"If you can get some kind of international consensus and coordination on getting aid into certain places that haven't had it for a long time, that in itself would be progress," he said.

Not everyone is so optimistic

But Rami Jarrah, a citizen journalist and strong opponent of Assad who lived and worked in Aleppo until recently, had no kind words for the agreement and painted a gloomy picture of life there.

"I don't see anything positive coming out of this," he told IRIN. "We have to look at what the Russian intention is, and that's not a ceasefire [The regime and the Russians] are biding their time. They have an advantage every single day that goes past."

"Civilians are trying to flee," he continued. "There is panic in Aleppo now, and those who want to stay are stocking up."

International Committee of the Red Cross spokeswoman Dibeh Fakhr told IRIN by email that the aid organisation hopes the agreement "will translate into concrete action on the ground, giving us unimpeded and regular access to all areas where millions of people are in dire need of help.

"We need to see more political ambition to open impartial humanitarian spaces and less political meddling in humanitarian work," she said. "As we speak and hope for a cease-fire, fighting is still raging in Aleppo Province and many other areas across Syria. People whether on the move, stranded on the border, residents or besieged are suffering and striving to survive under precarious conditions."

While the deal is more than most observers expected, most are hesitant to call it a success, after repeated failures of diplomacy to make any break through to end almost five years of conflict.

And, if the war's continuation was in any doubt, Assad soon did his best to quash any hopes of imminent or lasting peace.

In remarks published just hours after US Secretary of State John Kerry announced this imminent pause, he vowed to regain control of all of Syria "without any hesitation" and warned that this could "take a long time".

as/ag

Theme (s): Conflict,

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.

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Army takes more strategic hills in northern Syria

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 12, 2016 4:18PM

The Syrian forces have taken control of several strategic hills and heights in Aleppo Province in a new major advance in the northern region.

Syria's official news agency SANA said the forces retook the hills of Dahret al-Qar'a and Dahret al-Qandila and all the heights of al-Tamora village, southwest of the town of Zahra in the northern countryside of Aleppo on Friday.

Media reports said over a dozen terrorists were killed in the offensive.

The recapture of the hills expands the army's control over areas surrounding the recently-captured towns of Nabbul and Zahra and enables the troops to cut off terrorists' supply routes from Turkey.

Meanwhile, al-Ahed news website said the Syrian forces launched a military operation to purge the town of Haritan in the northern countryside of Aleppo of the Takfiri militants.

The Syrian forces, backed by Russian airstrikes, have recently made major advances against Takfiri militants north of Aleppo.

Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said on February 10 that the government forces will soon take full control of the militant-held areas of Aleppo but predicted a tough battle for Aleppo City.

The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria, which flared up in March 2011, has reportedly killed some 470,000 people and left over one million injured.

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Ministers agree to 'accelerate' humanitarian aid in Syria: Kerry

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 12, 2016 12:18AM

US Secretary of State John Kerry says ministers meeting for Syria crisis talks in Germany have agreed to "accelerate and expand" humanitarian aid to the conflict-hit country.

Kerry made the remarks at the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting early on Friday in the German city of Munich where the working group of 17 countries began a new round of Syria peace talks on Thursday focusing on calls for a ceasefire and access for humanitarian aid.

'We have agreed to accelerate and expand the delivery of humanitarian aid beginning immediately,' Kerry said.

'Sustained delivery will begin this week, first to the areas where it is most urgently needed... and then to all the people in need throughout the country, particularly in the besieged and hard to reach areas,' he added.

He stated the United States and Russia have agreed to implement nationwide cessation of hostilities in Syria, added that all members of the International Syria Support Group agree that talks in Geneva should resume "as soon as possible."

Breaking deadlock

A diplomatic source said earlier that Washington and Moscow agreed to a plan aimed at breaking the deadlock in Syria by gradually ceasing hostilities and quickly resuming humanitarian aid with a view to creating conditions to revive peace talks.

'We did not get a deal on the immediate end of Russian bombings, but we have a commitment to a process that if it works would change the situation,' a Western diplomatic source said.

Syria has been grappling with a deadly crisis since 2011, which has claimed the lives of more than 260,000 people so far, according to the United Nations.

But the Syrian Center for Policy Research recently reported that 400,000 Syrians have been killed since the beginning of the crisis. Another 70,000 people have perished due to the lack of adequate health services, food, clean water, sanitation and proper housing, especially for those displaced within conflict zones, the report added.

Since September 2014, the US and some of its allies have been conducting airstrikes purportedly against Daesh inside Syria without getting approval from the Syrian government.

Meanwhile, Russia has also been conducting airstrikes on the positions of Daesh and other militant groups in Syria since September 30, 2015 but based on a request by the government in Damascus.

The Syrian army's fight against terrorists took a new turn after Russia started launching airstrikes against the Takfiri terrorists.

Specter of world war

Earlier in the day, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev raised the specter of a world war if nations failed to negotiate an end to the five-year-old conflict in Syria, and called on the US, Saudi Arabia and their allies not to deploy ground troops there.

Medvedev made the remarks in an interview with the German Handelsblatt business daily, due to be published on Friday.

He said all powers must sit at the negotiating table to forge an end to the conflict gripping Syria 'instead of unleashing a new world war."

'The Americans and our Arabic partners must think hard about this: do they want a permanent war?' Medvedev asked.

The Russian prime minister also noted that it would be impossible to win such a war quickly, particularly in the Arab world, "where everybody is fighting against everybody."





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The Costs That Come With Russia's Gains In Syria

February 12, 2016

by Charles Recknagel

With Russia's monthslong air campaign in Syria now focused on a key rebel stronghold, Moscow can claim success in putting its stamp on the conflict and strengthening the hand of its ally, President Bashar al-Assad.

Concentrated on the northern province of Aleppo, the bombing campaign launched in late September after Assad's military suffered a string of defeats has significantly boosted Damascus's negotiating position for peace talks.

But the advancements made by Russia and Syria come with high costs.

Rebellion Is Reeling

With Russian air support, as well as reinforcements from Lebanese and Iranian Shi'ite militias, Damascus has clawed back much of the territory it lost and gone firmly on the offensive.

Now, with Assad's troops progressively encircling Aleppo, Damascus could be on the verge of its biggest victory yet.

'Should the rebel-held parts of the city ultimately fall, it will be a dramatic victory for Assad and the greatest setback to the rebellion since the start of the uprising in 2011,' Emile Hokaymen, senior fellow for Middle East security at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), wrote in Foreign Policy magazine recently.

This not only puts rebel forces on their back foot, but give the Assad regime military momentum that will be hard for outside actors backing Syrian rebels to reverse.

'Turkey and Saudi Arabia, the rebellion's main supporters, are now bereft of options,' observes Hokaymen. He says neither country appears willing to give rebels antiaircraft missiles out of fear of Russian punitive actions, leaving the rebels without cover from further air assaults.

Peace-Talk Script Rewritten

The redrawing of the Syrian battlefield likely means it will be the opposition, not the regime, that feels the greatest need to negotiate a peace.

That is clearly not the result envisioned by the various forces fighting Assad, or their outside supporters, just a few short months ago.

With intra-Syrian peace talks still a possibility, world powers managed to agree to the need for a 'cessation of hostilities' in Syria following talks on February 11. The move could be seen as a positive for the holding of peace talks, which were suspended in early February as Russia's air campaign intensified even as negotiators were assembled in Geneva, and the main Syrian opposition coalition welcomed the announcement.

But the cease-fire agreed in Munich by the 17-member International Syria Support Group, which would go into effect in mid-February, would not halt Russia's bombing of what it considers terrorist targets in Aleppo.

In effect, Russia is bombing Assad's enemies into a corner.

'I think [U.S. Secretary of State John] Kerry has delivered a very clear message to the opposition that the negotiation room is where they can achieve the most, given the Russian intervention,' says Ayham Kamel, Middle East and North Africa director at Eurasia Group in London.

The challenge for the West will be to still broker a peace in Syria that leads to an elected representative government and the departure of Assad from power. But how and when that happens could now hinge largely on Moscow's readiness to force Damascus to make concessions in the interest of stabilizing the country.

'This is what we are heading towards, a deal in which Russia has influence, cements its presence in the Mideast, preserves the interest of its allies, but also forces them to compromise,' says Kamel.

Partnership Prospects Take A Hit

Moscow's role as deal-broker will not come cost free, however. Russia's unilateral actions in Syria add to an already very mixed assessment in the West of whether it can be a reliable partner in solving global crises -- a role that President Vladimir Putin has pushed often as a counterweight to the world's negative reaction to his interference in Ukraine.

Russia's notable contributions to the deal struck between world powers and Tehran to end the Iran nuclear crisis gave some traction to the idea that Moscow could help, rather than hinder, international efforts against terrorism and drug trafficking.

But Moscow's decision to carry out air strikes during the UN-brokered peace talks that opened in Geneva last month was roundly criticized by Western diplomats, straining the already tenuous faith in Russia as a potential partner.

The cease-fire agreed in Munich on February 11 did little to assuage concerns. Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov both took a cautious approach in assessing the agreement, which the BBC quoted some diplomats as saying was 'not worth the paper it's printed on.'

Those diplomats, no doubt, were well aware of Russia's response to calls by the UN Security Council just a day earlier to halt its bombing around Aleppo. Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, in rejecting the idea, labeled it an effort to exploit the humanitarian crisis in Syria for political purposes.

The reluctance to stop concentrating on Aleppo strengthens long-standing doubts about Russia's stated reason of getting involved in Syria -- fighting the Islamic State extremist group.

If that is Moscow's true intention, the West has argued, then Moscow should stop bombing rebel-held areas of cities and direct its fire toward IS extremists.

As recently as February 3, the United States said Russian forces do not attack IS unless its fighters are battling Assad's troops, and that only some 10 percent of Russia's air strikes so far have targeted the extremist group.

The prospect of Assad retaking Aleppo with Russia's help would not only add to the questions about Moscow's intentions, it has led to worries that the Islamic State or Al-Qaeda-linked militants could benefit, and regional stability could suffer further.

'The now plausible rebel collapse in the Aleppo region could send thousands of fighters dejected by their apparent abandonment into the arms of Nusra or IS,' warns Hokaymen of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

High Human Cost

The ongoing campaign around Aleppo has caused tens of thousands of people to flee the city for the Turkish border. The exodus has added to the Syrian refugee crisis that already has seen 4.5 million people flee to neighboring countries and Egypt. Since last year, thousands have moved on further to seek refuge in Europe, helping fuel the migrant crisis there.

No certain statistics are available for how many civilians have died in Syria as a result of the intense Russian bombardment of populated areas held by anti-Assad rebels. But in January a Britain-based independent monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, put the civilian death toll from Russian air strikes since September at 1,015. It said 238 of those killed were children.

Some of the deaths have come with the use of internationally banned weapons.

Human Rights Watch reported on February 8 that joint Russian-Syrian Army operations over the past two weeks used cluster bombs in at least 14 attacks, killing at least 37 civilians. Because of their indiscriminate impact, cluster munitions are banned under an international convention that went into effect in 2010.

The Russian military previously has denied it has cluster munitions in Syria.

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/costs-that-come-with- russia-gains-in-syria-analysis/27549025.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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At Munich Conference, Russian Wild Card Muddles Syrian Truce Deal

February 12, 2016

by Steve Gutterman

MUNICH, Germany -- World powers wrestled with the challenges of a 'bleak' global security environment at a conference shadowed by Russia's vow to continue bombing targets in Syria despite a deal on a cessation of hostilities.

Senior officials opening the Munich Security Conference on February 12 welcomed the agreement, which was reached hours earlier at a meeting on Syria in the German city that broke up after midnight.

But Western and Middle Eastern leaders warned that the agreement will only work if it is implemented on the ground, and worried that Russia's refusal to halt air strikes could scuttle the chances of a negotiated solution to the five-year war.

'If Russia does not end its strikes on Western-backed Syrian opposition forces, a cease-fire reached by major powers will not hold and humanitarian access will not be effectively secured,' Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on February 12.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed in the conflict, which began with President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown on protesters and flared into civil war pitting government forces against opponents ranging from Western-backed rebels to Islamic State (IS) militants.

Opening the Munich conference, its chairman, Wolfgang Ischinger, called the Syria war a 'full-fledged regional conflict' that -- along with the death and destruction -- has driven the biggest wave of refugees since World War II.

'The global strategic environment is bleak,' Ischinger said at the conference, whose attendees included U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as well as Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

'The international order, in my view, is in its worst shape since the end of the Cold War,' he said. 'Overwhelmed and helpless guardians are faced with increasingly boundless crises and empowered and reckless spoilers.'

Speeches at the security conference on its first day focused largely on the threat from the extremist group IS, which seized swaths of Iraq and Syria in 2014 and has terrorized the people in its path.

Speakers also talked about how to handle the refugee crisis confronting the Middle East and Europe, which is deeply interlinked with IS and the Syria war and has undermined unity in the West at a time when it faces a persistent challenge from Russia on its eastern flank.

The defense chiefs of core EU members Germany and France welcomed the agreement on a cessation of hostilities, but said it must be implemented.

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the deal will only be effective 'if air strikes by Syrian and Russian forces stop.' Another attendee, King Abdullah of Jordan, said that 'the killing in Syria has to stop...if we are to find a solution.'

The agreement for a truce is intended to allow humanitarian aid to reach people in Aleppo, the target of a major Russian-backed government offensive in the past weeks, as well as other besieged Syrian communities nationwide.

However, the agreement allows attacks to continue against groups designated as terrorist organizations by the UN Security Council, including IS (also known as Daesh) and the Al-Nusra Front, which is Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria.

Western diplomats have said privately that they worry Russia might seek to continue bombing Western-backed opposition forces despite the peace deal by claiming the attacks are against 'terrorist' groups excepted from the accord.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted by AFP as saying that 'the truce does not apply to terrorists, and that is stated in today's document.' He added, 'The military operation against them will be continued.'

Moscow and Damascus have often broadly labeled Syria's many rebel groups as terrorist organizations, and Western officials say a substantial majority of Russia's air strikes have targeted groups other than IS.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the Russian campaign will go on as long as the Syrian government offensive, and Moscow has adamantly insisted that Assad's exit from power cannot be a precondition for a solution.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, meanwhile, vowed on February 12 to retake the 'whole country,' saying that just because negotiations are taking place, 'it does not mean that we stop fighting terrorism. The two tracks are inevitable in Syria.'

Western nations and Syrian neighbors such as Saudi Arabia want Assad out and say there can be no lasting solution if he stays in power.

Speaking to reporters in Munich after a meeting with Lavrov, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg accused Russia of 'mainly target[ing] opposition groups and not ISIL,' using another abbreviation for IS. 'Air strikes of Russian planes against different opposition groups in Syria have actually undermined the efforts to reach a negotiated, peaceful solution.'

Stoltenberg said that the cessation of hostilities agreement 'has to the first step toward a lasting cease-fire' and that the important thing now is to see it implemented on the ground.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the humanitarian truce 'will only succeed if there is a major change of behavior by the Syrian regime and its supporters.'

A key rebel coalition, the Higher Negotiating Committee, said it welcomed the deal 'in principle.' But the Saudi-based grouping said, 'We want deeds, not just sayings.'

The cessation accord was struck by the United States, Russia, and a dozen other countries composing the International Syria Support Group (ISSG).

Announcing the accord, Kerry said the truce is a 'pause' and not a formal 'cease-fire.'

He said that the ISSG members had agreed that formal negotiations to establish a more lasting peace should resume in Geneva as soon as possible.

Representatives of the 17 ISSG countries were meeting in Geneva on February 12 to hold talks on how to ensure humanitarian access to needy communities across Syria.

Jan Egeland, the head of the Norwegian Refugee Council who will chair the UN meeting in Geneva, said the accord 'could be the breakthrough we have been waiting for to get full access to desperate civilians inside Syria.'

But he said the deal 'requires that all those with influence on all sides of the conflict to put pressure on the parties.'

Western officials worry that gains made by government forces since Russia launched an open-ended bombing campaign on September 30 may have reduced the incentive for Moscow ally Assad to seek a diplomatic solution.

Meanwhile, prospects for formal Syrian peace talks to resume in Geneva remain uncertain.

UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said plans to reconvene the talks are still 'cloudy' but that he hopes they will resume on February 25.

The latest round of Syrian peace talks began in Geneva on January 29 but derailed almost immediately over opposition groups' anger at escalating Syrian government and Russian air attacks on rebel areas around Aleppo.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, TASS, and dpa

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/assertive-russia-looms- large-annual-munich-security-conference/27546608.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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World Powers Cautiously Welcome Syrian Truce Deal

February 12, 2016

by RFE/RL

Western leaders are welcoming a deal for a humanitarian truce in Syria while warning that Russia must stop bombing Western-backed opposition strongholds for the accord to hold.

World powers agreed in Munich overnight on February 11-12 to seek a nationwide 'cessation of hostilities' in Syria -- where hundreds of thousands have died and millions have been forced to flee since civil war broke out five years ago -- to begin in a week's time.

'If Russia does not end its strikes on Western-backed Syrian opposition forces, a cease-fire reached by major powers will not hold and humanitarian access will not be effectively secured,' Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on February 12.

The truce is intended to allow humanitarian aid to reach people in Aleppo and other besieged Syrian communities nationwide.

However, the truce agreement allows attacks to continue against groups designated as terrorist organizations by the UN Security Council, including Islamic State (IS, also known as Daesh) and the Al Nusra Front, which is Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria.

Western diplomats have said privately that they worry Russia might seek to continue bombing Western-backed opposition forces despite the peace deal by claiming the attacks are against 'terrorist' groups excepted from the accord.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the cessation of hostilities but indicated there was no promise from Russia to stop its bombing campaign. He said he would welcome a more 'constructive role' by Russia in fighting Islamic State.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying that 'the truce does not apply to terrorists, and that is stated in today's document.' He added, 'The military operation against them will be continued.'

Moscow and Damascus have often broadly labeled Syria's many rebel groups as terrorist organizations.

Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad vowed to retake the 'whole country,' saying that just because negotiations were taking place, 'it does not mean that we stop fighting terrorism. The two tracks are inevitable in Syria.'

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the humanitarian truce 'will only succeed if there is a major change of behavior by the Syrian regime and its supporters.'

A key rebel coalition, the Higher Negotiating Committee, said it welcomed the deal 'in principle.' But the Saudi-based grouping said, 'We want deeds, not just sayings.'

There has been no official comment from Damascus yet on the accord, which was struck in Munich by the United States, Russia, and a dozen other countries composing the International Syria Support Group (ISSG).

Announcing the accord, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the truce is a 'pause' and not a formal 'cease-fire.'

He said that the ISSG members had agreed that formal negotiations to establish a more lasting peace should resume in Geneva as soon as possible.

Representatives of the 17 ISSG countries will meet in Geneva on February 12 to hold talks on how to ensure humanitarian access to needy communities across Syria.

Jan Egeland, the head of the Norwegian Refugee Council who will chair the UN meeting in Geneva, said the accord 'could be the breakthrough we have been waiting for to get full access to desperate civilians inside Syria.'

But he said the deal 'requires that all those with influence on all sides of the conflict put pressure on the parties.'

Meanwhile, prospects for formal Syrian peace talks to resume in Geneva remain uncertain.

UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said plans to reconvene the talks were still 'cloudy' but that he hopes they will resume on February 25.

The latest round of Syrian peace talks began in Geneva on January 29 but derailed almost immediately over opposition groups' anger at escalating Syrian government and Russian air attacks on rebel areas around Aleppo.

The war in Syria and the related refugee crisis are high on the agenda as senior officials gather in Munich, Germany, for the annual Munich Security Conference on February 12-14.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and dpa

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/syrian-truce-deal- welcomed-russian-wild-card/27548763.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Syrian Kurds Begin Major Operation Against Jihadists in Key Town of Azaz

Sputnik News

12:55 12.02.2016(updated 13:25 12.02.2016)

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) began a major operation to take the town of Azaz, which had been a transit point for Turkish military aid to Syrian rebels in Aleppo until access was cut off over the past week by Russian and Syrian forces.

While excluded from the Syrian peace talks, the SDF began a massive operation to take the city of Azaz from anti-government forces, a Sputnik Turkiye correspondent in the area reported on Friday.

Although the creation of the SDF was largely brokered by the United States as a negotiated union of Kurdish defense forces (YPG) and moderate factions of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels, the US has abandoned the group due to Turkish pressure. Now with Russian air support, SDF in the Syrian Kurdish exclave of Afrin are moving toward the key rebel town of Azaz, which is dominated by the al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham jihadist groups.

On Thursday, the SDF captured Minnigh Military Airport, previously occupied by al-Nusra, which is only six kilometers away from Azaz.

'The population of Azaz is constantly threatened by attacks from al-Nusra fighters and other terrorist groups. If the people wish it, the Syrian Democratic Forces will conduct an operation to clean Azaz of terrorists,' Afrin Canton's Defense Minister Abdo Ibrahim told Sputnik Turkiye.

Over the past several years, Afrin, which is being blockaded by both the Rebels and Turkey, was forced to take in many refugees from the Azaz area, as well as the cities al-Bab and Manbij, now held by Daesh.

Ibrahim confirmed that the Syrian army has been making advances north of Aleppo, having cut broken the city's siege by al-Nusra and cut off the group's main route to Turkey.

'Russian warplanes are currently conducting massive airstrikes on al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham terrorist positions in the Azaz area,' Ibrahim told Sputnik Turkiye.

It is not clear whether al-Nusra or Ahrar al-Sham would be subject to a ceasefire, as both are widely considered terrorist groups and did not participate in the peace talks.

The Kurds, who were also excluded from the ceasefire talks, have little incentive to abide by it, although they could be pressured for time when it comes to Russian air strikes in a fragmented area, some of which contains factions subject to the ceasefire. Turkish pressure also plays a role.

'Turkey is pursuing a policy aimed against Rojava [Syrian Kurdistan]. Turkey seeks to present the Kurds as terrorists in the eyes of international public opinion. We completely reject Turkey's accusations . [YPG] units are not a part of the Kurdistan Workers' Party,' Afrin's YPG spokesman Frat Xelil told Sputnik Turkiye.

Although the upcoming ceasefire could impact the consistency of Russian strikes in the area, a Sputnik Turkiye correspondent in the area reported that some 50 tanks have been pledged to the Syrian Democratic Forces as support.

 Sputnik

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Press Availability at the International Syria Support Group

Remarks

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, United Nations Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura

Munich, Germany

February 12, 2016



SECRETARY KERRY: Well, good evening, everybody. Let me start by thanking Foreign Minister Steinmeier and the people of Germany for hosting this important meeting of the International Syria Support Group on the margins of the Munich Security Conference, and we're very grateful to our colleague, Frank Walter, for his help and assistance in this process and his participation as a member of the ISSG.

I also want to thank all the member-countries that understood the importance of our meeting here today. Foreign Minister Wang Yi flew all the way from China. We had a strong presence of all the ministers, because everybody understood the importance of this particular moment with respect to Syria.

Last fall, the International Syria Support Group came together out of a shared sense of responsibility for the nightmare that the Syrian people have been enduring for far too long. And in December we agreed on a set of commitments, unanimously endorsed by the UN Security Council, aimed at bringing an end to the war. Obviously, it's been difficult. Everybody understands that. That effort at the UN led to specific UN-sponsored negotiations between the Syrian parties, which began under the stewardship of UN Envoy Staffan de Mistura and the UN itself. And everybody knows that as the situation on the ground in Syria grew steadily worse the talks themselves became wrapped up in the level of violence and in concerns that people had about negotiating under difficult circumstances.

Staffan de Mistura wisely at that moment, after conversing with both sides in what were always scheduled to be proximity talks, then delayed this process knowing that we were meeting here in Munich yesterday and part of this morning. During this time, the perception of many members was that the regime of Bashar al-Assad was violating international law by trying to force surrender through starvation. And with the help of indiscriminate bombing, the regime intensified its assault in Aleppo, killing civilians and forcing more than 60,000 Syrians to flee their homes in search of refuge across the Turkish border. And it is our perception that rather than hurting Daesh, this process has, in fact, empowered Daesh to take advantage of the chaos.

UN Special Envoy de Mistura who convened those talks agreed that we should come here to Munich in order to allow the ISSG nations and the parties themselves to try to make the necessary progress to bring about humanitarian access that is urgently needed on the ground and in trying to implement a ceasefire on both sides.

Foreign Minister Lavrov worked closely with me and with the rest of the members today and I'm pleased to say that as a result today in Munich we believe we have made progress on both the humanitarian front and the cessation of hostilities front. And these two fronts, this progress, has the potential, fully implemented, fully followed through on, to be able to change the daily lives of the Syrian people.

First, we have agreed to accelerate and expand the delivery of humanitarian aid beginning immediately. Sustained delivery will begin this week, first to the areas where it is most urgently needed: Deir al-Zor, Fouah, Kafrayah, the besieged areas of rural Damascus, Madaya, Mouadhimiyeh, Kafr Batna, and then to all the people in need throughout the country, particularly in the besieged or hard-to-reach areas, the smaller neighborhoods and towns.

This access is specifically called for in UN Security Council resolution 2254 and to ensure that it is fully implemented the United Nations will convene a task force made up of members of the ISSG and of relevant UN entities and of countries that have an influence on the parties particularly. And this working group will meet tomorrow in Geneva. It will ensure that humanitarian access is granted by all sides to all people who require help. And it will meet, as I said, for the first time tomorrow. It will report weekly on progress or lack thereof to help ensure a consistent and timely and approve access moving forward.

I will say that it was unanimous. Everybody today agreed on the urgency of humanitarian access. And what we have here are words on paper. What we need to see in the next few days are actions on the ground in the field. And Staffan will speak to that.

In addition, the ISSG members will work together with the Syrian parties to ensure the immediate approval and the completion of all pending UN access requests. As everybody knows, there have been about 114 of them  only 13 or so, 14 approved  and that has to change.

Second, we have agreed to implement a nationwide cessation of hostilities to begin in a target of one week's time. That's ambitious, but everybody is determined to move as rapidly as possible to try to achieve this. This will apply to any and all parties in Syria with the exception of the terrorist organizations Daesh and al-Nusrah and any other terrorist organization designated by the Security Council.

To that end, we have also established a task force under the auspices of the UN and co-chaired by Russia and the United States. And over the coming week this group will work to develop the modalities for a long-term, comprehensive, and durable cessation of violence, of hostilities. We will begin to exercise our influence by the commitment of every country at the table immediately for a significant reduction in violence as we work towards the full cessation of hostilities.

Now, I want to underscore putting an end to the violence and the bloodshed is obviously essential, as is providing Syrians who are starving the humanitarian aid that they desperately need. But ultimately the end of this conflict will only come when the parties agree on a plan for a political transition in accordance with the Geneva communique of 2012. And we have no illusions about how difficult that is. No one here is following some pipe dream in this effort. People fully understand that compromise will be necessary, that it will be essential to resolve very tough issues that are outstanding. But without a political transition it is not possible to achieve peace.

Today all ISSG members agree that the Geneva talks should resume as soon as possible and they should resume in strict compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254. And the ISSG also pledges  all of us  to take every single measure we can to facilitate progress within the negotiations. In December we agreed on a six-month timeframe for the political transition process and today we reaffirmed our commitment to that timeline. We approach this, I think, with a uniform belief that the killing and the starvation of innocent people needs to end as soon as possible.

Now, obviously, just in closing I'll say our hard work is obviously far from over. But our work today, while it has produced commitments on paper, I want to restate the real test is clearly whether or not all the parties honor those commitments and implement them in reality. What I've said again and again is we cannot guarantee success in the outcome. What the diplomatic process can guarantee is that we exhaust the possibilities of diplomacy and that we make every best effort to try to produce a platform on which the parties themselves can determine their future.

That is what we're trying to do here. The longer this conflict persists the better it is for extremists, the more people like Daesh profit. And they have found a safe haven in war-torn Syria and we are determined that we're going to continue and upgrade and increase our efforts to degrade and destroy Daesh as fast as possible. I am hopeful that the progress we're making here will be real, that we'll be able to see this reduction in violence  which everybody accepted as a fundamental organizing principle of this effort  and that within this week we can get the modalities secured for the cooperation necessary to be able to produce a ceasefire.

We also agreed in the ISSG that there's no way to institute a ceasefire effectively and no way to produce the access we want for humanitarian assistance without all of the ISSG members working with Russia and others in an effort to guarantee that the access is provided and that the cessation of hostilities actually takes hold. And to that end we have agreed, all of us, to work with Russia in a way that deals with the political, the humanitarian, and the military components of this challenge.

Sergey.

FOREIGN MINISTER LAVROV: (Via interpreter) Ladies and gentlemen, to add on what John has said, I would like to first of all to join in gratitude towards our German hosts, to thank the team of the UN for the efforts that they have taken. This meeting was opportune because we've been worried about these issues that had arisen with the implementation of the agreements that we had reached at our previous meetings. And the main result of today's meeting, as I believe, is the unconditional confirmation of the resolution 2254 in full. This refers to humanitarian aspects, political process, anti-terrorism, ceasefire, with exception for such terrorist organizations who have been recognized as such by the United Nations Security Council.

We have considered all issues that impede the implementation of the resolution. John has mentioned some of them. Special attention has been paid to humanitarian situation. For all these reasons, this situation is aggravating. And to solve this problem, in order  and as in order to implement all our other agreements we need joint work, collective work. And we are advocating this work and we have been calling for such work since the very beginning of our airspace operation in Syria. And our colleagues are becoming more and more aware of the need of such operation and we are happy about that.

As for humanitarian problems, we are satisfied that today we've managed to agree on principles of their solution on the idea that access will be provided throughout Syria to all besieged areas without any exception. This will be done in an integrated manner so as not to discriminate anyone and not to solve problems by ignoring other parts of the country. We've been concerned, in particular, by the fact that previous efforts of the United Nations when such decisions were being considered together with the government and the opposition were disrupted at the fault of the latter.

John mentioned Madaya, Fouah, Kafrayah. The UN has been for a very long time working with -- together with the Red Cross committee to provide simultaneous supply of humanitarian assistance to all of these settlements. And the government was responsible for making these possible, with regard to Madaya, opposition promised to open the way for humanitarian supplies to Fouah and Kafrayah.

Last month the government has met its part of obligations. The opposition has refused from its promises. The UN and the Red Cross committee had to make statements condemning such refusals. Now, when we have written down the need of an integrated approach towards all these problems, I hope that the opposition and those who control various groups of opposition will have no more reasons to somehow avoid meeting their obligations.

As John said, we have agreed to set up a task force which will have a meeting tomorrow in Geneva and will be working on a regular basis co-chaired by Russia and the United States with the participation of experts. And the goal of this task force is to help the UN and other humanitarian agencies to carry out their obligations with regard to civilians. We have developed a mechanism which will allow to objectively consider difficulties that may arise and to find prompt solutions of these situations.

As it is written down in today's documents, we will work together with the government, opposition groups which have  which are in contact with us. And we hope that the U.S. and interests in the region and other participants of the International Syria Support Group will use their influence on the relevant opposition group so that they cooperated fully with the United Nations.

We have our common determination to help alleviate sufferings of the Syrian people and we hope that this will be achieved. This is especially important given that some of recent events relating to the humanitarian problem in Syria related to refugees only and they had nothing to do with the destinies of a huge number of internally displaced people. So we have reasons to hope that we have done a good and useful job today and that it will be implemented in practice.

We welcome the readiness of the U.S. and some other countries to join operations that the Russian side, together with the Syrian Government, is carrying out to drop humanitarian assistance from aircraft in Deir al-Zor where there is the greatest number of civilians that are besieged. We have also agreed to use parachuting of humanitarian assistance in some other areas where it is possible. But the biggest part of efforts will  we will have to make on the ground.

The second point that is an important achievement of today's meeting is the issue of ceasefire and as a first step towards it, that is the cessation of hostilities. This is a complicated task. There are too many stakeholders involved in military activities and it is important to use the unique potential of the International Syria Support Group, which unites almost all countries that have some kind of leverage on those fighting on the ground.

We have agreed to prepare modalities during a week which will determine the ceasefire, the regime of cessation of hostilities, given that during this period the Government of Syria and the opposition groups will be able to take necessary measures to prepare for this cessation of hostilities and modalities will be developed by another task force which we have also set up today, as John has said, which will be working under  co-chaired by Russia and the U.S., as well. It will include diplomats and the military, without whom it is extremely difficult to deal with practical issues.

The modalities which we will have to develop are important. And I would also like to emphasize the agreement that the mandate of this task force will include, in particular, the determination of common approaches towards those areas that are under control of ISIL, Jabhat al-Nusrah, and other terrorist groups that have been qualified as such by the UN Security Council.

As you probably know, during all these months we had quite an emotional discussion on who is targeting right targets  who is striking at right targets, who is striking at wrong targets. We have been proposing on many occasions to deal with this issue of  professionally now, having the agreement that the task force will determine areas taken by Daesh and Jabhat al-Nusrah. We have made a very important practical step forward in this direction.

I would also like to underscore that, for the first time in our work, the document that we have adopted today stipulates the need to cooperate and coordinate not only political and humanitarian issues, but also the military dimension of the Syrian crisis. This is a qualitatively new change in the approaches and we welcome it. We have been calling for it.

Another important thing is the clear confirmation in today's document of the need to fully implement UN Security Council resolutions which require to stop flows of terrorists and fighters from foreign states, to stop illicit trade in oil and other smuggling. This is an important reminder because UN Security Council resolutions must be implemented in full.

It has also been underscored, the task to resume the negotiation process that was suspended against the backdrop when a part of the opposition took an unconstructive  non-constructive stance and tried to put pre-conditions  we have written down that talks should resume as soon as possible in strict compliance with the resolution 2254. That is without any ultimatums, without any pre-conditions, and talks should include a wide range of opposition forces. As you know, not all of real members of the opposition  some groups of the Syrian population have received an invitation to these talks. I believe that the UN will, as we have confirmed today, be strictly guided by principles stipulated by the UN Security resolution 2254.

The last thing I wanted to say is to support what John concluded his speech by, that the real test of our efforts will be our ability to respect our commitments and to implement what we have agreed upon. This is unfortunately a problem that arises not only in the context of the Syrian crisis we face, the impossibility, the failure to negotiate of many of our partners. I have already mentioned the attempts to misinterpret the resolution 2254. We have been facing similar approaches when we are looking at how UN Security Council resolutions are being implemented that set forth a package of measures to settle the Ukrainian crisis. And I'm not going to mention the issue of Palestine.

We have to learn, not just simply reach a compromise, but also to implement the agreements which are set forth in such compromised solutions. When attempts are being made to achieve agreements, when we start looking for reasons which justify the failure to implement decisions that have been taken, this does not benefit the cause.

And let me repeat that I totally agree with John, that the real test of  will be how we will implement what we have agreed upon today in full, not only in some components that are convenient for one group of participants, of members of the International Syria Support Group.

We have also today agreed that our group will continue the Vienna process. The number of problems is not on the decrease. If we manage to achieve progress in those areas that we have agreed upon today, I think it will help us deal with other issues arising from resolution 2254. Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY: Sergey, thank you very much. Staffan.

MR DE MISTURA: Thank you. Thank you very much. When we were convening and we had the beginning of the Geneva intra-Syrian talks, we were flooded, flooded with messages from the Syrian people. They were coming from all over, outside and inside Syria, and they were asking two things  actually, three.

The first one was: please, don't have another conference as the others, and don't have just a conference about talking about talks, but please give us two things. One is humanitarian access. We are human beings. We deserve to get food, water, access to medical facilities. And second, we need no more bombs, no more war. If you succeed in giving us that message we will believe in you when you convene and reconvene the talks. I think that today the ISSG, which was actually convened in order to be able to give new energy to the future talks, has addressed that. Of course, that will be tested.

Now, there are two aspects you heard. One is the humanitarian one. You can see here  and you have a list, and you will see it everywhere now  this is the list of the areas and the people who are in need, and the numbers of them.

Now the ISSG has told us, told the UN, "You are in charge in launching this initiative with our support." We are going to do it tomorrow. We will have the first task force of ISSG, which means it is not meeting every two months. Now there is having a constant convening possibility in order to test seven locations: one of them, Deir al-Zor, which can only be reached by air dropping, others which have never been reached before.

We will test it very soon  Monday, Tuesday, not later  and see whether, in fact, we will have problems as we often have had in order to reach places. If that is the case, we go back to you again, and we will go back to the ISSG and say, "We are needing help in order to make it happen."

The other area, of course, is the one you heard about cessation of hostilities. Not ceasefire; we are talking about cessation of hostility, which is easier in a way and much more effective in a way, because it requires just a decision. That is quite a challenge, quite a challenge for doing it in such a short period, but that's exactly what people are asking. And we will be, of course, assisting, but that is something that the two convener countries are going to be committing themselves to make it happen.

What I can say is that this is a good testing time. Are the Syrian people going to see these outcomes? Then they will believe in future conferences and they believe in their own future. And the ISSG has shown that they are ready to commit themselves.

One point that probably we notice, many had wondered whether there was tensions in the region that would not allow some countries perhaps to be part of it, or not wanting to be part of it. We were able today to witness exactly the contrary. Saudi Arabia was there, Iran was there, everyone was there, and they were there determined to spend hours in order to discuss this. So thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY: Staffan, thank you very much.

MR KIRBY: We'll take three questions tonight. The first one from David Sanger, New York Times.

QUESTION: Thank you very much. Thank you very much. First a definitional issue. If any of you could just tell us a little more about how a ceasefire differs from the cessation of hostilities, I think we would be appreciative.

Mr. Secretary, the Russian airstrikes in the past few weeks, as you have mentioned, have strengthened President Assad and his allies. It's given them virtual control of Aleppo for the first time in four years. So if this cessation of hostilities and ultimately a ceasefire works, aren't you essentially freezing a situation that effectively gives Mr. Assad a good-sized (inaudible) Syrian state years after President Obama said that he had to leave office?

And Mr. Lavrov, could you address the humanitarian agencies who are all saying that your airstrikes are killing civilians each day, and yet your own government is saying that they are not? Are the humanitarian agencies lying about this?

SECRETARY KERRY: So a ceasefire has a great many legal prerogatives and requirements. A cessation of hostilities does not  is not anticipated to, but in many ways, they have a similar effect. A ceasefire in the minds of many of the participants in this particular moment connotes something far more permanent and far more reflective of sort of an end of conflict, if you will. And it is distinctly not that. This is a pause that is dependent on the process going forward, and therefore cessation of hostilities is a much more appropriate, apt term. But the effect of ending hostile actions, the effect of ending offensive actions and permitting only defensive actions that are a matter of self-defense is the same in that regard.

I might comment also  and I think this is very important for everybody to understand  during this week, the Assad regime and the opposition need to make their decision. And both are engaged  going to be engaged in consultations. The International Syria Support Group took a different step this time from what has happened previously. In Vienna on two occasions and in New York we called for a ceasefire, we encouraged people. Today we specifically decided on a process, on a timeframe, and we all agreed to do everything that we can to meet that.

So the ISSG is engaged actively in the implementation process of the ceasefire through two task forces  one working on the humanitarian delivery, the other working directly on the modalities of the cessation of hostilities. And we will work on that. Sergey and I are chairing the ceasefire component  the ceasefire ultimately, not at this moment. But the objective is to achieve a durable, long-term ceasefire at some point in time.

Now, that will only become possible if the parties themselves engage at the table in a genuine negotiation to implement what we have once again embraced, which is the Geneva process, the Geneva communique, that calls for a transition by mutual consent with full executive authority.

Now, look, we're doing everything in the power of diplomacy to try to bring an end to this conflict in a way that results in a unified, nonsectarian, minority-protecting, secular, whole state. That's a complicated task. And there are many different cross currents underneath this that make it complicated. But we're convinced that that's the only that Syria really survives and can flourish again, and that you can make peace.

Obviously, there is a difference which has to be worked out in the context of the negotiations regarding the future of Assad. And you have to be at the table to deal with that. It doesn't do any good for me to sit here or Sergey or other people to go on and on about what he has or hasn't done. In the end, that's got to be resolved in the context of the negotiation or through some other leverage.

With respect to freezing the current situation, if you will, in this sort of (inaudible) state, I disagree completely. Yes, it is true that the bombing of the last weeks and the aggressive actions of the Assad regime, together with the forces from other places and countries that have helped them has made a difference for Assad. There is no question about that. But that difference doesn't end the war. That difference does not mean that Assad is secure or safe for the long term. It does not mean that Syria is free from the scourge of terrorist activity by Daesh and others, al-Nusrah and others. And it does not mean that the war is able to end at any time in the foreseeable future. So while, yes, there are some advantages, they are not advantages that turn this on its ear. This is still a very complicated conflict with long-term implications, with increasing levels of violence, with increasing numbers of refugees, with increasing numbers of terrorists. And it is our belief that the more successful Assad is in securing territory against the opposition, the more successful he is in creating more terrorists who threaten the region.

So we have a fundamental task ahead of us, which hopefully this process can shed some light on as to how we are going to be able to resolve the conflict of one war, which is the war against Assad, and also resolve the other war, which is the war against the terrorists, and particularly Daesh. No small undertaking, but very much front and center in all of our thinking, and in the political process that we are trying to create to find a peaceful resolution.

FOREIGN MINISTER LAVROV: (Via interpreter) As for the issue  as for the question that you have asked me, the difference between a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities  Resolution 2254 talks about the ceasefire only. This term is not liked by some members of the International Syria Support Group. What I'm referring to is how something that has been agreed upon should be implemented rather than try to remake the consensus that has been achieved in order to get some unilateral advantages.

We have agreed to this because it is said clearly that this is the first step towards a ceasefire. John has explained that there isn't much difference actually, but this play in words is the same thing as statements about the existence of some kind of Plan B, statements that ground forces should be prepared. This is a slippery road. They say that it is necessary for  to defeat ISIL, but there is no doubt that this will only lead to the aggravation of the conflict. Moreover, given that many countries, especially the U.S., have the so-called Assad issue, and this Assad issue is still in the center of the attention. Although we have said clearly in the UN Security Council resolution and repeated today that only the Syrian people themselves will determine  will decide the fate of Syria. And the political process should be carried out on the basis of mutual consent of the government and the whole range of opposition.

We have said a lot about Aleppo today and we have heard accusations against Russia, which I'm not going to repeat. We hear them on the daily basis. You have mentioned some kind of humanitarian agencies, which, as you have said, keep saying every day that Russia kills civilians. I did not hear such statements from humanitarian agencies of the UN. That is why I cannot say that they are lying, but some do lie. I know that the well-respected media  I'm afraid that I might be  that I might  made a mistake. I believe this is a British media that took an interview from Ban Ki-moon and published this interview with unscrupulous versions of what he said. He never mentioned Russia. He just called for the end of any actions that lead to sufferings of civilians. The interviewer allowed himself to put into the mouth of the UN secretary-general these statements that he was saying all those things about Russia, so yes, they're all lies, but these are not the humanitarian agencies that are lying. We are cooperating with humanitarian agencies, and they, by the way, if you talk to them and if they are not put under pressure, they will acknowledge that cooperation in dealing with humanitarian issues from government is much more constructive than that from the side of opposition.

Well, you see, many are simply trying now to  not to create the impression that they are beyond the mainstream that has now been created in media, trying to distract attention from what is important for all of us. And the most important for all of us is to prevent ISIL from implementing its criminal plans. And they're trying to limit it by the change of regime, as if Iraq and Libya had never existed  the case of Iraq and Libya had never existed. And some still have illusions that if we change the regime, everything will be fine.

As for Aleppo, John said that he is worried by recent aggressive actions of the government. Well, if liberation of the city that has been taken by illegal armed groups can be qualified as aggression, then, well, yeah, probably. But to attack those who have taken your land is necessary  is a necessary thing. First of all, this has been done by Jabhat al-Nusrah, and also the western suburbs of Aleppo are still being controlled together with Jabhat al-Nusrah by Jaysh al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham.

The leader of Jaysh al-Islam who has been eliminated, Alloush, made quite clear statements about the ideology of this movement, and I think that modern communication media will allow you to find these statements in the internet. He said that all Levant should be cleared of dirt, as he said  meaning Alawites directly, who, as he said, are even more disloyal than Christians and Jews. And he said that his brothers are Jabhat al-Nusrah fighters who he's fighting with against common enemies. So these are the guys who are now around Aleppo, at least on the western part. On the eastern part, with our help, the government forces have already unblocked this city and according to our data those who are fleeing this area are fighters who are just trying to escape.

And let us not forget that all those who are now around Aleppo  that is Jabhat al-Nusrah and Ahrar al-Sham and Jaysh al-Islam and other more moderate groups are being provided using the same route from one place on the territory of Turkey. So this factor should also be reckoned with since the UN Security Council resolution that was adopted before the Resolution 2254 prohibits any supplies that support terrorist groups.

You probably can draw the conclusion that we do not agree on everything with John and there are differences. And that is why I would like to reiterate that to clarify these issues as well as many other issues, the key thing is to have direct  to build direct contacts not only on procedures to avoid incidents but also on cooperation in Syria between the military, the coalition led by the U.S., and the military of the Russian Federation who are working in Syria upon the initiation of the legitimate government.

So this is probably what we are going to bear in mind, and let me repeat I have no doubts that if what we have agreed upon today  and we have agreed upon contacts between military agencies  I am convinced that practical issues will be dealt with efficiently because simply saying without any foundation for five month that we are doing something wrong and refusing strongly to sit down using maps and look at facts is not an approach, it is propaganda. Propaganda was popular in Soviet times in our country. Right now we have abandoned this practice but it seems that a lot of manifestations of such trends are still present in mass media in other countries; probably we should put an end to this. And instead of pointing fingers at each other we should realize that we have a common enemy and that all the concerns about one's image on the eve of election or with regard to some political event should be set aside. And we should deal with finding solutions to problems, which has become a truly existential problem for the human civilization, rather than just play geopolitical games.

MR KIRBY: Our next question will come from Vladimir Kondratiev from NTV.

QUESTION: (Via interpreter) Vladimir Kondratiev, NTV company. I have a question to the Russian minister. Mr. Lavrov, will there be a continuance of the operation of airspace forces of Russia in case if a ceasefire is achieved? And will the agreements that has been achieved have an influence on the volume of this operation? You've also mentioned contacts during the creation of the International Syria Support Group to determine jointly areas of hostilities. Does it mean that there will be a closer coordination of military agencies on the territory of Syria, which has not been the case so far? Although Russia has been interested in this.

And I have a question to the Secretary of State. Is it true that this coordination is the change of position of the United States with regard to Russia on the Syrian territory?

FOREIGN MINISTER LAVROV: (Via interpreter) As for the first part of the question, our documents read, and we've said about this, that ceasefire will not be extended to ISIL, Jabhat al-Nusrah, and other affiliated organizations that have been recognized as terrorist organizations by the UN Security Council decision. That is why our airspace forces will continue working against these organizations.

As for the task force that has been set up to develop modalities and to further observe conditions of the ceasefire with the participation of the military, yes, I believe that this will help to efficiently solve many issues and to avoid any discrepancies and misunderstanding. We think this is one of the most important results of today's meeting.

SECRETARY KERRY: Quite simply, no, there is no change in the American position. The American position has always been that we need a legitimate political process and we need to make certain that there is a track that is dealing with the resolution of the government transition under the Geneva process, and we need, similarly, a concerted effort to destroy Daesh.

The fact of the commitment now to a cessation of hostilities as well as the full implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which means full access for humanitarian assistance, mandates by common sense that if you're going to do that you've got to be able to talk about the deployment of forces, the presence of people, who can go where, how they get there, and avoid conflict, and coordinate, obviously, in ways that are effective for the achievement of the UN Security Council resolution.

And we believe that the full measure of that will be in what happens over the course of the next week  meeting the goals and succeeding in implementing this political process while simultaneously dealing with the problems of knowing what the various military factions and the various kinetic factions are doing on the ground so that one can be effective and safe.

MR KIRBY: The final question tonight comes from Issam Ikirmawi from BBC Arabic.

QUESTION: Mr. Kerry, you spoke about the implementation of the  you didn't call it ceasefire, but how much commitment have you got from Russia? Because we've seen over the last week or so, or two weeks, that the escalation and the air bombardment had led to the humanitarian crisis when you have about 60,000 refugees massing on the border with Turkey. So how much of a commitment has Russia given you that it will de-escalate its part in this conflict? That's the first question.

The second part is about how much leverage does the United States have on some of the  its allies in the region in order to persuade some of these groups who are not considered terrorist organizations by the U.S. to stop their participation in the hostilities?

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, I think, really, Foreign Minister Lavrov ought to be answering the question about Russia's commitment to the cessation of hostilities. But I can just say that Russia said publicly at the first meeting of the ISSG in Vienna and at the second meeting and in New York that Russia was prepared to implement a ceasefire --

FOREIGN MINISTER LAVROV: And today.

SECRETARY KERRY: -- and again today. And Iran, likewise, said that at the first meeting of Vienna and so forth. It was not Russia or Iran who stopped a ceasefire from being adopted at the very beginning. I want to make that very, very clear. And Staffan will agree with that, and our other ISSG members know that. So Russia has articulated a willingness to do this providing that the other players are ready to enforce the full components of resolution 2254 and live by them.

Now, that's another part of this mix. So I'm not here to vouch for anybody's word  anybody participating in this. I said a moment ago this will be measured by what happens on the ground. This will be measured by the steps that people take in the next days. And that's the true measurement, not the words on a piece of paper tonight  or this morning, early. And I think everybody would agree with that. So we need to make sure this is fully implemented, and everybody has a responsibility to help do that. All the members of the ISSG committed to try to do that, including Russia, including Iran. Now, you'll be able to measure that as well as we will in the days ahead.

And you ask about leverage  it's not a matter of  I mean, I suppose leverage here and there makes a difference, obviously. We all know that. But everybody engaged in this wants Syria to remain whole, to be peaceful, and to try to resolve this conflict. But there are different opinions within that everybody as to how that might happen or as to what outcome they'd like to see. And that's the challenge here. I think the United States has strong relationships within the ISSG. We have been able to come up now with four separate communiques in unanimous fashion with Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Russia, China, the United States  countries with different beliefs and feelings all coming to the same logical conclusion, though they have different ideas about how the outcome might unfold at this moment. But the best we can do is continue to work in a collegiate fashion. I don't think it's as much a matter of leverage as it is a matter of common sense about how you end this war and whether one can end this war.

As I've said previously, it is my belief and the belief of the majority of the members of this group that there will not be peace in Syria if Assad is determined to stay there and lead the country. That's our belief. Other people have a different point of view. But we don't believe he can make peace because we don't think that certain countries and certain players involved in this will stop fighting until there is a legitimate transition, which is what was decided in 2012. It's now 2016. In 2012, the UN and the countries that came together adopted the fundamental framework of what we're trying to do, which is a transition which allows the people of Syria to decide the future without coercion, without  with full participation. And that's what has been adopted in this process. So if everybody honors this process, hopefully there can be a transformation. If they don't, there will be continued war.

You want to speak to --

FOREIGN MINISTER LAVROV: (Via interpreter) Since John said that it will be better for me to answer the first question, I will just reconfirm what we've already told you. You can read this in the document that was adopted today. To be more exact, that is that ISIL, Jabhat al-Nusrah, and other terrorist groups that have been recognized as such by the UN Security Council do not fit the conditions of ceasefire. That is why as we  and as far as I understand, the U.S.-led coalition will continue fighting these groups.

The most important goal is to make this ceasefire (inaudible) agreement between the government and the opposition  it was said directly, it was not, by the way, my initiative or John's initiative. It was the initiative of one delegation which John mentioned in a different context. It was written down that the ceasefire could not be started immediately, it would start in a week if both the government and opposition elaborate all the necessary measures. Well, yes, probably some influence  we will have to put some influence on Syrian sides and I hope that all will put this influence both on government and on various groups and opposition. But let me repeat that terrorists are beyond the ceasefire.

As for adherence to agreements, our commitment, I would really like this commitment to be universal. I've already said that I agree with John that the best measure of our efficiency will be how the decisions that have been made will be implemented. So in 2012 we adopted the Geneva communique. I've already reminded that right after this communique was adopted we convinced Assad's government to agree to work on its bases, and the opposition said that they would not work on this, that they were not satisfied with it. We brought this Geneva communique to the Security Council. Our Western partners rejected to adopt it and it took us more than a year before the UN Security Council finally adopted this communique, and I don't want to look like someone who is trying to appease someone. But only when John took the position of the Secretary of State we felt the wish to reanimate, to rehabilitate these agreements that had been concluded before John came to his office.

But let us not forget that the Geneva communique says that the principle of solving political problems in Syria is the agreement on transition provisions on the basis of mutual consent between the government and the whole range of the opposition. So if we are talking about commitments, about adherence to agreements, all these should be reconfirmed in an integrated manner without emphasizing only just one word that there should be, for example, transition  meaning the change of regime by it. And this transition should be on the mutual consent between the government and the wide range of opposition. This thing is usually kept silent about. They believe that, and a delegation of opposition can be set up, which represents only a part of foreign opponents of the regime. Others can be turned into consultants.

This will not work and I'm convinced that this very clear mandate that is contained in the Geneva communique and in the resolution 2254 will be respected by our UN colleagues who play the central role in the political process.

MR KIRBY: Thank you. That concludes tonight's press conference.

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Syria Agreement Already Facing Tests

by Luis Ramirez, Pamela Dockins February 12, 2016

Just hours after world leaders announced a deal to push for a cessation of hostilities in Syria within a week, the agreement is being put to the test.

In an interview published Friday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told the French news agency AFP that his forces plan to "retake the whole country," fueling doubts about the parties' commitment to end the nearly five-year-old conflict.

Assad said recapturing all of the territory could take "a long time." The Syrian president said he supports peace efforts, but he cautioned that the negotiations do "not mean that we stop fighting terrorism."

Holes in the deal

Observers who acknowledged disconnects in the deal agreed Thursday those discrepancies could allow Assad's forces, with Russia's help, to keep up their assault on rebel areas.

For one, the agreement does not provide for any truce in the Syrian government's fight against terrorists, including Islamic State militants and the al Nusra Front.

The Assad government considers all opposition fighters  both moderates and extremists  terrorists. Russia has continued to bomb what it says are terrorist targets, enabling Assad's forces to make considerable gains recently around Aleppo, Syria's largest city.

Syrian rebels continue to accuse Russia's warplanes of indiscriminately striking civilians and the moderate opposition.

Measured expectations

In announcing the deal to push for a pause in hostilities, U.S. officials have been cautious in their expectations.

Secretary of State John Kerry said the agreement is "on paper" only, emphasizing "the real test" is whether all parties honor their commitments.

The agreement is not a cease-fire deal, but a statement of intent by foreign governments to work toward stopping the fighting in a week's time  enough to allow humanitarian aid to reach civilians in rebel-held areas.

This was one key condition that representatives of the Syrian opposition say must be met before they re-join indirect peace talks that broke off last week in Geneva. U.S. and U.N. officials are working to resume the dialogue later this month.

On Friday, Kerry said the agreement "represents what the opposition wanted." He told reporters in Munich, "They wanted it called and defined as a cessation of hostilities. That is very much in line with their thinking and their hopes.'

The Syrian opposition has stopped short of welcoming the agreement, but sees it as an incremental step forward. Opposition representatives on Friday indicated they would be prepared to rejoin the peace talks if parts of it are implemented within the next week.

Salem Meslet, speaking for the main opposition group, the High Negotiations Committee, said "We must see action on the ground in Syria."

There are questions of whether the agreement by world leaders to seek a cessation of hostilities in Syria marks the beginning of a lasting deal for peace, or if it is simply a stopgap measure by world politicians to appear as though they are addressing a situation that is out of control.

Following through on humanitarian aid

International human rights advocates on Friday urged world leaders to follow through with commitments they say could alleviate the suffering of millions of Syrians.

"It is essential that strenuous diplomatic efforts continue beyond today's headlines to ensure that the human rights and humanitarian-related provisions agreed are adhered to by all parties," said Philip Luther, Director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Program, in a statement to VOA.

The longer-term prospects for peace now hinge on whether the Syrian government and Russian forces in the coming days allow for humanitarian convoys to reach rebel-held areas, and whether the opposition decides to re-join peace negotiations.

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Syria: Cessation of Hostilities to Begin in a Week

by Pamela Dockins February 12, 2016

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday major powers have agreed to seek a cessation of hostilities in Syria to begin in one week's time.

Jan Egeland, the chairman of the the United Nations humanitarian meeting in Germany where the Munich Agreement was reached said it 'could be the breakthrough we've been waiting for.'

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu wrote on Twitter Friday the move is 'an important step on the way to finding a solution to the Syrian crisis.'

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, however, has cautioned the world powers about committing their troops to any ground action in Syria. He said in a statement Friday 'a ground operation draws everyone taking part in it into a war.'

Kerry told reporters in Munich that the cessation of hostilities will not apply to terrorist groups, including Islamic State, al-Nusra and others. He said the 17-nation International Syria Support Group has agreed that a task force co-chaired by the U.S. and Russia will work to "determine the modalities of a long-term reduction in violence."

'What we got last night on this cessation of hostilities represents what the opposition wanted,' Kerry told reporters. 'They wanted it called and defined as a cessation of hostilities. That is very much in line with their thinking and their hopes.'

The top U.S. diplomat added on a cautionary note that the ISSG meeting has produced commitments on paper, but that the real test will be if all the parties honor their commitments.

The support group also agreed to "accelerate and expand" delivery of humanitarian assistance, starting with key troubled areas and then widening to provide increased humanitarian aid to the entire country.

A United Nations task force will oversee the aid delivery beginning with a meeting in Geneva and reporting on progress weekly.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that the humanitarian situation in Syria is worsening and collective efforts are needed to stop it.

Geneva talks

Kerry said putting an end to "violence and bloodshed is essential," but that ultimately a peace plan is needed.

To that end, he said the ISSG unanimously called for the Geneva talks to resume as soon as possible. He said the ISSG "pledges to take every single measure we can to facilitate negotiations."

Kerry and Lavrov will co-chair a UN-led task force focused on developing the modalities for a long term end to violence in Syria.

Earlier, U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura delayed until February 25 the next effort to get 'proximity talks' under way. These would include members of the Damascus government and the main opposition groups in the civil war, but not meeting directly with each other.

A senior member of the Syrian opposition said earlier Thursday any cease-fire would be welcome if it ends 'the current Russian campaign of slaughter,' but that there must be guarantees that all of the Damascus regime's backers - including Iran-funded militias and fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah movement - observe a truce.

Possible turning point

European diplomats told VOA they believed a delay in a cease-fire for several weeks would allow Russian and Syrian government troops to complete their operation to retake Aleppo and send even more refugees fleeing toward Turkey.

Regaining control of Aleppo, which has largely been under rebel control since mid-2012, would mark a possible turning point in Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's drive to crush his opponents.

"This is straight out of the Kremlin's playbook," said a senior European Union diplomat. He compared the Russian negotiating stance on Syria to Moscow's handling of the fighting between government forces and separatist, pro-Russian militias in Ukraine.

A Turkish official told VOA that Russia might be entering into a truce now because its military assault on Aleppo is now complete.

"Now they can focus on ... preparing for the next stage  Idlib," the Turkish official said.

100,000 refugees in a week

In the past week, since a donor's conference about Syria in London, nearly 100,000 Syrians have fled from their homes, International Rescue Committee President David Miliband said.

The ongoing humanitarian crisis is "making a mockery of the international community's commitment to help Syrians," the former British Cabinet member said.

Plans to resume proximity talks between the government and opposition hinge on whether world powers can make sufficient progress in efforts to secure a cease-fire and provide humanitarian access to affected civilians.

Former U.S. ambassador to Syria Robert Ford says, 'The most important thing is to somehow pressure the Russians and the Syrians to stop the aerial bombardments which are causing these floods of refugees."

However, he added, the U.S. had not shown any "willingness to genuinely pressure Russia."

Fern Robinson contributed to this report from Washington

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Syrian Rebels Vow to Wage a National Liberation Guerrilla War

by Jamie Dettmer February 12, 2016

Syrian rebels warn their five-year-long struggle to oust President Bashar al-Assad will go underground, if they are deserted by Western backers or an attempt is made to foist an unacceptable political deal on them. They will wage a relentless guerrilla campaign against the Assad regime and "foreign invaders" from Iran and Russia, turning the war into a national liberation fight, rebel commanders and opposition politicians say.

Talk of a guerrilla war fought along the lines of the Mujahideen's successful albeit bloody war to oust Russian occupiers in Afghanistan has mounted in recent days and it is the focus of discussions between rebel commanders now as they wrestle with the implications of Thursday's announcement in Munich by foreign powers of a "partial cease-fire" in Syria.

Rebel commanders and opposition politicians are greeting with deep skepticism the announcement by the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) of 17 foreign powers, including Russia, of a cessation of hostilities along with the delivery of humanitarian aid within a week to besieged areas of the war-torn country with deep skepticism.

With the partial cease-fire deal announced by the ISSG in Munich not including a clear commitment from the Kremlin to end blistering Russian airstrikes immediately  a key demand of the Syrian opposition  the rebels dismiss the idea that Munich represents a breakthrough in the search for a political solution to end the brutal five-year-long civil war that has left upwards of 250,000 dead.

They view it instead as another way-station on a road that will lead to an inevitable Western-backed negotiated political deal that they won't be able to accept.

Fighters are angrier

Some even once pro-Western rebel commanders are expressing increasingly sharp anti-American sentiments and warn that their fighters are even angrier.

"Fighters on the front-lines have some very harsh things to say about the West," says Mohammed Adeeb, a senior figure in the 10,000-strong Shamiya Front, an alliance of secular and nationalist armed factions.

Speaking in Munich after lengthy talks, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said a U.N. task force would "work to develop the modalities for a long term and durable cessation of violence". He acknowledged, though, that the deal was only so good as the paper it is written on and much further works is needed.

But some rebels and opposition politicians are drawing comparisons with another piece of paper signed in Munich in 1938.

Formally, the Syrian Coalition, the main political opposition group, is welcoming the idea for a cessation of hostilities  saying the civilians need desperately a lessening of the violence and to receive humanitarian aid. "The conditions on the other side of the border are really terrible," says Nader Othman, deputy prime minister in the opposition's Syrian Interim Government.

But he fears the Russians are playing a game to sap Western resolve and to divide further the West from the anti-Assad opposition. "This will only end this phase of the regime's offensive. The regime and its Russian backers will exploit the cease-fire," he worries.

Cease-fire vs cessation of hostilities

Pro-opposition civil society activists also remain highly doubtful about the deal and what it may hold. "I will welcome the delivery of aid to all areas that need it," says Bassam al-Kuwaiti, a well-known figure in opposition circles.

"As to the cease-fire, a political transition should start at the same time, or we will be allowing the Assad forces to capture lands under the banner of fighting the Islamic State or Jabhat al-Nusra, and therefore to obtain a powerful position that enables it to halt any political change," he says.

He cautions: "It is very important to distinguish between a cease-fire and a cessation of hostilities. With the first there are monitoring mechanisms, as for the latter there are no such mechanisms and it is left to the parties to decide how to implement it."

He fears the cessation offer is designed also to split opposition forces.

That view is shared by rebel commanders. And in the hours since the deal was announced, more militias have voiced if not outright disapproval, huge doubts. Few want to be seen dismissing the deal out of hand, fearful of being seen as saboteurs of a deal that might bring some relief to civilians.

"We are skeptical that Russia will hold to these commitments when its current policy is to indiscriminately bomb all parties in Syria into the dust, in particular civilians and moderate opposition, and with complete impunity, while saying they are bombing terrorists," the Southern Front, an alliance of factions in the south of the country, said in a statement Friday.

The biggest concern of rebel commanders in north Syria is that the Russian-backed regime will use the cessation of hostilities as a PR cover for a shift in battlefield focus, one Western powers will have inadvertently provided a stamp of approval for and won't be able to object to later.

The Munich deal writes out any cessation of hostilities for not only the Islamic State but al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra or other groups deemed terrorists by the UN Security Council. Some of those groups, aside from IS, have been battlefield allies of other rebel factions around Aleppo.

It remains unclear at the moment if Islamist militia Ahrar al-Sham, an al Nusra ally and one of the most powerful armed anti-Assad armed factions, is outside the scope of the Munich deal, too.

Even so, al Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham are the dominant forces in the rebel Army of Conquest alliance in Idlib, the neighboring province to Aleppo. With the regime having tightened the noose on the rebels in Aleppo and cutting their main supply line to the border with Turkey at Bab al-Salameh,rebel groups will need to ferry in supplies via Idlib from the border crossing at Bab al-Hawa.

Some rebel commanders say they will have no choice but to back up al Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham, if a post-Munich regime offensive unfolds in Idlib  not just out of comradeship for other anti-Assad fighters but because a collapse by their forces there would weaken moderate and nationalist militias in Aleppo, too.

Midweek, Gen. Salem Idris, the former chief of staff of the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, told VOA that he thought within days the Russians would start bombing Idlib.

"They want to close down Bab al-Hawa," he said.

The Shamiya Front's Adeeb also sees Idlib as the inevitable next focus of the phased Russian-backed regime offensive  and would have been regardless of a Munich deal being agreed by the ISSG.

He says of al Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham: "We don't coordinate militarily on the battlefield with them but we do have a saying that any rife trained on Assad deserves our support." Rebel commanders say that regardless of what they decide to do in the event Idlib is targeted their own militiamen will want to fight there, weakening the coherence of moderate factions, if they resist the demands of their ranks.

Assad's future

Whatever the near future holds for the Syrian revolution against Assad, Nader Othman of the Syrian Interim Government insists the regime won't win. "They might take more land and occupy it. There will be a resistance, it will revert to a guerrilla war, and Syrians can make things even harder for the Russians than they experienced in Afghanistan."

He adds: "Our mistake was not to see our revolution as a national liberation struggle. This is no longer a civil war  we are occupied by many foreign forces and we should make that clear. This is now a war to eject foreign invaders."

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UN to Probe 5 Serious Cases of Alleged Chemical Weapons Use in Syria

by Ken Schwartz February 12, 2016

A United Nations team says it has zeroed in on five serious cases of alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria for further investigation, including chlorine gas and mustard gas.

The U.N. chemical weapons agency and the Security Council set up the Joint Investigative Mechanism  JIM  last year after reports of as many as 116 incidents of chemical attacks in Syria against civilians since 2014.

The JIM mission is not to blame one side or the other, but to turn over the results of its investigation and any evidence to the Security Council.

But JIM leaders say 'all individuals, groups, entities or governments that have any role in enabling the use of chemicals as weapons, for whatever reason and under any circumstances, must understand that they will be identified and made accountable for these abhorrent acts.'

The Syrian government and rebels blame each other for using chemicals against civilians. But U.S. officials have said some of the attacks involved barrel bombs dropped from helicopters, and pointed out that the rebels do not have helicopters.

The five cases to be thoroughly investigated involve the suspected use of chemical weapons on villages in Hama and Idlib in 2014 and 2015, and on a town near the Turkish border where Islamic State is active.

Meanwhile, the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, John Brennan, said IS has used such weapons in Syria.

Brennan told CBS television's 60 Minutes, to be broadcast Sunday, that there are a number of instances where the terrorists used 'chemical munitions on the battlefield.'

He said Islamic State has the capacity to make small quantities of chlorine and mustard gas and may be looking to sell the chemicals.

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UN Envoy: Aid Deliveries to Besieged Syrian Towns to Start Monday

by Margaret Besheer February 12, 2016

The international community is mobilizing to get life-saving assistance to millions of Syrians in besieged and hard-to-reach parts of the country in the coming days.

Diplomats meeting Thursday in Munich as part of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) agreed to cooperate and use their influence on the parties to expand humanitarian access  which the United Nations and aid groups have continually appealed for the past two years.

"We have agreed to accelerate and expand the delivery of humanitarian aid beginning immediately," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told a news conference early Friday in Munich.

He said sustained deliveries would begin this week to some of the hardest to reach areas. Deir Ezzor in the northeast, which is mostly under the control of the so-called Islamic State, will receive assistance via air drops.

Foua and Kefraya in Idlib province, which are besieged by rebel groups, and government-besieged Madaya in rural Damascus, will receive aid by land. Aid trucks last reached about 60,000 people in those three areas for the first time in months in January. Mouadhimiyeh and Kafr Batna are also slated for deliveries.

"We will test it very soon  Monday, Tuesday, not later  and see whether, in fact, we will have problems as we often have had in order to reach places," said U.N. Special Envoy on Syria Staffan de Mistura. He said if obstacles arise, they would go back to the ISSG to ask for help to make the deliveries happen.

Humanitarian task force

De Mistura said in Munich that the U.N. would be in charge of launching this initiative with support from Russia, the United States and other ISSG members.

A special ISSG humanitarian task force is being rapidly set up and held its first meeting Friday morning in Geneva. It will continue to meet weekly to monitor compliance and resolve issues on access or delivery.

"We have already submitted requests for access to the parties surrounding besieged areas. We expect to get such access without delay," Jan Egeland, a senior advisor to de Mistura, said in a statement.

"Finally, the civilians who have been deprived of their basic right of humanitarian access for so long, will have hope," he added. "Let us not fail them."

Task force members include the United States and Russia, relevant U.N. entities and members of the ISSG with influence on the parties that are in a position to ensure humanitarian access.

ISSG members will also work with the Syrian parties to ensure the immediate approval of more than a hundred pending U.N. access requests. Just over a dozen of those requests have been approved in the past months.

Welcome development

"The people of Syria - in Aleppo, Madaya, Foua and Kefraya, Deir Ezzor and elsewhere - need an end to the brutal violence and bombing, the sieges, denial of free movement, food and medical care," U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said in a statement on Friday, welcoming news of the planned cessation of hostilities and aid access.

He added that the U.N. and its partners need safe, sustained access for humanitarian workers across Syria. "We remain committed and ready to deliver aid and protection for civilians in desperate need, whoever and wherever they are," he added.

O'Brien's office says there are 4.6 million people in need in hard-to-reach parts of Syria. Nearly a half-million of them live in areas described as "besieged" by government forces, the opposition or terrorist groups.

In the past week alone, heavy shelling by the government has displaced more than 50,000 people in northern Syria, many of them making a dangerous dash to the Turkish border to escape Russian-backed Syrian air force bombings.

Under the Munich plan, all groups using heavy weapons would stop next week as a first step to a negotiated nationwide cease-fire. If implemented, it will improve aid access and possibly pave the way to a resumption of U.N.-brokered peace talks among the parties that were suspended earlier this month.

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Factions Shift as Civilians Die in Syrian War

by Sharon Behn, Jeff Seldin February 12, 2016

While world powers gathered in Munich negotiate an "ambitious" cease-fire plan for Syria, forces on the ground are growing increasingly desperate, resorting to shifting strategies and alliances to survive.

It is a scenario likely only to further confuse the military situation on the ground and potentially worsen a humanitarian crisis that already has grown to epic proportions.

The Syrian Center for Policy Research reported Thursday that at least 470 thousand people have been killed in Syria since the beginning of the war.

Some Western officials are beginning to despair of a solution.

"It is an absolute mess there," a U.S. official told VOA, citing a part of northern Syria known as the Manbij pocket as an example.

"There are so many competing parties,' the official said. "It's really difficult to tell you what the ground truth is."

Officials say alliances among the various rebels groups in Syria often shift by the day.

"It's difficult to plan when things are constantly changing," the U.S. official added.

Although Russian and Iranian support for the regime of President Bashar al Assad is clear, there is no consensus on how far the Russians and the Iranians are willing to go once pro-regime forces ultimately take the city of Aleppo.

It is also unclear what the U.S. will do to protect its partners on the ground, such as the Syrian opposition rebels or the Syrian Kurds.

Kurds open office in Moscow

Perhaps sensing that the tide of power is changing as the Russian and Iranian-backed regime forces decimate the Syrian opposition, Syria's Kurds on Wednesday opened up a representation office in Moscow.

"Russia is a great power and an important actor in the Middle East. It is, in fact, not only an actor, but also it writes the script," said Merab Shomoyev, chairman of the International Union of Kurdish Public Associations at the opening.

Michael Pregent, a former U.S. intelligence officer now an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute, said the move both helps protect the Kurds and allows Moscow to antagonize neighboring Turkey by allying itself with a Turkish enemy.

"It's a brilliant move by the Kurds and a brilliant move by the Russians," Pregent told VOA.

"It creates a buffer zone [with Turkey] and makes it look like Russia is establishing alliances on the ground," Pregent said. "The Kurds on the ground now have a guarantor in Russia that they couldn't find in the U.S."

Still friends with US

Henri Barkey of the Wilson Institute said the Syrian Kurds' decision would not significantly impact the United States, which has been working closely with the group to fight Islamic State (IS) extremists.

"The Syrian Kurds are looking to make as many friends as possible, and the Russians clearly want to show the Americans and everyone else that 'if you don't treat the Kurds well, we will take advantage,'" said Barkey.

"I would not say it is a game changer by any stretch of the imagination," he said. "Fundamentally, from the Syrian Kurd perspective, the most important relationship is the one with Washington."

According to Barkey, the United States has trained the Syrian Kurds since 2014, when IS swept up large swathes of land in Iraq and Syria; supplied them with equipment; invited Syrian Kurd representatives to the U.S. operations cell in Irbil, northern Iraq.

"This relationship is much deeper than people think," said Barkey.

Protection from Turkey

"Everyone is playing to the benefit of their own interests," explained Bassam Barabandi, a former Syrian diplomat turned co-founder of the international development organization, People Demand Change.

"The Russians benefit because they want to give Turkey a tough time, and Turkey cannot attack the Kurds because they are under the protection of Russian planes,' said Barabandi.

Turkey historically has had contentious relations with its own ethnic Kurds, who have agitated for autonomy inside Turkey and maintained armed wings in neighboring Iraq.

Ankara is trying to prevent Syrian Kurdish fighters, or YPG, from forming a proto-state along its border in the fear that it would further galvanize Kurds in Turkey.

"We're not going to let Ankara, Tehran or Damascus ... any of those people break the bonds of brotherhood that holds Kurds together," said Osman Baydemir of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democracy Party (HDP) in Turkey.

Russia's outreach to the Kurds while conducting a brutal bombing campaign against the Syrian opposition has effectively changed the dynamics on the ground in the fight against IS, according to Barabandi.

"The people are asking the anti-regime fighters to give up in order to stop the Russian attacks," he said. "We will soon be reaching a point where there is no military opposition with heavy weight, and Russia will tell the world 'you chose us, or them.'"

Seeking new allies

Analysts fear a different outcome: that the currently West-supported moderate Syrian opposition groups who are quickly losing ground could turn to the al Qaida affiliate in Syria, Jabhat al Nusra, for a chance to fight back.

Russia and Iran, already working through various militias and Hezbollah in Syria, also may be looking for new allies.

"Both the Russians and the Iranians are growing increasingly interested in using proxies rather than their own forces to fight in Syria," U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told lawmakers this past Tuesday.

"The Russians are incurring casualties. The Iranians are," he said.

The shifting alliances do not bode well for an end to the conflict.

"From a humanitarian point of view, it is sad," Barabandi said. "The people, they lost everything."

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OSCE Official Warns Of Worsening Rights Situation In Eastern Ukraine

February 12, 2016

by RFE/RL

WASHINGTON -- A top OSCE official has warned that the human rights situation in eastern Ukraine is worsening and the transatlantic security organization is still barred from entering the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula to investigate alleged abuses there.

Michael Georg Link, of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, also warned on February 11 that a lack of regional cooperation was hampering Europe's response to the refugees flooding the continent from the conflicts in the Middle East.

In eastern Ukraine, "the human rights situation in these certain areas.... They are increasingly affected. The longer the war goes, the longer the conflict goes, the more affected they are certainly," Link told the U.S. Helsinki Commission, a government agency that monitors international adherence to the 1975 Helsinki Accords.

Those accords were a landmark human rights compact signed by 35 countries at the height of the Cold War. They also gave birth to the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which comprises 57 European, North American, and Central Asian countries.

Link, who heads the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, said the group was "very, very concerned" about the plight of the Crimean Tatar population on Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.

With signs that an anti-immigrant backlash is building in Europe amid the flood of refugees arriving from Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere, Link echoed earlier calls from European leaders for a coordinated approach to the problems.

"The lack of regional cooperation among states...is a problem. This refugee crisis cannot be solved by one side alone, there must be a joint action," he said.

He also warned the commission about increasing dangers to journalists among its member states, and he focused specifically on Azerbaijan, where Khadija Ismayilova, an investigative reporter and RFE/RL contributor, has been jailed.

"Journalists are key to early warning, by the way. A free media landscape, a free media press, is part of the normal early warning process that should happen in a civil society," Link said. "So if you shut down...independent media, if you don't have a pluralistic approach in media, as diverse a approach as possible, then a society can go very, very wrong."

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/osce-official-warns- worsening-rights-situation-eastern-ukraine/27546603.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Moldova Indicts, Sentences Individuals Who Fought As Mercenaries In Ukraine

February 12, 2016

by Eugen Tomiuc

Moldovan prosecutors say Russian-backed separatists in southeastern Ukraine have been hiring Moldovan mercenaries to fight on their side, sometimes promising as much as $3,000 monthly.

Dozens of Moldovans are known to have fought along the separatists for money, officials under the Prosecutor-General's Office said at a news conference on February 11.

Ten suspected mercenaries have been arrested and place under investigation since the beginning of the year, and two of them have already been sentenced to three years in prison each, said Igor Popa, the acting prosecutor-general for Moldova's capital, Chisinau.

Under Moldova's current legislation, serving as a mercenary abroad is punishable by up to 10 years in jail.

Popa said criminal cases are continuing against the remaining eight, aged 26 to 32, most of whom are Russian speakers from southern Moldova.

At the time of their arrest, all were carrying documents showing they belonged to separatist units from southeastern Ukraine.

'I regret to say it, but tens of Moldovans have been fighting in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine,' Popa said. 'We have documented cases where Moldovan citizens have been injured and we don't rule out possible deaths of our citizens during this military conflict.'

The precise number of Moldovans fighting in Ukraine is not known, but Moldovan security services say they are making every effort to identify suspected mercenaries.

Since they are usually ex-members of special military or police units, according to Popa, they pose a threat to Moldova's national security.

'Ukraine's security service promised during a joint meeting with its Moldovan counterpart that Kyiv would give them a list of all Moldovans known to be involved in the conflict,' Popa said.

While empathy with the separatists' cause may have played a role in the recruitment of ethnic Russians from Moldova, the main incentive remains money.

'For example, one individual who was sent to court in January has admitted that he was promised from the outset that he would be paid some $3,000 monthly,' said Nicu Sendrea, the deputy prosecutor for Chisinau.

Two other suspects were apprehended upon reentering Moldova with large sums of Russian rubles after fighting alongside separatists in Ukraine.

'Both individuals admitted to being paid sums of money in Russian rubles -- one 15,000 rubles ($180), and the other one 40,000 rubles ($500) monthly,' said Denis Rotaru, the head of Moldova's antiorganized crime unit.

More than 9,000 civilians and combatants have been killed since the war erupted in southeastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists in April 2014. Fighting has diminished markedly after a second cease-fire was signed in Minsk in February 2015, but violations are frequent and a deal aimed to resolve the conflict has gone largely unimplemented.

RFE/RL Moldovan Service correspondent Nicu Gusan contributed to this report from Chisinau

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/moldova-mercenaries- fighting-in-ukraine-sentenced/27549194.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Putin: Modernization of Defense Industry in Crimea Starts in 2016

Sputnik News

19:24 12.02.2016(updated 19:51 12.02.2016)

President Vladimir Putin said that Russian government will start financing of modernization of defense industry enterprises on the Crimean Peninsula in 2016.

NABEREZHNYE CHELNY (Russia's Tatarstan) (Sputnik)  The Russian government will start financing of modernization of defense industry enterprises on the Crimean Peninsula in 2016, President Vladimir Putin said Friday.

'This year, we will start financing of the modernization of Crimea's defense industry enterprises in line with state program on the development of the defense industry,' Putin said at a meeting of the Military-Industrial Commission.

Putin stressed that the Crimean defense companies must be given civilian production orders in addition to defense orders.

According to the Military-Industrial Commission, the Crimean defense firms will be given 10 billion rubles (some $127 million) for modernization purposes until 2020

 Sputnik

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Poroshenko Signs Ukraine-NATO 2016 Cooperation Plan

Sputnik News

19:31 12.02.2016(updated 20:18 12.02.2016)

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed the Ukraine-NATO cooperation plan for 2016 that should ensure the coordinated development of comprehensive cooperation between Ukraine and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in all areas of cooperation between our country and the alliance, according to Poroshenko's press service.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed the Ukraine-NATO cooperation plan for 2016, his press service said Friday.

'The program should ensure the coordinated development of comprehensive cooperation between Ukraine and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in all areas of cooperation between our country and the alliance,' the press service said in a statement.

The plan outlines general policy goals of Ukraine's partnership with the military alliance and the areas of cooperation in international security, including peacekeeping, counter-terrorism, arms control and environmental safety.

The cooperation program reflects key steps toward Ukraine's political, economic and social reforms, as well as the main components of its national security and defense policy.

The annual Ukraine-NATO cooperation plan defines objectives and practical reform measures to improve Kiev's defense capabilities in collaboration with NATO.

Ukraine dropped its non-aligned status last year to open a path toward becoming a NATO member. Ukraine aims to pass reforms that will make its armed forces compatible with those of NATO member states by 2020, according to its updated military doctrine.

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This past J-term, we got the experience to travel abroad to Greece. The Greek Connection was a journey full of learning and, as the title insinuates, discovering and making connections. Between the ancient and modern Greeks, their culture is comparable and full of history. The modern Greeks take great pride in their past and have done an excellent job in preserving most of it. The development of their culture into what it is today was fascinating to experience in person and was a wonderful opportunity. The trip began in Athens but consisted of multiple locations such as Ancient Corinth, Crete, Napflio, Olympia, Delphi, Mycenae, Heraklion, Knossos, Hania, and other exciting places. The class sought to explore the similarities of ancient and modern Greece while also experiencing the cultural differences between Greece and theUnited States.Our journey across Greece allowed us to see a variety of ruins, but it also showed us first-hand the effects of the fiscal crisis. From visiting a hospital in Athens to the University of Crete, we were able to interact with some Greek people who informed us on how the crisis was effecting the health across Greece. Muriel Larson, one of the professors, has traveled to Greece eighteen times and has developed close relationships with many of the people in various of cities. Through these relationships, we got the opportunity to fully dive into the Greek culture. In Napflio, for example, we were welcomed into one of the resident's homes, plucked oranges from their grove, and were taught how to make a traditional Greek cookie. Altogether the Greek Connection was a wonderful learning experience that allowed us to witness the culture first hand while also discovering the similarities between ancient and modern Greece.
Toronto, Ontario (FSCwire) - West Red Lake Gold Mines Inc. (West Red Lake Gold or the Company) (CSE: RLG) (FWB: HYK) (OTC: HYLKF) announces that it has completed a non brokered private placement of common share units for aggregated gross proceeds of $180,000.

The Company issued 3,600,000 common share units (the Common Share Units) at a price of $0.05 per Common Share Unit for aggregated gross proceeds of $180,000. Each Common Share Unit consists of one common share in the capital of the Company and one half of a common share purchase warrant (the Warrant). Each full Warrant issued in connection with the financing entitles its holder to purchase one common share in the capital of the Company at an exercise price of $0.10 per share for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance.

Proceeds from the Common Share Units will be used for exploration expenditures on the Companys gold project located in Red Lake, Ontario, and for general corporate purposes.

In connection with the financing, the Company paid $14,400 in finders fees to qualified registrants. As a result of the financing, Accilent Capital Management Inc., an investment advisory services firm and principal shareholder of the Company through its involvement as a finder and as a subscriber of Common Share Units through its affiliate Pavilion Limited Partnerships, has increased its direct and indirect holdings of the voting securities of the Company from 34.9% to 38.7% on a fully diluted basis.

West Red Lake Gold Mines Inc. is a Toronto-based minerals exploration company focused on gold exploration and development in the prolific Red Lake Gold District of Northwest Ontario, Canada. The Red Lake Gold District is host to some of the richest gold deposits in the world and has produced 30 million ounces of gold from high grade zones. The Company has assembled a significant property position totalling 3100 hectares in west Red Lake (the "West Red Lake Project") which contains three former producing gold mines. The Mount Jamie Mine and Red Summit Mine are 100% owned by the Company and the Rowan Mine is held in a 60%-owned joint venture with Red Lake Gold Mines, a partnership of Goldcorp Inc. and Goldcorp Canada Ltd. The West Red Lake Project property covers a 12km strike length along the West Red Lake Trend and the Company plans to continue to explore the property both along strike and to depth. To find out more about West Red Lake Gold, please visit our website at http://www.westredlakegold.com.

For additional information, please contact: John Kontak, President and acting CFO

Phone: 416-203-9181 Email: jkontak@rlgold.ca

The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward looking statements". When used in this document, the words "anticipated", "expect", "estimated", "forecast", "planned", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward looking statements or information. These statements are based on current expectations of management, however, they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this news release. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements. West Red Lake Gold does not undertake any obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise after the date hereof, except as required by securities laws.

To view this press release as a PDF file, click onto the following link:public://news_release_pdf/Westred02122016.pdfSource: West Red Lake Gold Mines Inc. (CSE:RLG) http://www.westredlakegold.com/

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Copyright  2016 Filing Services Canada Inc.
Diego Bara (left) helped his son, Damon, off the bus this month. Damon, 3, goes to school for about three hours and has a routine of getting gummy candy when he gets home.

SHARE Alexander Bara (left), ran into his brother, Damon, and father, Diego, while playing with them after Damon got home from school that day. Diego says the two brothers are always together. Standard-Times photo by Cynthia Esparza*Damon Bara, 3, talked and played with his father, Diego. Damon was born three months' premature. Diego says that everyone sees Damon as a fragile little boy even though they know he is not. shot 5.13/archived 5.28.08*0528CEDamon4.jpg While Damon Bara was playing around his father, Diego, he hit his head. He continued to engage in horseplay with him and his brother. Diego Bara (right) listened to his son Damon tell him what he wanted for dinner while his other son, Alexander, was content with his drink on the couch. Damon's favorite food is chicken, which was what he asked for.

By Jayna Boyle

Damon Bara got the middle name Ares - after the Greek god of war - for a reason.

The 3-year-old battled for his life, hooked up to ventilators in a hospital, for the first six months of his life. The struggle continued once he was allowed to go home.

Damon was born nearly three months premature and weighed 2 pounds, 12 ounces at birth. He is still small for his age and has chronic lung disease, which can make breathing difficult at times. But he plays and eats just like any 3-year-old.

"Every now and then, we forget he was a sick child," said his father, Diego Bara.

Damon is one of five Miracle Kids to be featured in a telethon Saturday for Shannon Medical Center Children's Miracle Network. The telethon is intended to recognize donors throughout the year and raise money for equipment and items that any child admitted to the hospital may need, said Sharla Adam, program director.

Damon was born by Caesarean section when doctors discovered that his mom, Sophia Lara, had dangerously high blood pressure. She was flown to a Fort Worth children's hospital.

Diego Bara said his son's health took a turn for the worse about four days after he was born, when he caught pneumonia. Because he was premature, his immune system wasn't built up, and his lungs weren't fully formed, making his condition even more serious.

Diego Bara said he felt powerless watching Damon struggle to breathe with a ventilator machine in the neonatal intensive care unit of the hospital.

Even after Damon went home, he had to use a ventilator for more than a year, Diego Bara said.

While Damon was still struggling in the hospital, one doctor told Sophia Lara and Diego Bara that they may want to sign a Do Not Resuscitate form.

Diego Bara said he told Sophia, " 'We're not going to give up on him.' "

Damon gradually started to get stronger, Diego Bara said, and he got a tracheotomy to help him breathe.

"I think that maybe he went through something so tough because he's going to do something in his life that he will need his strength for," Diego Bara said.

Damon spends most of his time playing with his brother, Alexander, who is 2 and bigger than Damon despite being younger. But Damon is still very much the older brother.

Damon seems to exhibit calmness and patience beyond his three years. He likes to stay clean, he doesn't like the house to be messy, and he always listens to what his dad says.

Doctors told Diego Bara's family that they can expect Damon to have vision problems, and he has scarring in his lungs. His speech is a little behind children his age, and he may have heart or kidney problems later in life.

Diego Bara said he is grateful every day that God decided not to take Damon from his family.

Shannon's Miracle Kids

This week the Standard-Times features profiles of the Shannon Medical Center Children's Miracle Network children, leading up to the network's annual telethon Saturday.

Monday: Adison Aaron

Tuesday: Rebeckah Owen

Wednesday: Rhetick Hayes

Today: Damon Bara

Friday: Rebecca Huteson

The Damon file

Name: Damon Bara.

Age: 3.

Parents: Diego Bara and Sophia Lara.

Hometown: San Angelo.

Of note: Damon was born nearly three months premature.

Tune in

The local Children's Miracle Network telethon airs from noon to 10:30 p.m. Saturday on KLST and features stories from this year's Miracle Kids.

The telethon is intended to raise money for equipment and items that any child admitted to Shannon Medical Center may need.

To donate before Saturday's telethon, call Shannon's Children's Miracle Network at (325) 481-6160.

On the Net
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 Balderaz

By Ngan Ho of the San Angelo Standard-Times

Roy Balderaz, 67, who has served as Tom Green County Precinct 1 Constable for more than seven years, is seeking re-election.

Balderaz is running against Michael Magee, 55. Both men are running for the Republican nomination in the primary election, early voting for which starts Tuesday.

Balderaz has lived in San Angelo for 28 years, spending 21 of them working as a deputy for the Tom Green County Sheriff. He was elected constable in 2008 and has served in the position since. Balderaz said his experiences and acquired knowledge of the civil and criminal process makes him the best candidate.

"The people, they don't want me to leave," Balderaz said with a chuckle Friday. "That's why I stayed, because they know me. I've built so much trust. If they have an issue, they come to my house, and that's how much trust that people have in me."

Balderaz has been married to his wife, Janie Balderaz, 60, for 32 years, and the couple have four children.

Balderaz said he spends 80 percent of his time as constable working in the field, carrying out eviction notices and serving citations, among other roles.

"One thing I do really well is, once I get those papers in my hands, I go and serve them right away. I go and do my job," he said.

Balderaz is also dedicated to volunteering, saying he went on three mission trips in 2015, one of them to a remote village in Peru.

Balderaz said he had been focused on his volunteer activities and his working as constable, adding that "I'm old-fashioned" when it comes to campaigning.

"One thing I would like to say to the people of Tom Green County," Balderaz said. "I've been serving them with respect and dedication, and I would like to continue to serve them if I get elected for the next four years."
SHARE Photo by Dr. Kanisorn Wongsrichanalai This World War I memorial was erected in 1929 in Augusta, Maine.

Project documents W. Texas veterans experiences

By Laurel Scott

For Angelo State University sophomore Mindy Holder, working on the History Department's grant-funded project, "War Stories: West Texans Experience War," has brought the past alive, but also opened her eyes to some of America's darkest times.

A history major from San Antonio who plans to be a teacher, Holder is one of the first student workers on the project. She has been conducting interviews with veterans, scanning photographs and documents, and transcribing interviews, letters and journals to be included in a digital archive.

"My immediate family is not involved in the military, but living in San Antonio, it seems like everyone else is," she said. "One thing that struck me from the interviews was the hatred that people had toward the Vietnam veterans when they returned because I can't imagine treating someone like that, especially when they fought for our country."

The "War Stories" project is funded by a three-year National Endowment for the Humanities grant (NEH No. AC-226771-15) awarded in December of 2014 to Dr. Christine Lamberson and Kanisorn Wongsrichanalai of ASU's history faculty.

The goal of "War Stories" is to collect and preserve the stories and experiences of armed forces personnel and their families with a West Texas connection from World War I to the present. The digital archive will serve as a research resource for future generations and a memorial to those Americans who helped shape the course of the 20th and early 21st centuries.

The first step was to reach out to veterans and their families and invite them to participate. An online form is available at www.angelo.edu/warstories/submit-your-story. php, while the growing archive can be found online at www.angelo.edu/warstories.

"I interviewed a World War II veteran, transcribed a journal from someone who served in Iraq, sat in on an interview with a gentleman who is a Vietnam War veteran and talked with people from the Cold War era," Holder said. "One gentleman was in Berlin when the Wall was knocked down."

"I think it will help me in the long run to make history more personal for my students," she added. "I can tell them about how I talked to this person and what they had to say about this conflict."

The project is tackling a huge geographic area. Lamberson and Wongsrichanalai already have traveled to Alpine, Pecos and Marfa and visited retirement communities in San Angelo. They are planning trips to Waco, Eagle Pass and Del Rio.

"We have learned that cooperating with local historical societies and universities is very beneficial," Wongsrichanalai said. "We ask them to help us contact and recruit veterans, family members and the community. We've been very pleased with the support. There's a great deal of interest in preserving the past."

Lamberson finds there is no shortage of veterans, especially in West Texas.

"We have a lot of people who are super excited to participate," she said, "but a lot of people who are excited we are doing this don't feel their personal story has value. We find this especially the case with family members, who we contend served alongside those in the armed forces. This is not a project that is simply about shooting on the battlefield. It's the whole gamut."

The professors are also expanding the role of students in building the archive, tapping those in ASU history classes.

"The students identified a lot of veterans who work for ASU," Wongsrichanalai said. "That was good, to draw them in."

For sophomore history/political science major Justice Barkman of Cleburne, military service is part of his family's tradition. Working on the "War Stories" project makes that family history even more relevant.

"Most of what I've done so far is transcriptions of interviews," he said. "It takes a long time. Every hour of audio takes roughly 10 hours to transcribe. My first one was with an Iraq veteran who was in the Marines. The third I did was a World War II veteran, a pilot for a bomber."

"It gives you a different view of history," he added, "not just what is in textbooks. One of these guys said he didn't like talking about what he did in the military to civilians because they wouldn't understand. But they have these fantastic stories. The stories are absolutely invaluable and it's amazing to hear them."

For more information on the War Stories project, call the Department of History at 325-942-2324 or email warstories@angelo.edu.

Laurel Scott is a news and information specialist in the ASU Office of Communications and Marketing.
SHARE

New Hampshire's primary voters have resoundingly presented America's political parties with two unprecedented, very different dilemmas.

Granite Staters overwhelmingly made Donald Trump the Republicans' presidential front-runner  he beat runner-up John Kasich by a 2-to-1 margin. Now the Grand Old Party's dilemma is their front-runner is prone to be uncontrollably foul-mouthed. Indeed, he has proved himself an unpresidential embarrassment to any parents who may have brought young children to his events to see a future president.

New Hampshire voters also gave the Democrats a landslide victor, neighbor Bernie Sanders, of Vermont  he defeated Hillary Clinton by an 18-point margin. The Democrats' dilemma is that party pros fear Sanders is too leftist to be elected president and could lead the party into devastating, across-the-board defeats comparable to the routs suffered under the leadership of the two Georges, McGovern and Custer.

It remains uncertain whether the Democrats' just-dethroned yearlong consensus favorite, Hillary Clinton, will be able to recalibrate her strategic appeal and rekindle the flame of impassioned support that flickered and died in New Hampshire. Clinton, long a front-runner to be America's first female president, overwhelmingly lost the support of young females to the 74-year-old liberal revolutionary, Sanders.

And this brings us to the Democrats' bottom line dilemma: Nationally, the Democrats have the weakest bench of alternative presidential prospects either major party has had since World War II. If Clinton falters or is undone by the FBI's probe of the private email she used as secretary of state, it is unclear there can be any viable alternative to Sanders. (Vice President Joe Biden, who opted out in the emotional duress following the death of his son Beau, could conceivably reconsider.)

Meanwhile, both parties have landslide victors who were never longtime proud card-carrying members of the parties they are now fronting. Trump was a longtime Democrat who never made a quick and clean conversion to the Republican Party (as Ronald Reagan famously did). Trump always contributed grandly to candidates from both parties, hoping they could help him make more money. Sanders proudly called himself a democratic socialist and independent, not a Democrat. Until now.

Republicans face one more dilemma. On the eve of Tuesday's historic New Hampshire vote, Trump, who wants in the worst way to be our president, demonstrated, yet again, he's at least capable of going about it in the worst way. At a Manchester, New Hampshire, rally, when Trump noted Ted Cruz's debate comment opposing waterboarding of terrorist suspects, a woman shouted a word most couldn't hear.

Trump stopped and pointed at her, declaring: "She just said a terrible thing. You know what she said?" Then, with a teenager's smirk, he instructed her: "Shout it out because I don't want to say." She did; but most still couldn't hear her. Trump's smirk widened; you could sense he was about to commit a full-frontal Fonz; and he did: "I never expect to hear that from you again. She said he's a p----." (Here, the man who wants to be your president, uttered the P-word for a female body part.)

The crowd roared with glee. And Trump, with all the faux sincerity he could muster, proclaimed: "That's terrible!" No doubt he felt it was also terrible when, the previous Thursday, he committed not one obscene faux pas, but two  an F-bomb and an S-bomb  at a Portsmouth, New Hampshire, rally.

But all the above pales compared to Trump's most unpresidential and unacceptable campaign conduct  which was, indeed, worse than any candidate has ever has been recorded committing. In November, Trump mocked a New York Times reporter who suffers from a disease that limits the use of his arms.

The reporter, who has interviewed Trump multiple times, had said he couldn't substantiate Trump's claim of witnessing thousands cheering the fall of the World Trade Center towers in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Then, at a South Carolina rally, Trump mocked the reporter's affliction. "You gotta see this guy!" Trump shouted, contorting his face, raising his arms, with hands flopping helplessly in front of him. And in an exaggerated disabled person's voice, the man who wants to be your president shouted: "'Aaahh, I don't know what I said. I don't remember!' He's going, 'I don't rememberrrr. Maybe that's what I said!'"

Which brings us to the Republicans' ultimate dilemma: It isn't ultimately about Trump's abhorrent conduct. It is about the sad acquiescence of Republican voters who are rewarding his conduct with their most precious possessions  their votes. They, too, used to be better than that.

Martin Schram, an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service, is a veteran Washington journalist, author and TV documentary executive. Contact him at martin.schram@gmail.com.
PALO ALTO, CALIF.  California is hatching plans to pilot a next-gen open data portal to house all of its public agency data under one roof.The announcement came Friday, Feb. 12 from Stuart Drown, the deputy secretary for innovation and accountability from the recently formed California Government Operations Agency (CalGovOps). Drown said the initiative began in 2015 when CalGovOps experimented with the idea by launching a portal that included 11 data sets from three different departments. Following the launch was a state sustainability hackathon called GreenGov that aimed to get feedback, Drown said, adding that a prototype for the states portal can be found at Greengov.data.ca.gov screen-shot-2016-02-12-at-4-16-58-pm.png What weve done is put together a pilot that is part of a portfolio of projects that the agency has to improve and modernize business practices statewide, Drown said. Its open data to push, ultimately, a culture of data-based decision-making.He elaborated by saying that this follows open datas typical ambitions to produce more efficiencies in government services and improve quality of life for citizens.Next steps for the site are to add data sets from four additional departments by the end of February with the goal to replace the states aging open data site Data.ca.gov with a beta version by June.At present, Data.ca.gov mostly redirects visitors to released data sets instead of providing data uniformly across the states various departments and offices. The new site may also represent a way to possibly propel California's open data policies and practices forward after a failed attempt to pass the open data bill SB 573 last year. The legislation failed in September and would have created the state's first open data policy along with a new position for a chief open data officer.Yet, plans notwithstanding, Drown said he and fellow officials are realistic about work ahead and the projects substantial implications. Agency support is imperative, and collaborations of all sorts  from the private, public to academic sectors  are opportunities theyll have to pursue. To bolster this, Drown made the announcement as a keynote speaker at the California Health & Human Services annual Open Datafest . The event, the first of two in 2016 organized by the transparency group Stewards of Change, took place at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., and typically draws a diverse audience of entrepreneurs, officials and academic researchers.For academics and civic technologists, Drown said CalGovOps plans to host a series of civic engagement events as early as April. Interested IT vendors might also be interested to know that on Feb. 29, state officials are meeting to discuss procurement options. Further, even with Socratas work developing the prototype, Drown said the agency hasnt made any firm decisions on a vendor.Our strategy is to start small, iterate, have low costs and low risks, Drown said.In March, hopes are to outline a process for federating new agencies and their data into the portal. For that, Drown said hell require more input, but also commitments from interested departments that will be willing to participate in the process that begins in May.
(TNS) -- Oral Roberts University, a Christian school in Tulsa, Oklahoma, requires all first-year students, including freshman and transfer students, to wear Fitbits, a fitness tracker that monitors a persons physical activity, reports Mashable The university has always educated students on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Every students is required to take Health and Physical Education courses every semester.Chief Academic Officer Dr. Kathaleen Reid-Martinez said many students already used the trackers, so instead of manually logging their data, the school decided in January to mandate Fitbit technology."For ORU, the primary goal is to provide a convenient and efficient way for students and faculty to work together to ensure students attain their physical fitness goals," says Reid-Martinez.This new policies raise many questions, for example, whether this requirement prioritizes able-bodied students. Reid-Martinez said the school customizes a fitness program based on the students needs.With this program, students are required to walk 10,000 steps per day to meet 150 active minutes per week, says Mashable. ORU defines "active minutes" as "an activity that raises a students heart rate to a range of 60%-80% of their maximum heart rate."Not only does this program force students to exercise and take health course, but students are also required to purchase the Fitbit tracker.Is forcing students to buy and monitor themselves the right way to educate students on health?
(TNS) -- Googles ability to look into the future of political contests just notched another win: New Hampshire.Searches of presidential candidates conducted by Google users in New Hampshire on Feb. 9 corresponded closely with the actual results of the states primary voters. The top searched Democratic candidate was Bernie Sanders, who won with 60 percent of vote in New Hampshire, according to the Associated Press. He got 72 percent of the searches, according to Google, while Hillary Clinton got 28 percent of the queries and 38 percent of the vote.The top searched Republican candidate was Donald Trump, who won with 35 percent of the vote. On Google, he received 41 percent of the searches an hour before the polls closed, according to the search giant. No. 2 was John Kasich, who got both 16 percent of the votes and searches. Ted Cruz took third with 12 percent of the votes and 15 percent of the searches. The battle between Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio was close online and in real life. While Bush took fourth place at the polls, winning 11 percent of the vote, online he got 7 percent of the searches. Meanwhile, Rubio got 10 percent of the searches and 10.6 percent of the vote.This is the first U.S. presidential election in which Google is releasing the real-time results of trending search queries. Previously, the Alphabet Inc. unit had released aggregated search data with a delay of a few days.Even before news outlets began looking to the data to judge how a candidate was doing during a debate, there have been signs that the data was a window into a nations collective curiosity.In the weeks leading up to Canadas elections in October, Justin Trudeau became the top-searched leader. His party went on to win with 54 percent of the vote. Similarly, Google said in May that search trends showed wide interest in David Camerons Conservative Party while polls were showing the race was neck-and-neck. Ultimately, Camerons party won in an upset.While some academics have questioned whether Googles trending data can predict anything, Nikos Askitas, director of data and technology at the Institute for the Study of Labor in Germany, says that in some instances the search results may be a good indicator. He studied Google trends each hour during Julys Greek referendum on the euro and found it accurately forecast the results  even when exit polls were unclear. It was easy, Askitas said. The event was intense so simple tracking yes- sayers and no-sayers sufficed. In the U.S. elections, I am planning to take a look at it but it is not clear whether one can find such a strategy.Google remains coy about the power of its ability to look into the future. We dont make predictions but I would say that the data is really interesting, Simon Rogers, data editor of Googles News Lab team, said last year in an interview. The data gives you incredible insight to the way people are thinking.
(TNS) -- The Yakima Basin Integrated Plan would receive $15.8 million in the budget proposal issued by the Obama administration this week, but the bill authorizing the plan as part of a broad, bipartisan energy policy has stalled.Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, had introduced an amendment to the Energy Policy Modernization Act that she co-sponsored to include approval of water management plans in the Yakima Basin.Now, disagreements about how to address the poisoned water crisis in Flint, Mich., appear to have stalled previously promising negotiations on the energy bill.The Yakima Basin Integrated Plan is a 30-year, $4 billion plan to improve water management in the region, including more storage, fish passage, conservation, water markets and habitat restoration.A standalone bill to authorize the first 10-year phase of the plan was passed with bipartisan support by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in November but has not been taken up by the full Senate. Spokesmen for Republican Reps. Dave Reichert and Dan Newhouse, both of Washington, have said they are working on a House bill as well.Opponents of the plan said in a news release Thursday that authorizing it as part of the larger energy bill would constitute back-door legislating and urged lawmakers to reject the amendment.On the budget front, the funding is far from a sure thing, but its inclusion in the proposal suggests ongoing support for the plan by the administration.The Obama administrations $4.1 trillion 2017 budget proposal was immediately greeted with criticism from Republicans. Observers are calling it more of a political document than probable budget.But it calls for $3 million more for the integrated plan than this year, according to a news release from Cantwell. The funds would mostly go toward the federal share of the $100 million fish passage project underway at the Cle Elum Dam.The Bureau of Reclamation is also putting additional funding toward local projects this year, the agency announced this week as part of a $166 million Western Drought Response program. Water conservation efforts in the basin will get an extra $9 million, and the Cle Elum fish passage project will get $4 million.
The second-generation biomass plant will use energy wood as the main feedstock and it will be the first of its kind, not only in Finland but globally. Kaidi will make the final investment decision by the end of the year. The plant could be operational in 2019.

China-based Kaidi plans to build a 1-billion (US$1.1-billion) biofuel refinery in Kemi. The planned refinery will produce 200,000 tons of biofuels per year, of which 75% will be biodiesel and 25% biogasoline.

Kaidis technology is based on:

Plasma gasification that converts organic matter into synthetic gas.

Syngas cleanup that scrubs and filters unwanted or damaging impurities.

The Fischer-Tropsch processa collection of chemical reactions that converts syngas into liquid hydrocarbons.

We find Finland the most interesting country to invest in for biofuels production in the Northern hemisphere. Finland has vast biomass resources, plenty of potential partner companies and an extremely progressive biofuels policy. Chen Yilong, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sunshine Kaidi New Energy Group

Based on the current tax scheme, the plant is estimated to bring in more than 200 million in annual tax revenues. In addition to hundreds of subcontracting jobs, the refinery would create 150 full-time positions at the refinery once operational. Overall, the construction process will bring about an additional 4,000 man-years of work.

The refinery would be located in Ajos, Kemi upon which Vapo originally planned to open a biorefinery but decided to withdraw from the project in 2014. Kaidis planned biorefinery is based on different technology than Vapos plan. Kaidi has acquired plans and reports related to the projects environmental impact assessment approval from Vapo Oy.

In addition, Kaidi has received environmental impact assessment approval from the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment of Lapland and environmental permit application is well underway. Kaidi has also signed a Letter of Intent to buy 33 hectares of land from the city of Kemi.
HAVANA  The United States and Cuba will sign an agreement next week to resume commercial air traffic for the first time in five decades, starting the clock on dozens of new flights operating daily by next fall, U.S. officials said Friday.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx is scheduled to fly to Havana on Tuesday to cement the deal. Barring other major announcements, it would be the most significant development in U.S.-Cuba trade since Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro announced in late 2014 that they would begin normalizing ties after a half-century of Cold War opposition.

The Obama administration is eager to make rapid progress on building trade and diplomatic ties with Cuba before the president leaves office. The coming weeks are seen as particularly crucial to building momentum ahead of a trip he hopes to make to Havana by the end of March.

"This (agreement) provides for a very important, sizeable increase in travel between the two countries, and that reinforces the president's objective" of building ties, said Thomas Engle, deputy assistant secretary of state for transportation affairs.

Under the deal U.S. airlines can start bidding on routes for as many as 110 U.S.-Cuba flights a day  more than five times the current number. All flights operating today are charters.

Officials hope to parcel the routes out among carriers by this summer, allowing flights to begin by the time Obama leaves office.

The agreement allows 20 regular daily U.S. flights to Havana, in addition to the current 10-15 charter flights a day. The rest would be to other Cuban airports, most of which have far less demand than the capital.

Nearly 160,000 U.S. leisure travelers flew to Cuba last year, along with hundreds of thousands of Cuban-Americans visiting family, mostly on expensive, frequently chaotic charter flights out of Florida.

Commercial flights could bring hundreds of thousands more U.S. travelers a year and make the travel process far easier, with features like online booking and 24-hour customer service that are largely absent in the charter industry.

U.S. visitors to Cuba will still have to qualify under one of the travel categories legally authorized by the U.S. government. Tourism is still barred by law, but the number of legal reasons to go to Cuba  from organizing professional meetings to distributing information to Cubans  has grown so large and loosely enforced that the distinction from tourism has blurred significantly.

Commercial travel will give travelers the ability to simply check an online box on a long list of authorized categories.

The deal does not contemplate flights by Cuba's national airline to the United States, where lawyers for families and businesses that have sued Havana over decades-old property confiscations are eager to freeze any of its assets that they can get their hands on.

Tuesday's announcement will open a 15-day window for U.S. airlines to request rights to the new Cuba routes. U.S. carriers would then have to strike deals with Cuban aviation officials, a process the U.S. hopes will be complete by the fall.

"They have already had numerous trips and conversations to grease the skids for when this becomes a possibility," said Brandon Belford, the Transportation Department's deputy assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs.

A number of U.S. carriers said they would bid on Cuba flights, in many cases without revealing the specific routes they are after.

American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller said the company plans to bid on routes from Miami and other unspecified "American hubs."

The carrier has been operating U.S.-Cuba charter flights since April 1991, the longest of any U.S. airline, and currently offers 22 weekly flights out of Miami to Havana, Camaguey, Cienfuegos, Holguin and Santa Clara. American also flies from Tampa to Havana and Holguin, and between Los Angeles and Havana.

United Airlines is also looking to serve Havana from some of its hubs, spokesman Luke Punzenberger said. The carrier's major hubs include Chicago, Houston, Washington and Newark, New Jersey. It currently does not fly charters to Cuba.

JetBlue Airways said it was eager to offer service between "multiple" cities in the United States and the island, with spokesman Doug McGraw saying that "interest in Cuba has reached levels not seen for a generation." The carrier currently flies charters to various Cuban destinations out of New York, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale.

Discount carrier Spirit Airlines spokesman Paul Berry said it, too, plans to submit a proposal. Spirit's largest operation is out of Fort Lauderdale, accounting for 15 percent of its flights.

Southwest Airlines also expressed interest in serving Cuba.

Delta Air Lines spokesman Anthony Black said the carrier plans to at least apply for flights from its Atlanta hub to Havana.
WASHINGTON  The New Hampshire results have solidified the reigning cliche that the 2016 campaign is an anti-establishment revolt of both the left and the right. Largely overlooked, however, is the role played in setting the national mood by the seven-year legacy of the Obama presidency.

Yes, you hear constant denunciations of institutions, parties, leaders, donors, lobbyists, influence peddlers. But the starting point of the bipartisan critique is the social, economic and geopolitical wreckage all around us. Bernie Sanders is careful never to blame Obama directly, but his description of the America Obama leaves behind is devastating  a wasteland of stagnant wages, rising inequality, a sinking middle class, young people crushed by debt, the American Dream dying.

Take away the Brooklyn accent and the Larry David mannerisms and you would have thought you were listening to a Republican candidate. After all, who's been in charge for the last seven years?

Donald Trump is even more colorful in describing the current "mess" and more direct in attributing it to the country's leadership  most pungently, its stupidity and incompetence. Both candidates are not just anti-establishment but anti-status quo. The revolt is as much about the Obama legacy as it is about institutions.

Look at New Hampshire. Hillary Clinton had made a strategic decision, as highlighted in the debates, to wrap herself in the mantle of the Obama presidency. Big mistake. She lost New Hampshire by three touchdowns.

Beyond railing against the wreckage, the other commonality between the two big New Hampshire winners is in the nature of the cure they offer. Let the others propose carefully budgeted five-point plans. Sanders and Trump offer magic.

Take Sanders' New Hampshire victory speech. It promised the moon: college education, free; universal health care, free; world peace, also free because we won't be "the policeman of the world" (mythical Sunni armies will presumably be doing that for us). Plus a guaranteed $15 minimum wage. All to be achieved by taxing the rich. Who can be against a "speculation" tax (whatever that means)?

So with Trump. Leave it to him. Jobs will flow back in a rush from China, from Japan, from Mexico, from everywhere. Universal health care, with Obamacare replaced by "something terrific." Veterans finally taken care of. Drugs stopped cold at the border. Indeed, an end to drug addiction itself. Victory upon victory of every kind.

How? That question never comes up anymore. No one expects an answer. His will be done, on earth if not yet in heaven. Yes, people love Trump's contempt for the "establishment"  which as far as I can tell means anything not Trump  but what is truly thrilling is the promise of a near-biblical restoration. As painless as Sanders'.

In truth, Trump and Sanders are soaring not just by defying the establishment, but by defying logic and history. Sanders' magic potion is socialism; Trump's is Trump.

The young Democrats swooning for Sanders appear unfamiliar with socialism's century-long career, a dismal tale of ruination from Russia to Cuba to Venezuela. Indeed, are they even aware that China's greatest reduction in poverty in human history correlates precisely with the degree to which it has given up socialism?

Trump's magic is toughness  toughness in a world of losers. The power and will of the caudillo will make everything right.

Apart from the fact that strongman rule contradicts the American constitutional tradition of limited and constrained government, caudillo populism simply doesn't work. It accounts in a large part for the relative backwardness of Africa and Latin America. In 1900, Argentina had a per capita income fully 70 percent of ours. After a 20th century wallowing in Peronism and its imitators, Argentina is a basket case, its per capita income now 23 percent of ours.

There certainly is a crisis of confidence in the country's institutions. But that's hardly new. The current run of endemic distrust began with Vietnam and Watergate. Yet not in our lifetimes have the left and right populism of the Sanders and Trump variety enjoyed such massive support.

The added factor is the Obama effect, the depressed and anxious mood of a nation experiencing its worst economic recovery since World War II and watching its power and influence abroad decline amid a willed global retreat.

The result is a politics of high fantasy. Things can't get any worse, we hear, so why not shake things up to their foundation? Anyone who thinks things can't get any worse knows nothing. And risks everything.
What can you say about 2015? It was violent, confusing and murderous  from two Islamic mass killings in Paris and the genocide in Syria to multiple shootings in South Carolina, Colorado and California by racist, pro-life and Muslim-American terrorists, respectively. The past year has raised a lot of questions, the answers to which seem to depend largely on ones political leanings.

The gun control debate raged throughout the year. Ive never owned a firearm myself, because Id be more likely to shoot my wife or my dog than a burglar, but would gun ownership make me more or less safe? The United States has 320 million guns, and were one of the most murderous countries in the developed world, but would we be safer if we had even more weapons, and everyone carried them openly, as if it were the Wild West?

And what about our military budget? The United States currently spends more than the worlds next 10 nations combined. However, its an election year, so Donald Trump is claiming we need an even larger military. What level of spending would be enough? And how would we even pretend to be interested in balancing the budget while increasing our outlay in the countrys single-largest area of discretionary spending?

Conservatives remain obsessed with Benghazi. No matter how many times Mrs. Clinton is cleared, Republicans insist on more hearings, the conclusions of which they then reject. The question Ive never been able to have answered is why its so important to them that this atrocity was caused by ordinary terrorism, rather than an inflammatory video? Either way, Islamic thugs killed our people  so why does it matter what inspired them? Is the Obama administration (i.e., Hillary) somehow more to blame one way than the other?

Also controversial is the Iran nuclear deal. Nearly everyone on the Right opposes it, but whats their alternative? Conservatives say we need to get tough with Iran, but what does that mean  another invasion? These same people also want to get tough with the Islamic State, but no one seems to want American boots on the ground. Ted Cruz has suggested carpet bombing and making the desert glow, but that just makes me question his seriousness as a potential commander in chief.

The war in Syria makes me wonder, why is America obliged to take in large numbers of refugees? The Syrians have never been our friends or allies, so how did they become our responsibility? Before we do it, we should find out how allowing waves of immigration from that region has worked out in Europe  in France, for instance, or in liberal Sweden, which now wants to send 80,000 Muslim immigrants back, or in Cologne, Germany, where large numbers of women have been assaulted by Islamic refugees.

Our government claims to vet immigrants thoroughly, but Id like to know how its done and how well its working. Is someone checking license photos with the Damascus or Baghdad DMV? Does anyone believe that asking asylum seekers whether theyre terrorists works? Do terrorists have the urge to tell the truth about their motivations?

Trump has suggested banning all travel by Muslims into the United States. The religious discrimination and constitutional issues aside, someone needs to ask how we determine whos a Muslim and who isnt. Passports dont have an entry for the bearers religion. If being Islamic keeps immigrants out of America, do you think theyll tell the truth, or will there be a sudden spike in Syrian and Iraqi Christians applying for asylum?

Trump opened his campaign claiming Mexican immigration is a crisis, because so many Mexicans are rapists and drug dealers. With net Hispanic immigration now at less than zero, is this realistic or just fear mongering? At a New Hampshire church, Trump led a Baptist-style call and response, asking, Whos paying for the wall, to which the whitest congregation ever repeatedly shouted, Mexico. Id like to hear a call that asks, Why would they do that? but I doubt Id hear a believable response.

Its a bit hard to be frightened of the Hispanic immigrants who want to cut my lawn when ISIS wants to cut my head off. Talk show host Bill Maher has said that the more you learn about the Koran and Islam, the scarier both become. Such talk is often labeled racist Islamophobia, but someone needs to explain to me when Islam became a race.

Like religious fanatics of all stripes, devout Muslims are often scary. However, the hatred and rabble-rousing aimed at Muslims thats taking place on social media, especially from the Right, is also scary. Because, in the end, even if we all were to agree that Islam represents a danger, what should we do about it? (Please dont tell me we need to get tough.) And what, exactly, do we expect the majority of Muslims in America, who just want to live their lives, to do about the radicals?

There are 1.5 billion Muslims spread across the globe. No matter what we might think of them, does anyone really believe a war against Islam is practical or desirable? The Caliphates jihadists want us to become more like them, and to oppose them with some form of Christian jihad. If we accede to their wishes, doesnt that mean the terrorists win?

Here at home, its conceivable that Trump, a game show host, will be running against Bernie Sanders, a socialist. The United States has been socialist since FDR, along with most of the rest of the developed world, but the conventional wisdom says Americans wont vote for one. My question is, which benefits of democratic socialism  Medicare, Social Security, unemployment compensation, etc.  would we be willing to lose out on?

GOP primary candidates ridicule the idea that man-made climate change is a crisis; however, if it is happening, as 97 percent of scientists believe, its extremely dangerous. Anti-science conservatives (many of whom also reject evolution and the Big Bang) side with the oil companies, which makes me wonder  do they believe that NOAA, NASA, the Pentagon and the rest of the world are merely wrong on this issue, or is it a massive conspiracy conducted by the evil cabal that comprises the scientific community?

And finally, Id like to ask angry Trump supporters, ostensibly sick and tired of being governed by incompetent, bought and paid-for representatives of the billionaires, elites and oligarchs, why they think plutocracy will be curtailed by cutting out the middlemen and voting in a billionaire oligarch with no experience, instead of someone from the middle class.

Greenwich native Mark Drought (markdrought4@gmail.com) is an editor at a Stamford IT firm and was formerly an adjunct English professor at the University of Connecticut-Stamford.
About time. Photo: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images

The ubiquity of forced labor in Big Foods supply chains is incredibly distressing, partly because it sheds light on Americas complicity in it  a terrible part of a 1930 trade law that allows products made by children or slaves into America if consumer demand cannot be met without them. Well, Congress is apparently equally horrified by these reports, as this week it finally sent President Obama a bill killing that loophole, with backers calling it an outrage that its existed for so long.

The bill comes on the heels of investigations into Thailands corrupt fishing industry by The Guardian and the AP that, thankfully, freed many of these slaves and brought heat on companies like Red Lobster and Walmart. Several of them, Nestle most prominently, have since sworn to vigilantly monitor their supply lines, but that hasnt necessarily been as transparent a pledge as the public maybe hoped.

Critics (because arent there always?) argue the fix overreaches because Customs and Border Protection officials cant prove a particular product on its way across the border is irrefutably the result of forced labor. Plus, they add, corporate efforts to self-police are already a step ahead of government regulators.

Assuming President Obama signs the bill  and hes expected to  it may help clean up the ethics of as many as 350 imports tied to human trafficking by a Labor Department list, like Thai seafood, Pakistani wheat, and West African cocoa.

[AP, DI]
The Droid Turbo 2 employee edition started receiving the update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow back in December, but for some reason it took Verizon this long to release the same software to the public.

Anyway, it is finally out. If your phone hasn't yet notified you about the update, be patient as these things are usually staged - so it may be a while before all Droid Turbo 2 units out there get it. You'll need to be on Wi-Fi to download it.

The new software comes with Now On Tap, App standby, Doze mode for better battery life, the new and improved app permissions system, adoptable storage, the slightly revamped Do not disturb mode, expanded volume controls, Direct share, and Attentive Display now part of Moto Actions. After applying the update, you'll be on build 24.14.9.

Source 1  Source 2




Haiti - FLASH : 3 candidates competing for the position of Provisional President (Official)





Friday, the application register to the provisional Presidency was closed, 13 candidates responded to the call for candidates https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16565-haiti-flash-call-for-candidacy-for-the-position-of-president-of-the-republic-ai.html and have registered to run for the position of provisional President of the Republic of Haiti.



List of registered candidates :

Jocelerme Privert, Edgard Leblanc Fils, Cange Mackenson, Duverra Jean Lutes, Felicien Jean Thomas, Charles Geraud, Louis Charles Joseph Sergot, Jean Pierre Jean Reynold, Donatien Ecclesiaste, Amos Duboirant, Gedeon Gedeus, Sanon Jeannot and Dejean Belizaire.



If the majority of these individuals are virtually unknown for the population three of them are accustomed to Parliament : Jocelerme Privert who was President of the Senate until replaced in that position by Sen. Ronald Lareche (Vice-president of Senate), Dejean Belizaire (President of the Senate in August 1991, a month before the coup that overthrew Aristide) and Edgard Leblanc Fils (Senate President 1995-2000).



3 candidates approved by the Commission :

The special Bicameral Commission announced that 3 names had been selected and approved to participate in the presidential election scheduled for Saturday, February 13, 2016 : Edgard Fils Leblanc, Privert Jocelerme and Belizaire Dejean. Note that these are the only 3 candidates to have paid the required 500,000 gourdes, the first two have filed the required receipt, Belizaire Dejean filed a "Cheque de Direction" on behalf of the DGI to the Special Commission.



The Bureau of the National Assembly officially informs that the resumption of the session of 7 February will be held on Saturday February 13 at 11:00 am. Normally this Saturday will be held during this session, the election of President a.i. of the Republic of Haiti by the National Assembly, then the results will be published in the official journal Le Moniteur.



Sunday, February 14, 2016, will take place the installation of the provisional President of Haiti.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16586-haiti-flash-the-fbh-highlights-the-dangers-of-the-call-for-candidates.html

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-16533-haiti-politic-the-details-of-the-agreement-from-a-to-z.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Security : A police officer shot dead at Martissant





The Principal Inspector, Garry Desrosiers, Deputy Spokesman of the National Police of Haiti confirmed that the police officer David Dume (18th promotion) was mortally wounded by several bullets fired by unidentified individuals who appeared in ambush at Martissant 7 while traveling Friday early in the morning, on board his motorcycle on his workplace, in uniform and with a bulletproof vest.



Garry Desrosiers indicated that an investigation had been opened and no track was ruled out for the moment. The agent David Dume is survived by his wife and 2 children.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Writer of Randy Travis' last #1 Christian country song "Three Wooden Cross," Kim Williams has died. Williams passed away on February 11th, according to MusicRow. He was 68.

Born in Kingsport, Tennessee, in 1947, Williams played in bands throughout his youth and was writing songs by age 11. In 1974, he was severly burned in an electrical fire at a glass plant, undergoing more than 200 reconstructive procedures, many of which took place in Nashville, where he would ultimately pursue his passion for songwriting. Signing on as a staff writer at Tree International in 1989, by 1991 Williams had scored his first chart-topper with Joe Diffie's recording of "If The Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets)." In 1994, he was named ASCAP's Country Songwriter of the Year.

Williams also had his songs cut by Keith Anderson ("Pickin' Wildflowers"), Brooks & Dunn ("Honky Tonk Truth"), George Jones ("Beer Run," with Brooks), David Kersh ("Goodnight Sweetheart"), Reba McEntire ("The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter"), George Strait ("Overnight Male") and more.

"Three Wooden Crosses," which became a Number One comeback hit for Travis and the 2003 CMA Song of the Year, was also honored by the ACM, and won the Gospel Music Association's Dove Award for Country Song of the Year.

Funeral details have yet to be announced.

Tags : randy travis kim williams three wooden cross kim williams funeral kim williams songwriter kim williams death kim williams news
Published on 2016/02/13

Learn more about the rise of South Korean webtoons, browse a gallery of propaganda posters from the Korean War, North Koreans in the South find ways of connecting to their families past and present, and Robert Koehler captures the setting sun at Ongnyeobong Peak.

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"Millions in Korea are obsessed with these revolutionary comics -- now they're going global"

Webcomics, or webtoons, are a popular art form in Korea that are growing and inspiring other forms of entertains such as film and television. Most of the time the online content is free, and more and more Korean artists are feeding into this exciting space as the world watches on in support.

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"South Korea Korean War"

Today pamphlets are flown over and music is played across the DMZ, but take a look back and see some of propaganda posters that were used during the Korean War in this gallery from the Digital Poster Collection.

...READ ON DIGITAL POSTER COLLECTION

"South Korea Lunar New Year"

Both Koreas recently celebrated Lunar New Year, but many North Koreans who now live in the South are obviously unable to see their families back home. However that doesn't stop them from minding their ancestors and taking the time to think about their families back home during this special time of year.

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"Sea of ridgelines at sunset, seen from Ongnyeobong Peak, Geojedo".

Writer/Photographer Robert Koehler Captures the setting sun from Ongnyeobong Peak-simply stunning stuff!

...SEE ON ROBERT KOEHLER TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY
By William Schwartz | Published on 2016/02/06

Dong-goo (played by Choi Woo-hyuk) is a dimwitted child who goes to school with a smile on his face and a beat in his step every day because he has the very important job of being the designated water carrier for his classroom. It is not a high prestige job. The other kids don't like carrying water because it's heavy but Dong-goo doesn't care because it's one of the few tasks at school he knows how to do. Joon-tae (played by Yun Chan) sits at the other half of Dong-gu's desk, and resents Dong-gu's oblivious joy for life.

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"Bunt" is a generally sweet, uncomplicated story about how retarded kids are people too. Strictly speaking I think Dong-goo might actually be autistic, given how he's able to do certain simple, intensive repetitive acts with a high amount of skill. It's just the more complicated deviations from routine that throw the little guy for a loop. Dong-goo can take any degree of verbal abuse indefinitely, but he processes everything else via limited analogies to water kettles. It's the only way to make him mad.

Aside from that, Dong-goo is kind-hearted to a fault, and it's initially difficult to see why Joon-tae dislikes him so much. The answer to that question boils down to simple kid logic. There's something slightly offensive about how Dong-goo has an athlete's body yet shows no hope of being able to live up to that promise. There's social commentary sprinkled throughout "Bunt" in this vein- Dong-goo is a great kid who is looked down upon solely for being different, and he's too dumb to even realize people are mocking him.

Even adults don't really get Dong-goo, which puts "Bunt" in the interesting position of having Joon-tae be the one to ultimately guide Dong-goo to success rather than an authority figure. As much criticism as South Korea gets in the abstract for hierarchal cultural systems, I always find it fascinating to see movies like "Bunt" where adults are neither good or bad. They're just clueless, and it's only by making a serious effort that issues like the existence of a special needs child can be resolved.

In more adult matters, Jin-gyoo (played by Jung Jin-young) is Dong-goo's father, a man who struggles to keep his finances in order to the point that he refuses medical tests for fear of the possibly unnecessary short-term expense. Dong-goo has average intelligence but relatively little sense, and he's a good dad mainly by just being there and being a dad. When Dong-goo causes trouble by hitting someone, Jin-yeong very wisely adopts an evasive strategy.

Also there's a subplot regarding mortgages which as far as I can tell was never actually resolved. "Bunt" is not a terribly amibitious movie, setting its sights very low by giving Dong-goo a goal to strive for without allowing him the intelligence necessary to achieve it himself. In this way, Dong-goo is only able to get along with the help of his friends. That's the kind of backdrop necesary for a miracle to really actually feel like a miracle, and "Bunt" acquits itself well on this point.

Review by William Schwartz

"Bunt" is directed by Park Gyoo-tae and features Jung Jin-young, Choi Woo-hyuk, Yun Chan and Kwon Oh-jung.

Bunt DVD
Published on 2016/02/12 | Source

On February 12th, Park Hae-jin and Nam Joo-hyuk attended the free hug event by tvN's "Cheese in the Trap", which was held in 100th Anniversary Hall of Sookmyung Women's University in the afternoon on February 12.

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Park Hae-jin and Nam Joo-hyuk are responding to the photocall on the venue.

An associate with "Cheese in the Trap" said, "We've organized this special event to appreciate our drama fans, who have been sending us so much support since the pre-production stage. We worked hard to make this event a memorable and happy moment for everyone".

Seo Kang-joon among the three "Cheese in the Trap" actors could not attend this special event, because he departed to a filming location overseas for SBS' travel survival show, 'Law of the Jungle' last month.
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
By Jesse Wood

Recently released autopsy and toxicology results of an 18-year-old who died in Boone in May 2015 reveal another drug overdose death, the sixth, in fact, for the Town of Boone last year.

John Dakota Merriss, 18, was found unresponsive near a dumpster at an apartment complex off of Robin Lane in Boone last spring and was taken to the hospital, where he was dead upon arrival.

Toxicology results reveal that he died from acute alprazolam and tramadol toxicity and his autopsy report listed physical evidence found by law enforcement as liquid Xanax. Alprazolam is available in prescription form as Xanax and Tramadol is an opioid pain medication.

Earlier this month, the Boone Police Department announced that it had closed an investigation into another young death, a 20-year-old Appalachian State University student named John Dallas Bunch, IV. Bunchs cause of death was listed as acetyl fentanyl and alprazolam toxicity.

Fentanyl is also an opioid thats significantly stronger than heroin, according to Boone Police Lt. Chris Hatton, who added that deadly prescription drugs are proving to be just as prevalent  if not more prevalent  than what some might describe as the common street drugs.

If you look at the toxicology reports that are coming back, they dont say heroin. They dont say cocaine. They dont say marijuana, Hatton said. They say prescription medications.

The painkiller fentanyl, if you remember, was associated with an overdose epidemic in Chicago, where at one point 74 people overdosed in 72 hours last year. Heroin laced with fentanyl was to blame.

When this epidemic was making headlines last fall, the High Country experienced a spurt of young deaths that looked drug related and threw us into a panic, Hatton said, thinking that a laced, deadly drug like fentanyl was floating around town.

Though fentanyl has made its way to the High Country  as one of the autopsies revealed  Hatton said that an investigation didnt reveal their worst fears.

Our investigation showed us that wasnt what was going on, Hatton said of the potential bad batch of drugs on the streets of Boone.

Still, the national and regional trends are a concern as they filter down to the local level.

Boone Police Chief Dana Crawford recently drafted a memo to the Boone Town Council for the upcoming retreats, which occur annually before the budget season begins. In his memo, which was drafted before the latest autopsy and toxicology results were released, Crawford noted the drug overdose deaths.

In 2015, our investigators were called on to investigate 12 deaths. At least 5 of these cases are expected to be caused by drug overdoses. This, of course, is not a good statistic for our town, and we are working closely with our sister agencies and community partners to curb this trend. Unfortunately, we are being told that this trend will likely continue on a national level due to increase of heroin usage that is now becoming an epidemic in many cities, Crawford wrote.

See the graphs below. These come from a NCLEG report to the Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee titled, NC Needs To Strengthen Its System for Monitoring and Preventing the Abuse of Prescribed Controlled Substances.

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By Jessica Isaacs | [email protected]

Photos by Ken Ketchie.

Getting married? Looking forward to a mountain wedding in the High Country? Dont miss the High South Wedding Expo from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, March 20 at the Boone Mall.

This fun, affordable event will bring the local industrys best of the best together for an afternoon packed with ideas, inspiration and all things weddings in the High Country.

The expo is brought to you by the High South Event Professionals  a community of like-minded experts who work together to promote the High Country as the southeasts premier wedding and special events destination.

Stroll through the entire mall and explore displays representing more than 70 local vendors spanning all aspects of the industry  florists, bakers and pastry chefs, caterers, consultants, bridal boutiques, sound technicians, musicians, transportation services, rental companies, photographers and so much more.

Sample cakes and desserts from some of the best bakeries in the region, listen to live music, get to know local business owners and make new friends in the community. Keep your eye on the stage located in the center of the mall, which will feature the latest in bridal fashion from area boutiques throughout the day.

Wedding Expo

Local wedding consultant Elizabeth Hempfling, who serves as president of the HSEP network, said meeting multiple vendors at the expo could alleviate planning-related stress by helping brides narrow down their choices in a single day.

In one afternoon, a bride can come in and walk away with a wealth of resources rather than having to set appointments to go around and meet with different vendors. It provides convenience  a lot of people have busy schedules, she said. Hosting it on a Sunday gives that advantage for people to come to one location where we have different vendors and categories set up to communicate with brides, and it will still feel one-on-one.

That convenience will serve participating professionals well, too, giving them a chance to showcase their work and their talents before a greater audience than they could normally reach in one days time.

They will see their work displayed, whether its a sample cake, a floral arrangement, rentals or something else, and it is does give them one-on-one time with brides, said Hempfling. Its almost like each vendor will have their own little storefront for the afternoon to promote what they offer brides. That visual helps give a better idea of what that vendor does, which in turn becomes an advantage to the vendor, as well as the bride.

Participating vendors will also enjoy the opportunity to meet other local businesses owners face-to-face and network with folks they may get to work with in the future.

Its beneficial for the bride to walk in and see how well-connected our community is to provide the resources for successful weddings, events or any kind of functions going on in the area, Hempfling said. Its also a huge benefit for the vendors to be there and to feel connected with other vendors they might not get to see a lot. It allows us to all come together for that one afternoon and help take care of the brides, but also for us to connect a little more, too.

Joyful Noise

Each year, the association uses the wedding expo as an avenue to support important local charities and organizations. This year, the HSEP team opted to benefit a program that hits close to home.

Proceeds from the expo will benefit a Hayes School of Music scholarship fund at Appalachian State established in memory of Jordan Howell Hallmark, a 28-year-old musician who lost his life in a tragic car accident back in October.

The HSEP board hopes to honor Hallmark and his mother, local baker and wedding pro JoAnn Hallmark, through this contribution.

As a board, we decided that JoAnn Hallmark and her family are such a strong part of our community, not only for the wedding industry but locally among all of our colleagues and friends and family, Hempfling said. This year, we wanted the organization to truly give back to something that had a great purpose. Music, to me, is such a lively thing and is part of so many components throughout our lives, including weddings.

Jordan Hallmark had this strong drive and passion to learn music, and it was his everything. It was what he lived and breathed, so bringing it to the expo is a nice way to connect our community in his honor and to give back to the scholarship that was made in his name for anyone who has the same dream.

Also at the expo, youll find students from the university performing and sharing Jordans love for music.

Through the expo and all of the work it does, the HSEP association aims to continuously remember and embody Jordans words:

Dont you ever let go of that love  its all that you are made up of.

Brides and Guests:

Entry to the expo will cost just $8 per person, and brides who register at the entrance near Old Navy will receive a free printed gift bag and a copy of our new High South Weddings magazine.

Vendors:

Interested in renting a booth at the expo to show off your work and build relationships with potential new clients? Contact the HSEP at 828-919-6750 and reserve your space.

Tables and spaces are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

Vendor Spotlights

Stay tuned for more info on participating local wedding pros! Here at High Country Press, well be offering up weekly special editions of our popular Business Spotlight series that will focus on preferred High South wedding vendors.

Check out our Business Spotlight features on these local pros:

Did Someone Say Party?

A Bushel and a Peck Vintage Rentals

Fuschia Moss Floral Design

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The Kinahan cartel has organised at least five stolen cars for use in their next attempt to kill more associates of Gary Hutch.

In a bizarre development, the Herald can today reveal the mob's desperation for stolen vehicles has led to an increase in the asking price in the underworld "market".

The cars are understood to be at a secret location and ready to be used at a minute's notice, according to a source.

Stolen vehicles are generally sold for around 750, but this week criminals are demanding 1,500 per car - such has been the demand given the events of the last week.

"It's about that good old economic theory of supply and demand. If something is in demand, it will attract high prices.

"A stolen high-powered car is a commodity, it's as simple at that," a senior source said last night.

Gardai were last night investigating reports that a Crumlin thug, connected to former criminal Jimmy 'The Whale' Gantley, has been acting as a middleman in the now booming stolen car trade.

Many of the stolen cars have been taken by criminals fishing keys out of letter boxes.

Tensions remains high between Dublin's feuding criminal gangs following the murders of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel just over a week ago and the retaliatory murder of Eddie Hutch last Monday.

Meanwhile, Alan Hutch - the son of the murder victim - will not be granted compassionate leave from prison for his father's funeral.

Alan Hutch (33) was caged for eight years in 2013 after he threatened to kill three gardai and claiming he had a grenade.

Sources have said it is highly unlikely that Eddie's nephew, armed robber Derek 'Del Boy' Hutch, will be allowed compassionate leave for his uncle's funeral either.

He is currently in a special protection wing in Wheatfield Prison where he is considered to be a target for associates of the Kinahan cartel.

A major security plan is being put in place for the upcoming funerals - David Byrne's funeral takes place on Monday. His body was brought back to his home in Crumlin last night.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the policing of the funerals is "an operational matter for the gardai".

"There will be a very heavy garda presence there at that.

"Obviously this is tough on the family involved here where a man was murdered and a second one murdered...

"The gardai know what they have to do and for our part from the Government we've given the Commissioner a very clear indication of absolute support and the facilities and resources to do her job," he said.

Asked if he feared more bloodshed on the streets, Mr Kenny replied: "Clearly these people have no regard for any law and order or the threat of what might happen to perfectly innocent people

"All we can do is to say to the Garda Commissioner, through the Minister for Justice, 'you will have the resources and facilities to do whatever you need to do to see that citizens are protected and that this gangland internal warfare can be brought before the courts'," Mr Kenny said.

Yesterday - a week after the murder - gardai operated a checkpoint at the Regency Hotel to ask passing motorists whether they had noticed anything suspicious the previous Friday.

Persuaded

The Drumcondra hotel is hosting an international poker tournament this weekend.

Managing director James McGettigan (43) said the traumatic shootings put the tournament in danger of being cancelled but organisers were persuaded to go ahead with the event involving around 200 players.

"We won't be fully back to normal for some weeks but we've been open since Tuesday evening. The staff of the hotel have been superb. We've had a lot of support.

"The staff have received counselling and some have taken time off. It's been very stressful for everybody. I was in the hotel during the attack and I'm still in a bit of shock," said Mr McGettigan.

Another poker tournament will also take place at the hotel next weekend.
Store assistant Sonya Cullen at the Eason store in Carlow, which sold the winning ticket

We know the shop that sold the winning 66m ticket but we are still in the dark as to who won the EuroMillions jackpot.

The ticket was sold in the Eason store, Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow, and its co-owner Eoin Hennigan said that he has been receiving lots of congratulations from customers since the news broke.

The lucky ticket was sold on January 27, and a syndicate of friends, who have remained anonymous, claimed the prize at the National Lottery offices in Dublin on Thursday.

The total jackpot was a staggering 132m, but the Irish winners shared the jackpot with a French winning ticket.

Mr Hennigan (41) said that everybody is hoping that local people won the massive prize.

"I am absolutely hoping it's a local. It would be a great boost to the economy, and it's good for the area, and it's good for the shopping centre," he said.

"The winners obviously want to remain anonymous, and we have to respect that.

"We can't even speculate. So many people bought EuroMillions tickets around this time, because it was such a big jackpot.

"We have never sold a jackpot ticket before. We are open just over four years, and we had been hoping for it, so we are happy," he added

Not surprisingly, the sizeable win generated a lot of excitement and good wishes around the local area for the unknown beneficiaries.

Windfall

"It would be a great uplift for anyone to get it," said Jean Bohanna from Carlow.

Martina Walsh from Bunclody in Wexford said that she was delighted that a syndicate had won the money, and would share the windfall.

"It is such a large amount of money, it is great that it is not going to just one winner," she said.

Her daughter Sharon, who was shopping with her voiced similar sentiments. "It will help so many families," she said.
A former detective who investigated the death of newspaper reporter Veronica Guerin in 1996 has said that the latest gangland developments show we have forgotten the lessons learned from her death.

Ian McLaughlin, a former detective sergeant with the National Bureau Criminal Investigations (NBCI), said the escalating gangland feud and threats to journalists show how the decision to close the Garda training college in Templemore for four years is "coming back to bite" former and current Government figures.

"For all of the lessons we learnt out of Veronica's death, the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) is the only one still standing," he told the Herald.

Manpower

"All of the lessons we learnt of concentrated efforts on criminal gangs and the issue of manpower seem to have been forgotten now.

"We're back to where we started all over again."

Ms Guerin was shot by the gang controlled by drug lord John Gilligan in a crime that shocked the nation and led to the establishment of the CAB.

The Sunday Independent journalist was among the first to expose the activities of gangland crime figures on a national scale, which led to her life being put under threat.

Mr McLaughlin, who retired from the force in 2014, said that the recruitment ban on new gardai has lead to the "decimation" of the specialised units and frontline garda units.

"The man on the street is the most effective deterrent of the whole lot," he said.

"It's him that picks up the intelligence, who locals will talk to and all of that has been lost.

"What's left now is a fire brigade system where you only respond to things has they happen rather than being out there in prevention, which is a terrible pity."

The security expert, who now runs a private firm, also criticised the Minister for Justice's announcement that 5m would be made available for overtime for gardai investigating the murders.

"The 5m in overtime is great but how long is that going to last and how long will guards be able to carry on working long hours while still being functioning members?

"An increase in manpower - and getting the right people in - is the only answer and that will take time," he said.

Hearing the announcements now with an election around the corner may not sit well with his former colleagues, Mr McLaughlin said.

"You have to think of the morale of all of the members over the years that saw two of their members shot dead and no increase at that stage," he said.

"It's a pity that this wasn't thought of along the line. These men and women who were let down morale-wise now probably feel like they're being used to satisfy election promises.

"Where were all these increases in manpower when our own members were shot dead?"

The issue of resources must be taken into account as the force looks to tackle the latest developments in the gangland underworld, Mr McLaughlin said.

"You can't put a price on law and order. You have to have the status quo of experienced people teaching the younger people on an ongoing basis.

"You can't just stop everything and five years later expect the force to be up to the same standard as it was," he said.

Resources

Mr McLaughlin said resources may also have played a part in the lack of a Garda presence at the Regency Hotel shooting.

"It has to be understood how the resources problem does affect a situation like that," he said.

"There would have been a surveillance unit that was very well-manned in the past but because of austerity and no replacement of people who have left, it's been left with very limited man power.

"While it might have appeared that there definitely should have been surveillance in the Regency on that day and I don't know if there was or not."
Stander's long wait for an Ireland debut came to an end on the opening weekend of the 2016 RBS 6 Nations as they drew 16-16 with Wales at the Aviva Stadium.The South African-born 25-year-old, who continues to impress in his fourth season with Munster, started at No.6 and was named man of the match after recording 23 carries for 38 metres and 12 tackles without missing one.Leinster flanker O'Brien watched on, nursing a hamstring injury, but he is back in the starting XV for Ireland's clash with France, joining Jamie Heaslip and Stander in the back row."He had a brilliant game," O'Brien told The42. "There were a lot of carries. He was showing up a lot of times."The Welsh are a tough side to break down and someone who shows up that much is working very hard for the team. It was a tough battle out there. I would take 40 metres in a game like that, I think."I'm looking forward to finally getting to play with him and seeing what we can do together."Ireland have won each of the last two editions of the RBS 6 Nations and go in search of an historic hat-trick this time around.
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After a peaceful Friday of namaaz and Basant Panchami pooja, tension flared up in Dhar again on Saturday afternoon, as some youths pelted stones at the local office of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Sources said the youths were upset that Hindu right-wing organisations caved in to administrations pressure and did not take any action to stop the namaaz performed on Basant Panchami in Bhojshala premises of Dhar, about 65 km from Indore,

Superintendent of Police (Dhar) Rajesh Hingankar and collector Sriman Shukla rushed to the spot. Police registered a case against 14 people for stone-pelting and arrested four of them.

A face-off between right-wing Hindu groups and the administration blew over after Muslims offered Friday namaaz under heavy security at the disputed shrine claimed by both communities.

At a press conference later, right-wing groups claimed that no namaaz was offered. Vijay Singh Rathore, patron of Bhoj Utsav Samiti, said that Hindus offered puja between 1pm-3pm, which is not allowed as per guidelines of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

While windows at RSS office were broken, no injuries were reported. Sources said stones were also thrown at Rathores house.

With Section 144 of the CrPc already imposed in Dhar, the situation was under control.

The police also kept a close eye on sensitive places in the city. They also caned some youths who gathered at various places in the town.
The year 2016 started on an unexpected note for Bollywood with a lot of couples putting an end to their relationships and marriages. However, several others are set to celebrate Valentines Day today with a lot of gusto. Topping the list are Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone. Ranveer has flown to Toronto to spend some quality time with Dippy who is shooting her Hollywood debut there. The duo posted a selfie with the director of the film.

Talking about his plans, actor Shahid Kapoor, who will be spending his first Valentines Day with wife Mira Rajput Kapoor was quoted as saying, I will take my wife out and be nice to her. You are supposed to take a gift or something. But yes, we will do wonderful lovey-dovey things. Actors Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan who were in Pataudi for a holiday recently are also expected to spend the day together. Actor couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan were on a vacation with their family recently, but Ash is shooting for her film in Punjab on V-Day. Actor Sunny Leone and husband Daniel Weber will spend the day together too, and a source tells us that Daniel will gift Sunny something special.

Read: Valentines Day: 16 movie girls wed love to make our Valentine

Read: Six firangi heartthrobs we want to date this Valentines Day!

Rumoured couple actors Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Malhotra are busy with their respective projects, and may not get to celebrate the day of love together.

Alia and Sidharth: The duo is spending the day in different cities on shoots.

Shahid and Mira: Shahid will take Mira out for dinner and buy her a gift.

Sunny and Daniel: Daniel will gift something special to wife Sunny.

Aishwarya and Abhishek: Ash and Abhi are just back from a family vacation.

Deepika and Ranveer: The love-birds are spending the day together in Toronto.

Kareena and Saif: The stylish couple will be spending the day together.

The Busy Singles Club

The single squad has taken to work to tide over the Valentines Day hoopla, as is evident in everyones plans. So, while Anushka Sharma will be training for her next film, Virat Kohli will spend his day with friends, say sources. Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif will be shooting for their upcoming film today, but the two are reportedly not even on talking terms.

Ranbir Kapoor will be shooting with ex-girlfriend Katrina. Farhan will be in the Capital to perform at a festival.

Anushka will spend most part of her day training for her next film while Virat is spending some quality time with friends.

Catch all of our Valentines Day stories here

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Short notes and essays about stuff that interests me (mostly technical stuff).
Film producer Pahlaj Nihalani, who is head of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), feels that time has come to free filmmakers from the clutches of certifications such U, U/A and A.

Nihalani, who was in Kolkata on Friday to interact with members of the Eastern India Motion Picture Association (EIMPA), said, Things are changing. Everything is available on your mobile. Even students have access to such content that is not meant for them, said Nihalani, justifying his feeling that filmmakers should get the freedom for their work.

He asked the CBFCs local officer to be as liberal as possible and at the same time asked him to educate the local panel members of the censor board. We are modern but culture does not permit us to show explicit material like what is done in the US or UK, he said.

Read: Filmmakers slam censor board for free publicity, says Pahlaj Nihalani

He also said that being a film producer himself, he understands the pain of producers and filmmakers. Nihalani, who has been at the centre of controversies ever since he became the CBFC chief, tried to justify his acts and decisions in the recent past. I have created a lot of controversy, he said. Nihalani added that the CBFC is modern but the body is bound by the rules that have been laid down.

Read | Pahlaj Nihalani on Aligarh: Is homosexuality a subject for kids, teens?

He also claimed that all rules are not followed and added that if everything is done as per the rulebook, most films would get censored. He explained that obscenity and vulgarity is judged by the members of the CBFC depending on the content and context.

For example, inappropriate words are not always eliminated since that depends mostly on the content and context, said Nihalani. Speaking to members of the EIMPA, Nihalani asked the members to interact freely with him and tell them about the grievances they had regarding film certification. I am a film producer myself and I have come here to listen to you. Please be open, he said.

Besides talking about the problems of filmmakers in this region, the filmmakers and producers asked Nihalani whether there could be a basic manual to guide them so that they do not get into trouble when they apply for film certification. He asked all filmmakers to send their grievances to CBFC so that the body could look into them.

Read | From Vijay Anand to Pahlaj Nihalani: NDAs Censor Board tangle
The Indian army experienced its worst ever defeat during the Indo-China conflict of 1962. This excerpt from Shiv Kunal Vermas thoroughly researched book shows how Nehru and Krishna Menon conspired to discredit General Thimayya, setting in motion a chain of events that contributed to Indias rout in the Himalayas.

The political manoeuvring by Gandhi in 1938 to sideline Subhas Chandra Bose in the presidential race of the Congress Party virtually handed Nehru the prime ministership of independent India. Bose was perhaps the only Indian political leader who understood the significance of armed power as an instrument of state policy while being aware of modern politics. With Boses exit and Sardar Patels death in 1950, there was no one who could provide the necessary inspiration for the reconstruction of an army (that had so far served British interests) into an integrated military instrument that could identify potential threats and tackle them militarily.

Nehru, unlike Bose and Patel, veered away from building military power. Although, when cornered, he was not averse to using itas in the case of Kashmir in 1947-48 and then Goa in 1961for the most part, he talked disarmament, non-alignment and Panchsheel. In a speech delivered at the Kerala Provisional Conference in 1928, Nehru had spelt out his international assessments: No danger threatens India from any direction; and even if there is any danger we shall cope with it. No surprise then that when the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, General Sir Rob Lockhart, went to Nehru with a formal defence paper that needed a policy directive from the prime minister, Nehru had exclaimed: Rubbish! Total rubbish! We dont need a defence policy. Our policy is ahimsa (non-violence). We foresee no military threats. As far as I am concerned you can scrap the armythe police are good enough to meet our security needs. Its a different matter that Nehru had to eat his words by the end of October 1947 itself when the tribal hordes invaded Kashmir.

Read: Nehru rejected suggestion that Bose be dealt with as war criminal

Perhaps Nehru could not have reacted militarily when China invaded Tibet in 1950, but since then he had had more than ten years to prepare, from the time General Cariappa had warned him that the army did not have the capability to face the Chinese. Despite repeated warnings from the army and the various committees, Nehru did very little to address the shortcomings of the army.

Nehru was never comfortable with the armed forces. his political indoctrination had  instilled in him a desire to downgrade Indias officer cadre rather than tap their leadership potential and assimilate them into the machinery of government. This in turn created a vacuum in the decision-making chain, into which the civil servants stepped. taking important military decisions that they were not equipped to handle. At a personal level, Nehru was not impressed with most of senior officers and found them shallow, posturing caricatures, generally aping the British in their mannerisms and who had taken no interest in the freedom movement.

To make matters worse, Nehru, along with other politicians, began to develop a deep-seated paranoia about the army. Many other countries that had become independent after World War II fell prey to military coups (the most pertinent example being Pakistan).

As he drove from South Block to Teen Murti, Thimayya was acutely aware of the prime ministers deep distrust of the military. Even before he took over from General S. M. Shrinagesh, Thimayya had made no bones about the fact that he was deeply distressed by the continuous neglect of the army. Publicly Nehru was seen to be fond of Timmy; however, behind his back, the prime minister adopted tactics that clearly indicated that he viewed Thimayya as a rival who could challenge his position as the undisputed head of the Indian Union. Given the generals track record in World War IIThimayya had been the first and only Indian officer to command a fighting brigade in the Arakan where he had been awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO)and the role played by him in the Jammu and Kashmir Operations, Nehru knew he could not browbeat him.

Read: Nehru let northeast down during 1962 China war, says Kiren Rijiju

Timmy was universally respected. The announcement of his impending appointment had led to an editorial comment in the Times of India: A thrill has just passed through the Army. The signal has gone out that Timmy is on. In the meantime, just twenty days before Thimayya took charge of the army, Nehru had replaced the defence minister, Kailash Nath Katju, with Vengalil Krishnan Krishna Menon.

Nehru was waiting for Thimayya and for the first time, the normally reticent Timmy exchanged angry words with the prime minister. He told Nehru that his arbitrary decision of making NEFA (North East Frontier Agency now called Arunachal Pradesh) the responsibility of the army, made public in Parliament, was preposterous and completely against Indian interests. Thimayya felt that Nehru had completely compromised the army.

Without providing the additional resources required, handing over the borders to the army was a meaningless gesture; this would allow the Chinese the opportunity to claim that the Indians were the aggressors, for they always went to great pains to describe their own troops as border guards. Thimayya asked Nehru to find a way out of the mess in the next couple of weeks...

Nehru and Krishna Menon knew that the prime minister was in serious trouble. He had got away with the admission in Parliament earlier in the day only because the triple whammyongoing clashes on the border, the construction of National Highway G219 across the Aksai Chin and the Khenzemane and Longju incidentshad come as a shock to the members of the House. Thimayya wanted Nehru to undo the mistake; but should the prime minister formally withdraw his statement about deploying the army and revert to the previous arrangement, he would be committing political hara-kiri. The threat of Thimayya taking over the reins of government, at least in Nehrus mind, was very real.

Read: Nehru asked Kennedy for US assistance during 1962 Indo-China war

Politics is full of subterfuge, and survival Not only did the Nehru-Menon team now have to survive, they had to neutralize Thimayya. Three days later, Krishna Menon sent for Thimayya in a highly excited state of mind and vented his anger at the chief for having approached the prime minister directly, suggesting instead that the matter should have been resolved at his level. Threatening Thimayya of possible political repercussions if the matter became public Krishna Menon ended the meeting. A seething Thimayya promptly sent in his resignation letter.

The letter, which was received by Teen Murti on the afternoon of 31 August, was put up to Nehru who promptly sent for Thimayya in the afternoon.  After a long conversation in which the prime minister persuaded the army chief to withdraw his resignation letter in the larger interest of the nation, especially since the problem with the Chinese had flared up, the matter of the resignation was deemed closed.

However, after Thimayyas departure, news of his resignation was deliberately leaked to the media while the subsequent rescinding of the letter was held back.  Thimayya resignation made banner headlines the next morning. 

1962: The War That Wasnt by Shiv Kunal Verma, (Rs 995; PP 425).

On 2 September 1959, the prime minister once again rose in Parliament to make a statement. He told the Lok Sabha that he had persuaded the chief to withdraw his resignation. He then went on to speak about the supremacy of the civilian authority over the military and then, had surprisingly, proceeded to castigate Thimayya, saying the issues that led to his resignation were rather trivial and of no consequence, and that they arose from temperamental differences. He then chided the chief and reproached him for wanting to quit in the midst of the Sino-Indian border crisis.

Even today, the contents of Thimayyas resignation letter remain a highly guarded secret. Instead, vague stories about Thimayyas resignation were routinely floated where it was said that Timmy had resigned out of pique because of the manner in which Krishna Menon treated him. On careful scrutiny, that doesnt hold water.

The much adored prime minister, who could do no wrong in the eyes of the public, had betrayed General Thimayya. Trapped in this bad situation, the chief had no option but to quietly endure the humiliation and get on with the job of trying to prepare the army to face the Chinese

The prime ministers attitude towards Thimayya was damaging to the chief as well as the army.  General Thimayya was a seasoned, disciplined soldier who would hardly have made issues over trifles.  After the resignation drama Thimayya was seen as an alarmist and a defeatist. Having thus weakened the office of the army chief, the prime minister now placed his hope in Lieutenant General B. M. Bijji Kaul whose star was on the rise.

Nehru, unlike Bose and Patel, veered away from building military power. Although, when cornered, he was not averse to using it  as in the case of Kashmir in 1947-48 and then Goa in 1961  for the most part, he talked disarmament, non-alignment and Panchsheel... when the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, General Sir Rob Lockhart, went to Nehru with a formal defence paper that needed a policy directive from the prime minister, Nehru had exclaimed: Rubbish! Total rubbish! We dont need a defence policy. Our policy is ahimsa (non-violence). We foresee no military threats. As far as I am concerned you can scrap the army  the police are good enough to meet our security needs. ...Nehru had to eat his words by the end of October 1947 itself when the tribal hordes invaded Kashmir.

Perhaps Nehru could not have reacted militarily when China invaded Tibet in 1950, but since then he had had more than ten years to prepare... Despite repeated warnings... Nehru did very little to address the shortcomings of the army Nehru was never comfortable with the armed forces his political indoctrination had instilled in him a desire to downgrade Indias officer cadre rather than tap their leadership potential... To make matters worse, Nehru... began to develop a deep-seated paranoia about the army. Many other countries that had become independent after World War II fell prey to military coups (the most pertinent example being Pakistan)

As he drove from South Block to Teen Murti, Thimayya was acutely aware of the prime ministers deep distrust of the military... Publicly Nehru was seen to be fond of Timmy; however, behind his back, the prime minister adopted tactics that clearly indicated that he viewed Thimayya as a rival who could challenge his position as the undisputed head of the Indian Union. Given the generals track record in World War II  Thimayya had been the first and only Indian officer to command a fighting brigade in the Arakan where he had been awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO)  and the role played by him in the Jammu and Kashmir Operations, Nehru knew he could not browbeat him.

...Nehru was waiting for Thimayya and for the first time, the normally reticent Timmy exchanged angry words with the prime minister. He told Nehru that his arbitrary decision of making NEFA (North East Frontier Agency now called Arunachal Pradesh) the responsibility of the army, made public in Parliament, was... completely against Indian interests... Without providing the additional resources required, handing over the borders to the army was a meaningless gesture; this would allow the Chinese the opportunity to claim that the Indians were the aggressors... Thimayya asked Nehru to find a way out of the mess...

Nehru and Krishna Menon knew that the prime minister was in serious trouble. He had got away with the admission in Parliament earlier in the day only because the triple whammy  ongoing clashes on the border, the construction of National Highway G219 across the Aksai Chin and the Khenzemane and Longju incidents  had come as a shock to the members of the House Thimayya wanted Nehru to undo the mistake; but should the prime minister formally withdraw his statement about deploying the army... he would be committing political hara-kiri. The threat of Thimayya taking over the reins of government, at least in Nehrus mind, was very real. Politics is full of subterfuge, and survival Not only did the Nehru-Menon team now have to survive, they had to neutralize Thimayya. Three days later, Krishna Menon sent for Thimayya in a highly excited state of mind and vented his anger at the chief for having approached the prime minister directly, suggesting instead that the matter should have been resolved at his level. Threatening Thimayya of possible political repercussions if the matter became public Krishna Menon ended the meeting. A seething Thimayya promptly sent in his resignation letter.

The letter, which was received by Teen Murti on the afternoon of 31 August, was put up to Nehru who promptly sent for Thimayya in the afternoon After a long conversation in which the prime minister persuaded the army chief to withdraw his resignation letter... the matter of the resignation was deemed closed.

However, after Thimayyas departure, news of his resignation was deliberately leaked to the media while the subsequent rescinding of the letter was held back On 2 September 1959, the prime minister once again rose in Parliament to make a statement. He told the Lok Sabha that he had persuaded the chief to withdraw his resignation. He then went on to speak about the supremacy of the civilian authority over the military and... to castigate Thimayya... He... reproached him for wanting to quit in the midst of the Sino-Indian border crisis.

... The much adored prime minister, who could do no wrong in the eyes of the public, had betrayed General Thimayya. Trapped in this bad situation, the chief had no option but to quietly endure the humiliation and get on with the job of trying to prepare the army to face the Chinese The prime ministers attitude towards Thimayya was damaging to the chief as well as the army.  General Thimayya was a seasoned, disciplined soldier who would hardly have made issues over trifles Having thus weakened the office of the army chief, the prime minister now placed his hope in Lieutenant General BM Bijji Kaul whose star was on the rise.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more.
Allain Passard is one of the worlds greatest chefs. His Paris restaurant, LArpege, has held three Michelin stars for ages. Some years ago, Passard announced that he was removing meat from the menu of LArpege. There would be a little fish but the menu would be based on vegetables.

Passards approach to vegetables is slightly different from yours or mine. So his signature dish was a tomato. But it wasnt the sort of tomato dish that we Indians would recognise. It was a tomato stuffed with 12 different flavourings: citrus zest, spices, herbs, etc. He served it as a dessert with wildflower ice-cream.

Around five years ago, the owners of Chateau Margaux, the great French First Growth red wine, decided that they wanted to host grand dinners in three Indian cities: Bombay, Bangalore and Delhi. Chateau Lafite Rothschild, another great Bordeaux First Growth had China all taped up and the Margaux guys thought that the Indian market for fine wine would explode. (It still might if you take the Chinese approach and shoot all the bureaucrats who impose absurd regulations and restrictions on the import and sale of wine.)

Somebody must have told them that the vast majority of Indias billionaires (and many of our millionaires) were vegetarians. So they hit upon the idea of an all-vegetarian menu for their dinners. And naturally, being Chateau Margaux, they had to fly in a chef of suitable eminence. And that was Alain Passard.

I always regard Passards experiences in India as the perfect example of the collision between Western vegetable-cooking and Indian vegetarianism.

Passard started his journey in Bangalore where he cooked the first dinner at The Leela. Many of the plates came back to the kitchen with the food uneaten. The hotel wondered why people had not liked the food. Passard, as befits one of the worlds greatest chefs, did not consider this possibility. The problem, he decided, was that the portions were too large.

In Bombay, he reduced the portion size. But though some guests complained that they were still hungry, the food did not receive a great response. The problem, one of Passards associates suggested, was that the Taj, where the meal was served, used crap vegetables so Passard could not get the flavours he wanted.

By the time the Delhi dinner (which I attended) was organised, some of the problems had been sorted out. The Delhi Taj imported vegetables that came close to Passards standards and the great man seemed content.

But there was still a problem. The food left the guests hungry and unimpressed.

Passards dishes were like nothing Indian vegetarians were used to. We began with a plate of mixed vegetables in a honey-citrus sauce, and were then served two tomatoes on a blackberry compote. Next came a roasted, charred onion with hibiscus. The main course was knob celery, a popular winter vegetable in France, cooked to look like a risotto. The dessert was a bitter avocado and chocolate souffle.

By the end, everyone was raving about the wine and struggling to be nice about the food.

There was, I thought, a fundamental problem. When the French eat vegetarian food, they usually do so out of choice. They have been brought up on meat, beef, goose-fat, blood sausage, duck liver and God alone knows what else. So a vegetarian meal marks a change for them.

They look for simple dishes that unlock the flavour of vegetables and are much lighter than the food they normally eat. They will only allow spicing as long as it does not obscure the flavour of the vegetables.

In contrast, most Indian vegetarians were brought up as vegetarians. The vast majority do not eat meat for religious reasons. Even those who have now disregarded the religious injunctions of their youth were so conditioned to think of meat as a dirty taste and smell that they still cant enjoy meat fully. Take my own example. I was brought up as a non-vegetarian but there is enough of the Gujarati in me to ensure that I will find it difficult to eat smelly fish or offal.

So Indian vegetarians and Western vegetarians start out from two very different places. And we look for entirely different things. Gujarati food is not very heavily spiced and focuses on texture much more than other Indian cuisines. But even Gujarati cuisine does not always allow the flavour of the original vegetable to come through. In other regional cuisines, it is the spices that are given more importance than the actual ingredients  do you really care what kind of peas go into your mattar-paneer?

Spice is nice: Indian vegetarian food is not very focused on ingredients. Do you care what kind of peas go into your mattar-paneer?

In France, this approach is heresy. Passard told me that he values young peas more than caviar. This is a view echoed by many Western chefs. They simply cannot understand that the interplay of spices is the point of Indian cuisine. Passard complained about our spices. Why cant you just sprinkle a little at the end? he asked me. To which, of course, there is no answer; either you get it or you dont.

Of late, the craze for fine vegetable cooking has spread to America. At Grace in Chicago, there are only two menus on offer: non-veg and veg. The vegetarian is excellent (Grace does have three stars) but I cant see many Indians regarding it as worth the price. Jose Andres, one of the worlds top chefs, has opened a new restaurant in Washington where you can order a bowl of bulgur, top it with raw or cooked vegetables and add tomato or bean sauce or yogurt and then garnish it with avocado or poached egg. I cant see many Indians lining up to eat that, either.

At Grace in Chicago, dishes like banana cashew (above) and chocolate matcha (below) form the vegetarian menu.

An article in the October issue of US Vogue talked about the American craze for vegetables and as I read it, my heart sank with every para. The writer raved about a yellow bean stew with a poached egg and drizzled olive oil. She praised a chef who served a fava bean mayonnaise made entirely of dinosaurish outer fava bean husks and the even less usable internal fava bean skins, containing no actual fava bean.

Needless to say, few Indians will salivate animally envisioning a mound of steaming, brown and buttered broccoli romanesco, as she did.

Chocolate matcha at Grace in Chicago.

And heres the other thing. Because these chefs are not actually vegetarian, they use ingredients that Indian vegetarians will not eat. One chef serves his vegetables with a side dish of a whole black cod head, pressed flat and roasted under a box. Another chef (the great Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park) serves a whisper-light alabaster celery root braised with truffle which sounds great till you realise that he has cooked it inside a pigs bladder.

At Eleven Madison Park (above) a vegetable dish may be cooked inside a pigs bladder (Photo by Chris Goodney/Bloomberg via Getty Images) (Bloomberg via Getty Images)

None of this is to run down chefs like Passard and Humm who are legends, but only to explain why their approach to vegetarianism and vegetables is so different from ours.

They regard vegetables as curiosities, to be elevated into glorious main courses by the chefs culinary genius. We regard vegetables as our staples, elevated by years of a great culinary tradition. Indians may try Alain Passards charred, roasted onion but 99 per cent of us (100 per cent, even) would prefer to have that same onion thinly sliced, dunked in a besan batter and deep fried into crisp kanda bhajia.

But we can still learn from the Western chefs.

Because we depend so much on spices, we care too little about the origins of our ingredients. And there is merit to the claim that we overspice so heavily that the original flavour of the ingredients is often destroyed.

On the other hand, there are few things as depressing as healthy, vegetarian, organic food in the West, unless of course, it is made by a great chef. Most Indians, when they travel abroad, will avoid the so-called all-vegetarian restaurants. They will order the vegetarian options at Chinese places, they will eat pasta and pizza and they will go to Middle Eastern restaurants. Nobody in his right mind will go to an organic and healthy place to eat nut cutlets and other disgusting Western vegetarian dishes.

Back in the Seventies, when I was a schoolboy, my mother, who is a studio potter, would take me to the headquarters of the British Craft Potters Association on Marshal Street in London. Next to the Potters Association was a large branch of a healthy vegetarian chain called Cranks. And often, because there were relatively few restaurants on the street, we would end up eating there.

The food was beyond revolting. And it helped me understand why British people could not see the point of vegetarianism.

Well, I went back to Marshal Street the other day. Cranks is gone. In its place is a Masala Zone. I found myself a table and ordered a bhelpuri. And as the sev crackled in my mouth, I felt like shouting out to the many Brits who were passing by on Marshal Street: This is real vegetarian food, you fools. Not your stupid nut cutlets.

From HT Brunch, February 14, 2016

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Swedish companies are looking to increase their investments in India, Swedens Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said on Saturday as he joined Narendra Modi to inaugurate the Sweden Country Pavilion at the Make in India Week (MIIW) in Mumbai.

Lofven is accompanied by a high-level delegation consisting of government officials, heads of agencies and industry leaders to participate in the Make in India Week. The Scandinavian nation has one of the largest delegations at the jamboree.

Swedish industry has always believed in India as a perfect trading partner-right from the time Ericsson laid the first cables in 1903 to the current times when our companies are looking to raise their investments and their manufacturing units here, Swedish Ambassador to India Harald Sandberg said.

There are around 160 Swedish companies operating in the country employing 160,000 people directly and 1.1 million indirectly.

Over 18 Swedish companies are participating in the mega event, where the theme of its pavilion is Smart Manufacturing.

Some of the biggest Swedish participants include ABB, Atlas Copco, Camfil, Ericsson, Ikea, Saab, Sandvik, Scania, SKF, TetraPak and Volvo.

Forty-five per cent of the Swedish companies directed their investments to Maharashtra and 85% of them continue to invest in the State.

For Sweden, which is striving to be an open innovation-driven economy, India is a natural partner and Maharashtra is one of the most important hubs, said Fredrika Ornbrant, Consul General of Sweden in Mumbai.

At the pavilion, the companies are displaying various innovations and products that they make in India and will also talk about how Sweden has been able to achieve its status as a high quality country through smart manufacturing.
This months issue of the US magazine Esquire runs a survey of 3,257 Americans to find out whats making them angry and why. The long-drawn-out process to elect the next US president has begun and the magazine, along with NBC News, did the survey to cover a multitude of issues  citizens views on racism, inequality, the economy and gender issues, but theres also a section that lists a set of imaginary headlines and asks people how angry each of those makes them. One of those headlines is about Congress, the US bicameral legislature, and says Congress: More Dysfunctional than Ever? More than 40% of those polled said that headline made them very angry and 32% said it made them somewhat angry. For purposes of the survey, the headline in question may have been hypothetical but the ire of voters against a legislature they have elected when it fails to deliver is not unexpected. What do you think most Indian voters would say if you surveyed them and asked whether a dysfunctional Parliament made them angry? And after the Indian Parliaments washed-out monsoon and winter sessions, during which little got done by way of legislation, it wouldnt have to be a hypothetical question either.

Read | Maybe one day parliamentarians will surprise us by doing their work

In less than 10 days, the Budget session of Parliament will commence. Its always a busy session marked by red-letter day events such as the Presidents address, the Railway Budget, the Economic Survey, and, finally, the Union Budget. Few expect these not to sail through smoothly. Equally, very few expect any progress on long-pending legislation (such as Bills for the GST, real estate regulation and labour reforms) during the coming session. Such cynicism among citizens, even before Parliament convenes for the Budget session, is telling but theres little to show that our MPs (on either side of the political divide) and their party leaders are concerned.

Last December, when the Congress was exercised over the National Herald case, this newspapers website ran an online poll on whether that issue would affect the fate of important Bills in Parliament. More than 80% (out of a total of nearly 2,600 voters) said yes, it would. They were right. And in September, when PM Narendra Modi attacked the Congress party while he was in the US, we ran another poll asking whether after that the BJP could hope to get the Congresss co-operation in Parliament. Nearly 73% (of 5,200 voters) said no. They too were right.

Read | A 2016 resolve to wish for: Make Parliament work again

It is true that the lopsided composition of Parliament  the ruling NDA is in an overwhelming majority in Lok Sabha but an underwhelming minority in Rajya Sabha  gives the Congress and others a convenient lever to disrupt normal functioning but there is also a general air of confrontation between the regime in power and the others, principally the Congress, which has made things worse. In earlier regimes, parliamentary affairs ministers (such as the Congresss Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi or, during a previous NDA regime, the BJPs Pramod Mahajan) would be seen interacting with their political rivals on the Opposition benches, often to ensure support for crucial legislation. Mahajan, who died in 2006, was especially known for his spirit of camaraderie towards Opposition leaders. Today theres less of that and more of sharp (and often ugly) hostility between the Opposition and the Treasury benches. Outside Parliament, charges, including personal attacks, are traded between the two sides, further vitiating the situation. Such attacks and counter-attacks rage on even when the PM is on international trips  something that political parties on both sides of the fence have avoided in the past.

The government spends Rs 2.7 lakh on each MP every month; this includes salaries, travel allowances, sitting fees and other expenses. For 543 MPs, that means a monthly burn of Rs 14.66 crore. MPs now want their basic monthly salaries to be doubled from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh. None would grudge such spending, if only Parliament functioned properly and business got conducted. In 2014, just after steering his alliance to a landslide victory, Modi, then PM-designate, described Parliament as a temple of democracy where MPs, cutting across party lines, should work selflessly for the people who elected them. If we were to do a poll like Esquires on what angers people most, how high on that list do you think would a dysfunctional Parliament feature?

Sanjoy Narayan is the editor-in-chief of Hindustan Times and tweets as @sanjoynarayan

The views expressed are personal

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Its Valentines Day and theres so much to do. There are so many choices on offer I really cant make up my mind. There are such good discounts on chocolates, but which ones should I choose? Should it be Choco Delicacies or those heart-shaped ones called Hearty Bonanza? For a small fee, helpful people will deliver flowers to your loved one. Which combination to pick? Should it be the wicked Sweet Sin, or Romantic Thrill or even better, Chocolicious Roses? I think Ill keep it simple with the KISS Keep it Simple Silly bouquet. Best of all, these offers come with easy refund and cancellation.

What else can I buy? Ive got an email about a Be Mine Forever gift made exclusively for Valentines Day, consisting of a red teddy bear clutching a heart and a personalised mug at a ridiculously cheap price. The thing about personalised mugs, Im told, is to make them feel the warmth of your love with every sip. I was wondering why they used them instead of her or him, but then I read the fine print which mentioned a hefty discount for bulk orders. Bulk orders for Valentines Day? Some people have all the luck.

Im tempted to check out the power sunglasses, which say buy one get one free. It isnt clear, though, whether one gets another pair of sunglasses or a partner free.

But one shouldnt be a skinflint today. So maybe a more expensive gift? The mobile phone with cash back looked good, until I found out it had conditions attached. Or should I rent a gorgeous car to impress her? The thought occurred to me after seeing this masterpiece in my inbox: Make her heart go vroom. Theres also jewellery, of course, with up to 60% discounts and a Rs 4,000 bonus membership rewards points as welcome gift.

Gifts sorted out, which restaurant should we go to and whats on the menu? I think we should have oysters and figs, both with aphrodisiac qualities that will ensure a gratifying end to a Valentines Day dinner. Ive already booked a hotel that advertised, The savings have never been sweeter with Valentine day hotel deals.

A young Lebanese woman shops for Valentine's day gifts at a store in the predominantly Shiite Muslim southern suburbs of the capital Beirut. AFP (AFP)

There is the small problem of getting a partner for all this. If you dont have a significant other, choose an insignificant one. I have already asked a Nigerian lady who very graciously wants to gift me a million dollars and a woman who mailed me saying, Hi, I want to be your friend to be my Valentine. If they dont make it, Ill have to take my wife out.

Of course, online dating services are just a click away. For women, I recommend going to Hong Kong, where you can rent a guy from Rent-a-Gent for a reasonable fee. Their gents are trained to act like a gentleman  caring, attentive, no swear words nor smoking allowed. Their premium services are called Handy Randy and Beyond Brad Pitt.

Rumour has it that Valentine of Rome, the first guy to sign a note to a lady with Your Valentine, was shortly thereafter thrown to the lions. Thats probably because he didnt have a credit card.

(This article was published first on Feb 13, 2016)

The views expressed are personal

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Let me start with a health warning: if you dont like reading criticism of the Indian people skip to another article. What follows is not just blunt but also reveals a dismal and depressing truth we rarely acknowledge. Yet after the unspeakable treatment of a young Tanzanian student in Bangalore we can no longer deny facts. Indeed, the time has come to confront the demons we harbour.

Are we racist in our attitude and behaviour? The answer is an unequivocal yes. We look down upon darker skins and discriminate against black ones. We call our own citizens from the north-east chinkies and dismiss those from the south as madrasis. And everyone from Africa is a habshi.

So deep runs our colour consciousness that even our celebrities are unashamed of it. How else do you explain the fact that Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan and John Abraham blithely advertise fairness creams and arent embarrassed to do so? Can you imagine Tom Hanks, George Clooney and Brad Pitt doing anything similar? I suspect part of the explanation lies in the fact that the rest of us yearn for milk-white brides and laugh away the moral issues that this raises.

Unfortunately, the problem has progressed beyond the attitude and behaviour of individuals. Our system condones it whilst those in authority seem to overlook it.

Both the Bangalore police commissioner and the Karnataka home minister have refused to accept the traumatic treatment of the Tanzanian girl as a racist incident. The former preferred to see it as road rage. The latter as just a response to an accident.

But why stop at them? Rahul Gandhi shied away from accepting it was racism whilst his mother was completely silent. That was largely true of Mr Modi too.

When Giriraj Singh said that if Rajiv Gandhi had married a Nigerian and not a white- skinned woman, the Congress would never have made her president, the Nigerian high commission complained but Mr Modi forgave the minister.

In 2014 when Ugandan and Nigerian women accused Somnath Bharti of racism  and I believe he faces formal charges as well  Arvind Kejriwal stood solidly by him. At the time, Yogendra Yadav passionately defended him though today he accepts that was a mistake. But Yadav is a rare politician to acknowledge the error of his earlier ways. No one else has.

Ask anyone whos served in Africa and youll discover that Africans consider Indians more racist than the whites. Krishnan Srinivasan, a former high commissioner to Zambia and Nigeria, who also served as foreign secretary and deputy secretary general of the Commonwealth, unhesitatingly confirms this.

Even our greatest modern icon, Mahatma Gandhi, was guilty of racism in his early years in South Africa. Ashwin Desai and Goolam Vahed in their book The South-African Gandhi: Stretcher-bearer of Empire catalogue the many instances when his language or his actions betrayed deep prejudice against blacks. He called them Kaffirs. In 1893 he wrote to the Natal Parliament comparing them to savages. In 1904 he said: About the mixing of the Kaffirs with the Indians, I must confess I feel most strongly. In 1905 he said he didnt want Indians and Africans herded together indiscriminately in hospitals.

Let me conclude by saying our belief that we are tolerant and free of colour prejudice is an illusion. Its untrue. And its only when we accept this fact that we will start to change.

Gandhi did and became a different man in his later years. The question is: Can we emulate him?

The views expressed are personal

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BJP leaders on Saturday called for the dismissal of the Arvind Kejriwal government citing several notifications released by AAP government in the last one year, which according to the opposition party violate law.

Speaking to reporters a day head of the first anniversary of AAP government, leader of opposition Vijender Gupta said he will meet home minister Rajnath Singh and submit a list of 52 notifications issued by Delhi government without L-Gs approval.

In the last one year all that they have been doing is confrontation. It is the Centre which has been tolerating this. AAP government should be immediately dismissed. I will give a list of these to the home minister and request him to take action, Gupta said.

On Saturday, Gupta and other BJP leaders, including Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay, released a report card on AAP governments performance and attacked the ruling front for its poor performance during last one year. AAP government will complete a year in power on Sunday.

Upadhyay said Kejriwal rode to power by showing dreams to Delhi and cashing on the false promises of eradicating corruption, Lokpal and Swaraj Bills.

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As the Delhi government completes one in year in office, Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia talks to HT about his governments hits, misses and plans.

The government is completing one year this Sunday. How has journey been?

It has been full of struggle but satisfying on the delivery front. We never assumed people who are in power for personal gains would allow us to work freely. We are surprised at the levels to which the political opponents have stooped. Still we have delivered on several fronts.

What have been the major achievements?

About 24-25 lakh residents are getting power at half the rate. Despite the fact that 9-10 lakh people are getting free water, the DJB augmented its revenue by R178 crore. The metered water connection map has been expanded. People are now able to get their certificates issued online. Government schools and hospitals are getting better.

What do you think have been the major misses?

We couldnt curb corruption at the lower level after the ACB was taken away from us. Corruption at upper level has been eradicated completely but some incidents keep cropping up at the lower level. One person was recently caught in the excise department. Had the ACB been with us, we would have plugged such cases completely.

The year has seen a constant fight between the Delhi and central govts. What is the main reason?

The reason is obvious. History proves people used to enter politics for power and money. That is not the case with the AAP government. So all such people are worried that their shops would get shut. Hence they are making all efforts to ensure this experiment of honest politics fails.

Has this fight become political? The Delhi municipal and Punjab polls are around. Has this become a fight between two popular personalities in the country?

This question should be asked to the people who are getting CBI raids conducted in the Delhi CMs office. Why did they not allow the ACB to work? If they actually are honest politicians, then why is an honest government being targeted. We didnt pick this fight. But it will not happen that they capture the Delhi governments ACB and we take it hands down. People have not given us the historic mandate to do so.

How do you answer critics who say the AAP government did not come up with any major infrastructure projects unlike those witnessed during the past decade?

I pity people whose definition of infrastructure is restricted to flyovers. Arent 8,000 new rooms and 25 new school buildings infrastructure projects? How do you define the increase in the number of beds in hospitals. Tapped water reached colonies that had been waiting for over past two decades. I am shocked with the understanding of economy and development of those who think only constructing flyover defines infrastructure.

The Opposition claims the overall expenditure of plan funds has been less this fiscal?

Yes. It is because we have saved money by completing projects by spending less than the estimated budget. We saved money by plugging the loopholes. People are happy with it but the opposition is unhappy.

You have been filling in for the chief minister when he is away. He would be away regularly due to the Punjab campaign. Am I speaking to the soon-to-be-CM of Delhi?

You are speaking to the deputy CM of Delhi. And the chief minister has put me on the job with a vision that I look after the overall co-ordination in the government besides handling few important departments. Probably he sensed it very early that corrupt people would come after the AAP government. He is being able to give them a better fight because the CM is free from day-to-day governance, which I and my Cabinet colleagues are handling.

Is your current innings a semi-final of sorts before you take over, especially when speculation is ripe that Arvind Kejriwal could move to Punjab?

This question is part of guess journalism. You are free to do that.

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Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the JNU incident where anti-India slogans are said to have been reaised.

The announcement was made soon after a delegation of political leaders met Kejriwal and requested him to launch a probe to establish the authenticity of the evidence in the incident.

There are claims that JNU student leaders shouted anti-India slogans and counter claims that ABVP activists did it. To find truth, Delhi government is directing District Magistrate (DM) to conduct an enquiry, Kejriwal tweeted.

Jawaharlal Nehru University students on Tuesday had organised a meet on the campus to mourn the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) co-founder Maqbool Bhat, where anti-India slogans were raised.

A delegation that included CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI national secretary D. Raja and Janata Dal-United secretary general K.C. Tyagi on Saturday met Kejriwal and demanded an independent inquiry in the matter.
Peeyush Khandelwal

peeyush.khandelwal@hindustantimes.com

Ghaziabad: The probe into the abduction of an executive of e-commerce company Snapdeal veered towards the involvement of people who knew the 24-year-old woman, even as police investigated strange events narrated by the victim in a case that has left many baffled.

The victim, Dipti Sarna, returned home on Friday morning and said four men who had abducted her 36 hours earlier released her and left her at a suburban railway station.

She had gone missing after she was allegedly whisked away from an autorickshaw in Ghaziabad when she was returning from work on Wednesday evening, sparking a massive search by police across two states.

Ghaziabad senior superintendent of police Dharmendra Singh said he sought details about educational institutions and other companies Dipti worked for. He questioned Dipti at her house for over an hour on Saturday afternoon.

I can say there is someone behind this who knows her. She has told (us) that she does not know the people involved. But we suspect that the mastermind could be some known person, Singh said.

The SSP said the involvement of professional criminals was remote. He said Dipti revealed more facts but nothing was established.

Investigators said they were unclear about the motive.

Dipti had told the police that she was driven in an i10 car and made to walk long distances, kept in a sugarcane field the next day before the abductors decided to leave her at a suburban railway station near Narela.

There are a lot of strange things like abductors leaving her at a railway station and also making her walk 30-40km. These are being verified, the SSP added.

The police said it was strange that the driver of the second auto got involved with the three other abductors.

She also told police that the abductors told her they knew the chips brand she liked.

The family had said on Friday that the four men treated her well after the initial assault in the auto and put her on a Delhi-bound train, handing her a `100 note.
Sanjana Vaid, who commutes between her house in Ghaziabad and her office in Okhla in Delhi, skipped a number of shared autos at Vaishali Metro station and insisted that she would travel alone.

Shared autos are the mainstay for commuters from Metro stations for last-mile connectivity.

Read more: Why women are being forced to opt for risky shared autos

The abduction of a 24-year-old employee of e-commerce giant Snapdeal, who returned home safe on Friday, has added to the shared auto phobia among women who take them since they are the only ones providing last mile connectivity in the UP industrial city.

Sanjana was not alone, a number of women at Vaishali Metro station HT talked to said they would try to book autos alone and will avoid shared autos.

Between 8am and 12noon, rush hour for auto drivers, we ferry around 40 passengers to and from the Metro station daily. Today, most of the passengers were women, said Sumit, an auto richshaw driver.

Auto drivers at the Kaushambi Metro stations prepaid booking booth also reported brisk business on Friday. The booth is run by the traffic police.

Most women preferred shared autos since they are cheaper. We used to get a maximum of 15 passengers at the prepaid booth. But on Friday, 22 women passengers had booked an auto till 3pm, said Anil Kumar, traffic inspector, Ghaziabad.

Even the auto drivers running the shared three-wheelers are apprehensive over enhanced police scrutiny. All drivers of shared autos are under the scanner and police are checking their credentials.

Over 40 police personnel were deployed at the Vaishali Metro station on Thursday when the news of abduction broke. On Friday, there were only threefour of them. We will verify all auto drivers in the city and prepare a record, said Salman Taj, superintendent of police (city), Ghaziabad.

Ram Naresh, who runs a shared auto, said most drivers are not owners of their vehicle. Drivers take them on rent from contractors who may or may not verify the drivers credentials, he said.

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Sedition is a colonial word and means nothing in a democracy. Unless, of course, you wish to undermine democracy by reviving colonial law. One cannot but see the farce that has followed the sudden fear of anti nationalism in recent days. On Friday evening, a BJP spokesperson on a prominent TV channel took it upon himself to repeat on five instances the so-called anti national slogan, with no fear of being charged by the said sedition law. The same evening a very frothing and famous TV anchor displayed the anti national posters to his television audience; again with no fear of the national Indian government.

So here is the problem: If there is an anti-national slogan or poster that is repeated or displayed by presumably a nationalist, it does not invite action under the sedition law? In effect, we are in a bizarre crisis. It doesnt matter what is said as much as who says it. This is, in fact, precisely why sedition is a colonial law and why Indians struggled for independence, democracy and freedom.

Read | JNU row snowballs into political free-for-all; BJP, Oppn trade charges

Judging from how the events unfolded on the JNU campus, one is seriously left wondering if it was not part of a pre-decided script. As if on cue, hordes of ABVP activists suddenly turned up on Rajpath demanding justice against anti-nationalism. A visibly disturbed home minister on a plane flying somewhere loudly worried if slogans could be more dangerous than cross border terrorism. And an education minister, who is normally always following administrative protocol and keeping university autonomy in mind, suddenly almost broke down to the thought of a fragile Mother India wilting to anti-national slogans.

None asked for an inquiry, none wanted a detailed report and there was almost Bollywood-esque clarity about who the bad guys were and what they had done.

Residents of Munirka village protest against anti-national campus misuse in front of JNU in New Delhion Friday. (S Burmaula/ HT Photo)

The Delhi police on order without hesitation sprung upon JNU campus and carried out a desperate search for the purported anti-national sloganeers. Alongside taking a hiatus from catching rapists and other criminals, they arrested the union president, room searched hostels and wrapped themselves firmly around the JNU university gate. Meanwhile, some of the news channels went ecstatic about how anti-nationals were pouring out of JNU class rooms and why one should take their eyes off a falling Sensex, the fact that Barack Obama had just given Pakistan a new fleet of F-16s and how the Pathankot attack is a fast fading memory.

Read | In pics: When politicians joined students protests at JNU

As a former general secretary of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (1989-90), I see a different story here. To me, by using tax payers money to chase anti-national slogans across Indian universities with a bent stick called sedition, two possible plots might be happening. First, the governments much vaunted development agenda is perhaps not getting very far. The jobs never happened and growth seems to be a fiction by numbers. Second, it might also be the case that Prime Minister Modi has lost control of the party with a section going rogue.

JNU is a great place of learning. My PhD there put me on par with some of the best universities in the world. I had the privilege of being accepted for postdocs at Yale University (the education ministers alma mater, we were once told) and at the University of California (Berkeley). I say this not to be immodest but to tell students and parents that if you allow this government to destroy this fantastic university on a trumped-up sense of what is anti-national, you will ruin your own hopes and your own futures. I made it because of JNU and I hope parents will wish well for their children and their future.

(The author, a former student and faculty at JNU, is currently an associate professor at Kyoto University, Japan)
I wanted to meet him. The problem was that I had been told he doesnt see anyone. He is also quite sick, an invalid, confined to his bed. But I had a piece of paper with his address on it and I was standing at his doorstep in an ordinary housing estate near Jinjira Bazar on the fringes of Kolkata.

His name is Subimal Misra. He writes his stories in Bengali; over the last few years his work has appeared in English translation. When I read him for the first time, I saw that his stories rebelled against dominant literary conventions. His stories were anti-stories, a violent mix of fragmentary narratives and essays, even statistics, juxtaposed together to deliver a shocking statement. The bloodier the Naxalite movement in West Bengal grows, Vidyasagars visage gets chopped off again and again, and the more the pavements of Kolkata become infested with sex-magazines.

It was revealing that the first of his translated works carried the following dedication: To Jean-Luc Godard, who taught me language. Like the French filmmaker, Misra offered a montage of images. In one of his celebrated stories, the rotting corpse of a peasants wife keeps appearing in unlikely places, including inside the crate that has brought Gandhis golden statue from America.

No price tags in Bengal: Instead of a price, Misras books only have a suggested exchange amount.

Misras work would have remained unknown to me had it not been for the dedication of his translator, V Ramaswamy. A second volume of Misras stories, Wild Animals Prohibited, has now been published. In these stories too we encounter the characteristic juxtapositions: images of poverty and protest jostle for space with piquant critiques of middle-class pretensions and sexual hypocrisy. News-items, scraps of dialogue, as well as commentary rub against each other, sometimes in stylised and varied font, calling attention to the fact that what we are reading has been written, it is an artifice, and ought to make us think.

It is possible to say that one cannot conceive of the existence of Misras writing without the Naxalbari uprising. The rejection that we see in him of any pious celebration of postcolonial achievements or of the great Indian democracy returns us to the revolt of the late sixties.

But Id be lying if I didnt admit that one of the main reasons I wanted to meet Misra was because of the persona he projects in his interviews. There, we learn that he has never sought mainstream publications, doesnt attend literary festivals, and instead of a price, his books only have a suggested exchange amount. Once, when asked about his goal in writing, Misra said that he didnt have any goals in the commonly understood sense. And added: While watching Sholay, I only wanted to know the name of Gabbar Singhs horse.

Thereby hangs a tale: Misra said that he didnt have any goals in the commonly understood sense. And added: While watching Sholay, I only wanted to know the name of Gabbar Singhs horse.

I read somewhere that Misra had once worked as a lecturer but he had torn up his degrees and started teaching at a school close to Sonagachi, Kolkatas red-light district. In his classes were often the children of prostitutes. Before going to Mishras home, I went to the school where he had once worked, Banga Vidyalaya. A pretty teacher there, one Miss Tudu, told me that her students, often poor and living on the streets, were fast-learners.

In nearby Sonagachi, although it was still morning, women stood in clusters, waiting for customers, their hair still wet from their bath. Men with towels on their shoulders, greed in their eyes, urged me to follow them.

I went to Jinjira Bazar instead. A man outside Misras building told me that Misras sister lived in a flat on the floor above. The sister opened her door and then, after I had introduced myself, asked her husband to go down to find out if Misra would see me. I said, I just want to pay my respects.

Misras flat was small. A female attendant was there too. I entered a small room, its shelves packed with yellowing books, and was then led into the bedroom.

Misra was sitting up in bed, under a pink mosquito net, a quilt drawn around his shoulders. His hands shook when he raised them to return my greeting. His sister, speaking in Bengali, said that Misra had fallen off the bed one night and remained on the floor for hours.

Last year I had taught a course called In-Between Novels. The books in that course were part-essay, part-novel. Included were works by Elizabeth Hardwick (Sleepless Nights), Renata Adler (Speedboat), J.M. Coetzee (Elizabeth Costello), Teju Cole (Open City).

I might have said that I saw that Misras work belonged in that course. I didnt tell him that I was also working on a book like that. I didnt thank him for his work nor did I feel I could ask any questions. Misras brother-in-law took a picture of us together, my head inside the mosquito net beside Misra. Then, I left. He hadnt said a single word.

The Bookist is a monthly column

From HT Brunch, February 14, 2016

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Prime Minister Narendra Modis event in Mumbai to inaugurate the Make in India week kickstarts a packed schedule ahead of the budget session on February 23.

Before facing a hostile Opposition in parliament, Modi will complete at least two farmer rallies and also visit poll-bound West Bengal.

While the Mumbai event was aimed at wooing investors, Modi will visit Madhya Pradeshs Sehore on February 18 and Bargarh in Odisha on February 21. The venues are BJP bastions in their respective states  while Sehore is part of MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhans constituency, Bargarh is in the partys stronghold of Sambalpur.

The rallies are aimed at reaching out to the farming community as a part of the governments plans in the aftermath of the withdrawal of the controversial land acquisition amendment bill.

In West Bengal, Modi will participate in the Kolkata-based Gaudiya Maths centenary celebrations on February 21. Political observers see it as a BJP signal to the Hindu votebank in the state ahead of the assembly elections. Modi will not travel abroad during the session. His office told HT that he will attend few domestic engagements outside Delhi during the session.

Modi had come under attack from the Opposition for his travels abroad. After a defeat in the Bihar elections last year, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had advised him to stop travelling abroad and spend time with farmers.
Amid the raging JNU row, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday asserted that the guilty will not be spared as Left leaders met him questioning police action against students including the arrest of the student union leader.

No question of harassment of students. But the guilty will not be spared, he told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Delhi.

The home ministers statement came after a delegation of Left and JD(U) leaders met him demanding release of JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar who was arrested on Friday on charges of sedition in connection with an event organised on the campus against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

Kanhaiya is member of the CPIs student wing All India Student Federation.

Singh warned of the strongest possible action against those involved in raising anti-India slogans at an event in JNU campus here, saying such activities will not be tolerated.

If anyone raises anti-India slogans, tries to raise questions on the countrys unity and integrity, they will not be spared. Stringent action will be taken against them, he said on Friday.

After meeting the home minister, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury, who was joined by CPI national secretary D Raja and JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi, alleged that the new vice-chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University was acting on the instructions of the government and allowed the police to go ahead with a crackdown.

This is happening across all universities that VCs are being removed and the government is appointing persons who are then acting on their instructions, Yechury said.

However, commissioner BS Bassi assured that the Delhi Police would act without extraneous pressure.

No innocent shall suffer. DP is firmly committed to the rule of law and does not entertain any malice towards anyone, he said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, the parents of the arrested students union leader maintained that their son was not anti-national and was being victimised for his opposition to Hindutva politics.

My son is not anti-national. There is no question of his following an ideology of anti-nationalism. He is a nationalist like hundreds of thousands of youths of his age, Kanhaiya Kumars father Jaishankar Singh, who is suffering from paralysis, said on Saturday.

We are proud of his Left ideology. There is nothing wrong in it. He has been fighting against Right wing politics and now being targeted for it, said Kanhaiyas mother Meena Devi.

His parents live in Maslanpur village of Bihars Begusarai district, considered a stronghold of Left wing or communist politics in the state.

Nonetheless, ex-servicemen who are alumni of JNU threatened to return their degrees, saying they find it difficult to be associated with an institution that has become a hub of anti-national activities.

We are constrained at the ongoing anti-national activities on the university campus like celebration of Afzal Guru day and consider it an affront to be equated with the present student fraternity of the university which is indulging in such anti-national activities, the ex-servicemen of 54th NDA course said in a letter to JNU vice-chancellor Jagdeesh Kumar.

We feel that present activities in JNU campus negate the sacrifices made by past degree holders of the university and would therefore want to return our prized and well earned degrees to your institution if such activities are allowed to be conducted inside the university campus, it added.
Its official. The Bengal unit of the CPI(M) wants to tie up with the Congress for the Assembly polls. The decision was formally conveyed to former general secretary Prakash Karat and Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar at the end of the two-day meet of the Bengal state committee in Kolkata on Saturday.

Karat, Sarkar and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, who came to Delhi on Saturday to address the crisis arising out of the unrest at Jawaharlal Nehru University, attended the meet as representatives of the central leadership. State CPI(M) leaders received a shot in the arm when former Kerala chief minister VS Achuthanandan said that he understood the ground reality in Bengal and supported the demand for alliance with Congress.

But the state units demand will need approval from the central committee, which meets in Delhi on February 17 and 18. The development is significant since a sizeable section of leaders in Kerala want Achuthanandan to contest again as the chief ministerial candidate against the Congress-led United Democratic Front.
An arrest warrant was issued against RJD MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav, after a minor girl filed a complaint of abduction and rape against him on Saturday.

Medical examination of the victim confirms sexual assault.

The warrant was issued after police found the charges leveled against Yadav, a political heavyweight with a criminal record, to be true during preliminary investigations, said DIG (Patna Range) Shalin. The lawmaker is reportedly on the run.

Police have begun investigation in the case and action would be taken against Yadav on the basis of the victims statement. She has identified the place (where she was raped) and him (Yadav), Shalin said.

The rape case has come as an embarrassment for the RJD, an ally in the ruling political combine, as the lawmaker is considered close to the partys top brass, including Lalu Prasad Yadav.

According to the FIR filed on February 6, the victim was taken by three women, including one identified as Sulekha Devi, to a house in Nawada via Bakhtiarpur where she was raped by Yadav.

The next day, the victim was threatened with dire consequences before being sent back to Biharsharief, where she studies.

The victim informed her parents, who in turn filed a complaint with the womens police station.

(With input from agencies)
Failing to abduct a girl with an intent to marry her, a criminal and his associates killed her uncle and injured her father grievously at Jarangi village under Peer police station, nearly 40km east of the district headquarters, late on Thursday night.

The anti-socials also attacked the mother and an aunt of the girl badly. Her father Rambabu is now battling for his life in the Sadar hospital at Muzaffarpur, with doctors saying that the next 24 hours will be crucial.

Police said the incident took place at around 10pm on Thursday when a youth identified as Amresh Thakur reached the girls house with his brother and sister-in-law and tried to pull the girl out of her home.

I was sleeping with my mother when the man brandishing fire arms forcibly tried to drag me out. Meanwhile, my mother Nagina Devi and aunt Tulsi Devi resisted them. It gave me enough time to slip from there, the 18-year-old Anita told the police.

She added that the youth and his associates forcibly took her father and uncle from home at gunpoint and attacked them before leaving them by the wayside, bleeding profusely.

They also threatened to kill all of us if we failed to hand over our daughter to them within 24 hours, said Nagina Devi, who works as cook at a local government middle school.

Narrating their woe, Nagina said that the anti-socials dumped the body of Vijay Chaudhury and Rambabu. We found Vijay dead, while my husband Ram Babu was seriously injured. Co-villagers and police officials took my husband and us to the Sadar hospital at Muzaffarpur, she said.

Meanwhile, the gruesome incident prompted police officials to rush to the spot where they set up a camp.

Senior superintendent of police RK Mishra confirming the incident said the two suspects had already been picked up and a carbine, two regular pistols, a magazine and seven empty cartridges, apart from two motorbikes used in the incident, were recovered from their possession.

The SSP said a cousin brother of the girl was also suspected to have played a dirty role in the episode. Raju Thakur, the cousin, had assured the mastermind of the incident, Amresh, of getting him married to his sister nearly six months ago, he said.

Raju came in contact with Amresh nearly a year ago when he started working for the latter. But he was arrested by Peer police a couple of months ago while planning a bank loot. He landed up in the same jail and became friends with Amresh, who also had been nabbed in a bank loot case.

The SSP said Amresh had started putting pressure on Anitas family to marry her to him but, every time he got a negative response. This infuriated him.

We have arrested Santosh Thakur and his wife Nutan Devi, respectively brother and sister-in-law of Amresh Thakur, who is an infamous criminal. Amresh had come out from jail on bail in November 2015, said the SSP, adding that raids were on to nab him.
Chief Justice of India TS Thakur has written to chief justices of all the 24 high courts to recommend names of deserving candidates to fill 400 posts of judges lying vacant for over a year.

The Supreme Court collegium led by the CJI has already cleared the names of 120 candidates for appointment in various high courts after a constitution bench declared the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) unconstitutional in October last year, sources privy to the judicial appointment process told HT.

Of the 120 appointments cleared by the collegium, almost half were confirmation of additional judges as permanent judges while the rest were fresh appointments as additional judges, the sources said, adding the highest number of names rejected were from the Allahabad high court.

A good number of names were rejected by the collegium as it didnt find them up to mark, one of the sources said.

The process for these 120 appointments was initiated before the creation of NJAC that aimed to give a greater say to the executive in judicial appointments but it remained in limbo during the pendency of petitions against NJAC. A constitution bench of the SC had on October 16, 2015 revived the collegium system under which judges appoint judges.

Out of the 400 judges posts, 60 have already been filled and by the way things are moving around 100-120 more appointments can take place during 2016. Still more than 200 posts could remain vacant, the source added.

The collegium has also transferred an unusually large number of high court judges, including four from the Delhi high court.

In January, the five-member collegium  also comprising justices AR Dave, JS Kehar, Dipak Misra and J Chelameswar  had in principle agreed to start the process without necessarily waiting for the Centre to prepare a fresh memorandum of procedure (MoP) for fixing the eligibility and other criteria for the judges.

MoP is an administrative mechanism set up after a 1998 verdict that upheld the collegium system for appointing judges. On December 16, a constitution bench headed by Justice Kehar directed the Centre to evolve a new mechanism to usher in transparency in the appointment procedure.

Sources said the MoP is likely to take time because the law ministry is still in the process of eliciting views of different state governments, bar councils and other stake holders on the issue. Also, the government has not set any deadline for itself to complete the task.

During the meeting, collegium members felt that disposal of cases had suffered due to the stalemate in the appointments. There are just over 600 judges working in 24 HCs as against a sanctioned strength of 1,044. At present 45 lakh cases are awaiting a final decision in these HCs.

The top court, which has a sanctioned strength of 31, is itself short of five judges. This year 6 judges are due for retirement and if appointments are not made the actual strength might come down to just 20.
The Congress and DMK announced on Saturday an alliance to fight the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, reviving a partnership three years after they parted ways on a bitter note.

DMK and Congress will fight (the) Tamil Nadu assembly elections in alliance, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said in Chennai after meeting the state partys patriarch M Karunanidhi at his residence.

The 92-year-old patriarch of the state party, who was present during Azads press briefing, later tweeted a photograph of the meeting.

Elections to the 234-seat Tamil Nadu assembly are slated to be held this year. The DMK had invited the Congress for the talks in an effort to cobble up an alliance to take on the ruling AIADMK led by chief minister Jayalalithaa.

We are very sure of forming the next government under the leadership of Karunanidhi, along with other parties, the senior Congress leader said.

Alliance with Congress is finalised, we haven't spoken about seats: MK Stalin, DMK on Tamil Nadu assembly polls pic.twitter.com/jSeV4T7PkN  ANI (@ANI_news) February 13, 2016

Sources said the talks were held in a very cordial atmosphere, in stark contrast to the mood that prevailed in the DMK before it pulled out of the UPA alliance in 2013 to protest the then Manmohan Singh governments stand on the Sri Lanka human rights issue at the United Nations.

Azad was received by MK Stalin, Karunanidhis heir apparent, at the Gopalapuram residence, where his half sister and Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi was also present during the talks that lasted about an hour.

Asked as to how many seats the Congress would contest, Azad said that these were matter of detail and would be decided later.

Stalin said the Congress left it to our party to decide which other partners to be taken as allies.

Sources indicated that the Congress will attempt to drive a hard bargain as a beleaguered DMK is already bearing the brunt of an ongoing feud between Karunanidhis sons MK Alagiri and MK Stalin.

The southern partys popularity has been on the decline after its drubbing in the 2011 assembly polls followed by the complete rout in the 2014 parliamentary elections.

The AIADMK had swept both the polls. It bagged 150 of the 234 seats in the 2011 assembly polls with a vote share of 30.4%, which increased to 44.3% in 2014 general elections in which the party won 37 out of the 39 Lok Sabha seats.

On the other hand, the DMK won 23 seats in 2011 and its vote share stood at 22.39% which increased to 23.4% in 2014 but suffered a major jolt as it drew a blank. The Congress vote share of 9.3% in 2011 gave it five seats but the party failed to win a seat in 2014 as it secured 4.3% of votes.

The DMK was a part of the ruling UPA for almost nine years before pulling out of it in March 2013.

The Congress has been out of power in Tamil Nadu for nearly five decades.

Congress leaders hope that the alliance will reap rich electoral dividends as had happened in 2004, 2006 and 2009 polls. The DMK-Congress combine won all the 39 Lok Sabha seats in 2004 parliamentary elections, and also formed the government in the state in 2006. The alliance performed reasonably well in 2009 general elections in which it won 28 seats.

Read More | A look at party prospects as four states begin run up to 2016 polls
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday evening was shown black flags during his visit to the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus to meet students protesting for the release of Student Union president Kanhaiya Kumar.

The protestors also raised slogans of Rahul Gandhi go back.

Reacting to the protests against him by some ABVP students, the Congress vice president said, People who showed black flag on my face, I feel proud that in my country they have the right to show black flag in front of my face.

He also said that he was open for a discussion on any issues with them.

Anti-India sentiments are unquestionably unacceptable. But the right to dissent and debate is an essential ingredient of any democracy. The Modi government and the ABVP bullying an institution like JNU, simply because it wont follow their line, is condemnable. The most anti-national people are the ones who are suppressing the voice of this institution, he said, addressing a gathering of around 2,000 students.

WATCH: Black flag shown, slogan "Rahul Gandhi Go Back" being raised in #JNU campushttps://t.co/hgXCuv0slS  ANI (@ANI_news) February 13, 2016

The Congress vice-president drew parallels between the Narendra Modi government and dictator Adolf Hitlers regime over JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumars arrest in a sedition case.

Gandhi said if Hitler had listened to different views, then Germany would not have gone through so much pain.

There was a person in Germany called Hitler who termed himself as the greatest nationalist and didnt listen to differing views. Hitler destroyed millions of people, he said.

Gandhi then asked the students to not give in. Dont let those bullies push you around. They are terrified of poor, weak Indian people getting a voice. Question them at every single step, he said.

Gandhi also underlined the similarities between the Rohith Vemula suicide case at the Hyderabad University and actions being taken against JNU students.

Besides Rahul, several leaders of the Congress and the Left parties, including deputy leader of Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma, CPM politburo member Sitaram Yechury, CPI leader D Raja, were present at campus.

Scores of students have been demanding the release of Kumar, who was sent to a three-day police custody on Friday.

Gandhi had on Friday said that the Modi government is bullying an institution like the Jawaharlal Nehru University and it is completely condemnable.

Read | As JNU row rages on, Rajnath asserts guilty will not be spared

Earlier in the day, more than two thousand students  accompanied by teachers and politicians  assembled inside the university campus to hold a public meeting to demand the release of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar.

Kumar had been arrested on Friday on charges of sedition and the students said their protests will continue till he was released.

Students from various left organization, including AISA, AISF, and SFI took part in Saturdays protest. We will go on an indefinite strike from Monday till Kumar is released, said Lenin, former JNUSU President.

The students said that just before the event started, the university had cancelled their permission to use a microphone for the event.

JNU officials said the protesters had not taken permission for the use of a mic.
Several members of the CPI(M) said they were in favour of a tie up with the Congress for the Bengal assembly elections later this year, defying many of their colleagues during a two-day Bengal state committee meeting that began Friday.

The meeting of the Bengal unit began on Friday in the presence of party general-secretary Sitaram Yechury, Prakash Karat and Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar.

The politburo will discuss the issue in Delhi on February 16 and place it before the central committee for a final decision.

The days proceedings started on a bitter note as banners and posters against the tie-up plastered the entrance of Alimuddin Street, the meetings venue. The local party workers, however, dismissed these as pranks by troublemakers.

Karats presence at the meeting was crucial since he has many followers among central committee members from Kerala where elections will take place around the same time as Bengal. Pitted against the Congress-led United Democratic Front, the CPI(M)s Kerala unit is strongly opposed to their Bengal comrades decision.

At the closed-door meeting, many of the Bengal state committee members felt a tie-up may send wrong signals to the electorate.

Even Left Front chairman Biman Bose was skeptical. He said the CPI(M) had never compromised with its ideology and even Left Front partners shared similar view. But he admitted that the Marxists were faced with a tough battle, a state committee member told HT.

But a number of state committee members said the mood among party workers was in favour of working with other parties to take on the Trinamool.
At a campaign rally in a north Indian city, a visibly drunk election worker from Prime Minister Narendra Modis Bharatiya Janata Party climbs unsteadily onto the stage after being called to speak.

Swaying, he unzips his leather jacket, drops a saffron party flag, and declares I want to teach Muslims a lesson; a lesson that will prove Hindu unity and protect our religion from Islam.

A year before Uttar Pradesh holds a state election that could make or break Modis chances of a second term, political opponents, analysts and commentators say his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is retesting a divisive formula at a by-election on Saturday in a troubled corner of Indias most populous state.

It was here in Muzaffarnagar, in 2013, that at least 65 people were killed in communal clashes between Hindus and Muslims. Around 12,000 people were driven from their homes in the surrounding villages where farmers grow sugarcane.

Read: Muzaffarnagar riots: Bailable warrant against Union minister, BJP leaders

The following year, the BJP won 71 of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh in a general election, handing Modi Indias biggest parliamentary majority in three decades.

Despite two major state poll defeats since, the BJP recently re-appointed Amit Shah as its campaign manager, counting on him to win again in the 2017 regional vote.

Read: Bihar results: Congress, RJD gain big as Nitish trumps Modis BJP

Shah, who holds the rank of party president, was banned by the Election Commission of India from campaigning in 2014 for statements promoting hatred and ill will between religions.

A senior aide to Shah told Reuters the Muzaffarnagar campaign raised legitimate issues to expose the flaws of the state government, led by the left-wing Samajwadi Party that is widely supported by Muslim voters. Its not illegal to voice the concerns of Hindus, said the aide, who did not want to be named.

Homes burnt and looted at Bahawadi village, in Muzaffarnagar, where Hindu-Muslim riots broke out in September 2013. (HT Photo)

To assume that we will only win elections by polarisation is ridiculous. Our work will prove a point and Modis image will work the best for us.

All-out attempt

At the BJP rally in Muzaffarnagar, a town of 300,000 people, a businessman chants a Hindu prayer and, to cheers, says girls should not fall for Muslim boys waging a Love Jihad against thei community.

As the party worker totters off the wobbly podium, he gets a pat on the back from Sanjeev Balyan, the Union agriculture minister who was elected as the local member of Parliament in the 2014 landslide.

A file photo of Ram Vilas Paswan (R) and Sanjeev Kumar Balyan (L). Balyan, 42, has described the Muzaffarnagar by-election as being crucial to protecting Hindus. (HT Photo)

Balyan, 42, is being tried in a Muzaffarnagar court for rioting, disturbing the peace and unlawful assembly during the 2013 clashes, his lawyer said. He spent 12 days in prison before being granted bail. Further hearings are pending, and Balyan has pleaded his innocence.

With this reporter present, Balyan gives no speech; only expressing gratitude to his voters. Asked later by Reuters about the broader significance of the Muzaffarnagar by-election for Hindu unity and for Uttar Pradesh, he described it as a prelude to an all-out final attempt to protect Hindus.

Biggest Prize

Modi must win in Uttar Pradesh, Indias biggest electoral prize, to sustain his hope of one day gaining full control of Parliament, where he lacks a majority in the Rajya Sabha that represents the states.

A victory there would help the 65-year-old leader advance his development agenda by passing land, tax and labour reforms that have been thwarted by the Opposition.

Defeat could turn his government into a lame duck ahead of the 2019 General Election.

With Modis promise of growth and jobs yet to materialise, the temptation to shore up his political base is growing, say political analysts.

Read: Moodys warns Modi: Rein in BJP members or risk losing credibility

The party has nothing to boast about on the economic or development front, said Sanjay Kumar, director of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, a New Delhi think-tank specialising in social sciences and opinion research. If polarisation works, then they will be tempted to replicate it in the 2017 state elections.

Party leaders say the BJP is determined to keep its base intact with a message of Hindutva, or the idea that India is a Hindu nation.

Many people are taken aback by the directness of the BJPs Hindutva messaging in the Muzaffarnagar by-election, but we are only speaking the truth, Chandra Mohan, a BJP spokesman in Lucknow, told Reuters by telephone.

Hindus make up nearly 80% of Indias 1.3 billion people. Uttar Pradesh, home to one in six of the population, is also predominantly Hindu. But, in the west of the state, Muslims are in a slight majority.

The BJP has mastered the art of winning elections by labelling Muslims as terrorists and traitors, said Sajida Khatoon, a 54-year-old Muslim whose brother and eight neighbours were killed in 2013.

She says she has warned her two teenage sons to avoid Hindu youths and not get involved with Hindu girls. Theyre at an age when they easily get attracted to girls, but a Muslim falling in love with a Hindu can lead to riots here.
At least seven people were killed and over 30 others were injured after a Gujarat state transport bus overturned near Luvara village in Amreli district on Saturday morning, police said.

Seven people died and 30 others sustained injuries when the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation bus turned turtle after the driver failed to negotiate a sharp turn. The incident took place near Luvara village in Savarkundla taluka, a police official from Amreli district said.

The bus was heading to Mahua in Bhavnagar district from Upleta in Rajkot district when the incident took place, he said, adding the injured have been shifted to various hospitals in Savarkundla and Amreli.

Chief minister Anandiben Patel expressed grief over the incident and announced Rs 4 lakh compensation to the kin of the deceased. She also declared that state government will bear the medical expenses of injured people.

I have spoken to the Collector & directed officials to expedite rescue operations and ensure immediate medical assistance to the passengers.  Anandiben Patel (@anandibenpatel) February 13, 2016

In Gandhinagar, transport minister Vijay Rupani said that doctors and nursing staff have been rushed to Savarkundla from nearby towns to treat the injured patients.

After bus accident near Savarkundla Immediately Visited injured passengers undergoing treatment at Amreli hospital. pic.twitter.com/Y0PFOjl4C4  Vijay Rupani (@vijayrupanibjp) February 13, 2016

Further investigation is on.
India on Saturday expressed disappointment over US administrations decision to sell eight F16 fighter jets to Pakistan, saying it disagrees that such arms transfers will help combat terrorism.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar summoned US Ambassador Richard Verma to convey Indias displeasure.

US Ambassador Richard Verma leaves South Block (Delhi) after being summoned by MEA. pic.twitter.com/XBeJzpJ3jJ  ANI (@ANI_news) February 13, 2016

We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama Administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircrafts to Pakistan. We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism, the external affairs ministry said in a statement.

.The Pentagons Defense Security Cooperation Agency said it had notified lawmakers about the possible sale on Thursday. It said the sale would improve Pakistans capability to meet current and future security threats.

Following the US announcement, Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday expressed disappointed over the decision of Obama administration to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism, Vikas Swarup, a spokesman for Indias Foreign Ministry, said on Twitter.

We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama Administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircrafts to Pakistan pic.twitter.com/NGdrAL2m9i  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) February 13, 2016

F-16s would allow Pakistans Air Force to operate in all-weather environments and at night, while improving its self-defense capability and bolstering its ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations.

US lawmakers have 30 days to block the sale, although such action is rare since deals are well-vetted before any formal notification.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker notified the Obama administration that he would not approve using US funds to pay for the planes through the foreign military financing (FMF) program. That means Pakistan must fund the purchase itself, instead of relying on U.S. funds to cover about 46 percent of the cost.

Given the funds it has available, Pakistan may be able to buy only four of the F-16 Block 52 models, and the associated radar and electronic warfare equipment, said one U.S. source familiar with the situation.

Corker told Secretary of State John Kerry in a letter that he was concerned about Pakistans ties to the Haqqani network, a militant group that U.S. officials have said is behind attacks in Afghanistan.

I may reconsider my blanket hold on US FMF assistance should the Pakistanis make progress on addressing my significant concerns about their support for the Haqqani network, but for now, if they wish to purchase this military equipment, they will do so without a subsidy from the American taxpayer, he wrote.

One U.S. official said the administration was convinced that F-16s were the right platform to support Pakistans counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations.

These operations reduce the ability of militants to use Pakistani territory as a safe haven for terrorism and a base of support for the insurgency in Afghanistan, which is in the national interests of both Pakistan and the United States, and in the interest of the region more broadly, the official said.

Lockheed referred questions about the deal to the US government.
Nobel Laureate and economist Amartya Sen on Friday said India as a nation had become too tolerant of intolerance.

Delivering the Rajendra Mathur Memorial Lecture organized by the Editors Guild of India memorial lecture , Sen said the Indians have enough reasons to be proud of their traditional tolerance and plurality but have to work hard to preserve it

The problem is not that Indians have turned intolerant. In fact to the contrary we have been much too tolerant of intolerance, he said.

Talking about the recent attacks on writers and scholars Sen said when people in minority (of scholarship of community) are attacked by organized detractors they need countrys support.

This I am afraid not happening adequately right now and this did not happen adequately earlier as well. But then it did not start with the present government though it has added substantially to restrictions already there, he said while delivering a lecture on The Centrality of the Right to Dissent .

Recounting how M F Hussain, the acclaimed painter, was hounded out of this country by relentless persecution led by a small organized group, Sen said it did not get the kind of support that could have stopped his migration.

In this case however the Indian government at least was not involved though it could have easily protected Hussain. Indian governments complicity however was much more direct when India became the first country in the world to ban Salman Rushdies Satanic Verses, he said.

Referring to the Dadri incident in which Mohammad Akhlaq Saifi was lynched by a mob for allegedly storing beef in his home last year Sen said the Constitution does not have anything against anyone eating beef, storing it in the refrigerator even if there are some people who are offended by other peoples food habits.

Murders have occurred on account of hurt sentiments arising from private eating, he said.

Sen said most Indians, including Hindus like him, accept the food habits of those belonging to other groups and are familiar and tolerant of other peoples religious beliefs.

Citing solution to the prevailing situation of intolerance he said it could be done by first, blaming the Indian Constitution for what it does not say, second to not allow some of the colonial rules under the Indian Penal Code go unchallenged and third that we should not be tolerant about intolerance which undermines our democracy.
At least five militants and two soldiers have been killed in an ongoing gunbattle at a remote village in north Kashmirs Kupwara district, some 115 km from here.

A police official said that the encounter begin on Friday after they received information about presence of militants in Marsarri village in Chowkibal area of Kupwara. The operation was stopped in the night and resumed in the morning, he said.

It ended on Saturday afternoon after the house in which the militants were hiding was completely destroyed in the gunfight.

Deputy inspector general of police, north Kashmir, Gareeb Das told HT that four army soldiers have been injured in the operation.

Two jawans were critically injured in the initial contact and they have succumbed to their injuries. An officer and another jawan have also received some minor injuries, he said.

The slain soldiers have been identified as Naik Shinde Shankar Chandrabhan(34), a resident of Nasik in Maharashtra and Gunner Sahadev Maruti More(26) from Bijapur in Karnataka.

Senior superintendent of police, Kupwara, Aijaz Ahmad Bhat, said that the five slain militants were part of a group of Jaish-e-Mohammad who were roaming the district for the past few days.

Officials said that a huge cache of arms and ammunition have also been recovered from the site including five AK-47 rifles, 25 magazines, one radio set, grenades, sleeping bags, shoes, and white jackets to camouflage in the snow.

The village, where the encounter is going on, is situated in a remote corner of the district, some 30 km from the main Kupwara town, and is nestled in a hilly region surrounded by forests.

At least three Lashkar-e-Taiba militants, including a top commander, were killed in an encounter with security forces in the districts Dardpora village on January 29.
The arrest of a Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader on sedition charges snowballed into a political free-for-all on Saturday with Opposition parties likening the situation to the Emergency and the ruling BJP accusing them of speaking the language of Pakistani terrorists.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi joined protesters on the JNU campus demanding the release of student union president Kanhaiya Kumar while visiting Left leader Sitaram Yechury said the central government was looking for excuses to crack down on students opposed to it ideologically.

Concurrent with the police action administered by the home ministry, the Delhi government initiated a magisterial probe into the alleged shouting of anti-national slogans at a campus event. There are claims that JNU student leaders shouted anti-India slogans and counter claims that ABVP activists did it. To find truth, Del govt is directing DM to conduct an enquiry, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted.

The BJP hit back at Rahul Gandhi for throwing his weight behind the protesters. Rahul Gandhi and his friends are speaking in the voice LeT terrorist Hafiz Saeed who had tweeted in support of the anti-India event in JNU, BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said.

Party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said efforts to give ideological cover to violence and anti-India activities could not be allowed. The way foul language was used against the Prime Minister... a group of students is trying to damage the dignity of an institution like JNU in the name of cultural agitation, he said.

Students and teachers held a public meeting demanding Kanhaiyas release. Organising themselves under the banner of Save JNU, professors and former union members addressed students.

Before the event started, the university withdrew permission to use a microphone. Gandhi, who joined the students along with Congress leader Ajay Maken, said he was proud that he could be freely shown black flags, referring to a group of students affiliated to the ABVP protesting against his visit.

People who showed black flag on my face, I feel proud that in my country they have the right to show black flag in front of my face, the Congress vice-president said. Only message to you from me: Dont let these bullies push you around. He said the most anti-national people were the ones suppressing the voice of the institution.

JNU students show black flag to Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi who joined the protest demanding the release of Student Union president Kanhaiya Kumar at Jawaharlal Nehru University, in New Delhi on Saturday, February 13, 2016. (Vipin Kumar / HT Photo )

Yechury said the sedition law had been misused by the British. Remember Bhagat Singh was hanged for sedition. I cannot believe that students, teachers or karamcharis can be anti-national, he said. Yechury said he told home minister Rajnath Singh the present situation was worse than that during the Emergency.

The Aam Aadmi Party said the Modi government was anti-student even as Kejriwal said anti-national activity should not be tolerated.

Read | Kejriwal orders magisterial inquiry into JNU incident

Some of the developments in the entire episode smack of an ABVP conspiracy behind it. A pattern is emerging starting from FTII to Rohith Vemula, and now JNU. The way the voice of students is being muzzled with the might of the baton, it mirrors the anti-student approach of the Modi government, a statement from the party said.

No anti-national activity shud be tolerated under any circumstances. Those who did it must be identified and punished, Kejriwal tweeted.

CPM leader Sitaram Yechury addresses the students protesing over the release of Student Union president Kanhaiya Kumar at Jawaharlal Nehru University, in New Delhi on Saturday, February 13, 2016. (Vipin Kumar / HT Times)

Kanhaiyas parents maintained that their son was not anti-national and was being victimised for his opposition to Hindutva politics.

My son is not anti-national. There is no question of his following an ideology of anti-nationalism. He is a nationalist like hundreds of thousands of youths of his age, Kanhaiyas father Jaishankar Singh, who is suffering from paralysis, said.

We are proud of his Left ideology. There is nothing wrong in it. He has been fighting against Right-wing politics and is now being targeted for it, Kanhaiyas mother Meena Devi said.

Ex-servicemen who are JNU alumni threatened to return their degrees, saying they find it difficult to be associated with an institution that has become a hub of anti-national activities.

Read | JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar victim of Hindutva politics say parents

Read | As JNU row rages on, Rajnath asserts guilty will not be spared
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the Make in India Week at NSCI, Worli, a flagship event designed to impart greater momentum to the initiative to boost the manufacturing sector in the country.

The Make in India Week is aimed at showcasing to the world the achievements of the nation in the manufacturing sector and promote India as a preferred manufacturing destination.

Over the course of the week, it will offer access, insights and opportunities to connect and collaborate with India and global industry leaders, academicians, central and state administrations, the release added.

Highlights

7 pm: This century is Asias century. My advice is to make India your centre if you want this century to be your century, says PM Modi.

7 pm: Some friendly advice to industries from PM Modi: Dont wait, dont relax. There are immense opportunities in India: PM Modi

6.55 pm: India is blessed with 3 Ds: Demand, Demography and Democracy. We have added a fourth one- Deregulation, says Modi.

Live: #MakeInIndia aims at a cleaner and greener progress, says PM Modi https://t.co/NRaFnLOx8K pic.twitter.com/YqMJ0DuzHm  Hindustan Times (@htTweets) February 13, 2016

6.55 pm: We have made our systems cleaner, simpler, proactive and business friendly: PM Modi

There is no time for incremental changes. We are looking at a quantum jump, in a cleaner and greener way: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/TOKCG3SGe1  Hindustan Times (@htTweets) February 13, 2016

6.50 pm: We are keen to scale up investments in next generation infra: Roads, railways, digital networks, clean energy: PM Modi

In 2014-15 India contributed 12.5% to global growth, 68% higher than its share of world economy: Modi #MakeInIndia pic.twitter.com/tUU5HQYu2c  Hindustan Times (@htTweets) February 13, 2016

6.45 pm: Indias highest ever generation of electricity was recorded in 2015: PM Modi

6.42 pm: Our FDI inflow has grown by 48% since the day my government came into office: PM Modi

6.40 pm: Make in India week is the largest multi-cultural event held in India. Make in India has captured the imagination of investors, businessmen and politicians, says PM Narendra Modi.

6.30 pm: Time India awards announced. Winners:

Best in class manufacturing: Tata Steel

Innovator of the year: Hero MotoCorp

Young innovators of the year: Yogesh and Rajesh Agarwal of Ajanta Pharma

6.25 pm: Make in India has strong link to manufacturing, for which, Finland and India both have ideas and innovation: Juha Sipila

Being among business people makes me feel at home here: Finland PM Juha Sipila #MakeInIndia pic.twitter.com/IqO3qwbE5Q  Hindustan Times (@htTweets) February 13, 2016

6.20 pm: Renewable energy is the call of the future. India needs it, Finland needs it, the world needs it: Finland prime minister Juha Sipila

6.10 pm: Sweden wants to be a part in the transformation of the Indian economy, says Swedish PM Stefan Lofven.

6 pm: A plethora of performances showcasing the cultures of various states on display at the Make in India event.

5.55 pm: India shall no longer be known as a country of red tape, but as a country of red carpet, says Nirmala Sitharaman.

Our manufacturing policy seeks to increase the contribution of manufacturing to India's GDP: Nirmala Sitharaman https://t.co/NRaFnLOx8K  Hindustan Times (@htTweets) February 13, 2016

5.48 pm: Cisco executive chairman John Chambers says India better positioned than all its counterparts.

India will jump ahead of its counterparts in terms of leadership, innovation: John Chambers, exec chairman Cisco pic.twitter.com/WjHGoNchIk  Hindustan Times (@htTweets) February 13, 2016

5.42 pm: Have decided to turn Mumbai into an international financial services centre: Maharashtra CM Fadnavis.

Maharashtra accounts for highest amount of FDI in the country. No investor has to run from pillar to post: Fadnavis pic.twitter.com/3jpnfhYyY4  Hindustan Times (@htTweets) February 13, 2016

5.40 pm: Maharashtra is the powerhouse of India, contributing to GDP, exports and FDI inflows, says Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Government delegations from 49 countries and business delegations from 68 countries are slated to attend the event.

On his arrival at the airport on Saturday, Prime Minister was received by Maharashtra Governor CV Rao and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Earlier on Saturday, Modi also inaugrated the Make in India centre at the Bandra Kurla complex in Mumbai.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday inaugurate the Make in India Week 2016 being organised to give further momentum to the initiative, which has seen the country trump the US and China by attracting FDI worth $31 billion in the first half of 2015.

Leaving for Mumbai where I will attend various programmes through the day. https://t.co/KptcJFCfnV  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 13, 2016

The prime ministers of Finland, Lithuania and Sweden will be among the top dignitaries from across the world who will be attending the Make in India Week being held from February 13 to 18, the Prime Ministers Office said in a statement in the national capital.

Billed as the biggest promotional effort so far in the country of the governments Make in India initiative, over 1,000 companies are expected to showcase their achievements at the event, which is themed Innovation, Design and Sustainability.

Around 70 countries will participate in the event, to be held at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai. Among these, Australia is sending delegation of 30 government and business leaders representing a range of expertise in multiple sectors.

The event will also have various states and sectors making a pitch for investments through specially organised seminars.

During the event, Americas Time magazine will for the first time give away their Time India Awards selected under the three separate categories of innovation, entrepreneurship and intelligent manufacturing.

US-based Forbes magazine in their latest annual list of the best countries for doing business in 2015 has ranked India 97th out of 144 nations, behind Kazakhstan and Ghana, scoring poorly on categories like trade and monetary freedom and tackling challenges like corruption and violence.

Forbes said that while the country is developing into an open-market economy, traces of its past autarkic policies remain.
Narpatganj police in Araria district have registered a case in which teachers of a school have allegedly beaten to death a 50-year-old for demanding mid-day meal at school for his daughter, who was denied it.

Mohammad Sagir (50), a resident of Gokhlapur village, had gone to meet teachers of government primary school at Balu Tol where his daughter studied to register a complaint that she had been denied the mid-day meal allowed to all students.

As soon as he complained, teachers attacked him and beat him up. Sagir collapsed on the spot and died soon after. Police said the incident happened on Wednesday afternoon, but could come to light only on Thursday.

As per officials, mid-day meal is served in 1918 primary and secondary schools in Araria district with close to a lakh student beneficiaries.

Kashida Khatun a student of Class 5 and the deceased Sagirs daughter, said: As soon as my father spoke to teachers about the denial of MDM, they started attacking him with their feet and hands.

Mohamad Riyaz, the victims son, alleged that they targeted the private parts of his father, which might have been the cause of his death.

Police have registered an FIR against school headmaster Mohammad Mastan, two assistant teachers and a cook on the basis of the complaint of Riyaz.

Confirming the FIR, Narpatganj SHO P K Praveen said, Police have registered an FIR against four persons and a manhunt has been launched to arrest the accused. He said no arrests had been made so far.

Other teachers, however, said that their colleagues were innocent and had fallen victim to a conspiracy by Sagir.

Araria district education officer Faiyazul Rahman, however, expressed ignorance about the incident.
A prompt wedding will be forced upon couples found celebrating Valentines Day in Ramgarh. A Jharkhand district unit of the Bajrang Dal has even formed 10 raiding teams to catch such couples.

Bajrang Dal in a meeting on Friday evening at the districts Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) office announced that it will have ready mandaps to marry off couples caught in parks and other public areas celebrating February 14.

Irony is that the state VHP has decided neither to protest nor go after couples celebrating the day this year.

This is an independent decision of the Ramgarh Bajrang Dal. Though we morally oppose vulgar shows on Valentine Day, this year we would not take to streets to protest holding of the day, said senior functionary Jharkhand VHP Mritunjay Singh.

The Ramgarhs unit decision also comes when the Bajrang Dal and the Shiv Sena on Thursday announced that it will not harass couples.

Cost of marriage to be borne by Bajrang Dal

Deepak Mishra, coordinator of the Bajrang Dal in Ramgarh, said that they have installed a stage for the Mandap and also hired a priest to conduct the marriage at their office.

Mishra added that the items for Hawan Kund (auspicious fire) and other things associated with solemnisation of marriage are kept ready. The cost of the marriage will be borne by us, he said.

How the raiding teams would work

Ramgarh Bajrang Dal members said that each team will comprise of 10 workers. These team will keep vigil at all the important points in the town including noted Puri park, hotel and restaurants, cinema halls and college areas.

If anyone is caught red handed, we will bring the couple to scheduled place and perform the marriage, said Mishra.

Members unanimously agreed in the meeting that Valentines Day was an obscene celebration and was being promoted by the westerners to break ethics of Indian culture.

It is an obscene festival of western society. Under a conspiracy, this bad culture is being fueled in India. Our culture is thousands of years old and it a pious culture of entire world. We dont support western obscene culture, said Chhotu Verma, an active member of Bajrang Dal.
Sixty Indian scientists from across nine Indian institutes are involved in the experiment that led to the discovery of the gravitational wave as predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago.

HT caught up with the leading lights in dull-grey jackets that read Listening to Cosmic Whispers at Punes Inter University of Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA).

MEET THE SCIENTISTS





Sanjeev Dhurandhar, 64 | Emeritus professor, IUCAA, Pune (Special arrangement )

As a PhD student in his early thirties in Bangalore, Sanjeev Dhurandhar made a presentation seeking funds for a science project that was unheard in 1988-1989  to build the worlds biggest100-metre interferometer to detect gravitational waves. A senior astronomer told him he lacked credibility and he didnt get funding.

Interferometers are investigative tools used in many fields of science and engineering, according to this website. They are called interferometers because they work by merging two or more sources of light to create an interference pattern, which can be measured and analysed; hence Interfere-ometer.

Today, Dhurandhar is referred to as the pillar holding up Indias gravitational wave research. Gravitational waves fascinated me since it was a good combination of both theoretical and experimental aspect. There was no technology then to detect these waves because they are so feeble though they had a lot of energy, said Dhurandhar. The project never got the funding.

Realising that this field of astrophysics would be the next frontier in science, Dhurandhar went on to develop novel algorithms on how to extract gravitational wave signals from the noise created from sources such as black holes, and how to do it with several detectors  all of this was used for the discovery of the gravitational wave.

I wasnt sure if the discovery would come through in my lifetime, said an elated Dhurandhar, who has built a strong data analysis group in IUCAA over 25 years.

Parameswaran Ajith, 35 | Leads astrophysical relativity group, International Centre for Theoretical Sciences  Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore (Special arrangement)

Parameswaran Ajith was on a vacation in Kerala in September 2015 when he received a call from his colleagues informing him of a trigger in the LIGO detectors that looked like it was from a binary black hole. Ajith cut short his vacation. The next three weeks were pretty sleepless till we got out the first results. Our preliminary results were out in ten days which then went in for further revision and review, he recalled.

Just three months before the discovery, the group at ICTS-TIFR had written a paper laying down the method to infer the mass and spin of the black holes that determines the shape of the gravitational wave. We used simulations to infer the mass and spin of the final black hole mass which went into the paper. But at that time we didnt imagine we would receive the signal in September, said Ajith. It was a coincidence. I am feeling relaxed now.

Anand Sengupta, 40 | Faculty, Physics, Indian Institute of Technology  Gandhinagar (Special arrangement)

When Anand Sengupta received the news of the first gravitational wave, he thought it was an injection. I thought it was a textbook injection to ensure that search groups are doing their job, protocols are in place for due diligence and checks are being done by running various programmes, laughed Sengupta. I didnt believe it at first, and then I was zapped.

His group worked on matched filtering algorithm to pull out weak signals. Basically, central to the search analysis pipeline is a part when the signals from two interferometers are compared against each other to make sure they are generated from astrophysical sources, said Sengupta. We developed an algorithm to figure out how signals are compared across the detectors.

The group is now working on algorithm that can separate background noise from the true gravitational wave event using machine learning.

Sengupta summed up, While historic, this is an isolated discovery. We need more detections and also locate sources using other telescopes.

Archana Pai, 42 | Faculty, physics, Indian Institute of Science Research and Education, Thiruvananthpuram

More than the event, what is even more significant for Archana Pai is the fact that gravitational wave was discovered in the 100th year since Albert Einstein first predicted it. We did have an idea that detecting gravitational wave needed sensitivity and that would happen in the advanced LIGO. The first detection wasnt however expected this soon, said Pai.

Pai added, It was a surprise, and we started following what the data is trying to tell. The images were quite unbelievable at the first time and we did a series of checks to see if it was worth following.

Having developed algorithms for detecting gravitational waves from double neutron stars and black holes, Pais group tested gravitational wave from the event and found it consistent with the Einsteins theory of general relativity.

Detection science is parallel with developing algorithms. Theorists study wave forms, scientists develop algorithms for different kinds of sources, and engineers work on detectors. The quest has been a journey that will continue, said Pai.

For India, according Pai, it is a new way of looking at the universe and opens gravitational wave astronomy which is different from usual astronomy from a telescope.

Read:

Hawking thrilled with gravitational wave discovery, PM lauds India role

Ripples in space time: Gravitational waves seen from black hole

India to house worlds third gravitational wave observatory
BJP leader Shashank Tiwari allegedly murdered his wife, two children and their two pet dogs before shooting himself in their house in Madhya Pradeshs Katni district.

The bloodbath was discovered at around 9 am on Saturday by a domestic help who found the two dogs, one of them a German shepherd, lying in a pool of blood near a gate of the house. The bodies of all four family members were found in separate rooms of the sprawling estate.

According to Katni superintendent of police Gaurav Rajput, prima facie evidence suggested Tiwari used his licensed revolver to shoot his wife Mini, 12-year-old daughter Chahat and 8-year-old son Avi before turning the gun on himself late on Friday night.

Mounting debt was reportedly the trigger for the murder-cum-suicide. A suicide note purportedly written by 45-year-old Tiwari was recovered from scene of the incident at the familys house  spread over one-acre land around a kilometre from the Bahoriband police station. Two guns possibly used in the attack were also seized from the spot, said Rajput.

Police investigation revealed that Tiwari was going through a serious financial crisis at the time of the incident. He was recently slapped with a notice by Bhopal police over a bounced cheque and another notice from Indore police was expected in a few days, Rajput told HT over the phone.

Tiwari had moved to Katni from Bhopal only a few months earlier. He owned a petrol station in Katni, which incidentally was slated to open after several year of remaining closed on Sunday.

In the suicide note addressed to the Katni superintendent of police, Tiwari allegedly took full responsibility for the act and said no one else should be blamed. Further, it said the familys property should not be sold and the entire family be cremated near the Shani Temple, a short distance from the house.

Shashank Tiwari, who was a Congress member till a few years ago, contested from the Bahoriband assembly segment as a Samajwadi Party candidate in 2013.

Later, inspired by Congress MLA from Vijayraghavgarh Sanjay Pathaks defection to the ruling BJP, Tiwari jumped ship to the saffron party in early 2014. Till a few years ago, he lived in Bhopal, but shifted back to Bahoriband and lived in the house with his wife and two children.
A three-tier security cover has been made with the deployment of 10,000 policemen ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis scheduled visit to Mumbai on Saturday for the inauguration of the Make-in-India Week event.

Modi is set to inaugurate the programme at the NSCI Auditorium at Worli in central Mumbai. He is also expected to interact with industry leaders like Ratan Tata, Cyrus Mistry and Mukesh Ambani.

There would be three-tiered security arrangements in view of PMs visit here tomorrow, DCP (Detection) Dhananjay Kulkarni said.

The first tier will have personnel of armed forces, who will guard the venues where the PM will visit, while the middle layer will consist of sleuths in plain and uniformed clothes from both Mumbai Police as well as crime branch, police said.

The third layer of the security will man the outer-most post of the venues and roads and these personnel will especially belong to citys police force, Kulkarni said.

Specialised police personnel from Quick Response Team (QRT), SRPF, Combat Vehicles and snippers will be deployed at specific locations around the venues where the PM will visit, police said.

Over 2,500 international and 8,000 domestic companies will be participating in MIIW, a week-long multi-sectoral industrial event which will be attended by foreign government delegations from 68 countries and business teams from 72 nations.

The participants at the event also include foreign heads of government and states, prime ministers of Sweden, Finland and deputy premier of Poland, besides other Cabinet ministers.
Fridays testimony of Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Coleman Headley revealed that the investigation done by Pakistani agency, Federal Investigation Agency in November 26, 2008 (26/11) attacks on Mumbai was nothing short of a farce, and LeT and Al Qaida commanders knew nothing will happen to those being investigated or arrested by the federal agency.

Nothing will happen to those being investigated, Headley was assured by LeT

All happening to chacha and his friends is superficial, dont worry nothing will happen to them, read an email sent by Major Abdul Rehman Pasha, a former Pakistani military officer who had first joined LeT and later shifted to Al Qaida, to Headley, after the 56-year-old US national expressed deep concern for LeT bosses, especially its founder Hafiz Saeed and operational commander Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi.

How LeT used code language while exchanging emails with Headley

Responding to a question from special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, Headley clarified that the term chacha referred to Lakhvi. Deposing through video conferencing from an undisclosed location in the US, Headley said in the same mail that Major Pasha had warned him that Lakhvi, who was being questioned at the time in connection with the 26/11 attacks may reveal Headleys involvement.

Chacha may have to reveal something about Ismail under pressure, read the mail sent by Major Pasha.

In July 2009, when the investigation by FIA started, Headley had sent a mail to his LeT handler, Sajid Mir, seeking to know from him if the problems of uncle (LeT operational commander Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi) and his friends (other LeT members) were solved.

Mir replied to him saying, Uncle is very well and flying high, dont worry, and thus assured Headley that nothing will happen to the uncle. Headley explained that the term flying high indicated that Lakhvis moral was high.

Read | Sena Bhavan, NDC were on LeTs radar: What Headley revealed on day 5

Subsequently, on August 28, 2009, when Headley enquired about LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, Mir sent him a reply stating: Old uncle got H1 virus 2, and the doctors want him to be checked up. That meant, Hafiz Saheb was under investigation and was likely to be arrested.

Mir replied to a similar query from Headley: Old uncle is fit and healthy like anything and these days (he is) moving back and forth for his business like a tornado. This time, Mir also instructed the US national not to lend ear to rumours. On a query from special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, Headley clarified that Mir was thus assuring him that he need not worry about the old uncle and nothing will happen to him.

Headley said that he had been to Pakistan on a number of occasions after December 2008 when FIA began its investigation but he was neither apprehended nor called for interrogation by the federal agency.

A year later LeT had plans to attack another Indian city

Headley also revealed that about a year after the horrendous attacks of November 26, 2008 on Mumbai, the Pakistan based militant outfit had plans to attack another destination near the financial capital of the country.

Read

Ishrat Jahan, killed in fake encounter, was LeT operative: Headley

Lashkar-e-Taiba had plans to attack Siddhivinayak Temple: Headley
A senior Assam police officer was suspended on Saturday for posting comments against Muslims on Facebook.

The suspension comes in the midst of increasing politics over the Bangladeshi migrants issue as elections draw near in the state.

Anjan Bora, the deputy superintendent of police of Karbi Anglong district, allegedly posted messages inciting hatred towards Muslims. Bora has a large numbers of friends on the social networking website and many supported his comment.

The DSP vowed to stop Azan  the Muslim prayer call  and stated that he killed many from the minority community such as Rafikul Islam, a Congress worker in BTAD (Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts) in the state.

The DSPs controversial posts included: Jai Sri Ram, Jai Hindustan, Jai jai sri Ram jai hindubhumi. We should join a Muslim free Hindustan.

Boras posts triggered protests across the state. Many demanded his arrest and dismissal from the Assam police service.

K Ali, publicity secretary of All Bodoland Minority Students Union (ABMSU), filed a case against the DSP at a police station in Bongaigaon district of the state for his alleged inflammatory comments on Facebook. ABMSU has also decided to file multiple cases against the DSP in all four BTAD districts.

We all thank the government of Assam for promptly suspending Anjan Bora, APS. I hope he will be terminated after following the due process. People like him are more dangerous than the dreaded terrorist, said Burhanur Rahman, an advocate at Gauhati high court.

Nirupam Sonowal, a friend of Bora, posted in Facebook account: You are the real police officer. Just take care. Good luck.

Another friend of Boras, Dibyajyoti Bhuyan, said:  We are with you sir....Whatever may be the hidden agenda of government people of Assam will fight for your justice...We cannot let our peoples suffer because of the illegal Bangladeshis....

When the controversy was at its peak, Bora claimed that his Facebook account was hacked by someone who posted the controversial remarks. But hate remarks on his account were posted since January 28, the last time Bora replied to his friends on their comments.

Bora was not available for his reaction on governments suspension order.
The storm at the Jawaharlal University intensified overnight with protesters dubbing the arrest of students union leader Kanyaiya Kumar as an act of vendetta by the Centre while Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP-led government of bullying the prestigious institution.

Kumar, the president of the JNU Students Union, was arrested on Friday on charges of sedition after a controversial event to protest the hanging of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru three years ago. The protesters also allegedly shouted anti-India slogans during the event.

Read More | Dissent part of democracy: Rahul accuses Modi govt of bullying JNU

Kumar told the court that his arrest was political as he had defeated the candidate of the right-wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in the university elections.

I dissociate myself from the slogans which were shouted in the event. I have full faith in the Constitution of the country and I always say that Kashmir is an integral part of India, Kanhaiya told the court, alleging that it was a politically motivated case. He was remanded in police custody for three days by the court.

Watch | They have no evidence against me: JNUSU president Kanhaiya





In a strongly-worded statement on Friday night, the JNUSU too described the arrest as shocking and his arrest on charges of sedition was beyond the grounds of credibility.

The only previous occasion when the president of the JNUSU had been arrested was during the Emergency of 1975-77, and the present situation on the campus brings back memories of the Emergency days, the statement said.

Read More | Emergency: Fear, outrage at campus after JNU leader Kumars arrest

The JNU administration, however, distanced itself from the row with vice-chancellor Jagadesh Kumar saying the incident was a result of fringe elements misusing their freedom.

In a series of tweets, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said Modi government was bullying an institution like JNU but asserted that anti-India sentiment is unquestionably unacceptable.

Earlier in the day, Union ministers Smriti Irani and Rajnath Singh advocated strong action against those involved in the alleged anti-India act.

Singh said he instructed police to take strict action against students who organised the event. If anyone raises anti-India slogans and tries to raise questions on the nations unity and integrity, they will not be spared, Singh said.

Human resource development minister Smriti Irani said the nation couldnt tolerate any insult to Mother India, as police filed a second sedition case against the organisers of a similar event at Delhis Press Club of India on Wednesday.

Read More | Political slugfest over arrest of president of JNU students union

Police lodged an FIR on Thursday and examined video footage from the event titled, A country without a post office  where the sloganeering allegedly happened  after the ABVP and east Delhi BJP MP Maheish Girri filed a complaint.

The Left criticised the government for arresting the students and likened the developments to situations during Emergency.

By targeting general students, they (ABVP) are creating a sense of terror in the campus. Delhi Police should not act in connivance with the ABVP, targeting the entire Left, CPI national secretary D Raja said.

The university received at least six letters from MPs seeking action against those responsible for the incident.

Though the FIR was filed against unknown people, official sources in the university said they received a list of 20 names from the police, including some female students.
From boycotting classes, to having student body meetings, forming a petition expressing their concerns and taking to social media to express anger, students at The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri) had no qualms about their resentment against the promotion of RK Pachauri as the executive vice-chairman of the university.

We strongly feel that Mr RK Pachauri should not have been promoted while the sexual harassment case filed against him by a former Teri employee is sub judice. We do not know what the true story is, if the allegations of the woman researcher are true or false but to promote a person who is facing these allegations is definitely not right. They could have done it once he came out clean. What was the hurry? a student said on condition of anonymity.

The students drafted a petition listing their concerns and addressed it to their acting vice-chancellor Rajiv Seth. Over 300 students gathered at the campus for a public meeting where their concerns were addressed.

The acting VC told us that Teri university is a distinct body and is not related to Teri office...university in no way can influence appointment of the vice-president. However it is very difficult for us to de-tangle ourselves from this since the parent organisation is Teri, a student says.

While the final-year students seemed emphatic on taking a stern stand against Pachauris promotion, the first year students look perturbed.

...My relatives and parents ask me to be safe and take care. How do I explain to them that Teri university is different from the institute, she says.
India expressed disappointment on Saturday over the Obama administrations proposal to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, saying it disagreed that such arms transfers would help combat terrorism.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar summoned US ambassador Richard Verma to convey Indias displeasure. We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan. We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism, the external affairs ministry said in a statement.

The Pentagons defense security cooperation agency said it had notified lawmakers about the possible sale on Thursday. It said the sale would improve Pakistans capability to meet current and future security threats.

However, the Obama administrations proposal to sell the F-16 jets to Pakistan is unlikely to sail smoothly through the US Congress with both Republican and Democrat lawmakers raising concerns over the South Asian country acting as a safe haven for terrorist groups targeting India and Afghanistan.

In the past few days, influential lawmakers have sent a flurry of letters to US president Barack Obama and secretary of state John Kerry expressing opposition to the decision to sell F-16s to Pakistan. They have told the White House and the state department that they will work to ensure that Pakistan does not get these fighter jets until terrorist safe havens exist there and state actors support terror groups.

Read More | US approves F-16 fighter jets sale to Pakistan, India disappointed

The lawmakers also voiced concern over the potential of the Pakistani military to use the F-16s to deliver nuclear weapons in a conflict scenario with India.

While it is my intention at this time to clear the sale of eight F-16 aircraft to Pakistan, I do not plan to support the expenditure of the very limited foreign military financing account to finance this deal, now or in the future, senator Bob Corker, chairman of the powerful senate committee on foreign relations, said in a letter to Kerry on February 9.

The state department on Friday notified the Congress of its determination to sell eight F-16s to Pakistan. The Congress has 30 days time to act on the proposal.

In case of any objection, the process will be lengthier and complicated as the proposed sale will be debated and voted in the Congress. Normally this kind of situation does not arise as in case of opposition to major arms deals, Congressional leaders and the administration work mutually to arrive at a consensus.

The administrations proposed sale of eight new F-16 combat aircraft to Pakistan raises substantial concerns, Congressman Matt Salmon, chairman of the Asia and Pacific Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee told Obama in a letter dated February 10.

In a joint letter to Kerry, influential lawmakers Ted Poe from the Republican party and Tulsi Gabbard from the Democratic party voices their concern. Given that the United States has already supplied Pakistan with over $30 billion in foreign assistance from FY2002-FY2016 and Pakistan still has not changed its behaviour in any significant way, it is unconvincing that giving Pakistan more taxpayer dollars to finance the purchase of F-16s will somehow break that trend, they wrote.

Pakistan has the ability to become an integral partner in the international community and be part of the solution on ending terrorism and the instability that plagues the region. Until that time comes, however, we urge you not to use taxpayer money to finance the sale of F-16s to Pakistan, Poe and Gabbard wrote.

On February 3, Hafiz Saeed, one of the masterminds of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks in which six US citizens were killed, called for additional attacks against India. Despite being designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations, a $10 million bounty on his head by the US government and pleas from India to rein in Saeed, he remains free, they wrote.
Key operative of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) David Coleman Headley on Friday revealed that about a year after the attack on Mumbai in 2008, the Pakistan-based militant outfit planned to attack another destination near the countrys financial capital.

The 56-year-old US national told additional sessions judge Govind Sanap during his testimony on Friday that he had received a mail mentioning the plan from his LeT handler Sajid Mir on July 10, 2009. There is an investment plan, not in Rahuls city, but at a place nearby, read the mail sent by Sajid Mir to Headley.

The accused-turned-approver in the 26/11 attacks case clarified that the words used by Mir investment plan referred to a plan of attack, and Rahul referred to Rahul Bhat, who is son of filmmaker Mahesh Bhat, whom Headley had come to know during his visits to Mumbai. The term Rahuls city referred to Mumbai, and thus the plan was to attack some place near Mumbai, Headley clarified. He, however, added that since he could not meet Sajid Mir thereafter he was not aware of the place which LeT planned to target.

Headley also told additional sessions judge Govind Sanap that he had shared information about all the persons known to him from Mumbai with Sajid Mir, his contact in ISI, Major Iqbal, his friend from the US, Dr Tahavur Hussain Rana and Major Abdul Rehman Pasha, his contact in al-Qaida, and therefore all of them knew about the persons he knew in Mumbai.

He said he had also shared with the group information about Shiv Sena functionary Rajaram Rege.

Headley said Sajid Mir and Major Pasha were interested in attacking vital Indian cities and installations. Major Iqbal was interested in obtaining classified information on Indian military and paramilitary forces, and Dr Rana was interested in making money by expanding his business  the Chicago-based Immigrant Law Center, he said.

He said while Major Iqbal of ISI had asked him to keep Rajaram Rege engaged in seminars and conferences, Sajid had told him to continue to pursue the contact so that they can take care of Bala and his son. He clarified that the words Bala and his son referred to late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and his son Uddhav.
The wife of a police inspector from Nagpada, a senior citizen from Vile Parle and a hawker from Navi Mumbai together created history after their families donated their organs on Friday  the highest number of cadaver donations in the city in a day. The organs from their bodies helped six patients suffering from end-stage organ failure.

Five hospitals, seven transplant coordinators and more than 30 surgeons in the city worked tirelessly to retrieve, transport and transplant the donated organs. The liver from an 80-year-old woman from Vile Parle was transplanted to a 58-year-old man from Pune. The liver from a 52-year-old woman, who was admitted at Nanavati Hospital in Vile Parle, was taken to Fortis Hospital in Mulund where a 39-year-old man received the transplant.

The third donor, Gangadhar Swain, 38, was a hawker, who sold odd items in slums. He was hit by a truck while he travelling on his bike last Wednesday and was being treated at MGM Hospital, Vashi. PK Sashanker, the hospitals administrator, said the donors wife Manorama was inconsolable as her husband was declared brain-dead, but still consented to donate his organs. Initially, he was taken to Unnati Hospital, Panvel where he was intubated and ventilated. He had developed brain haemorrhage (bleeding of the blood vessels in the brain) and swelling, said Shahanker, adding tthe family was originally from Odisha and had moved to Panvel.

Swains heart was retrieved at the Vashi hospital and within 14 minutes it was transported through a 19km green corridor to Mulund. The heart was given to a 36-year-old man from Lonavala, who had dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart is too big to pump blood efficiently. Swains liver was sent to Global Hospital, Parel, where it was transplanted to a 50-year-old woman. One of his kidneys was transplanted to a 38-year-old man admitted at MGM Hospital and the other kidney saved the life of a 25-year-old woman admitted at Nair Hospital, Mumbai Central.

Mumbais cadaver donation programme has gained momentum this year, said experts. Last year, 42 cadaver donations were recorded in the city. After the three donations on Friday, the number of cadaver donors this year has reached 10. If we continue at this pace, we will cross last years donations. There is an increased awareness in the community and at the same time hospitals are also identifying potential donors, said Dr Gustad Daver, president of Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee, the agency that allocates donated organs in the city.

Daver said public hospitals should start performing transplants and identifying donors to promote the programme further.

(With inputs from GM Jeddy)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said there should be no borders or restrictions to art.

Addressing a gathering of 400 artists and art patrons in Bandra in Mumbai on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi defined art as ageless, race-region-religionless and timeless. He added that it is the states responsibility to promote art and create a conducive infrastructure.

He was speaking after inaugurating a new building of The Bombay Art Society at Bandra Reclamation.

Modi also pointed out that in a state and a city where art works can be found on the walls of every cultured household, it was ironical that it took 125 years for The Bombay Art Society to get its own space.

The societys office would earlier operate from a small room inside the Jehangir Art Gallery. It is now essential that the society know and think that artwork is not just to decorate the walls with, but is one of the strengths of the society, said Modi.

Sighting a common instance of how most mothers show off their childrens skills to mug poems, but hardly ever about their painting skills, Modi urged people to change this attitude towards art. The foundation of a childs intellectual growth is not in mugged words, but what he has created from within, using his imagination. Art is very important for the over-all development, said Modi.

He also appealed to the art schools to include a visit to art galleries in their list of outings and shared an idea of creating art galleries on railway platforms. On busy platforms, the space between the two trains could be used as a nice gallery, by creating barricades. This could give a platform to local artists to showcase their work to the people and encourage them to create better.

He also applauded the artists, who have voluntarily taken up on them to beautify railway stations.

Modi also appealed to the IT sector to collaborate with the artists to make art more interactive and accessible to the masses.

If a small digital video describing the thought process and that of creation of a work accompanies an art work, a lot more people will engage with it, especially the youth, said Modi.

This, he said, is important to keep the human alive in the overtly technological world. You sometimes fear what if they become robots?

Linking the art tradition from today to that of the past, Modi spoke of the rich temple architecture of the country. If you look at the temples carefully, art resides rightfully where God does, said Modi.

In every temple you will see a dance hall and art works that bring alive history and culture. This inbuilt system is a proof of the fact that the art tradition has always been an important part of our cultural tradition.

Present at the event Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, who had sanctioned the land for the society during his regime, also expressed the need for better facilities for the artists.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis assured The Bombay Art Society that the state government would be willing to give space to start a branch of the Lalit Kala Akademi, a national body that promotes art.

We have also decided to up the prizes at our annual art exhibition. A child artist will be awarded Rs10,000 instead of mere Rs500 and others would be awarded prize money from Rs50,000 to a lakh, from the earlier Rs25,000,said Fadnavis.

Almost two years after the building was ready, The Bombay Art Society, housing three public galleries, auditoriums and library, was finally inaugurated by Modi on Saturday.
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Capt Amarinder Singh on Saturday reiterated that the party will go ahead with the policy of one family one ticket in the forthcoming assembly elections in Punjab.

This decision has been taken keeping in view the larger interest of the party, the former chief minister said in a statement, pointing out that he understood the concerns of some families which may be affected by this decision.

But in the larger interest of the party, this is the minimum we can do, he added, saying his wife Preneet Kaur and son Raninder Singh will also not contest the assembly elections.

He hoped everyone concerned will understand and cooperate with this policy which has been overwhelmingly hailed and appreciated by people across the state.

The Amritsar MP said, When we accuse Badal of nepotism with so many members of his family in the assembly and criticise him, we must not do the same thing ourselves.

He said this policy will help in creating more space within the party to accommodate more people, particularly the youth, in the electoral process.

Stating that this will also encourage first and fresh generation of new leaders who have not been born in political families but have all the attributes and qualities to become leaders, the PPCC chief said: Let us create the space and opportunity for such promising people in the interest of the party and state.
A day after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided the premises of National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) in Mohali and registered a case against its officiating director KK Bhutani, and seven others for allegedly causing a loss of crores of rupees to the government exchequer, CBI sleuths stopped a press conference on the campus by Bhutani on Saturday and took him with them.

The press meet was billed as being about the silver jubilee celebrations of the foundation day of the institute that commence from Monday. He was still interacting with the media when a team of the CBI came in and asked Bhutani to accompany them. The CBI reportedly sent in a message objecting to Bhutani holding the press conference; but when it wasnt stopped, the sleuths walked in and asked Bhutani to accompany them.

The CBI searches did cast a shadow on the media interaction as it began with Bhutani referring to incidents happening at the institute. All the dealings are clear, and I will answer all your queries. The searches are to malign me as well as institute, he reiterated.

When HT later called him, Bhutani said the CBI officers had taken him to his office on the campus where they wanted to conduct some search. CBI officers went incommunicado. The show will go on, Bhutani had said while leaving the convention hall along with the CBI team.

Besides Bhutani, the central investigating agency has booked NIPER registrar and chief vigilance officer (CVO) Wing Cdr PJP Singh Waraich (retd), then director Rama Rao, then section officer Hardip Singh, then deputy registrar Rajesh Moza, professor Saranjit Singh, along with a private firm based at Thorat Colony, Erandwane, Pune (Maharashtra) and other unknown persons.

The CBI claimed it had recovered fixed deposit receipts (FDRs) of ` 13 lakh (approx), bank balance of ` 25 lakh and documents of property worth ` 50 lakh from Bhutanis residence. The investigating agency also recovered documents of five properties worth ` 1.5 crore from Waraichs residence.

The case has been registered under Sections 120-B r/w 420, 409, 467, 471 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 13(2) read with 13(1)(c) & 1(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. A preliminary enquiry was conducted by the CBI, Chandigarh branch.

The CBI said NIPER officials entered into a criminal conspiracy with a private firm based in Pune for the purchase of database SciFinder on exorbitant rates in 2006 causing loss to the state exchequer. It was also alleged that NIPER officials and officials of the ministry of chemicals and fertilisers, New Delhi, caused a loss of crores of rupees to the state exchequer by way of misappropriation of funds, falsification of accounts and diversion of funds from approved project to unapproved items.

The CBI teams conducted simultaneous searches at 22 places, including Chandigarh, SAS Nagar, Bathinda, Kurukshetra, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram, New Delhi and Bhopal. This included residential and official premises of the accused.
The head of Damdami Taksal, a seminary involved in preaching of Sikhism, Baba Harnam Singh Dhuma issued a stern warning to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership for what he described as dragging the name of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale for their petty political gains aimed at gaining power in Punjab.

Though Dhumas attack was centered around AAP, he also issued a warning to other political parties against using Bhindranwales for political benefits.

He said any statement issued against Bhindranwale would not be tolerated by the Sikh community. Bhindranwale was the head of the Taksal from 1977 to his death during Operation Bluestar in June 1984 inside the Golden Temple complex. Like all radical Sikh groups, the Taksal views its former head as a martyr of the quam.

In a statement issued from the Taksal headquarters at Mehta Chowk, Dhuma said that before issuing any statement against Bhindranwale, the AAP leadership should also know about the religious history of Damdami Taksal and the sacrifices made by followers of the seminary.

If a political party vigorously takes up issues and interests of Punjab and the Sikh Raj, then it is wholeheartedly welcome in the state. But a party like AAP has no concern for issues of Punjab and the Sikh community. AAP is trying to garner public support through misleading propaganda just for petty political gains, he said, while asking the Sikhs to watch closely the activities of AAP, which was indulging in giving misleading statements and even instigating the people of the state.

The Taksal leader did not, however, specify to any particular statement of AAP on Bhindranwale.
What can I do to help maximise my childs marks in the upcoming board examination? My child puts in only eight hours of study in a day, while his friends study for 13 hours, should I be worried? Could you please suggest some ways for better time-management as my daughter is unable to cover more than two chapters a day?

These are only some of the many questions parents of kids studying in the city schools have been asking on the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) toll-free helpline number and helpline numbers of the UT education department.

Talking to HT, most counsellors shared that they have been flooded with calls from stressed parents more than stressed students.

Isha, a student of government school, Sector 35, likes to take frequent short breaks while studying for the upcoming Class 10 board examination. But, this leaves her father Raju Singh, a driver by profession extremely worried.

Padhegi nahi, aur khelti rahegi toh number kaise aayenge, iske dost ke isse zyada acche ayenge toh humari kya izzat reh jayegi (If shell only play and not study, how will she get good marks and what will be our image in the society if all her friends end up performing better than her?), said Raju. This isnt the only example.

Nikhilesh, a Class 12 student of a local private school, who is busy preparing for his competitive exams is unable to give in as much time to his board exam preparation. He isnt as worried about the board exams as he maintains that the preparation for his competitive exam is more crucial. His mother, though, is having sleepless nights.

Talking to HT, Rita Singh said, Board exam results are taken into consideration and the mark-sheet is presented no matter where one goes, I dont know how to get this thought across to my son.

Talking to HT, George A Thomas, a counsellor for the CBSE toll-free helpline, said, At times, I have to spend half an hour just guiding a parent to not fret so much, as this can negatively impact the child, who otherwise might just be studying as much even in two hours.

Referring to a call he received from Chandigarh student only on Thursday, he revealed that stress-related queries pertaining to subject doubts, sleepless nights, last-minute anxiety with time-management are the common themes.

However, parents come up with more questions related to competition with their friends and others around them, while children ask exam-related problems, added Thomas.

While Thomas receives about 18-20 calls per day, there are 59 more principals and trained counsellors like him that receive queries on a daily basis within India via CBSE tele-counselling.

When HT correspondent called on the toll-free number pretending to be a student, it was observed that some of these counsellors even share their personal mobile numbers willingly if a child wants to get back regarding an issue.

UT counsellors observe similar trend

For Yogita Khanna, who has been a counsellor for over five years in Chandigarh, it is a common trend noticed year after year and anxiety graph among parents is on the rise.

Children take stress and are apprehensive, but parents tend to go over-board. They are the ones who need to be counselled more than the kids, said Khanna who is one of the 14 counsellors deputed by the UT education department to deal with examination-related queries.

Similarly, ED Khan, an English teacher and also a counsellor, said students queries end up being more concept-related, while parents ask questions pertaining to stress during exams. Initially, I used to get about 15-20 calls per day, but I received not more than five calls today, added Khan, a teacher of GMSSS-35.

The 14 counsellors have one helpline each dedicated to them which began operating on February 10 and will be functional till March 31.

District Education Officer, Vinay Sood, said, The government schools have 87 counsellors all the year around to cater to the students queries. But, during the exam time, 14 special counsellors are specially deputed to cater to the huge spike.

While private school authorities have counsellors deputed round the year, teachers are engaging in personalised interaction in special cases.

DPS principal Reema Dewan who takes out time to counsel students in her school said, Besides counsellors on duty, teachers take out extra time in cases where they feel the child needs extra attention.

Even though preparatory holidays are on, students from Classes 10 and 12 can be seen coming for one-to-one interaction with our teachers.

Kavita C Das, principal, St Johns High School, said, We have three designated counsellors all year round, who have shared their mobile numbers with students and receive calls up to midnight sometimes. We believe in creating a healthy bond between students and teachers so that the child doesnt have to undergo any stress. Commenting on the rise in stress among parents, Das said, I dont blame them as competition is so much these days and every parent wants the best for their child.

Dewan, however, feels this can attributed to a mixture of reasons as high achievers have their own concerns and therefore their parents also feel the stress, while low achievers have their own challenges.

Regional CBSE director RJ Khanderao said, Be it stress among parents or children, the CBSE helpline has definitely helped ease things for the stakeholders. We have received positive feedback.

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Amid rumours of him seeking to join the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress leader Jagmeet Brar on Saturday had to come out with a clarification of sorts about AAP convener Arvind Kejriwals presence at Brars family function.

Brar posted, Arvind Kejriwal Jee CM Delhi, at a marriage reception of my close relatives. Exchanging pleasantries. There was no meeting as reported in a section of press/ media. Prominent Leaders of many political parties were present. Please dont draw conclusions without ascertaining facts. I know all these leaders personally for the last so many years. I have my very personal equation with Mamta Jee and Nitish Kumar Jee also. This looks to be a planted story please (sic).

It must, however, be noted that the other two leaders he mentions  West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar  have both got public support from Kejriwal, and vice versa.

Screenshot of his Facebook page:

Brar, who was suspended from the Congress and then the suspension revoked last year after he reportedly criticised party chief Sonia Gandhi and vice-chief Rahul Gandhi, had also praised the AAP after its at the Maghi Mela in Muktsar last month. I have neither any intention nor any invitation to join the AAP, he had said then, but in my 30-year political career, I have not seen such a big crowd at any leaders rally. Even then, he had mentioned that all AAP leaders, including Kejriwal, knew him well. I was the youngest to go to jail in the days of Emergency. Politicians with feudal mindset have always tried to defeat me, he had said, apparently trying to fit into the AAP scheme of things.

He had also lashed out at deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal for his asking people to reject the topi-walas (AAP). All freedom fighters, including Bhagat Singh, used to wear topi (cap). By speaking against topi, you criticise our patriots who laid down their lives for the country, Brar had said.

It must also be noted that, a fortnight ago, Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh had told a newspaper that Brars criticism did not bother him as he was unsure of his loyalties and was giving an impression that he would join the AAP.

At the function that gave wind to the reports about Brars probable AAP move, among those seen are Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia, AAP leader Kumar Vishwas, and recent Congress-to-AAP convert Sukhpal Singh Khaira.

Read also: Impressed by AAP rally: Jagmeet Brar
Baljinder Kaur, who claims to be the sister of Sarabjit Singh, who was killed in a Pakistani jail in 2013, is up in arms against director Omung Kumar and actor Aishwarya Rai for shooting the biopic Sarbjit on her brother.

Baljinder, a resident of New Moti Nagar here, said she had already served a legal notice on the director and actor for making the film in which they were featuring Dalbir Kaur as Sarbjits sister while she is not even a family member. She said she did not get a reply from the director and actor, who have reportedly shot some scenes of the movie.

I have decided to move the Punjab and Haryana high court against the shooting of the film based on distorted facts, she said. Earlier, filmmaker Subhash Ghai had planned a film on this. I wrote to Ghai following which he gave up the idea.

Baljinder told HT that when she came to know that Omung was to make the film, she sent the legal notice to the director and Aishwarya, but they never replied. She said she was shocked to know that the shooting of the film had started.

Baljinder came into limelight in July 2013 when she held the bhog ceremony for Sarabjit in Ludhiana claiming that she was his real sister. She alleged that Dalbir was posing as Sarabjits sister for financial gains.

Read: Crew of Sarbjit misbehaves inside Golden Temple, told to wrap up shoot

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He is no ordinary zoo keeper at Chhatbir. Motiram is a humble descendant from a sheep herding family of nearby Chhat village and is classified as a Class 4 employee. But, whenever a zoo keeper of a particular species is indisposed, and the species is not an easy one to manage such as tigers, lions, etc, Motiram fills the breach with aplomb. Or, when animals are to be transported to distant zoos under an exchange programme, it is Motiram who travels with the traumatised animals in the back of the truck and sizes up their situation accurately to administer water, food and rest at the correct time.

Even some officers address Motiram with the honorific, Ji, as his counsel is always credible and pragmatic, reveals zoo director Manish Kumar.

Motirams understanding of animal behaviour amazes me. If there is a crisis at the zoo, it is Motiram who assesses the ground situation correctly and provides feedback on the basis of which we frame a management response. He spends his duty time observing and re-observing his wards, caring for their needs and not wiling away his time in tea and gossip. His role is crucial in the deer safari where we have more than 110 animals and any contagious disease could wipe them out. But Motiram knows virtually each specimen and will pick the most subtle signs of illness. We rely on him when medicine is to be administered as a dose packed in a jaggery ball. He diligently pursues the sick deer and ensures the medicine is delivered to the patient, explains Kumar.

In the 2014-15 winter, sambar stags inflicted wanton injuries on the herd. The zoo was at a loss to understand this spurt in violence. The fact was that the zoo had doubled the jaggery given to deer to keep them warm. But dominant stags cornered a lions share of the increased jaggery and that fomented over-aggression. Motiram identified the malady and on his advice, jaggery was reduced. The stags calmed down.

MAMAS HIDING PLACE

The flourishing population of dainty, prancing Chinkaras (Indian gazelle) at Chhatbir zoo owes much to Motiram, who separated warring males at right moments, imprisoned rogue males, and allowed peaceful breeding of select males with willing females. The zoo had got nine Chinkaras from the Pillani zoo in Rajasthan. Chinkaras were not easy to breed in captivity and some zoos had failed in this endeavour. We tasked Motiram with their breeding management and the result was that Chinkaras grew to 17. We now barter them with other zoos, said Chhatbir block officer Harpal Singh. Very recently, the Chinkara parivaar at Chhatbir was blessed with two more fawns.

A chinkara fest , just a few days old, waits for mother in the hiding place at Chhatibir Zoo. (ShivJot S Bhullar/HT )

Motiram knows where each female deer or antelope has hidden her fawn. Once the fawn is born, either within the herd or in the dense parts of the deer safari or enclosure, the mother takes the fawn to a secluded spot. Only Blackbucks dont hide their fawns, the rest of the species at the zoo do so. This is the wild instinct to shield the fawn from a carnivore. It is not that the mother fears the herds in the safari will trample upon her fawn as deer/antelope are very sensible and will not harm another ones offspring. The mother steals away to the spot, where she keeps the fawn in hiding for at least a week. The fawn dutifully sticks to the hiding spot. Sometimes, when a zoo keeper chances upon the hiding fawn, it tends to shrivel up and play lifeless to escape detection, explained Motiram.

LAMMERGEIER IN A LOO

Raptors or birds of prey have held apex position in human cultural history, being emblematic of nobility and winged power. These powerful birds, which encompass hawks, eagles, owls, falcons etc, do not find such resonance in contemporary India even though raptors as a group of specialised birds face decline and doom. Last weeks Punjab State-Level Philatelic Exhibition (PUNPEX 2016) at the DAV College (Chandigarh) reflected this relegation to a dusty, forgotten shelf. Among the 266 glass-framed displays were a rich representation of raptor postal stamps. Stamps from across the globe depicted the Lammergeier, Long-eared owl, Peregrine falcon, Osprey, White-tailed eagle, Kestrel etc, with an aesthetic touch.

The Shaheen falcon first-day cover on display at PUNPEX 2016. (Vikram Jit Singh)

An exhibit was devoted to the Northern goshawk (Punjabs state bird). The goshawk stamps, for example, were educative, informing the viewers that this bird is found across many nations. There was a rare first-day cover of the Shaheen falcon stamp issued by Pakistan post office on January 20, 1986, to highlight conservation concerns over the endangered bird. The Shaheen finds numerous references in the poetry of Allama Muhammad Iqbal and a class of Pakistani nuclear missiles is named after this premier hunting bird. But sadly, these raptor exhibits were relegated to dimly-lit rows at the auditoriums back-end, which was suffused with draughts from odorous loos.

E-mail of the author: Vjswild1@gmail.com
The Aam Admi Party (AAP) has an important question to answer. Why, when it is trying to fast track the regularisation of about 1,200 unauthorised colonies in Delhi, is the party refusing to take a clear stand on the land pooling policy (LPP) which has the potential to create 25 lakh to 30 lakh housing units with modern facilities in Delhi? The sad truth is that thousands of buyers are also in the danger of losing their money as unscrupulous parties are selling them land and properties as part of LPP.

According to a rough estimate drawn up after discussions with several stakeholders in Delhi Development Authoritys (DDA) LPP, HT Estates has reason to believe that various corporate houses, developers and individual buyers have in all probability spent Rs 30,000 crore on buying land from farmers in the past few years. This huge corpus remains locked up due to lack of clarity on the part of the Delhi government causing severe financial inconvenience to the parties concerned.

Another matter that has come to light is that when the mandatory provisions of the LPP have not been completed, builders or brokers can in no way advertise projects related to it.

Under the LPP, land parcels owned by individuals or groups are legally consolidated by transfer of ownership rights to the designated land pooling agency. The agency then transfers ownership of part of the land back to the landowners for developing such areas.

Some developers and land owning groups, it is learnt, have also been luring homebuyers to invest in apartments in land pooling zones. When the mandatory provisions of the LPP have not been completed, builders and brokers can in no way launch and advertise projects related to it. Till now, according to another estimate, more than 10,000 homebuyers have already paid the booking amount, ranging between Rs10 lakh and Rs 20 lakh, for apartments in agricultural areas the land use of which has yet to be changed to residential.

Experts say that land in seven LLP zones  L, J, K1, K2, P1, P2, N  measures 75,000 acres, out of which, if a conservative view is taken, 25% to 30% (18,000 to 22,000 acres) land has already been bought by several corporate houses, developers and individual buyers from farmers. If land cost is roughly calculated at Rs1.5 crore per acre, the money to purchase land comes to around `27,000 to `35,000 crore.

The land pooling policy files have been lying with the Delhi government for more than six months but no decision has been taken on the matter. This is the file which contains Delhis future development plan, with costs estimated at more than Rs 1 lakh crore for housing for more than 20 lakh families in highly regularised modern group housing colonies, says Sudhir Dabas from Saffron-Land Realty Ventures Private Limited, a company which provides consultancy on land pooling.

It is unfortunate, Dabas says, that while the economy is begging for more inflow of investment in key sectors, about `30,000 crore of investor money is held up in land pooling schemes. The funds could have otherwise generated a huge inflow of foreign and indigenous investment in the otherwise morbid real estate sector. The Delhi government must clear files or give reasons for its laxity.

Questioning the inordinate delay by the Delhi government, Ramesh Menon, director, Certes Realty, says not implementing the operationalisation mechanism of land pooling means a few unscrupulous elements have got the opportunity to market apartments, which have no legal sanction whatsoever. The law which regulates raising of money from public entities, does not allow multi-state cooperative housing societies and welfare societies to collect money from the public for the purpose of real estate activities.

Many experts say that most selling agencies havent undertaken any due-diligence on these projects, and are myopically marketing these projects overseas, too, for selfish gains. These brokerage firms have endangered the hard earned money of unsuspecting consumers, who are most likely to lose not just the interest on their investment, but also the capital in many cases.

Many developers are advertising even facilities, amenities and design of apartment projects even though the mandatory provisions of the LPP are yet to be completed. Most seasoned investors have stayed away so the buyers at the bottom of the pyramid are being targeted, says Menon.

When the urban development ministry gave its nod to operational guidelines for LPP in May last year, lot of people thought the LLP would very soon become a reality. The next step would have entailed the conversion of 95 rural villages to urban villages under Section 507 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act (DMCA) 1957.

According to Section 507 (DMCA), The Corporation with the previous approval of the Government, may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare that any portion of the rural areas shall cease to be included therein and upon the issue of such notification that portion shall be included in and form part of the urban areas.

Once the rural villages will become urban areas, Section 12 of DDA Act directs that these villages should be converted into development areas.

Once these two steps are completed by the Delhi government, DDA can invite land owning agencies to surrender land to the Authority, says a senior officer from the DDA .

When HT Estates wrote to Manish Sisodia, Delhi deputy chief minister, with a copy to the Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister, asking for reasons for the delay in notification for the conversion of 95 rural villages to urban areas, the mail was forwarded to special secretary urban development by GK Madhav, OSD to deputy chief minister, keeping this correspondent in the loop with a comment, Please find the mail here to look into the matter. ATR/Status may please be sent to applicant. Repeated attempts by this correspondent to get in touch with SS Gill, special secretary, urban development, who is associated with the LPP, proved futile as Gill disconnected his mobile phone when he was asked to clarify the status of the policy.

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A debut is always fraught with expectations, and the pressure to live up to them increases greatly if you already have a famous writer in the family. But New York-based writer Kanishk Tharoor, son of Congress MP and author Shashi Tharoor, seems to wear the pressure lightly. His first published piece of short fiction was nominated for the National Magazine Award in the US in 2009. His recently released collection of short stories, Swimmer Among the Stars, has also heralded him as a writer of great promise.

Tharoors stories are not set in a specific place or time. They cover subjects as diverse as dying languages, towns on the brink of invasion, Kerala elephants en route to Morocco and yes, diplomats, but in space. And yet, they echo the time we live in. It seems fitting, considering that Tharoor, who was born (along with his twin brother Ishaan) in Singapore, spent time in Geneva as a toddler, went to pre-school in Kolkata and has been a resident of New York City since age six. Excerpts from an interview:

How were you introduced to the world of books?

My mother is a professor of literature at New York University and my father is a writer as well. So we were surrounded by books everywhere in the house, as well as the activity of reading and writing.

When did you realise you wanted to be a storyteller?

It wasnt so much a choice of wanting to be a writer but it just happened to be something that I did. From quite a young age, Ishaan and I would write stories. Our parents always encouraged us. So it seemed like a natural and eminently reasonable thing to do. While I was in college, I began writing fiction in earnest (the earliest story in my collection was written when I was 19) and from then on, its always been an ambition that I kept alongside other ambitions.

You studied history and literature at Yale. Were you not lured by academia?

I have a huge amount of respect for scholars, the great exertions of their research, the tremendous rigour of their writing. I flirted for a while with the idea of becoming a professional historian. But in the end, I came to the conclusion that the academic route wasnt for me, and that were I to more seriously write history or cultural criticism in the future, it would be for a wider public audience and not necessarily written in the academic mode. There are plenty of wonderful writers of serious, accomplished and meaningful non-academic history out there (from Neal Ascherson to Raghu Karnad) and Im happy to learn from them.

What drew you to the idea of writing short stories?

I love the playfulness that a short story allows you. An adventurous or outlandish premise that cant be sustained over 200 pages often fares much better over 20 pages. But Im also at work on a novel and I probably read more novels than collections of short fiction. I dont have an ideological affinity to the short story over the novel.

Some stories in the collection hint at contemporary events, but most have a timeless, dreamlike quality. What inspires your fiction?

Lots of things. Real-life experiences; things Ive observed, read, watched, heard; everyday politics; peculiar moments in history; legends and folktales; and so on. Im a sponge for all sorts of material, and I wring it out in my fiction.

How easy or difficult is it to survive in New York as a writer?

If you live with an appropriate sense of thrift (and you have a partner to share the rent with), its doable. But Ill have a better idea in the coming years!

A lot of your stories are about exile and displacement. Were these drawn from your own experience of growing up in different places?

No, not really. Ive never really felt displaced or anxious about my identity as I suppose a lot of people living in diaspora have. Im quite comfortable in the knowledge of my Indianness as well as my rootedness in New York City, and my understanding of the wider world. So I dont see these themes as a reflection of my own life, but rather of what Ive seen in the world around me and beyond me.

How do you handle the pressure and expectations that come with having a father who is a renowned writer?

By writing as well and as intelligently as I can.

You got married last August. How did you meet your wife, Amanda Calderon?

We met in graduate school at New York University, where we both had fellowships in the creative writing programme (she is a wonderful poet). Were each others first readers.

Who are the writers you love?

There are too many to list here, but I will cite my particular fondness for Jose Saramago, Italo Calvino, Toni Morrison and Amitav Ghosh.

You are currently working on a novel. What is it about?

Its set in the 15th century and not in India. Thats all Ill say for now until its finished.

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From HT Brunch, February 14, 2016

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Afghan officials say at least five security personnel have been killed by Taliban insurgents who attacked their checkpoints in the southern Helmand province.

General Abdul Rahman Sarjang, provincial police chief in Helmand says four police were killed and seven others wounded Saturday in double-suicide attacks on their checkpoint. Sarjang says five insurgents equipped with suicide vests were shot and killed by security forces.

Mohammad Rasoul Zazi, an army spokesperson in Helmand, said one soldier was killed and another was wounded in the attack.

Taliban spokesperson Qari Yusouf Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack. The Taliban have stepped up attacks on Afghan security forces in the past year, waging offensives across the country.
Bashar al Assad will not be ruling Syria in the future and Russias military interventions will not help him stay in power, Saudi Arabias foreign minister Adel al Jubeir told a German newspaper in an interview published on Saturday.

There will be no Bashar al Assad in the future, al Jubeir told newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

It might take three months, it might take six months or three years -- but he will no longer carry responsibility for Syria. Period.

Saying that the Syrian peoples determination to topple al Assad was unbroken despite heavy Russian air strikes and persecution within the country, al Jubeir criticised Russias involvement in the five-year-long war.

He said that Assads previous calls for help to his own military, Iran, Hezbollah and Shia militia forces from Iraq and Pakistan were all in vain.

Now he called the Russians, but they wont be able to help him either, al Jubeir said.

Russia entered the war on September 30, 2015 in support of the Syrian President. At least 250,000 people have been killed, 11 million made homeless and hundreds of thousands have fled to Europe since the conflict began in 2011.

Moscow has said its air strikes are against the extremist militant groups Islamic State and the al Nusra Front, but other countries and rebel groups say the attacks target civilians.

Asked about a more direct military involvement with boots on the ground, al Jubeir said such discussions were currently underway among the member states of a US-led coalition against the Islamic State.

If the coalition should decide to deploy special forces in the fight against IS in Syria, Saudi-Arabia will be ready to participate, he said, using the initials IS to refer to Islamic State.

At a peace and security conference currently underway in Munich, major powers said a peace deal could only be reached if Moscow stops bombing insurgents other than Islamic State.

But Russia pressed on with its air strikes in support of al Assad, who vowed to fight until he regained full control of the country.
With an exclamation of Finally, Pope Francis embraced Patriarch Kirill on Friday in the first meeting between a pontiff and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, a brief but historic encounter held during a stopover in Cuba before the pope flew on to Mexico.

The meeting in the small, wood-panelled VIP room of Havanas airport was a landmark development in the 1,000-year schism that has divided Christianity.

We are brothers, Francis said as he embraced Kirill. The men exchanged three kisses on the cheek.

Now things are easier, Kirill agreed. This is the will of God, the pope said.

Later Friday, Francis flew into Mexico Citys airport to begin a five-day visit during which he plans to bring a message of solidarity with the victims of drug violence, human trafficking and discrimination to some of that countrys most violent and poverty-stricken regions.

A smiling Francis was greeted with a rock concert-like show with blue floodlights illuminating a stage, bandstands and crowds waving yellow handkerchiefs. Mariachis serenaded as his chartered plane pulled to a stop and people shouted Brother Francis, youre already Mexican.

President Enrique Pena Nieto and his wife met Pope Francis on a red carpet. The pontiff made no public remarks before beginning a 22-kilometre (13 1/2-mile) trip to the papal envoys residence for the night.

In Havana, the two church leaders meeting and signing of a joint declaration was decades in the making and cemented Francis reputation as a risk-taking statesman who values dialogue, bridge-building and rapprochement at almost any cost.

In the 30-point statement, the pope and patriarch declared themselves ready to take all necessary measures to overcome their historical differences, saying we are not competitors, but brothers.

Francis and Kirill also called for political leaders to act on the single most important issue of shared concern between the Catholic and Orthodox churches today: The plight of Christians in Iraq and Syria who are being killed and driven from their homes by the Islamic State group.

In many countries of the Middle East and North Africa, entire families of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being exterminated, entire villages and cities, the declaration said.

While the meeting has been hailed by many as an important ecumenical breakthrough, Francis has also come under criticism for essentially allowing himself to be used by a Russia eager to assert itself among Orthodox Christians and on the world stage at a time when the country is increasingly isolated from the West.

The declaration was signed in the uniquely ideal location of Cuba: Far removed from the Catholic-Orthodox turf battles in Europe, a country that is Catholic and familiar to Latin Americas first pope, but equally familiar to the Russian church given its anti-American and Soviet legacy. The pope helped mediate the declaration of detente between the US and Cuba in 2014.

If this continues, Cuba will become the capital of unity, the pope said.

Calling the talks very substantive, Kirill said: The results make it possible to say that today the two churches can actively work together to protect Christians around the world.

The Vatican is hoping the meeting will improve relations with other Orthodox churches and spur progress in dialogue over theological differences that have divided East from West ever since the Great Schism of 1054 split Christianity.

But Orthodox observers say Kirills willingness to finally meet with a pope has less to do with any new ecumenical impulse than grandstanding at a time when Russia is increasingly under fire from the West over its military actions in Syria and Ukraine.

Kirill, a spiritual adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, leads the most powerful of the 14 independent Orthodox churches that will meet this summer in Greece in the first such pan-Orthodox synod in centuries.

The Russian church has long sought greater influence over the Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul.

This isnt benevolence. Its not a newfound desire for Christian unity, said George Demacopoulos, the Greek-orthodox chairman of Orthodox Christian studies at Fordham University in New York. It is almost entirely about (Kirill) posturing and trying to present himself as the leader of Orthodoxy.

Popes as far back as Paul VI have met with the ecumenical patriarch, who is the first among equals in the 250 million-strong Orthodox Church and the only patriarch who can speak for global Orthodoxy. But the Russian Church is the biggest, wealthiest and most powerful in Orthodoxy, and has always kept its distance from Rome.

Catholic and Orthodox split in the Great Schism of 1054 and have remained estranged over a host of issues, including the primacy of the pope and, more recently, Russian Orthodox accusations that the Catholic Church was poaching converts in former Soviet lands. Those tensions have prevented previous popes from meeting with the Russian patriarch, even though the Vatican has long insisted that it was merely ministering to tiny Catholic communities.

The most vexing issue in recent time centres on the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the countrys second-largest, which follows eastern church rites but answers to the Holy See. The Russian Orthodox Church has considered western Ukraine its traditional territory and has resented papal influence there.

Cardinal Kurt Koch, the head of the Vatican office that deals with Orthodox relations, said the future significance of the meeting could not be overstated.

We still dont have contact with a lot of Orthodox patriarchs, and this meeting could help develop intra-Orthodox relations ahead of the pan-Orthodox council, he told Vatican radio. Improved understanding between Rome and Moscow will certainly have positive effects on the theological dialogue.

Such hoped-for progress may seem naive, since the Russian church has always been reluctant to engage in theological dialogue over the primacy of the pope, said the Reverend Stefano Caprio, one of the first priests to arrive in Russia in 1989 to minister to the Catholic community and now a professor of Russian history and culture at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome.

He said the Russian position has long been: Were interested in ecumenism only in the sense of collaboration in managing the crises of a Christianity that is attacked in some countries by violent forces ... and above all to unite against global secularisation, he said.

He noted, for example, that Fridays meeting didnt include any joint prayer  purely talks. Its not an ecumenical encounter, he said.

While a papal trip to Russia is still a long-sought dream, Caprio ruled it out for the foreseeable future.

In Mexico, the pope will visit the crime-plagued Mexico City suburb of Ecatepec, where his visit will shine an uncomfortable spotlight on the governments failure to solve entrenched social ills that plague many parts of Mexico  inequality, rampant gangland killings, extortion, disappearances of women, crooked cops and failed city services.

He will also visit the mainly indigenous southern state of Chiapas, which has the countrys highest poverty rate. There he will celebrate a very Indian Mass and present a decree authorising the use of indigenous languages in liturgy.

Francis will end his trip in the violent northern city of Ciudad Juarez, where he will pray at the border for all who have died trying to cross into the US  a prayer he hopes will resonate north of the border.
The Afghan government has expressed serious concern over the kidnapping of former governor of Herat province Sayed Fazlullah Wahidi in Islamabad on Friday.

A spokesperson of the Afghan foreign ministry has urged Pakistani authorities to immediately recover Wahidi. We are asking Pakistan to use all resources for his (Wahidi) immediate recovery, the Afghan foreign ministry said in a statement.

Unidentified men abducted Wahidi from a busy marketplace when he was with his grandson in Islamabad. The former Afghan governor was staying at a private guest house in the Pakistani capital. Police officials said Wahidi may be in the custody of Pakistans intelligence agencies. Wahidi, an influential leader, had arrived in Islamabad along with his family to get visas for the UK, as the British embassy in Kabul does not directly issue visas to Afghan nationals.

Wahidi remained very close to former Afghan president Hamid Karzai.

Meanwhile, local media reported on Saturday that a two-member Afghan Taliban delegation, led by the head of the groups political office in Qatar, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, paid a secret visit to Pakistan last week as part of preparations for the formal resumption of direct talks with the Afghan government. English daily The Express Tribune reported that Stanekzai and Qari Din Muhammad travelled to Islamabad the same day when senior officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and the United States held talks to finalise the roadmap for the Afghan reconciliation process.

The meeting of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) was held on February 6 during which a tentative date was decided for the resumption of the dialogues.

The Taliban team, according to sources, held informal discussions with senior officials of the four countries, which are part of the quadrilateral process. However, there was no official confirmation of the Taliban delegations visit by either side, the paper said.
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U.S. financial giant Morgan Stanley agreed to pay a $3.2 billion slap-on-the-wrist fine over its deceptive banking practices that contributed to the subprime mortgage meltdown and subsequent 2008 financial crisis, the New York attorney general's office announced Thursday.

Under the deal, negotiated by a state and federal working group appointed by President Barack Obama in 2012, Morgan Stanley admits that it repeatedly lied about the quality and value of residential mortgage-backed securities it sold to investors, reported the Associated Press. The bank knew that the securities had "material defects" and that some loans were "underwater," meaning that the loan was larger than the value of the house.

The New York attorney general's office said investigators uncovered an email from May 2006 showing that "the head of Morgan Stanley's team tasked with doing due diligence on the value of properties underlying the mortgage loans asked a colleague, 'please do not mention the 'slightly higher risk tolerance' in these communications. We are running under the radar and do not want to document these types of things.'"

The attorney general's office added: "In another email on Nov. 21, 2006, a member of the Morgan Stanley due diligence team forwarded a list of questionable loans, seeking review and approval to purchase them, and adding 'I assume you will want to do your 'magic' on this one?'"

Morgan Stanley initially agreed to pay $2.6 billion last year, but the new deal includes an additional $550 million for New York state - $400 million in mortgage reductions for struggling homeowners and other consumer relief, along with $150 million in cash for the state.

"Today's agreement is another victory in our efforts to help New Yorkers rebuild in the wake of the financial devastation caused by major banks," said New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in a statement released Thursday. "Today's settlement will deliver resources to the families and communities that need them the most, while helping New Yorkers avoid foreclosure, and spurring the construction of more affordable housing units statewide."

Schneiderman said that the working group has secured about $64 billion in settlements, including $16.65 billion from Bank of America, $13 billion from JPMorgan Chase and $7 billion from Citigroup, according to International Business Times.

"Our work is far from over," said Schneiderman, who co-chairs the group. "Communities across the country have not gotten back to where they were before the crash."

No one involved with the deceptive practices has been charged with a crime or served jail time.

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In a rare show of bipartisan support, the House of Representatives on Friday overwhelmingly passed legislation to impose tougher sanctions on North Korea following a series of moves that were seen as aggressive.

The 408-2 vote comes after Pyongyang launched a rocket carrying a satellite into space earlier this month, which many believe was a covert test of long-range ballistic missile technology, and purportedly tested a hydrogen bomb last month, it's fourth nuclear test. Both were violations of international prohibitions. The bill, H.R. 757, passed the Senate earlier this week in a 96-0 vote and is now headed to President Barack Obama, who is expected to sign it, reported Reuters.

Once signed, the Obama administration will be required to sanction anyone involved with North Korea's nuclear or missile program. The bill would use "secondary sanctions" to target anyone involved with the country's weapons and raw mineral trading, money laundering, human rights abuse or cyberattacks.

The goal is to make it difficult for Pyongyang to obtain the money it needs to develop miniaturized nuclear warheads and the long-range missiles used to deliver them, according to the Associated Press.

Lawmakers are frustrated that North Korea has avoided any serious punishment for its seemingly aggressive behavior and are concerned that the international community isn't doing enough to contain the threat.

"This bill sends the message to the regime in North Korea that they must reform and they must disarm this nuclear weapons program. By cutting off the regime's access to the money it need for its army and its weapons, the bill will return us to the one strategy that has worked: financial pressure on North Korea," said Ed Royce, the bill's sponsor and the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, according to AP

The measure also earmarks $50 million over five years to provide refugees with humanitarian services, purchase communications equipment and send radio broadcasts into North Korea in order to provide its citizens access to alternative media.

The only two lawmakers to vote against the measure were Libertarian-leaning Reps. Justin Amash, R-Mich., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., according to The Hill.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that North Korea has restarted a plutonium reactor and is attempting to develop a long-range nuclear missile. The country could begin recovering plutonium needed for a nuclear weapon within weeks, he said.

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Joyce Garrard, an Alabama woman who was sentenced to life in prison for the 2012 murder of her 9-year-old granddaughter, died Friday, less than a year into her sentence.

The cause of her death remains unclear, but Garrard was suffering from health complications at the time. She collapsed Sunday at the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka sometime after a visitation with her family, reported NBC's Alabama WVTM-TV. Prison guards found her unresponsive, and she suffered a heart attack soon after. She was given emergency care after being found to be brain dead and then airlifted to Jackson Hospital, where she remained on life support until she died Friday.

"This is another loss for a family that already has lost so much," defense attorney Dani Bone said.

Garrard was sentenced to life in prison without parole in March 2015 after she was convicted for capital murder in the death of her 9-year-old granddaughter Savannah Hardin after she made her run as punishment for lying about eating candy, reported Alabama.com. She was rushed to the hospital after losing consciousness and died after never regaining it. Evidence at the trial revealed that Hardin had been forced to run for more than three hours without rest.

Garrard argued that she never intended to harm Hardin and was running alongside her while they talked about the importance of telling the truth.

"If she was running, I was running," Garrard said, noting that she was also trying to teach her granddaughter how to run faster in school races.

However, prosecutors gave a different account of the incident, calling Garrard the "drill sergeant from hell" and described the child's death as agony imposed by a woman she loved and trusted - an account that jurors ultimately believed.

"She was tortured," prosecutor Carol Griffith told jurors in closing arguments, according to the Associated Press.

Tragedy has befallen the family for a third time with this death, and a fourth may be just around the corner, as Jessica Mae Hardin, child's stepmother, is set for trial in June on a murder charge for allegedly failing to stop the punishment. She has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed his beliefs about Palestinian culture in a debate Wednesday in which members of the Knesset discussed the possibility of establishing a two-state solution to the country's current problems.

As the Israeli Prime Minister and Israel's Labor party opposition leader Isaac Herzog exchanged words in a debate, Netanyahu voiced his opinion about the roots of the violence currently spreading through the nation, according to Ma'an News.

"Terror is not a result of occupation. The terror stems from a culture of death. Its goal is not to free a state, it is to destroy a state," he said.

Herzog, a supporter of a two-state solution for the country problems, believes otherwise. For the opposition leader, a compromise is possible, but only if the government starts becoming unafraid to make a definitive move.

"We have a different vision, and as hard as you try, you will not be able to kill it. The two-state vision isn't dead. But it won't happen tomorrow, certainly not as long as you, Mr. Netanyahu and Palestinian President Abu Mazen are afraid to make a move," he said.

The ongoing violence between Israelis and Palestinians has caught the eye of world powers. Representatives of the Quartet in the Middle East condemned the continued acts of violence against civilians in the country in a meeting on Friday, reported The Jerusalem Post.

Other world powers, such as the U.S., have also spoken out about the issue, with America's ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, stating on Saturday that she would be speaking with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on security and peace issues, The Times of Israel reported.

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North Korea, through its state media, the KCNA, has declared that it would stop its investigation into the fate of Japanese citizens who were abducted by the communist state in the 1970's and 1980's in response to a new set of sanctions that were imposed by Japan following a satellite launch that was condemned by world powers, according to The New York Times.

The reclusive communist state admitted back in 2002 that it abducted 13 Japanese citizens in order to train them as spies. Five of the 13 were eventually returned to Japan, but the other eight remain missing. North Korea claims that the remaining eight are already dead.

Japan, however, believes that there were far more who were kidnapped before, possibly even hundreds of its citizens. The Asian superpower also believes that a lot of them might probably still be alive, reported the Associated Press.

In exchange for lighter sanctions in 2014, North Korea promised Japan that it would re-open investigations into the fate of the kidnapped Japanese citizens. Since then, however, progress has been very slow, and the North has given Japan very little results.

North Korea's announcement has been strongly condemned by the Japanese government, which called the cessation of the probe "deplorable," reported Reuters.

Despite the communist state's announcement, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga stated that the Asian superpower still hopes to keep an open door for dialogue regarding the fate of its abducted citizens.

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The U.S. has decided to temporarily deploy an additional, highly advanced Patriot missile battery to South Korea as in order to provide it with more military might if issues with North Korea escalate further, as tensions between the North and South have risen to an all-time high, according to the Associated Press.

Lieutenant General Thomas Vandal, commander of the U.S. Eighth Army, said that the deployment of the additional Patriots is a readiness exercise for both the U.S. and South Korea.

"Exercises like this ensure we are always ready to defend against an attack from North Korea. North Korea's continued development of ballistic missiles against the expressed will of the international community requires the alliance to maintain effective and ready ballistic missile defenses," he said, according to The International Business Times.

The Patriot missiles, which will be flown from Fort Bliss, Texas this week, are among the most advanced in the U.S. arsenal. Known as Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missiles, the system is designed to shoot down short, medium, and intermediate ballistic missiles, reported Investment Underground.

The U.S.' decision was met with some criticism by a number of nations, including China and Russia, which stated that the U.S.' deployment of the missile systems might trigger an arms race in the region.

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The U.S. and Cuba will sign an agreement on Tuesday that will restart commercial flights to the communist island nation for the first time in 50 years, eventually allowing over 100 flights per day.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx will fly to Havana on Tuesday to formally sign the agreement that was reached in December. U.S. airlines will then have 15 days to apply with the Department of Transportation for routes they would like to fly, and a bidding war will likely continue until mid-March. Routes and slots will likely be awarded to specific carriers over the summer, reported The Hill.

Round-trip flights between the U.S. and Cuba are expected to resume by October, with as many as 110 occurring daily, including 20 flights to Havana and 10 flights to nine other Cuban cities, according to USA Today. These would come in addition to the current 10 to 15 daily charter flights to Havana.

American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines are looking to open up routes to Havana later this year, reported Bloomberg. There are no plans for the near future to allow Cuban-owned planes to fly to the U.S., according to CNN.

American travelers would be required to certify their trip to Cuba falls under one of 12 categories, including visiting family, humanitarian projects, support for Cuban people, journalistic activity, professional research, educational activities, religious activities and public performances.

"You know it's usually significant when the President made this announcement of re-establishing diplomatic relations more than a year ago," Foxx told CNN. "It really means a great deal to the people of both countries. Leaving aside the political differences, there's so many cultural connections between the two countries, in some cases family connections, the ability to have educational exchanges and things that happen as a result of resumption of this service, is really, really significant."

The resumption of commercial flights is the latest step in the normalization of diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Cuba, which began 14 months ago after 53 years of estrangement. The two countries have also reopened embassies in each other's capitals and entered new business deals in medicine, communications and tourism. Still, Cuban President Raul Castro has said that normal relations will only be possible when the U.S. Congress abolishes the trade embargo against his country, reported BBC News.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
News, events, history, and other mid-week tidbits.

Tuesday, October 25, 4:30  7 p.m.

Orr Area EMS Open House

Brats and burgers will be served. Event includes a new ambulance tour and blood pressure screenings. For more info: 218-780-3798.

Orr Fire Hall

4540 Lake St., Orr

Tuesday, October 25, 12  6 p.m.

Essentia Health Job Fair

Talent recruiters and department managers will be on-site at Essentia Health-Virginia. Candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to attendnurses, nursing and clinical assistants, surgery technicians, radiology technicians, respiratory therapists, human resource professionals, and those interested in environmental services or nutrition services. Essentia staff will greet candidates, conduct an initial screening and filter them to appropriate hiring managers for interviews. Select candidates will be verbally offered a position before leaving. Candidates are asked to bring a resume, but its not required. Attire is business casual. For more info: www.essentiacareers.org.

901 9th St. N., Virginia
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Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 16-02-12 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 <http://www.pio.gov.cy/> TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW No. 29/16 12.02.2016 [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] Eide: "90% of the property issue is solved; The implementation of the solution is being discussed" [02] Durust to President Anastasiades: "Nobody has the right to disturb our people" [03] A report on the "Negotiations process and the Turkish Cypriot economy in a Federal Cyprus" was presented [04] Cakici responded to Erdogan's demand on the "citizenship" issue; "Citizenship will be granted in accordance with laws" [05] The Turkish Cypriot press reveals the text of the "agreement" on the administration of the water from Turkey [06] Kalyoncu argues that they should abide by Turkey's conditions on the water issue [07] Wastewater is being carried to the occupied area of Cyprus from Turkey due to an infrastructure problem [08] Akim stated that he prefers the transferring of electricity from "south Cyprus" instead from Turkey [09] The U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus met with Harmanci [10] The Counsellor of the German Embassy visited the "EMU" [11] Erdogan: "Minutes revealing refugee talks with EU leaders were not a source of shame but provided absolution" [12] Turkey's Interior Minister announced an end to operations in southeastern Turkey [13] Pro-government newspapers Yeni Safak and Yeni Akit were attacked [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] Eide: "90% of the property issue is solved; The implementation of the solution is being discussed" Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (12.02.16) reports that Espen Barth Eide, UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Cyprus, has said that important progress has been achieved in the negotiations for finding a solution to the Cyprus problem and that even the property, which he described as the "most difficult issue", has been solved by 90%. In statements to Selim Sayari, NTV's correspondent in the occupied area of Cyprus, Eide noted that four out of the six chapters of the Cyprus problem have been completed to a great extent. He said that the chapters of the territory and the guarantees have not been completed and no agreement is reached yet on them, adding that agreement on these issues will be reached in the end of the process. He noted: "We will launch an important technical work on the constitution, the economy and the implementation of the solution. We are at an important point. [?] The leaders have covered a distance more than 90% on the property issue. The calculation of percentages is always difficult. Sometimes, the 10% could be more difficult that the 90%. We have a model on the property. We are trying to complete it. I do not believe that the property will take long, but significant resources are needed". Eide avoided giving a date for the solution of the problem, but having as starting point statements by the two community leaders, said that a solution could be reached within 2016 and its implementation could begin this year. Arguing that the economy of the federal Cyprus will be in a better situation than the economy of the two zones, Eide said that money is needed in the beginning for the necessary investments to be made. He added that during the past few months he has been looking for ways on the financing of the solution and argued that it is possible to have a package comprised of international aid and investments by the private sector. Noting that experts from the IMF, the World Bank and EU institutions are working on the estimation of the cost of the solution, Eide expressed the view that the international interest which is being shown for Cyprus is a "blessing", adding that all 15 members of the UN Security Council had expressed their support to the solution in Cyprus, which could be a "source of inspiration" for the problematic areas in the region. Referring to the natural gas found in Cyprus' Exclusive Economic Zone, Eide noted that with the solution, Cyprus will become an energy center in the area and that both leaders know that the natural gas will bring a "very good income to the federal state". Replying to a question on the recent statement by the community leaders, Eide expressed the view that these statements have no relation with the forthcoming elections in the government-controlled area of the Republic of Cyprus and added: "The leaders are not troubled by the elections. Whatever the result of the elections is, both of them will preserve their positions. We must be focused on the negotiations. Both leaders and their delegations are working very decisively. They are progressing for turning the disagreements into an agreement. This does not mean that they will agree on everything. The political leadership in Ankara strongly supports the solution. The situation is also the same in Athens. The third guarantor power Britain has been exerting efforts for the solution for years [?] I think that I will be the last special adviser. I said this meaning that the solution will be reached. If this chance is wasted, the view that another mediator will not come prevails. If the two leaders cannot reach a solution in spite of this positive climate, this strong international support they have, I do not think that the same opportunity could be found in another five or ten years. I still believe that I will be the last mediator and I hope that there is a good reason for this". Meanwhile, Kibris also reports that Eide met with Turkish Cypriot leader Musrtafa Akinci yesterday and discussed the program of the negotiations during the next months. After the meeting, Eide was asked to comment on President Anastasiades statement on the rotating presidency. He replied: "If you read what he said, you will clearly see that Anastasiades simply said that the one side has one view and the other has the opposite view and that this is negotiated". He noted that the leaders are expected to discuss this issue during their meeting tomorrow. He also said that this is nothing new as it was a known position and added that when the negotiations start there is no consensus on some issues, but they advance issue by issue and when everything ends, they reach an agreement on all issues. Eide expressed the view that it would be well for the leaders to discuss how they will behave in their relations with the people and whether there is an issue to be shared with the people. He said that as one of the persons who know what is happening in the negotiations, he can see that things are going well, but those who read the newspapers of the two communities could be completely confused as to whether agreement exists on any issue. Eide noted that he sympathizes with the readers of the newspapers, that this is an issue which should be solved and that the leaders will discuss how they could cope with this issue. Finally, in an interview with Turkish Cypriot Havadis newspaper (12.02.16), Eide said that during the talks the sides are discussing the implementation of the solution including when every single step will be taken and the preparations on the constitution of the united Cyprus. Eide noted that they want to be ready when they come to the final stage and the difficult issues are overcome. Eide noted that "intensive diplomacy" is being carried out at the backstage as regards the issues of security and guarantees. He noted that consultations are held with Athens, Ankara, London, the UN Security Council and other interested sides and expressed the view that the guarantees will not be a difficult issue to be settled, because of the positive course of the negotiating process, the trust between the sides and the positive stance of the guarantors. Replying to a question, Eide said that the sum of 20 billion euro which is said that will be needed for financing the solution is an exaggerated sum. "We will need resources in the beginning. Subsequently the solution will be financing itself", he added. Asked whether the implementation of the solution is being discussed, Eide replied: "Yes, I can say that it has started to be discussed". (I/Ts.) [02] Durust to President Anastasiades: "Nobody has the right to disturb our people" Under the above front-page title, Turkish Cypriot daily Gunes newspaper (12.02.16) reports that the so-called minister of education Kemal Durust, in statements to a televised program broadcast by Genc TV in the occupied area of Cyprus, commented on the recent statements made by the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Anastasiades. "I am of the opinion that we should not allow Anastasiades' statements to affect our people. He, in every place he goes for his election campaign says to the people with Girne origin [Translator's note: meaning the refugees from Keryneia] that 'We will take Keryneia back' and to the people with Guzelyurt origin [Translator's note: meaning the refugees from occupied Morfou] 'We will take Morfou back'. Nobody has the right to annoy our people for political purposes. We will not allow this to happen", Durust said. Claiming that the occupied Morfou is completely different today than Morfou the Greek Cypriots "left" in 1974, Durust called President Anastasiades to visit and tour occupied Morfou in order to understand this. "He will see that Morfou has been developed by four times, in spite of the fact that Morfou is the least developed area in the TRNC. And with the university investment to be carried out there, the development will be increased more. Similarly, we will carry out investments in Trikomo as well. In brief, there was a remarkable development in our places within the borders of the TRNC since 1974", Durust alleged. He further called President Anastasiades to read well the recent statements made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who has called the Turkish Cypriots to "Stand tall in Cyprus, do not step back" and who has allegedly said that "Morfou should not be given to the Greek Cypriots". Commenting on Erdogan's statement, Durust said that this statement made them feel comfortable and relaxed. (?) (AK) [03] A report on the "Negotiations process and the Turkish Cypriot economy in a Federal Cyprus" was presented According to illegal Bayrak television (online, 12.02.16), the presentation of the "Negotiations process and the Turkish Cypriot economy in a Federal Cyprus" report which was prepared by the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce (KTTO) was given in the occupied part of Lefkosia yesterday. The report was prepared with the aim of determining the necessary opportunities, support and permanent conservations needed to be given in the fields of agriculture, manufacturing, constructing, trade, tourism, higher education, transportation and communication for the institutionalisation and competitiveness after a comprehensive solution. Delivering an opening speech at the event the Chairman of the KTTO Fikri Toros said that Cyprus will be at a turning point in the near future and added that they evaluated this process as critical and important. A member of the Board of Directors of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey Faik Yavuz, for his part, said that Cyprus is at the beginning of an important process and added that the report prepared by the KTTO will contribute to this process. The self-styled minister of finance Birikim Ozgur during his address stressed that the "government" is continuing to work towards social and economic development of the "people". Explaining that a certain time is needed for preparing the public finance and economic sectors to the European Union and solution circumstance, Ozgur said that there is a path that needed to be followed in order to survive with the new structure and added that in this regard the report will make contributions for reaching a common idea and target. Illegal Turkish "ambassador" to the occupied part of Lefkosia Derya Kanbay, in his speech, noted that new conditions, which will result from a federal state to be established after a referendum, will occur and said: "Since the new conditions will be based on the EU acquis this report will be useful". He also stressed the importance of pursuing and implementing the right economic policies. Self-styled prime minister Omer Kalyoncu, for his part, reminded that the negotiations process which aims to establish a federal Cyprus is continuing and expressed the need for all institutions to give the necessary support to the leaders and their negotiators. Stressing the need for further strengthening the economy, he said that having a strong economy will be one of the issues safeguarding freedom and security. Expressing the need for passing the "laws from parliament" which will enable harmonization with the EU, Kalyoncu stressed the importance of working together with the civil society organizations during the process. [04] Cakici responded to Erdogan's demand on the "citizenship" issue; "Citizenship will be granted in accordance with laws" Turkish Cypriot daily Ortam newspaper (12.02.16) under the title: "Citizenships will be granted in accordance with laws", reports that Mehmet Cakici, "deputy" with the Social Democracy Party (TDP) in the occupied part of Lefkosia, in statements yesterday in the so-called assembly, referred, inter alia, to the "citizenship" issue and said that the demand coming from Turkey on the issue of the "TRNC's citizenships", constitutes a meddling to their internal affairs. "It is the state that decides to whom it will grant citizenships, nobody else has the right to demand and decide for this", Cakici added. Supporting that "citizenships are granted according to the laws and the authorities of the state", Cakici replied to the recent statements made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who called the Turkish Cypriots to grant more "citizenship" and said that "the TRNC is granting citizenship in accordance with its rules and law". Cakici expressed also strong criticism to the "government" for its policies towards the water issue, the privatization of the illegal Tymbou airport and the "citizenship issue". (AK) [05] The Turkish Cypriot press reveals the text of the "agreement" on the administration of the water from Turkey Under the title "The biggest treason", Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper (12.02.16) publishes the text of the agreement between Turkey and the breakaway regime on the administration of the water transferred from Turkey to the occupied area of Cyprus. The full text of the agreement is also published in other Turkish Cypriot newspapers. Arguing that the Turkish Cypriots have been "sold out", Afrika reports that only the signature of self-styled prime minister Omer Kalyoncu and Turkish Deputy Prime Minister responsible for Cypriot Affairs Tugrul Turkes is left for the "agreement". According to the provisions of the agreement, the administration of the water is monopolized. In the article 7 of the "agreement" it is said that "the part of the provided water which will be used as drinking and utility water is operated by a single administrator in the TRNC". Article 8 provides that no other institution or organization of the private or "public" sector could be given the right to administrate the water during the period in which the administrator is given the right to administrate the water. Moreover, only Turkey will have the right to sell the water to third countries. Also, the installations of the "municipalities" will be handed over to the private company which will administrate the water. The company will be paying as cost of use 10% of the turnover from the water sale to the "finance" ministry" and not to the "municipalities". The article 13 of the "agreement" says that the immovable properties needed for the activities of the enterprise will immediately be expropriated by the "TRNC government" and will be given to the administrator without asking anything to be paid by the latter. Article 11 provides that the private company which will administrate the water will be exempted from any "legal obligation" and it will not be needed to take a "work or residence permit" for its high ranking personnel. (I/Ts.) [06] Kalyoncu argues that they should abide by Turkey's conditions on the water issue Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi (12.02.16) reports that the self-styled prime minister of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus Omer Kalyoncu, evaluating the water issue to the paper, said that Turkey, which has carried the water to Cyprus, put forward its conditions. Kalyoncu added that they do not have the luxury to talk so much regarding the water issue. Kalyoncu further said that he thinks that at the stage they have reached on the issue regarding the administration of the water coming from Turkey, there are not a lot of things that they can do. He explained that the one who brings the water to the island it is obvious that will also exert its conditions and without these conditions a delivery will not be made to the "government". Noting that there is a water problem in the "country", Kalyoncu said: "This water was transferred here by the Republic of Turkey. When we established this government, we found the water issue in our hands. Since that day, we have been trying to solve it. The current situation is clearer now. I believe that we should now conclude this issue after we carried out the necessary contacts." Kalyoncu also argued: "I am not a person that supports privatization, however, this water has come until here and this water will be delivered to us with certain conditions. Those who bring the water here have manifested also their conditions. (?) For this reason, regardless of who is in the 'government' will not have more luck. (?) Therefore, we should finally close this issue." (DPs) [07] Wastewater is being carried to the occupied area of Cyprus from Turkey due to an infrastructure problem Turkish daily Today's Zaman (11.02.16) reported that Turgut Aybak, chairman of the Mersin Waterworks Authority (MESKI) said during a provincial coordination committee meeting on Thursday that due to an infrastructural problem, wastewater from three neighborhoods in Mersin's Anamur district is being directed into the Alakopru [occupied Panagra Dam], one of the dams that were constructed as part of Turkey's water pipeline to the "TRNC". "The Akine, Sar?agac and Ormanc?k neighborhoods have a broken water purification system. In other words, wastewater is being deposited into the reservoir of the dam that carries water to the TRNC", Aybak added. [08] Akim stated that he prefers the transferring of electricity from "south Cyprus" instead from Turkey Turkish Cypriot daily Diyalog newspaper (12.02.16) reports that Ismet Akim, "chairman of the administration board" of the Turkish Cypriot "electricity authority" ("KIB-TEK"), condemned strongly the latest statement made by the so-called minister of finance Birikim Ozgur who has said that they want to transfer electricity from Turkey and stated that they wouldn't prefer this option from an economic point of view. Recalling that Ozgur has not taken into consideration the reports they had prepared in the past towards this issue, Akim stated the following: "I prefer south Cyprus. And this because, we breathe in the same atmosphere and we are getting wet from the same rain. The distance between us is trivial. (?). (AK) [09] The U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus met with Harmanci Turkish Cypriot daily Ortam (12.02.16) reports that Mehmet Harmanci, mayor of the occupied part of Nicosia, met yesterday with the U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus Kathleen Ann Doherty. During the meeting, the projects of the "municipality", the joint work with the Nicosia Municipality and the Cyprus problem were discussed. According to a press release by the "Nicosia Turkish Municipality", they exchanged views on what should be done after the Cyprus settlement and on which stage the Cyprus talks have reached. Harmanci, commenting on the projects that are being carried out within the walls in the occupied part of Nicosia, said that the opening of Paphos Gate will contribute positively to the development of the area. (DPs) [10] The Counsellor of the German Embassy visited the "EMU" Turkish Cypriot daily Haberal Kibrisli (12.02.16) reports that Peter Neven, Counsellor of the German Embassy to Cyprus, visited yesterday the "rector" of the illegal Eastern Mediterranean university ("DAU") in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus Prof. Dr Necdet Osam. Prof. Dr Ahmet Sozen was also present at the meeting. According to a press release by "DAU", during the visit Dr Osam briefed Neven regarding the "university", adding that they are open for the necessary initiatives on the issue of academic cooperation between Germany and "DAU". (DPs) [11] Erdogan: "Minutes revealing refugee talks with EU leaders were not a source of shame but provided absolution" Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (11.02.16) reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan admitted the validity of minutes from his negotiations with European Union leaders on Syrian refugees that were recently leaked to the press, saying that the statements did not cause shame but provided "absolution." "Some try to attack us by [giving] the minutes of these meetings," Erdogan said during his speech at the general assembly of the Turkish Statistics Institute (TUIK), referring to a November 19 meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, where he allegedly threatened to flood Europe with migrants if a deal was not reached with the EU. "You must have read what we said there. We defended the rights of our country and of Syrians," Erdogan said, adding that the published minutes were "not a source of shame but provided absolution". "In the past we have stopped people at the gates of Europe; in Edirne we stopped their buses. This happens once or twice, and then we'll open the gates and wish them a safe journey, that's what I said," Erdogan told the audience. Erdogan reiterated his anger with the United Nations, which demanded that Turkey open its borders to a new wave of Syrian refugees from Aleppo due to increased attacks by the Syrian regime and Russia. A Greek news website published minutes of Erdogan's November 2015 meeting with Juncker and Tusk on Feb. 8, which was largely picked up by Turkish media outlets as documents of a "bargain." In the minutes, Erdogan said Turkey could open its borders with Greece and Bulgaria, and send the refugees to Europe in buses, if a deal was not reached. (?) The minutes also include Erdogan stressing that he is "not representing a third world country," in response to Juncker's comments that he was welcomed "like a prince," in Brussels. Allegedly, Juncker also reminded Erdogan of the postponement of Turkey's Progress Report, which harshly criticized the current situation the of rule of law and free speech, until after the country's November 1 elections, arguing that the delay contributed to the Justice and Development Party's (AKP) election victory. Erdogan singlehandedly rejected Juncker's argument, saying that the report was an "insult," and did not reflect the "real Turkey." [12] Turkey's Interior Minister announced an end to operations in southeastern Turkey Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (11.02.16) reported that Turkey's Interior Minister Efkan Ala has announced an end to operations targeting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the Cizre district of the southeastern province of S?rnak. "Today, operations have just ended... Operational activities in Cizre ended successfully but search activities will continue from now on. Curfews will also continue for a while as is the case in Silopi," Ala said on February 11. "We believe that it [the operation] will be completed in Cizre within a few days. In Sur, it may take one or two weeks longer but there too, 85-90%[of the operation] has been completed. In Cizre, the cleaning of ditches and holes and clearing of mines has reached 99%," he said. [13] Pro-government newspapers Yeni Safak and Yeni Akit were attacked Turkish daily Today's Zaman (11.02.16) reported that the Istanbul headquarters of the pro-government Yeni Akit and Yeni Safak newspapers were simultaneously attacked with firearms and Molotov bombs early on Thursday. The two dailies' buildings were separately targeted by unidentified assailants, and no casualties were reported. Speaking during a Turkey Young Businessmen Confederation (TUGIK) meeting on Thursday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan harshly condemned the attacks on the pro-government dailies but declined to describe as attacks two previous violent protests outside the Hurriyet newspaper, referring to them instead as "scuffles." "Attacks were staged against the buildings of Akit and Yeni Safak this morning. I strongly condemn the attacks. In the past, the windows of another newspaper were shattered during a scuffle -- not in an armed attack," Erdogan said. The US Embassy in Turkey also posted consecutive tweets on Thursday declaring support for Yeni Safak and Akit. "Violence against journalists is always unacceptable. A free and diverse press is essential to a democratic society," the first tweet said. "We defend Yeni Safak & Yeni Akit's right to print & report without fear of reprisal, as we do every journalist's," the Embassy added. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also condemned the attack and called on Turkish officials to solve the case and punish the perpetrators. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio (AK/AM) Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
Congress Passes Law Permanently Banning Internet Taxes https://t.co/r72yPQBztX pic.twitter.com/8BReMbglDW  The Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 12, 2016

Students use it to research school projects and papers, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a floor speech ahead of the vote. Entrepreneurs use it to help run their businesses and come up with new ideas. Families use it to manage their busy schedules and stay in touch with relatives. Its important that they be able to do all of this without the worry of their Internet access being taxed....Internet Tax Freedom is one of those provisions that weve been extending every year in fits and starts, he said in his weekly press briefing. Americans should not have to worry about something as vital as this being taxed by any government at any level. So now, we are banning taxes on your internet access for good.
OTTAWA  The federal government will strive to increase its overall aid budget but has no intention of reaching the UNs development goal of 0.7 per cent of gross national product (GNP), International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau confirmed this week.

Bibeau told The Huffington Post Canada on SiriusXMs Everything Is Political show that the Liberal government would try to increase the budget in terms of money, but not based in terms of this [GNP] ratio.

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Marie-Claude Bibeau says Canada won't try to meet the UN's development goal in the near future. (Photo: Matthew Usherwood/Canadian Press)

When asked if it was something Ottawa was striving to achieve, Bibeau said, To be honest, no.

We are at about 0.24 per cent right now, she said. We will try to increase our commitment as much as possible, but the 0.7 is not an objective for the time being  not in the near future, at least.

Bibeau said the 0.7 is not achievable in the short term, which is why she has focused on increasing the envelope for development assistance in her meetings with Finance Minister Bill Morneau.

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On Thursday, during his fifth visit to Canada, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged Canada to spend more on official development assistance.

I believe that Canada has capacity and resources."

Canada is a G7 country, a member of the G20, a very important country and also a very wealthy, rich country, Ban said.

I believe that Canada has capacity and resources."

I know that the prime minister may have all different priorities, but  I count on your leadership, he said to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was standing at Ban's side.

Only five countries in the world have met the target with consistency: Sweden, Norway, Luxembourg, Denmark and the Netherlands. The Netherlands, however, dropped slightly below the threshold in 2013 and 2014.

Trudeau said Canada remains strongly committed to development assistance, pointing out his governments recent announcement that it will spend $1.1 billion on humanitarian aid and development assistance in Syria and surrounding regions, but he did not specifically mention the 0.7 per cent goal.

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Justin Trudeau and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon participate in a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Feb. 11, 2016. (Photo: Chris Roussakis/AFP/Getty Images)

Trudeaus father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, committed Canada to the target in 1970, when the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on economically advanced countries to progressively increase their official development assistance to developing countries to a minimum of 0.7 per cent of gross national product.

A former Liberal prime minister, Lester B. Pearson, headed an international blue-ribbon panel in 1969 that recommended the target. The UN believes the 0.7 per cent figure could halve the number of people living in extreme poverty.

Canada has never reached the target.

In 2005, prime minister Paul Martin said he planned to achieve the 0.7 per cent but refused to commit to a specific timeline of 2015  as 15 members of the European Union had done.

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In 2014, Britain became the first G7 country to meet the UN goal, The Guardian newspaper reported. Then, last year, Parliament enshrined in legislation its commitment to spending 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI) on aid every year.

Also on HuffPost
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt delivers a statement to the House of Commons, London, outlining how talks with the British Medical Association (BMA) have ended in a stalemate. PA/PA Wire

Jeremy Hunt could face one of his most embarrassing days in office if a group of MPs, including six Conservatives, allow a debate in the Commons chamber on the public's confidence in their health secretary.

A petition that has garnered 300,000 signatures is calling for his removal, and will go before a committee of MPs to discuss its suitability for a debate in Parliament later this month.

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The plea to oust Hunt from his health brief was started by Graham Hillman, and is receiving huge support with up to 6,000 backers an hour. It was started on Thursday - the day junior doctors were told new pay and conditions terms would be foisted on them.

Thousands of NHS staff are protesting against Hunt's reforms

"Mr Hunt recently gave totally inappropriate advice to Google conditions before seeking medical opinion," the petition reads.

"He referred to Paramedics as Ambulance Drivers and has caused the first Doctors strike in years of the NHS.

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Hillman concludes: "Mr Hunt is destroying all staff morale in the NHS & will cause recruitment issues."

Members of the petitions committee that adjudicates on which pleas that get over 100,000 signatures should be allowed to be debated in Parliament will meet on February 23rd, to make a decision. The committee includes five MPs from the Conservative Party.

The Cttee next meets on 23 Feb, where petitions reaching 100,000 signatures and those which have received a Govt response will be considered  Petitions Committee (@HoCpetitions) February 12, 2016

The health secretary has previously faced pressure from petition signers, after 220,000 people called for a similar vote of no confidence back in September.

In response, MPs dedicated an afternoon in the Westminster Hall venue to focus on "the e-petition relating to contracts and conditions in the NHS".

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The government has not yet issued a response, as it is obliged to do with all petitions that receive over 10,000 signatures.

However, Hunt has defended his controversial decision to impose new contracts overhauling pay and conditions terms by saying that given time they would be accepted as a good thing.

In a statement to the Commons on Thursday he said no health secretary could ignore the fact that standards in NHS hospitals are "too low" at weekends and more patients die than during the week, a point contested by many.
Viewers of 'The Last Leg' have voted Jeremy Hunt 'Dick of the Year'.

In honour a pinata of the Health Secretary's likeness was then beaten to a pulp.

Host Adam Hills said: "Are you watching this Jeremy Hunt?

"You said yesterday you're launching an enquiry into why morale is so low amongst NHS junior Doctors.

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"Are you kidding me?! That's like Harold Shipman launching an investigation into patient mortality rates."

#DickHunt even began trending.

To celebrate further they even created a game where you can bugle Hunt to your heart's content.

To celebrate our #dickoftheyear, we've a very special website! Have a play with #huntjeremy yourself! #juniordoctors Posted by The Last Leg on Saturday, February 13, 2016

Other contenders for the title were Donald Trump, who came second, Martin Shkreli, and Walter Palmer, killer of Cecil the Lion.

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Hunt announced on Thursday he will impose a contract on junior doctors after negotiations between the BMA and the government failed.

Royal colleges and unions have expressed dismay at the Health Secretary's move, which comes after weeks of deadlock.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said it would "consider all options", raising the possibility of further strikes in the battle over pay and conditions.
George Galloway interviewed Nigel Farage in what must be the most underwhelming clash of Left vs Right in recent political history.

People who expected fireworks when they heard the fiery rhetorician of Britain's hard Left would grill the doyen of the populist Right must have been left disappointed when the pair agreed with each other on just about everything they talked about.

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During the interview on his show 'Sputnik', broadcast on Russia's RT network, Galloway, who supports a Brexit, called the Ukip leader "the man who, more than any other, has brought us to the point where we're going to get a vote on whether to stay or go".

When Nigel (left) met George (right)

"There may or may not be fireworks in the next 25 minutes," the former Labour MP predicted. There were not.

Galloway listened and agreed with Farage's claims that we should focus more on the Commonwealth than the EU, that the belief the EU is more popular in Scotland is a "myth put out by the Edinburgh media" and that "our political class no longer think we're capable as a people of running our own affairs".

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Farage predicted David Cameron's planned referendum would take place on June 23. He said leaving the EU would let Britain better control its economic policies, about which "you and I could argue cats and dogs", he told Galloway.

But they distinctly failed to argue cats and dogs during the 26-minute interview.

Watching George Galloway and Nigel Farage in total agreement on Sputnik (RT). Doesn't seem right somehow.  Roy Henderson (@RoyHenderson) February 13, 2016

Yup. It's the apocalypse. Definitely, no doubt about it. Nigel Farage and George Galloway are currently agreeing... WHAT IS HAPPENING...?!  Factoidal Faerie (@FactoidalFaerie) February 13, 2016

Farage said the eurosceptic groups Leave.EU and Vote Leave had done "reputational damage" to each other in their fight over who should lead the Out campaign.

He listed the backers of the group he belonged to, Grassroots Out (GO), prompting Galloway to approvingly remark "some old trade union boys" and say he would "probably" join it.

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Speaking on a TV network often accused of pro-Putin propaganda, Farage said he believed the EU had "provoked" Vladimir Putin into annexing Crimea from Ukraine, adding: "I'm not a friend or fan of Putin as an individual... (but) a European Union with a big, active foreign policy can actually be quite a danger."

Galloway replied: "Yeah... I respect Putin and I think he's very popular in Russia and that's the point, he's the leader of Russia."

"Of course," Farage said.

Galloway told Farage he was "shocked" he had failed to win Thanet South, the seat he stood for at last year's General Election. He then predicted Britons would vote to leave the EU in the referendum and asked the Ukip leader for his prediction.

"I agree," said Farage.

Concluding, Galloway said: "We're both, as it happens, on the same page, at least on this one."
Searching for the positive in everyday life
The West is pushing Russia towards "a new Cold War" because of "unfriendly" policies, the country's prime minister has said.

Tensions rose between the West and Russia following the country's unilateral annexation of Crimea in early 2014. Russia's intervention in Syria, in support of President Bashar Assad, has also hurt relations with the West.

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The Russian state was implicated in the killing of dissident Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006 by a recent public inquiry.

But Dmitry Medvedev told a crucial gathering of politicians, diplomats and military personnel that Nato's policies towards Russia were to blame for frosty relations.

Dmitry Medvedev told the conference: 'Sometimes I wonder if it's 2016 or if we live in 1962'

"Nato's policies related to Russia remain unfriendly and opaque - one could go so far as to say we have slid back to a new Cold War," he said told the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

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"Sometimes I wonder if it's 2016 or if we live in 1962," he added, referring to the year of the Cuban missile crisis, a highpoint in Cold War tensions.

He called for sanctions on Russia imposed after it annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 to be lifted, saying they were "a road that leads nowhere."

He said Vladimir Putin told the same conference in 2007 he was addressing that the West's building of a missile defence system risked restarting the Cold War, and that now "the picture is more grim; the developments since 2007 have been worse than anticipated."

But others blamed Russia's behaviour for the decline in relations, The Associated Press reports.

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg threw the blame back at Moscow. "Russia's rhetoric, posture and exercises of its nuclear forces are aimed at intimidating its neighbours, undermining trust and stability in Europe," he said.

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said Russia "is demonstrating open military aggression in Ukraine, open military aggression in Syria."

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"It's nothing about cold," she said. "It is already very hot."

The annual conference is one known for frank talk among top officials and participants this year include US Secretary of State John Kerry, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Foreign Minister Philip Hammond.

Speaking after Medvedev, Kerry said Europe and the United States would continue to "stand up to Russia's repeated aggression" and noted that in addition to a joint focus on Ukraine, Washington had quadrupled spending to help European security.

"Those who claim our trans-Atlantic partnership is unraveling - or those who hope it might unravel - could not be more wrong," Kerry said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said the West would challenge 'Russia's repeated aggression'

Medvedev's comments came shortly after Stoltenberg told the group that in response to a "more assertive Russia... which is destabilising the European security order," the alliance does "not want a new Cold War but at the same time our response has to be firm."

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Stoltenberg stressed the need for dialogue but also defended Nato's move to strengthen defences, including moving more troops and equipment to countries bordering Russia, and said at an upcoming summer summit in Warsaw he expected member countries "to decide to further strengthen the alliance's defence and deterrence."

He underlined that Nato's deterrent also included nuclear weapons, saying "no one should think that nuclear weapons can be used as part of a conventional conflict - it would change the nature of any conflict fundamentally.
A pub landlord in Yorkshire says council officers have repeatedly told him to stop wearing his 'Union Jack' jacket in public because it could be considered "offensive".

Jason Mawer, who runs the Manx Arms in Barnsley, was asked to take off the jacket twice by people he believes were council officials, in what he called "political correctness gone mad".

He was asked to take off the Barbour jacket, decorated with the red, white and blue of the union flag by officials who appeared to be local enforcement officers. He has refused twice.

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Mawer had only had the jacket for a week before he was told to not to wear it in public

He claims that on the second occasion, an official warned that the coat - designed in honour of rock band The Who - "might offend somebody."

Mawer said he was walking through the town centre when a woman in a high-visibility jacket tried to stop him.

"She was polite enough and came alongside me before asking me to remove my jacket," Mawer told Martin Charlesworth, a photographer and local reporter. "She didn't say who it might offend.

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She said: 'Would you mind removing your coat it might offend somebody.' I thought she was joking at first. I asked why and she just said: 'It may offend'. Nothing specific. She didnt say who it would offend, just that 'it may offend'.

I thought it was ridiculous to be honest. Whats offensive about the Union Jack?

"To be honest I was in a hurry, and I was walking along as she asked me to take it off. In the end I just said: 'No, I'm not taking it off,, and carried on.

"I only had a T-shirt on underneath and it was raining, so I would have got really wet.

"It was an insult to be asked to take it off. It is my pride and joy. I'm a big fan of The Who and the Mod era and have all the gear."

"It's definitely political correctness gone mad," Mawer said. "It's an overused phrase, but I think it definitely applies."

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The pub in Barnsley

The one-off jacket was made several years ago for a Who convention in London. Mawer had only owned it for a week before being asked to take it off. He said that aside from these two incidents it has attracted "mostly compliments".

'We're very far from being racist and are just patriots'

Its not like I was running through the town centre shouting racist comments," Mawer said. "I'm not a racist person at all but I am very patriotic as you can see from the pub," he said, referring to the St George flags decorating the Manx Arms and the England flag on a flagpole outside.

The pub also features a mural of a soldier, a poppy, a cross and the words 'Lest We Forget' which was painted for Remembrance Day last year.

His partner Lyndsey Smith said what had happened was "disgusting".

"I bought the jacket for his birthday," she said. "It's a one-off design and he's wanted it for quite a while. I managed to get the owner to part with it.

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"He's been stopped twice by officials who we believe are enforcement officers who police the town centre. I think it is disgusting.

"It is purely a flag and has no offensive slogans on it. If you can't walk through your own town in your own country with the Union Jack then there is something seriously wrong.

"There is nothing wrong with being proud of where you come from. It doesn't mean you are racist."

Mawer said: "I am proud of my country, proud as I can be anyway, and I think people should take pride in the flag."

"As soon as it happened I got straight on the phone to Lyndsey and said: 'I can't believe what's happened.' She just went mad.

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Im sure it was a council enforcement officer. All I can think is that it's someone who has just got a new uniform.

"Don't get me wrong, I know everybodys got a job to do, but I just cant see what she thought she was doing.

"We're very far from being racist and are just patriots," said Smith.
British Green Party member and candidate for Mayor of London, Sian Berry speaks during the 'London Tomorrow: Shaping Future Cities' event in London on January 28, 2016. Elections for the next mayor of London are set to be held in May to decide who should follow current Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson, one of Britain's best-known politicians, into City Hall. While the mayor of London has fewer powers than in comparable world cities such as New York, it is a high-profile job which usually attrac JUSTIN TALLIS via Getty Images

Tory Mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith is not hungry enough to win the battle for City Hall, his Green Party rival claimed as she spelt out her vision for London.

Sian Berry told the Huff Post UK she has found it confusing the Richmond Park MP has not put up more of a fight to become London Mayor.

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She insists her candidacy should be taken seriously, arguing the success of Jeremy Corbyn, the SNP and Bernie Sanders in the past year show people are ready for radicalism in politics.

The 41-year-old argued that housing is the biggest problem facing Londoners right now, and called for a greater role for smaller construction companies as a way to get homes built quickly.

Speaking to the Huff Post UK in the Map Studio Cafe in Kentish Town, Berry reflected on her two main rivals in the race to succeed Boris Johnson.

She said: I think of the two of them, Sadiq has so far been more hungry to win than Zac, Im finding that a bit confusing because its such an important battle and such an important fight.

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She added: Its hard to see the difference sometimes between what Sadiq and Zac are saying.

Friendly rivals: Sadiq Khan, Zac Goldsmith and Sian Berry

For Berry, housing is the key issue in the campaign race and prior to sitting down with a slice of quiche and a cappuccino, she took Huff Post UK on a tour of developments in Gospel Oak.

Against the backdrop of the construction of penthouse flats likely to be worth millions, Berry was keen to show off a block of one-bedroom flats built by a smaller company and marketed as starter homes.

For her, allowing smaller companies to work with communities to build properties is the key to solving Londons housing crisis.

A report produced by the London School of Economics last year found that 59,000 homes must be built annually in the capital to meet demand.

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Berry said: If we sign off on a load of big deals with big developers and the land disappears off into the ownership of giant corporations, we have no help for people currently struggling.

"We end up with people living further and further away and having to travel back in from outer London or further away than that, its a structural problem and weve squandered the opportunity to do something much more secure for the future."

She added: People want a silver bullet, they want to sign a big deal which will solve Londons housing crisis.

We know as Greens thats not really how things work, you get more done by trusting the community.

Berry also has plans for the rental sector  a massive share of the electorate of course, with an estimated 2.3 million people in rented accommodation.

One idea is to create a London Renters Union to organise to rein in private rents, expose rogue lettings agents and launch a London-wide Landlord Register.

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When asked whether rent controls should be imposed on private landlords, Berry backs the notion but is not fixed on one proposal.

She said: The Berlin model is quite interesting. They are saying new tenancies cant be advertised at more than ten per cent more of the average in the local area so that keeps a cap on rent rises - between tenancy rises are one of the most pernicious things.

Sian Berry talks through the housing crisis with the Huff Post UK in Gospel Oak

Berry has a similar wait-and-see approach when it comes to the congestion charge, saying shes not making firm plans because it needs to be done right; we have this one chance now and we need to replace it.

But is it not strange going into the election without a fully-thought out plan for what to do with the 13-year old congestion charge zone?

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Berry disagrees and said: Im consulting with a set of principles in mind and a set of outcomes that we have to achieve, which is reducing congestion and keeping pollution to within limits.

One firm policy plan is to reduce the number of underground zones to one, something which would lead to cheaper fares for those commuting into the centre.

Berry said: I dont know why it hasnt been thought of before. Its the natural evolution for the zone system.

But, as with other proposals, Berry is already thinking of other ways it could be developed.

You might want something  Im calling it the Monopoly option  which is rather than have a zone, have a certain number of stations which you need to avoid to get a discount, she said.

So you have a flat fare for everything assuming that you go through one of the big stations, if you avoid the big stations you get a bonus, and that might encourage people to walk, or get off before you get to Euston and walk down.

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It is not the first time Berry has stood for Mayor  she came fourth as the Green Party candidate in 2008  but that was before the rise of the anti-politics, represented by such diverse figures as Jeremy Corbyn, Bernie Sanders, Nigel Farage and Donald Trump.

But does the fact that people who want that brand of unspun, left-leaning politics can now turn to Labour actually hinder the Greens?

Berry disagrees, and said: Its all part of the same movement. Its all one thing really, its a feeling among people they want more involvement in things.

For years people didnt join political parties and were intensely cynical about the whole process of getting involved in anything to do with changing the world. Only a few diehard people like me were doing it.

Turning to her own chances in the mayoral race, Berry said that equalling Green candidate Jenny Jones's third place finish in 2012 would be an achievable result, but a top two position is possible.

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She adds: "Weve had much less likely winners of many elections in recent years. My odds are significantly less than Jeremy Corbyns were this time last year."

So, if Corbyn can win the Labour leadership election, you can be mayor of London?
In January 2016, President Obama announced reforms following his visit to a prison in July, 2015. Obama explained "how can we subject prisoners to unnecessary solitary confinement, knowing its effects and then expect them to return to our communities as whole people?" (Eilperin, 2016). The new rules mean that the longest a prisoner can be punished with solitary confinement for a first offence is 60 days. The reforms are part of a broader criminal justice reform initiative that was ordered the Justice Department in the United States to study how solitary confinement was being used by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The ban of solitary confinement and autonomy for governors are ways that nations could comply and implement new international legislation called the Nelson Mandela Rules.

A few days later, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, announced prison reforms, following his visit to a prison in England. Cameron explained in his speech that "current levels of prison violence, drug-taking and self-harm should shame us all". The approach by Cameron is to introduce a range of policy changes which will affect the work of governors, education in prisons and tagging for offenders. A review will investigate whether female offenders with babies could be dealt with by special problem solving courts, housed in resettlement units or be electronically tagged rather than going into prison.

The ban of solitary confinement and autonomy for governors are initiatives from the United States and England. The political leaders from both countries have visited prisons and used this to announce changes to the conditions of prisons. In December 2015, the United Nations ratified new prison rules which will be a new framework for monitoring and assessing the treatment of prisoners. The Nelson Mandela Rules have revised eight key areas. These are covered within a guide from Penal Reform International:

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To respect prisoners dignity

Make the medical and health services state responsibility

Limit disciplinary measures and sanction including solitary confinement

Investigate deaths and torture in prison

Prison need to identify the individual needs of prisoner, including vulnerable populations

Prisoners should have access to complaints measures

Practitioners working in prisons should have ongoing training.

Access to legal representation

The Nelson Mandela rules could be significant with changing the conditions for prisoners including bans to solitary confinement and autonomy for governors. The reforms announced by President Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron, used politics to explain their changes to prison conditions. There has been virtually no publicity about the Nelson Mandela Rules which state that all nations should be reforming their prison conditions. The changes announced in the United States and England, have not involved the knowledge, views or expertise from researchers, practitioners or prisoners. While many prison reformers and organisations have responded to the announcements made by David Cameron, there is a need for co-ordinated and well informed debates which have the potential to provide evidence of the violation of international legislation.

A major stumbling block for criminologists who are experts in issues relating to imprisonment relates is how findings from their research can engage with public life in order to inform better ways of doing things. Criminologists who have considered how researchers and experts can inform public debates however there is disagreement in the academic community about how research should be used to support practitioners. A problem for the use of research is that the political culture heats up issues relating to the criminal justice system so that politicians have to condemn offenders and justify the existence of prisons as a form of punishment (Loader and Sparks, 2010). Evidence of this political response can be seen in the announcements from President Obama in the United States and the Prime Minister in England. Both leaders have been photographed in prisons and the following publicity mainly uses the official state response or the response from organisations involved with prison reform. There are many experts who support government officials or reform organisations from the academic community. These experts are researching prisons, areas for improvement and issues relating to the complexity of supporting people involved in the criminal justice system. This research has to varying degrees involved finding out the views from prisoners involved with the criminal justice system.

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Research has investigated how researchers and practitioners can empower people who are affected on a daily basis by the issues highlighted by the political leaders in the United States and England. The problem is the usefulness of research and there is no agreement about how international standards can be translated and accepted by local populations. If a range of organisations, practitioners, academics where informed about international standards, then there could be potential for ensuring their country complies and implement international rules which protect the human rights of people from marginalized populations. The intention of research for women in prison will be to provide information, research and evidence that can be used by a range of practitioners, researchers or others interested in issues relating to imprisonment.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE - In this Jan. 19, 2016 file photo, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull smiles as he meets with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Turnbull gave a personal assurance on Friday, Jan. 29, 2016 that his government would legalize gay marriage if a majority of Australians choose marriage equality in a popular vote.(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced his new-look ministry, with Steve Ciobo and Darren Chester among the big winners in the reshuffle.

Speaking on Saturday, Turnbull unveiled the ministerial line-up likely to take the Coalition to the next Federal election.

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Among the around 17 changes, Ciobo takes Andrew Robb's investment and trade portfolio and Chester steps into the infrastructure and transport roles vacated by retiring National's leader Warren Truss.

"Darren will make a formidable contribution in this portfolio. He has been one of the younger stars in the Parliament and recognised as such for a long time," Turnbull told reporters in Sydney.

Robb will become a special envoy for trade until he retires at this years election.

Turnbull Government Ministry - 13 February 2016 #auspolpic.twitter.com/daYbsrtkqE  Political Alert (@political_alert) February 13, 2016

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Barnaby Joyce takes the agriculture portfolio with him into his new role as Deputy Prime Minister. Fiona Nash, named as the new deputy leader of the National Party, will add Regional Development and Regional Communications to her role.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann would take on the special Minister of State position vacated by Mal Brough today, Turnbull said.

He said Senator Scott Ryan would be sworn in as the Minister for Vocational Education and Skills, replacing Luke Hartsuyker.

"He is not featuring in the National Party's ministerial line up on this occasion," Turnbull said.

The shake-up follows the retirements of Truss and Trade Minister Robb, as well as the resignations this week of former Cities Minister Jamie Briggs and Human Services Minister Stuart Robert.

Other changes announced by the Prime Minister included swearing in of Alan Tudge as Minister for Human Services, Dan Tehan as Minister for Defence Materiale and the Minister for Veterans Services, as well as Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells as Minister for International Development and the Pacific. Queensland Senator Matt Canavan would be sworn in as the Minister for Northern Australia, Turnbull said.

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Turnbull, announcing 3rd ministry in 5 months: "Organisms that don't change are dead". @abcnews24  Jeremy Fernandez (@JezNews) February 13, 2016

The PM also announced a number of changes to the assistant minister and parliamentary secretary ranks.

Keith Pitt will serve as the Assistant Minister to the Deputy PM, Craig Laundy will become the Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Jane Prentice will be the Assistant Minister for Disability Services and Angus Taylor will serve as the Assistant Minister to the PM.

Peter Hendy will serve as Assistant Minister in the Finance portfolio, Senator James McGrath will take on additional duties supporting Peter Dutton as Assistant Minister for Immigration.
Refugees gather upon their arrival at the transit center for refugees near northern Macedonian village of Tabanovce, before continuing their journey to Serbia, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. In a dramatic response to Europe's gravest refugee crisis since World War II, NATO ordered three warships to sail immediately Thursday to the Aegean Sea to help end the deadly smuggling of asylum-seekers across the waters from Turkey to Greece. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Syrians are waiting. Everywhere. Waiting for the next airstrike. Waiting to cross another border. Waiting for a smuggler to call back to to say if there is room on the rubber dinghy, or worse, if they will have to sail it. Waiting to be rescued in the middle of the sea. Waiting to die ... of starvation.

At train stations across Europe, they're waiting. On bridges, they're waiting. At borders, they are waiting. In forests, in the pouring rain, on the side of highways, they're waiting.

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Today, more than 40,000 Syrians are waiting at the Bab al-Salameh border crossing with Turkey after escaping a brutal onslaught by Assad's army shielded by Russian air strikes in Aleppo. The lucky ones sleep in mosques, most sleep outdoors, many without tents even as temperatures drop below zero at night. Already this week, a three-year-old child and an older man froze to death.

And while they are waiting, they're praying for an end to the war that is dividing families; forcing millions to run for their lives; turning people into expendable pawns, all while revealing how deeply divided the world is.

Turkey, which already hosts more than 2.5 million Syrian refugees, more than any other country, and has pledged that it "will not close the doors" on refugees, has nonetheless closed the Salameh border gate citing security concerns and a belief that admitting more refugees is tantamount to authorizing Russia's goal of kicking the rebels out of Aleppo.

On the security question, Turkey said that this week it intercepted people carrying explosives and that at least four suicide vests had been found on a group of four men, 10 women and 20 children on their way through Karkamis in the south-east border with Syria.

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The growing perception that ISIS is using the refugee crisis to plant sleeper cells and send them across the world, is compounding the crisis, paralyzing politicians, and emboldening extremists on all sides.

Meanwhile, in Syria, Russia is widening the range of the towns it is targeting. This week alone, Russian warplanes hit around 1,000 targets across the country.

After 5 years of fighting that has killed one quarter of a million Syrians, Bashar Al Assad is hoping to recapture Syria's largest city. More than 500 people have been killed in just over a week. Many by Russia's heavy airstrikes. Entire villages have been emptied in Aleppo. Aid agencies say they are struggling to meet the basic needs of tens of thousands fleeing Aleppo, where supply routes have been cut off.

Almost 100,000 have been displaced by the new offensive and more than 500,000 could arrive from Aleppo province in coming days according to Turkey.

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"With every refugee that we accept in a way, we would be contributing to this ethnic cleansing aim," said Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called it a genocide and accused the international community of hypocrisy, by asking Turkey to let the refugees in, when most countries in the world are not.

Meanwhile, Turkey is also threatening to send the 2.5 million Syrian refugees already in Turkey to Europe. The EU agreed to give Turkey 3 billion in financial aid for the refugees, but two-and-a-half months after the agreement, no funds have been transferred. The Associated Press reports that Turkey has already spent $10 billion on housing refugees, compared to the UN which has spent a mere $455 million.

In this vicious war, political calculations trump people's humanity. More than half of Syria's population has been displaced. Almost 5 million refugees have already fled. This summer, everyone expected the flow of refugees to decrease, but as the war rages on, winter has not stemmed the flow of refugees -- with almost 55,000 people reaching Europe by sea since the start of 2016.

The EU's policy on refugees is schizophrenic at best. France, Britain and their allies at the UN Security Council on Wednesday pushed Russia to end its bombing of Aleppo. This week the EU is asking Turkey to open its border with Syria. But just a few months ago when Turkey shot down a Russian jet that they claimed violated its airspace, the EU had asked Turkey to shut down the border.

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This week, Saudi Arabia, a major backer of so-called rebel groups, said it was considering sending ground troops to Syria. Turkey is blaming Russia for the high civilian casualties. Iran admits to sending military advisers to Syria, though it denies sending combat troops. Even as Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has been engaged in brutal battles on the ground, having besieged Madaya for months, and prevented anyone from leaving to get food.

The U.S., which has accepted just over 2,500 refugees, has also played a debilitating role, both through its action, tepidly arming certain rebel groups and inaction. Years ago, President Obama called for the removal of Assad, without any strategy or plan of action and drew red lines around the use of chemical weapons, without enforcing them. Most recently the U.S. is coordinating with both Kurdish militias, as well as Iranian forces on the ground.

Meanwhile,a majority of U.S. governors (as well as the leading Republican candidate Donald Trump) have vowed to ban Syrian refugees from entering their states, and advocated for banning Syrians from entering America all together. This week, Donald Trump said in a town hall meeting that he would proudly look Syrian children in the eyes and tell them they are not welcome in the United States.

In September, President Obama proposed allowing an additional 10,000 Syrian refugees to come to the U.S. over the next year. But it is up to Congress to choose whether to fund the resettlements, and they've taken steps to slow down the process. Although the U.S. has contributed the largest amount of humanitarian aid to Syria since 2011, sending more than $4 billion dollars, simply throwing money or arms at Syria is only compounding the crisis.

Canada's new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was elected to office in November, said this week that his government will end its bombing missions in Syria by February 22.

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"Call us old-fashioned, but we think that we ought to avoid doing precisely what our enemies want us to do," he said. "They want us to elevate them, to give in to fear, to indulge in hatred, to eye one another with suspicion and to take leave of our faculties."
Journalists and pundits had been waiting for it for months: a win for Sanders and Trump in the same primary. Then they could finally rehash their "rise of populism" articles, which they had already published a few months earlier, when Sanders and Trump first emerged as possibly relevant candidates. And we were not disappointed after the New Hampshire primaries: from "How Rising Trump and Sanders Parallel Rising Populism in Europe" to "New Hampshire Primary Results Underscore the Power of Populism" and "The Populists Are On Top," the message was loud and clear: there is a new sheriff in town, populism, and it is ruling supreme in US politics. But is it? And, if so, is that new(s)?

The answer depends partly, as so often, on definitions. Most commentators don't define populism and mainly refer to "anti-establishment positions" and "simplistic solutions" - in other words, to political campaigning. There is nothing new about this, of course, particularly not in the US. So let's use a definition that actually distinguishes populism from broader phenomena like demagogy and political campaigning. Populism is an ideology that considers society to be ultimately separated into two homogeneous and antagonistic groups, 'the pure people' and 'the corrupt elite', and which argues that politics should be an expression of the volonte general (general will) of the people.

This definition is quite similar to the one US historian Michael Kazin uses in his seminal book The Populist Persuasion: An American History. Like most scholars of populism Kazin considers the People's Party of the late 19th century as the original populist movement. Kazin shows how populist sentiments have always been deeply rooted in US society, being exploited in time by both mainstream politicians - think about Richard Nixon's "silent majority" - and populist upstarts - none more popular than Texas billionaire Ross Perot.

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The 21st century has seen an explosion of populism across the globe, from left populist presidents like Rafael Correa and Hugo Chavez in Latin America to right populist parties like Forza Italia (FI) and the National Front (FN) in Europe. The US has not been immune to populism either this century. After all, it was just a few years ago that (in part the same) pundits announced the "rise of populism" with regard to Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party!

In many ways Sanders and Trump are the party political voice of these two movements. Not that either was a part of either movement, but they express very similar sentiments and find support among people who were part of, or at least supportive of, them. Many of Sanders critiques of the role of banks in the Great Recession and of the influence of money in politics are similar to those voiced at Zuccotti Park. And many of Trump's critiques of the GOP establishment and the Obama administration were part and parcel of the Tea Party in its many permutations. However, Trump is more the voice of the Tea Party grassroots, which was always more authoritarian and nativist than the business-dominated Astroturf.

But despite all the similarities there are important differences between Sanders and Occupy Wall Street and Trump and the (grassroots) Tea Party. One of the most important ones is related to populism. While Occupy and the Tea Party were essentially populist movements, neither Sanders nor Trump is a populist. Yes, you read that right, neither Sanders nor Trump is a populist!

The core of Occupy Wall Street's populist message was not just the division of society between "the 99%" and "the 1%", but the morality of that division. The 99% were good, pure, and the 1% were bad, corrupt. Occupy did acknowledge distinctions within the 99%, accommodating most notably gender and race, but these divisions were in the end secondary to the overarching moral struggle against the homogeneous 1%. It was a ultimately a struggle of values, not interests.

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While Sanders regularly rails against "the 1%", he seldom identifies himself with "the 99%." More importantly, the main division in Sanders' discourse is one of interests, i.e. of class struggle, not morality. When he criticizes that the top 0.1% of US society have almost as much wealth as the bottom 90%, he deplores the morality of that situation rather than of the 0.1%. Incidentally, he does so based on solid studies. His critique is mostly institutional rather than individual. For example, he vows to take on "the greed" of "corporate America" and of "Wall Street." This perfectly fits with his overarching ideological narrative - which he calls, misguidedly, "democratic socialism" - that is built around class interests.

Similarly, Trump has adopted part of the populist message of the Tea Party, criticizing both the Democratic and Republican establishments for incompetence and for being in the pockets of big donors. He also rails against an alleged liberal "political correctness" and claims to break "political taboos" like illegal immigration - as if we haven't just had years of nativist discourse surrounding the various anti-immigration legislation starting with SB1070 in Arizona in 2010. Like many Republicans before him, including presidents Nixon and Reagan, Trump claims to speak for "the silent majority" that wants to "take our country back" (from whom remains a bit unclear).

However, whereas Trump is clear on the corruption, although even more incompetence, of the homogeneous elite, making little distinction between Democrats and Republicans, he only heralds "the people" when he thinks they support him. Overall, he speaks little about the virtues of "the people." What Trump speaks about, over and over again, is Trump. Where populist leaders claim to be the vox populi, the voice of the people, Trump is the voice of Trump. He does not claim to follow the wisdom of the people, as an integral part of that homogeneous people. He argues that he is the best CEO for "America" because he has unique skills and experiences.

In typical elitist fashion The Donald claims to be different, and yes better, than the (common) people. Note this recent statement on Meet the Press last month: "I am a conservative, but I get along with people." Leaving aside his (unconvincing) claim to conservatism, he implicitly separates himself, and conservatives more general, from (the) people. Trump doesn't claim to be "one of the people," as (real) populists do, but that, despite the fact that he is different, people love him. And while he here implicitly refers to white people, the bulk of his base, he uses similar language with regard to ethnic minorities, from Hispanics to African Americans, who all "love" him (despite that he is different from them).

This is all not to say that populism is not underlying some of the support for both Sanders and Trump - it is. But there is nothing new to that. In fact, one could argue that it simply reflects the broader movement that Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party started a few years ago. More important, however, is that neither Sanders nor Trump are populist politicians. Sanders is an American social democrat, mixing American and European traditions of progressive politics, while Trump is the latest of that all-American brand of businessman savior - well, at least until Michael Bloomberg jumps into the race. Hence, while using the term populism might help taint their campaigns, and sell newspapers, it does not help us that much in understanding the true political programs of these two politicians.
I spent 1 week in Lesbos Greece documenting Syrian Refugees and Volunteers. My experience was eye-opening, sad, scary, and often shocking. During this series you will see the worst humanitarian crisis of our time through my eyes: the eyes of a woman used to documenting celebrities and regular folk around the world.

Lesbos, Greece offers the "quick & expensive" route for the Syrian Refugees to enter Europe via Turkey. It costs $2000 per person, including infants. A family might be spending $8000 cash for a 2 hour boat ride across the Aegean Sea. I wasn't surprised to see that most of the people getting off the boats are families with small children.

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Refugees sometimes walk thousands of miles to the shore of Turkey, where they get on a boat that crosses the Aegean Sea. The trip should be an easy 2 hours, if everything goes according to plan. Once they arrive in Lesbos, they then need to walk another 30 miles to the refugee camp where they wait outside without food and water for days until they are registered and able to leave the Island or enter the camp. This is only a small portion of what I saw of a Syrian Refugee's journey to flee crisis in their homeland.

Check out my video with volunteer Alison Thompson where you see unedited footage of Syrian Refugees landing in Lesbos, crying, calling family, and thanking God.

This is the beginning of a series of post about my experience embedded with the Syrian Refugees in Lesbos, Greece.
Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. gestures as he speaks with media, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016, upon his arrival in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Corporate conservatives have taken notice of the Bernie Sanders campaign, and have started accusing him of "buying votes" by "promising" "free stuff." Is it true?

Here are some examples of what the corporate/billionaire-funded right is saying:

Avowed socialist, pretend independent, wannabe Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is promising lots of free stuff for Americans - and anyone else in the country, legally or not - if he is elected. Free health care! Free education from pre-pre-school through post-post-college. Free family leave.

They want 'free' birth control, health care, college, 'Cash for Clunkers,' free housing for the poor and paid time off for women who are having a child. They want welfare with no preconditions for anyone who wants it, a $15 minimum wage and they want to open our borders to anyone who wants to come here illegally, have a child and live off the American people for the next 18 years.

"Free Stuff"?

The idea that things We the People "get" from government is just "free stuff" misunderstands the purpose of government. We the People established our government as a mechanism for all of us to decide to get together to do things that make our lives better.

In a democracy, if We the People decide it is a good idea to, for example, have public schools, does that qualify as "free stuff?" Or is it an investment in making our lives better? And, while we're at it, an educated population makes the society better.

Aside from public schools, here are a few other bits of "free stuff" that We the People have decided we should have:

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 Public roads and highways are "free stuff." (Except where they have special "Lexus lanes" for those with more money.)

 Medicare for people over 65 is "free stuff."

 Social Security is "free stuff."

 Courts and our legal system are "free stuff."

 Police and fire protection are "free stuff."

 Sidewalks are "free stuff."

 An unemployment check when we lose our jobs is "free stuff."

 The Post Office is "free stuff."

 Public parks are "free stuff."

 ANYthing considered "public" qualifies as "free stuff" that We the People make available for all of us.

Each of those "free stuff" items serve a greater societal purpose. Schools and education improve our economy and society. Roads don't just make our lives better by enabling us to get places, they enable our economy to function so our businesses can prosper.

Some of the "free stuff" that Sanders is proposing to add to this list includes:

 Free public colleges and universities. Just as public schools help all of us, a modern society demands a higher level of education. The crushing student debt so many face today also demonstrates the effect on the economy as people are unable to buy homes and support families. (This would be paid for with a "financial transaction tax" of only a fraction-of-a-percent on speculative investments.)

 Medicare-for-All enables everyone to get health care, but also saves individuals, businesses and our economy from the costs of a for-profit system. (This would be paid for with progressive income tax increases, mostly at upper levels. Elimination of premiums and co-pays would result in a savings of approximately $5,000 per family.)

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 Investing in bringing our infrastructure up to par. We've been neglecting infrastructure needs and a massive investment is required. Sanders proposes a $1 trillion effort. (This would be funded largely by requiring corporations to pay taxes they already owe, but have deferred.) This will create millions of jobs, driving up wages across the economy. A modern infrastructure enables businesses to compete and prosper more efficiently.

 Paid family leave allows parents three paid months to care for newborn children. The benefits to people and society are obvious. (Workers would pay less than $2 a week into a fund to cover this.)

 A $15 minimum wage enables people working full-time to escape poverty, reduces reliance on public assistance programs, and boosts local economies as people have more income to spend.

Note that these proposals are "paid for" and not actually just "free."

"Promising"?

Conservatives accuse Sanders of "promising" these things to voters.

Is Sanders making "campaign promises," as if to say, "If you vote for me I will give you these things?" No. Sanders tells voters that no president can do these things alone. He says that if enough people show up and vote, only then can we end the domination of big-moneyed interests, and begin to provide for each other again.

In Sanders' words, "Change always takes place when millions of people fight back."

Conservatives claim that Sanders is trying to "buy votes" when he tells people they can have "free stuff" like free college tuition. But in a democracy, what does this mean? Politicians don't "give" things to the public; the public votes for representatives who are supposed to do what the public wants.

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An Ecosystem Of Democratic Prosperity

We the People built an economic ecosystem by investing in infrastructure, education, research, courts, regulations, environmental protection, monetary stability - all the things necessary to provide fertile ground for businesses to prosper. Part of that ecosystem is that We the People reinvest part of the return from our investment back into the system to keep it going. Democracy also means that We the People mutually benefit from the gains that result from that ecosystem of democratic prosperity.

Our shared investment created American prosperity; the return from that investment should also be shared and expanded. (Another word for "shared" is "distributed.")


(Chinstrap penguin colony, Half Moon Island, South Shetlands, Antarctica)

The Ice Continent. Terra Incognita. White South. Antarctica. An enormous frozen wilderness of chilling indifference. The bottom of the world. Both a barometer for and regulator of our changing global climate. Isolated. Desolate. The most heart-breakingly, breath-takingly beautiful place it has ever been my very blessed good fortune to visit.

A place of impenetrable curiosity and intrigue. H.P. Lovecraft dreamt up the 'Mountains of Madness', a terrifying tale of an ancient alien civilization hidden in Antarctica's huge interior, that in turn inspired Ridley Scott's Alien prequel 'Prometheus'. Its barren wastes are fertile only for our imaginations.

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Antarctica was a relatively late arrival to our planetary consciousness, it wasn't until 1821 that men from sealer John Davis's ship first put a footprint on its shores. By then the waters were already a scene of carnage. Captain Cook's reports of islands and seas teeming with life had attracted the environmental entrepreneurs of their day.

We hunted the biggest creatures the world has ever seen, blue whales, and their smaller but still massive cousins the Rights and Humpbacks, to the brink of extinction. These oceanic leviathans, along with Elephantine and fur seals, even penguins, were harpooned, flensed, and rendered. For oil. They lit the world. The crudity of this energy makes even fossil fuels look sophisticated.

Exploitation and exploration went hand in hand. The race to the South Pole made posthumous tragi-heroes of Captain Scott's team, and Shackleton's ill-fated but ultimately humbling expedition still defines survival, resilience and masterful leadership today.

They came to conquer and plunder. Now we come in awe and wonder. Antarctica feels like a world without us, a world before us, perhaps a world after us? It cares not for humanity. It is hostile in the extreme to our weakly warm-bodied species.

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Yet the thankfully now recovered wildlife doesn't fear us. Penguins eye you, beguiled. Male fur seals are fierce, but only because they see you as love rivals for their harem space on the beach. Whales are drawn alongside vessels that would have once dispatched them with an explosive bolt to the head. Nature is uncompromising, salutary, shaming of us in her unconditional forgiveness.

And she is magnificent. On our first morning anchored in the neat crescent of aptly named Half Moon Island, itself nestled amongst the flanks of more mountainous Livingston, I sat on the deck and wept uncontrollably at the emotionally staggering, sheer awesome wonder of it all. Dark serrated nunataks of sharp rock raked through a billion tonne blanket of snow and ice. Crevasses collapsing and calving a cavalcade of blue-ish bergs down into the freezing sea, a fierce sun in a cloud-free sky blazing through the thin ozone above.

Antarctica is important. More than we might at first think, because it represents both the best and worst of us. The darkest hour of our greed and slaughter in the sealing and whaling years - our capacity to brutally commodify and commercialise such stunning natural bounty, almost to the end.

But in 1959 something absolutely extraordinary happened. The Antarctic Treaty was signed literally putting preliminary national claims to its territory 'on ice'. It created a land beyond war where the environment is fully protected. A 'natural reserve' that is bigger than the United States of America 'devoted to peace and science'. Where international co-operation triumphs over competition. It is widely recognized as one of the most successful transnational agreements in history.

It is an invocation of our common heritage, our shared humanity and an embodiment of values that we all aspire to - respect for nature, evidence-led research and insight, higher aspirations and goals that truly serve our whole global family. It is simple but stirring stuff.

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For me this is perhaps the first and best example of our emerging transcendence. That we can come together as one people on one planet and agree to protect our seventh continent, a substantial slice of Earth's terra firma, as a refuge from our relentless appetite for resources that has already transformed so much of the world.

Of course if Antarctica wasn't frozen beneath three kilometres of ice we'd be a lot closer to the temptations of mining and extraction we're currently denied. But there is a vital symbolism in our recent conservation of this most magical of places.

Antarctica is our test, our proving ground. Perhaps it is our first example of true global citizenship. Part of the historical arc of evolving human identity, as we identify ourselves at ever greater scales; from family, through tribe, to city or region, then nationally and now, say it softly, supra-nationally, and even, whisper it, planetary.

The story of this extraordinary land and our relationship to it should be on everyone's lips. To the cynics who decry the supposed impossibility of a more wonderful tomorrow, of conservation, collaboration and care, let's tell them we've already done it once. And we can do it again. We are all citizens of this incredible continent. We are all its ambassadors. We are all Antarcticans. And we should all be proud of this and the pathway it illuminates to a better collective future for everyone.

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Follow Ed Gillespie on Twitter: www.twitter.com/frucool and via #pole2soul
It is simply not enough to proclaim that all black lives matter when clearly not all black bodies matter in our collective conception and articulation of black liberation. As it stands, our conception and articulation of black liberation, not just in the United States but across the globe, currently suffers from a profound failure to engage disability as a site of struggle, resistance and transformation. This despite the fact that Black disabled people everywhere are on the receiving end of the cruelest forms of neglect, violence, and destitution. A serious engagement with disability, and the lives of sick and disabled Black people, would mean a more expansive view of what constitutes activism and resistance, and in the process move us all toward an entirely new and more beautiful conception of Black liberation at large.

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It would seem as though the only thing we have in response to largescale injustice and inequality is our bodies. It is no wonder that our conception of activism and liberation is grounded in the body. In this way, bodies animate political conviction. Movements for social and economic justice tend to mean the convergence of bodies sprawled out on the streets in righteous indignation and protest. Fists thumping in the air. People kicking and screaming as law enforcement officers violently disperse crowds. Protesters shoved into the back of police vehicles. Young activists in holding cells waiting to be bailed out. This is what comes to mind when one thinks of activism that is imbued with the promise of revolution. The body is the thread that weaves together these images. But not just any body. It is the non-disabled body that seems to give meaning to our collective definition of activism and resistance. This default to the non-disabled body is what I call ableism.

A number of questions arise from the ways in which ableism structures dominant conceptions of activism and resistance. What do revolutionaries look like? Why the insistence that revolutionaries need to "look" a certain way? Why is a vision of liberation predicated upon "seeing" in the first place? What does it mean when bodies are not able to "fight back" in the way that ableism defines what counts as fighting back? Why the assumption of non-disabled ways of being? If I organize from bed because I live with chronic pain and my body hurts too much will I still be regarded as an activist? What would organizing from bed mean for redefining what organizing means in general? What if going to prison for my political beliefs is just not an option for me because prisons don't come staffed with personal attendants? Will I still be regarded as deeply committed to the struggle for social and economic justice? Not that I want prisons to be staffed with personal attendants, let alone exist at all. On this point, what would it mean to understand prison abolition politics through the prism of the deinstitutionalization of sick and disabled people? What if disability was the starting point for re-imagining the world? What if we stopped conflating disability with blackness and instead honored and affirmed the lives of actual Black people who exist at the intersection of disability and blackness?

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I don't have the answers to all these questions and in some way I feel that asking these questions without offering answers is what is truly needed in this moment. All of us have a stake in thinking through how we all get free.

Black disabled people are not just made to disappear from public view, they are also made to disappear from the imagination. This is the definition of violence. To make Black disabled life unfathomable in our conception of activism and resistance is to fundamentally undermine the possibility of Black liberation, for this practice is a haunting that will make Black liberation itself unfathomable too.
Empty Podium

Last Saturday, just three days before the New Hampshire primary, Joe Biden was nestled into the darkened corner of a popular Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, restaurant, far from the maddening crowd and the snow up North. Sitting with his back to the door, facing his wife, Jill, and a guest, the vice president was close to the kitchen, not prime seating. He was almost invisible, except to those who happened to notice three SUVs idling outside, and that was probably to his liking.

In October, the vice president made the difficult call not to run for president. As he admits, "I regret it every day, but it was the right decision for my family and for me." His eldest son Beau had died from a brain tumor in May 2015 and Biden wanted time to recover. When he came up for air, Biden figured he had lost momentum and that he "couldn't win" the race for the Democratic nomination, telling "60 Minutes": "If I thought we could've put together the campaign that our supporters deserve and our contributors deserve, I would have gone ahead and done it."

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The question is: What if Biden had run? How would the race differ today between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders? Would Biden have cut into Sanders' EQ appeal, allowing Clinton the clear lead, or would he have glided past Clinton and Sanders on President Obama's coattails to be the frontrunner? Some backers are asking the vice president, even now, to rethink his decision, but Biden seems intent on switching gears to finding a moonshot-like cure for cancer - another big race for sure.

On the Republican side, real estate magnate Donald Trump was all the buzz leading up to the Iowa caucuses on February 1. On the day of the caucuses, Trump followed Damon Runyon's advice and tooted his own horn, predicting, "We are going to have a tremendous victory."

Late last year Senator Ted Cruz was the one to catch, based on his strong ground game and appeal among evangelicals, but gradually Trump pulled ahead in the polls, talking about his religious beliefs and carrying around his grandmother's bible. Right before the caucuses, MSNBC anchor Chris Matthews stated flat out that Trump would win and so it seemed until the doors closed and the caucus goers had their say: Cruz won (27.6%) by a comfortable margin, with Trump in second place (24.3%) and, surprisingly, Senator Marco Rubio (23.1%) nipping at his heels.

The question is: What if Trump had won Iowa, especially by a wide margin? Would he have been unstoppable then? Would Cruz have been knocked off course and badly shaken? Would Rubio have continued to appear too young and ineffectual to matter in 2016?

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Trump's close second-place finish gave both Cruz and Rubio the opening they were looking for and build on in the next contest -- the New Hampshire primary on February 9th. In fact, it was Rubio who had most of the momentum going into the "Granite State," because his third-place in Iowa was unexpected. Then, along came New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, another Republican contender, who seemed intent on bringing Rubio down to earth. In the Republican debate two days before the nation's first primary, Rubio made the mistake of repeating a canned stump line over and over and over and over, much to the derision of Christie. The next morning, Rubio's new nickname was "RubioBot" and, after the primary, it was loser.

Trump won hands down (35.3%), with Ohio Governor John Kasich unexpectedly taking second place (15.8%), Cruz third (11.7%), Bush fourth (11%) and Rubio fifth (10.6%); Christie and the others followed. The question is: What if Rubio had managed to snatch second place in New Hampshire? Would he have been anointed the "Establishment" candidate? Would he now be considered the best bet to stop short frontrunners Trump and Cruz in South Carolina's primary on February 20?

And how about the future? There is certainly one big "what if" looming ahead, getting lots of play, because of a deadline. Former New York mayor and media billionaire Michael Bloomberg told the Financial Times this past week that he is considering a presidential run. If that is true, he needs to get his name on the ballots of all fifty states and says he would start that process in early March. Bloomberg has toyed with running before, but this time he seems more serious, potentially putting $1 billion of his $36.8 billion net worth on the line. Bloomberg argues that the public deserves "a lot better" than the level of discourse in the campaign to date.

The question is: What if Bloomberg were to run? Would he only try for the brass ring if Clinton appears weak and unlikely to win the Democratic nomination? Or, registered independent that he is, would Bloomberg take this opportunity to start a third party - a moderate political movement - that has legs beyond this election?

Of course, the biggest "what if" is almost unmentionable. What if there is a major terrorist attack on American soil? How would that reconfigure the present presidential race?

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My day job is writing for television, mostly action-adventure and cop shows. I make heroes heroic. Our stars are the kind of men who run into a burning building, not away from it. Their muscles come from carrying women into the bedroom and children on their shoulders. They can dish out punishment and take a punch with equal grace. They are smart, funny, agile, brave. They are Men with a capital M... or, at least, that's how we want the viewers to see them.

In real life, of course, they are guys who wear make-up. Costume ladies dress them up like oversized dolls. They get manicures and pedicures, and if they're over 40 they tint their hair. Their muscle comes from the ministrations of a personal trainer, and they spend a lot of energy on blemish control. They know their way around a day spa, and God forbid they take a real punch in the face because they have $40,000 invested in those veneers.

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I don't say this to put anyone down. Hair and make-up are simply part of the job description. But the fact is that the actual life of an action hero -- gay, straight or indifferent -- is hyper-feminine. The machismo your boyfriend aspires to is a facade. The handsome he-man you desire doesn't exist, and never has.

And yet even people who should know better continue to fall in love with the character, and wind up stuck with the performer. The list of producers who have married their leading ladies would take up the rest of this post, and if there were more women in positions of power in Hollywood, there would be more actors married to them.

Which brings me to Valentine's Day, to online dating, to scammers and the fine art of cat fishing. I don't know if it's my demographic -- we're supposed to be desperate, us poor women over 50, and own cats -- but I get so annoyed with the number of fakes who contact me online. Those effusive, romantic, flattering, fakes. I bet you've gotten a message or two from a smiling, warm-eyed men who "will love to know you better." I used to be a copy editor; I can spot a non-native English speaker a mile off. And those great pics you posted? Google Image Search, dude. You can't fool me.

But, bless your heart, a part of me wants you to fool me. Your phony pictures are so much more handsome than the car-seat selfies your balding, blemished competition posts. And you're so darned available. You are loving, and lonely, and you want nothing more than to find your soulmate. The fantasy is so much more attractive than the reality. Given a choice, many of us will go for the fantasy. A sex and love addict will invariably choose the fantasy. We're hard-wired for it.

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Peter Liang has been made a scapegoat. The dictionary definition of the Biblical term is an individual (originally a goat) sacrificed for the sins of others. He is a fall guy. The Chinese American New Yorker has been found guilty of killing Akai Gurley, an unarmed African American, in an 2014 encounter in public housing.

There is no doubt that racial discrimination and disparities, some of which is open and much of which is structural and subtle, continues to afflict law enforcement that is legitimate and necessary. So much has happened recently that even those who would have denied the phenomenon must admit there is a pattern. It is black people, in particular young men, who are being killed without justification. The demands for justice cannot be gainsaid.

Yet our understanding of these troubling dynamics has been not only literally but also figuratively black and white.

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The record of official bigotry toward African Americans should not require revisiting. But perhaps it is worth noting that among the slave-catchers who pursued fugitives who had wrested away their freedom, the Southern sheriffs such as "Bull" Connor whose vicious attacks on peaceful protesters were a catalyst for the civil rights movement, and the Los Angeles officers whose beating of Rodney King was captured on film, none were of Asian descent.

During the OJ Simpson "trial of the century," broadcast live and being re-renacted now for a new generation, presiding judge Lance Ito, a Japanese American, was sometimes described as neutral by virtue of race (rather than his robes). That is impossible. There is no refuge from race in American life. All of us have a role.

The problem for Asian Americans, as for others, is we cannot control how we appear on the stage of a tragedy that has been playing since well before our arrival. We have been cast against our will, as a model minority until we are not. We cannot help but seem to have come only lately, despite Asians being here in significant numbers since before the Civil War. Perceived as perpetual foreigners who are not quite members of the community, we are an easy target.

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Race infuriates all of us. It becomes difficult to reason, to remember that principles are only principles if they are applied universally.

Liang should not receive a pass, because he happens to be a minority himself. But he shouldn't be subjected to selective prosecution either, or a sentence that makes him an example. He ought to be treated like others.

There are so many others who could be held accountable, before and to a greater extent. That is the most compelling claim in favor of Liang, the absence of high-profile convictions of his peers who are Caucasian. The old-fashioned phrase, "a Chinaman's chance," meaning no realistic possibility, was coined with cause. That's what Liang had in court.

It is possible to agree, in the strongest terms, that black lives matter, while also insisting, equally, that due process be respected. Asian Americans, no different than African Americans, have a stake in eliminating racial profiling. It serves no community to be pitted against another.
These dreamy travel spots give us all the loving feels, so grab your other half and book the next available ticket to one of (or all of) these crazy romantic travel destinations...

1 - PARIS, FRANCE

Roll your eyes at the cliche inclusion of Paris, but they don't call it the City of Love for nothing. Best explored on foot, grab the hand of your 'amoureux' (that's lover in French don't you know), and just get lost. Of course the classics are always a must -- Pont des Arts bridge, a moonlit cruise down the Seine, the Eiffel Tower lit up in all her glory -- but the less touristy parts of Paris are just as, if not more romantic. Take a wander round the lesser known neighbourhoods where locals outnumber tourists, or spend afternoons hopping between patisseries and old school Parisian chic cafes that look like they haven't changed in decades. If it's true, classic romance you're after, it's true, classic romance you'll get in the City of Love.

Go here for: Hollywood glamour, delectable pastries, true love

Image Source - six-two

2 - COTSWOLDS, UK

If romance to you means long windy walks, chocolate box cute English villages and evenings spent by a roaring fire with a bottle of red wine and board games, get yo' self to the Cotswolds, possibly one of the most picturesque areas of the English Countryside in the whole of the UK. And the best part? It's just a 2 hour drive from London. Pack your weekend bag, your wellies and a warm scarf and get the romance on.

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Go here for: Windy walks, stunning scenery, wonderful English pubs

3 - BALI, INDONESIA

Despite being a well worn travel path for backpackers, families and couples alike, there's just something about Bali that lures you in time and time again. Perhaps it's the rolling green rice fields or ornate temples around the cultural hub of Ubud, or maybe it's the warm waters, colourful fishing boats and fine beaches of the Gili Islands. Whatever the secret formula is for romantic travel destinations, Bali has it by the bucket load.

Go here for: Romantic sunsets, epic diving, locals with a smile that brighten your day

4 - SANTORINI, GREECE

Oh Santorini, the little island in the heart of the Aegean Sea that packs the biggest of romantic punches. Seriously, if romance could be defined by a destination, this would be it - sun drenched white wash buildings, blue domes for days, sleepy afternoons spent napping under colourful umbrellas and achingly beautiful views of the Med in all her glory. Young lovers, honeymooners and old timers alike flock here for a slice of the romance pie, and it's not hard to see why. A word of wisdom - high season can be pandemonium, so if it's a peaceful getaway you're after, consider booking in Spring/Autumn.

Go here for: Mediterranean waters, killer Greek food, memories to last a lifetime

Image Source - six-two

5 - YOSEMITE, USA

If you're more of a rambling, camping in the woods kinda couple, you can't go far wrong with an adventure in Yosemite National Park, the third oldest national park in the grand old US of A. And with more hiking trails than you can shake a walking stick at, you can be sure to find your very own undisturbed romantic picnic spot for two no problem. Stand in awe under the drenching mist of Yosemite Falls, marvel at the sequoias of Mariposa Grove or spot wildlife as you get back to nature in this stunning landscape.

Go here for: Challenging hikes, picnics with a view, wildlife spotting

6 - KO KRADAN, THAILAND

It wouldn't be a true list of romantic travel destinations without the inclusion of Thailand, the original tropical paradise for romance seeking couples. Yet whilst the well travelled islands of Ko Phi Phi and Ko Pha Ngan are still the go to destination for party seeking young travellers, if you're after true escapism and desert island paradise, you need to look a little harder to find it these days. Enter Ko Kradan, a relatively under the radar Thai Island on the east coast that still retains that desert island white sandy beach beauty. The island is so tiny, in fact, that you can kayak round it in just three hours, breaking intermittently for snorkelling adventures. The vibe here is seriously laid back, so grab a hammock, a cold Chang and just let the world roll on by.

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Go here for: Desert island escapism, cocktails in coconuts, lazy days

7 - CAYE CAULKER, BELIZE

Forget paradise lost, its paradise found at Caye Caulker, where the motto for life seems to be 'no shirt, no shoes, no problem'. The epitome of an island getaway, this little slice of heaven separates itself from the likes of the Maldives or the Seychelles thanks to its laid back Rastafarian vibes, reggae beat and go slow lifestyle. If you and your other half are water babies, prepare to spend much of your romantic getaway underwater as you explore the tropical wonders of the Belize Barrier Reef, or stay above the sea with a kayaking adventure through the mangroves.

Go here for: Laid back vibes, hammock swinging, an escape from reality

Image Source - six-two

8 - BANFF, CANADA

It used to be that the definition of a romantic holiday destination was white sandy beaches, azure blue waters and a sky without a cloud in sight. But as we slowly begin to embrace our sense of adventure and our desire for travel experiences a little out of the norm, it seems to be the rugged great outdoors that now lures people in, and no more so than in Banff National Park. In winter, Banff is the dream for snow loving couples who dream of hitting the fresh powder all day, then snuggle up by open roaring fires by night. Yet it's summer for us that holds the real appeal, thanks to the absolute jaw dropping beauty of Banff National Park and in particular the totally Instagrammable Lake Louise and Lake Moraine, where your glassy lake goals are totally redefined.

Go here for: Views of a lifetime, killer snow, cosy cuddles

9 - LISBON, PORTUGAL

Fast becoming one of the coolest cities in Europe, Lisbon has character, charm and beauty in abundance, helped largely by every other building being colourfully lavished in decadent Portuguese tiles. Barrio Alto is where the cool kids hang, all cobbled streets, local restaurants and hole in the wall bars, or if its rooftop sunset drinks you're after, Park bar is totally epic, located on the roof of a car park (sounds dodgy, it's not). For a romantic dinner with a difference, head to the boat terminal behind the Cais do Sodre train station and catch the ferry across the river to Cacilhas. Once there, walk down the pier towards the bridge, and you'll come across a restaurant known only to the locals called Ponto Final, which offers undisturbed sunset views and absolutely killer seafood. The perfect end to your romantic city break.

Go here for: trendy rooftop bars, beautiful buildings, old age charm

10 - COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

Fairy tale charm meets city chic in Copenhagen, the perfect destination for a romantic mini break with a difference. The cobbled streets, colourful buildings and majestic Royal Palace will win you over in no time, and that's before you've even chowed down on a traditional Danish pastry. Essential sights include the famous Hans Christian Andersen Little Mermaid statue, the Christiansborg Palace and Bryggebroen harbour where you can seal you love with a padlock on the bridge, but really the best thing about Copenhagen is the fact that it's so small and compact, so you can wander round hand in hand and really feel like you've conquered the city in just two days.

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Go here for: Epic Instagram shots, tasty treats, the perfect romantic city break

Image Source - six-two

This article was originally published on six-two.

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Bernie Sanders has been unfairly criticized for being a "Johnny One Note" on foreign policy because he continually reminds voters of his early opposition to the Iraq War. To explain why he continues to emphasize the importance of his decision to oppose that war, Sanders has pointed to the speech he gave back in October 2002 in which he laid out five important reasons why he feared the Bush Administration's march to war.

Critics and cynics have flippantly dismissed his understanding in foreign affairs and have, therefore, ignored that important speech. Because it was so prescient, it deserves attention, not scorn. Here, in short, were the five reasons he gave in 2002 for opposing the Iraq war:

1) The Bush Administration provided no "estimates of how many young American men and women might die...or how many tens of thousands of women and children in Iraq might also be killed".

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2) Then there was the concern "about the precedent that a unilateral invasion of Iraq could establish in terms of international law and the role of the United Nations".

3) Because the United States was "involved in a very difficult war against international terrorism", Sanders echoed Brent Scowcroft's concern that "an attack on Iraq...would seriously jeopardize, if not destroy, the global counter-terrorist campaign"

4) With the US "facing a $6 trillion national debt and a growing deficit...a war and long-term American occupation of Iraq could be extremely expensive".

5) Finally, Sanders expressed his concern with the "unintended consequences" of the war. "Who would govern Iraq [after] Saddam and what role will the US play in the ensuing civil war that could develop?" In reaction to the war, would extremists destabilize other governments in the region and would the "bloody conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Authority be exacerbated?"

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To understand the significance of these five points, it is important to recall the false narrative the Bush Administration was pitching in advance of the invasion, and what actually happened as a result of their disastrous decision to go to war.

In the lead up to hostilities, the Bush crowd created an elaborate web of deceit to sell their plans. The biggest lies they told were not those about Saddam's nuclear program. More disturbing was the rosy picture they painted about how easy it would be and the positive outcomes that would follow.

Defense Department officials assured Congress that the effort would only require a commitment of 60,000 to 90,000 troops. They predicted that the regime could be toppled in six weeks and the war would be won in six months, costing the US a mere one to two billion dollars, with the rest being covered by Iraqi oil revenues. American troops would be greeted by Iraqis as liberators, and "the beacon on freedom would shine bright, lighting up the Middle East".

What happened, of course, was closer to what Sanders had predicted. After eight bloody years of war and occupation, over 4,600 Americans died, with the lives of tens of thousands more shattered by debilitating injuries and PTSD. One of the more troubling consequences of this war are the 22 veterans who commit suicide every single day--meaning that we lose more young men and women every year to PTSD-induced suicide than we lost during the entire war. The cost of the war, the occupation, and the long-term care of wounded veterans is approaching three trillion dollars.

Compounding this tragedy are the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who were killed in the war and the civil conflict that followed. By dismantling Iraqi institutions and attempting to create from whole cloth a sect-based Iraqi government, the Bush Administration stoked latent sectarian tensions that resulted in campaigns of ethnic cleansing and a dysfunctional political order.

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Instead of defeating terrorism, the war served to aggravate it, with al Qaeda and its successor ISIS spreading to at least 16 countries. At the same time, the war and our behaviors exhibited in the war (Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo) led to a precipitous decline in respect of and support for America across the globe--putting our country at even greater risk.

One final "unintended consequence" of the war was not only the growth of extremist currents in the Arab world but the unleashing of an emboldened Iran on the region. With Saddam and the Taliban defeated, Iran was able to expand its influence in Iraq and project its claim to be the leader of the "resistance against the West".

As Bernie Sanders correctly notes, it wasn't just the Bush Administration that supported this disastrous war. The Democratic-led Senate passed the resolution that was used to justify the invasion. And so, dear critics and cynics, before suggesting that Sanders lacks the wisdom to conduct foreign policy, pay attention to the judgment and foresight he demonstrated in what he has rightly termed the most critical decision Senators were called on to make in this century.

In bringing up his opposition to the war, he is not only distinguishing himself from Hillary Clinton, who supported the invasion, he is also correctly laying the predicate for a more thoughtful realist-based foreign policy grounded in respect for international law and institutions, cooperation with partners, and diplomatic engagement.
Michael Moore arrives before the 84th Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

Where to Invade Next is Michael Moore's most disturbing film yet. Contrasting the progressive public policies practiced abroad with those here at home, Moore starkly drives home just how inhumane American society has truly become.

The movie is a simple exercise in comparing and contrasting American public policies with those of other countries. It's full of Moore's inner dialogue and characteristic humor. But it's also profoundly moving because he cuts deep into the marrow of what's wrong with American society and must be changed.

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Whether looking at how other nations treat their workers, expectant mothers, schoolchildren, or prisoners, Moore lays bare the heartless deficiencies in the American way of life. The surprised looks on the faces of Europeans when Moore tells them that in the United States there is no paid vacation or maternity leave reveal just how far we've fallen. A woman CEO from Iceland offers one of the most devastating critiques of American society I've ever heard.

Moore dispels the myths about how horribly the Europeans are taxed by showing: 1). They aren't taxed that much more than Americans anyway -- especially when factoring in the out-of- pocket expenses for basic services we pay; and 2). They get so much more from their governments than we do.

The loud mouths among the Republican Right will no doubt claim that Moore "cherry picked" his data or is "romanticizing" other cultures. They'll call him "anti-American" and say they're not surprised he made an "anti-American" film. But fuck them anyway. They embody the exact retrograde ideology that Moore exposes in the film: the market fundamentalism, racism, and general meanness that prevent any real progress toward enacting the kind of commonsense public policies that Moore explores in this powerful movie.

Adding a dose of irony to Moore's film is the fact that many of the progressive ideas we see implemented elsewhere can trace their origins back to the United States. From the 1970s, when women's rights and the Equal Rights Amendment were in the forefront, and the late-1980s, when the U.S. prosecuted bankers after the Savings and Loan scandal, all the way back to the original founders of the U.S. Constitution who banned cruel and unusual punishment, Moore reminds us that we've lost track of many of our best ideas only to see other nations pick them up and benefit from our example.

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The movie ends on a positive note. But it's still a heartbreaking movie for any American to watch who hasn't completely lost his or her grasp of the meaning of human dignity. At a time when Hillary Clinton and countless political commentators are telling us that this country is incapable of fundamental change it's great to see Michael Moore pointing the way forward through another excellent and provocative film.

The United States has so much to learn from the way people in other countries live but is too busy straddling the globe as a military colossus to take notice. It's impossible not to feel envious of the people Moore interviews in the film whose lives contrast so starkly with our own, which makes his critique of American capitalism all the more devastating.
Image by Dave via Flickr.com

Offering ideas for Valentine's Day gifts, Felix Garmendia brings his experience collecting and giving vintage gay photos. The New York vintage photo collector became fascinated and intrigued by these images after discovering Russell Bush's 1998 book, Affectionate Men.



Photo credit: Photo courtesy Amazon.com



Garmendia began to haunt New York flea markets, searching out tintypes, daguerreotypes, cartes-de-visite and even ordinary Kodak prints from the 1950s and 60s with images of men interacting with one another and with the camera itself. "I felt like a was rescuing abandoned children," he explains of his flea market finds. "These images needed to be taken home and treasured not only as objects, but as documents of gay history, behavior, fashion and rights."

In addition to searching through photos at flea markets, Garmendia took his quest for vintage gay photos to the internet. He says: "I hit the jackpot when I figured out search terms for such images on Ebay. I even managed to locate a vintage photo album that became the home for my collection." He offers the search terms "affectionate men," "affectionate women," "gay interest," and "vintage photo" for Ebay searchers.

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Garmendia's graduate degree in Art Education and Art Criticism from New York University allowed him to accurately date and identify many of the photos by the photographic technology used to create the image. But he says of the images are more than a photographic record. As Garmendias collection grew he felt a personal connection with the photos' subjects. "Having these images in my hand confirmed that, indeed gay people have been around for a long time. I admired the chutzpah of these guys, living in hermetically sealed closets of the Victorian era, to have their photos taken."

He also points out the popularity of affectionate images of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert that dominated the early days of photography. "Images of affection were popular subjects for photos of this era. It's interesting to see the way in which the gay community of each era transformed these images for their own needs."



Photo credit: Image via wikimedia commons



Asked about vintage photos as a gift for Valentine's Day, he offered:

They say a photo is worth a thousand words. These images from the past do indeed allow us to express affection to the one we love. But they also allow us to bear witness the bonds of affection from another time and another place. They show us that whatever the circumstances, love will always triumph. They give us hope.
Political leaders, including a former Speaker of the state legislature, activists and human rights defenders protested outside the White House on Friday February 12th to protest against Pakistan's military actions against opposition political activists and unarmed civilians in the country's resource-rich province of Balochistan. The Baloch National Movement (BNM), whose central secretary general Manan Baloch, a physician by profession, was killed by the Pakistani security forces last month, organized the protest in the nation's capital.

Manan's killing was widely condemned by different political parties and sparked widespread protests in Balochistan. The protesters called upon Congress to stop military assistance to Pakistan because, they alleged, Islamabad was utilizing this assistance to silence and eliminate its secular political opponents instead of fighting the Taliban and Islamic terrorists in Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province bordering Iran and Afghanistan that has remained in the grip of a slow yet persistently violent insurgency for more than a decade.

Waheed Baloch, a former Speaker of the Balochistan Assembly who had previously served as the chairman of the formidable Baloch Students Organization (BSO), spoke to the protesters and condemned Pakistan's atrocities against Baloch political activists. He insists that Islamabad is recklessly eliminating its political opponents in order to exploit Balochistan's rich mineral resources and gain control of the controversial port in Gwadar, where the Chinese are determined to operationalize a deep-sea port despite Baloch opposition to the project.





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The Pakistani authorities have resorted to extremely repressive methods, including forced disappearances, torture and murder, in order to suppress the Baloch uprising despite clamorous criticism by domestic and international human rights groups. In a recent report, the Guardian, while describing Balochistan as Pakistan's information black hole, said, Balochistan had become "the hardest place in the country for human rights workers, diplomats and journalists to operate." In spite of tight surveillance and scrutiny by the Pakistani intelligence agencies, many Baloch activists have risked their lives to educate the world about the ongoing violation of human rights in Balochistan. The Baloch opposition maintains a robust social media presence and has significantly increased political activism outside Pakistan in an effort to inform the world about what they describe as Pakistan's genocidal measures against them.

One prominent participant among Friday's protesters outside the White House was the seventy-three year old Qadeer Baloch, popularly known as Mama [uncle] Qadeer. Last year, Qadeer broke Mahatma Gandhi's record of walking a 390-kilometer long march by walking more than 2000 kilometers from Quetta to Karachi and then to Islamabad in order to raise awareness about thousands of Baloch activists who have been forcefully disappeared or killed. Qadeer's son, Jalil Reki, who worked as the information secretary of the Baloch Republican Party, firstly disappeared and then was killed in government custody when Qadeer, while defying official threats, came out in public, mobilized all families whose loved ones had gone missing and spoke in public against the extrajudicial practices carried out by the Pakistani officials against the Baloch opponents.

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Qadeer's activism has been so effective that it has deeply worried Pakistan's security establishment because he has developed a large community of supporters and sympathizers for the Baloch movement outside Balochistan. He is deeply popular with the young college and university students in urban Pakistan who have extended him numerous invitations to speak at prestigious universities. Qadeer's message has irked the Pakistani authorities so much that they have even forced universities to cancel events in which he had been invited to speak about the state of human rights in Balochistan. In more extreme demonstration of opposition to the people who side with Qadeer, one senior journalist, Hamid Mir, was seriously injured in an assassination attempt in April 2004 while another peace activist Sabeen Mahmud was gunned down in Karachi in April 2015 hours after hosting Qadeer for a public event at a nonprofit organization she had founded. (Now that shows April is a bad year for Pakistan's Balochistan supporters!).

North America has become a hub of Baloch activism in the recent times. Since the historic Congressional hearing on Balochistan in February 2012, Baloch activists have been striving hard to gain support in the United States for their demands which range from an end to human rights violations to Balochistan's complete independence from Pakistan as a separate homeland. In October 2013, Baloch activists protested outside the White House when Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met with President Obama while another Baloch activist stunned Prime Minister Sharif in October last year by heckling him at the U.S. Institute for Peace. "Free, free Balochistan," chanted the heckler, "You are Bin Laden's friend". Before the security guards could take him out of the auditorium, the heckler urged Premier Sharif to "stop war crimes in Balochistan".

As the land of freedom and democracy, the United States has a responsibility to listen to the Baloch protesters. Any country that receives American assistance and engages in political assassinations, forced disappearances and torture of its political rivals is on a path that clearly contradicts the democratic values this nation stands for. Pakistan has long enjoyed absolute impunity with regards to its treatment of the Baloch people.

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The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) at the State Department should take advantage of Qadeer Baloch's presence in the United States and learn more about the state of human rights in Balochistan. They should listen to the horrific stories of the missing Baloch persons and the sufferings of their families and try to mediate between the Baloch and the Pakistani government. It is unfortunate that international human rights organizations, such as the Human Rights Watch and the Amnesty International have not played a proactive role in helping Qadeer Baloch raise voice in the United States about the situation in Balochistan. One reason why the Baloch voice does not echo in America is because they, unlike the victims of drone strikes, for instance, do not have lobbyists or foreign countries backing them.

When the Amnesty International facilitated a Congressional hearing on the drone strikes and brought Nabila Rehman, the granddaughter of a victim of a drone strike, to Washington D.C. in October 2013 to testify in Congress and tell her story to the world media, political commentator Hina Baloch aptly highlighted the double standards when it came to listening to the stories of the Baloch.

"Nabila Rehman, the young girl whose grandmother was killed in a drone strike, is currently in Washington DC to record her testimony in front of the US Congress. She is in Washington DC to share her story, and those of other innocent victims, with US lawmakers, the American public and the rest of the world. Nabila is getting an international stage to record her protest and has given hours of recorded interviews to the US and international media. Citizens across Pakistan are not happy; they think Nabila deserves as much, if not more, attention than Malala. They are also upset about the embarrassingly low turn-out of lawmakers (just five senators) at the congressional hearing where Nabila was testifying. People across Pakistan are lobbying online for greater awareness and attention for Nabila's plight and that of other drone victims."

Ms. Baloch further argued in her article in the reputed Dawn newspaper while telling the story of Farzana Majeed, a university graduate who also walked more than 2000 kilometers with Qadeer Baloch to seek justice for her brother, Zakir who has been missing since June 2009. "So, while Malala enjoys support in the West for her cause, Nabila has managed to secure an overwhelming amount of support from the people of Pakistan," wrote Hina Baloch, "Farzana, the sister in quest for her missing brother, remains as lonesome as ever. And yet, she marches on."

Farzana and Qadeer are both in Washington D.C. They deserve to be heard.
On this day, five years ago, February 11th, we thought we attained our dream... Looking back at the day when Mubarak stepped down, watching funny videos and listening to victory songs; remembering the vibrant voices of everyone in Tahrir Square; celebrating in the streets till the next morning; waking up free, really breathing freedom, feeling it....

Recalling back those five years, I believe we have learned 10 main things from the revolution:

1) Social class doesn't matter.



Before, we thought that the upper middle class wouldn't care about the corruption in the country. But that wasn't the case anymore. As a generation that's still in their youth, even if you had everything, house, education, a safer country outside Egypt, you still lacked your own home, your own, what I suppose should be, your sanctuary. We lacked the feeling of our own country, where we belong. Where we have always belonged.

2) There's more corruption than we thought.



In the process after removing the regime, we realized there's more destruction and corruption among the people themselves. We realized we were left alone as if the things we called for were for our own selves. Shots firedL "Bread, freedom, and social justice," were for the poor class as well. We have issues ranging from poverty to education to authority corruption. People don't understand the value of one's freedom, of one's dignity. They didn't know what they wanted, they even supported a military leadership after ousting Mubarak, saying military was needed to "dictate" the country. Well, guess what, we've been under military leadership for over sixty years and, sorry for the shock, but we really are not the best country in the world.

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The revolution and its aftermath taught us all - the revolutionary generation - how to care about others whom we don't even know. How to raise our voices when someone's unjustly being imprisoned. And how to get very emotional to the extent of heavy tears for hearing about someone's murder by the police. It taught us compassion, even if you've never seen the others before. Because the one thing that once brought us together still, till this moment, continues to tie us together.

4) Media sucks.



We have the worst media you can imagine. They babble all day and night about how we all should praise the regime. They spread false news. They're one sided. And they brainwash everyone who listens to them. I mean, for God's sake, they even banned Bassem Youssef's political satire show, AlBernameg!

5) There is more than one perspective to everything.



So far, time showed us who has fixed standards and principles and who cares only about their own group. For example, pro-military people don't care if the revolutionaries or Muslim Brotherhood supporters are murdered. Muslim Brotherhood refused to see that in 2012 the military killed the revolutionaries. They refused to believe it until the military massacred their supporters in Rabaa in August 2013. Pro-military and pro-Muslim Brotherhood (well, many of them) focus on one part of the story and ignore the rest. They don't see the mistakes of one side until they want to see it. They forget that there're two perspectives to everything and that they can simply oppose any unjust actions, regardless of who those actions are carried upon.

6) Social media is powerful. Very powerful. But it's not everything.



Well, needless to say, the Egyptian revolution was ignited by a Facebook page, "We Are All Khaled Saeed." Updates and meeting points were taken care of on social media. Without it, I don't know if the protests would have ever worked out the same. But the aftermath of the revolution showed us that social media users don't necessarily present the majority on the ground as we thought it had. Social media is a main key to the change. But it's not the key to the full road of the change. Or at least that's what I think.

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7) Trust issues.



Long story short, ousted-President Morsi appointed Sisi as the Defence Minister, then the Defence Minister ousted Morsi and became the president instead. But anyway, there's more to that. During the beginning of the revolution, there were pro-Mubarak, who then became "Oh-my-God-it's-a-succesfful-revolution-we-love-it-yay," then became like "screw those bastards in The Square", then became pro-military. And the Muslim brotherhood leaders claimed they're pro-revolution, but were like "it's okay to set a deal if Mubarak's regime offers", then "We're pro-revolution but we need an islamic country," then "We're pro-revolution but you're dishonourable if you condemn actions by the military," then when they felt the threat themselves from the military, they started hating it.

8) Political awareness.



I personally like to call the revolution on halt until we figure out how to get back on track and fix it. But if there's anything more valuable that we've learned, it would be how we became politically aware of what we need. We stood against our own selves to look at our mistakes first. And that itself is a huge accomplishment. One crucial thing is that we also became aware that protesting itself, without hitting the actual political battle, would do us nothing but like what happened the first time - like ousting Mubarak and bringing military back in the end.

9) Egypt is an absolutely beautiful country. We just need to ignite that beauty.



Have you ever seen people sweep the streets after they thought their revolution succeeded? Well, we did. Egyptians cleaned Tahir Square after Mubarak stepped down. It was one of those times when we grasped the beauty of our country. Egypt has all the resources: two seas, the Nile River, outstanding tourism destinations, history, the country itself never sleeps, people love happiness despite how bad the conditions are. It's an absolutely beautiful country, and the revolution was the biggest evidence to this. We just have to keep trying to ignite this beauty .

10) Last but not least, persistence. Again, persistence.


For years, the phone booths on the Upper West Side, past their heyday and possibly destined for destruction, have been the subject of nostalgia, affection and concern. The enclosed phone booth has long been seen as a site for reinvention -most famously as a place for Superman to transform from Clark Kent. On Wednesday, something rare happened - the four remaining phone booths on the blocks between 96th and 101st Street on Manhattan's west side have not only been saved from demolition but replaced and refurbished. As The New York Times reported, Alan Flacks, a phone booth devotee, has been integral to saving these structures. But in addition to the valiant efforts of one resident, a communal feeling of emotional attachment seems to be at work.

New Yorkers accept that the city is in constant flux, even if they fight it at many turns. But this is an unusual instance in which nostalgic actions helped save something that wasn't grandiose, extravagant or necessarily iconic but small, unassuming and objectively outdated. The booths have seemingly magical qualities.

What is it that makes these four phone booths sites of such emotional attachment? Beautifully, these booths are places that literally help people connect with each other. They are the illusion of privacy in a public space, they are relics of a bygone era and they are become more - not less - conspicuous as they survive the endless onslaught of change that occurs each day on New York City Streets.

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In 2010, Peter Ackerman published a children's book about these disappearing standalone structures called, The Lonely Phone Booth, which focused on a community of characters whose primary connection to each other is their reliance on the phone booth. In this case, a children's book solidified something that, for years had been a bit of a folk story in the neighborhood ("Oh yes, that's one of the only superman-type phone booths left in the city"). Too often, children's literature is dismissed as an apolitical, unrealistic and unserious genre. But this book envisioned - and helped forge - a different future. Like The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Grey Bridge, books about a changing urban landscape help connect emotional childhood memories with concrete places that can still be visited, touched and seen. The phone booths now represent the intersection of historic preservation, nostalgia, whimsy and the power of childhood memories.

Just as a cardboard box, or The Phantom Toll Booth, or an old wardrobe (like the one in The Chronicles of Narnia) can help transport a child into another universe, the phone booths serve as vessel for the imagination and for memory. I remember placing prank phone calls in them with my brother in the 1990s - rebelling on such a minute level, reveling in the thrill of the anonymity of the phone booth. The empty boxes are the site of play, heartbreak, emergency and connectivity for many long time Upper West Side residents and visitors. Other friends remember it as a place to vent, pretend to make grown-up phone calls and yell, cry, laugh or just stand.

In some ways the The Lonely Phone Booth follows the trajectory of Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree - the phone booth is busy and happy to serve so its community. But as time passes the phone booth by, it grows lonely. The happy ending comes from the characters recognizing and celebrating a structure they once took for granted. In the book, a storm that interrupts cell phone service and causes the public to use the pay phone again. The story tells us that modern technology will fail and when it does, we will come together to use something more reliable. What represents heroism at the end of the book? A plaque, of course! The booth is saved from the fate that so many other phone booths saw - the dump.

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By Kevin Schumacher, OutRight's program coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa.

I will never forget the afternoon in June 2013 that I spent listening to Javad's* story in Toronto. As a human rights advocate, I have heard many horrific stories of persecution. As a gay man who was born in Iran, I am well aware that one's sexual orientation in Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East forces one to live under very precarious circumstances. Nothing prepared me for Javad's story, which haunts me still.

Javad, a gay man who fled his small town in Iran after his partner's father found out about their relationship, described an incident that occurred in March 2010. While shopping, he heard a loud bang. He rushed outside to witness a father shoot and kill his 22-year-old son on the busy street in broad daylight.

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"I tried to figure out what happened but people pretended as if nothing happened, or that he (the father) did the right thing," Javad told me. "There was no regret, remorse or acknowledgement of this incident."

Comic from "Yousef and Farhad"

Javad, who would leave Iran three weeks after this incident, learned that the son had had an intimate relationship with another man that was captured on video and ended up in his father's hands.

"The main thing for families is to keep up appearance and protect their 'honor,' explains Javad. "So when they find out their child is queer, they disown them."

Sadly, Javad's account follows a familiar pattern. I've heard similar stories from the more than 100 gay men from Iran that I have interviewed in nearly a decade as an activist at OutRight Action International.

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The stories they tell of persecution by family members -- banishment, violence, even imprisonment and torture in their own homes -- shock the conscience. Same-sex relations is a criminal offense in Iran. The penalties include jail, physical lashings, even the death penalty. Iranian attitudes are deeply homophobic.

Comic from "Yousef and Farhad"

This situation has a tragic domino effect -- the loss of jobs and homelessness, for example, which impoverishes and diminishes people's lives despite their educational or professional attainment. Many flee, only to become destitute -- along with suffering emotional trauma from abuse -- in a foreign land.

I recall Bahman,* a gay man and an accountant by education, whom I interviewed in Turkey, in September 2012. After years of humiliation and abuse, Bahman was thrown out of his family's house after his father, whose business he worked for, discovered his involvement with another man. He moved to another city to try to start a new life, but because he lacked references, the only job he could find was delivering pizza. Even that menial job proved impossible. Customers complained about his "effeminate manner." He ended up as a dishwasher until he left for Turkey.

The situation for lesbians is equally as harsh within the family. If exposed, women have reported constant humiliation, physical abuse and forced marriages, leading to a life of sexual and economic servitude.

An OutRight forthcoming report describes the situation for 32-year-old Anna*, a lesbian whose parents forced her to marry a man who severely beat her. When she tried to run away, even her own family would not defend her. Ultimately, with help from friends, she managed to escape to Turkey.

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Comic from "Yousef and Farhad"

It is certainly not the case that every family in Iran disowns or abuses their gay, lesbian or transgender loved ones. I am also aware of stories of love and acceptance, but these are rather uncommon. We are trying to encourage wider acceptance and greater openness to discussion about sexual orientation and gender identity as part of basic human rights.

This is why we worked together with the writer Amir Soltani and the political cartoonist Khalil Bendib to create the graphic novel "Yousef and Farhad," about two men struggling for acceptance in Iran. We are distributing the story through our partners in Iran and to Iranians in the greater Iranian diaspora.

The government of Iran wants to keep homosexuality as a taboo subject. It even went so far as to fire a professor of sociology for opening classroom discussion about LGBT as a social issue.

We are seeing some evidence of changing attitudes, through our engagement with human rights partners in Iran. Last year, the former minister of culture admitted that despite the government's best efforts to keep this issue closed, Iranians are being exposed to new thinking and if asked now, some would view homosexuality as a "human rights issue."

Comic from "Yousef and Farhad"

Because of this, we want to encourage greater open discussion of homosexuality, as a first step to changing hearts and minds.

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It is why we speak out on Persian broadcasts from abroad that people in Iran listen to; why we serialized the "Yousef and Farhad" story in Farsi on Facebook, made the full novel available as a free download on our Farsi website and continue to bring people together for conversations about real conditions reflected in the novel.

But change is slow, despite the enormous courage of advocates who work at great risk to themselves.

It is our hope that a story like "Yousef and Farhad" has the capacity to open families to a new way of seeing their LGBT loved ones.

Comic from "Yousef and Farhad"

It breaks my heart that families -- brothers, fathers, uncles, cousins -- become the chief instrument of persecution of LGBT Iranians.

We hope this novel will be a breakthrough in our effort to reach the loved ones of LGBTIQ Iranians with a profound message of acceptance.

*The names in this piece have been altered for security reasons.
The Clinton campaign's artful smear of Bernie Sanders is wrong. That is him in the photographs.

You may remember the Clinton campaign circulating a photograph of Barack Obama wearing a turban in an effort to portray him as a Muslim sympathizer. It was a little push to stoke the xenophobia and paranoia bubbling up at the time. It worked. That photo is still used today by some on the right as clear evidence that Obama is a secret Muslim terrorist trying to destroy our country. The Clinton campaign recently tried the same tactic with Bernie Sanders.

A photo of Sanders speaking at a sit-in to protest segregation has been making the rounds recently and has been causing some uproar. Sanders supporters were posting the image as proof of his involvement with the civil rights movement. It's also been used in a lot of his campaign material.

The photograph is in a biographical video on his campaign website.

"At the University of Chicago," Sanders says in the video, "I got involved in the civil rights movement. We ended up engaging in a sit-in demonstration."

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It's on the campaign's Tumblr feed.

"As the Civil Rights Movement grew, Bernie led a sit-in to desegregate off-campus housing at the University of Chicago," the caption reads. Sanders also used the photograph in a 2013 video to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.

I remember the day very well and I remember the moment, the period well, because up at the University of Chicago, where I was then going to school, we were working with young people in the South.

Last week, almost every news outlet started systematically releasing reports that the photo was a fake and that the person in the image was not Bernie Sanders, but was actually Bruce Rappaport, a fellow student activist with a similar haircut, glasses and stature, who died in 2006.

CNN and MSNBC aired interviews with the Sanders campaign interrogating spokespeople about the photo and insinuating that Sanders was pulling the wool over the eyes of his supporters and the American people.

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"Time" ran what they called an exclusive report about clear evidence that the man depicted in the photo was not Bernie Sanders. The "Washington Post" demanded that people, "Stop sending around this photo of 'Bernie Sanders'," writing:

Sanders's supporters have been posting that picture everywhere to imply that he was in the trenches fighting for the rights of African Americans when rival Hillary Clinton was a Republican-supporting "Goldwater Girl." Never mind she backed Democrats in the subsequent presidential elections. Or that her civil rights bona fides go back to 1972, when she investigated school discrimination in Dothan, Ala., for the Children's Defense Fund.

Pretty nice unbiased reporting, right? What's especially telling is the way the Washington Post article portrays the photo in question as an attack on Clinton and then goes on to imply that it was fabricated by the Sanders campaign.

What's at issue is Sanders's misleading use of a photograph to burnish already solid credentials. For a candidate who garnered 92 percent of New Hampshire Democratic voters who said the most important trait for a candidate was that he or she be "honest," the least his campaign could do is remove that photo from its Tumblr feed and stop physically placing him where he existed only in spirit.

Both the "Times" and "The Washington Post" cite as their sources for the accusation two Chicago University alumni, Sally Cook, class of 1966, and Robin Kaufman, class of 1965, who said they believed the photo showed Rappaport.

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What neither The Post nor Time did was to ask the photographer who took the picture. Because if they had, they would have written something completely different.

Danny Lyon, the guy who took photos said that the photographs of Bernie Sanders are real and are of Bernie Sanders.

In 1962 and the spring of 1963 I was the student photographer at the University of Chicago, making pictures for the yearbook, the Alumni Magazine and the student paper, The Maroon. By the summer of 1962 I had taken my camera into the deep South, and become the first photographer for SNCC.

Lyon was there and involved in the movement.

That winter at the University of Chicago, there was a sit-in inside the administration building protesting discrimination against blacks in university owned housing. I went to it with a CORE activist and friend. The sit-in was in a crowded hallway, blocking the entrance to the office of Dr. George Beadle, the chancellor.

He remembers the particular event.

I took the photograph of Bernie Sanders speaking to his fellow CORE members at that sit-in. Bob McNamara, a close friend and CORE activist, is in the very corner next to me in the picture. Across the room from me is another campus photographer named Wexler, who taught me how to develop film.

He remembers it very clearly.

I photographed Bernie a second time after he got a haircut, as he appeared next to the noble laureate and chancellor Dr. George Beadle. Time Magazine is now claiming it is not Bernie in the picture but someone else. It is Bernie, and it is proof of his very early dedication to justice for African Americans. The CORE sit-in that Bernie helped lead was the first civil rights sit-in to take place in the North.

There it is, from the guy who took the picture - a professional photographer who was there. But "Time" and "The Washington Post" thought two former students who conceded that it was difficult to say for certain the man is not Sanders, was enough to write some articles insinuating that Sanders is a liar - not to mention major cable networks perpetuating the claim by repeating it on nearly every talk show.

Ironically, Clinton likes to accuse people of artful smears, as she did in one debate with Sanders; and this highly artful smear by her campaign almost worked.

Jonathan Capehart, who wrote the article in "The Washington Post" and also appears regularly on MSNBC should be ashamed of himself for the lack of research that went into his hit piece. At the very least he should update his article to reflect these facts. Time had the decency and integrity to update theirs, writing:

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On Feb. 11, 2016, Danny Lyon, the photographer who took the pictures of the sit-in posted photographs of Sanders at the same event. The rediscovered photos show Sanders seated and facing the camera, wearing a rough, dark sweater and a white shirt, similar to the activist in the disputed photo. Lyon said all the photos are in the same series, leading him to conclude that Sanders is the man in question.

How difficult would it have been for Capehart or Time's Sam Frizell to research this? Is it too much to expect from reporters to research an issue before using unreliable hearsay to publish what essentially amounts to a biased and irresponsible hit piece?

Watch the CNN interview with Jeff Weaver, Bernie Sanders' campaign manager talking about this.

Listen to my conversation with Tony Trupiano on T&Z Talk
UNSPECIFIED - CIRCA 1754: Bayard Rustin (1912-1987), American civil rights activist. Rustin in the Statler Hotel at a news briefing on the Civil Rights March on Washington, DC, USA, 27 August 1963. Photographer: Warren K Leffler. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

With the primary season now finally and officially underway, and with Senator Bernie Sanders' stunning victory in New Hampshire still registering on the political seismograph, I've been wondering what Bayard Rustin would make of it all.

If you aren't familiar with that name you ought to be. Rustin, who died in 1987 at the age of 75, was a central figure in the Civil Rights Movement. He was the movement's in-house intellectual and one of its tactical geniuses. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave the speech we all remember in front of the Lincoln Memorial on that August day in 1963. Rustin was the guy who organized the event.

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Raised among Quakers in a town outside of Philadelphia, Rustin was a pacifist and champion of non-violence. As such, he refused to serve in the army during World War II and went to prison for it. He was an opponent of the Vietnam War well before that position became mainstream. But in the Civil Rights Movement Rustin largely stayed behind the scenes because in addition to his unwavering commitment to racial justice, he was unapologetically gay at a time when "outing" served as a kind of blackmail. Rustin didn't much care, but others in the movement did. White supremacists and black power advocates both denounced him as a "pervert."

Rustin was also a socialist for much of his life, and so one can imagine a really fun, lively conversation between him and Sanders. And yet, I'm not sure that Rustin would be feeling the Bern right now.

In 1965, Rustin looked back on a decade of civil rights triumphs - from Brown v. Board to the Civil Rights Act, and wrote a remarkable essay for Commentary magazine titled: "From Protest to Politics." It is still worth reading.

As the title suggests, the argument of the essay is that Civil Rights protesters created pressure to help dismantle the legal barriers to equality. Now, Rustin went on, to achieve what he called "the fact of equality" required turning to politics directly. "What began as a protest movement," Rustin wrote, "is being challenged to translate itself into a political movement."

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Doing so, Rustin knew full well, meant forming coalitions. And coalitions meant compromise. Nothing wrong with that, Rustin argued and he drew an important distinction: "the difference between expediency and morality in politics is the difference between selling out a principle and making smaller concessions to win larger ones." Ever the tactician, Rustin always had the long-view in mind, and he minced no words for those who lost sight of that: "The leader who shrinks from this task reveals not his purity but his lack of political sense."

That observation, though written 50 years ago, might well have been aimed at the Sanders phenomenon. Bernie Sanders appeals because he is both a crusader and a politician (though the same could be said of Ted Cruz too). And he has positioned himself as the singular embodiment of a wide-ranging Democratic Socialist agenda. Le Left C'est Moi!

But Sanders is decidedly not the product of a protest movement now evolving into a political movement of the sort Rustin was theorizing. Sanders may be surfing the collective frustration, disgust, and perhaps even hopes of many people weary of our current political arrangements. As Rustin would be quick to remind us, however, Sanders is not leading a political movement.

The debate about Sanders inside progressive circles has largely revolved around whether, should he win the Democratic nomination, he could be electable. Yes! say his supporters wishfully as much as analytically; No! say his detractors, many of whom are still hung-over from George McGovern's electoral disaster in 1972.

The question misses the larger point. That Sanders will not be able to create the programs that get him the biggest applause at his rallies - free college tuition, a single-payer health system - goes without saying. So Sanders must answer the questions Rustin put on the table in 1965: what small concessions is he prepared to make in order to achieve large goals? Is ideological purity more important to him than political sense? If he can't answer those questions, then his candidacy is nothing more than symbolic.

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Rustin would also remind us that genuine movements, of the sort that result in lasting change, take time and require a great deal of hard-work, sacrifice and patience. Before he organized the March on Washington in 1963, Rustin worked with A. Philip Randolph to organize a march on Washington in 1941, and 15 years before the Freedom Rides you've heard about, Rustin organized the Journey of Reconciliation to challenge segregation on interstate buses.

In this sense, Sanders' supporters, and maybe even the Senator himself, have conflated protest with politics. They aren't the same thing, and confusing the two makes both less effective. So the question that Sanders' supporters must answer is: if Sanders loses, are they prepared to channel their energy and anger into a long-lasting political movement?
During Obama's 2008 campaign, idealism was at its height in America. Obama's speeches were inspiring; debate answers showed decisiveness. It was a grand election. But then, after the world celebrated and black people everywhere wiped their tears, Obama went to Washington and we all got schooled.

In 2008, the Tea Party Era began and we saw thousands of Americans waving "Don't Tread On Me" flags. They were protesting a bill that would provide relief funds to underwater homeowners and invest in repairing infrastructure across the country. These Teabaggers protested education reform, unions, Patient Protection, and the Affordable Care Act--all on the basis of them being part of that black man's big-spending socialist agenda. To hear them tell it, the middle-class was "taxed enough already" and national healthcare would see us all standing before death panels.

Back in 2008, I was adamantly opposed to a Hillary Clinton presidency. Her caution made her seem stiff and out of touch. Her careful-not-to-over-promise answers felt rehearsed. I thought it was offensive that Bill Clinton would suggest that Americans wouldn't support Obama because he was black. Today, after what feels like a rise in racism and the right's relentless smear campaign of progressive ideals, the Clintons don't sound so crazy. In fact, in the wake of the 8 years of absolute obstruction, it's the Bernie supporters that sound insanely naive.

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It's convenient to believe, as some Bernie supporters proclaim, that Obama is just a "plutocratic tool of big business and the war machine." That, as Bernie himself has suggested, there just wasn't the will or the know-how to get all of the progressive agenda passed. But for those of us who clearly remember the president fighting a government shutdown because Boehner, McConnell, Cantor, Ryan and Republicans et al were refusing to extend unemployment benefits during the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, passing a progressive agenda seems to definitely require more than a charm offensive or a mandate, for that much. For those of us who have paid attention over the past eight years, we wonder how is any voter still wowed by speeches and diatribes instead of straight facts and a well-thought out strategy?

Bernie supporters don't like questions. Most have big ideas but not clear answers. Perhaps because the press has yet to grill Bernie over his proposals, they haven't been given the answers. So I'm asking Bernie, or his trusty advisers, ten questions whose answers would give us a clear idea of what a Bernie presidency would look like.

1.Denmark is a country of 5.6M. The U.S. is a country of 320M. Are there enough rich people in the United States to tax to pay for tuition for all?

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2.Denmark's lowest income-tax rate is 30%. The lowest income-tax rate in the U.S. is 0. Does that change in order to pay for healthcare and tuition for all?

3.As for universal healthcare, how do you compel the legion of doctors and hospitals that currently refuse to see patients with Obamacare, to not go private and accept cost controls of single-payer healthcare?

4.Small businesses are supposed to be the lifeblood of the future. How will small businesses afford to hire Americans and grow their business if the minimum wage is $15/hr instead of $12/hr?

5.You speak a lot about Hillary's Wall Street donations. Do you think we can have a robust economy without Wall Street?

6.Is "working with" Wall Street the same as "working for" Wall Street? Will you work with Wall Street?

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7.And speaking of votes: you have stood by your record as fighter for civil rights and opponent of the gun lobby. Yet, you voted to prohibit cities and families from suing gun distributors and manufacturers whose guns flood the inner city to kill African American young people in record numbers. Did you vote against the legislation because you were protecting the interests of the mom and pop gunshops in your state?

8.Do you regret that vote?

9.In 1930, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff slowed the economy and decreased our GDP. Some say it contributed to the Great Depression. In today's global economy, how do you compel businesses to pay Americans $23/hr when they can pay a worker in Asia .56 cents/hr without implementing tariffs?

10.And finally, the most important question: seeing as though there is Fox News and enough rightwing voters in the country to deliver a Republican majority in Congress, how will you get your agenda passed?

In America, we may all want a revolution but, clearly, it's not the same revolution. There are voters in this country that think it's anti-police to speak out against police brutality, and anti-soldier to speak out against unjust wars. They think taking from the rich to give to the poor is as equally unjust as taking from the poor to give to the rich. They believe taxes are a boot on their neck and civil rights are special rights. They oppose a woman's right to choose and a gay person's right to marry while fervently protecting the right to own a gun. They believe America is a white Christian country, and go so far as to literally rewrite history books to make it seem so.

These are the people we share the country with and they have representation in government. Whomever the Democrats choose as the nominee shouldn't underestimate them and any plan to "revolutionize" this country better take them and the realpolitik into account.
Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - APRIL 16: Congress leader Kapil Sibal addressing the media persons about the expenditure being spent on Narendra Modi's rally and advertisements at AICCI office on April 16, 2014 in New Delhi, India. Congress alleged that whopping Rs 5,000 is spend on poll campaign of BJP prime ministerial candidate. It claims that most of it is black money and sought a probe into the origin of these funds. (Photo by Sushil Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

NEW DELHI -- Congress today welcomed the Supreme Court order in the National Herald case saying it would give an opportunity to the party to "expose the false and malicious" allegations of complainant Subramanian Swamy, who it claimed has "lost" the case.

Addressing a press conference, Kapil Sibal, who represented the Gandhis and other party leaders in the case, said that the apex court expunging certain observations of the Delhi High Court meant that no one can allege that Sonia and Rahul Gandhi or any party leader in the case have committed any illegality or wrongdoing.

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"We are very glad. Now we will have the opportunity to expose false and malicious allegations of Swamy," he said, insisting that with the apex court's order "there is no observation, no conclusion of any judge about any wrongdoing by any party office bearer including Congress President and Congress Vice President".

Asked whether Congress has 'won half the battle' with the order of the apex court today, he remarked "Swamy has lost".

Sibal said he contended before the court that no case of either cheating or breach of trust had been made out. No member of Congress has claimed that he or she was cheated nor has any member of the Congress alleged breach of trust.

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He also contended that Swamy had "no locus standi" to complain that the Congress had been cheated and or that breach of trust had been committed by the Congress in regard to those who have donated to the Party or the shareholders of Associated Journals Limited.

"It is now clear that neither Swamy nor those inimical to Congress can rely on any prima facie observations or findings of any Court and allege that the office bearers of Congress including its President, Vice President and others have committed any illegality or wrongdoing," a beaming Sibal said.

Sibal, who is also a senior party leader, hoped that with the apex court order, BJP leaders would be "more circumspect" while making charges against the Congress leadership.

"I do hope that the BJP is a little more circumspect than it has been in the past in latching on to unsubstantiated observations and unsubstantiated findings of a court to allege wrong doing against the Leadership of the Congress party.

"This is the style of the BJP. They latch on to something which is unsubstantiated and like the launching of the satellite, ultimately loose trajectory and fall to the ground quickly," he said.

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"We are very glad that now we will have the opportunity in the trial court to in fact expose Dr. Swamy and his false and malicious allegations and the propaganda machinery of the BJP," he added.

Another party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi, who also represented the Gandhis in the case, tweeted: "It is a very satisfactory order as far as our clients are concerned & we will obey it in letter & spirit."

Congress chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said partymen have a "deep sense of satisfaction" over the Supreme Court decision.

"We have always believed that the remarks, assertions and conclusions recorded by the single bench of Delhi High Court were neither appropriate on the merits of the case nor in accordance with the established tenets of law.

"In fact, these remarks amounted to prejudicing the ongoing judicial process before the trial court. Hon'ble Supreme Court has set aside these remarks and conclusions," he said in a statement.

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Besides, he said the Supreme Court has also permitted that all assertions and submissions qua complete innocence, lack of culpability and absence of any crime of any nature on part of Congress leadership can be fairly raised before the trial court.

"Unfortunately, Swamy and his supporters in BJP continue to make irresponsible and misleading statements qua the entire process after raising objections before the Supreme Court. We would request all concerned to respect the fairness and impartiality of judicial process of the country," he added.

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EITAN ABRAMOVICH via Getty Images Nobel Peace Prize 2007 Indian Rajendra Pachauri, head of the UN panel of climate scientists, speaks during a high level meeting at UN COP20 and CMP10 climate change conferences being held in Lima on December 11, 2014. The UN 20th session of the Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP20), and the 10th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP10) entered its second week of negotiations until 12th. AFP PHOTO/Eitan Abramovich (Photo credit should read EITAN ABRAMOVICH/AFP/Getty Images)

NEW DELHI -- Police are expected to charge renowned climate scientist Rajendra K. Pachauri with crimes related to sexual harassment within the next two weeks after a year-long investigation into the case, a Delhi court heard.

The former chief of a United Nations climate panel was accused last February of sexual harassment by a 29-year-old researcher working at the Delhi-based think-tank The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) where Pachauri was Director General.

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Police told the Delhi High Court - which was hearing a plea on Thursday by the woman's lawyer against granting Pachauri anticipatory bail - that their investigation was near completion and they would present a charge sheet within the next 15 days.

"If the court feels the charges are very serious, it is possible that they will reject Pachauri's request for anticipatory bail and then he could be arrested," said Prashant Mendiratta, lawyer for the complainant.

The woman claims Pachauri, 75, began harassing her soon after she joined the non-profit think-tank in September 2013 via email, Whatsapp and text messaging, but Pachauri persisted despite her requests that he stop.

Pachauri - who quit as chair of the Nobel-winning U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) over the allegation - denies the charges and has accused the complainant of using the media to sensationalise the case.

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But Mendiratta said pressure was mounting on Pachauri as a second former TERI employee on Wednesday told Indian media she was also sexually harassed by the scientist between 2003 and 2004.

The woman, who cannot be named under Indian law, claimed that Pachauri had harassed her and many other employees.

"There has been a pattern to his sexual harassment. Not just me but a lot of female colleagues. His harassment was a topic of corridor gossip," the woman told New Delhi Television (NDTV).

"He would stand very close, try to kiss or hold me, call me on weekends. When I complained to TERI, I was laughed at," she said, adding that this why she did not lodge a police complaint.

Pachauri's lawyer Ramesh Gupta said that all the allegations being made by both women were false and fabricated.

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"I know the police will file charges against my client, but it is all false allegations," Gupta told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"My client is being victimised. This is all concocted."

Pachauri headed the think-tank for more than 30 years. An internal inquiry committee of the think-tank found Pachauri guilty of misconduct and the organisation said it was removing him as director general. However he continued in the role until earlier this week, when he was appointed as TERI's executive vice-chairman.

Some students at TERI University who are due to graduate on March 7 have refused to accept their degrees from Pachauri, who is the university's chancellor.

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Ex-officer was a churchgoer, family man. Police say he may be a serial rapist.

The Allen family lived on the northwest side of Hutchinson, less than two miles from Rice Park, where several women said they were accosted.
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Secretary of State John Kerry's Meeting With Chinese Foreign Minister Wang in Munich

Munich, Germany - Secretary Kerry met today in Munich with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Meeting on the margins of the Munich Security Conference, the two ministers discussed ongoing efforts at the United Nations to enact measures which address continued violations by the DPRK of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions.

The Secretary reaffirmed U.S. commitments to security and stability on the Korean peninsula and urged China to use their influence in Pongyang to help the international community increase pressure on the DPRK.

Both ministers reiterated their support for the six-party process and for achieving the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. The Secretary noted that the onus remains on the DPRK to return to that process.

Finally, the Secretary addressed China's efforts to deal with trafficking in persons. He also thanked the Foreign Minister for China's support for the global climate change agreement and invited China to participate in the next Our Oceans conference in Washington, DC this year.
USDA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Join Forces to Promote Agriculture Jobs and Farming and Ranching to Military Veterans

Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) yesterday announced a joint agreement with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to increase employment opportunities in the agricultural sector for military veterans and their spouses.

USDA Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Deputy Under Secretary Lanon Baccam signed the agreement along with Eric Eversole, vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Eversole, a Commander in the Navy Reserve, also serves as the foundation's President of Hiring Our Heroes. Baccam, a U.S. Army and Iowa National Guard veteran who served in Afghanistan, is USDA's Military Veterans Liaison.

"Today's agreement opens the door for thousands of service members who participate in Hiring Our Heroes events around the world to benefit from USDA's vast array of tools and resources," said Baccam. "This new partnership strengthens USDA's ongoing efforts to help veterans pursue rewarding careers in farming, ranching, or in the fast-growing agriculture and food sectors."

The agreement establishes a new partnership between USDA and Hiring Our Heroes, a program that helps military veterans, transitioning active duty personnel, and their spouses and partners with training and opportunities to find meaningful employment when entering the civilian workforce.

Since 2009, USDA has provided $466.8 million in farm loans to help more than 6,868 veterans purchase farmland, buy equipment and make repairs and upgrades. Our microloans, which offer smaller amounts of support to meet the needs of small- or niche-type farm operations, have also grown in popularity among veterans. Since it was launched in January 2013, USDA's microloan program has provided more than $25.8 million in support to help veterans grow their farming businesses.

Recently, USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) also expanded its collaboration with the Department of Defense to better reach the nearly 200,000 service members transitioning from military service to civilian life each year. Through a career training and counseling program, called the Transition Assistance Program, or TAP, USDA provides information on a wide variety of loans, grants, training and technical assistance available for veterans who are passionate about a career in agriculture.

For more information on how USDA can help military veterans transition into agriculture as a career, visit www.usda.gov/veterans.

This joint agreement between USDA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation was authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, which builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past seven years, while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing, and community facilities to help improve quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/farmbill.
Tech Support Operators Settle FTC, State of Florida Charges They Misled Consumers

Miami, Florida - The Federal Trade Commission and the State of Florida have obtained settlements with a group of defendants who participated in a tech support scheme that allegedly defrauded thousands of consumers out of millions of dollars.

The defendants who have agreed to settle the action against them are Amit Mehta; Boost Software Inc.; Success Capital, LLC and Elliot Loewenstern; and Jon Paul Holdings, LLC and Jon-Paul Vasta. The settlement orders include several provisions barring future misconduct by the defendants. For instance, one order bans Loewenstern and Success Capital from the tech support industry and other orders prohibit Mehta and Boost Software from upselling or selling leads related to tech support.

These defendants deceived consumers and used high-pressure sales tactics to convince them that their computers required tech support products, said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTCs Bureau of Consumer Protection. Im pleased these settlements will keep the defendants out of the tech support scam business.

The FTCs complaint, filed in 2014 as part of a group of actions against Florida-based tech support schemes, alleges that the defendants used software designed to trick consumers into thinking there were problems with their computers, and then directed them to telemarketers who subjected those consumers to high-pressure deceptive sales pitches for tech support products and services. The FTC and State of Florida charged that the defendants violated the Telemarketing Sales Rule and the FTC Act, along with the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

The settlement orders include judgments against the defendants totaling more than $37 million, which will be suspended after they pay a total of approximately $236,000 and surrender the corporate assets. The judgments are suspended due to the defendants inability to pay and will be lifted with the full amounts due if any of the defendants financial disclosures were incorrect or incomplete.

Litigation continues against co-defendants Mark Donohue, Vast Tech Support, LLC, and OMG Tech Support, LLC.

The Commission vote approving the stipulated final orders was 4-0. The final orders were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
61% of Britons Do Not Trust Facebook - But Google is Widely Trusted

Potters Bar, England - In-depth survey on internet privacy also reveals 83% of British people have never read privacy policy of major companies.

The results of a new study on internet privacy have revealed that 61% of Britons do not trust social media giant Facebook, whilst Google is far more trusted, with 69% of those surveyed saying they do trust the world's biggest search engine. For Microsoft 65% of respondents said they trust the company, but for Apple the figure dropped to just 56% of people who trust the manufacturer and content provider.

However, just 39% of people surveyed by online privacy company vestvpn.com said they trusted Facebook. When asked about whether they had ever read a full privacy policy from iTunes, Facebook or Google a huge 83% admitted they had not.

In addition, when asked whether they felt comfortable knowing that their home internet service provider or mobile phone network can track everything they do online, just 26% of people said they feel comfortable about it. 18% admitted they did not know their internet provider or mobile network had such powers.

Meanwhile, 63% said they do not think the government should be able to track their online activity. Regarding online advertising internet users were asked for their opinion on adverts which follow people from website to website - known as retargeting by advertisers - with 60% of people saying they find them annoying. The respondents were allowed to give more than one opinion about the personalised ads and 47% also said they find them intrusive, whilst just 13% said they find them useful.

The survey also revealed that 73% of people are worried about their mobile devices or computers being hacked.

Stuart Spice, whose online privacy company Vest carried out the survey, commented, "Seeing the different perspectives of those surveyed on the major online brands is revealing, especially given how trusted Google are and how few people trust Facebook in comparison. The fact that more than 80% of people have never read their privacy policies is also quite startling."

"Concerns about online privacy are not new, but are certainly growing due to repeated high profile data leaks and constant revelations about surveillance. With so many people relying on web based email, search engines, social media and mobile apps on a daily basis we want to raise awareness about how much personal data people are handing over, often even without their knowledge, and to understand that we should all be clear about what we want big companies to do with our data."

The research was carried out in February of 2016, with all respondents being UK based adults. VestVPN.com who commissioned the survey are an online privacy company who enable people to use the internet without being tracked, hacked or bombarded by advertising.
Under Secretary Rose Gottemoeller Travels to Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Sweden

Washington, DC - From February 12 to 18, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller will visit Munich, Geneva, Vienna and Stockholm for conferences and meetings on international security issues.

From February 12 to 13, Under Secretary Gottemoeller will join Secretary of State John Kerry atthe Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, Germany. On February 13, she will participate in the MSC panel discussion, "The Future of Warfare: Race with the Machines."

From February 15 to 16, Under Secretary Gottemoeller will visit Geneva, Switzerland, for consultations at the Conference on Disarmament and meetings on landmine policy. On February16, she will deliver remarks to the 19th International Meeting of Mine Action National Program Directors and United Nations Advisors at the Palais des Nations.

On February 17, Under Secretary Gottemoeller will travel to Vienna, Austria, to deliver remark at the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCE) High-Level Military Doctrine Seminar. While in Vienna, she will also meet with Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) Executive Secretary Lassina Zerbo.

On February 18, Under Secretary Gottemoeller will be in Stockholm, Sweden, for meetings with her counterparts on arms control and European Security.
Quartet's Principals

Munich, Germany - Representatives of the Quartet - European Union High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, United States Secretary of State John Kerry and Deputy United Nations Secretary-General Jan Eliasson - met in Munich today.

The Quartet condemned all acts of terror and expressed its serious concern over the continuing violence against civilians. Reiterating its call for restraint, the Quartet called upon all parties to reject incitement and actively take steps to de-escalate the current tensions.

The Quartet expressed its serious concern that current trends on the ground  including continued acts of violence against civilians, ongoing settlement activity, and the high rate of demolitions of Palestinian structures  are dangerously imperiling the viability of a two-state solution. The Quartet reiterated that unilateral actions by either party cannot prejudge the outcome of a negotiated solution.

The Quartet underlined its commitment to achieving a negotiated, comprehensive, just and enduring resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, on the basis of United Nations Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973).

The Quartet reiterated that the status quo is not sustainable and that significant steps, consistent with the transition contemplated by prior agreements, are urgently needed to stabilize the situation and to reverse negative trends on the ground. It noted that the continued absence of such steps was leading to further deterioration, to the detriment of both Israelis and Palestinians. The Quartet underscored that both sides must swiftly demonstrate through policies and actions, a genuine commitment to a two-state solution in order to rebuild trust and avoid a cycle of escalation.

It emphasized that a robust Palestinian economy and enhanced governance capacity will serve as cornerstones of a Palestinian state, and that genuine Palestinian unity, on the basis of democracy and the PLO principles, is essential to reuniting Gaza and the West Bank under one legitimate, democratic Palestinian authority.

The Quartet urged an immediate focus on accelerating efforts to address the dire situation in Gaza, emphasized the importance of increased access through legal crossings, and called on all international partners to expedite the disbursement of their pledges made at the Cairo Conference in October 2014.

The Quartet will remain engaged with the parties in order to explore concrete actions that both sides can take to demonstrate their genuine commitment to pursuing a negotiated two-state solution.

The Quartet reaffirms its commitment to act in coordination with key stakeholders, including regional countries and the UN Security Council, to stabilize the situation and to actively support a just, comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In that regard, the Quartet will prepare a report on the situation on the ground, including recommendations that can help inform international discussions on the best way to advance the two-state solution.
Italian criminal investigation known as "Glauco 1"

Palermo, Italy - UNODC Executive Director, Yury Fedotov, on a criminal trial in Palermo, Italy, that ended with the successful dismantling of a migrant smuggling network. While operational, the criminal network stretched across 12 countries and two continents and was responsible for the loss of 300 lives off the coast of Lampedusa in 2013.

Known as Glauco 1, the criminal investigation led to the successful conviction of six smugglers and the issuing of a number of European and international arrest warrants for other members of the criminal network. The investigation also exhaustively examined migrant smuggling networks that operate in Eritrea, Ethiopia and Libya, as well as in many European countries.

I warmly welcome Italy's achievements in the "Glauco 1" investigation. The investigation and subsequent guilty verdicts send a powerful signal to every country that migrant smuggling laws must not only be adopted, but also forcefully applied against criminals.

The Italian authorities' extensive use of the legal tools provided by the

UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) is to be applauded. These tools included special investigative techniques, protection of witnesses and strong international cooperation to discover and disrupt illicit financial flows.

A speedy conclusion to a complicated criminal process was also achieved, while upholding the highest fair trial standards. This must also be commended. I also find it particularly fitting that this decision should come from a criminal court in Palermo, the birthplace of UNTOC.

I am convinced that, if we are to successfully counter migrant smuggling, there is an urgent need for greater cooperation among countries to catch the criminals, as well as an enhanced commitment to bring them to justice.
Watch: One Gesture From Owner and Squirrels Fly Straight Into Her Hand
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A quarter of a century after she quit acting for a career in politics, Glenda Jackson is returning to the stage in one of the great Shakespearean roles  King Lear  at the Old Vic.

The multi-award-winning actor will play the lead in a gender-blind production of the tragedy later this year.

The director will be Deborah Warner, who has staged King Lear twice, including at The Almeida in 1985. She is akin director with a huge international reputation in both theatre and opera, the cultural commentator David Benedict said.

Jackson gave up acting ahead of her election as the Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn in London in 1992. But she stepped down from politics at last years general election and made her return to acting in a radio play on BBC Radio 4.

Mr Benedict said of the new production: I think its a fantastic idea. Glenda Jackson was a staggering stage actor. She is used to huge roles, ones of great scale.

Glenda Jackson in an RSC production in 1975 (GETTY IMAGES)

He does not see her time away from the stage as an issue. If you were a dancer then coming back after 25 years would be a problem, he said. I dont think acting is the same.

Standing up in the Commons and giving speeches requires skilful oratory and presentation. Its not a million miles away from the stage, he said. Look at that speech where she tore into Iain Duncan Smith. She hasnt lost it.

Jackson starred as the 104-year-old matriarch Dide in the radio dramatization of Emile Zolas Blood Sex Money last year. She clearly wanted to get back into acting, and how clever of Deborah Warner to see the opportunity, Mr Benedict added.

Other notable gender-blind performances in Shakespeare recently include Maxine Peake playing Hamlet at the Manchester Royal Exchange and the all-female productions of Julius Caesar and Henry IV at the Donmar Warehouse. Those were both directed by Phyllida Lloyd and starred Harriet Walter.

In 1997, Kathryn Hunter played King Lear at the Leicester Haytmarket, though it was not well received by the critics. Jacksons friend Nuria Espert also played the part in Barcelona just over a year ago.

Jackson trained at Rada drama school in 1954 and made her professional debut three years later in Terence Rattigans Separate Tables. Her standout stage performances include Mother Courage and Strange Interlude.
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Despite nearly a century of technological advance, modern agricultural systems in North America are just as vulnerable to the damaging effects of a 1930s-style Dust Bowl drought.

Scientists from the University of Chicago's Computation Institute created models of how the severe weather might, and found that the impact could be equally damaging.

"The 1930s were really extreme and, yes, the chances of the same precipitation distribution happening again are small," explained Joshua Elliott, a research scientist at the university, as part of the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

"But the temperature distribution wasn't any more extreme than we've seen in 2012 or 1998, for example.

"And what we see at higher temperatures is that these crops - maize and also soy - are so sensitive that an average year come mid-century could be as bad as 1936, even with normal precipitation," he told BBC News.

The research shows that even small changes in temperature could have a large impact on the effects, meaning that if global warming does continue as project, potential losses would be far worse.

Around 40 per cent of maize production would be lost if there was a repeat of the 1930s drought today. If there were to be a 2 degree increase in average global temperatures, the team project it would become a 65 per cent reduction.

Last years hugely significant Paris Agreement, however, only got the 195 world leaders to sign up to a global warming target of limiting rises between 1.5C to 2C, and with no guarantee of this being sustained.

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

Dr Elliott was part of a joint US-UK taskforce that last year assessed the resilience of the global food system. The consequences of extreme weather was considered a major concern, especially if future climate change is not moderated by a reduction in the use of fossil fuels.

After assessing the production of the worlds major staple grains  rice, wheat, maize and soybeans  the taskforce's scientists found that the likelihood of a one-in-100-year production disruption would increase threefold by 2040.
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Nearly one in every ten people who died with cancer in England in 2014 spent the last 48 hours of their lives without adequate pain relief, according to shocking new research.

The data, commissioned by Macmillan Cancer Support, equates to more than 12,500 people spending their last days in pain.

Those patients are also twice as likely to die somewhere they do not want to that charity said. Previous Macmillan research shows that 73 per cent of people with cancer would prefer to die at home yet recent figures from the Office of National Statistics shows only a minority (30 per cent) are able to do so.

Recommended Read more Cameron urged to close asbestos loophole for veterans dying of cancer

Data from the Care Quality Commission revealed last week the differences across England where eight hospitals were rated as outstanding for their end-of-life care  three of them are childrens hospitals (Alder Hey, Great Ormond Street and Sheffield)  and 94 were classified as good. However, 67 hospitals require improvement and seven were rated inadequate.

The charity called on the Government to carry out a major overhaul of palliative care to prevent further pain and heartbreak.

Publishing their results today (Sat), based on the latest information from the National Survey of Bereaved People, Macmillan said it is concerned that a lack of support at home, including pain relief, means that people with cancer at the end of life do not have enough choice over where they would like to be cared for and many are spending their final days in oversubscribed hospital beds against their wishes.

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

The charity urged the government to fix Englands dismal variation in the quality of end of life care, by funding improvements recommended in a major independent review of choice at the end of life published in February 2015. Recommendations for measures yet to be implemented include access to 24/7 nursing, a record of a persons preferences and fast and free access to social care.

Ann Osborn, 63, from London, who cared for her father when he was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer in 2010, said: The experience was awful, a lot of the time he was in terrible pain. My father wanted to die at home but there just wasnt a way to make that possible.

Alone in the early hours of the morning, he would call me in agony and I was eventually given the liquid morphine to make him more comfortable. Near the end, he was scared.

We couldnt cope and had to put him in a residential care home. I appreciate people should have the choice to be at home but there needs to be better social support to make this happen.

Lynda Thomas, Chief Executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: Quite simply, in the 21st century people should not be spending their final hours in pain in this country because the support is not there. It is tragic for the individual and distressing for family and friends who witness their loved one in pain.

The review of choice at the end of life published last year set out a comprehensive set of recommendations that would help improve the end of life care in England. The government must fund and implement the recommendations of the review; we cannot carry on with the way things are.

Dee Sissons, Director of Nursing for Marie Curie, joined Macmillans call for urgent improvement.

Lack of anticipatory prescribing  which ensures medicines are readily available, and little support out of hours, are issues that need tackling, she said. It is also essential that staff have the right training around medicine management. It is possible for pain to be managed at home when people have the right support in place.

Urgent improvements to the availability of high-quality community care and 24/7 palliative care are needed to ensure people can die at home in comfort and with dignity.

An NHS England spokesman said: "This survey found that three quarters of bereaved people rate the overall quality of end-of-life care for their relative as good or better. However, we know that there are variations in the care and services that people receive and we want to continue improving peoples experience of care, including relieving symptoms such as pain, which is why the NHS locally is working hard to build on the strong foundations that have made the UK internationally recognised as leading the world in end of life care."
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On the computer screen in front of me are dust particles from the Wild 2 comet  a giant snowball of dirty ice and rock that is currently hurtling through deep space some 242 million miles away.

The dust was harvested from the comets coma the envelope around its nucleus  by an Aerogel package taken up into space on Nasas Stardust probe more than a decade ago. The Aerogel  the lightest solid known to man and made of foamed glass  trapped around a million bits of dust that were then dropped back down to earth, in Utah, in an aluminium canister for scientists to ponder the origin of life.

Now the stardust is here in the UK on a screen at Harwell  a campus based on an old RAF airfield not far from Oxford. Konstantin Ignatyev, a beamline scientist, can show me the dust because hes using light that is 10,000 times more powerful than a normal microscope  and 10 billion times brighter than the sun.

We are sitting in his tiny laboratory next to beamline 18  one of 23 operating inside this vast silvery-grey machine that is shaped like a doughnut and is as big as Wembley Stadium, with metal gangways criss-crossing miles of intricate steel piping around a vast central cylinder.

Welcome to Diamond Light Source, the UKs only synchrotron and one of just 50 in the world. It cost the UK taxpayer, together with Wellcome Trust, around 500m to build and is one of the most advanced scientific facilities in the world, putting the UK at the forefront of pioneering research.

The reason Wild 2s dust is visible is that the synchrotron is a giant microscope. At the centre of the machine is a particle accelerator  which acts like the cathode ray tubes found in old TV sets and speeds up electrons through sequences of magnets until they almost reach the speed of light. These light beams are then bounced off into individual laboratories, stationed around the ring for scientists to study anything from unknown viruses to new vaccines to ancient paintings, as well as stardust.

And the synchrotrons light is shedding light on the origins of the solar system. By using Mr Ignatyevs beamline, John Bridges of Leicester University has established that the stardust contains magnetite, suggesting that comets at the beginning of the solar system, 4.5 billion years ago, were far more complex, active bodies than previously thought and contained water that reacted with the comets minerals. Indeed, the water in our inner solar system, like that on our planet, may have been delivered by comets.

Since opening nearly a decade ago, the synchrotrons business has boomed: more than 7,000 researchers from academia and industry use the beamlines for their experiments, helped by 500 specialist staff.

 How gravitational waves work

Diamond is not the only jewel on the 700-acre Harwell site, from which bombers took off for the D Day landings. Owned by the UK Atomic Energy Authority, it is privately managed as a science park with around 200 public and private organisations based here  60 of which are focused on space exploration.

Around 4,500 of the countrys top academics, industrialists and investors work here and there are plans for hotels and housing. A few miles away is the Culham Science Centre, where the UKs main fusion research centre is based and where Alan Bond is working on his Skylon space plane.

No wonder lunch at the staff canteen is said to be explosive. Barbara Ghinelli, head of business development and my space guide, says: The canteen is where it all happens when these great brains get to meet and chat. Its called the Harwell effect.

Known as the UKs space gateway, it is the closest Europe has to a Silicon Valley for space. Its home to RAL Space, Britains leading space research centre, which is funded by the Government, the European Space Agency and the Satellite Applications Catapult.

From the private sector are giants such as De Beers, Lockheed Martin, Airbus and Thales, as well as younger companies like Oxford Space Systems  which is working on structures for the new generation of smaller satellites known as cubesats and microsats  and Insect Research Systems, a bedbug detection appliance that reapplies technologies from the Rosetta mission and is now used in hotels.

Theres more to come, with Dr Ghinelli saying the UKs space industry is ready for lift-off: The Government wants the sector to grow to 40bn by 2030  a tenth of the global market. That ambition looks achievable as the space sector has grown by 8 per cent on average each year over the past decade.

In 2014 it was worth around 11.8 bn, and grew double-digits last year. There are about 37,000 direct jobs and 100,000 indirect.

She adds: Much of this growth will come from Harwells companies, most of which are involved in downstream value-added technologies such as satellite communications  where the UK excels. Theres also big potential in the agritech, transport and healthcare sectors, where space technology is being applied.

The next leap is Britains own space port: UK companies are now looking seriously at sub-orbital space tourism, micro-gravity services and launching small satellites which are affordable. The Government will decide on where the space port should be located  somewhere on the British coast  later this year.

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

From stardust, Dr Ghinelli takes me to peer under water. Across the road from Diamond is the Satellite Applications Catapult, where, on a wall-sized screen, satellite images pick out vividly coloured blooms of jellyfish in the seawater around the British coast. EDF uses these images for detection after both its reactors at the Torness nuclear power station were shut down a few years ago when jellyfish swam into the plant and blocked the cooling water filters.

From jellyfish, we move to illegal fishing. In the room next door, the Catapult operates a Dr No style wall-sized dashboard showing a map of the world illuminated by thousands of coloured lights flashing on the seas; the different colours represent most of the worlds ships.

Working together with the Pew Charitable Trust, the satellite imaging allows technicians to interpret which ships are legally registered and which are not. By isolating those that are not registered, Pew then goes hunting  and catching  the illegal ships.

A stones throw from here is an enormous, and brand new, hangar-type structure. This is the HQ of RAL Space  the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory  the queen bee of Britains space exploration programme, involved in more than 200 missions.

RALs boss, Chris Mutlow, says the centres expertise ranges from storing climate satellite data in one of the worlds biggest data-storage systems, to predicting space weather , to satellite technology. It was RALs engineers who came up with the Urthecast cameras used on the International Space Station to take those magnificent pictures of Major Tim Peake looking back at Earth.

Inside the hangar there are rooms the size of squash courts for testing equipment. Two purpose-built, five- metre wide testing chambers work like cocktail shakers to test whether satellites, and their equipment, can survive the thrust of going into space.The chambers can cope with temperatures ranging from minus 180C to plus 150C.

The top priority for Dr Mutlow is working out how to deal with orbital debris, or space junk  one of the biggest problems faced by space exploration. He says the UK is pioneering systems to bring satellites safely back to earth but also to monitor the threats that could disrupt or degrade our space infrastructure. Or  who knows?  incoming space ships.

And if there are aliens? Well, their first port of call would most likely be Harwell  to find out what we know about them.
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The drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline was accused on Friday of cheating the NHS and the taxpayer after it was hit with a 37.6m fine for keeping the cost of anti-depressants artificially high.

GSK bore the brunt of a total of 45m fines handed out by the Competition and Markets Authority to pharmaceuticals companies over so-called pay-for-delay agreements concerning its anti-depressant medicine paroxetine, sold by GSK under the Seroxat brand, between 2001 and 2004.

Seroxat was a blockbuster drug for GSK, racking up 90m in sales in 2001 alone, while doctors prescribed the drug more than four million times. The CMA claims that GSK agreed to make payments totalling more than 50m to suppliers of cheaper generic versions of paroxetine, in return for delaying their entry into the UK market.

When generic versions did go on sale at the end of 2003, average prices dropped by more than 70 per cent in two years.

Michael Grenfell, the CMAs enforcement director, said: Todays decision sends out a strong message that we will tackle illegal behaviour that is designed to stifle competition at the expense of customers  in this case, the NHS and, ultimately, taxpayers.

He added: This investigation shows our determination to take enforcement action against illegal anti-competitive practices in sectors big and small. Cracking down on these practices is essential to protect consumers, to encourage legitimate business activity that such practices stifle, and to stimulate innovation and growth.

GSK  which is considering an appeal  disputes the CMAs findings and says it actually saved the taxpayer money. A spokesman said: GSK and the generics companies entered into these agreements at the time in order to settle costly, complex and uncertain patent disputes. The agreements allowed the generics companies to enter the market early with a paroxetine product and ultimately enabled a saving of over 15m to the NHS.

Experts said the CMAs decision to fine GSK marked a landmark ruling for the UK. Dr Farasat Bokhari said: While pay-for-delay deals have been investigated in the US for some time now, the CMAs decision is the first of its kind in the UK, and is likely to have a sobering effect on pharmaceutical companies that try to extend their monopoly in the UK via such deals. It sends a clear message that these business practices will not go unchecked.

The fine comes more than four years after the then Office of Fair Trading opened an investigation into patent dispute settlements concerning paroxetine.

Alongside GSK, the CMA also levied a 5.8m fine on the German drugs giant Merck, the former owner of Genetics UK, and a 1.5m penalty on Activis, which owned Alpharma. Both GUK and Alpharma settled with GSK before a patent dispute over paroxetine went to trial, which the CMA found infringed the competition law prohibition on anti-competitive agreements.

Merck, which sold GUK to Mylan in 2007, said it had made adequate provision for the fine, which would have no material impact on its financial results. GSKs shares closed 18p higher at 1,363p.
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A dedicated follower of fashion?

A major UK retailer is taking its cue from Caleb Kutt. Three-year-old Caleb, who lives in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, has dystonic quadriparesis cerebral palsy, which means he gets involuntary muscle spasms as a result of incorrect signals from the brain. He has inspired Marks & Spencer to launch a new range of clothing for children with special needs.

How did he become a clothing pioneer?

Calebs grandmother, Rita, emailed the retailer to ask whether it would consider designing clothes for children with disabilities, as the family found it difficult to find garments that suited Calebs needs.

What kind of requirements does he have?

Caleb is unable to speak, and is fed through a tube in his stomach and wears nappies so he needs to wear bodysuits to enable his family to easily change his nappy and prevent him from pulling on his feeding tube. "When you're buying babies' bodysuits from a high street store, they are about five for 7," Mrs Kutt told the BBC. "In catalogues for Caleb's sizes, they were going up to 12 for one.

Were M&S keen to help out?

Mrs Kutt said representatives from the high-street giant responded to her in a matter of days to say the company wanted to help and would extend its collection of bodysuits to cater for older children.

Was Caleb consulted too?

He was integral to the process  M&S sent over samples of the items it planned to manufacture for Caleb to try on so the family could give feedback.

What do they think?

The family are delighted, Mrs Kutt said. M&S will sell the items at between 3 and 7 which will make a huge difference, she told The Wakefield Express. Calebs mother Zoe said when she attempted to purchase the clothes online they were sold out. However, she said she thought it was great as it demonstrated how high demand was.

To donate money to physiotherapy sessions for Caleb, which his family hope will enable him to walk one day, visit www.gofundme.com/n563vthr
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George and Amal Clooney have met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the refugee crisis and war in Syria.

The actor and his human rights lawyer wife had a 40-minute private meeting in Berlin with the Chancellor and former British foreign secretary David Miliband, who is now the President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee.

According to the Guardian, Clooney had earlier in the day told reporters he absolutely agrees with Germanys open door policy towards refugees fleeing war in Syria.

Mr Miliband said the group discussed what countries around the world can do to solve what is a global problem, not just a Syrian problem or a German issue, the former Labour party politician also praised Ms Merkel for showing very strong leadership throughout the crisis.

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.

On Friday, the Oceans Eleven actor told Reuters that, for, him the refugee crisis is not just the Syrian refugees and raised the continuing plight of refugees from South Sudan and Darfur.

Its really all over the world, he said, 60 million displaced people right now in the world  its just a terrible, terrible time for it.

Clooney is in the German capital to promote his latest film Hail, Ceaser! which was showcased at the Berlin Film Festival.

Additional reporting by Associated Press.
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The men in Marina Wheelers life are so famous that, outside her own professional circle, she is liable to be defined by them.

This week, The Spectator carried one of the more erudite contributions to the often stale arguments around the forthcoming EU referendum. The author argued cogently that, as David Cameron tours Europes capitals seeking a deal good enough for him to recommend to the British people, he is missing some of the issues that matter most.

Her particular concern was the EUs Charter of Fundamental Rights, administered by the Court of Justice in Luxembourg  not to be confused with the European Convention on Human Rights, administered by the European Court of Human Rights, which is not an EU institution. When the charter was incorporated in the Lisbon Treaty in 2007, Tony Blair secured a UK opt out  or so he and other British politicians believed. But the court in Luxembourg appears to think that the charter has legal force in the UK, whether our government likes it or not. To a lawyer specialising in human rights, it matters a great deal who is right on this point.

This is a rare example of a serious issue being raised during the rather arid EU debate. But, inevitably, when it was reported, the focus of the reports was not the qualifications of the person doing the asking, but the fact that she is married to Camerons rival Boris Johnson. Pundits wondered if this implicit criticism of Camerons negotiating priorities was a sign that the Johnson household was on manoeuvres. Notably, there was no such reaction when the same author wrote a blog in June 2015 in defence of the Convention on Human Rights, though her views on that were further from mainstream Conservative thinking.

The Conservative election manifesto had promised to renounce the European Convention on Human Rights and replace it with a British bill of rights, to prevent the European Court in Strasbourg imposing decisions on the UK that offended the government. She argued that this would be a breach of various treaties and was the wrong approach. On the issues that had caused the most contention  prisoners voting rights, whole life sentences and armed conflict overseas  the European Court was backing down in the face of British objections. She dismissed as Panglossian an idea floated by the then justice secretary, Chris Grayling, that the courts judgments could be advisory in the UK: Lets invite the Government to re-channel its efforts into strengthening these human rights mechanisms, shaped in our image, by our own hand  not sweep them away, in a destructive, un-conservative, even un-British, act of revolutionary fervour.

These are words written by someone for whom human rights takes precedence over whatever loyalty she feels towards the Conservative Party. She is, after all, one of the UKs foremost civil rights lawyers, with a law degree from Cambridge and a masters in EU law. Most of her work in public law and human rights, according to the CV published on her chambers website, has focused on mental health, prisons, social care, armed conflict, education and privacy. She represented the Government in a high-profile case, involving a suspected Taliban commander who was held in detention by the British in Afghanistan for four months, and the Prison Service in a case involving a child who committed suicide in custody.

Boris Johnson takes down boy during rugby match Show all 7 1 /7 Boris Johnson takes down boy during rugby match Boris Johnson takes down boy during rugby match Boris Johnson plays rugby with Japanese elementary school children in Tokyo Getty Boris Johnson takes down boy during rugby match Boris Johnson bumps into a schoolchild during a Street Rugby event at Tokyo Square Gardens building EPA Boris Johnson takes down boy during rugby match Boris Johnson collides with 10-year-old Toki Sekiguchi during a game of Street Rugby with a group of Tokyo children Reuters Boris Johnson takes down boy during rugby match Boris Johnson falls down after colliding with 10-year-old Toki Sekiguchi during a game of Street Rugby with a group of Tokyo children Reuters Boris Johnson takes down boy during rugby match Boris Johnson falls down after colliding with 10-year-old Toki Sekiguchi during a game of Street Rugby with a group of Tokyo children Reuters Boris Johnson takes down boy during rugby match Boris Johnson takes down boy during rugby match

Through her professional life in the law, she has had decades of being close to men famous in other fields. Her father, Sir Charles Wheeler, was one of the leading television journalists of his generation. When he died in 2008, aged 85, his obituary in The Independent noted that only a handful of correspondents have become household names. Charles Wheeler was incontestably one of them. He was in Delhi as the BBCs South-east Asia correspondent when he and Marinas mother, Dip Singh, married in 1962.

In 1965, he was appointed Washington correspondent; and, in 1973, moved to Brussels as European correspondent. Nine-year-old Marina arrived in Brussels sporting an Impeach Nixon badge and was enrolled in a European school where she made friends with another youngster, to whom she explained the meaning of the word impeach. It was Boris Johnson, son of one of the first Britons to secure a senior job with the EU. Their paths diverged when she went to Bedales, a private boarding school in Hampshire, and then on to Cambridge, but converged when they met up again in London when they were both in their mid-twenties.

Some people find it extraordinary that a woman as capable as Ms Wheeler should tolerate a husband as unreliable as Boris Johnson, whose wandering eye and celebrity status meant that, sooner or later, a scandal was going to make national news. The lawyer Philippe Sands described to Boriss biographer, Andrew Gimson, his reaction on seeing Marina arrive at his 30th birthday in October 1990, with Boris Johnson: In comes our dearest, darlingest, teeniest Marina with a Tory  it was a ghastly moment  painful, hilarious and devastating.

Through her professional life in the law, she has had decades of being close to men famous in other fields. (REX Shutterstock)

At some point, about seven more years into their marriage, she became aware that he was having an affair with the journalist Petronella Wyatt, daughter of Woodrow Wyatt, who was Margaret Thatchers favourite journalist. In November 2004, the tabloids got wind that Wyatt had had an abortion. Contacted by The Mail on Sunday, Boris declared: I have not had an affair with Petronella. It is complete balderdash. It is an inverted pyramid of piffle.

He was lying, of course, and his colourful language only added fuel to the story. After days of relentless publicity, including a piece in the News of the World stating as a fact that Patronella Wyatt had indeed been made pregnant by Marinas husband, the Tory leader, Michael Howard, sacked Johnson from his post as shadow culture minister.

As if that were not enough, Marina had to endure another excruciating round of tabloid interest in April 2006, when the News of the World announced that her husband was having another affair, with a 29-year-old journalist named Anna Fazackerley. He was away in China when the story broke. She had a tribe of reporters on her doorstep, firing questions at her in front of her children.

She certainly entered the marriage with her eyes open. Even at the age of nine, Boris had impressed her as a wild character. Gimson learnt that, when the pair of them were dropped off to school, Boris would try to amuse her by rolling out of the car on to the ground.

When the Petronella Wyatt affair blew up, one of the many details hauled into the glare of publicity was that Marina had become pregnant at a time when Boris was still, formally, married to his old university flame, Allegra Mostyn-Owen. She was quoted by the Daily Mail saying: I divorced him for adultery. It enabled him to marry Marina. The divorce came through on 26 April 1993. They were married on 8 May. The first of their four children, Lara Lettice, was born on 12 June.

So Marina Wheeler knew that life with Johnson might not be uninterrupted domestic tranquillity, but she has stuck with him through turbulent times and not let it deflect her from her demanding career. Much as she may dislike seeing a horde of reporters outside her home, she must know that they will be back again one of these days  but hopefully they will be there to pursue a political story, not a sex scandal.

Marina Wheeler: A life in brief

Born: 1964.

Family: Elder daughter of journalist Charles Wheeler and Dip Singh. Married Boris Johnson in 1993. They have four children.

Education: European School of Brussels, Bedales and Cambridge University.

Career: Worked in Brussels before, in 1987, becoming a barrister specialising in human rights. A member of the Bar Disciplinary Tribunal. Appointed QC in 2016.
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More than a third of rape victims are under 16, with the vast majority of that figure made up of young girls, according to new figures.

Data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and based on statistics from 13 police forces in England and Wales, showed that in the 12 months to March last year, girls aged 10-14 were the most likely to be victims of rape. In the male category, boys aged 5-9 were the most likely to be victims of rape.

The findings emerged as the first detailed breakdown of the age and gender of victims of alleged sexual offences recorded by police were published.

There were 88,106 sexual offences recorded by the police in the year ending March 2015, the highest figure recorded since the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in 2002. It represents a 37 per cent increase since the year before, and an 81 per cent jump since records began.

Half of female victims of other sexual offences, such as assaults, grooming and sexual exploitation, were girls aged under 16.

Sarah Green, a manager at the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said: [The statistics] have to be a wake-up call to the Government, to every profession working with young people and to all of us. What are we going to do about this horrific level of assault against young women and girls?

We believe the figures show that those who commit these crimes target victims who are young and more vulnerable. Offenders have more confidence in getting away with crimes against younger women and girls.

We have to get serious about tackling the perpetrators of this abuse and preventing assaults in the first place.

Analysis of the Crime Survey for England and Wales published alongside the statistics showed that respondents in younger age groups were more likely to think it was acceptable at least some of the time to hit or slap their partner if they had an affair.

The ONS also said that improvements in crime recording processes by the police were thought to be the main driver behind a 23 per cent rise in the number of violence against the person offences recorded.

David Tucker, the College of Policing lead for crime and criminal justice, said: Its encouraging to see that improved recording practices in forces are believed to be behind the increase of recorded violent and sexual crimes.

He added: However, there are still too many violent and sexual crimes.

Our research on national demand has indicated an increasing amount of time in forces is directed towards public protection and safeguarding issues.
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Speculation that the Government is planning an isolated single jail unit for Islamist prisoners has led a terror expert to warn that such a move could create an "Isis command centre" in Britain.

A report in the Guardian, dismissed by the Ministry of Justice, suggested a "British Alcatraz" was being considered following David Camerons speech on prison reform this week.

The speculation comes ahead of justice secretary Michael Goves review of Islamist radicalisation in prisons, led by former Home Office official Ian Acheson, which is due to be published in March.

But an extremism expert has warned that a single jail unit for terrorists, which is contrary to 50 years practice of dispersing the most dangerous inmates across the prison system, could lead to convicted extremists carrying out sophisticated operations from within jails.

Professor Roger Griffin said such a facility "could create a hub of jihadist fanaticism in Britain".

"It could actually create a command centre and relay station for IS operations in Britain", he said, as well as prompting comment about a "British Guantanamo".

"If a unit could be created with counter-radicalization Imams and trained de-radicalizers, this could be a very innovative scheme, but, characteristically, this does not seem to be part of the government proposals."

Earlier this week, the Prime Minister said in a speech: I am prepared to consider major changes: from the imams we allow to preach in prison to changing the locations and methods for dealing with prisoners convicted of terrorism offences.

We have around 1,000 prisoners who have been identified as extremist or vulnerable to extremism.

And we know, through intimidation, violence and grooming, some of these individuals are preying on the weak, forcing conversions to Islam and spreading their warped view of the world.

We will not stand by and watch people being radicalised like this while they are in the care of the state.

The 130 convicted Islamist terrorists currently behind bars in England and Wales are dispersed across six maximum security prisons.

French prisons have increasingly isolated their radical Islamist inmates since 2015s attack by extremists on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Muslim prisoners are 11 per cent of the UKs prison population, with 12,622 inmates identifying as a Muslim, according to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

A MoJ spokesperson said: "No plans for a single prison for terrorist prisoners are under discussion or form part of any review.

"The National Offender Management Service (NOMS)s senior management is wholly supportive of the review and determined to do all it can to meet the challenge of extremism."
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The United Nations will condemn and publicly shame the Government in May for allowing police to use 50,000-volt stun guns on children, as well as stopping and searching toddlers.

The Government faces a six-hour grilling in Switzerland over the extent of its compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which the UK signed in 1990 and ratified the following year.

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The last time the UK was measured up against the convention, in 2008, the UN said that it wanted England and Wales to treat Taser guns and AEPs [attenuating energy projectiles] as weapons subject to the applicable rules and restrictions and put an end to the use of all harmful devices on children. British police started using Tasers in 2003.

Police use of stun guns has increased since that hearing, with 38 per cent more incidents in which they were aimed at children in England and Wales in 2013 than the previous year. Tasers fire two darts, and temporarily disable their targets with a five-second discharge of 50,000 volts that contracts the muscles and bewilders the nervous system.

A UN source said the UK has been asked to provide data on police Taser use, as well as the number of rubber or plastic bullets that have been fired at children. The source added: Members do intend to raise the issue, along with stop and search and the appropriate use of force, especially regarding adolescents.

Carla Garnelas, the co-director of the Childrens Rights Alliance for England (Crae), said: The use of Taser on children is a breach of their human rights. UN bodies have repeatedly called for the UK government to ban their use on children, highlighting the serious risk of physical and psychological harm they pose, yet the use of Taser on children continues. We want to see a ban on Taser use on children.

Police stopped and searched nearly 300 children aged under five in the five years to 2014, meaning officers might have believed toddlers were carrying a knife or involved in terrorism. Typically, though, the searches are undertaken because officers suspect the children have been used by adults to hide weapons, stolen goods, or drugs.

In separate written evidence to the committee, the UK Childrens Commissioners, established in statute during Tony Blairs premiership, said: The Childrens Commissioners are concerned that the UK State Partys response to the global economic downturn, including the imposition of austerity measures and changes to the welfare system, has resulted in a failure to protect the most disadvantaged children and those in especially vulnerable groups from child poverty  The best interests of children were not central to the development of these policies and childrens views were not sought.

Reductions to household income for poorer children as a result of tax, transfer and social security benefit changes have led to food and fuel poverty, and the sharply increased use of crisis food bank provision by families. In some parts of the UK there is insufficient affordable decent housing which has led to poorer children living in inadequate housing and temporary accommodation.

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

The Howard League for Penal Reform has also told the committee that England and Wales has one of the lowest ages of criminal responsibility, at 10 years old, and highest level of child incarceration in western Europe. Its written evidence states: There are grave concerns about the number of children who have taken their own lives in prison, as well as concerns about the increasing use of punitive measures such as solitary confinement and the use of force.

The criticism comes as the Home Secretary, Theresa May, evaluates a report by Chief Constable David Shaw of West Mercia Police into the quality of data related to Taser use. There are concerns that police forces do not record Taser threats and other uses of force accurately enough, a problem some believe will not be resolved because, they argue, Mr Shaw has not consulted widely enough beyond the police.

Craes Ms Garnelas said: We urgently need to see fully disaggregated national data on Taser use on children. We are very disappointed that we were not invited to feed into Chief Constable David Shaws review on Taser data.

Sophie Khan, a solicitor who is legal and policy director at the Police Action Centre, said the Shaw review is beyond a whitewash. She had previously asked officials for the terms of reference for the review, which she never received.

A Home Office source said it is a niche issue, and a spokesman added: Taser provides the police with an important tactical option when facing potentially physically violent situations and this government is committed to giving officers the necessary tools to do their job. All officers trained in the use of Taser must consider the vulnerability of the individual, and factors such as age and stature form part of this assessment.

But just as with sensitive powers like stop and search and mental health detention, the police use of force warrants proper accountability and transparency. That is why the Home Secretary commissioned Chief Constable David Shaw to lead an in-depth review of the publication of Taser data and other use of force by police officers, to ensure these powers are being used appropriately. The review will present options for publishing data on how force is being used by the police, who it is being used on, and what the outcomes are.

British police started using Tasers in 2003 (Getty)

Minor disturbances

A 15-year-old boy with learning difficulties was Tasered by police at his school in Plymouth after reports of an alleged assault on a teacher. Devon and Cornwall Police said at the time of the December 2013 incident that officers arrived to find three boys holding knives.

Earlier that year a 12-year-old girl holding two knives was Tasered in St Helens, Merseyside. Last year, the Independent Police Complaints Commission found that officers had acted in a proportionate way when they Tasered a 17-year-old who was behaving in a threatening manner at her Blackpool home.

It is thought the youngest person to have a Taser aimed at them was a boy of 10, who had a knife and threatened self-harm, when West Yorkshire police cornered him. The incident is known to have taken place within the past two years.

Henry Austin
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A doctor who was part of a study on links between staffing and deaths in the NHS has accused the Government of continually misrepresenting the findings to support its push to change junior contracts.

Dr Peter Holt, a vascular surgeon at St George's University of London, said he had written to Jeremy Hunt, the Health Select Committee and shadow Health Secretary Heidi Alexander raising his objection.

In a post on the Junior Doctors contract forum Facebook group, he wrote that the research published in December could never have shown that higher staffing on weekends reduced mortality.

 Jeremy Hunt imposes Junior Doctors contract

We did not have staffing levels by day of the week but aggregated data over a time period, so we didnt even investigate this, he added.

The data have been continually misrepresented. I have put this in writing to the Secretary of State, Heidi Alexander and Health Select Committee.

I have asked the latter for a minuted retraction of the way in which the evidence is being used and acknowledgement of this. No replies so far.

The paper, published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia, analysed data involving nearly 295,000 patients to find that fewer patients die after emergency surgery in hospitals that have more doctors and nurses.

It indicated a direct link between the numbers of doctors, nurses and senior clinicians working in a hospital and the patients chances of survival.

Junior doctors stage a second one-day strike on 11 February dan kitwood/getty images (Getty Images)

Researchers found that the likelihood of death was 11 per cent higher where the patients was admitted to hospital at the weekend while the likelihood of death was seven per cent higher in trusts with the lowest numbers of nurses per bed.

In a press release marking the publication, Dr Holt was quoted as saying: This is the first analysis on this scale for emergency general surgical admissions examining the associations between the numbers of senior doctors, junior doctors and nurses per hospital bed and patient survival rates.

Although we have not demonstrated causation, we believe the findings should form an important part of the debate over disparities in staffing levels and resource provision between NHS Trusts.

The study could be one of eight cited by Mr Hunt as evidence of higher weekend mortality rate, as he announced plans to enforce controversial changes to junior doctors contracts in the House of Commons on Thursday.

Six of those say staffing levels are a factor that needs to be investigated, he added.

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh describes the status quo as an avoidable weekend effect which if addressed could save lives and has set out the 10 clinical standards necessary to remedy this.

Junior Doctors protest outside the Department of Health at the Government's intention to impose new contracts (Getty)

Today we are taking one important step necessary to make this possible.

The new terms, which will come into force for junior doctors in England this August, classify Saturday as a normal working day and extend social hours to cut those awarded extra pay.

They have been the subject of two strikes by junior doctors with the British Medical Association union so far and have seen huge opposition from NHS employees.

Concern has been raised over the Governments use of several scientific studies to support its move towards a seven-day NHS.

Fiona Godlee, editor of the British Medical Journal, wrote to Mr Hunt with concerns he had misrepresented another study on weekend mortality and inferred that the deaths were avoidable, when the research did not make that clear.

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

Research carried out by two paediatricians last year also alleged that the Health Secretarys comments claiming that people were more likely to die if they attend hospital at weekends were also responsible for mortality rates.

In a letter to the BMJ, they identified a Hunt effect causing people to delay seeking treatment until a weekday despite being ill because of concerns sparked by the Conservative MPs statements.

Two deaths were reported as a result of the delay and a third of people suffered long-term, irreversible morbidity in surveyed cases involving intensive care, surgery, psychiatry, medicine, child health and obstetrics and gynaecology.

The Department of Health has not yet replied to the Independents request for a comment on Dr Holts complaint.

There is clear independent clinical evidence that standards of care are not uniform across the week and this Government makes no apology for tackling the problem to make sure all patients receive the same high quality care seven days a week, a spokesperson previously said.
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In the companys original office, with its 1855 safe, overlooked by a photograph of the firms founding father, the general manager of parchment and vellum makers William Cowley receives a steady stream of phone calls from sympathisers and customers.

Paul Wright tells them how parchment and vellum are the earliest writing materials, in use since man stepped out of a cave, wrapped some skins round a few sticks to make a tepee, and started scribbling on his tent walls. He added: All of humankinds history is on parchment and vellum. Magna Carta was written on parchment. The Dead Sea Scrolls: parchment, in 435BC.

Today, he says, William Cowley, based in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, may be the only company in the world making proper vellum in the proper way  without any harsh chemicals, by hand and hard, pigging work.

Recommended Read more Treasure trove of historic manuscripts struggling to find buyer

Time was, though, when every law worth having was written on vellum, when vellum meant power, when it was so sacred, so prized that the finest vellum makers would be abducted, stuck in a dungeon and forced to make vellum, so whichever side it was, royal or religious, could make their own laws. No longer.

As of next month, archive copies of UK Acts of Parliament will cease to be printed on vellum. At the urging of members of the House of Lords, which pays for the printing, the Commons Administration Committee has agreed that once the present contract expires, Parliament should switch to something Mr Wright regards as a vastly inferior modern (14th-century) Chinese import: paper.

To save an alleged 80,000 on printing costs, Parliament is ditching a tradition that first decreed that Acts should be handwritten in a peculiar strong black hand on goatskin parchment and then, starting with the Inland Revenue Board Act 1849, printed on calfskin vellum.

How to make Vellum Vellum makers first read the skin, examining the calfskin to determine exactly how to treat it. The skin is then rotted down. Once, this involved a walker pressing it into a mixture of water, urine and dog muck with his feet. Today Mr Wright and his team use a vat containing lime and secret mixture of natural ingredients concocted by the companys founder, William Cowley. Then comes scudding, scraping hair from the skin. Finally, the skin is stretched on a frame and imperfections like dark skin are scraped away. William Cowley employees use a crescent-shaped knife called a lunar, or lunarium  ancient vellum makers used flints.

Mr Wright, 50, is indignant. The battle for British vellum, he reveals, is just beginning. This isnt finished. There are MPs, bookbinders, artists, calligraphers  hundreds of people  who are not happy about this. And not just in the UK. Theres not a nation in the world where I dont have a contact. This will go global.

The fight, he says, will not be out of concern for his company. As the ringing phone testifies, he and his team have plenty of customers  from orchestras wanting vellum drumskins to foreign governments.

They produce thousands of pages of vellum every year. Only a couple of hundred are for Parliament. For Paul of William Cowley, the loss of that contract is nothing. For Paul, the man, the taxpayer, it is everything. Traditions matter here. The company hasnt moved since William Cowley started making vellum beside the River Ousel in 1850. Mr Wright was taught the art of vellum making by Cowleys great-great-grandson, Wim Visscher.

A copy of Magna Carta (Tom Pilston)

He feels proud that Julia Kainth, Cowleys great-great-great-granddaughter is working here, keeping it a family business. He is dumbfounded by the vellum decision.

How, he demands, can a handful of MPs and lords decide to throw out our history, the material that has documented everything, since we stepped out of the cave? Without it even being decided by a vote of the whole House of Commons?

The anti-vellum advocates say that, if stored properly, archival paper can last for 500 years. Mr Wright disagrees. You can roll vellum up and leave it on a shelf  or in a cave  for 5,000 years. But you wont find any paper manufacturer who will guarantee longer than 250 years. That takes us back to about 1750, and the rest of history we can kiss goodbye.

Its like were deciding to write our most momentous Acts on the back of a fag packet. For future generations, where will be the history we can touch.

As for those costs cited by vellums opponents, Mr Wright unrolls a seemingly flawless replica Magna Carta, and points to his standard Epson Stylus printer. I scanned and printed it on that.

When confronted by the claim that the Lords pay 103,000 a year for the manufacture of vellum, he says: They must have very expensive printers, because on average, they pay us 46,000 a year for vellum. Once you consider the price of archive paper, says Mr Wright, the true savings would be more like 26,000. Is that the price we put on having a documented record of our history?
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A Cabinet minister is reportedly set to break ranks and come out in favour of Britain leaving the European Union within minutes of the prime minister announcing a deal with Brussels.

Were they to do so, they would defy David Camerons decision that ministers had to abide by collective responsibility until it was officially lifted at a Cabinet meeting after the talks.

It is believed the minister will make their declaration at a Grassroots Out rally in Westminster on Friday night  when the Prime Minister is due to fly back to Britain with details of a deal renegotiating Britains relationship with the EU.

Recommended Read more Cameron warns Brexit would make the world a more dangerous place

Organisers would not name the minister, but told The Telegraph that the minister in question was not Home Secretary Theresa May, a known Eurosceptic.

Conservative MP Tom Pursglove, one of the organisers, told the newspaper it was going to be a very symbolic event that would convey why the prime ministers deal is not good enough.

We are talking to lots of colleagues about appearing at next weeks event, he said. I would be delighted if a Cabinet minister would be in a position to come along and speak.

What has the EU ever done for us? Show all 7 1 /7 What has the EU ever done for us? What has the EU ever done for us? 1. It gives you freedom to live, work and retire anywhere in Europe As a member of the EU, UK citizens benefit from freedom of movement across the continent. Considered one of the so-called four pillars of the European Union, this freedom allows all EU citizens to live, work and travel in other member states. What has the EU ever done for us? 2. It sustains millions of jobs A report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, released in October 2015, suggested 3.1 million British jobs were linked to the UKs exports to the EU. What has the EU ever done for us? 3. Your holiday is much easier - and safer Freedom to travel is one of the most exercised benefits of EU membership, with Britons having made 31 million visits to the EU in 2014 alone. But a lot of the benefits of being an EU citizen are either taken for granted or go unnoticed. What has the EU ever done for us? 4. It means you're less likely to get ripped off Consumer protection is a key benefit of the EUs single market, and ensures members of the British public receive equal consumer rights when shopping anywhere in Europe. What has the EU ever done for us? 5. It offers greater protection from terrorists, paedophiles, people traffickers and cyber-crime Another example of a lesser-known advantage of EU membership is the benefit of cross-country coordination and cooperation in the fight against crime. What has the EU ever done for us? 6. Our businesses depend on it According to 71% of all members of the Confederation of British Influence (CBI), and 67 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the EU has had an overall positive impact on their business. What has the EU ever done for us? 7. We have greater influence Robin Niblett, Director of think-tank Chatham House, stated in a report published last year: For a mid-sized country like the UK, which will never again be economically dominant either globally or regionally, and whose diplomatic and military resources are declining in relative terms, being a major player in a strong regional institution can offer a critical lever for international influence.

In is his final major speech before next week's meeting of EU leaders where he hopes to secure agreement for the renegotiation of the UK's membership, Mr Cameron is expected to spell out his case for reforming the EU in the German city of Hamburg.

The Prime Minister, who spoke to his Spanish counterpart Mariano Rajoy on the phone before leaving for Germany, is keen to get a final deal in place in time for him to put the new terms of membership to the British public in a referendum in June.

It came as 130 Tory councillors urged him to admit his EU talks had failed.

Eurosceptic Tory MPs and newspapers have also branded the deal thin gruel and a joke while a poll conducted by Sky News found other two thirds of the public believe it is bad for Britain.

But last week the PM pledged hand on heart that he had achieved the renegotiation goals set out in his manifesto, but there are in fact substantial shortfalls  notably on a failure to totally ban EU migrants from claiming in-work benefits for four years.

The Conservatives have pledged to hold an EU referendum before the end of 2017 following the renegotiations, which were hoped to shore-up support for the UK remaining in Europe.

That referendum now looks likely to be held as early as this June.
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The world would be a more dangerous place if Britain voted to leave the European Union, David Cameron has claimed, as he travelled to Germany in a final effort to enlist the backing of Angela Merkel for his renegotiation demands.

In a speech in Hamburg, Mr Cameron said it was vital to keep Britain in a reformed EU to face down dangerous and murderous ideologies and stand up for democracy and the rule of law.

His address was a final set-piece event before meeting other EU leaders in Brussels next week, where he will need to win the backing of all 27 other member states for his demands. He was due to hold talks with Chancellor Merkel on the fringes of the event, hoping to win her support in preventing key British demands from being watered down during the summit.

Mr Cameron knows that he needs to secure terms at least as good as those outlined by the European Council president Donald Tusk last week if he is to have any chance of claiming the renegotiation as a success.

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However, he is facing resistance from other countries, notably France, over the safeguards he is demanding on further Eurozone integration. Eastern European countries are also understood to want to water down the emergency welfare break plans. The Prime Minister has cleared his diary to hold talks with some of the doubters, including French president Francois Hollande, Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis and Czech premier Bohuslav Sobotka.

Mr Cameron raised the prospect of a Russian threat as a reason why Europe was stronger together. The reason why I believe it is so vital to keep Britain in a reformed European Union is that, when I look at the world today and where it is going, I am convinced more than ever that we need Britain and Germany working together to shape a European Union that can deliver prosperity and security for us all, he said.

 Cameron on EU reform

In a world where some countries claim you can be a great economic success but bypass democracy, restrict the free press and go without the rule of law, we need to stand together, and show that  far from holding countries back  these things make us stronger.

Specifically mentioning Russia, he added: In a world where Russia is invading Ukraine and a rogue nation like North Korea is testing nuclear weapons, we need to stand up to this aggression together and bring our economic might to bear on those who rip up the rulebook and threaten the safety of our people.

But in a reminder of the obstacles Mr Cameron will face selling the deal back home, more than 130 Conservative councillors wrote to The Daily Telegraph warning he risks splitting the party unless he accepts his renegotiation has failed and campaigns for Britain to leave the EU.

They wrote: You made clear that if you did not get the deal you wanted in Europe you would not rule out campaigning for Britain to leave the European Union yourself, and we hope you will now unite your party and Britain in doing so. Mr Cameron is anxious to get a final deal in place in time to be able to put the outcome to an In/Out referendum on the UKs continued membership in June. No 10 fears that any delay beyond early summer could play into the hands of the Out camp, making it harder for the Prime Minister to secure an In vote.

Out campaigners claimed the latest text represented a further watering down of a plan they had already dismissed as inadequate. Downing Street sources, however, insisted the substance remained unchanged, with only minor technical changes to the draft wording.

Labours former shadow chancellor Ed Balls threw his weight behind Mr Camerons EU welfare-reform agenda but warned there was a lot more to do to persuade the country to vote to stay in.

We have got to show our population that Britains influence can be used to make real changes in Europe and thats what David Cameron is trying to do through his renegotiation, he said. We can only make those changes from the inside; we cant solve the problems of companies not paying their tax or Europes failure to tackle the refugee crisis from the outside.
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Computer, smartphone and network hacking by UK intelligence agency GCHQ is legal, a security tribunal has said.

The Investigatory Powers Tribunal ruled on Friday that computer network exploitation (CNE)  which can include remotely activating microphones and cameras on electronic devices such as iPhones without the owners knowledge  is legal.

The case, which was heard in 2015, was the first time that GCHQ admitted to carrying out hacking in the UK and overseas. Previously, their policy had been to "neither confirm nor deny". The IPT, which deals with complaints about surveillance and the intelligence services, found in favour of the Cheltenham-based monitoring agency and the Foreign Office.

The ruling comes after Campaigners Privacy Internationals legal challenge claiming GCHQ's hacking operations are too intrusive and break European law. Whistleblower Edward Snowden described the spying agency as worse than the US.

The case cannot be appealed to any higher UK court, but it could be taken to Europe.

During proceedings, GCHQ admitted that it carries out CNE outside the UK, and that in 2013 about a fifth of its intelligence reports contained information derived from hacking.

The Home Office has now published a code of practice for hacking, or "equipment interference" as it is also known, and aims to put it on a firmer legal footing in its Investigatory Powers Bill, which is due to become law later this year.

The IPT judgment said: The use of CNE by GCHQ, now avowed, has obviously raised a number of serious questions, which we have done our best to resolve.

Plainly, it again emphasises the requirement for a balance to be drawn between the urgent need of the intelligence agencies to safeguard the public and the protection of an individuals privacy and/or freedom of expression.

We are satisfied that with the new [equipment interference code] and whatever the outcome of parliamentary consideration of the investigatory powers bill, a proper balance is being struck in regard to the matters we have been asked to consider.

According to the judgment, the legal structure under which warrants are issued for GCHQ to carry out equipment interference in the UK is compatible with the European convention on human rights.

Philip Hammond, the foreign secretary, who welcomed the ruling, said: "The ability to exploit computer networks plays a crucial part in our ability to protect the British public.

A proper balance is being struck between the need to keep Britain safe and the protection of individuals privacy.

Scarlet Kim, a legal officer at Privacy International, said: We are disappointed by the IPTs judgment, which has found government hacking lawful based on a broad interpretation of a law dating back to 1994, when the internet and mobile phone technology were in their infancy.

Until we brought this case, GCHQ would neither confirm nor deny that they were engaging in mass hacking of computers, mobile devices and entire computer networks.

During the course of the proceedings, the government sought to create law on the hoof, changing anti-hacking laws [the 1990 Computer Misuse Act] through an addition to the 2015 Serious Crime Act and producing a code of practice for hacking. Hacking is one of the most intrusive surveillance capabilities available to intelligence agencies.

The IPT has decided that GCHQ can use thematic warrants, which means GCHQ can hack an entire class of property or persons, such as all phones in Birmingham.

In doing so, it has upended a longstanding English common law principle that such general warrants are unlawful. Allowing governments to hack places the security and stability of the internet and the information we exchange on it at stake.
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Margaret Beckett, in her report on Labour's defeat, recommended that the shadow cabinet should hold its meetings outside London. Patrick Kidd pointed out that not only did Gordon Brown do that with the real Cabinet, but William Hague did it first with his shadow cabinet, when it was called Operation Starburst.

1. Operation True Blue

Whitehall plan for Margaret Thatcher's funeral. Andy Burnham complained it was too political, says Asa Bennett.

2. Operation Teddy Bear

John Birt's plan for Tony Blair to split the Treasury and curb Brown's power in 2003. Recalled by Jon B.

3. Operation Honey Badger

Dan Jarvis's 2011 by-election campaign, named after a fierce carnivore with few natural predators. Nominated by Jack Tindale, who worked on it.

4. Operation ROBOT

Rejected plan for a floating exchange rate, 1952, named after Treasury officials Sir Leslie ROwan, Sir George BOlton and OTto Clarke. Pound finally floated in 1972.

5. Operation Undecided

Scottish Labour's plan, in April 2015, to switch focus from independence "Yes" voters to general election don't-knows. "Was this the least inspiring title ever?" asks Richard Burtle.

6. Operation Manatee

"Who can forget the Lib Dems' spectacularly successful digital ad blitz in the last 72 hours of the 2015 election campaign?" asks Tom Hamilton.

7. Operation Sunrise

William Hague's 1998 attempt to unite the Conservatives on Europe by balloting party members on the policy of ruling out the euro for one parliament. From Asa Bennett again.

Project Cake: Name given to the internal Labour operation on the Blair-Brown handover (Getty) (Getty Images)

8. Operation Hoover

Philip Gould's code name for Tony Blair's overtures to Paddy Ashdown, aimed to "clean up" Lib Dem voters. Thanks to Andrew Grice.

9. Project Cake

Name given to the internal Labour operation on the Blair-Brown handover. Mr Memory remembered it so you didn't have to.

10. Operation Bookend

Bank of England's secret (until it emailed The Guardian by mistake) analysis of the economic consequences of Britain leaving the EU. Via Asa Bennett.

Next week: Titles that give away the ending (such as 'Finding Nemo')

Coming soon: Obsolete technology cliches (such as 'Stay tuned'). Send your suggestions, and ideas for future Top 10s, to top10@independent.co.uk
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Italian police say they have a credible witness who saw Giulio Regeni, the Cambridge student found murdered in Egypt, being stopped by plain-clothes security officers not far from his home in Cairo on the evening he disappeared.

Egyptian authorities have denied any involvement in the abduction and torture of Mr Regeni, 28, whose body was found dumped by the side of a road on the outskirts of Cairo on 3 February, nine days after he went missing. Italian media and critics of the regime of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi have blamed Egyptian security services or a pro-government death squad for the murder.

It has emerged that investigators from Rome have spoken to someone who gave them what Italian newspapers reported as concrete details of the postgraduate student being stopped outside the Bohooth metro stop, just minutes from his flat, on 25 January. Mr Regeni had apparently been on his way to visit Hassamein Kashek, considered a leading anti-Sisi intellectual.

Giulio Regeni

Meanwhile it emerged that the young Italian noticed that he was being photographed by an unknown observer at a political dissidents meeting he attended on 11 December. There have also been reports that the Cairo police officer in charge of the murder investigation was previously convicted of involvement in the torture and murder of a detainee.
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Ending a civil war is never easy. But a fragile rapprochement between South Sudans President Salva Kiir and his rival Riek Machar  the two elderly big men of the country  does not impress a younger generation of would-be political leaders who believe their countrys future can be brighter. The decision just a few days ago, by President Kiir, to reappoint the exiled Mr Machar to the role of vice-president, raised hopes that a brutal two-year conflict in the worlds youngest nation might now come to an end after Mr Machar accepted the offer.

The decree by President Kiir was made in Juba, the capital city. That was where an alleged coup attempt in December 2013 by forces loyal to Mr Machar  two years after the countrys declaration of independence from Sudan  sparked an ethnic war that has driven two million people from their homes, left 2.8 million facing acute food insecurity and tens of thousands on the brink of famine.

In Nyal, a remote town in war-torn Unity state 600 miles north of Juba by road, where local youth militia and forces to loyal to Mr Machar have kept government soldiers at a distance since deadly attacks in April last year, a tall 27-year-old has made his home. The decision by Kol Taban  the son of a former governor of Unity  to return to his homeland after an education in Australia shows either a faith in his countrys future, or a belief that he and a new generation will do it differently.

Cut off from the rest of South Sudan and living at the centre of a famine, Mr Taban can leave any time he likes, but has chosen to remain. His opinion of President Kiir  a former senior soldier who took over after South Sudans leader, Dr John Garang, died in a helicopter crash in 2005  is disparaging.

Kol Taban left the safety of Australia to return to Nyal (Ashley Hamer)

Using the unflattering vocabulary of the American military, Mr Taban describes Mr Kiir as an uneducated jarhead (a nickname usually reserved for the US Marine Corps). He says that while the President is an able and respected frontline soldier, he is not a presidential politician. It is a view expressed from a position of relative strength. Mr Tabans link to elite politicians gives him a tribal authority and profile that borders on being an unofficial leader-in-residence. He appears to understand a role that comes with being the son of an important man.

His father, Taban Deng Gai, was governor of the oil-rich Unity state in the six years before the Southern Sudan Autonomous Region gained full independence from Sudan after a conclusive referendum that was accepted in Khartoum. Employed by the Chevron oil company, Mr Deng then joined the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA), becoming one of its commanders and continued as Unitys governor after independence.

The 2013 alleged coup split the army and the main political party (the SPLM) into ethic divisions; Mr Kiirs Dinka-led people became the governing faction with Mr Machars Nuer forces exiled in opposition. Whether or not genocide was attempted by the government in Juba, a recent African Union report described atrocities on both sides. Soldiers were accused of cleansing amid claims of forced cannibalism, rape, mass civilian killings, abduction, conscription of children, looting, cattle theft and the burning of entire villages. A recent UN report confirmed many of the horrors.

Thousands on brink of starvation in South Sudan Show all 8 1 /8 Thousands on brink of starvation in South Sudan Thousands on brink of starvation in South Sudan Analysis by the UN estimates that 2.8 million people are currently facing acute food and nutrition insecurity in South Sudans Greater Upper Nile states, including Unity Ashley Hamer Thousands on brink of starvation in South Sudan This young Rooney fan is one of 40,000 people facing a catastrophic famine that the United Nations believe is already happening Ashley Hamer Thousands on brink of starvation in South Sudan Hunger is driving a range of behaviors. Families are running out of options, therefore the skin of cattle is being eaten; undigested food in slaughtered cattles stomachs is being removed and squeezed to create beef-smelling stock; the killing and eating of birds and animals, not usually hunted, is increasing Ashley Hamer Thousands on brink of starvation in South Sudan People living on the so-called highlands of the Sudd swamp travel on thin canoes for days to register for food Ashley Hamer Thousands on brink of starvation in South Sudan The WFP have evidence that children under 10, travelling on their own, walked over 120 miles over days to leave government-control locations for the thin security of Nuer-controlled Nyal Ashley Hamer Thousands on brink of starvation in South Sudan People endure three, four hour waits at five locations where the WFP counted, registered, and then finally distributed life-saving rations Ashley Hamer Thousands on brink of starvation in South Sudan A two-year bloody conflict between mainly Dinka and Nuer groups, allied to warring government and opposition forces, and now spreading into other inter-ethnic struggles, is destroying the countrys once potentially oil-rich future Ashley Hamer Thousands on brink of starvation in South Sudan One UN report says there is overwhelming evidence of a humanitarian emergency in four Unity counties where communities are already using severe coping strategies not been seen since the conflict began Ashley Hamer

In 2015, Mr Deng was the chief negotiator in Juba for the opposition, trying to implement a peace deal signed in August between Mr Kiir and Mr Machar. If the Vice-President does return to Juba, it will be partly down to Mr Dengs efforts.

But his son remains sceptical of the immediate prospects for South Sudan. The promised transitional government they are trying to form? It will happen. However, he has limited optimism on what follows, and even his fathers ability to deliver further success is questioned. My father has served his time. It is basically time for him to move on.

Mr Taban cites the recent and unexpected announcement by the President to redraw South Sudans internal state boundaries, creating 28 states and 28 newly appointed governors rather than the established 10 divisions.

Perhaps we will accept 28 states, but they will invent something else. They have been given what they asked for; they will ask for more, he says. Some saw the civil war coming. It would have been planned for some time, turning states against each other, stoking up tribal wars and divisions.

Asked if President Kiir wants to end the chaos of two years of war, Mr Taban says: Why would you want peace if you are winning the war? And they are winning.

He left South Sudan in 2001, sent to Melbourne by his father to be educated and safe. Before I came back [to South Sudan] in 2014, I did not know where I was from, he says. I knew my father, his eight wives, his children, and that was about it. My father doesnt want me here. He wants me back, safe, in Australia. He thinks its dangerous.

The 10,000 displaced people who fled to Nyal from other parts of Unity are the most vulnerable (Ashley Hamer)

And thats because it is. Unity has been at the centre of fighting, where now even the so-called tranquil states are no longer tranquil. Government forces are less than five hours drive away. That, in country almost the size of France, is close.

The 10,000 displaced people who fled to Nyal from other parts of Unity are the most vulnerable. Some are hiding on the little islands that sit above the water level of the Sudd swamp. In this cut-off community, which the UNs food aid organisation is feeding with air drops, reaching the next day is without guarantee.

An imminent UN report, backed by data approved in Juba, will say that the acute food shortages affecting 40,000 and the high levels of malnutrition should now be designated a famine. International aid organisations based in Nyal are doing all they can to limit the suffering.

Mr Tabans family links give him both authority and responsibility. He doesnt control the large youth militias who marshal the town carrying AK-74 rifles, but explains: Guns are everywhere here. They are civilians who are trying to protect their community.

Elections are scheduled to take place in 2018. Although Mr Taban insists he wont stand, he contradicts himself, detailing the political jobs he would accept. Education minister would be above me. Age is a thing here. So, maybe fisheries, youth or childhood. But the key to everything will be education.

He adds that he will not leave South Sudan again. This country will get the leaders it deserves. It will take time, but we will be stable. We will find someone who works for his people, not his own interests.

Tomorrow: Despite South Sudans oil wealth, its political leaders have effectively squandered billions of dollars in less than three years. James Cusick looks at what has to happen if this young country is to escape from its destructive civil war.
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The fingers of Justin Ochan delicately trace the names of the dead. Crouched by the memorial in Lukodi, where many of his relatives died, he gestures helplessly around him, pointing out the lack of development, the signs of poverty and neglect everywhere.

With Ugandas elections only days away  polling day is set for 18 February  Mr Ochan, 50, a survivor of one of the worst massacres by the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) in these parts, will not be voting for President Yoweri Museveni. Mr Ochan blames the government for allowing the brutal 20-year insurgency to take hold in northern Uganda.

Cracks are starting to appear in Mr Musevenis monolithic 30-year rule as he seeks another five-year term. Three-quarters of Ugandans have never known another leader, and many young Ugandans believe now is the time for change. They question his record on education, health, employment and democracy.

But it is in the north that the Presidents bitterest legacy lingers. Since he rose to power in 1986, the people here have been unsure who they feared more: the government that committed atrocities here, or the LRA with its child abductors.

The war may have ended a decade ago with the LRAs departure from Uganda, but the conflict has left deep psychological scars. Mr Musevenis critics say he has abandoned a lost generation to its fate. There is widespread unemployment, little investment in infrastructure, only rudimentary counselling programmes and scant funding to help those looking to start life afresh. People in this area dont vote for Museveni, Mr Ochan says. He has abandoned the north. Whatever development you see here comes from NGOs.

Yoweri Museveni was once feted as a new breed of enlightened African leader (EPA)

For the first time, Mr Museveni looks vulnerable. Kizza Besigye, a serial presidential contender, is his biggest rival. But the entrance of a third viable candidate  Amama Mbabazi, a former prime minister and member of the Presidents inner circle  has raised hopes of a stronger opposition showing this time round.

Yet nobody really expects Mr Museveni to lose this election, which has been marred by intimidation of opposition supporters, and a muzzling of the press, particularly the vernacular radio stations that speak directly to the Presidents core rural support.

The longer he clings to power, however, the more endangered his gains, which include bringing peace after the murderous tyrannies of Milton Obote and Idi Amin, and a revival of the economy.

In the mid-1990s, the West feted him as a new breed of enlightened African leader. By the end of that decade, however, Mr Musevenis credentials were tarnished by misadventures such as that in DR Congo, where he backed anti-government rebels raping and killing villagers, and allowed the looting of the countrys mineral riches.

Kizza Besigye, the main opposition candidate (Reuters)

In 2005, he abolished presidential term limits, securing his membership of a tiny club of African leaders who refuse to relinquish power, such as Zimbabwes Robert Mugabe.

Analysts say his rule has become more authoritarian, dissent less tolerated, corruption more entrenched, and wealth creation benefiting the few. The West has largely overlooked his strongman tendencies, given Ugandas importance in the war on terror, its troops in Somalia, and helping to hunt a weakened LRA in central Africa.

Elisha, owner of a small business in Kampala, echoes a common sentiment when he says: Museveni is really not a bad man. Its just that he has stayed in power too long. Mr Museveni  father figure, benefactor, guarantor of peace  is liked, even loved, by many Ugandans, but it is, a growing body believes, time for the old man to go.

It is a sympathetic view of the regime not shared by those in the north, their lives shaped not only by the horrors of the LRA, but also by the abuses of the Ugandan army and a decade in the camps. The LRAs defeat, when it came, had taken too long.

The military piled into this region after Mr Museveni toppled Tito Okello, a northerner, from power. As anti-government rebellion took root, the army executed and detained en masse suspected collaborators, and committed isolated atrocities.

Meanwhile, Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA, had tapped into local anger and feelings of marginalisation before his own brand of brutality, which included cutting off hands, lips and noses of his victims and forcing child abductees to murder their families, turned many of his natural supporters against him.

After the exodus: 40 years on from Amin's terror offensive against Asians in Uganda Show all 8 1 /8 After the exodus: 40 years on from Amin's terror offensive against Asians in Uganda After the exodus: 40 years on from Amin's terror offensive against Asians in Uganda 5412186.jpg After the exodus: 40 years on from Amin's terror offensive against Asians in Uganda 5412170.jpg Getty Images After the exodus: 40 years on from Amin's terror offensive against Asians in Uganda 5412171.jpg After the exodus: 40 years on from Amin's terror offensive against Asians in Uganda 5412169.jpg Getty Images After the exodus: 40 years on from Amin's terror offensive against Asians in Uganda 3303966.jpg Getty Images After the exodus: 40 years on from Amin's terror offensive against Asians in Uganda 5412163.jpg After the exodus: 40 years on from Amin's terror offensive against Asians in Uganda 5412164.jpg After the exodus: 40 years on from Amin's terror offensive against Asians in Uganda 5412162.jpg

In a move reminiscent of British internment camps during the Boer War, the government shunted nearly two million northerners into squalid camps for internally displaced people to cut off the LRAs access to supplies and recruits. But in the process it impoverished the population and condemned thousands to death from disease.

At Lukodi, a small detachment of soldiers protected the camp, but civilian huts encircling the military base formed the front line. When the rebels came on 19 May 2004, the soldiers quietly fled. Mr Ochan escaped to a nearby hill, where he watched as the camp was set ablaze, the screams of the dying seared into his consciousness. He returned the next day to sift through charred remains, and identify those abducted by the rebels. You couldnt hear a sound, just people moving this way and that, he recalls. We were burying people all day. Of the 45 who died that day, 21 were close relatives.

Dominic Ongwen, the LRA commander who allegedly led the massacre, is now facing trial at the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity  charges he denies. However, many in the north of the country think the Ugandan state should atone for its alleged crimes. Mr Museveni offered an apology in 2012 for the armys crimes during the counterinsurgency campaign, but what is needed, survivors say, is money, not words.

Post-conflict life has been hard. Survivors come to Pamela Angwech, head of a local NGO in Gulu, with thoughts of suicide, or in need of physical rehabilitation, such as prosthetic limbs or surgery from festering war wounds. She helps where she can, but it is overwhelming. It should be the government doing this, she says. Its the best way they can say sorry for not protecting us.

Ugandas elections are only days away (EPA)

Northern Uganda has the worst indicators for the country: the highest rate of HIV and Aids, the highest illiteracy rate. Nearly half the population lives in poverty.

In a strange paradox, the President is making gains in the north this time round, a reversal of previous elections, where Mr Besigye has fared much better.

It is not because Museveni is loved, but because people are desperate, says Nicholas Opiyo, head of Chapter Four Uganda, a human rights group. They look to the government as the only means of survival. They know that those who vote for the government tend to get better services.

What might work in the north could be wrong for the rest of Uganda. We will see Uganda becoming more autocratic, says Mr Opiyo. A continued five years of Museveni in power will only be bad for Uganda and  dash any hope of a peaceful transfer of power.
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The mother of Columbine high school shooter Dylan Klebold has spoken publicly for the first time in 17 years about one of the most notorious high school massacres in American history.

Sue Klebold has written a book called Silence Broken: A Mothers Reckoning, and all proceeds will go to mental health charities.

Speaking to ABC news anchor Diane Sawyer, she said she got a call from her husband at the office on 20 April 1999 to say there had been an emergency at the high school and police suspected one of the killers was her 18-year-old son.

Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris carried out a highly sophisticated attack, using a fire bomb to divert emergency services. They murdered 13 people and injured a further 21 before committing suicide.

Ms Klebold said she had seen something bothering her son but wrote it off as adolescent depression.

Part of the shock of this was learning that what I believed, and how I lived and how I parented, was an invention in my own mind - that it was a completely different world he [Dylan] was living in, she said.

She warned that little behavioural signs could indicate something profound.

Its very hard to live with the fact that someone you loved and raised has brutally killed people in such a horrific way, she said.

I think we like to believe that our love and our understanding is protective and that if anything is wrong with our kids, I would know, she said. But I didnt know. And its very hard to live with that.

She added that she thinks of the victims - 12 teenagers and a teacher - and their families every day.

The interview is being aired on ABC news on the same day as a suspected shooting in Arizona.

Interviewer Ms Sawyers reported there have been over 70 thwarted high school shootings since Columbine.

Ms Sawyer told her colleagues that for Ms Kebold, a moment of happiness is a moment without suffering."

Some families allegedly carry immense anger towards her and have blamed Ms Klebold for not coming forward sooner, while others have forgiven her and her son, said Ms Sawyer.

One victim, Anne Marie Hochhalter, who was left paralyzed by the attack, penned a letter to Ms Klebold and her husband Tom, saying she forgave them and was touched that the book proceeds will go to charity.

It's been a rough road for me, with many medical issues because of my spinal cord injury and intense nerve pain, but I choose not to be bitter towards you. A good friend once told me, Bitterness is like swallowing a poison pill and expecting the other person to die. It only harms yourself. I have forgiven you and only wish you the best, she wrote on her Facebook page.
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More than 200,000 members of Brazils armed forces were deployed across the country yesterday to hand out millions of leaflets, in an effort to raise awareness about the Zika virus. Brazil is at the centre of the current outbreak  which the World Health Organisation (WHO) said yesterday had spread to 34 countries, including 26 in the Americas. Zika is suspected of being linked to an increase in the birth defect microcephaly  a condition which leads to an abnormally small head and potentially an underdeveloped brain  in Brazil.

While the link between the virus and microcephaly has not been proven  the WHO expects confirmation within weeks  Marcelo Castro, Brazils health minister, has said that authorities in the country were sure of the causal relationship between the virus and birth defects. There have been more than 460 confirmed cases of microcephaly, and 4,300 suspected cases are currently being investigated in Brazil.

Recommended Read more Churches split as Zika epidemic sparks new abortion debate in Brazil

Around 220,000 army, navy and air force troops, accompanied by health agents and mosquito control teams, were intending to visit three million homes in 350 cities to advise people how to eliminate breeding areas for the Aedes aegypti mosquito which carries the virus, including the dangers of stagnant water.

The Zika virus - in pictures Show all 5 1 /5 The Zika virus - in pictures The Zika virus - in pictures A three-month-old, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil. A rise in microcephaly cases is thought to have been caused by the spread of the Zika virus in affected countries Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A mother holds her baby who has microcephaly Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A five-month-old baby, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A pediatric infectologist examines a two-month-old baby, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A baby affected with microcephaly

We have to protect the population, especially pregnant women, athletes and tourists who will come for the Olympic Games [in Rio de Janeiro later this year], Aldo Rebelo, Brazils defence minister has said.

Zika is taking its toll on large swaths of the Americas. Yesterday, Colombias national health institute said more than 5,000 pregnant women were infected with Zika. There is also a suspected link between Zika and Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological disorder that can lead to paralysis, and the WHO said the condition was also on the increase.

The WHOs weekly report said: In the context of the Zika virus outbreak, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Suriname and Venezuela have reported an increase of [Guillain-Barre syndrome]. The cause of the increase remains unknown, especially as dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus have all been circulating simultaneously in the Americas.

There is no cure for Zika, although a vaccine could be available in 18 months. The WHO said prevention measures have become critical in order to stop the spread of the disease to other parts of the globe.
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In news disturbing enough to cause a crying face emoji, the Indonesian government has begun to ban same-sex emoticons, stickers and emoji from messaging apps used by the 250 million-strong nation.

The authorities this week forced Line, a Japanese-Korean messaging app, to remove same-sex and lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender (LGBT) themed stickers from its Indonesian-language store.

Similar bans are expected on Whatsapp, Facebook and Tinder. Companies who fail to comply with the request may be blocked by the ministrys Negative Content Management Panel.

Social media must respect the culture and local wisdom of the country where they have [a] large numbers of users, said Ismail Cawidu, a spokesperson for Indonesias ministry of information and communication.

He added: The ministry is appreciative of Line Indonesia for their understanding and discretion in dealing with matters that could potentially cause public unrest, especially the concerns of mothers for their children in terms of the negative influence the circulation of these LGBT stickers could cause.

There is no law against homosexuality in most of Indonesia, the worlds most populous Muslim country, but government officials have made a number of anti-gay rights statements recently.

An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Show all 8 1 /8 An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: lol; lmao / Old-fashioned words: laughing out loud; laughing my ass off; I say, thats rather funny An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: beautifull; gawgeous; hotttt / Old-fashioned words:beautiful; gorgeous; jolly attractive An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: xoxo; xoxoxox / Old-fashioned words: hugs and kisses; hugs and kisses (in slightly greater quantity) An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: GJ; job; haha / Old-fashioned words: good job; good job; well done, that was rather funny An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: oml; ughh; ughhh / Old-fashioned words: Oh my Lord; oh damn; oh damn and blast An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: ffs; grr / Old-fashioned words: for fucks sake; Im furious (in fact Im so furious, Im growling) An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: cmeo; crbt; waa / Old-fashioned words: crying my eyes out; crying real big tears; Im so very unhappy that Im wailing An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: zzz; btd; gnstdltbbb / Old-fashioned words: I am sleepy; Im bored to death; good night, sleep tight, dont let the bed bugs bite

Indonesia's northernmost province of Aceh, which has adopted Sharia law, made having same-sex relations punishable with 100 lashes. Last month Muhammad Nasir, Indonesias minister for technology, research, and higher education, said that the LGBT community should be barred from university campuses, because there are standards of values and morals to uphold.

Human Rights Watch expressed concern on Thursday at what it described as a spate of hateful rhetoric by public officials against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Indonesia.

Last year, Apple introduced same-sex emojis for the first time. Russia began legal action, but later opted to drop their lawsuit.
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A member of the National Assembly in South Korea has called on the country's president to order the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Ha Tae-keung, member of the centre-right Saenuri party, claimed only death would stop Kim using nuclear weapons.

Everybody will be happy if Kim Jong-un is removed, Mr Ha said in an interview with radio station YTN.

"Kim Jong-un is a criminal. Getting rid of a criminal is appropriate and does not violate international laws."

The former human rights activist claimed that the South Korean government had four to five years to kill Kim before he unleashes a nuclear war.

He suggested that South Korean President Park Geun-hye should seek international support to assassinate the supreme leader of North Korea, particularly from the US and Japan.

In the interview, Mr Ha suggested Kim should see a similar fate to former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who was ousted from power in 2003 by a US-led invasion before being captured, tried and sentenced to death by an Iraqi court.

The MPs call for Kims murder is rooted in the history of confrontation between the two Koreas.

Former South Korean dictatorial President Park Chung-hee dodged two assassination attempts before he was shot and killed during a 30-men raid in 1979. His successor, President Chun Doo-hwan, swerved death in a Northern bombing plot in 1983 due to traffic congestion but 17 South Koreans, including cabinet ministers, were killed.

On 11 February Kim Jong-un's regime suspended operations at an industrial park where the two countries had previously cooperated.

South Koreans were ordered to leave and had their assets seized. The action was described as "an end to the last lifeline of South and North Korea".
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Facebook can be sued in France for removing a users account after he posted an image of a 19th-century painting of a womans genitalia, a Paris court has ruled.

Facebooks argument that disputes must be heard exclusively in California, where the company is headquartered, was dismissed by the Paris Appeal Court as unfair.

Parisian teacher Frederic Durand-Baissas Facebook account was suspended without notice five years ago on the day he posted Gustave Courbets 1866 painting "The Origin of the World", which depicts female genitalia. Facebook has never explained why it blocked his account.

Recommended Read more Painting of woman eating ice cream removed by Facebook

"This is a case of free speech and censorship on a social network," Mr Durand-Baissas told AP.

"If (Facebook) can't see the difference between an artistic masterpiece and a pornographic image, we in France (can)."

Mr Durand-Baissas wants his account reinstated and 20,000 (15,521) in damages.

Facebook appealed against a Paris High Courts 2015 decision that the contract signed before creating a Facebook account falls under consumer rights law in France.

The social network had claimed opening an account was "not a consumer contract because Facebook's service was free".

But the judge ruled in 2015 that "if the proposed service was free to the user, Facebook was generating significant profits from the business, including via paid applications, advertising and other resources.

The latest ruling sends a message to all "web giants that they will have now to answer for their possible faults in French courts", Mr Durand-Baissas' lawyer Stephane Cottineau told AP.

 Facebook bans gun sales

"On one hand, Facebook shows a total permissiveness regarding violence and ideas conveyed on the social network. And on the other hand, (it) shows an extreme prudishness regarding the body and nudity", Mr Cottineau said.

Facebooks Community Standards page says: people sometimes share content containing nudity for reasons such as awareness campaigns or artistic projects. We restrict the display of nudity because some audiences within our global community may be sensitive to this type of content  particularly because of their cultural background or age.

There are 30 million Facebook users in France. The ruling may set a legal precedent that cases brought by French users against Facebook must be heard in France.
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The United States has intervened in the debate over Britains membership of the European Union, declaring a profound interest in the UK remaining a part of the 28-member bloc.

Speaking days before EU leaders gather at a crucial summit in Brussels to thrash out David Camerons renegotiation demands, Mr Kerry said: Obviously, the United States has a profound interest in your success, as we do in a very strong UK staying in a strong EU.

The truth is, in every decade since its founding, the EU has been tested by forces - internal and external - that benefited from a house divided We know many Europeans feel overwhelmed by the latest round of challenges, including concerns about the UK's potential exit from the EU.

"I want to express the confidence of the United States... that - as it has so many times before - Europe is going to emerge stronger than ever, provided it stays united and builds common responses to these challenges."

Mr Kerrys intervention comes as Mr Cameron prepares to convince his 27 EU counterparts to sign off his renegotiation demands at a crucial leaders summit in Brussels.

AFP reported the Secretary of State as adding that the mass influx of refugees and migrants entering the continent spells a near existential threat to Europe.

"The United States understands the near existential nature of this threat to the politics and fabric of life in Europe," he reportedly told the Munich Security Conference.

"We are not saying 'this is your problem, not ours'," he added. "This is our problem... And that is why we are joining now and enforcing a NATO mission to close off a key access route and we will join you in other ways to stem this tide."

The annual Munich conference is one known for frank talk among top officials, and participants this year include Mr Kerry, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond, and many others.
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The Russian Prime Minister has accused the West of starting a new Cold War as Nato expands its presence in eastern Europe and bitter arguments continue about Syria and Ukraine.

Dmitry Medvedev spoke at the Munich Security Conference shortly before John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, accused Russia of repeated aggression and killing civilians.

The country has come under heavy criticism for its intervention in Syria, where it is predominantly believed to be targeting anti-government rebels in support of Bashar al-Assad, and is under international sanctions for its annexation of Crimea.

 NATO reinforces Baltic presence as tensions rise with Russia

Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato Secretary General, added to the pressure today by telling senior diplomats, politicians and defence officials a more assertive Russia was destabilising the European security order.

Nato does not seek confrontation - we do not want a new Cold War, he said.

At the same time our response has to be firm.

But Mr Medvedev responded strongly, blaming Nato itself for worsening tensions with a new missile system based in Romania and increased presence along the Russian border.

Soldiers of the Polish Army descend from an MI-8 helicopter during the NATO Noble Jump military exercises of the VJTF forces on June 18, 2015 in Zagan, Poland. (Getty Images)

Nato's policies related to Russia remain unfriendly and opaque - one could go so far as to say we have slid back to a new Cold War, he said.

Scoffing at what he said was a suggestion that Moscow may use nuclear weapons in a first strike, he quipped: Sometimes I wonder if it's 2016 or if we live in 1962.

The Russian Prime Minister called for sanctions on Russia implemented after it annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 to be lifted, saying they were a road that leads nowhere.

The longer the sanctions continue, chances for the Europeans to keep their position at the Russian market as investors and suppliers are fading, he added.

That's why one has to act quickly.

Syrian civilians among the rubble in rebel-held Aleppo after Russian-backed air strikes (AFP/Getty Images)

Mr Medvedev also defended his countrys intervention in Syria, saying it is targeting Isis and has been open with its goals.

A war of words has been raging between American and Russian defence officials over the bombing of hospitals and civilian areas in Aleppo, where regime forces are pushing to take territory from anti-government rebels.

Russia has insisted it is targeting Isis but the UN and monitoring groups claim data shows its air strikes have predominantly hit moderate rebels, who are styled as terrorists by Assad but viewed by the West as a legitimate and effective fighting force against Isis and other extremists.

Mr Kerry said Russia was defying the international community with its support for the Assad regime and separatists in eastern Ukraine.

In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Show all 19 1 /19 In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Syrian boys cry following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Aleppo Getty In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russian defense ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov speaks to the media in Moscow, Russia. Konashenkov strongly warned the United States against striking Syrian government forces and issued a thinly-veiled threat to use Russian air defense assets to protect them AP In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Syrians wait to receive treatment at a hospital following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Alepp Getty In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov speaks at a briefing in the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia. Antonov said the Russian air strikes in Syria have killed about 35,000 militants, including about 2,700 residents of Russia AP In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Jameel Mustafa Habboush, receives oxygen from civil defence volunteers, known as the white helmets, as they rescue him from under the rubble of a building following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Aleppo Getty In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Civil defence members rest amidst rubble in a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria A girl carrying a baby inspects damage in a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Civilians and civil defence members look for survivors at a site damaged after Russian air strikes on the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Civilians and civil defence members carry an injured woman on a stretcher at a site damaged after Russian air strikes on the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Volunteers from Syria Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, help civilians after Russia carried out its first airstrikes in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria The aftermath of Russian airstrike in Talbiseh, Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Smoke billows from buildings in Talbiseh, in Homs province, western Syria, after airstrikes by Russian warplanes AP In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russian Air Forces carry out an air strike in the ISIS controlled Al-Raqqah Governorate. Russia's KAB-500s bombs completely destroy the Liwa al-Haqq command unit In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy firing Kalibr cruise missiles against remote Isis targets in Syria A TASS/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russia claimed it hit eight Isis targets, including a "terrorist HQ and co-ordination centre" that was completely destroyed In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria A video grab taken from the footage made available on the Russian Defence Ministry's official website, purporting to show an airstrike in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria A release from the Russian defence ministry purportedly showing targets in Syria being hit In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russia launched air strikes in war-torn Syria, its first military engagement outside the former Soviet Union since the occupation of Afghanistan in 1979. Russian warplanes carried out strikes in three Syrian provinces along with regime aircraft as Putin seeks to steal US President Barack Obama's thunder by pushing a rival plan to defeat Isis militants in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy firing Kalibr cruise missiles against remote Isis targets in Syria, a thousand kilometres away. The targets include ammunition factories, ammunition and fuel depots, command centres, and training camps A TASS/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis

To date, the vast majority of Russia's attacks (in Syria) have been against legitimate opposition groups, he said.

To adhere to the agreement it made, Russia's targeting must change.

He also said US sanctions would hold until Russia helps implement the Minsk agreement drawn up with the aim of ending the Ukrainian conflict.

A temporary cessation of hostilities in Syria was agreed in Munich in the early hours of Friday but hopes for a long-lasting truce are waning with Assads vow to retake the whole of Syria by force, and Saudi Arabias deployment of troops and planes in Turkey ahead of an expected intervention.



Additional reporting by agencies
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Scandinavias very first female-led mosque has opened in Denmark in a bid to challenge Islams patriarchal structures.

All activities at the Mariam mosque in Copenhagen - except Friday prayers - will be open to men but all the imams will be female.

Founder Sherin Khankan told Agence France Presse she wanted to set up the mosque to challenge the normalised patriarchal structures.

She said: We have normalised patriarchal structures in our religious institutions. Not just in Islam, but also within Judaism and Christianity and other religions. And we would like to challenge that.

Ms Khankan, who is a well known commentator in Denmark, said the reaction from the local Muslim community has been mostly positive with only moderate opposition in some quarters.

She said there was a tradition within Islam of women being imams and most of the criticism was based on ignorance.

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. 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A similar project has been proposed in Bradford for British Muslim women.

Last year, the Muslim Womens Council (MWC) announced plans for a mosque in the city to be run by women which were put forward for public consultation in August.

This latest drive for greater gender equality within European Islam comes as the British Labour party was hit by allegations that the national executive was casting a blind to the systematic misogyny of some of its Muslim male Labour councillors.

Muslim Womens Network UK (MWNUK) chairwoman Shaista Gohr said the party had allowed local Muslim councillors to operate a patriarchal biradari system where men could intimidate or pressure women considering running for local council seats.

One alleged victim, Fozia Paveen, told Newsnight that male councillors had operated a smear campaign against her when she attempted to stand as a councillor in Birmingham in 2007-8, and had threatened her mother.
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Eurosceptic MPs have rounded in on John Kerry for intervening in the debate over Britains membership of the European Union  with one even advising the Secretary of State to look at the US Declaration of Independence.

Speaking days before EU leaders gather at a crucial summit in Brussels to decide on the fate of David Camerons renegotiation demands, Mr Kerry said the US had a profound interest in a strong UK staying in a strong EU.

There are also reports that Barack Obama, who has previously voiced support from the Britains membership in the EU, is preparing to make a "big, public reach-out" to voters once the referendum campaign begins.

The Independent spoke to several Eurosceptics for their response to Mr Kerry's comments. Here's what they had to say:

Steve Baker - Conservative MP

Responding to Mr Kerrys remarks at the Munich annual security conference the Conservative MP Steve Baker said to the Independent: "I refer Mr Kerry to the US Declaration of Independence. We will do peacefully at the ballot box that for which his nation fought a bloody war of insurrection.

"If the USA must express a view on the UKs right to the separate and equal status among the nations of the world to which many of us feel entitled, perhaps they might consider whether they wish to discuss their back taxes."

Jacob Rees-Mogg - Conservative MP

"The intervention of patronising foreign potentates such as Kerry and the Communist Chinese President can only help the Leave campaign," added Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg.

"They speak to their national interest not ours so will antagonise the freedom loving British voter."

Jacob Rees-Mogg MP (Getty)

John Redwood - Conservative MP

A third Conservative MP John Redwood said that Mr Kerry is an "unpopular representative of an unpopular president".

He added: "Most British people will feel this is a debate for us and its unusual for a foreign country to wish to intervene I dont know what he means by it. I dont suppose hes thought it through at all.

"If the United States was about to enter a union with Mexico, Cuba and Canada on a similar basis to the European Union then maybe they would have some moral authority to tell us to do the same with Eastern Europe and Italy."

Douglas Carswell - Ukip MP

Ukips sole MP Douglas Carswell said Mr Kerrys intervention, however, should not come as a surprise. "International grandees love the EU," he added.

"It has been built by, and for the convenience of these sorts of people. John Kerry does not seem to mind that Britain has to send 350 million to Brussels each week. British voters do. They, not Mr Kerry, will be deciding this referendum."

Douglas Carswell, Ukip MP for Clacton in Essex (PA)

Kate Hoey - Labour MP

Labour MP Kate Hoey told the Independent that British-American relations will be as strong as ever after Brexit. She added: "This is a referendum for the British publicJohn Kerry should concentrate on his countrys own Presidential elections and not try to influence our vote."

Jack Montgomery - Leave.EU

Expressing frustration with the US Secretary of State, Jack Montgomery, the Leave.EU spokesman, said: "It might be convenient for John Kerry, who has repeatedly declined to support the UK in the Falklands, for us to be in the EU, but that doesn't mean it's good for us.

"Imagine if Kerry proposed a pan-American union in which an unelected commission would control United States immigration policy, trade policy and regulations, among a host of other important matters. He would be run out of Washington DC on a rail."
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If breached, it could unleash a 180-foot high wave down the Tigris River basin, drown more than half a million people, with floodwaters reaching as far as the Iraqi capital, 340 miles to the south.

The collapse of Mosul Dam would be catastrophic for Iraq.

The dam has been called the most dangerous in the world for the past decade. But recent assessments by the US Army Engineers Corps say it is at "significantly higher risk" of failing than previously thought.

The dams structural problems became evident as soon as the reservoir behind it was filled in 1985. It is built on layers of clay and gypsum, a soft mineral that dissolves when it comes into contact with water, and the dam immediately began seeping. Since then, around 100,000 tons of grouting has been poured into the structure to prevent it from collapsing.

However, even this stop-gap measure has been disrupted by Isis, which briefly seized the dam in the summer of 2014  the militants still hold the nearby city of Mosul, their defacto capital in Iraq. Political wrangling and a financial crisis in Iraq are also complicating repair work.

The hydroelectric dam almost certainly has an "unprecedented level of untreated voids" in its foundation, according to the US Army Engineers Corps January 30 report, which was made pubic this week when it was submitted to the Iraqi parliament. The monitoring team has identified "significant signs of distress," it added.

Workers operate inside the dam (Getty Images)

When Isis took control of the dam, a rigid daily routine of pouring grout into the structure to stop it collapsing was missed for six weeks, while logistical issues have plagued the process ever since.

Meanwhile, a government decision to deprive Isis-held Mosul of electrity by blocking the flow of water put additional pressure on the dam as water levels rose.

Top-level US officials have voiced their growing concerns to the Iraqi government, an adviser to the prime ministers office said. They have regularly invoked Hurricane Katrina, but warned that the devastation could be "a thousand times worse," the adviser said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because hes not an official spokesman.

If the dam fails when water levels are high, the flooding would be disastrous. Mosul, about 25 miles north-east, would be hit by a 65-foot wall of water and wiped out within four hours, studies have said. Further downstream, Tikrit is expected to be deluged in 50 feet of water before the torrent bursts another dam at Samarra. Within 48 hours, floods 13-feet deep would reach Baghdad.

Concerns are becoming more acute as Iraqi security forces prepare for an offensive to recapture Mosul from Isis, the adviser said. In recent days, units from the Iraqi armys 16th division have arrived in Makhmour, southeast of Mosul, in order to begin operations in the area, commanders have said.

The adviser said Iraqi security officials are worried that militants may try to sabotage the dam if they think they have lost the city and have drawn up emergency plans. Meanwhile, the use of heavy munitions could put additional pressure on the structure, he said.

"We had to give a warning to these operations to observe the dam, but there shouldnt be anything nearby," said Shirouk al-Abayachi, co-chair of the Iraqi parliaments agriculture and water committee. The situation still remains "very dangerous," she said.

"We dont have anything that tells us whats going on under the dam," she said. "There are sinkholes, but we dont know how big they are now."

Iraqs Ministry of Water Resources has played down the threat but was persuaded to reopen the lower gates of the dam to relieve some pressure, even though it meant power was restored to the militant-held city farther south.

The Italian company Trevi recently won a bid to repair the dam and is expected to sign the contract soon. The cost is estimated to be more than $300 million, the adviser said, adding that the expense will likely be covered by the World Bank. But the repair bill comes as Iraq is desperately seeking financial assistance as oil prices hover around $30 a barrel.

Iraqs water minister, Mohsin al-Shammari, who is politically aligned with the anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, has dismissed US warnings, saying in an interview with an Iraqi television channel that there is only a one in a thousand chance of the dam failing. He has criticized the predictions as an excuse for more foreign troops to be sent to the country, as Italy has said it will send 450 soldiers to provide security for the Italian firm.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has stressed the need for the work to begin quickly. Melting snow and more rains are expected to increase pressure on the dam this spring.

Copyright: Washington Post
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Saudi Arabia is sending troops and fighter jets to Turkey's Incirlik military base ahead of a possible ground invasion of Syria.

The Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, confirmed the deployment in a statement to the Yeni Safak newspaper on Saturday, days before a temporary ceasefire is due to come into force.

Saudi Arabia declared its determination against Daesh (the Arabic term for Isis) by saying that they were ready to send both jets and troops, he said.

 Syria agreement: Cessation of hostilities within week

At every coalition meeting we have always emphasised the need for an extensive result-oriented strategy in the fight against the Daesh terrorist group.

If we have such a strategy, then Turkey and Saudi Arabia may launch an operation from the land.

He confirmed that planes and military personnel were being sent to Incirlik, in Adana near the Syrian border, but said numbers had not been confirmed.

Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi foreign minister, said Russia's intervention would not help Assad stay in power in an interview published today.

There will be no Bashar al-Assad in the future, he told a German newspaper.

There were reports of Royal Saudi Air Force F-15 jets arriving at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey on Saturday morning (AFP/Getty Images)

Co-operation with Turkey could prove problematic if Saudi Arabia follows its definition of terrorists to include Kurdish fighters, who have been one of the most effective forces against Isis on the ground.

Mr Cavusoglus statement also raised the possibility of conflict between Turkey and Russia, which he accused of hitting the so-called Islamic State with only 12 per cent of its air strikes.

Russia's target is supporting Assad, we all know that, he added. But the question is this: Who will stop Russia doing that?

Ash Carter, the American defence secretary, said on Friday that he expected the Saudis and the United Arab Emirates to send commandos to help recapture Isis Syrian stronghold and de-facto capital of Raqqa.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey are among Assads foreign opponents who have been supplying selected rebel groups with weapons via a Turkey-based operations centre.

Some of the vetted groups, mainly part of the Free Syrian Army, have received military training overseen by the US Central Intelligence Agency.

Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin (GETTY IMAGES)

In the wake of Saudi Arabias proposal to send in ground troops on Thursday, the Russian Prime Minister claimed the move could spark a new world war.

A ground operation draws everyone taking part in it into a war, he told the Handelsblatt newspaper.

The Americans and our Arab partners must consider whether or not they want a permanent war.

Russia started its intervention in September at the request of Assad, Vladimir Putins long-term ally, to support the Syrian regime.

The Kremlin has repeatedly claimed it is bombing terrorists but has been condemned by the UN and the international community for evidence it is predominantly targeting civilian areas held by anti-government rebels.

Russias intervention is supported by Iran, which admits sending troops to train Syrian forces but has been accused of sending its them into combat with rebels.

In pictures: Syria conflict Show all 40 1 /40 In pictures: Syria conflict In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrians carry children amid debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian man carries a girl on a street covered with dust following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrians react as they stand amid debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian man carries a girl amid debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis An injured Syrian man walks out from the rubble of a destroyed building following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian woman makes her way through debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis People stand on the rubble of collapsed buildings at a site hit by what activists said was a barrel bomb dropped by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, in the Al-Fardous neighbourhood of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrian residents stand amid the rubble of destroyed buildings In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian resident grasps a mattress amid rubble in the al-Firdous neighborhood of the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A view taken from Tel al-Sawadi shows a large explosion allegedly at the Wadi Deif Syrian army base in northwestern Idlib on May 14, 2014, which opposition fighters have been trying to capture for more than a year. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Islamist rebels detonated explosives planted in a tunnel under the army base killing or injuring dozens. AFP In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A bullet-riddled parking sign stands amid debris in a deserted street leading into the old city of Homs In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A general view shows abandoned buildings on a deserted square in the old city of Homs after Syrian government forces regained control of rebel-controlled areas In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A military vehicle that belongs to the Free Syrian Army is seen in Al-Amariya district in Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A mosque is pictured through shattered glass in the old city of Homs, as rebel fighters withdrew from the city centre in line with a negotiated withdrawal deal with the government after having held out under tight siege for nearly two years In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Buses carrying Free Syrian Army fighters leaving Homs. Exhausted and worn out from a year-long siege, hundreds of Syrian rebels left their last remaining bastions in the heart of the central city of Homs under a cease-fire deal with government forces. The exit of some 1,200 fighters and civilians will mark a de facto end of the rebellion in the battered city, which was one of the first places to rise up against President Bashar Assad's rule, earning it the nickname of "capital of the revolution" In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrian government forces hold up a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad (L) while others raise the national flag on top of a pole in the old city of Homs In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad run through Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr crossing after their release by rebels. They were freed as part of a larger deal which saw the last remaining Syrian rebels in central Homs city evacuate their positions and free captives in several locations in northern Syria In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian woman and two children walk past heavily damaged buildings in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A man carries a wounded girl following a reported bombardment with explosive-packed "barrel bombs" by Syrian government forces in the al-Mowasalat neighborhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A wounded man sits as he is treated at a makeshift hospital following a reported bombardment with explosive-packed "barrel bombs" by Syrian government forces in the al-Sakhour district of the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Debris rises in what Free Syrian Army fighters and Islamic rebels said was an operation to strike Al-Sahaba checkpoint, which is considered a gateway to Al-Dayf valley, and remove forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad in Maarat Al-Nouman, Idlib province In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Men try to put out fire at a site hit by what activists said was an air strike by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Azaz, north of Aleppo, near the border with Turkey In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Civil Defence members try to put out fire In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Survivors react at a site hit by what activists said was an air strike by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Azaz, north of Aleppo, near the border with Turkey In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Residents queue as they wait to receive food aid distributed by the UNRWA at the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk, south of Damascus In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Belongings of Syrian rebels inside a chapel at Crac des Chevaliers, the world's best preserved medieval Crusader castle in Syria. The village was destroyed in fighting between the government and rebel forces while the castle, listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, also has been damaged over the past two years In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Hosen Sabah, a 16-year-old student is comforted by his mother at a hospital in Damascus. Nosen was wounded by a mortar outside his school, while 14 other students were killed and over 80 wounded In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Free Syrian Army fighter works on a locally made launcher before firing it towards forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad in Mork town In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrian policemen and citizens inspecting the site of a car bomb at the entrance of Moadhamiyet al-Sham neighborhood in rural Damascus. According to Syria's Arab News Agency (SANA), a car bomb explosion has gone off in the countryside of Damascus and initial information say there are casualties, where a car rigged with explosions was remotely detonated at the entrance of Moadhamiyet al-Sham neighborhood in rural Damascus during engineering units it was trying to dismantled it In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Opposition fighters carrying a rocket launcher during clashes against government forces in the Sheikh Lutfi area, west of the airport in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian man helps a woman to make her way through debris following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian man reacts as he carries the body of injured boy following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 33 civilians were killed in the attack In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrian rescue workers carry the body of a woman following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian woman walks past the burning wreckage of a car following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A man and two children run to a safer place following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A man holds an injured child after, according to activists, two barrel bombs were thrown by forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad in Hullok neighbourhood of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis An injured man talks on a walkie-talkie after, according to activists, two barrel bombs were thrown by forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad in Hellok neighbourhood of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A man walks inside a mosque damaged by, according to activists, a barrel bomb thrown by forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad in Old Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrians gather at the site of reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Rebel fighters carry their weapons as they run to avoid snipers loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Morek in Hama province

Iraqi Shia militias and fighters from the Lebanese group Hezbollah are also fighting the Syrian opposition.

Meanwhile, the US-led coalition has more than a dozen countries intervening against Isis in Syria and Iraq.

Talks in the German city of Munich on Friday saw world powers agree a temporary cessation of hostilities to start within a week but there was little hope for a long-term truce as Assads forces continue to make large gains against rebels with the backing of Russian air strikes.

If implemented, the deal would allow humanitarian aid to reach hundreds of thousands of Syrians trapped in besieged towns.

The conflict has killed at least 250,000 people, driven 11 million from their homes and sparked the refugee crisis in Europe.
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The reports that Saudi Arabia is sending troops and aircraft to Turkey for a possible ground mission in Syria adds a highly combustible element to a fine balance between fragile hopes of a ceasefire and the slide into a conflict even bloodier than the one taking place now.

Confirmation of the Saudi deployment came from the Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, and shows a calibrated policy by two states, who consider themselves to be heavyweights and who are both currently badly losing out in Syria.

Mr Cavusoglu said that Turkey and Saudi Arabia have "always emphasised the need for an extensive result-oriented strategy in the fight against the Daesh (Isis) terrorist group. Turkey and Saudi Arabia may launch an operation from the land."

Recommended Read more Saudi Arabia sends troops and fighter jets to military base in Turkey

But this is less to do with Isis and much more with the fact that Sunni rebels, backed by Saudis and the Turks, are rapidly losing ground to the forces of Bashar al-Assad, supported by a ferocious Russian air onslaught, Iranian volunteers and fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah. There is added exasperation, from the Turkish point of view, that some of this territory is being taken over by Kurdish forces.

The Incerlik gambit comes against a backdrop of a convoluted and confusing scenario, not just on the ground in Syria but in the maneuvers going on over the conflict elsewhere.

The Saudi defence minister and heir apparent to the throne, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, presented his countrys military plans in Syria to a summit of the US-led anti-Isis coalition at the Nato headquarters in Brussels last Thursday. He did not, according to diplomatic sources, mention sending troops and aircraft to Turkey to the US defence secretary Ash Carter and his fellow Western ministers.

Saudi defence minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman (Reuters)

As those talks finished there was an announcement, at another international meeting on Syria, in Munich, by US Secretary of State, John Kerry, and the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, that there will be a ceasefire in a week. Within, 24 hours however, President Assad declared that he was preparing to reconquer all of Syria.

Neither Riyadh nor Ankara appear to believe peace will break out anytime soon and are frantically trying to redress the balance on the ground with the projected sending in of troops.

This will bring inherent risks. The Sunni Gulf states have long been fighting proxy wars with their bitter Shia enemies, Iran, with the vicious conflict in Yemen the latest in the series. A force led by the Saudis, with likely contributions from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, will, in Syria, find themselves in the same battlespace for the first time as the Iranians and Shia militias.

The Turks will come up against the YPG, the Syrian Kurdish group allied to the Turkish Kurds of the PKK, and enemies of Ankara. The YPG, however, are the best fighters the Americans have found against Isis and have provided air cover for their operations. The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has lashed the Americans for this, accusing Washington of helping to create a "sea of blood". To add to Ankaras fury, the Russians, too, are now building close ties with the Kurds.

The sending of Saudi aircraft and troops to Turkey does not mean an invasion is imminent. But one cannot rule out Riyadh and Ankara, feeling increasingly desperate, taking action which will add to the witchs brew which is now Syria.
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An Afghan woman has been publicly flogged by Taliban militants for going to visit a doctor with her brother-in-law, it has been reported.

It is understood that attackers wrongly thought that the woman had left her home with a stranger who was not a male relative, which would be contrary to some strict interpretations of Islamic code in certain parts of rural Afghanistan.

The man was also reportedly flogged. It later emerged that he was her brother-in-law.

Local media outlet Tolo News reports that the attack was videoed and footage has circulated online. They say that the video appears to show the woman pleading with her attackers and explaining that she urgently needed to visit the doctor but that her husband was not available to accompany her.

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. 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Local officials have confirmed the incident to the newspaper but said that no one has officially filed a complaint against the Taliban.

A similar incident is alleged to have taken place in the same district last week whereby a woman was subjected to public flogging over accusations that she had had a telephone conversation with a male stranger.
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The Turkish military have confirmed strikes against regime targets in north west Syria.

Turkish troops responded to mortar fire from Syrian government troops on a police station in Calibogazi, Hatay province, this afternoon, reported the state run Turkish Anadolu Agency.

However, there was no further detail on how Turkish troops responded.

Turkey has also acknowledged its strikes against the Kurdish PYD in Syria today.

In pictures: Syria conflict Show all 40 1 /40 In pictures: Syria conflict In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrians carry children amid debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian man carries a girl on a street covered with dust following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrians react as they stand amid debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian man carries a girl amid debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis An injured Syrian man walks out from the rubble of a destroyed building following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian woman makes her way through debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis People stand on the rubble of collapsed buildings at a site hit by what activists said was a barrel bomb dropped by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, in the Al-Fardous neighbourhood of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrian residents stand amid the rubble of destroyed buildings In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian resident grasps a mattress amid rubble in the al-Firdous neighborhood of the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A view taken from Tel al-Sawadi shows a large explosion allegedly at the Wadi Deif Syrian army base in northwestern Idlib on May 14, 2014, which opposition fighters have been trying to capture for more than a year. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Islamist rebels detonated explosives planted in a tunnel under the army base killing or injuring dozens. AFP In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A bullet-riddled parking sign stands amid debris in a deserted street leading into the old city of Homs In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A general view shows abandoned buildings on a deserted square in the old city of Homs after Syrian government forces regained control of rebel-controlled areas In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A military vehicle that belongs to the Free Syrian Army is seen in Al-Amariya district in Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A mosque is pictured through shattered glass in the old city of Homs, as rebel fighters withdrew from the city centre in line with a negotiated withdrawal deal with the government after having held out under tight siege for nearly two years In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Buses carrying Free Syrian Army fighters leaving Homs. Exhausted and worn out from a year-long siege, hundreds of Syrian rebels left their last remaining bastions in the heart of the central city of Homs under a cease-fire deal with government forces. The exit of some 1,200 fighters and civilians will mark a de facto end of the rebellion in the battered city, which was one of the first places to rise up against President Bashar Assad's rule, earning it the nickname of "capital of the revolution" In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrian government forces hold up a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad (L) while others raise the national flag on top of a pole in the old city of Homs In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad run through Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr crossing after their release by rebels. They were freed as part of a larger deal which saw the last remaining Syrian rebels in central Homs city evacuate their positions and free captives in several locations in northern Syria In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian woman and two children walk past heavily damaged buildings in the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A man carries a wounded girl following a reported bombardment with explosive-packed "barrel bombs" by Syrian government forces in the al-Mowasalat neighborhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A wounded man sits as he is treated at a makeshift hospital following a reported bombardment with explosive-packed "barrel bombs" by Syrian government forces in the al-Sakhour district of the northern city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Debris rises in what Free Syrian Army fighters and Islamic rebels said was an operation to strike Al-Sahaba checkpoint, which is considered a gateway to Al-Dayf valley, and remove forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad in Maarat Al-Nouman, Idlib province In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Men try to put out fire at a site hit by what activists said was an air strike by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Azaz, north of Aleppo, near the border with Turkey In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Civil Defence members try to put out fire In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Survivors react at a site hit by what activists said was an air strike by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Azaz, north of Aleppo, near the border with Turkey In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Residents queue as they wait to receive food aid distributed by the UNRWA at the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk, south of Damascus In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Belongings of Syrian rebels inside a chapel at Crac des Chevaliers, the world's best preserved medieval Crusader castle in Syria. The village was destroyed in fighting between the government and rebel forces while the castle, listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, also has been damaged over the past two years In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Hosen Sabah, a 16-year-old student is comforted by his mother at a hospital in Damascus. Nosen was wounded by a mortar outside his school, while 14 other students were killed and over 80 wounded In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Free Syrian Army fighter works on a locally made launcher before firing it towards forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad in Mork town In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrian policemen and citizens inspecting the site of a car bomb at the entrance of Moadhamiyet al-Sham neighborhood in rural Damascus. According to Syria's Arab News Agency (SANA), a car bomb explosion has gone off in the countryside of Damascus and initial information say there are casualties, where a car rigged with explosions was remotely detonated at the entrance of Moadhamiyet al-Sham neighborhood in rural Damascus during engineering units it was trying to dismantled it In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Opposition fighters carrying a rocket launcher during clashes against government forces in the Sheikh Lutfi area, west of the airport in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian man helps a woman to make her way through debris following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian man reacts as he carries the body of injured boy following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 33 civilians were killed in the attack In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrian rescue workers carry the body of a woman following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A Syrian woman walks past the burning wreckage of a car following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A man and two children run to a safer place following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A man holds an injured child after, according to activists, two barrel bombs were thrown by forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad in Hullok neighbourhood of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis An injured man talks on a walkie-talkie after, according to activists, two barrel bombs were thrown by forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad in Hellok neighbourhood of Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis A man walks inside a mosque damaged by, according to activists, a barrel bomb thrown by forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad in Old Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Syrians gather at the site of reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo In pictures: Syria conflict Syria crisis Rebel fighters carry their weapons as they run to avoid snipers loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Morek in Hama province

The Independent will continue to monitor this story as it develops.
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Dark myths about sexual assaults in Cologne came into sharp focus last week when a female television journalist was attacked live on air. Esmeralda Labye, a reporter from Belgium, was covering the German citys annual carnival when three men variously touched her breasts, kissed her and simulated intercourse behind her back.

It followed claims of multiple sex crimes on women around the citys station on New Years Eve, when refugees were blamed. This allowed conspiracy theorists to outline their most starkly racist fantasies, painting a picture of demonic brown-skinned Muslims fleeing war zones to defile white European womanhood. No need for court cases: marauding savages had planned everything on the Internet and were all guilty without trial.

This time, however, Labyes cameraman captured the absolute truth: footage shows white European males from overwhelmingly Christian Germany molesting her. Cologne was full of Caucasian drunks acting with the same kind of macho abandon which contributes to some half a million adults being sexually assaulted in England and Wales alone each year.

Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Show all 13 1 /13 Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Women protest against sexism outside Cologne Cathedral on 5 January after the assaults Oliver Berg/EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Women protest against sexism in Cologne following the rash of sex attacks on New Year's Eve Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police initially failed to mention the assaults in report the following morning EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police officers patrol in front of the main station of Cologne, Germany AP Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks German far-right supporters demonstrate at Cologne`s train station (Reuters) Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016. Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police used pepper spray to control supporters of Pegida, Hogesa (Hooligans against Salafists) and other right-wing populist groups as they protested against the New Year's Eve sex attacks on 9 January, 2016 in Cologne, Germany Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police use a water cannon during a protest march by supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016 Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police use pepper spray against supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida, in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016. Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Artist Mira Moire protests naked in Cologne against the mass sex attacks on New Year's Eve AP Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks A demonstrator holds a sign in German that reads 'No violence against women' during a demonstration in the wake of the sexual assaults on New Year's Eve, outside the cathedeal in Cologne, Germany, 09 January 2016. EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Counter demonstrators hold up a sign reading "Against sexism, against racism" as they protest against a demonstration of the islamophobic movement PEGIDA at the train station in Cologne, Germany, on January 9, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Demonstration by a womens group on Saturday (AP) AP

After the events of New Years Eve, one commentator specifically cited uneducated youths from Afghanistan and Syria as the culprits, expanding the global threat to one posed by several hundred thousand young Muslim males. More ambitiously still, the whole Cologne affair was linked to Brexit, as we were told by one newspaper: The EU referendum is about nothing less than the safety and security of British women  and that means we must get out of Europe.

On Friday, the Cologne prosecutor Ulrich Bremer in fact told me that, of the 59 suspects pinpointed so far, just four are from war-torn countries (Syria and Iraq), only 14 are in custody, and nobody has yet been charged. Nearly 600 hours of CCTV reveals very little, and there is no evidence whatsoever that the alleged attacks were planned in advance.

The refugee-as-rapist construct is the kind that has been used to demonise people throughout history. The idea is that you apply frightening characteristics to those you view as political enemies. In the 1930s Colognes Jews were described as 'Untermenschen' (inferior people) menacing European culture, before 11,000 were murdered during the Nazi Holocaust by racially pure Aryans, many of them beer-swilling Christians.

Merging racism into a wider discussion about law and order, feminism and even the future of the EU project does not make it any less objectionable. Brown men are not inherently more misogynistic or brutal than white men, and Muslims are just as likely to be family-orientated, peaceful citizens as their counterparts from other religious and cultural heritages.

Neo-Nazi groups such as Germanys Pegida  an organisation becoming increasingly active in Britain  instead jump on the propaganda, using sacred half-truths about Cologne to spread hatred and violence. In their world, victims like Labye  white and blonde-haired  mean nothing if they are not prepared to scapegoat and lie in the cause of protecting European civilisation from the dark invaders.
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Free from party political bias. Free from proprietorial influence. That commitment to independent, Independent journalism lives on in i.

Friday was an extraordinary day at i Towers. Midday brought confirmation to the Stock Exchange that, subject to shareholder approval, we will have new owners, after Johnston Press agreed to buy i for 24 million. The acquisition makes JP Britain's fourth-largest print publisher. Much more on that below, including answers to readers' initial questions and detail on the deal.

It is worth me adding, right here, for reassurance, that Johnston Press wants to pay 24 million because it loves i as it is. As Editor, my remit from them is to continue giving you exactly what you want.

Very little changes for you. The team who work on i will continue to do so  and this staff will expand under plans for significant recruitment. Your paper will look and feel the same. I will continue to be Editor, and your favourite contributors will continue to write for the paper. Yes, those writers you know and love (and in a few cases can't stand).

Johnston Press will, I believe, be ambitious, passionate and considerate owners of the newspaper. They first approached our current owners precisely because they admire the ethos of i: its brevity, quality and impartiality. They intend to honour this title's commitment to innovation and independent journalism.

The second major announcement in our parent company was that our pioneering stablemates, The Independent and The Independent on Sunday, will publish their last print editions in March before becoming Britain's first national newspaper titles to go digital-only. Staff will transfer to i; to the new Independent Digital operation; or be offered redundancy cheques. Two strong media organisations will be created, as a new chapter begins for independent journalism.

I have worked at the Independent group for 13 years. I met my wife and many of my friends here. Our baby daughter was squawking away in the office yesterday, as she was passed from colleague to colleague. My excitement about the future for i is obviously mixed with sadness about The Indy eventually stopping in print  although its future in digital is, with the massive new recruitment underway, dazzlingly bright.

We thrive on quality journalism that has soul. The courage and heart of The Independent's founders lives on in digital  and in i.

Below, I have tried to answer a few of readers' initial questions. You are bound to pose more. Please drop me a line on i@independent.co.uk  and I'll answer as many as I can in Monday's i.

Will I still get quality journalism from The Independent in i?

Yes. As well as employing lots of Independent journalists in the new, much bigger i editorial team, a super-syndication deal has been struck with The Independent, meaning all of its journalism can continue to be published in i for years to come.

Our new offices will be 30 seconds' walk from our current desks.

The Independent is going digital-only?

Yes, the two titles, The Independent and The Independent on Sunday, will publish their final print editions on 26 March and the 20 March respectively. The Independent Digital operation will continue to employ many of the group's top journalists  correspondents, columnists, reporters, editors  and all of these will also continue to be published in i.

Where will i's quality journalism come from?

1. A much bigger core editorial team of 51 (many of them former Independent staffers), who will focus entirely on you, i's readers. All of the current team continue.

2. The Independent's new digital operation, bolstered by ranks of top new recruits from the print team.

3. The Evening Standard, whose fantastic journalists we can now publish in i.

4. Improved coverage from around the UK. Joining the JP empire, which has 900 journalists around the UK, will allow us to improve regional coverage of news, sport and culture.

When does the deal take effect?

Mid-April. Even then, i and The Independent will work closely together as we do now to cook up stories, and co-operate on coverage.

Will i's political stance change?

No. We stay independent. Johnston Press lets its editors edit, and its papers have different political stances: the Sheffield Star is quite distinct from the Yorkshire Post 35 miles up the road, for example.

Who are JP?

One of Britain's leading media groups with over 200 titles including The Scotsman and the Yorkshire Post.

Any digital plans?

A dedicated i website, iNews.co.uk, will be launched that captures the spirit of the essential daily briefing.

Is this sale good news for i?

Yes. We have benefited greatly from the generous ownership of the Lebedev family, whose vision and bold decision to launch i defied every critic, and whose championing of independent journalism has shaped British public life ever since they bought the Standard and Indy. i's ownership by Johnston Press will give us extra rocket fuel, propelling i into the next exciting chapter in our history. JP will increase availability, boost commercial, develop digital, invest in editorial and expand staff.

Please do email on i@independent.co.uk  over to you. Thank you again for your support for this plucky upstart of a title. Long may it continue.
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One day last week, I came out of a Tube station in central London to hear a cacophony of car horns. It was the sound of drivers tooting their support, as striking junior doctors marched across Westminster Bridge, hands linked. Most of us love the NHS, and the junior doctors, who are so passionate and articulate when they talk about their work, represent the best of it.

The very next day the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, told the House of Commons that he intends to unilaterally impose the contract at the heart of the bitter dispute. The doctors union, the British Medical Association, reacted angrily and so did opposition MPs. No wonder: it was a display of naked authority, signalling the imbalance of power between doctors and public opinion, on the one hand, and the Government, on the other. Within hours, Hunts claim to have the backing of senior NHS leaders began to look threadbare, as more than half of the supposed signatories to a letter of support distanced themselves from it.

Another politician, at another time, might have been embarrassed. But Hunts habitual expression of slight bafflement conceals a steely self-confidence thats enabled him to emerge unscathed from what could have been career-breaking moments, including a difficult session (in his previous incarnation as culture secretary) before the Leveson inquiry in 2012. A message read out at the inquiry showed Hunt, who was about to become the minister responsible for overseeing a bid by Rupert Murdochs company to take control of the broadcaster BskyB, congratulating Murdochs son James as it cleared possible obstacles. Revelations about his chummy relationship with the Murdochs led to Hunt being described as beleaguered, an adjective used when journalists cant quite believe that someone who is getting such terrible coverage is still in place. In the event, he was promoted to Health Secretary.

Ive come to the conclusion, in other words, that Hunt is unembarrassable. For a government thats impatient with the BMA and takes the view that doctors were treated much too generously by Labour health secretaries, that makes him the ideal candidate to take on a group of workers who have a special place in the publics affections. I dont think many people believe this is an argument about Saturday working, which is what Hunt says it comes down to, but I am also not sure that the BMA understands what formidable opponents it has taken on. It is hard to see what the doctors can do next, now that they have staged two one-day strikes to so little effect.

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

Unlike strikes and picket lines, which encourage a communal spirit, Hunt has created a situation where individual doctors will have to decide whether to sign the new contract. They will have to take into account their own circumstances, including how to pay the rent or a mortgage, which is why its hard to see Hunts move as anything other than deliberately divisive. The dispute has been dragging on for a very long time and junior doctors are already demoralised, with good reason. The signs are that some are already exploring other options, producing anecdotal evidence about hospitals in Australia and New Zealand being staffed by an influx of British doctors.

Recommended Read more Gaza medics send messages of support to striking junior doctors

This is very bad news for the NHS and all of us who use it as patients. While ministers try to present the dispute as turning on pay and conditions, it seems pretty clear that what is at stake is an idea about what the NHS is for and how it operates.

At the beginning of their careers, doctors used to be attached to a consultant, accompanying him or her on ward rounds and seeing the same patients. There was continuity of care, support from other members of the team and a chance to see how patients progressed. Now junior doctors are basically shift workers, moved around to fill gaps on rotas, which isnt good for them or their patients. Its especially difficult for couples where both partners are doctors or have children who need childcare on weekends. The lack of continuity is frustrating for everyone, doctors and patients alike.

The Governments grasp of the public finances looks increasingly shaky, and I dont doubt that ministers are terrified by the rising cost of healthcare. It doesnt want to shoulder the blame as peoples experience of the NHS gets worse, as it inevitably will if it continues to try to provide a universal service without funding it properly. Hunt is still trying to divert our attention, quoting alarming statistics about elevated death rates in hospitals on weekends, even though the reason more patients die on Saturdays and Sundays is that they are sicker than those who are admitted on weekdays. Hospitals already provide a seven-day service, but extending clinics and routine appointments to weekends wont just mean changes to how junior doctors work. It will require all kinds of support staff and diagnostic facilities, at a cost the Government hasnt quantified.

Around the time of the last general election, I kept hearing people say they werent going to vote because it doesnt make any difference. The result was not only a Conservative government, but the destruction of Labour and the Lib Dems as an effective opposition, allowing ministers with a modest majority to govern as though they have won by a landslide. This is only the beginning: once theyve dealt with the junior doctors, consultants and nurses will be next in the firing line.

Observing the warm public expressions of support for junior doctors up and down the country last week, I couldnt help remembering the miners strike just over 30 years ago. Millions of people love the NHS, but when the stakes are so high, love may not be enough.

Twitter.com/@polblonde; politicalblonde.com
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President Obama can thank his lucky stars for the inability of the US news media to focus on more than one story at a time. Their choice, reasonably enough, has been the fascinating and vastly colourful 2016 presidential race. Otherwise it might have been the debacle that is Washingtons policy over Syria.

Ive been living in the US for 25 years, arriving just as the first President Bush was staging a stunning projection of American power and leadership in the first Gulf War. A quarter of a century on, the ghastly war in Syria has left Barack Obama looking weaker and less effectual on the world stage than any of his predecessors since Jimmy Carter.

A Syrian couple preparing for their wedding photos in Homs (AFP/Getty)

Yes, the mess in Syria is hideously complex, a morass of conflicting interests and ideologies, and competing priorities  and, yes, a ceasefire of sorts was announced on Friday in Munich by John Kerry, the Secretary of State, and his Russian opposite number, Sergei Lavrov. The main parties to the civil war are agreed on a pause in hostilities, due to begin at the end of this week, coupled with the immediate despatch of aid to prevent a humanitarian disaster. One prays it succeeds. But none of this masks the fact that US policy over Syria has been a terrible failure. The blame extends to the West as a whole, but it is the US, the leader of the West to whom the world instinctively looks at such moments, that must bear the brunt of it.

Within the US, it should be said, Obama has not been alone in sinking to the occasion. One might have expected the Syrian crisis to provoke some serious discussion among the rival Republican presidential candidates. Do they not, after all, represent the party traditionally held to be a safer pair of hands on national security matters?

But no. Their thoughts on the matter hardly extend beyond making it harder than ever for Syrian refugees to get to the US  see Donald Trumps call for a temporary ban on all Muslims entering the country, a proposition supported by two-thirds of Republican voters in last weeks New Hampshire primary  and puerile threats to make the desert sands glow with US air strikes.

Obama has been Americas leader since the Syrian crisis began in 2011, and since then it has been much talk but little action. The Assad regime, we were told, must fall, and would do so quickly. Yet the US did not give aid to rebel groups that might have made this happen, nor did it set up a safe area for civilians in northern Syria, protected by a US-enforced no-fly zone, as many were urging at the time.

Recommended Read more Agreement between US and Russia is a vital step to ending war in Syria

Then came Obamas infamous declaration about Bashar al-Assad crossing a red line if he used chemical weapons against civilians. The regime did use them, but Obama blinked and did nothing  other than allow Russia, protector power of Assad, to take the initiative in negotiating a deal to get rid of those weapons. Cynical and duplicitous, but relentlessly focused on protecting Russian interests in Syria, Vladimir Putin has never relinquished that initiative since.

When Russia began its bombing in support of Assad, Obama predicted the intervention would lead to disaster. Instead, it seems on the brink of producing a military solution that US diplomats have insisted was impossible. US materiel support for the rebels seems to be drying up. With Russian air strikes pounding rebel positions, Assads forces appear close to recapturing Aleppo, something that may be achieved in these few days before the cessation of hostilities takes place. If it does at all.

In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Show all 19 1 /19 In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Syrian boys cry following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Aleppo Getty In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russian defense ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov speaks to the media in Moscow, Russia. Konashenkov strongly warned the United States against striking Syrian government forces and issued a thinly-veiled threat to use Russian air defense assets to protect them AP In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Syrians wait to receive treatment at a hospital following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Alepp Getty In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov speaks at a briefing in the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia. Antonov said the Russian air strikes in Syria have killed about 35,000 militants, including about 2,700 residents of Russia AP In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Jameel Mustafa Habboush, receives oxygen from civil defence volunteers, known as the white helmets, as they rescue him from under the rubble of a building following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Aleppo Getty In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Civil defence members rest amidst rubble in a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria A girl carrying a baby inspects damage in a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Civilians and civil defence members look for survivors at a site damaged after Russian air strikes on the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Civilians and civil defence members carry an injured woman on a stretcher at a site damaged after Russian air strikes on the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Volunteers from Syria Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, help civilians after Russia carried out its first airstrikes in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria The aftermath of Russian airstrike in Talbiseh, Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Smoke billows from buildings in Talbiseh, in Homs province, western Syria, after airstrikes by Russian warplanes AP In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russian Air Forces carry out an air strike in the ISIS controlled Al-Raqqah Governorate. Russia's KAB-500s bombs completely destroy the Liwa al-Haqq command unit In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy firing Kalibr cruise missiles against remote Isis targets in Syria A TASS/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russia claimed it hit eight Isis targets, including a "terrorist HQ and co-ordination centre" that was completely destroyed In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria A video grab taken from the footage made available on the Russian Defence Ministry's official website, purporting to show an airstrike in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria A release from the Russian defence ministry purportedly showing targets in Syria being hit In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russia launched air strikes in war-torn Syria, its first military engagement outside the former Soviet Union since the occupation of Afghanistan in 1979. Russian warplanes carried out strikes in three Syrian provinces along with regime aircraft as Putin seeks to steal US President Barack Obama's thunder by pushing a rival plan to defeat Isis militants in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy firing Kalibr cruise missiles against remote Isis targets in Syria, a thousand kilometres away. The targets include ammunition factories, ammunition and fuel depots, command centres, and training camps A TASS/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis

Even the eternally optimistic Kerry was cautious. What we have here are words on paper, he said in Munich. What we need to see in the next few days are actions on the ground. So confident is Assad that he boasts in interviews that he will retake all of Syria. The US, meanwhile, quietly concedes that he will stay, at least until Syrians agree on the shape of a future government. Some hope.

As for the notion of a no-fly zone to protect civilians, that has been rendered moot by Russias air operations. In short, the US has virtually no leverage in the crisis  unless it moves to a more robust Plan B, hinted at by some officials here. In reality, this would amount to a complete policy reversal, with stepped-up help for the rebels and military action against Assad: in other words, precisely the deeper US involvement that Obama has wanted to avoid, and that ordinary Americans, soured by Iraq and Afghanistan, absolutely do not want. And, needless to say, it would mean a direct face-off with Putin.

Perceived American weakness in Syria, coupled with the concessions that Iran has extracted over its nuclear deal with the West, has also unsettled many of the Washingtons traditional allies in the region: will the US stand up for them when the chips are down? Some are plain furious. America regards the Kurds as the most effective opponents of Isis, but Turkey regards them as terrorists  which has led to President Erdogan accusing Washington, in its refusal to declare a Syrian Kurdish group a terrorist organisation, of turning the region into a sea of blood.

It is hard to imagine any recent US president allowing this sort of thing to happen. Certainly not the first President Bush. Nor Bill Clinton, for all his early wobbles over disintegrating Yugoslavia and the Rwandan genocide. There followed the US-brokered Bosnian accords, and the US-led Nato bombing which forced Yugo- slav forces out of Kosovo. Nor could George W Bush, however wrong-headed and foolish his invasion of Iraq, be said to have projected weakness.

In his determination to avoid such mistakes, Obama has over-corrected. Cool, detached and supremely rational, he believes that others will act rationally and decently as well. In Syria, tragically, they have not, and America has been humbled. Clinton has been haunted by his failure to stop the slaughter in Rwanda. Syria may well be the nightmare that haunts Obama.
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A journalist contacted me recently for a feature she was writing about the row between trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs) and trans people. She told me it would be a balanced piece that listened to all the sides of the debate. I offered her a quote: In Britain, 48 per cent of young trans people have attempted suicide. What drives them to feel so hopeless, desperate and alone? Could it be the widespread social exclusion, family rejection, workplace discrimination, media ridicule, poor healthcare and street violence trans people face? If you want to talk about trans issues, start here.

She asked me how Id like to be treated, perceived and/or accepted by radical feminists. I dont. Like most people I just want to get on with my life without constantly being beaten over the head and asked to justify my existence. If you think Im a man, fine. I dont need you to accept me. But I wont sit back and let you take away my rights.

In the end, despite the journalists good intentions, I pulled out of the feature. Because I refuse to lend prejudice respectability by framing it as a row. Up until recently, if trans people were offered a chance to speak at all, it was always on other peoples terms. Journalists. Filmmakers. Others in positions of power. Those people, who were not trans themselves, got to decide what the 'real' issue with trans people was. Well I say there is no row between TERFS and trans people. Just as there is no row between Westboro Baptist Church and gay people, no fallout between the BNP and ethnic minorities, and no debate between rape advocates and women.

Andrea Dworkin, who sees no contradiction between being a feminist and celebrating trans people (Rex)

As for the endless debates about whether trans women are real women, you may as well ask if being gay is normal. I dont have to spend the rest of my life discussing other peoples stupid prejudices any more than gay people do. You can discuss whether its normal to be gay till the cows come home because all you need is one bellend who says its evil and, bingo  youve got yourself a debate! The real questions are: Will we, as a society, allow gay people to marry? Adopt? And are we prepared to give trans people legal equality?

Recommended Read more Black transgender woman breaks down over her treatment in prison

As trans people are becoming visible in the same way that gay people felt able to in previous decades, some of you are starting to panic. But weve always been around. The only times our lives may have upset yours was when prejudice forced us to hide our true identities. When we felt pressured into sham marriages. When our mental health suffered and we became a burden on society because we didnt have access to the healthcare we so desperately needed.

TERF fears are imaginary. There is only a single reported case of a man disguising himself as a woman to commit assault in a womens shelter. In the whole world. Theres no evidence that the attacker, Christopher Holbrook, was trans, but that hasnt stopped TERFs from using him an excuse to oppose trans rights. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of trans women like me are already using womens facilities every single day without any problems. If anyone has any hard evidence that trans rights harm women I suggest they send it to the Women and Equalities Committee. Or the police.

And then theres the rubbish TERFs spout about parents forcing kids to be trans. Most adult trans people have had to fight to be accepted for who we are by our families. My dad bullied me for years in a bid to toughen me up. You cant force kids into being trans any more than you can stop them from being trans if they are. Leelah Alcorns parents tried to suppress her true identity until, last year, like all too many trans and gay teens with unsupportive families, she took her own life. She was 17. Thank God more and more parents are supporting their kids to be themselves.

Bigotry disguised as religion is still bigotry. So is bigotry dragged up as feminism. There will never be conflict between womens rights and trans rights in the same way that there will never be conflict between womens rights and disabled rights. Painting minority groups as a danger has long been used to justify discrimination. The supposed threat black men posed to white women, for example, was a major factor in Americas shameful history of lynching. And religious concerns and the lie that gay people could harm children was used to justify the homophobia of Section 28, which banned the promotion of homosexuality in schools.

Germaine Greer wins an iconoclast award from The Oldie for daring to tell trans women were not real women. What a maverick! Who is the sacred cow here? Trans people? Get real. Those such as Brendan ONeill, Melanie Phillips and Greer accuse trans people of denying them their free speech then tell us this free speech is vital to challenge orthodoxies like, erm, transgenderism.

Recommended Read more Why we find it so hard to deal with transgender people in real life

Anyone who seriously believes the push for trans rights is a prevailing orthodoxy should cast their mind back a few years to see how many trans voices were speaking for themselves: virtually none. When the Gender Recognition Act passed in 2004 there was zero coverage in the mainstream media and no published comment anywhere from trans writers. Thanks to a few trans celebrities including Caitlyn Jenner and Laverne Cox, for the first time many people are suddenly aware of trans folks existence as something other than a joke. Some orthodoxy.

If youve got a problem with trans people, thats your problem. As Andrea Dworkin, Gloria Steinham and Angela Davis prove, its perfectly possible to be a feminist and celebrate trans people. If you dont, thats nothing to do with feminism and everything to do with you. And I want nothing to do with you.

Paris Lees is a writer and presenter
Mary Rose Burke, director of policy & corporate affairs at IBEC, with the CEO of the Federation of German Industries, Dr Markus Kerber, in Dublin yesterday. Photo: Gary ONeill

Germany expects to strike a deal in March to get Ireland and other European Union nations to accept a share of the growing flow of migrants from the Middle East, the head of the country's biggest employers group said in Dublin yesterday.

Having used up political capital in the wake of the financial crisis, Germany may have to make concessions, potentially including a debt agreement for Greece, in order to secure a longer-term deal, he said.

With her CDU party facing three key state elections over the next months, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is under intense pressure to secure agreement at a summit of European leaders on March 10.

A deal would see the other 27 EU states each take a share of any further arrivals, with quotas based on population or wealth, Dr Markus Kerber, CEO of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), told a meeting of Irish business leaders in Dublin hosted by Ibec. With 1.1 million people arriving into the country last year, the migration crisis is now Germany's biggest political issue.

It costs Germany's government 15bn a year for every million refugees it takes in, and many of those arriving will take years to train in language and vocational skills, Dr Kerber said.

Growing disquiet at home over the impact of the refugee crisis is eroding political support for Mrs Merkel's CDU party.

To shore up her party's backing, Ms Merkel needs to be able to demonstrate a victory in securing an EU-wide deal to share migrants, plus agreement with Turkey to stem the flow of people from there into neighbouring Greece, and victory in two out of three crunch state elections, Dr Kerber said.

DONAL O'DONOVAN
Ireland has warned the European Commission against targeting individual companies in its bid to clamp down on corporate tax avoidance.

"We should be careful about singling out individual companies while processes relating to those companies are ongoing with the Commission and are not yet finalised," Ireland's EU ambassador, Declan Kelleher, said yesterday.

He was speaking on behalf of Minister for Finance Michael Noonan during an EU finance ministers' meeting in Brussels.

His statement appears to be a veiled reference to the European Competition Commission's ongoing probe into Apple's tax arrangements in Ireland, which the EU suspects may have granted the company an unfair advantage.

US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew this week wrote to Margrethe Vestager, the EU Competition Commission, asking her to reconsider a series of tax probes that he feels predominantly target American companies.

The letter appears to indicate that the US authorities are swinging in behind American businesses, including Apple, in their deals with the EU. As well as the probe into Apple's tax treatment by Ireland the EU is also investigating deals done with Amazon and McDonald's in Luxembourg, and last year ruled that the Netherlands should claw back 30m in lost revenue from Starbucks.

Last month, the European Commission tabled a raft of proposals to close loopholes allowing multinationals to shave up to 70bn from their annual tax bills.

The proposals build on voluntary standards drawn up by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and agreed last year, but go further in several areas.

The European Union wants to close loopholes that allow multinationals to claim tax exemptions on dividends and capital gains booked outside the EU, and to impose an "exit tax" on companies trying to shift high-value assets like patents to lower tax countries outside the bloc.

EU tax chief Pierre Moscovici also wants countries to publish profit and tax information on multinationals operating on their territories.

The rules have to be unanimously agreed by all 28 EU countries before they can become law, and hit their first snag yesterday when German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble led a charge to put the brakes on an agreement.

He wants the Commission to stick to the OECD's minimum standards and leave the more contentious proposals on dividends and exit taxes for later.

Ireland has consistently argued that the EU should not go beyond OECD standards, a position that was echoed at the meeting by representatives from Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta and Italy, among others.

"Ireland will contribute constructively to these discussions in the EU, as we always do, while simultaneously holding a firm line that matters of direct tax remain a member state competence and tax is a matter of unanimity," Mr Kelleher said.

"We also believe it's important that the EU approach is consistent with the OECD Beps recommendations," he said.
Around 100 jobs could be lost in Dublin as insurance giant Axa plans to shift a number of operations to Northern Ireland, the Irish Independent has learned.

The French-owned group is remaining tight-lipped on the specific details of the plan. However, it confirmed restructuring is taking place, following a review of the business.

In the interests of "efficiency and customer service", it is consolidating certain operations, which will see the relocation of some roles from Dublin to Derry. The company says it is confident redundancies can be achieved on a voluntary basis.

In a statement, the company indicated the number of job losses will be limited but did not provide an exact figure.

"Axa will not be commenting on any specific details, as discussions with employee representatives are ongoing," it added.

Trade unions Siptu and Unite, which represent workers at the company, are understood to have held meetings with management.

While Axa insists that net job losses will be "small", the Unite union said that employees have been informed of "substantial" numbers of redundancies.

"We can confirm that workers have been advised of substantial proposed job losses. It is as a result of the company's plans to relocate some operational activity to Derry.

"Unite and Siptu will be engaging intensively with the company starting next week, in an attempt to minimise these jobs losses and secure the best terms for our members," a spokesperson for Unite said.

According to a source close to the firm, the job losses will be in the claims department, the call centre, as well as other areas.

Unite official Maeve Brehony said staff members were shocked and devastated at the news.

She stressed the union would now enter negotiations with management aimed at minimising the impact on members.

It will work to secure the best deal possible for those losing their jobs, she added.

As yet, it is unclear whether the redundancies will be limited to Dublin employees, or whether staff in the nationwide branch network will be affected.

It is also unknown whether staff in the Republic will have the option of redeploying to Derry.

Siptu organiser Peadar Nolan also stressed the union will negotiate with management to secure the best terms possible for its members.

Axa Insurance's Irish headquarters is at Wolfe Tone Street, Dublin 1.

It is understood the company employs around 750 people in Ireland and 300 in Northern Ireland.
Ireland's largest homegrown pharmaceutical company is to create 175 jobs, it has announced.

Chanelle Pharmaceuticals said the roles will be created in Loughrea, Co Galway over the next five years.

The firm is doubling its production, with the launch of dozens of new products, as part of a 70m investment.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny visited the facility in the IDA business park in Loughrea this afternoon to unveil the companys expansion plan.

Michael Burke, founder and managing director, said Chanelle has already increased its workforce by 200 people over the last five years.

"This growth has been driven by research and development of new products and the expansion into new markets," he said.

"We invest over 8m annually in research and development and this investment will continue as we launch 75 new products over the next five years in both human and veterinary products."

Set up in 1985, Chanelle Group currently employs 375 people in Ireland, the UK, Jordan and India.

Mr Burke said he plans to expand the company further in the United States as well as Central and South America.

Construction to expand the Loughrea manufacturing plant will start in March, and is expected to support another 45 jobs during the build.
No special deal was offered to David Drumm in return for his agreement to come back to Ireland, according to the former Anglo Irish Bank boss.

In an affidavit submitted to a US court, Mr Drumm said he had not received any inducement from either Irish or US officials to drop his fight against extradition.

The former Anglo chief executive's U-turn caught many observers by surprise. Following his arrest in Massachusetts last October, he hired a large legal team to fight against the extradition application and appeared ready for a lengthy legal battle.

But when it became clear that he would not be released on bail ahead of a scheduled March 1 extradition hearing, his position changed and he sought a commitment from the Director of Public Prosecutions here not to oppose an application for bail in an Irish court if he voluntarily returned to this country.

But the affidavit, signed by Mr Drumm (49), confirms that no such deal was agreed to by the DPP, Claire Loftus.

In the document, Mr Drumm (below) said his decision to return to Ireland had been made "voluntarily" and "entirely of my own free will".

"No representative, official or officer of the United States or of the Government of Ireland, nor any person whomsoever, has made any promise or offered any other form of inducement, nor made any threat or exercised any form of intimidation against me," he said.

In the document, Mr Drumm admits there is "probable cause" - defined as a reasonable amount of suspicion supported by circumstances - to believe he committed the 33 offences he is expected to be charged with on his return to Ireland.

However, he stated that he consented to a finding of "probable cause" only for the sole purpose of consenting to the extradition request. Mr Drumm added that he had denied the charges and would contest them in Ireland.

It remains unclear when he will return to Ireland. Details had still to be worked out by officials yesterday and a number of procedural matters have to be taken care of before this can happen.

This includes securing the agreement of the US Secretary of State's office, which must sign off on the extradition.

A certificate signed by US District Court judge Donald Cabell, confirming that Mr Drumm can be extradited, has been forwarded to the Secretary of State's office and the US Department of Justice.

Once this is signed off, discussions will take place between US marshals and Irish authorities on when Mr Drumm is to be transported to Dublin.

The issue is further complicated by the fact that Mr Drumm, his wife Lorraine and their two daughters are in the process of applying for US Green Cards.

Green Cards

This will require biometric testing in Boston and Mr Drumm's lawyers have asked for any return to Ireland to be delayed until this occurs.

In the meantime, it is expected that Mr Drumm will continue to be held at a maximum-security prison in Plymouth, around 65km south of Boston.

Mr Drumm has previously complained about the conditions in custody, claiming that he is unable to effectively prepare a defence with his legal team.
The sentencing of prominent republican Thomas 'Slab' Murphy for tax evasion has been adjourned until election day, February 26.

The case has placed sharp focus on Sinn Fein's support for the IRA godfather, who party president Gerry Adams has insisted is a "good republican".

Mr Adams is already under pressure over his party's opposition to the juryless Special Criminal Court where Murphy faced trial.

But while Murphy will face sentencing as voters head to the polls, the two-week adjournment will also allow candidates to kick for touch on the controversial issue until then.

The former IRA chief owes the Irish exchequer almost 190,000 for eight years of tax-dodging, the Special Criminal Court in Dublin was told yesterday.

The sentencing hearing for the 66-year-old bachelor farmer heard details of estimated income and interest built up after he evaded tax from 1996 to 2004.

Murphy, from Ballibinaby, Hackballscross, Co Louth, on the border with Northern Ireland, was found guilty of nine counts of tax fraud by three judges at the non-jury court in December.

He has been described by Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams as a "good republican", while Martin McGuinness, Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister, said peace had only been secured thanks to support from men like him.

The court heard that Murphy now works as a yardsman for a company in Crossmaglen, where, as a PAYE employee, he earns 1,055 per month.

Paul Burns, senior counsel for the State, outlined to the judges the assessments made of Murphy's earnings, taxes owed and interest. The total tax bill for the eight years was 38,519.56, the court heard.

Interest built up on those unpaid bills totals 151,445.10, taking the final bill to 189,964.66, Mr Burns said.

The court was told that the figures were based on income of 15,000 a year from the Murphy farm.

"I want to make this clear - Tom Murphy has not made any settlement," he said.

During the trial, the court heard evidence that although Murphy conducted dealings in relation to cattle and land and received farming grants from the Department of Agriculture, he failed to make any returns to Revenue.

During a search of a cattle shed, the court heard, CAB investigators seized a large volume of documents and ledgers, cash of 256,235 and 111,185, as well as uncashed cheques worth 579,000, 80,000 and IR24,000.

Cheques

The documents and ledgers related to cattle trade conducted by Murphy and the entries in the ledgers did not follow normal accountancy procedures, the court heard.

Mr Burns provided the three judges at the court with relevant case law in order to assist in sentencing Murphy.

The court heard of 10 previous cases involving similar offences, including that of Paul Begley, the Dublin businessman who was jailed for a 1.6m fraud involving the importation of garlic from China.

Mr Burns said that mitigating circumstances in these previous cases involved restitution, admission of guilt, expression of remorse, absence of previous convictions and the identification of documents by the accused that might never have otherwise surfaced. There has been no restitution in Murphy's case, the court heard.

John Kearney QC, for Murphy, told the court that it was "an unusual case".

He said that there were "blurred lines and grey areas surrounding the farming unit, the family unit".

Mr Justice Butler, presiding with Judge John O'Hagan and Judge Anne Ryan, remanded Murphy on continuing bail until Friday, February 26.
Niall Coulter at home in Strabane with his wife Sharon

A father-of-three has claimed a dip in a swimming pool on holiday cost him his hearing and his job.

Niall Coulter, from Strabane, splashed out on a break to a four-star resort, but a last-minute change left him in a basic hotel.

During the trip, after joining his family for a swim in the pool, he woke the next morning find warm liquid that resembled a "yellow pus-like substance" coming from his ears.

The 36-year-old, who now wears a hearing aid, said he had to give up his job as a taxi driver because he could no longer hear his customers' directions.

"This has robbed me of my life and career," Niall added. "If I could turn back the clock and get my hearing back, I would do it in a heartbeat.

"All it took was spending the first day of my holiday in and around the hotel pool to ruin my hearing.

"This is a living hell. Every day is a struggle because my ears are still pumping out goo three years on.

"It's never-ending pain, and now I'm told I need two more operations on both ears and am stuck with a hearing aid. I don't want any other person going through the hell I'm in."

Niall had been looking forward to his 2,600 holiday in Benidorm with his sisters, wife Sharon and three children.

But, he said, a week before they were due to go, his holiday company, the Global Travel Group Limited, arranged for his travel agent to call him to advise they were changing his hotel.

Despite his objections, Niall said he was told the new venue was an "upgrade" compared to his original Gemelos family-friendly Apartments.

He packed his bags and got on a plane but was devastated when he arrived to see what his upgraded hotel actually looked like.

"It was the absolute pits," Niall said. "It was like a backpackers' hostel, full of young people partying. It would have been fine for a lads' first-time holiday but not in the least bit suitable for a family holiday at all.

"The room was in need of a complete overhaul with the shower head hanging off the wall and dirty, broken wooden slats in the bed.

"The swimming pool looked like it belonged in the back of a villa. It was nothing like the waterslide pool, kids-friendly resort I had booked and was promised.

"I had paid for a fun-filled family break and was given something like Fawlty Towers instead."

Niall tried to make the best of things and joined his kids playing in the pool of the Palm Court Apartments.

The following morning, he woke up and felt warm liquid coming from his ears. He went to the bathroom and was horrified to see a yellow, pus-like substance.

"It was disgusting gunge and was just pouring out like a running tap," he said.

"The bed where I was sleeping was covered in it and looked like I had been in the gunk tank, it was that bad."

Niall went to a chemist who gave him ear drops but then, he said, his ears started ringing loudly and for the rest of the holiday he was unable to go into bars with loud music.

"It was a complete nightmare and wrecked the whole holiday," he said. "I could hardly sleep at night, the ringing was so loud. The liquid kept coming out."

When he later went to his GP, Niall was diagnosed with swimmer's ear. After returning home in September 2012, he said his hearing suddenly deteriorated.

After a series of hospital visits, he was told he had to have an operation on his right ear after the infection worsened.

He then had a procedure at Altnagelvin Hospital, a year after his holiday, but his hearing loss continued.

Niall said he was then forced to give up his job of three years as a private hire driver.

He added: "I had to give up my job I loved. I was gutted. But I just couldn't hear the customers properly any more.

"It had been my career, my life and the main source of income for my family. But, for safety, I had to stop. It was horrible."

To add to his misery, he was then fitted with a bulky hearing aid in the hope that it would improve his hearing.

Now, two years on, the dad's ears continue to leak and he has been told he faces a further two operations on both ears, and that his hearing will never recover.

He has now decided to take legal action.

Following his experience, Niall refuses to travel abroad, instead opting to go on holiday much closer to home.

He said: "I am too scared to go abroad on foreign holidays now. It's the kids and wife who are suffering."

Travel lawyer Paul Stevens of Simpson Millar, who is handling Niall's claim, said his company deals with hundreds of cases across the UK involving victims of swimming pool and water-related illnesses every year.

"Unfortunately, getting infections from hotel swimming pools is quite common," he added. "This has been very distressing for Niall and he will likely have complications for the rest of his life."

A spokesperson for tour company Global Travel Group Ltd said: "We are unfortunately unable to comment on the claims made by Mr Coulter as the matter is currently the subject of legal proceedings.

"Selling great holidays to the highest standard is of the utmost importance to members of the Global Travel Group."
A brother-in-law of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe, who was killed by an IRA gang 20 years ago, has blasted Sinn Fein as a party that supported "thugs and killers".

Former garda Pat Kearney claimed it was utterly hypocritical of Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, who called for the immediate apprehension of the gangsters who shot dead two men in Dublin last Monday and Friday, as Sinn Fein had campaigned for the gang who killed Det McCabe.

Det Gda McCabe was gunned down in a hail of machine gun fire and his partner, Garda Ben O'Sullivan, was hit 11 times as they escorted a cash delivery van in Adare, Co Limerick, on June 7, 1996.

Atrocity

The atrocity took place just three weeks before the equally shocking killing of 'Sunday Independent' journalist Veronica Guerin, who had exposed the operations of Dublin gangland criminals led by the notorious John Gilligan.

Mr Adams has called for the abolition of the non-jury Special Criminal Court as he claims it breaches the human rights of defendants to a fair hearing.

Mr Kearney hit back at Mr Adams: "What about the rights of Jerry McCabe and his family?

"I'm totally against Sinn Fein's proposal to abolish the Special Criminal Court. It has served the country very well. It has proved very efficient in combating the criminal underworld of this country, and I'm all for retaining it," he added.

"We had experience of it in the trial of the thugs that killed Jerry. The Special Criminal Court performed very well in bringing those killers to justice."

Contrasting his brother-in-law's killing 20 years ago with Sinn Fein's statements calling for the apprehension of the gunmen behind the recent gangland killings in Dublin, Mr Kearney said: "Sinn Fein fully supported the killers of Jerry McCabe [during the Good Friday Agreement negotiations]. They visited them in Castlerea Prison; they collected them from Castlerea upon their release; they tried to prevent the media from (focusing) on the killers after they came out of prison."

He continued: "Sinn Fein campaigned for the killers of Jerry McCabe, but they want the killers in Dublin apprehended immediately."

The Limerick-based estate agent said the gangland crisis in Dublin needed a response to match the explosion in gang tensions.

Calling for the Defence Forces to assist Dublin gardai in tackling the gangs, Mr Kearney said: "Why do we have an Army of thousands of soldiers? Why aren't they brought into play in situations like we have in Dublin at the moment?

"The Army could help at checkpoints. They could help in searches. They could help in having a presence on the streets."
A set of twins were this morning named after the Taoiseach and Minister for Agriculture

A set of twins were this morning named after the Taoiseach and Minister for Agriculture.

The brothers, 'Enda' and 'Simon' - healthy bull calves - were born just minutes before Mr Kenny arrived at David Richardson's farm near Tullow, Co Carlow.

Mr Kenny and Minister Coveney were visiting to launch Fine Gael's jobs plan for rural Ireland.

David's son Mark had just helped deliver the calves before they arrived.

Mr Kenny and Mr Coveney did the honours and tagged the calves while someone asked: "What'll we called them?"

"Enda and Simon," came the reply from Fine Gael MEP Sean Kelly.

On the serious business of the morning, Mr Kenny gave details of his party's 'Regional Action Plan for Jobs' where they want to bring unemployment below 7pc in all regions.

Fine Gael want to increase agri-food industry exports by 85pc to 19bn by 2025 and deliver 23,000 new jobs.
Tanaiste Joan Burton and Willie Penrose pour themselves a cup of tea in the Labour Party Tent at the National Ploughing Championships. Photo: Frank McGrath

Three days after Christmas Willie Penrose hit the campaign trail in Longford-Westmeath, knocking on doors as people digested the last of the turkey sandwiches.

Just a few weeks earlier the Labour Party man was still undecided whether he would even seek re-election, but after coming under huge pressure from his colleagues he decided to give it another go.

Mr Penrose is seen as one of Labour's best hopes of retaining a seat no matter how low the party goes in the polls - but he says it is far from certain.

His strategy has always been the personal touch and this time is no different.

"I'm not interested in the radio or the town hall debates. What I'm interested in is kitchen table debates with constituents," he told the Irish Independent.

"The constituency hasn't made the same gains as other parts of the country over the past five years. People see there is a recovery but it hasn't hit rural Ireland yet," he said, adding that broadband was a major issue.

The former junior minister is well-known for championing one-off causes and secured a big victory in the latter days of the outgoing Dail when he succeeded in making the bankruptcy laws less restrictive.

"My own view is if people want me and think I've been a good representative over 23 years, they'll elect me. If not, the essence of democracy is they'll find someone else," he said.

The potential for 'someone else' has been reduced by Fianna Fail's spectacular row in Longford where headquarters imposed a female candidate on the ticket without a convention vote.

Their sitting TD Robert Troy is likely to hold his seat, but his running mate Connie Gerety-Quinn has limited support from her colleagues and stands little chance.

Fine Gael also have high hopes of getting their sitting TDs re-elected, meaning this could be one constituency that remains unchanged.

They won a by-election in Longford-Westmeath in 2014 following the sad death of Nicky McFadden. She was succeeded by her sister Gabrielle, who is likely to find the General Election a more daunting task.

On the ticket next to her will be James Bannon who is a native of Legan in Longford. It's a good constituency split for the two candidates but their success will be based heavily on transfers.

An outside bet might be Kevin 'Boxer' Moran in Athlone, who was once a Fianna Fail stalwart but is now running as part of the Independent Alliance. He won great praise for his efforts in helping families during the floods.

The Alliance is also running James Morgan on the Longford side. Between himself and Mr Moran there is the potential for one seat if Fine Gael don't meet their own expectations.

Longford-Westmeath

Candidates:4 seats

FG Gabrielle McFadden TD, FG James Bannon TD, FG Peter Burke, LAB Willie Penrose TD, FF Robert Troy TD, FF Connie Gerety-Quinn, SF Paul Hogan, AAA Dominic Parker, R Rachel Grimes, IA Kevin "Boxer" Moran, IA James Morgan, GP Manchan Magan, IND Frank Kilbride, IND Barbara Smyth, IND Donal Jackson.

Prediction: Fine Gael (2), Fianna Fail (1), Labour (1)
A former defence minister has told of being approached by elderly people in tears, as well a constituent who spoke about taking his own life, in order to avoid serving on juries.

Fianna Fail TD Willie O'Dea said his office was "inundated" with visits and calls from residents of Limerick who were "terrified" of the prospect of having to adjudicate on gangland cases.

Speaking at a Fianna Fail event in Dublin, Mr O'Dea was visibly angry as he attacked Sinn Fein over the party's pledge to repeal the country's anti-terror laws, which would result in the abolition of the Special Criminal Court.

"My office was inundated, inundated, by people coming into me, morning noon and night to be excused from jury service. Everybody in Limerick, from one end to the other, were absolutely terrified out of their wits, of serving on a jury, whether those people would be able to identify them," Mr O'Dea said on Saturday.

"I had elderly people crying in my office. One man told me he'd prefer to commit suicide rather than stay on a jury and have this thing hanging over him for the rest of his life," he added.

Mr O'Dea is a personal friend of the late Jerry McCabe, the detective garda who was was killed in Adare, Co Limerick, in June 1996 during the attempted robbery of a post office van.

Four IRA men, including Pearse McAuley, pleaded guilty to his manslaughter at the Special Criminal Court.

Mr O'Dea also hit out at party leader Gerry Adams and his loyalty to tax cheat and former IRA chief Thomas 'Slab' Murphy, who faces up five years in prison for tax fraud.

"Gerry Adams has hit back at the criticisms by saying that the gardai are inadequately resourced - this that and the other. Well Maybe if people like 'Slab' Murphy paid their taxes, people in this country who have been evading their taxes, if they paid their taxes maybe this government and its predecessor would have more money to properly resource the gards."

At the Special Criminal Court yesterday, the three presiding judges said Murphy will be sentenced on February 26 - which is Election Day.
'The Fine Gael Manifesto promises the medical cards in the first year of new government to children who are covered by the Domiciliary Care Allowance' Photo: PA (stock photo)

Fine Gael will give full medical cards to 10,000 children with a severe disability if returned to government.

The party's manifesto, to be published tomorrow, promises the medical cards in the first year of new government to children who are covered by the Domiciliary Care Allowance.

It will also promise to make it easier for private patients to afford medicines by cutting the maximum 1,728 they pay annually in the Drugs Payment Scheme to 950.

The party also says it will reduce the monthly cap of 25 in prescription charges for medical card holders to 17.50.

But it only pledges to extend free GP care to the under-18s.

The more "restrained promises" are in stark contrast to the extravagant pledges - to provide universal health insurance and free GP care for all and to abolish the prescription charge - that marked its 2011 pre-election manifesto, proposals that failed to materialise.

However, evidence of the party's underachievement in delivering on these promises was clear in the leaders' TV debate on Thursday when Taoiseach Enda Kenny was tackled on the issue.

But Fine Gael's outgoing Coalition partner, the Labour Party, yesterday insisted it is continuing to press ahead with promises to extend free GP care to the entire population if returned to government.

Labour leader Joan Burton said: "I know this is ambitious but I believe it can be done."

The scheme is costed at 584m. However, Health Minister Leo Varadkar said it is unrealistic because there will not be enough GPs to deliver it.

In the Labour manifesto, the party proposes to recruit 1,426 GPs through measures such as a "bring them home" campaign.

It will also reduce the prescription charge for medical card holders by 1 to 1.50. The most that private patients would pay under the Drugs Payment Scheme per month will be 100 per family and 75 for a single person versus the current 144.

Labour would also gradually restore dental benefits for PRSI holders, beginning with an additional oral exam and a free scale-and-polish annually.

In a bid to reduce waiting lists, it is promising to examine pay and working conditions for doctors in hospitals.

Labour also wants more vetting of the competence of people who sit on the boards of hospitals and will require hospital chief executives to appear before the Public Accounts Committee.

It also plans to introduce a sugar tax within the first year - despite the proposal being turned down twice by Finance Minister Michael Noonan.

Labour reiterated its pledge to hold a referendum on the repeal of the Eighth Amendment.

Ms Burton said that at the heart of the Labour Party's manifesto was the development of primary care, which includes GP and other professional services outside hospital.

"To date 90 primary care centres have been completed and 16 more are under construction. I expect that construction will begin on a further 14 centres next month.

"Primary care centres are the way of the future."

She added: "I want to appoint a full cabinet minister with responsibility for primary care in order to make progress as quickly as possible. In the past, the development of primary care has played second fiddle to the challenges of the acute hospital system."
Health Minister Leo Varadkar yesterday reiterated his determination to introduce universal health care on a phased basis, underlining a key difference with Labour policy.

Mr Varadkar, who defended his party's record on health, said that a key part of Fine Gael's health strategy if returned would be to introduce "one big thing" each year for five years, on the path to eventually providing universal health care.

He said this would see the care already introduced for the under-six group and for the elderly extended to cover six to 12 year olds and in the following year to 12 to 18 year olds.

The Minister said more needed to be done to tackle obesity alcohol problems and physical inactivity.

He conceded that our publicly funded hospitals were not faring well from a budgetary point of view.

"Contrary to the public commentary out there only one third of our budget foes to hospital with two-thirds going elsewhere, he stressed.

"That leaves our hospitals under-staffed compared to OECD norms when it comes to certain specialities".

He said the last Government had reduced the number of hospital beds in Ireland by over 1200 but the outgoing administration had in the last year restored 300 of these and had freed up 200 more by resourcing the Fair Deal.

Defending the Government's record on health, Mr Varadkar said that there were 289 patients on trolleys in Irish hospital yesterday, 141 of them for more than nine hours. This compared with 448 people on trolleys on the same day last year, 220 of whom were there for over nine hours.

The Minister was in Sligo to officially open a 2m Medical Academy at Sligo University Hospital.

Meanwhile, Mr Varadkar said that a judicial commission of investigation will be needed in order to get to the bottom of events at a foster care home in the south-east which has been at the centre of abuse allegations.

The Minister acknowledged that despite a number of investigations to date "there remains unanswered questions" about the home where a woman with intellectual disabilities, known as Grace, remained for many years after concerns were raised.
'The HSE said it expected that further nurse-recruitment drives would take place in non-EU countries in order to secure more nurses to work in Ireland' Photo: Getty (stock photo)

Overseas recruitment drives by the HSE over the past two years have managed to attract just 130 nurses to work here, the Irish Independent has learned.

However, the HSE has insisted that this should be considered a "good success", given how "extremely competitive" the European market is for nursing staff with specialist skills.

The most high-profile recruitment campaign was in the UK last summer, when the HSE sought to attract around 500 nurses home with a relocation package of 1,500.

Responding to questions, the HSE said it expected that further nurse-recruitment drives would take place in non-EU countries in order to secure more nurses to work in Ireland.

Nurses here can earn salaries of between 27,211 and 43,800 for a 39-hour week, with additional pay for shift and other differentials.

The relatively low number of nurses wooed to work here comes against a background of promises in all the parties' pre-election manifestos to hire thousands more nurses and doctors over the next five years.

But the extent of the uphill struggle in filling vacancies is also highlighted in revelations that the HSE has embarked on a series of recruitment campaigns in the past two years.

A HSE spokesman was not able to say how many doctors had been recruited internationally for Irish hospitals.

They are recruited through the Public Appointments Service and there is no distinction drawn between the recruitment of consultants in Ireland or internationally, as they are the same pool of candidates, he insisted.

The spokesman explained: "For specialist doctors, there is a recognised international shortage in areas such as psychiatry."

Asked how much the HSE spent on the recruitment drives, the spokesman said it was not possible to divulge the sum.

"The international nurses are being recruited through agencies following a procurement process. There is a per-nurse cost, which was established through this procurement process and which is commercially sensitive."

Overall, the HSE recruited 100 consultants last year, both from within Ireland and abroad.

Ongoing vacancies for nurses and some consultants have been blamed for contributing to the hospital trolley crisis, as well as waiting lists for public patients.

It recently emerged that Beaumont Hospital in Dublin had vacancies for 116 nurses, 20 doctors and 16 consultants, as well as another 32 clinical staff, 26 administrators, 12 support staff and 10 others.

The hospital has recruited 30 nursing students.
The devastated family of a young Sunday school teacher caught up in a car crash were at her bedside as she passed away on Thursday.

Karla Cameron had been on a life-support machine after her car collided with another vehicle at a notorious junction on the main road between Antrim and Ballymena.

The 25-year-old was travelling on the A26 Lisnevenagh Road during rush hour, with heavy fog making visibility extremely poor.

The nursery school teacher, from the Ballymena area, had celebrated her third wedding anniversary with her childhood sweetheart, David, in December.

Hundreds of tributes were paid online to Karla, who has remembered as an "extremely thoughtful" woman. Her death takes the number of people killed on Northern Ireland roads so far this year to 10 - double this time last year.

The Sunday school teacher was a member of Ballee Baptist Church in Ballymena. Pastor Lawrence Kennedy from the church spent time with the family following Karla's death.

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"David and Karla were in charge of our children's meetings, our Good News clubs," he said. "The folk just loved her and they are devastated at the tragedy.

"I was with the family, and they are absolutely devastated. She was an only child so her mum and dad are heartbroken. It's so difficult for them at the moment.

"She met David at school. She had a very personal faith that was very important to her and it meant that all the work she did for the Church... she felt this was a way of repaying the Lord for what he did for her.

"I spent a lot of time with David. I was reminding him of the promises of God's word, and that's all we can do at a time like this because words can sometimes seem so empty and so bland.

"He found some comfort in that, and he feels his spiritual and natural family are supporting him. But he's distraught."

Karla was also an assistant manager at Country Treasures Daycare outside Randalstown.Owner Kieran McCavana said: "We thought the world of Karla.

"She didn't just work for us - she was part of the family. Everyone is devastated at her loss. She was extremely thoughtful. She was so conscientiousness and she was just one in a million and we will miss her deeply.

"She worked with us for over three years. Her and my wife know each other exceptionally well. We are all a bit numb. We have closed for today and are closed on Monday for the funeral. Staff are too devastated to work.

"She knew every parent and child here, it is just gut-wrenching. She will be deeply missed."

The crash happened almost a year to the day after Avril Dempster, from nearby Ahoghill, was killed in an accident at the same junction.

Local politicians and residents have repeatedly raised concerns over the road's safety.

TUV leader and North Antrim MLA Jim Allister called for long-overdue improvements to be carried out following the latest death.

"It was almost a year on from when the other lady was killed at that junction, and in that year we have had promises about reviews but no action,"he said.

"That is the most dangerous junction proven on that road. The biggest problem is crossing the roads, and I understand that is what has happened here.

"The junction is a death-trap. How many times does that have to be proven before action is taken? I think that really is the abiding question that comes out of this further tragedy. It's not reviews we need, it's action."

Hundreds of tributes were posted on David's Facebook page with many expressing their shock at Karla's sudden death.

One friend posted: "David so sorry to hear about Karla. Please be assured of our thoughts and prayers for you and your families."

Another said: "Such a shock David, so hard to take in. Karla was such a lovely girl and would have done anything for anyone. She will sadly be missed by us. We are thinking of the whole family circle at this very difficult time. Be assured of our love support and prayers."
Punters may now know the shop that sold the 66m EuroMillions ticket - but we are still none the wiser when it comes to knowing the identity of the winners.

The ticket was sold in the Easons store in the Fairgreen Shopping Centre, Carlow, and its co-owner Eoin Hennigan said he has been receiving lots of congratulations from customers since the news broke.

The lucky ticket was sold on January 27, and a syndicate of friends - who have remained anonymous - claimed their prize at National Lottery offices in Dublin on Thursday.

Mr Hennigan (41) said that everybody is hoping it is locals who won the massive prize. "I am absolutely hoping it's a local. It would be a great boost to the economy, and it's good for the area, and it's good for the shopping centre.

"The winners want to remain anonymous, and we have to respect that. We can't even speculate," he added.
A third-level student has come forward to criticise the response of Irish universities in sexual assault and rape cases.

The university student, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims that she was raped by a former student and that the college's response has been "very bad".

"They way they reacted.... they way they treat rape victims is.... interesting".

She says that she went forward to college authorities with proof and was told they "don't need to see that" and all they need was "a letter from the rape crisis centre" in order to defer her exams on extenuating circumstances.

"The response from the University was that if he came back on campus they would email me that he was there".

"There is no way to sign in on campus... there's no checking. There's no way they'd know if he was on campus".

"I (feel like) I have zero protection on campus".

She presented the evidence to the Gardai and a file is being brought before the DPP.

It is understood that up to four other students have come forward since the complaint was made.

She says that she's been informed that her alleged rapist is in the application process to begin a postgraduate course at the University.

She explained to Independent.ie that she has been told "rape cases take up to a year" and that it's her understanding that her college "have no rules" about ongoing cases. "Under the rules they have, (I understand) they have to accept the student as if nothing's happened".

"He would be doing the same subjects... he'd be in my building".

"College is supposed to be a nice space where you can achieve things, both personally and academically. Rape changes your life, it's a traumatic experience... it's distressing enough to have go through everything as it is".

"He still comes back to visit the campus... 'we'll email you if we see him'... I've gone from upset to angry now".

The criticism come shortly after a number of Dublin universities proposed or implemented mandatory 'consent classes' on campus.
The murders that changed Dublin's gangland

Martin 'The General' Cahill

In August 1994, Martin 'The General' Cahill was shot four times as he sat in his car in the suburb of Ranelagh.

Cahill had dominated the gang scene in the capital until he fell foul of the Provisional IRA.

It was one of the highest-profile gangland killings in Irish history.

But it was far from the last.

Eamon Dunne

Another notorious gang leader was Eamon Dunne, who also thought he was invincible as he ruled the underworld with an iron fist.

Suspected of being linked to more than a dozen murders, his increasingly erratic behaviour was regarded as "bad for business" by other powerful crime bosses.

He was murdered in a Cabra pub as he attended a friend's birthday party in April 2010.

Martin 'Marlo' Hyland

Dunne arrived at the top of the gangland pile after he and two associates murdered the then crime boss Martin 'Marlo' Hyland.

The cold-blooded killing happened in the home of a relative of Hyland in Finglas, in December 2006. Hyland's gang was linked by gardai to several murders, including the contract killing in Swords of Latvian woman Baiba Saulite.

Alan Ryan

Real IRA Dublin boss, Alan Ryan, whose attempts to extort money from other criminal gangs in the capital led to a major feud, was shot dead at Clongriffin, on Dublin's northside, in September 2012.

As a teenager, he had been arrested by gardai at a Real IRA training camp in Stamullen, Co Meath.

Michael 'Micka' Kelly

Ryan was himself believed to have been behind the fatal shooting of Michael 'Micka' Kelly, who was gunned down in Clongriffin after visiting a friend in September 2011. He was shot 14 times with an assault rifle by his killers, who then reversed over his body as they fled.

Kelly was believed to have been murdered because he refused to pay money to Ryan and his mob.

Gary Hutch

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 in Dublin when a gang connected to Gary Hutch opened fire in the Regency Hotel, Dublin, last week.
Gemma Carcaterra, director of the Glor music centre, who died on Thursday (Photo: Twitter)

Tributes have been paid to a 42-year-old mother who died only five months after giving birth to triplets.

Gemma Carcaterra was still on maternity leave from her post as director of Glor music centre in Ennis when she passed away on Thursday after suddenly becoming ill. She became a mother for the first time just five months ago, having given birth to triplets, Ava, Riona and Coen.

Ms Carcaterra took up the position at Glor in October 2011.

Board member Cllr Mary Howard said the news has devastated the arts community in Co Clare. "Gemma's enthusiasm was infectious and she was very proactive, as well as having a close working relationship with members of the board."

She added: "Gemma was a very special lady.

"I recall with fondness the day she informed me that not only was she pregnant but she was carrying triplets, who are now five months old."

Another board member, Cllr Gerry Flynn, described Ms Carcaterra as a "sincere and caring person" who was a huge asset to the venue.

Chief executive of Clare County Council and founding chairman of Glor, Tom Coughlan, said she had made an immense contribution during her short time as director.

Prior to taking her post at Glor - which contributes 850,000 to the local economy annually - Ms Carcaterra was general manager at Daghdha Dance.

She had led a 55-strong team of mainly part-time staff at the centre.
On February 8, 2007 David Byrne, who was so brutally gunned down in the Regency Hotel eight days ago, called to Sundrive Road Garda Station.

His best pal, Graham Whelan, had been in custody for two days being questioned about the gangland assassination of suspected hitman Gary Bryan. Subsequently, Whelan was never charged in connection with the Bryan murder.

Byrne gave the sergeant in charge a copy of the Evening Herald and when the officer flicked through it he noticed a message on the top of a page. It read loose lips sink ships, a warning the then 24-year-old was giving to his pal  never, ever talk to gardai or betray your friends.

It was this mentality of fierce loyalty that ultimately led to the feud that would cost Byrne his life.

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The seeds of the current feud between the Kinahan and Hutch gangs were sewn in August 2001 when young gang leader Declan Gavin was stabbed to death in the Abrekebabra restaurant in Crumlin village. One of the last people to speak to him before he died was David Byrne who was queuing for chips. Gavin was murdered after he was wrongly accused of being a rat to gardai, by giving information about a drugs seizure.

This led to a group of childhood friends splitting in two and resulted in a series of tit-for-tat murders over the next 12 years.

Expand Close Flowers left outside the Regency Hotel in Dublin after one man died and two others were injured following a shooting incident at the hotel where a weigh-in for a boxing match was taking place / Facebook

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Whatsapp Flowers left outside the Regency Hotel in Dublin after one man died and two others were injured following a shooting incident at the hotel where a weigh-in for a boxing match was taking place

David Byrne took the side of his first cousin Fat Freddie Thompson in the feud. They were fiercely loyal to each other and didnt trust outsiders. The gang ultimately answered to the Dapper Don Christy Kinahan, a drugs godfather based in Spain who supplied them with cocaine which they flooded the streets of Dublin with.

David Byrne was an active feud member along with his brother Liam. In June 2002 he was the target of a gun attack in Dublin 8 but escaped injury. He also had a narrow escape in 2009 when a bomb was found under a car near his home. Since that incident he kept a lower profile and began to learn his trade as a logistics man for the Kinahan gang, organising safe passage into Ireland for massive drugs shipments by making contacts with legitimate companies and using trucks to safely bring in product.

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Whereas Fat Freddie courted publicity and seemed to revel when his face frequently appeared on the front of the Herald, the Byrne brothers kept a low profile and made themselves indispensable to the Kinahans because they were good at what they did and made the mob a hell of a lot of money.

So where Freddie played the public role of the gangster, the Byrnes were the brains behind the scenes. They were back and forth between Dublin and Spain and became close to Daniel Kinahan who effectively took over his fathers drugs empire in May 2010 after Spanish police moved to smash the gang and uncovered assets of over 500m.

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The three, along with Gary Hutch, a criminal from the north-inner city who was a nephew of the infamous Gerry The Monk Hutch, made lots of cash and effectively operated under the radar except for the odd mention in the media.

Then things unravelled. Suddenly the gang began to find their drugs shipments seized by gardai, something that never really happened before, mainly thanks to David Byrnes planning expertise. In all around five shipments were seized from the beginning of 2014 and the gang began to suspect there was an informant in their ranks.

Expand Close The body of Eddie Hutch Snr is removed from a property in Poplar Row, Dublin, this week. Photo: PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp The body of Eddie Hutch Snr is removed from a property in Poplar Row, Dublin, this week. Photo: PA

The finger was pointed at Gary Hutch. He didnt have the relationship going back to childhood like many of the other criminals and he was seen as being too loyal to other hoods from the north-inner city. In late 2014 a decision was made to expel Hutch from the Kinahan gang because even the whiff of suspicion about being an informant can be fatal.

A deal was brokered through associates of The Monk and Gary Hutch was given an 800,000 severance package and assured he was safe.

He bought an apartment in Mijas, but was shot dead last September by the Kinahan cartel. The murder was the first time that a member of the extended Hutch family had been targeted in the four decades the family name had been known to gardai.

The fact that the Kinahans so blatantly breached a binding handshake agreement was bad enough, but when the gang demanded 200,000 in compensation from one of Gary Hutchs relations all bets were off.

There was no way back and senior members of the Hutch gang knew it was either kill or be killed. The Regency Hotel murder had echoes of the audacious robberies that associates of Gerry Hutch carried out in the 1990s. But Daniel Kinahan was the main target and the fact is that he remains on the street  so the attack ultimately failed.

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The swiftness and viciousness of the retaliation, when innocent taxi driver Eddie Hutch was gunned down at his home, is likely to lead to an escalation of the feud and peace just does not seem feasible.

With one innocent man dead gardai have real fears that other non-combatants will now be targeted and that is a nightmare scenario for gardai and the government.

Armed gardai will flood Dublin this weekend and early next week until the funerals take place, but then things will go back to normal. And as both gangs have shown over the last eight days nothing will prevent them from seeking bloody revenge and this feud has the real potential to become Ireland deadliest ever.

Mick McCaffrey is news editor of UTV Ireland and has written three best-selling true crime books
The Luas is almost certain to grind to a halt for a second 48-hour strike next week.

And Siptu is set to serve notice of a third disruptive strike on Monday, which is likely to take place in the second week of March.

The union has revealed that it will not call off industrial action even if it is invited to fresh talks.

It said a second strike on the Red and Green lines next Thursday and Friday will not be suspended unless it reaches an agreement with the tram operator, Transdev, on "significant" pay rises.

And last night it rejected the company's offer that it would consider wage increases of between 1pc and 3pc.

Sources indicated that Siptu is likely to demand at least 5pc to edge closer to agreement.

The union is now considering 24-hour strikes as well as further 48-hour stoppages from the week of March 7.

Notice of industrial action has to be served 21 days in advance under a collective agreement with the company.

Siptu said it was likely to serve notice on Monday, which would mean there would be a two-week break before a third strike.

Meanwhile, the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) has called off the threatened one-day strike that would have closed more than 350 second-level schools two days before the General Election.

The decision not to go ahead with the one-day stoppage, planned for Wednesday, February 24, follows contact between the union and Education Minister Jan O'Sullivan.
A woman who was orphaned by the Stardust fire in 1981 has called for an end to the campaign for another inquiry into the tragedy.

Lisa Lawlor (36) was just 17 months old when her parents, Maureen and Francis, lost their lives in the tragic fire when they were both aged just 24.

The mum-of-three said she will always be heartbroken about the untimely loss of her parents but she would rather see the anniversary of their deaths marked by a celebration of those who lost their lives.

"We should be celebrating these people instead of this constant fighting. It's not going to go anywhere and it's been so long [since the fire]," she told the Irish Independent.

"I think at this stage they should be let rest in peace.

"I think we should celebrate the 48 lovely souls who were taken. I just don't think it should be pushed any further."

She wears her father's wedding ring every day and says that she grew up hearing stories about her mum and dad.

Some relatives of those who passed away in the fire in the northside Dublin nightclub in 1981 in the early hours of Valentine's Day, want to see a second inquiry into the blaze.

However, Ms Lawlor believes she will learn nothing new and the ongoing coverage of the campaign leaves her distressed and anxious. "It's been tough to live in the shadow of this for so long.

"I just think we should call time on the campaign," she said.

"At this stage, they should rest in peace, God help them.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's over. If I thought all of the fighting would get me somewhere or that my parents would be brought back then, yeah, of course I would, but that's not going to happen."

She believes the State cannot be held responsible for what occurred and that the fire has resulted in better safety standards for everyone.

"My children and I are safer in this world because of what happened. They didn't die in vain," she said. Ms Lawlor, who now lives in Drumcondra, was raised be her paternal grandparents following the fire.

"They were lovely, they supported me so much but there was always a deep sadness around them," Ms Lawlor said.
Valentine's Day might not be the most original of days for a marriage proposal but it is perhaps the most popular to witness a bended knee or two.

And this Leap Year, with unofficial 'lady's day to ask' falling on February 29, the demand for a bit of metal to 'put a ring on it' increases.

In this vein, we decided to find out what exactly you should look out for when making this - or indeed any - jewellery purchase.

Located in impressive quarters close to the Chester Beatty Library at Dublin Castle, the Assay Office is the stop off point for any precious metal making its way to our Irish stores.

"Basically what we do here is we test and hallmark any precious metal that comes into Ireland," Assay master Ana Izquierdo told independent.ie.

"When this is complete, it is then ready to go to the stores to be sold."

Wholesalers will order a consignment of jewellery into the country will require the batch to be tested and marked before it goes on the retailers - and subsequently the public.

The Assay Office also hallmarks silver, gold and platinum pieces received from a small number of Irish manufacturers who still make the items here.

And it is the detail in this hallmark that customers should be aware of and ask to be clearly shown before they make a purchase.

"There are two parts to the engagement ring - the diamond and the metal," said Ms Izquierdo, a chemist by trade and heavily involved in the laboratory testing herself.

"The retailer should be able to provide a certificate for the diamond. As for the hallmark, you have to be sure of the stamp as this is your guarantee."

All jewellers should have a hallmark card, detailing what each marking means, clearly displayed in their store for viewing.

"On the shank of every ring, there should be a mark with three parts," Ms Izquierdo warns potential proposees.

"A maker's mark which tells you the manufacturer, the Assay Office mark (Hibernia for Dublin/Ireland) and the metal and fineness (number of carat and purity of metal)."

Customers should be comfortable asking for a full explanation as to what the hallmark on their item is before handing over the cash.

Because if the proposal doesn't go according to plan, at least you know the metal you've purchased is the real deal!
David Wong, a professor of oncology at California State University says it is possible to detect tumour DNA when is it circulating in bodily fluids  an approach known as a liquid biopsy.

The saliva test is 100 per cent accurate and is so simple that it could be carried out at a pharmacist, the dentist or even in the privacy of someone's own home if they were concerned, he said.

Currently scientists can only use blood tests to detect cancer if they have already taken a biopsy and sequenced a tumour, so they know which genetic signature to look for. Although this can be used to monitor cancer spread it cannot be used for an initial test. And it can throw up false positive.

Professor Wong's tests have shown that just a single drop of saliva contains enough data to give a definitive diagnosis as soon as a tumour develops, he said.

The test is non-invasive and cheap, costing around just 15 pounds.

It is due to enter full clinical trials in lung cancer patients later this year, and is expecting approval within two years from the Food and Drug Administration in America. He is hoping it will be available in Britain by the end of the decade, and believes it could be useful for many other cancers, such as oral cancer.

If there is circulating signature of a tumour in a person blood or saliva, this test will find it, Professor Wong told the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Washington.

We need less than one drop of saliva and we can turn the test around in 10 minutes. It can be done in a doctors office while you wait.

Early detection is crucial. Any time you gain in finding out that someone has a life-threatening cancer, the sooner the better.

With this capability, it can be implemented by the patient themselves in a home check, or dentist or pharmacy.

The test looks for genetic mutations in blood plasma which are consistent with a tumour.

I would love to do it in the U.K..by the end of this decade. I would hope sooner than that, he added.

Down the road it might be possible to test for multiple cancers at the same time.

The advantages of our technology is that it is non-invasive. If you have a credible early screening risk assessment technology that people can use on their own or at dentists office or pharmacists - thats the key, early detection.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Ryanair boss Michael OLeary on a photoshoot as Robin for his airlines new car hire venture in November, 2015. Photo: Bloomberg

Ryanair customers can book parking through the airline's website again, following the launch of a new online service.

The service features a limited number of car parks, and will offer its customers "the lowest parking rates at Dublin Airport", the airline says.

As we publish, a booking for Terminal 1 short-term parking from 2pm on Friday, February 19 to 8pm on Sunday, February 21 was priced at 29.85.

The same booking cost 30.95 on Dublin Airport's website.

On other dates, however, prices for both websites were exactly the same.

Customers can book the Express Long-term Red car park through the website, but Dublin's Long-term Blue car park - both the cheapest and furthest from the airport - was not available to book on Ryanair.com on the dates we searched.

Ryanair customers have been unable to book parking at Dublin via the airline's website since November last, when a three-year contract expired and it and daa were unable to agree on the terms of a new agreement.

That situation appears now to have been resolved.

"Our best car parking rates are available online and our partnership with Ryanair will ensure passengers enjoy the best offers from both organisations, said John Brennan, Dublin Airport General Manager Commercial.

Promoted: See the latest Quickpark offers and deals on Independent Discounts

As well as the airport's own website, customers can book parking with quickpark.ie (five minutes away by free shuttle), and Aer Lingus allows customers to pre-book on its website, although at the Dublin Airport rates.

Several nearby hotels also offer parking services.

To mark the launch of the new service, Ryanair is offering the first 1,000 customers booking Dublin Airport parking on its website the chance to win one of five pairs of return flights.

Read more:
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.
Premium

What will it take to unite Ireland? Opinions are divided

There are those for whom Northern Ireland is a geographical fragment of the UK holding true to empire on its western flanks, and those for whom partition is a century-old wrong that must be overturned. Somewhere in the middle are the persuadables  people willing to accept either unity or union, so long as the justification is logical. One way or another, the unity conversation is in the air.
Enterprising Irish criminals were first lured into mainland Europe by a potential tenfold increase in profits from drug deals, thus eliminating the middleman.

Over the previous decade, the gangsters had carefully built up valuable networks of contacts in European countries such as Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium. Through these, they had gained access to global underworld figures in South America.

But they had to pay a hefty price to their contacts for that access - and they quickly realised they had to be closer to the action if they wanted to become major players.

From their new continental locations, the Irish gangs built up a power base and were soon able to eliminate the Spanish and South American go-betweens to deal directly with the Colombians themselves.

They quickly established themselves in the importation of drugs from South America and places such as Morocco.

The gangs invested heavily in those shipments and took part in joint enterprises. Dozens of Irish criminals began operating in Europe.

The vast profits allowed them to develop a luxury lifestyle, acquiring mansions and expensive cars in Spanish sun spots, such as Marbella and Puerto Banus, while others established boltholes in the Netherlands.

The activities of crime barons like Christy Kinahan and his associates eventually attracted the attention of the police - and it was decided to plot a co-ordinated response involving several forces.

The garda authorities availed of the opportunity to badly dent the drugs pipeline into Ireland. They responded with "boots on the ground", rather than intermittently discussing the problem through liaison officers at Europol and Interpol level.

Detectives from the then Garda National Drugs Unit were deployed to Spain and worked with the Spanish officers in Operation Shovel, which specifically targeted Kinahan and Co.

A senior officer recalled: "Co-operation between the gardai and other police forces in Europe became second to none as a result of the face-to-face contact and allowed us to focus directly on the Irish gangs involved in trafficking drugs that ended up in Ireland.

"Drug trafficking had always been a borderless crime for the gangs, but now it had become more or less borderless for us, as the co-operation allowed us to overcome legal obstacles."

Operation Shovel badly disrupted the Irish network and there were fewer shipments arriving here.

Gardai accept that this was partly due to the recession, in terms of the demand for cocaine, but said seizures of key shipments that arose from the intelligence gathered in Spain also led to the fall-off in traffic.

Meanwhile, close links between garda drug officers and their counterparts in the Netherlands, through Operation Majesty, yielded major dividends in October 2013, when gardai, with the Rotterdam organised crime unit, smashed a drug-trafficking network which had brought more than 40m worth of cannabis into Ireland and the UK.

Another major shipment was seized months later when the contacts between the Irish and Dutch units led to a monitoring operation on Irish suspects being put in place within two hours, rather than gardai having to wait for requests for help to be rubber-stamped through the bureaucratic process.

The huge amounts of money involved inevitably led to a falling out and turned the Costa del Sol into a battleground, culminating in the murder of Gary Hutch last September.

Last Friday, that battleground moved back to Dublin, where Kinahan associate David Byrne was shot dead in the Regency Hotel. This was followed by the revenge murder of Eddie Hutch Senior on Monday.

There was no intelligence available to the Gardai that the spiral of violence was about to return home. There is no way of knowing whether that intelligence vacuum might have been filled if the Gardai had continued to have 'boots on the ground' in places such as Marbella.

But it might be time to reassess current policies, rather than relying on a single liaison officer based in Madrid to monitor developments there.

Analysis
One party that I certainly couldn't miss out on this weekend was Ryan McCartney from Ardee Terrace's 21st which completely rocked the Lisdoo last Friday night.

Ryan who works in Top Oil and is totally mad about cars, was there with parents Doreen and Paul, brothers Jordan and Liam and a huge collection of relations and car enthusiasts.

I met the birthday boy not long after I arrived and he wanted a special mention for his grandparents Ann and Fintan McCartney from Headford who didn't make it on the night but were in his thoughts.

I then headed over for a quick word with cousins Megan Short from Warrenpoint and Zoe Short from Louth Village who wanted to wish their couisnz all the best on his big night.

Making my way over to one of the adjacent tables I met up with Gerry Louth from Fatima who was with Maureen Short from Hillview and they were having a laugh with Daniel Fenton from Muirhevnamor who were up for making a night of it with uncles Jim Short from Knockbridge and Owen Short from Louth Village with daughter Zoe and when I asked if the celebrating was going to have epic proportions he said 'you can bet your life on it.'

They were also sitting with cousin Daniel Jnr and Eimear Fenton from Belfry Drive who were optimistic on it being a fantastic night.

Next I headed for all of Ryan's car mates and they included Conor Rafferty from Ravensdale, Desmond Murray from Ard Easmuinn, Adam Judge from Greenwood Drive who was with Vanessa Short from Louth Village, Daniel Smyth from Wilkinstown who was with Louise Corcoran from Lobinstown, Ian Hickey from Wilkinstown and Carl Goodfield from Dromiskin and Conor told me that that Ryan just loves 'rootin at cars'.

Seated close by was cousin Jason Matthews from Knockbridge who was having a laugh with parents Tony and Eileen Matthews who wanted to wish Ryan all the best and told me it was going to be far from a quiet celebration.

Seated close by were John Finnegan from Lordship and Wes Thompson from Avenue Road who told me they are car men too and they really are the best bunch of people.

After this I headed over for a chat with Geraldine Fenton from Muirhevnamor and Frances Beard from Kilcurry who told me it was going to be nothing short of a great night.

Not too long later I got talking to aunty Laura Short from Barton Park who was with her daughters Janeen and Megan and said they were all going to have 'a ball of a time.'

I then headed for a table where I caught up with aunty Aisling McCartney from Mount Avenue, Ryan's parents Paul and Doreen from Ardee Terrace, cousin Clodagh McCartney from Headford and Eugene Matthews from Tallanstown who told me the craic was only just getting going.

I then headed towards the bar where I got a word with Ryan's brothers Liam and Jordan who was with Natasha Lawlor from Greenacres cousin Seam Murphy from Sliabh Foy Park who was with Liz Butterly from Togher who all wanted to wish Ryan all the best and were all on for a massive celebration on the night.
County Louth's nine Foroige Youth Clubs and projects are to benefit from an 840,000 Aldi funding boost.

Aldi Ireland confirmed the new programme to support local charities and not-for-profit organisations in County Louth as part of its 2016 community support programme.

Each of Aldi's four stores in County Louth has been provided with a bursary fund to be allocated annually to charities and not-for-profit community organisations operating within the local communities served by each store.

Each of Aldi's County Louth stores have been assigned a 'Charity Champion' to co-ordinate the programme at a local level and work closely with the local charities.

Welcoming the new initiative, Finbar McCarthy, Group Buying Director, Aldi Ireland, said 'Contributing to the local communities our County Louth stores serve is something that we truly believe in and we are proud to be supporting the important work done by charities and not-for-profit organisations across County Louth.'

He added that they are also encouraging their staff to get directly involved with Louth charities.

'Aldi's funding will help support a number of youth development programmes and projects such as the 'Big Brother, Big Sister' youth mentoring programme and national programmes such as 'Citizenship, Entrepreneurship and Leadership.'
Great Time Productions would like to thank the various businesses for their generous support during their recent play 'Pilots of the Purple Twilight' last month.

In a statement, the group, founded by David Lennon and Fiona Fay, said: 'A special word of thanks to Brian McKeown of BMKD, Stapleton Court for his professionalism, dedication and talent in relation to the design for all marketing materials.

'A big thank you to the Transition Year teachers and their students of the local schools that supported us by attending the matinee performance on Friday January 22.

'We would like to thank you - the people who attended the production over the four nights. We do hope you really enjoyed our work and it was a great privilege to be able to perform for you.

'We really appreciated your warm and generous support and applause each night'.
Are Mid-Louth and East Meath being ignored in favour of more 'high profile' town candidates in this year's general election?

Nobody from the Ardee municipal district area (which also includes Collon and Dunleer) or the Laytown/Bettystown area council, taking in some 14,700 voters, are standing (or have been allowed to stand).

And ultimately, it is those voters who will suffer the consequences.

Last Thursday night, at a meeting in Ardee, the big debate was again the lack of a bypass for the town.

It has been 'shovel ready' for years - just missing a strong local voice to force a few hands.

One person who did seek to make an impact in mid-Louth was Dolores Minogue, but she lost out to Dundalk- and Drogheda-based candidates on the Fine Gael ticket.

She has been outspoken in her views, feeling the party ignored the wishes of a lot of mid-Louth people.

'Mid-Louth deserves a chance. It is now a very big area and we have no TD based here,' she stated.

'People are upset, and I think the TDs going around these places, and in East Meath, will be asked where is our local candidate?

'Bernard Markey was the last FG TD here 35 years ago. That's too long.'

Gone are the days when the likes of Dunleer-based Padraig Faulkner held sway as a minister and got things done, the same can be said of Monasterboice man Paddy Donegan.

The Ardee councillors last week called for unity on the matter and have asked people to tackle those seeking votes about the bypass.

Dunleer train station, despite all the efforts by a voluntary group and plenty of meetings, remains closed.

The need for a 'go to' TD has always been a factor.

The lack of major investment in industry in Ardee has been apparent for years. It's an old topic that has never progressed, once again a local voice missing on the subject.

It seems a world away, but what impacts on the people in Ardee and Reaghstown also takes in those resident in Bettystown and Laytown and Mornington.

They too can only think back to the days when Minister Jimmy Tully had such an influence.

The whole change in the constituency basically threw East Meath in at the back end of Louth, and that was that.

Bettystown is one of Ireland's newest towns, a 10,000 population, but without the national representation it needs, it remains a 'no-man's land' of sorts.

Even if a major party selected someone here, they would need to 'cross the border' to claim votes in Ardee, Collon, Dromiskin, Termonfeckin, Dromiskin and the rest.

Could a bid not be made to get East Meath back into Meath proper? However, that would leave Louth a four-seater. Not too many TDs would vote for that.

by Hubert Murphy
DkIT lecturers, members of the TUI, picket the gates of the Institute as part of a nationwide strike

DkIT lecturers united under the TUI banner to begin their action against educational cuts, with an all out strike on campus last week.

Teaching staff from across all sectors took to the picket lines to show their opposition to Higher Education Authority (HEA).

Striking lecturers told of resources so badly cut that they found themselves having to buy teaching materials from their own pocket in order to continue conducting classes.

Speaking at a press conference held during the strike action, Tom Dooley, Chair of the TUI branch at DkIT gave a background to the current crisis.

'Since 2008, the state and the HEA have cut funding by 36%. This comes at a time when student numbers have increased by 32% in recent years.

Recruitment restrictions have also seen staffing levels drop by 10%.'

He added; 'DkIT is now being punished for having a budget deficit of 3.1million when its funding has already been slashed by over 8 million and in a context where the student populations have grown by a third.'

'We believe the government has lost sight of the fact that education is the real wealth creator, and that Institute's of Technology are engines of enterprise, innovation,job creation and social mobility,' said Tom.'

He added 'Dundalk is first in line for these cuts. They have already been imposed on management. But we refuse to accept them. Today is the first day of action, and there will be more in the coming week or ten days.'

The TUI, he said, demanded a meeting with Minister for Education, Jan O'Sullivan, and a reversal of the cuts which he said will 'hit those who need it most' hardest.

Vice chair of the TUI branch, Kenneth Sloan said those most affected will be 'students who are relying on a part time job to pay their way at college.'

He said the action was being taken by lecturers, who 'would not jeopardise the future of our students' by allowing the cuts to be imposed.

He added that a well resourced, properly funded DkIT, was essential to economic development of this area.

Antoinette O'Rourke, Governing Body TUI representative added that students at DKIT were particularly vulnerable if scathing financial cuts were implemented.

'Many, myself included as a past pupil of the Institute, are the first generation of their family to go to college.'

Securing the future of DkIT was vital, she added, in ensuring that future generations will continue to be able to access high quality third level education.

The TUI were supported in their action by the DkIT Students Union, and nationally by the Students Union of Ireland.
Two government TDs in Louth yesterday rounded on Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams over recent comments he made about the Special Criminal Court and gangland.

Fine Gael's Peter Fitzpatrick and Labour's Ged Nash were hard-hitting in their comments about their constituency colleague, with Minister Nash asking what 'parallel universe' Mr Adams was inhabiting and Mr Fitzpatrick stating that 'no-one else' believes what the Sinn Fein leader is saying.

Mr Fitzpatrick said: 'There is no-one in this country who believes there is no gangland. Mr Adams is trying to get people to believe there's no gangland in Ireland while the reality is that the drugs problem in Ireland is orchestrated and organised by these criminal gangs'.

He said the proposed abolition of the Special Criminal Court would 'put the ordinary people who would have to make up juries (in the absence of the special court) in the firing line of these gangsters.

'Mr Adams said last week that the establishment of a witness protection programme would counter the scrapping of the special court, but that means asking people to relocate their homes and families away from Ireland because there is nowhere for them in this country. He is calling for the abolition of this court as he's trying to protect his 'good republican' friend.

'The Special Criminal Court has served this country well by dealing with people considered to be dangerous to the security of the State. People are rightly concerned by what Mr Adams is saying and it's a step too far'.

Meanwhile, Minister Nash said people would be left wondering 'not for the first time, which parallel universe Gerry Adams is inhabiting.

'We all know why Sinn Fein wants to see the abolition of the Special Criminal Court but it's bizarre that their party leader has chosen to place this at the centre of their election offering to the Irish people.

Only dangerous people need fear the Special Criminal Court system.

The plain fact of the matter is that if it were not for 'good republicans' like Slab Murphy; for the criminal gangs in Limerick, Dublin and elsewhere and for murderers who believed that they could take the life of a journalists like Veronica Guerin with impunity because they didn't like what she had written about them, we wouldn't need non-jury courts.

'Sinn Fein's pretence that their concerns about the Special Criminal Court are anchored in some kind of human rights agenda is stomach churning nonsense.

'Sadly, the fact is that this Republic needs them and we are in fact opening a second Special Criminal Court in April in foot of a recent government decision we made.

We can only conclude from these recent twisted comments that, for Sinn Fein, there is some kind of an acceptable level of violence and disorder in our communities'.

Fianna Fail candidate Declan Breathnach also condemned the comments, 'For anybody to say that there is 'no gangland', especially in the context of someone who is standing to represent the people of Louth, is to completely misrepresent the reality of life for many people across this county. Louth throughout the years has seen multiple murders, fuel laundering, robberies and other crimes as a result of gangland and dissident activity. The shocking and brutal murders in Dublin over the last few days demonstrate the need to retain the special criminal court.

'This is a time when we should be strengthening our justice system, not removing its powers. I am utterly appalled, but not surprised by Mr. Adams comments and he should apologise to the citizens of Louth who have suffered cross border gangland activity for years.'
The first Louth Family Carers Support Group will be launched this month to provide a service specifically for people who are caring for a family member.

There are currently 200,000 family carers in Ireland and that trend is widely predicted to grow in the years ahead.

Across Louth, in the 2011 Census there were 4,948 family carers identified; 1,068 of these carers report to be providing more than 43 hours of care per week.

As the number of carers has increased significantly in every census since, the question was asked in 2002, there is every likelihood that the upcoming Census 2016 figures are likely to show that there are in excess of 5,000 family carers living in Louth.

John Dunne CEO of the newly formed Family Carers Ireland stated, from personal experience, at their recent launch 'everybody is a family carer at some stage in their life.'

With no support group specific to family carers presently in Louth, a small group of people, who have been and currently are family carers, have come together to fill that void by setting up the Louth Family Carers Group.

Member Ciaran Briscoe, explains 'the group will be a place where carers can receive advice and support from fellow carers on how to, for instance, navigate the local support services and also ensure they are aware of the various resources and entitlements available.

Catherine McCabe adds 'it is widely acknowledged that the family carer can feel very lonely and isolated and one of the objectives of our support Group is to have an environment where the family carer can come, get support, and have a chat over a cup of tea and a biscuit.'

To mark their recent set up, the group, who hold monthly meetings in Drogheda's Barbican Centre on 2nd Monday at 7pm, have decided to have an open night where comprehensive information will be available to carers across a range of areas. It will also offer an outline of what the group intends to do over the next year plus an opportunity for those interested to join.

'The Louth Family Carers Group is cognizant, in developing its activities for the year ahead, that there are carers spanning the county of Louth; and therefore will not limit itself to just the largest urban centres of Drogheda and Dundalk but the entire county including the greater Ardee, Dunleer, Castlebellingham, Clogherhead, Termonfeckin and Collon areas,' said a spokesperson for the group.

The launch event, which is admission free and wheelchair accessible, takes place in the Castlewood Suite, Boyne Valley Hotel from 7 to 9pm on Friday, 19 February.

Refreshments will be served from 6.30pm. Anyone interested in joining the group or with any queries, please contact Winifred on 087 2815714 or email louthfamilycarers@gmail.com
Controversy has erupted around comments made by Gerry Adams in the wake of the shocking gun attack on the Regency Hotel in Dublin which left one man dead and two injured on Friday afternoon.

During a press conference on Sunday, Mr Adams said he did not believe that 'ganglands' existed and he spoke about how juries and witnesses would be protected if the Special Criminal Court was scrapped.

He said: 'First of all, if I can just say this, as a little matter which always irks me, there aren't any ganglands. There is lazy journalism which uses the word gangland as if these communities were lands that gangs inhabited.

'There are gangs and they are clearly ruthless, they're mercenary, they're greedy, they're very, very, very dangerous indeed'.

Asked how witnesses and jurors would be protected if there was no such court, the Louth TD said schemes are in place in other jurisdictions to ensure safety.

He said: 'In Britain, across the European Union and the USA, they have witness protection programmes and they deal with criminality and they bring those that are accused and they are subject to due process. There are measures which can be used to deal with all of that'.

He added: 'Our broad principle is that everyone has the right to a jury of their peers. I spent four and a half years imprisoned without any trial at all. Do you think that's fair?"

On Monday, the party's deputy leader, Mary Lou McDonald said there was confusion over the Louth TD's comments. She said: 'I'm happy - and he is too - to set the record straight.

She said she unreservedly condemned the 'actions of gangsters and thugs' and gardai must get the necessary resources to apprehend these people.

Ms McDonald said: 'But we mustn't fall into the trap of describing an area as 'gangland,' or, conceding for a second that any of our communities belong to them'. She added that this was the point Mr Adams was trying to make.
St. James' COI, Crinken - Worship Service for Sunday February 14th-The First Sunday in Lent: 11am - Morning Praise.

Rathmichael Church of Ireland

Services of Worship for Sunday February 14th- The First Sunday in Lent: 8.30am - Holy Communion; 11am - Family Service; 7pm - Holy Communion.

Shankill Bible Church

Shankill Bible Churchmeeet at Glen Maris House, Eaton Wood Grove, Shankill. Sunday Bible Hour -11.30 a.m. Bible Study, Mum's & Tots & Youth Challenge. Further information from 01-2115808, email: info@shankillbiblechurch.org; www.shankillbiblechurch.org.

St. Patrick's COI, Dalkey

Services of Worship for Sunday February 14th- The First Sunday in Lent: 9am - Eucharist; 10.15am - All Age Family Service. Tomorrow (Thursday): 10.30am Holy Communion with prayers for the sick.

Holy Trinity COI, Killiney

Services of Worship for Sunday February 14th - The First Sunday in Lent: 8.30am - Holy Communion; 10.45am - Morning Service. Midweek Service: Thursdays at 10.30am.

Rector's Surgery: Holy Trinity Rectory every Tuesday from 7pm to 8pm.

St. Anne's Parish

St. Anne's Resource Centre Hours: St. Anne's Resource Centre is open 9am to 8.30pm Monday to Thursday and on Friday from 9am to 3pm. Those requiring Baptism / Confirmation certificates or application forms for Baptism can obtain them during the above hours. Please note that the Parish Office is the only place where certificates and application forms can be processed.

Parish Office Hours: The Parish Office is open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and Friday from 9am to 3pm.

Mass Times: Mass is celebrated in St. Anne's Church at 10am and 7.30pm Monday to Friday, (except August & September). Weekend Mass times are Saturday 6.30pm Vigil Mass and on Sunday at 8am, (9am in St. Patrick's Church in St. Columcille's Hospital), 10.30am (Family Mass), 12 Noon, and 6pm. Confessions are heard on Saturdays after the 10am Mass, between 12.30pm and 1pm, and after the 6.30pm Mass. Mass is now broadcast on-line and can be viewed by logging onto the parish website:www.stannesparishshankill.com and then clicking onto video link.

Baptism Times: Baptisms take place in St. Anne's Church at 1pm on the 1st Sunday of the Month and at 5pm on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the Month. A month's notice is required. Please contact the St. Anne's Parish Office located in St. Anne's Resource Centre to make your arrangements. Please note that when visiting the Parish Office to arrange a baptism, the child's birth certificate should be brought as it necessary to photocopy it for the parish records but it will be returned immediately.

Pre Baptism Meetings: Pre Baptism Meetings are held on the last Thursday of every month for parents presenting their children for Baptism the following month.

Healing Mass: Will be celebrated this Saturday at 6.30pm in St. Anne's Church. The Celebrant will be Fr. Eamonn Monson, SAC.

Ash Wednesday: Today (Wednesday) is Ash Wednesday and a day of Fast and Abstinence. Blessed Ashes will be distributed at 10am and 7.30pm Masses. Ashes will also be available throughout the day in St. Anne's Resource Centre.

Cake Sale: Aisling Kelly, a Transition Year student in our Parish, will be hosting a cake sale this Sunday after the 10.30am and 12 Noon Masses in St. Anne's Resource Centre. All proceeds will go to Habitat for Humanity in Romania where Aisling will be travelling to. Your support will be greatly appreciated.

Bethany Bereavement Group: The Bethany Bereavement Group is a voluntary parish-based ministry who are trained to listen and to help the bereaved and grieving. The Group holds a Drop-in Centre on the First Friday of the Month at 10.30am in St, Anne's Resource Centre, and can be contacted via St. Anne's Resource Centre by calling 01-282 2704. The Bethany Bereavement Support Group are running a five week support programme on Monday evenings, next Monday until Monday March 14th from 8pm to 9.30pm. in St. Anne's Resource Centre. If you are feeling the pain of any loss, this series of meetings may offer support and consolation in a place where healing can begin. This is a free service provided by trained volunteers in the community. If you would like more information please call St. Anne's Resource Centre on 01-2822704.

Film Night: On Saturday February 27th at 7.30pm On the Big Screen in St. Anne's Resource Centre, "Deep in My Heart" , the story of Sigmund Romberg, featuring Jose Ferrer, Howard Keel, Gene Kelly,Jane Powell, Bic Deamone & Cyd Charisse. Admission Free.

A fabulous opportunity to visit Rome April 27th to May 2nd : Take a walk in the footsteps of a saint. Fr. Derry Murphy SAC is our wonderful guide and leader. For further details call Pat Maguire on 087- 7532780. Open to all parishioners.

Weekly Family Offering: The envelopes for 2016 have been distributed in the parish. If you did not receive your box of envelopes or would like to contribute in this way please contact the Parish Office from 9am to 12.30pm or call 01-282 2277.

Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes: Continues from last Friday to this Saturday. The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is tomorrow (Thursday). This Novena will be prayed at all Masses daily until Saturday. Novena leaflets are available in the Church.

Mary Kennedy Fitness Leagues: Fitness classes take place in St. Anne's Resource Centre every Tuesday at 2pm.

St. Anne's Parish Library: We are starting a lending library of spiritual/religious books in St. Anne's Resource Centre. If you have any books that you would like to donate please leave them into St. Anne's Resource Centre. Thank you.

Our Church Ministry Opportunities: To build up our Parish Community we would like everyone in our Parish to be involved in the church in some small way. We have many varied Ministry Opportunities within the Parish which you will find interesting and rewarding.

The Ministries are as follows: Altar Servers; Altar Society Flowers, Altar linen; Area Representatives - Baptism, Talk, Reception; Bereavement-Bethany Bereavement, Funeral Ministry; Collectors; Counters; Fund Raising; Evangelization-Adult Faith Development, Children's Sunday School, Faith Friends; Hospitality - Reception, Ushers, Teas; I.T.-I.T. computers, Web. Cam.;Liturgy-Liturgy Group, Mass Guide , Family Mass ; Music-Senior Choir, Junior Choir , Secret Choir, Cantor , Instrumental, Zapper; Newsletter; Parish Fair; Prayer-Prayer groups, Morning prayer, Adoration Chapel; Readers; Respite; Sacristy; Separated & divorced; Social Media; Social Outreach; St. Vincent de Paul Transport. If you would like to become more involved in our vibrant Parish, please register in the Parish Office or telephone 01 2822277.

Altar Society: The Altar Society comprises of parishioners who prepare and arrange floral displays for the Church each week, working either singly or in pairs. The use of fresh flowers enhances the church space especially the sanctuary, and these floral displays also help to reflect the changing Seasons of both the calendar year and the church's year. If you are interested in joining the Altar Society please call into the Parish Office.

Apostolic Work: Do you like sewing? Would you like to join a group making vestments and altar linens for missionary parishes? All materials supplied! We meet on Thursdays in the parish resource centre at 11am. Contact Kathie at 2823014 or just come along!

Church Choirs: Youth Choir sing at 10.30am Mass each Sunday. Adult Choir sing at 12.00noon Mass each Sunday. The Secret Choir sing at various events throughout the year. If you would like to join any of our Choirs please contact the Parish Office.

Suggestion Box: We now have a Suggestion Box in the church. We welcome suggestions/comments/ideas you may have with regard to improving our Parish Community. These suggestions will be brought to the Pastoral Council Meetings which are held monthly.

Men's Coffee Morning: The Men's Coffee Morning takes place every Friday from 10.30am to 11.30pm in St. Anne's Resource Centre. Please join us if you are free.

Pallotine Retreats to look out for in 2016: Lenten Retreat - Friday March 11th to Sunday March 13th-Healing of Mind and Heart to become Ministers of the Eucharist - led by Fr. Bernard Murphy, CFR. Friday May 20th to Sunday May 22nd-a Retreat with Fr. Pat Collins, CM. Sunday July 3rd to Friday July 9th-Six Day Summer Retreat-Experiencing the transforming effect of God's infinite Love and Mercy with St. Vincent Vincent Pallotti, led by Fr. Eamon Monson, SCA. For further information and bookings please contact Gretta/Aileen on 0504-21292; email-pallottine fathers@gmail.com;www.pallottines.ie. Weekend Retreats:145 - 6 Day Retreat:470.

Support Network for Separated, Divorced and Re-married People: A Support Network for Separated, Divorced and Re-married People has been set up and is open to people of any faith denomination. All are welcome to contact us by texting 087-3814213 or by emailing us at listeningear14@gmail.com. All communications will be guaranteed complete confidentiality and everyone will be warmly welcome.

Gluten Free Hosts: Gluten Free Hosts are available for Holy Communion. Please advise the Sacristan if you require one.

Facebook: St. Anne's Parish is now on Facebook. Search for St. Anne's Parish, Shankill; click on "pages" (left hand side under All Results); "like" the page; receive updates directly into your Facebook account.

St. Anne's Parish Website: The parish website is www.stannespcrishshakill.com

Active Retirement

The Shankill Active Retirement Association (SARA) meets at 3pm on the third Monday of the month in St. Anne's Resource Centre. New members always welcome. For further information call 01-2390937 or 086-3487516.

Book Sale

Despite last Saturday morning's rain, there was a large attendance at the February First Saturday Book Sale, which supports the Shankill Old Folks Association and Meals on Wheels, which took place from 10am to 1pm in the Shankill Old Folks Association Centre, Lower Road, Shankill. The March First Saturday Book Sale will take place in the same venue on Saturday March 5th between the same times so make a point of calling in that Saturday as it is a great way to pick up some excellent reading material at bargain prices. Donations of books, other than school/text books, accepted on the day.

Shankill Library

Opening hours for Shankill Library are 10am to 1pm and from 2 pm to 5pm on Mondays and Wednesdays and on alternate Fridays and Saturdays. The library is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2pm to 8pm. To renew or inquire about a book call 01-2827801 or Email:shankillib@dlrcoco.ie. The library will be closed this Friday but open on Saturday.

Historical Society

Last Wednesday night David Doyle was the guest speaker for the February meetingmbers of the Rathmichael Historical Society, the local history society for Shankill, Ballybrack / Killiney and surrounding area, in Rathmichael National School, at which he presented his lecture 'Rev. Thomas Goff of Carriglea'. The March meeting of the Society will take place at 8pm on Wednesday March 2nd in Rathmichael School at which Aideen Ireland will present her lecture ' Fanciful suggestions more suited to the poem of a Celtic bard that the prose of an English Law - The Broighter Hoard as Treasure Trove '. All welcome to attend.

In the interim members of the Society are invited to attend tonight's (Wednesday) 6pm meeting of the Old Dublin Society in the Conference Room of Dublin City Library & Archive, 138-144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2, at which Ms. Catherine Scuffil will present her lecture ' The South Circular Road, Dublin, on the eve of World War One '. Admission is free and all are welcome to attend.

Members are also invited to Friday night's 8.30pm meeting of the Enniskerry History Society in the Community Hall, Enniskerry Village, at which Judy Cameron will present her lecture 'Notable Enniskerry in the 19th Century '. All welcome - contribution 4.

ICA Guild

The Guild meets on the 2nd Monday of the Month at 3.30pm in St. Anne's Resource Centre. Craft Morning takes place in St. Anne's Resource Centre on Tuesday mornings from 10.30am and 12.30pm. Culture outings are held at different times throughout the year. New members always welcome - contact Patricia O'Connor at 2820733.

Action for a Green Earth

Following the launch of SAGE (Shankill Action for a Green Earth) last October, everyone is invited to come to a pre-election husting in St. Anne's Resource Centre tomorrow night (Thursday) at 7.45pm. All election candidates for the Dun Laoghaire constituency have been invited to come and present their position in relation to Climate Change in 3 minutes and how this will impinge on our local environment in Shankill, after which there will be an opportunity to question them and present our hopes and fears as well as to seek to influence policy.

Learn about Computers

Log On, Learn is a programme where a participating Transition Year student 'buddy's up' with a person from their local community to share their computer skills with them. Lessons take place in the school on Tuesdays from 11am until 1pm. Holy Child Killiney are now taking names for the next Log-on-Learn course, which will begin on Tuesday March 1st . Please contact the school on 2823120 for more detail.
Ailbe Dimond from Senior Infants in Gaelscoil Ui Cheadaigh is a finalist in the Doodle 4 Google competition

Two Bray boys are in the final of the 'Doodle 4 Google' competition...and they need your votes!

Ailbe Dimond is in Senior Infants in Gaelscoil Ui Cheadaigh and is in group one, while Jack Sheehy is in sixth class at St Cronan's and is in group three.

Voting opened this week and remains so until Sunday, February 14.

Ailbe's design includes a host of animals, including a heron he saw at the River Dargle.

The theme is inspired by the magic of Ireland. The animals are free and the salmon of knowledge is jumping out of the circle. The heron is trying to catch the salmon. The people are making the 'G' out of stones. The Irish are celebrating with the flag. The animals are going to the tree.

Principal Gearoidin Ni Bhaoill said that Aible is 'absolutely thrilled' to have been shortlisted.

Karl O'Broin of St Cronan's explained that if Jack wins, his doodle will appear on the Google homepage for 24 hourrs in March 2016.

He also stands to win a 5,000 college scholarship and the school would win a 10,000 technology grant.

To vote for the boys, google 'Doodle 4 Google' and click vote. In group one, Ailbe's is the third image down, and Jack's is the first image in group three.
An unused office building on the Boghall Road, formerly occupied by Dell

The reputation of Wicklow is so bad due to negativity that the IDA and others don't with to do business in the county, claimed Cllr Pat Vance.

Council officials have been in close contact with the IDA about developing business in Wicklow.

Senior Executive Officer Christine Flood said that they have had a lot of engagement with the IDA in recent times.

'A new person has been appointed to deal with Wicklow. He has a background in technology. He's very enthusiastic and determined.'

Cllr Joe Behan said that there are three vacant industrial sites on Boghall Road - Dell, AO Smith and Schering Plough.

'There were thousands employed there and now it's a waste land,' he said. 'We need more investments from outside areas, in particular the IDA. Every time I turn on the news I hear the minister announce 500 jobs in Cork, 600 in Mayo, and we never hear Wicklow being mentioned.'

Ms Flood said that while the local authority has very limited control over what the owner of a property might do, 'we do not control the properties but we can help to market them and encourage the development of turnkey space.'

Cllr John Brady said that there were just two IDA visits to sites in Wicklow last year.

Cllr Pat Vance said that this is 'because of the behaviour of public representatives in running down this county any opportunity they get. Causing untold damage to the county. We have so much to offer but this parochial attitude is not desirable.'

'I'm afraid they really do Google,' said Christine Flood, after John Ryan remarked that a web search can turn off a potential enterprise from the county.

'To counteract negativity we are developing a new website for Wicklow.ie. Part of that will be devoted to business and attracting investment.

Ms Flood said that opportunities for development include in particular tourism and the film business, with a spillover from Dublin.

'We also have an educated work force, good schools and transport. We have a lot to be proud of and it's just a question of selling that.'
Bishop Ray Browne who visited Boherbue Comprehensive last Wednesday to launch Catholic Schools Week pictured with the 4th Year Students who took part in the ceremony. Photo by Sheila Fitzgerald

Last week both Primary and Secondary Schools throughout Ireland celebrated Catholic Schools week during which pupils and staff honoured and rededicated themselves to all that is good in their schools.

To launch the event in the Diocese of Kerry, Bishop Ray Browne visited two Secondary Schools - Mercy Mounthawk in Tralee, and Boherbue Comprehensive.

This year's theme for Catholic School's week was "Challenged to proclaim God's Mercy" and the students at Boherbue took up the challenge at a moving ceremony which saw pupils from First and Fourth Years contribute with readings, music, song, and mime.

They placed symbols which highlighted ways to show mercy on a special tree which was used as a central focus for the service.

Local priests Fr. Jim Kennelly (Boherbue), Fr. Denis Stritch (Meelin & Rockchapel), Fr. Francis Manning (Newmarket), and Fr. Bart O Doherty (Dromtariffe) were also present for the ceremony.

Bishop Browne addressing those assembled praised the willing co-operation of all partners in education including Teaching and Support Staff, the Student Body, the Parents Council and all Parents, the Board of Management, local Community, and the Department of Education. "Education has a key role to play in any person's development, and every pupil gets the best chance to flourish and reach their full human potential" Bishop Ray said.

He urged the students to "show mercy to each other and try to help people at home and abroad, especially the poor and any people in great need, there is so much good in all our schools - believe in your contribution and continue to make it wholeheartedly" he added.

School Principal Mary O'Keeffe thanked Chaplain Fiona O' Donoghue for her creativity and hard work in organising the event, all the students who contributed, the local Priests who attended, and Bishop Ray for his "thought provoking and meaningful words".

Tomas Kenny (Post Primary Schools Advisor) in turn paid tribute to the students and staff of Boherbue Comprehensive School for their warm welcome and touching ceremony
A north Cork couple were left in such a terrified state after an aggravated burglary that they slept in their car and stayed with relatives as they were in fear of another attack in their home.

At Cork Circuit criminal court, the duo behind the aggravated burglary, who have five children, were both jailed for five years.

Detective Garda Padraig Reddington outlined the background to the case where John O'Donnell, aged 37, of Bansha, Co Tipperary, and Angelique Arundel, aged 30, of 54 Shannon Lawn, Mayfield, Cork, both pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary at the home of Frank Foley, of Churchtown, Mallow, Co Cork, between 10pm on August 28 and 2am on August 29, 2015.

Judge Sean O Donnabhain said the duo only pleaded guilty when they had seen the whites of the jurors' eyes last week, moments before their trial was due to commence.

Mr Foley and his wife, who is O'Donnell's sister, woke to the sound of breaking glass and were then faced with the sight of O'Donnell in their bedroom armed with a sledgehammer, and Arundel carrying an iron bar.

As reported in The Irish Examiner, Judge Sean O Donnabhain said the duo only pleaded guilty when they had seen the whites of the jurors' eyes last week, moments before their trial was due to commence.

The court heard that Mr Foley and his wife, who is John O'Donnell's sister, woke to the sound of breaking glass.

They then saw Mr O'Donnell in their bedroom with a sledgehammer and Arundel was carrying an iron bar. Mr O'Donnell demanded 3,000 in cash the following day and 200 there and then.

Det Gda Reddington told the court that Mr O'Donnell told them that he would burn down their house and if he called the Gardai, he would have a gun with him the next time.

"They were in huge fear they would return again," he said.

The couples barristers apologised for the aggravated burglary.

The judge said that, in light of previous convictions, the duo would have merited a sentence of 10 years each if they had been convicted by a jury.

Arundel was jailed for five years.

O'Donnell was sentenced to seven years with the last two years suspended.

Seven men and five women were sworn as a jury for the case last week but the trial never went ahead as the pair asked to be re-arraigned and changed their pleas to guilty.

The particulars of the aggravated burglary charges were that O'Donnell caused criminal damage at Mr Foley's home while armed with a sledgehammer, while Arundel caused damage while armed with an iron bar.

Judge Sean O Donnabhain directed preparation of a victim impact statement for yesterday, and noted from this report that the defendants had put the victims in very real fear.
A 22 year old North Cork man has been remanded in custody for sentence after he pleaded guilty last week to the manslaughter of a homeless man in Cork city last year.

Daniel O'Sullivan from Carrowkeel in Mallow pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to unlawfully killing 37 year old Frenchman, Vincent Morgain, in Cork city on September 10 last.

A native of Brittany, Mr Morgain died in the Mercy University Hospital on September 15, 2015 following injuries sustained in an assault on Lower Oliver Plunkett Street some five days earlier.

Mr Morgain, who had worked as a chef in Killarney until he fell on hard times, had moved to Cork and was staying at the Simon Hostel on Anderson Quay in Cork city at the time of his death.

Last Thursday at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, defence barrister Elizabeth O'Connell BL said that her client was anxious to be sentenced for the crime at the current criminal sittings.

However, prosecution barrister Donal O'Sullivan BL said it would not be possible, for logistical reasons, to finalise the matter during the current sittings, which run until February 26. The court required a Victim Impact Statement from Mr Morgain's family, who live in France, and arrangements must be put in place to allow them travel to Cork for the sentencing hearing, he said.

Judge Sean O Donnabhain adjourned the matter until April 21 for sentence and remanded O'Sullivan, with an address at Carrowkeel in Mallow, in custody to appear again on that date.

He also recommended that O'Sullivan receive whatever counselling is deemed necessary while in prison on foot of an application by Ms O'Connell, who said her client was finding prison difficult.
A north Cork man was the 'leader' of a gang who staged fake car crashes that saw 165,000 paid out in three frauds.

Last week, Tommy Maher (52) of Scarteen, Newmarket, but who is originally from Doneraile, offered to pay back had 25,000 of the money, Judge Sean O'Donnabhain heard at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

The court heard that the former insurance consultant put his knowledge of the industry into organising six fake car accidents.

Donal O'Sullivan, BL said towards the end of the evidence that Mr Maher had 25,000 to pay back in respect of the elaborate scam.

As reported in The Irish Examiner, Judge O'Donnabhain was about to sentence Mr Maher and asked if the money was in court and Mr O'Sullivan said it would be available on Monday.

The judge put an abrupt halt to the sentencing at that point and said to the barrister: "Your lad might be from Doneraile but this is not Cahirmee," referring to the famous annual horse-trading event.

Det Sgt Sean Leahy and Sgt Noel Madden gave evidence of a Garda investigation, code-named Operation Nascar, co-ordinated by the Organised Crime Unit at Anglesea St Garda Station. This looked into six accidents staged for the purpose of making fraudulent insurance claims.

There were staged accidents at Redbarn Cross in Youghal on April 20, 2011, at Clash West in Leamlara on June 18, 2011, and at Model Farm Rd in Cork City on February 17, 2011.

The court heard the same modus operandi was used in each case. As reported in The Irish Examiner, eight or nine people met up before an accident, travelled to the scene in two cars, everyone got out except the driver of one car who crashed into an empty car in front. The passengers then jumped in and calls were made to gardai and the ambulance service, and complaints of soft tissue injuries such as whiplash were reported to the emergency services who arrived at the scene.

This was followed up by claims against insurance companies including, Axa, Aviva, and Quinn (Liberty).

As soon as the insurers agreed to settle the cases and pay out various sums, rather than having the cases contested in court, the passengers were advised to take what was offered and pass it on to the organisers who would give them a percentage of the payment.

"They were recruited prior to the traffic accident and told to go to the scene where the cars would collide and they would hop in after the accident," Det Sgt Leahy said.

"Maher was the leader of this gang," said Det Sgt Leahy.

A total of 165,000 was paid out in the three frauds against the insurance companies and 121,000 remains outstanding.

In total, 50 arrests were made in the investigation of the six accidents. Mr Maher was to have the money in court by Thursday, February 11.
Mattock Rangers Active Retirement in Collon have some major stars coming to the club in March.

The Army Band of the 2nd Brigade are appearing in Concert, supported by local country singing star Matt Leavy, the renowned Collon School Choir, plus Paddy and Oliver Reilly.

The concert is in Mattock Rangers Community Centre on 4th March at 7pm. sharp. Admission Adults 10 and children 5.

The army band have a pretty local look to them. A number of the members are from the region and the conductor of the band is Captain John Carpenter.

His parents emigrated from Meath and Donegal emigrated to Australia in the 70s and Captain John was born there, but returned to Ireland with huge musical qualifications.

John's late father was Nicholas Carpenter who was a member of Mattock Rangers Club, so in many ways he's coming back home.

Plenty of tickets for sale via the committee.
Sister Vincent Ryan MMM was born Mary Ryan in Dublin in 1924 and joined the Medical Missionaries of Mary in 1943.

After profession she trained as a nurse-midwife.

In 1953 she was assigned to Nigeria and served in Afikpo for four years as matron and nursing tutor. She then trained as a midwifery tutor and returned to Nigeria, where for the next twelve years she was midwifery tutor, matron, and in charge of the maternity section.

Sister Vincent was also acting hospital secretary for nine months during the Biafran War.

In 1970 she returned to Ireland and served in MMM leadership for five years before appointment as midwifery tutor in the IMTH.

From 1977 to 1981 she was in charge of the house of studies in Rosemount and guided young women in their early years in MMM. She was matron in Waterford Maternity Hospital for two years and then served six more years in MMM leadership for Ireland and England.

For almost fourteen years Sister Vincent was involved in organisational development in the IMTH and was on the building committee for the nursing facility, Aras Mhuire. Sister Vincent moved to the Motherhouse in 2011 and to the nursing facility, Aras Mhuire, in 2012 for nursing care. She died there peacefully on 4 February 2016.
Are Mid Louth and East Meath being ignored in favour of the more 'high profile' town candidates in this year's general election?

Nobody from the Ardee Municipal District council (including Ardee, Collon and Dunleer) or the Laytown/Bettystown area council, taking in some 14,700 voters, are standing (or have been allowed to stand) for that big date at the end of February.

And ultimately, it is the voters in those areas that will suffer the consequences.

Just last Thursday night, at the area meeting in Ardee, the big debate was again the lack of the bypass for the town.

It has been 'shovel ready' for years - just missing a big local voice to force a few hands.

Gone are the days when the likes of Dunleer-based Padraig Faulkner held sway as a minister and got things done for the area, the same said of Monasterboice man PS Donegan. True characters.

The councillors urged that they unite on the matter and asked people to tackle those on their doorsteps seeking votes about the bypass.

Dunleer train station, despite all the efforts by a voluntary group and plenty of meetings with political figures, remains closed.

The need for a 'go to' TD in their own midst has always been a factor.

The lack of major investment in industry in Ardee has been apparent for years, it's an old topic that has never progressed, once again a local voice missing on the subject.

It seems a world away, but what impacts on the people in Ardee and Reaghstown also takes in those resident in Bettystown and Laytown and Mornignton.

They too can only think back about the days when Minister Jimmy Tully had such an influence in this area.

The whole change in the constituency basically threw East Meath in at the back end of Louth and that was that.

Bettystown is one of Ireland's newest towns, a 10,000 population, but without the national representation it needs, it remains a 'no-man's land' of sorts.

Even if a major party selected someone here, they would need to 'cross the border' to claim votes in Ardee, Collon, Dromiskin, Termonfeckin, Dromiskin and the rest. That is madness.

Could they make a bid to get East Meath back into Meath proper - but would that see Louth become a four-seater? Hardly too many TDs would vote for that.

The present TDs and the ones seeking election will quite rightly claim that they represent the entire county, but it's human nature that they'll always have their own backyard as number one and it's the local party councillors who will dig them out when issues come up.

How present and future politicians in East Meath make an impact on the national stage remains to be seen.

It would take one remarkable individual to capture every vote in the region.

But with all the talk of closer links between Drogheda and East Meath - boundary wise - has the time come for those based in the south of the constituency to contest the next Drogheda Municipal elections, take a seat and build a profile north and south of the Boyne?

It would be high risk in some eyes, but surely the only way to progress given the present arrangements.

Could Stephen McKee be well placed to do it for Fianna Fail, or Eimear Ferguson for Sinn Fein. Sharon Tolan may be seen as the future of Fine Gael in Drogheda/East Meath. Is the time coming for big decisions all round?

One person who did seek to make an impact in mid Louth was Dolores Minogue, but she lost out to Dundalk and Drogheda based candidates on the Fine Gael ticket.

She has been outspoken in her views, feeling the party ignored the wishes of a lot of mid Louth people.

'Mid Louth deserves a chance. It is now a very big area and we have no TD based here,' she stated. 'People are upset and I think the TDs going around these placesand in East Meath, will be asked where is our local candidate. Bernard Markey was the last FG TD here 35 years ago. That's too long.'

Cllr Sharon Tolan in East Meath was also touted as a FG possibility, but she too didn't make it.

Will the landscape change in the years ahead, those in Ardee, Dunleer, Bettystown and Laytown will hope so. They exist too.
Sharon Keogan knows her electorate, but can she convince enough of them to back her election bid in the three-seater Meath East constituency.

She sowed the seeds of her fight for a seat in the months before the last local elections in 2014.

Not only did she campaign strongly in Laytown/Bettystown - winning a seat - but she fell 11 votes short of being elected in the Ashbourne district as well!

It just showed what a force Team Keogan can be and she'll be disappointed if she doesn't poll well in a few weeks time.

However, the money is going on the established parties with Regina Doherty and Helen McEntee favoured to return for Fine Gael and Senator Thomas Byrne from Fianna Fail with them.

That would edge out Labour's Dominic Hannigan who actually topped the poll last time.

Both Byrne and Hannigan, who have strong Drogheda links, are fighting hard campaigns and in the end it might be a transfers battle.

There are other possibilities too. Darren O'Rourke of Sinn Fein has built himself a high profile and Ben Gilroy from Direct Democracy Ireland is another one not shy of publicity.

Like Louth/East Meath, candidates have been challenged on the key issues, jobs, childare' health and the economy. That won't change.
A man who set his dog on gardai and stabbed officers who arrived at his Termonfeckin home on foot of a search warrant was given a three and a half year sentence at Dundalk Circuit Court.

The court was told that gardai arrived at the house in Sunhill, Termonfeckin on 22nd May 2015 to execute a search warrant

Outside the house there was a strong smell of cannabis and gardai could hear the noise of a fan coming from the attic of the house.

Initially they had some difficulty gaining access to the house, but upon entering were met by Keith Plummer (40) who was in his underwear. He began shouting 'someone must have ratted on me' and was holding a large silver knife in his hand.

When one of the officers went to restrain him, he shouted 'Attack Chico' and a dog which was described as a pit bull jumped up and bit him on the arm.

He felt the dogs teeth go right through to the bone, and the garda was forced to let go of Plummer while he punched the dog and tried to get it to release the bite.

The court heard that the accused also stabbed the garda, leaving him with a scar on his face and wrist.

Another officer came on the scene and used his pepper to try and bring the accused under control. But he too was bitten by the dog, and after Plummer wildly swung the knife at him he felt knife wounds in his knee.

The third officer was also stabbed in the hand and suffered an injury to his Achilles tendon when he tried to restrain the accused who was shouting 'Garda b******s, you're not coming in here. No one is coming in here.'

The court heard Plummer began to retreat after the pepper spray took effect.

Victim impact statements were read to the court which outlined the psychological and physical impact on them of the assaults. All three attended counselling and two were diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder.

The first garda has had to have surgery on his knee and only has 70 per cent power in the arm the dog bit.

The second garda has a permanent scar on his leg from the bite and his knee injury has effected his ability to play sport. The third garda has ongoing problems with his achilles tendon.

Plummer had more than 8,000 worth of cannabis plants growing in the attic of the house and at the time was a heavy abuser of cannabis, it was said.

The court heard that investigating gardai accepted the cannabis was for his own use.

Plummer publicly and fully apologised to the gardai for his actions and his barrister said he could not explain why he reacted as he did. He had stopped taking prescribed medication for depression and was self-medicating and had abusing cannabis,

Although born in Ireland he moved to the UK with his parents and spent most of his life incarcerated there before returning to Ireland in 2009.

Judge O'Shea said the assaults were vicious, violent and savage and he imposed 3 and a half year terms for each one. He jailed him for 12 months for having the cannabis and 3 years for producing the knife. All are to run concurrently.
Four men involved in the sale and supply of drugs in the Drogheda area have been jailed for a total of 32 years.

But the circuit court in Dundalk last week heard that those who acquired the drugs, stated to be worth in the region of 600,000, and who organised the transport and delivery have not yet been brought to justice.

The four were arrested following an extensive Garda operation, directed by the Garda National Drugs Unit, which looked into drug supply in the Drogheda area in 2014.

Gardai were tailing a car belonging to Paul O'Donoghue, 25 Marian Villas, Laytown and on April 4 2014, officers saw him drive into Bessexwell Lane in Drogheda where he was handed a pink plastic bag.

Graham Tully (58), whose address was given at Apartment 6, Malthouse, Bessexwell Lane, Drogheda was identified as the man who stored the drugs and 'handed them out to couriers'.

Ciaran Nally (30), from Laytown was a passenger in the car, which was then followed to the rear car park of the Monasterboice Inn, where Nally was seen to hand over the bag to the driver of a British registered car.

Gardai followed the car and Michael Millen (30), from Belfast, was driving when he stopped by Gardai at junction 14 on the M1 motorway. He was arrested for having drugs for sale or supply.

The next day, O'Donoghue returned to Bessexwell Lane and Tully placed an object into the boot and sat beside him. Gardai, who saw the transaction, moved in and arrested the pair.

The cocaine from the M1 seizure had a street value of over 139,000, and the amount recovered from the boot of O'Donoghue's car was worth almost 70,000.

Cocaine found in Tully's apartment had a street value of around 450,000.

Counsel for Millen told the court his client - who had no previous convictions, had a severe drug addiction at the time, and had believed he was transporting cash.

He added that an attempt was made on Millen's life when he was shot in his home in Belfast, when his wife was holding their young child and security had to be discussed in relation to his court appearances. The gun involved was later found in Dublin and he is 16 months drug-free

Nally's barrister said his client was banned from driving at the time and was getting a lift when he 'was swept along with what happened', and while he thought the packages contained 'weed' he'd no idea of the value.

O'Donoghue's barrister said his client's total role of was that of courier and Tully was required to keep drugs in his home and pass them out, over a drug debt that he owed to a criminal gang.

Tully's sister said her brother had suffered depression and alcoholism and is the father of two grown-up children.

Judge Michael O'Shea said the men played an important role in the transportation and couriering of the drugs for the 'evil trade' and all four 'shared difficulties' in their backgrounds.

He said that in many ways their involvements were 'naive' but added drugs 'cause chaos and destruction' in families and communities.

He jailed Millen, Nally and O'Donoghue for six years each, but suspended the last three years of each of their sentences.

He imposed an eight year sentence on Tully, with the last three years suspended.
There will be a free lecture in Bunclody Library this Thursday night, February 11, at 7pm.

The lecture by Chris Dooley, the Foreign Editor with the Irish Times and author of 'Redmond A Life Undone' will talk about John Redmond.

During the talk Chris will focus on Redmond and the Irish Party's response to the Easter Rising. Redmond described the Rising as 'wicked' and 'insane' and regarded it as a major setback to the cause of Irish independence.

Those views appear very out of step with majority thinking now, but at the time Redmond was reflecting the popular view. Chris will place Redmond's life and times in context. His book brings to life seven pivotal years in Irish history, when the campaign for Home Rule seized the nation and brought Ireland to the brink of a negotiated settlement with Britain.

In this free talk Chris will challenge some of the myths about John Redmond. To book your place contact the library on 053 9375466.
An author from Balbriggan who has just published a new novel called 'Citizens' will be on hand at the Greenbean Novel Fair this year to dispense advice to other aspiring writers.

Kevin Curran is a former winner at the fair and this year's twelve short-listed prize winners has just been announced.

Ahead of the Fair, the finalists were taking part in a 'Prep Day' for the fair to hone their skills, practise their pitches and gain expert advice from this year's judging panel.

Former winner Kevin Curran, who has just released his second novel 'Citizens', was there offering a winner's insight.

'Citizens' is the new novel from Kevin Curran who is back after the success of his debut novel, 'Beatsploitation'.

Weaving events that happen one hundred years apart, his new novel is an historical epic with a contemporary twist that provides a razor-sharp commentary on the state of modern Ireland.

Publishers, Liberties Press describe the unique plot of the book book, saying: 'Ireland has failed, and if you're in your twenties, you're getting out. Neil, twenty-six, unemployed and disillusioned with the country, is leaving.

'But having deferred his flight to attend his grandfather's funeral, he's now stuck behind, aiding his grieving grandmother.

His girlfriend left for Canada a month ago. Once he gets what has been bequeathed to him, he'll join her.

'Meanwhile, in the Dublin of 1916, Harry Casey is a Pathe newsreel cameraman with a 'cinemachine' and four reels ready to capture the events of Easter Week. However, war destroys even the best-laid plans, and what starts out as an artistic endeavour becomes a subversive challenge to the new republic's hierarchy.Before Neil can leave for Canada, his grandmother asks him to read his great-grandfather Harry Casey's recently discovered memoirs.'

Neil faces a choice between the past and the future that will have far-reaching consequences for the rest of his life.

'Citizens' is out now.
A Fingal hotelier has been honoured by Failte Ireland for his efforts in marketing Ireland to tourists abroad.

Matthew Ryan is a director of the Grand Hotel in Malahide and the Marine Hotel in Sutton and his work in attracting tourists to Ireland has been officially recognised by Failte Ireland who named him as a 'Conference Ambassador', recognising in particular, he and his company's efforts in attracting business visitors to the country for conferences.

Failte Ireland has honoured 79 'Conference Ambassadors' at its inaugural Conference Ambassador Recognition Awards ceremony at the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham.

Hosted by comedian Dara O Briain, the event acknowledged that the Ambassadors had delivered a collective total of almost 73,000 international delegates to Dublin between 2011 and 2014, injecting over 101m into the economy.

Honoured for his Outstanding Contribution to Business Tourism Industry was Matthew Ryan, Director of the Grand Hotel in Malahide and Marine Hotel in Sutton.

Matthew has chaired the Business Tourism Working Group since it's inception, a key Failte Ireland group of business tourism industry leaders, since 2007.

The Business Tourism Working Group is the collective voice for business tourism where industry stakeholders provide vital input for the implementation of Failte Ireland's business tourism strategy for Ireland.
An all new a la carte menu has been introduced at the Bracken Grill Restaurant in Balbriggan's Bracken Court Hotel this week.

Designed by Head Chef James Whelan, and featuring seasonal, locally sourced fresh produce, the menu is best described as modern European cuisine. Seasonal change is interpreted with original flair, delivering a real gourmet experience in a beautiful dining room setting.

Fitting for the coastal town is the inclusion of spectacular fish dishes, including Blue Swimmer Crab Salad, Creamed Seafood Chowder, and Hot Prawn Cocktail with Brandy Sauce to start.

Main course seafood from the grill includes a robust Seared Yellow Fin Tuna, a Fillet of White Cod with Beetroot Mash Potatoes and Parmesan and Chive Cream, or mouth-watering Caramelised Scallops with Crispy Pancetta, and a Pea and Mint Puree. For the meat-eaters, Fillet of Prime Irish Beef, Stuffed Fillet of Pork, Slow Cooked Beef Cheek in a Rich Red Wine Stock, and Grilled Loin of Bacon are sure to please. There are plenty of options for the meat eaters too with a dozen main courses to choose from a range of seasonal 'sides' as well as delicious breads and deserts.

Head Chef at the Bracken Court Hotel, James Whelan, has a fine pedigree in fine dining, having trained and worked across the UK and Ireland in renowned restaurants and hotels. The Dublin born chef worked at Dublin's 5 Star Fitzwilliam Hotel, where he was Head Chef of Peacock Alley Restaurant. Mentored by Conrad Gallagher, Whelan helped maintain the restaurant's Michelin Star rating and cooked for visiting dignitaries including the U.S President. At the Bracken Court Hotel, James Whelan will extend his vision of excellent casual and elegant dining, using the freshest locally produced food, and delivering real quality menus, comprising old world food with a refreshing modern twist. The Bracken Grill Restaurant is open daily until 10pm. Advance bookings for weekends and special occasions are essential and can be made on 01-8413333.
Stephen Taylor is presented with his Honorary Life Membership by Group Leader, Colin Lynch

Malahide Sea Scouts have honoured one of its longest serving leaders Stephen Taylor, by bestowing on him Honorary Life Membership of the group.

Stephen who joined the group as a Scout in 1975 has been a member and Sea Scout Leader for some 41 years, 21 of which was as Skipper of the Friday Troop.

The presentation was made by Group Leader, Colin Lynch in front of a gathering of over one hundred leaders at the annual leaders quiz night and social gathering.

Present to witness the presentation was Stephen's wife Melanie as well as his mother and his father who is also an Honorary Member of the group.

Since its inception in 1975 just fourteen people have been made honorary members of the group .

Notable recipients include President of Ireland, Cearbhall O'Dalaig, television Presenter Eamonn Andrews and former Chief Scout and Flag Officer Commanding the Naval Service, Commodore Tom McKenna, along with others who have given profound service to the group over many years .

Stephen has in recent years been a stalwart of Scouting Ireland at a National level and is just completing his second term as National Water Activities Commissioner.

He has been central to the development of sea scouting nationally and in the evolving of programme and support services to Sea Scout groups around the country.

Presenting Stephen with the award, Group Leader, Colin Lynch recounted many of Stephen's exploits as a leader in the group and the countless young people whom he influenced during his many years of service.

Sadly, Stephen is departing with his family for pastures new in the United States, but this award ensures that he will always be a member of Malahide Sea Scouts.

Sea scouting in Malahide goes back a very long way. In 1919, sea scouting in Malahide was officially registered at The Boy Scout Association. The group was then known as the 4th Port of Dublin Sea Scouts Local Association.

After the foundation of the state in 1922 many sea scouts groups associated with the RN Coastguard closed. In 1934 the 4th Port of Dublin was re-registered to Dodder Sea Scouts in Ringsend.

Fast forwarding to 1968, and the Malahide troop gained its current moniker of the 9th Port of Dublin Sea Scouts.

They would be known as 'the modern troop'.

There were two leaders and 22 boys in the early days of that troop but sea scouting soon flourished in Malahide with the building of new housing estates around the town in the 1970s.

Sea scouting has been thriving in the coastal town every since and there are many long-serving and committed leaders that continue to drive the troop forward.
A new group called Swords Community First Responders which aims at saving lives in the county capital by providing fast first response to emergency situations, is to have its first public meeting this month.

You are invited to the first Public meeting of a Swords Community First Responders (CFR) on Tuesday February 23 at 7.30pm sharp until 9.30pm. It will be held in The Old Schoolhouse on Church Road.

The voluntary group was set up in December 2015 and Claire Ahern is the Chairperson. Ms Ahern said: 'We currently have a small but dedicated committee. All are trained in emergency care and professional persons working in the Dublin area but residing in Swords.

'On the night we will have a representative from CFR Ireland who will detail the role of CFR nationwide as a voluntary trained on-call group who operate in conjunction with the National Ambulance Service. Our group may save a life in the Swords area. Early CPR and defibrillation greatly increase the victim's chance of surviving a cardiac arrest.

'Our aim is to help members in our community who require a rapid response to a cardiac arrest, stroke, chest pain etc.'

The public meeting is open to all and the group will be seeking volunteers and committee members from the Swords area. Donations will also be accepted on the night. and the group has applied for grant aid from the council.
A Balbriggan man who left a garda with life altering leg injuries when he jammed him between a stolen car and a patrol vehicle has been jailed for seven years.

Patrick McDonagh (26) of Bath Road, Balbriggan, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to causing serious harm to Gda Ciaran Murrihy at Clonuske Rise, Hamlet Lane, Balbriggan on August 29, 2015.

He further pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment of Gda Murrihy, assaulting Garda Stephen Hughes and Garda Vincent Turley and unlawful use and criminal damage of a vehicle at the same location and date.

Garda Murrihy, who is still in a wheelchair, described in his victim impact statement how he was 'haunted' by the vision of McDonagh driving the stolen car directly at him seconds later while he was lying on the ground.

Gda Murrihy said he had since gone from being a proud garda and active father-of-two, to feeling 'useless'.

'I was so active and now I spend all day, every day doing nothing...It was not meant to be like this,' he said in the statement read out in court by Sergeant Padraig Lynch.

Gda Murrihy outlined how he had been in a 'good place' in his 14-year career and had loved the way his children saw him as 'their big, strong dad'.

He also paid tribute to his wife, who he said helped him with everything. He described missing work and his formerly busy lifestyle and added that he now only had medical appointments to plan for.

He said McDonagh 'stole my life from me and has left me with so little'.

McDonagh has 19 previous convictions, including drunk driving, robbery and aggravated burglary.

Judge Martin Nolan imposed the seven year sentence on the most serious charge.

He imposed a concurrent sentence of three and a half years for the offence of assaulting Gda Hughes. The sentences will date from August 31, 2015 when McDonagh went into custody.

Sgt Lynch told Kathleen Noctor BL, prosecuting, that Gda Murrihy, Gda Hughes and Garda Lucy Woods spotted the stolen Citroen parked in the estate.

He said McDonagh reversed the vehicle as the gardai approached it on foot from either side and crashed into the patrol car behind, jamming Gda Murrihy. Gda Murrihy fell on the ground as the Citroen continued moving backwards over his ankle.

McDonagh then drove the vehicle forward while Gda Murrihy was on the ground and sped around the corner into a cul-de-sac, where he crashed the car into a wall and attempted to flee on foot.

He assaulted Gda Turley as he was being arrested and made no admissions during interview, but entered an early guilty plea.

Sgt Lynch accepted that the incident happened very quickly when Garnet Orange SC, defending, suggested it was like 'something in a bad movie'. Mr Orange submitted that his client had been intoxicated on drugs and had not been fully aware of what was going on that night, but had not set out to deliberately harm the gardai.
The heartbroken brother of a man stabbed to death in Skerries has said he lost 'a cracking brother' as the man who killed Michael Gannon was found not guilty of his murder by reason of insanity.

Speaking outside the court, Mr Gannon's brother Patrick said that his brother would do anything for anyone. He said: 'He was a hard worker and would do anything for anyone. He was a cracker of a father and a cracker of a brother.

Dragos Nica, of Mourne Park in Skerries had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the murder of Michael Gannon (55) at Mourne Park on November 14, 2013. The trial heard that Mr Nica had formed the belief that Mr Gannons daughter Jade, had poisoned him.

The jury heard that, Mr Nica, who has lived in Ireland for 19 years, claimed he woke on the morning of November 14, 2013 with a numb finger and that his upper arm was 'bubbling up'. The court heard that the accused said: 'I was freaking and panicking but I was going to take it out on the world.'

Mr Nica claims he armed himself with a second knife before going to Jade's house. Mr Gannon was babysitting his daughter Jade's two young children and a neighbour's child at Jade's house in Mourne Park, next door to Mr Nica's house. Mr Gannon was making dinner when one of the children told him a man was looking in the window of the living-room. Mr Gannon went to investigate, opened the door and the accused man was there. The jury were told that Mr Gannon was stabbed and died within a few feet of the stabbing.
A Fingal County Councillor and the brother of slain journalist, Veronica Guerin, has said successive Governments over the last 20 years have 'let down the memory of Veronica' by failing to tackle gangland crime in Dublin, in the wake of a brutal murder at the Regency Hotel, last week.

In a strongly worded statement, Fingal County Councillor and candidate for the General Election in Fingal's neighbouring constituency of Dublin Bay North, Cllr Jimmy Guerin, said: 'When it comes to crime, have no concerns about the gender issue, it appears that no elected member of the Dail in the last twenty years has any ba**s at all.'

He added: 'Fianna Fail are correct when they say that the Government should take some of the blame for what happened on our streets on Friday which saw a man gunned down in a Dublin hotel. Fianna Fail is as much if not more to blame for the way organised crime has terrorised our people in the last twenty years.'

Cllr Guerin explained: 'In 1996 when Veronica and Det. Garda Gerry McCabe were shot dead in broad daylight as the went about their work there was public outrage and the then Fianna Gael-led Government promised to make the necessary resources available to tackle crime.

'In the last twenty years criminal gangs have emerged much stronger and more ruthless that ever before and every government since 1996 has failed to tackle crime. Successive Governments have let down the memory of Veronica and Gerry McCabe by failing to provide the resources required to beat the gangs.'

The local councillor went on: 'In 1996 when then Taoiseach John Bruton addressed the Dail in relation to Veronica's terrible murder there was all party support for what he said.

'Politicians on all sides of the house united and sent a clear signal to the criminals. You will have nowhere to hide; the full resources of the State will be used to smash organized crime. The criminals laughed as they sipped their drinks in the sun.

'Criminals knew it was all PR, criminals knew that as soon as the heat died down it would be business as usual they were right. The truth is that those politicians who promised to smash crime cared more about party politics than they did about addressing the crime issue.'

Cllr Guerin said he was shocked at the latest gang land shooting to have taken place close to where he was canvassing in Dublin Bay Norh. Jimmy is an Independent General Election candidate in the community that has been affected by what he called 'this latest act of savagery'.

He concluded: 'This shooting just highlights how fearless the criminals are of being apprehended and reinforces the need for more resources being made available to Gardai.'
A man who is alleged to have produced a firearm during an alleged early morning road rage incident in Rush has sent forward to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to face trial by judge and jury.

Aleksandrs Rodjukovs (34) appeared before Balbriggan District Court where he was served with the Book of Evidence. It is alleged that just after midnight on May 7, an alleged traffic incident took place. It is alleged the injured party shouted at the defendant from the window of his car. The defendant is alleged to have pulled his car in behind the alleged injured party's car and allegedly produced a firearm and allegedly threatened the man.

Rodjukovs was arrested on November 17 and charged. He made 'no reply' after caution. Rodjukovs, of Mall House, Kilbush Lane in Rush, is charged with the production of a 9mm blank firing semi-automatic firearm and being in unauthorised possession of 9mm blank cartridges at Lower Main Street in Rush in May.

Judge Dermot Dempsey had previously refused jurisdiction to have the case heard at District Court due to the seriousness of the charges and sent Rodjukovs forward to appear before Court 5 at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on February 26.

The defendant has not yet indicated how he will plead. Judge Dempsey gave the defendant the alibi warning, cautioning him he has 14 days to provide to the State details of anyone he proposes calling as witnesses in his defence. He remanded Rodjukovs on continuing bail until that date.
Malahide Castle is an example of some of the fine heritage buildings in Fingal

With the launch of a new tourism strategy for the county, last year, Fingal's heritage properties are being seen as an increasingly important part of the region's tourist offering and new cash from the Department of the Environment is being funnelled into the repair of heritage buildings and protected structures right around the country.

Fine Gael TD for Dublin Fingal, Alan Farrell, has welcomed funding of 43,750 for heritage projects in Fingal.

he said: 'This funding announced by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys is a great boost for heritage projects in Dublin Fingal.

'Seven projects in the North County will receive investment, under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme for 2016.

'This funding will allow for the conservation and repair of heritage buildings in Malahide, Swords, Kinsealy, Skerries, Lusk, Rush and Balbriggan.'

Speaking about the roll-out of funds for the scheme, nationwide, Deputy Farrell said: 'A wide range of properties nationwide will benefit from funding under this scheme, including residential homes, town houses, railway stations, churches, country houses and other heritage buildings.

'The scheme follows a similar model to the Built Heritage Jobs Leverage Scheme, which proved to be very successful in 2014.'

The Fine Gael TD added: 'It is expected this new scheme will leverage an additional 8 million in private funds nationally and will generate employment in the conservation and construction industries nationwide and here in Dublin Fingal.

'Heritage buildings and protected structures are a vital part of Dublin Fingal and the Government is committed to supporting their conservation. '

Minister Humphreys said: 'This investment scheme will support the conservation of heritage buildings and jobs in the conservation sector right across the country. The 2 million investment will leverage an additional 8 million in private sector funds and will stimulate labour intensive projects nationwide.

'Ireland's heritage buildings and protected structures are a vital part of the infrastructure of our villages, towns, and cities. The economic recovery is allowing for increased investment in our heritage assets.

'As this scheme illustrates, investing in our built heritage is not just good for the individual properties concerned, but can also provide a real boost to job creation in the construction, conservation and tourism sectors.'

The towns of Malahide, Swords, Kinsealy, Skerries, Lusk, Rush and Balbriggan will all see the benefits of the scheme this year as some of those town's most important historical buildings and protected structures get some attention.
Employees of the daa, supported by the company and members of the public, generated 240,000 for the company's three Charities of The Year during the past 12 months.

Temple Street Children's Hospital, Parkinson's Association of Ireland and the Diabetes Unit in Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin were each presented with a cheque for 80,000.

The fundraising efforts during 2015 means that daa staff have donated more than 1.7 million to 15 Irish charities over the past nine years.

Celebrating the achievement, daa Chief Executive Kevin Toland said: 'I am immensely proud of the continuing support and passion of daa staff in raising this massive sum of money for charity,'

He added: 'Since our charity programme started15 Irish charities have received significant donations to the total value of 1.7 million over a nine year period. This truly is a phenomenal sum of money doing a lot of good for Irish charities.'
A new project aimed at connecting Canadians with Carnew and south Wicklow area, which was initiated by local historian Kevin Lee, was launched recently by His Excellency, Mr Kevin Vickers, Canadian Ambassador to Ireland and Minister of State Simon Harris.

Coollattin House played host to the launch of the Coollattin Canadian Connection, an initiative designed to connect Canadians to their south Wicklow ancestral home. The project, promoted by Old Coollattin Country Ltd., is aimed at facilitating the hundreds of thousands of Canadians, who can trace their ancestry to south Wicklow, in the study of their family history.

'The organising committee hope to maximise the use of the Coollattin Papers which are now in the custody of the National Library of Ireland and also the British National Archive in Sheffield. These records are probably the most complete surviving set of records that remain for any Irish estate. The records contain very detailed information on the families who were assisted in emigrating to Canada during the mid nineteenth century,' Kevin said.

In his address to those present, Kevin also referred to very detailed estate surveys carried out in the 1800s. 'These surveys contain detailed information on ages, professions, number in families and sizes of holdings,' he said. 'When the information in the survey conducted in 1839 is combined with the estate maps produced in 1842 it is, in most cases, possible to identify the exact location of every family holding in the years immediately before the Great Famine of 1847.'

The Coollattin Canadian Connection is based in St Aidan's, an old Fitzwilliam-built school, constructed in 1821, which now operates as Carnew Training and Development Centre, under the management of Dermot Kenny. Here, south Wicklow's Canadian kinsmen can obtain reports on their genealogy.

A 'Homeward Trek' is being organised to coincide with National Heritage Week from August 20 to 28. Canadians with their roots in south Wicklow are being invited home to reconnect with their homeland through tours, talks and a sharing of folk traditions. See www.coollattincanadianconnection.com for more.
Italian exchange students before their departure pictured with transition year students and teachers at Gorey Community School after their 10-day stay

The sixteen year-old links between Gorey Community School and a school in Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy were strengthened recently, when 26 Italian students were hosted by Gorey students, and experienced the life of a Wexford teenager.

Activities focused on language, learning, and various classes designed to allow the young people to get to know each other better.

The Italian connection is now being augmented with connections made initially at teacher level with a German school which has a long-established connection with the Italian school. These links are supported by Erasmus, a European life-long learning initiative.

The Italian teachers, Ms Calzoni and Ms Lee, visit Ireland regularly, and Ms Calzoni encourages students to stay in Gorey for summer courses. The exchange is co-ordinated in GCS by Ms Lenihan and Mr Marshall.
Candidates at the Bullring in Wexford with the action group included Caroline Foxe, Leonard Kelly, Ann Walsh and Victor Tierney for Deirdre Wadding

Six out of Wexford's 17 general election candidates signed up to Wexford Housing Group's pledge to 'find real solutions to the housing crisis.'

The group had invited all the candidates to sign the pledge during an awareness day at the Bullring last Saturday.

However, no-one from the main parties turned up.

Those who did were Ann Walsh, from the Green Party, Deirdre Wadding, People Before Profit, David Lloyd, Direct Democracy Ireland, Leonard Kelly, from the Social Democrats, and Independents Caroline Foxe and Emmet Moloney.

A spokesperson for the group said the aim of the pledge was to give voters a clear picture of which candidates support a radical overhaul of the current housing provision system.

'The Social housing stock is being privatised through HAP and RAS schemes. The practice of housing homeless families in bed and breakfasts is doing absolutely nothing to tackle the basic issue of supply,' said the spokespeson, 'Certain groups of homeless are being completely let down by the system.'

'There is no Shelter in the county for anybody in addiction or with mental health issues. Every person has a basic right to shelter, but their issues are being used against them to exclude them from homeless services. This is just not good enough in a country wich has seen the number of billionaires double since the beginning of the crisis.'
Nine-year-old Sam McNally must be the envy of his school friends as he has a very special and distinguished pen pal.

Sam, who lives at The Paddock in Enniscorthy, and is a third-class pupils at St Aidan's Primary School, received a belated Christmas card from Pope Francis last Tuesday.

His mother Patricia explained that Sam made his own Christmas cards towards the end of 2015, and as you do, he sent one off to the Pope. He thought no more about it, but last week, when he arrived home from school, an envelope bearing the Papal stamp was waiting for him.

'He opened it when he got in from school, and in it was the Pope's official Christmas card and a picture of Pope Francis,' said Patricia. 'They were accompanied by an acknowledgement letter from Monsignor Wells, the Pope's Assessor.'

The letter states 'His Holiness Pope Francis is pleased to acknowledge the thoughtful message sent to him for Christmas and the New Year. He very much appreciates the sentiments expressed. Upon all who have greeted him during this holy season his Holiness invokes an abundance of joy in Christ the Prince of Peace.'

Patricia said that Sam had a smile from ear to ear when he opened the letter.

'This is the second year in a row that he has received a Christmas card back from the Pope,' she said. 'I think it is a beautiful gesture from Pope Francis and it just shows the importance that he places on the personal touch. Pope Francis must receive hundreds of thousands of Christmas greetings each year, and for him to reply, says a lot about the kind of person that he is. I think that he is just amazing the way he is reaching out to so many people in so many different ways.'
Ballyheigue entrepreneur Kieran Lucid has sold his data consultancy company in a deal worth up to 2.9 million.

In the last week northern Irish firm First Derivatives announced it had completed the deal to purchase data consultancy company QuantumKDB for 2.2m Sterling.

QuantumKDB provides its clients, mainly from the financial sector, with a high tech system that allows them to manage extremely large amounts of date more easily and with greater speed.

The company was founded by Kieran Lucid in 2011.

Prior to starting his own company, Kieran had worked in international banking with Deutsche Bank, Liquidnet and Bank of America and was based in Wall Street for four years.

Whilst in Wall Street he was primarily involved in work on the Stock Exchange.

When he left New York he went on to form his own data company QuantumKDB in London,

Kieran graduated as an Electronic Engineer from UCC after which he completed a masters' in Business Information Systems at the university.

Kieran is now working for First Derivatives as an IT consultant and is based at the company's headquarters in Newry.

First Derivatives' deal to buy QuantumKDB will be completed in two stages.

An initial payment of 1.7 million will comprise 600,000 in cash and 1.1 million through the issue of new shares in First Derivatives.

The remaining 500,000 will be paid in a year's time, subject to the successful meeting of a certain set targets.

News of the sale follows a successful year for Quantum which in its last financial report recorded pre-tax profits of 300,000 and net assets of 250,000.

First Derivatives employs over 1,000 people worldwide and counts many of the world's top investment banks, brokers and hedge funds as its customers.

QuantumKDB's staff will now join First Derivatives.
The family of a north Kerry woman who lost her life in a hill-walking accident on Sunday have paid a poignant tribute to her vital work as midwife by asking that those attending her funeral make a donation to stillbirth and neonatal support group, Feileacain, instead of leaving flowers.

Mother of three, Mary Cotter, died in a tragic fall while walking with a group of hill walkers on the Stradbally Mountain on Sunday afternoon. It is understood that at approximately 4.30pm she slipped on steep ground and fell approximately 100ft into the Glennahoo River.

Despite wet conditions and very poor visibility, rescue teams from both the Dingle Coastguard Unit and Kerry Mountain Rescue managed to retrieved Ms Cotter's body about an hour later.

The Knocknagosel native was a keen hill-walker, having taken up the sport about a year and a half ago, and regularly went out on hikes with her husband Dan and other members of hill walking champion John Lenihan's walking group.

She worked as a midwife at KGH and this week, as colleagues and former patients tried to come to terms with her sudden and tragic loss, the Scotia Clinic in Tralee paid an emotional tribute on their Facebook page:

"Mary has worked with us for eight years. She was incredibly kind and caring. She was always cheerful with a beaming smile no matter what," the post read.

"She would do anything for a woman in labour - if she could have had the baby for them she would have. She had this phrase that always made me laugh 'Come on now, give it socks' when she was trying to get the last push. Mary also did so much fundraising for women who baby's died just before/ at birth. She will be missed by all of us."

The post prompted an avalanche of comments from women she helped through childbirth - one heart-breaking message standing out:

'All those Angels in Heaven will care for you now in return for you minding their moms," one lady wrote.

Over 130 women left messages of love on the site, a testament to the esteem in which she was held by those she helped.

Mary's body will repose at Leahy's Funeral Home, Knocknagoshel this Wednesday evening from 4pm to 8pm with Requiem mass on Thursday at 12noon with burial after at St Mary's Cemetery, Knocknagoshel.

Her family has poignantly requested donations to Feileacain in lieu of flowers.
There are no specialised diagnostic services available to ME (myalgic encephalopathy) suffers in this country and Ardfert resident and retired pensioner Ridley Nichols, who has been experiencing symptoms of the debilitating condition since 2008, believes this is an absolute disgrace.

Mr Nichols, who moved to Ireland from Newcastle 18 years ago to work as a contractor, is frustrated by the lack of any clinical personnel in Ireland qualified to make a definitive diagnosis of his condition.

"My GP is of the opinion that I have ME, but I've been unable to secure a positive diagnosis as, currently, there is no ME specialist working in this country. Last year, I could walk for over a mile-and-a-half. Today, if I take the dog out for 200 metres, that's it, I have to turn back and go home."

Declan Carrol, from the Irish ME Trust, has long been campaigning for a dedicated ME specialist in Ireland. "Usually when a patient presents to their GP with symptoms, there will be a clear line of referral. When an ME sufferer presents, there is no such specialist individual available, so both the GP and patient are facing a dead end," he said.

The issue was raised at last year's Labour Party Conference in Killarney when a motion was passed to actively promote the development of a Consultant post for M.E. and C.F.S. sufferers in the country, but so far, no significant progress has been made.

"We met with Minister Kathleen Lynch, Minister of State at the Department of Health, at Government buildings on September 30 last to consider the next step on this issue.

"Following our discussions, Minister Lynch informed us that she would be contacting Dr Aine Carroll in her role as National Director of Clinical Strategy and Programmes, as she felt Dr Carroll would be best placed to propel matters forward in the hope of delivering on this pledge. We are awaiting a reply from Dr Carroll on the matter," Mr Carrol told the Kerryman.

The exact cause of ME is uncertain. Currently it is estimated that up to 12,000 people in Ireland are suffering with the complaint. Symptoms may include debilitating fatigue, painful muscles and joints, disordered sleep, gastric disturbances and poor memory.

Meanwhile, Mr Nichols struggles with an uncertain future. "I just want to know how bad this will get. It's possible that I'll keep deteriorating and perhaps end up in a wheelchair or worse, bed-bound, but I simple don't know. It's very frustrating," he said.
Not only are the organisers of the Listowel Military Tattoo building their own replica Spitfire in time for this year's festival on the May Bank Holiday weekend, but they're even going to be joined by the real-life plane itself.

British pilot Ben Perkins is flying his very own Spitfire to Kerry for the annual celebration in Listowel of all things military. Just a few years since it was founded, the Tattoo has become the country's biggest festival of its kind attracting everyone from international ambassadors to military re-enactors from across the country.

This year, it's going to be bigger than ever with a Spitfire - landing site to be confirmed - on its way. It will be a poignant celebration for one large group of people in Listowel that weekend - the relatives of Dunmanway Spitfire ace and Irish rugby international Francis Victor Beamish.

"The Spitfire is coming over as part of our commemoration of Francis Victor Beamish," Tattoo PRO Denis Carroll said. "He was an extraordinary figure ranked as the second greatest Spitfire pilot in the RAF, who trained fellow pilots across the world before he was killed in action."

Beamish also lined out with his three brothers for the Irish Rugby Team and the Lions (indeed, the green flash on the Lion's jerseys was his doing). Forty members of his family are heading to Listowel from all over these islands for the commemoration, with the British WW2 Spitfire Group also coming to honour his memory in a special ceremony. The LMT group's own Spitfire replica build is coming along nicely now, meanwhile, in an exciting time for the town.
Members of the IFA brave the conditions to protest at Slaney Meats factory in Wexford as they demand action from Minister Coveney for better prices for their cattle and fair and open competition. Picture: Finbarr O'Rourke

Up to 1,000 farmers from all corners of Ireland braved Storm Imogen on Sunday to stage a protest outside of Slaney Meats in Bunclody which prompted Minister Simon Coveney to refer the proposed sale of the 50 per cent stake in Slaney Meats to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

At the rally IFA National Livestock Chairman Henry Burns said farmers are demanding that the Minister Coveney gets stuck in and tackles the lack of competition that has plagued the Irish beef sector for years. 'Livestock farmers are very frustrated because they feel the Minister is clearly leaning towards the processors and not the farmer.'

He said livestock farmers have real fears and concerns around competition and dominance in beef processing as well as rendering in the sale of the Allen family 50 per cent share of the Slaney/ICM business to ABP. This investment would give ABP effective control on up to 29 per cent of the beef kill and three of the six rendering plants in the country.

Sheep farmers are equally concerned over competition and dominance in lamb processing with the ABP investment in Irish Country Meats (ICM). ICM currently has up to 40 per cent of the lamb kill and lamb processing also needs more competition.

Yesterday (Monday) Minister Coveney bowed to the pressure from the farmers and announced he will refer the proposed purchase of the 50 per cent stake in Slaney Meats to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

A spokesperson for Mr Coveney said the minister will write to the Competition Commission and ask them to conduct a robust examination of the proposed merger in light of farmers' concerns.

Mr Burns said Minister Coveney must understand that a sustainable Irish beef sector has to be about delivering viable prices back to primary producers and not all about cheap raw material for processors and retailers.

He said the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CPCC) has told IFA that there is nothing stopping Minister Coveney from making a submission to the Authority on the proposed merger and in support of effective competition in the livestock sector.

Mr Burns called on Minister Coveney to take a real interest and address the lack of competition in the beef sector and the unacceptable price gap that has opened up between Irish and British cattle prices. He said Bord Bia has provided figures to the Minister which show that the average Irish/UK price gap for 2015 has widened to 82c/kg or 293 per head. This compares to an average of 27c/kg or 97 per head over the 10 years from 2004 to 2013.

He said the way the meat factories are imposing weight limits and age penalties on farmers is a complete breach of the outcomes agreed by Minister Coveney in the Beef Forum.
An Taoiseach Bertie Ahearne outside with, left to right, Phil O'Kennedy, Thomas Kavanagh, Minister Hugh Byrne, John Aspel and Senator Jim Walsh in 2002

Senator Jim Walsh made what is likely to be his last contribution to the Seanad on Wednesday, as he is retiring from political life after 42 years, this spring.

Having led a colourful political career, which led to much national newspaper coverage, Senator Walsh has decided the time is right to step back from politics and all that it entails.

Walsh was elected 13 consecutive times. He was first elected in 1974 to New Ross Town Council, serving as mayor for nine terms and was a member of Wexford County Council from 1979 to 2004, serving as mayor from 1992 to 1993. Walsh was National Chairman of the Irish Local Authority Members Association from 1997 to 2002.

In 1997, he was first elected to Seanad Eireann by the Agricultural Panel. From 1997 to 2002, he served as government spokesman on Environment and Local Government in the Seanad.

In subsequent terms he served as government spokesperson on Justice, Equality, and Law Reform between 2002 and 2007, and Communications, Energy, and Natural resources from 2007 to 2011. He is currently the Fianna Fail Seanad spokesman on Foreign Affairs and Trade and a member of the Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee.

A staunch Fianna Fail man, he resigned from the parliamentary party on March 26, 2015, over its support for the Children and Family Relationships Bill 2015. Senator Walsh said there was a move within the party to get him back in, adding that he was happy to be invited back.

He was the only senator to have a motion in on Wednesday morning, on the right of an unborn child who dies in a car crash to be recognised as an individual. He recalled his career and spoke about unfinished business.

'I will regenerate. I still have some things I was involved in a long time ago, so there's unfinished business. When you're in politics and business every day is predetermined, so I'm looking forward to not having everything laid out for me so I can do what I want to do.'

Senator Walsh said he has no regrets, adding that he was elected in 13 consecutive elections and enjoyed his time as a town councillor, helping to get a town park for New Ross, and the freedom to debate issues close to his heart in the Seanad. He expressed disappointment that the British never released files relating to who was behind the Dublin Monaghan bombings so there was no closure for victims' families, adding that he hopes that this will happen someday soon.
Neil Coady has been found safe and well

A Graiguenamanagh man was who missing in London was found safe and well after six days on Wednesday.

Police in the UK capital had appealed for information to help find Neil Coady, who was last seen on Wednesday, January 27.

A massive social media appeal ensued with thousands of people sharing photographs of the 31-year-old.

London police confirmed on Wednesday that Mr Coady was found and thanked the public for their help.

It is understood he has been reunited with family members.

A friend wrote online that Mr Coady was 'in safe hands'. 'All your prayers have been answered. Thanks to everybody for their kind messages,' the message read. Neil hurls with St. Gabriel's in London. He told friends recently that he was moving into a new address in the Greenford area, but he went missing, before being found.
Candidates at the Bullring in Wexford with the action group included Caroline Foxe, Leonard Kelly, Ann Walsh and Victor Tierney for Deirdre Wadding

Six out of Wexford's 17 general election candidates signed up to Wexford Housing Group's pledge to 'find real solutions to the housing crisis.'

The group had invited all the candidates to sign the pledge during an awareness day at the Bullring last Saturday.

However, no-one from the main parties turned up.

Those who did were Ann Walsh, from the Green Party, Deirdre Wadding, People Before Profit, David Lloyd, Direct Democracy Ireland, Leonard Kelly, from the Social Democrats, and Independents Caroline Foxe and Emmet Moloney.

A spokesperson for the group said the aim of the pledge was to give voters a clear picture of which candidates support a radical overhaul of the current housing provision system.

'The Social housing stock is being privatised through HAP and RAS schemes. The practice of housing homeless families in bed and breakfasts is doing absolutely nothing to tackle the basic issue of supply,' said the spokesperson, 'Certain groups of homeless are being completely let down by the system.'

'There is no Shelter in the county for anybody in addiction or with mental health issues. Every person has a basic right to shelter, but their issues are being used against them to exclude them from homeless services. This is just not good enough in a country which has seen the number of billionaires double since the beginning of the crisis.'
The collapse of the north wall of Mountgarret Castle in New Ross has led to a review of the 15th century structure by Wexford County Council.

A large section of the north wall of the building collapsed in late January. This followed the collapse of the southern wall four years ago.

Director of Services Eamonn Hore said specialists from the Department of Heritage will be assessing the castle, along with officials from Wexford County Council.

Mr Hore said: 'It's listed as a national monument. The review is at very early stages. After a wall collapsed on the castle four years ago, the north wall was deemed to be relatively safe, but with the weather it collapsed.'

Senator Jim Walsh, who lives near the castle, said the north wall should have been lowered some time ago. Senator Walsh said some work was carried out on the east and west walls three years ago, but the combination of high winds and wet weather affected the mortar holding the north wall together, causing it to collapse. Part of the east wall was also damaged.

The impressive building on the ring road, overlooking New Ross, was the residence of Patrick Barrett, Lord Chancellor of Ireland and Bishop of Ferns, who rebuilt and reconstructed it in the early part of the fifteenth century (circa A.D. 1401).

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan announced a 15,000 grant for Mountgarret Castle in July 2012 and works were carried out. Senator Walsh said the real tragedy was the loss of the south wall as it had some attractive features including an arch and small windows with stone surrounds.

'Ever since the south wall fell we, as local residents, have been conscious that it could happen again.'

The castle has been sealed off from the public for safety reasons in recent years.
New Ross Educate Together National School management hope to be sanctioned to move into St Joseph's National School after it is vacated later this year.

The schools' official opening ceremony will take place at Barret's Park on Wednesday, February 17, at 12pm.

The school opened on August 31, 2015, under the divestment process and is based in temporary accommodation in Barret's Park, while the Diocese of Ferns and the Department of Education and Skills identify a more suitable, permanent premises for the school.

This is the first time a new school has opened in New Ross for several decades.

Principal Elaine French said: 'We are delighted to celebrate this wonderful occasion. The hard work and commitment of parents and the school community has culminated in this day, and we are so pleased to have opened our doors this academic year.'

The 15 children of New Ross Together NS Junior Infants class already have it decorated with beautiful artwork.

Niamh FitzGibbon, Chairperson of the Board of Management, pictured, said: 'This is one of the most positive projects I have been involved in. The goodwill in the community for this school is heartwarming. Our goal from here is to secure permanent accomodation. Of course, we would love a greenfield site, but there are a number of suitable appropriate buildings and in the town. Our strong preference is for the soon to be vacated. We welcome any help from the community to help make this happen.'
With Labour's Brendan Howlin and Independent Mick Wallace likely to hoover up a lot of the first preference votes in the February 26 General Election, there will be an equally fierce contest for the other three seats.

Not that the first two are shoe-ins, and given the over-large field of candidates, there's always a wild card which may upset the status quo.

However, while Labour has lost a lot of its support over the past five years and is perceived in some quarters as a party which sold out on its core values to underpin the coalition's austerity policies, Brendan Howlin's credentials as the man who has best represented County Wexford's interests over the past five years is not in doubt.

Even his critics concede that he has been forceful as a minister and has played a key role in securing major investment and infrastructure in the county, not least the Enniscorthy- and New Ross bypasses.

The problem for Brendan is that despite his national profile as a go-getter, his power-base is still centred in Wexford town, and with Fianna Fail putting in something of a resurgence, he has some way to go.

Mick Wallace has been equally as dynamic, however, he has preferred to stride the national arena as a thorn in the side of authority, the ruling coalition, the gardai and NAMA, which is anathema to him. In the past we had a Teflon Taoiseach, these days we have the maverick Mr Wallace to whom no reprobation appears to stick.

Despite being briefly jailed for not paying a fine for breaching security at Shannon Airport to protest about the presence of U.S. military aircraft there, and tax and financial issues - the latest a 2 million judgement against him over a loan given by Ulster Bank to a company of his, his star is somehow undiminished in the county.

'He's like Marmite, you either love him or you hate him,' was one man's view in Wexford town.

Mr Wallace is unlikely to poll the stunning 13,000-plus first preferences he took in the 2011 elections, but there's little doubt that he will still put in a significant performance.

One real hard worker for the county, Fine Gael's Paul Kehoe, is also considered a front runner, but with Michael D'Arcy Jnr, in Gorey, and Julie Hogan, in Wexford town, also looking for FG first preferences, he may have a tough contest on his hands from within his own party, never mind the other party rivals and Independents jostling for a seat.

And the party's austerity policies, while they may have helped revive an economy laid waste by Fianna Fail during its time in office, have not got down well with many voters, who may punish them at the ballot box, while rewarding FF, which was held at arms' distance by the electorate five years ago.

Fianna Fail's John Browne, for years the most popular politician in his hometown Enniscorthy, has retired and passed the mantle and possibly his personal vote to his son James Browne, as has another FF stalwart from past governments, Hugh Byrne, whose daughter Aoife has the party- and her father's blessing, however, it's very hard to see two seats for Fianna Fail.

And the formidable Malcolm Byrne, from Gorey, who does have more of a county profile than some of his rivals, will also be fighting hard. So it's possible there will be two FF fallers out of the three.

Of the Independents outside Mick Wallace, Wexford Mayor Ger Carthy, from Lady's Island is probably the strongest of the contenders, but he will have to break out of his home turf to secure enough ballots, however, he may do well on transfers from Fianna Fail voters. He's become a lot more proactive around Wexford town in recent times and it will no doubt stand him in good stead.

Sinn Fein's Johnny Mythen is confident of a seat, and while his party did well in the last local elections, he would need to almost treble the number of ballots won by the popular Anthony Kelly in 2011. Is this achievable? Sinn Fein thinks so, but will Mr Mythen break out from his home turf of Enniscorthy? A would-be voter in Wexford town last week asked me who Sinn Fein's candidate was and this despite Gerry Adam's presence at Mr Mythen's recent launch at Clayton Whites Hotel.

Given the Green Party's showing at the last election, it's hard to see Ann Walsh getting much traction and the same could be said of Independents Emmet Moloney, Caroline Foxe and Paul O'Hanlon, who is standing on an anti-immigration platform.

Social Democrat Leonard Kelly was first out of the blocks in terms of canvassing and has been very active on social media, but will this be enough for him to achieve greatness on February 26?

Deirdre Wadding, from the People Before Profit Alliance, surprised many by winning a seat in the last local elections, but she faces a monumental challenge to muster sufficient votes to become the first woman TD for the Wexford constituency since Avril Doyle.
The people of Tubbercurry have been praised for their role in assisting Gardai during the robbery of a bank's ATM in the town.

Last week, 43-year-old Bernard Quigley from Drumfin was jailed for seven and a half years with two years suspended after he was found guilty by a jury after a trial on charges arising from the theft of the cash machine at the Bank of Ireland, Teeling Street on January 29th 2014. The trial heard how locals rang the Gardai as the raid was taking place at around 5am.

Another local arrived at the scene in his car and began blowing the horn while he also later followed the gang as they attempted to make their getaway, keeping Gardai informed of their whereabouts.

At one point, the local was threatened by a member of the gang who got out of their van brandishing an implement. Inspector Padraic Burke said community engagement was at the heart of policing and particularly within rural communities. "The successful development of partnership based, community oriented policing was expressly evident in the response from the local community in Tubbercurry and the surrounding areas.
An attack on the orderly conduct of life in an Irish town was how Judge Francis Comerford described the theft of an ATM in from a bank in Tubbercurry when sentencing a 43 -year-old man to five and a half years in prison for the offence.

Bernard Quigley of Branchfield, Drumfin was found guilty after a 17 day trial at Sligo Circuit Court.

The jury of seven men and five women deliberated for just under an hour before finding Quigley guilty of the ATM's theft from the Bank of Ireland, Teeling Street on January 29th 2014, possessing a stolen digger and damaging the front wall and ATM housing at the bank.

The trial heard that there had been 124,300 in the ATM which was recovered by Gardai shortly after the early morning robbery.

Some 20,000 worth damage was caused to the bank and a further 20,000 to the ATM.

The ATM fell off the trailer as the raiders fled before being placed back on as they headed in the direction of the Mass Hill Road out of the town.

A local man, Paul Murphy followed the raiders's van and was in contact with Gardai who were quickly on the scene.

There was evidence of Quigley's DNA being found on the van the raiders used, on a wollen hat and glove found in Cabra forest, on a Tayto packet in a low-loader and on its steering wheel

There was also DNA matching Quigley on the handles of the stolen digger used.

At the sentencing hearing on Thursday last, Detective Sergeant Tom Colsh outlined with Ms Eileen O'Leary SC (prosecuting) with Ms Dara Foynes BL and State Solicitor Mr Hugh Sheridan, that Gardai in Sligo got several calls about the ATM being removed by a large excavator from the bank at 5.09am.

Gardai subsequently found the abandoned white van and trailer with the ATM near Coolaney.

The van's lights were on and the keys were still in the ignition.

Substantial CCTV was viewed and it transpired an excavator had been stolen the night before the raid at Chaffpool quarry. A red truck was used to transport the excavator from the quarry and this was captured on CCTV.

Detective Garda Oliver McHale did a google search for a red truck of similar make and a match came up for an advertisement on Done Deal.

This red truck was pictured parked outside Quigley's mother's house with a car loaded onto it which was registered in the defendant's name.

There was also a second ad placed on Done Deal for the red truck after the raid took place.

Gardai went and saw the truck at defendant's mother's house and it was seized. Quigley was subsequently arrested but "never admitted his role in the incident" said Det Sgt Colsh.

Witness outlined how Quigley was a separated father of six who had previous convictions for road traffic matters such as no insurance, drunk driving, no tax and dangerous driving.

He had been in custody since his arrest on August 15th 2014.

Judge Francis Comerford said it should be placed on the record that some implement had been brandished at Mr Murphy by one of the raiders who had got out of the van which was being followed.

The bucket of the digger had also been swung at Mr Murphy at the scene in his car.

In reply to Mr Alan Toal BL (defending), Det Sgt Colsh agreed that Quigley could be described as a "happy go lucky person."

"I found him easy to deal with," said Det Sgt Colsh.

"He hoped he would not see Quigley again on his release and he would have learned from what happened.

Mr Toal pleaded that he understood Quigley has been a very co-operative prisoner to date and worked in the kitchen, a job he would not be doing if he wasn't trusted.

Mr Toal said Quigley did plead not guilty which was his absolute entitlement.

He had gone from minor road traffic convictions to this offence.

"Do we blame the Celtic Tiger? I don know if we can. The fact he was not working? Maybe these are factors which might have compelled him to do things like that," he said.

He asked the Judge to consider suspending part of the sentence being imposed.

Judge Comerford said it was a pre-mediated, planned crime for commercial gain

The ATM had been ripped from the wall of the bank in the main street of Tubbercurry which was a considerable affront and attack on the sanctity of the town.

The fact the ATM was recovered was to the credit of the members of the public who responded and to the efficiency of the Gardai.

"The behaviour of the public was exemplary to the first person who rang the Gardai and Mr Murphy who followed the van," said the Judge, adding that his directions were vital for the Gardai whose response was very quick

He said it was a serious offence and there was always the issue that members of the public could be caught up with it.

Judge Comerford said an explanation had not been given by Quigley why he got involved in this.

It was odd, that in his mid 40s he became involved in this type of crime for the first time .

"On a human level that requires an explanation," said the Judge, adding: "I'm willing to accept it was some kind of aberration on his part given his life up to now," said Judge Comerford.

On the ATM theft charge, Quigley was sentenced to seven and a half years with two years suspended while a four year concurrent term was imposed on the stolen digger charge.

On the criminal damage charge, a seven and a half year sentence was imposed with two and a half years suspended.

The sentences were backdated to August 15th 2014.
A 28 year old man who ruined his family's Christmas Day because he was so drunk has been convicted at the District Court.

Clive Zoschke of Slieve Mor, Ballytivnan, pleaded guilty to being drunk and abusive at Shannon Eighter on December 25th 2015.

Inspector Paul Kilcoyne said that Gardai received a call at 5pm about a domestic dispute between the defendant and his partner.

"He was intoxicated. He appeared to leave the house but he picked up a paving brick and threatened to inflict damage on the unmarked Garda car and on Gardai," the inspector said.

The court was told Zoschke has 13 previous convictions, including for drink driving and other road traffic offences.

Mr Tom MacSharry, defending, said the "unfortunate thing is that it happened on Christmas Day. He ruined Christmas for his partner and child."

"He has apologised to her but the relationship has broken down because of his addiction issues," he told Judge Kevin Kilrane.

Taking the witness stand, Zoschke admitted he "had a lot of brandy" in his system at the time.

"I've had a really rough year. I've a bed in Dublin in a treatment centre for 12 months. I just want to leave, I've my bags packed," he said.

Judge Kilrane asked Zoschke why he had used a paving brick to threaten the Gardai.

"I want to apologise, especially to the lady Garda. It's not in my character to be aggressive. Any garda who knows me will tell you I'm not aggressive. My daughter's communion is coming up," he said.

Judge Kilrane said it was "clear that this man has unresolved issues. What do you expect if you drink that much brandy?"

He convicted and fined Zoschke 200.
District Court Judge Kevin Kilrane has condemned the "shocking" injuries inflicted by members of the Traveller Community all over the country.

He was speaking during the case of a 34 year old man who was caught on CCTV wielding a 6" knife in his own caravan during a family row.

Teague McGinley of Connaughton Road car park, Sligo, pleaded guilty to having a knife in his caravan last November 14th.

Inspector Paul Kilcoyne saidMcGinley was seen on CCTV wielding the kitchen knife but "was apologetic following his arrest." Taking the witness stand, McGinley said he regretted the argument and apologised.

The court heard he has 17 previous convictions, including for assault causing harm and violent disorder.

Mr Gerard McGovern defending, said McGinley admitted his wrong doing from the "very beginning. In many ways they're a close family."

Judge Kilrane said serious injury could have been inflicted.

"It may not be the PC thing to say but the injuries that the Traveller Community inflict can be shocking," he told the court.

"They use pick axes, every weaponry they can find to inflict the greatest possible viciousness. It's not a prejudicial remark - it's a fact all over the State. Their own families and kin are the victims. It's a major problem all over the State," he said.

He adjourned sentencing to May 26th and said if McGinley had 400 in court that day he "may be persuaded" to deal with the matter by way of a fine.
A man accused of demanding money with menaces and trespass has been sent to prison pending his trial after begging a judge to revoke his bail.

Brendan Glynn (28) of Union Place appeared before Judge Keenan Johnson at Sligo Circuit Court. He's accused of demanding 120 from Ms Marian Kelly at Jinks Avenue and trespassing and theft at 72 Jinks Avenue on August 20th last year.

Defence barrister Mr Joe Barnes said Glynn had a number of addiction issues and wanted to go into Castlerea prison "immediately" for his own protection. "He has breached his bail and wants to go into custody. He has a large number of issues before the District Court and got bail," said Mr Barnes. Judge Johnson said he could not revoke Glynn's bail as he hadn't breached any conditions.

"I wasn't signing on everyday in Sligo," Glynn told the judge. "I am going to get a custodial sentence. Before I'm dead from drugsI have a son I want to live to see," he said.

"I'll accede to your request to revoke bail once I'm satisfied he's breached conditions," said the judge to Mr Barnes. "But the only condition I see is that he was to be of good behaviour," he added.

"His home is on the streets of Dublin. He's looking for protection," said Mr Barnes.

"Have you committed any offence?" the judge asked Glynn. "Yes," he replied."I gave a false name to a Garda in Dublin."

The judge revoked bail and Glynn was remanded in custody until his trial on April 20th.
A man has told Sligo Circuit Court how he was 'sliced-up' in an attack at a city centre apartment which left him with cuts to his face, arms and back.

Shane Kelly told the one day trial of two men accused of assaulting him that he had to run from the apartment after the attack and that he took shelter in a nearby pub from where he was brought by ambulance to Sligo University Hospital.

Over 25 stitches were inserted in the wounds suffered by Mr Kelly who had gone to the apartment after meeting up with a couple in town having earlier spent time drinking beer in Sligo cemetery.

Before the court were Jamie Gorman, Garavogue Villas and Shane McLoughlin, Buttermarket Apartments who pleaded not guilty to assault causing harm to Mr Kelly on October 9th 2013.

Gorman was represented by Mr Peter Daly BL with Ms Laura Spellman, solicitor and McLoughlin by Mr Keith O'Grady BL instructed by Mr Mark Mullaney, solicitor.

Outlining the prosecution case, Mr Donal Keane BL with State Solicitor Mr Hugh Sheridan, said Mr Kelly had bought bottles of beer at Caltragh and went to the cemetery to drink them around 5.30pm. From there he went into town and met up with McLoughlin and his girlfriend at Stephen Street Car Park.

They went and bought two 'naggins' of vodka before going to the Buttermarket apartments where McLoughlin lived.

Mr Kelly fell asleep but was awakened by Gorman calling out his surname. Kelly saw Gorman standing over him who proceded to hit him over the face with a bottle.Mr Keane added McLoughlin had also partaken in the assault.

Mr Kelly told the court he had drank about four or five big bottles of Polish beer in the cemetery before heading for town.

He said it was by chance he met with McLoughlin and his girlfriend. They bought naggins of vodka from an off-licence before going to the apartment at 7pm or 7.30pm.

"We were just drinking and listening to music and at some point I fell asleep on the couch," he said. He woke up with Gorman calling his name.

Gorman was standing over him and hit him across the face with a bottle twice. "I managed to get out of the apartment," he said.

Mr Kelly said McLoughlin was present but was "standing in the background." Witness said he had no idea how many times he was struck. He heard footsteps after him as he ran away with "blood coming from everywhere."

When he got to The Ship Inn ub a man pulled him in and closed the doors before the Gardai and ambulance were called. Mr Kelly said he was bleeding from his face, arms and back. They were slash marks. He was a couple of hours in hospital before signing himself out.

Pictures taken of the injuries by Gardai were handed in to the jury. The photographs showed injuries to Mr Kelly's jaw, upper lip, forehead, arms, fingers and back.

He did not know what was used to cause the injuries. Mr Keane read out a medical report from the Emergency Department of Sligo University Hospital which stated Mr Kelly arrived at 11.30pm and was treated for multiple wounds with the victim not sure if weapons had been used. Paper stitches and glue were used to treat the cuts. Mr Kelly did not wish to stay for a period of observation and left.

Following an application from Mr O'Grady Judge Keenan Johnson acceded to a request to withdraw the case against Mr McLoughlin from the jury on the grounds there was no evidence against him. The application was unopposed by Mr Keane. The case proceeded against Mr Gorman with cross examination of Mr Kelly by Mr Daly.

Mr Kelly said he didn't recall saying in a statement taken by Gardai in Cavan the next day that he had also been in Harry's Bar on the day he was assaulted.

It was put to Mr Kelly that he told Gardai he was assaulted by Gorman and McLoughlin. Mr Kelly replied that he had never accused Mr McLoughlin.

Mr Kelly said he also didn't particularly recall going to Cavan Garda Station.

"I was very fuzzy the next day, you know, you get me?" - Mr Kelly.

Mr Daly said Gorman would say he woke Mr Kelly up to tell him that he was wanted outside and that when he went there he got into an argument and was assaulted by a number of people.

"I didn't get attacked outside," replied Mr Kelly, adding that he "got sliced to ribbons inside."

Mr Kelly said he didn't know who had chased after him even though he told Gardai in July last year that Gorman and McLoughlin had been after him.

In his statement the day after the incident to Gardai in Cavan, Mr Daly said that Mr Kelly stated he had been chased "by a few lads swiping blades."Asked how drunk he was, Mr Kelly replied, "yeah, fairly intoxicated."

He did not know when he was cut initialy, when he woke up or when he had been asleep.

In the absence of the jury, Mr Daly made an application to have the case against Gorman withdrawn and this was acceded to by Judge Johnson. The Judge told the jury that he was satisfied on the height of the prosecution evidence that a jury would return a not guilty verdict. This was due to inherent inconsistencies in Mr Kelly's evidence. There was also the fact he was intoxicated and his recollection the next day was fuzzy.

The Judge directed the jury to find both accused not guilty by direction.
On Tuesday, January 26 Scoil Chonglais welcomed TV Chef Adrian Martin and local Craft Butcher Derek Patterson for 'A Foodie Morning'. The event was attended by fifth year and transition year Home Economics students together with representatives from Tearmann Community Garden and Baltinglass Country Markets.

Chef Adrian is a young chef who has regular media slots including his weekly appearance on TV3's 7 O'Clock Show with Lucy Kennedy and Martin King. He has spent time working with many of the top chefs in Ireland including Nevin Maguire at Mc Nean House. He is also an ambassador for The Craft Butchers of Ireland. The morning began with a short talk outlining the important role healthy food has in maintaining good health and in avoiding illnesses such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

Chef Adrian emphasised that healthy eating doesn't have to be boring, it is more about preparing our food at home with local natural ingredients and a little creativity and minimising the consumption of processed foods. He gave examples of how this could be achieved including students making their own chicken rolls at home with home cooked chicken fillets and fresh salad.

Derek from Patterson's Butchers followed with a demonstration showing the skill of the craft butcher. Derek and Chef Adrian discussed various beef and lamb cuts and Chef Adrian suggested many simple tasty dishes that could be created with these cuts.

Chef Adrian created two very tasty dishes: a simple chicken curry and Beef steak with peppercorn sauce and hasselback potatoes. He had a great rapport with the group and some students helped him out with the demonstration. The morning ended with a questions and answers session and everybody enjoyed tasting the dishes cooked.

Scoil Chonglais would like to thank Patterson's Butchers Baltinglass for sponsoring this event which proved to be both enjoyable and educational for everyone who attended.
The Wicklow Hospice Foundation was this week delighted to receive a cheque for 3,000 from BrookLodge & Macreddin Village and Macreddin Village Picture House.

The sum of 1000 was raised as part of a Picture House event hosted at The BrookLodge Hotel and organised by Angela Fanning.

As The Wicklow Hospice was Macreddin Village's chosen charity for 2015, Evan Doyle, owner of BrookLodge kindly supported the fundraiser by donating an extra 2,000, bringing the final total to a massive 3,000.

The Wicklow Hospice Foundation would like to express their gratitude to Angela, Evan, all the crew at BrookLodge & Macreddin Village and to all the supporters of the event. Thanks have also been sent to the people of Wicklow and North Wexford for all the support the hospice continues to receive.

Should anybody wish to organise an event, they can contact administrator Sinead Tarmey at (0402) 91310 or sinead@wicklowhospice.ie or Evanne Cahill, chair of fundraising, at evanne@wicklowhospice.ie.
Two buildings in Wicklow town are under consideration for a brand new library.

Funding of 1 million has been made available for the library once a suitable premises has been decided upon.

There are also plans for new libraries in Rathdrum, Aughrim and Bray.

A replacement mobile library van is also included as part of Wicklow County Council's Library Development Plan adopted by councillors last week.

The existing building which currently houses Wicklow Library was acquired by the courts service almost a decade a go for the purpose of providing a new four court campus.

Cllr Irene Winters, the Cathaoirleach of Wicklow Municipal District, has welcomed the 1 million allocation for Wicklow town.

'A decision over a suitable building should be made soon. Currently there are two premises in the centre of Wicklow town under consideration.

'The relocation of the library to a new, state-of-the-art premises will be a real boost for Wicklow.'

Ongoing negotiations are taking place to secure a permanent home for the library. Certain structural requirements must also be met in order to a building to be considered suitable.

The adopted plan covers the period 2016 to 2020 and it is the county's fourth such plan.

Provisions will also be made to extend Wi-Fi to every library in the county and a commitment has been made to increase the annual book fund.

Wicklow is also included as part of the roll-out of one single national membership for universal access to all public libraries and online library services throughout the country, including E-Books, downloadable audio books, online databases and newspapers from around the world.

Plans are also underway to develop new libraries in Rathdrum, Aughrim and Bray, while there will be additional opening hours for the Greystones and Ballywaltrim branches. The opening hours at Blessington and Bray Libraries will be extended later in the year.

The newly completed Arklow Library will be officially launched in April with the Polish Ambassador to Ireland, Ryszard Sarkowicz, in attendance. The EU provided funding toward the provision of Polish books at Arklow Library in both Polish and English language editions.
Gardai at Ballynagran Landfill for the search

Gardai investigating the brutal murder of a Dublin man began a thorough search of Ballynagran Landfill early on Tuesday morning.

A Garda Forensic Team entered the site just after first light in the gruesome search for further remains belonging to 33-year-old father-of-one Kenneth O'Brien.

His dismembered torso was found dumped in a suitcase in the Grand Canal at Ardclough, County Kildare on January 6.

Eleven days later more body parts were found in the canal at Sallins, County Kildare.

An incident room was established from Leixlip, from where the order came to carry out a search of Ballynagran in the hunt for additional body parts.

The Garda Forensic Team in charge of the gruesome task are ten strong, with Wicklow Garda Station also offering assistance.

Gardai believe Mr O'Brien was shot in the head before his body was dismembered.

Over the weekend a father and son were arrested and questioned at Naas and Leixlip Garda Stations in relation to Mr O'Brien's murder.

A search of a house in Finglas in north Dublin carried out by the Garda Technical Bureau uncovered a fake hand grenade and an imitation firearm.

Mr O'Brien had recently returned from Australia and disappeared after telling his family that he was travelling to the country for work-related reasons.

Gardai have followed up more than 300 leads since the start of the murder investigation.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny made a short but eventful stop in Wicklow town on Tuesday as he urged party members to 'keep the faith' over the upcoming elections.

Mr Kenny's also used the visit to lend his support to the three Fine Gael election hopefuls - Deputy Andrew Doyle, Minister of State Simon Harris and Avril Cronin. At the last elections in 2011 the party managed to secure Dail seats for all three candidates, though Deputy Billy Timmins has since left Fine Gael and helped establish Renua.

The Taoiseach's first port of call was Deputy Doyle's constituency office on the Mall where the party faithful gathered to await his arrival.

A small but noisy group of protesters carried out a demonstration outside the building, with the gardai keeping their eyes on them from a distance.

Mr Kenny acknowledged that Fine Gael and Labour had made some 'very difficult decisions' but stressed that any change of Government could destabilise the Irish economy. Ireland's economic improvement has also resulted in migrants returning home.

'I was talking to one young man yesterday who had come home from South Africa with his wife and three children. I asked him why he returned and he said 'the recovery brought me back.' There is so much evidence of our recovery and we shouldn't be afraid to speak out. The tax burden as it stands is uncompetitive. That's why we need to lower taxes and abolish the USC, so it is more inviting for people to return home.'

Mr Kenny also listened intently as Cllr Shay Cullen, Minister Harris and Deputy Doyle explained the ongoing erosion issue at the Murrough. Minister Harris confirmed that the OPW was dealing with an application for further coastal works from Wicklow County Council, besides the 135,000 allocated last year. He also identified the availability of some EU climate change funding which he had passed on to the local authority.

The Taoiseach then appeared to take some of his handlers by surprise when he decided to take a tour of The Mall area, dropping into a number of shops, all the while being pursued by a growing number of vocal demonstrators from Right2Change.
Beth Tweddle says she has started to feel better and has started walking by herself

Britain's most successful gymnast Beth Tweddle is walking unaided after neck surgery following a fall during training for Channel 4 show The Jump.

The 30-year-old, who won bronze at the London Games in 2012, could only walk a few steps assisted by medics after the operation which involved having a piece of bone taken from her hip.

Tweddle said she has started to feel better and is now walking by herself - but it is a case of "taking one day at a time".

In a statement, she said: "The medical staff here in Austria have been fantastic and I couldn't have wished for better people to be around me at this time.

"I've started to feel a lot better in the past 24 hours and I've begun walking by myself. It's still a case of taking one day at a time, but I'm setting myself goals and I'm determined to be up and about as soon as I can.

"The doctors are happy with my progress and next week we will have a better idea of when I can be discharged from hospital.

"Thank you to everyone that has sent me get well messages. My mum and dad have been reading them to me and, one day, I'll be able to reply to you all. It really has meant a lot to me, so thank you."

Surgeons took a bone from her hip and used it with pins to fuse together two fractured vertebrae in her neck.

The number of injuries on the third series of The Jump - five celebrities have been forced to pull out - has prompted Channel 4 to review safety procedures on the show.

Former Eastenders actor Joe Swash and former England rugby star Ben Cohen have been drafted in to join the dwindling number of competitors.

Video of the Day

Swash, 34 and Cohen, 37, have flown out to Austria and will compete for the first time on Sunday's show.

Swash said: "I'm so excited to be a part of The Jump. It is an opportunity that I couldn't refuse and I am delighted to be experiencing this for myself. I cannot wait to get going."

Cohen said: "Being a skier myself it was a no brainer for me to join the cast of The Jump 2016. I've always really enjoyed watching the show and I'm really pleased to be a part of it. I'm looking forward to competing and hope to make it to the final. I'm here to make the most of the experience."

Their introductions follows the return of James "Arg" Argent who was eliminated from the competition last weekend.

The Only Way Is Essex star is back to replace Olympic gold-winning medallist Linford Christie, who was the fifth celebrity to pull out due to injury.

Olympian Rebecca Adlington, 26, withdrew from the show on medical advice after a shoulder injury.

She told host Davina McCall the pain of the fall was ''literally the worst thing that has ever happened to me, it was worse than childbirth''.

Holby City actress Tina Hobley, 44, also headed for the exit after she dislocated her elbow and suffered two fractures to her arm.

On Tuesday it was confirmed that Made In Chelsea star Mark-Francis Vandelli, 26, had also pulled out after fracturing his ankle.

Former EastEnders star Sid Owen, 44, was unable to perform the show's air jump live due to injury last weekend.
Presenter Elaine Crowley has had to stop wearing knee-high boots after she received unwanted attention.

The TV3 star has spoken about certain men who send her inappropriate images on social media.

I get that type of stuff quite a lot on Twitter and I just have to block it. I had to stop wearing knee-high boots on Ireland AM a few years ago.

You would wonder about people. I dont get the you are a lovely girl stuff, she said.

Elaine revealed that she is dating, but nothing too serious at the moment.

I am not celibate  I am a woman in my 30s that has needs like you all, but I am not seriously with anyone, she said.

The television host said she believed she could have a boyfriend in the morning if she wanted one, but she doesnt  that is her own choice.

I am turning 39 and a lot of my friends are getting divorced now. They had the engagement, they had the lovely wedding at 28/29, had one or two kids and now they are miserable and getting divorced.

I have come out the other end of it at this stage. I have seen very, very few happy marriages so I am not inclined to go down that route  maybe I am being a little cynical.

We are not living in a Mills and Boon fairytale, no relationship is going to be plain sailing from the minute you step into it.

Video of the Day

You have bumps and lumps. If you get through them, fine. If you dont, then its not meant to be.

Meanwhile, Elaine said that if she had to marry anyone, it would be television host Graham Norton because she loves him.

I would happily marry him, I would leave everything and go off into the sunset, drinking his wine and looking at books  I think he is great, she told RSVP magazine.
A cross bearing the name and likeness of Dylan Klebold and a message saying 'How can anyone forgive you?' on a hill in Littleton, Colorado, near Columbine High School (Denver Rocky Mountain News /AP)

The mother of Columbine High School killer Dylan Klebold has said she had no idea anything was wrong with her son before the attack and thinks about the victims and their families every day.

In a special edition of ABC News' 20/20 current affairs programme - her first TV interview since the shooting - Sue Klebold told presenter Diane Sawyer that before the attack on April 20 1999 she considered herself a parent who would have known something was wrong.

"I think we like to believe that our love and our understanding is protective, and that 'if anything were wrong with my kids, I would know'. But I didn't know, and it's very hard to live with that," she said.

"I felt that I was a good mom ... That he would, he could talk to me about anything.

"Part of the shock of this was that learning that what I believed and how I lived and how I parented was an invention in my own mind. That it, it was a completely different world that he was living in."

Wearing black trenchcoats and carrying four guns, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris opened fire at the school in Littleton, Colorado, a suburb of Denver, after their plan to blow up hundreds of classmates failed.

They murdered 12 pupils and a teacher during their rampage before killing themselves. Twenty-four people were injured in the attack.

Mrs Klebold said that after the massacre happened "I just remember sitting there and reading about them, all these kids and the teacher".

Expand Close FILE - This April 28, 1999 file photo shows a cross bearing the name and likeness of Dylan Klebold and a message "How can anyone forgive you?" on a hill in Littleton, Colo., near Columbine High School where someone erected crosses to honor the dead. (Eric Strachan/Denver Rocky Mountain News via AP, File) / Facebook

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Whatsapp FILE - This April 28, 1999 file photo shows a cross bearing the name and likeness of Dylan Klebold and a message "How can anyone forgive you?" on a hill in Littleton, Colo., near Columbine High School where someone erected crosses to honor the dead. (Eric Strachan/Denver Rocky Mountain News via AP, File)

"And I keep thinking - constantly thought how I would feel if it were the other way around and one of their children had shot mine. I would feel exactly the way they did. I know I would. I know I would.

"There is never a day that goes by where I don't think of the people that Dylan harmed."

"You used the word 'harmed'," Ms Sawyer said. Mrs Klebold replied: "I think it's easier for me to say harmed than killed and it's still hard for me after all this time.

"It is very hard to live with the fact that someone you loved and raised has brutally killed people in such a horrific way."

The interview coincides with the release of Mrs Klebold's memoir, A Mother's Reckoning: Living In The Aftermath Of Tragedy, on sale on Monday.

She has said the Sandy Hook shootings in 2012 helped convince her to share her story, and would be donating any profits from the book to mental health charities and research.
A girl mourns the loss of her relatives after airstrikes by pro-Syrian government forces in the rebel held al-Saleheen neighborhood of Aleppo. Photo: Reuters

Not for the first time in Syria's bloody war, the fate of Aleppo hangs in the balance. The storied northwestern city, once part of the Silk Road route and a Unesco World Heritage site before the fighting left its historical quarters rubbled, now finds itself key to what may be a decisive twist in a conflict that has claimed more than 250,000 lives and forced millions from their homes.

This month, President Bashar al-Assad's forces - backed from the skies by Russian fighter planes and on the ground by militias, including Lebanon's Hizbullah, working alongside fighters from their benefactor, Iran - launched a major offensive designed to encircle Aleppo and isolate districts where opposition forces have been bedded since 2012.

Their advance has resulted in the severing of one of the last two secure routes linking the city to Turkey. If the second route is also cut off, it would end supplies not only to opposition fighters holding out in Aleppo, but also to the estimated 300,000 remaining civilians, who may soon find themselves besieged like several other communities across the country.

Such fears, along with sustained aerial bombardment by Russian forces in recent weeks, have prompted an exodus out of the city. Most have headed for the Turkish border.

"There has been a huge increase in civilian casualties as the bombing has intensified, with tens of thousands of people arriving at the border with Turkey," says Dalia Al-Awqati, director of programmes in northern Syria for Mercy Corps. "Camps near the Turkish border have effectively doubled in size and there is no end in sight to the long lines of displaced people desperately trying to survive. Our estimates say that roughly 70,000 people are currently moving towards the border."

Aleppo has been an opposition stronghold since summer 2012, when rebel fighters consolidated positions inside several neighbourhoods in a city which was and remains hugely symbolic and strategic for both regime and rebels. For Assad, losing all of what was Syria's commercial and industrial hub just 50 kilometres south of the Turkish border would have shaken his regime to the core. The opposition, meanwhile, saw Aleppo as a possible capital for their revolt, from where they could gradually expand their control.

I was in Aleppo in the early days of that rebel offensive four summers ago. In the dilapidated, rebel-held neighbourhood of Salahuddin, already being bombed by Assad's fighter jets, I met fighters and the civilians who supported them. This was before the hodgepodge rebel forces started to dangerously fracture allowing more militant groups to ascend, with Isil later finding a space in which to grow.

In a makeshift hospital on one street laid to waste by air strikes, I met Abdulmajid, a doctor who insisted he was not a fighter but felt he had to do something.

"I am trying to help in whatever way I can," he told me. "It feels like Assad has plunged our country into a kind of madness."

I met another man, a fighter, who told me that he was driven to take up arms against Assad out of revenge.

Regime loyalists had killed his wife and four children - the youngest only 8 months' old - in Homs, a city in central Syria which at that time had been devastated by fighting.

Since 2012, Aleppo has been roughly split between the regime and rebels, with Assad's forces mainly in the city's western flank and their opponents rooted in the east. Some neighbourhoods in between have see-sawed between both sides in a grinding, intimate war of attrition. Assad's forces have been barrel-bombing rebel-held districts for the last four years, targeting bakery queues and hospitals in attacks denounced by human rights groups.

Last September, the regime began a concerted push to retake the city, with Russia's military intervention and Iran's stepping up of its existing support allowing Assad's forces to make significant advances around the city's hinterland. By the first week of this month, they had it surrounded.

This week, the UN's human rights chief warned of "shocking" violence and abuses in and around Aleppo. At the same time, diplomats, who have gathered in Munich to discuss efforts to resolve the Syrian conflict, agreed to work out the terms of a nationwide "cessation of hostilities" over the next week.

Given how many previous attempts have faltered or failed, few hold out much hope of a real breakthrough. The Russian bombing of Aleppo continues, as does the stream of its residents towards the Turkish border, which remains shut.

I remember asking rebel commanders, in summer 2012, how long they expected the battle for Aleppo to take. "A month," one told me. "Weeks," said another. But it was the third man's response that proved the most prescient. "Only God knows," he said.
The Chinese version of the phrase "to call black white" is "to call a horse a deer". It comes from the legend of an emperor who tested the loyalty of his ministers by pointing to his horse, calling it a deer. If the minister corrected him, he had to be disposed of.

The world overnight welcomed the latest agreement to cease fire in Syria. Well, if this is a ceasefire deal, a horse is a deer. Even by the topsy-turvy diplomatic standards set by the war in the Syria, this "ceasefire" is Alice through the looking glass.

The ceasefire terms were agreed by a range of international powers that did not include any Syrians. That in itself might give us pause for thought.

Then the one thing that none of those involved made clear was that it doesn't apply to any of them. All the foreign actors participating in the war can carry on bombing away at will. This is because, under the terms of a UN resolution passed by the security council last month, terrorist groups are excluded from any ceasefire. There is no obligation to stop fighting Isil, the local al-Qa'ida faction Jabhat al-Nusra, or other UN-designated terrorist groups.

On the face of it, this is reasonable enough. We all want to get rid of these terrorists. But since all foreign intervention in Syria has been carried out under the pretext of fighting terrorism, all the international actors can therefore carry on bombing.

The US says it is bombing Isil. Russia says it is bombing both Isil, al-Qa'ida and other terrorists: but even if we take that at face value, it is an unfortunate fact that the al-Qa'ida brigades it is targeting are in the same parts of Syria as the non-terrorist "rebels" whose forces are being hammered by the regime.

Neither Russia nor the United States - or the other participants - have given any indication they will halt air raids. On the ground, Iran, another major player, also says it is "targeting terrorists". It has Revolutionary Guard troops and a number of militias fighting for the Assad regime under its command in Syria. They are also fighting in areas where there happen to be Jabhat al-Nusra militants, as well as rebels, so there is no onus on them to cease fire either.

The regime has said all along that it is fighting terrorists and, as above, where it has major fronts against the "moderate rebels", there are also Jabhat al-Nusra factions, sometimes fighting alongside them.

Isil and Jabhat al-Nusra are also excluded from the terms of the ceasefire. It's not that we want them to carry on fighting, but even the most hawkish negotiator would acknowledge the right of an enemy to carry on fighting if he has been excluded from the opportunity to make peace.

There are some groups, allied to Jabhat al-Nusra, whose status under this deal remains disputed.

So that leaves just one faction that everyone agrees is going to be obliged to actually cease fire under the terms of this deal: the "moderate rebels". This means that on the ground, the only factions that have not been accused of carrying out war crimes on civilians in this war are the only ones now obliged to lay down their weapons.

At a practical level, this means all the fronts fighting the regime and its allies in Syria will be taken over by Isil, al-Qa'ida and their associated sub-groups. This is not, presumably, a desired outcome of western policy.

It is, however, a natural outcome of a particular aspect of US foreign policy. John Kerry, backed by President Obama, has pursued in the Middle East a pragmatic approach, that of "working with people who we can work with". Mr Obama believes you cannot force monsters to behave well; rather, you negotiate with people who are prepared to negotiate with you in the hope that they will ultimately start to observe international norms.

The ceasefire deal is the result of this. Its terms apply to the people Mr Kerry can "work with" - the internationally recognised opposition, and factions loyal to it.

But the people America cannot work with - and America itself - can just carry on killing. This is not a ceasefire, it's a deer.
In THE hours preceding the agreement of a Syrian ceasefire, Russia warned of "a new world war" starting in Syria - amid threats from Gulf states that they were prepared to dispatch ground forces.

Russia and the US set out very different terms for a truce. It is hoped that the ceasefire will enable them to concentrate on the fight against Isil.

Tensions deepened as the Gulf states, led by Saudi Arabia, dug in, insisting they were committed to sending ground troops to the country.

Their favoured rebel groups have been pulverised by Russian air raids and driven back on the ground by Iranian-supplied pro-regime troops.

However, the presence of troops from Gulf states that have funded the Syrian rebels would be taken as a hostile act by the Assad regime and its backers, and a sign that they were committed to staking their claim to a say in the final Syrian settlement.

It was then that Moscow issued its chilling warning of the potential consequences.

"The Americans and our Arab partners must think well: do they want a permanent war?" prime minister Dmitry Medvedev told Germany's 'Handelsblatt' newspaper.

"It would be impossible to win such a war quickly, especially in the Arab world, where everybody is fighting against everybody. All sides must be compelled to sit at the negotiating table instead of unleashing a new world war."

Under the UN Security Council resolution passed in December, the ceasefire would exclude Isil, the local al-Qa'ida branch Jabhat al-Nusra, which operates throughout rebel territory, and other UN-designated terrorist groups.

Since these are being attacked by the US and Russia, as well as the regime, the terms of the resolution mean the only group that would have to stop fighting under the terms of a ceasefire would be the "moderate rebels" backed by the West.

This they are unlikely to do voluntarily.

Saudi Arabia is also said to be furious that its main regional rival, Iran, has been allowed to consolidate its power bases in both Iraq and Syria because of the civil wars in both countries and under the cover of an international air campaign supposedly targeting Isil.

Its defence ministry spokesman, Ahmed al-Assiri, said its decision to send ground troops to Syria was "irreversible".

The kingdom, along with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, is offering to provide the troops the US-led coalition needs to take on Isil on the ground under coalition air cover.

Humanitarian aid is to be delivered to besieged areas in the next few days, followed by a "cessation of hostilities" - a term distinct from ceasefire, apparently allowing for a likely resumption of violence - within a week. ( Daily Telegraph London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Residents stand near a picture of Syria's president Bashar al-Assad in Wafideen Camp, which is controlled by Syrian government forces, in Damascus suburbs, Syria REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki

Turkey's military shelled Kurdish militia targets in northern Syria on Saturday and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu demanded that the group withdraw from the area in a move that further complicated the conflict across the NATO member's border.

The shelling took place after Kurdish YPG fighters backed by Russian bombing raids drove Syrian rebels from a former military air base, south of the town of Azaz and near the Turkish border.

"Today retaliation was taken under the rules of engagement against forces that represented a threat in Azaz and the surrounding area," the prime minister told reporters in comments shown live by state broadcaster TRT Haber.

A Kurdish official said the Menagh base which was hit had been captured by the Kurdish-allied Jaysh al-Thuwwar group rather than the YPG. Both are part of the Syria Democratic Forces alliance.

The shelling came amid growing anger in Ankara with the United States for supporting the YPG, which Ankara regards as a terrorist organisation, in its fight against Islamic State militants.

The Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), which backs the YPG, controls most of the Syrian side of Turkey's border and Ankara views it as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade-old insurgency for autonomy in southeast Turkey.

U.S. State Department spokesperson John Kirby urged both Turkey and the Syrian Kurds to step back, saying they should focus instead on tackling a "common threat" of Islamic State militants who control large parts of Syria.

"We have urged Syrian Kurdish and other forces affiliated with the YPG not to take advantage of a confused situation by seizing new territory," Kirby said in a statement.

"We have also seen reports of artillery fire from the Turkish side of the border and urged Turkey to cease such fires."

Davutoglu demanded that the Menagh base be evacuated and said he had spoken to U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to make that point and stress that the PYD was an extension of the PKK and a direct threat to Turkey.

"We will retaliate against every step (by the YPG)," he said after a visit to the eastern Turkish city of Erzincan. "The YPG will immediately withdraw from Azaz and the surrounding area and will not go close to it again."

Turkey's disquiet has been heightened by the tens of thousands of people fleeing to the Turkish border after attacks by Russian-backed Syrian government forces, swelling refugee numbers in the area to 100,000.

Turkey, which already hosts 2.6 million Syrian refugees, has kept the latest arrivals on the Syrian side of the border, in part to pressure Russia to cease its air support for Syrian government forces near the city of Aleppo.

Davutoglu earlier condemned the attacks in Aleppo as "barbarity, tyranny, a war strategy conducted with a medieval mentality" and said hundreds of thousands faced the danger of starvation if a humanitarian corridor was not opened.

"We will help our brothers in Aleppo with all means at our disposal. We will take those in need but we will never allow Aleppo to be emptied through an ethnic massacre," he said.

NATO-member Turkey is one of Assad's most vehement critics and an ardent supporter of opposition forces.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was reported as saying on Saturday that Saudi Arabia would send aircraft to Turkey's Incirlik air base for the fight against Islamic State.
By Abe Hardesty of the Independent Mail

Vickie Burns remained an undecided, but likely, voter as she walked away from a Jeb Bush meet-and-greet Friday morning. But the Anderson resident was encouraged by what she saw and heard at the Civic Center of Anderson.

"He's not nearly as personable on TV as he is in person," Burns said after the 46-minute meeting. "He seems stiff on television, and doesn't show the warmth. But you know this guy has what it takes.

"He doesn't have the pizazz and he isn't a showman, but I think he has the knowledge, and we're seeing that side in an event like this."

About 250 area residents in a 200-seat room heard the 23-minute version of the former Florida governor's speech. With another speech looming at Bob Jones University in Greenville less than an hour later, Bush did not field questions.

Among the listeners was Libby Winkler of Anderson, who said the appearance turned her from the undecided camp into an "all in for Jeb" voter.

Rick Lyerly of Williamston remained undecided, although he thought Bush helped himself.

"He does a much better job in person," said Lyerly, who considers Bush "a nice guy."

What Lyerly said he is looking for someone passionate about fundamentally changing the culture of government.

"The structure in Washington has got to change," Lyerly said.

Many, like Pat Moore, turned out to the meeting as curious observers in the wake of Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina recently leaving the presidential race.

"I'm hoping the momentum for Bush will pick up," Moore said, adding that Bush could "bring stability" to the office.

Kitty Coffey, a retired teacher who is also undecided and made the drive to Anderson from Walhalla, seemed to be leaning toward Bush for the same reason.

"Bush is a name you can trust," said Coffey, who has had Bush and surgeon Ben Carson at the top of her list in recent weeks. "It has surprised me that Bush's (polling) numbers have not been better. But I thought it would be close the whole way, because a lot of people are thinking in terms of change."

Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, who say they are proponents of extensive change, lead in the Republican polls and in the delegate count after two primary elections. Marco Rubio also leads Bush in most polls.

Trump, winner of the New Hampshire primary, received plenty of attention at in the town-hall style setting Friday.

Katrina Sheely, a state senator from Lexington who took the microphone at 11:15 a.m., alluded to Trump within 30 seconds. Longtime U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina followed suit in his brief remarks, and Bush was only three minutes into his speech when he began talking about Trump  a subject he brought up even before mentioning his family credentials.

Bush, who turned 63 on Thursday, said his first priority as president would be to destroy ISIS, but reiterated that stalling the immigration of people of certain backgrounds would send the wrong signal internationally.

Bush received his biggest ovation when he pledged, "from my first day in office, I will not blame anything on Barack Obama  we will begin to solve problems, rather than blame others."

One man in the audience, Anderson County Director of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Glenn Brill, was impressed with the Bush team  the group that was setting the stage and sound system nearly four hours before the event.

Brill said the Bush staff was "clearly the best-financed, largest and most-efficient staff" among the seven presidential candidates who have visited Anderson since July 1.

A decision was made around 5:30 p.m. Thursday to shift the Friday event from Mama Penn's restaurant in Anderson to the Civic Center. Anderson County Republican Party Chairman Dan Harvell said it was "a good-sized crowd, considering the short notice."

The Civic Center will be a political setting again Tuesday, when Cruz is scheduled to arrive at 6 p.m.

Follow Abe Hardesty on Twitter @abe_hardesty
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Baptist Easley Hospital Chief Executive Officer Michael Batchelor will headline Anderson University's annual Founders Day celebration Wednesday.

The event is set to start at 10 a.m. in the Henderson Auditorium of the Rainey Fine Arts Center at the school, off Boulevard in Anderson. The gathering will commemorate the university's 104 years of existence.

Batchelor became CEO of Baptist Easley in 2013 after serving as president of the North Greenville campus of the Greenville Health System. The licensed practical nurse and former Army combat medic has a master's degree in health care management from Troy State University, a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland and associate degrees from the University of South Carolina.

Batchelor and his wife of 30 years, Kami, have four children and a granddaughter.

Visit andersonuniversity.edu for more information.

Staff report
SC Supreme Court hears challenge to 6-week abortion law

The SC law, temporarily blocked until the court considers its fate, is being challenged on the grounds that it violates privacy rights in constitution.
SHARE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO A surveillance image of a man police are seeking after authorities said an asset protection officer at Dillards in the Anderson Mall was attacked. A surveillance image of a man police are seeking after authorities said an asset protection officer at Dillards in the Anderson Mall was attacked.

Anderson police are looking for a man they say stabbed a Dillard's department store employee early Friday night at the Anderson Mall.

Anderson Police Department spokesman Lt. Tony Tilley said an asset protection officer with the store approached a shoplifting suspect shortly before 7 p.m. and tried to detain the man, only to get cut on the forearm.

The man the store employee approached fled on foot and hasn't been seen since, Tilley said.

"By the time our officers arrived, he was long gone," said Tilley. "We're going to keep searching for him, but I don't know if we'll catch him."

Tilley said police said the person police are seeking is black, about 6 feet tall and was wearing a gray hoodie with a puffy blue jacket or vest.

The store employee was taken to AnMed Health Medical Center by ambulance with an injury not considered to be life-threatening, Tilley said.

Staff report
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Bank of Baroda has announced the following Un-Audited Standalone results for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 :The bank has posted a net loss of Rs. 3,342 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 as compared to net profit of Rs. 333 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2014. Total income has decreased from Rs. 11,808.3 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2014 to Rs. 11,727 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015.Domestic CASA rhare e129.97%. Gross NPA at 9.6896 & Net NPA at 5.67%. Piovision Coverage Ratio at 52.7096. Operating Protit Rs.1,7 crore in Q3, FY16. CRAR (Basel ll) at 12.95% and CRAR (Basel llI) at 12.ft%. Management vier is that no further issuance of Equity capital is required in the foreseeable tuture and hai also adviid tte Govemment of lndia that no further suppon by way of irrusion ot equity capital is required.The Bank's Total business expanded by 1.64% (y-o-y) to Rs. 9,73,959 crore in Q3, FY16. Total Deposits increased by 4.44% (y-o-y) to Rs.5,89,687 crore. However, the y-o-y growth in total Domestic Deposits on average basis {based on daily averages) was at 72.79%. Total Deposits on averages basis grew by 9.49%.On year-on-year (y-o-y) basis growth in CASA (Domestic) deposit on average basis was 12.07%. Share of Domestic CASA deposits stood at 29.97% as of December 31, 2015 and on daily average basis Domestic CASA share stood at 29.10%.Total Advances decreased by -2.38 % (y-o-y) to Rs.3,84,272 crore. However, on Average basis, y-o-y growth in Domestic Advance was 6-66%. Total Advances growth on average basis stood at 7.59%. Retail Credit increased by 6.14% (y-o-y) to Rs. 51,728 crore and formed 18.9 % of its Gross Domestic Credit as on 31st Dec,2015. Within Retail Credit, the home loan portfolio increased by 12.53%. Farm Credit grew by 11.8396 (y-o-y) to Rs.34,825 crore.Stock view:Bank of Baroda ended at Rs. 114.35, down by Rs. 1.6 or 1.38% from its previous closing of Rs. 115.95 on the BSE.The scrip opened at Rs. 116.25 and touched a high and low of Rs. 117.15 and Rs. 109.45 respectively. A total of 9085579(NSE+BSE) shares were traded on the counter. The current market cap of the company is Rs. 26348.07 crore.The BSE group 'A' stock of face value Rs. 2 touched a 52 week high of Rs. 216.25 on 18-Aug-2015 and a 52 week low of Rs. 109.45 on 12-Feb-2016. Last one week high and low of the scrip stood at Rs. 134.8 and Rs. 109.45 respectively.The promoters holding in the company stood at 59.24 % while Institutions and Non-Institutions held 33.71 % and 7.06 % respectively.The stock traded above its 200 DMA.
A 61 per cent drop in State Bank of India's net profit largely due to a steep rise in provisions that India's biggest lender had to make for bad loans sums up the nightmarish story that bad loans have created in the banking space. With the Reserve Bank of India acting tough and forcing banks to recognize NPAs, almost every bank has reported big surge in bad loan provisions: ICICI Bank's gross NPA for the quarter rose to 4.72 per cent from 3.77 per cent, PNB's gross NPA touched 8.4 per cent and Dena Bank's 9.8 per cent, the list goes on and on.SBI has reported gross NPAs at 5.1 per cent compared with 4.15 per cent in the preceding quarter, while Union Bank of India reported 7.05 per cent against 6.12 per cent on a quarterly basis. Higher provisions associated with increase in bad loans pushed down the net income of by substantial margin for most banks.Some estimates showed Rs 50,000 crore stressed loans for ICICI Bank and Rs 22,500 crore for Axis Bank across sectors, which was standard in their books at the beginning of FY16.As more and more NPAs tumble out of closets, investors are turning wary of the banking space and most analysts say the situation is unlikely to change over the next 6-9 months. The spike in bad loans has led to many bank shares falling to their multi-month lows as it has sent panic waves in the stock market and investors deserted these counter in droves to take shelter in other stocks.Such is the fear gripping markets about bad loans of our banks that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday had to step in to calm investor nerves. He said: "Media reports on PSU banks bad loan position is not fully correct. Banks are equipped to deal with bad loans issue. The government is committed to provide for capital needs of PSU banks."Now that's a pressure point for the finance minister in this year's Union Budget. He is hard-pressed to offer more money to the PSU banks to take care of their health, lest credit flow into the economy dries up, affecting an entire economic cycle.While this trend is expected to continue for some time, most analysts hope that it will clean up the bank balance sheets and pave the way for better, solid growth in banks going forward. That's the good news. But when that reversal happens is anybody's guess.
If you've spent enough of the last couple of weekends watching romcoms and comedies, you could do with a change. Hopefully, you've finished all the underrated films and lesser-known comedies we've already told you about, so it's time for something darker now.

Enter psychological thrillers! Here's a list of Bollywood thriller movies that you just can't miss watching. Think you can watch all these?

Read more: 11 Movies That Fought Against Major Social Stigmas And Made A Difference To The Community

1. Te3n

With legendary actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Vidya Balan there is no way that movie wouldn't promise phenomenal acting skills to you.

This 2016 Indian Hindi thriller film written and directed by Ribhu Dasgupta was a remarkable tale of a 70-year-old grandfather who's desperate to find the kidnapper and murderer of his granddaughter.

2. Kaabil

Kaabil is a painful tale of a blind couple who falls in love. The entire movie keeps the viewer on their toes as to what will happen next.

This story of a specially-abled people struggles with the system, particularly societal injustice and apathy has managed to win many hearts.

Read more: 11 Movies In Bollywood That Used VFX And Made Us Believe How Real Those Scenes Were

3. Gupt

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A suspense movie is woven around a murder mystery. The love triangle culminates in the murder of its lead actor Sahil's father, with Sahil himself being charged with the killing. Its climax left everyone shocked when the real antagonist was revealed.

4. Khamosh

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The film with an unconventional plot stars stalwarts Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Amol Palekar. When mysterious murders begin to take place on the sets of a Bollywood movie, nobody knows who is doing it, until the end.

5. Deewangee

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Split personality disorder and how a murder convict uses it as a defence in his case, is the plot of this film. But he was also an obsessive lover, a sign of a psychological disturbance. The movie was inspired by Hollywood film Primal Fear which starred Richard Gere.

6. Darr

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A violent love story that laid the foundation of SRK's career. It was fresh and frightening! Shah Rukh played an evil person wrapped up in an unassuming boy-next-door look. Yash Chopra places the psychotic obsessive lover between a couple, adds some memorable songs and serves a psychological thriller that continues to stand the test of time.

The climax was inspired by Hollywood film Cape Fear.

7. No Smoking

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The deep surreal film is a rare psychological thriller that keeps you hooked. The story follows a self-obsessed, narcissist chain smoker who agrees to let go of his habit to save his marriage. He thus visits a rehabilitation centre but gets caught in a complex game by the man who guarantees he will make him quit smoking.

We forgive you if you didn't understand the film. You need to watch it again.

8. Aamir

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While on a visit to India, NRI doctor Aamir realises his family is missing and he has been set up by terrorists to plant a bomb. His refusal to comply would mean the death of his family. Does he carry out the instructions given by the man on the other end of the phone? Rajeev Khandelwal wins it with his brilliant act.

9. A Wednesday

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An about-to-retire police commissioner recounts the most memorable case of his career wherein he was informed about a bomb scare in Mumbai, as the sequence of events unfolded on a particular Wednesday between 2 pm and 6 pm. They do not exist in any written record, only in his mind and in those who were involved.

Hollywood's A Common Man is its official remake starring Ben Kingsley and Ben Cross.

10. Woh Kaun Thi

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It was one of the initial films that brought thrillers into Bollywood. One stormy night, a young doctor offers a ride to a woman and inexplicable things start happening. Later, he discovers the mysterious lady as his intended bride. It is the first of the famous thriller trilogy by Raj Khosla, starring Manoj Kumar, Sadhana, Prem Chopra and Helen.

Don't we still love"Lag ja gale ke phir yeh" even if it was lip-synced by a supposed ghost?

11. 100 Days

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A missing dead body, a magazine with a horse on its cover, a video cassette and a skeleton... This one will force you to feel your heartbeat and adrenaline rushing. It begins when a woman with extrasensory perception sees flashes of her sister's murder, thus kicking off a series of mysterious events towards finding the killer.

12. Khiladi

rockying

We don't call Akshay Khiladi Kumar for no reason. He proved his mettle in his debut and very first film in the Khiladi series. What begins as a college romance flick, soon turns into a dreaded suspense thriller where whatever meets the eye is way different from reality.

A must watch!

13. Ek Hasina Thi

rediff

A couple's whirlwind romance turns sour when the girl is framed and convicted for the underworld crimes of a mysterious businessman. Finally out of prison, she sets out on the journey of sweet revenge. Solid acting from both Urmila and Saif Ali Khan. But a gruesome climax!

14. Sangharsh

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A police officer discovers that the culprit of a series of child abduction cases is a religious fanatic, who believes in child sacrifice. She seeks the help of a convict to track him down. Said to be inspired by The Silence of the Lambs, its climax was gripping and featured little Alia as one of the villain's targets.

15. Agni Sakshi

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Suraj and Shivangi are a happily married couple. They sing and dance, until one day a man approaches them, and claims that Shivangi is his wife, Madhu. This one was based on Sleeping With The Enemy. Nana Patekar, who received a National Award for this film, was too scary and his act will send shivers down your spine.

16. Talaash

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The car accident of a well-known actor opens up a mysterious trail of events that happened three years back involving three friends and a call girl. As Inspector Shekhawat is out solving the case layer by layer, he also copes with his own marriage falling apart ever since the death of his son.

The catch is Rosie, who helps him in the case, but is only visible to him!

17. Mera Saya

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The second film in the trilogy by Raj Khosla, begins with the death of Geeta. At the funeral, her lawyer husband Rakesh is informed by police that a woman named Sunaina has been detained. But she claims that she isn't Sunaina, but Geeta.

Well, she looks like Geeta! To prove her identity, the woman narrates incidents that only a wife is supposed to know! Is she Geeta or just a crook trying to acquire Rakesh's wealth?

18. Kahaani

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The awesome thriller revolves around a pregnant lady out on the search of her missing husband in Kolkata, with the help of a police officer. But everyone she questions denies having ever met her husband. As she walks deeper into the bylanes of the festive city, hidden truths around the city's crime and mystery begin to open up. It has one of the best climaxes of recent times.

19. Ek Ruka Hua Faisla

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A remake of American motion picture 12 Angry Men, it shows twelve male members of a jury who have gathered to deliberate their decision on a charge of murder against a young man who has been accused of killing his elderly father.

All of the jury except one, are convinced of this man's guilt, and they try to convince their colleague to join them in the unanimous decision.

20. Ugly

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Action begins when a 10-year-old girl gets kidnapped while she is out with her father, an aspiring actor. Her parents are divorced and her stepfather, who is a cop, steps in for the investigation. As the investigation proceeds, the characters are placed in sordid scenarios that reveal their unsavoury sides.

Everyone seems to have an ulterior motive, as they get greedy and ugly, not caring about the girl.

21. Gumnaam

rediff

Eight people win a contest and a trip to an island in a chartered plane, only to be abandoned there. They find an eerie mansion with a strange butler. But as soon as they settle there, the guests begin to get murdered one after the other.

The film's songs and background score have been used in several Hollywood projects. One of Bollywood's cult thrillers.

22. 404

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Professor Anirudh believes that things that don't have a scientific explanation do not exist. Unusual events begin to happen in one of the rooms of his medical institute, which is rumoured to be haunted by the ghost of a student who committed suicide there. Anirudh doesn't believe this.

Despite evidence suggesting a rational explanation to the physical events, the movie closes open-endedly, leaving a supernatural explanation for the audience.

23. Bhool Bhulaiyaa

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An NRI and his wife come to stay in his ancestral home, despite being warned about the existence of ghosts in the haveli. Soon, inexplicable events begin to occur forcing him to call a psychiatrist to solve the mystery. What is revealed is that his wife suffered from a dissociative identity disorder.

We'll never forget Vidya Balan as Manjulika and her climax dance!

24. Ghajini

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This psychological thriller was inspired by critically acclaimed Hollywood movie Memento. Aamir Khan, despite suffering from short-term memory loss, is on a relentless mission to find and take revenge for the murder of his love.

His rage makes his cat-and-mouse game dangerous for anyone who crosses his path.

25. Drishyam

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This is the story of a school drop-out but intelligent man who believes in justice and honesty. When a dark incident threatens to ruin his family, he takes desperate measures to save his family from the dark side of the law, after they commit an unexpected crime. It is one of the smartest thrillers in recent times.

Read more: 21 Extraordinary Hindi Movies Of 2017 You Must Watch Before You Enter The New Year

Do make time and watch these films when you can. They will surely leave you on the edge of your seat.
Her name might be buried under the dust of time, but if ever it pops up, everyone remembers her as the iron lady of Bengal. After telling you about the story of Jhalkari Bai, let's take our series of India's unsung woman heroes ahead. Introducing Pritilata Waddedar.

Pritilata Waddedar's sacrifice cannot be ignored. She was among the initial lot of revolutionaries who picked up arms against the British Raj and was the first woman in Bengal to do so. Having died at the age of 21, her story is fit for a film's screenplay.

1. Pritilata was chosen to lead an uprising against a club that had the tenet "Dogs and Indians are not allowed." She, along with a group of others, attacked a European club and set fire to it.

Wikimedia

To avenge the death of innocent Indians in the Jalalabad encounter, a group of revolutionaries plotted a strategy to attack the Pahartali European club which had a sign-board titled  "Dogs and Indians are not allowed." Pritilata was selected to lead a team of 40 people for the mission in September 1932. She dressed as a Punjabi male, while her associates wore lungis and shirts. She succeeded in laying a siege and her team torched the club.

2. After being fatally wounded during the attack, Pritilata preferred to sacrifice her life rather than be caught by the British. She was just 21 years old when she died.

The British officers chased Pritilata and her team in a bloody encounter that followed. She was fatally wounded in this attack. When she saw there was no way to escape from the Britishers, she commanded her fellow fighters to run away and laid down her own life instead. To avoid getting arrested, Pritilata consumed cyanide and died. She refused to be caught by British. She was just 21 when she gave up her life for her motherland.

3. She had a middle-class background and was inspired by several revolutionaries right from childhood.

Twitter

Pritilata was born into a middle-class Vaidya-Brahmin family in a village of Chittagong. Her father was a clerk and she had five siblings. Nicknamed Rani, Pritilata's original surname was Dasgupta. She was a meritorious student and highly influenced by the freedom fighters of that time.

4. Her graduation degree was withheld by the British. She served as a school teacher before becoming a freedom fighter.

Her degree in philosophy was withheld by the British authorities at the Calcutta University. She took up teaching after completing her studies. She was appointed as the first Headmistress of the local English medium secondary school where she worked. In 2012, she was conferred her graduation certificate of merit posthumously.

5. Pritilata soon joined the group of Bengali independence fighter Surya Sen. She was at the forefront of many anti-British campaigns.

Surya Sen had heard her name but was reluctant to recruit her. But seeing her firm determination to eliminate British supremacy, he finally accepted Pritilata as the woman comrade of his revolutionary group. Her intelligence, strategy and efforts helped Surya and other members attack the armoury raid, telegraph office, railway lines and make the uprising of Chittagong successful. In the Jalalabad battle, she took responsibility to supply explosives to the revolutionaries.

6. Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi was her role model, and inspired Pritilata to fight against the British right from her childhood.

Rani Laxmibai was an inspirational force for Pritilata to sacrifice her life for the liberation of her motherland. Her classmate Kalpana Datta wrote in the biography Chittagong Armoury Raiders:

"We had no clear idea in our school days about our future. Then the Rani of Jhansi fired our imagination with her example. Sometimes we used to think of ourselves as fearless..."

7. A plaque stands in memory of Pritilata at the spot she committed suicide,

Now in Bangladesh, the spot has gained popularity. A trust in her name also runs and celebrates her birthday in different parts of India and Bangladesh even today. Chittagong even has a Pritilata Waddedar Road. In 2012, a bronze sculpture of her was erected in front of the school where she taught, adjacent to the historical European Club.

8. Very few films referred to Pritilata in the past, and it's time for a full-fledged film on her.

Bollywood's 2010 film Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey was based on the Chittagong uprising where actress Vishakha Singh played the character of Pritilata. Even in 2012 film Chittagong, which was based on the same uprising, Vega Tamotia played the role of Pritilata. But her story has not been done justice to. It's high time we had a proper film to commemorate Pritilata's life and spirit.

While wondering who would be best suited to play the braveheart revolutionary, I could only think of Deepika Padukone. We have seen her in the historical film Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey, but playing a different character. She has even pulled off period dramas getting the nuances of that era right.

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Let's hope our filmmakers take a hint and get cracking on a saga on Pritilata Waddedar.
Google has announced handing over shares worth an unbelievable Rs 1,406 crores to their NRI CEO Sundar Pichai. This puts him in the world's top salary bracket.

Google apparently pays Sundar a very generous salary of Rs 335 crore, $50 million per annum. He has also received Google shares worth 142 million along with shares worth 173 million in Google's parent company, Alphabet. CEO Pichai will be entitled to claim these shares in 2018.

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The salary puts him in the big league with the likes of his former Google colleague and now SoftBank main man, Nikesh Arora. Arora, considered as the fourth most important person at Google, quit the tech titans in 2014 to join Japan's SoftBank as the company's president for a whopping salary package of around $135 million or Rs 850 crore per annum. The astronomical figure made him the highest paid Indian-born executive, ahead of Microsoft's Satya Nadella and Pepsi's Indira Nooyi. Although when asked about his paycheck, Nikesh said in a television interview that "people did not have the numbers right" before admitting he "was paid well".

bloomberg.com

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is known to be the top-paid CEO in the United States with a package of $84.3 million or Rs 575 crore a year for 2015. Pepsi chief Indira Nooyi doesn't make half as much as the leaders of the tech giants, but she still makes a cool $19.08 million or 129.9 crore a year.

Phew!
On a day when the nation grieved the loss of Siachen braveheart Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, nearly 1,500 youngsters from UP were caught trying to cheat their way into the Indian Army by using performance enhancing drugs, including steroids and opium.

Not stopping at that, many had brought with them fake rubber stamps of gazetted officers at the open Army recruitment camp at Mainpuri on Friday

AP

Of the 7,000 candidates who appeared for the test, close to 1,500 were promptly banned for using fraudulent means and indulging in other malpractices on the first day of the recruitment drive, which will continue till February 20.

Confirming this, Col Srikant Narayan, director (recruiting) for Army Recruitment Officer (ARO) Agra told TOI that drugs and other banned items were seized during the frisking that precedes registration of candidates. He said as per norms, candidates are registered at about 3 am and their physical endurance tests, which include a one-mile (1.6 km) race, commence after three hours at 6 am.

Col Narayan said though they do not conduct dope tests on candidates, there is a gap of over two hours between the registration and the tests, which is enough time for the effect of any performance enhancing drugs to wear off. He said besides the drugs, fake rubber stamps of district-level officials were also seized from some candidates.

"The fake stamps were apparently meant for attesting documents that a candidate is usually supposed to bring with him for verification of his domicile, qualifications and so on," the Army officer added. The recruitment drive is currently being held for the districts of Hathras, Mathura, Kasganj, Firozabad, Aligarh and Mainpuri.

While Narayan did not give the exact number of candidates who were caught with these drugs, he said the number was "significantly large enough".

However, Army sources said the number could even be close to 2,000

toi

Sources said the majority of drugs that were seized included steroid injections such as Deca-Durabolin and Deca-Ranbisol as well as opium, which enhance physical performance. Besides, large quantities of painkillers, cough syrups and pain-relieving gels were also recovered. Army officials later burnt all the seized items.

Incidentally, attempts to use physical enhancement drugs to clear Army recruitment tests are quite common and there have been several such instances in the past across the country, particularly in Haryana and Punjab. In Punjab, which has an extremely high incidence of drug abuse, the Army has started conducting dope tests at their recruitment camps.
After an year of investigation and controversy, climate scientist Rajendra K. Pachauri will soon be charged with crimes related to sexual harassment in the next 2 weeks, a Delhi court heard.

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The former a United Nations climate panel chief was accused last February of sexual harassment, by a 29-year-old researcher working at the Delhi-based think-tank The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) where Pachauri was Director General.

Also read: 10 Years Of Alleged Sexual Harassment: Pachauri Granted 3 Days Interim Protection

Police told the Delhi High Court, during a plea by the woman's lawyer against Pachauri's anticipatory bail, that their investigation would be completed soon. A charge sheet would be filed within next 15 days, Reuters reported.

"If the court feels the charges are very serious, it is possible that they will reject Pachauri's request for anticipatory bail and then he could be arrested," said Prashant Mendiratta, lawyer for the complainant. The woman claims Pachauri, 75, began harassing her soon after she joined the non-profit think-tank in September 2013 via email, Whatsapp and text messaging, but Pachauri persisted despite her requests that he stop.

Pachauri - who quit as chair of the Nobel-winning U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) over the allegation - denies the charges and has accused the complainant of using the media to sensationalise the case.

But Mendiratta said pressure was mounting on Pachauri as a second former TERI employee on Wednesday told Indian media she was also sexually harassed by the scientist between 2003 and 2004.

Reuters

The woman, who cannot be named under Indian law, claimed that Pachauri had harassed her and many other employees.

"There has been a pattern to his sexual harassment. Not just me but a lot of female colleagues. His harassment was a topic of corridor gossip," the woman told New Delhi Television (NDTV).

"He would stand very close, try to kiss or hold me, call me on weekends. When I complained to TERI, I was laughed at," she said, adding that this why she did not lodge a police complaint.

Pachauri's lawyer Ramesh Gupta said that all the allegations being made by both women were false and fabricated.

"I know the police will file charges against my client, but it is all false allegations," Gupta told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"My client is being victimised. This is all concocted." Pachauri headed the think-tank for more than 30 years. An internal inquiry committee of the think-tank found Pachauri guilty of misconduct and the organisation said it was removing him as director general. However he continued in the role until earlier this week, when he was appointed as TERI's executive vice-chairman.

Some students at TERI University who are due to graduate on March 7 have refused to accept their degrees from Pachauri, who is the university's chancellor.

Also read: Sexual Harassment Complainant Writes Open Letter Against TERI Promoting R K Pachauri, Calls It 'Shamelessness Abounds'
Over 5.5 million people die prematurely, succumbing to to air pollution every year. Shockingly, over half of those deaths occurring in China and India, two of the worlds fastest-growing economies, a new international study has found.

AFP

Scientists from the US, Canada, China and India, presenting their findings at an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting showed that conditions caused by air pollution killed 1.6 million people in China and 1.4 million people in India in 2013.

Air pollution is the fourth-highest risk factor for death globally and by far the leading environmental risk factor for disease, said Michael Brauer, a researcher from the University of British Columbia.

AP

More than 85 per cent of the worlds population lives in areas that exceed the World Health Organisations safe level of air pollution, Brauer said in a press briefing to announce the findings.

That study analysed health and risk factors such as air pollution that impacted 188 countries between 1990 and 2013. Scientists involved in the initiative say the statistics illustrate how far, and how fast, some nations must travel to improve the air their citizens breathe.

The report concludes that China and India, two of the worlds most populous countries, have the filthiest air in the world

In China, the dominant factor is particle emissions from coal burning. The project calculates this source alone is responsible for more than 360,000 deaths every year.

In India, the problem that draws particular attention is the practice of burning wood, dung, crop residues and other materials for cooking and heating. This indoor pollution causes far more deaths than outdoor pollution.

And looking at the broad economic trends in India, the research team says the country runs the risk of having even poorer air quality in the future

Piyal Bhattacharjee/TOI

Scientists warn the early death toll will climb over the next 20 years unless the world does more to fight the problem. In Asia, you have countries with very large populations that happen to be heavily polluted. You see trends in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan where the air quality continues to worsen. In China, maybe things have stabilised, but they are very high, Brauer said.

Also, in those countries the populations are ageing. People are getting older, so you have this greater prevalence of chronic diseases  heart and lung disease and cancer that are affected by air pollution.

Unless China adopts more stringent air pollution standards, limiting coal combustion and particulate emissions from factories and power plants, the report estimated that more than 1 million people would die prematurely by 2030.

And even though China has targets to restrict coal combustion and emissions in the future, it may struggle to bring down the number of deaths because it is acquiring an aging population and these citizens are naturally more susceptible to the illnesses associated with poor air quality.

So, we think more aggressive policies are urgently needed to reduce the emissions from coal combustion and other sectors, stated project researcher Qiao Ma, a PhD student at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Chandra Venkataraman, from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay warned: Despite proposed emissions control, there is significant growth in the demand for electricity as well as industrial production.

So, through to 2050, this growth overshadows the emissions controls (in our projections) and will lead to an increase in future air pollutant emissions in 2050 in India, BBC quoted him as saying.

Economic progress in the US, Western Europe and Japan also contributed to high levels of air pollution, according to the report

AP

The researchers, however, hailed lawmakers in the US, Canada, western Europe and Japan  or at least their predecessors, whom were credited with major accomplishments in curbing pollution over the past 50 years.

Brauer said the statistics should make governments think hard about the scope of their anti-pollution policies.

Medical experts say air pollution leads to heart disease, lung cancer and other respiratory illnesses.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) air quality guidelines, pollution should be restricted to a daily particulate matter of 25 microgrammes per cubic meter. In February, Beijing and New Delhi typically see daily levels at or above 300 microgrammes per cubic meter  or 1,200 per cent higher than WHO guidelines, researchers said.
Corporal Shailabh Gaur, a member of the Indian Air Force's elite commando unit, Garud, is raring to join his team again. Corporal Gaur is still recovering after taking six bullets in the abdomen during the fierce gun battle that took place at the Pathankot Air Base on January 2.

On January 1st, his unit was flown from Adampur to Pathankot. Speaking to NDTV, Gaur recounts, "It was around 3.30 am when we were asked to look around the vehicle maintenance area and clear the area." "We spotted a trail which led us inside the area, terrorists hiding there began firing as the platoon took positions," Corporal Gursewak Singh was shot and eventually lost his life in this battle. "Gursewak was a close friend, we had joined the Air Force together and we were buddies," he said.

Recalling the attack Gaur said, "They used lob grenades while reloading. Mortars were also fired at us. Thankfully, they didn't explode." Fearing collateral damage, the commandos refrained from using heavy weapons. Their brief was to secure the technical area which had the fighter jets and the radars.

He fought the terrorists for over an hour before attending to his injuries. At the military hospital, four bullets and splinter pieces were removed from his body. His survival was nothing short of a miracle because there were three litres of blood in his abdominal cavity due to internal bleeding. Six weeks later, Gaur has almost recovered and is raring to get back in action after a fitness test next week.

Corporal Gaur was enrolled in the elite unit after emerging as the best all-rounder during training with the Air Force back in 2010. Gaur says Hollywood action movies like Commando and Rambo would inspire him during school days. With three generations of his family in the defense forces, it wasn't really a difficult choice to make.
A Jawaharlal Nehru University students protest against the the 2013 hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru blew up in the protester's faces and generated outrage after it was publicised in the mainstream media. The students, allegedly seen shouting slogans supporting Afzal Guru and Kashmiri separatism triggered the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the BJP's student wing, who wrote to the Vice Chancellor that such marches should not be held on campus.

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JNU had never allowed the march

The university has begun a "disciplinary" inquiry into why the event took place. However, it was registered as a cultural programme and an art and photo exhibition on the Afzal Guru hanging - and turned into a protest. Students had pasted posters across campus inviting people to gather for a protest march against the "judicial killing of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhatt" and in solidarity with the "struggle of Kashmiri people for their democratic right to self determination".

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Home minister Rajnath Singh instructed the Delhi Police to not spare anyone who indulges in anti-India activities.

This prompted fierce protests from students and teachers in the university. JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested on Friday on charges of sedition. The university also barred eight students -- whom they didn't name -- from academic activities pending an inquiry into the event.

Art can't have any restrictions or limits: PM @narendramodi  PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 13, 2016

There was heavy police presence at JNU as students clashed with cops, who went on to search hostels looking for "anti-nationals". BJP's student wing, ABVP, too stepped up protests against Tuesday's JNU event, where anti-India slogans were raised, and another organised at the Press Club of India a day later.

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A team of south Delhi police is conducting raids in Okhla, Jamia Nagar, Munirka, Vasant Kunj and areas in old Delhi to nab people who shouted slogans at JNU. Some of the names in the search list were Anand, Ashutosh, Fahad, Umar, Rashid, Anirban, Banjotsna and Shailja, sources said.

JNU students protests against the arrest of JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar inside the campus, demand his release pic.twitter.com/cAS4KZqlcM  ANI (@ANI_news) February 13, 2016

Kanhaiya was produced before a metropolitan magistrate where police asked to be given his custody for five days so they could interrogate him about his and others' alleged links with terrorist groups. Kanhaiya was sent to police custody for three days.

Here's the complete speech by Kanhiya Kumar that generated outrage

Former servicemen of the Indian Army threatened to return their JNU degrees saying they "find it difficult" to be associated to with a university, which has become a "hub of anti-national activities".

"We would be constrained to return our degrees if such activities are allowed to be conducted inside the university," the ex-servicemen of 54th NDA course said in a letter to JNU vice-chancellor Jagdeesh Kumar on Saturday.

Arnd 1000 students & several professors of JNU protests aganst d arrest of JNUSU Pres Kanhaiya undr sedition charges pic.twitter.com/xkdYDwEjlo  Arvindgunasekar (@arvindgunasekar) February 12, 2016

Delhi Police has written a letter to JNU's VC requesting him for access to six students of the University who are allegedly involved in anti-national activities.

Rahul Gandhi reaches JNU where students & teachers are protesting against arrest of JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar pic.twitter.com/pWyQ73e5X5  ANI (@ANI_news) February 13, 2016

Left-wing student group Student's Federation of India, on the other hand, condemned "the irresponsible slogans by a section" and said "it should be clear to all that SFI wasn't an organiser of the programme. The cultural evening portrayed the Kashmir Question in a framework, which is not shared by SFI".

The group, however, alleged that "there has been a well-planned effort by RSS-BJP and a section of media to paint all Left-led student organisations with the same brush".

Anand Kumar, professor of sociology, said that everyone knew of the contrasting ideologies co-existing on the campus, but "in my opinion they crossed the laxman rekha by shouting slogans like 'Bharat ki barbadi' and treating Afzal Guru as a martyr". Professor SK Sopory, who demitted office as JNU's vice-chancellor last month, described what had happened as "minor yet disturbing", but said nevertheless that such an event "should never have been allowed to take place, no matter how small the number of people involved."

Left party leaders Sitaram Yechury, D Raja and Nilotpal Basu are meeting JNU students on campus to discuss the issue.
The state government is finalising a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Canadian government pension fund and two Mumbai developers to build over 3.5 lakh affordable homes here through the Slum Redevelopment Authority (SRA).

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If approved, the two builders, Deserve Group and Radius Group, will be able to exploit prime slum plots from Cuffe Parade to Borivali with the help of the SRA, which will expedite permissions for them.

"The pension fund may invest up to $2 billion (Rs 13,600 crores) in the project. We are still fine-tuning some of the clauses before finalizing it," a top government source told TOI on Friday . The developers, along with the pension fund, are expect to sign a tripartite agreement with the SRA. IL&FS has been appointed fund manager. "The two developers will have to obtain letter of intent (LOI) themselves. They will not get any preferential treatment for that. But once they receive LOI, the SRA will put them on the fast track," the sources added.

SRA CEO Aseem Gupta said the state was awaiting confirmation from Canadian government officials. "The draft is yet to be cleared by SRA," he said.

"The government wants to sell homes at a cheap rate of say, Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 a sq ft. The Canadian Pension Fund will put in money only for the construction," said a person close to one of the developers. But government sources said the rate will be decided by SRA.

"The SRA's role is basically to fast-track permissions. Apart from providing new tenements to slum dwellers, the developers have offered to build affordable housing in the sale component, which can be made available to people at a low rate," said sources. The two builders can expect a windfall by exploiting portions of the slum plots to build high end residential or commercial towers, which they can sell at market rate. The SRA, through private builders, has been able to provide less than two lakh houses to slum dwellers in the past two decades as against the 40 lakh homes promised when the scheme was introduced in 1996.

The cross-subsidy scheme has been wrecked by charges of corruption, malpractices and arm-twisting of slum residents by slum lords and land mafia.

Some of the most expensive residential skyscrapers have come up on slum land. Housing experts have complained that slum residents are rehabilitated on a small portion of the plot in box sized multi-storeyed apartments while the larger chunk of the land is exploited by builders for luxury housing.
Born as Sarojini Chattopadhyay, Naidu was a political writer, feminist, poet and writer. She is remembered today as one of India's front running female freedom fighters.

On the occasion of her birth anniversary, here are some lesser known facts about her life and why she is one of the greatest Indian women in history.

1. She went to university at the age of 12

A brilliant student, she was chosen to attend the Madras University in 1891. From 1895 to 1898, she studied at King's College in London and later on at Girton College in Cambridge. This was where she met the love of her life and husband Dr. Muthyala Govindarajulu Naidu.

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2. A literary genius

Naidu had a talent for writing. At the age of 12 she wrote a Persian play that impressed the Nizam of Hyderabad. Her poetic work included over 25 poems, all of which combined the elements of nationalism, spirituality and the undying beauty of India.

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In 1905, her first collection of poems, 'The Golden Threshold' was published. Her biography of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, 'Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity' was also published.

3. The suffragist movement

While Naidu was a student in England, she was influenced by the suffragist movement which advocated women's emancipation and the right to vote. This had a significant impact on her life as she joined the Congress movement in India, encouraging and inspiring more women to fight for their rights.

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In 1917, she helped establish the Women's India Association where she joined Annie Besant in presenting the case for the women's vote to the Joint Select Committee.

4. The Indian National Congress

In 1925 she became the second female president of the Indian National Congress, following in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement. During this time she took the opportunity to tour North America lecturing on the Indian Freedom Struggle. Her anti-British activities only got her imprisoned thrice but it did not stop her from pursuing her goals.

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She accompanied Gandhi to London for the inconclusive second session of the Round Table Conference for IndianBritish cooperation (1931). During World War II, she supported the Congress Partys policies, first of aloofness, then lack of support to the Allies.

5. Governor of the United Provinces

In 1947, Sarojini Naidu became the first woman to become Governor of Oudh and the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) and held the post till her death in 1949.

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6. Legacy

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Aldous Huxley, a prominent English writer and philosopher wrote, "It has been our good fortune, while in Bombay, to meet Mrs. Sarojini Naidu, the newly elected President of the All-India Congress and a woman who combines in the most remarkable way great intellectual power with charm, sweetness with courageous energy, a wide culture with originality, and earnestness with humor. If all Indian politicians are like Mrs. Naidu, then the country is fortunate indeed."

Naidu is remembered as a prominent figurehead of women's rights in India and several colleges have been named after her.

In 1961, her daughter Padmaja published a collection of her last poems titled, 'The Feather Of The Dawn'.



Palaquin Bearers

LIGHTLY, O lightly we bear her along,

She sways like a flower in the wind of our song;

She skims like a bird on the foam of a stream,

She floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream.

Gaily, O gaily we glide and we sing,

We bear her along like a pearl on a string.

Softly, O softly we bear her along,

She hangs like a star in the dew of our song;

She springs like a beam on the brow of the tide,

She falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride.

Lightly, O lightly we glide and we sing,

We bear her along like a pearl on a string

- Sarojini Naidu
A little girl sits at the back of the class uninterested in most of the lessons, except when it comes to drawing. In that class, she is animatedly working away, and the teacher, taken aback by her intense absorption and enjoyment, asks her what she is drawing. "I'm drawing God," the little girl answers nonchalantly. "But nobody knows what God looks like," admonishes the teacher. Unfazed, the child retorts, "Well, they will in a minute!"

This now familiar anecdote is often used to contrast the creativity and ingenuity of children and the unimaginative rigidity of thinking that adults around them, and especially school teachers, often display.

In his hugely popular TED talk entitled Changing Education Paradigms, Sir Ken Robinson points to the problem with our current factory-line education model, noting that "they are trying to meet the future by doing what they did in the past, and along the way they are alienating millions of kids who don't see any purpose in going to school".

One such alienated Bangalore-based engineering student is now on a mission to challenge the current education paradigm in India.

Abhijit Sinha (right) was 22 when he completed his studies at a prestigious engineering college in the city. But he'd hated every minute of it: "The teachers were deeply incompetent; there were classes in Artificial Intelligence but no one actually knew how to write a line of code for it."

He started on his own self-learning journey through MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), through which he taught himself AI, Mechanical Design, Machine Learning, etc. "All my knowledge and skills as an engineer stem from my online learning," he says.

A stint in Uganda followed, where he worked on a variety of projects, one of which was Bodacart, a low-cost ambulance, designed and built for $500. This experience with hands-on collaborative making sparked the idea of an alternative education approach modeled around the Makerspace idea.

He founded Project DEFY (Design Education For Yourself) in Banjarapalya village, on the outskirts of Bengaluru. DEFY is a 'school' without teachers, based on the peer-to-peer learning model, where children learn from each other.

Scene at our Banjarapalya MakerSpace, you wake up in the morning and see participants tinkering all around, some glued... Posted by Project DEFY on Wednesday, 27 January 2016

"When I first arrived and set up the space with five computers and maker tools, people would come in for fun and out of curiosity. I didn't speak a word of Kannada, so I couldn't communicate with them. All I did was to show them how to get to Arvind Gupta's toy-making site. They'd watch the videos and start making. Slowly, I started to increase the number of websites that they could learn and make from, including YouTube," says Abhijit.

What started as mere fun became an exercise in serious skill development and problem solving: From toys, children and adults started creating projects around textiles, agriculture and mechanics.

A nine-year-old boy who had never coded before he entered this space, created a game on Scratch, a programming language; other 'projects' included an aquaponics system, as well as a toy boat that measured pollution in a lake.

This idea of collaborative learning and peer-to-peer teaching gained traction with Sugata Mitra's 1999 hole-in-the-wall project in New Delhi, where he installed computers in the walls of slums and came back in six months to see the results. The results were astonishing enough for the world to take notice and for his project to be awarded the TED prize. He found that, left to their own devices, children could teach themselves and each other anything, including complex scientific ideas in a language they didn't know.

"Traditional academia is top down, where you are taught what someone else thinks you should learn. True education is where the person goes out and teaches himself the things he or she really wants to learn, where they take responsibility for their own education and have fun with it. These kids love learning in this space and hate going to school, a fact that has put the local headmaster's nose out of joint," says Abhijit.

One of the most heartening sights at DEFY is the eager participation of girls, who get their hands dirty, while learning about electronics, coding, fabrication, and robotics. Nineteen-year-old Ajay left home when his parents objected to him attending DEFY instead of getting a job. "I told them not to worry about me, that I would fend for myself, but that I would do it by following what I love," he says.

He is currently building an aquaponics system that he would like to turn into a business. Some of the older kids have been offered jobs in Bengaluru.

"Banjrapalya was my experiment, to see if the model worked," says Abhijit, "Now I know that I can create a space with the tools, merely show people their options, and step back. After a few months, I can hand over the responsibility of the space to the locals who take ownership of everything, including the financials."

Abhijit, now 24, is moving to the next phase of setting up four more spaces around the country, and is running a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds. "I've had so much support from urban Bangalore, not just with funding, but with people visiting, offering resources, mentorship, and connections."

The locals are now connected to the larger networks in the city and that is crucial. "Some of my greatest learnings came from my mentors, like MIT professors, Kanthari Founder and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Sabriye Tenberken, all of whom I personally reached out to. In this process, we've all learnt from each other. So I encourage these kids to go out and ask questions, seek out mentors, take responsibility for their own growth," Abhijit says.

"Right now education and jobs are standing at the edge of disruption. The only thing that human history has ever required is that we notice our constantly changing world, ask questions, and change with it."

Education progressives everywhere are vehemently nodding their heads.
1,50,000 Adelie Penguins have died after an iceberg described as "the size of Rome", crashed into their colony, making it landlocked. These penguins relied on easy access to fish, for which they were forced to trek to make a daily 60 km trip to the cost.

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While the 2,900 sq km iceberg blocked their access to food in 2010, it was the long term devastation to their environment that began impacting their population, the Guardian reported.

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From 160,000, their numbers are today just 10,000, according to the Climate Change Research Centre research at the Australias University of New South Wales. Scientists predict the entire colony can go extinct unless the sea ice breaks, or the giant iceberg, dubbed B09B, is dislodged.

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The arrival of iceberg B09B in Commonwealth Bay, East Antarctica, and subsequent fast ice expansion has dramatically increased the distance Adelie penguins breeding at Cape Denison must travel in search of food, said the researchers in an article in Antarctic Science.

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She was strapped with a bomb trapped vest, sent by the extremist Boko Haram group to take out as many people as possible.

But this child bomber tore off her explosives and ran

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Her two companions, however, completed their mission and walked into a crowd of hundreds at Dikwa refugee camp in northeast Nigeria and blew themselves up, killing 58 people.

Later found by local self-defense forces, the girl's tearful account revealed that child bombers used by Boko Haram are aware that they are about to die and kill others. "She said she was scared because she knew she would kill people. But she was also frightened of going against the instructions of the men who brought her to the camp," said Modu Awami, a self-defense fighter who helped question the girl.

Her story was corroborated when she led soldiers to the unexploded vest, Awami said on Thursday, speaking by phone from the refugee camp, which holds 50,000 people who have fled Boko Haram's Islamic uprising. The girl is in custody and has given officials information about other planned bombings that has helped them increase security at the camp, said Satomi Ahmed, chairman of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency. Boko Haram's 6-year-old Islamic insurgency has killed 20,000 people, made 2.5 million homeless and spread across Nigeria's borders.

Awami said he had no information about how the girl came to be with Boko Haram.

Also read: Here's Why Boko Haram Is A Massive Threat To India

The extremists have kidnapped thousands of people and there are fears they are turning some captives into weapons

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An army bomb disposal expert has told the AP that some suicide bombs are detonated remotely, so the carriers may not have control over when the bomb goes off. Even two days later, it's difficult to say exactly how many people died at Dikwa because there were corpses and body parts everywhere, including in the cooking pots, Awami said.

"Women, children, men and aged persons all died," he said. "I cannot say the exact number as some cannot be counted because the bodies were all mangled." The latest atrocity blamed on Boko Haram extremists was committed against people who had been driven from the homes by the insurgents and had spent a year across the border in Cameroon.

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They had only returned to Nigeria in January when soldiers declared the area safe. The scene of the killings is 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the border with Cameroon and 85 kilometers (53 miles) northeast of Maiduguri, the biggest city in the northeast and birthplace of Boko Haram.

Such attacks make it difficult for the government to persuade people to return home. The extremists have also razed homes and businesses, destroyed wells and boreholes and stolen livestock and seed grains that farmers need to start their life again

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The northeastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa are bearing the brunt of a five-year-old insurgency by Boko Haram, which wants to revive a medieval caliphate in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country and its biggest energy producer. Last year more than 10,000 people died in the violence, according to an estimate by the Council on Foreign Relations.

Also read: Boko Haram Uses 10-Year-Old Child As Suicide Bomber, At Least 16 Killed
Follow us on v day special 5 unusual stories which will restore your faith in love

New Delhi: Enveloping the existence of humanity is the feeling of love; unrequited, selfless and passionate love. Come February and it brings along itself a mushy feeling where love literally stays in air.

A celebration of love, Valentines Day's fever has gripped everything around. This year, while many indulge in candle lit meals, heart shaped gifts and exchange cuddly soft toys as a sign of their affection, we tell you five unusual love stories. These lovebirds have stood true to the meaning of love.

Move beyond the love story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy, Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters, as these epic sagas about love will belittle them.

Alok Dixit and Laxmi:

Love sees beyond physical beauty, a term easier said than accepted. But Alok, a journalist by profession who quit his job to work towards the betterment of women in society, defied the easy path when he fell in love with acid attack survivor Laxmi. At the age of 15, acid was poured on Laxmi's face and hands by a 32 year old man whose marriage proposal she had rejected. Terrified after the incident for years, Laxmi started to give her life a new direction as started working to help other survivors.

In 2013, through her work campaigning against violence against women in India, Laxmi grew close with another activist in the field, Alok. In the gradual process of working together they fell in love.

Speaking about Laxmi, Alok had once said, I never felt that looks are important because I find Laxmi very beautiful. She is a beautiful person and her beauty lies in her heart. The two are in a love-in relationship and have a baby girl named Pihu.

Transgender couples taking the plunge on V-Day:

While India is yet to decriminalise homosexuality, some tansgenders in New Delhi have decided to get hitched anyway. About half a dozen transgender women will marry their male partners on Valentines Day tomorrow, at a municipal community near Kashmere Gate. The couples are required to fill a Dil Dhadakne Do' form for which they are eligible if they have spent few years together, and are determined for some more. As planned by the organisers there will be a minor baraat, garlands will be exchanged, dhol, and the brides will walk in under a dupatta.

Suchandra Das and Sree Mukherjee:

Suchandra and Sree did not need a priest for their wedding as friends of these two girls donned that role. Their buddies cheered for the, their relatives blessed them and their family organised their wedding like any Bengali wedding. Suchandra and Sree, got married on Christmas Eve, last year and have moved to Chennai ever since from their home town Kolkata because they were frowned upon in the West Bengal capital. Suchandra is an established photographer and Sree works with a corporate firm. Speaking about the demand to decriminalise homosexuality, Sree had said, We hope love wins.

Norwood Thomas and Joyce Morris:

Forever and always' seems to lose its meaning with time, but not for 93 year old Norwood Thomas and 88 year old Joyce Morris. Thomas and Morris, met each other for the first time in London when they were respectively 21 and 17 year old.

Thomas who was a paratrooper returned to US after the World War 2. The pair wrote each other letters, and Thomas asked Morris to come to the US to marry him. But somehow Morris misunderstood and thought he'd found someone else, so she stopped writing.

The two eventually married other people. Thomas's wife died in 2001; 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. The two reconnected on Skype and their story went viral almost instantly. The two planned to spend V-day together and donations flew in from around the globe to fund Thomas' trip to Australia.

And they met! After staying apart for 70 years they wrapped each other in their arms and said that this is the most wonderful thing to happen to them.

PJ Spraggins and Tracy:

PJ Spraggins was delighted when he discovered he was a perfect match for wife Tracy, who was told her life-long battle with Lupus would kill her if she didn't get a transplant. But, Spraggins who stays in Alabama, South U.S., was told that due to his high blood pressure he cannot donate his kidney to wife Tracy.

So, Spraggins did which many wouldn't. He followed a strict regime for a year to lose 31 kgs. In December 2014, he got the green signal from the doctors in last year in 2015, the couple went under the knife together.

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Follow us on salman katrina late night and a long drive. yes this happened

New Delhi: Since Bollywood diva Katrina Kaif has broken up with her bae of six years Ranbir Kapoor, she has found immense support in her ex boyfriend Salman Khan. The superstar has been her anchor lately when she is going through this turmoil.

Be it giving her advice to open up about her relationship, to going ahead and even saying in public that the chapter (Ranbir Kapoor) is over; Salman Khan has become really close to her these days.

From what we hear, Salman did not stop at showing up on the sets of Comedy Nights Live, where Kat was promoting her movie Fitoor'. Media reports suggest that after the show's shooting ended, Salman was there to pick her up.

Apparently, Kat had ordered her driver to go home and Salman was the one who gave her a ride to her place. It is also being reported that Katrina was in a jovial mood when she saw Salman.

On the movie front, Salman Khan is busy shooting for Sultan' while Katrina Kaif's last movie Fitoor' released on Friday. In Sultan' Salman willl be romancing Anushka Sharma and he plays the role of a wrestler. The movie will release on Eid this year.

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Follow us on 2 army jawans 5 militants killed in gunfight in kashmir s kupwara

Srinagar: Five militants and two security personnel were today killed in a gunbattle as an operation against ultras continued for the second day in Kupwara district of Kashmir.

"Two Army personnel and five militants were killed, while two others, including an officer, were injured in the encounter with militants in Marsari village of Chowkibal border area," a senior police officer said.

Reports say that Army got information about presence of a group of six militants hiding in the forest area. Army's 41 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), 16 Grenadiers and 19 Maratha Regiment along the Jammu and Kashmir Police cordoned off the area and launched the operation but the contact with the group was established in the evening.

When the security forces closed in on the house, the militants opened fire, the official said, adding that the house in which the militants were holed up has been destroyed in the operation.

It is, however, not known that how many militants are hiding inside the cordoned area, he said.

The militant group is believed to have infiltrated into these forests in around 2-3 months back and they were trying to take refuge in the residential areas due to snowfall in the forests. There is also possibility that the group may have infiltrated recently and was trying to cross over to Hafruda forests.

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Follow us on david headley s deposition concludes cross examination to be done later

Mumbai: The nearly 30-hour-long examination of Pakistani-American terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley for five out of six days this week before Special TADA Court Judge G.A. Sanap ended today afternoon.

Cross-examination was started but could not be completed and will be conducted sometime later this month after consultation with the US authorities, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told media persons.

An acknowledged criminal lawyer specialising in terror cases, Nikam shot off over 750 questions and supplementaries to Headley, 56, who deposed via video-conferencing from a US jail in an undisclosed location since the morning of February 8.

Headley, who was given conditional pardon by the Mumbai Special TADA Court on December 10 last year after he agreed to turn approver in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case, is undergoing a 35-year-old jail term in the US.

On the final day Saturday, Headley listened to three video tapes recorded during the attacks on November 26-28, 2008 and identified different voices of handlers who were guiding and directing the 10 Pakistani terrorists from a control room in Karachi.

"This testimony is very important for us. He (Headley) has clearly named and identified the three people present in the control room that night who were directing and guiding the terrorists here," Nikam said later.

Lawyer Wahab Khan of another Indian co-accused Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal started Headley's cross-examination, but could pose only five questions due to paucity of time.

Besides, Khan argued that he was not handed over the statement which Headley referred to during his deposition and also needed to study the confession of the captured and hanged terrorist Ajmal Kasab.

Following a heated exchange between Khan and Nikam, counsel Mahesh Jethmalani intervened and told Special Judge Sanap that even if the timings were extended by two hours on Saturday, it would not be possible to complete the cross-examination.

Special Judge Sanap then enquired of US attorney Sarah whether cross-examination could be resumed on Monday, but she replied in the negative.

Later, Khan said he would communicate to the Special Court the time required for the cross-examination by February 22.

It was decided that the US Department of Justice would be informed and fresh dates for the cross-examination would be fixed accordingly.

In the cross-examination by Khan, Headley said his family had shifted to Pakistan after Partition in 1947.

"My father is from Pakistan and mother is from the US. He lived in Punjab on the Indian side and worked in Lahore, but after Partition, moved to Pakistan," Headley told the Special Court.

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Follow us on jnu row delhi police issues alert following hafiz saeed s tweet

New Delhi: In the backdrop outrage over JNU Students Union president arrest, the Delhi Police on Friday issued a country-wide alert cautioning people not to get carried away by seditious anti-national rhetoric.

The alert was issued following a tweet by an account-linked to Pakistan based terrorist Hafeez Saeed asking Islamabad to support JNU students protest against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

In it's message, the city police also shared the content of the tweet which reads: "We request our Pakistani Brothers to trend #SupportJNU for our pro-Pakistani JNUites brothers."

The handle used to share the tweet was @HafeezSaeedJUD, but it couldn't be verified if the tweet came from Saeed as it was soon deactivated.

The development comes hours after University Student Union president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested after police picked him up for questioning. A case against 'unknown persons' was registered under Section of 124 A (sedition) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC at Vasant Kunj (North) Police station following complaints by BJP MP Mahesh Girri and ABVP.

Kumar, however, denied that he had shouted anti-India slogans. He said he was there to prevent a possible clash between ABVP workers and protesting students. "I dissociate myself from the slogans. I have full faith in the constitution and I always say that Kashmir is an integral part of India," said Kumar, who is from the All India Students Federation, a Left-linked students outfit.

He said the slogan-shouting people were outsiders and he didn't know them. The university campus has witnessed events in support of Guru in the past as well.

The fresh protest sparked outrage in the capital with an angry government on Friday saying it 'will not tolerate any anti-national activities in the country' .

"Stringent action must be taken against (those) who raised anti-India slogans in JNU," Home Minister Rajnath Singh told reporters here.

Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani also condemned the protest. "I only want to say that today is the day of worship of Goddess Saraswati. Saraswati blesses every family that whatever they speak is for progress and strengthening the nation. Let mother India be praised. The nation will never tolerate an insult to mother India," she said.

The arrest and police crackdown on JNU campus drew sharp reactions from opposition parties. "What is happening in JNU? Police on campus, arrests and picking up students from hostels. This had last happened during Emergency," Sitaram Yechury, CPI-M general secretary, said.

The CPI-Marxist party also denounced the 'arrest of (the) Left and progressive student leader'. "The presence of police in the campus and such indiscriminate arrests had last happened during the Emergency," a CPI-M statement said.

The left-dominated JNU Students Union distanced itself from the controversial event at the campus. It said its members 'hold no brief for those who raised objectionable slogans'.

"This is reminiscent of the dark days of the Emergency when the state had swooped down on the campus and had arrested many on false and trumped up charges," a JNUSU statement said.

The university administration claimed that it had cancelled permission for the event, which was allegedly pitched as a cultural function.

A group of students had on Tuesday held an event on the JNU campus and shouted slogans against the hanging of Afzal Guru in 2013. Students had also pasted posters across the campus inviting people to a protest march against 'judicial killing of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhatt'.

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Follow us on hurt over anti india activities nda ex servicemen threaten to return their jnu degrees

New Delhi: Constrained over the ongoing 'anti-India' activities in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus, ex-servicemen of 1978 batch of the National Defence Academy (NDA) have written a letter to university vice-chancellor stating that they are finding it difficult to be associated to the university and therefore they would return their degrees.

"We the proud fraternity of ex-servicemen of the June 1978 Batch of National Defence Academy, who are proud recipient of the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts Degree from your esteemed University, are today constrained at the ongoing anti national activities on your university campus like celebration of Afzal Guru day, and consider it an affront to be equated with the present student fraternity of the university which is indulging in such anti-national activities," the letter written by ex-servicemen of the 54th NDA course reads.

The ex-servicemen feel that the present activities in the JNU campus negate the sacrifices made by the past degree holders of the reputed university.

"We, the proud, patriotic ex-servicemen of the 54th NDA course find it difficult to be associated to a university which has become a hub of anti-national activity, and would therefore be constrained to return our prized and well earned degrees to your esteemed institution if such activities are allowed to be conducted inside the campus," the letter further reads.

The latest development came on a day when Delhi Police arrested University Student Union president Kanhaiya Kumar for raising anti-India slogans to mark the anniversary of 2001 Parliament convict Afzal Guru's hanging. A case against 'unknown persons' was registered under Section of 124 A (sedition) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC at Vasant Kunj (North) Police station following complaints by BJP MP Mahesh Girri and ABVP.

The city police on Friday also issued a country-wide alert cautioning people not to get carried away by seditious anti-national rhetoric. The alert was issued following a tweet by an account-linked to Pakistan based terrorist Hafeez Saeed asking Islamabad to support JNU students protest against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

The handle used to share the tweet was @HafeezSaeedJUD, but it couldn't be verified if the tweet came from Saeed as it was soon deactivated. "We request our Pakistani Brothers to trend #SupportJNU for our pro-Pakistani JNUites brothers," it reads.

Meanwhile, the left-dominated JNU Students Union has distanced itself from the controversial event at the campus saying its members 'hold no brief for those who raised objectionable slogans'.

"This is reminiscent of the dark days of the Emergency when the state had swooped down on the campus and had arrested many on false and trumped up charges," a JNUSU statement said.

The university administration claimed that it had cancelled permission for the event, which was allegedly pitched as a cultural function.

A group of students had on Tuesday held an event on the JNU campus and shouted slogans against the hanging of Afzal Guru in 2013. Students had also pasted posters across the campus inviting people to a protest march against 'judicial killing of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhatt'.

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Follow us on indian women peacekeepers an inspiration says ban ki moon

United Nations: Secretary General Ban Ki-moon paid tributes on Friday to Indian women peacekeepers who are completing this weekend their mission in Liberia as the first ever all-female police unit deployed in UN operations.

He thanked the 125-member Indian women police contingent "for inspiring all Liberians, as well as current and future generations of female police officers", Ban's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

Ban singled out the Indian women's force's role during the Ebola epidemic last year. "Through their unwavering performance, professionalism and discipline, including during the ebola epidemic, these brave women gained the respect of both the government and the Liberian people," he said in his statement.

With the UN peacekeepers under scrutiny recently for cases of sexual abuse and concern over widespread attacks on women and girls in areas of conflict, Ban said: "Through their work, they managed criminality, deterred sexual and gender-based violence and helped rebuild safety and confidence among the population."

They "served as an example of how the deployment of more female uniformed personnel can help the United Nations in its efforts to combat sexual exploitation and abuse", he added.

Ban said he "pays tribute to the outstanding contribution of the government of India, in support of United Nations peace operations".

A total of 7,798 Indian personnel were serving in UN peacekeeping missions and 143 of them were women. Historically, India has been the largest contributor to UN peacekeeping operations, with over 180,000 Indian troops donning the blue helmet in 48 of the 69 UN missions.`

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Follow us on isi wanted to infiltrate pune army command david headley

Mumbai: Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley today revealed that after Mumbai terror attacks, he had surveyed sensitive military establishments in Pune which LeT wanted to attack.

When asked by Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam what military establishments he referred to, Headley readily said it was the (Indian Army's) Southern Command Headquarters.

"The intentions here were similar to the nuclear establishments (BARC). The ISI wanted to recruit military officers and get 'classified information' from them," Headley told during his deposition on the sixth day.

"Earlier too, Major Iqbal had also asked me to visit this place. At that time, I had made a general video of the (Army) station from outside," he added.

He surveyed and videographed the Southern Command HQ Building between March 16-17, 2009, preceded by recce of Chabad Houses in Goa on March 15 and earlier Pushkar between March 11-13 that year - nearly four months after the terror attacks were executed in Mumbai on November 26-28, 2008.

The Pune assignment was carried out at the behest of Major Iqbal of the ISI, to whom the videos were later handed over.

Headley further said that his handlers told him that nothing will happen against' Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi and Hafiz Saeed and that actions taken by Pakistan Federal Investigation Agency against them and other LeT members in 26/11 case are "superficial"

The LeT operative also revealed details of e-mails between him and his main contact Sajid Mir. "From July 3, 2009 to September 11, 2009, there was an exchange of emails between me and Sajid Mir of LeT. I had time and again expressed concerns about the safety of the leadership of LeT," he told the court.

"From December 2008 onwards, after the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, the Pakistan government was conducting investigations, interrogating people and pursuing people from the LeT which is why I wanted to know if Hafiz Sahab and Zaki Sahab were safe," he added.

Headley also said that Mir had replied to his e-mails and said that "Zaki Sahab is doing fine.... His morale is high even though he was in prison (at that time) and he was not depressed."

Headley and Mir had referred to Hafiz Saeed as the "older uncle" and Zaki as the "younger uncle" in the e-mails using code language.

The court was told that on August 20, 2009 Headley had sent a mail to Mir asking if "older uncle" (Hafiz) was also under investigation and would be arrested to which Mir replied after three days saying that "the older uncle is fit and healthy and is moving back and forth for his business" even as Mir asked Headley to not put ears to rumours.

Yesterday, Headley told the court that al-Qaeda was in touch with him to attack Delhi's National Defence College and unravelled the plot by LeT and ISI to target Mumbai airport, BARC and the Naval air station here.

With Agency Inputs

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Follow us on madhesi parties nepal government to form mechanism for new states

Kathmandu: Nepal's three major parties and the agitating Madhesi front on Friday reached an agreement to form a political mechanism to resolve delineation of provinces under the federal structure of the new Constitution that divides the minority's homeland.



Prime Minister K P Oli held a meeting of Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and UCPN (Maoist) besides the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) during which it was decided to form the mechanism with terms of reference by Sunday, before the premier embarks on his much-anticipated visit to India.



The mechanism is likely to forge understanding on settling the state demarcation row within three months.



Madhesis, who are largely of Indian-origin, led a nearly six-month-long violent protest over better representation in the Parliament and the federal structure of the new Constitution that divides their ancestral homeland that claimed over 50 lives before being called off unexpectedly.



An all-party meeting at Prime Minister Oli's official residence in Baluwatar will discuss the formation of political mechanism and reach consensus.



The UDMF has already agreed to assign the political mechanism to come up with a detailed report on delineation of provinces in three months after being endorsed through the House.



Oli has intensified meetings with the political parties for a deal with the agitating Madhesis in hopes of sending positive vibes to the international community ahead of his first trip overseas, local media reported.



As part of the preparation, Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel has already visited India to create conducive environment for Oli's imminent visit.

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Follow us on us notifies sale of f 16 fighter jets to pakistan india disappointed

Washington/New Delhi: Despite mounting opposition from influential lawmakers from both the Republican and Democratic parties, the Obama administration today notified the Congress that it has made a determination approving the sell of eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

The estimated cost is $ 699.4 million, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency a wing of the Pentagon said in a statement, adding that this proposed sale contributes to the US foreign policy objectives and national security goals by helping to improve the security of a strategic partner in South Asia.

Asserting that this will not alter the basic military balance in the region, the Pentagon said the proposed sale improves Pakistan's capability to meet current and future security threats.

These additional F-16 aircraft will facilitate operations in all-weather, non-daylight environments, provide a self-defence/area suppression capability, and enhance Pakistan's ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counterterrorism operations.

"It will increase the number of aircraft available to the Pakistan Air Force to sustain operations, meet monthly training requirements, and support transition training for pilots new to the Block-52. Pakistan will have no difficulty absorbing these additional aircraft into its air force," the Pentagon agency said.

"This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded," said the Defence Security Cooperation Agency.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a State Department official defended the decisions of the US Government. "We strongly support the proposed sale of eight F-16s to Pakistan. This platform will support Pakistan's counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations, and has contributed to the success of these operations to date," the official said.

"These operations reduce the ability of militants to use Pakistani territory as a safe haven for terrorism and a base of support for the insurgency in Afghanistan," the official said, adding that these operations are in the national interests of both Pakistan and the U.S., and in the interest of the region more broadly.

"Let me be clear, before any arms transfer we take into account regional security and a range of other factors. We believe our security assistance contributes to a more stable and secure region," the official said when asked about India's apprehensions that this F-16 would finally end being used against it.

"The US does not view its security cooperation in the region in zero sum terms our security relationships with Pakistan, India and Afghanistan are distinct, but each advances US interests and regional stability," the State Department official said.

While the Congress has 30 days' time to act on it, senior administration officials exuded confidence that the sale would be approved by the lawmakers.

US decision disappointing: India

India has expressed disappointment over US administration's decision to sell eight F16 fighter jets to Pakistan, saying it disagrees that such arms' transfers will help combat terrorism.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will be summoning US Ambassador Richard Verma to convey India's "displeasure".

"We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama Administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircrafts to Pakistan. We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism.

"The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself. The US Ambassador will be summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs to convey our displeasure," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

Richard Verma meets S Jaishankar at South Block

According to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) sources Richard Verma met S Jaishankar at South Block this morning, though it was not clear immediately as to what the MEA had conveyed to him during the nearly half an hour-long meeting.

With Agency Inputs

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Follow us on bihar bjp vice president shot dead second bjp leader killed in a day

Ara: The vice president of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Bihar unit Visheshwar Ojha was today shot dead by unidentified assailants in Bhojpur district while returning from a wedding.

Ojha is the second BJP leader of the state to be killed within a day's time. Earlier in the morning, another BJP leader Kedarnath Singh was shot dead in Chhapra.

Ojha, who had unsuccessfully contested Assembly election in 2015 from Shahpur constituency, was fired by gunmen when he was returning after attending the 'baraat' at Parsaura village.

The incident took place between Sonvarsha and Parsaura village under Shahpur police station of Bhojpur.

Ojha's driver and another person accompanying him were also seriously injured in the firing.

Ojha was taken to Shahpur referral hospital where he died during treatment, the hospital's in-charge Dr Ajay Kumar said, adding a medical board comprising three doctors had been formed to treat him.

The injured are being treated at Sadar hospital and doctors have declared them out of danger.

Meanwhile, BJP's state unit leaders have condemned the killing of its senior party functionaries. Terming Ojha's killing as a 'heinous crime', former deputy chief minister Sushil Modi said Nitish Kumar has lost his will power to run the affairs of the state.

"The chief minister is only attending meetings to control law and order but criminals are out of control," Modi said.

Another senior BJP leader Giriraj Singh also condemned Nitish Kumar for what he called as targetted political murders. "For how long will Nitish Kumar remain like Dhritarashtra?" he said condemning the chief minister of turning a blind eye to the killings.

"There are serial political killings happenijng in Bihar. Do people who opposed him or did not vote for Nitish Kumar have no right to stay in Bihar? I will appeal in my personal capacity to the Governor to submit a report on the law and order situation in the state to the Centre. Nitish's resolve is to kill and abduct," he said.

(With PTI inputs)
Follow us on dmk congress join hands for tamil nadu assembly polls

Chennai: The Congress and DMK today announced reviving an alliance three years after the two parties had parted ways on a bitter note.

The two parties have entered into an agreement to face the coming Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said. The decision was taken after Azad met DMK president M Karunanidhi at his residence in Chennai.

Describing DMK as 'the most dependable partner', Azad said seat sharing and being part of the DMK led government were not a priority now and that the main goal was to ensure that DMK comes to power.

He said that the election would be fought under the DMK leadership and put on Karunanidhi's party the responsibility of roping in more constituents into this alliance, including DMDK.

As to what had changed between 2016 and 2013 when DMK snapped ties accusing the Congress of betraying Sri Lankan Tamils, Azad said that there were "compulsions and pressures" in politics and that the two parties had won elections together in the past also.

The DMK-Congress split had also come against the backdrop of the arrests of former Union Minister A Raja and Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi, a Rajya Sabha MP, in the alleged spectrum allocation scam.

Congress had contested the last Lok Sabha elections on its own and had drawn a blank. It had contested the last Assembly elections along with DMK but secured just five seats. Assembly strength in the state is 234.

Congress is out of power in the key southern state for nearly five decades and has generally been aligning with either of the Dravidian party- DMK or AIADMK. It has contested alone too but without much success.

With PTI Inputs
Follow us on india summons us envoy richard verma over f 16 sale to pakistan

Washington/New Delhi: The US has decided to sell eight F-16 combat jets to Pakistan to "support (its) counter-terrorism and counterinsurgency operations", prompting India to summon American ambassador Richard Verma to lodge its strong protest against the move.



Verma was summoned after India reacted strongly to the US decision taken on Friday.



"We are disappointed at the decision of the (Barack) Obama administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan," the external affairs ministry said in a statement in New Delhi.



"We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism. The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself," it added.



The Obama administration on Friday approved the sale of eight F-16 Block-52 aircraft to Pakistan worth $699 million in the face of US lawmakers' opposition to the deal over Islamabad's alleged support for terrorist groups



The US State Department has approved the sale, the Pentagon's Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said as it notified US Congress of the possible sale.



"We support the proposed sale of eight F-16s to Pakistan, which we view as the right platform in support of Pakistan's counter-terrorism and counterinsurgency operations," a US government officialcited by DefenseNews said.



"These operations reduce the ability of militants to use Pakistani territory as a safe haven for terrorism and a base of support for the insurgency in Afghanistan, which is in the national interests of both Pakistan and the USt, and in the interest of the region more broadly."



The official, DefenseNews said, confirmed that there had been Congressional objections to the sale, but said that contrary to recent "erroneous reports", "concerns were raised in regard to financing the sale, not the transfer itself."



According to the DSCA's statement, the proposed sale will "facilitate operations in all-weather, non-daylight environments, provide a self-defence/area suppression capability, and enhance Pakistan's ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations."



According to the DSCA, Pakistan is not expected to have difficulty absorbing these additional aircraft into its air force. The sale is also meant to increase the number of aircraft available to the Pakistan Air Force to sustain operations, meet monthly training requirements and support transition training for pilots new to the Block-52.



The pending sale to Pakistan includes: eight F-16 Block-52 aircraft - two C and six D and models with the F100-PW-229 increased performance engine; 14 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems; eight AN/APG-68(V)9 radars; and eight ALQ-211(V)9 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suit.



The approval of the sale came days after Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker wrote a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry objecting to subsidised sale of up to eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.



Citing Islamabad's relationship with the Haqqani network, an extremist group that has a history of destabilising Afghanistan, Corker in a February 9 letter to Kerry notified the Obama administration of his intention to block the F-16 deal.



"After years of pressuring the Pakistanis on this point, the Haqqani terrorists still enjoy freedom of movement, and possibly even support from the Pakistani government," he wrote.



"This is highly problematic given the Haqqanis' clear involvement in killing the very Afghan army and police we have worked for years to train," Corker added
Follow us on no action against innocent jnu students rajnath assures left jd u

New Delhi: A day after condemning JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar's arrest, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI leader D Raja and JD(U) leader KC Tyagi today met Home Ministry Rajnath Singh to discuss the issue.

Speaking to media, Yechury said that Home Minister has assured that no action will be taken against the innocent students.

"We told Home Minister that what is happening is worse than what happened during Emergency. He assured us that investigation won't be carried out on any innocent person," he told reporters after the meet.

"20 people who are being targeted, it should be proved that they are at fault," he added.

When specifically asked about the involvement of D Raja's daughter Aparajita in Tuesday's protest, he replied, "It should be proved that these incidents happened. JNU has no cameras so where did the tape come from?"

BJP MP Maheish Girri tweeted a video footage showing Aparajita taking part in the protest.

"Left leader D Raja's daughter Aparajita was seen in protest supporting AfzalGuru. Did he went to JNU today 2 protect her?" he tweeted.

"For those questioning authenticity of video, here's Aparajita Raja's pic from Facebook along with video screengrab," he said in another tweet.

When Raja was asked about her daughter's role, he said, "Who are they to question my son and daughter's integrity? Let the nation judge."

Raja said that by targeting general students, the ABVP was creating a sense of terror in the campus.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police has written another writes letter to JNU's vice-chancellor Jagdeesh Kumar requesting him to produce 6 students of university allegedly involved in anti-national activities.

8 students have been debarred from academic activities by the university administration pending a disciplinary inquiry into the event on Tuesday. The university, however, did not identify the eight students.

The students have been debarred based on an interim report of the "disciplinary" committee instituted earlier this week to probe the involvement of students in the event. The students will be allowed to stay in their respective hostels to enable them to represent their stand for a fair investigation.
Follow us on there is a crisis of confidence in the govt former pm manmohan singh

New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said there is a crisis of confidence in the government and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must give "every Indian" the confidence that he cares for people's well-being.

Stating that "people don't believe the government", the former prime minister said, "when they (apparently industrialists) go and call on the ministers, they say the right things, but when they come out, all of them say that nothing much has changed... There is today a crisis of confidence in the government."

Singh was critical of the prime minister for not speaking on issues like beef or communal riots in Muzaffarnagar and elsewhere. Singh said beef controversy and issues like intolerance were problems.

"I don't know. I cannot read his mind. But he is the prime minister of all the people of India and he must give every Indian the confidence that in him we have a prime minister who cares for our well-being," news agency PTI quoted the former PM as having told a news magazine.

Reacting to his remarks, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the criticism was "misplaced" while adding that the Modi government had launched a host of schemes like Mudra and Jan Dhan besides other welfare measures for the downtrodden and weaker sections of society.

"Singh is very welcome. He advised the prime minister to be PM for all India and I will like to say that Modi's campaign was 'sabka saath, sabka vikas' (with all, development for all) and he is very clearly fulfilling this," the BJP leader said.

Singh also criticised the Modi government's handling of Pakistan and Nepal, saying its dealing with Pakistan was inconsistent. "It has been one step forward, two steps back."

He recalled that Modi had told him during an event to mark Sharad Pawar's 75th birthday that the government was following his suggestion to him.

"I don't think he would ever do that in public," Singh shot back when asked if Modi was giving credit to him.

The Prime Minister's surprise stopover in Lahore on his way to India from Afghanistan was not thought through and there was no need to create an euphoria about it, he added.

Singh, a noted economist himself, also faulted the government's economic policy and said the economy is not in good shape as it could be, "despite the fact that the situation today was much more favourable than it was when we, the Congress-led UPA, were in government."

Asked about the hostility between the treasury and opposition benches, he said it wasn't good for democracy and the country.

"There is unwanted bitterness between the two sides. It does not have to be that way," he said, blaming BJP for this.

(With PTI inputs)
Turkeys Military Intervention to Syria By South Front During the video production, Southfront: Analysis & Intelligence also recieved information that at least one Saudi motorized brigade equipped with about 90 armoured vehicles were moved to Iraqi border. This force could become a core of a joint force which could be used by the Saudi-led coalition to support Turkish military intervention to Syria. February 13, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " South Front " - The military balance in Northern Syria is shifting rapidly. The Syrian Army and local militias supported by the Russian Air Force have cut terrorists from major supply lines from Turkey and almost encircled the militant forces in the Aleppo city. This has become possible due to the actions of the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces which have been destroying the terrorists sources of funding since 2015. Thus, we could observe a breakdown on the battlefield which leads to a full collapse of the terrorists forces in Syria step by step. This also dished schemes of the foreign players interested in overthrowing of the Assad government. In the contemporary situation the Erdogans regime acts as a main sponsor and creator of a terrorist threat in the Middle East. Turkey is a crucial part of terrorist logistics network which allows terrorist groups in Syria to receive arms supplies and reinforcements. The Turkish elites have a strong business ties predominantly oil smuggling with ISIS and other terrorists in Syria. The Erdogans imperial ambitions in the Middle East also plays an important role in the conflict. Erdogan believes that a breakdown of Syria will allow him to set a protectorate or even occupy the northern part of the Arab country. The successes of anti-terrorist forces in Syria have destroyed a hope to realize these plans easily. Considering this, the Erdogans regime launched preparations for a direct intervention to the country without any legal mandate. A high-level of concentration of the Turkish military are already observed in the Syrian-Turkish border by civil and military sources. Furthermore, there are irresistible videos proofs that Turkey has been conducting a series of cross-border artillery shelling violating the Syrian sovereignty. Experts suggest Turkey is ready to deploy some 18,000 troops with substantial artillery and air support to occupy a 30-kilometer deep territory across the border running from the city of Jarabulus westward to the city of Azaz. The operation would cover an area under ISIS control, and it would provide a direct military assistance to terrorists and facilitate establishing of a buffer zone for the vestiges of their forces in Northern Syria. It would drastically escalate the tensions with the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the predominantly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). However, the Turkish military is fully capable of completing the first move aimed to push the SAA and the SDF from the aforementioned area and occupy a significant part of Northern Syria. This step will likely face a hard answer of the Russian military grouping located in the country. The Russian land and navy air-defense systems and fighter jets are fully capable to neutralize the Turkish air force which will allow the Syrian government to counter-attack the Turkish intervention forces. Thus, the anti-terrorist forces will get a chance to exercise a counter-attack which will be likely supported by the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces. This situation leads to 2 main scenarios: If the SAA with support by militia forces, Iran, and Russia isnt able to push the Turkish military from Syria, the Erdogans regime will strengthen presence at the occupied territories and use gained time to receive at least air and intelligence support by NATO. In this case, the conflict could easily lead to a global war. If the SAA supported by local militias, Iran, and Russia knock out the Turkish intervention forces from Syria, NATO will face the fact that Syria is de-facto liberated and the terrorists are cut from their main supplier. It could prevent a global escalation. How e ver, the NATO countries would strengthen their presence in Iraq and use it as a foothold to launch further destructive actions against Syria. The situation will also become especially acute in Ukraine and in the Central Asia because a destabilization in these regions could be easily used against the Syrias main allies: Russia and Iran.
This SHIT is DOPE! By Miko Peled February 13, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - Its no wonder Straight Outta Compton didnt win a Golden Globe or an Oscar. Why in the world would anyone want to recognize a movie about proud, fearless young Black men who are talented and successful? Especially, Black young men who came out of Compton and made it big against all odds. Young, Black men who were persecuted by cops their whole lives, yet were courageous enough to look cops straight in the eye, and knowing they will be beaten and arrested, sang at the top of their voices Fuck the Police! No, there is no reason for the Academy to recognize, much less present an award to a movie like that. A movie like this is no more likely to receive recognition than a movie about young Palestinians throwing rocks and facing off Israeli soldiers  they are all practically terrorists. By contrast America, and I mean White America, loves MLK Jr. For white America he represents the false notion of the good black leader who, unlike the Panthers or Malcolm X, understands that anger and violence are not the way to solve problems. White America has an MLK, Jr. Day, and lots of MLK Jr, streets and highways, but likes to forget the fact that MLK, Jr. was an uncompromising freedom fighter who was murdered, and quite likely by the US government. Because of its selective memory, White America feels that it has come a long way since the days of Jim Crowe and so they no longer need to feel bad about racism. It is like the myth that the American Revolution was about liberty the American civil war was fought to free the slaves from their evil Southern masters. Where in fact the American Revolution was about white, Christian Europeans who came to colonize America and wanted to keep the spoils of their new found colony rather then pay taxes to other white Christians across the Atlantic Ocean. And in the case of the Civil War, Lincoln may have cared about Black slaves, though not so much for those in the non-Southern states, but he cared more about keeping the Union together. A Black American friend of mine who is a lawyer and went to Yale Law School told me once that he is a product of affirmative action. How so? I asked him and he said that in his class at Yale Blacks made up exactly thirteen percent of the students. Something didnt seem right to me. Im a little slow, so it took me about twenty-four hours to figure it out. If Blacks made up thirteen percent of your class at Yale, I said, and we know Blacks make up about thirteen percent of the population, then thats not affirmative action, thats quotas. Had it been affirmative action, there would have been at least fourteen or fifteen percent Blacks in the class, not to say thirty or forty percent. Today people like to argue that Blacks have been pampered enough and it is time to end Affirmative Action and level the playing field so that Whites do not suffer discrimination, God forbid. Conveniently they ignore the fact that White exploitation of Black labor and Black talent in America is nowhere near being over and it will take centuries of affirmative action and billions in reparations before the playing field is leveled and Blacks are fully compensated for the holocaust they had experienced. All this to say, it is time to get started with reparations. The reality in Outta Compton is far removed from the injustices Whites find digestible like slavery and Jim Crowe. It is raw, current, every day, deep rooted, hateful injustice. The young artists portrayed in the movie, Easy E, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and other brilliant artists express the pain of the voiceless. The pain of Black America that is victim to systemic, brutally violent racism. Cops on a beat in Black neighborhoods drive around like Israeli soldiers in Palestine, enforcing the occupation, not like servants charged with keeping the streets safe. Beating and arresting Black kids for being Black, with no regard for their rights, their property or their lives. It is a reality White America wishes to know nothing about. Like Baltimore and Fergusson and Chicago and other Black communities around the US, spheres that Whites avoid at all cost, the argument of we made progress on race just doesnt cut it, and where Black lives dont matter. The artists portrayed in the film are a sample of the unique abilities of Black America: A society that has contributed far more and has influenced far more than its relative size and under conditions few could survive let alone create and thrive. The volume and quality of writers, thinkers, scholars, artists, athletes and courageous leaders that Black America has yielded over the years cannot be over stated, proving that this is a community with tremendous inner strength and unlimited talent. Presidential candidates are courting Black voters now, or at least the Democratic ones. It was reported that Bernie Sanders had met with Rev. Al Sharpton in a cafe on Malcolm X Boulevard in Harlem. A white candidate sitting with a Black celebrity millionaire in Harlem, how progressive is that! Will Bernie also go to Fergusson and Baltimore and Chicago or maybe even Compton and sit with local Black leaders there? One can only hope. Straight Outta Compton reminds us how White America was shocked by these young artists at the time. White America was enraged, claiming that these brave young artists glamorize drugs and violence. Glamorizing it? They were the voices of the victims of the drugs and violence, who, being Black and poor were otherwise voiceless. Law enforcement and public figures were condemning them for their voice, for their brutal honesty and for portraying a grim reality that is directly connected to the racist attitudes of the White establishment in America. In one scene we see Nancy Regan on television calling for people to Just Say No to drugs even as her husband was pumping drugs and weapons into South Central LA in order to fund a war in Central America. In another scene Easy E says: The drugs come from Colombia, the weapons from Russia and we dont have no passports. These guys knew what was happening and they were telling it like it is. They were not glamorizing the violence they were pointing a finger, a middle finger, at the culprits of the violence, those who profited and continue to profit from the violence. Their only crime was that they were making Whites very uncomfortable. Isnt that what art is all about? The democratic presidential candidates are now talking about Black incarceration, thanks no doubt to Michele Alexanders book the New Jim Crowe. They are both quoting figures that show that a disproportionate number of Blacks are incarcerated in America. Close to half of the entire prison population in the US is black, that means about one million Black men incarcerated, even though Blacks are only thirteen percent of the population and drug related crime is higher among Whites. One has to be impressed that the Democratic candidates finally noticed this, what an impressive learning curve! At the same time we may safely expect that unless they are forced to act, as soon a one of these candidates gets sworn in, if one of them is elected, this issue will be pushed aside. In another unforgettable movie, Boyz N the Hood, in the final scene, Doughboy, played by the brilliant Ice Cube comes to talk to his friend Tre played by Cuba Gooding, Jr. In a scene that could have been shot in the West Bank or Gaza, with sounds of helicopters hovering above and police sirens in the background, Doughboy says, Turned on the TV this morning, they had this thing on about living in a violent world. Showed all these foreign places I started thinking man, either they dont know, dont show or dont care about whats going on in the hood. They had all this foreign shit, and they aint have shit on my brother. The truth is, as long as youre Black, they dont care. Miko Peled is an Israeli writer and activist living in the US. He was born and raised in Jerusalem. His father was the late Israeli General Matti Peled. Driven by a personal family tragedy to explore Palestine, its people and their narrative. He has written a book about his journey from the sphere of the privileged Israeli to that of the oppressed Palestinians. His book is titled The Generals Son, Journey of an Israeli in Palestine. Peled speaks nationally and internationally on the issue of Palestine. Peled supports the creation of a single democratic state in all of Palestine, he is also a firm supporter of BDS.
In Syria, If You Can't Find Moderates, Dress Up Some Extremists



The BBC's latest production is as absurd as it is transparent and abhorrent.



By Land Destroyer



February 13, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Land Destroyer " - Upon reading the increasingly desperate headlines pumped out by the Western media as Western-backed terrorist forces begin to fold under an effective joint Syrian-Russian offensive to take the country back, readers will notice that though the term "moderate rebels" or "moderate opposition" is used often, the Western media is seemingly incapable of naming a single faction or leader among them.

Image : If Major Yaser Abdulrahim looks like he's never wore his FSA uniform out into the field, that's because he hasn't. He is not a member of the FSA at all, and is instead a commander of the Fatah Halab, an umbrella group for Al Qaeda affiliates armed and funded by both the US and Saudi Arabia.

The reason for this is because there are no moderates and there never were. Since 2007, the US has conspired to arm and fund extremists affiliated with Al Qaeda to overthrow the government of Syria and destabilize Iranian influence across the entire Middle East.

Exposed in Seymour Hersh's 2007 article, "The Redirection Is the Administrations new policy benefitting our enemies in the war on terrorism?," it stated explicitly that: The U.S. has also taken part in clandestine operations aimed at Iran and its ally Syria. A by-product of these activities has been the bolstering of Sunni extremist groups that espouse a militant vision of Islam and are hostile to America and sympathetic to Al Qaeda. The "catastrophe" the Western media constantly cites in its increasingly hysterical headlines is the predictable manifestation of not Syrian and Russian security operations ongoing in Syria today, but of the conspiracy described by Hersh in 2007 that has indisputably been put into play, starting in 2011 under the guise of the so-called "Arab Spring."



When the West does attempt to give names and faces to these so-called "moderates," it is a simple matter to trace them directly back to Al Qaeda.



The BBC's "Rebel Commander" Plays Dress-Up



In a recent video report published by the BBC titled, "Syria conflict: Rebels 'feel abandoned' by Britain and US," BBC's Quentin Sommerville claims he "secretly" contacted US-backed rebels from Turkey. The alleged "remote" interview was covered in both locations by professional camera crews, despite Sommerville claiming the situation was so bad, the rebels could not be reached. The "senior rebel commander inside Aleppo" interviewed by the BBC was none other than Yaser Abdulrahim,

Image : Faylaq Al-Sham's flag is clearly seen in the video of the BBC's fake FSA commander when out in the field. Yaser Abdulrahim is seen out among other terrorists, missing his crisp, brand new FSA uniform and devoid of any FSA insignia.

Despite appearing in a brand new, crisp "Free Syrian Army" uniform never worn once into the field, and sitting beside an equally pristine "Free Syrian Army" French colonial flag, Yaser Abdulrahim has absolutely no affiliations with the otherwise nonexistent "Free Syrian Army."

Instead, he is a commander of Faylaq Al-Sham, composed of Al Qaeda terrorists and Muslim Brotherhood extremists. Faylaq Al-Sham and its commander Yaser Abdulrahim, according to Sommerville himself, are part of the larger Fatah Halab umbrella group which also includes Al Qaeda affiliates Ahrar ash-Sham and Jaysh al-Islam - the latter of which literally placed civilians in metal cages on rooftops to use as human shields against Syrian-Russian airstrikes.



Human Right Watch, in their report titled, "Syria: Armed Groups Use Caged Hostages to Deter Attacks," would reveal that:

In the course of fighting between armed groups and government forces in the nearby `Adra al-`Omalia in December 2013, Jabhat al-Nusra and Jaysh al-Islam abducted hundreds of civilians, mostly Alawites, according to the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Syria. The hostages, many of them women and children, are being held in unidentified locations in Eastern Ghouta. The concern is that they are among those in these cages. The Human Right Watch report is also very alarming, considering it implicates Jaysh al-Islam, a member of Yaser Abdulrahim's Fatah Halab, as collaborating and fighting alongside US State Department listed terrorist group, Jabhat al-Nusra.



The US State Department's official statement listing al-Nusra as a foreign terrorist organization, titled, "Terrorist Designations of the al-Nusrah Front as an Alias for al-Qa'ida in Iraq," states:

Since November 2011, al-Nusrah Front has claimed nearly 600 attacks  ranging from more than 40 suicide attacks to small arms and improvised explosive device operations  in major city centers including Damascus, Aleppo, Hamah, Dara, Homs, Idlib, and Dayr al-Zawr. During these attacks numerous innocent Syrians have been killed. Through these attacks, al-Nusrah has sought to portray itself as part of the legitimate Syrian opposition while it is, in fact, an attempt by AQI to hijack the struggles of the Syrian people for its own malign purposes. It appears, ironically enough, that through the deception of the Western media, al Nusra has been amply assisted in fully hijacking "the struggles of the Syrian people for its own malign purposes."



Image : BBC's "US-backed rebel commander" heads a faction that includes the terrorist Jaysh al-Islam faction who caged civilians and used them as human shields outside of Damascus. The US insists that Syria and Russia must negotiate with such organizations and that such organizations should play a role in Syria's future. The BBC's abhorrent dressing-up of literal members of Al Qaeda and their affiliates in their recent interview fits into a larger pattern of deceit aimed at salvaging the conspiracy described by Hersh in 2007, but upended when in late last year, the Russian Federation upon the invitation of the Syrian government, intervened in the conflict.



With Aleppo teetering at the edge of liberation from what are clearly terrorist forces - the BBC's propaganda and propaganda like it being propagated by the West represents a cynical attempt to perpetuate - not end - the suffering of the Syrian people.



What is worse still, is that the BBC claims their Fatah Halab-Al Qaeda umbrella group commander dressed as a member of the "Free Syrian Army," is "US-backed."



This is either an attempt by the BBC to further deceive their audiences as to who the man they interviewed really was, or an inadvertent admission that the United States is in fact funding the very terrorist groups and their associates, populating their own US State Department list of foreign terrorist organizations.



Whatever the case, the fact that even a carefully staged production like the one published by the BBC is easily exposed as a deliberate attempt to cover up the terroristic identity of what's left of the West's "rebels," adds further imperative to the Syrian government and their Russian, Lebanese, Iraqi, and Iranian allies to end the war and fully restore order to the entirety of Syria's territory. To negotiate with "rebels" who are clearly terrorists dressed in literal costumes, is an absurdity the West would never accept foisted upon them - thus, no other nation on Earth should accept the West foisting such terms upon them.
US Targets Russia and China with North Korea Pretext By Finian Cunningham February 13, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " SCF " - The North Korean state is routinely mocked in the West for engaging in hyperbole and bombast. Ironically, the Western reaction to its latest satellite launch is a carnival of knee-jerk hysteria and hyperbole. But all the bluster has conveniently given Washington an opportunity to proceed with its global missile shield plans. That is far more destabilizing to international security than any alleged North Korean violation. In an interview this week on CBS, US President Obama repeated denunciations of North Koreas rocket launch into outer space last Sunday, which Pyongyang claimed was for the purpose of putting an observation satellite into orbit. Obama said: I think we have been concerned about North Koreas behavior for a while. This is an authoritarian regime. Its provocative. It has repeatedly violated UN resolutions, tested and produced nuclear weapons and now they are trying to perfect their missile launch system. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond lambasted North Korea, saying its actions continue to present a threat to regional and international security. Within hours of the satellite launch by the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK), the US and its South Korean ally unveiled their plans to install the Pentagons Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system. The system is designed for intercepting intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) as high as 200 kilometers. It is part of the global missile shield network that Washington is pushing elsewhere in Europe. Aware of the sensitivity of the move, a South Korean official immediately qualified the planned deployment of the THAAD as being against North Koreas advancing threats, according to a report in the Financial Times. The inference is that the US missile system is not related to Chinas security. But thats not how Beijing sees it. While China rebuked its North Korean ally for its rocket-satellite launch, it also strongly protested the subsequent US move towards deploying the THAAD. China, like Russia, has consistently opposed any such deployment of a missile shield by the Americans near its borders as a provocative step towards giving Washington a first strike nuclear capability because the THAAD in theory can take out any Chinese warheads, thus giving the US a license to hit first, unburdened by a threat of retaliation. Moscow has similarly admonished US-led NATO plans to install Aegis-class ballistic missile interceptors in Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously argued that Washingtons claims for a missile shield in Europe and South Korea, as providing a defense against Iranian and North Korean ICBMs, are bogus. The real purpose, said Putin, is for the Americans is to be able to target both Russia and China with a perceived nuclear-threat dominance. Such military power is a corollary of political and economic hegemony. This week  apparently unrelated to the Korean controversy  Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov reiterated Moscows concerns that US attempts to create a global missile defense system are aimed at acquiring a global first strike capability. The apparent response by Washington to Pyongyangs satellite launch, involving the installation of its THAAD in East Asia is in reality an ominous shift in the balance of nuclear power. As well as South Korea, Americas other ally Japan is also preparing to deploy the same missile shield. Fortuitously for Washington, North Koreas rogue behavior has given it a cover for moving ahead with its missile system. Lt General Thomas Vandal, Commander of the US Eighth Army based in South Korea, said Pyongyangs provocative satellite launch now paved the way for the deployment of the THAAD system, adding with a notable tone of haste: Its time to move forward on this. A New York Times report, headlined: North Korea Launches Rocket Seen as Cover for a Missile Test, had this to say: Hours after the North declared the success of its launch on Sunday, the United States and South Korea jointly announced that they had begun discussing deployment of the American THAAD ballistic missile defense system. The irony of the New York Times report is that the North Korea rocket launch appears rather more like a cover for the US moving ahead with its controversial and destabilizing missile shield. It is a measure of how problematic the issue has been in the past that the South Korean government of President Park Geun-hye has up to now spurned American requests to deploy the missile system. President Park has made strenuous efforts in recent years to build stronger relations with China, becoming Beijings top trading partner. Although formally a US ally, Seoul has nonetheless been mindful of Chinas security objections over the US missile system on South Korean territory as it would neutralize Chinas nuclear capability. As Britains Independent newspaper reports: South Koreans have long been lukewarm about US insistence on the need to deploy multibillion-dollar missile launchers capable of shooting down enemy missiles hurtling more than 100 miles overhead. One of South Koreas objections has been concern about offending Beijing, which has repeatedly expressed alarm about THAAD and its potential for use against China. However, South Koreas military establishment appears to be augmenting the US agenda of hamming up the North Korea threat. Immediately following the rocket launch by Pyongyang, the BBC reports: South Korean MPs were told in a behind-closed-doors briefing by the country's spy agency later on Sunday that the launch should be treated as a ballistic missile test as the satellite it put into orbit would be useless They were also reportedly told North Korea has the technology for inter-continental ballistic missiles and is preparing a fifth nuclear test. Lets unpack those claims a bit. Yes, North Koreas latest rocket action was in violation of United Nations resolutions banning the use of ballistic technology. The latest rocket launch  the second since December 2012  was no doubt a satellite cover story used by Pyongyang to assay the dual capability of ballistic power. And yes, North Korea did conduct a fourth nuclear test explosion last month  again in violation of UN resolutions. But there is chasm between all of this and the claims put out by Washington that North Korea presents an imminent threat from being able to launch a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile. The North has evidently developed nuclear warheads, with the first test back in 2006. But there is a vast way to go before it can ever build an ICBM charged with a nuclear weapon. Most international ballistic experts contend that Pyongyang is very far off reaching that level of sophisticated technology. AFP news agency quoted aerospace engineer John Schilling, who has closely followed the North's missile program, as saying: An ICBM warhead, unlike a satellite, needs to come down as well as go up. North Korea has never demonstrated the ability to build a re-entry vehicle that can survive at even half the speed an ICBM would require. In short, despite what the US, its British ally and heaps of Western media coverage would have us believe, North Korea is not a threat to international security. Sure, the secretive state of Kim Jong-un can be said to be in breach of UN resolutions. But a nuclear enemy of the world it is most certainly not. There is a bizarre lack of intelligent perspective on the real issues. Washington possesses more than 1,500 actively deployed nuclear warheads across the globe, ready to launch at the touch of a button. Nearly 40 years after the Non-Proliferation Treaty mandating nuclear disarmament, the US is in a process of upgrading its nuclear arsenal at a cost of $1 trillion over the next 30 years. And it is pushing ahead with a global missile shield system that is profoundly destabilizing international security, in particular with regard to Russia and China. As for the matter of violating international norms and obligations, it is not removed from the subject to ask about Washington and Londons illegal bombing of sovereign countries like Syria. Or, as international lawyer Christopher Black wrote recently, to refer to Washingtons repeated acts of aggression towards China when its missile destroyer Wilbur Curtis flagrantly breached territorial waters in the South China Sea on January 30. On the specific issue of resolving Koreas historical tensions, what is needed is a return to earnest dialogue between the North and the South, and their respective allies China and the US. However, Washingtons hidebound policy of isolating Pyongyang and refusing to demilitarize the Korean Peninsula is the main obstacle to a negotiated resolution. Indeed, it can be reasonably deduced that Washington does not want to ever resolve the conflict in the region for the precise reason that it needs to keep North Korea isolated and hostile in order to maintain its military presence in the Asia Pacific. Under the cover of a chivalrous protector of allies, the US is cynically exploiting a much overblown threat from North Korea for pursuing its much more concrete and malevolent threat of nuclear aggression towards Russia and China. Paradoxically, North Korea is presented as a rogue state, when it is Washington that is the global thug hiding behind a suit of shining armor.
President Kennedy and His Brother Were Murdered By The Military-Security Complex By Paul Craig Roberts February 13, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - Presstitute Media, such as the UK Telegraph, spend a lot of energy debunking exposes of government conspiracies. For example, the thousands of highrise architects, structural engineers, physicists, nano-chemists, demoltion experts, first responders, military and civilian pilots, and former government officials who have provided vast evidence that the official story of 9/11 is a made-up fairy tale at odds with all evidence and the laws of physics are dismissed by presstitutes as conspiracy theorists. Similarly, those, such as James W. Douglass, who have proven beyond all doubt that President John F. Kennedy was not assassinated by Oswald but by his own paranoid anti-communist military-security complex, are dismissed as conspiracy theorists. The 9/11 Commission Report and the Warren Commission Report were cover-ups. VP Dick Cheney and the neoconservatives he sponsored needed a new Pearl Harbor in order to begin their military assaults on the Middle Eastern countries that had independent foreign policies instead of being US/Israeli vassals. 9/11 was their orchestrated new Pearl Harbor, and this fact had to be covered up when 9/11 families persisted in their demands for an investigation and could not be bought off for large sums of money. Similarly, the Warren Commission had no choice but to cover up that a popular American president, John F. Kennedy, had been murdered by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the CIA, and the Secret Service, because he was believed by paranoid anti-communists to be soft on communism and thereby a threat to the security of the United States. The cold war was on, and the Warren Commission could not hold those responsible accountable without destroying the publics confidence in the American military and security services. Nevertheless everyone aware of the forged case against Oswald knew what had happened. One of these people was Attorney General Robert Kennedy, JFKs brother. Bobby Kennedy understood the situation. He knew that as a member of a cover-up administration he could do nothing about it. However, he knew that if he won the presidency, he could hold accountable those security elements responsible. His brother had told him that after his reelection he was going to break the CIA into a thousand pieces. When the Vietnam war desroyed President Lyndon Johnson, Bobby Kennedy emerged as the next president of the US. Bobby Kennedy was assassinated the evening that he won the California Democratic primary. Sirhan Sirhan was blamed. He was standing in front of Kennedy. He had an eight shot low caliber pistol, which he fired. He did hit Paul Shrade, who was standing next to Kennedy. But he did not hit Kennedy. Kennedy, according to the medical evidence and eye witnesses was killed from shots to his back and to the back of his head. This was confirmed to me years ago by a distinguished journalist and documentary film maker who was standing just behind Robert Kennedy when he was shot. He told me that he felt the bullet that hit Kennedy go by his ear and saw its impact. He wrote a full report for the FBI and despite his credentials was never contacted by the investigation. Now, last Wednesday, 48 years later, Paul Shrade has presented ironclad evidence at the parole hearing of the now 71 year old Sirhan Sirhan that Robert Kennedy was shot by someone else from the rear, not from the front where Sirhan Sirhan was standing. You can read Paul Shrades statement here: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44184.htm

Of course, the presstitute media will say that Paul Shrade, who was himself shot when Kennedy was assassinated, is a conspiracy theorist. Remember: a conspiracy theorist is anyone who on the basis of hard evidence challenges a government that blames its crime on an innocent third party. At the time of Robert Kennedys assassination, the CIA was conducing mind control experiments. Experts think that Sirhan Sirhan was one of those under the CIAs control. This would explaine why Sirhan Sirhan has no memory of the event. President John F. Kennedy had experienced in the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Chairman Lyman Lemnitzer a high level of insubordination. Lemnitzer showed in White House meetings contempt for the president. When Lemnitzer brought Kennedy the Northwoods Project to shoot down American citizens in the streets of America and to blow American airliners out of the sky in order to place the blame on Castro so that the US could invade and achieve regime change, a popular term of the George W. Bush regime, in Cuba, President Kennedy removed Lemnitzer as chairman and sent him to Europe as head of NATO. Kennedy did not know about Operation Gladio, an assassination program in Europe run by NATO and the CIA. Communists were blamed for Operation Gladios bombings of civilians in train stations in order to erode communist political influence, especially in Italy. Thus, Kennedys way of getting rid of Lemnitzer put Lemnitzer in charge of this program and gave Lemnitzer a way to get rid of John Kennedy. Anyone who thinks that democratic governments would not kill their own citizens is uninformed beyond belief. If, dear reader, you are one of these gullible people, please go to the Internet and become familiar, for example, with Operation Northwoods and Operation Gladio. Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. Roberts' latest books are The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West , How America Was Lost , and The Neoconservative Threat to World Order .
Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose has described the controversial 2016 Budget of the Federal Government as a confirmation that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Muhammadu Buhari were never prepared for governance.

If a government cannot prepare a common budget, it should just be concluded that those in the government never prepared for governance and such a government may not be able to achieve anything, Mr. Fayose said.

The governor described the alleged padding of the budget with strange figures, which are being denied by Ministers during their budget defence at the National Assembly, as a clear intention to steal, adding that; What those who prepared the budget did was to steal in advance. It is clear advance fraud and be it civil servants, political appointees or consultants, those responsible for this national embarrassment must be fished out and prosecuted.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday by his Special Assistant on Pubic Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor said, With almost everyone disowning provisions in the budget, the latest being the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the most honourable thing to do is for President Buhari to withdraw the budget formally and put an end to this national shame that the budget has become.

The governor, who commended the National Assembly for suspending the budget passage, said he was highly embarrassed when he saw the BBC Africas tweet that our Minister of Heath said rats invaded Nigeria Budget documents and smuggled foreign items.

The statement read; On Wednesday, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed openly disowned the N398 million being part of the budget estimates by his ministry meant for the purchase of computers. The Minister who was reacting to questions on the N230 million and N168 million voted for the purchase of computers for the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and the Film and Video Censors Board, said he was not aware.

To worsen the situation, an official of the ministry of information said that only N5 million was proposed for the item in the original budget of the Film and Video Censors Board. How then did N5 million grew to N398 million?

Before the Wednesday denial by Lai Mohammed, the Health Minister, Isaac Adewole, had said that the proposal drawn up by the ministry and submitted to the budget office had been doctored and that foreign appropriations, different from what was submitted, had been sneaked in as the height of national embarrassment.

Also, we are now being told that the sum of N10 billion which was questionably smuggled into the budget of the Ministry of Education for an allegedly questionable subhead was typographical error, and one wonders how N10 billion could have been included in a national budget through typo error.

Denials, typo errors, existence of Budget Mafia in the Presidency, N3.87 billion allocated for capital projects at the State House Clinic meant for the President, Vice President and their families alone and error in the date on the letter with which the President presented the corrected version of the budget, among other shocking discoveries, the reality of an unprepared people in government is no doubt staring Nigerians in the face.

In saner climes, the President would have openly admitted to the people that he made mistakes, apologise and withdraw the budget.

It is however not too late for this honourable path to be followed by the President. He should realise that he is human and capable of committing errors. He should therefore admit that his first budget was full of errors, withdraw the budget formally from the National Assembly and prepare another budget.

Most importantly, Nigerians must know those who caused this national embarrassment. They must be fished out and prosecuted.
The Coalition of Civil Society Groups (CCSG) has kicked against the sack of 12 Vice Chancellors of Federal Universities.

The affected universities were established by the administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan. Also sacked is the Vice Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof. Vincent Tenebe.

The sack of the VCs was contained in a statement personally signed by the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu and made available to journalists on Saturday in Abuja.

The Minister said President Muahammadu Buhari has also approved the appointment of new VCs for the affected varsities.

According to public statement, the substantive Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, Prof. Mohammed Kundiri, was transferred to the Federal University, Wukari, Taraba State.

A former Head, Department of International Relations at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof. Kayode Soremekun, who was said to be on Sabbatical in NOUN, is the new Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

While the Federal University, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State has Prof. Auwal Yadudu of the Faculty of Law, Bayero University, Kano as its new VC, Prof. Fatima Batoul Muktar of the Department of Biology, North West University, Kano is the VC of Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State.

A lecturer in the Department of Pharmacy, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Haruna Abdu Kaita is the new VC of Federal University, Dutsin Ma, Katsina State, while Prof. Andrew Haruna of the Department of Linguistics, University of Jos will now function as VC, Federal University, Gashua, Yobe State.

While another lecturer in the Department of Pharmacy, ABU, Zaria, Prof. Magaji Garba, will now be VC in Federal University, Gusau, Zamfara State, Prof. Alhassan Mohammed Gani of the Institute of Maritime Studies, Federal University, Kashere in Gombe State has been elevated to the position of VC in same University.

A lecturer in the Department of Physics, Federal University, Lafia, Prof. Muhammad Sanusi Liman will henceforth be VC of same institution.

For Prof. Angela Freeman Miri of the Linguistics Department, UNIJOS, is to serve as Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja.

The Federal University, Ndifu-Alike, Ebonyi State now has Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba of the Post-Graduate School, Imo State University, Owerri as its VC, while Prof. Seth Accra Jaja of the Department of Management, University of Port Harcourt, is now the VC of Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State.

However, in a protest letter by the CCSG to President Buhari, signed by Etuk Bassey Williams and Ibrahim Abubakar  President and Secretary-General respectively  the groups said the action contravenes the provisions of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act No.11 of 1993 (as amended) by decree No.25, 1996 and further amended in 2003 and 2012 respectively and other agreements as contained in the 2009 FGN staff union agreement

The petitioners pointed out that four out of the 12 appointed VCs are from Kano University, an action they said, was a violation of the federal character principle.

The letter, which demands the reversal of the decision in which the NOUN VC was replaced with Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu of the Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano said:

While this does not come as a surprise owing to the influence of one of the Special Advisers to the Minister of Education in orchestrating the appointments of his friends and cronies without following due process, we are however concerned about the constitutional breach and the resultant litigation battle this action may cause, which in turn may generate unnecessary distractions to your focused administration.

The petition reads, We are compelled to call your attention owing to the illegality in the removal of Vice Chancellors of 13 Federal Universities including the National Open University of Nigeria and the hasty appointment of friends and cronies in place of those illegally removed from office.

While we are not unmindful of the fact that you would have acted on the recommendation of the Minister of Education in approving their removal, it is pertinent to know that in the pursuit of ambition driven by unguided passion and greed, impunity becomes inevitable as the end irrespective of the means is all that matters and in this case, the removal of these Vice Chancellors is the outcome of an unguided passion and greed by the Minister of Education and his Special Adviser.

The constitution is quite clear on the procedures to be followed in the appointment and disengagement of Vice Chancellors and none of these procedures were followed in the above case.

The appointment of Vice Chancellors is a tenured appointment, which presupposes that every appointee is expected to serve the prescribed number of years as stipulated by the Acts governing the institutions.

The statement regretted that none of the Vice Chancellors were allowed to complete their tenures and were all removed without following due process of the law.

The CCSG stressed that the powers to remove a VC is vested only in the Board of the Governing Council of such a university, which recommends or effect his or her removal.

The group said, In the above case, the Minister already dissolved the Board of the Governing Council with the statutory powers to recommend or effect the removal of a Vice Chancellor from office thereby making the removal of these Vice Chancellors illegal, null and void.

In appointing new Vice Chancellors or any public officer for that matter, it is an offence and a breach of the Federal Character principle for one third of the total appointees to come from a particular State.

The action of the Minister is greeted with sadness as it is considered a breach of the provisions of the University Amendment Act or legislation and to a large extent a gross violation of the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which guarantees universities autonomy in Nigeria.
The Rivers State Police Command has paraded a pastor of a Pentecostal Church in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, for allegedly defiling a JSS 2 girl.

The young girl, said to be a member of the pastors congregation, was allegedly defiled for three consecutive days.

The pastor, whose name was given as Opirite F. Amakiri, 50, of Agape Baptist Church located along Aka Base in Rumuolumeni area of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state, allegedly lured his victim into the room to help massage his waist for a cure from a protracted waist pain.

He allegedly claimed that his request was informed by divine revelation that if he could get a girl between the ages of 12 and 18 years to massage the waist, the problem would be solved.

To assist her pastor, the elder sister to the victim, a young widow, who is also a member of the choir in the church, offered to give out her little sister for the job.

Amakiri allegedly took undue advantage of the young girl to rape her.

A father of four and husband to a medical official, the pastor confessed to the crime.

Strangely, rather than blame the act on the devil as most people in his shoes would, the pastor accepted the blame.

Count the devil out of this, he did not do anything, I did it by myself. But I now regret my actions. God decided to expose and chastise me, he said.

The Police said he would be charged to court the moment the doctors reports/medical results are out.

Narrating what happened to reporters, the suspect said: The reason I was arrested and being detained by the Police is because of a rape case I involved myself in. I am 50 years old and have been a Christian for 22 years. I am a pastor of Agape Baptist Church for seven years.

The older sister to the girl I raped is a choir member of my church. It was after choir practice one Thursday that I informed the sister that I would like to visit her house for a serious discussion, and she obliged me. The following day, I paid her the visit and requested that she allow her younger sister to massage my waist. I said that I have been having a terrible pain around my waist area for the past two years and every treatment, drugs and injection have failed.

She then went and discussed with the younger sister who accepted to help me. So we had the first massage treatment that day while the older sister was around. Nothing happened between me and the little girl.

On Saturday I called her to inform her that I was coming back for the treatment. I got there while she was about to leave for choir practice in the church. But while the massage was going on, I had an urge, so I had carnal knowledge of the girl. I have successfully raped her three times.

It was the fourth time that she locked the gates against me, so I had to call her sister on her cell phone and she rushed to the house from her shop and began to interrogate the girl on why she did not want to massage my waist again. That was when she disclosed what has been happening between us.

In response to a question if he was married, Amakiri answered in the affirmative, saying she is a health worker. He also said he has four children, whose ages range between 6, 10, 12 and 14.

I did not ask my wife to massage my waist because she was at her work place at Old Bakana, in Degema LGA, as at the time I requested the girl to massage me. My wife comes back to Port Harcourt only when she is on off duties.

I felt that Deborah, being my spiritual daughter, would be of more help to me than my wife. That was why I went to her. I sincerely regret my actions. It is like the ground should open up and swallow me. I did a very wrong thing. I pray to my church members to forgive me and never follow my footsteps. If I have made a mistake, I dont advise any of my members to also make the same mistake, because Heaven is real and hell fire is also real, he pleaded.

On why he sought for help for his waist pain problem from a young lady, in a church of over 200 congregation, he said: Temptation can push anyone towards anybody, and when God wants to expose and chastise a person, anybody can be the victim.

Narrating her ordeal, the little girl said: I was in the house when the Pastor came and asked me to massage his waist. On the first day I massaged him, nothing happened between us. But on the second day, while I was massaging him, he began to touch my breast and raped me. I tried to escape, but he held me down and warned me never to tell anybody what he did to me. He has raped me three times.

Addressing newsmen, the Spokesman of the state Police command, Ahmad Muhammad, said the suspect was arrested following a report from the victims family that one Pastor Opirite Amakiri, of Agape Baptist Church in Aka road, in Rumuolumeni area of Port Harcourt was constantly raping a little girl that is less than 18 years. We quickly went after him and got him arrested.

Following our investigations, it was discovered that the elder sister to the victim is a member of the Pastors Church. According to her, the Pastor approached her and said that the Spirit of God revealed to him in the place of prayer that a young girl between the age bracket of 12 and 18 should massage his waist in order for his two-year waist pain to be healed.

So, the victims sister, either for fear of the pastor or love for him, or even as an act of conspiracy, because she is mature and married, asked her underage sister that was living with her to help massage the Pastor.

Each day the Pastor will sneak into the womans house when she must have left for her business to be doing the massaging with the girl. According to the victim, except for the first massage, which was done when her sister was around, the rest of the massaging sessions ended in rape. It was the last day that the girl, for whatever reason, tried to run away from the man by locking the gate when she heard the man was going to come, Muhammad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, added.

The victims elder sister, Deborah Prince Elegba, who corroborated the police statement, said she agreed to allow her younger sibling help massage the pastor waist because he claimed that the Holy Spirit commanded him to do it.

The father of the victim, Baate, who expressed rage over the incident, wondered how the Pastor of his family church could do such despicable thing to his little daughter.
Governor of Cross River State, Prof. Ben Ayade, on Saturday ordered that the U.J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar, should not be opened for the formal reception of former Senate leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN) and 10 other stalwarts of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who recently defected to the All Progressive Congress (APC).

National chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun led other key leaders of the party to Calabar for the grand reception.

Oyegun and the APC national vice chairman for South/South, Prince Hilliard Eta, were told in no uncertain terms that there was an order from above preventing them from using the two venues they were seeking to stage the reception as they had already been approved for a PDP Youth rally.

Recall that a similar episode played out during the campaigns ahead of the March 28, 2015 presidential election when then Governor Liyel Imoke denied Muhammadu Buhari the use of the same stadium.

The then APC presidential candidate was forced to hold his presidential campaign within the confines of a ramshackle primary school compound in Calabar.

Apart from the former Senate leader, others to be formally received today include former Governor, Chief Clement Ebri; former ambassador to Mali, Chief Sony Abang; former PDP governorship aspirant and ex-NNPC general manager, Godwin Jedy Agba; Senator Bassey Otu and other political heavyweights from the PDP and the Labour Party.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Saad Abubakar III, yesterday proposed an amendment of the 1999 Constitution to integrate traditional and religious institutions into the countrys security architecture.

He made the proposal while delivering a lecture at the National Defence College (NDC) titled Traditional and Religious Institutions in Nigeria: Implications for National Security.

According to the Sultan, traditional and religious institutions had made valuable contributions in the nations campaigns against disease containment and social vices, to the admiration of many in the past.

Abubakar said the institutions wealth of experience could be useful in tackling emerging threats to national security, stressing that the model had worked perfectly in some countries around the world.

He said: With the emerging security challenges facing the nation and the wealth of experience at the disposal of our traditional and religious institutions it is time to do what is necessary to address the situation.

We should, with all sincerity, endeavour to put in place the right constitutional framework to enable them address the daunting challenges.

National Traditional Leaders Council had worked well in Malaysia, South Africa and many other countries with tangible results.

Earlier, the Commandant of the college, Rear Admiral Samuel Alade, acknowledged the roles of traditional and religious institutions in nation building.
The pilot of the infamous flight MH370 of Malaysia Airlines that disappeared in March 2013, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, has mysteriously reappeared in a Taiwan hospital on Monday, suffering from severe dehydration and some type of amnesia. The 53-year-old pilot was transported at the Taipei Adventist Hospital by a couple of villagers from a nearby town. They claimed to have found the man while he was lying unconscious on the banks of the Tangshui River.

He finally woke up almost 16 hours after arriving at the hospital, but couldnt remember his name or how he arrived in Taipei. He was rapidly identified, however, thanks to his fingerprints, instantly attracting a lot of attention from the media and from various Asian governments. The doctors who have been treating since his arrival believe that he may be suffering from regressive amnesia, caused by a major stress or life-threatening situation.

The patient seems to have undergone a lot of stress lately, and the amnesia is probably an unconscious self-defense mechanism, claims Dr. Syed Boon Sulong. The patient is still very weak and sick, and his brain seems to be blocking access to a certain part of his memory, in order to protect him from pain that these memories could generate. His health is too fragile for the moment, but over time, he should able to remember everything.

WND Report.
A mild drama played out at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, when a 48 year-old woman reportedly threw up 15 wraps of white, powdery substances that tested positive for cocaine.

The woman, whose name was given as Saidat Hassan and a mother of three, was arrested at the central screening section of the departure hall of the airport during the outward screening of passengers on an Egypt Airline flight to Jedda, Saudi Arabia, en-route Cairo.

She was immediately arrested by National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) operatives, who later discovered that she had ingested 80 wraps of cocaine weighing 904 grammes.

In a statement on Friday, the NDLEA quoted its Abuja airport commander, Hamisu Lawan, as saying efforts were made to protect Mrs. Hassan from any harm resulting from drug ingestion.

As soon as we discovered that the suspected wraps she vomited tested positive for cocaine, we took measures to ensure her safety by preventing any harm that may result from drug ingestion, said Mr. Lawan.

While under observation, she excreted sixty-five similar wraps. In all, she ingested 80 wraps of cocaine weighing 904 grammes; her case is under investigation.

Mrs. Hassan, a native of Idiroko, Ogun State, who resides in Lagos Island, in her statement to the NDLEA, claimed to be a business woman dealing in clothing materials at Balogun market.

I used to buy my goods from Ghana. I was introduced into the drug business by a friend and business partner. The drug was brought from Abidjan, Ivory Coast and we were to share the proceeds equally.

Until my arrest, I never knew that the cocaine I ingested would have led to my death in Saudi Arabia. I thank God for keeping me alive, she said.

The NDLEA chairman, Col. Mohammad Abdallah (retd.), who expressed satisfaction with the arrest of Mrs. Hasaan, said her action negates every principle of good parenting.

This is gross ineptitude on the part of a mother saddled with the responsibility of nurturing her children into future leaders, said Mr. Abdallah.

I am glad that she did not die from drug ingestion and she is alive to face trial. Besides escaping the risk of swallowing cocaine, this arrest also saved her because drug trafficking in Saudi Arabia is punishable by death.

She will soon be charged to court because the law must run its full course. I expect the general public to learn lessons from this case that drug trafficking leads to pain, ignominy and untimely death.

The NDLEA boss said his approach to drug control is both pragmatic and scientific.

Every action taken must be based on best global principles while lessons learnt will influence our implementation strategies in our day to day operations.

The Agency will continue to sensitize members of the public by presenting facts and figures of drug trafficking as well as the larger picture of its ruin and devastation, he said.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday said that the demise of former military Head of State, Late General Murtala Mohammed, made Nigeria to lose momentum in its stride to greatness.

Mohammed was Nigerias head of state from 1975 until his assassination in 1976 in a bloody military coup.

Speaking at the Murtala Mohammed 40th Memorial Lecture in Abuja, President Buhari said that the head of state was loyal and dedicated to one Nigeria.

He challenged Nigerians to always demonstrate the virtues of loyalty, honesty and determination like Mohammed rather than mourn his death.

Imbibing these virtues, he said will make Nigeria better.

President Buhari, who was a young army colonel when Murtala Mohammed was assassinated, noted that Nigerians mourned the death of the late military ruler because he was on his way to putting Nigeria back to the path of order and discipline, after years of drift, corruption and near despair.

According to him, the late Mr. Mohammeds motto was to get the job done as quickly as possible, stressing that no one could doubt his inspirational qualities or call into question his love and dedication in the service of Nigeria.

Buhari also listed two major developments among Murtala Mohammeds legacies to include movement of the capital to Abuja from Lagos and the creations of seven new States.

Pointing out that the late elder statesman was his senior in the Army, the president said that he developed a great liking and respect for him on account of his professional excellence, competence, straight forwardness and genuine interest and concern for up-and-coming officers like him.

But he said: Of course, no one is without flaws. He was a man in a hurry, and sometimes this could make him appear abrupt or even moody.

But what he could not tolerate was incompetence and idleness. By the time Murtala was given Command during the Civil War, the Federal side was on the defensive.

The rebels had over-ran the then Mid-West, and reached as far as Ore, just 100 miles from Lagos.

By dint of sheer bravery, improvisation and resourcefulness, he mustered a rag-tag group of soldiers, integrated them into an entirely new division, knocked them into fighting shape, recovered Mid-West and ventured across the Niger.

The Vice President of the Board of Trustees of the Murtala Mohammed Foundation, Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (Rtd.), expressed great joy for being associated with the late head of state early in life.

He commended the efforts of the foundation and advised its leadership to embark on aggressive media campaign with a view to educating members of the public on its activities and achievements so far.

The guest speaker at the event, Mr David Richards, who spoke on the topic, Regional Security and State Building: Portents and prospects, noted that inter-state and intra-states rivalries had continued to make the world unstable for mankind.

Richards, who is a former Chief of Staff and professional head of the British Armed Forces, therefore, challenged leaders to find lasting solutions to socio-political crises across the world.

The Chief Executive officer of the Murtala Mohammed Foundation and widow of the late head of state, Mrs Aisha Mohammed-Oyebode, hailed President Buhari for embarking on the crusade against corruption in the country.

She also commended the efforts of the Buhari-led administration towards the fight against Boko Haram insurgency in the North East.

Mrs. Mohammed-Oyebode was hopeful that the abducted Chibok schoolgirls would soon be rescued in view of the successes being recorded by the Nigeria Army and other security agencies in the country.
Biafra: NBA chiefs speak against Kanus bail denial

Two legal giants based in Onitsha, Anambra state, Ben Okoko, chairman of Idemili branch of Nigerian Bar Association, NBA and Chris Adimora, chairman of Anaocha branch of NBA have vehemently condemned the denial of bail to the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.

Thisday

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesome Wike told THISDAY in an exclusive interview, Thursday night, that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate, Dakuku Peterside could not produce a shred of evidence of violence and over-voting during the 2015 governorship election in Rivers State at the courts despite all the propaganda to smear his victory.

The Sun

THE National Drug Law Enforce- ment Agency (NDLEA), said a 48- year old mother of three children, Mrs. Saidat Bola Hassan, who was appre- hended at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Inter- national Airport (NAIA) Abuja Friday, vomited 15 wraps of white powdery substances that later tested positive as cocaine.

Daily Times

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has described the controversial 2016 Budget of the Federal Government as a confirmation that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Mohammadu Buhari were never prepared for governance, saying; if a government cannot prepare a common budget.

Guardian

THE National Chairman of the Africa Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Ralphs Okey Nwosu, said he was not surprised that the Budget of Change is fast becoming Budget of Embarrassment.
The Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) has berated accused Benin palace chiefs for distorting Oduduwa history, saying their comments were capable of triggering discord between the Yoruba and people of the Benin Kingdom.

The group also said the research being relied on by the chiefs to disclaim the relationship between people of the two races lacked credibility.

The OPC was reacting to comments credited to the Esogban of Benin and Odionwere of the Kingdom, David Edebiri, that 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 was himself reacting to a comment by the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo that the Ooni of Ife remained the pre-eminent spiritual leader in Yorubaland and environs.

Oba Gbadebo, who made the comment when he hosted the Ooni, Oba Enitan Adeyeye 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 the Ooni of Ife 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).

While rubbishing the ranking as an unnecessary excursion, an unnecessary attempt to turn history upside down, Chief Edebiri 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.

Weighing in on the controversy, the National Coordinator of the OPC, Chief Gani Adams, said in a press statement on Friday that the comments credited to the palace chiefs about Yoruba origin were unhistorical and unreliable.

Mr. Adams said such poorly researched claims lacked historical credibility, could be inflammatory and could set the two noble race against each other.

The OPC chieftain said the relationship between the Yoruba Omo Oduduwa and the Edo was rooted in history and shrouded in mystery in other to keep the two vibrant nations together and oil the chord of communal relationship forever.

Even, though some writers of historical documents about the relationship and chord of brotherhood between the two have allowed personal sentiments and pecuniary consideration to overrule their sense of judgment, clarity, fairness, objectivity and harmonious cohabitation. And the purported statement from an high chief of Benin belong to this trend, he said.

We should not indulge in diluted information coined by agents of destabilization which emphasised those things that divide us instead of talking of those things that unite us.

Whatever angle or point of view any writer come out with in this discourse, the fact remains constant that there is a bond of relationship which is not fleeting but fundamentally essential between the Yoruba Omo Oodua and the Edo Omo Eweka the Great, Adams added.

He also pleaded with the traditional institutions in Benin and Ile-Ife to be wary of palace chiefs, who he said were only out to pitch the two noble royal houses against each other by their sheer impetuosity and face service.

Mr. Adams also commended the royal sagacity and visionary posture of the Ooni of Ife, not only for remaining calm in the face of the raging controversy surrounding the ranking of Yoruba monarchs, but for refusing to dignify the sender of those ill-researched statements with any response.

Oba Ogunwusi had 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.

I must also commend the political maturity and sagacity being displayed by the Imperial Majesty, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Babatunde Ogunwusi, Ojaja 11, who has been consistent in his peace diplomacy shuttle among the traditional Obas in Yoruba land which has kicked  off a brand new era of harmonious relationship among the Obas in the south-west, Mr. Adams said.

He warned those he described as scripters of divisive statements, the procurer of false history and the spreader of ill -researched historical fallacy to put a stop in their unholy act and allow peace, unity, harmony and era of brotherly interaction take control among the traditional rulers in the South West including their sibling in Edo State.

We are warning them to stop sowing seeds of discord among the Omo Oduduwa and their siblings in Edo State, the OPC leader said.
The Arewa Youth for Peace and Security, AYPS, have described the trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki by the Code of Conduct Tribunal as political and ill-timed, stressing that the trial would create instability in the National Assembly if not discontinued.

The AYPS Director of Publicity, Mr Salihu Dantata Mahmud, who made this known in a press statement on Friday, pointed out that the trial shows insensitivity on the part of those orchestrating it, considering the state of the country.

According to him, why did they have to wait till Bukola became Senate President before bringing up these allegations? I think it is not right and appropriate at this material time going by the unstable nature of the National Assembly.

The Code of Conduct Bureau as well as the tribunal and judicial arm of government should have read the handwriting on the wall that their sister arm of government, the legislature is facing turbulent times. The trial of Bukola Saraki is purely politically motivated and has already attracted sympathy for him. Whoever is behind this should have a rethink as it cant work. For a man who got mass support to emerge as the president of the 8th Senate cannot be toyed with, there are more serious issues than the Senate Presidents case that the code of conduct tribunal has not deemed fit to bring up; we cannot be taken for a ride irrespective of our party, religious and ethnic affiliations, we stand firmly behind Senate President Bukola Saraki, because he is qualified and competent to be Nigerias Senate President at this material time.

What stopped the CCT from bringing up the case while the later was a floor Senator four years ago? We widely believe that he is being tried because he is Senate President and some people are envious of his rising profile.

As northerners, we support the choice of Bukola as Senate President especially coming from the north-central. There is no way the northeast which already has the position of Secretary to Government of the Federation, (SGF). Chief of Staff to the President (COS) National Security Adviser (NSA) and the chief of Army Staff could be allowed to still produce the Senate President.

We want to imbibe the culture of equal representation as an indelible legacy of late Sir Ahmadu Bello (KBE) while he was the premier of the then northern region. The north is one and no selfish agenda can divide it.
The resumption of the trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki by the Code of Conduct Tribunal has been fixed for March 10.

The spokesperson for the CCT, Ibrahim Alhassan, made this known on Friday.

He said the tribunal had issued and served notice of hearing on parties to the matter.

The office of the Attorney General of the Federation had dragged Mr. Saraki before the tribunal, slamming 13-count charge of false assets declaration, anticipatory declaration of assets and other charges on him while he was governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011.

The prosecutor said the offences violated Nigerias Code of Conduct for public officers.

Mr. Saraki, who has denied any wrongdoing, insisting the trial is politically-motivated, challenged the tribunals jurisdiction and constitution up to the Supreme Court, which struck out his appeal last Friday.

The notice of resumption of trial was, therefore, sequel to the Supreme Court ruling, which gave the CCT go-ahead.

The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), and lead prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), had asked the Tribunal to issue date for resumption of Mr. Sarakis trial, following the Supreme apex courts ruling.
Rivers State Police command has confirmed the death of six persons following a clash between two rival cult groups in Omoku, headquarter of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area, on Friday night.

DSP Ahmad Muhammad, Public Relations Officer of the command, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt on Saturday that anti-riot police units had been deployed to the area.

The incident is reasonably believed to be a battle of supremacy between rival cult groups in the town.

As it is now, the situation has been brought under control, with more anti-riot policemen drafted to reinforce the existing security in the town.

As for casualties, six deaths of the suspected cultists were recorded, he said.
A Spanish man was fined after his employer discovered that he had been absent from work for six years without notifying anyone. Joaquin Garcia, a 69-year-old engineer at a municipal water company in Cadiz, was fined more than $30,300 after his employer discovered that he hadnt reported for work for six years while attempting to present him an award for 20 years of service.

The maximum fine represents only sightly less than one year of his annual salary of almost $41,600. His employers at the water company believed he was being supervised by local authorities while deputy mayor Jorge Blas Fernandez thought the opposite to be true. We thought he had been supervised by the water company but that was not the case, he told Spanish news outlet El Mundo.

According to the BBC local newspapers have given Garcia the nickname el funcionario fantasma or the phantom official.

Garcia said a combination of office bullying related to his familys politics and a lack of work for him to do at the water company ultimately caused his extended absence. He did not report these condition for fear of losing his job. He did occasionally report to work for brief periods of time but spent his days at the office studying philosophy. Garcia wrote to the mayor and requested to not pay the fine and is seeking a review of the courts ruling.

UPI.
The Inspector General of Police, IGP Solomon Arase, yesterday said that the police was on the trail of former militant leader, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, following the issuance of a warrant for his arrest by Justice Buba Ibrahim of Federal High Court, Lagos.

We are looking for Tompolo and my men are on his trail. We will arrest him anywhere we sight him, Arase told reporters in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, where he was on a tour of the State Police Command.

Tompolo was slammed with a 40-count charge bordering on money laundering and fraud by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) but has gone underground.

He also failed to appear before the court, prompting the warrant of arrest.

He has since been declared wanted by the EFCC.

The former militant, who said he would appear before the court when the time is right, is standing trial alongside his co-accused, the immediate past Director General of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Patrick Akpobolokemi.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has denied allegation by its Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart that its governorship candidate in the 2015 elections in the state, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, insulted former governor of the state, Dr. Peter Odili, following the judgment of the Supreme Court that upheld the election of Governor Nyesom Wike.

The APC alleged that it was Wike who indirectly insulted the ex-governor and his wife, Justice Mary Odili, by dropping their names while holding discussions with his associates, who in turn, took the names dropping to public space with its attendant negative perception.

The party in a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday by its publicity secretary, Chris Finebone, said Peterside only made a mere reference to the public statement of Wike at a church thanksgiving service at Saint Peters Anglican Church, Rumueprikom, Port Harcourt.

Finebone urged the PDP and its state chairman, Bro. Felix Obuah, to compel the governor to apologise to Odili and his wife, who is a Justice of the Supreme Court, for needlessly dropping their names while holding formal and informal discussions with friends and associates.

He said, The APC would like to ask Felix Obuah and the PDP: Where lies the insult on Dr. Peter Odili and his wife in the reference Dr. Peterside made to Governor Wikes public comment?

Indeed, if anyone indirectly insulted the former governor and his wife, it is Governor Nyesom Wike because of his unwarranted verbal incontinence, drunken boasts and dropping of names of the former governor and his wife while holding discussions with his associates. Some of these same associates of Governor Nyesom Wike, in turn, take the names dropped by the Governor to public space with its attendant negative perception.

The Rivers APC spokesman further said, The Rivers State APC would like to urge Felix Obuah and the PDP to compel Governor Wike to apologise to Dr. Peter Odili and Justice Mary Odili for woefully failing to exercise discretion in his public utterances and needlessly dropping their names while holding formal and informal discussions with friends and associates.
Former MongoDB CEO Max Schireson wants to point you to the money in open source software. The problem, however, is that there isnt money in open source software.

Oh, sure, theres Red Hat. But name a single other example. You cant, because there isnt one.

[ See what hardware, software, development tools, and cloud services came out on top in the InfoWorld 2016 Technology of the Year Awards. | Cut to the key news in tech with the InfoWorld Daily newsletter, our summary of the top tech happenings. ]

To the extent that open source companies strike it rich, theyre not doing it with open source. Theyre selling the opposite of open which, it turns out, may be the best open source business model of all.

Getting open source wrong

Not that everyone believes this. Open Source Initiative director Simon Phipps execrates Schiresons perspective, accusing him of a worldview that refuses to recognize the real value of open source. Phipps also (rightly) uncovers a number of factual errors in the article.

But what Phipps doesnt do, at least not persuasively, is uncover any countervailing truths about open source as a viable business model. This isnt, of course, his primary concern: Phipps cares about coders, not capitalists. But his argument is still fundamentally wrong when he suggests, Red Hat clearly proves you dont have to ... monetiz[e] open source software  [by] creat[ing] artificial scarcity to ape the models of legacy corporations.

Because, lets face it, thats precisely what is required, even for Red Hat.

While today all of Red Hats code is open source, that wasnt always the case. Red Hat Satellite, which for years was the foundation for its revenue model, was purely proprietary until 2008. It took Red Hat well over a decade to get around to open-sourcing that key technology. By then, every competing Linux vendor was toast, and Red Hats (trademarked) brand offered all the intellectual property it needed.

That and the ability to de-risk otherwise complex open source software. As then-Red Hat CTO Brian Stevens once told me:

Red Hat's model works because of the complexity of the technology we work with. An operating platform has a lot of moving parts, and customers are willing to pay to be insulated from that complexity. I don't think you can take one finite element - like Apache - and make a business out of it [using our model]. You need product complexity.

This has worked great for Red Hat. It has not worked at all for anyone else -- which brings us to proprietary value, the foundation for every so-called open source company.

Faking open for fun and profit

The most successful open source companies today, like Cloudera or DataStax, dont actually sell open source software. They sell proprietary value around it. Sure, you can buy a support subscription, but this is generally conflated with enterprise features and other hold-backs that prod customers to pay.

This isnt evil. It makes sense. Otherwise these same open source companies that do the vast majority of development on a project are forced to spend all their resources competing with themselves. Ive done it for 15 years. Its hard.

Where the model starts to resemble evil is when it pretends to an openness that simply isnt there. Apprenda CEO Sinclair Schuller nails this when he derides open-source projects and foundations controlled by a single company [that use] a less than genuine openness to advance the goals of a single organization. Schuller calls out a few that range from highly controlled to weakly controlled:

The New Stack This table from the Web publication The New Stack reveals that the lion's share of open source contributions typically come from a software companies.

As he rhetorically asks, How open can software be when a single organization drives the majority of the contributions?

The other mechanism -- one that Schireson calls out -- is to impose a heavily restrictive open source license that is effectively radioactive to would-be contributors to the code, though generally safe for downstream users of the code. Such licenses, like the AGPL, serve as the equivalent of a proprietary license.

Be like Google

Which brings us back to Phipps: He argues, VCs who miss the point of open source shouldn't fund it, but Id argue something more fundamental. Entrepreneurs shouldnt try to monetize open source ... ever.

The companies that make the most money from open source software dont sell it: Think Google, Facebook, and other giants that heartily embrace open source without having to sell a single line of it. Instead they sell services based on open source.

Nor are they alone. Dig into the code base for any proprietary product today, from any software or hardware vendor on the planet, and I guarantee its riddled with open source. These companies are selling open source. Theyre using (and often contributing to) it, but then selling something completely different.

Thats where the real money is: proprietary value built on top of open source. There are lots of different ways to do it, but thats the fundamental principle.
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On H ait i, ICP Asks Venezuela of UN Silence, He Worries of Coup, Cites CELAC By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, February 12 -- The UN and its MINUSTAH mission in Haiti have been quiet but broke radio silence on February 6, to "note with concern the organized presence of several tens of people in green uniforms, some of them armed." To this has the UN in Haiti been reduced.

On February 12, the President of the UN Security Council for February, Rafael Ramirez of Venezuela, held a Q&A session at the Venezuelan Mission to the UN; Inner City Press asked about Haiti (as well as Yemen, Western Sahara and tranparency). As fast transcribed by InnerCityPro.com: Inner City Press: You mentioned Haiti  I havent seen the Council do anything. Is there any movement? Amb. Ramirez: As you know CELAC was there. Our foreign ministers  Venezuela, Ecuador, and another from the Caribbean, Bahamas.. were there. In our national capacity, we are really worried about Haiti because its like theyre changing the constitution to displace Martelly and now a provisional president, and that happened before in Haiti, it was very wrong. We ask to respect the constitution of the country and we expect to have very soon a new election to follow the rule of law, and not more social conflict. Haiti has a lot of problems, and they suffered a lot of political interference from many years ago. The most important is political stability. We are worried to have some kind of coup detat, maybe a parliamentary coup d'etat, something like what happened in Paraguay or in Honduras. That process is no good. We know very well that country and that people they are suffering a lot of interference in their political issues. I prefer to wait for CELAC's work to have some reaction from the Security Council. Watch this site.

When the UN of Ban Ki-moon is asked about bringing cholera to Haiti, the answer is usually, Our position remains unchanged -- that is, immunity. But when Inner City Press on January 28 asked about a new study that inexpensive precautions could have saved Haitian lives, and could still save lives elsewhere, the UN replied with... a link to a report, Appendix 12 no less. Video here. From the transcript

Inner City Press: There's been a pretty detailed study put out by the Yale School of Public Health looking back at the introduction of cholera to Haiti. And beyond, you know, finding you know, they believe that it was brought by the UN, this is the part I wanted to ask you about. They were saying that there's very simple strategies that could be deployed, would have saved lives and would in the future including antibiotic, prophylaxis at a cost of $1 per peacekeeper a week before deployment or screening at a cost of $2.50 per peacekeeper, but they say in their study that neither of these are in place at UN peacekeeping. Can you I guess I'm asking you, beyond you know, the position hasn't changed on Haiti. Just as a position of UN peacekeeping, given that these highly respected doctors are saying that these very cheap prophylactic measures could save lives, if they're not implemented at the UN, why not?



Spokesman: Let me take a look at the study, and I'll get back to you. And l ater, this , from the Office of the Spokesperson:

Please see below on your questions at today's Noon Briefing:



1) We refer you to the 2014 Contingent Owned Equipment manual (link below-- please see appendix 12) http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/documents/2014_COE_Manual.pdf This says in part, "It is a national responsibility (and at national expense) to ensure that all personnel have received at least the initial dose of mandatory and recommended vaccinations before deployment into the mission area."

We'll have more on this.

The UN of Ban Ki-moon marked the six anniversary of the Haiti earthquake with a statement on January 11 mentioning the lack of access to clean water and sanitation, but without a word on the cholera that the UN brought there in the earthquake's wake. Two UN Police d ied in Haiti from December 29 to 30. The announcement of the deaths came on the website of the MINUSTAH mission.

Inner City Press asked the UN Spokesperson's office in New York, where UN Peacekeeping is headquartered, for more details but was only referred to the MINUSTAH press release, which did not say the nationality of the decedents (Rwandan) nor their gender (both women). And there has been nothing since, just as the Office of the Spokesperson has not confirmed or denied that UN Peacekeepers in Liberia beat a 13 year old child.

Five years after the UN brought cholera to Haiti, for Human R ights Day, the UN Security Council got letters from 2,000 victims of its peacekeeping mission in Haiti, MINUSTAH. Inner City Press on December 10, Human Rights Day, asked UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq, video here, transcript here:

Inner City Press: On Haiti, I wanted to ask you, there were there were two, some 2,000 letters of victims of cholera that were supposed to be delivered today to MINUSTAH [United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti] in Port-au-Prince. Theyve also been put online to be read, and the request by those turning them in is that they be turned over by MINUSTAH to Security Council members. And they asked for the Security Council to urge Ban Ki-moon to take responsibility for the introduction of cholera to Haiti and two other points.



Can you comment on the letters? I understand that the legal position remains the same, but factually, have these letters been received? And will MINUSTAH or DPKO [Department of Peacekeeping Operations], in fact, transmit these victim letters to Security Council members?



Deputy Spokesman: Well, we need to check, first of all, whether the letters have been formally received by MINUSTAH, and so wed have to check on that.

TWENTY FOUR hours later, there was NOTHING from the UN. So on December 11, Inner City Press asked again: transcript here:

Inner City Press: On Haiti, yesterday I asked you about these letters that the lawyers suing the UN for having brought cholera to the country. They say they were delivered to MINUSTAH and you said you'd check to see if they've been received. Have they been received?



Deputy Spokesman: Yes, we can confirm that they have been received, and I believe the mission is exploring what to do next with that.

We'll have more on this.

The cover letter, seen by Inner City Press on December 9 and now online here, asks each of the Security Council's 15 members to 1. Publicly call on the UN Secretary-General to acknowledge UN responsibility for introducing cholera to Haiti and apologize to the Haitian people; 2. Commit to creating a fair framework for providing reparations to victims, and to providing the funds needed to compensate victims. This would fulfill the UNs international legal obligations and ensure that victims right to a remedy is finally recognized; 3. Provide the resources needed to install the water and sanitation infrastructure necessary to eliminate cholera in Haiti. The UN announced its support for plan to eliminate cholera in Haiti in 2012, but the plan has received only 13% of the funding needed. Fundraising hasbeen stalled for over one year. During this time cholera infection rates have increased.

The cover letter is signed by Inisyativ Victim Kolera Sodo (IVIKSO), Asosyasyon Viktim Kolera Boukan Kare (ASOVIKBO), Oganizasyon Vikim Kolera nan Mibale (OVIKMi), Gwoupman Viktim Kolera Lachapel (GVIKLA).

On December 9 at the UN there was a canned discussion of Ban Ki-moon's Rights Up Front, formed after another failure, in Sri Lanka. But this all gets erased, even as the UN barely acts amid the killings in Burundi. Impunity, as with the rapes and cover up in the Central African Republic. And now 2,000 letters from Haiti. Will there finally be some accountability?

Back on October 14, o n the morning the UN Security Council wa s poised to renew its MINUSTAH mission's mandate without taking any responsibility for cholera, the portraits of the diseases (and the UN's) victims were placed outside the UN's 43rd Street entrance.

Inner City Press tweeted a ph otograph, witnessed the Security Council extending the mandate of its MINUSTAH mission in Haiti 15-0 with no comments before or after... On a daily basis across from the UN's 43rd Street entrance stands a Haitian journalist; Inner City Press' requests to the UN including former spokesperson Michele Montas to get him re-admitted fell on the UN's deaf ears. Now he wants to know the prospective Haitian military force's size. Ban Ki-moon dodged service of legal papers; his spokespeople answer every Press question with the same answer, Our position hasn't changed. Well, it should. Now Ban is embroiled in a corruption scandal in which business interests from Macau were able to purchase revisions by the Secretariat in official UN documents. But the UN's Haitian victims are outside the gate.

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@JohnsonvilleCA  @Johnsonville  @MotoramaShow TORONTO, ON // FEBRUARY 12, 2016  Last year, Johnsonville Sausage made a big impression on everyone who attended the inaugural Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo Presented by Mothers.

The company was the sponsor of The Johnsonville Stage, where all of the shows awards presentations and discussion panels took place. In addition to that, Johnsonville had a large booth adjacent to the stage, from which they distributed sausage samples, displayed Adam Martins NASCAR stock car and hosted celebrity guest Courtney Hansen for several autograph sessions.

Motorama returns to The International Centre March 11, 12 & 13, across from Torontos Pearson Airport. Also returning for the second year will be The Johnsonville Stage. The location will be a constant hive of activity for all three days of the show, providing a fan-friendly platform for celebrity interviews, panel discussions, autograph sessions and award presentations.

And mere steps away from the stage, the Johnsonville Sausages booth will again be offering discount coupons and samples of the #1 sausage brand in Canada, as well as hosting meet & greet sessions with drivers and Motorama celebrities.

Car enthusiasts and race fans align well with Johnsonvilles target consumer. We love being part of consumers outdoor grilling experiences as they share good times with friends and family stated Brad Martin, Managing Director Canada for Johnsonville Sausage. A show like Motorama is a great opportunity to connect directly with race fans, sample our product and listen as they share their grilling experiences.

With a smirk, Martin then offered a little teaser, revealing that the Johnsonville display at Motorama will also be the site of two unveilings. The first reveal will be the Canadian debut of a new Johnsonville product line, while the second will be plainly obvious, as Johnsonville introduces the newest entry in the NASCAR Pintys Series; Canadas top stock car tour.

Were very proud to be a part of the Motorama show, and were excited to be, again this year, sponsoring The Johnsonville Stage, concluded Martin. There will be a lot of excitement in the air as everyone prepares for the upcoming season, and were very pleased to be given the opportunity to share in that excitement.

Speaking on behalf of Motorama, Mike Galipeau said, Johnsonville is a great supporter of Canadian motorsports and were honoured that theyre returning as the sponsor of The Johnsonville Stage, where so many important events will once again take place. Between the stage and the adjacent Johnsonville booth  and the sampling and unveilings that are scheduled to take place there  Johnsonville is going over and above to connect with Motorama showgoers.

The schedule of events for the Johnsonville Stage  including times and participants for the celebrity Q&As, autographs sessions, media announcements, discussion panels, awards presentations and other events  will be published in the weeks leading up to the show at www.MotoramaShow.com.

ABOUT JOHNSONVILLE SAUSAGE: Founded in 1945 by Ralph F. and Alice Stayer, Johnsonville is the most popular brand of sausage in the United States and is available in 30 other countries, including Canada. The companys headquarters are in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. Their award winning product lines include Brats, Italian, Smoked, Breakfast and Snack Sausages. More information about Johnsonville products and recipes featuring their products can be found at www.johnsonville.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.
Shaka Ssali, host and managing editor of Voice of Americas TV and radio program Straight Talk Africa, was selected to serve as one of three moderators for the Uganda presidential debate in Kampala, Uganda on February 13, 2016. Ugandans go to the polls on February 18 to elect a new president from among eight candidates, including longtime President Yoweri Museveni.

Ssali was joined by retired journalist Joel Kibazo and Makerere University professor Suzie Muwanga to moderate the debate, which was viewed by millions in Uganda.

We are honored that Shaka Ssali was invited to be a moderator for Ugandas presidential debate ahead of the countrys national elections. VOA is a source of reliable news and information for Ugandan audiences, and we take very seriously the public trust that has been invested in Shaka - one of our most senior journalists - to ask the presidential candidates some important questions, said Sonya Laurence Green, Chief of VOAs English-to-Africa service, which produces Straight Talk Africa.

The invitation to moderate comes at a special time for Ssali and his colleagues as they celebrate 15 years of broadcasting Straight Talk Africa to audiences around the continent. On the program, Ssali and his guests have examined the controversies and opportunities facing Africa. Everyone gets to express an opinion or share a thought - from special guests, newsmakers, and politicians, to ordinary people who call, email, tweet, or use Facebook to participate in the discussion. The topic of discussion for next weeks program, which will be hosted by Shaka from Kampala, will be the Uganda presidential and parliamentary elections.

Ssali, a Ugandan-born U.S. citizen, holds a doctorate in cross-cultural communication and history from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and is a former Ford Foundation Fellow. Ssali has also received a number of awards including a United Nations Peacekeeping Special Achievement Award in International Journalism and VOA's Best Journalist Award. Since Straight Talk Africa first went on the air, Ssali has interviewed leaders from around the world, including former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Zambian President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Straight Talk Africa airs every Wednesday at 1830-1930 UTC and is simulcast to millions of audience members on radio, television, and the internet.

VOAs English-to-Africa Service is one of the most successful international broadcast operations in Africa, delivering dynamic multimedia programming, and timely news and information.

VOA reaches a global weekly audience of more than 187 million people in over 40 languages. VOA programs are delivered on satellite, cable, shortwave, FM, medium wave, streaming audio and video and more than 2,350 media outlets worldwide. It is funded by the U.S. Congress through the Broadcasting Board of Governors.
Online offerings have taken off in the U.K., but the SEC is imposing tighter restrictions on what companies can raise and investors can invest.

Later this spring U.S. retail investors will get their first crack at a new type of equity investing: buying shares of start-ups and small- to medium-size companies sold by online crowdfunding platforms.

Financial portals have already started registering with the Securities and Exchange Commission to begin offering small investors access to equities when the crowdfunding rule of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, the 2013 law better known as the JOBS Act, goes into effect on May 16. Currently, crowdfunding is limited to so-called accredited investors with deep pockets, who were judged better able to absorb the risks involved.

But companies hoping to cash in on the way Bernie Sanders is raising money for his presidential campaign or the Pebble watch was initially financed may be in for a disappointment. In the more than 600 pages of rules compiled by the SEC for the acts Title III, which covers crowdfunding, companies can raise a maximum of $1 million in a 12-month period. The rules also limit investors with annual income or net worth of less than $100,000 to investing a maximum of $2,000 per year, or 5 percent of the lesser of their annual income or net worth if that number is greater than $2,000.

As a result of the SECs restrictions, crowdfunded equities are expected to get off to a much slower start than in the U.K., where crowdfunding of debt and shares has been growing at exponential rates since the authorities allowed the technique five years ago.

According to market researcher Beauhurst, the U.K. had 293 crowdfunded offerings last year that raised a total of 143 million ($207 million). That was up sharply from 94 deals that raised a total of 16.9 million in 2013.

Title III is significantly more restrictive than the way equity crowdfunding works in the U.K. and Europe, says Jeff Lynn, an American who is co-founder and CEO of Seedrs. And its restrictive in a number of regards: the amount that investors are allowed to invest and a whole lot of other thresholds. Even so, the London-based company  one of the U.K.s two largest crowdfunding platforms  is gearing up to enter the U.S. market.

U.K. rules are simpler than their U.S. counterparts. British investors simply have to commit to investing less than 10 percent of their net assets. The online portals then administer a simple, multiple-choice written test to ensure that the investors are aware of the risks involved before they are permitted to commit funds. Firms can raise up to 3.5 million ($5 million) in any single offer.

Crowdfunding has been such a success in the U.K. that more than 100 platforms have piled into the business, according to Julia Groves, a director of the U.K. Crowdfunding Association. Those numbers suggest a shakeout of smaller players before long, she adds.

Groves says that the primary factor supporting crowdfunding investments is the generous tax breaks offered to investors in start-up companies by the U.K. government, which she describes as very significant tax relief. These concessions allow investors to take a tax deduction of up to 50 percent on any crowdfunding participations and exempt those investments from capital gains taxes. So attractive are the incentives that some crowdfunding platforms only offer shares covered by the tax relief plans.

Sam Robinson, who heads the financial services regulatory team at London law firm Nabarro, says that although there is a perception that early-stage start-ups are the main users of crowdfunding, that is no longer true. In a recent report the firm said the average age of companies that raised funds in 2015 was 3.32 years.

Robinson says most of the companies seeking capital on U.K. crowdfunding platforms are doing so because British banks are much more reluctant to lend money to start-ups than in the past: Bank finance has fallen away, and once that course of funding became scarce, people have looked elsewhere.

According to the Nabarro report, 80 percent of companies that raised money through crowdfunding in the past five years are still in business. Although a 20 percent failure rate might come as a shock to many first-time investors, the number is actually modest. Some 55 percent of small companies fail in their first five years, RSA Insurance Group recently reported.

The Crowdfunding Associations Groves says that another reason some U.K. firms turn to crowdfunding platforms is because they can be an effective tool for marketing the companys wares. More than half of the investors in Chapel Down, a British wine maker that raised 1 million with a crowdfunded offering, ended up taking advantage of a company offer to investors to buy wine at a discount last Christmas.

If you can raise money and recruit customers at the same time, thats a good business plan, she says.
Un ottobre da sogno per Antonio Conte: lex ct della Nazionale italiana, attualmente alla guida del Chelsea, nelle ultime quattro gare di Premier League ha collezionato solo successi, conditi da 11 reti segnate e addirittura nessuna incassata. Numeri da record che non sono certo passati inosservati alla Federazione inglese, la quale ha conferito al tecnico leccese lambito premio di Manager del mese.

Unavventura oltremanica iniziata in sordina, quella di Conte, pur a fronte di tre vittorie nelle prime tre gare di campionato. A far vacillare, anche se solo per un momento, le certezze del patron del club londinese, Roman Abramovich, i risultati conseguiti tra la 4a e la 6a giornata, coincisi con un pareggio sul campo dello Swansea City e, soprattutto, con le due pesanti sconfitte subite dal Liverpool, sul terreno casalingo di Stamford Bridge, e dallArsenal. In particolare, la debacle interna coi Reds, aveva irritato non poco il numero uno russo, poiche occorsa proprio nel giorno della sua 250esima partita da presidente della societa.

Come detto, solo un momento. Dopo lincontro dellEmirates, il tecnico salentino cambia modulo, adottando un piu equilibrato 3-4-3 e inserendo elementi di corsa come lo spagnolo Pedro. Una svolta totale perche, di li in poi, il Chelsea inanellera solo e soltanto vittorie: 2 gol allHull City e al Southampton in trasferta, 3 ai campioni dInghilterra del Leicester e 4 allo United in casa, con un meraviglioso numero zero nella casella delle reti subite. Un fantastico poker, ottenuto tra l1 e il 29 ottobre. Un cambio di marcia sbalorditivo, confermato dal 5 a 0 rifilato ai toffees dellEverton nel primo match di novembre, e una scalata che, man mano, ha portato i blues al secondo posto in classifica, a soli 2 punti dal Liverpool capolista.

E allora, non poteva mancare il riconoscimento di migliore allenatore del mese, ottenuto surclassando tecnici del calibro di Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool), Arsene Wenger (Arsenal) e Mark Hughes (Southampton). Tanta, ovviamente, la soddisfazione: E un grande onore e voglio condividerlo con i giocatori e con la societa  ha dichiarato Conte sul sito ufficiale della Premier League -. E la prima volta che lavoro in un altro Paese, con una cultura diversa, e portare la propria filosofia non e facile, ma ora sono contento di questa scelta.

A completare la festa, la premiazione del fantasista belga, Eden Hazard, come miglior giocatore di ottobre. Due risultati importanti per il club, ottimo incentivo per la rincorsa al trono dei campioni, occupato dal Leicester di Ranieri. Il prossimo appuntamento per l11 di Conte sara al Riverside Stadium, tana del Middlesborough neopromosso. Il tempo di festeggiare e gia finito.
What Is Corporate Tax?

A corporate tax is a tax on the profits of a corporation. The taxes are paid on a company's taxable income, which includes revenue minus cost of goods sold (COGS), general and administrative (G&A) expenses, selling and marketing, research and development, depreciation, and other operating costs.

Corporate tax rates vary widely by country, with some countries considered to be tax havens due to their low rates. Corporate taxes can be lowered by various deductions, government subsidies, and tax loopholes, and so the effective corporate tax rate, the rate a corporation actually pays, is usually lower than the statutory rate; the stated rate before any deductions.

Key Takeaways Corporate taxes are collected by the government as a source of income.

Taxes are based on taxable income after expenses have been deducted.

The corporate tax rate in the United States is currently at a flat rate of 21%. Before the Trump tax reforms of 2017, the corporate tax rate was 35%.

A company can register as an S corporation to avoid double taxation. An S corporation does not pay corporate tax as the income passes through to business owners who are taxed through their individual tax returns.

Understanding Corporate Tax

The federal corporate tax rate in the United States is currently a flat 21%, as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which President Donald Trump signed into law in 2017 and which went into effect in 2018. Previously, the maximum U.S. corporate income tax rate was 35%.

U.S. corporate tax returns are generally due by the 15th day of the fourth month following the end of the corporation's tax year. Corporations may request a six-month extension to file their corporate tax returns in September. Installment payment due dates for estimated tax returns occur in the middle of April, June, September, and December. Corporate taxes are reported on Form 1120 for U.S. corporations. If a corporation has more than $10 million in assets, it must file online.

Corporate Tax Deductions

Corporations are permitted to reduce taxable income by certain necessary and ordinary business expenditures. All current expenses required for the operation of the business are fully tax-deductible. Investments and real estate purchased with the intent of generating income for the business are also deductible.

A corporation can deduct employee salaries, health benefits, tuition reimbursement, and bonuses. In addition, a corporation can reduce its taxable income by deducting insurance premiums, travel expenses, bad debts, interest payments, sales taxes, fuel taxes, and excise taxes. Tax preparation fees, legal services, bookkeeping, and advertising costs can also be used to reduce business income.

Special Considerations

A central issue relating to corporate taxation is the concept of double taxation. Certain corporations are taxed on the taxable income of the company. If this net income is distributed to shareholders, these individuals are forced to pay individual income taxes on the dividends received. Instead, a business may register as an S corporation and have all income pass-through to the business owners. An S corporation does not pay corporate tax as all taxes are paid through individual tax returns.

Advantages of a Corporate Tax

Paying corporate taxes can be more beneficial for business owners than paying additional individual income tax. Corporate tax returns deduct medical insurance for families as well as fringe benefits, including retirement plans and tax-deferred trusts. It is easier for a corporation to deduct losses, too.

A corporation may deduct the entire amount of losses while a sole proprietor must provide evidence regarding the intent to earn a profit before the losses can be deducted. Finally, profit earned by a corporation may be left within the corporation, allowing for tax planning and potential future tax advantages.
Both exchange traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds can invest in initial public offerings (IPOs). However, many of them have specific or implicit rules against doing so. There are also numerous funds that can invest in IPOs, and a few of them are specifically dedicated to IPOs.

Key Takeaways Both ETFs and mutual funds can invest in IPOs.

Many funds have rules against investing in IPOs.

The stated goals of ETFs and mutual funds often give investors a good idea of whether they invest in IPOs, but it is best to check their rules to be sure.

As of 2020, there were several ETFs focused on IPOs.

Mutual Funds

In actual practice, most mutual funds have bylaws that prevent them from investing in IPOs until the stock has traded for more than six months. There tends to be a lack of liquidity in many newly issued stocks that distorts pricing.

Additionally, the first six months are dominated by insiders using market liquidity to unload their shares. Furthermore, hype rather than fundamentals usually drives gains in the stocks during this period.

IPOs are often for companies with unproven business models and lack of a track record. Mutual funds tend to be conservative, so some of them only invest in companies with track records of sales and earnings. That indirectly disqualifies them from investing in IPOs.

On the other hand, many mutual funds with aggressive growth profiles already invest in IPOs. IPO investing has increased with these funds, especially with high-profile names going public, such as Uber and Palantir. What is more, Airbnb, DoorDash, and Robinhood had plans for IPOs in late 2020.

There were also some mutual funds created to invest in IPOs in response to investor demand. Many of them even made investments in private markets, giving retail investors early access to hot IPOs. Of course, investing in such products came with increased risk.

ETFs

ETFs rely on the rules of their respective indexes to determine whether or not they invest in IPOs. For example, the S&P Composite 1500 required that shares trade on a major exchange for at least 12 months before inclusion in the index.

On the other hand, the S&P Total Market Index added eligible IPOs during each quarterly index rebalancing. Furthermore, the S&P Total Market Index also had a fast track procedure for adding large IPOs within five business days.

Certain ETFs, such as those focused on dividend aristocrats, stay well clear of IPOs by design. Other ETFs, especially those aimed at growth investors, are more likely to have rules that get them in on IPOs fairly quickly.

In general, the stated goals of ETFs are usually a good guide to whether they invest in IPOs. However, it is best to look into the rules for the ETF's index to determine for sure how it handles IPOs.

Mutual Funds Focused on IPOs

In 2015, the only mutual fund that invested exclusively in IPOs was the Renaissance Global IPO Fund. The fund began in 1997, and it invested in promising IPOs across the world. It was considerably riskier than the overall market, given the elevated valuations and uncertain prospects of these businesses. In 2018, the Renaissance Global IPO Fund closed after interest in IPO funds shifted to ETFs.

IPOs include many of the newest and most innovative companies, so funds investing in them must change rapidly as well.

ETFs Focused on IPOs

With the demise of IPO mutual funds, investors interested in IPOs still had access to the First Trust U.S. Equity Opportunities ETF (FPX) and the Renaissance IPO ETF (IPO). Both of these passively tracked major indexes composed of U.S. IPOs.

In contrast, the Renaissance Global IPO Fund was an actively managed product with higher costs. The Renaissance IPO ETF held the top 80% of IPO stocks for two years after they began trading.

There were also several ETFs focused on international IPOs available to investors. The First Trust International Equity Opportunities ETF (FPXI) was similar to FPX, but it gave access to international IPOs. Similarly, the First Trust IPOX Europe Equity Opportunities ETF (FPXE) provided a way to invest in European IPOs. Renaissance also offered an international IPO ETF, the Renaissance International IPO ETF (IPOS).

Finally, there were a few specialty IPO-related ETFs. Invesco's S&P Spin-Off ETF (CSD) focused on new companies that were spinoffs of existing firms. The Defiance Next Gen SPAC Derived ETF (SPAK) invested in special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) before the IPO and in SPAC-derived companies after the IPO.
Fidelity Investments is one of the biggest and best-known asset management companies in the world.

Launched in 1946, the company holds almost $4.5 trillion in assets under management (AUM) as of 2022, and offers mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs); it provides investment advice and manages qualified retirement plans.

Key Takeaways Fidelity Investments is one of the world's largest and best-known financial companies, with nearly $4.5 trillion in assets under management.

Known primarily for its actively managed mutual fund strategies, the company also offers a range of low-cost index funds and active funds with competitive fees.

Here, we take a brief look at just seven from among Fidelity's impressive family of funds.

Fidelity Fund Family

Among its large portfolio of mutual funds, Fidelity offers a wide variety of ultra-low-cost products. Low expense ratios and fees are particularly advantageous because fees eat directly into returns. While the potential return an individual sees on many investments is unknown, and expenses are the one-piece investors can control. Lower expenses mean more money in their portfolios, and ultimately their pockets.

Index mutual funds are typically the lowest-cost products available. Index funds passively replicate a chosen benchmark and do not require the additional costs of fund management and research teams. With many actively managed funds having difficulty matching their benchmark, index funds make for ideal core holdings within most portfolios. Many Fidelity index mutual funds, such as the ones listed below, offer a combination of solid historical performance and low fees.

1. Fidelity 500 Index Fund (FXAIX)

The Fidelity 500 Index Fund (FXAIX) is not only one of the largest mutual funds to track the Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 Index with $366 billion AUM as of Q2 2022, it is also one of the cheapest. With a net expense ratio of just 0.015%, this fund ranks as one of the lowest-cost investments in the entire mutual fund universe. This expense ratio means that for every $1,000 invested in the fund, Fidelity charges just 15 cents per year in fees. This no-load fund earns five out of five stars from Morningstar.

2. Fidelity NASDAQ Composite Index Fund (FNCMX)

Sometimes, the concept of low cost is relative. While the Fidelity NASDAQ Composite Index Fund's (FNCMX) 0.30% expense ratio is still among the cheapest funds tracking the NASDAQ Composite Index. This $11 billion fund also holds the distinction of carrying a Morningstar five-star rating in the large-cap growth category.

3. Fidelity ZERO International Index Fund (FZILX)

International mutual funds tend to have higher expense ratios due to the added cost of factors such as global research and currency risk. Fidelity has offered its Spartan International fund with a low fee of just 0.20% since 1997. However, more recently Fidelity has pivoted to a zero-fee model with its ZERO International Index Fund (FZILX). This $3 billion fund tends to stick with larger global names to limit risk and has literally no expense ratio and no load.

4. Fidelity Mid Cap Stock Fund (FMCSX)

Fidelity offers a particularly robust lineup of mid-cap fund choices with several of its funds sporting a five-star Morningstar rating. The Fidelity Spartan Mid Cap Stock Fund (FMCSX) is one of those. With an expense ratio of 0.83%, it ranks as one of Fidelity's more expensive mutual funds, but is also among the best ways to get exposure to medium-size stocks around with professional active management that has earned annually around one extra point of return against its benchmark over the past 15 years.

5. Fidelity Estate Investment Portfolio (FRESX)

Real estate can be a notoriously risky place for investors to put their dollars to work, but the diversification benefits that come from adding this asset class to diversify a portfolio are notable. The Fidelity Real Estate Investment Fund (FSRVX) actively invests at least 80% of assets in securities of domestic and foreign companies principally engaged in the real estate industry and other real estate-related investments. The fund has $5.6 billion in assets and an expense ratio of 0.73%.

6. Fidelity Inflation-Protected Bond Index Fund (FIPDX)

Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS) are a relatively new addition to the investing landscape, but they have gained much interest from those seeking protection from economic risk. The $11.5 billion Fidelity Inflation-Protected Bond Index Fund (FIPDX) has not delivered much in the way of returns to investors due to the current low-rate, low-inflation environment, but it carries a four-star Morningstar rating and a 0.05% net expense ratio.

7. Fidelity ZERO Total Market Index Fund (FZROX)

The Fidelity ZERO Total Market Index Fund (FZROX) is similar to Fidelity's ZERO's 500 Index Funds, except this fund adds small-cap and mid-cap exposure to the mix in order to capture the entire U.S. equity market. It makes an ideal core "all-in-one" portfolio holding and charges no fees or loads. The $12 billion FZROX charges no loads and has a 0% expense ratio; however, it only earns three stars from Morningstar.

How Many Mutual Funds Does Fidelity Offer? Fidelity currently offers over 200 mutual funds covering a range of strategies and asset classes.

What Was the First Fidelity Mutual Fund? Fidelity launched its first mutual fund in 1947, the Puritan Fund. It was an income-focused stock mutual fund.
Which of John Hancock's funds are the top ones for retirement? Saving for retirement comes with many decisions to make, which can be overwhelming, especially if you are trying to ensure you have the right asset allocation and a diversified portfolio. There are thousands of investment options from which to choose.

Like many large investment firms, John Hancock, a unit of Canada-based Manulife Financial Corporation, has funds that provide broad exposure to all the asset classes you should include in a retirement portfolio. The right mix of funds depends on your risk tolerance, your number of years to retirement, and your overall financial picture. The following funds offered by John Hancock are among the top choices in different asset classes to consider for your retirement portfolio.

Key Takeaways Large asset managers, like John Hancock, provide a variety of options that make it possible to have a balanced, diversified retirement portfolio with only a handful of mutual funds.

Choosing which funds best fit your retirement portfolio depends on your risk tolerance and time horizon.

Fund fees have an impact on returns so dont forget to factor them in.

Don't Overlook Fees

Before we get into the funds, first lets talk about fees. John Hancock, like all asset managers, operates its funds with different share classes. Each comes with a different fee structure.

Some of the classes have front-end loads; others have deferred loads or no loads at all.

All of the funds mentioned below are actively managed. If you decide to invest in one, remember to double-check which mutual fund share class you are investing in. Fees can have a big impact on returns.

Actively-managed funds typically have higher expenses than index funds, which are passively managed.

Types of Funds

U.S. Stocks

When investing in U.S. stocks you want to ensure that you are getting broad diversification across large, medium, and small-capitalization companies. In order to do this with John Hancock, you should consider the following funds.

The Fundamental Large Cap Core Fund (TAGRX) invests mainly in large-cap, growth and value companies. The Disciplined Value Mid-Cap (JVMAX) will provide exposure to mid-cap stocks, and the Small Cap Value Fund (JSCAX) to small-cap stocks. (All these funds have Class A shares.)

International Stocks

For international exposure, you can buy shares in the Disciplined Value International Fund (JDIBX), which invests primarily in large companies in developed countries. If you prefer to also add emerging markets to your portfolio, consider the Emerging Markets Equity Fund (JEMQX). (All these funds have Class A shares.)

Bonds

John Hancock has a good multi-sector bond fund that will give your portfolio exposure to government and corporate bonds in developed and emerging markets. This fund is the John Hancock Income Fund (JHFIX) and is designed, like its name implies, to produce ongoing income for investors. This fund is also Class A.

Asset Allocation

If you prefer just one fund for both bonds and stocks, you can consider one of John Hancock's asset allocation funds. The John Hancock Balanced Fund Class R4 (JBAFX) has a breakdown of about 60% stocks and 40% bonds and cash.

The Bottom Line

By exploring the options of a company like John Hancock, you can easily save for retirement without having to manage a large number of funds and still achieve diversification and the right asset allocation. Just remember to make sure you invest in the right share class for your needs.
What Is Over-the-Counter (OTC)?

Over-the-counter (OTC) is the process of trading securities via a broker-dealer network as opposed to on a centralized exchange like the New York Stock Exchange.

Over-the-counter trading can involve stocks, bonds, and derivatives, which are financial contracts that derive their value from an underlying asset such as a commodity.

When companies do not meet the requirements to list on a standard market exchange such as the NYSE, their securities can be traded OTC but may still be subject to some regulation by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Key Takeaways Over-the-counter (OTC) securities are traded without being listed on an exchange.

Securities that are traded over-the-counter may be facilitated by a dealer or broker specializing in OTC markets.

OTC trading helps promote equity and financial instruments that would otherwise be unavailable to investors.

Companies with OTC shares may raise capital through the sale of stock.

1:54 Trading Over the Counter

Understanding Over-the-Counter (OTC)

Stocks that trade via OTC are commonly smaller companies that cannot meet the exchange listing requirements of formal exchanges. Many other types of securities also trade OTC.

Stocks that trade on exchanges are called listed stocks, whereas stocks that trade via OTC are called unlisted stocks.

Trade transactions can take place through OTC Markets Group's electronic matching platforms: the OTCQX; OTCQB; and the Pink Open Market, also known as OTC Pink or "Pink Sheets".

FINRA ran an OTC exchange known as the OTC Bulletin Board (OTCBB), but FINRA officially ceased operations of the OTCBB on Nov. 8, 2021.

Types of OTC Securities

Stocks

The equities that trade via OTC are often small companies prohibited by the $295,000 cost to list on the NYSE and up to $75,000 on Nasdaq. Some well-known large companies are listed on the OTC markets, such as Allianz SE, BASF SE, Roche Holding Ag, and Danone SA.

Bonds

Bonds do not trade on a formal exchange but banks market them through broker-dealer networks and they are also considered OTC securities.



Derivatives

Derivatives are private contracts arranged by a broker and can be options, forwards, futures, or other agreements whose value is based on that of an underlying asset, like a stock.



ADRs

American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), sometimes called ADSs or bank certificates that represent a specified number of shares of a foreign stock.

Foreign Currency

Foreign currencies that trade on the Forex, an over-the-counter currency exchange.

Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin and Ethereum trade on the OTC market.



OTC Markets

The OTC Markets Group operates some of the most well-known networks, such as the Best Market (OTCQX), the Venture Market (OTCQB), and the Pink Open Market. Although OTC networks are not formal exchanges such as the NYSE, they still have eligibility requirements determined by the SEC.

OTCQX

The OTCQX does not list the stocks that sell for less than five dollars, known as penny stocks, shell companies, or companies going through bankruptcy. The OTCQX includes only 4% of all OTC stocks traded and requires the highest reporting standards and strictest oversight by the SEC.

It includes foreign companies that list on foreign exchanges and some U.S. companies that plan to list on the NYSE or the Nasdaq in the future.

OTCQB

The OTCQB is often called the "venture market" with a concentration of developing companies that have to report their financials to the SEC and submit to some oversight.

Pink Sheets

OTC Pink Sheets is the riskiest level of OTC trading with no requirements to report financials or register with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Some legitimate companies exist on the Pink Sheets, however, there are many shell companies and companies with no actual business operations listed here.

Although Nasdaq operates as a dealer network, Nasdaq stocks are generally not classified as OTC because Nasdaq is considered a stock exchange.

Pros and Cons of the OTC Market

Bonds, ADRs, and derivatives trade in the OTC marketplace, however, investors face greater risk when investing in more speculative OTC securities. The filing requirements between listing platforms vary and business financials may be hard to locate. Most financial advisors consider trading in OTC shares as a speculative undertaking.

Stocks trading OTC are not, generally, known for their large volume of trades. Lower share volume means there may not be a ready buyer when it comes time to trade shares. Also, the spread between the bid price and the asking price is usually larger as these stocks may make volatile moves on any market or economic data.

The OTC marketplace is an alternative for small companies or those who do not want to list or cannot list on the standard exchanges. Listing on a standard exchange is an expensive and time-consuming process and outside the financial capabilities of many smaller companies. Companies may also find that listing in the OTC market provides quick access to capital through the sale of shares.

Pros OTC provides access to securities not available on standard exchanges such as bonds, ADRs, and derivatives.

Fewer regulations on the OTC allows the entry of many companies who can not, or choose not to, list on other exchanges.

Through the trade of low-cost, penny stock, speculative investors can earn significant returns. Cons OTC stocks have less trade liquidity due to low volume which leads to delays in finalizing the trade and wide bid-ask spreads.

Less regulation leads to less available public information, the chance of outdated information, and the possibility of fraud.

OTC stocks are prone to make volatile moves on the release of market and economic data.

Is the OTC Market Safe? The OTC market is generally considered risky, with lenient reporting requirements and lower transparency associated with these securities. Many stocks that trade OTC have a lower share price and may be highly volatile. While some stocks in the OTC market are eventually listed on the major exchanges, other OTC stocks fail. As with any investment, it is important to research the stocks and companies as much as thoroughly as possible.

What Is an Example of an Over-the-Counter Market? An over-the-counter market is a market where financial securities are traded through a broker-dealer network as opposed to on a financial exchange. An over-the-counter market is not centralized and occurs between two parties, such as a trade that occurs between two individuals that buy and sell a share of a company that is not listed on an exchange. An over-the-counter market can consist of any security, such as equities, commodities, and derivatives.

How Do an Investor Buy a Security on the OTC Market? To buy a security on the OTC market, identify the specific security to purchase and the amount to invest. OTCQX is one of the largest and most well-respected marketplaces for OTC stocks. Most of the brokers that sell exchange-listed securities also sell OTC securities and this can be done electronically on a broker's platform or via a telephone.

What Is an Over-the-Counter Derivative? An over-the-counter derivative is any derivative security that is traded in the OTC marketplace. A derivative is financial security whose value is determined by an underlying asset, such as a stock or a commodity. An owner of a derivative does not own the underlying asset but in the case of certain derivatives, such as commodity futures, it is possible to take delivery of the physical asset after the derivative contract expires. In addition to futures, other derivatives include forwards and swaps.

What is Otcmkts? Otcmkts, or OTC markets (over-the-counter markets), are markets where securities trade that are not listed on major exchanges in the U.S. OTC securities trade instead through a broker-dealer network often because they do not meet the requirements of the major exchanges.

The Bottom Line

Over-the-counter (OTC) is trading securities via a broker-dealer network as opposed to on a centralized exchange like the New York Stock Exchange. Although OTC networks are not formal exchanges, they still have eligibility requirements determined by the SEC. An investor can trade stocks, bonds, derivatives, and foreign exchange currency on the OTC marketplace.
Medtronic (MDT) is a billion-dollar, global leader in medical technology, offering medical devices and therapies to more than 72 million people across 150+ countries. Medtronicderived from combining terms medical electronicswas formed in a Minneapolis garage by Earl Bakken, who later created the battery-powered pacemaker, and accomplished engineer Palmer Hermundslie. As of 2022, Medtronic has a footprint extending far beyond its Fridley, Minnesota operational headquarters, with locations in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, and Latin America.

Boasting more than US$31.7 billion in revenues for 2021, Medtronic offers products that are aligned to its strategy: innovating meaningful therapies, resolving inequities in healthcare access, and delivering value-based healthcare. Medtronics four major reporting segments are cardiac and vascular, minimally invasive therapies, restorative therapies, and diabetes. Let's look at each to see how the company makes money.

Key Takeaways Medtronic (MDT) is a medical device company that generates more than $31.7 billion in revenues from four business segments.

These segments include: cardiac and vascular, minimally invasive therapies, restorative therapies, and diabetes.

The cardiac and vascular segment is the largest, generating more than $11 billion in revenues, and makes devices like pacemakers and defibrillators.

Medtronic is a world leader in the area of implants and bone grafts.

In 2014, to minimize tax liabilities, Medtronic officially relocated its headquarters to Dublin, Irelanda controversial corporate practice called corporate inversion.

Medtronic's Financials

For fiscal year (FY) 2022, Medtronic reported net sales of $31.7 billion (a 5.2% increase over 2021), and a net income of $5 billion (an impressive 40% increase over 2021).

Between Medtronic's four primary business units: the Cardiovascular (36.1% of net sales), Medical/Surgical (28.8%), Neuroscience (27.7%), and Diabetes (7.4%).

Cardiac and Vascular Segment

Medtronic's cardiac and vascular unit in FY 2022 accounted for $11.4 billion of revenue. This segment makes, among many other devices, pacemakers and defibrillators. This segment is divided further into subgroups that manage the following types of diseases: cardiac rhythm and heart failure, coronary and structural heart, and aortic and peripheral vascular.

A traditional pacemaker costs between $2,500 and $5,000, while a defibrillator can run between $1,275 and $2,875. Almost always, an insurer or medical provider pays the bill.

Another heart product in the Medtronic line is the cryoballoon, which freezes heart tissue thats responsible for irregular beats. Such devices are prohibitively expensive for personal use, although it's highly unlikely that a patient with an irregular heartbeat would be administering their own cryoballoon anyway. Instead, the devices are sold to hospitals, enabling thousands of patients to be treated.

Medtronic makes other devices that would have been the stuff of science fiction to the eyes of the companys nineteenth-century founders. This includes cardiac monitors inserted into the body that records electrical activity during fainting spells and palpitations, as well as surgical replacements for diseased heart valves. Its easy to forget that modern medicine is as amazing as space travel.

Medical / Surgical

Medtronic's minimally medical / surgical division accounted for $9.1 billion of revenue in 2022.

This division's products span the entire continuum of patient care from diagnosis to recovery, with a focus on diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, pelvic region, kidneys, obesity, and preventable complications. The products include those for advanced and general surgical products, surgical stapling devices, vessel sealing instruments, wound closure, electrosurgery products, hernia mechanical devices, mesh implants, advanced ablation, interventional lung, ventilators, airway products, renal care products, and sensors and monitors for pulse oximetry, capnography, level of consciousness and cerebral oximetry.

Neuroscience

Neuroscience earned MDT $8.8 billion in sales in 2022.

Neuroscience's products include various spinal implants, bone graft substitutes, biologic products, image-guided surgery and intra-operative imaging systems, robotic guidance systems used in the robot-assisted spine procedures, and systems that incorporate advanced energy surgical instruments. Neuroscience's products also focus on the treatment of overactive bladder, urinary retention, fecal incontinence, as well as products to treat ear, nose, and throat (ENT), and therapies to treat the diseases of the vasculature in and around the brain, including coils, neurovascular stents and flow diversion products. Neuroscience also manufactures products related to implantable neurostimulation therapies and drug delivery systems for the treatment of chronic pain, movement disorders, and epilepsy.

Diabetes Segment

Lastly, there's Medtronic's diabetes group, which generated $2.3 billion in revenue for 2022.

Spurred by the spread of one of the world's fastest-growing diseases, Medtronic is betting big on helping to manage diabetes and has become known for its insulin pump that continually monitors the levels of glucose in a patient's blood.

A generation ago, the average diabetics injected themselves with a hypodermic needle and could only hope that the insulin would do its joblet alone track and save data. Today, a tiny integrated system not only administers insulin but suspends its delivery when glucose levels stabilize. The system costs a few hundred dollars, but for conscientious diabetics, thats a bargain.

37.3 Million The number of adults in the U.S. with diabetes, or roughly 11.3% of the population, according to the CDC.

Recent Developments

Medtronic continues to expand its portfolio with new medical therapies and devices to those who need them. In 2020, Medtronic acquired London-based Digital Surgery for an undisclosed amount to enhance its robotic-assisted surgery business. This platform joined the Surgical Robotics sector of the Minimally Invasive Group Therapies segment.

Also, to advance research and development in diabetes solutions and therapies, Medtronic received over $337 million in funding from Blackstone Life Sciences, a Blackstone Group company. The funds will be allocated to four diabetes programs at Medtronic over several years.

< 3% In 2021, just under three percent of surgeries done robotically around the world.

Overseas Tax Advantages

Facing a 10-digit tax liability if Medtronic remained based in Minnesota, the company relocated its legal headquarters to Dublin in 2014 after it bought Irish medical devices company Covidien. After the acquisition, Medtronic became Medtronic plc, splitting its headquarters into two, with the operational side remaining in Minnesota and its legal side registered in Dublin, Ireland.

Ostensibly, the move was the inevitable result of purchasing, but it also allowed Medtronic to take advantage of friendlier tax laws, a practice known as corporate inversion, which many multinational firms choose to exploit.

Such maneuvering of headquarters to keep profits outside the U.S. to avoid taxes has ignited lots of recent debate in Congress over the country's corporate tax codeand it played a big role in the 2016 election. Consequently, by becoming an Irish firm, Medtronic can now put far more of its cash flow to workan extra quarter of every dollar.

What Is Medtronic Known For? Medtronic is a global producer of medical devices and therapies, such as insulin pumps, pacemakers, and diabetes therapies. Perhaps best known for its revolutionary cardiac devices, such as battery-powered and miniature pacemakers, it also has introduced cutting-edge products into the industry. For instance, in 2016, Medtronic created the first hybrid closed-loop insulin delivery system, and in 2017, it created the world's smallest spinal cord stimulator implant.

Is Medtronic the Largest Medical Device Company? Medtronic is one of the largest medical device companies in the world, serving over 72 million people annually across 150 countries. With its operational headquarters located in Minnesota, it has more than 350 locations around the world. Medtronic employs more than 90,000 people, including more than 11,600 scientists and engineers, and over 2,000 clinicians.

What Companies Does Medtronic Own? Since its inception in the 1940s, Medtronic has acquired dozens of companies and formed many subsidiaries across the globe. In 1999, it acquired Sofamor Danek Group, one of the world's leaders in spinal care and implants, to expand and support its spine and biologics sector. A decade later, Medtronic acquired CoreValue LLC to enhance its offerings to patients with severe aortic stenosis. In 2015, it completed its largest acquisition, purchasing Covidienan Irish-based, global producer of medical devices and supplies. To further advance its robotic-assisted surgery program, it acquired AI pioneer Digital Surgery in 2020. Other notable companies within its framework include AVE, Surgical Navigation Technologies, Synectics Medical Limited, and Vitatron.

Where Are Medtronic Products Made? Medtronic operates more than 350 locations, of which 74 are dedicated to manufacturing its products. Most of its production occurs in the United States, in places like Tempe, Arizona, and Puerto Rico, home to four major manufacturing sites.



The Bottom Line

Check the logo the next time youre lying prone in a surgical imaging machine. First, it will take your mind off whatever analysis the technicians are conducting on your body, and second, youll have first-hand evidence of Medtronics importance in a modern, advanced economy. As one of the most technologically adept companies in its industry and also a serial acquirerit has averaged one acquisition every five months in this decadeMedtronic only gets larger.
Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) has rapidly grown into the world's dominant coffee shop-themed chain over five decades by roasting, marketing, and selling specialty coffee and an ever-expanding assortment of other beverages, food, and branded products. These products were sold through more than 34,300 stores in 84 markets around the world as of Jan. 2, 2022. Beverages are the biggest revenue generator by product type. The North America segment accounts for the vast majority of revenue for the Seattle-headquartered company.

Starbucks' primary competitors for sales of coffee beverages are other specialty coffee shops. While Starbucks dominates the U.S. market, it faces increasingly tough competition in international markets, including from U.K.-based Costa Coffee, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola Co. (KO); and China-based Luckin Coffee Inc. (LKNCY).

Key Takeaways Starbucks sells beverages, food, and other items in 84 global markets.

The company gets the vast majority of sales from beverages and from its North America segment, comprised of the U.S. and Canada.

U.S. and Canada. Starbucks is focusing on international expansion and new products for future growth.

Starbucks announced in mid-March that President and CEO Kevin Johnson was retiring. Howard Schultz was named interim CEO until Johnson's permanent successor is found.

Starbucks' Financials

Starbucks announced in early February financial results for Q1 of its 2022 fiscal year (FY), the three-month period ended Jan. 2, 2022. The company posted a net income of $815.9 million, up 31.1% compared to the year-ago quarter. Revenue grew 19.3% year over year (YOY) to $8.1 billion. Operating income, which Starbucks uses as a profitability metric for its individual business segments, rose 28.9% YOY to $1.2 billion.

Beverages sold within Starbucks' own stores made up the vast majority of revenue, or 61%. Food sold within company-operated stores accounted for 18% of company wide revenue. Other items, such as packaged and single-serve coffees and teas, royalty and licensing revenues, beverage-related ingredients, and ready-to-drink beverages, comprised 21% of total revenue for the quarter.

Starbucks said that its financial results were strong during the first quarter, which coincided with the holiday season. However, the company also noted that it experienced inflationary pressures that were higher than expected as well as a tight labor market. Starbucks opened 484 new stores during the first quarter of FY 2022, ending the period with a total of 34,317 stores globally.



Starbucks' Business Segments

Starbucks operates through three main business segments: North America, International, and Channel Development. The company provides a breakdown of revenue and operating income for each of these segments. It also provides data on non-reportable operating segments in a "Corporate and Other" category, which includes unallocated expenses. Corporate and Other posted an operating loss of $388.1 million despite net revenue of $25.1 million in Q1 FY 2022. These figures, as well as any negative amounts, were not used in the calculation of the segment percentage shares below nor in the pie charts above.

North America

Starbucks' North America segment comprises company-owned and licensed stores in the U.S. and Canada. Net revenue for the segment rose 22.6% YOY to $5.7 billion in Q1 FY 2022. The segment accounted for more than 71% of total revenue across all three segments. Operating income rose 34.9% YOY to $1.1 billion, comprising about 69% of the total across all segments.

International

Starbucks' International segment includes company-owned and licensed stores in China, Japan, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The segment generated $1.9 billion in revenue in Q1 FY 2022, up 11.5% compared to the year-ago quarter. It accounted for more than 23% of total revenue across all three segments. Operating income rose 5.9% YOY to $299.6 million, comprising about 19% of the total across all segments.

Channel Development

Starbucks' Channel Development segment includes roasted whole bean and ground coffees, including Seattle's Best Coffee; Starbucks- and Teavana-branded single-serve products; ready-to-drink beverages such as Frappuccino and Doubleshot; and other branded products sold worldwide outside of company-operated and licensed stores. The Channel Development segment generated $417.1 million of revenue in Q1 FY 2022, up 12.3% YOY. It accounted for about 5% of total revenue across all segments. Operating income grew 1.3% YOY to 183.2 million, comprising nearly 12% of the total across all three segments.

Starbucks' Recent Developments

On March 16, 2022, Starbucks announced that President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kevin Johnson plans to retire. Howard Shultz, who has previously served as Starbucks' CEO, was named interim CEO until the company finds a suitable replacement for Johnson. Johnson spent 13 years with Starbucks, including the last five years as the company's CEO. He plans to transition from his current role on April 4, 2022, and continue as a Starbucks partner and special consultant to the company and its board of directors through September. The company's board plans to have a new CEO selected by the fall.



How Starbucks Reports Diversity & Inclusiveness

As part of our effort to improve the awareness of the importance of diversity in companies, we offer investors a glimpse into the transparency of Starbucks and its commitment to diversity, inclusiveness, and social responsibility. We examined the data Starbucks releases to show you how it reports the diversity of its board and workforce to help readers make educated purchasing and investing decisions.

Below is a table of potential diversity measurements. It shows whether Starbucks discloses its data about the diversity of its board of directors, C-Suite, general management, and employees overall, as is marked with a . It also shows whether Starbucks breaks down those reports to reveal the diversity of itself by race, gender, ability, veteran status, and LGBTQ+ identity.
An activist investor, typically a specialized hedge fund, buys a significant minority stake in a publicly traded company in order to change how it is run.

The activist investor's goals may be as modest as advising company management or as ambitious as forcing the sale of the company, divestitures or restructuring, or replacing the board of directors.

Unlike private equity firms that buy and restructure companies in order to profit when they are resold, activist investors seldom acquire full or majority stakes. Instead, they use public communications and private discussions to win over other shareholders and company insiders. When such efforts fail, an activist investor may pursue a proxy contest to elect new directors in order to force the company to meet their demands.

Key Takeaways Activist investors buy minority stakes in public companies to change how they are run.

If they fail to persuade company managers, they may wage a proxy fight for board seats.

Some hedge funds specialize in activist investing while institutional investors may engage in it from time to time.

Investor activism may focus on maximizing shareholder value or on the company's social responsibilities.

The SEC has proposed tougher disclosure rules for activist investors that critics contend may make activism unprofitable.

Understanding Activist Investors

Activist investors are sometimes called shareholder activists, a term also used to describe those lobbying companies to improve working conditions for the overseas employees of their contractors, or backers of a dissident board slate elected to fight climate change.

However, many activist investor campaigns seek only to maximize shareholder value, and most of those are the work of hedge funds specializing in the unique mix of public pressure, behind-the-scenes lobbying, and business expertise required.

Unlike the public pension funds and mutual funds that also engage in activism at times, activist hedge funds may hold highly concentrated stakes and supplement them with additional leverage from derivatives like stock options to offset the considerable cost of such campaigns. In contrast with institutional investors that sometimes turn to activism after owning a disappointing investment for years, activist hedge funds typically buy a stake in an underperforming company shortly before calling for change, and hope to profit from the resulting turnaround and price appreciation.

In contrast to institutional investors, activist hedge funds are also more willing to use confrontational tactics, from poison-pen letters to management and unflattering public reports to proxy fights seeking to oust incumbent directors.

The rise of activist investors has been described as an effective market response to the agency problem, which arises when agents (in this case company managements) have the opportunity and the means to enrich themselves at the expense of clients (in this case shareholdersa diffuse group with limited powers to safeguard its ownership interests.)

How Activist Investors Make Their Case

Investor activists often announce their campaigns by filing a Schedule 13D form with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). An investor or group of investors must file a Schedule 13D within 10 calendar days of acquiring 5% or more of a company's voting class shares.

Qualified institutional investors and passive investors, meaning those not trying to acquire or influence control of the company, may instead file a simplified Schedule 13G with less stringent disclosure requirements and thresholds.

Schedule 13D filers must disclose, among other facts, their reasons for acquiring the stake and any plans they may have for the company in terms of mergers and acquisitions, asset disposals, capitalization or dividends, or other policies.



The initial 13D filing gives the activist investor a golden opportunity to publicize their case for change at the targeted company. At the same time, the filing curtails the activist's ability to alter their stake in, and plans for, the company out of the public eye. Any changes to the facts disclosed on a Schedule 13D must be reported in an amended filing "promptly," under current SEC rules.

Activist investors may use amended Schedule 13D filings to comment on a company's response to their proposals. For example, when Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) adopted a poison pill after funds affiliated with Carl Icahn reported a stake of nearly 10% in the video streaming company, the funds filed an amended disclosure calling the poison pill "an example of poor corporate governance."

Activist investors may also write sharply worded letters to incumbent managers, issue press releases arguing their case to other shareholders, or privately lobby institutional investors to side with them.

Whatever tactics they use must be persuasive, since the only way to overcome opposition from entrenched company management short of a hostile takeover is to persuade a sufficient number of other shareholders to replace the board in a proxy fight, or at least to be able to credibly threaten to do so.

The End of Shareholder Activism?

"Activism is dying," The Economist quoted Icahn as saying in May 2022, contrasting the legendary investor's few-holds-barred approach with the softer tone prevailing more recently. Some have argued the changes to the Schedule 13D disclosure requirements proposed by the SEC in 2022 constituted a more pressing threat, with Elliott Investment Management saying in a public comment letter the proposed rules "will virtually shut down activism."

In February 2022 the SEC proposed shortening the initial Schedule 13 filing deadline from 10 calendar days to 5, with amendments due within a day of a material change rather than "promptly" as currently. The proposal would also force activist investors filing a 13D to specify holdings of derivatives such as options providing an economic interest in the company without the shareholder rights associated with an equity position. Perhaps most controversially, the proposed rules would no longer require investors to agree to act in concert to be designated a group by the SEC for Schedule 13D reporting purposes.

SEC Chair Gary Gensler argued the stepped up requirements proposed would address "an information asymmetry" between activist investors and other shareholders. Critics countered the proposed rules would make activism unprofitable by making it more difficult and costly for activist investors to accumulate significant stakes, while inhibiting communication among shareholders.



Do Activist Investors Ever Settle With Companies? Yes, because activist investing is not a zero-sum game. Since activist investors and incumbent managers share an interest in the company's success, they may sometimes agree to a mutually acceptable compromise. Such agreements typically grant the activist investor representation on the company board in exchange for a pledge to support management and the company's director nominees for a specified time. The agreements may also specify steps management will take at activist investors' behest, while including standstill provisions preventing the activist from increasing their stake in the company or requiring them to maintain a specified minimum stake.

Is Shareholder Activism Dying? Not if you judge by the 73 activist campaigns initiated in Q1 2022, a quarterly record. The 126 activist investor engagements initiated in H1 2022 were up 34% year-over-year to the highest first-half total in four years.

Do Activist Investors Create Value? Activist investors have been effective at times in addressing the agency problem faced by shareholders whose interests don't always coincide with those of entrenched management teams. They've certainly created value for themselves and other shareholders. Activist investing can't easily be pigeonholed as good or bad, however. Activist investors look out for themselves and realize the lion's share of the value they unlock. Their relatively short-term focus on strategies likely to lift the share price, such as return of capital to shareholders in the form of dividends or share buybacks, can prevent companies from making needed long-term investments.

Which Activist Investor Generates the Largest Share-Price Gains at the Outset? According to Elliott Investment Management, among activist investors with more than a single activist campaign between 2017 and 2021, it's Elliott with an average pop of 8% for shares of the target company on the day the firm made its stake public. According to the firm, its 47 activist engagements during that five-year span increased the market value of the targeted companies by an aggregate of nearly $30 billion on the day they were announced.

The Bottom Line

When activist investors use their significant but still relatively small minority stakes to push for change at publicly listed companies, they must often exercise their rights as shareholders to the fullest to get the attention of incumbent management and persuade other shareholders. The discipline they impose promotes shareholder-friendly policies at other companies as well. But they are not always right, and any public benefit they provide is incidental to their pursuit of profits for themselves and their clients.
What Is Social Security?

The Social Security program was established in 1935 to provide retirement income for certain U.S. workers. It was later expanded to cover most of the workforce. Today, it remains Americas pension plan and the financial lifeline that many people use to stay afloat in their old age.

Social Security provides 37% of elderly men and 42% of elderly women with at least 50% of their income. For 12% of elderly men and 15% of elderly women, its at least 90% of their income.

How does Social Security work? Regardless of your age, you really should know. Here are the answers to 10 questions that people most often ask.

Key Takeaways Social Security income is a popular and important public pension system in the U.S.

Americans become eligible for full Social Security benefits at age 62, but benefit amounts depend on how early you elect to start.

The age at which full retirement benefits are paid is 67 for people born in 1960 or after, and 66 for those born from 1943 to 1954. For those born from 1955 to 1959, the age increases annually by two months.

Spouses are eligible for benefits even if they never worked for pay.

1. When Am I Eligible?

Depending on when you were born, you will be eligible for full retirement benefits as early as age 65 or as late as age 67.

If you were born before 1938, your full retirement age is 65.

If you were born from 1938 to 1942, the age ranges from 65 and two months to 65 and 10 months.

If you were born from 1943 to 1954, its 66.

If you were born from 1955 to 1959, it ranges from 66 and two months to 66 and 10 months.

If you were born in 1960 or later, its 67.

You can opt to receive Social Security as early as age 62, but if you do, then your monthly benefits will be permanently reduced. For example, if you take benefits at 62 and your full retirement age is 66, then your benefits will be reduced by 25%.

If you postpone taking benefits past your full retirement age, then you will be rewarded with a higher benefit: 8% for each year up to age 70 (for those born in 1943 or later), when benefits max out and there is no further incentive to delay signing up.

2. How Is Eligibility Determined?

Your eligibility for Social Security is based on the credits that you earn during your working years. As of 2021, for every $1,470 you make, you earn one credit, up to a maximum of four per year. In 2022, that rises to every $1,510 you make. If you were born in 1929 or later, then you need 40 creditsessentially, 10 years of full-time workto receive Social Security benefits at retirement.

3. How Much Do I Pay In?

As of 2021, workers pay 6.2% of their wages into Social Security on up to $142,800 of their income ($147,000 in 2022). Employers contribute another 6.2%. Self-employed people have to pay both portions or 12.4%.

You can collect Social Security retirement benefits even if youre still working.

4. How Much Will I Get?

Your Social Security benefits are based on your lifetime earnings. The formula is a little complicated, but it averages the income from your 35 highest-earning years. If you have already accumulated 40 Social Security credits, then you can use the online Social Security Retirement Estimator to get a rough idea of what you will get.

5. Can I Get Social Security If I Work?

Yes, you can receive Social Security benefits while you are still working. If youve reached full retirement age, you can work and earn as much as youd like and receive full benefits. If youre under full retirement age, your benefits will be reduced temporarily. The money is not lost, however. Social Security will credit it to your record when you reach full retirement age, resulting in a higher benefit.

The reduction is $1 for every $2 of earned income over $18,960 in 2021 ($19,560 in 2022) for those younger than full retirement age. During the year when you reach full retirement age, your benefits will be reduced by $1 for every $3 in income over $50,520 in 2021 ($51,960 in 2022). That continues until the month when you become fully eligible.

Retirees can contribute to individual retirement accounts (IRAs) as long as they have earned income. However, Social Security benefits are not considered earned income for this purpose.

6. How Does the Spousal Benefit Work?

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 tightened some of the rules on spousal benefits, eliminating several strategies that couples once used to maximize how much they received. However, spouses can still claim benefits regardless of whether they ever held paid jobs, based on their partners record. To qualify, the spouse with a work record must already be receiving retirement or disability benefits, and the non-working spouse must be at least age 62.

As with other Social Security benefits, spousal benefits are permanently reduced if the nonworking spouse starts to collect before reaching full retirement age. If the non-working spouse waits until full retirement age, then they will receive a spousal benefit of up to 50% of their partners full retirement benefit.

Spouses who are widowed become eligible for 100% of their partners full benefit unless they also had a job and the benefit theyve earned through their income is higher. Generally, the widowed spouse must be at least 60 years of age (with certain exceptions) to receive benefits from the deceased spouses record, and the amount will be reduced if the surviving spouse elects to receive benefits before their full retirement age.

In addition, should the surviving spouse remarry before age 60, they will forfeit the deceased spouses benefit. In some cases, divorced spouses are also eligible for spousal benefits based on their former partners record.

7. Do I Owe Taxes on Social Security?

You might, depending on your income. Couples who file a joint tax return and have a combined income from $32,000 to $44,000 will have to pay income tax on up to 50% of their benefits. If their combined income is more than $44,000, then theyll be taxed on up to 85% of their benefits. Combined income is defined as adjusted gross income plus any nontaxable interest and half of your Social Security benefits. For singles, those income thresholds are $25,000 to $34,000 for 50% and more than $34,000 for 85%.



Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, local Social Security offices are only open by appointment, and only in dire need situations, so most people will have to apply for benefits online or by phone.

8. How Do I Apply for Benefits?

You can apply at a local Social Security office, by phone (1-800-772-1213), or online. Youll need to provide certain information and possibly some documents, such as a birth certificate. Social Security Form SSA-1 has a complete list.

The Social Security Administration says you can apply up to four months before the date you want your benefits to start.

9. How Does the Social Security System Work?

Social Security is a pay-as-you-go system. Money paid in by current workers (via their taxes) is used to pay the benefits for current retirees. Any money that remains goes into the Social Security Trust Fund, to be used in future years when current contributions wont be sufficient to cover all of the programs obligations.

There are two trust funds: the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund, which pays retirement benefits, and the Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund. By law, the money in the trust funds is invested in U.S. government securities.

10. Is Social Security in Trouble?

Its safe to say that the Social Security system faces some financial challenges. The ratio of current workers-to-retirees is declining, meaning fewer workers are paying into the system for every retiree who is drawing money out of it. In addition, people are living longer than when the program was envisioned in the 1930s, so theyre collecting benefits for more years.

According to Social Security Administration trustees, the retirement programs costs are expected to exceed its income for the first time in 2021. Under current projections, the program should be able to pay full benefits until 2033, when the trust fund will be depleted. After this, the fund's reserves will be depleted and 76% of scheduled benefits will be paid with continuing tax income.



Given the programs popularity and importance to millions of Americansand the millions of older Americans who have already paid into it for decadesits extremely unlikely that Congress would simply let it fail.
HelloFresh offers a bevy of meal options each week, with dozens of extra add-ons. The meals can be a bit complex for the novice cook, and involve lots of prep, steps, and clean up. However, the end result tends to be a delicious, satiating meal.

HelloFresh is one of the most popular and long-standing meal kits on the American market. HelloFresh offers home cooks and food enthusiasts fresh recipes and meals each week with a focus on diverse food options created by chefs and nutritionists.

Founded in 2011, we were curious to test out HelloFresh and see how it compares to newer meal kits in todays market. We tested and tasted five meals for two adults for a week. Read on to see what we discovered about this Berlin-based company.

We spent months researching, ordering, testing, eating, and writing about 40 different meal delivery services. Our testers wrote in-depth reviews and filled out detailed surveys about each company, which we used to assign an overall score to each one.

Learn More: Read Our Full Methodology



How It Works: Recipe Plans for 24 People

Each week, HelloFresh subscribers can choose from more than 25 recipes, which are posted on its website under Our Menus. Non-subscribers can view the recipes, but only subscribers can click on the actual recipe to expand and learn more. When selecting a plan, HelloFresh offers the following preferences: Meat & Veggies, Veggie, Family Friendly, Fit & Wholesome, Quick and Easy, and Pescetarian. We chose the classic plan, which was Meat & Veggies for our week.

After selecting food preferences, you have an option to choose a plan for two to four people, with two to five recipes per week. We chose a plan for two people with five recipes, which cost $9.99 per serving with a shipping fee of $8.99. Depending on which plan you select and the number of servings, prices vary. For example, if you select Fit & Wholesome for two people with two meals per week, the cost is $11.99 per serving. If you select the same plan for four people with four recipes per week, the plan is $7.99 per serving.

After registering your address, a delivery date is automatically populated with a delivery time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Within less than a week, we received our first box.

Once youre registered, HelloFresh populates meals based on your preference input. A banner at the top of the page alerts you to the amount of time you have to edit your meals for your next delivery.

On the day of your scheduled delivery, HelloFresh sends a tracking email and outlines the cooling technology that allows meals to stay fresh in the box for up to 48 hours and reminds you to have on hand all of the household ingredients you need, such as olive oil, salt, and pepper. We liked having this note as it helped us prepare for the week.

Choosing Meals: Many Diverse Options

When selecting the meals, HelloFresh automatically populates your meals based on your preferences. Using a plus and minus tool, you can edit your meals and peruse other options available by scrolling down. As you edit, the prepopulated recipes stay static, so you have to keep scrolling to find your newly selected meals, which we found a bit confusing as we tried to edit our selections.

Its important to note that while HelloFresh doesnt currently offer dietary meal plans such as keto or paleo, it does have several vegetarian options each week and plenty of diverse cuisines and styles of meals. We noticed nods to American Diner, Japanese, Indian, Italian, Mediterranean, and Mexican-inspired cuisines. HelloFresh leaves it up to you to determine which meal fits your lifestyle and dietary needs. There are various tags under each recipe icon to help you choose, such as veggie, calorie smart, plant-based protein, spicy, lightning fast, take out favorites, hall of fame, and gourmet.

When you click on each recipe, a recipe pop-up page appears and lists the following: preparation time; calories; cooking level; allergens; ingredients included in your box; ingredients that are not included; and an option to click on the full recipe link, which then expands into a larger recipe page. The recipe page includes the aforementioned information as well as an introduction to the dish; more detailed nutritional value information; a list and pictures of ingredients with an ability to populate ingredients based on two or four servings; a list of utensils needed; and step-by-step instructions with accompanying photos.

For our week, HelloFresh offered 25 recipes. Out of the 25 recipes, it offered a few higher-priced Gourmet meals for an additional up-charge, and then a huge selection of add-ons, which was quite impressive and reminded us of an online grocery store. Some of the add-ons included breakfasts, lunch sandwiches, and even a pantry section.

The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

What We Made

With so many meals and add-on options, it was a tad overwhelming to pare down. We were curious about how gourmet the Gourmet meals really were, so we selected the pecan-crusted trout and added a side of garlic bread for two to four servings. The recipe styles were quite diverse and worldly. We wanted to have a well-rounded sample, so we opted for fish-, poultry-, vegetarian-, beef-, and shellfish-centered dishes with American, Asian, Italian, Mediterranean, and Mexican-influenced cuisine styles.

We Made:

Pecan-crusted trout with an apple-studded salad, and thyme roasted potatoes, Gourmet, x 2

Creamy lemon butter chicken with parmesan zucchini rounds and scallion couscous

Garden mushroom ravioli with zucchini ribbons, tomato, and creamy lemon sauce

Sesame soy beef bowls with shredded carrots, buttery rice, and sriracha mayo

Southwestern shrimp tacos with pico de gallo and hot sauce crema

Garlic bread x 1,

The Spruce Eats / Amelia Manley

Support Materials: Helpful and Clear Recipe Cards

Our delivery included easy-to-follow recipe cards, a seasonal magazine featuring future meal highlights, and an envelope with coupons for partnering companies.

We really liked the printed recipe cards. The front of the card clearly shows the recipe title and a large, bright photo of the dish. On the left side, HelloFresh lists the ingredients that are included in the delivery, with small accompanying photographs. The front of the card also includes a little tidbit about the recipe, prep time, cook time, and calories. The backside of the recipe card shows instructions in six steps with well-sized, step-by-step photographs. HelloFresh also highlights another tidbit about an ingredient from the dish and lists the household and pantry items you need from your kitchen. Social media tags are listed as well as a customer service number in case you need assistance while cooking.

If cooking from your mobile device is appealing, HelloFresh has an easy-to-use app, which illustrates detailed and step-by-step recipe instructions quite well.

Packaging: Well Organized With Lots of Individual Plastic

The HelloFresh packaging includes insulated liners and cooling packs to keep your food fresh for up to 24 hours after your delivery time.

Upon opening your box, you will find a seasonal magazine, your recipe cards, and some incentives from partners. All items are insulated in an insulated liner, which can be recycled with household recycling.

Each meal is packaged together in a paper bag and is clearly labeled with stickers, making it very easy to organize and keep ingredients together. There are QR codes on each of the meal paper bags, which link to a HelloFresh landing page. A large cardboard board with a note reminds you to look under the ice packs for perishables. Our box included two large ice packs, which can be emptied and recycled.

One question we did have was whether each of the sorted paper meal bags needed to be refrigerated. It would have been nice if those instructions were provided on each bag.

We noticed there was a lot of plastic in addition to the paper meal bags. Nearly everything, minus lemons and tomatoes, was wrapped in plastic. Unlike some of the other meal kits, most of the packaging includes the HelloFresh logo and branding. One scallion bag even noted that you can reuse the scallion roots to regrow scallions in a small glass of water, which we thought was a great tip.

The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

The Cooking Process: Time-Consuming With Many Steps

Each recipe is broken down into six steps with clear photographic instructions. We found the instructions pretty clear, but we did have a few questions as the recipe cards include some ingredient proportions for both two and four servings. Sometimes we werent sure if we were supposed to use half or all of a certain ingredient, like the multiple sour cream packets that were included in our meal bag. The HelloFresh app also offers step-by-step instructions, which are clear and easy to follow.

One of our biggest takeaways was that there were a lot of steps within those six instructions. Many of the recipes include washing, chopping, mincing, sauteing, roasting, and boiling water. There were moments when we were a little overwhelmed and at times we felt a bit frenetic, even if we had two cooks in the kitchen. We used a lot of utensils and often had more than four cooking vessels to clean up. And a few of our recipes took longer than the approximated prep and cook times. HelloFresh does not seem geared toward novice cooks.

For example, when preparing the creamy lemon butter chicken, we found there were lots of steps; chopping, dicing, bringing water to a boil, roasting, sauteing, and searching for extra bust out items, like pots and pans, and a zester. The zucchini in the dish had to be prepped, roasted, and then broiled, and we were constantly using our timer to keep track of time. We also had to prepare the Israeli couscous in a few steps, all while watching the chicken saute and making a finishing sauce. You definitely have to pay attention and enjoy the art of dovetailing.

The recipe took 40 minutes to prepare and execute, as suggested. But with so many steps, we felt a little rushed. And the chicken seemed to take on the longer side to cook all the way through, definitely needing at least five minutes per side instead of the suggested three to five minutes per side.

The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

Flavor, Freshness, and Quality: Very Fresh and Great Flavors

Despite all of the steps and time, we did find most of our meals to be delicious. Our tasting panel loved the creamy lemon butter chicken. We found the chicken dish to be flavorful and juicy, and we loved the touch of lemon as it brightened the dish. We enjoyed the crunch of the zucchini despite the several steps needed to prepare it. The finishing sauce tied the whole dish together, making it creamy but not too decadent for a weeknight dinner.

One of our favorite meals was the sesame soy beef bowls. Our tasting panel enjoyed the sticky rice, sweet beef, and carrots, and the sriracha mayo topping added just enough spice. We didnt feel too virtuous after eating a whopping 49 grams of fat per serving, but we loved the flavors and the children in our tasting panel enjoyed the dinner as well (without the spicy topping).

We did encounter a few meals that needed a bit more flavor. We felt the garlic bread was lackluster and dry and could have benefited from more oil and garlic.

The pecan-crusted trout (which was steelhead trout) was well flavored and tasted fine but had a slightly fishy odor.

Lastly, because we ended up keeping our paper meal bags in the fridge, our tomatoes became a bit mealy, which was disappointing.

Nutritional Value: Not for Dieters

The nutritional value can be found on each recipe card online, and the printed recipe cards list calories per serving. A fuller and comprehensive nutritional overview of ingredients can be found under the nutrition button below each recipe in the weekly recipe section. HelloFresh also lists where each ingredient is sourced from around the world, which we found very resourceful. For example, in the creamy lemon butter chicken, the chicken cutlets were from the U.S., whereas the Israeli couscous came from Italy.

We selected an array of cuisines but observed that many had high levels of fat and carbohydrates, such as the pecan-crusted trout, which had a whopping 70 grams of fat and 64 grams of carbohydrates. We were also surprised by the many instances in which adding butter was instructed; we thought swapping olive oil could be a slightly more heart-healthy option.

Here is the nutritional breakdown of each meal we made:

Pecan-Crusted Trout

980 calories, 70g fat, 19g saturated fat, 64g carbohydrate, 20g sugar, 10g dietary fiber, 31g protein, 125mg cholesterol, 350mg sodium

Allergens: Tree nuts, wheat, eggs, soy, fish, milk

Creamy Lemon Butter Chicken

740 calories, 35g fat, 15g saturated fat, 60g carbohydrate, 8g sugar, 6g dietary fiber, 44g protein, 155mg cholesterol, 770mg sodium

Allergens: Wheat and milk

Garden Mushroom Ravioli

540 calories, 29g fat, 16g saturated fat, 60g carbohydrate, 9g sugar, 8g dietary fiber, 18g protein, 85mg cholesterol, 1080mg sodium

Allergens: Eggs, milk, wheat

Sesame Soy Beef Bowls

900 calories, 49g fat, 16g saturated fat, 82g carbohydrate, 16g sugar, 2g dietary fiber, 28g protein, 125mg cholesterol, 880mg sodium

Allergens: Eggs, soy, wheat, milk

Southwestern Shrimp Tacos

620 calories, 24g fat, 8g saturated fat, 72g carbohydrate, 9g sugar, 4g dietary fiber, 24g protein, 225mg cholesterol, 1690mg sodium

Allergens: Milk, shellfish, wheat

Garlic Bread x 1,

250 calories, 8g fat, 5g saturated fat, 37g carbohydrate, 0g sugar, 2g dietary fiber, 6g protein, 20mg cholesterol, 490mg sodium

Allergens: Milk and wheat

The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

HelloFresh Is Good For

HelloFresh is good for people and families who love to cook and who are craving diverse, satiating, and delicious meals.

HelloFresh Is Not Good For

HelloFresh is not good for people or families who dont have, or wish to devote, a lot of time to preparing meals and cleaning up, and may prefer lighter, more healthful food.

Add-ons: So Many Options

HelloFresh offers a plethora of add-ons and extras once your weekly meals are selected. A few examples of the add-ons we noticed were: a five-minute prosciutto and caprese quick meal sandwich for $7.99 for one serving; a quick breakfast package of Annies organic cinnamon rolls for $5.99 for five rolls; and a surf and turf protein duo for $21.99 for two servings. You can even select meals with meaning for $9, which provides food for community members in need.

Customer Service: Easy and Quick

HelloFresh offers a variety of customer service options including an FAQ section, chat, and phone support with a live waiting time alert. There is also an online form to submit an ingredient or recipe error.

We encountered a recipe question as we were cooking so we decided to engage with the live chat agent and were able to obtain details on the recipe within a few minutes. We called customer service too and were immediately connected with a live person. We loved the quickness and ease of connecting with a customer service agent.

The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

Making Changes and Canceling: Easy, But They Hate to See You Go

The HelloFresh Help Center and FAQ page have a lot of information on editing meal plans, changing delivery days, and payment options, and will redirect you directly to your Plan Settings page to make account changes. The page also answers extensive questions on dozens of popular inquiries, such as billing, delivery, and recipes and ingredients.

Making changes to your account is pretty simple. If you want to edit your selections before the cutoff time, visit the homepage and click on the calendar date at the top of the page for your future delivery. Recipes are listed and you can use the plus and minus buttons to edit. If youd like to make a change to your delivery, such as a date change, click Edit Delivery at the top of the same page. Next to the edit button is a handy summary button, which creates a pop-up list of your upcoming order, which we found useful.

If you like to receive email notifications on selecting your order each week, which we think is helpful, visit Account Settings and then Notifications to manage all of your communications.

To cancel your account, go to your profile, click on Plan Settings, and scroll down to Status, where you can change your delivery date or cancel your plan. If you choose to cancel your plan, HelloFresh offers a few incentives and extra referral bonuses. It also asks you several questions as to why you want to unsubscribe. Once youve responded, make sure to press the Cancel Anyway button to fully cancel your subscription.

The Competition: HelloFresh vs. Home Chef

HelloFresh and Home Chef both offer fresh, weekly meals. Home Chef pricing starts a bit less than HelloFresh at $6.99 per serving versus HelloFreshs $7.99 starting point. Both companies promise quick meals but include more in-depth recipes that can take nearly an hour to prepare. Some of Home Chefs recipes allow for protein customization options, where you can select salmon, beef, or chicken, or even Impossible Burgers, depending on your mood. Both companies offer a bevy of cuisines and recipe styles, including calorie-conscious and veggie-based meals.

Final Verdict HelloFresh is a great option for people who truly love being in the kitchen and preparing and executing gourmet-inspired meals. We found all of our meals to be flavorful and satisfying, and would certainly order from HelloFresh again.

Methodology

Our testers ordered from, cooked, and rated 40 different meal delivery services. We carefully scored each one based on meal selection, nutritional information, sustainability, and customer service, as well as the flavor, freshness, and quality of each meal and ingredient. Our Spruce Eats tester panel includes dietitians, chefs, and longtime food writers. The one thing they all have in common is their love and knowledge of food.

The criteria we used to evaluate each company included:
On Sunday's all-new, the "BFF" drama continues after Cynthia is confronted by Kenya regarding statements she made to the other ladies. Peter plays tour guide and takes the group on a personal adventure to meet his family in Jamaica.Meanwhile, Kenya and Matt stay behind at the resort for a bit of romance. NeNe plays peacemaker in an effort to convince Kenya to come hang with the ladies, all while things heat up between the men when Kenya's new beau Matt clashes with Peter.On the day of the big commercial shoot, storm clouds and Kenya's cold behavior threaten the success of the shoot and dampens everyones spirits. Kim who was on cloud nine is taken aback by gossip about her husband, leaving everyone speechless. Watch a sneak peek preview below!In this Us Weekly sneak peek preview, Kenya Moore has a lot to say about Cynthia Bailey and NeNe Leakes while sharing a hot tub with boyfriend Matt Jordan."Cynthia pretty much denied that we were close friends," Kenya tells Matt. "She basically said, 'Oh, well  we're working on a friendship.' Like, it just didn't make any sense to me and actually really hurt my feelings."The clip then shows Cynthia giving her side of the story to the ladies on a bus to Kingston."We all have our different friendships  it's never going to be what it is with me and NeNe," Cynthia says through tears, about her relationship with Kenya. She adds that they weren't able to work things out because "she wouldn't let me talk."In this next preview, Kenya Moore shares a rumor she's heard about Kim's husband.airs Sunday nights at 8/7c only on Bravo. For International TV ListingsSource/Photo Credit: Bravo
Aaren OConnor was fatally shot in the head on Friday, Feb 5 as she sat in her car speaking to her family on the phone.

Parked a few doors down from her home in the South Side of Chicago, OConner, 25, cried out and hung up the phone mid-conversation, causing her father, David OConner, concern.

Calling his daughter back, David OConner finally reached her as she told him repeatedly that her head hurt, neither of them knowing she had been shot in the back of the head.

Police now believe that O'Connor was hit by a stray bullet as she sat in her Honda Civic. She was declared brain dead on Sunday evening.

While speaking to his daughter for the last time, David OConner, who lives in San Diego, became concerned for her welfare.

She was having trouble speaking. 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, he told the Chicago Tribune.

Aarens father first contacted her boyfriend and he proceeded to get in contact with her roommate in Chicago. Leaving the apartment to investigate, she found Aaren unresponsive in her car. She was taken to Stroger Hospital.

Her family traveled from San Diego to be by her side. By the time the family arrived on Saturday, however, they were informed she would not make it.

Although declared brain dead on Sunday evening, she was kept on life support so her organs could be donated.

"I would have loved to have told her one more time I loved her and was proud of her, Mr OConnor said. She was an amazing girl."

The Chicago Police Department issued an alert on Tuesday evening asking for information on the incident which occurred at approximately 7.30pm on Friday, Feb 5. As of yet no arrests have been made.

The police believe that as someone ran down the street, they turned to shoot a person or people chasing after them and a stray bullet hit Aaren.

The 25-year-old, originally from San Diego, moved to Chicago just a year and a half ago to be closer to her long-distance boyfriend Jose, who she met while traveling.

She worked with the toy company Tomy and had recently been promoted to brand manager for their Pokemon line, her father told the Tribune.

Friends of the young victim established a GoFundMe page to assist the family with funeral costs and within just two days almost $30,000 has been raised.

Aaren was a beautiful 25 year-old woman who was intelligent, compassionate, caring, and hardworking with a deep love for her friends and family, her friends say on the fundraising page.

She had a great sense of humor, love for adventure and a take charge personality. By simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time the world lost an amazing person and all of her potential.

The fundraisers now plan to use donations to establish a scholarship to assist Chicagos youth in choosing a non-violent path in honor of Aaren.

We want to make sure that something positive can come from this senseless tragedy. While trying to solve the gun violence epidemic in Chicago seems like an impossible task, we need to start somewhere, they write.

Over time, donations will fund a scholarship program in Aarens memory that will serve to bring hope and healing to the youth of Chicago.

Their suggestions for possible future uses for the donations include a support fund for at-risk Chicago youth who wish to further their education by studying abroad or a more long-term goal of an after-school program at a community center in Aarens name, where Chicagos youth can come together to receive the caring and resources.

Although left reeling with the tragic loss of their daughter, OConner is hoping her death will call further attention to Chicagos gun violence.

People need to know whats going on and what kind of loss is taking place here, he said.

I want her name and her voice to be the impetus for bringing all this violence to an end. I know thats asking a lot.

The young woman's death is just one of at least 17 homicides in Chicago in the first eight days of February, a pace which is set to triple the number of murders in the city from the same time period last year. There have been 70 murders in the city so far this year.
One a former farmer in America, another who was already dying! Here are some incredible facts about some of the Easter Rebellion leaders.

On this week, 105 years ago, an armed Irish republican insurrection was mounted against British rule in Ireland, aiming to establish an independent Irish Republic. Sixteen of the Easter Rising leaders were executed in May 1916. Here are some interesting facts about the leaders of the Easter Rebellion.

Why Patrick Pearse was always photographed in profile

Patrick Pearse was always photographed in profile and many wonder why.

The reason is that Pearse had a pronounced squint in one eye and this made him camera-shy. It also made him determined only to be photographed from the side, to conceal what he felt was such a disfiguring squint.

In family pictures or pictures of him with groups of colleagues, Pearse always struck a sideways pose even though everybody else in the picture would be looking straight at the camera.

A new book of pictures taken throughout Pearse's life clearly shows this. It is called Patrick Pearse A Life in Pictures published by Mercier Press.

But the book also includes a rare image of Pearse looking at the camera face on, which, although somewhat blurred, shows the extent of his squint.

The book, compiled and written by the curator of the Pearse Museum, Brian Crowley, says that Pearse was "very self-conscious" about his eyes.

"It appears to have affected him from birth and was hereditary. Whenever possible, he made sure that he was only photographed in side profile," Crowley writes.

Joseph Plunkett was already dying of galloping consumption

Joseph Plunkett was dying of what was then called galloping consumption (a wasting disease, especially pulmonary tuberculosis) in the GPO and had to be dressed by a young Michael Collins for the last two days of combat.

He had just been operated on and was very weak but no one fought more bravely according to Volunteer accounts. With Connolly badly injured much of the defense fell to Plunkett who did not shirk his task despite his illness.

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Thomas Clarkes American years as a farmer

Clarke, born in England, settled in Ireland and became a fierce opponent of British rule. He chose the emigration route and in 1881 set sail for the US. Immediately after arriving, he joined Clann na Gael, the successor to the U.S. branch of Fenian Brotherhood.

His first job in the US was as a night porter in the Mansion House Hotel, in Brooklyn. After that, he worked as an explosives operative on construction projects where he learned to handle and set explosives. His expertise in this area was recognized by the leadership of Clann na Gael as a valuable asset that would augment the dynamite campaign underway in England to bring the war to the mainland.

In 1883, Clarke was sent to London to join an active service unit deployed to bomb high-profile sites in London and elsewhere throughout England. Among the targets bombed were the posh Carleton Club, the police headquarters at Scotland Yard, and the British House of Commons. The London Bridge was also on the list, however, a premature explosion killed two of the attackers.

Clarke was betrayed and arrested in April of 1883 and tried at the Old Bailey the following June under the notorious Treason Felony Act. He was found guilty and sentenced to penal servitude for life. He served 15 years in brutal conditions in Pentonville prison before being released under a general amnesty for Fenian prisoners in 1898.

After his release, he returned to Ireland and was made a freeman of the city of Limerick. It was there that he met his future wife, Kathleen Daly, niece of John Daly, the Fenian leader whom Clarke had met in prison, and the sister of Edward Daly, commandant of Dublin's 1st battalion who fought in the Four Courts during the Easter Rising of 1916. Daly was executed on May 4, 1916.

Unable to find work in Ireland, he returned to the U.S. in 1899 with Kathleen Daly whom he married in 1901. They settled in Brooklyn and became a U. S. citizen in 1905. During his second stay in the U.S., he worked with John Devoy in the offices of the Gaelic-American newspaper. He moved to Suffolk County in Long Island in 1906 and purchased two plots of land totaling 60 acres in the Town of Brookhaven.

In May of 1987, the AOH and a number of trade unions erected a two-ton obelisk of Wicklow Granite on the land in Manorville once owned by Clarke.

James Connolly, the last moments by his daughter Nora

An account of what happened appears in a witness statement that Nora Connolly gave, and that is among the collection of James Connollys personal papers that the National Library of Ireland has just put online, to mark the centenary of 1916.

My mother and I . . . were driven to Dublin Castle, Nora said. On entering we were directed to a flight of stairs. At the top of the stairs were six soldiers with fixed bayonets, and on the floor about a dozen more were lying on mattresses.

We passed through the soldiers and entered an enclave where there were two soldiers with fixed bayonets. They stood aside to let us enter the door. When we entered my father was lying in the bed with his head turned to the door.

It is clear from Noras testimony that her mother still hoped that her husbands life might be spared. She was shocked when he told her that he was to be executed. Connolly told his wife, Well, I suppose you know what this means. Lillie responded, Not that James, not that.

Nora continued: My father said, Yes, for the first time I dropped off to sleep. And they wakened me to tell me that I was to be shot at dawn. 

Lillie said, Your life, James, your beautiful life.

Well, Lillie, he answered, hasnt it been a full life, and isnt this a good end?

Nora told him of the executions of Patrick Pearse, Thomas MacDonagh and others. He was silent for a while. I think he thought that he was the first to be executed. Then he said, Well, I am glad that I am going with them. 

Nora also told her father about the clamor to have the executions stopped. I told him that it had been in the papers that there was to be no more shootings. Englands promises, Nora, you and I know what that means. 

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Of the five sisters of Sean Mac Diarmada, four came to America

Sean Mac Diarmada signed the proclamation and was executed. Unable to bear the grief his siblings emigrated en masse to the US, with the exception of his sister Maggie, who remained in the family home in Kiltyclogher, County Leitrim. She wrote to the Department of Defence in June 1937 to say shed read in the Irish Press newspaper that a new army Bill allowed for pensions to be paid to the sisters of the 1916 Proclamation signatories. I never heard a thing about it until I saw it on the paper. I never got a penny. I expect I should be entitled to it as he always helped me while he was alive, she wrote.

In order for her to receive a pension, she had to verify her identity. The matter was so sensitive that Garda commissioner Eamon Ned Broy was asked by the minister for defense to make discreet inquiries, without approaching Mrs McDermott (she was also married to a McDermott), as to whether or not she truly was the sister of Sean Mac Diarmada.

Maggie McDermott eventually received a 100-a-year pension from the State. According to the files, in 1938 she was the only one of Sean Mac Diarmadas two brothers and five sisters still living in the country that he had fought and died to liberate from the British.

His other sisters in the US  Rose, Catherine, Bridget (Bessie) and Mary Anne also received 100 a year each.

Eamonn Ceannt played the pipes for the Pope

"Eamonn Ceannt was an intellectual, a native of Galway, where he was born in 1881. At heart a fiery gospeller for independence, his actual manner was reserved, almost aloof. He had great enthusiasm for the cause, but outwardly it was shown to only a few. His working hours were spent as a clerk in the City Treasurers office while every moment of his spare time was devoted to the great ideal of independence for Ireland.

"He was recognized as one of the best teachers of Irish and he had music, his native music especially, in his soul. He was also a good athlete and in the year 1908 he was a member of a party of Irish athletes visiting Rome for the Jubilee celebrations in honor of His Holiness Pope Pius X. While there he was invited, as a piper, to play before the Pope. Ceannt had an impressive military bearing, and as Commandant of the Fourth Battalion during the Rising fully displayed his military abilities."

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* Originally published in March 2016.
The countrys GDP contracted 0.6% in the three months through December after shrinking a revised 1.4% in the previous quarter, the Hellenic Statistical Authority said yesterday.

The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey was for a 0.8% drop. Greece began one of the most traumatic periods in its modern economic history with the election, a little more than a year ago, of an anti-austerity government committed to tearing up the countrys bailout agreements.

That ended with a dramatic U-turn by prime minister Alexis Tsipras and a third bailout in August.

With opposition mounting to the governments pension reform plan, the EU pressuring it to stem the influx of refugees, and the global market rout hastening the sell-off in Greek assets, dark clouds are gathering again. There were minor scuffles in Athens yesterday as farmers took to the streets to protest the pension overhaul.

We need some symbolic and real measures to boost confidence that the government has ownership of the reforms, said Tassos Anastasatos, an economist at Eurobank Ergasias in Athens.

We expect weakness of domestic demand in the entire of 2016, and it remains to be seen to what extent that can be counterbalanced by exports and investments.

The country will face renewed euro-exit fears unless its government and European creditors come up with a credible plan to make the countrys debt sustainable, Poul Thomsen, head of the IMFs European Department wrote in a blog post.

The fourth-quarter data show the Greek economy contracted 0.7% over the whole year, according to Bloomberg calculations, reversing a nascent recovery after growth in 2014 ended a six-year slump.

The August bailout agreement forecast GDP would shrink 2.3% in 2015. The economy fared less badly than those initial expectations in part due to a 90% annualised increase in cashless payments since the introduction of capital controls in June. The European Commission forecasts Greek GDP will contract 0.7% in 2016 before growing 2.7% next year, according to its winter economic forecasts.
ROSES are fine, violets are too, but if you really want to woo your Valentine, only lingerie will do.

From frilly knickers to silk stockings, smalls are still big business ahead of February 14, according to the countrys plushest department store.

With just two days until Cupid strikes, Brown Thomas Dublin has reported a double-digit growth in sales of sexy undies this week.

But its not only real-life Romeos who are boosting the Grafton Street stores bottom line, BTs lingerie buyer Rosyln Ellis said: Every year pre-Valentines Day we see a double-digit growth in sales of lingerie, with stockings up 70 per cent on the previous week.

Left: Lagent Kaity chemise, 120, Brown Thomas; right: Janet Reger studded bra, 42, brief, 22.50 and suspender, 33, Debenhams

Its not necessarily just men [buying gifts]  a lot of women have been coming in to freshen up their lingerie drawer for the coming weekend too.

Stella McCartneys matching Clara Whispering bra (120) and briefs (59.95) in fuschia is probably our best-seller, along with the Falke Shelina Hold Ups (16) worn by Kate Middleton a few years ago.

North of the River Liffey, things were also going from bust to boom on the high street. Arnotts lingerie buyer Rachelle Hanley tells Feelgood: There has definitely been a noticeable uplift in sales in the run-up to Valentines Day.

Unsurprisingly, pink and red lingerie has been by far the best-selling, making up about 35 per cent of sales, closely followed by purple and navy. Heidi Klums Zoe bra (48.95) and briefs (30.95) in pink has been a standout.

Single or loved-up, stylist and personal shopper Natalie Svikle reckons the Hallmark holiday is the perfect excuse to overhaul your smalls.

Thalia Heffernan wears Heidi Klum Madeline bra, 48.95 and thong, 29.95, from The Lingerie Rooms at Brown Thomas.

I shop for underwear with quite a few of my clients, she says. There are definitely a lot of women investing quite substantial amounts of money into getting the basics right.

Good lingerie can literally transform your shape  its the foundation of your look, when you think about it. Get it right, and any lumps and bumps disappear, get it wrong, and they can become even more obvious.

Channelling Kim Kardashian, size 14 model Tia Duffy recently showed off just some of the contents of her lingerie drawer as part of her viral #BeBodyAware campaign to urge other girls to love their curves too.

In the past, I used to have to go shopping for an entire day just to find a bra in my size, recalls the Dubliner, who has moved to Toronto where shes been snapped up by Plutino Models. Now with lots of brands doing lingerie for curvier women its become a lot easier.

In Canada, you often see men shopping for lingerie for their girlfriend in stores like Victorias Secret. Personally, I prefer to buy my own.

Padded or plunge, boyshorts or thong, Embrace Lingerie founder Reenagh McCall believes nice undies have the power to prevent women from feeling pants.

Teodora Sutra wears Bluebella Julianna chemise, 45, Passionata bra, 50, and Passionata brief, 28, from the The Lingerie Rooms at Brown Thomas

Lingerie is extremely important for a womans confidence, says Reenagh, who founded the Connemara-based company five years ago.

Every woman should own at least two properly fitted, comfortable bras that express her personality, whether through colour or style, and make her feel good about herself. Seamless knickers are also a must.

The best lingerie will act as an invisible structure for your clothes, allowing them to drape over curves, and conceal imperfections, but it also needs to be beautiful in its own right.

Racy red and seductive black may be synonymous with V Day, ahead of the international day of love though, on-trend pinks got just as much kink, the experts agree.

Pink is one of the key trends in lingerie for spring, says BTs Rosyln Ellis. Fuschia, in particular, is fast becoming the new everyday colour  and makes a great alternative to traditional red for Valentines day.

As for styles, underwire bras like the Calvin Klein one worn by Kendall Jenner are becoming more popular with young women, while full briefs now outsell thongs almost three to one.

Dublin-based stylist Natalie Svikle adds: There is a fine line between tasteful and tacky and red is certainly one of those colours you have to be careful about.

If you feel youre in the danger zone, Id recommend staying away from scarlet altogether, and going for something a little bit more sophisticated such as pewter or fuschia.

Meanwhile, there are lots of really sexy bralet and camisoles out there which can serve as a good alternative to a bra if you want a bit more cover.

Smooth Support bra, 89.50, and Smoothing Hourglass knicker, 57, from embracelingerie.com

Modelling a little burgundy number from Lidls new lingerie collection, single Vogue Williams proved you dont have to spend a million dollars to look it in the boudoir this Sunday.

At 7.99, the budget giants lace bodysuit is about 21,498 cheaper than a bondage-style playsuit previously sold by Agent Provocateur, and 8,942 less than what Lewis Hamilton reportedly spent on lingerie for Rihanna last year.

Lingerie can be very expensive, says Natalie. For the likes of [celebrity lingerie designers] Stella McCartney or Heidi Klum, youre looking at at least 100 for a set.

I suppose you have ask yourself is it something youre buying just to entertain your man for one night, or is it something that youre buying as a treat for yourself to work into your daily lingerie wardrobe?

If youre only buying it for one night, I really dont see the point in paying 100 for a set. For practical underwear that you plan to wear on day to day basis however, it is absolutely worth spending as much as you can afford.

For guys gearing up to brave the lingerie departments Father Ted-style today and tomorrow, size matters, says Reenagh McCall: Lingerie is a great gift if you get it right. The most important thing is to buy to her taste.

Take a peek at her favourite bra to see what size is on the label and think about colour too. Scarlet might suit Valentines Day, but she will probably prefer a gift she can wear more than once.

Empower, dont objectify, and if you feel like all this is too much to take on, go for shoes instead.

Lingerie buyer Rosyln Ellis says when she started on lingerie shop floor 13 years ago, she served plenty of men. But I think theyve definitely gotten a bit braver over the years.

Whereas in the past they would have just come in and picked up something black and sexy in her size, now theyre browsing our online store to get some ideas first. Theyll still ask for advice, but already have an idea of the type of styles and colours she likes, and want her to feel good about herself.

Meanwhile flying solo this February 14, single Natalie Svikle jokes shed just have to treat herself instead: Sexy lingerie can transform your love life, as well as your confidence. For me, though, its all about making the most of your natural assets, rather than trying to create some fantasy version of yourself.

For guys who feel out of their depth in the lingerie department, my advice is to get her a gift voucher  that way she gets what she really wants for Valentines Day, and so do you!

GET FRUITY ...
For instance, the lines from Lisa Swerlings little book Me Without You would give anyone the warm fuzzies: Me without you is like sky without blue, foot without shoe, hair without do, cow without moo, kung without fu and on it goes).

And, of course, theres also the matter of Lent. Surely anyone who has sworn off chocolate, wine and/or merrymaking will be granted something akin to a plenary indulgence during the annual celebration of yearning.

All of that has to be on the plus side, yet Valentines Day is an uncomfortable reminder of a niggling question that just has to be asked  what has romance ever done for us?

Has it not just filled us with notions and made us hanker after the giddy beginnings of things?

How could anything possibly live up to those earliest breath-stopping representations  in print and on screen  of affairs of the heart?

Im old enough to remember the original BBC adaptation of Poldark (1975, as you ask). Even then, I knew that in the real world romance would probably not be accompanied by thunderclaps and cymbal clashes but, at the very least, there would be a horse galloping across a rugged, unforgiving landscape.

Its interesting to see that last years hit series starring Aidan Turner laid on the galloping-horse scenes with bosom-heaving regularity. That notion of romance clearly still has currency.

In general, though, romance has proven impossible to pin down. It is a shapeshifting, amorphous thing that shows flashes of itself in the pages of novels, in smash-hit romcoms and, hopefully, on days like tomorrow over countless candlelit dinners for two.

Lets hope a little bit of magic fairy dust graces everyones table this weekend. We all want to be set a-flutter but what a disappointment this years Valentines Day advice has been.

This week, an endless stream of countdown to cupid emails plopped into my inbox, exhorting me to shower (Im not joking), shave, exfoliate, apply fan tan and take on board a few handy hair-loving tips to achieve the lustrous locks we all want on the day of love.

That last one made me want to ring up Janis Ian and say, Like you, we learned the truth at 17, Janis,  that love was meant for beauty queens/And high-school girls with clear-skinned smiles  but nothing has changed.

Which one of us doesnt remember the Valentine that never came and waiting, in vain, for that pink envelope to fall on the hall mat? Certainly there will be people out there this weekend who will experience the same awful sting of some imagined rejection.

Its not entirely the fault of those selling stuff to make us beautiful, though they do play a role. Lets hope that in todays media-savvy world most of us are discerning enough to know that those peddling lustrous locks are selling hair product and not romance.

Real romance, as we know from countless novels, starting with Jane Austen and as many romcom movies, is the story of girl meeting (the wrong) boy and then discovering that Christmas-jumper wearing, arrogant Mr Darcy is really the one for her.

What is encouraging about this recurring version of events is it acknowledges that the path to true love never did run smooth, though it invariably dangles the carrot of a happy-ever-after ending.

There are more gritty versions of the romance story  Wuthering Heights, for example  where rapture is tempered with a good deal of agony and the tale of love turns not on the others presence but their absence.

But where does that leave us? The happy-ever-after version is far more appealing but it lulls us into a false sense of security and puffs us up with expectations that are bound to fall short.

The Heathcliff version is cruel and cold and no amount of rapture is worth that kind of torment.

So is romance real at all? Many argue that it was invented, though not, of course, in any tangible sense like the internal combustion engine or penicillin.

Some historians pinpoint the Middle Ages and ideas of courtly love as the start of romance as a cultural phenomenon, but the fire of passion must surely be older than that. What about the Greeks who went to war over Helen of Troy, or Cleopatra and Antony or the cycle of Irish myths that tell the passionate story of Fionns best warrior Diarmuid, who fell for Grainne?

The idea of romance, it seems, has been around for a long time, though its hard to know how people understood it. However, judging from the hints those myths and legends have left behind, romance always seems to have had a big, all-consuming presence, sweeping its participants away on a highly charged journey.

Who wouldnt have high expectations, which brings us back to that awkward question: what has romance ever done for us? Is it fair to say that it has set us up for a fall, filling our heads  as it does  with dreams that are never quite attainable?

It has certainly left us confused and given us many reasons to be cynical. But people, in general, arent cynical. Ask them about the most romantic thing their partner has ever done for them and you might be privileged enough to hear about the small, thoughtful acts of deep love and appreciation that keep those lucky enough to be in relationships together and happy.

Some favourites: he once made me a necklace of daisies; she tucked a Snickers bar into a rolled-up pair of socks in my suitcase when I was away on business. Add your own to the list and dont let anyone browbeat you into thinking that romance is what is pushed on us on Valentines Day.
I HAVE an octogenarian female relative who has definitely been getting cockier as this general election campaign has progressed. Shes an avid follower of current affairs, has strong views on all sorts of subjects, and she simply adores Fianna Fail.

In the 2011 general election she did not vote for the party, a decision which may have been easy for many, but for her was done with a heavy heart. There was about a year afterwards when she spoke only in hushed tones of her beloved party, but the volume has been steadily increasing since.

She wasted no time after Thursday nights TV3 debate in phoning to praise Micheal Martins performance, and voiced her dislike of the concentration by others on what is over and done with.

You can hear the satisfaction in her voice, that sense that things in the political world are correcting themselves after the aberration of a few years when her chosen ones were in the political desert. There is no way she will be loaning her vote to Fine Gael this time around.

We knew already that the FF leaders greatest strength lies in his debating skills, but he has been surpassing expectations, even managing the amazing feat in the debate of putting Taoiseach Enda Kenny totally on the back foot on the issue of health; how rich this is considering Fianna Fails and his own history in this area. Imagine, you find yourself thinking, how far this man could go, but then you remember the less than supportive political party behind him and his general inability to marshal his troops.

When it comes to debates the bar is set very low for the Taoiseach Enda Kenny. He has now gotten his first campaign debate over with and probably feels relatively confident. These sort of forums, with some many people involved, dont allow for deep probing on facts and figures, which does not suit him.

On the flip side though, unlike his Fianna Fail counterpart, Enda Kenny is a past master at marshalling the party troops.

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If one story of this campaign thus far has been the failure by Fine Gael and Labour to get any sort of momentum behind them, the other story is the manner in which Fianna Fail has managed to insinuate themselves into the space where they say they are standing up for decency and ordinary Irish people who are doing their best to raise a family and deserve their night out.

But like so much else in this campaign what is hard to judge is exactly how much support is out there for Fianna Fail. Prior to kick off the consensus was that they would not perform well in Dublin, but that is now being revised. In the case of my relative there is no longer any sense of shame in shouting out her Fianna Failness.

But even in the good times there was a phenomenon where people were known as shy FF voters who didnt like to say openly they would be voting for the party. How prevalent is that phenomenon now, post the economic crash? For how many of those questioned by pollsters is it the love that dare not speak its name?

There are a number of imponderables involved in attempting to guess at how this election will turn out and we would need a crystal ball to get clarity on them at this point. In the absence of Mystic Meg-like talents we can only speculate as to why the bounce which Fine Gael and Labour had been counting on happening during the campaign, has not occurred yet, and simply may not happen.

What the two Government parties had been counting on was that the people whove been telling pollsters they hadnt yet decided how to vote, or who were opting for Independents would fall hook, line, and sinker for the Governments promise to keep the economic recovery on track as voting day got closer. So far enough people either dont care or have not been frightened enough by the threat of economic chaos. Perhaps, as Patrick Coveney, the brother of Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney, speculated, it is because the rising tide has not lifted everyone and loads of people have been left behind.

We do have significant numbers of people telling the pollsters they are concerned about the health service and other public services and expressing concern on what we might loosely call the quality of life issues. This is the vein which Fianna Fail has been mining. It could be seen as an encouraging maturity on the part of the Irish electorate, but on balance Irish voters do have a history of giving this sort of lip service ahead of a general election, and then voting on the basis of the money that will be put in their pocket.

Anyway even if there are a serious amount of voters out there who will give their vote to Fianna Fail in the privacy of the ballot box, it would still not be enough to bring FF back into a coalition Government as the bigger party. Micheal Martin has been hinting at the possibility of some sort of a deal with Fine Gael post election. But what would be in it for the party, especially in the long term, to be the smaller party in any coalition arrangement?

Fine Gael will be thinking long and hard this weekend about how to get their campaign properly on track. They had a shaky start, compounded by the horrendous shootings in Dublin which did damage to Sinn Fein, but also got to the heart of Fine Gaels claim to be the party of law and order.

They will also have an eye to what is going on internationally, but funnily enough will avoid drawing too much attention to it. They will want to continue the myth that we are in our own little general election bubble here in Ireland where it is realistic and reasonable to suggest getting rid of the universal social charge at a cost of some 4bn. In fairness to them they are far from the only ones promising goodies, with pledges on childcare and pensions from the other parties. Its worth pointing out here the headline in yesterdays Financial Times Day of turmoil as negative rates strike fear into global markets.

The sense that central banks can no longer be relied on as the ultimate backstop for the system has helped trip markets into something close to panic, reads a line from an accompanying analysis piece on the front page.

Funny if you were confining yourself to observing the Irish election campaign youd have no sense at all of that mounting panic.

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ESI Media said The Independent, launched in 1986, will become the first national newspaper title to move to a digital-only future. It did not reveal how many of the 150 full-time staff would lose their jobs.

The move comes after the papers owners Alexander and Evgeny Lebedev agreed a deal to sell its cut-price sister paper I to regional publisher Johnston Press for around 24m (30.9m).
Niagara Regional Police Constable Phil Gavin said Edgar Latulip was aged 21 when he took a bus to the Niagara region, where he suffered a head injury that robbed him of much of his memory.

Mr Gavin says Mr Latulip went on to live in the area for the next 30 years, but recently began having memory flashes that led him to believe that he was living under the wrong name.

Mr Latulip shared his concerns with a social worker, who searched his name and discovered that he was the subject of a long-standing missing persons investigation  just 120km away.

Mr Gavin says Mr Latulips identity has now been confirmed through a DNA test and police are preparing to help him make contact with his surviving relatives. I dont think anyone that Ive spoken to has heard of a case like this other than a story made for TV, said Mr Gavin.

Mr Latulip was living in a local group home at the time of his disappearance. He was developmentally delayed and functioned at the cognitive level of a child.

He had made suicide attempts in the past, and family members feared he had travelled to Niagara Falls for another attempt when he vanished in 1986.

His mother, Silvia Wilson, who later moved to Ottawa, described her surprise when she received the news by telephone from a police detective.

I dont know what to think. I was just kind of blown away, said Ms Wilson, 76, describing her son as a troubled boy.

I want to talk to him and help him out any way I can. I just want to see him.

Mr Gavin, who said he could not comment on Mr Latulips life prior to his disappearance, said he did make it to the Falls before travelling to nearby St Catharines.

Mr Gavin said its unknown how or when Mr Latulip received his head injury, nor when his memory began to return.

The first evidence of those recollections came in January when Mr Latulip revealed suspicions of his past identity to a local social worker.

A Google search turned up a newspaper profile, prompting her to reach out to police. Mr Gavin said the results of Mr Latulips DNA test came back, leaving the 50-year-old with much to process.

Hes got a lot to take in to remember his old identity, he said. Theres nerves. You havent seen your family members in all these years and now a reunification process. I think its a lot to take in.

For investigators, it was a case that began before the technological revolution and  combined with the fact that Mr Latulip lived a low-profile life off the social media radar  made it more difficult to solve than recent disappearances.
The ruling said the employee of a city-owned water utility did not appear at the office and did absolutely no work from 2007 to 2010 before his retirement in 2011. The judgment did not specify how the workers absence went undetected for so long.

The decision marked the end of a legal process lasting for years after city officials sought the penalty and the worker appealed against it. The civil servant cannot be named due to privacy laws.

Broken heart syndrome

SCOTLAND: Scientists are to explore for the first time the long-term effects of so-called broken heart syndrome. The condition, known to medics as takotsubo cardiomyopathy, often follows an episode of acute stress such as a bereavement, accident, or divorce.

Researchers at Aberdeen University will study the long-term effects of the untreatable and little-understood condition, which sees sufferers experience heart attack-like symptoms such as chest pain and shortness of breath.

Green party beer

SCOTLAND: The Scottish Greens have unveiled a new election weapon  their own brand of craft beer.

Harvies Hoptimistic is said to reflect the partys positive attitude going into Mays vote.

The Greens produced their own homemade campaign ale during the referendum but this time they turned to Glasgow craft beer makers Jaw Brew.

Terrier terror

ENGLAND: A seven-year-old terrier had to be rescued by firefighters after it got stuck in a wood stack in a national park.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service sent its animal rescue specialist to help the effort to retrieve seven-year-old Bernie, after he got trapped under the wood at Beaulieu. A spokeswoman said: Crews from Lyndhurst and an animal rescue specialist rescued Bernie the seven-year-old Parson Jack russell cross yesterday after he barked up the wrong tree.

Glenn Frey Drive

USA: A suburban Detroit school board has approved naming a stretch of street after the late Eagles star Glenn Frey.

Glenn Frey Drive will run alongside Royal Oak Middle School  the former Dondero High where Frey was a student. The school board voted 12-0 to rename part of Willis Avenue after Frey.

Frey was born in Detroit and grew up in Royal Oak. He died last month in New York at the age of 67, of complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia.

Snapchat robbery

USA: A photo of money posted on Snapchat led to a home invasion and robbery in Boca Raton, Florida.

An armed robber held a butchers knife to an 18-year-old mans neck and disappeared with $280 (250), according to Palm Beach county sheriffs office. Officers said the two suspects knew he had cash because the victim had posted the photo earlier in the day.

The victim told investigators he recognised one of the attackers voices, whom he identified as 21-year-old Faried Said, who was arrested on charges of armed robbery with a deadly weapon and burglary.

Salamander ban

USA: Scientists have explained why the US has slapped a Donald Trump-style ban on all foreign salamanders.

The banning order, which applies to 201 species of the amphibians, was imposed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service on January 12.

While presidential election hopeful Trump has vowed to keep out Muslims who might pose a terrorist threat, the wildlife authority is anxious to stop a deadly amphibian fungus crossing the countrys borders.

Airport secret security

ENGLAND: Love-struck holiday-makers are being given a secret word to get engagement rings through airport security without tipping off their partner.

Travellers thinking of popping the question abroad to a loved one over the Valentines Day weekend just need to mention the password to security staff, who will then give them further instructions. In order to find out the word, East Midlands Airport passengers need to email love@eastmidlandsairport.com in advance or alternatively send them a direct message on Twitter.

Cake attack

RUSSIA: A prominent Russian opposition figure says he has been attacked  with a cake.

Mikhail Kasyanov told the Russian news agency Interfax that about 10 men of non-Slavic appearance entered a Moscow restaurant where he was dining and slammed a cake in his face. Mr Kasyanov, who is chairman of the opposition PARNAS party, said the men also shouted insults.

Other threats recently made to Mr Kasyanov cast the event in a darker light. Earlier this year, Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russias Chechnya republic, posted a video on Instagram that shows Mr Kasyanov in the bulls eye of a rifle.
Harris, 85, is currently serving a six-year sentence for sex offences at Stafford Prison in England.

The alleged offences date from 1971 to 2004 and relate to seven complainants who were aged between 12 and 27 at the time, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

A CPS spokesman said: We have carefully considered the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police Service as part of Operation Yewtree in relation to Rolf Harris. Having completed our review in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, we have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest for Mr Harris to be charged with seven counts of indecent assault.

The Australian-born artist and musician has enjoyed a long and varied career, which has seen him perform for the Queen of England as well as paint her portrait.

He shot to fame in the 1960s with comedic song Jake The Peg, going on to become a major television personality in the UK in more recent decades with his catchphrase Can you tell what it is yet?. Harris will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court in March.
The deal appeared to be the result of a compromise between the US, which had wanted an immediate ceasefire, and Russia, which had proposed one to start on March 1.

Although foreign ministers from the International Syria Support Group managed to seal an agreement to accelerate and expand deliveries of humanitarian aid to besieged Syrian communities beginning soon, their failure to agree on a ceasefire leaves the most critical step to resuming peace talks unresolved.

It was not clear from their comments afterward if deep differences regarding the truce and which groups would be eligible for it could be overcome.

US secretary of state John Kerry, however, defended the agreement as what the Syrian opposition wanted.

They wanted it called and defined as a cessation of hostilities. That is very much in line with their thinking and their hopes, he said.

Speaking for the group, Mr Kerry praised the results as a significant accomplishment but noted that a cessation-of-hostilities agreement, if it can be achieved, would only be a pause in fighting and that more work would need to be done to turn it into a fully-fledged ceasefire. He also allowed that the agreements made were commitments on paper only.

The real test is whether or not all the parties honour those commitments and implement them, he told reporters after the nearly six-hour meeting at a Munich hotel.

Dramatising the high-stakes nature of the Munich talks, Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev argued that a full-scale ground operation in Syria could widen the conflict.

A ground operation draws everyone taking part in it into a war, Mr Medvedev was quoted in an interview published by German newspaper Handelsblatt.

Meanwhile, humanitarian access to the battle-scarred country was to be discussed by a working group in Geneva. It is key to relieving the suffering of millions of Syrians in the short term, a durable and lasting ceasefire will be required if stalled negotiations between Syrian president Bashar al-Assads government and the opposition are to resume on or before a UN-set target date of February 25.

The talks broke down last month before they really started, due largely to gains by Assads military with the heavy backing of Russian airstrikes.

Russia had proposed the March 1 ceasefire date, which the US and others saw as a ploy to give Moscow and the Syrian army three more weeks to try to crush Western- and Arab-backed rebels
Economy The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (Feb. 13, 2016)

Telenor surges to 13.7 million subscribers; Indian conglomerate eyes Burma move; Japans Marubeni to set up fertilizer factory in Thilawa SEZ.

Telenor Races to 13.7 million Subscribers

Telenor now has almost 14 million subscribers in Burma but competition is ramping up, the Norwegian telecommunications firm said in its latest results announcement.

Telenor has been quickest out of the blocks of the two private competitors looking to tap into one of the worlds last populations to be connected to mobile phone networks. It began a staggered rollout of services only in September 2014, shortly after Ooredoo of Qatar became the first foreign mobile phone company to offer services in the country.

The incumbent operator MPT, which has teamed up with a pair of Japanese companies to modernize its services, is still thought to be ahead in terms of subscribers, with Reuters recently putting its count at 18 million.

But Telenors subscriber number quickly moved into eight figures, outpacing Ooredoo, which had only 4.8 million subscribers as of its latest results, which are from September last year.

Ooredoo Myanmar CEO Rene Meza said recently that the company was now taking a new approach to the Burmese market. Ooredoo was slashing its data tariffs and focusing on improving distribution in order to compete for a bigger mass market presence, Meza told Reuters.

If Telenors latest results, published this week, are anything to go by, the sector is already getting more competitive.

The companys results for the last three months of 2015 said Telenor Myanmar had picked up an additional 1.9 million subscribers in that period, bringing its total to 13.7 million. Telenor claims that it has 37 percent of SIM cards in circulation.

That growth was slightly slower than previous quartersTelenor put on 2.3 million subscribers in the third quarter of 2015.

Some deceleration may have been expected, considering that mobile phone penetration has exploded from below 10 percent just four years ago. But Telenor also noted a fall in the average revenue per subscription per month, or APRU, a signal of how much Telenor SIM-card holders are using the companys services.

ARPU was MMK 5,995 [$4.87], which is 4% lower than the normalised ARPU for the third quarter, Telenors results said.

While thats only a small drop, Telenor said competition could be part of the reason.

The decline in ARPU was triggered by tougher competition, coupled by network expansion into low ARPU rural areas, the company said.

In a presentation of the results, Telenor also said that 52 percent of its subscribers were active data users suggesting that Burma is fulfilling predictions that its mobile phone users will move quickly toward smartphones.

Telenor now has 4,200 phone towers around the country. It said the network rollout was going according to plan and aims to eventually have 9,000 sites.

Indias Tata Group Making Moves Toward Burma

In a sign that Burma may be beginning to live up to its promise for Indian investors, several different branches of the conglomerate Tata Sons are looking to enter the country, according to a report in the Mumbai-based Economic Times newspaper.

Tata SonsIndias oldest and one of its largest business empiresis the holding company for Tata Group, which has interests in sectors including aviation, autos, healthcare IT and telecoms. The report said that at least seven of the groups companies have zeroed in on Vietnam and Myanmar as markets that need to be penetrated.

Subsidiaries Tata Power, Tata Projects, Tata Chemicals, Tata Motors, agricultural products company Rallis, trading arm Tata International and Titanwhich makes watches and other luxury goodswere all either active or are exploring opportunities in the Vietnam and Myanmar markets, a spokesman told the Economic Times.

The demographics and the economic development stage of these countries represent a market for several products and services from the Tata group, the spokesman said.

Burma is in theory an important part of the Indian governments Act East policy, as it forms a gateway for Indian companies to Southeast Asiaone of the worlds fastest growing regions, where integration should make cross-border business easier in the coming years.

But other Asian countries like Japan and South Korea have been more prominent in Burma since the economic reforms initiated in 2011.

Indian firms are involved in oil and gas exploration in Burma, as well as pharmaceuticals, private healthcare and shipping. But there have also been reports that the slow pace of Indian investment has frustrated the Burmese government.

The Business Standard newspaper in 2014 quoted Ye Htut, the spokesman for the government of President Thein Sein, complaining about Indian businesses tendency to window shop in Burma.

Indian businessmen understand our culture, our sensitivities and our tradition. But they are not coming as much as we expected, Ye Htut was quoted saying.

Marubeni Sets Up Fertilizer Factory at Thilawa SEZ

Marubeni Corporation has announced that it is setting up an agricultural fertilizer plant in the Japanese-government backed Thilawa Special Economic Zone close to Rangoon.

The company said in a statement last month that it would begin operations in 2017, and expected to sell 30,000 tons of fertilizer in its first year, mainly catering to the rice-growing heartland around Rangoon and the Irrawaddy Delta.

Japanese firm Marubeni expects to expand this volume to 150,000 metric tons across Myanmar in 2020 while also increasing the number of products in accordance with domestic market growth, a recent statement said.

It said the Japanese conglomeratewhich operates in a number of sectors, including energy, paper and pulp, and foodstuffswas looking to expand its global fertilizer business.

In Myanmar, where the improvement of income for farmers is a crucial policy issue, Marubeni is contributing to the increased productivity of major crops such as rice and corn through its sales of effective fertilizers and experimental agricultural studies, it said.

Indonesias Pertamina Confident of Winning Fuels Tie Up

An Indonesian state-owned energy company is bidding to team up with the Ministry of Energys Myanmar Petroleum Products Enterprise (MPPE) to sell fuel to consumers in Burma, according to the Jakarta Globe.

The newspaper said Pertaminas marketing director had expressed confidence that the firm would win a tender to work with MPPE, the result of which is expected to be announced this month.

Its likely that we would win the tender, Ahmad Bambang, the marketing manager, was quoted saying.

The Jakarta Globe reported that Permatina was planning to invest $33 million in the venture, which would sell co-branded fuels from 18 depots and 12 gas stations around Burma.

The state energy company virtually controls Indonesias retail oil fuel market, thanks to its vast distribution network across the archipelago, the newspaper said.

Air Cargo Firms Will Have to Wait for Burmese Boom, Says Trade Publication

Trade publication Air Cargo World has published an article predicting that logistics companies looking to capitalize on Burmas political and economic opening may have to wait longer than expected.

The report pointed out that Japans Nippon Express has set up a subsidiary in Burma and will operate a warehouse at the Thilawa Special Economic Zone. Switzerland-headquartered Panalpina has also established an office in Rangoon to handle imports and exports by air and sea cargo, it said.

Kuehne + Nagel, also based in Switzerland, has had an office and warehouse in Rangoon since 2013, the report said. But it quoted that firms local managing director, Amol Singhal, as saying that most of the foreign investment coming into Burma was in the extractive industries, which dont normally require air freight services.

Burmas agricultural and garment exports were also not of interest to air cargo operators, the report said. Firms are interested in potentially exporting Burmese seafood by air, but this is not yet a large enough market.

Air Cargo World also analyzed the infrastructure available to companies wanting to get involved in the sector in Burma. It noted that no airlines currently fly cargo-only planes into the country, and larger aircraft do not land at Burmese airports, which may anyway not have the capacity to handle them.

Myanmar is opening up, the report concluded, but it seems a while yet until it will be ready for business.
Interview Dateline Irrawaddy: Its Fair to Say That President U Thein Sein Is Burmas Reform Icon

This week, The Irrawaddy speaks with Minister of Information Ye Htut about President Thein Seins five-year tenure and the medias role in the country.

Kyaw Zwa Moe: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy. This week I will speak with the sole spokesperson for President U Thein Sein as well as Minister of Information U Ye Htut. We will talk about the successes and failures of President U Thein Sein over the past five years, and if the state-run propaganda newspapers of the Ministry of Information will be needed once the democratic government has fully come to power. We will also talk about [Ye Htuts] plans for after he retires. Im Irrawaddy English Editor Kyaw Zwa Moe.

The five-year term of incumbent President U Thein Sein is ending soon. What are his top three achievements out of all of his political and economic reforms?

Ye Htut: The most important achievement is that the government brought those who were outside political life and not involved in the 2010 election, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, into the political process. The second achievement is that the government initiated a process of ceasefire negotiations that could lead to political dialogue for the very first time in our country. And the third is that the government reintegrated Burma, a former pariah state, into the international community. If Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is said to be Burmas democracy icon, its fair to say that President U Thein Sein is Burmas reform icon or the icon of a Burma Spring.

KZM: One or two years after President U Thein Sein took office in 2011, he was recognized by both Burmese people and by the international community as a real reformist. But after 2012, some criticized that the reform process has slowed and even stalled. Why did this happen?

YH: It is because of high expectations. When we initially assumed power, people did not have trust in us. They had low expectations. After we saw a degree of success [with reforms], peoples expectations grew. The president and our cabinet, however, have very limited capacity. First, we do not have much experience and expertiseone of our weakest points. Second, the presidents mandate stated in the Constitution is limited. Under such circumstances, the government could not meet the expectations of the people. Still, looking back, it is fair to say that we have come a long way. More importantly, along the way, we were able to avoid bloodshed and transition to a relatively stable stage with few problems.

KZM: We found that U Thein Sein, as the top leader of the country, could have done more regarding constitutional reform and other important issues. But he didnt. Why?

YH: He stated both in his first and final speech that the first five years is really just the first stage of reform, and if the 2015 election could be held peacefully and freely, [the country] would be able to move on to the next stage. It is his strategic goal. You said the president could have done more. Yes, there were many things he could have done along the way to gain political popularity. But then

KZM: For example, [the suspension of] the Myitsone Dam helped him gain popularity.

YH: Yes, there are also many other things. But when the chance to gain popularity by pleasing the crowd was at odds with the stability of the reform process, the president sacrificed the opportunity to grow in popularity for more attention to his strategic goalto get through 2015 in a stable way. Rather than focusing on getting re-elected, he focused on holding a peaceful election in 2015 and ensuring that whoever won the election could take power peacefully. Therefore, he had to leave certain things untouched. And unfortunately, that has drawn criticism.

KZM: We recognize the international community has given credit to the reforms initiated by the president. Burmese expats have also come back home. But the results of the 2015 election strongly indicate that people do not like President U Thein Sein or his government or his party. Can this be said to be a failure or a success for the president?

YH: Firstly, the fact that people voted freely in 2015 is a success of the presidents reforms. Secondly, the views of the people on the president, and the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and the former administrative mechanism may be different. People may like and support the president personally, but they may simply not want the old system and its procedures.

KZM: Here I would like to question how much the president understands about the will of the people. The president on his visit to Irrawaddy Division said that we have made changes. What more change do you want? If you want more, go for communism. Doesnt this imply that he does not understand the voices and wishes of the people?

YH: It is not like that. The president was talking about the political system. He wanted to stress that the country has already adopted democracy and that there is no other system to switch to and that we need to improve this system [democracy]. But because his speech was taken out of context, it could lead to some misunderstandings. To which I say, take a look at the speeches he has given and the acts he has carried out during his term, and it is easy to see that he listens to the voices of the people. He did what he could within the current framework, striking a balance between what is possible and what should be done.

KZM: Why has the Ministry of Information still existed throughout the reform process? Why do state-run newspapers, which are widely regarded as propaganda for the government, still exist?

YH: It is because you private media outlets do not tell all the things that we want to tell the people. Thats why we need to be here.

KZM: But doesnt that look like propaganda to a democratic society?

YH: Every government wants to convince its people of its policies. This has also been true for the US government. This was explicitly termed propaganda in the past. It was later changed to public relations, and then to public diplomacy. In essence, every government has to mobilize public support and has to use the media in doing so. In countries where media pluralism flourishes, [the government] uses private media outlets. In countries like ours, however, where private media dont report the things they dont want to, there must be a government-run newspaper and media, I think. Thats why we exist.

KZM: But doesnt this tarnish the image of democracy in a country thats in transition?

YH: Rather than arguing about if the existence of an organization is in line with democracy or not, I would focus on whether the existence of that organization contributes to the flourishing of democracy. There are [similar] organizations in different forms under different names in different countries. In my view, the existence of the Ministry of Information does not affect the development of media or Burmas democratic transition between 2010 and 2015. Frankly, that you can talk to me now, face to face, is only because our Ministry of Information invited you and recommended you for an entry visa.

KZM: The Ministry of Information abolished pre-publication censorship in 2012, providing a great deal of press freedom. But your ministry could have granted greater press freedom. Why didnt you do that?

YH: We need to strike a balance between taking big steps and making sure each step we take is concrete. There is huge room for improvement in terms of the legal and market conditions of our media environment, and weboth state-run and private mediahave yet to improve ourselves much in terms of ethics and expertise. So again, we are just trying to make sure each step is concrete. The president has said that taking fast steps will help us win credit, but if the consequences of being fast can affect the countrys stability, we will sacrifice popularity to focus on what should get done.

KZM: If the incoming NLD government decides to keep the Ministry of Information and offer you the minister position, what will you do?

YH: I have written my history with U Thein Sein. I would not play on another team. Even if the NLD decides to keep the Ministry of Information, it should appoint someone who has grown with the party and knows its policies, more precisely, those of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

KZM: Should state-run newspapers like Kyemon, Myanma Alinn and the Global New Light of Myanmar continue to run under the incoming NLD government?

YH: I have trained the state-run media how to acquire the ethics and expertise, which are needed to create public service media. My staff members have improved from only being able to put out [in newspapers] the news given to them to making reports from various angles. This is what I have done for the ministry as a whole. For individuals, I have trained them to be able to work shoulder to shoulder with their peers in the world of private media, even if the Ministry of Information and state-run newspapers are abolished. I believe that my staff personnel will be able to survive in the media world whether or not the ministry continues to exist or not. And Im proud of myself for having done this.

KZM: Daw Aung San Suu Kyis NLD government will seemingly abolish the Ministry of Information bit by bit, and privatize the state-run newspapers. Will they be able to do it easily over a short amount of time? What is your advice to them?

YH: Firstly, I want to tell the ministers who are to take the reins of the ministries that everyone has his own expectations and has formed his own preconceived idea of the ministries they lead. When they actually assume office, however, they should forget these ideas for a while and try to understand the nature of the ministry and staff members before making changes. Otherwise, they will not be able to reach their goal smoothly.

KZM: Suppose the Ministry of Information and state-run newspapers cease to exist next year. Do you think press freedom in Burma will be much better than it is now?

YH: Whether press freedom will improve or not has nothing to do with the existence of state-run newspapers, I dont think. It depends on two thingsif media pluralism can be maintained, and if the government will be able to build good relationships with private media.

KZM: You said you have no plan to work with the new government. So what have you planned to do after March 31?

YH: Firstly, I will rest for three months. Then I will do a scholarship or fellowship with an educational organization. Afterward, Ill try to write about my experiences with the reform process. Ill work together with local NGOs that are engaged in raising the political awareness of the public, if there are such NGOs.

KZM: Do you have plans to establish [an NGO] of your own?

YH: I dont. But Ill also write political reviews on my Facebook and write essaysthis is an interest that Ive recently taken up.

KZM: Will you continue to be a man of the media?

YH: Ill be a citizen journalist.

KZM: Referring to what you just said, what do you mean by scholarships?

YH: It is not a scholarship. It is a fellowship. If there are organizations interested in Burmas affairs and if they want, Ill give lectures on my experiences and take part in discussions and write a paper, if possible.

KZM: We heard that President U Thein Sein will continue to chair the USDP. The USDP may rise again in 2020. If that were to happen, would you have any ambitions to re-enter politics or re-engage with the administration?

YH: It is said that a weeks time is pretty long in the political world. And you are asking me about the next five years. I dont know.

KZM: So it is still early?

YH: Yes, it is still early. I will be able to tell you around January 2020.

KZM: Thank you.
This Week in Review

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
This year marks the 100th year since the great Einstein published hi general theory of relativity, and to mark the centennial year, scientists have found something Einstein predicted as part of the theory: gravitational waves.

"We have detected gravitational waves. We did it," said David Reitze, executive director of LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. The observatory has one goal: to detect gravitatonal waves.

The announcement was made in front at the National Press Club in Washington in the presence of other LIGO researchers and National Science Foundation head France Cordova.

The gravitational waves, defined as ripples in space-time, is said to be created by the merging of two black holes. The gravitational waves described by Reitze is made of one black hole with the mass of 29 suns while the other was the equivalent of 36 suns. Each, however, was perhaps 50 kilometers (30 miles) in diameter, as reported by CNN.

"More than a billion years ago, the two collided at half the speed of light. Gravitational waves pass through everything, so the result traveled through the universe for that time before reaching Earth," CNN states.

The revelation was received with so much excitement by astronomers and physicists. Hearing the recording, because the evidence of gravitational waves is captured in audio form, the would mean that astronomers are now able to hear the official soundtrack of the universe.

"Until this moment, we had our eyes on the sky and we couldn't hear the music," said Columbia University astrophysicist Szabolcs Marka, a member of the discovery team. "The skies will never be the same."

"Einstein would be beaming," said Cordova.

The proof that gravitational waves exist consisted of what scientists called a single chirp. It was played during the news conference Thursday.

"That's the chirp we've been looking for," said Louisiana State University physicist Gabriela Gonzalez, scientific spokeswoman for the LIGO team. Scientists said they hope to have a greatest hits compilation of the universe in a decade or so.

Some physicists said the finding is as big a deal as the 2012 discovery of the subatomic Higgs boson, known as the "God particle." Some said this is bigger.
Bobby Flay and Giada de Laurentiis' relationship might be purely rumor, but the effect it left on the public proved to be very negative. As rumors suggested, the Food Network hosts started dating in secret while they were still married with their respective spouses.

After they both divorced, speculations quickly spread that the two continued seeing each other. Now that the rumors are starting to die down, Bobby is allegedly trying to win his fans back by launching a new mini-series with his daughter Sophie.

"Flay invited his 19-year-old daughter, Sophie, to join him for a miniseries of cooking tutorials featuring a few of Sophie's favorite recipes: chocolate chip pancakes and tomato pesto pasta," She Knows reported. "Despite being the daughter of Flay, one of Food Networks' best-known chefs, she really doesn't know much about cooking, as evidenced by her jokes about eating eggs for every meal."

"Flay walks her through the recipes, teaching her in ways that can also teach viewers how to make the yummy-looking dishes," the article continued. "Family time never tasted so good."

Bobby's move proved to be very effective as his show received a lot of positive feedback. Viewers shared that they found the father-daughter chemistry to be endearing and natural.

Meanwhile, Bobby is rumored to have started dating again and it involves another popular TV personality, Chelsea Handler.

"Bobby Flay and Chelsea Handler arrived at the Blue Plate Oysterette in Santa Monica, California - gasp - together on Wednesday, January 27," Celeb Dirty Laundry revealed.

"Apparently the duo wasn't trying to hide the fact that they were together. Bobby and Chelsea did sit at a back table the fellow diner revealed - and described Flay and Handler's behavior as flirty. 'It looked like a date,' the source said."

Stay tuned for more Bobby Flay and Giada de Laurentiis updates here!
Breaking News: Mount Prospect Man Who Took Life Of Arlington Heights Resident Over Cannabis Gets 60 Years In Prison
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More than 20 years after landing its first development, the Milwaukee County Research Park's focus is shifting from selling land parcels to operating its business incubator  including plans to seek outside funding.

There's a good reason for that change: The Wauwatosa business park is nearly out of land.

"We're getting out of the real estate development business," said Guy Mascari, the research park's executive director.

The transition took a big step forward on Tuesday. The board of the nonprofit corporation that operates the research park approved plans to transfer its assets to the Milwaukee Regional Innovation Center Inc., another nonprofit group.

That vote came after the County Board unanimously approved the transition in December.

That new group will be operated by a 15-member board. It will include six private-sector people who reflect diverse professions, and four academics from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Medical College of Wisconsin, Marquette University and Milwaukee Area Technical College.

The five remaining members will be appointed by County Executive Chris Abele, County Board Chair Theo Lispcomb and Wauwatosa Mayor Kathy Ehley.

The outgoing research park board has nine private-sector and academic members, and six government members, including five from the County Board.

Mascari said adding more academic members will help the group draw more start-ups for the research park's incubator, known as the Technology Innovation Center. The center is an attractive location for new businesses launched by college faculty and staff members, he said.

Also, Milwaukee Regional Innovation Center, unlike the Milwaukee County Research Park Corp., is a 501(c)3 organization. Such groups are allowed to accept tax-deductible donations.

That's important.

The research park's business incubator needs central air conditioning, new windows and other costly improvements, said Mascari and David Dull, board chair. Dull is president and chief executive officer of Allis Roller LLC, a Franklin contract machining and fabrication company.

The new group will seek government grants, as well as donations from corporations, foundations and individuals, to help pay for those improvements.

The 80,000-square-foot incubator was originally built in 1915 as Muirdale Tuberculosis Sanitarium. The incubator opened in 1993, when it was partly remodeled for small tech businesses.

Abele and the County Board last year approved plans to lease the incubator to the research park for $1 annual rent. That lease includes an option to buy the incubator for $1, with that property sale scheduled to occur by April 1.

Previously, the county paid for the incubator's maintenance costs while getting part of the rent paid by the building's tenants. With the new lease and upcoming property sale, Milwaukee Regional Innovation Center is responsible for those costs and keeps all of the rent.

So far, the maintenance costs have been about what was expected, Mascari said.

The incubator has an occupancy rate of 88%, Mascari said, but in 2015 had record annual revenue of $843,000.

That higher rent level was tied to creating more lab space for Agro BioSciences Inc., the incubator's largest tenant. Lab rents are typically more than double the rents of office space, Mascari said.

Mascari hopes to attract more tenants like Agro, which has more than 8,200 square feet.

The business, which develops microbial products, was founded in 2013. It has grown from three employees to 28 during that period, said Tom Rehberger, president.

The incubator provides lab space at a relatively low cost  a big help for start-up businesses, Rehberger said. It also provides equipment, including an autoclave, that is shared by tenants at a reduced cost, he said.

"It's been a great way for us to expand," Rehberger said.

The focus on the incubator comes as the research park is running out of land to develop.

The park, which is west of Highway 45 and south of W. Watertown Plank Road, was first proposed in 1985. But its development lagged until the mid-'90s.

In 1994, PrimeCare Health Plan Inc., now part of United HealthCare Inc., one of the nation's largest health insurers, bought 15 acres to develop the research park's first office building.

Mascari was hired in 1995 to draw more developments. But there was little interest because county officials wanted to lease parcels to businesses, instead of selling them.

Local commercial real estate brokers helped persuade the County Board in 1996 to allow land sales.

The park began drawing developers and tech-oriented businesses, including GE Healthcare, and now has companies totaling about 4,500 employees.

Through November, the land sales totaled $16.8 million, with the county providing $5.5 million to the research park corporation under the 1996 agreement, according to a county report. The research park used that to fund its operations, including the incubator's 1998 expansion.

Wauwatosa spent $55.4 million to help develop the park, including $27.6 million to help finance GE Healthcare's facility.

Property taxes from the new developments paid those funds back by 2015. The park now generates $4.8 million in annual property tax revenue for the city, its school district and other local governments, said John Ruggini, city finance director.

The park's newest project, the $23.5 million Meadowland Research and Technology Center, will be completed in June. The city is spending another $4.5 million on Meadowlands, with those funds to be paid back within an estimated 15 years, Ruggini said.

Developed by Irgens, the four-story, 155,000-square-foot building will be anchored by insurance software provider Zywave Inc., which will move from the park's Mayfair Woods building.

Meanwhile, VJS Development Group LLC has agreed to buy around 3 acres and the former sanitarium powerhouse. The firm plans to build a four-story, 132-room hotel on the lot and a brewpub within the former powerhouse.

If VJS Development completes its $2.6 million purchase, the research park will have about an acre left for development, Mascari said.

The transition amounts to a success story for Milwaukee County, said Patricia Jursik, an outgoing member of both the research park board and County Board.

"I think Milwaukee County has done a good job of developing this," she said.

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An effort to make more grant money available for The Water Council in Milwaukee is losing steam as the state Legislature's session winds down.

The Water Council would receive $1 million in grants funded by Wisconsin taxpayers over the next two years under a bill that was passed on Thursday by the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee.

Senate bill 526 is a watered-down version of the Milwaukee trade association's wish list, which was contained in two bills that would have given the organization $10 million of grants and a 25% tax credit for water research done by its members.

The Water Council is not specifically named in the bill, but it is essentially the only organization in the state that would meet all of the criteria for getting the money.

The council, which lobbied for the legislation, has not yet determined what it would do with the grant money, said Dean Amhaus, president and chief executive officer. However, the trade group is planning to put together a proposal for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., which would administer the grants.

"We're going to be very judicious on how we use those dollars; it's toward the mission of economic growth for businesses that are here, starting new businesses and attracting businesses from other areas," Amhaus said.

The bill, however, is not on the Assembly's calendar and probably won't be voted on in this legislative session, which could end next week, said Rep. Adam Neylon (R-Pewaukee), one of its sponsors.

Neylon said he is "not comfortable" with the bill now that the tax credit component has been nixed. "I like the idea of clusters around the state in a variety of industries and having incentives to invest in the companies that are developed through those clusters," he said.

"I support the cluster strategy approach, but I have serious questions about both these bills," said Sen. Julie Lassa (D-Stevens Point). "WEDC has already made over $1.3 million in grants to the Water Council since 2012, so I'm not sure why (the bill) is needed."

The committee on economic development, which originally evaluated the water bills, never got any information about which industries besides water would be affected by the proposals, said Lassa, one of its members.

The Water Council has 185 members, and most are companies in the water technology area, Amhaus said. The group doesn't track the amount of academic or industrial water research done in this region, but Amhaus said that some of the most robust industry segments here are industrial water treatment, wastewater treatment, and water energy efficiency.

The council in January received a $750,000 grant from WEDC to help it create a second, smaller Global Water Center in Walker's Point that it has said will provide space for graduates of the council's business acceleration programs, as well as other companies.
Kendrick Lamar leads the Grammy nominations with 11, including Album of the Year for Butterfly. Levy predicts hell take that one home. Credit: Associated Press

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When Taylor Swift's "1989" sold 1.3 million copies in its first week alone, I pictured scores of Grammy voters immediately filling out their ballots, eager to reward the pop superstar for bringing some positive sales news to a beleaguered industry.

But a mountain of music has come out since that album's release on Oct. 27, 2014. There was Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp a Butterfly," the most universally lauded album in years, according to review aggregator Metacritic. The Weeknd and Chris Stapleton saw critical and commercial breakthroughs as well, meaning Swift no longer seems untouchable.

Is it possible she won't even win a Grammy on Monday? That's doubtful...but so is a sweep. Here are my predictions for who will win in the Grammy Awards' four big categories  all of whom, I believe deserve to win this year.

Album of the Year

Nominees:"1989," Taylor Swift; "Beauty Behind the Madness," the Weeknd; "Sound & Color," Alabama Shakes; "To Pimp a Butterfly," Kendrick Lamar; "Traveller," Chris Stapleton

What will win: Swift's "1989" may have been a phenomenon, but it's also more than a year old at this point. Its sales success, while indisputably impressive, pales compared with what Adele accomplished with "25."

Lamar has the most Grammy nominations, and "Butterfly" provocatively and powerfully addressed thorny topics like black-on-black violence and materialism through a fresh, possibly seminal, jazz-inspired sound. It's destined to be remembered as an important work, and it's hard to fathom the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences snubbing Lamar again after overlooking him completely in 2014.

Record of the Year

Nominees: "Blank Space," Taylor Swift; "Can't Feel My Face," the Weeknd; "Really Love," D'Angelo and the Vanguard; "Thinking Out Loud," Ed Sheeran; "Uptown Funk," Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars

What will win: Megaproducer Max Martin is up for both "Space" and "Face," effectively splitting votes. "Loud" is a pretty quiet song to win in a category that focuses on performance and production. "Love" was likely tossed in there so the Academy looked like it had some credibility. Instead, I pick the ubiquitous "Uptown Funk" for the win, which allows the Academy to celebrate a blockbuster hit, a superstar and respected veteran producer Ronson with a single prize.

Song of the Year

Nominees: "Alright," Kendrick Lamar; "Blank Space," Taylor Swift; "Girl Crush," Little Big Town; "See You Again," Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth; "Thinking Out Loud," Ed Sheeran

What will win: This will be the part of the show where the inexplicably shocked Swift picks up her trophy. "Blank Space" was the strongest track on "1989," where, for the first time, she wrote not from the perspective of a hopelessly romantic victim, but as a toxic heartbreaker, blaming herself for the end of a new relationship before it begins. (And, since Martin co-wrote the track, he can pick up an award here after losing out on Record of the Year.)

Best New Artist

Nominees:Courtney Barnett, James Bay, Sam Hunt, Tori Kelly, Meghan Trainor

What will win: The Grammys wouldn't be the Grammys without at least one major upset, and this year, I think it's happening in the best new artist category. Bay, Hunt, Kelly and Trainor are all polished, pop-friendly artists, while comparatively, Barnett is the renegade, the '90s rock-channeling critics' darling juxtaposing droll vocals with razor-sharp lyrics.

Piet Levy will be tweeting during the Grammys Monday; follow him at twitter.com/pietlevy.

Look for a recap of the awards Tuesday in the Journal Sentinel and at jsonline.com/music.

IF YOU WATCH

What: The 58th annual Grammy Awards

When: 7 p.m. Monday

What channel: WDJT-TV (Ch. 58)
I'm not eager to let schools off the hook because they have large numbers of low-income and minority students. There is a spectrum of records of success for schools with concentrations of high-needs students. Some do decidedly better than others. That keeps me wondering why more schools can't get to at least the level of those schools.

But you have to be out of touch with reality not to see how much the income of students' families and neighborhoods match with test scores and other measures of a school. The same is true, unfortunately, for race, which often but not entirely parallels income.

Even a brief contemplation of, say, Brookfield East High School (87% not economically disadvantaged, 4% African-American) and the not-so-far-away Milwaukee Vincent High School (44% not economically disadvantaged, 93% African-American) is enough to drive home how much education experiences differ along with income and race.

There seems to be a surge of attention at the national level to the impact of segregation in education. I have a surprisingly thick stack of studies and articles from just the last several weeks. Most, but not all, are from what I'd call the more liberal side of the spectrum, but there is broad attention being paid to the inequalities and impacts on opportunity shaped by segregation.

The emphasis now isn't on racial integration and court-ordered plans, which cities, including Milwaukee, went through in the 1970s. The focus now is on economic integration, which is to say, how to increase the economic diversity of a school's student body.

Actions that leaders might take to increase such diversity could include changing school or school district boundaries, creating more schools with specialty programs that attract diverse students, or pairing schools with different populations for enrollment purposes.

This new batch of pieces I've seen includes:

A blog post from Kara S. Finnegan, a professor at the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester, and Jennifer Jellison Holme, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, that focuses strongly on Milwaukee. They wrote, "School segregation by race and poverty is one of the underlying causes of school failure. ... It has been largely overlooked in federal and state educational policy in recent decades."

They wrote, "Policymakers have sought to address symptoms (i.e. failing schools, high dropout rates) with various solutions (accountability, market-based reforms) and yet, while some of these steps make the problem somewhat or temporarily better, the underlying maladies persist and, in fact, often serve to undermine those very reform efforts."

Finnegan and Holme include a set of maps focused on economic and racial trends in the Milwaukee area that show "over the course of four decades, segregation and the concentration of poverty in Milwaukee grew even more severe." They conclude, "These segregation patterns are important to educational policy because they correspond closely with perceived patterns of school 'failure.'"

In "Education Next," a quarterly based out of Harvard and Stanford, Steven Riskin, a professor of economics at the University of Illinois at Chicago, concludes that the average black student nationwide now goes to public school with more white students than a half century ago, but fewer white students than 30 years ago. "The rate of exposure has declined markedly since 1988," he wrote.

Does segregation hurt education? "The best answer, in my view, is that the consequences of racial segregation for student learning are probably adverse, but not severely so," Riskin concluded.

The National Bureau of Economic Research, a nongovernment group, issued a paper that concludes that poor minority students in segregated schools are more likely to get involved in crime than those in integrated schools.

The Milwaukee picture

So what about the Milwaukee area? Several points:

We've earned a nationally recognized reputation for a high degree  some claim the highest in the U.S.  of racial segregation.

When court-ordered racial desegregation of Milwaukee Public Schools began in 1976, MPS was about two-thirds white. In following years, hundreds of thousands of white people left the city. MPS is now 13% white.

As segregated as the Milwaukee area is, some suburban communities and their schools have changed significantly in recent years. West Allis-West Milwaukee schools are now 45% nonwhite. Wauwatosa schools are 35% nonwhite. For Brown Deer, the figure is 71% nonwhite.

But for suburbs further from the central city, student bodies remain overwhelmingly white. For example, Port Washington-Saukville and Oconomowoc are each 89% white. Muskego-Norway is 91% white and less than 1% African-American.

The long-standing Chapter 220 program supporting voluntary city-suburban transfers to promote integration has declined for years. Legislative action in 2015 stopped new students from enrolling. Only 1,300 previously enrolled students are going from the city to the suburbs now, down from more than 5,000 in the 1990s. There is substantial evidence that the open enrollment options that allow students to go to school in other districts actually increase segregation.

Who's in favor of doing something to increase integration these days? Around here, almost no one in any community.

Yet it's so easy to see the prices paid for the chasms in our midst. It makes you wonder if some fresh thought and action is needed.

Alan J. Borsuk is senior fellow in law and public policy at Marquette University Law School. Reach him at alan.borsuk@marquette.edu.
Milwaukee mayoral candidates (clockwise from top left) Ald. Bob Donovan, Mayor Tom Barrett, James Methu and Ald. Joe Davis. Credit: Journal Sentinel files

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More than 1,300 city residents cast ballots during early voting in the spring primary election, Milwaukee election officials say.

Early voting, which began Feb. 1 and ended Friday, drew a total of 1,351 people, said Neil Albrecht, executive director of the City of Milwaukee Election Commission.

The primary is set for Tuesday, with polling places open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.

The primary ballot includes the mayoral race, with Mayor Tom Barrett facing three challengers, Alds. Joe Davis and Bob Donovan as well as political newcomer James Methu, and seven of the 15 Common Council races. It also includes races for the state Supreme Court and Milwaukee County executive.

The top two finishers in each primary will advance to the April 5 election.

Albrecht has said the city doesn't typically see this much interest in early voting for a spring primary.

The surge in early voting also came amid a push from former Ald. Michael McGee, who served time in prison after being convicted of taking bribes and other crimes. McGee, who celebrated getting his voting rights back by casting a ballot at City Hall on the first day of early voting, also announced that he was starting a new "We Built This City" movement.

Despite the apparent surge of interest in early voting, there's also been some confusion about it because the state's voter ID law took full effect this year after the last of a string of lawsuits was resolved. Wisconsin residents are now required to show photo identification at the polls.

State election officials have launched a voter education campaign, complete with a bringit.wisconsin.gov website and a toll-free number, (866) VOTE-WIS. People can also check out myvote.wisconsin.gov to find out whether they are registered to vote, where to vote and what will be on the ballot.

There are some exceptions to the photo ID requirement, such as for absentee voters who are active-duty military or who have difficulty getting to the polls because of age, illness, infirmity or disability.

Wisconsin's voter ID measure was passed in 2011 but was in place for just one previous election  a low-turnout primary in February 2012  before it was blocked by a judge. The law remained blocked as four challenges to the law  two in state court and two in federal court  were considered.

Photo ID to vote

Voters who have moved or changed their names need to re-register to vote. Those wishing to register to vote need to bring a proof of residence document, as Wisconsin law no longer allows a "corroborating witness" to provide proof of residence. Documents that can be used as proof of residence include a current and valid Wisconsin driver's license or ID card, real estate tax bill or receipt for the current or previous year, utility bill or bank statement. Other proof of residence documents that may be used can be found here.
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders: One word (M-O-R-E). Credit: Rick Wood

In the canon of 2016 presidential election political pandering, one episode stands above the rest. In August of 2015, Democratic presidential aspirant Hillary Clinton invited her Twitter followers to explain their feelings about student loan debt to her. "Tell us in 3 emojis or less," she requested.

If you are a college student who communicates via emoji, the only appropriate emoji for you to be using is one of a diploma engulfed in flames. But as evidenced in last Thursday night's presidential debate in Milwaukee, Democrats' messaging hasn't gotten any more sophisticated.

Instead of three emoticons, both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders can distill their campaign messages into four simple, traditional letters: "M-O-R-E."

While Republicans are earning the rap as being the "dumb party," Democratic campaigns continue on their mission to promise "more" things to "more" people. Running a Dem campaign is simple: If you think something is good, just say we need "more" of it. If we need expanded health care, let's spend more. If college students don't like paying tuition, let's give them more money to go to school.

During Thursday's two-hour debate, candidates used the word "more" over 40 times. Among the list of things we need "more" of, according to Clinton and Sanders: Families paying taxes to fund universal health care, people on government-run health care, information on fixing the criminal justice system, federal dollars in communities with persistent generational poverty, rich people paying taxes, money in the Social Security fund, government infrastructure jobs, and on and on. Both candidates agreed that America needs more of pretty much everything  they only disagreed about the degree to which government should control every aspect of our lives.

That's primarily because Sanders is the iron-fisted ruler of a kingdom that exists only between his ears. According to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal, Sanders' plans would cost taxpayers $18 trillion over a decade. There is no dollar in your pocket over which he doesn't salivate, as he believes higher taxes are the salve that cures all the nation's ills. From racism to criminal justice reform to higher education to income inequality, Sanders' knee-jerk invocation of "millionaires and billionaires" is repetitive enough to make Marco Rubio supporters cringe. (Number of times "Wall Street" was name-checked during the Democratic debate: 25.)

By reflexively promising "more," of everything, Democrats are emulating the arch-villain of overpromising, Republican Donald Trump. The New York billionaire titillates the lowest common denominator simply by offering "more" stuff and "better" leadership. Without even pretending to issue any specifics, Trump has promised everything from a more terrific military to classier health care to a tremendous economy to better-looking baristas. And as much thought is needed to generate these musings as there is to just mindlessly utter the word "more."

Indeed, at Thursday's debate, the candidates were asked to answer a Facebook question about whether there were any areas of government they'd like to reduce. Suddenly, the loquacious Sanders turned into Marcel Marceau, mumbling about general "waste and inefficiency" in bureaucracy. Sanders not offering a single specific was the equivalent of lighting his podium on fire and running off the stage, hoping nobody noticed. Out of the over 16,000 words spoken at the debate, the candidates spent 1.4% of them answering the question about ways to reduce government.

This is certainly conservatism's biggest handicap; explaining how smaller government and less regulation ultimately benefits citizens is more difficult than simply waving government's finger and decreeing things to be so. But if we want plausible, specific solutions from our politicians during this election season, we could use a lot less of "more."

Christian Schneider is a Journal Sentinel columnist and blogger. Email cschneider@jrn.com. Twitter: @Schneider_CM
County Executive Chris Abele (from left) and his three challengers, Steve Hogan, Joe Klein, and state Sen. Chris Larson, participate in a candidate forum Feb. 4. The four will square off in Tuesdays primary, with the top two finishers advancing to the April 5 general election. Credit: Rick Wood

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Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, who ran unopposed for re-election four years ago after one year in the office, faces a trio of challengers this spring.

State Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee), the best known and best funded of the opponents, is joined by Joseph T. Klein and Steve Hogan.

The top two vote-getters in Tuesday's primary will compete in the April 5 spring election.

Abele said he is asking voters to hire him for another four-year term based on a record of accomplishment.

Last month, he made good on a pledge to end long-term institutional care of mental health patients at the troubled Mental Health Complex in Wauwatosa.

Abele, 49, said other measures of his success as executive include: reducing the county's projected deficit by more than $70 million since he took office in 2011; proposing balanced budgets five consecutive years without raising taxes; and supporting bus transit services by adding route miles without raising fares.

Lowering the deficit required fiscal discipline, he said.

Abele also has reminded voters that he boosted job training opportunities with new programs such as UpLift MKE and added 150 acres of additional parkland.

Abele was first elected in 2011 in a special election to fill the final year in Scott Walker's term after Walker was elected governor. Abele was re-elected to the executive post a year later.

Abele generally finances his own campaigns and has reported personal loans to his re-election bid of $2.75 million since July 1.

His campaign had a cash balance of $904,193 as of Feb. 4, according to a pre-primary finance report. Between July 1, 2015, and Jan. 31 of this year, Abele spent $1.59 million on broadcast and print advertising and other media services, according to campaign finance reports.

Larson, a former county supervisor, was elected to the state Senate in November 2010.

A central theme in Larson's bid to unseat Abele is his pledge to restore checks and balances in county government.

Larson, 35, has accused Abele of "power grabs," with the support of a Republican-controlled Legislature, that eroded the authority of the County Board.

As a recent example, Larson reminds supporters of an amendment to the state budget law adopted in July  requested by Abele  that removed the board from oversight and a decision-making role in the sale and lease of county-owned land not zoned for park use.

Larson has proposed legislation to repeal the amendment.

At a forum inside the Washington Park Senior Center this month, Larson pledged not to sell Mitchell International Airport or the County Zoo if elected executive.

Larson's campaign platform also includes a promise to boost maintenance of county parks.

He has criticized Abele for accepting authority from the Legislature to appoint a special commissioner who could take over a limited number of underperforming Milwaukee public schools each year.

Abele has said he does not intend to take control of any Milwaukee public school but will work with district leaders to provide additional services for students at underperforming schools.

As of Feb. 1, the Larson campaign reported a cash balance of $28,227. He reported total contributions of $90,882 between July 1 and Feb. 1.

Klein is unemployed after a career working in IT with a variety of companies, including a few computer technology start-ups. He is a member of the Communications Workers of America.

He is a veteran of the Wisconsin Army National Guard for more than 20 years and was deployed to Iraq for 12 months in 2006 and 2007.

Klein, 58, ran unsuccessfully for an Assembly seat in 2012 and for county executive in 2004.

His campaign website lists as core policies those of the Wisconsin Pirate Party. He is a member. Among those policies are: protecting civil rights and a right to privacy; asserting freedom of information; and a belief in open, transparent government.

When asked about the Legislature's move to cut the board out of decisions on sales of non-park land, Klein said the law should be reversed and suggested Larson remain in the Legislature to help do that.

He is self-funding his campaign largely because contributions from others are not coming his way, Klein said.

From July 2015 through the end of January, Klein reported spending $764.46 and contributing the same amount. He had a cash balance of $145 as of Jan. 16, his pre-primary campaign finance report said.

Hogan is a carpenter, retired U.S. Navy officer and former commanding officer of the Milwaukee Naval Reserve Center.

He ran unsuccessfully for several Oak Creek and Franklin municipal offices in the early 1990s.

Hogan, 69, pledged not to sell any parks. He would place any proposed sale of non-park land on a referendum for citizens to decide, Hogan said.

In a discussion of funding bus transit services at the forum, Hogan said that after the five-county Brewers stadium tax sunsets in several years he would use the 0.1% sales tax to help pay for bus service in the region.

In self-funding his campaign, Hogan is not accepting contributions and has claimed he is exempt from reporting campaign finances.

His total spending will be much less than the $2,000 threshold that triggers reporting under state law, Hogan said. As of early February, Hogan said he had spent about $600.
We Energies doubles rate increase sought for residential customers

We Energies is seeking a 13% increase in residential electric rates in 2023, about twice the increase it is seeking for large industrial energy users.
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Four occupants of a Sun Prairie residence were displaced by a fire reported about 12:07 a.m. Saturday, according to the Sun Prairie Fire Department

Firefighters found heavy smoke and fire coming from the house in the 900 block of Pilgrim Trail. Crews searched the first and second floors and extinguished the fire in about 10 minutes before more fire was discovered in the basement.

Crews remained on the scene until 6:26 a.m.

The residents are being assisted by the American Red Cross. One resident was transported for smoke inhalation.

Damage is estimated at $185,000 and the cause remains under investigation.
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

Despite the announcement at Munich of a cessation of hostilities in Syria, to be implemented in the next week or so, all the major fighting forces in Syria have announced a determination to soldier on.

According to the London pan-Arab daily al-Hayat [Life] , Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov not only said that the cease-fire did not apply to Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) or al-Qaeda (the Nusra Front or Support Front) but he also said it did not apply to the the Freemen of Syria, the Army of Islam and other terrorists. He accused Turkey of being behind all the Syrian terrorist groups. But he said there could be a cessation of hostilities with other rebel groups.

Most of the fighting in Syria is between the Syrian Arab Army on the one side and groups like Daesh, al-Qaeda, the Freemen of Syria, and the Army of Islam on the other. So if they arent included by Russia, it means the fighting will just go on.

In particular, al-Hayah says that the Russians are determined to take all of Aleppo as quickly as possible and that hasnt changed.

At the same time, Saudi Arabias foreign minister reaffirmed that his countrys goal is to overthrow the government of Bashar al-Assad. Saudi Arabia has been considering sending troops to Syria. These bruited plans drew from Moscow a warning of world war III.

Then Bashar al-Assad, the strongman at the head of the Syrian regime, came out and said that he intended to retake all of Syria, even though that task might take a long time.

These statements dont sound like a cessation of hostilities to me.

There is more. The rebel groups in east Aleppo, which the regime has not yet retaken, have just announced that they got new deliveries of Grad missiles to use against the Syrian Arab Army (presumably from the CIA and Saudi Arabia through Turkey). Most of the rebel groups in east Aleppo are relatively moderate and shouldnt be defined even by the Russians as terrorists, but one has a sinking feeling that they will be. And that they will be starved and that non-combatants in that area will be bombed indiscriminately. If there was any chance the Russians would treat them as moderates rather than terrorists, one suspects that the new weaponry, with a range of 12 miles and aimed directly at the Syrian army, has ended it.

Meanwhile, the YPG or leftwing Syrian Kurdish militia based in the western canton of Afrin has seen an opening to move east, with the defeat of al-Qaeda and other forces just north of Aleppo. They took a small military base just south of Azaz, a key town on the supply road down from Turkey to east Aleppo. Now they are besieging Azaz itself. If the Kurds take that city, they clearly hope to fight on east until they reach Kobane, thus uniting all three major Kurdish cantons to form their hoped-for Rojava region. Syrian Kurds maintain that this Rojava would be a state in a future federal Syria, and that they arent seeking secession or an independent Syrian-Kurdish state. Nevertheless, Turkey is extremely upset by the YPG advances and is determined that Afrin wont be joined to Kobane (which would have the effect of cutting off the ability of Turkey to supply its Salafi clients among the rebels in northern Syria). It would also however, cut off Daesh from its supply routes up into Turkey, which NATO should consider a positive even if Ankara does not.

So in all likelihood, Turkey will do what it can to stop the YPG Kurdish advance.

It is to be hoped that in as much of Syria as possible there will be a cessation of hostilities and that food can be delivered to civilians who are being starved by the various sides. But the big war fronts seem likely to continue to be hot.



Related video:

Syria conflict: World powers say progress made  BBC News
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By Adriana Maestas | TeleSur |  

The problem with promoting Cruz and Rubio as Latino leaders is that they have turned their backs on the Latino community with their policy positions.

In the primary race for the Republican nomination for the president, it was noted that in the Iowa caucuses Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida placed first and third respectively with both earning over half of the Iowa GOP caucus goers support. This week in New Hampshire, Cruz placed second and Rubio came in a disappointing fifth place. Yet, there has been some speculation that the first Latino president or vice president could be a Republican, and in La Opinion, one of the oldest Spanish language daily papers in the U.S., there was a piece titled, Why dont we celebrate Cruzs victory in Iowa?

The problem with promoting Cruz and Rubio as Latino leaders is that they have fundamentally turned their backs on the Latino community with their policy positions. For instance, Cruz has said that he would triple the border patrol, put in place a biometric identifying system, and deport criminal, illegal aliens. Rubio has turned his back on the immigration bill that he co-sponsored in 2013, which would have given a pathway to citizenship to millions of undocumented immigrants. Rubio, like Cruz, has also called for more immigration enforcement even though the Obama administration has set records for deportations. For children of immigrants, these candidates have effectively distanced themselves from the immigrant community, of which Latinos constitute a large percentage.

When it comes to issues other than immigration, Cruz and Rubio have consistently remained to the right of the larger Latino community in the U.S. Both candidates have campaigned against Obamacare, the Presidents signature health care law that has given the Latino community the largest gains in insurance coverage since enrollment in the program began in 2013. Latinos have been supportive of raising the minimum wage with 84 percent indicating that it should be increased to $10.10 an hour. Both Cruz and Rubio voted against a proposal to raise the minimum wage in 2014.

Jeff Kuhner is talking up Ted Cruzs appeals to Latinos in a general election, saying he cant lose because of it. https://t.co/LNkyN0ZU3v  Teddy Schleifer (@teddyschleifer) February 4, 2016

And beyond policy, Cruz has never identified as a Latino. Born Rafael Edward Cruz to an Irish-American mother and Cuban father, and known as a child by the nickname Felito, Cruz opted to be called Ted when he was 13. On the other hand, Rubio has been more apt to bring up his parents immigration story and speak in Spanish on the campaign trail, but his Latinidad is rooted in his Cuban heritage and shaped by representing Florida, a state where 31 percent of Latinos identify as Cuban and 27 percent of Latinos identify as Puerto Rican. About a quarter of Floridas population is Latino.

The majority group that falls under the Latino umbrella in the U.S. is Mexican-American or Chicano. People of Mexican origin are nearly two-thirds of the Latino population in the U.S., and a majority of Mexican-Americans live in the Western states. Only 3.7 percent of Latinos in all of the U.S. are of Cuban origin.

Mexicans do not enjoy the special immigration privileges that Cubans do, despite sharing a border with the U.S. Under the wet feet, dry feet policy, Cubans are not subject to deportation once they arrive on U.S. soil, whereas Mexicans migrating to the U.S. to escape poverty or drug war violence without documentation are subject to removal by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Some Mexican Americans can trace their ancestry in the U.S. to a time when the Southwestern states belonged to Mexico, which means that their roots in this country pre-date those of both Cruz and Rubio.

Marco Rubio  much less Ted Cruz  probably wont attract many Latino voters to the GOP: https://t.co/ImT03fySW8 pic.twitter.com/p6LONABoYP  New York Magazine (@NYMag) January 12, 2016

When pundits and the political establishment assume that because Cruz and Rubio share Spanish surnames and can be classified as Latino, it cannot be taken for granted that people of Mexican descent view them as members of their community. Furthermore, many Mexicans call themselves Chicano, rejecting the government label of Hispanic or the preferred term in the media, Latino. The term Chicano comes from the word Mexica, the name for the Indigenous people of Mexico who inhabited the region prior to the arrival of the Spanish. Chicano acknowledges the Indigenous ancestry of Mexicans. In addition, Chicano is often considered a term of self-determination and recalls the struggles of the Chicano movement in the 1960s and 1970s when this community was fighting against police brutality, protesting the war in Vietnam, and demanding that their history be taught in schools. Cruz and Rubio have done nothing to acknowledge the history of the Chicano movement or the political battles fought by members of the largest group of Latinos in the U.S.

It might be convenient for the political establishment and the media to portray Cruz and Rubio as Latino leaders. However, the majority of people who are classified under this label largely reject both candidates and the policies that they promote. When Cruz and Rubio are advanced as Latino leaders, it sets Mexican-Americans up to be represented by candidates who do not share their history and current struggle. Politically conscious Chicanos will not go along with the staging of Cruz and Rubio as members of their community in this election cycle because these candidates have never shown solidarity with them, nor are they signaling in their campaign rhetoric that they are inclined to in the future.

Via TeleSur

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Related video added by Juan Cole:

CNN from last month: Marco Rubio attacks Ted Cruzs voting record
MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Feb. 12, 2016) - Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd (the "Company" or "Osisko") (TSX:OR) is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced $50 million financing with Ressources Quebec, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Investissement Quebec. Under the terms of the financing, Ressources Quebec subscribed to a $50 million convertible debenture which will mature in five years and will bear interest at an annual rate of 4% payable quarterly. Ressources Quebec will be entitled, at its option, to convert the debenture into common shares of the Company at a price of $19.08 at any time during the term of the debenture. Osisko has paid a 1% financing fee to Ressources Quebec and will reimburse its costs incurred in connection with the financing.

About Investissement Quebec

Investissement Quebec's mission is to foster the growth of investment in Quebec, thereby contributing to economic development and job creation in every region. The Corporation offers businesses a full range of financial solutions, including loans, loan guarantees and equity investments, to support them at all stages of their development. It is also responsible for administering tax measures and prospecting for foreign investment.

About Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd

Osisko is an intermediate mining royalty and exploration company with two world-class gold royalty assets. These two cornerstone assets are a 5% net smelter return ("NSR") royalty on the world-class Canadian Malartic gold mine, located in Malartic, Quebec, and a 2.0-3.5% NSR on the Eleonore gold mine, located in James Bay, Quebec. Osisko also holds a 2-3% NSR royalty on certain claims comprising the Island Gold Mine, a 2% NSR royalty on the Lamaque South Project, a 3% NSR royalty on the Malartic CHL property as well as a 2% NSR royalty on the Upper Beaver, Kirkland Lake and Hammond Reef gold exploration projects in Northern Ontario. The Company also owns a 9.8% equity interest in Labrador Iron Ore Royalty Corporation.

Osisko's head office is located at 1100 Avenue des Canadiens-de-Montreal, Suite 300, Montreal, Quebec, H3B 2S2.
Houston, Tx , USA , 02/12/2016 /SubmitPressRelease123/

During his 2016 State of the Union address, U.S. President Barack Obama announced plans for what he called a moon shot in cancer research. The name refers to a massive investment in funds dedicated to quickly advancing cancer research in much the same way that the space program that was pushed in the 1960s put a man on the moon. As more is learned about what will be done to accomplish this far-reaching goal, it has become apparent that U.S. veterans will play a key role in the project by contributing their blood.

Where members of the Army, Navy, Marines and other armed services have shed blood on the field of battle in the past, their newest contribution will be to provide blood to a Veterans Affairs project called the Million Veterans Program. The program has been in place for six years already, and it is collected blood samples from veterans so that researchers can use them to study illness. Because there are so many illnesses like mesothelioma, which veterans are at particular risk for, it is thought that their blood samples will prove to be of particular value. Where in the past, researchers have been required to identify and recruit people with a specific illness in order to test their blood, the repository will allow scientists to simply request a specific type of sample from what has already been collected.

Dr. Mary Brophy is director of the repository, which has already collected 1.8 million vials of blood. In explaining the advantage that the repository will provide, she says, If I want to do a study in Gulf War Illness, before I would have to go out and find all these patients with Gulf War Illness, do it myself, then get the samples, store it and sent it out to a research lab. The biorepository eliminates those time consuming steps by making the VA the go-to place for medical researchers.

Because veterans make up more than one third of those diagnosed with mesothelioma, it is likely that the Million Veterans Program will be of great use to those studying the asbestos-related disease. Veterans who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma already receive many important benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs, but the process of showing that a mesothelioma diagnosis is caused by exposure during military service can be complex. The asbestos attorneys at Danziger & De Llano can help you with this process, as well as explain other ways that you may receive compensation for your illness. Call us today at 800-818-5043 to set up a free consultation.

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Jolene Lloyd, founder of Ojai contemporary art space Galerie102, passed away on January 7, after a prolonged illness. She was 54.

Housed in a craftsman-accented bungalow renovated by Lloyd, Galerie102 opened in March 2013 just two short, treelined blocks from Ojai's historic central cafe and boutique district. Its wood and glass exterior opened into a an airy white gallery space hosting monthly group and solo exhibitions of emerging, mid-career, and established artists. The roster included Allie Pohl, Aaron Farley, Britt Ehringer, and Ashley Macomber, occasioning works in painting, mixed media, sculpture, photography, and video.

Lloyd and her former husband moved to Ojai from Los Angeles in 2008, mainly seeking a more serene place to raise their young daughters. But its idyllic mountain valley setting also reminded Lloyd of her home state of Colorado, and she always felt at home there. "Ojai is a very spiritual, beautiful, and serene environment," she said in a 2014 interview with 805 Living magazine, and spoke often of her appreciation for the town's history as a destination for artists, writers, and creative thinkers of all kinds. Prior to opening the gallery, she had served as the chairwoman of the city's Historic Preservation Commission, a position she left to devote more time to the gallery, which she regularly described as "the ultimate labor of love."

Elisa Berry Fonseca and James Wills, installation view of "Cycles and Spires" at Galerie 102, August 23 - September 21, 2014.

Though a long-held dream, Lloyd's decision to open her gallery happened at the end of 2012, a short time after beginning a new round of intense medical treatments. "I'd take her to L.A. once a month for the treatments," says friend Dorcas Young, "and she'd always want to make a day of it -- shopping, gallery and museum hopping, fancy lunching. Then one day at the end of 2012, we were stuck in a horrible traffic jam, and she just looked at me and said, 'I'm going to open an art gallery.'"

By March of 2013, after about six months of construction and simultaneous program-building as well as the branding and public outreach with the able help of Helen Solomon, they opened the doors of Galerie102, and from that moment on for Lloyd it was all about the art, and the artists. Lloyd described her mission statement as being "dedicated to thought-provoking contemporary and conceptual art by emerging and mid-career level artists," and it was clear she was guided equally by intuition and passion. "I like to think of our artists as 'outsider/insider,'" she told 805 Living magazine, "which means, whether or not they've gone to art school (some have others haven't), they represent risk-takers who consistently think outside of the box and turn out cutting-edge art." Her program was diverse in style and medium, and she often met artists through serendipity as well as recommendations from friends and advisors.

Allie Pohl, installation view of "Ideal Woman" at Galerie 102, March 14 - April 12, 2015.

Lloyd approached the job of curating as a creative act in itself. Allie Pohl, an L.A.-based artist who showed with Galerie102, recalls meeting Lloyd through the Internet, partly because they'd both lived in Denver and remained connected to the scene there. "She came over for a studio visit, which was the first time we met. I was so impressed with how decisive and clear she was with the pieces she wanted and the direction she wanted her gallery to go," Pohl says. Another L.A.-based artist, Britt Ehringer, met Lloyd through a mutual friend living in Ojai who thought they'd hit it off. "The next time she was in L.A.," recalls Ehringer, "we went out, played pool, drank tequila, and decided to go for it. We did two shows together, the second of which just closed in November, and believe me I was already looking forward to more. She was one of the most enthusiastic, supportive gallerists I've ever known."

Lloyd's story, in art world terms, is also a story of flouting conventional wisdom -- the kind that said Ojai wasn't ready for edgy, avant-garde fine art. Galerie102 brought in artists from outside of Ojai. In a small community that takes great pride in its local artists, choosing to focus on outsiders could have been risky. But she was undaunted. Ehringer remembers how Lloyd would love to say, "I'm going to show them this stuff, and they are going to like it. Let's crack this nut."

When she opened, there was exactly one other contemporary art gallery in town. Porch Gallery was a few blocks down the street, and had only been opened about a month when Lloyd began work on Galerie102. Co-owners Heather Stobo and Lisa Casoni remember when she came to introduce herself, thinking, "Two competing contemporary galleries, both run by women, in a very small town, operating within blocks of each other? What could possibly go wrong?! But Jolene navigated those waters with grace and charm."

Britt Ehringer, installation view of "Insanely Beautiful" at Galerie 102, August 22 - September 20, 2015.

Both art spaces soon came to enjoy the support and attendance of audiences, press, and collectors from both the Ojai community and the increasingly curious Southern California-based culturati who were already transforming the town in other ways. They were moving there in droves, and spawning a new kind of foodie and design scene that was redefining the profile of this once-sleepy rustic valley. "That gallery was her dream," says Young. "It gave purpose to her life, she was radiant -- and she was bloody good at it."

Lloyd is survived by her two daughters, Erin Snett, 15, and Elizabeth Snett, 17.

Aaron Farley, installation view of "Constant Change" at Galerie 102, June 27 - July 26, 2015.

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As COVID patients have flooded into LAC+USC in recent weeks, theyve put an immense strain on its ICU capacity and staff  especially since non-COVID patients, with gunshot wounds, drug overdoses, heart attacks and strokes, also need intensive care.
"Reply 1988" actors Park Bo Gum, Ryu Jun Yeol, Go Kyung Pyo and Ahn Jae Hong experience the pitfalls and joys of the African desert in the latest teaser for tvN's "Youth Over Flowers: Namibia."

The video opens with stunning shots of the countryside with instrumentals from "The Lion King," before transitioning into the realm of bawdy variety show humor.

While Ryu Jun Yeol is driving the vehicle, Go Kyung Pyo asks a surprising question.

"Do you have underwear, Park Bo Gum," questioned Go.

Park, who portrayed Taek, a shy baduk player, tactfully responded with a short answer of "no."

Ryu infuses humor into the scene by providing a solution to the problem.

"Honestly, for underwear, we decided to go with what we have," said Ryu, informing Park of the unanimous decision to repeatedly wear their undergarments. "They say underwear are expensive in Africa."

The actors were abruptly redirected from their cast vacation in Phuket and music chart show taping to participate in "Youth Over Flowers," previously hinted at their inability to prepare for their safari.

The "Reply 1988" stars traveled through Namibia for 10 days before returning to Korea on February 2.

Anticipation for the latest addition in the "Youth Over Flowers" variety series continues to rise due to the popularity of the quartet who served as the main male cast members of the tvN '80s period drama.

In the series, Park Bo Gum and Ryu Jun Yeol dueled to win the heart of Girl's Day member Hyeri, with Park emerging as the victor.

However, the friendly off-screen relationship between the cast members is omnipresent throughout the teasers for "Youth Over Flowers."
UPDATE, 6:50 p.m.: Police continue to talk to the suspect as the standoff near 140th and Miami Streets stretches more than seven hours.

Authorities have negotiated with the suspect for hours by phone and played a recorded message from his brother. As night fell, police lit up the area with spotlights.

Officers have told people living around the home to lock their doors, stay away from windows and shelter in their basements.

UPDATE, 2:14: Tom Wheeler, chief deputy Douglas County sheriff, confirms that one woman who was inside the house has left the house and is safe. The suspect remains inside and authorities still are negotiating with him. At least one other person is in the house, Wheeler said.

***

One person reportedly was killed and another person was being held hostage at midday inside a house near 140th and Miami Streets.

Omaha police and Douglas County sheriffs deputies had surrounded a house at 2511 N. 140th St. in the Autumn Heights neighborhood and still were there after noon. Officers told people who live near the house to stay inside, lock their doors and stay away from windows.

Chief Deputy Tom Wheeler of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office told reporters at the scene that a man had called 911 and said he had been shot and his girlfriend was being held hostage.

Police headed to an area near 150th and Blondo Streets around 10:25 a.m. They searched inside and outside Covenant Presbyterian Church, 15002 Blondo St. Stephanie Hawks, the churchs business manager, said a 911 call had come in that had been transmitted by a nearby cellphone tower.

Officers didnt find anyone inside the church or on the grounds outside, Hawks said.

Police then searched the Eldorado and Nelsons Creek neighborhoods west of 144th and Blondo, but found nothing.

After 11:15 a.m., they headed to the 140th Street address. Officers then reported that someone had been killed and another person had been taken hostage inside the house.

Neighbors described the street as a quiet one made up of longtime residents.

More than 10 Omaha Police Department and Douglas County Sheriffs Office cruisers, plus an Omaha Fire Department truck and two ambulances were outside the house.
Prelates wait for the arrival of Pope Francis who will celebrate Mass at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. The pontiff's five-day visit includes a prayer before the Virgin of Guadalupe shrine, the largest and most important Marian shrine in the world and one that is particularly important to the first Latin American pope. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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There he stood at our beach party, the family doctor I grew up admiring. I timidly approached his circle of friends to announce I had gotten into medical school and would start in the fall. He stopped to attention. His friends stood watching. I couldnt conceal my smile. I thought, He is going to be so excited for me!

Get out now. Before I could respond, he continued. The profession isnt what it used to be. You should expect rising malpractice premiums, falling reimbursement, expansion of record-keeping requirements and contraction of time for bonding with patients. Youll work longer hours than all your friends, and spend less of them doing what you went into medicine for.

Though not encouraging, his words had no hope deflating me. I had just met my entering class, and I was star-struck. My classmates had organized thousands around health on their college campuses, opened free clinics in other countries, and raised millions to treat the needy. I heard that medicine was a tough profession, but never had I been in the company of such charismatic, energetic, conscientious people. What challenge could defeat us?

But a few months later, shortly after I started medical school, the cracks began to show. During my first year, A New York Times op-ed sent ripples through our classrooms. It questioned whether female physicians could take time off and still be the doctors Americans deserve. There are just too many needy patients, the author argued, to accommodate part-time work.

My classmates and I were confused. How could our older role models in medicine, who seemed so busy to us, not be taking on enough? Overachievers arent used to being told theyre coming up short. Were we prepared for a line of work in which society may tell us that what we set as our max isnt enough? Still, our response in TIME rang optimistic. We assured physicians and patients alike that we could handle what the generation before us could not.

But the second and third years of our training, immersion in the hospital, beat that faith out of most of us. My classmates, and the residents above us, spent our days on hold obtaining records, deciphering handwritten notes, and receiving faxes (faxes?!). At the end of the long days, instead of feeling accomplished, we seethed at all the time wed wasted. Seething gradually gives way to defeat and powerlessness.

First-year medical students polled say they chose to go to medical school to serve their community and make a difference. That idealism erodes by the fourth year. This resignation leads doctors to cut their hours, shift away from primary care to specialties, see only patients who can pay them more per visit, or leave clinical practice altogether. For decades, human productivity has increased in virtually every profession but medicine. Doctors productivity has actually decreased for the last 20 years.

I read these statistics about medical school graduates shifting priorities across the country. But when I saw it in my own classmates  when they said there was no way to change the health system and they would rather just spend fewer hours in it  I was devastated. My friends in medical school had taken bold actions to follow their ideals. What had changed?

I felt alone and abandoned by my colleagues who I thought would help me change the system. Had these once vocal, energetic people resigned themselves to being voiceless? Had they resigned themselves to maintaining the status quo by practicing in isolation behind clinic walls, referring patients out when they had to, and possibly never seeing those patients again? What they needed was to be part of an open community of health care providers with easy access to one another and the ability to share knowledge.

It was then, on the cusp of finishing medical school, that I had an idea. I decided to try to tear down the walls between clinicians. I left medical school, and Ive spent the last two years gathering a team of specialists across the country who are on call for primary care doctors. When primary care doctors have a question, they touch a button on their smartphone, and a specialist is there to help with the case. A team of engineers, doctors, and my sister and I work together to keep this smartphone app, Remedy, up and running.

Both specialists and primary care seem to like this interdisciplinary collaboration. Specialists enjoy the interesting cases and the ability to go on call whenever they want. They use their expertise to help primary care doctors however they can, and dont have to file a claim or redo a workup. Primary care doctors like the instant backup that allows them to manage more cases themselves.

Doctors want to do all they can for patients, but their good intentions often arent supported by the health care system. I want Remedy to help doctors do all they can for patients again. I want to bring doctors closer to the idealistic intentions they had when they first got into medical school.

Though our app is intended to keep primary care doctors from feeling isolated when they want to help their patients, it has helped me feel less alone, too. Ive met so many visionary clinicians. I no longer worry that there arent colleagues to stand with for change.

Launching Remedy has shown me that following your ideals doesnt always look the way you expected. If someone doesnt go into primary care, or chooses to practice part-time, or uses his or her medical degree for something non-clinical, its easy for others to see that choice as selling out. But Ive learned to listen for every persons highest ideals of patient care, and find opportunities for them to practice that way. In Remedys experience, when you give doctors that option, they dont disappoint.

Gina Siddiqui is founder, Remedy, Inc.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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WESLEY SCHULZ | NOTES FROM THE MUSIC DIRECTOR

I have a brother, Joshua, who is two and half years older than me. Like many mischievous older siblings, he was prone to dupe his younger brother (me) into doing silly things or believing tall tales.

One time, my mom threw away some Batman and Robin themed rubber placemats. We pulled them out of the trash and my brother cut them up into masks. He handed me a red cape, put a black one on himself and we proceeded to walk around the neighborhood looking for crime. I believed him when he said everyone would think we were cool. We were cool.

He also told me stories: legends and folktales. One in particular was the Man on the Moon. I would peer up at night and Joshua would gleefully point to the Man on the Moon who was supposedly right there in front of my very own eyes. Yet, no matter how contorted my eyes and scrunched my face, I couldn't see him. I believed my brother, though, because older siblings are usually older and wiser.

On Feb. 20 and 21, the Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra will perform a program titled "Legends." There are no superheroes (or youngsters hoping to be superheroes), but we do have a program packed with musical works that involve a fantastical, mythical, or legendary storybackdrop. Some works, like Stravinsky's Berceuse and Finale from "The Firebird" and Tchaikovsky's ballet "Swan Lake" are about mythical creatures.

Stravinsky, in collaboration with Sergei Diaghilev and his Ballets Russes, gives us music that helps tell the fairy tale involving a magical Firebird, Prince Ivan, a beautiful princess and an evil sorcerer named Kashchi. "Swan Lake" involves a similar crew of mythical birds, evil curses and prince and princesses.

The difference between this ballet and Stravinsky's is that "Swan Lake" ends in tragedy. The Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra is pleased to welcome dancers from Olympic Performance Group who will join us on stage for selections of "Swan Lake."

Jean Sibelius' 150th birthday was celebrated in 2015 and the Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra belatedly marks the occasion with a performance of one of his early works: the Overture to "Karelia." One of the most important cultural documents of Finland as well as the people of Karelia is the epic "Kalevala;" a collection of oral myths and folklore that was assembled in the 19th-century by Elias Lonnrot.

Sibelius was inspired not only by this poetry but by folk music and the people he met as he traveled around his country. When Finns first heard his "Finlandia," "Kullervo" and the Overture to "Karelia," they embraced Sibelius as the creator of their national music.

The final piece on the program is not inspired by a fairytale, but is a work shrouded in myth and legend. Modest Mussorgsky wrote a suite for piano in the late 19th century that made little impact at the time. The writing for piano was awkward, few knew the work existed, and the music wasn't published until the 20th century; after Mussorgsky had died.

It took another composer, Maurice Ravel, to make the piece famous with his orchestration, creating a world-wide sensation and masterpiece in its own right. The work, "Pictures at an Exhibition," is so famous as a piece for orchestra that many mistakenly attribute the orchestral transcription to Mussorgsky.

The original piano piece was inspired by a visit to an exhibition of the paintings and architectural drawings of the late Victor Hartman. Many deal with fantastical creatures and places, such as Baba Yaga and Bydlo, making the work at home in the program.

We all have stories to tell as we create new stories every day. Whether yours are from an ornery sibling or from beloved tales found in books, they are all spellbinding. Join us as we celebrate legends and the music they inspired by our greatest composers.

PREVIEW

BAINBRIDGE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Who: Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra, Wesley Schulz, music director; with dancers from Olympic Performance Group

What: A "Legends" program featuring works by Sibelius, Tchaikovksy, Stravinsky and Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition"

Where: Bainbridge Performing Arts, 200 Madison Ave. N., Bainbridge Island

When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 20, 3 p.m. Feb. 21 (pre-concert chat with Wesley Schulz at 2:15 p.m. Feb. 21)

Tickets: $19-$16

Information: 206-842-8569, bainbridgeperformingarts.org
Sandy Corbit of Flowers DAmour in Bremerton puts our flowers in front of her shop on Fourth Street in downtown Bremerton on Friday. Corbit says that while Internet and wire service purchases pay the bills, shed rather work with customers face-to-face.

SHARE Earl Bowers, owner of Pauls Flowers on Pacific Avenue in Bremerton, works on a rose bouquet for Valentines Day. Local florists are surviving, although nearly 40 percent of florists nationwide have gone under since 2000. Internet and telephone orders provide Pauls Flowers in Bremerton with most of its business. Sandy Corbit of Flowers DAmour in Bremerton puts our flowers in front of her shop on Fourth Street in downtown Bremerton on Friday. Corbit says that while Internet and wire service purchases pay the bills, shed rather work with customers face-to-face. Sandy Corbit of Flowers DAmour in Bremerton readies a vase for Valentines Day.

By Tad Sooter of the Kitsap Sun

BREMERTON  This was a busy week at Paul's Flowers, but you wouldn't know it from a peek inside the store.

The Pacific Avenue shop was all but empty on Thursday afternoon, even with Valentine's Day fast approaching. The bustle was all behind the counter, where Earl Bowers and floral designer Debbi Kong deftly assembled fresh bouquets.

Flower orders were piling up, but not from customers coming through the door.

"It's not about brick-and-mortar anymore," Bowers said. "The bulk of our sales are online or on the telephone."

In decades past, there may have been a line of Valentine's Day customers stretching around the block outside Paul's. But times have changed for the 80-some-year-old floral shop, and others like it. Customers are buying online and local florists jostle for Internet exposure amid a tangle of discount retailers and virtual middlemen. The New York Times reported this week nearly 40 percent of floral businesses nationwide have gone under since 2000.

Paul's is hanging in there, Bowers said, neither blossoming nor wilting. Customers still appreciate the reliability and quality delivered by local shops, he said. Some seek out the store after getting burned by a discount flower seller online.

"People want to get a good deal, then they end up coming back to the local florists," Bowers said.

Like many small floral businesses, Paul's is gravitating away from wire services like FTD Flowers, which have long driven sales in the industry. The wire services played a critical role before the advent of the Internet, said Sandy Corbit, owner of Flowers D'Amour on Fourth Street. They allowed customers to order flowers for a loved one in another city, without tracking down a local florist themselves.

Today, customers can perform that task themselves with a simple Google search, undermining the usefulness of the wire services. And since those services charge a hefty commission  about 27 percent  on orders placed with local florists, local florists have incentive to cut ties. Making matters worse, services like FTD have begun drop-shipping flowers themselves, creating more competition.

Aggravating as the arrangement may be, wire services still push business. Corbit makes 60 percent of her sales through wire services.

"It pays the bills," she said, though she longs for more walk-in shoppers in downtown Bremerton. "I'd rather serve customers face-to-face."

Consumers also seem to yearn for direct connection with their flower sellers, said Will Gross, president of Silverdale-based Flowers To Go. Gross said customers often want assurance the generically-named business really is family-owned before placing their purchase.

"Now they really try to whittle down and make and make sure we're local," he said.

Flowers To Go is preparing for a name change this year. Its seven locations will gradually be re-branded as Williams Flower and Gifts. Gross said the name better reflects the company's heritage, a positive in an industry rooted in tradition.

Whatever challenges florists may face, people will keep buying bouquets in February.

"Flowers are a great way to communicate your emotions and sentiments," Gross said. "And we're going to continue to do that."
Stuff reports:

New Zealand and Pacific Island governments have agreed to work to ensure a new submarine cable is laid across the Pacific, after meeting in Auckland.

The intervention makes it more likely that one of the two existing plans to lay a new cable to and from New Zealand will succeed, according to a Cook Islands minister.

Internet access in the Pacific is expensive and limited. For example, the Cook Islands relies entirely on expensive satellite communications to carry phone calls and internet traffic, Cook Islands finance minister Mark Brown said.

A standard broadband plan in the Cook Islands costing $49 a month comes with a meagre 6 gigabyte data cap  and with 100 millisecond lag, business is stifled and video-gaming has yet to take off.

Representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) met with delegations from the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau and French Polynesia on Thursday to discuss improving internet connectivity in the region.

The ministry has since issued a communique saying officials would present leaders with solutions for a submarine cable and satellite infrastructure to improve communications for the islands by August.

New Zealand would facilitate the planning and development phases of the project, it said.

Auckland-based Hawaiki hopes to build a $500 million cable linking Australia and New Zealand to the United States via several Pacific Islands, but has had a series of disappointments securing the last remaining $150m it requires.

Another firm, Spains Bluesky, aims to build a cable from New Zealand as far as Hawaii, also connecting other islands en route  including American Samoa where it has a subsidiary business.

Brown said representatives from private companies Hawaiki Cable and Bluesky attended the Auckland meeting and it seemed they had the most viable options to improve internet access in the region.
Hope you can solve a mystery for me. I purchased this tea set, which feels like eggshell china, in England. The only mark is the number 2049. The set consists of 11 cups and saucers, a 10-inch cake plate, cream pitcher and sugar bowl, a larger bowl, and 12 small desert plates. One of the plates has three staples in it. My question is, "Do you know when these dishes might have been made?"

Unfortunately, all I can get you is close  as in horse shoes, hand grenades and thermonuclear weapons. Hope that is good enough.

First, there is little doubt that these were made in England sometime in the 19th century. Exactly when is strictly a matter of conjecture, but I may be able to narrow it down just a bit. The "2049" found on the bottom of these piece is a factory style number and could have been used by any number of English manufacturers including Minton and Spode.

M.A.G. should take her largest piece  probably the cake plate  and hold it up to a strong light with the decorated side facing the bulb. The backside of the plate should practically glow, and, if there are any impressed marks, they should jump out and be very visible. This is a long shot, but if some kind of marking should turn up, it would be helpful.

With that said, it is time to establish some time parameters. The first is that the piece was probably not made after 1891 because after that date, most porcelain was marked with the country of origin if the maker regularly exported his goods to the United States. Second, there is no question in my mind that these pieces are Victorian, and because the cups have handles, they were probably made after 1820 or so.

But the real tipoff in my view is the blue coloration, which is much too light in hue to have been produced much earlier than the mid 1840s. Couple that with the light pinkish band that can be seen around the edges of the bowl and the cups and saucers and, in my opinion, the date of this set moves later in the 19th century. Significantly later.

Between 1842 and 1883, many pieces of English ceramics (and other items as well) were marked with an essentially diamond-shaped device that signified when the design was registered with the English Patent Office in London. There are two slight variations of this emblem and, in 1883, this was replaced with registration numerals  but not all pieces have these designations because some companies did not seek to protect their pattern for any number of reasons.

The pieces belonging to M.A.G. are feminine and perfect for a tea party or for serving dessert  except that this circa 1885 set is woefully incomplete. There is no tea pot, no coffee pot, no tazzas, no sauce boats or any of the other serving pieces that would have made this set more desirable and valuable.

In other words, it is very fragmentary, and because Victorian china has declined in value over the past 10 or so years, its insurance worth is probably less than $100. Oh, and the staples found on the one piece are a form of repair that was used in England up until the 1940s.

Submit questions to Joe Rosson, c/o News Sentinel, 2332 News Sentinel Dr., Knoxville, TN 37921, or to rossoncrane@yahoo.com. Questions will only be answered in this weekly column.
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By John R. Lott Jr.

Would you post a sign announcing that your home is a gun-free zone? Would you feel safer? Criminals don't obey these signs. In fact, to criminals, gun-free zones look like easy targets.

This week the Tennessee state Senate Judiciary Committee considered four bills that would make it easier for people to defend themselves. Three of the bills would end gun-free zones at universities. The fourth would allow permit holders who are banned from carrying guns in gun-free zones on government or private property to sue for damages.

Gun control advocates can't point to any problems with permit holders carrying gun in those places, but it hasn't stopped them from wanting law-abiding Tennesseans disarmed.

Since at least 1950, all but two public mass shootings in America have taken place where general citizens are banned from carrying guns. In Europe, host to three of the six worst K-12 school shootings and by far the worst mass public shooting perpetrated by a single individual, every mass shooting has occurred in a gun-free zone.

With dozens of cases where permit holders have clearly stopped what would have been mass public shootings, it is understandable why killers avoid places where they can't kill a large number of people.

Killers often openly talk about their desire to attack where guns are banned.

In June, the Charleston killer's first choice was to target the College of Charleston, but he chose the church instead because there were armed guards at the college. In his diary, the Aurora, Colorado, "Batman" movie theater killer, James Holmes, wrote he was considering attacking an airport and a movie theater, but he turned down the airport option because he was concerned about its "substantial security." Elliot Rodger, who shot to death three people in Santa Barbara, California, explained in his 141-page manifesto that he turned down targets because he worried that someone with a gun would cut short his killing spree.

University of Chicago economist Bill Landes and I studied the effects of 13 types of gun control laws on public mass shootings from 1977 to 1999. We found that permitted concealed handgun laws were the only effective measures in preventing or reducing the harm caused by these attacks.

Those advocating gun-free zones argue that permit holders will accidentally shoot bystanders. Or that arriving police will shoot anyone with a gun, including the permit holders. At colleges, fears are raised that students will get drunk and misuse guns.

Out of the innumerable cases in which concealed carry holders have stopped shootings in malls, churches, schools, universities and busy downtowns, no permit holder has ever shot a bystander. Nor in these cases have the police ever accidentally shot a permit holder.

Today, 12 states mandate that permit holders are allowed to carry guns on public college campuses. An additional 21 states leave it up to each university. But these legal restrictions didn't exist before the early 1990s. Students with permits didn't cause any problems on school property. Indeed, a study this past year by the Crime Prevention Research Center found that college-age permit holders in Michigan, Nevada and Texas are at least as responsible as older permit holders.

Gun-free zones are a magnet for murderers. Even the most ardent gun control advocate would never put "Gun-Free Zone" signs on his home. Let's finally stop putting them elsewhere.

John R. Lott Jr. is the president of the Crime Prevention Research Center and the author of More Guns, Less Crime.
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A look at recent events in the news that pleased us ...

Off the block: 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.

Safety center: The Knox County Commission will hold a workshop on Tuesday to discuss a proposed alternative to jail for nonviolent offenders who are mentally ill, addicted or both.

A commission committee has suggested hiring Andy Black, former CEO of the Helen Ross McNabb Center, to help drive the safety center idea forward.

Dispute settled: The city of Rocky Top and House of Bryant Productions have settled a lawsuit over the Rocky Top trademark. Rocky Top changed its name from Lake City in 2014 as part of a plan to develop and promote a tourist attraction. House of Bryant owns the trademarks to "Rocky Top," the bluegrass song beloved in Tennessee.

The agreement allows the city to use the trademarks for noncommercial purposes. A separate lawsuit between the developer of the proposed attraction and House of Bryant has not been settled.

Safety concern: Casting operations with bomb-grade uranium were shut down for a brief period last month at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant because of a safety issue near the area where uranium emissions are vented.

According to a newly released report by staff of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Board, casting operations in Y-12's 9212 uranium-processing complex were "paused" after about 2 feet of water was discovered in the operation's primary ventilation system. Y-12 spokeswoman Ellen Boatner said the water didn't pose a safety threat "but was considered an unusual condition.

Maintenance disgrace: America's national parks continue to deteriorate, with the backlog of infrastructure projects rising to nearly $12 billion nationwide. In East Tennessee, the deferred maintenance work at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has reached $232.3 million, the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area has almost $30 million in deferred maintenance, while at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park the backlog adds up to $14.9 million.
Kilimanjaro Climber, former Keurig President Headline Leadership Summit







Michelle Stacy





This years East Tennessee Womens Leadership Summit will feature a lady who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and is a former executive of Keurig.



The luncheon speaker will be Michelle Stacy who has a 35-year leadership career that led her into the seat as President of Keurig, Inc.



A morning session speaker will be Joan Wright (left). Wright led the executive leadership development program at Wachovia. She is very knowledgeable about taking action, as she demonstrated when she summited Mount Kilimanjaro.



The 11th Summit is scheduled for June 10th, 2016 at the Hilton Knoxville Airport from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Participants will be able to mingle with all of the speakers and learn more about their personal stories at a VIP Reception on Thursday evening, June 9th.



Stacy is now a professional speaker and business consultant. She serves on the boards of iRobot, the Tervis Tumbler Company, Young Innovations Inc., and The Cambridge Group (a AC Nielson Company). In everything she does, Stacy focuses on the need for leaders to be able to be a whole person. According to Stacy, Our employees need to relate to us. They need to understand who we are  not just at work, but as a whole human being.



Executive, author, and mountain climber Joan Wright promises a dynamic presentation on Friday morning. Wright is President of OSullivan Wright, Inc, and is an international speaker and leadership consultant for Fortune 500 companies. With 21 years in Human Resources Management roles with Philip Morris, Citicorp, and GE Capital, Wright was well-positioned to author her book, UP  Pursuing Significance in Leadership and Life. The book showcases her Summit Advance Model and was her inspiration to summit Mount Kilimanjaro with her husband. Their climb raised $23,000 to enable safe water, orphan care, and agricultural production for Africas most impoverished communities.



The Summit is being held at the Hilton Knoxville Airport from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, June 10th. At the end of the day, the fifth annual Lizzie Crozier French Womens Leadership Award will be presented.



Registration for the full day is $99 until April 30th; $129 from May 1st until June 3rd; $200 after June 3rd. To register, or to find more information about the conference go to www.easttnwomensls.com. Published February 13, 2016






Pre-orders for Renault Samsung Motors Co.'s new SM6 midsize sedan surpassed the 5,000 mark within a month of the vehicle's debut, a sign of strong sales figures down the road, industry sources said Saturday.



The local unit of French automaker Renault S.A., which started receiving pre-orders on Feb. 1 said the total number is surprising because it was reached in just seven working days, not counting the five-day-long Lunar New Year holiday, when people usually do not have time to peruse new cars.



"As the first cars reach show windows across the country starting Tuesday, the actual number of orders being placed may go up further," said a Renault Samsung official.



He said the initial numbers are a good start and could help the carmaker reach its annual sales number of 50,000 units for this year.



The SM6, which is a renamed Talisman, was unveiled in Jan. 13, and targets the premium mid-size sedan market in South Korea. It directly competes with Hyundai Motor Co.'s best-selling Sonata and Kia Motors Corp's K5 sedans that have dominated the local car market.



The SM6 is the sixth vehicle model in Renault Samsung's lineup that is sold in the South Korean market. It said production of the car recently started at its plant in the southern port city of Busan, with the official launch scheduled for March.



The latest model is equipped with many advanced features intended to enhance convenience, some of which are rarely seen in mid-size sedans, with the carmaker saying it wants to target people in their 30s all the way to those in their 50s.



The car will come with several powertrains, including a 2-liter GDI, 1.6-liter turbo GDI and 1.5-liter diesel mill.



Renault Samsung, meanwhile, said it expects a "minimum" 30 percent growth in domestic sales from a year earlier. When exports are included, the company aims to sell around 300,000 cars, up from last year's 230,000. (Yonhap)




By John J. Metzler

UNITED NATIONS  While recessionary winds continue to buffet the world economy, many countries are still prospering due to innovative policies which have embraced economic growth and expanded economic opportunities and grown the middle class in places as disparate as East Asia and South America. Yet, the United States, the world's largest economy, has slipped downward yet again in economic freedom according to a significant new survey.

In a review of world economies, the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based think tank, and the Wall Street Journal asserts that the American economy has declined in relative economic freedom and now ranks eleventh globally, just behind the United Kingdom. The survey used an extensive list of comparators which effect Entrepreneurship such as Regulatory Efficiency, Rule of Law, Limited Government, and Open Markets,

According to Anthony Kim, a policy analyst at Heritage, "The U.S. has fallen from the 6th freest economy in the world, when President Barack Obama took office, to 11th place today in 2016. America's decliningscore in the index is closely related to rapidly rising government spending, subsidies, and bailouts."

Regarding the survey Heritage says, "For over two decades, the Index of Economic Freedom has measured the impact of liberty and free markets around the globe, and the 2016 Index confirms the formidable positive relationship between economic freedom and progress."

So let's look at the numbers. The top five freest economies are Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland and Australia. Hong Kong, despite being a Special Autonomous Regions of the People's Republic of China, still excels at entrepreneurship and retains the coveted number one ranking. Singapore, not surprisingly, comes in second and New Zealand third.

Canada, Chile, Ireland, Estonia and the United Kingdom fill out the top ten. In all these countries a commitment to open markets and rule of law has reinforced economic freedom. Estonia, the tiny Baltic nation once ruled by the former Soviet union, is a particular success as a market economy given that the country had suffered so long under a static socialist system.

The USA ranks in eleventh place. The report adds, "Americans continue to lose economic freedom. Following declines in seven of the past eight years, the United States this year has equaled its worst score ever in the Index of Economic Freedom. Ratings for labor freedom, business freedom, and fiscal freedom have flagged notably, and the regulatory burden is increasingly costly." The survey adds however, that on the positive side, the U.S. prospers from open markets. Yet, free market capitalism, the elixir of growth, is under assault on many sides.

The report cites massive government spending and the rise of a regulatory state as hampering American efficiency and growth potential.

Following the two top ranked Chinese ethnic "city state" economies of Hong Kong and Singapore, Taiwan, a thriving and prosperous East Asian democracy ranks 14th , followed by Japan who comes in at 22nd and South Korea at 27th. The index cites South Korea as expanding economic freedoms thus allowing for open markets and monetary stability.

Columbia at 33 is the second highest ranked country in Latin America.

Looking at what's often viewed as the BRICS economies, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the index takes on a different dimension. Almost all fall under the "Mostly Unfree" category largely due to uneven reforms, rife corruption and over dependency on commodity prices. Brazil ranks 122, while India comes in at 123.

The Indian case it instructive. Despite the election of Prime Minister Modi's pro-business and reformist government, India still suffers from entrenched political and economic corruption. Equally, a burdensome and complex regulatory environment still serves as a counterweight to a smooth and efficient business environment. Nonetheless, India's economy has come a long way since the legacy of state socialism and its anemic "Hindu rate of growth."

Russia's prospects remain "bleak" according to the survey given that despite being resource rich, the country lacks an"efficiently functioning legal framework" and "government continues to interfere in the private sector through myriad state-owned enterprises." Corruption is pervasive.

China which ranks 144, is undergoing an economic slowdown. Despite government efforts to curtail pervasive corruption, nonetheless since 1978, China's economy, despite crony capitalism, was increasingly lifted from the morass of socialism into years of impressive if unequal growth.

Ranked highest among the BRICS, South Africa ranks as Moderately Free and to its credit comes in at 80 out of the 178 comparators.Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea stand at the bottom of the list. That's hardly surprising.
South Korea and the United States agreed to expand cooperation to punish North Korea for detonating a nuclear device and test firing a long-range missile, the foreign ministry said Friday.



The understanding was reached by Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his U.S. counterpart John Kerry on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), the ministry said.



The bilateral meeting between the top diplomats of the partner countries is the first since North Korea detonated its fourth nuclear device on Jan. 6 and launched a missile that can target the United States on Sunday, in direct violation of warnings issued by the United Nations and the international community at large.



The foreign ministry said that the U.S. secretary of state supported Seoul's decision to shut down the Kaesong Industrial Complex, stressing it is a brave and critical move.



The government ordered the closure of the Gaeseong park on Wednesday to show its resolve to sanction Pyongyang for its belligerent activities. The industrial complex that started churning out products in late 2004 is the last economic link between the two Koreas.



At the meeting with Kerry, Yun stressed the need to get North Korea to understand that it cannot survive unless it gives up its nuclear ambitions and that the international community must forge a "terminating resolution" that can change the entire equation when it comes to the nuclear standoff.



He added that talks with members of the United Nations Security Council revealed a shared view that North Korea must pay a high price for its provocative behavior.



In response, Kerry lauded efforts by Seoul and that such actions helped Washington's own diplomatic endeavors.



He then said that close work between the six-party talk members, not including North Korea, must be maintained and strengthened to show the international communities solidarity on dealing with Pyongyang's nuke testing. The long stalled six-party talks were launched to resolve North Korea's nuclear program through dialogue. It is made up of the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia.



The policymaker then said that all sides needed to examine various ways to resolve the North's nuclear issue.



The meeting, meanwhile, came as the U.S. House of Representatives gave final approval to measures to sanction North Korea the same day.



The legislation calls for the mandatory blacklisting of entities that assist Pyongyang with its nuclear and missile programs, human rights abuses, cyber attacks and other criminal activities. It calls for imposing sweeping sanctions on the North trade in minerals and precious metals, a key source of hard currency for Pyongyang.



Besides the meeting with Kerry, Yun also held talks with Russia's foreign minister.



Diplomatic sources said that Yun and Sergey Lavrov concurred that North Korea's recent actions cannot be tolerated.



Moscow, however, said that all parties must employ patience and refrain from taking action that can escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.



The meeting comes as Russia and China have expressed reservations about the U.S.' moves to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in South Korea and to impose stringent sanctions. (Yonhap)




South Korea's top diplomat on Friday warned that any further provocation by North Korea will result in the country being completely cut off from the rest of the international community.



In an interview with Yonhap News Agency on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said discussions with members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) showed a high degree of solidarity in censuring Pyongyang for its recent behavior.



The belligerent regime fired off a multi-stage missile, which may have the capability to target parts of the United States on Sunday. This move took place only a month after it detonated its fourth nuclear device on Jan. 6, with both actions being seen as a slap in the face on past warnings issued against North Korea by the international community as a whole.



The policymaker claimed that many North Korean neighbors, whom Pyongyang is relying on as a shield, have expressed concerns that the North is becoming more and more cut off. He added that if the country again disregards the resolution being prepared by the UNSC, which is expected to include warnings against the hiking up of tensions, the country will find itself completely isolated and friendless.



The official did not give details on neighboring countries worried about the North, but this may be a nod to China and Russia, who have been less willing in the past to slap painful sanctions on the isolationist country.



"In the United Nations 70-year history, only North Korea has the distinction of having disregarded a countless number of UNSC resolutions, tested four nuclear devices and fired off six long range missiles," Yun said.



He pointed out that while there are some differences amoung countries on how far the international community should go in sanctioning the North at this juncture, all are in general agreement that Pyongyang must pay for its reckless actions.



He then said that if the upcoming U.N. resolution denouncing North Korea's latest provocations is only on par with what has been passed, this will only lead to more nuclear and missile tests.



"There must be change this time around to get the message across," he argued.



The world body has pledged to move swiftly to censure the North and there is full understanding among key member states that a resolution condemning its latest actions must be passed quickly, local diplomatic sources said.



On the bill passed by the U.S. Congress to slap tough sanctions on North Korea, Yun pointed out that the legislation is unique because it specifically targets North Korea, and the speed with which is was approved by lawmakers.



He expected the secondary boycott clause in the new bill will have considerable impact down the line.



"This move by the United States is a sign of the country's resolve to tackle this issue," the minister said.



The policymaker then said Seoul has been engaged in close contact with Beijing on the North Korean issue.



Yun argued that improvements made by North Korea in its nuclear and missile technologies is directly linked to the survival of South Korea, so it is a crucial security matter.



"Any actions we take are not meant to impact other countries, but are in response to threats on its (South Korea's) survival," he said, making clear that this has always been Seoul's stance.



The comments come as China expressed reservations about moves by South Korea and the United States to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to South Korea. The THAAD system can offer a degree of protection against a missile threat from the North.



On ways to get China and Russia on board talks to penalize the North, the foreign minister stressed that Pyongyang's actions so far have utterly ignored calls issued by these two key countries. Both have taken part in U.N. resolutions calling on the North to desist from actions that can spike tensions.



"China and Russia are frustrated and angry so the aim is to engage in talks with these countries," he said.



The minister said that Seoul's move to halt the Kaesong Industrial Complex in the North earlier in the week, showed the country's firm stance and highlighted how it views the current situation to countries like China and Russia. The move could end the last remaining economic link between the two Koreas and mean considerable losses to the 124 companies that have set up shop at the complex.



In regards to the future course of action the government can take, Yun said the closure of Gaeseong is the first step with others expected to follow once the U.N. resolution is passed and what response comes out of North Korea. (Yonhap)




South Korea is unlikely to get back 3 trillion won ($2.5 billion) in outstanding loans and interest payments it provided North Korea in the past with the freezing up of relations following Pyongyang's recent nuke test and long-range missile launch, observers said Saturday.

According to data provided by the finance ministry and Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank), the country provided 2.5 trillion won worth of direct funds and indirect assistance to its northern neighbor over the years comprising of food shipments; money used to build up roads and railways linking the two Koreas; and funding for the now defunct Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO). KEDO aimed to build light-water reactors in the North in exchange for the isolationist country giving up its clandestine nuclear development program.

Authorities said that while the principal stood at 2.5 trillion won, the total Seoul should receive rises to 3 trillion won if interest payments are counted.

Almost all funds given to the North were handled by Korea Eximbank, which sent money to Pyongyang's Foreign Trade Bank.

The government said while the North did send some 1,000 tons of iron ore in early 2008 as payment for the loans it got, it has since not responded to calls to pay up,

"It has been in arrears ever since," an official said. "The North has been silent on calls to pay back its loans and interest."

The country should have started paying back the first food-related loan in June 2012. (Yonhap)
South Korea said Friday it will push for expanding a system for prescreening passengers to keep potential terrorists from entering the country.

The move is designed to analyze passenger information before airlines issue boarding passes to restrict potential terrorists and other dangerous passengers from flying into South Korea, the Justice Ministry reported in a meeting with the ruling party.

South Korea has been running a test operation of the prescreening system in several airports, including Nagoya Airport in Japan, since February 2015.

During the period, the ministry said it banned 358 people, including sex and drug offenders, from boarding flights bound for South Korea by checking some 1.06 million passengers in advance.

The government and the ruling Saenuri Party also agreed to push for an amendment of the Immigration Control Act to intensify control over individuals considered to be security risks and to prepare grounds to collect foreigners' fingerprints.

They also plan to strengthen cooperation among the state intelligence agency, the police and the immigration bureau, and build a stronger international network to counter terrorism.

In recent months, Incheon International Airport, South Korea's main gateway, has been hit hard by a series of security breaches.

A warning message printed in Arabic was found inside a box in a men's bathroom in the airport last month, though it was later found that the culprit was a South Korean man angry over his unemployment.

During the meeting, the ruling party chief Kim Moo-sung called for the swift passage of anti-terrorism bills, denouncing the main opposition party for disapproving them.

"Without the bills, we cannot help but be helpless when North Korea plots a terror attack in collaboration with a terrorism organization," Kim said in the meeting at Incheon International Airport.

The main opposition Minjoo Party has been critical of the bills over concerns about giving more authority to the National Intelligence Service, South Korea's top spy agency.

South Korea has deported 53 foreigners in recent months for allegedly following terrorist groups. (Yonhap)
The United States government would continue to assist Sri Lanka with their negotiations with the IMF and the debt restructuring

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The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary

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PRESS RELEASE

Calls in South Korea, U.S., for Preemptive Strike on North

Feb. 12, 2016 (EIRNS)The chief editorial writer for the Korea Times, Oh Young-jin, posted an editorial Feb. 8 titled: "Would a preemptive strike work on North Korea?" Not only does he promote dropping a "bunker-buster to wipe out the communist leadership hunkered down underground," but references Obamas Secretary of Defense Ash Carter in his defense. Oh reports that Carter co-authored a book in 1999 with then-Secretary of Defense William Perry, titled Preventive Defense: A New Security Strategy for America. Carter and Perry also published an op-ed in the Washington Post on June 22, 2006, openly calling for a preemptive attack on North Korea, arguing that "intervening before mortal threats to U.S. security can develop is surely a prudent policy." (Perry has recently strongly warned that U.S. policy has brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. Ash Carter, on the other hand, is at the center of that drive for a nuclear war on behalf of Obama.)

Oh also notes:

"The new OPLAN 5015, a joint ROK-U.S. war plan, was formulated last year to contain elements of a preemptive strike, an update from the previous OPLAN 5027, reportedly to accommodate the contingency of the Norths use of nuclear weapons. So far, neither South Korea nor the United States has dared make one because of the risk of millions of people being killed in the ensuing full-fledged war."

Demonstrating the closure between Bush and Obamas insane war policies, G.W. Bushs brother Jeb, when asked in the Feb. 6 Republican presidential debate if there should be a preemptive strike on North Korea, answered: "If a preemptive strike is necessary to keep us safe, then we should do it."

The Congress approved today a new set of sanctions on North Korea, passing a bill in the House 408-2 which had been passed in the Senate 96-0 earlier in the week. It will now go to Obama to sign. The bill imposes new sanctions on companies and individuals involved in North Koreas nuclear-weapons program and cyber warfare operations, but also targets third partiesanyone doing business with those entities.

The former head of the Korea Desk at the State Department intelligence unit INR, Dr. John Merrill, gave an interview to the Korean paper Hankyoreh, posted today, calling the South Korean closing of Kaesong Industrial Complex in the North "misguided," saying a permanent closure would be a tragedy, and that the moves might cause more damage to South Korea than to North Korea.

Addressing both Seoul and Washington, Merrill said:

"Pressure tactics just wont work with North Korea on something that it regards as a core issue related to national survival. There is no chance that Pyongyang will just fold up its program."

Its important to remember that US economic sanctions prompted the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he added.
There are lots of things that are visible in Son of Saul, the harrowing Oscar-nominated film that is set in a crematorium at Auschwitz. There is the dead-eyed stare of the protagonist, Saul (played by Geza Rohrig), a Hungarian man who, as a sonderkommando, is a prisoner who has been forced to do the Nazis dirty work for them. And there are the moments of abject horror: anonymous bodies pushed into gas chambers and shot before pits.

What you dont see very much of is the thoughtfully constructed set. For the duration of Son of Saul, the film keeps its focus on Saul, with the environment barely revealing itself at the edge of the frame. But the set, designed by Hungarian architect Laszlo Rajk was essential to the films taut energy.

Long takes  some of which were three and four minutes long, and executed with a hand-held camera  meant that many of the sets would need to be complete rooms that could accommodate 360 degrees worth of shooting. This required Rajk to recreate a Nazi crematorium in an abandoned 1912 warehouse on the outskirts of Budapest: Continuous gas chamber and incineration spaces that would allow the films director, Laszlo Nemes, to follow his character from one room to the next.

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Auschwitz is a subject Rajk (pronounced Roik) is familiar with: He designed the Hungarian exhibition at Auschwitz in 2014. He also first visited the camp as a university student in the late 1960s, before recent restoration work and more high-tech national exhibits had been added.

It was the poverty of communism, he says. All of these things were run down. In a way, the atmosphere was much closer to the atmosphere of a death camp.

Over his long career, Rajk, 67, has built industrial buildings, cultural halls and shopping centers. He has also designed sets for numerous Hungarian and international films, including big budget Hollywood productions. (He helped create the mission control set for the The Martian.)

Last week, I reached Rajk via telephone in Iceland, where he was on location for another movie (a thriller about a young girl). In this lightly edited conversation, he tells me about his design process, what he has learned about Nazi architecture, and why every architect should design at least one set in their lifetime.

What kind of research did you do to design the crematorium?

I designed the Hungarian exhibition in Auschwitz in the Auschwitz museum over a decade ago, so I had all the research and almost everything ready. The blueprints of those buildings survive. They were found in the offices after the liberation of the camp. There is all of this data about how it was designed.

That is a striking phenomenon. Its a very thoughtful design. Its professional work. It was hand-drawn, so its really this almost human touch in the drawing. But it really raises the responsibility of professionals in general, whether you accept a job like this or not. Sometimes my stomach would shrink to think that someone in the morning was taking a shower and was thinking about how to create a more effective crematorium.

In an interview, Nemes talked about how the set you designed really affected the psychology of the cast and crew. What did it feel like to enter this space?

When the set was ready, Matyas [Erdely, the cinematographer] and Laszlo and I went through the set and I was explaining the connections. We were leaving the gas chamber and someone slammed the door on Matyas. And immediately we open the door and there is this young man, completely pale. His grandfathers family was killed in Auschwitz. It was this really speechless moment where you stand there and you see the effects.

Sometimes my stomach would shrink to think that someone in the morning was taking a shower and was thinking about how to create a more effective crematorium.  Laszlo Rajk, architect and set designer

Its curious, because the film doesnt show much of the set, yet it was essential to establishing its mood.

Its a very strange experiment that you are doing, because you are not establishing the space through pictures. But, rather, you trust that the movement of the human body, through gestures, sights, through the eyes, will [convey] what the space is about.

The other element was the noises, the sound design. The sound mixture was very important in that movie because its not only adding to the story, its adding to the architecture. Through the noises you start to understand what type of space you are in.

In designing the Hungarian exhibition at Auschwitz, what was your primary concern? How did you work with that space?

The exhibition is in the barracks, in the blocks of the original camp, where prisoners lived. Its Number 18. I started to know not only the building, but also the detailed structures, how they looked. Most of those buildings were built by prisoners and their work is very professional. That is a very striking fact  that those people who are dying in three weeks or three months, they are meanwhile carrying out very professional carpentry and masonry.

When it came time to think about the exhibition design, I started to think about the 6 million people that are missing  missing grandsons, missing descendants, this lack of people. I wanted to make visible what it means to be missing.

Also, I know that such a design is not for myself. Its not for my generation. Its for future generations. The whole structure of the exhibition is very much based on Internet structures. Its not based on chronological order. There is not an obligatory path that you walk through. Its very free. You start wherever you want.

Did you lose family in the Holocaust?

No. The family is not Jewish. But my father and mother were members of the Resistance during World War II.

Architecture and set design couldnt be more different in the sense that one is about creating shelter and the other illusion. But they are also both about creating environment.

Yes! And I think all architects should design sets. A set can be done in three months and it pushes back the ego of architects who think this is my thing and no one should ever touch it. Its this provisional temporary architecture, and however good it is, it eventually is taken apart and stays only virtually in pictures.

Plus, you learn a lot of tricks in production design, like how to cheat. That is very important when you think about perspective.

How do you see the set for Saul fitting into the history of set design?

Lately Im realizing that, in a way, Saul is kind of a beginning of a new approach to sets. At the beginning, there were the movies by [D.W.] Griffith and Ben-Hur and Cleopatra. They built huge sets. The director saw it, the actors saw it, the audience saw it.

The next period are when people are jumping around in a green box so that the actor doesnt see any of the set, the cinematographer doesnt see anything of the set  but the audience does. They are the only ones who see the whole set.

Son of Saul is the reverse of that. The director sees the set, the actor sees the set, but the audience doesnt see. But that proves the complexity of what a movie is: They dont see, but they understand.

Son of Saul is on view at the Laemmle Royal, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd. West L.A.; Laemmle Town Center 5, 17200 Ventura Blvd. Encino; and Laemmle Playhouse 7. 673 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, laemmle.com.

Find me on Twitter @cmonstah.
When the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. biopic Selma hit theaters on Christmas in 2014, its studio Paramount Pictures announced that it would be screened free for nearly 300,000 middle and high school students. Over a year later, the Ava DuVernay-directed film continues to educate audiences, this time with its leading man David Oyelowo in tow at the Pan African Film and Arts Festival.

Oyelowo surprised a theater of almost 100 young people Friday who had just watched the film, some for the first time.

Am I in this movie? he asked amid applause and exclamations from the crowd. As you can tell, I dont sound like anything you saw in the movie.

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The screening was part of the 20-year-old student program of the festival, which ends Monday. About 7,000 students and teachers from schools in Los Angeles County attend screenings of pictures dealing with issues important to youth: teen pregnancy, AIDS prevention, literacy, cultural and racial respect, gang prevention, etc. In addition to Selma this year, students from schools including Crenshaw High and George Washington Preparatory will see A Girl Like Grace, starring Meagan Good, Raven-Symone and Garcelle Beauvais, as well as the documentary He Named Me Malala.

Oyelowo answered questions posed by the students. Some of his responses are below:

How did it make you feel playing King?

Well, it made me realize I am nothing like Martin Luther King. I have a wife and four kids myself, [just like him]. If I knew that, let alone my life, but their lives were under threat every day for 13 years, I dont know whether I couldve carried on in the way he did. Every time he left home, went to sleep, was giving a speech, there was always that threat that they would be assassinated because of the stance he had taken for civil rights. I love my kids and my wife. The idea that my actions, my political activism was a threat to their lives, I may have reconsidered. But that was the amazing thing about him. He realized that what he was doing was not only going to save lives in the present, but was much bigger than him. I dont know that I couldve done it, but Im very glad he did.

Any words of advice for young people about being politically active?

In about a year or so, some of you will be allowed to vote. Thats a very important thing. If you live in this country and are a citizen of this country and are concerned about your taxes, how the government operates in terms of the military or healthcare, the only way you really have a say is by voting. The minute you dont, you kind of take yourself out of the conversation and in many ways you relegate your right to be angry with the government or oppose it, because youre not doing your part in choosing the government.

Id also speak about social responsibility. You can be socially responsible within your family, community, school. If you see injustice, if you see that someone is being bullied, you can speak out on that persons behalf because that is an injustice. If you see or are aware of someone who is being abused, whether at home or in a more public way, whether its sexual abuse, emotional, physical abuse, I would say it is socially responsible to speak out on behalf of those who may feel like they dont have a voice for themselves. As individuals, you can be examples.

Did the role change you?

Well, playing Dr. King meant I had to be fatter than I am. [laughs] That was pretty tough. When you have six weeks to put on 30 pounds, that wasnt so much fun. So that changed me physically, which wasnt so much fun for my wife. But, apart from that, for me, playing this role was a spiritual endeavor. When I watched footage of Dr. King -- Im a Christian and myself and I know what it is to be operating in what I would call your anointing -- I could tell that this wasnt just a man who was good at oratory. There was something coursing through his veins that just led to people being inspired by what he was saying. I truly believe it was because he was in the red-hot eye of his calling. So, for me, portraying that is not something you can act. I had to just do the work and pray that God would move through me in a way that people believed they were seeing something in the way of Martin Luther King. I felt that, and that changed me.

How did you go about mastering your accent?

People often ask me that because Im English, but I would argue that even if you were American and you were going to play Dr. King, its a tall order. I mean, he spoke funny. [laughs] It wasnt even just an Atlanta accent, but it had the Southern Baptist preacher element, some Boston sounds and he used big words all the time. And he had this rhythm in his speeches. So anyone would have to study that accent. But, the amount of time it took to do the film helped. I killed myself to get it right.

Get your life! Follow me on Twitter: @TrevellAnderson.
An investor group led by the chief executive of Freedom Communications will not be among the initial bidders for the bankrupt company, in a reversal from a plan first announced in November.

Richard Mirman, chief executive of Freedom, which owns the Orange County Register, said Thursday that his group still intends to bid for Freedoms assets in an auction to be held next month but that it would not submit a so-called stalking horse bid.

If accepted, a stalking horse bid gives protections  including a payout if another buyer wins at auction  and serves as the opening price in a bankruptcy auction. The deadline to submit those bids was Friday.

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While Mirmans group is sitting out for now, Los Angeles Times owner Tribune Publishing and Digital First Media have confirmed submitting early bids for Freedoms assets. Tribune executives would not provide details of their plan.

Executives and attorneys for Digital First Media, which owns the Los Angeles Daily News, did not return calls for comment. But the companys local papers reported late Friday that Ron Hasse, president of Digital Firsts Southern California operations, confirmed that the company submitted a bid before the deadline.

When Freedom filed for bankruptcy Nov. 1, Mirman said the insider group planned to submit a stalking horse bid, but one never materialized.

After weighing its advantages and drawbacks, we decided not to submit a stalking horse bid, Mirman said in Thursdays statement. We believe our interests are better served in letting the auction determine a fair price, rather than prematurely anticipating the right price.

While there are advantages to being selected as the stalking horse bidder, there are also downsides, and Mirmans statement hints at perhaps the biggest one: By being the first to submit an offer, the stalking horse bidder risks overpaying.

Lloyd Greif, chief executive of downtown L.A. investment bank Greif & Co., said Mirman may have scrapped plans because of that risk of paying too much. Its also possible Mirmans group couldnt raise the money to make a reasonable bid or didnt think it could outbid Digital First and Tribune, Greif said.

Id say they got cold feet. Theyre recognizing the odds arent in their favor, Greif said. I think Tribune or Digital First will take Freedom, and Mirmans group will be a distant third.

He said Tribune and Digital First are both in a position to pay more for Freedom than the company insiders because the publishing companies can recognize substantial cost savings by combining the Register and Press-Enterprise operations with their own.

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Media industry analyst Ken Doctor said Tribune Publishing, which owns The Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune, could see $15 million to $20 million in cost savings by taking over Freedom.

Freedom and representatives of the firms creditors may select a preferred bidder or bidders as soon as next week. There could be multiple stalking horse bidders selected  for instance, one to buy only the land and another the newspapers.

If a stalking horse bidder is selected, the next step in the sale process will be for other bidders  including the Mirman group  to submit better offers by March 11. An auction would then be held March 16.

If the process sticks to that schedule, a federal bankruptcy judge could approve a sale on March 21, with the sale closing by the end of the month.

The biggest question now is whether any of the bidders will agree to take over Freedoms pension plan.

Though public filings with the Department of Labor indicate the plan is well-funded, a federal pension regulator says it will need $155 million from Freedom if no buyer is willing to take over the plan.

Jeremy Rosenthal, an attorney representing Tribune Publishing, told bankruptcy Judge Mark Wallace at a hearing this month that the pension plan has invested in unusual and complicated assets.

Rosenthal, other attorneys involved in the bankruptcy case and Freedom executives all declined to comment on what those assets are. The plans federal filings lack a required list of assets.

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The pension issue could be vital in determining who wins the bankruptcy auction. A bid that abandons the pension plan would add $155 million to Freedoms unsecured debt, severely diminishing whatever payout other unsecured creditors stand to receive.

Members of Freedoms pension plan, which includes employees who started with the company before the plan was frozen in 2005, will receive pension benefits in either case.

Pensions are insured by the federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., though the agency only covers up to $60,000 in pension payments per member per year so some members could see benefits cut.

Freedom employees were notified that they would begin receiving layoff notices mandated by state and federal labor law. These Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications, or WARN notices, are meant to give workers at least 60 days of notice before a mass layoff.

Mirman said the notices were a requirement of the bankruptcy process, but does not imply immediate layoffs.

james.koren@latimes.com | @jrkoren

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Good morning. I'm Paul Thornton, The Times' letters editor, and it is Saturday, Feb. 13. Tomorrow is marathon day in Los Angeles, so be sure to avoid these streets if you're traveling by car. Speaking of slow, never-ending, painful races ...

The Democratic race for president has taken the ugly turn many of us knew it would: Can you be a self-respecting woman and support Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton? Sure, but you might go to hell (says Madeleine Albright) or have some latent desire to go on dates with bros for Bernie (according to Gloria Steinem).

Los Angeles writer Maria Bustillos is having none of this. She's a woman who not only supports Sanders, but also feels that Clinton has betrayed Democratic values. She writes in an op-ed article:

It's insulting to progressive women who support Sen. Bernie Sanders to hear every day that our support is an indication of misogyny. Why do Clinton's backers imagine that women owe the candidate something different and special, something more than she is owed by men? Every American is free to vote as he or she wishes. To attempt to curtail or lessen that freedom for anyone is anti-democratic, with both a big and small D. If Clinton wants my vote, then she can try to earn it, like anyone else. But my refusal to support her is based on reasons far more serious than her entitled attitude or that of her followers. Sanders voted against the Iraq war resolution, while then-Sen. Clinton allied herself with the Bush regime and voted for it. For this reason, she personally bears a small part of the responsibility for hundreds of thousands  perhaps over a million  avoidable deaths in a stupid war that brought nothing but grief to that unfortunate country, and our own. I do not care whether Clinton is a woman or a space alien: I cannot and will never support a Democrat in a primary who did not speak out forcefully against invading Iraq at the time. That is a deal-breaker  I can hardly believe that my party has seen fit to put a pro-Iraq war candidate on our ticket at all  but there are a lot of other reasons I don't support Clinton. Her ties to Wall Street, for instance, are off-putting in the extreme. She claims that accepting $650,000 in speaking fees from Goldman Sachs won't influence her policymaking with respect to the financial industry. If not, then why won't she release the transcripts? (It would be unwise for Democrats to give her the nod without seeing those Goldman speeches, for they will almost certainly come out during the general campaign.) Clinton says she is a pragmatist. When pragmatism means betrayal of the Democratic values in which I most strongly believe  opposition to war, opposition to the death penalty, support of a single-payer healthcare system, support for breaking up the banks  that is not pragmatism, that is caving. Clinton is an establishment candidate through and through.  Click here to read more.

Women readers speak up in support of Clinton. In letters to the editor, they defend Steinem's and Albright's remarks as speaking to broader truths about gender and politics and praise Clinton for carrying on the battle for full equality. On Steinem and Albright, reader Elizabeth M. Foster of Pasadena writes, "It is not too much to ask young women to reject a pipe dream and seek the truth about both candidates." In a letter published today, reader Jo Perry of Studio City writes: "Clinton is fighting for basic, too-long-denied human rights. This may be a side issue to male candidates, but it is urgent and real for more than half of America."

Sanders is a Jew who won a state primary, and that makes his candidacy historic too. Clinton is getting all the attention for potentially breaking the gender glass ceiling of American politics, but no one seems to care that for the first time in history, a Jewish candidate took a major step toward the White House by winning the New Hampshire primary. Jonathan Zimmerman writes of Sanders' historic win: "There's more to the story of our collective insouciance. Perhaps we can't see what a big deal Sanders' candidacy truly is because we've forgotten how much prejudice Jews encountered for most of our political history." L.A. Times

Here's how Sanders' campaign might matter to California: The Vermont senator might be relegated to also-ran status by the time California's primary takes place on June 7. Still, his campaign serves as a model for turning out young voters to the polls, something a certain progressive, youthful lieutenant governor in California looking to succeed Jerry Brown in 2018 could emulate. Sacramento Bee

Even when Albert Einstein's dead, he's right. Science writer Saswato R. Das sums up the ramifications of news earlier this week that gravitational waves set off by the collision of two black holes 1.3 billion light years away were detected on Earth: "The results of a big physics experiment have delivered a long-sought, hard-won and resounding victory to Albert Einstein, confirming yet again that the revolutionary theory of gravitation he put forward a century ago is the real deal. The findings cement Einstein's near-mythical stature as one of the greatest scientists of all time." L.A. Times

That milk past its "sell by" date in your refrigerator is safe to drink. Emily Broad Leib reveals that Americans are wasting huge amounts of perfectly edible, healthy food because of date labels stamped on products by the food industry that mislead consumers into thinking they indicate something about safety. They don't: "The Food and Drug Administration, which has the power to regulate date labels, has chosen not to, precisely because they are not related to safety. Food scientists say that not a single food safety outbreak in the U.S. has been traced to a food being consumed past date." L.A. Times

L.A. County's former top cop may soon go to prison. Ex-Sheriff Lee Baca pleaded guilty earlier this week to lying to federal agents investigating his department's jail scandal in 2013. The Times' editorial board hopes this means counties will get serious about oversight of their sheriff's departments: "Perhaps Baca will occupy the cell recently vacated by equally disgraced former Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona. And perhaps counties will now provide a level of oversight that is sufficiently muscular to ensure that it won't be necessary, anytime soon, for the feds to come and clean up the sheriff's mess." L.A. Times

And finally, a correction: Some readers noticed that last week's newsletter incorrectly said the date was "Saturday, Feb. 5." It was, in fact, Feb. 6. Thanks to those who e-mailed me about the error.

Let me know what you think about this newsletter. Email paul.thornton@latimes.com.
If youve got a clothespin handy, you should clip it to your nose. Im now going to tell you about the 12-hour California Coastal Commission meeting I sat through Wednesday in Morro Bay.

When the spectacle was over, members of one of the most powerful regulatory agencies in the country had racked up a number of accomplishments.

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FOR THE RECORD

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An earlier version of this story misspelled the first name of Dayna Bochco as Dana and the last name of Robert Uranga as Uranaga.

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They fired their staffs executive director, Charles Lester, who knows more about the 40-year-old voter-approved Coastal Act that protects our 1,100-mile shoreline than anyone in the world.

They devastated and demoralized the agency staff, so much so that some employees wept when the firing was announced.

They infuriated a whos who of Californias longest-serving stewards of coastal preservation and access, along with hordes of public officials, current and former Coastal Commission staff, and former commissioners and citizens who had traveled from up and down the coast to speak glowingly of Lesters integrity and diligence.

They accused the media of building a bogus narrative about why Lesters job was in jeopardy, falsely insisting they were not at liberty to discuss their complaints about his performance in public.

And they spoke of their commitment to accountability and transparency, then refused to conduct their business in public, retreated into privacy, papered over the window and dropped the guillotine on Lester in a 7-5 vote.

Disgraceful, Susan Jordan of the California Coastal Protection Network told me, even as staffers sobbed and embraced a stricken Lester.

Among the many outrages, before the vote, was bellyaching from some commissioners about the fact that they are in unpaid posts that require a lot of work.

Boo-hoo.

First of all, no one forced them to take these appointments from the governor and leaders of the state Senate and Assembly.

Second, there are different ways to get paid, such as when the all-powerful coastal lobby chuck wagon rolls around to campaign fundraisers for commissioners who also serve as local public officials.

More carping came from Commissioner Martha McClure, who whined that Lesters staff hadnt provided information about the agencys budget. I guess she didnt think to look on the agencys website, where its been posted since last month.

And Olga Diaz of Escondido, a stand-in for an absent San Diego County commissioner, hasnt been around long enough to build a sand castle. But in what many saw as a key swing vote, Diaz buried Lester, who had been on the staff for nearly 20 years.

Lester never claimed he was perfect, admitting at the meeting that there was room for improvement. But in a plea for his job, he argued that he had responded to commissioner criticisms of his leadership.

He took some heat for not waiving his right of privacy and allowing the release of his performance reviews, but as he explains it, he was protecting the privacy of staffers who were criticized in those same reports.

Disgrace is not a strong enough word for what I witnessed in Morro Bay.

Charles Lester reacts to speakers during a long commission hearing on a vote for his dismissal. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

This was such an embarrassment that state Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) tweeted an apology saying she thought my appointees would be better stewards of the coast.

At times during the meeting, Commissioners Wendy Mitchell and Dayna Bochco gabbed like school kids on the dais, and they cast seventh-grade smirks at press row when colleagues took turns bashing the news media.

If Californias media deserve a beating, in their diminished state, its for not keeping a close enough watch on this all-powerful agency and the constant pressure applied by hired guns for billions of dollars worth of development projects.

Commissioners must have had a talking points session before the meeting, because one after another they parroted the same line about how the journalists covering this fiasco adopted a white hat-black hat take on the commission, making it appear as if commissioners were about to bulldoze the entire coast.

Balderdash.

I dont believe thats a risk because the Coastal Act prevents the raping of the coast.

What I do believe  as do dozens of commission staffers, current and former commissioners and watchdogs  is that a disturbing shift is at play in the division of labor and power between the commissioners and the commission staff. And that shift benefited property owners rather than the public.

This was about the commission trying to take more control of the process, said Lester, who figures he was too independent for the tastes of some commissioners.

He said he believes that his first duty was an allegiance to the letter and spirit of the Coastal Act, even as he felt pressure from commissioners to move development projects forward more quickly.

And that allegiance should always reign supreme, whether were talking about a desalination project in Huntington Beach, a residential development in Seal Beach, or the massive Banning Ranch development still alive in Newport Beach despite a Lester recommendation against plundering the environmentally sensitive habitat there.

Banning Ranch should take a very long time because its a huge project and it does impact the coast, no doubt about it, said Commissioner Carole Groom, who voted to keep Lester, as did Commissioners Mary Luevano, Mary Shallenberger, Steve Kinsey and Bochco.

Groom had suggested the commissioners debate Lesters fate in public, and Lester had given his consent to such a proceeding.

Her motion was crushed.

In one of the hearings more cinematic moments, Shell Beach residents Ed and Chris Henry took turns ripping into Commissioner Erik Howell.

The Henrys testified that they had met with Howell, a Pismo Beach councilman, to voice concerns about a proposed residential development that would restrict bay views from the Coast Highway. The Henrys said Howell told them the staffs recommended restrictions on the project were dead on arrival, because the developer was represented by Susan McCabe.

McCabe, if youve misplaced your score card, once boasted in emails about spoon feeding a commissioner while attempting to secure his vote on a controversial project in San Diego.

Ed Henry said Howell gushed that [McCabe] was so powerful and connected ... she was the only person who could walk into the governors office without an appointment and be received.

The Henrys traveled to Half Moon Bay last November for the commission vote on the project, and they said they and several neighbors were shocked by what they saw at a posh restaurant on the eve of the hearing.

Breaking bread together were Howell, McCabe and the developer.

Its very disturbing to see such a blatant example of this cozy culture, said Chris Henry, the night before they set out to vote on a project.

The next day the recommended restrictions on the development were defeated, 6 to 5, with Howell casing one of the six votes.

Erik Howell, you should be ashamed of yourself, Ed Henry said at Wednesdays meeting.

Howell sat there at the commissioners table, tight as a Pismo clam. I dont think he blinked.

Nor did he respond to my subsequent requests for an interview.

McCabe sent an email saying no thanks.

By the way, Gov. Jerry Browns office insists that the governor had nothing to do with the Lester body dump, and Brown had no comment in the days before or after the hearing.

It should be noted, however, that all four of Browns appointees to the commission  Howell, Effie Turnbull-Sanders, McClure and Mitchell  voted to sack Lester. So did Commissioners Roberto Uranga and Mark Vargas.

And speaking of Vargas, this Los Angeles-based businessman seems to have trouble returning phone calls. So I thought I might be able to corner him at Wednesdays hearing.

I had a few questions about the five-mansion Malibu compound that David Evans  a.k.a. U2s the Edge  managed to get approved in mid-December after years of high-powered lobbying. By then, the project had been scaled back and recommended for approval by staff despite lingering opposition on many fronts, with the Sierra Club suing to put a stop to it.

My question for Vargas is why, a few weeks before unanimous approval of the project, did he happen to meet with Evans in Dublin, Ireland?

Agency rules require a complete, comprehensive account of such meetings.

But when I saw the document filed by Vargas, the word comprehensive did not come to mind.

Vargas gave only a two-sentence explanation of his meeting. He wrote that the ever-busy go-between Susan McCabe had set up the meeting between Vargas, Evans and Evans wife, and that the applicants told Vargas they believed they had addressed commission concerns about the Malibu proposal.

OK, fine. But why Dublin? Did Vargas catch a U2 concert while he was there? Did he pay all his own expenses?

Fair questions, right?

I followed Vargas out of the meeting Wednesday during the lunch break and shadowed him, asking a half-dozen times if hed answer my questions.

He didnt acknowledge me.

I tried again later when he dashed off for a break.

He ignored me.

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Later, from the dais, Vargas joined colleagues in bashing the media, and also had this to say:

Transparency and accountability are important to me.

Vargas then marched into secret session, ignored the pleas from hundreds of committed stewards of Californias greatest natural wonder, and lodged one of the votes that cost Charles Lester his job.

steve.lopez@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATstevelopez

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The L.A. County district attorney slapped it with criminal charges. Los Angeles city and county officials filed accusations of ill-prepared crews and public injury. The state attorney general added claims of irreparable environmental damage. And the local air pollution agency alleged negligence in constructing the Aliso Canyon gas facility in the first place.

As Southern California Gas Co. appears to have sealed the noxious leak that has displaced thousands of Porter Ranch-area residents, its legal battles with various government agencies continue to stack up.

Experts said the litigation could have a large-reaching impact on the way the larger gas industry does business in the future.

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These lawsuits are going to serve as a wake-up call, not just for SoCal Gas, but other gas utilities around the state that the government oversight is there and willing to take legal action, said Richard M. Frank of the California Environmental Law & Policy Center at UC Davis. It reflects both the volume of the natural gas releases and the collective impatience with this public agency.

Gas company officials say theyre prepared for the financial cost of litigation. The company is insured in excess of $1 billion, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The utility said the leak so far has cost it nearly $300 million, according to the SEC documents.

Southern California Gas has declined to discuss details of individual lawsuits.

We are reviewing all of these lawsuits and will allow the judicial process to take its course, said utility spokeswoman Kristine Lloyd. Today, our focus continues to be on working hard to stop the gas leak, mitigate the odors associated with the leak as quickly as safety allows and address our neighbors concerns.

The suit brought by city, county and state officials alleges the 80,000 metric tons of methane that have escaped the storage field since October have endangered the publics health and set off a sequence of statewide environmental harms that will linger for years. Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris included in the filing her client the California Air Resources Board, which acts as the guardian of the greenhouse gas issue.

Though the full extent of the leaks damage is unknown, officials with the board estimate the climate impact to be equivalent to having 500,000 cars on the states roads and highways for a year.

Against the backdrop of Californias ongoing efforts to reduce GHG emissions generally, this gas leak is a monumental environmental disaster, the lawsuit said.

The complaint filed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District makes similar claims against the gas utility, as well as allegations that the Aliso Canyon facility was poorly designed and constructed and that the utility failed to properly inspect and oversee the sites operations. The agency also requested hefty civil penalties that increase with each day the leak is not repaired.

Youre really looking at a function of deterrent, that the government wants this to be so expensive that this company and others are going to take such exceptional care in their operations that this never happens again, said David Pettit, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council. And if theres any way for them to work faster and harder, these lawsuits will incentivize them to do it.

In addition to the government claims, at least 67 civil lawsuits  including a class action and mass toxic torts  have been filed against Southern California Gas by residents who temporarily relocated away from a community where headaches, nosebleeds and dizziness are standard symptoms.

Its an additional element of comfort, I think, for the residents to know that the government agrees that there were wrongs committed by the gas company that have hurt them, said attorney Robin Greenwald, who represents plaintiffs in cases against the gas utility.

Greenwald previously worked on cases related to the 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. Local and state government lawsuits filed against British oil company BP were rolled into one case after the federal government stepped in. Public and private attorneys ended up working together.

When BP agreed to pay $20 billion in civil penalties, it ended claims from five state governments and more than 400 local governments and agencies. That was in addition to the $4 billion the company was forced to dole out in criminal fines and restitution, as well as an additional massive payout that went to cleanup efforts and to residents and businesses.

It was those Justice Department lawsuits that drove the legal proceedings and were the most important cases in terms of establishing criminal conduct and obtaining federal fines, said Frank, of UC Davis.

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It is likely to take years for the government litigation to be sorted out. In 2010, a Pacific Gas and Electric pipeline ruptured in San Bruno, killing eight people. It wasnt until 2014 that federal prosecutors charged the utility with obstruction of justice. Later that year, state regulators proposed PG&E pay a record $1.4-billion fine.

Some Porter Ranch residents note that the governments legal involvement does nothing to allay the pain that has already been inflicted and the damage to property values.

Resident Maryam Sadeghi, 51, has sued the utility, but said she sees little use in government-led legal fights in which the benefit is far into the future.

What good is a lawsuit at the end of the day? she asked. What good is it going to do for the people of Porter Ranch?

corina.knoll@latimes.com

alice.walton@latimes.com

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The sheriffs lie came 25 minutes into the interview.

It was an April afternoon in 2013, and a federal prosecutor was bearing down on Lee Baca, trying to find out how much he knew about his underlings attempts to obstruct FBI agents investigating corruption and brutality by deputies inside his Los Angeles County jails.

Had he known in advance, the prosecutor asked, that two of his deputies were going to confront the lead FBI agent at her home?

I wasnt aware of any of the  particulars, Baca said.

In fact, he knew all about it.

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It was the first of three lies prosecutors say Baca told federal authorities during the four-hour interview at his lawyers downtown office.

According to a recording of the confidential interview obtained by The Times, Baca portrayed himself as a hands-off manager who knew nothing about any attempts within his department to thwart the federal investigation. He instead cast blame on a long list of targets: immature deputies; sheriffs managers who had wide latitude to supervise employees; even federal authorities themselves, for failing to alert Baca to their secret civil rights investigation.

The one person Baca didnt blame was himself.

That changed this week when Baca, as part of a deal he struck with prosecutors, admitted in court that he had lied about the encounter with the FBI agent. Federal prosecutors allege that the visit to the FBI agents home  along with a threat to arrest her  was an attempt to intimidate her and obstruct the federal investigation into the jails.

In testimony and interviews with federal authorities, some of Bacas subordinates contradicted what he told prosecutors. Baca, they said, instructed deputies to go to the agents home and interview her.

Just dont put handcuffs on her, Baca said, according to an FBI summary of an interview with a former sheriffs captain.

Bacas guilty plea Wednesday to making a false statement marked a stunning reversal for the longtime law enforcement leader who had previously insisted he played no role in the jail scandal. In his plea agreement, the 73-year-old retired sheriff did not contest the other false statements prosecutors accused him of making in the interview.

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Baca is the ninth former sheriffs official to be convicted in the obstruction of justice case. He faces up to six months in prison under the terms of the deal he made with the U.S. attorneys office. His former second in command, retired Undersheriff Paul Tanaka, is scheduled to go to trial next month on charges he obstructed the FBI probe.

At the heart of the obstruction case is how sheriffs officials responded when they discovered in 2011 that FBI agents were secretly investigating the jails and had gone so far as to smuggle a cellphone to an inmate working as a federal informant.

In the interview with prosecutors, Baca said he had always been willing to cooperate with the FBI, but he also made clear that he had been upset at the time about the federal agencys incursion into his domain.

Let me say this, he responded when a prosecutor asked him if he had ever told others he resented the FBI for investigating the jails. Resentment is not a word that I typically use on anything, including the FBI. Was I angry? Yes. Did I feel that it caused more difficulty than it should have? Yes.

::

Baca was facing off against Brandon Fox, who had prosecuted public corruption cases in Chicago before coming to Los Angeles.

Foxs precise delivery contrasted with Bacas off-topic discourses and occasionally combative tone.

Fox began the interview by assuring Baca that he was not a target of a federal criminal investigation. The prosecutor, however, warned that could change down the road.

The questioning soon turned to an emergency weekend meeting Baca attended with his staff days after learning about the smuggled cellphone.

Are you talking about the Saturday meeting? Baca asked.

The famous Saturday meeting, Fox responded.

Baca, an avid runner, explained that he had been scheduled to compete in a road race the morning of Aug. 20, 2011, but scratched so he could attend the meeting.

Fox pressed the sheriff on whether he recalled any discussion about keeping FBI agents away from the inmate, Anthony Brown, who was providing information on corruption and beatings by deputies. Soon after the meeting, sheriffs officials secreted Brown to a remote jail facility and registered him in the departments computer system under fake names.

Whether Saturday or ensuing days, Im not aware of any direct involvement with any conversation about keeping the FBI and Mr. Brown away from one another, Baca said.

Prosecutors alleged in a complaint filed this week that Baca was not being truthful and that he did discuss keeping the FBI from Brown. According to the plea agreement, Baca ordered that Brown be isolated and that deputies investigate how Brown obtained the cellphone, putting Tanaka in charge of executing his orders.

As Fox continued to try to pin Baca down on the issue, the sheriff maintained that he had been concerned only about keeping Brown safe from other inmates as well as deputies, leaving the details of how to handle Brown to others.

I dont believe anyone should lie under any circumstances.  Lee Baca, former L.A. County sheriff

Fox pointed out that other inmates who had made allegations about violent deputies were not treated the same way. The prosecutor asked whether the safety concerns were tied to Browns status as an FBI informant.

Baca evaded the questions, instead shifting blame onto the FBI for secretly investigating the jails without alerting him. If the FBI had asked him for access to Brown, he would have happily given it, Baca said.

If we had better communication, we would have had a different outcome, Baca said.

::

Tensions grew between Fox and Baca as the interview stretched into the late afternoon.

The sheriff often responded to the prosecutors questions by straying off topic or turning questions into an opportunity to highlight his accomplishments.

At one point, Fox asked whether the FBIs investigation had led to fewer cases of deputies beating up jail inmates.

It wasnt the federal inquiry, Baca replied, but his own policies and practices that triggered the improvement. He launched into a defense of his leadership in the jails before asserting that many young deputies are afraid of inmates and arent even able to get in a serious fight.

Baca, who had not worked as a line deputy for decades and has a lean runners physique, described himself as a pencil neck.

An inmate could kick my butt real easy. But it has to be a big one, not a medium-sized one, he told Fox.

The culture of the jails, he continued, was us versus them, with the inmates as the enemy and deputies the good guys. To change that dynamic, he said, jails should ensure that deputies are responsible for educating inmates.

Fox did manage to get straight answers when he inquired whether Baca knew that sheriffs deputies had interrupted and ended a jailhouse interview between FBI agents and the inmate informant.

No, Baca said flatly.

No, he said again when asked if Greg Thompson, a lieutenant working in the jails, had apologized to him for allowing the FBI agents to speak with the informant.

Federal prosecutors allege Bacas denials were false. Thompson had gone to Baca after the agents met with Brown, promising it would not happen again, according to Bacas plea agreement.

Fox noted that tensions between the FBI and the Sheriffs Department eased at one point in the late summer of 2011  a calm period that happened to coincide with Bacas vacation. Baca returned to work days before his deputies confronted the FBI agent at her home on Sept. 26, 2011.

While youre gone, things get a little bit better.... And then you get back, and then four days later, [sheriffs deputies] are at Leah Marxs house threatening to arrest her. Is there some sort of cause and effect  based on something you did? Fox asked.

Baca insisted he knew nothing about the incident at the agents home until receiving a phone call from the head of the FBIs Los Angeles office. According to the plea agreement, however, Baca had attended a meeting the day before, instructing the deputies to approach Marx and do everything short of putting handcuffs on her.

In the interview, Baca said a threat by one of the deputies to arrest the FBI agent was inappropriate and an impulsive reaction.

Did the deputy actually intend to arrest her, or was he bluffing? Fox asked.

I dont believe anyone should lie under any circumstances, Baca replied.

joel.rubin@latimes.com | Twitter: @joelrubin

cindy.chang@latimes.com | Twitter: @CindyChangLA

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Marking the end of a remarkably successful recovery effort, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Friday proposed taking three subspecies of fox native to Californias Channel Islands off the endangered species list.

Removing the San Miguel, Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Island foxes from the list would be a historic ecological victory in the United States. They were classified as endangered in 2004 after suffering catastrophic declines primarily because of predation by Golden eagles.

The wildlife service is also proposing to move the designation of foxes on Santa Catalina Island from endangered to threatened. Populations of that fox  a subspecies found only on the 76-square-mile island about 22 miles off the mainland  crashed to roughly 100 in 1999 because of a canine distemper epidemic. The island is now home to about 1,800 of the animals.

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A final decision on the proposals is expected within a year.

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The Channel Islands foxes comeback began in 2004, when the wildlife service partnered with the National Park Service, the Nature Conservancy and the Catalina Island Conservancy in relocating fox-eating golden eagles from the Channel Islands; bringing back bald eagles, which eat fish, not foxes; vaccinating against distemper; and breeding the cat-sized carnivores in captivity.

A Santa Cruz Island fox. Wildlife officials have proposed delisting the San Miguel, Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Island foxes, which were classified as endangered in 2004 after suffering catastrophic declines mainly because of predation by Golden eagles. (Jabin Botsford / Los Angeles Times)

Today, there are nearly as many island foxes scampering over the islands as there were hundreds of years ago, when the largest mammal on the Channel Islands  and the smallest fox in North America  flourished with no natural predators.

The speed at which these subspecies have recovered points to the strength of the endangered species act in focusing conservation attention and catalyzing recovery actions, and demonstrates what we can achieve together, said Dan Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The move to removed the the diminutive carnivores from the list followed a five-year status review of the foxes, which was conducted by the wildlife service and took into account factors such as fluctuations in populations and continuing threats.

Each fox population on the Channel Islands is now self-sustaining, Robert McMorran, a wildlife service biologist, said. He said on those islands, there are now about 5,500 island foxes.

On Santa Catalina Island, the roughly 1,800 foxes surpasses the population of about 1,300 seen before the animals were decimated by the disease scientists believe was introduced by a mainland raccoon that hitched a ride on a boat or barge.

On Catalina, a resort destination visited by 1 million people each year, however, the potential for a disease outbreak remains. As a result, the service recommends that the subspecies status be moved from endangered to threatened.

Initially, it was difficult to see possibilities of saving our foxes because there were so few of them left, said Julie King, director of conservation and wildlife management at the Catalina Island Conservancy. Stabilizing the population  and preserving its genetic integrity  took a lot of work by international wildlife experts, zoo veterinarians, captive breeding experts, epidemiologists, raptor biologists and so many others.

The five-pound animals are gray with pointed noses, reddish ears and feet and black-tipped tails. They live about 10 years, pair for life and generally enjoy a carefree existence.

Managing the species on Catalina Island now includes trapping the foxes each year, inspecting them for illnesses, vaccinating them against distemper and rabies, outfitting them with telemetry and monitoring their behavior.

Biologists also watch for threats that could lead to unnatural fox deaths. Each year, several foxes drown in uncovered water containers, become trapped in trash cans, are injured or killed by unleashed dogs, hit by vehicles or die from the ingestion of rodenticides.

Twitter: @LouisSahagun

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Staff cuts at an Orange County jail removed obstacles that would have otherwise prevented three dangerous inmates from breaking out last month, according to a lawsuit filed by sheriffs deputies.

In court papers filed Thursday, the Assn. of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs charged that staffing cuts led to the removal of a rooftop guard; a failure to patrol utility tunnels that doubled as escape routes; and the smuggling of saw blades into the maximum security facility, among other claims.

A more violent inmate population and the recent significant staffing reductions at the Central Mens Jail forced us to ... file this lawsuit, said Tom Dominguez, president of the union. This is about the safety of our members, the jail staff, the inmates and ultimately the public we are sworn to protect.

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The lawsuit seeks to hire replacement staff and require the department to talk with union representatives about changes at the jail.

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Inmates Hossein Nayeri, Bac Duong and Jonathan Tieu escaped their 4th-floor dormitory by cutting through metal grating and steel bars and scurrying along a plumbing shaft, according to authorities. Eventually, they emerged on the jails rooftop where they removed a section of razor wire and then descended five stories to freedom on braided bedsheets.

About 15 hours had passed before guards discovered their absence, and the escapees spent more than a week on the lam before they were captured.

Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens has since initiated an internal affairs investigation into the escape. Authorities have declined to comment on details of that investigation, but acknowledge that changes will be made to the jail.

The union lawsuit points out numerous weaknesses in jail security.

Weeks before the escape, reciprocating saw blades were found in prisoner holding areas on two occasions, according to the lawsuit. The blades were designed to cut metal and wood.

Some of the deputies who worked in the Central Mens Jail during that time frame were unaware of the discovery of these dangerous and potentially deadly weapons, the lawsuit said.

Although deputies used to monitor the jail rooftop throughout the day, the lawsuit claims that the department changed that practice last fall. Now, it is only monitored during the first half of the day.

Staffing levels have also significantly reduced or completely eliminated daily plumbing tunnel checks, the suit said.

Union officials say the jails most experienced, most highly trained deputies have been removed and replaced by civilians. They also say that construction contractors entering the jail do not submit to an inventory of their equipment.

Without such equipment checks, it was impossible to tell if workers were leaving behind tools inadvertently, they said.

The deputys union also accused the department of equipping guards with unreliable radios.

Jingling keys and pounding footsteps are a cause for alarm for deputies, indicating a deputy is in a hurry somewhere and may need assistance, the lawsuit said. The lack of reliable communication inside Central Mens Jail does not go unnoticed by inmates.

Sheriffs officials declined to comment on specific claims in the lawsuit Friday, but they insisted that they were not ignoring the safety of their deputies.

We have always been and continue to be concerned about the welfare of employees, said Orange County sheriffs Lt. Mark Stichter.

For SoCal crime & investigations follow me on Twitter @lacrimes

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Charles Garabedian, modern artist of mythological themes, who was raised in East L.A., fought Air Force missions in World War II and studied history before his late-bloomer drift into painting, died Thursday at his Santa Monica home from prostate cancer, said his wife, Gwendolyn. He was 92.

Garabedian was known for bright, cannily cartoonish oil paintings in which scenes from Greek epics, even savage ones, were awash in cheerful color.

His work married wisdom with childlike innocence. The colors were pretty, the themes often dark.

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The figures in his paintings wore enigmatic smiles. Dreamily entwined, or braced in ambiguous postures, their attitudes reflected Garabedians: There are no absolutes, he told a Times writer in 2011. There is nothing you can really count on. And I think its better that way.

The UCLA-trained Garabedian won a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in 1977 and a Guggenheim fellowship three years later, and his work is included in numerous collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

Yet despite honors, Garabedian never gained a large public following. His career was marked by long periods of obscurity.

Admirers occasionally sought to place him with John Baldessari, Mike Kelley, and other late 20th-century artists who tested East Coast constraints and injected an imaginative California sensibility into contemporary art.

But mostly, Garabedian was not known for his influence; he was known for his independence.

He makes no compromises, said his longtime friend and fellow artist Ed Moses said of him in 2003. He is just into the painting as painting.

Garabedian quietly rejected the role of artist-as-salesman. Talking of mainstream art, he once said, I just cant do it.

He spoke of painting for himself, and his children and grandchildren. You want to know who you are, he said in a 2003 interview. You look over the body of your work, and say, Thats who I was, and who I many become.

This internal drive won him a passionate following in West Coast art circles, where critics and fellow painters saw him as an artists artist. Among them, he gained a kind of anti-fame for not being famous  notoriously under-recognized, is how one gallery director put it.

Garabedian was born Dec. 29, 1923, in Detroit, the youngest of three children of Verkin and Eglia Garabedian, Armenians who had fled the genocide. When he was 2, his mother died. His father, an autoworker disabled from by accident at work, sent the children to live in an orphanage where they remained until an uncle retrieved them seven years later.

The uncle took them to East L.A., where Garabedian went to Garfield High School, then the Air Force. Stationed in England during the war, he served 30 missions as a waist gunner on a B-24, his wife said.

Afterward, he studied literature on the GI Bill at UC Santa Barbara and got a degree in history from USC. He worked in a factory and at odd jobs, including as a Union Pacific night yard man. Garabedian met the artist Moses, a neighbor, who took him to an art class, his wife said. He took to it. He was 31.

He earned a masters degree at UCLA and was in his early 40s when his first gallery show finally came in 1965. He followed the advice of one of his teachers, Elliot Elgart, who had told him, Youre too old for technique, go for the poetry, Gwendolyn Garabedian said. A solo show at the Whitney Museum in 1976 established his national profile.

Over the years, he was neglected and rediscovered  and appeared unfazed either way. He taught at UCLA and elsewhere, and toiled at his sunlit Westside studio on Washington Boulevard.

A reporter once found him there, at work on a painting hed been perfecting for 13 years.

Sales were not important as a sign of success, he said, but they were important to buy groceries.

Claremont Graduate University professor and critic David Pagel, writing for The Times, has characterized Garabedians work as user-friendly pictures of archetypal stories. He sometimes used plaster, cardboard and other materials. But most of his work consisted of paintings on canvas, nearly always of human beings, at the edge of caricature.

He was trying to make something beautiful, said his wife. Of his figures, she said, on first look sometimes they look a little homely or gangly, but they resonate.

His early work was informed by crime and television. Daytime TV, which Pagel called riveting, is a comical yet curiously poignant swirl of images  a gun, a disembodied hand  alongside characters who appear appalled to find themselves trapped inside a television set.

In later years, he returned repeatedly to his favorite themes, Greek mythology, and especially The Iliad, which his wife said he loved for its operatic quality. Broken Greek temples and red-brick walls distinguish these paintings.

He painted Agamemnon, ridiculous and cursed, as he prepared to slay his writhing daughter, and Dido lolling on the beach, locking eyes with Aeneas.

He rendered mythological characters as pink and vulnerable, yet also tragic  at once childish, knowing and self-aware. There is no escaping from his wily art, Pagel wrote.

Besides his wife, whom he married in 1963, Garabedian is survived by his daughters Claire Garabedian and Sophia Octeau, and three grandchildren.

jill.leovy@latimes.com
Reacting to the dismissal of the California Coastal Commissions executive director, Assembly members on Friday said they plan to introduce legislation to require people who lobby the commission to register with the state and disclose their clients with business pending before the powerful land-use agency.

Assemblyman Mark Stone (D-Monterey Bay) and Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) say the measure would close a loophole in the government code that exempts lobbyists on the commission level from reporting details of their activities to the public.

They dont have to make the same disclosures as those who lobby other state agencies, Stone said. This allows them to do more things behind the scenes.

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We need to close that loophole and treat them like everyone else, he added. The public will then have more information about who is influencing whom.

Atkins and Stone say their measure also would require lobbyists to report to the public the payments they receive from clients and how much they spend on lobbying for specific matters that come before the commission.

The lawmakers say they are motivated by what they consider a lack of transparency surrounding the firing of the commissions executive director, Charles Lester, on Wednesday during the panels meeting in Morro Bay.

The commission voted 7-5 to oust Lester in a closed session, with little public explanation, after hearing from more than 200 people who opposed the dismissal and virtually none who favored it.

Commissioners took the matter behind closed doors although their chief legal counsel, Chris Pederson, advised them that they were free to discuss any current issues involving Lesters performance because he had chosen a public hearing to defend himself.

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A Feb. 6 memo by Pederson said commissioners could deliberate and vote in open session and were allowed to discuss their own current thoughts regarding the executive director and management of the agency, and any other issues that they think are relevant, aside from the executive directors past performance evaluations.

Mary Shallenberger, the longest-sitting member on the commission and one of the five who did not vote to fire him, called the panels closed-door action a total disregard for the public  the worst Ive seen in 40 years.

It was shameful and despicable for a public agency charged with protecting our coast, Shallenberger said.

Unlike other regulatory agencies in California, members of the Coastal Commission can be lobbied directly about pending decisions.

State law allows commissioners to communicate or meet privately with interested parties, including project applicants and their representatives, about business before the commission as long as they disclose the contact and what it was about.

Applicants are required to identify to the commission any consultants they have retained to represent them. But those representatives  referred to as agents rather than lobbyists  do not have to register as they would if they were lobbying in the state Legislature.

Commissioners also must file disclosures describing each ex-parte communication, including the date, time and location, the people involved and a complete description of the content of the communication and copies of any written information they received.

Environmental groups, supporters of the agency and members of the public confronted commissioners again Thursday as they continued their regular meeting. They demanded answers and said they were not satisfied with commissioners explanations of why they secretly discussed Lesters fate.

I agree with a lot of what I heard in the public testimony, Atkins said. The public feels like we will have to pay closer attention to the commission and the determinations made by various commissioners. Given what happened this week, we may be able to get this done.

Atkins noted that former state Sen. Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) introduced a similar disclosure bill for the Coastal Commission in 2005, but it was defeated.

The new bill now has at least 10 co-authors. Stone and Atkins said the measure, which is gaining support, will probably be introduced early next week.

This is the sunshine on the coast bill and just a precursor to what is necessary to take back the coast, said Steven Blank, who served on the commission from 2007 to 2013. Given the spin developer agents on the commission are giving, the bill is even more important.

Blank noted that lobbyists appeared to be texting and e-mailing commissioners on the dais during the public hearing in which Lester defended his record.

It happened all the time when I was on the commission, he said. Today, it is not against the law, but again it raises the issue of what is in the public interest.

Susan Jordan, director of the California Coastal Protection Network, also praised the proposed legislation and said it was decades overdue.

Weve watched billions of dollars in projects go before the commission, but there is no transparency about the lobbying process, she said. Its something that should be public knowledge.

For now, the coastal watchdog agency will be run by its two top deputies, Jack Ainsworth and Susan Hansch.

The panel is expected to discuss plans for a search for a new executive director at its next meeting in Santa Monica in March.

Commissioner Carole Groom, who voted against firing Lester, said his ouster will present very special challenges in recruiting a replacement with the environmental credentials, knowledge of California law and coastal policy experience necessary to lead the agency.

She said potential candidates will take a good look at what happened. God, a 7-5 vote after hundreds of people spoke out against it? Its going to be a harder time to find somebody of great quality.

Weeks before the vote, at least one environmental leader was approached about possibly replacing Lester.

Mark Gold, associate vice chancellor for environment and sustainability at UCLA, confirmed that he was called over month ago about leading the agency, but was not interested and turned it down immediately.

I said, Youve got to be kidding me, recalled Gold, who declined to say who approached him in the confidential phone call.

dan.weikel@latimes.com | @LADeadline16

tony.barboza@latimes.com | @tonybarboza

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The smell was gone.

A video released by state officials Friday showed the moment when the massive gas leak at a Southern California Gas well was finally plugged Thursday morning. Plumes of methane are seen billowing from the well, then the plume falters for moment before simply vanishing  ending the 31/2-month ordeal.

But it still remains uncertain when the thousands of residents who left their homes will return. Some residents said they were eager to get back home once the well is permanently plugged, but others said they are still deciding what to do.

Its a huge relief, but I feel suspicious ... kind of like getting back together with your husband after he cheated on you, said resident Jacki Swift. Even if the big leak is fixed, I will continue to worry about the safety of my home.

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Sen. Barbara Boxer visited Porter Ranch on Friday and called for an independent air study to be done before residents must move home from their temporary accommodations.

Boxer said she had chosen not to visit the community sooner because she believed state and local officials were in control of the situation.

After meeting with a handful of residents for about 30 minutes at the Shepherd of the Hills Church, Boxer said the communitys deep mistrust of the Southern California Gas Co. and state Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources necessitates an independent study to show air in the community and inside homes is safe to breathe.

The study could be done by a private group, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or South Coast Air Quality Management District, she said.

Before these families return home, they will need to know with certainty, with certainty, that the air will be safe to breathe and their homes will be safe to occupy, Boxer said. The senator made her request in letters to Gov. Jerry Brown and the gas company.

Her visit came one day after gas company officials said they had controlled the leak by injecting fluids and heavy mud via a relief well that intercepted the damaged one. The next step is to permanently seal the well by injecting it with cement.

Gas company spokeswoman Stephanie Donovan said work will continue around the clock until that has been done.

Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources officials will then inspect the well to determine if the leak is indeed over. Boxer said the verification process is insufficient because the division does not have a reputation up until to this point that is good enough.

The agencys method of verifying the leak will not include testing air in the area, said Don Drysdale, a spokesman for the Department of Conservation. Other agencies are responsible for air quality testing, he said.

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The South Coast air district has been testing and analyzing emissions in the community for months with three monitoring stations and a vehicle with a real-time methane monitor. Those results are posted on the districts website.

Air quality officials are developing a plan to continue monitoring for several months after the leak ends, said a district spokesman.

The gas company said it will move forward with drilling a second relief well, beginning Monday, per orders by state regulators.

Despite successfully stopping the leak, until [Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources] lifts its order, we will continue to move forward with construction of the second relief well, Donovan said.

Boxer and Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced an amendment to an energy bill last week that directs Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to lead a federal review of the cause of the leak and the cleanup efforts. A report on the task forces findings would be due in six months.

The bill has stalled, however so Boxer said she has asked Moniz to visit Aliso Canyon personally.

The massive gas leak, which was reported by the gas company Oct. 23, caused thousands of families in Porter Ranch and the surrounding communities to relocate. Odorants added to the methane left many residents with headaches, dizziness and nausea.

With the leak stopped, residents expect those symptoms will go away. But some will remain skeptical.

Once its deemed safe, I will feel more comfortable with the idea of moving home but wont feel entirely safe until the facility is shut down or at least retrofitted with safety equipment so there is no possibility of this occurring again, Darren Hallihan said.

Times staffer Daniela Gerson contributed to this report.

alice.walton@latimes.com | @TheCityMaven

abby.sewell@latimes.com | @sewella

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The six Republicans running for president called one another liars 22 times, insulted each others families and even screamed at one another in Spanish as the partys fierce battle over its identity crescendoed in their latest debate Saturday night.

The ninth GOP debate was the smallest, with the remaining candidates pressed to perform ahead of Saturdays primary in South Carolina or risk losing relevance and being forced to drop out. The forum may also have been the least civil.

Donald Trump and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush encapsulated the GOPs long-running schism between its establishment wing and its rebellious insurgency in a single raw and unusually personal exchange over the war in Iraq and the legacy of the George W. Bush era.

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FOR THE RECORD: In the Feb. 14 Section A, an article about a debate in South Carolina among Republican presidential hopefuls referred to John Kasich as former Ohio governor. He is Ohios current governor.

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The war in Iraq was a big, fat mistake, said Trump, the celebrity business mogul and front-runner for the Republican nomination.

They lied, Trump continued. They said there were weapons of mass destruction. There were none.

The audience booed. Trump lashed back, calling its members Jebs special interests and lobbyists.

Bush, defending his family, responded with uncharacteristic intensity.

While Donald Trump was building a reality TV show, my brother was building a security apparatus to keep us safe, he countered.

Trump shot back that President Bushs efforts did little good, pointing to the destruction of the World Trade Center towers in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The crowd booed again.

The exchange finally ended when moderator John Dickerson turned to former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who expressed astonishment at what had just happened.

This is just crazy, he said. This is just nuts. Jeez, oh man.

The rapid-fire argument was perhaps the nastiest in a night that featured several as the freshly rescrambled field campaigns in South Carolina, where some candidates are making what could be their final stand in the effort to take down Trump.

The death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Saturday also brought urgency to the debate, as the presidential hopefuls sought to position themselves as the partys best hope of preserving his unyielding conservative legacy.

The loss of a leading conservative voice on a court narrowly divided along ideological lines brought the issue of electability to the forefront of the bitterly contested race. With Scalias loss, conservatives no longer have a court serving as a bulwark against certain liberal policies of the Obama administration.

His loss is tremendous, said Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. He will go down as one of the greatest justices in the history of this republic.

The appointment of a Supreme Court justice is one of the most enduring legacies of any president, and it is likely to motivate the core voters in both parties, who hold the greatest sway in presidential primary elections.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas immediately reinforced his image as a conservative warrior, assuring the audience that he would lead the fight to resist any nominee President Obama might send to the Senate, and demanding Scalias replacement be chosen by the next president.

We are one justice away from a Supreme Court that will strike down every restriction on abortion, he said. We are one justice away from a Supreme Court that would undermine religious liberty for millions of Americans.

But as the candidates were pressed on whether Republicans stood on firm legal ground in pushing to delay the confirmation of a replacement until after Obama has departed the White House, Trump was predictably frank.

Obama will nominate someone whether I like it or not, he said.

I think it is up to Mitch McConnell and the others to stop it, he said of the Senate majority leader. His proposal: Delay, delay, delay.

Trump has reclaimed his bravado after a disappointing second-place finish in Iowas caucuses. His strength in early states and large lead in national polls has prompted panic in the GOP establishment, which is suspicious of his ideologically mixed populist proposals and worried that his inflammatory rhetoric will alienate Latinos and other key groups.

Cruz, who has cast himself as a more purely conservative anti-establishment foe, has tried to frame the race as between himself and Trump.

I like Donald; hes an amazing entertainer, Cruz said. For most of his life, his policies have been very, very liberal. Cruz went on, noting Trumps past support for Planned Parenthood.

You are the single biggest liar, Trump interrupted. You are probably worse than Jeb.

This guy will say anything, he added. Hes a nasty guy.

Cruz also sparred with Rubio, as their long-simmering feud over immigration sizzled into new territory when the Floridian jabbed the Texans Spanish-language credentials.

Marco has a long record when it comes to amnesty, Cruz said, noting that during a Spanish-language interview on Univision, Rubio declined to say whether he would repeal Obamas immigration executive actions, which protect some immigrants from deportations.

I dont know how he knows what I said on Univision, because he doesnt speak Spanish, Rubio shot back.

And that led Cruz to do something he rarely does: He spoke Spanish, a bit broken, but loudly enough to be heard over Rubios voice.

Both are the sons of immigrants from Cuba.

While the dynamics of the race have shifted since the GOP debate a week ago in New Hampshire, and the field has shrunk, no candidate has yet been able to consolidate the anti-Trump vote, including retired physician Ben Carson, who has faded in the polls.

After a poor showing in New Hampshire, Rubio is fighting to repair his image as a fresh and articulate party spokesman, especially on foreign policy, where he has tried to establish himself as an aggressive voice.

Bush faces nearly as much pressure as Rubio. He finished just well enough in New Hampshire to remain viable in South Carolina, where he is hoping to get a boost from his familys successes in the state.

After distancing himself at times from the family name, Bush is clinging to it, with an event planned Monday in North Charleston with his older brother, George W. Bush.

Mehta reported from Greenville and Bierman and Halper from Washington. Times staff writer Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.

Follow @LATSeema, @noahbierman and @evanhalper on Twitter.

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In the end, the people in the little town of Burns never rose up in revolution against the federal government. They only rose up against one another, in cafes, on Facebook, in their places of worship.

The nearby Malheur National Wildlife Refuge that was the center of a 41-day armed occupation aimed at challenging the power of the federal government was a sprawling crime scene by Friday, occupied by federal agents and a few trucks. The occupiers were in custody; the long-feared shootout never happened.

Instead  apart from the Jan. 26 shooting death of group spokesman Robert LaVoy Finicum during a law enforcement highway trap  the protests primary casualties are the emotionally wounded residents of conservative Harney County, who had been torn for weeks over whether to support the right-wing occupation.

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They now must find a way to end their own standoffs among themselves, here in the desolation of Oregons high desert.

Theres a lot of people who have been here a long time and lost friendships over it, said Nicole Davis, 45, a third-generation Harney County resident who has stopped going to church because shes so afraid of getting drawn into a personal fight over the armed occupation.

The men and women who came here from across the country, armed with rifles and pistols, began their protest on Jan. 2, at a moment when the American establishment seemed to be losing its grip. Black Lives Matter protests had shaken cities; Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump had shaken long-standing political parties. Here, the outsiders decided to try to shake the whole federal government.

The outsiders began their protest after two local ranchers were sent to prison under a federal anti-terrorism statute on charges related to burning local federal wild lands. The protesters claimed the desolate bird sanctuary 30 miles outside Burns as their redoubt and said they planned to stay indefinitely.

Some protesters, like Ammon Bundy, said that the federal government had no right to control the Wests public wild lands. They nurtured dreams of a new Sagebrush Rebellion that could take on what they saw as a federal government that had forgotten it was supposed to answer to citizens.

They invited militias to call up their ranks and flock to Oregon, counting on the local populace to get in their cars and join them on the refuge. But the columns of supporters never arrived; some of those who did served more to irritate than mobilize local residents.

Last week, two men came to Linda Gainers RV park outside the refuge and said they planned to stay there to help support local ranchers, Gainer recalled Friday while sitting at the counter of her cafe at the park.

She soon found out that the men had posted on Facebook that they were starting a new protest site at her RV park and were calling for supporters to join them. They lied, she said.

Things only got worse from there  Gainer had trouble reaching the overwhelmed local sheriffs office to get help kicking the men out, and then she became a target for abuse from outside the community when word got out on social media that she was supposedly supporting the protesters.

I started getting crap emails for my business, Gainer said bitterly, noting that she was also getting angry phone calls, even from California. Residents also seemed baffled by the electronic abuse they got on Facebook  from one another.

M.L. Harris wrote to the Burns Times Herald this week that he had been chastised and exiled on Facebook for having an open mind about the protesters and the issues they raised. He said one law enforcement official had challenged him about whether he was for the militia or for us.

A local emergency dispatcher and hospital worker had liked another users comment that called him crazy, he said.

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Any opportunity to reason or form worthwhile communication was met with an instant unfriending, Harris wrote. Now, I wonder, if I have an emergency, will I be cared for by a biased dispatcher [or] the person working in the hospital who proclaimed their myopic view by one click of the like button?

Harris wasnt alone. This weeks letters in the newspaper  published before the final surrenders on Thursday  contain both pleas for the occupiers to leave and statements of agreement with some of the protesters issues. The paper seemed to serve as a confessional.

I was told personally by a very good friend to get off the fence and choose one side or the other, one reader wrote. I felt that I couldnt do that because I was on both sides.

But a common criticism seemed to emerge again and again: The occupiers were outsiders who had made a mess in somebody elses community.

This is addressed to all the residents of Harney County, with a valid state of Oregon identification with zip codes 97720, 97738, 97904, 97732, 97721, 97722, 97710, 97758, wrote Burns resident Sue Mackey. If we do not come together, we are going to lose this county to one of the groups that have invaded us.

Cathy Jory, a resident of Hines, directed her letter at Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, Ammons father, who had spoken in support of the occupation before he was arrested in Portland on charges connected to his own challenge to the federal government, this one involving cattle grazing fees.

I am a resident of Harney County, Jory wrote to Bundy. I have never given you or anyone else permission to speak, write or act for me.... You dont represent me. We are all suffering the consequences of the irresponsible actions and words of outside agitators who think they have the right to speak for us.

Davis, speaking outside the Burns Safeway on Friday, said what so many residents of Harney County seemed to have diagnosed as the key failure of a protest whose viewpoints many local residents shared: I dont think that coming into a community from out of state is a good way to make a point.

The arrests have now brought some relief to the area, though the road outside the refuge was blocked Friday with an electronic highway sign that threatens arrest to trespassers. No protesters could be seen.

Im so thankful the whole thing is over with. They walked out instead of being carried out, said Gainer, who added that she had spent worried nights wondering whether loud noises were gunshots. When she heard news that the final occupier had surrendered, she said, it was like 300 pounds was lifted off my shoulder.

At the roadside cafe outside the refuge, waitress Vicky Rogers fetched coffee and eggs for the reporters and FBI agents who had outlasted the occupiers.

Rogers best hope for Burns now spoke both to the protesters and the government: To let us go back and lead our lives  and, she added, let us have our Constitution back.

Follow @mattdpearce on Twitter

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To the editor: Maria Bustillos dismisses what she calls womens issues as less urgent than the issues of class and economic inequality that are Sen. Bernie Sanders exclusive focus. Bustillos also implies that breaking the glass ceiling is merely a vanity project for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the self-centered establishment women who support her. (You dont have to be a bro to support Bernie Sanders, Opinion, Feb. 9)

Id remind Bustillos  and Sanders too  of the ferocious assault on reproductive rights being waged by those who would deny women control over their bodies, access to contraception, healthcare and equal pay and, yes, ban access to abortion, even in cases of incest or rape. There is no liberal value more central, more basic, more urgent than the fight for full human rights and economic equality and opportunity for all persons, regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation.

American women, and especially American women of color, do not receive equal pay for equal work. American women and LGBT Americans are not equal under the law and are thus prevented from exercising their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

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Clinton is fighting for basic, too-long-denied human rights. This may be a side issue to male candidates, but it is urgent and real for more than half of America.

Jo Perry, Studio City

..

To the editor: Millennials are not being drawn by the prospect of Clinton being the first female president or her past accomplishments. The past is the past, and millennials are concerned with the future.

I am a grandparent of millennials, and I worry about how they will pay for college. Should grandparents sacrifice their lifelong savings to educate their grandchildren?

I look at my grandchildren and wonder if they must incur lifelong debt for college that makes it impossible to buy a house or have children. This is the future, and it is now. Sanders is speaking about it  God knows someone has to.

Harriet Pollon, Malibu

..

To the editor: Among many of the unfair criticisms of Clinton is that she voted for the Iraq war as if she were the only Democrat who did so and then went on to run for another office. She has been criticized for accepting speaker fees from Wall Street and asked to release the transcripts. Has a male politician ever been treated like this?

Clinton has received, since she was first lady, unfair and untrue accusations, including Bustillos charge that she has betrayed the principles of the Democratic Party.

Republicans fear Clinton. They would much rather run against Sanders.

Dolores Carrillo, Diamond Bar

..

To the editor: If support for Clinton should not be a womens issue, why does the title of Bustillos article explicitly make it one?

Gender should not be a reason to support a candidate for president. But have we heard of men for Bernie or men for Bush or men for Obama? Why all of a sudden women for Bernie? If gender doesnt matter, then the headline should have been gender neutral. Readers must have been intrigued by the title Women for Bernie. I know I was.

Men for Bernie  I cant wait for that headline.

Carol Hall, Diamond Bar

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There are more than 5,000 known minerals on Earth, and most of them are much more rare than Valentines Day diamonds.

After all, diamonds can be found in more than 700 locations around the world, and miners pull tons of them out of the ground each year.

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Compare that to the beautiful Valentines Day pink mineral cobaltomenite, which is found in just four places: Argentina, Bolivia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Utah.

Scientists say there is so little cobaltomenite on our planet that you could probably fit it all into a container the size of a shot glass.

Now thats a rare mineral.

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In a paper to be published in American Mineralogist, two researchers present the first system for categorizing rarities in the mineral kingdom by suggesting four reasons that a mineral might be hard to find.

They explain that some minerals can only form under very specific pressures and temperatures, while others are formed of rare elements that are almost never found in the same place at the same time.

Some minerals are ephemeral; they dissolve in rain or decompose in the sun. Others can only be found in places that are extremely hard to get to, like the edges of volcanoes or the deepest parts of the ocean.

One of the rarest known minerals on the planet is fingerite, which has only been seen near the summit of the Izalco volcano in El Salvador. Reserchers call it the perfect storm of rarity because it is made of rare elements, it dissolves in the rain, and it only forms under specific conditions that occur near active volcanoes.

Studying rare minerals can help scientists better understand the extreme pressure and temperature conditions that exist on the planet, as well as the role that life plays in the creation of Earths mineral mix, said mineralogist Robert Hazen of the Carnegie Institution in Washington and one of the authors of the work.

What is most astonishing about rare minerals is that the processes that ultimately forms most of them comes from biology, he said. As life changes near the surface of our planet, it creates new conditions that leads to the creation of thousands of new minerals.

One of those minerals was named for Hazen -- the delicate and fleeting hazenite. (It was discovered by a former student of his.)

Hazenite has only been found in Mono Lake in the California desert, and only on certain days of the year.

When the lake has been dry for a long time, the phosphorous levels occasionally get so high that they start to poison the microbes that live on the lakebed. To deal with the excess phosphorous, these microscopic life forms excrete tiny little hazenite crystals.

Theyre basically microbial poop, said Hazen. People tell me, Hazenite happens.

Nevadaite has striking blue crystals that are also microscopic. It is made of the scarce elements vanadium and copper, and it has only been found in two places -- Eureka County, Nev., and a copper mine in Kyrgyzstan.

Another of the rarest known minerals is ichnusaite. It was created through a subterranean mash-up of the radioactive element thorium and lead-like molybdenum. Only one specimen has ever been found. That was on the Italian island of Sardinia a few years ago.

In the world of mineralogy, it seems that each mineral has a unique and fascinating story to tell about the vast range of elements and environments on our planet.

For example, in 2014 scientists found a tiny but analyzable sample of a mineral called bridgmanite after searching for it for half a century.

Bridgmanite forms under such high pressure that the only way it could even occur on Earths surface is if a meteorite struck the planetary crust with an immense force. However, scientists believe that bridgmanite makes up 70% of the lower part of Earths mantle, where the pressure is much higher.

Last year Hazen and his team put out a paper that predicts there are still 1,500 undiscovered minerals.

At the same time, their calculations suggest that the distinct mineral composition of Earth could not be found anywhere else in the universe.

Earths mineralogy is absolutely unique in the cosmos, he said.

Now thats seriously rare.

Do you love science? I do!Follow me @DeborahNetburn and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

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Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev raised the specter of a new Cold War on Saturday and compared the current tensions between Russia and the West to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, which brought the world to the brink of nuclear war.

NATOs political stance toward Russia remains unfriendly and isolated, he said in televised remarks at an international security conference in Munich, Germany. One can say even more harshly, we have slid into the times of a new Cold War.

Relations between Russia and the West have been in a downward spiral since Moscows 2014 annexation of Crimea and support of hostilities in eastern Ukraine, which prompted a series of crippling economic sanctions against Russia. The relationship between Moscow and the West has become further strained by Russias continuing support for Syrian President Bashar Assad, including a bombing campaign against Western-supported rebel groups.

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Medvedev served as Russian president in 2008-12 while his mentor, Vladimir Putin, was prime minister, and his remarks in Munich presumably had Putins stamp of approval. His reference to the Cuban Missile Crisis was oblique but unmistakable.

I sometimes wonder: Are we in 2016 or in 1962? he said, addressing Western leaders, security officials and diplomats at the conference.

In his own remarks to the conference, U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry said that the Cold War is long over, although he said there was still a need for the courage and the resolve in defending liberty and in pursuing peace.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was somewhat tougher in his remarks. We have seen a more assertive Russia, a Russia which is destabliizing the European security order, he said. NATO does not seek confrontation and we dont want a new Cold War. At the same time, our response has to be firm.

While he called for dialogue with Russia, Stoltenberg added that NATO is undertaking the biggest reinforcement of our collective defense in decades, to send a powerful signal to deter any aggression or intimidation. ... We are in a new reality with Russia.

Ironically, Munich was the venue of Putins fiery 2007 speech that is widely seen as Moscows attempt to renew Cold War rhetoric and reclaim its superpower status. Putin accused the West of creating a unipolar world and accused NATO of moving closer to Russias borders.

Medvedev, whose presidency was seen as a period of a relative thaw, added that Russia and NATO have cut short their exchanges on security issues.

Responding to Western and Syrian opposition claims that Russian airstrikes have hit civilian targets, Medvedev urged closer military cooperation with the United States in settling the five-year-old war.

The military must keep in constant contact, he said. They should call each other a dozen times a day. Otherwise there will always be skirmishes and conflicts.

The Syrian opposition and the United States have accused Russia of bombing so-called moderate opposition groups backed by the West, while Russia insists it is targeting Islamic State positions.

To date, the vast majority, in our opinion, of Russias attacks have been against legitimate opposition groups, Kerry said. Obviously, if people who are ready to be part of the political process are being bombed were not going to have much of a conversation.

Russia has vehemently supported Assads regime and objected to proposals by the West and Sunni Arab states to remove him from power.

Kerry also urged Russia to de-escalate the situation in eastern Ukraine, urging Moscow to stick to the cease-fire accords reached last year in Minsk, the capital of neighboring Belarus.

Russia has a simple choice: fully implement Minsk or continue to face economically damaging sanctions, he said.

The sanctions, along with plummeting oil prices, sent the Russian economy into a recession, exacerbated by corruption and increased military spending.

However, a massive anti-Western campaign in the Kremlin-controlled media had kept Putins approval ratings well above 80%.

Mirovalev is a special correspondent.

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In Egypts biggest public protest in more than two years, thousands of doctors gathered Friday to demand justice for two physicians allegedly assaulted by police.

Their union, known as the Egyptian Medical Syndicate, announced that if the accused police officers are not brought to justice before Feb. 26, doctors will start providing free medical care for citizens at public hospitals across the country.

Outside the union headquarters near downtown Cairo, doctors carried banners reading living, freedom and dignity and chanted We wont surrender! We wont bail out!

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We have come in thousands today to call for dignity for doctors, said Dr. Yehia Abdel Shafy, a rheumatologist.

NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >>

The protest was a response to an incident Jan. 28 at a public hospital in the northern Cairo. After an injured policeman insisted on jumping ahead of other patients waiting for treatment, several officers allegedly beat up two doctors.

Both doctors said that the policemen tried to intimidate them into not to filing a complaint.

Cairo prosecutors opened an investigation and charged nine low-ranked officers with assaulting public officials. All nine officers were released on bail. The protesters want to ensure that the officers will be put on trial.

The protest flouted a law issued in November 2013 banning public gatherings that were not pre-approved by authorities. Demonstrators since then have faced arrests, jail terms and heavy fines.

In addition to justice for the doctors, the union demanded an end to privatization programs for public hospitals and better protection for doctors on the job. They called for more protests at hospitals across the country on Feb. 20.

The conflict comes amid local and international condemnations of alleged brutality by Egyptian police against dissidents opposing President Abdel Fattah Sisi.

More than 300 people have disappeared over the last six months and at least 16,000 have been jailed, according to the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms.

A statement signed by 13 local human rights groups affirmed their solidarity with the medical union. The hashtag I support the doctors was trending Friday in Egypt.

Hassan is a special correspondent.

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The Obama administration will allow U.S. air carriers to start regular scheduled commercial flights to and from Cuba as early as this fall for the first time in more than 50 years, U.S. officials said Friday.

Air travel could resume with up to 20 daily scheduled round-trip flights to Havana, and 10 flights to nine other airports around the island nation.

The move is the latest by a White House determined to restore normal ties with the long-shunned communist government, and to expand American engagement with the Cuban people and their economy.

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Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx will sign the bilateral arrangement with his Cuban counterpart Tuesday in Havana to reestablish regular commercial air travel, and to start government screening of eligible air carriers.

The Transportation Department will solicit applications from airlines to operate the service. U.S. officials expect the opportunity to kick off a bidding war for the new routes.

Airlines could begin selling tickets this fall, probably around October, administration officials said. American passengers will still have to apply for Cuban visas to make the trip.

Charter flights to Cuba, which now fly about 10 or 15 times a day, will continue. Cuban airlines are not expected to begin reciprocal service to U.S. airports in the near future, officials said.

Diplomats agreed to restore commercial air service in December, but its taken this long to assess Cuban air operations, security procedures and other challenges.

U.S. law still bars tourists from visiting Cuba, but the commercial flights will expand opportunities for other visitors, such as students and business executives.

NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >>

It also is intended to strengthen the people-to-people ties that President Obama hopes will make the detente last after he leaves the White House next year.

Washington and Havana restored diplomatic relations in July, a process that began with behind-the-scenes talks between personal emissaries of the White House, the government of Raul Castro and the Vatican.

Obama has relaxed travel and trade restrictions under his direct authority, but many remain in place and can only be changed by Congress.

The White House has urged Congress to drop its trade embargo, which was passed in 1963 and remains a source of tension with Havana.

Many political conservatives and Cuban Americans oppose what they see as a rush to drop sanctions. The Castro government still draws international criticism, including from the White House, for its jailing of political dissidents and its human rights abuses.

Aides to Obama say he is convinced that greater U.S. engagement with Cuba and its economy will pressure its leaders to accept reforms.

The restoration of commercial flights promotes travel, commerce and the free flow of information, said James Williams, president of the nonpartisan advocacy group Engage Cuba, a supporter of the new Obama policy.

Now is the time for Washington to listen to the majority of Americans and Cuban people, and fully end the outdated embargo, he said.

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Every weekday, Iris Alondra Hipolito waits for her 14-year-old brother Luis to arrive home from school.

The 17-year-old fixes Luis a meal of rice and shredded beef before she sits down to help with homework. She asks him about his day.

I play the role of mom now, Iris said.

Si desea leer esta nota en espanol, haga clic aqui.

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Their mother lives more than 2,000 miles away in a small village in the outskirts of Oaxaca City in Mexico. Iris and Luis are U.S. citizens and can move back and forth across the U.S.-Mexico border, but their mother has no legal status in this country. She wants their familys story told, and she hopes the leader of the Roman Catholic Church will tell it.

On Monday, Iris, Luis and their father, also named Luis, will join about other 20 Los Angeles pilgrims  mostly U.S. children of immigrant parents  on an overnight bus bound for El Paso, Texas. Their goal is to get a message to Pope Francis, who will celebrate Mass in Ciudad Juarez, not far from the border fence separating it from El Paso.

I will ask the pope to please talk with the president and politicians who are against immigration reform. They think our stories arent real but they are, she said. My brother and I need our mother. There are many American children who dont have their parents because there is no immigration reform.

There are an estimated 5.5 million U.S. citizens who are the children of parents in the country without authorization, according to a USC study.

These children are fighting for their rights. Many are young now but will someday vote, said Martha Ugarte, the trip coordinator and chaperon for the children making the trip to El Paso.

Ugarte was part of a group of immigrant rights activists that traveled last fall to the East Coast to give Francis a message detailing the plight of immigrants in the U.S. illegally and how current government policies affect the lives of such families. The message was delivered by Sophie Cruz, a 5-year-old U.S. citizen whose parents are in the country illegally.

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Pope Francis reaches for Sophie Cruz, the daughter of two immigrants in the country illegally, during a parade in Washington last September. (Alex Brandon / AFP/Getty Images)

Sophie became a celebrity among immigrant rights activists when she successfully reached the pope on her second attempt after he motioned for her to approach him while his motorcade made its way past cheering crowds in Washington. Sophie handed the pontiff a letter, urging him to talk to President Obama and congressional leaders to pass some sort of immigration reform.

Like before, the group doesnt have an audience with the pope, but Iris said she will speak out about her situation during several planned events in El Paso.

During his U.S. visit in September, Francis did indeed address immigration. Without wading into the specifics of the U.S. immigration debate, he asked that immigrants be treated with compassion. His six-day Mexico trip, which begins Friday, will echo similar themes. An itinerary taking him from the southern state of Chiapas, which borders Guatemala, to Juarez at the northern border is meant to trace the path migrants take to reach the United States, especially those fleeing violence and poverty in Central America.

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In 2003, Iris, Luis and their mother left Southern California and moved back to Mexico because the family feared theyd soon be forcibly separated by immigration officials.

The father, also in the country without legal status, stayed behind to work. The family soon regretted their decision because life in Mexico was increasingly difficult, and the children were beginning to forget their English. Iris and Luis returned to the U.S. two years ago, but their mother had to stay behind, fearing the treacherous journey north.

Ugarte said at least four other children with similar stories plan to be part of the L.A. contingent headed to Texas for the papal Mass on Feb. 17.

Some of the parents were deported while others voluntarily left the U.S. during a time of heightened anti-illegal immigration sentiment, she said. The group is still trying to raise money so other U.S. children can make the trip to the border. Some pilgrims plan to cross the Rio Grande to Juarez; some will join 50,000 others watching a simulcast of the Mass beamed to the Sun Bowl in El Paso.

For now, Iris regularly speaks with her mother on the telephone. But its not the same.

Its just so hard without her, she said.

Regardless, she said she wouldnt want her mother to make a clandestine journey north.

If she were to return, every time shed step foot outside the house would be difficult. Wed be afraid, Iris said. We wouldnt know if shed get caught and never return.

cindy.carcamo@latimes.com

Twitter: @thecindycarcamo

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Pope Francis arrived Friday night on his first trip as pontiff to the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country of Mexico, following a historic meeting in Cuba with the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church and looking ahead to a pointed and problematic mission.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and his wife, Angelica Rivera, greeted the pope, surrounded by mariachis and festively dressed dancers singing the Mexican classic Cielito Lindo.

Queremos su bendicion! the crowd shouted: We want your blessing!

It is the fourth trip as pope to the Americas for the Argentine native, the first pontiff born in the Americas.

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Arriving at Benito Juarez International Airport at 7:30 p.m., the pope confronted an extraordinary Mexican spectacle: a full mariachi band, complete with men decked out in charro outfits and women dancers in white blouses and red skirts.

Many in the delirious audience of about 5,000 displayed the lights of their cellular phones, while also waving handkerchiefs of green, white and red, the colors of the Mexican flag.

Dancers on hand at the airport moved to a number of well-known Mexican songs, including Jarabe Tapatio, a traditional dance tune from the northern state of Jalisco. Enjoying the show from the red carpet, the pope applauded the performers.

Also greeting him were four children  two boys and two girls  wearing indigenous clothing from various regions of Mexico; one donned a complete mariachi outfit. Francis seemed to enjoy chatting with the children on the red carpet.

Later, children dressed in white ran toward the pope and embraced him. Mexicos first lady lifted a child up to him, and he gave the child a kiss on the cheek. Announcers said the approach of the children was unscripted.

Then came the collective shout: Mexico! Mexico! and Bendicion! The smiling pope, appearing to savor the moment, turned and offered a blessing to the crowd, then walked along the foot of the grandstands set up on the tarmac and repeating his blessing.

Because of the wind, Francis removed the white cap he traditionally wears and held it in his hand.

The pope later greeted the mariachis, and put on one of the musicians broad-brimmed, gold-trimmed black charro hats, flashing another broad grin.

The pope, still flanked by the Mexican president and first lady, later welcomed a number of Mexican cardinals and bishops, taking time to chat with several of them. Also in the crowd were members of the Mexican Cabinet.

Finally, Francis and his growing entourage entered the presidential hangar, from where their motorcade set off on the 12-mile ride to the papal nuncio residence in the south of Mexico City. He rode in the papamovil, or popemobile, with three police motorcycles at the front of the procession.

Ahead of the popes arrival, Mexicans have beseeched him to address a roster of national troubles, including murderous violence, a raging drug war and government corruption.

On the eve of the pontiffs visit, another Mexican journalist was killedone of 16 slain in a state ruled by Pena Nietos partyand another prison riot left nearly 50 people dead. Dozens of priests and religious workers have also been killed, kidnapped or threatened.

Francis has said he will not shy away from criticizing the little piece of war that he said Mexicans were living, and from holding the powerful accountable.

Flanked by Pena Nieto and his wife at the airport reception, the pope smiled and waved as dancers performed and the invited crowd shouted his name and bells pealed.

Throughout the capital, many offices were closed or shut down early on Friday. The city had an expectant feel. Newspapers at the many street-side kiosks featured front-page photos of the pope with the ubiquitous headline: Bienvenido, or welcome.

NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >>

Work crews were cordoning off streets along the route from the airport south to the papal nuncio residenceon a street named after the late Pope John Paul II -- where Francis was to spend his evenings. Thousands were expected to be out in the streets, despite the winter evening chill, hoping to catch a glimpse of the popes motorcade from the airport.

In the Zocalo, the central square in the heart of the Mexican capital and once the hub of the Aztec empire, access was restricted for several blocks in all directions in anticipation of the papal visit, which is expected to draw massive crowds to the city center. Many people were planning to arrive after midnight and sleep on the streets to secure a good viewing spot. Police were installing metal detectors along the cobblestone streets.

On Saturday morning, an official welcoming ceremony is scheduled at the National Palace, on the Zocalo, before a courtesy visit with Pena Nieto. Later, Francis was to meet with Mexican bishops, across the Zocalo in the colonial-era Cathedral.

A grandstand and seats were set out in the square for 65,000 people who had tickets to enter and watch the spectacle on huge screens erected for the occasion. Banners welcomed the pontiff to your home.

All shops in the Zocalo area were ordered closed on Saturday, a decision that irked many merchants in the busy commercial district. Saturday is normally an important shopping day in the area.

Of course, were upset we are going to close; we are all going to lose money, said Armando Lopez, 54, who stood behind the counter in the Liliana jewelry emporium, facing the Zocalo. But to make it worse, they didnt even give us tickets to sit and watch the popes visit!

Across town, barriers were being put up Friday along Calzada de Guadalupe, the route that the pope was scheduled to take on his trip Saturday to the Basilica of Guadalupe, Mexicos preeminent Roman Catholic shrine. Banners with the Mexican and Vatican flags hung from utility poles up and down the avenues.

As many as 4 million people were expected to descend on the area of the basilica, authorities said, though only 35,000 had tickets for the Mass service inside, over which Francis will preside. Tickets were distributed in local parishes.

Access to the basilica grounds was already blocked off, upsetting some early well-wishers.

How is it possible I cant enter the basilica? protested a Catholic nun who was among many who could not get in. I came all the way from Tijuana!

Outside, municipal workers in yellow vests were posted along the popes route, preparing for the huge influx of people. An upbeat mood prevailed.

Of course, we are very proudthis is the kind of event one remembers all of ones life, said Blanca Carbajal, one of the workers. Anyway, he is Latin American. He is one of us, and with us.

Her boss, the local city councilman, Victor Hugo Lobo, was inspecting the various staffers posted along the avenue. He seemed pleased at the turnout of workers.

Of course, Mexico has its problems, but it has a lot of good things too, said the councilman, accompanied by his own press attache. Its very special that the pope has chosen to come to our neighborhood and to the basilica, which is so important to all Mexicans.

McDonnell reported from Mexico City and Wilkinson reported from Washington. Cecilia Sanchez in the Mexico City bureau contributed to this report.

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How will Mexican leaders, unused to a vocal church, handle the blunt-talking Pope Francis?
This week, as Mexico readied for the arrival of Pope Francis, a news conference at the Ministry of the Interior revealed a glimmer of the types of uncomfortable exchanges between reporters and officials that are sure to gain frequency in the coming days.

Francis has repeatedly spoken out against the powerful  be they governments or people  he views as corrupt and unresponsive to the poor. How, the reporters wanted to know, would a government freighted with so many critical problems respond to his blunt talk?

One reporter noted the pope will visit Ciudad Juarez, the sprawling border city once known as Mexicos murder capital. The reporter suggested that, for the government, the location was badly positioned.

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Was the government afraid of what Francis might say?

I would definitely tell you that the expression fear does not exist in the government of the republic, Undersecretary Humberto Roque Villanueva said, launching into a lengthy response during which he asserted three more times that the government does not feel temor, or fear.

Another reporter cited a litany of problems Francis is likely to raise, such as violence and treatment of Central American immigrants passing through the country. Would the popes comments prompt a self-critique by the government?

Of course the government of the republic is conscious of the problems we have in this country, so to hide them wouldnt make sense for the government. That vision of things wouldnt function, he said.

Even before setting foot on Mexican soil, the pontiff has said that he wont cover up the countrys ills.

I want to exhort you to fight every day against corruption, against trafficking, against war, disunity, organized crime, he said, in a statement directed toward the people of Mexico.

In his travels around the world, Francis has proven that he speaks his mind.

While visiting the U.S. Congress in September, he challenged its members to stop the arms trade, treat immigrants fairly and fight climate change. Responding to students from Cuba and New York in a video conference, the pontiff called leaders who fail to invest in the new generation worthless and dictators. In Kenya, he branded slums new forms of colonialism.

He has also leveled criticism at the Roman Catholic Church, calling fundamentalism among its members a sickness, and saying that those who believe they possess an absolute truth do evil.

Francis has specifically planned a trip with deep political implications, following the path taken by migrants who begin their journeys in southern Mexico, ending at the border with the United States. The trip will culminate with a Mass on Wednesday in Ciudad Juarez, a city wracked with narco-violence and the continued struggles of migrants trying to make their way beyond the border fence.

In El Financiero earlier this month, columnist Raymundo Riva Palacio portrayed a strained lead-up to the popes visit, during which the Mexican government attempted to reroute the trip toward less controversial locations. The Vatican, he wrote, is marking its territory, as it attempts to prevent the government from modifying the popes agenda.

The government looked to take him to areas far from social conflict, Riva Palacio wrote, so as not to turn a Catholic celebration in Mexico into an anguishing tour for Los Pinos, Mexicos equivalent of the White House.

In his video statement to the Mexican people, Francis said, The Mexico of violence, the Mexico of corruption, the Mexico of cartels is not the Mexico that our mother [the Virgin Mary] wants. I, of course, will not cover any of that up.

Kevin Appleby, the director of the International Migration Policy Center at the New York-based Center for Migration Studies, says its unclear how Mexican officials will react to such critiques because the church is not known for taking on the government. Though clergy may be more vocal in other countries, this is relatively unmapped territory in Mexico.

NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >>

In Mexico over the years, the church has been careful about speaking out about injustices, especially those perpetrated by the government, he said, speaking by phone. When the Holy Father comes, he is coming into a culture that is not used to criticism.

The Center for Migration Studies was founded by Scalabrinian priests, nuns and laypeople, who have historically championed the plight of migrants. Appleby said the Argentine-born popes Latin American heritage deepens the impact of his message.

He can come to Mexico and say look, I am one of you, I came out of this hemisphere, Im the son of immigrants, Appleby said. He has some authority, some knowledge and background here and can speak to these issues. His popularity in this part of the world is something politicians take note of.

I would not be surprised if every television in Mexico and frankly every Hispanic family is tuned into his visit. Thats not lost on the powerful and the elite, both in Mexico and the U.S.

So far, there have been few mentions by Mexican officials of the popes critiques. Officials who have spoken on the issue have indicated they will handle such comments with diplomacy and are unlikely to contradict him.

Early this month, the countrys Minister of the Interior Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said that the trip would be an opportunity for Francis to see Mexico as the Mexican people are living it, with difficulties, with circumstances that, of course, many or some of which we regret, but which, of course, we are also overcoming as a country. We are taking legal measures, public policies to resolve them.

Tillman is a special correspondent. Cecilia Sanchez in Mexico City contributed to this report.

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While in Mexico for the next five days, Pope Francis is expected to take up issues that have been of central concern to his papacy.

The route he will follow from southern to northern Mexico is meant to represent the perilous journey that migrants take to reach the United States.

He also will be venturing into some of the countrys poorest and most dangerous regions, including the heart of the decade-long wave of narco warfare.

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Here are some of the major themes of the visit:

Immigration

A U.S. Border Patrol agent in Sunland Park, near Mexicos Ciudad Juarez. (Russell Contreras / Associated Press)

Francis, whose family immigrated to Argentina from Italy, has made solidarity with migrants one of the defining issues of his papacy.

In an address to Congress last year, he challenged U.S. lawmakers to act with compassion in dealing not only with refugees in Europe, but also those migrants fleeing north from Mexico.

Thousands of persons are led to travel north in search of a better life for themselves and for their loved ones, in search of greater opportunities. Is this not what we want for our own children? he said. We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories.

Francis pilgrimage from southern to northern Mexico will culminate Wednesday with a Mass celebrated about 80 yards from the border fence in Ciudad Juarez and broadcast to thousands at El Pasos Sun Bowl stadium.

Poverty

The house-choked hills in Ecatepec, Mexico. (Eduardo Verdugo / Associated Press)

As a Jesuit priest in Buenos Aires, Francis often preached in the citys shantytowns. As pope, he has continued to highlight the plight of the worlds poor.

His exhortations to business and political leaders not to sacrifice human lives on the altar of money and profit have led to accusations that the pope is a Marxist. But he maintains that he is simply preaching the Gospels.

In Mexico, Francis will bring comfort to some of the countrys most impoverished cities, including Ecatepec, just outside the capital.

Indigenous peoples

A family hauls firewood in Yibeljoj, in Mexicos Chiapas state, home to many indigenous communities. (Eduardo Verdugo / Associated Press)

Francis will also bring his message of social inclusion to the state of Chiapas, home to many semi-autonomous indigenous communities and one of Mexicos most neglected regions.

In the mountainous city of San Cristobal de las Casas on Monday, Francis will issue rules to formally allow the use of indigenous languages in church services. He will also lead prayers using languages such as Tzotzil and Chol.

Organized crime

1 / 7 Men belonging to the Self-Defense Council of Michoacan engage in a firefight while trying to flush out alleged members of the Knights Templar drug cartel from Nueva Italia, Mexico on Jan. 12, 2014. The vigilantes said they were liberating territory. Mexican troops and police stayed away. (Eduardo Verdugo / Associated Press) 2 / 7 The window of a bank is riddled with bullet holes in the town of Apatzingan in Michoacan state, Mexico on Jan. 11, 2014. Residents from various towns were destroying property to protest the arrival of vigilantes, or members of self-defense groups, to their communities. (Eduardo Verdugo / Associated Press) 3 / 7 Mexican federal police patrol in Michoacan. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 7 Vigilante groups in Michoacan state were ordered by the Mexican government to register their weapons in an effort to create a rural police force. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 7 Esperanza Bejar Perez walks past the hearse carrying her son Roberto Carlos Zamora, 27. She said vigilante forces had been tormenting her son, demanding money, threatening his family and beating him repeatedly. Zamora, she said, took his own life rather than face them anymore. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 7 A body is removed from a mass grave in La Barca on Nov. 15, 2013. Dozens of bodies were found in clandestine graves near the border between Jalisco and Michoacan states amid a turf war between the Knights Templar and New Generation cartels. (Agencia Esquema / Associated Press) 7 / 7 Flavio Gomez, identified by police as the brother of Servando La Tuta Gomez, head of the Knights Templar drug cartel, is escorted to a federal police truck at the airport in Mexico City on Feb. 27, 2015. Servando Gomez, a former teacher who became one of Mexicos most-wanted drug lords, was also captured. (Marco Ugarte / Associated Press)

In Rome in 2014, Francis lashed out at the Italian Mafia, telling mafiosi they would go to hell if they didnt renounce their bloodstained money and bloodstained power. His trip to Mexico will take him to the heart of the countrys drug cartel wars.

The bloodshed has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people across Mexico in recent years. But few states have been harder hit than Michoacan, where the pope will visit Tuesday.

Victims of Mexicos conflicts have been invited to attend the ceremonies there and in Juarez, another region with a history of brutal violence fueled by turf battles among drug cartels and a federal crackdown on organized crime.

Among them are expected to be relatives of the 43 Mexican students who were abducted 16 months ago by police working with local politicians. None of the students has been seen since.

You are living your little piece of war, Francis said in a recent videotaped message to Mexicans.

Corruption

Some of the popes most fiery sermons have been on the subject of those who pretend to be Christian while growing wealthy through graft.

Even before his plane touched down in Mexico, Francis was already appealing to Mexicans to fight every day against corruption.

Such blunt talk could prove uncomfortable for government officials in the country, where egregious human rights abuses, an economic slump and widespread graft have helped take President Enrique Pena Nietos approval rating to historic lows.

The countrys interior minister, Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, has suggested that the trip will be an opportunity for Francis to see Mexico as the Mexican people live it  with difficulties, with circumstances that, of course, many or some of which we regret, but which, of course, we are also overcoming as a country.

Times correspondents Tracy Wilkinson in Washington and Richard Marosi in Mexico City contributed to this report. Cecilia Sanchez in Mexico City also contributed.

For more international news, follow @alexzavis on Twitter.

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World leaders meeting in Munich, Germany, forged an agreement on Friday to begin aid drops to besieged areas of Syria and pursue a cessation of hostilities, even as the countrys embattled leader vowed to regain control over all parts of the country.

According to a statement released by the U.S. State Department, members of the International Syria Support Group, a 17-nation coalition, agreed to start airlifts of assistance to besieged areas across Syria.

Once we get clearance by concerned parties, the U.N. and its humanitarian partners will be able to reach the civilians in need within the coming days, said U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura, according to a news statement released by the United Nations on Friday.

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He said there would be a follow-up meeting next week to assess progress and maintain the pressure for incremental and unimpeded aid deliveries. Some areas, such as portions of the city of Aleppo, are said to be in dire need of essential supplies, including food and water.

The statement added that the ceasefire would begin in one week.

The pause in fighting does not apply to groups designated as terrorist organizations by the United Nations Security Council, including the extremist group Islamic State and Al Qaedas Syrian affiliate, the Nusra Front, the statement said.

Earlier attempts to create a list of terrorist organizations in Syria have floundered; many of the countries involved in the negotiations have provided material and logistical support to groups involved in the conflict.

The declaration comes in the midst of a large-scale offensive by pro-government forces that has made deep inroads into the armed opposition fighting against Syrian President Bashar Assads government as they push to secure the countrys border with Turkey.

NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >>

The government campaign is backed by Russian forces deployed in the country since last September. Moscow has said it is there to combat Islamic State militants. Critics, however, contend that its attacks have focused on so-called moderate rebel groups, including the Western supported Free Syrian Army.

Throughout the almost five-year civil war, Ankara has given the opposition unfettered access across the 500-mile Syrian-Turkish border, allowing rebel factions to conduct operations inside Syria while using Turkish towns across the border rear-guard bases.

The fighting has forced thousands of people to flee to the Turkish border. Ankara, however, has refused to allow their entry into Turkish territory.

Many remain in the city of Azaz, approximately four miles southwest of the Turkish border.

The city is full of refugees now. There are no more places to stay, said Murad Shawakh, a resident in Azaz reached via social media.

There no more tents. There are three to four families per tent, he said.

The governments campaign has also raised the specter of a full siege of rebel-held sections of Aleppo, a city split between the opposition and the government since the summer of 2012.

Although Aleppo is not yet completely encircled, the siege has forced aid agencies to resort to a much longer route to the city than normally would be the case, according to Dalia Awqati, director of northern Syria programs for the aid group Mercy Corps.

Both sides appear to have little faith in a ceasefire.

In an interview with the Agence France Presse news agency on Friday, a defiant Assad insisted he would seek to restore government control over the country without any hesitation, according to a transcript released by Syrian state news agency SANA.

It makes no sense for us to say that we will give up any part, he said.

Rebels in Aleppo cast doubt on the prospects for the ceasefire holding.

Neither a week, nor two weeks. Its an open battle and the Russian bombing wont stop, said Mustafa Hussein, a rebel with the Western-backed Suqoor Al-Jabal brigade contacted via social media.

He insisted that Russia would use the stipulation that fighting continue against the Islamic State and Nusra as an excuse to continue its attack on rebel groups.

When the Russians bombed our headquarters last October, they declared they had bombed sites for Daesh, he continued, referring to the Islamic State by its Arabic acronym.

Nothing will change. Theyll keep bombing us and say were Daesh.

Bulos is a special correspondent.

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Albert Einstein Theory of Gravitational Waves, Wrinkle in Space Time Proven by two Latinas

media@latinoshealth.com By Mai Peralta Feb 12, 2016 11:00 AM EST

Albert Einstein's theory of gravitational waves in space time was proven after two Latinas discovered it by observing two colliding black holes.

Dr. Gabriela Gonzales and France A. Cordova discovered gravitational waves at the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) as they observed two colliding black holes. The black holes were 29 and 36 times larger than the mass of the sum and they gave off gravitational waves as they spiraled into one another. Before they merged, they released 50 times more energy than that of the whole universe.

The discovery confirmed the General Theory of Relativity by Albert Einstein and thus provides more insight into the birth of the universe including the Big Bang.

"This is the first of many discoveries," said Dr. Gonzalez in an interview with NBC Latino. "Now that we know for a fact that these black hole binary systems are out there, and now that we know we have detectors that work right now, these detectors are going to get better. Of course we will find more proof."

According to the National Geographic, the LIGO is a mirror-based experiment and the signal it received is characteristic of the expected sound of the death and merging of two black holes.

"We can hear gravitational waves, we can hear the universe," Gonzalez said. "We are not only going to be seeing the universe, we are going to be listening to it."

Gravitational waves were first predicted by Einstein in 1916. It occurs during collision of black holes, explosion of stars or merging of neutron star and any extreme events that cause space time to warp, expand and contract.

The scientists said that the discovery heralds a new era of "gravitational wave astronomy" where discoveries are waiting to be unfolded.

"Our observation of gravitational waves accomplishes an ambitious goal set out over 5 decades ago to directly detect this elusive phenomenon and better understand the universe, and, fittingly, fulfills Einstein's legacy on the 100th anniversary of his general theory of relativity," David H. Reitze, executive director of the LIGO Laboratory said via Mirror.

Professor Stephen Hawking stated that the gravitational waves could provide new perspective on astronomy. The cosmologist once predicted the theory on black holes in 1970.

"The observed properties of this system is consistent with predictions about black holes that I made in 1970 here in Cambridge. The area of the final black hole is greater than the sum of the areas of the initial black holes as predicted by my black hole area theorem," he said, as reported by The Guardian.

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Zika Virus Symptoms: Experts Believe Infection 'Hides' Behind Organs Making it Difficult to Cure

media@latinoshealth.com By R.Robles Feb 13, 2016 06:13 AM EST

The Zika virus is developing for the worse.

New developments with regard to the aggressive virus first detected in Latin America could either help on its treatment or cause alarm among those who live in tropical countries. Top U.S. health experts told Reuters last Friday that the virus was found to be capable of living in parts of the human body that are not protected by the immune system. Because of this, the virus will be harder to fight off and it is likely the virus' transmission over time will lengthen.

The Zika virus is not in any way found to cause severe symptoms to those who acquired it. It is, however, linked to microcephaly -- a birth defect in babies whose mothers were inflicted with the virus -- and the Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological disorder. On Feb. 1, the World Health Organization declared the Zika as a global health emergency.

Many organs in the human body are considered "immune privileged." Some of them are the testes, the eyes, the placenta and the brain. These are generally protected from attacks launched by the immune system in order to neutralize foreign invaders.

"The virus can continue to persist and or multiply," notes Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. "The virus is in a bubble of sorts," he adds.

Scientists have discovered that the Zika virus can be detected in semen for 62 days after a person is infected. This supports evidence of the virus's presence in fetal brain tissue, placenta and amniotic fluid.

"Right now, we know it's in the blood for a very limited period of time, measured in a week to at most 10 days. We know now, as we accumulate experience, it can be seen in the seminal fluid. We're not exactly sure after the infection clears, where else it would be," says Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci.

"These are all things that need to be carefully examined in natural history and case-control studies," Fauci added.

Moreover, Fauci was not surprised when it was found that Zika persists in semen. At least two reports have confirmed that the virus was likely transmitted sexually. The duration though has been yet to be discovered.

Meanwhile, WHO announces that a commercially available text for the Zika virus could be available in weeks and not years as many believe, according to a report by USA Today.

The test would help diagnose patients in a shorter amount of time as well as help researchers monitor populations and the spread of the virus - thus speeding up research, according to Marie-Paule Kieny, assistant director-general for Health Systems and Innovation at the WHO.

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ICYMI: 5 Latin Food News That Rocked the World

media@latinoshealth.com By R.Robles Feb 13, 2016 06:29 AM EST

Latin food is gaining popularity in multiple levels all over the world from fast food to high end restaurants. Plenty of news articles since 2013 have predicted that the Latin American cuisine will thrive and trend in the coming years and they have not been wrong. However, out of all the Latin food news that were available online, here are the one that stood out among the rest:

1. The Banana's Extinction in Latin America

Food World News reported that the "World's Most Popular Fruit" might soon be extinct due to the incurable pathogen "Tropical Race 4," which has infected plenty of banana plants in South Asia, Australia, China, the Philippines, Jordan, Mozambique, Pakistan, the Middle East and Africa in 2013 and has left behind an infested and ruined banana plantations.

A group of scientist at Wageningen University, who published their findings in PLOS Pathogens, also warned that, if the fungi hits the biggest banana growers in Latin America, the banana as a whole will most likely cease to exist.

2. Sandra Gutierrez of Cary Wins An International Cookbook Award For Her Empanadas Recipe

According to Indy Week, Gourmand International recently awarded Gutierrez for her "Empanadas: The Hand-Held Pies of Latin America" as the 2016 winner in its Single Subject category. "Lisa Ekus, my agent, shared the news with me last night," Gutierrez told Indy Week. "It was a total surprise for me. I had no idea that it was in the running." The Gourmand Awards will be presented this May 2016 in China.

3. Ultra-processed Food Blamed for Obesity in Latin America

Considered to be fatty, salty, and sugary, ultra-processed food is the known culprit of obesity in Latin America from 2000-2013, according to Food World News. During this time, the number of obese persons in the region has also increased. Ultra-processed food contains little to no whole food in them, making them deficient in nutritional content in spite of their real food appearance.

The study by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) includes 13 countries of the world and the countries with the highest rates of obesity are Mexico and Chile while the smallest rates of obesity come from Bolivia and Ecuador.

4. Gazpacho-To-Go is A Total Hit

Gazpacho is a soup made of raw vegetables and served cold and usually with a tomato base were popular in the past few years - in bottle form. Famous portable gazpacho brands include Bodega & Co. Mucho Gazpacho, Gina Cucina Watermelon Habanero Gazpacho, The Splendid Spoon Market Gazpacho and Tio Gazpacho's Gazpacho del Sol, according to Specialty Food.

5. Hand Drawn "Mi Comida Latina" Cook Book Has Hit The Shelves

Author and illustrator Marcella Kriebel created "Mi Comida Latina" to document recipes from her travels throughout much of Latin America, including Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Puerto Rico and Mexico, to name a few, along with recipes from family and friends in the United States.

"Once I got there, I became incredibly inspired by the warmth of the people ... and the vibrancy of the cultures [that] can be found in many different things - the visuals and the smells and the cuisine itself," the author says, as per NPR.

Kriebel is not Latin American but she hopes readers who pick up the book will see food as she does: as an invitation to explore the world.

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The Netflix black market is currently offering accounts on the online streaming site for only $0.25. Users who pay the regular subscription price of $9.99 may be in danger of having their account information stolen and put up for sale again.

The security firm Symantec wrote on its official blog that hackers illegally acquire account information from Netflix subscribers and then offer the stolen information for sale on the black market.

Symantec explained that hackers steal account information through two ways. First, they initiate malware campaigns that trick users into believing that they have downloaded official Netflix software, which usually includes the promise of a free or discounted account. When users operate the compromised executable, the malware will be installed on their computer, allowing the hacker to access sensitive information. Second, hackers may also launch phishing campaigns, which lets them ride onto a subscriber's account. Hackers will try to redirect users to a fake Netflix website and require them to type in their personal information.

BGR noted that after the hacker acquires the information from legitimate subscribers, these are offered for sale on the black market at significantly reduced prices. The hackers will also provide tips to potential buyers, such as not changing the password or account information to avoid alerting the real account holder and resulting to a lockout.

According to Forbes, a person who purchases a Netflix Generator may even use it to make several accounts to adequately create his own Netflix subscription black market. There has been a potentially huge demand for fresh accounts, which may have compelled hackers to boost their efforts in acquiring account details illegally. Netflix actually has no fault in the hacking activities. The streaming site is a victim, similar to the users themselves.

Netflix also has account generators that provide regularly updated databases of stolen accounts. Legitimate subscribers are warned to never download third-party software that appear to work with Netflix and to only input account information on the official Netflix website and Netflix apps. There are also several products that offer protection to users against malware scams. Users are advised to be cautious when dealing with Netflix-related links and emails in the meantime. People should be wary when a Netflix-related message seems to be requesting for too much information or if a Netflix logo suddenly pops up on their desktop. If a Netflix offer appears too good to refuse, users are advised not to provide their details or wait for a confirmation from the website.

More updates and details are expected soon.
Gaston Frydlewski, founder of Hickies, hated tying his shoes. He never liked to create bows using his shoelaces. To him shoelaces are funny and oftentimes ugly. With the thought that other people might have the same idea about shoelaces in mind, he created the startup Hickies with the help of his partner, Mariquel Waingarten.

"Have you noticed that all sneaker advertisements show shoes without the bows (even in the stores)? It's because shoelace bows are not attractive," says Gaston Frydlewski in an interview with Ideamensch.

Designed for active and fashion-conscious people, Hickies' responsive lacing system never lets its customers tie or untie their shoes ever again. By replacing the traditional shoelaces with the elastic "no tie" Hickies' shoelaces, people can experience the unbeatable combination of function, fit and fashion.

"Laces are also every parent's nightmare," said Frydlewski. "How many times have you found yourself trying to get your family out the door to go somewhere, only to have your kids fumbling with their shoelaces for so long," he added.

It all started when Frydlewski was 23 years old. Without money and experience, he tried to seek for investors who could help him turn his idea into a business. But because he was still too young and did not have the experience, he faced a lot of rejection. Most of them said his business idea was worthless and it was just "too crazy."

Instead of feeling negative towards what happened and withdraw from his dreams, he decided to use his failure as an opportunity to grow. He became more determined to gain the trust of those investors who looked down on him. It did not take long for him to get experience by landing his first job ever.

He applied as an investment banker in JPMorgan Chase and worked there for five years, from 2006 to 2011, in the Latin America M&A team. He worked in that financial company from the Buenos Aires and New York offices just for the sake of gaining enough experience to finally create Hickies. Aside from working in JPMorgan Chase, he also tried to broaden his horizons by working in Telefonica as part of its strategic planning and innovation team.

With Frydlewski's desire and passion and all the experiences he gathered through the years, his business startup idea has finally become a reality. All his failures and successes became his stepping stone to realizing his dream of having his own startup. With its increasing net revenue, Hickies is surely one of the most promising and hottest startups in Latin America today.
In order to help alleviate Puerto Rico's massive $72 billion debt, government officials held a meeting on Thursday, hoping to attract wealthy investors to move to the U.S. territory.

Courting the Wealthy

Hundreds of millionaires and billionaires attended the meeting held at Puerto Rico's convention center. While there, government officials promoted local tax incentives to entice investors to come and invest in the island, which has struggled with a staggering debt for the last nine years.

The speakers present at the event included former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and New York hedge fund billionaire John Paulson, who said the island's fiscal situation must be resolved in order to encourage more investment.

"It has created some halo around Puerto Rico," said Paulson, who has purchased luxurious resorts in Puerto Rico, according to The Associated Press. "I find the lifestyle very, very attractive. It's something I would consider in the future, but right now I'm in New York."

However, although Puerto Rico has successfully recruited other millionaires and billionaires to move to the island in the past, critics question whether that has helped boost job creation and real estate investment enough to make an impact on the debt.

Dr. Victor M. Rodriguez, a professor of Chicano and Latino Studies at California State University, Long Beach, slammed the idea of lobbying a coalition of hedge fund and bond holders invest in Puerto Rico's collapsed real estate market.

"The luring of millionaire has not and will not make a dent in re-energizing the economy or the government finances," he told Latin Post in an email.

"Only measures like eliminating the Cabotage Law which forces an island to use the U.S. merchant marine, which increases the cost of living, or Puerto Rico establishing a local bankruptcy law that could allow the colonial government to begin to place its house in order. These measures can only be contemplated in the context of a de-colonizing process not a process to increase the colonial noose around Puerto Rico," he said.

Gov. Padilla's Promise to Resolve Crisis

During the meeting, Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla assured investors that the government is working hard to resolve its financial crisis. He also called for a restructuring mechanism and noted that local lawmakers have proposed a bill to help the heavily indebted public power company finalize a separate restructuring deal with creditors.

"Despite whatever you may have heard about doing business in Puerto Rico, our commitment to the costs of utilities will be the last of your concerns," Garcia said.

One investor who attended the meeting said he was relatively unbothered by the island's economic crisis.

"You're operating your business elsewhere," said David Jones, president of a Florida-based insurance services company.

Likewise, hedge fund manager Michael Tennenbaum seemed happy with his recent decision to move to Puerto Rico from Los Angeles.

"One of the reasons I came here is because I thought you'd hit bottom," he said. "When you run out of cash, I think that brings change."

Congressman Says It's Time to Free Puerto Rico

On Feb. 11, Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois urged Congress to "free Puerto Rico" during an impassioned speech on the House floor, as the island's debt crisis continues without resolution.

"Free Puerto Rico ... so she can solve the problem of her crushing debt without being handcuffed by Congress, its distant and inattentive colonial master," the congressman said.

He also urged Congress to help chart a path forward and to consider a broader definition of "debt" with regards to Puerto Rico.

"Mr. Speaker, when Congress talks about Puerto Rico's debt, I say we look at the totality of the debt; the part owed to Puerto Rico, not just the part Puerto Rico owes to Wall Street," he said.

Dr. Rodriguez says he agrees with Gutierrez's call for Congress to grant the island the independence it needs to establish sovereignty.

"All power over Puerto Rico resides in the U.S. Congress," he said.

He added that "Puerto Rico does not have the tools which sovereignty provides to restructure its finances, its economy because most of the measures are in the hands of congress."

Watch a video of Gutierrez's speech below:

*This article was updated to include direct statements from Dr. Victor M. Rodriguez.*
Nearly every remaining Republican presidential candidate, save Jim Gilmore, received invitations to Saturday night's ninth GOP debate, set to take place in Greenville, South Carolina.

The Feb. 13 debate comes exactly one week before a decisive Republican primary in which an already winnowed field of seven is expected to get smaller. Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, and Rand Paul suspended their campaigns following the Iowa caucus, and Chris Christy and Carly Fiorina did the same after Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

Gilmore is the only GOP candidate who didn't qualify, failing to meet any of CBS News' three prerequisites. A candidate must have finished in the New Hampshire primary's top five, placed among Iowa's top three, or averaged at least fifth place in national and South Carolina Republican presidential polls.

On Friday, CBS News announced which candidates would participate: Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, and John Kasich.

Cruz Vying for South Carolina's Evangelical Vote

Cruz lost some of the momentum he garnered from his Iowa victory by finishing third in New Hampshire, one spot behind Kasich and in a virtual tie with Rubio and Bush, given that all three candidates left with three delegates apiece.

The Texas senator battled negative publicity surrounding ill-informed noticed his campaign sent Iowa voters hours before the Feb. 1 caucus. Cruz's campaign misinterpreted a CNN report stating Ben Carson was heading to Florida instead of New Hampshire. Staffers and volunteers immediately notified caucus-goers both in mailers and through phone calls despite CNN issuing a statement moments later clarifying that Carson was not dropping out of the race.

Cruz defended his campaign's actions and apologized to Carson during last Saturday's primary in the Granite State, but scorned CNN for their message. His response may have detracted undecided voters who repeatedly hear Trump boast about how superficial Cruz can be.

At the same time, New Hampshire doesn't have the large evangelical population Iowa does; one overwhelmingly in support of Cruz.

A CBS News poll released last December found registered right-leaning South Carolina voters thought Cruz was more electable than Trump by a 58-47 margin. Two-thirds of people considered themselves born-again or evangelical Christians.

While pollsters didn't ask for participants' religious affiliations, a majority of the state's residents are Protestant and may view Cruz's faith as a reason for his electability. There weren't enough Christian conservatives to win in New Hampshire, but there are more than enough in the Palmetto State.

Rubio Out to Prove He's Not a Robot Candidate

In his primary night speech last Tuesday, Rubio humbly admitted rehearsed statements and robotic responses may have cost him votes.

"I'm disappointed with tonight. But I want to tell you that disappointment is not on you. It's on me. It's on me," Rubio said, referring both to his fifth-place finish and futile attempts to defending himself during last weekend's debate. "I did not do well on Saturday night. So listen to this: that will never happen again."

Rubio drew criticism for his heated exchange with Chris Christie. Christie grilled Rubio for his inexperience and what seemed like scripted responses. Instead of going after the New Jersey governor, Rubio responded by attacking President Obama. He did so at least four times.

A New York Times exit poll found 11 percent of primary-day voters chose Rubio; just 12 percent decided to support him within the last few days. Still, 29 percent of people though Rubio could still win in November, compared to 33 percent for Trump.

The challenge Rubio has heading into Saturday's debate is convincing South Carolinians he doesn't run on canned statements. Instead of provoking candidates, Rubio plays it safe by repeating memorized sound bites. They usually revert to vilifying President Obama or retracing his Cuban-American upbringing.

Christie exposed that weakness and it may not fly under the radar this time around.

Online Viewing

CBS will are the debate, beginning at 9 p.m. EST. The network will broadcast it via its CBSN digital streaming service.
Those opposing abortion in the states of Mississippi, West Virginia and other states are submitting bills to ban a common abortion procedure.

Because it is seen as a way of "dismembering a fetus," the process dilation and evacuation or "D&E" is now on the verge of being banned in states such as Mississippi and West Virginia. Courts have already blocked laws that ban the procedure passed by Oklahoma and Kansas in 2015.

The Center for Reproductive Rights represents abortion providers in court cases, states that banning D&E is against the law because it hinders private medical decisions that only expecting mothers and their doctors can carry out.

Kelly Baden, director of state advocacy from the Center of Reproductive Rights, sent a letter to lawmakers in West Virgina stating that the procedure, which is usually done during the second trimester, is used for 95 percent of all abortions done in the period because of the safety it entails.

"Laws like these are an attack on women's health, personal autonomy, and the doctor-patient relationship, and they have the potential to force physicians to subject women seeking safe and legal abortion services in the second trimester to additional invasive and unnecessary procedures," said Baden, in a report by The Guardian.

However, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists believe that there is still no evidence that makes D&E safer. If the proposal passes onto becoming an actual law, women would have to undergo and injection to the fetus to stop its development as a human being, the Press Enterprise reports.

Washington-based National Right to Life Committee sees the procedure as "dismemberment abortion," since it entails using forceps and clamps. Mary Balch, director of state legislation for the committee, mentions that it will not ban all kinds of abortions, including procedures that ensures the death of the fetus before it is taken out.
The last time we checked, Angelina Jolie-Pitt had around 17 tattoos all over her body. This number included the forearm tattoo she had inked in December. And the 40-year-old is proud to show off all of the body art she has collected ever since she was a teenager. On the most recent photos captured of the actress however, the count has gone up to 20.

Photos of the Oscar-winning actress surfaced online as she was on the set of her latest film "First They Killed My Father." On photos posted on The Daily Mail, the actress/director was overseeing scenes shot on location at the Angkor Watt Temple in Cambodia. The actress put on display three new elaborate tattoos that she had done recently. These new tattoos covered the actress' right shoulder blade and spine.

A number of the tattoos Jolie had done on her skin reference to either her relationships and her children. And obviously, these three new tattoos have been done to commemorate the latest addition to their budding family. Self shares that the new tattoos have been done in Yantra (or sak yant) style, which coincide with the existing tattoos on the actress' left shoulder blade when she adopted Maddox. A source close to Jolie revealed to People that these new tattoo designs are Buddhist blessings "for peace, love, and a prosperous life."

This isn't the first time Jolie had a tattoo done while outside the country. Considering she was fond of specialist tattoo artists, Jolie had previously flew to Thailand twice just so she could have a Bangkok-based tattoo artist put a tattoo on her and chant a blessing over the design she picked out. The tattoo, done by Sompong Kanphai, was a massive Bengal tiger on her lower back which she got when she received her Cambodian citizenship in 2004.

Jolie has been in Cambodia all winter long to shoot the film based on the memoir of Loung Ung, a Cambodian author and human rights activist. The actress is said to be directing the Netflix film.
In the first meeting of the Philippine government and Muslim rebels since their peace pact was postponed in spite of fears of new fighting, the international ceasefire monitors have been extended.

According to Yahoo News, because of the fact that the Philippine Congress has failed to pass a Muslim Autonomy bill, Miriam Coronel- Ferrer, the Philippine government's negotiator and her rebel counterpart, Mohagher Iqbal, both expressed their disappointment. The said bill was required on a 2014 peace pact which ended the fights in Mindanao, the southern part of the Philippines.

The one-year extension of the Malaysian- led monitors mission was agreed by the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front despite the delays. The mission of Malaysian- led monitors has helped in the ceasefire. A joint group which allowed the Islamic rebels to help the government authorities in capturing terrorists and criminals were kept in place.

With the setback in the peace process, many hoped that the measures would help prevent any uprising of rebel frustrations which would lead to violence. As reported by ABC News, Mohagher Iqbal had said that with the delays, guerrillas had been anxious. The uncertainty might be exploited by the radicals who were against the peace deal.

The peace deal was not passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate even until their last regular session. The bill was aimed to build a more powerful and larger autonomous region for some Muslims in Mindanao.

The bill was postponed by the ire regarding the killing of the 44 police commandos early last year. The 44 police commandos were involved in a fight against some of the guerrillas of the main rebel group. The new bill would be presented by the next president of the Philippines after the six- year term of President Benigno Aquino III ends in June.
The teenager from New Mexico who killed his family in 2013 was sentenced as juvenile on Thursday.

According to Daily Mail UK, Judge John J. Romero ruled that 18-year-old Nehemiah Griego be sentenced as juvenile and to be possibly free from state custody when he turns 21.

Police records showed that Griego was 15 when he shot his mother as she slept and then his younger brother and two sisters. Griego's father, a former pastor, was the last to die as the teen trapped him after he returned home.

Griego, now 18, pleaded guilty in October to two counts of second-degree murder and three counts of child abuse resulting in death for killing his siblings - ages 9, 5 and 2, the news source said.

Romero handed the decision Thursday after he heard opposing opinions from medical experts, Fox News reported. Attorneys gave closing arguments in children's court to decide whether Griego should be sentenced as a minor or an adult for killing family at his home near Albuquerque.

Stephen Taylor, an attorney for Griego, narrated to the judge that the teen grew up with his abusive parents and possibly suffered a traumatic brain injury. The attorney said the teen was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder after his arrest, the site added.

Griego has made significant progress at a psychiatric treatment center for juveniles in the past year and a half. His counselors sworn for the defense, saying the teen had qualified into a role example for other troubled boys.

However, Prosecutor Michelle Pato refuted the decision of the judge saying that the January 2013 killings was predatory and cold-blooded. According to authorities, Griego roused his younger brother to flaunt him his mother's body before shooting the 9-year-old too. Griego took pictures of the two victims before shooting his younger sisters in their beds, ABC News said.

Pato recalled the testimony of Dr. Kris Mohandie in the hearing that Griego appeared "detached" during an interview last year and offered a cold, matter-of-fact recounting of the rampage.

"He played with his brother that day knowing he was going to kill him," Pato said as quoted by the source. "This was very much planned, very thought out and cruel."

But Judge Romero said, the state law called for the hearing and his findings to focus on how to handle Griego's case and not the offense, ABC News wrote.

In three to six weeks, a hearing will be held to sentence Griego as a juvenile.
The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured that the government is in full cooperation with the Italian authorities in investigating the murder of an Italian student.

According to All Africa, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid echoed Egypt's commitment to a complete and unbiased investigation into the death of Italian PhD student Giulio Regeni.

Abu Zeid responded to a letter from the academic community saying that it is early to judge the results of the investigations. He stated that while the Egyptian government understand the deep shock and sadness at Regeni's murder, it was premature and short-sighted to judge the outcomes of the official criminal investigation, the news source added.

In a response letter published by The Guardian, the Foreign Ministry Spokesman added that efforts to inculpate the Egyptian authorities without sufficient proofs were counter-productive.

"It is surprising that such unfounded assumptions could emanate from academics, who should be the first to adhere to standards of impartiality, rigour and professionalism," Abu Zeid wrote in his letter.

The spokesman also expressed his complete dismissal of the statements mentioned in the letter concerning arbitrary arrests, torture and disappearances in Egypt. He mentioned that most of supposed cases of disappearances have been found groundless after investigations as showed in the reports from the National Council for Human Rights.

The same news source recounted that Regeni was found dead in Cairo after he was reported missing on January 25. Authorities based in Rome discovered the PhD student cause of death was a violent blow to the base of the head. The body of the 28-year-old, found on a Cairo road, contained in abrasions and other injuries including fractures.

Egyptian investigators are fully cooperating with Italian authorities who arrived in Cairo. However, the Italians do not have access to all Egypt's investigations. Shaaban el-Shamy, Egypt's deputy minister of justice, said it was standard procedure that Italian investigators are not allowed to collaborate with morgue and the autopsy.

The Egyptian government extend condolences to Regeni's family and loved ones, condemning the murder as intolerable to the people of Egypt.
Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Browne says he's back to work and actively pursuing his recovery from the alcoholism that landed him in court last year on a drunken-driving charge.

"I've been actively in recovery for a long time now -- for the past 16 or 17 years," Browne, R-Lehigh, said in an interview with lehighvalleylive.com. "It's all about trying to find a more comprehensive solution to these challenges."

State Sen. Pat Browne speaks during a grand opening ceremony for the PPL Center in Allentown on Sept. 10, 2014. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)

Asked how he's feeling, Browne said, "I'm doing good. I needed to reassess after my circumstances last year and strengthen my recovery efforts. Things are going OK."

Browne, 51, of Allentown, spoke publicly of his recovery for the first time since November when he was accepted into a first-time offender program for his third drunken-driving charge.

He was charged last May after crashing his motorcycle on Interstate 78 in Lehigh County. He was previously charged with drunken-driving in the 1990s in New Jersey and Northampton County.

Browne spoke Friday of his support for legislation that would establish a four-year high school program for students in recovery from substance abuse. He said he wanted to help in advocating for such a program after learning about it from state Rep. John Taylor, R-Philadelphia.

They plan to introduce bills in their respective halls of the Legislature within a few weeks.

"No doubt my own recovery has made me more keen to the struggles," Browne said. "Knowing what recovering activity is like and having supports in place to remain in recovery has made me more keenly aware of the value of a program like this. Support is necessary to allow you to continue to remain in recovery."

He was persuaded to get behind the idea because of the mix of therapy and education, he said.



"In education, you pick up activities from your peer groups," he said. "For those in recovery, it's usually recommended that you find environments where there's not much of an exposure to relapse. This whole program is about a therapeutic environment."

Browne said he believes there is support for such a program from his colleagues in Harrisburg.



"My general thoughts are this this will be well-received," he said. "We've had a lot of conversation about children and addiction, and it's becoming a bigger problem in Pennsylvania that's not just reserved to one area.

"So many families and children are affected by addiction."

Jim Deegan may be reached at jdeegan@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @jim_deegan. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.
The driver trapped in her car Friday morning in a Palmer Township crash was taken to St. Luke's University Hospital, Fountain Hill, with non-life-threatening injuries, township police said.

The two-car crash occurred about 11:50 a.m. at Newlins Mill and Tatamy roads.

The injured driver was trapped in her car for a short period until Palmer Municipal Fire Department personnel could remove the door to free her, township police Detective James Alercia said.

Her car was up against a utility pole, and guy wires to the pole resting on the car hampered rescue efforts, police said.

In addition to the vehicles and the utility pole, also damaged in the crash was a fire hydrant owned by Pennsylvania American Water Co., police said. Fire commanders requested the pole be fixed immediately due to high winds predicted this weekend.

Police closed their investigation into the crash, and charges were pending as of Friday afternoon. Police did not immediately release the identities of the drivers.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Bangor officials hope to get people outside and moving along designated urban trail routes in the borough.

With health and obesity a concern, particularly with children, the WalkWorks program, operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, awarded Bangor a $13,500 grant to help initiate the program.

The grant is for route markers, literature and promotion for the program that began in other areas of the state in 2014.

"It's designed to encourage walking and provide education," Bangor Borough Manager Nate Dysard said.

Two trails are proposed within Bangor's borough limits. The first trail will be a mile long and encircle the downtown historic district along Broadway, North Main Street and North First Street.

The second trail, designed to be 1.26 miles, would start and end at Veterans Memorial Park via a route that will go down Broadway, cut over on Fifth Street and follow Pennsylvania Avenue back toward the park.

The program targets areas that have high rates of obesity and chronic disease, which includes Northampton County, according to the WalkWorks program director, Carol Reichbaum.

Reichbaum said the trails are meant to be for people of all abilities and ages, so they keep the routes distances to be about a mile long.

"We want to create opportunities for physical activity," Reichbaum said. "The object here is to increase the health status of the community."

Part of the program includes developing walking guide leaders who will organize groups to take regularly scheduled strolls.

Bangor Councilwoman Bonnie LaBar said the borough may be able to integrate the program with its guided historic walks through downtown.

The borough and the program have put a focus on area youth and have been working in coordination with the Bangor Area School District.

A third trail will be designated in Upper Mount Bethel Township and follow a route through the adjoining properties of Bangor Area High School, DeFranco Elementary School and Five Points Elementary School.

Dysard said trail designation and signage installation should begin in the spring.

John Best is a freelance writer. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.
Fine Gael TD for Sligo - Leitrim, Tony McLoughlin, has strongly welcomed the decision of the Minister for State, Joe McHugh TD, not to proceed with Phase 2 of the EPAs Joint Research Programme into the potential effects of hydraulic fracking in Ireland.

The decision to put Phase 2 of the EPA study into the potential health and environmental impact of Fracking on hold represents a considerable setback to those trying to promote fracking in our country, stated McLoughlin.

I have been advised by Department officials that the Steering Group which is responsible for the award of the contract, and which is overseeing the project, has agreed that the Consortium would be requested to produce a report pulling together the results of the research carried out to-date. It is anticipated that this report, could be completed and published by the second half of this year.

Minister McHugh has stated that initial indications of these results are clearly pointing to the fact that the practice of Fracking would not be a viable option in Ireland.

As someone who is opposed to fracking being permitted in Ireland in any form, this is a very important development and I believe that the Minister actually went against the best advice of his officials on this particular decision.

Minister McHugh knows my feelings on this issue, and that I am totally against fracking as I have met with him on several occasions to discuss this issue, and most recently with community groups from North Leitrim and its environs.

I will continue to lobby my fellow politicians to ensure that we do not see fracking introduced into our country, concluded McLoughlin.
On Thursday, her last day in the House of Lords before her retirement, Shirley Williams spent 20 minutes talking to Victoria Derbyshire.

You can watch the conversation, which covered women in politics, social media (she thinks that the cruellest people in society shouldnt be given a voice), how some were bemused by her specialism in fields not traditionally done by women, such as nuclear proliferation, how we should take thousands of refugee children and relived the previous struggle over Ugandan refugees in the 70s when she stuck to her guns.

She says Jeremy Corbyn is a decent guy, much more like Michael Foot than the left wing ideologues who are riding on his coat tails. She predicts that some people will leave Labour, some for us and others for the Conservatives.

She told the horrible story of how she and her friend, at the age of 13, spent 4 days of a Transatlantic voyage hiding to avoid being assaulted by sailors.

As Education Secretary she was responsible for introducing comprehensive education. She talks about the reality of life for those condemned to the lack of opportunities in the old system. Even now, people come up and thank her for giving them the opportunities she had given them.

If you do nothing else, watch the whole thing here.

You just wonder how much better life would have been if it had been her and not her predecessor as Education Secretary, who had been Britains first woman PM.

The Independent ran a wonderful profile of her this week, too:

When she wasnt busy co-founding the Liberal Democrat party, Williams was pushing through legislation to abolish capital punishment and hurling punches at an unruly anti-colonial rally in Nyasaland. Widely revered as a strong and fiercely independent woman, Williams fought and overcame sexism throughout her political career. Growing up in a learned, erudite household, Williams is the daughter of Vera Brittain, the esteemed feminist, avid pacifist and author of Testament of Youth  the seminal book stirred by the death of Brittains fiance, brother and two closest male friends during the First World War.

Well miss her from the Lords, but Shirley will be a strong force in the European Referendum campaign.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
LIMERICK City and County Council has secured a court order against publican Peter Clohessy relating to the non-payment of almost 40,000 in commercial rates.

At Limerick District Court, Judge Marian OLeary was told by Emma Kelly, a revenue collector with the local authority, that the application related to Small Claws on Shannon Street, which continues to trade.

She said the last payment was made in 2014 and that no monies were received from Mr Clohessy during 2015. The total amount outstanding, she said, was 37,479.51.

Solicitor John Herbert, representing the former rugby international, said there was no objection to the application and that his client was consenting to the order being granted.

Proceedings against other businesses over non payment of commercial rates were also before the court and a separate order was granted in the case of Farooq Saeed who runs a premises called Home Selection on William Street.

The court was told 1,000 was paid on January 8, last but that more than 9,400 remains outstanding.

Revenue collector Pat Skehan confirmed the business continues to trade and he said he did not believe the current rate of payment would suffice. Judge OLeary also awarded the council its costs relating to each case.
EMERGENCY services have responded to two seperate hoax calls in Limerick this morning.

One of these involved a false alarm to an incident at the River Shannon. A report was made to the fire service early on that a woman had been seen entering the water at Thomond Bridge.

The fire service launched its rescue boat, Fireswift, and alongside ground crew, searched the river. Limerick Marine Search and Rescue, the Gardai and ambulance also responded to the call.

But the person who raised the alarm was unreachable for more information, and had taken steps to make the call untraceable.

The second hoax incident saw the fire service alerted to a car on fire at St Marys Park. This was also determined to be a hoax.

Sinn Fein councillor Maurice Quinlivan has described the hoax calls as absolutely disgraceful, and urged anyone with any information to contact the gardai.

It is not the first time this has happened. It means a waste of resources, often voluntary ones. And often it means resources are not available when a real emergnecy occurs. I have no idea what would go through someones mind when they do this. Clearly they think it is funny, but what they are doing is criminal, he said.

Gardai at Henry Street and Mayorstone are investigating both incidents and can be reached at 061-212400.
This digitally-colorized image shows particles of Zika virus, which is a member of the family Flaviviridae. The virus particles are colored red in the picture. They are 40 nanometers (0.00004 millimeters) in diameter.

Healthcare workers have confirmed Zika virus infections in 30 people in Puerto Rico since November, according to a new report. The first locally transmitted case of Zika was reported there in late December.

The report gives a detailed account of how the mosquito-borne virus' has been moving around the Caribbean island, a U.S. territory with about 3.6 million people. The virus poses a significant concern to pregnant women, as it may lead to microcephaly (small head size) and other birth defects in their children.

No cases of microcephaly have been reported in Puerto Rico that are possibly associated with Zika, the new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

Doctors reported the first locally acquired Zika case in southeastern Puerto Rico on Dec. 31, 2015, according to the report, published by the CDC today (Feb. 12). [Zika Virus FAQs: Top Questions Answered]

Increased surveillance helped health care workers diagnose 27 people as having laboratory-confirmed Zika infections from Nov. 25, 2015, to Jan. 28, 2016, the report said.

A survey of these patients revealed that the vast majority (93 percent) live in eastern Puerto Rico, or the San Juan metropolitan area. Most of the people who became sick with the virus had a rash, muscle pain, joint pain and eye pain. Four of those patients needed to be hospitalized, the CDC said.

In most people who become infected, the virus causes no symptoms, the CDC has said.

One of the patients was a woman in her first trimester of pregnancy, according to the report. The first trimester is a crucial time for fetal brain development, Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist and a senior associate at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Center for Health Security, told Live Science earlier this year.

Another patient, who was among those hospitalized, developed Guillain-Barre Syndrome, the report said. The condition is an autoimmune disorder, and might be associated with the virus. Puerto Rico is home to Aedes aegypti,one of the species of mosquitos that carries Zika virus, so health officials expect the virus to spread throughout the island, the report said. To better monitor the virus, the Puerto Rico Department of Health and the CDC are asking doctors there to report all cases of suspected Zika virus, microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

There is no medication or vaccine to treat or prevent ZIka virus. But people can protect themselves from the virus by avoiding mosquito bites, which can be done by wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts, using insect repellent containing DEET or picaridin, and covering their windows and doors with screens.

The virus can also been found in the semen, urine and saliva of infected people, according to a 2015 study in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

The CDC has advised pregnant women to avoid travel to areas where the virus is spreading, and for men who travel to these areas and have a pregnant partner to either use condoms or abstain from sex until their partner gives birth.

Follow Laura Geggel on Twitter @LauraGeggel. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.
A migraine attack often causes an intense pulsing or throbbing pain in one area of the head, as well as nausea and visual disturbances.

A migraine is a neurological disorder characterized by over-excitability of specific areas of the brain, which usually results in an intense pulsing or throbbing pain in one area of the head. Migraines are not merely severe headaches, however; in fact, sometimes there is no head pain. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound.

More than 37 million Americans, mostly between the ages of 15 to 55, suffer from migraines, according to the National Headache Foundation. Migraines are three times more common in women than in men, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM).

Causes & triggers

Though no one is completely certain on the origin of migraines, some researchers think migraines may be inherited and related to genes that control the activity of some brain cells. Most migraine sufferers  70 to 80 percent of them  have a family history of migraines, according to the National Headache Foundation. [Related: Genetic Link to Migraines Identified]

Migraine pain occurs when excited brain cells trigger the trigeminal nerve, one of five nerves located in the brain, to release chemicals that irritate and cause blood vessels on the surface of the brain to swell, according to the National Headache Foundation. The swollen blood vessels send pain signals to the brainstem, which processes pain information. The pain is typically felt around the eyes or temples. Pain can also occur in the face, sinus, jaw or neck area. During a full-blown attack, many people are sensitive to anything touching their head. Combing their hair or shaving may be painful or unpleasant.

It is important to note that there is a difference in the cause of migraines and the triggers for migraines. A cause is what makes a person susceptible to migraines, while a trigger is what may bring on a migraine. "Many patients know what will trigger a migraine in them," said Dr. Niket Sonpal, an assistant professor of clinical medicine in the department of biomedical sciences at the Touro College of Medicine in Harlem, New York. "Common triggers include certain foods, drinks, bright lights, some odors and stress, to name a few."

The National Headache Foundation lists these factors that can trigger migraine attacks:

alteration of sleep-wake cycle

missing or delaying a meal

medications that cause a swelling of the blood vessels

daily or near daily use of medications designed for relieving headache attacks

bright lights, sunlight, fluorescent lights, TV and movie viewing

certain foods

excessive noise

Symptoms

Many people will experience certain symptoms that indicate they will soon have a migraine. These warning signs can happen minutes or hours before an actual migraine. Some of these symptoms include blurred vision, tingling in the arms or face, difficulty speaking or loss of peripheral vision.

Roughly one-third of those who get migraines can predict an oncoming migraine by seeing an "aura" or visual disturbances such as flashing lights, zig-zag lines in front of the eyes or a temporary loss of vision, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

The pain associated with migraines, as well as the nausea, vomiting, extreme sensitivity to light and sound, and other accompanying symptoms can last hours to days before subsiding, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The most common time for a migraine pain to begin is 6 a.m., according to the American Migraine Foundation.

Types

There are many different types of migraines. The type of migraine often corresponds with the accompanying symptoms.

Silent migraines are the exception, since they are classified by a symptom that is missing. Silent migraines are migraines that occur without head pain while including many of the other symptoms associated with a migraine.

Migraines that affect the eyes are often called ocular, optical or ophthalmic migraines. "The terms are pretty interchangeable," said Sonpal. "Ocular migraines cause vision loss or blindness lasting less than an hour, along with a migraine headache. Physicians will sometimes call these headaches 'retinal,' or 'ophthalmic' but essentially they are the same thing. These headaches, through rare, are very serious as they should be investigated by a physician right away.

Complex migraines or atypical migraines are associated with extended or exaggerated visual auras.

Sporadic hemiplegic migraines are rare and can cause symptoms such as fever, prolonged weakness, seizures and coma. Neurological symptoms such as memory loss and problems paying attention can last for weeks or months after the person has recovered from the migraine. Some may even develop permanent difficulty coordinating movements, rapid, involuntary eye movements called nystagmus and mild to severe intellectual disability, according to NLM.

Vestibular migraines are those that are associated with vertigo. The person may experience dizziness or loss of balance during a migraine. Nausea and vomiting are common symptoms of this type of migraine.

Abdominal migraines are unique because they have nothing to do with the head. Some believe that children who have sporadic abdominal pain may be experiencing abdominal migraines because the symptoms, social and demographic patterns and triggers of the pain is very similar to a migraine, according to research by the University of Aberdeen. Though rare, some adults may also experience abdominal migraines.

Treatment

Some people may opt to seek medical attention if their migraines are frequent or particularly severe; however, migraines typically can be helped with at-home treatments.

At-home treatments can include going to a dark, quiet room to rest, applying cold packs to the painful area of the head and taking over-the counter pain medication such as ibuprofen or aspirin. Avoiding triggers has also been helpful for many.

A medical professional may order tests to rule out tumors, infections, clots in the brain or other conditions that may cause a migraine. Once any other health concerns are ruled out, a medical professional may prescribe medications. Some medications work well in some patients and not in others, so finding a medication that works takes trial and error.

Typically, treatments include acute medications to resolve the pain as quickly as possible and preventative or prophylactic daily medications to prevent future migraines. Acute medications fall into three classes, according to the American Headache Society: analgesics, ergotamines and triptans. Analgesics are non-specific pain relievers, such as aspirin and ibuprofen. Ergotamines and triptans are more migraine-specific medications.

Sonpal explained that triptan migraine medications are structurally similar to serotonin, a neural hormone. These medications target one of the underlying causes of migraines and help reduce the vascular inflammation associated with migraines. These cannot be taken, however, in patients who are pregnant or have coronary artery disease. If these medications dont work, then ergotamine, certain anti-emetic medications and even steroids may be prescribed.

"Preventive medications are aimed are preventing migraines, and have been shown to reduce frequency of migraines by 50 percent," said Sonpal. Beta blockers such as propranolol can help to stabilize the blood vessels in the brain and are used when the patient has three but less than or equal to 14 migraines a month. When a person has more than 15 migraines per month, the physician may consider topirimate as a treatment option. It targets several receptors in the brain to help with the pain and prevent migraines.

Additional resources
This Valentine's Day, mischievous Cupid will be fluttering about with bow in hand, seeking out mortal hearts to pierce with his love-tinged arrows. But the winged god isn't the only one known for this kind of behavior  oddly, land snails are also known to shoot "love darts."

Land snails belong to the gastropod class, which includes thousands of snail and slug species that sport a wide range of reproductive behaviors.

Mating for these species typically occurs in the wetter months, said Joris Koene, a biologist at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands whose research focuses on love darts.

All land snails are hermaphrodites, meaning that the animals have both male and female reproductive organs. The snails spend their days looking for food and seeking out potential mates using chemical (scent) cues. [Photos: Bizarre Sex Lives of Hermaphrodite Sea Slugs]

"They have eyes at the tips of their tentacles, but they don't really see that well, and their hearing is also pretty much absent," Koene told Live Science. "So one way of finding partners is by locating slime trails that they leave and hopefully following in the right direction."

Courtship and darts

When two adult land snails meet up, they engage in a courtship dance, in which they circle around each other and touch each other with their tentacles. "When you look at them from the top, they look like like yin and yang," Koene said.

A Cornu aspersum snail that was hit in the head by a love-dart (arrow) so hard that the dart came out the other side of its head, next to the right eystalk. (Image credit: Monica Lodi & Joris M. Koene, Journal of Molluscan Studies (DOI: 10.1093/mollus/eyv046))

During this ritual, the snails look for traits that they find appealing, such as a large body size, which is suggestive of good fitness and being able to invest more energy into egg production.

For many species, the next step in the mating process is to shoot their love darts into each other.

At least nine families of land snails produce love darts, though the exact number really depends on your definition of the structure, Koene said. Some species have dart structures made of hard calcium carbonate (the same material that makes up their shells), while others have softer structures made of a fibrous substance called chitin. "I tend to not call those [chitin structures] love darts," he said.

Though it's said the snails "shoot" their love darts, the calcium carbonate structures don't actually fly through the air. Rather, the love darts are formed within a muscular sac in the body that forcefully everts when a snail comes into contact with its mate, piercing its body and hopefully reaching the hemolymph (bloodlike fluid in invertebrates).

These love darts come in all shapes and sizes  and numbers.

Many species shoot a single dart, while others may shoot multiple darts. Some snails, such as the Japanese species Euhadra subnimbosa, will repeatedly jab their mates with the same dart over and over again for nearly an hour.

In a 2006 study in the journal The American Naturalist, Joene and his colleague Satoshi Chiba found that E. subnimbosa stabs its partner, on average, a staggering 3,311 times.

Improving the odds

When the muscular sac everts, two glands attached to it squirt a kind of mucus onto the dart, which enters the female-acting snail's hemolymph. "This mucus modulates contraction in the female reproductive system," Koene said.

This scanning electron micrograph shows the love dart of the snail Everettia corrugate corrugate. (Image credit: Joris M. Koene et al., doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069968.g001)

The mucus closes off the entrance to a certain organ in the receptive snail's body that would otherwise "digest" a mate's sperm, allowing more of the sperm to reach the sperm storage organ and increasing the male-acting snail's chance of fatherhood.

Until now, the makeup of this mucus has remained unknown. But in a study published recently in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Koene and his colleagues identified, for the first time, one of the compounds in the mucus. "We are trying to get some idea of how these compounds evolve, but first you need to know what they are," he said.

After a snail shoots its partner with its love darts, its partner will do the same (sometimes this exchange is done simultaneously).

Next, the pair will copulate by pushing their genital openings together and simultaneously everting their "penises" into each other. They then pass a spermatophore (sperm packets) to one another, a process that can take up to 6 hours. [#JunkOff: Why Animal Genitals Are Important to Science]

After mating, the land snails will go their own ways, and possibly mate with other snails.

But a 2012 study in the journal Animal Behavior found that the love darts of E. quaesita have a secondary function: It makes the snails reluctant to mate again.

Follow Joseph Castro on Twitter. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+.
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Video released by pro-al Qaeda media group, Descendants of Tariq bin Ziyad, showing the attack in Kidal

One week after briefly seizing control of a UN police base in Timbuktu, jihadists launched an assault on the UN base in the northern Malian city of Kidal. Additionally, Malian troops were ambushed outside of Timbuktu. Ansar Dine has claimed the attack in Kidal, but no group has yet to claim the ambush.

This morning, the UN base in Kidal came under a combined assault from mortars, gunfire, and at least one suicide car bombing. The UN has reported that eight mortar shells hit the base, which has left at lease five peacekeepers from Guinea dead and 30 others wounded. A spokesman for the Tuareg separatist umbrella group, the Coordination of Azawad Movements, has told Reuters that the Kidal attack had been conducted by Islamists. Ansar Dine, a Tuareg front group of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), has claimed the attack in a statement released online.

The base in Kidal has been targeted by jihadists several times in the last two years. On Oct. 7, 2014, the base was hit by rockets in which one peacekeeper from Senegal was killed. On Jan. 17, 2015, suspected al Qaeda militants struck the Kidal base with a complex assault. Two suicide car bombs and a rocket barrage left at least one Chadian peacekeeper dead. In March, militants from Al Murabitoon fired more than 30 rockets into the UNs base in Malis northwestern city of Kidal, killing one Chadian peacekeeper and two children.

In November, Ansar Dine launched rockets into the camp killing two Guinean peacekeepers and one civilian contractor at the base.

Additionally, three Malian soldiers were killed and three others wounded when their vehicles were ambushed between Timbuktu and the nearby town of Goundam today. One vehicle was also reportedly stolen from the scene. A spokesman for the Malian military claimed the attack was perpetrated by jihadists, according to the AFP. No group has taken responsibility for this ambush, but AQIM has been responsible for most attacks near Timbuktu, including last weeks assault on the police base.

Last year, AQIM conducted at least 11 attacks in and near Timbuktu. That includes wounding three UN peacekeepers when their vehicle hit an IED nearby Bourem on May 28. Additionally, six Burkinabe peacekeepers were killed when AQIM ambushed their convoy by Goundam, another neighboring town, on July 2. Two days after AQIMs video was released last week, a Malian soldier was killed in an ambush at a checkpoint near Timbuktu. (See map of al Qaeda-linked attacks in Mali by The Long War Journal here, for more information.)

Earlier this week, jihadists also conducted two attacks near the border with Burkina Faso. Yesterday, a customs office in the central Malian town of Hombori fell under attack. Jeune Afrique has reported that jihadists arrived in the town in two trucks and opened fire on the office, killing one officer and two civilians. On Feb. 9, three Malian troops were killed when their vehicle hit an IED near the town of Mondoro.

Jihadist attacks remain a constant threat in Mali despite both a UN peacekeeping force and a French-led counterterrorism mission in the region. While still mainly concentrated in the north, al Qaeda and its allies, including the ethnic Fulani front group Macina Liberation Movement, have been able to exploit the weak security and consistently penetrate in the southern half of the country. This has also allowed the threat to spill over Malis borders and into neighboring countries like Burkina Faso and Niger, both of which have seen attacks from Malian-based jihadists within their borders.

Caleb Weiss is a research analyst at FDD's Long War Journal and a senior analyst at the Bridgeway Foundation, where he focuses on the spread of the Islamic State in Central Africa.

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Shabaab, al Qaedas official branch in East Africa, has claimed responsibility for bombing an airliner bound for Djibouti on Feb. 2. The statement, which was released in English on social media, can be seen below.

The operation is part of a series of operations specifically targeting the Western and apostate intelligence infrastructure, Shabaab claims.

Acting on accurate intelligence and extensive surveillance by [Shabaab] intelligence teams, the statement reads, Shabaab carried out the airborne operation as a retribution for the crimes committed by the coalition of Western crusaders and their intelligence agencies against the Muslims of Somalia and so as to staunch the flow of Western crusaders into this Muslim land.

The group does not explain how the bomb supposedly targeted specific Western intelligence officials or their allies. The blast also failed to kill anyone on the jet other than the jihadist who carried it on board.

Shabaab recognizes that the attack was not exactly a success: And while the operation did not bring down the plane as Allah had decreed, it struck terror in the hearts of the crusaders, demonstrating to the disbelievers that despite all their security measures and the strenuous efforts they make to conceal their presence, the Mujahideen can and will get to them.

CNN reported that the explosion would have done more damage had it occurred at a higher altitude. A delay in the flight may have prevented the attack from going off as planned.

The bomb was reportedly concealed in a laptop and may have been undetected by airport X-rays. (It is not clear if the laptop was passed through an X-ray machine or around one.) Officials have released video footage showing the laptop being passed from one person to another at the airport beforehand.

Shabaab does not provide any specific details concerning the bomb, or the intelligence officials who were supposedly targeted.

But the group is eager to portray the failed attack as part of longer war between the jihadists and their adversaries in the CIA, British intelligence, and Israels Mossad.

The al Qaeda branch claims in its statement that a December 2014 raid on the AMISOM Halane base camp in Mogadishu targeted all of these spy agencies. Shabaab also says that 17 crusaders, including 2 white mercenaries were killed during the raid, but AMISOMs statement on the gun fight indicated that three AMISOM soldiers and a civilian contractor perished. Shabaab previously claimed that the assault on the Halane base was revenge for the drone strike that killed the groups emir, Ahmad Godane, in September 2014.

Explosions in Djibouti in May 2014 that targeted a restaurant frequented predominately by French Crusaders and their NATO allies and a series of operations in Mogadishu that eliminated dozens of senior apostate intelligence officials, district governors and hundreds of intelligence operatives were also supposedly part of this same series of attacks.

The US drone program is mentioned in Shabaabs statement. Western intelligence teams also conduct widespread surveillance on the local Muslim population and provide support to the CIAs drone operations in Somalia as the campaign of airstrikes from unmanned aerial vehicles continues to claim the lives of hundreds of innocent Muslims, Shabaab argues. In addition to that, hundreds of Muslim men and women are being held in degrading conditions in underground prisons run by the CIA in Mogadishu where they are routinely tortured and interrogated.

The passengers on the Daallo Airlines plane, including the suicide bomber who blew a hole in it, were originally scheduled to board a Turkish Airlines flight that was canceled. Shabaab implies that Turkey is a legitimate target.

Turkey  a member of NATO and one of [the] principal partners of the West in its war against Islam  is actively engaged in a destructive form of economic warfare against the Muslims of Somalia, the statement reads. Through seemingly benign projects, Turkey is gradually destroying the already fragile economy of the Muslims of Somalia, all in order to bolster the Western war effort and deprive the Muslims of their critical, yet extremely limited, resources.

Shabaabs claim of responsibility for airliner bombing

Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.

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The Taliban confirmed their clash with the Islamic State in the eastern Afghan province of Paktika earlier this week, and several of its fighters were killed as US aircraft (said to be drones) entered the fray.

According to a statement released on Voice of Jihad, the Talibans official propaganda website, the fighting took place in Paktikas Gomal district:

Officials reporting from Gomal district say that Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate came under simultaneous attack by a notorious Arbaki commander named Amanullah and another group of armed men affiliating themselves with Daesh [Islamic State] headed by a commander named Obaidullah Honar. US drones targeted Mujahideen multiple times during the clashes from which five Mujahideen were martyred once and eight others a second time, surely to Allah we belong and to Him is the return. Reports say that commander Honar was himself killed during the fighting in Warhmami area and the fighting came to an end with Mujahideen clearing and taking control of many areas from the enemy. It is said that American aircraft are still conducting flights over the region.

Afghan officials and local residents in Gomal told Afghan news agencies that the fighting lasted for three days, and more than 80 jihadists from both groups were killed. According to Khaama Press, the the clashes erupted when the Taliban opposed Daesh commanders who were planning to open offices in the area.

Gomal is a known haven for several Taliban groups, including the Haqqani Network and the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, as well as al Qaeda. The US has conducted several airstrikes in Gomal over the past year. Most recently, on Feb. 2, the US targeted a meeting that was said to have been attended by Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan commander Sajna Mehsud; 18 fighters are said to have been killed. Additionally, Afghan intelligence said it killed an al Qaeda commander known as as Khuram in Gomal on Sept. 14, 2015.

The Taliban and al Qaeda have a vested interest in halting the spread of the Islamic State in Gomal and Paktika in general, given the provinces importance to the group.
On Feb. 11, the US, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar agreed in Munich to a ceasefire in Syria. But the Russian Foreign Minister announced that his country would not stop its bombing against terrorists. (Russias definition of terrorists includes most rebel organizations, not just Al Nusrah Front, the Islamic State, and other jihadist groups.) Syrian President Bashar Assad vowed to retake the whole country, warning it could take a long time. These statements hardly signal good faith.

Assads allies, including Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has a central role in ongoing operations in northern Aleppo, do not appear to be interested in serious negotiations. The Assad-Iran axis believes momentum on the ground is on their side.

On the same day as Geneva III talks started on Feb. 3, the Syrian Arab Army, Syrian National Defense forces and pro-Assad fighters backed by Russian air power launched a major offensive in northern Aleppo. They broke the siege of the predominantly Shiite towns of Nubl and Zahraa and captured the surrounding area, cutting off the oppositions primary supply route from Turkey. They continue to push the offensive, encircling the rebel-held areas of Aleppo.

Since the operation started on Jan. 31, the IRGC has announced at least 42 fatalities, a significant spike in the death toll. The rate is comparable to October 2015, when Russia began its military intervention and pro-government forces launched a major offensive in southern Aleppo.

Like the October offensive, the IRGC members killed in the past week were from regular ground force units from across Iran. They included several senior officers: three brigadier generals, a colonel, and two lieutenants. Iranian media also reported the presence of officers and operatives from the IRGCs Qods Force. The unit is not known to publicly report its fatalities.

A senior non-Syrian security official close to Damascus told Reuters that Qods Force Commander Qassem Soleimani was in the area supervising the operation, which is intended to preserve Bashar Assads regime. Soleimani helped convince the Kremlin to intervene militarily and deploy its air force, which has given the pro-Assad forces a huge edge. Soleimani oversees all of the Shiite militias active in Syria. Lebanese Hezbollah, the Afghan Shiite Fatemiyoun Brigade, and the Iraqi Shiite Badr Corps have all played significant roles in the recent operations in northern Aleppo.

It is worth noting that at least one dozen of the IRGCs recent fatalities were from its Khuzestan province unit, which hails from Irans Arabic-speaking province. These troops are valued for their language skills, as they can embed and communicate with Arab forces fighting on Assads side. These reported fatalities strongly suggest that regular IRGC ground forces have integrated with the international Shiite brigades commanded by Soleimani.

The IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency published on Feb. 3 a revealing radio communication between pro-government forces in the besieged towns and the advancing units that aided them. Two men are heard having an exchange about battlefield conditions. Then the fighter on the advancing side switched from his not-fully-Syrian Arabic accent to fluent Farsi. The unidentified man addressed his brothers and sister in Nubl and Zahra, instructing them to be ready. He proclaimed, We are coming! We are very close! Have tea ready! Victory is ours with blessings upon the Prophet and his Household! The message was clear: although this was the liberation of Syrian towns held by Syrian rebels, the glory was owed to the IRGC. A photo posted on social media similarly shows the Islamic Republic of Irans flag waving in Nubl.

Top Iranian leaders and IRGC commanders have tried to explain to the Iranian public the necessity of their presence in Syria. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei met with several families who lost their fathers, sons, and brothers in the recent offensive, telling them that this fight keeps Irans enemies far from the countrys borders. IRGC chief commander Mohammad Ali Jafari echoed this view on Feb. 11 when he addressed forces mourning the deaths of Brigadier General Mohsen Ghajarian and five other fighters on the anniversary of the 1979 Revolution. IRGC Deputy Commander Brigadier General Hossein Salami gave a live televised interview on Feb. 7 to explain the recent fatalities to the broader Iranian public. He likewise said the IRGCs involvement keeps the fight away from Irans borders. Salami boasted that the recent victories broke the backs of rebels in Aleppo and change political calculations in the Syrian governments favor.

Pro-Assad forces, including the IRGC and Soleimanis international Shiite brigades, are continuing to advance with Russian air support and encircle Aleppo. This would give the Syrian regime an advantage in any negotiations, while also putting significant pressure on the mixed opposition in northern Syria. Assad and his allies want to dictate the terms of any talks, setting demands that the rebels may not be able to accept. If the insurgents reject the terms offered, then pro-Assad forces could press harder, attempting to use conditions on the ground to their favor. The battle for Aleppo province does not bode well for the prospect of a political settlement.

Amir Toumaj and Max Peck are research analysts at Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow them on Twitter @AmirToumaj and @Maxwell_Peck

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.
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Also on the blog this week:

US Chamber of Commerce releases international IP index

Now online: IP Stars 2016 trade mark rankings

In our news and analysis:

2015 PTAB petitioner trends and 2016 predictions

Fox loses appeal over Glee TV series

2015 in Canadian IP cases: trade mark

Carpmaels and Fieldfisher expand ahead of UPC launch

2015 in Canadian IP cases: patent

PTAB could affect VirnetXs $626m award in win over Apple

2015 in Canadian IP cases: copyright

Warners $14m Birthday present

Warner/Chappell will pay $14 million to end the lawsuit over the rights to the song Happy Birthday, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In a court filing this week, the company not only said it would pay the sum to end the lawsuit but also proposed a final judgment and order that would declare the song in the public domain.

This follows US district court judge George King ruling last September that Warner did not hold any valid copyright to the Happy Birthday lyrics. He did not rule the song was in the public domain, however.

The Hollywood Reporter said the plaintiffs in the class action case  led by documentary maker Jennifer and represented by Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz attorney Mark Rifkin  will seek $4.62 million of the settlement fund, with the rest going to those who have paid to licence the song and meet the definition of the proposed class.

A hearing on the proposed settlement is scheduled for next month.

Keeping JC Penney out of check?

Burberry has sued JC Penney, accusing the US retailor of infringing its signature check pattern (right) by selling copies of its designs, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The British luxury clothes brand filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of New York that alleges a scarf coat and quilted jacket feature copies its plaid pattern, which has been protected since Thomas Burberry registered a trade mark for it in the 1920s.

The lawsuit says Levy Group made the items, an example of which from the complaint is pictured below.

The complaint was filed by Steptoe & Johnson. It says: Defendants infringement of the BURBERRY CHECK Trademark is likely to cause, and has caused, consumers to believe mistakenly that the defendants are either affiliated with, sponsored by or somehow connected to Burberry, or that the infringing products sold and promoted by defendants either are genuine Burberry products, or, were endorsed or authorised by Burberry.

UPDATE: MarketWatch reports that JC Penney has issued a statement that it is "fully indemnified by the supplier, and therefore any damages awarded in the case will be fully covered by the supplier." It added that the suit will have "no financial impact" on it.

Banks depositing more patent applications

Bloomberg Businessweek had an interesting piece this week on how banks are educating patent examiners about what they do through seminars. The reason, said Bloomberg, was to counteract the granting of patents to other industries covering age-old banking practices.

The banking industry is increasingly seeking patents. The 1,192 patents awarded to banks over the past three years was up 36% on the previous three year period.

The banks hope the USPTO will not grant patents to applicants with similar ideas. Banks in recent years have been involved in lawsuits over their methods of encoding and transmitting data related to transactions.

There was this frustration of Why is that patent out there?  Sean Reilly, general counsel of Askeladden, told Bloomberg.

Fox and Dish settle

Fox Broadcasting and Dish Network have settled a dispute over Dishs AutoHop feature, which automatically skips over commercials for subscribers, reports Variety.

The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. But as a result Dishs AutoHop commercial skipping feature will not be available for Fox stations until seven days after a programme airs.

The two parties settled all pending litigation between them, including disputes over Dishs Slingbox technology and the AutoHop, PrimeTime Anytime and Transfers features. Fox claimed the features violate its copyright and carriage contracts.

Beijing and Marrakesh sent to Senate

President Obama this week sent two treaties to the Senate for ratification: the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performance and the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled.

In other Senate-related news, the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 was passed this week. The customs bill has a series of IP-related provisions, including codification of the Intellectual Property Rights Center as a formal institution within US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

Chris Dodd, chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, commented: This bill promotes a vibrant creative economy by providing creators with modernised tools to protect their content and increase their global competitiveness. Passing a customs and enforcement bill is an accomplishment that has not been achieved in nearly twenty years.

Authors turn their hands to writing briefs

A group of prominent authors has filed a brief supporting the US Authors Guilds petition for the Supreme Court to hear its dispute with Google over the digitalisation of millions of in-copyright works, reports The Guardian.

Last October, the Second Circuit rejected Authors Guilds appeal. It ruled that Google Books scanning and indexing of books is a transformative use that renders a public benefit, leading to a finding of fair use.

The authors throwing their weight behind the Supreme Court appeal include JM Coetzee, Margaret Atwood, Malcolm Gladwell and Peter Carey.

Their brief states: Although Google described its Books Library Project to the public as though it were a charitable endeavour  it was a vehicle to make searchable digital copies of over 20 million authors works (four million in copyright) available for searching  Paying for licences for those copies was not part of Googles business model  By creating a search project that would draw people repeatedly to new searches, as one consults a dictionary, Google created a vehicle for creating new, advertising-bearing web pages that would enrich its advertising revenue.

And lastly

German inventor Artur Fischer died on January 27, aged 96, reports The New York Times.

He made his first patented invention in 1947, a method for triggering a flash when a cameras shutter was released. He went on to register more than 1,100 patents, more than Thomas Edison, who had 1,093 patents.
Brazil's Companhia Estadual de Energia Eletrica (CEEE), a power utility controlled by the state of Rio Grande do Sul, will sell assets including stakes in wind farms, dams and transmission lines aiming to raise as much as 1 billion reais ($250 million).



CEEE's President Paulo de Tarso told Reuters on Friday that the company plans to use most of the proceeds to repay debt to its controlling shareholder.



Several Brazilian states are facing serious financial problems, including Rio Grande do Sul and Rio de Janeiro. Due to the situation, power market participants believed there was a strong possibility of privatization for CEEE.



"This is not in the radar. It is not the instruction we received from the controlling shareholder," said the company's president.



"The objective is to restore the company," he said.



Rio Grande do Sul is struggling with sharp falls on revenues as the economy stalls. The state has delayed payments for public workers.



CEEE is a money-losing company. Its subsidiaries CEEE-GT and CEEE-D lost some 790 million reais last year, according to Tarso.



CEEE-GT, the generation and transmission arm, holds 1 gigawatt of installed hydropower capacity, besides minor stakes on wind farms and 6,000 km (3,700 miles) of power transmission lines.



The power distribution company (CEEE-D) recently renewed its concession for a new term of 30 years.



Tarso said the company will also sell real estate and is weighing layoffs of up to 200 workers. The utility's website lists a total of 4,400 employees.



($1 = 4.001 reais)



(Reporting by Luciano Costa; Writing by Marcelo Teixeira; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)


State's three ports handle 12 million tons for first time in 54-year history



INDIANAPOLIS (Feb. 11, 2016) - The Ports of Indiana handled over 12.2 million tons of cargo in 2015, surpassing 2014's record volume by nearly 18 percent. This was the first time annual shipments exceeded 12 million tons in the port authority's 54-year history, and the total was more than 1.8 million tons more than the previous year's record.



Shipments of coal, steel, bulk commodities and ethanol-related products helped drive significant increases in annual cargo volumes at the three Ohio River and Lake Michigan ports. Coal volumes increased 69 percent while ethanol shipments more than doubled, and dried distillers grains (DDGs) increased 64 percent from 2014. There were also significant increases in shipments of steel (up 18 percent), cement (up 17 percent), soy products (up 4 percent) and limestone (up 12 percent).



"Our port companies and stevedores who attract cargo to our ports did a tremendous job in 2015," said Ports of Indiana CEO Rich Cooper. "They've become masterful in leveraging Indiana's ports' year-round maritime access to world markets as well as connections to multiple Class I railroads and major highways and interstates. Their business performance in this uncertain economy is highly commendable, particularly in the coal and steel sectors."



 On the Ohio River, the Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon set a new annual shipping record in 2015 handling 6.6 million tons for the first time in its 40-year history. This was a 36 percent increase over 2014 and 30 percent higher than the previous record set in 1994.

 The Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville, also on the Ohio River, set an annual shipping record for the second year in a row, handling 2.8 million tons of cargo, exceeding 2014's volume by 16 percent. Shipments of steel more than doubled the previous 2014 record, helped in part by record demand in the auto industry. Jeffersonville port companies supply components for all six of the top U.S. automakers.

 On Lake Michigan, the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor recorded its second highest cargo volume in over two decades, 2.8 million tons. Increased shipments of heavy-lift project cargoes helped drive the increase as the port received multiple shipments of beer fermentation tanks for regional breweries in Illinois and Michigan.



"While we savor the victories our port companies achieved in 2015, we are mindful of the challenges they continue to face with the pressure on fossil fuels and steel prices," said Cooper. "Despite the difficult economy, steel shipments at our ports still reached an all-time high in 2015 with many of our 28 steel companies processing steel for the record number of new cars and trucks sold by the U.S. auto industry last year."



The mission of the Ports of Indiana is to develop and maintain a world-class port system dedicated to growing Indiana's economy. The combined three ports contribute over $6.8 billion in total economic activity per year to regional economies and support over 52,000 total jobs.



Based on the economic successes of Indiana's ports, Governor Mike Pence, in his 2016 State of the State Address, called on the Ports of Indiana to explore building a fourth port in southeastern Indiana. Gov. Pence Quote: "Indiana's ports have also been spectacular catalysts for job growth. That is why I have called upon the Ports of Indiana to vigorously explore the building of a fourth port in the far southeastern part of our state, which could unleash enormous economic investment throughout the southeast region of our state."


Is Deutsche Bank the Next Lehman Brothers?

Nathan McDonald writes: Has the crash begun? The similarities between the current market environment and those seen in the 2008 economic crisis are scary to say the least. Investors are panicking and for good reason - signs that another Lehman-style crisis may be on the horizon.

Deutsche Bank is the one in question. This German banking powerhouse has had its liquidity called into question and is now on the fence, being attacked from all sides as article after article is released pointing to the dangers the bank now finds itself in.

As we reported yesterday, this uncertainty had a dramatic effect on the stock price of the bank, causing it to crash by 10%, dragging it down to levels not seen since the last economic crisis.

The immediate risk that has so many investors on edge is the fact that Deutsche Bank has 350 million in maturing Tier 1 coupons due in April, and even more in the future. The question of whether they will be able to repay this is what has investors so worried.

The attacks have been so fierce and so successful that Deutsche Bank has been forced to issue a press release defending their positions and the fact that they do have the liquidity to meet debt demands in 2016 and going forward in 2017:

Frankfurt am Main, 8 February 2016 - Today Deutsche Bank (XETRA: DBKGn.DE / NYSE: DB) published updated information related to its 2016 and 2017 payment capacity for Additional Tier 1 (AT1) coupons based on preliminary and unaudited figures.

The 2016 payment capacity is estimated to be approximately EUR 1 billion, sufficient to pay AT1 coupons of approximately EUR 0.35 billion on 30 April 2016.

The estimated pro-forma 2017 payment capacity is approximately EUR 4.3 billion before impact from 2016 operating results. This is driven in part by an expected positive impact of approximately EUR 1.6 billion from the completion of the sale of 19.99% stake in Hua Xia Bank and further HGB 340e/g reserves of approximately EUR 1.9 billion available to offset future losses.

The final AT1 payment capacity will depend on 2016 operating results under German GAAP (HGB) and movements in other reserves.

The most worrisome aspect of this press release is the fact that the 2017 projections do not take into account the recent significant losses that the bank experienced in 2016. This means that they are in a much worse position than they were, but whether or not it will affect them in a major way going forward is yet to be seen.

This is just another similarity to the 2008 economic crisis, as that was the last time a major developed market bank was forced to defend itself in such a manner.

Going forward, we can expect the German government to step in and attempt to stave off further collapse of the Deutsche Banks stock price and stem the outflow of liquidity. Banning short selling and jaw boning aplenty are just some of the first steps that we will see.

As in the past, Central Banksters, politicians, and the media will continue to report that all is well, nothing to see here, move along. Yet, there may be no looking back now. This can of worms has been opened and there may be no putting the lid back on - the contagion will spread.

Nathan McDonald

Sprott Money

Nathan McDonald is a libertarian, entrepreneur and precious metals enthusiast. He has always taken a keen interest in free markets and economics since an early age, which naturally led him to become a true believer in precious metals and all that they stand for.

Nathan served eight years in the Royal Canadian Navy as an electronics technician, seeing the true state of the world, before starting his first successful business. He has since gone on to create a number of businesses, all of which are still in operation and growing.

In addition to this, Nathan runs a network of successful precious metals blogs, and a growing newsletter that has attracted readers from all around the world.

He is a regular and highlighted writer for the highly respected Sprott Money Blog, which covers world events, geopolitics and of course precious metals.

The views and opinions expressed in this material are those of the author as of the publication date, are subject to change and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sprott Money Ltd. Sprott Money does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, timeliness and reliability of the information or any results from its use.

Copyright  2016 Sprott Money

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WOBURN  A Boston-area man was charged with assaulting a police officer and striking a pedestrian with a car as he fled an alleged crime scene in Woburn earlier this week.

Police said Tyson Delgado, 29, of Winthrop, was arrested Wednesday in Boston after assaulting a cop in Woburn and seriously injuring a 65-year-old-man walking in a crosswalk. Delgado was taken into custody in Dorchester after fleeing the Woburn crime scene, police said.

Around 9 a.m. Wednesday, a Woburn officer responded to a local business for a theft report involving Delgado, who used to work for the company, police said.

Delgado was being interviewed by the officer when he assaulted him and fled the scene in a white sedan, police said. While attempting to escape, Delgado struck and seriously injured a pedestrian before parking the vehicle and fleeing on foot.

Multiple law enforcement agencies searched for Delgado, but they were unable to immediately find him.

Tyson Delgado (Facebook)

Investigators tracked Delgado to Boston, where he was reportedly staying with a relative while authorities hunted for him. Woburn police, Boston police and members of the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section found him hiding under a bed inside the relative's Dorchester apartment, according to authorities.

Delgado was charged with larceny over $250; assault and battery on a police officer; leaving the scene of a serious personal-injury accident; assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (a car) on a person age 65 or older; and negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

He was booked by Boston police, then handed off to Woburn police.

"Thanks to the diligent work by police in this case, we were able to quickly locate this dangerous suspect and take him in without any incident," said Woburn Police Chief Robert Rufo, praising witnesses and various law enforcement agencies for helping with the investigation.

Rufo, speaking at a press conference Thursday, called Delgado "a dangerous career felon," Woburn Patch reports.

After he fled the Woburn crime scene, Delgado sped down a narrow side street, struck the pedestrian, then continued driving for several hundred yards with the man on the hood of the car, Patch reports. The injured man eventually fell off the vehicle, police said.

"This was a very disturbing incident involving a career criminal who showed reckless disregard for the safety of those around him and our community at large," Mayor Scott Galvin said at the press conference.
LOWELL



Lowell police

are now saying a 15-year-old boy, struck by a pickup truck while riding his bicycle Friday afternoon was intentionally run down. The truck fled the scene, dragging the boy's bike for at least a mile.

The Lowell Sun reported the unidentified teen was suffered serious injuries.

According to investigators, the boy was riding his bicycle toward the downtown on Lawrence Street near Cavaleiro's Restaurant. Police said the pickup truck, which was traveling in the opposite direction, crossed over to the opposite side of the street and up onto the sidewalk to strike the boy.

The truck fled the scene with the boy's bicycle dragging underneath the vehicle. Police found the bike just over a mile from the original crash scene.

The boy was first transported to Lowell General Hospital but was later airlifted to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Lowell Police and State Police detectives attached to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office are investigating the incident.

Authorities are looking for a white Chevrolet pickup truck. Anyone with information is asked to contact Lowell Police at 978-937-3200.
PITTSFIELD

 Dalton Police Officer James Scace entered pleas of not guilty to charges he assaulted four teenagers while off-duty in October when he was arraigned Thursday in Berkshire Superior Court.

Dalton Police placed Scace on administrative leave two days after the October 24 incident.

He was charged with two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, four counts of assault and battery and one count each of intimidating a witness and disturbing the peace. According to the Berkshire Eagle, Scace was charged after he allegedly attacked a group of seven teenagers, ranging in age from 14 to 17 during an altercation on Brindle Road. Scace is accused of physically assaulting four of the seven teens.

During the investigation into the case, authorities became aware of an earlier alleged assault, in which Scace is accused of throwing a woman to the ground, kicking her, choking her and putting his service pistol to her head. That case remains in Berkshire Central District Court where Scace may be eligible for protection under the Valor Act.

Signed into law in 2012, the Valor Act allows qualified veterans to apply for diversion to treatment programs rather than trial in cases that could result in a jail term.

According to statements made by a Massachusetts State Police investigator in court filings, Scace has demonstrated a "pattern of abusive behavior while consuming alcohol."

Thursday, Scace was released on his personal recognizance provided he has no contact with the juveniles who are alleged victims of the assault or teens who will be called as witnesses.
Last week, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo proposed more than $51 million in investments focused on reinvigorating the states economy through innovative industries with the release of her fiscal year 2017 budget request. The governors Make It in RI jobs plan http://www.governor.ri.gov/budget/ incorporates many of the recommendations from a strategic plan http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports2/2016/01/19-rhode-island developed by the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, Battelle Technology Partnership Practice (now TEConomy Partners, LLC) and Monitor Deloitte. One of the key investments is a $20 million brick-and-mortar innovation district where entrepreneurs, businesspeople and academics can interact.

In her budget address http://www.governor.ri.gov/newsroom/speeches/2015/Budget_Address.php last week, Gov. Raimondo strongly backed the idea that advanced industries and cutting-edge research were vital to modern economic prosperity. "Its pretty simple," she said, "Advanced industry jobs create high wages and economic growth." In order to stimulate employment in those industries, the governor introduced a number of proposals based on Rhode Island Innovates: A Competitive Strategy for the Ocean State http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports2/2016/01/19-rhode-island , prepared by Brookings, Battelle and Deloitte.

Full Story: http://ssti.org/blog/ri-gov-backs-51m-plan-jumpstart-state%E2%80%99s-innovation-economy?utm_source=SSTI+Weekly+Digest&utm_campaign=ee48dd6a09-SSTI_Weekly_Digest_2_12_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ecf5992d4c-ee48dd6a09-212414005
BANGALORE

February 12, 2016

/PRNewswire/ --

- Why is the World Moving Towards Disruptive HR Practices?



- We Didn't Start the Fire



Bangalore

Bhutan

Bhutan

Carlos Slim

Vijayaraghavan Pisharody

Smita Ranjan

Vijayaraghavan Pisharody

Smita Ranjan

Smita Ranjan

Hyderabad

https://in.linkedin.com/in/vijayaraghavan1973

Smita Shekher

It's hard to believe a world without our current technology. Where images convey entire conversations and we can tell the whole world about your crappy mood. Where we can spend a whole day having conversations with someone on the other side of the world, without saying a word. Technology has changed the way we live. Our lifestyles and eventually our societies, economies and environments have changed, thanks to technology. All world economic forums are dominated by three main concerns - economic, environmental, security, and all three are interchangeable. Long-term economic prosperity depends on the safety and security of people and equally on environmental sustainability. For example, today, the repercussions of short-term economic views, intolerance and reckless use of natural resources are easily and immediately apparent. Our world is going through extreme weather events brought on by global warming across the globe. Within our own country, a number of metros fall short of high qualities of life because they lack good clean air, quality drinking water, and basic infrastructure for commuting.(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160212/790541 )For example in a city like, studies have shown that the average traffic speed has come down to 9 km per hour and by 2020 it could further come down to 5 km per hour. This automatically impacts rudimentary human behaviour, giving rise to anxiety, depression, bipolar behaviour and various other negative social interactions.It's clear then that along with this rapidly changing world, we also need to make rapid changes in the way we deal with people, as well as the systems and practices we have had all this while. We no longer live in insular societies where our social wellbeing is dependent on a certain number of known factors. Increased technology has shrunk the world even smaller and our day to day lives are affected by the actions of countries across the world. We have moved on from leading linear lives where human beings progressed over a million years in a setting that was local. The only thing that affected them was what was visible in a day's life. It was linear in the terms that the life of previous generations wasn't all that much different from the current one.After the age of industrialisation, life changed drastically - suddenly human beings had multiple lives. Work life had to separate from personal life, from family life. Moving from an agrarian economy we found ourselves in an industrial age, where we no longer worked 365 days a year. Instead we had 6-day work weeks. What happens in countries far away from us affect us as much as what happens to our neighbour next door. That's the difference between our ability to project linearly and project exponentially. This is causing disruptive stress because as humans we think linearly, but the resources are changing exponentially.Which brings us to the core worthy question - How can we, as human resource professionals, think exponentially to not only solve the current problems created by mankind, but also create something sustainable that will eventually contribute to the happiness and wellbeing of mankind, and therefore society?Countries likemeasures prosperity by determining its citizens' happiness levels, not the GDP. It's a developing country that has put environmental conservation and sustainability at the heart of its political agenda. In the last 20 yearshas doubled life expectancy, enrolled almost 100% of its children in primary school and overhauled its infrastructure.The world's second-richest man (Mexican billionaire) suggests 3-day work weeks, saying, "With three work days a week, we would have more time to relax; for quality of life."Thirty years ago, HR systems ran on mainframes and were back office systems built to automate, store, and manage employee data. They ran payroll, stored employee data, and managed performance reviews, training administration, vacation policy, and time and attendance. They were primarily used by HR managers. Today, the whole system has changed. These systems are accessed and handled by employees themselves. Automation has made it a level arena, where these services are now all self service. The success of these is therefore dependent on how easy they are to use. Not just by employees but by job candidates too.Along with the processes, the need for the hour has also changed. People are no longer content to look for jobs. They are out to hunt for experiences. Recruitment systems today run on mobile phones and you can apply for a job with one click, take an interview via the phone's video camera, and take an online assessment as you apply. The most attractive candidates aren't likely to write a resume, they'll probably upload their LinkedIn profile. Therefore it is the HR department's aim to make recruitment software not just easy to use but also fun. Internal HR Management Systems (HRMS) currently are also too complex, creating a need for an army of consultants to build self-service front-ends. They need to be simple and easy for people to update their status, find their benefits, locate other skilled people, find and take courses, complete onboarding for a new job, locate skilled professionals, assess candidates, and set or monitor goals.The way we look at hierarchy has to change too. For example, a company in the US named Fishbowl, a manufacturing and warehouse management solutions for QuickBooks - has two people to fill one leadership position. Every person is a leader, paired with another and supported by a team, thereby promoting personal growth and allowing twice as many people to have leadership opportunities. It also helps to foster strong employee growth in addition to company and revenue growth. (Information from HBR)The examples above essentially questions existing practices and status quo. It compels us to ask, 'Why Not?' Most HR policies, processes, benefits have been around for decades and served the industrial age, and in some cases even the agrarian age. However, we are now living in a knowledge age, which will very soon transition into the space age, looking at man's aspiration of conquering Mars and beyond. It's therefore key to stay grounded and not forget the core reason for human existence - the endless search for good health, happiness, societal harmony, co-existence and peace.Hence it is essential for human resource professionals to be responsible for other people to acknowledge this fundamental truth and rise to this occasion while genuinely bringing transformational practices. This will mean looking beyond rudimentary activities of HR such as recruitment, induction, performance, policing and partnering. It will be about thinking exponentially, thinking disruptively, intensifying R&D in human behaviour, bringing strong and compelling perspective to balance the so called economic prosperity, shareholder returns with spirituality, true happiness, environmental harmony and keeping the focus on people at the heart of all decisions. Let us start thinking of a new beginning at least in the interest of our children and their children; because we owe it to them.Someone mentioned before that the primary purpose of the holy book Bhagavad Gita is to brighten humanity, similarly the core purpose of human resource function (people) is to illuminate human life.By- General Manager - Human Resources and Corporate Communication - Stempeutics Research - A Manipal Education and Medical Group Enterprise, with contributions from- Value LabsVijay is currently working as General Manager - Human Resources and Corporate Communication - Stempeutics Research - A Manipal Education and Medical Group Enterprise. Vijay is a thinker and philosopher with over a two decade experience in corporate field. He was associated with ITC, BPL, Taj Group and with Aditya Brila in various roles. His passion is in developing human minds.is a key member of the Human Resource Team at Value Labs,. She shares a passion for the study on Millennials' and their expectations in the workplace.Vijayaraghavan Mobile No.: +91-9535688118 Email: vijaya.raghavan@stempeutics.com Linkedin -Email: smita.shekher@gmail.com LinkedinSOURCE Stempeutics Research Pvt. Ltd.
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"The remarkable changes in home microbial content across differing levels of urbanization raise the possibility that the reduced microbial exposure to environmental bacteria seen in modern homes contributes to immune and metabolic disorders, from asthma to obesity, which have become the new disease paradigm in the industrialized world," adds Dominguez-Bello, an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at NYU Langone. "That said, our pilot study was small in size and limited to one geographical region, so larger studies are needed before we can generalize these patterns."The research team -- which included architects, environmental engineers, and microbiologists from the United States, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and Peru -- examined microbes on the walls and floors of homes in the Amazon river basin. The dwellings ranged from an isolated Amerindian community at the Ecuador-Peru border to a small Peruvian village to the large town of Iquitos in Peru to the Westernized, Brazilian city of Manaus. The team collected samples from ten houses in each location, and then used state-of-the-art genomic and statistical techniques to analyze the mix of bacterial DNA from each sample.Combining their samples and available databases, the team applied statistical tests that accurately tracked the sources of the bacterial microbes on each floor and wall. Specifically, they found more human bacteria in the town and city houses, such as Streptococcaceae and Lactobacillaceae, and decreasing proportions of environmental bacteria.On the other hand, the bacteria found on the floors and walls of rural and jungle living spaces were proportionally higher in environmental bacterial species, including soil bacteria, like Mesorhizobium and Luteimonas from water sources, as well as Rickettsiella carried by spiders and insects.Importantly, the researchers also found that the many walls that define urban homes come to reflect the sources of human bacteria, which in turn depend on the function of a given room. Kitchens and bathrooms, for instance, acquire function-dependent microbial signatures, such as oral Streptococcus and gut Enterobacteriaceae in bathrooms, and food-associated bacteria in kitchens."Excessively humanized spaces that are poorly ventilated could increase transmission of pathogens," says Dominguez-Bello. "Understanding the consequences of architectural changes on microbial exposures will be important to improving future home design and ultimately to human health."Source: Eurekalert
Alabama Rep. Robert Aderholt unveiled the measure on Thursday as Republicans look to find savings in the program. Aderholt says that states could choose whether they wanted to allow drug testing, so the legislation wouldn't be a mandate. He says it's common sense to create drug programs for those who need help.

"This is a compassionate way to try and help these people who have issues, instead of turning the head," said Aderholt, chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees spending for the Agriculture Department, which administers the food stamp program.

The bill is designed to aid states like Wisconsin, where former GOP presidential candidate Walker has sought to require food stamp recipients to undergo drug screening. Walker's administration filed suit against the Agriculture Department, which has said federal law bars the practice.

The government says states cannot impose new standards of eligibility under the law, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has said drug testing recipients is intrusive and ineffective.

The legislation would find savings  and cut benefits for some recipients  by making it harder for people to become automatically eligible for food stamps if they already participate in a federal heating assistance program. Aderholt's office says the estimated savings are around $1.2 billion, with about half of that awarded to states for drug treatment programs.

The food stamp program, now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, served more than 46 million Americans and cost $74 billion last year. That's twice the program's 2008 cost.

Though he has not weighed in on Aderholt's legislation, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has long said he wants to overhaul the food stamp program, along with other federal assistance for the poor. He has in the past proposed budgets that would convert federal food stamp dollars into block grants for the states, a move that would cut spending for the program.

Aderholt says he hopes his legislation is a first step in a larger GOP effort to overhaul the food stamp program. In 2013, House Republican leaders tried unsuccessfully to cut the program by 5 percent annually by passing broad new work requirements as part of a massive farm bill. The bill also included drug testing for recipients.

House leaders held up the bill for more than a year, insisting that money for farm programs be paired with significant cuts to food stamps. Democrats balked, and the final bill included a much smaller cut and no allowances for drug testing.

That effort was before Republicans won the Senate in 2014. Since then, House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway of Texas has led what he calls a comprehensive, multi-year review of the program to see what's working. He said last year that "either huge reforms or small reforms" could come from that process.

Aderholt did not rule out adding his legislation to this year's agriculture spending bill, which he writes. But he said he will try and move it through Conaway's committee first.
CASEVILLE  The city of Caseville does not have a problem with lead in its water, according to the supervisor of its Department of Public Works.

Dave Quinn told the Huron Daily Tribune that water testing in Caseville found one home with 13 parts per billion of lead, but it is not an accurate representation of the citys water system.

I got a lot of calls on this (lead issue) after that article in the Bay City (Times), the supervisor said. Theres no explanation. It just shows that Casevilles lead level is high  which isnt the case.

Every three years, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) requires municipalities to conduct tests on its quality of water.

We have to take 10 samples every three years, he said.

The 10 homes in the city of Caseville were tested in December 2013. Quinn explained the same homes are tested for lead and copper when it comes time to do so. Usually, the homes selected were built with either lead or copper pipes.

Sometimes nobody is living there, Quinn said regarding seasonal homes in Caseville. We typically dont know if we can test the home until we get there. We have to make sure the owners are home before we do anything.

The 2013 results were mixed when it came to uncovering lead.

We found five with no lead at all and five with detection of it, he explained. Only one home was a 13 and the others (with lead) were 2s and 3s.

That 13 is still below all the states EPA (limits), he added. ... The 13 does not represent an average for our system. Just for one individual home.

All residents whose homes are tested are notified of the results  good, bad or indifferent.

If they do decide to do any type of plumbing changes, we try to point them in the right direction, Quinn said. We talk with all of the residents whose home we test and talk to them about the results.

Even when you have a 2 or 3 (ppb) or no detect, we are required to give them their results, he added.

One thing Quinn did note was its not the water system that caused a 13 ppb for one home, but rather the lead pipes inside.

One time I heard 94 percent of the Flint system was contaminated, he said. Its not the whole system thats bad, its the lead pipes.

Caseville does not have lead in its water system, Quinn confirmed.

No other Huron County municipality from the 2013 report was close to 13. The Environmental Protection Agency only requires action if a home tests at 15 pbb or above.

Flints water supply crisis has become a national issue. The home with 13 ppb in Caseville is not close to some of the homes tested in Flint. The highest level of lead found in Flint water was 158 ppb.

Each year, the city is also required to distribute  by July 1  a consumers confidence report to each resident. Each report must provide residents with the following information about their drinking water:

 The lake, river, aquifer, or other source of the drinking water.

 A brief summary of the risk of contamination of the local drinking water source.

 The regulated containment found in local drinking water.

 The potential health effects of any contaminant detected in violation of an EPA health standard.

 An accounting of the systems actions to restore safe drinking water.

 Education information on nitrate, arsenic, or lead in areas where these contaminants may be a concern.

 Phone numbers of additional sources of information  including the water system.

This summer, Caseville will begin lead and copper testing for its next three-year report. Testing is scheduled to begin sometime after June 1, and samples must be submitted before September.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources wildlife staff will participate in Saturday's tour of the island park located in the Detroit River to count waterfowl and other birds on and around the island. Participants should meet at the Belle Isle Nature Zoo and will use their own vehicles.

DNR wildlife technician Holly Vaughn says in a statement that participants "should have plenty of birds to count" this time of year.

Participants are asked to bring binoculars and a spotting scope. The count is part of Cornell Lab of Ornithology's annual Great Backyard Bird Count.
Crain's Detroit Business reports Thursday that Snyder's $54.9 billion fiscal 2017 budget doesn't cite savings for the switch, but the Michigan Association of Health Plans says it could save millions of dollars through improved efficiency.

The plan calls for moving behavioral health benefits to managed care plans by the end of fiscal 2017. The state currently makes Medicaid payments to what are called "prepaid inpatient health plans," or mental health authorities.

The Michigan Association of Community Mental Health Boards doubts it will save money. The association says overhead is higher for private plans.

The GOP-controlled Legislature will consider the budget in the coming months and likely approve a plan in early June.
Steve Smith, an organizer of the 100th Newport Winter Carnival, said People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, launched its alert last week despite his reassurances that no pigs would be harmed during the Saturday event. Smith said he received about 100 emails from concerned animal lovers.

PETA spokeswoman Daphna Nachminovitch said Smith did not clarify what the event would entail. She said the updated information is excellent news for the pigs.

Smith said Thursday that he assured a PETA investigator in a Feb. 5 email that no animals would be harmed during the event. The group never challenged or questioned him about it before writing a detailed email alert, he said. It talked about "subjecting these highly sensitive animals to such a chaotic and violent ordeal rife with screaming participants." It also mentioned capturing the pigs and stuffing them into barrels.

"How can they know what we're doing if they never even bothered to ask what we're doing?" Smith said. "If they just asked, 'What are your plans?' I would have told them."

Smith, also general manager of WCNL radio in Newport, said the carnival featured greased pig events in the 1930s and continued off and on until the 1980s.

The topic of adding a greased pig event to this year's carnival did come up during a planning meeting last fall when organizers were brainstorming about possible past events that could be incorporated into the centennial. However, Chamber of Commerce president and carnival doyen Ella Casey was adamant that no pigs be used.

Stephanie Bell, a director at PETA's cruelty investigations department, said the organization receives more complaints about pig wrestling events than it does greased pig competitions. She said PETA has been successful during the past five years in halting pig wrestling competitions scheduled in Indiana and Mississippi.

"We've had only one greased pig complaint this year and that turned out to be a hoax," she said, referring to Newport's event. She said organizers had "ample opportunity" to say that a pig was not being used.

The 10-day carnival draws to a close this weekend in Newport.

The "Greased Pig on Ice" event will feature Newport resident Glen Halleck in a pig costume, being chased by kids on ice skates on the town common. Smith said the plan is for the kids to be surprised that the pig is a costumed character.

"And it still will," Smith said. "I think the vast majority of the public doesn't have a clue."

In the carnival's brochure of scheduled activities, the full listing of the greased pig event offers one clue, however: "Put on your skates and see if you can catch him. Prizes. PETA Friendly."
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 U.S. military will not change operations in Syria or participate with air drops in the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Aleppo region of Syria as a result of the potential ceasefire declared by world powers, the Pentagon said Friday.

"There are no immediate plans for the U.S. to be part of this effort," Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman said of aid for Aleppo. Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday that aid convoys by the United Nations World Food Program and other groups were expected to begin "immediately."

Davis said the U.S. military's efforts in Syria were focused on the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, which does not operate near Aleppo, and U.S. airstrikes would continue despite the temporary ceasefire agreement. "We are there strictly to fight ISIL," Davis said, using another acronym for ISIS.

The U.S. will continue to strike at ISIS in Syria but in and around Aleppo "there is very little fire for us to cease," Davis said. He said the U.S. did not conduct airstrikes in Syria against ISIS on Thursday, when the U.S., Russia and other powers meeting in Europe negotiated a ceasefire proposal, but added that the lull was a "coincidence."

At the start of the International Syria Support Group talks in Munich that were to continue this weekend, Secretary of State Kerry said that the Russians, the European Union and others were "unanimous" in agreeing that a temporary ceasefire in Syria should begin next week. "What we need to see in the next few days are actions on the ground," Kerry said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that most Russian airstrikes would probably stop next Friday but "terrorist" groups such as ISIS and the Al Qaeda-affiliated Al Nusra Front would continue to be hit. Whether other rebel groups, some of them supported by the U.S., would go along with the ceasefire was unclear.

The International Syria Support Group includes the Arab League, the European Union, the United Nations, and 17 countries, including the United States and Russia.

Stefan de Mistura, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, said aid convoys to besieged areas could begin as early as Saturday. "Once we get clearance by concerned parties, the UN and its humanitarian partners will be able to reach the civilians in need within the coming days," de Mistura said.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg cautioned that "ceasefires are not always respected." Shortly after Stoltenberg gave the warning, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he was still committed to taking back territory in rebel hands.

In an interview with Agency France Presse in Damascus, Assad said he intended to restore territory controlled by the government to the original borders and "this is a goal we are seeking to achieve without any hesitation. It makes no sense for us to say that we will give up any part.'

At the Pentagon, Davis said the only contacts the U.S. military had with their Russian counterparts involved the "deconfliction" of the separate air campaigns in Syria.

However, there appeared to be a form of conflict in what Davis called the "Twitter wars" between the Russian Defense Ministry and Army Col. Steve Warren, the spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve for Iraq and Syria.

In his must-see video briefings to the Pentagon, in e-mails, and on Twitter, Warren has called out the Russians for their indiscriminate bombing campaign in support of the Assad regime that has led to the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo.

The Russians shot back by Tweet: "Col. Warren is to be disappointed--Rus aircraft didn't work near #ALEPPO yesterday. Nearest target was more than 20 km far from city."

In his counter-Tweet, Warren said "Russia's tweets are wrong. Furthermore their bombing is reckless and indiscriminate and their efforts are strategically short-sighted."

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at richard.sisk@military.com
The two U.S. senators from Oklahoma on Friday introduced legislation to allow the Veterans Affairs Secretary to delegate to VA health care network directors the power to demote and fire employees on the basis of performance or conduct.

The proposed law builds on the authority Congress granted to the VA secretary in 2014 to order demotions and firings of personnel for poor performance or behavior.

"Our legislation grants VA leadership at the regional level the authority to fire any staff that are failing to provide adequate care to veterans," Sen. James Inhofe said in a statement. His co-sponsor is fellow Republican Sen. James Lankford.

Neither lawmaker serves on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee -- the panel that typically would generate this kind of legislation -- but the two were spurred by a VA investigation that resulted in a shutdown of surgeries at the Muskogee VA Medical Center in Oklahoma due to quality-of-care issues.

Amanda Maddox, a spokeswoman for Sen. Johnny Isakson, a Republican from Georgia and chairman of the Senate panel, said the committee knew this legislation was coming and will be working with Inhofe and Lankford to include the provisions into a VA accountability package now being put together.

The VA launched its probe of the Oklahoma facility after USA Today reported on veterans whose illnesses were made worse by lack of follow-up care and misdiagnosis.

Two Veterans Integrated System Network teams for the Oklahoma region discovered problems with quality of care and management at the facility. Not only were the surgeries shut down but the hospital's chief of staff was temporarily reassigned pending a department-level review of the VISN review.

Inhofe said on Friday that VA Secretary Bob McDonald is expected to brief him on his findings in the next few weeks.

Lankford said allowing McDonald to extend his authority to demote and fire to regional directors will improve accountability across the VA.

"Men and women who served our nation in uniform deserve quality care. Unfortunately, the VA isn't always meeting this expectation," said Lankford. "To ensure our veterans receive quality care, we must give our senior officials at the regional level the tools to hold people accountable."

The lawmakers' bill also would authorize the directors of the various integrated service networks across the VA system to bring in an outside company specializing in civilian accreditation or health care evaluation to assess and report on deficiencies with any medical center within their network.

-- Bryant Jordan can be reached at bryant.jordan@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @bryantjordan.
BELL'S JOB FAIR

Bell's Brewery

(MLive File Photo)

COMSTOCK, MI -- Bell's Brewery Inc. is adding three more states to its distribution, which means Bell's will be available in 29 states.

Bell's announced Friday it will start distributing to Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota this year. These additions top the three states Bell's already announced it would add to its distribution this year -- Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas.

Bell's said in a press release the company does not have a launch date for any of the newest states.

"The process always begins with finding the right distributor partner -- one who shares our standards of quality, customer service and passion," Laura Bell, Bell's vice president said in a press release. "It will take some time, but we'll work as fast as we can so that beer can start shipping."

Bell's is working on a $50 million expansion, which is expected to be completed in spring or summer 2016. New packaging equipment and fermenters have recently been delivered to the brewhouse.

The 200,000-square-foot expansion will add a bottling line, a warehouse logistics center, offices and employee areas. The expansion will allow the brewery the capacity to brew a 1 million barrels of beer a year, up from the current capacity of 800,000 barrels.

Bell's is looking for a lead brewery sales representative in New Orleans, La.
GRAND HAVEN TOWNSHIP, MI - The red kitchen counters and pine cabinets in the old farmhouse bear testimony to the thousands of breakfasts, lunches and dinners prepared in the lakefront home over the years.

It wasn't the owners' neglect that resulted in the dated decor, says Realtor Sandi Gentry, who has listed the white frame home on 125 feet of Lake Michigan beach for $1.5 million.

"They absolutely loved the rustic-ness of it," says Gentry, who drew a flood of showing requests and a pending offer after listing the property at 11837 Garnsey Avenue last week.

Little has changed since she sold the house to the current owners in 1999, Gentry says. They were meticulous in maintaining the property and keeping it in good shape while preserving its original farmhouse charm.

The previous owner, Grand Haven attorney John Lepard, said they added the main floor bathroom, utility room and back entrance during their ownership of the house from 1979 to 1999.



"It was a wonderful place for us for 20 years," said Lepard, adding he's not certain about the age of the farmhouse. Gentry has listed its building date as 1899.

The 5-bedroom house was moved by horses from its original location along Lakeshore Drive to its current site around the turn of the 20th Century, Lepard said.

The move was made by Edward Grant Garnsey, a buyer and executive with the Chicago-based retailing giant, Marshall Field Department Store. Garnsey used the farm as his family's summer residence.

Lepard said he bought the house from a developer, who was purchasing the farm from one Garnsey's daughters, Adolpha Garnsey Ettinger. Though the developer had plans to tear down the old house, Lepard said he convinced him to sell the property "as is."

Today, the home still has its original oak floors in the living room, dining room and foyer. The living room and dining room are divided by glass French doors aimed at keeping out the winter draft while allowing summer breezes to circulate in the summer.

The transom windows in the living room have their original hardware and storm windows on the inside to keep out the lake chill. Most of the other windows were replaced by the Lepards.

The home has three fireplaces. One is in the living room, another in the dining room and a third in the rustic sun porch, which the Lepards upgraded with insulated windows to allow for year-round enjoyment.

The roomy kitchen still has its 1980's decor and appliances. The gas stove is next to an original brick chimney for the dining room fireplace on the other side of the wall. A bay window next to the breakfast area overlooks the big lake.

The main floor also has a master suite with its own ensuite bathroom and walk-in shower that were added by Garnsey's daughter and son-in-law.

Upstairs, the white oak flooring remains unvarnished. There are three simple bedrooms and a suite of two rooms and a bathroom that could be converted into an owner's suite.

In the Michigan basement, there's a small wine cooler, a laundry, an artist's studio and cedar-lined closet.

Outdoors, there's a medium-height bluff that overlooks 125 feet of sandy Lake Michigan beach. There's a sun deck for summer relaxation and a stairway that leads down to the beach.

The property also includes a boathouse and storage building as a more recent addition.

This is one in a series of articles we have published about High-End Homes in West Michigan. Here are similar articles we have published recently:

 142-year-old Saugatuck B&B can fulfill romantic daydreams for $965K

 This $1M East Grand Rapids house has play areas for the kids and grown-ups

 'Symphony House' gets toned down and tuned up

 70 years later, 'Bronkema' house retains modern style and appeal



 This $3M luxury home has bedroom-bathroom suite for pampered dog



 Twin tunnels lead up to $1.2M Stone Hills estate overlooking the city



 Panoramic views from 27th floor of this $1.2M River House condo



 This $2.3M log cabin on exclusive Northport Point includes its own ballroom

Jim Harger covers business for Mlive Media Group. Email him at jharger@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter or Facebook or Google+.


Bernie Sanders

Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, makes a point during a Democratic presidential primary debate at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016, in Milwaukee.

(AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is coming to Ypsilanti, his campaign staff confirmed Friday evening.

Sanders will give a speech at Eastern Michigan University's Convocation Center on Monday afternoon, said Ryan Hughes, state director for the Sanders campaign.

Hughes said doors will open at 12:30 p.m. for Monday's event at EMU and Sanders will be giving a speech at 2:30 p.m.

"We're really excited. We're going to have a big rally," he said. "He's going to talk a lot about what he's been saying around the country, so we're looking forward to it."

Here's how you can see Bernie Sanders speak in Michigan on Monday

Sanders will discuss a wide range of issues, including his plan to make public colleges and universities tuition-free, the need to grow and strengthen America's middle class by taking on Wall Street and raising the minimum wage, ensuring universal healthcare for all and fighting against a "corrupt political campaign finance system to restore our democracy," his campaign announced Friday evening.

Hughes said Sanders has a big support network in the Ann Arbor area and they've been wanting to do an event in the area for a while now.

He said there was going to be an event in the area late last year that fell through, so this will make up for that.

The Sanders campaign also plans to open an Ann Arbor area campaign office at 4072 Packard Road on Saturday.

The campaign already opened offices in Flint and Detroit, and another in Grand Rapids on Friday, with plans to open another in Lansing early next week.

Hughes said it hasn't been decided whether Sanders will stop in any other Michigan cities while he's in the state on Monday.

Details on capacity for the EMU rally weren't immediately available.

The Sanders campaign considers the Ann Arbor area, where there's strong support for both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, important.

"It's always big," Hughes said. "Our volunteer network in Ann Arbor is extraordinary. They've been working longer than anybody.

"They were organizing early last year, so they've been at it for a long time, and we're thrilled they're going to get to hear from the senator himself."

Clinton and Sanders will come to Flint for a debate March 6 as the city remains in the midst of an ongoing water crisis.

Ryan Stanton covers the city beat for The Ann Arbor News. Reach him at ryanstanton@mlive.com.
Bernie Sanders

Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. speaks at the New Hampshire Democratic Party McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Celebration dinner Friday, Feb. 5, 2016, in Manchester, N.H.

(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The Bernie Sanders campaign has released details on how to attend the Democratic presidential candidate's rally in Ypsilanti on Monday.

The U.S. senator from Vermont will give a speech at Eastern Michigan University's Convocation Center, 799 N. Hewitt Road, at 2:30 p.m.

Doors open at 12:30 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required, but RSVPs are strongly encouraged.

You can RSVP here

Admission is first come, first served.

For security reasons, attendees are asked to not bring bags, and limit what you bring to small personal items such as keys and cell phones.

Weapons, sharp objects, chairs and signs or banners on sticks will not be allowed through security.

"Bernie will discuss a wide range of issues important to Michiganders including making college affordable, reforming our health care system, and getting big money out of politics," reads the campaign's description of the event, which is officially billed as the "A Future to Believe In Rally at Eastern Michigan University."

Ryan Stanton covers the city beat for The Ann Arbor News. Reach him at ryanstanton@mlive.com.
Police have arrested three suspects in connection with a purse snatching in Ann Arbor.

On Feb. 8 in the 800 block of West Washington Street, an 88-year-old woman was walking westbound when three juveniles approached, one grabbed her purse and then fled in the opposite direction, police say.

She was not injured.

The suspects are juveniles, and the suspect who took the purse is 15 years old.

Police found and returned the victim's purse, identification and belongings except an undisclosed amount of cash.

Charges are pending, according to Ann Arbor police.

Lindsay Knake is a cops and courts reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Follow her on twitter or contact her at 989-372-2498 or lknake@mlive.com.
YCUA.jpg

The YCUA's headquarters in Ypsilanti Township.

(Tom Perkins | For The Ann Arbor News)

As the Flint water saga continues to play out, many are a little more suspicious of the water pouring of their faucets.

Does it contain harmful levels of lead or other contaminants?

For those receiving water from the Ypsilanti Community Utility Authority, the answer is "no", according to YCUA director Jeff Castro.

"In the face of the Flint water crisis, YCUA wants to assure its customers that its water is safe and that it meets all regulatory standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act," he said.

The YCUA purchases treated drinking water from the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA), formerly the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. The GLWA's source water is the Detroit River and Lake Huron.

During the late 1990s, the YCUA, under direction from the state, took an inventory of its system's service piping. When replacing mains in the city of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township, it replaces all non-copper service piping between the main and curb stops at homes and businesses. If workers are aware of leaded piping on private property, the YCUA notifies the property owner in writing.

He added that the YCUA regularly tests for lead contamination and its results are available online.



Castro explained the GLWA also uses orthophosphate for corrosion control. It forms a protective layer on the inside of plumbing materials by chemically binding with the pipes to prevent the dissolution of lead and other metals into the water. It also protects home fixtures and faucets that contain lead.

The chemical is the agent that authorities in Flint failed to add to the water when they switched sources.

"GLWA uses orthophosphate as a corrosion control inhibitor to keep our water safe and eliminate the risk of an incident like the one that occurred in Flint," Castro said.

The YCUA distributes water and provides wastewater treatment services to approximately 27,000 homes and businesses in the city of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township, and portions of Canton and York Townships. The YCUA also provides water to Pittsfield, Superior, and Augusta townships, which operate and maintain their own water distribution systems.

Residents in the city of Ypsilanti pay a surcharge on their water bill that covers the replacement of its mains, Castro said.

"Both the city and township have done remarkable jobs with road reconstruction projects which prompts the replacement of all non-copper service leads," he said.



Castro said residents who wish to have their water tested privately can contact the National Test Lab in Ypsilanti, Michigan by calling 800-458-3330 ext. 3. The fee is approximately $45. There are also several online home test kits available for $10 to $30.

Tom Perkins is a freelance reporter for The Ann Arbor News.
WEST BRANCH TOWNSHIP, MI -- A teenager is dead after a two-vehicle crash just east of West Branch.

At 9:45 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, Michigan State Police troopers from the West Branch Post responded to the crash on M-55 near Peach Lake Road. They determined a 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier driven by 17-year-old Cambra J. Vogel had been heading east on M-55, said Special 1st Lt. David Kaiser. The Cavalier slid across the center line, Kaiser said. Icy road conditions contributed to the crash, police said.

A 2002 Buick LeSabre was heading west on M-55 and struck the Cavalier as it crossed its path, Kaiser said.

Medical personnel pronounced Vogel dead at the scene, Kaiser said. Vogel was traveling with two passengers. A 14-year-old female riding in the front passenger seat was transported to a hospital. A 17-year-old male was ejected from the car, Kaiser said.

The male was transported to a West Branch hospital, then airlifted to Saginaw for treatment of life-threatening injuries, Kaiser said.

Kaiser did not know the relationship between the Vogel and her two passengers but said they had different surnames. He also did not know where they are from.

The 41-year-old male driver of the LeSabre and his two passengers were treated for injuries and released, the lieutenant said.

Troopers continue to investigate the crash.
DETROIT, MI - A former Detroit clerk was sentenced Friday to four years probation and ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution for her part in

a scheme to trade ticket dismissals for money

, the state attorney general's office announced.

Annette Bates, while working in the city's 36th District Court, was involved in fraudulently dismissing about $40,000 in traffic tickets using the names of four district court judges, according to a statement from Bill Schuette's office.

The 56-year-old admitted to personally receiving $10,000, and Wayne County Circuit Judge Catherine Heise ordered her Friday, Feb. 12, to repay the court, the largest district court in MIchigan.

"Ms. Bates took personal advantage of the public office she was entrusted with," Schuette said in the statement. "Not only did she break the law, she took advantage of a city rising from the ashes of bankruptcy."

Bates and "co-conspirator" Charles Fair, who was not a court employee, were each charged late last year with two felony counts of forgery. They were implicated after a joint investigation between the attorney general's office and the FBI's Detroit-Area Public Corruption Task Force.

Requests were funneled from Fair to Bates, who would then dismiss the tickets from court records without the judges' knowledge, according to the attorney general's office.

Both pleaded guilty to their offenses, reported to have occurred throughout a two-year period.

Fair is to be sentenced March 14.

The chief district court judge praised the attorney general's pursuit of the pair, according to Schuette's office. "We will assist in all investigations leading to the arrest and prosecution of any individual, whether a court employee or not, who commits illegal acts that violate the public's trust in the court system," Judge Nancy Blount said.

While Bates will be required restore the court's financial loss, the money will not fully repair the public's trust and confidence in the court, said Court Administrator Kelli Moore Owen, also quoted in the statement.

"That will be done by the current Administration's enduring commitment to root-out any corruption in the court, while on the path to becoming a national model for excellence in both internal operations and service to the public."
13.02.2016 LISTEN

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), in collaboration with the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and the Cocoa Processing Company [CPC], Nestle Ghana Limited and Starr FM, will celebrate this year's annual National Chocolate Day tomorrow February, 14.

This year's celebration is under the theme: 'Chocolate: The Gift Of Love' and it will be held at the West Hills Mall in Accra.

According to a statement issued by the GTA in Accra, the programme of activities lined up for this year's event include a tour to Tetteh Quarshie and Jubilee Cocoa Farms at the Mampong Akuapem by school children, tourist clubs as well as the general public today.

During the tour, participants will be educated on the history behind the cocoa farms, harvesting process and an educational forum on cocoa products to promote the consumption of cocoa-based products.

The statement said there will be an exhibition of cocoa-based products alongside the chef's culinary competition at the West Hill Mall tomorrow. The competition will include the making of chocolate-based dishes, cakes, pastries and desserts.

It continued that the GTA regional offices will also organise agro-based tours for school children and tourist clubs.

The statement further said chocolate products have been positioned as ideal gift and the perfect expression of love during the Valentine's Day celebration, adding, It will be nice of everyone to give out a box of or bar of chocolate to the vulnerable in society and your loved ones on the National Chocolate Day.

The National Chocolate Day, instituted in 2006, is aimed at promoting the consumption of Ghana chocolate and cocoa-based products, minimising anti-social vices associated with the celebration of Valentine's Day, increase awareness on the health benefits of chocolate and boost domestic tourism.
Young Ghanaian actor, Abraham Attah will present an award at the 2016 edition of the Academy Awards (Oscars).

Abraham is among a number of personalities who have been named to present awards at the 88th edition of the awards on February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California.

The young Ghanaian actor, known for his role as a child soldier, Agu, in the movie Beast of No Nation, was part of a third batch of presenters announced for the 2016 Oscars telecast.

The list of the third batch of presenters also includes Patricia Arquette, Cate Blanchett, Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Jennifer Garner, Russell Crowe, Common and Rachel McAdams.

The rest are Louis Gossett, Jr., Michael B. Jordan, Dev Patel, Eddie Redmayne, Daisy Ridley, Sarah Silverman and Sofia Vergara.

The 2016 Oscars has been heavily criticised for what many say is the total neglect of Blacks from the top categories. The criticisms led to #OscarsSoWhite trending on twitter for several weeks.

Some Black actors  including Spike Lee and actress Jada Pinkett Smith - have threatened to boycott the February 28 event.

Pundits have argued that Abraham Attahs performance in Beast of No Nation should have earned him a nomination in the awards this year.

Beast of No Nation is Abrahams first ever movie role and already, the young Ghanaian actor has won three awards.

He won the Venice International Film Festival Marcello Mastroianni Best Young Actor Award, National Board of Review Award for Best Breakthrough Performance (shared with Jacob Tremblay), and Black Film Critics Circle|Black Film Critics Circle Rising Star Award.

Follow me on Twitter: @delaXdela and Instagram: citizendela

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Ernest Dela Aglanu (Twitter: @delaXdela / Instagram: citizendela)
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United Nations soldiers patrol on July 27, 2013 in the northern Malian city of Kidal. By Kenzo Tribouillard (AFP/File)

13.02.2016 LISTEN

Bamako (AFP) - Six UN peacekeepers were killed and some 30 wounded on Friday when suspected Islamists attacked their base in northern Mali, officials said, while three Malian soldiers died in an ambush as jihadists intensify attacks in the restive region.

The six Guinean peacekeepers were killed in an early morning assault on a camp in the northeastern town of Kidal belonging to the United Nation's MINUSMA, according to a Guinean source in the mission and a military source in Conakry.

The latest attacks highlighted the vulnerability of Mali's sprawling arid north, where UN troops and Malian soldiers are struggling in their fight against jihadists who seized vast swathes of territory in 2012.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the "massive and complex" attack on the MINUSMA base, warning that targeting peacekeepers constitutes a war crime and pledging to support the Malian government.

Suicide bombers drove a vehicle into the base between two rocket launches, then blew it up, the Guinean source in the UN mission said.

The raid coincided with a visit to northern Mali by the new chief of MINUSMA, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, who said the raid was an "odious and irresponsible act" which highlighted the "confusion in the ranks of the enemies of peace."

Annadif was in Kidal a week after a peace pact eased tensions in the town, where the arrival of members of a pro-government group early in February had upset the former rebels in the Coordination of Movements of the Azawad.

Azawad is the name the traditionally nomadic Tuareg people of the desert use for territory they regard as their homeland, straddling the southern Sahara and the Sahel.

- Timbuktu attack -

In a separate attack, three Malian soldiers were killed and two others were wounded near the fabled city of Timbuktu, a Malian military source said.

"Three of our men died today between Timbuktu and Goundam when they were ambushed by jihadists," a Malian officer told AFP. "Two others were wounded but their lives are not in danger."

The defence ministry confirmed what it said was a "cowardly" strike.

Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said there was a pressing need to secure the north.

"We have to find a solution to this," he said. "Kidal cannot remain like this... where attacks occur on a daily basis and the international community and we ourselves look on."

Visiting German President Joachim Gauck agreed, telling a joint press conference that he was aware of the "threat still hanging over the country".

On Thursday, a customs officer and two civilians were killed in another Islamist strike in the northern town of Hombori, two days after three Malian soldiers died in an explosion while they were patrolling the frontier near Burkina Faso.

The latest attack came a week after at least four suspected jihadists and a Malian soldier were killed in clashes at a UN camp for police officers from Nigeria in Timbuktu.

It was also a day after the fabled city had celebrated the restoration of its greatest treasures -- earthen mausoleums dating to medieval times that were destroyed during an Islamist takeover in 2012.

Responsibility for the raid on Timbuktu was claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Mali's north of the country continues to be beset by violence having fallen under the control of Tuareg-led rebels and jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda in 2012.

The Islamists sidelined the Tuareg to take sole control, and although they were largely ousted by a French-led military operation in January 2013 extremist groups still pose a threat.
12.02.2016 LISTEN

A Canadian man who disappeared 30 years ago is set to be reunited with his family after remembering his identity, Canadian media reported.

Edgar Latulip was 21 when he went missing from a home for disabled people in Ontario province.

He boarded a bus, but soon after suffered a head injury that police believe robbed him of his memory.

Mr Latulip lived in the Niagara region under a different identity for decades before experiencing flashbacks.

He told a social worker who checked the name Latulip and discovered it was the subject of a missing person investigation.

A DNA test confirmed his true identity.

Ive been a police officer for 18 years and this is something Ive seen on TV but never been a part of, Niagara Regional Police Constable Philip Gavin told the Star .

Absolutely, this is quite a rare one.

.

His mother, Ottawa resident Sylvia Wilson told the Record she was blown away by the news.

She said the last time she saw him, he was recovering in the hospital after attempting to commit suicide.

Ms Wilson was convinced he had either been killed or killed himself.

Mr Latulip, who is now 50 years old, has the mental age of a 12-year-old, according to the North American Missing Person Network.

Ms Wilson said she had a difficult relationship with her eldest child, but told the Record: I want to talk to him and help him out any way I can. I just want to see him.

Waterloo Regional Police officer Duane Gingerich said there was a reported sighting of the man in 1993, which made him think he might still be alive, but there was not much hope.

I had hopes that he was out there somewhere, he told the Record. For us as investigators, this is great, this is awesome. Its satisfying because most of these cases dont turn out this way. You expect the worst when a person is missing for that period of time.

-bbc


Benghazi (Libya) (AFP) - A MiG-23 fighter of Libya's internationally recognised government was shot down Friday as it carried out air strikes on opposition positions in the coastal city of Benghazi, the military said.

Nasser el-Hassi, spokesman for the government's forces, told AFP the plane was "shot down in Qaryunes, northwest Benghazi, as it bombed positions of the (Mujahedeen) Shura Council", a coalition of Islamist militias close to Al-Qaeda.

The Islamic State (IS) jihadist group claimed its fighters downed the plane, according to SITE Intelligence Group, a US monitor of jihadist activity on the Internet.

A military source said the pilot survived having parachuted to safety, but his whereabouts were not immediately clear.

It was the second military air crash this week.

On Monday, another MiG-23 operated by forces loyal to Libya's recognised government crashed near the eastern city of Derna after attacking IS positions.

LANA news agency, which is close to the recognised government, blamed "technical problems" for the downing.

Before crashing, the fighter had carried out raids on IS positions around 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Derna.

Two administrations are vying for power in war-ravaged Libya, one based in the capital Tripoli backed by a coalition of militias, and the recognised government, exiled in the east.

In early January, another MiG 23 came down in Benghazi, the main city in the east.

Chaos engulfing Libya since the fall of dictator Moamer Kadhafi's regime in 2011 has fostered the rise of IS which has based itself in the former dictator's hometown of Sirte in eastern Libya.
Accra, Feb. 12, GNA - Private stakeholders in the sanitation sector have urged the Government to establish a Sanitation Authority to assist in their service delivery across the country.

According to them, the Metropolitan, Municipality and District Assemblies lacked professional health engineers to effectively implement policies and research findings on sanitation.

Mr Issaka Balima Musah, the Country Programme Manager, Water and Sanitation, Urban Poor (WSUP), speaking at a stakeholders' meeting towards improving on liquid waste management in the urban cities, said without the Authority, the major problems would remain unsolved.

He cited the Community Water and Sanitation Service as one clear example, which 'worked the magic' for water delivery service in the country.

The meeting was at the instance of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) to introduce them to the Sanitation Challenge for Ghana, which is to motivate MMDAs to partner with private institutions to formulate innovations to address the liquid waste problem.

The programme, sponsored by United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), has a total prize value of 1.43 million pounds. It would be delivered in multiple rounds over a three-and-half year period.

The first prize, dubbed:' Duapa Award', would be given to MMDAs, which have designed the best urban liquid waste management strategies.

After the first prize, the implementation period of the liquid waste strategies would commence and continue until November 2018, during which honorary award ceremonies would be organised to reward competing MMDAs who had been innovative and effective in implementing their liquid waste strategies.

The final Grand prize would be awarded to MMDAs who had made the most progress in implementing their strategies by the end of the competition period in December 2018.

Mr Demedeme Naa, the Director of Environmental Health and Sanitation Directorate of MLGRD, said the time had come for the country to start thinking outside the box to do things differently by bringing everybody on board to achieve a common goal.

He said the Sanitation Challenge for Ghana was an innovation launched last year by the government to reward Excellence in Urban Liquid Waste Management by motivating MMDAs to improve sanitation in the urban cities.

He said the aim was is to promote competition among MMDAs and to motivate them to team up with their citizens, innovators and problem solvers to design and implement liquid waste management strategies and to bring about transformational change to poor households in urban centres.

Ms Henrietta Osei-Tutu, the Environmental Health and Sanitation Directorate of MLGRD, said the challenge was open up to 136 pre-qualified MMDAs, divided into two different categories; Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies with populations exceeding 15,000 inhabitants and District Assemblies with population of more than 15,000, according to 2010 National Population Census.

She said the MMDAs were required to complete an online registration form, indicating their desire to participate in the competition, after which potential MMDAs would be required to develop liquid waste management strategies using the online template.

She said winners would be awarded financially.

'The deadline for registration and submission of the development strategies is April 30, 2016, while the first award ceremony would be held in June.

GNA
Busunya (B/A), Feb. 12, GNA - The Nkoranza North District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr. Kwadwo Adjei Dwomoh, has called on the contractors upgrading the 30-kilometre Jema-Nkwanta-Nkoranza road to do everything to complete the job on schedule.

The project, awarded to Chinese Contractors, M/S Zhongmei Group Company, is being funded by the COCOBOD under the government's cocoa roads rehabilitation project.

The DCE warned that any delay would not be accepted and could force them to terminate the contract.

He noted that the successful completion of the road project would bring tremendous economic benefits to the people.

It would facilitate trade as it could be used to connect Kumasi from the North as well as the Volta Region through Ejura-Atebubu-Yeji.

Speaking after inspecting it, he expressed satisfaction with the quality and pace of work so far done and asked that the momentum was sustained.

Mr. On Yong, Laboratory Engineer of the Company, gave the assurance that it would be ready by the close of the year.

He renewed the appeal to communities along the road stretch to give them the needed cooperation for smooth execution of the project.

GNA
Washington, DC, Feb. 12, GNA - The race is on to get 100,000 signatures, by Monday February 15, on a petition on the White House website to force President Barack Obama to act on ending US sanctions against Sudan, which the petitioners says are 'oppressing the poor and killing innocent people'.

At the time of writing, over 75,000 signatures have been recorded on the petition, which was first posted on January 16.

It reads: 'The poor and helpless in Sudan are bearing the brunt of the economic sanctions imposed on the country by the United States 23 years ago.

'The intended goal of the sanctions might have been to weaken the oppressive government of Sudan, but they are producing exactly the opposite result

'They are weakening and impoverishing the people of Sudan and strengthening the grip of the regime on the country.

'We plead with president Obama to do the right and humane thing by ordering an immediate end to the Sudan sanctions.'

The petitioners were embolden by an opinion piece published on January 14 on the website of the US magazine, Foreign Policy, which highlighted the dire plight of ordinary Sudanese people in the face of crippling US sanctions against their country.

The petitioners' argument is that the unintended consequence of US sanctions on the living standards of ordinary Sudanese has been exceptionally severe.

They note that in key sectors such as finance, transportation, agriculture, health, and information technology there has been serious 'damage to the lives and opportunities of ordinary people in Sudan to free themselves from poverty, wreaked by the US sanctions regime - including the State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST) listing'.

Their argument goes: 'Even though it sees them as unjustified, arbitrary, and unfair, the government of Sudan has a moral obligation to never give up actively trying to get US economic sanctions removed.

'Sanctions invariably tend to have a direct proportional relationship with the bottom of the pyramid.

'They hurt the poor hardest. Sudan has been no exception to this rule.'

GNA
Ken Ashigbey, MD Grahpic

13.02.2016 LISTEN

The Daily Graphic newspaper has rendered an unqualified apology to the Ghana Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) for publishing a story, which accused members of the CBOD of fraud.

The apology is published on the Saturday, February 6, 2016 edition of the Daily Graphic and signed by the Editor of the paper.

On April 23, 2015, we carried a story headlined Massive Fraud exposed: BOST officials, BDCs cited, in which we drew certain conclusions based on a document in our possession, the publication noted.

It added that further discussions on the issue and the facts made available to us indicate that our conclusions were inaccurate.

For this reason, according to the Editor of Daily Graphic, we retract and apologize to BDCs...The error is deeply regretted,

Background

The April 23, 2015 edition of the newspapers lead story, with the headline Massive Fraud exposed: BOST officials, BDCs cited, made a number of factual misrepresentations and published outright untruths with serious implications for the credibility and continued commercial viability of CBOD members.

Among other evidently exaggerated and damaging claims, the said publication unequivocally alleged a fraudulent conspiracy scheme between unnamed BDCs and officials of Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company (BOST).

The story said deliberate activities of top officials at BOST who supported BDCs to rob BOST of petroleum products at the depots, leading to significant petroleum product losses that affected the national strategic reserve of petroleum products.

Following the publication, lawyers for CBOD, Darko, Keli-Delataa & Co. on January 11, 2016, wrote a rejoinder imploring the Daily Graphic to retract and apologize for publishing unfounded allegations against the membership of the CBOD.

The paper in its Monday, January 18, 2016 edition, published the rejoinder but failed to apologize for the wrong impression created by the story and the negative effects it had had on the businesses of CBOD members.

Follow Up letter

Thus a follow up letter dated January 20, 2016, signed by lawyers for CBOD to the paper acknowledged seeing the publication of their first rejoinder in the Monday, January 18, 2016 edition of the paper.

We however wish to express our disappointment and that of our client at your failure to retract the story and to unreservedly apologize for the extensive damage it has done to the reputation of our client, its members and their commercial operations.

As you were always aware, there was no basis for the criminal extrapolations your publication made from the Ernst & Young report, which publication inspired a nationwide public conversation about massive fraud by BDCs in conspiracy with BOST officials.

Further, even if your publication was inspired by the public interest, such public interest justification is now gravely undermined by your failure to retract the defamatory story after public denials by senior officials of BOST, the same organization that is alleged to have lost strategic stock through the fraudulent conduct of BDCs.

It is also a source of disappointment to our client that you neglected to give our rejoinder equal treatment as the original publication, and as required under the National Media Commission guidelines on publishing rejoinders.

It is the hope of our client that given the facts that have become available to you after your publication, you would retract the front page story of the April 23, 2015 edition of your newspaper and unreservedly apologize to it in a manner that reflects the prominence and sensationalism with which the defamatory story was published, the second rejoinder added.

The retraction and apology from the newspaper, therefore, brings to rest the matter, a CBOD source has added.
13.02.2016 LISTEN

The Rt. Hon. Speaker Parliament of Ghana Accra.

Rt. Hon. Edward Doe Adjaho

Petition Against The Member Of Parliament For Assin Central; Hon. Kennedy Ohene Agyepong.

We the undersigned, in contributing our quota towards the sustenance of our growing democracy and maintaining the integrity of Parliament, have resolved to monitor the utterances and behavior of our members of parliament (MPs). We believe that the unblemished integrity of the house is necessary in the performance of its functions. Parliament is the fulcrum of democracy in the development of a nation. It must therefore be jealously guided and protected.

During our two-year monitoring, the behavior of the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, "Hon." Kennedy Agyepong has always been a worry for, not only us, but most Ghanaians. Referred to as "the foul-mouthed member of parliament" by most Ghanaians, "Hon." Agyepong never ceases to amaze us with his vituperative prowess and his love for bringing the name of the august house into disrepute.

We know that the Privileges Committee of Parliament was set up to consider issues of contempt of parliament brought before it against both MPs and non-MPs. Hence our decision to petition your high office to, as a matter of urgency, refer "Hon." Kennedy Agyepong to the privileges committee for necessary action .

Rt. Hon. Speaker, it is our belief that the honorable law maker erred and committed contempt of Parliament based on our understanding of Article 122 of the 1992 constitution and Standing Order 30 says as follows:

1. An act or omission which obstruct or impedes Parliament in the performance of its functions or which obstructs or impedes a member of Parliament in the discharge of his duties, or affronts the dignity of Parliament or which tends either directly or indirectly to produce that result, is contempt of Parliament. The Honorable member committed contempt when he made the following utterances;

Last year, on a live morning socio-political program on Adom TV dubbed "Bedwan", the "Hon." MP was heard describing ALL members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), of which he is part, as "fools" and in other unprintable words. We were saddened by this, considering the fact that, among many other very respectable people who are members of that party are, a former President (President John A. Kuffour), members and leaders of parliament. We would like to know if any Ghanaian can describe parliamentarians in "Hon." Agyepong's own words and go scout-free. |The silence of the Privileges Committee on these comments by the MP is too loud and dangerous to the survival of Parliament and ultimately democracy in the country.

Not too long ago, the same person was heard once again on a similar live program on the same station describing the former President Kuffour and his Chief of Staff, Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani as "murderers". He stated that they killed Mr. Adams Mahama, the late Upper East Regional Chairman of the NPP. When Black Rasta made a similar comment about parliamentarians, it is trite knowledge what happened to him before the Privileges Committee and the august house. What is good for the goose is also good for the gander.

It is said that, "if vultures eat their own flesh, what won't they do to that of other animals?"

This same MP has consistently disrespected the highest seat of the land; the President of the Republic and the Commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, H. E. John D. Mahama and his entire family.

He has insulted the President, his wife, brother and every member of his family. His recent attacks on the family of the President are unprecedented and MUST not be countenanced. In this recent outburst, "Hon." Agyepong is heard insulting the President and his brother, Mr. Ibrahim Mahama and his late mother in unprintable, unparliamentary and denigrating words. He is heard describing the late mother of Mr. Ibrahim Mahama as someone who was "bathing with cocaine" and was also a drug dealer.

This attack was unwarranted and offends the revered Ghanaian culture of respect and reverence for the dead and holders of the highest office of the land.

We wish to bring the above to your notice, for you to refer the said "Hon." Kennedy Agyepong to the Privileges Committee of the house to proof his claims or face the full rigors of the law. This, in our opinion, will go a long way to preserve the integrity of Parliament and "restore" the confidence and respect of Ghanaians in the august House.

The younger generation is looking forward to our Parliamentarians as role models and therefore must be seen to live lives worth emulating. The title "Honourable" must be earned and protected by the actions and inactions of those it is given to.

The attached CD contains a recording of some of the unfortunate comments of the Member of Parliament in question for your consideration.

We are counting on your pragmatic leadership and resolve to restore the dwindling integrity of Parliament.

Thank you.

Signed

Charles Akowuah

Charles McCarthy

0208288062

0544133187

Banda

Accra
13.02.2016 LISTEN

Guided by the objectives of the AU, to achieve greater unity and solidarity between the African countries, and bearing in mind , the negative socio-economic impacts and human costs of the Americans unilateral coercive measures imposed on the Sudan since 1997, particularly on the civilian population, and cognizant of Sudan tireless efforts in peace-making locally and regionally, The 26th African Union head of states and governments summit has adopted a declaration calling upon, not only the US, to lift all sanctions and restrictions imposed on the Sudan, but likewise, all states of the world, not to recognize or apply these measures, and to effectively counter them ,as appropriate .

Such courageous African position, affords valuable impetus to the ongoing mass rallying, spearheaded by a coalition of Sudanese civil rights organizations and activists, in Sudan and diaspora, to mobilize 100,000 signatories, for a petition to the US administration, to promptly lift this stifling and politically- motivated sanctions on the Sudan, which actually deprive the whole nation of basic necessities especially life-saving health care.

According to Doctors and scientists in Khartoum, these sanctions have become increasingly complex and difficult to navigate over the years, making it tough to import equipment, even such basic items as sutures. They have struggled to import supplies and conduct research that could eventually save lives. They often make do with old or inadequate technology, rely on black-market imports, or simply go without. Inevitably, it is ordinary citizens who suffer the consequences.

Such grim reality, has already been highlighted by a UN top official, the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and International Sanctions, Idriss Jazairy, who in a press conference, called for revising these sanctions, stressing their full impact on innocent populations, and how they do contribute to social stratification, inter-regional disparities and to the broadening of the black market, as well as to the loss of control over financial transfers. More importantly, Mr. Idriss called for setting a timeframe to lift US sanctions on Sudan.

Collective Sanctions and International Law:

Economic sanctions run contrary to the spirit of human rights, as they explicitly and implicitly, expose the ordinary citizen of the sanctioned country to considerable suffering. The ensuing scale of such suffering amounts to the crime of collective punishment;

The Human Rights Council adopted resolution on 26 September 2014, on human rights and unilateral coercive measures. The resolution stresses that unilateral coercive measures and legislation are contrary to international law, international humanitarian law, the Charter and the norms and principles governing peaceful relations among States, and highlights that on long-term, these measures may result in social problems and raise humanitarian concerns in the States targeted

To that effect, The UN General Assembly Resolution 44/215 (Dec. 22, 1989), reaffirming that developed countries should refrain from threatening or applying trade and financial restrictions, blockades, embargoes, and other economic sanctions, incompatible with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and in violation of undertakings contracted multilaterally and bilaterally.

Further, under the 1949 Geneva Conventions, collective punishment is a war crime. Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states: No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed, and collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.

The UN General Assembly, Resolution 2131 (XX), 21 December 1965, states that ' No State may use or encourage the use of economic, political or any other type of measures, to coerce another State, in order to obtain from it, the subordination of the exercise of its sovereign rights or to secure from it advantages of any kind. Note citing here, this very resolution, was adopted without any vote against, and with only one abstention.

Paradoxically, Genocide Convention protects what could be described as a collective right to life and would prohibit deliberate starvation of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group if committed with intent to destroy the group, as it would then be subsumed into the definition of genocide. It is an irony of fate that, the prohibition of genocide applies in time of peace and in time of war. It makes no sense that something illegal during war is not only legal but a preferred tool to pursue aggressive foreign policy agendas in peace-time.

Adding insult to injury, the US introduced extraterritorial sanctions, which in essence, violate the legal equality of States, and principles of respect for and dignity of national sovereignty and non-intervention in the internal affairs of the State nations, and deprive them of their right to development and self-determination. The economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States against the Sudan had been tightened, and its extraterritorial implementation had also been strengthened through the imposition of unprecedented fines, totaling $11 billion against 38 banks, among them French bank BNP Paribas, for carrying out transactions with Sudan and other countries.

Sudan and the United States:

For more than two decades, Sudan has left no stone unturned, trying to normalize relations with the United States, however, it takes two to make a tango; foreign policy hawks in the successive US administrations, regrettably continue to block all potential routes towards a real rapprochement with the Sudan .The US kept on turning a blind eye, to Sudans ongoing constructive efforts, in maintaining peace and security in the region. Sudanese governments significant and tangible assistance to regional anti-al-Qauda and recently ISIS, Houthi, and Boko Haram operations, not only continue to fall on deaf ears in Washington, even worse, the latter continues shamelessly its sham campaign, linking Sudan with terrorism, to justify the extension of its regime of sanctions every year, for the last two decades.

Interestingly, on last October 2015, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has removed Sudan from the list of countries with strategic deficiencies in their legal and regulatory framework for combating money laundering and terrorism. Whereby Sudan will no longer be subject to FATFs monitoring under its ongoing global AML/CFT compliance process.

Mr Doug Bandow, the senior fellow at the Cato Institute (Washington NGO), appealing for sanctions against Sudan to be scrapped altogether, pointed out that, the US sanctions have remained in place, and even though, the State Department acknowledges Sudan's cooperation in efforts to limit the reach in Africa, of groups linked to al Qaeda.

More revealing however, was landmark testimony before the Congress in 2009, of General J Scott Gration, the US's presidential envoy to Sudan, where he called for Sudan's removal from the US state department's state sponsor of terrorism list. The general noted unequivocally, that there was "no evidence" for Sudan's inclusion on the list, which he called a "political" (rather than a national security-related) decision; reminding the Congress that, the CIA has already, referred to Sudan's strong record on counterterrorism co-operation as having "saved American lives".

The Hidden Agenda of the United States:

Despite all the above rationale, the mind boggling question remains, why should the Sudan remains amongst very few countries that are still under comprehensive unilateral coercive sanctions?? The subsequent statements, conspicuously opens the Pandoras Box, on the hidden agenda the American administrations, and perhaps more importantly, on how powerful is the Israel lobby in the US?

Wesley Clark, the former NATO commander, in an infamous video recorded on October 3, 2007, at the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco, talks about the neocon plan, to invade seven countries in five years, Including the Sudan. This video gives more credibility to the understanding that, the current sanctions on Sudan, fits into a larger strategic context, and subsequently, dwarfing all the US hollow and unruly sanctions discourse, into a mere double standards and hypocrisy.

The role of Israel;

The perplexing question has always been: how powerful is the Israel lobby in the US?? Chuck Percy, the three-term Republican Senator from Illinois said to have been defeated in 1984 as a result of an AIPAC-led campaign against him. Pat Buchanan the senior advisor to U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, goes to the extreme, when he once describe the Congress as "Israeli-occupied territory" .whether true or false, one thing is incontestable; the Congress is overwhelmingly supportive of Israel. In fact both Democrat and Republican neocons are decidedly Israeli-centric, in their geopolitical stance. Sudan is not an exception.

To highlight this fact beyond any doubt , let us be reminded that ,Avi Dichter, the former Israeli minister of internal security, gave an important lecture at the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies, in 2008, where he said that, since the independence of Sudan in the mid-1950s, there were some Israeli estimates that this African state, must (not) be allowed to become an added force in the Arab world, because if its resources continue under stable conditions, it will make it a power to be reckoned with. We had to weaken Sudan and deprive it of the initiative to build a strong and united country. That is necessary for bolstering and strengthening Israels national security. We (produced) and escalated the Darfur crisis, to prevent Sudan from developing its capabilities.

Darfur, said to be sitting atop lakes of oil, with large supplies of uranium, and other minerals, remains one chapter in the history of Israeli sinister role in pillage of African continent. Hence, make no mistake, in all blatant Darfuri-driven American sanctions, it was Israel which, not only wrote the script, but continues to select and train its regional and international actors.

The Save Darfur farce was the campaign that began, as an exclusive project of the American Jewish community, with hardline Zionist groups, leading the way in the propagandistic assault on the government of Sudan. The ensued American consecutive bogus warnings that Darfur is heading for an apocalyptic humanitarian catastrophe have been widely exaggerated by administration officials, to justify military intervention in Darfur, in conformity with Israel sinister agenda in the Sudan, as spelled out unambiguously above, by the Israeli Minister, Avi Dichter.

The dimension of the Israeli lobby influence, with regard to Darfur in the US, was manifest beyond any single doubt, when on May 28, 2008, in what has been touted by then, as a historic display of solidarity, presidential candidates John McCain, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, issued a joint statement, demanding an end to the violence in Darfur and pledging to pursue this goal with unstinting resolve once elected.

Sudan in the footsteps of Cuba:

Needless to say, the African solidarity with the Sudan, is very crucial at this juncture. Ahmed Badawi, the Managing Director of the Sudan Centre for Strategic Communications (SCSC) in Khartoum, said Just like Cuba and Iran, the unintended consequences of US sanctions on ordinary Sudanese have been devastating to living standards, however, and unlike these two other countries, the Sudanese government has zero leverage with America to engineer a mitigation of the embargos impact on vulnerable social groups. It lacks advocacy support from the diaspora in the US (as in the case of Cuba) or even the potential nuclear capacity that would pose a strategic threat to the existence of US allies (as in the case with Iran).Here lies the real plight of the helpless Sudanese people.

History would tell, how the US, had to eventually succumb to international pressure, and officially lift its 50 years sanctions against Cuba, particularly in the aftermath of the General Assembly of the UN , almost unanimously adopted a resolution in 2014, calling for an end to the United States economic, commercial and financial embargo on Cuba, with only US and Israel voting against. That vote was the strongest support, the world body has expressed for ending the embargo on Cuba, during the 24 consecutive years, the world body has taken up the issue. Thanks go to the staunch support and solidarity, exhibited by the group of 77 developing countries and China.

Taking stock of the very African support for Sudan in Addis Ababa, and deriving strength and inspiration from the aforementioned Cuban historical victory in the General Assembly hall, may warrant wondering, is it not high time, for Africa to follow suit? Mobilizing, in the footsteps of that landslide victory, yet another similar worldly support for the people of the Sudan, in the very hall of the General Assembly?

Mubarak M Musa

Diplomat; Sudan Embassy, Kiev
13.02.2016 LISTEN

Our political and democratic landscape is getting fertile for sane and mature leadership. We have a crop of young and middle aged political leaders. Well not all of them.

I think President John Mahama of the ruling Ndc, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom of PPP, Nana Akuffo Addo of Npp, Dr. Edward Nasagri Mahama of PNC,Dr. Ivon Green Street of Cpp and Dr. Hassan Ayariga of the newly formed APC among others are some of the new generation of leaders of our time. They are a bridge between our freedom fighters and other leaders of yesteryear.

I feel that president John Mahama and all the political leaders must provide that leadership to blend the young and the old, experienced and the inexperienced, disciplined and the indisciplined. I for one want and long to see sound and sane politics. I dont care whether it is the ruling party or opposition.

I have been critical about the opposition and I will continue to do that. Nonetheless, I will also categorically offer my opinion on the party in government as all parties, in government or not are a very important elements of our political process. Leaders in these political organisation should hence see to it that their leadership is exemplary. In this regard I think the following should be made clear.

-National democratic congress- President Mahama- NDC as a party in power should provide leadership in all areas of our democratic consolidation, public relations and political tolerance. Therefore it is John Mahama's duty as party president to sit down his team of leaders. He is the leader of the ruling party and he alone should talk and make sure that everyone speaks with caution.

One thing ndc should know is that when people like Sam George or Ibraham Amaliba speak people think that is the position of the government even if it is not. Some people can understand that there is a difference when a person speaks as an individual, party or government. But others dont. Or they will pretend not to understand. These sadly are modern politics. The media team should be put to work. They should sit down with everyone in leadership.

President John Mahama needs to muscle up and show who is boss. We dont need a boss but sometimes some situations dictate that. I know that there are people who helped him win elections in December 7,2012 but I strongly think he should tell them that his is to serve the people and he demands a disciplined team in all aspects. How they speak, what they say and where they say it should show mature and examplary politics. We need strong and focused party officials. We need a party in power that has disciplined government official.

-Opposition Political Parties-

I can not over emphasis that opposition parties are a very important part of any national leadership. Npp, Cpp, PPP, PNC, and all opposition organisation should equally provide leadership and see that their party members are disciplined. We need a good opposition. We need a focused opposition. We dont need time wasters neither do we need comedians. I would like to see an opposition that does not ride on the problems and challenges of our country. Everyone effort is needed.

Just like the ruling party the likes of Nana Akuffo Addo and Dr. Edward Mahama should sit down their leaders. Let us not pretend here. There is no order in these big oppositions. Npp as a party has its own problems. PNC as a party has its own problem. It seems they are driven by ambitions and envy that they dont see the damage that is cased by not only party officials but also general supporters. Overzilus social media must be put in their place. Yes their support is important, But we need factual politics. We need clean politics and not cow dung politics.

NPP, PPP,CPP and PNC,are going to lose next years elections not because they will fail to convince people, or they can't do better than Ndc. It is partly because of their supporters. Mostly those on social media who do more deformation, discrediting and insulting than selling or campaigning for their parties. Nana Addo,Dr. Mahama and other opposition leaders should put their followers in line. There is nothing like petty or less important issues in politics. Everything no matter how big or minute it is, leaders should make sure it does not grow roots.

I also want to highlight that there are people who are yet not decided. Hence what each party does between now and the next general elections will determine who they vote for. Leaders should watch what they do and supporters should watch their language. Always ask yourselves questions like what good your comment or reactions do to your party. Always read to understand not to reply or comment if you have nothing to say.

And for goodness sake if your party has not been to a congress to elect leaders do it. Democracy should be seen in all parties. Thats what people call sane and participatory politics which are hence a school for contemporary democracy.

All leaders regardless of political affiliation should know that they are educators, trainers and examples of the new generation. Leadership filled with hate, bitterness, envy or hostility will breed that. Ghana, Africa and the world needs that not. We need a sane and peaceful future.

Ibrahim Hardi,contact;0208235615,Email;[email protected]
Mr Freddie Blay, Ag. NPP Chairman

13.02.2016 LISTEN

Acting National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay has predicted the party will win between 54% to 60% votes in 2016 elections.

The Chairman says the outrageous borrowing and spending of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) government is clear for Ghanaians to vote the NDC out of office come November 2016.

Mr. Blay was speaking on Onua 95.1FMs afternoon programme, Ghana Dadwene Friday.

He explained that NPP brought Ghana out of a very low income nation to middle income level but the NDC is now taken the country back to where it was.

Mr. Blay told the host that the eight years of NPP ensure transparency in all the contracts that were awarded only for the NDC to come and award contracts on sole-sourcing which is breeding corruption in the system.
13.02.2016 LISTEN

The Ghana Police Service rarely attracts plaudits from members of the public. This week though they have received a basketful of compliments.

Their ability, with the assistance of the military, to suppress the unruliness of some Old Tafo Zongo youth in Kumasi is commendable; and following at its heels, the arrest of Daniel Asiedu, the suspected killer of the late Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa North in the Eastern Region, JB Danquah Adu, calls for the popping of champagne to celebrate a job well done.

In the face of the high rating though, they suffered one setback when a cop fired and killed two brothers at Ashanti Mampong. This is threatening their newfound rating.

Be it as it may, we are excited that the importance of public/police cooperation is beginning to dawn on Ghanaians.

We have no reason to doubt the assertion that majority of feats chalked by law enforcement agencies stem from leads they receive from members of the public. Consider the mobile phone repairer and how his sense of responsibility led him to hint the police about the strange hearing device which had been brought to him for decoding.

If all Ghanaians or even majority of them could show such responsibility and cooperation with the police regarding the apprehending of suspected criminals, the rate of crime would witness a downward trend.

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Unfortunately, the unproductive and irresponsible minding one's business attitude has taken hold of many people. Such persons, even when they know there are suspected criminals in their neighbourhoods, would hardly hint the police.

It is our hope that with the unfolding trends which have led to the law enforcement agents making major breakthroughs in nabbing wanted persons, a new dawn is being witnessed.

The police, especially the Greater Accra Regional Command, has adopted a new template in policing which is endearing the unit to the public to the extent that members of the public have found in it a friendly posture devoid of the 'hard face' posture by some cops. Such an attitude would turn informants away and the police and the country would be the losers because important information that could lead to the arrest of suspects would just disappear.

We have observed how the Greater Accra Regional Commander, COP Dr Akuffo Dampare, is leading a reach-out programme to the public with a smiling face  a template which we are recommending to other regional commanders and the Service as a whole to adopt.

It is not enough to claim the police are friends: it takes the extra mile of reaching out and winning the confidence of the public to make good this claim.

We are unable to resist the urge to salute the police nonetheless for the feat of arresting some suspects in the murder of the late Abuakwa North MP.

We also do same for the Ashanti Regional Command and officers and men of 4 BN in Kumasi for their swiftness in quelling the unnecessary riots by the Zongo youth and the natives in Old Tafo. Had they failed to achieve this feat, the fallouts could have only been imagined.
13.02.2016 LISTEN

When I walked into the Osu Ebenezer Presbyterian Church Hall last Thursday evening and was handed the programme line up, one name that caught my attention was J.B Danquah Adu. I had not heard that name before.

My friend, Abyna-Ansaa Adjei, was launching her book, Things Every Child of Ghana Should Know About Dr. J.B. Danquah. And she had invited me to attend. I was not a great fan of Dr. J.B. Danquah. I am one of the devotees of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and would naturally tilt towards the Convention People's Party's ideology instead of the United Gold Coast Convention, of which the likes of Dr. J.B. Danquah played an important role in founding. So in the needless rivalry between Nkrumah and the Danquah-Busia traditionalists, I often stand in the Nkrumah camp.

At that book launch, however, I came to realize that Dr. J.B. Danquah has been one of the most interesting characters in the political drama of our republic. You may not like him and his ideology but you cannot ignore his contribution to the democracy of our nation. He is credited with the name of our republic  Ghana  and suggested 6th March as the date for our independence in 1957, as recounted in Abyna-Ansaa's book.

In 1943 when the colonial government appointed the Rt. Hon. Walter Elliot committee to research and advise it on the need to establish a university in West Africa, the Committee produced two reports  the Majority report and the Minority report. The Majority report said that there should be three universities in West Africa  one in the Gold Coast, one in Nigeria and one in Sierra Leone. And the Minority report said there should be one university in Ibadan, a city in Nigeria, where students of all three countries could attend university.

To the surprise of many, the British government accepted the minority report that said the university be established only in Nigeria. This did not go down with Dr. J.B. Danquah, who made a long and passionate argument in parliament in favour of a university in the Gold Coast. Part of his argument, quoted in page 54 of the book reads as follows:

The Gold Coast is not Nigeria and never could be! Achimota is not Yaba or Ibadan and never could be Sir, for purely cultural reasons, I conceive that the Gold Coast, 'a proud little country with a good reason for being proud' will never, and can never and shall never be proud of a university situated at Ibadan and not at Achimota. And for this reason alone, this superlative cultural reason, I support the motion for a committee to be set up by your Excellency to look carefully into Dispatch No.169 and to make recommendations, recommendations to suit our Gold Coast tradition, our Achimota tradition.

Dr. J.B. Danquah was part of the committee he proposed. And the result of their work was what led to the establishment of the University of Gold Coast, now the University of Ghana.

While some excerpts of J.B. Danquah's profound writings and speeches were projected on the screen in the course of the programme, I developed more interest in the man. And that curiosity extended to one of the names on the programme line up, Hon. J.B. Danquah Adu. This person, I thought, had some relationship with the great man who was being celebrated, but I didn't know exactly how they were related. I would later learn that he was the grandson of the Ghanaian political legend.

He was introduced as the Member of Parliament for the Abuakwa North Constituency of the Eastern Region and his role was to say the closing prayer for the occasion.

When he mounted the podium to give the vote of thanks, I noticed him for the first time. I hadn't heard about him. He was not one of the active members of parliament; neither was he an influential member of the NPP, in my estimation. When he spoke, he did not exude the quality that I had learnt that evening about the man he was named after. That Thursday night was the first time I heard about him and saw him in person and his association with the great politician I had only begun to admire that night.

It therefore hit me hard when, barely three days after knowing that a J.B. Danquah existed in modern day politics, Joy FM broke the story that he had been stabbed to death in his home. From preliminary investigation and reports, it appears whoever went to murder the MP in that gruesome way was not a robber or a thief. It appears the purpose of the assailant was to kill. And he succeeded in leaving in the hearts of J.B. Danquah's family members' indescribable pain and agony. While the police hunt for his killers and we sympathize with his friends and family, it is also important to remind ourselves of our fleeting nature on this planet.

These are lessons that should humble us and teach us to love, and not to hate. To help prolong life, and not to snatch life from people we hate. If only we knew what tomorrow held for us, we would not strive to outdo one another in unhealthy competitions for wealth or power. All is vanity and chasing after the wind as the Bible teaches us.

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Before J.B. Danquah gave the vote of thanks last Thursday night he told the gathering who were mainly NPP sympathizers that, ten months from now the party would be jubilating. Akufo-Addo will be moving to the Flagstaff House Insha Allah! he prophesied. His party members cheered him and clapped.

I am sure he knew he would be re-elected by his constituents to return to parliament. He also may have been fantasying about the return of his party to power in ten months. But he did not live another week. He died painfully.

We all will die. That is certain. What is uncertain is how and when we would go. Whether it is violent or peaceful, there is no guarantee that we will all die in old age. On Monday when I closed from work and got home, the first message I saw on Facebook broke my heart. A pretty young woman who was my mate at the Ghana Institute of Journalism was gone. I couldn't believe it so I called a friend to verify. It is true, she said. Agnes Chukwu is gone. We are told she fell ill.

Sometimes such news of sudden and tragic departures of our loved ones makes rank nonsense of all human aspirations and endeavours. Deaths of such nature sometimes make us question whether life is worth the struggle and the hard work we put into it. After all, tomorrow is not guaranteed. But we should not live in fear and abandon our goals or refuse to enjoy life.

What those who plot to destroy others like what they have done to J.B. Danquah should remember is that they will not outlive eternity. They will not turn into stones themselves. So they should not feel triumphant. Even if they escape the law, they cannot escape the wrath of God. Sometimes their end is more miserable than the lives they cut short. Martin Amidu once told me the reason he does not fear death. When I am dead I will not know that I ever lived, he said. The pain is often suffered by family and friends. Pain does not last forever. Time will finally heal and life will continue. But the murderer and destroyer of other lives will not go unpunished.

Sudden deaths such as this remind us that when that moment comes, we don't have time to write or amend our wills. We don't go away with the wealth we gather. Moment's like this should remind us to eschew greed, hatred and unhealthy competition.

Knowing how short and temporary our stay on earth is should teach us to love and help others. It should teach us to make our world a better place than we came to meet it. J.B. Danquah Adu did not live to see the outcome of his Thursday night prophecy. And you may not live to see how your plans for the next one, two or five years will turn out to be. But you have what it takes to make someone smile today while you have life. It may cost you something. Or nothing. But it is worth it.

May the soul of J.B. Danquah Adu rest in peace!

The writer, Manasseh Azure Awuni, is a senior broadcast journalist with Joy 99.7 FM. His email address is [email protected]
Peter Anarfi Mensah addressing the Muslims

13.02.2016 LISTEN

National Chief Imam Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu has sternly cautioned angry Muslim youth at Old Tafo in Kumasi, the Ashanti regional capital, to refrain from violently attacking natives of the area and allow peace to prevail.

Islam, he stated, abhors the spilling of blood and entreated the feuding factions, especially the Muslim youth, to let sleeping dogs lie and continue to live together peacefully.

Sheikh Sharubutu expressed sadness about the conflict between the angry Muslim youth and residents of Tafo this week over the fencing of a cemetery in the community.

Sheikh Sharubutu disclosed this while addressing Imams, Zongo chiefs, opinion leaders and Zongo youth at Tafo after he led prayers at the Tafo Central Mosque on Friday afternoon.

The event was graced by the outgoing Ashanti Regional Minister, Peter Anarfi Mensah, DCOP Kofi Boakye, Regional Police Commander, Kojo Bonsu, the Kumasi Mayor and Brigadier Commander, Joseph Adu Boampong.

The National Chief Imam earlier interacted with the Tafohene and his elders at his palace to promote peace in the area.

He also met with the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) to find ways of finding lasting solution to the impasse at Tafo.



Curfew Reviewed

Addressing Muslims at the mosque, Peter Anarfi Mensah disclosed that dusk-to-dawn which was imposed on the residents by REGSEC had been reviewed from 8pm to 4am due to Chief Imam's intervention.

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According to him, REGSEC would continue to monitor the security situation at Tafo, adding that REGSEC would lift the curfew if the situation improves.

Arrested Freed

Mr. Anarfi Mensah announced that 45 people that were arrested by the combined police and military team on Wednesday would also be freed because of the Chief Imam's intervention geared towards bringing lasting peace to the area.

He asked the Tafo youth, who were initially declared wanted by the security agencies in connection with the clashes, to return to the area.

The minister debunked media reports that the Chief Imam of Tafo had been declared wanted by REGSEC in connection with the clashes which led to the destruction of property and lost of lives.

Mr. Anarfi Mensha sternly cautioned people that were inflaming passions through social media including 'Facebook' at Tafo to refrain from doing so.

He stated that the fracas has nothing to do with tribal or religious issues as being speculated by a section of the media.

Sarkin Zongo of Kumasi, Alhaji Umar Farouk Sultan, expressed sadness about the skirmishes which occurred at Tafo recently, urging the Muslim youth to accept the plea of the Chief Imam and allow peace to reign in the area.

MP for Asawase, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, also stressed the need for the people of Tafo to live peacefully to help boost development in the area and Ghana in general.

FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi


13.02.2016 LISTEN

An Accra gender-based circuit court yesterday could not again continue with the hearing of the case involving Hiplife artiste Eugene Ashe aka Wisa Greid of Ekiki Mi fame.

This was because Detective Chief Inspector Edward Adjei Odame, the first prosecution witness in the trial, was on another assignment.

According to the prosecutor, Chief Inspector J B Asante, she tried calling the investigator who was on duty at East Legon.

The prosecutor as a result, urged the court presided over by Abena Oppong Adjin-Doku, to adjourn the case until February 24, 2016.

The court however, withdrew the bench warrant it had issued for the arrest of the young artiste on February 5.

Wisa's lawyer, Jerry Avenogbor, had told the court that his client was not well and that was why he was unable to come to court on time.

Jerry said that his client had always been attending proceedings except that day.

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The judge had called for Wisa's arrest when he, his lawyer and the manager failed to appear before the court for the trial when the prosecutor and the investigator were ready for the hearing.

The accused person's absence in court thwarted plans of the prosecution to show the offensive video to the court.

The judge had at the previous sitting ordered the prosecution to bring the equipment required to play the video to the court.

Wisa Greid is standing trial for allegedly showing his manhood during a live performance on December 24, 2015 during the 'Decemba 2 Rememba' event at the Accra International Conference Centre.

The video of the artiste stripping and rubbing his manhood behind his female dancer on stage was put on social media, compelling his management to apologize over what it described as the artiste's 'rash and irresponsible behaviour.'

He is currently on GH8,000 bail with one surety.

By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson

[email protected]


13.02.2016 LISTEN

In the type of democracy that we are running, the role of the Supreme Court is of overwhelming importance.

The Supreme Court can declare the actions of the President of the Republic unconstitutional.

But even more important, the Supreme Court can actually reverse or affirm the decision of the people of Ghana at presidential elections  as happened on that unforgettable day in August 2013.

So how come it has the time to entertain such unbelievable cases as the one reported upon below?

QUOTE: Blow by blow account of how Supreme Court dismissed Woyome's fronter suit

By: Seth J. Bokpe Thursday, 11 February 2016

The Supreme Court on Thursday [11 February 2016] threw out a case in which a businessman, Abdulai Yusif Fanash Muhammed, asked the court to set aside its earlier decision that ordered businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome to refund to the state, sums of money paid to him as judgement debt.

The court also awarded GH15,000 cost[s] against the plaintiff and fixed March 3, 2016 to give its reasons for the decision. Graphic Online brings to its readers interesting excerpts of what transpired at the court between the Bench and Mr Kwasi Afrifa, counsel for the plaintiff.

Mr Justice Benin: Going through your statement, can you point out the agreement that is between your client and the government of Ghana, upon which he is relying to make his case?

Mr Afrifa: There is no agreement between the government and my client.

Mr Justice Sulley Gbadegbe: Why then should a third person come when the matter has travelled from our original jurisdiction, to review jurisdiction?

Mr Afrifa: This third person's sole consideration is to ensure compliance with the 1992 Constitution. Beyond that, he has no personal interest in the matter.

Mr Justice Jones Dotse: Is this action not substantially seeking to attack our review jurisdiction or undermine our review jurisdiction  because you cannot undermine a review decision?

Mr Afrifa: My Lords, to the extent that this issue has not been adjudicated, we are not seeking to undermine the review jurisdiction. We are only saying that if the issue has (sic) been put correctly, then this honourable court would have declined jurisdiction because it does not fall within an international business transaction.

Mr Justice Anin Yeboah: Are you asking for interpretation or enforcement?

Mr Afrifa: My Lords, the interpretation of the point that an agreement between a citizen of Ghana and the government of Ghana is not an international business transaction.

Mr Justice Benin: Does Woyome have an agreement with the Ghana government?

Mr Afrifa: Yes.

Mr Justice Benin: Which agreement? Your present client appears to know more about the case than Woyome himself. It is strange!

(Courtroom bursts into laughter)

Mr Afrifa: My Lord, he is a civic-minded person who has followed the proceedings and

Mr Justice Benin: So when Woyome appeared before this court, he could not tell us that he has a different agreement with the government of Ghana, different from what the court was relying on?. The person himself has been in this court severally and never mentioned it to this court that what the court was relying upon is not what I have with the Ghana government'; but somebody sitting somewhere is now coming to tell us that what was before the court was wrong! Is that what you are telling us?

Chief Justice Georgina Wood: So this is an interpretation, enforcement or which of the categories?

Mr Afrifa: We are seeking an interpretation of Article 181 in relation to the definition of international business.

Chief Justice Wood: But hasn't that been settled by this court?

Mr Afrifa: No No different grounds on assumption that 

Chief Justice Wood: Not so fast! You mean that you will not find from previous decisions that we have an interpretation of what an international business contract is?

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Mr Afrifa: My Lords, the interpretation in all the cases do (sic) not include that of a citizen of Ghana and the government of Ghana. That is the crux of our case.

Justice Anin Yeboah: So, on what basis did the Supreme Court rule?

Mr Afrifa: The Supreme Court originally declined jurisdiction in relation to Woyome. Then the review bench assumed the jurisdiction declined earlier.

Mr Justice Gbadegbe: Is this action not geared towards the setting aside of the review? Are you not embarking on a judicial journey to ask us to declare null and void the review decision?

Mr Afrifa: Yes, flowing from our argument that a transaction between the government of Ghana and a citizen of Ghana is not an international business to that extent, the decision from this court was null and void.

Chief Justice Wood: It should be obvious, from our previous judgement, that a transaction between a citizen of Ghana and the government of Ghana is not an international business.

Mr Justice Gbadegbe: Do you have any transaction with the government of Ghana that we can look at and examine the competency [of]? We can't be speculating. A citizen of Ghana may have a contract that satisfies Article 181. This is purely speculative.

Mr Afrifa: My client does not have any agreement.

Mr Justice Gbadegbe Then what cause of action do you have?

Mr Afrifa: His cause of action is the desire to have

Mr Justice Gbadegbe: Counsel, where is the agreement you are referring to between the citizen of Ghana and the government of Ghana? It is about the right of the parties. Let us examine it.

Mr Justice Anin Yeboah:  You must furnish us with the evidence on which we can rely to make a pronouncement. Where is the agreement? We cannot embark on any speculative venture.

Mr Justice Gbadegbe: Where are the facts that entitle you to come before us? That agreement is not in existence; therefore, it cannot hold. What rights of your client have been violated? None.

Mr Afrifa: We are not alleging the violation of personal rights.

Mr Justice Gbadegbe: You must have a cause of action. You don't appear to have any.

Mr Justice Anin Yeboah: What is new about this case?

Chief Justice Wood: What we have been saying is there is no question for interpretation. whenever this court, through its original jurisdiction, decides on the point of law, what all other people need to do is to apply. So even if you believe you have a cause of action, you don't come here by Article 2(1). In other words, the interpretation has been done and [is] in the law books.

Mr Justice Dotse: Assuming your client came to you with this request, you have to consider the circumstance and legal issues involved and advise him appropriately.

Chief Justice Wood: People think there are certain magical words that if you use, and [are] able to fit them somewhere in a relief, then automatically, the court assumes jurisdiction. We don't look at those magic words. This is not an open sesame. Things must show that you crossed the threshold and able to invoke our jurisdiction. People should not think the use of declarationArticle 181, Article 2 (1) then we would go ahead. We go behind to scrutinise and raise real questions.

Mr Afrifa: (Standing and looking through his documents)

Chief Justice Wood: Where do we put you now?

Mr Afrifa: That the action was mounted on issues now shown to be unmeritorious; that the question has not been decided by this honourable court as to the nature of what constitutes 

Mr Justice Gbadegbe: Since you have come to that understanding what should you be doing now?

Mr Afrifa: In the light of the sentiment of this august court that we have misconceived the points, I cannot press the three and four which have been unpressed by the Bench. Under the circumstances, we ask for leave to withdraw the writ filed on December 22, 2015.

www.cameronduodu.com

By Cameron Duodu


13.02.2016 LISTEN

The presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, is expected to arrive in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis of the Western Region today on a four-day visit.

Supporters and sympathisers of the NPP in the region are therefore gearing up to give the 2016 presidential candidate a rousing welcome.

Nana Addo will begin his four-day tour from Sekondi where he is supposed to join Gyedu Blay Ambulley, an ace musician, and other mourners for the final funeral rites of the late mother of the musician, which is taking place today.

The NPP flagbearer would also be attending a church service and hold meetings with the clergy, Chief Imams, queen mothers, market queens, artisans, cocoa farmers, among others, at Daboase and chief fishermen in the Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira constituency of the region.

Nana Addo will also be at the one-week celebration of the late Ben Kwaw, Western Regional first vice chairman of the NPP who passed away on Monday, February 8, 2016.

From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi


The late Francis Gbene

13.02.2016 LISTEN

Tutors at the Mampong Midwifery Training College have called for an independent investigation into the cause of the death of the late Francis Gbene, tutor of the college and his younger brother who were shot dead by the police on Wednesday, February 10, at the college campus.

At a press briefing at the college auditorium on Thursday, Ms. Mercy Kporku, vice principal of the college, called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to institute an independent investigation to thoroughly look into the matter.

She catalogued eyewitness accounts of the incidence that led to the death of the tutor and said if the police were professional in their conduct the incident would have been averted.

Ms. Kporku said after the incident, seven bullet shells were picked from where the victims were shot and wounded.

She asked, Why were the police patrol team still firing at the victims who were on motorbike and unarmed?

She said after the incident Francis was conscious and pleaded to be taken to the hospital, but the police decided to take the victims to the charge office before taking them to the hospital where they later died.

Francis Gbene and his brother, who had gone to the rescue of a colleague teacher under armed robbery attack, were mistaken for criminals and shot dead by the police.

The school authorities say the two would have survived if the police had heeded pleas to rush them to the hospital, which is just behind the schools walls, for medical attention.

After allegedly shooting them, the police reportedly drove them to the residence of the female teacher to suggest that they had arrested the suspected robbers.

The shocked female teacher indicated to them that the two were not criminals, and joined her wounded colleague who was then alive, to plead with them (police) to take him to the hospital.

The police allegedly insisted on taking the victims first to the charge office, about 10 kilometers away.

The policemen instead of agreeing and sending him to the hospital, rather said they had to send Gbene and the brother to the charge office before sending them to the hospital and then drove off. We strongly believe that on this particular occasion, if the police were a little more professional, this incident wouldn't have happened. We seek justice and we will follow this matter to its logical conclusion, Ms. Kporku said at the press conference.

Present at the briefing were the family members of the deceased, the District Director of Ghana Health Service, the Medical Superintendent of Mampong District Hospital and staff of the college.

The late Francis Gbene, 33, left behind a wife and a child.
13.02.2016 LISTEN

Hundreds of customers, whose monies have been locked at the DKM Microfinance Ltd, yesterday hit the streets of Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, to demonstrate their displeasure and pain, before presenting a strongly-worded petition to President Mahama through the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council.

Their petition was received by the out-going Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Daniel Syme, and they were assured that it would be forwarded to the president as soon as possible.

The disappointed investors want President Dramani Mahama to help them get their monies back, even if it will come without the investment interests the company promised them.

Surprisingly, the disappointed investors threatened to boycott the 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections if the president fails to ensure that their monies are paid to them by the company.

The aggrieved customers believe that government has the power to direct the Bank of Ghana to halt the operations of DKM Microfinance Ltd but the government and the Bank of Ghana watched the company as it mobilized monies for five years.

Some of the placards they carried read, WHO ARE BEHIND THIS DELIBERATE LOOTING? NO MONEY, NO VOTES, WE WANT OUR MONEY BACK, and THE SUFFERING IS TOO MUCH.

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Some of the disappointed investors who spoke to DAILY GUIDE said their marriages were suffering, while their children had been sacked from their schools due to non-payment of fees. Prior to the demonstration, there were news of people threatening to end their lives to end the humiliation from their creditors.

Spokesperson of the demonstrators, Charles Ayambire, said they suspected that the Bank of Ghana was not interested in helping them to get their monies back hence, their decision to petition the president.

Charles Ayambire claimed that when DKM Microfinance Ltd appeared in Bolgatanga as an accredited microfinance company with attractive advertisement and promises, hundreds of people from all walks of life, especially government workers, rushed to deposit their monies, expecting to get 50 percent interest on their investments. It became the order of the day in Bolgatanga, to the extent that some clients even took loans from their banks and deposited them at DKM Microfinance.

It was a big blow to many families across the Upper East Region when the news about moratorium on the operations of the company hit Bolgatanga in May 2015 and continues to be.

From Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Bolgatanga


13.02.2016 LISTEN

Two more suspects believed to have aided 20-year-old Daniel Asiedu to kill the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North, Joseph Boakye Danquah Adu, at his Shiashie residence in Accra last Tuesday have been arrested.

Reports indicate that the two were also picked up Thursday evening by the Accra Regional Police after the prime suspect had mentioned their names. They have been handed over to the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) for questioning, along with Daniel Asiedu aka Sexy Don Don.

He was said to have confessed to murdering the MP for an amount of GH2,000.

He reportedly told the police that he had used part of the money to buy shoes.

The latest arrest makes it four people who are in custody in connection with the murder of the MP after the suspected kingpin was apprehended at his hideout at Agbogbloshie in Accra, three days after the heinous act.

The fourth suspect is the security man of the late MP who allegedly facilitated the entry of the prime suspect to carry out the assassination.

One other person, who is believed to have taken part in the crime, is also being wanted by the police.

Sources said the suspect was taken to the CID headquarters briefly before he was handed over to the BNI for safekeeping.

The sources said one person out of the two lately arrested was kept at a different location after he had claimed that his life was in danger.

Even though the reason for the murder has not been given by the suspects, it is believed that they had a leader who paid them to carry out the gruesome act.

Daniel Asiedu, at the time of his arrest, reportedly had four mobile phones in his possession.

Two of the phones were said to belong to the murdered MP, which he took to a repairer to be unlocked.

Upon seeing the pictures of former President John Agyekum Kufuor on the late MP's phone, the repairer became suspicious and informed the police.

Four other suspects, including the MP's security man, had earlier been picked up immediately the police descended on the crime scene, but they were freed later. However, one of them, the private security man who had been in the employ of the deceased for the past ten years, was not released. The man, the police say, has questions to answer.

The prime suspect (Asiedu) is said to have told the police during a lengthy interrogation that he was engaged to undertake the murder operation, having been picked from a suburb of Accra and driven to Shiashie, East Legon.

On the night of the operation, Daniel Asiedu claimed, he was driven in a taxi to JB's Shiashie residence and provided with a ladder to enter the house and perpetrate the dastardly act.

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Dramatic U-Turn

However, the latest information gathered by DAILY GUIDE indicates that barely 12 hours after confessing that he was behind the murder of the MP, Daniel Asiedu has allegedly changed his thumb-printed statement.

Sources at the police headquarters revealed that he had allegedly told the police that he went to the house of the deceased that very day to rob but not to kill him.

The source said Sexy Don Don told a team of investigators that he went into the house to rob and that while removing a television set on the wall, the MP, who was then not asleep, tried to arrest him by holding his neck.

Out of fear, the suspect reportedly claimed, he stabbed the MP in the abdomen and the ribs before escaping.



Pregnant Girlfriend

Meanwhile, Don Don's girlfriend (name withheld), who is pregnant for four months, has also been apprehended to assist the police to investigate the matter.

The girlfriend reportedly told investigators that when Asiedu returned home at dawn on Tuesday he had bloodstains on his dress.

Mr JB Danquah Adu was stabbed to death by an unknown person while he was asleep in his room.

The suspect was said to have entered his (JB's) bedroom using a ladder and escaped through the back fence wall with bloodstains all over the place.

There was a nationwide outpouring of grief soon after news of the murder became public.

By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey

( [email protected] )
13.02.2016 LISTEN

Tafo is a town in the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly of the Ashanti Region. It is said to be the 30th most populous settlement in the country with a population of 60,919.

The town is also one of Kumasi's economic focal points, which generates a significant portion of the city's revenue for the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA). Some commercial and financial businesses are carried out in the town.

But these are being threatened by violence and vandalism following a bloody clashes between the indigenes and some Muslim youth at the area over the construction of a wall around a piece of land at the town's graveyard.

The cemetery land is a source of dispute between the chief of Tafo and the Muslims who had laid claim of the land, alleging that it was bequeathed to them by the Tafo Traditional Council some 40 years ago, before the enstoolment of the current chief.

The town is currently inundated with police and military personnel who are on high alert for any criminal activity and possible eruption of violence after the youth in the area took the city by storm and ran amok, destroying landed properties, vehicles, businesses and personal effects of some residents. Church buildings and mosques were not spared in the melee.

The clashes that started Wednesday around mid-day claimed lives and resulted in some people being injured, with many people still living in fear and panic. The place is under dusk to dawn curfew with over 45 people arrested in connection with the fracas.

Tens of people were seen running helter-skelter, including market women who deserted their stalls and shops to run for their lives, as the rampaging youth went berserk, smashing windscreens of vehicles, glasses of offices, churches and a mosque.

The mobster blocked the main Kumasi-Mampong road as they terrorized residents, commuters and motorists, in an apparent show of fury.

It was a reminiscence of the 2013 grisly experience of gangsterism and gun-related violence in Kumasi that became so commonplace to the extent that the term 'gang homicide' was virtually recognized as a category of criminal behaviour.

The mobsters at both ends, when they hit the streets, apparently had only one goal in mind  to perpetrate violence in the neighbourhood in order to prove to the opponents that they are a force to reckon with.



Tafo, Dead Town

It appears the riot has taken life away from the town as schools and shops remain closed and commercial activities abandoned, despite the presence of the security officers patrolling the area in their numbers.

Some of the streets where major shops and businesses are located, were virtually empty yesterday as shop owners were not convinced yet that the upheaval had come to an end.



Arrest

Forty-five people  mostly youngsters  have been arrested by the police in connection with the riot. The suspects are said to have played leading roles in the riotous acts.

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ASP Yusif Mohammed Tanko, Public Relations Officer of the Ashanti Regional Police Command, told DAILY GUIDE the arrestees would be made to face the full rigorous of the law after police investigations had been completed.

By the time of filing this report around 2pm yesterday, no major incidents had been recorded as security had been beefed up to be on the lookout for troublemakers. Snippets of information indicated that the police had picked intelligence that some Muslim youth in nearby towns were mobilizing to launch another reprisal attack.

ASP Tanko warned the Muslim youth to rescind their supposed decision and back off from Tafo or they would be brutally handled by the security personnel.



Curfew Renewed

The police spokesman said the dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed on Tafo had been extended to maintain peace and order and forestall any breach of the law by unscrupulous people, asserting that it would be lifted as and when the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) deemed fit.



Army Chief Storms Tafo

On Thursday, the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Kwame Opoku Adusei, together with the Director General of Operations of the Ghana Police Service, COP Christian Tetteh Yahuno, paid a working visit to Tafo to access the security situation following the violent clashes.

They were accompanied by members of the REGSEC, including DCOP Kofi Boakye, Ashanti Regional Police Commander, and the out-going Regional Minister, Peter Anarfi Mensah.

The mayhem has largely been blamed on the assault on the Tafo chief by the Muslim youth.

The Army Commander was said to have ordered the arrest of the Chief Imam of Tafo, for allegedly instigating the clash between the Muslim youth and the indigenes of the area.

The order was reportedly issued when the team was met by an angry mob wielding machetes. The mob allegedly retreated and changed their route when they sighted the security agents.



Gangsterism

Gangsterism has become a regular feature in Kumasi with criminals taking the law into their own hands with impunity. Violent attacks which produce fear and panic have received a great deal of media attention in recent times.

From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi


Queenie Akuffo (right)

13.02.2016 LISTEN

The 22-year-old sex victim who was allegedly sexually assaulted with a vibrator by a co-tenant has said that she was dazed when she took a drink from the accused person.

Janet Amankwah, who opened the case of the persecution in the trial, told an Accra Gender-Based Violence Circuit Court that she did not see anything again when Queenie Akuffo, 26, gave her some of the drink she (Queenie) was drinking.

Led in evidence by Detective Inspector Judith B. Asante, Ms Amankwah stated that she used to wash for Queenie.

Janet said on the day of the incident, she was home when her younger sister came to tell her that the accused was calling her, an invitation she said she honoured.

The victim said on arrival Queenie offered her a drink but she refused it, insisting that the accused then offered her some of the drink she (Queenie) was drinking and she accepted it.

Janet noted that Queenie, having offered her the drink, sent her younger sister to buy beer for her (Janet) although she had earlier rejected it.

The victim further told the court presided over by Abena Oppong Adjin-Doku that before she could realise, her younger sister had brought the beer she had earlier refused, adding that she did not know what happened until she regained consciousness at the hospital.

Meanwhile, the court has ordered Queenie to apply for a copy of Janet's evidence and give same to a lawyer for cross-examination. She has no legal representation.

The trial judge was emphatic that failure to get legal representation would mean that Queenie would cross-examine the victim herself at the next adjourned date.

Queenie, who reportedly filmed the act with her Infinix mobile phone, is standing trial for unnatural carnal knowledge.

She has denied the charge and is currently admitted to bail in the sum of GH40,000 with three sureties.

Queenie allegedly committed the act at about 6pm on January 25 this year at Ablekuma in Accra where both of them reside.

According to the prosecution, Queenie asked other witnesses around to leave and she locked her bedroom but a 13-year-old witness went to peep through the window of the accused person and saw her (Queenie) inserting the artificial male organ into the victim's private part.

The victim's brother, one Nana Sasu, saw the act and alerted her mother (the complainant).

They rushed to the aid of Janet and saw her lying naked in Queenie's bedroom with vomit all over her body.

The artificial organ was found on top of Queenie's wardrobe while a video recording of the act was also found on her Infinix mobile phone.

Queenie, in her caution statement to the police, admitted the offence.

By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson

[email protected]
The Visa and Documentation Fraud Unit of the police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has arrested a 30-year-old Nigerian woman for allegedly engaging in Sim Box fraud.

The suspect, Comfort Gbadebo, according to police reports, was operating a Sim Box machine which was capable of blocking revenue up to $13,824 daily from the United States of America.

The operation was conducted by Subah Infosolutions in collaboration with the police CID taskforce at the All Faith Medical Centre at Aplaku, along the Accra-Winneba road.

She was purportedly operating her illegal business from an uncompleted single room apartment where she lives together with her three-year-old daughter and a sibling, when the police apprehended her on Thursday, February 11, 2016.

Two Sim Box machines  each loaded with about 128 Sim cards of MTN  were discovered together with an inverter and two huge batteries.

The seized Sim Box machines



The entire room of the suspect was also reportedly littered with MTN Sim and recharge cards, some of which were unused.

Upon interrogation by the police, Comfort Gbadebo allegedly said she was introduced to the illegal business by a Nigerian benefactor who lives in London, United Kingdom.

Comfort Gbadebo told the police that she had been operating for almost a year using only MTN Sim cards.

MTN Sim cards

The director in-charge of the Visa and Documentation Fraud Unit, DSP Seth Sewornu, who confirmed the arrest to DAILY GUIDE, said it took only about an hour for the taskforce to locate Comfort using the special electronic signal system.

On-the-spot analyses showed that Comfort and her gang block international calls to Ghana, leading to the loss of up to $13,824 revenue each day.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect had on several occasions redeemed her share of the booty from her accomplice through the Western Union Money Transfer system and that her last withdrawal was less than two weeks ago.

The Sim Box taskforce on Friday, February 4, 2016 intercepted a similar illegal Sim Box system with a total of 8,672 Sim cards belonging to MTN, Airtel, Glo and Tigo.

DSP Seth Sewornu called on the public, especially landlords, to be vigilant and report suspicious behaviours of tenants to the police.

By Linda Tenyah Ayettey

( [email protected] )
Ghanas president John Dramani Mahama will be off to Iran on Sunday at the invitation of his host Hassan Rouhani.

Mahama's visit will follow that of other world leaders who have been to Tehran in the immediate post-sanctions era.

The two leaders will hold bilateral discussions and address a joint press conference on Sunday. They are expected to preside over the signing of Memoranda of Understanding and attend an Official Luncheon in honour of President Mahama.

President Mahama will also meet the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and hold discussions with the Speaker of Majlis (Parliament), Dr. Ali Larijani, an official communication from the seat of government  the Flagstaff House  said.

Ghana and Iran have a long standing relationship as members of the Non-Aligned Movement. In 2014, during a visit to Ghana by former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the two countries established a Permanent Joint Commission.

With seven Iranian companies investing over $8.6 million in the Ghanaian economy, President Mahama will at a Business Forum in Tehran push for more Ghana- Iran Business Collaboration, with Ghanaian entities exploring export markets in Iran.

Ghana will be seeking partnerships in rice farming and processing, agro-processing and mining, to expand production and export to Iran.

Iranian investments in Ghana have so far been in the manufacturing sector, with two new Iranian companies setting up in 2015, an aftermath of the visit of the former Iranian President.

President Mahama will also visit a power plant and meet with Ghanaians in Iran before leaving for Accra.
Kumasi, Feb.12, GNA - The National Chief Imam Sheikh Nuhu Sharabutu has met the Tafohene, Nana Agyen Frimpong II, behind closed doors in a bid to restore peace and reset relations between the traditional council and the Muslim community.

Present at the meeting were the out-going Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr. Peter Anarfi Mensah, the Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr. Kojo Bonsu, and the regional security heads

Sheikh Sharabutu also held talks with followers of the Islamic religion and worshipped with them.

Irate Muslim youth, carrying guns, iron chains, machetes, axes and clubs on Wednesday went on the rampage in Tafo - vandalizing vehicles and smashing glass doors and windows of buildings and shops.

One person was killed and many others hurt during the mayhem.

So far about 45 people suspected to have been involved in the violent acts have been arrested by a combined team of soldiers and police officers deployed to the place.

A curfew imposed by the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) in the aftermath of the disturbances is still in force.

The action by the youth was a response to the leveling of a fence they were erecting around the Tafo public cemetery - a project that had drawn strong opposition from the chief and significant section of the population.

Nana Frimpong and the Tafo-Nhyiaeso Divisional Police Commander, were reportedly assaulted when they visited the site to persuade the youth to stop the construction, last Saturday.

The chief wants the controversy over the land delineated for the cemetery to be sorted first.

Sheikh Aremiyaw Shaibu, Spokesman for the Chief Imam told the press that the visit was to express his deep regret over the nasty incident and the misconduct of the youth.

Meanwhile, Mr. Anarfi Mensah has asked everybody to cooperate with the security agencies to maintain law and order.

GNA
The Institute of Social Research and Development (ISRAD) - Ghana as part of its Media health communication campaign programme has organized orientation for media personnel to promote the use of Long Lasting Insecticide Nets in the Upper East Region.

Upper East Regional coordinator of ISRAD, Abdul-Razak Issah in a presentation stated that the organization which operates in 100 communities in all the 13 districts in the Upper East Region has since been creating awareness among the general public about the link between mosquito bites and malaria.

He added that the project goal is to promote behavioral change among the general public to sleep under LLINs at all times and to educate the general public about the economic impact of malaria on the individual, family, community and the nation at large.

Mr. Abdul-Razak Issah, further stated that the Media were brought on board as partners to help provide platforms for sensitizing the general public on the need for malaria diagnosis using Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDTs) or microscopes before treatment and the use of Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLINs) through radio discussions and airing of recorded jingles and as well integrate behaviour change communication messages on malaria diagnosis before treatment and use of LLINs into all existing public service broadcasting programmes

He said there was therefore the need for such collaborative efforts to optimize the use of LLINs in order to reduce transmission of malaria. Mr. Abdul-Razak indicated a Media health communication campaign is recognized as one of the means to get more people to sleep under LLINs and it was against this background the orientation was organized.

The media houses were drawn from URA radio, Nabina radio, Builsa radio, Quality FM, Gurune radio, A1 radio, Word FM, Tanga radio, Source FM, Daily Graphic, Daily Guide, Chronicle, Joy FM, GNA, Ghanaian Times, the Observer, Statesman News papers and that of GTV, TV3 and NTV respectively.

Mr. Stephen Bordotsian, the regional malaria focal person explained that the unapproved use of the LLINs contributed to the region recording 366,821 confirmed malaria cases last year as against 314,125 cases recorded in 2014. He said the total death due to malaria in the region recorded last year was 122 with 88 deaths recorded in 2014.

In order to help curb the spread of malaria, he disclosed that Ghana health service was to roll out the distribution of LLIN to maintain the universal coverage as the region has received about 641,000 nets for distribution to households in the region.

Mr. Peter Boateng, Deputy Director of administration at the health directorate on his part urged community members to use the nets for its intended purpose and appealed to the Media to help commit and assist in promoting the use of the nets to help reduce the incidence of malaria in the region. He therefore thanked ISRAD for organizing such orientation to complement the efforts of Ghana Health Service and UKAID for funding the project.

The Media personnel on the other hand pledged to support the course.

ISRAD is a national and community based Non Governmental Organization (NGO) established in Ghana in 2006 to undertake integrated development research, design and manage development programs to improve the lives of people. It operates in the Northern, Upper East, Upper West and the Brong Ahafo regions in the country.

Source: savannanews24.com
In an effort to strengthen the relationship that exists between the Tijaniyya Muslim Council of Ghana with Norway and South Korea, the President and Spiritual leader of the Council led delegation to the Norway embassy in Accra to congratulate the ambassador and her able staffs and also to the Embassy of the South Korea.

H. E. Hege Hertzberg attended the Councils delegates conference held at Koforidua to deliberate on issues of importance to the Council.

The conference was used to take stock of the past and to chart new ways for the future.

At the grand durbar to climax the event, Mrs Hertzberg graced the occasion as special guest of hounor. She impressed and inspired the gathering with her speech delivered which became the topic of that moment among members of the Council.

On this background, the Tijaniyya Council deemed it fit to hounor her and the industrious Mission Consular who doubles as the Deputy Head of Mission Mr. Per Mogstad.

They were awarded citations and decorated with the traditional dresses of northern Ghana (smock). The secretary, Liv Adams (Mrs.) was not left out in the decoration for her outstanding performance in the discharge of her duties.

In her response Mrs Hege Hertzberg said they feel honoured and proud to be in friendship with the Council and promise to keep the relationship in high esteem.

A member of the communication team of the Council Sheikh Mutawakilu Iddriss in his statement commended the ambassador and explained the reasons for the annual Quran recitation which will be recording its 53rd anniversary come this year and is scheduled to commence from Wednesday the 13th to Friday the 15th April, 2016. He also expressed the Councils condolence to the unfortunate killing of a Norwegian by ISIS.

The President of the Tijaniyya Muslim Council of Ghana His Eminece Shiekh Abul-Faidi Ahmad Maikano thanked the ambassador for attending the delegate conference and the inspirational and motivational speech she delivered at Koforidua.

Shiekh Khalaifa used the opportunity to invite her to this years Quran recitation and wished her well in all her endeavours. The councils entourage includes Imam Hassan, the Public Relation Officer Abubakar Baban Yara, and the Media Relation Officer Muhammed Muhtari Ibrahim among other members.

At another diplomatic mission event, the Tijaniyya Muslim Council which is on a mission to empowering the youth trough skills training and entrepreneurship has received an anchor.

This came to light during discussion between the the able leader of Sheikh Abul-Faidi Abdulai Maikano and the office of South Korean ambassador on matters concerning the challenges facing the youth of this country.

Taking into consideration the fact that the mass followers of the council are of youthful age, the president of the council is embarking on a mission of finding suitable vocations for them. Realizing that doing this alone will be a very difficult task decided to liaise with developing partners.

The Public Relation Officer of the council Abubakr Baban Yara, reiterated the councils readiness to work with its collaborators in assisting the youth to acquire Skills training and entrepreneurship. He contended that the Councils door is widely open to all who share the same vision with it.

The Ambassador of South Korea to Ghana Lyeo Woon-Ki lauded the vision and mission of the Tijaniyya Muslim council of Ghana and promise to do anything within his reach to support. Mr Lyeo said although has unemployed youth but is worse here in Ghana.

He said his country is already carrying out some projects in Ghana especially in Akumadan town of Brong Ahafo region all the same his outfit will work together with the council to achieve results.

The President who doubles as the Spiritual Leader of the Tijaniyya Muslim council of Ghana commended the ambassador for taking time out of his busy schedule to host him and his entourage.

His eminence Sheikhs Abu-Faidi said Prang is blessed with vast land and large river suitable for both crop and animal farming. Sheikh Khalifa therefore welcomes South Korea into the Prang town to embark on Agricultures and Aquaculture.

He prayed the collaboration will go a long way in resolving most of the challenges faced by the youth of this country. The two personalities expressed appreciation to each other for the partnership. At the meeting were some national executives of the Council which included Imam Hassan, Shehu Usman and the media relation officer Muhammad Muhtari Ibrahim.
File Photo

13.02.2016 LISTEN

Petroleum Minister, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah has rejected demands by energy experts, civil society groups and the recent demand by the opposition New Patriotic Party for a review of the petroleum deal with Italian firm, ENI.

The NPP has tasked the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to prevail upon ENI and government to review the agreement because of unfavorable terms.

ENI and its partners have signed an agreement with government for the exploitation of the Offshore Cape Three Point Block.

Also, last year, renowned Non-Governmental Organisations in the country have raised concerns about the US$ 7 billion Eni/Sankofa gas deal signed between ENI, VITOL and GNPC.

According to the Africa Center for Energy Policy analysis of the deal, the fiscal benefits of the entire project based on the working interests of the parties give ENI Ghana and Vitol Ghana (Contractors) 56% of total cash flows and profits of US$7billion, equivalent to the cost of the project.

It explained that, based on after tax working interest, the contractor group will be entitled to US$14.3 billion (56%) of total cash flow over the project life whilst the state is entitled to US$11.1 billion (44%).

This reveals that, the countrys take is lower than what pertains in previous contracts.

Given that the project is a US$7 billion project, the contractors will be making profit of US$7billion. This makes the project a profitable one at an oil price of US$90 per barrel and gas price of US$9.8 per mmBtu, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adams, Executive Director of African Center for Energy Policy had revealed.

However, another local policy think tank, Imani Ghana has demanded that, the Government of Ghana must make full disclosure on the US$7 billion gas deal.

The Founding President Franklin Cudjoe had said, the Government must learn from the current suspicion-riddled power purchase deal with AMERI Energy and try to avoid a similar fate with the ENI/Sankofa gas project.

Speaking at the 5th IMANI Inspirational Public Sector Leadership Awards last week, Mr Cudjoe stated that, it will be in the interest of the government and Ghana to consider critical commentary that have been made on energy projects such as AMERI power and ensure that the biggest one to come, the US$7bn Eni project, is equally devoid of suspicion.

Most importantly, government should publish all these contracts so we can all make positive contributions and remove the elements of surprise. It makes no good reading suspicions in the international media about your countrys energy deals when we can avoid them altogether by first accounting to us locally. Government should make us prouder defending them internationally by giving us the tools of non-negotiable transparency, Mr Cudjoe said.

According Mr. Buah, The Government of Ghanas provision of financial terms to ENI and its partners of 20% return on investment, instead of the normal 12.5%, is an unusually high rate for commercial transactions of this nature, especially as GNPC assumes all the risk in the project.

The negotiated gas price of $9.8/MMBtu for gas from the Sankofa fields is too high by world standards, of between $5-7/MMBtu. It is even higher than the price of gas sold to Ghana from Nigeria, which stands at $8.3/MMBtu, delivered at Takoradi. It is even more expensive than our own Atuabo Gas price of $8.8/MMBtu delivered at Takoradi. At the negotiated gas price of $9.8/MMBtu, it puts to great risk Ghanas potential of becoming the Petrochemical hub of the region to Nigeria, due to that countrys lower gas prices, the NPP said in a statement.

Reacting to the concerns of the opposition party, Mr Boah said the deal is in the best interest of Ghana.

...Has somebody sat down and calculated the benefit of this project which is easily going to give us more power than the power we have right now?

We are coming up with a very comprehensive analysis to allow the people of Ghana understand what our position is...I think that this project no matter how you look at it, is good for the people of Ghana, he said.

ENI recently gave the government of Ghana the assurance of its commitment to the development of the West African oil producers oil and gas industry despite the continuously falling price of crude oil on the world market.

ENIs Executive Vice-President for the oil firms sub-Sahara African Regional Branch, Mr. Umberto Carrara, gave the assurance to the Government of Ghana when he paid a courtesy call on Petroleum Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah earlier this month.

He said despite the fact that the oil price fall has forced many Exploration and Production (E&P) companies to cut tens of billions of dollars in capital spending, ENI will remain committed to its operations on the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) Sankofa Gas Project.

This assurance statement has raised follow-up questions as to why the keen interest of Eni Ghana to still remain committed to the development and production of the gas field, despite the unattractive pricing of the commodity on the market which is likely to affect the profit margins of the company.

Further analysis of the terms and conditions of the Agreements and Term Sheets by Economy Times showed that, the deal is fraught with badly negotiated terms, and at most is serving the interest of the Contractors rather than Ghanas.

The findings from the analyses show that the government offered over-generous terms to the Contractors just to satisfy Ghanas thirst for gas supplies. In trying to satisfy the countrys demand for gas, the incentives provided to the Contractors exceeded what pertains in international transactions of similar nature.

It could be recalled that, President John Dramani Mahama recently witnessed the signing of Agreements between GNPC and the Offshore Cape Three Point (OCTP) Partners; ENI Ghana and Vitol Ghana over a US$7 billion integrated oil and gas development in the Sankofa-Gye-Nyame Fields.

The Agreement covers terms and conditions for the financing of the project by the Contractors and for the sale of the Contractors share of gas produced to GNPC.

Prime Minister Renzi, addressing Ghanas Parliament in his last week visit to Ghana, gave assurances that the US$7 billion Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) Sankofa Gas Project sponsored by the Italian oil firm ENI, will continue despite tumbling crude oil prices.

But the NPP in a statement said the Government of Ghanas provision of financial terms to ENI and its partners of 20% return on investment, instead of the normal 12.5%, is an unusually high rate for commercial transactions of this nature, especially as GNPC assumes all the risk in the project.

The Ministry of Petroleum, in a statement signed last week by the Minster, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah said Government did not provide a guaranteed 20% return on investment to the partners, adding that the rate of return on investment for the project is less than 12.5%.

The government statement said usually individual partners use different criteria for deciding whether or not to proceed with a project.

Find below Governments full response to the NPP concerns

The Ministry of Petroleums attention has been drawn to a statement issued and signed by the Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akomea on the OCTP gas project. The NPP statement sought to create some confusion in the minds of well-meaning Ghanaians particularly as the issues raised are not factual and therefore misleading.

The Ministry therefore wishes to set the records straight by responding to the issues as raised in the statement.

NPP: The Government of Ghanas provision of financial terms to ENI and its partners of 20% return on investment, instead of the normal 12.5%, is an unusually high rate for commercial transactions of this nature, especially as GNPC assumes all the risk in the project.

RESPONSE: The Government did not provide a guaranteed 20% to the partners. The rate of return on investment for this project is less than 12.5%.

Usually individual partners use different criteria for deciding whether or not to proceed with a project. In doing so, they normally discount past cost on investment. In the pricing negotiations for this project the parties considered the full cycle economics which includes past costs, future costs and potential returns. Under this approach the rate of return was less than 12.5% within an environment of high oil prices. So given significant reductions in oil prices today the return to the investor will even be lower on a full project life cycle basis.

It is also not true that GNPC is assuming all the risk in the project. The partners took a significant portion of the exploration risk amounting to about a billion dollars and are expected to spend about 95% of the development cost for 50% of the overall benefits.

NPP: The negotiated gas price of $9.8/MMBtu for gas from the Sankofa fields is too high by world standards, of between $5-7/MMBtu. It is even higher than the price of gas sold to Ghana from Nigeria, which stands at $8.3/MMBtu, delivered at Takoradi. It is even more expensive than our own Atuabo Gas price of $8.8/MMBtu delivered at Takoradi. At the negotiated gas price of $9.8/MMBtu, it puts to great risk Ghanas potential of becoming the Petrochemical hub of the region to Nigeria, due to that countrys lower gas prices.

RESPONSE: The price of gas in the Sankofa Gas Sales Agreement is determined by a number of factors.

This includes:

The headline price, which is US$9.8 per million British thermal unit.

The cost of developing the field and operating it for 20 years.

Interventions by the GNPC to reduce financing costs, which would reduce the gas price by as much as US$1.65 per million British thermal unit (MMBtu).

The concept of world average price for gas as a comparator is erroneous since we are dealing with the price of delivered gas at a particular delivery point. For example, if gas is produced in the US, by the time it arrives in Ghana in the form of LNG, would have been priced at more than US$15 /MMBtu. Even at todays oil price (say, US$30), LNG landed price in Ghana would be more than US$8/MMBtu.

In addition, comparing Atuabo gas to the Sankofa gas is misleading. Atuabo gas is associated gas, which was priced at zero. The zero price was negotiated for a foundation volume of 200 Bcf. This was possible because the associated gas was a bye product of a very lucrative oil project. Beyond 2020, when the foundation volume would have been exhausted, the price of Jubilee gas would cease to be zero. Another key feature of the Sankofa gas price is the fact that about 50% of the proceeds would accrue to the State in various forms, including taxes, royalties, as well as GNPCs 20% stake in the project.

NPP: This agreement compels GNPC to buy up to 90% of ENI produced gas at a higher negotiated price of $9.8/MMBtu for 20 solid years. This gas sales same agreement is further guaranteed against default by three guarantees  the government of Ghana, the World Bank and GNPC  amounting to some $750 million.

Furthermore, GNPC, after buying the gas from ENI at a guaranteed price stands the risk of losing its market (VRA, IPPs, petrochemical industries) to other cheap gas suppliers.

RESPONSE: The Agreement reached contains a take-or-pay volume of 90%. Such requirements are standard terms in gas sales agreements in our part of the world where the gas market is not developed. In return we are assured of 90% availability of gas from the ENI field, which compares favourably with other less reliable supply sources whose effective prices are higher if we factor in the cost of short term alternatives.

It should also be noted that the 90% is also a commitment by the Contractor to supply same volumes, failure of which attracts penalties in the form of lower price for the gas.

The price of Jubilee and WAGP should be adjusted for the costs of other, more expensive, alternatives as Jubilee and WAGP are highly erratic. It must be stated that to date, Ghana has not been able to implement the terms of contract with WAGP. This has been a major contributor to the prolonged energy challenges that have bedeviled the country. In addition, interruptible supply of gas affects the operational efficiency of power plants, thereby leading to higher cost of power.

The issue of security for the project  from the World Bank, Government and the GNPC  is standard industry practice and is typical in gas commercialization projects in countries where the gas market is not developed. This explains why the World Bank supports this arrangement. It is important to emphasize that the Governments portion of the security is only the last resort which only kicks in when the value chain ceases to work. That is why Government is implementing the bold reforms within the energy sector to forestall such occurrences. In essence if the value chain works, and SOEs in the chain are viable, there would be no need for this level of security.

NPP: Ghana also guarantees additional free cash flows to the company by allowing them to write-off 7% interest on all commercial loans from project revenues, when the normal provision is between 2-3%. This also reduces Ghanas potential tax revenues from this project by over $160 million. No other companies, whether from Jubilee or TEN, have been given this same rate of 7%.

RESPONSE: It is equally not true that Ghana guarantees additional cash flow through write off of 7% interest on commercial loans exclusively to this project. There is evidence that other companies in the Petroleum sector have borrowed at near or higher rates than the 7% referred to and have benefitted from tax deductions as provided under the law governing petroleum operations.

NPP: The cost of the development of the Jubilee Fields, with more reserves of oil equivalence and with a water depth of 3,630 ft., came to $4 billion. The cost of development of the TEN oil fields, also with more oil reserves of oil equivalence, came to $4.9 billion. The cost of development of ENIs Sankofa is $7 billion, with less reserves of oil equivalence and at relatively lower water depths of 2,706 ft. We wonder the quality of due diligence done, if any.

RESPONSE: Comparing the development costs of Ghanas three leading fields  Jubilee, TEN and Sankofa, is completely out of context. Jubilee and TEN are essentially oil fields, whereas Sankofa is principally a gas project. The investment requirement for any field depends not only on reserves and water depth, but also the complexity of the sub-sea infrastructure, proximity to existing infrastructure (in the case of gas, pipeline network).

Additionally, the statement compares only one phase of Jubilee development to the total ENI project. Jubilee in fact is a phased development project. The full cycle Jubilee development project cost is not USD4billion as indicated in the statement. It is rather expected to be around USD8billion whereas the ENI full cycle development cost is estimated at USD7.9billion. As already stated we are already seeing significant reductions in the cost of the ENI project which will have a positive impact on the final gas price.

Economy Timesfurther analysis of the terms and conditions of the Agreements and Term Sheets by Economy Times showed that, the deal is fraught with badly negotiated terms, and at most is serving the interest of the Contractors rather than Ghanas.

The findings from the analyses show that the government offered over-generous terms to the Contractors just to satisfy Ghanas thirst for gas supplies. In trying to satisfy the countrys demand for gas, the incentives provided to the Contractors exceeded what pertains in international transactions of similar nature.

It could be recalled that, President John Dramani Mahama recently witnessed the signing of Agreements between GNPC and the Offshore Cape Three Point (OCTP) Partners; ENI Ghana and Vitol Ghana over a US$7 billion integrated oil and gas development in the Sankofa-Gye-Nyame Fields.

The Agreement covers terms and conditions for the financing of the project by the Contractors and for the sale of the Contractors share of gas produced to GNPC.

Again, the analysis of the deal revealed that, the Governments fiscal support package, which included an exempt debt-to-equity ratio of 2:1 at 7% interest on the commercial loans of the Contractors, would lead to significant revenue losses to the state over the project life of 20 years, since interest expenses are tax deductible. According to the agreement, the state must guarantee that at any time, the free fiscal support to the Contractors remain US$125 million to make the initial gas price of $9.8 per mmBtu.

This could run into several millions of dollars when gas prices fall. In the event that the contractors source the loans from their affiliates, the gains to the Contractors could increase at Ghanas expense.

The dangerous part of the term and condition of the contract is that, the Government is required under the Security Package and Fiscal Support Agreement to issue five (5) different Sovereign Guarantees estimated at about US$1.5 billion in addition to World Bank and IDA guarantees. This situation over-exposes the state to too many risks and demonstrates the lack of investor confidence in the Ghanaian Government.

Dr. Amin Adams in the past challenged that, GNPC is required to make an upfront payment in cash to the Contractors or allow the Contractors to over-lift GNPCs share of oil at the beginning of production of oil, for the purpose of making Gas price of US$9.8 per mmBtu viable.

However, although the amount is expected to be recovered at the end of production, the recovery amount does not attract interest charges. This is not consistent with sound financial management, he noted.

The Government is required to allocate the maximum 55% Net Carried and Participating Interest to GNPC beyond the 15 year period for the capitalization of GNPC as provided in the Petroleum Revenue Management Act 2011 (Act 815) or PRMA. This violates Section 7.3 of the PRMA and will therefore amount to an illegality.

According to the details contained in the Ghana gas masterplan, gas from the fields will be processed in the FPSO and transported via a pipeline to onshore gas-receiving facilities located near the village of Sanzule in the Western Region of Ghana. The gas will further be compressed and injected into the Western Corridor Gas Pipeline and supplied to domestic industrial customers. Crude oil will be stored in the FPSO and will be supplied to international markets by means of tankers.

Ghana's Ministry of Energy has further agreed to enhance the gas transmission system with compression stations and connections to industrial users, to complement the OCTP project.

The Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) Integrated Oil and Gas Project includes the combined development of the Sankofa Main, Sankofa East, Gye Nyame, Sankofa East Cenomanian and Sankofa East Campanian fields. The former three are non-associated gas fields while the latter two are oil fields. The development of the fields started in January 2015.

The fields are located within the OCTP block in the Tano Basin, at water depths ranging from 600m to 1,000m and are approximately 60km off the coast of Ghana. The area covered by the fields is approximately 694km.

Eni's subsidiary, Eni Ghana Exploration and Production, is the operator of the block and holds a majority stake of 47.22% in the same. Vitol Upstream Ghana holds a 37.78% interest in the block and state-owned Ghana National Petroleum Corporation holds a 15% interest, with an option to further increase its share by an additional 5%.

The overall investment on the project is estimated to reach US$7bn. The World Bank is providing a partial risk guarantee for the project.

The offshore fields are estimated to hold approximately 1.5 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas and approximately 500 million barrels of oil. The reserves are expected to continuously feed Ghana's thermal power plants for more than 20 years.

Oil production from the project is expected to start in 2017 and peak at 80,000 barrels of oil a day in 2019, whereas gas production is expected to start in 2018, with a daily production capacity of 170 million cubic feet. This would be enough to generate an additional 1,100MW of power for Ghana.

The development plan calls for the installation of subsea production systems, in addition to flowlines and risers connected to a leased floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel.
13.02.2016 LISTEN

With the Parliaments last week approval of the Income Tax Amendment Bill, the new Act, when signed by the President into law, will remove a recently imposed one (1) percent tax on interests earned by investors, and also cut withholding tax from 15 percent to 7.5 percent.

But, according economists this will results in huge loss or cut in expected revenue for the year.

It is estimated that, Ghana is likely to lose over GH6.0 million in revenue following the withdrawal of the 1% tax on interest earned on investment.

However, the Chairman of Parliament's Finance Committee, James Klutse Avedzi explains that the ministry of finance is to introduce measures in the supplementary budget to address the shortfall.

The Ministry of Finance early this year announced the withdrawal of the one percent withholding tax imposed on interest earned by individuals on any investments.

The tax imposition on interests is part of provisions in the new Income Tax Act, 2015 (Act 896) which came into force on January 1, 2016.

However, a huge public outcry over the issue after banks and financial institutions sent SMS alerts to their customers about the provision and how it would affect them forced the Finance Ministry to write to Parliament to withdraw the tax.

But Mr. Avedzi, told parliament that investors will still pay for the 1 percent tax until the amendment is legally passed.

Although, it is not clear as to when Parliament will communicate its decision on the new act to the President for action, but insiders say the House is likely to act with extreme urgency in notifying the President on the matter given the huge public, business and investor interest in the provisions of the new legislation.

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) on January 13 2016, directed all financial institutions to stop charging the 1% withholding tax on interest earned by individuals.

However, the move by the GRA generated angered some members of parliament since in their view, the GRA could not carry out such an action without recourse to Parliament.

A Member of Parliaments Finance Committee, Dr. Mark Asibey Yeboah argued this point out in an interview with Citi News.

If Parliament passes a law, the president assents to it, and that is the position of the law. Even the President in his press conference was not able to send a message to Ghanaians that nobody should pay that tax; the Minister of Finance cannot say same. Now the GRA sends a directive to financial institutions to stop collecting the tax. I think its a not right, they shouldnt have done that and as the law stands, they should go ahead and collect the taxes because it is only Parliament that can reverse the decision, he insisted.
Nana Yaa Jantuah

13.02.2016 LISTEN

Ghana has one of the cheapest electricity tariffs in the West African sub region, the Director of Public Relations and External Affairs of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has said.

Nana Yaa Jantuah said that, irrespective of complaints by Ghanaian consumers that they are being burdened with hefty tariffs, the countrys tariff regime, as far as electricity is concerned, is among the cheapest in the sub-region.

We have the lowest tariffs in the sub-region, she insisted, adding that those who compare Ghanas tariff regime to that of America, which has a very low tariff regime, are missing the point.

America uses shale gas which is so cheap, she said, adding Americas tariff regime is heavily tax-laden.

According to her, a nations tariff regime is dependent on the kind of sources of power generation used. Ghana depends on a mix of hydro and thermal power production. The Government has said repeatedly that more focus will be given to thermal production as hydro sources cannot shoulder the entire production burden.

The PURC recently approved a 59.2% hike in power tariffs. An intervention by the Government, after agitations by Organised Labour, led to the announcement of some respite for vulnerable users who fall within the 0  50 (lifeline) and 51  300 units band.

Again, she said, the daily electric power used by consumers across the country has reduced by a total of 300 megawatts since the introduction of the new utility tariffs.

In what has become known in the Twi vernacular as mensor and woara be dum, to wit consumers would voluntarily switch off, many electric power consumers since the introduction of the new tariffs have complained that bills of post-paid customers have sky-rocketed.

Those on prepaid have also complained that their credits have been running out too fast. As a result, many have resorted to conserving energy by turning off their appliances.

What pertains now is that even though the country is no longer experiencing load shedding, otherwise known as dumsor, and now has constant power supply, the high tariffs are compelling consumers to voluntarily switch off their appliances. They have sarcastically coined the words mensor and woara be dum.

Speaking on the morning show programme of Peace FM, hosted by Kwami Sefa Kayi, Nana Juantuah said the tariffs have brought about an improved power production and distribution.

She disagreed with suggestions from consumers that the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) had been cheating and stealing from consumers.

Rather she advised consumers to reduce their consumption so as to prevent paying more.

For instance she said there were about 700,000 households on the lifeline whose consumption were below 50kwh and thus pay Ghc17 monthly.

The Public Relations Manager of the ECG, Mr William Boateng who was also on the show to explain how the tariffs are calculated, emphasised that the ECG was not stealing from consumers.
The Central Regional Police command has arrested a 22-year old man for attempting to murder the NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Cape Coast North Constituency, Babara Asher Ayisi.

The assailant broke into the house of the parliamentary candidate wielding an iron rod and a knife desperately looking for her.

The driver of the Parliamentary candidate who stepped out of the room where the candidates vehicle had been parked attempted to confront the suspect but was unsuccessful. The suspect, according to Babara Asher Ayisi, started vandalizing anything in site including her car.

I was getting ready to attend the Speech and Prize-giving Day of Wesley Girls High School, where I teach. All of a sudden, I heard some strange noise at the frontage of my house; my driver was the first to step out because I was running late for the days program. According to my driver, a knife and an iron rod-wielding man was making an attempt to enter my room.

Babara Asher Ayisi tells Joy news Richard Kwadwo Nyarko how the suspect ignored all vehicles parked infront of her house but hers.

There were about five vehicles that were parked infront of my house but the guy went straight to the vehicle that had my posters on and started hitting the screens and the bonnet of the car with a flower vase and the iron rod he was holding. My driver then struggled with the man in the ensuing vandalism spree.

He was shouting, where is the NPP MP? several times. Hadnt not been the ironic nature of my gate, he would have succeeded in his mission. You would have been telling a different story now

The parliamentary candidate who was gripped with fear took cover while the youth of the area managed to overpower the assailant. When the police arrived at the scene, the suspect who was bleeding as a result of some beatings suffered at the hands of the youth was taken to the Ankaful Psychiatric hospital for treatment.

According to the police, their investigative outfit is busily working to unravel the development.

Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com
President John Mahama yesterday launched the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Ghana, with a call on stakeholders to put their shoulders to the wheel to ensure the success of the programme which seeks to better the lives of the people.

To serve as an impetus for the smooth implementation of the SDGs, the President has constituted a high-level committee in the country under his supervision to spearhead the implementation of the programme.

Launching the SDGs in Accra, President Mahama expressed the commitment of the government to ensure that the country achieved the goals contained in the programme and pledged to work with civil society organisations and other interest groups to realise that objective.

The launch brought together members of the diplomatic corps, officials of the UN system in Ghana, ministers of state and traditional authorities. A video promoting the 17 goals of the SDGs was shown at the ceremony.

On September 25, 2015, the United Nations (UN) adopted a set of goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of new SDGs.

Each goal has specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years under the collaboration of governments, the private sector and individuals.

President's appointment

The UN Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki-Moon, in January this year appointed President Mahama and the Norwegian Prime Minister, Ms Erna Solberg, as co-chairs of a group of SDG advocates.

The group has been tasked to promote the universal SDGs, raise awareness of the integrated nature of the SDGs and foster the engagement of stakeholders for their implementation.

Dedicating the honour done him to the people of Ghana and the African continent at large in view of the diverse backgrounds of the other advocates of the SDGs, President Mahama pledged to use his experience in public service for the past 20 years to work diligently as a co-chair of the Goals.

Ghana's role in the UN

The President stated that Ghana's involvement with the UN had been longstanding and mentioned the country's role in UN peacekeeping operations and said 'Ghana would continue to avail itself to the UN in pursuit of global peace'.

UN Co-ordinator

The UN Resident Coordinator, Ms Christine Evans-Klock, described President Mahama's appointment as a reflection of Ghana's leading role in Africa towards achieving the SDGs.

She explained that the country had made sustainable advancement in reducing HIV and AIDS infection.

She said the UN had been working with the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and other organisations to craft an action plan consistent with the objectives of the SDGs.

SDGs in development framework

Speaking on the SDGs as an enabler for Ghana's medium and long-term development plan, the Director General of the NDPC, Dr Nii Moi Thompson, said the implementation of the SDGs was being incorporated in the national development framework which would help transform Ghana's economy.

He indicated that the NDPC was putting in place a spatial development framework to bring sanity into the built environment, adding that a national infrastructure plan was being put in place to attain energy efficiency in the country.

Dr Thompson intimated that the commission was making the effort to align five out of the 17 goals of the SDGs into Ghana's long-term development plan.

Parliamentary support

The Majority Leader in Parliament, Mr Alban S.K. Bagbin, and his Minority counterpart, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, pledged the support of Parliament to the successful implementation of the SDGs.

The leaders in separate addresses congratulated President Mahama on his appointment as a co-chairman of the group of SDG advocates.

Mr Bagbin said Parliament was restructuring its standing order to make it more responsive to SDGs, adding that Ghana ought to emulate parliaments of Pakistan and Zambia which had set up a taskforce on SDGs and formed SDGs caucus.

The Norwegian Ambassador to Ghana, Ms Hege Hertzberg, who delivered the Prime Minister's message, called for synergies among stakeholders for the SDGs to succeed.

Writer's email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Three days after the mayhem at Tafo, a suburb of Kumasi, which claimed one life and led to the destruction of properties, including banks, the National Peace Council (NPC) and the Office of the National Chief Imam have moved in to bring the factions together.

The National Chief Imam, Sheikh Usman Nuhu Sharabutu, and the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPC, Professor Seth Opuni Asiama, visited Tafo on Friday to get the factions to smoke the peace pipe in order to resolve the land dispute between the traditional authorities of Tafo and the Muslim youth that degenerated into violence on Wednesday.

As part of the reconciliatory gesture, the Chief Imam apologised to the Tafohene, Nana Agyin Frimpong, on behalf of the Muslim youth.

The Chief Imam, members of the Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) and some opinion leaders from the Zongo communities in the region were at the chief's palace to render the apology and also find a lasting solution to the problem.

Other members of the delegation were the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asawase, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka; the Municipal Chief Executive for Asokore Mampong, Mr Nuhu Hamidan, and Prof. Asiama.

The Chief Imam had earlier held meetings with the Ashanti Regional Chief Imam, Sheikh Abdul Mumin, and the Kumasi Zongo Chief, Alhaji Seidu Chibsa.

Commenting on the efforts so far made to resolve the dispute, Prof. Asiama said with the cooperation of all the parties involved in the dispute, there were indications that peace would certainly prevail in due course.

He said he was delighted that the parties exhibited their commitment to peace at the meetings to resolve the matter amicably.

At a meeting with the traditional authorities at Tafo yesterday, Sheikh Sharabutu asked that the Zongo community to be forgiven.

Appeal

Addressing the youth later at the Tafo Central Mosque, the Chief Imam asked them to let cool heads prevail and not to resort to violence at the least provocation.

He asked them to always consult their leaders and seek guidance from them whenever there was a problem, adding that if they had done that, 'we will not be faced with this issue today'.

That point was stressed by Alhaji Muntaka, who further asked the youth not to allow themselves to be used as conduits to sow seeds of unrest in the metropolis.

According to him, if they failed to let peace prevail and the REGSEC came to seek parliamentary approval to continue with the curfew, 'I can promise you that we will give them a blank cheque to implement austere measures that will bring peace to this area'.

'If you want to be treated as other places where there is curfew, then continue with the violent acts,' he warned.

Release of suspects

As part of the steps to find a lasting solution to the issue, the Chief Imam brokered a deal with the REGSEC for the release of the over 40 youth who were arrested last Thursday.

The outgoing Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Peter Anarfi-Mensah, agreed to the demand but said the curfew would remain in force until there was improvement in the security situation on the ground.

He said even though the council had agreed to release the suspects, 'we will still be monitoring them and if anything happens again, they will be first suspects'.

Besides that, he said, those declared wanted would not be arrested at all.

He, however, warned those spreading false news about the event to desist from that.

According to him, the video and pictures circulating on social media about a mosque that was torched were false, inaccurate and not coming from Tafo or anywhere near Kumasi.

Curfew relaxed

Meanwhile, the REGSEC has relaxed the curfew it imposed on Old Tafo following the outbreak of violence last Wednesday.

The Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Mr Kojo Bonsu, said the KMA had taken over the issue of the land demarcation.
The Police Administration has entreated the public, especially, the media to exercise maximum restraint in discussing the murder of the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North, J.B. Danquah-Adu.

The police say on Thursday, they made a further arrest in connection with the murder of the MP, who was said to have been stabbed to death in his bedroom.

A statement released Friday by the police which was signed by the Director/Public Affairs, Supt. Cephas Arthur, assured the bereaved family and the public that a thorough investigation is progressing steadily to get to the bottom of the incident.

It said the call for restraint on air was to ensure that the investigations are not jeopardized.

'Anyone who has any relevant pieces of information should rather volunteer them to the special investigation team set up at the CID Headquarters for the necessary action'.

'Once again, the Police Administration wishes to encourage members of the public to go about their socio - Economic activities without any fear.'
13.02.2016 LISTEN

Accra, Feb. 13, GNA - Mr Yaw Akrasi Sarpong, the Executive Secretary of the Narcotic Control Board (NACOB), has lauded the 'National Stop Crime Campaign' initiative being championed by Mr Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, the 'Ambassador Extraordinaire' of Prisons.

He advised the 'Ambassador Extraordinaire' to continue with the campaign to better educate the public on the dangers of involvement in crime.

Mr Sarpong made these commendations, when Mr Kwarteng paid a courtesy call on him in his office in Accra.

The visit was to seek audience with the NACOB Boss and also discuss his upcoming television show titled: "Time with the prisoner" to be aired on Ghana Television and obtain support for his campaign.

The Ghana Prisons Service Council conferred on Mr Kwarteng, "Ambassador Extraordinaire" for his dedication in projecting the welfare of prisoners and the deplorable prison conditions across the country.

He called on Mr Kwarteng, who is also the Executive Director of Crime Check Foundation, to put in place a strong management team for the initiative.

Mr Sarpong said no one should be allowed to suffer any inhuman conditions in the prisons and urged Mr Kwarteng to challenge all Members of Parliament to sponsor messages on crime prevention in the country.

'Stigmatization of prisoners must stop, prisoners must be shown compassion,' he added.

He also called on the 'Ambassador Extraordinaire' to institute a monitoring mechanism to check the progress of the campaign.

Mr Kwarteng said the campaign was to educate the youth about the deplorable prison conditions to deter them from engaging in crime.

Mr Kwarteng later told the Ghana News Agency that he would take the campaign to churches, schools and mosques to share with the public the living conditions of prisoners.

'Majority of the youth do not have any idea about prison living conditions,' he said.

Mr Kwarteng's latest documentary on prison conditions titled: 'A Neglected Potential', moved the President, John Dramani Mahama to the Nsawam prison to see at firsthand, the deplorable living conditions to enable him push for a higher budgetary allocation for the Prisons Service.

He said over the years not much has been done to project the plight of the service, hence his interest to focus on the prisons.

GNA
13.02.2016 LISTEN

Accra, Feb. 13, GNA - A Circuit Court in Accra has rescinded a bench warrant against Eugene Ashe, aka Wisa, a hip life artiste who is being held for exposing his penis whiles performing at the Accra International Conference Centre.

This was after his counsel, Mr Jerry Avernogbo apologized to the Court saying his client was on unwell and as such could not come to court early at the last sitting.

The Court presided over by Mrs Abena Oppong Adjin-Doku therefore, rescinded the warrant and adjourned the case to February 24.

At the last sitting, the Circuit Court hearing his case issued a warrant to effect his arrest because when the matter was called, Wisa, the 'Ekiki Mi' hit maker, was not in court, while his counsel or his representative was also not present.

Prosecution prayed the Court to oblige them a short adjournment.

According to prosecution, the case investigator Detective Chief Inspector Edward Agyei Odame was on an assignment at East Legon hence could not make it to court.

The case investigator was continue with his evidence and tender the tape which was to be played in court.

The court granted the request of prosecution.

Wisa is being held for allegedly exposing his penis while performing at the Accra International Conference Centre on December 24, last year.

He has, however, denied a charge of gross indecent exposure and he is on a GHC 8,000 bail with one surety.

At the last sitting, Prosecuting Chief Inspector J. B. Asante told the Court that on December 25, the Accra Regional Police was alerted over a nude video posted on the internet from an unknown source in which a popular Ghanaian artiste identified as Eugene Ashe, aka Wisa Creg, intentionally exposed his penis to the audience while performing live on stage at AICC.

According to the prosecutor, Wisa was seen dancing with a female dancer.

Chief Inspector Asante said the Police contacted the managers of Ashe to produce him at the Regional Police headquarters for investigations and they did.

Prosecution said investigations into the matter disclosed that on December 24, Airtel Communications Company and Citi FM, an Accra based radio station, organised an event dubbed: 'December to Remember,' with the accused as a guest artiste.

During the course of the show, the accused while dancing with a female dancer identified as Monica Kumadeh, suddenly removed his penis out of his pair of jeans and began to caress the buttock of the dancer to the glare of the audience.

GNA
Accra, Feb. 13, GNA - Dr Bob Offei Manteaw, a Principal and Senior Research Collaborator, at the Africa Resilience Collaborative (ARC), has said the National Sanitation Day (NSD) exercise programme needs a review.

He said the policy has not been successful in fulfilling its main objective of creating awareness and instilling a sanitation culture in the citizenry.

Dr Manteaw told the Ghana News Agency that the programme even though was well-intended, lacked what it would take to promote long-term social behavioural changes in the citizenry.

He said: 'The fact that people meet every month to clean their communities, and the fact that filth and other insanitary conditions still persists immediately after cleaning those communities, is an ample proof that nothing has changed or is changing'.

Dr Manteaw, who is an Environment and Development Expert, cautioned the government to be circumspect in its desire to back the NSD with a law to make it mandatory.

In his view government should be committed to ensuring and enforcing existing sanitation regulations and backing that with a well-planned education and social marketing campaign.

He added that any military-style posturing to compel people to clean-up their environment would not be sustainable in changing people and society for the longer term.

Dr Manteaw, who is also the former Director of Research, Innovation and Development of Zoomlion and the Africa Institute of Sanitation and Waste Management, said the idea should not be about getting people to clean their environment occasionally, or constantly to satisfy some law, but people must be made to learn, know and understand the importance and the need to live in a clean and healthy environment for public good.

"The Tic Tacs and all those musicians and comedians in Ghana can come together every month and every year to clean gutters and sing and dance, but what is the message or lesson that stays with people for the rest of their lives regarding good sanitation behaviours?'

"While I do not dismiss the program as useless, I certainly believe it lacks purpose and it lacks that punchy message that should galvanize a movement towards social learning and behavioral change.'

Dr Manteaw said about 60 per cent of the sanitation challenges in Ghana and Africa in general is a human problem, attitude and educational challenge; and this is besides the absence of appropriate funding policies, regulatory framework, infrastructural and planning.

He called on the government and other development agencies working in the sector to support organizations such as Zoomlion and others to lead the sanitation crusade.

"In my view the NSD program would have been long dead if it was not for Zoomlion's committed support and in spite of that support, it is very evident now that the NSD will not solve the country's endemic sanitation challenges.'

Dr Manteaw said what is needed is commitment and trusted collaboration on the part of government and all stakeholders to work with private sector leaders such as Zoomlion to use their technical and operational expertise to manage the situation.

Any serious effort to address the sanitation problem in the country should take an integrated and simultaneous approach and approaches should be planned for long term results, he said.

He said: "these are critical requirements and until government works together with the requisite stakeholders to pull resources together to transform the current situation, these occasional sanitation days will only be an expression of desire and nothing more.'

GNA
13.02.2016 LISTEN

Accra, Feb. 13, GNA - First Lady Lordina Mahama on Thursday pledged to impress on government to allocate adequate resources for the provision of comprehensive sexual reproductive health services for adolescents.

This, she said, would enable African governments to initiate and implement key actions, towards reversing the negative HIV and AIDS trends among adolescents.

"For far too long, this area of intervention has suffered neglect by partners on the scale that is required."

Mrs Mahama, who was speaking at the launch of the United Continental "All-in" adolescent HIV campaign as part of their three-day Seventh Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights, urged her colleagues to take advantage of their unique positions in the society to implement the standards in the fight.

The programme was also attended by First Ladies from Kenya,Chad, Mali, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, the Ivory Coast and Guinea Bissau.

The "All-in" campaign is focused on engaging, mobilizing and empowering adolescents as leaders and actors of social change and improving data collection to better informed programming.

It would also encourage innovative approaches to reach adolescents with essential HIV services adapted to their needs and place adolescents HIV firmly on the political agenda to spur concrete action and mobilize resources.

The First Lady expressed dissatisfaction at the slow reduction figures in new infections among adolescents adding that the girls were the most affected.

"Yet data specific to the adolescent age groups, 10-14 and 15-19 is almost non-existent... And you and I have to do something quickly."

Mrs Mahama said although AIDS related deaths were declining in most of the age groups the same could not be said of adolescents thus between the ages of 10 and 19 making it the leading cause of death among adolescents in Africa and the second leading cause of deaths among adolescents globally.

She appealed to the traditional authorities to lend their support for the fight against the disease particularly among the adolescents throughout the country.

Dr Angela El-Adas, Director General of the Ghana AIDS commission, said Ghana has been able to reduce new infections by over 56 percent over the years as opposed to the global increase of new infections.

She said research shows that girls between the ages of 15 and 24 had multiple partners and unprotected sex and thereby exposing themselves to the risks involved in their practices.

Lack of access to services, she said, contributed immensely to the high prevalence adding that "those who are informed make better choices."

There were messages from other First Ladies pertaining to the countries and various initiatives were adopted to help curb the spread of the disease. GNA
Accra, Feb. 13, GNA - Trial of a woman, who allegedly inserted artificial penis into a co- tenant's vagina after making her drunk has begun at an Accra Circuit Court.

Queenie Akuffo, a student, charged with unnatural carnal knowledge, pleaded not guilty.

The victim, who mounted the dock narrated to the Court what transpired between her and Queenie on the day of the incident.

Led in evidence by Detective Inspector Judith B Asante, she told the Court that she has been washing the clothes of the accused person.

She said on January 25, the accused person asked her (victim) younger sister to call her and she obliged.

The first prosecution witness said on reaching the accused person's house, she met her drinking.

Queenie, the witness said, offered her some of the drink but she declined and after some insistence from Queenie she drank as requested.

Later, witness said, Queenie asked her (victim's) younger sister to buy two more bottles of beer and she drank them.

Witness contended that she could not see anything again until she found herself at the hospital.

Prosecuting Detective Inspector Judith B. Asante told the Court that Comfort Sam is the complainant and mother of the victim.

Prosecution said accused person and the victim both reside at Ablekuma and are tenants in the same house.

On January 25, at about 1800hrs Queenie sent the victim's younger sister, a witness in the case to go and call the victim and the witness obliged.

Detective Inspector Asante said when the victim arrived, Queenie offered her Vodka beer and other beer varieties to drink after which the victim got intoxicated and Queenie lured her into her bedroom.

The prosecution said Queenie asked other witnesses around to leave and she locked her bedroom.

Detective Inspector Asante said a 13 -year- old witness went to peep through the window of the accused and saw Queenie inserting the artificial penis into the victim's vagina.

The witness informed the victim's brother known as Nana Sasu and he also alerted her mother (the complainant).

The prosecution said witnesses rushed to the aid of the victim and saw her lying naked in the accused person bedroom with vomit all over her.

Prosecution said as victim was unconscious she was rushed to the hospital after obtaining a medical form from the Police station.

The Police proceeded to the scene and apprehended Queenie and a search into her room revealed an empty Vodka beer, star beer bottles, and bottles of Orijin alcoholic beverages.

According to the prosecutor, the artificial penis was found on top of the accused person's wardrobe and a video recording of the act was on Queenie's 'Infinix mobile phone.

Prosecution said Queenie in her caution statement to the Police admitted the offence.

The Court presided over by Mrs Abena Oppong Adjin-Doku admitted Queenie to bail in the sum of GH 40,000 cedis with three sureties.

Hearing continues on February 24.

GNA
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Accra, Feb. 13, GNA - Alhaji Alhassan Bene, the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Zongo Caucus, says the Caucus is targeting 100 percent of votes from the Zongo communities in the November polls.

He said the caucus was hopeful of achieving the target due to the massive developmental projects across the country, especially in the Zongo communities that President Mahama led administration had embarked upon.

Alhaji Benne made this known at a campaign launch by the Caucus to kick start its campaign within the Okaikoi North Constituency in the Greater Accra Region.

He said President Mahama has shown great performance in development and excellence in providing long lasting solutions to major challenges confronting the country over the years hence the Caucus's optimism of achieving the stated percentage for the party.

He said President Mahama led administration has taken developmental to the doorsteps of the people of which the people in the Zongo communities are part of the beneficiaries.

Alhaji Benne, who is also the former Chairman of the National Hajj Committee, said developmental projects such as construction of roads, schools, health facilities, drainages, water among others are the priorities of the NDC government.

These projects, he said, would attract Ghanaians to vote massively for the NDC come November, adding that the Airports at Tamale and Kumasi would help in airlifting prospective pilgrims to Accra to embark on Hajj pilgrimage.

He appealed to Ghanaians especially the Zongo youth to apply for the Youth in Entrepreneur program which according to him would help reduce unemployment in the country.

He also called on the youth to be innovative and come out with programs that would create jobs for themselves.

Alhaji Zakaria Muntari, Greater Accra Regional Treasurer of the Caucus, said the recent tour by President Mahama across the country has exposed the New Patriotic Party's lies about what they described as incompetence on the part of President Mahama led administration.

He said the the tour revealed the hard work of the NDC in the changing lives and transforming Ghana and the living standards of the people, adding that the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Kasoa interchange, Ho University were hallmarks of the Better Ghana Agenda.

GNA
Accra, Feb. 13, GNA - Mr Bernard Gyebi, Chief Risk and Compliance Officer at Agricultural Development Bank (adb), has commended both new and existing customers for their participation in the bank's 'deposit and win' promotion.

'The interest shown by customers has been impressive and to ensure that nobody is left out we have extended the promotion to the end of March,' he said.

Mr Gyebi was presenting awards to the third batch of 10 winners of the "deposit and win promotion."

The 'deposit and win promotion' which was launched in October last year was aimed at rewarding both existing and new customers with amazing gifts ranging from air time, sleek smart mobile phones, adb Branded souvenirs, 42 and 32 inch LED television.

'At adb we believe everyone is a winner and this promotion is our way of thanking both our existing and new customers for doing business with us,' he said.

According to Mr. Gyebi the promotion also aims at inculcating into the Ghanaian the habit of saving and urged both new and existing customers to keep on depositing to increase their chances of winning the 32 and 42 inch LED television set in the grand draw.

Mr Wang Yu, an award winner, thanked the bank for the prize and urged the general public to cultivate the habit of saving.

'We should save no matter how small the amount for a better tomorrow,' he said. GNA
Accra, Feb. 13, GNA - The Ghana Mine Workers Union (GMWU) has called for immediate reinstatement of the security personnel at the Anglogold Ashanti Obuasi Mine, saying it is interested in the events that led to their withdrawal.

In a statement signed by Prince William Ankrah, General Secretary of the Union on Friday, said the Union was not happy with the 'abrupt withdrawal of the military from the company's concession; mindful of the ever present threat and danger posed by the illegal miners.'

The statement followed the death of AngloGold's Head of Communications John Owusu, who was run over by a company vehicle in an attempt to escape from some illegal miners ('galamsey') who attacked him and others on February 6.

The statement condemned in no uncertain terms the bizarre and barbaric developments by the illegal miners.

It said it was increasingly getting worried with the Government's slow posture in dealing with the 'galamsey' menace in spite of the colossal damage their activities were impacting on the mining industry and the environment at large.

The statement said AngloGold Ashanti's concession at Obuasi is one of the biggest gold deposits in the country and if such strategic national asset could come under attack and receive such sluggish response, then anything could happen to smaller concessions and ancillary companies in the industry.

'It is important to underscore that the shameful development in Obuasi has serious implications and far reaching consequences for the industry and the country in the eyes of the international investor community as well as the other stakeholders if not attended to with the urgency it deserves,' it said.

The statement said, currently, the company's management, in a desperate move to protect life and property, has initiated an adhoc plan that has affected close to two hundred direct jobs and many more indirect jobs.

This, in no doubt, has exacerbated the current operational predicaments of a company that has scaled down operations for re-engineering purposes in recent times, it said.

The statement said the Union expressed its deepest condolences to the family of John Owusu, Head of Communications.

In a related development, the Union also expressed concerned about the AngloGold Ashanti-Randgold Partnership, which was intended to usher in the operational phase of the turnaround processes but got abrogated under strange circumstances.

The statement said the Union was aware that AngloGold Ashanti had not elapsed the period of its turnaround activities but information reaching the Union indicates that the company could not single-handedly resuscitate the Obuasi operations.

'In our view, however, we see the development as a great investment opportunity for government to take advantage of the public private partnership arrangement, venture into mining in a large scale and up its stake to leverage on such partnership deals and increase its influence in the formal subsector of the industry.'

It said the experience of former Ashanti Gold Fields operations prior to the introduction of the Economic Recovery Program that subsequently attracted foreign direct investment (FDI) into the sector in the late 1980s could help.

GNA
13.02.2016 LISTEN

Accra, Feb. 13, GNA - Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Under-Secretary General of the United Nations on Friday congratulated President Dramani Mahama on his appointment as the Co-chair, SDG's eminent advocates.

He said it is very critical that the president has been chosen to lead the process which is about national leadership and countries coming together to make it achievable.

He was speaking at the launch of the sustainable development goals in Ghana and the commemoration of President Mahama's appointment as Co-chair of the SDGs eminent advocates group by the United Nation Secretary General.

He said the sustainability of the SDG is the responsibility of leadership of member states.

Dr Osotimehin said the SDG which has 17 goals and mainly about fighting inequality, ending poverty and ending climate change is to help transform the continent and the world at large.

He called on African leaders to educate and invest in the youth who are its biggest assets.

Madam Hege Hertzbery, the Norwegian Ambassador, said the 17 SDGs is a plan of actions for people and it would be effective if we consider partnership and sustainable investment models to scale up the monies involved.

She said internationally, countries have agreed on a road map for the future that would leave no one behind.

She said it has proven difficult for the Millennium Development Goals to be attained in places where conflicts are prevalent, adding that poverty inequality, forced marriage and conflicts are global challenges that affect all and efforts to stop them cannot wait.

She said 'as Africans we would succeed if we work together and if we achieve the SDGs we can be the generation that ends extreme poverty and stops climate change.

Miss Christine Evans-Klock, United Nations Resident Coordinator said the SDG's are worthy goals in their own rights but provide a solid ground to the development of the continent if they are implemented, adding that their attainment in the next 15 years would create an enabling environment for the development of the world.

She expressed appreciation to the President for his role in developing and promoting the SDGs, saying the UN would continue to work together and provide support to governments for them to continuously express their interest in the SGDs.

GNA
Accra, Feb. 13, GNA - President John Dramani Mahama, would from Sunday, February 14, pay a state visit to Iran in consonance with other world leaders who have been to Tehran in the immediate post-sanctions era.

President Mahama, who would be visiting Tehran at the invitation of President Hassan Rouhani, will hold bilateral discussions and address a joint press conference on Sunday.

A statement from the Flagstaff House Communications Bureau and copied to the Ghana News Agency said the two leaders would also preside over the signing of Memoranda of Understanding and attend an Official Luncheon in honour of President John Mahama.

President Mahama according to the statement would also meet the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and hold discussions with the Speaker of Majlis (Parliament), Dr Ali Larijani.

The statement said Ghana and Iran have a long standing relationship as members of the Non-Aligned Movement.

It said in 2014, during a visit to Ghana by former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the two countries established a Permanent Joint Commission.

With seven Iranian companies investing over $8.6 million in the Ghanaian economy, President Mahama would at a Business Forum in Tehran push for more Ghana- Iran Business Collaboration, with Ghanaian entities exploring export markets in Iran.

Ghana would be seeking partnerships in rice farming and processing, agro-processing and mining, to expand production and export to Iran.

Iranian investments in Ghana have so far been in the manufacturing sector, with two new Iranian companies establishing businesses here in Ghana.

President Mahama would visit a power plant and meet with Ghanaians in Iran before returning to Accra.

GNA
Accra, Feb. 13, GNA - A health, safety and environment group called Hybrid Ghana Limited (HGL), which aims at providing a hazard free environment as well as reducing occupational accidents in the country, has been launched in Accra.

HGL, a local group with global and international appeals, has the primary goal of training corporate communities in the country with both local and international standards, Mr Dapo Omolade, Technical Director of HGL, said in Accra.

Addressing stakeholders at the official launch of HGL, Mr Omolade said the group which had integrity, commitment and excellence as its values would help reduce cost and promote safety in the country.

With our presence in Nigeria, United Kingdom, United States of America, we thought it wise to bring HGL to the knowledge of the corporate community of Ghana to position health safety on a higher pedestal, he said.

'We are bringing what is worthy and done in previous countries to Ghana,' he said.

Mr Omolade said apart from promoting health, safety and environment, HGL was also a training and consulting services firm that organises awareness creation programmes to the health and safety professionals in the country.

Dr Mrs Bernice Welbeck, Acting Executive Secretary, National Labour Commission, lauded HGL for an initiative that would not only promote health safety in the country but at the various offices in the country.

She called for safety and safety consciousness in the various workplaces and noted that there is the need for safety departments in all organisations.

Mr Fred Ohene Mensah, Chief Inspector of Factories, Department of Factories Inspections, said HGL would help ensure that health and safety is not compromised in the country.

'Every person has the right to work under healthy and safe environment, and we are going to prosecute people who are not making that worthwhile for their employees,' he said.

Mr Ohene Mensah said the Department of Factories Inspections was going to pass a bill that would give roles, rights and responsibilities to workers and employees to ensure operational safety.

'In the new bill no one can employ any one without education, hence our collaboration with HGL,' he said.

Opanin Obeng-Fosu, Former Chief Labour Officer, said the launch was appropriate as workers needed to work in healthy safety environment.

He said accidents at work places are inevitable and workers as well as employees needed not to be exposed to environmental hazards.

The launch brought together communities and other stakeholders in Accra to deliberate on issues of health safety and the appropriate ways of promoting them.

There was also a free training for 20 participant and certificates were awarded to them, Mr Omolade told the Ghana News Agency in an interview at the launch.

GNA
13.02.2016 LISTEN

Accra, Feb. 13, GNA - Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Minister Hannah Tetteh will on Friday, February 19, apprise a closed sitting of Parliament on Ghana's hosting of the two former detainees of the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.

The two Yemeni's - Mahmoud Omar Mohammed Bin Atef, 36, and Khalid Shayk Mohammed, 34 - were transferred from the Guantanamo Bay prison Ghana by the United States government.

The presence of the two has generated public discussion as to the safety and security of Ghanaians in relation to their backgrounds as ex-convicts from a known US terrorist detention and correctional facility.

But the US government maintains that the two pose no threat to the safety of Ghanaians.

Two weeks ago, a member of the House raised the issue why it was not pencilled for discussion in the next week's business statement.

The Speaker Edward Adjaho informed the House that the Clerks at Table had drawn his attention to the issue, waiting to be discussed by the House.

The member in question, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, MP for Manhyia South, quoted Article 75 (1) and (2) of the 1992 Constitution, wondering why the matter was not put on the Business Statement for upcoming week despite its serious nature, to which Majority Leader Alban Bagbin responded that the issue had not come before the Business Committee.

Many other legislators, mainly from the Minority side, have raised concerns with government's acceptance of the two Yemeni's and have stated that government should have brought the issue, which President John Mahama has said did not include monetary consideration, before the peoples representatives in Parliament.

GNA
(E/R) Nsawam, Feb. 13, GNA - The Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing has deployed services of water tankers to residents in the Nsawam-Adoagiri Municipality to help alleviate the acute water shortage of the area.

The water tanker services are to serve six towns and villages including Medie, Ntoaso No.1, Ntoaso No.2, Owuraku, Hebron and Adoagiri.

The deployment of the water tankers is being executed by the Ghana Water Company Limited, National Disaster and Management Organisation and National Security Secretariat.

An excavator has also been deployed to dredge the Densu River to allow the flow of underground fresh water to enhance the water level at the Nsawam treatment plant.

During a visit to the treatment plant by a team from the sector ministry and the Ghana water company led by Mr Samuel Yaw Adusei, Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, the Ghana News Agency observed that the Densu River was virtually dried up.

The river, which is the major fresh water source for the 2.5million gallon capacity treatment plant, is filled with so much silt that the team could walk on a dry river bed.

The river with a maximum level of 17metres had dropped to its minimum level of two metres and the intake pipe which is normally buried in the river to feed the plants with fresh water is currently hanging at five metres above the current water level.

Mr Adusei said as part of the Ministry's long term goal, a 500 million gallon reservoir would be built to ensure the availability of fresh water and keep the treatment plant functioning.

He said the current situation of the river could also be ascribed to factors such as climate change, severity of the harmattan weather and farming activities along the banks of the river.

Mr Adusei said with the help of the national security they intend to stop any human activities along water resources and this is besides the conduct of a geophysical survey to test the viability of ground water to aid the supply of water for the area.

GNA
IVA Struggling with debt? Compare your debt options and write off up to 80% of your unsecured debts  from 80 per month Get Started for free

What is an IVA? With an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) you can make affordable monthly payments towards a percentage of your debt for 5 years. At the end of the 5 year plan, your remaining debt will be completely written off.

Benefits of an IVA

Here is a list of the cost common advantages of an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA):



 Affordability  You will only be asked to pay back what you can afford, with allowances taken into account for food, bills, entertainment, travel, childcare and others. You may be sacrificing certain essential costs at the moment. With an IVA they are budgeted for so they will no longer be neglected

 No upfront costs  When you set up an IVA, there are no upfront costs whatsoever. This means that you can put a debt solution in place today without spending a penny

 You have a finishing line  Do you feel like there will be no end to your debt problems? With high interest costs and charges, the balances of your credit accounts may not reduce as you need them to. With an IVA you will become totally debt free at the completion of the IVA (usually 5 years). You can use this as an opportunity to change your financial life, for good

 Confidential  Your IVA is not advertised in the London Gazette or local newspaper. It is your decision whether you would like to disclose it to other people or not

 No more contact from creditors  When you are in an IVA, your creditors will no longer have the right to contact you or refer the debt on to debt collectors/bailiffs. This is a great benefit for most people as it will take away the stress caused by constant calls/texts/emails and home visits

 Stay in your house  Unlike some debt solutions, an IVA will allow you to stay in your current home. This is even the case if the property has a mortgage or is owned outright

 Your pension  An IVA does not have an impact on your pension. You will not have to surrender your pension or withdraw money from it to pay into your IVA

Risks of an IVA

Here is a list of the cost common disadvantages of an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA):

Equity Release  If you own your property and it has value, you may be asked to release the equity in the property

Credit Rating  If you have a perfect credit rating, this will be damaged and you will not be allowed to take out more debt whilst in an arrangement

You must keep up with repayments  If you do not keep up with your monthly repayments, there is a risk you will be made bankrupt

Who qualifies for an IVA?

There is no office guidelines to who qualifies for an IVA. It is a legally binding, Government legislation designed to help all people. Generally speaking, insolvency practitioners (IP) will look at your situation if they think the IVA proposal they submit is beneficial to both yourself (the debtor) and your creditors. This often restricts people to a certain criteria which you will have to meet:

Over 5000 worth of unsecured debt You must have 2 or more creditors of 2 or more lines of credit Must live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland Must be insolvent Must be willing to pay at least 70 per month into their IVA Must have some type or types of regular income

What debts can I include in an IVA?

You can include a wide range of unsecured debts within your IVA. These include:

Credit card debt/credit cards

Loans/loan debt

Payday loans

Council tax arrears

HMRC debt

Overpaid benefits

Catalogues

Gas and electricity arrears

Overdrafts/overdraft debt

Water arrears

Income tax arrears

Debts to friends and family

Other unsecured debts

Note: If you are a resident of Scotland, you will need to apply for a Scottish Trust Deed (legally binding). Speak to our advisors for Scottish Debt Advice.

What debts cant be included in an IVA?

Secured loans

Your mortgage (if you still live in the house)

Car finance (if you still have the car)

Rent arrears for your current property

Court fines/Police fines

Hire purchase arrears (if you still have the product)

Log book loans (if you still have the vehicle that the debts are secured on)

Student loans

Other secured debts

What does I.V.A stand for?

IVA stands for Individual Voluntary Arrangement. It is a formal way to consolidate your debts into one affordable monthly repayment, resulting in the debtor becoming debt free at the end of their payments.

Can I apply for an IVA online?

Use the IVA Calculator to check your eligibility Prepare your IVA proposal and apply for your IVA. When your IVA is accepted, your creditors can no longer contact you. Pay 60 low monthly payments. After 5 years, you are out of your IVA and completely debt free.

Will an IVA affect my employment?

In most occupations, your credit rating or credit scoring is not a factor and it may never have been checked in the past, it may also be likely that it is not checked in the future either.

There is no law to tell you that you must advise your employer that you have entered an IVA or that you owe money. They will not be notified by your insolvency practitioner. If you wanted to keep it a private matter, in most cases this would be absolutely fine. With some roles such as financial advisors, solicitors or bank workers it may make up part of your contract to advise them of changes like this. In these situations we would advise to inform your employers of your intentions before you enter into any arrangements. This way there will be no nasty surprises for you later down the line. More often than not, we find that your employer would not be concerned by your IVA and that it would not affect your employment status. An IVA is a formal solution and could affect some employments, such as if you were a solicitor or accountant for example. We would always recommend that you receive approval from your employers that your job isnt affected before you sign up for anything.

Will an IVA impact my partner?

There are certain situations where you may not want to involve your partner at all in your IVA proposal due to personal reasons. Insolvency Practitioners are very aware of these circumstances and can operate solely via telephone and email and at your convenience, so rest assured that your matters can be kept completely private.

If the debts which you are looking to place into your IVA are in joint names, then this would be different. Your IP would look to place all of your debts into an IVA, including joint debts therefore you would have to inform your partner of your plans.

If your debts are solely yours, then there would be no negative impact on your partner, their credit score would remain unaffected and they would not be entered onto any registers or be tainted in any way.

Will an IVA affect my credit score/credit file?

Whilst you are in your arrangement, you will not be able to get any credit. An IVA will stay on your credit file for 6 years, so 12 months after a typical IVA. When this time has passed and your monthly payments have ended, you will be able to rebuild your credit rating.

What proof will I need to apply for an IVA?

Proof of ID  Passport/driving license/birth certificate/utility bills/national insurance identification/credit agreement Bank statements  3 months bank statements with all transactions displayed Proof of income  3 months payslips/P60/proof of benefits

How long does it take to set up an IVA?

Your initial call will only last around 5-10 minutes. The IVA process will be explained to you and you will be told what further information you will need to provide to proceed with your IVA proposal. Once you have returned the required information, an IVA will usually take between 7-14 days to get into place. You will be protected from creditors within this time, your advisor will provide you with documentation via email.

How long does an IVA last?

Most IVAs will last for a length of five years. The i v a will remain on your credit file for a period of six years and is placed on the Insolvency Register for that period. You can work out what date it will be removed from your credit file, it will be six years from the start date of the IVA term. So if the IVA started on 1 January 2000, it should be removed from your credit file six years from that date, which would be 1 January 2006. When you apply for an individual voluntary arrangement your Insolvency Practitioner (IP) will tell you if you qualify for an IVA, how long it lasts, how much it costs and provide you with any other debt advice which you may need.

How much will debt advice cost for an Individual Voluntary Arrangement?

The advice cost for individual voluntary arrangements is free of charge. Your I.V.A company will tell you if you qualify for an IVA. They will talk to you about your different debts, provide you with free debt advice and check if your creditors are likely to approve your proposal for your IVA for debt.

How does an IVA affect your life?

By taking out an IVA you may affect your overall financial position. You will not be allowed to take out credit for 6 years. You will struggle to get a mortgage or remortgage your existing property. It also may affect any future increase in earnings or windfalls you may receive, as these will need to be paid to your insolvency practitioner. Your insolvency practitioner will take control of your debts for this period, they will deal with all of your creditors and this is legally binding. That means you will not be allowed to take out any more debts whilst in the IVA.

Once the plan is completed, any debts which you accrue will be managed by yourself. Your ability to take out further debts in the future will not be impacted once the IVA has completed.

What is the IVA protocol?

The I.V.A protocol is a voluntary set of guidelines which your Insolvency Practitioner (IP) can sign up for which improves the efficiency of Individual Voluntary Arrangements. When you apply for debt advice, it is important that you understand the steps of the debt solution, so you can decide whether or not the solution is the best one for your circumstances.

How do I know if creditors will accept my IVA?

Generally speaking, most creditors will approve voluntary arrangements for unsecured debt. But some debts can not be included within one formal debt solution. Your Insolvency Practitioner will tell you how likely it is that your creditors will be willing to accept your proposal, based on the voting creditors.

Can I pay in one lump sum?

There are occasions when you may be eligible for a debt solution which is payable in a one off lump sum as a final settlement to your creditors. This is usually when the money is being gifted from some one else, or you have received inheritance or a windfall for example. With a one-off lump sum payment, the advice is usually the same as when you normally apply for an IVA. You wouldnt have to make regular payments into the solution, your IP can provide you with more advice on one off lump sum solutions for your debts. Your IP will provide you with more advice on the debt IVA and explain what is IVA to you.

Who regulates the debt industry?

At present the debt industry is not regulated. Some Insolvency Practitioners offices choose to sign up to the Insolvency Practitioners Association (IPA) or register with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). You can contact the IPA using the contact details or email address on their website. Your creditors do not regulate the debt industry and your creditors will not be able to impact any decisions which the IPA or FCA make. In our experience, the regulators will take assertive action on any advisers or businesses which do not comply with their strict codes of practice. To check if a person is regulated by the FCA, enter their name into the search box in the FCA website.

Should I use a debt charity?

There are thousands of companies which provide debt help in the UK. You may be looking for an alternative to a private company. You should know that charities usually pass their fee charging products to sister companies which charge fees and disbursements, just like private companies. So what you initially thought was a good option, on further analysis could be different to what you originally thought. Charities do have their part to play though. They can help you if you have a problem with your bank accounts, maintenance arrears, living costs, credit reference agencies, child support arrears, bankruptcy, assets, accountancy issues, mortgages, creditor issues, insurance providers, mobiles, your bank account, rates arrears, PAYE contributions or if you want to work out your expenditure. They can make sure that you speak to an adviser or supervisor and look at proposals to offer your lender. A petition has started with the possibility of a debate in parliament about how charities represent themselves and their services.

Which charities help with debt?

You can contact Money Advice Service, National Debtline, Step Change, Shelter or a combination of the three. Charities are particular useful for a low debt level under 1,000. If the debt is high (such as a debt value of 10,000 or more) you would usually seek an assessment from a professional adviser. If you do decide to use a charity to guide you, make sure you check their charity number and the registration number on their website to make sure you are content that their team can answer your questions in the right ways. A lot of clients of charities have a minimum debt level which does not meet the basis for an IVA, so you could always chat to a charity that is happy to act on your behalf for low debt levels.

Although an I.V.A could be the answer to your debt problem, its important to understand the monthly payment so call us on our free phone number. Anyone customers can receive expert feedback on their rights from debt charities, if they cant help they will usually point you in the director of firms which help with IVAs.

We are homeowners, will lenders see my proposal differently?

In some cases yes. In the majority of cases, if you are a homeowner you will not need to remortgage or take out any additional finances that will effect your property. You will need to sign a additional restrictions which remove your ability to take out additional credit tied to your property, which is something that is restricted once you are in an i.v.a. There are exceptions to this, such as when you have a lot of equity in your property/properties. If you own half of a property and another party owns the other half, only your equity will be affected.

If you are landlord and you are in a position of equity, your IP may review your trading position or business to make sure the figures in question are in order. This is usually the case if you have two or more properties, as sometimes the equity can be used to form a repayment to your creditors. But this usually depends on the amount of value built up in your properties.

Banks and building societies will not change the terms of your mortgage as long as a contribution is still being made for the duration of your arrangement. Your mortgage payments will be added to your expenses and accounted for within your budget, as long as you can provide evidence that you can afford to continue to make payments into your mortgage for duration of the plan.

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February 13, 2016 Obama Nips ISIS - Putin Pounds It 12 Times Harder How a U.S. propaganda line dissolves into embarrassment. Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said at a briefing on Wednesday that at most, only 10% of Russian strikes are hitting the terrorist group ISIS (also known as the Islamic State, ISIL, and Daesh) in Syria. --- In a report posted Thursday on its website, the [Russian Ministry of Defense] noted that its jets flew 510 combat sorties and hit 1,888 terrorist objects in Syria. The previous weeks report claimed 464 sorties that hit a total of 1,354 terrorist objects. Daily reports from the U.S. military for the same period indicate a much lower level of activity: 16 targets struck in Syria. ---

x * 16 = 1,888 * 0.1

x ~= 12 Posted by b on February 13, 2016 at 9:33 UTC | Permalink Comments
February 13, 2016

The "Race To Raqqa" Is Quickly Intensifying

This is a look at the larger picture of forces developing around Syria. Several foreign armies are aggregating at the Syrian borders with the intent to invade Syria and to occupy its eastern part. But before we dive into that, a short look at the curious situation developing in the north-west.

Near Azaz the U.S. ally Turkey is currently shelling (video) the U.S. ally YPG which is fighting the CIA supported FSA.



map by AFP(?) - bigger

The Syrian-Kurdish YPG troops were heavily supported by the U.S. in their fight against the Islamic State in north-eastern Syria. Under U.S. tutelage they united with Arab anti-IS fighters under the label Syrian Democratic Forces.

In north-west Syria the SDF has used the recent success of the Syrian army against Jihadis in the area to take northern parts of the Azaz corridor which once connected Aleppo to Turkey. That corridor is held by a mixture of al-Qaeda Jihadist from Jabhat al-Nusra, "Turkmen" Islamists from various Turk speaking countries and local Islamist gangs supported by the CIA under the label Free Syrian Army. All three get money and weapons from Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

The Syrian army is moving north and south from the red strip in the map. The SDF is moving east from the Kurdish enclave around Afrin. During the last days the SDF, supported by the Russian airforce, captured the Minnagh airbase which was held by al-Qaeda aligned forces. The SDF then proceeded north to take Azaz, the last major town the Turkish supported Islamist are holding in the area.

Turkey today used 155mm artillery to fire from Turkey against SDF positions on Minnagh airbase and around Azaz. There will be Turkish special forces observers in Syria to direct the fire.

The NATO member Turkey is shelling the YPG, which is backed by Russia and the U.S., and the SDF which is backed by the U.S. for attacking the FSA and Islamists who are backed by the U.S., Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

A nice little clusterfuck the smart (not) girls and boys around Obama created.

But as described here two days ago in The Race To Raqqa Is On, a much bigger clusterfuck is currently in the making in and all around Syria.

The Russian and Syrian airforce will likely respond to the Turkish attack with an intensified bombing of positions held by Turkish proxy forces in Syria. Those forces just received new artillery ammunition and new TOW anti-tank missiles.

There is yet unconfirmed news that this situation will escalate very fast:

The Int'l Spectator @intlspectator

BREAKING: Turkish official says there will be a 'massive escalation' in Syria over next 24 hours.

The Turkish Foreign Minister said today that the fight against ISIS must include (Turkish) ground operations.

The Syrian government and its Iranian and Russian allies are determined to liberate the whole country from the foreign supported terrorists and the Islamic State. The want to keep the country united.

The aim of outside forces, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, the UAE, the U.S., Britain, France is to occupy east Syria to gain political concession from the Syrian government and its allies. They will demand the reconfiguration of the independent, secular Syrian state under President Assad into a dependent Sunni Islamist entity. Should that demand not be fulfilled they will form a new "Sunnistan" Islamist protectorate from the currently ISIS held carcasses of east Syria and west-Iraq.

Turkey today threatened further and wider attacks on Kurdish held areas in Syria. The Turkish 2nd Army is positioned to attack Syria from the north. It could come through the ISIS held corridor between Azaz in the west and Jarablus in the east and move south towards the Islamic State held Raqqa while other forces, see below, would reach Raqqa from the south and south east. Syria would be thus split into a government held western half and an ISIS and U.S. allies held eastern half.

Russian advisers have trained one Syrian brigade specifically for the purpose of holding off a Turkish invasion. But that brigade is probably not a big enough deterrence for the large Turkish forces and could soon be overwhelmed.

The Saudis today claimed again that Assad must be overthrown to defeat the Islamic State. That is of course nonsense but the Saudi family dictatorship has a personal grudge against Assad. The Syrian President once called the Saudis "only half men". (IMHO He was too generous.)

Twenty Saudi F-15 jets arrived today in Incirlik airbase in Turkey to, allegedly, join the U.S. coalition force against the Islamic State. The Saudis also promised to send ground forces if those would fight under some allied command "against ISIS". The United Arab Emirates promised to send special forces for the same purpose. Some Saudi ground forces have already been observed making their way through Jordan.

At least 1,600 British troops with heavy weapons and equipment are currently arriving in Jordan. The Brits claim that this is just for some normal training maneuver but we can expect the British government to paid off enough by the Gulf Arabs to take part in the fight. The British units would likely lead a Saudi/UAE/(maybe also Egyptian?) combined force from east Jordan up through the Syrian desert towards Raqqa and Deir Ezzor. These forces are currently explained as "trainers" who will enter Syria to instigate Syrian Arab tribes to fight ISIS. If there were enough forces in such tribes at all, these could be trained in Jordan. There is currently no Syrian or Russian force in the desert that could prevent such a move.

An additional brigade from the U.S. 101st Airborne is deploying to Iraq without much public announcement. Its task is an invasion of Syria from the south-east along the Euphrates to first capture Deir Ezzor and to then move on to Raqqa.

The Syrian army is on its way to ISIS held Raqqa to prevent any foreign force reaching there first. It will have to hurry up. The race to Raqqa is intensifying.

The Russians have alarmed several airborne brigades and air transport units of their Southern command to be ready for a fast intervention should such troops be needed in Syria. The Russians could airdrop an airborne brigade into the government held, ISIS besieged parts of Deir Ezzor (vid) to prevent that city from being attacked or taken over by Saudi and/or U.S. forces. Two additional Russian missile ships are on their way to the Syrian coast. They carry long distance Kalibr cruise missiles which can be used against other ships as well as against land targets.

Iran is ready to send as many men from its Revolutionary Guard and Quds brigades to Syria as are needed to sustain the governments fight. These folks salivate over the prospect of having some regular Saudi forces for breakfast.

There are active attempts to draw all NATO nations into the phony "fight against ISIS". When the war over Syria gets hotter NATO will likely try to create diversions elsewhere to keep Russia distracted from reacting properly in Syria. The U.S. will tell its Ukrainian puppet government to reengage in massive attacks on Russian supported Ukrainian rebels in east Ukraine.

The war against Syria, waged by the U.S., Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, was so far carried out by proxy forces and foreign mercenaries within Syria's borders. When the Syrian government was on the verge of losing the successful Russian intervention turned the war around. German intelligence no asserts (in German) that the Syrian government is winning the war against the foreign supported forces.

As the war by proxy against Syria has now failed, the anti-Syrian powers have decided to join the action on the ground with their own forces. The "fight against ISIS" (which the Syrians and Russian are fighting more than anybody else) is now the pretext to capture eastern Syria, to split the country in half and to destroy the Syrian government and state.

The "civil war" in Syria is now developing into an large international conflagration over the future of Syria and the whole Middle East.

Meanwhile the Islamic State, confused by this U.S. created clusterfuck in Iraq and Syria, decides to relocate its headquarters from Iraq and Syria to Libya, the other failed state and Charly Foxtrot the U.S. (F, UK) recently created. There it will find rich oil fields, lots of new weapons and no capable enemies.

Posted by b on February 13, 2016 at 19:30 UTC | Permalink

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Robert Allen Clark, 38, of 451 Old N.C. 18, in Morganton, was issued a warrant for arrest Thursday for domestic criminal trespassing and breaking and entering, according to documents from the clerk of courts office. Clark entered the home of his wife, with whom he is separated, after being forbidden to go onto the premises and/or remaining in the premises after being ordered to leave, according to the arrest warrant.
HOUSTON (AP)  Prosecutors face a tough road in their case against a former priest accused this week in the killing of a young Texas teacher and beauty queen nearly 56 years ago, according to legal experts.

John Bernard Feit, 83, remained in custody Friday in Phoenix following his indictment in South Texas' Hidalgo County for the murder of 25-year-old Irene Garza.

Feit had been considered a suspect in the past, and two fellow priests told authorities he confessed to them. But like many cold cases, this one will pose special difficulties stemming from decades-old evidence, a lack of DNA and the long delay in bringing charges.

"These are challenges that are not unsurmountable, but they are going to be looked at very carefully by the defense," said Philip Hilder, a Houston criminal defense attorney and former federal prosecutor.

Authorities allege the then-27-year-old Feit killed Garza on April 16, 1960, after hearing her confession at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, where he was a priest.

Her body was found days later. An autopsy determined Garza, who was named Miss All South Texas Sweetheart 1958, had been raped while unconscious and was beaten and suffocated.

Feit's arrest Tuesday followed other investigations over the years, including a grand jury probe in 2004 that concluded there was insufficient evidence to charge him.

"We thought the whole thing was settled. This has been going on for 50 years now," said Matthias Feit, John Feit's 92-year-old brother.

Matthias Feit, from Phoenix, said he did not know if his sibling had hired an attorney. Court records in Arizona did not list a lawyer for him.

John Feit has said he plans to fight extradition to Texas. While extradition is the first problem prosecutors will face, it probably will not be the most difficult one.

Hilder said prosecutors will have to confront concerns about the age of the evidence and how well it has been maintained. Some witnesses might be dead, and others may have dim memories.

Houston criminal defense attorney Grant Scheiner said the long delay in filing charges could raise concerns about whether the elderly Feit will be physically and mentally able to help in his defense.

"At some point, a case can become so old that it may be nearly impossible for a defendant to be able to put on a competent defense," he said.

Hidalgo County District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez has declined to comment on what evidence was presented to the grand jury, saying in a statement that authorities would not elaborate until after the extradition process.

Rene Guerra, the former Hidalgo County district attorney who investigated the murder but never brought charges, said the lack of DNA evidence could also be a stumbling block.

"There's no DNA or anything like that we were aware of where they can say, 'Feit did it,'" Guerra, who was district attorney for more than 30 years before losing re-election in 2014, said in a telephone interview. Now retired, he lives in Edinburg, just north of McAllen.

When Guerra was still in office, Garza's family members and friends criticized his handling of the case, including the grand jury probe that failed to obtain an indictment. The case became an issue in the 2014 district attorney's race. Rodriguez promised that if elected, he would re-examine the case.

Scheiner said Feit's attorneys could point to the 2004 grand jury decision and argue that the new charge was brought "more for political expediency than the pursuit of justice."

Guerra maintains his prosecutors "served justice" when they took the case to a grand jury in 2004. He said all he wants now is a fair trial.

"I just want Hidalgo County justice to be done the right way," he said.
VATICAN CITY (AP)  History's first Latin American pope travels to Mexico on Friday for a weeklong tour of some of the most violent, poverty-stricken and peripheral places in the Americas. He'll be bringing a message of hope and solidarity to victims of drug violence, trafficking and discrimination  a message the Vatican hopes will also resonate north of the border.

Nearly four decades after St. John Paul II began his globe-trotting papacy in Mexico, Francis too will begin his trip by praying before the Virgin of Guadalupe shrine. But after that, he will be entering into uncharted papal territory. Here are five things to know about Francis' trip to the largest Spanish-speaking Catholic country in the world:

___

ORTHODOX PIT STOP

Francis is known for his spontaneity, but even by Franciscan standards, the bombshell dropped last week was big.

For the first time ever, a pope and a patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church will meet Friday in Cuba, in a stopover en route to Mexico. The Vatican sees the meeting as a historic step in the path toward healing the 1,000-year schism that split Christianity.

Popes as far back as Paul VI have met with the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch, "first among equals" in the 250 million-strong Orthodox Church. But the Russian Church  the biggest and most powerful in Orthodoxy  has always kept its distance from Rome.

The common concern over the plight of Christians in Syria and Iraq has brought the two churches together, but that's not the only reason Patriarch Kirill has finally agreed to a meeting. In June, leaders of the 14 Orthodox churches meet in Greece for the first pan-Orthodox synod in centuries. Observers say Kirill's opening is more about grandstanding within Orthodox circles than any new ecumenical initiative.

___

'MEXICANIZATION'

Francis made the first major diplomatic faux pas of his papacy when, in a private email to a friend last year, he warned that Argentina's increasing drug problem risked turning it into a trafficking haven like Mexico, where cartels have terrorized the population and infiltrated police and other public institutions.

The "Mexicanization" comment understandably irked Mexico, and the Vatican promptly apologized. But it underscored Francis' tough line on drug trafficking and corruption, which he has called a sin incompatible with Christianity.

Francis is expected to address both blights during his Feb. 12-18 visit, though he has said he's not bringing policy solutions to fix Mexico's ills. But relatives of some of the 43 students who disappeared in 2014 in suspicious circumstances have been invited to Francis' final Mass in Ciudad Juarez, once considered the murder capital of the world.

"It's the fundamental place of passage for this network of drug trafficking, where the links are inseparable between the narcotraffickers and Mexican law enforcement," Guzman Carriquiry Lecour, a close papal adviser, told a recent seminar. "This is the Mexican periphery and the pope wants to go."

___

CHURCH-STATE RELATIONS

Francis has previously urged his bishops not to shy away from denouncing corruption and organized crime, and he may well do the same in Mexico.

"Above all, we have to raise our voices to condemn the corruption and links that exist between certain power structures and the drug cartels and narcotraffickers that allow them to move freely with impunity," the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, told the Italian weekly Famiglia Cristiana recently.

It was perhaps a diplomatic way of addressing a Mexican church that even Mexican prelates say shows too much deference to the country's wealthy and powerful.

Francis, however, has signaled his priorities: Last year he made a cardinal out of the bishop of Morelia, Mexico, and will honor his ministry to victims of drug violence by visiting his diocese.

___

AN INDIAN CHURCH

When churchmen have stood by Mexico's oppressed, they have often got in trouble. The late Bishop Samuel Ruiz, known as the "bishop of the poor" for his ministry to the impoverished Indians of southern Chiapas, ran afoul of the Mexican government and, at times, the Vatican.

His crime? Defending Indian rights, embracing the pre-Hispanic customs of the Mayan Indians in liturgies and training married deacons to minister to Indians who had more esteem for married lay workers than celibate priests.

In 1993, the Vatican ambassador to Mexico asked Ruiz to resign, but backed down after Indians rallied to his defense. After Ruiz retired in 1999, the Vatican suspended the ordination of deacons on the grounds that it was dissuading men from entering the priesthood. The Vatican under Francis lifted the ban in 2014.

Francis, who issued a sweeping apology for Catholic crimes against indigenous peoples in a visit to South America last year, will celebrate a very Indian Mass in Chiapas on Monday and present a decree authorizing the use of indigenous languages in liturgy.

But in an indication that Ruiz remains a controversial figure, the Vatican won't confirm whether Francis will pray at Ruiz's tomb in the cathedral of San Cristobal de las Casas.

___

CROSS-BORDER PRAYER

The highlight of the trip comes on the final day, when Francis travels to Ciudad Juarez and prays at Mexico's northern border for all who have died trying to cross. A group of migrants in El Paso, Texas, will join him in prayer across the frontier, and then watch Francis' subsequent Mass in Juarez in an El Paso stadium.

Francis has demanded that countries welcome migrants and refugees fleeing poverty and oppression, calling for bold new solutions and denouncing the "globalization of indifference" that the world shows migrants. His appeal comes amid a U.S. presidential campaign where immigration is a hot-button issue, with Republican contenders Donald Trump and Ted Cruz vowing to expel Mexicans and build a better border wall.

Will Francis' message get any airtime north of the border?

"I'm not sure people are paying attention to it," said Neomi De Anda, assistant professor of religious studies at the University of Dayton who grew up in El Paso. "I'm not sure our political candidates are all that interested."
Two 15-year-old girls were shot once at Independence High School, but it was not clear what led up to their deaths, Glendale Officer Tracey Breeden told reporters. Authorities were not looking for anyone else, and a gun was found near the bodies, she said.

The circumstances suggested the possibility of a murder-suicide or double-suicide, but Breeden said no determination had been made. She had no information on the relationship between the girls, who died at the scene and were found near an administration building.

Police arrived within two minutes of being called, and the school of more than 2,000 students went on lockdown, Breeden said.

Hundreds of worried parents soon began arriving at nearby discount and convenience stores. Breeden told parents awaiting word on their kids that "your children are safe."

Cheryl Rice said she went to a store after a friend called about the shooting and asked after Rice's 15-year-old daughter. But the girl called as Rice arrived at the store.

"She said, 'I'm OK,' so I of course started crying," Rice said.

She said it was horrible waiting for word about her child.

"You don't know if it's your daughter or not. You don't know who's being bullied. You don't know who is being picked on. You don't know anything. It could be anybody," Rice said.

School district officials said parents will be bused to the school to be reunited with their children. Other students who got permission from their parents left campus on their own.

Glendale Union High School District alerted parents to the shooting through emails and automatic phone calls and released information on social media, Superintendent Brian Capistran said.

Students typically are not allowed to use their cellphones during lockdowns, but as calls from parents flooded the district, officials asked teachers to have students call family, Capistran said.

Social workers and counselors will be available to students and staff when school resumes Tuesday, the superintendent said.
Sarkodie should have been bigger than ...
A recent myMotherlode.com poll referenced a request from the Obama administration for $1.8 billion to fund efforts to limit the spread of the Zika virus. The virus is primarily spread by mosquitoes and has recently been linked to birth defects, specifically microcephaly the medical term for a child born with an abnormally small head. Fourty-two percent of the votes on our informal poll said $1.8 billion was too much, 41 percent didnt know, 11 percent thought it was enough and 6 percent said it is not enough.

The Obama administration notes it has been aggressively working to combat Zika since late last year. The virus is now in 26 countries and territories in the Americas, including Puerto Rico, according to the Pan American Health Organization. Zika has not been transmitted by mosquitoes within the continental United States yet, but 50 Americans returned to the continental U.S. with confirmed infections between December 2015 and February 5, 2016. The requested emergency congressional funding would go to both domestic and international efforts as detailed below:

In brief the $1.8 billion is requested immediately as the peak mosquito season approaches. The Obama administration says the funds are to build on our ongoing preparedness efforts and will support essential strategies to combat this virus, such as rapidly expanding mosquito control programs; accelerating vaccine research and diagnostic development; enabling the testing and procurement of vaccines and diagnostics; educating health care providers, pregnant women and their partners; improving epidemiology and expanding laboratory and diagnostic testing capacity; improving health services and support for low-income pregnant women, and enhancing the ability of Zika-affected countries to better combat mosquitoes and control transmission.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  $828 million.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services  $250 million. One year temporary increase in Puerto Ricos Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) to support health services for pregnant women at risk of infection or diagnosed with Zika virus and for children with microcephaly, and other health care costs. (Unlike States, Puerto Ricos Medicaid funding is capped)

Vaccine Research and Diagnostic Development & Procurement  $200 million.

Other HHS Response Activities  $210 million. Establish a new Urgent and Emerging Threat Fund, support Puerto Rico in preventing, screening, and treating the Zika virus.

U.S. Agency for International Development  $335 million in support affected countries ability to control mosquitoes and the transmission of the virus; support maternal health; expand public education on prevention and response; and create new incentives for the development of vaccines and diagnostics. Provide flexibility in the use of remaining USAID Ebola funds. Activities would focus particularly on South America, Central America, the Caribbean.

U.S. Department of State  $41 million in support for U.S. citizens in affected countries, medical support for State Department employees in affected countries, public diplomacy, communications, and other operations activities. Support of the Pan American Health Organization to minimize and reduce spreading Zika. Support for UNICEFs Zika response efforts in Brazil with equipment and specialized training.

For more information on the Zika virus and CDC guidance about how Americans can protect themselves, visit http://www.cdc.gov/zika/.
BOE Gas Prices graphic View Photos

Sacramento, CA  For the third year in row, the states Board of Equalization (BOE) will consider giving California resident a break at the pump by lowering the Gasoline Excise Tax Rate.

The proposal involves cutting the excise tax on gasoline by 2.2 cents per gallon making it 27.8 cents per gallon down from 30 cents. The rate will take effect July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017, if adopted.

Board of Equalization Vice Chair George Runner supports the decrease, stating, Californians overpaid gas tax last year due to a bizarre and complex formula that most people dont understand. He argues, Californians need a clear tax system thats easy to understand. The current gas tax formula is a convoluted scheme enacted by the governor and Legislature in 2010. The lack of transparency continues to erode public confidence; the public deserves to know how much tax is being collected and how its being spent.

Currently, there are two types of state taxes on gas, which include a sales tax on a percentage of the price and a per-gallon excise tax. The BOE collected nearly $5.4 billion in excise tax in fiscal year 2014-15, which help pay for the states infrastructure and public transportation projects. Runner criticizes, Some will use this adjustment as an opportunity to clamor for tax increases. The reality is that there is more than enough money available to repair our roads without raising taxes. Its all about spending priorities.

The board is scheduled to vote on the tax reduction at its February 23, 2016 meeting in Culver City.
Republican front-runner Donald Trump told a record-breaking crowd at University of South Florida Friday that he wants to strengthen our military, our borders and the economy.

The crowd liked everything they heard.



Thousands of people lined up for hours to see Trump before the doors opened at 5 p.m. Trump appear just after 7:30 p.m. to a rock star welcome.





A huge crowd is in place for Donald Trump's rally at the USF Sundome in Tampa Friday. (Wayne Acosta, Viewer)

It didn't take long for Trump to start laying into his political opponents, from Jeb Bush to even rising Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, who Trump called a Communist.

Nearly 11,000 people attended the rally at the USF Sundome Friday night, which officials said was an attendance record.

Trump's visit indicates how serious the New York real estate billionaire is taking the March 15 Florida primary. Florida is a winner-take-all state in the election cycle, meaning a top showing here would be worth all of the state's 99 delegates.



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





Trump knows that and he also knows Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio will have a bigger voter draw in Florida than they did in other states.



Trump supporter and political pundit Tony Dimatteo said today's event could solidify Trump in a key part of Florida.



"Hes going to have more earned media," Dimatteo said. "And people just got out (of the race): Christie just got out. Fiorina just got out. Those votes have to go somewhere  and if they are undecided, this rally could be a determining factor."



Thousands of supporters filled the Sundome for the event - as well as hundreds of protestors. Word of detractors planning to show up outside the Sun Dome has been spreading this week on social media.



One student group even drafted a letter to the University asking the event be cancelled because of Trumps' remarks about women, Muslims and Latinos.
Orange County deputies held a gun buyback Friday in honor of a deputy who was killed in the line of duty two years ago.

The anonymous gun buyback event was held at the Orange Blossom Trail Development Board. Thats not far from where Deputy Chris Pine was shot and killed while chasing a burglary suspect on Feb. 11, 2014. The suspect then took his own life.

"When you put on this uniform, you always run the risk of unfortunately encountering a situation that could take your life, says Captain Carlos Torres with the Orange County Sheriffs Office.

A candlelight vigil was held Thursday evening.

Deputies say getting unwanted guns off the streets will help prevent gun violence.

During the buyback event, deputies first inspected a gun to make sure its safe. After that, they run the serial number to see if the gun is stolen.

Jorge Martins, a volunteer at Universal Church in Orlando, turned in three guns.

He says the guns come from young men who want to turn their lives around.

"They get in with the wrong people, they get involved with people they're not supposed to be with, says Martins.

People who turned in a firearm got a $50 Walmart gift card.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office said a total of 145 firearms were surrendered during the event, 34 were BB or air soft guns.



If you missed the gun buy back event, the annual 'Kicks for Guns' takes places across Central Florida in August.
Gary Bullock, the inmate who escaped from a work release facility in Daytona Beach with his girlfriend and her 3-year-old son, has been found in Kentucky.

The girlfriend, Natasha Quigley and her son, Xander, have also been found safe.

U.S. Marshals say the three were found in Flemingsburg, Kentucky Friday afternoon and taken into custody without any incident.

Bullock disappeared from a work release center operated by Tomoka Correctional Institution in Daytona Beach last month. Detectives say Natasha Quigley picked Bullock up from his job and drove off. Detectives also say Bullock cut off his ankle monitor and tossed it in the parking lot.

A Florida Missing Child Alert was issued for Quigley's son Xander, who was with his mother and Bullock.

Xander will be put into protective custody until he can be turned over to family members.

Bullock is charged with escape, destruction of an electronic monitor and criminal mischief. Natasha Quigley has been charged with aiding an inmate's escape.

This is a developing story. Check back for the latest.


SunRail got a permission to hold off on implementing a technology to stop trains from exceeding track speed limits.

SunRail says part of the problem is they are not the only rail system that runs on the 61-mile-long track.

We just want a system that works with all the trains coming through our corridor, Florida Department of Transportation spokesman Steve Olson said. We are not the only system running on the 61 and a half miles. We got freight trains and we got Amtrak coming through.

In 2008, Congress required commuter and freight train systems to install the technology by 2018. SunRail got permission for a two-year delay.

Passengers such as Jasmine Willingham are concerned SunRail will not meet its deadline to have positive train control installed by 2018.

It is definitely something that needs to be looked into, Willingham said.

The technology could have prevented the tragic Philadelphia derailment that killed eight people in 2015.

If something were to happen to our engineer the train would come to a stop right now, but positive train control takes it one step above that, Olson said.

Olson said positive train control keeps a train-to-train collision from happening and prevents a runaway train from occurring.

Olson said SunRail is in talks with those freight railroads that travel on the same track. FDOT is also looking at where to get funding. It could cost up to $35 million to implement. The money could come from grants.
Randy Holt /Associated Press

WASHINGTON  Valero Energy, the San Antonio-based refining giant, sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday in the latest legal challenge to efforts to expand the use of ethanol and other biofuels to power the nations transportation system.

Following litigation filed by the trade group American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers on Wednesday, Valero claims the governments renewable fuel program unfairly favors some refineries over others in rules around the blending of ethanol into the fuel supply.
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Six weeks, more or less, until spring. Whos counting? I am, but I have a stack of books to see me through.

If you need suggestions for your own reading list, here are nine good prospects, all new in paperback, all stories that will keep you absorbed, regardless of the wind and weather.

Fiction

A God in Ruins

By Kate Atkinson

Back Bay Books, $17.99

This book has a backstory  its a sequel to Atkinsons masterpiece, Life After Life, the story of Ursula, an English girl fated to live her life over and over again. A God in Ruins takes up the story of Ursulas beloved younger brother Teddy  poet, pilot, husband, father, grandfather  as he survives World War II, only to face a confounding and uncertain future. Transcendent, said reviewer Moira Macdonald.

Funny Girl

By Nick Hornby

Riverhead, $16

Need a mood-lightener to get you through until spring? Try out this story of a young working-class Englishwoman and her transformation into a 1960s British television star. Critic Adam Woog wrote that Hornby knows a thing or two about vivid, incisive, unpretentious storytelling. Funny Girl proves it  his fluent voice, sincere love of popular culture, and very big heart come through loud and clear.

Black River

By S.M. Hulse

Mariner, $14.95

A former prison guard returns to his Montana hometown to attend the parole hearing of a convict who held him hostage during a prison riot. Reviewer Barbara Lloyd McMichael called Black River one of the best books of 2015.

World Gone By

By Dennis Lehane

Morrow, $16.99

This is the third in Lehanes noirish trilogy about Joe Coughlin, a Florida businessman and gangster who thinks he has cemented his place in the legit world. Complications ensue. A dark book to be sure, and the writing is taut, suspenseful and intense. Stephen King called it the best gangster novel since The Godfather.

Prudence

By David Treuer

Riverhead, $16

This lyrical and suspenseful novel begins with the discovery of a young Indian womans body near a rustic Minnesota resort, then flashes back through World War II and its impact on the lives of whites, Native Americans and a German POW imprisoned in the area. Reviewer Agnes Torres Al-Shibibi wrote that Ojibwe author David Treuer (author of Rez Life and The Translation of Dr. Apelles) beautifully captures a place and an era.

Nonfiction

Leaving Before the Rains Come

By Alexandra Fuller

Penguin, $17

Fuller, author of the unforgettable Dont Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight, continues her string of compelling memoirs with an account of the disintegration of her marriage, tracing the threads back to her African childhood. In a review, Brian Thomas Gallagher said, Its rare that a life can bear more than one, let alone three, memoirs, but such is the power of Alexandra Fullers story  and her way of telling it.

Five Days at Memorial

By Sheri Fink

Broadway Books, $17

This is the harrowing true story of what happened at a New Orleans hospital after Hurricane Katrina, when exhausted doctors and nurses struggled with life-and-death decisions. Fink won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting for The New York Times article that Five Days at Memorial is based on; the books many honors include the National Book Critics Circle Award. Fink is a physician and medical journalist whose work with her New York Times colleagues on West Africas Ebola outbreak earned another Pulitzer.

Bettyville: A Memoir

By George Hodgman

Penguin, $17

Bettyville tells what happens when a cultured, gay Manhattan man returns to his hometown of Paris, Mo., to become caretaker for his mother Betty, a woman of indomitable will and wit who is hanging on to her (and Hodgmans childhood) home for dear life. A most remarkable, laugh-out-loud book, said The New York Times.

Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town

By Jon Krakauer

Anchor, $16.95

Krakauer, author of Into the Wild and Under the Banner of Heaven, investigates a string of rapes in Missoula, home of the University of Montana. He tells an unflinching story of the skepticism of the cops and courts toward the victims stories, their determination to push their cases forward and the price they paid.
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Every four years, the nation is gripped with presidential election fever. The 24-hour news cycle and the importance of midterm and local elections seem not to have dampened American interest in the carnival of power and values.

While our election season will culminate in November, candidates from across the political spectrum are busy seeking their parties nominations in caucuses and primaries. Some of the candidates must surely know, deep down, that they will not get the nod. What keeps many of them going is not the hope of a presidential nomination but the prospect of a Cabinet post or the vice presidency.

This is one of the factors that make primary season so long and contentious  multiple auditions for multiple roles are going on at the same time.

Raucous caucuses are nothing new in American politics, and the current crop of candidates, regardless of their party persuasion, would do well to learn from the story of Uvalde political legend and former presidential candidate John Nance Garner.

More Information John Nance Garner is the subject of "Cactus Jack: Lone Star on Capitol Hill," which airs tonight on KLRN at 10 p.m., See More Collapse

Garner, the subject of Cactus Jack: Lone Star on Capitol Hill, which airs tonight on KLRN World at 10 p.m., sought the Democratic nomination for president in 1932 and went on to shape American politics in ways that still matter.

Born in 1868, a young and politically ambitious Garner moved to Uvalde in 1892. Elected to the Texas Legislature in 1898, he acquired the nickname Cactus Jack after unsuccessfully proposing the prickly pear as the state flower.

Garner was elected to Congress in 1902 and rose quickly through the ranks, becoming the Democratic House whip in 1910. By 1930, he was a legislative veteran who knew every parliamentary and political trick in the book. Elected speaker of the House in 1931, he was subsequently touted by powerful party bosses as a Democratic presidential candidate the following year.

As with more recent times, candidates in 1932 faced a panicked economic landscape and a cantankerous political climate. However, there were few primaries then, and the real nomination process took place at the party conventions.

The Democratic convention was scheduled for June. Garner was backed by the Texas delegation and others who opposed the ascendancy of another political maverick, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the governor of New York. Those supporters included California newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who disliked Roosevelts internationalism and saw Garner as a true man of the people. As 1932 unfolded, Hearst (Hearst Corp. owns the San Antonio Express-News) lent the full weight of his media empire to Garners candidacy.

As with many would-be nominees today, Garners candidacy had as much to do with jockeying for position as it did with being a serious run. Garners candidacy was meant to ensure that Texas  with its large block of 46 votes  went to the convention with some leverage. However, Hearsts support led to Garners surprise victory in the California primary, which nearly doubled the amount of delegates Garner took to the convention.

He was now a serious contender if Roosevelt began to falter.

In addition to Hearst, Roosevelt had a powerful enemy in his former political mentor Al Smith, a former New York governor and the partys unsuccessful 1928 presidential candidate. With the northeastern delegates split between the two, a nasty gridlock ensued at the convention. After three ballots, Roosevelt remained ahead, but his votes looked vulnerable. Talk emerged that a compromise candidate, former Secretary of War Newton Baker, could swoop in and win the nomination. Meanwhile, Garner still held 90 delegates in his back pocket.

The prospect of a Baker candidacy horrified Hearst as much as it did Roosevelt, though for different reasons. Hearst was now prepared to withdraw his support for Garner, and Roosevelts backers were desperately offering the vice presidency to anybody who would give them the votes.

As it turned out, Roosevelt was about 90 votes short. On Hearst and Garners orders, California and Texas switched their allegiance, much to the consternation of the convention galleries, which had been packed with Smith supporters.

Boos, shrieks and altercations ensued, and order was only slowly restored to proceedings. The switch started what the New York Times called a bandwagon rush to Roosevelt, who was duly nominated.

Shortly after, the rules were suspended, and Garner was nominated for vice president.

Roosevelt went on to win a landslide victory and became a transformative president elected to an unprecedented four terms.

It is hard to see how he would have done it without Cactus Jack.

The more conservative Garner shored up the South and West for Roosevelt, a perceived Northern liberal  Lyndon Johnson would do the same for John Kennedy 30 years later.

Former Speaker of the House Garner used all his guile and savvy to push Roosevelts New Deal legislation through Congress. At the same time, he revolutionized the office of vice president, making it a powerful institution in its own right.

His brazen independence was always a point of contention, and Roosevelt jettisoned him from the Democratic ticket in 1940 after Garner challenged his decision to run for a third term.

As the current crop of presidential candidates cajole, charm and hustle for votes in todays caucuses and primaries, they would do well to study Garners timing and strategy in 1932.

His ability to hold his nerve and stay in the race, despite never being a front-runner, left him and his backers well placed to act as kingmakers.

Additionally, modern candidates should perhaps note the words of William McAdoo, a Garner ally and Hearsts handpicked head of the California delegation, who spoke the following words to a tired and angry convention when announcing his states acquiescence to Roosevelt: We think that a contest too prolonged would bring schisms in the party which could not be cured before election. In a case which requires a surgical operation a life may be lost by delay.  (Rather than each other) I would like to see Democrats fight Republicans.

Don Carleton is the executive producer of Cactus Jack: Lone Star on Capitol Hill and the executive director of UT Austins Briscoe Center for American History, which operates the Briscoe-Garner Museum in Uvalde.
Jeb Bush is not the flashiest candidate in the crowded Republican presidential field. And he lacks the mischievous charm that his older brother, George W. Bush, used to navigate his way through campaign obstacles.

But the former Florida governor, a Texas native who was born in Midland, is a thoughtful, decent and inclusive leader. He is best prepared to make the big decisions that will be required of the next president of the United States. And that makes Bush the obvious choice for constructive conservatives.

We recommend that Republican voters cast their ballots in the March 1 primary to nominate Bush as the next president of the United States.

Early in the race, Bushs calm demeanor seemed overshadowed by the explosive, confrontational personalities of other presidential contenders. But as the contest unfolds, his stable leadership style is wearing well amid the sophomoric political gamesmanship of the early front-runners.

Understandably, some voters are reluctant to send a third Bush to the White House to follow the footsteps of his father and brother, but that option is better than the alternatives being offered to GOP voters.

Donald Trump has shown an undisputed ability to ride the wave of anger sweeping the nation, but Trumps crude, erratic personality is a poor fit for the White House. And, in truth, he is not a conservative. His simplistic answers for the nations looming problems often appear to be off-the-cuff and lacking in strategic foresight.

Many Texans will be supporting the Lone Star States junior senator, Ted Cruz. While Cruz, too, appeals to conservative Americans who are sick of business as usual, the freshman senator has demonstrated a frightening willingness to push the American economy to the brink of disaster to pursue his ideological agenda  even when he clearly does not have the votes to get his way.

The freshman senators methodical run for the White House is obviously well-planned, but Cruzs self-centered approach has thoroughly alienated even his Republican Senate colleagues. And that is obviously a recipe for a weak, unsuccessful administration. He lacks the temperament to be president.

Bush, 63, has refused to go for the cheap, crowd-pleasing applause lines on immigration. Instead, he is suggesting a realistic approach that will provide a rigorous, lengthy path for the millions of immigrants already here  and entrenched in the U.S. economy  to earn legal status. He will aggressively address border security to gain control of future immigration.

The radical approach to immigration suggested by Trump and others presents great peril to the nations economy, as well as being inhumane and impossible to accomplish.

On defense and fighting ISIS, Bush is calling for a more robust military, and an aggressive plan to stabilize Syria and crush the radical terrorist network.

Bush would repeal Obamacare and offer a transition plan that includes tax credits for those purchasing catastrophic health care plans. He also favors allowing companies to contribute toward employees health care plans without providing one. Bush also is touting conservative reforms for much of the government.

Having served two successful terms as Florida governor, Bush brings strong executive experience to the table, and he is as thoroughly prepared to hold the nations top job as anyone in the race. Bushs combination of credentials and sober problem-solving leadership makes him the right candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.
No doubt. Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio made history in Iowa and could make more. Their first- and third-place finishes in that state were the best by Latinos in any presidential contest. Together, these two Latinos got about half the votes, a first.

If one or the other gets the GOP nod and the presidency, well, this will make big history. Heck, even if their campaigns sputter and die  each had weaker showings in New Hampshire  they will make history for getting as far as they do.

So why arent Latinos celebrating?

Well, it has little to do with applying a Latino litmus test and finding the candidates lacking. None of us can lay claim to being the gatekeeper of what constitutes being Latino. No more than others can claim to choose whos a real American.

A recent article by Roberto Suro, a professor of public policy and journalism at the University of Southern California, forces a Latino to ponder this question of identity and celebration. It appeared in the New York Times soon after the Iowa vote. Suro (full disclosure: Were acquainted and I greatly admire him) cited an article in La Opinion, the nations largest Spanish language newspaper, which asked: Ted Cruz, the first Latino to win the Iowa caucuses. Why arent we celebrating?

Both candidates are Cuban-American and both talk about their immigrant roots. This is boilerplate for politicians who are children of immigrants. Rubio, in particular, has this scripted into his stump speeches.

The Pew Research Center breaks out the top 10 Latino groups this way: 64.9 percent are of Mexican origin, 9.2 percent Puerto Rican, 3.7 percent Cuban, 3.6 percent Salvadoran, 3 percent Dominicans and the rest, in smaller numbers, are Guatemalans, Colombians, Hondurans, Ecuadorians and Peruvians.

Forget for the moment why the media generally havent heralded this historic first. Why not Latinos? Many factors, but lets start with Pan Latino identity. It exists, but when Latinos claim specific ethnic identity, it is tied most often to our specific origin group. No? Just ask a Venezuelan from what part of Mexico she and her family hail.

And U.S. voting patterns are often racially or ethnically polarized  yes, for whites, too. This is how gerrymandering  um, redistricting  gets done. Whites are grouped for maximum representation, minorities for the minimum the Voting Rights Act allows. One might wish that polarized voting wasnt true, but it is a fact of political life.

Another factor: Some Latino immigrant groups have done better with the American Dream, and political views flow naturally from that. Some Latinos have more recent  or different  immigrant roots, and many have, according to the stats, mixed success with education and getting and keeping well-paying jobs.

Suro mentioned immigration. It is not Latinos only deal, but it looms large. Cubans often have a different immigrant story from that of other Latinos. For starters, the system these days is tilted in their favor. They get here, theyre in. Automatically.

Rubio once embraced comprehensive immigration reform, but his mantra is now border security first. This, he calculates, pleases the GOP base. But it distresses many Latinos. Theyre not sure which Rubio will show up for work if elected  the panderer or the pragmatist.

And Cruz? Well, his mantra is no amnesty! And, like Rubio, he has a desire to shrink the government in a way that will hurt many Latinos, not to mention the rabid dislike both evince for Obamacare, which is a must for many uninsured Latinos. Cruz has been particularly OK with shutting down government.

Did I mention that Latinos vote overwhelmingly Democrat  62 percent in the 2014 cycle?

Ive written this before: Another way Cruz and Rubio might make history is by scaring away more Latinos than they attract. If this happens, it will have everything to do with the candidates views, not Latino voters perceptions of their Latinoness.

A first? Sure. But why would Latinos celebrate the ascendancy of candidates with whom, according to past voting, they disagree? That makes about as much sense as some women telling other women they have to vote for Hillary Clinton.

o.ricardo.pimentel@express-news.net
SHARE Pollen is taken from a pepper flower by Kevin Cook, global pepper research and development lead, during a demonstration Thursday at Syngenta in East Naples. TOP: Cook unveils a new and improved pepper, in the tray at left, and compares it to a common bell pepper, right tray, Thursday at Syngenta labs in East Naples. Corey Perrine/Staff (2) Steve Czaplewski, product evaluation manager for vegetables in North America, center, points to plants in growth chambers as Kevin Cook looks on during a tour Thursday at Syngentas East Naples labs. Government compliant phytophthora a, fungus known to destroy crops, sit in test tubes to be used in applied science studies, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016 at Syngenta in Naples, Fla. The 140-acre Florida research and development center of Swiss-headquartered agribusiness, recently unveiled their latest  a more nutrient-rich, less tart, blocky bell pepper. (Corey Perrine/Staff)

By June Fletcher of the Naples Daily News

Kevin Cook's job is to breed better peppers  even if it takes years.

And after years of painstaking hybridizing, he thinks he's found it in two new varieties he's developed called Overgreen Allure and Overgreen Desire.

Whipping off the covers of two plastic tubs in the research laboratories of Syngenta AG, a 140-acre facility tucked away off a dusty road in East Naples, Cook invited visitors to compare the taste of the new deep-green, thick-walled peppers with those of standard, paler supermarket varieties.

Crisper, crunchier and sweeter than the supermarket varieties, there was no question that the Overgreens were superior in flavor.

"These might make it easier for kids to eat their vegetables," said Cook, "And they have two times the lutein of standard peppers, so they're good for your eyes."

Perfecting peppers, tomatoes and other vegetables is only part of the mission of the 50 employees working in the fenced fields, seven greenhouses and warren-like laboratories of Syngenta.

They're part of the Swiss agricultural giant's network of more than 28,000 employees in 90 countries that produces everything from pesticides to hybrid and genetically engineered seeds.

In Naples, the research done on crops helps Syngenta "bring innovations to market more quickly and helps farmers grow more from less," Sean Knapp, head of the vegetable seeds operation in North America, said in an email.

Researchers do so by deliberately infecting hundreds of vegetable plants with bacteria, viruses and fungi  kept fresh in freezers  and destroying those most susceptible to them.

The most robust veggie survivors are interbred using centuries-old hand-pollination techniques, which a worker demonstrated while visitors watched in lab coats and safety glasses, so they would not transfer outside pathogens to the plants.

The goal is to produce peppers and other plants that are naturally resistant to bugs and diseases, so they will require less pesticide to protect them, Cook explained.

Cook added his pepper research does not involve genetic engineering of seeds, but rather selective breeding, a process that could take a decade or more.

Genetic engineering uses bacteria to inject DNA into a cell to modify the plant's characteristics, he explained.

However, Syngenta does produce other crops that are genetically engineered, such as sweet corn and soybeans. About 90 percent of both of these crops grown in the United States today are genetically engineered to resist herbicides and ward off bugs.

A 2014 study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that Syngenta ranked third, after Monsanto and DuPont, for the most authorized field releases for testing of genetically engineered seeds.

While genetically altered crops have been around for decades, they have drawn fire from farmers who don't want modified genes carried by windblown pollen to mix with crops they are growing organically. Some food-safety advocates also question their effects on the health of humans and livestock.

Thirty-eight countries worldwide, including Russia, Saudi Arabia, Italy and Turkey, have banned genetically modified crops, SustainablePulse.com reported in October.

Syngenta's home country, Switzerland, instituted a moratorium on genetically modified organisms in 2005, which has been extended until December 2017. Government-funded research showed no environmental or health dangers from the engineered plants, but concluded there were few economic reasons to plant them..

Syngenta also produces pesticides that include herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and other crop protection products.

But the company is trying to cut down on the amount of pesticides that farmers need to use, as well as the amount of time that is needed after spraying before a human can safely return to the field, as part of its "Good Growth Plan," said Steve Czaplewski, product evaluation manager for Syngenta.

Chemical spraying, he said, "is not as heavy duty as it was 30 years ago."

With more than $13.4 billion in global sales last year, Syngenta was targeted for takeover last summer by its agri-biz rival, Monsanto, which offered $46 billion.

Syngenta turned down the offer, citing antitrust concerns.

But on Feb. 3, Syngenta's board endorsed an offer from China National Chemical Corp., also known as ChinaChem, to be acquired for $43 billion in cash, in what would be the largest purchase ever by a Chinese company.

Global regulators still have to sign off on the ChinaChem deal, but if it goes through, some analysts say it could lead to more rapid acceptance of biotechnology in China. Genetically engineered crops are currently banned there, but the company is the market leader in the country in fungicide and insecticide sales, and is looking to expand that share.

Should the deal go through, which could be concluded by the end of the year, no immediate changes are expected in the Naples research operation.

"The terms of this agreement will enable Syngenta to remain Syngenta," the company said in a news release announcing the deal. "We retain our name, management team, broad product portfolio and geographic presence."
The District School Board of Collier County unveiled a new logo at a news conference on Jan. 28, 2015. (Carolina Hidalgo/Staff)

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By Melhor Leonor of the Naples Daily News

The Collier County Public School District celebrated Friday for earning an A for the performance of its schools, according to data released by state officials.

It is the first year students in the district were tested on the new set of Common-Core based standards adopted by the state.

Schools grades are typically released in July, and though much delayed, Superintendent Kamela Patton said that the top letter grade speaks to the district's resilience in a year of new tests and uncertainty.

"People say we're teaching to a test. What is just amazing is that ... it was a year when you didn't know what the test would be," Patton said. "[Teachers] did a great of teaching to the standards, and the standards were really high compared to before."

Lee County Public Schools earned a B for the performance of its schools in the 2014-2015 school year.

Friday's release also set in stone individual school grades released as part of a simulation by state education officials weeks ago.

Collier County public schools saw 10 schools increase their performance grade while nine saw drops.

Among Collier elementary schools, eight saw their performance improve by a letter grade while two saw a letter grade drop. Calusa Park Elementary saw its letter grade drop from an A to a B, and Mike Davis Elementary saw its grade drop from a C to a D.

Tommie Barfield Elementary in Marco Island saw its grade go from a B to an A.

Among Collier's 10 middle schools, only two schools saw grade-letter changes. Manatee Middle improved from a C to a B, while East Naples Middle dropped precipitously from an A to a C.

Collier's high schools, per the simulation data, saw no grade improvements but four received grade drops. Both Palmetto Ridge and Lely High saw their grades drop from an A to a B, while Golden Gate High and Immokalee High saw their grade drop from a B to a C.

Everglades City School, the district's only traditional public school serving grades Kindergarten through 12th, saw its letter grade improve from a C to a B.

Patton said Friday that schools like Golden Gate High, Immokalee High and East Naples Middle  schools with high percentages of students with limited English proficiency  were negatively impacted when state administrators decided to not consider learning gains in school grades.

In past years, school have obtained points toward their performance through learning gains. These numbers show how much a student improved in their mastery of content year-to-year, even if their test score is unchanged. More points are awarded for learning gains by a school's poorest performers, and for learning gains among students with limited English proficiency.

Still, Patton said the overall district grade shows strength even without learning gains.

"Without the learning gains, we're an A. That's why we're very, very proud. Something that usually helps us wasn't even in the mix," Patton said.

"We've gone since July not knowing we're an A district," she added.

State education officials cautioned against comparing 2014-2015 grades to those of past years because of significant changes in the grading formula. Last year both Collier and Lee earned a letter grade of B.
Water ebbs and flows on the shoreline of a man-made beach area Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016 at the W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam in Alva, Fla. The mayors of Lee County's six municipalities convened at a joint emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss action items regarding freshwater releases from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee watershed. It's argued that the release of dark, nutrient-laden freshwater into the the watershed, damage Southwest Florida's economy and ecology. (Corey Perrine/Staff)

By Arek Sarkissian of the Naples Daily News

TALLAHASSEE  Diverting Lake Okeechobee freshwater south toward the Everglades is a safe and effective way to reduce discharges that Southwest Florida officials say are soiling Gulf Coast ecosystems, advocates say. But one expert argues the lake water is too dirty for the Everglades.

Gov. Rick Scott's plan would divert 400 million gallons of Lake Okeechobee freshwater from the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers that local officials in Lee County believe will ruin coastal ecosystems. The plan would have little impact on the Everglades, said Randy Smith, spokesman for the South Florida Water Management District.

"We're seeing in water sampling being taken in the lake and the estuaries that the lake water is not much different from what's coming off the local basins," Smith said. "If it rains anywhere west of Lake Okeechobee to Cape Coral, that's the quality of water the Caloosahatchee is seeing."

Scott's plan, which he announced Thursday, still requires approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which had not acted as of Friday, said Scott spokeswoman Jackie Schutz.

Jim Beever, a planner with the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council, said water in the conservation areas and Lake Okeechobee is too rich in nitrogen, phosphorous and waste. The state currently is faced with no good solutions, he said.

"That water is not Everglades ready," said Beever. "You have to consider the delicate ecosystems down there before you allow the water to come down."

The Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council, an environmental group made up of counties in Southwest Florida. has not taken an official position on the issue, Beever added.

Lee County leaders praised Scott's plan Friday. Sanibel Mayor Kevin Ruane said his discussions with the Corps have been positive and things were moving forward.

"I haven't had anyone tell me that's it's not going to happen," said Ruane, whose city sits at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River. "I can tell you that a lot of people have been communicating and working together to address this terrible situation."

Historic rainfalls over South Florida in January pushed the banks of Lake Okeechobee beyond the safe limits managed by the Corps, prompting the water release on Feb. 4. The release is pumping murky water into Lee County's coast, which local officials believe is harming the ecosystem.

In response, Scott sent a letter Thursday to the Corps requesting they divert the lake water to the Everglades. Scott's letter was followed by orders from the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the state Department of Environmental Protection, paving the way for the Corps to act.

Document: Click here to read Gov. Scott's letter to the Corps of Engineers.

As of Friday, the lake level remained at 16.23 feet  four feet higher than what the Corps considers safe.

Contact Daily News reporter arek.sarkissian@naplesnews.com or 850-559-7620
FILE - Peter Batts and Karyn Person walk along a CREW (Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed) Land and Water Trust Trails trail on May 18, 2006 in Estero, FL. Garrett Hubbard/staff

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By Maryann Batlle of the Naples Daily News

This November, Lee voters may have to decide whether to keep a county land preservation program they started 20 years ago.

On Tuesday Lee commissioners are slated to discuss whether to put the future of that program, Conservation 2020, on the 2016 election ballot.

Commissioner Brian Hamman penned an editorial in the News-Press where he argues the original vote promised Conservation 2020 would last up to seven years.

"Ultimately, the decision to continue should be yours," the editorial states.

At Friday's meeting of the Estero Council of Community Leaders, members reviewed the program's history but took no official stance. Conservation 2020 increased taxes by .50 cents per every $1,000 to acquire, protect and restore open land in Lee County.

"We were seeing the growth in this community," said Rae Ann Wessel, a long-time program supporter.

Since 1996, county taxpayers have spent more than $300 million to set aside and maintain 24,931 acres of undeveloped space in Lee.

"It has, and will continue to be, a willing-seller program," Wessel said.

The program's deals have been the subject of public scrutiny, though. A series of Lee Clerk of Court audits found Conservation 2020 overpaid for land. That led to changes in how the county conducts pre-purchase appraisals.

Conservation 2020 has about $100 million to buy more land. The county has shifted how it manages those funds and the program, without a public referendum.

A majority of Lee Commissioners voted to balance the 2013-14 budget by rerouting the full Conservation 2020 tax into day-to-day operations coffers. The total amount they moved was about $26 million.

A slew of recommendations from a citizen committee led to further administrative Conservation 2020 rule changes.

"There were tweaks made (this year) that have made it more responsive to taxpayer interests," Wessel said.

But two decades after Conservation 2020 began, through its ups and downs, public land preservation programs are by no means behind the times.

In 2014, a majority of Florida voters approved Amendment 1, which aims to use taxpayer dollars to acquire and improve conservation land in the state.

In Florida, wild spaces have added value, said Wessel.

"One of the important things to remember is land equals water," said Wessler.

The Lee County commission meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in the Old Lee County Courthouse, 2120 Main St., Fort Myers.
Chris Grevengood, M.D., left, screens Alexis Limb for signs of the Zika virus at Total Women's Care office in Naples, Fla. on Thursday, February 11, 2016. (Logan Newell/Special to the Daily News)

By Liz Freeman of the Naples Daily News

When a nurse at a walk-in clinic or doctor's office asks about recent travel out of the United States, the reason is Zika.

The mosquito-borne virus that is spreading rapidly in Latin America and linked to severe birth defects in more than 4,000 newborns in Brazil has state and federal authorities in high gear.

A campaign to educate the public about avoiding mosquito bites, especially pregnant women, is the only defense against a U.S. outbreak. There is no vaccine and development of one could take years.

Florida is ground zero for exposure for many reasons, health officials say.

There is high travel between Florida and Latin America and mosquitoes breed year-round in Florida.

Gov. Rick Scott declared a public health emergency Feb. 3 and the state now has 20 cases, all travel-related as people were infected while out of the country and diagnosed in the U.S. Three cases have been discovered in Lee County.

"We can't even tell a pregnant women who gets Zika how likely it is that her baby will have a problem," said Dr. Karen Harris, chairwoman of the Florida branch of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists. "We have no idea. Is it 100 percent of the time or 2 percent? Why take a risk. We wish we had more information."

U.S. Rep. Curt Clawson, R-Bonita Springs, filed legislation Friday to provide a 10 percent tax credit to any company for qualified research toward a Zika vaccine and for $200 million over 5 years for mosquito control programs.

A third part of his bill would use excess money the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has allocated for Ebola and redirect it to Zika.

The Healthcare Network of Southwest Florida in Collier County advises pregnant women not to travel to Latin American countries to protect against Zika infection, said Denise Henning, a nurse midwife with the healthcare network. More than half of the pregnant women under the network's care have family in Latin America and travel back and forth is common, Henning said.

About 20 percent of people infected with Zika develop symptoms of low-grade fever, rash or joint pain, which means an infected person with no symptoms can come to the U.S. and get bitten by a mosquito, which then carries Zika and can transmit it in bites to others, she said.

"So far as we know, Zika hasn't infected any of our local mosquitoes but all you need is someone who is sick (with Zika) to get bitten by a mosquito and the mosquito bites somebody else," Henning said. "We are taking it quite seriously. We don't know a lot about this virus."

Sexual transmission is another mode of infection, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting three cases. That's prompted a new concern for pregnant women or women wanting to become pregnant.

The CDC has directed clinicians to alert state health officials when someone has the symptoms and has recently traveled to an affected country, Harris said.

"The patients don't require hospitalization so we are really trying to get the word out when to test and the Department of Health is very clear when to get tested," Harris said.

One silver lining is the Florida health department is one of the few states that can do Zika testing, likely because of the year-round mosquito population, she said.

Scott recently asked the CDC for 1,000 more Zika test kits and directed the state to purchase 4,000 more.

The mosquito strategy calls for the public to wear long-sleeved shirts and pants, and use mosquito repellent with DEET. Also key is draining standing water in any artificial container where the Aedes mosquito species linked to Zika breeds, health officials say. Mosquitoes in ditches are not the source for the virus.

"It is safe to use DEET while pregnant," said Harris, the chairwoman of the state obstetrics group.

Southwest Florida hospitals are accustomed to asking patients about travel history since the Ebola scare in 2014, said Georgine Kruedelbach, director of infection control and prevention for the NCH Healthcare System. The list of affected countries keeps expanding and understanding of how Zika is evolving.

"It is really a fluid situation right now," she said.

Kruedelbach could not say if it is a matter of time before Zika develops directly in sizable numbers in the U.S. but historically that hasn't occurred with other mosquito-borne viruses, like chikungunya. Credit goes to mosquito control systems for eliminating mosquitoes and readiness programs.

"I think the readiness is so important," Kruedelbach said.

The American Association of Blood Banks, based in Bethesda, Maryland, issued a Zika advisory Feb. 1 that calls for donors who have traveled to affected areas to stop donating blood for 28 days, said Sheila Phillips, administrative director of the NCH Community Blood Center.

Most frequent blood donors are aware of travel criteria that prevents blood donations for a period of time, but the local center is asking about travel because of Zika, Phillips said. There has not been a big drop off in donations.

Local clinicians say President Barack Obama's request to Congress this past week for $1.8 billion in emergency funding for Zika preparedness and vaccine development is a good move.

If babies are born in the U.S. with microcephaly, abnormally small heads with incomplete brain development, they will need lifelong support, Harris said.

"I do think it is a wise use of funds to develop a vaccine and to be preventive," Harris said. "$1.8 billion is a drop in the bucket for prevention. And we have to help other countries stop (Zika) or it will spread to the U.S."

Henning, with the healthcare network in Southwest Florida, agreed the funding is necessary and pointed out a vaccine will take time and money.

"We are looking at two or three years down the road," she said.

Related stories:

2 new travel-related cases of Zika confirmed in Florida

New travel-related Zika case reported in Lee County

CDC sends Florida 950 kits to test for Zika virus antibodies

Florida readies for a fight with Zika virus

Two cases of travel-related Zika virus reported in Lee County

Zika virus not a threat to SWFL  yet

Infographic: Zika virus locations, symptoms

3 in Florida have Zika virus after visiting South America
SHARE Markos Mitsoullis sings Friday, Feb. 12, 2016 at St. Katherine Greek Orthodox Church in Naples. The annual event that runs through Sunday, features authentic Greek cuisine, music, dancing, vendors and more. (Corey Perrine/Staff) Alex Marx cooks up some saganaki, a Greek fried cheese dish, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016 at St. Katherine Greek Orthodox Church in Naples. The annual event that runs through Sunday, features authentic Greek cuisine, music, dancing, vendors and more. (Corey Perrine/Staff) Patrons Bill and Candy Koch of South Bend, Ind. chow down on Greek food Friday, Feb. 12, 2016 at St. Katherine Greek Orthodox Church in Naples. The annual event that runs through Sunday, features authentic Greek cuisine, music, dancing, vendors and more. (Corey Perrine/Staff) A Greek dress is shown at Alexander's Gifts Friday, Feb. 12, 2016 at St. Katherine Greek Orthodox Church in Naples. The annual event that runs through Sunday, features authentic Greek cuisine, music, dancing, vendors and more. (Corey Perrine/Staff) Related Photos St. Katherine Greek Fest 2016

By Maria Perez of the Naples Daily News

Christine Kehayes says the recipe of her koulouria, a typical Greek dessert, came from her grandmother. As an American-born child of Greek parents who arrived through Ellis Island, this was one of the family recipes her grandmother and her mother passed down.

Kehayes, like her grandmother, never measures the flour she adds to the deserts.

Kehayes, 85, names some ingredients of her koulouria: sugar, eggs, unsalted butter, flour and just a little bit of vanilla. But she only gives the family recipe to family members and very few other people.

"You have to pass it to the future generation," she said.

This weekend, though, any visitor to the Naples St. Katherine Greek Festival will be able to taste her koulouria, and any of least 14 other traditional desserts whose recipes her family brought from Greece, as well as many other Greek dishes. Many of the St. Katherine Greek Orthodox Church parishioners have volunteered their time this weekend to offer the taste of Greek cuisine at the annual Greek festival. Visitors will also find vendors offering traditional Greek products like jewelry or olive oil brought from Greece and mixed in Maine with wild Greek oregano, Italian vinegar or lemon juice.

Kehayes said she and other parishioners have spent two weeks working full time to prepare for the desserts. But she enjoyed it.

"We have a good time," she said. "We sing old Greek songs."

She said she is happy to share their food with the community.

"I love it," she said. "I love to explain everything."

On the desserts' side, some parishioners came up with innovations, like a Chicago baklava cheesecake.

"We took baklava and made an American dessert." said Romey Terezi, who is supervising the festival dishes.

Terezi, vice president of the St. Katherine parish council and owner of Mel's Diner, says gyros and lamb shanks baked in Greek Style compete in popularity among visitors. The shanks are prepared with a salsa that is cooked for five or six hours, then added to the shanks before cooking for one hour and a half more. The salsa has a secret Greek seasoning, he said.

The leg of lamb, roasted in the oven and seasoned with spices like oregano, black pepper, bay leaves and the same secret Greek seasoning is also very popular, he said.

He said they make these dishes available only once a year, and the community appreciates it.

"It's exciting how well they receive it," he said.

Organizers expect to welcome 15,000 visitors, said Jim Ketis, president of the St. Katherine Church parish council, which organizes the event. He said he is happy to show their culture to the community.

Ketis said the funds raised at the event will be used to support the church, and contribute to the Barbara's Friends program that helps the families of children with cancer at Golisano Children's Hospital, and the Agape fund, which helps people in need.

The festival opens from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and from noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday at 7100 Airport Road North. For more information, visit www.stkatherine.net.
John Sorey, Bill Barnett and Teresa Heitmann

By Joseph Cranney of the Naples Daily News

More than $200,000 has been pumped into the race for Naples mayor in a campaign that's described as one of the most expensive, and significant, in the city's history.

Of those donors who listed an occupation, most money was given by those working in real estate or construction firms; the restaurant and tourism business; and the financial industry, according to an analysis of the contributions. Most donors identified themselves as retirees, contributing $116,550.

Click here to view database of donations to Naples mayoral candidates

Mayor John Sorey raised more than $137,000 for his re-election campaign from 430 contributors through the end of January, which dwarfs the amounts raised by Sorey's opponents, Naples City Council members Bill Barnett and Teresa Heitmann, according to campaign finance reports. The election is March 15.

Sorey's campaign has also far outraised any Naples mayoral candidate since 2000, which is as far back as the city clerk's office keeps mayoral campaign donation records.

Barnett, who by comparison raised $73,000 in a competitive three-way mayoral election in 2004, raised more than $80,000 for this race. Heitmann, who entered the race on Jan. 8, has raised $6,000.

Sorey says his donor base, which draws largely from the financial sector, supports him because he has proved his willingness to tackle big issues, like the design of Baker Park and the overhaul of the city's reusable water system.

Sorey's opponents argue that controversial projects have divided the electorate. Some donors say Naples is nearing a tipping point, leading some to contribute to the race because now is a crucial time.

"I think it's a very important time in the history of Naples," said William Macllvaine, a former Naples council member who gave $1,000 to Sorey last February. "We've gone through a lot of different phases. We're going to have to keep our phases straight."

Barnett, who was asked to enter the mayor's race last summer by a group of concerned residents, has raised his money from 200 donors. Almost all of the money has been contributed since September, when he switched from a council candidate to a mayoral candidate.

Among non-retirees, most of the money donated to Sorey and Barnett came from builders and real estate professionals. Sorey has received more than $14,000 from the real estate industry and Barnett has received $13,500.

Both candidates also received thousands of dollars from restaurant and tourism businesses, including several restaurants on Fifth Avenue South.

Last March, Barnett and Sorey each got a $1,000 check from the Inn on Fifth, owned by local developer Phil McCabe. It was McCabe's condominium redevelopment on the 400 block of Fifth Avenue, approved by the council in November, that led to outcry from some residents who worry the avenue will become too exclusive.

Barnett and Sorey both voted yes to the project.

Heitmann voted no, and the city's handling of the review of McCabe's project highlights one of the reasons Heitmann says she decided to enter the race. She's running on a platform of transparency.

"I think Teresa would like to make sure that both sides of the community are taking into an equal account and that the residents are protected," said former Naples City Clerk Tara Norman, who is supporting Heitmann.

For his part, McCabe said he doesn't believe developers are pumping money into the race out of a fear of slowed growth. McCabe said the only real growth is happening in the county, and maintained his stance that redevelopment is good for the city.

"Any other town in America would beg to get this kind of development into their community," McCabe said. "Well, we've got it. And people are stressing about it. I think it's misplaced."

Aside from the real estate community, Sorey received more than $11,000 from the financial industry, including local bankers, investors and CEO's.

Sorey, a former business executive, said donors with a background in business prefer his "aggressive" leadership style.

"I support John because he articulates a vision for the city," said City Councilman Sam Saad. "The green jewel  a clean, vibrant place where people can come together. And that's what I think. That's what I want."

Sorey also got $4,900 in donations from the medical industry.

Barnett, who says his leadership style is more cooperative than Sorey's, has received $3,500 from the financial industry.

City Councilwoman Linda Penniman, along with council members Doug Finlay and Dee Sulick, has endorsed Barnett. In October, Penniman gave Barnett's campaign $1,000. Penniman said she supports Barnett because Naples, as a small city, needs to work like a town, namely through effective communication among leadership.

"I think in the city of Naples we need to find ways to say yes," Penniman said. "I think there are too many people that try to find ways to say no."
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By Mike Salinero, The Tampa Tribune

TAMPA  Billionaire presidential candidate Donald Trump delighted more than 10,000 fans Friday night, savaging President Barrack Obama, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is trailing Trump badly in state polls.

Trump took the stage at the University of South Florida's Sun Dome 40 minutes late. Screaming fans didn't seem to care, however, cheering for "The Donald's" familiar themes such as building a wall between the United States and Mexico and abolishing Obama's signature Affordable Care Act.

"We're going to win again," Trump said, spreading his arms to signal the scope of his ambitions. "We're going to start winning with the military. We're going to win with health care. We're going to terminate Obamacare."

Trump took Obama to task continually, painting the president as un-American, incompetent and weak-kneed. He criticized the White House's recent deal with Iran to slow that country's nuclear weapons program as a giveaway. He said the United States gave Iran $150 billion and got nothing but four hostages in return.

"We get zero," Trump said.

Actually, Iran is getting $100 billion in revenues from sales of oil it produced. The United States froze those assets in 2012 and the money has been sitting in foreign banks since then.

Trump joked about Clinton's problems with a private e-mail server that she is accused of using to send and receive classified information.

"What I don't understand with Hillary  when you see 19,000 and 2,000 (e-mails) and how do you have that many?" Trump said. "What is she doing?"

But the flaxen-haired New Yorker saved special venom for Bush, whom Trump labeled "gutless" and "a total stiff." He noted that Bush has spent over $100 million on ads, many of them attacking Trump, but remains low in the polls after finishing fourth in Monday's New Hampshire primary.

"Jeb, ugh. He's asleep at the wheel," Trump said. "Can you imagine Jeb negotiating with China?"

His supporters ate it up, booing when Obama or Bush's name came up, and chanting with Trump, "Build that wall," a reference to Trump's pledge that Mexico will pay "100 percent" for a border barrier.

"Donald is the only one that's going to save us," said supporter Claudia DeGrazia, clasping her hands over her chest. "He really holds my heart. Right from the beginning, I have never strayed from my belief this guy is going to make it."

DeGrazia and thousands of others stood in lines that wrapped hundreds of yards around the Sun Dome to present tickets they printed online with no guarantee of a seat. They joked and laughed, showing off red "Make America Great Again" hats, and Trump signs.

Every one of the 10,500 seats in the arena appeared full, the occupants subjected to detailed searches that included metal detectors.

"As a good American, we're here to make American great again," said Stacey McQuestion of Apollo Beach. "It's nice to see a man speak his mind for once. It's nice to hear him say what needs to be said. If you ask every person in this line what they want to say, that man is going to say it."

Kathy Muscillo of Michigan said she respects Trump for the reverence he shows veterans. Several retired service men and women spoke from the stage before Trump. The candidate said several times he loves veterans and blamed Obama for not fixing problems with poor care and long waits at hospitals run by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"He loves our vets," Muscillo said. "I want all the money that goes overseas and goes to all the illegals to go to our vets. The hell with all those giveaways."

Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, whom Trump called a communist, has drawn large crowds of younger voters, but Trump had his share, too.

Jeb Hagewood, 19, of Huntsville, Alabama, said young people attracted to Sanders need to be educated about the cost of the Democrat's proposed social programs, like free college tuition.

"They like him because he's going to give out a lot of free stuff," Hagewood said. "But I don't think young people are educated about how his policies would work and the repercussions."

A number of Trump critics showed up to protest, both inside and outside the arena. As many as 70 people outside held signs labeling Trump a racist and a friend of the rich. One sign read, "Build a wall around Donald Trump and make him pay for it."

There were a number of scuffles between supporters and critics.

Emily Mohr, a 20-year-old USF student, said she showed up to protest because Trump is racist and sexist.

"He's a terrible human being," Mohr said.

Shannon Evans, 35, carried her son Liam, 2, and a sign saying that Muslims had accompanied Christopher Columbus on his ship the Santa Maria when the explorer reached the New World. Several people in line booed Evans. One man said, "I was on the boat trying to sink that boat"

"Am I sitting here booing? I'm trying to educate people," Evans said. "If people knew the facts, they would change their minds."

Contact Tribune reporter msalinero@tampatrib.com and (813) 259-8303
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Kudos

Cars on 5th is one of the growing annual events in Collier County that benefits charity.

Saturday, the 12th annual show put together by the Naples chapter of the Ferrari Club of America expects its best-ever program when the daylong happening gets under way at 10 a.m.

Cars on 5th has raised more than $450,000 in 11 years through donations by those attending. Sponsors said a record of 50,000-plus turned out a year ago to view more than 500 exotic and muscle cars lined along downtown Naples streets.

This year, donations benefit St. Matthew's House, which shelters, feeds, counsels and assists those caught up in poverty, homelessness and drug abuse. St. Matthew's House helps about 1,500 people yearly, rebuilding their lives.

A $5 per person donation at Saturday's event would help St. Matthew's House meet demands during off-season.

"It helps us prepare for the slower spring and summer months just around the corner when many of our snowbirds and would-be donors head back north," said Vann Ellison, president and CEO of St. Matthew's House. "Many of our residents are enrolled in year-long programs where we put to good use financial donations 12 months a year."

Sponsors include Seminole Casino Hotel, Ferrari of Tampa Bay, Fidelity Investments and Naples Nissan.

Kicks

Collier County School Board races are supposed to be nonpartisan. That's because board service is about educating children, not any specific political doctrine.

A faction of Republicans and some vocal critics of the school district seem to want to make nonpartisan races into partisan, political ones. It started with a failed effort last year to get the Collier GOP to censure board member Kathleen Curatolo for not being Republican enough. Her seat is up for election this year.

Now, some want to make an issue of candidate Stephanie Lucarelli changing party affiliation from Democrat to Republican before filing in the fall to run for School Board. The Collier elections office confirms she did. Our question is: So what? It's a nonpartisan race.

In the 2014 election, district critics pushed a "pledge" that would make "major reforms" to a school system that is overall well-run in our view. Those critics supported Erika Donalds, Kelly Lichter and Thomas Andler for three board seats. Donalds and Lichter won; targeted incumbent Roy Terry defeated Andler.

According to elections office records, Andler changed party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in June 2014, the same month candidates officially got on the ballot.

Nobody trying to unseat Terry to wrest majority control of the School Board in 2014 made a splash about Andler's party change. If they didn't then, they shouldn't do so about anyone running now.

After all, School Board races are nonpartisan.

Kudos

There were plenty of accolades for Parkside Elementary Principal Tamie Stewart on Tuesday as Collier School Board members and the superintendent acknowledged her statewide recognition.

Stewart was one of three finalists for Florida's Principal of the Year honors, selected by the state Department of Education, with the top award in the end going this week to a Central Florida principal.

Board members and Superintendent Kamela Patton spoke about Stewart's stellar work at the East Naples school, where she became principal four years ago, taking over a D- F school where many students are from low-income families and English isn't their first language.

"What she's done at Parkside is just phenomenal," Chairwoman Julie Sprague said.

Stewart was one of several principals Patton boldly moved in the 2012-13 year to improve student performance and school grades. Stewart was among those who shuffled schools after serving as principal for four years at high-performing Lake Park Elementary in Naples.

Parkside Elementary anticipates its second consecutive C grade from the state; it also was noted that past staff turnover problems have been turned around under Stewart's leadership with no teacher transferring out in the past two years.
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Alice Gizzi, Marco Island

Doctor here

I like and usually agree with Dear Judie in the Neapolitan section of the Daily News.

Recently she had advice from a nurse (she is the nurse) in regards to seeking medical help for a loved one. I agree 100 percent but if you are not a resident here in Marco Island, it's very hard to get into a doctor's office.

Even if you go into the emergency room and they recommend some doctors, it's difficult. When you call them for an appointment or because you need therapy and need a prescription to get therapy, you can't get into the office for sometimes a month during season.

It has happened so many times to my family and friends.

I usually call my doctor at home if I have a cold or something simple but if it's serious, it's a bad situation.
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Arno Farber, Naples

Numbers

The GOP obviously loves to use numbers for political interests. Although, if they would use only a little bit of their brain, they would know it is not correct what they are trying to imply, that the Democrats failed again.

The more than 94 million out of the work force, as claimed by Rocco J. Fiordelisi in a recent letter: This claim, especially as it is worded, should give us the impression that these 94 million humans are looking for a job. We have actually an unemployment rate of 4.9 percent; 122 million are in a full-time job and the number of open jobs is a whopping 5.4 million. Please be so kind and tell us how we are able to get another 94 million into the workforce, especially if they wanted.

Another nice political subject to claim the Democrats failed is poverty. Recently, columnist Cal Thomas celebrated the new initiative, led by House Speaker Paul Ryan, to get the poor out of their misery with a better education. We have 46 million people below the poverty income. Beside the fact that there are only these 5.4 million available open jobs, poverty is much more complex than just to solve it with a better education.

As for this better education advice, did they look into why they are poor; I am sure not. But for their own electorate it looks great and it is simple to say, get your acts together and have a better education and you will get a job. Unfortunately for the poor, it isn't so simple.
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By Linda Oberhaus

Three years after the murder-suicide that took their lives, the faces of Immokalee teens Coby Martinez Deleon, 18, and Natalia Trejo, 17, still look out from their Facebook pages, a testament to the tragic reality of teen dating violence. A final post on Coby's page reads, "Nat loves coby "

Today in America, as we celebrate loving relationships with Valentine gifts, 1.5 million teens are experiencing some form of abuse at the hands of a dating partner. The goal of February's National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month is to raise awareness, promote prevention and reduce those numbers.

If you think teen dating violence does not affect you, think again. The economic impact of domestic violence in America is approximately $8.3 billion per year in medical costs and lost wages. By investing in adolescent awareness and prevention programs, we will save thousands of lives and billions of dollars.

Many parents believe they would know if their child was in a violent relationship, but statistics show that 75 percent were unaware that their teen had been physically hurt by a dating partner and only 33 percent of teens suffering such abuse ever talked to anyone about what was happening to them.

Dating violence is any situation in which one partner purposefully causes emotional, physical or sexual harm to another. Unhealthy relationships can start early and last a lifetime. In a study commissioned by the Family Violence Prevention Fund, 72 percent of "tweens" (ages 11-14) reported that boyfriend/girlfriend relationships usually begin at age 14 or younger. With technology at their fingertips 24 hours a day, teens are more vulnerable to dating violence than ever before.

Here at the shelter, we believe prevention and education are key in addressing and reducing incidents of teen dating violence. Last year, thanks to a strong partnership with Collier County Public Schools, the shelter's school-based programs reached more than 17,000 teens, helping them to recognize and avoid unhealthy dating relationships.

Because the abusing partner is most often male, the shelter offers the Raising Gentle'men program, which encourages boys and young men to challenge macho stereotypes that equate masculinity with control and physical aggression. The curriculum focuses on empathy and understanding of others, social skills, increased self-esteem, problem solving, sense of personal power and belonging, respect and tolerance and healthy lifestyle choices.

According to loveisrespect.org, statistics for female victims is much higher than their male counterparts, with as many as one in three girls suffering some form of teen dating violence.

Girls often fail to seek help because they feel responsible for solving problems in their relationships. They may see their boyfriend's jealousy, possessiveness and even physical abuse, as "romantic." Some girls may see abuse as "normal" because their friends and/or family members are also being abused.

Through its Expect Respect and Healthy Relationships programs, the shelter helps girls recognize different types of abuse, the dynamics of dating violence, characteristics of unhealthy and healthy relationships and how to set boundaries in a relationship.

Signs to look for in an abuser include excessive jealousy, constant checking in, isolating the victim from friends and/or family, controlling behavior, name calling, explosive temper, and refusal to take responsibility and blaming others for his/her actions.

Signs that a teen may be a victim of dating violence include physical injury (often hidden by clothing), skipping school, failing grades, changes in mood or personality, emotional outbursts, and isolation.

If you have noticed these signs or behavior changes in a teen, it is important to speak up and get help.

Coby and Natalia are dearly missed in their community. It is hard to say whether early intervention would have changed the terrible ending of their short lives, but their story can be a lesson to us all. You have the ability to save lives by recognizing the signs, reaching out, and reporting any activity that you feel may be abusive.

If you or someone you know needs help, call the shelter's 24-hour crisis line at 239-775-1101. For more information on the shelter and its services, go to www.naplesshelter.org.
The Mayor of Clonmel/Cahir Borough District has offered his services to frozen foods retailer Iceland in its efforts to find alternative accommodation for its Clonmel store, which is to close on Saturday with the loss of 12 jobs.

The Mayor of Clonmel/Cahir Borough District has offered his services to frozen foods retailer Iceland in its efforts to find alternative accommodation for its Clonmel store, which is to close on Saturday with the loss of 12 jobs.

Cllr Martin Lonergan said his office was open to provide any help or assistance he can in sourcing another site for the Iceland store, which is currently based at the Showgrounds Shopping Centre on the Davis Road.

The English supermarket chain announced last week that it was shutting its Clonmel store on August 2 because it has not been successful in reaching an agreement with the Showgrounds Shopping Centre landlord over the lease assignment of the store.

We have therefore had to make the decision to close the store, the company said in a statement issued to The Nationalist.

However, the statement added that Iceland was committed to the development of its Irish business and will look at re-opening in Clonmel should the right site become available.

The company said it would look at opportunities to redeploy Clonmel staff to other Iceland stores where possible, and re-hire again in Clonmel if and when it finds a suitable site.

Cllr Lonergan, the recently elected Mayor of Clonmel/Cahir Borough District, has expressed regret at the impending closure of the Iceland store and said the loss of jobs to the community was a blow.

But he regarded Icelands commitment to redeploy staff and find alternative retail space in Clonmel to re-open the store as a source of hope.

I call on the company to begin this process immediately and, if their commitment is concrete, would hope that the loss of any jobs can be prevented. My office is open to provide any help or assistance that I can.

Hot on the heels of Icelands announced closure came the news last week that the Showgrounds Shopping Centre is one of three Irish shopping centres in NAMA to be sold to US investment firm Varde.

Its believed the company has agreed terms to purchase the Showgrounds along with Blackpool Shopping Centre in Cork and Millford Shopping Centre in Balbriggan in Dublin for a combined total of 170m - 40m more than originally expected. The three centres first hit the market with a guide price of 130m.

It is the first group of shopping malls that NAMA has sold.

The Showgrounds, with Marks & Spencers as its anchor tenant, was the only shopping centre in the Republic to open in 2009 when the recession was at its worst.
WASHINGTON  Life insurance companies are an untapped source of potential new Federal Home Loan Bank members, according to analysts at Fitch Ratings.

The analysts said that only 16% of life insurance companies were members of a Home Loan bank by yearend 2014.

"Certain FHLB districts have focused their marketing efforts on insurance companies in recognition of the role they play in the U.S. housing marketplace," the report said.

The Chicago, Des Moines and Cincinnati Home Loan banks have grown their life insurance company membership the most over the past five years ending in 2014.

"New insurance companies in these districts represent 49% of the 77 insurance members added FHLB systemwide during that period," the report said.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency recently ruled that captive insurers can no longer be home Loan bank members and existing captives have to exit the system over the next five years.

But life insurance companies have been members since the creation of the system in the 1930s. They are the "most natural fit for FHLB membership," the report said. "There is also strong growth potential" within the property and casualty insurance sector.

Insurance companies can only seek membership in districts where they are headquartered.

"The average insurance company penetration rate in FHLB districts is only 6%. The Indianapolis FHLB leads the way with an 18% penetration rate," the report said.

Many life insurers joined the system during the financial crisis to gain access to advances and boost their liquidity.

Access to Home Loan bank advances "supports our view of the company's liquidity," said Fitch analyst Douglas Meyer in an interview Friday. "In a certain stress situations, their ability to access to liquidity through the system may prevent downgrades."

Meyer noted that Fitch is not predicting there will be a rapid growth in life insurance company membership, "but the low penetration rates suggest that there is an opportunity for additional growth."

Meanwhile, life insurance company borrowings from the Home Loan banks grew by only 0.6% in 2014. But the banks are trying to coax more borrowing by accepting commercial real estate loans as collateral.

"The growth of commercial whole loans as well as municipal securities as acceptable collateral by some FHLBs has driven growth in advances to existing insurance company members," the Fitch report said.
In a keynote speech at the Munich Security Conference, NATO Secretary General focused on the security challenges stemming from the East. He made clear that the Alliance does not seek confrontation and does not want a new Cold War, but will respond firmly. He made clear that the response lies with "both more defence and more dialogue."

He stressed that dialogue is important to address transparency and risk reduction, as well as issues on which NATO and Russia have deep divisions, such as Russia's actions in Ukraine. Mr Stoltenberg said that he had agreed with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov "to explore the possibility for convening a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council." But he stressed that political engagement had never been suspended and that it does not mean "a return to business as usual."

On the margins of the Munich Security Conference, the Secretary General met President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine. He stressed NATO's continued commitment to supporting Ukraine politically and practically, the need for continued reforms, and commended the country on the recent signature of its Annual  National Programme with NATO.

The Secretary General also thanked Prime Minister Manuel Valls for France's contributions to NATO. They discussed the security challenges from the south, and NATO's contribution to dealing with the refugee and migrant crisis. Mr Stoltenberg also held separate meetings with German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and defence minister Ursula von der Leyen. They reviewed current security challenges and stressed the need for close cooperation between NATO and the EU in tackling the greatest humanitarian crisis in Europe since the end of World War Two.
The indicted one

What a charmer

(NaturalNews) There were are a lot of "villains" in the public's eye in 2015, and who the biggest ones were is, of course, a subjective manner. Some saw the rise of billionaire Donald Trump to become the top Republican presidential contender as villainous. Sticking with a political theme, others thought that top Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email account to conduct classified communications was one of the worst things a person could do.But nearly everyone who heard the story of Martin Shkreli thought that he was the biggest villain of them all.Who is he, you ask? In the words of the U.K.'s GQ Magazine, Shkreli is the "fratboy CEO who gained overnight notoriety after his company, Turing Pharmaceuticals, raised the price of HIV drug Daraprim from $13.50 a dose to $750: an increase of 5,500 per cent."As you might have guessed, the insane hike didn't sit well with most people, and for others it was the worst of the worst kind of behavior for Big Pharma . Shkreli was described as "the most hated man in America" by the, and Twitter went wild with all kinds of viciousness (because it's a sewer there, but you get the drift). Interestingly enough, however, he united Democratic contenders Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, as well as Trump, in condemnation (though Clinton's outrage seems a bit staged, given that she is the biggest recipient of Big Pharma donations).Well, karma is a you-know-what, they say. Or maybe it's just that the temperament of someone who would so coldly raise prices to the level he did for a vitally important (and formerly affordable) medication is such that he was destined to step in it, so to speak, to overreach.In recent days, Shkreli was arrested by the FBI for alleged investment fraud, summarily losing his role as chief executive of Turing and his newly acquired company KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, where he owned a majority of shares in November, only to be sacked in December.He is blaming his arrest on the fallout over the Daraprim price hike, which he often tried to justify. And though the price hike was legal (if not improper), it probably did bring him outsized attention from the Feds,observed."The universe may be vast, empty and indifferent but it does have a sense of dramatic irony," the magazine noted.Big companies drastically raising drug prices isn't a rarity. However, Shkreli attracted opprobrium for two reasons:For one thing, the drug he so dramatically raised the price on  Daraprim  has been around since 1953, so it's not revolutionary, rare or even expensive to manufacture. So what he did was essentially motivated by rabid greed.Secondly, he's just not a nice person, noted[which labeled him a rather explicit name that need not be repeated in this space]."He appeared to relish his newfound notoriety. Any criticism of his actions was met with indifference or outright contempt. Everybody from outraged healthcare professionals to presidential candidates received the metaphorical finger," the magazine said.One of his tweets from Dec. 14 summed up the kind of person he really is: "50-100 date solicitations a day for me, the world's most eligible bachelor. Sorry, but you have to be a shareholder to meet me."What lucky lady (or man) would pass up oncharmer?Even some members of Congress were treated to his brand of arrogance. On Feb. 4, he appeared before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee at a hearing focused on  what else?  rising drug prices. But to each question fired at him, Shkreli merely smirked, and answered the same: "On the advice of counsel, I invoke my Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination and respectfully decline to answer your question."After his appearance, he tweeted: "Hard to accept that these imbeciles represent the people in our government."Yes, well, no one on the House panel is under indictment, Mr. Shkreli.Enjoy your jail cell.
A memorial fund has been established for Officer Gus Vegass family through the Richmond Police Officers Association: Mechanics Bank, Account #041305213, Routing #121102036.



The family of a Bay Area police officer who was fatally shot during a domestic dispute at his home early Thursday says they forgive the man accused of killing him, the father of the victim's 6-year-old grandson.

Gus Vegas, who served the Richmond Police Department, was shot and killed early inside his Vallejo home while off duty. Investigators say the 58-year-old was gunned down by 30-year-old Robert Vega at about 4:30 a.m.

Police and neighbors are in shock after an off-duty Richmond police officer was fatally shot during a domestic dispute at his Vallejo home early Thursday. Cheryl Hud reports.

Heartbroken and distraught, Vegas's wife Sandra said Friday the suspect was very close to the family, and even called Vegas "dad."

"We don't know what happened," she said. "But we have complete love and forgiveness for him."

The family of the slain officer addressed reporters Friday and shared their grief, remembering a husband, father and police officer who put others first.

"As a police officer, he devoted his life to protecting others," said Joe Vegas, the victim's son. "He ultimately sacrificed in protecting his family."

Vallejo Police Lt. Jeff Bassett said Richmond Police Sgt. Augustine Gus Vegas, 58, was shot multiple times some time around 4:39 a.m. at his home in the Glen Cove subdivision.

"Gus and Sandra have a great capacity for love," said Scott Peterson, the family's pastor.

Peterson, a close friend of Vegas, says the officer had a calling to helping others and his role as police officer and protector was his passion.

"He was a good husband a devoted father," Peterson said. "He loved his kids loved his grandkids. He loved people in such a passionate way."

Vegas leaves behind his wife, 10 children and 20 grandchildren.
Pope Francis told Mexico's political leaders on Saturday that they have a duty to provide their people with security, "true justice" and basic services as he plunged head-on into the drug-inspired violence, corruption and social ills that are tormenting the country.

Francis began his first full day in the country with a winding 9-mile (14-kilometer) popemobile ride into the capital's historic center to the delight of tens of thousands of Mexicans greeting history's first Latin American pope. Despite an exhausting Friday that involved a historic embrace with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Francis obliged their demands and stopped to hand out rosaries to the elderly, sick and disabled who gathered in front of his residence.

Francis met with President Enrique Pena Nieto at the presidential palace and delivered a tough-love speech to authorities aimed at shaking up the privilege that has long characterized Mexican politics. Later, he was to issue a similarly pointed speech to bishops about their duties as pastors before ending the day with a Mass at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the largest shrine dedicated to the Madonna.

In his speech, Francis said public officials responsible for the common good must be honest and upright and not be seduced by privilege or corruption.

"Experience teaches us that each time we seek the path of privileges or benefits for a few to the detriment of the good of all, sooner or later the life of society becomes a fertile soil for corruption, drug trade, exclusion of different cultures, violence and also human trafficking, kidnapping and death, bringing suffering and slowing down development," he said.

Corruption permeates many aspects of Mexican society, from traffic cops and restaurant inspectors who routinely shake down citizens for bribes, to politicians and police commanders who are sometimes on the payroll of drug cartels. Pena Nieto's administration has been tainted by what critics call fishy real estate dealings by people close to him, including the first lady, with companies that were awarded lucrative state contracts.

Francis said political leaders have a "particular duty" to ensure their people have "indispensable" material and spiritual goods: "adequate housing, dignified employment, food, true justice, effective security, a healthy and peaceful environment."

Francis' entire five-day trip is shining an uncomfortable spotlight on the government's failure to solve entrenched social ills that plague many parts of Mexico  poverty, rampant gangland killings, extortion, disappearances of women, crooked cops and failed public services. Over the coming days, Francis will travel to the crime-ridden Mexico City suburb of Ecatepec, preach to Indians in poverty-stricken Chiapas, offer solidarity to victims of drug violence in Morelia and, finally, pay respects to migrants who have died trying to reach the United States with a cross-border Mass in Ciudad Juarez.

Pena Nieto, who has sought to make economic reform, modernization and bolstering the middle class hallmarks of his administration, is suffering the lowest approval ratings of any Mexican president in a quarter century.

Francis' visit has been cheered by Mexicans who have been treated to six previous papal trips  five by St. John Paul II and one by Benedict XVI  and are known for their enthusiastic welcomes.

Tens of thousands of people lined Francis' motorcade route, some watching from balconies, and thousands more gathered in Mexico's main square, known as the Zocalo, to catch a glimpse as he arrived for his meeting with Pena Nieto. Authorities set up huge TV screens that transmitted the scene inside the National Palace.

"We arrived here at 2 a.m. to get a good spot, and we were able to see him up-close. It was very exciting," said Natalia Zuniga, a 26-year-old Costa Rican who traveled to Mexico along with six others. "It has all been worthwhile to see him and feel his presence."

On a broad avenue leading to the Zocalo, hundreds of people waited for hours for the pope to arrive.

"It's very cold, but it's worth it to see his holiness," said Maria Hernandez, 69, who had been there since 6 a.m. "This will be the third pope I've seen. Hopefully his visit will help us to be better Mexicans."

On his first full day in Mexico, Francis didn't shy from some of the bleakest ills afflicting Mexico: According to government statistics, about 46 percent of Mexicans live in poverty, including 10 percent in extreme poverty. In the rural, heavily indigenous state of Chiapas, where Francis travels on Monday, some 76 percent live in poverty, and 32 percent in extreme poverty.

Mexico's homicide rate rose precipitously after then-President Felipe Calderon launched a war on drug cartels shortly after taking office in 2006, with the bloodshed peaking around 2011. Murders declined somewhat for the next three years after that, before ticking up again in 2015.

Federal data released in January counted 17,013 homicides nationwide last year. Women have been particularly targeted: At least 1,554 women have disappeared in Mexico state since 2005, according to the National Observatory on Femicide, and last year the government issued an alert over the killings of women in Ecatepec and 10 other parts of Mexico state.

While some parts of the country remain relatively removed from drug cartel violence  including the capital and the tourist destination of Cancun, notably  in other areas large portions of the population live with killings, kidnappings and extortion as a daily reality.

In his speech, Francis urged Mexicans to rely on their tremendous resources  human and natural  and draw on the experience of their indigenous, mestizo and criollo cultures to confront the problems of today.

"An ancestral culture together with encouraging human resources such as yours should be a stimulus to find new forms of dialogue, negotiation and bridges that can lead us on the way of committed solidarity," he said.

Associated Press writers Peter Orsi, Carlos Rodriguez, Juan Zamorano and Jacobo Garcia in Mexico City contributed to this report.
A boarding school for troubled teenagers in Iowa that is being investigated by the FBI routinely kept pupils in small concrete "isolation boxes" for days or weeks and wouldn't let them out unless they sat in a specific posture for 24 hours, according to several former students.

Six former students recently told The Associated Press about abuse they say they suffered while attending Midwest Academy in Keokuk, a city along the Mississippi River where Iowa borders Illinois and Missouri. They said the dark, cell-like punishment rooms were often filled with the sounds of students' screams and motivational recordings piped in through speakers. Surveillance cameras and staff members kept watch.

"You spend your time pounding your head against the wall. You can't sleep because there is a lot of noise. A lot of girls like to scream in there. You basically look forward to bathroom breaks and those moments when you can get out of your box," said Emily Beaman, 17, of west suburban Wheaton.

Beaman said that after weeks of isolation, she got out in July only after cutting herself with a bottle cap and begging emergency responders to place her elsewhere. She said an earlier escape attempt failed.

The students, who attended the academy between 2008 and last September, said they and their classmates mutilated themselves, hated the lack of activity and natural light and lost weight due to small meals. Some said they were scarred by the experience months or years later.

Officers raided the academy Jan. 28 to investigate allegations that a staff member sexually assaulted a student. The investigation has since expanded to other possible criminal activity and abuse. Academy owner Ben Trane declined to comment on abuse claims at a news conference this month and didn't respond to AP interview requests. The academy's 90 students were removed and it has been temporarily closed. Three students interviewed by the AP said they had spoken with the FBI.

Lauren Snyder, 17, of Springfield, Missouri, recalled begging to get out of isolation last year, after an employee turned up the audio recordings so loud that the speakers blew out and were making a screeching noise. "It was complete hell," she said. Snyder said she eventually attempted suicide by tying a sock around her neck, and was sent to a psychiatric hospital the next day.

After being placed in isolation her first day for refusing to take out a belly button ring, Sarah Wilson said she made a point not to return. "I knew I would lose my mind in there," said Wilson, 20, of Rock Island, Illinois.

The academy says it provides "struggling teens with a safe, structured and disciplined environment." Many middle- and upper- class families from Midwest states and beyond sent misbehaving teenagers to the academy, which costs roughly $5,000 per month. Trane has said the students were fortunate to have its staff in their lives. Other supporters include parents who say the program saved teens' lives.

As a privately funded school without state-ordered placements, the academy didn't require a license to operate and was otherwise unregulated. "It flew under the radar," said Drake University professor Jerry Foxhoven, an Iowa juvenile law expert who'd never heard of the program previously.

Foxhoven said long-term isolation can be very damaging for juveniles, exacerbating mental illnesses and causing lasting effects that may include post-traumatic stress disorder. He said parents wouldn't be allowed to keep children in isolation for weeks without facing abuse allegations, and the academy shouldn't, either.

Former students said the school kept parents in the dark by strictly limiting and monitoring their communications. Only now, they say, are some of their claims being taken seriously.

A typical academy day started with physical education, followed by hours of online-based school work and meetings. Former students said the goal for many was to avoid an "out-of-school suspension" for violating rules, recalling that fighting and insubordination were some reasons they were put in isolation.

"That is the worst I've ever been treated," said Shaun McCarthy, 19, of Avoca, Iowa, who said he was lucky to go into isolation only twice. "It's not humane."

McCarthy complained about the small meals and lack of stimulation, but said it was worse for others. Students who reach "level 3" in the academy's points-based advancement system help staff watch the boxes. In that role, McCarthy said he saw one girl puncture her finger, draw on the walls with her blood and go to the bathroom on the room's floor before staff intervened. No one else would clean up the bodily fluids, so it fell to him.

To get out, students said they had to sit in a certain way for 24 hours. Sometimes, lengthy essays were required.

"They use seclusion preemptively and as a punitive measure," said former student said James Farris, 24, a nursing assistant in St. Petersburg, Florida. "This is illegal in public health care settings, yet somehow they get away with it."

Farris recalled waking up in an isolation box on his 18th birthday and demanding his release, screaming when it took hours to accomplish. He said he had nightmares for years.

Rachel Adkisson, 19, of Des Moines, said she was put in isolation for refusing to run during gym and had lost 20 pounds when she left two weeks later. She said she told the FBI about another girl who tried to kill herself by tying her bra strap around her neck.

"It's like torture," Adkisson said. "You think it's never going to end. You think, how can a human do this to another person?"
In todays digital world, a television hosts suicide on air would be highly publicized. However, Christine Chubbucks death in 1974 made only a few headlines before her story faded away.

Chubbucks death is considered the first televised suicide in history, according to one of two Sundance films about the tragic tale. She shot herself in the head on air at a Sarasota, Florida, news station.

Her family got an injunction preventing the release of the video of the incident, according an article published Thursday by People. After being seized by authorities, it was given to her mother, Peg.

"I don't know to this day where it is," her brother Greg told People in an interview published Thursday. "But I know no one knows where it is and no one ever will if I have anything to say about it."

The morning talkshow, titled Suncoast Digest, started off as normal on Monday, July 15, 1974, according to a profile written shortly after her suicide. Chubbuck began a segment about an officer involved shooting when the footage jammed. Then, she began to calmly read: We bring you another first.

Her voice was steady as she looked into the camera and said: An attempted suicide. It was at this point that she brought her right hand up from under her desk, according to the profile. In it was a .38 caliber revolver.

She pointed to the lower back of her head and pulled the trigger. After a loud crack, her hair flew in her face as if a gust of wind had passed over it, according to the profile. Her face made a contorted look, and her body fell forward onto the anchor desk and slipped out of sight. The 29-year-old died 15 hours later at a local hospital.



Chubbucks brother Greg told People Christine interviewed a deputy a few weeks before the incident.



"She asked him if someone were to kill themselves where they would put the gun to make sure it was effective," Greg said. "I learned this from the deputy sheriff. He was in tears."



Christine Chubbuck grew up in the suburb of Hudson, Ohio, located a half-hour away from Akron, Greg told People. She obtained a broadcasting degree from Boston University then worked at the Florida news station. He said his parents spent over $1 million on psychiatrists and psychologists over 20 years to "help Chrissie find peace."

Greg told People he believes his sister had bipolar disorder, though she was only treated with depression. Her emotions were also tested when her 23-year-old boyfriend was killed in a car accident when she was 16.

The tragic story of her life is the subject of two movies 40 years later that eerily debuted at Sundance Film Festival last month at the same time. One, entitled Christine, stars Rebecca Hall and follows the journalists downward spiral. The second film, Kate Plays Christine, is a documentary that follows House of Cards actress Kate Lyn Sheil as she prepares to play the journalist.

"My family adored my sister," Greg told People. "She was an interesting, gifted, flawed person."
Samantha Mejia was excited when she discovered she was pregnant during her familys Honduras visit over the Christmas holiday. However, she suffered a miscarriage and wonders if the Zika virus is to blame.

Mejia said she didnt know about the virus because it wasnt as publicized as it is now. She came back to her home in Romeoville right after New Years and had a fever and a rash.

We had no knowledge of it. It wasn't until we arrived that a lot of his friends and family were talking about that there was a Zika and a Chikungunya outbreak, Mejia said.

When she had tests performed, she said she tested positive for Zika had a miscarriage not long after, though it is impossible to tell if Zika was directly linked to the tragedy.

Miscarriages, one thing that we really have learned is that it's so common, Mejia said. It could be just coincidental timing. We did find out from the CDC, they did do some fetal testing and they did show the virus.

Her husband Omars sister in Honduras is five months pregnant now and has contracted Zika. The family is concerned about the babys safety.

The virus has been spreading across much of Latin America and the Caribbean and more cases are expected, health experts told NBC News. Evidence is increasingly showing the virus is responsible for severe birth defects that can cause miscarriages, stillbirths or a lifetime of disability for babies that survive.

Samantha, who currently shows no symptoms and has been well for weeks, has written her congressman, Bill Foster, as well as both Illinois senators Mark Kirk and Dick Durbin in support of Zika funds both here and abroad.

She also wants to tell pregnant mothers not to go to Honduras if possible, and take extreme caution if they have to travel there.

If you can at all avoid it I would at this time just because you don't know, Mejia said. That one mosquito bite could impact it.
An elementary school teacher was struck and killed by a dislodged, 200-pound manhole cover while driving on I-93 south in Boston on Friday morning.

Caitlin Clavette, an art teacher in Milton, was on her way to school when the tragic accident happened.

Clavette was currently working at three elementary schools in town, including Glover School, Collicot School and Cunningham Elementary School. She was a triathlete and was beloved by her students.

"She always had a smile and lots of encouragement for others," said Anne Traer of the Wheelworks Multisport Triathlon Team.

The accident occurred around 7:50 a.m. near the O'Neill Tunnel in Boston.

According to Massachusetts State Police, a manhole cover that normally rests in the left lane of I-93 became dislodged and hit the windshield of the car. After impact, the vehicle continued southbound in the left lane of I-93 before hitting the wall on the left shoulder in the area of East Berkeley Street and coming to a stop.

#Troopers inspecting manhole cover at I-93 accident. Airborne cover killed driver. Not sure this is the one. #NECN pic.twitter.com/aKj4qbMTkI  John Moroney NBC10 Boston (@JohnNBCBoston) February 12, 2016

"This is a terrible loss for our community," the school district said in a statement. "Caitlin's death is a tragic loss, not only for our faculty and staff, but also for the students and families whose lives she has touched over the past four years."

Parents and guardians are invited to attend a meeting Saturday at the Glover School on how to help children deal with Clavette's death. It will take place between 11 a.m. and noon, and parents are asked not to bring their children.

Our sympathy goes out to the family of the victim involved in this horrific incident this morning," a statement from the MassDOT read today. "This tragedy is leading us to take several steps immediately out of an abundance of caution.

MassDOT crews, including welders, joined Massachusetts State Police Friday and Saturday to examine all travel lane highway infrastructure on the metropolitan highway system in Boston to make sure the hardware is seated properly. This hardware includes manhole covers, grates, and covers for electrical panels.

The equipment was last inspected on June 12, 2014.

State police are also investigating.
For the next two frigid nights, Colchester Police Officer Rob Suchecki and three other men are sleeping in tents on the Colchester Green.



Right now pretty sparse, well set up two cots up in there, Suchecki said, showing NBC Connecticut his tent.



The forecast with the wind chills near 30 below zero is not stopping the 7th annual Freezin for a Reason, which raises money for the Colchester Fuel Bank and helps the less fortunate heat their homes.



There are too many people that are forced to keep their thermostats at 50 degrees because they cant afford to heat their homes and buy medications or groceries, said Fred Brown, another one of the men camping out in the cold.



Its a small thing to do for me to help other people, Suchecki said.



Other outdoor events such as the annual Winterfest at New Britains Walnut Hill Park took precautions to help keep parents and their children safe. Organizers provided two warming buses and set up a fire pit.



Its cold, but not cold enough to shut us down, said Eric Barbieri, the director of New Britains Parks and Rec, so were happy that were Friday and not the really brutal stuff tomorrow and Sunday.



The brave men camping out in the brutal cold in Colchester have a large supply of wood to keep their fire burning.



I would rather be safe than sorry, Im fond of my fingers, but weve taken precautions, Brown said.



The men say theyre hoping the extreme cold will help them reach their fundraising goal of $10,000. They have raised $42,000 during the previous six events, Brown said.



People arent going to come out if its 60 degrees, were just four guys getting away from our wives for the weekend if thats the case, Suchecki said.



However, if its minus 30 degrees, 40 with wind chill, theyre going come out and donate more, Brown said.

For how you can donate online, visit the organizer's Facebook page.
Classes at Avon Old Farms Schools have been cancelled after a group of students presented with symptoms of norovirus, according to school officials.

Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that causes the stomach and intestines to become inflamed according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms include stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. There is no specific treatment for norovirus, but sufferers are advised to drink plenty of fluids. For more details on norovirus visit the CDC website.

Robert Orenstein, the schools Chief Financial Officer, confirmed to NBC Connecticut that approximately 15 percent of the boys' preparatory schools students exhibited symptoms of the virus. The school has approximately 400 students and houses them on campus when school is in session.

Orenstein said in an email that families were given the option of having their sons travel home for the weekend to lower their chances of contracting the virus, or for the boys to remain on campus under the care of school health professionals. Extra nurses were called in to the school's health center, and also to the dormitories to attend to any students too sick to make it to the health center.

"The health and well being of our students and the adults who work here is our highest priority," Orenstein said.

The school cancelled classes originally scheduled for Saturday and Monday. Some sporting events, and several other school activities were also cancelled or postponed.

In addition to cancelling campus events the school is taking several steps to prevent the virus from spreading.

Lenore Severni APRN, Director of the Health Center addressed the community Friday morning to go over tips to avoid contamination.

Housekeepers are working extra hours to clean and disinfect the campus, and food services has temporarily suspended self-serve food stations.

Healthy students are expected back on campus by Monday evening. Parents of students exhibiting symptoms are encouraged to keep them home until they have recovered.


Turn to NBC 5 at 10:35 p.m. Sunday for extended political coverage leading up to the Texas Primary and Super Tuesday.

On the next three Sunday nights (Feb. 14, 21 and 28) to stay connected with Texas politics. NBC 5 will focus on the presidential candidate's attention on Texas, plus some large local races.

The red hot presidential race means all eyes will soon be on Texas and Super Tuesday. So join NBC 5 for the next three Sunday nights for expanded coverage of our role in picking the next President of the United States and other big races.

This Sunday (Feb. 14) at 10:35 p.m. NBC 5 political reporter Julie Fine tracks the showdown between U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and mogul Donald Trump who are trying to win South Carolina and later Texas.

Plus, she talks with a State Representative gathering DFW supporters for Hillary Clinton. Also, hear from the man trying to unseat Dee Anderson as Tarrant County Sheriff. That's all Sunday at 10:35 p.m. only on NBC 5.
Fort Worth police and the Texas Rangers are investigating a deadly shooting Friday involving the North Texas Fugitive Task Force.[[368679471,C]]

The incident took place at approximately 4:20 p.m. in front of the Landmark Lodge Motel in the 7500 block of Camp Bowie Boulevard West, where members of the task force attempted to serve a robbery warrant.

As officers approached, police said the suspect pulled out a firearm, so the officers fatally shot the man.

The Hood County County Sheriff's Office said the shooting involved 53-year-old David Glen Watson, who was suspected of aggravated robbery last Sunday in Cresson.

Hood County investigators, along with the Texas Rangers, had collected enough evidence to charge Watson with the robbery and were searching for him on Friday when they located him at the motel.

Police are investigating a deadly shooting involving the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force in Fort Worth, officers say.

No other injuries were reported in the shooting.

Two of the involved officers are from the Fort Worth Police Department, one is a U.S. Deputy Marshal and one is from the Weatherford Police Department, according to Fort Worth police.
A lengthy criminal investigation involving the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the Texas Department of Public Safety and Dallas Police has resulted in a number of federal convictions and a 30-year sentence for a South Dallas drug trafficking kingpin.

U.S. Attorney John Parker announced Friday the sentencing of a Pleasant Grove man following his guilty plea last year to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, heroin and marijuana, as well as one count of kidnapping.

Patrick D. Lenard, 34, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for his involvement in a violent drug trafficking organization that operated out of both the Pleasant Grove area of Dallas, and from inside the Dallas County Jail.

A total of 11 defendants have been convicted and all but two have been sentenced.

One of Lenard's co-defendants, Selena Ball, of DeSoto, worked for the Dallas County Community Supervision and Corrections Department, where part of her job involved the electronic monitoring inmates, including Lenard, with whom she had a romantic relationship, despite the clear conflict of interest. Because of their relationship, she changed or failed to report violations of Lenard's condition of release.

Court documents indicate that at various times between November 2012 and November 2014, Lenard conducted and managed drug-trafficking activities directly from his Dallas County Jail cell.

He used jail phones to call co-conspirators so that he could give instructions or obtain information related to drug-trafficking activities. On one of those occasions, Lenard engaged in a phone conference call involving Ball and others, about illegal drug transactions and money obtained from those transactions.

Lenard also admitted to his role in a brutal kidnapping that occurred Nov. 10, 2012, when court documents show Lenard offered a co-conspirator $10,000 to locate and kidnap someone Lenard said stole money from him. In a daring, broad-daylight incident, those co-conspirators located the person Lenard sought and kidnapped him from a gas station in the 2600 block of North Stemmons Freeway in Dallas.

Several surveillance cameras recorded the kidnapping.

The documents indicate the kidnap victim was struck by the kidnapper's vehicle as he attempted to run away, then was forced into their car and was taken to an apartment at gunpoint and repeatedly assaulted.

Those assaults included burning him with a hot skillet, in an attempt to get information from him regarding the money Lenard stated he had stolen. Later, federal prosecutors said Lenard attempted to have the victim paid off with the proceeds from other drug transactions or disappear altogether to discourage him from testifying before a federal grand jury.
The owner of a Southlake title company accused of stealing money and skipping town was arrested Thursday in Illinois, police said.

Nancy Jackson Carroll, also known as Nancy Jackson Spinks, was arrested in Lake County near Chicago.

She was booked into jail on charges of theft and being a fugitive from justice. She has no bond, pending extradition to Texas.

Carroll owned Millennium Title Company, which was taken over by the Texas Department of Insurance last month.

In court papers, regulators said Carroll vanished, along with several million dollars.

"A tip was received that she was living in the Chicago area, so investigators from the Texas Department of Insurance's fraud unit flew up there this week," said Tarrant County prosecutor William D. Wallace. "She was located and she was apprehended ... in a traffic stop."

The car she was driving, a Mercedes Benz S63, was seized, he said. New models cost $143,000.

Investigators said Carroll had rented a luxury home in the Chicago suburb of Lake Forest. According to zillow,com, the 4-bedroom, 6-bathroom, 6,000-square-foot estate is valued at $1.6 million.

The state has frozen several of her bank accounts. It's not clear how much cash she still had.

Prosecutors say she is accused of stealing $1.2 million.

"There are additional cases under investigation at this time but I can't comment on how much those figures are," Wallace said.

In all, regulators said $3 million was missing from her company's escrow account. At least $2 million more was missing from separate investor accounts.

Carrolls attorney, Mike McCue of Dallas, has not returned calls for comment.

This story was updated with new information Friday evening.
When President Barack Obama visited the Bay Area this week on a Democratic fundraising jaunt, he could have stayed at a five-star hotel in San Francisco with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Or he could have stayed in San Jose, the bustling Silicon Valley metropolis, or even in Oakland, home of the NBA champion Golden State Warriors, who recently paid him a visit at the White House.

Instead, the president and his entourage stayed Wednesday night at the Sheraton San Jose Hotel in Milpitas, California, which online reviewers say has spotty Wi-Fi and dated furnishings and is within sniffing distance of the pervasively stinky Newby Island Landfill.

Lisa Fernandez

"He could have done better," Sheraton guest Robert Hasbon said Friday morning, laughing out loud when he was informed the president had graced the same hotel where he was staying.

Sure, the Seattle business traveler said, the digs were fine for him. But Hasbon thought the leader of the free world could have probably picked a slightly fancier place to rest his head, without a view of a freeway nicknamed "the Nasty Nimitz."

The White House did not respond to a request for comment Friday on why he stayed at the hotel, which is more modest than the luxurious Fairmont hotels in San Jose and San Francisco where Obama has stayed on previous Bay Area visits.

President Obama "could have done better" than the Milpitas Sheraton, guest says. https://t.co/5JiMVIUYEDhttps://t.co/p2dSlKhas4  NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) February 13, 2016

The Sheraton's best feature is arguably its outdoor swimming pool, with cascading water spouts in the background. Otherwise, the feeling of the hotel is clean, but underwhelming by presidential standards. Gold carpeting with brown accents and shiny faux-leather couches, complete with alligator print, flank the first-floor hallways.

The general manager of the Sheraton on Barber Lane in Milpitas, which means "little corn fields" in Spanish and is home to about 70,000 residents, declined to speak to a reporter with NBC Bay Area on Friday, though he told the San Jose Mercury News that the staff was determined to send guacamole and chips to Obama, despite security restrictions, and that the president found them to be "excellent."

Staff also refused on record to discuss the presidential visit. Two employees in the hotel restaurant did say that while they knew Obama was at the hotel, they did not personally see him or serve him. The president did not eat hotel food, they said, or have room service sent up to him. One of the waiters said: "He had his own people do that."

Lisa Fernandez

A representative from the Fairmont hotel in San Jose declined to elaborate on why Obama wouldn't have stayed there at one of the Fairmont facilities this time, saying all guests are entitled to their privacy.

Still, onlookers in Milpitas had their theories on why Obama chose their city, and this hotel in particular, to rest his head in.

"Well, it's close to the airport," said Dustin Dong, who works across the street and saw the presidential caravan outside his office early Thursday morning. "And well, it's not that top end, so I guess it wouldn't be that big of a target."

NBC Bay Area's Kris Sanchez and NBC Universal's Asher Klein contributed to this report.
Millions of public school students will soon have their personal information and school records handed over to a nonprofit community organization.

The Concerned Parents Association fought for the data in federal district court and won over the objections of the California Department of Education.

The nonprofit said it needs the information to see if California schools are violating the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and other related laws. The database it will have access to includes all information on children, kindergarten through high school, who are attending or have attended a California school at any time since Jan. 1, 2008.

The database contain students' names, social security numbers, home addresses, course information, behavior and discipline information, progress reports, mental health and medical information, along with suspensions, expulsions and more.

That doesn't sit well with privacy groups. Beth Givens with Privacy Rights Clearinghouse said it's "shocking that the court would release this sort of information."

Eva Velasquez with the Identity Theft Resource Center agreed.

"A lot of that information could be used to commit identity theft if it gets into the wrong hands," she said.

The attorney for the Concerned Parents Association, Rony Sagy, told NBC 7 the information will only be accessible to a handful of people and will have a "Special Master" who will certify that security measures are followed.

"The issue isn't why they want it," said Velasquez. "The issue is that it creates vulnerabilities and access points."

Students and parents can opt-out of the list by following detailed instructions from the district court. However there appears to be very little being done on the state or local level to inform parents of the disclosure.

To find out more about the court case and how to opt-out, visit the ID Theft Center's website at this URL: http://www.idtheftcenter.org/alertcaparents.html. The form, which you can find here, must be submitted by April 1.
Granada Hills Charter High School snatched the top title in Friday's LAUSD Academic Decathlon, leading all schools in the district in scoring 55,176 points out of 60,000 possible points, Los Angeles Unified School District said in a news release.

This marks the sixth time the high school has won the district title, with its first win in 2007.

"Heartfelt congratulations to the Granada Hills High School team for their stellar performance," said L.A. Unified Board Member Scott M. Schmerelson, who represents the winning school. "It was most gratifying to witness all of our students, regardless of school model, competing together in this epic academic pursuit. Every student was excited, competitive and determined to do their best."

This year, the decathletes' topic of study was India.

The team will advance to the state competition March 17-20 in Sacramento.

Over 500 Los Angeles high school students attended the annual Academic Decathlon Awards Ceremony Friday, according to an event coordinator.

Hosted by the LA Unified School District, high school decathletes made their way out to Hollywood High School Auditorium Friday night, looking to earn medals and trophies for their scholarly efforts.

Some of the district's top students are also expected to be honored, and LA Unified board officials are all expected to attend.
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch spent time with students in Miami-Dade Friday morning to discuss trust and the relationships between young people and the police.



The conversation was part of a two-day stop in South Florida for the nation's top cop. Lynch is making several stops across the nation to discuss policing issues and ways of building trust and cooperation between law enforcement and local citizens.



Lynch met with students at Miami's Booker T. Washington High School along with local law enforcement officials. After that, she held a roundtable on policing at Miami-Dade College.



Some students discussed the role of social media and highly publicized incidents of police brutality. Some told Lynch that they'd rather go to someone else for help than the police.



Lynch said that in her experience, it's young people who find themselves facing the most trust issues with police and how to deal with violence in their communities.



"The people that I found who were most involved were students," she said. "They were young people who were facing the issues of how to relate to police officers."



Some students expressed a desire for officers to take more time getting to know students and spending time in their environment, which would help foster a relationship built on trust and mutual respect.

The attorney general is visiting Miami and five other cities as part of an initiative to improve trust, cooperation and public safety between law enforcement and local citizens.

The initiative comes amid a national debate about police use of force and tactics following high-profile police shootings of unarmed young men in such places as Ferguson, Missouri, and Cleveland.



Later Lynch will visit Portland, Oregon; Indianapolis; Fayetteville, North Carolina; Phoenix and Los Angeles.
Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign enlisted the support of black Democrats on Friday to undermine Bernie Sanders' push to claim a piece of President Barack Obama's legacy, arguing she is the rightful heir to the nation's first black president.

Clinton sought solidarity with Obama at every turn during Thursday's debate in Milwaukee, referring to herself as a "staunch supporter" of his health care law and praising him as a role model on race relations. Clinton ended the debate by criticizing Sanders for saying in an interview with MSNBC that Obama had failed the "presidential leadership test."

By Friday, as Clinton traveled to a black community in South Carolina, her African-American allies in Congress seized upon comments the Vermont senator made at the debate insinuating that race relations would "absolutely" be better under a future Sanders administration.

One questioned the allegiances of Sanders, who is the longest serving independent in congressional history but running for president as a Democrat.

"He was never a Democrat. He is only a Democrat for convenience," Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said in an interview with The Associated Press. He accused Sanders of "dismissive and disrespectful behavior toward the president."

Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus's political action committee, said in a statement after the debate that Sanders wanted to "undo President Obama's accomplishments" and also pointed to the MSNBC interview, saying Sanders' "disparaging comments towards the president are misplaced, misguided and do not give credit where credit is due."

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in an interview with CNN that it was a "bit presumptuous" for Sanders to become "the great healer in race relations."

The Sanders campaign did not immediately comment on the Clinton's supporters' comments. Sanders senior strategist Tad Devine said after the debate that the Clinton campaign was "desperately trying to place a wedge, a wall, a division between Bernie Sanders and President Obama. There's only one problem: It doesn't exist."

The exchange underscored the degree to which Obama's legacy has become tug-of-war between Clinton and Sanders as the Democratic race winds into Nevada and South Carolina, where minority voters play a pivotal role. The Democratic rivals will be competing for the support of black voters who factor in several Super Tuesday contests on March 1, including Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

Clinton invoked Obama or his administration 21 times during the debate and used the president, who remains popular with rank-and-file Democrats, as a shield to push back against Sanders' critiques.

When the senator pointed to Clinton's 2002 vote to authorize the Iraq war, Clinton noted that Obama had trusted her judgment enough to name her secretary of state. When Sanders assailed the influence of Wall Street on the nation's political system, she said Obama had received millions from the financial industry but had still signed the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul.

Sanders portrayed himself as an Obama ally in the Senate and the successor to the Obama movement for change. He regularly notes his ability to generate a large voter enthusiasm among young people, one of Obama's main draws in 2008.

At one point during the debate, Sanders told Clinton sharply, "One of us ran against Barack Obama. I was not that candidate."

His campaign dismissed Clinton's contention that Sanders had presented himself as potentially better than Obama on race relations. Sanders was asked if race relations would be better under a Sanders administration than they had been. The senator said, "Absolutely, because what we will do is say, instead of giving tax breaks to billionaires, we are going to create millions of jobs for low-income kids so they're not hanging out on street corners. We're going to make sure that those kids stay in school or are able to get a college education."

"The Clinton campaign takes every single thing that comes out of his mouth, twists it and distorts it and throws it back," Devine said after the debate.

Both candidates sought to appeal to black voters on Friday. Clinton campaigned in Denmark, South Carolina, where she outlined a $125 billion economic revitalization proposal aimed at creating jobs, improving infrastructure and building housing in "communities of poverty and systemic racism." She reiterated her ties to Obama, telling the audience she would "build on the progress President Obama has made."

Sanders was holding a forum on race and economic opportunity at a Minneapolis high school later Friday.

Clinton and Sanders were ending the day at the Minnesota DFL's annual Humphrey-Mondale Dinner, putting them before party activists less than three weeks before the state's March 1 presidential caucus. Sanders drew about 20,000 people to two rallies in Minnesota last month and has identified the state as a top target.

Associated Press writers Catherine Lucey in Minneapolis and Seanna Adcox in Denmark, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
After bystanders saw a man being pounded against the surf off Sunset Cliffs Friday they tried to use a nearby call box to call 911.

They weren't able to because the call box was broken.

It's always happening here. It's one of the most dangerous spots in San Diego, visitor Hobie Tillman said.

The beauty at Bird Rock draws a crowd, and more than a few daredevils have found themselves overwhelmed by the rugged cliff face and surf.

Tillman is a regular visitor. He said the call box has been broken for three years.

It's real serious. That's your only line of defense really to let someone know what is happening, Tillman said.

First responders verified the phone failure Friday, after they arrived to rescue the 23-year-old man trapped against sunset cliffs by the high surf.

He got pounded on these rocks for a while. He looked like he was actually drowning, witness Mary Wall said.

Despite the malfunction there was no delay in the response. The victim was safely returned to the street level without injury.

Lifeguard Sergeant Ed Harris told NBC7 there are five shoreline call boxes in the county, but he said the system is antiquated and unreliable.

The problem is compounded by poor cell reception. Portable phones aren't always at the ready.

You leave [your cell phone] up in your car, if anything happens you are on your own and hopefully somebody sees you, Tillman said.

Fortunately for Friday's victim Sunset Cliffs was packed with holiday weekend shutter bugs, which proved more reliable an emergency than the phone for that express purpose.

The phones ring directly into the main lifeguard station and, while lifeguards are responsible for responding to those calls, they are not responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the call boxes.
Officials at University of California campuses, including UC San Diego, have been monitoring all campus computer activity since last summer.

The decision to install monitoring software on all UC computers came after a huge data breach last year at UCLA Medical Center. Unfortunately the UC president Janet Napalitano forgot to inform students.

I find it a little troubling that I had no idea that it happened at all, psychology student Maddie Ebel told NBC 7.

Without telling anyone the schools installed software operated by a third party last August to monitor what it calls digital traffic.

A group of professors at Berkeley said the software raises privacy concerns especially since its not clear exactly what data is being collected.

Napalitanos office released a statement in response saying, "Unfortunately, many have been left with the impression that a secret initiative to snoop on faculty activities is underway. Nothing could be further from the truth."

Her office said the intent is to prevent, detect and respond to any future cyber-attacks.

UC San Diego Junior Matthew Zamudio, who writes on the school newspaper, agreed that its a privacy issue.

An email sent to a professor is going to be entered into this spyware system, where it can be read by the office of the president, Zamudio explained. So, it just creates a general sense of uncomfortableness on campus and doesn't make people feel very welcome.

The ACLU weighed in on the issue saying, "Surveillance should not be used without first consulting with the community and ensuring that transparency and safeguards are in place."

They have to accept the fact that all of the things that are being exchanged aren't going to be private, Zamudio said. They're going to be read by possibly a third party.

The UC President said there is no intention of putting a stop to the monitoring, but moving forward, faculty will be deeply involved.
Some domestic violence victims are encouraged about the progress of a bill that would take guns away from abusers who face permanent protective orders.

Both the House and Senate versions of the bill took another step forward Friday in the Virginia General Assembly.

The proposed measure is part of the compromise gun law plan announced recently by Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Republican leaders. Activists on both the gun rights and gun control sides have weighed in.

A domestic violence survivor who broke free from her abusive husband nine years ago told News4 the abuse began first with verbal threats, then escalated.

"It started as yelling, threatening," she said. "It progressively got worse. He came home from drinking and got into a physical altercation and I ended up with a slice under my eye."

More incidents followed until her husband was arrested and went to jail for hurting her. When he was released, she hoped to reconcile only to be injured again and again. One day when she answered a call from him, she hid a weapon they had in the home.

"Whatever it was, something in his voice, and I knew I had to hide the weapons that we had," she said. "I hid them so he couldn't get them because I honestly feel if he had been able to access those, I probably would have been dead that day."

The final 911 call that led to more jail time for her husband came when when their 2 1/2-year-old daughter witnessed an attack.

"He was throwing me up against the wall, pushing me on the ground, and she was yelling, 'Daddy no, Daddy no!' That's when I decided, That's it, you're never going to put your hands on me again."

She got a permanent protective order against her husband -- which lasts for two years -- and she got help from Fairfax County Police's Victim Services Section.

Now, she says she welcomes the proposed legislation that would require abusers under permanent protective orders to sell or surrender their weapons. Right now, protective orders only bar the accused from purchasing or transporting a firearm.

"It's nice to know," she said. "It seems to me anyway they are looking at the survivors, trying to make the survivors more comfortable. It's a little late for the victims because some of them have probably already lost their lives to the violence of guns so I definitely think its a step in the right direction."

The gun violence prevention group Everytown for Gun Safety has been critical of the proposed legislation, complaining that it has no explicit language that would require abusers to surrender their weapons.

Right now in Fairfax County, almost 270 permanent protective orders have been issued against domestic abusers.

Sandy Bromley, who coordinates services for Fairfax County's Office for Women & Domestic & Sexual Violence Services, also welcomes the change in the law.

"The impact of this new legislation will be really amazing for victim safety," said Bromley. "What we want to make sure of is we are reducing their risk of homicide so just getting guns out of the picture in cases when violent is already in the home is the most important thing."

She said statistics show when there is a gun in the home, a domestic violence victim is 500 times more likely to be killed than when there is not a gun present.

But Fairfax County isn't waiting for the new legislation. It's already made a big change to try to change lives. In July, the county launched LAP: The Lethality Assessment Program. It's modeled after a program that's been in effect in Maryland for years.

Fairfax County Police officers got special training and now when they make an arrest for domestic violence, they must ask 11 questions of the victim. The first, has he/she ever used a weapon against you or threatened you with a weapon?

If a victim scores high risk they are immediately connected by phone with a staffer in the county's Domestic Violence Services Office, who will immediately arrange for safety planning or an emergency shelter.

Bromley is encouraged by the early results.

"It's been huge," she said. "So far we've had no domestic violence homicides in the seven or eight months since we've had the program going."
UPDATE:

A 19-year-old Arlington man lied about the attack, police said Wednesday. Julian Leiter has been charged for filing a false police report, police said.

ORIGINAL STORY:

A teenager in Northern Virginia says he escaped an assault after another teen tried to stab him -- and told the victim the attack was a gang initiation.

The teen boy was cutting through Quincy Park about 8:40 p.m. Thursday in Arlington, Virginia. The park is located between Arlington's Central Library and Washington-Lee High School, and a quick walk from the Virginia Square Metro station.

The victim was in the park when the attacker approached with a knife, police said.

"He brandished a weapon and told the victim he needed to do this as part of a gang initiation," Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said.

The victim was able to fight back and started to run, and then three other teens in the park began chasing him. He called the police when he got home and was not hurt, police said.

Police describe the attacker as a slim, white male teen about 5-foot-10. He may have an injury on his head, where the victim hit him.

The three other teens with him were wearing gray hooded sweatshirts, police said.

Police continue to search for the attackers.

"What we really want to stress, especially at night, is do not cut through any areas that are dark or not well lit. For your own safety, stick to public areas that are well-traveled," Savage said.
Behind the concrete walls of Boston City Hall, artists are getting a chance to show off their work and inject some culture into the space.

The City Hall Galleries help expose the public to local talent, says Julie Burros, Boston's Chief of Arts and Culture.

"We really are trying to elevate the work of Boston's artists and creative people, give them a platform for showing it," she said. "They might not normally have that platform."

Curator John Crowley selects the work - with a little help.

"A lot of times, the artists come to me with an idea for a show," Crowley said. "People get interested, people get called up by interior decorators sometimes. Gallery owners, things like that."

During the month of February, most of the art honors Black History Month. Quilts hang from the fifth floor balconies from the African American quilters group Sisters in Stitches. "Transformed," on the third floor, features work from Roxbury Community College, celebrating the power of art in confronting violence. Downstairs, artist Jocelyn Chemel uses mixed media and a barbed wire motif as social commentary.

"We would love for City Hall to be a place where there's all kinds of functions that you can accomplish here, and maybe seeing some artwork is part of that."

The current art exhibits are on display at City Hall until Feb. 28. For more information, click here.
In New England, the appetite for Maine lobster peaks in the summer, but halfway across the world, that hunger hits in the dead of winter.

Lobster has become a big part of Chinese New Year, which is the week of Feb. 8-12. It;s the nation's largest celebration, and as Cindy Han, a board member of the Chinese and American Friendship Association explains, it is centered around food.



"Almost every Chinese New Year meal is going to have fish," said Han.



It's one dish in particular that's surging in popularity: Maine lobster.

"Their appetite keeps getting bigger and bigger," said John Leavitt, the vice president of sales at Ready Seafood in Portland, Maine. Leavitt said last year, his company exported around 12 million pounds of lobster to China.



"The last five, six years it's really started to boom," said Leavitt.

Federal statistics show the same trend. In 2009, U.S. lobster exports to China amounted to about $2 million. Last year, that number rose to $90 million.

"There is a burgeoning middle class," said Han. "Lobster is one of those special sea food dishes that ... they couldn't get easily before."



The average Maine lobsterman fishing in the winter is seeing a difference. According to Steve Train, the lobster price has stabilized this winter. There is an increase in volume, and without an increase in demand from China, the price could fall.

"We're maintaining, especially this year, a price that we think is what the product is worth," said Train.
A year ago, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and the MBTA were contending with brutally abundant snow. This weekend, they're contending with brutally cold temperatures, likely well below zero Saturday and Sunday mornings.

"Everyone gets the fact that snow is an enormous problem for the MBTA," Baker said Friday afternoon. "Really severe cold, when people are talking about temperatures over the weekend that may be lower than anything we've ever seen before, is just as big a problem ... Viciously cold weather is very tough on the signalling system, on the switches, and on the tracks themselves, and we're going to keep trains running as much as we have to try to keep things warm."

MBTA chief operating officer Jeff Gonneville said all this week T crews have been systematically bleeding dry the workings of subway trains and trolleys to get them ready for this weekend.

"Air systems that power our brakes, suspensions, propulsion, door systems, these air systems themselves have, by the nature of compressing air, build up of moisture, and that moisture can freeze," Gonneville said. Ice crystals in turn can freeze motors and doors and force trains out of service. "The process actually started last weekend to begin getting ready for this cold snap that we're seeing now," Gonneville said.

The one break for the T: This weather is coming on a three-day holiday weekend with much reduced schedules and ridership. Monday, the commuter rail runs on a Sunday holiday schedule, so if there are problems with trains or tracks, operator Keolis Commuter Services has an extra 24 hours to get things back to normal before the Tuesday morning rush.

Keolis said if you see or hear locomotives idling for hours on end this weekend at Needham Heights or Bradford or Newburyport or Rockport or other locations, don't be concerned or alarmed. That's what they need to do to keep them ready to run during daylight hours.

One challenge for the T: They'll still be operating late night subway and trolley service Friday into Saturday and Saturday into Sunday, until 2:30 a.m. Then they have to resume daily service at 5 a.m. That prevents the T from implementing its preferred plan for protecting subways and trolleys from severe cold weather: Park them inside tunnels overnight as they did Thursday into Friday.

"The small window of time that we actually have during late-night service, Friday night, Saturday night, we will not be able to do that for being able to store our cars in the particular tunnels," Gonneville said.

Riders are hoping for the best as they gird for extreme cold.

"I'm used to it. I like it," said Annette Gordon of Fall River, staying in Boston overnight before she takes the T to Logan International Airport Saturday. "I think they may run a little behind schedule but I know they will be there."

Sheeri Cabral of Boston's Hyde Park neighborhood, bundled up in scarves she knit as she pushed her nine-week-old son, Rubin, through Dewey Square, said she felt ready, and just hopes the T is, too. On her train ride home, she's still contending with months of delays getting an Amtrak signal system fixed.

"I'm worried about it because the thing is, even if I'm not travelling tomorrow or Sunday, it could be months, could be months for things to be repaired" if the severe cold causes new damage to T tracks or signals, Cabral said.



With videographer Anthony Sabato
Marco Rubio enters Saturday night's Republican presidential debate facing immense pressure to right his campaign after faltering badly in the last contest and finishing a disappointing fifth in New Hampshire.

Rubio's stumble re-energized some of his rivals as the race heads to the South and reignited questions about whether the 44-year-old first-term senator has the experience to be president. While he's sought to shed some of his reliance on well-rehearsed talking points in recent days, the debate will be a prime test of whether he can rebound.

Just six contenders will face off Saturday in Greenville, South Carolina, far from the long line of candidates who took the stage in earlier GOP debates. But even with a streamlined field, the Republican race remains deeply uncertain.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and celebrity billionaire Donald Trump each have a state in their win column after respective victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, and both appear to be in a strong position heading into South Carolina's Feb. 20 Republican primary. They've been sparring from afar for weeks but have so far kept their acrimony off the debate stage.

Whether that pattern continues in Saturday's contest is unknown. Cruz released a television advertisement before the debate accusing the real estate mogul of a "pattern of sleaze," spurring Trump to fire back on Twitter with another round of questions about his Canadian-born rival's eligibility to be president.

If Cruz "doesn't clean up his act, stop cheating, & doing negative ads, I have standing to sue him for not being a natural born citizen," Trump wrote.

While Trump will be standing at center stage, signifying his lead in national preference polls, Rubio will be the center of attention.

Florida's junior senator entered the last debate facing criticism from rivals who said that while he delivers a good speech and sharp answers in debates, he lacked depth. He played into that characterization when he repeated the same practiced line multiple times under pressure from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Rubio's poor performance has created a potential opening for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Bush in particular will need a solid showing in South Carolina, given his prominent political family's ties to the state, while Kasich is just hoping to remain viable until the race heads to friendly territory for the Midwestern governor.

Katon Dawson, the former chairman of the South Carolina GOP, said he expects the debate to have more of an impact on his state's voters than the results in either Iowa or New Hampshire.

"In the last couple of races, we have seen our voters hold their final pick until a couple of days before," Dawson said. "After the church bells ring on Sunday, people are going to start paying a lot of attention."

Also on stage Saturday will be Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon who has struggled to stay relevant in the debates as his standing in the race sharply slipped. Carson pledged that he wouldn't allow himself to be ignored.

"I'm going to be much more boisterous," he said on Fox TV.

Poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire led some frequent debate participants, including Christie and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, to end their campaigns. Nearly all lower polling candidates who have populated undercard debates have also all ended their White House bids.
A man was airlifted after being pinned between two vehicles Friday in Lowell, Massachusetts, and another man was arrested.

Police say 28-year-old Andrew Melendez of Kittery, Maine, was in a fight with the victim on Caddell Avenue. Melendez allegedly got in the vehicle, and the victim was standing in front of it.

Melendez, police say, drove forward, slamming into the victim and pinning him against a parked minivan.

Police responded just before 5:30 p.m. to find the victim "bleeding profusely from a serious leg injury." He was taken to Lowell General Hospital before being airlifted to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

Melendez is charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and police say more charges are probable.

It was not immediately clear whether Melendez had an attorney.
While antivirus software pioneer John McAfee garners media attention here for his long-shot Libertarian presidential run, law enforcement authorities in Belize are reportedly continuing to investigate the 2012 murder of McAfees American neighbor. That probe prompted McAfee to flee Belize and eventually land back in the United States.

McAfee has unequivocally denied any participation in or knowledge of the murder and has maintained that he left Belize because he feared authorities there would imprison or kill him anyway.

From a report in The San Pedro Sun:

Amy Herbert Emshwiller, has been detained for questioning in the investigation of the murder of Gregory Faull. Emshwiller was detained by the San Pedro Police on Northern Ambergris Caye on Wednesday, February 10th by request of Belize Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB). The CIB has been working along with the Federal Investigation Bureau (FBI), (sic) who are still investigating Faulls murder, which occurred on November 11, 2012. Emshwiller was escorted to Precinct Three in Belize City to be questioned by both CIB and FBI personnel. It is not yet known what her connection to the case is and police are not disclosing any further information on her detainment.

While the San Pedro Sun uses the word detained, there are no additional details as to whether Emshwiller was merely questioned or remains in custody.

Although Emshwiller was one of a number of women romantically and simultaneously linked to McAfee during his time living in Belize, she did not accompany him on his clandestine departure from that country or join him in the United States.

However, she was originally named  as Amy Herbert, and along with another McAfee girlfriend, Samantha Vanegas  in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Faulls estate against McAfee, according to Reuters. The disposition of that case is unknown, though a document at Law360 indicates the involvements of Herbert and Vanegas were terminated.

In addition to his presidential bid, McAfee is reportedly involved in a number of technology efforts, as well as book and movie projects.

A request for comment on the questioning of Emshwiller has been placed to McAfees campaign.

Welcome regulars and passersby. Here are a few more recent buzzblog items. And, if youd like to receive Buzzblog via e-mail newsletter, heres where to sign up. You can follow me on Twitter here and on Google+ here.
How this East Bay organization can help as electric, heat costs rise

One program designed to keep people afloat in the face of rising heat and electricity costs is East Bay Community Action Program's LIHEAP.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. High 76F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

Generally fair. Low 51F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.
The process to make bobbin lace needs to be seen to be believed.

And once you see it, odds are youll either be intimidated or intrigued.

Thats how Monroe resident Karen Douglas first observed the thread craft.

Douglas, a nurse coordinator, noticed the wife of a patient making bobbin lace, which involves the weaving and braiding of multiple threads onto a pre-picked pattern pinned to a special pillow.

She had her little lace pillow and I saw her making the lace, Douglas said. I was instantly fascinated.

That woman was Louise Hume, the president and founder of the Cardinal Lace Guild of Lynchburg, an organization that meets once a month to make bobbin lace. Douglas joined the group not long after meeting Hume and has been studying the craft ever since.

The origins of bobbin lace can be traced back to the 16th century, which saw the rapid development of lace as an openwork fabric, created with a needle and single thread (needle lace) or with multiple threads (bobbin lace), according to The Lace Guild, a British-based organization for lace makers.

Bobbin lace, in particular, evolved from braids and trimmings worked in colorful silks and silver-gilt threads and [was] used as surface decoration for both dress and furnishings.

The term bobbin comes from the primary tools of the trade  small, skinny sticks around which the thread is wrapped.

They come in a variety of styles, from simple wooden pieces to fancier, decorative ones with beads, called spangles, dangling from the end.

They were another reason Douglas got hooked so quickly: I bought my first bobbin before I even tried [making] lace because I like the bling.

The lace is made with many threads, each wound onto a separate bobbin, which function to put tension on your thread and to keep them from rolling, Douglas said.

The process starts with the pattern thats pinned onto a pillow. As the lace maker weaves the thread  in a style similar to how youd make a friendship bracelet  she uses pins to hold the stitches in place.

It is not wound around the pins, Hume said. You work the stitch and then pin it to the pattern.  You only work with four threads at a time, even if you have 200 [bobbins] on there.

According to The Lace Guild, the first machine lace was made toward the end of the 18th century and the handmade lace industry had all but disappeared in England by 1900.

But groups like the Cardinal Lace Guild keep the craft alive, reveling in a centuries-old craft.

Its the joy of making something from scratch and continuing a very old tradition, said Boonsboro resident Jan Kincaid, who joined the group in 2003.

For Hume, its also therapeutic. She started crocheting when she was 6 and was knitting by age 11. But as she got older, both became harder to do because they required her hands to be constantly clenched. Not so with bobbin lace, which can be made without that tension.

Her journey with the craft began in the late 1980s, after her sister-in-law gave her a book about the history of lace that had patterns for everything but bobbin lace. Her curiosity was piqued and, after doing some research, Hume began learning how to make it herself.

She joined a lace guild in Roanoke and attended meetings there until she organized the Cardinal Lace Guild here in 1992. Current members come from all over Central Virginia, and they currently alternate between meeting at the Madison Heights and Forest libraries.

When new members join, they are given a curriculum to follow that starts with basic stitches and patterns. They usually begin by making bookmarks before graduating to more complex designs.

During the groups January meeting at the Madison Heights Library, Douglas demonstrated how to make a complicated motif piece. More than three dozen bobbins were spread across her navy blue pillow. In the center sat a circular pattern, a bright red pin cushion nearby.

Her bobbins really did have bling, too. Some were painted, some were a natural wood color, and most had colorful beads attached to their ends.

Everybody looks at this spread of bobbins and [is] intimidated, she said. But youre only working with four to eight at a time.

Most of the longtime members own more than one pillow so they can work on multiple projects at once. In Humes case, shes actually made her own travel pillow  designed to fit on an airplane tray  so she can make lace wherever she goes.

The pillow they use depends on the piece.

During that January meeting, Hume was making yardage  intended to eventually be used as detailing on handkerchiefs or camisoles  on a small roller built into her pillow.

Other styles, like Douglas motif, are created on larger pillows that are either flat or rounded.

It is an incredibly time-consuming, patience-testing process that requires attention to detail and a careful hand; Hume said they typically average two hours a square inch.

The hardest part is sometimes you dont realize you made a mistake [immediately], said Cheryl Atkinson of Forest. One twist too many, or not enough twists  thats all it takes and it will mess up the entire pattern.

In addition to acting as detail pieces on clothing, the lace they make takes on many forms: Bookmarks, jewelry, even coasters.

They use natural threads, mostly cotton, Hume said, and primarily a lightweight [thread count] you would use on a regular sewing machine.

Its so neat you can just take a spool of thread, she said, and make something this pretty.
A Lynchburg man faces charged in connection with a child exploitation case following a joint investigation between the Lynchburg Police Department Forensic Team, the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce and the Columbia, Missouri, Police Department.

Robert Bobby Blaine Trent, 32, of Lynchburg was arrested Friday and charged with 10 counts of production of child pornography, five counts of taking indecent liberties with a child 13 years of age or under and 10 counts of use of a computer/communication system in commission of the offenses, according to the news release. The joint investigation began in December 2014.
Fire for Tim Kee

The Mayors comments were in response to a question from the media seeking his reaction to the discovery of the body of Japanese masquerader and pannist, Asami Nagakiya, on the western end of the Queens Park Savannah on Ash Wednesday. The young woman was a regular visitor to Trinidad and Tobago for Carnival and played pan with the Silver Stars Steel Orchestra for more than five years. She was actually clad in a bikini-type outfit when her body was found, and it was confirmed later that she had actually played in the band Legacy on Carnival Tuesday.

Yesterdays protest gathering, which was made up of mostly women, some wearing Carnival costumes, assembled at the band stand, Woodford Square, obliquely opposite to City Hall at about 11 am, to participate in the action which was called, Dont be Vulgar, Mr Tim Kee aimed at the Port of Spain Mayor. Many of the demonstrators spoke out against the Mayors statements, reinforcing comments that were written on crudely constructed placards. A similar demonstration took place outside the Trinidad and Tobago High Commission in London. Several photos were posted on Facebook. One woman was shown pulling down her pants and displaying her thong underwear in front of the High Commissions door. Another woman wore her underwear on the outside of her pants. They held up placards, with one sign stating, Chauvinist mayor, resign now and another, Misogyny is vulgar. Former Justice Minister Christlyn Moore, who was among the protesters, said shaming victims appeared to be Mayor Tim Kees speciality and it would not be accepted.

As former Minister of Justice it is completely unacceptable (to me), Moore said, That we have a festival that not only encourages but worships expression, and somebody being attacked in a celebration that we have coined to celebrate our own ability to express ourselves, that that moment should be vilified by the mayor. Moore said gender main streaming was required throughout the Government.

A Ministry of Gender is a fantastic idea, she added, But each ministry needs to have a gender policy. The entire Government needs a gender policy. The group was under the watchful eye of several police officers. At about noon, the participants, some with placards, marched in a line opposite to City Hall on Knox Street, while one of the organisers of the demonstration, Atillah Springer, delivered a letter to Tim Kees office. In the letter, from concerned citizens and residents of Trinidad and Tobago they called on the Government to revoke the Mayors appointment.

We are deeply concerned that Mr Tim Kee is not interested in the safety of either local or foreign women in Port-of-Spain during or after the Carnival season, the letter read in part. Clothing does not cause violence. Dark streets do not cause violence...we are disturbed that Mr Tim Kee did not wait for conclusive evidence of the causes of the young womans death to make a statement, nor did he offer any sincere condolences to her family, the letter stated.

The small gathering initially included fashion designers, Anya Ayoung Chee and Meiling.

One man carried a sign saying, Nobody loves Raymond, a play of words taken from the popular television series, Everybody Loves Raymond, and on the Mayors first name, Raymond, to demonstrate how they felt about him.

While they marched, Juliet Davy, an employee at the Mayors office and political activist shouted and blamed the media for twisting the Mayors words.

She said she will never allow her daughter to leave her house dressed in a particular way.

We have a responsibility to protect our property which is our body just as we protect our home, she said. Another woman shouted to the group that they should go home and they were agents of the United National Congress UNC).

Speaking to Newsday after, Springer said she was really happy that people were interested and passionate about the issue of violence against women.

If all of us arent involved in changing it then it will not change. We all have to take responsibility, all of us are affected every single day, she said.

She said the main message in the letter delivered to Tim Kees office was that the vulnerable needs to be protected and not blamed for their vulnerability.

Japanese reporters and photographers also present to cover the demonstration. A reporter Hisashi Yamada from TV Asaik, which is based in New York City, said he totally disagreed with what was said by the Mayor.
London protest against Tim Kee

The group  including novelist Monique Roffey and film-maker Karen Martinez  held bright pink placards outside No. 42 Belgrave Square, London. Misogyny is Vulgar said one. Chauvinist Mayor Resign Now; and Still Not Asking for It, said others. Yet another said, Visitors to Trinidad and Tobago Beware Bikinis Can Kill. One group member flung a bra in the air.

The group delivered a letter, addressed to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, the PNM political leader, calling on Rowley to take action in relation to the PNM Mayor.

As citizens of Trinidad & Tobago, based in London, we are writing because we are very disturbed by the views coming out of your offices, the group writes.

It is outrageous that someone in such high office could make a statement of such insensitivity....

This is victim blaming and it is not acceptable. The group further states the purported apology of the Mayor was, not an apology but simply, a further misogynistic attack.

As if this wasnt enough, you, the Prime Minister, add insult to injury by saying that you have no intention of firing the mayor, the group states.

We believe that the vulgar behaviour on show is actually from Mayor Raymond Tim Kee. As a public official his words are unacceptable and we are therefore asking for his immediate removal from office. Martinez yesterday told Newsday, We turned up just before 2pm but they said they were closed and then refused to open the door for us so we had to post the letter through the box instead and then just stood outside and did our thing.
There Were Rules on Handling

Asbestos. They Were Ignored
(Newser)  It's hard to imagine, but there was a time Oregon's Malheur National Wildlife Refuge was a beloved bird sanctuary and not a clubhouse for armed anti-government protesters. But now that the last of those protesters has cleared out, various organizations are asking for volunteers to help clean and repair the wildlife refuge, the Oregonian reports. "We are relieved that the illegal occupation of Malheur NWR is over," US Fish and Wildlife says in a statement. "While we are now able to look forward to a new beginning, there is still much that needs to be done so that the community and the larger public can be welcomed back to their refuge."

Protesters occupied the wildlife refuge for 41 days before the last one surrendered to the FBI on Thursday. The Oregon Natural Desert Association and Portland Audubon Society made an online sign-up sheet for volunteers to help clean up whatever messes the occupiers made while there. "The place is just trashed," one volunteer tells the Oregonian after watching videos posted to social media by the protesters. Regardless, the Portland Audubon Society is looking at the bright side of the occupation: "Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is one of the most important bird refuges in the United States," the group states on its website. "The illegal armed occupation has increased awareness of this incredible place, the wildlife that depends on it, and the community that surrounds it." (Read more Oregon stories.)
(Newser)  Prosecutors charged three state officers with homicide after a bloody prison brawl that ended with 49 dead, raising questions about what happened during the melee inside Mexico's Topo Chico lockup that saw inmates fight with hammers, cudgels, and makeshift knives. Nuevo Leon state prosecutor Roberto Flores did not say Friday night if the officers were accused of killing inmates. But authorities have said a guard fired a bullet found in one dead inmate at the prison in Monterrey. Flores also said that four of the nine bodies still unidentified could not be named because the prison had no record of them at the facility. The other five bodies were badly burned and were awaiting DNA testing. "It is a pretty irregular situation," he said.

The prison houses inmates sentenced for minor offenses and suspects awaiting trial in general population alongside some of the country's most hardened killers. Authorities said the hours-long fight that raged into Thursday morning was a battle between rival drug gang factions. Nuevo Leon Gov. Jaime Rodriguez said 60 hammers, 86 knives, and 120 shivs were used in the bloodbath in which 49 inmates died and a dozen were injured. At least 40 of the victims "died from wounds from stabbing and cutting weapons, blows from hammers and clubs," Rodriguez said at a news conference. In Mexico's prison system, "there is self-rule" by the inmates," he said. "All this corruption inside the prison creates the conditions we have today." (Read more Mexico stories.)
(Newser)  If a bill introduced in Kentucky this week becomes law, men seeking Viagra or other erectile dysfunction drugs would be required to get a signed note from their wife and swear on a Bible they would only use the drugs during sex with their spouse, the Courier-Journal reports. The men would also be required to prove they're married and visit the doctor twice before to getting the drugs. "I want to protect these men from themselves," says Rep. Mary Lou Marzian, who introduced House Bill 396. "This is about family values." It's also about seven anti-abortion bills that have been introduced in the Kentucky legislature this session, according to Insider Louisville. "Ive had it with 80 men telling women what to do, Marzian says. "So I thought Id just tell them what to do.

One anti-abortion bill signed into law this month requires women to get counseling 24 hours prior to an abortion. Another currently in the senate would require women to get a trans-vaginal ultrasound first. Marzian, a nurse, says it's "ridiculous" that government officials are getting involved in these kinds of decisions. "Do we really want a bunch of legislators interfering in private, personal medical decisions?" she asks the Courier-Journal. Marzian knows her "tongue-in-cheek" bill is unlikely to pass, the Huffington Post reports. She's also received a lot of messages from people wondering why she's wasting her time on something like this when there are more important problems facing the state. "That's my point," she tells HuffPo. (Read more Viagra stories.)
(Newser)  Russia's prime minister accused NATO on Saturday of restarting the Cold War amid increased military maneuvers and troop deployments to countries neighboring Russia, moves the alliance's top official defended as a necessary response to aggression from Moscow, the AP reports. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told a meeting of top defense officials, diplomats, and national leaders that sanctions imposed after Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and new moves by NATO "only aggravate" tensions. "NATO's policies related to Russia remain unfriendly and opaqueone could go so far as to say we have slid back to a new Cold War," Medvedev said. "On almost a daily basis, we're called one of the most terrible threats either to NATO as a whole, or Europe, or to the United States."

The comments came after NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told the Munich Security Conference that "Russia's rhetoric, posture, and exercises of its nuclear forces are aimed at intimidating its neighbors, undermining trust and stability in Europe." Speaking after Medvedev, Secretary of State John Kerry fired back that Europe and the US would continue to "stand up to Russia's repeated aggression" and noted that in addition to a joint focus on Ukraine, Washington plans to quadruple spending to help European security. That will allow the US to maintain a division's worth of equipment in Europe and an additional combat brigade in Central and Eastern Europe. "Those who claim our trans-Atlantic partnership is unravelingor those who hope it might unravelcould not be more wrong," Kerry said. (Read more Cold War stories.)
(Newser)  Penguins have been recorded living at Cape Denison in Antarctica's Commonwealth Bay for 100 years, the Guardian reports. But their time could be nearly up. According to CNN, 150,000 penguins in the Cape Denison colony have died since an iceberg nearly the size of Rhode Island crashed into their home in 2010. The iceberg, which had been floating along the coast for two decades, made the penguins' lives drastically more difficult by making them landlocked. Instead of being close to the water, the penguins now have to walk 40 miles in order to hunt for food.

Researchers, who published their findings this month in Antarctic Science, believe there are only 10,000 or so penguins remaining in the colony. According to the study, the dramatic decline in their numbers can be directly attributed to the iceberg, as another colony just five miles away is "thriving." Researchers believe the Cape Denison penguin colony will completely die off within the next 20 years unless the iceberg is forced back out to sea. The colony has provided scientists with an excellent example of what could happen to Antarctica's animal inhabitants if recent trends in increasing sea ice continue. (Read more penguins stories.)
Johannesburg:

Joe Root hit his second successive century for England but again finished on the losing side after an astonishing assault by South African all-rounder Chris Morris squared the series at the Wanderers Stadium.

South Africa won the fourth one-day international by one wicket to set up a series decider in Cape Town on Sunday.

Man-of-the-match Morris, dropped on 14 when South Africa were eight down and still 52 runs short of victory, slammed 62 off 38 balls.

Adil Rashid, the man who dropped Morrisa straightforward chance at mid-off from the bowling of Reece Topleywas brought on to bowl with the scores level and bowled Morris with a googly.

But last man Imran Tahir punched the next ball square for the winning boundary.

That the match went so deep seemed unlikely when England were floundering at 108 for six after being sent in to bat.

But Root made 109 and steered England to a total of 262.

England made two changes after losing the third match in Centurion on Tuesday and both newcomers made crucial contributions.

Batting at number eight, Chris Woakes scored 33 and helped Root put on 95 for the seventh wicket. Woakes followed up by bowling Faf du Plessis and running out AB de Villiers, South Africas star batsman, with a superb piece of fielding off his own bowling.

Broad was brought in to strengthen what had proved an ineffectual bowling attack in Centurion and bowled Centurion century-maker Hashim Amla for nought in the first over of the South African innings.

The rest of Broads match was less successful, although he had De Villiers dropped on nine off the first ball of his second spell, with Jason Roy diving far to his right but failing to hold on to a fiercely-struck cut.

De Villiers immediately went on the attack, hitting Broads next two balls for four and six. He hurried to 36 off 27 balls and was threatening to swing the match back in South Africas favour when JP Duminy pushed a ball from Woakes to leg and called for a quick single. Woakes reacted instantly, getting to the ball quickly and hitting the stumps at the batsmans end with an underarm throw.

Broad was brought back late in the match but was hit for 6,4,4 by a rampant Morris.

No South African batsman was able to score more than Farhaan Behardiens 38 until Morris took full advantage of his let-off, hitting three sixes and four fours.

Roots innings was outstanding on a pitch which, unusually for a one-day match at the Wanderers, offered some encouragement to the seam bowlers.
Lisbon:

Portugal has refused a request from New Delhi to extradite Paramjeet Singh suspected of involvement in bomb attacks and murder because he has refugee status in Britain, Lisbons justice ministry said today.

Justice Minister Francisca Van Dunem has decided not to accept the extradition request for Singh due to his refugee status, granted in 2000, the ministry said in a statement.

Singh was freed from provisional detention today and will return to Britain, said his Portuguese lawyer Manuel Luis Ferreira.

Singh was arrested under an Interpol warrant in a hotel in Portugals Algarve region where he was staying with his wife and their four children. He had been held in a jail in Beja, southern Portugal, since late December.

A large part of the events for which the extradition was requested took place in India at a time when Mr Singh had already obtained refugee status, the justice ministry said.

Singh is a leader of the banned Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and wanted for conspiracy in two 2010 bomb attacks in Punjab and the 2009 killing of Rulda Singh, leader of a Hindu group.

Ferreira said the charges against his client were unfounded and that he had been a victim of torture in India before he was granted asylum in Britain, where he now lives. The lawyer hailed Portugals decision as courageous.

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New Delhi:

India today expressed disappointment over US administrations decision to sell eight F16 fighter jets to Pakistan, saying it disagrees that such arms transfers will help combat terrorism.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will be summoning US Ambassador Richard Verma to convey Indias displeasure.

We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama Administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircrafts to Pakistan. We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism.

The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself. The US Ambassador will be summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs to convey our displeasure, the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

The Obama administration today notified the US Congress of its decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan worth nearly USD 700 million, notwithstanding American lawmakers demand for stopping the proposed sale.

The estimated cost of the sale is USD 699.4 million, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency a wing of the Pentagon - said in a statement, adding that this proposed sale contributes to the US foreign policy objectives and national security goals by helping to improve the security of a strategic partner in South Asia.

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New Delhi:

David Headley's deposition entered its fifth day today over the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Making more revelations he said that Pakistan ISI had instructed him to recruit personnel from the Indian Army to gain access to classified information.



Here are the revelations made by Headley so far in the deposition that is underway:



1. From March 11, 2009 to 13 March 2009, Headley visited Pushkar in Rajasthan) where he made a video of the city including Chabad House.



2. From March 16 2009 to March 17, he stayed in the Hotel Surya Villa in Pune.



3. When he was in Pune, he visited the Indian Army installation defining it as the 'headquarters of the Southern Command of the Indian Army'.



4. Major Iqbal from the ISI told Headley to the visit the Indian Army installation in Pune to recruit people from the Indian Army to get classified information.



5. When he was in Pune, Headley made a general video of the city including the Indian Army installation and the Chabad House.



6. On March 3, 2009, Headley sent an e-mail to Dr.Tahawwur Rana, with the subject on the mail 'Headley's personal will' which he had executed.



7. Headley said that he sent the will because he was going back to India again and he thought that he would be killed or arrested.



8. Headley returned to India despite having apprehensions of being arrested.



9. Headley admits, gulati22@hotmail.com was his email id and rare.lemon@gmail.com was Sajid Mir's email id and they used to exchange mails.



10. On 8th July, Headley sent a mail to Sajid Mir where he made a query asking if most of the problem has been solved for his 'uncle & his friends'.



11. In this mail, David Headley refers Hafiz Saeed as "Uncle" and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi as "his friends".



12. Headley said that he sent this mail because after the terror attack in Mumbai, the Pakistan Government carried out an investigation.



13. On 8 July 2009, Headley wrote in mail "how is uncle doing'? to which Sajid Mir replied "Uncle is doing well and flying high".



14. The mail that was written from gulati22@hotmail.com included "old uncle (Hafiz Saeed) got H1 Virus too? Doctor in hospital wants to give check up"



15. Headley said that the mail indicated that an investigation might be ordered on them leading to their arrest, so he got concerned for Hafiz Saeed.

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Patna:

An arrest order was today issued against RJD MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav in connection with the rape case of a minor girl last week, a senior police officer said.



The order was issued following a complaint against the MLA by a 15-year-old girl from Nawada who has alleged that Yadav raped him on February 6, Deputy Inspector General of Police Shalin told PTI.



The statement of the girl has been taken under section 164 of IPC and an FIR in the case was lodged against Yadav with Women police station, Nalanda, on February 9, he said.



The girl had identified the accused MLA when his photograph was shown to her and later she identified him in person also, the DIG said.



Yadav won from Nawada seat on RJD ticket in the recent Assembly election and has previously served as a minister in the RJD government.



When contacted, there was no response to several phone calls made to Yadav.

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New Delhi:

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday visited Jawahar Lal Nehru university campus over the arrest of several student union leaders on the charges of sedition. The arrest of students took place on Friday, after which major controversy and protests were erupted.

Here are the 10 point development over the issue.

1) Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused NDA government of suppressing students voice as he visited the JNU campus to express solidarity with them, a day after the arrest of its students union president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case.

2) Prior to Rahuls visit, senior Congress leader Ajay Maken and Anand Sharma had visited the campus.

3) Meanwhile, in the daytime Senior CPI leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja met Home Minister Rajnath Singh, demanding release of the arrested student leaders.

4) Students groups prominently those associated with BJP and left parties kept protesting against the issue in the day time.

5) Kanhaiya Kumar, the president of the JNU students union and an activist of a Left-linked group, was arrested by police on Friday, charged with sedition and conspiracy, and sent to custody for three days.

6) Policemen launched a crackdown at JNU campus as they were searching for more students suspected to be involved in the protest held on Tuesday to mark the death anniversary of Afzal Guru.

7) Allegedly, anti-India slogans were raised during the event titled "The country without a post office", which featured an exhibition and a protest march.

8) Home Minister Rajnath Singh warned of "stringent action" against the organisers of the protest. "Anyone who raises anti-India slogans or tries to put a question mark on nation's unity and integrity will not be spared," he said.

9) HRD Minister Smriti Irani said: The nation can never tolerate any insult to mother India."

10) After Kanhaiya's arrest, teachers and students protested outside the Vice Chancellor's office. A rival group of students belonging to the ABVP protested near the India Gate and thanked police for their action.

(With Inputs from agencies)

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Istanbul:

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet ZDavutoglu today said Turkey would, if necessary, take military action against fighters from the Syrian Kurdish PYD, which Ankara considers a terror group.

We can if necessary take the same measures in Syria as we took in Iraq and Qandil, Davutoglu said in a televised speech in the eastern city of Erzincan, referring to the relentless bombing campaign last year against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq on their Qandil mountain stronghold.

We would expect our friends and allies to stand by us, he added.

Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its Peoples Protection Units (YPG) militia to be branches of the PKK which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state that intensified in the last months.

Turkey this week reacted furiously to comments by the US State Department spokesman saying Washington did not recognise the PYD as a terror group and would continue to support its operations in Syria.

The leadership cadre and ideology of the PKK and PYD is the same, argued Davutoglu.

Those who say that they are not terror groups either do not know the region or have bad intentions, he said, in apparent reference to the row with Washington.

We will be sending documentation to the United States very soon to show that the PYD is a branch of the PKK, he said. Washington recognises the PKK as a terror group, as does the European Union.

Davutoglu accused the PYD of cooperating both the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assadwho Turkey wants to see oustedand his Russian allies, as well as committing war crimes.

We are expecting a clear and unambiguous stand from the United Stateswho we believe to be our alliesagainst this slaughter of humanity, said the premier.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby said last week that the Kurdish fighters have been some of the most successful in fighting Islamic State jihadists inside Syria.

He said the United States had supported the Kurdish fighters, mostly with air power, and that support will continue.

Turkey last year claimed killing dozens of PKK fighters and destroying their hideouts in cross-border air raids on northern Iraq. (AFP)

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Washington:

Notwithstanding Indias strong protest, the Obama Administration today justified its move to sell eight F-16 fighters to Pakistan claiming that these jets were critical to the countrys counter-terrorism operations.

We support the proposed sale of eight F-16s to Pakistan to assist Pakistans counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations. Pakistans current F-16s have proven critical to the success of these operations to date, a State Department official told PTI.

He was responding when referred to the strong objection expressed by India which said it disagrees with the rationale presented by the Obama administration.

Earlier in the day, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar summoned US Ambassador to India Richard Verma in New Delhi to convey Indias disappointment over the US decision.

We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan. We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism. The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

On February 11, the US State Department notified the Congress of its decision to sell eight F-16 to Pakistan worth about USD 700 million. Now all eyes are on the US Congress where there is stiff opposition to giving such military hardware to Pakistan.

Senator Bob Corker, who is the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has already vowed to block the sale to the country that is acting as a duplicitous partner and providing safe havens to terror groups.

F-16s are the right platform to support Pakistans counter-terrorism and counterinsurgency operations, and have proven critical to the success of their past operations against militant groups, the State Department official said, while speaking on condition of anonymity.

These operations reduce the ability of militants to use Pakistani territory as a safe haven for terrorism and a base of support for the insurgency in Afghanistan. These operations are in the national interests of Pakistan, the United States, NATO, and in the interest of the region more broadly, the official said.

As always, we are committed to working with Congress to deliver security assistance to our partners and allies that furthers US foreign policy interests by building capacity to meet shared security challenges, the official said.

The Obama administrations decision comes at a time when India is engaged in prodding Pakistan to take action against perpetrators of the Pathankot terror attack as well as 26/11 attacks in the wake of revelations made by Pakistani-American convict David Coleman Headley during his testimony before a Mumbai court via video link from the US.

In his testimony, Headley has stated that terror groups like LeT, JeM get financial, military support from Pakistans spy agency ISI.

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Mumbai:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today hosted a grand dinner for around 800 people at the Turf Club in South Mumbai, which included top politicians, diplomats from several countries and industry leaders.

Earlier in the day, Modi launched the largest-ever manufacturing summit MII Week here in the presence of several heads of state, a battery of business leaders and foreign delegates.

There were 800 guests invited at the Prime Ministers dinner which included top businessmen from India, politicians from various countries, representatives of several embassies, Consulate Generals, Ambassadors and other delegates as well, an official from the Maharashtra Chief Ministers Office, who was present at the event, told PTI.

He said Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitaraman, Fadnaviss cabinet colleagues and bureaucrats from the Central government were also present.

There were 25 editors representing various media outlets as well, the official added.

The official further said that menu of the dinner included various varieties but the focus remained on ensuring that foreign delegates got a chance to taste the Indian culture through its cuisine.

A cultural programme was aslo held at the event with dance performances which exhibited a blend of cultures of different states. The Indian music rendition enthralled the guests too, he added.

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Intelligence director: ISIS is the greatest non-state threat to the U.S., allies

(NationalSecurity.news) The director of national intelligence told a congressional panel this week that the greatest non-state threat facing the U.S. and its allies is the Islamic State, even though American-led and Russian airstrikes against it has weakened its hold on Syrian and Iraqi territory in recent weeks.

Calling ISIS the most significant non-state threat, DNI James Clapper said before the Senate Armed Services Committee that the group is continuing its successful recruitment of foreign fighters and is widening its reach into countries like Libya.

In fact, the threat from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL) exceeds al Qaeda, Clapper said in his opening statement.

Joining Clapper was Marine Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart, who said the U.S. should do more to provide support to rebel sub-groups fighting ISIS.

If we are not supportive of the Sunni tribes [in fighting the Islamic State] they will die, Stewart said, adding that it was crucial for the Iraqi government dominated by Shiites to include Sunnis in the central government, for unity. Otherwise, he said, the various tribes will remain on the fence or choose the least worst option which could include collaborating with the Islamic State, USNI News reported.

Clapper expressed limited optimism regarding the war on the ground in Iraq, though Stewart said he was less optimistic in the near term that Mosul would be retaken by Iraqi forces from the Islamic State this year. Prior to being overrun by ISIS fighters in 2014, Mosul was home to 2.5 million people.

Its an extensive operation to drive Sunni extremists from a city that still retains some 650,000 residents, according to UN estimates, Stewart testified.

When he was asked about a recent announcement from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia about sending in ground forces to fight ISIS, Clapper said that while the UAE has a very, very, capable military, it is nonetheless very small. As for the Saudis, ground-troop involvement for them will be a challenge.

Both nations are currently waging an air campaign against Houthi  Iranian-backed Shiite rebels  in Yemen. Currently there is a military stalemate there, Clapper said, adding that he expected that to continue into the foreseeable future.

Clapper said it was important to keep the military and economic pressure on the mom-and-pop refineries and banks helping finance the Islamic State.

USNI News reported further:

Stewart said the Russian military involvement in Syria has left the regime of Bashar al Assad in a stronger position now than it was six months or a year ago, and he does not expect that to change at least for a year or so. Clapper said that 250,000 people have died in the Syrian civil war and 4.4 million residents have been displaced by the fighting. He added that the Russians and Iranians, also allied with the Assad regime, are increasingly turning to proxies, such as Hezbollah from neighboring Lebanon, to do the fighting inside Syria.

As for Russias involvement in Syria, that has certainly complicated U.S. efforts to battle ISIS. While the Kremlin initially claimed that its operations in Syria would be directed against ISIS, most of the airstrikes launched thus far have been in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assads forces against homegrown rebels.

But Russia has concerns about ISIS as well. The International Business Times reported this week that the Kremlin, too, is concerned about ISIS recruiting efforts, especially through the use of Russian-language propaganda materials.

According to experts, the Russian language is becoming, alongside Arabic and English, the main language of Daesh propaganda, said Colonel General Andrei Novikov at the Commonwealth of Independent States Anti-Terrorist Center, using another name for the terrorist group, as reported by the Russian-state backed media group Sputnik.

See also:

USNI News

International Business Times

NationalSecurity.news is part of the USA Features Media network of sites. For advertising opportunities, click here.

Submit a correction >>
One month of multicultural rapes and beheadings in Sweden shows why it is suicidal to bring Middle Eastern migrants to America

(NaturalNews) The European Union, solidly in the clutches of political correctness, and enamored with diversity and multiculturalism, is being forced to rethink its philosophy, thanks to the wave of humanity pouring into the continent from the Global South.

Millions living in the failed or failing states of the Middle East and Africa, torn asunder by civil war, chronic corruption, tyranny and poverty, are flocking into the EU, and as if the humanitarian disaster isnt bad enough, most of the hapless refugees are bringing with them a culture that is grossly at odds with the values and mores of largely Christian Europe.

As noted by the Gatestone Institute in a recent analysis, uber-liberal and accommodating Sweden has been particularly taken aback. Since November, a series of incidents and grotesque crimes have led many there to call for a moratorium on accepting new migrants, especially from the Middle East. Others have called for increased security; still others are buying firearms.

As Gatestone noted:

 So many migrants are flowing into Sweden that the government immigration service has been forced to hire nearly 1,000 additional employees, according to this press release. The service now has double the employees it had in 2012  nearly 7,000.

 On Nov. 4 Bobel Barqasho, a 31-year-old Syrian was sentenced by Swedens Supreme Court to 14 years in prison for throwing his wife off a 43-foot balcony. She survived, but barely. He was initially sentenced to nine years, but then acquitted by an appeals court. He had disappeared by the time the nations highest court handed down its sentence, and is now being sought by Interpol.

 A few days later the Gronkulla School in Alvesta closed for a time, following the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl by a Somali boy. The boy had harassed the girl for some time and finally, it is alleged, took his harassment a step further by dragging her behind a bush and raping her. He was allowed to continue going to school, but on a different schedule. The girls parents told a Swedish news outlet, We are being spat on because we are Swedish. In protest, a number of parents moved their kids to other schools.

 An Iraqi man was later prosecuted for raping a woman on a train between Finland and Sweden. In a couchette (sleeping car where men and women are together), the rapist and two other asylum seekers met one of the many Swedish women whose hearts go out to new arrivals. The woman bought sandwiches for the men; they drank vodka. When two of the men started groping the woman, she told them to stop, yet chose to lie down and go to sleep. Sometime during the night, she was awakened by the Iraqi as he raped her, Gatestone reported.

 In mid-November, eight Eritrean men were put on trial for gang-raping a 45-year-old Swedish woman. She said she had been waiting for a friend in a stairwell when the men invited her inside. Once there, they began raping her in succession. When she sensed an opportunity to flee she made an attempt to do so, but was knocked unconscious. Courts were unable to determine which men did what, so only one was handed a five-year sentence, while the others were given only 10-month sentences.

 A large mob at an asylum shelter in Nora attempted to break into a room where a woman had barricaded herself and her son. About 30 or so Muslim men apparently thought the woman was in violation of Islamic sharia law, by being in Sweden unaccompanied by a man. They thought that she should therefore be raped and her teenage son killed. Asylum house staff called the police, who averted the plan, Gatestone reported.

 Two Swedish men were convicted of joining an Islamist group in Syria and then murdering two captives. Video evidence showed that one of the victims was beheaded. Court Chairman Ralf G. Larsson said, Every night when I have gone to bed, I have seen a head hanging in the air.

These are just a few of the cases, and in just one country, in only one month. Germany  which has taken in the largest number of refugees from the Middle East  is also suffering similar incidents.

And our president and Democrats want to bring more of these people to America? Why?

Sources:

GatestoneInstitute.org

TheGatewayPundit.com

BareNakedIslam.com

Submit a correction >>
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Theres four guys from the State Polices resident trooper Colchester office who are camping on the town green during the coldest temperatures of the year.

No, theyre not crazy, but caring dedicated people who are doing this to raise money for the Colchester Fuel Bank.

Colchester Police Officer Rob Sucheck, Stan Soby, Walt Cox and Fred Brown are determined to stay there until Sunday, camping in tents with a roaring fire nearby.

On Friday, they began their effort when the temperatures were in the low teens and single numbers. Last year during their first night it got to minus 10; tonight its forecast to hit seven below zero.

Theyre urging people to come down to the Colchester town green to donate. You can also donate to Freezinforareason@yahoo.com at Paypal.

They also have a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/freezinforareason

One of the guys posted that Facebook page, In a few hours, I will venture out into temps around 15 degrees to set up camp for the weekend. I, along with three friends, are camping out this weekend on the Colchester Green to raise funds for the Fuel Bank. People have to choose between heat or medication. That's not right. Please visit us between 2pm today and noon on Sunday and give a donation of what you can. If you can't make it, please use Freezinforareason@yahoo.com at Paypal.

Another post: People have started asking me if we're really going camp outside for two nights, when it's supposed to get down to -30 with the windchill? My response, I'd rather not, but until people can afford to heat their homes AND buy medication, I'll do it. It's only for two nights. Besides, I don't need all 10 fingers.

A local company donated a bunch of wooden pallets to keep the guys warm.

Colchester is located in eastern Connecticut near East Hampton. The distance didnt stop people from Seymour from traveling to the Colchester Green to make a donation.
NEW MILFORD  After a contentious discussion earlier this week about the status of the turf field installation at New Milford High School, Mayor David Gronbach has sought to allay fears that he is trying to derail the $4 million project.

Gronbachs recent meeting with BSC, the company overseeing the installation of two synthetic turf fields and a new track at the high school, had sparked concern among some project supporters that he planned to disband the committee and put a halt to the project.

But the mayor said Friday his intention in meeting the contractor was to learn more about problems involving a leaky water main under the field and possible health dangers of using synthetic crumb rubber as fill under the turf.

I am not against, nor will I stop, the turf field project, Gronbach said. I met with BSC to discuss the water main issue and the proposal moving forward. I also requested options besides the synthetic crumb rubber, such as organic fill.

Gronbach said he considered the meeting with BSC as informational, and thus had not invited committee members to attend.

Committee member Doug Skelley said Gronbach met with the panel Wednesday to clarify matters.

We feel we are all on track now, working together, Skelley said. We are looking over different options and will continue working with the mayor so that on Feb. 22 we can have a plan to present to the Town Council. Our best interests are the health and safety of the kids in New Milford.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, studies conducted so far have not shown an elevated health risk from playing on fields or playgrounds using crumb rubber, which is produced by shredding car and truck tires. But those studies do not comprehensively evaluate concerns about health risks, the agency has said.

The EPA announced Friday that because of concerns raised by the public about the safety of recycled tires, the government is launching a multi-agency research project with the Centers for Disease Control, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Earlier this week, the Obama administration included $1 million in his budget request for an investigation into the health and safety risks of crumb rubber.

In the meantime, Gronbach said the towns options are to proceed with crumb rubber, to replace it with an organic fill, thus adding to the project cost, or to obtain a guarantee from BSC that it would bear the cost of replacing the crumb rubber later if studies should prove it unsafe.

The issue with the water main, which runs under the field, is that a future leak could undermine the turf after it is installed. Remedying that problem by moving the water main could add as much as $100,000 to the project cost.
-- Combination of style, quality, and driving dynamics scored high with journalists 

RICHMOND HILL, ON, Feb. 12, 2016 /CNW/ - At a press conference in Toronto yesterday, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) announced the 2016 Mazda CX-3 as their winner for the 2016 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year as voted upon by over 70 of Canada's top automotive journalists.

The CX-3 was entered into the Best New SUV/CUV (under $35K) at AJAC's annual TestFest in October 2015, where it was tested back to back against the Fiat 500X, Honda HR-V, Mitsubishi Outlander, and Jeep Renegade. Throughout four days of testing, the AJAC journalists drove every vehicle on the street and off road to test their capabilities for everyday driving scenarios Canadians might face. At the end of their thorough examination of each vehicle, the CX-3 was deemed to be the best overall in its segment, winning the title of AJAC's Best New SUV/CUV (under $35K) for 2016. The CX-3 was given high scores in a broad spectrum of categories, including exterior and interior design and quality, vehicle dynamics, and fuel economy.

"We're especially excited about this award for the new CX-3, not only because Canada's automotive experts selected it above our worthy competitors, but also because the affordable crossover segment is where Canadian consumers are spending their time shopping today," said Vincent Reboul, Director, Marketing. "The CX-3 takes our blend of distinctive style, dynamic driving characteristics, and excellent fuel economy with SKYACTIV Technology, and distills it to perfection in a subcompact crossover form."

The Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year is one of the most coveted automotive awards available on the Canadian automotive landscape, and represents the collective voice of Canada's top automotive experts. Vehicles are judged on a large variety of objective and subjective qualities, meaning there is no single factor that determines a win. Instead, the vehicle must represent an overall package of quality, value, comfort, fuel economy, and many other factors that are critical to the Canadian consumer.

The CX-3 is Mazda's entry into the rapidly growing subcompact crossover segment in Canada, and has quickly established itself as a major player in the segment. MSRP for the 2016 CX-3 starts at $20,695 and is very well-equipped, featuring many options that are unexpected at this entry price such as push-button start, SKYACTIV-Drive 6-speed automatic transmission, air conditioning, rear view camera, and Mazda Connect with 7-inch touchscreen display and HMI Commander. Every CX-3 is powered by a 2.0L SKYACTIV-G engine with 146 horsepower and 146 lb-ft of torque, which delivers a dynamic driving experience and fuel economy which is among the best in class.

About Mazda Canada Inc.

Mazda Canada Inc. is responsible for the sales and marketing, customer service and parts support of Mazda vehicles in Canada. Headquartered in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Mazda Canada has a nationwide network of 165 dealerships. For additional information visit Mazda Canada's media website at www.media.mazda.ca.

SOURCE Mazda Canada Inc.

Image with caption: "Mazda Canada Marketing Director Vincent Reboul accepts award for CX-3. Photo credit: Michelle Siu (CNW Group/Mazda Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160212_C5736_PHOTO_EN_619983.jpg

For further information: Sandra Lemaitre, Director, Public Relations, (905) 787-7167, [email protected]
By www.wrc.com 13 February 2016 - 09:30





Andreas Mikkelsen rocketed up the leaderboard from sixth to third during a snowy opening to Saturdays second leg of Rally Sweden.

About 5cm of snow fell overnight in the Hagfors area where todays action is based, transforming the special stages compared to the mud encountered during the recce.

Mikkelsen repaired much of the damage caused by yesterdays spin that relegated him from second with second fastest time to overhaul Mads stberg, Ott Tanak and Dani Sordo.

However, Mikkelsen had to give best to Volkswagen Polo R team-mate Sebastien Ogier, who made light of the perceived disadvantage of ploughing the fresh snow as road opener, to go fastest and extend his lead over Hayden Paddon to 32.4sec.

Ogier has been in every ditch and there are stones everywhere. Hes setting the boundaries! said Mikkelsen.

Ogier was content with his performance. It wasnt the best stage, but not too bad. It will cost me time compared to the guys behind but how much I dont know. It would have been difficult for me to do better, he said.

Hayden Paddon retained second in his Hyundai i20, the Kiwi believing there was little advantage from his lower start position. In some places we have good grip, in others theres more ice and the surface is chewing up. I dont think theres a gain or a loss in my position, but my driving was messy. I can improve a lot, he said.

stberg lost a few seconds after sliding his Ford Fiesta RS into a ditch, but Sordo fell back from the big fight for second after losing a minute with a front left puncture. In more serious trouble was Eric Camilli who rolled heavily and retired.

Jari-Matti Latvalas disastrous weekend continued with a front left puncture that cost a minute, while Lorenzo Bertelli retired his Ford Fiesta RS last night.
By www.wrc.com 13 February 2016 - 15:16





Sebastien Ogier extended his Rally Sweden lead over Hayden Paddon to 15.9sec after winning the second pass through the Vargasen stage on Saturday afternoon.

Conditions were much improved compared with this mornings deep snow and the Frenchman speared his Volkswagen Polo R through the test 5.7sec faster than Paddons Hyundai i20, despite a massive slide 1km after the start.

Ogier has created some breathing space for himself with just tonights super special stage around Karlstad trotting track and tomorrows live TV Power Stage remaining.

Paddon appeared to have settled for second, the Kiwi explaining: Its about maintaining my position now. We went into this stage 10sec behind Ogier and thats like a minute to anyone else. We need to be smart. We struggled a bit in there, I think we used our studs in the stage before.

Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen completed a 1-2-3 in the stage for Volkswagen, while Dani Sordo eased the pressure on himself in sixth by widening his advantage over Henning Solberg to 20.9sec. Solberg is now only 1.5sec ahead of Craig Breen.

Kris Meeke finished with the right rear tyre of Citroens DS 3 pushed off the rim, the Briton bouncing in and out of a ditch near the finish, and Yazeed Al Rajhi retired his Ford Fiesta RS after going off the road.
Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) It's a classic case of being in the right place at the right time. A young street seller oblivious to the scene ...

JUMOKE ORISAGUNA : PORTRAIT WITH GRACE Grace is her 14 month old daughter and second child. #makeup by @bimpeonakoya #hairby @zubbydefinition shot with @phaseonephoto @profotoglobal @chimeralighting @digitaltransitions A photo posted by TY Bello (@tybello) on Feb 7, 2016 at 3:35am PST

A happy accident





Long term future

It's a classic case of being in the right place at the right time. A young street seller oblivious to the scene ahead, her wares perched atop her head, photobombed a shoot and in that split second her life changed forever.Jumoke Orisaguna is a mother of two who used to walk the streets of Lagos selling bread. Originally a hairstylist from Osun State, south west Nigeria, she was struggling to make ends meet, and left her husband and two children in their home town to become a street vendor in the economic capital.Working from 2:30pm to 11:00pm selling bread, Jumoke would make less than $20 each day --with a profit of around $1.Now she's about to become a top model; signed to a modeling agency and gaining international fame and prominence.Jumoke has since signed a contract with modeling agency Few, and has gone on to be photographed by Bellow in studio shoots.The mother of two has been given a scholarship to complete her education, and a bank has offered to fund the education of her five- and one-year-old through to university.6 photos: Jumoke - from street to shoot.The erstwhile bread seller was a hairstylist in a previous life, moving to Lagos when times were hard. When she was selling bread she would earn as little as $1 a day.Jumoke Orisaguna was a bread seller in Lagos when she stumbled across a photoshoot between U.K. pop star Tinie Tempah and photographer TY Bello.She didn't know whether to stay in the shot or not. Eventually, Bello asked to photograph the two of them together.Bellow says that at the time, "I didn't think I made a great image," but when she posted the photos on social media there was a strong and overwhelming response."She seemed a little confused," says Bello. "Some people were asking her to walk past really quickly, others were asking her to stay, she was just in limbo. I said 'is it ok to take your photograph?' And she nodded ok.""I didn't think I made a great image," Bello says, but once she posted the shots on social media, interest in Jumoke exploded."When the photographs landed for the first time on social media, everyone immediately thought she was a model," Bello explains."No one believed she just walked past. It occurred to me that if everyone thought she should be a model then maybe she should be one, then the search for her began."A contract with Few Models followed and soon Jumoke's face will appear on billboards after landing a lucrative contract."I never expected this would ever happen to me," says the erstwhile bread seller. "My friends have told me they saw me on the TV and they are really happy. My parents cannot believe their own child can become such a success. They are all so happy."Now the mum of two has been given a scholarship to complete her education, and a bank has offered to pay for schooling for her two children, aged five and one, until university age."Everyone connected with the story because everybody has dreams," argues Bello. "This is a very tough time in my country... Everyone is looking for that magical break... I think this is definitely divine because the way people have connected with it is just phenomenal. It's a phenomenal story."
Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill kissed each other and sat down Friday for the first meeting between heads of the East...

Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill kissed each other and sat down Friday for the first meeting between heads of the Eastern and Western churches in nearly a thousand years.The 79-year-old Francis, in white robes and a skullcap, and Kirill, 69, in black robes and a white headdress, exchanged kisses and embraced before sitting down smiling for the historic meeting at Havana airport.At last we meet. We are brothers, said the pope as they met. Clearly this meeting is Gods will.The Argentine pontiff is looking to heal a nearly 1,000-year-old rift in Christianity that dates back to a 1054 schism which helped shape modern Europe and the Middle East.Francis stepped off a plane in the sunshine and shook hands with Cuban President Raul Castro on the tarmac at Jose Marti Airport before heading into the private meeting with Kirill.The white-bearded Orthodox leader was also greeted by the 84-year-old Castro after arriving on Thursday.
The Supreme Court on Friday explained why it affirmed the election of Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party as the governor of Riv...

The Supreme Court on Friday explained why it affirmed the election of Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party as the governor of Rivers State and that of Ibikunle Amosun of the All Progressives Congress as the governor of Ogun State.The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal had affirmed the judgment of the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which had ordered a rerun of the state governorship poll.Wike had appealed against the decision of the Court of Appeal and all the members of the apex court panel in their unanimous judgment delivered on January 27 overturned the decision of the Court of Appeal and affirmed his election.The apex court held that both the APC and its candidate in Rivers State in the April 11 poll, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, failed to prove their case of malpractices and non-compliance as required.Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, held that while the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission enjoy a presumption of irregularity, the petitioners could only have proved their allegation of non-compliance with the conduct of the election by calling eyewitnesses from about 5,000 voting units in the state.The court reiterated that card reader was not a sufficient replacement for manual accreditation.The apex court was also of the view that Peterside and the APC failed to discharge the burden of prove placed on them having alleged misconduct, including violence, disenfranchisement and non-compliance.The court held that the tribunal denied Wike and his party the right to fair hearing by allowing a wrong panel to deliver ruling on an application they filed.Justice Kekere-Ekun also held that it was wrong for Justice Suleiman Ambrosa, the later chairman of the tribunal, to have gone ahead to deliver ruling on some interlocutory applications earlier heard and reserved for ruling by the former tribunal chairman, Muazu Pindig.Of the 11 issues considered in the appeal, Justice Kekere-Ekun resolved seven in favour of Wike and the PDP and four in favour of Peterside and APC who were listed as respondents in the appeal marked: SC/1002/2015.The issues resolved in favour of Peterside and APC were those related to preliminary issues of service and locus standi.Justice Kekere-Ekun noted that but for the fact that the case was election matter, the error committed by the tribunal had denied Wike and the PDP fair hearing.In resolving issues one and two, she noted that since the chairman who headed the panel that heard the application was transferred, it was wrong for his successor to have headed the panel that decided the application.On the issues six and seven relating to whether or not the petitioners proved their case before the tribunal with the evidence they led, Justice Kekere-Ekun faulted the tribunals conclusion and held that the petitioners failed to prove their case as required.She said, It is not in dispute that the appellant was returned as the winner of the election with 1,029,102 votes. The pleadings of the 1st and 2nd respondents show that there is a serious allegation of non-accreditation, over voting and disenfranchisement, which in their view, constituted substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act.The law is well settled that in order to prove over-voting, the petitioner must do the following: tender the voters register, tender the statement of results in appropriate forms, which would show the number of registered accredited voters and number of actual votes; relate each of the documents to the specific area of his case in respect of which the documents are tendered, and show that the figure representing the over-voting, if removed would result in victory for the petitioner.Furthermore, where the ground for challenging the return of a candidate in an election is by reason of corrupt practices or non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, the petitioner must prove that the corrupt practice or non-compliance took place and that the corrupt practice or non-compliance substantially affected the result of the election.It would therefore not be out of place to say that both the lower court and the tribunal placed considerable reliance on the testimony of PW49 (INEC official) and the card reader report and exhibits A301, B30, B31 in reaching the conclusion that the 1st and 2nd respondents had successfully proved the alleged discrepancy between the number of voters accredited in exhibit A9 (card reader report) and those reflected in exhibit A10 (Form EC8E series).This court, in a number of recent decisions, has commended the introduction of the card reader in the 2015 elections by INEC. The court has noted however that its function is solely to authenticate the owner of a voters card and to prevent multiple voting by a voter and cannot replace the voters register or statement of results in appropriate forms.INEC is to be commended for the innovation of card reader to bolster the transparency and accuracy of the accreditation process and maintain the democratic norm of one man, one vote by preventing multi-voting by a voter. Nevertheless, Section 49 (1) and (4) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), which provide manual accreditation of voters is extant and remains a vital part of the Electoral lawIn order to prove non-compliance and/ or over-voting, the 1st and 2nd respondents were bound to rely on the voters registers in respect of all the affected local governments. The voters registers tendered were in respect of only 11 out of 23 local government areas. They were tendered from the Bar as exhibits A271  A281. No attempt was made to link them with exhibit A9.I am of the view and I do hold that the tribunal and the lower court were unduly swayed by the INEC directives on the use of the card readers. As held by this court, the INEC directives, guidelines and manual cannot be elevated above the provisions of the Electoral Act so as to eliminate manual accreditation of voters.This will remain so until INEC takes steps to have the necessary amendments made to bring the usage of the card reader within the ambit of the substantive Electoral Act.In resolving issues 10 and 11, Justice Kerere-Ekun held that the petitioners (1st and 2nd respondents in the appeal) failed to prove their case to warrant the voiding of the election.She held, The law is trite that the result declared by INEC enjoys a presumption of regularity. In other words, they are prima facie correct. The onus is on the petitioner to prove the contrary. Where a petitioner complains of non-compliance with the provisions of the Act, he has onerous task, for he must prove it polling unit by polling unit, ward by ward and the standard of proof is on the balance of probabilities.He must show figures that the adverse party was credited with as a result of the non-compliance e.g forms Form EC8A, election materials not signed/stamped by the presiding officers. It is only then that the respondents are to lead evidence in rebuttal.She said in order to prove their allegation of non-compliance, it was necessary for the petitioners to call witnesses from all the affected polling units to give first hand testimony of what transpired. Out of the 56 witnesses called by the 1st and 2nd respondents, 18 were wards collation agents, who received information from polling agents in the various units. Their evidence was not tied to any of the exhibits tendered.Justice Kekere-Ekun said, Some of the witnesses (PW19, PW20, PW24 and 35) who were local government collation agents for the 2nd respondents gave sweeping testimony covering four local government areas (Obio Apkpor, Asari toro, Tai and Ikwere) on non-use of card readers, hijacking of materials, illegal thumb-printing of ballot papers, etc.The polling agents from the affected wards were not called to testify. Voters registers were tendered in respect of only 11 of 23 local government areas and were not demonstrated before the tribunal. Disenfranchised voters from all the affected polling units ought to have been called to testify.For the evidence of disruption, violence and corrupt practices to warrant the nullification of the entire election in Rivers State, the 1st and 2nd respondents had to first prove the non-compliance: polling unit by polling unit, ward by ward. They must also establish that the non-compliance was substantial and affected the result of the election.Notwithstanding the resolution of issues 3, 4, 5 and 9 against the appellant, I hold that the appellant has shown sufficient reason for this court to interfere with the concurrent findings of the tribunal and the court below.It is for these reasons that I allow this appeal on January 27, 2016. The judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, delivered on December 16, 2015 which affirmed the judgment of the Rivers State governorship election tribunal delivered on October 10, 2015 was accordingly set aside.Justice Kumai Akaahs, giving the reasons for the apex courts decision in the lead judgment with respect to Ogun State governorship election, held that the appeal against Amosuns election filed by the PDP candidate, Adegboyega Isiaka, lacked merit.Isiaka and the PDP had challenged the conduct of the election in nine local government areas of Ogun State, namely, Ifo, Abeokuta-North, Abeokuta South, Odeda, Ewekoro, Obafemi-Owode, Ado/Odo/Ota, Sagamu and Remo- North.The appellants had urged the tribunal to nullify the election on the grounds that it was marred by malpractices such as rigging, snatching of ballot boxes, thuggery, violence, declaration of false results, falsification of results, importation of thugs from a foreign location, stuffing of ballot boxes with ballot papers, misuse of card readers and permanent voter cards.The tribunal had dismissed the appeal on the basis that no credible evidence was adduced to prove the allegations.The petitioners subsequently appealed to the Court of Appeal, which also upheld the verdict of the tribunal.They further appealed to the Supreme Court which in its abridged judgment delivered on January 27, 2016, dismissed the appeal.Justice Akaahs held that the appeal was bound to fail on the account of inconsistencies in the report of inspection of electoral materials tendered by the star witness of the appellants (Isiaka and the PDP) and the inadmissibility of the said document.He also held that to prove the improper conduct of the election in nine local government areas which had 1,672 polling units, the appellants only called nine witnesses out whom only two were eyewitnesses to what transpired in only about 12 polling units.He held, Using this evidence extracted from PW9 as a standard to ascertain the weight to attach to Exhibit P4275, the court below held that the evidence of PW9 and exhibit P4275 were worthless.One startling aspect of this case is that none of the people such as party agents or polling officers who participated in the conduct of the election in all the places where the election was conducted testified in respect of all the documents used by PW9 and his colleagues in arriving at their report.Only PW1 and PW7 gave evidence with respect of what they observed during the election and they were the only eyewitnesses whose testimonies were limited to the 12 polling units out of the 1,672 polling units spread across the nine local governments of the state where the election was questioned.Giving the nature of evidence adduced by PW9, there is no way where it can be said that the case of the appellant was made out in respect of the nine local government areas in contention.Since nobody who was a direct participant in the election gave evidence linking the mass of documents used by PW9 in preparing his report.The court below was therefore right when it held relying on Oke vs Mimiko that all the evidence put forward in Exhibit P4275 are nothing but a bundle of primary and secondary hearsay.Even if PW1 to PW7 succeeded in establishing that the governorship election conducted by the 3rd and 4th respondents in Ogun State on April 11, 2015 was characterised by non-compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act, the evidence affected only 12 polling units out of 1,672 polling units that were being contested.That is not sufficient to nullify the election and the return of the first respondent as duly elected governor of Ogun State because Section 139(1) of the Electoral Act provides that an election shall not liable to be invalidated by reason of non-compliance with the provisions of this Act, if it appears to the election tribunal or court that the election was conducted substantially with the principles of this Act and that the non-compliance did not affect substantially the results of the election.
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.
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GARY  Police said a man who accidentally shot his 80-year-old father Wednesday is being accused of a firearms violation.

Lt. Thomas Pawlak, a spokesman for the Gary Police Department, said police are seeking to charge 48-year-old Donell Currin Jr. in Lake Criminal Court with being a serious violent felon in unlawful possession of a handgun.

Police said Sgt. Greg Wolf of the Gary Police Violent Crimes Unit was called 3:30 a.m. Wednesday to the 4100 block of W. 22nd Plaza in Gary's West Side section to investigate the accidental shooting of 80-year-old Donell Currin Sr.

Police said the 80-year-old man had gone outside to urinate because his wife was in the bathroom and couldn't get back inside. Police said the wife awakened her son when the victim rang their door chime to come inside.

The younger Currin retrieved a handgun from his mothers room and looked outside. The porch light was off. The younger Currin saw a shadowy figure at their door who he mistook for an intruder. He fired a shot that struck the elder Currin's arm, traveled through his chest and lodged in his back.

The younger Currin said he only realized he has shot his father when his father called out in pain. Emergency workers rushed the father to Methodist Hospitals Northlake campus for treatment. Police said Wednesday the father's wounds are not life-threatening.

Although the son isn't being charged with his father's shooting, Wolf discovered Lake Criminal Court records indicating the younger Currin was convicted in 2002 of criminal confinement and was sentenced to a term of six years at the time.
CROWN POINT  A Michigan man who told jurors he fatally shot a Gary man after he was blindsided by a punch was found guilty Friday of voluntary manslaughter.

Isaiah L. Hughes, 26, had faced a charge of murder, but jurors rejected that charge and opted for the lesser offense of voluntary manslaughter. Hughes, who had been out on bail, was remanded back into custody pending a March 16 sentencing hearing.

Benjamin Fullilove, 24, was shot in the back and buttocks on July 13, 2013, outside his apartment in the 2100 block of Carolina Street in Gary. He died July 19, 2013, while he was hospitalized at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois.

Hughes was on trial this week in front of Lake County Magistrate Kathleen Sullivan, and he took the stand Thursday to tell his version of events.

He didnt deny shooting Fullilove, but he said he did so after seeing Fullilove was armed with a gun.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Eric Randall, who prosecuted the case with Salina Malone, told jurors during closing statements Friday that Fullilove was not the aggressor in the situation.

He pointed to Fulliloves 911 call at 3:23 a.m. July 13, 2013, where he tells a dispatcher that men and women were fighting in front of his apartment.

Fulliloves girlfriend, Kendra Banks, had people over to the apartment the night of July 12, 2013, for what began as a girls night. Hughes and his wife were among those who attended the party.

After Fullilove arrived home with Subway food, Banks told the group it was time for them to leave. Desire Williams said she and others began to argue.

That led to a series of fights, involving Hughes and his wife, outside the apartment. Hughes said he became involved after seeing a group of women fighting his wife.

Hughes testified he was blindsided when he was hit in the face, causing him to fall to his knees. When he looked up, he saw Fullilove holding a gun, and he reached for his own gun and began shooting at Fullilove.

Randall argued that Hughess story doesnt match the 911 calls, and questioned why if Fullilove was the aggressor, did he not fire any shots at Hughes.

Randall told jurors it wasnt self-defense, but rather revenge that was the motive for the shooting.

He had to have the last word, Randall said.

Williams testified Fullilove became involved in the fight after Hughes body-slammed her. She and Banks said Hughes began going to his car, then ran around and shot at Fullilove.

Defense attorney Scott King, who defended Hughes with Lakeisha Murdaugh, argued the states witnesses are all related and had ample time to discuss the shooting before being interviewed by Gary police Sgt. Detective Michael Barnes.

He told jurors that they must consider his clients state of mind during the shooting. He repeated that Hughes was in fear for his life and his wifes life. King also argued Hughes stopped shooting when he no longer saw the gun pointed at him.

King pointed out that Hughes drove to the Gary Police Department, without an attorney, to turn himself in after the shooting.

This man is trying to do the right thing through this entire ordeal, King said.
MERRILLVILLE  The town saw crime decrease in a variety of categories in 2015, prompting Police Chief Joseph Petruch to say "we probably had one of our better years."

Homicides dropped from three in 2014 to one last year, the department's crime report shows.

The one homicide occurred in May. Cecil Pendleton Jr., 55, was shot to death outside the Tan Tar A Apartments. Four men were later charged in the incident.

There were no rape cases in Merrillville last year. There was no change in the number of assaults from 2014 to 2015. There were 246 of those cases reported in each of the years. The 39 robberies from 2015 were consistent with what was reported in 2014.

The crime report shows the 124 burglaries from last year marks a 32 percent drop in that crime category. Domestic violence cases decreased 33 percent, and Petruch said he wants that number to continue to fall.

Town Council President Richard Hardaway was impressed with the 2015 crime statistics. He said the Police Department takes a proactive approach to address crime.

These are some great numbers for us this year, Hardaway said.

Although pleased with the statistics from 2015, Petruch believes there is an issue that prevented them from being better.

He said he has concerns about the consolidated 911 dispatch center in Lake County. Petruch said some calls aren't being dispatched quick enough. There also have been occasions in which officers have been sent to wrong addresses.

It's hindering patrol procedures, Petruch said.

Lake County E-911 Director Brian Hitchcock said he has always encouraged all police and fire departments to contact him if they encounter issues regarding the dispatch service. The first step in correcting a problem is making sure all parties involved are aware of it.

Hitchcock said Petruch hasn't contacted him or the center's deputy director regarding concerns from the Police Department.

He also said the consolidated dispatch center is in its first year of operation, and there are ongoing efforts to strengthen the performance of the center.

All of that takes some time, Hitchcock said.
INDIANAPOLIS  Five years after Hoosier business, tourism and community leaders united to water down restrictive anti-immigration legislation modeled on a controversial Arizona law, the Republican-controlled Indiana Senate may be getting ready to try again.

Senate President David Long, R-Fort Wayne, this month established the Senate Select Commission on Immigration Issues to study the impact of legal and illegal immigration on Indiana.

The federal governments ongoing refusal to enforce our nations immigration laws has real effects for every state, including Indiana, Long said. Im hopeful this group of senators can find state-driven solutions to this problem.

The five-member commission is set to meet six times between mid-March and early November. Its expected to recommend policies for the General Assembly to consider approving during its 2017 session.

The panel is led by state Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, who is known by the nickname El Diablo, or The Devil, among Hoosier Hispanics for his repeated efforts to limit immigration by punishing businesses that hire undocumented workers.

Delph also was sponsor of the original 2011 proposal requiring local police verify the immigration status of any person that an officer suspected was in the country illegally and mandating that English be used for all government business.

Long said he chose Delph to lead the immigration study, because Delph is the resident expert on this issue in the Senate.

The other Republicans on the panel are state Sens. Phil Boots, R-Crawfordsville, and Chip Perfect, R-Lawrenceburg.

The commission is tasked with reviewing nine issues, including: the effect of unauthorized aliens on the states economy, security and workforce; whether undocumented workers are paid less than minimum wage; what actions Indiana can take to limit immigration; and what immigration policies the federal government should implement to help states.

State Sen. Frank Mrvan, D-Hammond, one of two commission Democrats, said the agenda clearly is stacked in favor of immigration opponents.

There are a lot of them that are very militant on immigration; you see it on the federal level, you see it at the state level, Mrvan said. It doesnt seem like the questions they have are very fair.

The final commission member, state Sen. Jim Arnold, D-LaPorte, said he intends to bring up topics like access to health care and education that Hoosier Latinos have told Senate Democrats are what matter to their community.

Our caucus has regular meetings with Latino stakeholders, so I am grateful for the appointment to this bipartisan committee, Arnold said. Im hopeful we can address the issues those stakeholders have presented to us during this new discussion on immigration.

Federal court rulings generally have prohibited states from inserting themselves in immigration matters since the U.S. Constitution reserves regulation of foreign policy, international commerce and naturalization to the federal government.
CHICAGO  Written by hand, the autopsies on the seven bullet-riddled bodies vividly describe why the Valentine's Day massacre of 1929 is still considered Chicago's most infamous gangland killing.

The reports were recently unearthed with inquest transcripts from a warehouse after eight decades, and the Cook County medical examiner's office is now considering how best to preserve and display them.

Executive officer James Sledge, a local history fan and a Chicago native, said he felt a chill down his back when he first read the documents outlining the attack at a Lincoln Park garage that left seven men dead and more than 160 machine gun casings littering the scene.

The attack, carried out by men dressed as city police officers, is widely believed to have been ordered by famed Prohibition-era gangster Al Capone. The crime was never solved.

Shortly after Sledge joined the medical examiner's office in 2014, he asked for permission to look at the autopsy records. His staff took multiple trips to a Cook County government warehouse to find the reports, which were tucked away in a metal file cabinet.

Sledge is weighing where the documents should be stored and how accessible they should be, he told the Chicago Sun-Times (http://bit.ly/1XnGk5E ) in a story published Thursday.

"On the one hand, we want to have them readily available," Sledge said. "But we don't want them so accessible that we in some way anger some part of the population who feel we are not paying proper respect to the deceased."

The victims of the Feb. 14, 1929 massacre were five men who were known gangsters working for Capone rival George "Bugs" Moran, an optometrist who was friends with Moran's crew and a mechanic at the garage that served as Moran's headquarters. They were gunned down by four men, two of whom were wearing police uniforms. Since there was no evidence of a struggle, it's believed that Moran's men thought it was a police raid.

The documents that are now in Sledge's possession offer insight into the 87-year-old investigation of the unsolved crime.

"The reports are very graphic about what happened," Sledge said. "You read about history, you talk about it, but to have something in your hands  it gives you an odd feeling."

Those documents include an inquest interview with the optometrist's mother in which the coroner prepares her for the grisly state of her son's body. Other documents also outline the difficulties investigators faced while attempting to solve the crime, including witnesses who were too afraid to testify, the limits of forensic science and photographers who were eager to document the event.

Sledge wasn't immediately available for comment Friday.

Becky Schlikerman, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office, said the office is still considering what to do with the documents.

The documents have to remain the property of the Medical Examiner's office because they are autopsy reports, she said.
TODAY

Breakfast And Blessings | Crown Point

8:30 to 10 a.m., St. John's United Church of Christ, 1288 S Indiana Ave. There will be a breakfast and blessing at St. John's United Church of Christ. A Christian Ministry for all - serving and ministering to those looking for "Fellowship and a Hot Breakfast."

Water for Flint | Crown Point

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 352 South Main St. Crown Point First United Methodist Church and the Crown Point Fire Department are working together to help the residents of Flint, Michigan, during their ongoing water crisis. The goal is to collect enough bottled water, pitcher water filters with cartridges and faucet filters to fill a semi-truck trailer. Monetary donations are also being accepted. The collection will be delivered to the Lincoln Park United Methodist Church in Flint and be distributed from there. Items are being collected Monday through Friday at First United Methodist of Crown Point, or at the Crown Point Fire Station, 126 N. East St. For more information, contact the church or go to the Events page on www.FUMCCP.org. The last day for collection is Friday.

Food Distribution | Crown Point

11 a.m. to 1 p.m., God's Appointed Place (G.A.P.) Food Pantry, 1936 N. Main St., Suite A. God's Appointed Place Food Pantry distributes food to Lake County residents in need. Bring bags.

Community Dinner | Highland

4 to 6 p.m., Immanuel UCC, 2201 Azalea Drive. Monthly community dinner is held the second Saturday of each month. Enjoy dinner, dessert and beverage, along with conversation. Bring friends and family.

SUNDAY

Deliverance | Munster

9 to 10 a.m., Westminster Presbyterian Church, 8955 Columbia Ave. Join us for a faith enrichment session entitled "Deliverance."

The Church in a Post-Christian Culture | Munster

10:30 to 11:30 a.m., Westminster Presbyterian Church, 8955 Columbia Ave. This is part 3 of an adult education 3-part series entitled "The Church in a Post-Christian Culture" presented by David Weber.

MONDAY

Hessville Bible Church Children's Club | Hammond

6:30 to 8 p.m., Hessville Bible Church, 6518 Grand Ave. Children's club includes games, snacks, Bible stories, and prizes. Children ages six to 13 are welcome.

Divorce and beyond | St. John

7 to 8:30 p.m., St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 10701 Olcott Ave. The parish of St. John the Evangelist is offering a program for individuals who are struggling with the issue of divorce.

WEDNESDAY

Hobart Trinity Lutheran Church Lenten Services | Hobart

6 to 7 p.m. , Trinity Lutheran Church, 900 Luther Drive . Beginning Wednesday, Lenten worship services are held at 2:15 and 6 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, 900 Luther Drive, Hobart. Soup and sandwiches are served in the Fellowship room at the school, located behind the church, from 4:30-5:30 pm. A free will offering is welcome.

Weekly Wednesday Services | Griffith

7 to 8 p.m., Griffith Lutheran Church, 1000 N. Broad St. Griffith Lutheran Church has added a weekly Wednesday evening service with Holy Communion.

FRIDAY

Pierogi/Pyrohy Sale | Munster

12 to 4 p.m., St Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church Hall, 8624 White Oak Ave. St Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Parish hosts a homemade pyrohy (pierogi) sale every Friday (except for holidays) with pick up from noon to 4 p.m. Phone orders only, must be called in by Wednesday. Leave order on answering machine. Selection includes potato with cheese, sauerkraut, sweet cheese, and prune. Cost is $9 per dozen.

FYI: (219) 838-9811

Descent Of the Holy Spirit Fish Fry Fridays | Schererville

3 to 7 p.m., Descent of the Holy Spirit Orthodox Church, 545 E. 77th Ave. Every Friday through April 8. View www.holyspiritschererville.com and click on fish fry Fridays for menu and pricing. Phone orders accepted.

St Casimir Fish Fry | Hammond

4 to 7 p.m., St. Casimir School Gym, 4329 Cameron Ave. St Casimir Church will be hosting their annual Fish Fry. Enter through Door "F." There will be an all-you-can-eat fish and chips.

Lenten fish fry | Hobart

4 to 7 p.m. Feb. 19, St. Bridget Roman Catholic Church Parish Center, 107 Main St. St Thomas County #1347 HOBART Lent Fish Fry is Feb. 19, 26, march 4, 11, 18. All tips go to local charities.

St. Andrew's Fish Fry & Pierogi Dinner | Merrillville

4 to 6:30 p.m., St. Andrew's Ameling Hall, 801 W. 73rd Ave. All-you-can-eat fish fry and pierogi dinner includes fried and baked fish or pierogi (potato or sauerkraut), choice of baked potato or french fries, tossed salad or homemade coleslaw, bread & butter, coffee, punch & ice cream. Pop, water and baked items for sale. No doggie bags on AYCE dinners. +

Lenten Fish Dinners | Griffith

5 to 7 p.m., St. Mary-Hildebrandt Hall, 525 N. Lafayette St. St. Mary Home and School Association is sponsoring their annual Lenten "Home Cooked" fish dinners. Also being served are shrimp and combo dinners for $12. A complete adult dinner, $10 adults, $9 for seniors, includes: beer battered fried fish, salad bar, choice of French fries or baked potato, bread and butter, homemade desserts, coffee, milk or tea. Children 12 and under have a choice of fish, pizza or shrimp for $5. Beer, wine, and pop also available for purchase. Dine-in or carryout. All proceeds benefit the children of St. Mary School.

Divergent Youth Event | Hobart

6 to 9 p.m., New Hope Church, 3528 St. Joseph Place. Another Divergent Youth Event will be held. Churches and youth groups are asked to come together in fellowship and study to learn to live a divergent life. This event will have Mitch Tabla, pastor of Portage Missionary Baptist Church and Charlie Arms, pastor of Momentum Church, as guest speakers. Live music, Life Chapel, food, games and prizes. Sessions are scheduled for the third Friday of every month. This venue is also open to Praise Teams, Praise Bands and Youth Praise Bands.
CHESTERTON  The third Symphony senior living and nursing facility built in the Region by Mainstreet development company has opened in Chesterton.

The first residents have already moved into Symphony of Chesterton, at 2775 Village Point, just off Ind. 49 between Interstate 90 and I-94 and overlooking Coffee Creek.

"We are very excited to open this facility for Chesterton and Valparaiso and we look forward to providing state-of-the-art rehabilitation and resort-style senior living like no other place in Northwest Indiana," said Tim Fields, president of operations for Symphony.

The one-story center was built by Carmel, Indiana-based Mainstreet at a cost of about $19 million. Mainstreet remains the owner and leases the facility to Symphony, Fields said.

Last year, Symphony opened its first Symphony Post Acute Network facility in Indiana in Crown point and Symphony of Dyer, another senior living community. The company is based in Lincolnwood, Illinois.

The new Chesterton facility hosts both assisted living and a rehabilitation center.

It has 36 assisted living units, both studios and one bedrooms. Currently, there are 10 units occupied, with additional residents moving in shortly, according to Sheila Mullins, its director of admissions.

The 100 all-private recovery suites in the rehabilitation section will open within weeks. It is currently awaiting the completion of a state check and its Medicare certification, Fields said.

The center is structured like a resort, according to Mullins. She said both areas are serviced by two, open-all-day restaurants run by a "five-star" chef. Room service also is available. All of the rehab rooms have state-of-the-art equipment, private bathrooms, cable TV, private phone lines and contain visitor areas.

"It looks out on a beautiful peaceful wooded area," Mullins said. "That alone makes it a perfect spot for our residents."

The facility also has a putting green, a pub providing wine and beer, a movie theater, hair salon, shuffle board court and an in-house cafe offering Starbucks coffees and other refreshments.
GREENVILLE, S.C.  Just for a moment, Marco Rubio stops trying to explain what went wrong in New Hampshire. He needs to find out why Dominick is crying.

"She pinched me," the teary 8-year-old tells his father, who's in the midst of an interview, pointing to a small red welt on his left hand.

"Who pinched you?!" Rubio asks, before his wife shepherds the boy back to the kids table where he and his three siblings are eating breakfast.

The momentary domestic dispute at a South Carolina Cracker Barrel restaurant was perhaps a welcome interruption for a Republican presidential candidate who has spent much of the week explaining a disappointing finish in New Hampshire's Tuesday primary that raised serious questions about his long-term viability. Now facing the biggest test of his presidential campaign, Rubio is pulling back the curtain on his family life to help re-focus attention away from his campaign shortfalls.

"It helps me to see them every day," Rubio told hundreds of voters gathered inside a Greenville Christian school auditorium on Thursday. "The most important job any of us will have is to be a parent or a spouse," he added.

The 44-year-old Florida senator, his wife, Jeanette, and their four children  Amanda, 15, Daniella, 13, Anthony, 10, and 8-year-old Dominick  have trekked across the Republican primary calendar together for 13 consecutive days. And eager to shift the focus away from New Hampshire, his campaign is pulling back the curtain on the Rubio road show.

While the Rubio family would make regular appearances at the bigger moments on the trail in the past  debates and higher-profile interviews  they had never before experienced the grueling pace of presidential politics as a unit.

They came together in Iowa the day before Rubio scored a strong third-place finish in the leadoff caucuses, moved directly to New Hampshire where a debate misstep led to an alarming fifth-place finish, and stayed on in South Carolina where Rubio's presidential aspirations may live or die based on his performance in the state's Feb. 20 primary.

Jumping city to city, they sleep in the same hotel suite most nights, with Rubio often falling asleep before all of the children, Jeanette Rubio said. The kids spend most mornings doing homework, which was coordinated with their various teachers before they left Miami. It's unclear how much longer it will last. But Rubio says he went three weeks without seeing them last month and doesn't want to do that again.

The family is a big part of his message, but they often do little more than say hello to the audience when introduced. The boys sometimes stay on stage as Rubio delivers his remarks, as they did Thursday in Greenville, but Rubio leaves it up to them to decide if they want to stay each time.

Rubio, of course, is not the only presidential contender whose children are beginning to play a more significant role on the campaign trail.

GOP front-runner Donald Trump regularly appears with his children  particularly his oldest, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric, all in their 30s. Democrat Hillary Clinton has deployed her daughter Chelsea and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, who she refers to as her "not-so-secret weapon."

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and his wife, Heidi, have two young daughters, Catherine, 5, and Caroline, 7, who make periodic appearances on the campaign trail. Cruz has a dedicated play room for the girls inside his Houston campaign headquarters.

But Rubio, more than any of his Republican rivals, is seeing the 2016 contest through the eyes of his children as he tries to mount a comeback in South Carolina.

In a Thursday interview, he noted that his kids were watching television over the weekend when news of a particularly aggressive Trump insult, which they did not report directly, instead using "cat" as an alternate word.

"My boys wanted to know what he said. I couldn't tell them. It bothered me," Rubio told The Associated Press. "Now I happen to be his opponent in this race, so people might say that's self-serving. But it was a real moment for me."

Rubio continued: "Look, it works for Donald. Obviously there are people that that appeals to. I'm just telling you as a parent, if my kids talked that way, they'd be in trouble."

The Rubio children also starred in a story about his conciliatory speech Tuesday night after a deeply disappointing New Hampshire finish.

"My kids were watching," Rubio said. "They learned what it is you do when you face disappointment."

The comments came during an interview aboard Rubio's campaign jet as he crisscrossed South Carolina on Thursday. It was one of several moments of expanded access this week designed to drive better media coverage and challenge critics trying to cast him as robotic. Advisers also note that increased media access to Rubio and his family was always part of their plan as the 2016 contest took a more national shape.

The campaign invited a handful of reporters to share breakfast with the Rubios in between South Carolina campaign stops on Thursday. Before addressing his political challenges, Rubio and his wife explained that they prefer Cracker Barrel because it's kid-friendly.

"Every time they come here they like to get some sort of gadget," Jeanette Rubio said, prompting a distinctly fatherly response from her husband. "How many more of the things are we going to buy?" he asked. "They always lose it or break it anyway."

With his children eating at an adjacent table, he soon turned back to presidential politics: "I don't know about how it will work out," he said. "We're prepared to go to the end."
U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., took to the Senate floor this week to expose problems with a Veterans Affairs program that is supposed to allow military veterans to receive health care closer to home.

As The Times has reported, some Northwest Indiana veterans have been experiencing long wait times and disconnected calls when trying to set up appointments through Veterans Choice. The program was designed to let vets get care locally when they have to wait more than 30 days for an appointment or live more than 40 miles from a VA facility. It is being run by two outside vendors: HealthNet Federal Services, which covers Northwest Indiana, and TriWest Healthcare Alliance, each of which are being paid billions of dollars to administer community care for the VA.

In his speech Thursday, Donnelly said a Marion veteran recently called his office while at the eye doctor, which was telling him HealthNet hadnt sent over the paperwork to authorize payment for his post-operative appointments. The senator said one of his case managers waited on hold for 21 minutes to speak to a HealthNet supervisor, who said the veterans paperwork hadnt been approved. The situation has yet to be resolved, Donnelly said.

Donnellys office also reportedly heard from a South Bend veteran who thought he was authorized for physical therapy following ankle surgery only to find out months later that he wasnt. A case manager talked to a HealthNet representative for 23 minutes before the rep even asked the veterans name, then had to talk to a supervisor, then a manager, who finally resolved the issue, Donnelly said.

What our veterans are going through to schedule appointments and access their benefits through the Choice program is completely unacceptable, the senator said, noting that he recently sent a letter to HealthNets president asking for answers. They gave too much to this country to be treated this way. We will solve these problems for Hoosier veterans and for every American veteran.
GENEVA  Possible Zika vaccines are at least 18 months away from large-scale trials, the World Health Organization said Friday as it advised pregnant women to consider delaying travel to areas where the mosquito-borne virus has turned up amid concerns it may be linked to abnormally small heads in newborns.

Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO's assistant director-general for health systems and innovation, says the U.N. health agency's response is "proceeding very quickly" and that 15 companies or groups have been identified as possible participants in the hunt for vaccines.

"(But) our knowledge of what is currently in the pipeline tells us that it will take approximately 18 months before a vaccine can be launched into large-scale trial to demonstrate efficacy," Kieny told reporters in Geneva.

Concerns have grown in recent months about a Zika outbreak that has affected at least 33 countries  mostly in South and Central America. In Brazil, the epicenter of the outbreak, the spike in cases has coincided with a mysterious rise in cases of microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, in newborns.

WHO believes the link between the virus and microcephaly in some newborns is "more and more probable," Kieny said, but added it will likely take "weeks to a few months" to determine whether a firm link exists.

To try to confirm a link, researchers in Colombia are tracking what happens to pregnant women who have been infected with Zika, Marcos Espinal of the Pan American Health Organization told reporters at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Washington. Separate studies also are being conducted in Brazil.

"What everybody would like us as public health officials to say is, now we've proved it. It's not going to be like that," Christopher Dye, WHO's director of strategy, added at the briefing in Washington.

But to protect the public, "we have to consider that Zika is guilty unless proven innocent," Dye said.

Kieny said that different types of possible vaccines  such as live or killed virus, or the use of DNA vaccines  may lead to differences in timing on development, but developers "are all starting at a very basic level."

WHO also issued updated guidelines about travel to Zika-affected areas, saying pregnant women should talk to their health care providers and "consider delaying travel to any area where locally acquired Zika infection is occurring."

Previously, the world health body had only advised women who are pregnant, or hoping to become pregnant, to protect themselves from the bites of the mosquito that transmits the Zika virus.

The agency noted that the virus was not spread by person-to-person contact "though a small number of cases of sexual transmission have been documented." WHO advised men and women returning from Zika-affected areas to practice safe sex "including through the correct and consistent use of condoms," but didn't specify for how long.
A teenager's arm was severed after police say he tried to steal a pair of sneakers from a man in Brooklyn.

It happened yesterday afternoon on East 86th Street near Avenue M in Canarsie. Investigators say 17-year-old Zachary Sam arranged to meet 39-year-old Philipp Pierre to buy a pair of Air Jordan sneakers.

They say once Sam got inside the car, he allegedly pulled out a gun, demanded the shoes and then ran off.

Pierre then drove his car towards Sam and hit him, severing Sam's arm.

The 17-year-old then got on a MTA bus, but was pulled off the bus by Pierre.

Sam then tried to run away but collapsed from such a serious injury.

He was taken to Brookdale University Hospital, but it's unknown if doctors were able to re-attach his arm.

Sam is facing charges of robbery and criminal possession of a weapon, and Pierre was charged with attempted murder.
In 1954, two fashion world up-and-comers were honored by the International Wool Secretariat for their work in womens wear. Karl Lagerfeld, 21 at the time, won a prize for coats, and Yves Saint Laurent, 18, was rewarded for dress design. The designers Hubert de Givenchy and Pierre Balmain were among the judges bestowing the honors.

This year, joining Mr. Lagerfeld and Mr. Saint Laurent, is the British label Teatum Jones, which was announced as the winner of the International Woolmark Prize for 2016 on Friday evening. Catherine Teatum and Rob Jones, whose designs often feature what they have called cryptic prints and luxury bespoke textiles, will receive $70,848 and will have their capsule collection sold in stores worldwide, including Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, 10 Corso Como in Milan and Harvey Nichols in London.

Six designers from across the world showed their collections in this years final, whose judges included Imran Amed, founder of the website Business of Fashion; Roopal Patel, a fashion director at Saks Fifth Avenue; and Stefano Tonchi, the editor-in-chief of W magazine.
Bill Cosbys lawyers on Friday appealed a decision made by a judge in a Pennsylvania court last week that allowed prosecutors to proceed with a criminal sexual assault case against him.

Lawyers for Mr. Cosby filed the notice of appeal to Philadelphia Superior Court, seeking to reverse the judges Feb. 3 ruling that prosecutors were not bound by a former district attorneys decision 11 years ago to refrain from charging Mr. Cosby in the case, in which a young Temple University staff member accused the entertainer of drugging and molesting her at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

After Mr. Cosby was charged in the case in December, his lawyers sought to have the charges dismissed, arguing in a pretrial hearing last week that a former Montgomery County district attorney had made a binding decision in 2005 never to prosecute Mr. Cosby in connection with this incident. The judge rejected that petition, and scheduled a preliminary hearing in the criminal case for March 8.

In the filing on Friday, Mr. Cosbys lawyers also appealed a second order by the judge who had denied their motion to disqualify the Montgomery County District Attorneys Office from prosecuting the case. Mr. Crosby is charged with aggravated indecent assault, which carries a punishment of five to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
Jake Page, an editor and columnist at Smithsonian magazine who brought the wonders of science to a general audience in dozens of books, and who channeled his interest in the Indians of the American Southwest into a series of popular mystery novels, died on Wednesday at his home in Lyons, Colo. He was 80.

The cause was vascular disease, his daughter Lindsey Truitt said.

Mr. Page made it through high school and college without taking any science courses but found himself cornered when, as an editor at Doubleday in the 1960s, he was put in charge of an imprint called Natural History Books. My job was to edit them so that any idiot could read them, he told an interviewer for his most recent publisher, Rio Nuevo. I was any idiot then for the next seven years.

He spread his wings at Smithsonian, where, in an easy, elegant style leavened with humor, he contributed articles on topics as varied as Zane Grey, the Hollywood makeup artist Michael Westmore, the history of aspirin and the blind anthropologist Marsha Ogilvie while writing a monthly science column, Phenomena, Comment and Notes.

My monthly column began as a way of propping open the ads in a young magazine and evolved into an attempt to trick people into reading about science by means of humor, he once said. Science, which always seems earnest to the point of stuffiness, is too important to leave only to scientists.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.  As the safety crisis surrounding Takatas airbags that are prone to rupture has mushroomed, the Japanese auto supplier has insisted that the propellant in its airbags is safe.

But on Friday, testimony in a Florida court showed that Takatas own engineers discarded evidence that may have shown otherwise as long as 16 years ago. As early as 2000, around the time the propellant, which includes a compound called ammonium nitrate, was introduced into Takata models, failures occurred during internal testing.

But Takata altered its test data to hide the failures from its biggest customer, Honda, and a senior Takata executive ordered some of the evidence be discarded, the testimony said.

Thomas Sheridan, a former Takata airbag engineer, was questioned this year as part of a lawsuit brought by a Florida woman who was paralyzed after her Takata airbag deployed too forcefully during an accident in her 2001 Honda Civic in June 2014. On Friday, her lawyers disclosed the testimony during a hearing over what evidence should be allowed at trial.
Glenwood Management, a politically influential developer of luxury high-rise apartment buildings in Manhattan that figured in two recent public corruption trials, has agreed to settle a civil rights lawsuit that claimed three of its residential complexes violated the Fair Housing Acts requirements for people with disabilities.

The settlement was detailed in a consent decree approved on Thursday by Judge J. Paul Oetken of Federal District Court in Manhattan, who will retain jurisdiction to enforce the deals terms for three years, according to the document.

Glenwood agreed to make alterations at the three complexes in Manhattan, and to inspect six others and, if necessary, retrofit those as well, according to the deal the developer struck with the office of Preet Bharara, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Glenwood also agreed to pay up to $900,000 in compensation to people who suffered as a result of what the decree described as the firms discriminatory housing practices. The developer also is to pay a $50,000 civil penalty.
As the jury read the verdict  guilty  in the manslaughter trial of a New York City police officer whose gunshot into the stairwell of a public-housing building killed an unarmed man, the officer, Peter Liang, crumpled in his seat in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn, his face falling into his hands.

In the courtroom gallery on Thursday night, his deflated posture was mirrored not just by his family, but also by some of the Chinese-language newspaper reporters present, and by the supporters, many of Asian descent, who had rallied around him.

Their courtroom sentiment reflected the feelings that have swelled throughout the citys Asian enclaves since Officer Liangs indictment last year and that have peaked following his conviction. Many have rallied around the officer, who is Chinese-American, describing him as a scapegoat who was targeted at a time when there is a roiling national debate about the policing of black neighborhoods. And it has pulled at a thread long woven through the citys Asian population, which sees what happened as yet another example of the mistreatment of a marginalized community, ill-equipped to fight back.

In the wake of unfortunately so many deaths of unarmed black men, some cops gotta hang, said John C. Liu, referring to what he contended was a widespread opinion. Mr. Liu, the former New York City comptroller who ran for mayor in 2013, has been vocal on social media about his belief that Officer Liang was unfairly singled out. The sentiment in the Asian community is: Its easier to hang an Asian, because Asians, they dont speak up.
Ms. Gilbert, a prostitute from Jersey City, vanished on May 1, 2010, last seen after leaving a home in Oak Beach, a seaside community on Long Island. She banged on the door of a nearby home, pleading for help, and ran away after the resident called 911.

A search for Ms. Gilbert through the brush and grassy dunes led investigators to the remains of 10 other bodies along a several-mile stretch of the shore, including some women who were prostitutes; the toddler daughter of one of the women; and a man in womans clothing. The mystery has gripped Long Island and remains unsolved; the local authorities asked the F.B.I. for help last year.

Ms. Gilberts remains were found on Dec. 13, 2011, not far from where investigators had found her purse, jeans, shoes and cellphone days earlier. Police officials at the time said that her death was not necessarily connected to the others, and that they believed she had drowned as she crossed through the marshland trying to reach Ocean Parkway.

But on Friday, her family cited Dr. Badens findings as further indication that Ms. Gilbert died at the hands of a serial killer.
The decades of trauma suffered by independent neighborhood bookstores  damage from bargain megastores, the ascension of the e-book and Amazons flash delivery of cut-rate reading  hardly hindered Chris Doeblins search for the right place to open his fourth independent bookstore in Manhattan.

In fact those serial threats across 30 years in the business drove his search for his next indie locale. We are pushed from behind and driven ahead by the pull of the future, Mr. Doeblin said last month, explaining why his three Book Culture stores are not enough. I have 10-year-old kids. You have to reinvent yourself.

A reader might find his determined search a noble but counterintuitive escapade after years of watching the lights sadly go out on small neighborhood bookshops where social warmth was such a part of the browsing. But the good news is that the indies are quietly resurging across the nation, registering a growth of over 30 percent since 2009 and sales that were up around 10 percent last year, according to the American Booksellers Association, the indies main organization with more than 2,200 stores.

Existing stores are selling once more to a new generation of owners, said Oren Teicher, the A.B.A.s chief executive officer, noting that such stores could never be resold during the gloomiest years, when they were under threat from Barnes & Noble and then later, Internet sales. The indies now find that readers are looking for life beyond their computer screens. They want to embrace books in all three dimensions and to select them in a tactile, less anonymous marketplace. Booksellers are fellow readers who converse knowledgeably and jot down their current favorites on helpful bookshelf notes.
Running for president in 2008, Mrs. Clinton gave a muddled answer to a debate question about drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants. She later clarified  she would oppose such drivers licenses as president  and then, more recently, decided that she supports them after all.

It was after the number of Central American migrant children at the border spiked in 2014 that she said they should be sent back to send a message. Just because your child gets across the border, that doesnt mean the child gets to stay, she said. Now she says children should have access to lawyers and not be held in family prisons, but she was tripped up again by her send a message line.

Mrs. Clinton now has an opportunity to clarify her message: Senator Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, introduced a bill on Thursday that would help to guarantee due process for border refugees. It would require the attorney general to appoint lawyers for unaccompanied children and others who are vulnerable, like victims of abuse or torture and those with disabilities. The Department of Homeland Security would have to make sure that all migrants had access to counsel, knew their rights and obligations, and understood what was happening to them. The bill seeks to correct the appalling injustice of refugee children facing court proceedings alone and being deported back to grave danger at home.

The border influx was a humanitarian emergency before it became a concocted homeland-security crisis and political pickle. It will take courage, and require a lot of money, for the country to stand up for the rights of the uninvited and desperate. Volunteer lawyers and advocacy organizations have struggled mightily to provide representation for migrants who face the real threat of death if their asylum claims fail.

Mrs. Clinton tweeted in favor of the Reid bill on Thursday night. If she means what she says about herself  that she is all about tackling difficult problems and helping those most in need  she will go all in to support Mr. Reids effort, and let the world know it.
In 2015, 149 people convicted of crimes large and small  from capital murder to burglary  were exonerated. It is the highest yearly total since this grim form of record-keeping began, in 1989.

In that time, there have been at least 1,733 exonerations across the country, and the pace keeps picking up. On average, about three convicted people are now exonerated of their crimes every week, according to the annual report of the National Registry of Exonerations. The registry defines an exoneration as a case in which someone convicted of a crime is cleared of all charges based on new evidence of innocence.

The individual cost to those wrongly convicted is steep: Last years group spent an average of more than 14 years behind bars. Five had been sentenced to death. Amazingly, half of the exonerations involved cases in which no crime occurred at all  for example, a conviction of murder by arson that later turned out to be based on faulty fire science.

Equally eye-opening is the list of reasons behind these miscarriages of justice. For instance, 27 of last years exonerations were for convictions based on a false confession. This happened most often in homicide cases in which the defendant was a juvenile, intellectually disabled, mentally ill or some combination of the three. In nearly half of all 2015 exonerations, the defendant pleaded guilty before trial.
You cant possibly say its been a bad week when Ted Cruz has a problem with a soft-core porn actress.

The run-up to this weekends Republican debate was greatly enlivened by the news that Amy Lindsay, an alum of Animal Lust and Whose Thong Is It Anyway?, was starring in a Cruz campaign ad. It was supposed to show a therapy group for ex-Marco Rubio supporters, and Lindsay had a major role as the woman who said, Maybe you should vote for more than just a pretty face. It was pulled after reporters checked into her resume.

Its part of a bigger problem that Ted has, Rubio told MSNBC when the story came up on Friday. Unfortunately, he said he was referring to Cruzs effort to act like the only consistent conservative in this race. But I believe I speak for many Americans when I say this needs to be revisited during the debate.

Were down to six debaters  are you going to miss Rand or Carly? Maybe we ought to give them an official farewell. On Survivor, the last few contestants on the island used to take a walk down a long trail studded with the pictures of Those Who Went Before, so they could reminisce about what a great guy Frank was before he got tossed out for failing to eat the beetle larvae.
Royal Caribbeans Anthem of the Seas vessel returned earlier than scheduled to its port of origin, Cape Liberty, N.J., on Wednesday evening after facing 120 m.p.h. winds on Sunday off Cape Hatteras, N.C. The cruise ship departed last Saturday and was on its way to a port call in Port Canaveral, Fla., as part of a seven-day trip to the Bahamas when it ran into the storm.

The Coast Guard is examining the cruise ship, and a Florida senator has said that the National Transportation Safety Board should also conduct an investigation.

Of the 4,529 guests and 1,616 crew onboard, four sustained minor injuries, according to Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez. She said that the return journey  which took nearly three days rather than the one it took to reach Cape Hatteras  was intentionally slowed to make sure the ships mechanical systems were working. Passengers will get a full refund as well as a 50 percent discount on a future cruise.

In a statement emailed shortly before the ships return, Royal Caribbean apologized for exposing guests and crew to the inclement weather .
At one point, as the hearing was going on inside, a person in a gray Mini Cooper drove by, yelling The Bundys are traitors! The Bundys are traitors, referring to the family of Ammon Bundy, the leader of the occupation group. Mr. Bundy, his brother Ryan and their father, Cliven, are all in federal custody. Bundy supporters mostly just laughed.

Fridays hearing, before Magistrate Judge John V. Acosta, was the first one for the final four holdouts at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, who walked out peacefully and unarmed on Thursday after 40 days of armed occupation.

All four are charged with federal felony counts in holding the refuge and, prosecutors said, keeping federal workers from doing their jobs. The four  Sean Anderson, 47, and Sandra Anderson, 48, both of Riggins, Idaho; Jeff Banta, 46, of Yerington, Nev.; and David Fry, 27, of Blanchester, Ohio  were ordered to be held pending a detention hearing, and none of them spoke to the court except to answer yes or no to Judge Acostas questions.

Two other men charged with participating in the illegal occupation appeared as well, with one held and another released with strict conditions by the judge, including possession or even handling of firearms. Altogether, 25 people connected with the occupation have been indicted. Ammon and Ryan Bundy were arrested peacefully last month near the refuge.

But in the same arrest operation, another prominent member of the group, LaVoy Finicum, was shot and killed after he tried to run a police blockade and then, the F.B.I. agent in charge of the operation said, reached for a weapon. Cliven Bundy was arrested on Wednesday and faces charges in Nevada related to a dispute in 2014 with the authorities there over cattle grazing rights on public land.
CHARLESTON, S.C.  Donald J. Trump has defied conservative orthodoxy on policy, shunned traditional politicking and even insulted prisoners of war and the disabled, sacrosanct constituencies that other candidates would no more slur than they would accept a bag of cash with cameras rolling.

But in a campaign that has seemingly tested every political rule, Mr. Trumps opponents hope his latest provocation will be too much for well-mannered voters in this heavily evangelical Christian state to bear: his use of a vulgar word this week to describe one of his rivals, Senator Ted Cruz.

Mr. Trumps raunchy language has become unsurprising at his rallies. And the slur against Mr. Cruz was largely overshadowed by the coverage of the next days New Hampshire primary.

But in voicing the crude term, Mr. Trump has further polarized a Republican Party already deeply divided about his candidacy, particularly across class lines.
An influential scientific commission in Texas called Friday for a halt in the use of bite-mark identifications in criminal trials, concluding that the validity of the technique has not been scientifically established.

Issued by the Texas Forensic Science Commission after a six-month investigation, the recommendation is the first from any official state or federal body to call for excluding bite-mark testimony, in which dental experts claim to identify the person whose teeth caused wounds on a victim. It is not legally binding but is likely to carry great weight, in Texas and elsewhere, providing guidance to trial judges as they decide whether to permit bite-mark testimony and a strong weapon for defense lawyers if prosecutors do try to use it.

We concluded that bite marks should not be admitted in criminal cases at this point, Vincent Di Maio, a former medical examiner and chairman of the commission, said in a telephone interview. We feel it does not meet the standards of forensic science.

The commission has also started sorting through decades of trial records to identify past cases that should be reopened because they depended heavily on now-discredited bite comparisons. Dr. Di Maio said it has identified 35 convictions so far that involved such testimony, but had not yet determined those in which it played a critical role.
Gov. John Kasich of Ohio has asked former Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, a veteran diplomat and North Korea troubleshooter, to help in the effort to free an Ohioan arrested by the North Korean authorities six weeks ago, Mr. Kasichs spokesman said Friday.

Mr. Richardson confirmed the request and said he had begun making inquiries about the detained man, Otto F. Warmbier, a 21-year-old college student.

The spokesman for Mr. Kasich, Rob Nichols, said the contact with Mr. Richardson was part of a broader effort by the Ohio governor to take action on behalf of Mr. Warmbier, who was arrested Jan. 2 as he was completing an organized tour of North Korea.

Mr. Nichols said Mr. Kasich, a Republican presidential candidate, also had spoken with Mr. Warmbiers parents and with officials at the White House.
The top administrator of one of Europes leading medical universities resigned on Friday, becoming the latest casualty of a scandal involving a prominent surgeon in the field of regenerative medicine.

In a statement published online by a Swedish newspaper, the administrator, Anders Hamsten, who as vice chancellor led the Stockholm-based Karolinska Institute, said he was stepping down because of growing criticism of his and the institutes handling of the scandal swirling around Paolo Macchiarini, a surgeon who was hired as a visiting professor in 2010.

Dr. Macchiarini, who has performed highly experimental transplants of plastic windpipes embedded with patients own stem cells, has been considered a pioneer in the field of regenerative medicine, which has the goal of producing replacement tissues and organs. But many of his patients have died, including two of three operated on in Sweden.
UNITED NATIONS  Leaders of humanitarian aid organizations have, over the last few months, repeatedly implored the warring parties in Syria and their backers not to use the delivery of food and medicine as a bargaining chip in their negotiations about war and peace.

But the leaders of the worlds most powerful countries did just that on Thursday night, striking a deal over access to aid during diplomatic negotiations in Munich. The very groups that had been begging for relief to besieged towns now welcomed the promised relief with extreme caution, describing it as a half-step that only underscored how bread, blankets, and even vaccines for children, have become politicized in the five-year-old civil war.

Access to aid is enshrined under international law. But in this conflict, it has been repeatedly used as leverage on the battlefield and at the negotiating table. The United Nations has principally accused the Syrian government, but also the Islamic State and some armed opposition groups, of putting up blockades to the delivery of food and lifesaving medicines to civilians.

The United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, has warned that those who use starvation as a weapon are committing war crimes.
She finally came across similar-looking objects in a book, not on altarpieces but on African headdresses. With the mystery solved, the work has been identified in the exhibition as a Senufo headdress.

Image Covered Bowl With Equestrian Figure (19th century), wood with pigment and patina, from the Dogon peoples of Mali, Credit... via Hofstra University Museum

Yet Senufo headdresses can vary depending on their ceremonial function, Ms. Albert said, adding that traditional African art might differ from village to village or region to region, even within a single culture.

Such are the complexities behind Africa: Sub-Saharan Diversity, which features 50 objects, including sculptural figures, masks, weapons, jewelry and textiles, dating from the late-19th to the mid-20th century. All are from Hofstras permanent collection.

That collection, with 272 African works from 18 countries, has continued to grow, said Beth E. Levinthal, the museums executive director. We have gift offers for additional African works on pretty much an annual basis, Ms. Levinthal said.

Of the 73 cultural groups represented in the collection as a whole, we have 25 different cultures in this exhibit, Ms. Albert said. For all their variability, many of the groups share some general concerns and interests; Ms. Albert has organized the exhibition according to three of them, which she calls masquerade, protection and prestige.
Until about a year ago, the name most associated with beer in Yonkers was probably that of the notorious racketeer Dutch Schultz, whose criminal domain once included a brewery in the city.

Schultz, born Arthur Flegenheimer, rose to prominence in the big beer wave during prohibition, as Meyer Berger put it in The New York Times in October 1935, after Schultz was murdered in a Newark saloon. Before beer, Berger wrote, Schultz was just an unambitious, sloppy flat-burglar and package thief in the Bronx and even after great success, he still managed to look like an ill-dressed vagrant.

A new brewery in Yonkers has a much sunnier story.

Nick Califano and John Rubbo, who opened the Yonkers Brewing Company tasting room in January 2015, certainly know the history of the city where they grew up, and much of it is captured in photographs from the Yonkers Historical Society that line the walls of the handsome, spacious quarters a block from the Hudson River. The building, a former trolley garage, is on the National Register of Historic Places. (The Schultz brewery, Mr. Rubbo pointed out, was in a different part of town, an area known as Chicken Island.)

Mr. Califano and Mr. Rubbo  neighborhood friends who reconnected after college  became home brewers about six years ago. They liked drinking beer (Once we were 21, Mr. Rubbo said, prompting a laugh from Mr. Califano) and, after purchasing a recipe book, decided to start brewing it.
With her sultry stage persona and sharp vocal claws, as a review in The New York Times put it, the German chanteuse Ute Lemper doesnt project the vibe of an Upper West Side mom. But on Sundays  when shes not presenting cabaret classics by Kurt Weill or her latest song cycle, The 9 Secrets, a setting of Paulo Coelhos Manuscripts Found in Accra  shes just that. The rock-solid foundation of my life is my family, and I enjoy very much being with my kids and seeing them happy, Ms. Lemper said, adding, Its only onstage that I am the glamorous lady. Ms. Lemper, 52, lives in two apartments on different floors of a West 76th Street building with her husband, the percussionist and producer Todd Turkisher, 56; their children, Julian, 10, and Jonas, 4; and, when they are home from college, her two children from a previous marriage, Max, 21, and Stella, 19.



RISE, RELAX My little ones wake me up around 8, and we spend a good hour just chilling  reading the paper, watching some news, the kids playing  things we cant normally do during the week. Then we take Zacky for a walk. Hes a miniature poodle bought by Stella seven years ago. Now that shes in college, of course, we have to take care of him.
After all, he said, 21 extends house accounts  monthly tabs  to about 250 longtime patrons, who have insisted upon their favorite waiters for decades.

Would Jack Kreindler and Charlie Berns, who founded 21 in Greenwich Village in 1922, have cared about real-time ratings and customer reviews on social media?

Mr. Suric does. He tapped his cellphone and checked his latest ratings numbers on Open Table. They are higher than ever, he said, and when they dip, heads roll.

The restaurant just enjoyed its second-most profitable year ever, after 2007, which makes corporate happy, said Mr. Suric, who is divorced, has three children and lives in Weehawken, N.J.

He grew up in a coastal village in Croatia called Privlaka and came to New York at 18. He immediately began waiting on tables at prominent Manhattan restaurants, and became the house captain at Le Cirque. He eventually became director of operations at the David Burke Group, then had some other roles before moving to 21.

Ive been in Midtown 25 years, he said. I know every chairman in Midtown by now.

But he also knows the union officials who represent 140 of his employees, and knows enough to keep a separate section in the daily spreadsheet to list prominent customers who stop in each evening.

He knows that the barroom ceiling is already too crowded with hanging mementos donated by famous patrons, but he still has room for the microphone given by Jimmy Fallon recently. It hung over his regular table, near old square mikes bearing WABC and WQXR logos.
An unlikely but real friendship that developed between Rudolf Nureyev, the legendary Russian dancer, and Jamie Wyeth, the American realist painter, is imaginatively dramatized by David Rush in Nureyevs Eyes, his two-character play at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick.

First produced by the American Stage Theater in Florida in 2014, Nureyevs Eyes centers on the several years spent by Mr. Wyeth incessantly sketching Mr. Nureyev as he prepared to paint the ballet superstars portrait.

In brief scenes set mostly in the 1970s, when the two artists met, Mr. Rushs 90-minute play episodically traces the evolution of this relationship.

Their initial conversation at a party in Manhattan is frosty, but eventually the persistent painter convinces the dancer to pose. As the wary Mr. Nureyev comes to like and trust Mr. Wyeth, they meet frequently for sketching sessions, and Mr. Wyeth later invites Mr. Nureyev to visit the home that he shares with his wife in rural Pennsylvania.
It was 3 a.m. and Alexandra Rutsch Brock couldnt sleep. She was scrolling through her Facebook news feed when she was struck by an image of an abstract painting posted by Julia Schwartz. I fell in love with it, Ms. Brock said.

She typed a comment on Ms. Schwartzs post, expressing her admiration and asking about the pieces dimensions. Ms. Schwartz quickly responded, and after a brief exchange, Ms. Brock purchased the postcard-size painting.

That was three years ago, and Ms. Brock, who lives in Stamford, Conn., and Ms. Schwartz, a painter in Santa Monica, Calif., have never met in person. But each has been part of the others community of artists on Facebook. And both suffer from bouts of insomnia, which has often left them working in their studios or browsing social media when most other people are asleep.

Most other people, that is, except the other artists they discover awake on Facebook, insomniacs engaged on the site and making work after midnight. They have had rousing exchanges about art, offered one another critiques of bodies of work and found professional support and virtual friendships. Their connections have resulted in Insomnia, an exhibition at the Pelham Art Center of late-night creations by 12 artists. Curated by Ms. Brock, the show opens with the painting she purchased from Ms. Schwartz, a quirky interplay of lines and textures that is also titled Insomnia.
It has been almost 50 years since the federal government began setting standards for automobile emissions. It is also about a half-century since the introduction of wide-body jets set off a runaway expansion of the aviation industry. About 3.8 billion people are expected to fly this year, 50 times as many as 50 years ago  making planes the fastest-growing source of carbon dioxide emissions, although they have faced none of the limits set on cars or trucks. That is, until last week, when the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency, finally proposed the first binding limits on aircraft emissions.

This is a welcome development, even if it has left many environmental groups disappointed. They have argued, not unreasonably, that the agency set the bar far too low. Existing planes wouldnt have to improve their efficiency, and aircraft under development would need do no more than meet the emissions goals set by manufacturers. Automakers in the United States, by contrast, must nearly double their fuel economy by 2025.

But planes are not cars; they take far longer to develop and are less adaptable to the sorts of electric or hybrid power sources that are reshaping the auto industry. Thats not to say it cant happen  the budget carrier easyJet announced plans this month to test the use of a hybrid system when an aircraft is taxiing.

For now, however, what is important is that an industry that accounts for almost 2 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions  about the same as Germany  and that is projected to double the number of passengers and flights by 2030 will finally join other major sources of greenhouse gas pollution that are subject to international emissions controls.
MY teenage son recently informed me that there is an Internet quiz to test oneself for narcissism. His friend had just taken it. How did it turn out? I asked. He says he did great! my son responded. He got the maximum score!

When I was a child, no one outside the mental health profession talked about narcissism; people were more concerned with inadequate self-esteem, which at the time was believed to lurk behind nearly every difficulty. Like so many excesses of the 1970s, the self-love cult spun out of control and is now rampaging through our culture like Godzilla through Tokyo.

A 2010 study in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science found that the percentage of college students exhibiting narcissistic personality traits, based on their scores on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, a widely used diagnostic test, has increased by more than half since the early 1980s, to 30 percent. In their book Narcissism Epidemic, the psychology professors Jean M. Twenge and W. Keith Campbell show that narcissism has increased as quickly as obesity has since the 1980s. Even our egos are getting fat.

It has even infected our political debate. Donald Trump? Remarkably narcissistic, the developmental psychologist Howard Gardner told Vanity Fair magazine. I cant say whether Mr. Trump is or isnt a narcissist. But I do dispute the assertion that if he is, it is somehow remarkable.
Nikki Silva is one half of the Peabody Award-winning Kitchen Sisters, creators of documentary-style programming for public radio and for podcasts.

READING Currently on my bedside table is Amy Poehlers Yes Please, which is making me laugh. I am a fan of hers and Tina Feys. I love that they are collaborators because Davia Nelson, the other Kitchen Sister, and I have been collaborators for 30 years. Also the poet C. D. Wrights bodaciously titled The Poet, the Lion, Talking Pictures, El Farolito, a Wedding in St. Roch, the Big Box Store, the Warp in the Mirror, Spring, Midnights, Fire & All, which is making me cry because she died suddenly in January. She was the poet laureate of Rhode Island and taught at Brown. And she was a friend.

LISTENING Ive been bingeing on Scott Carriers mesmerizing Home of the Brave. Scotts voice, his writing, his way of hearing the world is like no one elses. Im also listening to Radiotopia, which is a curated collection of some remarkable and inventive podcasts  99% Invisible, Song Exploder, Criminal, Love and Radio, The Allusionist, The Heart, The Memory Palace, Mortified.

WATCHING Last Day of Freedom by Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman  a powerful animated documentary film thats driven by the most haunting interview with the brother of a man who was executed at San Quentin prison in California. Also, Ive seen bits of a silent film thats being restored  Mothers of Men, one of the few surviving suffrage films from 1917, mostly filmed in Santa Cruz. In addition to the Kitchen Sisters, I work as a museum curator, mostly focusing on the history and art of this region.
Everywhere you look, alluring stories abound, blanks where you can fill in your best plot twists. Did you know, for example, that in 2005, a police officer was dispatched to where Ted Cruzs wife was sitting, near an expressway on-ramp, and judged that she was a danger to herself? Or that Marco Rubios wife was once a professional cheerleader?

Is any of this any of our business?

Absolutely. The politicians have made it our business. Theyve used their spouses and children, incorporated them as part of the story theyre selling, put them in their ads and brought them on debate stages. And, of course, we read the choice of a spouse and the history of a marriage as an indication of whom a candidate might hire and how he or she would manage.

Mr. Cruz drafted his young daughters to appear in a commercial, reading books on the couch with him in an attempt to make him look like a relatable Everydad  albeit an Everydad who chuckles approvingly over The Grinch Who Lost Her Emails.

In the run-up to the New Hampshire primary, Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton both got their pregnant daughters to schlep through the snow to sing their praises. Mr. Bush got his mother, Barbara, out on the trail.

Jane Sanders gazed at her husband, Bernie, with an adoration comparable to anything Nancy Reagan ever mustered, while Bill Clinton dropped jaws by telling a crowd that he sometimes wishes he wasnt married to Hillary, because then he could speak his mind.

So theres the campaign-trail narrative. Then theres history. If we can believe the candidates autobiographies and old recordings, many of them saw politics in their future at a very early age (Mr. Cruz, in particular, seemed to have left the womb aimed at the White House). Could that mean that they picked partners with an eye less on love than on electability?

Its easy to draw conclusions from these candidates love stories, augmenting facts with fiction in order to buttress what we think we know. If youre disinclined to like Mr. Trump, then his model marriages prove that hes a shallow sexist who thinks women are akin to oil filters, meant to be replaced every three months or three thousand miles. Not feeling the Bern? Then Mr. Sanderss brief first marriage, and the child he had with a woman whom he never married, demonstrates that, in spite of his radical politics, he has something in common with love em and leave em lotharios.
Since the first of the year, North Korea has conducted another nuclear weapons test and launched a satellite on a rocket. Both acts further advance North Koreas quest to acquire the ability to fire a nuclear-armed missile against another country, while serving as a reminder of the worlds lamentable failure to shut the program down.

Especially striking has been Chinas impotence. President Xi Jinping has repeatedly urged North Korea to show restraint. At the same time, he has refused to endorse tough international sanctions that might have an impact on the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. Beijing recently agreed to work on new United Nations sanctions, but there is no indication that those sanctions would go far enough.

The Chinese are probably right when they say they have less influence over Mr. Kim than many people think. But as the Norths only ally and economic lifeline for food and fuel oil, China has more leverage than any other country to steer Mr. Kim toward a less hostile course. Beijing is understandably concerned that tough sanctions could cause people to flee North Korea for China. But even relatively modest gestures, like preventing Mr. Kim from obtaining whiskey and other luxuries, could force him to think twice about continuing North Koreas provocative behavior.
Ask Real Estate is a weekly column that answers questions from across the New York region. Submit yours to realestateqa@nytimes.com.

From Tenant to Owner

My husband and I love the apartment we rent in a four-family, market-rate brownstone. Our dream is to buy our apartment and the one below it, converting them into a duplex. (Another tenant currently lives in the lower unit.) We have a great relationship with the live-in landlord, who owns the building, and he might be interested in such a proposition. How should we approach him? What else would we need to do?

Boerum Hill, Brooklyn

Your dream home sounds lovely, but buying it could be a thorny mess. It can be accomplished, said Perry L. Mintz, a Manhattan real estate lawyer. But its costly and complicated and time-consuming.

First, lets consider the lovable landlord. Perhaps in this heady real estate market he, too, has fantasized about cashing in on his valuable asset. If he has not broached the subject with you, it might be because he has more lucrative ideas. He could probably get a higher price if he sold the entire building than if he sold each unit piecemeal. The sum of the parts rarely equals the whole, said Jonathan J. Miller, the president of the appraisal firm Miller Samuel. (Rents are also pretty high in Boerum Hill, so he may not be motivated to trade in a cash cow for a one-time payout.)
There was a lot of opposition to what they proposed, said Robert Solomon, a division manager for building and life safety codes at the National Fire Protection Association, which developed its own disaster-emergency management standard and has urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to defer to it.

In December, reviewers from the Office of Management and Budget discussed the rule with representatives of the American Health Care Association, which represents facilities that care for the elderly and disabled, and has challenged the cost estimates associated with the requirements.

Medicares calculations suggested a relatively modest impact: $8,000 on average for hospitals the year the rule takes effect and about $1,262 each year for skilled nursing facilities. But the association said that those figures were unrealistic because of factors like emergency overtime.

Others who commented on the proposal said they feared that the rules would be particularly burdensome for smaller facilities that have traditionally not been involved in emergency preparedness. Each organization can only do so much based on their resources, Mark Covall, president and chief executive of the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems, said in an interview.

Ashley Thompson, a senior vice president at the American Hospital Association, said the group generally agreed with the proposal, but hoped Medicare would align its requirements with crisis preparedness standards developed by other bodies, including the Joint Commission, which accredits many American hospitals and other health institutions.

Mr. Schmitt said those resisting regulation were shortsighted. Its saying, Look, if you want to care for the more vulnerable populations in America and you want to bill for these services, were just saying meet some minimum standards. 

But girding for emergencies often seems to fall off the map as a disaster recedes. More than 45 years after the Sylmar earthquake killed dozens at California hospitals, for example, more than 250 hospital buildings rated most at risk of collapsing and endangering the public have yet to be retrofitted, replaced or removed from service. If I never have a disaster and you make me invest, say, $100,000 or $500,000 in preparedness, Ive lost revenue, said Dr. David Marcozzi, an associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. However, for the facility that is impacted and is able to continue treating patients, the return on investment is different. Tell me, how do you do a budget analysis on that?
Mike: Youre such a sweet child. When Oculus is finally released I will make a note to virtually pet your head.

But theres the more paternalistic view of Facebook enacting a kind of modern-day colonialism  similar to, say, what the British Empire carried out in India more than a century ago. Facebook isnt offering the full, open Internet. The company is offering a set of services that it thinks people should have, including free data access to Facebook. The assumption, by some, is that Facebook knows what is best, and that Indians should listen to and happily accept what the benevolent corporation has to offer.

Facebook resists on this line of thought, but Marc Andreessens comments this week  which essentially reinforced this point of view  did not help Facebooks case. (Andreessen, who is a Facebook board member, received a pretty epic smackdown from Zuckerberg 12 hours later.)

So, in essence, I have no idea what Facebooks recourse is from here, legally or strategically speaking. Im not even sure if the company knows. What do you think? Has the sun finally set on the Facebook empire?

Farhad: I think it will need to  and probably will  rethink the whole plan. Luckily for Facebook, it has a good track record of transforming an initial disaster into a long-term success. (We recently talked about how they did it for their mobile strategy.)

The way forward seems pretty obvious to me: Facebook can offer a new free or low-cost plan that doesnt limit what people do on the service. As some Indian tech entrepreneurs have pointed out, there are already carriers in India that offer these sorts of supercheap but unrestricted Internet plans.

Now, why would Facebook want to give Indians a free Internet plan that doesnt favor its own services? Because it would still win in the end. Facebook and its subsidiaries  WhatsApp, especially  are extremely popular in India, as in the rest of the world. If people sign up to the Internet, theres a very good bet theyll use these services even if theyre not being forced to.
BURNS, Ore.  The cost of the six-week standoff in rural Oregon will most likely reach into the millions of dollars, with local and state agencies looking to the federal government  and the arrested occupiers  to shoulder the bulk of the bills.

The total cost may not be known for weeks or months, but the remote location of the occupation, at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in the eastern part of the state, combined with the complexity of the law enforcement response, suggests an expensive operation, said Brian Levin, a criminal justice expert at California State University San Bernardino.

When you have an unpredictable occupation like this, you have to free up a lot of personnel assets and resources, Mr. Levin said. The cost of maintaining a multiagency task force can get very expensive.

The protest over federal control of Western lands began in early January and ended Thursday when the final four holdouts surrendered.
WASHINGTON  The State Department released 551 more emails from the personal server of Hillary Clinton on Saturday, including 84 with some or all of the messages blocked out because they contained information that has now been deemed classified. Three of those are classified secret.

Each of the secret emails included Mrs. Clintons comments atop forwarded chains of messages discussing tensions on the Sinai Peninsula; a visit by John Kerry to Pakistan in the wake of Osama bin Ladens death; and sensitive, back-channel talks between the Israelis and Palestinians.

The State Department has now classified as secret 21 emails from among 33,000 that were sent through the private server Mrs. Clinton used while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.

An additional 22 emails  mostly referring to the Central Intelligence Agencys drone strikes, officials have said  have been deemed to be top secret. Those are considered too sensitive to release to the public even with portions blocked out.
MOGADISHU, Somalia  Somalias Shabab insurgents said Saturday that they were responsible for a blast that punched a hole in the fuselage of a plane this month that the government said was caused by a bomb.

The man suspected of being the bomber was sucked out of the Daallo Airlines plane when the blast ripped open a hole about a yard wide in the cabin in flight, officials said last week.

The plane made an emergency landing in the Mogadishu, the Somali capital. All the other passengers and crew members survived.

In a statement, the Shabab said the Feb. 2 attack was retribution for the crimes committed by the coalition of Western crusaders and their intelligence agencies against the Muslims of Somalia.
Do not lose time or energy in secondary things, in gossip or intrigue, in conceited schemes of careerism, in empty plans for superiority, in unproductive groups that seek benefits or common interests, he said. Do not allow yourselves to be dragged into gossip and slander.

He even departed from his prepared text for the sharp-tongued scolding: If you want to fight, do it, but as men do. Say it to each others faces and after that, like men of God, pray together. He added, If you went too far, ask for forgiveness.

The strength of the popes denunciation came as a surprise even to those who had followed his earlier warnings to church leaders.

I have never seen a scolding so severe, so drastic, so brutal to any bishops group, said Roberto Blancarte, a scholar of the Mexican church at the Colegio de Mexico. The bishops will have to examine their consciences.

The popes words will invigorate groups in the Mexican church who have long been critical of the distance that bishops keep from the faithful, living in luxury and socializing with politicians and wealthy businessmen, Mr. Blancarte said. In a speech that laid out many of the themes the pope is expected to address as he travels the length of Mexico, Francis, a Jesuit, warned that the church had become complacent in facing the dangers of drug trafficking and urged the Mexican church to embrace the fringes of human existence in the ravaged areas of our cities to help people escape the raging waters that drown so many.

He also called on the bishops to show a singular tenderness to indigenous groups, and to continue to protect the migrants traveling to the promised land of the United States.
SEOUL, South Korea  North Korea has announced a halt to an investigation into the fate of Japanese citizens said to have been abducted by its agents decades ago, retaliating for sanctions Japan imposed this week after the Norths latest rocket launching.

North Korea blamed Japan for the development in a report on Friday from its official Korean Central News Agency, saying that Tokyos new sanctions were little short of the declaration of its own scrapping of a 2014 agreement under which North Korea set up a panel to investigate the abduction issue. The panel and its investigation were terminated as of Friday, the report said.

Japans foreign minister, Fumio Kishida, called North Koreas decision deplorable, the Japanese news agency Kyodo reported.

North Korea admitted in 2002 that its agents had kidnapped 13 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 80s. Five abductees were later allowed to return to Japan. The North said the others were dead, but Japan wanted a full investigation of those cases and the cases of other Japanese who Tokyo believes were also kidnapped. Resolving the emotional issue has been a pressing concern for the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe.
KABUL, Afghanistan  In an attack using a tactic long feared by Afghan officials, Taliban suicide bombers riding in two stolen Afghan Army Humvees clashed with security forces on Saturday in southern Helmand Province, killing six security personnel at a checkpoint, Afghan officials said.

While the Afghan government has publicly played down the threat, in private, officials have warned that insurgents, who have in the past largely relied on motorcycles and basic weapons, could gain new advantages by turning seized or abandoned military equipment against Afghan security forces.

As insurgents grabbed territory last year that was once controlled by Afghan forces, they also seized weapons and Humvees provided by the American military from bases and checkpoints abandoned by Afghan forces, which are stretched thin fighting on their own without the combat assistance of NATO forces.

The exact number of Humvees taken by the Taliban is unclear, but accounts from multiple officials and Taliban commanders from across the country suggest that it could be more than 150.
LIVERPOOL, England  London churns out so much wealth that its annual economic output is equal to Saudi Arabias. No other city in Britain comes close.

It has eight times the population of the countrys second-largest city, Birmingham, and 18 times that of Liverpool, which once flourished as the most important trading hub of the British Empire.

Now, the British government is scrambling to link cities like Liverpool and Manchester to counteract Londons ever-growing dominance and correct a growing imbalance that many say is unhealthy for Britains economy.

There are no second-tier cities like in other European countries, said Max Steinberg, who founded the International Festival for Business in Liverpool. After London, it drops straight to third-tier cities, and London is a different beast altogether.
IZMIR, Turkey  City workers shoveled dirt over the two coffins, one at a time, as an imam, in plaintive and meditative tones, sang prayers in Arabic.

Our Lord, forgive us our sins and remit us from our evil deeds, he said.

The solemnity of the occasion was made more so for what was absent  tears, loved ones or even the names of the dead, who are each identified only by a number.

Etched on one slab of wood: 42453.

Etched on the other: 42454.

For hundreds of thousands of refugees who fled wars in the Middle East for safety in Europe, this coastal city has been a place of departure. But for hundreds of others, it has become a final resting place.
MUNICH  Secretary of State John Kerry, facing both anger and skepticism from European allies about the willingness of the United States to intervene more deeply in the Syrian civil war, promised on Saturday to help close off the routes migrants were taking to Europe and warned Russia that its military effort to prop up President Bashar al-Assad of Syria would ultimately fail.

Mr. Kerrys comments at the annual Munich Security Conference here came a day after he announced an agreement to send humanitarian relief to besieged cities in Syria and a cessation of hostilities within a week.

Whether the accord will halt Russian bombing in Syria is unclear, stirring deep doubt among Western allies and some nations in the Mideast. Prime Minister Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia added to the questions with a belligerent speech in which he recalled a famously sour address about the Wests treatment of Russia delivered by President Vladimir V. Putin to the security conference nine years ago.

The world, Mr. Medvedev said, has slipped into the era of a new Cold War. He and other Russian speakers at the conference insisted that NATO was to blame, saying that the Western alliance was now speaking and acting as if Russia was an aggressor.
MOSCOW  Ever since the remains of the last czar, Nicholas II, and most of his family were exhumed 25 years ago from a dirt road in the Urals, investigators, historians and surviving members of the Romanov dynasty have anticipated the day when all the murdered royals would be laid to rest.

They thought that moment had finally arrived when a funeral was scheduled last October for two long-lost children  Czarevitch Alexei and Grand Duchess Maria, whose remains were found in nearby woods many years later.

But it was not to be. The Russian Orthodox Church interceded, questioning  not for the first time  whether any of the remains were authentic, and the service was postponed indefinitely. The nearly 100-year saga of murder, mystery and myth lived on.

The problem is that from the historical, scientific and genetic point of view, it is absolutely clear that the remains of the czar and his family are authentic, said Sergei V. Chapnin, who was fired as editor of The Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate in December, partly, he thinks, because he pushed for accepting the remains. The only statement we hear from the church is, We dont believe it. 
AMMAN, Jordan  King Abdullah II made his people an extraordinary promise last week: For every job the government offered Syrian refugees, it would create five jobs for Jordanians.

But officials had previously pledged to create 200,000 jobs for Syrians, so the kings promise means that the government will have to create 1.2 million jobs. That task, daunting for any large, industrialized country, will be nearly impossible for tiny Jordan, with a population of 7.5 million and an unemployment rate hovering around 22 percent.

Jawad Anani, a Jordanian economist and senator, said King Abdullahs words were probably intended only to comfort Jordanians and not to be taken literally. Even so, the pledge was a recognition of the pressures on Jordans leaders as they hear appeals from a public overwhelmed by the refugees and from European nations urging Jordan to integrate the Syrians and deter them from heading to Western shores.

Since it gained independence from Britain in 1946, Jordan has given refuge to waves of migrants fleeing regional conflicts: Palestinians, Iraqis and now Syrians. But the country is struggling with increasingly difficult economic conditions, including a high unemployment rate, especially among women and young people. Jordan is now home to more than 1.4 million Syrians, including over 600,000 refugees who have arrived since the beginning of the conflict in Syria in 2011, officials say.
Russia is bombing rebel-held areas in Syria at a furious pace. That is giving the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, the upper hand. Meanwhile, critics accuse the United States of dithering.

The war, approaching its sixth year, may be reaching a turning point in Aleppo, Syrias largest city and once its commercial capital. Government-aligned forces are trying to encircle its eastern half, controlled by rebels since 2012. If the government succeeds, it would be the greatest blow to the opposition in years.

But the battlefield is unpredictable. If the government regains full control of Aleppo, will the war begin to wind down, or will it escalate?

What Is Assad Doing?

Backed by the Russian airstrikes, Syrian government forces and Iran-backed militias are trying to besiege the rebel-held section of Aleppo to starve the rebels into submission  the same method government forces used to recapture another major city, Homs. Using starvation as a weapon is a war crime, but it has been widely used in the Syrian war.
Look at the statistics: In 2015, 394 companies trimmed dividends, according to data provided by Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices. That was a whopping 38 percent increase over the previous year, and it was 23 percent more than in 2008, an awful time for the stock market and for the economy.

The only year in recent history with more dividend cuts was 2009, when the world was staggering through a great financial crisis. A total of 527 companies trimmed dividends that year, Mr. Silverblatts data shows. Coca-Cola and other dividend-paying blue chips like IBM and McDonalds were under severe stress in those days, too, but their financial resources were deep enough to allow them to keep the dividend stream fully flowing.

They were happy exceptions. A host of other major companies  like Alcoa, General Electric, Dow Chemical, Macys, Sothebys, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America  decided, under considerable pressure, that it was time to capitulate. They all cut their dividends.

The decline of the stock and bond markets this year has been painful, and it remains difficult to predict what is in store for the future. A Bad Year for Bonds : This has been the most devastating time for bonds since at least 1926  and maybe in centuries. This has been the most devastating time for bonds since at least 1926  and maybe in centuries. But much of the damage is already behind us

Discordant Views: Some investors just dont see how the Federal Reserve can lower inflation without risking high unemployment. Some investors just dont see how the Federal Reserve can lower inflation without risking high unemployment. The Fed appears more optimistic

Weathering the Storm: The rout in the stock and bond markets has been especially rough on people paying for college, retirement or a new home. The rout in the stock and bond markets has been especially rough on people paying for college, retirement or a new home. Here is some advice

College Savings: As the stock and bond markets wobble, 529 plans are taking a tumble. Whats a family to do? Theres no one-size-fits-all answer, but As the stock and bond markets wobble, 529 plans are taking a tumble. Whats a family to do? Theres no one-size-fits-all answer, but you have options

You may recall 2009 with a shudder. The market hit bottom that March, before beginning a long climb upward. That upward trajectory has now been interrupted. And the ebb and flow of dividends is an important part of the story.

The situation today isnt nearly as dire for most companies as it was in 2009, and the stock market and the economy generally appear to be much stronger. Nor are all companies cutting dividends. In fact, over all, corporate dividends rose last year and, barring a severe economic shock, they are likely to do so in 2016. So are stock buybacks, the other widely used method of returning cash to investors. But as a market indicator, a wave of dividend cuts is an indication that many companies are troubled.
The Auburn Police Division arrested a 22-year-old Auburn man Thursday for possession of child pornography after police found numerous pornographic images of children on his electronic devices.

The APD arrested Phillip D. Brantley, 22, of Auburn on felony warrants related to five counts of possession of child pornography on Thursday, Feb. 11 as the result of an ongoing investigation into child pornography being posted on the internet. The investigation was led by the APD, assisted by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Organization.

Brantley was developed as a suspect, and numerous images of child pornography were retrieved from electronic devices belonging to him.

Five images recovered from his devices were confirmed to be those of victims. The victims are not from the Auburn area and have been identified.

Brantley was taken into custody at the Auburn Police Division building while appearing in municipal court on an unrelated charge. The investigation is ongoing and more charges are anticipated.

Brantley was transported to the Lee County Jail and will be eligible for a $50,000 bond.
The owner of The Orange County Register received an unspecified number of offers for initial stalking horse bids as part of the bankruptcy auction of the newspaper publishers assets, a company attorney said Friday.

Santa Ana-based Freedom Communications will auction its two newspapers, the Register and the Press-Enterprise, and related real estate on March 16. Friday was the deadline for parties interested in stalking horse bids, offers that set the auctions opening price. Freedom filed for bankruptcy protection in November.

Two area publishers made bids, according to their newspapers: Tribune Publishing, owner of the Los Angeles Times; and Digital First Media, owner of the Los Angeles Daily News.

Freedom attorney Alan Friedman said the companys financial and legal advisers will evaluate offers to see if any potential bid will help maximize the debtors proceeds from the auction.

Friedman said the company will tell the court sometime next week if an acceptable stalking horse bid was made. Freedom has no obligation to accept any stalking horse offer  for the entire company, or parts. And the auction can proceed without one, Friedman added.

Any winning stalking horse bidder gets no edge in the auction, only the right to get paid 2.5 percent of their bid price  plus some expenses  if they are unsuccessful at winning the assets they want at auction.

An investment group headed by Freedom Chief Executive Rich Mirman said Thursday it would not be a stalking horse bidder, choosing to wait until the auction to make its bid.

Contact the writer: jlansner@ocregister.com
Californias criminal justice embodies big government at its overspending, underachieving worst. A reliance on incarceration and an imbalanced emphasis on punishment over rehabilitation have done more to bloat government than protect the public.

In 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court found the states prison system so crowded that it created conditions amounting to cruel and unusual punishment, ordering the state to reduce its prison population. In the years since, California voters approved significant reforms. In 2012, voters approved reforms of the three-strikes-youre-out law and, two years later, approved Proposition 47, reducing six low-level drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors.

Taken together, this has produced a notable drop in the prison population. And despite alarms sounded by some people over increases in some crimes, we should remember that crime rates are still near historic lows, a fraction of what they were three decades ago, according to the California Department of Justice. Thus, any discussion of public safety is very much in the context of today being the safest period in the past few decades.

However, California continues to spend enormous sums of money on its expansive, expensive corrections system. As pointed out by Magnus Lofstrom and Brandon Martin, researchers at the Public Policy Institute of California, Californias corrections budget continues to grow, with the governor requesting $10.6 billion from the General Fund for 2016-17  a historic high.

Despite projecting to spend $70,000 a year per prisoner, the state corrections system is mostly notable for failing to correct most of those who pass through it, with returns to prison exceeding 50 percent, according to the latest reports from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. An improvement, in a sense, over the two-thirds return rate seen a decade ago, but hardly anything to be proud of.

The constant expenditure of taxpayer money on a bloated, costly system that doesnt provide the sort of returns on investment the public deserves is certainly part of the reason why California voters made it perfectly clear, in approving Prop. 47, that they wanted their money used on a different approach to criminal justice.

A few things that must be kept in mind are that Prop. 47 is still new, and there is plenty of work to be done in ensuring it is implemented properly. As the American Civil Liberties Union reported late last year, there has been a disappointing level of resistance from some in law enforcement, with some counties making smart investments in things like mental health services, while others have failed to adjust their practices in any meaningful way.

Gov. Jerry Brown, for his part, has created two starkly different points of discussion. One area that needs to be looked into is his offices estimates of savings from Prop. 47. Whereas the Legislative Analysts Office projected savings in the low hundreds of millions annually, the governors budget only estimates savings of $29.3 million. As recently as Feb. 12, the LAO suggested actual level of prison savingscould be $83 million higher compared to the administations estimate. The disparity warrants scrutiny.

Especially, as the California Budget and Policy Center notes, because this estimate will determine how much money is available for treatment and crime prevention program, services critical to stopping cycles of crime and reducing Californias over-reliance on costly state prisons.

On the other hand, Brown has proposed a ballot measure, the Public Safety and Rehabilitation Act, which would potentially permit 25,000 state prisoners convicted of nonviolent offenses for release upon completion of their initial sentence, rather than their sentence plus enhancements. It would also shift discretion from prosecutors to judges over whether to try juveniles as adults.

Californias criminal justice system is certainly in need of a lot of work, and warrants vigorous debate and discussion as to its future. That said, the status quo of mass incarceration has primarily served to benefit unionized prison guards, police and prosecutors, rather than protecting the public or pursuing justice.
KABUL  Gen. John Campbell, commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan, arrived here 18 months ago expecting to be the U.S. military leader who would bring the war to a close. On Saturday, as he prepares to hand-off command to his successor, Campbell was instead promising that coalition forces are here to stay.

Not only the U.S., but the whole international community, are now starting to talk about long-term commitment, Campbell told reporters at what was billed as his last news conference before Army Lt. Gen. John Mick Nicholson Jr. takes over command of coalition forces in early March. It ought to give confidence to the Afghan people and also send a message to the Taliban too: What they thought in 2015  everyone is leaving, and they could wait us out, that is no longer the case here.

Campbells remarks reflect just how much the Obama administrations posture toward Afghanistan has changed over the past two years.

When Campbell began his tour in August 2014, Obama had already announced plans to reduce U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan to 9,800 by the start of last year. The president then hoped to cut that number in half by the start of this year, paving the way for him to fulfill his 2008 campaign promise of withdrawing all U.S. troops before he leaves office in January.

But with the Taliban insurgency showing little sign of weakening and the Islamic State attempting to gain a foothold here, Obama abandoned those plans last year.

Obama is now keeping 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan through the end of this year. Administration officials say Obama still plans to cut that number in half before his presidency ends, but many analysts believe he may leave that decision up to the next administration.

For now, however, the scope of U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan is once again broadening.

Obama gave Campbell, who also oversees U.S. counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan, new authority last month to aggressively target Islamic State militants near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border through airstrikes and Special Forces operations.

Campbell said that authority was needed because the Islamic State hopes to use Afghanistan to plan and coordinate attacks on Europe and the United States. The Pentagon estimates there are only 1,000 to 3,000 Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan, but Campbell warned they have the ability to recruit quite well, not only around the world, but inside Afghanistan.

How much is coming from Syria and Iraq? Hard to tell, Campbell said. But we do believe the senior leadership here in Afghanistan does communicate with (Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi) in Iraq and Syria.

But Campbell said coalition forces biggest task over the next year will be the mission to train the Afghan army for its continued battle against the Taliban.

Despite more than $35 billion in U.S. support over the past 15 years, the Afghan army struggled to repel a major Taliban offensive this past fall into Kunduz, a commercial hub in northern Afghanistan, taking days to regain control. The Taliban also made gains in several eastern and southern provinces last year.

To prepare for another tough year, Campbell said the coalition is sending several hundred additional advisers to Afghanistans volatile Helmand province, where some of the bloodiest battles of the 14-year war have been waged.

On Saturday morning, Taliban insurgents packed explosives into several stolen Afghan army Humvees and attacked Afghan forces in Helmands Sangin district, according to Campbell and local officials.

U.S. military officials say the challenge facing the Afghan army is compounded by still being 25,000 soldiers short of its targeted strength of 195,000. Recruitment is especially poor in Pashtun communities in Helmand and Kandahar provinces, raising concerns about a potentially destabilizing geographic imbalance within the military, officials said.

Campbell, who plans to retire after nearly 37 years in the army, declined to say whether his job in Afghanistan would have been easier if he had more troops. He also declined to speak about what recommendations he plans to give Nicholson, except to say that he would not be bashful.

Despite recent setbacks, however, Campbell remains optimistic the Afghan military will eventually bring stability to the country.

The Taliban . . . are not 10-feet tall, Campbell said. They can be beaten.
IRVINE  Councilwoman Christina Shea is the subject of an investigation by the states Fair Political Practices Commission over her communications with city staff on behalf of KIA Motors America, a consulting client of hers, officials say.

Shea, whose four-year term on the council expires this year, does government relations and sales consulting work for KIA Motors, which has its North America headquarters on Irvines Peters Canyon Road, according to her personal website.

Communications obtained through a public records request, originally made by news nonprofit Voice of OC, show Shea reached out last spring via emails and text messages to city staff on behalf of the Korean carmaker about proposals for a renovation, outdoor smoking area and changes to an illuminated sign.

State law bars public officials from using their position to influence a governmental decision in which the official has a financial interest.

She has made requests of city staff for expedited services on behalf of her client through her business email address claiming to help a constituent when she is really providing client services for which KIA pays her, wrote resident Dan Chmielewski in a January complaint to the FPPC.

Chmielewski, who runs an Orange County-based political blog called The LiberalOC, which often criticizes Shea and her allies, was told his complaint would be folded into the ongoing investigation.

Shea said the correspondence between herself and city staff shows no evidence of an attempt to influence governmental decisions, merely attempts to link KIA staff with the right city staffers and get questions answered.

Shea said she is hopeful the FPPC will come to the same conclusion as that reached by Irvines city attorney and her personal attorney, Jim Ferguson.

They all have reviewed my questions to staff and they concluded and agreed, I havent violated local ethics laws, lobbying laws or state law, she said. None of my questions to staff related to any government decisions  no permits or approvals were necessary for these questions posed.

Shea, who is running for re-election, said she believes the FPPC investigation was politically motivated.

With each election season, elected officials must face political opponents who, in hopes of making headlines, file complaints with the FPPC, she said.

However, the investigation wasnt begun in response to a complaint, according to Jay Wierenga, communications director for the FPPC.

Media reports prompted the commission to proactively open an investigation, Wierenga said via email.

The commission, an independent five-member entity that enforces the states Political Reform Act, can issue fines of up to $5,000 per infraction.

City records show that in May, Shea sent a 6:40 a.m. note to Tim Gehrich, then-acting director of the citys Community Development, about a renovation proposal KIA staff had contacted her about the previous day.

Can you check to insure these get thru as soon as possible? she asked via text.

At about 5:30 p.m. that day, she sent another message to Gerich: Does it look like Kia can process this fairly quickly if possible?

A few minutes later, Gerich sent an email to Joe Kirkpatrick, the citys chief building official: Any info on KIA as far as getting their plan check through quickly?

In June, Gerich emailed City Manager Sean Joyce and Assistant City Manager Sharon Landers that Shea had reached out about a proposal by KIA to construct an outdoor smoking area.

She asked whether staff could assist them in getting through the permitting process as efficiently as possible, Gerich wrote in the email.

She also reached out to the city about plans by the carmaker to showcase a new vehicle on an eight-foot-high platform on Superbowl Sunday and to illuminate a freeway-facing sign at headquarters in red.

Shea said the questions to Irvine city officials were all done in the course of her private consulting business, which earns more than $100,000 annually, with more than $10,000 of that coming from KIA, according to campaign disclosure documents.

I dont have a spouse and I am not independently wealthy, she said. I am raising my 9-year-old granddaughter, so I must work outside City Hall to pay my bills.

She earns $21,120 yearly for her part-time service on the City Council and the Great Park Corp. board of directors, plus a car allowance of $8,580.

Like any private citizen, Shea said she may contact staff with questions.

Contact the writer: sdecrescenzo@ocregister.com
RIO DE JANEIRO  Brazil on Friday reported a nearly 50 percent jump in cases of dengue fever reported over a three-week period in January, a worrying finding because the disease is carried by the same mosquito that spreads Zika.

This is a very strong indication that the Zika cases are increasing and that the combat against the mosquito is not being efficient, said Marcos Lago, an associate professor of infectious diseases and pediatrics at the State University of Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil has been panicked by thousands of suspected cases of the birth defect microcephaly, which the government has linked to an epidemic of the Zika virus that began last year.

We will probably have a dengue epidemic, Lago said. And this dengue epidemic will be accompanied by a Zika epidemic.

Brazils Health Ministry reported 74,000 probable cases of dengue from Jan. 3 to Jan. 23  an increase of almost 50 percent from the same period in January 2015.

Dengue, Zika and another disease called chikungunya are spread by the same mosquito  the Aedes aegypti. The government is urgently trying to slow the increase in the number of such mosquitoes, which lay their eggs in standing water.

President Dilma Rousseff and government ministers plan to join 220,000 Brazilian soldiers who will visit homes Saturday to educate the population about the mosquito.

Next week, 50,000 members of the military will visit homes to try to eradicate breeding spots.

Rousseff and Health Minister Marcelo Castro have cautioned that Brazil is losing the battle against the mosquito.

The government has blamed Zika for a big rise in the number of babies born with microcephaly, a congenital defect that is characterized by a baby having an unusually small head.

The malformation can cause motor and learning difficulties along with other disabilities.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have yet to definitively establish a link between Zika and microcephaly, but many leading scientists think a connection is likely.

Dengue, a severe flu-like illness, has been in Brazil for decades.

Zika was first confirmed in Brazil in May 2015 and has rapidly spread across the Americas.

If mosquitoes are spreading dengue, they could be spreading more cases of Zika and chikungunya as well, doctors warn.

If it is transmitting dengue, it can transmit all the others, said Jess Alves, a specialist in infectious diseases at the governments Emilio Ribas Hospital in Sao Paulo.

The number of probable cases of dengue rose from about 600,000 in 2014 to 1.6 million in 2015, according to official statistics. The government estimates that as many as 1.5 million people may have caught Zika. In 2015, Brazil recorded nearly 21,000 cases of chikungunya, which, like dengue, is marked by fever and joint pains.

If there is a spike of all three of them, it could mean the mosquito is becoming more efficient, said Anandasankar Ray, associate professor of entomology and the director of the Center for Disease Vector Research at the University of California at Riverside.

The mosquitoes are attracted to the smell of humans, biting in the day and at night.

Dengue has spread dramatically around the globe in recent decades, according to the WHO. The number of reported cases in the Americas, Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific grew from 1.2 million in 2008 to more than 3 million in 2013, according to the agency.
With the memories of the last years deadly Paris attacks still at the forefront of their thoughts, French legislators this week voted in favor of constitutional amendments which will permanently enshrine security measures being implemented now on a temporary basis by President Francois Hollande. Included in the proposed amendments will be controversial provisions allowing French citizenship to be stripped from convicted terrorists.

Hollandes state of emergency powers have been divisive, and the ultimate fate of the proposed amendments is still unclear. To be adopted, they must be passed by a three-fifth majority of a special meeting of both the lower legislative house  the National Assembly  and the upper  the Senate. The vote takes place at the historic Palace of Versailles.

The power to strip citizenship has proven highly controversial, with one minister in Hollandes cabinet already resigning in protest. Initially targeting only those French nationals with dual citizenship, of which there are over 3 million in the country, the proposals were revised to now read as applicable to all French men and women.

Since the Nov. 13 attacks, Hollande has reinvented himself as a commander in chief leading his country at a time of war, rather than an ineffective middle manager, adrift and irrelevant. He has used the current state of emergency powers, which must be renewed every three months, to allow police and security forces to operate without judicial oversight. Critics claim that the broad powers are being abused, while champions of the measures argue that they are essential in order to prevent another bloody attack by extremist militants.

By claiming that his country is now at war, Hollande has favored heated rhetoric that includes a promise to eradicate Islamic State around the world. Comparisons between the French leader and US President George W Bush in the weeks and months that followed the 9/11 attacks can easily be drawn. However, while the threat posed the US fifteen years ago was widely viewed at the time as a primarily external one, France faces a deemed enemy that is as much a domestic concern as a foreign adversary.

In many ways, Hollande is fighting for his personal political survival as well as against the jihadi terrorists who left 129 people dead on the streets of his capital city. Prior to the November attacks, Hollande was the least popular French president in modern history, widely seen as in-over-his-head and unable to respond effectively to either Charlie Hebdo attacks a year ago or the wide-ranging problems dragging down Frances economy.

With Nicolas Sarkozy eyeing the countrys top job once again, and far-right leader Marine Le Pen posed to make a serious run for the presidency as well, Hollande must be seen by French voters as effective in conducting his own personal War on Terror if he wants to have any chance at retaining his job in 2017.

As a result, Hollande has gone further than many leftist politicians would to strengthen the ability of the government to identify and prevent future attacks and to punish those responsible. Unfortunately, there is only so much increased surveillance, warrantless searches and house arrests can do to address the day-to-day realities of a social apartheid that currently divides the country.

It is clear to Hollande that his time in office will now be largely judged by his ability to prevent anything like the November attacks from occurring on French soil again. Of course, declaring a war is much, much easier than actually winning one. There are still many who look at the American response to 9/11 and see more mistakes than successes, especially with Islamic State growing and metastasizing around the Middle East and North Africa.

France notably did not take part in the invasion of Iraq in 2003 when Bush declared his War on Terror, but now Hollande insists that he will take all steps necessary to declare total victory. In doing so, he faces accusations by members of his own party that he is betraying fundamental French values, although he can take some comfort that by one recent survey, his citizenship proposal has the support of 94% of voters.

Perhaps the most successful argument against stripping citizenship from convicted terrorists is that it would have no practical impact on the challenges the country presently faces from jihadi terrorists. Many extremist attacks are, of course, suicide bombings where the perpetrators have little desire to walk away from their crimes and suffer the criminal consequences of their actions. And those who do will probably not shed too many tears for the loss of citizenship in a country they actively sought to destroy.

As far as vote-winning rhetoric, Hollandes proposal no doubt has merit. However, the threat currently facing France is much more nuanced and pernicious than a simple question over what passports may you may carry.
SAN FRANCISCO  A California jury convicted Alan Gimenez of killing his infant daughter Priscilla after medical testimony revealed what some doctors say is a tell-tale sign she had been shaken: brain swelling and bleeding inside her skull and behind her eyes.

More than 20 years later, Gimenez still maintains his innocence, and is now contesting his conviction in court on the grounds that the three symptoms his daughter showed are no longer considered a clear indication of abuse.

I never shook my daughter. I never abused her, said Gimenez, who was paroled in June after nearly 24 years in prison.

The case before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is among a spate of recent challenges to shaken baby syndrome diagnoses that, like Gimenezs case, include a similar trio of symptoms without evidence of neck injuries.

Many of the cases also have no additional signs of abuse such as bruising or fractures.

Defense attorneys say new research discredits shaking as the most likely cause of bleeding inside the skull and behind the eyes and brain swelling. But medical experts are divided, with some still putting stock in the three symptoms as a strong indicator of shaking or other abusive head trauma even without other injuries.

The court challenges have had some success.

There does seem to be a movement in the direction of greater skepticism on the part of the judiciary, said Deborah Tuerkheimer, a professor at Northwesterns Pritzker School of Law who has written a book about flawed shaken baby convictions.

An Illinois federal judge in 2014 freed a daycare worker who was convicted of killing an infant she was accused of shaking. The judge said recent research arguably suggests that a claim of shaken baby syndrome is more an article of faith than a proposition of science.

An Arizona judge in 2012 dismissed a murder charge against Drayton Witt after the county medical examiner said developments in the understanding of shaken baby syndrome and some of the conditions that mimic its symptoms contributed to his decision to reclassify the death of Witts girlfriends infant son as natural, not a homicide.

Witt had spent 10 years in prison in blind rage over being falsely accused of shaking the child to death, he said. While he remains angry, he said hes moved on.

I got a new deck of cards, said Witt, 34, who married his girlfriend and has a 2-year-old daughter with her. Im healthy. Im alive. Im breathing. I have a roof over my head. My bills are paid. My daughters beautiful. My daughters healthy. My marriage is great.

Alma Calderaro is challenging her shaken baby conviction in New York on similar grounds as Gimenez. She was accused of shaking a 7-month-old girl while serving as a nanny, leaving the girl brain damaged, and convicted in 2009 of first-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

Abusive head trauma, a condition that includes shaken baby syndrome, is often triggered by frustration from excessive crying, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prosecutors file dozens of new cases alleging shaking each year, although Tuerkheimer said cases involving just the trio of symptoms appear to be rarer these days.

Gimenezs attorneys say he took his daughter to the hospital on August 10, 1991 after she vomited and showed signs of a seizure. She died a few days later, just 49 days old.

What the San Diego County jury that convicted Gimenez, now 47, didnt hear was that the girl had been in an out of the hospital and had a blood clotting problem, according to Gimenezs 2012 petition challenging his conviction. Doctors who have since reviewed her medical records for the defense conclude she likely had bleeding in her skull since birth, and died of a stroke-like blood clot, Gimenezs attorneys say.

Prosecutors stand by the shaken baby syndrome theory used in Gimenezs prosecution and cite a rib fracture on Priscillas body and a tear under her tongue as additional evidence of abuse. A federal judge in 2013 recommended that Gimenezs petition be dismissed, rejecting his contention that scientific advances in the understanding of shaken baby syndrome show he is innocent.

Gimenezs attorneys have appealed the dismissal to the 9th Circuit, which could issue a ruling any day now.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says bleeding inside the skull with brain injury and bleeding behind the eyes are hallmarks of abusive head trauma such as shaken baby syndrome, though it cautions that doctors have to consider additional factors, including a childs medical history and other signs of injury.

The elements you look for and information you gather hasnt changed dramatically, said Robert Sege, a member of the Academy of Pediatrics committee on child abuse and neglect.

Patrick Lantz, a professor of pathology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina, said the trio of conditions, including retinal hemorrhages, or bleeding behind the eyes, could just as easily manifest itself in cases where the child was accidentally dropped or has an infection or disease.

People who tell me you can be really sure its abuse based on the number, location and type of retinal hemorrhages and the presence of blood and swelling in the skull to me are probably about as scientific as a fortune teller reading tea leaves, he said.
WASHINGTON  British authorities have arrested a 16-year-old suspected of being involved with a group that hacked into the private email accounts of high-ranking U.S. intelligence officials, according to U.S. officials and British police.

The teen is said to be connected to the cohort that calls itself Crackas With Attitude, which has claimed to have broken into the private email accounts of CIA Director John Brennan and the Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. What part the teen played is unclear, and U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the case, said they are still investigating the roles of others.

Spokespeople for the FBI and Justice Department declined to comment. The South East Regional Organized Crime Unit  a British police force cooperative  confirmed in a statement it arrested a 16-year-old boy Tuesday on suspicion of three computer-related charges, but would not comment on links to the hacking of American officials. The group said the boy was released on bail until June.

The teens arrest and connection to the hacks on U.S. intelligence officials was first reported by CNN.

FBI agents and federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia have been investigating Crackas With Attitude for months, working to build a case that they hope might land at least some of them in a U.S. courtroom. The group has been outspoken about their cyber mischief  providing reporters with evidence that they successfully broken into the personal files of top U.S. intelligence officials.

The group is also thought to have leaked the names and work email addresses and phone numbers of thousands of Homeland Security and FBI employees. In that case, none of the email addresses and numbers were personal, but they still could be of use to overseas intelligence agencies.

The teens arrest is a significant development in the case, although as yet, no one is facing any U.S. charges. The South East Regional Organized Crime Unit said he was arrested on several computer hacking charges. All are violations of the United Kingdoms Computer Misuse Act.

A person claiming to be an American high school student told the New York Post last year that he used social engineering to dupe Verizon workers into turning over Brennans personal information and AOL into resetting his password. The person apparently accessed Brennans personal email account, which contained a 47-page application for a top-secret security clearance, and he claimed he also listened to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnsons voice mails. He said he was motivated by opposition to U.S. foreign policy and support for Palestine, the New York Post reported.

Early this year, a person going by the nickname Cracka told the magazine Motherboard that he had accessed a series of accounts linked to Clapper, including his home telephone and Internet, his personal email and his wifes Yahoo email account. The person claimed to have changed the settings on Clappers home phone number, provided by Verizon FIOS, so that every call would be forwarded to the Free Palestine Movement.
NEW DELHI  The Roman Catholic church in southern India has lifted the suspension of a priest convicted last year of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in the United States more than a decade ago, a spokesman said Saturday.

The suspension of the Rev. Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul was lifted last month after the bishop of the Ootacamund Diocese in Indias Tamil Nadu state consulted with church authorities at the Vatican, said the Rev. Sebastian Selvanathan, a spokesman for the diocese.

Bishop Arulappan Amalraj of Ootacamund had referred Jeyapauls case to the Vaticans Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the suspension was lifted on the church bodys advice, Selvanathan said.

After Jeyapauls release from the United States and his return to India, this matter was referred to Rome, and according to the guidelines of the Vaticans Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the suspension against Jeyapaul was removed, Selvanathan said.

The Vatican office of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith declined immediate comment.

Jeyapaul was sent to Minnesota in 2004 and served at the Blessed Sacrament Church in Greenbush, near the Canadian border.

He was suspended in 2010 after being charged with sexually assaulting two girls who were both 14 at the time of the alleged abuse.

Jeyapaul fled the United States, but was arrested in India by Interpol in 2012 and extradited to the U.S. Jeyapaul pleaded guilty to molesting one of the teenagers who hasnt been identified publicly. The charges involving sexual abuse of the second teenager, Megan Peterson, were dropped as part of a plea deal. Peterson accused Jeyapaul of raping her in his office in a statement posted under her name on the website of The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, which has advocated for victims rights.

Jeyapaul, now 61, was sentenced to a year in jail, but was freed on account of time served while awaiting trial.

Jeyapaul returned to India five months ago, and the process to lift the suspension was started soon after, Selvanathan said.

Bishop Amalraj lifted the suspension in mid-January, but Jeyapaul has not yet been assigned any responsibilities, Selvanathan said. That will be decided in May, when decisions are taken by the diocese on changes and assignments, he said.

Jeyapaul could not be contacted, with Selvanathan saying the church did not know his whereabouts.

The two Minnesota women both sued the Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota, and settled out of court.

Attorney Jeff Anderson of St. Paul, Minnesota, who represented the women, criticized church authorities for lifting Jeyapauls suspension.

The Vatican must be held accountable.  This is on them. This is on the pope, Anderson said.

While Peterson has spoken publicly about her case before in hopes that it would help others, Anderson said she was too upset to comment Saturday.

Theyre both quite upset, disturbed and feel deeply betrayed that they would have the audacity to consider even putting him back in ministry, Anderson said. To use Megans words, Theyll never get it and Im feeling re-victimized.

Anderson, who has represented hundreds of victims of sexual abuse by clergy, said theyre exploring further legal action over the decision to lift Jeyapauls suspension and will announce details soon.

Were not going to let this go. Were not going to stand silent, Anderson said.
LOS ANGELES  One of the Dodgers top pitching prospects, Frankie Montas, could be sidelined until mid-season after undergoing rib resection surgery Friday morning.

Montas, 22, had the first rib on his right side removed in order to treat a stress reaction, according to the Dodgers. The surgery was performed by Dr. Greg Pearl. Pearl also performed a rib resection surgery on right-hander Josh Beckett in July 2013 to treat Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, which had been causing numbness in Becketts right hand. The veteran returned to pitch one more season in 2014, throwing a no-hitter that May.

Montas was acquired by the Dodgers as part of the three-way trade in December that also included the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox. Montas was expected to join fellow pitching prospects Julio Urias and Jose DeLeon in a talented Triple-A rotation.

That will be delayed now. Montas is expected to begin rehab next week at Camelback Ranch with pitchers and catchers scheduled to report for the start of spring training on Friday. Montas estimated recovery time is two to four months.

Originally signed by the Boston Red Sox out of the Dominican Republic, the hard-throwing right-hander was traded to the White Sox as part of the Jake Peavy deal in 2013 and made his big-league debut last September, appearing in seven games (two starts) for the White Sox. He was acquired by the Dodgers along with outfielder Trayce Thompson and second baseman Micah Johnson.
ORANGE  Hossein Nayeri says his eight-day stint as the nations most-wanted man was as tense as it was fleeting.

Nayeri, charged with torture and recently likened by an Orange County prosecutor to movie villain Hannibal Lecter  and who authorities say led a brazen three-man escape last month from the Central Mens Jail  said Friday that the high-profile odyssey was more stressful than liberating.

I didnt want anyone to get hurt, Nayeri said, at times speaking in a near whisper and occasionally flashing a toothy grin. I wouldnt say it was enjoyable.

Nayeri, 37, offered his first public comments about the drama during an exclusive interview with The Orange County Register in the visitors center at Housing Unit P in Theo Lacy Facility, a maximum-security jail in Orange.

Nayeri insisted hes been unjustly treated by everyone from authorities to the public, and that hes not the demon portrayed by the media and the Orange County District Attorneys Office. He spoke in a calm voice. His hands trembled occasionally as he cradled a jailhouse phone.

Nayeri said he is innocent of the criminal allegations that landed him in jail two years ago. In 2012, authorities say, Nayeri led a group that kidnapped and brutalized a Newport Beach medical marijuana distributor, and that Nayeri ordered a member of his group to cut off the mans penis.

Im a nice guy, he said.

Ive done a lot of things for humanity that are opposite of what I have been accused of.

He declined to elaborate, one of many topics he chose not to discuss in detail.

Clean-shaven, relaxed and recently bathed, Nayeri said he closely followed regular media briefings held by Orange County sheriffs officials during his time on the run with inmates Jonathan Tieu, 20, and Bac Duong, 43, and a cab driver who said he was kidnapped by the fugitives.

He smiled when he said he disliked his public portrayal.

The media coverage was insane. I was convicted in the court of public opinion. It blows my mind.

Nayeri bristled, but didnt comment, when asked if he organized the escape.

Sheriffs officials say early in the morning on Jan. 22 the three inmates used tools to cut through metal grates and climb through a plumbing conduit. Officials say the men eventually used bedsheets fashioned into ropes to rappel five stories from the jailhouse roof.

Nayeri also seemed incredulous, but again did not comment, when asked about speculation that a drone brought them the tools needed for the escape.

And Nayeri sat silently when asked if he wanted to kill the 74-year-old cabbie, Long Ma of Westminster or if he fought with Duong over the matter, as Ma has said.

Im an open book, but there are things I cant talk about, Nayeri said. And there are a lot of things to talk about.

Nayeri said some family members have been to see him in jail since his recapture, and he regrets how the escape and subsequent media attention affected them.

I love my family. Im sorry I put them through stress.

Nayeri defended Nooshafarin Ravaghi, a woman who worked part time at the jail teaching English to inmates and who authorities said played a role in the jailbreak.

Ravaghi, 44, of Lake Forest was arrested by the Sheriffs Department amid accusations that she helped the three inmates escape. Officials said she helped them by bringing Google Maps.

However, Orange County District Attorney District Attorney Tony Rackauckas released her from custody, saying there was insufficient evidence to charge her with a crime. He said later it was unfortunate that she was labeled a co-conspirator.

She should have never been arrested, Nayeri said.

He declined to describe his alleged relationship with Ravaghi.

Nayeri also declined to say if hes guilty of the latest charge against him, escaping from custody. But he complained about the two years he has spent in Orange County jails on a host of charges including kidnapping, aggravated mayhem and torture.

At first, I was very emotional and cried, he said.

(Now), Im numb. I cant believe Im still here.

Nayeri and Tieu were recaptured on Jan. 30 in San Francisco after a homeless man spotted a white van that had been publicly identified as their vehicle and alerted local police. Duong turned himself in on Jan. 29, telling a female friend who works at a Santa Ana auto parts store to call police.

Nayeri asserted Friday that some actually benefited from the manhunt.

It didnt seem to bother (sheriffs deputies), he said. They made a lot of overtime.

Nayeri is hopeful but not optimistic a jury will find him innocent. Juries can be funny.

Contact the writer: sschwebke@ocregister.com
Contributing money to a 401(k) plan can be a great way to start saving for retirement. But not all 401(k) plans offer an investment solution thats in the employees best interest.

So what should plan participants look out for? This isnt a comprehensive list, but here are three important issues to consider:

1. Fees

Every 401(k) provider is required by law to adequately disclose any fees associated with the plan. If you dont know how much the fees are for the investments offered within your plan, ask your plan administrator. You can then compare the fees to those of an IRA to see whether theyre reasonable.

Fees will depend on the size of your employer and the available funds. (Large employers typically pay less than small employers, and passively managed funds typically charge less than actively managed funds.) If your available options charge more than 1%, consider shopping around outside your plan for less expensive investment options.

2. Diversification

The Employee Retirement Investment Security Act of 1974 requires that 401(k) plans provide the opportunity for participants to choose from a broad range of investments. This broad range is further clarified as being at least three diversified core investment categories, not including employer stock. However, there are no strict guidelines that define how diversified the options must be. A high-fee plan with three under-performing, actively managed funds could still meet the diversification requirement.

The 401(k) option you choose should meet your diversification expectations. More importantly, it should complement your investment approach, not define it for you.

3. Contributions

There are two possible types of contributions:

 Employer contributions: If your company offers to provide a matching contribution when you contribute to your 401(k), thats free money to you once its vested, meaning you have full ownership over the employer-provided assets. Depending on how the match works and how much it is, this could be a great way to build your 401(k), even if the plans fund selections are less than desirable. A 100% employer match is basically the same as doubling your money.

 Employee contributions: How much do you expect to save? If you want to sock away the maximum amount of tax-deferred money, then theres no comparison between a 401(k) and an IRA. With a 401(k) you can contribute a maximum of $18,000 in 2016, plus an additional $6,000 catch-up contribution if youre 50 or older. With an IRA you can only contribute $5,500, plus $1,000 as a catch-up for those 50 or older. But if youre considering saving a relatively small amount per month  say, a few hundred dollars  take a close look at 401(k) plan costs, investment options and whether theres an employer match. In some cases, an IRA could be a better choice than a 401(k).

Unbiased advice

If you need help evaluating your companys 401(k) plan, the investment options available to you, or the best way for you to start saving for retirement, seek unbiased advice from a fee-only financial planner who can help tailor your planning based on your situation.

This article originally appeared on NerdWallet.
Anaheim police closed off a portion of Harbor Boulevard on Friday for protesters upset at Tuesdays fatal shooting of a 22-year-old man by a police officer.

Around 50 to 60 people gathered in front of the Anaheim Police Department, 425 South Harbor Blvd., to voice displeasure about the shooting of Gustavo Najera, said Sgt. Daron Wyatt of the Anaheim Police Department. To ensure the protest remained peaceful, officers closed off Harbor Boulevard from West Broadway to East Santa Ana Street.

Theres no need to force a confrontation, Wyatt said.

No arrests were made and no one was reported hurt. The streets were reopened around 7:45 p.m.

Najera, of Anaheim, was said to be knocking on multiple residences doors in the 1300 block of West Lido Place late Monday prior to the shooting. A resident called 911 and officers searched the neighborhood and Sage Park. Details about what led or caused the officer to fire his gun early Tuesday have not been released.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2478 or lcasiano@ocregister.com
ANAHEIM  California plans to spend $68 billion on a high-speed rail line, but details are slim on what Gov. Jerry Browns so-called bullet train will look like  or how the system will fit into Orange County.

And although that train isnt slated to roll into Anaheim until 2029, debate about its value has arrived.

A key issue is the future popularity of ARTIC, Anaheims $188 million transportation hub thats set to be the bullet trains southern endpoint.

The California High Speed Rail Authority, which started building the first leg of the bullet train line last year near Fresno, has projected that 18,000 high-speed rail passengers will either board or disembark at ARTIC every day.

But critics have questions. For now, about 2,000 people use ARTIC each weekday, most catching or stepping off Amtrak and Metrolink trains and buses. Thats roughly one-fifth of the citys opening-day projection of 10,000 passengers per day.

That disparity makes some wary about ridership estimates related to the bullet train.

High-speed rail became a very expensive project with unrealistic projections, especially when compared to the promises that were made for ARTIC, said Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait.

The money thats being spent on this could be used to solve everyday transportation problems, Tait added. Besides, airline flights are relatively convenient, inexpensive and faster than a train.

But another member of the Anaheim City Council says the bullet train and ARTIC could enhance the local tourism economy.

With the growth in our job market, the expansion of our Convention Center and the new Star Wars land coming to Disneyland, ARTIC is truly going to be the center of mobility for Southern California over the long term, Councilwoman Kris Murray said.

Having the ability to accept that growth will be important.

The projected fare between San Francisco and Los Angeles is $86, when the rail line opens about 13 years from now. Railway officials arent publicly estimating the price to ride all the way to ARTIC.

Jordan Funes, a 32-year-old engineer who uses ARTIC when he commutes from his home in Los Angeles to his job in Anaheim, liked the idea of a high-speed train.

I would definitely take it all the time, Funes said. Especially if it can make it up to San Francisco around the same time that it takes to go through security and wait to get on a plane.

He added: Cities prosper from having a connection to one another. I think a lot of people would use it.

As planned, the state will need to finance a new terminal and train platforms on the south side of ARTIC to accommodate the high-speed train when and if it arrives, said Rudy Emami, a city engineer. That area currently is used by commuters for long-term parking. Details of the size, cost and scope of the new terminal are being studied.

In 2012, when the Anaheim City Council voted 4-1 to support the bullet train, the High Speed Rail Authority agreed to cover about half the cost of a bridge needed to separate train tracks from State College Boulevard. The other half is expected to come from the Orange County Transportation Authority.

When the agencies agreed to those terms, the cost of that bridge was about $91 million, but Emami believes it has escalated since then.

Dan Richard, the Rail Authoritys chairman, hailed ARTIC when it opened in late 2014 as the first high-speed rail station in the state of California.

At the time, Richard said he expected the initial stretch of high-speed rail to be running through the Central Valley within five years. Now, the timing is running late, and the project is under renewed scrutiny.

On Thursday, a hearing began in Sacramento County Superior Court to determine how far the state can deviate from initial plans for high-speed rail.

Farmers from the Central Valley are fighting the bullet train, saying it wont get the projected 32 million passengers annually from San Francisco to Los Angeles and the trip wont be 2 hours and 40 minutes, as originally promised.

High-speed rail authorities are sticking firm to the passenger estimate, but they say the 520-mile Los Angeles-to-San Francisco trip will more likely take a little more than three hours. They dont say how long it will take to ride from Los Angeles to Anaheim.

At least one transportation expert believes the fight might derail the bullet train.

None of us has a crystal ball, but my forecast is that the cases against (the California High Speed Rail Authority) have merit, and the courts will see that, said James E. Moore II, a professor with the Industrial and Systems Engineering program at USC.

I doubt the authority will be allowed to build it, Moore added. I know thats not news that a lot of people want to hear, but the authority will be optimistic until their doors close.

Recently, the authority said it is studying whether to build two more sets of tracks to speed up the bullet train between Los Angeles and Anaheim. Details of what the railway would cost, and look like, might be unveiled this month, when the authority is to release its latest business plan. New ridership projections are expected as well.

While experts study how ARTIC might fit in the high-speed rail project, some say the bullet trains future, in Anaheim and elsewhere, depends on decisions made today.

If they do a good job, then we could end up with a nice system, said Lisa Schweitzer, an associate professor at USCs Price School of Public Policy.

If not, then we could end up with a nice system that will end up costing even more than were expecting.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7831 or amarroquin@ocregister.com
In 2011, wildlife photographer David Slater finally had a legal claim by animal-rights group PETA dismissed after the organization had claimed a monkey owned the intellectual property rights to some of his pictures.

Media organizations argued they could reprint the above photo for free because the copyright was owned by the monkey, six-year-old Naruto, and not Slater. PETA then filed a lawsuit to administer all proceeds from the photo for the benefit of the monkey.

A judge ruled that while Naruto may have deliberately taken the picture, animals cannot own copyright  and dismissed the case.
The little girl wont remember what may or may not have happened to her at day care when she was a year old.

But the childs mother wont ever forget that a man told authorities he had fondled her daughter.

Im a wreck, she said. Im way more damaged than she is.

The mother said police told her Feb. 5 that her daughter, who turns 2 in April, was one of the eight children Mark Mays said he had fondled or sexually assaulted when he worked at two different day care centers in Omaha over the past few years.

Mays, 24, has been charged with one count of first-degree sexual assault of a child. That charge stems from a Jan. 12 allegation involving a 2-year-old girl. In a Feb. 4 interview with a detective, Mays said he had placed that girl naked on his lap and digitally penetrated her while working at Little Hands at Work and Play day care at 1714 N. 120th St. Asked about other incidents, Mays named other children and the day cares they attended.

Authorities are continuing their investigation into what Mays told them. Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine has said he anticipates filing additional charges involving other places that Mays has worked, including La Petite Academy, 10707 Birch St.

The mother, who spoke to The World-Herald on the condition that her name not be used, said she doesnt know the specifics of what her then-infant daughter may have suffered. And her daughter is too young to be able to tell anyone.

I dont even know if she knows it happened, the mother said. There is that, thankfully.

The woman had started taking her daughter to La Petite Academy in early 2014, when the child was 12 weeks old. That was a little more than a year before Mays was hired. The mother said she was leery of Mays when she met him, but she thought she was overreacting because he was a man and because she herself was molested as a child. He didnt introduce himself, which struck her as odd, and she didnt have a good feeling about him.

So she decided to speak up.

I told them I didnt want him to change her diaper, the mother said. They agreed.

The family moved recently, and the mother took her children out of La Petite. A detective called her Feb. 5 to tell her what Mays had told police.

Its difficult for parents to recognize whether a child has been abused if the child is too young to understand what has happened or describe what happened.

Parents can watch for clothes that arent put on correctly, and they may notice that the child has developed a new fear of people, said Russ Reno, a spokesman for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

Other red flags include bruising in the thigh or genital area; thumb-sucking; bed-wetting; and, if the child is talking, new words for private body parts, said Ivy Svoboda of Project Harmony, an Omaha nonprofit that serves abused children.

Parents really need to trust your instincts  thats the No. 1 thing, said Janet Herzog, program director for the Midwest Childcare Association. They need to ask questions, find out who is working at the center, how long they have been working there. They need to be able to walk in at any time unannounced if they want to and can do some background checks themselves.

The state requires all day care centers to perform background checks on every potential employee. Those checks include a local law enforcement report and checks of the states child abuse registry, adult abuse registry and sex-offender registry.

Mays passed all the background checks required by the state before he started working at Little Hands, said Sara Martin, a spokeswoman for the company.

In a statement, La Petite Academy said its workers also performed the required background checks on Mays before hiring him.

We were deeply disturbed to learn of the statements made by former employee Mark Mays to the authorities, the statement said. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families involved. We are fully cooperating with the authorities in all aspects of the investigation. ...

Like other assistant teachers, Mr. Mays worked alongside more experienced teachers in a classroom.

The Little Hands location where Mays worked was disciplined in 2007 for leaving two children unsupervised, said Leah Bucco-White, an HHS spokeswoman. One of the children, described in a state report as a child 4 to 5 years of age, was forgotten in the back of a van for a short time after a field trip on a summer day when the heat index was roughly 85 degrees. The side windows of the van were open, according to the state records, and the child was sleeping.

The state put the day cares license on probation for six months and ordered staff to review its transportation and field-trip policies, and either update or create new written policies to address specific procedures.

The state has no disciplinary actions on file for La Petite Academy, Bucco-White said.

The mother interviewed by The World-Herald said she had no idea anything had happened involving Mays until police contacted her.

Its even worse that we didnt find out right away, she said. Since she was told, the woman and her husband have pulled their kids out of their current day care and taken some time off work. The couple has decided to hire a nanny.

Still, the mother doesnt know if she will be able to trust anyone with her children ever again.

She has begun taking anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medication and said she is planning to see a therapist.

As a working mother, you feel a lot of guilt anyway, she said. But then something like this happens. Its terrible.

Contact the writer: 402-444-3100, maggie.obrien@owh.com
There are few holes deeper than those in the heart of a 13-year-old girl.

For many, it is an age of painful yearning, of a life lived in imaginary cloud worlds, away from acne and algebra and all that awkwardness.

It used to be 13-year-olds would cry into their pillows. Or write in rainbow-covered journals, with rainbow pens. Their pain was private. Still, most endured, and survived.

But Nicole Madison Lovell found something we all wanted when we were 13: an audience.

There are people out there who listen to sad, lonely girls, tell them they are beautiful and smart. They were right there  in Nicole's bedroom.

She asked them if she was cute. She flirted with them. She showed them coquettish pictures of herself. She was a social-media-savvy tween when she told them all about her first kiss. Her imaginary cloud world wasn't private. On Facebook, Instagram, Kik, in chats and groups, she wasn't the kid with the liver-transplant scars, or the baby-fat girl bullied in her seventh-grade classes. She was a flirting, dating teen with lip gloss and great lines.

And Nicole did not survive.

She left her house at midnight on Wednesday, shoving a nightstand against her bedroom door and leaving with a water bottle and a "Minions" blanket. Her body was found in North Carolina, right across the Virginia line.

A Virginia Tech engineering student has been charged with her abduction and killing. We still don't know what evidence led police to 18-year-old David Eisenhauer, a track star from Columbia, Maryland, who ran for Virginia Tech.

A second arrest Sunday was just as shocking. Natalie Marie Keepers, 19, is accused of helping Eisenhauer get rid of Nicole's body. She's an engineering student from Laurel, Maryland, who once interned at NASA.

Police told Nicole's mom, Tammy Weeks, that they think the sweet-faced girl met Eisenhauer online.

The details of that are still unclear, but here's what we know for sure: Nicole led an active, imaginary life online, meeting people on Kik, a messaging app that has been the bane of law enforcement officials for the past couple of years.

The app grants users anonymity, it allows searches by age and lets users send photos that aren't stored on phones.

It's popular with tweens and teens  and predators.

"Unfortunately, we see it every day," said Lt. James Bacon, head of the Fairfax County, Virginia, Police Department's child exploitation unit.

That unit caught a State Department senior counterterrorism official, Daniel Rosen, trying to arrange a tryst with a child using Kik. He pleaded guilty to stalking and voyeurism and is serving a 32-month prison sentence. And he hasn't been the only one using this app to hunt victims.

"Kik became the latest thing," Bacon said. "It's attractive to predators because of its anonymity. You can make a Kik account and you can make yourself out to be anyone you want to be."

And because Kik is based in Canada, law enforcement officials have had a tough time getting the company to cooperate on cases, Bacon said.

This shadow world may be where Eisenhauer met Nicole, police told her mother. "It was some off-the-wall site I never heard of," Weeks said in an interview with The Washington Post.

In the digital age, any parent can be Tammy Weeks. Smartphones have made it easier to keep tabs on our children  and much, much harder.

Teens have been outmaneuvering their mothers and fathers for decades. Back in my day, we told our parents that we were spending the night at Melanie's house when we were really at the Echo and the Bunnymen show an hour away, Ferris Buellering our way through adolescence.

But a lot of times, our parents won, because they caught us sneaking out. Or they called Melanie's mom.

This world? The predators aren't just hiding behind the Galaga machine at the arcade. They're in our kids' pockets, in their backpacks, in their bedrooms.

It's not okay to play the Luddite. Bumbling dad with the remote control only the kids can figure out needs to die along with dad jeans.

Know your kids' digital lives. Prowl their email, their laptops and their phones.

"Have your kids' passwords," Bacon said. "Have a working idea of how to use your kids' phone. Mom and Dad bought it for them, for crying out loud. They need to know how to use it."

Remember iPhone dad? He's the poor guy who had a two-year legal battle in Dallas after he was arrested on a property-theft charge for taking away his daughter's iPhone when she used it in a horrid way. He was right. Be like iPhone dad.

Bacon said he tells parents to never let their kids have in-depth, online conversations with strangers. If your kid has crossed the line, ask your phone carrier to have your kid's phone mirrored to your phone.

"Every text, every picture they send, Mom and Dad can see on their device," he said.

My kids hate it when I do that. Too bad.

Not long ago, I was going through the search history on my 11-year-old son's laptop. Nerf guy, Lego, Nerf, Cats vs. Cucumbers, Curves. Wait! Curves?

I clicked on that one, my stomach lurching at the thought of a porn conversation with my tween.

"Curves  the Hot Wheels Track Builder Challenge!" Whew.

But who knows what the next day will bring? And that's chilling. Because Nicole had no idea about the potential dangers lurking at the edges of her online fantasy world.

Remember what the lieutenant said: The police see it every day.
Uber said Thursday that it will pay $28.5 million to settle two lawsuits that said the ride-hailing firm misled customers about its safety procedures and fees. The company told a federal judge in San Francisco that it wants to settle the class-action lawsuits by paying about 25 million riders who made U.S. trips between Jan. 1, 2013, and Jan. 31, 2016. The judge must still approve the deal.

Retail sales up despite drops in stock prices

U.S. retail sales rose in January, evidence that Americans kept shopping despite sharp drops in stock prices. The Commerce Department said Friday that retail sales increased a seasonally adjusted 0.2 percent last month, the same as a revised estimate for December. Excluding the effect of falling gas prices, sales rose 0.4 percent.

Etch A Sketch owner sells to Toronto company

The Ohio company that has produced or owned the Etch A Sketch since 1960 has sold the classic toy to a toy firm in Toronto. Bryan-based Ohio Art Co. sold the Etch A Sketch and the spinoff Doodle Sketch to Spin Master Corp. for an undisclosed price. Ohio Arts president, Martin Killgallon, said the company plans to focus more on metal lithography, the craft on which it was founded over a century ago.
Its about love, but its also about business: The average American will spend $146.84 on Valentines Day flowers, jewels, candy and other wares  up from $142.31 last year, according to the National Retail Federation. Thats $19.7 billion in V-day spending. And it doesnt include dinner. So what will you pay this year?

Roses

The most expensive Valentines bouquet on Janousek Florists website is the Breathtaking Beauty  three dozen roses starting at $259.99. That wasnt big enough for one lover this year, who went off-menu to order 100 roses, which was crazy, shop owner Eric Janousek said. It was hard to put it all in one vase. He said the arrangement was more than $400.

A rose in any other quantity is still a rose. Pop one in a bud vase for 10 bucks, Janousek said.

The price of indoor flowers and plants is up 1.7 percent this year versus last year, according to federal statistics.

Candy

How big is your heart? The biggest at Chocolaterie Stam in Papillion is $67.95, for about 2 pounds of your choice of candy wrapped in a hand-tied bow.

Its a classic because of the shape, the heart and the love, shop owner Suzi Bonnett said.

Sees Candy at Nebraska Furniture Mart has heart-shaped boxes from $7.75 to $26, or for those not so sweet on Valentines Day, sacks of sour hearts and hot hearts for $6.75.

Nationally, the price of candy was up 2.9 percent in 2015 from the previous year, according to a candymakers association.

Unmentionables

Lingerie is a tricky gift, so Karey Straube recommends a chemise (a flimsy nightie) or a robe. Givers dont have to know the recipients exact size, and If you just started a relationship, its not too risque, said Straube, owner of west Omaha boutique Nearly Naked.

A silk robe can be pricey  $300 and up  so you could also go for an introductory nice pair of underwear starting around $15.

The hottest seller at Lindley Clothing is Saxx brand boxer briefs at $31.95 a pair. The brand boasts mesh panels and an ergonomic front pouch. Lindley has them in Valentines colors.

Babysitting

Kids cramping your style? Bargain child care options include the YMCA of Greater Omahas Valentines Night Out tonight at its Southwest location, at $15 per child for five hours. BounceU in Millard offers a similar event Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m. for $22 for the first kid, $16 for a sibling.

Go with a sitter, and you may pay a higher holiday rate. SeekingSitters matching service will charge its holiday rate Sunday starting at $23.50 an hour. That could be worth it, if you want the little darlings all tucked in bed when you get home.

Hotel

The Hilton Omaha has a deluxe 1,050-square-foot, two-room suite listed for $435 on Valentines night. Theres a living room and a separate bedroom. Pay $455 and it includes breakfast. On a budget? The Econo Inn downtown had rooms listed late Friday for $59 a night on travel websites.

Diamonds

Sure, you could get a pair of diamond earrings for $20, but, Youre going to have to look awful hard to find the diamonds, west Omaha jeweler Bob Malashock said. Realistically, a pair starts at about $250, and goes up to about $10,000 at his shop, for a carat in each ear.

Why do diamond earrings endure? They never go out of fashion and are a cinch to buy. A fella can come in ... and not worry about, gee, is she going to like it or not, Malashock said.

The price of jewelry is down about 1 percent from last year, according to Bankrate, because of the falling price of raw silver and gold.

Spirits

It will cost less to imbibe this year. The cost of wine consumed at home fell about 1 percent from last year, according to federal statistics. A bottle of champers will set you back $51.54, on average, according to Bankrates compilation of U.S. prices. Phils Foodway on 31st and Ames is offering five bottles of Boones Farm for $10, according to its weekly circular. Gerry Bowman, who oversees grocery, wine and spirits at Omaha World Market, recommends a Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages, a French red blend his store sells for $11.99. On the higher end, a Belle Glos from Clark & Telephone for $59.99.

Dinner

If you dont already have reservations, it might be hard to get into your favorite restaurant, so its smart to call ahead. If youre on a budget, pizza parlors around town are making heart-shaped pizzas. One at Godfathers is $10.99. Want to go high end? Crave, at Midtown Crossing, has a Valentines special running all weekend, an $89 prix fixe dinner for two that includes two appetizers, two entrees and a dessert to share. The average cost of dinner out is up 2.3 percent this year, according to research from NPD group.

Breaking up

On the most romantic of days, one hopes you wont need it, but if so, a budget divorce package on Legalzoom.com is $299  plus any extra state fees. Before going that far, theres always marriage counseling; perhaps Valentines Day will be just whats needed to spur a conversation. Many therapists have free consultations. Find extensive local listings at therapists.psychologytoday.com.
To hear Mary Francis Matney tell it, Walmart didnt kill the once-vibrant cluster of shops next to a railroad and a creek in the faded old coal town of Kimball, West Virginia  the disappearance of the mines had pretty well taken care of that already. But now that Walmart is leaving, too, as one of 154 U.S. stores the company closed in January, the town might be snuffed out for good.

It makes everyone so downhearted they dont know what to do, said Matney, 60, browsing the half-empty shelves of Kimballs massive Supercenter, leaning on her cart, which contains a dustbuster and door crack insulation. Her husband once worked in the coal mines. Now, the couple live on what little they get from Medicare and Social Security, and with precious few other options she made the hour-and-a-half trip from her home back in the hollers once a month to stock up.

Its like were a forgotten bunch of people, said Matney, her long gray hair loosely clipped into a bun. Its about all there was to look forward to. If we had to go any further, there aint no way.

She patted the metal shelves full of half-off merchandise affectionately. I hate seeing it die. I really do, she said. You could always find better stuff here.

And two days later, the store was gone.

Indeed, in a place so diminished, Kimballs Walmart had risen like a vision of bountiful modernity, stocked with anything one could ever need. And its disappearance is typical of the rest of the stores that Walmart announced it was shedding.

Headlines reflect similar effects in communities where Walmarts have closed across the country. In Raymondville, Texas, the disappearance of tax income from Walmart could force city layoffs. In Oriental, North Carolina, the arrival of a Walmart Express had been the final straw for a local grocery store, leaving the community with few options for food  also the case in Fairfield, Alabama, and Winnsboro, South Carolina. A Washington Post analysis of the stores on the closure list shows that they are in relatively lower-income, less densely populated census tracts.

For much of Walmarts history, the narrative about its role in small-town America has been the opposite: Big boxes plunked down in the exurbs created black holes for shoppers, sucking the life out of main streets that couldnt compete with Walmarts market-bending price power.

The retailer expanded by filling the gaps between its existing stores until it saturated an area, and then creeping out from its Midwestern base into urban markets on the coasts. It moved into groceries and smaller formats to counter the threat of dollar stores, closing facilities occasionally to open larger ones nearby.

The decision to shutter so many stores at once is unprecedented. The cuts include the abandonment of Walmarts three-year-old Express convenience store pilot, as well as a few planned future locations, such as two sites for which it had signed leases in Washingtons underserved neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River.

Are there any commonalities among the stores targeted for closure? Walmart says financial performance was a primary factor. But heres one way in which that may have played out geographically: Stacy Mitchell, co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, has run an analysis of all the Walmarts in the country and says that 89 percent of those on the closure list were in states with higher-than-average square footage per capita. According to Walmart itself, 95 percent of the closures are within 10 miles of another Walmart.

Its been part of the way these big retailers have tried to grab market share, by overbuilding markets and creating more retail space than they can support, Mitchell said. And, now that we have growing online sales, that overcapacity is going to get quite ugly.

Walmart, which is the largest private employer in West Virginia, took over the building of a former Kmart in Kimball in 2004 to fill a gap between two other towns both about an hours drive away. It did so  but in January, the massive retailer announced its sharpened focus on portfolio management and said the revenue in Kimball wasnt quite enough to sustain the location, according to McDowell County Commission Chairman Harold McBride.

I think the store didnt reach their expectations, McBride said. It wasnt real bad but wasnt up to what they expect out of that size store.

The company didnt get what it wanted in profits. But the store certainly met many needs of the community. Some are obvious: A second option for shoppers who wanted fresh, affordable food in a place with only one other full-service grocer. And jobs  140 of them that will be difficult to replace.

Thats a lot of jobs for even the county to absorb, Kimball Mayor Eddie Patrick said. They gave them the option to transfer, but if you transfer and youre traveling an hour to work and back, youve got to be making good money to travel all that way.

But Walmarts disappearance will have more subtle ripple effects, such as a drop in traffic to the small neighboring hotel and gas station and the loss of a place to buy phone cards and hire tax preparation help. It was the main donor to the local food bank, and it contributed $65,000 annually in taxes to the county, most of which went to the school district.

For shoppers in the area surrounding Kimball who had rejoiced when it arrived a decade ago, the closure is hard to understand. From the number of people in the parking lot every day, the store seemed to have good business.

Theyll never convince me it didnt make money, said Phyllis Noe, 62, who bought her sewing and craft materials there. Ive always been fond of Walmart, but they cant look you in the eye and say they didnt have good feedback. Maybe its just what they do: 10 years and then they leave.

For her granddaughter Hailey Noe, a high school student, the Walmart was the last thing that made staying in the immediate area even viable.

You want to leave, she said. You feel like, what is there for me now?

At the moment, the county commission is trying to persuade Walmart to donate its old building, which might be used for multiple tenants. Asked if that might be in the cards, Walmart  which has a website for disposing of its excess real estate  gave no concrete answers.

This is an ongoing process that has just begun and were working with local elected officials and potential buyers so we can do what we can to both expedite the process and help communities if possible, spokesman Brian Nick wrote in an email.

In the meantime, Commissioner McBride sees other potential for growth. The county has a strategy to attract ATV enthusiasts, which might generate some of the tourism income thats so far flowed toward the northeastern part of the state. But even if the county could attract another big chain store, hes not sure thats the right way to go this time.

What we feel like we have to do is go with the smaller businesses and bring enough of those in, and grow with them, McBride says. Corporate America, when they set a goal theyre actually losing money if they dont make that goal. So we feel like we should go with smaller companies, where a profits a profit.
A shake-up in Omahas commercial real estate firms has T.J. Twit, formerly of the Omaha-based Lund Co., taking over as CEO and president of World Group Commercial Real Estate.

World Groups founder and two co-workers subsequently announced a switch to NAI NP Dodge Commercial Real Estate Services, the commercial arm of Omahas 160-year-old NP Dodge company.

Trenton Magid, who started World Group in 1997 and later facilitated its merger with the Seldin Co., becomes an NAI NP Dodge executive vice president.

Jeff Beals, former executive vice president at World Group, becomes executive vice president of marketing and community relations for NAI NP. Grant Palmer also went from World Group to associate broker at Dodge.

Magid, who had a minority interest in World Group after the Seldin merger, said his family owns World Groups current offices of about 10,000 square feet. When that lease runs out this summer, he said, the property likely will be sold to the nearby shopping center.

Said Magid: The top leadership of the Seldin organization made some changes, and I wanted a different direction for my career.

Beals, whose writing occasionally appears in The World-Herald, and Magid, who is on the Omaha Planning Board, will continue the Grow Omaha radio program.

Deb Graeve, who oversees NAI NP, said its commercial brokerage workforce will relocate in mid-March to the 129th Street and West Dodge Road site. She said shes excited for the new team members who will help us go to the next level with our company.

At World Group, Twit said he plans to put a renewed focus on project development and foresees the company as a capital source for new commercial projects in the area.

We see it as a gap in the marketplace, and we have the resources available to us to be a significant presence in that space, he said.

Twit, whose 15 years in the industry included more than $400 million in transactions, will lead a team of commercial real estate brokers and a property management division that oversees 3 million square feet of office and retail properties in Nebraska and Iowa.

He replaces Kevin Rhodes as president and Randy Lenhoff as CEO. Both are retiring from their roles at World Group, a full-service commercial real estate firm that remains affiliated with Seldin. Twit also will serve on the World Group board of directors.

Building upon the companys 90 years of industry expertise, experience and resources, we have the opportunity to create something very unique in the Omaha market, Twit said.

Contact the writer: 402-444-1224, cindy.gonzalez@owh.com
The Nebraska Court of Appeals has reversed a Scottsbluff mans child abuse conviction and vacated his prison sentence, adding that he cannot be tried again.

Cody Olbricht was convicted last year of intentional child abuse resulting in serious injury, accused of severely beating his girlfriends 3-year-old daughter. He was sentenced to 18 to 30 years in prison.

On Tuesday, the appeals court said there was insufficient evidence presented at trial to convict Olbricht. The appeals court said prosecutors failed to provide evidence that the child was in Olbrichts sole care at the time she received injuries that led to a brain bleed and lacerated liver.

The appeals court determined that double jeopardy applies, and that Olbricht cannot be tried again.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP)  Two women accused of staging a bank robbery in Sioux City have each been sentenced to five years in prison.

Heaven Zevenbergen, 19, and Angelica Perez, 18, were sentenced in separate hearings Wednesday.

Both had pleaded guilty to second-degree theft.

Prosecutors said Perez entered a Security National Bank branch at a Hy-Vee supermarket last August in a disguise and warned Zevenbergen via a note that she was armed. According to prosecutors, Zevenbergen, then a teller at the bank, knew Perez and gave her $10,000.

Both women have been ordered to jointly repay the bank the $10,000.
McMillan Magnet Middle School held its annual Career Day on Thursday in the schools gym. More than 454 students were expected to participate in the fair, which will give them opportunities to participate in activities such as Careers Reality Check and connect with professionals representing 19 career fields, including engineering, medicine, law and justice, nursing, military service, insurance, and food service. The fair also gave students information about two and four-year degree programs.
Ecumenical briefing: Church Women United of Nebraska will sponsor an Ecumenical Legislative Briefing Day from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, at Christ United Methodist Church, 4530 A St., in Lincoln. The theme for the day is Work for Justice. The cost, which includes lunch, is $25 at the door. For more information, contact Mary.Spurgeon@fumcomaha.org or 402-556-6262, ext. 1004.

Praying Lent website: Creighton University has an online resource to assist people during Lent. The Praying Lent website at onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent/ offers preparation advice from Lents beginning to celebrating the holy three days after Lent. Praying Lent also offers a link to the readings of the day, brief meditation, a link to a Daily Reflection and Intercessions from the Liturgy of the Hours. Each daily prayer concludes with a spontaneous prayer Alexander and Waldron composed.

Lenten workshop: The Rev. Richard Hauser will lead a Lenten workshop titled Finding God in Troubled Times: Scriptual Approaches at St. Benedict Center in Schuyler, Nebraska, Feb. 26 and 27. At Creighton University, Hauser is a professor emeritus of theology, assistant to the president for mission and associate director of the graduate programs in Christian spirituality. This workshop invites participants to reflect on their faith and how suffering hurts or enhances the relationship with God and with Jesus. Preparatory reading: Hausers book Finding God in Troubled Times. The retreat begins at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26 and ends with a closing Mass at 4 p.m. Feb. 27. For more information, call (402) 352-8819 or go to StBenedictCenter.com.

Sierra Club Program: Richard Sutton will discuss landscaping with native plants at Fist United Methodist Church, 7020 Cass St., at 7 p.m. Feb. 25. Sutton is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, a professional landscape architect in Nebraska and a certified Green Roof Professional. He teaches landscape architecture and landscape design at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. For more information, go to sierraclub.org/nebraska.

Mens retreat: The Rev. Bob English and Chris Berens will speak on How to find God in This Overly Busy World! from 8:30 a.m. to noon Feb. 20 at St. Leo Catholic Church, 102nd and Blondo Streets. English is pastor of Mary our Queen Church and highly experienced in Contemplative Prayer. Chris Berens is a husband and father and business owner in Omaha and member of St. Elizabeth Ann Church. He is also a member of the Mission Advancement Council of the Institute of Priestly Formation and has practiced Ignatian prayer for more than 10 years. The retreat includes a continental breakfast, talks, time for prayer and Mass. An offering will be taken. To register, call 402-397-0407 or email sam@stleo.net.

Year of Mercy speeches: St. Leo and St. Pius X Parishes are hosting sessions national speaker Jack Jezreel, who will focus on aspects of the Year of Mercy.

He will speak at 7 p.m. Monday, St. Pius X Catholic Church, 6905 Blondo St. The topic is A Faith that Does Mercy.

He will hold two sessions Tuesday at St. Leo Catholic Church, 102nd and Blondo Streets. Workshops to support Pope Francis Jubilee Year of Mercy and the work of social mission in all churches will be held from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m.

Lenten Worship Series: First Lutheran Church, 542 S. 31st St., will host Lent Series Wednesdays titled Hope Not Hate, Wednesday through March 16. A soup supper and an offering will be at 6 p.m. There will be a Taize worship with a weekly speaker at 7 p.m. For more information, call 402-345-7506 or go online to flcomaha.org.

Pancake supper: Westminster Presbyterian Church, 3416 Woolworth Ave. will host a Pancake Supper from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Eucharistic Miracles exhibition: Eucharistic Miracles of the World, a Vatican International Exhibition, will be held Feb. 20 to 23 at St. Gerald Catholic Church and Fellowship Hall, 9602 Q St. Exhibition hours are 3 to 8 p.m. Feb. 20; 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Feb. 21; 10 a.m to 10 p.m. Feb. 22 and 23. There is no admission. Child care will be available from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 20; 2 to 5 p.m. Feb. 21; 10 a.m. to noon Feb. 22; and 1 to 3 p.m. Feb. 23. The exhibition will be held in conjunction with two events at St. Gerald: 40 Hours Eucharistic Exposition and the Parish Mission. The 40 Hours Eucharistic Exposition will begin with the noon Mass on Feb. 21 and continue until the closing service at 7 p.m. on Feb. 23. The faithful may come and pray at any time during this period. The Parish Mission will host three presentations by Jim Beckman from the Augustine Institute in Denver. All three start at 7 p.m. The schedule is Feb. 21, Mercy and the Disciple; Feb. 22, Mercy and the Evangelist; and Feb. 23, Mercy and Mission. For more information, go to stgerald.org or call 402-331-1955.

Contemplative Prayer retreat: St. Benedict Center in Schuyler, Nebraska, will host a weekend retreat titled A Taste of Contemplative Prayer Feb. 19-21. Contemplative prayer is the opening of our mind and heart heartour whole beingto God, the Ultimate Mystery, beyond thoughts, words, and emotions. This retreat, involving breath practice, is for beginners on the contemplative way. Please bring loose fitting clothing of neutral colors. Friday, 7:30 p.m., to Sunday, after lunch. For more information, call (402) 352-8819 or go online to StBenedictCenter.com.
LINCOLN  A Massachusetts group that opposes capital punishment has made another large contribution to an effort to sustain the repeal of Nebraskas death penalty.

The Proteus Action League of Amherst, Massachusetts, gave $198,495 in October to Nebraskans for Public Safety, upping its total contribution to the anti-death penalty group to $598,495, according to year-end campaign finance reports released recently.

Nebraskans for Public Safety formed just after the Legislature, over a veto by Gov. Pete Ricketts, repealed the death penalty in the state.

That sparked a petition drive financed by Ricketts and others that was successful in suspending the repeal until Nebraska voters could decide the issue at the polls in November.

Year-end reports by Nebraskans for Public Safety indicated that it had raised $750,190 during 2015, and had about $13,000 of cash on hand.

By comparison, Nebraskans for the Death Penalty, the pro-capital punishment group that ran the successful petition drive, raised $940,133 during 2015. It reported having $9,991 of cash on hand, and $54,369 in unpaid legal and consultant bills at years end.

Dan Parsons, a spokesman for Nebraskans for Public Safety, said the group has entered phase two of its campaign to retain the repeal of the death penalty, which is to mobilize voters to defeat the referendum.

He made no apologies for the large donations from a group outside of the state and said that recently, more contributions have been received from Nebraskans.

Obviously, this is an issue thats not only important to Nebraska but the whole country, Parsons said. Both sides will continue to get interest from outside of this state. Were not going to shy away from that.

The Proteus Action League has said the primary source for its contributions in Nebraska is billionaire businessman Chuck Feeney, an Irish-American who has pledged to give away his $7.5 billion fortune to promote education, human rights and health care causes.

Feeney founded the Atlantic Philanthropies, one of the largest private foundations in the world.

From Sept. 22 to the end of 2015, Nebraskans for Public Safety reported raising $288,611. That compares to $36,701 raised by Nebraskans for the Death Penalty.

The largest new donation for the pro-death penalty group came from a Denver organization called Citizens for a Sound Government. That same group ran attack ads against then-Attorney General Jon Bruning, who was an unsuccessful challenger to Ricketts for the 2014 GOP nomination for governor.

Ricketts was one of the prime financiers of Nebraskans for the Death Penaltys drive during 2015, contributing $200,000. Ricketts father, Joe, who started the family company TD Ameritrade, gave $100,000.

The pro-death penalty group collected more than 143,000 valid signatures from Nebraska voters in just over two months to force the referendum and the suspension of the death-penalty repeal. Their spending translated into about $6.30 per signature.

Contact the writer: 402-473-9584, paul.hammel@owh.com
Who would have thought that Orange Countys libertarian conservative Dana Rohrabacher (68, R-CA) would join progressive socialist democrat Earl Blumenauer (67, D-OR) in a marijuana fundraiser?

While both are appearing at the The International Cannabis Business Conference, they are pursuing serious support for the reauthorization of the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment, which prohibits the Department of Justice from interfering with state medical marijuana programs and the patients who rely on them, which is contained in President Obamas Budget.

Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment H.AMDT.332 (A064) Amends: H.R.2578 Agreed to by recorded vote: 242 - 186 (Roll no. 283). (consideration: CR H3786-3787) Sponsors: Rohrabacher (R-CA), Farr (D-CA), Ribble (R-WI), Lee (D-CA), Massie (R-KY), Blumenauer (D-OR), Heck (R-NV), Cohen (D-TN), Young (R-AK), Polis (D-CO), McClintock (R-CA), Titus (D-NV) Amendment Text: None of the funds made available in this Act to the Department of Justice may be used, with respect to any of the States of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin, or with respect to either the District of Columbia or Guam, to prevent any of them from implementing their own laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana.

Bottom line 

I support the use of medical marijuana and any other substance that will reduce the pain and suffering of patients afflicted with a variety of diseases.

However, I do not support the well-known legislative trick of placing an unrelated piece of legislation in a must pass bill to avoid placing Members of Congress at the disadvantage of having to vote yea or nay on difficult social, financial, and national defense legislation. It is dishonest and disingenuous like much of the hidden legislation that magically appears in legislation unrelated to the special interest provisions that are bought and paid for by campaign contributions.

Amazing how these people can work together when the cause is just, the people agree, and no radical agitators or the media interfere.

-- steve
TN polls: With DMK going with Congress, BJP has a tough task in hand now

Feature

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

Tamil Nadu politics found one piece of the puzzle on Saturday when two old allies, the Congress and DMK, finalised an alliance for the Assembly polls due in a few months. And that leaves the BJP, not a strong player in the state, with a difficult task of finding an ally.

With DMK allying with Congress, BJP's options have shrunk

With the DMK opting to go with the Congress, the BJP's hopes now lie with either the ruling AIADMK or Vijaykanth's DMDK, which is known to bag a consistent vote-share in elections in the southern state. The first possibility can be ruled out for if the BJP joins the contest under the leadership of the AIADMK, then the two NDA constituent parties, namely, the DMDK and PMK could opt for a different route, only to strengthen the DMK's side at the expense of the BJP.

If AIADMK goes with Vaiko & others in PWA, BJP will suffer another blow

AIADMK chief and state Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's recent act of suspending her party's Deputy Propaganda Secretary Nanjil Sampath for reportedly criticising MDMK chief Vaiko has also given birth to speculation that the former has set her eyes on the People's Welfare Alliance (PWA) comprising besides the MDMK, the Left parties and the VCK. If that is true, then it is certainly not a good news for the BJP, which will gain the most if succeeds in forming an alliance with the ruling party.

[BJP will suffer if it cannot project local faces for state polls]

Vijaykanth, Ramadoss will be extra careful after DMK, AIADMK organise their plans

The BJP's only hope will then be Vijaykanth [Why everybody wants to go with DMDK]. But with the DMK opting for the Congress and the AIADMK giving hints of reaching out to the PWA, the two NDA constiutuents---DMDK and PMK, might feel more of an urge to go with a major Dravidian party (DMK to be more precise) than the BJP, which is still an insignificant player in the state.

The BJP's options for the Assembly polls have shrunk with DMK-Congress alliance

The issue of deciding on the chief ministerial candidate (both Vijaykanth and PMK chief Ambumani Ramadoss are aspiring for it) could be another major problem since the BJP, as the seniormost party of the NDA, could be unwilling to let its own chance go.

The BJP will have to finally depend on what the DMDK or PMK leadership decides, given they are stronger players in Tamil Nadu politics. But this dependence on other parties also reflect on the saffron party's poor position in the Dravidian politics. That the Modi wave of the 2014 Lok Sabha election when the BJP had focussed on a non-AIADMK, non-DMK alternative is a thing of past was proved during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Coimbatore.

The dissatisfying attendance at Modi's recent Coimbatore rally is an ominous sign

Although the NDA nominee from Coimbatore had garnered 3.89 lakh votes in the 2014 general elections to finish second after the AIADMK candidate by a margin of 42,000 votes, the attendance at Modi's rally in the same place this time was far lesser. Even leaders of parties allying with the BJP during the general election remained absent so that their preference for allies did not get exposed before the two big parties, the AIADMK and DMK, made their choices known. This speaks much about the BJP's stature in the state in comparison to the two big outfits.

BJP just can't bank on local players' help; it needs to work on its own base

The BJP makes its helplessness obvious before every election in the state, be it Assembly or national, by eyeing a favour from the local players. If the party wants to evolve into a player of influence in this state, it needs to shed its dependence on others and work on its own base with a long-term vision.

The NDA had garnered nearly 19 per cent vote share in Tamil Nadu in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls (with two seats), after the AIADMK (45% with 37 seats) and DMK (24% with no seat) but the BJP's own share was just below six per cent. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP's vote-share was just 2.3 per cent while in 2004, the year it fought the polls with the AIADMK (30%), its vote-share was 5.1 per cent, which meant the NDA had 35 per cent vote-share. In 1998 and 1999 Lok Sabha polls too, the BJP had benefited by allying either with the DMK or the AIADMK.

This means that the party has made little progress in Tamil Nadu over the years in terms of its own social and political organisation and depends solely on the likes of Modi or an alliance partner like Jayalalithaa or Karunanidhi to put up a show of any relevance. But as we have seen in the Delhi and Bihar elections last year, even Modi will not be enough to get them through in state elections and they need a local face apart from a strong organisation.

Poor organisation, lack of local face and ineffective ideology

The BJP's woes in Tamil Nadu have also been increased by the lack of a third arm of the triangle, which is ideology, besides organisation and local leadership. It is a herculean task for any third force today to make a space for itself in a state which the AIADMK and DMK have ruled since the collapse of the Congress in the late 1960s. Hindutva, the saffron camp's familiar ideology, will help it little in Tamil Nadu as will the routine appeal to development, since that state isn't really an underdeveloped state in the way some other states in northern or eastern India are.

BJP's wooing regional sentiments like backing Jallikattu; but others are also doing the same

The party of late has tried to appealed to the regional sentiments by backing the popular bull sport of Jallikattu to get some returns in the election. But even then, the big players are also doing the same, which might make the BJP look just another vote-seeker.

The BJP's electoral success in the state would ultimately depend on its ability to adjust to the state's political nature, which is influenced by cultural sub-nationalism and backward-caste assertion.
'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

Why is India not keen on questioning Headley's friend Dr Tawwahur Rana?

Feature

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

In the month of May 11 2011, the National Investigating Agency had prepared a detailed questionnaire for Tawwahur Rana. Well that questionnaire still does exist, but the only point is that the NIA has not managed to question Rana as yet.

Rana apart from being a friend of David Headley's was formerly a doctor in the Pakistan army before leaving for the United States of America.

Headley in his ongoing testimony has named his friend Dr. Rana several times. Among the disclosures relating to Rana, Headley said that he had helped with travel documents when he wanted to visit India and carried out a reconnaissance for the 26/11 attack.

Further he also said that it was Basheer a friend of Rana who received him at the Mumbai airport when he visited the city for the first time in 2006.

Rana needs to be questioned to complete 26/11 puzzle

Rana is not an ordinary operative. He was part of the Pakistan army and later guiding and helping David Headley with his work on 26/11. If India is serious about probing some of the local links in the attack, then Rana will also have to be questioned. For instance, Rana could throw more light on Basheer the man who received Headley.

Headley does speak about Basheer during his testimony, but there was just a statement and the Public Prosecutor did not probe him further for details.

The NIA has been claiming since 2011 that it would question Rana. Only recently the NIA also made a move to have him extradited, but that issue is stuck in a legal tussle with the United States of America.

Officials of the NIA held discussions with the Department of Justice, United States of America in which the custody of Rana was sought. During the discussion, the NIA quoted that there is nothing that prevents Rana's extradition.

The NIA officials said that according to the chargesheet filed by them Rana had forged documents along with Headley as per the instructions of the Lashkar-e-Taiba and this was a punishable offence.

However, since Rana is sentenced to a 14 year jail term in the US, the Department of Justice raised the question of double jeopardy.

They sought to know from the NIA whether sentencing Rana twice would not lead to double jeopardy. The NIA however argued that it would not amount to double jeopardy. They further gave a legal opinion to the Department of Justice in this regard.

The Department of Justice is considering the plea by the NIA. No Indian agency has questioned Rana so far. There have been legal complications due to which the questioning has not taken place.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, February 13, 2016, 9:07 [IST]
Anand Sharma says he was attacked physically by ABVP activists

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Feb 13: Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma tonight alleged that he was attacked physically by ABVP activists in JNU campus when he was returning with Rahul Gandhi after attending a protest meeting held by students there.

Sharma, Deputy Leader of Congress in Rajya Sabha, told PTI that the SPG had to take Gandhi out by an alternate vehicle as the alleged attackers had surrounded the vehicle of the Congress Vice President as well. The "attack" took place some distance away from the place where the meeting was held at the varsity campus with the ABVP activists using "cover of the darkness," he claimed.

"There was a bleeding from my left ear following the attack and I also suffered some cuts," Sharma said, adding his personal security officer too was "pushed from behind" by the attackers. The former Union Minister said he was a "few steps" behind Gandhi.

He said his PSO has lodged a complaint with police. "Differ with us, but you have no right to attack us," he said, while slamming his attackers.

PTI
Why an RTI on Subhas Chandra Bose may not be entertained

26,000 man hours went into making Netajis statue which will be unveiled by PM Modi

Ascertain the true identity of Gumnami Baba: Netaji family

India

oi-PTI

Lucknow, Feb 13: Family members of Subhash Chandra Bose today met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and asked for a proper inquiry to ascertain the true identity of Gumnami Baba of Faizabad, who several people believed was Netaji.

The family members who met Yadav at his official residence asked him to constitute a committee to inquire into the real identity of Gumnami Baba alias Bhagwanji, a Hindu sanyasi who lived in the house Ram Bhawan in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh at least till 1985.

This committee should thoroughly look into all things connected with Gumnami Baba in order to find out his true identity and the chief minister has assured that a decision in this regard will be taken soon, an official release said.

They also thanked the Chief Minister for taking a decision for setting up a museum/gallery for exhibiting the things belonging to Gumnami Baba .

The chief minister said that this museum/gallery will be completed in a time framed manner and Netaji's family will also be invited on the occasion of its inauguration. Those who met Yadav included Netaji's grand niece Jayanti Rakshit and her husband Amiy Rakshit, grand nephew Arya Bose among others.

PTI
Kharge vs Tharoor: Counting of votes today; Cong to get first non-Gandhi president in 24 years

No surprises here: Mallikarjun Kharge is the new Cong chief

Congress releases second list of 17 candidates for Himachal polls

News flash: Don't let these bullies push you around: Rahul Gandhi at JNU campus

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Bengaluru, Feb 13: Ministry of External Affairs expresses disappointment at decision of the Obama Administration to notify sale of F-16 aircrafts to Pakistan.

Get all the latest news updates of the day:

9:00 pm: RSS has been saying JNU is anti-national University & it is their conspiracy to spread Hindutva ideology in Higher Education: CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury

8:30 pm: Arvind Kejriwal orders magisterial probe into JNU incident.

7:50 pm: Only message to you from me, "Don't let these bullies push you around": Rahul Gandhi.

7:30 pm: I came here to tell you, there are more than billion people in country who believe what you believe in & standing right behind you: Rahul Gandhi adresses protesting students at JNU campus.

7:10 pm: This century is Asia's century.My advice to you is "Make India your centre if you want this century to be your century": PM Modi at 'Make in India' Week.

7:00 pm: We are committed to make Make In India an easy place to do business: PM.

6:56 pm: I believe in minimum govt and maximum governance: Modi at 'Make in India' Week.

6:46 pm: India is most open country to FDI; FDI flows have gone up by 48 pc since our govt took office: PM.

We have given all round emphasis on ease of doing business, in manufacturing sector we have taken decisive steps to ease business- PM Modi  ANI (@ANI_news) February 13, 2016

6:30 pm: Allegations of Police personnel entering girls' hostels of JNU are totally incorrect, malicious and mischievous: Delhi's top cop BS Bassi.

6:15 pm: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi reaches JNU campus. Slogan "Rahul Gandhi go back" raised.

6:03 pm: JNU students protests against the arrest of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar inside the campus, demand his release.

5.36 pm: Congress leader Anand Sharma visits JNU campus.

5.10 pm: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi likely to visit JNU.

4.36 pm: Minor girl from Nalanda alleges kidnapping and molestation by RJD MLA from Bihar's Nawada, Rajballabh Yadav.

3.00 pm: PM Narendra Modi holds bilateral talks with Finland's PM Juha Sipila

1.40 pm: Audio tape including conversation between 26/11 attackers was played in Mumbai court.

1.05 pm: Congress will fight the TN assembly polls in DMK alliance, says Ghulam Nabi Azad.

12.54 pm: The Delhi police have detained 7 students in connection with the protests that were held.

12.02 pm: Indian National Student Organisation (INSO) protest outside JNU premises in Delhi

Indian National Student Organisation (INSO) protest outside JNU premises in Delhi pic.twitter.com/sw0h9k5Kr1  ANI (@ANI_news) February 13, 2016

12.00 pm: Army Aviation Corps Helicopters have succeeded in moving mortal remains of 9 soldiers to airstrip close to base camp.

11.25 am: JNU Professors to meet Jawaharlal Nehru University's Vice Chancellor at 12 pm today.

10.52 am: Weather has opened up in Siachen, preparations to bring mortal remains of 9 soldiers to Leh have begun.

10.25 am: Kupwara: 1 soldier killed, 1 injured in encounter with militants.

9.40 am: US Ambassador Richard Verma reaches South Block (Delhi) after being summoned by MEA.

8.53 am: PM Narendra Modi greets radio lovers on World Radio Day; says radio is a beautiful means of communication that has touched several lives.



8.38 am: Bus rams into a lorry in Hayathnagar Mandal (Nalgonda, Andhra Pradesh), one dead. 3 critically injured out of 20 injured persons.

8.00 am: The 1978 batch of Army officers passed out from NDA threatens to return JNU degrees.

OneIndia News
Modi Govt trying to crush students' voice: Rahul Gandhi at JNU campus

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, Feb 13: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the government was trying to crush students' voice in the country by ordering police action in university campuses.

"They (the government) do not understand that by crushing you (students), they are making you stronger," Gandhi said at a meet at the Jawaharlal Nehru University that was organised to protest against the police crackdown on the campus and the arrest of the university students' union president in a sedition case on Friday.

The students' union has declared a strike in the university from Monday.

Gandhi drew comparisons with the Hyderabad university controversy involving students owing allegiance to ABVP and Ambedkar Student Association and the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohit Vemula following his suspension from the university.

"I was in Hyderabad a few days back. A youngster there expressed himself and the government says he is an anti-national. What did he do? Later, the minister turns around and says that he was not even a Dalit," said Gandhi, refering to the government's reaction to the suicide.

On Tuesday night, some JNU students organised a meet to mourn the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) co-founder Maqbool Bhat, where anti-India slogans were allegedly raised.

Another commemorative meeting was held at the Press Club of India in Delhi on Wednesday where anti-India slogans and placards were raised.

Gandhi said the government was terrified of poor Indians raising their voices against it.

"They are scared of the poor Indians, weak Indians getting a voice because they might turn around and ask them a question. They do not want to be questioned," he said.

"People who showed black flags on my face, I feel proud that in my country they have the right to show black flags in front of my face," Gandhi said.

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI national secretary D. Raja, CPI-ML leader Kavita Krishnan and other leaders were present on the occasion.

IANS
Delhi air quality projected to cross 301 by Sat; GRAP stage II comes into effect ahead of Diwali

India disappointed over US decision to sell 8 F-16s jets to Pakistan

India

oi-Jagriti

Washington, Feb 13: India has expressed its disappointment over US Congress decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

"We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama Administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircrafts to Pakistan," said a statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup.

"We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help combat terrorism. The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself," added he.

The government has decided to summon US ambassador Richard Verma to convey India's displeasure over the matter.

The Obama administration today notified the US Congress of its decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan worth nearly USD 700 million, notwithstanding American lawmakers' demand for stopping the proposed sale.

Despite mounting opposition from influential lawmakers from both the Republican and Democratic parties, the US State Department notified the Congress that it has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Pakistan for F-16 Block 52 Aircraft, equipment, training, and logistics support.

US to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan: NYT

The estimated cost is USD 699.4 million, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency - a wing of the Pentagon - said in a statement, adding that this proposed sale contributes to the US foreign policy objectives and national security goals by helping to improve the security of a strategic partner in South Asia.

These additional F-16 aircraft will facilitate operations in all-weather, non-daylight environments, provide a self- defence and area suppression capability, and enhance Pakistan's ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations.

OneIndia News (With agency inputs)
Is RSS behind JNU fiasco?

India

oi-Oneindia

By Maitreyee Boruah

Bengaluru, Feb 13: The students and faculty members of the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi have strongly condemned the arrest of a student leader on the charge of sedition.

Kanhaiya Kumar, the president of the JNU students' union and an activist, was arrested by the police after "anti-India" slogans were allegedly raised at the university during a recent protest meeting.

The event was held in memory of Afzal Guru, who was hanged in 2013 after his conviction in the Parliament attack case.

Along with the students and faculty members of the university, several social organisations and activists have criticized the action taken by the Delhi police in an educational institution. The large scale presence of police men on the campus has also angered the students and faculty members.

The All India Students' Association (AISA), a left-wing student body, in a statement has alleged that the crackdown on JNU students' movement was to silence critiques of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The AISA has categorically denied that no JNU student ever raised any anti-Indian slogan.

"Friends, this is to inform you that JNUSU President, Comrade Kanhaiya has been arrested. Police are doing rounds of the campus and mindlessly witch-hunting activists.

The RSS is running campaigns to shut down JNU. We need to protest against the free run given by the Vice-Chancellor to the police. The police in coordination with the ABVP goons are identifying student leaders for arbitrary arrest," said the statement.

"The media has successfully demonized and witch-hunted us, despite the fact that no JNU student ever raised any unprincipled slogan. In fact, we stopped these slogans that called for Indias division and destruction. Because we don't believe in politics of division and destruction," the statement added.

JNU protest: Delhi police issues alert over alleged Hafiz Saeed's tweet

The press statement issued by the People's Union For Civil Liberties (PUCL), Delhi unit, condemned the action of the Delhi Police in arresting JNUSU president on the charge of sedition.

"It is shocking that the Delhi Police has arrested the President of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) on the charge of sedition' -a provision of law about which Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, had said in 1951, Now as far as I am concerned that particular Section is highly objectionable and obnoxious and it should have no place...in any body of laws that we might pass. The sooner we get rid of it the better.'

The provision of section 124-A of the Indian Penal Code, which provide punishment for sedition' was enacted by the British to silence all opposition to its autocratic rule.

This provision had been used by the British against Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, M.N.Roy, Maulana Hasrat Mohani, and many other freedom fighters. It is unfortunate that the governments in free India have been misusing this anachronistic colonial era law from time to time in order to silence the voices of dissent.

The human rights organizations, especially PUCL, for many years have been campaigning for its repeal," the press statement added.

The PUCL statement said that the arrest was in violation of the law laid down by the Supreme Court.

"The action of the Delhi Police is also in violation of the law laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in the celebrated case "Kedar Nath Das Vs. State of Bihar" (AIR 1962 SC 955) which held that ...comments, however strongly worded expressing, disapprobation of the actions of Government, without exciting those feelings which generate the inclination to cause public disorder by acts of violence, would not be penal.'

It appears that there was no intention on the part of the President of JNUSU to incite violence and therefore the action of the Delhi Police in arresting him is condemnable. PUCL appeals to the Home Minister (Central Government) to instruct the Delhi Police to release the arrested leader immediately," said the statement.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Saturday, February 13, 2016, 10:12 [IST]
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ISI wanted to infiltrate Pune army command: David Headley

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Mumbai, Feb 13: Pakistani-American Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley told Special TADA Court Judge G.A. Sanap that post-26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, he had surveyed sensitive military establishments in Pune, here on Saturday.

When asked by Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam what military establishments he referred to, Headley readily said it was the (Indian Army's) Southern Command Headquarters.

ISI, Lashkar-e-Tayiba tried to make 26/11 attack look Indian: David Headley

"The intentions here were similar to the nuclear establishments (BARC). The ISI wanted to recruit military officers and get 'classified information' from them," Headley told during his deposition on the sixth day.

He surveyed and videographed the Southern Command HQ Building between March 16-17, 2009, preceded by recce of Chabad Houses in Goa on March 15 and earlier Pushkar between March 11-13 that year - nearly four months after the terror attacks were executed in Mumbai on November 26-28, 2008.

The Pune assignment was carried out at the behest of Major Iqbal of the ISI, to whom the videos were later handed over.

Headley has been giving his deposition from a jail in the US at an undisclosed location via video-conferencing continuously since last Monday, barring February 10 when it was adjourned owing to certain technical uplinking issues on the US side.

IANS
JNU campus row: 7 detained by Delhi Police

India

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, Feb 13: The Delhi police have detained seven students in connection with the JNU campus row. The police have taken these persons for questioning in a bid to seek out more information on the protests that took place in the campus during which anti India and pro Afzal Guru slogans were shouted.

Delhi police officials say that the investigation is still on and they are seeking more information regarding the whereabouts of more students who were part of the protest as well as the organisers.

JNU row: Protesting is your right not raising anti India slogans, says Rajnath Singh

Earlier the Home Minister, Rajnath Singh during a meeting with the Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi had sought quick action on the case. He however advised the top cop to conduct a fair probe and ensure that no innocents were arrested or targeted.

Union Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore who is in Bengaluru while speaking about the JNU incident said that there are fundamental rights, but there are duties as well. "Will you find in the US anyone raising an Osama Bin Laden flag and shouting slogans in his favour?

One must understand that there are fundamental rights but in the midst of this one should not forget the fundamental duties. On one hand our soldiers guard the borders risking their lives. They fight so hard that they end up losing their present and future and on the other hand there are some elements who are hell bent upon ruining the nation," he said.

JNU row: Yechury meets Rajnath, demands release of arrested student leader

The meeting with Bassi came shortly after the Home Minister had met with a delegation of Left leaders. During that meeting Singh had assured of a fair probe and also said that there would be no witch hunt. He said that the probe would be fair.

The police had earlier arrested student's leader Kanhaiya Kumar on sedition charges. He was remanded in three days police custody. Since the slogans were anti India, the police say that sedition charges had been filed.

The police even said that they wanted to probe if he had links with any organisation that was raising the anti India bogey. The student leader however said that he was a victim of political conspiracy. He even suggested to the court before which he was produced that he was only there to ensure the safety of the students when the clash began.

OneIndia News
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A fabricated case says police on kidnap and gang-rape of Delhi woman

JNU protest: Delhi police issues alert over alleged Hafiz Saeed's tweet

India

oi-Jagriti

New Delhi, Feb 13: The Delhi police issued an alert across the country in the wake of a tweet allegedly posted by 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed.

The Delhi police has posted this message on its official Twitter handle.

Saeed's message read: "We request our Pakistani Brothers to trend #SupportJNU for our pro-Pakistani JNUites brothers."

The development soon after Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested on Friday in a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy, police said.

Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested for raising anti-India slogans at an event organised by the students to commemorate the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, who was hanged in Tihar Jail in 2014.

JNU students union's head Kanhaiya Kumar arrested for sedition

He was arrested by the Vasant Kunj north police in south Delhi.

The university witnessed violent clashes between two students groups on Tuesday night over an event after which police were deployed to maintain law and order. The students from a Left wing organisation were to hold an event marking the death anniversary of Guru in which anti-India slogans were raised.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Saturday, February 13, 2016, 9:43 [IST]
Delhi air quality projected to cross 301 by Sat; GRAP stage II comes into effect ahead of Diwali

#JusticeForRohith: Students embark on bus yatra

India

oi-Oneindia

By Maitreyee Boruah

Bengakuru, Feb 13: As a part of their protest demanding justice for Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula, several students of the University of Hyderabad (UoH) embarked on a bus yatra (bus journey) on Thursday (February 11).

The journey, which saw several student activists boarding a bus plastered with pictures of Rohith, was flagged-off from the university campus.

On a week-long journey, the students will travel across 10 districts of Telangana demanding justice for Rohith. They will also visit various educational institutions to sensitize youngsters about widespread prevalence of caste-based discrimination in our society and how it is destroying our democratic fabric.

A similar bus yatra to tour across 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh was flagged-off from the university campus on Friday (February 12).

Both the bus yatras have been organized by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) for Social Justice, University of Hyderabad (UoH). The members of the JAC have been at the forefront demanding justice for Rohith. The 26-year-old Dalit research scholar was found hanged in the university campus on January 17.

The bus yatras are part of students' mobilisation movement ahead of Chalo Delhi' called by the JAC. As per JAC's plan, students from various parts of the country will come together to express their solidarity with the Justice for Rohith Vemula movement in New Delhi on February 23.

The campus of UoH is on the boil since the suicide of Rohith. In last one month, the campus has witnessed several protests. Several scholars, filmmakers, folk artists, writers and poets have expressed their solidarity with the students' movement by joining the protests on the campus.

The students are demanding the resignations of Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani and Minister of Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya from the Union cabinet. They also want the sacking of Prof P Appa Rao from the UoH vice-chancellor's post.

Rohith Vemula suicide: Karnataka Dalit rights activists and students speak against injustices

Rohith was one of the five scholars who were expelled, after a scuffle broke out between the Ambedkar Students' Association (ASA) (Rohith was a member of ASA) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in August last year.

Although the classes have resumed in the campus few days ago, the students continued their relay hunger strike. According to the members of JAC, the relay hunger strike will continue till all their demands are addressed.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Saturday, February 13, 2016, 10:40 [IST]
'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

LeT knew Pak would take only 'superficial' action: Headley

India

oi-PTI

Mumbai, Feb 13: LeT and Al-Qaeda were convinced that 26/11 attack masterminds Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman would face only "superficial" action from the Pakistani authorities and within months plans were afoot for another terror strike in India, Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley said today.

Headley, who is serving a 35-year jail term in the US in connection with the 26/11 case, said this before a special court here via video link from the US during his deposition which concluded today.

The 55-year-old LeT operative told the Special Judge G A Sanap that after the attacks in Mumbai he was concerned about the safety of Saeed and Lakhvi and hence was in constant touch with LeT operative Sajid Mir, who was his handler, and Al-Qaeda member Abdul Rehman Pasha (former LeT cadre).

"FIA (Federal Investigating Agency of Pakistan) was conducting investigations, interrogating people and pursuing people from LeT. Hence I asked Mir about 'old uncle' (Saeed) and 'young uncle'(Lakhvi). Mir, in his reply, said that young uncle is fine and flying high.

I think by this Mir meant that Lakhvi's morale was high even though he was in prison at that time," Headley said. Mir also said that "old uncle is fit and healthy like anything. Don't put ears to rumours, he is moving back and forth like a tornado for his business and he (Mir) gave solace," the LeT approver said.

Responding to one of his mails, Pasha had written, "don't worry everything here is normal. By this Pasha meant that I need not worry (about Saeed and Lakhvi) as the action against them and other LeT members are superficial," said Headley.

Giving further details about anti-India activities, Headley said eight months after the Mumbai strike, Mir had sent an e-mail to him saying that another location needs to be scouted in India for future attacks.

"Mir in his mail has said an 'investment plan' needs to be made (meaning another location for attack). I told Mir that this time the attack should not be in 'Rahul (Bhatt's) City.

I referred to Mumbai as Rahul City," he said while informing the court that all the emails had coded language. Headley, who had scouted the November 2008 targets in Mumbai, said he had visited Pushkar, Goa and Pune in March 2009 and recced the cities as sought by Ilyas Kashmiri of Al-Qaeda.

He also visited the Indian Army's Southern Command headquarters at Pune in 2009 on the instructions of ISI's Major Iqbal, who wanted him to recruit some military personnel to get "classified" information, Headley revealed.

After the deposition which began on Monday, the court adjourned the case for cross-examination by accused and key 26/11 plotter Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal's lawyer for a future date.

PTI
Nothing will happen to Lakhvi, Hafiz: handlers told David Headley

India

oi-PTI

Mumbai, Feb 13: Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley on Saturday said that his handlers told him that "nothing will happen against" Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi and Hafiz Saeed and that actions taken by Pakistan Federal Investigation Agency against them and other LeT members in 26/11 case are "superficial".

Shedding more light on terror activities post 26/11 attacks, the 55-year-old terrorist, who is testifying via a video-link from the US since Monday, said he visited the Indian Army Southern Command headquarters at Pune in 2009 on the instructions of ISI's Major Iqbal, who wanted him to recruit some military personnel to get "classified" information.

ISI wanted to infiltrate Pune army command: David Headley

Headley, who turned approver in the case, told a court here today that in March 2009 he had visited Pushkar, Goa and Pune and had recced the cities as sought by Ilyas Kashmiri of Al-Qaeda. He also said that after Pakistan government started investigating the 26/11 attacks, he was told by his handler, Sajid Mir of LeT, that "both Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi and Hafiz Saeed are safe and nothing will happen against them."

Headley told the court that Abdul Rehman Pasha, a former Pakistan army major who joined LeT and later al Qaeda, told him that the action taken by Pakistan Federal Investigation Agency against Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, Hafiz Saeed and other LeT members are "superficial".

He said that on March 16, 2009 he went to Pune and visited the Southern Command headquarters there. "Earlier too, Major Iqbal had also asked me to visit this place. At that time, I had made a general video of the (Army) station from outside," he said.

Also, "Major Iqbal wanted me to try recruiting someone from the Army who would give us classified information. It was the same like the BARC (drill)." "In all three cities, I took general videos of several locations there," he said. The LeT operative also revealed details of e-mails between him and his main contact Sajid Mir.

Why is India not keen on questioning Headley's friend Dr Tawwahur Rana?

"From July 3, 2009 to September 11, 2009, there was an exchange of emails between me and Sajid Mir of LeT. I had time and again expressed concerns about the safety of the leadership of LeT," he told the court.

"From December 2008 onwards, after the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, the Pakistan government was conducting investigations, interrogating people and pursuing people from the LeT which is why I wanted to know if Hafiz Sahab and Zaki Sahab were safe," he added.

Headley also said that Mir had replied to his e-mails and said that "Zaki Sahab is doing fine.... His morale is high even though he was in prison (at that time) and he was not depressed." Headley and Mir had referred to Hafiz Saeed as the "older uncle" and Zaki as the "younger uncle" in the e-mails using code language.

The court was told that on August 20, 2009 Headley had sent a mail to Mir asking if "older uncle" (Hafiz) was also under investigation and would be arrested to which Mir replied after three days saying that "the older uncle is fit and healthy and is moving back and forth for his business" even as Mir asked Headley to not put ears to rumours.

PTI
Rahul Gandhi speaking in Hafiz Sayeed's language: BJP on JNU row

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Feb 13: Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders who have criticised the arrest of a JNU student leader, BJP on Saturday alleged that they were speaking in the voice of terror outfit LeT which was an insult to the martyrs and would boost the morale of anti-national forces.

BJP claimed the "anti-India" march on JNU campus by a handful of people had invited country-wide condemnation but Congress and other opposition parties were targeting the Modi government due to their "political malice" and vote bank politics.

"Rahul Gandhi and his friends are speaking in the voice LeT terrorist Hafiz Sayeed who had tweeted in support of anti-India event in JNU. It is an insult to our martyrs and armed forces who sacrifice their lives on the border and will boost the morale of anti-national forces.

"JNU has produced many intellectuals and bureaucrats. A handful of people there have given anti-India speeches. Law is taking its course. BJP will urge Congress to not insult our martyrs for political reason," BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said.

Referring to the recent deaths of army personnel, he said it was unfortunate that while soldiers sacrificed their lives on the border, anti-India slogans were raised and terrorists hailed as martyrs in an institution like JNU.

JNU row: Yechury meets Rajnath, demands release of arrested student leader

Reacting to the arrest of the student leader over the controversial JNU event, Gandhi had said, "Modi Govt and & ABVP bullying an institution like JNU simply because it won't toe their line is completely condemnable."

"While Anti-India sentiment is unquestionably unacceptable, the right to dissent & debate is an essential ingredient of democracy," the Congress leader had said. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a tweet had said, "No one supports anti-national forces. But targeting innocent students using that as an excuse will prove very costly to Modi government".

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said efforts to give "ideological cover" to violence and anti-India activities cannot be allowed.

"The way foul language was used against the Prime Minister a group of students is trying to damage the dignity of an institution like JNU in the name of cultural agitation," he said.

Against the backdrop of claims made by Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley on Ishrat Jahan, Trivedi slammed the JD(U) for joining opposition parties in raising the JNU issue, saying it had termed her as the "daughter of Bihar".

"At a time when Bihar is being criminalised, JD(U) is joining others on the JNU issue...we won't allow any atrocity on students but at the same time we can't let go anti-nationals," he said.

Sharma accusing Congress of doing politics over terrorism and said the recent comment of a top former IB officer had "exposed" the opposition party. "Even in 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai, Congress had alluded to the involvement of RSS," Sharma said.

PTI
Celebrating Indias contribution to LIGOs discovery of Gravitational Waves

India

oi-Shradha

By Shradha

The newest discovery of the existence of gravitational waves by the advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory or LIGO has opened up an unprecedented new window on the study of the Universe and its origin.

With the announcement on the confirmation of Albert Einstein's elusive Gravitational Waves incorporating significant contribution from Indian scientists for over 25 years, observational astronomy has entered a whole new dimension.

India's contribution:

Members of the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS) of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) are part of the LIGO international collaboration and have contributed significantly in this discovery.

Referring to the Black Holes as one of the most remarkable predictions of Einstein's theory, Rajesh Gopakumar, Director of ICTS said: "What amazes me about the LIGO discovery is that it has now opened a completely new window into learning how these mysterious objects behave."

"We can now test aspects of Einstein's theory in extreme regimes which were inaccessible hitherto. I am particularly elated that the ICTS-TIFR group has made brilliant contributions in this direction already."

The Indian participation in the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, under the umbrella of the Indian Initiative in Gravitational-Wave Observations (IndIGO), includes scientists from CMI Chennai, ICTS-TIFR Bangalore, IISER Kolkata, IISER Trivandrum, IIT Gandhinagar, IPR Gandhinagar, IUCAA Pune, RRCAT Indore and TIFR Mumbai.

60 scientists from the above mentioned institutions have contributed in this significant discovery.

[LIGO detects whispering Gravitational Waves Einstein predicted 100 years ago]

LIGO Opens New Window on the Universe :

A major press conference combined with a science event was organised at the new campus of ICTS in Hesaraghatta, Bangalore, where the representatives of ICTS-TIFR and the IndIGO consortium held talks over their achievements and the way forward for the Indian science community.

Sandip Trivedi, Director, TIFR referred to the discovery of the Gravitational Waves as having a huge impact on our understanding of very early Universe, as the Waves comes to the earth without interacting with matter at all in an undiluted way, adding that in some scenarios where the Universe underwent rapid expansion, fundamental strings might have been produced whose decay could give rise to Gravitational waves.

Explaining the fact that the signals of the electromagnetic universe which are detected by the cosmic microwave background cannot really go near the very origin of the Universe, Prof Bala Iyer said that approximately three hundred thousand years after the Big Bang that we have the Electromagnetic signals telling us about the origin of the Universe.

"But before that the only way actually, precisely because gravity is un-attenuated, is by Gravitational Waves and I think this one of the great things that science looks forward to in the future, that we would be able to witness the birth of the Universe" said Prof Bala Iyer.

The grav wave group at ICTS in B`lore and their contribution to the #LIGO detection #LIGOIndia pic.twitter.com/l9py34PgcS  Astronomy outreach (@asipoec) February 12, 2016

Pointing out the fact that so far scientists have been observing the Universe from the different parts of the Electromagnetic spectrum, Parameswaran Ajith, Group leader in Astrophysical Relativity said that only very recently astronomical observations using anything other than light have become possible using cosmic rays , neutrinos etc.

"This is a completely new branch of observational astronomy, which will open up questions and try to answer a large number of questions as well," Ajith said on LIGO's detection of Gravitational Waves that Einstein predicted 100 years ago.

['We can now listen to the stars', claim scientists]

Addressing challenges:

When questioned about the fact that major science projects in India have not received the desired reception, Tarun Souradeep from the IndIGO consortium said India is still not into routine mega science projects, as right from the funding agencies to the agencies of government, there appears no clear cut idea of how to deal with mega sized projects.

However, he mentioned that with a few of them taking off, there will come a solution to the issues surrounding mega projects.

Referring to the LIGO project as a "pretty clean project", Souradeep pointed out that the only concerns associated with it is more sociological, involving rehabilitation as it may disrupt the road network. Hence the site selection is done keeping in mind a place where no none wants to go.

Addressing the gathering, Prof. Bala Iyer called for the need of challenges on Indian soil so that the brilliant minds remain in the country adding that the project of this magnitude has the potential to prevent the brain drain.
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Three-tier security cover for PM Modi's Mumbai visit

India

oi-PTI

Mumbai, Feb 13: A three-tiered security cover have been made with a deployment of 10,000 policemen ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit here on Saturday for the inauguration of the 'Make in India' Week event.

Modi is set to inaugurate the programme at the NSCI Auditorium at Worli in central Mumbai. Later, he is also likely to interact with industry captains like Ratan Tata, Cyrus Mistry, Mukesh Ambani.

Govt, biz leaders from Aus to take part in Make in India Week

"There would be three-tiered security arrangements in view of PM's visit here tomorrow," DCP (Detection) Dhananjay Kulkarni said.

The first tier will have personnel of armed forces, who will guard the venues where the PM will visit, while the middle layer will consist of sleuths in plain and uniformed clothes from both Mumbai police as well as crime branch, police said.

"The third layer of the security will man the outer-most post of the venues and roads and these personnel will especially belong to city's police force," Kulkarni said.

Specialised police personnel from Quick Response Team (QRT), SRPF, Combat Vehicles and snippers will be deployed at specific locations around the venues where the PM will visit, police said.

Over 2,500 international and 8,000 domestic companies will be participating in MIIW, a week-long multi-sectoral industrial event, which will be attended by foreign government delegations from 68 countries and business teams from 72 nations.

The participants at the event also include foreign heads of government and states, prime ministers of Sweden, Finland and Deputy Premier of Poland, besides other Cabinet ministers.

PTI
"Was told implicate former Guj CM, but I refused," says former IB officer

India

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, Feb 13: Rajinder Kumar the former special director of the Intelligence Bureau faced the brunt of the Investigation by the CBI in the Ishrat Jahan case.

Kumar during this conversation gives a clear idea of how the case was being manipulated and says that he has even sought through an RTI application disclosures of the correspondence between the then law ministry and the CBI.

The CBI had chargesheeted Kumar and three other officers in connection with the Ishrat Jahan case. There were stories that were being given out by a few CBI officers which ranged from Kumar creating fake intelligence inputs to also supplying weapons for the encounter.

Kumar says that he was being framed all along. I would not blame the CBI as a whole, but yes there were some officers who had decided to target me as they wanted some benefits, Kumar alleged. Kumar also asks where in the chargesheet of the CBI has it even been mentioned that Ishrat Jahan and others were not terrorists. The CBI chargesheet makes no mention of that.

It all appears to be a conspiracy hatched to defame me and the Intelligence Bureau, he also informed. They wanted me to give a statement implicating the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, but I refused to do so. I was even told that I would be given post retirement benefits, but I did not bite the bait, he also said.

While the CBI has named Kumar in the chargesheet, it failed to get sanction to prosecute him. The agency had written recently to the Ministry of Home Affairs seeking sanction to prosecute Kumar, but it was rejected.

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Story first published: Saturday, February 13, 2016, 9:58 [IST]
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

Baloch nationalists protest in front of White House

International

oi-PTI

Washington, Feb 13: Demanding an end to Pakistan's "forceful" occupation of Balochistan, hundreds of Baloch- Americans and leaders from this restive Pakistani province held a peaceful protest in front of the White House to seek US intervention and deployment of NATO troops in the region.

"At least 35,000 Baloch are missing. There is a grave violation of human rights on the people of Balochistan and all this is being perpetrated by the Pakistan Army and the ISI," said Mama Abdul Qadir Baloch in an interview to PTI yesterday in front of the White House.

Vice president of the Voice for Baloch Missing Person, Qadir Baloch who came from Pakistan to attend this peaceful protest in front of the White House had carried out a 3,000 km long march from Quetta to Islamabad in 2013 against human rights violations in the province.

The White House protest was organised by the Baloch National Movement (BNM) to condemn the cold-blooded murder of its secretary general, Dr Mannan Baloch allegedly by the Pakistani army in Baluchistan.

"We urge US President Barack Obama to ask the Pakistani Government to immediately stop human rights violations against the people of Balochistan.

We also urge US to send NATO forces in Balochistan to save its people from the atrocities perpetrated by the Pakistan Army on us," he said.

Pakistan army murders Baloch political activist leader Dr Manan

Calling for a free and independent Balochistan that can guarantee peace and stability in the region plagued by religious extremism and terrorism perpetrated by the Pakistani army, the peaceful protestors alleged that the military is currently engaged in a bloody campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing of the indigenous population.

"We are asking the US government to intervene and stop military aid to Pakistan as American weapons are used by them for genocide against the Baloch people," Waheed Baloch, former speaker of Balochistan Provincial Assembly said. "Recently they killed three political leaders.

There is a war going in in Balochistan. There are protests in the streets, in the mountains," he said. Dr. Mannan Baloch was assassinated because of his unwavering struggle to end Pakistan's forceful occupation of Baloch lands, deep sea port of Gwadar, resources (natural gas, minerals, copper and gold mines) and brutal human rights violations of civilians, he alleged.

Senge Sering, president of Gilgit-Baltistan Institute, in his address supported the struggle for the independence of Balochistan. He also condemned the brutal murder of the BNM leader Dr. Mannan Baloch.

PTI
Helicopters save skiers trapped on Austrian chairlift

International

oi-PTI

Vienna, Feb 12: Helicopters were scrambled today to rescue dozens of skiers, including children, after they were left dangling in a chairlift high above a lower Austria ski slope, emergency services and officials said.

Around 50 people were left stranded in the alpine ski resort of Mitterbach when the chairlift broke down bringing it to a sudden halt. In addition to police and fire crews, three helicopters were sent to help rescue the trapped skiers who were given harnesses and lowered to the ground, said Franz Resperger of the state fire brigade.

Only 10 people remained stuck in the air two hours after the lift first stopped, said the chairlift operator's spokeswoman, Annegret Zwickl. "Nobody was injured," she added.

AFP
No evidence of ISIS' presence in Bangladesh: Alam

International

oi-PTI

Washington, Feb 13: Bangladesh is determined to deal with terrorists and shares intelligence with countries like India and the US to address the menace, a senior minister has said as he refuted the US intelligence's observation that the Islamic State could expand their presence in the country.

"On the ground, in the investigations that we have carried out, we did not get any evidence of ISIS links as yet," Bangladesh's State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam He dismissed the analysis of the American intelligence community that ISIS could gain ground in Bangladesh by exploiting attempts by the ruling Awami League to undermine the political opposition.

"I do not think, any terrorist or groups would ever gain permanent or semi-permanent ground in Bangladesh," Alam, who is the first foreign leader to meet the new US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon, told PTI.

During their meeting, Alam and Shannon reviewed the strength and breadth of Bangladesh-US relationship. "Our relationship with the United States in the last two years has reached a new height. Both sides agree that we are happy with the level of co-operation with each other," he said after his meetings with State Department officials including Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal.

During his meetings at the State Department, Alam said he raised Bangladeshi government's disappointment on recent statement of James Clapper Director of National Intelligence that the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's continuing efforts to undermine the political opposition in Bangladesh will probably provide openings for transnational terrorist groups to expand their presence in the country.

Alam said that terrorism of Bangladesh in the past during BNP-Jamaat regime flourished under State sponsorship. Investigations into the recent killings of bloggers and two foreigners certainly indicate that those behind these heinous killings had links with Jamaat-e-Islam or were active member of Jamaat-e-Islamic or to some extent were linked with greater alliance between Bangladesh National Party (BNP) and Jamaat.

He said Hasina Government has a "zero tolerance policy" and would continue to pursue that beyond its borders also. "That means supporting and working in tandem with the neighbouring countries and exchange intelligence information with countries like US or India or European countries," he said. "The government is determined to deal with them (terrorists)," he said.

PTI
What does the US actually want in Syria?

Syria rebel ambush this week killed 76 regime forces: monitor

International

oi-PTI

Beirut, Feb 13: An ambush by Syrian rebels on pro-regime forces near Damascus this week killed 76 fighters, a monitor said today, in one of the deadliest attacks of its kind since the conflict began.

Militants from the powerful Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) rebel group opened fire last Sunday on around 240 government forces that were preparing to storm the opposition stronghold of Eastern Ghouta, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Observatory said at the time of the attack, which it described as "the largest ambush of regime forces in the war", that 35 people had died. Director Rami Abdel Rahman today gave a new toll, documenting 45 pro-regime fighters killed by gunfire and another 31 killed when landmines were detonated during the clashes.

At least 100 remain unaccounted for, Abdel Rahman added. Families of those killed or missing -- many of whom hail from the coastal province of Latakia -- are demanding to receive the bodies of their loved ones, he told AFP. Jaish al-Islam is the strongest opposition faction in Eastern Ghouta, a large suburb of Damascus that is regularly bombarded by government forces.

The regime has struggled to take back territory there despite air support from its ally, Russia. More than 260,000 people have been killed and millions have been forced to flee since Syria's war erupted in 2011.

AFP
Trump, Cruz in war of words ahead of South Carolina primary

International

oi-PTI

Columbia (South Carolina), Feb 12: Donald Trump maintained a massive lead over his nearest rival Ted Cruz in the crucial South Carolina Republican primary, according to latest polls, as the war of words between the two presidential hopefuls escalated.

Trump took the Twitter to describe Cruz as a liar, even as latest polls showed that he had a massive lead over all other Republican presidential rivals.

According to an Opinion Savvy poll conducted for The Augusta Chronicle, Morris News and FOX 5 Atlanta, Trump has support of 36 per cent of the Republican primary goers, while 19 per cent support Cruz and 15 per cent back the Florida Senator Marco Rubio.

Cruz had won the Iowa Caucus while Rubio was positioned third. This week's New Hampshire primary was won by Trump with a massive margin, while Governor John Kasich of Ohio came in second, followed by Cruz and the former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.

"Trump carries every age group except for the youngest (18-29) where Rubio nudges Trump out by 7 points," said Matt Towery Sr, a political analyst and pollster. Ever since the campaign has entered South Carolina, the war of words between 69-year-old Trump and Cruz has escalated.

In the last 24 hours, Trump has tweeted five times to drive home the argument that Cruz is not truthful. It started yesterday, when Trump alleged that Cruz is making negative robo-polls.

"We are getting reports from many voters that the Cruz people are back to doing very sleazy and dishonest 'pushpolls' on me. We are watching!" Trump tweeted.

Cruz flatly denied the allegations. "I have no idea. We had nothing to do with them. I don't know what they were. We had nothing to do with them. So I had read reports of what is being said but somebody else is doing them, not us," he said.

"Ted Cruz is the definition of sleaze" a tweet that was retweeted by Trump said.

"Cruz caught cold in lie after denial of push polls...How can he preach Christian values?" the real estate said in another tweet.

This morning Trump again tweeted, saying, "Lying Cruz put out a statement, 'Trump & Rubio are with Obama on gay marriage. Cruz is the worst liar, crazy or very dishonest. Perhaps all 3?" he said. "How can Ted Cruz be an Evangelical Christian when he lies so much and is so dishonest?" he said in another tweet. Trump and Cruz are battling for evangelical voters in the South Carolina primary to be held on February 20.

PTI
JNU row: Protesting is your right not raising anti India slogans, says Rajnath Singh

New Delhi

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, Feb 13: Rajnath Singh, Home Minister of India has held a series of meetings regarding the protest at the JNU in which Afzal Guru and anti India slogans were raised.

There were several eye balls rolling as the first ones to meet with the Home Minister today were Left leaders D Raja and Sitaram Yechury. Many did question Raja being present at the meeting considering his daughter was part of the controversial protest.

JNU row: Yechury meets Rajnath, demands release of arrested student leader

Rajnath during the meeting was firm that the police would do its job and those responsible for raising anti India slogans will be dealt with as per law. We are not planning on targeting any innocents, Singh told the Left leaders while also adding that police would act only against those who are guilty.

While Singh said that protesting is a right, raising anti India slogans is not.

Following this meeting, the Delhi Police Chief, B Bassi held a meeting with the Home Minister. The meeting was aimed at seeking a progress update regarding the ongoing probe.

The police have asked the university to produce before them the students who were raising anti India slogans. Already sedition charges too have been slapped on two persons.

On February 9 a group of students held an event in the JNU campus and shouted slogans against the hanging of Afzal Guru. It has been alleged that during the event several anti India slogans had been raised by the group of students.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Saturday, February 13, 2016, 13:18 [IST]
Delhi air quality projected to cross 301 by Sat; GRAP stage II comes into effect ahead of Diwali

IRCTC update: 140 trains cancelled on October 20; here is the complete list

Partial solar eclipse on Diwali: Can you perform Lakshmi Puja on Oct 25?

PM greets Afghan President 3 months ahead of birthday, Twitter reacts

New Delhi

oi-Shubham

New Delhi, Feb 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is known for his active Twitter activity and he makes it a point to greet important personalities on their birthdays or remember those from past years.

But on Friday, Modi greeted Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on his birthday on Twitter, wishing him a "long life and exceptional health and joyful journey ahead."

@narendramodi Greetings from Munich Mr. PM. Although, my Birthday is on 19th May, but I'd still like to thank you for your gracious words :)  Ashraf Ghani (@ashrafghani) February 12, 2016

@ashrafghani @narendramodi This is what happens when the internet becomes the 'source' of 'information.' Happy b'day in advance though :)  SIDAARRTH SHINDE (@sidaarrthshinde) February 12, 2016

But soon Ghani replied saying his birthday falls on May 19 and not on February 12, leading to fun-filled reaction on the social media. President Ghani, who replied from Munich, nevertheless thanked PM Modi for his wish.

Some said over-reliance on Google could have led to the mistake as Ghani's birth date is shown as February 12 on the search engine.

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INEC has so far declared results of 101 senatorial elections that were conducted across the country on Saturday. The Senate has 109 members and for a party to have the two-thirds majority in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, it must produce 73 senators.

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party has won 35 seats in the Senate, while the Young Progressive Party clinched a seat in Anambra State.

PDP produces three Reps, APC, two in Bayelsa

In Bayelsa State, besides winning a senatorial seat, the APC, in the results announced by INEC, clinched two House of Representatives seats in the Southern Ijaw and Nembe/Brass.

Nembe and Brass constituencies are also part of Goodluck Jonathans senatorial district.

This is the first time the APC is winning the National Assembly elections in the state since 1999.

A breakdown of the results shows that the PDP won three of the House of Representatives seat while the APC clinched two.

The senatorial seat for the Bayelsa East Senatorial District was won by the Degi Wagara, of the APC with 43,303 to beat the PDP candidate, Ipiganai Izagara who pulled 32,363 votes.

The PDP won in the other two senatorial seats in Bayelsa West and the central district. A former Works Commissioner, Ewhrudjakpo Lawrence, who polled 49,912, won the seat in the west district, while Diri Douye, won in the central district with 83, 978 votes.

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Some operatives attached to the Area F Police Command, on Thursday, fired tear gas at some anti-Bola Tinubu protesters in Lagos.

The group, Free Lagos Orange Movement, converged on the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, to launch the O to ge movement aimed at ending the political dynasty of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu.

The police officers, who arrived at the venue in six patrol vehicles and one Black Maria van, blocked the entrance to the hotel for two hours and prevented customers from coming in and going out.

Some of the operatives also blocked the gate leading to the Oranmiyan Hall, the venue of the news conference by the group, preventing the conveners of the movement, including a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olisa Agbakoba; the National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mr Yinka Odumakin; and the spokesman for the Alhaji Atiku Abubakar Campaign Council, Mr Segun Sowunmi, among others, from gaining access to the venue.

Participants, who came for the conference, were stranded at the main gate of the hotel, causing traffic congestion on both sides of the Obafemi Awolowo Way.

Hoodlums, who were allegedly acting on the directive of the senator representing Lagos West, Senator Olamilekan Solomon, stormed the venue and asked the members of the movement to leave the entrance to the hotel immediately.

Although the members refused to heed the directive, their decision to remain at the gate of the hotel led to a confrontation with the hoodlums, which degenerated into a free-for-all, forcing the police officers to use tear gas and gunshots to disperse them.

One of the conveners of the group, Mark Adebayo, while addressing the members, decried the violence that characterised the presidential and National Assembly elections in some parts of the state, especially in Shomolu Local Government Area and Oshodi-Isolo Local Council Development Area, adding that it was time to free the state from bondage and allow the will of the people to prevail.

He said, I want you to challenge the political hegemony that has maltreated and cornered our resources. Are we so stupid and ignorant in Lagos to allow one man to manipulate and maltreat us this way? The clear answer is a resounding no.

So, Lagosians, enough is enough; Lagosians arise and shine, liberate yourselves from the iron grip of one man. Stand up and free yourselves and your future from the captivity of a roguish system of power succession that lacks basic respect for the free choice of leadership.

Also speaking, Agbakoba noted that the movement, which is aimed at dismantling Tinubus stranglehold on Lagos, would not be deterred by the actions of the police.

He said, The Free Lagos Movement is a non-political movement that is aimed at ensuring that we have good governance in Lagos State. We feel that Tinubu has had his time as the emperor of Lagos since 1998, and we are trying to mobilise Lagosians to say no to the continuity of Lagos by Tinubu.

Im not surprised that the police would come and break up the gathering, but it wont deter us as our purpose is to build on the result of the last elections. We hope to keep the momentum and we are backing Jimi Agbaje, because we want something new.

Odumakin, who described the invasion of the gathering by the police as the resurrection of the Sanni Abacha regime in Lagos, urged Lagosians to vote out the APC in the gubernatorial election.

When The Punch contacted,the state Police Public Relations Officer, Chike Oti, he noted that movement did not notify the command about its mission, hence, the police action.

He stated, In view of the incident that happened yesterday (Wednesday) wherein some group of persons, without clearance from the police, decided to embark on a procession, and today again, we got information that a group of people would be gathering at another location.

Since we were not notified of what they wanted to do, which would have enabled us to make adequate preparation and guide them appropriately or work along with them to make the event a success, we decided to disperse everybody to prevent any incident from occurring.

Two sets of people gathered and at a point, they turned it into a riotous event and we had no option but to use a public order instrument to disperse them without any collateral damage.

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Reprinted from Gush Shalom

IT IS not easy to be an Arab in Israel.

It is not easy to be a woman in Arab society.

It is not easy to be an Arab in Israeli politics.

And even less easy to be an Arab woman in the Knesset.

Haneen Zuabi is all these together. Perhaps because of this she wears a perpetual smile -- the smile of somebody who has won, after all.

It can be very annoying, this smile. Annoying and provocative.

These days, Zuabi has achieved something no Arab woman in Israel ever dreamed of: the whole country is talking about her. Not for an hour, nor for a day, but for weeks on end.

The vast majority of Jewish Israelis hate her guts. Zuabi's smile is triumphant.

HANEEN BELONGS to a large Hamula (extended family) that dominates several villages near Nazareth. Two Zuabis were members of the Knesset in its early days -- one was a vassal of the (then) ruling Zionist Labor Party, the other a member of the left-wing Zionist Mapam party. It was he who coined the memorable phrase: "My country is at war with my people!"

Haneen Zuabi is a member of the Balad ("homeland") party, an Arab nationalist party founded by Azmi Bishara, an Israeli-Palestinian intellectual. Bishara was an admirer of Gamal Abd-al-Nasser and his pan-Arab vision. When the Shin-Bet was about to arrest him on some pretext or other, he fled the country, asserting that because of a severe kidney disease, prison would endanger his life.

He left behind a three-man Knesset faction, one of three Arab factions of similar size. All of them were a constant irritation to their Jewish colleagues, so they invented a remedy. A new law was enacted denying Knesset membership to any party that did not gain enough votes for a four-member faction. (A larger minimum could have endangered the Orthodox Jewish party.)

The logic was simple: the three small Arab factions hated each other's guts. One was Communist (with one Jewish member), one Islamist and one nationalist (Balad).

But lo and behold, under threat of annihilation even Arabs can unite. They formed a "Joint List" ("Joint," not "United") and together gained 13 seats -- three more than before. They are now the third largest faction in the Knesset, right after Likud and Labor, an eyesore to many of their colleagues.

THIS IS the background of the latest outrage.

For months now, Israel has been in the throes of a mini-intifada. In the two former intifadas, "terrorists" acted in groups under the orders of organizations, which were easily infiltrated. This time, individuals act alone, or together with cousins who could be trusted, without any prior signs. The Israeli forces (army, police, Shin Bet) have no information whatsoever and are therefore unable to prevent these acts.
Reprinted from The Civil Arab

Dear Beyonce,

I watched your Super Bowl performance last Sunday. I heard your words. I was excited. Ecstatic. Encouraged. I watched pundits on cable news networks talk about how you were "making a statement." Someone even said you were being "unapologetically black." I loved it.

Much to my surprise, however, your contentious performance at our nation's biggest sporting event wouldn't be the most controversial thing you'd do this week.

Yesterday, the Times of Israel reported that you'll be performing in Tel Aviv in August. Twice. At first, I hoped it was a rumor, perhaps some sort of smear directed at you after your Super Bowl saga. Sadly, it's all too real.

So, Beyonce, Bey, habibti, I'm asking you not to do it. Israel doesn't wear a halo. She's a naughty girl. She doesn't even pay her own bills, bills, bills. Actually, we Americans do, to the tune of almost $250 billion over the years. That should make you lose your breath.

I know you're not doing it for the money. You're an independent woman. So I have to ask you:

Beyonce, are you crazy in love with Israel?

Are you crazy in love with a nation that has dispossessed and disenfranchised millions of native Palestinians, illegally settling their land, depriving them of the most basic of political rights, and silencing their narrative?

Are you crazy in love with a nation that has ignored more United Nations Security Council resolutions than any other?

Are you crazy in love with a nation that will let you travel across the world to perform in Tel Aviv, but restricts the movements of millions of Palestinians, through the use of hundreds of checkpoints?

I don't want to get into the murderous wars in Gaza that have killed thousands of civilians, many of them defenseless children. But I will tell you that the almost 2 million Palestinians who live there, under a blockade, less than an hour from Tel Aviv, have no hope of coming to see you. Crazy, right?

Are you crazy in love with a nation that has routinely discriminated against black individuals, destroying blood donated by Ethiopian Jews, injecting their women with contraceptives without their consent, and expelling thousands of African asylum-seekers (whom Israel labeled "infiltrators")?

Are you crazy in love with Israel? Because Angela Davis, Cornel West, and Talib Kweli definitely aren't. And you know who else wasn't? The one and only Nelson Mandela. Do you remember how you performed at a benefit concert organized by him back in 2003? Or how Israel staunchly supported the South African apartheid regime? Or how Israeli leaders skipped his funeral?

Mr. Mandela said a couple things about us:

"We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians."



"My view is that talk of peace remains hollow if Israel continues to occupy Arab lands."

Well, we're still not free. And we're still occupied.
By Dave Lindorff



Activist Alfredo Lopez discusses Sanders and how the left should respond to campaign

(Image by ThisCantBeHappening!) Details DMCA



Dave Lindorff, host of Progressive Radio Network's "This Can't Be Happening!" weekly radio program, talks with long time internet and Latino political activist Alfredo Lopez, about Tuesday night's dramatic New Hampshire Democratic primary blowout win by Bernie Sanders, the independent and self-described democratic socialist junior senator from Vermont, who trounced opponent Hillary Sanders winning 60% of the vote to her 38% showing.

Lindorff and Lopez, both members of the ThisCantBeHappening! news collective, discuss how the left should respond to Sanders' surge in the polls (he's now running neck-and-neck against Clinton nationally), and to the possibility that he could win the Democratic presidential nomination, and even the presidency in November. Sanders, they agree, is something new in modern US national politics -- something not seen the early part of the 20th Century when Eugene Debs was running for president on the Socialist Party ticket. But because he's running as a Democrat, in a Party beholden to the corporatocracy, they speculate about how he can be held, if elected, to his promise of a "political revolution," and to the bold promises he is making.

To hear this conversation, which was recorded on Feb. 10, go to www.thiscantbehappening.net/node/3039
Reprinted from Dispatches From The Edge

Over the past year, left and center-left parties have taken control of two European countries and hold the balance of power in a third. Elections in Greece, Portugal and Spain saw rightwing parties take a beating and tens of millions of voters reject the economic austerity policies of the European Union (EU).

But what can these left parties accomplish? Can they really roll back regressive taxes and restore funding for education, health and social services? Can they bypass austerity programs to jump-start economies weighted down by staggering jobless numbers? Or are they trapped in a game with loaded dice and marked cards?

And, for that matter, who is the left? Socialist and social democratic parties in France and Germany have not lifted a finger to support left led anti-austerity campaigns in Greece, Spain, Ireland, or Portugal, and many of them helped institute -- or went along with -- neoliberal policies they now say they oppose. Established socialist parties all over Europe tend to campaign from the left, but govern from the center.

Last year's electoral earthquakes were triggered not by the traditional socialist parties -- those parties did poorly in Greece, Spain and Portugal -- but by activist left parties, like Syriza in Greece, Podemos in Spain, and the Left Bloc in Portugal.

With the exception of Ireland's Sinn Fein, all of these parties were either birthed by, or became prominent during, the financial meltdown of 2008 that plunged Europe into economic crisis. Podemos came directly out of the massive plaza demonstrations by the "Indignados" [the "Indignant Ones"] in Spain's major cities in 2011.

Syriza and the Left Bloc predated the 2011 uprising, but they were politically marginal until the EU instituted a draconian austerity program that generated massive unemployment, homelessness, poverty, and economic inequality.

Resistance to the austerity policies of the "Troika" -- the European Commission, the European Central bank, and the International Monetary Fund -- vaulted these left parties from the periphery to the center. Syriza became the largest party in Greece and assumed power in 2015. Podemos was the only left party that gained votes in the recent Spanish election, and it holds the balance of power in the formation of a new government. And the Left Bloc, along with the Communist/Green Alliance, has formed a coalition government with Portugal's Socialist Workers Party.

But with success has come headaches.


Marine Le Pen

(Image by Remi Noyon) Details DMCA



Appeared in The Public i, newspaper of the Urbana Champaign Independent Media Center, V. 16, No. 1, January 2016

The Left has done well in some recent elections in Southern Europe in Greece, Portugal, and, most recently, Spain. But not in France. The Socialists, who are now in power, took a terrible beating in the December 2015 regional elections.

The Political Context

There are a number of reasons for this discontent with the status quo. There is very high unemployment, especially among young people. The social democratic Socialist Party has not been able to do much about that. President Hollande is an uninspiring character and there are few politicians in that party who seem to have the stature or the intellectual and political acumen or stature of some of the historical Socialist leaders, such as Jaures, Blum, Mendes-France, or even Mitterrand. There are immigrants and their French-born children, mostly from North Africa, who are relatively poorly educated or trained and suffer the greatest impact of unemployment. Nevertheless, they, as well as the government, have often been blamed for the unemployment of French people with long ancestral roots in the country. And there is "terrorism." Terrorism is not new to France. During the Algerian war in the early 1960s, right-wing terrorists, some of them associated with the French military, used bombings and assassination attempts (including against President De Gaulle) to try to prevent France from recognizing Algeria as an independent country. For several years now, there have been a series of violent attacks against Jewish people stimulated by anti-Zionist and pro-Palestinian sentiments. And, in 2015, there were terrorist attacks against journalists who have been seen as insulting Islam, as well as against public places in response to the French government's role in fighting what it regards as dangerous Islamic extremists in Mali, Iraq, and Syria.

Economic, racial, and religious-based resentment against immigrants and their children and increasingly deadly terrorism have proved to be fertile ground for the far-right party called the National Front (Front National). The Front has its roots in a long history of French pro-monarchy, fascist, anti-Semitic, and racist movements. The Front's historical predecessor was the Action Francaise (French Action) which, after it was banned, "relegalized" itself by changing its name to Amitie Francaise (French Friendship). This organization was fiercely anti-republican. It was a strong supporter of the Catholic Church and resented the secularism of French republicanism. Its members collaborated with the Nazi occupation of northern France, and with the puppet French Vichy government in the southern half of France. It supported Franco's fascist-monarchical side in the Spanish Civil War of the late 1930s.

The National Front Seizes the Advantage

A good part of the reason that the French Left is in such tatters is the political astuteness of the Le Pen family and their followers. Papa Jean-Marie Le Pen, who is now in his mid-eighties, was affiliated with the Action Francaise when he was a law student in Paris. After that he enlisted in the French Foreign Legion. After the "fall" of Vietnam from French control in the 1950s, he was elected to the National Assembly as a member of the Poujadist party, a populist right-wing group based largely on small shopkeeper and rural support. During the Algerian war for independence from France in the early 1960s, he served as an intelligence officer in the military. He has been accused of torturing captured Algerian independence fighters, a charge he denies.

In 1972, he, along with collaborationists during the Nazi occupation and the Vichy government, former right-wing terrorists who tried to keep Algeria under French control, former members of Amitie Francaise, and other rightists, formed the Front National. It was openly anti-Semitic and anti-Arab, except for the Algerians who had collaborated with the French to prevent Algerian independence. Le Pen was a constant Front candidate for the presidency, running in 1974, 1988, 1995, 2002, and 2007.

He did not have much success until 2002, when he made it to the second round of the presidential elections. Prior to that he had won election to the French National Assembly, to the European Parliament, and to a number of local government positions.

In 2011, Jean-Marie, then 83, left his position of chair of the Front, becoming honorary chair. His place as real chair was taken by his daughter, Marine Le Pen. She, too, had graduated in law from the University of Paris. She is an extremely gifted orator and has tried to give, at least outwardly, a softer veneer to the Front. This brought her into conflict with her father, who continued to spout anti-Semitic in statements, including belittling the significance of the Holocaust. He was convicted in court for some of his remarks. In August 2015, she engineered the expulsion of her father from the Front. The next month he formed his own political group. But the Front still has two Le Pens who serve on its Executive Board and run for office, Jean-Marie's granddaughter and Marine's niece, Marion Marchal-Le Pen. Marion is the youngest member of the French National Assembly, and the Front's shining star, second only to Marine.

I contended that Marine tried to give a "veneer" to the party, because it is doubtful that its members have actually shed their anti-Semitism. But it does not play well if the Front is seriously interested in capturing the French presidency. Moreover, because of the context discussed above, she and her movement had enough ammunition without using open anti-Semitism, which many in France and abroad would find unacceptable. Indeed, after already pushing both the Socialists and the opposition center-right Republican Party (led by former president Sarkozy) further to the right, the Front scored a stunning success in the first of the two rounds of the December 2015 regional elections. They won in two regions, Pas-de Calais-Picardy, Marine Le Pen's region, and Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, niece Marion's region. They got 40% of the vote in those two regions, and a national average of 27.7%. The Front pulled a significant number of votes from people who had previously voted for the Left. Pas de Calais in northwestern France is where many former voters on the left are unemployed and where thousands of Middle Eastern and African immigrants are amassed in the port city of Calais hoping to make their way to England. The Front's anti-immigration and anti-Islamic stands resonated there. So did the Front's casting of European Union structures and the open borders as undemocratic and destructive of French national sovereignty and France's ability to control its borders, a casting that is more rational and has wider appeal than its racist xenophobia, although in real life they can converge in the minds of voters.

The Socialists helped prevent a Front victory in those two districts by a unilateral sacrifice. They had proposed to the Republicans that they each withdraw where they were weakest and throw their support to the other. When Sarkozy's Republicans refused, the Socialist candidates (with one exception) nevertheless withdrew. Even without this, the Front might have lost those two regions because some people who had not voted in the first round voted in the second, and others who cast votes for the Front in the first round might have engaged in a protest vote and then changed their vote in the second.

But Marine will be back in 2017 in a campaign for the French presidency. If the very unpopular former President Sarkozy insists on running as the Republican candidate and gets the backing of the party, she stands a far better chance of winning the presidency than her father had in 2002. If she does win, France could resemble xenophobic, ultranationalist Hungary. Given growing anti-immigrant and ultranationalist sentiments in some of the other Western European countries, including Germany, that could help stimulate a drastically negative change in the face of Europe as a whole.

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As Bernie Sanders often says, "let's be perfectly clear:" The Affordable Care Act is an inadvertent attempt to delay the demise of the private health insurance industry. It is nothing but a fool's errand if it is meant to be a solution to the problem of national healthcare.

Wake up America! The actual premium for private health insurance for a 45-64 year old with multiple pre existing illnesses may run to thousands of dollars per month and many thousands for family coverage. Just think of the irony, Republicans and Hillary Clinton both telling their supporters that the solution is to defray this enormous burden to the backs of manufacturers and small business owners! Without these companies providing outrageously high cost group insurance, none but the very healthiest or wealthiest of us could possibly afford medical insurance at all.

Please wake up. The money for our presently outrageously inflated medical costs is paid for by lowering working wages! It is covered by letting productive employees go, by not even hiring those 45-60 year olds. It is covered by higher costs for manufactured products, adding as much as 1500-2,000 dollars to the price of an automobile.

The present archaic and unmanageable health insurance model, as Hillary proudly admits, is a holdover from World War Two. IT IS OBSOLETE! Without huge government bailouts, the system will lead to the inevitable demise of the health insurance industry. As I have written so many times before, it is the same model as that of homeowners insurance. Not even the largest homeowners insurance companies can afford to cover their unfunded liability, that is their projected losses in case of a widespread disaster. They can't even afford the huge cost of "reinsurance," that is paying another larger insurance company premiums to cover their losses. Instead, the federal and state governments become their reinsurance guarantors, while the homeowners insurance companies are held to only a small portion of their actual responsibility.

Notice to Republicans and to Hillary Clinton: The health insurance industry fully expects the same handouts! It's known as "CORPORATE WELFARE!" It is the "chicken soup" designed to temporarily ward off the demise of a failing aspect of the insurance industry. Sorry Folks! Just like homeowners insurance, if the government is to be the "deep pocket" for medical insurance, then they must own it! No more "CORPORATE WELFARE!"

It is my hope that readers can visualize a scenario in which decreasing corporate welfare and providing a competently and honestly managed single payer health insurance system can actually decrease the number of individuals on welfare. As a practicing physician for thirty four years, I can assure you that a substantial number of "disabled" Americans are on the welfare rolls for the healthcare insurance, not for the token paltry sum they receive in their welfare check. If everyone were afforded equal health care, many of these people would be employed and paying taxes. Easing the unfair burden of healthcare insurance from the backs of U.S. manufacturers and small businesses needs to go hand in hand with raising wages and keeping prices down. Ironically, if the Insurance companies are paid by the government to efficiently manage a single payer system, to expertly negotiate prices for services and goods, then they may be able to save their industry as well. If the federal and state governments finally take the time and effort to work with healthcare professionals, including physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, various therapists and Hospice to finally establish here-to-fore non existent healthcare standards, then, with the help of, as opposed to the interference by, insurance companies, we may actually achieve the goal of an "affordable healthcare act."

I for one am tired of trying to explain to politicians exactly why we need an honest single payer healthcare system. I am also tired of explaining why the private insurance companies must be tabbed to run the system. It is not that I trust corporations more than I trust the government bureaucracy. I believe that they are equally well trained. However, bureaucrats are under the thumb of Congress which, since the Citizen's United decision, is basically immune from prosecution for taking unlimited bribes. At least the insurance corporations can be prosecuted if they are caught taking the same bribes from the same lobbies that are currently so generously paying off congressmen, congresswomen and Supreme Court Justices with equal impunity. What I am really tired of is explaining the ideas in this article to politicians who point to their mouths and ask, innocently, "Sir, is this my front end or my rear end?"

Al Finkelstein, D.O.
See original here

"Free universal health care, free university, free day care, taxing and policing hedge fund millionaires--have already happened in nearly every other industrialized country in the world! And I have the evidence--and the film--to prove it!"





Filmmaker Michael Moore on Friday is launching the national release of his new documentary Where to Invade Next, which is said to be both his happiest and "most subversive" movie yet.

In the film, Moore travels to countries throughout Europe and also Tunisia to "pry loose from them the tools they've been using to make their countries happy, shiny places," he writes, with the goal of "show[ing] millions of Americans what these countries have been hiding from us." Such tools range from eight weeks paid vacation in Italy, to a year of paid maternity leave in Scandinavia, to women with "true equality and power" in Tunisia, to trusting prisons in Norway.

Moore, who is known for such works as Bowling for Columbine and Capitalism: A Love Story, penned an open letter to supporters last week explaining how a recent bout of pneumonia and subsequent hospital stay forced him to cancel all television appearances promoting the film.

"I have to be honest," Moore writes. "I'm now worried about my film's release. I can't fly, I have to recover, and [on February 12th] this great movie I've put so much of my life into is going to open in theaters -- with little or no assistance from me."

Then, in a direct appeal to his fans, Moore then calls for a "cobbled-together 'army' of grassroots foot soldiers" to help spread the word about the new movie, which he says "will inspire people to think about things in a different way."

He continues:

"Last week, laying in the hospital, I watched one Presidential candidate attack the candidate from Vermont for his ideas being 'unrealistic,' 'pie in the sky,' and 'ideas that sound good on paper, but aren't going to happen.' The truth is, all these great 'ideas' -- free universal health care, free university, free day care, taxing and policing hedge fund millionaires -- have already happened in nearly every other industrialized country in the world! And I have the evidence -- and the film -- to prove it!"

"You are going to be seriously f***ed up by this film," Moore adds. "It's unlike anything I've ever done."

Intercept columnist Jon Schwarz, who previously worked with Moore, argues that Where to Invade Next is the filmmaker's "most subversive movie" yet.

"On its surface, Where to Invade Next seems to be a cheerful travelogue as Moore enjoys an extended vacation, 'invading' a passel of European countries plus Tunisia to steal their best ideas and bring them back home to America," Schwarz writes .

But, he adds, by the end of the film, "after seeing working-class Italians with two months paid vacation, Finnish schools with no homework and the world's best test scores, Slovenians going to college for free, and women seizing unprecedented power in Tunisia and Iceland -- you may realize that the entire movie is about how other countries have dismantled the prisons in which Americans live: prison-like schools and workplaces, debtor's prisons in order to pay for college, prisons of social roles for women, and the mental prison of refusing to face our own history."

Schwarz continues:

"You'll also perceive clearly why we've built these prisons. It's because the core ideology of the United States isn't capitalism, or American exceptionalism, but something even deeper: People are bad. People are so bad that they have to be constantly controlled and threatened with punishment, and if they get a moment of freedom they'll go crazy and ruin everything. "The secret message of Where to Invade Next is that America's had it wrong all along about human beings. You and I aren't bad. All the people around us aren't bad. It's okay to get high, or get sick, or for teenagers to spend every waking moment trying to figure out how to bonk each other. If regular people get control over their own lives, they'll use it wisely rather than burning the country down in a festival of mindless debauchery."

Tickets and showtime information are available here. Watch the film's preview below.
NOTE TO READERS: This is the follow-up to my previous, provocative piece "Can't Hillary Haters All Just Get Along?" While I've written this essay--in light of its possible historical importance--to work well as a standalone piece, I encourage readers to at least skim my previous article so as to better catch my drift in this urgent call to leftist unity based on relentless repudiation of Hillary Clinton.



History Speaks--Emphatically!

This is NOT a normal election cycle--and anyone who describes it using the shopworn rhetoric of "business as usual" is almost certainly either living in a cave or acting as a corrupt tool of the "toxic Establishment." When a seeming dynastic shoo-in like Jeb Bush is a now hopeless also-ran , or when a small-state, self-proclaimed socialist like Bernie Sanders just humiliated globally connected dynast Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire primary, something unprecedented is clearly going on. Indeed, it's evident that the electoral insurgencies of Democrat Bernie Sanders and the Republican Donald Trump, when combined, represent a solid majority revolt of Americans against today's "taxation without representation" by both major parties, and (apart from the insane climate change denial and xenophobia of Trump supporters) it makes a strategic alliance of Sanders and Trump supporters possibly worth considering.

(Read Sam Husseini's interesting article on that prospective strategic alliance; for the compelling reasons stated parenthetically in the previous sentence, I disagree with Husseini's assessment, but as a flexible strategist hell-bent on consigning the toxic Establishment to the dustbin of history, I can't rule out anything.)

But my point, for now, is not to endorse any potential alliance with Trump supporters (very likely a desperation move), but to suggest how we can best exploit the considerable revival of energy and increasing, convergence of opinion on the political Left--a convergence of opinion I, as a pragmatic leftist, find cause for rejoicing. Whether leftists burn incense to Bernie Sanders is a matter of personal taste (or conscience) but, given the crisis of legitimacy Bernie's creating for today's sold-out Democrats (see here , here , and here ), leftists should all be burning frankincense to the Zeitgeist .

CounterPunch as Revolutionary Barometer

As a left-wing activist seeking "news I can use," I read a lot of the alternative-media Left. My singling out CounterPunch (CP) as a "revolutionary barometer" is not intended to demean any other source I read or publish in. Rather, it's because CounterPunch represents a special sort of attitude: a perennial skepticism (what I've elsewhere called a "hermeneutic of suspicion" ) toward anything that goes down in our two major parties, combined with an abiding interest in (and virtual reverence toward) revolution against our corrupt political system. In so describing these prevailing CP attitudes, the last thing I intend is to caricature or demean them; they're in fact attitudes I deeply share. If an insurgency within one or both of our major parties can pass the severe CP sniff test, I consider that compelling evidence of an opportunity leftists should take seriously and work to exploit.

Recently, countless CP articles have exhibited, at minimum, acknowledgement of (and in one case, considerable malicious glee at) the havoc Bernie's wreaking in the Democratic Party. To avoid sacrificing narrative flow to documentation, I'll list a sampling of these CP articles, by category, in an appendix. In giving a representative sampling, I hope not to misrepresent any CP writer; if I do, I'm easy enough to contact and castigate. Rather, I just wish to cite the recent musings of rather hard-boiled CP skeptics as corroborative evidence that the Sanders campaign has created issues of legitimacy for Democrats that leftists should unite to pounce on and exploit. The plan of exploitation I'll suggest is purely my own--or rather "ours," since I write as Revolt Against Plutocracy 's (RAP's) co-founder and representative. But since the CP-style Left plays a considerable role in RAP's scheme against Democrats' lesser-evilism, I wish to convince fellow leftist writers how logically that scheme derives from their own views.

To launch my narrative, I'll cite three articles, two from CounterPunch and one not, to provide an interpretive framework for the CP pieces I cite in my appendix. These three articles, an Esquire piece by Charles Pierce and CP pieces by Vincent Emanuele and Brian Foley , provide compelling evidence that history has caught up with Democrats.

Pierce does so by citing a current of "subversive counter-establishment energy" in the Democratic Party, starting with Jesse Jackson's presidential runs, "that refused to be quelled" and that "people ignore " at their peril." Emanuele and Foley, in timely assaults on a once-sacred cow, explode the intellectual nullity of identity politics, the ideological fig leaf Democrats have long used (most effectively in the case of Barack Obama) to cover their abandonment of the New Deal and Great Society and embrace of lackey service to well-heeled banks, fossil fuel interests, and the military-industrial-surveillance complex.

Pierce's piece is probably the weakest of the three and could be vastly improved by citing nonelectoral, non-Democratic movements like Occupy, Black Lives Matter, Fight for 15, and the climate justice movement as additional instances of "subversive counter-establishment energy" that "refused to be quelled." But, consciously or unconsciously, Pierce has identified probably the most important historical trend of our times: an enduring--and strengthening--undercurrent of repeatedly frustrated populism that, though temporarily suppressed, only reappears with multiplied force a little farther down the timeline. Pierce's trend line, enhanced by my nonelectoral examples, is probably best explained by poet Langston Hughes' deeply insightful reflection (in his classic poem "Harlem" ) on what happens to "a dream deferred": it explodes. What I argue here is that the populist dream has been deferred to such a point that it has exploded--to the point that a little-known, small-state, self-proclaimed socialist, Bernie Sanders, has a far-greater-than-zero chance of becoming U.S. president.

To the credit of CounterPunch writers (my chosen barometer of where we stand), they've overcome all potential ideological blinders--based on well-deserved suspicions of both Sanders and Democrats--to grasp the potentially historic reality of that prospect.

Calling All Leftists--to Stiffen Sandernistas' Spines

If I use the term "Sandernistas"--rather than, say, "Berniacs"--to denote the majority of Sanders supporters, that's a conscious hat tip to CounterPunch chief editor Jeffrey St. Clair, who (after the passing of his CounterPunch co-founder Alexander Cockburn ), has successfully maintained the editorial flavor I consider unique to CounterPunch. To St. Clair's great credit, he has had sufficient journalistic horse-sense to resist potential impulses to ideological purity and allow a genuine, wide-ranging debate about the potentially historic candidacy of Bernie Sanders. To the best of my knowledge, St. Clair coined the term "Sandernista," which he intended as pejorative--and so do I.

Sandernistas reflect the genuine tension among Sanders supporters: between the minority who believe in political revolution and the majority who do not-- at least not yet. Revolt Against Plutocracy is currently a minority movement among Sanders supporters and, like the majority of writers at CounterPunch, is ultimately more loyal to political revolution than to Bernie Sanders himself. But perhaps unlike most CP writers, we acknowledge an eternal debt of gratitude to Bernie Sanders, who sacrificed his respectable status as a political independent to accept the degradation of running as a Democrat--all for the sake of reaching the largest possible political audience. CP writer William Kaufman captures this splendidly in his insightful portrayal of "the Sanders paradox."

Probably Bernie's motives are not so pure, or we'd characterize Bernie's acceptance of degradation by running in the Democratic Party as a "Christlike" sacrifice. But what strikes RAP most clearly (however Bernie and most of his supporters characterize matters) is that independent Bernie running as a Democrat is, in de facto terms, acceptance of self-degradation for the common good. And exactly like fellow Jew Jesus, Bernie has been thoroughly dishonored as a prophet in his chosen "own country" --today's Democratic Party. Consider, for example, the response of elite Democratic politicians (today's Pharisees?) to Bernie: a piddling TWO endorsements from Democratic Congresspersons and governors--compared to the hundreds of endorsements for Hillary. And never is this "dishonored prophet" parallel more forceful than when considering how much Bernie--far from being a radical socialist-- incarnates Democrats' core New Deal philosophy.

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Rubio: "Donald Trump has zero foreign policy experience. Negotiating a hotel deal in another country is not foreign policy experience."

The truth of Rubio's brag is that he is the robot of the neoconservative Israel lobby. His biggest backer when he ran for Senate five years ago was Norman Braman, a Florida billionaire who accompanied Rubio on the politician's first trip to Israel days after the election.

Notwithstanding his poor work in New Hampshire, Rubio is still credible today because he has neocon godfather Bill Kristol's backing and still hopes to win the Sheldon Adelson Primary: getting the millions of dollars in support that Sheldon Adelson can provide. Adelson has said, "There's no such thing as a Palestinian"; Rubio has said it's impossible to have a Palestinian state. Adelson has called on President Obama to nuke Iran, not negotiate. Rubio has said that he would tear up the Iran deal on day one of his presidency. Talk about scripted!

A real discussion of Rubio's fall ought to entail some meditation of that rise. Why was a man of such limited political seasoning heralded as a plausible establishment presidential candidate? One reason only, because Rubio had the support of the rightwing Israel lobby. Sadly, Donald Trump is more likely to talk about this important factor than the media. He warned weeks ago that Rubio was about to become Sheldon Adelson's "perfect little puppet." And last week an Adelson paper endorsed Rubio for president.

It's an old pattern. The lobby seeks out young rising talents -- or to use Will Rogers' definition of a politician, the best looking man money can buy -- and helps make their careers. Bill Kristol once bragged at AIPAC about the grooming of Senator/Vice President Dan Quayle. Early on, Hart Hasten, a Holocaust survivor and Indianapolis businessman, cultivated Quayle, "spent a lot of time" with him as a congressman, and shaped Quayle's view of Israel. As Quayle rose, Kristol himself took over the grooming, becoming Quayle's chief of staff.

Kristol also pushed the career of Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, 38. Cotton spent just one term in the House before leaping to the Senate in 2014 with a $1 million campaign donation from the Emergency Committee for Israel, Kristol's organization. Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin hailed Cotton, saying that with Joe Lieberman leaving the Senate, "hawks" had fewer lawmakers "devoted to national security." Just what Rubio has devoted himself to.

Cotton was in office only a few weeks last year when he took up the battle against the Iran deal, writing the notorious letter to the ayatollahs (signed by the 47 traitors) saying that the president had limited authority to cut a deal.

Of course, the neoconservative Israel lobby failed to kill the Iran deal last year, and even if Marco Rubio becomes president, he won't be able to kill the deal in 2017. But the rightwing lobby remains a potent force inside the Republican Party because of money.

Last night on Hardball, Margaret Carlson of Bloomberg News said that Chris Christie had been called by party leaders to pull in his horns on Marco Rubio. He'd gone too far against "a rising star," Christie was told. Carlson is surely referring to rightwing supporters of Israel who can raise a lot of money for New Jersey politicians. New Jersey Senators Robert Menendez and Cory Booker are both ardent Israel backers. Menendez was one of four Democrats to oppose the Iran deal, and Booker had to apologize a lot when he supported it. At least Hillary Clinton runs against the Koch Brothers and the gun lobby. No one calls out the Israel lobby.

I'm betting that Rubio will hang around. That in spite of his miserable turn in New Hampshire, his candidacy will be revived. He's just too useful to the rightwing lobby.

Thanks to Adam Horowitz


The Black Congressional Caucus did NOT endorse Hillary Clinton.



The message the mainstream media sent with its huge coverage of the Congressional Black Caucus PAC endorsement amounts to a big scam and media malpractice serving Hillary Clinton. The truth is, the PAC is a rats nest that gave $11,000 in donations out of over $425K spent in the 2016 cycle.





It gets even worse. The big deal that the mainstream media made yesterday was over an endorsement by a PAC, you know, the kind of operation that Bernie Sanders refuses to accept funds from. It's the Congressional Black Caucus political action committee that backed Hillary Clinton, a PAC loaded with lobbyists, including according to Democracy Now

"...lobbyists who comprise its board, including those who work for Purdue Pharma, the makers of highly addictive opioid OxyContin, and others who represent Philip Morris and Wal-Mart, the largest gun distributor in America."

Hillary Clinton's Congressional Black Caucus PAC Endorsement Approved by Board Awash in Lobbyists: "Ben Branch, the executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, told The Intercept that his group made the decision after a vote from its 20-member board. The board includes 11 lobbyists, seven elected officials, and two officials who work for the PAC. Branch confirmed that the lobbyists were involved in the endorsement, but would not go into detail about the process. Members of the CBC PAC board include Daron Watts, a lobbyist for Purdue Pharma, the maker of the highly addictive opioid OxyContin; Mike Mckay and Chaka Burgess, both lobbyists for Navient, the student loan giant that was spun off of Sallie Mae; former Rep. Albert Wynn, D-Md., a lobbyist who represents a range of clients, including work last year on behalf of Lorillard Tobacco, the maker of Newport cigarettes; and William A. Kirk, who lobbies for a cigar industry trade group on a range of tobacco regulations." The intercept reports, in its article,

This is a PAC which OpenSecrets reports as donating a huge $11,000 in the last year to candidates-- a piddling nothing in the world of PACS. But there is value and influence in the name of the PAC.

A further look at OpenSecrets data on the CBC PAC should raise your eyebrows even higher. Spending on actual candidates amounted to a tiny fraction of the spending by the PAC. That $11,000 was less than ten percent of over $140,000 in spending accounted for. If this PAC was a charity it would be a huge scam. But there's more. OpenSecrets reports that $428,013 was spent in the 2016 cycle. But the stats mentioned above don't cover the full amount, being short by almost $300,000. PACS can keep secrets. I don't see where Open Secrets shows where all that money came from, outside of the handful of donations over $200, with a big chunk coming from... surprise... a long term Hillary insider.

OpenSecrets-- the website that reveals sources of funding, donors, spending, showed the biggest individual donors to the CBC PAC and lo and behold, the biggest donor is Podesta Group. John Podesta is the Chairman of the Hillary Clinton campaign. The biggest donor, Ian Reid LLC, starts off its self description: "Ian Reid LLC provides consultancy services for automotive, banking and financial services..."



donors to CBC PAC

(Image by OpenSecrets) Details DMCA





One member of the actual Congressional Black Caucus, Keith Ellison, made it clear that he had not been consulted at all. That's because this was not a CBC endorsement. He tweeted:

RT @keithellison: Cong'l Black Caucus (CBC) has NOT endorsed in presidential. Separate CBCPAC endorsed withOUT input from CBC membership, i at  Bens The Best (@bens_the_best) February 12, 2016



and Ellison also tweeted:

RT @keithellison: The point it that endorsements should be the product of a fair open process. Didn't happen. https://t.co/SRdFkTup3C at https://t.co/SRdFkTup3C  E.Moore (@mnemosynesonnet) February 12, 2016



"notes it is important to understand 'what this endorsement meant' and adds, 'Our politics has been corrupted by the money. That's why our policies are so bizarre.'" Democracy Now also had a guest, leading progressive economist Jeffrey Sachs on to comment on the endorsement, who

Member of the Congressional Black Caucus Barbara Lee declined to endorse, and said, "I want to make it clear, there's a clear distinction between the Congressional Black Caucus and the congressional black caucus PAC."







Rep. Gregory Meeks is head of the CBC PAC. He said, ""We are not from the establishment, we are from the streets," but here's some profile information on Meeks from OpenSecrets

Top five donors: New Democrat Coalition (Current version of right wing democrats, that replaced the DLC)

NASDAQ OMX Group

AES Corp

FedEx Corp

Goldman Sachs

Open Secrets also listed the top industries donating to Meeks, in order of amount donated: Securities and Investment,

Insurance,

Commercial Banks,

Accountants,

Real Estate

You can decide if Meeks is establishment or not.

I was disappointed by this endorsement when it first came out. Now that I've seen the numbers and it's sunken in how badly the mainstream media failed intentionally ignored the real story, as I've laid it out, I am further outraged by the biased, scamming approach ALL the mainstream media have perpetrated with this latest Hillary sell job.

If I've missed something and you can dig up corporate and non-individual donors to the PAC, please add it in the comments.
Reprinted from Campaign For America's Future

Thursday night's Democratic debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin once more featured strong performances from both candidates, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Each consolidated the support of his or her followers. Neither suffered a blow that would damage their prospects. And in contrast to the Republican slugfests, the debate was far more substantive and informed.

Each candidate displayed the strengths that brought them here. Sanders was gruff, impassioned and clear. He hammered his message forcefully and clearly. Clinton was skilled and well briefed, adding sharp details to appeal to her audience. She is far more skilled in wielding the stiletto than Sanders, who is both less interested and clearly less comfortable in doing so. He indicts an "establishment politics and economics" of which she is a part; she effectively throws elbows and darts and, as Sanders complained, a "low blow" or two to bloody her opponent.

South Carolina and Nevada

With the Nevada caucuses and South Carolina primary looming, the candidates and the questions turned to the concerns of their far more diverse voting populations. Both adjusted their message to appeal to them in characteristic ways.

Sanders is the hedgehog; he knows one big thing. He forcefully presents the calamity of a corrupted politics and rigged economy. Last night, he elevated criminal justice reform and immigration reform in his message. Yet his most insightful moment was when he noted how the financial collapse brought on by Wall Street's excesses hit African Americans and Latinos the hardest, wiping out the dreams and much of the wealth of these communities.

Clinton is the fox; she knows many things. Her refurbished message going forward is that she will fight to knock down "all the barriers" that limit people -- from racism, to sexism, to xenophobia, etc. She concluded, somewhat disingenuously, that she is not a "single-issue candidate and America is not a single-issue country." This rings of a sound bite cooked up by a too clever by half campaign operative. The implication -- that Sanders indictment of a corrupted politics and rigged economy -- is a "single issue" is risible.

Obama, Obama, Obama

President Obama is immensely popular among Democrats. He is particularly popular among African-American voters in South Carolina who will constitute a majority of the electorate in the Democratic primary. He has served with grace and dignity in the White House, even in the face of extreme obstruction and insult from Republicans.

Yet, we have a country still struggling to recover from what Joseph Stiglitz now calls a long depression. Two thirds of the country think we're on the wrong track. Voters are desperate for fundamental change, and increasingly get that the deck is stacked against them. The Democratic nominee must be a voice of change, not of continuity. So Sanders and Clinton have to decide how to navigate that.

Clinton's response last night was to wrap herself around Obama and hug as tightly as possible. She praised him regularly. She invoked him to defend her super PAC and big-money fundraising (It was Obama's super PAC that decided to support her.) She waited to the final moment of the debate and then savaged Sanders for criticizing Obama.

This is a strategy clearly designed for the primaries. The Clintons know from experience that voters have short memories. If she gets the nomination, Clinton will reset her rhetoric to make herself the champion of change. But for now, she's happy to present herself as Obama's heir apparent.

Sanders also praises Obama regularly. But he clearly is challenging business as usual in Washington, and that includes Obama. He embraces Obama on foreign policy rather than mapping out an independent position there. He would like voters to know that he respects the president, even as he summons a political revolution to change the country. He is inescapably an agent of big change. We will see how that plays.

Domestic Policy: We're All Democrats Now

Both Sanders and Clinton want a more activist government that raises more taxes and spends more money. Bill Clinton's "era of big government is over" is over. For those of us old enough to have fought the wars with the New Dems, it is a delight to see Democrats arguing about who has the best plan to enhance Social Security benefits; make college tuition-free; provide paid family leave; move to universal, affordable health care. Sanders has driven this debate, and keeps winning more and more ground.

Clinton once more lacerated Sanders' pledge of moving to "Medicare for all." Polls show that it is possible to scare voters who have health care about losing what they have, and she's intent on doing just that. Sanders must do a better job of arraying the experts and the facts for his case. Clinton's contrast of Medicare for all vs. our current system based on "the insurance system, based on exchanges, based on a subsidy system" had to make her advisors wince. That is a good introduction to why Medicare for all would save people money.
Reprinted from Sputnik



Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

(Image by U.S. Department of State, Channel: statevideo) Details DMCA



The Syrian charade now proceeds under a vague "cessation of hostilities" -- which is not a ceasefire -- to be implemented within a week. Further on down the road, as this is the real world, "hostilities" will inevitably resume.

As Lavrov stressed multiple times, "we made proposals on implementing a ceasefire, quite specific ones." And yet Washington and the Saudi-Turkish combo relented. A frightened, cornered House of Saud -- with its remote-controlled "moderate rebel" gaggle being routed on the ground -- even started spinning the ludicrous notion of sending ground troops, a.k.a., a bunch of mercenaries, to "help the US effort" against Daesh (ISIS/ISIL/IS).

The monkey business reached such a level of un-sustainability that Russian premier Dmitry Medvedev felt compelled to tell an interviewer from Germany's Handelsblatt, "The Americans and our [Arab] partners must think hard about this: Do they want a permanent war?"

Sultan Erdogan and the House of Saud certainly do -- because their Syrian regime change dreams are in tatters. But the lame duck Obama administration's case is way more complicated.



True to its trademark, clueless foreign policy mode, there's not much left for Team Obama except spinning.

The proverbial unnamed "US officials" spin on overdrive on Western corporate media that this postponed "cessation of hostilities" is a Russian trap -- as Washington wanted an immediate ceasefire (no wonder; CIA remote-controlled "moderate rebels" are also being routed.) European and Arab vassals spin that Damascus and Moscow are "torpedoeing the peace efforts."

And yet Kerry caved in -- to realism, actually. Lavrov must have made it very clear the two non-negotiables for Russia; win the Battle of Aleppo, still in progress, and seal the Syria/Turkey border against any manifestation of the Jihadi Highway, "moderate" or otherwise.

Do the Munich Spin

There's a nifty historical echo about the war in Syria being negotiated in parallel to the Munich Security Conference -- traditionally dedicated to global security. But the most pressing question is whether this new Munich Pact will actually hold.

What's certain is that Daesh (ISIS/ISIL/IS) and al-Nusra Front, a.k.a, al-Qaeda in Syria, will keep being targeted by both Russians and Americans even after the "cessation of hostilities."

The "4+1" coalition -- Russia, Syria, Iran, Iraq, plus Hezbollah -- will also keep targeting every outfit remotely connected with Jabhat al-Nusra (and they are legion).

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) will for its part intensify its attacks against Daesh (ISIS/ISIL/IS). Call it the "all roads lead to Raqqa" syndrome. As soon as the Syria/Turkey border is sealed -- with crucial input by the YPG Kurds -- the march to Raqqa will be inevitable.

This is the ground scenario for the next few days. So no wonder the Saudi-Turkish combo is absolutely desperate; if they as much as try to support their "moderate rebels" with their aerial assets, they will be reduced to ashes by the Russian Air Force.



Enter extra Exceptionalistan spin, according to which NATO is "exploring the possibility" of joining the US-led from behind coalition against Daesh (ISIS/ISIL/IS).

This is nonsense; the Pentagon is already implicated. Major powers at NATO such as France and Germany want to extricate themselves from a Syrian crisis, not to get into a ground war. The whole charade amounts to Turkey's Sultan Erdogan desperately trying, over and over again, to get NATO into the fray, even if it that takes a lethal provocation of Russia; after all his dream -- now in tatters -- of creating a "safe zone" on the Turkey/Syria border refuses to die.

That Hostile Sultan

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Two Portland glass companies that use hexavalent chromium, a carcinogenic metal made famous by a Julia Roberts movie, have agreed to stop at the request of Oregon environmental regulators.

But while one agreed to a state plea to stop using all chromium compounds in its stained glass manufacturing, the other refused. Bullseye Glass Co. in Southeast Portland told the state it will continue using another type, trivalent chromium, said Nina DeConcini, an Oregon Department of Environmental Quality regional administrator.

DeConcini said the state is concerned because it is possible for trivalent chromium as a raw ingredient to result in hexavalent chromium emissions.

Uroboros Glass in North Portland has voluntarily stopped using all chromium compounds, she said.

Bullseye's refusal leaves the state uncertain of its next steps. State regulators do not believe they have the legal authority to force the company to stop using all chromium, DeConcini said.

The announcement amplified already high community alarm about Portland's dirty air, coming just hours after Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley called the situation a public health emergency and sought intervention from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The U.S. Forest Service first alerted Oregon environmental regulators in May 2015 that it had detected high levels of heavy metals in a study of Portland-area tree moss. The state agency didn't start air testing to confirm the moss data until October.

Officials received the results on Jan. 20, showing average arsenic levels 159 times higher than the state's safety goal in Southeast Portland; cadmium levels were 49 times higher. That monitoring detected chromium emissions, but state regulators didn't dig further until neighbors pressed them at a raucous Tuesday night community meeting in Portland.

At a hastily called news conference late Friday, the state's first since disclosing the problem Feb. 3, DeConcini said state environmental regulators learned the companies were using compounds that contained hexavalent chromium by reviewing safety information the companies keep.

State officials said they did not know what the health implications were for nearby residents.

The state has focused on two types of chromium: Trivalent and hexavalent. While trivalent is an essential nutrient found in the human body, hexavalent chromium is especially dangerous. Inhaling it increases the chance of getting lung cancer. Chronic exposure can also cause bronchitis, pneumonia and other lung problems, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In the unlikely case that all the chromium detected during October air monitoring near Bullseye Glass was hexavalent chromium, the nearby cancer risk could be as high as 1 case in every 1,000 people, said David Farrer, an Oregon Health Authority toxicologist. State safety goals, which aren't legally enforceable, aim to have air so clean that only 1 person in every million would get cancer from breathing it for a lifetime.

Hexavalent chromium was featured in the movie Erin Brockovich, about water pollution in the community of Hinkley, Calif.

Oregon National Guard soldiers also sued a defense contractor alleging they were exposed to the chemical during the Iraq war.

State environmental regulators said they have begun monitoring the air and soil in Southeast Portland and are preparing similar plans for North Portland. The state doesn't expect results until early March.

DeConcini said her agency does not yet know how many other Oregon companies are using hexavalent chromium and venting it to the air without filtration, as happened at the stained glass studios.

She said the state threw together the late Friday press conference because it had been waiting to hear whether the two companies would voluntarily stop using chromium. The state has no legal authority to order them to stop, she said.

Friday's disclosures won't be the last about metal hot spots in Portland's air. DeConcini said the state Department of Environmental Quality is looking at other metal compounds, including nickel. The agency has not released maps showing what neighborhoods may be affected by them.

Neighbors who live nearby Bullseye Glass said they were alarmed and outraged.

"This is unreal," Susan Beal, a nearby resident, wrote on a Facebook page neighbors have organized. "They should be ashamed, and then prosecuted for wilfully endangering so many people's health."

A woman who answered the phone at Bullseye Glass declined to comment. Owner Daniel Schwoerer could not be reached for comment.

Lorna Lovell, wife of the Uroboros glass founder, Eric Lovell, confirmed Friday evening that the company has stopped using chromium and cadmium in its manufacturing process. Eric Lovell said earlier that the company had not used arsenic in decades because of its toxicity.

Lorna Lovell is among about 30 people who work there. She's in charge of computers. She said some employees have retired from Uroboros Glass after working there for 15, 18 or 20 years. She said everyone was healthy and dispelled a rumor that the company had laid off its employees.



She declined to comment further about the use of the metals.



"We've been advised to not comment anymore on what we're doing on this matter," she said.



She said the small North Portland company has been going through a trying time.



"It's just heart-wrenching," she said. "But we will move forward with pride and grace."

-- Rob Davis

-- Lynne Terry contributed to this report
Another week, another unnerving carcinogen in the wind.

Another cancer agent, hexavalent chromium, in the neighborhood.

Another request from Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality that two city glass manufacturers voluntarily cease and desist.

With each passing day, the plot thickens, the landscape browns, the dismay in the city intensifies.

Anyone think we've heard the worst of it?

Anyone trust the Department of Environment Quality to do right by the air we breathe?

Has anyone seen evidence of the leadership necessary, at DEQ or the Oregon Health Authority, to change the way we deal with toxic emissions inside the city limits?

Late Friday, those state agencies rolled out the news about hexavalent chromium, the pollutant made famous by the film, "Erin Brockovich":

Bullseye Glass in Southeast Portland and Uroboros Glass in North Portland have agreed to stop using the carcinogenic chromium compound in the manufacture of stained glass.

Bullseye subsequently released a statement, however, arguing that DEQ monitoring shows no evidence that Bullseye is the source of the chromium, a compound lawful to use under its air-quality discharge permit.

At Friday's press conference, Nina DeConcini, a DEQ regional administrator, was a feisty stand-in for agency director Dick Pedersen, who doesn't yet think this crisis demands he take the stage.

The state Department of Environmental Quality has been on the defensive since a U.S. Forest Service researcher discovered alarming levels of two other air toxins, cadmium and arsenic in moss samples near the glass factories.

That moss study was first reported by Daniel Forbes at the Portland Mercury.

When DeConcini was asked why it took the agency eight months to inform Portland residents about those carcinogen levels, she said, "The moss data is not indicative of what people are breathing.

"We want to be very careful about how we share information so that it doesn't create alarm when it isn't needed."

Understood. But Bullseye Glass has been operating in Southeast for 42 years. "Erin Brockovich" was released in 2000.

And not until questions were raised at an electric public forum Tuesday night at Cleveland High School did the state agency confront local glass companies about their use of hexavalent chromium.

Given the agency's track record on air quality, maybe we shouldn't quibble.

Back in 2008, USA Today released a study, "The Smokestack Effect," on the impact of industrial pollution on neighborhood schools. It listed Chapman Elementary in Northwest Portland among the nation's most endangered schools.

When neighborhood activists demanded the agency tighten pollution controls at ESCO Corporation, DEQ argued publicly that it could not tie those emissions to specific polluters.

That argument was promptly eviscerated when the director of technology at Cooper Environmental Services in Beaverton said he'd performed that single-source analysis for the Environmental Protection Agency months earlier, and forwarded the results to DEQ.

"A Hollywood moment," Mary Peveto, with Neighbors for Clean Air, said at the time.

"We've been asking them, 'Do you know what's coming out of this facility?' and they've been telling us it's impossible to know. Then it turns out the technology does exist, they have the data, and they had the report four months prior to the USA Today study.

"That was a slap in the face."

Hardly the last one. The agency spent a decade overseeing the Portland Air Toxics Solutions project, which found plenty of toxins and offered no solutions.

"That should have gotten us moving in the right direction, but under DEQ leadership, that took years and went nowhere," says Mark Riskedahl, executive director of the Northwest Environmental Defense Center.

Air quality regulation is especially complex, Riskedahl notes, but at DEQ, regulatory paralysis is the status quo.

Why? Because the alarm in urban neighborhoods pales beside the pressure placed on the agency by the industries that provide 70 percent of its funding.

Now, though, each carcinogen is making headlines. State Treasurer Ted Wheeler, who is running for mayor, evokes the toxic water crisis in Flint, Mich. Oregon's two U.S. senators declare a public health emergency.

Gov. Kate Brown stirs.

Is this our Erin Brockovich moment?

On Friday, DeConcini had this to say: Diesel is a bigger problem than any of these carcinogens. But, she hastened to add, "Our current permitting program doesn't allow us to address this type of localized air toxic."

Yes, DeConcini says, Oregon would be well-served to adopt the stricter air-quality statutes found in Washington and California.

But, she added, "I'm not committing to that. We have different stakeholders that need to be involved. DEQ can write all the rules we want, but if we don't have cooperation from companies and Oregonians, we can't have a clean environment."

In the Portland area, unnerved Oregonians are on board. Industry? Our Oregon Legislature?

Your move.

-- Steve Duin

stephen.b.duin@gmail.com
solar.JPG

A work crew installs solar panels in 2011 at the Portland State University terminus of the MAX Yellow and Green lines.

(File photo)

By Scott Bolton, Bob Jenks and Dave Robertson

Business and residential customers in Oregon have made one thing very clear: They expect their electricity mix to get cleaner over time. The Legislature has the opportunity in the 2016 session to move Oregon off coal-generated electricity and double our commitment to renewable energy -- all while maintaining the reliable and affordable electric power system that is crucial to our economy.

A diverse group of utility, energy industry, clean energy and consumer advocates worked together to develop the Clean Electricity and Coal Transition Plan, now House Bill 4036. Our three organizations -- Portland General Electric, Pacific Power and the Citizens' Utility Board of Oregon (CUB) -- were part of that group, have analyzed the plan carefully and concluded that it will bring significant carbon dioxide emissions reductions while also protecting customers.

This bill would eliminate coal-fired generation from Oregon's electricity mix by 2035 and increase the renewable energy standard for PGE and Pacific Power to 50 percent by 2040. Because the cost of coal-produced electricity continues to rise, CUB believes that eradicating coal from Oregon's energy mix is the single most important action that we can take to protect ratepayers from future costs. Furthermore, the increase in renewable resources alone would reduce carbon emissions across the western United States by more than 30 million tons between 2025 and 2040.

HB4036 also reaffirms Oregon's commitment to energy efficiency, encourages growth in electric transportation and expands access to solar power for homeowners, renters and small businesses, including low-income customers. As we move to a cleaner energy future, it is essential that electric power in Oregon remains reliable and affordable. That's why this bill includes important safeguards to protect all customers -- families, small businesses and large employers -- from sudden or unmanageable rate increases. Utility analyses show that customer prices would be expected to increase, on average, about 1 to 1.5 percent per year. HB4036 also includes provisions to ensure that PGE and Pacific Power maintain high levels of reliability, which is essential to our economy and our quality of life.

What's more, HB4036 will give PGE and Pacific Power customers an estimated combined savings of almost $1 billion compared to an alternative measure on the November ballot. While it's true that CUB believes the alternative measure is also a long-term, cost-effective solution, we all agree that HB4036 is less expensive, more flexible and contains more reliability protections. Environmental advocates have agreed to withdraw the ballot measure if -- and only if -- HB4036, the plan to which all parties have agreed, is passed in the 2016 session.

While utilities and CUB are often on the opposite sides of the table, this time we agree: Our customers and members want us to take meaningful and lasting steps to protect the environment. It is equally imperative that we keep electricity affordable, safe and reliable. House Bill 4036 safeguards both the economy and the environment by providing a balanced approach. We think it's the right approach for Oregon and for utility customers, and we urge lawmakers to establish Oregon's next generation of energy policy by passing this important legislation.

*

Scott Bolton is vice president for external affairs at Pacific Power. Bob Jenks is executive director of the Citizens' Utility Board of Oregon. Dave Robertson is vice president for public policy at PGE.
marijuana8.JPG

The legalization of recreational marijuana will jumpstart a growing and regulated agricultural sector.

(AP Photo)

It took a year of getting used to, but the unthinkable made sense from the start: Sell recreational and medical marijuana under the same roof. One-stop shopping. Streamlined regulatory efforts. No confusion from consumer. And, critically, no threat to medical marijuana users fearful their preferred products would be lost.

Blistering through bills in a legislative session lasting what seems the blink of an eye, lawmakers in Salem are tightening Oregon's rollout of legal recreational pot in such a way as to integrate the well-established, but largely unregulated, medical marijuana market into the new recreational market. In doing so, they'll save themselves and Oregonians from unkinking a dual system that might have sputtered in just a few years.

This week, a bill to close the separation between legal recreational and medical marijuana will go up for a vote. It should pass. It allows businesses with licenses to sell recreational pot also to sell medical marijuana products. Significantly, it also would require that any medical marijuana product sold in a recreational pot shop undergo the same rigorous tracking, from seed to sale, as recreational pot and as conducted by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. This is good for the consumer, good for regulators and law enforcement, and good for a new market segment that will depend upon state-certified product authenticity and consistency. A separate bill, meanwhile, would ensure that purchases by medical marijuana patients, along with their caregivers, will continue to be free of taxation.

To the credit of the Legislature's Joint Committee on Implementing Measure 91, whose long work last year was made sweaty from debates about keeping the markets separate, lawmakers now seem to believe enough ground has been turned to get pot right straight out of the gate.

http://media.oregonlive.com/opinion_impact/photo/agenda-2013jpg-da8a3522a991b9c6.jpg

Editorial Agenda 2016



Get Oregon centered

Better leadership in education

Make Portland a city that works

Build Oregon prosperity

Protect and expand personal freedom

Get pot right

_______________________________

Last week, for example, the Legislature's Joint Marijuana Legalization Committee was unanimous in supporting yet another bill that would remove from early regulations protectionist language stipulating out-of-state investors seeking to do pot business in Oregon meet an Oregon residency requirement -- a rule hatched last year to allay fears among some growers who worried their lunch would be eaten by wealthy outsiders. But even the Oregon Cannabis Association, which represents some growers, supported the wise action, Noelle Crombie of The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

Big complicated new things take time to get right, and implementing Measure 91 one is such thing. Fortunately, the Legislature and then the OLCC had all of last year to lend provisional shape to what rational pot commerce might look like. This year, in the short session, they can and must fine-tune their statutes and regulations as they rethink some assumptions.

Few thought along the way that towns and cities across nearly half the state, whose residents overall had approved Measure 91, would opt out of allowing pot shops at all within their borders. But they have. And many municipalities embracing weed commerce have established their own offices to oversee store siting, policing and licensure, Portland among them.

Context, however, is everything. State laws that are lean, coherent and true to the broader goals of Measure 91 -- among them the decriminalization of the marijuana trade and shrinkage of marijuana's black market -- are essential. Yet the very same laws and regulations must vigorously serve the ease and interests of both medical and recreational consumers to ensure success.

-- The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board
By Bud Pierce

It's been about a year since Kate Brown became governor by virtue of the John Kitzhaber-Cylvia Hayes scandal. She was suddenly thrust into a difficult position. It's now clear that Gov. Brown is not up to the job of putting Oregon back on track. Consider her record over the past year and watch her recent news conference announcing her "2016 Agenda."

Gov. Brown talked about improving education, but her "fresh" ideas were a new "education innovation officer" and yet another commission on education. She offered no plan to address the looming PERS crisis that will force schools to cut teachers.

Nor was there a word about fixing Oregon's deteriorating roads. It's easy to see why, considering Gov. Brown's failures on transportation in 2015 - failures that will result in ordinary Oregonians paying higher gas prices and spending more time in traffic. By signing the low-carbon fuel standard bill into law, Gov. Brown sided with extreme environmentalists and against working Oregonians who could end up paying an additional 19 cents per gallon for gasoline as a result of the law. Not only will the hidden gas tax in her low carbon fuel law not go to fix one road or bridge - or reduce global warming - it doomed a legislative transportation package desperately needed to fight growing traffic gridlock. This is the worst kind of crony capitalism and corporate welfare -- and a toxic byproduct of the Kitzhaber-Hayes scandal.

In her statement, Brown refused to take a position on the $5 billion-per-biennium tax increase that her political allies in Oregon's government employees unions are pushing. This sales tax on businesses will be passed on to Oregonians who are still struggling to make ends meet and will make Oregon a less attractive place to create and grow jobs. All Gov. Brown said is that the state needs more money.

That's not the leadership or change we need.

Brown talked about transparency in government, but The Oregonian and others have criticized her for conspiring to keep public records from the public. Her staff recently directed the Public Utilities Commission not to divulge their concerns about a backroom deal between the big investor-owned utilities and environmentalists that will boost electric costs for working Oregonians.

That's not the transparency we need.

All of Gov. Brown's new commissions, work groups, task forces and education officials won't get Oregon back on track. Neither will her call for new regulations on small businesses in the form of a minimum wage increase.

We've been there and done all that over the last 30 years of one-party Democratic rule in the governor's office.

Oregonians deserve better.

Here is my 2016 agenda for real change in Oregon.

* Tax cuts and credits for lower- and middle-income Oregonians, not a backdoor sales tax on all Oregonians.

* Tax breaks for working Oregonians paying off college debt.

* Energize and invest in rural Oregon so their economies thrive.

* An end to crony capitalism and corporate welfare by ending special tax credits for the wealthy and well-connected.

* Cuts in the cost of government and replacing Brown's rubber stamp with my veto pen.

* Reducing class sizes and increasing the number of school days across Oregon.

* Fixing PERS once and for all.

* Real transparency and accountability in Salem.

Like most Oregonians, I don't know Kate Brown, but she seems like a nice person - warm, personable. It's easy to see why she's survived for decades in Democratic politics. But "nice" and the continuation of 30 years of one-party rule in the governor's office won't cut it for our Oregon.

We need a brave and fearless governor. We need a new approach.

*

Bud Pierce, Ph.D., M.D., is a Salem oncologist, business owner, veteran and Republican gubernatorial candidate.
Midland County Commissioners gave their unanimous approval to the annual request from Midland County Treasurer Catherine Lunsford to borrow up to $6 million for delinquent taxes.

With a 2015 adjusted tax roll of nearly $120 billion, Lunsford estimates the county will face a 4.5 percent delinquency of $5.4 million on March 1, 2016. The amount of money borrowed will be adjusted based on the actual amount of delinquency on March 1, 2016, less the collections from March 1, 2016 through April 30, 2016. Those collections are estimated to be $1.5 million, leaving a need to borrow $3.9 million.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said Friday he has agreed to testify to Congress about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, bowing to demands by Democrats that the Republican governor explain his role in a cost-cutting move that resulted in a public health emergency caused by lead-contaminated water.

Snyder said he wants to explain how "the local, state and federal governments combined to fail the people of Flint" and actions he is recommending in Michigan and at the federal level to ensure a similar crisis does not happen again.

"The people of Flint have suffered because they were failed by all levels of government, and so it is understandable that there are questions at all levels of government," he said in a statement. "In Michigan we are learning a great deal from this crisis and I am hopeful the federal government also will use this as an opportunity to examine health and safety protections in place, assess infrastructure needs and avoid this type of crisis in the future."

Flint's water became tainted when the city switched from the Detroit system and began drawing from the Flint River in April 2014 to save money. The impoverished city was under state management at the time.

State regulators failed to ensure that water was properly treated, and lead from aging pipes leached into the water supply. Some children's blood has tested positive for lead, a potent neurotoxin linked to learning disabilities, lower IQ and behavioral problems.

The Flint crisis has become a partisan flashpoint nationally as Democrats cite Flint's problems as an example of Republican cost-cutting run amok and the logical outgrowth of GOP efforts to weaken government regulation. Democrats also call Flint an example of environmental injustice. Flint is majority African-American and more than 40 percent of its residents live in poverty.

Republicans dispute the notion that race or poverty played a role in the crisis and point to a lack of action by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which did not warn the public for months after learning about elevated lead levels in Flint.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said Friday he invited Snyder and EPA chief Gina McCarthy to testify on the Flint crisis. No date for the hearing has been set, but a committee spokeswoman said the session is likely next month.

Chaffetz said in a statement that he appreciates Snyder's willingness to appear before the committee and looks forward to McCarthy's testimony. Snyder and McCarthy both offer important perspectives "as we seek to ensure a crisis of this magnitude never occurs in another American city," Chaffetz said.

An EPA spokeswoman declined immediate comment on whether McCarthy would accept the invitation.

Democrats have complained that GOP leaders in Congress were reluctant to call Snyder to testify, despite multiple requests by Democrats to invite him. Snyder rejected a request to appear at an informational hearing held by House Democrats earlier this week.

Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., said he was glad Snyder had finally agreed to discuss the matter under oath.

"The governor's administration and his state-appointed emergency financial managers created this crisis and he must answer questions so the whole truth can be found," Kildee said. "Flint families deserve answers."

Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Mich., said she expects Snyder to "provide a complete account of how the poisoning of an entire city was allowed to occur," adding that questions about what happened in Flint "have gone unanswered for far too long."

Chaffetz said he also has called Susan Hedman, the EPA's former Midwest region chief, and Darnell Earley, who was the emergency manager for Flint when the water source was changed. Former Flint Mayor Dayne Walling also has been invited, as well as Miguel Del Toral, an EPA water expert who wrote a June 2015 memo about lead problems in Flint that was not made public for months.

___

Reach Matthew Daly: http://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC
NORMAL  Illinois State University alumnus Michael Keane, a consultant and the former executive vice president and chief financial officer of Genomatica, will be the keynote speaker for Illinois States Business Week 2016.

Events from Feb. 22 to 26 also will include a professional development and etiquette dinner, seminars on transitioning from college to the work world, and corporate social responsibility. For a complete list of the events and student registration information, visit http://business.illinoisstate.edu/businessweek.

Keane's talk is entitled The Journey to a Sustainable Future at 3:30 p.m. Feb 25 in the Center for Performing Arts. A College of Business Alumni Network reception will follow. The presentation and reception are free.

Keane joined Genomatica as vice president and chief financial officer in 2011. Genomatica is a bio-engineering technology company that develops bio-based processes to produce chemicals with greater sustainability than using petroleum-based feed stocks. Previously, he held similar executive leadership positions at Clipper Windpower, Inc., a wind energy technology company; Computer Sciences Corporation; and at UNOVA, Inc. and Western Atlas Inc., both industrial technology companies.

Seven senior-level executives will be officially inducted into the College of Business Hall of Fame during Business Week 2016.

Alumni inductees include: Bill Allison 79, national managing directorU.S. Pursuit Center of Excellence, Deloitte Consulting LLP; Benjamin Hart, MBA 95, president and chief executive officer, Heritage Enterprises Inc.; J. William Lin 70, president and CPA, Lin and Lincoln CPAs Ltd.; Catherine Lynch 80, chief financial officer, Inland Real Estate Investment Corporation; Joseph E. McNeely 86, president and chief executive officer, FreightCar America, Inc.; and Greg Morris 94, senior vice president, Archer Daniels Midland.
Loring A. Daniels, 88, WGAL retiree



Loring A. Daniels, 88, of 207 E. Main St., Hummelstown, formerly of East Ross Street, died of natural causes Friday at Integrated Health Services of Hershey at Woodlands, Derry Township.



He was the husband of Mary C. Crosby Daniels, and of the late Almyra Bishop Daniels.



Born in Beverly, Mass., he was the son of the late Charles L. and Nellie Daniels.



He retired in 1972 after 37 years with WGAL radio and television.



A member of the William Penn Shooting Club of Lancaster County, he was also a licensed ham radio operator.



He belonged to Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall, Lancaster.



Surviving besides his wife are two sons, Charles W., of Lincoln, Neb., and David A. of Leola, two stepsons, Dennis E. Barnhart of Loganville, Ga., and Jerry A. Barnhart of Hummelstown; a stepdaughter, Romona C. Weaber of Phoenix, Ariz.; four grandchildren; 14 stepgrandchildren; a great grandson; 10 stepgreat-grandchildren.

OK! Here we are,! This is the official kickoff of the series on the QSLs of Loring A. Daniels, first hinted at back in November 2014 . Alert the media.The story: In Summer 2014, I came across an amazing collection of QSLs, gathered in a small chest of drawers, at an antique mall in Dover, Pennsylvania. There were hundreds of cards (possibly a couple thousand) and they dated back to the mid 1920s. They were for sale individually. It would have been far better, I know, for someone to keep the collection intact. But that's not how they were being sold and, anyway, I certainly didn't have the funds to purchase the entire chest. So I bought about four dozen cards, mostly from the 1920s and 1930s.A quick refresher: A QSL is a written confirmation of the reception of a radio signal. In this case, we're specifically discussing amateur radio (ham radio) . A QSL card details the time, date, radio frequency, type of equipment, strength of signal and other key information regarding the reception of the signal (or a two-way conversation between operators). QSLs are typically the size of a postcard and sometimes they're actual postcards, inscribed with the aforementioned information.This collection represents the QSLs that were sent to Loring A. Daniels during his lifetime of being a ham radio enthusiast. The cards that I saw in the chest dated from the 1920s through 1980s. This was a hobby he enjoyed most of his life. (We should all be so lucky!) The earlier QSLs are addressed to Daniels in Tuxedo Park, Delaware. (Tuxedo Park itself  near Newport  is a bit of mystery; it must have just been a neighborhood or unincorporated community.) Later, he moved to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.Daniels was born on April 4, 1907, and died on May 26, 1995.With the help of the library at my workplace, LNP , I was able to track down this short obituary:So, we do have a quick mention of his ham radio hobby, which is nice. I want to learn more about Daniels, if possible. As this series continues, I'll continue to do some digging. And it's also possible that these posts will draw some people and/or information out of the woodwork, which would be cool. Stay tuned!I'm going to post the QSLs in groups, by the year of their postmark, starting today with 1926 Some of these 1920s cards are "makeshift" QSLs. Standardized and personalized QSL cardsdidn't come into frequent use until perhaps the 1930s, though you will find some standardized cards as far back as 1919. (The earliest QSL dates to about 1916.) And I like these older cards precisely because theyunique, handwritten, one-of-kind records of communication between two radio operators. Every one, certainly, tells a story.So here are the Loring A. Daniels QSLs from 1926, when Calvin Coolidge was U.S. president, Robert Goddard was working on rockets, Route 66 was first established, and Miles Davis and Harper Lee were born.R.L. Fisher, 53 Glen Road, Larchmont, New York2LA6 p.m. on March 9, 1926, in LarchmontDaniels' call sign at this time, which will be noted on all the cards, was 3AJH. ... This card is actually addressed to "Tuxedo Park Rur. Sta." in Newport, Delaware. ... Fisher adds the note: "Vry gld to QSO  Wat abt a schedule?"F.E. Dominick, 11108 Jamaica Avenue, Richmond Hill, New York2APM4 p.m. on December 6, 1926, in Richmond HillThis one is addressed to Daniels at "5 Delaware Avenue" in Tuxedo Park. ... Note states: "Vy gld to QSO. ... Vy few stns in Del. Ur 2nd I hv wkd. Some snow hr abt 7"." (QSL card writers were the original text messagers!)W. Devereux, 1371 Greene Avenue, Brooklyn, New York2-FANoon on February 21, 1926, in BrooklynThis one is just addressed to "Radio Station  3AJH, Tuxedo Park, Delaware."Unknown2CYG10:30 p.m. on January 13, 1926, in New York, New York.The sender writes: "THIS BEST CARD I CAN GVE U AT PRSNT."Arnold S. Doxsey, 11 Devine Street, Lynbrook, Long Island, New York2AWX4 p.m. on October 30, 1926, in LynbrookDoxsey notes that he is "on Long Island, 15 miles east of New York City."J. Toman Jr., 410 East 70 St., New York City2ANXNoon on February 5, 1926, in New York CityIt looks like Toman neatly drew everything on all of his cards, except for thestamp in the middle. Pretty cool.Robbins, 3. W. State St., Gloversville, New York8CRF1:30 p.m. on December 30, 1926, in GloversvilleThis is one of the farthest QSLs from Daniels from this group of cards. Gloversville is in central New York and it was once the hub of America's glovemaking industry.H.E. Ingalls, Garrison-on-Hudson , New York2OQ (or 20Q?)10:30 p.m. on January 20, 1926, in Hudson Terminal Station, New YorkIngalls writes: "Dear om  Ur sigs came in last sunday around 11 pm abt R5."H.N. Hollister [sp?], 26 Plainfield Avenue, Lynbrook, Long Island, New York2ET9:30 a.m. on October 29, 1926, in LynbrookThis card, like some others, was sent on the prepaid one-cent Thomas Jefferson postcard that was popular during this time.That's all for today. But we're just getting started! On deck, we have the QSLs from 1927. And if you're interested in more, check out this post from last month about the life of radio operator Donald Joseph Senesac  a tale that evolved from an earlier post on Daniels. I hope to unearth many more stories like that one, with readers' help.
The rise of food prices in Canada has encouraged families to be creative and wise in buying groceries. Some Montreal mothers shared their strategies on how to stretch grocery dollars and cope up with the rising food prices.

Sheila Dunwoodie, a mother of four who is employed as a part-time teacher, said she uses a smart phone app that gives her access to flyers from the different stores in her area, speaking to CBC Daybreak. She added that this app has been very helpful in tracking special offers and best prices.

"I've never shopped using flyers before," Dunwoodie revealed. "Now I realize it's in my best interest, and it's the only way at this point that I can afford to keep cooking and feeding my family the way I want to."

Moreover, Anneliese Papaurelis, a mother who raises three daughters with her fiancee, said that she saves money by reducing food waste. She lessens food waste by cooking food that is good for more than one meal.

Papaurelis also revealed that she started using red lentils in her recipes this year. "It stretches the meat, and nobody really notices."

She also disclosed that she buys huge bags of pulses. "We'll have red kidney beans and black lentils and red lentils at a really economical price."

On the other hand, Minerva Ferrel, a mother of three, said that she and her husband are encouraging their children to stop eating beef and try other alternatives. She also added that she prefers to make adjustments in her grocery list, instead of looking for specials from various stores.

"I'm going to take out the most expensive item [from our grocery cart] and replace it with something else," Ferrel disclosed. "That brought me back to my roots, and I began cooking more with beans."

As reported by Huffington Post Canada, the rise of food prices is a result of the weak loonie and weather issues. It is expected to last for several weeks.
The Happy Food Company has set the bar high in advertising. The food company recently released the most moving, heart-warming, and relevant commercials people have been missing for a long time.

Happy Food helps people eat well despite their busy schedule. According to the company's website, gethappyfood.com, it delivers food at home as well as in the workplace. Busy parents who don't have time to buy the ingredients they need to cook dinner for the family can have the ingredients delivered to their homes, which are already prepped and ready for cooking.

The commercial showed how a typical family acts; from the time the mom is in labor, the child's first day in school, the family's quiet time in the bedroom, and a lot of normal everyday events involving the family.

These moments stood out in the commercial. It just shows how precious life can be if spent with the right people. The ad that was entitled, "This is Happy" featured the words, "this is..." in every scene, fitpregnancy.com reports.

It mainly focuses the viewers' attention on what family is all about. It is a beautiful tribute to family especially to the mothers and fathers who have experienced and sacrificed a lot for the family. From the ups and the downs, to the laughs and frowns, as long as it is spent with the family makes every journey an experience you will never forget. It's a commercial that featured a lot of emotions, as well as reliving some of life's most memorable moments.

However, despite the commercial being all about family and experiencing the journey together, that is not considered the highlight of the short video. The one that separated the clip from the rest is it featured all different races in it. There was a couple who was a member of the same sex, an adorable daughter who proudly introduced her "boyfriend" to her probably traumatized dad, and a father who took his daughter to her first day in school.

Many viewers saw this commercial as a representation of different kinds of families as something beautiful. They were drawn to the commercial because of the message it sends, the feeling they get when they watch it and the way it speaks about the truth about living life.

"I absolutely love that this commercial represents families of color, children who are candid and frank and so REAL, and I totally teared up about halfway through." One viewer said.

Video Credit: youtube.com/HappyFamily
Washing hands must not only be done before mealtime, it is also a "must do" before handling babies. A recent warning of a father who almost lost his baby daughter to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) went viral on social media. He elaborated on the dangerous consequences for the baby when parents fail to wash their hands before handling babies.

The unnamed father gave details on the battle that his little angel waged on for the past days. His baby was initially brought to the hospital and was treated for viral meningitis. After her bout with the ailment, she is now battling RSV. Doctors had already told him that if her condition would worsen, they can't do anything for the baby.

The baby wasn't only suffering from RSV, as she was also diagnosed with pneumonia and bronchiolitis. She also had a collapsed right lung which further aggravated her already weak condition. According to the father, she had beaten all odds and it makes him proud to be her father.

Yahoo News reported that the father posted, "RSV is no joke." As a warning, he said, "Please make sure to wash your hands before handling little ones. And make sure to wrap them up when heading outside into the cold."

According to Ari Brown, a pediatrician from Austin, Texas, "Being out in the cold doesn't cause RSV or pneumonia." Brown also said that if a child is out in a onesie in 20 degrees, then he could get pneumonia. Being outside and wrapped properly will not get him pneumonia.

On the other hand, Brown gave emphasis to washing of hands. It is also important to cover and protect babies from other people's coughs. Brown said that RSV is a "really tough virus." He described it as, "like the worst cold you've ever had." He highlighted this in relation to RSV, "for a small subset of kids, they can get really sick and need oxygen support."

According to WebMD, the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common yet highly contagious virus. Most children will be infected in their respiratory tracts befor they reach two years old. It may like be a common cold, but at worst, it can cause serious problems like bronchiolitis or pneumonia.
Weird as it may sound, people become temporarily deaf several times a day, most especially during times that they are glancing on their phones or scrolling through the posts on their Instagram account. According to a recent study, when these instances occur, people become deaf to normal-volume sounds around thme. This phenomenon is known as inattentional deafness.

Yes, this study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience showed that when you are focusing on a visual task, you are rendered deaf at that moment, albeit temporarily. So, you cannot hear normal sounds like the conversation of other friends seated at the same round table.

According to Yahoo News, University College London researchers conducted a study on 13 volunteers. They analyzed the brain activity of these volunteers on real time as they go about completing visual tasks. While working on the tasks, other sounds were being played around them.

Based on the brain activity of the volunteers, the harder the tasks get, activity on the part of the brain that responds to sound was also reduced. This was explained by Maria Chait, Ph.D. She said that, "The brain scans showed that people were not only ignoring or filtering out the sounds, they were not actually hearing them in the first place." She concluded that the resources of vision and hearing in the brain are limited and shared.

Another author of the study, Nilli Lavie, Ph.D. said that this phenomenon called inattentional deafness is the reason why your children can't hear you telling them something whenever they are glued to the TV. Another example is when you're engrossed in a book and you can't hear people talking to you.

In a report by Medical Daily, Lavie mentioned that, "This has more serious implications in situations such as the operating theater, where a surgeon concentrating on their work might not hear the equipment beeping," Inattentional deafness can be applied to any situation where one's visual focus is glued on something, making his hearing less attentive to sounds around him.
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Star Wars Episode VIIIs release was moved to December of 2017, but fans of the franchise now have something else to look forward to. The young Han Solo film is moving forward, currently slated for a May 2018 release.

Han Solo: A Star Wars Story (not official title) will be the second stand-alone film in the Star Wars universe after Rogue One, which releases Dec. 16, 2016. The Han Solo film, meanwhile, is in preproduction and is set to premiere May 2018after Episode VIII and before Episode IX. Speculation is still running rampant on who will play the coveted part of a young Han Solo.

The Star Wars release dates are tentative, and considering that the May 2019 release schedule is getting crowded with Disneys own Avengers: Infinity War part 2 and a LEGO movie from Warner Bros, it wouldnt be surprising if Episode IX is pushed back as well.

Han Solo is slated to hit screens between two WB releases, LEGO Movie Sequel on May 18, 2018 and Godzilla 2 on June 8, 2018.
In Hebrew, the name Zev means wolf, but the protagonist of Atom Egoyans new film, Remember, is more like a lamb. Zev Gutman strikes no predatory impressions when we first meet him lying prone in bed, calling out his dead wifes name in a state of bestirred delusion. He cuts a feeble figure: He does not wear the countenance of a ruthless killer, and yet killing has become the sole purpose of what remains of his life. Remember is about the Holocaust, but at its heart it is a revenge film, the rare sort that combines the pursuit of such with recollections of the Shoah; think Flame & Citron or Inglourious Basterds, but modern-set and, until the films finale, less fantastical.

Zev (Christopher Plummer) is a chess piece on a board set by his friend, Max (Martin Landau). Both men survived the horrors of Auschwitz, and in the present tense they live in the same nursing home, where Max has recruited Zev to act as his agent in a mission of vengeance. Max has discovered that the man responsible for killing his and Zevs families in the camp resides in North America and under an assumed name: Rudy Kurlanderthough by a terrible stroke of fortune there happen to be four men on the continent bearing that deceptive appellation. So Max, stuck in a wheelchair and hooked up to an oxygen tank, sends Zev out into the world to figure out which Rudy Kurlander is in fact their erstwhile tormentor and summarily execute him. Its the best bad idea Max can possibly concoct given Zevs mental fragility.

Remember sticks with Zev as he makes his way through the States and across the border into Canada in search of his quarry. Its a fine enough premise for a movie; Zev suffers from dementia, and repeatedly throughout his journey has to stop and regain his bearings. He has a totem of sorts for that purpose, a letter from Max that he refers to when he finds himself lost in his own mind. If you need more reference points than Madsen or Tarantino, then regard Remember as Egoyans take on Memento by way of Hitchcock, who spent his career musing on matters of identity. We know who Zev is, though he forgets himself so often that we start to lose track of his selfhood too. Is this a man out to avenge his dead kin, or a doddering fogey who should have never set foot outside his assisted living facility?

Egoyan mines empathy from the cloud of confusion in which Zev spends much of his time, and tension from his heros uncertainty. Each time Zev confronts a Rudy Kurlander, he is confronting the truth and solving an equation where a wrong answer means the death of an innocent. Should that kind of power and responsibility be placed in the hands of a person who cant retain the details of his spouses recent passing? Probably not. But if Zev is ill-equipped to face his one-time tormentor, he nonetheless deserves the chance to do so, even if he isnt the kind of person you want carrying a Glock in public. (Egoyan milks that detail for commentary on our countrys relationship with firearms. Zev is stopped by a security guard while outlet shopping, and the guard searches his bags only to find that Zev is packing heat. Instead of doing something about it, the guard waxes nostalgic. Reminds me of my first gun.)

The contrast between Zevs infirmity and the bloody nature of his purpose makes Remember an appealing morality play. Can we forgive the grave injustices done against us? Is it possible to let the past be the past? (We get a roundly bleak reply to that query when Dean Norris arrives to play the Nazi son of one of Zevs potential targets. It is the films best and most dread-inducing sequence.) As Egoyan poses these questions, were rapt by the work of Plummer, one of the movies greatest actors and a sight to behold as Zev. There is a thin line separating tasteless portraits of mental illness from affectingly human ones, and Plummer never crosses it. Hes a marvel, put simply, conveying Zevs anguishover his history, over the loss of his wife, over the task he has been charged within nuanced flourishes: a nervous glance here, a tremble of the chin there, a furrowing of the brow there. (His accent is also splendid.)

But hes also wasted, as are the first two thirds of the film, by a third-act turn thats so maddeningly stupid as to make the combined twists of M. Night Shyamalans filmography look well-considered. Writing about Remember demands writing about the direction it takes once Plummer reaches the final Rudy (played by the great Jurgen Prochnow). Suffice it to say that if you happen to nod off about an hour and ten minutes into Remember, it becomes a much better movie than if you decide to see it through to the end. Egoyan has, according to critics, been on a backslide of late thanks to ill-received efforts like Chloe, The Captive and Devils Knot. In an alternate universe, Remember is the film that helps bring him back to respectability. In our universe, its the film that almost gets him there save for an embarrassingly tone-deaf climax.

Director: Atom Egoyan

Writer: Benjamin August

Starring: Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau, Dean Norris, Jurgen Prochnow, Bruno Ganz

Release Date: February 12, 2016

Boston-based critic Andy Crump has been writing online about film since 2009, and has contributed to Paste Magazine since 2013. He also writes for Screen Rant, Movie Mezzanine and Birth.Movies.Death. You can follow him on Twitter. He is composed of roughly 65% craft beer.
With a bold, experimental sound that ranged forcefully across an organic landscape of sound, This Heat blazed a trail that, roughly four decades later, sounds like punks true path rarely taken.

The Brixton trios records are the kind musicians know and love. And one can hear their influence everywhere from Battles to Public Image and Four Tet. With their music largely difficult to lay hands on for decades, the rest of us now get a chance to immerse ourselves in the world of This Heat. In January, Light in the Attic thoughtfully reissued three albums from 1979-1981 (This Heat, Health and Efficiency and Deceit) on vinyl for the groups 40th anniversary.

This Heat were significant in bringing an avant-garde sense of experimentation into rock at a time when glam and punk were otherwise returning to the 50s for inspiration and tribal look. Despite playing its first gigs in 1976, This Heat existed well before punk hit. Drummer Charles Hayward recorded in prog/jazz fusion outfit Quiet Sun with Roxy Musics Phil Manzanera. But rather than pursue a fusion groove, This Heat embraced experimental music-making, assimilating ideas from musique concrete, Krautrock and eventually dub into primordial epics that range from minimal and primal to aggressive and damaged as they draw from a broad palette of sound. Bassist Gareth Williams, a non-musician at first, brought a wild-eyed, shamanic energy to the bands efforts. The band employed prominent tape edits, used everyday objects as instruments and self-recorded much of its debut album. In 1981, the make-it or break-it year for what critics called post-punk, This Heat released Deceit, an ambitious album appropriate for Rough Trade with equal parts tension and melody. But gains in the public consciousness were minor versus the first crashings of the synth pop wave. The band split a year later.

A This Heat reunion for tentative rehearsals in December 2001 was tragically cut short by the death of Williams. Recently This Heat founding members Charles Bullen and Charles Hayward announced they will come together for the first time since 1982 for THIS IS NOT THIS HEAT, a two-day residency this month at Londons Cafe OTO exactly 40 years to the weekend from their first gig in 1976. Hayward tells us more:

Paste : Charles Hayward, I know you played in Quiet Sun with Phil Manzanera. What kind of music were you playing before forming the band?

Hayward: Before Quiet Sun I wasnt in a group. Before This Heat I was playing non-idiomatic, non-jazz improvisation with Charles Bullen in a group called DOLPHIN LOGIC. A while before that I was in Gong for a couple of months.

Paste : Where did you think music was going? Who did you think was on to something special?

Hayward: Music is constantly moving in many directions at the same time, so not sure it was any different back then, unless you mean the commercial mainstream, which is manipulated in order to make profits. I was listening to Miles Davis, Bartok, Terry Riley, Balinese Gamelan, Irish traditional music.

Paste : How did you get from folk, jazz, blues to making this kind of music?

Hayward: We didnt think that any single attitude was making the whole thing, that it was wider than that, and that genre and styles were mostly an illusion that gave journalists and critics something to write about.

Paste : Was This Heat a reaction to overly technical progressive music?

Hayward: Not really, we just made the music we wanted to hear and that we thought people would find useful.

Paste : Why would you form a band with Gareth Williams, who wasnt an experienced musician?

Hayward: Because we were too experienced, knew too much in the wrong way and needed to strip things back for ourselves. It was what we wanted to hear.

Paste : What did he bring to This Heat?

Hayward: Mostly he brought himself.

Paste : Where did the idea of violence fit in with This Heat?

Hayward: Thinking about it, it was about touch, the way the audience understands muscular shading from cruel to kind, and that we allowed ourselves to go to extreme places.

Paste : What were the early This Heat shows like?

Hayward: Loud organized chaos, small audiences.

Paste : When The Sex Pistols came along, was that inspiring to you?

Hayward: Not so much the Pistols, not so much the music, but we did take what they said as useful and rebellious; then we heard it and it was just Chuck Berry on speed.

Paste : What was This Heats relationship like with punk?

Hayward: Have you read Duchamp on Dada and group thought? It reminded me of how I felt about punk; everybody wearing safety pins through their ears sounds like sheep to me, sheep pretending theyre doing something radical.

Paste : Where did the impulse to radically experiment with sounds, arrangement, editing come from?

Hayward: From my childhood, I would make music like it was play. I just never stopped, never grew up.

Paste : Your recordings have a patchwork quality to them, mixing what sounds like demos with big studio versions of your songs. What inspired that?

Hayward: To use all of the sound to communicate and to let it move across spaces and time.

Paste : Ive read the band recorded everything it did. Are there any other recordings that might see the light of day?

Hayward: Yes, there are other recordings, but not sure if well release them. Its a slow process.

Paste : How did dub come into the picture?

Hayward: Dub integrates the studio and the sound desk into the music and that was something we were interested in and already using in our music.

Paste : I seem to know a lot of drummers who love This Heat. Why might that be?

Hayward: I think its because we never used a click track and that means the music can breathe and not echo bullshit hierarchical industrial work. Drummers especially can hear this more clearly than most people.

Paste : With Deceit, and the Rough Trade association, the band seemed more of a piece with the crop of post-punk bands. Did the band benefit from the association? Did it seem that it had run its course? Or was there more to do?

Hayward: All these absurd subdivisions, genres, tribes, ridiculous names, what the fuck is post-punk anyway? Its all meaningless. And theres always more to do.

Paste : Why did Gareth leave?

Hayward: He left because he wanted to do something else, be someone else, pretend something else. I just think he was running away from himself.

Paste : Why do you think This Heat is so relevant in this day and age?

Hayward: Actually because I think were back in the same situation as we were back then, 40 years ago. History repeats itself.

Paste : Can you tell us anything else about the THIS IS NOT THIS HEAT London shows?

Hayward: Were not going to recreate the records, although we will be playing most of the material, but in new ways and without Gareth. So weve made the group much larger, including Thurston Moore, Alexis Taylor from Hot Chip, Daniel OSullivan, David Cunningham, Charles Bullen and me. Frank Byng and Chris Cutler will also be playing drums and percussion. S.P.Q.R. is going to have four guitars. The rehearsals are going really well.

Paste : Any plans for doing something similar in the States or elsewhere?

Hayward: Were going to just be doing the London shows at Cafe OTO for the moment and then see how things work out.
Jackson Elementary in Salt Lake City became the second school in the state Friday to receive a grant from Apple as part of the nationwide ConnectED program. The approximately $500,000 award will allow Jackson to provide technology for every student and teacher at the school, including Apple hardware, software and services. Noted in our cover graphic above are Jackson Elementary teachers William Ferrer and Alicia De Leon reacting to the new Apple Products arriving at their school today.

During the rollout event in the school gymnasium, representatives from Apple worked with teachers and staff to help them become familiar with the new hardware, which will include new laptops, tablets and Apple TVs in every classroom. The grant also provides support from Apple for three years, according to Deseret News.

Jackson Elementary Principal Jana Edward noted that "It's essential to find business partnerships to work with. In a state that has not funded education to the degree it needs to be funded, it behooves educational leaders to go out and find the resources."

The school that currently uses PC's, will now be able to provide students with the best of both worlds so that the children could be bilingual in technology as they are in learning both English and Spanish in school today.





Noted above is Joshua Coffey of the Salt Lake School District helping teachers at Jackson Elementary get onto the computer network after they received their new Apple products. Noted below is Teacher Parker Ellison who is checking out a new iPad mini that arrived today.





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Before the Paris terrorist attack, a New York Court ordered Apple to unlock their security on an iPhone  and then changed its mind and deferred the ruling. Then after a series of moves and counter moves the court ruled that the DOJ and Apple had to submit additional letters to the Judge regarding the Issue of Unlocking an iPhone 5s and that he would provide a final ruling as soon as he could. While the parties are awaiting the Judge's final ruling, Apple recently wrote a letter to the judge advising him that they're now being pressed by the government to open yet another iPhone and need a ruling in order to know how to proceed with this new case. The other iPhone may very well involve the San Bernardino terrorist's smartphone that was in the news this week.

Ars Technica reports that "In the Friday letter, Apple attorney Marc Zwillinger says that ruling now is important, as the government plans to make similar requests of Apple in the future."

The report notes that Zwillinger stated in the letter that "Apple takes no position on whether and to what extent information from the Apple device in the government's possession is relevant to any ongoing investigation, or necessary for the criminal defendant's sentencing. But Apple has received additional requests similar to the one underlying the case before this Court. Apple has also been advised that the government intends to continue to invoke the All Writs Act in this and other districts in an attempt to require Apple to assist in bypassing the security of other Apple devices in the government's possession."

There's no doubt that the judge's final ruling has been complicated by the terrorist attacks in Paris and around the world including the San Bernardino attack. Our report earlier this week covered the yin and yang of the battle that's ongoing in the US and around the world over end-to-end encryption on smartphones. And with 'Bill 1681' now going through the California legislature, the Judge is wise to wait until all of the facts are in  but the wait, no doubt, is weighing heavy on all parties involved.

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Back in March 2015 we posted a report titled "Apple Considering a Technology Development Center in India." We noted in that report "that Bob Kupbens, a former executive with US retailer Target and Delta Air Lines, who is now a vice-president at Apple Online Retail, was the man evaluating the options. Today we're learning that Apple is indeed likely to open a new innovation center in Hyderabad India by sometime this summer.

ZDNet reported late yesterday that the new centre will be built on 250,000 square feet of land in the real estate firm Tishman Speyer's WaveRock facility at Hyderabad's IT corridor at a cost of $25 million (150 crore rupees). It is anticipated to create 4,500 jobs for locals. It plans to develop maps and make them available in its iPhones and Mac systems.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai, during his visit to India in December last year, announced that his company will open South Asia's biggest campus, and Google's only campus outside its headquarters in the US, in Hyderabad in the next few years.

Telangana State Technology Services managing director GT Venkateshwar Rao said that Apple's decision will certainly give a boost to the city's image as a technology hub.

This positive revelation comes on the heels of news that Apple will begin building flagship Apple Stores in India later this year, likely in time for sales of the new iPhone 7. Last week we reported that India now has the second largest smartphone user base in the world.

Apple's CEO Tim Cook noted the following during Apple's most recent financial conference call: "I think of the China age being young, at 36, 37 and so 27 (median age in India) is unbelievable. Almost half the people in India are below 25. And so I see the demographics there also being incredibly great for a consumer brand and for people who really want the best products."

Our cover graphic shows Apple's CEO meeting with India's Prime Minister in San Jose last September. With Apple's recent announcements, it's now clear that their meeting was very fruitful indeed.

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. . . The Fallacies and Lack of Sense Inherent in Such an Approach

Would you trust your life to a crapshoot? [public domain / Wikimedia Commons]

* * *

(6-1-09)

* * *

We orthodox Catholics all know the mantra: the Catholic Church has no compassion on suffering people; were anti-sex; were anti-science. We like to control people and take away their fun and freedom. We arbitrarily impose our will on poor unsuspecting folks who just want to have a little (sexual) fun. Were completely unrealistic and stuck in some Puritanistic time warp. We cover our eyes to reality and offer simplistic, naive solutions to real problems. Yes; those of us who observe our wonderfully sound, profoundly wise culture observe these criticisms of the Church all the time.

First, lets see what Pope Benedict XVI actually said, about condoms and AIDS, which was a big controversy a few months back, rather than reading jaded, hackneyed, tendentious secular news reports that summarize what he said:

The pope was asked, Holy Father among the many evils that affect Africa there is also the particular problem of the spread of AIDS. The position of the Catholic Church for fighting this evil is frequently considered unrealistic and ineffective?

Pope Benedict XVI replied:

I would say the opposite. I think that the reality that is most effective, the most present and the strongest in the fight against AIDS, is precisely that of the Catholic Church, with its programs and its diversity. I think of the SantEgidio Community, which does so much visibly and invisibly in the fight against AIDS  and of all the sisters at the service of the sick.

I would say that one cannot overcome this problem of AIDS only with money  which is important, but if there is no soul, no people who know how to use it, (money) doesnt help.

One cannot overcome the problem with the distribution of condoms. On the contrary, they increase the problem.

The solution can only be a double one: first, a humanization of sexuality, that is, a spiritual human renewal that brings with it a new way of behaving with one another; second, a true friendship even and especially with those who suffer, and a willingness to make personal sacrifices and to be with the suffering. And these are factors that help and that result in real and visible progress.

Therefore I would say this is our double strength  to renew the human being from the inside, to give him spiritual human strength for proper behavior regarding ones own body and toward the other person, and the capacity to suffer with the suffering.  I think this is the proper response and the church is doing this, and so it offers a great and important contribution. I thank all those who are doing this.

[ source ]

In the same article, it was reported that a prominent AIDS prevention researcher backed up the popes words:

Edward C. Green, director of the AIDS Prevention Research Project at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, has said that the evidence confirms that the Pope is correct in his assessment that condom distribution exacerbates the problem of AIDS. The pope is correct, Green told National Review Online Wednesday, or put it a better way, the best evidence we have supports the popes comments.

There is, Green added, a consistent association shown by our best studies, including the U.S.-funded Demographic Health Surveys, between greater availability and use of condoms and higher (not lower) HIV-infection rates. This may be due in part to a phenomenon known as risk compensation, meaning that when one uses a risk-reduction technology such as condoms, one often loses the benefit (reduction in risk) by compensating or taking greater chances than one would take without the risk-reduction technology. ( see the full interview with Green here )

The Harvard AIDS Projects webpage on Green lists his book Rethinking AIDS Prevention: Learning from Successes in Developing Countries. It is stated that Green reveals, The largely medical solutions funded by major donors have had little impact in Africa, the continent hardest hit by AIDS. Instead, relatively simple, low-cost behavioral change programsstressing increased monogamy and delayed sexual activity for young peoplehave made the greatest headway in fighting or preventing the diseases spread. . . .

See Dr. Greens impressive credentials and list of publications.

The National Review interview with Dr. Green has more interesting facts:

We have found no consistent associations between condom use and lower HIV-infection rates, which, 25 years into the pandemic, we should be seeing if this intervention was working.

So notes Edward C. Green, . . .

Green added: I also noticed that the pope said monogamy was the best single answer to African AIDS, rather than abstinence. The best and latest empirical evidence indeed shows that reduction in multiple and concurrent sexual partners is the most important single behavior change associated with reduction in HIV-infection rates (the other major factor is male circumcision). . . . More and more AIDS experts are coming to accept the above. The two countries with the worst HIV epidemics, Swaziland and Botswana, have both launched campaigns to discourage multiple and concurrent partners, and to encourage fidelity.

Another prominent AIDS prevention activist from Uganda, Martin Ssempa, has also thanked the pope for his remarks. The article states:

Here in Uganda when AIDS came we did not think it was caused by lack of condoms. No it was the presence of promiscuity. What the Pope is saying is true. It however makes those who are determined to live in a life of promiscuity feel spotlighted, Ssempa said.

Martin Ssempa has spent nearly two decades on the frontline of Ugandas highly successful AIDS prevention program that focuses on encouraging sexual abstinence and fidelity in marriage. Our successful policy, he said, always put abstinence and being faithful ahead of any medical products such as condoms and testing. . . .

Ugandas population is mainly Christian, and the message, supported by government-sponsored promotion, that men and women should not engage in extra-marital sex dramatically reduced Ugandas AIDS rate over the last couple decades. Ssempa and other local AIDS activists have frequently decried the interference of US and Europe-based international organizations who reject abstinence and fidelity principles in favor of condoms. This, they say only encourages promiscuity and the spread of the deadly disease. Since the intervention of the international AIDS groups, with their emphasis on condoms and downplaying of abstinence, Ugandas AIDS rate has begun, according to local experts, to tick back up.

I have constructed my own argument that looks at the logic of this sort of thinking (condom advocacy):

When one thing (A) causes another bad, undesirable, dangerous thing (B), it is clear that the first thing that causes the other ought to cease. So to prevent B, we ought to urge cessation of A. This is the reasoning we apply to cigarettes and lung cancer. To stop the latter, we strongly urge the cessation of the former, because a clear causal connection has been proven. In the case of AIDS, we know that the usual cause is sexual promiscuity and also anal sex.

The fallacy and folly arises introducing stop-gap measure C into the equation. The reasoning then runs as follows:

1) We know that A (certain sexual practices) causes B (AIDS) (direct causal relationship). * 2) Therefore, to reduce B, it might be reasonably thought that we ought to reduce A. * 3) But people dont want to (and perhaps are unable to) reduce A, because it is a sexual practice they enjoy and refuse to give up. * 4) Therefore, well introduce C (condoms), which reduces the incidence of B in many cases, but not all the time. * 5) But unfortunately this entails sacrificing many people who dont properly utilize C (and C has also been shown to not be foolproof in prevention even if used properly). In other words, it is inevitable that many thousands will continue to suffer with B, because C is not a complete answer to preventing B. We know this to be a fact. * 6) But well do it anyway because of the impossibility (in reality) of most people ever giving up A.

The Church disagrees with this, on many levels. This is how the Church reasons:

1) We know that A (certain sexual practices) causes B (AIDS) (direct causal relationship). * 2) We also know that A as practiced is often immoral, according to traditional sexual morality (and many additional non-religious arguments for this can be produced, such as, e.g., the plain medical facts that immoral sex is overwhelmingly more unhealthy and dangerous on the whole, than traditional sex), not just in Christianity but in most of the worlds major religions (fornication, adultery, homosexual acts, etc.). * 3) So we prohibit immoral forms of A even before we arrive at this issue. * 4) But even setting aside for the sake of argument, the moral issues and approaching it on purely secular, pragmatic health and prevention grounds, does it help things at all to introduce stopgap measure C (condoms) which is only partially successful: especially into a situation that is already tragically widespread, alarming, and of an epidemic nature? * 5) It does not, because it sacrifices those who wont use the stopgap measure properly. It doesnt work without fail, as abstinence in those situations does work without fail. * 6) Moreover, we reject the notion that human beings cannot control their sexual impulses. They certainly can, with proper education and support for the resolve to live according to traditional sexual morality. Today it is easier than ever to teach this, not only from a moral perspective, but from the perspective of self-protection and self-interest: not wanting to be unhealthy or to have bad relationships in the long run. * 7) But the recourse to stopgap measure C is also ethically and rationally dubious, because it is exactly analogous to sending someone out to sea with a boat that doesnt develop leaks, say, 90% of the time (and there are no life jackets). Assume a scenario where it is known to be a fact that the boats will leak and sink 10% of the time, as a matter of statistics. But we send them out anyway, under the illusion that they are quite safe from leaks and the sea. We send them knowing that 10% on average will drown or otherwise suffer, due to known failure of the seaworthiness of the boats (i.e., leaks). Is this a sensible, moral choice? Do we propose solutions where we know they cannot and will not be 100% effective? No; we wouldnt do that. We would either tell a person not to go out to sea in such a boat (abstain from the sea, so to speak) or we would develop a boat that is 100% sink-proof (like the Titanic was). * 8) Therefore, the Catholic Church proposes that traditional morality, including abstention where necessary, is the way to reduce and eliminate AIDS, not using measures that cannot attack the cause of the problem at its roots, and where people will die, under the illusion that they are safe. It is possible to control the sexual urge and to be healthy, with proper moral and scientific education. * 9) The Catholic solution is both far more rational and compassionate, because it refuses to accept that human beings are uncontrollable animals, or that they have to die by engaging in practices known to be unhealthy. The sexual practices involved were known to be unhealthy, as it is, long before AIDS was ever heard of.

The Church (along with many other world religions) has taught for 2000 years that certain sexual practices were wrong. What is morally wrong also tends to be highly unhealthy, physically and psychologically. But when people reject Christianity, they no longer accept the word of the Church. Therefore, they must be approached with hard facts from medical science, that appeal to the natural human self-interest and self-protection from injury. We can provide those.

We know that people are, overall, much happier and healthier by following traditional sexual morality. And we know this from medical science and social science, not just subjective and arbitrary or anti-pleasure (as it is thought to be) religious dogma. That is the answer; not a band-aid on a gaping wound, that has no chance of resolving the problem because it fails to attack it at the roots and fundamental causational level.

Related Studies of Condom Use

Secular / Scientific / Medical Sources

Safety First: 14 Common Condom Use Errors [LiveScience]

Condom use 101: Basic errors are so common, study finds [NBC News]

51% of New HIV Infections from Condom Failure During Anal Sex, Study Finds [BETA]

Condom Misuse Is Common, Leading to Condoms Breaking, Slipping [WebMD]

Condom Fact Sheet In Brief [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]

[C]ondom use cannot provide absolute protection against any STD. The most reliable ways to avoid transmission of STDs are to abstain from sexual activity, or to be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner.

Catholic or Pro-Life Sources

Condoms: Little-Known Scientific Facts [Human Life International]

Doctors speak out about condom failures [ProLife.com]

Surprise: Study Finds Condoms Dont Work [Against STDs] [Catholic News Agency]

The Condom: False Savior [American Life League]
Sad case of a pathetic Novusordist Neo-Catholic undergoing re-education therapy under the loving attention of super-Catholic Popess Hilary White [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license]

* * * * *

Ive been warning my readers to avoid the columns of Hilary White for some time now. Not a few folks scoffed and were skeptical of that. Why would I urge this? Its because radical Catholic reactionaryism [see the definition] is a poison, a cancer. We are what we eat. The more we get exposed to error, the more we can potentially get sucked into it. Hence, St. Paul repeatedly warned his readers to avoid contentious and divisive people.

Hilary knows who most vigorously oppose her errors, and who has been out there defending Pope Francis from the never-ending calumnies, myths, and whoppers of the currently fashionable hysteria and histrionics. Ive written a book about Pope Francis, have compiled a lengthy collection of articles in his defense, and have opposed radical Catholic reactionaries for 19 years online, with a large web page devoted to them and not just one, but two books on the topic.

Thus, when she got into a mocking mood, she managed to write the following post (2-12-16):

Score cards! Git yer score cards here!

These are going out to Mark Shea, Dave Armstrong and Jimmy Akin

Thanks for all the help, boys. Youre really making this pontificate hilarious and fun, and we appreciate all your hard work.

Youre welcome, Hilary. Accompanying this substantive piece of journalism is two mock Bingo sheets [one / two]. These supposedly represent pat sayings and pithy proverbs that neo-Catholics like myself and Jimmy Akin (Scott Eric Alt should have also received honorable mention) say about Pope Francis and his detractors; such as: Vatican II says and Why are you so angry all the time? and Youre a sedevacantist! and Hafta meet people where theyre at.

So how do we know that Hilary White is a radical Catholic reactionary? Its not that hard to do. She has begun a website of her own called, Whats Up With Francis-Church? I kid you not. Traveling over to her About us page, featured at the top of the sidebar, we find the following fascinating tidbits:

In 2008, I moved to Italy and began reporting on Vatican and European politics. Over the next seven years I reported and learned, and then one day, the thing we had thought could not happen happened. As I have written elsewhere, while we were distracted, Sauron had got hold of the Ring.

When Bergoglio came out onto the loggia that night, even though we in the piazza had barely been able to catch the name, I knew: that part of the fight was over, and a new one had begun.

Did you see that? For those of you who arent Lord of the Rings fans, Sauron is the bad guy and Satan-like figure. Its a new variation on the old anti-Catholic antichrist pope theme, I reckon . . . Does that qualify for being a radical Catholic reactionary (complete with the obligatory use of the pre-papal name)?

Hilary has a tagline called Novusordism isnt Catholicism. No one could make this stuff up! In her post on 2-10-16, she wrote:

The premise here is that the old religion is not the same as the new, and that as time has passed since the year of grace 1965, the rift between the two religions competing for space within the same Church has grown wider.

What we used to call Catholicism must now be distinguished from the interloper by calling it traditional Catholicism, or Traditionalism.

Hence, Neo-Catholicism! Get it? If you are naive and dumb enough to think (perish the thought!) that the Catholic faith, post-Vatican II, is actually Catholicism, youre not a Catholic; youre actually and in fact a neo-Catholic: some new absurd hybrid heretofore unknown. If you happen to attend the Novus Ordo (New or Pauline) Mass, youre out of the Catholic fold and part of a goofy religion called Novusordism. Hilary places this post under the category of Pssst Its a different religion. I bet you didnt know that you werent a Catholic, huh? Learn sumpin very day . . .

Now were not only not Catholic, but also not Christians at all, since the religion in question is Christianity. Nothing radical here, right? Meanwhile, I still refer to Hilary and her ilk as Catholic within the overall title of radical Catholic reactionary. We can readily see what is radical and reactionary. This garbage is some of the clearest manifestation of this sick viewpoint that I have ever seen. Its so clear that one wonders whether it is a deliberate self-parody and mere farce.

On November 23, 2015 Hilary blessed us with the following advice for the lonely Catholic hearts club:

I regret that things have come to such a pass in the Church that Catholicism, openly practiced in groups, is no longer tolerated. For a long time we could get away with maintaining the idea in our heads that the structural Church was a big tent in which the chosen path of one person was just as valid as any other. Under JPII we could even convince ourselves, (as long as we didnt look too closely  and remembering that this was well before the innernet) that the ancient Faith was being restored and we just had to wait.

Its pretty clear now that those days are behind us. We can play Catholic in the structural Church as individuals, but more and more I expect we will be like Christians in Saudi Arabia who have to be extremely careful to keep our Rosaries to ourselves.

The above is quite sufficient to reveal the tragic, pitiful mindset of Hilary White. Presumably, she grew too radical and bizarre for Lifesite News, which indicates that her last column there was on 7 May 2015. Hilarys blog above  in the About the Author blurbs under her posts  states that she covered Vatican and European news related to life and family issues from a Catholic perspective until May 2015.

But The Remnant: the king of all radical Catholic reactionary websites (up there in the rarefied, hallowed, sublime atmosphere with Rorate Caeli and Catholic Family News), has, alas, not yet tired of Hilary White. Shes been writing there since March 2013 and now has a long string of columns. In her gem of 1-22-16, entitled The Blackwhite of Pope Francis she stated:

But Francis does not think like a Catholic. He is the very model of a modern Jesuit, and these are the chaps who pride themselves on having moved beyond the ancient strictures of rationality, common sense, etc. . . .



Francis does not think of doctrine as we do, as an accurate description of objective reality. To him and his fellow Jesuits and academics, doctrine is only a set of subjective and more or less arbitrary ideas and rules one carries around in ones head and fits to the current situation. These ideas, according to the men of his school, are dependent upon their applicability for their validity. They can be good only if they serve a particular purpose. . . .

Doctrine can be changed  indeed, must be changed  because times and people change. God changes too because He comes up with new ideas which the faithful are obliged to discern, . . . There is no such thing as immutable truth because there is no such thing as immutable reality. God has no immutable nature, nor does man. . . .



All this more or less means, according to the Bergoglian logic, that a truly faithful Catholic is one who abandons Church teaching when he is told to. . . .

Many Catholics who are alarmed at this pope are also deeply confused by him. Indeed, it is difficult not to be confused by a man who appears to have no concept of a logical contradiction and cheerfully and apparently unconsciously contradicts Scripture, Catholic doctrine, ordinary natural facts and frequently himself with untroubled abandon.

A word to the wise is sufficient . . .
Tonight I had the opportunity to attend a ceremony where the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) honored ten women of vision. The program of the evening described these women as an elite cadre of trailblazers whose remarkable ideas, insightful leadership and distinguished service have profoundly sculpted the city of Savannah.

Among these ten women, five of whom are deceased and five are living, were included Mother Mathilda Beasley and Flannery OConnor, both Catholic women who left an undeniable mark in the city of Savannah and the local church they loved so much. Mrs. Rhonda Williams accepted the recognition in the name of Mother Beasley and Bishop Emeritus J. Kevin Boland received it for Flannery OConnor.

I became aquainted with Mother Beasley when I moved to Savannah in 2014. As chancellor of the diocese, I have been involved in the partnership between the city and the diocese to open to the public Mother Beasleys house across the street from Saint Benedict the Moor Parish in downtown Savannah. Born a slave in 1832 and baptized at Saint Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, Mathilda came to Savannah for an unknown reason, and later married Abraham Beasley in 1869. Probably unable to find her baptismal record from New Orleans before her marriage, baptismal records of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist of Savannah show that she was conditionally baptized on March 27th, 1869.

After Abrahams death in 1877, Mathilda donated his estate to the Diocese of Savannah hoping to open an orphanage and school for African American children. Her desire became a reality in 1887 when Sacred Heart Orphanage opened, and operated until 1897. Mother Beasley died in 1903.

Known as the first African-American nun of Georgia, it is actually unclear if she ever took religious vows. In 1885 she traveled to England where she lived at a Franciscan community. In 1886, Poor Clare Sisters from York, England visited Savannah, and Mother Beasley must have developed a relationship with them. There is no doubt however that Mother Beasley established an African American community of faithful Catholic women who served the poor, ran an orphanage, and wore a habit. Her legacy, along with the legacy of Catholic education for African-American children started in 1867 by the Sisters of Saint Joseph at the request of Bishop Verot, has touched countless lives in the African American community of Savannah.

Flannery OConnor was born and raised under the shade of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist on Lafayette Square. A fervent Catholic, OConnor described herself as a pigeon-toed child with a receding chin and a you-leave-me-alone-or-Ill-bite-you complex. A very complex woman, she became a fervent writer of fiction, but has also left scores of letters and spiritual writings.

Born in 1925, she left Savannah in 1945 to study at Georgia State College for Women in Milledgeville, Georgia, followed by the University of Iowa. After being diagnosed with lupus at a young age in 1951, she returned to her native Georgia to live the rest of her days with her mother at their farmhouse Andalusia outside Milledgeville. She died in 1964.

Her stories are about grace in a fallen world, the redemption of Christ offered to every one person, and finding beauty in the most profane and grotesque situations. Even though many find her stories odd, I find that in her characters awkwardness and weakness, we can all see a small (or sometimes large) reflection of ourselves.

The uniqueness of her work continues to be misunderstood today, as it was was while she was alive. There is a story that Flannerys wealthy cousin Katie Semmes sent copies of Flannerys novel Wise Blood to her priest friends, including Monsignor McNamarra, rector of the Cathedral. After she read the book however, she was horrified. She immediately wrote letters of apology to the priests.

The ten women SCAD chose to honor have left a mark on the city of Savannah, including these two outstanding Catholic women. May their faith and the good it brought about in their lives continue to touch the lives of many in Savannah and beyond.

All these pictures are mine, all rights reserved.
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Iran Calls for Better Relations with Rival Saudi Arabia

02/13/16

By Pamela Dockins, VOA

MUNICH-Envoys from Iran and Saudi Arabia took part in peace talks in Germany this week to try to resolve the Syrian conflict, which produced a rare public attempt to bridge the two rivals' deep differences. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif appeared to extend an olive branch, saying, Iran and Saudi Arabia must overcome years of strained relations and work for stability in Syria and the Middle East.



File Photo: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaking at the

File Photo: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaking at the Chatham House , the Royal Institute of International Affairs, in Londin on February 4th, 2016. Zarif said on Friday that his country and Saudi Arabia "must overcome years of strained relations and work for stability in Syria and the Middle East. (photo by Islamic Republic News Agency

Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have soared in the past year over the wars in Syria and Yemen, as well as accusations on both sides that they are fanning Sunni-Shi'ite sectarian tensions across the Middle East.

Relations worsened in January following the Saudi execution of a prominent Shiite cleric. That led to attacks on Saudi missions in Iran, a move that prompted the kingdom to sever ties with Tehran.

But during the Munich Security Conference, Zarif expressed hope for collaboration.

We believe there is nothing in our region that would exclude Iran and Saudi Arabia working together for a better future for all of us," he said.

He said the two countries faced common threats, including the Islamic State and al-Nusra Front terrorist groups.

The Islamic State and terrorism as a whole were underlying themes for the high-ranking government officials who spoke at the conference. Many called for broader international efforts to combat terrorist groups.

More than military response

The global threat posed by the Islamic State requires not only a military response but also efforts to hamper the groups infrastructure and logistics, said French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Drian. He said world powers needed to cooperate more in efforts to disrupt the terror groups communications in order to stop its ability to spread propaganda.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said external factors had contributed to the presence of militants in his country.

Unfortunately, not enough work has been done to combat the flow of terrorists, foreign terrorists, from Turkey to Syria to Iraq, he said.

Jordans King Abdullah said combating terrorism required a holistic approach with a global perspective.

World powers will not succeed by focusing on Islamic State in Iraq and Syria while other terrorist groups and affiliates strengthen in Africa and Asia, he said.

The Munich Security Conference is an annual global forum for discussions on security policy. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is among speakers who will address the group Saturday.
"Standing in the Dust" wins best film award at Fajr Film Festival

02/13/16

Report by Tehran Times; photos by Islamic Republic News Agency

TEHRAN -- Standing in the Dust, a biopic on Iranian commander Ahmad Motevasselian who was kidnapped by the Zionist regime in 1982 in Lebanon, won the Crystal Simorgh for best film at the 34th Fajr Film Festival, the organizers announced on Thursday.





Producer Habib Vaalinejad was not able to attend the closing ceremony, which was held at Tehrans Milad Tower. One of his colleagues received the award on his behalf and read his message, in which he stated that he wished to watch the movie with Brigadier General Hossein Hamedani, a high-ranking military advisor with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), who was martyred in October during a mission in Syria.

The films director/writer Mohammad-Hossein Mahdavian was also presented with the special jury award in the New Look section, which is dedicated to debut films and second directorial films.

In his acceptance speech, Mahdavian thanked his parents and wife and said that the Iranian cinema community should acknowledge filmmakers like Ebrahim Hatamikia, whose political drama Bodyguard was competing in the festival.

Standing in the Dust is about the life story of Motevasselian who along with his colleagues, Mohsen Musavi and Taqi Rastegar-Moqaddam, and photojournalist Kazem Akhavan was kidnapped by Israelis in 1982 in Lebanon.

The organizers paid a tribute to Motevasselian, but members of his family declined to appear on the stage in protest against producing the biopic with any consultation with them.

Saeid Rustai was picked as best director for his debut film Life+1 Day, a story about poverty and drug abuse. He also received the Crystal Simorgh for best screenwriter. The film also won the audience award.







Saeid Rustai, Best Director





Rustai expressed his thanks to producer Saeid Malekan and added, The first step was taken after Mr. Malekan put his trust in us, because the screenplay was written two years ago, but no producer even agreed to read it.

Starring Peyman Moaadi, Parinaz Izaryar, Life+1 Day is about a lower-class family suffering from drug addiction and poverty in a deprived neighborhood in Tehran.

The movie brought Izaryar the Crystal Simorgh for best actress and Navid Mohammadzadeh the Crystal Simorgh for best supporting actor.

Izaryar, who was very excited by the award, said, I am so thrilled that I am afraid of dropping my Simorgh.







Parinaz Izaryar, Best Actress





Mohammadzadeh took his place behind the microphone and left there a moment later without saying a word.

Best actor award went to Parviz Parastui for his role in Bodyguard.





Parviz Parastui Best Actor





I dedicate this award first to [director] Hatamikia and then to the five luminaries of Iranian cinema, Ezzatollah Entezami, Ali Nasirian, Jamshid Mashayekhi, Mohammad-Ali Keshavarz and Davud Rashidi, who are not present at this ceremony, Parastui said after accepting his award.

Shabnam Moqaddami received the best supporting actress award for her roles in Breathe by Narges Abyar and Spare by Borzu Nikneajd.

She also dedicated her award to the soul of his father, who died last year.

The special jury award in the official section was presented to Hooman Seyyedi for his Fury and Furor.

A157, Irans Soureh Pictures Companys powerful documentary directed by Behruz Nuranipur about three Kurdish girls who became pregnant after being raped by members of ISIS, was crowned best documentary.

The Crystal Simorgh for best documentarian went to Mehrdad Oskui for Daybreak Dreams, on juveniles at an Iranian detention center.

Holy List directed by Mohammad-Amin Hamedani received the Crystal Simorgh for best animation.

In the Art and Experience Cinema section, which are dedicated to art films, the Crystal Simorgh for best film went to Wednesday by Sorush Mohammadzadeh.



Following is the list of other winners:

Best editor: Bahram Dekqani for Life+1 Day.

Best director of cinematography: Peyman Shadman for Fury and Furor.

Best makeup artist: Saeid Malekan for Life+1 Day.

Best set and costume designer: Mohammadreza Shojai for Standing in the Dust.

Best composer: Mohammadreza Aqili for Minas Choice and Daughter.

Best sound engineer: MOhammadreza Delpak for Lanturi.

Best practical special effects supervisor: Iman Karamian for Standing in the Dust.

Best computerized special effects supervisor: Seyyed Hadi Eslami for Bodyguard.

Photo: Saeid Rustai holds the Crystal Simorgh for best director for his debut about poverty and drug abuse


Well, it had a good run.

On Friday, Google announced that it would discontinue the popular Picasa photo management tool in order to put all its efforts toward its newer Google Photos service.

After much thought and consideration, weve decided to retire Picasa over the coming months in order to focus entirely on a single photo service in Google Photos, Anil Sabharwal, the head of the Google Photos team, said in a blog post. We believe we can create a much better experience by focusing on one service that provides more functionality and works across mobile and desktop, rather than divide our efforts across two different products.

The story behind the story: Picasa dates all the way back to 2002a time when Google was just an upstart search engineand Google itself bought the app two years later in 2004. In that time, its remained a desktop-oriented app and service, though third-party apps for iOS and Android exist to manage your Picasa Web Albums. Google Photos launched last May and is much more geared toward todays mobile lifestyle than Picasa was.

Where do Picasa users go from here?

If youre a Picasa user, you can make the move to Google Photos at any time, according to the company. Sign into Google Photos with your account information, Google says, and your Picasa uploads will be right there waiting for you. Although there isnt a desktop app for Google Photos, you can easily upload new photos to your collection via the Web interface.

But if you arent ready to say goodbye to yesterday, Picasa isnt disappearing immediately. Google will phase out the desktop app and Web Albums feature in the coming months.

Google will retire the Picasa desktop app on March 15th; youll be able to download it until then and the app will continue to work, but come March 15th, Google will no longer support the app.

Web Albums will stick around a little longeruntil May 1st. Until then, youll be able to access your Web Albums as you can now, and after that point, the company will provide a new place for you to access your Picasa Web Albums data, according to the blog post, just in case you dont want to make the move to Google Photos but still want to access and save your Picasa data.
Esri, a geographical information systems software company in Redlands, has developed a product to help bidders get a piece of the action in the Federal Communication Commissions latest airwaves auction.

The FCC is acting to acquire 600 MHz spectrum licensed to television stations and make it available to mobile carriers.

These kinds of auctions have been going on for years, with the biggest impact to consumers occurring in 2008, when 700 MHz spectrum was taken, requiring people who relied on antennas for TV reception to either get an adapter box or go digital.

Our customers have used our products in previous auctions, but this is the first time weve created a bundle specifically for an auction, said Randy Frantz, Esris telecommunications solutions director.

Esris specialty is combining maps and data to create visual displays of things that are hard to understand, such as bandwidth.

Due to the complexity of this auction, companies are going to need tools like this, whereas in the past its been a little more straightforward, Frantz said in a phone interview.

Esris Solutions for Smart Spectrum Analysis is intended to help clients visualize available spectrum, determine their needs, and track bidding.

You can map out where your licenses are, where you have excess capacity or where youre short of capacity, Frantz said. You can look at competitors, where they have licenses available. And then you can make a determination based on where the new licenses are going to be on that forward auction, on whether or not you want to jump in and bid on some additional spectrum.

In addition to telecommunications giants such as AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, there are smaller providers who might be interested in acquiring spectrum, and according to The Washington Post investment firms have also shown interest in the auction, which will begin March 29.

Esri offers three bundles.

 The Analysis Bundle, the most basic, includes desktop software ArcGIS and Business Analyst Online, systems for making and using maps developed by Esri. It is priced at $36,000.

 The Collaboration Bundle is for larger companies to share maps from different locations and includes an ArcGIS server and more Esri services. It is priced at $96,300.

 The Enterprise Bundle is customized with no fixed price.

All bundles include spectrum data from Mosaik Solutions, a Tennessee-based company that specializes in solutions for mobile operators.

Esris product is aimed at bidders in the auction. Potential sellers in the auction include a number of college campus-based public television stations.

Among them is KVCR-TV, which has applied to the FCC to participate in the auction but is not obligated to do so.

FCC rules allow licensees to tell the public whether they have entered the auction but forbids them from saying how they intend to sell their spectrum. Options include channel sharing, moving to a low VHF channel, or going off the air.

The San Bernardino Community College District holds KVCRs license. On Oct. 8 its board of trustees authorized chancellor Bruce Baron to participate in the auction.

Colleges across the country took similar actions, but a few held public forums before a Jan. 12 deadline to make viewers aware of potential changes in service.

Contact the writer: fbuck@pressenterprise.com or 951-368-9551.
Central City Lutheran Mission offers a wide range of services assisting San Bernardino city residents living in poverty to meet their basic needs and get back on their feet.

CCLM was established in 1994 by five Lutheran churches and continues to be supported by those original churches, as well as by additional community partners. Offering a wide range of services to address issues of health, housing and education, the organization works with at-risk youth, homeless individuals living with HIV and homeless men throughout the city of San Bernardino.

The grounds of CCLM, which was originally a church, were converted into a campus, and one of the components is a mens shelter, which houses up to 70 men a night.

This service functions as both an emergency shelter and as long-term housing for those who need assistance becoming solvent and finding their own housing. The majority of homeless in the area are men, and CCLM offers the only program specifically for them, according to Amy Fawcett, CCLMs interim executive director.

Homeless men using the shelter have the option of participating in a 30-, 60- or 90-day program. Working with the staff, they must agree to goals and pursue them while living on the campus. CCLM then assists the men in pursuing the goals, such as obtaining a drivers license or a GED. The men then can move into transitional housing or stay on as a resident volunteer, helping with tasks such as security, property upkeep and serving meals.

The men are integral to how we operate, Fawcett said. In addition to needing their valuable services, they are also empowered by being such an important component of the community; they build self-esteem and acquire skills until they are ready to make the next step to complete independence.

CCLM also functions as a community center, providing classes such as aerobics, a womens sewing co-op, English as a second language and literacy. The campus offers a food pantry and thrift shop and serves hot lunches every afternoon. There also is an after-school program where kids can come when school is out and stay until dinner to get a hot meal.

According to Fawcett, there are 36,000 homeless or at-risk of homeless youth in the area.

That is quite a high number of kids who may not literally be on the streets, but they may be in a shelter or a hotel, which isnt productive for learning, Fawcett said. We try to be current with the times. So the students can use our computer lab and get tutoring as well as participate in outdoor activities in a safe place.

In the past year, CCLM served 61,770 meals, housed 498 men and served 57 students in after-school programming. San Bernardino is the second-poorest city in the country and the need for services is tremendous, Fawcett said. Recently, CCLM received a grant from the Community Impact Fund at The Community Foundation, but it also needs further financial support and volunteer assistance from the community.

Fawcett said community assistance goes a long way in supporting CCLMs work. Every dollar that they give or every hour that they give is maximized and goes so far to changing lives, she said. And by having so many volunteers on campus, we find that the individuals who are serving really find a sense of purpose to live their own lives and continue to want to give back to the community.

CCLM offers a variety of volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups. Volunteers can participate by assisting with the afterschool program, serving meals or working with the homeless.

The organization also offers internships.

We are always seeking volunteers, not just in services, but if you have special skills like marketing or photography, we will take any help we can get, Fawcett said.

As they say, it takes a village.

For more information about Central City Lutheran Mission, visit cclm.org or call 909-381-6921.

Contact the writer: community@pressenterprise.com
A drum banged, cymbals crashed and a red-and-gold lion leapt and plunged through a local Chinese restaurant last weekend in celebration of Chinese New Year, drawing crowds of excited children.

Guests of the Save Our Chinatown Committee stuffed little red envelopes of cash into the lions mouth to bring good luck for 2016, the Year of the Monkey.

The two-person lion costume wiggled its ears and clapped its jaws, the front person jumping high into the air, supported by the rear man. By the time it was over, every diner was smiling.

The occasion was a fundraiser for the Riverside group that has been trying since 2008 to preserve the historic site where the citys Chinatown was located before the last of it was bulldozed in 1968.

During the dinner, Save Our Chinatown Committee unveiled plans for a park on the 2.3-acre site near Riverside Community Hospital to commemorate Chinese immigrants contribution to Riversides history.

On Thursday, I met with the groups leader, M. Rosalind Sagara, and treasurer, Tony Truong, to hear more about how the park plan is progressing. Both seem optimistic.

City staff has reviewed the plan to see if its feasible; next it will be presented to the City Council, although no date has been set, Sagara said.

Before that, the group plans to hold public meetings around the city over the coming year to hear what residents would like to see in the park, she said. (The group envisions festivals, lectures and family activities, but it wants more suggestions.)

At the Chinese New Year dinner, parks consultant Pete Dangermond said the Chinatown park could be part of a network of cultural sites throughout the city that would draw visitors and residents alike.

He credited Riverside Convention and Visitors Bureau president Ted Weggeland for the vision.

Weggeland called it destination marketing and said the idea is to leverage all of the attractions that showcase what Riverside has to offer.

We have all these institutions in Riverside, he said, listing the California Museum of Photography, March Field Air Museum and Fox Performing Arts Center, but each markets itself separately.

Its an intriguing plan.

Riverside has more to offer than meets the eye of the casual visitor. The obvious are the Mission Inn (which is a national historic landmark), the lovingly restored historic courthouse (where cases are still heard) and the Riverside Metropolitan and Riverside Art museums (both in historic buildings) and, of course, the newly restored Fox Theater.

Less obvious (or less well known) are Heritage House, an 1891 Victorian owned by the Metropolitan Museum; the Center for Social Justice and Civil Liberties, where the drawings of Mine Okubo depicting Japanese internment camps of World War II are housed; and tree-lined Victoria Avenue.

Sagara said the Harada House and Trujillo Adobe could easily be included. A park honoring the history and culture of Riversides early Chinese residents would fit right in.

The city is about to launch a survey to document the culturally significant sites and artifacts of the early Chinese settlement, dating to the late 1800s.

The city put up $26,680 to match a $40,000 grant from the state Office of Historic Preservation for the survey. Sagara, an architectural historian with a masters degree in historic preservation, will oversee the work.

The former Chinatown site has a somewhat stormy recent history.

Developer Doug Jacobs planned to build a medical office building there, but the project was derailed when Save Our Chinatown sued and a court agreed the city hadnt complied with environmental laws in approving it, Sagara told me.

Seven years ago this weekend, the developer brought in earthmoving equipment and began excavating, triggering a panic that buried artifacts would be destroyed. Save Our Chinatown scrambled to get an injunction to halt the digging.

The site has sat vacant ever since.

I spoke to Jacobs by phone. He said he is willing to sell it to the Save Our Chinatown Committee, but he wants to recover the money hes invested  a figure he declined to name but said is in the six figures.

Sagara told me Save Our Chinatown is hoping to put together private donations and public money, perhaps including a federal grant expressly for creating new parks.

Dangermond said another option would be to find surplus city or county property that could be traded for the Chinatown parcel.

It would be wonderful if the city would partner with the group.

Adding to and improving the citys parks was part of the $1.57 billion Riverside Renaissance project. Councilman Mike Gardner, whose district includes the site, said the city is still behind on acres of parkland for its population size.

I wouldnt expect things to move swiftly on Chinatown Memorial Park. But I think progress will be made this year.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9470 or cmacduff@pressenterprise.com
The family of a young man killed in a 2012 car crash will host their third annual memorial blood drive and bone marrow screening next month in Corona.

Tyler Andrews, an 18-year-old Centennial student, was killed on March 1, 2012, when he lost control of his vehicle and slammed into a tree in Corona. Tyler, a registered organ donor, gave to others even after his death, his mother Kathy Andrews said.

Kathy Andrews said she organized the event to remind people to give back and be a hero to someone.

The blood drive is from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 12, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1123 S. Lincoln Ave. There will also be a food drive for the Corona-Norco Settlement House.

All blood donors will receive a coupon for a free IHOP breakfast, redeemable at 2450 Wardlow Road, a complimentary Bridge to Life T-shirt, and a sandwich from Togos, redeemable at 650 S. Lincoln Ave.

For more information, contact Terry and Kathy Andrews at 951-582-9441, or email them at tatata.tda@gmail.com.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9644, poneill@pressenterprise.com, @PE_PatrickO
Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Friday, Jan. 12, she will introduce legislation to create 142,000 acres of off-highway recreation areas around three new national monuments in the Mojave Desert.

The California Democrats announcement came shortly after President Barack Obama signed proclamations establishing the Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow and Castle Mountains national monuments, which total 1.8 million acres.

The president used his power under the Antiquities Act to make the designation after Feinsteins California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act of 2015 stagnated in Congress.

While the executive action won Feinstein the monuments, it left out some of the obligations she had promised to off-roaders while crafting her bill.

Her new legislation  offering permanent protection for five off-highway recreation areas outside the monument  will seek to make that right, Feinstein said in a statement.

Those carefully negotiated provisions, which represent our best attempt to achieve consensus among desert stakeholders, deserve to become law, she said. Off-roaders were a vital part of the coalition we put together, and unfortunately those lands could not be designated under executive action. Off-roaders deserve certainty about their future use of the land, just as there is now certainty for conservation purposes.

The date for introduction of the bill is not yet known, Feinsteins staff said.

Randy Banis, who worked on Feinsteins previous legislation as a member of the California Off-Road Vehicle Association, was pleased by her latest effort for the off-road community and said it shows that Feinstein keeps her word. He was less optimistic that such legislation would pass, however.

Meanwhile, Rep. Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley, said he will continue to push his competing bill, the California Minerals, Off-Road Recreation and Conservation Act of 2015, through Congress. It would allow new mining claims, expanded off-road vehicle areas and make Mojave Trails a less-restrictive special management area instead of a monument.

Cook hinted that he would try to undermine the monument designations, saying they could be pre-empted by legislation passed by Congress.

There are some significant local concerns that the president unilaterally expanded the boundaries far beyond even the 1.1 million acres of monuments that were in Senator Feinsteins bill. Legislation could still address that by adjusting the boundaries, he said.

Obamas action was a setback toward getting meaningful protections for our public lands and their many uses, but its certainly not the final word, Cook said.

Now, management plans will be created to determine use in the monuments, which could take three years. They will be formed by the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service and National Park Service, depending on who has jurisdiction, with public input, according to the proclamation.

Two San Bernardino County supervisors, Robert Lovingood and Curt Hagman, voiced objections to the presidents use of the Antiquities Act. The move bypassed local voices and jeopardizes millions in potential mining revenue to the county, they said.

According to Obamas proclamation, the mine in the Castle Mountains will transfer to the National Park Service after mining activities have ended or after 10 years of inactivity.

Many others, however, said the monuments will provide an economic boost for the region as they attract new attention and visitors.

On Tuesday, the Morongo Valley Chamber of Commerce will hold a dedication ceremony for a new welcome sign that says Morongo Valley  Home of Sand to Snow National Monument.

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Contact the writer: jzimmerman@pressenterprise.com or 951-368-9586
Fans of Food Network chef Robert Irvine had two opportunities to see him in person Thursday at the Riverside Convention Center.

Irvines stop in downtown filled up the convention centers main ballroom for Loma Linda University Childrens Hospital Foundation Gala, at nearly 950, and attracted nearly 100 to a reception hosted by Sysco Foods.

Irvine didnt cook, but he joked, stomped, shouted and shared life lessons at both events. He said the biggest lesson he has learned is the power of giving back.

The chef went to the childrens hospital earlier in the day to visit a family with an 11-year-old in the hematology/oncology unit.

Its the most exhilarating experience  to be able to change their life for a couple seconds and make them laugh  that meant so much to me, Irvine said.

The chef said he was so moved by the young girl that he bought her the biggest stuffed bear he could find. He said he wasnt being paid for appearing at the gala; he just wanted to give back.

Rachelle Bussell, senior vice president of advancement for Loma Linda University Health, said she appreciated how people came together to help the university with its mission to serve the community as the regions only level-one trauma center.

Theres nothing more humbling or more meaningful than to make a difference in the life of a child, she said. Its a real privilege, but its also a huge responsibility to treat the people in this community.

The gala raised $1.3 million. The most expensive auction item was a suite at Staples Center for a Lakers game that sold for $14,000.

Irvine said he has cooked aboard aircraft carriers for troops overseas and has teamed with Sysco to feed families in need in San Diego.

During Syscos reception, Irvine said he began cooking hoping to get lucky with one of the 33 girls in his primary school home economics class in Salisbury in Wiltshire county in England.

Irvine left those in attendance at both events with one challenge.

If everyone does one good thing for someone they dont know every single day, this world will change for the better, he said. Thats how I live my life.

Contact the writer: roryrayosullivan@gmail.com
The odds of catching a catfish in Lake Elsinore improved greatly Friday with the first fish plant of the year.

More than 1,620 pounds of the species slid into the lake from a Superior Catfish Inc. truck that arrived at the La Laguna boat ramp from Arvin. The activity launched what is planned as a series of at least four stockings through the spring, said Lake Elsinore Community Services Director Johnathan Skinner.

The next one is scheduled for Wednesday, when about 400 largemouth bass, 2,000 bluegill and and 3,000 black crappie will be delivered to what is Southern Californias largest, freshwater body that isnt man-made.

City Council members agreed to allot $25,000 for the fish plants with the goal of replenishing the sport fishery, which has diminished in recent years, Skinner said.

The council has really been supportive of getting the fishery back up and strong, he said. Now were going to initiate a constant stocking pattern.

Skinner said the staff had planned to import fish last year but postponed it after a fish kill brought on by a torrid summer and forecasts of a bounty of rainfall this winter. Officials reasoned the fish would survive better in the cooler season.

Theyre perfect game-fish size, said City Manager Grant Yates, an avid fisherman. Theyre of breeding age, so well get them in early and allow them to reproduce. Theyre in the 4-pound range.

He was among a number of officials and residents who watched the stocking. Many took notice of the size of some of the fish going into the lake.

I dont think these are ones well have to Photoshop, Skinner joked as he watched La Laguna Resort manager William Johnson hoist a 15-incher.

This is wonderful, said veteran boatman Pete Dawson. These are good-sized fish, and it looks like theres plenty of them.

The catfish, as well as bass and crappie, will help thin the lake of threadfin shad minnows, an overpopulation of which is believed to have contributed to last years die-off.

Also, Johnson said, catfish, crappie and bluegill are popular among lakeside anglers.

Most people that come to Lake Elsinore are going to cast from the shore, he said. If you want to promote recreation on the lake, catfish is a great fish to have.  Lake Elsinore has always been known for its rather large crappie, but over the years, the population has become relatively depleted.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9690 or michaelwilliams@pressenterprise.com
A 22-year-old motorcycle rider from San Diego suffered major injuries just before noon Friday, Feb. 12, when he attempted to pass a vehicle on the left that was making a left turn into a driveway from the 79 highway, near Vail Lake, according to a California Highway Patrol traffic incident report.

Stephen Widdecomb III, who was on a 2013 Harley Davidson motorcycle, was taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar for treatment of his injuries, according to the report.

Driver Yungmin Lee, 33, of Los Angeles, was westbound in a 2015 Honda CRV just east of Arroyo Seco Creek slowing from 25 mph to make a left turn into a driveway. Widdecomb was westbound on the highway at about 55 mph and crossed over the double-yellow lines in an attempt to pass Lees vehicle, but collided into the turning vehicle and was ejected from the motorcycle, according to the report.

Lee suffered minor injuries. The motorcycle had major roll over damage and the car had moderate left side damage.

The CHP Temecula area office is investigating the accident.
Some Inland hospitals, and many others across California, have struggled to fend off a hardy bacteria that can inflict life-threatening diarrhea on patients, especially those 65 or older.

According to a report released by the state Department of Public Health, 327 California hospitals reported 10,588 cases of Clostridium difficile in 2014  far more than any other infection that patients commonly acquire, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Nearly one-fifth of those hospitals, including 11 in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, had significantly high rates of C. difficile infections, according to the report.

They included Corona Regional Medical Center, Hemet Valley Medical Center, Menifee Valley Medical Center, Riverside Community Hospital, San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital, Redlands Community Hospital, St. Bernardine Medical Center and Kaiser hospitals in Moreno Valley, Riverside, Fontana and Ontario.

In a statement, Dr. Gunter Rieg, regional infection control officer for Kaisers Southern California group, said its hospitals have taken a number of steps to reduce infection, adding, At Kaiser Permanente, patient safety is a top priority, and we take C. difficile infections very seriously.

Kathryn McLaughlin, an executive for the hospitals in Hemet and Menifee, said the health care facilities received the statistics at least a year ago, and we really took these concerns very, very seriously.

In a statement, officials at Redlands Community Hospital expressed disappointment in its rankings.

The hospital is pleased by the significant improvement made in its most current C. diff rate, which was reduced by 67 percent, a statement read.

Stephanie Johnson, spokeswoman for St. Bernardine, said in a statement, The hospital remains committed to improving and enhancing patient safety by adhering to best practice guidelines recommended by national health care quality organizations.

In hospitals, and especially in nursing homes, C. difficile is either transmitted person-to-person or via surfaces when patients shed C. difficile spores along with their feces, then dont wash their hands. In other people, those spores release toxins that can cause inflammation and damage the lining of the colon, leading to severe diarrhea. Serious infections also can lead to colitis, sepsis and death.

Antibiotics make people vulnerable to C. difficile infection because the medicine kills beneficial bacteria that would otherwise help fight the infection.

McLaughlin said her hospitals are giving extra care to rooms with patients who have C. difficile, cleaning them twice per day and using stronger cleaning agents.

She also said patients who come in with diarrhea are isolated until it can be determined if they have C. difficile.

Redlands administrators said the hospital significantly reduced its C. difficile infection rate by, among other practices, monitoring antibiotic usage, raising awareness of the need for urgent isolation of patients with symptoms and increased patient and family education.

The odds of contracting C. difficile are low, but the consequences can be severe. The CDC estimates that of the nearly half-million people infected in 2011, 29,000 died within 30 days of diagnosis.

C. difficile isnt a new problem. Nationwide, the number of patients discharged from hospitals with infections more than tripled to 300,000 from 1993 to 2005, according to a 2011 report from Consumers Union.
When President Barack Obama briefly visited San Bernardino in December, he consoled family members who lost loved ones in the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11.

Obama has returned to Southern California less than two months later, this time for a summit with Southeast Asian leaders Monday, Feb. 15, and Tuesday, Feb. 16, in Rancho Mirage.

The shock and horror of the Dec. 2 mass shooting may be receding in the minds of many Americans, but national security has intensified as a political issue leading to the November presidential election.

Terrorism has become a political challenge for the president as his second term draws to a close, analysts say.

Most Americans disapprove of how Obama is handling the issue, according to a Pew Research Center survey taken less than two weeks after the Dec. 2 attack that killed 14 people and injured 22 others.

The president has made rhetorical mistakes that have hurt his standing, said Jack Pitney, a professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College.

Obama said the Islamic State, or ISIS, had been contained. Hours later, it carried out the Nov. 15 terrorist attacks in Paris, Pitney noted. Before Thanksgiving, Obama said there was no credible evidence of an impeding terror attack on U.S. soil. Then came the San Bernardino tragedy.

The administration may well be doing a fine job behind the scenes, Pitney said. But as a political matter, the issue is hurting the president.

OPPOSING VIEWS

Inland members of Congress have opposing views on the presidents efforts to defeat terrorism.

Rep. Mark Takano, D-Riverside, said Obama is using an effective military strategy of air attacks and small numbers of special forces to retake territory from ISIS.

Hes also reaching out to the Muslim community in the United States for help in weeding out domestic extremists who may be plotting terror strikes. Although Dec. 2 shooters Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik had pledged allegiance to ISIS, they were not on a watch list or affiliated with a foreign terror group, officials have said.

Obama is also taking steps to address weaknesses in the nations visa system to prevent Islamic radicals from entering the country, Takano said.

More federal dollars should be spent on research related to gun violence. Sensible gun control measures would lessen the chance of another mass shooting, he said.

We need to be studying who are the people who are most vulnerable to committing acts of terror driven by a certain ideology, Takano said.

SHARING INFORMATION

Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, said Obama is downplaying the severity of the danger.

The military should enforce a no-fly zone over Syria while special forces need to be embedded with Iraqi and Kurdish troops to bolster counter-terrorism efforts. The United States also must work more closely with moderate allies in the Middle East to destroy Islamic extremists including ISIS, Calvert said.

This threat is continuing to expand, said Calvert, a member of the House defense subcommittee. This is not some small group of folks operating on the margins.

Gaps in the domestic intelligence system must be closed to allow local law enforcement agencies to intercept terrorist communications from ISIS headquarters in Syria to the United States, Calvert said.

FEDERAL ACTION REQUESTED

The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department is working closely with the FBI on counterterrorism intelligence.

The department has two people assigned to an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. Members of the team have top-level security clearances, said Sheriff John McMahon.

There is no concern theyre hiding information from us, he said.

McMahon said he and other county sheriffs are lobbying federal officials to restore money that came to local agencies as a result of drug seizures and other criminal activities. The dollars, which paid for an armored vehicle used during the Dec. 2 shooting, were moved from local to federal coffers to balance the budget in November.

It has hampered our ability to purchase the equipment we need to keep our folks safe, McMahon said.

McMahon also is concerned the federal government will take away helicopters, airplanes and other surplus military equipment that could help in the terrorism fight.

After violent confrontations between civilians and police in Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore, Maryland, Obama issued an executive order last year prohibiting the federal government from providing certain military-style equipment such as grenade launchers and high-caliber weapons to police departments.

If there are more changes and they start coming after our helicopters or airplanes, it could impact us dramatically, McMahon said.

A LENGTHY BATTLE

The struggle against terrorism will take time, said Shaun Bowler, a UC Riverside political science professor.

There isnt really a sense in which defeat and victory can be measured in conventional terms, Bowler wrote in an email. Undercutting terrorism often takes a political solution, and not simply a military or policing solution.

The country is not safer than it was before Dec. 2, said Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino.

While the Obama Administration has made major strides in boosting intelligence gathering and blunting ISIS advance, the militant group continues operating abroad and motivating like-minded followers in the United States, he said.

Particularly with regard to inspired do-it-yourselfers, mass attacks are simply not always preventable, Levin said. And thats a fact that may not be politically acceptable.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9292 or swall@pressenterprise.com
Yucaipa sheriffs major accident investigation team wants to talk to anyone who witnessed the 6:39 p.m. fatal collision between a vehicle and two pedestrians who were crossing California Street en route to Ash Wednesday services Feb. 10 at St. Francis X Cabrini Catholic Church.

There is no crosswalk or street lights where the husband and wife victims, Fortunato Ruiz-Diaz, 78, and Norberta Palacio, 78, were crossing from their home at Skyline Village Mobile Home Park across four lanes of traffic in the dark to attend church services, according to a San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department news release.

Janis Evangelista, 63, of Calimesa, was driving her 2015 Hyundai Elantra south on California at about 35 mph and didnt see the pedestrians in her lane until she was a few feet away from them, the news release stated.

Two independent witnesses have come forward who saw the collision.

Alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the collision, the news release stated.

Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to contact Deputy Wade Samuelsen at 909-918-2305.
Protests outside Brisbanes Lady Cilento Childrens Hospital are still going strong, nearing 24 hours since hospital staff publicly refused to discharge a toddler likely to be deported to Nauru.

The child, called Baby Asha by staff, was brought to Australia for medical treatment after sustaining accidental burns in detention. Fairfax reports members of the broader public are staging a protest outside the hospital, supporting hospital workers assertion Asha wouldnt be discharged until a suitable home environment is identified.



Ashas condition has been described as stable, meaning her possible deportation is the deciding factor in her discharge; in a statement released earlier, the hospital said the decision was made with the goal of delivering the best outcome.

Needless to say, healthcare workers are not entirely convinced a detention centre is a suitable home environment for a one-year-old girl and her asylum-seeking parents, despite the recent, highly-criticised High Court ruling declaring the deportation of hundreds of asylum seekers back to Nauru legal.

Baby Ashas case wasnt among that number, leading to fears her removal may be imminent.

Right now outside Lady Cilento Childrens Hospital #LetThemStay pic.twitter.com/gWxajPnmCQ  Brent Cue (@BrentCue) February 13, 2016

Big crowd rallies with #LetThemStay chant & 3 cheers for staff at Lady Cilento @unionsaustralia pic.twitter.com/nLI5k1YkCM  QCU (@TheQCU) February 13, 2016

Media taking their places outside Lady Cilento Hospital. This is the moment, guys. This is the moment. #LetThemStay pic.twitter.com/WkiXhDr4Mw  Brynn OBrien (@brynnobrien) February 13, 2016

Mark Gillespie of Refugee Action Collective told ABC that Ashas parents, both of whom are currently in Brisbane, are fearful for their baby and the conditions that they face.

Its just horrible for them and theyre resolute that they dont want to go back.

Its just terrible for them.

MP Sarah Hanson-Young has also given her take on the situation, commending the work of hospital staff despite the looming threat of punishment for their stance.

All strength to the medical professionals at the Brisbane hospital

The doctors know that discharging this baby would send her and her family straight to the dangers of indefinite detention on Nauru.

This protest comes less than a week after activist group GetUp! plead Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to refrain from deporting the asylum seekers currently on Australian soil.

At time of writing, neither Immigration Minister Peter Dutton nor his department have made a statement on Baby Ashas case.

Source: Fairfax / ABC.

Photo: Facebook.
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Before he fired a shot at a Maryland sheriff's deputy, sending bystanders fleeing from a suburban sandwich shop, a drifter had a history of harming, stalking and scaring those closest to him, according to the man's estranged son, reports the Associated Press.

David Brian Evans, 68, shot one Harford County sheriff's deputy in the head Wednesday after the officer approached him inside a Panera Bread in Abingdon following a concerned phone call to the department from his ex-wife. Evans then fled the restaurant to a nearby parking lot, where he exchanged fire with responding deputies, killing another before receiving fatal gunshot wounds himself.

One of Evans' sons, Jeremie, said family members had recently seen his father, who had disappeared to Florida for several years, and reported that they were afraid he'd come back to Maryland to harm them.

Sheriff Jeremy Gahler identified the slain officers Thursday as Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey, a 30-year veteran of the department who served in the Marines and as a volunteer firefighter, and Senior Deputy Mark Logsdon, a 16-year department veteran who had served in the Army. Both were fathers.

Dailey responded to a call at the crowded restaurant about 20 miles northeast of Baltimore and encountered Evans, who shot him within seconds and without warning, the sheriff said. A short time later, Evans engaged in a shootout with deputies and killed Logsdon.

"To the people who wear this uniform, there are no words," the sheriff said at a news conference. "These men are heroes. I don't know what else to say. They served this county, they served this country, faithfully and honorably, and lost their lives doing what they love to do."
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CIA Officials would rather resign than obey Donald Trumps orders to resume using torture techniques like waterboarding and worse.

Republican front-runner Donald Trump has repeatedly told voters that he would order the CIA to return to waterboarding and worse, but a top CIA lawyer told Newsweek that officials would rather resign than go back to enhanced interrogation techniques.

Jeff Stein reported in Newsweek :

John Rizzo, who was a top CIA lawyer during the time the agency used enhanced interrogation techniques, or EITs, on prisoners, predicts CIA officials would rather resign than obey orders to revert to hard measures like waterboarding and beatings. I think certainly many of those who were connected to the EIT program over its six years spanand hundreds are still therewould resign or retire rather than have to go down that perilous road again, Rizzo tells Newsweek. Who could blame them?

Then the money quote, I pity the poor SOB who is President Trumps CIA director and gets the order to do interrogation techniques worse than waterboarding, Rizzo told Newsweek, not to mention the CIA general counsel or Justice Department attorney general who has the legal issue dropped in his or her lap.

Newsweek quoted other officials who agreed with Rizzos basic premise that no one at the CIA wants to go down this road again. The Bush Administrations enhanced interrogation program included waterboarding, stress positions, sleep deprivation and humiliation.

So when Donald Trump vows to return to waterboarding or worse, it raises questions about just what kind of torture he is referring to.

Trump has said he would approve more than that, as he criticized President Obama for discontinuing the discredited tactics. Thats okay, Trump doesnt care if they work. Would I approve waterboarding? You bet your ass I would  in a heartbeat And I would approve more than that. Dont kid yourself, folks. It works, okay? It works. Only a stupid person would say it doesnt work.

Its not about it working for Trump; its about punishing prisoners. This makes his reasoning even worse than the Bush administration. At least, they claimed, incorrectly, that it was useful. Believe me, it works, Trump said. And you know what? If it doesnt work, they deserve it anyway, for what theyre doing. It works.

Trump doesnt care or understand that the use of torture was found by a Senate Intelligence Committee report to jeopardize national security. The report also found that the use of torture doesnt work in terms of getting reliable information. So its good for nothing but as a way to recruit more members for ISIL.

That is to say, Trump is campaigning on putting the people of the United States at higher risk of terrorism. His torture policies  if we can call them that  would actually invite terrorism.

We all know facts dont matter with the Trump supporters. They dont care that he cant deliver on his dubious promises, doesnt understand how government works and is a proud bigot and sexist bully. These are actually resume builders for the angry white crowd that follows him.

So they wont care that the CIA would refuse to carry out Donald Trumps orders to waterboard and worse. But it should matter to the rest of the country that the front-running Republican candidate for president is so ignorant of facts that he is vowing to return to a dangerous, destabilizing program of torture just to get his revenge jollies. Its all Bushian knee-jerk feelings and petulant revenge, except its being delivered by someone who makes George W Bush look erudite and self-reflective.
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To the delight of Democrats, Donald Trump is threatening to sue Ted Cruz in order to prove that Sen. Cruz is not eligible to run for president.

On Friday, Trump tweeted:

If @TedCruz doesnt clean up his act, stop cheating, & doing negative ads, I have standing to sue him for not being a natural born citizen.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2016

Trump threatened to go nuclear because he is upset over the Cruz campaigns use of various tried and true dirty tricks. Most recently, Cruz may have violated the law in Texas with an illegal fundraising letter. Cruz also spread a false report about Ben Carson dropping out of the race on Iowa caucus night, and sent out a deceptive mailer to Iowa caucusgoers.

Contrary to what Trump thinks, some of what Cruz has been up to are the kind of dirty tricks that Republican campaigns have been using to get voters for decades. Ted Cruz is running the most unethical campaign in the Republican primary by a mile, and that is saying a lot because the Republican field is a rogues gallery of enemies of truth.

The rationale for Trumps claim of legal standing should be a treat all by itself. If Donald Trump sues Ted Cruz over his citizenship status, it will create a circus that is certain to derail the already unhinged Republican primary. Trump would not win his lawsuit, but he could cause some major headaches for Republicans.

Democrats should be watching this debacle play out with glee. A Trump birther lawsuit against Cruz belongs on Judge Judy, not in a court of law. As soon as one starts to believe that the Republican primary couldnt possibly get more off topic, or genuinely insane, Donald Trump threatens to sue Ted Cruz.

It is impossible to take the Republican Party seriously with Trump and Cruz at the top of their field. Forget fitness to govern, Republicans are demonstrating that arent fit to be a political party.

Grab some popcorn, Democrats. If Cruz beats Trump in another primary, things are about to get really crazy.
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The day after the New Hampshire presidential primary, Marco Rubio made an appearance at the Marriott in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The Deep South state will hold its Republican presidential primary, Saturday, February 20th. The Democrats repeat the exercise a week later.

The Marriott speech was Rubios first since placing 5th in New Hampshire primary, February 9th. The Florida Senator finished with 30,032 votes to 4th place finisher Jeb Bush with 31,310. Winner Donald Trump attracted over 100,000 votes to run away with the victory. Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina barely made a dent in the voting and both subsequently pulled out.

The disappointing New Hampshire finish notwithstanding, Rubio received a warm Upstate welcome as he showed up about 40 minutes late. A standing room only crowd was there to greet him and interrupt his address with enthusiastic applause numerous times. The room accommodates 500 people.

South Carolina is known as a very conservative state and Rubio presented a very conservative speech. In his opening remarks he recognized family members in the audience and U.S. Representative Trey Gowdy of Benghazi fame who is in his third terms in the local 4th district. Also introduced was U.S. Senator Tim Scott. As CNN news has pointed out, Scott became the first African-American to be elected to the Senate since the late 19th century. Both Congressmen have endorsed Rubio who then gave the crowd what they came for. The candidate delivered a barrage of positions and promises designed to delight what appeared to be a largely evangelical gathering judging by the cheers and applause.

The first major applause lines came in the form of a statement: Why are we special? I think it began on the day we were founded. They declared independence, the fathers did, by saying our rights dont come from the government. They said our rights come from God (applause). And its true. Most countries believe its whatever your leaders allow you to have, but in America we believe and we were founded on the powerful principal that our rights come from our creator.

As the speech progressed, Rubio praised free enterprise and called for a strong national defense. He believes the world is more peaceful when we (the U.S.) have the strongest military. He then inserted some thoughts on the constitution. How can we use the constitution to cut down our religion? He pledged to protect the constitution unlike Barack Obama.

The talk took another turn with the comment that the government, paraphrasing here, has no business being involved in K-12 education. This drew big applause. He also said they win when Obamacare becomes permanent, later intoning that we need a president that gets rid of Obamacare.

Most of Marco Rubios sentences began with we need. He went from We need a president that believes in free enterprise (a second reference) to We need tax and regulatory reform. Then there was We need to do for America what you have done in South Carolina. He briefly touched on the religious theme once more with If we want to serve the Lord, we have to serve each other.

Returning to America as the worlds most powerful nation, he told the crowd that the U.S. needs to win some so the country can change direction. This was interspersed with the statement that Were not a nation that seeks war. He said we only go to war to ensure peace.

He guaranteed that terrorist would be provided with no lawyers or Miranda rights. If they were captured, it was off to Guantanamo. He told his supporters that we are on Israels side and said We will rebuild the U.S. Military and strongly emphasized the point that Im going to cancel Obamas deal with Iran.

Rubio had high praise for vets and emergency personnel. He told of his brother, a Green Beret, being wounded in action and losing a couple of front teeth, an injury that required extensive follow-up. He characterized visits to the VA hospitals as always being a hassle. To that end he told of passing a law making it possible to fire incompetent VA executives.

If youre one who is easily given over to conspiracy theories, Rubio said something that might get you thinking. If elected, he vowed To leave our children what they deserve to inherit; A New American Century, the greatest nation on earth. That is what we will do in this election.

A New American Century calls to mind a defunct group called the Project for a New American Century. Sourcewatch backgrounds this think tank that went out of business in 2006. Jeb Bush was a major player in PNAC as well as other names you will readily recognize. The question is was it just coincidental that the New American Century term found its way into a Marco Rubio speech or was it code for some remaining powerful neo-conservatives and their PACs?

As the crowd dispersed, there was an undercurrent of satisfied conservation, not unlike what you hear after a good movie. The last I heard, Rubio and his opponents were headed to a Family Forum at Bob Jones University. Another friendly crowd.
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Little reported on Thursday was a bit of justice for America against the openly seditious Bundy clan. Now, instead of sitting around the family table plotting to steal land from the federal government and install their own constitutional council run by a local sheriff, three male members of the clan are where they belong; sitting in Oregon jails facing federal charges. Thats right, not only are brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy incarcerated, their anti-government daddy Cliven Bundy is in the same predicament; only in a different Oregon county jail.

On Wednesday night the man who initiated one seditious armed confrontation against federal officials two years ago because they executed two federal court orders, and championed his sons takeover and destruction of federal property in Oregon, was finally placed under arrest and thrown in jail. Cliven Bundy was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation at the Portland International Airport on six federal charges stemming from the infamous Bundy Ranch standoff in 2014. The charges against the elder Bundy are the similar to those against his two sons including conspiracy to interfere with a federal officer and weapons charges.

Perhaps both Cliven and Ammon Bundy should check the efficacy of their communications with their supreme being. If one believes the Bundys stories, the lord god answered both Cliven and Ammons supplication for guidance and claimed the celestial deity gave them specific directions to arm up and challenge the federal governments authority to own land, a federal courts ability to collect a million dollars in rent fees, and the Bureau of Land Managements authority to operate a wilderness area. According to the Bundys and no small number of conservatives, Utah Mormons, and the Koch brothers; federal government land ownership is illegal and rightly belongs to, and is the purview of, the fossil fuel, mining, and logging industry.

Cliven Bundy achieved notoriety and high praise from Fox News and several prominent Nevada Republicans such as Michele Fiore for forcing the federal government to back down to avoid bloodshed nearly two years ago. In fact, Bundy was openly inciting his sons sedition in Oregon and traveled from the safety of Republican Nevada to join Nevada representative Fiore in Oregon when he was arrested. Cliven Bundy may not recognize the federal government, but they know him well and have kept him under scrutiny since the seditious armed standoff with the Bureau of Land Management; an agency he owes $1 million to in unpaid grazing fees and penalties.

Now, the key participants in the Bundy ranch standoff are in custody including, besides the Bundys, one Ryan Payne. Payne is the Montana militiaman alleged to have organized the armed militia confronting federal officials, and particularly arranged the deployment of militia snipers for clear shots at federal agents in Nevada. Payne is considered one of the tacticians in the Oregon insurgency and claimed that he and the Bundy brothers seized and occupied federal property to protest the government owning land; something Fiore and the Bundys claim is tyranny against Americans.

It is too bad the concrete statute to allow federal law enforcement officials to arrest Michele Fiore to join her seditious allies the Bundys in jail is not being executed. Not only did Fiore stay in close contact with Ammon Bundy during the Oregon occupation, she called for other Republican politicians to join the insurgency against our federal government. She said, We just need to get elected officials from the sheriffs office on up to protect these citizens. I stand for our citizens and they need help from elected officials.

Fiore was so intent on helping the Bundys, from the ranch standoff to the Oregon occupation over a citizens right to seize federal land that she introduced legislation in Nevadas assembly known as the Bundy Bill. The bill that most Nevada Republicans opposed as blatantly unconstitutional required the federal government to request permission to use its own land in Nevada, even though the bill prohibited the federal government from using or accessing its own land in Nevada. In keeping with the constitutional sheriff, Posse Comitatis, Oathkeeper notion that each countys sheriff are the law and Constitution unto themselves and not beholden to any state or federal laws, Fiores legislation mandated that only county commissioners were authorized to dispense land-use permits for commercial purposes only; like oil, mining, and logging commercial uses as demanded by Utah Mormons and the Koch brothers.

Although the main seditious instigators are safely behind bars, the federal government needs to exercise its authority and impose some justice on Republicans who incited the sedition from the start. In fact, according to 18 U.S. Code  2383:

Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.

Michele Fiore is a loud-mouthed, gun-toting tea-bagger Republican who has incited, assisted, given aid and comfort to the Bundys and their armed militias and deserves to be fined, imprisoned, or both, and banned from ever holding any elected office. That is the law and now that the traitors she allied with and defended, including patriarch Cliven Bundy, are sitting in jail where they belong, Fiore needs to join them courtesy of the United States federal government she publicly summoned other Republicans to stand against.
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The verdict is in, and its a crazy one. Without Ted Cruz, America has no future. If there is anything that freaks them out more than Beyonce, its not having their President Cruz.

One hate group leader, the Family Research Councils Tony Perkins, says that If we dont elect a bold, courageous, godly leader in this next election, Im afraid we may not have another election for our republic.

Im here because I decided that too much was a stake to sit on the sidelines, that I couldnt just sit there and talk about it and do commentary about it; that I wanted to use what influence I had with Christians around this country to say that Ive talked to all these candidates, I have vetted the candidates and from my vantage point in Washington, D.C., I can tell you America is in trouble.

We dont have the latitude to get it wrong one more time, he warned. If we dont elect a bold, courageous, godly leader in this next election, Im afraid we may not have another election for our republic. Thats not hyperbole. Thats the reality based upon what this presidents policies have done to this nation.

I think most of us are worried that this is what will happen if Cruz DOES win the election.

This is all because other people have the same rights Tony Perkins does. Christians like Tony Perkins  and they have existed all through time even while most Christians could just live and let live  have always thought being forced to live with the rest of us was a form of persecution.

Never mind that Tony Perkins said the same thing before Obamas re-election in 2012. And here we are. No end of the world scenarios ensued. And the country is doing better than ever.

Glenn Beck joined Rick Joyners MorningStar Fellowship Church in South Carolina to rally around Cruz, claiming that This is your last call, America. This is your last call.

Im here as a fellow citizen, Beck said, his eyes welling with tears, and Im begging you, please do not dismiss the peril we are in. Fall to your knees and pray to God to reveal to you what the hour is. Ask our dear Lord to show you who the man is that has the integrity, who has the connection, who will fall to his knees at the Resolute Desk, who, before he acts, doesnt think of a poll but looks to the Constitution and the holy scriptures; our Bible and the Constitution both come from God, they are both sacred scriptures!

The Constitution comes from God? That would shock the bejeezus, if youll pardon the expression, out of the men at the Constitutional Convention. They worked their butts off on that thing only to have the credit go to God?

Beck went on to say, I know there is a God. I testify to you that I see a storm coming. I cant count the number of times people have testified stuff to me that wasnt true. Its basically just a way of insisting that your beliefs are somehow demonstrable fact rather than beliefs.

So on that basis, he told the crowd, This is your last call, America. Stand for the man I believe was raised for this hour: Ted Cruz.

So just like God sent Jesus, he has sent us Ted Cruz? Really? The same God? Has Beck even read the Bible? Have a passing familiarity with it and what Jesus said?

Speaking of Jesus

That lesser son of a greater sire, Franklin Graham, who says he isnt endorsing any particular candidate in 2016, claimed he is endorsing prayer, said that we nasty old secularists dont want to let people like him pray in public, claiming that having a service like this in a few years could be illegal.

Which is pretty funny too, because the only guy who said not to pray in public is the guy he pretends to worship, Jesus of Nazareth.

Considering the hyperbole, its kind of amazing then that America has gotten by just fine for over 200 years without a religious fanatic at the helm. Even more amazing is none of these extremists trying to explain away the fact of Americas persistence as a secular modern liberal democracy.

It is safe to assume that in 2020 we will be hearing the same thing we heard in 2012 and the same thing we are hearing now.
We have covered the Gold King Mine environmental disaster here, here, here and here. Briefly, the EPA and its contractor spilled three million gallons of toxic liquid contaminated with lead, arsenic, cadmium and aluminum into the Animas River. The spill turned the river orange and inflicted environmental damage for many miles downstream:

In response to the spill, the EPA has been uncommunicative and unhelpful to the impacted communities. It has resisted production of documents requested by the Associated Press, among others. There has been no accountability, as EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy has excused her agencys employees and downplayed the significance of the spill:

We were very careful. Contaminants are flowing too fast to be an immediate health threat. The river is already restoring itself back to pre-spill levels, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy insisted.

Now, the Denver Post reports that the EPAs key on-site employee was aware of the precise hazard that gave rise to the spill, and did not accurately describe his knowledge to the press in the aftermath of the spill:

The Environmental Protection Agency employee overseeing work at the Gold King Mine was aware of blowout danger at the site before a massive August wastewater spill, according to a report released Thursday. The revelation, in findings by congressional Republicans, comes in contrast to the EPAs claims that the risk was underestimated ahead of excavation at the mines collapsed opening. That work ultimately led to the disaster. Hays Griswold, the agencys on-scene coordinator, wrote in an October e-mail to other EPA officials that he personally knew the blockage could be holding back a lot of water and I believe the others in the group knew as well. The note provides more indications the EPA probably had knowledge of the potentially looming disaster at the mine long before workers accidentally unleashed 3 million gallons of contaminants.

But that isnt what Griswold told media after the spill occurred last August:

An EPA internal review released three weeks after the spill, however, said operators believed water inside the Gold King was not very high because of draining at the site and based on seep levels above its opening. Those factors, officials said, made checking pressure seem unnecessary, and it was never done. Griswolds e-mail appears directly to contradict those findings and statements he made to The Denver Post in the days after the disaster, when he claimed nobody expected (the acid water backed up in the mine) to be that high.

Yet the EPA has walked away from its own three million gallon spill, with no employees suffering meaningful consequences, let alone being criminally prosecuted.

Contrast this with how the federal government has treated Freedom Industries, which was held responsible for a chemical spill in West Virginia. Coincidentally, on the same day when the Denver Post printed the story above, the Department of Justice announced the latest criminal sentencing in connection with the Elk River spill:

A former owner of Freedom Industries was sentenced today to 30 days in federal prison, six months of supervised release, and a $20,000 fine for environmental crimes connected to the 2014 Elk River chemical spill, announced Acting United States Attorney Carol Casto. Dennis P. Farrell, of Charleston, previously pleaded guilty in August 2015 to unlawfully discharging refuse matter and violating an environmental permit by failing to have a pollution prevention plan. Farrell is one of six former officials of Freedom Industries, in addition to Freedom Industries itself as a corporation, to be prosecuted for federal crimes associated with the chemical spill.

Was this private company dealt with so harshly because the Elk River spill was larger than the EPAs Animas River discharge? No: the Elk River spill was only 7,500 gallons, compared with three million gallons the EPA discharged into the Animas River.

Was Freedom Industries prosecuted so aggressively because the contaminant it spilled was far more toxic than the chemicals that EPA spilled into the Animas River? No: Freedom Industries spilled 4-methylcyclohexane methanol. Scientific American says that while this chemical has not been studied extensively, its makeup is such that it should not be very dangerous:

MCMH should not be swallowed and may readily cause skin and eye irritation but it is not known to pose major risks to human health and safety.  Exposure to the slurry of water and other chemicals formed after coal is washed would be more dangerous to human health than exposure to MCMHand there have been numerous coal slurry floods and spills in West Virginia and U.S. history. That slurry is made far more toxic by the heavy metals and other dangerous elements leached from the coal itself.

Heavy metals like lead, cadmium, arsenic and aluminum, all of which the EPA negligently caused to flow into the Animas.

Was Mr. Farrell, one of Freedom Industries former owners, prosecuted and sentenced to prison because his personal conduct was unusually blameworthy? No: in fact, it is a little hard to tell from DOJs press release exactly what Mr. Farrell did wrong. MCHM leaked out of an above-ground storage tank. Prosecutors did not claim that Mr. Farrell had anything to do with the leak, nor did they argue that he knew, or should have known, about the leak. The charges against him were predicated on the fact that Freedom never developed or implemented a storm water or groundwater plan, which DOJ asserted in conclusory fashion was a proximate and contributing cause of the chemical spill.

So Mr. Farrell is going to federal prison on account of a spill that was one four-hundredth the size of the Animas River discharge, and involved a less hazardous chemical. He is going to prison even though he had nothing to do with precipitating the spill, either intentionally or negligently.

It is difficult to see how the kid glove treatment accorded to the EPA can be reconciled with the aggressive criminal prosecution of Freedom Industries and its executives. The only apparent explanation is that federal bureaucrats are a protected class. They receive preferential treatment and are not held accountable for their negligence, or for attempting to cover up that negligence.

This is one more data point suggesting that the popular perception that government is our master, and we are its servants, is correct.
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died today. Scalia was a towering intellect and a great justice. His sudden death is tragic on several levels. The immediate impact, however, will be political. President Obama will use the vacancy to try to expand the lawless bloc on the Court. Senate Republicans must do all they can to prevent this from happening.

Will it be possible for Republicans to run out the clock, treat Obama as a lame duck, and refuse to confirm anyone he nominates? Without having researched the point, I am not aware of a precedent for such a course. [Update: Scott reminds me that in 1968, Senate Republicans, a minority at the time, blocked Lyndon Johnson from appointing Abe Fortas Chief Justice and Homer Thornberry as an Associate Justice. More on that below.] At a minimum, Republicans will need to have a strong rationale for blocking Obamas nominees, and will need to be competitive in the public relations battle.

There is at least one way that might happen. Democrats are obsessed with overturning Citizens United, and it is almost inconceivable that Obama would nominate anyone who doesnt share that commitment. Most people dont understand the holding of that case, but hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee could be used to explicate it. If Citizens United were overturned, the effect would be that the federal government could constitutionally ban books, movies, magazine articles or videos critical of officeholders or political candidates. (The case involved a movie critical of Hillary Clinton, which the Obama administration tried to suppress.)

I can imagine Senate Republicans taking a firm line that they will not confirm any nominee who thinks it is constitutional for the government to ban books or magazine articles that criticize politicians. If they fight the battle on that line, they can win the PR contest and perhaps extend the fight to the end of Obamas term.

One way or another, this shapes up as one of the epic battles in the history of the Senate.

UPDATE: The Supreme Court will, of course, be front and center in tonights GOP debate. If nothing else, it will be a good opportunity to smoke out the protean Donald Trump. He has said that his sister, a federal appellate court judge, would make a phenomenal Supreme Court justice. She is a liberal who is best known for holding that there is a constitutional right to partial birth abortion, a decision that was later overturned by the Supreme Court. Often, Trump suggests that he is indifferent as between liberalism and conservatism. That certainly wont fly with GOP voters when it comes to the Supreme Court.

FURTHER UPDATE: How strong a precedent is the Republicans filibuster of Abe Fortass nomination as Chief Justice in 1968? Its better than nothing, but the circumstances were significantly different. Chief Justice Earl Warren announced that he would retire upon confirmation of a successor. President Johnson then nominated Associate Justice Fortas to be Chief Justice, and Homer Thornberry to replace Fortas as an associate justice. The Republicans filibustered Fortas, with the vote being taken in October, near the end of Johnsons term. As a result, Warren did not retire until 1969, when Nixon was president. He was replaced by Warren Burger. So in that instance, there was never a vacancy on the court and the filibuster preserved the status quo. I am not sure that most voters would see that as a persuasive precedent, but as stated above, I think Republicans have an opportunity to run out the clock if they can win the PR battle.

MORE: Some observers take a harder line. U.S. District Court Judge Fred Biery says, Politically in the presidential cycle were in, my educated guess is nothing will happen before the next president is elected. And a noted appellate lawyer emails:

If Grassley has any sense, the nomination never makes it out of committee. The last time a justice was confirmed for a vacancy that occurred during an election year was 1932, and Cardozo was more than acceptable to the Democrats.

FINALLY: Mitch McConnell has thrown down the gauntlet: The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new President. Chuck Grassley has come out with a similar statement. So it looks like their present intention is to simply shelve Obamas nomination, hold no hearings, and take whatever political heat may result.
Its not Sherlock Holmes, but rather an actual crime story. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports:

A border-crossing beer run has landed two Maple Grove bar managers in a heap of legal trouble. In an unusual bust, undercover state investigators caught Maple Tavern illegally selling a beloved Wisconsin beer in April. The bar had tapped kegs of New Glarus Spotted Cow, a farmhouse ale that can only be sold in Wisconsin  a felony offense.  Beer manufactured by New Glarus is distributed only in Wisconsin. The company is not a licensed manufacturer of alcoholic beverages in Minnesota, so its illegal to distribute New Glarus beer to a retail establishment. Neither the bars manager nor Maple Tavern are [sic] licensed to transport or import the alcoholic beverage into Minnesota.

The Wisconsin Department of Revenue received an anonymous tip about the alcohol-related crime and contacted Minnesotas Department of Public Safety, according to the criminal complaint. Undercover officers visited the bar on April 13, ordered Spotted Cow from the tap and secretly tested the beer, which proved stronger than 3.2 percent alcohol.

I should hope so. But why, exactly, is it illegal to transport Spotted Cow into Minnesota and sell it here?

The Hennepin County Attorney explained, sort of:

While this is far from the most serious crime weve had to prosecute, businesses must follow the laws the legislature passes to make sure the competition is fair and the products are safe for consumers, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said this afternoon in a press release.

I think I understand the reference to fair competition. If one bar breaks the law by buying ten kegs of Spotted Cow and bringing it into Minnesota, and Minnesota drinkers really like Spotted Cow, then bars that obey the law may be at a disadvantage. But that doesnt explain why it should be illegal to import Spotted Cow in the first place. As for safety, no one is claiming that Spotted Cow is unsafe. Presumably whatever safety inspections may be appropriate are carried out by the State of Wisconsin. Such inspections would not be duplicated by Minnesota in any event. So what is the point of banning the importation of Spotted Cow?

Worst of all is the fact that importing unlicensed beer is a felony. In Minnesota, a felony is defined as a crime that is punishable by at least a year in prison. Nowadays, it seems that almost everything is classified as a felony, but the idea of imprisoning the Spotted Cow sellers for a year or more is absurd. And of course, it wont happen: more likely, the threat of imprisonment will be used to force the defendants to plead guilty to a lesser offense.

One of the great evils of the modern administrative state is that so much conduct is illegal that just about anyone can be at the mercy of a hostile prosecutor. See, for example, Glenn Reynolds well-known law review article, Ham Sandwich Nation.

It is time, I think, to let beer freely traverse state borders. Instead of the case of the Spotted Cow, Minnesotans should be able to enjoy a case of Spotted Cow.

UPDATE: From across the St. Croix, Right Wisconsin wonders, Why is Spotted Cow illegal in Minnesota? The answer has to do with longstanding, intensive regulation of liquor sales. Such regulation has more to do with limiting competition than protecting the consumer.

ANOTHER UPDATE, from the comments, David Sigalow:
Women purchase about 85 per cent of an estimated 1.2 billion valentine cards that are sold worldwide annually, Felicia Bello, the Matron, Landmark University Medical Centre, Omu-Aran, has said.

Ms Bello said this at a health counselling initiative organised for secondary school students in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara, on Friday.

Quoting statistics from the World Greeting Card Association, Ms Bello said the figure had made Valentines Day, the second most popular card exchange celebration after Christmas.

She said that the official card purchase figure for Christmas celebration was an estimated 2.6 billion cards globally.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the counselling activity tagged: Health Counselling toward Valentine was organised by Landmark University Community Development Impact Initiative (LMUCDII).

No fewer than 150 students participated in the counselling initiative.

Ms Bello said in spite of the fact that Valentines Day celebration had transformed into a global celebration of love, many persons, particularly the youth, celebrated the day wrongly.

Many people are introduced to habits that will destroy their destiny.

Many young girls from age 10 years to 15 years are defiled on the night of Valentines Day, with some of them ending up with HIV or unwanted pregnancy.

Many are initiated into cultism and other wicked associations  some unknowingly  as such celebrations usually start at odd hours, she said.

The matron, therefore, cautioned the students to shun all the negative and anti-social aspects of Valentine Days celebration.

She urged them to only embrace those positive aspects which had to do with sharing of affection, gifts, food items and even ideas that could enhance their future.

A resource person, Olubunmi Joseph-Fadipe, who presented a paper on Valentine, Love and God, urged the students to always allow God be their guide in their day-to-day activities, particularly on Valentines Day.

She bemoaned the fact that most Valentine Days celebrations nowadays had negated the original objectives of its innovators, saying that the development was doing more harm than good to the society.

Joseph-Fadipe said: Todays Valentines Day celebration, especially in this part of the world, has been hijacked by anti-social vices.

In his remark, Abiodun Okunola, the Chairman of LMUCDII, said the counselling activity was aimed at sensitising the students to the need to eschew ungodly habits in their celebration of Valentines Day.

He said that the institution, through the initiative, had made donations to orphanages, while looking at practical ways of making agriculture more attractive to the youth, in partnership with Omu-Aran Youth Forum.

It is our belief that with the education and information which the students were able to garner from the counselling, they would be able to jealously safeguard their future, Mr. Okunola said.

Speaking, Oluwatomisin Jegede, a student of Landmark University Secondary School, Omu-Aran, said the counselling activity had greatly enhanced her knowledge on the positive and negative aspects of the Valentines Day celebration.

The schools which participated in the programme include Omu-Aran High School; Government Secondary School, Omu-Aran; Government Christian College, Omu-Aran; Victory Model College; Aperan Comprehensive College and Ofe-Aran Commercial College.

(NAN)
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said on Friday that education and medical tourism were not on the list of 41 items barred from accessing foreign exchange allocation in Nigeria.

Speculations were rife since Thursday that the CBN increased the list of items affected by the foreign exchange restriction policy from the initial 41 items to 43 with the inclusion of the two items.

The speculation gained currency after the Bankers Committee, at the end of its meeting on Thursday, expressed worry over increasing pressures the demand for foreign exchange for school fees and medical treatments abroad have brought on allocation to the real sector and productive activities.

When contacted, Director, Corporate Communications Department of the CBN, Ibrahim Muazu, denied that the bank included education and medical tourism among the list of items restricted from accessing foreign exchange.

Mr. Muazu clarified that the Bankers Committee, during its meeting on Thursday, only decided to prioritize the allocation of foreign exchange to the importation of critical raw materials, plants and machinery for the real sector of the economy.

What this means is that those sourcing for foreign exchange to pay for school fees of their children abroad and medical bills in foreign hospitals cannot get it from the Central Bank.

Allocation of foreign exchange for such items is henceforth left at the discretion and ability of the banks. How that is done at whatever rate is not the CBNs headache, the CBN spokesman said.

Managing Director, Access Bank PLC, Herbert Wigwe, had said that members of the Committee resolved that the demand for allocation of foreign exchange for the two items should not be allowed to crowd out attention to real sector investment.

Although Mr. Wigwe said no agreement was arrived at on the issue, banks were encouraged to give priority attention to the real sector, rather than focus on foreign education and medical treatment.

Why cant we revisit the health care system to make sure it works better? Why must we spend about $2 billion annually on childrens school fees overseas or medical tourism abroad? he said.

The idea (to include the two items on the list) is still on the drawing board. The point is not that we cannot do it, but that one cannot access foreign exchange from the CBNs limited resources. We did not reach any formal conclusion on it, but that is the general direction that we are headed.

Similarly, Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, had on Thursday lent his voice to the call for the inclusion of school fees and medical bills in schools and hospitals abroad in the list of items restricted from accessing foreign exchange from the CBN.

According to the governor, at the moment the school fees paid for more than one million Nigerian children studying at various universities and other higher institutions abroad was consuming more than $500 million every year.

There are a lot of good schools here in Nigeria for our children. But it has become a status symbol for the children of the elites to study abroad, Mr. Oshiomhole said.

On that score, I will support the suggestion that the CBN should not provide foreign exchange for that. Let government come up with a policy that all those in government have their children trained here by removing school fees from the list.

If this is done, the leaders would ensure that Nigerian universities were well-funded. Billions of dollars are spent annually on foreign medical tourism. CBN should also remove this from the items to be funded with its foreign exchange so that those in government would pay attention to proper funding of hospitals at home, the governor said.
The Nigerian Communications Commissions (NCC) on Friday warned telecommunication operators against defrauding Nigerians through dropped-calls from their networks.

The Executive Vice-Chairman of the Commission, Umar Danbatta, who gave the warning in Kano said the incidence of drop calls was becoming intolerable in the operation of the telecom companies.

Dropped call rate is the fraction of the telephone calls which, due to technical reasons, are cut off before the speaking parties finish their conversation, Mr. Danbatta explained.

The NCC boss, who presented the Commissions eight-point agenda during the meeting, said dropped calls were being used by some telecom providers to deduct money from phone users illegally as the fraction was usually measured as a percentage of all calls.

He said that the Commission had put in place mechanisms to ensure regulatory excellence and operational efficiency to maintain commitment to transparency.

Mr. Danbatta said part of the measures was for NCC to monitor calls, pointing out that any call that was not a dropped-call and was charged would be detected and the telecom provider sanctioned.

There is a limit to which a call can be dropped, he said. We have put in place parameters to monitor what is happening, especially as regards dropped calls. This will locate the operator, to ensure that they maintained standards.

He said when these parameters were analysed, the NCC would be able to detect the dropped calls from service providers, and the operators attention would be drawn to enable it to address the problem.

If the Commission does not notice any sign of improvement on dropped call rates, the NCC Vice-Chairman said the Commission would have no option than tom sanction the erring operators.

Operators should know that they are being monitored by the NCC. The day of reckoning when their activities would be made public will soon come, he warned. Erring operators would be identified and necessary regulatory action would be taken to improve the quality of service to Nigerians.

He, however, assured members of the public that the issue of monitoring the cognitive performance indicators was key to NCC, in line with its commitment to always protect consumers right, adding that Nigerians should utilise the Commissions 622 call number to send complaints for official attention.

He reiterated the Commissions resolve to continue to protect consumers from unfair practices through the availability of information and education they required to make informed choices in the use of ICT services in the country.

The Commission, he said, was working on ways to improve data access in the country, despite the challenge of inadequate facility to support the project, expressing the hope that access to the Internet would be free in Nigeria in the nearest future.

We are working on plans to improve data access in Nigeria and it is captured in the eight-point agenda of the Commission. This would ensure that at least services were available, accessible and affordable to consumers, he said.

(NAN)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has reopened investigation into the unresolved but famous Halliburton bribery case which saw a foreign consortium of companies bribing Nigerian officials with over $180million to win contracts to build the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas plant.

On Thursday, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Damian Dodo, was quizzed for eight hours by a new panel of operatives detailed to get to the root of the bribery scam.

The Halliburton scam concerned the alleged payment of over $180 million to senior Nigerian officials, including, allegedly, past heads of states, by officials of an American firm, Halliburton, to secure a construction contract for a liquefied natural gas plant in Bonny Island in the Niger Delta.

Although several foreigners involved in the matter have been prosecuted in their home countries, Nigerian authorities have failed to prosecute the countrys citizens involved in the matter.

However, reports say current president, Muhammadu Buhari, has asked the EFCC to restart investigation into the matter.

Sources close to the fresh investigation on Friday said Mr. Dodo was questioned for his role in an alleged receipt of $26million from Halliburton, along with a former minister and five other Senior Advocates of Nigeria.

Specifically, Mr. Dodo allegedly received $4.5million through his firm, DD Dodo and Co. from multinational companies involved in the deal, purportedly as legal fees.

He was also alleged to have withdrawn over $2million cash for purposes investigators believe are unclear, and in flagrant violation of Nigerias extant money laundering regulations.

In the US, Halliburton and its former subsidiary, Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR), entered a guilty plea and agreed to pay $579 million fine, the largest corruption settlement ever paid by a US company in high-level bribery cases involving payments from multinationals to secure contracts in Nigeria and other countries.

But in Nigeria, senior government officials who allegedly received over $180million bribe are yet to be charged to court.
The Nigerian military on Saturday said it killed 10 insurgents and destroyed a bomb manufacturing factory near the countrys border with Cameroon.

The Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Sani Usman, made this known in statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr. Sani, a colonel, said the military made tremendous gains in the various sectors in the ongoing fight against terrorism and insurgency in the northeast.

According to him, troops from the 121 Task Force Battalion moved through key villages along the border and linked up with the Cameroonian forces.

The villages included Mararraba, Angwan Fada Dale, Wizha, Bokko Timit, Bokko Nasanu, Bokko Hide, up to Ngoshe.

During the operations, Mr. Usman said Boko Haram hideouts in the area were cleared.

In the process, the troops killed 10 Boko Haram terrorists and also rescued 45 persons which included 17 women and 28 children, the army spokesperson said.

The troops also discovered that the terrorists cratered the road linking Pulka, Mararraba and Ngoshe and safely detonated 5 IEDs buried by the terrorists.

In addition, they also destroyed an IED manufacturing workshop in the village. They also cleared Sino village.

Besides, he said the Cameroonian forces knocked out gun trucks belonging to the insurgents, raided and cleared several IED making factories along the border towns.

On a sad note, the military reported that a patrol team from 5 Brigade, traversing Dogon Gida and New Marte stepped on an undetected IED buried by suspected terrorists.

Four soldiers suffered various degrees of injuries and their vehicle badly damaged.

Mr. Usman said the wounded soldiers were evacuated by Nigerian Air Force, while the affected team was reinforced to continue with the patrol of the area.

In another flank, he said troops from the 25 and 26 Task Force Brigades, in conjunction with Cameroonian forces, carried out clearance operation against the insurgents around Ngoshe village.

While the Cameroonian troops carried out the clearance, their Nigerian counterparts provided blocking forces at strategic points where they decisively dealt with terrorists that tried to escape, Mr Usman said.
The Leader of of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has promised that the House will follow up on the utilisation of fees charged by tertiary institutions in the country.

Mr. Gbajabiamila made this assurance when he received leaders of the National Association of Nigerians Students in his office in Abuja on Friday.

Education should be a right not a privilege so we must ensure managers of our institutions are accountable, we are aware of fees students pay but dont get to government purse, the lawmaker said. Nigerians can be assured that our committee on tertiary education would live up to its responsibilities.

He also challenged Nigerian students to recognize their critical role in nation building.

Your non participation in public engagement as given room for hearsay about what lawmakers do. Because the real voters dont even ask their elected representatives the right questions, they only rely on those politicians that would dole out money to them few months to election.

This is one of reasons why politicians who have mastered the system actually believe since performance could be swapped for money, its better they make themselves available to their people only just few months to election, so Nigerians must actually redefine their needs.

Earlier the leader of the delegation and SouthWest Coordinator of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Okikiola Ogunsola, extolled the contributions of Mr. Gbajabiamila to the development of Nigerian legislature and challenged the House of Representatives to keep a close tab on budgetary allocation given to the education sector in the 2016 appropriation bill.

We are concerned by the quota for education in the 2016 budget, though the allocation is small but we believe that with proper implementation our education sector can be better off.

We want the leadership of the House to monitor the budget implementation so that Nigerian students would not be shortchanged in 2016.

School feeding and employment for graduates were part of items included in the budget we also want to believe that the House would ensure that these interventions are not swept under the carpet. 

The student leaders further requested the intervention of the legislature in bridging the dichotomy between holders of higher national diploma and degree certificates and threats confronting student union leaders in South West.

The southwest student leaders are faced with victimization that often lead to expulsion simply because our members challenge authorities to do the right thing. Our union leaders in Obafemi Awolowo University have been suspended for three academic sessions and it is as a result of agitation for better welfare for OAU students.

Photo: Gbajabiamila with the students.
A traditional ruler in Bayelsa State has petitioned the State Security Service over the unlawful invasion of his Abuja home by SSS operatives.

Amalate Johnnie Turner, the Obanema of Opume Kingdom, said the operatives invaded his private residence on February 8 in what he described as a violation of his constitutional rights.

The incident was so disturbing to our client particularly when there is no allegation that warrants the invasion of the officers from your department against him, Mr. Turner said in the petition through his lawyer, Kayode Ajulo, and dated February 10th.

More specific is that there was no time formal and/or informal invitation was extended to him at any point in time whatsoever to report at your office for questioning in any capacity nor was any valid search warrant presented to him, his agent, privies or any one whatsoever acting on his behalf ordering the search of the said residential premises.

Armed SSS operatives stormed Mr. Turners Maitama home last Monday and reportedly carted away some vital documents.

Mr. Turner is a close associate of former president Goodluck Jonathan

The monarch said the incident was reported in the news and on social media as the treatment meted to him was a derogation of his dignity as a respected first class traditional ruler in this country.

This action has cast a serious doubt on the integrity of our client as the signal given to the public is that this respected first class monarch is a common criminal because in civilized climes, elder statesmen and law abiding citizens are accorded their due respect.

Mr. Turner demanded a full explanation from the SSS regarding the invasion of his home within seven days or he would institute a legal action against the agency.

Earlier, the Committee for Defence of Democracy had condemned the raid on Mr. Turners home, describing it as a political vendetta.

Consequent upon the latest action of the SSS invading the residence of King A.J Turner, the civil society situation room is issuing a 24-hour ultimatum to the DSS to desist from this glaring war against the South-south region, particularly allies of Jonathan, the group had said in a statement.

If so much honour and respect can be accorded to the traditional institutions in the North and Yoruba land, same institutions in the South-south cannot be subjected to ridicule in the name of political vendetta.
The Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, has warned policemen against treating human lives with levity, vowing to prosecute any officer who kills innocent citizens.

Mr. Arase gave the warning in separate meetings with stakeholders and policemen in Ekiti and Ondo States on Friday.

I want to say this that life is sacrosanct and any police taking innocent life will be charged to court for prosecution, he said.

Speaking on the perennial conflict between farmers and cattle rearers, Mr. Arase stated that most of the herdsmen were not Nigerians who gained entrance into the country due to border porosity.

He urged the farmers to be careful and take caution in dealing with them.

He also said efforts were being made to reduce cases of kidnapping to the barest minimum.

We are making several strategic approaches to reducing kidnapping in the country and I urge the public to divulge information on any suspicious person because the kidnappers live within us, he said.

According to him, he was making improved welfare of the policemen a cardinal objective, as only a well motivated police force would protect the citizenry.

I believe that if we want to change police for the better, we need to cater for men of rank and file because they are the ones at major difficult terrains, he said.

Within the eight months under my leadership, I have given scholarship to 325 children of these personnel.

Also, about 36,000 of inspectors and of rank and file have been promoted under my watch.

Mr. Arase also said 400 units of two bedroom flats built for rank and file would be commissioned in March.

He added that the expected police recruitment was delayed because of financial constraints, saying training, welfare and salaries required a lot of money.

He also called on men and officers of the Nigeria Police Force to ensure that due respect was accorded security stakeholders for effective policing.

The IGP stated that the number of police personnel in the state could not cater for security demands of citizens without the support of all concerned security stakeholders.

 I do advise our officers and men to respect the traditional rulers, religious leaders, transport workers and other groups to enable them do their job professionally, he said.

They should communicate with them well so that they can get useful information to curb crimes in the society.

He admonished members of public to give timely and useful information to the police to beat crimes to the barest minimum in the state and Nigeria at large.
A former Akwa Ibom governor, Godswill Akpabio, on Thursday visited the Ibom Specialist Hospital, Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, for medical check-up.

The Ibom Specialist Hospital, built during Mr. Akpabios administration, was hurriedly commissioned by the then governor before he left office May 2015, while some major civil, mechanical and electrical works were still ongoing in the hospital.

The hospital also, sometimes last year, became a subject of controversy after Mr. Akpabio, now senate minority leader, travelled to the United Kingdom for medical attention after a car accident, abandoning the multi-billion naira facility his administration promoted as being of world class standard.

Mr. Akpabio later said the hospitals take-off was delayed because foreign doctors billed to work there had not been cleared by the Nigerian Immigration Service to travel to the country.

The hospital officially commenced operation in November 2015, six months after it was commissioned.

It was Mr. Akpabios first visit to the hospital since he left office.

Mr. Akpabio was said to have arrived at the hospital at about 12.45pm, accompanied by his former physician, Iniobong Essien, who is now the commissioner for environment in Akwa Ibom.

He was received by the hospital management who were excited that the man who conceived and built the facility was visiting it for check-up.

Mr Akpabios personal physician, Carter Onyeoziri, who was also there to assist him in his check-up, told PREMIUM TIMES that the senate minority leader went through a routine general check-up.

Mr. Onyeoziri said it was Mr. Akpabios first medical check-up in Nigeria since he was discharged from a hospital in London after the car accident in Abuja.

Mr. Onyeoziri said the senator deliberately chose to patronise the Akwa Ibom hospital, instead of traveling abroad for his medical needs.

You know as at the time he (Akpabio) had the road accident, the doctors (who were supposed to work in Ibom Specialist Hospital) were still working on their (employment and immigration) papers.

And now that the doctors are fully on ground, he decided to make use of the Ibom Specialist Hospital, said Mr. Onyeoziri who is a general practitioner.

Mr. Onyeoziri said the former Akwa Ibom governor was seen by a cardiologist, and from there he went over to the radiology section for scan and x-ray. He was said to have spent about two hours in the hospital.

After the check-up, he (Akpabio) was given a clean bill of health, Mr. Onyeoziri said. He will be due for another check-up between four to six months.

Mr. Akpabios medical check-up at the hospital, his aide says, was also meant to show Nigerians that the place is fully functional, and that Nigerians dont need to travel outside the country for medical purposes.

The cardiologist that attended to him has worked in six continents of the world, Mr. Onyeoziri said.
The Federal Government has sacked the Vice Chancellors of 12 federal universities established by the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

Also affected by the sack is the Vice Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria, Prof. Vincent Tenebe.

In the statement announcing the sack, the government gave no reason for the action.

A short statement by the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu in Abuja, on Saturday, simply said President Muhammadu Buhari, had approved the appointment of new Vice Chancellors for the Universities.

But the decision is already generating ripples, with some members of the intelligentsia claiming that it is only the Governing Council of NOUN of which Mr Tenebe is a member, that could only remove him.

A human rights organisation, Coalition of Civil Society Groups has protested against the sack in a letter to Buhari, demanding the reversal of the decision in which the NOUN VC was replaced with Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu of the Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano.

The substantive Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, Prof. Mohammed Kundiri, was transferred to the Federal University, Wukari, Taraba State.

The CCSG in its protest letter to Buhari signed by its President, Etuk Bassey Williams and Secretary-General, Ibrahim Abubakar, said the action contravenes the provisions of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act No.11 of 1993 (as amended) by decree No.25, 1996 and further amended in 2003 and 2012 respectively and other agreements as contained in the 2009 FGN staff union agreement.

The petitioners said that four out of the twelve appointed VCs are from Kano University, an action they said, was a clear violation of the federal character principle.

While this does not come as a surprise owing to the influence of one of the Special Advisers to the Minister of Education in orchestrating the appointments of his friends and cronies without following due process, we are however concerned about the constitutional breach and the resultant litigation battle this action may cause, which in turn may generate unnecessary distractions to your focused administration, tcoalition said.

The petition reads, We are compelled to call your attention owing to the illegality in the removal of Vice Chancellors of 13 Federal Universities including the National Open University of Nigeria and the hasty appointment of friends and cronies in place of those illegally removed from office.

While we are not unmindful of the fact that you would have acted on the recommendation of the Minister of Education in approving their removal, it is pertinent to know that in the pursuit of ambition driven by unguided passion and greed, impunity becomes inevitable as the end irrespective of the means is all that matters and in this case, the removal of these Vice Chancellors is the outcome of an unguided passion and greed by the Minister of Education and his Special Adviser.

The constitution is quite clear on the procedures to be followed in the appointment and disengagement of Vice Chancellors and none of these procedures were followed in the above case.

The appointment of Vice Chancellors is a tenured appointment, which presupposes that every appointee is expected to serve the prescribed number of years as stipulated by the Acts governing the institutions.

The organisation regretted that none of the Vice Chancellors were allowed to complete their tenures and were all removed without following due process of the law.

The CCSG said that in the event that a Vice Chancellor was to be removed from office before the expiration of his tenure, it is the Board of the Governing Council that is empowered to recommend or effect that removal of an erring Vice Chancellor before the completion of his term in office.

The group said, In the above case, the Minister already dissolved the Board of the Governing Council with the statutory powers to recommend or effect the removal of a Vice Chancellor from office thereby making the removal of these Vice Chancellors illegal, null and void.

In appointing new Vice Chancellors or any public officer for that matter, it is an offence and a breach of the Federal Character principle for one third of the total appointees to come from a particular State.

The action of the Minister is greeted with sadness as it is considered a breach of the provisions of the University Amendment Act or legislation and to a large extent a gross violation of the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which guarantees universities autonomy in Nigeria.

According to the public statement conveying the sack of the VCs, a former Head, Department of International Relations at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof. Kayode Soremekun, who was said to be on Sabbatical in NOUN is the new Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

While the Federal University, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State has Prof. Auwal Yadudu of the Faculty of Law, Bayero University, Kano as its new VC; Prof. Fatima Batoul Muktar of the Department of Biology, North West University, Kano, is the VC of Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State.

A lecturer in the Department of Pharmacy, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Haruna Abdu Kaita is the new VC of Federal University, Dutsin Ma, Katsina State, while Prof. Andrew Haruna of the Department of Linguistics, University of Jos will now function as VC, Federal University, Gashua, Yobe State.

While another lecturer in the Department of Pharmacy, ABU, Zaria, Prof. Magaji Garba, will now be VC in Federal University, Gusau, Zamfara State, Prof. Alhassan Mohammed Gani of the Institute of Maritime Studies, Federal University, Kashere in Gombe State has been elevated to the position of VC in same University.

A lecturer in the Department of Physics, Federal University, Lafia, Prof. Muhammad Sanusi Liman will henceforth be VC of same institution.

For Prof. Angela Freeman Miri of the Linguistics Department, UNIJOS, her new portfolio is the Federal University, Lokoja where she will now be VC.

The Federal University, Ndifu-Alike, Ebonyi State, now has Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba of the Post-Graduate School, Imo State University, Owerri, as its VC, while Prof. Seth Accra Jaja of the Department of Management, University of Port Harcourt is now the VC of Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday urged Nigerians to always demonstrate the virtues of loyalty, honesty and determination to make Nigeria better as demonstrated by former Head of State, late Murtala Mohammed.

The President made the call while speaking at the Murtala Mohammed 40th Memorial Lecture in Abuja.

He said Nigerians, irrespective of their age brackets, should always exhibit the good virtues of Murtala Mohammed rather than mourn his death.

Mr Buhari noted that the country mourned the death of Mr Mohammed because he was on his way to putting Nigeria back to the path of order and discipline, after years of drift, corruption and near despair.

He said Mr Mohammeds motto was to get the job done as quickly as possible, saying no one could doubt his inspirational qualities or call into question his love and dedication in the service of Nigeria.

We are here to honour a national hero and patriot, not to mourn him, and to take a few lessons from his achievements:

His love for Nigeria and Nigerians, from wherever they came; His intense professionalism; His impatience with incompetence and lack of patriotism; His loyalty to friends and colleagues.

His life, short though it proved to be, was marked by an extraordinary passion, energy and determination to do better, and to make Nigeria better.

These are values that young and old alike should all remember and celebrate.

On assuming the role of Head of State in 1975, Murtala set out with a single-minded determination seldom seen in Nigerian leadership. Decisions were on fast-track, the president said.

He also stated that many major developments were prominent among Murtala Mohammeds legacies, and these included the move of the capital to Abuja from Lagos and the creation of seven new States.

The president, who noted that late Mr Mohammed was his senior in Army, said he developed a great liking and respect for him on account of his professional excellence, competence, straightforwardness and genuine interest and concern for up-and-coming officers like him.

According to him, of course, no one is without flaws. He was a man in a hurry, and sometimes this could make him appear abrupt or even moody.

But what he could not tolerate was incompetence and idleness.

By the time Murtala was given Command during the Civil War, the Federal side was on the defensive.

The rebels had over-ran the then Mid-West, and reached as far as Ore, just 100 miles from Lagos.

By dint of sheer bravery, improvisation and resourcefulness, he mustered a rag-tag group of soldiers, integrated them into an entirely new division, knocked them into fighting shape, recovered Mid-West and ventured across the Niger.

Alas, there were terrible casualties on both sides, but sacrifice and loss were part of the risks of war, Mr. Buhari said.

Retired Lt.-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, who is the Vice-President of the Board of Trustees of the Murtala Mohammed Foundation, organisers of the annual lecture series, expressed great joy for being associated with the late Murtala Mohammed early in life.

He commended the efforts of the foundation and advised its leadership to embark on aggressive media campaign with a view to educating members of the public on its activities and achievements so far.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moons representative and Head of the UN Office for West Africa (UNOWA), Mohamed Ibn Chambas, who also represented former President of Namibia, Mr Lucas Pohamba, noted that the death of Murtala Mohammed, 40 years ago, left an indelible mark in African history.

He extolled the virtues of the former Nigerian Head of State, describing him as a natural leader.

The guest speaker, David Richards, former Chief of Defence Staff of the British Armed Forces, noted that inter-state and intra-states rivalries had continued to make the world unstable for mankind.

Richards, who spoke on the topic, Regional Security and State Building: Portents and prospects, challenged leaders to find lasting solutions to socio-political crises across the world.

The Chief Executive officer of the Murtala Mohammed Foundation, Mrs Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, saluted President Muhammadu Buhari for embarking on the crusade against corruption in the country.

Muhammed-Oyebode also commended the efforts of the Buhari-led administration towards the fight against Boko Haram insurgency in the North Eastern states of the federation.

She expressed the hope that the abducted Chibok schoolgirls would soon be rescued in view of the successes being recorded by the Nigerian Army and other security agencies in the country.

Murtala Mohammed was assassinated in a military coup on Feb. 13, 1976.

(NAN)
The All Progressives Congress in Rivers state has denied reports credited to the Peoples Democratic Party in the state that the APC governorship candidate, Dakuku Peterside, insulted a former governor of the state, Peter Odili and his wife.

Mr. Odilis wife, Mary, is a justice of the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court in its recent judgment held that Nyesom Wike was validly elected as governor of Rivers state in the 2015 election.

The APC said in a statement on Friday that what PDP described as insult on Odili and his wife was a mere quote lifted by Mr. Peterside from a remark allegedly made by Mr. Wike at a church thanksgiving to celebrate his victory against Mr. Peterside at the Supreme Court.

The statement, signed by the Publicity Secretary of APC, Rivers state, Chris Finebone quoted Mr. Wike as having said at the thanksgiving, Let me thank our former governor, Dr. Peter Odili. He will call me midnight to tell me what to do.he will say go so so place. I took all his advice, and here we are today.

The controversial remark, which sparked a war of words between the APC and PDP in Rivers state, created the impression that Mr. Odili, whose wife is a judge in the Supreme Court, may have facilitated Mr. Wikes recent victory at the apex court.

The APC statement said, Peterside did not, for all intents and purposes, insult the former Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili and his wife, Justice Mary Odili as canvassed in (Rivers PDP chairman) Felix Obuahs press statement.

Dakuku Peterside merely quoted the governor and then concluded his reference to the governors speech by saying: This shocking confession needs no further explanation except for you and other decent Nigerians to further make your fair conclusions.

The APC would like to ask Felix Obuah and the PDP: Where lies the insult on Dr. Peter Odili and his wife in the reference Peterside made to Gov. Wikes public comment?

Indeed, if anyone indirectly insulted the former governor and his wife, it is Gov. Nyesom Wike because of his unwarranted boasts and dropping of names of the former governor and his wife while holding discussions with his associates.

Some of these same associates of Gov. Nyesom Wike, in turn, take the names dropped by the Governor to public space with its attendant negative perception.

The APC asked Mr. Wike to apologise to the former Rivers governor, Mr. Odili and his wife, Mary.

The party said it would continue to hold Mr. Odili and his wife in high esteem, despite their political differences.
Daredevil robbers have killed two policemen and two officials of a commercial bank during an operation in Ikirun, Ifelodum Local Government Area of Osun State, Southwest Nigeria.

The Osun State Commissioner of Police, Kola Sodipo, made this know while addressing newsmen in Osogbo.

Mr. Sodipo said the robbers shot at the policemen first before raiding banks located in the area, on Friday.

The robbers invaded Skye Bank, First Bank and Union Bank in Ikirun. .

But the state police boss said the swift response by his men foiled the robbery operation, adding that four of the robbers were killed while four were arrested.

It would be recalled that on Feb. 12, at 15:45 hour, a distress call was received that men suspected to be armed robbers invaded Skye Bank, First Bank and Union Bank located on the same street in Ikirun, Mr. Sodipo said.

Swift response by the police repelled the attack, he said.

He gave the names of the arrested suspects as: Aderibigbe Oluwaseun, 23, Ndubusi David, 21, Ayuba Salisu, 26 and Nuhu Jimoh, 21.

Sodipo said the police recovered N7, 486, 300, three AK riffles with 124 rounds of ammunition, one assault rifle with 12 rounds of live ammunition, expended shells of ammunition and dynamite from the hoodlums.

A standby Nissan Sunny car which the robbers wanted to use for escape was also recovered.

He said he had visited the robbery scene for on-the-spot assessment and swept the area with the commands bomb disposal unit to detect and recover undetonated improvised explosive devices, IEDs.

A diligent investigation is ongoing for the arrest of other syndicate members, Sodipo said.

The suspected robbers were paraded before newsmen with the money and ammunition recovered from them.
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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.




NEW YORK, Feb. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- HelpMeSee and the Lions Health Foundation Alibag, India have launched a partnership to end cataract blindness, the leading cause of vision loss in India's largest state, Maharashtra. The partnership focuses on training in Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery (MSICS) and the use of surgical quality assurance systems. Lions Health Foundation Alibag has begun planning construction for a new hospital in Raigad District, the initial focus area for the joint campaign.

Lions Health Foundation Alibag announcing the launch of their partnership with HelpMeSee.

Five Lions Clubs have joined together in Alibag to eliminate cataract blindness in Raigad District, Maharashtra. To this end, the Lions Clubs of Alibag, Alibag-Poynad, Alibag-Mandva, Alibag-Revdanda and Lions Club Chembur Diamonds have united to form a new bodyLions Health Foundation Alibag.

At the launch of the partnership between HelpMeSee and Lions Health Foundation Alibag, HelpMeSee President & CEO Jacob Mohan Thazhathu said, "HelpMeSee is committed to excellence in training of cataract surgeons and with simulation technology. This will ensure outstanding quality of surgical care and patient services to everyone. In this 21st century we owe it to every blind and visually impaired person to actively pursue the goal of ending cataract blindness."

Lion Nitin Adhikari, Vice-Chairman, Lions Health Foundation Alibag made a pledge of $50,000 to eliminate cataract blindness in the Raigad District. Thanking Lion Adhikari, Mr. Thazhathu, applauded the commitment of Lions Health Foundations efforts in Alibag for a locally sustainable campaign.

Cataracts cause nearly two-thirds of all blindness in India, where over five million are estimated to be blind. According to Nitin Gadkari, India's Road Transport and Highways Minister, cataracts account for more road accidents than alcohol.

HelpMeSee brings two of its key technologies to the partnership in Raigad, including the HelpMeSee Reach App for population-based patient services, and a pre-sterilized, single use, disposable surgical kit for Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery (MSICS).

"Our problem today is cataract," said Ashok Mehta, former President of the International Association of Lions Clubs. "We've been working for the past 25 years, but we have not been able to solve the problem. I am sure with the help of HelpMeSee we'll be able to see the light of day and bring vision to thousands of people who are needy and deserving."

Co-coordinating efforts, Lion Venkataraman Subramanian of Lions Club Chembur Diamonds said, "The campaign which we have initiated now between Lions Health Foundation Alibag and HelpMeSee is unique in every sense. It is a partnership between two international organizations that believe in removing unnecessary blindness. We will ensure that the surgery done is of international standards - for all patients whether rich or poor, belonging to any caste or creed. This is just the tip of the iceberg. We have to eliminate blindness from all the districts."

About HelpMeSee

HelpMeSee is a global campaign to end cataract blindness, the leading cause of blindness worldwide. By doing so, HelpMeSee intends to make the sight-restoring surgery available to millions of poor within their communities, by training tens of thousands (mostly women) to perform high quality, high volume MSICS surgery throughout the developing world. HelpMeSee is pioneering a virtual reality surgical simulator and training program to be implemented worldwide, adapted from extensive experience in simulator-based aviation training. Since 2012, the campaign has supported over 237,000 surgeries through 242 partnerships across India, Nepal, China, Vietnam, Madagascar, Togo, Sierra Leone, Peru and The Gambia.

About Lions Clubs International & Lions Health Foundation Alibag

Lions Clubs International is the largest service club organization in the world with over 1.4 million members in more than 46,000 clubs serving communities in more than 210 countries and geographical areas worldwide. Since 1917, Lions clubs have aided the blind and visually impaired, championed youth initiatives and strengthened local communities through hands-on service and humanitarian projects. Five Lions Clubs in Greater Mumbai joined together to form the Lions Health Foundation Alibag.

CONTACT: Steele Burrow, 1-212-221-7605, [email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160212/332770

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130403/DC88441LOGO

SOURCE HelpMeSee

Related Links

http://www.helpmesee.org


LOS ANGELES, Feb. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Moose Toys, one of the top toy companies in the U.S., was recognized at the 16th annual Toy Industry Association's Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards ceremony, winning the prestigious Girl Toy of the Year award for its Shopkins Scoops Ice Cream Truck, based on votes from toy retailers, media, TIA members and consumers. Echoing the most-coveted industry award, Shopkins was also recently named the 2015 top-selling toy in the US, for the Shopkins 12-pack, according to The NPD Group.

Moose Toys' Shopkins(TM) Scoops Ice Cream Truck is awarded the 2016 Girl Toy of the Year Award by the Toy Industry Association at the North American International Toy Fair.

Sponsored by the Toy Industry Association (TIA), the annual award ceremony, also known as the "Oscars" of the toy industry, was held on February 12, 2016 as part of the American International Toy Fair in New York and recognizes top toys and brands from the previous year. This year's field consisted of more than 700 nominees from over 200 companies.

"Winning a TOTY Award for the second year in a row is just incredible," said Paul Solomon, Co-CEO of Moose Toys. "And it's extra special for it to be a repeat win for Girl Toy of the Year. We are honored by the award and thrilled that Shopkins continues to bring smiles to so many kids' faces  girls and boys!"

Since its launch in the summer of 2014, Shopkins has made a huge impact on the toy industry, winning the Girl Toy of the Year award at last year's TOTY Awards for the Shopkins Small Mart playset and selling more than 240 million Shopkins characters worldwide. The brand recently made national headlines with the charity auction of its one-of-a-kind Gemma Stone Shopkin, which sold for over $21,500, to benefit the Toy Industry Foundation.

"In its 16th year, the TOTY awards continue to celebrate the toy industry and toys that inspire children to be creative and imaginative," said Ken Seiter, TIA vice president of marketing communications. "Our judging panel of experts, including members of TIA, are very excited to award the Shopkins Scoops Ice Cream Truck as the Girl Toy of the Year. The brand's impact on the industry and its encouragement of imaginative play makes it an ideal recipient."

With over 560 available characters' total, the Shopkins world continues to grow with the recent release of Season Four items including all new characters and playsets.

About Moose Toys

Moose Toys is a global toy company with offices in the US, UK, Hong Kong, China and the head office based in Melbourne, Australia. This award-winning company is known for designing, developing and distributing toy and lifestyle products across the globe for children of all ages and the young at heart. Moose has products in all toy categories including collectibles, arts and crafts, activity toys, dolls, novelty items and outdoor products, and has brought joy to kids worldwide with successful products such as Mighty Beanz, Beados, Aqua Sand and The Trash Pack. In 2015, Moose expanded several major product lines for boys and girls, including Shopkins, the hottest girl's collectible line of grocery-themed characters; Little Live Pets, electronic pets that come to life in the palm of your hand; as well as line extensions for Beados craft activity sets. The company also introduced all new brands, such as The Ugglys Pet Shop, the collectibles that are small in size but big in gross; and Qixels, the first "craftstruction" activity that allows kids to create pixelated worlds of monsters, warriors and more. Moose Toys has scored numerous coveted toy awards from industry experts and major retailers. Wal-Mart selected Moose Toys as the recipient of its Toy Supplier of the Year award. The Shopkins Scoops Ice Cream Truck was named the 2016 Girl Toy of the Year by the Toy Industry Association, and the Shopkins Small Mart playset was awarded the 2015 Girl Toy of the Year. Visit www.moosetoys.com for more information.

Source: The NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service/U.S. Toys/Dollars Annual 2015

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160212/332978

SOURCE Moose Toys

Related Links

http://www.moosetoys.com


WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

FIRST PUBLIC SCHOOL

Profile America  Saturday, February 13th. This date marks the anniversary in 1635 of the idea of America's first public school  the Boston Latin School  long before there was a United States. Established in April that year, among its later students were Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Adams. And this month in 1897, Phoebe Hearst and Alice Birney founded what is today known as the Parent Teacher Association, or PTA. Originally called the National Congress of Mothers, the organization now encourages both mothers and fathers to take part in school activities to improve the quality of their children's education. Today, there are over 49 million youngsters enrolled in elementary through high school, with an additional 8.7 million attending nursery school or kindergarten. You can find more facts about America's people, places and economy, from the American Community Survey, at www.census.gov.

Sources: Kane's Famous First Facts, 838

School history/accessed 12/9/2015: http://www.bls.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=206116&type=d

PTA/accessed 12/9/2015: http://www.papta.org/domain/3

Student enrollment/t. 1/All Races: http://www.census.gov/hhes/school/data/cps/2014/tables.html

Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotions of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).

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SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau

Related Links

http://www.census.gov


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
Chennai, Feb 9 : Actor Aadi, who awaits the release of forthcoming Telugu commercial entertainer "Garam", says his wife's inputs really helped him learn the East Godavari accent for the character he essays in the film.

"My character speaks East Godavari accent in the film. Though I had a writer who helped me learn it before we went on the floors, my wife's timely insight really came in handy, because she hails from Rajahmundry and is quite well versed with the accent," Aadi told IANS.

"Garam", which is directed by Madan, releases in cinemas on Friday.

For Aadi, who is having a release after a year, it is the most important film of his career.

"It is with a lot of difficultly that the film is finally getting released. It is an important project because it is coming after two releases which didn't do well. After the original producer backed out midway, my parents came on board to complete the film," he said, and added that they have been trying to release the film since last December.

"Garam", according to the "Prema Kavali" actor, is a commercial outing with twists and turns.

"I play a guy with the characteristics of a 'tapori' from a very small town. It's the kind of commercial film that will appeal to masses and even the elite audience thanks to some quintessential elements that it is packed with," he said, adding that the viewers are in for a big surprise in the second half of the film.

Busy promoting his film, Aadi, who is also shooting for his next movie "Chuttalabbayi", says he has been missing time with his newborn daughter.

"It has been nearly a month since I saw her. She is with her mother in Rajahmundry. I miss watching her grow," rues Aadi, who says he has become more responsible since he became a father.

"All these years, my success and failure just mattered to me. Now, even my wife prays for my success and since this is my first release after marriage, she is naturally very nervous," he signed off.

The film also stars Adah Sharma and Brahmanandam in important roles.
New Delhi, Feb 9 : Swedish Prime Minister Stefan LAfven will arrive in India on Saturday on a two-day visit to participate in the Make in India Week in Mumbai and also hold bilateral dialogue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Lofven leads a high-level delegation comprising state secretaries, senior officials from the Swedish government, heads of agencies and industry leaders from his country to participate in the Make in India Week which also gets underway on Saturday.

Sweden will have the largest country pavilion in the Make in India Week with participation from 18 companies across various sectors, said a press release issued by the Swedish embassy.

Lofven will inaugurate the Swedish pavilion along with Modi after which he will deliver the keynote address at the 'Sweden Seminar' on smart manufacturing.

Lofven will also participate in the Sweden India CEO Round Table together with industry leaders from the two countries.

The Swedish prime minister will also visit Pune, which is a hub for Swedish companies since the 1960s.

In Pune, Lofven will visit facilities of two Swedish majors - Tetra Pak and Ericsson. The Tetra Pak plant in Pune is a state-of-the-art facility with a modern footprint based on green technology. The Ericsson plant will serve as an export hub for the company.
Washington, Feb 12 : Even as a top US lawmaker threatened to block proposed sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan over its alleged support for terrorist groups, the US said it was committed to deliver security assistance to its key ally.

State Department Spokesperson Mark C. Toner Thursday declined to confirm whether Secretary of State John Kerry had received a letter from Senate Foreign Relations committee Chairman Bob Corker regarding subsidised sale of up to eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. "As a matter of policy, though, we don't comment on proposed arms sales or transfers or even our preliminary consultations with the Hill, with Capitol Hill, prior to any formal congressional notification," he said.

But "we are committed to working with Congress to deliver security assistance to our partners and our allies that we believe furthers US foreign policy interests by building the capacity to meet shared security challenges," he said.

Citing Islamabad's relationship with the Haqqani network, an extremist group that has a history of destabilizing Afghanistan, Corker in a Feb 9 letter to Kerry notified the Obama administration of his intention to block the F-16 sale.

"After years of pressuring the Pakistanis on this point, the Haqqani terrorists still enjoy freedom of movement, and possibly even support from the Pakistani government," he wrote.

"This is highly problematic given the Haqqani's clear involvement in killing the very Afghan army and police we have worked for years to train," Corker added.

Asked about Corker's charges, Toner said: "We believe US security assistance to Pakistan actually contributes to their counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations."

"These operations reduce the ability of militants to use Pakistani territory as a safe haven to carry out terrorist attacks and as a base of support for the insurgency in Afghanistan," he said.

"So we believe these operations are in the interests of both Pakistan and the United States and in the interests of the region more broadly," Toner said.

Asked how many fewer US personnel had been killed inside Afghanistan by terrorist groups because of US assistance to Pakistani forces, Toner said he did not have the figures "in front of me."

"But no country in the region has been more touched by terrorism than Pakistan," he claimed. "We believe it's in our vital national security interests to support Pakistan in carrying out its efforts to destroy these terrorist networks."

Describing Pakistan as "an important partner in the region in achieving a stable and secure Afghanistan," the spokesperson said, the US "would welcome Pakistan's efforts to support Afghan-led reconciliation talks, for example."

Pakistan, he said, had carried out "multiple operations against some of these terrorist networks that are operating on their soil.

"We believe that destroying, eliminating those networks is in our national security interests, as well as the security interests of the region," Toner said.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani Embassy in Washington Thursday denied Corker's charge and criticised it as unfounded and ill-advised.

"Insinuations of facilitating the destabilizing role of Haqqani network in Afghanistan in any way are indeed unfortunate," embassy spokesman Nadeem Hotiana told Foreign Policy magazine.

Corker, following a recent trip to Afghanistan, said he would shelve the funding needed to finance the F-16 deal. However, he pledged to lift his hold on the sale of the warplanes itself.

"If they wish to purchase this military equipment, they will do so without a subsidy from the American taxpayer," Corker was quoted as saying in the letter by FP.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
Taipei, Feb 12 : The death toll from a powerful earthquake that struck Taiwan on February 6 has increased to 94 with some 30 people still reported missing, the authorities announced on Friday.

According to an official update on the casualties, the collapse of the 16-storey Wei Guan building in Tainan city, the most seriously damaged in the 6.7-magnitude quake, accounted for 92 of the total casualties, Xinhua news agency reported.

Local people blame the building's developer for using shoddy construction material.

Rescuers said the chances of finding more survivors from the building were becoming slim, but search efforts would continue, EFE news reported.

A memorial service for the victims was held in Tainan city earlier in the day which was attended by President Ma Ying-jeou and Tsai Ing-wen, the opposition leader and president designate.

Taiwan will observe a national day of mourning on Monday with the national flag flying at half mast.
Washington, Feb 13 : The US government has announced the upcoming signing of a memorandum of understanding with Cuba in the field of civil aviation that will pave the way for direct commercial flights by the year end.

Up to 20 direct flights daily will be permitted from the US to Havana, and 10 more to another nine international airports in Cuba, including those at Santiago de Cuba, Manzanillo and Camaguey, Thomas Engle, deputy assistant secretary of State for transportation, said on Friday.

The memorandum of understanding will be signed on February 17 in Havana by Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and his Cuban counterpart, Adel Yzquierdo.

The accord will permit the continuation of charter airlines' existing operations, which amount to between 10 and 15 flights a day to Cuba, Engle said.

"This provides for a very important sizable increase in travel between the two countries," Engle said.

The accord is part of the process currently underway to restore relations between the US and Cuba.

On December 17, 2014, Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro announced the beginning of a process to normalize bilateral relations that led to the reopening of the two countries' respective embassies in Havana and Washington in July 2015, after a gap of over 50 years.
New Delhi : Since 2014 when Narendra Modi won his famous victory, the only change has been a marginal decline in his popularity. Otherwise, his other advantages and disadvantages have remained more or less the same.

As a result, a clear-cut prognosis of the future is not possible for it is difficult to assess how the gains and losses will pan out.

For instance, the political benefits which accrue to Modi from having weak opponents are likely to remain unchanged. It was this advantage which helped him to win in the first place.

Since then, little has changed so far as the Congress is concerned, for the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) main adversary is still tethered to its feudal traditions which are unappealing, if not positively offensive, to a large section of the voters, especially the middle class.

The main drawback of feudalism is that it is seen as antithetical to modernity. Its emphasis is on an anti-industrial, rural way of life. Much of Modi's appeal lies in his success in projecting himself as pro-development which, in today's world, translates into a vision of industrial growth.

Since the Congress's scuttling of the Modi government's amendment of the land law comes in the way of acquiring land for industries, it shows that the party wants India to remain primarily agricultural, which has a connotation of backwardness.

In addition, the Congress's longstanding baggage of corruption has been reinforced by the solar panel scam in Kerala where the party's chief minister, Oommen Chandy, is involved.

It is not only the Congress which panders to the "India lives in its villages" outlook; others like the parties of the Hindi heartland - the Janata Dal (United), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Samjwadi Party (SP) - also have a similar mindset.

Although they ostensibly favour investments in their states, this is no more than a token gesture, for neither the law and order situation nor the infrastructure offers any incentive to potential entrepreneurs.

To make matters worse, both the Bihar and U.P. governments have expressed their preference for introducing quotas in the private sector companies which will be a surefire way of destroying their viability as profit-making enterprises.

The quotas will undoubtedly be grabbed by the backward castes who constitute the main supporting bases of the Janata Dal (United) and the SP. It is to keep them in good humour that the two ruling parties are following this palpably anti-development path.

Of the BJP's two major opponents in north India, where it is more influential than in the east or south, the Congress is feudal and the Hindi heartland parties are casteist. Both seem to prefer the earlier centuries, as the SP's one-time opposition to English and computers showed.

The BJP, too, used to look towards the medieval ages for inspiration in the 1990s. But not now under Modi although there are sections in it - the so-called fringe elements - who still live in the days of the Ramjanmabhoomi movement.

There is little doubt that they diminish Modi's appeal despite his efforts to control them. To an extent, he has succeeded in curbing the enthusiasm of, say, Yogi Adityanath for ghar wapsi and of Sakshi Maharaj for Nathuram Godse.

Even the Bajrang Dal has said that it will not engage in moral policing targeting courting couples on Valentine's Day.

But there are still elements like a Haryana minister who says that there is no place for beef-eaters in his state and an M.P. in Madhya Pradesh who is stoking communal tension by insisting that Hindus will not share space with the Muslims while offering prayers in the Bhojshala shrine which is sacred to both the communities.

Apart from acting more firmly against these elements, what Modi needs is a major electoral boost. After the initial bull run following the 2014 victory with wins in Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir, the defeats in Delhi and Bihar have taken the wind out of his sails.

To recover his political poise, he has to win in Assam, which is his best chance. As of now, however, one cannot be certain, especially if the Congress reaches an understanding with the United Democratic Front of the perfume baron, Badruddin Ajmal, to secure the Muslim vote.

Notwithstanding all these uncertainties, Modi's plus point remains his progressive outlook with the vision of a modern, industrial India of bullet trains and smart cities.

Neither feudalism, nor casteism can dent this appeal, especially for the younger generation of all communities who realize that the concept of the patronizing mai-baap sarkar which favour doles and handouts over self-help, entrepreneurial endeavours is passe.

Not since Jawaharlal Nehru's "dams are the temples of modern India" comment and Narasimha Rao's opening up of the economy has there been an Indian leader who is in tune with the modern world. Rajiv Gandhi also had such an attitude, but he did not live long enough to fulfil his promise.

Since Modi is a successor of the earlier modernizing prime ministers, there is still considerable goodwill for him. The support for him will increase exponentially if only he cracks down on the Hindutva hardliners.

(Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached at amulyaganguli@gmail.com)
Washington/New Delhi, Feb 13 : The US has decided to sell eight F-16 combat jets to Pakistan to "support (its) counter-terrorism and counterinsurgency operations", prompting India to summon American ambassador Richard Verma to lodge its strong protest against the move.

Verma was summoned after India reacted strongly to the US decision taken on Friday.

"We are disappointed at the decision of the (Barack) Obama administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan," the external affairs ministry said in a statement in New Delhi.

"We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism. The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself," it added.

The Obama administration on Friday approved the sale of eight F-16 Block-52 aircraft to Pakistan worth $699 million in the face of US lawmakers' opposition to the deal over Islamabad's alleged support for terrorist groups The US State Department has approved the sale, the Pentagon's Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said as it notified US Congress of the possible sale.

"We support the proposed sale of eight F-16s to Pakistan, which we view as the right platform in support of Pakistan's counter-terrorism and counterinsurgency operations," a US government officialcited by DefenseNews said.

"These operations reduce the ability of militants to use Pakistani territory as a safe haven for terrorism and a base of support for the insurgency in Afghanistan, which is in the national interests of both Pakistan and the USt, and in the interest of the region more broadly."

The official, DefenseNews said, confirmed that there had been Congressional objections to the sale, but said that contrary to recent "erroneous reports", "concerns were raised in regard to financing the sale, not the transfer itself."

According to the DSCA's statement, the proposed sale will "facilitate operations in all-weather, non-daylight environments, provide a self-defence/area suppression capability, and enhance Pakistan's ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations."

According to the DSCA, Pakistan is not expected to have difficulty absorbing these additional aircraft into its air force. The sale is also meant to increase the number of aircraft available to the Pakistan Air Force to sustain operations, meet monthly training requirements and support transition training for pilots new to the Block-52.

The pending sale to Pakistan includes: eight F-16 Block-52 aircraft - two C and six D and models with the F100-PW-229 increased performance engine; 14 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems; eight AN/APG-68(V)9 radars; and eight ALQ-211(V)9 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suit.

The approval of the sale came days after Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker wrote a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry objecting to subsidised sale of up to eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

Citing Islamabad's relationship with the Haqqani network, an extremist group that has a history of destabilising Afghanistan, Corker in a February 9 letter to Kerry notified the Obama administration of his intention to block the F-16 deal.

"After years of pressuring the Pakistanis on this point, the Haqqani terrorists still enjoy freedom of movement, and possibly even support from the Pakistani government," he wrote.

"This is highly problematic given the Haqqanis' clear involvement in killing the very Afghan army and police we have worked for years to train," Corker added.
Chennai, Feb 13 : Megastar Chiranjeevi's second daughter Srija will wed an NRI from Chitoor in March, after her first marriage ended in divorce.

"The match was finalised a few days ago. It is with Srija's consent that her parents have agreed to this wedding, which will take place next month. On Thursday, Chiranjeevi's family had a small get-together at his residence to begin the celebration," a source close to the actor told IANS.

The families of the bride and groom are said to have known each other for a long time.

Chiranjeevi is expected to officially make an announcement regarding the wedding soon.

In 2007, Srija, then 19, got married to her college sweetheart Sirish Bharadwaj. The couple has a daughter.

In 2011, Srija legally separated from Sirish, claiming that her in-laws were torturing her for dowry. Since then, she has been living with her parents.
Beijing, Feb 13 : China will set up an Antarctic air squadron this year to support its scientific expeditions to the polar region, the media reported on Saturday.

According to the State Oceanic Administration, it is aimed at supporting polar exploration and will serve as an air observation platform, the China Daily reported.

China will continue to develop technologies and equipment to improve research on remote sensing and oceanography, the administration said.

Research vessel and icebreaker Xuelong, which is being used for China's 32nd Antarctic expedition, left Shanghai on November 7, 2015, for a 159-day round trip of 55,500 km.

A 277-strong team from more than 80 domestic institutions are conducting research and experiments in Antarctica.

During the mission, researchers are making a final survey for China's fifth Antarctic station site at Victoria Land on the Ross Sea, mapping the site and assessing the ecological and environmental impacts.

A deep-sea exploration station is also included in the administration's equipment development plan.

The country will send its seventh research mission to the Arctic this year and is planning the first Sino-Russian Arctic mission, it added.
Washington, Feb 13 : Ahead of the next round of nominating contests, the US presidential race is turning testy with rival candidates of both parties attacking each other with no holds barred.

Republican frontrunner Donald Trump on Friday threatened to sue rival Iowa caucus winner Ted Cruz, for "not being a natural born citizen" if the Texas senator "doesn't clean up his act" and stop running negative ads against him.

Trump has previously argued that if Cruz won the Republican nomination, Democrats would argue that the Canada-born candidate was ineligible for the presidency.

Trump also questioned the sincerity of Cruz's faith, accusing his opponent of being "so dishonest."

"How can Ted Cruz be an Evangelical Christian when he lies so much and is so dishonest?" he tweeted.

"There is more than a little irony in Donald accusing anyone of being nasty given the amazing torrent of insults and obscenities and vulgarities that come out of his mouth," Cruz told reporters in South Carolina on Friday.

"Being attacked by Donald, it is always colourful. I will give him this: he's not boring."

Cruz's campaign also pulled down an attack ad on Florida senator Marco Rubio after it was revealed that one of the actors Amy Lindsay had performed in soft core porn films.

Lindsay had merely responded to an open casting call and blamed the company that recruited the actors for not properly vetting those who appeared, Cruz said.

"It happened that one of the actresses who was there had a more colourful film history than we were aware," he said. "We would not have cast her had we known of that history."

"I have no ill will towards Ted Cruz right now. He's got a job to do," Lindsay told CNN. "And I'm a middle class working girl and I had a job to do."

Meanwhile, after Thursday night's sharp exchanges during the Democratic debate, the battle between Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders is also turning testy.

Representatives from both campaigns have accused the other side of mudslinging and negative campaigning.

Sanders' campaign manager Jeff Weaver accused Clinton of "flinging personal mud" at Sanders.

"The mudslinging seemed really out of place," Weaver told CNN. "It seemed very much like what you see in a Republican debate."

Jennifer Palmieri, Clinton's communications director, in turn accused Sanders of getting "increasingly personal and negative."

"He's had a lot of innuendo about how she took donations [from Wall Street] and how that must mean it's affecting her views -- without any evidence."

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
Hyderabad, Feb 13 : The cash-for-vote case allegedly involving leaders of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) came to the fore again with Telangana's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Saturday issuing notice to an accused, Jerusalem Muthaiah.

The ACB has asked him to appear before it for questioning. He has been directed to make himself available at the ACB office within a week.

The anti-graft agency served the notice on Muthaiah at his house in Uppal here, though he initially refused to accept it on the ground that he has nothing to do with the case. He also cited a high court accepting his quash petition.

Muthaiah is the fourth accused in the case registered by the ACB last year. He was absconding and had taken shelter in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

He had also lodged a complaint at a police station in Vijayawada against Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

He had alleged that Rao's followers assaulted him to force him to give a statement against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in the case.

The notice to Muthaiah was served amid reports that ACB might arrest TDP legislator M. Gopinath in the case. Gopinath is a member of Telangana assembly from Jubliee Hills constituency in Hyderabad.

The sensational case had come to light in May last year when TDP legislator Revanth Reddy was arrested by the ACB while he was offering Rs.50 lakh as a bribe to nominated member Elvis Stephenson reportedly to induce him to vote for TDP candidate Narender Reddy in the elections to Telangana legislative council.

The ACB, which laid a trap on a complaint by Stephenson, also arrested two aides of Revanth Reddy.

Another legislator Sandra Venkata Veeraiah was also arrested in the case. The agency also questioned several others including Narender Reddy.

The case had snowballed into a huge row between the two states when an audio tape of Naidu's purported conversation with Stephenson was aired by some television channels in June.

TRS accused Naidu of plotting to topple the government while TDP alleged that the TRS government illegally tapped the telephones of the Andhra chief minister and his cabinet colleagues in Hyderabad, the joint capital of the two states.

However, the investigations into the case over the last few months had almost come to a halt with the improvement in relations between the two chief ministers. Rao had visited Andhra Pradesh at the invitation of Naidu to attend the foundation stone laying ceremony of new state capital Amaravati in October.

In December, Naidu reciprocated by attending 'Ayutha chandi yagam' -- a mega religious event hosted by the Telangana chief minister.

The latest development in the case came amid defections of TDP legislators in Telangana. As many as four MLAs quit TDP and joined TRS this week, taking the number to 10 since the 2014 election.

TDP had bagged 15 seats in the 119-member Telangana assembly in the election.
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 13 : The CPI-M in Kerala will certainly face the heat if the CPI-M in West Bengal goes forward with an alliance with its arch rivals here - the Congress party.

CPI-M State Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told reporters in Kozhikode on Saturday that the upcoming party meetings in Delhi would take a decision on the matter.

"There has been no decision of any alliance and the final call will be taken by the politburo of our party next week," said Balakrishnan.

The Visakapatanam Party Congress of the CPI-M held last year had categorically decided that it will have no association with the Congress party, but things have appeared to change when a huge majority of the West Bengal unit of the party during a meeting on Friday decided to have a tie-up with the Congress as it heads for the assembly polls.

Senior CPI-M leader and convenor of the Left Democratic Front Vaikom Viswan said he has no knowledge of it.

"I have no clue of this, but we have our central committee and politburo meetings in the coming week," remarked Viswan.

Kerala and West Bengal go to the polls at the same time and the BJP here is certain to rake up the issue of this new found alliance to its maximum, if the CPI-M decides to have a tie-up in West Bengal.

Political commentator S.Jayasankar said that it would be foolish of the CPI-M to enter into a tie-up with the Congress as it will undermine their performance here.

"The CPI-M's stock has been going down since it entered into a tie-up with the Congress led UPA formation since 2004 and it has not recovered since then and hence it will be suicidal for the CPI-M to have any electoral alliance," said Jayasankar.
Srinagar, Feb 13 : Six people were killed and four soldiers, including a senior official, injured in a Kashmir gunfight on Saturday.

The six killed included two army soldiers and four militants while the injured include a major and three other ranks, police said.

"Bodies of four militants belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit were recovered in Marsari village of Kupwara district on Wednesday," a senior police official told IANS.

Security forces were looking for the bodies of several more guerrillas, who were believed to be killed, in the debris of the house that was destroyed in the gunfight that began Friday evening, the official said.

Troops of counter insurgency Rashtriya Rifles (RR), special operations group (SOG) of state police and paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) had surrounded an abandoned house in Marsari village on Friday following information that a group of guerrillas was hiding inside.

When the security forces moved close to the house the militants opened fire on them, the police said.

In the gunfight the house which the guerrillas used as a fortified bunker was destroyed.
New Delhi, Feb 13 : A day after Facebook India managing director Kirthiga Reddy said she will be relocating to the US in the next six to 12 months, a spokesperson of the social networking site on Saturday dissociated her from the controversial Free Basics services effort in the country.

"As she had planned for some time, Kirthiga Reddy is moving back to the US to work with the teams in headquarters. We are extremely proud of the work she has done to grow our global sales business in India. During her time in India, Kirthiga was not involved in our Free Basic services efforts," a Facebook spokesperson said.

Facebook had cut off its Free Basics service for India on Feb 11, three days after the country's telecom watchdog said no to discriminatory pricing of data content.

Reddy cited personal reasons for her relocation to the US.

"When my family relocated to India, we knew that we would move back to the US some day. It's a bittersweet moment to share that the return timeframe is coming up in the next 6-12 months. Our two daughters start high school and middle school this coming year- which serves as a natural transition point to make this move back," she said in her Facebook post on Friday.

She said it will be business as-usual for her back in the US. "What am I going to be doing? It will be business as usual over the next 6-12 months. I am working closely with William Easton (managing director of emerging markets, APAC) and Dan Neary (vice president of Asia Pacific) as we search for my successor in India. I have also begun to explore new opportunities at Facebook back at Menlo Park."

Expressing excitement about the Facebook business in India, Reddy said: "Over the last six years, starting as the first employee for Facebook in India, I have had the privilege to be part of our amazing growth journey -- from our operations in Hyderabad to being a business partner for our clients as they build their brands and grow their business in this mobile-first world."

Talking about the time she's in India, Reddy said: "So let's make sure we make the overdue coffee catchups happen! I'm grateful to have two countries to call "home," have had this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and look forward to the next one, and have the opportunity to partner with each of you," she added.
New Delhi, Feb 13 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday committed a faux pas when he greeted Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on his 'birthday' on twitter. Ghani's birthday is on May 19.

"Happy birthday @ashrafghani. Praying for your long life & exceptional health and a joyful journey ahead," tweeted Modi.

Ghani was quick to respond: "@narendramodi Greetings from Munich Mr. PM. Although, my Birthday is on 19th May, but I'd still like to thank you for your gracious words :)"

The mistake may have happened as Google throws up Ghani's date of birth as February 12, 1949.

Their tweets went viral, with the twitterati speaking out in jest.

"@ashrafghani if shri shri @narendramodi has wished u on 12th Feb, then u must celebrate ur bday on this dt every yr frm now on ?? Bas final ??," tweeter user Komal.

Another user Santoesha Bissesar tweeted: "Don't the trust the Google :)"

The tweets of both the politicians were later not available on their twitter handle, but the screenshots of the two tweets were re-tweeted by many.
Mumbai, Feb 13 : At least three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) functionaries were in direct touch with some of the Pakistani terrorists carrying out the 26/11 terror attacks at various locations in Mumbai, Pakistani-American terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley informed Special TADA Court Judge G.A. Sanap here on Saturday.

Certain audio tapes recorded during the 26/11 were played in the Special Court in Mumbai for the benefit of Headley on the sixth day of his deposition via videoconference from a US jail.

In the tapes, Headley identified the voices of LeT's Sajid Mir, Abu Khafa and Abu Alkama when they were "handling" the 10 Pakistani terrorists in Mumbai during the 26/11 terror strikes at multiple locations.

From a control room in Karachi, the trio was speaking with the terrorists attacking the Taj Mahal Palace and Hotel between November 26-28, 2008, which Headley heard and recognized.

The Pakistani side was heard telling them (the terrorists) that the ATS Chief (Hemant Karkare) had been killed and Mumbai was struck by fear and terror.

The ATS chief Karkare, Additional Police Commissioner Ashok Kamte and the Anti-Extortion Cell chief Vijay Salaskar were gunned down in a fierce shoot-out with the terrorists in the early hours of November 27.
New Delhi, Feb 13 : Nimrat Kaur, who was in the capital earlier this week for her younger sister Rubina's wedding, says she it was always her dream to see her "baby sister" as a bride.

"I had a wonderful time at the wedding and it was indeed a perfect winter wedding. It was something she (her sister) had dreamed of ever since she thought of having a wedding and it was also what I had dreamed of for her.

"It was a beautiful intimate ceremony with our loved ones and everything was just perfect. I had always wanted to see my baby sister as bride and the dream had finally come true," Nimrat told IANS.

The actress, who is basking in the success of her latest Bollywood outing "Airlift" wore a custom-made ensemble from designer duo Rimple and Harpreet Narula for Rubina's Anand Karaj ceremony (traditional Sikh wedding) here on Wednesday.

Talking about her ethnic attire, Nimrat said: "It was a traditional Punjabi sharara in a mint green colour with antique gold work on it all around and it was absolutely perfect. I have been swamped with compliments ever since. I felt like a complete bridesmaid and could not have wished for more. I just can't stop looking at the pictures."

The designer duo have described Nimrat as the "perfect" muse.

"Dressing the beautiful Nimrat was a sheer pleasure. As Sikhs ourselves, we understand the sentiment and feel of a Anand Karaj in the morning. The colour was perfect keeping the weather in mind and the silhouette classic yet comfortable," they said in a joint statement to IANS.
New York, Feb 13 : A giant, flightless bird with a head the size of a horse, wandered about in the winter twilight of the high Arctic some 53 million years ago, scientists have revealed.

The confirmation came after researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and University of Colorado, Boulder, analysed the first and only fossil evidence from the Arctic of a massive bird known as Gastornis.

The evidence is a single fossil toe bone of the six-foot tall, several-hundred-pound bird from Ellesmere Island above the Arctic Circle.

The bone is nearly a dead ringer to fossil toe bones from the huge bird discovered in Wyoming and which date to roughly the same time.

"The Gastornis fossil from Ellesmere Island has been discussed by paleontologists since it was collected in the 1970s and appears on a few lists of the prehistoric fauna there," said professor Thomas Stidham from Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.

But this is the first time the bone has been closely examined and described. Gastornis fossils also have been found in Europe and Asia.

"We knew there were a few bird fossils from up there, but we also knew they were extremely rare," added associate professor of geological sciences Jaelyn Eberle from CU-Boulder.

A paper by Stidham and Eberle appeared in Scientific Reports, an open access journal from the publishers of Nature.

"About 53 three million years ago during the early Eocene Epoch, the environment of Ellesmere Island was probably similar to cypress swamps in the southeast US today," Eberle said.

Fossil evidence indicates the island, which is adjacent to Greenland, hosted turtles, alligators, primates, tapirs and even large hippo-like and rhino-like mammals. Today, Ellesmere Island is one of the coldest, driest environments on Earth.

Originally thought to be a fearsome carnivore, recent research indicates Gastornis probably was a vegan, using its huge beak to tear at foliage, nuts, seeds and hard fruit.

A second Ellesmere Island bird from the early Eocene also is described by Stidham and Eberle in the new paper.

Named Presbyornis, it was similar to birds in today's duck, goose and swan family but with long, flamingo-like legs. The evidence was a single humerus, or upper wing bone, collected by the same paleontology team that found the Gastornis bone.

"Like Gastornis, Presbyornis was mentioned in several lists of Ellesmere Island fauna over the years but the bone had never been described," Stidham noted.

The new study has implications for the rapidly warming Arctic climate, primarily a result of greenhouse gases being pumped into Earth's atmosphere by humans.

"What we know about past warm intervals in the Arctic can give us a much better idea about what to expect in terms of changing plant and animal populations there in the future," the authors noted.
New Delhi, Feb 13 : A group of retired servicemen have decided to return their degrees to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) over ongoing anti-national activities taking place inside the campus, a statement said on Saturday.

Ex-servicemen of the June 1978 batch of the National Defence Academy, who are proud recipients of the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees from JNU have written a letter to the university's vice chancellor and said they are unhappy at the ongoing anti-national activities like celebration of Afzal Guru inside the campus.

"We have told JNU vice chancellor that if such anti-national activity will continue then we are constrained to return our degrees," said retired Brigadier Rakesh Chhibber who also belonged to the 1978 batch.

"We the patriotic retired officers of the 54th NDA course, feel that the present activities in the JNU campus negate the sacrifices made by the past degree holders of your esteemed university," said the letter written by the ex-servicemen to the vice chancellor.

"We, the proud, patriotic ex-servicemen of the 54th NDA course find it difficult to be associated to a university which has become a hub of anti-national activity, and would therefore be constrained to return our prized and well earned degrees to your esteemed institution if such activities are allowed to be conducted inside the university campus," the letter said.

A meeting was organised on Tuesday on the JNU campus where a group of students mourned the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) co-founder Maqbool Bhat and shouted anti-India slogans.

Delhi police registered a sedition case on Thursday and arrested Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar. He was later remanded to three-days police custody on Friday.
Islamabad, Feb 13 : Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain has urged people of the country not to observe Valentine's Day, saying that it was not a part of Muslim tradition but of the West, the media reported on Saturday.

"Valentine's Day has no connection with our culture and it should be avoided," Hussain said on Friday while addressing an event.

He said the drawbacks of western culture had adversely affected one of our neighbouring countries.

On Thursday, local council bodies in Peshawar and Kohat also banned Valentine's Day celebrations on Sunday.
Mumbai, Feb 13 : Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and the crew of Omung Kumar directorial "Sarbjit" shot a few scenes inside the Golden Temple in Amritsar on the occasion of Basant Panchami.

"Sarbjit" is a biopic on Sarabjit Singh, an Indian farmer who was convicted of terrorism and spying in Pakistan and was sentenced to death. He was attacked by inmates at a prison in Lahore in April 2013 and died a few days later.

Aishwarya plays the pivotal role of Dalbir, Sarabjit's sister, in the film. She has been shooting at various locations in Amritsar. But shooting at the Golden Temple was a unique experience for the team.

Kumar said: "We are really thankful to the officials of the Golden Temple to have allowed us to shoot inside the beautiful shrine. The way they guided us smoothly through various locations to shoot inside on such a busy day was impeccable and I am truly grateful.

"We got the shots that we desired and wrapped up the shoot by 5:30 p.m."

Actor Randeep Hooda will be seen playing Sarabjit in the film, which will be narrated through the perspective of the victim's sister Dalbir Kaur. The film is slated to hit the screens on May 19.
Chennai, Feb 13 : Forgetting their past acrimony over the issue of Sri Lankan Tamils, the DMK and the Congress on Saturday said they would ally for the forthcoming assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.

Congress leader and former union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and DMK treasurer M.K. Stalin announced their decision to contest the assembly elections together.

However, no decision has been taken on important aspect of seat-sharing, the leaders said.

The decision to join hands and take on the ruling AIADMK and others came after an hour long meeting between Congress team led by Azad and DMK leader M. Karunanidhi at the latter's residence here.

"We are sure of forming the government under Karunanidhi's leadership along with other parties," Azad told reporters.

This time around the talks between the two parties were cordial as against the mood when Congress negotiated for 63 seats during the 2011 assembly elections. The DMK had subsequently parted ways with the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Congress and DMK fought separately and the former drew blank in all the 39 seats in Tamil Nadu.

The president of Congress's Tamil Nadu unit E.V.K.S. Elangovan and the party's in-charge for the state Mukul Wasnik accompanied Azad.

According to Azad, it does not matter whether the party will share power with DMK or lend support from outside (as was the case in the past), the goal is to form the government.

He said the number of seats that Congress would contest would be decided later.

Azad said DMK will decide on admitting other parties into the alliance.

DMK's Stalin told reporters that the alliance between Congress and DMK has been sealed while sharing of seats was not discussed.

The Congress party in the state has been weakened with the exit of G.K. Vasan and other leaders.
New York, Feb 13 : After the launch of Google Photos service, internet search giant Google is shutting down its photo editing software Picasa, the company announced on Saturday.

"Since the launch of Google Photos, we have had a lot of questions around what this means for the future of Picasa. After much thought and consideration, we have decided to retire Picasa over the coming months in order to focus entirely on a single photo service in Google Photos," Anil Sabharwal, head of Google Photos, wrote in a blog post.

"We believe we can create a much better experience by focusing on one service that provides more functionality and works across mobile and desktop, rather than divide our efforts across two different products," he added.

Picasa is a software that enables users to easily manage photos on personal computers, transform them with effects and upload and share them online.

The company has said that the photos and videos, which are in the user's Picasa Web Album could be accessed, modified and shared through Google Photos.

"For those of you who don't want to use Google Photos or who still want to be able to view specific content, such as tags, captions or comments, we will be creating a new place for you to access your Picasa Web Albums data," Sabharwal noted.

The company will start rolling out changes from May 1, 2016. However, the Picasa desktop application will no longer be in service from March 15, 2016.
Kabul, Feb 13 : The Afghan government on Saturday expressed deep concern for the safety of a former governor kidnapped in Pakistan.

Unidentified gunmen kidnapped Sayed Fazalullah Wahidi, former governor of Afghanistan's Herat province, on Friday in Islamabad, Xinhua reports.

"Given the fact that Wahidi was kidnapped in Pakistan, Afghanistan wants Pakistan to take immediate and serious action through its security agencies using all possibilities in identifying the kidnappers and securing his release," the Afghan Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal, Afghan ambassador in Islamabad, has expressed serious concern over the incident and was in touch with Pakistani authorities shortly after the kidnapping, according to sources.

Wahidi reportedly went to a restaurant along with his 12-year-old grandson when he was taken away by gunmen.

No one has claimed responsibility for the incident.
Kannur, February 13 : CPI(M) State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has invoked PDP leader Abdul Nasser Madani to portray CPI(M) Kannur district secretary as a victim of the political conspiracy hatched by the Congress and the BJP.

Speaking to reporters in Kannur on Saturday, Kodiyeri accused the Congress and the BJP of being hand in glove in attempting to turn Jayarajan into another Madani.

Saying that Madani had been put behind bars for 12 years before being acquitted, Kodiyeri charged the Congress and the BJP with trying to do the same to Jayarajan and added that the CBI had been at a loss to produce any evidence against Jayarajan.

Madani was incarcerated for 12 years in the Coimbatore bomb blasts case before being released on finding him innocent, Kodiyeri said.

Kodiyeri warned the Congress against using the CBI, Goonda Act, UAP Act etc. to try to cow down the CPI(M).

Widespread protests would be organised to protest against such draconian laws. Demonstrations would be held on Saturday evening at all panchayats in Kannur, he said.

Kodiyeri also asserted that the CPI(M) would fight Jayarajans case legally.

Responding to Kodiyeris remarks, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala told presspersons that CPI(M) cant put the responsibility of Jayarajans arrest on the shoulders of the State government or the police.

Let Jayarajans arrest be a lesson for the CPI(M), he said, adding that the CPI(M) should show the courage to take action against those accused in murder cases.

P Jayarajan had surrendered before the district and sessions court at Thalassery on Friday following the Kerala High Court turning down his anticipatory bail plea in the murder case of RSS functionary E Manoj.

The sessions judge had remanded him in custody till March 11.

Meanwhile, the PDP leadership welcomed Kodiyeri Balakrishnans remarks on Madani.

Saying that merely shouting out the truth would not suffice, the PDP asked whether the CPI(M) would work towards securing the release of Madani.

Madani is currently lodged in a Bangalore jail in connection with the Bangalore serial blasts case.
Mumbai, Feb 13 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged artists to use their vocation to spread strong social messages on issues like the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and other topics to bring them closer to the masses.

"Art has better appeal... It transcends boundaries of time, region and religions," Modi said after inaugurating the new building of the Bombay Art Society in Bandra on Saturday.

He said that in art, the letter A stands for ageless, R for race, region and religionless and T for timeless, offering immense potential for communicating to the masses everywhere.

However, he urged that it should not remain restricted only to the walls of the wealthy but should be developed as a social strength for educating and enlightening the masses.

"In my last 'Mann Ki Baat' programme, I had spoken how artists are giving their time and efforts to change the ambience of railway stations in the country. Even the railway dividers or poles can become subjects of art and offer local artists an avenue to showcase their talents, besides improving the beauty of the place," Modi said.

This was not some government-sponsored scheme, but the artists came on their own own to change the face of the railway stations, he said.

Modi urged schools to ensure at least one excursion to an art gallery every year to imbibe the artistic spirit among students at a young age and ignite in them a taste for art.

He called upon the art community and software experts to develop 'digital hybrid versions' of creative works of modern era for the future generations to help them comprehend the entire process by which the masterpieces are created.

"A small 3-4 minute digital version of the entire process which takes the artist 3-6 months to create, how did he hit upon the idea, how it materializes on the medium (paper, canvas, stone and so on), explaining the various components or colours along with musical effects for the viewer's understanding, without the need for an expert around," Modi urged.

Emphasising that art and divinity are together, he said Indian temples are the best examples when god and art are together in different forms.

For getting out the best creativity, Modi said art must not be depending on state support or funding, but it should be honoured by the state.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar were present at the event.
Munich, Feb 13 : NATO needs "constructive dialogue" with Russia to ensure long-term stability in Europe, NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said on Saturday.

The NATO chief addressed the Munich Security Conference on the second day. He accused Russia for destabilising European security order but reaffirmed that NATO does not seek confrontations nor a cold war, Xinhua reported.

"NATO will strive for a more constructive, more cooperative relationship with Russia," he said.

"We are in a new reality with Russia... We do need a constructive dialogue," Stoltenberg said.

Stoltenberg said dialogue was needed for a number of reasons, including promoting strategic stability, increasing transparency and reducing risks of incidents and accidents.

Stoltenberg said he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday and that both agreed to explore the possibilities of convening a meeting of the NATO-Russia council.

Talking about NATO's missile defence, Stoltenberg reiterated it is purely defensive.

"It is neither designed nor directed against Russia. It does not and cannot undermine Russian strategic deterrence," he said.
Lucknow, Feb 13 : A journalist was shot dead in broad daylight by motorcycle-borne assailants on Saturday in Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, prompting Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to order an enquiry.

Tarun Mishra, the bureau chief of a newspaper in Ambedkar Nagar, was driving to Sultanpur with his maternal uncle when two people on a motorcycle opened fire at his car.

The incident took place around noon at Inayatpur in Sultanpur district, 135 km from here.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has announced compensation of Rs.10 lakh to the family of the deceased journalist and directed Director General of Police (DGP) Jawed Ahmad to solve the case at the earliest and arrest the culprits.

A special team has since been constituted to probe the matter, an official said. It would be supervised by the district magistrate of Sultanpur, he said.

There has been a spate of attacks on journalists in the state over the past one year.

The state government had responded to the situation by directing all district police chiefs and district magistrates to take special care and by launching a 24x7 helpline telephone service.
Kabul, Feb 13 : Afghan security forces on Saturday started an operation against Islamic State (IS) militants' positions in the country's Nangarhar province, the defence ministry said.

"Personnel of Afghan National Army (ANA) launched a joint military operation on Saturday in close coordination with police and national intelligence agency staff in Achin district, Nangarhar province," Xinhua quoted a ministry statement as saying.

The security forces would help pro-government militiamen to deploy security checkpoints in the surrounding areas of the district and the operation will continue before the area is cleared from IS militants, it added.

"The army air force will also provide air support to the local anti-IS uprising groups," the statement said.

The Achin district, located in the southern part of provincial capital of Jalalabad, has been regarded as the IS militants' stronghold.

Several dozens of IS militants have been killed after Afghan army helicopters and drones of US forces carried out airstrikes in Achin bordering Pakistan over the past couple of months.
New Delhi, Feb 13 : The Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist (CPI-ML) on Saturday condemned the arest of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case.

"This crackdown is nothing but a pre-planned war by the Modi government against campus democracy and the student movement," CPI-ML general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said in a press statement.

"Just as Rohith Vemula was branded anti-national and subjected to a witchhunt, JNU student activists are today being subjected to the same political witchhunt," he added.

He said that campuses like JNU are being targeted for raising voices of dissent against the government and the Sangh Parivar.

Bhattacharya said that the JNUSU leaders and leaders of Left student organisations have categorically condemned certain divisive and provocative slogans that were raised on the campus, and had acted promptly to stop such sloganeering.

It is widely known that left student organisations have never supported divisive slogans or ideas, and have always worked for people's unity, he added.

A meeting was organised on Tuesday on the JNU campus where a group of students mourned the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) co-founder Maqbool Bhat and shouted anti-India slogans.

Delhi police registered a sedition case on Thursday and arrested Kanhaiya Kumar. He was later remanded to three-days police custody on Friday.
Damascus, Feb 13 : The Syrian army was preparing to advance toward the city of al-Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria, a monitor group said on Saturday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the army was a few kilometres from the provincial borders of al-Raqqa, following the rapid progress it has recently achieved on the desert high way near the town of Athraya, Xinhua reported.

Advancing toward al-Raqqa will grant the Syrian army a foothold in that city for the first time since the IS terror group captured the al-Tabaqa airbase in 2014, the last government stronghold in the city.

In Aleppo, where the Syrian army is making strides against the foreign-backed militants, the Syrian state TV said the military forces captured the town of Tamura on Saturday, overseeing thus the entire rebel-held town of Hayan and the town of Andan.

Separately, the Observatory, which relies on a network of activists on ground, placed the toll among Syrian soldiers who were ambushed last week near the capital Damascus to 76.

Last Sunday, the rebels Islam Army, backed by Saudi Arabia, ambushed a groups of Syrian soldiers in the town of Tal Sawan in the eastern countryside of Damascus, said the Observatory, adding 100 soldiers and officers were still missing.

The fresh development on ground comes as Saudi Arabia and Turkey mull intervening militarily in Syria under the pretext of fighting the IS.

Such an intervention will spark extra chaos in the already war-torn country, particularly after Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said any foreign troops entering Syria without the consent of its government "will be sent home in wooden coffins."
Helsinki, Feb 13 : Finnish President Sauli Niinisto will visit Russia in March for talks with Russian leaders on issues relating to the border crossings between the two countries.

Niinisto was invited by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Friday in Munich where both were attending the Munich Security Conference, Xinhua reported.

The Finnish president said border-crossing asylum seekers to Finland have created "a new phenomenon."

In the past six months, Russia has allowed people without a Finnish visa to cross over to Finland. Those people were either foreigners who have lived in Russia for a long time or refugees in transit via Russia.

Russia has said publicly that it could not restrict the right of the people to leave the country. It was referring to the European convention on human rights.

As both Finland and Russia are safe countries, "there should not be grounds for the asylum seekers to move from one country to the other," Niinisto said.

A Finnish media report said Russia would not adopt measures to tighten its border control and Finland had few bargaining chips on the issue. The solution depends on "the good will of Russia," it said.

In his response, Medvedev said the refugee situation marked "a total failure of the European refugee policy." He called for bilateral negotiations based on existing international commitments between the two countries.

In a 1960 Finnish-Soviet agreement on border management, both countries committed themselves to preventing "illegal crossings of the border."
Munich, Feb 13 : French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Saturday that a sustainable transition toward peace should be organised in Syria.

"The solution cannot only be a military one, we need to organise a sustainable transition toward peace," Valls said while addressing the Munich Security Conference (MSC) on the second day during a session of prime ministers' debate with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

He also said this process would be a long one, so a true ceasefire and humanitarian assistance to besieged populations need to be organised without delay.

Valls said the newly-reached agreement on Syria negotiated in Munich was an important step that should be welcomed. But it needs to be materialised.

"Only the facts matter," he reiterated.

In addition, Valls said more than 1,000 French citizens or people living in France are now part of jihadist groups that were related to IS and thousands people have been influenced by the ideology. Even a certain number of women were taking part in these networks.

At the end he calls for a collective answer amongst Europeans, which requires being more efficient and a lot faster when implementing decisions that have been made.
Mumbai, Feb 13 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asserted that India will not resort to restrospective taxation.

"We will not resort to retrospective taxation. We are working towards making taxing regime transparent, stable and predictable," Modi said in his address at the inaugural event of the 'Make in India' week.

The prime minister also listed a number of initiatives taken by his government to make it easier for doing business in India, along with enabling policy decisions and corrections.

Earlier in the day, Modi inaugurated the Make In India Centre at the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority Grounds with his Swedish and Finnish counterparts, Kjell Stefan Lofven and Juha Petri Sipila, respectively.

Themed on innovation, design and sustainability, the centre showcases some of the country's most trendsetting products and manufacturing processes before the world for the first time after the global launch of the Make In India initiative 17 months ago, commerce ministry officials said.
Hyderabad, Feb 13 : Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday announced Rs.5 lakh for the family of Sepoy Mushtaq Ahmed, who was among soldiers killed in avalanche in Siachen Glacier last week.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu also announced that the family of the slain soldier will also be allotted a house.

Hailing from Parnapalle village in Atmakur mandal of Kurnool district, Mushtaq was one of the soldiers killed when a deadly avalanche swept through their post.

Paying rich tributes to the brave soldier, the chief minister said by laying down his life while protecting his motherland, he has set an example for the youth.

Naidu described Mushtaq as a great fighter who guarded the borders till his last breath. He said the government would extend every possible assistance to the Speoy's family.

Mushtaq is survived by his wife and a son.
New Delhi, Feb 13 : Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI Secretary D. Raja on Saturday visited the Jawaharlal Nehru University here (JNU) to join the protests against the police crackdown on students accused of sedition.

About 2000 people, including students and teachers, gathered in front of the administration block of the JNU campus to condemn the arrest of the university's students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar and action against other students.

Demanding the release of Kumar, Yechury said he will raise the issue in parliament.

He said Delhi police must leave the campus.

"In solidarity with the united struggle in JNU and elsewhere! The Resistance Shall only Grow Stronger!," CPI-M said in a tweet.

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken and CPI-ML senior leader Kavita Krishnan also joined the protest against the police crackdown.

The JNU student union has declared a "strike" in the university from Monday.

Countering the protests, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) also staged a demonstration against students who allegedly had raised anti-India slogans in an event on February 9.

The ABVP members showed black flags to Rahul Gandhi and shouted slogans including "Rahul Gandhi go back".
New Delhi, Feb 13 : Congress leader Anand Sharma was attacked on Saturday by unknown assailants while participating at a protest meet held at Jawaharlal Nehru University against the police crackdown in the campus on Friday.

Eyewitnesses said Sharma was repeatedly struck on his ear by an assailant which led to profuse bleeding.

The JNU Students Union (JNUSU) soon issued a statement condemning the attack, and alleged that it was an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activist who assaulted the former union minister.

The senior Congress leader had gone to the JNU campus to meet the protesting students who have been agitating against the arrest of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case for allegedly raising "anti-India" slogans during an event on the campus. JNUSU denies allegations that any of its members raised any such slogans.

Prior to the incident, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi addressed the students criticising the police crackdown.

Apart from Gandhi, party's Delhi unit chief Ajay Maken, Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Sitaram Yechury, who is himself a former JNUSU leader, Communist Party of India national secretary D. Raja, Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist leader Kavita Krishnan and other senior leaders on Saturday visited JNU and joined the protest.

Around 2,000 people including students, teachers and others gathered in front of administration block of the campus protesting against the arrest of JNUSU president.

ABVP, the student wing of the RSS, also staged a counter-protest, shouting slogans including "Rahul Gandhi go back."

Meanwhile JNU student union declared strike in university from Monday.
New Delhi, Feb 13 : A group of scholars, artist, writers and others on Saturday initiated an online petition condemning the arrest of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case.

"We condemn the arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar on trumped up charges of sedition and demand that he shall be released immediately," they said in the petition, adding that "the only way to counter such incidents, when they occur, is through a deepening of dialogue, not through police action."

"The police has no business to enter places of learning and harass students (including students who were clearly trying to defuse the situation and to take a stand against the irresponsible elements who gave the objectionable slogans) when there had been no breach of peace," it said.

The petition also condemned the irresponsible sloganeering by some people at the fringes of a gathering on the JNU campus to mark the third anniversary of the execution of Afzal Guru.

The petition was signed by Centre for the Study of Developing Societies' fellows Ashis Nandy, Sibaji Bandyopadhyay and Ravi Sundaram, its director Rajeev Bhargava, Jamia Millia Islamia's AJ Kidwai Mass Communication Research Centre associate professor Sabina Kidwai and Sabena Gadihoke, professor Shohini Ghosh and artist Sarnath Banerjee.

The online petition "Say No to Police Action in JNU and all Universities" was created by artist Shuddhabrata Sengupta in change.org.

A meeting was organised on Tuesday on the JNU campus where a group of students mourned the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) co-founder Maqbool Bhat and shouted anti-India slogans.

Delhi Police registered a sedition case on Thursday and arrested Kanhaiya Kumar. He was later sent to three days police custody on Friday.
New Delhi, Feb 13 : President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday felicitated six winners of Infosys Science Foundation Prizes 2015 for their outstanding contribution in their fields.

The winners are Umesh Waghmare in engineering and computer science category, Jonardon Ganeri for humanities, Amit Sharma in life sciences, Mahan Maharaj in mathematical sciences, G. Ravindra Kumar in physical sciences and Srinath Raghavan in social sciences.

Mukherjee awarded each laureate with a purse of Rs.65 lakh, a 22-carat gold medallion and a citation certificate, the foundation said in a statement here.

The winners were chosen by six jury chairs - Pradeep Khosla for engineering and computer science, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen (humanities), Inder Verma (life sciences), Srinivasa S.R. Varadhan (mathematical sciences), Shrinivas Kulkarni (physical sciences) and Kaushik Basu (social sciences).

Waghmare, professor of theoretical sciences at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bengaluru was awarded for use of principles of theories and modelling in investigations of microscopic mechanism responsible for specific properties of materials.

Ganeri, global network professor of philosophy in New York University, was hnonoured for scholarship and originality in interpreting and scrutinising analytical Indian philosophy.

Sharma, head, structural and computational biology group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, was recognised for pioneering contributions towards deciphering the molecular structure at the atomic level of key proteins involved in the biology of pathogenesis of the malarial parasite.

Maharaj, professor of mathematics at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai, won the award for his contributions to geometric group theory, low-dimensional topology and complex geometry.

Kumar, senior professor of department of nuclear and atomic physics at TIFR, was recognised for pioneering experimental contributions to physics of high intensity laser matter interactions.

Raghavan, senior fellow at Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, won the award for research that synthesizes military history, international politics and strategic analysis into imaginative perspectives on India in the global context.

Eminent scientists and industry leaders and foundation trustees, including S.D. Shibulal, trustees board president N.R. Narayana Murthy, Mohandas Pai, Kris Gopalakrishnan, Srinath Batni, K. Dinesh and R. Seshasayee were present on the occasion.
Hyderabad, Feb 13 : China's Hunan province has expressed willingness to set up an industrial park in Telangana and requested the state government to set up land for establishing small and medium enterprises in various sector.

A high level delegation from Hunan province consisting of 12 officials led by Zhou Yue, deputy director, department of commerce, met Telangana officials in Telangana stall at "Make in India" event in Mumbai on Saturday.

According to a state government statement here, they expressed their willingness to set up Hunan Park and requested for allotment of 2,500-3,000 acres.

Arvind Kumar, secretary, industries and commerce suggested that this can be done in National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) coming up in Medak district.

The two delegations had elaborate discussions on investments from Hunan. The Telangana officials explained the industrial policy and enquired the sectors in which companies from Hunan might be interested in investing.
Mumbai, Feb 13 : The nearly 30-hour-long examination of Pakistani-American terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley -- for five out of six days this week -- before Special TADA Court Judge G.A. Sanap ended here on Saturday afternoon.

Cross-examination was started but could not be completed and will be conducted sometime later this month after consultation with the US authorities, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told media persons.

An acknowledged criminal lawyer specialising in terror cases, Nikam shot off over 750 questions and supplementaries to Headley, 56, who deposed via video-conferencing from a US jail in an undisclosed location since the morning of February 8.

Headley, who was given conditional pardon by the Mumbai Special TADA Court on December 10 last year after he agreed to turn approver in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case, is undergoing a 35-year-old jail term in the US.

On the final day Saturday, Headley listened to three video tapes recorded during the attacks on November 26-28, 2008 and identified different voices of handlers who were guiding and directing the 10 Pakistani terrorists from a control room in Karachi.

"This testimony is very important for us. He (Headley) has clearly named and identified the three people present in the control room that night who were directing and guiding the terrorists here," Nikam said later.

Lawyer Wahab Khan of another Indian co-accused Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal started Headley's cross-examination, but could pose only five questions due to paucity of time.

Besides, Khan argued that he was not handed over the statement which Headley referred to during his deposition and also needed to study the confession of the captured and hanged terrorist Ajmal Kasab.

Following a heated exchange between Khan and Nikam, counsel Mahesh Jethmalani intervened and told Special Judge Sanap that even if the timings were extended by two hours on Saturday, it would not be possible to complete the cross-examination.

Special Judge Sanap then enquired of US attorney Sarah whether cross-examination could be resumed on Monday, but she replied in the negative.

Later, Khan said he would communicate to the Special Court the time required for the cross-examination by February 22.

It was decided that the US Department of Justice would be informed and fresh dates for the cross-examination would be fixed accordingly.

In the cross-examination by Khan, Headley said his family had shifted to Pakistan after Partition in 1947.

"My father is from Pakistan and mother is from the US. He lived in Punjab on the Indian side and worked in Lahore, but after Partition, moved to Pakistan," Headley told the Special Court.
New Delhi, Feb 13 : Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi for addressing a students's meet organised to protest against the police crackdown on the JNU campus and the arrest of the students' union president in a sedition case, the BJP on Saturday accused the Congress vice president of supporting "anti-national" forces.

"A handful of people gather and raise slogans like 'Pakistan Zindabad' and 'Bharat ki barbadi tak, jang rahegi jang rahegi'. This is not any ideology. It is anti-national and Rahul Gandhi had gone to support them," BJP national secretary Srikant Sharma told IANS.

"This is an insult to our nation and our martyrs. He insulted our Constitution and the judicial system," he added.

Describing Gandhi's visit to the Jawaharlal Nehru University as unfortunate, the BJP leader asked him not to make educational institutions a hub of politics.

"This shows the bankruptcy of the Congress, that they went to support anti-national activities of a handful of people. The BJP condemns it," Sharma said.

"When anti-India slogans were raised, these people (Congress) were demanding action and when the government took action, they are staging protests. This is unfortunate," he added.
New Delhi, Feb 13 : The Congress, CPI-M, CPI and JD-U on Saturday came together to participate in a protest meet against the arrest of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi accused the Narendra Modi government of trying to crush students' voices in university campuses by ordering police crackdowns.

Speaking at the protest meet held in the JNU campus here, Gandhi said: "They (government) do not understand that by crushing you (students) they are making you stronger."

He was referring to Friday's police action at the JNU campus and the arrest of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case on Friday.

The students' union declared a strike in the university from Monday onwards.

At the end of the protest, senior Congress leader and former Union minister Anand Sharma was attacked by an assailant allegedly linked to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

The protest was held in a volatile atmosphere with the ABVP activists constantly shouting slogans against what they called "anti-India sloganeering" by students at a commemorative function held at the campus to mark the death of Afzal Guru who was hanged in the Parliament attack case.

Gandhi was received by the ABVP activists with black flags and cries of "go back".

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken, Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Communist Party of India national secretary D. Raja, senior Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist leader Kavita Krishnan and others also joined the protest attended by a 2,000-strong gathering of students and teachers.

Gandhi drew comparisons with the Hyderabad university controversy involving students linked to ABVP and Ambedkar Students' Association (ASA) and consequent suicide of a Dalit student activist, Rohit Vemula, following his suspension from the university.

"I was in Hyderabad a few days back. A youngster there expressed himself and the government says that he is an anti-national. What did he do? Later the minister turns around and says that he was not even a Dalit," said Gandhi referring to the NDA government's reaction to the suicide of Vemula of the ASA who was suspended after an ABVP activist accused him of physically assaulting him.

Earlier in the day, Yechury, who was himself a JNUSU leader, met union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and demanded the release of the JNUSU leader.

"We apprised home minister that whatever is happening is worse than that happened during the Emergency. It should be proved that the 20 people, who are being targeted, are at fault," he told reporters after the meeting.

"Home minister guaranteed us that action won't be carried out on any innocent person. We demanded him to release the arrested student leader... which he assured us to look into the matter," Yechuri added.

A delegation comprising Yechury, Raja and Janata Dal-United secretary general K.C. Tyagi also met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and requested him to launch an independent probe to establish the authenticity of the evidence provided in the JNU campus incident.

Kejriwal later ordered a magisterial inquiry.

Kanhaiya Kumar's parents who live in Bihar also asserted that their son was being victimised for his opposition to Hindutva politics and was not an anti-national.

"My son is not anti-national. There is no question of his following an ideology of anti-nationalism. He is a nationalist like hundreds of thousands of youths of his age," said Jaishankar Singh, Kumar's paralysed father.

Kumar's mother, Meena Devi, said her son is a nationalist, but not a supporter of RSS-BJP's Hindutva politics.

Bharatiya Janata Party national vice-president Dinesh Sharma however hit out at the CPI-M and Congress.

"Both Congress and CPI-M who are supporting such anti-national elements, should drop India from their party names because they are pursuing anti-national politics. They are as guilty as the protesters," he said.

Meanwhile, a group of retired servicemen of the June 1978 batch of the National Defence Academy, who are recipients of the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees from JNU have written a letter to the varsity vice chancellor and said they are unhappy at the ongoing anti-national activities like celebration of Afzal Guru inside the campus.

"We have told JNU vice chancellor that if such anti-national activity will continue then we are constrained to return our degrees," said Brig. Rakesh Chhibber (retd.) of the batch.
New Delhi, Feb 13 : As the AAP government in Delhi prepares to tell people about its achievements after completing one year in office on Sunday, the Congress and the BJP on Saturday termed the government's first year as "a year of complete failure and betrayal".

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken on Saturday termed the first year of the Arvind Kejriwal government as a "complete failure" and said the ruling party in Delhi was "finding excuses not to work", betraying those who elected it to office.

The Aam Aadmi Party government has scored "zero out of hundred" in its performance in the first year of its term, he told reporters.

"It is a complete failure. They could not fulfil their promises. The list is very long. The party will go to the people to tell them about the 'failures' of the government," he said.

The Delhi unit of the Congress also released a booklet titled "Kejriwal ek saal, Delhi behaal" (One year of Kejriwal: Delhi in a bad shape).

The booklet talks about the failures of the city government in terms of governance, principles that the AAP espoused, "politics of conflict", "stagnation" in development, price rise and the security of women.

The Congress will observe February 14, the day Kejriwal took oath as chief minister in 2015, as 'Chhalawa Diwas' (day of deception).

Criticising the AAP government, Satish Upadhyay, the Delhi unit chief of the Bharatiya Janata Party, said: "The last one year has proved to be a black year in the history of Delhi.

"Delhiites last year gave a historic mandate to the AAP seeking a change in polity but it turned out to be a year of betrayal."

Upadhyay said that by creating a new constitutional crisis every day, the Delhi government blocked development as well as administration work.

The AAP government will complete one year in office on Sunday. To mark the day, Kejriwal and his entire cabinet will answer questions from the people during a live phone-in programme at the NDMC Convention Centre in New Delhi.

The Delhi BJP plans to observe 'Protest Day' on the AAP government's first anniversary.

"Tomorrow (Sunday), we will hold a protest at Jantar Mantar against the completion of one year of the AAP government which has failed to fulfil its promises made during the assembly elections," Upadhyay said.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist, however, blamed the central government for not allowing the Kejriwal government to deliver.

"There are lots of problems in Delhi and Kejriwal is grappling with them. However, he is trying his best to deliver on his promises but the union government is not allowing him to do so freely," CPI-M Rajya Sabha member Tapan Sen told IANS.
Lucknow, Feb 13 : Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday slammed the Samajwadi Party government for failing to protect journalists, following the murder of a Hindi journalist in Sultanpur.

Leaders cutting across party lines condemned the incident and urged Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to ensure that the fourth pillar of democracy was protected from criminals.

The incident "was not only sad but a blot on democracy", Sultanpur Lok Sabha member Varun Gandhi told IANS.

Bahujan Samaj Party leader Swamy Prasad Maurya, expressing his condolences over the killing of journalist Karun Mishra, said their allegations of "jungleraaj" in the state were sadly being proved true.

"We have always been saying that no one is safe in the Samajwadi Party regime, and now for the past one year, even journalists are being brazenly attacked and killed," he said.

Congress leaders also condemned the incident and called for immediate arrest of the culprits.
Mumbai, Feb 13 : The lead cast of upcoming romantic entertainer "1982-A Love Marriage", visited a college in Navi Mumbai on the eve of Valentine's Day to promote their film.

Lead pair Amitkumar Sharma and Omna Harjani, along with co-actor Gaurav Kothari visited the Rajiv Gandhi College in Vashi to gauge the response of their film. They showcased the trailer of the film on the big screen which was greeted with a thunderous response.

"When the trailer played I saw some of the girls and boys looking at each other and smiling, indicating how much the incidents in our film are drawn from real-life incidents. Though our film is a family-oriented film and not specifically youth-oriented, it was heartening to see that the youngsters who're interested in sex comedies and all, showed such a good response to our film. I am certain that they will not be disappointed," said lead actor Amitkumar.

The college was already in the mood for Valentine's Day one day before since it falls on a Sunday this time, and the theme of the film was perfectly in sync for the celebrations.

The film is a family-based romantic comedy revolving around the themes of love marriage and arranged marriage. It is set in rural India where boy and the girl obediently follow the instructions of the parents and what happens when such a marriage actually takes place.

Director Prashant M. Gorey said: "Our film is based on love, so what better day to visit colleges than on the day of love - Valentine's Day. And the college-going youngsters are generally very enthusiastic about this day and the atmosphere on such days is on another level.

"These same youngsters will experience the same dilemma between love marriage and arranged marriage few years down the line, and looking at their amazing reactions, I feel they definitely connected to the emotions depicted in our trailer,"

"1982-A Love Marriage", produced by ShivKumar Sharma, is releasing on February 26.
Hyderabad, Feb 13 : Police on Saturday arrested leaders of students' groups AISF and ABVP in Osmania University here for staging protests over the arrest of Jawaharlal Nehru Students Union president in a sedition case.

Condemning JNSU president Kanhaiya Kumar's arrest, All Indian Students Federation (AISF) staged a protest at Arts College on the campus. They raised slogans demanding release of Kumar and burnt effigy of the central government.

Leaders of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) gathered at Arts College and raised an objection to the protest. The two groups nearly came to blows.

Osmania University police swung into action to control the situation. It arrested nine leaders of ABVP and four of ASIF as a precautionary measure.

A police officer said the situation on the campus was peaceful.
Mogadishu, Feb 14 : The militant group Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the bomb attack on the Daallo Airlines last week, terming it as a campaign to hit Western targets and Turkish NATO forces present in Somalia.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the group said it carried out the operation "as a retribution for the crimes committed by the coalition of Western crusaders and their intelligence agencies against Muslims of Somalia," Xinhua reported.

The statement came as investigations are underway by the Somali intelligence and US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as the Somali government declared it an act of terror.

The Daallo Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing barely 35 minutes after taking off last week from Mogadishu's Aden Adde Airport.

Over 40 people have been arrested as investigations go on with reports of aviation staff having been involved in the attack.

The group has particularly singled out Turkish interests in Somalia noting that its involvement in the Horn of Africa nation and its alliance in NATO is destroying the religion of Islam in Somalia.

"Turkey, a member of NATO and one of the principal partners of the West in its war against Islam is actively engaged in a destructive form of economic warfare against the Muslims of Somalia," read the statement in part.

Initial reports from the Daallo attack investigations indicate the suspect whose body was sucked out of the plane following the explosion was to board a Turkish airline which has cancelled the flight.
New Delhi, Feb 14 : The Congress party issued a statement condemning the attack on deputy leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma at a protest meet in JNU on Saturday evening. The party claimed that he was attacked by "ABVP goons".

"Today is a black day for India's democracy when Deputy Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma was publicly attacked with sharp-edged weapon by government protected ABVP goons on the JNU campus. We condemn this cowardly attack in strongest words," said the statement issued by party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.

Anand was allegedly attacked as he was leaving the protest meet held at Jawaharlal Nehru University against the arrest of the varsity's students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case and the police crackdown on the campus on Friday.

The former Union minister was reportedly jostled by ABVP activists who surrounded him. They were protesting Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's participation in the meet.

"This rank goondaism by ABVP goons reflects the mental frame of mind of BJP and Modi government, who want to stifle the voice of students, shut down JNU and curb civil rights with brute force of hooligans protected by Delhi Police," the statement issued by the Congress post midnight said.

Congress and Left leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Ajay Maken, CPI's D Raja, CPM's Sitaram Yechury and CPI-ML leader Kavita Krishnan were among those who had visited the JNU campus to express solidarity with the campaign titled 'Stand With JNU/Save JNU and Nation' organised by all the students organisations, teachers union and present and forOpposition in Rajya Sa bearers of JNU. Yogendra Yadav of Swaraj Abhiyan also joined the protest later.

The statement added that Congress "condemned the raising of anti-India slogans by a handful of persons on JNU campus on 9th February and had demanded strict action against them".

The BJP government has unleashed its anti-JNU tirade in the garb of this episode, the Congress said. "None less than Prime Minister Narendra Modi (when he was chief minister of Gujarat) had branded JNU as a laboratory of secularists which needs to be shut down. Different BJP leaders have been tarnishing entire JNU as anti-national."

The statement also accused the BJP government of sending police into JNU hostels to conduct room-to-room search in which male police personnel entered even the rooms of women students. Delhi Police chief BS Bassi, however, denied this earlier.

"All this was done with a view to intimidate and stifle the voice of liberal and democratic thought process," the statement added.
Rendering - Springhill Suites, Newark, DE This unique location is an ideal fit for SpringHill Suites to capture the best of downtown Newark, the University of Delaware, and the rapid expansion of high-tech enterprises locating in this area, stated George Danneman, President.

Harvey, Hanna & Associates, Inc. and Danneman Hospitality of Newark, DE are pleased to announce the construction of a new SpringHill Suites by Marriott at 400 Ogletown Road in Newark, located at the intersection of Kirkwood Highway (Route 2), Library Avenue (Route 72), and Ogletown Road (Route 273). Groundbreaking for construction of this new 125-room and -suite contemporary hotel is anticipated by Summer 2016, with a target opening in May 2017.

The award-winning SpringHill Suites by Marriott is designed for style, space, and attractive pricing for the stylish business traveler. The SpringHill Suites guest is a frequent business traveler focused on both success and convenient indulgences. These indulgences include a complimentary breakfast, indoor pool, fitness center, complimentary WiFi, business library, market and vending area, and lobby lounge for hotel guests and visitors.

The new SpringHill Suites by Marriott will be the first of this brand in the Delaware market. The hotel will be owned by Danneman Hospitality and managed and operated by TKo Hospitality (a Harvey, Hanna & Associates, Inc. affiliate).

After taking Dannemann Fabrics public and selling it around 1980, the family invested in commercial real estate in Delaware and the region and has been managing it since then. In particular, this site was home to the original Dannemann Fabrics. When presented with the opportunity to redevelop this location, it quickly became clear it is the ideal location for a hotel and restaurant combination.

I have known and respected the Danneman Family my entire life and look forward to their latest significant contribution to the City of Newark and State of Delaware, stated Governor Jack Markell. In particular, we celebrate this project, with 30 new jobs projected, reflecting growth at the University of Delaware and Newarks popularity as a special destination, Markell added.

SpringHill Suites by Marriott is a highly-regarded addition to our community at an important Main Street gateway, and we look forward to learning more about this project, stated Newark Mayor Polly Sierer.

This unique location is an ideal fit for SpringHill Suites to capture the best of downtown Newark, the University of Delaware, and the rapid expansion of high-tech enterprises locating in this area, stated George Danneman, President. My family is excited to enhance the Gateway to Main Street with this award-winning hotel by Marriott.

TKo Hospitality Management selected to operate the SpringHill Suites, is a Newport-based hospitality management company formed in 2015 by venture partners E. Thomas Harvey, III, chairman and founder; Kostas Kalogeropoulos, chief executive officer; and Vince DiFonzo, chief operating officer. TKo specializes in hospitality management, developing true client partnerships while delivering exceptional results of profitability, market share, guest satisfaction, and increased asset value.

We are excited to be part of this new project in the growing Newark market, and to showcase the SpringHill Suites brand to guests visiting the University of Delaware, local attractions and area corporations, stated Vince DiFonzo, TKo Management.

TKo, an affiliate of Harvey, Hanna & Associates Inc., currently operates The Lighthouse Cove Resort in Dewey Beach, DE, encompassing a 130 room Hyatt Place Hotel, Baycenter, Lighthouse Restaurant, and Que Pasa Mexican Restaurant; The Surf Club Hotel in Dewey Beach; and serves as Asset Manager for The Holiday Inn Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD. Additional TKo prospective projects include five new hotels in the region, including the Lehigh Valley and eastern shore of Maryland.

Additional information on the SpringHill Suites by Marriott project, including a contiguous restaurant to be part of this new project, will be announced in the coming weeks. DSM Commercial Real Estate Services of Newark has been retained by Danneman Hospitality to manage leasing efforts of the planned restaurant pad site.

For further information: Ryan Kennedy, 302-323-9300 Ext. 17, rkennedy@harveyhanna.com
The Chicago Coder Conference is now in its third year and will be taking place June 6-8, 2016 at the Gleacher Center located at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. The Chicago Coder Conference is a 3-day conference with Tracks on .NET, Java, Cloud, Big Data, Security, UX/Front End Dev, IoT, DevOps, Architecture/Integration, Mobile, Agile/Test Automation. CCC helps support and promote the Chicagoland areas technology community, recognizing that Chicago has become a major nexus for technology. CCC speakers are the same people you would see speaking at JavaOne, NFJS, GoogleIO, SpringOne, Amazon Invent, Microsoft Ignite, OWAS Infosec and other national events. With over 50 sessions to choose from, participating in the Chicago Coder Conference is a great opportunity for developers and architects to learn new skills through hands on interaction.

The Chicago Coder Conference is an event that delivers higher value to participants than the normal tech conference because it is run on a break even basis. The Chicago Coder Conference is also focused on the real needs of developers and managers. CCC Track selections are delivered by a range of knowledgeable and experienced User Group volunteers, and CCC speakers provide advice based on their unbiased experience. The Chicago Coder Conference provides an opportunity for attendees to interact with peers and exchange ideas about approaches, techniques, and things to avoid for better productivity solutions and solving problems. CCCs mission is unique in that we are giving any residual profits to leading Chicago-centric non-profit organizations  Tom Cumbo, Chief Financial Officer, CCC.

Organizations have been given a very challenging task. Promoting their companys brand, product or service, and competing in the most competitive market in history for top technology talent. CCC helps to cross-pollinate advanced ideas and concepts across related and unrelated technical frameworks by bridging the gap between technology and business.

About Chicago Coder Conference

The 2016 Chicago Coder Conference promises something for every developer featuring advanced topics along with more accessible content from renowned local and national industry experts. Attendees of the conference will have many opportunities to interact with peers, industry experts and great Chicago area company representatives. The Chicago Coder Conference is in its third year. The 2014 conference started as a one day event with two tracks and grew in 2015 to a one and a half day event with 5 tracks. As in past years, members of Illinois and Chicago area user groups will team up to deliver excellent presentations of high value.
We are particularly excited to see the application of Decision Quality, utilized by this world class organization, to improve the health and well-being of humankind. said Larry Neal, Vice-President of the Society of Decision Professionals.

The Society of Decision Professionals (SDP) today announced that Lilly Research Laboratories (the research and development arm of Eli Lilly and Company) has been awarded the Raiffa-Howard Award for Organizational Decision Quality.

Lilly Research Laboratories was selected for its unique and long term commitment to making Decision Quality an organization-wide competency that directly contributes to the companys successful track record in effectively managing its drug research and discovery efforts, guiding its drug development programs, and delivering medicines to make life better for people around the world.

Decision analysis is the discipline incorporating decision theory, methodology, and professional practice

guiding decision-making under uncertainty. While elements of decision analysis have existed for

hundreds of years, it was the work of Professor Howard Raiffa of Harvard University and Professor

Ronald Howard of Stanford University beginning in 1964 that brought it into mainstream use by giving us a logical and systematic set of principles to enhance our clarity of thought and enable us to act with confidence in the face of uncertainty. Corporations and government entities now have the tools to make important and complex decisions, said Jack Kloeber, President of the Society of Decision Professionals, an association of professional practitioners.

We are delighted to honor Lilly Research Laboratories with the Raiffa-Howard Award for their long time and successful application of Decision Quality. We are particularly excited to see the application of Decision Quality, utilized by this world class organization, to improve the health and well-being of humankind. said Larry Neal, Vice-President of the Society of Decision Professionals.

The award will be presented at a special celebratory event on April 7, 2016. The award ceremony will be held during the Decision Analysis Affinity Group (DAAG) annual conference at the Banff Park Lodge in Banff, Calgary, Canada.

About

The Discipline of Decision Analysis: Decision analysis emerged as a distinct academic field in 1964, building on developments in statistical decision theory and game theory by Raiffa and dynamic probabilistic systems by Howard. In that year, Raiffa began teaching the first university course in decision analysis within the Economics Department at Harvard and began preparing material for his 1968 book, Decision Analysis. Also in 1964, but independently, Howard conducted the first professional application of the field he called decision analysis, which he described in his 1966 paper, Decision Analysis: Applied Decision Theory. Since then, major corporations have adopted decision analysis to improve multibillion dollar capital decisions.

The Society of Decision Professionals (SDP) supports decision professionals to become the trusted advisors of choice for decision makers facing important and complex decisions. The Society fosters collaboration, continual learning, and networking amongst its members and other professional societies and organizations so that as a growing community we can bring clarity and insight to decision-makers.

For more information, visit http://www.decisionprofessionals.com
Angel Taveras, a shareholder in Greenberg Traurig LLPs Boston office and former Providence, Rhode Island mayor, was elected to the national board of LatinoJustice PRLDEF. Long known by its former name, the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, LatinoJustice PRLDEF is a New York-based national civil rights organization with the goal of changing discriminatory practices via advocacy and litigation. Privately funded, nonprofit and nonpartisan, the organization was inspired by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and is involved in litigation that protects the rights of Latinos across the country.

Taveras served as the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island from 2011 to 2015, and is credited with rescuing the city from the brink of bankruptcy and eliminating a $110 million structural deficit. Under his leadership, Providence received the All-America City Award from the National Civic League for its plan to boost third-grade reading proficiency, and was the recipient of a $3 million award from Carnegie Foundation to create innovative high schools. In 2013, Taveras won Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge $5 million grand prize for his innovative proposal to improve the vocabularies of pre-school age children. Most recently, Taveras was elected to the Board of the Alliance for Early Success (the Alliance), a nonprofit organization that works to advance state policies for young children.

At Greenberg Traurig, Taveras focuses his practice on municipal restructuring, public finance, commercial litigation, pension litigation, and public infrastructure. He has over 14 years of experience in litigation and has dealt with complex commercial matters, bankruptcy litigation, zoning and land use, shareholder disputes, and election recounts and challenges.

About Greenberg Traurigs Boston Office

Established in 1999, Greenberg Traurigs Boston office is home to more than 65 attorneys practicing in the areas of corporate, emerging technology, energy, governmental affairs, healthcare, intellectual property, labor and employment, life sciences and medical technology, litigation, public finance, real estate, and securities. An important contributor to the firm's international platform, the Boston office includes a team of nationally recognized attorneys with both public and private sector experience. The team offers clients the value of decades of legal experience and hands-on knowledge of the local business community, supported by the firm's vast network of global resources.

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Greenberg Traurig, LLP is an international, multi-practice law firm with approximately 1,900 attorneys serving clients from 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The firm is No. 1 on the 2015 Law360 Most Charitable Firms list, third largest in the U.S. on the 2015 Law360 400, Top 20 on the 2015 Am Law Global 100, and among the 2015 BTI Brand Elite. More information at: http://www.gtlaw.com.
The film, which makes a significant contribution to an understanding of an important aspect of Utahs history, and the history of the nation as a whole, is part of that effort.

Salt Lake Community College will host a public screening of the film Remembering Alberta Henry and the Struggle for Civil Rights in Utah on Feb. 18, 11:30 a.m. at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus, 4600 S. Redwood Road.

The movie will be shown in the Technology Building, Room 203, followed by a panel discussion with the films producer/director Deidre Tyler, Pastor France Davis, Kathleen Christy, Dr. Boyer Jarvis, Harvey Boyd, Marsha Boyd, Darnel Haney, Louis Dan Williams and Johnnie Mae Martin.

SLCC is dedicated to championing diversity and cultural enrichment both within the college and the larger community. It is one of our core principles. We intend that everything we do, including community engagement, exemplify and support that effort, said John McCormick, SLCC dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. The film, which makes a significant contribution to an understanding of an important aspect of Utahs history, and the history of the nation as a whole, is part of that effort.

Alberta Henry (1920-2005) was born in Louisiana to a family of sharecroppers and was raised in Kansas. She moved to Utah in 1949 and believed it was part of Gods plan for her to live in an overwhelmingly white state, according to a story that appeared in Continuum Magazine. In 1967 she started the Alberta Henry Education Foundation to help African-American students attend college. For 12 years she was president of the Salt Lake branch of the NAACP. Henry also served as chair of the Utah Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the Governors Black Policy Advisory Council. In 1971 she was the first African-American to be awarded an honorary degree from the University of Utah.

Salt Lake Community College is an accredited, student-focused, comprehensive community college meeting the diverse needs of the Salt Lake community. Home to more than 60,000 students each year, the College is Utahs leading provider of workforce development programs. SLCC is also the largest supplier of transfer students to Utahs four-year institutions and a perennial Top 10 college nationally for total associate degrees awarded. The College is the sole provider of applied technology courses in the Salt Lake area, with multiple locations, an eCampus, and nearly 1,000 continuing education sites located throughout the Salt Lake Valley. Personal attention from an excellent faculty is paramount at the College, which maintains an average class size of 20.
I used to carry Isherwood around with me. Id skip class for the day and go from the bar on North Wells Street to the bar on Woodlawn, lost in the daydream of being the rootless stranger in Berlin who seduced tough German boys. So says Jed, a 20-something black, gay recovering alcoholic from Chicago who is the main character in Darryl Pinckneys long-awaited second novel, Black Deutschland (FSG, Feb.). Inspired by the Weimar era, which was so eloquently captured in Christopher Isherwoods Berlin Stories, Jed moves to West Berlin in the 1980s to live as an expatriate and to find and reinvent himself.

Black Deutschland arrives 23 years after the publication of High Cotton (1992), Pinckneys semiautobiographical novel dealing with the black upper middle class, identity, conservatism, and radicalism in the 60s, a story that began in his hometown of Indianapolis and extended to Paris. That novel established Pinckney as a new literary force and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for fiction.

High Cotton is more conscious of class than Black Deutschland, Pinckney says. We are sitting on the second floor of the spacious, elegantly restored 1890 Harlem town house he shares with his partner, James Fenton, the British poet, essayist, and critic. In Black Deutschland, Jeds family owns a black newspaper that caters to the old-fashioned black market, Pinckney says. So class doesnt come up in that way, because the familys not that different than their employees, even though they live in different places.

Between these two novels, Pinckneya longtime staff writer at the New York Review of Bookspublished three nonfiction works. Sold and Gone: African-American Literature and U.S. Society (2001) is a critique of black American writing. Out There: Mavericks of Black Literature (2002), compiled from Pinckneys Harvard Alain Locke Lectures, profiles three black authors: J.A. Rogers, a self-taught historian and author of Sex and Race, who was obsessed with the hidden black ancestry of whites; Caryl Phillips, the West Indian novelist whose books Final Passage, The Atlantic Sound, and The Nature of Blood explore the black immigrant experience; and Vincent O. Carter, the Kansas Cityborn expatriate who penned The Bern Book, about his life in Switzerland. And Pinckneys Blackballed: The Black Vote and Democracy (2014) surveys black political history from Reconstruction to Obama.

I wrote Black Deutschland very quickly one summer, probably because I had a lot of it in pieces and fragments, sitting around over the years as false starts or notes, Pinckney says. And I think alsoI dont know how else to say itbut my parents arent around to read me anymore. Im sorry about that. But it also means that I can write about things that I probably wouldnt have [written about], this book being one of them.

Black Deutschland offers a compelling and complex array of characters. In the book, the real and invented are given equal weight, Pinckney explains. The architect Jed works for [Rosen-Montag] is pure fiction. But Jed also comes across Susan Sontag in a bookstore, and he goes to a Peter Serkin concert: two actual people in a fictional world. The book also includes expats, intellectuals, artists, queers, neo-Nazi gangs, and other various misfits living near the Berlin Wall in the heady, hedonistic 1980s. Berlin meant white boys who wanted to atone for Germanys crimes by loving a black boy like me, Jed asserts.

But the novel also offers an intriguing substory involving Jeds tenuous relationship with his black-newspaper-owning family in Chicago, and with his second cousin Cello, a status-seeking classical pianist whose career Jed sarcastically describes as an Ibsen play in blackface. Cello also lives in Germany and is the wife of Dram, a rich German businessman, and she initially helps Jed fit into German life. She is the member of the family hes curious about, is competitive with, and aspires to be, Pinckney says. Shes integrated into Berlin society just by being married with kids. But we never see her with much of a German life herself.

One of the things that readers will not find in Black Deutschland is a popular but wrong-headed notion of blackness compromised by a willful immersion into, and embrace of, European culture. No black character in the book is worried about being Eurocentric, Pinckney asserts. Certainly that would have been a debate at the time [of the novel]. Cello is interested in the music shes interested in and nothing else. Shes not conflicted about what shes doing. If she wants to play Brahms, shell play Brahms and still be a black girl.

The novel is about black people and class mobility, but Pinckney acknowledges that police brutality is a horrific fact of life that all black people have to deal with regardless of class. (You can be killed by the police; they dont care if youre a Phi Beta Kappa, Pinckney warns during our conversation.) I know a number of young people who became middle class through their education, or come from middle-class homes, he says. I know black kids who dont even know any other black kids, except their cousins. And thats enough. You wouldnt look at these kids and say that they are Uncle Toms, or self-hating, or fleeing, or trying to be white, given the culture in which they live, which is very natural to them as kids. Identity is made up of lots of different things now. Different colors and patterns stand out at different times. Different instruments in the symphony of being are more distinct than others at different times.

Pinckneys own background is one such example of the many racial and cultural inventions and dimensions of African-American life. He was born in 1953 to a well-respected Indianapolis family. Pinckney attended public schools in his hometown and graduated from Columbia University, where he was heavily influenced by his writing teacher, Elizabeth Hardwick, the critic, essayist, and fiction writer, who cofounded the New York Review of Books.

I did live in Berlin, Pinckney recalls fondly. People in New York in the 70s were discovering Weimar and were discovering the culture, politics, and romance of that time. It was a period of great vitality in the arts, and of political disintegration. And I, like a lot of people in the late 70s and early 80s, identified with that [period].

For Pinckney, the legacy of the great novelist and essayist James Baldwin looms largeespecially Baldwins novel Giovannis Room and Stranger in the Village, an essay on race and history based on Baldwins time visiting a Swiss village, both of which dealt with black expatriatism and gay love. But while Pinckney acknowledges his debt to Baldwin and explores those same themes in his work, he also points out what a difference an era makes.

I cant say that Baldwins fiction relates to Black Deutschlandnot even Giovannis Room, Pinckney says. That steamy novel includes murder. Thats very remote from my book. Jed, the narrator, is thinking of Isherwoods Berlin Stories all the time. And his being there is kind of a fantasy that comes from his reading those books. And [in Black Deutschland] the works of Eldridge Cleaver and Frantz Fanon pose philosophical questions about what he, as a black gay man, is doing chasing white guys in Germany, of all places. Cleaver and Fanon are the people he doesnt want to think about. James Weldon Johnsons The Autobiography of an Ex-colored Man was a work of fiction that was very much on my mind in writing this book. Its a novel about a guy who succeeds in passing for white. The autobiographical voice was a way of getting people inside the experience. Johnsons book was more of a model than Baldwins Go Tell It on the Mountain, Another Country, or Giovannis Room.

Pinckney has other literary arrows in his quiver. Hes developed plays in collaboration with director Robert Wilson, including The Forest, Orlando, Time Rocker, and The Old Woman, an adaptation of the Russian writer/dramatist Daniil Kharmss short story. In 1977, at 23, Pinckney started writing for the New York Review of Books, which he still contributes to. I got a literary education just reading the back issues and meeting people, Pinckney says. It is an extraordinary place to be associated with. But writing criticism is an inhibition. You can get so unconfident about your work, or a bit too demanding. You have to be careful not to shut down the creative side of your brain. Writing a novel is very different from writing about a novel. And being a novelist can make you have sympathies for peoples flaws and intentions.

Pinckney, a former Hodder Fellow at Princeton, and the recipient of grants from the Whiting and Guggenheim foundations, has taught at Columbia, the New School, and Harvard.

With its myriad historical, racial, cultural, and sexual themes, how would Pinckney teach Black Deutschland? I would teach it as a book about Berlin, he says, wistfully recalling his own visits to the city when he was a much younger man. In the end, it is really a work of nostalgia: a way of remembering a free and youthful time and place.

Eugene Holley Jr. is a freelance writer who contributes often to Publishers Weekly.
Bestseller Stat Shot

This years batch of Oscar-nominated films leans more heavily than usual on books as source material (see Books Starring in Oscar Films on p. 10). Weve often checked in on the impact a film release has on a books sales, and an Oscar win in a big category definitely provides a sales bump (though an Oscar for sound editing, not so much). Heres a look at last years Oscar-related books, and how much print sales changed the week after the awards.

Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen (which The Theory of Everything was based on)

Best Actor

107%

Alan Turing: The Enigma

Best Screenplay for The Imitation Game

17%

Still Alice

Best Actress

19%

American Sniper

Sound Editing

7%

From the Newsletters

Tip Sheet

Writers to Watch: nine writers with spring fiction debuts you dont want to miss.

Childrens Bookshelf

The story behind the forthcoming Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I & II (Scholastic/Levine), a published version of the play set to debut in London this summer.

Religion Bookline

Introducing PWs new Religion Bestseller lists. Were publishing monthly lists for religion fiction and nonfiction, and the inaugural lists are heavy with titles related to the movie War Room.

PW Daily

Get every days publishing news delivered to your inbox. Among last weeks highlights: Mary Ann Napless move to Disney, St. Marks Bookshops dramatic near closing, the announcement of Bruce Springsteens forthcoming autobiography, and more.

BookLife Report

Were giving away copies of all 12 self-published books that earned a PW starred review in 2015.

The most-read review on publishersweekly.com last week was The Revenant (Carroll & Graf).

Blogs

Need a break? Visit our Tumblr for a quick hit of fun book-world ephemera.

ShelfTalker

Tips from authors and illustrators on how to write and revise picture books.

Podcasts

Week Ahead

PW senior writer Andrew Albanese discusses the effect higher e-book prices may be having in both retail sales and the library sector.

KidsCast

Matthew Quick discusses his latest book for teens, Every Exquisite Thing (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers), and the power behind the idea that just because youre good at something doesnt mean you have to do it.

PW Radio

Author and editor Lee Eisenberg discusses his new book, The Point Is (Hachette/Twelve), and the search for a meaningful life. PW features editor Carolyn Juris goes in depth on our spring travel feature (see p. 22), which celebrates 100 years of Americas National Parks Service.

PW Star Watch 2016 Is Open for Nominations

Were looking for the next generation of publishing-industry leaders. Do you work with someone who is going to make a big impact on the business? Nominate them for PW Star Watch, or you can nominate yourself. A panel of judges including members of PW, the Frankfurt Book Fair, and noted industry leaders will pick 50 up-and-coming stars and select five top honorees and a Superstar who will get an all-expense-paid trip to the 2016 Frankfurt Book Fair. Find out more.
As more book sales migrate online, publishers and their trading partners are increasingly focused on discoverymaking sure that readers are aware of and able to access books that meet their interests and needs.

Publishers are particularly challenged to devise a better way to improve consumer discovery because Onix, the metadata standard they currently use, was developed to inform trading partners (such as retailers and distributors) about their titles. That same metadata has been adapted to help consumers find books online, but it is not structured in a way that works well on the Web.

Thats a problem the Book Industry Study Group is trying to solve. A BISG metadata working group is developing recommendations for building Web pages with rich linked metadata that will improve book discoverability. The group is using a vocabulary created and maintained by Schema.org, a nonprofit whose work is sponsored by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Yandex, a Russian Internet company that operates the largest search engine in that country. Schema.org is charged with creating, maintaining, and promoting frameworks for structured data on the Internet, on Web pages, and even in email messages.

BISG says its working group is focused on identifying relationships between key Onix elements and Schema.org to enhance the discoverability of books in Web browsers. The group is also working to create an Onix-to-Schema.org mapping to facilitate re-purposing existing metadata.

The BISG working group is chaired by Graham Bell, who is also executive director of Editeur, the organization that oversees the Onix standard. Within BISG, Bell has been working with a small group of publishing volunteers to answer two questions: What metadata is most useful for discovery, and whats the best way to map metadata to the components of Schema.org? The result of their efforts will be a BISG white paper that explains how book publishers can use Schema.org to improve the way that books are discovered online.

Bell sees the BISG work as very relevant to solving the problems publishers face [with discovery]. He says, It provides a pragmatic way to get search engines, and ultimately readers, to notice Web pages and the books those Web pages describe.

The Onix standard does describe books in structured ways, but the structure was developed and has been refined outside of the work done to improve search and discovery on the Web. This is natural: the bulk distribution of Onix data, typically in feeds, serves wholesalers and retailers, not individual consumers.

Theres no need to replace Onix, which serves a critical role in the book industry supply chain. The BISG working group is mapping Onix data to the standards already published by Schema.org, so that publishers can take advantage of the same discovery tools that guide Web content structures in other industries. Along the way, the working group has found some book-specific gaps, such as accounting for international rights. Within the Schema.org standard, there is currently no clear path to describe international rights, as such rights are more or less unique to publishing.

Elements can be added to Schema.org, but sometimes this requires negotiating with the organization. Schema.org is effectively a proprietary standard, and the BISG committee continues to explore what it will need to do to ensure that Schema.org supports the specific interests of book publishing.

In practice, this means that publishers will likely see a progressive implementation of Schema.org standards. Once the working group releases its findings, publishers will be able to present many elements of the Onix standard as rich linked metadata. As the Schema.org standard evolves, so too will the functionality offered to book publishers.

Bell says that the working group efforts could provide publishers with a fairly sophisticated strategy for search engine optimization. Noting that well-structured metadata scores more highly in search engine results, he adds that the working group is operating where metadata meets the Web. These days, thats where books meet the Web as well.
On August 25, the National Park Service, which oversees more than 400 locations throughout the U.S., will celebrate its 100th anniversary. You dont need to tell publishers: several houses have new and updated guides, photography books, and other related titles for spring, and theyre adopting a variety of approaches in order to get the word out.

Fodors, which is updating three parks titles for spring, is focused on Web initiatives. In addition to digital advertising, the publisher has put together an online tool to help users plan trips based on various criteria, including preferred activitye.g. hiking, scenic drivesand season.

Fodors parks guides that will get updates for spring include two Compass American GuidesYellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (Mar.) and Yosemite and Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks (Apr.)and Fodors Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West (May).

To further boost awareness, Fodors will participate in a national parks Twitter chat hosted by another travel giant, National Geographic Society (@NatGeo), in April.

National Geographic is getting in on the National Parks anniversary in a variety of ways. Its publishing arm has just released the eighth edition of its Guide to the National Parks of the United States, as well as a centennial edition of National Geographic Kids National Parks Guide USA (ages 812).

Across National Geographic, theres a lot of push around the parks anniversary, says Heidi Vincent, v-p of marketing at the books division. Initiatives include full-page ads promoting national parks titles in National Geographic magazine and in the print and digital editions of National Geographic Traveler. Our TV channel, National Geographic Wild, is sponsoring a special issue in USA Today, and well have the books promoted there, too.

Retailers, librarians, and educators can order Nat Geos event kit, which includes games, activities, and giveaways for children, as well as Nat Geo titles.

National Geographic Books is also holding a sweepstakes for consumers, which runs March through August. The grand prize is a trip for four to Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion National Parks, in conjunction with National Geographic Expeditions.

Lonely Planet is hosting a contest inviting retailers to send, or share via social media, photos of their Lonely Planet displays. In April, the publisher will release two new parks guides (National Parks of America and USAs National Parks) and update several others, including books on Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon, and Zion.

Associate publisher Robin Barton says Lonely Planets parks titles aim for a younger demographic than the typical parks tourist. The average age of visitors to many of Americas national parks is in the 50s, he says, adding that Lonely Planets National Parks of America endeavors to appeal to people who have never set foot in a national park before.

Falcon Guides, which is promoting the new Backpackers The National Parks Coast to Coast: 100 Best Hikes (Apr.) alongside the roughly 150 national park guides it has published in the past three decades, is teaming up with REI, a major sponsor of the National Park centennial, to create in-store endcap displays for the Backpacker book.

Indies and Artists

Maine native James Kaiser self-published his first guidebook, for Acadia National Park, in 1999; guides to three other U.S. national parks followed, with sales over the past decade of more than 98,000 print units, per Nielsen BookScan.

This year hes releasing new editions of Acadia (Apr.), Grand Canyon (June), and Joshua Tree and Yosemite (both July), all distributed by PGW; hes donating five percent of the profits from his Acadia guide to the nonprofit group Friends of Acadia. Shermans, a bookstore in Bar Harbor, Maine, will host an Acadia signing on August 27.

Chronicle is taking a nostalgic approach with See America (Mar.), a collection of parks-themed WPA-style posters. The Creative Action Network, which sells crowdsourced art that raises awareness of various causes, produced the book with the National Parks Conservation Association; 1% of proceeds go to NPCA.

To promote the book, which features artwork for 75 national parks and monuments across the 50 states, CAN will host gallery exhibits in Florida, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., among other places, with copies of the book for sale.

Roads and Rails

Parks arent the only U.S. attractions to inspire romanticismin addition to areas of natural beauty and historic import, forthcoming titles explore classic transportation and accommodations.

Avalons Moon imprint is adding to the Road Trip series, which celebrates that most American of pastimes, this spring. May brings Moon Route 66 Road Trip, commemorating the historic routes 90th anniversary, and June sees the publication of Moon Southwest Road Trip.

Railroad Semantics: Train Hopping Across Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, California, and Oregon (Microcosm, June), written by train enthusiast Aaron Dactyl, recounts the authors experiences riding the rails and his encounters with police, railroad workers, and fellow fare evaders. Novelist and journalist William T. Vollmann, no stranger to offbeat adventure, has praised the series.

To the south, Explore Texas: A Nature Travel Guide by Mary O. Parker, with photographs by Jeff Parker (Texas A&M Univ., June), profiles nearly a hundred natural destinations in the Lone Star State. And BBC writer Tim Slessor (First Overland) serves up stories about the Wests history, touching on subjects ranging from fur trading to the Battle of the Little Big Horn, in Out West: Travels Through the American WestPast and Present (Interlink, Apr.).

Elsewhere, Robert Silks An Ecotourists Guide to the Everglades and Florida Keys (Univ. Press of Florida, Apr.) offers travel tips as well as insight into Old Florida and the regions Native American roots. In 50 Great American Places (Simon & Schuster, Mar.), Brent Glass, director emeritus of the Smithsonians National Museum of American History, spotlights locales across the country, such as the Salem Witch Trial Memorial in Massachusetts and Kitty Hawk, N.C., the site of the Wright Brothers flights.

Other forthcoming titles focus on accommodations, a theme that dovetails nicely with the parks centennial: according to the National Park Services annual visitation summary report, parks visitors logged 14 million overnight stays in 2014, many of those in tents or RVs.

In Under the Stars: How America Fell in Love with Camping (Holt, June), Dan White surveys the history of camping in the U.S. and its relation to various intellectual and political movements, including transcendentalism in the 19th century, and the more recent environmental movement Leave No Trace.

The design-focused Vintage Camping Trailers by Paul Lacitinola (Gibbs Smith, May) introduces readers to the various types of RVs and the people who love them, with chapters on collectors, couples, families, and glampers (those who go for the comfort of glamorous camping). Lacitinola founded Vintage Camper Trailers magazine, the first U.S.-based publication devoted to camper trailers.

Daniel Lefferts is a writer living in New York.

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BALTIMORE (TNS) -- A store shift manager who supervises workers struggles to pay his family's bills but doesn't qualify for overtime after a more than 40-hour workweek.

That's one example the U.S. Department of Labor is using to explain proposed rules governing which white-collar workers are exempt from overtime pay. The proposal would make an additional 5 million employees eligible, more than doubling the existing salary threshold from $23,660 to $50,440.

"Today, certain professionals and managers are exempt from overtime if they make more than $23,660 a year and perform specific duties," the agency says on its website. "This is less than the poverty threshold for a family of four. By updating the overtime rules, we're ensuring a fair day's pay for a fair day's work."

Updates are needed to the federal rule, the labor department says, because the overtime exemption for executive, administrative and professional employees originally was meant for "highly compensated" employees, not someone making as little as $23,660.

Convenience store managers, fast-food assistant managers and some office workers now are expected to work 50- or 60-hour weeks without overtime and make less than the poverty level for a family of four, the department says.

But the changes, which could take effect as soon as this summer, are raising concerns among employers and business groups, which argue that costs would be burdensome and could hurt workers' chances for flexibility, promotions and bonuses. Sectors such as retail, construction and nonprofits are most likely to be affected.

"It is very, very concerning," said Cailey Locklair Tolle, president of the Maryland Retailers Association. "It's going to be additional costs to retailers -- to businesses, period."

The rule changes are of special concern to nonprofits. Organizations that serve people with intellectual disabilities, for instance, receive a fixed amount of funding through the state with federal Medicaid matches.

Groups such as the Society for Human Resource Management have been urging members to look at the proposal and consider how their employees and budgets would be affected. Restaurants might choose to rely on more part-time workers or limit hours, she said.

"The workplace is changing," said Nancy Hammer, the HR society's senior government affairs policy counsel. "The concern with this is that employers' ability to offer flexibility is impacted when employees are nonexempt (or entitled to overtime). Right now, an employee may be able to decide to leave early and work in the evening. They are not tracking that time, they're just getting the work done."

The National Employment Law Project in New York supports the salary-threshold increase but believes the rule change should include a formal proposal to measure duties in terms of time spent, which would increase the number of overtime-eligible workers.

The National Grocers Association, which represents wholesale and retail independent grocers, opposes what it says would amount to an increase in the minimum salary levels required for an employee to continue to qualify as "exempt" -- not eligible for overtime.

Under the proposed rule, service stations and auto repair businesses said they may be forced to charge customers more, lay off workers, convert full-time workers to part-time or change employees from salary to hourly, which could affect benefits, base pay and flexibility, according to Kirk McCauley of the Washington, Maryland, Delaware Service Station and Automotive Repair Association.

In the restaurant business, hourly workers often work their way up to managerial jobs, where they might work 50 or 55 hours a week, said Tony Foreman, owner of the Foreman Wolf group of restaurants in Baltimore.

"Like most professional people, if you have supervisory responsibilities, it takes more than 40 hours, especially if you're managing and training people," Foreman said.
Cheers to President Obama for his calls for unity, citizenship and an end to gerrymandering in his Wednesday address to a joint session of the Illinois General Assembly he once served.

Whether the Chicago Democrats renewal of his plea to turn the page on nasty politics will have any better results than the one he sent out in announcing his bid for president from Springfield nine years ago remains to be seen. But he deserves thanks for at least trying to wade through the paralyzed, poisonous atmosphere in state politics. It would be tempting to suggest that the president has done little to foster bipartisan comity in Washington and to discount his speech as dont do as a I do, do as I say. But, as one longtime political observer suggested, at least hes doing something to try to impact an eight-month-long budget impasse hurting Illinoisans and crippling programs and institutions such as Eastern Illinois University, which just laid off 198 staffers.

Its gotten worse, the president told lawmakers, as citizenship is threatened by a poisonous political climate that pushes people away from participating in our public life. It turns folks off. It discourages them. It makes them cynical. And when that happens, more powerful and extreme voices fill the void.

Lawmakers, especially Democrats, cheered the presidents speech and even GOP members smiled and nodded in spots, spectators said. So is there hope that anyone who can cut through the political haze heard the message? You be the judge, as we offer ...

Jeers to union-driven House Bill 580, which made its official reappearance Wednesday.

The bill, which would strip Gov. Bruce Rauner of the power to continue tough negotiations with the states largest public employee union, was terrible public policy when it first was narrowly rejected as SB1229. This time, however, as the election looms and candidates vie for union money and support, it has a better chance of overcoming a certain veto by the GOP governor.

Proponents argue the measure is aimed at ensuring that there is no work stoppage. But the result will almost certainly mean that American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees negotiators will get a better deal, and one far more expensive to cash-strapped taxpayers, than the tough terms offered by the governor and rejected by the union.

The impetus for the bills reconsideration is the governors decision to ask the Illinois Labor Relations Board to declare current talks at an impasse. That would force workers to choose between his last, best offer or a strike.

Why, however, would the union need to bother with negotiating or with navigating the long-standing system designed to force the two sides to remain at the table, when it has lawmakers facing reelection ready to step in and change the process? On Wednesday, the measure was quickly sent to the House floor by the House Labor and Commerce Committee. Taxpayers should beware the consequences to our broken and crippled state if politics win the day. Speaking of election-year politics ...

Jeers to a nasty local campaign mailer smearing a puzzling and unlikely target. Rock Island Ald. Kate Hotle is as surprised as anyone over the awful and nasty attacks on her and on her campaign to replace retiring state Rep. Pat Verschoore in Springfield. The mailer, paid for by a committee chaired by House Speaker Michael Madigan may be just the first to try to influence the four-way Democratic race.

If theyre coming after me, a candidate with easily the smallest amount of funds raised, the youngest, the only female, small-town girl from Rock Island, and theyre worried about me, thats a pretty fragile power base, she said. Certainly its a base the speaker is keen to protect.

The other three Democrats in the race, who have all decried the mailer, appear to have escaped Madigans Democratic Majoritys attention.

Why target Ald. Hotle? Steve Brown, a spokesman for Rep. Madigan, calls her a Rauner plant, a charge Ms. Hotle, a lifetime Democrat, strongly denies. How does he know? Open your eyes, he told reporter Eric Timmons.

Thats good advice for voters who in the 72nd District and throughout the state in the days and weeks ahead as the speaker and other partisans use any means necessary to keep and grow their power.

So is this: When you get those fliers, take the time to find out who sent them and why.
KEWANEE -- Saying it will allow Illinois to transition to a new model of rehabilitating young offenders, Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration announced Friday it is closing the Illinois Youth Center-Kewanee.

Mike Theodore, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, Chicago, said the closure is likely to occur on July 1. With the announcement, though, there still are many questions to be answered, said Illinois Rep. Don Moffitt, R-Gilson, who said there is a possibility the Illinois Department of Corrections could use the facility.

As of Feb. 7, IYC-Kewanee employed 200 staff, Mr. Theodore said. IDJJ director Candice Jones said there are 95 young offenders housed there.

Of the employees, 189 are represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, according to AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall, who said members were "blind-sided" with the announcement during the facility's 6 a.m. roll call.

"Impacted staff from IYC-Kewanee will be offered opportunities to transfer to vacant positions at other IDJJ and Illinois Department of Corrections facilities," Mr. Theodore said in a statement.

IDJJ operates five other youth centers in the state.

Mr. Theodore said IDJJ notified the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) of the proposed closure. COGFA is a 12-member, bipartisan legislative commission that will hold a public hearing, likely in the spring.

Rep. Moffitt is co-chairman of COGFA.

"If it can be used as an adult facility, I think it's in the best interest of the taxpayers to continue using a good facility," Rep. Moffitt said. "Nothing is certain. I couldn't emphasize that more. As an adult facility, you could have more employees than they currently have.

"I don't want to minimize if you were an employee there now, the thought of having to move or transitioning to DOC is not necessarily a comfortable feeling, but is better than not having a job, seniority and a pension."

In a statement, IDJJ director Candace Jones said the closure would allow IDJJ to reinvest a portion of the cost savings into community-based programming and reduce overall costs to the state along with improving community safety.

Henry County State's Attorney Matt Shutte said his concern is where some of those juveniles will go.

"We have some pretty violent youth there," Mr. Shutte said of the maximum security youth facility. "It scares me when I read Candace Jones saying we can use community-based programming.

"They are in there for some very serious stuff -- murder, attempted murder, armed robbery -- it takes a certain threshold to get a judge to send someone there."

Kewanee City Manager Gary Bradley said until a final decision is made regarding the future of the facility, it's difficult to quantify the impact on the region.

Mark Mikenas, director of the Kewanee Chamber of Commerce, said his gut feeling is a lot of negotiation will follow.

"We don't know all the details," Mr. Mikenas said. "It's a big blow to our community. There are a lot of excellent employees there, whether they live or drive into the area. "

The Kewanee facility opened in 2001 and provides 24-hour infirmary care and housing for youth suffering from acute mental illness, youth labeled as juvenile sex offenders and youth designated maximum security.

Ms. Jones said after Kewanee is closed, the system would have 683 beds to serve 436 juvenile inmates.

"That is enough capacity to comply with best practices and account for seasonal fluctuations in the number of youth confined," she said.
ROCK ISLAND -- The decision by a judge from the 14th Judicial Circuit to give the green light to a plan to build a new courthouse annex is being criticized by a county board member who says it might have been a "rigged deal."

The plan to build the courthouse as an addition to the Rock Island County Justice Center was backed by 14th Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Walter Braud, who first brought the proposal to the county board.

To test the legality of the proposal, Judge Braud issued an order to appoint a special prosecutor to challenge the Rock Island County Public Building Commission's authority to build a courthouse.

Henry County Judge Dana McReynolds, a 14th Judicial Circuit Associate Judge, was appointed by Judge Braud to preside over the case.

Judge McReynolds ruled that the building commission could proceed with the project to issue bonds to build a courthouse annex.

County Board member Don Johnston, D-Moline, said that a judge from outside the circuit should have ruled on the case to avoid any appearance of impropriety. Associate judges like Judge McReynolds are appointed by the circuit judges in each circuit in Illinois.

Last month, Judge McReynolds ruled in favor of the building commission without seeing the documents that gave authority to build the Rock Island County Justice Center, which were key to the case in Mr. Johnston's view.

The documents, specifically a 1998 resolution, initially could not be found by county officials and Judge McReynolds' decision was contingent on the documents being located so that he could review them. The documents eventually were found and reviewed by Judge McReynolds, but he found nothing in them to alter his original ruling.

"The perception of a conflict of interest is out there," Mr. Johnston said. "You have a chief judge who appoints an unelected associate judge in the 14th District, just happens to be in another county, that makes the decision, without ever seeing the affidavit, a tentative decision, then he sees the decision and he says, 'Oh yeah, let's go ahead and spend that money.'"

Judge McReynolds' ruling allows the building commission to use the bonding authority created to build the Justice Center to build the proposed new courthouse without any need for a referendum.

The building commission was formed in 1981 but limited to only being involved in jail projects.

Still, the commission was used to borrow money for and build the Justice Center, which includes courtrooms but is attached to the county jail.

Mr. Johnston suggested at a county board committee meeting this week that the new project should have been the subject of a referendum.

"It has at least the perception of a conflict of interest, and it might even be a rigged deal, depending on how you look at it," he said.

Judge Braud, speaking Friday, dismissed Mr. Johnston's claims, and explained why he had appointed Judge McReynolds to the case.

"I think what Don is saying is absolute gibberish," the judge said.

Judge Braud said that he appointed Judge McReynolds to rule on the case on the advice of the administrative office of the Illinois Supreme Court.

"Is there some assumption that a judge in the circuit doesn't have ethics and can't uphold his duties," Judge Braud said when told of Mr. Johnston's view that Judge McReynolds involvement in the case could present a conflict of interest.

Judge Braud said he could have asked the Supreme Court to appoint a judge from outside the 14th Circuit, but the advice from the court was to appoint a judge from the 14th Circuit but outside Rock Island County.

Judge Braud said he could not comment on how Judge McReynolds came to his decision.

Further details on the plan for the courthouse annex building are expected at next Tuesday's county board meeting.
Today is Saturday, Feb. 13, the 44th day of 2016. There are 322 days left in the year.

1866 -- 150 years ago: Mr. Burr, the champion skater, has been engaged to give a grand exhibition at the Island City Park tomorrow afternoon.

1891 -- 125 years ago: While the Arsenal hack driven by Matthias Volk was returning to the city loaded with Arsenal employees last night, an axle broke. Luckily, no one was hurt.

1916 -- 100 years ago: President A.R. Tearney, of the Three I league, arrived in Rock Island and was met by a delegation from the Rock Island club.

1941 -- 75 years ago: The Hodgson mortuary, owned by A.F. Lindoefer and W.H. Hessman, was opened officially today in its new location at 608 20th St., Rock Island, in a home formerly owned by Dr. Joseph deSilva.

1966 -- 50 years ago: The Rock River south of Rock Island and Moline poses the greatest current flood threat, according to Corps of Engineers estimates. Ice is clogging the river from the foot of Rock Islands 38th Street all the way to the mouth of the river, a distance of some four and a half miles.

1991 -- 25 years ago: Rock Island Police Chief Larry Lingafelter ended his distinguished career as a cop in grand style yesterday. Mr. Lingafelter, 47, was driven to work in a limousine, honored by friends and colleagues at a luncheon and applauded for his handling of a major drug bust earlier this week.
EAST MOLINE -- When Corey Parker, the pastor of Life Church in East Moline, heard the tap water in Flint, Mich., was contaminated with lead, he was even more horrified than most people.

"My mother and father were born and raised in Detroit," he said. "It just hit too close to home.

It was unconscionable to me that we had a situation with contaminated water in the United States of America," he said. "Its heartbreaking to see water that looks like that in this country.

"We do our best to feed the homeless and clothe the naked, and it was heartbreaking to see children suffer health problems because of lead in the water, he said.

When Pastor Parker's congregation began a collection of bottled water two weeks ago, word spread quickly.

"We have, so far, collected 500 cases of water and we have much more coming," he said. "We wanted to end on the 7th (of February) but the donations kept coming.

"People from all over the Quad-Cities have been bringing in water," he said. "Weve had people from virtually every part of town calling, going on our church website, leaving donations. Its been amazing."

Paster Parker said a number of area organizations also have stepped forward to offer help.

"Im working with Dorian Bird and Imani Dancers with an initiative, and UAW 865 from Deere made a sizable donation; theyve been awesome and generous," he said. "It turns out the UAW was birthed in Flint.

"Royal Neighbors of America Chapters 20042 and 20031 are also partnering with us in this effort, he said.

He said additional donations may be made by calling 563-505-0431 or 309-281-1123, or visiting the churchs website at lifechurchqc.com.

"When anyone wants to bring in water, well take it," he said. "Weve received monetary donations, too, so we can purchase even more water."

Pastor Parker said the church's effort has received donations from as far away as Memphis. Congregation members plan to load the water this weekend and head to Flint early next week.

"Were going to load up a rental trailer and drive it out there to some contacts weve been given, so were sure it gets to the right people, he said. "I have a good friend who I didnt know lives in Michigan and works with the state representative from Flint. She put us in touch with the Flint Housing Commission, so were dealing directly with them.

"That way we know the water will get to the right people.

The outreach comes in Life Church's first three months at 842 16th Ave., East Moline. Pastor Parker said its former church, at 733 W. 53rd St., Davenport, was smaller and lacked needed amenities.

"It just wasnt a place where we were comfortable," he said. "The church had been there five years, and Id been the pastor there for four of them.

"A good friend of mine let us know there was a church coming on the market before it did, and we fell in love immediately," he said of the East Moline structure. "It fit our needs. Its been a blessing.

Moving the church was part assembly line, part parade, he said.

We had a loading day. We went in and gutted the old church," he said. "We went through things, deciding what to take with us. The whole congregation moved everything, passing it down a line, and then we drove in a caravan from Davenport to East Moline.

They unpacked quickly, he said, and thrived.

Its going better than we could have imagined or hoped for," Pastor Parker said. "We have a fully functional basement. There are more bathrooms and more space. We have a separate area for the kids now. We even have a coffee bar for people to enjoy.

"Weve dreamed about it, and now we have it," he said.

Pastor Parker and his wife, Tiffany, have been married for 20 years. Their son, CJ, is a freshman at United Township High School and their daughter, Baylee, is at Ridgewood.
Cheers erupted as Francis' popemobile pulled out of the residence where he was staying, and he abruptly stopped to greet elderly, sick and disabled people who had gathered outside. He handed out rosaries to the faithful in wheelchairs and embraced a young boy wearing a surgical mask.

Tens of thousands more, bundled against the morning chill, lined his 14-kilometer (8.7-mile) motorcade route to the city's colonial heart as history's first Latin American pope basked in the welcome from the largest Spanish-speaking Catholic country in the world.

President Enrique Pena Nieto, suffering the lowest approval ratings of a Mexican leader in a quarter century, and his wife met Francis outside the presidential palace. After a brief welcome ceremony, the two men went into private talks.

As he flew toward Mexico City, Francis said his "most intimate desire" is to pray before the dark-skinned Madonna. She is the patron saint of Mexico and "empress of the Americas," and millions of pilgrims flock each year to pray before the cloak that bears her image.

Francis arrived in Mexico's capital on Friday night to adoring crowds waving yellow handkerchiefs. Mariachis serenaded as his chartered plane pulled to a stop.

Along the route to his residence, people chanted in rhyming Spanish: "You see him, you feel him, the pope is present!" and "Francis, friend, the whole world loves you!"

Tania Vasquez came with her 6-year-old son, Carlos, and other relatives. She held a pennant with the colors of the Mexican flag and images of Francis, a dove and the Virgin of Guadalupe.

"He's coming to talk tough to us," Vasquez said. "In Mexico there are a lot of economic and security problems, there is a lot of egoism, and he comes with a message of peace and hope that we need."

At one point the motorcade paused when a man ran toward the popemobile, but he was detained by security officers before reaching it and the convoy moved on.

As the pope passed her, Mariana Dieguez was moved to tears and had difficulty speaking.

"I feel like my heart could jump from my chest. He comes to give us peace because we are living a difficult moment," she said, alluding to a month-old grandson who was born ill.

On Saturday, Francis meets with Mexican officials and foreign ambassadors at the National Palace. The speech, which is a fixture of every papal trip, is usually the pope's most political message, and Francis is expected to touch on some of the grave problems facing Mexico stemming from drug violence, migration and poverty.

The pope also will speak to Mexico's bishops at the Cathedral of the Assumption. He is expected to urge them to be close to their people and accompany them through their hardships, amid criticism even from within the Mexican clergy that many in the church here are often highly deferential to the wealthy and powerful.

Francis wraps up his day with a Mass at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe and a silent prayer before the icon.

According to tradition, the 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.

The Mexico trip follows a brief but historic meeting in Havana on Friday, when Francis embraced Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill and with an exclamation of "finally," took a momentous step toward closing a nearly 1,000-year schism in Christianity.

The two religious leaders signed a 30-point joint declaration of religious unity that committed their churches to overcoming their differences. Francis tweeted that the meeting was a "gift from God."

Francis and Kirill also called for political leaders to act on the single most important issue of shared concern between the Catholic and Orthodox churches today: the plight of Christians in Iraq and Syria who are being killed and driven from their homes by the Islamic State group.

Later aboard his plane, Francis said the declaration was not a political statement, but rather a pastoral one. It came from "two bishops who met and discussed their pastoral concerns," he said.

___
Heres 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, Im 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 cant 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. Thats 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 thats 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 youre 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? Im not going until I see flame. When I see actual fire, why, then Ill jump.'"

Turned out to be just a burned-out instrument. Those WASPs were some cool customers.
Canal Sony and AXN have seen 31% audience growth in 2015 across Latin America for their target group of viewers aged 18 to 49.

According to the Ibope figures published by Sony Pictures Television Networks Latin America , AXN's audience grew by 60% across the region, becoming the fifth most watched network for the target group.AXN's success was strong in Mexico, where its audience rocketed 169%, driving the network to the second place among most watched pay-TV channels. In Colombia, AXN's audience grew by 123% during 2015, being the third signal with most viewers of the 18-49 demographic. The network saw also audience growth in Brazil (38%) and Argentina (25%).Tailgating AXN, Canal Sony's growth was not quite so impressive across the region, although it found a solid position among pay-TV viewers already in 2014 However, Canal Sony's audience saw 38% growth among Colombian women and found success with shows like The X Factor.In addition to the talent show, Canal Sony's programming for 2015 included The Voice, The Muppets, How To Get Away With Murder and Gray's Anatomy.AXN is targeting a more specific audience with thrillers and drama series like Scorpion and CSI Cyber.
In a move that could shake up the Chinese online video market, the countrys web services giant Baidu has received an offer by senior management for its controlling stake in the iQiyi streaming service.

Baidu chairman and chief executive Robin Yanhong Li and iQiyi chief executive Yu Gong are proposing to acquire Baidus 80.5% stake in the business based on an enterprise valuation of US$2.8 billion for all of the company.The independently-operated Baidu subsidiary has spent the last few months boosting considerably its online video slate in China. In January 2016 it signed a multi-year film output agreement with 20th Century Fox , giving it new release digital transactional video-on-demand (TVOD) and exclusive first-run subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) rights to 20th Century Foxs films in China. This made it the first online platform in the country to offer TVOD and SVOD access to films such as The Martian and The Revenant.Following the offer, the Baidu board has formed a special committee to evaluate any transaction. However, the company cautioned shareholders and others considering trading in its securities that the board recently received the non-binding proposal and no decisions have been made with respect to its response to the proposal.
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One of the first lessons that directors in Hollywood are taught is dont work with children. Director Lenny Abrahamson ignores this warning and makes 9-year-old Jacob Tremblay the star of his on-screen adaptation of the best-selling novel Room. Abrahamson rides the talent of Tremblay and Brie Larson straight to the Academy Awards, as the film has been nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Lead Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Rachel Schwartz, director of programing for Dawgs For Israel, didnt know what to expect when around 17 members of Athens Justice for Palestine entered the room in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, where her organization was hosting two Israeli soldiers to speak about their experiences in the Israel Defense Forces Feb. 22.
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Q. Does your faith tradition have a position on marrying outside of the faith?

The Centers for Spiritual Living, which represents the science of mind tradition, welcome all. Many of our members also participate, belong to or practice other faith traditions in conjunction with their participation in this teaching.

This tradition promotes respect for each individual's journey with the sacred. That means, we actively support diversity of faith, even within our tradition. Four instance, one may be a member, friend or associate to this faith tradition yet also be a American Indian spiritual practitioner or hold membership in the church, synagogue or temple.

This tradition makes room for every individual's own unique expression in relationship to the sacred.

The Rev. Lynn E. Fritz

Centers for Spiritual Living, Redding

The classic text for this question is found in the Bible in 2 Corinthians. Paul writes, "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers."

He uses the picture of a pair of oxen yoked together, which was intended to cause them to work well together, pulling the plow efficiently. But Paul envisions two people who are "unequally yoked" that is, those with different loyalties and different masters, since everyone has a master they serve, or, as Bob Dylan once said, "You gotta serve somebody." Paul will even go on to ask the rhetorical question, "What fellowship has light with darkness?" The answer is none. To return to the word-picture, the two will, of necessity, be pulling in different directions.

This restriction regards far more than marriage, but in regard to our question, it forbids Christians binding themselves in as serious and lasting a commitment as marriage with anyone who does not share their faith in Christ.

The Rev. Gene Crow, pastor

Redding Reformed Fellowship

In Unity, we support people in growing into their highest and best self and in honoring the guidance they receive from their god within. Our God is accepting and all-loving. When individuals marry with consciousness, they listen to their inner wisdom and follow its guidance toward loving relationships. For some, that guidance may indicate that life would be richer and more spirit-filled if the two individuals share the same faith. For others, not sharing the same faith provides opportunity for melding traditions and increasing understanding that many paths lead to God. Unity opens its doors to all and takes delight when people bring their partners of a different faith to services or events. We believe that all people choose their own spiritual path, and we support that with unconditional love and acceptance.

Carolyn Warnemuende, spiritual director

Unity in Redding

Sadly, having a common faith together is not typical of most modern marriages. In my recent experience, a marriage between two people who have been brought up as active and practicing Catholics is becoming rare. And as I talk to many ministers from other faiths, so-called "mixed faith" marriages are increasingly common. Faith beliefs and commitments can be highly charged and controversial issues among the engaged. There are the family's pride, ethnic beliefs, ceremony elements and sometimes a serious difference about the solemnity of the vows, as well as their setting.

In the Catholic faith, a church marriage still requires the bishop's "dispensation" to allow the couple to marry validly in the church. Most faiths now require a minimum degree of premarital counseling and faith discussion. It's quite different than just renting a judge or minister to preside over the ceremony.

Deacon Mike Evans

Sacred Heart Church, Anderson

Sikh gurus showed a lifestyle which one can follow to meet Waheguru, or "One God." It's better to get married to someone with whom you share similar beliefs. Sikhism does not state that marrying out of religion is wrong or a sin. However, for Sikhs, human life is a chance to meet God. To have a life partner who shares the same belief helps both to strive for and reach this goal.

The more a married couple has in common, the more likely their marriage will be successful. Sikhism is a modern religion, and instructs that all humans are created equal. In no way Sikhism states that one should not marry another human because they are less of human or inferior. So, it's best to find someone who shares the same belief system as you or you both would like to learn and grow spiritually in the same path.

Amarjit Singh

The Sikh Centre, Anderson

United Methodism focuses its energy as to marriage on the critical matters of dignity, equality and shared values. So, yes, it's wonderful to marry someone who shares your faith perspective. But it's important that your values are respected and your commitments are honored by your partner in a relationship of mutual respect.

The Rev. Rod Brayfindley

First United Methodist Church, Redding

Traditional Judaism, the Torah as interpreted by Talmud, forbids exogamy, marrying outside the faith. The reasoning is that the spouse would not hold the same understanding of monotheism, and the "believer" likely would be lost to the faith. At the least, the children would be confused and not likely to preserve the rituals. Solomon was punished, his kingdom divided, not for his "treaty" marriages, but because he allowed his many wives to pursue idolatry.

The Reform tradition and other modern offshoots take a different tack. There is no official prohibition, and many, but not all, Reform rabbis would assist in an interfaith marriage. Conversion, a challenging study process, is not required. Temple Beth Israel is a Reform congregation and many of our congregants, including me, are exogamous. In fact, quite a few not born to Judaism  some have converted  have become leaders in the Jewish community.

Art Tilles, Social Action chairman

Temple Beth Israel, Redding

Do not be unequally yoked, so the Bible teaches. When a man and a woman are on the same page, it makes for a great relationship. The old saying that opposites attract is fine when the opposites are male and female, otherwise too much of an odd thing makes for hard times. As grandpa said often, "It's a much better buggy ride when the team pulls together."

Jim White, lay leader

Weaverville Church of the Nazarene

Next week's question: Can your faith help explain why tragic things happen to good people?
In this Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016 photo redfish are displayed at the Portland Fish Exchange in Portland, Maine. Fishermen are being forced to start adapting more quickly to changing fish stocks in ocean and market new species based on what is available. As a result, more former trash fish such as redfish, dogfish and skate are the wave of the future in sustainable fishing. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

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By PATRICK WHITTLE, Associated Press

PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  Call them fish sticks for millennials. At any rate, Dana Bartholomew is banking on college students warming up to "Sharck Bites."

Ipswich Shellfish, of Massachusetts, for which Bartholomew oversees sales, is offering that product  nuggets of dogfish coated in a gluten-free, allergen-friendly crust. Bartholomew, who believes so-called "trash fish" such as dogfish are part of the new wave in New England seafood, already has a couple of colleges on board.

Bartholomew's fondness for dogfish, a species East Coast fishermen catch millions of pounds of every year that sells for just pennies at the dock, is part of a growing trend in fish markets around the country. The industry is putting more emphasis on fish that have traditionally lacked market appeal or economic value as old staples  such as cod, tuna, haddock and shrimp  decline or become the subject of tougher fishing quotas.

"We know we have to make a great-tasting product that supports local fishermen, supports the local industry and economy," Bartholomew said. "And it's local  it's right here."

New England's traditional food fish has long been the Atlantic cod, but it has faded in the face of overfishing and environmental changes. Restaurant owners, fishermen and food processing companies said a growing shift to other species is helping to fill that void. Catch of species such as spiny dogfish, Acadian redfish and scup have all increased dramatically since 10 years ago as cod has fallen.

The shift toward trash fish reflects a broader trend in U.S. seafood toward species that are more abundant. Florida fishing regulators, for instance, have incentivized the hunt for invasive lionfish, which many view as pests. Elsewhere, the Jonah crab has also found acceptance as an alternative to the West Coast's popular Dungeness crab.

The evolution of food from trash to delicacy goes back centuries. Many species have overcome an ugly name or gruesome appearance to grow in value. Lobster, for instance, was long ago regarded as food fit only for the lower classes.

Creating a market for underutilized fish species is important in New England today because of warming waters and corresponding changes in fish populations, said Melissa Bouchard, chef at the popular DiMillo's On The Water restaurant in Portland.

"We're trying to get the focus off of cod and haddock and Northern shrimp and bring to light all these species in the Gulf of Maine that are delicious and abundant," Bouchard said.

She served dogfish tacos at a festival in food-crazy Portland and they were well received, she said.

The movement toward trash fish is not without skeptics, some of whom point to sustainable harvesting programs for fish that already have broad market appeal. Ray Hilborn, a marine biologist with the University of Washington, said the push is unnecessary from a sustainability point of view.

"If they truly believe that traditional species are not sustainable, then they don't know much and have not looked very hard," Hilborn said. "There is plenty of cod, haddock, salmon, tuna and shrimp in the world that is sustainably harvested."

But Azure Cygler, a fisheries specialist with the Coastal Resources Center at the University of Rhode Island, said the shift toward what toward what she called "underloved" species is critical for sustaining fisheries and providing local protein sources in New England.

She pointed to the growth of scup, an Atlantic species sometimes sold as "porgy," which has grown from less than 3 million pounds in 2000 to more than 15 million pounds in 2014 and is now advertised by Whole Foods. The fish could be just a more attractive name away from a bigger breakthrough, she said.

She suggests "silver bass."

"If you demand it, it will happen," she said. "It's getting that demand, and then getting fishermen to bring it in. And changing our culinary culture."
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By Jenny Espino of the Redding Record Searchlight

A local contractor wants to convert the downtown building that once housed the Redding Police Department into a full-service restaurant and build on the adjacent secured parking area apartments, office and retail space, and a fast-casual restaurant.

Jamie Lynn, who owns Building Adventures, seeks to buy the California Street property from the city. The City Council on Tuesday will consider giving City Manager Kurt Starman the OK to negotiate exclusively with Lynn.

Both the city and the contractor would enter into an agreement that would give Lynn 90 days to determine whether he can acquire the property and turn it around. Meanwhile, city officials, who are in the process of having the site appraised, would have time to negotiate the terms of a purchase and sale agreement.

Lynn, who prefers to stay behind the scenes with his downtown beautification projects, did not return calls for comment this week.

In the business community Lynn has risen to prominence for his interest in buying old buildings and giving them new life. He owns five downtown properties, including the Carnegie building at the corner of Oregon and Yuba streets.

Last summer Vice Mayor Brent Weaver credited Lynn for giving him the idea to start an Adopt-A-Block cleanup program. Lynn rises early and spends his mornings picking up trash and sweeping the blocks on and around his properties.

Weaver, impressed by his actions, at the time said, "He's real."

But on Tuesday, Weaver will be abstaining from the negotiations because he owns the Gateway building, which is on the same block of the former police headquarters.

According to Starman's report to the council, Lynn would purchase the property at fair market value. He would fix up the main building for the full-service restaurant. He has submitted art renderings that show the new building would have two floors. There would be five residential units, a fast-casual restaurant and the office and retail space.

He would pay $1,000 to enter into the agreement with the city, which would be reimbursed if it is terminated or does not result in him moving forward on the purchase.

Proceeds from a potential sale would go toward the general fund.

Originally, any of that money would have gone toward paying the debt for the new police headquarters at the Civic Center campus. But the council in December voted to dedicate up to $375,000 toward starting a sobering center.

Lynn has said he likes to pick the worst-looking structures in the downtown for his revitalization projects.

It's probably safe to say the dilapidated building would fit his criteria. It has been plagued by sewage spills, water quality concerns and water leaks.

The building was declared a dangerous building in a 2012 letter that accompanied a 2010 report about structural issues. The report concluded safety of the building was doubtful in a snowstorm or earthquake, and the facility does not comply with building codes by a substantial margin.

In other business, the council will receive an update on the status of a project to relocate Costco to Oasis Towne Center. The council would consider appointing Weaver and Mayor Missy McArthur to serve as the city's liaisons on the topic.

The proposal has been thrown into question over a proposed development agreement the city received in December.

Don Levenson of LD&C is the developer. He seeks the agreement to ensure he will be able to build the shopping center along with the relocation of the wholesale giant. Such agreements lock in entitlements and what the city has approved for the project.

"What scares business people, developers and builders more than anything is uncertainty. They don't want to plunk down millions of dollars in developing a store and not know what else will come at them or what else may be required," said Walt McNeill, a Redding attorney who represents Levenson, noting that his client makes no profit from a stand-alone project like Costco. McNeill sometimes represents the Record Searchlight.

But the city said, as written, Levenson's proposal would require $32 million in taxpayer commitments to pay for infrastructure in the Oasis Road area and is risky. In a letter, Starman tells Levenson to focus instead on completing the real estate transaction with Costco before the company terminates its contract. The deadline Costco set was Feb. 1.

Weaver said he anticipated hearing from his peers whether there is a willingness to negotiate a development agreement, but he cautioned that because of the complexity of the project it would be difficult to speed it up under the time frame that Costco had given to Levenson.

If you go

What: Redding City Council meeting

When: 6 p.m., Tuesday

Where: Redding City Hall, 777 Cypress Ave.

About the meeting: The council will act on a recommendation to move ahead with a contract to manage the grant-related work at Henderson Open Space. It also will consider accepting $1.7 million in federal highway safety funds to improve bike and pedestrian safety on Hartnell Avenue between Churn Creek Road and Victor Avenue. Also on its agenda are a proposed revenue agreement with SkyWest that would add a third flight to San Francisco and a report from City Attorney Barry DeWalt related to sex trafficking and illicit massage parlors. In closed session, the council will be briefed on a court case related to Robert Barron, the man who an officer shot in the chest during an April 11, 2013, struggle in the Mistletoe Lane area.
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Greg Beale, Redding

Everyone celebrate. The outsiders won.

And the Republicans voted for a racist and xenophobic narcissistic billionaire who is the very opposite of income equity. By the way, please stop using the terminology "income equality." There is no way that is ever going to happen. Equity, maybe; equality, no.

And the Democrats voted for a socialist who promises everything.

Both are living in a dream world. And both could potentially wreck their party's chances to win the presidency. And if both are really nominated, the prospects for a civil war explode.

As America tries to at least discuss the worst income inequity in our history, caused by the global economy, the two parties fly to opposite poles.

So this means it will be "winner takes all" in November.

If Donald Trump wins he promises to end immigration reform with walls, attack mercilessly in the Middle East, and believe me he will not increase taxes on the rich or corporations. He is corporate America.

And Bernie Sanders, well, he promises everything will be free. He does at least promise to increase taxes on the rich, but his grasp of corporate power is limited at best. In short, Sanders' heart sounds like it's in the right place but he won't be able to deliver. If you thought the gridlock was bad with President Obama's idealism running into conservative roadblocks, just wait for Sanders.

So by stupidly voting the way we are, we are only increasing the chances of ineffectual government to the point of violence in 2016.

It's time adults take command of the ship. We need to elect a moderate who can forge some kind of new coalition with the other side. We have a majority of "red" states in this country  people, who thanks to gerrymandering, are not going to change. We have a minority of populated "blue" states who, take California for example, are not going to change due to demographics.

The majority of people in the country are blue. But the electoral college does not work that way  witness 2000.

How on earth  by electing more extreme candidates  will this work? I have often warned about fascism on Facebook (an oxymoron). But the threat is real. In a clash of corporate power, with the way our government is organized, the potential for a right-wing takeover of government is huge, with disastrous consequences.

Elect Trump and Sanders and you have the perfect storm.
'The Ishrat encounter was neither genuine, nor fake. I believe it was a 'controlled killing,' says Shekhar Gupta.

IMAGE: Ishrat Jahan, the Mumbra, Maharashtra, teenager killed in an encounter by the Gujarat police.

First, the three facts that I believe in the Ishrat Jahan story, as it returns into our lives in the course of David Coleman Headley's testimony.

One, Ishrat Jahan, and others killed with her, definitely had serious terror, most likely Lashkar-e-Tayiba (LeT), links.

Two, they were killed in a staged encounter where the Intelligence Bureau and Gujarat police worked together.

Three, and probably the most important, that while the encounter (June 15, 2004) took place when the United Progressive Alliance was in power and the next six IB directors were appointed by it, it started calling the encounter fake and Ishrat an innocent teenager years later when it saw an existentialist political threat developing from Gujarat.

It became so partisan, in fact, that when the first National Investigation Agency details on its interrogation of David Headley in the US were put together, there was political alarm at his saying the Ishrat group was an LeT operation gone wrong.

The references were removed, concealed and denied. All he has now done is bring back that 2010 statement of his.

Three contentious arguments rage after David Headley's claims, on oath now:

First, his claims count for nothing. He is a convict, a double agent who saved his life with a plea bargain in America and in Indian law, by securing a Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (Tada) court pardon.

His claims on Ishrat are just a way of paying back the National Democratic Alliance for the pardon. There is, therefore, no change in their original belief that Ishrat was innocent, killed in a fake encounter.

Second, that there is ample evidence now that Ishrat was a member of an LeT gang on the prowl and if the police put them away, where is the problem?

You need to fight terrorists pro-actively. Killing terrorists any which way is perfectly fine, in fact, desirable. You must break the terrorists' morale.

n Third, and which is now emerging as the civil libertarians' tactical retreat position is, so what if they were terrorists? It doesn't sanctify a fake encounter.

All three have weight, but are flawed, on fact and morality. The answers are complex, not TV-debate friendly.

Let's examine these in the light of our three initial facts. First, it was fully believed in intelligence circles under the UPA that Ishrat was part of the LeT. It was also fully believed -- and happily accepted -- that the gang was killed in a staged encounter which, in counter-terror, is 'par for the course.'

It was only in its second term, when the UPA began seeing a threat from Gujarat and its 'special operations group' on Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and their favourite policemen got active, that the 'fake encounter' outrage was born.

It had a dual purpose, nailing the key political rivals, as also exploiting Muslim victimhood electorally. The UPA can deny it forever, but this was pure politics.

The UPA appointed its first IB director within weeks of taking over power in May 2004, also appointed the next one as formidable and familiar as Ajit Doval. The IB was directly controlled then by M K Narayanan, and continued to be so for almost a decade.

There isn't a better known, respected and admired officer in the IB than Mr Narayanan and frankly we haven't heard him call Ishrat innocent, the encounter fake or support the prosecution of IB's Gujarat head, Joint Director (equivalent to an Inspector General of Police) Rajinder Kumar.

I repeat, somebody with his eyes, ears and mind had enough time overseeing this. However khurafati (poor translation, but resourceful, pro-active!) an IB chief might have been, it is impossible that any, including Mr Doval, could put one past Mr Narayanan.

In fact, when the encounter returned to the headlines with the intervention of the courts and the UPA decided -- at the top political levels -- to also arraign Mr Kumar, the first time a senior IB officer was to be tried like this and the inner workings of the organisation exposed, it evoked consternation in security circles.

The senior-most officers, including many respected veterans, protested quietly, and reasoned that this was a perilous course -- and that such encounters were routine, always had bipartisan politician support and should just not be politicised now, whatever the compulsions.

But politics had now fully taken over in all its most awful dimensions. At one level it became a Central Bureau of Investigation-versus-IB war. At the other end, well-known members of the Congress' 'special operations' group invented new theories, such as Mr Kumar having become a 'close buddy' of Narendra Modi when he headed the IB in Chandigarh and that Mr Modi has 'stopped there often on his way to Himachal' which he was overseeing for the Bharatiya Janata Party.

It strains credulity that it took the UPA a decade, three home ministers and five IB chiefs to discover this. Why mince words? It was all cock-and-bull.

It is now exposed and the Congress doesn't know where to hide. It is well known that the Congress has been the most brutal in dealing with all security threats. It annihilated the Punjab insurgency between 1984 and 1993 with covert methods of unparalleled single-mindedness.

If you found Vishal Bhardwaj's Haider so disturbingly realistic in its portrayal of counter-terror operations in Kashmir in the early nineties, remember this, too, was under P V Narasimha Rao's supposedly 'weak' and minority Congress government.

So the simple answer to the Congress is, look who's talking. Or, let's be more specific: Nau sau choohe kha ke billi hajj ko chali (the cat's gone for the Haj after devouring 900 rats).

The silliest argument being made is that the BJP pardoned David Headley and his claims on Ishrat are a part of the deal. Deal-making over David Headley started very much in the UPA times.

If in doubt, see leaked cables from the then US ambassador Tim Roemer on his conversation with Mr Narayanan (wikileaks.org), who says India can't be seen to be giving up an extradition demand, but won't press right now.

Mr Roemer, of course, points out that in US law once a man is convicted, extradition is not possible until the sentence -- in this case 35 years -- is over. So the Indian pardon is a formality.

The civil libertarians have a better case, particularly those saying so what, even if she was a terrorist. No law justifies fake encounters.

This is an indisputable truism. The BJP argument that you can kill terrorists in any manner you choose is morally flawed and legally wrong. My question: Can you call Ishrat's a fake encounter?

Besides the extremes of fake, and genuine encounters (as certainly Batla House, also under the UPA was), there is a third and more prolific category. Intelligence people invent euphemisms for the most awful things. For this they have 'controlled killings.'

From James Bond's Licence to Kill, to the American drones massacring 'terrorists' around the world, the democratic State has given itself the mostly illegal right to take life without trial -- but legally.

Even the Americans have now done this having the president approve every such killing, including, notably, of the odd American citizen (Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen). I said so in a 2013 'National Interest' ('Body politics,' Indian Express, June 6, 2013) when the Ishrat controversy was raging and commended New York Times CIA reporter Mark Mazzetti's stellar The Way of the Knife on how the CIA had from an intelligence agency become a killing machine protected through a legal framework.

The Ishrat encounter was neither genuine, nor fake. I believe it was a 'controlled killing.' If more such will be inevitable as the terror threat grows, you need to design a legal framework, as Washington has done. Or be like Scandinavia. If it is an illegal and immoral outrage, you need to begin a little earlier, with Punjab 1984-1993, if not the Naxalite phase in 1968-1971. You can't stop at Ishrat either.

Does the name of a Maoist called Azad under the UPA ring a bell?

More controlled killings have been carried out under the Congress than all others in independent India. Nobody can be selective in outrage.
'India's real concern is that cash-strapped Pakistan is keeping its military hardware well oiled on American money,' says Rajeev Sharma.

India may have lodged a strong protest with the United States on Saturday morning over the Obama administration's move to sell eight F-16 planes to Pakistan in a deal worth over $700 million, but Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar's remonstrations with US Ambassador Richard Verma won't change the American decision. More importantly, Indian protests won't change America's Pakistan policy.

But that doesn't mean that India shouldn't have lodged its protest with the Americans. India has done well by conveying its concerns to the American envoy and must take it further.

It is just a notification, not the actual sale of fighter planes to Pakistan. Technically, the Obama administration's move can still be aborted as the United States Congress has 30 days' time to veto the move.

But it is a mere technicality only as Congress vetoes are quite a rarity. However, it does provide India an opportunity to try its lobbying skills with the American lawmakers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself may lead this diplomatic offensive and culminate the Indian lobbying process when he meets US President Barack Obama in Washington on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit next month end.

India's real concern is not the eight F-16 planes which the Americans intend to sell to Pakistan. The US State Department is right in its observation that this sale won't alter the military balance in the region.

India's real concern is that cash-strapped Pakistan is keeping its military hardware well oiled on American money.

American civil and military aid to Pakistan from 2002 to 2015 (14 years) exceeds $31.3 billion, averaging about $2.3 billion per annum. Of this, almost $17 billion was for the weapons Coalition Support Fund which Pakistan diverts to its bolster its military capabilities.

These are official US government figures. A detailed account and nature of American military and civilian aid to Pakistan can be accessed here: https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/pakaid.pdf (external link)

The impact of massive American military aid to Pakistan is not just in military terms. Such regular and sustained huge aid emboldens Pakistan diplomatically too which is even more dangerous.

While the Opposition parties in India, particularly the Congress, have criticised the Modi government of having a confused and confusing Pakistan policy, the Obama administration is even more guilty of this.

Just a few months ago, the Obama administration had threatened Pakistan with cancellation of military aid, but now things are back to square one. Suddenly, the Obama administration has discovered new virtues in Pakistan.

Just about 51 months ago, President Obama's top diplomat, then secretary of state Hillary Clinton, had this to say to Pakistan: 'You can't keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbours. Eventually, those snakes are going to turn on whoever has them in their backyard.'

Hillary made this remark from Pakistani soil at a press conference in Islamabad in October 2011. The immediate trigger for this was US displeasure over the Pakistani military establishment's hobnobbing with the Haqqani Network.

Her remark came after an even more damning observation by Admiral Mike Mullen, the then head of the US joint chiefs of staff, who described the Haqqani Network as the 'veritable arm' of the Pakistani spy agency, the Inter Services Intelligence.

Obviously, the Obama administration has once again turned its Pakistan policy on its head with its decision to sell F-16 planes to Pakistan. However, no amount of huffing and puffing and fretting and fuming by India will help.

The Modi government will have to launch a lobbying blitzkrieg to woo American lawmakers. Besides, it will have to loosen its purse strings and unleash a pro-active campaign through its two major Prasar Bharti vehicles, Doordarshan and All India Radio, to put its points across about Pakistan's track record in keeping snakes in its backyard. The sooner this is done, the better.
Last year, Maryam Nawaz accompanied her father to Washington, but played a role beyond being the dutiful daughter.

She was 'discovered' by the White House, and was hosted by Michelle Obama, reports Aditi Phadnis.

IMAGE: In this April 6, 2000 photograph, Maryam Nawaz, left, then ousted Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter, and her aunt Nusrat Shahbaz -- Nawaz Sharif's brother Shahbaz Sharif's wife -- flash victory signs as they leave court in Karachi.

Nawaz Sharif was then sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of terrorism and hijacking while Shahbaz and five others were acquitted on all charges.

Saudi Arabia later brokered a settlement with military dictator Pervez Musharraf to grant Nawaz Sharif amnesty and exile in the kingdom. Photograph: Reuters

Maryam Nawaz, daughter of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, is in the news for all the right reasons. Last week, she acted as the main host to Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, who was visiting Pakistan to understand that country's policies on the empowerment of women and their financial inclusion.

Last year, she accompanied her father to Washington but played a role beyond being the dutiful daughter. She was 'discovered' by the White House, and was hosted by Michelle Obama. Maryam Nawaz spoke to an invited audience about education for the girl child in Pakistan.

The Dawn reports that the invitation to the White House was delivered by none other than Peter Lavoy, US President Barack Obama's point man on South Asia: Which means Washington was also cautiously watching the succession plan unfolding in the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz).

It was to Maryam Nawaz's daughter's mehendi ceremony that Prime Minister Narendra Modi went over during Christmas last year. Maryam Nawaz is currently enrolled for a PhD degree in political science at the University of Cambridge. The topic of her thesis is 'Post-9/11 Radicalization of Pakistan.'

Maryam Nawaz made her political debut in Pakistan in November 2011, addressing a convention of women from the party. She strongly defended her family during the siege of Islamabad by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan. She handles the social media on behalf of the party -- where incidentally she has no formal role but is still seen sitting in at all important party meetings.

She was put in charge of an important credit programme for the youth in Pakistan -- until the court told her that she had no qualifications to head the programme and had to step down.

Nevertheless, public exposure is giving rise to a degree of speculation in Pakistan's chatterati: Are we seeing the rise of the political heir to Nawaz Sharif?

There is another claimant: Hamza Sharif, Maryam's cousin. The eldest son of Shahbaz Sharif, Hamza Sharif was the only one left behind in Pakistan when his uncle Nawaz Sharif and father Shahbaz Sharif were in exile in Saudi Arabia during the tenure of Pervez Musharraf.

Known as Punjab's poultry king because of his investments in the business, Hamza Sharif is thought to have a good grip on the affairs of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and a first-mover advantage.

On the other hand, Nawaz Sharif's wife Kalsoom, herself not really a force in politics, is presumably pushing her daughter towards a bigger role because she wants the inheritance to stay in her own immediate family.

Why is all this so important? Because general elections will be held in Pakistan in 2018 and it is possible that a succession plan might be rolled out before that in the PML-N.

In the Pakistan People's Party, Bilawal Bhutto and his sister Aseefa Bhutto are already playing public roles. However, the succession is not as clear-cut in the PML-N. And if a civilian government endures, it is important to understand the personalities.

Earlier it was Hamza Sharif, who was thought to be the natural heir -- Nawaz Sharif's two sons, Hassan and Hussain, are reportedly not interested in politics, opting to run the family business.

But grubbiness and allegations of corruption, combined with a messy personal life -- rumours started circulating about a second wife and he dismissed them vehemently until his alleged second wife Ayesha Ahad came on YouTube claiming she was his legitimate wife; claims of other women, at least four, that he had married them, have also surfaced, leading to considerable ribaldry on social media -- caused a fall from grace.

However, Hamza Sharif is still better accepted by the party in a culture where peccadilloes are not really a disadvantage.

It is hard to work out whom the mantle will pass on to and whether the succession plan will be rolled out smoothly.

In a culture of politics where political parties are dominated by families, as in India, in Pakistan too, nobody is really questioning the fact that the PML-N's political legacy seems to be appropriated by one family.

Obviously this stems from the strength of the family in Punjab where Hamza Sharif's father and Nawaz Sharif's brother Shahbaz is the current chief minister.

It is possible that the rivalry between the cousins, both in their 40s, might come to nothing. On the other hand, with all that India has recently invested in the civilian government in Pakistan, it is essential to understand the individuals who could play a dominant role in the future.

The party will probably take Hamza Sharif more seriously. But at this point, the balance of advantage is in Maryam Nawaz's favour.
Will China's new military reforms endanger Xi Jinping's rule, asks Claude Arpi.

IMAGE: People's Liberation Army soldiers march in Beijing. Photograph: Damir Sagolj/Reuters

China has undertaken mega military reforms leaving no doubt that it is arming itself.

On December 28, the PLA Daily announced that the People's Liberation Army Navy had just commissioned three new vessels, including a Dongdiao-class auxiliary general intelligence ship named Neptune, to bolster China's intelligence gathering and surveillance capabilities in the disputed South China Sea.

Three days later, Senior Colonel Yang Yujun, spokesman for the ministry of national defence stated: 'Taking various factors into consideration, relevant authority started the research and development of China's second aircraft carrier, which is currently under independent design and construction.'

It will be propelled by a conventional power plant and have a displacement of 50,000 tons; in many ways, it will be similar to the Liaoning, the first Chinese carrier.

The same day (the last day of 2015), President Xi Jinping, who is also Chairman of the Central Military Commission, inaugurated three new PLA 'units' or 'services', namely, the PLA Land Army, the PLA Rocket Force and the PLA Strategic Support Force.

Xi said it was 'an important decision to realise the Chinese Dream and the Dream of a Strong Military, and a strategic initiative to build a modern military power system with Chinese characteristics.'

According to the Chinese president it should 'optimise its power structure and troop formation, speed up the army's transformation and build a powerful, modern and new-type army.'

Regarding the PLA Land Army, The South China Morning Post commented: 'Once the changes are in place the CMC will take direct charge of administering all military wings, including the PLA, the People's Armed Police, and the militia and reserve forces.'

The PLA Rocket Force will take over from the Second Artillery Force to 'strengthen the trustworthy and reliable nuclear deterrence and nuclear counter-attack capabilities, intensify the construction of medium and long range precision strike power.'

Yang Yujun had earlier asserted that the creation of the Rocket Force was consistent with China's nuclear policy and strategy.

The PLA Strategic Support Force, an 'important growth point' of China's combat capabilities will deal with hi-tech warfare in space and cyberwar.

The seven Military Area Commands are being replaced by five Combat Zone Commands.

Finally on January 11, Xi announced the reorganization of the four PLA military departments -- staff, political, logistics and armaments -- into 15 new units which will directly work under the CMC.

When he met the bosses of the new unit, Xi described the reshuffle as a 'breakthrough' and a 'crucial step' toward a stronger military.

Xi further urged the new leaders to 'frequently, actively and resolutely' align their direction with the CPC Central Committee and the CMC.

IMAGE: People's Liberation Army soldiers march in Beijing. Photograph: Damir Sagolj/Reuters

Already on November 7, The People's Daily published a commentary calling on military authorities to win the 'battle of military reforms.'

The Communist Party mouthpiece reiterated the party's absolute leadership over the military and asked the armed forces to 'remain consistent with the central authorities' decisions.'

Probably some elements in the PLA are today not 'consistent' with the party.

The The People's Daily warned: 'Senior leading departments and officials should play a guiding role in the process. They must back the central authorities' decisions and oppose political liberalism. They must not act on their own, gossip or make irresponsible remarks.'

The entire PLA reorganisation could prove a perilous exercise.

The South China Morning Post, always well informed as far as defence matters are concerned, commented: 'The restructure is part of Xi's massive military overhaul, which aims to shift the PLA from an army-centric system towards a Western-style joint command, in which the army, navy and air force are equally represented.'

Last month, in a long speech carried by Xinhua, Xi gave a rather detailed report on the planned reforms. 'Under the leadership of the Communist Party,' he asserted, 'our military has gone from small to big, from weak to strong, from victory to victory. On this road, reform and innovation steps have never stopped.'

Under the new dispensation, two deputy commanders of the PLA general staff department, Admiral Sun Jianguo, 63 (who recently visited India with the CMC vice-chairman) and Lieutenant General Yi Xiaoguang, 57, should respectively take over the PLA Navy and Air Force, while General Li Zuocheng, 62, commander of the Chengdu MAC, is to become the first chief of a newly-formed land force command.

Three new chiefs should automatically become members of the CMC.

IMAGE: Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, with one of his predecessors Jiang Zemin at the military parade in Beijing, September 3, 2015. Photograph: Wang Zhao/Reuters

What is the objective of this exercise apart from cutting the corruption rampant in each department?

The declared purpose of the exercise is to have, by 2020, a military setup 'capable of winning information-age warfare.'

'Efficiency' is clearly the new mantra.

'The troop cuts are part of long-mooted reforms to simplify and further professionalise the military, especially command and leadership structures that are still largely run along Soviet lines,' Reuters noted.

It is obvious that if China wants to pick a fight with the US or Japan or even with its smaller neighbours, its armed forces need to be ready. Today, they are not.

By focusing on merging similar functions, the multiple-department CMC should become more efficient to supervise and coordinate the defence forces.

Even the intelligence set-up will be transformed.

'The wide-ranging scope of the new PLA reforms will have many unforeseen second- and third-order consequences (for Chinese intelligence),' Peter Mattis, a Fellow in the China Programme at The Jamestown Foundation, noted.

'If the Chinese military implements every single one of the announced proposals,' he added, 'this round of reform could wind up being as significant as the reforms undertaken in the early 1950s.'

,font size=7>A new personnel ratio between the Army, Navy, Air Force, Rocket Force and Strategic Support Force should take care of the 'increasingly complicated global situation faced by the world's largest rising power,' wrote The Global Times.

IMAGE: A billboard with Chinese President Xi Jinping behind People's Liberation Army soldiers in Beijing. Photograph: Damir Sagolj/Reuters

As a large number of staff will be out of jobs, particularly in the political department, how to temper the resentment of the generals and troops?

The PLA Daily recently called for those who will lose their positions to 'jump out of the box of self-interest... those with ulterior motives, officers and soldiers must maintain their ideological and political convictions.'

The PLA Daily acknowledges that it will require that the high-level authorities and senior cadres provide the example. Will the 'retired' generals do this?

One sign that all is not well for Xi is the visit of the entire China Military Commission to The PLA Daily in December. Xi called on the journalists to play a leading role in strengthening the military and to innovate.

The newspaper, Xi said, should uphold party principles and 'unswervingly' embrace the Communist Party leadership.

Xi also asked the publication to explain the military reform to the officers and soldiers and 'guide' the officers and soldiers to support and take part in the reform.

Another sign of the difficult times ahead is the fact that Xi did not manage to promote one of his proteges, General Liu Yuan, who retired as the political commissar of the PLA's logistics department.

Liu, former Chinese president Liu Shaoqi's son, greatly helped Xi in his campaign to cleanse the 'flies and tigers' in the PLA ranks. With two CMC vice-chairmen being investigated, Liu was expected to be appointed secretary of a Central Commission for Discipline Inspection to be set up within the CMC.

The fact that he did not get the job tends to show that Xi does not have full control.

What do these reforms mean for India?

On December 31, Senior Colonel Yang Yujun, the spokesman for the ministry of national defence, commented on the situation on the China-India border, sating, 'The two militaries have strengthened border defence contacts through institutionalised channels in the border area... The Chinese side is ready to work with the Indian side to jointly maintain peace and stability in the border region.'

In the coming year, China will try to keep the situation on the border stable, but in longer terms, the Chinese defence forces will become fitter, better prepared and far better coordinated.

Militarily, reforms make sense for China. It also implies that India has a few years to prepare itself, with the new Mountain Strike Corps for example.

Will the Indian leadership take up the opportunity is another question.
'All judges are conscious of the historical legacy they leave behind. Chief Justice Thakur understands the important question of Constitutional law involved and the change in public mood,' lawyer Anand Grover tells Sunil Sethi.

In 2013, the well-known fashion designer Suneet Varma took off for New York with his younger boyfriend and business partner Rahul Arora. There, the two men donned their sherwanis, paid a fee of $35 (Rs 2,385) and had a City Hall wedding.

To their delight, the newlyweds elicited the overwhelming support of friends and well-wishers. Although their union has no legal sanction in India, Varma, proudly posing with his partner, Arora, in a magazine this month says, 'For us, we're just living our lives, we haven't done anything brave. I married my lover, that's all.'

Ironically, not long afterwards, the bid to decriminalise homosexuality received its biggest setback. On December 11, 2013, a two-member Supreme Court bench, led by Justice G S Singhvi, overturned the historic 2009 ruling by Chief Justice A P Shah of the Delhi high court, which termed Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code as a violation of 'individuals' fundamental rights of dignity and privacy.'

Justice Singhvi argued that the matter concerned only a small number of people; upholding the Constitutional validity of Section 377, he made homosexuality a crime again -- in effect, passing the buck for the legislature to decide. Widely condemned as 'retrograde' and 'disgraceful,' Justice Singhvi's parting shot -- the judgment came on the day before his retirement -- was described by Justice Leila Seth, whose novelist son Vikram Seth long ago came out as gay, as 'untempered by any sympathy for the suffering of others.'

How could the Supreme Court 'abdicate its responsibilities to protect their fundamental rights, or shuffle them off to Parliament...' she asked.

But now the final battle against Section 377 has begun. Chief Justice T S Thakur's decision this month to refer eight pending curative petitions to an expanded five-member bench has sparked a glimmer of hope among the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, public-spirited citizens and leading lights of the legal fraternity.



This is a very rare occurrence. Curative petitions are the last resort to restore justice. They are seldom admitted -- in fact, 99 per cent are turned down. Their success rate is even rarer -- only three in the entire history of the Supreme Court so far -- which makes the legal challenge formidable.

Yet, it is a sign of the changed tenor of the times that the Chief Justice stressed, 'The matter is of such importance that it should go to a five-judge bench,' though the composition of the bench remains to be announced.

Led by the indefatigable Anand Grover, the co-founder of the Lawyers Collective, who has been fighting for the rights of HIV patients and the LGBT community since the early 1990s, the battle is now joined by court luminaries of the order of Kapil Sibal, K K Venugopal, Ashok Desai, Shyam Divan and Colin Gonsalves.

Grover, who is married to the feminist lawyer and former additional solicitor general Indira Jaising, operates out of a first-floor office in a crowded south Delhi marketplace. I asked him why the contest to legalise homosexuality, after years of tortuous twists and turns, has come to such a pass? Could it be that Chief Justice Thakur, who retires next January, hopes to be seen as a trail-blazer? "Perhaps," he answered cautiously. "All judges are conscious of the historical legacy they leave behind. Chief Justice Thakur understands the important question of Constitutional law involved and the change in public mood."

Parliament has failed miserably in repealing Section 377, as proven by the resounding defeat of Shashi Tharoor's private member's Bill in the Lok Sabha last December. Although the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and the Communist Party of India-Marxist are in favour of striking off Section 377, conservative sections of the Bharatiya Janata Party have refrained. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is the odd man out. 'When you have millions of people involved in this (gay sex) you can't nudge them off,' he said not long ago.



More than a hundred countries, including neighbouring Nepal, have legalised homosexuality, either through their legislatures or courts or both, but India is stuck in a political and legal quagmire. Lately, however, a growing body of literature has added resonance to the voices against Section 377.

The most courageous recent account is by the journalist and activist Siddharth Dube in No One Else: A Personal History of Outlawed Love and Sex. Dube was a child of privilege -- Doon School, St Stephen's College, Harvard University -- and later a consultant to the World Bank and UNAIDS. His story of loneliness and persecution, including being thrown into the lock-up when he lived with his Indo-French lover in an upscale New Delhi neighbourhood, sums up the transition from how the personal became political.

As more and more Indians come out to openly declare their same-sex relationships, will the Supreme Court support their last stand? Grover quantifies the sea change by saying, "In 2001, there were few willing to join the fight. Today they all want to be petitioners."

IMAGE: The Delhi Queer Pride march. Photograph: Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images
Burying differences on the Lankan Tamils issue that had rocked their nine-year-old alliance in 2013, Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Saturday decided to come together to fight the upcoming assembly polls in the state.

The national party described the regional outfit as the "most dependable partner" as senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad formalised the alliance with DMK President M Karunanidhi in Chennai, three years after the latter snapped ties accusing the Congress of betraying the Sri Lankan Tamils.

"The party has decided at our national level and also at Karunanidhi ji's level and other esteemed leaders of the DMK that we will be fighting this election together; we will have an alliance," Azad told reporters after meeting the DMK chief at his Gopalapuram residence.

The leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha heaped praise on Karunanidhi and DMK, calling him an "esteemed leader" and describing the party as "most dependable."

Karunanidhi was an "esteemed leader" since the times of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, he said, adding that "DMK has always been and shall remain a most dependable partner".

Asked what had changed between 2013 and 2016 for the two to join hands again, Azad said there were political "compulsions and pressures".

"It is not the first time we have gone with DMK. We've had partnerships on earlier occasions. Sometimes in politics there are compulsions and pressures," he said while expressing confidence that the DMK-led coalition would emerge victorious in the state elections, where it takes on the Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK.

Congress and DMK and other possible allies that join the coalition will form a "formidable combination", he said.

Asked if the "other allies" referred to actor-politician Vijayakant's DMDK, actively being wooed by both DMK and BJP, the Congress leader said that decision was for DMK to take.

"DMK is the principal ally under whose leadership the polls will be fought and they will decide," said Azad.

Since Congress and DMK have joined hands, more parties could come into the alliance, he added.

In 2013, DMK had pulled out of UPA after its demand for strong amendments to a US-sponsored resolution in a UN body against Sri Lanka for alleged war crimes and a resolution in the Indian Parliament were not heeded to by Congress.

Images: Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mukul Wasnik meeting with DMK Chief M Karunanidhi at his residence in Chennai. MK Stalin and Kanimozhi are also seen. Photograph: PTI Photo
Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain has asked his countrymen to avoid observing Valentines Day, saying the western tradition was not part of our culture.

We should avoid Valentine Day as it has no connection with our culture, Hussain said while addressing a gathering of students -- mostly girls -- on the death anniversary of freedom movement leader Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar in Islamabad.

Hussain said that a blind following of western traditions will lead to a degradation of our values, and has led to several problems including increase in attacks against women in a neighbouring country.

Hussain on Friday also said that Pakistan could achieve progress by adopting the philosophies of its great leaders.

Hussains rhetoric against Valentines Day came a day after the local elected council in Peshawar and Kohat district banned its celebration.

There is no need to designate a special day where people give cards, chocolates and gifts to each other, district council chairman Maulana Niaz Mohammad said. Valentines Day has become a common and unnecessary part of our culture.

The celebration on February 14 has often been criticised by Islamists as an insult to Islam.

Police, however, said that the ban cannot be enforced as legally there is no bar on celebrating Valentines Day.

Most people in Pakistan celebrate Valentines day, usually observed by a limited number of people in major urban centres, at enclosed places due to fear of attacks by Islamists. In the past several such gatherings have been targeted and disrupted by activists of religious parties.

Image: Women buy gifts ahead of Valentines Day in Multan. Photograph: Asim Tanveer/Reuters
In a major success, army killed five suspected Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorists while losing two soldiers during an overnight encounter that ended on Saturday in Kupwara district bordering Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Troops from the Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operations Group engaged the terrorists. Photograph: Umar Ganie

The encounter in Zonreshi village started on Friday when army launched a search operation following information about presence of some terrorists there, Defence spokesman said on Saturday.

He said as the Army commenced the search of a suspect house, the hiding terrorists resorted to a "heavy volume of fire" and threw grenades.

"Despite the disadvantage of being fired upon by terrorists from the upper floor of the house, the soldiers immediately retaliated," he said.

"As the soldiers engaged the terrorists, additional reinforcement effectively cordoned off the house to prevent escape of the terrorists," he said.

The operation, which concluded on Saturday, led to elimination of five terrorists, the spokesman said, terming it as "yet another major blow to the terror outfits".

"Two Army soldiers also attained martyrdom", he said. They were Naik Shinde Shankar and Gunner Sahadev Maruti More.

Police said four army personnel including a Major, were injured in the operation. The injured have been admitted to a military hospital in Drugmulla.

The defence spokesman did not spell out the identity or group affiliation of the slain terrorists but police sources said they were likely from LeT.

Five AK-47 rifles and a cache of ammunition and other war like stores have been recovered from the site.

The Army spokesman said the force "lost two of its gallant soldiers who were the leading scouts and despite bearing the brunt of the initial volley of fire, stood their ground for each other and the rest of the search team".

Northern Army Commander Lt Gen D S Hooda expressed his condolences to the families of the two soldiers.
Lashkar-e-Tayiba and the Al Qaeda were convinced that 26/11 attack masterminds Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman would face only "superficial" action from the Pakistani authorities and within months plans were afoot for another terror strike in India, Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley said on Saturday.

Headley, who is serving a 35-year jail term in the US in connection with the 26/11 case, said this before a special court in Mumbai via video link from the US during his deposition which concluded on Saturday.

The 55-year-old LeT operative told the Special Judge G A Sanap that after the attacks in Mumbai he was concerned about the safety of Saeed and Lakhvi and hence was in constant touch with LeT operative Sajid Mir, who was his handler, and Al Qaeda member Abdul Rehman Pasha (former LeT cadre).

"FIA (Federal Investigating Agency of Pakistan) was conducting investigations, interrogating people and pursuing people from LeT. Hence I asked Mir about 'old uncle' (Saeed) and 'young uncle'(Lakhvi). Mir, in his reply, said that young uncle is fine and flying high. I think by this Mir meant that Lakhvi's morale was high even though he was in prison at that time," Headley said.

Mir also said that "old uncle is fit and healthy like anything. Don't put ears to rumours, he is moving back and forth like a tornado for his business and he (Mir) gave solace," the LeT approver said.

Responding to one of his mails, Pasha had written, "Don't worry everything here is normal. By this Pasha meant that I need not worry (about Saeed and Lakhvi) as the action against them and other LeT members are superficial," said Headley.

Giving further details about anti-India activities, Headley said eight months after the Mumbai strike, Mir had sent an e-mail to him saying that another location needs to be scouted in India for future attacks.

"Mir in his mail has said an 'investment plan' needs to be made (meaning another location for attack). I told Mir that this time the attack should not be in 'Rahul (Bhatt's) City. I referred to Mumbai as Rahul City," he said while informing the court that all the emails had coded language.

Headley, who had scouted the November 2008 targets in Mumbai, said he had visited Pushkar, Goa and Pune in March 2009 and recced the cities as sought by Ilyas Kashmiri of Al Qaeda.

He also visited the Indian Army's Southern Command headquarters at Pune in 2009 on the instructions of ISI's Major Iqbal, who wanted him to recruit some military personnel to get "classified" information, Headley revealed.

After the deposition which began on Monday, the court adjourned the case for cross-examination by accused and key 26/11 plotter Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal's lawyer for a future date.

Headley said Mir and Major Iqbal had encouraged him to develop close relations with Raja Ram Rege (a former member of Shiv Sena) and they would decide in the future if he (Rege) would be of any use to them.

"On May 19, 2008 Rege has sent me an e-mail regarding certain investment I forwarded it to Mir, Iqbal and Rana and sought their advice. While Rana was ready to make the investments, Iqbal was not ready for any terror strike and only wanted information about military while Pasha, Mir and me wanted (a terror) attack," he told the court.

He also claimed that he had suggested to Rege to call late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and his son Uddhav to US so that they could 'take care' of them.

Major Iqbal, Headley said, had raised some questions about the use of Rege. "Iqbal wanted to know if Rege could provide information on Indian military and paramilitary force. Iqbal asked me to keep Rege engaged in seminars and conferences in US," Headley said.

When the court played the audio transcripts of the conversation between the LeT handlers operating from a control room in Karachi and the attackers, Headley identified the voices of Abu Kahfa, Mir and Abu Al-Kama (LeT operative).

"I cannot understand or identify any other voice," he added.

Headley told the court that when he asked Mir 'are most of the problems solved for uncle and his friends' he was referring to leadership of LeT that is Saeed and Lakhvi.

He said that in another e-mail to Mir referring to Saeed he wrote 'old uncle got H1 Virus too? Do the docs in hospital wants to give him checkup'. By this I meant if Hafiz Saheb was under investigation and he would be arrested," he said.

He also told the court that once Pasha told him that 'Chacha revealed some facts about Ismael under pressure'. "Pasha referred to Lakhvi as Chacha while Ismael was me," he said.

He also told the court that he (Headley) was never arrested or called for interrogation by FIA despite several visits to Pakistan after 26/11 attacks, which left 166 dead and 309 injured.

"Investigating agencies in Pakistan had never arrested me at any point of time neither FIA ever called me for interrogation during my stay in Pakistan. Mir or Major Iqbal were also never arrested by FIA," Headley told the court.

He said though Pasha was not arrested in the 26/11 attacks case in July-August 2009, he was arrested in connection with another case.

Headley told the court that after the November 2008 attacks, he apprehended his arrest or killing in India which he was going to visit in March and hence had made a will which he sent to his business partner Tawahur Rana.

"In March 2009, I sent a mail to Rana and enclosed my will, I sent it as I knew that I was going back to India and in the event that I would be arrested or killed. I wanted him to take care of certain personal/family matters as I thought it was a responsible thing to do," the LeT operative said.

After Nikam concluded his examination, Jundal's lawyer sought four weeks' time for cross-examining Headley.

While Nikam objected to this, assistant attorney in US Sarah told the court that they would not be available in the near future and a fresh request would have to be made to fix a date for cross-examination.

The court asked Jundal's lawyer to inform Nikam by February 22 the exact time and number of days he would require to cross examine Headley after which the prosecutor would initiate further process.
A three-tiered security cover has been made with a deployment of 10,000 policemen ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis scheduled visit in Mumbai for the inauguration of the Make-in-India Week event.

Modi is set to inaugurate the programme at the NSCI Auditorium at Worli in central Mumbai. Later, he is also likely to interact with industry captains like Ratan Tata, Cyrus Mistry, Mukesh Ambani.

There would be three-tiered security arrangements in view of PMs visit, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection) Dhananjay Kulkarni said.

The first tier will have personnel of armed forces, who will guard the venues where the PM will visit, while the middle layer will consist of sleuths in plain and uniformed clothes from both Mumbai police as well as crime branch, police said.

The third layer of the security will man the outer-most post of the venues and roads and these personnel will especially belong to citys police force, Kulkarni said.

Specialised police personnel from Quick Response Team, State Reserve Police Force, Combat Vehicles and snipers will be deployed at specific locations around the venues where the PM will visit, police said.

Over 2,500 international and 8,000 domestic companies will be participating in MIIW, a week-long multi-sectoral industrial event, which will be attended by foreign government delegations from 68 countries and business teams from 72 nations.

The participants at the event also include foreign heads of government and states, prime ministers of Sweden, Finland and Deputy Premier of Poland, besides other Cabinet ministers.
Jaitley said unlike in the UPA regime when policies were framed from Congress headquarters at 24, Akbar Road, in the NDA government Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the last word.

Tearing into former Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs criticism of Modi government, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said the transition from the United Progressive Aliiance to the National Democratic Alliance government has been from policy-paralysis to a global bright-spot while Congress stand on the crucial GST Bill has been motivated by real politics.

In a Facebook post titled What Dr Manmohan Singh should advise his party, Jaitley said unlike in the UPA regime when policies were framed from Congress headquarters at 24, Akbar Road, in the NDA government Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the last word.

Former presidents and prime ministers rarely speak, but when they do, the nation should listen to them with rapt attention. They represent the wisdom of the nation.

They are expected to be non-partisan, render constructive advice and at times send a powerful message even to their own political party to act in broader national interest, he said.

Stating that he had consistently held Singh in high respect, he expected the same from him.

Referring to Singhs interview to a periodical over Modi not reaching out to the Opposition and government not doing enough to move up the countrys economy, he said, I am sure if Dr Singh would dispassionately analyse the present government, he would really realise India has a government where the prime minister has the last word, where natural resources are allocated without corruption through transparent process...where industrialists no longer visit North Block to push files/decisions, where environmental clearances are dealt with in routine and not stalled on sadistic or corrupt considerations.

Posing a question if there was any change in the work culture, the finance minister said the public sector banks were hardly run by their own Boards or even by North Block during the UPA government.

They were run from 24, Akbar Road. In power and infrastructure areas, sectoral challenges were not addressed during the UPA. It is the present government which is clearing up these accumulated challenges, he said.

Jaitley said many stalled infrastructure projects have now started moving. Indias journey is from policy-paralysis to a global bright-spot, as the fastest growing economy moves on notwithstanding major challenges.

On consultations with the Opposition, he said almost all political parties except the Congress, support the GST.

The Congress has done a volte face. Both the parliamentary affairs minister and myself have discussed the GST with every senior Congress leader in Parliament, he said.

He asked if the Congress position on Constitutional cap on GST rates not motivated by real politics?

The economist in Dr Singh should advice his party that tariffs are not provided for in the Constitution. This is what nation expects from the senior leaders and statesmen like former prime ministers, he added.

Read Arun Jaitleys full post HERE
A week after he went missing from a train on way to New Delhi, Army Captain Sikhardeep on Saturday appeared before Faizabad police in Uttar Pradesh.

I have talked to Captain Sikhardeep over phone. He is in Kotwali police station of Faizabad district and he is fine. The army personnel took him to Dogra cantonment (in Faizabad), Superintendent of Railway Police Jitendra Kumar Mishra said.

Mishra said Sikhardeep called his sister on her mobile in Katihar on Saturday morning and informed her that he was at Kotwali police station of Faizabad.

She then informed their father Anant Kumar, a Lt Colonel-rank officer posted at Ranchi, who in turn told the SRP about his sons sudden appearance at Faizabad.

Mishra said Shikhardeep told him that he got off Mahananda Express at Patna Junction to drink water and lost consciousness thereafter.

When he regained consciousness, the captain said he found himself tied to a chair at an unknown place. He managed to free himself, ran a few kilometres and then took Kamakhya Express.

However, the SRP said, the army officer could not tell him the place where he boarded Kamakhya Express and where he got down from the train.

The captain said he somehow reached Faizabad and went to Kotwali police station where he introduced himself.

Sikhardeep, who is posted in Jammu and Kashmir, had boarded Mahananda Express from Katihar on February 6 to go to New Delhi. His family had last spoken to him on phone that night but he did not reach Delhi.

The police team, which has been camping at Mugalsarai station to look for Sikhardeep, has been asked to reach Faizabad.

His brother-in-law, who had registered an FIR with Katihar GRP on February 9 about his disappearance, had also gone with the police team.

The 24-year-old army officer, presently posted with 8th Sikh Light Infantry at Nowshera in Jammu and Kashmir, had come home for a month long holiday and was returning on February 6 by Mahananda Express.
What you need to know about Powerball and the $550 jackpot
A Muslim imam will be guest speaker for the monthly meeting of the Abilene Interfaith Council.

The meeting, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the fellowship hall of First Central Presbyterian Church, 400 Orange St.

Guest speaker will be Abdul Hakim Mohammed, founder and past president of Pure Hand of Mankind and imam, or leader, at the Al-Hedaya Mosque & Academy in Fort Worth. Abdul Hakim holds a bachelor's degree in sharia or Islamic law from the University of Medina. He is a third generation American of Yemeni descent who grew up in Detroit and has been an imam in New York City, Detroit, Nashville and Fort Worth.

Abdul Hakim is former executive director of the Texas Islamic Council Program at the Freedom & Justice Foundation. He has served as an imam and khateeb, the person who delivers Friday prayers in Islam, for more than 27 years.

IF YOU GO

What: Abilene Interfaith Council

When: 7 p.m. Tuesday

Where: First Central Presbyterian Church fellowship hall, 400 Orange St.

Program: How Do You View Islam? Followed by Q&A session

Speaker: Abdul Hakim Mohammed, American Imam and scholar

Admission: Free to public

 Loretta Fulton
Temple services

Temple Mizpah, 849 Chestnut St., will have Shabbat services at 7 p.m. Friday led by Dr. Marc Orner. The Women's Auxiliary will host an oneg Shabbat following services. For more information call 325-672-8225.

Red and White Tea

The Missionary Society of Antioch C.M.E. Church, 801 Plum St., has scheduled its annual Red and White Tea for 4 p.m. Sunday in the annex building at the church. Cost is $3 per person and can be purchased at the door. There will be door prizes, games and more.

Lenten studies: 'The Parables of Lent'

Zion Lutheran Church, 2801 Antilley Road, continues its Lenten Study Series, "The Parables of Lent," at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesdays. A meal will be served at 6 p.m.

Church to begin Lenten series

The Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest, 602 Meander St., begins a teaching series on Wednesday in the Parish Hall. "Ashes to Fire: Being Healed and Healer" will be offered at 6:30 p.m.

In addition, "The Way of the Cross" will be observed at 10 a.m. each Friday in Lent in the church nave. It is an ancient prayer practice adapted for local custom based on pilgrims who travel to Jerusalem to follow the same footsteps that Jesus walked during his passion and death. Each of the 14 stations includes prayers and readings.

Lenten Bible study: 'Did Paul Say That?'

First Christian Church, 1420 N. Third St., begins a Bible study for the Lenten season from 5 to 6:30 p.m. each Sunday during Lent. The focus of the study will be the Apostle Paul and especially the "unknown Paul" who emerges when there is a closer study of his epistles.

Unitarian Universalists

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Abilene, 1541 Sayles Blvd., welcomes people of all religions and nonreligious to hear Roxana McCoun, a mathematics instructor at McMurry University, speak about Transylvania, a region of Romania and the birthplace of the Unitarian faith, at 11 a.m. Sunday. For more information, visit www.uuabilene.org.

Send news of your religious organization or group to Religion Editor, Abilene Reporter-News, P.O. Box 30, Abilene, Texas 79604; fax it to 325-670-5242; or email it to jan.woodward@reporternews.com. Deadline is noon Monday.
An Abilene man was sentenced to 121 months in federal prison Thursday for possessing child pornography.

Michael Cleo Ivy, 37, previously entered a guilty plea in July 2015 to one count of possession of prepubescent child pornography, according to U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Chief U.S. District Judge Jorge A. Solis issued the ruling.

According to documents filed in his case, Ivy used the computer at his residence to search for images and videos of child pornography and in doing so, he also located, downloaded, and viewed numerous images and videos constituting child pornography. Some of those images involved prepubescent minors.

Ivy's case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. The initiative granted federal, state and local authorities more resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims, according to news release.
A look at elections in Taylor County and beyond
He's the boy who would not give up  when it came to raising money for his favorite charity.

Brenden Baker turned 13 on Dec. 31 and told his parents and grandparents he didn't want any presents, he just wanted people to donate to the Children's Miracle Network.

As of noon on Friday, his GoFundMe campaign to raise money for CMN has received more than $31,000 from 376 donors, including an anonymous donation of $16,000 on Thursday,

Brenden was born with Desbuquois syndrome, a very rare form of dwarfism. He's one of a few dozen people in the world with the medical condition. He stands just over 27 inches and weighs 24 pounds.

Brenden's dad, Chris Baker, said that his son checks the www.gofundme.com/brendenbaker Web page about every five minutes to see how it's going. The youngster hopes his expansive network of friends and the new friends he's gained can help him reach his lofty goal.

His grandfather, Bruce Bachmann, has done a few appearances with his grandson.

They were being interviewed on a local news show when Brenden was asked how he hoped to raise.

"He said, '$150,000,' slammed his fist on the table and said, 'Donate, people!,'" Bachmann shared, with a chuckle. "We all laughed  but who knows?"

That $16,000 donation has the whole family wondering who it might have been. Chris Baker, who is handling the GoFundMe campaign, usually gets an email with at least a little information about each donation, but nothing yet on the big one.

"We're getting so many donations, it's clogging up the email," Chris Baker said. "Not everything is getting through."

When Brenden was asked about what he thought of all the donations, he had one word: "Fantastic."

His sunny personality and determination have taken his campaign global.

Brenden's story has been shared by Huffington Post, ABC News, FOX News, CNN and the Daily Mail in the United Kingdom, to name a few.

This isn't Brenden's first experience as an Internet sensation. Bachmann recorded a video of Brenden dancing at the Abilene library during a Young Audiences' performance by FLY Dance Co., from Houston, in 2013.

It went viral in a big way and has been shared all over the world.

And even before that, Brenden was a bit of a celebrity in Abilene.

When CMN used to do local televised telethons, he usually made an appearance every year. Though the broadcast telethons ended in 2014, that hasn't stopped Brenden's involvement with CMN.

"He attends every single one of my events that I ask him to," Melinda Blay, coordinator for CMN at Hendrick Medical Center, said. "He never tells me no."

Donations to CMN provide medical equipment, educational tools or therapeutic toys to children in Abilene and the Big Country. The funds from CMN have help make Hendrick Children's Hospital more comfortable for the children and their families, as well as paid from lifesaving equipment, education for nurses and children's camps, such as Camp Courage.

CMN also provides emergency funds to help families who cannot afford prescriptions for their children, Blay said.

The experience has been a little overwhelming, Brenden's mother, Kim Bachmann Baker said,

"I think it's great, not just for Brenden, but for CMN," she said. "They have hospitals all over and they do a lot for kids, no matter what their ability to pay."

She said they've been having fun watching all the shares on Facebook and seeing the donations grow.

"Sometimes it's like watching election returns  how much is it now?" she said, with a laugh.

Next up for Brenden Baker? Hopefully "Ellen," if close family friend Beth Osborne has any say in it. Brenden is a big fan of Ellen DeGeneres and nothing would make him happier  except, maybe, raising $150,000 for Children's Miracle Network  than meeting her and being on her show.

"He really needs to be," Osborne said. "He's just one of a kind. I've never met anyone with more joy than Brenden."
Don Parrish of Plains announced Friday that he was withdrawing from the Republican primary for District 19 U.S. representative and endorsing Michael Bob Starr of Abilene.

He made the announcement to a Lubbock television station.

Starr released a statement saying, "While I am very surprised by the news, I am also incredibly honored to have his support. Don is a fine man and he has poured his heart and soul into this race over the last several months. He has my deep respect and admiration. He cares deeply about our country, West Texas, and our hard-working farmers and ranchers. I am proud to have him on our team, and I hope that I am fortunate enough to earn the support of more and more West Texans as we approach early voting."

The withdrawal leaves eight candidates in the March 1 primary.
Gen. Mark Milley, the Army chief of staff, and Gen. Robert Neller, commandant of the Marine Corps, both testified this month that because all combat roles are now open to women, women should register for the selective service as all American men must do when they turn 18.

Although Republicans have long opposed women serving in combat, several GOP candidates for president, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, endorsed the idea ahead of the New Hampshire primary.

Is this equality realized? Or equality gone too far?

Joel Mathis. Women? In the military? Fighting wars? If I had pearls, I'd clutch them.

The debate we're suddenly having about drafting women is very silly, for two reasons. First, you may have noticed that we don't actually draft people anymore  modern American conscription ended in January 1973.

America has fought a few wars since then. In fact, the first Gulf War took place my senior year in high school. I remember old hippies offering lessons in how to avoid the draft, if it were reinstated, but it never was.

The second invasion and occupation of Iraq might have justified a draft. That war stretched our military  along with reserve and National Guard units  to the breaking point, making it increasingly difficult for the all-volunteer military to recruit and retain, ahem, the volunteers. Still, renewal of the draft was never a serious likelihood.

Absent some big change in our political mindset, then, a draft is only likely if civilizational survival is truly at stake  if the barbarians really are at the gates. If that ever becomes the case, it won't matter much whether the hands holding weapons belong to men or women.

The other reason the argument is silly? Women already fight and die in our wars. Roughly 140 died fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. You really didn't hear all that much about it. Our hatred of seeing women come home in caskets, it seems, is more theoretical than proven.

Listen: The draft is an awful tool. It rips people away from their families to go kill and risk being killed for causes they may or may not support. It has always fallen most heavily on poor and working class men. If we're only now disturbed by the prospect of conscription, it doesn't necessarily mean we hold women in esteem. It probably just means we value the lives of poor men too little.

Ben Boychuk. What kind of man would think it a good idea to compel a woman to fight and die in a war? What sort of man would put somebody's daughter or mother harm's way before himself?

It's bad enough when the elite consensus no longer objects to women in combat, in practice let alone in theory. Political expediency demands that women have the opportunity to serve on the front lines. Politics will also require the armed services to change the standards to make sure they do.

Still, it's one thing to let American women volunteer for an infantry or armored unit, assuming the standards remained untouched. The question is whether they should be compelled to serve and fight.

Of course they shouldn't.

(To anticipate an objection: Yes, Israel requires men and women of a certain age to serve in the military. Israel is also a country roughly the size and population of New Jersey, surrounded by enemies that would kill every man, woman and child given half a chance. We aren't Israel.)

Say what you will about Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, but his response to his fellow Republican presidential candidates who lent their support to this Selective Service scheme was precisely right: "Are you guys nuts?"

"I'm the father of two little girls. I love those girls with all my heart. They are capable of doing anything in their hearts' desire," Cruz said. "But the idea that their government would forcibly put them in the foxhole with a 220-pound psychopath trying to kill them doesn't make any sense at all."

Not only that. We hear so much about the "rape culture" that supposedly permeates America's college and university campuses  a crisis so great that the Obama administration has made combating campus sexual assault a top priority. Yet this same government would subject women to rape, torture and slaughter at the hands of an enemy because equality somehow demands it. Strange.

Extending the draft to women isn't about fairness or equality. It's madness born of forgetfulness. We're forgetting what it means to be men and women. We're forgetting why our daughters and sisters should be protected, not made into cannon fodder. We're forgetting what it means to be a civilization worth defending in the first place.

Ben Boychuk is associate editor of the Manhattan Institute's City Journal. Joel Mathis is associate editor for Philadelphia Magazine. Email them at bboychuk@city-journal.org and joelmmathis@gmail.com
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Tibetan environmental activists clashed twice this week with Han Chinese and Tibetans fishing illegally in a scenic lake in northwestern Chinas Qinghai province, sustaining beatings in their attempts to stop the poaching, sources said.



On Feb. 12, a group of activist volunteers were attacked by poachers at a place called Chik Nga Chik after they had gone to check on reports of fishing in the lake, an area resident told RFAs Tibetan Service on Friday.



The poachers, who wore head coverings to conceal their identity, were later identified as Tibetans, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.



It is really sad when some Tibetans try to protect rare fish in the lake, while others try to take those fish, the source said.



This puts Tibetan volunteers in a difficult situation, as they have now become the victims of both Chinese and Tibetan poachers, he said.



Three days before, another group of volunteers was assaulted by Chinese fishermen at a place called Karla on Qinghai Lake, a member of the group told RFA, also speaking on condition he not be named.



The Tibetan volunteers were severely beaten, he said, adding, When police arrived, the fishermen assaulted them, too.



Three Tibetans were seriously injured in the attack, and two vehicles and a motorcycle belonging to the group were also damaged, the source said.



Incidents of illegal fishing have increased in recent years around Qinghai Lake, also called Kokonor, with local Tibetans stepping up monitoring activities in response, sources told RFA in earlier reports.



On June 26, 2015, Kawa Nyingchakan environmental activist and writer of childrens booksdrowned in Qinghai Lake while attempting to haul in nets used by Chinese poachers so he could hand them in to police.



Directives from Chinas central government urging protection of Tibets vulnerable environment are often flouted at the local level by Han Chinese migrants to the area, experts say.



Reported by Kunsang Tenzin for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Afghanistan has called on Pakistan to find and free a former Afghan provincial governor kidnapped in Islamabad.



The Afghan Foreign Ministry said Fazlullah Wahidi, a former governor of Afghanistan's western Herat Province, was abducted in the Pakistani capital on February 12.



The motive for the kidnapping was not clear, but the Afghan government asked Pakistani authorities "to use all their tools and possibilities to identify the group of kidnappers and take action to free Wahini immediately," the Foreign Ministry said.



The former Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, who is reportedly close to Wahidi, issued a separate statement on Facebook describing Wahidi as a "respectable elder."



Karzai's statement said Wahidi had traveled to Pakistan to apply for a visa to the United Kingdom, which does not issue visas to Afghans in Kabul.



Pakistani police said they were investigating Wahidi's disappearance.

With reporting from Reuters and AFP
Officials say Taliban insurgents killed six Afghan security personnel on February 13 in separate attacks.



Four policemen were killed and seven others wounded in double-suicide attacks at a security checkpoint in the southern province of Helmand, provincial police chief Abdul Rahman Sarjang said.



He said five insurgents equipped with suicide vests were shot and killed by security forces during the incident in the district center, Sangin, where the Taliban have been launching attacks against Afghan Army and police for several weeks.



Mohammad Rasoul Zazi, an army spokesman in Helmand, said one army soldier was killed and another was wounded in the attack.



In Kabul, the outgoing commander of international troops in Afghanistan, U.S. General John Campbell, confirmed the incident but said no American troops were involved.



Meanwhile, another policeman was killed and four others wounded when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in Uruzgan Province, district administration chief Rahimullah Khaliqi said.



The Taliban, which has stepped up attacks on Afghan security forces over the past year, claimed responsibility for the attacks in both Helmand and Uruzgan.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
MUNICH -- Russia came under pressure at a prominent security conference on February 13, facing rebukes from Western leaders over its interference in Ukraine, its bombing campaign in Syria, and what the head of NATO denounced as dangerous "posturing" about its nuclear might.



In a combative response, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev accused the West of pursuing the "containment" of Russia and said NATO is fomenting a new Cold War.



Standing in for President Vladimir Putin, Medvedev said the planet could face domination by an Islamic caliphate or be plunged into a third world war if the United States and Europe cannot cooperate more closely with Moscow.



The sometimes emotional exchanges came on the main day of the Munich Security Conference, where senior officials discussed what the chairman called a "bleak" security environment in a world beset by crises such as the war in Syria, a huge wave of refugees, and Russia's efforts to redraw national borders.



Sharing the stage with Medvedev, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said that Russia must stop bombing civilians in Syria, where it launched a campaign of air strikes in September, to pave the way for negotiations and make peace a possibility after five years of war.



Valls said that France respects Russia and its interests, but that in Syria "we do need to have peace, we need to have negotiations -- and for that we need to stop bombing civilians."



Regional and global powers in the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) agreed in Munich on February 12 to push for a cessation of hostilities in Syria, to start in week. The plan does not include Islamic State (IS) militants and the Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaedas affiliate in Syria.



Russia says those groups are its main targets, but Western governments say the majority of Russia's air strikes have targeted other opponents of the Syrian government, including Western-backed rebels. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the truce plan will not work if that doesn't change.



"To date, the vast majority of Russia's attacks have been against legitimate opposition groups," Kerry said in a speech in which he predicted that Syria's fate for the long term will be decided in the coming weeks. "To adhere to the agreement it made, we think it is critical that Russia's targeting change."



"If people who are ready to be part of a political process are being bombed, we are not going to have much of a conversation," he added.



Syria's Fate



Western officials fear that the aim of Moscows bombing campaign is to enable President Bashar al-Assad's government to defeat his opponents on the battlefield or, at the very least, ensure that a negotiated settlement of the conflict in Syria suits the Kremlin's interests.



Several Western and Middle East leaders have expressed concern that continued Russian bombing could scuttle the chances of progress toward a resolution of the five-year war in Syria. Assad added to concerns by saying he aimed to regain control of the entire country.



Speaking on a panel with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond also said the success of the cease-fire deal depends on whether Russia believes it has attained its goals or opts to keep pounding Assad's opponents.

Kerry suggested that Moscow has agreed to at least consider changing its targeting, saying that the entire ISSG -- "including Russia" -- had agreed to work on these issues. But Lavrov made no mention of that in his remarks at the conference, insisting that Russia is targeting IS and Al-Nusra.



He said it is the Syrian rebels and the West that will be to blame if the deal fails, saying it wont work unless the United States agrees to far closer military coordination with Russia in Syria. He accused Washington of seeking to force Russia to stop bombing while continuing its own air strikes against IS.



Pressed to say how confident he is that a "cessation of hostilities" will be implemented within a week, on a scale of 1 to 100, Lavrov replied: "49." Hammond said Lavrov's remarks made the chances sound more like "somewhere close to zero."



German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier also had harsh words for Russia at the conference, which opened in the German city on February 12.



Steinmeier said that "the question of war and peace has returned to the European continent" following Moscow's seizure of Crimea and its backing for separatists in eastern Ukraine whose war against Kyiv's forces has killed more than 9,000 people since April 2014.



Steinmeier said that after the end of the Cold War and the violent 20th century, "we had thought that peace had returned to Europe for good" and that "borders would not be put into question."



Kerry also blasted Russia for its "aggression" against Ukraine and said sanctions will stay in place until the Minsk II deal to resolve the conflict is implemented in full.



"Russia has a simple choice: fully implement Minsk or continue to face economically damaging sanctions," Kerry said.



"Put plainly, Russia can prove by its actions that it will respect Ukraine's sovereignty, just as it insists on respect for its own," he said.



Kerry added that implementation includes the withdrawal of Russian forces -- which Western governments say are in Ukraine despite Moscows denials -- and restoration of Kyiv's control over its entire border with Russia.



Kerry spoke of joint and "unwavering support for a democratic Ukraine" by the United States and the European Union, and called for Ukraine to do more to fight corruption.



WATCH: Poroshenko Denounces Russian 'Aggression' In Ukraine

'This Is Your Aggression'



Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko vowed to do so but stressed that his country needs unflagging support from the West, saying that the security of Europe and the world are at stake in Ukraine.



At a presidential panel at the Munich conference, he addressed angry remarks to an absent Putin.



"Mr. Putin, this is not a civil war in Ukraine, this is your aggression...this is your soldiers who have entered my country," Poroshenko said in English.



Fighting in eastern Ukraine has decreased dramatically since September 2015, but central aspects of the Minsk II deal have gone unfulfilled amid mutual recriminations.



Poroshenko said that it is "not only Ukraine, not only Ukrainian security" that is at stake: "This is European and global security."



He warned that Putin is threatening Europe and its values, saying there is an illiberal "alternative Europe" and its "name is Vladimir Putin."



Putin, who set the tone for deepened tension with the West in an angry speech at the Munich conference in 2007, has not attended since.



Medvedev delivered the Kremlin's sharply worded message this year -- and acknowledged that he had discussed his speech with Putin before making the trip.



He mixed calls for closer cooperation between Moscow and the West with accusations blaming the United States and Europe for the security problems plaguing the world.



Medvedev denied that Russian bombs are hitting civilians in Syria.



Accusing the United States and Europe of seeking to contain Russia -- using a Cold War term that Putin has frequently uttered -- he warned that problems such as the war in Syria and the threat from Islamist militants could get worse unless there is more cooperation between Moscow and the West.



"The danger of this approach is that in 10 to 20 years" the world may still be discussing the same issues it is facing today, he said. "That is, if there is anything to discuss. In a global caliphate, discussion is not welcome."



Medvedev said relations between Russia and NATO had "slid into a new period of Cold War."



"Almost every day we are accused of making new horrible threats either against NATO as a whole, against Europe, or against the United States, or other countries," he said.



"They make scary movies where Russia starts a nuclear war. I sometimes wonder -- are we in 2016 or 1962?" Medvedev added.



In a remark clearly meant to prompt listeners to imagine World War III, he asked: "Do we really need...a third world shake-up to make us understand that what we need now is cooperation and not confrontation?"



Cold War, Hot War



NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said that the Western alliance wants neither "confrontation" nor a "new Cold War," but that Russia's actions are forcing a "firm" response.



An "assertive Russia is destabilizing Europe," Stoltenberg said, adding that Moscow's "rhetoric and posturing" about its nuclear might is "aimed at intimidating its neighbors" and undermining trust.



He said that NATO's moves to strengthen defenses on its eastern flank are designed "not to wage war but to prevent war." He said he expects further moves to strengthen those defenses at a NATO summit in Warsaw in July.



He called for "more defense" as well as "more dialogue" with Russia.



Stoltenberg voiced concern about an increase in Russian references to the country's nuclear might. He said "nobody should think that" nuclear weapons can be used in a conventional war.



Reacting to Medvedev's comment about a new Cold War, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite told the conference that the problem is far more serious.



"We are probably facing a hot war," Grybauskaite said. "Russia is demonstrating open military aggression in Ukraine, open military aggression in Syria. There is nothing cold about this; it is very hot."

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, dpa, AP, and RIA
MUNICH, Germany -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that for an agreement on a cessation of hostilities in Syria to work, it is "critical" for Russia to change the targets of its bombing campaign.



Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on February 13, Kerry also suggested that Russia has agreed to work toward this goal.

The cessation of hostilities agreement reached by nations in the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) in Munich on February 12 does not include Islamic State (IS) militants and Al-Nusra, Al-Qaida's Syrian affiliate.



Russia says those groups are its main targets, but Western governments say the majority of Russia's air strikes have targeted other opponents of the Syrian government, including Western-backed rebels.



For the agreement to work, it is "critical that Russia's targeting change," Kerry said.



He said the "entire ISSG," including Russia, had agreed to work on that.



The cessation of hostilities is supposed to begin in a week.
MUNICH, Germany -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry accused Russia of "repeated aggression" and said sanctions will stay in place until the Minsk II agreement to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine is fully implemented.

The United States and the European Union have imposed economic sanctions on Russia in response to its support for separatists who control parts of eastern Ukraine and have fought government forces in a devastating war.



Sanctions will remain in place until "the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine is protected in full implementation of the Minsk agreements," Kerry said at the Munich Security Conference on February 13.



He said "Russia faces a simple choice: fully implement Minsk" or face continued sanctions.



He added that implementation includes the withdrawal of Russian forces -- which Western governments say are in Ukraine despite Russian denials -- and restoration of Ukrainian control over the entire Ukrainian-Russian border.



He spoke of joint and "unwavering support for a democratic Ukraine" by the United States and the European Union, and called for Ukraine to do more to fight corruption.
MUNICH -- NATO must mix robust deterrence and "hard-headed engagement" with Russia to address the potential threats posed by Moscow's aggressive activity, senior officials of the alliance and member states say.



The remarks in a panel discussion at the annual Munich Security Conference on February 13 reflected the search for a way to guarantee the security of NATO member states, particularly in Eastern Europe, in the wake of Russia's interference in Ukraine.



They came on a tense day during which Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev accused NATO of fomenting a new Cold War with Moscow, and the alliance's chief, Jens Stoltenberg, said that Russia was "destabilizing Europe."



NATO has moved in the past year to strengthen its capabilities near Russia's borders, and Stoltenberg said he expects further measures to be decided at a summit in Warsaw in July. He called for "more defense" as well as "more dialogue" with Russia.



Panelists and senior officials in the audience elaborated on that theme.



Petr Pavel, chairman of the NATO Military Committee, said that he had heard calls for the "containment" of Russia but believes that approach would only increase the risk a military confrontation.



Pavel said containment suggests "sealing off the problem," which he said "should not be our aim" because it would leave NATO in the dark about Russia's intentions. Instead, he called for a combination of deterrence and engagement.



"To understand their intentions, we need dialogue," Pavel said.



British Defense Minister Michael Fallon said that NATO "must become fitter -- able to react not just in weeks or days but in hours" as it faces "a new urgency" due to what he called Russias refusal to accept the territorial integrity of other nations.



He also called for "hard-headed engagement with Russia," which means "being clear."



Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski also said NATO must be firm with Russia, warning that "our hesitation and ambiguity may encourage Russia to further adventures" of an unpredictable nature.



NATO's new measures include rotating forces into states on its eastern flank and conducting exercises in the area. It has stopped short of permanent deployments in the area, which Russia claims would violate the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act.



In that document, NATO declared that "in the current and foreseeable security environment," it would refrain from the "additional permanent stationing of substantial combat forces" as it accepted new members in the east.



Waszczykowski, whose country has called for permanent NATO troop deployments on its territory, argued that the alliance has no obligation to adhere to the 1997 promise because it faces "a completely different situation" and "a completely different Russia."



"We cannot accept the idea that the deployment of troops on the territory of the eastern flank, and the creation of defense facilities, would be some kind of confrontational push with Russia," Waszczykowski said.



"Just the opposite, I think that lack of deployment, lack of troops, lack of defense installations means weakness -- and weakness leads to confrontation, and to incidents and provocations," he said.



The animus that was palpable in remarks earlier in the day returned when Aleksandr Grushko, Russia's ambassador to NATO, emerged from the audience and said that deterrence and engagement are mutually exclusive.



Grushko, who appeared agitated, said that "any attempts to create isolated islands of security are doomed" and that the current challenges faced by Europe, such as terrorism and migration, "demand" that NATO cooperate with Russia.



"When will NATO stop fueling this perception that...Russia will attack the Baltic states, Poland.... You understand there are no real threats; this is not a real security agenda," he said. "Russia is not interested in any confrontation with NATO" but will "take all necessary steps to ensure our security."



Waszczykowski said that NATO must be ready.



"After 2008, your war with Georgia, after 2014, your war against Ukraine, and after 2015, the engagement of Russia in Syria, we have to be wise before the event," he said. "This time, we cannot be wise after the event."



NATO Deputy Secretary-General Alexander Vershbow, a former U.S. ambassador to Moscow, said he was pleased to hear Grushko say Russia will not attack the Baltic states.



But Vershbow said that "we have to prepare for the worst-case scenario" and ensure that any incursion is met by "real combat resistance."



Grushko repeated a Russian mantra that no state should seek to enhance its own security at the expense of another state's security. Vershbow said Russia had clearly violated that principle by forcefully annexing Ukraines Crimean Peninsula in March 2014.
MUNICH, Germany -- NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said that an "assertive Russia is destabilizing Europe" and that Moscow's "rhetoric and posturing" about its nuclear might is "aimed at intimidating its neighbors" and undermining trust.



Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on February 13, Stoltenberg said that NATO does not want "confrontation" with Russia or a "new Cold War," but that its response must be firm.



He said that NATO's moves to strengthen defenses on its eastern flank are just that -- defensive -- and designed "not to wage war but to prevent war."



Stoltenberg said he expects further moves to strengthen those defenses at a NATO summit in Warsaw in July.



He called for "more defense" as well as "more dialogue" with Russia.



Stoltenberg voiced concern about an increase in Russian references to the country's nuclear might. He said "nobody should think that" nuclear weapons can be used in a conventional war.



Russia occupied and seized control of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and has given military backing to separatists whose war with Kyiv's forces has killed more than 9,000 people in eastern Ukraine.
Pakistan says there is no "organized presence" of Islamic State militants in the country, despite comments from the intelligence chief contradicting Islamabads line.

"Let me reiterate that there is no organized presence of Daesh in Pakistan," foreign office spokesman Nafees Zakaria told reporters in Islamabad on February 12, using the Arabic acronym for the group.

The comment came a day after Intelligence Bureau director general Aftab Sultan told a parliamentary panel that IS militants were coordinating with militant groups and that hundreds of people had left Pakistan to join its fight in Syria.

There have been reports of increased recruitment by IS militants in Pakistan and a deadly attack linked to the group last year have fueled fears the extremist group is gaining a foot in the country, despite the government rejecting its formal presence.

The presence of IS militants in Pakistan would complicate Islamabads fight against domestic Islamist militants fighting to overthrow the government.

Based on reporting by Reuters and Express Tribune


Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain has urged his nation not to observe Valentine's Day, denouncing the romantic holiday as a Western import.



"Valentine's Day has no connection with our culture and it should be avoided," Hussain told students at a ceremony celebrating a nationalist leader.



Hussain urged the young people to focus on their studies instead.



Despite its roots as a Christian holiday, Valentine's Day has gained popularity among Pakistanis, prompting hard-line Muslim clerics to call for a ban on the celebration.



The northwestern city of Peshawar, near the Afghan border, has reportedly banned Valentine's Day celebrations.



Authorities in the conservative northwestern Kohat district also instructed police to halt any celebrations of Valentine's Day.



Local media reported earlier in the week that Islamabad would outlaw the holiday as an "insult to Islam," but city officials later said such a ban could not be enforced.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP and dpa
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 made by Iran. 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 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," Kharchenko said on Ukrainian television.

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
Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill called for Christian unity and said the international community should protect people of faith who are under assault from violent Islamic militant groups.

"In many countries of the Middle East and North Africa, whole families, villages, and cities of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being completely exterminated," they said in a joint declaration on February 12 following the first-ever meeting between a Roman Catholic pope and a Russian Orthodox patriarch.

"Their churches are being barbarously ravaged and looted, their sacred objects profaned, their monuments destroyed."

The two church leaders noted that extremist groups like Islamic State have persecuted not only Christians but people of other faiths, including fellow Muslims.

"We wish to express our compassion for the suffering experienced by the faithful of other religious traditions who have also become victims of civil war, chaos, and terrorist violence," they said. "The international community must undertake every possible effort to end terrorism through common, joint, and coordinated action."

As leaders of two of the largest branches of Christianity in the world with 1.3 billion combined followers, they pledged to work for unity in the future.

"For nearly 1,000 years, Catholics and Orthodox have been deprived of communion in the Eucharist," they said in the joint declaration. "We are pained by the loss of unity, the outcome of human weakness and of sin."

"Mindful of the permanence of many obstacles, it is our hope that our meeting may contribute to the reestablishment of this unity willed by God," they said.

It was the first meeting between the heads of the Eastern and Western churches since the great schism of 1054 when the churches split apart, with the Eastern church rejecting the authority of Rome.

Upon meeting for the first time at the airport in Havana, Cuba, the pope and Kirill embraced and Francis exclaimed, "Finally!"

"At last we meet. We are brothers," the 79-year-old Francis told the Orthodox leader. "Clearly, this meeting is God's will."

Kirill told Francis through an interpreter: "Now things are easier."

The Orthodox Church's refusal to accept the pope as the head of Christianity is the main reason for the historically poor relations between the two churches.

More recently, there has been rancor between the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, which has the biggest flock in Orthodox Christianity, over property in Ukraine and over the Russian churchs accusations that the Catholic Church seeks to poach converts.

Francis, who became pope in 2013, has sought to bridge the divide and said in an interview this week: "I just wanted to embrace my Orthodox brothers."

Since Kirill is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Francis also framed the meeting as a chance to engage Russia, which he said could serve as a key partner to promote peace in the world.

Russia recently has faced scathing criticism for thwarting efforts at peace in Syria by stepping up its military campaign with the Syrian government to retake opposition strongholds in Aleppo and elsewhere.

Russia also has been criticized for sabotaging efforts to settle the conflict in Ukraine, which began after Moscow annexed Ukraines Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and threw its backing behind separatists in the East.

Earlier, the two leaders were greeted by Cuban President Raul Castro, 84, upon their arrival in Havana.

After the meeting, Francis left for a tour of Mexico and Kirill continued his 11-day trip to Latin America that will take him next to Brazil and Paraguay.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP
The crisis in Russian-Turkish relations that followed the downing by the Turkish Air Force of a Russian warplane two months ago has created an unforeseen and potentially disastrous situation for hundreds of Circassians from Turkey who over the past decade have settled in the North Caucasus and opened small businesses there.

Those who have not yet obtained Russian citizenship now face expulsion from Russia, just as their ancestors did following the conquest of their homeland by tsarist Russia 150 years ago.

Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to the shooting down of the Russian fighter jet by imposing sweeping economic sanctions on Turkey that precluded the import of various goods, including food. Then on January 1, Russia suspended visa-free travel for Turkish citizens.

Since then, the Federal Migration Service office in the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic -- one of the three North Caucasus regions where Circassians are a titular nationality, and the one where the majority of the Circassians from Turkey now live -- has notified many of the Circassians who have not yet been granted Russian citizenship that their temporary residence right has been rescinded.

Some have already been forced to leave Russia.

Asker Sokht, who heads the Circassian community in neighboring Krasnodar Krai, estimates that over the past two decades, some 1,500 Circassians from Turkey have settled in the North Caucasus and acquired Russian citizenship. Those now threatened with the loss of residency rights have lived in Russia between five and seven years, and are still in the process of applying for Russian citizenship (which takes seven years). Their children attend Russian schools and universities.

Sokht said only Circassians from Turkey currently resident in Kabardino-Balkaria have been stripped of their residence rights, while those living in Adygheya and neighboring Krasnodar Krai have not. Some Turkish Circassians living in Adygheya have, however, reportedly been subjected to pressure from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) to renounce their Turkish citizenship. One, Adnan Khuade, was sentenced in December together with his daughter and an employee of his small store to 15 days' administrative arrest following an altercation with FSB officials.

The North Caucasus republics, which are plagued by high unemployment, are not covered by the State Program for Furthering the Voluntary Resettlement in the Russian Federation of Compatriots from Abroad. That program, approved in late 2006, was intended primarily to facilitate the resettling in Russia of those of the estimated 25 million ethnic Russians who at the time of the collapse of the U.S.S.R. were living in other Soviet republics. Such immigrants are, however, permitted to settle only in a very limited number of Russian regions.

In the case of the Turkish Circassians in Kabardino-Balkaria, the rationale most commonly cited for depriving them of temporary residence is violating residency regulations, such as not actually living at the address where they are registered.

Representatives of 150 such families at risk of deportation to Turkey addressed an open letter to President Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, last month arguing the case for a resumption of the cooperation that has characterized bilateral relations for the past 20 years.

Representatives of Turkey's Federation of Caucasian Associations (KAFFED) met in early January with the Russian ambassador in Ankara, Andrey Karlov, and reportedly reached agreement on unspecified "joint measures to mitigate the consequences of the crisis for Circassians."

KAFFED also advocated convening an emergency meeting of the International Circassian Association (MChA), which has its headquarters in Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, to discuss the plight of the Circassians facing expulsion from the North Caucasus. It is doubtful, however, whether controversial MChA chairman Khauti Sokhrokov, a former Kabardino-Balkaria deputy prime minister, will agree to do so, let alone spearhead a campaign in defense of his co-ethnics.
Russia pressed on with its bombing campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on February 12 despite agreeing to a pause in combat in Munich negotiations.

Russian bombs killed 16 civilians in Syria hours after world powers agreed to cease hostilities within a week, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told world leaders gathered in Munich.

He joined a chorus of western leaders and NATO allies calling on Russia to stop.

"What is important now is embracing this opportunity, stopping the air strikes, ceasing targeting civilians, and providing humanitarian access," Cavusoglu said later on Twitter.

Western leaders have said there is no hope for progress in Syrian peace talks without a halt to the Russian bombing, which in recent weeks has helped turned the ground war in favor of Assad.

"Through its military action on the side of Assad's regime, Russia had recently seriously compromised the political process. Now there is a chance to save this process," German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Christiane Wirzt said.

But Russia and Syria have continued to insist that the opponents they are fighting in Aleppo, including those backed by Turkey and Saudi Arabia, are "terrorists" and thus their campaign can proceed under the truce agreement, which exempts fighting against recognized terrorist groups.

In an interview with AFP released on February 12, Assad asserted that all opposition groups that have taken up arms against the government are "terrorists," and thus his forces can continue to fight them during peace negotiations.

Even if Russia and Syria agreed to stop fighting in Aleppo in a week's time, by some estimates the additional week of fighting would give them enough time to encircle what was Syria's biggest city before the war, and possibly even capture it.

Moreover, they are also close to sealing theTurkish border north of Aleppo, where deliveries of supplies have provided a lifeline for rebels, and they might be able to accomplish that task before honoring the truce.

While western powers agreed to exempt air raids on Islamic State (IS) and Al Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda's Syrian affliate, from the truce, they have insisted that other rebel groups fighting Assad -- many of them participating in the peace negotiations -- are covered.

White House spokesman Eric Schultz said on February 12 that Russian air raids have been targeting areas where there is no IS presence, although the Nusra group is active in Aleppo and has ties to other rebel groups there.

"It is time for [Russia] to stop using the cover of going after ISIL," Schultz said.

The United States raised the threat of escalation in the ground war, apparently in a bid to force Russia and Syria to comply with the truce.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who is in Munich, warned that if the truce fails, more foreign troops could enter the conflict.

"If the Assad regime does not live up to its responsibilities and if the Iranians and the Russians do not hold Assad to the promises that they have made...then the international community obviously is not going to sit there like fools and watch this. There will be an increase of activity to put greater pressure on them," Kerry told Dubai-based Orient TV.

"There is a possibility there will be additional ground troops," Kerry said.

Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have both offered to deploy ground forces in Syria. Despite agreeing to the truce, the Saudis on February 12 said they remain prepared to send fighters and are just as determined as ever to end Assad's rule by whatever means necessary.

"There will be no Bashar al-Assad in the future," despite Russia's backing, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP


MUNICH, Germany -- Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev raised the specter of a third world war and a global Islamic caliphate in a combative speech at a security forum.



Medvedev responded to rebukes over Russia's actions in Ukraine and Syria by blaming the West for a series of regional and global problems.



He accused the West of conducting a "dangerous" policy of "containment" against Moscow, and warned that problems like the war in Syria and the threat from Islamist militants could get worse unless there is more cooperation between Russia and the West.



"The danger of this approach is that in 10 to 20 years" Russia and the West may still be discussing the same issues, he said.

"That is, if there is anything to discuss," he added. "In a global caliphate, discussion is not welcome."



Medvedev said relations between Russia and NATO had "slid into a new period of Cold War."



"Almost every day we are accused of making new horrible threats either against NATO as a whole, against Europe, or against the United States, or other countries," he said.



In a remark clearly meant to prompt listeners to imagine World War III, he asked, "Do we really need...a third world shake-up to make us understand that what we need now is cooperation and not confrontation?"
Serbia has no interest in joining NATO or endorsing European Union sanctions against Russia, despite the government's ambitions of joining the EU, Serbia's ambassador to Moscow said on February 12.

"As for the question of accession to NATO...Serbia has proclaimed military and political neutrality, and so far no one has changed this approach. Serbia is not preparing to join NATO," Ambassador Slavenko Terzic told reporters in Moscow, adding, "We will not join sanctions against the Russian Federation, and never will."

Neighboring Kosovo, which Serbia still claims as a territory, is seeking EU membership and the current government in Serbia also aspires to join the EU.

The tiny Balkan state of Montenegro recently created a stir by entertaining an invitation to join NATO.

But Terzic said Serbia will maintain its ties with Moscow, a longtime ally, and intends to soon join Russia's Eurasian Economic Union.

He also said Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic will visit Moscow on March 9 and is hoping to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at that time.

Based on reporting by Interfax and TASS
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Russia hasn't asked him to step down as part of a negotiated settlement of the civil war in his country.

In an interview with AFP on February 12, Assad also said Russia hasn't asked for a second air base in Syria and that his goal in continuing to fight despite peace efforts is to regain control over all of Syria.

"This issue has not been raised at all in any shape or form," Assad said after being asked whether Russia has tried to persuade him to step down.

"The Russians treat us with great respect. They do not treat us as a superpower dealing with a minor state, but as a sovereign state dealing with a sovereign state," he said.

Despite the truce announced in Munich earlier on February 12, Assad said "it does not mean that we stop fighting terrorism" and vowed to keep bombarding what he called terrorist groups with Turkish and Saudi Arabian backing around Aleppo.

The truce does not cover terrorist groups such as Islamic States or Al Nusra Front, Al Qaeda's Syrian affliate, but Syria and Russia have put other rebel groups they are fighting in the same terrorist category.

With reporting by AFP


Turkish forces struck Kurdish militia targets in northern Syria on February 13, and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu demanded that the group withdraw from the area it recently captured.

Davutoglu said in comments shown live by state broadcaster TRT Haber that Turkey "will retaliate against every step" by the YPG militia, the armed wing the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD).

"The YPG will immediately withdraw from Azaz and the surrounding area and will not go close to it again," Davutoglu said, referring to the city in the Aleppo province where nearby Turkish bombardments were reported earlier in the day.

Davutoglu did not provide precise details about the strikes. But he was quoted by the state-run Anatolia news agency as saying that they were retaliatory in nature.

"Under the framework of the rules of engagement, we responded to forces in Azaz and around that were posing a threat," Anatolia quoted him as saying during his a visit to the eastern city of Erzincan.

The news agency also quoted a Turkish military source as saying that the strikes were in line with the rules of engagement. It added that the army also responded to fire from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces on a Turkish military guard post in the southern Hatay region of Turkey.

In the aftermath of the shelling, the United States urged both Ankara and the Syrian Kurds halt the violence and focus instead on tackling the "common threat" of Islamic State (IS) militants who control large parts of Syria.

U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement that Washington had "seen reports of artillery fire from the Turkish side of the border and urged Turkey to cease such fires."

He added that the Americans have also "urged Syrian Kurdish and other forces affiliated with the YPG not to take advantage of a confused situation by seizing new territory."

"We are concerned about the situation north of Aleppo and are working to de-escalate tensions on all sides," Kirby said.

Turkey considers the PYD and its YPG militia to be branches of the PKK, which for decades has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state.

Turkish forces have shelled YPG-controlled areas multiple times in the past.

Turkey, a member of NATO, is one of the most strident critics of Assad, whose forces have been backed by a Russian aerial campaign since September. Ankara has been a supporter of opposition forces seeking to oust Assad.

Reuters and AFP cited unidentified Kurdish sources earlier in the day as saying that Turkish forces struck the Menagh air base, near Aleppo, which was recently captured by Kurdish fighters.

Reuters cited an unidentified Turkish government source as saying that its military shelled Kurdish militia targets near Azaz, which is close to the Menagh air base.

"The Turkish Armed Forces fired shells at PYD positions in the Azaz area," Reuters quoted the source as saying.

Amer Hassan, an opposition activist based in the northern Syrian town of Azaz, confirmed to The Associated Press on February 13 that Turkish troops have shelled the based air base.

Davutoglu demanded that the Menagh base be evacuated, and he said he had spoken to U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to stress that the PYD was an extension of the PKK and a direct threat to Turkey.

His comments reflected Turkey's mounting frustration with United States backing for the PYD, which controls most of the Syrian side of the border with Turkey.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP
MUNICH, Germany -- Senior diplomats from Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and France met in Munich on February 13 to discuss the situation in eastern Ukraine and implementation of the Minsk II agreement on steps to end the conflict there.



The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. The foreign ministers of Ukraine, Germany, and Russia took part, along with a senior French diplomat.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier noted some progress in negotiations, including on the thorny question of how to conduct elections in areas of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russia-backed separatists.

But he said that all sides were still "a long way off from resolving the conflict."

He also delivered a rebuke to Russia, saying that "the question of war and peace has returned to the European continent" following Moscow's seizure of Crimea and backing for separatists in eastern Ukraine.

He did not identify Russia by name. But he said that after the end of the Cold War and the violent 20th century "we had thought that peace had returned to Europe for good" and that "borders would not be put into question."



The "turbulence" on Europe's eastern edge is one of several major challenges the European Union is facing, Steinmeier said.

The war between Kyiv's forces and Russia-backed separatists has killed more than 9,000 people since April 2014.

Fighting has diminished substantially since September 2015, but many aspects of the Minsk deal have not been implemented.



The deal calls for elections under Ukrainian law in separatist-held areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, withdrawal of foreign forces, and the return of Ukrainian control over the border with Russia, among other things.



Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said before the meeting that Russia is not adhering to its obligations. He said he hoped to focus on security, prisoner exchanges, and discussions of how to hold "free and fair elections."



Russia denies it has sent weapons and troops into eastern Ukraine despite what Kyiv and NATO say is overwhelming evidence.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said foreign ministers planned to come together again in early March in Paris for a full-fledged meeting.

With reporting by Unian and RIA
MUNICH, Germany -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko sharply criticized his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and said the security of Europe and the world are at stake in Ukraine.



Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on February 13, Poroshenko called on Russia to fulfill its obligations under a deal aimed to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine by withdrawing Russian troops and ceding control of the border.



"Mr. Putin, this is not a civil war in Ukraine, this is your aggression...this is your soldiers who have entered my country," Poroshenko said in English.



More than 9,000 combatants and civilians have been killed in eastern Ukraine since fighting between government forces and Russia-backed separatists began in April 2014, following Russia's seizure of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine.



Fighting has decreased dramatically since September 2015, but main aspects of the Minsk II deal to resolve the conflict have gone unfulfilled amid mutual recriminations.



Poroshenko said that it is "not only Ukraine, not only Ukrainian security" that is at stake. "This is European and global security," he said.



He warned that Putin is threatening Europe and its values, saying there is an illiberal "alternative Europe" and its "name is Vladimir Putin."



Putin did not attend the annual Munich conference. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, speaking earlier in the day at the conference, blamed Ukraine for problems with implementation of the Minsk II agreement.
The Indian Foreign Ministry has summoned the U.S. ambassador to India to protest Washington's decision to approve the sale of eight Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, along with training, radar, and other equipment.

Spokesman Vikas Swarup had said earlier on Twitter that Pakistan's regional rival is "disappointed" by the proposed sales.

"We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism," Swarup wrote.

The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which coordinates such foreign arms sales, said it informed the U.S. Congress of the planned sales, worth $699 million, on February 12.

The agency said the sales would "improve the security of a strategic partner in South Asia."

The F-16 aircraft would allow Pakistan's Air Force to operate at night and in all kinds of weather, while "enhancing Pakistan's ability to conduct counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations," the agency said.

The U.S. defense agency insisted that the sales would "not alter the basic military balance in the region.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa
A 5-month-old baby boy, named Umarali, died while being held with his parents in Russian custody last October in St. Petersburg, where they were accused of violating migration rules. Zarina Yunusova says that she was hastily deported in order to prevent a thorough investigation of Umarali's death. His father, Rustam Nazarov, has remained in Russia, awaiting results of an investigation. Russian officials initially said the child died in the hospital after suffering respiratory problems. The parents have challenged this, insisting the boy was healthy. RFE/RL photographer Petr Shelomovskiy visited Yunusova after her return to her hometown of Obigarm, Tajikistan.
BOZEMAN, Mont.  For a 19th century mountain man, Jim Bridger has been getting a lot of attention these days.

Depicted in the Oscar-nominated film "The Revenant," directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and based on the book by Michael Punke, a teenage Bridger plays a naive trapper immersed in a world of ruthless men and mountains on the Western Frontier.

Inarritu's sweeping vision of the American West plays a central role in the "The Revenant." Though much of the filming was completed in British Columbia, the stark landscapes will ring true for any viewer that has delved into Montana's backcountry.

Among the earliest of those explorers was Bridger, a Richmond native for whom the mountains looming north and east of Bozeman are named. Bridger's mark on Montana winds across the land like the wagon trains that followed him, but how much is really known about the man? Who did the young trapper portrayed in "The Revenant" become?

James Felix Bridger was born on March 17, 1804, in Richmond. His father, Patrick Henry Bridger, was a land surveyor and a farmer. Bridger's mother operated a highway inn that catered to travelers.

In 1812, the Bridger family sold the farm and inn and moved west to a farmstead near St. Louis. The town was in its infancy in the early 1800s, but provided a healthy amount of work for Patrick Henry. The country was not as kind to Bridger's mother, who was confined to the home in the winter of 1815 and died during the heat of summer of 1816. That winter, Bridger's youngest brother would join his mother in death. Heartbroken, Patrick Henry died in the summer of 1817.

At the age of 13, Bridger was forced to seek any kind of employment he could find. Adept with a paddle, Bridger began trapping from his canoe along the river near the family farm. The spirit of adventure that the river exposed him to would grip his spirit and develop a drive that would lead him West.

In 1822, Bridger, at the age of 17, was hired to support General William Ashley's Upper Missouri Expedition. It was on Ashley's expedition that Hugh Glass  the central character in "The Revenant"  was brutally mauled by a grizzly bear. Bridger and fellow party member John Fitzgerald would volunteer to stay with Glass until his death but abandoned him after an attack by Arikara Native Americans. Glass would survive and seek revenge. In what would become a recurring theme in Bridger's life  through cunning, luck or otherwise  Bridger was spared Glass' wrath.

Following the Upper Missouri Expedition, Bridger would become among the first white men to set eyes on the Yellowstone region. During the winter of 1824-1825, Bridger set out on a trapping expedition north of Wyoming's Teton Range.

"Bridger, with a small party, followed the Snake River to its very source, and wandered around for some time in what is now known as Yellowstone National Park; and he evidently became fascinated with the wonders of the country," Charles G. Coutant wrote in "History of Wyoming."

Bridger led the party over Sylvan Pass to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. He was struck by the warm waters of the Firehole River, the expanse of Yellowstone Lake and the unusual extrusion of Obsidian Cliff. His descriptions of the region's hissing fumaroles and spouting geyser were dismissed by many fellow trappers, but as more and more explorers visited the area his stories became fact.

Later in 1825, Bridger would become the first explorer to taste the waters of the Great Salt Lake in present-day Utah. He believed the lake may have been an inlet of the Pacific Ocean.

The following year, Bridger traveled north through Yellowstone. He followed the Yellowstone River, eventually making his way by the present-day mountain range that bears his name. His party headed west to the headwaters of the Missouri River near Three Forks. It was on this expedition that Bridger may have met Robert Meldrum of John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company.

Four years later, in 1830, Bridger and several other trappers would purchase the Rocky Mountain Fur Company from Bridger's former employer William Ashley. Bridger's involvement in the fur trade would lead him on expeditions across the West and he acquired an intimate and rare knowledge of the land and the Native Americans that inhabited it. He learned to speak in several native tongues and married his first wife, a Flathead Indian woman, in 1835, with whom he had three children.

In 1843, Bridger and his partner, Louis Vasquez, established a trading post on the banks of the Blacks Fork of the Green River in Wyoming. Later named Fort Bridger, the post would serve the wagon trains and settlers heading west on the Oregon Trail.

After the death of his first wife in 1846, Bridger would marry the daughter of a Shoshone chief, who bore him three more children. She died in childbirth in 1849. Bridger married again in 1850, this time to Shoshone chief Washakie's daughter. The couple would have two more children.

As the Oregon Trail continued to see increased use, Bridger, in 1850, sought a more direct route. He pioneered a trail over what would become Bridger's Pass, which reduced the distance of the Oregon Trail by 61 miles. Bridger's route was later used by the Union Pacific Railroad, and modern observers will recognize it as Interstate 80.

The discovery of gold in 1863 at Virginia City's Alder Gulch brought waves of pioneers hoping to strike it rich. The Bozeman Trail led to the gold fields, but was notoriously dangerous, passing through lands treatied to the Sioux. The Bridger Trail, established in 1864 offered a safer alternative.

"The Bridger Trail went west of the Big Horn Mountains and passed through what is Bridger, Montana, the town southwest of Billings," Rachel Phillips of the Gallatin History Museum said Wednesday. "Then the trail went up the Yellowstone River and the Shields River by Wilsall, and over the Bridger Mountains."

Phillips said Bridger's name now appears on many landmarks and place names in Montana, but that the history of how those names came to be adopted is hard to know.

"A lot of place names have Indian origins and a lot were named for early explorers like Jim Bridger and John Bozeman," Phillips said, "people that made their mark on the area early on."

Bridger's health began to fail him after serving as an army scout during the first Powder River Expedition against the Sioux and Cheyenne in northern Wyoming. He left the West for his boyhood home in Missouri in 1868, suffering from goiter, rheumatism and other ailments. Bridger died near Kansas City, Missouri, on July 17, 1881.

Known during his lifetime for embellishing some of his tales, Bridger's stature and status as a mountain man surely grew following his death, but his influence on Montana and the American West cannot be overstated.

"Lots of things are named for Bridger  Bridger, Montana, Bridger Creek  he came out West to be a fur trapper and looking for adventure," Phillips said.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
LEXINGTON  From the speakers podium, former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney looked out into a crowd of cheering college students Friday night and saw a political landscape taking shape.

Ive been in politics long enough to know that if you want to see where a presidential election is headed, the place to be is at the Washington and Lee University Mock Convention, Cheney said.

The vice president during the George W. Bush administration was the keynote speaker at a simulated political convention that every four years predicts the presidential nomination of the party out of power, correctly more often than not.

Cheney said he was not ready to make an endorsement in a race among New York billionaire Donald Trump, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and a pack of other candidates still in the fight for the Republican nomination.

Regardless of whether students are correct in their nomination to come on Saturday, Cheney praised their civic involvement.

It does me good to see your enthusiasm, your conviction and your sense of fun, he said. Because politics can always use more of all three of them.

Cheney noted that four other vice presidents had spoken at the event before him, including Harry Truman, Richard Nixon and Dan Quayle. The fourth was Alben Barkley, who in 1956 died of a heart attack on stage while giving his speech.

Statistically, I guess three out of four vice presidents can be expected to survive the excitement at W&L, he said. For the record, he added, Ive never felt better.

Since it began holding mock conventions more than a century ago, W&L has gained national attention for its impressive record of predicting who will receive the nomination from whichever party is seeking to retake the White House.

What students call Mock Con has selected the eventual nominee 19 out of 25 times since 1908. It has been wrong only twice since 1952.

As college students are apt to do, there was some partying Friday mixed in with all the politicking.

The three-day convention will culminate Saturday evening with an announcement of the nominee. W&L students have spent the past year conducting extensive research in an effort to accurately predict who will secure the Republican nomination  a particularly challenging task given this years fierce and unpredictable primary race.

In one of the speeches leading up to Cheneys 9 p.m. remarks, political commentator Ann Coulter ripped what she called the nations loose immigration laws and how they have added to the ranks of Democratic voters.

Trumps willingness to take on that issue, and the reluctance of establishment Republicans to accept his message, could lead to the breakup on the party, Coulter said.

The GOP is whistling past the graveyard, she told the crowd.

U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke County, also spoke Friday, bemoaning what he said is the Obama administrations disregard of national security.

Before the speeches began Friday, fired-up W&L students took to the streets of downtown Lexington for the traditional Mock Con parade.

Most of the 56 delegations, representing all the states and U.S. territories, sponsored a float in what amounted to a rolling stereotype: Surf boards for California, palm trees for Florida, potato heads for Idaho and banjos for West Virginia.

This years parade was decidedly tamer than previous ones.

Some eyebrows were raised in 1996, when the Arkansas delegation put together a float featuring young women, pillows under their dresses to make them look pregnant, bearing signs attesting to the states top teen pregnancy rate in the country. One of them held a sign that said, Thanks, Bill  an apparent reference to former President Bill Clinton.

Four years before that, school officials put a quick end to plans by the Massachusetts representatives, who wanted to depict an infamous gang rape at a bar in New Bedford, Mass. The plan was to have a woman in a torn dress ride atop a pool table while several men sang The Gangs All Here.

This time around, Mock Con chair Andrew McCaffery put the word out that floats were expected to be tasteful and respectful.

McCaffery said convention organizers nixed a few ideas for this years parade. He declined to say what they were. Were trying to best represent Washington and Lee through this event, he said.

Mock Con organizers briefly discussed the possibility of having an elephant in a parade that was all about Republicans, an idea that drew protests four years ago from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

After consulting with several elephant sanctuaries, organizers opted to go with two students in an elephant costume. Its not really in ones best interest to rent an elephant, McCaffery said.

Despite a 9:30 a.m. start, some students appeared to be under the influence of more than just political enthusiasm.

The parade is our way to let loose after all the research that goes into the predictions, said student John Tompkins, who wore Hawaiian-style shorts and an American flag draped over this shoulders as a cape.

From the New Jersey float, which resembled a green barge labeled Waste Management, a drained and crushed can of Keystone Light dropped to the pavement.
Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore said Friday he is suspending his long shot campaign for the Republican presidential nomination after dismal showings in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Gilmore, Virginias governor from 1998 to 2002, ran a seemingly quixotic campaign, rarely qualifying for even the undercard contests in televised debates. He received 12 votes in the Iowa caucuses and 133 votes Tuesday in the New Hampshire primary.

My campaign was intended to offer the gubernatorial experience, with the track record of a true conservative, experienced in national security, to unite the party, Gilmore said in a statement.

My goal was to focus on the importance of this election as a real turning point, and to emphasize the dangers of continuing on a road that will further undermine Americas economy and weaken our national security, Gilmore said.

Nonetheless, I will continue to express my concerns about the dangers of electing someone who has pledged to continue Obamas disastrous policies, Gilmore said.

And, I will continue to do everything I can to ensure that our next president is a free-enterprise Republican who will restore our nation to greatness and keep our citizens safe.

Gilmore briefly sought the 2008 GOP presidential nomination. He disclosed in July that he was making his second bid for the GOP nomination in 2016.

With little financing, Gilmore picked his spots, making his case in television interviews. He held dozens of events in New Hampshire, to little avail.

On Tuesday a character known as Vermin Supreme got nearly twice as many votes in the New Hampshire Democratic primary as Gilmore did in the Republican contest.

In October, NBCs Saturday Night Live lampooned former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Gilmore in a fake ad for a drug that it said could bring delusional presidential candidates back to reality.

Its just sad, Larry Sabato, head of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said Friday. You dont want to see the former governor of your state become a national joke.

Gilmore, who served as chairman of the Republican National Committee from January to December 2001, lost Virginias 2008 U.S. Senate race to Democrat Mark Warner by 31 percentage points.

He is now president and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation, a conservative Washington think tank.

In July, asked what would be different about his 2016 bid, Gilmore said: I think its different because the times are different.

The economic challenges are clearer and the international challenges much more serious, he said at the time.

A former U.S. Army intelligence officer, Gilmore was governor during the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. He later headed the Gilmore Commission, a congressional panel that advised Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush on domestic capabilities for terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction.

On the campaign trail, Gilmore stressed his national security credentials and noted that he was the only military veteran in the contest. Calling his rivals untested, he repeatedly said it was no time to put an amateur in the White House.

Gilmore pledged to aggressively fight terrorism, but he also urged fellow Republicans to reject Trumpism, particularly the national GOP front-runners comments about Hispanics and Muslims.

On the day Donald Trump called for a shutdown of Muslims entering the U.S., Gilmore tweeted: Trumps fascist talk drives all minorities from GOP.

Gilmores departure leaves six Republicans in the contest ahead of Virginias March 1 primary: former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush; retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson; Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; Ohio Gov. John Kasich; Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.; and Trump.

While 13 Republican candidates qualified for Virginias March 1 primary ballot, seven already have dropped out: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.; former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina; Gilmore; Huckabee; and Santorum.
RICHMOND  The count was unclear on the initial voice vote commonly used to pass bills on to a final tally, so delegates were asked to raise their hands and then record their vote electronically.

The bill for sweeping reform to the system requiring healthcare providers to seek state approval before building or adding psychiatric beds, imaging and many other medical services, snuck by 50 to 47 with one abstention.

A group of House of Delegates Republicans, including Del. Kathy Byron, R-Campbell County, and Del. John OBannon, R-Henrico County, have called for broad reform  if not repeal  of the antiquated certificate of public need process. Their bills both passed on to the final vote Monday. OBannon said he is confident hell have the votes.

I think it sends a message. Hopefully, if we pass this, well get it over to the Senate and well begin some dialogue with the hospital system, OBannon said.

The bill from Del. Christopher Peace, R-Hanover County, that would remove COPN requirements for imaging services died Friday.

Those who seek extensive reform say regional hospitals are creating community monopolies over healthcare services and removing COPN would add competition, increase options and reduce costs for patients. Hospital systems, including Lynchburgs Centra Health, say removing this system could put them out of business.

Upon moving that her bill be passed, Byron said it should not even be called reform. The bill mainly addresses administrative changes to the system those calling for reform and the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association agree is outdated. Some of those suggestions were made by the commission tasked by the 2015 General Assembly to study reform.

It doesnt do anything in my mind that would address COPN, real reform that would reduce the cost that your consumers are most interested in. However, the process exists and it still does need some reform, Byron said.

The COPN issue has come and gone over decades.

Del. Mark Sickles, D-Fairfax County, urged voters to cast against OBannons bill in support of Byrons because it would allow a gradual change. He focused his comments on the access to healthcare that has been a major part of the deregulation argument. He added a gradual process could work if it included Medicaid expansion through the Affordable Care Act.

A lot of people think we need reform. I understand people are skeptical that this is the time were going to do it, but lets do it this time. Lets make sure, Sickles said. We need to solve the access problem. We can do that. We have chosen not to do it. We can solve the access problem, and we can also have a rational approach to this with a new system with less politics in it.

Republicans, which control both houses of the General Assembly, have denied Medicaid expansion the last two sessions. They have said it will not be in the final biennial budget as proposed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

This has nothing to do with Medicaid expansion. This is about patients having better access to care through this COPN process, OBannon said. ... I dont think they fit together. I think Virginia has already made a clear decision not to expand Medicaid.
The developers of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline said Friday they will propose a new route for the 550-mile interstate natural gas pipeline that avoids sensitive areas of national forests that the U.S. Forest Service has put off limits.

Dominion, the Richmond-based energy giant that leads the $5 billion initiative, said the pipeline company will propose an alternative route next week that will avoid portions of national forests in Virginia and West Virginia that provide habitats for endangered or threatened animal species.

The company said it would propose the change in response to concerns expressed by the U.S. Forest Service and staff at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is reviewing the application for the pipeline.

We will submit the route to avoid two geographic locations  Cheat Mountain and Shenandoah Mountain  because of the sensitive species that inhabit those areas, Dominion spokesman Aaron Ruby said Friday.

The alternative route follows a previous proposal to extend the pipeline south of Cheat Mountain in West Virginia, as well as a new path south of Shenandoah Mountain in Virginia. Portions of the two national forests crossed by the currently proposed route provide habitat for the Cheat Mountain and Cow Knob salamanders, as well as the West Virginia Northern Flying Squirrel and sensitive red spruce forests.

The new route would increase the pipelines overall length by about 30 miles, but reduce the portions that traverse the George Washington and Monongahela national forests from 29 to less than 19 miles.

However, the alternative route would affect an additional 249 landowners in Highland, Bath and Augusta counties in western Virginia, as well as Randolph and Pocahontas counties in West Virginia. Previously, Bath, south of Highland, had not been affected by the proposed route.

We are contacting landowners along the alternative route to request permission to survey their properties so the route can be thoroughly evaluated, the company said in a statement Friday. Atlantic will submit a preliminary analysis of the route to the FERC next week, and plans to hold a series of public informational open houses along the route in early March.
An expert with the Virginia Department of Forensic Science linked the fatal shooting of Waynesboro reserve police Capt. Kevin Quick to other crimes through ballistic evidence Friday in Roanoke.

Six defendants face life sentences under federal RICO laws for allegedly being part of an organized criminal enterprise. Four of the defendants face charges in connection with Quicks slaying and in connection with a string of home invasions, robberies and malicious woundings that occurred from September 2013 through early February 2014.

The other two defendants face charges of obstruction of justice and racketeering.

Pieces of a Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistol were recovered Feb. 11, 2014, along Interstate 495 in the Alexandria area, according to Special Agent David Walker with the Virginia State Police.

State and local police were led to the area by Leslie Casterlow, who testified Thursday that she had seen the gun being disassembled and helped dispose of it.

State forensic scientist Lauren Claytor testified that she was able to match a cartridge recovered at the Goochland County location where Quicks body was found to cartridges found at the site of an Oct. 11, 2013 home invasion in Louisa County.

Claytor also linked the same gun to a robbery in Louisa County on Feb. 2, 2014, in which one man was shot and a woman was hit with a pistol.

Claytor said that the barrel of the gun was not recovered and therefore bullets and bullet fragments recovered at the various scenes could not be compared. However, all of the shell casings found were fired using the same slide, she testified.

Bradley McManaway of the Virginia State Police also took the stand to describe how investigators were able to locate Quicks body on Feb. 6, 2014 in a remote area of Goochland County.

We had identified that area as a potential route the abductors took, McManaway said, based on information from the Fluvanna County Sheriffs office and from triangulating pings from a cellphone.

McManaway added that he and other investigators turned onto an old logging road that was muddy from recent rain and observed a bunch of ruts. Soon after, McManaway spotted what he thought was a pants leg and found Quicks body.

The court also accepted into evidence the autopsy report by Dr. Deborah Kay, assistant chief medical examiner for the Central District of Virginia. The report states that Quick died from a single bullet-wound to his head and that there were no defensive wounds. A time of death could not be determined, according to Kays report.

The prosecutors spent much of the day calling law enforcement officers to the stand to identify the evidence officers had collected through search warrants so that the evidence could be entered into the court record.

Items admitted into evidence came from the Front Royal home of Gert Wright aka Halisi Uhuru, the Goochland County location where Quicks body was found, the Days Inn in Alexandria, the Value Place in Manassas and the Cedar Hill Road location in Louisa County where Quicks SUV was found abandoned.

Items seized included clothing, prescription medications, hand-written notes, white powder substances, receipts, cellphones, red bandanas and several Newport cigarette packages.

The trial is scheduled to continue on Monday, weather permitting.
UPDATE 4 PM, 2/13: A winter storm watch has been posted for Sunday evening through Thursday morning, for the potential of 3-6 inches of snow in the Roanoke Valley and 4-8 inches to the west, followed by a tenth of an inch or two of ice accretion from freezing rain. ... I hope to have a new blog post up by 6 p.m. END UPDATE

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UPDATE 10:20 AM, 2/13: The general trend on forecast guidance has been for an EARLIER start to snow, possibly as early as mid to late Sunday evening. The mixing period also seems to be earlier, perhaps beginning near midday Monday. 3-5-inch amounts in the Roanoke-New River valleys, with a little more to the northwest and a little less to the south and east still look generally reasonable. It will probably warm substantially aloft on Monday evening, so much so that it most likely becomes a rain vs. freezing rain setup by mid-evening Monday. How much precipitation occurs Monday night into early Tuesday is still questionable, with some of the heavier amounts plus slightly colder possibilities leading to a significant ice storm for part or all of our region. It warms above freezing Tuesday, though there may be another brief shot of rain or snow showers overnight Tuesday with a quick-hitting Alberta clipper system trailing this storm. The mercury, though, steadily glides upward toward late week. END UPDATE

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While there continue to be notable discrepancies in the output of various forecast models related to the storm system they may start spreading snow into our region as early as Sunday evening and continue with a mixed bag of precipitation into early Tuesday, perhaps something of a general picture is starting to emerge on how this will develop.

Before that ... it should be noted that some snow showers and squalls will continue overnight into early Saturday as Arctic air slides into our region on northwesterly breezes, which will bring about a bone-chilling morning in the single digits to near 10 on Sunday, one of the coldest, if not the coldest, Valentine's Days on record locally.

Back to the potential winter storm and how it will develop.

(1) First, a rather strong Alberta clipper-type storm system will move east Sunday evening into early Monday, spreading snow into our region from the west. Latest indications are that snow may begin as early as Sunday evening in parts of Southwest Virginia and should be going enough for some accumulation by sunrise Monday even to the Roanoke Valley and Blue Ridge, perhaps even eastward.

(2) Secondly, a strengthening low-pressure system over the South will begin to lift Gulf of Mexico moisture northward over and into the cold air regime. This will augment and perhaps intensify the snow area initiated by the clipper during the day Monday. (Don't be surprised if there is a lull or even a stoppage between the initial clipper snow and that of the overrunning moisture.)

(3) The southern low will track east and northeastward on a path yet to be determined, with the exact track having large implications on our forecast. Some forecast models depict a track somewhat to our south and east, which would allow cold air to hang in longer, while the well-respected European model (as of midday Friday) turns the low more north-northeast and tracks it just to our west up the spine of the Appalachians, which would lead to a faster scouring out of the cold air at the mid layers and near the surface.

(4) Either of the above forecast tracks lead to an increase in moisture late Monday that will, at least initially, be snow. All forecast guidance suggests milder air aloft will erode the cold air in the lower to mid layers of the atmosphere, wedged against the Appalachians, from the south and east, but at variable speeds, depending on the track and strength of the low. Snow will eventually become mixed with and eventually change to sleet and freezing rain Monday night or very early Tuesday, and possibly even transition all the way to above-freezing cold rain, especially south and east of Roanoke. When that occurs, and how much precipitation occurs before and after that point, can make several inches difference in snowfall and determine whether only light icing occurs or a significant to major ice storm ensues, with its attendant power outages. This is simply a phase of the forecast that is not fully resolved yet and hopefully will come into at least somewhat clearer view over the weekend.

(5) Behind the storm, melting begins almost immediately, with highs in the 40s on Tuesday, and generally milder weather expected the remainder of the week, 40s-50s highs. ... 60 by Saturday? ... Maybe.

My general expectations as of early Friday evening: 3-5 inches for Roanoke/New River valleys, followed by a period of sleet/ice. Amounts are likely to be similar south along the Blue Ridge and the I-81 corridor, a little higher toward the northwest -- perhaps 5-8 inches in Bath and Alleghany counties -- and gradually less to the south and east, dwindling to 2-4 inches near Smith Mountain Lake and 1-3 inches in Southside. Ice amounts probably won't be excessive -- a solution that quickly changes snow to ice probably leads to rain, while colder solutions favor more sleet mix -- but even a tenth or two of an inch of ice, especially following some wet snow, could down some tree limbs and power lines.

This of course is still a fairly early guesstimate subject to some change up or down, but hopefully provides some reasonable guide for what to expect. I'll better spell out some high- and low-end scenarios with my Saturday evening post.

-----

Some folks have asked me about the comparison between this storm and that which occurred last Feb. 21. Both cases involve a surge of warmth and moisture overrunning a deep Arctic air mass beginning to retreat.

In case you don't remember, that was the Saturday snowfall last year after a week that began with a 7-10-inch snowfall on Monday, Feb. 16, and featured several extremely cold, windy days. In fact, temperatures were at or below zero areawide on the Friday monring before the storm. The corridor from Roanoke to Blacksburg generally got about 6 inches of snow, but amounts grew dramatically to the north and dropped just as dramatically to the south. The most memorable predicament in both the buildup and development of that storm -- again, similar to this one -- was trying to guess the point at which snow would change to sleet or freezing rain as the warm, moist Gulf of Mexico air surged atop colder air in the lower layers. Generally the changeover happened 4-6 hours later than most models projected.

Attached at the top left are surface and 500-millibar maps from the two events that do look reasonably similar. Key differences are that (1) the Arctic air mass, as sharp as it will be this time, was actually even colder last year; (2) weeklong widespread deep snowfall across the entire region; (3) the warm surge was a one-day event, with a quick resurgence of Arctic cold for several more days, not the start of a pattern change, as this appears to be; and (4) many of the key upper air features appear to be somewhat farther south this time, especially in the earlier stages of the event.

We don't exactly know how this will play out yet, so we can't make too many comparisons, but one takeaway from last year and many previous examples is that cold air wedges east of the mountains are often much slower to erode than modeled.
ARTS organisations will bring an explosion of carnival to Rotherhams streets on September 24.

Rotherham Culture Company, Open Minds Theatre Company and partner groups have set the date when top-notch carnival artists from around the country will meet here for a unique event.

The big day will begin with A Symphony of Rotherham - a musical performance involving both the Minsters bells and a call to prayer from town centre mosques.

In the planning for over five years, the project is supported by the UK Centre for Carnival Arts (UKCCA), the Global Carnival Centre, local community organisations and businesses.

The home-grown parade will showcase the best of Rotherhams native and immigrant cultures through the lens of carnival.

Lead organiser Vicky Hilton said: This work is important in Rotherham now more than ever.

We want to celebrate our differences and bring people back into the town.

The Jay Report has had devastating effects, not just in the town but within our grassroots communities.

The carnival is something that can help towards rebuilding communities and relationships. Rotherham artists are very excited about the idea.

Last October, the Old Market Gallery hosted an exhibition of international carnival costumes, puppetry, photography and artefacts.

Notting Hill costume veterans Mandinga Arts and Rampage Mas Band even visited the town to offer the wisdom of their long experience.

OMTCs artistic director Steve Rogers said: We want to instil pride in Rotherhams communities and engage new audiences who do not attend other arts events.

Hopeton Walker, chair of the UKCCA, said: We are very much in support of the carnival for Rotherham. The work that has been done here to date is ground-breaking.

We will be working together to ensure that the project deliveries the highest quality of carnival arts, whilst being rooted in and representative of the local community.

Carnival-themed workshops will take place in the run up to September, with schools creating costumes, floats, music and dance for the parade.

It will wind through the town to end up at Clifton Park, where the bandstand will host live music and dance performances.

Anyone interested in getting involved, or who would like more information, can contact Vicky at vicky@omtc.org.uk.

The Advertiser was told two weeks ago that Magna would host its own carnival-themed celebration this July.
Saudi airstrike causes 20 casualties in Sanaa







SANAA, Feb. 13 (Saba)  A Saudi airstrike targeted Zatar Souk in Nehm district of Sanaa province, leaving 20 civilians among dead and injured in an initial toll, a security official said on Saturday.



The hostile raid destroyed a super market, three shops and two cars, and caused damage to the nearby houses, the official added.



He condemned the continuation of the Saudi aggression in targeting the citizens and their property in an obvious violation of all international law and conventions.



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[14/February/2016]
Saudi vehicle destroyed in Najran, its crew killed





NAJRAN, Feb. 13 (Saba)  The army and popular committees forces destroyed a Saudi armored vehicle in Najran, killing its crew, a military official said on Saturday.



The Saudi vehicle was ruined by an improvised explosive device in al-Shorfa military site in Najran, the official explained, adding that the army and committees bombed Najran force with barrages of missiles.



He pointed out that snipers of the army and committees shot dead a Saudi soldier in the west of al-Tewal border outlet, as well as blowing up a Saudi troop carrier with an explosive device in the south of al-Manaq area.



The missile and artillery forces pounded Saudi locations in Bait al-Mashqar, Jahfan, al-Ataya al-Sharqia, Sharqan, al-Jaboh, al-Mazab checkpoint, Kross and Jobah in Jizan province, causing the enemy large damage and losses.





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[14/February/2016]
By SA Commercial Prop News

Former JD Group Chief Financial Officer, Gerald Volkel has been appointed Financial Director of Growthpoint Properties Limited.



JSE-listed property group, Growthpoint Properties Limited said on Tuesday it had appointed a former JD Group Chief Financial Officer with experience in financial and accounting as its next Financial Director.

Gerald Volkel has been appointed Financial Director of Growthpoint Properties Limited, South Africas largest listed property company.

Volkel is a Chartered Accountant with over 25 years experience. His career spans a progression of senior financial roles with performance-driven companies.



Prior to joining Growthpoint, Volkel was the highly regarded Chief Financial Officer of the JD Group Limited and where he also served on the Board of this company for a dozen years. Before this he was an audit partner of Ernst & Young for four years.



Raised and educated in Gauteng, Volkel holds a Bachelor of Accountancy Degree (B. Acc) from the University of the Witwatersrand.



Norbert Sasse, CEO of Growthpoint Properties Limited says: Geralds broad experience as a financial and accounting professional gives him a solid platform for the job of FD of Growthpoint. We welcome Gerald and look forward to working with him as part of the Growthpoint executive directorate.



Volkel replaced the late Stuart Snowball as Growthpoints FD from 1 February 2013.



At Ernst & Young, Volkel was responsible for the client audits of some of South Africas leading banking, mining, industrial and retail groups. He also gained valuable international perspective working in London, including the audit of National Westminster Bank.



While at JD Group, Volkel gained extensive experience in financial and taxation affairs in this retail and consumer financier business with nearly a dozen brands operating over 1,000 stores in South Africa and Poland.



His long record of professional achievement positions Gerald to make a valuable contribution to the Growthpoint team, says Sasse.



Growthpoint Properties is the largest South African listed property company and is included in the JSE ALSI Top 40 Companies Index. It owns and manages a quality portfolio of 390 properties in South Africa providing nearly 4,4 million square metres of retail, office and industrial space to leading businesses across the country.

Growthpoint also owns 50% of the V&A Waterfront and 65% of GOZ, separately listed on the ASX.
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
Reports: Israel Plays Pivotal Role in Building a Separation Barrier Along Turkish-Syrian Border

The Israeli government has years of expertise in erecting apartheid walls in the occupied Palestinian West Bank.



Courtesy: rudaw.net



(SALEM, Ore.) - As the construction of a barrier wall along the Turkish-Syrian border continues, new details regarding the close co-operation between Israel and the Turkish administration of Ahmet Davutoglu has been disclosed in Turkish media.

Earlier, Turkish activists shared myriad of pictures and video clips showing the construction of the barrier wall, raising eyebrows around the world.

In spite of President Erdogan's repetitive claims that the aforementioned barrier wall is designed to do nothing but thwart ISIS militants and maintains the security status in the volatile contiguous zones, Turkish authorities seek to accomplish this project with the suggestion and assistance proffered by the Israeli government.

Accordingly, due to the Israeli government's expertise in erecting apartheid walls in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, the Turkish government seems keen to apply Tel Aviv's technical know-how in this regard.

Following the talks which set the rapprochement in motion between Ankara and Tel Aviv-- Israeli and Turkish relations escalated in diplomatic row in the aftermath of Gaza flotilla raid; a large influx of Israeli engineers and various company officials inundated the border areas with neighboring Syria.

Interestingly, the Israelis offered the Turkish side vital details about the geometrical structure and complicated chemical formula of concrete needed to build the barrier wall.

The staggering budget needed to create this huge separation wall, will allegedly be provided by buying smuggled ISIS oil on black market.

_________________________________________
How many voices in our materialist society tell us that happiness is to be found by acquiring as many possessions and luxuries as we can? But this is to make possessions into a false god. Instead of bringing life, they bring death. - Pope Benedict XVI

"This past Wednesday I was in part of the hospital that was devoted to people who have memory problems like my father. The people here may have no idea who I am but they light up at the sight of a collar. People who cannot carry on a conversation click on and join in prayer as if there were little wrong with them, their faces relaxing in this moment of peace amidst the chaos of illness." - Fr. Valencheck

"The priest's life is not his own. He does not live it for himself and his personal fulfillment, but for the salvation of souls." - Fr. Richtsteig

"I am convinced that if we simply follow the liturgical books, say the texts and carry out the gestures properly, in a style continuous with our tradition, the Churchs liturgy has power the capture minds and hearts and transform them. I starting forming this conviction before I became a Catholic through my experience of Novus Ordo Masses done in an entirely Roman traditional style, closely following the books. The late Msgr. Richard Schuler would eventually articulate to me in words what I was experiencing in the church. "Just do what the Council asked do what the Church asks." Why is worship well executed according to the mind of the Church so effective? Christ is the true Actor in the sacred action of the Churchs worship. He makes our hands and voices His own as He raises our petitions and offerings to the Father for His glory and our salvation. Christs Holy Church has determined the way by which we may have this encounter with mystery in the liturgy, be taken up in the sacred action. Pope Benedict addresses this in his highly ignored Sacramentum caritatis. He teaches sacred ministers about ars celebrandi, our purpose and comportment. We must learn to get out of His way. Although we have the right to our Rite celebrated as the Church desires, liturgy is not about me or us or even you in the pews." - Fr. Zuhlsdorf
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/12/2016 -- Tourists who arrive at Vietnam for the TET holiday may be happy with the news that they can get Visas on Arrival round the clock so they can enjoy their holidays absolutely without any hassles. These tourists can get in touch with them for getting their Vietnam Visas on Arrival without any issues, says Visa-Vietnam.org.



The company takes pride in asserting that they offer quick services. They make sure that their customers get efficient services as well. Tourists who decide to use their services need not worry about the costs involved because they charge reasonably for the services they render, says the company.



Thanks to the excellent Visa on Arrival services they provide, tourists who seek their help need not chase down embassies nor do they need to send off their passports. This means they can get their visas absolutely without any necessity to run around.



They are a registered company operating in this field in Vietnam and in fact, they have been rendering their services since 2007. Their expertise in this field and their keenness to look for innovative ways to help their clients have helped them garner very high reputation. Visa-Vietnam.org proudly says that they are always committed to providing very high quality services to customers and that is why the number of tourists who seek their help for getting Vietnam Visas on Arrival has been increasing year after year.



Satisfying their customers is their main motto and hence, they come out with innovative offers from time to time. A classic example of their novel offers is their announcement to extend very attractive discounts to those who frequently travel into Vietnam and obtain Visas on Arrival through them. This offer has been named as the "frequently member" program.



Another offer that has attracted a number of tourists is to offer great discounts to corporate travelers. Students, teachers, agents and those who belong to corporates and who travel to Vietnam can benefit immensely with the help of this program.



Since they want to ensure that their customers are fully satisfied with their services, they take all the required steps to protect the private and personal details of their clients.



Visa-Vietnam.org admits that there are other operators in the field of getting tourists Vietnam Visas on Arrival. But customers who choose wrong service providers may regret at a later stage. Unlike such run-of-the-mill providers, they have always been maintaining their reputation by rendering high-quality and timely services at affordable costs. This is what has been helping them grow at an enviable speed, points out Visa-Vietnam.org.



About Visa-Vietnam.org

Tourists who arrive at Vietnam for the TET holiday can get Visas on Arrival round the clock so they can enjoy their holidays absolutely without any hassles. These tourists can get in touch with Visa-Vietnam.org for getting their Vietnam Visas on Arrival without any issues. The company renders high-quality and timely services at very low costs. Further, the company makes sure that their clients' details are protected well. They come out with innovative offers from time to time also.



For Media Contact:

Address Room A2, 64 Nguyen Dinh Chieu street, Dakao ward, district 1, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam.

Phone (00) (+84) 8 5404 3118

Url: http://www.visa-vietnam.org/
At the rate humans are emitting carbon into the atmosphere, Earth may suffer irreparable damage that could last tens of thousands of years, according to a new analysis published this week.

Too much of the climate change policy debate has focused on observations of the past 150 years and their impact on global warming and sea level rise by the end of this century, the authors say. Instead, policy-makers and the public should also be considering the longer-term impacts of climate change.

"Much of the carbon we are putting in the air from burning fossil fuels will stay there for thousands of years -- and some of it will be there for more than 100,000 years," said Peter Clark, an Oregon State University paleoclimatologist and lead author on the article. "People need to understand that the effects of climate change on the planet won't go away, at least not for thousands of generations."

The researchers' analysis is being published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change.

Thomas Stocker of the University of Bern in Switzerland, who is past-co-chair of the IPCC's Working Group I, said the focus on climate change at the end of the 21st century needs to be shifted toward a much longer-term perspective.

"Our greenhouse gas emissions today produce climate-change commitments for many centuries to millennia," said Stocker, a climate modeler and co-author on the Nature Climate Change article. "It is high time that this essential irreversibility is placed into the focus of policy-makers.

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"The long-term view sends the chilling message (about) what the real risks and consequences are of the fossil fuel era," Stocker added. "It will commit us to massive adaptation efforts so that for many, dislocation and migration becomes the only option."

Sea level rise is one of the most compelling impacts of global warming, yet its effects are just starting to be seen. The latest IPCC report, for example, calls for sea level rise of just one meter by the year 2100. In their analysis, however, the authors look at four difference sea level-rise scenarios based on different rates of warming, from a low end that could only be reached with massive efforts to eliminate fossil fuel use over the next few decades, to a higher rate based on the consumption of half the remaining fossil fuels over the next few centuries.

With just two degrees (Celsius) warming in the low-end scenario, sea levels are predicted to eventually rise by about 25 meters. With seven degrees warming at the high-end scenario, the rise is estimated at 50 meters, although over a period of several centuries to millennia.

"It takes sea level rise a very long time to react -- on the order of centuries," Clark said. "It's like heating a pot of water on the stove; it doesn't boil for quite a while after the heat is turned on -- but then it will continue to boil as long as the heat persists. Once carbon is in the atmosphere, it will stay there for tens or hundreds of thousands of years, and the warming, as well as the higher seas, will remain."

Clark said for the low-end scenario, an estimated 122 countries have at least 10 percent of their population in areas that will be directly affected by rising sea levels, and that some 1.3 billion -- or 20 percent of the global population -- live on lands that may be directly affected. The impacts become greater as the warming and sea level rise increases.

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"We can't keep building seawalls that are 25 meters high," noted Clark, a professor in OSU's College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. "Entire populations of cities will eventually have to move."

Daniel Schrag, the Sturgis Hooper Professor of Geology at Harvard University, said there are moral questions about "what kind of environment we are passing along to future generations."

"Sea level rise may not seem like such a big deal today, but we are making choices that will affect our grandchildren's grandchildren -- and beyond," said Schrag, a co-author on the analysis and director of Harvard's Center for the Environment. "We need to think carefully about the long time-scales of what we are unleashing."

The new paper makes the fundamental point that considering the long time scales of the carbon cycle and of climate change means that reducing emissions slightly or even significantly is not sufficient. "To spare future generations from the worst impacts of climate change, the target must be zero -- or even negative carbon emissions -- as soon as possible," Clark said.

"Taking the first steps is important, but it is essential to see these as the start of a path toward total decarbonization," Schrag pointed out. "This means continuing to invest in innovation that can someday replace fossil fuels altogether. Partial reductions are not going to do the job."

Stocker said that in the last 50 years alone, humans have changed the climate on a global scale, initiating the Anthropocene, a new geological era with fundamentally altered living conditions for the next many thousands of years.

"Because we do not know to what extent adaptation will be possible for humans and ecosystems, all our efforts must focus on a rapid and complete decarbonization -the only option to limit climate change," Stocker said.
COLUMBIA, S.C. --A small, local business recruitment program and two public relations firms are justified recipients of Richland Countys transportation penny tax funds, the county has asserted to a state agency investigating potential misuse of the controversial sales tax.

In a Dec. 31 letter to Department of Revenue Director Rick Reames III, obtained by The State newspaper through a Freedom of Information Act request, Richland County administrator Tony McDonald defended use of the countys transportation penny sales tax dollars to start and operate the countys Small Local Business Enterprise (SLBE) program and to pay $600,000 annually to firms for public information work.

The DOR called into question expenditures for both causes in a letter from Reames to McDonald dated Dec. 3. In it, the DOR claimed to have discovered multiple instances of illegal activity by individuals and/or companies associated with the penny program over the course of an audit that began in April.

The DOR letter was vague on what findings could constitute potential public corruption and fraud, but it specifically cited payments to public information firms Campbell Consulting Group and BANCO Bannister Co. and funds spent on the SLBE program as uses that might be outside the legal scope of the penny program.

McDonald defended both uses of the penny tax funds in his Dec. 31 letter, saying, We have had the opportunity to examine both of these issues and we feel strongly that Richland has done nothing in error.

The Dec. 31 letter was the countys second written response to DORs letter announcing its investigation. McDonald also sent a letter dated Dec. 9 saying the county was shocked and alarmed by the DORs suggestions of illegal activity and promising the countys ongoing cooperation. DOR has turned over its information to the State Law Enforcement Division for investigation.

Since McDonalds second letter, there have been follow-up discussions between the county and the DOR, county spokeswoman Beverly Harris said.

Small Local Business Enterprise program

The creation and operation of the SLBE program, McDonald wrote on Dec. 31, is a legal use of the penny tax program because it is a procurement tool to give small, local firms opportunities to participate in transportation contracts.

In its letter, the DOR said because the SLBE is a countywide program applying to all facets of county operations  not just Penny expenditures, it is an illegal use of the penny tax. More than $600,000 in penny revenue has been the exclusive funding source for SLBE personnel and startup costs, the DOR said.

In response, McDonalds letter countered, Critically, to date, all contracts awarded through the SLBE Program have been solely related to the Penny tax. Thus, the use of the Penny tax to fund it.

The more than 80 businesses certified by the SLBE program include BANCO Bannister Co., Campbell Consulting Group and Brownstone Construction Group, which is one of three principle companies that make up the transportation program development team.

The Sept. 2013 ordinance establishing the SLBE program does not specify it as an arm of the transportation penny program.

The county plans to expand the use of the SLBE program to all procurements in the county, McDonald said. But when the program is expanded, it will be paid for by sources other than the transportation penny tax, he said.

Don Weaver, president of the South Carolina Association of Taxpayers and a staunch opponent of the penny tax before it passed, said that while its an admirable goal to include small, local businesses in county contracts, hes not sure thats the wisest use of tax money to create a department just to encourage that.

How many more roads could we pave in Lower Richland if we didnt have someone on the county payroll preparing paperwork? Weaver said. I dont think its that complicated of a job.

County Councilman Seth Rose recently proposed refunding all the penny tax funds already spent on the SLBE program and funding it from the countys general fund budget moving forward, which will be considered during the countys upcoming budget process.

Public information services

After county voters approved the penny sales tax in 2012, county leaders quickly realized that the public information needs relating to these transportation projects would be massive and would overwhelm the Countys small in-house public information office, McDonald wrote to Reames.

The DOR questioned the transportation program management teams payments of some $50,000 a month for public information services over five years when an entire public information office already exists within Richland County government and other PDT (program development team) members also provide public relations services.

McDonald justified the payments to Campbell Consulting and BANCO Bannister, saying it is not uncommon for governments to hire outside public relations personnel to assist with projects.

A high level of public involvement efforts is necessary for the county to qualify for federal grants to accompany the penny tax, McDonald said. So far, he said, the county has secured more than $12 million in federal funding for penny projects.

The sheer volume of work that this level of public involvement necessitates is well above that of a typical county or municipality, McDonald wrote to Reames.

Other counties have managed that need differently.

York County, where voters in 1997 approved the first local option sales tax in South Carolina, never hired outside public information personnel for any of its three transportation penny sales tax programs in the past two decades, former county manager Jim Baker said. The scope and budget of those three programs combined, however, amount to less than half that of Richland Countys penny program.

In Charleston County, where voters in 2004 approved a 25-year, $1.3 billion half-cent transportation sales tax program, a single public and media relations coordinator was subcontracted by the countys program management firm, said Jim Armstrong, Charleston Countys assistant administrator for transportation and public works.

In contrast, the public information component of Richland Countys program includes five personnel earning what McDonald described in his letter as fair market value salaries and benefits.

Weaver, the anti-tax advocate, said paying four or five people to do public relations work for the penny program is a foolish use of money.

Now that weve moved into the phase of just delivering the information to the public ... I certainly think county staff are capable of doing that, Weaver said.
Press Release

February 12, 2016 CHIZ HOPEFUL OF FAVORABLE SC RULING FOR POE IN MARCH PANGASINAN -- Independent vice-presidential candidate Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero is looking forward to a favorable Supreme Court ruling for his presidential running mate Sen. Grace Poe as they expect the high court to hand down its decision next month. During the campaign sortie of the Partido Galing at Puso in vote-rich Pangasinan province, Escudero said the SC was expected to conclude within the month hearing the oral arguments on Poe's consolidated petition against two Commission on Elections (Comelec) decisions canceling her certificate of candidacy (COC) for president. "Inaasahan namin na matatapos sa buwan ng Pebrero ang oral arguments sa kaso ni Sen. Grace. Inaasahan namin na lalabas sa buwan ng Marso ang kanilang (SC) pasya at desisyon, at buo ang pag-asa namin na ito'y papabor kay Sen. Grace," Escudero told a press conference. In canceling Poe's COC, the Comelec claimed that she made "material misrepresentations" regarding her citizenship and residency. Poe, the frontrunner in recent presidential voter preference surveys, had petitioned the SC to reverse the Comelec rulings on ground that the poll body committed grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack of jurisdiction. She also insisted that just like all other foundlings found in the Philippines, she is a natural-born Filipino citizen, and that she complied with the 10-year residency requirement for presidential candidates having been a resident of the country since May 24, 2005. Escudero believes the 15-member tribunal will not go beyond its 2004 decision that declared Poe's father, the late actor Fernando Poe Jr., whose citizenship was also questioned when he ran for president at the time, a natural-born Filipino. "Sa kaso tungkol sa kababayan nyong si FPJ, sinabi ng Korte Suprema sa pamamagitan ni Chief Justice (Reynato) Puno, sa wikang Ingles: 'We cannot leave to the unelected members of this court the power and right to decide who the next president will be. That decision is best left to the sovereign Filipino people,'" Escudero said referring to the late actor, who is a native of San Carlos City in Pangasinan. "Kung susundin nila (SC justices) 'yun, walang rason para hindi sila pumabor kay Sen. Grace," he added.
Press Release

February 12, 2016 POE: TEACHERS CAN LEAD THIS COUNTRY PANGASINAN -- Leading presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe did not take lightly a rival's quip of her being "just" a teacher, saying it was an insult to the country's educators. It is unfortunate, Poe said, how one presidential aspirant belittled teachers and their ability to lead. "Hindi ba niya naisip na hindi siya makakarating sa kanyang kinaroonan kung hindi dahil sa mga guro na kanyang pinagdaanan?" Poe asked during her visit to Pangasinan. "Bakit minamaliit ang titser?" Poe did not name names but issued the remark a day after Vice President Jejomar Binay, the opposition's presidential bet, was quoted as saying in his Cavite campaign sortie: "Ano naman ang relasyon ng teacher sa pamumuno? Ang karanasan at kakayahan sa pagka-teacher ay para sa teaching profession." "Ang mga teacher pwedeng pagkatiwalaan ng ating mga anak pero hindi sila pwedeng maging pangulo? Nakakalungkot na ganoon ang kanyang pananaw," said Poe, who has overtaken Binay in recent presidential preference surveys. There are over 500,000 public elementary and high school teachers in the country, considered the noblest profession. In the Philippines, teachers serve a crucial role as Board of Elections Inspectors during elections. Poe herself taught geography and math to preschool children before working in the scientific technologies field until 2004. The senator stressed that while her years in government are few, she does not lack the leadership skills, the diligence and the compassion needed to steer the country into progress which is inclusive and sustainable. "Sinasabi nila na wala akong karanasan. Wala nga akong karanasan--sa pagnanakaw at pangungurakot," she said, gaining cheers from the crowd. Poe has regained the lead in the presidential race after addressing the misinformation on her qualification for the presidency. She topped Pulse Asia's survey, conducted from January 24 to 28, with 30 percent of voters saying they would choose her, while Binay got 23 percent. She also topped the Laylo Survey conducted from January 27 to February 4, with 29 percent of votes compared with Binay's 22 percent. Poe, the lone independent presidential candidate, said she will never allow anyone to control her, if she wins the presidency. "Nung pumasok ako sa gobyerno, nag-serbisyo ako sa MTRCB at ginawa nang maayos ang trabaho ko. Nang maging senador ako, pinamunuan ko ang Mamasapano investigation. Pareho kami ni Senator Chiz na may experience sa executive at legislative. Pareho kami ng posisyon sa ibang issues pero may sarili akong pangalan at 'yan ang pinanghahawakan ko," Poe said. Poe is in Pangasinan with her running mate, Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero, who is also leading vice-presidential surveys, and the senatorial bets under "Partido Galing at Puso." They are set to meet with students and local officials of Dagupan, Calasiao and San Carlos cities. Poe's father, the late movie icon Fernando Poe Jr., hails from San Carlos City. In 2013, Pangasinan, which has 1.7 million voters, delivered more than 805,000 votes for Poe, who topped the senatorial race.
Press Release

February 12, 2016 POE: VOTERS HAVE RIGHT TO KNOW CANDIDATES' HEALTH STATUS PANGASINAN -- As the grueling campaign season starts, leading presidential aspirant Sen. Grace Poe expressed confidence that she is physically fit to become the country's next president. Poe, the youngest among the five presidential contenders, also backed calls for candidates to present their health records to prove that they are physically capable of handling the stress that comes with occupying the highest post of the land. While the Commission on Elections has no health-related requirement for candidates for president and vice president, Poe said it was only fair for the people to know if their future leaders have any health issues. "May karapatan ang ating mga kababayan na malaman ang katotohanan. I am willing to submit a medical certificate from a physician that will reflect that I am physically fit to run for public office," said Poe, who topped recent presidential preference surveys. She said she had tonsillectomy when she was in grade school, recalling that her first visitors were then teen matinee idols Gabby Concepcion and William Martinez. More recently, Poe said she had a few kidney stones removed. The senator said she was also open to having voluntary drug tests for all presidential and vice-presidential candidates, especially as she had vowed to declare illegal drugs as national security threat. "Pero sa tingin ko, ang mas dapat nating tutukan sa mga kandidato ay magboluntaryong magbigay ng drug test sapagkat 'yan ang iligal. 'Yan ang hindi nararapat sa ating batas. At ang drug test na isusumite, dapat ay official." Poe, 47, said she has no qualms about meeting her demanding schedule in the next three months leading to the May 9 elections. The lone independent presidential bet has been to Cebu, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte in the three days following their campaign kick-off in Plaza Miranda in Manila on February 9. Poe is in Pangasinan with her running mate, Sen. Francis Escudero, also the vice-presidential race frontrunner, and some senatorial bets running under the coalition "Partido Galing at Puso." They will meet with local government officials and students in Dagupan, Calasiao and San Carlos cities. Poe's father, late movie icon Fernando Poe Jr. was born in San Carlos City. In 2013, Poe topped the senatorial picks in the province in 2013, receiving more than 805,000 votes in Pangasinan. She went on to set a record for garnering the highest number of votes in Philippine electoral history. Pangasinan has more than 1.7 million registered voters, making it one of the vote-rich areas in the Philippines.
Khris Davis hit 27 home runs last season and cant be a free agent for at least four years. The As saw those as valuable commodities.

Beefing up the middle of their lineup and solidifying left field, the As acquired Davis from the Brewers on Friday for two prospects, pitcher Bubba Derby and catcher Jacob Nottingham.

To clear room on Oaklands 40-man roster, pitcher Sean Nolin was designated for assignment.

This is an important piece, general manager David Forst said, and were happy with the team weve got right now.

We talk about right-handed power here every year, and Khris adds that. We look forward to having Danny (Valencia) a full year and expect Billy (Butler) to bounce back. We have the makings of a really good middle of the lineup right now.

Davis, 28, batted .247 with a .323 on-base percentage in 121 games last year: .260 against righties (with 21 homers) and .212 against lefties. The As saw a lot of Davis in spring training in recent years and kept tabs on the 2009 seventh-round draft pick from Cal State Fullerton.

Davis, wholl be eligible for arbitration for the first time next winter, put up big power numbers despite undergoing knee surgery early last season. He isnt highly regarded defensively, but Forst said, Hes proven himself to be fine in left field.

Davis will play alongside center fielder Billy Burns and right fielder Josh Reddick. Forst said Coco Crisp (if healthy) and Mark Canha still would get plenty of playing time. Crisp could play center and serve as a designated hitter, and Canha could play left and first base.

If Cocos healthy and can be out there, weve always said well find a spot for him, Forst said. Marks going to find a way to get at-bats. He did last year. I expect hell do the same thing this year.

After Derby, 21, was sent from the Arizona League (rookie league) to Vermont in the New York-Penn League (Class A) last season, he posted an 0.78 ERA in 12 games (eight starts). Nottingham, 20, acquired in the Scott Kazmir trade in July, hit .316 with 17 homers and 82 RBIs in 119 games in three Class A stops.

Nottinghams catcher-of-the-future status switches from the As to the Brewers, who are in a rebuilding mode and could move 2014 All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy before the years out. Highly rated prospect Domingo Santana seems the logical choice to replace Davis in left in Milwaukee.

Nolin was 2-2 with a 2.66 ERA for Triple-A Nashville and went 1-2 with a 5.28 ERA for the As in September. Nolin was acquired in last winters Josh Donaldson trade.

Were at that point where any 40-man roster decision is difficult, and this is the one we had to make, Forst said.

John Shea is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jshea@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnSheaHey
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Change is no stranger to the Mission District, and this time its the main drag  Mission Street  and the heavily ridden Muni lines that are set for transformation.

The bustling thoroughfare is gaining some red transit-only lanes, while losing a lane of traffic, in a bid to clear out many cars  especially double-parkers  and speed up buses that is reminiscent of transit-first efforts in other parts of the city, including Market Street downtown.

The shifts, which cover a 2-mile stretch of Mission, begin Saturday, when Muni pares back what it considers an inefficient series of bus stops by eliminating 13 stops serving three bus lines  the 14-Mission, 14R-Mission Rapid and 49-Van Ness/Mission  and adding one.

Public-works crews will also break out paint and brushes and start adding red transit-only lanes between 11th and Randall streets.

The painting should be done by March or April, at which time the Municipal Transportation Agency will start banning left turns at every intersection between 14th and Cesar Chavez streets and requiring right turns off of Mission Street at 16th, 20th, 22nd, 24th and 26th streets.

All that work will result in a transit-only lane and a general traffic lane in the southbound direction between 11th and Cesar Chavez streets, with a single shared lane in the northbound direction.

That stretch of Mission has two lanes in each direction now, but theyre narrow and dangerous, resulting in many Muni sideswiping collisions. Between Cesar Chavez and Randall streets, where Mission is wider, each direction will have a transit-only lane and a shared lane.

Pedestrian, transit space

And by the end of the year, the MTA will construct wider crossing areas at street corners as well as bus boarding areas up and down the corridor, which is the busiest in the Muni system.

This is exciting stuff, said John Haley, the agencys transit director, who said the changes should reduce bus travel times by another five minutes. Synchronizing traffic signals on Mission and giving buses priority last year had already shaved off five minutes, he said.

Were taking a trip that used to take an hour, end to end, and knocking it down considerably, he said.

The changes on Mission are part of the Muni Forward project, which has a goal of making some of Munis most-ridden lines faster and more reliable. Mission Street carries about 67,000 transit riders and 10,000 vehicles a day.

Most of the traffic pushed off of Mission Street is expected to use South Van Ness, Haley said.

Matt Brill, the project manager, said Muni learned during a series of public meetings that many Mission residents ride buses for shorter trips within the area, often to shop and dine. Merchants and residents, he said, were more concerned about keeping parking spaces than traffic lanes.

They said: We are willing to sacrifice the ability to drive through the Mission (on Mission) but we want to keep parking, Brill said.

Erick Arguello, a lifelong Mission resident and member of Calle 24, a cultural preservation group, participated in the community meetings that led to the Mission Street changes. He agreed that merchants wanted to preserve parking but that they, along with residents, wanted the 14-Mission to be speedier and more reliable.

A lot of the merchants on Mission Street depend on the buses for business, he said. The goal is to make sure that service is much faster. There have been lots of complaints about buses not coming often enough.

Haley said the Mission lines, more so than most other Muni routes, have a high number of transit-dependent passengers, often people of color with low incomes, who take trips within the Mission to shop and run errands.

Its not a commuter line, he said. Its heavy all day, slightly more in commute hours, but people are getting on and off all the time. This will have a great benefit for people who rely on transit.

Getting needed attention

The 14-Mission lines, despite their heavy ridership, have not always received the attention they deserve  especially as the number of riders has increased, Arguello said. And with the increase in traffic from taxis, ride services like Uber and Lyft, and more delivery trucks, its time to try something different, he said.

Its past due that we looked at whats going on on Mission Street, he said. It is a vital corridor with lots of important activities happening. We have to figure out how to balance it out to make it all work.

Were just keeping our fingers crossed and hoping this works.

If it does, Haley said, the changes could begin rolling down Mission toward downtown.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan
Richard Reineccius, a pioneer of the Bay Areas midsize theater scene and San Franciscos neighborhood arts programs, died at Oaklands Altenheim Senior Housing center Feb. 5, just 11 days before what would have been his 79th birthday. The cause of death is given as unknown, pending an autopsy, but is believed to have been a heart attack, according to his family.

A passionate advocate for contemporary theater and opportunities for emerging artists, Mr. Reineccius founded the Julian Theatre in 1965, with his wife, Brenda Berlin, and a group of graduate and undergraduate students from what was then San Francisco State College, where he was teaching. At the time, the only professional theater companies in the region were the Actors Workshop and the San Francisco Mime Troupe.

Within the next five years, students from UC Berkeley and other aspiring theater artists had followed suit, starting Berkeley Repertory, the Magic, Eureka and other companies, and ushering in the active, diverse theater community that has thrived in the Bay Area ever since.

Richard Ronald Reineccius was born Feb. 16, 1937, in Cambridge, Minn., the youngest of 13 children, and grew up working on his parents farm. He attended Iowa State University as an electrical engineering major, but soon switched to drama and spent the next few years working with different theater companies. In the early 60s, during a stint with the Army at Fort Bliss, he and Berlin, recently married, worked with Playhouse El Paso, where he became managing director. He graduated from S.F. State in 65, and received his masters degree there in 68.

Mr. Reineccius served as artistic and general manager for the Julian, where he also acted and directed. Dedicated to producing revitalized classics and exciting contemporary playwrights from Britain, Germany and Eastern Europe, it became increasingly a home for new Bay Area writers during its almost three decades. The company had a rocky first few years during which it moved several times, starting at St. Johns Episcopal Church (on Julian Street) and working at various sites  including Walnut Creek and Berkeley, in the space that then became Berkeley Reps first home  before settling at Potrero Hill Neighborhood House in 68.

For most of the next two decades, the Julian remained one of the regions principal midsize theater companies and hosted a diverse array of other dance companies, including John Doyles Grassroots Experience, Danny Glover and Gloria Weinstock in Sugarmouth Sam Dont Dance No More and the African Uhuru Dancers. During this time, Mr. Reineccius also became increasingly involved in an Arts and the City program which evolved into the citys Neighborhood Arts Program (now the Community Arts and Education Program of the S.F. Arts Commission).

He also spearheaded a movement, with other arts activists, that resulted in the city purchasing in 73 the four buildings that remain its primary neighborhood cultural arts centers: Bayview Opera House, Mission Cultural Center, South of Market Cultural Center and the African American Art & Culture Complex.

The Julian began to falter in the mid-80s, after Mr. Reineccius and Berlin divorced and she left the company, and had closed early in the 90s when he was invited to direct a play in Poland, where he remained for the next 11 years. He moved back to the Bay Area in 2005.

Mr. Reineccius is survived by his son, Stacey Reineccius, and daughters, Narda Skov and Celia Chamberlain, as well as six grandchildren, aged 6 to 17. A memorial is being planned. Donations in his memory may be made to Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 DeHaro St., San Francisco, CA 94107.

Robert Hurwitt is The San Francisco Chronicles theater critic. E-mail: rhurwitt@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @RobertHurwitt
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The French nuns who were in danger of being evicted from their dingy little Tenderloin soup kitchen have won a reprieve, thanks to an unlikely benefactor  business coach and media star Tony Robbins.

Under a deal struck Friday, the nuns of the Fraternite Notre Dame Mary of Nazareth Soup Kitchen at 54 Turk St. can stay for a year at their current rent. And the landlord wont try to evict them.

This is wonderful  now we dont have to be in the street, Sister Mary Valerie said when informed of the deal.

The man who made it happen was Robbins, who flew in for a Bay Area engagement this week and headed for the soup kitchen after reading of the nuns plight in The Chronicle. His secret hourlong meeting with them quickly turned from sympathy visit to business seminar to, finally, mutual admiration fest  and at the end of it, Robbins handed them a check for $25,000 to cover their troubles.

More for you Nuns who help needy face eviction in S.F.s Tenderloin

No more crying?

Then he kissed the hand of Mary Valerie, gave her a hug and pronounced: Youre beautiful. The sister  who like the other nuns, had never heard of Robbins  sat for a moment with a stunned look on her face.

No more crying for us no more? Mary Valerie said in her thick French accent.

No more crying no more, Robbins said, beaming the smile that has made his face instantly recognizable to practically anyone who watches TV.

Most people know Robbins, 55, from his infomercials and books, in which he urges his fans to find the power within to become successful. He makes millions from advising presidents and CEOs. But it turns out that Robbins also has a soft spot for feeding the impoverished.

He was poor as a child and homeless as a teenager, and he likes to tell the story of how profoundly it touched him when a stranger once gave his hungry family a basket of food.

After he struck it big, Robbins created a personal foundation, and among other things, it gives clothing and food to the poor. It serves 2 million people in need every year around the world, and Robbins and his wife match that to reach 4 million total.

When I was homeless, I had a car to sleep in  I was lucky, Robbins told Mary Valerie and Sister Mary Benedicte, who met with him while the kitchens only other nun, Sister Mary of the Angels, was out distributing food at tent cities. But I never forgot what that was like. It changed me.

We need to find a solution here where everyone involved can feel OK about it, Robbins said. I have a lot of resources. I can help.

The nuns who run the kitchen on one of the citys sketchiest blocks have been feeding the homeless for eight years, but in January they got a notice to pay almost 60 percent more rent  from $3,465 a month to $5,500  or leave. On the advice of a pro bono lawyer, they refused, pointing out that they live in the building as well as work there.

Their only income comes from selling at farmers markets the fruit-topped cakes and other French pastries they bake at the kitchen. They feed hundreds of homeless people weekly and sleep in the back. The court proceedings they faced meant they would have about one month before theyd have to hit the street like the people they serve.

Mary Valerie flew out from their religious orders Chicago headquarters to handle the eviction crisis. It was she, along with Robbins and his staff, who talked to landlord Nick Patels lawyer and the nuns lawyer, Dan Fitzpatrick, to hash out Fridays truce.

New home

Robbins said the nuns can use the $25,000 he gave to them this week, plus another $25,000 he plans to give within the next year, to move to another location. If he has to, he said, he will enlist some of his high-powered friends in San Francisco  think billionaire CEOs  to help find that other location.

The owner of the building is a businessman, and its his business  I understand that, Robbins said. So instead of putting everyone at conflict, he needed to have a way out. Its a model of how to do things. Everyone wins.

Patels lawyer, Michael Heath, said he was very glad there was a tentative resolution to the conflict that has drawn condemnation for his client from around the world since The Chronicle revealed the sisters plight. More details on the agreement will be worked out in the coming week, he and Fitzpatrick said.

Mr. Patel was in India on a personal matter, and hes sorry things developed this way in his absence, Heath said. He wants to ensure a smooth transition for the nuns. Mr. Robbins is to be commended.

Offers of help

Hundreds of people from around the nation and Canada have e-mailed or phoned the soup kitchen and The Chronicle to offer help for the nuns. At least three donation funds have been set up, collecting thousands of dollars.

Marilyn Richardson, president of the Mason-McDuffie Mortgage Corp. in San Ramon, set up a GoFundMe page Wednesday. Within two days, it had raised more than $10,000.

It was such a really sad story. It touched me, Richardson said. We are in the mortgage business, and we understand how the rental market has gone crazy, so it seemed like helping them was a perfect thing for us to do.

Her firm has also offered to help find a new location for the soup kitchen.

Robbins check was a first step toward resolution, he explained to the nuns  but he also told them it was just phase one of a business plan. The next step, he said, is to find a more permanent place. The third is to market their pastries to get a steadier income.

He laid out his three-step plan in the same manner hes been described in Forbes Magazine as having done for former President Bill Clinton, Salesforce founder Marc Benioff and Golden State Warriors co-owner Peter Guber  direct, cheerful and concise. At 6-foot-7 he towered over the nuns, but they seemed utterly unintimidated.

You could get a celebrity chef in here to help, and I know a few of those, Robbins told them. You can have more organizations help with food, and I work with those.

You do a beautiful thing here. ... Lets figure out how you can do more of what you do.

Mary Benedicte nodded. Thank you, Mr. Tony, she said quietly. The homeless people are so sad, and we are here to love them. We have to find a way to keep doing that.

Kevin Fagan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kfagan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KevinChron

How to help

In addition to several GoFundMe pages set up by independent donors, the nuns and their attorney have set up two pages to take inquiries about their situation:

Website: http://www.danfitzpatricklaw.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fraternite-Notre-Dame-San-Francisco-231085460565494/
Number of the day

12 percent

Thats how much crude oil prices jumped Friday, the most in seven years. The rebound comes a month after speculators had a record amount of short positions in West Texas Intermediate crude, so it might be more because of them covering their positions rather than anything more significant. This is all about the financial flow, said Sarah Emerson, managing director of ESAI Energy Inc., a consulting company in Wakefield, Mass. Its not the fundamentals that are moving us.

Huh?

With apologies to Barbara Walters , if you were a dog, what kind of dog would you be? Microsoft might give you the answer  unwittingly. The company has released a tool at what-dog.net that tries to show off the potential of its machine-learning research, helping people identify a dogs breed by posting a photo. But you can also do it with people. Put in a photo and the tool will spit out its best guess of the breed. It ought to come with a warning label.

Sigh

Indonesias government has demanded that instant messaging apps remove stickers featuring same-sex couples, in the latest high-profile attempt to discourage visible homosexuality in the Muslim-majority nation of more than 250 million people. The move comes after a social media backlash against the popular smartphone messaging app Line for having stickers with gay themes. Line on Tuesday said it had removed all LGBT stickers from its local online store after receiving complaints from Indonesian users.

The Daily Briefing is compiled from San Francisco Chronicle staff and news services. See more items and links at www.sfgate.com. Twitter: @techchronicle
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Carol Lin was resigned to the idea that there was nothing she could do about her daughter Madelyns sleep terrors  almost nightly fits of intense crying, yelling and thrashing about that are scary for parents to watch.

Then Lin heard about the Lully Sleep Guardian, a $199 device slightly larger than a hockey puck that gently nudges a child to disrupt the sleep cycle associated with night terrors.

What is really amazing about this is after she used it for a while, she kind of stopped, said the Mountain View resident. Now that weve been using it on and off, shes gotten a lot better.

Lully, a San Francisco startup born out of sleep research at Stanford University, claims its Lully Sleep Guardian is the first device that can help the small percentage of children affected by the sleep disorder, which generally starts between ages 4 and 12.

Lully began selling the device last fall. It introduced its second-generation Lully Sleep Guardian Plus last week.

Dr. Andy Rink, the companys co-founder and chief marketing officer, said his own experience with a twin sister who had night terrors as a child motivated him to find a high-tech solution.

He remembered neighbors calling police to his home because they wrongly believed his parents were abusing his sister. Later, in medical school, Rink said he was told the night terrors were no big deal and would eventually go away.

But thats not actually the case, Rink said. Theyre a huge problem for parents who are going through this. It can take years for them to go away, and meanwhile, these parents are left having to suffer seeing their kids act terrified at night.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, night terrors, also known as sleep terrors, can affect about 6.5 percent of children.

The disorder tends to pass genetically, usually goes away on its own by the childs teen years and leaves no lasting medical effects. But the sleep academy said night terrors also affect 2.2 percent of adults.

Night terrors are different than nightmares, which occur later in a childs sleep cycle during dreams. Night terrors typically happen in the first third of the night, most often in the first two hours, said Dr. Jessica Litwin, a UCSF pediatric neurologist who specializes in sleep disorders.

Night terrors are a sudden reaction of fear, causing children to sit up in bed, yell and scream out as if they are being hurt. Their breathing and heart rate speed up. And even though the childs eyes might be open, he or she is not awake and normally remembers nothing about an incident, which may go on 20 minutes or longer.

They call them terrors because they are terrifying to watch, said Litwin, who is not associated with Lully.

Lin said her daughters first bout came when she was about 14 months old.

The first time was terrifying because you dont know if theyre sick or hurt, Lin said, noting that her daughters eyes were often open. We thought shed twisted her arm in the crib or got her foot twisted or something else horrible went down.

Then as if a switch flicked off, she smiled and went back to sleep. She was happy as a clam, and we were like, OK, what just happened? Lin said.

Lin knew from her prior training as a pediatric psychologist that Madelyn was having night terrors. She also thought there was not much she or husband Tiem Song could do during the incidents, which increased from once or twice a week to three or four times a week by the time Madelyn was 18 months old.

But then they tried Lully.

Parents slip the device between the mattress and box spring. An accompanying mobile app asks a series of questions about the childs sleep history.

The app then signals the parent when its time to manually activate the Sleep Guardian, which vibrates strongly enough to interrupt the troublesome sleep cycle but not enough to fully wake the child.

For years, medical experts recommended scheduled awakenings, with parents physically waking their child before night terrors started, about one to two hours into their sleep.

It worked well if you did it, but nobody wanted to wake their child up in the middle of the night, Rink said.

The Sleep Guardian lets the parent stand near the child and activate the device with the app (although they have to stand within about 30 feet of the bed because the device uses a wireless Bluetooth connection).

After three or four weeks, children average 80 percent fewer night terror incidents, Rink said. We think it trains them to sleep better, he said.

Litwin said the Sleep Guardian could be a less invasive way of dealing with the problem than the old-school, no-cost method of waking up the child. But parents should also examine other factors contributing to the problem, she said.

The child might not be getting enough sleep, or have a breathing problem. Or they could be feeling stressed by life changes such as starting kindergarten, she said.

Still, the Sleep Guardian could give parents an advantage through the sleep data it automatically gathers, Litwin said.

For Lin and her husband, the device just gives us a sense of calmness and a sense of security that at least for her, its not disruptive, and its not disruptive for us.

Its not cheap, for sure, Lin said. But for us, the ability to sleep well at night is just invaluable.

Benny Evangelista is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: bevangelista@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChronicleBenny
Its the Year of the Monkey, but officials warned Friday that swindlers are up to some monkey business and that its a good time to remember your jewelry and valuables do not need a strangers blessing.

That was the message from San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, who dropped by a Chinatown senior center to spread the word anew about an ages-old scam that keeps popping up around the time of the Lunar New Year.

Its known as the blessing scam and involves strangers who suggest they can remove evil curses if they can mumble some incantations over a victims gold and cash. After the victim places his valuables in a bag, the con artists switch it for another bag and the valuables are gone.

Do not give up your valuables, Gascon said. And dont tell a stranger your Social Security number.

This is year 4713 on the Chinese calendar, and the blessing scam has been going on about that long, police said. Right now it is making a comeback on the streets of New York, according to police Lt. Jody Kato. There have been no reports of the scam in San Francisco, but Gascon and San Francisco police are spreading the word just to make sure.

We probably cant eliminate the problem, but we want to move in that direction, Kato said.

Overall, incidents of the scam, carried out mostly in Chinatown, are way down from 2012, when 47 cases were reported and 10 people were charged with crimes. Last year, the community and the hustlers got the word, and the number of reported cases was zero.

About 100 senior citizens crowded into the clubhouse in Portsmouth Square to hear the talk, because the message was important and because Gascon was handing out bags of his own, free ones that said Beware of Street Scams in English and Chinese. The shopping bags were decorated with pictures of winged dollar bills flying away.

Other scams that keep popping up in Chinatown involve fake gold and phony telephone pitches. The old rules about things that glitter and things that seem too good to be true never go out of fashion, no matter what the year or the animal of the Chinese zodiac, Gascon said.

If it seems too good to be true, Gascon said, it is. Same for all that glitters not necessarily being gold.

Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: SteveRubeSF
Albany

In what has become an annual back-and-forth between Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the comptroller on Friday came out with a tally of overtime logged by state workers last year.

He found that overtime has jumped to a record of $716 million in 2015, marking the sixth year in a row that it has increased among state agencies.

That's a $55 million increase over 2014, noted DiNapoli, who added it comes out to 16.8 million overtime hours.

More Information Agencies with most overtime in 2015 Office for People with Developmental Disabilities $4,566,813.68 Department of Corrections and Community Supervision $3,810,404.01 Office of Mental Health $2,580,538.47 Top 3 overtime earners Denise Williams, security transportation assistant at Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center in New York City logged 3,190. hours and earned $171,994 in overtime pay Janet Johnson a nurse at the Franklin Correctional Facility in Malone logged 2,787 hours and earned $137,175 in overtime pay Juying Wang a nurse at the Bronx Psychiatric Center logged 2,193.73 hours and earned $136,566 in overtime pay In the Capital Region, Abena Adomfeh-Nyarko, a CDPC nurse, was the only one in the top 20: she logged 2,255 hours for overtime pay of $107,409. See More Collapse

"New York's state agencies need to ensure that overtime use is justified, while ensuring that work is done safely and effectively," he said.

The Cuomo administration responded that it's more economical to use overtime, which some employees want, than to hire more people, considering the substantial cost of health insurance, pensions and other fringe benefits afforded to state employees.

"Overtime is used carefully and only when needed,'' Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi said. "The alternative would be a larger, more bloated and more expensive state bureaucracy that New York taxpayers simply can't afford."

He noted that overall personnel costs are down by $136 million under the Cuomo administration and the size of the state workforce under the governor's control has declined from 127,392 in January 2011 to a projected 118,311 at the end of this fiscal year in April.

DiNapoli's report found the state's workforce has declined 13.1 percent, from 180,564 in 2007 to 156,986 last year, but he uses a different measure. Agencies such as the state Education Department and Office of Court Administration are not directly controlled by the executive.

The bulk of overtime was found in agencies that care for or guard people  the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities and the Office of Mental Health, which run developmental centers and psychiatric centers; and the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, which operates state prisons.

Those three agencies accounted for 65.3 percent of the overtime, almost 11 million hours, and nearly 63 percent of the overtime earnings, $450.3 million.

The State Police saw the highest overtime increase last year. Last summer, officers spent three weeks scouring northern New York in pursuit of the two convicts  Richard Matt and David Sweat  who escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora.

Matt was shot and killed and Sweat was shot and recaptured.

Some state agencies turned in decreases in overtime compared to the prior year. Those included the Department of Labor, which saw an 86 percent drop, and the Department of Taxation and Finance, down 54.6 percent.

Some of the top overtime earners appear to have put in extraordinary hours going beyond what are usually known as ''double shifts.''

Denise Williams topped the individual charts last year, earning $171,994 worth of overtime in her job as security transport assistant at the Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center in New York City. That was on top of her approximately $68,000 base pay.

State records show she put in more than 3,190 overtime hours, which works out to almost 80 weeks, based on a 40-hour work week.

With 52 weeks in a year, that could mean Wilson was working not just double but potentially triple shifts.

Calculating the precise amount is difficult, though, because of numerous variables such as holidays or weekends, which can pay more than the standard time-and-a-half for overtime.

In the Capital Region, the top overtime earner was Abena Nyarko-Adomfeh, a nurse at the Capital District Psychiatric Center, who earned $107,409 in addition to her regular pay of $59,638.

She logged 2,255 overtime hours in 2015.

While many public employees request overtime for the extra money, there have been concerns about safety and efficiency as their ability to function can be impaired by too many hours and not enough rest or even sleep.

That was an issue in the 2007 death of Jonathan Carey, a 13-year-old autistic boy who died in the care of the now-closed O.D. Heck disability center in Niskayuna.

One the center's aides, Edwin Tirado, had logged 1,647 hours of overtime the year before. Tirado was later convicted of manslaughter.

"They have to have better staffing levels,'' said Jonathan Carey's father, Michael Carey, who has crusaded for more safeguards in centers serving the disabled. Among his proposals: a 60-hour per week cap for direct caregivers.

rkarlin@timesunion.com  518-454-5758  @RickKarlinTU
Possible Zika vaccines are at least 18 months away from large-scale trials, the World Health Organization said Friday as it advised pregnant women to consider delaying travel to areas where the mosquito-borne virus has turned up amid concerns it may be linked to abnormally small heads in newborns.

Marie-Paule Kieny, the groups assistant director-general for health systems and innovation, says the U.N. health agencys response is proceeding very quickly and that 15 companies or groups have been identified as possible participants in the hunt for vaccines.

(But) our knowledge of what is currently in the pipeline tells us that it will take approximately 18 months before a vaccine can be launched into large-scale trial to demonstrate efficacy, Kieny said.

Concerns have grown in recent months about a Zika outbreak that has affected at least 33 countries  mostly in South and Central America. In Brazil, the epicenter of the outbreak, the spike in cases has coincided with a mysterious rise in cases of microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, in newborns.

WHO believes the link between the virus and microcephaly in some newborns is more and more probable, Kieny said, but added it will likely take weeks to a few months to determine whether a firm link exists.

To try to confirm a link, researchers in Colombia are tracking what happens to pregnant women who have been infected with Zika, Marcos Espinal of the Pan American Health Organization told reporters at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Washington. Separate studies also are being conducted in Brazil.

What everybody would like us as public health officials to say is, now weve proved it. Its not going to be like that, Christopher Dye, WHOs director of strategy, added at the briefing in Washington.

But to protect the public, we have to consider that Zika is guilty unless proven innocent, Dye said.

Kieny said that different types of possible vaccines  such as live or killed virus, or the use of DNA vaccines  may lead to differences in timing on development, but developers are all starting at a very basic level.

WHO also issued updated guidelines about travel to Zika-affected areas, saying pregnant women should talk to their health care providers and consider delaying travel to any area where locally acquired Zika infection is occurring.

Previously, the world health body had only advised women who are pregnant, or hoping to become pregnant, to protect themselves from the bites of the mosquito that transmits the Zika virus.

The agency noted that the virus was not spread by person-to-person contact though a small number of cases of sexual transmission have been documented. WHO advised men and women returning from Zika-affected areas to practice safe sex, including the use of condoms.
DENMARK, S.C.  The fight for black voters turned into a tug-of-war over President Obamas legacy Friday as Democratic presidential hopefuls looked for an edge in South Carolina. Republicans, meanwhile, crisscrossed the state in search of a path out of Donald Trumps long shadow.

Hillary Clinton stepped up her hammering of rival Bernie Sanders for what she said are his false claims on Obamas legacy. Prominent black leaders echoed the theme  an effort to use the first African American president as a wedge between Sanders and black voters.

He has called the president weak, a disappointment, Clinton said of Sanders at a town hall Friday. He does not support, the way I do, building on the progress the president has made.

Coming off a bruising rout in New Hampshire, the former secretary of state hopes the first-in-the-south primary will showcase her strength with at least one core segment of the Democratic coalition. A Democrat cannot win the nomination, much less the White House, without significant backing and enthusiasm from black communities.

For Republicans, South Carolina is another chance to emerge as the viable alternative to the billionaire reality-TV star who snatched the race away from the GOP establishment. Although Trump appears to have a solid lead in the polls in the state, the rest of the field is hoping to peel off support from the large and influential evangelical community.

As his rivals hustled through rare snowfall Friday, Trump showed he wont make it easy. He was able to steal the spotlight with a Twitter threat to sue his closest competitor.

If @TedCruz doesnt clean up his act, stop cheating, & doing negative ads, I have standing to sue him for not being a natural born citizen, Trump wrote.

Another tweet questioned Cruzs faith: How can Ted Cruz be an evangelical Christian when he lies so much and is so dishonest?

Jeb Bush and his allies have kept up his attacks on the bomb-throwing front-runner  hoping his coarse style and record on social issues will turn voters off.

Right To Rise USA, the super PAC backing Bush, released an attack ad blasting Trump for supporting partial-birth abortion, allegedly defrauding students of Trump University and trying to seize private property to line his own pockets.

If Trump wins, conservatives lose, says the ad.

Bushs rival in the fight for the moderate establishment was still introducing himself to South Carolina voters. In a new biographical ad, Ohio Gov. John Kasich notes that his parents death in a drunk-driving crash in 1987 transformed him and helped him find his faith.
SALT LAKE CITY  Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes plans to take legal action against the Environmental Protection Agency following reports that it didnt alert the state to river contamination after a massive mine waste spill last year in Colorado.

Reyes said the federal agency must be held responsible for damage from the spill that contaminated rivers in three Western states.

The announcement comes after Utah regulators said the EPA didnt alert them to water quality tests showing elevated levels of metals like lead and arsenic in San Juan River months after the August spill. The data was posted online in October, but wasnt sent to Utah, so regulators werent aware until they found it months later.

While there isnt a current threat to public health, the state will resume its own tests of the water.

Our job is to protect health and safety of Utah residents, and we take that seriously, said Alan Matheson, executive director of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.

An EPA spokeswoman says the agency is looking into the states concerns.

The tests found several peaks in metal concentrations, including in the days right after the Aug. 5 mine spill that may have dumped more than 880,000 pounds of metals into Colorados Animas River. The contaminants flowed from there into New Mexico and Utah.

An EPA crew trying to clean up the abandoned Gold King mine near Silverton, Colo., accidently set off the spill from the southwestern Colorado gold mine. An agency report released last week found that most of the metals settled into the Animas River, though some reached the San Juan.
At the back of a humid bus traveling near the Costa Rica-Panama border in 2010, an idea struck Chase Adam.

It began when a woman walked down the bus aisle, begging every person on board to make a donation to fund her sons medical bills. Adams first thought was to turn away. But the woman carried a red folder filled with her sons health records for anyone to peruse. Almost everyone on the bus, he said, ended up forking over spare change.

The notion of a community coming together to fund a strangers health, Adam said, lit a fire in him. He was working for the Peace Corps in Costa Rica at the time, and when he got back to his hut, he started drawing up business plans to scale and technologize what he saw on the bus. He named the nonprofit that materialized from the months of planning after the town the bus had been traveling through, Watsi.

I couldnt for the life of me figure out why no one had done this, Adam said in a recent interview in Watsis South of Market office.

On the most basic level, Watsi is crowdfunded medical care  the Kickstarter or Kiva of the health sector  for impoverished people in 22 developing countries throughout the world. Treatments funded by Watsi donations must cost less than $1,500 and have a high probability of success. Another requirement is that the conditions, if left untreated, would severely impact the patients quality of life.

Directly covering costs

Donations of as little as $5 can go toward the costs of treating an infants brain swelling or a womans cervical cancer or any of the other procedures almost 7,000 patients have used Watsi for since it went live in 2012.

The nonprofit guarantees that 100 percent of the donations go directly to the patients medical costs. Donors get updates on the patient  even on the rare occasions procedures dont go as planned  and can inspect Watsis financials at a granular level uncommon in the nonprofit world.

Peter Dasilva/Special to The Chronicle

People are more likely to give if they can see and understand where their money goes, Adam said. Thats our hypothesis, and I think were proving it.

Youngest finalist

At age 29, Adam is the youngest finalist for the second annual Visionary of the Year award, sponsored by The Chronicle and St. Marys College. He shies away from the title co-founder and redirects praise to Watsis investors, mentors and 11 other employees. Adam proudly said that he and co-founder Grace Garey decided to hire only people who were smarter than they are, who hired even smarter people.

So by default we should be the least intelligent people in the whole organization, Adam said.

With three months worth of savings, Adam quit his day job soon after Watsi opened to focus on it full time.

He just kept developing the idea and never let it go, said his mother, Kim Adam. When Chase took that leap, he knew I could give him a bed, but that was it.

Others soon followed suit, quitting their jobs to join the nonprofit.

SV Angel founder Ron Conway, who invests in early-stage startups, including Watsi, nominated Adam for the Visionary award because, he said, the nonprofit is creating global impact at the same level as Facebook, Google or Twitter.

Hes the Mark Zuckerberg of nonprofit leaders, Conway said. We need to honor these social entrepreneurs the way we honor company builders.

A Marin native, Adam attended UC Santa Barbara but spent the bulk of his time traveling or volunteering, he said. When he graduated, he went straight to Haiti to work for a microfinance organization. While there, he began a micronutrients program in which loan officers going door to door through the community handed out vitamins as they went.

We would always bring this first-aid kit with us, and half the time we were playing doctor and nurse, Adam said. Someone would have an insanely infected cut on their foot, like if it werent treated it would be amputated, and they just needed some antibiotics.

Lack of bureaucracy

Watsi  the first nonprofit to go through Y Combinator, a kind of prestigious boot camp for startups  is a tech product at its core, Adam said. And its not exactly revolutionizing the traditional health funding model: pooling money and disbursing it to hospitals to pay for medical expenses. But what makes Watsi unique in the global health care sector, its backers say, is its absence of bureaucracy and intense focus on efficiency and data analysis.

This isnt something thats new  the dynamic of people supporting other people when they need help, Garey said. But the Internet can be applied as a massive lever and democratize access.

Last year was Watsis biggest yet, funneling $1.67 million from nearly 8,000 donors  double the amount it saw in 2014. The goal, Adam said, is to double contributions every year.

But ultimately, Adam doesnt care if Watsi survives indefinitely. Its the underlying technology he hopes governments, companies or nongovernmental organizations adopt to streamline their health funding processes and, someday, establish a universal health care system.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov

Visionary of the Year award

This is one of eight profiles of nominees for The Chronicles second annual Visionary of the Year award, which is presented in collaboration with St. Marys Colleges School of Economics and Business Administration. The honor salutes leaders who strive to make the world a better place and drive social and economic change by employing new, innovative business models and practices. The eight finalists were nominated by a distinguished committee that included Evan Marwell, CEO and co-founder of the nonprofit group Education SuperHighway; Pam Baer, founder and CEO of For Goodness Sake, a nonprofit foundation that created an e-commerce site to connect consumers with curated brands and nonprofits; Ron Conway, an angel investor and philanthropist; Ben Fong-Torres, a noted rock journalist, author and broadcaster; Pamela Joyner, founder of the strategic marketing consulting company Avid Partners LLC; Zhan Li, dean of St. Marys School of Economics and Business Administration; and John Diaz, The Chronicles editorial page editor.

Chronicle Publisher Jeff Johnson, Editor in Chief Audrey Cooper and Diaz will select the winner, which will be announced during a March 29 ceremony.

To read more, go to www.sfgate.com/visionsf.
Beirut

A diplomatic push for a temporary pause in Syria's civil war and the delivery of humanitarian aid faced huge hurdles Friday, with Russia saying it would continue its airstrikes and government planes dropping leaflets urging rebels to surrender because "the belt is narrowing around you."

A plan for the "cessation in violence" announced by the U.S. and Russia does not go into effect for a week, and while the Syrian opposition expressed "cautious optimism," it also said more innocent civilians would be killed in that span.

Government forces, aided by a withering Russian bombing campaign, are trying to encircle rebels in Syria's largest city of Aleppo and cut off their supply route to Turkey. Another week of fighting could bring the Syrian troops closer to that goal.

Syrian forces recaptured several strategic hills north of Aleppo and are in position to target the final supply line to the rebel-held eastern suburbs, according to Al-Manar TV, a Lebanese channel run by the militant group and Syrian ally Hezbollah.

Heavy fighting between government and opposition forces occurred south of Aleppo, around the town of Tamoura, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. It said 12 fighters of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front were killed.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry praised the agreement in Munich as a significant accomplishment in the five-year war, but he noted that a cessation of hostilities, if achieved, would only be a "pause" in the fighting and that more work would be needed to turn it into a full-fledged cease-fire.

He also said the agreements made were "commitments on paper" only. "The real test is whether or not all the parties honor those commitments and implement them," he told reporters after the nearly six-hour meeting concluded early Friday.

Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said a task force must try to deal with the "modalities" of the temporary truce. The task force will include members of the military along with representatives from countries that are supporting various armed groups in Syria. The Syrian government and the opposition would both have to agree to the details.
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BRIDGEPORT  Details on the citys first homicide of the year have begun to bubble to the surface. But the victim remains something of a mystery.

Javoni Patton, 28, of Elizabeth Street, died Thursday of gunshot wounds sustained in an apparent robbery at the edge of the East End. Patton was shot several times at close range as he was entering or exiting a car at the intersection of Stratford and Connecticut avenues near the Stratford town line.

The shooting took place around 8:30 p.m. Thursday. Detectives suspect Patton was killed during an attempted robbery because his personal items were strewn about the car, and the drivers door was open when police arrived on the scene.

But the car itself, a gleaming gray Cadillac sedan, was neither registered nor rented to Patton, according to Av Harris, a city spokesman.

After Patton was shot, he managed to walk a few paces toward Stratford, and then collapsed. He was transported to Bridgeport Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:07 p.m.

One of the bullets pierced Pattons right hand before entering his chest, possibly an indication that he knew he was about to be shot.

The scene of the slaying is about seven blocks from where Patton lived by himself in an apartment on Elizabeth Street, also the East End.

He was new to the neighborhood. Nobody on his block seemed to know very much about him, other than that he had a mother living in the South, he drove a black Nissan and every so often he would have women over.

He just moved in, like January, so nobody knew him, said Andrea Smith, who lives in a house next door to Pattons apartment. Mostly, he was just like a single guy.

George Castellini, who lives on the other side of the street from Smith, said he did not know Patton well, but he knew of the Over 30 Social Club, at the corner where Patton was killed.

Its a bad news place. I've been there once, just to see, cause I play billiards and were looking for a new home, said Castellini. I went in there, and I said, Whoa, this is just an accident waiting to happen. 

But workers at the auto shop next door said there had never been any violent crimes in the neighborhood in the year since the club opened.

Nobody answered the door at the social club on Friday afternoon. But three pillar candles stood outside. Two of them had gone out, but one was still flickering despite the winter wind, marking the spot where Patton was shot.

The victim had a long list of arrests and convictions, although the charges were all relatively minor. Relatives described Patton as a loving, caring father to his two children, who are in grade school.

There was another side to Javoni, said an older cousin, who lives in Connecticut and asked that her name not be published. He was always helpful to his mom, and everyone who really knew him would tell you that he was someone who will be deeply missed by many, many people.

Pattons Facebook profile shows a man who doted on his children, cooked, enjoyed cognac and cigars, and took pride in his new apartment.

Police, who are working to find Pattons killer, asked anyone with information on the homicide to contact Detective Robert Winkler at 203-581-5224.

Pattons killing was the first reported in Bridgeport this year. The most recent homicide had been seven weeks ago, when Luis Colon was shot and killed on Christmas Eve. He was apparently an innocent bystander in a drug-related shooting.

In all, there were 19 homicides in Bridgeport in 2015.
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Havana

With a hug and an exclamation of "Finally!" Pope Francis met Friday with Patriarch Kirill in the first meeting between a pontiff and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, a historic development in the 1,000-year schism that has divided Christianity.

"We are brothers," Francis said as he embraced Kirill in the small, wood-paneled VIP room of Havana's airport, where the three-hour encounter took place.

"Now things are easier," Kirill agreed as he and the pope exchanged three kisses on the cheek. "This is the will of God," the pope said.

Francis was having brief talks in Cuba before heading off on a five-day visit to Mexico, where the pontiff will bring a message of solidarity with the victims of drug violence, human trafficking and discrimination to some of that country's most violent and poverty-stricken regions.

The meeting and signing of a joint declaration was decades in the making and cemented Francis' reputation as a risk-taking statesman who values dialogue, bridge-building and rapprochement at almost any cost.

Still, while the meeting has been hailed by many as an important ecumenical breakthrough, Francis has also come under criticism for essentially allowing himself to be used by a Russia eager to assert itself among Orthodox Christians and on the world stage at a time when the country is increasingly isolated from the West.

The joint declaration is expected to touch on the single most important issue of shared concern between the Catholic and Orthodox churches today: the plight of Christians in Iraq and Syria who are being killed and driven from their homes by the Islamic State group.

It is being signed in the uniquely ideal location of Cuba: far removed from the Catholic-Orthodox turf battles in Europe, a country that is Catholic and familiar to Latin America's first pope, but equally familiar to the Russian church given its anti-American and Soviet legacy.

The Vatican is hoping the meeting will improve relations with other Orthodox churches and spur progress in dialogue over theological differences that have divided East from West ever since the Great Schism of 1054 split Christianity.

But Orthodox observers say Kirill's willingness to finally meet with a pope has less to do with any new ecumenical impulse than grandstanding within the West and the Orthodox Church at a time when Russia is increasingly under fire from the West over its military actions in Syria and Ukraine. Kirill, a spiritual adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, leads the most powerful of the 14 independent Orthodox churches that will meet this summer in Greece in the first such pan-Orthodox synod in centuries.

The Russian church has long sought greater influence over the Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul.

"This isn't benevolence. It's not a newfound desire for Christian unity," said George Demacopoulos, the Greek-Orthodox chairman of Orthodox Christian studies at Fordham University.

"It is almost entirely about (Kirill) posturing and trying to present himself as the leader of Orthodoxy."

Popes as far back as Paul VI have met with the ecumenical patriarch, who is the "first among equals" in the 250 million-strong Orthodox Church and the only patriarch who can speak for global Orthodoxy. But the Russian Church is the biggest, wealthiest and most powerful in Orthodoxy, and has always kept its distance from Rome.

Catholic and Orthodox split in the Great Schism of 1054 and have remained estranged over a host of issues, including the primacy of the pope and, more recently, Russian Orthodox accusations that the Catholic Church was poaching converts in former Soviet lands. Those tensions have prevented previous popes from ever meeting with the Russian patriarch, even though the Vatican has long insisted that it was merely ministering to tiny Catholic communities.

The most vexing issue in recent times centers on the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the country's second-largest, which follows eastern church rites but answers to the Holy See. The Russian Orthodox Church has considered western Ukraine its traditional territory and has resented papal influence there.

Cardinal Kurt Koch, the head of the Vatican office that deals with Orthodox relations, said the Ukrainian church will certainly come up in the two-hour private talks between Francis and Kirill.

"I think it would be impossible to meet without discussing such issues," he told Vatican Radio. But he said the future significance of the meeting could not be overstated.

"It will certainly forge relations within Orthodoxy: We still don't have contact with a lot of Orthodox patriarchs, and his meeting could help develop intra-Orthodox relations ahead of the pan-Orthodox council," he said. "Improved understanding between Rome and Moscow will certainly have positive effects on the theological dialogue."

Such hoped-for progress may seem naive, since the Russian church has always been reluctant to engage in theological dialogue over the primacy of the pope, said the Rev. Stefano Caprio, one of the first priests who arrived in Russia in 1989 to minister to the Catholic community and now is a professor of Russian history and culture at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome.

He said the Russian position has long been: "We're interested in ecumenism only in the sense of collaboration in managing the crises of a Christianity that is attacked in some countries by violent forces ... and above all to unite against global secularization," he said.

He noted, for example, that Friday's meeting doesn't include any joint prayer  purely talks. "It's not an ecumenical encounter," he said.

While a papal trip to Russia is still a long-sought dream, Caprio ruled it out for the foreseeable future.

"It would be a bigger scandal than Pussy Riot," he said.

Immediately following his meeting with Kirill, the pontiff will fly to Mexico for a weeklong tour that will take him once again to uncharted papal territory.

Among his stops will be the crime-plagued Mexico City suburb of Ecatepec, where his visit will shine an uncomfortable spotlight on the government's failure to solve entrenched social ills that plague many parts of Mexico  inequality, rampant gangland killings, extortion, disappearances of women, crooked cops and failed city services.

He will also visit the mainly indigenous southern state of Chiapas, which has the country's highest poverty rate. There he will celebrate a very Indian Mass and present a decree authorizing the use of indigenous languages in liturgy.

Francis will end his trip in the violent northern city of Ciudad Juarez, where he will pray at the border for all who have died trying to cross into the U.S.  a prayer he hopes will resonate north of the border.

HAVANA  With a hug and an exclamation of "Finally!" Pope Francis met Friday with Patriarch Kirill in the first meeting between a pontiff and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, a historic development in the 1,000-year schism that has divided Christianity.

"We are brothers," Francis said as he embraced Kirill in the small, wood-paneled VIP room of Havana's airport, where the three-hour encounter took place.

"Now things are easier," Kirill agreed as he and the pope exchanged three kisses on the cheek. "This is the will of God," the pope said.

Francis was having the brief talks in Cuba before heading off on a five-day visit to Mexico, where the pontiff will bring a message of solidarity with the victims of drug violence, human trafficking and discrimination to some of that country's most violent and poverty-stricken regions.

The meeting and signing of a joint declaration was decades in the making and cemented Francis' reputation as a risk-taking statesman who values dialogue, bridge-building and rapprochement at almost any cost.

Still, while the meeting has been hailed by many as an important ecumenical breakthrough, Francis has also come under criticism for essentially allowing himself to be used by a Russia eager to assert itself among Orthodox Christians and on the world stage at a time when the country is increasingly isolated from the West.

The joint declaration is expected to touch on the single most important issue of shared concern between the Catholic and Orthodox churches today: the plight of Christians in Iraq and Syria who are being killed and driven from their homes by the Islamic State group.

It is being signed in the uniquely ideal location of Cuba: far removed from the Catholic-Orthodox turf battles in Europe, a country that is Catholic and familiar to Latin America's first pope, but equally familiar to the Russian church given its anti-American and Soviet legacy.

The Vatican is hoping the meeting will improve relations with other Orthodox churches and spur progress in dialogue over theological differences that have divided East from West ever since the Great Schism of 1054 split Christianity.

But Orthodox observers say Kirill's willingness to finally meet with a pope has less to do with any new ecumenical impulse than grandstanding within the West and the Orthodox Church at a time when Russia is increasingly under fire from the West over its military actions in Syria and Ukraine. Kirill, a spiritual adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, leads the most powerful of the 14 independent Orthodox churches that will meet this summer in Greece in the first such pan-Orthodox synod in centuries.

The Russian church has long sought greater influence over the Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul.

"This isn't benevolence. It's not a newfound desire for Christian unity," said George Demacopoulos, the Greek-Orthodox chairman of Orthodox Christian studies at Fordham University in New York. "It is almost entirely about (Kirill) posturing and trying to present himself as the leader of Orthodoxy."

Popes as far back as Paul VI have met with the ecumenical patriarch, who is the "first among equals" in the 250 million-strong Orthodox Church and the only patriarch who can speak for global Orthodoxy. But the Russian Church is the biggest, wealthiest and most powerful in Orthodoxy, and has always kept its distance from Rome.

Catholic and Orthodox split in the Great Schism of 1054 and have remained estranged over a host of issues, including the primacy of the pope and, more recently, Russian Orthodox accusations that the Catholic Church was poaching converts in former Soviet lands. Those tensions have prevented previous popes from ever meeting with the Russian patriarch, even though the Vatican has long insisted that it was merely ministering to tiny Catholic communities.

The most vexing issue in recent times centers on the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the country's second-largest, which follows eastern church rites but answers to the Holy See. The Russian Orthodox Church has considered western Ukraine its traditional territory and has resented papal influence there.

Cardinal Kurt Koch, the head of the Vatican office that deals with Orthodox relations, said the Ukrainian church will certainly come up in the two-hour private talks between Francis and Kirill.

"I think it would be impossible to meet without discussing such issues," he told Vatican Radio. But he said the future significance of the meeting could not be overstated.

"It will certainly forge relations within Orthodoxy: We still don't have contact with a lot of Orthodox patriarchs, and this meeting could help develop intra-Orthodox relations ahead of the pan-Orthodox council," he said. "Improved understanding between Rome and Moscow will certainly have positive effects on the theological dialogue."

Such hoped-for progress may seem naive, since the Russian church has always been reluctant to engage in theological dialogue over the primacy of the pope, said the Rev. Stefano Caprio, one of the first priests who arrived in Russia in 1989 to minister to the Catholic community and now is a professor of Russian history and culture at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome.

He said the Russian position has long been: "We're interested in ecumenism only in the sense of collaboration in managing the crises of a Christianity that is attacked in some countries by violent forces ... and above all to unite against global secularization," he said.

He noted, for example, that Friday's meeting doesn't include any joint prayer  purely talks. "It's not an ecumenical encounter," he said.

While a papal trip to Russia is still a long-sought dream, Caprio ruled it out for the foreseeable future.

"It would be a bigger scandal than Pussy Riot," he said.

Immediately following his meeting with Kirill, the pontiff will fly to Mexico for a weeklong tour that will take him once again to uncharted papal territory.

Among his stops will be the crime-plagued Mexico City suburb of Ecatepec, where his visit will shine an uncomfortable spotlight on the government's failure to solve entrenched social ills that plague many parts of Mexico  inequality, rampant gangland killings, extortion, disappearances of women, crooked cops and failed city services.

He will also visit the mainly indigenous southern state of Chiapas, which has the country's highest poverty rate. There he will celebrate a very Indian Mass and present a decree authorizing the use of indigenous languages in liturgy.

Francis will end his trip in the violent northern city of Ciudad Juarez, where he will pray at the border for all who have died trying to cross into the U.S.  a prayer he hopes will resonate north of the border.
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When he initially retired from the system in 2011, there were 173,000 inmates in the states prisons, California Secretary of Corrections and Rehabilitation Scott Kernan told The Chronicle editorial board at a meeting in Sacramento on Thursday. While Kernan was running his consulting business, the number of inmates dropped dramatically.

A panel of three federal judges had ordered California to reduce its prison population to alleviate overcrowding. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the three-judge fiat in 2011. Gov. Jerry Browns realignment plan shifted the burden of incarceration for nonviolent, nonserious and nonsexual offenders from state prisons to county jails. In 2014, California voters passed Proposition 47, which downgraded many property and drug crimes from felonies to misdemeanors and took effect retroactively. Thousands of state inmates were released into the general population. There are now about 127,000 inmates in the state system, Kernan said, and the system is ready to be changed.

Elusive promise of savings

With 40,000 fewer inmates, you would think that the state prison budget might be the rare area of government spending to go down. And you would be wrong. The Brown administration promised billions in savings, but those savings never materialized. The state prison and realignment budget was $9.5 billion in 2011-12. Last year, it was $11.8 billion  $2 billion more than what the state spent before the release of inmates, and $4 billion more than what the Brown administration predicted.

It would have been considerably higher, more than $1 billion annually, without the inmate reductions, said Kernan. Mandated pay increases and spending on inmate health and mental health care (also ordered by  all bow  federal judges) were cost drivers. The notion that taxpayers would save billions over the years, Kernan argued, was an unreasonable expectation.

Brown has a new plan to reduce the prison population even further. He has drafted a ballot measure, The Public Safety and Rehabilitation Act of 2016.

The initiative should be entitled The Dangerous Streets Act: A Retreat to Lenient Sentencing of Californias Violent and Serious Criminals, former GOP Gov. Pete Wilson wrote in an e-mail he sent out to pro law enforcement Californians. If passed, it will undo the protections that were enacted to safeguard Californians from becoming crime victims in the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Like Wilson, Michael Rushford of the tough-on-crime Criminal Justice Legal Foundation sees Browns plan as an evisceration of Californias landmark Three Strikes Sentencing Law and the states Victims Bill of Rights  both successful ballot measures that enhanced penalties for repeat offenders. They believe that realignment and Prop. 47 have led to the release of too many bad guys.

Rushfords shop crunched the latest FBI crime statistics for California cities that filed them and found a 12.9 percent increase in violent crime and 9.3 percent jump in property crime in what were essentially the first six months that Prop. 47 was in effect.

One year does not make a trend

Chuck DeVore, a sentencing reform advocate with the Texas Public Policy Foundation and a former California legislator, is aware of the uptick in California crime. Of course the statistics are troubling, he told me. No one wants to see violent crime go up. But: One year does not make a trend. Its something youve got to look at. Its too early to tell.

Good point. Maybe the crime bump will recede, and 2015 was an anomaly. But maybe it wont. Kernan himself said it is too early to tell if Prop. 47 is behind the crime bump. Given that crime is up, now is this the absolute worst time to put forth a ballot measure to reduce the sentences of serious repeat offenders.

Once again, Brown promises big savings if his sentence-reduction measure passes. But as Kernan noted, the big savings are in shuttering prisons  and that hasnt happened yet.

It has been my experience that the public view on the criminal justice system often lags behind reality. Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, for example, has railed about governments incarcerating young people for smoking marijuana. According to the California Department of Corrections, .2 percent of state inmates are serving time for selling marijuana or possession for sale. I dont think marijuana should be an illegal substance, but I also know offenders have to do far more than smoke a joint to make it into a California penitentiary.

The governors approach doesnt make any sense. I appreciate that he wants to put more money into rehabilitation, but cant he wait to discern the effect of incarcerating 40,000 fewer inmates? I asked Wilson why he thought Brown is pushing this new measure. Hes in his last term, Wilson answered. Hes not going to run again. At least not for governor.

Debra J. Saunders is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. E-mail: dsaunders@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DebraJSaunders

Browns next big thing

According to the governors office, the purpose and intent of his Public Safety and Rehabilitation Act of 2016 is to:

Protect and enhance public safety.

Save money by reducing wasteful spending on prisons.

Prevent federal courts from indiscriminately releasing prisoners.

Stop the revolving door of crime by emphasizing rehabilitation, especially for juveniles.

Require a judge, not a prosecutor, to decide whether juveniles should be tried in adult court.
Its more than likely audiences will leave Aubergine, Julia Chos world-premiere play at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, in tears. And hungry.

The drama, which takes its title from the more graceful name for eggplant, traffics in the heavy-duty emotions of losing a parent and the deep connection between food, memory, loss and desire.

The main character, Ray, is a chef and a first-generation Korean American who sets aside the chaos of the kitchen to care for his critically ill immigrant father. Its a play that began as a 20-page experiment, part of a larger food project launched during the inaugural season of the Ground Floor, Berkeley Reps Center for the Creation and Development of New Work. In the almost four years since then, the short play evolved into a full-blown piece and, in the process, broke Chos writers block.

At the time I was struggling to write, Cho says from her Arizona home near Scottsdale. The idea of expanding this play, not starting from scratch, was very appealing. I realized I hadnt said everything I had to say on the subject.

Expanding original idea

Madeleine Oldham, Berkeley Reps resident dramaturg and director of the Ground Floor, says she was thrilled that Cho wanted to take the play further. We had been wanting to work with Julia for nearly a decade. She originally turned down a commission, which is unusual for us, and after our food project went on life support, we were thrilled and told her this could be the play we wanted her to write all those years ago.

The original nugget of Aubergine, which was the original title, remains in the play, but now there are more characters and two acts.

Julia is a gorgeous writer who has this insight and this way of being incredibly universal,  Oldham says. If youre a human being, it would be impossible not to relate to this play. She has this way of seeing through a specific lens, and its a quiet, beautiful experience. It his you here. Oldham points to her chest then adds, Not here, pointing to her head.

Berkeley Rep Artistic Director Tony Taccone is directing the play, the first show in the newly renamed Peets Theatre (formerly the Thrust Stage) after an extensive renovation of the intimate 36-year-old space.

Its fortuitous timing that Julias play is the first play in the new era of doing plays in this space, Taccone says. The play is about an unresolved relationship between father and son. Its a quiet play, and now, with the Constellation Acoustic System from Meyer Sound, there are something like 100 speakers throughout the theater. Thats one for about every four people.

Chos inspiration for the play came from the original assignment to write about some aspect of the human-food relationship.

To me, that immediately became about culture, says Cho, who is Korean American. I remember reading somewhere that language has difficulty following from generation to generation. We likely dont speak the language our grandparents spoke, but we do eat their food. That was comforting to me. I dont speak Korean, but I eat Korean. That was a cultural rope I could hang onto. Then I started thinking about memories associated with food, and suddenly the play became about food and memory in a way I hadnt expected and became less about loss.

In retrospect, Cho sees the food angle as a way into a play that helped her deal with the loss of her father and a close friend.

At the time it was unimaginable to me to write about any of that, she says, to the point that I really struggled with whether I could write at all. The idea of writing about food initially felt so joyful. Sounded fun and light, with the great irony being that the more I tried to write away from things, the play kept bringing me right back. It was what I needed. It was so good for me to have a way to talk about this stuff.

Experience rings true

Chos protagonist is a man, in part, because she wanted to avoid working in strict autobiography, but she says his experience of being with someone who is dying rings very true to her own.

There are two worlds in the play because I think that is what being with someone who is dying felt like, she says. Everyday reality just seems so thin, and theres this total other reality were less aware of but that we also live in. There are two realities in the play not just because its theatrical but because that was how it felt.

Chad Jones is a freelance writer in San Francisco who blogs at www.theaterdogs.net.

Aubergine: By Julia Cho. Directed by Tony Taccone. Through March 20. $29-$89 (subject to change). Berkeley Repertory Theatres Peets Theatre, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org.
SACRAMENTO  Renee Revolorio-Keith, a 16-year-old Berkeley High School student, is no stranger to political fights. In a polished speech on the steps of the state Capitol, Revolorio-Keith said her activism is muted by her inability to bring change the democratic way  at the ballot box.

Shes among the students, lawmakers and youth groups who want 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in school board and community college district elections.

We would be the first state in the nation to change our Constitution to empower young people to vote  people below the age of 18 who are affected by the very decisions being made by your school boards, said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego.

Supporters of ACA7 by Gonzalez say studies show that 16- and 17-year-olds are mature enough to make political decisions and that allowing the younger teens to cast ballots would increase the likelihood they will vote when they are 18 and above. But opponents argue that the legislation is little more than a stunt by Democrats looking to boost their support in the state.

If the idea is to let children vote on education policy, then let them vote for governor and the Legislature. Thats where all the policy and money decisions are made, said Rob Stutzman, a GOP strategist. Its a false premise that education decisions are made at the local level. Why not then let 14- and 15-year-olds vote?

Revolorio-Keith pointed to long-standing issues at her own school, Berkeley High, as an example of how the bill could influence school board races. She said students complaints of sexual harassment often are disregarded, and last year prompted a federal Office of Civil Rights investigation. If teens were constituents of school board members, it wouldnt be so easy to dismiss their concerns, she said.

We would be listened to instead of ignored, Revolorio-Keith said at a rally outside the Capitol on Thursday. We would be able to demand change, not just sit idly by as our complaints time and again are swept under the rug.

The legislation is similar to a proposal last year by San Francisco Supervisor John Avalos, who wanted to extend the right to vote to 16- and 17-year-olds in the city in all local elections, not just school board races.

Avalos tabled the proposal last year and said Saturday that the San Francisco Youth Commission is moving forward with the measure.

Matt Haney, president of the San Francisco Unified School District board, said he will introduce a resolution at a board meeting Feb. 23 to support the commissions efforts.

I think the people who are most impacted by decisions school boards make are the students, and I think its critical they have a voice in deciding who makes those decisions, Haney said. They are able to work, they are able to drive and pay taxes, but they have to sit out in our democracy. There is no test to show a certain level of maturity to vote. Its a number we set as a society that I believe is too high.

Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation, a nonpartisan group that works to improve the election process, said shes intrigued by the proposal, which she said could instill lifelong voting habits.

We have a voter participation crisis in California, Alexander said. You look at the trends going forward and its easy to see the people who vote in California look less and less like the people who live in California. We need to think about how we are going to turn that around.

Addressing that trend means engaging young people while they are still in school, Alexander said. But if the measure makes it to the ballot, shes not sure how it will be received by voters.

As Martin Luther King Jr. said, the people who have power rarely give it up voluntarily, Alexander said. People dont want to give it to those they perceive as being less informed.

While some Republicans have criticized the proposal as a ploy by Democrats and teachers unions to influence teens to vote their way, Alexander said shes not so sure that would happen.

Its more likely to increase the number of independent voters, she said. Young people are more likely to register nonpartisan than they are to register as Democrats or Republicans. Plus, school board elections are nonpartisan.

Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez
WASHINGTON  Even as the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a huge setback to President Obamas climate agenda by delaying rules to limit carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants, two California Democrats opened a major new front in the global warming fight in Washington.

Their intention is to halt new fossil fuel development on all federally controlled public lands, which is where most of the nations coal, oil and natural gas is found.

Rep. Jared Huffman of San Rafael introduced the House version of the Keep It in the Ground Act on Thursday. In the Senate, the legislation is co-sponsored by Sen. Barbara Boxer of California.

It would block all new leases for coal, oil, gas, oil shale and tar sands on public land, including millions of acres the federal government owns in the West.

The legislation would also slap a moratorium on new leases for offshore drilling  and end current leases that are not producing fuel  in the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, where the nations oil and gas industry is centered. And it would prohibit all offshore drilling in the Arctic and along the entire Atlantic seaboard.

The plan flies in the face of the all of the above energy strategy that the White House has pushed throughout Obamas presidency to take advantage of the nations abundant fossil fuel resources. That shifted just last month, when Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced a moratorium on new coal leases on federal lands.

Keystone strategy

Huffmans bill signals an aggressive escalation by the Democratic left on the issue, even as the Supreme Courts stay last week on the power-plant emissions rules pending the outcome of legal challenges jeopardizes one of the administrations major climate strategies.

The transition to a clean energy economy cant wait, Huffman said on a conference call with environmental heavyweights Bill McKibben of 350.org and Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club. Huffman pointed to rising sea levels that are predicted to inundate parts of San Francisco Bay, Los Angeles and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in coming decades.

Boxer co-sponsored identical Senate legislation by Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley last fall, joining Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator who has turned the Democratic presidential nomination into a pitched battle. Sanders had earlier forced Hillary Clinton to the left in opposing the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have delivered Canadian tar-sands oil to Gulf of Mexico refineries.

The proposed ban on fossil fuel extraction on public lands would take that approach to a far more ambitious level.

Huffman said his purpose in introducing a bill that has no chance of passing in the current Congress is to move public opinion and force Washington to follow it, citing the Keystone fight as Exhibit A. Obama killed that project in November.

It shouldnt matter whether Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton is in the White House, said Huffman, a Clinton backer. Both of them are going to hear the same message and do the right thing.

Game over

Climate scientist James Hansen famously warned in 2012 that it would be game over for the planet if the Canadian tar sands were extracted. The International Energy Agency has estimated that two-thirds of the worlds coal, oil and gas reserves have to remain in the ground to avoid a catastrophic rise in global temperatures.

The big win for environmentalists on Keystone led to an obvious next target: The federal government owns a big chunk of the worlds known fossil fuel reserves.

The push for a drilling and mining moratorium picked up steam in September, when 400 activist groups wrote an open letter to the administration to stop oil and gas leases on public lands. By January, Jewell had announced the moratorium on new coal leases on federal lands, which account for 40 percent of all U.S. coal production.

Shifting politics

Ive been amazed to see how quickly the politics of this has begun to shift, said McKibben, who led the fight against Keystone and a parallel effort to get corporations, universities and other large investors to divest their stock holdings in oil, gas and coal companies. The crusade has been assisted by a plunge in oil and coal prices, which have made company stocks and new leases alike less attractive.

Two environmental groups, the Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Earth, have estimated that U.S. lands and waters hold 450 billion tons of potential carbon emissions.

We have a sobering challenge ahead of us, Huffman said. Ninety percent of the worlds fossil fuels have to stay in the ground forever to limit the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.

Carolyn Lochhead is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. E-mail: clochhead@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carolynlochhead
KILIS, Turkey  The morning after the United States and Russia agreed on a cease-fire plan in for Syrias nearly five-year-old war, a dozen Syrians huddled at the border gate here Friday delivered a unanimous verdict. Asked if the bombing would stop, they jerked their heads backward in unison: Syrian for No way.

Waiting in a cold drizzle, the men, who had come to Turkey to earn money, were trying to cross the border back into Syria to bring their families out to safety. But they found themselves locked out, just as tens of thousands of civilians fleeing the most intense bombing of the war are locked in.

Forces backing President Bashar Assad continue to push north to the border, helped by Russian air strikes. Western and Arab backers of insurgent groups are declining to increase military support. Turkey refuses to open the border. So the deal hammered out in Munich overnight seemed like just another irrelevant set of words dictated by diplomats in a foreign capital.

The deals they make there are so isolated and detached from this reality here, said Faisal, 25, who gave only a first name to protect relatives still inside Syria.

Mohammad Saeed, 27, pointed out that before Munich, there were three rounds of fruitless peace talks in Geneva, the last falling apart before it even began.

Geneva 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, he said, counting on his fingers. And there is nothing.

The men said the proposal would not stop the shooting, the scrambling from refuge to refuge, the fears of the Islamic State infiltrating rebel-held areas or the threat of government forces besieging more cities and town. Least of all did they expect it to stop the fierce Russian bombing campaign that has put so many civilians on the run in recent days.

In Geneva, U.N. officials and diplomats were groping for details Friday about the shape of a humanitarian task force the organization was charged with creating to immediately deliver aid inside Syria as part of the Munich agreement.

As they discussed what the task force would do, the U.N. refugee agency reported that more than 80,000 migrants had arrived in Europe by boat over the past six weeks, more than half of them women and children.
MEXICO CITY  Pope Francis issued a tough-love message to Mexicos political and church elites Saturday, telling them they have a duty to provide their people with security, justice and courageous pastoral care to confront the drug-inspired violence and corruption that are tormenting the country.

The raucous welcome Francis received from cheering Mexicans who lined his motorcade route contrasted sharply with his pointed criticism of how church and state leaders here have often failed their people, especially the poorest and most marginalized.

Experience teaches us that each time we seek the path of privileges or benefits for a few to the detriment of the good of all, sooner or later the life of society becomes a fertile soil for corruption, drug trade, exclusion of different cultures, violence and also human trafficking, kidnapping and death, bringing suffering and slowing down development, he told government authorities at the presidential palace.

In a subsequent hard-hitting speech to his own bishops, Francis challenged church leaders known for their deference to Mexicos wealthy and powerful to courageously denounce the insidious threat posed by the drug trade and not hide behind their own privilege and careers. The speech was met with tepid applause, with only a handful of bishops standing in ovation.

Francis five-day trip to Mexico is shining an uncomfortable spotlight on the churchs shortcomings and the governments failure to solve entrenched social ills that plague many parts of the country  poverty, rampant drug-inspired gangland killings, extortion, disappearances of women, crooked cops and failed public services.

Over the coming days, Francis will travel to the crime-ridden Mexico City suburb of Ecatepec, preach to Indians in poverty-stricken Chiapas, offer solidarity to victims of drug violence in Morelia and, finally, pay respects to migrants who have died trying to reach the United States with a cross-border Mass in Ciudad Juarez.

The grueling schedule appeared to be already taking a toll: By Saturday evening, Francis seemed tired and winded. The 79-year-old appeared to doze off during Mass and lost his balance and fell into a chair set up for him to pray before the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Francis began his first full day in the country with a winding ride into the capitals historic center to the delight of tens of thousands of Mexicans greeting historys first Latin American pope.
HAVANA  With a hug and an exclamation of Finally, Pope Francis met Friday with Patriarch Kirill in the first meeting between a pontiff and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, a historic development in the 1,000-year schism that has divided Christianity.

We are brothers, Francis said as he embraced Kirill in the small, wood-paneled VIP room of Havanas airport, where the three-hour encounter took place.

Now things are easier, Kirill agreed as he and the pope exchanged three kisses on the cheek. This is the will of God, the pope said.

Francis was having the brief talks in Cuba before heading off on a five-day visit to Mexico, where the pontiff will bring a message of solidarity with the victims of drug violence, human trafficking and discrimination to some of that countrys most violent and poverty-stricken regions.

The meeting and signing of a joint declaration of religious unity was decades in the making and cemented Francis reputation as a risk-taking statesman who values dialogue, bridge-building and rapprochement at almost any cost.

In the 30-point statement, the two leaders declared themselves ready to take all necessary measures to overcome their historical differences, saying we are not competitors, but brothers.

Francis and Kirill also called for political leaders to act on the single most important issue of shared concern between the Catholic and Orthodox churches today: the plight of Christians in Iraq and Syria who are being killed and driven from their homes by the Islamic State group.

In many countries of the Middle East and North Africa, entire families of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being exterminated, entire villages and cities, the declaration said.

The declaration was signed in the uniquely ideal location of Cuba: far removed from the Catholic-Orthodox turf battles in Europe, a country that is Catholic and familiar to Latin Americas first pope, but equally familiar to the Russian church given its antiAmerican and Soviet legacy. The pope helped mediate the declaration of detente between the U.S. and Cuba in 2014.

If this continues, Cuba will become the capital of unity, the pope said.

Calling the talks very substantive, Kirill said: The results make it possible to say that today the two churches can actively work together to protect Christians around the world.

The Vatican is hoping the meeting will improve relations with other Orthodox churches and spur progress in dialogue over theological differences that have divided East from West ever since the Great Schism of 1054 split Christianity.

Several hours later, the pope was greeted at Mexico Citys airport with a rock concert-like show with blue floodlights illuminating a stage and bandstands and crowds waving yellow handkerchiefs. Mariachis serenaded as his chartered plane pulled to a stop and people shouted Brother Francis, youre already Mexican.

President Enrique Pena Nieto, and his wife met Francis on a red carpet.
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The axing of future Anzac Day ceremonies at Lone Pine in Gallipoli was "sacrilege" to veterans, deeply disappointing to war widows, and a move which Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said would outrage all Australians.

"To scrap it would be a sacrilege," said Barney Flanagan, the president of the RSL sub-branch in Chatswood. "Lone Pine is Anzac. Together with Anzac Cove, the landing at Gallipoli, Lone Pine is part of the tradition."

A photograph taken in 1919 showing the short distance between trenches at Lone Pine. Credit:Australian War Memorial publication, Gallipoli Revisited

The federal government announced late on Friday that the Lone Pine service would not be conducted in the future because of concerns about the well-being of visitors on the rough, high terrain, where between 5000 and 7000 men were injured or killed in 1915.

"Given the extended time period visitors are on site, potential for extreme weather conditions, and exposed location on rough terrain, the Lone Pine service will not be conducted from this year onwards."
Minister for Roads Duncan Gay said the zero-tolerance approach was motivated by deterrence, after drug driving was linked to 14 per cent of road fatalities in 2014. "My advice is don't take illegal drugs and if you do, be responsible and conservative with your decision of when it is safe to drive to avoid the consequences." Last week Magistrate David Heilpern in Lismore Local Court found 33-year-old Joseph Carrall tested positive for THC - the main psychoactive in cannabis - nine days after smoking it. The case highlighted the abounding confusion around the state's drug-driving testing regime, with Magistrate Heilpern acquitting Mr Carrall on the grounds he had reasonably relied upon a police officer's advice that he must wait one week after smoking cannabis before driving. Magistrate Heilpern was scalding in his assessment, describing the dearth of information around detection levels as part of the "mystery and uncertain-by-design of the current testing regime".

While he returned one of four not guilty verdicts in thousands of drug-driving matters in the past year, he is not the first to publish a finding at odds with the government's 12-hour window. Judge Richard Cogswell, hearing an appeal in the District Court in Bega in August last year, found Klaus Halper guilty after testing positive. However Judge Cogswell accepted evidence that Halper smoked the cannabis four days before the test, and that he used the cannabis instead of a "strong regime of prescription pain killers" following a serious car accident years earlier. Assistant Commissioner John Hartley, Commander of Traffic and Highway Patrol said the government backed its guidelines on detection windows. "Our pharmacologists tell us that for cannabis active for THC in saliva about 12 hours is the maximum it will be in their system and the maximum we would be getting a positive result on." A Department of Transport spokesperson told the Herald detection times "are based on the manufacturer's specifications for the MDT screening device and the latest medical research about how long drugs remain in a person's saliva after drug use".

When the Herald asked the manufacturer of the Draeger DrugTest 5000 - the machine used by the NSW police force to confirm an initial positive roadside swab - what advice on detection windows it provided clients, a spokesperson said it provided none and referred its clients to independent clinical studies. One study the Herald was directed towards by the company, found that while the median last detection time for occasional smokers was 12 hours it could be as long as 30 hours for those who smoked more than four times a week when tested with the Draeger DrugTest 5000. The co-author of that study Dr Dayong Lee, an American toxicologist who has published extensively on cannabis detection in oral fluid, told the Herald the 12-hour window advised by the NSW government was too narrow. "A person can definitely be positive after 24 hours at a concentration higher than 5 nanogram per milliliter." Assistant Commissioner Hartley would not reveal what concentration the NSW police were testing for. But on its website the Draeger DrugTest 5000 is marketed as having "extremely low detection rates", which can detect cannabis in concentrations of 5 nanograms per millilitre.

Dr Lee, whose studies have been approved by the US National Institute of Drug Abuse, said even occasional smokers could test positive at 21 hours. According to the latest research, THC levels can be as high as 1000ng per millilitre in a smoker's oral fluid directly after smoking but rapidly drop off within a few hours, she said. For chronic smokers, it can take up to 22 -24 hours to drop below 10 nanograms per millimetre, she said "The problem is it [the test] can positive for several hours and days at low concentrations for people who have been smoking cannabis for a long time." But Mr Barns said the zero tolerance approach made the laws "one of the most unfair on the statute books".
The Australian government is abusing asylum seekers. There are few other words to describe our policy of mandatory offshore detention, which is unsafe, unclean and unending. Assault, rape, murder, disease are just some of the dangers in our camps, alongside chronic hopelessness.

This is a bipartisan evil, with both major parties arguing that these threats and indignities are for the sake of the asylum seekers themselves  to avoid "deaths at sea". This is not a practical solution, since many refugees will come to harm elsewhere  at sea, in countries that are not signatories to the Refugee Convention, or in their homelands. There are more than 19 million refugees in the world: they need to flee somewhere. But even if it were practical, mandatory offshore detention would still be an unethical solution. It is punishing one group, ostensibly to deter another. The former have broken no laws by seeking asylum, yet they are penalised severely by our government and its proxies offshore.

Mandatory offshore detention of asylum seekers would still be an unethical solution. Credit:Angela Wylie

Importantly, this brutality is not in question: it is, after all, the very point of deterrence. Humane treatment of asylum seekers who come by boat  most of whom are consistently found to be genuine refugees  is not our policy. Australian law promises maritime refugees "unnecessary suffering", as the UNHCR put it early last year.

Putting aside its utility for the political classes, ordinary Australians' acceptance of this policy is interesting. For all the swaggering talk of our "fair go" country, many are clearly comfortable with the abuse of innocents, as long as they arrive by sea. Almost six out of 10 support offshore detention, according to a Lowy Institute poll. The Scanlon Foundation's Mapping Social Cohesion reports that about a third of Australians are in favour of boat turn-backs, which risk refoulement. While the overwhelming majority of Australians say they themselves would use all their assets to escape persecution, a Red Cross survey found that almost seven out of 10 see boat arrivals as "illegal", giving moral weight to incarceration.
MC: A PhD is an exercise in thinking, and exploring new fields. It doesn't necessarily teach you to deal with clunky legislation. For example, the Building Code contains a computerised form called a Glazing Calculator to ascertain if your residential design meets their legislative requirements to minimise energy use in heating and cooling. My trial and error testing of this tool shows that it is a blunt tool that does not adequately recognise alternative approaches to cooling such as ceiling fans, Crimsafe flyscreens to safely open windows to the cool night air which is a feature of our region, and the use of deciduous trees to provide summer shade.

TT: In response to my comments in this paper, you consider that it takes more than a PhD to understand the energy saving requirements of the Building Code. Why?

MC: The computerised forms used in the Building Code assume you are using air conditioning then rewards designs that minimise energy use. And air conditioners rely on an automatic thermostat to provide an ideal temperature whereas most families tolerate a wider range of temperatures. So a well designed house may only require ceiling fans in our recent heat wave. For example, our ground floor maxed out at 25 degrees and we still didn't need the fans in our first floor bedroom. In the same way a good doona will delay turning on winter heating and therefore reduce energy use. But the Building Code doesn't account for fans, Crimesafe flyscreens, window awnings, doonas, onesies and ugg boots because, thankfully, they can't be legislated.The law is a blunt instrument.

TT: Do you have any comments on the Territory Plan requirements?

MC: Our local government has been very well meaning in requiring energy star ratings for new and existing houses so that prospective residents have a very basic understanding of how good or how bad the house will be in terms of utility costs, but fails to provides guidance to actual costs and it doesn't provide any mechanism to do a cost benefit analysis of any improvements. Our local government also requires house design to meet certain solar access requirements. These are different for new suburbs, old suburbs and smaller sized blocks because of a range of changes in residential development over time. These solar access requirements are another blunt instrument because the National Building Code barely recognises these efforts to optimise natural warming from the sun. We have three pieces of legislation working out of harmony to achieve similar goals.

TT: This all sounds a bit dire, and many readers have expressed their displeasure of these regulations. What can be done?

MC: Two things. The first is that every time industry lobbies for change we end up with more legislation than less, so perhaps we simply learn to work with what we have because it is well intended and contains much that is good; just very clunky and sub-optimal. Secondly, the Building Code allows for Alternative Solutions in place of the Deemed-to-Satisfy regulations. A good architect will work with an Energy Consultant and certify the effectiveness of their design. At a cost and still subject to how the residents actually use their house.
TAFE is such a vital part of the future of this country so I can't fathom why governments wish to devalue such a valuable asset in favour of saving a few pennies in the short term. As I get older, and hopefully wiser, it becomes more apparent that lunatics who can't see beyond the next election are running the asylum.

Surely an affordable and efficient Tertiary and Further Education system is a no-brainer for those school leavers not entering universities ("Press pause on shock therapy for TAFE", February 7). It would seem that everyone in the community can see this except our politicians.

Eryk Bagshaw rightly points out the blatant discrimination on religious grounds in choosing ethics in NSW schools ("It's blatant discrimination on religious grounds", February 7). Not content with removing the ethics tick-box from enrolment forms after being lobbied by faith groups, the goalposts have been moved further.

As a volunteer ethics teacher, I speak from first-hand experience of the value of ethics classes without discrimination of race, colour or creed. An eight-year-old from one of my classes had been attending ethics classes for only weeks when he was asked to explain what ethics was. The child replied: "It's thinking about the hard questions between right and wrong so people can be better."

Spot on. I have a hard question for Mike Baird and his advisers: How is it ethical to make it hard for NSW parents to make an ethical choice?

Joy Nason Neutral Bay

On the enrolment form this year we were offered ethics classes, but only if our children had not attended religious education in previous years. Despite my former profession as a Uniting Church minister, I am more than happy for my children to attend ethics classes, for that is what much of what "scripture" lessons are about anyway. So we ticked the ethics option and will see if the school puts our interests first or that of the local provider of religious education.
How much Donald Trump is too much Donald Trump? Less than you think, according to Melbourne comedian Ronny Chieng, who has spent the past six months working as a reporter on the US-based political satire The Daily Show.

"You can over-cover it; if you really want to joke about Trump every time he says something crazy you will be joking about Trump 24/7," he says. "In that sense, we find ourselves looking at it and saying we have to take a break from it. Over-covering the insanity is one of the pitfalls."

Ronny Chieng, the Australian comedian working on The Daily Show in the US. Credit:Gavin Bond

There are, however, still rich pickings for those who make a career of satirising establishment institutions. "In terms of source material this is a golden age, it's an election year, there is no incumbent and the personalities involved are very big personalities," he says.

There are also many more channels and platforms digesting the same material from the 24/7 media news cycle. "Colbert taking over from Letterman has a real political bent so he's touching on stuff that Letterman would only have glanced on," he says. "There's more people to feed."
Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall will hold a "wedding celebration" on March 5 at St Bride's Church on Fleet Street in London.

The couple, who announced their engagement on January 10 after a four-month courtship, will hold the celebration at the Christopher Wren-designed church, situated in the area previously known as the heart of London's newspaper publishing industry.

Murdoch and Hall make their public debut at the rugby in October. Credit:Getty Images

Claire Seaton from St Bride's told Reuters the pair will be married elsewhere but "will be having a service to celebrate the marriage."

Hall is expected to be in Australia in late 2016 for a production of The Graduate, reprising her role as Mrs Robinson.
Some rushed to warn us how terrible it was  most memorably Elle Hardy writing in The Spectator Australia, who beautifully dubbed it a "ham-dripping, ham-fisted, cliched minstrel show".

The chattering classes have been in a flurry about The Habibs for weeks, and once the first episode aired the hot takes spewed forth  mostly from white people, of course.

It's one of those delightful Australian things where the premise is all there in the title: they're different, and they're coming here.

Over at Channel Nine, we were being taken even further back in time with Here Come the Habibs, a "sitcom" about wealthy white people struggling with the arrival of newly rich Lebanese neighbours.

Others stamped The Habibs with their "not racist" seal of approval. Critic Luke Buckmaster thought it was a "funny, well-made" and punchy show, declaring the "outrage apparatus" had spoken prematurely, while cultural attache Kyle Sandilands attested to the program's visual accuracy: "Every Lebo I know looks like they're on that ad."

It was interesting to note the more sensitive responses of people of colour, such as journalist Rashell Habib, who felt the program that bears one of her names was funny, harmless and equal-opportunity comedy. "For Channel Nine to take a chance on this locally produced show is something to be admired," she wrote.

Or Osman Faruqi, son of Australia's first female Muslim MP Mehreen Faruqi, who lukewarmly endorsed the program as "not as racist as it first appeared" but not all that sharp, either.

Debating whether things are racist is one of the great Australian pastimes, especially when it comes to TV. It was quite a few years ago that another American visitor, Harry Connick jnr, was aghast to find himself judging a blackface skit on the reprised Hey Hey It's Saturday. The world was pretty shocked, too  but plenty of folks Down Under were prepared to defend the segment as a harmless example of "Aussie humour".

No doubt one of the reasons a show like The Habibs commands so much attention is because it involves the rare incursion of non-white faces into the land of commercial television. Any show about a minority or marginalised group carries that albatross around its neck; the hopes and dreams of anyone with a stake in Australia's cultural landscape.
Easter and Christmas celebrations will feel the knife with confirmed reports of a virus that has locked down the Tasmania oyster industry.

Prices are expected to skyrocket from a market standard of $14 a dozen for opened oysters to $20 or more, as supply begin to dwindle.

The health department is warning people not to eat shellfish caught in the Swan and Canning rivers. Credit:Marco Del Grande

The virus, Pacific Oyster Mortality Syndrome, which is harmless to humans, kills oysters in their shells with juveniles and seedlings most susceptible.

Millions of oysters have died in the last week alone.
Karen Nettleton, the mother-in-law of Islamic State terrorist Khaled Sharrouf, believed killed last year, says she has sent money to her starving grandchildren in Syria in a desperate bid to help them.

Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports have emerged that Sharrouf may still be alive.

Karen Nettleton says her grandchildren are trapped in Syria and starving. Credit:Kate Geraghty

Ms Nettleton said she had sent her five grandchildren and one great-grandchild money for food and water. But the children had yet to collect the money because it was so "dangerous" to go out.
A former bikie turned rollover witness who helped put stolen rocket launchers in the hands of hardened criminals is facing deportation after blowing his prosecution immunity on drug busts.

The former police informant  who can only be referred to as Harrington  was instrumental in a case involving the stolen rocket launchers swiped from an Australian Defence Force base between 2001 and 2003.

A captain with the army explosive ordnance team, Shane Della-Vedova, who was jailed for at least seven years, stole 10 of the weapons instead of destroying the launchers.

The rocket launchers made their way to Harrington, a criminal recently released from jail, who on-sold the weapons for tens of thousands of dollars.
NSW Labor has adopted a code of conduct that prohibits bullying and harassment, in an attempt to shake off the scandals that have recently engulfed its head office.

The traditional theatrical sparring was absent from the opening session of the NSW Labor conference at Town Hall on Saturday morning as party officials spoke gravely of the need to clean up Sussex Street.

"The last six months have been hard": Kaila Murnain. Credit:Dallas Kilponen

Jamie Clements quit as NSW general secretary in January after a prolonged sexual harassment scandal that severely disrupted head office. Mr Clements consistently denied the claims made against him.

The acting replacement, Kaila Murnain, who is expected to become Labor's first female general secretary on Sunday, told the Labor faithful from the floor: "The last six months have been hard, with three separate reviews into governance of our party."
A Padstow man arrested on a charge of supplying cocaine after a series of raids across three Sydney suburbs did not apply for bail on Saturday.

Chadi Farhat, 33, was arrested during simultaneous search warrants carried out at three Sydney homes on Friday morning.

Strike force detectives arrested a man and a woman following investigations into the supply of cocaine in the greater Sydney area.

Mr Farhat was arrested at his home and was charged with supplying and possessing illegal drugs and possessing a weapon without a permit.

He appeared at Parramatta Bail Court today via audio visual link.
About 12 to 15 light years away in the "Hamburger" galaxy lies a very bright supernova discovered by a man from Loganholme.

By day Peter Marples works for Suncorp Insurance, but by night he turns his gaze towards the stars.

Backyard Astronomers Peter Marples, left, and Greg Bock. Credit:Robert Shakespeare

When the sun sets and the night is clear Mr Marples can be found in his custom tool shed, with a roof that rolls off, using his telescope to find the biggest things in the universe, supernova.
Tim Loth, 41, a small business owner in north Brisbane started searching for his biological parents four years ago.

At first he had no idea where to start until he met a counsellor at Post Adoption Support Queensland (PASQ).

Tim Loth and other Post-Adoption Support Queensland clients. Credit:Tim Loth

Tim said he started going to counselling and he stumbled upon the biological family search offered by the support service.

"I first went to them for counselling, I was going through some tough times at work that was linked to the post adoption stuff," Tim said.
Rio de Janeiro: Brazil has reported a nearly 50 per cent jump in cases of dengue fever reported over a three-week period in January, a worrying finding because the disease is carried by the same mosquito that spreads Zika.

"This is a very strong indication that the Zika cases are increasing and that the combat against the mosquito is not being efficient," Marcos Lago, an associate professor of infectious diseases and paediatrics at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, said.

Brazil has been panicked by thousands of suspected cases of the birth defect microcephaly, which the government has linked to an epidemic of the Zika virus that began last year.
Latulip abandoned the group home in Kitchener and, police say, headed for Niagara Falls - "a common suicide site," the Region Record noted. In an especially troubling sign, he had left the residence without his medication. Soon after, police say, Latulip suffered a head injury and lost his memory. But police said he started having flashbacks last month and remembered his real name: Edgar Latulip. He told a social worker, who discovered that he was a missing person and contacted local authorities. Edgar's recovery is the reason why we never give up hope. Missing Children's Network director general Pina Arcamone

After a voluntary DNA exam, police were able to confirm his identity. The Missing Children's Network called it "incredible news." "Edgar's recovery is the reason why we never give up hope!" said Pina Arcamone, the organisation's director general. Phil Gavin, spokesman for Niagara Regional Police Service, said Latulip is now preparing to reunite with his family. "It's a pretty huge thing to find out you're someone else," Gavin told The Washington Post, "so I think he's taking it slow."

In 1986, Latulip was a 21-year-old man with a 12-year-old's mind, according to local news reports and missing persons listings from that time. He was staying in a group home near Kitchener and living at least partly on a disability pension, according to a 2014 series in the Waterloo Region Record. It was a Tuesday that September when he skipped town. His mother, identified by local news media as either Silvia or Sylvia Wilson, told the Region Record that she feared her son had been killed and buried. "This is always at the back of my mind," Wilson told the newspaper in 2014. "Having an answer would mean closure. When Edgar disappeared, I became quite sick. I had to take a leave of absence from work. I was near a nervous breakdown." Latulip's missing persons poster showed a young man with wire-frame glasses and a toothy grin - a computerised image to show people what he might look like. It said he had a thin build, a scar above one eyebrow and troubling mental issues.

For years, investigators tried to find Latulip, pushing paper and going door to door - and, later on, re-publicising his cold case, along with several others, in hopes of solving the decades-long mysteries. Sergeant Richard Dorling, a homicide detective with Waterloo Regional Police, which oversaw the initial investigation in Latulip's disappearance, began encouraging local media and members of the community to spread the word. "Pass the information on," Dorling told the Region Record in 2014. "If you see a poster, a picture or an article, post it on Facebook, send it out on Twitter. I'm hoping somewhere out there, someone will remember something." In fact, it was Latulip who would remember - and crack his own cold case. Authorities followed a lead in 1993 to nearby Hamilton after someone reported seeing Latulip there, but they never found him, according to the Waterloo Region Record.

At some point, he settled in St Catharines. Police would not comment this week on Latulip's life before his disappearance or the accident that caused him to forget it. It's also unclear what kind of life he built for himself after vanishing - whether he had a job, a home or a family. Authorities would not reveal his assumed name or names, either. But they did acknowledge that Latulip recently started working with the Niagara Regional Police Service to find out his true identity. Gavin, the police spokesman, said investigators took a DNA sample from Latulip and contacted Waterloo Regional Police Service, which helped them compare it to a sample taken from a family member. Last week, authorities learned it was a match. Duane Gingerich, a Waterloo Regional Police detective on the case, said he was elated.

"I had hopes that he was out there somewhere," he told the Waterloo Region Record. "For us as investigators, this is great, this is awesome. It's satisfying because most of these cases don't turn out this way. "You expect the worst when a person is missing for that period of time." Then, police phoned Latulip's mother, who now lives in Ottawa. "She was excited, happy, overjoyed," Gavin, the Niagara Regional Police spokesman, told The Washington Post. "After 30 years of not knowing where her son is - knowing that he's alive, she's pretty excited about that." Alana Holtom, a Waterloo Regional Police Service spokeswoman, said she had spoken with Latulip's mother on Wednesday and learned that the mother and son were working on a plan to reunite.
In the second half of 2015 the flow of refugees into Europe was a lively river, flicking around obstructions into new routes, past wave-through checkpoints. Now it is more like a painful, halting digestion, borders opening and closing in reaction to each other in a kind of peristalsis. Syrian refugee children. Credit:Nick Miller The gates close for any number of reasons: a landslide on a railway track, a protest by Macedonian taxi drivers accusing the government of depriving them of refugee cross-country fares. But often the reason is simply this: there is no room for new arrivals until the last lot have moved again. A child in a refugee camp. Credit:Nick Miller

As soon as movement is cut it shunts up the line. Transit camps fill and the message passes back, Austria to Croatia to Serbia to Macedonia to Greece: stop the flow, we're full. And now there are signs that these temporarily closed borders are about to become more permanent. The double-line fence is up, guarded and buttressed. Idomeni, Greece, is right across the border from Macedonia. Credit:Google Maps In late January the European Union gave Greece a three-month ultimatum to stop migrants crossing from Turkey, or else the EU would "quarantine" it outside the borderless Schengen area, ending free travel for more than just the refugees. Macedonia is determined not to become the meat in this sandwich. This week, Macedonian officials told Deutsche Welle that "when the signal from the EU comes" it was ready to seal its southern border to refugees.

Syrian refugee Shade, 21. Credit:Nick Miller Jean-Claude Juncker, the head of the European Commission, promised to help: to "provide assistance [to Macedonia] to support controls on the border with Greece through the secondment of police/law enforcement officers and the provision of equipment". The Greeks are not happy with this ultimatum, believing that Europe is washing its hands of the problem rather than helping. With some of their islands within swimming distance of Turkey, or a few hours in a dinghy, Interior Minister Nikos Toskas pointed out there was no practical way of stopping refugees from arriving "except via sinking or shooting". Two women in wheelchairs wait for the border to Macedonia to open. Credit:Nick Miller A furious Greek Migration Minister Ioannis Mouzalas claimed a Belgian minister said "just push [refugees] back into the sea. The Belgian said 'go against the law. I do not care if it's illegal. Just push them back'."

He also accused Europe of short-changing Greece by providing smaller-than-promised numbers of everything from cots and fingerprinting machines to border guards. Don Johnson from the Red Cross at Greek-Macedonian border with two refugee children. Credit:Nick Miller But the crisis is not yet upon Greece, not today. At 2.30pm in Idomeni, the border finally opens. For the rest of the afternoon, every half hour or so, 50-odd refugees are let through  as long as they can prove they are Syrian, Iraqi or Afghan, a condition imposed by Macedonia late last year. Protesters next to a sign with the Greek word for "No" outside a refugee camp near Thessaloniki. Credit:Nick Miller

It's enough: thanks to rough weather in the Aegean some days before, and farmers' protests blocking bus routes up from Piraeus, the number of refugees arriving at Idomeni today number in the hundreds, not thousands. Don Johnston sits in the sun, and declares it a good day. A refugee child displays his drawing. Credit:Nick Miller Johnston is the Red Cross' field co-ordinator for northern Greece. His is a 'surge' job  he swings in when the pressure's on, and helps the locals plan their humanitarian strategy. Johnston was born in Colorado but is an adopted Aussie: for the last eight years he's lived in Melbourne and Sydney, jetting out for a few months each year to work for the Red Cross.

He's worked in just about all the instantly recognisable troublespots: Kurdistan, Iraq (he was there when Islamic State took Mosul), Liberia, the Haiti earthquake, South Sudan. "I hardly ever get deployed to Fiji," he jokes. But he says this job is "singular"  a humanitarian crisis on an epic scale. "I've never been involved in a mission like this," he says. "From a human point of view it's heartbreaking. What you are seeing is really difficult." From one point of view his job is simple: when the refugees arrive in Idomeni they need food, shelter, clothing (it drops to freezing here at night), many need medical care (respiratory tract infections are common, almost every child has a cough). In concert with other groups such as the UNHCR and Doctors Without Borders, they do what they can. But the biggest challenge is uncertainty, Johnston says. The situation can change in an instant. Just a few days earlier 80 buses arrived from Athens in one day.

"There were 7000 people here, the police in riot gear were super-tense, wouldn't let people move around," he says. "It was really cold. People were getting one or two meals a day. They are with their families, their kids. "They're just regular folks. You talk to them, they're teachers, a carpenter, musicians. Just the entire population of a well functioning country is just being vacated and they're really uncertain about what's going to happen in their lives." If the border closes for too long it can get tense. In early December, when it was closed for days without explanation, migrants rioted. Angry graffiti from the riot still colours many tents around the site. "They really want information, that's the big thing," Johnston says. "They want to know what's going to happen with them, they want to know when the border's going to open, where things are at. There's a large desire. You can see they're just beset by uncertainty." And it's hard on the local volunteers, too. Johnston says his people "tell me they cry every night when they go home".

Johnston says one of the contingencies he is planning for is Greece's nightmare: the borders close, but refugees keep coming. This is the suspicion, too, of the UNHCR's head of the Idomeni field unit Alexandros Voulgaris. "[Idomeni] is a bottleneck," he says. "We could have a large population stranded here  hopefully the [Greek] authorities will get across this responsibility and move them to other facilities." Greece is, indeed, setting up a series of "hotspot" camps to take refugee spillover. But locals have been protesting against them. Outside one, on the outskirts of Thessaloniki, a group of protesters stand blocking the entrance beside their "Oxi" ("No") banners. Theodore Papagriogoriou says, "our region is a poor region. If the European countries close their borders and we get 4000 people staying here, we can't provide jobs for these people, or houses, or food. This is a big problem for us.

"I don't' believe [the government] has a plan. That is our fear." (One of the NGO officials comments to me: "I think he's right on the money"). And if the border closes, it may encourage the criminal people-smuggling trade. According to reports, smugglers in the area sell fake ID papers at up to 1000 ($1600) each. And there are traffickers all over Idomeni, offering help to the nationalities who already aren't allowed over the border. They bundle into poorly ventilated trucks or risk precarious mountain tracks. A nurse at the Idomeni camp told of a regular stream of patients coming back down from the mountains, beaten by the terrain  or beaten by Macedonian police.

Freelance photojournalist Nicola Zolin followed one group of "second-class refugees" just over a week ago. "Dark has come, time to go ... forest and smugglers the only choice," she tweeted. "Tonight, like every night, migrants from Pakistan, Iran, Maghreb will try their luck crossing [the] border by foot ... Stranded migrants still prefer to get smuggled through the 'mainstream' route than trying Bulgaria and Albania that they see as dangerous." A few hours later she reported: "One hour walk to the border, then their smuggler got beaten by people with sticks. Now they go back to Athens." Meanwhile, at the Idomeni camp, the refugees wait their turn. Johnston says the demographics have changed this year  it used to be mostly young single males, now it is mostly families. A Syrian woman is travelling with her three children: 10, 5 and 1. Her home was destroyed, she says, and "if I stayed there for a million years we could not buy a house any more in Syria"  before the war her husband sold insurance, a concept now as alien as peace.

A young man, Shade, 21, fled Syria because he was told he had to join the army. He worked for eight months in Turkey to save money so he could catch a boat across to Greece  they crowded onto a small inflatable dinghy, "I was not scared for myself, death in Syria is the same to me as death in the water. I was just worried about the little ones on the boat." And Naser Kasem, a 60-year-old Kurd from the north of Iraq, has a horror story: IS killed most of the people in his village, abducted his 22 year-old daughter, and killed two of his second daughter's young children. He is bringing his wife and his third daughter to Europe, to safety. They floated over from Turkey on two inner tubes lashed together, with 13 other people, including a two-month-old baby. "The water was coming through," he says. "We all covered the baby. I didn't care for myself, as long as the baby was alive." Later, I see Kasem  and the baby  in the queue at the border (it's closed again).

There is movement on the other side. Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov has come to visit. He exchanges platitudes with the border guards. But you can read a politician better by his actions than his words. He doesn't greet the refugees, standing in a bemused line barely a metre away. He doesn't even acknowledge them.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls also called on Russia to stop bombing civilians in Syria, saying it was crucial for achieving peace in the country. An Islamic State fighter in a captured government fighter jet in Raqqa, Syria, last year. Credit:UIG/Getty "France respects Russia and its interests ... But we know that to find the path to peace again, the Russian bombing of civilians has to stop," Valls told the conference. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry denied targeting civilians, saying it was simply not true. A child navigates through rubble and barbed wire in Aleppo this week. Credit:Komsomolskaya Pravda

"There is no evidence of our bombing civilians, even though everyone is accusing us of this," Medvedev told the conference. "Russia is not trying to achieve some secret goals in Syria. We are simply trying to protect our national interests," he said, adding that Moscow wanted to prevent Islamist militants getting to Russia. Civilians carry supplies in Aleppo, Syria, this week. Credit:Komsomolskaya Pravda The Syrian army recaptured a village that overlooks major rebel-held towns around Aleppo, state television reported on Saturday, part of a government campaign to encircle and recaptured insurgent areas of the major northern city. It said the army entered the village of al-Tamura, located on high ground above the towns of Anadan, Hayan and Haritan, which have been heavily bombed in recent days and become a front line in the war.

"Russian bombing of civilians has to stop": French Prime Minister Manuel Valls. Credit:Getty Images The army's advances in the area, backed by allied Lebanese Hezbollah and Iranian fighters, have cut the main rebel supply route from Turkey into opposition-held parts of Aleppo. If its forces retake Aleppo and seal the Turkish border, Damascus would deal a crushing blow to the insurgents who were on the march until Russia intervened last September, shoring up Assad's rule and paving the way to the current advances. "There is no evidence of our bombing civilians": Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Credit:Getty Images The cessation of hostilities agreement falls short of a formal ceasefire, since it was not signed by the warring parties - the government and rebels seeking to topple Assad in the five-year-long war that has killed 250,000 people.

Russia has said it will keep bombing Islamic State and the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, which in many areas of western Syria fights government forces in close proximity to insurgents deemed moderates by Western states. Helped by Russian air power, the Syrian army and its allies have been pursuing offensives on crucial front lines of western Syria, while also attacking Islamic State further east. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government troops were just a few kilometres from the provincial borders of Raqqa after making a rapid advance eastwards along a desert highway in the last few days from Ithriya. The Syrian army could not immediately be reached for comment. The Syrian government has not had a major foothold in Raqqa province since Islamic State insurgents captured Tabqa air base in 2014. "They are on the provincial borders of Raqqa," said Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman. The ultra-hardline Islamic State, whose main aim is to expand its "caliphate" rather than toppling Assad and reforming Syria, is being targeted in separate campaigns by a US-led alliance and the Syrian government with Russian air support.

US-allied Kurdish forces are also fighting Islamic State in Raqqa. Last year, they advanced into Raqqa province from the north-east, capturing an Islamic State-held town at the border with Turkey. Gulf states that want Assad gone from power have said they would be willing to send in troops as part of any US-led ground attack against Islamic State. US Defence Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday he expected Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to send commandos to help recapture Raqqa. In what may have been a response to those remarks, Medvedev said on Saturday there was no need to scare anyone with a ground operation in Syria. The Syrian government has said that any foreign forces in the country without its consent will be fought. Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said in an interview published on Saturday that Russia's military interventions will not help Assad stay in power. "There will be no Bashar al-Assad in the future," he told a German newspaper.

The complex, multi-sided civil war in Syria, raging since 2011, has drawn in most regional and global powers, producing the world's worst humanitarian emergency and attracting jihadist recruits from around the world. A US State Department spokesman said on Friday Assad was "deluded" if he thought there is a military solution to the war. Two Syrian rebel commanders said on Friday insurgents had been sent "excellent quantities" of Grad rockets with a range of 20 kilometres by foreign backers in recent days to help confront the Russian-backed offensive in Aleppo. Foreign opponents of Assad including Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been supplying vetted rebel groups with weapons via a Turkey-based operations centre. Some of these groups have received military training overseen by the CIA. The vetted groups have been a regular target of the Russian air strikes.
Bamako: Five UN peacekeepers were killed when their base in northern Mali was hit by mortars, gunfire and a truck bomb on Friday, an attack that a local separatist group blamed on Islamist militants.

At least 30 people were wounded in the attack in Kidal, a town in an unstable desert region that is home to Islamist groups including al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb which have staged increasingly bold raids in recent months and have targeted the UN base several times.

The attack on the UN base happened in the north-east of Mali. Credit:Google Maps

"At about 7am [local time] the MINUSMA base in Kidal was the target of a complex attack," said Mahamat Saleh Annadif, the Mali representative of the UN secretary general, referring to the peacekeeping mission.
Momentum Telecom to Exhibit State of the Art Real-Time Provisioning Application at NCTC Winter Educational Conference

BIRMINGHAM, AL  (Marketwired)  02/12/16  , a premier provider of Business Voice, Broadband Management and Unified Communications solutions, will be demonstrating their ) application at the NCTC Winter Educational Conference from February 15th-16th at the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge Resort in Phoenix, AZ. Momentum will be exhibiting in Booth # 604.

RPM is a turnkey and branded management tool for service providers, their agents and their end-users. RPM simplifies the activation of and changes to voice services by providing a single, user friendly interface for activating and managing subscribers.

RPM will enable our to make real time changes and updates to their service which will allow them to dramatically reduce turnaround time for provisioning requests improving customer satisfaction, states Todd Zittrouer, President at Momentum Telecom.

Momentum will also be demonstrating their and applications in Booth #604.

RPM, PNM and BBX are critical applications which enable our white label partners to proactively manage and support their customers with reduced turnaround time for provisioning and support. This helps our partners to deliver a best-in-class experience with the highest customer satisfaction, stated Colin Scott, Director of Wholesale Sales.

Over 250 attendees representing over 120 NCTC member independent cable providers are expected to attend the conference.

For more information about Momentum Telecom or to discuss partnership opportunities email or call 877-251-5554.

Momentum Telecom is a premier provider of Business Voice, BBX Broadband Management and Unified Communications solutions. Momentums solutions offer smart, customizable cloud-based applications such as voice, video and collaboration that enhance business productivity and efficiency for direct customers and more than 500 channel and white label partners, nationwide. Momentum Telecom is committed to delivering best-in-class products backed by a geo-redundant network paired with industry leading uptime and customer service. Headquartered in Birmingham, AL, Momentum Telecom has regional offices across the United States. To learn more visit or connect with us on , , , or check our . At Momentum Telecom our mission is to enable others to thrive by combining smarter technology with seasoned experts to deliver an unmatched customer experience.

Beth Hildreth

315-579-7112
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.
The International Space Station's robotic arm prepares to grapple the Cygnus cargo spacecraft as it arrives at the station Dec. 9, in this image taken by NASA astronaut Scott Kelly.

The next commercial cargo mission to the International Space Station is being delayed by mold.

NASA said it detected mold contamination on two cargo bags being prepared for a Cygnus mission to the station.

The agency decided to disinfect every bag as a precaution, including those that had already been stowed inside the Cygnus.

That work will push back the mission, previously set for launch on an Atlas 5 for March 10, to March 22. The source of the mold wasn't clear. [Florida Today]

More News

A key senator is asking the Air Force to justify its continued purchases of RD-180 engines. In a letter to Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James and Pentagon acquisition head Frank Kendall, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) asked why it was legal to acquire RD-180 engines from Russian company NPO Energomash given current sanctions against Russia. He also raised questions about the Air Force's launch support contract to United Launch Alliance. McCain has been one of the most vociferous critics in Congress of reliance on the RD-180 engine. The letter came the same day James defended the Air Force's use of the RD-180 at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, while pressing for the development of a "total launch capability" and not just an engine to replace the RD-180. [Reuters / Breaking Defense]

The White House budget proposal seeks to move up the launch of the next Landsat mission by two years. Bugets for both NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey provide additional funding for Landsat 9 to allow for a launch of the spacecraft in 2021 instead of 2023. An earlier launch of Landsat 9 would ensure continuity of observations given the age of Landsat 7, launched in 1999 and running low on fuel, and the limited lifetime of the thermal infrared sensor on Landsat 8. The USGS budget also included $2.2 million to cover costs associated with obtaining, storing and distributing Landsat-like data it will be getting from Europe's Sentinel-2 spacecraft. [SpaceNews]

Polar satellite programs at NOAA would get more money despite an overall decline in NOAAs satellite budget for 2017. The proposal requests $393 million for future polar-orbiting satellites, up from $370 million appropriated for 2016. The additional funding would support work on the third and fourth Joint Polar Satellite System spacecraft. NOAA's overall satellite program, the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service, would get $2.3 billion in 2017, down $49 million from 2016. The request also includes additional funding for the Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft launched last year because the spacecraft "has experienced more frequent anomalies than anticipated."[SpaceNews]

Want to get these briefings even earlier? Here's the signup.

The National Reconnaissance Office declared yesterday's launch of a classified payload a success. The mission, designated NROL-45, lifted off early Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on a Delta 4. The NRO didn't disclose details about the satellite, but independent observers believe it is a radar imaging satellite. [SpaceNews]

LightSquared, a communications company whose plans have raised GPS interference concerns, is rebranding itself as Ligado Networks. The company, which emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization last year, is proceeding with plans to provide broadband communications using spectrum near that used by GPS. Those plans have generated concerns in recent years by GPS users about potential interference, but Ligado says it is working with companies that make GPS receivers on proposals to alleviate any interference. The company also operates the SkyTerra-1 L-band communications satellite, serving North America. [Ligado Networks]

Three small government offices involved in commercial space could get big budget increases in 2017. The FAA's budget includes a $2 million, or 11 percent, increase for the Office of Commercial Space Transportation, which licenses commercial launches and spaceports. NOAA's proposal doubles the budget for its Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs office, which licenses remote sensing satellites, to about $2 million. NOAA's Office of Space Commerce would see its budget more than triple, also to $2 million, to handle work on commercial weather data. [SpaceNews]

Virgin Galactic is planning to move dozens of employees to New Mexico in the coming years. A company official said Wednesday that its office in Las Cruces, New Mexico, which supports future launches from Spaceport America and currently has 20 employees, will grow by 100 to 120 as the company begins operations at the spaceport. Virgin Galactic is unveiling a second SpaceShipTwo next week and expects to begin commercial flights from the spaceport by 2018. [Albuquerque Business First]

NASA is pressing ahead with its Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) despite continued skepticism about its long-term future. The 2017 budget proposal includes more than $200 million for various ARM-related programs, such as $66.7 million for work on a robotic spacecraft that would fetch a boulder from a near Earth asteroid and return it to cislunar space. NASA officials said at the budget rollout Tuesday that mission could launch as late as 2023, but they were still hoping a crewed mission to the recovered boulder could fly in 2025. A lack of enthusiasm about ARM, particularly in Congress, suggests it may not survive the change of administrations next year. [Ars Technica]

A Seattle company has added smallsat launch services to a government contract schedule. Spaceflight Inc. announced Wednesday the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has included its launch services, ranging from cubesats to 300-kilogram smallsats, to a fixed-price contract schedule that government agencies can order from. Spaceflight brokers launches of smallsats as secondary payloads and purchased a dedicated Falcon 9 launch last year. Most government smallsats today, though, are developed by NASA and the Defense Department, who typically arrange for launches on their own missions. [SpaceNews]

NASA's Version of a Super Bowl Party

"Each year, Glenn officials treat the budget announcement like it's their Super Bowl. All top employees make sure they clear their calendars to watch the presentation. Staff members then plan a soiree of sorts, inviting VIPs and guests. Snacks, beverages and gifts, in the form of NASA-themed gear, are even provided at no cost to all in attendance.

 From a Sandusky Register article about an event NASA's Glenn Research Center held Tuesday at its Plum Brook Station in northern Ohio to celebrate the release of NASA's fiscal year 2017 budget proposal.

Originally published on Space News.
News / Africa

by Staff Reporter

Africans have been challenged to take pride in their identity and celebrate their own heroes and heroines.Addressing Africa University students and heads of government departments in Manicaland who turned up for the Black History Month public lecture at the university campus, the Minister of State for Manicaland province Mandi Chimene said Africans should be proud of themselves and make no apology about being Africans.She noted that a number of celebrated icons have not been accorded their due respect, adding that it's high time Africans rise up and celebrate their own heroes and heroines.She said President Mugabe and other decorated African leaders have remained true to defending national sovereignty and resisting neo-colonialism.Minister Chimene chronicled the bitter armed struggle in Zimbabwe and how women fought side by side with their male counterparts.Chimene implored women to take up leadership positions in various spheres, adding that failure to do so would be a disservice to thousands of daughters who died in the quest to create equality.She, however, reminded Africans to be on the lookout of retrogressive forces bent on reversing the gains of the liberation struggle, hence the need to unite and speak with one voice as a continent.The Black History Month is celebrated in February annually in remembrance of important people and events in the history of Africans on the continent and Diaspora.
News / National

by Tendai Mugabe

VICE President Phelekezela Mphoko yesterday said it is not a given that an individual from the Karanga tribe will succeed President Robert Mugabe, saying people should not lose sleep over statements by some excitable people in Zanu-PF.Mphoko said some people were already insinuating that President Mugabe was a Zezuru and it followed that a Karanga should succeed him.Introducing First Lady Grace Mugabe at a rally where she was assessing the impact of the drought caused by the El Nino phenomenon at Kanyemba Secondary School in Chiweshe, Mashonaland Central yesterday, Mphoko said people should not fool themselves thinking that the Presidency was up for grabs."There's nowhere in our Constitution where it's written that this country was liberated by a Karanga, a Ndau, a Zezuru or a Ndebele," he said."What we hear now that President Mugabe is a Zezuru and if he steps down a Karanga should take over isn't what we fought for. That's a Rhodesian mindset. Don't lose sleep over statements by some excitable people because there's nothing like that."We've party ideology and if you wander off, led by your ambition, you'll set off landmines. Don't say you weren't warned. So, let's not fool ourselves thinking that the position of President is up for grabs by everyone."Number two, being greedy and too ambitious makes you a bad subordinate. That's the first sin. You can't separate those two. "Satan had a beautiful voice in the Bible, but he wasn't content with his position. He could hit all the musical notes but he wasn't satisfied, he wanted to be God. He tripped."VP Mphoko said he was happy with his post as Vice President. He said by virtue of that position, out of 14 million people in Zimbabwe, after President Mugabe, he was number two together with his colleague Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa."So if I'm not satisfied, where do I want to be? That's insubordination." Speaking at the same occasion, Zanu-PF national commissar Saviour Kasukuwere said the party would kick out all provincial chairpersons who defied party directives.He made reference to Mashonaland East, Masvingo and Midlands provinces. "If you're a Zanu-PF member, do Zanu-PF things not to try and intimidate us," he said. "We call for a rally in the presence of all provincial chairpersons that the President is coming."Some of you go to the President and say we weren't informed - it's Kasukuwere's project. Down with you! Leave those positions, we're already tired of you," he thundered. He also warned youth leaders who were "half in, half out" that they risked being kicked out of the party.
The iconic site that housed Hector and Jimmys Restaurant in ...

You know you are in the heart of election season...




Within 15 minutes, 11.22.63 lets viewers know which elements of its premise have been deemed the most important to the shows success. The series doesnt try to be everything to everyone. Specifically, it doesnt try to meet meticulous science fiction reasoning. This is a time-travel series that doesnt detail how traveling back to the 1960s is realistically possible. Audiences are just expected to accept it can happen  and move on. The series devotes the bulk of its attention to tone, setting and characters. But if the flimsy setup can be overlooked, that devotion pays off.



Hulus newest original scripted series is an eight-part event from J.J. Abrams and best-selling author Stephen King. (SpoilerTV screened the first two episodes.) Based on Kings novel, 11.22.63 follows high school teacher Jake Epping (James Franco), who finds a way to travel back in time, where he tries to prevent President John F. Kennedys assassination and change the future. To accomplish that, Jake must live in the past. The problem is, as he works to rewrite history, he discovers the past does not want to be changed. Unexplainable forces operate against him at every step to thwart his actions.



Fans of King will relish the creepy tone of the show. The pilot opens with an old man talking about a Halloween murder that occurred in the 60s. Viewers see quick flashes of bloody victims and hear screams while the old man tells the story. The scene then jumps back to present-day, where the focus unexpectedly changes, evoking compassion. But the original tone lingers and later reappears. The series is definitely a thriller, though the creep factor ebbs and flows at just the right pace. The majority of focus and energy is funneled toward plot elements/characters/time period, almost purposely steering the viewer away from genre cognizance. That is, until an unnerving surprise, spooky image or foreboding music suddenly jolts the audience back to awareness. The show isnt trying to scare like a horror film. The goal seems to be to keep viewers intrigued and surprised without making them feel like theyre going to jump out of their seats.





About the Author - Tonya Papanikolas

Tonya Papanikolas is an online, print and broadcast journalist who loves covering entertainment and television. She spent more than 10 years as a broadcast news anchor and reporter. Now she does everything from hosting to writing. She especially loves writing TV articles and reviews for SpoilerTV.

The eeriness is also balanced by everyday human emotions and realness. Francos Jake is a regular Joe, a down-to-earth man whos a bit stuck. The characters backstory is somewhat rushed to propel the forward-moving plot. But its obvious Jake is a nice, caring guy. He aspires to make a difference around him; he just has to figure out how to accomplish that. But his desires to help people and do the right thing might also drag him into trouble.Franco was most fun to watch as Jake transforms into a man of the 60s, learning how to dress and adapt to another era. In fact, the time period is almost a character itself. The series works hard to capture the essence of America in the early 1960s, utilizing the sights and sounds of the time to build excitement and nostalgia. When Jake first lands in the past, its 1960. You see the traditional milkman, the 50s-style girls with their ponytails, and men dressed up in their suits and hats. You witness the clean-cut image, the fun cars, the golly-gee attitude and the lower cost of living. These fun details are all used to set the stage and the story.The story itself was smartly planned to capitalize on a topic of which people cant get enough: Who killed President Kennedy? Decades after his death, people still debate the ominous possibilities, espousing numerous conspiracy theories and choosing to reject or accept the official explanations. Its a topic that produces endless intrigue and the show plays with the what-ifs. Did Lee Harvey Oswald actually kill Kennedy? Jake Epping must find that out, investigating all the signs and options.But the show goes beyond conspiracy fodder to capture a more human element as well. While Jake is looking into the events preceding Kennedys death, he is also aware of local events and people he knows from the future. And you can bet he wants to get involved with their lives in the past. This secondary plot was woven masterfully into the rest of the story, providing the most intriguing element of the show by playing up the emotion and humanity of the characters.Those characters are depicted by a well-honed supporting cast. Chris Cooper plays Al, Jakes older friend who initially directs Jake to the time travel portal. Cooper infused his character with a palpable desperation as Al works to convince Jake he needs to change the past. And Josh Duhamel, who doesnt appear until later, stuns (in a good way) in a role that was very different for him  a role I cant say much about without giving too much away. After the first two episodes, a couple other characters are just starting to emerge, including Sarah Gadon (Dracula Untold, The Amazing Spiderman 2) as a beautiful librarian to whom Jake is drawn, and George MacKay (Pride, Defiance,) as a bartender who pays close attention to Jakes actions.The shows weak spot lies in the time travel component. The setup was rushed and wasnt explained with enough detail or thought to encourage believability. And the time-travel premise contradicted the very reality-based, emotional, human elements that preceded it, slowing down the plot. But if you can look past this deficiency, the rewards are fruitful. From the fun, eerie tone to the unique content, the series feels fresh. Its unlike anything currently on TV. And it promises twists and turns along the way.11.22.63 premieres on Hulu February 15 (Presidents Day) with a two-hour pilot. The streaming service will then debut one episode a week until the shows finale on April 4.
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Public schools throughout the state  even urban districts like Bridgeport, New Haven and Danbury  are flush with great teachers.

Thats the most prominent finding in the state teacher evaluations this year  the first time student performance was factored into the review.

Results show that 98 percent of teachers were rated as proficient or exemplary. Thats out of 38,913 evaluations across the state for the 2013-14 school year.

To some that outcome was no surprise. To others, it signals that the new system may actually hurt  not help their ability to get rid of bad teachers.

If you are focused on student learning outcomes, it can sometimes mask actual practice, Bridgeport Interim Schools Superintendent Fran Rabinowitz said.

Rabinowitz said she can tell by observation if a teacher isnt up to par.

More Information 2013-14 CT Teacher Evaluation Chart The data shows, by district, how public school teachers did under the state's new teacher evaluation system. Not all teachers were rated. Districts had the option of phasing in the system. RATINGS Exemplary Teacher exceeded goals Proficient Teacher met goals Developing Met some goals Below standard Few or none of goals met Dist # School District Below Standard Developing Proficient Exemplary Total educators 2 Ansonia 161 168 9 Bethel 189 66 263 15 Bridgeport 13 47 996 340 1429 35 Darien 223 195 451 37 Derby 120 46 Easton 76 9 94 51 Fairfield 460 901 57 Greenwich 91 631 831 84 Milford 6 430 159 613 85 Monroe 32 240 272 108 Oxford 150 164 124 Seymour 158 194 126 Shelton 28 50 409 138 Stratford 353 503 144 Trumbull 584 158 Westport 484 563 209 Regional School Dist. 9 63 27 91 269 The Bridge Academy 18 280 New Beginnings Inc., Family Acad. 26 283 Park City Prep Charter 9 15 285 Bridgeport Achievement First 68 900 CT Technical H.S. System 12 1202 1214 34 Danbury 9 241 85 886 64 Hartford 10 80 1017 273 1602 93 New Haven 11 48 1305 247 1704 135 Stamford 23 1188 163 1421 See More Collapse

But if student performance goes up anyway, the new system can leave the teacher with a higher rating and their job.

When all is said and done, I think the state has to take a step back and look at it, Rabinowitz said. (Statewide), we still have 98 percent of teachers either proficient or exemplary  so what have you gained by doing this?

In Bridgeport, where 13 teachers were deemed below standard, Rabinowitz was not able to say with certainty what became of them.

Some may have left, others would have gotten support plans that are very specific with dates, Rabinowitz said.

Those teachers would have had to show improvement within a certain amount of time, or leave the district if it was determined they were not suited for the profession.

Numbers game

The evaluation process puts teachers into one of four categories, based on how well they met the goals set for them at the beginning of the school year.

Exemplary teachers essentially exceeded the targets set for them, while proficient teachers met them. Developing teachers made some progress  but below standard means the teacher made little or no progress toward their goals.

Under the new system, only 66 teachers statewide, were deemed to be below standard, according to the released data. Of those, 34 were clustered in Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford, which have inner-city populations that face challenges quite different from the wealthier suburban districts.

In Bridgeport, out of 1,396 evaluations, 96 percent were deemed proficient or above. Another 47 teachers were rated as developing, and 13 below standard.

In Greenwich, 631 out of 831 educators were deemed exemplary. In Monroe, 240 out of 272 teachers were rated as exemplary and other 32, proficient. In Stratford, 353 of 503 educators were ranked exemplary.

Stratford Schools Superintendent Janet Robinson said another 150 teachers in her district received a proficient ratings.

And in Ansonia, where 161 of 168 educator were deemed proficient, Ansonia Schools Superintendent Carol Merlone said the outcomes were expected.

It validates what one already knows, Merlone said.

Put into place as part of Gov. Dannel P. Malloys education reform initiatives in 2012, the new teacher evaluation system has a formula that takes into account student performance, classroom observation and several other factors.

The idea was to use state standardized test scores as a measure of student performance. The state test changed, however, at the same time it started the new evaluation system, so districts for the time being are allowed to use other growth measures specific to particular student groups.

It could be another test, or classroom work that shows goals set at the beginning of the school year have been met by the years end.

The program is now in its third year, and the state Department of Education had refused to release the annual evaluation results  until this year.

Because the Attorney Generals office is currently defending the state against a lawsuit accusing public schools of being drastically underfunded, it included the 2013-14 evaluation data by district and school as one of more than a thousand trial exhibits.

The state Education Department subsequently released the data to Hearst Connecticut Media.

In 2013-14, many districts were phasing in the new system, so not all teachers were evaluated. In addition, the state suppressed some data it thought might link individual teachers to their evaluation.

What the ratings from the first year of implementation tell us, said Abbe Smith, a state Department of Education spokeswoman, is that teachers and principals are engaging in meaningful, professional dialogue and setting goals for how to strengthen the education we deliver to Connecticut students.

She acknowledged, however that the system remains a work in progress.

Some, however, want to see it end.

Late last month, the states largest teachers union called for the system to take student test scores out of the teacher evaluation process altogether.

The released results, according to Connecticut Education Association President Mark Waxenberg, only bolster the unions argument. The statewide committee that put the current system into place  the Performance Evaluation Advisory Committee  is now working in Hartford to revise it. How soon that can happen is uncertain.

Not only is the current system a wasted exercise, Waxenberg agrees with Rabinowitz it could be doing more harm than good.

It could create false positives, as well as false negatives by focusing so heavily on student performance, Waxenberg said. It ignores what the child is bringing to the table.

Also factors like class size, just arent taken into consideration, he said.

Teaching is more than test score, Waxenberg said. Its student growth and development. Trying to link exemplary teaching to test scores is foolish.

Some good

In Danbury, School Superintendent Sal Pascarella said test scores shouldnt be used against teachers but he said the evaluation system  phased in over two years in his district  has provided some valuable information.

(It) sparked a dialogue around best practices and how to improve overall effectiveness, Pascarella said.

In his district, 335 out of 886 teachers were evaluated in 2013-14. Of those evaluated, 97 percent were deemed proficient or exemplary and nine  less than three percent  developing.

In Fairfield, which also phased in evaluations, Superintendent David Title said the system was customized to meet local needs.

Our process of having a really great group of teachers and administrators working together to hammer out the plan has been, in my view, a model of collaboration between teachers and their evaluators, Title said.

In Milford, School Superintendent Elizabeth Feser said she found the reflective dialogue that is part of the evaluation a cornerstone that helps teachers move forward.

These are elements that are not necessarily reflected in the scores a teacher might receive, Feser said.

In Bridgeport, Rabinowitz said the system cost a great deal in terms of time and training.

As a result of training, more administrators now know what effective teaching looks like, Rabinowitz said. They also know how to set better goals for teachers.

Some of the training has been wonderful, she said. I am saying the state needs to look deeply at the results and concentrate more on (classroom) observations.
Opinion / Columnist

Mr Mzila Ndlovu commanded respect within party ranks because of his liberation war credentials and his behaviour at public functions.I advise those fighting Professor Ncube to think twice for the first and last time because the MDC cannot be destroyed by people like Mzila.In my personal observation Mr Mzila carelessly handled the vote of no confidence by the MDC national standing committee resulting in a backlash from the MDC after failed attempts to savage Prof Ncube.The MDC was very right to use all the words at its disposal to crush the former secretary general who had gone to the media to tarnish the image of Professor Welshman Ncube.The baseless attacks on MDC President Professor Welshman Ncube that we read in the press are unbelievably far off the mark and exposing Mr Mzila as someone who is reckless with words.I personally advise him to keep away from newsrooms or this dirty game of tempering with the image of Professor Welshman Ncube.The allegations raised in the so called petition are too weak and hollow to frustrate Professor Ncube and his team which may be waiting for his next move one way or the other.As MDC supporters we are very much aware of the grand plan to discredit the MDC president a battle Mzila and company will never win.We have confidence in Welshman Ncube and appreciate all he has done to the party since 1999.
P olice have arrested a man on suspicion of murdering a loving grandfather who was shot dead during a warehouse raid in Birmingham.

Akhtar Javeed, 56, whose family live in West Ham, was planning a move back to London when he was killed.

Armed raiders targeted his Direct Source 3 Ltd warehouse on Rea Road, Digbeth, on the evening of February.

Businessman Mr Javeed was fatally shot in the neck during the break-in.

On Saturday, West Midlands Police said a 26-year-old man was detained at a property in Leicester on Friday night by detectives investigating the death.

A police spokesman said a 19-year-old woman had also been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, while an 18-year-old man arrested in Derby on Thursday remains in custody.

Detective Chief Inspector Martin Slevin, who is leading the inquiry, said: "This is a fast-paced investigation and further arrests have been made as we continue to investigate Mr Javeed's murder.

Mr Javeed was among five staff members who were tied up by masked men at his soft drinks distribution business. The father-of-four is believed to have been trying to fight back when he was shot.

In a statement issued after his death, his family said: "Hes left behind a wife, a daughter and three younger sons, two of which are still so young and in school. He was a loving grandfather and his grandchild was the apple of his eye.

He was an honest man who valued his family more than anything else. Thats why he was up here, he moved to Birmingham to run this warehouse so that he could provide for his family and he was planning to move back very soon.
A mystery woman spotted on CCTV in an off-licence could be a vital witness in the hunt for the killers of a student stabbed to death almost exactly five years ago today.

Samuel Guidera, 24, was knifed in the heart moments after leaving Penge East station on the evening of February 12, 2011.

Police have spent five desperate years investigating the killing. But despite a 20,000 reward, interviews with hundreds of witnesses, and the elimination of more than 1,000 leads, Samuels deadly attackers remain at large.

Today a senior Metropolitan police officer from the forces homicide and serious crime command appealed for the woman pictured to come forward with any information that could aid the inquiry.

Appeal: Police believe the woman pictured may have seen something that could help with their investigation / Metropolitan Police

Pc Cliff Haines said: She is important. She might be able to corroborate.

Shes the very last [possible witness] we need to trace.

She might have that nugget of information that means we can solve this case five years on.

The image shows the woman visiting an off-licence on Lennard Road after getting off a bus, which police say would have passed the stop where Samuel was attacked at around the time of the incident.

The Greenwich University history and politics student had been on his way home when he was targeted. His killer or killers had stabbed him in the heart and taken his wallet.

He was found collapsed just before 10pm in Bailey Place near the junction with Newlands Park and rushed to hospital but pronounced dead less than an hour later.

Parents: Christopher and Sarah Guidera

Detectives believe Sams killers may have stopped him to ask to borrow his phone. Previous appeals have sought to uncover the story behind a mystery call made from his phone to an unknown number.

The number 07404 776433 was not stored in his phone and is not thought to belong to anyone he knows.

In the moments after that call was made, Sam misdialled 9999 for the emergency services.

Samuel Guidera would have turned 29 on Friday / MET

Officers are also still pursuing this line of enquiry, and are keen to speak to anyone who can identify this number or who has a very similar one differing by just a few digits.

Samuels parents previously described the experience since their sons death as a life sentence from which we will never been released.

"We still feel a sense of anger and all we can do is continue to cope with each day as it comes, with the help of medication, family, friends, whatever it takes," Sarah and Chris Guidera said in a statement

"We miss and think of him so much every single day, we cry, we love him so much.

Desperate: Samuel tried to call emergency services after being stabbed but mistakenly dialled 9999 / Metropolitan Police

Time is not a healer, we will never get back to normal. The people we were before no longer exist.

So please look at your son, brother, uncle, think how you would miss them and if you know anything come forward; don't let the cowards who took my son's life kill again."

Speaking to the Standard, Pc Haines also revealed a man held in connection with the investigation in 2011 was arrested because he had made a confession to a friend in an effort to enhance his status.

He was released without charge after police discovered his account was a fantasy, Pc Haines said.
T he father of a boy who may spend the rest of his life bedbound following a hit-and-run has called for tougher sentences for dangerous drivers.

Ghafoor Gul spoke out after James McDonagh, 36, was sentenced to three years and nine months at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday. He admitted two charges of dangerous driving, which left his 13-year-old son Saboor in a coma.

McDonagh, who was described by police as a career criminal, knocked Saboor at high speed as he fled police in Shepherds Bush on October 17.

Saboor was rushed to Great Ormond Street Hospital suffering with serious head injuries and continues to receive treatment and rehabilitation at another hospital.

Bedbound: Saboor is likely to need treatment for the rest of his life after he suffered serious head injuries in the hit-and-run / Met Police

He is likely to remain bedbound for the rest of his life and needs help to eat and clean himself.

Mr Gul, who has remained silent until after McDonaghs conviction, paid tribute to his hard-working and intelligent son whose life had been taken away from him.

He also revealed his disappointment over sentences given to dangerous drivers and called for tougher action.

Of his son, he said: He has only been in the UK for a couple of years and had already achieved what most people would envy. Saboor had a bright life ahead of him; everything was taken from in a matter of seconds by someone who had complete disregard to other people's lives.

"Career criminal": James McDonagh was sentenced to three years and nine months at Isleworth Crown Court / Met Police

He won't be able to go to a normal school or do anything a teenager would do. His innocence, childhood, adulthood and simply his life is taken from him.

People die once in life, but from the day of his accident, we, his family, are dying every day and will probably do so until the end of his life.

"The prison sentence for killing someone by dangerous driving is up to 14 year in jail and the maximum sentence for injuring someone is five years no matter how serious and life changing the injury may be.

We are very disappointed that this is the case but we hope that this changes very soon in order to protect families like us in the future."

McDonagh, who was described by police as a career criminal, handed himself into police three days after the hit-and-run. His car was found abandoned.

He knocked Saboor over after he was reported by members of public trying to sell them fake Apple laptops and tablets.

Detective Sergeant Jeff Edwards of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit paid tribute to Mr Gul, members of the public who helped Saboor at the scene and the officers who brought McDonagh to justice.

He said: As regards to McDonagh - a career criminal - we can only hope he truly comprehends the hurt and devastation he has caused to Saboor and his family. His actions that day were deplorable."
A teenage girl has died and another is fighting for her life following an early hours crash between an BMW and a Mini in north-east London.

Police were called to Chigwell Road in South Woodford, Redbridge, shortly after 1am on Saturday.

Emergency services originally said a woman in her 30s had died, but it was later confirmed that the victim was a teenage girl. Her sister was left fighting for life in hospital.

They were seated in the Mini when the crash happened, police said. Scotland Yard did not immediately confirm who was driving.

A man driving the BMW has been treated for head injuries, a spokesman added.

Detectives from the Roads and Transport Policing Command are investigating and officers have appealed for anyone who saw the collision to come forward.

There have been no arrests, police said.

Contact the Serious Collision Investigation Unit at Chadwell Heath on the witness appeal line on 020 8597 4874.
C ivilian militias have launched a string of attacks against migrants in Calais in the past three weeks, a British charity claims.

Two have been left in intensive care with life-threatening injuries following the alleged assaults, which are also said to involve French police.

Migrants including a boy aged 10 have been attacked as they were leaving The Jungle camp or near the border.

A team from the camp's legal centre has filed eight complaints of police brutality and five against civilian militias to the French judiciary, according to Care4Calais, a charity that helped compile some of the incident reports.

The attacks mark a sudden increase in the level and frequency of violence around the camp and more than 50 incidents have been documented in the last three weeks.

Marianne Humbersot from the legal centre, is demanding an investigation by French authorities.

She said: "We are seeing increasing breaches of human rights here in Calais - everything you can imagine. And the refugees, who have already endured so much to escape conflict, are finding themselves at the centre of hostility and violence here in France."

The charity Medicin Sans Frontieres (MSF) has treated some of the victims and its staff have seen injuries, some of which have been life threatening, including fractures, stabbings, broken bones, head trauma and severe bruising.

Dr Marlene Malfait, MSF medical co-ordinator at the camp clinic, said: "Some of the injuries are severe, resulting in fractures, now averaging 12 cases a week."

Clare Moseley, founder of Care4Calais, said she had interviewed a 16-year-old boy who was first beaten with sticks by police, who handcuffed his arms behind his back, and then by a civilian militia.

She said: "These incredibly worrying claims compound the urgency of unprovoked brutality.

"These refugees have come here because they have no choice. They have fled from horrific circumstances. For these things to happen to them shows a total disregard for humanity."

Additional reporting by PA
T he Rolling Stones are reportedly under 24-hour armed guard after a gig worker was shot dead during the bands South American tour.

Pedro Luis Tabares was killed in an attempted robbery on Thursday after the groups second gig at the Estadio Unico stadium in Buenos Aires.

The band have apparently stepped up security in the wake of the killing, which has happened at the start of their tour.

The 55-year-old contractor was a passenger in a Toyota Hilux being driven by his boss Marcelo Rivera at the time of the attack.

The men were transporting drinks proceeds from the concert venue when they were targeted.

Police said the robbers, who were travelling in at least four vehicles, planned the heist after receiving information on how much cash was in the truck and details of their route.

Mr Taberes was hit by a bullet when the gang opened fire during an escape attempt.

He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A 31-year-old Colombian, named as Jhon Alexander Bobadilla Vega, was later arrested.

The band are due to play their last gig in Buenos Aires tonight before flying to Uruguay. The rockers are also set to perform in Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Mexico.
DALLASWell, that was quick! It seems like just yesterday (well, maybe two days ago) that the Dallas City Council, at the instigation of Mayor Mike Rawlings (and prominent billionaires Ray Lee and Nancy Ann Hunt), voted 8-7 to direct the city manager to stop all contract negotiations with Three Expo Events, LLC, the company that puts on the various Exxxotica Lifestyle Conventions around the country, for an Exxxotica show at the city-owned Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.

After the council held its vote, convention organizer J. Handy told reporters, "Well walk straight out of here and into our lawyers office." And apparently, that's exactly what he did.

"The attorney who will handle Exxxotica's case is a familiar name: Roger Albright, the zoning attorney who has represented several sexually oriented businesses in cases filed by Dallas City Hall in recent years," reported Dallas Morning News City Hall Blog editor Robert Wilonsky. "Most recently, Albright defended Jaguars when the City Attorneys Office tried to shutter the club after 15 people with ties to the Northwest Dallas strip club were arrested and indicted on federal charges for selling drugs out of the now-shuttered all-ages after-hours dance club housed inside. Albright managed to keep the place open, off Stemmons Freeway near Royal Lane, by agreeing to new management and a new nameBucks Wild. Albright also represented Santa Fe Cabaret and other clubs close to two decade ago, when the citys SOB ordinance was challenged in federal court."

Albright will be filing a motion for a temporary injunction "seeking the immediate right for Exxxotica to take place as planned at the city-owned Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in May of 2016," said Handy earlier today.

Handy's statement suggests that if the motion fails, a lawsuit against the city will follow shortly, since a May convention would give Exxxotica less than three months to sell its exhibit hall and arrange for guests, seminars and other activities its attendees will be expecting.

"We obviously want to get the dates back and confirmed so we can move ahead," Handy said. "Every day that goes by, we're losing money, because we're unable to confirm exhibitors and sponsors."

No one yet knows who'll be representing the city in the coming legal actions, because as Wilonsky reports, "it wont be the Dallas City Attorney's Office, which told Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and the city council last summer and again last week that banning the sex expo from the city-owned convention center was very likely a free-speech violation 'unconstitutional,' in the words of Dallas City Council member and attorney Scott Griggs."

Several journalists and pundits in Dallas have weighed in on the controversy.

"So what we had Wednesday was a pretty pure case," wrote Jim Schutze of the Dallas Observer. "The event was fully legal. No evidence existed to show it caused any ancillary harm. But the mayor and his allies on the council didnt want it to take place in the convention center, anyway, because of their feelings about sex. And more to the point, they wanted the rest of us to hear all about their feelings about sex.

"Ick," he added.

"You may have heard some of your right-of-center friends pronounce themselves 'constitutional conservatives'...," wrote Mike Hashimoto, the "conservative" on the Dallas Morning News's editorial board. "I agree. But a 'constitutional conservative' argues that the entire document, words on paper and their interpretations, means something, not a picking-and-choosing of what we like and ignoring what we dont.

"The free speech part of the First Amendment, then, means something," he continued. "What you find objectionable, whether you disagree, is immaterial. Like porn, find it abhorrent, thats up to you. Betting city money on an extralegal moral crusade doomed to constitutional purgatory is something else entirely."

But no matter the outcome of the court hearings, the real losers will be the citizens of Dallas, whose taxes will be used to, first, pay an attorney to represent the city, and secondly, to pay the damages and/or fines, court costs and attorney fees to Albright when the city loses.

Perhaps of interest: According to Wilonsky, Handy found Albright through a recommendation from Free Speech Coalition, who said the attorney was "highly recommended" by FSC.
S audi Arabia will send soldiers and fighter jets to a Turkish military base in preparation of a possible ground invasion of Syria.

Turkeys foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu confirmed the planes will be sent to the countrys Incirlik base to step up the fight against Islamic State militants.

He told the Yeni Safak newspaper: Saudi Arabia is now sending planes to Turkey, to Incirlik. They came and carried out inspections at the base.

Saudi Arabia has resumed air strikes against Islamic State in recent weeks and has also offered ground forces to fight.

Mr Cavusoglu didnt say how many planes would travel to the base but added Turkey and the Saudis would support a possible ground invasion of Syria.

He told the newspaper: We said that if there is such a strategy, Turkey and Saudi Arabia can join a ground operation.

At a security conference in Munich, major powers agreed to pause combat in Syria but Russia has continued bombing in support of its ally President Bashar al-Assad.

Asked if Saudi troops could enter Syria from Turkey, Cavusoglu said: "This is a wish, not a planned thing. Saudi Arabia is sending planes and says, 'I can send soldiers for a ground operation when it is necessary'".

Additional reporting by Reuters
A teenage girl has described herself as a monster after she admitted to murdering her mother at the familys home.

Jamie Silvonek, 14, from Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Thursday after pleading guilty to first-degree murder.

Her mum Cheryl Silvonek, 54, was beaten, choked and stabbed at least five times in the family's driveway in Upper Macungie Township on March 15 last year, a court heard.

In comments made to the judge, she said she wasnt under any pressure to commit the crime and referred to herself as a monster.

She has agreed to testify against her boyfriend Caleb Barnes, 21, who is also accused of murder and faces trial in April.

She told Lehigh County Judge Maria Dantos on Thursday: "I was a monster. There is no sugarcoating it and there is absolutely no sympathy.

"There's no mitigating factors. In my opinion, there's absolutely nothing."

Prosecutors said the attack took place after Ms Silvonek tried to convince the couple to finish their relationship after she picked them up from a concert.

The 54-year-old was buried in a shallow grave. The pair are then accused of buying bleach to scrub the crime scene.

Silvonek has admitted criminal conspiracy, evidence-tampering and abuse of a corpse.

She added: "I did it myself. No one made me do it. I wasn't under the influence of anyone, or under any drug, or under anything, but my own selfishness."

"My mother was the glue that held everyone in my family together, including me. And I can't look at myself in the mirror knowing that."

Barnes is charged with murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and conspiracy.
LOS ANGELESThe Pornhub network entered new territory this year, aligning with fashion giant Diesel for an ad campaign that upped the ante for mainstream crossover endeavors.

The series of Diesel ad banners that started running on Pornhub and sister site YouPorn on Jan. 25 will culminate on Valentines Day this Sunday.

In a deal orchestrated by Karll Cloutier, head of business development for TrafficJunky, the online ad network that powers Pornhub, Diesel took over the home pages of Pornhub and YouPorn with advertising skins and a companion banner as well as mobile banners promoting its new line of underwear.

Pornhub Sales Director Sebastien Galina, in the company's first interview about the campaign, said the initiative is the first of its kind for adult teaming with a blue-chip mainstream brand.

Its huge for us, Galina told AVN. Diesels willingness to launch their ad campaign the first mainstream campaign by a globally recognized brandon our platform represents a major shift in the way large brands perceive the power of our platform.

Essentially, this is validation of the value our sites built-in audience brings to the table for companies looking to get their exposure in a way thats completely against the grain, while also capturing the eyeballs of a key demographic that advertisers want to hit: the coveted 18-34 age range.

Diesel, which is based in Breganze, Italy, has become a billion-dollar retail clothing empire that specializes in denim wear but also makes high-end leather jackets, dresses, glasses, watches and numerous other products. The brand is also notorious for its provocative and often surreal ad campaigns.

For us, we're a sexy brand," Nicola Formichetti, Diesel's creative director, told i-D in January. To support the launch of our underwear line, we're going to be the first brand to ever advertise on Grindr and we're the first fashion brand to be working with Pornhub, too.

Even though Pornhub has enjoyed mainstream media penetration with some of its creative analytics detailing porn consumption habits, the Diesel deal is a coup by any measure.

We see this as being among the top initiatives weve had the pleasure of being a part of, and thats because of the power that Diesels brand brings with it in terms of sheer global awareness, Galina said. Aligning itself with Pornhub feels like a validation of everything weve been doing on the marketing front for the last few years. It means that our push to become a recognized brand is something that the industry has taken notice of. This campaign breaks the barriers of the taboo in a lot of ways and shows that aligning yourself with an adult platform shouldnt be feared.

Galina said Pornhub's marketing strategy is geared toward gaining mainstream traction.

Id say that the success comes from our approach. Weve made it a point to continually defy user expectations and the publics perception at large with every single initiative we put out, he continued. Its important that the message behind our marketing strategies (whether thats launching a record label, a philanthropic division, a mainstream ad campaign, etc.) adheres to a tone that allows people to engage with the brand while looking past the adult connotation; to freely talk about how theyre enjoying the content were putting out while also taking note that many of our initiatives come from a place of authenticity.

Pornhub at press time was ranked 65th in the world in traffic on alexa.com, while YouPorn occupied the 178th spot, leaving little question about Diesels potential for exposure, Galina noted.

With TrafficJunky, we have a well-oiled system, where any type of targeting is available with stats easily available, he said. We are also compatible with mainstream types of trackers, and we provide the same service to them as to any adult companies.

The key is to have good processes in place, and then it is easily applicable to any type of clients. Professionalism, transparency and good customer service works for every client.
PRAGUE  To celebrate love and sex all around the world this Valentine's Day, BelAmiOnline is offering a special limited time membership deal. From now until Monday, all traffic will get two sites for the price of one. Fans can join BelAmiOnline and KinkyAngels, (BelAmi's premium reality site featuring younger models in high quality productions) for less than the price of joining BelAmiOnline by itself. Take advantage of this special offer while it lasts from now throughout Valentine's weekend as the offer ends on Monday.



There is also a new stand-out Valentine's Day scene called "Sweet Valentine" and starring two of BelAmi's biggest new stars, Helmut Huxley and Jerome Exupery in a five star flip fuck. After watching the scene, fans will wonder if the two are actually real life lovers. Part 1 is out now and Part 2 will be released tomorrow, only at BelAmiOnline.



To show love for their tens of thousands of members around the globe, BelAmiOnline is having a free Valentine's Day live show as a special thank you to members. The show will star Jamie Durrell and Jean Daniel. This special free live show starts on Valentine's Day at 9pm PT for all BelAmiOnline members.
- 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."
BAYARD  The annual Sunday Afternoon at the Rock spring speaker series at Chimney Rock will run six consecutive weeks, beginning Feb. 14, the Nebraska State Historical Society has announced.

Kicking off the series, Vance Nelson will discuss American artists Tavernier, Remington, and Bierstadt in Early Vistas of Chimney Rock and Fort Robinson and the Artists who Created Them. On Feb. 21, Sandra Reddish will document the changes of a new century with World War I and the Start of the Twentieth Century. Continuing on Feb. 28, Jerry Lucas will discuss The Battles of Mud Springs and Rush Creek: The Beginning of an End.

On March 6, the 1923 movie The Covered Wagon brings the overland wagon trains to life on the silver screen. On March 16, Loren Pospisil will talk about what happened after the emigrant with Pioneering in the Shadow of Chimney Rock. Concluding the series on March 20, Alvis Mar will combine the past, the present and the future in Agate Fossil Beds: Where Science and Politics Intersected for Good.

All presentations begin at 1:30 at the Chimney Rock Visitor Center located four miles south of Bayard, or one mile south of Highway 92 on County Road 75. All presentations are free and open to the public. Seating is limited. Call ahead on days with bad weather.

For more information, call the Visitor Center at (308) 586-2581 or visit our website: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/sites/rock/index.htm.
For those paying attention to the Democratic presidential nominees, there has been a lot of discussion about who is and who isnt a progressive.

Candidate Bernie Sanders has said Hillary Clinton isnt a true progressive because she voted in favor of the Iraq War and doubted the possibility of the United States ever implementing a single-payer health care system.

She countered by saying Sanders wasnt acting very progressive when he voted against the Brady Bill and Ted Kennedys immigration reforms.

The fight kicked off when Sanders said Clinton vacillated between being a progressive some days, and a moderate on others.

You cannot be a moderate and a progressive, he tweeted.

Clinton has said she is a progressive who gets things done.

Of course, this is all politics, and the two candidates are locked into a close fight for their nomination, so theyre trying to distinguish themselves somehow.

But what does progressive really mean? Isnt that just another name for a liberal?

While theyre both considered left of center, theyre not the same thing.

Liberals typically believe in using taxpayer money to improve our society and living conditions. Progressives want to use the government to hold large institutions accountable, as in Sanders push to see bankers pay for, as he says bringing our country to its knees.

In other words, liberals like to throw money at the problem, while progressives want to disrupt the institutions that are causing the problem.

Most progressives are liberals, but not all liberals are necessarily progressive.

Sanders is criticized rightly for his mostly one-note platform. Nearly every time he speaks he begins with income inequality, the so-called one percent and Wall Street. And he does that because he really is a true progressive. Hes also a self-described socialist. While those terms shouldnt be used interchangeably, if people continue to conflate the two, we might see Clinton shying away from the progressive label to avoid being lumped in with socialism.

Its interesting that Sanders has tried to draw a distinction between a moderate and a progressive, when historically progressives have hewed near the center of the political spectrum. The underlying message could be that hes more radical than Clinton, that hes willing to go to more extreme measures to achieve the political revolution he so often invokes.

Its also why he attracts more of the activist-minded youth vote. Other analysts have pointed out that aligning himself so left of center could make compromise even more difficult if he was put in a position that required him to work with conservatives. Thats assuming he has a real chance to win the nomination.

Like the Tea Party candidates on the right, progressives are now generally considered some of the more extreme members of the left-wing. For the time being, it seems there has been a change in strategy among the Democrats away from the more moderate, centrist appeals of the past. That could just be the primary race pushing each candidate to create a clearer distinction from the opponent, or it could be that Sanders is angling for the same hope and change voters that rallied behind President Obamas campaign message.

ThinkProgress.org consulted a cross-section of progress leaders in a number of varied organizations to develop a simple definition: Our approach ... is built upon the ideas of generations of progressives from Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Barack Obama: everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does his or her fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules. As progressives, we believe that everyone deserves a fair shot at a decent, fulfilling and economically secure life.

Statements like these are cannon fodder for hawks and hard-line conservatives who see all liberals, therefore all progressives, as overly idealistic bleeding hearts.
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Almost 500 troops participating in missions outside the country are being trained in the field of international humanitarian law from March 2015 to March 2016, according to the Activity Report of the National Committee of International Humanitarian Law (CNDIU) presented and debated Friday, a Defence Ministry release issued for AGERPRES informs.

The Defence Ministry has held the presidency of the committee since March 2015, with the president-in-office being the Secretary of State for Relationship with Parliament, public information and increase in staff's life quality, Otilia Sava.''The activities undertaken for the promotion of international humanitarian law in this period focused on issues related to analyzing the transposition into domestic legislation of international humanitarian law rules, observing the norms of international humanitarian law contained in the legal international instruments Romania is part of, continuation to meet the obligations assumed by ratifying the Statute of the International Criminal Court, adopted in Rome on July 17, 1998. The training and education activities in the field of international humanitarian law were constant concerns of the committee members. At the Defence Ministry alone, from March 2015 to March 2016, the Center for International Humanitarian Law of the Carol I University of National Defence ensured permanently the participation of a specialist for training in international humanitarian law the personnel participating in missions outside the Romanian territory, with those trained being some 470 troops,'' reads the release.The CNDIU is made up of one representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Defence Ministry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of National Education and Scientific Research, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forestry.In the sitting, the CNDIU presidency was taken over by the Ministry of Justice. AGERPRES
The teen opens the fat envelope and says, Hooray, I got in!

Mom and Dad then look at the financial aid letter, smack their foreheads and say, Were going to die broke.

College acceptance letters are hitting mailboxes now, and lots of families are facing a choice.

Do they send their young darling to Fancy U., with its highly selective admissions policy, fine reputation and enormous price tag? Or, do they ship the kid off to Cheapo State, which admits the Great Unwashed, has an OK reputation, but is much more affordable?

Along come three economists with an answer. If the kid is headed for science, technology, engineering or math, Cheapo State will do just fine. For students majoring in business, social sciences or humanities, Fancy U. leads to a higher salary in the job market.

Whether that extra salary is worth a prestige schools cost depends on the price.

Economists Michael Hilmer of San Diego State and Eric Eide and Mark Showalter of Brigham Young University examined data on pay 10 years after graduation for 7,300 graduates. They looked at the students majors and tried to adjust for College Board score, race and other factors. They divided the schools into three bands by selectivity of admissions  top, middle and bottom.

The results, published last month, surprised the authors. They found that grads from upper-ranked schools generally made more than lower-ranked ones. But the differences varied widely by major, and for some majors, there wasnt much difference at all.

They found no significant difference in earnings among science grads at top, middle or bottom schools. There was just a little difference among engineering graduates. In fact, bottom-ranked grads actually did a little better than engineers from middle-ranked schools.

The differences in earnings were bigger in the less math-heavy majors. For education, humanities and social science majors, school prestige translated into higher pay. The biggest differences were for business majors, where grads of highly selective schools made 12 percent more than grads of mid-tier schools, and 18 percent more than lower-tier grads.

Top-tier social science grads made 11 percent more than mid-tier peers and 14 percent more than lower-tier grads. Education majors from highly selective schools had a 6 percent pay advantage over mid-tier and 9 percent over lower tier. Top and mid-tier humanities grads earned about the same, although both made more than the lower tier.

The authors can only speculate about why this is. It may be that science and engineering fields have a set body of skills to master, and employers dont care where students get them.

In the softer majors, students may actually learn more at a selective school, making them better employees. They may find it easier to get into grad school. School prestige and an old-boy alumni network may get them better jobs.

The economists figures are kind of old. They looked at people who graduated in 1993, and what they were earning in 2003. We dont know if a study today would produce the same results.

Still, the professors give us something to think about. Student debt subtracts from paychecks after graduation, and lesser schools may offer big scholarships to lure smart kids. A no-name school may offer the better deal, especially for the techie majors, but its not an easy call.

The federal government offers newer pay data at collegescorecard.ed.gov. For instance, you can find that Washington University grads average $62,300 in salary 10 years after graduation. University of Missouri-St. Louis grads earn $40,400, and Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville grads earn $39,800.

(College Scorecard also provides school-by-school average cost figures, including financial aid, which is a big help in winnowing down where to apply.)

Unfortunately, the feds dont report salary figures by majors for the schools, and majors differ a lot in payoff. The choice of major is probably more important than the choice of school.

You can get an idea of what majors pay at Payscale.com. For instance, the early career pay of a mechanical engineer is $66,000, and $65,000 for a computer science grad. For a teacher, its just $35,000. Obviously, would-be teachers who cant get big scholarships at prestige schools should head for Cheapo State.

The Princeton Review tries to figure return on a college investment in the book Colleges that Pay You Back. It figures in not just cost and grads pay but also soft measures, such as high job meaning among grads. For instance, students aiming for statistics or management information systems would get a good deal at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, says the book. An applied math or molecular biology major should check out Washington University. Would-be actuaries should try the University of Illinois.

Robert Franek, the books co-author, thinks school shoppers should ask how the school will help them find a job. Do they place a lot of students in internships? What percent have jobs by graduation day?

Students and parents have become much more pragmatic and less fearful of asking about return on investment, said Franek, a former admissions officer at Wagner College in New York City.

Colleges have picked up on that, and they now talk about internships and job placement as part of their admissions pitch. St. Louis University is incredibly good at talking about what youre going to be doing outside the classroom, Franek said.
Hazelwood-based utility equipment maker Aclara scored a big win with a contract to provide smart electric meters that will connect some 3.9 million New York utility customers to a new advanced metering system.

Aclara announced this week that Consolidated Edison Inc.'s electric utilities had awarded it the project, subject to approval by the New York Public Service Commission.

The new meters are designed to help reduce manual meter reading and detect and locate outages.

We are proud that Aclara Meters has been selected by one of the largest and leading utilities in the United States to provide advanced metering technology to one of the largest systems in the country," said Ed Myszka, Senior Vice President at Aclara.

Aclara declined to disclose the value of the contract.

Two months ago it purchased General Electric's electric meter business to bolster its own.

As of last year, Aclara employed about 225 people in St. Louis and 500 outside of the region.
COMMENTARY

Over the past few decades, the U.S. job market has been pulling apart. Lots of new high- and low-wage jobs have been created, while middle-wage ones have become scarcer. Much of this divergence has been along geographical lines. I'll let economist Enrico Moretti, of the University of California at Berkeley, explain:

"A handful of cities with the 'right' industries and a solid base of human capital keep attracting good employers and offering high wages, while those at the other extreme, cities with the "wrong" industries and a limited human capital base, are stuck with dead-end jobs and low average wages. This divide  I will call it the Great Divergence  has its origins in the 1980s, when American cities started to be increasingly defined by their residents' levels of education. Cities with many college-educated workers started attracting even more, and cities with a less educated workforce started losing ground."

That's from Moretti's 2012 book, "The New Geography of Jobs," which explains much about our current economic situation, and perhaps something about today's politics as well. Wonder why voters are so resentful of elites and the establishment? Maybe it's because that elite establishment has become increasingly concentrated in a few prospering metropolitan areas while much of the rest of the country struggles.

In Moretti's telling, this divergence is "deepening and accelerating." The most vibrant, important sector of the economy is what he calls the "innovation sector," and its workers thrive in the presence of others like them. So clusters of innovation such as the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, Boston and Austin, Texas, will keep creating good jobs, and most other places won't.

If that's true, then one of the most important public-policy challenges is figuring out how to enable more people to move to where the good jobs are. Lack of affordable housing in already crowded boomtowns is a problem. Moretti co-authored a paper last year contending that reducing regulatory constraints on housing construction in San Jose, San Francisco and New York could increase U.S. gross domestic product by 9.5 percent. Another problem is that less-educated Americans are the least likely to move out of state to pursue job opportunities. Moretti proposes "relocation vouchers" as a way to address this.

I find these arguments convincing, but also depressing. The U.S. is full of towns and cities that aren't exactly innovation-sector hotbeds but are pretty nice places to live. Real estate is relatively cheap there, too. Does everybody really have to leave them and move to San Francisco to benefit from one another's company?

It so happens that the Atlantic's James Fallows has been exploring these kinds of places for the past three years, flying around the country with his wife in their single-engine plane. They've been giving progress reports along the way, but now Fallows has attempted to sum everything up in one big article. The piece is a wonderful, hopeful reminder that this country can be a wonderful, hopeful place. It also offers something of a challenge to Moretti's thesis.

Fallows writes that he found evidence of a flow "of people with first-rate talents and ambitions who decided that someplace other than the biggest cities offered the best overall opportunities." He tells of a cluster of design-and-manufacturing startups in Duluth, Minn., a high-tech steel mini-mill in small-town Mississippi, a school system on the rebound in Holland, Mich., a group of young civic-improvement activists in San Bernardino, Calif. It's purely anecdotal, and not entirely convincing, but a nice reminder that a few people can make a big difference in turning a place around.

Moretti's book contains perhaps the most dramatic example of this. Seattle in the late 1970s was a city in decline, with manufacturing jobs disappearing and crime on the rise. The Economist had called it the "city of despair." Then two young entrepreneurs who had been raised in Seattle, Paul Allen and Bill Gates, decided to move their software startup there from Albuquerque, N.M. The arrival of Microsoft changed everything for the city, which became one of the nation's leading innovation hubs. Meanwhile, Albuquerque's salaries and educational levels, which were close to Seattle's in 1979, have fallen way behind.

So perhaps it isn't fated which cities will thrive in the coming decades. But the economic forces Moretti describes make it seem likely that only a few will win big, while most muddle along or lose ground.

Justin Fox is a Bloomberg View columnist writing about business.
Brady Carlson shows a light touch and a sense of humor in Dead Presidents, subtitled An American Adventure Into the Strange Deaths and Surprising Afterlives of Our Nations Leaders.

By afterlives, he means the various statues, monuments and gravesite adornments of our late presidents  including Franklin Pierce of Carlsons home state of New Hampshire. (Historians ranked Pierces presidential performance as so dismal that New Hampshire waited almost half a century after his death before commissioning a statue of him.)

To do his research, Carlson, a reporter for New Hampshire Public Radio, drove across the United States seeking out presidential footprints. Along the way, he also had some fun.

In tracking down the connections in Buffalo, N.Y., to Grover Cleveland (a former mayor), William McKinley (who died of his wounds there) and Teddy Roosevelt (who became president there upon McKinleys passing), he discovered a bar named the Founding Fathers, which he dubs my hands-down favorite presidential food connection. The menu gem: the Hail to the Chief sandwich, a chicken-cheese-and veggie concoction.

In visiting the gravesite of the taciturn Calvin Coolidge in Plymouth Notch, Vt., Carlson wanders into the nearby Plymouth Cheese Co. He praises its workers for their patience, industry, respect for tradition  and for their Plymouth cheese, which he savors. If it is wrong to think that this cheese is a perfect monument to a president, he says, then I dont want to be right.

Also in Vermont, he visits a curious tribute to Abraham Lincoln  a statue in Bennington of a robed Lincoln greeting two little children. Carlson writes of the children, The fact they theyre, well, unclothed might make a visitor wonder if the statue should be reported to child protective services.

Woodrow Wilsons coffin rests in Washingtons National Cathedral. But in a tour group, Carlson hears only one question: I heard there was a statue of Darth Vader. Why is he there? In fact, there is a gargoyle of the head of Vader, installed in the 1980s with more than 100 others already there to keep evil spirits at bay.

Carlson tells how a scholar nagged officials in Louisville, Ky., to exhume the remains of Zachary Taylor to test for arsenic poisoning. On June 17, 1991, Taylor rose from the grave. The verdict: He died of natural causes.

Carlson notes that presidents make detailed plans for their funerals and gravesites. Well, most presidents. In a footnote, Carlson says: Bill Clinton was an exception, and opted not to file a plan as he left the White House. Why? Hes an optimist, said a spokesperson.

Harry Levins of Manchester retired in 2007 as senior writer of the Post-Dispatch.

Dead Presidents

By Brady Carlson
How many novels have you read in which the missing person, in this case a female novelist in her 60s carrying a suitcase and smoking a cigar, was last seen climbing up an almond tree?

Thats the opening scene of Idra Noveys Ways to Disappear, a fun first novel thats exciting, romantic and deceptively simple. Novey, a young poet and translator, was born in Pennsylvania. Shes lived in Brazil and sets her story in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and other Brazilian locales.

In Noveys story, Beatriz Yagoda, the missing Brazilian novelist, is popular in South America, Europe and even sells a few books in the U.S. When friends and relatives hear shes missing, they set out to find her.

Emma, Beatrizs Portuguese translator in Pittsburgh, flies down to Brazil to meet Beatrizs adult children, Marcus and Raquel, even though Raquel sees no need for Emma to come.

Soon, Emma also meets a psychopathic loan shark called Flamenguinho, whom Beatriz owes money: gambling debts.

Flamenguinho wants to find Beatriz for half-a-million reasons. But Rocha, a publisher, helps her hide, and her disappearance sells more of her books.

A romantic subplot involves Emma, a 34-year-old who teaches Portuguese for Spanish Speakers at the University of Pittsburgh. Shes supposed to marry Miles. Or so he thinks. Shes not so sure. Dissatisfied with her life, she wonders, what has all her knowledge gotten her? A Ph.D. But Emma will be devoted to Beatrizs work for the rest of her life.

Beatrizs children arent so dedicated. Raquel, an intense labor negotiator, searches Beatrizs computer for clues about her disappearance. But shes never read any of Beatrizs books, until her mother disappears. Then she starts reading the last unfinished manuscript, certain to be a jackpot considering the authors mysterious disappearance.

Adonis-like Marcus tends bar at an expensive club: Guess whos Emmas new love interest. Marcus has the same radioactive-green eyes and high cheekbones as Beatriz, but lacks his mothers intensity. Raquel sends text messages to monitor Marcus and Emma as they look for Beatriz  when the two arent fooling around.

Novey adds one-page chapters with e-mails from Miles. Similarly short chapters give blurb-like news updates and media gossip about Beatrizs disappearance and the movements and frolicking of Beatrizs family and translator. As the plots progress, theres a kidnapping, a knifing and a murder-for-hire, but most of the violence is muted.

The writing, too, is low-key in this engaging novel. Its more than just adventure and romance; its Noveys story of a character who tries to push everything. ... To take all of it too far told by a writer, who, like the publisher Rocha, trims each passage down to its intrinsic perfection.

Joseph Peschel, a freelance writer and critic in South Dakota, can be reached at joe@josephpeschel.com.

Ways to Disappear

A novel by Idra Novey
Jazz pianist Marcus Roberts came to fame in the 1980s, as one of the young lions who gloried in the musics blues-oriented, swing-inflected roots. At the time, that approach  spearheaded by trumpeter Wynton Marsalis  qualified as something new: Jazz had been through a period of flux, with some artists seeking common ground with rock while others explored avant-garde territory.

Decades later, Roberts remains a persuasive advocate for acoustic, post-bop jazz. Although he has distinguished himself in bands including quartets and large ensembles, in recent years Roberts has concentrated on perhaps the most challenging setting for jazz pianists: the trio with bass and drums. And hes bringing that sound to St. Louis.

Hopefully, what the people will be able to hear is that the bass and drums have equal position to the piano in the group, he said recently from his home in Tallahassee, Fla.

That, I think, gives the group a lot more variety, and a lot more nuance, said Roberts, who is an assistant professor of jazz studies at Florida State University.

On Wednesday, the Marcus Roberts Trio begins a four-night engagement at Ferring Jazz Bistro. Roberts will share the stage with bassist Rodney Jordan and drummer Jason Marsalis (a brother of Wynton).

In concert, Roberts said, the trio tends to fluctuate between his original compositions and jazz standards.

Weve got some pretty slick arrangements of some Gershwin stuff, he said. And some Cole Porter, Monk and Ellington. Sort of the whole canon of the music.

The trio, Roberts said, takes inspiration not only from pianists Ahmad Jamal, Erroll Garner and Oscar Peterson, but also from a legendary jazz saxophonist.

Were very influenced by John Coltrane, he said. We just have a special affinity for his music. As a matter of fact, we have a trio arrangement of Coltranes Crescent  a composition that the saxophonist recorded with his classic quartet including pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones.

Marsalis has collaborated with Roberts for more than 20 years. His skills as a drummer and percussionist have not only been essential to performances but have also influenced the pianists composing for the trio.

What I found, when I first started working with him, was that I had to write music that really showcased all the things that he can do, Roberts said. He likes to deal with a lot of really exotic rhythmic concepts, and he likes to manipulate tempos. Sometimes, Ill be playing at one tempo, and hell change to a different tempo against it.

Jordan, a colleague of Roberts at Florida State who replaced longtime bassist Roland Guerin, brings to the trio a lot of soul. He studied classical bass, and hes a well-rounded musician. Jordans musical chemistry with Marsalis reminds Roberts of that between bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams in trumpeter Miles Davis groundbreaking quintet of the 1960s: It sounded like one, unified entity. And Rodney and Jason have that same thing.

At 52, Roberts  who lost his sight as a child  is widely considered one of the essential artists in jazz. He got his big break in 1985 as pianist in Wynton Marsalis quartet  which had been a quintet before the departure of the trumpeters saxophonist brother, Branford, and pianist Kenny Kirkland.

In 1987, Roberts won the first Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, which focuses on a different instrument each year. Subsequently, he began to record for the RCA Novus label, earning critical praise for a string of albums that included The Truth Is Spoken Here (1988) and Alone with Three Giants (1990), the latter featuring solo performances of works by Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk and Jelly Roll Morton. His discography also includes albums for Columbia and other labels.

In his book, Jazz Encyclopedia, Richard Cook described Roberts as a bit of a conundrum: obviously versed in all of the historical styles of the (piano), his own original thinking is generally a lot more interesting than his ... work in the repertory.

The trio has proven to be a delightful vehicle for that thinking, as well as an expression of Roberts musical sensibility. In his years as sideman to trumpeter Marsalis, he recalls, a bass or drum solo was a rare thing.

You might have one every other CD, he said with a laugh. Because he feels that the bass and drums are supposed to swing and support the group  such as a quintet featuring horns  and thats true.

But in a trio with piano, theres no reason you cant feature them more. The space is there.

Marcus Roberts Trio

When  7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Wednesday through Feb. 20

Where  Ferring Jazz Bistro, 3536 Washington Boulevard

How much  $35-$40; students, $10
We comin.

That was the message U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch sent to the city of Ferguson when she sued over the citys failure to accept the consent decree that would forever change how the citys police department and courts treat its citizens.

The residents of Ferguson have suffered the deprivation of their constitutional rights  the rights guaranteed to all Americans  for decades, Lynch said in filing the lawsuit. They have waited decades for justice. They should not be forced to wait any longer.

Lynch pounced less than 24 hours after the City Council sent the consent decree back to the Department of Justice. The proposed changes would have rendered moot much of the document  a document to which the citys own negotiators had once agreed.

It was the city defending its boundaries, its existence, over the rights of its citizens. It was a symptom of a government apparatus wanting the new civil rights movement to go away.

Thats not going to happen.

We ready.

That was what the Rev. Osagyefo Sekou told the world last week after a St. Louis County jury found him not guilty of disobeying a police order during the 2014 Ferguson protests.

In effect, Sekou was being charged with praying in a public street. Thats what he did on Sept. 30, 2014, when participating in one of a long series of protests outside the Ferguson Police Department after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown on Aug. 9, 2014.

He was praying for the police to de-escalate. Instead, they arrested him, and pressed the case as though to win some notch on a law-and-order belt.

They attempted to try the movement and defame the movement, Sekou said. But their ploy didnt work.

Might be early in the morning, but we comin for you.

Just a couple of weeks before heading to court, Sekou and FarFetched released the single We comin as a protest anthem to remind skeptics in the U.S. that this new civil rights movement is just in its infancy.

Eighteen months after Ferguson erupted, the movement is spreading its wings.

Its embedding itself in the musical culture, from Sekous album, The Revolution Has Come, to megastar Beyonces new single Formation, with its clear nod to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Its rearing its head in politics, from the Campaign Zero movement to reduce the number of blacks killed by police by changing police culture and training, to the announcement that one of the movements early leaders, DeRay Mckesson is running for mayor of Baltimore. The movement lives, Mckesson famously tweeted over and over during the height of the protests. Indeed, it does.

Might be late in the midnight hour, but we comin, we comin for you.

It lives in the hearts of six college students from St. Louis who are part of the Active Advocacy Coalition, taking themes from the Ferguson Commission report to the state Capitol to urge lawmakers to do more to help poor students afford an opportunity to go to a public university in Missouri.

Were ready, we comin.

The co-chairman of that Ferguson Commission, the Rev. Starsky Wilson, sent a strong message about the state of the movement during a stirring speech to end the commissions last meeting in December.

Frankie Freeman is still waiting on us to get it done. James Buford is still waiting on us to get it done. Bill Danforth is still waiting on us to get it done. Tonight we eat burgers, he said.

The burger reference was to a night during the protest when Wilson and others had bailed some protesters out of jail and taken them to a nice steak restaurant.

One of the protesters said that now was not the time for steak. Steak was for when they got what they wanted. When justice comes.

So tonight were pleased to be a part of this process. But this is just ground beef. We get to the real work, Wilson continued. We get to the real victories when we can continue to count that these policy recommendations have been implemented.

If we dont get no justice, you dont get no peace of mind.

Its 18 months after the streets of St. Louis were alive with protest, and the movement is truly just beginning.

Ferguson has yet to accept the changes required to protect the civil rights of its citizens. The Missouri Supreme Court has yet to take control of its municipal courts that nickel and dime poor people to death.

The Legislature has passed one law that should reduce the incentive for tiny police forces to treat citizens like ATMs for cash-strapped cities, but it has done little else to address poverty or the racial divide.

Now is not the time to bury our heads in the sand and wish disruption out of our lives. Its the time to take serious steps toward justice and freedom for people who have been oppressed by a broken system for too long.

I believe that we will win, Sekou sings.

Justice demands it.
The son of Missouri Supreme Court Judge Zel M. Fischer was arrested Friday in Bellevue, Neb., in connection to a shots-fired incident outside an apartment complex.

According to a Bellevue Police Department news release, officers responded just after 3 a.m. Friday to a report of an armed man outside an apartment complex in Bellevue. When officers arrived, they heard shots outside the building. Soon after, they said they saw a man carrying a scoped .22-caliber rifle.

The release said that based on information gathered at the scene, police believed there were other gunmen in the area. Officers blocked off a two-block radius around the complex but found no one.

Zachary Fischer, 26, was arrested on suspicion of making terroristic threats, use of a weapon to commit a felony, false reporting and discharging a firearm within city limits, according to the news release. Police believe drugs might have been involved.

No one was injured, officers said.

Fischer was being held Friday in the Sarpy County, Neb., Jail without bail, Deputy Larry Sellers said. He said Fischers first court appearance will be as early as Tuesday or Wednesday.

The St. Joseph News-Press reported that Fischer was the son of Judge Zel Fischer, of Tarkio, Mo., in the northwest corner of the state.

Zel Fischer was appointed to the state Supreme Court in 2008. Voters retained him in 2010, and his term will expire in 2022.

Before serving on the Supreme Court, he was associate judge in the 4th Judicial Circuit in Atchison County.

Bellevue is a city of about 50,000 people, 10 miles south of Omaha and about 50 miles north of the Missouri state line.
UPDATED at 5:45 p.m. Friday with information on arrest

O'FALLON, MO.  Police on Friday afternoon announced they've arrested the person they believe attacked and seriously injured a teenage boy Thursday evening at the Pin Oak mobile home park.

Police said the arrest was made about 4:15 p.m. in the area of the mobile home park but did not provide further details. Police said charges will be sought through the St. Charles County prosecutor's office.

The incident happened just before 6 p.m. Thursday in the 100 block of Oakfield Drive. Police did not provide details about the assault. KTVI (Channel 2) reported the boy, 13, was stabbed in the neck.

Police said he had surgery and was in stable condition at an area hospital Friday afternoon.

Earlier Friday, police said the man being sought might be carrying some type of "edged weapon" and have a speech impediment or be under the influence of drugs, police say. He was last seen in the Pin Oak and Rolling Meadows mobile home parks, police say.
FOLEY  The economic engine of this tiny burg in northern Lincoln County has been a gravel parking lot on the side of an abandoned convenience mart on Highway 79.

Its where Foley Police Capt. Jesse Blunt took cover one recent morning, pointing a radar gun out his car window.

Close to nothing else happens in this 84-acre slice of Mississippi River flood plain, situated about a 20-minute drive north of bustling St. Peters. The town, under a perpetual threat of flooding, was partly underwater in 2008 and held its breath again as floods came close in January.

The old mart, known as the Pink Store, is long closed. The Foley Bar, despite its Open sign, hasnt poured a cold one since 2011. Boards cover doors and windows of a gas station that used to do business as Family Market. Nobody is home at an antiques store.

When a visitor asked to use the restroom at the Foley Post Office, the clerk had a response ready: The closest public toilet is five miles down the highway in the next city, Winfield.

The 2010 Census counted 161 residents  66 fewer people than Foley had in 1910. Not quite a ghost town, Foley is more of a zombie. A government keeps going thanks to revenue from its municipal court.

Now thats in danger of going away, too.

Last month, a state audit found that the city has run far afoul of a state law limiting revenue cities can keep from traffic cases.

State Auditor Nicole Galloway said that in 2014, Foley exceeded the cap by at least $209,057. Now it has to pay that money back to be distributed to area schools. The city says it will pay in installments.

The law in effect in 2014 said a city could not derive more than 30 percent of its revenue from traffic cases. That year, Foley got about 85 percent of its $377,000 in revenue from the municipal court.

The city has agreed to send $209,000 back to the state, in installments, to comply with the 30 percent. But with precious few other sources of revenue, the community is still highly dependent upon traffic cases.

Last year, as part of a municipal court reform bill, Gov. Jay Nixon signed a law that reduces the amount of revenue a city can keep from its municipal court to 20 percent of its general operating revenue. (In St. Louis County, the limit is lower, 12.5 percent.)

The state crackdown on municipal courts was aimed at municipalities, many of them in St. Louis County, that had turned traffic enforcement into a cottage industry.

It means Foley has to get by with even less money.

Inside a tiny city hall on a recent day, the phone kept ringing with questions for Foleys city clerk and municipal court clerk Dee Evans, who also drives a school bus route.

A woman called with a question  could she stop by with her fine the day after her court date without having a warrant issued for her arrest?

Sure, Evans said.

Another caller asked for the citys website for paying fees.

Its ipaycourt.com, then slash Foley, she answered. Which one is the slash? the caller asked. Its the kind of line that slants upward, not down, Evans clarified.

Evans has been on the job for only a few weeks. As city clerk, shes in control of the books.

She says it doesnt look good. The city is burning through cash and will be broke soon.

The citys financial statement says it collected only $5,800 from property taxes in 2014.

Its upsetting, she said.

Mayor Keith Vertrees, who is facing re-election in April after serving one year of his predecessors unexpired term, insists his town is not merely a speed trap. He said the auditor who visited his court confirmed that the city was writing tickets for safety and not revenue.

People drive fast on Highway 79, and many dont slow down in Foley, he said.

Ive got kids in this town we need to keep safe, he said.

Galloway said she wasnt sure what her audit staff member had said to Vertrees, but emphasized that the point was moot. The law is the law, she said.

Whether its a town of 100 people or a town of 100,000 people, it should abide by the law, she said.

Vertrees said he didnt agree with Evans opinion that his city is finished. He has plans to run a concession stand at the ballfield for Little League games, and to convert part of a maintenance shed into a bingo hall.

As for all the closed businesses along the highway, he said there were plans to open all of them again.

Ill do everything I can to help this city survive, he said. And we will do things the right way.

The towns economic center may be moving from the old Pink Store to a former church a few blocks away, where some real economic development is taking place.

Thats where Ida and Don Payden of Winfield recently moved their two businesses, St. Charles Security Service Inc. and OK Property Management.

Ida Payden bought the old church as an investment a few years ago and decided to move her workers there after her office in Winfield flooded last year.

The old church will be headquarters for 25 to 50 security guards. The Paydens plan to open a gift shop.

I am really glad that I could help this town, she said. I hope with me and my company we will help the town grow.
ARNOLD  Officials tried to assure frustrated Jefferson County residents at a town hall meeting Friday night that the continuing sewage spill into the Meramec River poses no environmental or health crises.

Four million gallons of untreated sewage continue to pour into the Meramec every day, a month and a half after the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer Districts Fenton sewage treatment plant was overwhelmed and made inoperable by the Great Flood in December.

The biggest environmental impact of the sewage is a higher level of E. coli in the river, officials said at Fridays meeting, which drew a crowd of about 60.

Levels of the naturally-occurring bacteria are now 10 to 50 times higher because of the sewage, said Jay Hoskins, MSD program manager of environmental quality.

But that extra E. coli has not affected drinking water and will degrade naturally within days or weeks once the Fenton plant is fully functioning again, probably in April, MSD spokesman Lance LeComb said. The agency expects the plant will be completing basic sewage treatment  namely, physically filtering the sewage  by March, he added.

It is not for lack of resources that its not online yet, LeComb said, noting that 7,300 man-hours have been put into getting the facility fixed since it flooded. We are putting every resource that we can. This is somewhat unprecedented for us, obviously.

In the meantime, MSD cautions people to avoid the river and to wash their hands and wear boots and gloves if they touch soil or water that may have come in contact with sewage.

People can only get sick from E. coli if they ingest it, said Steve Sykes, environmental supervisor for the Jefferson County Department of Public Health.

He added that his department has seen no uptick in sickness that correlates with the sewage spill.

Ann Dettmer, a spokeswoman from Missouri American Water, which provides drinking water from the Meramec, also told residents Friday that the sewage spill has not affected drinking water quality.

Some residents questioned the integrity of the companys testing in light of the contaminated water crisis in Flint, Mich., but Dettmer said the companys water treatment processes already thoroughly clean water of pathogens such as E. coli.

If you want the second level of check, well do it, Dettmer said. There is absolutely no comparison between Flint and us.

Despite the officials answers, residents and representatives who came to the meeting did not hide their frustration or fears that the sewage would exact a health and environmental toll on the river and its wildlife.

Im pretty upset about it. Its my home away from home, said Arnold resident Steve Hanne, 60, about why he came to Fridays meeting.

Rarely satisfied with MSDs answers, those at the meeting at times talked over the speakers and peppered them with follow-up questions.

Why didnt MSD have a plan B in case the treatment plant failed, a resident asked. Because the Great Flood was so catastrophic and of never-before-seen proportions, and all that can be done in such events is plan for recovery, the MSD representatives said.

Why dont you haul the sewage away in trucks? asked state Rep. Rob Vescovo. Because MSD would need a truck every 80 seconds to transport all of it, MSD said.

What are you going to do to help people whose belongings were contaminated by sewage when their homes flooded? Jefferson County Councilwoman Renee Reuter asked. Thats what FEMAs for, MSD said.

The MSD representatives did apologize for failing to post signs warning about the sewage spill on Arnolds side of the Meramec. At first, signs were only posted on the St. Louis County side of the river warning that warmer-than-usual temperatures increased the risk for getting sick from E. coli.

We fell down on that. Were human beings, LeComb said.

December was the first time the Fenton plant has flooded since it opened in 1988. LeComb said that MSD plans to close the plant in about 10 years, to consolidate its treatment centers in the area for efficiency.
Stratford looked to have done enough when a try from Drew Pritchard put them 20-16 ahead with eight minutes to play.

But Stoke, who were in a determined mood all afternoon, scored a late try of their own to seal a deserved victory.

Thats the home record gone, said director of rugby Tom Rance.

Ultimately it was always going to be against a team like that and a performance like that.

Stoke have been underestimated all season. They are an excellent side and lets not forget 12 months ago they were looking for promotion.

Callum Cook and Simon Baldwyn scored Stratfords first-half tries, both converted by Nath Geekie.

The Black and Whites remain second in Midlands 1 West, four points behind leaders Bridgnorth, who have two games in hand.

Full match report and more reaction in next weeks Herald
Nevsun Resources Ltd. (NYSE: NSU) is pleased to provide its 2016 Bisha Mine production and cost guidance and overall outlook for the year.

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Maintain top quartile safety performance at Bisha operations

Deliver zinc flotation plant expansion on time and under budget

Complete successful transition to primary ore processing by Q3

Produce 40 to 50 million pounds of copper from supergene ore

Produce 40 to 60 million pounds of copper from primary ore

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Monetize 80,000 to 100,000 gold equivalent ounces from stockpiles

Grow Bisha district mineral resources and deposits through exploration

Continue paying peer leading dividends

Continue to pursue M&A opportunities supported by our strong balance sheet

Nevsun Resources Ltd. (TSX: NSU / NYSE MKT: NSU) today announces its 2016 outlook guidance which includes revenues from copper, zinc and monetization of precious metal stockpiles from the Bisha Mine in Eritrea. The Bisha Mine, operated by Nevsun's 60 percent owned subsidiary Bisha Mining Share Company (BMSC or Bisha), remains an exceptional base metal mine with a track record of resource growth. 2016 is a transitional year as the operation moves into the primary ore body at Bisha, adding zinc concentrate production to revenues. All financial figures are in US dollars.

Cliff Davis, Nevsun CEO commented, "Bisha continues to provide positive surprises. The latest example is the unusually high-grade precious metal in already mined stockpiles that will be direct shipped to customers. We have 90,000 tonnes of 25 g/t gold material that could provide $40 million of additional cash flow for the mine in 2016, which gives additional financial comfort for 2016."

Zinc Expansion ProjectNevsun expects that BMSC will finish the zinc expansion project, including in-progress cold commissioning, by April and commence ore commissioning later in Q2. As of the date of this news release, approximately 94% of the total project is complete with total forecast capital cost not expected to exceed $80 million. Full commissioning is not expected to exceed 3 months duration prior to commercial production.

Copper and Zinc Concentrate GuidanceRemaining supergene ore processing in the first half of 2016 is expected to produce 40 to 50 million pounds of copper in copper concentrate at a C1 cash cost of $1.20 to $1.40 per payable pound of copper. BMSC will, after completion of the zinc expansion project, commence processing primary ore, generating separate copper and zinc concentrates. Including commissioning, production estimates are 40 to 60 million pounds of copper in concentrate and 70 to 100 million pounds of zinc in concentrate. Cash costs will be presented on a co-product basis once commercial production is achieved. We will provide updated C1 co-product cash costs once we enter commercial production.

The transition from the supergene ore horizon to the primary ore portion of the deposit will require diligent management. While primary mined grades will range from 1.9% to 3.5% copper and 3.5% to 4.0% zinc in the transition zone, the copper mineralogy is variable and the host pyrite minerals can impact metallurgical recoveries and concentrate grades.

Precious Metal Stockpile GuidanceBisha continues to mine, and has historically stockpiled, a variety of highly variable precious metal materials. In 2015 Bisha invested in equipment to screen and beneficiate portions of the materials in an effort to create saleable contiguous lots of material. These efforts recently defined 90,000 tonnes varying materials assaying 20 to 30 grams per tonne gold and 800 to 900 grams per tonne silver. Bisha plans to market this material throughout 2016 and forecasts sales of 80,000 to 100,000 gold equivalent ounces from stockpiles during 2016.

Exploration PlansIn 2016, Bisha will continue its balanced exploration approach, focussing not only on near term resource expansion opportunities, but also on discovering new greenfield deposits. At Harena, drilling will continue to explore the deposit down dip where it remains open and is demonstrating a trend of increasing thickness and grade with depth. Opportunities also occur immediately along strike of the deposit to the north and south. Over 12,000 metres of drilling is planned at Harena in 2016. The Bisha Main deposit remains open at depth and a 10,000 metre drill program will focus on expanding the deposit below the proposed ultimate open pit. Greenfield exploration will mainly target opportunities in the Asheli area of the Mogoraib River exploration license, where a new massive sulphide deposit was discovered in 2015. Exploration work including 12,000 metres of diamond drilling will be used to explore the 4 kilometres of untested favourable stratigraphy. A total budget of $11 million is planned for exploration in 2016.

Sustaining CapitalThe Company plans to limit sustaining capital expenditure to less than $9 million for the year.

Mergers and AcquisitionsNevsun continues to dedicate significant management time and effort to external growth. The Company's approach to M&A is based on capital discipline and staying true to our commitment of generating a financial return on investment for shareholders that will allow us to maintain or grow our dividend in the future.
SEATTLE, Feb. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Church of Scientology of Seattle and the Seattle chapter of Way to Happiness Foundation are sponsoring a community cleanup Saturday, Feb. 13, in honor of Seattle's annual Neighbor Appreciation Day.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160212/332887

According to Seattle.gov, Neighbor Appreciation Day "began more than 20 years ago as a way to reach out, create new friends, and express thanks to our neighbors who make Seattle such a great place to live." It was based on Phinney Ridge activist Judith Wood's suggestion that the City designate "a special day to celebrate the goodness in those around us and to reach out and strengthen our bonds to each other."

Anyone wishing to participate in Saturday's cleanup should meet at Counterbalance Park on the corner of Roy St. and Queen Anne Ave. N. at 9 a.m. to pick up tools and get their assignments. The cleanup will continue until noon.

For more information contact Ann at (206) 284-0406

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/neighbor-appreciation-day-project-to-launch-february-13-300219771.html

SOURCE Church of Scientology
Awards Recognizing Leadership in Indian Manufacturing Were Presented to Tata Steel, Hero MotoCorp Limited and Yogesh & Rajesh Agrawal of Ajanta Pharma Limited

MUMBAI, India--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, Time Inc. announced the winners of the inaugural TIME India Awards, honoring leaders for manufacturing excellence in India, at the Make in India Week in Mumbai. McKinsey & Company is the knowledge partner for the awards. The awards encompassed three categories: Best in Class Manufacturing, Manufacturing Innovator of the Year and Young Maker of the Year.

Tata Steel won the award for Best in Class for Manufacturing; Hero MotoCorp was named the Manufacturing Innovator of the Year; and Yogesh & Rajesh Agrawal of Ajanta Pharma Limited were declared winners of the TIME India Young Maker of the Year.

Norman Pearlstine, Chief Content Officer for Time Inc. announced the winners at a ceremony in Mumbai today, at which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the guest of honor. The awards launched a weeklong series of events to mark the Indian Governments Make in India initiative to boost the countrys manufacturing sector.

"The recipients of the first TIME India Awards are world-class companies that are making a real impact on the rapidly growing Indian economy,  said Pearlstine. "We are pleased to recognize them for their efforts during Make in India Week."

Rajat Dhawan, Director, McKinsey & Company said, In the coming years many Indian companies may take the big leap to become global multinationals. Winners of the future will be companies that not only `Make in India but `Make Better and More Efficiently in India.

The winners were selected among nine finalists, who were determined from a pool of approximately 3,000 manufacturing companies after extensive evaluation of qualitative and quantitative parameters. The finalists were announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January.

A jury of leading international business figures led by Norman Pearlstine selected the winners of the TIME India Awards in each category. Judges included General Electric Vice Chairman John Rice; Infosys Founder N.R. Narayana Murthy; ICICI Bank Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Chanda Kochhar; Renault and Nissan Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn; TIME Assistant Managing Editor Rana Foroohar; and Kevin Sneader, Chairman, Asia, at McKinsey & Co.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160213005013/en/

Time Inc.

Media

Kerri Chyka, 212.522.3651

[email protected]

or

Hill + Knowlton Strategies

Akshay Arambam, +91 9632997038

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or

McKinsey & Company

Natasha Wig, +91 2266302131

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Source: Time Inc.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

FIRST PUBLIC SCHOOL

Profile America  Saturday, February 13th. This date marks the anniversary in 1635 of the idea of America's first public school  the Boston Latin School  long before there was a United States. Established in April that year, among its later students were Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Adams. And this month in 1897, Phoebe Hearst and Alice Birney founded what is today known as the Parent Teacher Association, or PTA. Originally called the National Congress of Mothers, the organization now encourages both mothers and fathers to take part in school activities to improve the quality of their children's education. Today, there are over 49 million youngsters enrolled in elementary through high school, with an additional 8.7 million attending nursery school or kindergarten. You can find more facts about America's people, places and economy, from the American Community Survey, at www.census.gov.

Sources: Kane's Famous First Facts, 838School history/accessed 12/9/2015: http://www.bls.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=206116&type=d PTA/accessed 12/9/2015: http://www.papta.org/domain/3 Student enrollment/t. 1/All Races: http://www.census.gov/hhes/school/data/cps/2014/tables.html

Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotions of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110428/DC91889LOGO

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-census-bureau-daily-feature-for-february-13-first-public-school-300213778.html

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau
Spain's acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy (L) gestures beside Socialists (PSOE) leader Pedro Sanchez at the start of their meeting at Parliament in Madrid, Spain, February 12, 2016. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

By Angus Berwick

MADRID (Reuters) - The head of Spain's Socialist party ruled out on Friday supporting acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy for a second term, support that could have ended the country's political stalemate.

Pedro Sanchez, the leader of the Socialists, had met Rajoy for talks to form a government, after elections in December left Rajoy's center-right People's Party (PP) without a parliamentary majority as newcomer parties grabbed votes from the mainstream.

After a half-hour meeting between both leaders, television coverage of which showed Rajoy apparently refusing to shake Sanchez's hand and both avoiding eye contact, Sanchez said he had rejected the proposal of a coalition between the PP and the Socialists.

"The Socialists believe that the PP is a very important party in Spanish politics," Sanchez told a news conference.

"But it's a party that needs to regenerate and clean itself up, and this will only happen if it is not in government," he said, referring to numerous corruption scandals that have tarnished Rajoy's party.

With Sanchez, who came second in the elections, yet to make progress in gathering support, the prospect of fresh elections is mounting. That is something he is eager to avoid - recent surveys show the anti-austerity party Podemos overtaking the Socialists if another ballot were held.

Sanchez said on Friday he hoped to reach an agreement over a coalition by the end of the month and would seek a confidence vote in parliament at the beginning of March.

Failure in the vote would mean other party candidates would have two more months to form an alternative majority before a new national election would have to be called.

Rajoy had taken a step toward Sanchez on Thursday when he said he was open to asking the European Commission for more flexibility on Spain's public deficit targets, a stance shared by all other parties.

But Sanchez said he would not alter his preference for a coalition of leftist parties, namely with Podemos.

Such a coalition is still far from an agreement. Podemos's leader, Pablo Iglesias, continues to throw up obstacles, saying last week he would only start talks with the Socialists if Sanchez abandoned talks with the centrist party Ciudadanos.

Furthermore, a coalition between Podemos and the Socialists would still be short of a majority. They would need to strike agreements with regional parties, several of which want a referendum on independence in the Catalonia region that Sanchez opposes.

(This version of the story was refiled to add dropped word in penultimate paragraph)

(Additional reporting by Sarah White; Editing by Paul Day, Larry King)
Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan looks on during the White House summit on cybersecurity and consumer protection in Palo Alto, California February 13, 2015. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

By Dan Freed

(Reuters) - Bank of America Corp (NYSE: BAC) raised Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan's compensation by 23 percent in 2015, a year the bank more than doubled its profits.

Moynihan's total compensation was $16 million, up from $13 million for 2014. The 2015 figure includes a $14.5 million stock-based award, compared to $11.5 million for 2014. Consistent with previous years, Moynihan did not receive a cash bonus.

Half of Moynihan's stock-based compensation is tied to Bank of America meeting certain performance targets. One of the targets would require Bank of America to earn $50.4 billion over the three-year performance period, assuming the bank had the same $2.14 trillion in assets it had at the end of 2015.

Bank of America earned $15.89 billion in 2015, up from $4.83 billion in 2014 and $11.43 billion in 2013. Earnings in 2014 were weighed down by $10 billion in legal expenses.

In contrast to Moynihan's pay package, JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM) CEO and Chairman Jamie Dimon's 2015 compensation increased by 35 percent to $27 million.

(This version of the story corrects to show Moynihan's 2015 compensation rose to $16 million, not $14.5 million, and the increase was 23 percent not 11.5 percent. His equity award for 2015 was $14.5 million, not $13 million)

(Reporting by Dan Freed in New York; Editing by Bernard Orr)
MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines may consider two-way talks with China to resolve a territorial dispute in the South China Sea but only if it wins its case with Beijing at an arbitration tribunal in The Hague, Manila's foreign minister said on Friday.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, believed to have huge deposits of oil and gas. Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan also claim the waterways where about $5 trillion of ship-borne goods passes annually.

China refuses to recognize the case lodged by the Philippines with the tribunal and says all disputes should be resolved through bilateral talks.

Philippine Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario, who has resigned effective next month due to health reasons, said the court may hand down a ruling before May.

"A bilateral approach per se is good," del Rosario said in a television interview, three years after Manila filed the case in The Hague, rejecting Beijing's offer of two-way talks.

"When the conclusion of the arbitration is handed down, and if it is in our favor, I think we should initiate a bilateral because we already have a platform by which we can solidly approach the negotiating table. If it's not in our favor, they will approach us."

(Reporting by Manuel Mogato; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Buildings which were damaged during the security operations and clashes between Turkish security forces and Kurdish militants, are pictured in Sur district of Diyarbakir, Turkey February 11, 2016. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar

By Orhan Coskun and Daren Butler

ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's military shelled Kurdish militia targets in northern Syria on Saturday and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu demanded that the group withdraw from the area in a move that further complicated the conflict across the NATO member's border.

The shelling took place after Kurdish YPG fighters backed by Russian bombing raids drove Syrian rebels from a former military air base, south of the town of Azaz and near the Turkish border.

"Today retaliation was taken under the rules of engagement against forces that represented a threat in Azaz and the surrounding area," the prime minister told reporters in comments shown live by state broadcaster TRT Haber.

A Kurdish official said the Menagh base which was hit had been captured by the Kurdish-allied Jaysh al-Thuwwar group rather than the YPG. Both are part of the Syria Democratic Forces alliance.

The shelling came amid growing anger in Ankara with the United States for supporting the YPG, which Ankara regards as a terrorist organization, in its fight against Islamic State militants.

The Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), which backs the YPG, controls most of the Syrian side of Turkey's border and Ankara views it as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade-old insurgency for autonomy in southeast Turkey.

U.S. State Department spokesperson John Kirby urged both Turkey and the Syrian Kurds to step back, saying they should focus instead on tackling a "common threat" of Islamic State militants who control large parts of Syria.

"We have urged Syrian Kurdish and other forces affiliated with the YPG not to take advantage of a confused situation by seizing new territory," Kirby said in a statement.

"We have also seen reports of artillery fire from the Turkish side of the border and urged Turkey to cease such fires."

Davutoglu demanded that the Menagh base be evacuated and said he had spoken to U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to make that point and stress that the PYD was an extension of the PKK and a direct threat to Turkey.

"We will retaliate against every step (by the YPG)," he said after a visit to the eastern Turkish city of Erzincan. "The YPG will immediately withdraw from Azaz and the surrounding area and will not go close to it again."

Turkey's disquiet has been heightened by the tens of thousands of people fleeing to the Turkish border after attacks by Russian-backed Syrian government forces, swelling refugee numbers in the area to 100,000.

Turkey, which already hosts 2.6 million Syrian refugees, has kept the latest arrivals on the Syrian side of the border, in part to pressure Russia to cease its air support for Syrian government forces near the city of Aleppo.

Davutoglu earlier condemned the attacks in Aleppo as "barbarity, tyranny, a war strategy conducted with a medieval mentality" and said hundreds of thousands faced the danger of starvation if a humanitarian corridor was not opened.

"We will help our brothers in Aleppo with all means at our disposal. We will take those in need but we will never allow Aleppo to be emptied through an ethnic massacre," he said.

NATO-member Turkey is one of Assad's most vehement critics and an ardent supporter of opposition forces.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was reported as saying on Saturday that Saudi Arabia would send aircraft to Turkey's Incirlik air base for the fight against Islamic State.

(Reporting by Orhan Coskun and Tom Perry in Beirut; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Dominic Evans)
A note left by the thief who broke into the Byng Street Local Store and Cafe.

An apologetic thief has left a note blaming addiction and poverty after breaking into a cafe in Australia.

Hundreds of dollars of gourmet food, A$200 in cash and A$100 in tips were taken from the Byng Street Local Store and Cafe in Orange, west of Bathurst, in New South Wales last Friday.

When the store's owner Jeremy Norris arrived to open up the cafe in the morning, there was no immediate sign something was amiss.

BILL BLATCH/FAIRFAX MEDIA Jeremy Norris does not accept the apology given by thieves who broke into his business.

Then, he found a surprise in the cash register.

The thief had emptied it out, then taken time to apologise on a hastily-scribbled note on a scrap of paper which they left inside.

"I'm so sorry... poverty & addiction is to blame," the note read.

"I will not be around to be caught."

Norris said while he appreciated criminals often had a tragic back story, he found the note in the cash register "hard to swallow".

"I work very hard for my business, I work seven days a week and 12-hour days at the moment ... it's frustrating that these people aren't working and they're usually living off the government," he said.

It was the sixth time he had been stolen from in a year, and several days later his home - next door to the shop - was targeted again.

Thieves took a music system, his TV, an iPad, and a ceremonial knife that had belonged to his late father that had immense sentimental value.

"I was in tears, my father passed away just over a year ago and they nicked that," he said.

"The television and all that can be replaced but not that."

Norris said governments needed to take drug addiction seriously and tackle the problem, as that is the only way to reduce crime.

Canobolas Local Area Command crime manager Bruce Grassick said police were investigating the thefts from Norris.

However, he said they could not rule drugs in or out as a motive for the theft.

"A large amount of property crime is related to drugs but it doesn't always go back to drugs," he said.

Detective Inspector Grassick said police recently had success in the area with Strike Force Myack, a targeted operation that netted drug dealers who received property in exchange for methamphetamines.

"At the end of last year we were looking into a drug syndicate extending in Orange and Bathurst," Detective Inspector Grassick said.

"We arrested three ladies for supplying a commercial quantity of methamphetamines and there was a recovery of property."

He said drugs were a problem in regional areas across the state.

"We have seen a significant amount of drugs, particularly methamphetamines, in the community but also in Cowra and satellite cities but it is no different to any other regional centre."

- The Western Advocate
A central Wellington apartment building was evacuated after an early morning fire on Sunday.

Apartment residents emerged onto a central Wellington street in underwear and dressing gowns during an early morning fire.

The Fire Service did not receive a single emergency call to Crombie Lockwood House on Dixon St and were only alerted due to the building having a monitored smoke alarm, a Fire Service spokeswoman said.

When fire crews turned up shortly after 4.20am on Sunday, they found a fire in the garage and the building was smoke-logged.

Crombie Lockwood House on Dixon St, Wellington was evacuated after an early morning fire.

The entire building - which was recently converted from office space to apartments and a hostel - was evacuated.

Lana Cleland, who lives in the building, was woken and went out on to the street thinking it was simply a false alarm.

"We saw smoke just billowing out the side - heaps and heaps of it," she said.

Residents of the building emerged on the street with some not even having time to get dressed.

"One guy came out in his jocks and nothing else.

"One guy came out later on. He didn't wake up with the alarm. He woke up and there was smoke all around him."

Residents had only been allowed back into the building to get necessities because there were potentially-dangerous fumes still in the building later on Sunday, she said.

Senior station officer Paul Lyall said the fire was thought to have started in a compressor in a refrigeration unit in the building's garage.

There was "extensive damage" in the garage and to a car that was parked in it, he said.

Some residents had assumed the alarm was a false alarm and had not immediately evacuated from the building.

A Fire Service spokeswoman said 12 fire trucks were called to the scene.

There were no reported injuries.

"It would have been a different story if the fire alarms hadn't gone off."

Crombie Lockwood House is opposite Te Aro Park in Wellington.
Funeral details for the Catholic Bishop of Christchurch have been released.

Christchurch's Catholics are mourning the death of their "humble and stoic" bishop, Bishop Barry Jones, who died "peacefully" in hospital at 3.30am on Saturday.

He was 74.

Jones had been readmitted to Christchurch Hospital on Friday after suffering a heart attack. His health had declined over the last few months following several strokes.

His body will lie in state at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral from Wednesday 7.30pm. A Vigil Mass will take place at the Pro-Cathedral at 7pm on Thursday, and a requiem mass will be held at 1pm on Friday before a burial at Bromley Cemetery. The services will be open to the public.

Father Rick Loughnan has been elected Adminisitrator of the Diocese entrusted with the power to run the diocese until a new bishop is appointed.

A new bishop will be appointed by the Pope after consultation between the Vatican and members of the church in New Zealand.

Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel said she would miss his "wise counsel",and the city would miss the style of leadership Jones demonstrated post-quake.

The Catholic bishop built strong relationships across the city and was a regular participant in community events, she said.

"He was a very thoughtful man and a good listener.

"I know how deeply he felt about all aspects of recovery, not just for the Catholic communities he served so ably, but for the city as a whole."

Dalziel said Jones was instrumental in ensuring there was a good process for investigating and weighing up options for the future of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, which was significantly damaged in the February 2011 earthquake.

"This is an important part of Christchurch's heritage and one he loved very much. Whatever the final outcome, we will know that no stone was left unturned to come to that conclusion," she said.

Father Rick Loughnan said Jones had displayed "graciousness, patience, and gratitude to those who helped care for him" during his last few months of life.

"He has provided sterling leadership of the Diocese particularly in the exceptional circumstances following the earthquakes.

"On behalf of the Diocese I extend our sympathy to Bishop Barry's loving family and all those who will miss him dearly," he said.

Cardinal John Dew, president of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, said Jones was a man of "great and unwavering faith".

"My brother Bishops and I would like to extend our sincere condolences to Bishop Barry's siblings and extended family, close friends and the Christchurch Diocese who will be mourning the loss of a loved brother, friend and servant leader," he said.

"He was a humble and stoic man and this was particularly so in the face of his recent illness."

Jones was born in Rangiora on August 29, 1941, and went to school at St Joseph's Convent Primary and St Bede's College.

He studied for priesthood at Christchurch's Holy Name Seminary and Mosgiel's Holy Cross College, before being ordained as a priest in Rangiora on July 4, 1966.

He served at various parishes and ministries in Timaru, Christchurch, Akaroa, Burnham and the West Coast.

He was installed as the ninth Catholic Bishop of Christchurch Diocese in 2007.

Dew said Jones was a "proud Canterbury man . . . especially fond of his home town of Rangiora".

"The suffering and distress of those living in Christchurch during and after the earthquakes was always close to mind for him and he would often express to those of us outside of Canterbury the kind of challenges and daily stresses that the people of Christchurch were experiencing.

"He would often be mindful and express the needs of those that were most vulnerable, such was his empathy and pastoral nature."

Jones had a "dry sense of humour", which would be greatly missed, along with his wisdom and pastoral insights, Dew said.

"He was a man of few words, but unafraid to speak his mind and always with wisdom. He had an incredible sense of social justice, a grasp of tikanga Maori and fluent in te reo."
OPINION: The last couple of days have seen a lot written about the UK government's decision to introduce a health surcharge for Kiwi visa applicants looking to go to the UK. Unfortunately, much reporting lacked context or was wrong.

The decision has been portrayed as further "evidence" that in some way the UK no longer cares about New Zealand. This is simply not true. Our people-to-people links remain deep and vibrant.

Whether this is through our shared sporting passions, love of music, film and the arts. Brits and Kiwis remain passionate about many of the same things.

We laugh at the same jokes and take an equal delight in beating the Aussies.

On a practical level there are thousands of Brits and Kiwis around the world who have had cause to be grateful for the consular protection and services provided by our countries to each other's nationals. Whether it is Brits needing help in Vanuatu or Kiwis in Qatar, our relationship ensures that we have one another's back.

The UK remains New Zealand's largest trading partner in the EU and strongest supporter for the EU-NZ FTA. After Australia the UK has the largest stock of investment in NZ ($55bn)  far in excess of the US in 3rd ($33bn). Our domestic policy exchange between our governments is unrivalled.

In 2011, the two countries signed a joint declaration on science and innovation, and that agreement has spurred even closer collaboration. We are close allies on the UN Security Council. We work cheek by jowl in Afghanistan.

The successful recent visit by HMS Protector to Christchurch highlighted our co-operation in the Antarctic.

Turning to the health surcharge, it's important to understand that two distinct issues have been conflated.

The Health Surcharge is not the same thing as the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement. We will shortly have only two such agreements: with New Zealand and Australia.

At the heart of the recent misunderstanding is the belief that all Kiwis visiting the UK will now be faced with a cost for going to the doctor. Not so.

Kiwis staying in the UK up to 6 months will continue to get free access to GPs and the National Health Service. This is actually a better deal than Brits receive in New Zealand.

Only those staying for more than 6 months, will pay the surcharge. In exchange they will then get access to all NHS services.

An erosion of the value the UK places on New Zealand? The facts don't support that claim.

Last year the overwhelming majority of New Zealanders visiting the UK did not require a visa. Of those who did, 97 per cent of applications were successful.

For those with a grandparent born in the UK, there is the up to 5-year ancestry visa route. Don't believe those who suggest that it is difficult for Kiwis to visit us.

There are now more routes for Kiwis into the UK than ever before.

Rather than "cuts to Kiwi rights", the UK has made several improvements. We have made it easier for Kiwis on their OE.

The Youth Mobility Scheme visa allows young Kiwis to work for two years (it used to be one), and requires them to have $4200 in savings.

The equivalent NZ Working Holiday Scheme visa allows young Brits to work for one year (out of a 23-month stay) and requires savings of $8050.

We have increased the number of spaces available for Kiwis under this scheme in 2016 to 12,000.

We have made getting to the UK more straightforward. The new Registered Traveller Scheme allows frequent Kiwi visitors, for a small fee, to bypass queues at Heathrow and use the e-passport gates.

And last year the UK cut Airline Passenger Duty making long-haul flights from NZ cheaper.

The changes I have set out all make access to the UK easier for Kiwis, not harder.

Modern UK and modern New Zealand meet and collaborate across an amazing range of issues and arenas. And because of the value the UK places on that relationship, we look forward to welcoming more Kiwis to the UK in the years to come.

Jonathan Sinclair is the British High Commissioner to New Zealand.
Philip Duncan at Weatherwatch.co.nz says the smart money is on both the cyclones breaking up as the encounter the strong easterly winds currently crossing north of New Zealand.

Winston is at this stage expected to be bounced back into the open pacific north and east of New Zealand. While Winston may strengthen to a category three strom today, its expected to weaken to a category two by Monday.

Cyclone Tatiana, a category tow cyclone is expected to weaken to a category one storm by Sunday, and be downgraded back to a low pressure system Monday.

Swellmap is predicting the Mount Maunganui ocean beach will experience a steady 1.5m surf this week picking up Wednesday afternoon and peaking Thursday at nearly 3m  the same day Metvuw is forecasting an onshore wind of 20-25knots and heavy rain.

Philip Duncan at Weatherwatch.co.nz says the rain and wind towards the end of next week is fuelled by the masses of warm air brought south by the remnant of cyclone Tatiana.

The remains of Tatiana are expected to be amalgamated into a big low expected to move into the Tasman Sea, and from there bring rain to most of the country, affecting the north Island Wednesday, Thursday probably right through to Friday.
Fans of Sol3 Mio can expect to see everything that makes operatic trio so well-loved by audiences when they come to town in March.

Due to overwhelming ticket demand, Sol3 Mio have added a second show and will take to the stage at ASB Baypark Arena in Mount Maunganui on March 8 and 9.
CANNONFIRE is back!

From 2004 to 2021, the original CANNONFIRE blog kept finding ways to irk nearly everyone on nearly every side of nearly every issue. Last year, Google shut down the site. Why? Dunno. The banishment occurred without warning. Despite numerous inquiries, Google refused to explain or to rescind its edict.



The shutdown may have some connection to the compromising of my email. (Damn hackers!) Or maybe it has some connection to my history as a surly, unclassifiable oddball.



But now the site is back. Don't ask me why or how. Resurrection is a mysterious business and this one is particularly confounding. Revival came only when a reader calling herself Faust -- I'm not making this up -- employed incantations and conjurations unknown to mere mortals and thereby compelled the gods of Google to raise the dead. I owe this female Faust much. As a notable 18th century highway commissioner once said: Das ewig weibliche zieht uns hinan.



The site may migrate to another platform in the future. Google's capriciousness has injured my trust.



My name is Joseph Cannon. That's the name I've used professionally throughout this century; feel free to call me Joseph or Joe. I've decided to use my former name -- my 20th century name, if you will -- when writing about true crime and other non-political topics. Why? Reasons. If Google can be mysterious and capricious, so can I.



Email:



cannonfire [at] vivaldi [dot] net



Rules for comments: Do not insult the host. Try to stay on-topic.
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY  Deputies twice within a week met up with suspects who displayed violent behavior consistent with someone being under the influence of drugs, possibly the synthetic drug flakka, sheriff's officials said.

Timothy Cruce, 37, of Vero Beach, fought with deputies Feb. 6 while being arrested after he was seen punching vehicles and business windows, while screaming in a parking lot in the 900 block of 14th Lane. He was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest with violence and battery on a law enforcement officer. He was in the Indian River County Jail Friday on $15,150 bond.

Then on Thursday night, deputies were called to a hit-and-run crash near the 1700 block of State Road A1A. Indian River Shores Public Safety Department officers gave deputies a description of a vehicle that had failed to pull over during an attempted traffic stop, fleeing at more than 100 mph. Deputies saw the vehicle nearly hit a marked patrol car head-on.

About 20 minutes later, a resident in the 2100 block of Island Drive reported a suspicious person asking for gas. When deputies arrived, they saw Jason Rosson, 32, of Rossville, Georgia, running in a nearby wooded area. Rosson fought with deputies as he was being arrested. His car was found in a nearby garage. Rosson had entered the unlocked side door of the garage, opened the garage door and parked his car inside.

He was charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling, resisting arrest with violence, possession of amphetamines, battery on a law enforcement officer, twocounts of felony fleeing an eluding, and leaving the scene of an accident. He is in the Indian River County Jail on $65,500 bond.
ST. LUCIE COUNTY  A former officer with the Port St. Lucie and Vero Beach police departments will spend the next three years in prison for sex-related crimes with a 16-year-old girl he met at Indian River State College.

On Feb. 8, Myron Andravious Pratt, 31, pleaded no contest to two counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and, according to court records, prosecutors in exchange dropped six additional counts Pratt faced after his arrest in November 2014.

Pratt was ordered to serve 40 months behind bars for each count with both sentences to be served at the same time. He will also serve five years of sex offender probation upon his release.

The girl told St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office investigators she twice picked up Pratt at the Port St. Lucie Police Department and the two drove to a secluded area and had sex in her car. The first encounter was determined to be Nov. 17, 2014.

The girl said they returned to the Police Department where she dropped off Pratt, who also worked as a Vero Beach police officer from 2011 to August 2013, according to department officials.

Arrest reports show the girl's mother contacted authorities after going through her daughter's phone and finding sexually explicit text messages she had exchanged with Pratt.
TALLAHASSEE  During week five of the 2016 legislative session, the House and Senate passed their proposed state budgets, despite Democrats' opposition to provisions in the House plan on education and a bill that bans Planned Parenthood funding.

In the coming weeks, the two chambers will begin negotiating a final budget, including their differences on tax cuts and whether to use school renovation funds for charter schools. The House backs Gov. Rick Scott's proposal to boost kindergarten-12th grade funding spending by relying on property tax revenue increases, a move Democrats and the Senate oppose.

A bill to allow the open carry of guns is hanging by a thread. The chairman of the Senate committee designated to hear it said he might not do so because the House added a provision allowing lawmakers to bring firearms to the Capitol. A bill to allow guns on college and university campuses is likely dead as well.

The legislative session is scheduled to end March 11. Here's how bills filed by Treasure Coast lawmakers progressed in week five:

Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart (parts of Martin, St. Lucie, northern Palm Beach and Indian River counties)

Bill that requires the lesser of $200 million or 25 percent of Amendment 1 dollars to go to Everglades restoration, with an emphasis on projects that reduce Lake Okeechobee discharges into the St. Lucie River, and $75 million to springs restoration: Cleared a committee.

Bill to authorize a first responder who's 65 or older and disabled as a result of an injury sustained in the line of duty to receive a tax discount on homestead property: Cleared a committee.

Sen. Thad Altman, R-Rockledge (parts of Brevard and Indian River counties)

Bill authorizing physician assistants and registered nurse practitioners to ask for involuntary psychiatric examinations under the Baker Act: Scheduled for a committee hearing Tuesday.

Bill to create the Florida Commission on Poverty to advise the governor and state agencies on the issue: Scheduled for a committee hearing Tuesday.

Sen. Denise Grimsley, R-Sebring (Okeechobee and parts of Highlands, Martin, Osceola, Polk and St. Lucie counties)

Bill that allows rural hospitals to build facilities or renovate them without requesting a certificate of need, an Agency for Health Care Administration statement that assures the necessity for such facilities: Cleared a committee.

Bill to relax regulations on cosmetic manufacturers: Cleared a committee.

Bill that prohibits counties and medical examiners from charging a fee for an examination, investigation or autopsy to determine the cause of death of a person, but allows a fee of up to $50 for the examiner's approval of cremation, burial at sea or dissection of a body: Cleared a committee.

Rep. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart (parts of Martin and St. Lucie counties)

Bill to increase the number of members of the Florida Children and Youth Cabinet, which coordinates policy and children's program implementation, from 14 to 16: Cleared the Senate and is ready to be signed by Scott.

Bill that requires the lesser of $200 million or 25 percent of Amendment 1 dollars to go to Everglades restoration, with an emphasis on projects that reduce Lake Okeechobee discharges into the St. Lucie River: Ready to be heard on the House floor.

Bill to extend court jurisdiction from age 18 to 22 for young adults with disabilities in foster care: Cleared a committee.

Rep. MaryLynn Magar, R-Tequesta (parts of northern Palm Beach and Martin counties)

Bill that establishes a frailty-based screening process to prioritize people for enrollment in a Medicaid program that provides assistance for seniors and disabled adults who need home care or who are in nursing and assisted living homes: Cleared a committee.

Rep. Larry Lee Jr., D-Port St. Lucie (part of St. Lucie County)

Bill that creates the Healthy Food Financing Initiative Pilot Program to provide financing to build grocery stores in low income communities: Cleared a committee.

Bill that changes the definition of "absentee ballot" in state law to "vote-by-mail ballot" to make the law clear to voters: Ready to be heard on the floor.

Rep. Cary Pigman, R-Avon Park (Glades, Highlands, Okeechobee and part of St. Lucie counties)

Bill that changes environmental regulations, including license requirements, for water well contractors: Cleared committee.

Follow Isadora Rangel, Arek Sarkissian and Tampa news partner Jeff Schweers for updates on all the legislative action.

Tweets about from:IsadoraRangel2 OR from:ArekSarkissian OR from:jeffschweersTBO
File photo The New York Mets are seeking a new corporate partner to secure the naming rights to the county-owned stadium in Port St. Lucie.

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By Jon Santucci of TCPalm

PORT ST. LUCIE  The sign on the facade atop the stadium still reads Digital Domain Park, but the New York Mets are hoping that changes before spring training in February.

St. Lucie County Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky said the Mets are "actively seeking" a new corporate partner to secure the naming rights to the county-owned stadium.

"The naming rights are a joint effort by the Mets and St. Lucie County," Dzadovsky said. "The Mets are actively seeking a new group. I think they're working with (Citigroup), since they have the naming rights (to Citi Field, the Mets home stadium in Flushing, N.Y.). That's probably where they will go first.

"They have the ability to negotiate that. We just sign onto it since we have a revenue-sharing component. They'd probably like to have it done before spring training."

The New York Mets first spring training game is Feb. 23 against the Washington Nationals.

Digital Domain Media Group won the naming rights for the stadium  formerly known as Thomas J. White Stadium and Tradition Field  in 2010.

Digital Domain ended the $100,000-a-year contract with the Mets during its bankruptcy filing in late September. The stadium has been called Mets Stadium since then.

"We're working on it," said Paul Taglieri, the Mets' director of Florida operations. "We hope to have somebody by spring training. That's something we work on as an organization. It's there at the top (of his list of priorities). It doesn't happen overnight. We're starting to work on it over the next couple weeks and we're hoping that something could come to fruition."

The Mets and the county split the revenue from the naming rights, which are paid on a quarterly basis. Dzadovsky said the county uses its share of the funds for general maintenance at the stadium.

Digital Domain Park's sign will remain on the stadium until the new corporate partner puts up its name due to the cost involved in changing it out, Dzadovsky said.

While the stadium's name always has had a local connection, both Dzadovsky and Taglieri said the Mets could choose to go with a national partner. According to Dzadovsky, Digital Domain approached the Mets before securing the naming rights.

Dzadovsky said he knew of just one local company, Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers/TCPalm.com, which had shown interest in securing the naming rights, but did not give further information.

"We've had a great sponsoring relationship with the Mets for many years," said Rick Baxter, regional marketing director for Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers and TCPalm.com. "We have had some discussions with them about it, but there is no deal on the table. We are open-minded and value the relationship we have with them, but there's nothing imminent."

Taglieri said the key is finding a corporate partner "that works."

"We want to find a company we can establish a relationship that's mutually beneficial for us, whether that's local or national," Taglieri said.

METS STADIUM

Former Stadium Names: Thomas J. White Stadium (1988-2004), Tradition Field (2004-2010), Digital Domain Park (2010-2012)

Location: 525 N.W. Peacock Blvd., Port St. Lucie

Seating Capacity: 7,800

Spring training tickets: Season tickets are on sale. Single-game tickets go on sale Jan. 19

Did You Know? The Mets have only had two spring training venues in team history? The Mets trained at Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg from 1962-1987 before coming to Port St. Lucie
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday went into damage-control mode following a tweet from board member Marc Andreessen about India and colonialism.

Andreessen was reacting to the Indian telecom regulatorsban on Facebooks Free Basics service.

Another in a long line of economically suicidal decisions made by the Indian government against its own citizens, he reportedly tweeted. Denying worlds poorest free partial Internet connectivity when today they have none, for ideological reasons, strikes me as morally wrong.

Indian entrepreneur Vivek Chachra reportedly tweeted in response that the Free Basics argument that some Internet is better than no Internet sounded like a justification of Internet colonialism.

Anti-colonialism has been economically catastrophic for the Indian people for decades. Why stop now? Andreessens replied.

Zuckerberg disavowed Andreessens comment on anti-colonialism, which has been deleted.

I found the comments deeply upsetting, and they do not represent the way Facebook or I think at all, he said.

Zuckerberg Hearts India

India has been personally important to me and Facebook, Zuckerberg continued, adding he was inspired by the humanity, spirit and values of the people when he traveled to the country.

It solidified my understanding that, when all people have the power to share their experiences, the entire world will make progress, he said. Ive gained a deeper appreciation for the need to understand Indias history and culture and I look forward to strengthening my connection to the country.

The situation is kind of interesting in that it pits Zuckerberg, who is truly a leader in Facebook, against Andreessen, who trades on the perception of similar success but has actually been more of a secret failure, observed Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

Facebook has withdrawn Free Basics from India.

Zuckerberg is moving to protect Facebook and needs to do so, but that doesnt mean he isnt sincere, Enderle told TechNewsWorld. The two things dont have to be mutually exclusive.

It would be a good thing for [Zuckerberg] to state an official position for Facebook, said Mike Jude, program manager, Stratecast/Frost & Sullivan.

His response sounds sincere, he told TechNewsWorld.

Loose Lips Sink Company Ships

Zuckerberg wants to bring the Internet to the entire planet by 2020. Just how badly the controversy will impact those plans remains to be seen.

This did hurt Facebooks image a lot, Enderle said. Board members, like children, should be seen and not heard, and this issue shows why this is the case.

One expects a certain level of cultural sensitivity, Jude said. This sort of thing cant help.

However, if Facebook takes steps to engage culturally with India and proves that its really trying to be sensitive to its new market, this could be good for them, he added, especially if it leads to better behavior in other markets.

What Else Facebook Could Do

Andreessens comments make it look like Facebook has ulterior motives for seeking to link up the planet, not so much because of what Andreessen actually said but what others are reading into it, Enderle remarked.

Facebook should ask him to step down, if only as an example to others that this behavior is not tolerated, as not doing so suggests the statement is acceptable in private and casts a shadow of dishonesty over the office of the CEO, he added.

However, people do make mistakes, and especially now that Facebook has disavowed his actions, asking him to step down is probably not necessary, Jude said.
Less than two weeks from now, the Mobile World Congress will open its doors in Barcelona, Spain, and the world's tech companies will show off their wares.

The Internet being what it is, however, we've already got a pretty good idea of what's coming from the big name brands in the mobile space.

We don't really have to wait too long to see what's coming up, and since the MWC is a conference all about mobile technology, smartphones take the spotlight here.

Samsung Galaxy S7

Let's start at the front of the long line of expected smartphones at the MWC with the front runner in the Android space, Samsung's flagship Galaxy S7. The South Korean smartphone maker, in fact, was the first company to send out invites to its Feb. 21 event where it will reveal "The Next Galaxy" device.

The Galaxy S7 is expected to come in two variants, the smaller 5.1-inch S7 and the larger 5.5-inch S7 edge with a dual curved display. Besides the usual spec upgrades on the insides - faster processor, upgraded RAM, new camera sensor, and so on - this year's flagship Galaxy will probably look similar to last year's S6.

That's what the leaked photos reveal so far at least. If there is a difference, it's that the camera bump seems to have been flattened out so that it's now flush with the rest of the backside of the phone.

LG G5

Directly competing against Samsung's Galaxy S7 both at home and abroad is Korea's other major smartphone maker, LG. Moreover, the company's next flagship, the LG G5, is also expected to be launched on exactly the same day right before the start of the MWC.

Unlike the S7, however, there will only be one variant of the G5, either a 5.5-inch or a 5.6-inch 4K display. That's it - no mini nor plus sizes coming from LG. Still, of all the major smartphone brands basically making slight upgrades from their past flagships, it looks like LG is the only one doing something radically different with the G5.

Aside from the smarter and faster insides, the G5 is also expected to sport an all-metal body design that will still allow for a removable battery using some sort of detachable slot at the bottom of the device. In addition, the G5 is also expected to have an "always-on" screen that will "never go asleep while others do."

Xiaomi Mi 5

Finally, topping our top three list of the best smartphones we're waiting for at the MWC is Xiaomi's Mi 5. Though the Chinese smartphone manufacturer is yet to sell its devices in the United States, the company is huge in Asia.

That being said, we imagine Xiaomi will be making its presence known in our shores sometime soon as this year's MWC will also be the company's first ever appearance at the event. It's here that its flagship Mi 5 is bound to make its official launch, too.

Between the S7 and the G5, the Mi 5 will be the largest of the three Asian-made flagships. Hugo Barra, the former Google VP for Android and now Xiaomi vice president, tweeted an image boasting that the Mi5 is "All you ever imagined, and more."

How much more versus other flagships is yet to be seen, however. For example, the Mi 5 touts to have the Snapdragon 820 processor, which is the same chip the S7 and the G5 have. It will have a larger 5.7-inch screen, but it's stuck at 1080p resolution. At best, we're thinking Xiaomi has beefed up its custom OS to offer new features not yet seen before in a mobile device.

The Others

As for the rest of the pack, where are they? HTC and BlackBerry have reportedly decided to back out of the event this year, and are expected to hold their own launches at later dates. As for Sony, the company didn't hold a press event last year either and still ended up announcing two devices.

There are murmurs of Microsoft making an appearance at the MWC, but if it's for the fabled Surface Phone, we expect Microsoft to hold its own event to debut that device as well. Lastly, Nokia has mentioned it will be stopping by, but it won't be to reveal a device. We've heard the company will be there to show off super-fast 5G technology instead.

Photo: Karlis Dambrans | Flickr

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
If you were ever an avid player of first-person shooter (FPS) games and, at one point, wondered if the console could record all your actions and play your entire run-through like a movie, you may want to see "Hardcore Henry" this April.

This film is not just similar to an FPS but actually plays out the FPS experience with the camera showing only Henry's two hands as he grabs and reloads guns, throws grenades and punches his way out of trouble.

This experimental film, which was originally an Indiegogo project and debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), does not only take its audience for a ride because the audience is the main character throughout the entire film. It is as if a GoPro was used to film the entire movie.

Actually, that's not too far off, if you've seen those memes that comment on an FPS' camera placement. Just take a look at the camera set-up for "Henry."

You are Henry and you wake up in a laboratory with no recollection of your past, but you have obviously been in some sort of life-threatening situation because your leg and arm have been replaced with cybernetic ones. The next thing you know, armed men storm the laboratory and a female scientist named Estelle, who is explaining things to you  and who turns out to be your wife  is kidnapped by a man with an army of mercenaries and a delusion for world domination.

You do not know what exactly is going on but you know you have to save your wife since she was taken to get the technology in you and this British guy called Jimmy claims to be on your side and wants to help you rescue your wife from Akan  that guy with an army of mercs.

Actually, just watch the official trailer below so you have a better idea.



"Hardcore Henry" is written and directed by Ilya Naishuller and will arrive in cinemas on April 8.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A new device has successfully detected prostate cancer through "smelling" the illness using a gas chromatography sensor, a new study has shown.

Researchers from the United Kingdom hope that their findings could pave the way for a urine diagnostic test that could make invasive diagnostic procedures a thing of the past.

The study involved 155 men, 58 of which were diagnosed with prostate cancer, 24 with bladder cancer, and 73 with hematuria, which is characterized by blood leaking into urine. Results from the GC sensor system indicated that through detectable patterns of volatile compounds, urine samples can show the presence of urological cancers.

The GC sensor system, known as Odoreader, was developed by professors Chris Probert of University of Liverpool and Norman Ratcliffe of University of the West of England Bristol, and employed especially developed algorithms in measuring urine samples.

"There is an urgent need to identify these cancers at an earlier stage when they are more treatable as the earlier a person is diagnosed the better," said Probert in a statement.

After sample testing, the researchers seek to fund a full clinical trial and commercially develop the device, allowing the technology to be used at hospitals and doctors' clinics for fast, inexpensive and accurate diagnosis, added Probert.

The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test  the current primary screening for the disease  can sometimes lead to unnecessary biopsies and risks of infection and even missing cancer cases, warned Ratcliffe.

Odoreader, he said, is an "electronic nose" that can smell prostate cancer in the urine in a non-invasive way.

The Odoreader was developed a few years ago to detect bladder cancer, as inspired by studies showing that dogs could sniff out the Big C.

The device features a 30-meter (98-feet) column that allows compounds in the urine to move at various rates, thus producing a sample in a readable format. It then reads the patterns that surface  the prostate gland's proximity to the bladder, for instance, results in a different algorithm if there is cancer present.

Urologist Raj Prasad of Southmead Hospital said that an accurate urine test could spare men from undergoing prostate biopsy, which is usually recommended if a man has an enlarged prostate or abnormally high PSA levels.

"Even with detailed template biopsies there is a risk that we may fail to detect prostate cancer in some cases," Prasad added.

The findings were published in the Journal of Breath Research.

Studies continue to underscore the importance of early cancer detection.

A recent study from Vanderbilt University discovered that heart disease is the most common non-cancer cause of death among survivors of prostate cancer.

In 2010, the American Heart Association also found a possible link between a prostate cancer treatment known as androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and cardiovascular conditions.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Hackers are reportedly stealing Netflix account information from customers who spend money on monthly cable subscriptions and are putting them available for sale on the expanding underground community for a surprisingly low price tag of $0.25.

Right now, customers are paying for $9.99 to gain access to Netflix. It appears, however, that many people do not want to spend so much for a Netflix account.

Security firm Symantec published a blog post explaining how attackers steal users' account details before putting them on sale on the black market.

How Hacker Steal Netflix Accounts

The report reveals two primary ways by which cybercriminals steal customers' account information.

1. Malware Campaign

A malware campaign tricks users into trusting that they have downloaded official Netflix software. Normally, the campaign dupes customers into thinking that they are getting a free or discounted account. The truth is, the software incorporates malevolent files that, when executed, install malware on the compromised computer.

Specifically, the software would download a trojan called Infostealer.Banload, which lifts essential details from the user's computer, including bank information and, yes, Netfllix account logins.

2. Phishing Campaign

Attackers also steal Netflix logins via phishing campaigns. Users are led to a fake Netflix site and asked to key in their credentials, payment information and personal information. Since Netflix allows up to four users on a single account, hackers can piggyback on subscriptions without the owners knowing.

Symantec says it uncovered a Netflix phishing campaign a few weeks ago fooling users into believing that their Netflix accounts have to be updated due to an issue with their payment. The campaign originated from netflix@fakt[REDACTED].com with this subject: Opdater Betalingsinformation. The website to which the campaign is linked is no longer active.

Netflix Generator

Symantec also reveals that the attackers use Netflix account generators to create new accounts using compromised payment details. Buyers may then either use these accounts for themselves or resell them underground.

How To Keep Attackers Out

Users should download only the official Netflix app from official sources. Also, be wary of emails that promise Netflix services for free or at a low price, and do not click links included in these emails as they are very likely phishing scams that will lead you to compromise your Netflix account and private information.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
PayPal has pushed out a new set of commerce tools for a new service dubbed PayPal Commerce. These tools will enable merchants to add one-touch buy buttons where it can be seen by a prospective customer.

PayPal Commerce, which is currently in closed beta, has a button that may be placed on articles, blogs, email, ads, in-app, social shares, in-page, as well as any content that consumers can access online or on their mobile device.

The service launched on Thursday and could potentially be an effective platform that will give a fillip to PayPal.

"A seamless and secure way to sell where your products are first seen - in emails, blogs, articles, apps, social shares, and more - without changing the way you manage your business," notes the service description.

The service will be free for merchants and retailers. The new commerce tools are based on the technology offered by startup Modest, which PayPal acquired in 2015.

The positioning of the buttons on apps and sites will be dependent on its owner. Presently, little data exist to support the effectiveness of buy buttons, the company is optimistic that e-commerce will eventually evolve in such a manner that they will become synonymous.

Based on this theory, PayPal is betting that once consumers begin to imbibe buy buttons as a part of their purchasing habit, the company could stand to be an early gainer and profit from this endeavor.

Traditionally, online shopping is largely associated with selling being carried out on the official website of the said business or an e-commerce portal catering to shopping. PayPal Commerce, however, is a departure from this philosophy and is delving into the notion of "omicommerce."

Basically, the idea is that PayPal Commerce hinges on a set of APIs that will act as building blocks for its partners.

"For our partners, PayPal Commerce supplies core API building blocks used in the development of their own innovative commercial applications for their users," says Harper Reed, Modest's co-founder and head of commerce at PayPal's Braintree.

The integration of third-party services to the PayPal Commerce platform will happen at the back-end. Since the merchant picks the spot where the buy button will be embedded, the checkout experience will become more intuitive, claims PayPal.

Basically, what PayPal Commerce tools will do is provide merchants with a one-stop solution to propagate the buy button. Moreover, they will be able to deploy PayPal's network to process the transactions seamlessly.

The company is pitching the platform as being open, which suggests that those who use the buy button tools for purchasing a product need not necessarily use their PayPal account to make the payment.

PayPal is currently inviting those interested to sign up for the beta.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Google opened a number of jobs for its self-driving car project in an attempt to hasten the manufacturing process.

The parent company of Google, Alphabet, recently listed 36 job openings for marketing and manufacturing, underlining that the company wants to get a foothold in the autonomous-driving market.

Reading the job descriptions gives a better idea of what Google aims to do.

"[Design] go-to-market strategy and storytelling to win hearts and minds of community members, influences and governments" is what Google expects its future marketing manager to do.

A manufacturing process engineer should be prepared, among other things, to do the following: design factory assembly stations, optimize the production floor layout, automate the processes from critical manufacturing stages and last but not least, approve fixture designs. All of these must be checked in order to secure a safe "assembly of electronic modules for the self-driving car."

You can read more job descriptions from Google on its official page.

Previous statements from Google underlined that the company has little interest in building cars. The alternative, the company said, is to team up with an established auto maker that could implement Google's technology.

However, some jobs require expertise in operations and engineering, hinting at the fact that the company might actually consider building some hardware parts itself.

In September last year, the company recruited former Hyundai America CEO, John Krafcik, for the leading position in its self-driving car department.

The driverless division of Google, dubbed X, got a major lift after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) accepted to consider the AI that controls the self-driving car as a legitimate "driver," qhich would no longer require a human driver as well.

As we are on the subject, know that Google has an open position for policy analyst, who would be in charge of handling the product agendas in front of regulators from within and without the administration.

Rumors from late last year hint that Google and Ford signed a partnership to bring out driverless cars. Krafcik himself is a former Ford employee, as he was with the carmaker for 14 years.

Google recently started to test its driverless cars in Kirkland, Washington. This is the third testing ground for the company, which also deployed autonomous cars in Mountain View, California and Austin, Texas.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Gastornis was a flightless bird that lived in the Arctic 50 million years ago, and the ancient avian has now been described in new details from fossil remains examined by investigators. Paleontologists once believed the creature was a fearsome predator, hunting prey on Ellesmere Island, off the coast of Greenland.

University of Colorado researchers now suggest the species, which weighed several hundred pounds, was likely a herbivore. The creatures likely consumed fruits, nuts, plants, and seeds, the new study reveals.

In the modern area, temperatures in this part of the Arctic can drop to 40 degrees below zero Fahrenheit in the depths of winter. During the Eocene Epoch, however, the region was significantly warmer than it is today.

Accompanying Gastornis in the area were mammals much like rhinos and hippos, as well as alligators, turtles, tapirs, and a variety of primates. The region at the time was similar to the current climate seen in the southeastern regions of the United States.

The fossil used in the study, a toe bone, was discovered in the 1970s. This is the first time the artifact has been studied in great detail. Gastornis stood around 6 feet tall, and weighed several hundred pounds, roughly the same as a large human male.

Presbyornis, another local species from the same era, was also described in a paper accompanying the new research. Biologists describe the creatures as looking similar to a swan or goose, but sporting long legs, much like a flamingo. Unlike Gastornis, however, Presbyornis could fly.

Despite the temperate climate of the time, the region was still subject to months of darkness every year, so researchers are uncertain whether Presbyornis lived in the area year-round, or migrated seasonally.

"There are some sea ducks today that spend the winter in the cold, freezing Arctic, and we see many more species of waterfowl that are only in the Arctic during the relatively warmer spring and summer months," said Thomas Stidham of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Analysis of life forms from the distant past, when the Arctic was warmer, could provide biologists with insight into how the biosphere could be affected by global warming.

Study of birds who lived on Ellesmere Island in the Eocene Epoch was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Alaskan food web contains toxins from harmful algae. Testings reveal that the toxins are present in concentrations that are high enough to be detected in marine mammals such as whales, seals, porpoises, walruses and sea otters.

Harmful Algae, Spotted

Experts from the Wildlife Algal-toxin Research and Response Network for the West Coast (WARRN-West) examined samples of 905 marine mammals from 13 different species. All the animals were stranded or harvested in Alaska from 2004 to 2013.

The researchers found that the harmful algae and toxins such as saxitoxin and domoic acid are present in low levels from the sample species.

Going Up North

Changes in environmental temperature have caused sea ice levels to drop and water temperatures to shoot up. Such situations, which are favorable to harmful algal bloom, are likely to expand in the northern regions. With this, the Alaskan food web may experience growing concerns in its marine food webs.

"What really surprised us was finding these toxins so widespread in Alaska, far north of where they have been previously documented in marine mammals," says lead author Kathi Lefebvre from NOAA Fisheries.

The results of the study exhibit that algal toxins are indeed going up north. Since 1998, algal toxin poisoning among sea lions is most common in Central California. The recent study is the first to record the presence of harmful algae from the south region of Alaska to the Arctic Ocean.

Impacts on Animals

Lefebvre says the team cannot determine yet whether the toxicity levels of the algal blooms can cause health threats to marine mammals in the area. She adds that it is challenging to identify the exact cause of deaths of the stranded animals, but it appears certain that the warming climate boosts algal blooms thus, increasing the possible health impacts on the marine mammals.

Implications On Human Health

The researchers confirm that the levels of harmful algae in the marine mammals are well below the limits set for seafood. However, people should not be all too complacent.

Study co-author Gay Sheffield says bearded seals and walruses may contain contaminated clams in the stomach. This means that the marine mammals, which are most commonly eaten in western and northern Alaska, may not be completely safe for human consumption.

Animal parts such as muscles and blubber, which are commonly eaten by humans, are less likely to contain toxin levels that may pose a threat to human health. So far, authorities have not made any changes in the food safety guidelines of the Alaska Department of Health.

The study was published in the journal Harmful Algae.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Facebook users in India dealt with a blow as the Free Basics project was discontinued in the country.

Free Basics, which covers 38 countries and connects more than 19 million users, was banned as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India ruled to prevent Internet providers from charging users with different rates for accessing different content. The ruling enforces the rejection of Facebook's free Internet program, which started out as Internet.org.

Shortly after the announcement of the end of Free Basics in India, Facebook India managing director Kirthiga Reddy revealed that she will be stepping down from her position in the company.

According to a Facebook post by Reddy, who was the first employee of the social network in India, she will be returning to the United States over the next six to 12 months after starting the growth of Facebook India six years ago.

"Give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected," Reddy says, referring to the mission that she followed. Reddy adds that over the coming months, until her return to the United States, she will be working with Facebook executives William Easton and Dan Neary to search for her successor in the position that she is vacating.

Reddy is not leaving the company though, as she stated that she is already looking at opportunities that she can take advantage of within Facebook once she is back in Menlo Park.

While the outgoing Facebook India managing director did not make any mention of the discontinuance of Free Basics in the country, it would be safe to assume that the events that transpired played a part in her decision to resign from her position and move back to the United States.

Facebook pushed Free Basics forward as a program that would provide free basic access to the Internet for users, in partnership with telecommunications companies. However, the initiative was criticized for allegedly being in violation of the principles of net neutrality.

Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was among the critics of Free Basics, stating that the Internet should be monopolized by a few parties.

After a consultation process that lasted for months, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India released its decision to ban operators from charging users with different rates for Internet access, putting an end to Free Basics.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A distant secret holds a dark secret in the form of a supermassive black hole  one of the biggest ever discovered, with mass that is 21 billion times that of our sun.

NGC 4889 has a placid outer appearance, but the Hubble Space Telescope of NASA and the European Space Agency imaged a record-breaking sight in this distant elliptical galaxy located around 300 million light years away in the Coma Cluster.

The black hole features an event horizon, where even light cannot seep out, with a diameter of around 130 billion kilometers. Such diameter is close to 15 times the diameter of Neptunes orbit from the sun.

In contrast, Milky Way  the black hole in our own galaxy  is estimated to have a mass four million times that of the sun and an event horizon just one-fifth Mercurys orbit.

Experts believe, however, that the black hole of this massive faraway galaxy is already past its star-swallowing and matter-devouring phase. In fact, the galaxy is now in such calm state that stars have begun forming and orbiting peacefully in the surrounding area.

Astronomers, however, would probably have categorized NGC 4889 as a quasar, a potent dynamo that shines brightly and it eclipses the ancient galaxies containing it.

[T]he disc around the supermassive black hole would have emitted up to a thousand times the energy output of the Milky Way, says NASA.

The supermassive black hole is now dormant, yet it allows scientists to further study where and quasi-stellar radio sources or quasars, a fascinating discovery from half a century ago, formed in the universes early days and beginnings.

Astronomers used instruments aboard the Keck II Observatory as well as the Gemini North Telescope to indirectly observe the black holes mass. They measured the velocity of stars loitering around the galaxys center, which will reveal the overwhelming mass of the humungous subject at hand.

On the other hand, a new international project is on a mission to investigate the cosmos. Astro-H X-ray Observatory, a collaborative program among different space agencies including NASA and ESA, seeks to find new data on highly energetic processes in the universe, such as black holes, supernovae, and cluster formations in galaxies.

Touting Astro-H as the next big X-ray observatory, the international team will arm the satellite with highly specialized X-ray telescopes and detectors for a higher-resolution look at space than current telescopes can afford.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Even though the Google Store has stopped selling the original round-faced smartwatch, the Moto 360, the device is still getting the update to Marshmallow for Android Wear.

Released a year and a half ago, the first Moto 360 can still keep up with the latest Android Wear devices such as the second generation Moto 360, Moto 360 Sport, and LG Watch Urbane, with the Android 6.0.1 update rolling out to users right now.

The software build is described as MEC23I, and to start the update the original Moto 360 needs to be paired first with an Android smartphone. Now most Android smartphones aren't even updated to Android 6.0 but that won't matter in this case. The update will still work on a Lollipop-based device.

Beyond that, make sure there's enough juice left in the Moto 360  probably about 50 percent battery  and a consistent connection to the Internet to complete the update.

Once the update is completed, users will notice a slew of new features including Doze Mode, screen dimming, app permissions, navigation gestures, support for more messaging clients and voice control to make calls. (That last feature won't work on the Moto 360, however, because it doesn't have voice support.)

At its launch, one of the drawbacks to owning the first Moto 360 was its poor battery life. With ambient mode on, the smartwatch could not make it through the day. With ambient mode off, it would still barely last long enough before needing a charge at night. With subsequent updates, the Moto 360 got better.

Now with Doze Mode and better screen dimming abilities, the dated Moto 360 can last a day easy. Doze Mode on Android smartphones already helps to increase battery life on today's flagship smartphones and it's no different with the Moto 360 that's almost two years old.

Other upgrades include extended support for new languages like Mandarin, Cantonese, Polish, Dutch, Thai and Indonesian. Owners of the latest generation Moto smartwatches - the 2015 360 and the Sport - should also have access to Moto Body Running.

This year's Moto 360 Sport received bad reviews (for many good reasons) so we're hoping the third generation Moto 360 launches without the Sport's flaws while providing for a true 360 display  without that signature flat tire look it currently has.

Photo: Karlis Dambrans | Flickr

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Police have arrested a 16-year-old teenager in relation to the recent DHS and FBI data hack.

Earlier this week, we reported that hackers leaked the information of more than 20,000 FBI employees and 9,000 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees.

Authorities have now made an arrest in the case, but it's not some well-known hacking collective or a terrorist group as some may have thought. Police have traced down the hack to a 16-year-old English teen, who allegedly breached the personal email accounts of the DHS chief and the CIA director as well.

Authorities have not disclosed the name of the teen hacker, but Fox News reports that British authorities made the arrest in collaboration with the FBI. Authorities are reportedly looking for potential accomplices.

The hacker allegedly told Motherboard recently that he obtained the titles, names and contact information of thousands of FBI and DHS employees by exploiting a compromised Department of Justice (DoJ) email.

According to Fox News, authorities suspect that the same hacker previously breached the private email accounts of CIA director John Brennan and Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson back in October. Neither Brennan nor Johnson used those email accounts for government use.

The 16-year-old teen now arrested in connection to the FBI and DHS hacks is suspected of leading a hacker group called "Crackas with Attitude," or "CWA" for short. The teen's online moniker was "Cracka," and his arrest followed days after another CWA member was questioned by police. Following the arrest, the suspect's friends and associates threatened that there will be repercussions, Motherboard reported.

"Just because they managed to arrest two members doesn't mean we'll stop hacking them," CWA hacker IncursioSubter told Motherboard. "Give us time, you'll see. :)"

Meanwhile, the FBI is still trying to wipe the leaked data off the web, albeit that's no easy task. The breached data containing the email addresses, job positions and phone numbers of thousands of DHS and FBI employees traveled all over the web, from pastebin-like sites to several other hosts such as San Francisco community news site Indybay.

The FBI wants to have that data removed, but efforts to wipe data off the face of the Internet often turn out to be futile.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
16 year old who went by handle of Cracka arrested by UK police for hacking CIA, FBI and the White House

Looks like Cracka is finally behind bars or the police say so. The hacker who calls himself Cracka and who hacked into the personal emails of CIA Director, John Brennan and Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper is a 16 year old living somewhere in East Midlands in England.

The UK police have arrested the teenager on suspicion of hacking into the emails of senior US officials last year and posting nearly 30,000 US government employees private information online this week. Overseeing the arrest, the South East Regional Organized Crime Unit (SEROCU) sent out a terse email to the media on Friday, confirming that they had arrested a 16-year-old boy in the East Midlands region of England this past Tuesday, February 9. The arrest was connected to three alleged violations of the Computer Misuse Act of 1990.
Microsofts Edge Browser Bug in Windows 10 snoops on your data even in private browsing mode

Microsoft Edge, the built-in replacement browser for Internet Explorer in Windows 10, is not considered dependable in terms of privacy. Most popular web browsers like Safari, Firefox and Chrome proves that none of them stores the private browsing sessions, but the case with Edge is different.

According to a security study carried out last month, Microsoft Edge browser stores all browsing data in a WebCache file, regardless of the fact whether you have used a regular or private mode of browsing, thus exposing the history even when it was not supposed to do it.

This bug was fixed on Patch Tuesday according to Microsoft itself, with a dedicated update for Edge browser. Yet, it turns out that the issue only got worse.

A discussion on the Reddit reveals that, after applying the update, Edge browser not only continues to store information on the websites visited in private mode but it also shows it in the history tab, thus making it easily available to everyone. This new bug makes it easy to view websites visited in the InPrivate mode, unlike in the past, where the web browsing history was stored in a devoted folder that was difficult to reach for.

According to posts in this Reddit thread, what is surprising that the bug only appears to exist on a number of computers, and not all Windows 10 installs seems to be affected.

One Reddit user explains that Still happening. I just restarted the PC, clear all Edge cache and history, opened up a new InPrivate window, went to reddit.com and there it is in the normal session history dropdown menu. I open up a new tab, go to imgur.com and there it is in the normal session. The user further added that the test was carried out on a fully up-to-date computer and the history existed even after closing the session and launching the browser again.



Currently, there is no workaround on a PC impacted by the problem. However, the simplest way to figure out whether the problems persists or not is to clear all Edge history, open the InPrivate mode, go to any website, close the browser, and then check history once again. If the visited website appears again, that means that the bug is still there. If it does not, that means it is all clear and you are good to go.

As of now, there are no reports of whether Microsoft is aware of the existing problem. We will update this article once we get any information.
Hackers selling stolen Netflix passwords only for $0.25 on the black market

Security software firm Symantec reports that there is a growing demand for stolen Netflix passwords following Netflixs international expansion to a total of 190 regions around the world.

However, the expanding membership base of Netflix has created more opportunities for underground hackers who are illegally selling passwords on Netflix black markets on the burrows of dark web.

Symantec reports that many cyber criminals are selling the hacked Netflix subscriptions on the deep web for less than 25 cents. The ad lifted from the deep web by Symantec shows a passport vendor offering minimum purchase of four Netflix accounts for as low as $1. In other words, some people are willing to pay a lot less even if it means breaking the law.

Hackers are stealing thousands of login credentials on a daily basis through multiple phishing campaigns, according to Symantec. Redirecting users to fake Netflix websites, the cybercriminals trick users into providing their login credentials, personal information, payment card details, and consequently (re)sell this information on black market forums for as low as 25 cents a password . These stolen accounts provide a month of viewing or access to the premium service.

While Symantecs report doesnt accurately clarify how many accounts might be compromised, it does show an ad lifted from a popular black market vendor that claims to have 300,000 [passwords] in stock. Its terms of service instruct customers not to change any account details, as this would visibly alert the original subscriber about the suspicious invasion of his/her account. The vendors also warn that no accounts will be further sold to buyers who fail to comply with these terms.

If the buyer from Netflix black market leaves the information unedited, the original subscriber can still notice someone tampering with the account via the recently watched list.

Another offering in the black market includes Netflix account generators with regular updates of the database of the stolen accounts. Symantec advises users to be cautious of the malicious software and download Netflix application from official sources only. Additionally, users should not take advantage of services that appear to offer Netflix for free or a reduced price, as they may contain malicious files or steal data.

In the meantime, Netflix has already started blocking users from using virtual private networks (VPN) to get access to content that is not locally available.

Forbes reports that Brazil and Denmark are the countries under red alert. Netflix in Brazil suffered a virulent malware campaign, in which malicious files were faking themselves as Netflix software appeared on the attacked computer desktops. The person clicking these fake Netflix links would be redirected to a Netflix home page, which is a trap as the computer downloads the Trojan file called Infostealer.

Netflix, completely unaware of these disguised files, assumes that files are downloaded by users who have been lured into fake ads or unreal Netflix subscription offers.

The video-streaming service last month reported it now has more than 75 million subscribers, adding 5.59 million users during the last three months of 2015, which is clearly an indication that there is a huge potential for the black market in stolen Netflix passwords to expand and go on operating.
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That is, until I tried the Sam Collins (Belvedere vodka, lemon juice, caramel vanilla, almond milk, smoked salt and yoghurt), which is named after a long-closed music hall in Islington Green and tastes like the liquid equivalent of a white Toblerone. Every drink we ordered demonstrated head bartender Erik Lorinczs world-class mixology expertise at combining the familiar with the exotic; not unlike London itself.

At 16 and up a pop (two drinks on the new menu come in at 50 each), these cocktails deserve to be savoured, and the elegantly glamorous American Bar is the ideal spot. Theres none of the stuffiness sometimes associated with five-star hotel bars: polished staff offer a warm welcome, a jazz musician tinkles away at the baby grand piano and theres a sophisticated buzz as couples in their glad rags drop by for pre-dinner aperitifs and well-heeled hotel residents settle in for the evening. Visits to the bathroom require a trip across the Savoys grand lobby with its chequered floor and glossy mahogany panelling, passing cabinets of diamond Boodles jewellery  a reminder of everything that is great about this 126-year-old London landmark.

In fact, if youve become tired of London  the dirt, the crowds, the frenetic pace  Id recommend an evening at the Savoys American Bar. Amid the gentle jazz, the retro glamour, the heady cocktails and the nostalgia, youd be hard pushed not to fall in love with the city again.
What has Cupid got to do with it?

Cupid, also known in Latin as Amor ("Love"), is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is frequently portrayed as the war god Mars, as well as the son of the love goddess Venus.

His Greek counterpart is Eros and he is just one of the ancient symbols associated with St Valentines Day, along with the shape of a heart, doves, and the colours red and pink.

Today, he is typically portrayed as a small winged figure with a bow and arrow which he uses to strike the hearts of people. People who fall in love are said to be "struck by Cupids arrow".

Why is the heart associated with love?

The heart was once associated with knowledge as well as feelings: Egyptians believed that the heart was the source of our memories, as well as our emotions. They placed so much value on the organ that they left it in people's bodies during mummification, while throwing all other organs, including the brain, away. And they weren't the only ones - Aristotle also believed that the heart was an organ of intellect.

This idea was widely accepted until Galen, a Roman physician, said the heart was more likely to be responsible for emotions than reason - apart from love, which was found in the liver.

As the influence of Christianity grew in the Middle Ages, so did the religion's pairing of the heart with love. 'Courtly love', where knights wooed women, became popular in the eleventh century and was tied to spiritual attainment.

It became popularised in lyric poems written by troubadours, such as William of Aquitaine, one of the first troubadour poets. Some say he was likely influenced by similar views on love in the Islamic world, which he came into contact with during the First Crusade.

In 1184, poet Andreas Capallenus referred to the organ as one of affection, writing the pure love which binds together the hearts of two lovers with every feeling of delight.

Around the same time, members of European families began to insist their hearts were buried separately from the rest of their bodies, in places that were special to them. In 1199, King Richard I of England had his heart buried in Rouen in Normandy and his body in Anjou, where his father was buried.

Over the centuries, the idea that the heart is linked to emotion has persisted and the two are now intrinsically linked.

When did Valentine's Day become so commercial?

It was during the middle of the 18th century that Valentine's Day started to take off in England, with lovers sending sweets and cards adorned with flowers, ribbons and images of cupids and birds.

Eventually huge numbers of printed cards replaced hand-written ones. In 1913, Hallmark Cards of Kansas City began mass producing Valentine's Day cards.

Now about a billion Valentine's Day cards are exchanged every year and it's the second largest seasonal card sending time of the year.

However, not all the cards are intended to be read: every year, thousands of letters addressed to Juliet are sent to Verona, where Shakespeare's fictional Romeo and Juliet lived.

Why do some people leave anonymous Valentine's cards?

This trend was started by the Victorians, who thought it was bad luck to sign Valentine's cards with their names.

The Victorians also started the rose-giving trend. They were the favourite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, and have come to indicate passion and romance.

Nowadays, around 50 million roses are received on Valentine's Day each year. But, there will of course be some people who do not receive any cards, flowers or gifts on Valentine's Day. In 2016, one teenager solved this problem by buying 900 carnations and giving them out to all the girls at his school.

If you want to break from tradition and pass on red roses, opt for a delicious Valentine's Day treat instead...

How to woo your love interest on Valentine's Day

On Valentine's Day, sometimes a bunch of flowers won't do - you need a grand romantic gesture, writes Helen O'Hara. For inspiration, here are some of the best ever captured on film:

His Girl Friday (1940) - The plan-within-a-plan

A real contender for the title of greatest rom-com ever, and certainly the quickest witted, the climax here sees star reporter Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell) realise that her editor and ex-husband Walter Burns (Cary Grant) has engineered their quest for a scoop so that it also sabotages her plans to marry again. Instead of raging at such temerity, she falls gratefully into his arms. Its a beautifully executed little twist, making it clear that the pair are in cahoots even when theyre apparently working against each other.

10 Things I Hate About You (1999) - The Shakespearean-ish sonnet

Heath Ledgers grandstanding performance of I Love You Baby gets mentioned a lot in relation to romantic gestures in this film  but thats a lark thats relatively easy to laugh off. In terms of putting yourself out there for your other half, Julia Stiles Kat takes the bigger risks. First, she flashes a teacher to give Ledgers Patrick the chance to escape detention. Then she reads a sonnet, no less, revealing her feelings for him to her entire class. The guts required are almost unthinkable.

Beauty and the Beast (1991) - The library

Belle (Paige OHara) isnt particularly materialistic in this Oscar-nominated animation, but shes as susceptible as the next bookworm to the gift of an entire, enormous library. This one comes with a convenient sofa by the fire and sweeping baroque staircases to shelves that stretch about 200ft in the air. The fact that the Beast (Robbie Benson)  previously bad-tempered and hostile  presents his revelation with a charming degree of shyness and hope just makes it all the sweeter. He was originally cursed for his selfishness, so the thought counts all the more here.

How Valentine's Day is celebrated around the world

While Britons tend to think of red roses, corny cards and chocolates when it comes to Valentine's Day, some countries around the world celebrate love differently and have their own traditions.

In Denmark, couples exchange pressed white flowers called snowdrops while in the Philippines, weddings and vow renewal ceremonies significantly increase on the romantic day, with couples gathering at shopping centres and other public places to tie the knot.

In South Africa, women wear their hearts on their sleeves on Valentine's Day, quite literally, by pinning the names of their love interests to their shirts.

China celebrates its own version of Valentine's Day called Qiki, during which young women prepare offerings of fruit to Zhinu, a heavenly king's daughter, in the hope of finding their perfect match.

In Brazil, they celebrate Dia dos Namorados, translating as "Lovers' Day", on June 12, with music festivals and performances, while in Argentina, they celebrate love for an entire week during July, in what is called "Sweetness Week".

Single on Valentine's Day and looking for love?

If you're single and looking for love, look no further than online dating. Any stigma which may have surrounded searching for love online has been banished, and meeting for a mid-week Tinder date, is no longer something people feel they have to lie about.

But given how much choice is out there, how can you separate the wheat from the chaff? We've selected the top 20 dating apps to help you find your perfect match.

This article has been updated with the latest advice for Valentine's Day 2022.
The former president of Brazil, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, deemed the comeback of the incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro, unlikely. | Read More
We the 97 undersigned civil society organisations, trade unions and groups are shocked by the news that the Malaysian government is increasing the migrant worker (foreign worker) levy to more than double the current rate, which since January 2013, had to be paid by the migrant workers themselves. Prior to that, it was paid by the employer of migrant workers, whereby the introduction of the levy then was to deter employers employing migrant workers, rather than local Malaysian workers. This was also stated by the then Malaysian Labour Director-General Datuk Ismail Abdul Rahim who was quoted saying that, The rationale behind getting employers to bear the levy was to discourage them from employing foreigners [Star, 16/4/2009]





Migrant Worker Levy Rates Drastically Increased as of 1/2/2016

The Malaysian government recently announced that, as of 1/2/2016, annual levy payable for each migrant worker is increased to RM2,500 (manufacturing, construction and service sectors) and RM1,500 (plantation and agriculture). Before this, the annual levy payable for a Migrant Worker in the Manufacturing sector (RM1,250), Construction sector (RM 1,250), Plantation sector (RM590), Agricultural sector (RM410) and Services sector (RM1,250  RM1,850) which was so much lower.





This new rates in comparison greatly burden the migrant worker in that the annual levy payable per migrant worker will now be doubled, or even tripled.

For example, a migrant worker in an electronic factory, classified under the manufacturing sector, who paid a levy of RM1,250 before, will now have to pay double, RM2,500. A worker earning a monthly minimum wage of RM900, which is the wage many migrants are paid, will now have to pay more than RM200 for levy, leaving them with only less than RM700 as their monthly wage, not taking into account all other wage deductions. This is most unjust.

It is unconscionable for the Malaysian government to target migrant workers in the hope of making extra income of RM2.5 billion for the country from the 2.1 million documented migrant workers in Malaysia to rescue Malaysia from its current financial woes.

Easily Exploited With Almost No Access to Justice Makes Migrant Workers Vulnerable to Employer

When Malaysia, introduced Minimum Wage, employers and employer groups complained that their labour cost had gone up, and they could not afford it. In response, the Malaysian government decided that employers no longer need to pay the migrant worker levy, thus the obligation to pay the levy fell on migrant workers themselves.





Contract substitution remains a problem. Migrant workers agree to come to work in Malaysia, but when they start working, the migrant workers complain that they are now paid lower than what they had agreed to in their country of origin with the employer and/or his agent. Many employers have also used the Minimum Wage of RM900, as the standard wages they pay migrant workers.





Because of the debt incurred by migrant workers in coming to Malaysia to work, which is about RM5,000 and the practice of employers and/or agents holding on to their passports and work permits, migrant workers find themselves in a form of bonded labour, and not able to do anything else but just survive.





With the very low wages, they receive; many are forced into doing overtime sometimes 4 hours per day, working on rest days and even public holidays to make ends meet. Malaysian law stipulates a draconian overtime limit of 104 hours every month. This means, in effect migrant workers can be forced to work for 12 hours a day because in many workplaces doing overtime is no longer an option that workers can refuse. As such, migrant workers and even local workers can be considered to be engaged in some form of forced labour.





For migrant workers, access to justice remains a myth for many. When they complain about rights violations, what happens in many cases is that they are terminated, and their permit to work and/or remain in Malaysia is also terminated. This causes migrant workers to be easily controlled and exploited cheaply. They do not even have the option to claim justice.





Employers Contribute Less to Migrant Workers Income





Under the Malaysian law, employers are required to contribute 13% of the monthly income, inclusive of overtime earnings, to the Employees Provident Fund, this requirement is not applicable to the migrant workers. This makes migrant workers cheaper.





Further, since many employers do not take in migrant workers directly as their own employees, but take and use them as workers who are supplied by the labour suppliers - legally known as the contractors for labour - it effectively prevents these supplied migrant workers the right to join in-house trade unions. Even if they do join national/regional unions, they simply will not be able to enjoy the extra rights and benefits that come by reason of a Collective Bargaining Agreement between Union and Employer, simply by reason that they are not recognised as employees. Calls for the abolition of the contractor for labour system by trade unions and civil society have gone unheeded by the government.





Malaysia recognizes that households earning less than RM4,000 a month requires financial assistance, and local workers do get a small assistance from the government through the BR1M program  but migrant workers are excluded from this benefit.





Weakening Ringgit Causes Migrants to earn 20-40% less.





Whilst, the financial problems Malaysia is facing, coupled with the increased cost of living - new taxes, increased transportation costs, and the weakening of the Malaysian Ringgit in relation to currency of the country of origins of migrants  it is the migrant worker who suffers the most.





The weakening ringgit also means that the money migrant workers send back home to their families is now much less and this has a serious impact on their families/dependents and the ability to settle their debts back home. It was recently reported, that "For instance, employees from Bangladesh used to make 44 taka for every RM1, but now it is about 17 taka. The drop is very drastic, more than 40%."Even the ringgit to the Indonesian rupiah has seen a drop in value by 20%," (Malaysian Insider, 5/2/2016)





Unjust to impose New Financial Obligations On Migrant Workers Already In Malaysia

It is totally unjust for Malaysia to impose new financial obligations by law on migrant workers, which did not exist when they agreed with their employers to come and work in Malaysia for 3-5 years. Any new obligations especially of payment by migrant workers should only apply to new migrant workers who have yet to agree to come to Malaysia to work  certainly not to those who are already here and working.





The Malaysian Trade Union Congress(MTUC) and employer groups have been informed that employers will now have to pay migrant worker levy. This was also mentioned in a media report, which stated, The FMM[Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers] said t he government recently informed employers that the levy burden would be shifted back to them . (Star, 2/2/2016).





However, employer groups have started a campaign lobbying the Malaysian government to re-consider, and the Malaysian government has been reported as saying that they may re-consider. There is concern that this re-consideration may not just be about the amount of levy payable, but also the question as to who will have to pay the levy  migrant workers or their employer?





Therefore, we the undersigned





Call on the Malaysian government in the name of justice, to ensure that it must be the employers of migrant workers that should be paying this Migrant Worker levy  not the migrant workers;





Call on the Malaysian government to also reconsider the increase of the levy rate, at this time whilst Malaysia, and especially small Malaysian businesses, are affected by the economic crisis and the effect of the falling Malaysian ringgit.





Call on the Malaysian government to increase the Minimum Wage of all workers in Malaysia to RM1,200  RM1,500, to compensate for the increased cost of living in Malaysia, and the falling value of the Malaysian ringgit with reference to the currency in migrant workers countries of origin.





Call on the Malaysian government to abolish the contractor for labour system, and ensure that all workers that are working in a workplace are all recognised employees of the said workplace, and are treated equally as workers.





ALIRANAlternative ASEAN Network on Burma (ALTSEAN-Burma)Asia Monitor Resource Centre(AMRC)Asia Floor Wage AllianceAsia Pacific Forum on Women Law and Development (APWLD)Association of Human Rights Defenders and Promoters- MyanmarAsociacion de trabajadoras del Hogar a Domicilio y de Maquila, ATRAHDOM, Guatemala, Centro Amercia.Bangladesh Groep Nederland (Bangladesh Group The Netherlands)Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies- BILSBLAST, BangladeshBoat People SOS (BPSOS)Building and Wood Workers International (BWI) Asia Pacific RegionCampagna Abiti Puliti  ItalyCARAM AsiaClean Clothes Campaign International Office(CCC)Club Employees Union Peninsular Malaysia(CEUPM)Coalition to Abolish Modern-day Slavery in Asia (CAMSA)Crispin B. Beltran Resource Center (CBBRC),PhilippinesCWI Malaysia (Committee for Workers International)Defend Job PhilippinesFair  ItalyFAIR ACTION, SwedenFoundation For Women, ThailandGarment and Allied Workers Union, IndiaGerman Clean Clothes CampaignHomeworkers Worldwide, United KingdomIDEAL (Institute for Development of Alternative LivingIndustriALL Bangladesh Council (IBC)Institut RakyatInternational Labor Rights ForumJaringan Rakyat Tertindas (JERIT)Jatio Shromik Federation (JSF), BangladeshKarmojibi Nari (KN), BangladeshKesatuan Pekerja-Pekerja PeroduaKesatuan Sekerja Industri Elektronik Wilayah Selatan, Semenanjung Malaysia (KSIEWSSM)Knowledge and Rights with Young people through Safer Spaces (KRYSS)Labour Behind the LabelLabour Studies and Action Centre (CEREAL), MexicoLegal support for Children and Women (LSCW), CambodiaMADPET (Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture)Malaysian Election Observers NetworkMalaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC)MAP Foundation (Thailand)MHS Aviation Employees UnionMigrante InternationalMission for Migrant WorkersMyanmar Migrants Rights CentreNAMM (Network of Action for Migrants in Malaysia)National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF), BangladeshNational Union Employees in Companies Manufacturing Rubber Products (NUECMRP)National Union of Transport Equipment & Allied Industries Workers (NUTEAW), MalaysiaNLD LA MalaysiaNorth South InitiativeOriental Hearts and Mind Study Institute(OHMSI)Panggau SarawakPaper Products Manufacturing Employees Union of Malaysia (PPMEU)Parti Rakyat Malaysia(PRM)Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM)Pax Romana ICMICAPeoples Service Organisation (PSO)Persatuan Sahabat Wanita Selangor (PSWS)Pertubuhan Angkatan Bahaman, Temerloh, Pahang, MalaysiaPROHAM -Persatuan Promosi Hak Asasi ManusiaRadanar Ayar Rural Development Association, MyanmarReporter BrasilSafety and Rights Society, BangladeshSahabat RakyatSchone Kleren Campagne (CCC Netherlands)SEA Women's Caucus on ASEANSolidarity of Cavite Workers (SCW), PhilippinesSramik Nirapotta Forum, BangladeshSUARAMTenaga National Berhad Junior Officers Union (TNBJOU)TENAGANITA Womens Force, MalaysiaTextile Clothing and Footwear Union of AustraliaThe Collectif Ethique sur letiquette, Clean Clothes Campaign FrenchThink Centre, SingaporeUNI Global UnionWar on WantWARBE Development Foundation, BangladeshWH4C (Workers Hub For Change)Women Peace Network-Arakan, MyanmarWomen Rehabilitation Center (WOREC), NepalWorkers Assistance Center, Inc (WAC) , PhilippinesVietnamese Women for Human RightsYaung Chi Oo Workers Association-YCOWAYayasan Lintas Nusa, IndonesiaIMA Research Foundation, BangladeshInternational Trade Union Confederation(ITUC)Women's Aid Organisation(WAO), MalaysiaPINAY (The Filipino Women's Organization in Quebec), CanadaCividep IndiaKesatuan Sekerja Industri Elektronik Wilayah Utara Semenanjung MalaysiaCentro Nuovo Modello di Sviluppo  ItalyNational Union of Flight Attendants Malaysia (NUFAM)Pusat KOMASPerak Women for Women Society (PWW)
KCR asks Centre to increase Assembly seats

Hyderabad, Feb 13 (INN): Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has urged the Centre to increase the number of seats in Telangana State Legislative Assembly.



On the second day of his tour to New Delhi, the Chief Minister called on Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and other union ministers. During his meeting with Rajnath Singh, KCR appealed to him to increase the Assembly seats in the new State as per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. He also sought sanction of additional 30 IPS officers for the State. He said the process of bifurcation of employees between AP and Telangana should be hastened up.



Later. KCR met Supreme Court Chief Justice T.S. Thakre and discussed the issue of bifurcation of High Court.



The Chief Minister was accompanied with Minister Jagadishwar Reddy, MPs Jithender Reddy and B. Vinod Kumar and Special Representative of Telangana in New Delhi Venugopal Chary among other.



Speaking to media persons later, Jithender Reddy informed that the Chief Minister met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Union Ministers seeking special grants and their help in early completion of pending projects. He said KCR has urged the Centre to fulfil all the promises that were made with Telangana in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.









News Posted: 13 February, 2016








GHMC Mayor gifts plant to Governor

Hyderabad, Feb 13 (INN): Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan praised GHMC Mayor Bonthu Rammohan for his innovative concept of giving plants in place of bouquet to plant the same to make the city pollution free.



As a courtesy call after assuming the charge as Mayor, Bonthu Rammohan, and Deputy Mayor Baba Fasiuddin called on the Governor at Raj Bhavan here on Saturday. They interacted with the Governor on various activities which are planning to undertake for the overall development of Hyderabad. They also requested the Governor to give them suggestions on strengthening the activities of GHMC.



The Governor praised their plans and wished them success in their endeavors.









News Posted: 13 February, 2016








TSMFC extends deadline for registration for loan scheme

Hyderabad, Feb 13 (INN): Telangana State Minorities Finance Corporation has extended the deadline for online registrations for bank-linked subsidy scheme by 14 days. Therefore, now the online applications for 2015-16 can be submitted till 29th February.



All the eligible candidates may apply by visiting the website www.tsobmms.cgg.gov.in. Those living in rural areas may submit their applications with concerned Mandal Parishad Development Officer while those living in Municipalities may approach respective Executive Directors of TSMFC.



Under this scheme, the State Government is proposing to provide business loans through banks on huge subsidy.









News Posted: 13 February, 2016








TDP seeks ECI's intervention on MLAs' defection

Hyderabad, Feb 13 (INN): Telangana Telugu Desam Legislature Party leader A. Revanth Reddy on Saturday sought the intervention of Election Commission of India for action against the MLAs who defected to TRS.



Speaking to media persons after addressing a meeting of party workers in Qutbullapur here, Revanth Reddy accused Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao of showing utter disrespect to Constitution by forcing or luring the TDP MLAs into TRS. He said that Assembly Speaker S. Madhusudan Chary too was playing to the tunes of ruling party by not taking any action on the complaints lodged against defectors. However, he said that the TDP has full faith on the Constitution and hoped that ECI would take action in this matter.



Revanth Reddy said that the TDP would approach the people against the defection by party MLAs. He said that the people would soon teach all defectors a fitting lesson.









News Posted: 13 February, 2016








EVMs' tampering was planned in T Bhavan: Congress

Hyderabad, Feb 13 (INN): Congress senior leader Marri Sashidhar Reddy on Saturday alleged that TRS planned massive tampering of Electronic Voting Machines during GHMC elections at Telangana Bhavan.



Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan here, Sashidhar Reddy said that the claims made by Information Technology Minister K. Tarakarama Rao of winning 100 seats in GHMC elections was based on arrangements he had made for tampering of EVMs. He involved IT experts and tampered the machines to manipulate results in favour of TRS and MIM. He also alleged that the TRS Government pressurised State Election Commission to remove NOTA option from the EVMs and machines without printer were used for the GHMC elections.



Sashidhar Reddy said that the Congress would wage a legal battle against the alleged EVM tampering and would certainly get justice.









News Posted: 13 February, 2016








CLP demands special Assembly session

Hyderabad, Feb 13 (INN): Leader of Opposition in Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir demanded that the State Government convene an all party meeting or hold a special Assembly session on Pranahita-Chevella project.



Addressing a press conference along with Nalgonda MP Gutha Sukhender Reddy and MLC Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy at Congress Legislature Party office on Saturday, Shabbir Ali accused Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao of lacking clarity on Pranahita-Chevella project. Referring to KCR's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, he said that the Chief Minister demanded National Project status without having clarity on whether it is Pranahita-Chevella or Kaleshwaram project. He sought to know whether the State Government has re-designed the project. Further, he said that the cost of the project has been raised from Rs. 36,000 Crore to Rs. 75,000 crore. He said that the State Government should explain the reasons behind 110% increase in the project cost.



Shabbir Ali also alleged that the State Government has released Rs. 2,000 crore to some contractors of Pranahita-Chevella project in violation of set norms and procedures. He said when the project itself is in the stage of re-designing, then when, where and how those contractors executed the works. He alleged that those contractors were favoured by the State Government for the funding TRS received during GHMC elections. He asked the government to furnish details of project, works, packages and locations where those contractors executed the works to claim Rs. 2,000 crore. He said that the Congress party was seeking details with the Chief Secretary under RTI.



Further, Shabbir Ali slammed the TRS Government for shutting down the website on GOs 'goir.telangana.gov.in'. He said that the previous UPA regime introduced Right to Information Act in 2005 with the aim of empowering common man with complete information on government policies. He said it was mandatory for the government to place GOs and other information in public domain. He said that the TRS Government has tried to end 11-year-old practice of having all GOs online on some flimsy reasons. He said shutting down the website was a clear violation of RTI Act. He demanded that the State Government restore the website within 24 hours. He also asked the Chief Secretary to make public nearly 400 GOs which were classified as 'confidential'.



The Congress leader also criticised the TRS Government for renaming Indira Sagar and Rajiv Sagar in Dummugudem of Khammam district. He said KCR was showing disrespect to the Nehru-Gandhi family which not only made huge sacrifices for the country, but also gave statehood for Telangana. Stating that the Pranahita-Chevella project was named after Baba Saheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, he sought to know whether TRS Government renamed the project while changing its design.



Gutha Sukhender Reddy also slammed the TRS Government for violating the RTI Act by shutting down the website on government GOs. He alleged that the State Government lacks proper financial management and therefore, it was pushing Telangana into a huge debt trap.



Ponguleti accused the TRS Government of pursuing some hidden agenda while shutting the GOs website.









News Posted: 13 February, 2016








Dr. Kimberly Estep, WGU Tennessee chancellor, and Dr. Flora Tydings, Chattanooga State president, celebrated and re-signed an articulation agreement Friday that has allowed more than 70 Chattanooga State Community College faculty, staff, and graduates to further their education.



Chattanooga State students and employees need to have options, said Dr. Tydings. And this partnership provides another pathway for our graduates and employees to achieve the career of their dreams.



Chattanooga State was the first community college to sign an agreement with us and we are delighted to work alongside President Tydings to provide accessible, affordable education to their graduates and staff, said Dr. Estep. We look forward to the continued growth of our partnership as Tennessee Promise students prepare to graduate from Chattanooga State in the coming years.



Officials said, "The articulation agreement offers all Chattanooga State graduates and staff discounted tuition at WGU Tennessee, which is already only $6,000 per year and includes learning materials.



"Graduates of Chattanooga State or other Tennessee community colleges who choose to enroll in WGU Tennessee will benefit from 24/7 access to coursework, one-on-one support from an assigned mentor, and a competency-based approach to learning, which allows students to focus on what they need to learn and leverage what they have mastered on the job."



All of this gives students  such as Stacy Vick, who earned nursing degrees from both Chattanooga State and WGU Tennessee  the flexibility they need to balance education, employment and family.

It sounded like it was perfect for a nurses crazy schedule, Ms. Vick said. Im excited to continue building my family and my career. Thanks to WGU Tennessee, Im one step closer to my goal of becoming a nurse practitioner.



"The relationship between WGU Tennessee and Chattanooga State fosters the kind of cooperation necessary to achieve Haslams Drive to 55 goals. Additionally, all Chattanooga area residents are eligible for WGU Tennessees Tenn-K Scholarship, which awards $10,000 to select applicants. With the Tennessee Promise initiative and Chattanooga States partnership with WGU Tennessee, potential students have the opportunity to earn a bachelors or masters degree at a fraction of the average cost," officials said.
Here is the Fort Oglethorpe arrest report for Feb. 5-11:

Jerry Dewom Daniel, 23, of 7735 Farmwood Lane, Harrison was arrested February 5 for theft by shoplifting.



Melissa Renee Carson, 38, of 27 Templin Hills Lane, Ringgold was arrested February 5 for driving while license suspended/revoked.



William Terrell Holloway, 57, of 207 W. Peachtree Street, Rossville was arrested February 6 on charges of driving while license suspended/revoked and tag light violation.



Jason Levi Myers, 18, of 433 Montclair Drive, Rossville was arrested February 6 for criminal damage to property.



Dakota Austin Myers, 17, of 433 Montclair Drive, Rossville was arrested February 6 for criminal damage to property.



Shelly Lynn Durham, 17, of 1209 Indian Avenue, Rossville was arrested February 6 for criminal damage to property.



Ronald Eugene Wagner, 21, of 110 Van Cleve Street, Fort Oglethorpe was arrested February 6 on charges of no insurance, excessive volume from radio and suspended registration.



Johnny Edward Seidel, 44, of 115 Wilder Street, Chickamauga was arrested February 7 on charges of giving false name/information to police and obstruction of officers.



Boyd Lynn Blackburn, 46, of 633 Carrol Drive, Ringgold was arrested February 7 on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, DUI/child endangerment and tag light requirements.



Ernest Edward Gaddis, 31, of 5812 Ringgold Road, East Ridge was arrested February 8 on charges of aggravated assault, battery, criminal trespass, interfering with call for emergency help and false imprisonment.



Daniel Lee Watkins, 30, of 476 Kirby Young Road, Dalton was arrested February 8 for theft by shoplifting.



Jack Dewayne Burkhart, 48, of 94 Cherokee Valley Road, Ringgold was arrested February 10 on a charge of driving under the influence of drugs.



Stephanie Ann Wilkes, 45, of 94 Cherokee Valley Road, Ringgold was arrested February 10 on an outstanding fugitive warrant.



Citation Statistics:

Speeding12

Interfering with official traffic control devices..2

License required.2

Suspended registration.3

Loud music.1

Defective/missing tail lights.2

Entering or crossing roadway1

Defective/missing windshields/windshield wipers.1

Improper left turn.2

Driving on roadways laned for traffic.1

Suspended registration..1

License to be carried and exhibited on demand.1

Registration and license requirements.2

Window tint violation..5

Following too closely.2

Duty of driver to stop at or return to the scene of an accident.1

Driving while license suspended or revoked.1

Proof of insurance required.4

Use of license plate to misrepresent identity of vehicle1

Removing or affixing license plate with intent to conceal.1

Safety belt violations4

Failure to obey traffic control device.2

Underage consumption.3

Reckless driving..1

Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.5

Operation of vehicle without current plate6






You know how, these days, you often meet 70-, 80- and even 90-year-olds and the thought occurs that 70, 80 and 90 ain't what it used to be, that there are still plenty of people in those age groups living lives normally associated with people in their 50s and 60s? Well, one of TFF's readers in Grafton was on a bus a short time ago, when the bus driver pointed out to the other passengers a fellow about to get on: "Here comes Ken Weekes. You all know he is 101." Everyone is impressed bar one passenger, whose voice rings out from the second seat: "That's no big deal, he was in my class at Grafton High School." That was Mrs Rene Crispin the same age. Mr Weekes has since turned 102, and has just bought a new house  a little elevated from potential floods, to store his precious gear including his lawn mower.

Old stories also holding up

Yes, I was surprised too, as I'll bet he was, when it was announced that our own Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, had been given an award as the World's Best Minister, by the World Government Summit, whatever that is, in Dubai. It was still heartening, however, to hear the reaction of the Minister's wife, Paula, who simply said, "You've still got to put the bins out."

Good, but not quite as good as my favourite spousal reaction to her partner's achievements. (I've told it before, but don't care!) Back in 1984, see, Senator John Glenn, the former astronaut, was going hard after the presidency of the United States and was rapturously introduced to a Houston audience with the final exultant words before he took to the podium: "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you one of the last great men left in the United States ... SENATOR JOHN GLENN!" Later that night back at the hotel, after brushing his teeth, Glenn mentions to his wife that he thought the fellow had a point and that there were nowhere near as many great men as there used to be. "As matter of fact, darling," he says, "how many great men do you think there are in America these days?" "About one less than you do," she replies, giving him a kiss and turning off the light.

Pell's refusal is unforgivable

The Cardinal Pell refusal  nominally because he is too crook  to come back to give evidence in person to the Royal Commission on sexual abuse of children in Ballarat while he was in their system? I know it, you know it, and he knows it. It is ludicrous and unforgivable to decline to appear on such an important matter, where the allegations are so grave. Yes, people get crook. But people too crook to fly around the world First Class, don't hold down their day jobs meantime and Pell, as far as we know is still running the Vatican Treasury.
What is it that has to date made the Australian public so ready to accept a bi-partisan hard-line policy on refugees? To accept with minimal disquiet a policy that the United Nations has condemned as breaching international law and violating the Convention Against Torture? To dismiss the evidence of on-going abuse and the impact of indefinite detention in harsh conditions on children and adults? In the first instance, there is the increasing shroud of secrecy that the government, with full support from the opposition, has increasingly thrown over all its off-shore detention activities. To ensure that information about conditions on the two off-shore detention centres does not make it into the public arena, the government last year passed the Border Force Act. Enacted with opposition support but opposed by the Greens, the legislation makes it illegal for anyone working for the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, including health and welfare officials, to reveal any information about conditions and processes in detention centres to the media or anyone else. The punishment for doing so is up to two years imprisonment. The government also refuses to disclose information on boat arrivals or turn-backs. Using the catch-all phrases of "on-water" and "operational" matters, the government justifies this information black-out as necessary to ensure that potential people smugglers do not benefit from information. Recently Major-General Andrew Bottrell, commander of Operation Sovereign Borders, refused to answer legitimate questions put to him at a Senate Inquiry into whether payments had been made to people smugglers to return boats to Indonesia. His refusal was based on the grounds of "public interest immunity". Thus the public, politicians and the media alike are denied the information they need to make an informed judgment about what is being done in Australia's name, by Australian-employed officials, using Australian taxpayer funds. The government's border protection policy has now increased the secrecy surrounding detention centres and boat arrivals to such an extent that it arguably conflicts with democratic processes.

And meanwhile the hapless occupants of offshore detention centres who have committed no crime are pushed further into anonymity, their faces kept from us. Then there is the conscious manipulation of the language to arouse fear and suspicion of asylum seekers and refugees casting the shadow of illegality over them. In 2013 public servants were instructed by the Coalition government to refer to asylum seekers as "illegal" arrivals. There is, however, nothing illegal in seeking asylum. Indeed Australia is a signatory to Article 31 of the Refugee Convention which states that people have a legal right to enter a country to seek asylum, regardless of how they arrive or whether they hold valid travel or identity documents. Still the tag of "illegal" attached to asylum seekers has entered our language and stuck. There are other descriptors like "queue jumpers"  there is no queue for refugees or asylum seekers  or potential "terrorists", ignoring the reality that more often than not asylum seekers are themselves fleeing terrorism in their own countries. Fear of inundation is promoted by the use of terms like "floods" or "waves" of asylum seekers. However Australia takes only a very small proportion of the world's refugees annually amounting to just under.057 per cent of our population.

Not only is the language militarised with the use of terms like border protection but civil public servants in in the new Australian "Border Force" have been placed in military uniforms and provided with weapons, giving the impression that Australia is under military threat. And finally there is the "stop the boats" policy. A policy of deterrence that argues that our punitive asylum seeker regime is necessary to stop asylum seekers taking to boats and to discourage the "evil" people smugglers. The usually unchallenged assumption underpinning this argument is that this is the only way to stop asylum seeker deaths at sea; to make life at the end of the journey so appalling that no-one will try to escape by sea. It is a policy which many are now arguing has suffering as an underpinning principle. That's the nature of deterrence. But, as our politicians must know, this policy is not the only way to prevent drownings. There is, of course, another option; one that has in large measure been successfully tried before. A policy very similar to this operated to help resettle refugees from South-east Asia in the 1960s and '70s. It is an option that would prevent people being locked up indefinitely in detention; save lives lost at sea; allow Australia to meet its international human rights obligations and cost less than the extraordinary $400,000 per year per single asylum seeker on Manus Island or Nauru. This alternative policy proposes that there should be no mandatory detention of asylum seekers. Instead, that working with the UNHCR, Australia should help with speedy processing in transit countries so that successful applicants for refugee status can be flown to Australia for resettlement.
Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) is a mouse of a girl as she steps onto the ship. She wears a coat of dull green and she's many shades of green herself  unsophisticated and unworldly, a small part of a small town with small prospects, if she stays. After a storm hits the ship, she's green for another reason. There's a memorable scene about what happens when she can't find a proper place to be sick.

'Tis better than good, but don't take my word for it. So far it has appeared on 59 lists of the best films of 2015, but they were nearly all Americans, so what do they know? They probably liked the title, taken direct from Colm Toibin's 2009 novel about a young Irish woman who migrates to America in 1952.

Eilis (pronounced Aye-lish) is leaving behind a grieving mother (Jane Brennan) and a sister Rose (Fiona Glascott) who has sacrificed her own hopes so that her sister can get away. From the very beginning, this film makes plain the shattering implications of migration  for those left behind, as for those who leave. That's a mark of its quality: the script, adapted by Nick Hornby, has room for shiploads of emotion, distributed widely across the characters. In a career full of good scripts, this is one of his best: economic, unforced, expressive, not in the least theatrical.

Saoirse Ronan is convincing in the film Brooklyn. Credit:Kerry Brown

Her life has been pre-arranged, thanks to Father Flood (Jim Broadbent), a benevolent Irish priest based in Brooklyn. She lodges with Mrs Kehoe (Julie Walters), in a boarding house in Brooklyn. There are four other girls, all enjoying everything New York has to offer  jobs, money, clothes and men. Finding a husband is a priority of sorts, but so is having a good time. Eilis is shocked by their brassiness, only kept in check by the acid tongue of Mrs Kehoe and the knowledge that everything they do will be noted and reported back to relatives all over Ireland. Brooklyn, in this sense, is a large Irish town a long way from Ireland  except for the Italians, one of whom has his eye on Eilis. Tony (Emory Cohen), a plumber, has a thing for Irish girls.

The differences in scale between Brooklyn and Ireland are well used. Eilis leaves behind narrow streets and mean houses, but America is all wide and shiny and full of fashionably dressed women. Eilis takes a place behind the counter at a department store, barely able to speak through her nervousness. It feels like she will die of loneliness.

Part of the film's charm is the way that Irish director John Crowley (Intermission) manages the mood, without compromising the momentum. His direction is impeccable  from the way the colours becomes warmer as Eilis grows, to the restraint he shows in the developing romance. Julie Walters, of course, finds every nuance of humour in Mrs Kehoe, who's both prim and warm. (The BBC is said to be developing a series based just on her and the boarding house full of Irish girls). Saoirse Ronan's depiction of Eilis's homesickness as a physical, implacable reality is acute, and it's backed by what we see around her. There's a scene where she goes to the church to help Father Flood with Christmas lunch for the Irish homeless men  the ones who built all the roads and bridges and railways, he tells her. There is no sentimentality about this moving scene, just a sense of agonising truth. They came so far, but ended up with so little.
NSW Labor will become the first Australian political party to disclose political donations as they come in, with a system to be up and running in 2017, NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley will outline on Sunday.

The major transparency pledge will be made in his first leader's speech to the party's annual conference at Town Hall.

"Disclosure delayed is disclosure denied": Luke Foley. Credit:Joosep Martinson

"A cornerstone of our state's democracy must be timely and transparent disclosure of political donations," said Mr Foley.

"Currently, voters in NSW wait up to 17 months to find out who has donated to which party and how much. Disclosure delayed is disclosure denied."
Havana: Cuba is a curious destination for a technology reporter.

Of course, you can book a room over the internet these days, through any number of online directories like homestay.com or Airbnb.

The bright lights of Havana's Hotel Inglaterra. Credit:Hannah Francis

Homes with internet access remain a tiny minority, but the version of Havana that is frozen in time  with its vintage cars and lack of mobile phones  is gradually fading.

So, when staying in a 1920s casa particular without any internet access available for guests, I was left to navigate the city with a free mobile app I'd downloaded  including an offline map which didn't always have its landmarks in the right spot  and a Lonely Planet guide to Havana, published in 2007, which belonged to my landlady. Between them I managed all right.
Similarly the rate is rising in Victoria Police: last week alone two officers took their own lives and there have been eight suicides in the past three years, an annualised increase of 450 per cent. Suicide rates for paramedics, too, have been consistently on the rise. It's not only frontline responders who suffer: last week the Minister for Police and Corrections, Wade Noonan, announced he was taking leave to seek help for dealing with "unspeakable crimes and traumatic events" in his role. He has been applauded for seeking help. The head of the Police Association, Ron Iddles, said, "While the national [suicide] average has trended down, the alarming thing for emergency services is it's gone in the opposite direction." He said mental health issues were complex and combined biological, behavioural, social and environmental factors, but there was no doubt that emergency services workers faced more demands and were more accountable than ever. The chief officer of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, Peter Rau, initially questioned the figures and didn't comment on the spike, but said many factors could lead to someone feeling suicidal, some of which could be work-related. He said the organisation was undertaking a review of its mental health services, to identify gaps, but that the MFB, like Victoria Police and Ambulance Victoria, offered a range of services including counselling, peer support programs and wellness checks.

He said the conversation around mental health had to change. "It's really easy to talk about someone who's broken their leg or has cancer. When it comes to mental health it's difficult to have that conversation. We need to do more than just give someone a cup that says Are You OK. You need to have a discussion about what's happening at work and outside  in your family life, the kids." Harris said the perceived need to appear brave could dissuade people from admitting they were struggling. "In the fire brigade you are expected to be a tough person, which is silly. I'm trying to get it out there that this a very normal thing and there's lots of people in the same boat. It's OK to ask for help and put your hand up and say I'm not OK. What we have to process is not normal." The psychologist who has treated Harris, Diane Williams, said given the number of incidents emergency services workers attend, and their unexpected nature, being traumatised was "not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of what they've been exposed to". The tipping point can vary, from something innocuous to something more disturbing that might resonate with the person's own life. There was a consensus across the emergency services that the current Work Cover system put unacceptable pressure on vulnerable workers, which diminished their ability to return to work. Harris applied for medical reimbursement but the subsequent Work Cover investigation triggered another bout of feeling suicidal. "Once the claim went in I was made to feel like the bad person, that I had to prove I wasn't making it up. That really sent me down a bad path. I hadn't even had any time off work; I was still battling through, still turning up."

Iddles said 38 per cent of police mental health claims were accepted, compared with 98 per cent of physical claims. "The insurer says 'I can't see that' and rejects the claim. The member gets bitter and twisted because no one is helping them and they start to blame the job. "It might take 9-10 months to get accepted and in that period they're not getting any help. If the claims were accepted straight off the bat and they got psychological help straight away I think we'd be better off." The assistant secretary of the Ambulance Employees Association, Danny Hill, supported this view, saying, "The current system for dealing with Work Cover claims is completely out of touch and misaligned as far as dealing with psychological trauma that emergency services workers face. Completely." A WorkSafe spokesman said trying to determine the cause of mental health problem was sensitive and complex, and while agreeing that people could be vulnerable to delays in the compensation process, said it could not be rushed. He said early intervention by employers was key to preventing tragedies. WorkSafe was working with employers and the government to address the complexity of mental injury in the workplace, he added. Five senior firefighters told The Sunday Age that a long-running industrial dispute has had a detrimental effect on firefighters' mental health; relations between the MFB and CFA and rank-and-file members are close to breaking point and morale is low.

Harris said, "That's definitely putting stress on people, and the uncertainty. It's been going on for so long about what's going to happen  are our jobs safe? It scares people: it's their livelihoods and anybody would be stressed about that." The deputy director of the Phoenix Centre for Post-Traumatic Mental Health, Dr Andrea Phelps, said, speaking generally, that "organisational and operational factors did have an impact on people's wellbeing, particularly in environments involving cumulative trauma over time. "The biggest predictor of recovery after a trauma is the support people get. It's more important than any personal characteristic whether or not you get support afterwards. If you're in a work environment in which you feel supported, it's more likely that you're going to be resilient to the effects of trauma than if you're not. We encourage a whole-of-organisation approach to looking after people who are exposed." Harris said the teamwork inherent in emergency services created opportunities to save lives  by having the difficult conversations. "We tell each other we're a team, we stick together but sometimes don't feel comfortable telling them what's wrong. That's what I'm trying to fix  we need to change that culture."
The stalled redevelopment of the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital has been thrown a lifeline and will be completed before the next state election, despite costs blowing out to $200 million after buildings were found to be riddled with asbestos.

After months of the project being in limbo, the Andrews government has decided to pump an extra $31.4 million into the long-awaited redevelopment, but construction will not be completed until late 2018  one year later than originally planned and five years after work began under the Coalition.

The Eye and Ear Hospital in East Melbourne.

The funding  about two thirds from the state and one-third from the hospital - will give the health service some much-needed certainty after a series of delays and overruns, which culminated in November when the discovery of asbestos plunged the project into chaos.

Once completed, patients will have a new five-level building with seven operating rooms, recovery spaces, extra beds, a new emergency department and outpatients consulting rooms. The upper levels will also provide space for teaching, training and research.
Bayside residents face the prospect of sky rail along the Frankston train line, with the Andrews government not ruling out an expansion of elevated tracks across some of Melbourne's most marginal seats.

Days after facing a backlash over plans to raise sections of the Dandenong-Cranbourne line in order to remove level crossings, the government is considering whether a similar option will also be required along the Frankston corridor  paving the way for a potentially fierce battle in the sandbelt suburbs where Victorian elections tend to be won or lost.

Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan met with bayside Labor MPs in parliament last week to talk about the level crossings removal program, and community forums will begin in March to discuss "all aspects" of future construction.

But while no decisions have been made  consultations and a tender process will continue throughput 2017  The Sunday Age understands that elevating the tracks may end up being the main option for parts of the Frankston line, because a high water table is likely to make tunnelling difficult along certain sections near the beach.
There are so many very serious issues confronting the follower of Jesus today that it is a terrifying proposition to make an attempt to identify one as the greatest. Surely the biblical illiteracy among church leaders and church members is a huge problem. Finding Christian leaders who invest the time and effort on rightly dividing the word of truth is not easy. Surely the absolutely abysmal state of Christian prayer time is a tremendous concern. Finding Christians who will truly come into the presence of God concerning kingdom matters is no simple task. Finding a prayer meeting that is much more than a medical report is difficult. Confronting the killing of innocent unborn children is surely a monumental and important task. Surely defending the God ordained institution of marriage is a job worthy of our best efforts. Surely helping people to escape from the clutches of addictions to illegal drugs, immoral sex, pornography, gambling, alcohol, etc.

is an important aim for us. I must contend that despite the immense significance of all of these issues, there is a greater danger that has crept in among us. It is moving at ever increasing speeds with ever increasing boldness. I speak of religious syncretism.

All across my county, my state, my country, and my world, politicians, celebrities, and false religious teachers are joining together to proclaim a message that could not be more completely opposite to the Christianity espoused by the Bible. They are becoming bolder and more aggressive with each passing day. Their false message that would never have been tolerated in years past is becoming ever more acceptable day by day. Biblically illiterate people all around the world, many of them think they are Christians, are swallowing a lie that being spiritual is a legitimate avenue to God. People with no discernment are accepting teaching that any or no religion or any combination of religions is an acceptable path to God. It is getting increasingly more difficult to share the exclusive glorious gospel of Jesus the Christ because of the pervasive and relentless promotion of the false notion that all religions are equal and compatible. The Bible is not ambiguous about that idea. The Bible leaves no room for debate on that. One cannot believe the Bible and also believe that.

God has declared that He alone is God; there is no other. (Dt. 4:35,39; Isaiah 45:5,6 etc.) God has declared that He is a jealous God and that He will not share His glory with another. (Isaiah 42:8) Jesus told His disciples that He alone is the Way, the Truth, the Life and that no one gets to heaven except through Him. (John 14:6) Peter filled with the Holy Spirit put it very plainly in Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. (NASU) Paul made it very clear in 1 Timothy 2:5-6,For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.(NASU) Galatians 1:6-9 states, I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! (NASU)

If Christians do not awaken and recognize this pernicious evil for what it is, and confront it, we will soon not recognize that which was once the church of the Living Christ. This is the great struggle of our day.

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But while the hospital insists the treatment is "in accordance with the law and appropriate clinical guidelines", Mr Daniels' father Bernard believes that ECT  which involves inducing seizures by delivering an electric current through the brain  is making his son worse.

Mr Daniels and his family say the 40-year-old, who is an involuntary patient at the Upton House psychiatric hospital in Box Hill, has been administered about 75 electric shocks in six months and spent almost 60 days last year tied to his bed with Velcro straps.

In a rare intervention, the government has asked Victoria's Chief Psychiatrist for a report on Garth Daniels, a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia, whose case has reignited the debate surrounding the use of electro convulsive therapy (ECT) and the safeguards for people in psychiatric care.

The state government is investigating the treatment of a man who has had more than 70 hits of shock therapy without his consent, prompting his family and medical experts to fear for his life.

"His memory is clearly impaired and I fear that if this goes on, he could end up a vegetable," he said.

The case has already sparked a number of legal battles: one from Mr Daniels, who is suing the hospital for assault and last week told The Sunday Age, "I don't want to be in this hospital, I just want to go home as soon as possible", and another from his father, who is attempting to gain an injunction in an attempt to stop Eastern Health from administering two types of drugs, Clexane and Zuclopenthixol.

But last week, Mental Health Minister Martin Foley was also asked to intervene, with Swinburne University clinical psychology professor John Read raising the issue with the government and lodging a series of formal complaints against the Mental Health Tribunal, which gave the hospital the go-ahead to increase the rate of Mr Daniels' shock treatment.

Health department guidelines state that "a course of ECT can be up to 12 treatments performed over a period of time that cannot exceed six months". And in order to administer ECT, a patient must also give informed consent, unless they are ruled incapable of doing so.

But Professor Read said this was precisely the problem: at the last tribunal hearing a few weeks ago, Mr Daniels was unable to have his say "because the hospital had him strapped to his bed, yet again". The tribunal  having decided he was incapable of giving consent  then authorised a further round of ECT.
Berlin: George Clooney says the refugee crisis is bigger than the headline-grabbing exodus from Syria and Iraq, and he believes Americans "will do the right thing" by rejecting Donald Trump and calls to ban Muslims entering the United States.

Clooney spoke on Friday, the same day he and his wife, the human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin Clooney, met German Chancellor Angela Merkel behind closed doors at the chancellery to discuss the refugee issue.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (second from left) meets with George and Amal Clooney. Credit:Getty Images

The Clooneys were in the German capital for the international premiere of Hail, Caesar!, in which Clooney has a starring role and which opened the Berlin International Film Festival on Thursday.
Helsinki: Thousands of Iraqi refugees who arrived in Finland last year have decided to cancel their asylum applications and to return home voluntarily, citing family issues and disappointment with life in the frosty Nordic country.

Europe is in the grip of its worst migrant crisis since World War II, with more than 1 million people arriving last year, fleeing wars and poverty in the Middle East and beyond.

Muntadher Tareef, centre, and Hosham Hassen, right, who want to return to Iraq after about five months in Finland, with agent Muhiadin Hassan in Helsinki last month. Credit:NYT

Germany and Finland's neighbour Sweden have taken in many of the migrants but Finland too saw the number of asylum seekers increase nearly tenfold in 2015 to 32,500 from 3600 in 2014.
Washington: The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed legislation on Friday broadening sanctions to punish North Korea for its nuclear program, human rights record and cyber crimes, and sent the measure to President Barack Obama to sign into law.

Legislators said they wanted to make Washington's resolve clear to Pyongyang, but also to the United Nations and other governments, especially China, North Korea's lone major ally and main business partner.

A North Korean soldier stands in front of the Unha 3 rocket at a launching site at Tongchang-ri, in 2012. Credit:AP

The package includes sanctions targeting North Korea and "secondary sanctions" against those who do business with it.
In this video created by Broadway's An American in Paris earlier this year, the musical's original stars discuss the love square at the center of the show. In the romantic story, not two, but three men are in love with beautiful ballerina Lise Dassin. In each case, the love is reciprocated by Lise, but her feelings for each man are unique, and in the end, there's only one relationship that's written in the stars. Go along with the original stars of the the Tony-nominated musical as they consider the many meanings of "love":

For tickets and more information, click here.
 Flash

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday spoke out against the possible deployment of an advanced US missile defence system in Republic of Korea (ROK), stressing that it would complicate the regional stability situation.

Meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Wang made clear China's opposition to the possible deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system in Republic of Korea.

The United States and ROK have begun negotiations on the deployment of THAAD. The Pentagon made the announcement hours after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) carried out on Sunday what it said was a satellite launch but others believed was a missile test.

Under UN Security Council resolutions, the DPRK is banned from test-firing any rockets based on ballistic missile technology.

As one of the most advanced missile defense systems in the world, THAAD can intercept and destroy ballistic missiles inside or just outside the atmosphere during their final phase of flight.

Despite claims by Washington and Seoul that the missile shield would be focused solely on the DPRK, it is widely believed that the deployment would pose considerable threat to neighboring countries.

In an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of the Munich meeting, Wang said that he was concerned by the possible deployment of the sophisticated anti-missile system in Republic of Korea.

"The deployment of the THAAD system by the United States ... goes far beyond the defense needs of the Korean Peninsula and the coverage would mean it will reach deep into the Asian continent," Wang said.

"It directly affects the strategic security interests of China and other Asian countries," he added.

The Chinese foreign minister urged the US side to act cautiously, not to undermine China's security interests or add new complications to regional peace and stability.

Regarding the DPRK's recent nuclear test and rocket launch, Wang said both moves violated UN resolutions and pose seriously challenge to the global non-proliferation regime.

China and the United States have agreed to speed up the consultation process at the UN Security Council to reach a new resolution and take strong and effective measures to deter further development of nuclear and missile programs by the DPRK, Wang noted in his meeting with Kerry.

Reiterating China's stance on sanctions against the DPRK, he said "it remains to be our common goal to work together and find a way to bring the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue back to the right track of dialogue and negotiations, which is fully in line with the interests of all parties, including China and the United States."

In the interview with Reuters, Wang said China insists that there should be no nuclear weapons on the peninsula, no matter whether they were possessed by the north or the south side, and no matter whether they were developed locally or introduced from the outside.

China, a neighboring country of the Korean Peninsula and a major stakeholder in regional stability, also maintains that the Korean Peninsula denuclearization should be achieved via dialogue, not war, and that China's national security interests should be guaranteed, he added.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/02/2016 (2442 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The finishing touches were being applied on Providence University Colleges finest display of its theatre offerings a year ago this month. They pulled no punches. That play was an eye-opening examination of residential schools from a unique context: the nuns who carried out the wrongdoings. Hundreds took in each showing of the unflinching history lesson.

A year later, those same spotlights that brought the play to life have been turned off.

There is no full-length theatre production this year because there is no theatre program. The program was quietly wiped from Providences slate of classesthough the school says theatre is on hiatus and will return.

SUPPLIED IMAGE | CARILLON ARCHIVES Providence College presented the play Sisters last school year. The school's theatre program is now on hiatus.

Marie Raynard, who most recently ran the faith-based institutions theatre program, was saddened to hear the news.

She knows the program better than most. A Nova Scotian, she was pulled to the Prairies to study theatre at Providence in 2003 and stayed for the better part of 12 years. Raynard graduated in 2006 and by 2009 found herself as an adjunct professor in the program. She stuck around, eventually becoming lead instructor.

I think that its a great loss in terms of what makes Providence special, Raynard said from Halifax where she works in Dalhousie Universitys theatre department. I think the full-length production particularly, and the theatre program and all that went along with that in terms of students directing plays and performing plays throughout the year, taking theatre into high schools in Manitoba. I think that theres a lot of creativity and heart lost there.

Providence says theatre will return, according to spokesperson Jerrad Peters.

Our theatre professor relocated to the east coast. We didnt have time to find a suitable replacement, especially given the quality that we like to have associated with our productions, he said. What I do know is that theatre productions will continue to be a part of the Providence experience going forward.

Peters could not say with certainty the program would return for the 2016-17 school year but said there was no decision by the board to scrap the theatre program.

Raynard presumed theatre would continue on without her when she returned to the Maritimes. She says Providence asked her for suggestions on who could take over her role.

Student enrollment has never been significant. There were about 10 students in the three-year major program last year, with three of those graduating last spring, said Raynard. She adds the remaining students either went to a different post-secondary institution to finish their schooling or remained at Providence, previously satisfying the requirements of their major.

Theatres influence expanded beyond the handful of students pursing the major, however. Some students took the minor option or enrolled in introductory theatre classes. A touring troupe visited high schools and dozens of students assumed various roles on stage and behind the scenes in major theatre productions, like 2015s Sisters, a look at the residential schools crisis.

I know that there are students who had their minds changed about whether they would stay at Prov by participating in the full-length production, recalled Raynard. It encouraged them to stay.

Raynard is certainly among the programs biggest advocates, who no doubt would like theatre to enrich the Providence community again.

Some of the absolute best experiences of my life were had there, on that stage, or watching my students perform on the stage, she said. Having been in that place as a student and then to be there as a teacher was very powerful for me. Ill never forget it.
K.P. Yohannan, the influential international evangelical pastor behind Believers Church, has over the last 38 years grown his Texas-based non-profit Gospel for Asia (GFA) into the second-largest mission organization in the U.S. Now, a single lawsuit alleging fraud and misuse of hundreds of millions in donations could bring the whole thing crumbling down.

According to a federal class action lawsuit filed on Monday in Arkansas, Yohannan and others in his organization allegedly took offerings from tens of thousands of faithful under the guise of feeding and housing the worlds most impoverished people. But instead, the lawsuit claims, they used the gifts to build an empire that includes homes, sports teams, private investing, and a sprawling $20 million headquarters in Wills Point, Texas.

GFAs mission, according to its website, is to share the Good News of Jesus with those who have never heard his name. They train and send national missionaries to reach out into areas where the Good News of Jesus Christ has not yet been heard. Specifically, they aim to convert those who live in what evangelicals know as the 10/40 Window10 degrees to 40 degrees north of the equatorwhere mostly poor Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists live.

In videos of sermons before American audienceswhich often address the topic of selflessnessYohannan appears in a button-down shirt and sport coat, joking about his emigration from India and his thick accent before a crowd of evangelical southerners. When presiding over Believers Church, Yohannan more closely resembles the leader of an episcopal church, wears flowing robes, andas documented by the indefatigable religion blogger, Warren Throckmortonat times having junior pastors kiss his ring.

Yohannan and his associates divert much of this money and do with it as they please, lawyers for plaintiffs Matthew and Jennifer Dickson allege in the complaint.

In an email to my request for comment, Brian Kirik, a spokesman for GFA wrote, We are still trying to get our arms around exactly what were being accused of, and so this is all we will be saying for today. Though we intend on being fully cooperative and transparent.

Gospel for Asia posted a statement on Friday that said in part, We will fully cooperate with the law and are in the process of securing specialized legal counsel to help us and our other legal advisors navigate this new challenge.

We consider it a blessing to finally have the opportunity to bring this matter to full resolution through an impartial arbiter, and you can rest assured that in the meantime we will continue operating on behalf of some of the worlds most desperate people in some of its most complex environments. We hope you will pray for us, for these ongoing challenges are certainly also challenges and distractions to our mission.

The staff leadership of Gospel for Asia are working diligently to handle all of this responsibly and with integrity. We will come out of this stronger.

The lawsuit charges that Yohannan, his wife and son, and two others affiliated with GFA were involved with fraud and racketeering, and requests that a judge issue an order barring GFA from continuing its fundraising practices, as well as pay restitution and damages in what could amount to tens of thousands of donors.

Between 2007 and 2013, the complaint alleges that GFA has solicited over $450 million in donations from United States donors, with over one million unique donations made each year.

GFA claims on its promotional materials: We do not use funds designated for the mission field for any other purposes because of our commitment to the Lord and our commitment to financial integrity.

Those promotional materials are usually soaked in urgency. Envelopes stuffed with requests for donations are emblazoned with Please read urgent message -Brother K.P. and EMERGENCY GRAM is repeated on a banner at the top. Inside envelopes like that one, donors are begged to help the 74,000 children waiting for them today. Specific appeals are sent for projects like sewing machines, or a $12 blanket thataccording to the photocan keep a family of five warm, or a $345 camel for a family in South Asia, or a $1,200 motorcycle so a missionary can reach distant villages.

But according to the suit, those funds dont always go where GFA says they do.

In 2013, the complaint claims, GFA collected $118 million in donations but allegedly sent less than $15 million to support the poor in India. Instead of sending money to the field, it poured cash back into its own organization for administration, and to GFA affiliates. Almost $43 million, the complaint claims, just went missing.

In 2010, the complaint alleges, $20 million went to the construction of a $45-million Texas compoundmoney the nonprofit claimed in financial forms had come from an anonymous donor, but really had come from itself.

The complaint goes on to say that GFA misdirected its money intended for poor children, orphans and widows, and Jesus Wells, a project to provide clean water to poor villages.

The lawsuit comes on the heels of a damning report from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, an organization with the mission of enhancing trust, transparency and integrity in Christ-centered organizations nonprofits and churches through developing, maintaining accountability standards.

In October, the ECFA terminated GFAs 36-year membership, citing its failure to comply with five standards: Governance, Financial Oversight, Use of Resources, Compensation, Truthfulness in Communications and Giver Expectations and Intent.

The ECFA found that GFA had excessive cash balances sitting in its coffers: $259,437,098 on hand at March 31, 2014 and $186 million in June 2015.

In light of the significant cash balances held by field partners and the delay in sending funds to the field, ECFA staff raised concerns about the appropriateness of communicating urgency in many donor appeals, the report states. This includes appeals indicating When we share with you about the urgency to reach the untold, lost millionsand the opportunities to win them to Jesusit is not done to produce feelings of guilt or manipulate.

GFA also failed to report to the Department of Homeland Security some $287,500 in cash smuggled into India over the last three years by GFA missionaries, according to the ECFA report.

And further, the report said it was compelled to observe our concern that GFA either directly misled investigators or left out information, suggesting an attempt by GFA to obfuscate the review.

But its not just the number crunchers who take issue with the house that Yohannan built. A number of disaffected GFA staffers have also began publicly denouncing the practices of their former organization on the website GFA Diaspora. Among their concerns is that too much authority is placed with Yohannanrequiring staff to obey without questioningand that leaders allegedly deceive followers, shun dissenters, and discourage or prohibit meetings of small groups that could breed dissention.
To the growing litany of elusive human rewards like the simultaneous orgasm and socialism with a human face we can now add the nationwide cessation of hostilities.

Last night, in Munich, the Secretary of State John Kerry outlined a plan for a moratorium on violence in the five year-old civil war in Syria. Actually, the plan isnt new at all; it had been limned last October in Vienna by its principal architects, Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, whose government has serially humiliated the formers in the last few years. Nor is there anything resembling a civil war to stop in Syria. There are, rather, a proliferating series of sideshow conflicts involving hundreds of different armed factionsincluding the expeditionary units or special forces of two foreign stateswhich collectively control all of Syrias balkanized geography. These factions can be broadly separated into three categories, with some overlapping characteristics. There are those fighting for themselves and their competitive state-building projects, including the Kurdish Peoples Defense Units and ISIS. There are those fighting for the regime of Bashar al-Assad including Irans Revolutionary Guards Corps and an ever expanding circle of its multinational proxies such as Lebanese Hezbollah; the Fatemiyoun Division of Afghan refugees as young as 12 year-olds who have been conscripted in Iran to fight in Syria; the National Defense Force, a super-militia of Shia and Alawite fighters; three Iraqi Shia militias, the Badr Corps, League of the Righteous and Hezbollah Brigades, which have lately returned the favor of receiving American air support in Amerli and Tikrit by attacking the CIA-armed rebels in Aleppo. (The League of the Righteous has also reportedly kidnapped three American contractors in Baghdad). Finally, there are those fighting for the overthrow of the regime including the aforesaid CIA-armed rebels and a host of Islamist or Salafist brigades. The proposed ceasefire, however, will not apply to ISIS, which commands between 20,000 and 30,000 fighters, and one of the stronger elements from the third category, Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrias official al-Qaeda franchise, which commands 10,000. ISIS and al-Nusra are undisputed terrorist organizations and so the war against them must continue unabated. But this means that 40,000 well-armed jihadists will be able to shoot and suicide bomb their way through a nationwide cessation of hostilities, facing no resistance from their manifold enemies who will now be duty-bound to lay down their arms and turn the other cheek.

What could possibly go wrong?

Into this simple solution for peace in our time comes the inevitable morass of the peacemakers. Russia has insisted since late September, when its air campaign in Syria got underway, that it is bombing ISIS. It is plainly, demonstrably not. Last week, Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren told reporters that, at most, ten percent of Russian airstrikes have been directed at Abu Bakr al-Baghdadis garrisons, weaponry and oil infrastructure, and only then in the rare occasion that agents of the caliphate and agents of Assad collide on the battlefield. The Russian Defense Ministry, however, lies daily about its quarry, as open-source investigators, such as the website Bellingcat, have shown using the ministrys own uploaded video footage of airstrikes. More frequent casualties of Vladimir Putins intervention are, in no particular order of priority, grain silos, hospitals, water-treatment plants, ambulances, mosques, US-backed anti-Assad (and anti-ISIS) rebels, and a thousand civilians and counting.

A week ago, the Syrian White Helmets, a search-and-rescue volunteer corps that pulls men, women and children from the rubble, counted 900 airstrikes in Aleppos provincial capital in a single 24-hour period. There is no ISIS in Aleppo City, but Syrian and Russian warplanes have nevertheless been pulverizing it round-the-clock in anticipation of a mounting ground offensiveone led by all the Iranian-built proxies I mentioned earlierto recapture the Syrian oppositions last major stronghold. Thirty thousand people have fled to the Turkish border to escape the carnage. No doubt more will follow. Russia, meanwhile, will insist that it is abiding by the ceasefire by going after ISISor it will blame the US-led coalition for bombing Aleppo, as it tried to do yesterday.

Assad himself has pressed the obvious point, vowing to retake all of his hopelessly balkanized country, whatever pieces of paper get drawn up in Switzerland. [I]f we negotiate, it does not mean that we stop fighting terrorism, he told AFP today, using as baggy a definition of the the word terrorism as his Russian and Iranian suzerains do.

The foregoing Mad Hatter scenario is what we can expect if Kerrys big initiative fails. What happens if it by some miracle succeeds will be even worse. The Syria Institute is a newish nonprofit research organization based in Washington, DC which studies the conflict in granular detail. Along with the Dutch peace group PAX, it has found that over one million Syrians are currently living under a state of siege, the overwhelming majority courtesy of pro-regime forces. Of 52 besieged areas identified by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, only two are held by the armed oppositionthe towns of Fuaa and Kefraya, both in in Idlib province. The other exception is Deir Ezzor city, which is held by a combination of ISIS and the Syrian military. Local ceasefires in besieged communities in Syria have frequently failed to bring an end to the sieges, the Syria Institute and PAX writes in its latest quarterly report on the subject. Even in cases where violent attacks cease, humanitarian access is generally minimal, movement restrictions remain, and living conditions do not improveand sometimes worsenfollowing ceasefire implementation. UN participation in these agreements, particularly in assisting with forced population transfers, appears to have validated the Syrian governments strategy of besieging civilians in order to subjugate or depopulate an area.

That last observation has actually been conceded by the UNOCHR, whose Damascus office has done Assads bidding in erasing the words siege or besieged from a blueprint intended to relieve nearly a million people facing starvation. In other words, the gruesome dictatorship that was recently accused by a separate UN body of waging a campaign of extermination against tens of thousands of political prisoners, gets to write the terms of how its victims may be saved. While no single party holds a monopoly on brutality in Syria, Valerie Szybala, the executive director of the Syria Institute told me, we must be careful not to equate what the Syrian government has done with that of any other actor. By all conceivable metrics, the Syrian governments systematic detention, torture, and killing of Syrians throughout the conflict is unparalleled. Now it can do so with the connivance of Washington.

You really do have to hand it to John Kerry. His energy for diplomacy is now as boundless as his imagination for what it can accomplish, and with whom. At this point, he would do the Syrian people a greater favor by begging off this file and acknowledging that there is indeed a military solution to their countrys slow-motion collapsethe one being prosecuted by their adversaries that will render them homeless, orphaned or dead.
TIERRA CALIENTE, Mexico  Its a scorching Friday afternoon in early February. In the sleepy town called Tlapehuala, the siesta hour is shattered when the local boss for the Familia Michoacana cartel rolls through on personal business.

The crime lord swoops along the dusty, sun-bleached streets in a gray, plateless Nissan pickup captained by his personal bodyguard. Many of the towns residents appear to recognize the resident strongman, or at least his vehicle. But theres not much they can do about el jefes presence here today.

Thats because the police station in Tlapehuala has been closed for over a yearso theres no one to call, or file a report with, even if they wanted to.

A brave local introduces me to the capo on the steps of the economic secretarys officethe towns lone, remaining government outpostafter his business inside the building is finished.

[La Familia] knows you are here in Tlapehuala, and will be watching over you at all times, the cartel leader tells me, making it sound like both a promise and a threat. When I ask, he gives his name as El Comandante Equis. Commander X.

This town is a crossroads for drug shipments, of coursebut nothing worse than that happens around here, says El Comandante, age 49, who s dressed today in leather sandals, loose jeans, and a sky-blue polo shirt with the Underarmor logo above his heart.

Before we took over, the Tequileros [a rival gang] used to kidnap two or three people a day, and, eventually, 3,000 people were displaced, says the cartel commander. But now that La Familia is in charge, this community is very peaceful.

In fact, Tlapehuala is eerily tranquil. Commerce is at a standstill here, and many streets are lined with half-finished homes, clinics, and office buildings covered with weeds and jutting rebarprojects abandoned because the owners could no longer afford to meet the payoffs demanded by the Familia.

For his part, El Comandante justifies such cuotas (bribes) as a kind of war tax. The sicarios (hitmen) who guard the town have to be fed, and their salaries have to be paid, too, he says.

Theyre not going to work for free.

Tlapehuala sits deep within the long, chaparral-covered valley called Tierra Caliente (Hot Land), in Mexicos southwest Guerrero statewhich is, pound-for-pound, the nations deadliest region. Its also the heroin production capital of the hemisphere, which is the grain of truth behind some of Donald Trumps latest xenophobic bombast.

Tierra Caliente, then, is epicenter of the epicenter in the Mexican drug war. And the valley itself more than looks the part: like the blighted backdrop from some old spaghetti western. The region is home to at least a dozen small but brutal cartels, each with its own jealously guarded fiefs, or plazas.

Conflict over these fiefdoms has been particularly bloody of late in Tierra Caliente, leading to ghoulish murders and torture practices that rival those of ISIS kill zones. Individual gangs out to terrorize their rivals, and the communities that support them, increasingly attack civilians to get their message across.

A pair of mass kidnappings in Familia Michoacana territory saw 22 people abducted last month alone. At least one of the victims, a high school principal, was killed while being held prisonerapparently to send a message to La Familia that its regional supremacy was being challenged. In another incident in January, nine peopleincluding a nurse on her honeymoonwere massacred when unidentified gunmen opened fire at birthday party.

From the gangs point of view, these turf squabbles make total sense. Valuable and much-disputed plazas like Tlapehuala provide the cartels with live bodies for recruitment, as well as a steady stream of income from extortions and abductions for ransom. The fiefdoms also make useful packing, processing, and transportation points for narcotics like heroin and crystal meth. In return, the gangs promise the kind of safetyespecially from predatory rival mobsthat Mexican security forces can no longer provide.

When the people have a problem, like a fight with a neighbor, for example, or if someone steals their truckthey dont go to the police. Instead, they come to La Familia, El Comandante says.

Everybody knows who runs this town.

Mexicos security forces have taken a beating in the press of late. The nations military, which has been deployed as a crime fighting force since 2006, stands accused of grave human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings. Meanwhile, both national and state police are famously corrupt, often acting in outright complicity with the cartels.

Perhaps the most grievous example of authorities colluding with criminals came with the announcement that municipal police played a part in the disappearance and probable murder of 43 students in Iguala, Guerrerojust down the road from Tierra Calientein the fall of 2014.

In Guerrero, police, both state and local, pose little obstacle to organized crime groups, explains Adam Isacson, of the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), in an email to The Daily Beast.

In fact, organized crime groups will even fight each other for control of police forces, Isacson writes.

Not surprisingly, a reputation for being in cahoots with the cartels further erodes public confidence in the authorities ability to safeguard communities.

With Mexicos heroin trade booming in Guerrero, youre unlikely to expect cops making US$200/month, with a few months of training and usually no attendance at an academy, to be a match for well-funded, politically powerful trafficking groups, Isacson adds.

In order to solve Mexicos policing problem, President Enrique Pena Nieto proposed a restructuring program called Mando Unico (Single Command) in 2014.

Because so many of Mexicos state and municipal police are in league with drug traffickers, the Single Command strategy called for the closure of almost 2,000 local police offices throughout the nation. Those shuttered precincts are, at some point in the theoretical future, to be replaced by a centralized force of about 320 state-level departments.

The plan has been met with heavy criticism both inside and outside Mexico. Even worse, the program remains bogged down by logistics and political infightingmeaning that many drug war hot zones like Tierra Caliente are now without any local police presence at all.

Soldiers and federal police patrol the highways in places like Guerrero, but have little contact with locals, and no way to identify cartel operatives. Living in secured hotels, or in heavily guarded barracks, the officers are utterly cut off, physically and emotionally, from the very communities theyre assigned to protect.

Were afraid to even go outside at night, says a special operations officer with Mexicos Federal Police, whos stationed in Tierra Caliente.

The internal vigilance of the cartels is incredible. Out on patrol, were always being monitored, always being tracked by their halcones (spies), says the officer, who agrees to an interview with The Daily Beast only under the condition of anonymity, since hes not authorized to speak to the press.

At night we have to stay in the hotel because we fear for our lives, says the special ops man.

I met this same officer the day before, during an operation near the town of Teloloapan, for which he was dressed in full Kevlar body armor and carrying a modified Galil assault rifle chambered for the high-powered 7.62 mm round. Today, when he shows up for our meeting in a small, outdoor restaurant, hes wearing civvies and wraparound sunglasses, so that at first I dont recognize him when he walks in.

The narcos have halcones everywhere, the federal officer says, after a long look at the surrounding tables. And theyve got the state security forces in the palm of their hand. We cant trust our own people now, says the federale who has more than 12 years on the force, and is a veteran of several firefights with the cartels.

According to this special ops officer, the lack of trust and communication between branches also includes the military.

The army never shares intelligence reports with uswhich makes us not want to share our [intel] with them, either. They have their information networks, and we have ours. But theres no transparency, the officer says. Theres no cooperationnothing.

In another Tierra Caliente town called Coyuca de Catalanwithin the same municipality where the birthday-party gun battle left nine deadMayor Abel Montufar also complains about a lack of collaboration hindering security.

Id like to visit Cundan Grande, the village where the birthday shooting happened, says Montufar when we meet in his wood-paneled office, where decorative bottles of mescal line the bookshelves.

But, well, Mando Unico took away our police force here. Now theres no safe transport to conduct investigations like that, the mayor says.

Every time I want to go anywhere, I have to call up the federales and beg them for a ride, he laments.

At least 40 Mexican mayors have been killed over the last eight yearsincluding the much-publicized murder of newly elected Gisela Mota, on Jan. 2, in the next-door state of Morelos.

Since his own sheriff-like force of municipal officers was sacked, Montufar says his only recourse is to hire out-of-pocket private guards to protect himself and his family.

Im only humanof course Im afraid, says Montufar, who admits receiving cartel demands for extortion, but says hes so far refused to pay up.

All I want is peace for my town, the mayor says, but I wont finance [the cartels] to get it.

Back in Tlapehuala, Comandante X agrees to explain the inner workings and hierarchy of La Familia Michoacana carteland to break down the specific tactics the gang uses to thwart law enforcement.

Accompanied by his bodyguard, we walk out of earshot from the economic secretarys office to stand in a desiccated, grassless soccer field. Above us, steep serrated foothills rise above the town on all sides, like so many rows of broken teeth.

Federal police are easy to bribe, says Comandante X. Many of them even approach the cartel to suggest it themselves, according to him. Military officers are better educated, he says, and harder to buy off. But, unlike the federales, the soldiers rarely leave their bases or checkpoints, so theyre easier to avoid.

The army is generally honest, the jefe tells me. But nobody around here trusts the police.

The organization and command structure of La Familia, as the commander describes them, reflect a rigid, almost corporate approach to power.

Most new recruits start out as halcones, he says, and they earn about 4,000 pesos ($215) every 15 days.

The halcones, literally falcons, are placed in various strategic points in a given town, or in the high foothills, where they can command a view of the roads and what moves on them. Each halcon has his own radio and cell phone, and hell pass information along all day to the jefe de halcones, the cartel commander says.

A pistolero, or gunman, receives about 6,000 pesos ($320) twice a month, and a chief pistolero, who commands murder squads of about 15-20 assassins, gets about 9,000 pesos ($480) for two weeks of work.

In order to advance up the ranks, each pistolero must pass an intense, almost religious initiation process that includes being bound, beaten, and forced to walk for days in the wilderness without food or shelter, according to the Tlapehuala boss.

In all, La Familia boasts a network of more than 3,500 spies, hitmen, and ranked commanders. Discipline in the ranks is severeminor acts of disobedience frequently are punished by starving the offender for days on end.

Near the top of the cartel food chain are the Chiefs of Comandantes, like X himself. But even he has to answer to a higher power.

The head of the Guerrero wing of the Familia Michoacana is a super boss named Johnny Hurtadoaka El Senor Pez or Mr. Fish.

Little is known about Mr. Fish, who is also the most wanted man in Guerrero, with a half-million peso price on his head. As El Comandante tells it, the cartels ultimate honcho lives in a series of camps and safe houses in the high sierra.

Despite being ever on the move, the regions fiercest warlord still maintains a tight rein on his vast fiefdom.

All the money made from extortions, ransom payments, and drugs by La Familia, goes straight to El Pez, X says. And then he pays back everyone else.

On the eastern edge of Tierra Caliente, in the town of Teloloapan, a new citizens vigilante group has formedaiming to take security, and the law, into their own hands.

The police dont do anythingthey dont even know who the criminals are around here, says Raul Baena, owner of a local taxi service, who joined the towns 250-strong militia when it formed in early January. Weve done more to clean up this town in a month than the policia have done in years, Baena says.

The 51-year-old Baena signed up with the vigilantes in part to get revenge against the Familia cartel for abducting himself, his wife, and his sister last year. Baenas family was eventually able to pay off the collective ransombut not before Baena underwent four days of torture at the hands of his kidnappers.

They didnt hurt me for information, he says, pulling up his sleeve to show the deep handcuff scars on his wrists. They had me down on the floor and kept kicking me, but they didnt ask me any questions, says Baena, who also suffered fractured ribs and dislocated vertebrae during his captivity.

It was more like they were just enjoying it, he says.

The following week, while Baena was still in the hospital, La Familia abducted his nephew, he says. His family again paid the demanded ransom, but, for unknown reasons, the cartel killed his nephew anyway.

Theres no one else to count on, so well have to protect our own towneven if it means we lose our lives doing it, militia-man Baena says.

On a tour of the vigilantes base, Im shown a cache of ramshackle .22s and birding shotgunssome of them apparently hand-forged together out of spare partsthat constitute the militias long-range armaments. For close fighting they can also field target pistols and a few old police .38s, and they all carry naked machetes stuck through their belts.

We know we dont have the firepower like the cartels do, the vigilante says. But if it means suicidewere ready to fight back. Its better to die on your feet than live on your knees.

The Mexican constitution allows for localized, all-volunteer community police, like the newly formed outfit in Teloloapan. And some of these groups have had spectacular success fighting back against the cartels, especially in the neighboring state of Michoacan.

Nevertheless, at the national level, federal forces remain concerned about the militias lack of discipline and oversight.

The vigilantes mean well, says The Daily Beasts inside source with the special ops team of the federal police, but the narcos know its very easy to infiltrate a group like that.

One frequent tactic, used by various cartels in the region, is to co-opt well-intentioned self-defense groups by gifting them high-grade weapons, as a ploy to win their loyalty.

Soon, instead of protecting the community, they become just another tool of the strongest gang, the federal official says. Then they can be used, as needed, to attack that gangs other rivals.

WOLA security chief Adamson agrees that theres an immediate need for a professional police presence in places like Guerrerobut he also worries that President Nietos controversial Mando Unico maneuver, if it ever comes to fruition, might do more harm than good.

In many Mexican statesincluding Guerrerotheres little reason to believe that the State Police are necessarily better trained, better equipped, or less corrupt than municipal police forces, Adamson writes.

Also, an even halfway effective municipal force understands local criminal dynamics better: which street corners are the worst, which local criminals are most violent. In some municipalities the local police may be miles ahead of the state police.

Mando Unico is a one-size-fits-all solution that just doesnt make sense everywhere, he writes.

In a place like Guerrero, its like rearranging deck chairs.

To curb the violence, Adamson instead advocates fundamental reforms to the policing system, such as increased officer pay, stronger punishments for corruption, and community development and education programs. He also admits these are all long-term fixes.

In the immediate, emergency, short term, theres not much that can be done to protect people, he writes.

Before I say goodbye to La Familias Comandante X, I ask him about the challenges being made to his gangs dominance by groups like the Tequileros (Tequila drinkers), the Guerreros Unidos (United Warriors) and the Jalisco Cartel: New Generation.

Sure, those guys all try to make incursions against this plaza, X admits, but La Familia isnt going anywhere.

A few days after my interview with X, in the nearby town of Arcelia, hitmen from the Tequileros dragged three alleged Familia members from their homes and into the town square. There, in front of scores of witnesses, they slit the mens throats one by one.

This is what happens to anyone who supports those who are against us, one of the Tequilero assassins told the crowd of shocked townsfolk.

At the close of our interview in Tlapehuala, the so-called Comandante X offered philosophical, if fatalistic, take on the local cartel power struggles:

When a car is stolen, you get another, said the cartel chieftain , gazing up at the parched hills looming over us.

And when a commander dies, another one always comes along, he said. The fiesta must continue.
Snow was already falling in Crissier, Switzerland as the first customers arrived at the picturesque and famed Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville outside Lausanne Friday evening. By 9 p.m., the dining room was full.

Nous sommes complet comme dhabitude, said Frederique, who has worked at the three-starred restaurant, named the best in the world in December. She meant the dining room was packedas it has been for years.

The ambiance is convivial and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, Frederique, who did not want to give her last name, told the Daily Beast.

Longtime restaurant manager Alessandro Egidi was busy attending to customers and the chef, she said, was in the kitchen, whipping up some of the trademark house specialties such as oysters served warm with champagne and Imperial Oscietra Caviarand thick slices of blue lobster from the Guernsey islands with black truffles.

But the chef, of course, was not Benoit Violier, whose genius won him the title of the worlds best in La Liste, Frances rankings of the worlds 1,000 best restaurants, published in December. He had worked at the restaurant for 17 years and taken over as head chef in 2012.

Violier, 44, apparently shot himself with one of his own hunting rifles at his home on Jan. 31 in what police have ruled a suicide. His wife and business partner Brigitte was out to lunch with the couples 12-year-old son Romain. Brigitte and another person eventually found Violiers body.

The new head chef in the kitchen Friday night was the restaurants longtime sous-chef Franck Giovannini. Giovannini was named Violiers successor just a few days after Violiers funeral on Feb. 5 at the Lausanne Cathedral, attended by more than 1500 people, among them some of the most storied names in haute cuisine. Giovannini and Violier had known and then worked together for almost two decades.

Giovanninis promotion, as announced on the restaurants website this week by Violiers widow, Brigitte, , was both surreal and direct:

Giovannini has taken over the position of Chef de Cuisine from Benoit Violier, a natural transition as he is continually looking for ways to develop his capabilities.

A restaurant source said Mrs. Violier, while remaining mainly in seclusion at home, had insisted the restaurant would open just two days after Violiers death. She met with the staff the day after Violiers death and said the show must go on, Agence France Presse reported.

She is very strong, the source told the Daily Beast. She is keeping things together for her son and the restaurant the way Benoit would have wanted. Despite theories ranging from the pressures of being one of the worlds top chefs to financial problems due to Violiers possible involvement in a local alleged wine scam, neither his widow, his family in France or Swiss police have come up with a reason or motive. Swiss police told the Daily Beast Friday the case was still under investigation.

We still do not know and I wonder if we ever will, Fredy Girardet, the great Swiss chef who first opened the Crissier restaurant in 1971 and ran it until 1996, told the Daily Beast Friday.

Brigitte Violier told the Swiss media outlet LIllustre after Violiers funeral that she was shocked and confounded by her husbands suicide and said there was no rational explanation.

He had everythingwe had everything, she told the Swiss weekly. She said she saw no signs of strange behavior from her husband prior to his death.

The Swiss magazine Bilan reported that Violier may have been one of the chefs targeted in an alleged vintage wine scam involving a company called Private Finance Partners. Since July, Swiss prosecutors have been investigating what appears to be a Ponzi type scheme in which local restaurants paid up to $40,000 a bottle for expensive wines that the company apparently did not deliver. Violier himself was not guilt of any wrongdoing and if anything was a victim, Bilan said.

Mrs. Violier called the Bilan report 100 percent false. She said the report was one hundred percent false in substance and 100 percent false in the details. She said the restaurants financial statust was solid.

She also said she had no intention of quitting the restaurant.

We built this project together, she said. I do not intend to abandon it.
A woman enters. Donning a hijab, she prepares and serves dinner for her turbaned husband. She appears subservient, but when the man isnt looking, swipes his car keys, slips on a pair of high heels, sneaks out the door of their posh mansion, and speeds off. When she returns, the enraged man grabs her by the neck and drags her into the house. She pleads with him not to use the stones to torture her, so he opts for beating her with a switch. The woman screams, Im sorry! I did something for you, but he doesnt relent. He begins to get aroused by the pain hes inflicting, and before you know it, the veil is lifted and were in the midst of a full-fledged porn scene. Welcome to Women of the Middle East, a controversial adult film that comes with the tagline, They may look suppressed, but given an opportunity to express themselves freely, their wild, untamable natural sexuality is released. This may just be what was in bin Ladens porn collection, experience it for yourself.

The veiled woman is played by Nadia Ali, a 24-year-old porn star and first-generation American from Pakistan. Shes been in the adult industry for just a year, but doesnt mind pushing religious boundaries in the name of XXX entertainment. Oh, and shes also a practicing Muslim.

Ali is often filmed wearing her hijaband little elsewhile engaged in various hardcore sexual activities. Hijabs, or veils worn by many Muslim women to cover their bodies in the presence of males outside of their immediate family, are deeply rooted in Islamic culture and religion. Tied to the Quranic concept of female modesty, theyre also viewed by detractors as a way to subjugate and silence women. For Ali, donning a hijab in porn is empowerment. Determined to break down the barriers of this age-old taboo, she doesnt think of her work as anti-hijab porn, but in a culture where it is conceivable for a cleric to ban women from touching bananas and cucumbers due to their phallic resemblance, she hopes to inspire change.

Ive been told, youre not a Muslim, youre a disgrace to Pakistan, Pakistan wont accept you, but I do come from a Middle Eastern background and I am Muslim, not the way my parents are, but by practice, Ali tells the Daily Beast. My sister covers her head, shes modest, married, and has kids. My mom covers her head and prays five times a day, I pray two times a day but Im still a practicing Muslim.

According to Ali, one can be a practicing Muslim and a porn star. Aware of the potential conflict, she felt any consequences she might face over her choices would be worth it in the long-term. And since homosexuality is technically illegal in Pakistan, which is trying its damnedest to ban online porn altogether, she intends to film plenty of girl-on-girl action this year, too.

How does your family feel about your career in porn?

All my family members know I do porn since its gone viral. Ive hit a lot of numbers and its become a huge thing in Pakistan.

Do you still have family in Pakistan? And does this affect them?

Im definitely not welcome back into the society of Pakistan, but when it comes to my cousins and blood cousins, they are still cool with me. They arent okay with what Im doing but theyre still cool with me. They have no complaints but might wish Id never done it. Some of my family from Pakistan came to America on scholarships for their expertise and genius minds and Im over here being an American choosing a different route, and that disappoints them.

Why do you wear the hijab in your scenes?

Growing up Id hear rumors like, That girls a slut, dont let the scarf fool you. I kept those scenarios in mind. If a Hijabi were to be horny and wanting to fuck how would she fuck? I bring that to life on camera and people get mad about it because they want to keep it modest.

Do you wear the hijab to increase publicity?

I have brown eyes and brunette hair. If I didnt wear my cultural stuff and picked a name like Sally then I might get famous, but it wouldnt be interesting. But I do come from a Middle Eastern background, I have the gowns, I celebrate the culture, and speak the language. Coming from an Islamic background and doing this, thats a taboo. The people are forbidden to see those things.

Is there another aspect to it, a bigger message you want to get across?

I am doing porn as a Pakistani woman for the liberal movement, bringing women in a scarf or a head wrap to the camera. Now its no longer behind closed doors. I dont bring religion into porn. Ive asked directors to take the word "Muslim" out of porn titles before. For me its about the Pakistani culture, not the religion. This year I plan to do a lot of girl-on-girl and solo scenes to show the world that Middle Eastern girls of Pakistani descent really do get horny. Since they are so forbidden to fuck, I want to show how they fuck girls and masturbate. Im going to bring that to life.

Has your Pakistani heritage or culture influenced your sexuality?

It has influenced my sexuality. Growing up, my dad disciplined me to be the smartest, brightest kid, but I was told guys can get away with things and girls cant. Then it was seeing my sisters first marriagehow she had to play the submissive even after he broke her heart so many times, and she still had to be a good wife and good daughter.

So your sisters lifestyle wasnt for you?

Me, Ive never been married and have dated out of my race. I wanted to break barriers. I can be submissive depending on the situation but I am very dominant and powerful. I dont like to let guys get away with shit. Im not your typical Middle Eastern girl.

Last year, Lebanese-American porn star Mia Khalifa received death threats for wearing a hijab in some of her movies. Are you worried about that?

I have received death threats too and I either ignore it or I give a positive kind of response to it. We need to calm it down and be nice to these people. We shouldnt trigger them, but also dont be afraid to be bold in your opinions, but also be kind. Dont react to negative things and life will be more peaceful.

Id heard somewhere that you were banned from Pakistan for doing porn, is that true?

If I were to set foot in Pakistan and people were to recognize me thered be consequences and Id rather not take my chances. Being banned wont stop me from talking.

Now that you are rapidly gaining media attention, what are your goals?

Its more than porn, its more than sexuality. Doing porn was a breakthrough in how women should be able to masturbate; women should be able to do these things. I want to be a voice for women in the world. I am all about the womens movement and want to help other women take a stand. I also support my fellow men that are part of the positive movement, but Im against sexual double standards. Being in America, I can be a voice for Islamic womensomeone has to be. Even if I have to hit the headline news over and over again in a negative way, then let it be. It needs to be heard, and I am glad I have done these things. Women, you need to be strong and build your own empire, no matter how long it takes. Pass that strength onto your next generation; stick up for your sons and daughters. You dont need a man to start a revolution.
Maggie Siff just finished up her last bit of work on the first season of Showtimes new series Billions. Shooting ended a while back, but the actress has spent the day looping audio, a process that includes what she calls the ridiculous task of replacing curse words with nonsense for possible syndication down the road. You have say things like motherflopping and crud, she tells The Daily Beast, laughing.

Those are words that would never come out of her characters mouth. On Billions, which premiered last month, Siff plays Wendy Rhoades, wife of U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) and in-house therapist for hedge fund titan Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis). A woman caught between two male-dominated worlds, Wendy is adept at manipulating the leaders of these two warring factions. And she makes her dominance known from the start: In the opening scene of the pilot she puts out a cigarette on her husbands chest and then urinates on him.

After spending the early part of her career in theater, it was the rise of the cable television drama that helped propel Siff into the public eye. Her breakthrough role was as Jewish department store scion and early Don Draper love interest Rachel Menken on the first season of Mad Men. From there she spent six seasons as Dr. Tara Knowles on FXs Sons of Anarchyending with a particularly violent incident involving a large carving forkbefore landing one of the main roles on Billions.

Siff talked to The Daily Beast about how TV has given her opportunities that are few and far between for women in the film world and gives us a taste of whats to come in the second half of Billions inaugural season.

This is quite a role youre playing on Billions. Can you talk about your first impressions of Wendy Rhoades when you read the pilot script?

I was really excited by it. Its rare to read such a multi-dimensional character in a pilot. Usually a really interesting character can kind of accumulate over time, but she was really fascinating right out of the gate. The marriage was really interesting, the conflict of interest, the fact that she is part of the main action at the workplace. Especially in supporting female roles, youre usually confined to just one realm so I was just really excited by all the spaces that she got to inhabit.

In an upcoming episode, Wendy says of the two men in her life, I am not going to be the shuttlecock that you two smack back and forth. That seems to really represent the situation that shes in.

Right. And I really like the way that they set up the conflict of interest in that Chuck is a zealot, hes really, really good at his job and he has this passion for going after guys like this. And yet, Wendy is in the middle of this, but its never explicit that shes somehow fueling this tension. But in that one line, you understand that they are all operating on conscious and unconscious levels.

In some ways, Wendy is a surrogate for the audience because she gives us a window into both sides of the central conflict. Do you find that in doing scenes with Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis your sympathies shift back and forth?

Well, I never really think of it in terms of allegiance, or how an audience will perceive it. I think that the way Brian [Koppelman] and Dave [Levien], our showrunners, have written her and written the relationships. Theyre just very honest and theyre very deep and they have folded into them a lot of history that feels authentic.

We should probably talk about the S&M scenes that have gotten a lot of attention. What was your experience shooting those with Paul Giamatti?

[Laughs] I love him so much as a human being. And we bonded very quickly, because we had to shoot those scenes without knowing each other particularly well. But, to his credit, I never felt uncomfortable or disrespected. We just kind of laughed our way through it. Hes so humble and immediately disarming. I think whats kind of great about those scenes is that what hes being asked to do is challenging in one way, because hes in the submissive, humiliated position. And Im in the sort of dominant position, but Im always dressed in these ridiculous clothes. Were both sort of struggling with our own anxieties and insecurities and theyre both pretty different. I think we kind of help each other along. But its always a weird thing when you just met somebody and youre like, Now Im going to pee on you and put a cigarette out on your chest.

What do you think that aspect of their relationship tells us about the characters?

I think it says a lot of things that were still trying to unpack and explore. But personally, one thing I think it says about them is they have a very healthy marriage. Because somewhere along the line, this need made itself known and the marriage then made room for it. And I think thats pretty extraordinary. One thing that I loved about the pilot is that at the top of the show you think youre seeing one thingyou think youre seeing the all-powerful politician whos being unfaithful, naughty, salacious, doing something outside of the marriage. Its a story we know, its a trope we understand. And then you learn that its actually within the contract of this marriage. And I think thats actually really healthy and an interesting component of their relationship. In some ways, theyre real equals, even though there is this submissive/dominant thing. They really know each other and they really need each other and they have a really uncensored, unfiltered way of dealing with each other. Its really fun to explore that with a great actor like Paul.

With Mad Men, Sons of Anarchy and now Billions youre best known for your work on TV. Do you prefer to work in television or have you found that there are just juicier roles there that youre being offered?

You know, I definitely like the medium. I have come to really love the form, which in my case, in all of those jobs, its a cable schedule. Its 13 episodes, its really high quality writing and acting and producing. To me, it feels like were making an hour-long movie every week. And the roles that Ive had a chance to play have been really exciting to me. I feel like Ive ridden a little bit of a wave with cable television blossoming and I feel fortunate. But I also love the schedule because its half the year and in the other half of my year Ive gotten to do a lot of theater, which is my first love and where I come from, and some independent film, which has been very rewarding as well.

It definitely seems as though the opportunities for both women actors and actors of color on TV have outpaced what were seeing in film. Is that something that you have experienced personally?

Its hard for me to answer that. My body of work in film is a lot less than my body of work in television. And I think that the film industry has been shrinking and I think that roles for women and minoritiesI think theres more out there [on television] but I dont think theres nearly enough. And I think that thats about whos being given the opportunity behind the camera and whose scripts are being produced. I think its a problem up and down the chain. And I think that for myself, I came to Hollywood pretty late in my career and I think that that has, in some ways, curtailed what I could do in more commercial films.

There was some well-documented fan backlash to your character on Sons of Anarchy. What was that like and do you foresee any of the same on Billions?

Im not on social media, so Im purposely not privy to a certain amount of the fan chatter. Although, I was certainly aware of it on Sons of Anarchy. But in terms of Wendy and Billions, so far I think that people are interested and excited by her. Sons of Anarchy really appealed to the tribal aspect of peoples natures so I found it kind of hilarious. [Co-star] Katey Sagal would go to these conventions where people ask you to sign pictures. And after Season Six, people were coming up to her with carving forks and asking her to sign them. And I just found that unbelievably funny. I didnt take it very personally.

Between Billions and The Big Short and the success of Bernie Sanders, there seems to be a resurgence in pop culture of stories about the financial system. Why do you think that is?

I just think theres a lot of increased scrutiny of the world, as there should be, in the fallout of 2008 and the financial collapse. So I think people are maybe recovered enough that they can listen to the stories in a fictional context. There is perhaps just enough distance that people are ready to take it in in these forms and digest it and think about it. And maybe be entertained along the way, maybe be provoked. But I think that the whole world is thinking about it. Its on our minds so it makes sense that its in the culture.

Meanwhile, we have a brash billionaire leading the Republican race for president. Has working on this show given you any insight into what a President Trump would mean for the country?

I dont think working on this show has refreshed or invigorated my opinions about it. I think he speaks for himself.

On the show, Damians character does give us this look into the mind of a billionaire, this rare, exotic breed. What is it about that character that you think is so compelling for people?

Well, I guess it does relate a little bit to the question of Donald Trump. I think somebody who has that much money assumes a certain amount of power in the world. And the waters part for him. [Bobby Axelrod] does exactly what he wants to do and meetings start when he shows up and he flies to Quebec to see Metallica because he can and hes got his private jet. That kind of freedom is the thing that is so bizarre and interesting to watch. And I think one of the things that this show does well is show that he is constricted psychically and emotionally. So you have this duality of someone who seemingly has carte blanche and is suffering under the weight of his own mind and heart. Because at the end of the day hes human. And even Donald Trump is a human being.

Were just about approaching the halfway point of the first season. Anything you can tease about whats to come?

Theres a climax halfway through the season and then theres a kind of a reboot for the second half. And I think that structurally thats really interesting. You only ever see Chuck and Axe meet a few times. And I think the creators have done a brilliant job spacing that out and letting the audience wait for it and build up to it. So I think one thing you can expect is that there will one or two more incredibly exciting encounters between those two actors.
Prometheus 27YO to hit 3 continents in 3 weeks

The Glasgow Distillery Company has announced the second release in its Prometheus Series  Prometheus 27 year old.

Commercial director David Brown says: Following on from the success of Prometheus 26 Year Old we have had strong demand to release the 27 year old. With its bold new packaging this aged Speyside single malt whisky is something we are very proud of. The bottle is beautifully packaged in a bespoke presentation box.

T he design was put together with the help of brand strategy and design consultancy C21. Says Glasgow Distillery Co-founder Liam Hughes: The concept and branding were created to reflect the quality of the whisky inside, which is both rare and of an extremely high standard  when its gone its gone.

The screen print on the bottle was applied by Image On A Glass and we commissioned an original drawing from artist Peter Horridge and the labelling was done by Collotype in Glasgow. We used a professional packaging company to put it all together.

Prometheus 27YO single malt Scotch whisky will be available from specialist retailers and online from mid 2016, retailing at approximately 549 for a 70cl bottle at 47% ABV.

Over the next three weeks, the new whisky will make its debut in three continents commencing with distribution partner A Wee Taste of Scotland at the Munich Whisky Festival, then moving to Hong Kong for the Malt Masters Festival, debuting with Platinum Wines in a VIP tasting before travelling to Las Vegas to attend Mahesh Patels Universal Whisky Experience.

13 February 2016 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor
In the Republican primary race for the District 12 seat in the Texas House, incumbent Kyle Kacal has raised more than 10 times the money than both of his challengers combined.

Kacal has raised $138,712 since July 1. A large portion of Kacal's contributions so far, about $63,000, has come from about 40 different political action committees, 25 of which were from Texas. Comparatively, neither of Kacal's challengers have made much progress on the fundraising side, with the majority of their contributions being in-kind or from themselves.

One of Kacal's challengers, Michael Stanford of Mexia, has only one campaign finance report filed -- from the period covering Nov. 20 to Dec. 31 -- during which he raised $8,045. Almost all of the money that's been given to Stanford's campaign was from Stanford himself in the amount of $8,000. The only other contribution is a $45 donation from Toxey Cathey of Waco. Stanford is the owner of an auto body shop.

The second challenger, Timothy Delasandro, has raised $2,000, all in the reporting period from Jan. 1 to Jan. 21. According to campaign finance reports, Delasandro did not have any contributions from July 1 to Dec. 31. Three-quarters of his fundraising came in the form of a $1,500 in-kind contribution from Hal Hawkins of College Station for campaign management. Jane Cohen, president of the Citizens for Wellborn group, gave the other $500.

Delasandro, who works as a critical care nurse and nursing supervisor, ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2012 and 2014. He was also among a group of College Station residents opposed to the city's annexation of Wellborn that pushed the failed recall election of Mayor Nancy Berry and two council members.

Kacal was first elected to the District 12 seat in 2012. The district is composed of Falls, Limestone and Robertson counties and parts of Brazos and McLennan counties. He was appointed to the House Committees on Natural Resources and Environmental Regulation in the most recent legislative session, and also served as the vice chair of the House Committee on Rules and Resolutions. Kacal lives and works on the ranch he owns in College Station, where he breeds and raises beef cattle.

Kacal had high-dollar contributions from both PACs and individuals. The highest PAC contribution to Kacal -- $7,500 -- came from the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raiser Association. PAC contributions for $5,000 came from Texans for Lawsuit reform, the Texas Farm Bureau Agfund, Texas Transportation and Growth in Washington, D.C., and the Texas Association of Realtors. Kacal had three $2,500 PAC donors, two $2,000 PAC donors three $1,500 PAC donors and 13 $1,000 PAC donors.

Notable contributions from individuals include $8,100 and $7,500, respectively, from Tyler Graham and Charles Graham of Elgin, the general manager and owner of Southwest Stallion Station. Allen Boon Humphries Robinson LLP gave $5,500 and American Momentum Bank CEO Don Adam gave $2,500, as did H-E-B owner Charles Butt.

Bryan Mayor Jason Bienski and City Manager Kean Register each gave $250.

Kacal has also far outspent his challengers. Expenditures in the periods from July 1 to Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 to Jan. 21 total $128,825. His largest purchases have been $19,676 to Bryan Broadcasting, $24,026 to I-Heart Media in Waco for radio ads and a little less than $8,000 for printing and mailing.

From July to Dec. 31, the period during which Delasandro had no campaign contributions, he spent $815 -- $750 for filing with the Republican Party of Texas and $65 for his website. Delasandro spent about $14,000 more from Jan. 1 to Jan. 21, and has loaned himself $13,500.

Delasandro spent $3,266 for Bryan Broadcasting radio ads and $6,560 to Gray Television for broadcast ads. He also spent a little more than $3,000 on more broadcast ads to Raycom Media in Waco.

Stanford has spent the least at $6,014, with $4,321 going toward signs and the rest spent on advertising.
Texas A&M University will host a campus-wide open house today. Prospective students and their parents are encouraged to tour the campus and learn about the university's academic programs and traditions.

The Appelt Aggieland Visitor Center in Rudder Tower has tours planned during the day, and prospective students can meet with faculty or advisers from the academic colleges, learn about majors and academic programs, meet students and visit libraries, residence halls and computer labs. Students can visit areas of campus on their own. Self-guided activities are set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The open house, known as Aggieland Saturday, is free, except for meals and parking. Registration is not required but is encouraged.

For more details, a schedule of events and parking information, visit http://admissions.tamu.edu/agsat.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Antonin Scalia, the influential conservative and most provocative member of the Supreme Court, has died, leaving the high court without its conservative majority and setting up an ideological confrontation over his successor in the maelstrom of a presidential election year. Scalia was 79.

The U.S. Marshals Service in Washington confirmed Scalia's death at a private residence in the Big Bend area of West Texas. Spokeswoman Donna Sellers said Scalia had gone to his room the previous evening and was found dead Saturday morning after he did not appear for breakfast.

Scalia was part of a 5-4 conservative majority  with one of the five, Anthony Kennedy, sometimes voting with liberals on the court. Scalia's death leaves President Barack weighing when to nominate a successor, a decision that immediately sparked a political struggle drawing in Congress and the presidential candidates.

The immediate impact of his death for the current term means that the justices will now be divided 4-4 in many of those cases. If there is a tie vote, then the lower court opinion remains in place. Cases where the current court was expected to split 5-4 include disputes over abortion, affirmative action and immigration policy.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, as well as Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, said the nomination should fall to the next president.

Democrats were outraged at that idea, with Sen. Harry Reid, the chamber's top Democrat, saying it would be unprecedented in recent history for the court to have a vacancy for a year.

Leaders in both parties were likely to use the high court vacancy to implore voters to nominate candidates with the best chance of winning in the November general election.

Scalia used his keen intellect and missionary zeal in an unyielding attempt to move the court farther to the right after his 1986 selection by President Ronald Reagan. He also advocated tirelessly in favor of originalism, the method of constitutional interpretation that looks to the meaning of words and concepts as they were understood by the Founding Fathers.

Scalia's impact on the court was muted by his seeming disregard for moderating his views to help build consensus, although he was held in deep affection by his ideological opposites Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan. Scalia and Ginsburg shared a love of opera. He persuaded Kagan to join him on hunting trips.

His 2008 opinion for the court in favor of gun rights drew heavily on the history of the Second Amendment and was his crowning moment on the bench.

He could be a strong supporter of privacy in cases involving police searches and defendants rights. Indeed, Scalia often said he should be the poster child for the criminal defense bar.

But he also voted consistently to let states outlaw abortions, to allow a closer relationship between government and religion, to permit executions and to limit lawsuits.

He was in the court's majority in the 2000 Bush v. Gore decision, which effectively decided the presidential election for Republican George W. Bush. Get over it, Scalia would famously say at speaking engagements in the ensuing years whenever the topic arose.

Bush later named one of Scalia's sons, Eugene, to an administration job, but the Senate refused to confirm him. Eugene Scalia served as the Labor Department solicitor temporarily in a recess appointment.

A smoker of cigarettes and pipes, Scalia enjoyed baseball, poker, hunting and the piano. He was an enthusiastic singer at court Christmas parties and other musical gatherings, and once appeared on stage with Ginsburg as a Washington Opera extra.

Ginsburg once said that Scalia was an absolutely charming man, and he can make even the most sober judge laugh. She said that she urged her friend to tone down his dissenting opinions because he'll be more effective if he is not so polemical. I'm not always successful.

He could be unsparing even with his allies. In 2007, Scalia sided with Chief Justice John Roberts in a decision that gave corporations and labor unions wide latitude to air political ads close to elections. Yet Scalia was upset that the new chief justice's opinion did not explicitly overturn an earlier decision. This faux judicial restraint is judicial obfuscation, Scalia said.

Quick-witted and loquacious, Scalia was among the most persistent, frequent and quotable interrogators of the lawyers who appeared before the court.

During Scalia's first argument session as a court member, Justice Lewis F. Powell leaned over and asked a colleague, Do you think he knows that the rest of us are here?

Scalia's writing seemed irrepressible and entertaining much of the time. But it also could be confrontational. It was a mocking Scalia who in 1993 criticized a decades-old test used by the court to decide whether laws or government policies violated the constitutionally required separation of church and state.

Like some ghoul in a late-night horror movie that repeatedly sits up in its grave and shuffles abroad, after being repeatedly killed and buried, (the test) stalks our ... jurisprudence once again, frightening the little children and school attorneys, he wrote.

Scalia showed a deep commitment to originalism, which he later began calling textualism. Judges had a duty to give the same meaning to the Constitution and laws as they had when they were written. Otherwise, he said disparagingly, judges could decide that the Constitution means exactly what I think it ought to mean.

A challenge to a Washington, D.C., gun ban gave Scalia the opportunity to display his devotion to textualism. In a 5-4 decision that split the court's conservatives and liberals, Scalia wrote that an examination of English and colonial history made it exceedingly clear that the Second Amendment protected Americans right to have guns, at the very least in their homes and for self-defense. The dissenters, also claiming fidelity to history, said the amendment was meant to ensure that states could raise militias to confront a too-powerful federal government if necessary.

But Scalia rejected that view. Undoubtedly some think that the Second Amendment is outmoded in a society where our standing army is the pride of our Nation, where well-trained police forces provide personal security, and where gun violence is a serious problem. That is perhaps debatable, but what is not debatable is that it is not the role of this Court to pronounce the Second Amendment extinct, Scalia wrote.

His dissents in cases involving gay rights could be as biting as they were prescient. By formally declaring anyone opposed to same-sex marriage an enemy of human decency, the majority arms well every challenger to a state law restricting marriage to its traditional definition, Scalia wrote in dissent in 2013 when the court struck down part of a federal anti-gay marriage law. Six months later, a federal judge in Utah cited Scalia's dissent in his opinion striking down that state's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

Scalia was passionate about the death penalty. He wrote for the court when in 1989 it allowed states to use capital punishment for killers who were 16 or 17 when they committed their crimes. He was on the losing side in 2005 when the court changed course and declared it unconstitutional for states to execute killers that young.

The Court thus proclaims itself sole arbiter of our Nation's moral standards  and in the course of discharging that awesome responsibility purports to take guidance from the views of foreign courts and legislatures, Scalia wrote in a scathing dissent.

In 2002, he dissented from the court's decision to outlaw executing the mentally retarded. That same year, Scalia surprised some people with a public declaration of independence from his Roman Catholic church on the death penalty. He said judges who follow the philosophy that capital punishment is morally wrong should resign.

Scalia also supported free speech rights, but complained too. I do not like scruffy people who burn the American flag, he said in 2002, but regrettably, the First Amendment gives them the right to do that.

A longtime law professor before becoming a judge, Scalia frequently spoke at law schools and to other groups. Later in his tenure, he also spoke at length in on-the-record interviews, often to promote a book.

He betrayed no uncertainty about some of the most contentious legal issues of the day. The framers of the Constitution didn't think capital punishment was unconstitutional and neither did he.

The death penalty? Give me a break. It's easy. Abortion? Absolutely easy. Nobody ever thought the Constitution prevented restrictions on abortion. Homosexual sodomy? Come on. For 200 years, it was criminal in every state, Scalia said during a talk that preceded a book signing at the American Enterprise Institute in 2012.

The only child of an Italian immigrant father who was a professor of Romance languages and a mother who taught elementary school, Scalia graduated first in his class at Georgetown University and won high honors at the Harvard University Law School.

He worked at a large Cleveland law firm for six years before joining the faculty of the University of Virginia's law school. He left that job to work in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

From 1977 to 1982, Scalia taught law at the University of Chicago.

He then was appointed by Reagan to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Scalia and his wife, Maureen, had nine children.
Friday is the deadline for election letter

All letters pertaining to the March 1 Super Tuesday Texas primaries must reach The Eagle no later than 5 p.m. on Feb. 19. All such letters will be printed by Feb. 25.

The Eagle no longer restricts letters from close relatives of candidates.

No more than one letter per writer on any subject will be printed each 30 days. Letters should be no more than 300 words and are subject to editing for length, clarity, libel and good taste. Publication is discretionary.

All letters must contain the writer's name, city of residence and a daytime phone number for verification. Anonymous letters will not be published.

Form letters and letters associated with organized efforts involving candidates or causes will not knowingly be published.

Email to letters@theeagle.com or mail to The Eagle, P.O. Box 3000, Bryan, TX 77805-3000.

I recently attended a candidate forum which included Steve Aldrich and Lloyd Wasserman. In Wasserman's handout was a copy of a response email to him regarding the history of railroad crossing closures in south Brazos County. The response was dated Jan. 19.

Commissioner challenger is working for the future

Why did it take the current Precinct 1 commissioner 10 years to ask the question, especially given his concerns about this problem affecting us all in Precinct 1 today and in the future?

Wassermann states that he works full time as a county commissioner. He may need to take some of that time to find better methods for defining issues in his precinct and communicating with his constituents.

Also, he is the road and bridge liaison for the commissioners court. In our area and others, we have poor roads and he has no substantive communication with his constituents regarding improvements.

It seems to me that Wasserman recently has developed a keen interest in Precinct 1's problems. This interest seemed to suddenly develop when Steve Aldrich chose to run for Brazos County commissioner for Precinct 1. Is this interest for the long term or is it re-election-motivated and will disappear after March 1?

My answer to that question is that we desperately need a positive, informed, engaged and interested commissioner. I believe the man for the job is Steve Aldrich. Steve has proven he has an eye on the future as he addresses current issues affecting the fastest growing part of Brazos County. I have never known a public official who is more willing to listen to the concerns of his constituents than Steve. He is an excellent communicator who has served the community well in volunteer and elected capacities over many years.

ROB SMITH

College Station

Commissioner candidates out serviuce to others before self

I support Nancy Berry and Lloyd Wassermann for county commissioner Precincts 3 and 1, respectively. Each of their records of service to our community is impressive.

Nancy has been a visionary leader as mayor of College Station and Lloyd has dedicated his full-time effort to discharging his duties as county commissioner.

At a time of rapid growth in our cities and county, such dedication and vision is a necessity if we are to stay ahead of the challenges of growth. Most important to me is that both of them have put service to others ahead of their self interest. That is the most important trait every elected official must have in order to have an effective, honorable democracy.

Please vote for Nancy Berry and Lloyd Wassermann.

CHUCK ELLISON

College Station

Steven Hotze supports conservative candidates

We too often hear candidates or supporters making claims about other candidates, who then make statements to the contrary and say the other candidate is lying. This is not helpful, and the voter is left wondering who to believe. While our newspaper does give us some very good information, especially when candidates are interviewed personally, additional sources of information can tell us more.

A good example is the letter by Arno Krebs Jr. (Eagle, Feb. 11) which was written to discredit Jess Fields. I do not know Krebs, John Raney or Jess Fields, nor am I in the district for that race. According to Krebs, Steven Hotze is a political activist making robo calls in support of Jess Fields. What his letter does not mention is that Dr. Steven Hotze is a respected and accomplished physician who is a Christian conservative supporting pro-life causes since his time in medical school in the 1970s. The robo call then becomes an important endorsement.

Jess Fields also is endorsed by the Texas Home School Coalition, Texas Right to Life, and the National Association for Gun Rights. Some of these organizations also have voter guides on their websites.

NAN McLEROY

College Station

Elect a man supported by the people he serves

I am writing with regard to the race for state pepresentative District 14 between John Raney and Jess Fields.

After the campaign finance reports were published recently in The Eagle, my choice was made much clearer for me.

John Raney is supported mainly by concerned residents of the Bryan and College Station area, whereas Jesse Fields has received the majority of his funding from PACs and donors from outside our community.

I would rather have a man of character and commitment to our local community represent us, rather than someone representing outsiders with their own agenda.

I am voting for John Raney and I hope you will also.

VICKI SCHMIDT

Bryan

A seasoned, reasonable, respected state representative

Longtime Bryan-College Station businessman John Raney has served ably in the Texas House of Representatives since December 2011, representing the interests of District 14. During his tenure in the Texas House, he has been recognized for his leadership, as evidenced by his appointment to serve on the vitally important Appropriations Committee, Higher Education Committee, and House Administration Committee.

John also is respected by the House membership because of his willingness to listen to diverse views and attempt to reach a consensus for workable solutions. In performing his legislative duties, John has always put the interests of his district first, conducting himself in a mature, reasoned manner.

Jess Fields, John's opponent in the Republican Primary, is a young man whose brief tenure on the College Station City Council may be characterized as less than stellar. Too, his affiliation with and endorsement by special interest groups outside Brazos County raise concerns about his loyalties -- will he truly represent his district or will he be beholden to external agendas?

John's opponent may be a nice young man and, with the passage of time and with maturity, he may develop into someone worthy of the office of state representative for District 14 -- but his time has not yet come. In these politically divisive times, Bryan-College Station needs a seasoned, reasonable, and respected voice in the Texas House, not someone who is unproven and who will require significant on-the-job-training.

John Raney needs to be returned to Austin as our District 14 representative.

DAN BETO

Bryan

Canadidate has been a mentor for many years

I have known John Raney for more than 34 years now. As a student at Texas A&M in the early 1980s, I was employed by John at his bookstore. John was a mentor to me then and all these years later, he is a mentor to me now.

John's values, ethics and judgment are unsurpassed. I am proud to say I support John Raney in his re-election bid to represent District 14 in the Texas House of Representatives.

ROBERT VAN DYKE, '84

Friendswood

Candidate sought funding for Blinn's Bryan campus

I have had the pleasure of knowing John Raney since I moved back to Bryan-College Station 14 years ago. My husband and I bought a home around the corner from John and Elizabeth and it was clear then, as it is now, that they both are committed to this community.

As a long-time resident and long-time business owner John understands the needs of the community he serves and service is what John is about. Being a politician is not a career for John; being a state representative is a way to give back and better his community.

John took on the vitally important issue of community college funding and representation to help the more than 12,000 Blinn College students who are members of this community but who had no representation on Blinn's board. Their money gladly is collected in Bryan and promptly sent to Brenham to support three campuses that are not solvent. Until John Raney took on this issue, the concerns of Bryan Blinn students and faculty were ignored.

John is a strong, respected, conservative voice for the Brazos Valley in Austin. He understands and respects our Constitution and fights hard to ensure that our rights are protected. John knows how to work with other members of the Legislature to pass legislation that is beneficial to his constituents without compromising his conservative values and he has no problem standing up to those with whom he disagrees on fundamental issues.

Being a perpetual dissenting vote is not a sign that John's opponent is a good conservative -- it just means that he cannot move forward his constituents' agenda.

I urge you to vote for John Raney so he can continue the good work he is doing for Bryan and College Station in the Legislature.

JEAN RICCIARDELLO PHELPS

College Station

Old-style conservative works for smaller government

John Raney is a Texas conservative, the old style who believes in less government, unless government is needed. John was a Republican when there were few Republicans in Brazos County. He is a thoughtful, capable, and honest business leader in Brazos County whom I have known for 40 years. His integrity is without detraction. John Raney has represented Brazos County well, fighting for what is right.

District 14 should be proud of the representation and leadership John has shown in the Legislature. He possesses traits, qualities, and character that make him the type of representative Texas needs in its Legislature. He communicates well with his constituents and is an enthusiastic participant in the political process, having served on the Administration, Appropriations, and Higher Education House committees.

Brazos County voters would be well-served to re-elect John as its representative.

As a conservative business-minded Grimes County voter, I support John Raney because he is good for the Brazos Valley and the state of Texas.

I urge you to vote for John in the upcoming Republican primary.

JOHN FULTZ

Navasota

Candidate's beliefs echo those of his district

I think I have known John Raney about as long as anyone here -- 50 years now. You get to know someone pretty well in that time.

John is a decent, honest, caring gentleman who puts family and community ahead of self. I believe his conservative values mirror those of most of the people in Brazos County.

He has earned the respect of the other representatives in the House.

We have been fortunate over the years to have had a lot of good people serve in offices in Bryan-College Station. John is one of the best, in my opinion. His opponent recently sent a flier that had one of the ugliest attempts at misrepresentations I have ever seen and I have seen some bad ones. I can hope that everyone will be as offended as I am at that kind of attempt to win office.

John earned my vote and I hope he has yours too. Thanks, John, for your service.

ULMAN McMULLEN

College Station
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By Donna B. Stinnett

With two of four steps complete in creating a brand identity for Henderson, local groups heard a progress report this week on where the research is leading.

The report came from Steve Chandler and Greg Fuson of Chandler Thinks, the Franklin, Tennessee, consulting firm that's guiding the community through the process.

The big questions asked in collecting research data: 1. What Hendersonians think of the community and 2. What outsiders think of us.

The bottom line is that we're not braggers. We're not doing enough to tell the story about what's special and different and attractive about Henderson for visitors and for people who might be looking for a good place to put down roots.

And "we" does not just mean the Tourist Commission or Kyndle or the Downtown Partnership, in other words people who are in the business to "sell" Henderson.

"We," Chandler said, is anyone who lives here or visits here and has the opportunity to tell someone else about the community, whether it's in a face-to-face conversation or at an online review site.

The reason for creating such a brand identity is simple, Chandler said.

"In the absence of managing your reputation," he said, "others will do it for you."

That's why, when polled, people in Evansville or Owensboro were apt to confess that they either didn't know a lot about what Henderson has to offer or thought all there was to our city is "cheap gas" and "fast food."

Chandler said that points to "pass through" visitors who have probably never been enticed to stray away from their path to take a stroll on the river or eat in a local restaurant.

On the other hand, both insiders and outsiders know that Henderson is known for: Our river and green spaces, Audubon, the W.C. Handy Blues & Barbecue Festival, nature and our downtown.

"None of that is surprising," Chandler said. "But this is about focusing. The process is meant to be very, very, very, very redundant until everybody delivers the Henderson brand.

"After today, we will be developing a central theme to play with and work with," he added. "The creative work is easy once you know who you are."

Fuson walked participants through the ups and downs of the research, including the negative impressions, the threats from other communities and the things that get in the way of having a successful cohesive branding campaign.

"But the bad news is the good news sometimes," he said. "We don't want those reputations and we know how to fix them."

Chandler drilled down into one small part of Henderson's favorable identity to drive a point home.

He showed how Henderson is part of a Kentucky tourism region called "Bluegrass, Blues and Barbecue," in acknowledgment of our connection to W.C. Handy and blues music.

But could people listen to blues music in Henderson on a nightly basis? Or even a regular basis?

The consultant said that label has been assigned based entirely on a four-day Blues Festival  albeit a very good and popular one  but four days is not enough to create a brand identity.

"To have that brand people might expect to hear blues here anytime," he said, adding that thinking in those terms is one way to focus.

Using the research, the consultants took the community's best assets, sensory experiences and other measurements to find branding truths to mold into a firm platform during the next two phases.

The story of Henderson is starting to read something like this:

"For those seeking the comfort and connections of a small town, Henderson is a classic river town where life is framed by nature's resources and you can feel calm and inspired toward new ideas."

The river is represented there. The landscapes that inspired the likes of John James Audubon and W.C. Handy are there. The charm, quaintness and hospitality of Main Street is there.

There's also value in being juxtaposed between cities like Evansville and Owensboro who have different things to offer.

Chandler used the example of Nashville and his community of Franklin, Tennessee.

"Franklin isn't Nashville," he said. "But the bigger Nashville gets  and it's getting bigger  the more charming Franklin gets."

He said that type of community refocusing is good for this day and time.

"We're in a great era when people love authenticity," Chandler said.

It's a way to guide identity.

"Henderson sees itself as a river town," Fuson said. "And downtown is one of those things that's evolving. You have the opportunity to build something fantastic. You have the physical pieces in place. It's just a matter of putting those pieces together."

And bragging about it just a little bit more.

"You have to let them know who you are," he said.
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By Special To The Gleaner

Trees beautify natural landscapes, but they're also a vital part of our ecosystem and play a key role in energy as well.

Trees help reduce energy bills by providing summer shade, winter warmth and winter windbreaks  benefits the Commonwealth will multiply and continue to enjoy long into the future thanks to partnerships funding tree planting projects across Kentucky in 2016.

This year 15 organizations across nine Kentucky counties, including Henderson County Parks and Programs, are receiving 2016 Plant for the Planet grants.

The projects are funded, in part, by Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company's Plant for the Planet grant program. The program awards matching grants in amounts of $500 to $5,000 to organizations with a history of successful tree plantings in the LG&E and KU service territories.

"We've been awarding program grants for the better part of 10 years now," said Laura Douglas, LG&E and KU vice president of corporate responsibility and community affairs. "During that time more than 37,000 trees have been planted and this year will add another 760 to that total. Knowing the impact these projects have on our communities by enhancing the landscape and increasing the population of healthy trees for years to come is the real reward."

Since the grant program's launch in 2009, plantings have occurred in a range of urban and rural settings that offer public access, including parks and nature preserves. Many successful projects have also used unique approaches to incorporate trees within other landscape settings.

The Plant for the Planet program is modeled after the United Nations' Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign which promotes the planting of more than one billion trees annually by individuals, communities and businesses worldwide.
CALAIS, France  Mysterious armed groups are on the prowl, targeting migrants in night attacks in Calais and elsewhere in northern France, sowing fear among the displaced travelers living in squalid slums and deepening concerns the city is becoming a tinderbox of anti-migrant, anti-Muslim rage thats fueling a budding nationalist movement.

The stalkers, sometimes masked, slip through the night armed with clubs, brass knuckles, pepper spray or knives, according to accounts by migrants and groups working to provide medical and legal help.

After months of what appear to be organized attacks, police made their first arrests Thursday, taking seven men armed with iron bars and extendable batons into custody for a suspected attack on five Iraqi Kurds at Loon-Plage, a port town between Calais and nearby Dunkirk. The seven faced charges of violence in a group and forming a group to commit violence, said Dunkirk prosecutor Eric Fouard. Some of the men, aged 24-47, said they sympathized with extreme-right movements in Calais identified as xenophobic, he said.

The ideas they peddle are that there are too many migrants in France, Fouard said by telephone, noting that one of the seven was from Brittany and another from the Paris region.

The head of a legal center set up for the refugees in the makeshift Calais camp alleged on Friday that those living there are regularly subject to police violence, as well. Marianne Humbersot told reporters she was filing 13 complaints  five for violence by militia and eight at the hands of police.

I have a 13-year-old who had his foot broken. And 10 days before being attacked by police, he had his nose broken by racists, Humbersot said.

Migrants  who have converged in northern France hoping to sneak into Britain  have also long complained about police brutality, accounts backed up by medical units that treat them. But attacks in recent months, accounts suggest, are organized and carried out by a militia-style group or groups, opening a new dimension of violence.

A growing security crackdown aimed at keeping thousands of migrants from reaching Britain is giving Calais a fortress-like look. The city bristles with tall barbed wire fences, blinks with police lights and is disfigured by open spaces cleared of brush  including at the two entrances to the camp  so police can better survey.

On Friday, officials in Frances northern Pas-de-Calais region said that half of the sprawling makeshift migrant camp will be evacuated. Prefect Fabienne Buccio said between 800 to 1,000 migrants will have to leave their dwellings in the camp on the edge of Calais, which now has shops, mosques, churches and schools built by migrants and volunteers.

Among the citys population, a potentially toxic cocktail of frustration and anger is brewing, with pro- and anti-migrant groups facing off in demonstrations. On social networks, anti-migrant groups, often calling themselves patriots, are using increasingly virulent language.

We are playing with fire because people are becoming defensive. They are organizing themselves, said the Doctors of the World coordinator for northern France, Amin Trouve-Baghdouche.

About 150 people defied a ban on a Feb. 6 demonstration in Calais organized by the anti-Islam movement PEGIDA, which staged protests in numerous European countries that day. Police charged the Calais demonstration to end it, pulling a retired four-star general who once headed the Foreign Legion into their security net. Gen. Christian Piquemal was arrested, charged and ordered to stand trial along with four others, outraging some right and far-right politicians and his partisans. Three others, all armed, were convicted and given jail terms of up to three months.

A week earlier, about 50 migrants broke through fencing and briefly occupied a ferry, the Spirit of Britain, at the Calais port during a demonstration by some 2,000 migrants and supporters.

There are currently about 4,200 migrants in Calais, from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea and elsewhere, and up to 2,000 more in another makeshift camp near Dunkirk, with hundreds of others scattered along the coast hoping to finish their journeys in Britain.

The jungle, as the open-air Calais migrant slum is known, embodies in one sprawling stretch of filth and mud the hardships, and horrors, of uprooted lives. And the citys tensions reflect simmering uncertainty around Europe as it absorbs 1 million Syrian refugees and other migrants who arrived last year.

The bid to keep the travelers from accessing the Calais ferry port, the Eurotunnel and trucks making the journey to Britain has frustrated migrants, leaving them to take greater risks to make the crossing. Up to 20 have died since the end of June. The local Nord Littoral newspaper said four Afghans in a small boat were saved last week. A body was found this week in the waters of the port.

Now, a new fear, being physically attacked, has surfaced.

Today, we have organized groups ... dressed in the same way with hoods who say they are police, said Baghdouche of Doctors of the World. The men are armed with clubs, iron bars, pepper spray and knives, he said, citing numerous accounts by migrants seeking medical aid. The attacks occur in town or near the jungle camp  and now closer to Dunkirk.

They stop them, usually late, at 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., say they are police so obviously the migrants stop. They ask them to undress ... they start to hit them until they fall down, KO (knockout), Baghdouche said.

The aid group Doctors of the World has helped migrants in the area file at least two legal complaints about attacks.

Prosecutor Jean-Pierre Valensi said he has sent four to five cases for investigation by judicial police over several months, the latest on Wednesday when a group of migrants was attacked with clubs near the camp.

We have rather vague descriptions (of the attackers). The migrants disappear. We need accounts. We cant find them, he said.

The victims, who are in France illegally, fear filing formal complaints, in part to avoid being trapped here or sent home. Since they are illegally in the country they have no right to eventual reparations.

Some Calaisians worry migrants are hurting the economy of Calais, a tourist destination for British that, it is widely agreed, has a growing image problem. Others worry about their childrens safety, noting streets empty in the evening, or property values.

The migrants are more and more violent. They are blocked here. Its a dead-end, said Sandrine Desert, a founder of Calasiens en Colere (Angry Calasians), a group that cruises town to film migrants in the streets and post them on Facebook. We are the forgotten ones ... They always talk of migrants, but we are also in distress.

Philippe Wannesson, who blogs daily about his town, said, The public debate is becoming far more divided.

Theyre not ready to fight, he said, but there is increasingly violent extreme-right talk.
This article appeared in Saturdays Washington Post:

"Madam Secretary," Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, said to Hillary Clinton at Thursday night's Democratic presidential debate, "that is a low blow." But was it? Clinton had just finished pointing out that Sanders has at times strongly critiqued President Obama. While she made his criticisms out to be more personal in nature than they were, her core point was nevertheless true: Sanders is running a campaign based on a blistering  and simplistic  critique of the status quo under this Democratic president.

In fact, Sanders's relationship to the politics of the past decade explains a lot about the differences between him and Clinton. The most obvious distinction is in the differing lessons each candidate took from Obama's inability to moderate the tone and conduct of the country's politics. Obama's promise of that change animated his 2008 campaign and that year's blowout Democratic win, yet Washington now appears more polarized  and gridlocked  than ever. The outside-the- Beltway, popular-coalition-building strategy on which Obama ran  the closest the country has gotten recently to the "political revolution" Sanders wants to spark  did not alter partisan political behavior.

Clinton, pointing out that Obama had to fight tooth-and-nail even for relatively centrist solutions such as the Affordable Care Act, draws the lesson that the next president must have a strong sense of practicality and realism; big rallies cannot wish away the complex politics of Congress. Sanders, by contrast, claims that Obama had insufficient revolutionary zeal. That's why he proposed that the incumbent Democratic president be challenged by a primary opponent in 2012.

Of course, Sanders's rejection of realism didn't start when Obama stepped foot in the White House. At another point in Thursday's debate, Clinton pointed out that the senator from Vermont voted against a 2007 immigration reform bill, a bipartisan deal brokered by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, that would have made the country's immigration system a little more rational. Sanders replied that the guest-worker program it envisioned would have been "akin to slavery" and that groups such as the AFL-CIO and the League of United Latin American Citizens opposed it. Such kowtowing to interest groups and indulgence in hyperbole are not uncommon for senators, who are rarely held accountable for failing to get results. But they would make for a disastrous presidency.

Sanders regularly assures his audiences that he respects Obama and Clinton. But he attacks the pragmatism they have built their legacies on, even though they had no other option. The system  and by this we mean the constitutional structure of checks and balances  requires policymakers to settle for incremental changes. Obama has scored several ambitious but incomplete reforms that have made people's lives better while ideologues on both sides took potshots. A key question in the Democratic race is which candidate would duplicate the president's work and which would settle for rock-throwing.
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.

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.

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.
There are too many people in America who dont feel connected. Theyve got victories that no one celebrates with them. And theyve got defeats, and pain sometimes, that they have to absorb themselves, Ohio Gov. John Kasich said in a speech that celebrated his second-place showing in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday. It was a breakthrough moment. In early GOP debates, Kasich talked too much about his working-class roots and his mailman dad. I care about poor people, he crowed in a November debate  as if no one else did. Tuesday night, however, Kasich moved from boasting that he relates to working stiffs to relating to working-class voters.

The flinty Kasich always was a good fit for the Granite State. The former House Budget Committee chairman is a budget hawk; New Hampshire has no income tax. As a pragmatist, he wasnt likely to excel in the Iowa caucus, where the GOP base rewarded obstructionist Sen. Ted Cruz with a top finish. Kasich doesnt go in for kamikaze tactics, hence his cross-over appeal to independent voters who cast ballots in the GOP contest. His years in the House enabled him to forge alliances with New Hampshire heavyweights such as former Sens. John E. Sununu and Gordon Humphrey, who backed Kasich over hopefuls with bigger war chests. He likes to talk. New Englanders like to talk too. Kasich held 106 town halls, and they paid off.

Meanwhile, rivals super PACs were painting a bulls-eye on the back of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. So, Kasich got to sit back and watch New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie take down Rubio a few pegs during Saturday nights debate. Christie punctured his own balloon as well. By hanging back, Kasich got stronger.

Now Kasich is a bigger target. Right to Rise, a super PAC that supports former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, has hit Kasich for forcing a massive expansion of Obamacare in Ohio. Kasich knew the political risk of taking advantage of an Obamacare provision that fully funded new Medicaid enrollees for the first three years. But he told Fox News that it was his job to bring money back to Ohio, not watch his taxpayers send money to Washington to subsidize other states health care.

If punched, well punch back publicly, Matt David of the pro-Kasich super PAC New Day, told me. Make sure you use the word publicly with that so it doesnt sound like Im coordinating.

While Right to Rise whispers Kasich is not sufficiently conservative, Planned Parenthood is hitting Kasich from the left. President Cecile Richards told the Women in the World Forum in Los Angeles that, given Ohios restrictions on abortions, a Kasich administration would be a complete and utter disaster for women. Looking to woo hard-core South Carolina Republicans, Kasich strategist John Weaver tweeted, Ask her to keep it up, please.

He is walking the fine line with an upbeat message thats part Catholic and part New Age. Were all made to change the world. Were all made to be part of the healing of this world, he told his supporters. Once upon a time, critics panned Kasich for being too boyish. In this field of GOP contenders, he has found his stride and has graduated to Yoda.
EDISON, NJ (TIP): We are changing the nations face. Our aim is to make India a formidable power in the world. We work honestly to make India a strong, resilient and great nation in the []
Looking for the big games to watch in Week 9? We have them right here.
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Linkedin Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 13, 2016

Two organizations have urged law enforcers to bring multiple charges against an allegedly abusive employer Meta Hasan Musdalifah, 40, following her alleged assault of four domestic workers in her house in Utan Kayu, Matraman, East Jakarta.



The National Network for Domestic Workers Advocacy (JalaPRT) and the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) demanded at a press conference on Friday that the Jakarta Police and the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office take Meta into custody for assault, unlawful incarceration and refusing to pay the workers' wages.



'Meta violently assaulted four workers for years, causing permanent injuries. She might have killed one of them if her actions continued,' said Lita Anggraini from Jala PRT, adding that the workers ' Siti Sri Mariani, Erni, Musa and Wardi ' were all 20 years old.



Lita added that among the workers, Siti, better known as Ani, suffered the most severe injuries. She is now receiving treatment at the National Police Hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, while the others were staying in a safe house.



The case of the four workers being abused has attracted public attention since Tuesday, when Ani ran away from Meta's house and reported the employer to the police.



Seven years ago, when she decided to work for Meta for the first time, Ani never expected that she would suffer from severe mental and physical pain because of her employer's abuse.



During those years, she and the three others often suffered physical abuse, including being hit with belts, brooms and slippers. Meta also poured hot water on Ani's chest, ironed her stomach and forced her to eat cat's excrement. Unable to bear the treatment, Ani attempted to commit suicide three times but failed.



On Tuesday, she eventually managed to flee from the house by climbing over the front gate despite painful bruises and swelling on her body. She then ran to Matraman Police, who immediately raided Meta's house. The police did not find Meta at that moment as she had fled from house.



Meta surrendered to the East Jakarta Police on Wednesday after her family persuaded her to do so. 'I cannot imagine how much pain Ani and her friends went through as the perpetrator never gave them medicine after abusing them,' Lita said, adding that Meta also did not allow her workers to interact with other residents in the neighborhood or even with their families. She also refused to pay their salaries for several months.



Meta is known among her neighbors as a person who does not socialize much. She was once reprimanded by her neighborhood head, Sugiarti, because of reports from residents that screams of pain were heard from her house.



But Meta was offended by the reprimand, Sugiarti said, and verbally attacked him for 'interfering with her domestic issues'.



'She said to me that the screams were from her misbehaving foster children, who needed to be disciplined. She told me not to interfere with her problems,' Sugiarti said as quoted by wartakotalive.com on Tuesday.



Meanwhile, East Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Agung Budijono said that the police would call for a psychologist to examine Meta's mental condition. He added that they had yet to question Ani and other workers due to the trauma they had suffered.
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Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 13, 2016

The Attorney General's Office (AGO) is considering dropping prosecutions of two former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leaders Abraham Samad and Bambang Widjojanto, but will continue to bring criminal charges against the antigraft body's top investigator, Novel Baswedan.



Attorney General M. Prasetyo said on Friday that he had consulted a number of parties, including the National Police and the Supreme Court, before terminating the prosecutions of Abraham and Bambang for the sake of public interest, also known as deponering.



However, Novel's case would receive different treatment, he said.



'We have already asked for their opinions on these two people [Abraham and Bambang]. However, each case must be treated differently and we should not make generalizations. We have different considerations,' Prasetyo told reporters on Friday.



Early last year, Abraham, Bambang and Novel were named suspects by the National Police following the KPK's decision to name former police chief candidate Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan a graft suspect.



The two KPK commissioners were charged with minor offenses and forced to leave their posts at the antigraft agency, while the police force also dug up a decade-old assault case implicating Novel.



Since then, President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has instructed the AGO to resolve the issue, while public pressure has also grown on Prasetyo to end the apparently spitefully motivated prosecutions.



Prasetyo earlier sent a letter to House of Representatives Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, asking it to support the move to drop the case against Abraham and Bambang.



Lawmakers rejected the proposal, accusing the AGO of attempting to share the risk of making the controversial decision.



Separately, National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti said he would prefer to have Abraham's and Bambang's cases go to court to allow them to prove their innocence.



'Of course the police force would like to have the legal certainty of a court decision to determine whether they are guilty. That is what investigators have hoped for during the whole investigation process,' Badrodin told reporters at the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta on Friday.



Meanwhile, the victim of Novel's alleged assault, Dedi Muryadi, met with the current KPK leadership on Friday in an effort to ensure the criminal prosecution against the top KPK investigator continues.



Dedi's lawyer, Yulisman, said that the alleged victim had cried as he told the story of how he had been shot by Novel, who was the Bengkulu detective chief at the time.



'My client demands a proper legal process without any intervention. This is a state run on the rule of law ['] It can only be described as persecution if criminal charges are brought against an innocent person. However, in this case, [the assault] did happen,' Yulisman said at the KPK headquarters in South Jakarta.



Novel is accused by the police of shooting a robbery suspect during his tenure as Bengkulu Police detective chief in 2004.



The police first reopened the investigation into Novel in 2012 after the antigraft body named then National Police Traffic Corps (Korlantas) chief Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo a graft suspect.

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Linkedin The Jakarta Post CILEGON/BANTEN  Sat, February 13, 2016

PT Asahimas Chemical, a subsidiary of the Japan-based Asahi Glass Company (AGC), expects to more than triple its industrial chemical exports following the opening of a new factory in its industrial complex in Cilegon, Banten.



With the operation of the new plant, exports were projected to increase to US$400 million this year from $120 million last year, Takuya Shimamura of Asahimas said during the inauguration of the new factory on Friday.



'We built the new factory to meet rising demand from the local and international market,' he said.



Asahimas exports its industrial chemical products to several countries, including Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.



The company's industrial expansion and infrastructure development inside and outside the country has increased demand for caustic soda, mixture for pulp, paper, textile fiber; vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), raw material for PVC; and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), used to make pipes, cables and synthetic skin.



The new factory increases the annual production capacity for caustic soda from 500,000 to 700,000 dry tons; VCM from 400,000 to 800,000 tons; and PVC from 300,000 to 550,000 tons.



Asahima's local sales reached between $280 million and $380 million last year, higher than its exports, which were worth $120 million during the same year, Takuya said.



'If demand rises again, we may build another site in East Java as the area here is already full,' he said.



The firm, established in 1986, has 91 hectares of land in Cilegon, covering 50 ha of its existing factory, 20 ha of the new factory and 20 ha of a planned coal-fired power plant (PLTU) aiming for operation in 2018.



The 2 A 150 megawatt (MW) power plant will provide the firm's electricity needs and help the state achieve its goal of having new 35,000 MW by 2019.



The area is also connected to a small port in the Java Sea, where the company receives and sends materials. This makes it the biggest integrated chemical production site in Southeast Asia.



Coordinating Investment Board (BKPM) head Franky Sibarani said that Asahima's investment was in line with the state's focus on developing export-oriented industry that will help save its foreign currency.



'The expansion of Asahimas is very positive to increase local competitiveness, especially to reduce raw material imports and save foreign currency reserves by $97 million per year,' he said at the same event.



Investment for the new factory, which is worth $425 million, will help meet the country's total investment target of Rp 595 trillion ($44 billion) this year.



Last year, realized investment totaled Rp 545.45 trillion, exceeding the Rp 519.5 trillion target.



The government aims to see Rp 3.5 quadrillion in investment during the period between 2015 and 2019.



To reach this, BKPM is providing various licensing services, such as the three-hour license issuance for big investors and 'green-lane' acceleration to help companies constructing sites to settle import permits.



The latter program is handling 11 foreign companies with Rp 28.4 trillion in investment and seven local companies with Rp 5.6 trillion in investment.



All run in various sectors, such as agriculture, basic metal, metal, minerals, machinery and electronics, mining, rubber, plastics, electricity, gas, water, transportation, food, chemical and pharmacy. (rbk)

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Linkedin Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 13, 2016

After being largely left out of handling disputes resulting from last year's simultaneous regional elections, the Election Supervisory Committee (Bawaslu) has demanded that it be granted more authority to deal with electoral complaints.



Bawaslu chairman Muhammad said that the committee ought to have full authority to handle criminal violations in the election process.



Currently, Bawaslu receives complaints regarding violations of election laws, including criminal cases, only to report them to the National Police and Attorney General's Office (AGO).



Most cases remain unresolved in the hands of the police because their investigations require at least two pieces of evidence, which takes a lengthy process to collect.



'Bawaslu should be the only institution handling the reports. We should run a certain type of court to settle the all election disputes and violations except those related to election results, which are handled by the Constitutional Court,' Muhammad said.



Bawaslu should also be given full authority to handle administrative violations, issues related to candidate registration, campaign funds misuse and voter registration, he said.



It has become common practice for political candidates to file lawsuits against decisions taken by regional general elections commissions (KPUD) at the State Administrative Court (PTUN) after the KPUD rejects their candidacy for legal reasons.



'Bawaslu should be the one to hear the complaints and its decision should be final and binding,' Muhammad said.



KPU commissioner Juri Ardiantoro dismissed the proposal saying that there was no specific regulation that barred candidates from filing complaints with institutions other than Bawaslu, such as the state administrative court, the police, the district court and the Supreme Court.



'Of course those institutions have no authority to reject the lawsuits. And that's why we need to evaluate existing regulations,' Juri said.



Some of problems also arose due to a lack of coordination between the KPU and Bawaslu during the candidate registration process, he said.



The KPU sometimes declined to register candidates due to administrative violations, such as missing the deadline and failing to enclose school diplomas, a lapse that Bawaslu could tolerate.



People's Synergy for Democracy in Indonesia (Sigma) director Said Salahuddin also objected to the proposal for Bawaslu to handle the criminal violations.



'Bawaslu should stay away from criminal violations and be given greater authority to hand down heavier penalties for those failing to meet administrative requirements. This will make the work of election organizers more effective,' he said.



Said, however, doubted if the House of Representatives would allow the change to happen.



'The House appears unprepared to deliberate regional election bills. They haven't even prepared a draft bill,' he said.



The House has listed Amendment to Law No. 1/2005 on the election of governors, regents and mayors, among its priority bills under the 2016 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas), and started its deliberation earlier this month.

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Linkedin The Jakarta Post  Sat, February 13, 2016

Feb. 9, 2016



Terrorism convict Abu Bakar Ba'asyir has said it will not be a problem for him to receive a prison sentence as long as his trial is fair. 'One thing that I ask from this court is, it can be honest in judging my guilt,' the firebrand Muslim cleric said as quoted by Antara news agency during his follow-up second case review hearing at Cilacap District Court, Central Java, on Tuesday.



During the hearing, the panel of judges led by Nyoto Hindaryanto, with Zulkarnaen and Akhmad Budiman, drew a conclusion on Ba'asyir's case. The examination report (BAP) of the Ba'asyir case was also signed off at the hearing.



Your comments:



Taking up arms against the attackers of Islam? Like how? Bombing cafes, malls and bus stations? Kidnapping and killing unarmed civilians? This nasty little man is a disgrace to the honor of the real Mujahadeen who fought the might of the Soviet army in Afghanistan.



Deedee S.



I am surprised that he pleaded to the court at all. It's all in Allah's hands so he just has to trust in him and gracefully receive any sentence given to him.



Orang Biasa



It was merely self-defense, did he say? Go and tell that to the Bali victims.



Loh Taun



There you all go again ' not listening to a man who is so obviously telling the truth. He, and all the other innocents that are unjustly accused of terrorism, corruption, graft, using religion for their own ends and many other crimes, should be shown mercy for it is their right.



They are all innocent ' it is only the thieving poor who steal food to feed their families that should be severely punished, and rightly so, for without taking a strong stand against them, society as we know it would disintegrate completely.



Sick Humourist



'Terrorism convict Abu Bakar Ba'asyir has said it will not be a problem for him to receive a prison sentence as long as his trial is fair.'



He is already sentenced to prison and should stay there in solitary confinement. His reasoning of justifying murders is reprehensible and just shows his sick extremist mindset.



This country doesn't need people like this and his support of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) just confirms it is a terrorist-supported group that should be banned and not supported by the police and the government.



Willo1246



Interesting, he confesses that originally he did not know about where his funds were going (although supporting Hamas and the FPI he should have had a fair inkling), then after learning about the Aceh death squad training grounds, he wholeheartedly supported it.



His reasons are moot, based on the earlier conviction he is guilty of what he has been charged with, which is support of terrorism and inciting hatred, and they should add traitor to Indonesia.



All he deserves is solitary confinement until he dies.



Deddy K



Asking the court to be fair would land you the death penalty.



Hidden Dog



He is playing the God card. What a hypocrite he is.



Bamboowilly



This is sheep mentality. An attack on Muslims somewhere in another part of the world creates a religious obligation for him to attack completely unrelated and unarmed people in his own part of the world (not even his own part because he did it in Hindu Bali)? This nut needs to be in solitary confinement for the rest of his life.



Devanagari
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Linkedin Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 13, 2016

The field in the race for the Golkar Party chairmanship has become increasingly crowded with more key figures within the party declaring their candidacy.



Tangerang regent Zaki Iskandar has become the latest Golkar politician to have expressed his intention to join the race after requesting permission from incumbent chairman Aburizal Bakrie on Thursday night, a senior Golkar politician said.



'Last night, Tangerang regent Zaki Iskandar, who is also chairman of the board for Golkar's Tangerang branch, held a meeting with chairman ARB and stated his intention to run,' said Golkar Party lawmaker Tantowi Yahya, referring to Aburizal by his initials.



Zaki, who recently won the municipal election in Tangerang, Banten, represents a new generation of politicians in Golkar that have brought change, Tantowi said.



Besides Zaki, other Golkar figures to have expressed an interest in joining the race are South Sulawesi governor Syahrul Yasin Limpo, party secretary-general Idrus Marham, party executives Indra Bambang Utoyo and Wati Amir, as well as current lawmaker and daughter of former president Soeharto, Siti Hediati 'Titiek' Haryadi.



Syahrul said that he was ready to join the race.



'If all the party members will it, then I am ready to run [for the chairmanship],' Syahrul said at the State Palace on Friday.



Previously, Golkar deputy chairman Agung Laksono, who will not run in the contest, said that at least 12 party members were eligible to run including Golkar politicians Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita and Airlangga Hartarto.



Others eligible to join are House of Representatives speaker Ade Komarudin and House Commission III lawmaker Azis Syamsuddin, party executives Mahyudin and Priyo Budi Santoso, as well as former House speaker Setya Novanto, who now heads the party's faction at the legislative body.



Setya is considered a frontrunner in the contest despite having been implicated in an alleged conspiracy to secure PT Freeport Indonesia shares in return for helping the firm secure an operating contract extension.



The Attorney General's Office is currently questioning him as a witness.



Golkar lawmaker Ridwan Bae, who serves as member of the House ethics council that heard Setya's ethics breach tribunal in the conspiracy case, said Setya would be eligible to run in the party chairmanship race in spite of his ongoing legal case.



'Even if he is named a suspect in the case, [Setya] still has the right to participate in the chairmanship race,' Ridwan said.



Senior Golkar lawmaker Roem Kono has also recently declared his bid, claiming to represent Golkar's wing organization, Mutual Assistance Families Association (MKGR), which he currently leads.



Until the party nominates the top three candidates deemed eligible to contest the party's leadership election in the upcoming congress scheduled in March, Golkar Party statutes stipulate that eligible candidates have to go through the pre-candidacy and candidacy selection process.



Earlier on Thursday, Golkar lawmaker Bambang Soesatyo said that in spite of what appears to be a crowded field, there are essentially only three contenders in the race, including House speaker Ade, whose candidacy had recently been disputed.



'From all who have declared interest, only three candidates are serious: [Setya] Novanto, Ade and Aziz [Syamsuddin]. Campaign teams for these three candidates have already begun canvassing future votes ' at least that's what I heard from our friends in each of the regions,' he said.

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Linkedin Khoirul Amin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 13, 2016

E-commerce players throughout the country are backing the government's initiative to develop a single national payment gateway (NPG), as part of its planned e-commerce roadmap, but have simultaneously expressed an expectation for far superior security measures.



Marketplace Elevenia chief financial officer Lila Nirmandari said on Thursday that she was in favor of the initiative as long as the new system would be able to provide improved experience and better security for consumers.



'If the NPG can offer a far better service, experience and security than that offered by the current system, it may assist with our endeavors to gain the trust of society. Consumers might be more willing to make online transactions,' she told The Jakarta Post.



Lila explained that, under the current payment system, many people are still reluctant to buy things online as they are somehow suspicious of online payment security.



Voicing a similar view, Indonesian E-commerce Association (idEA) chairman Daniel Tumiwa said that, while his association fully welcomed the government's initiative for the NPG, to raise public trust on e-commerce, he believed that the implementation of integrated electronic personal identity should be the first priority.



Integrated electronic personal identity, if implemented, would help to build trust between potential buyers and those who sell online as they would be able to check each other's identities before proceeding with any transaction, he argued.



'I think that the implementation of the online national identity card will significantly boost online transactions, payment comes second ['],' he stated in a short message.



Daniel said that his association heard of an initiative to launch the NPG four years ago but, to date, it had not materialized.



Under the administration of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, the government plans to launch an e-commerce roadmap to provide guidelines and create a better support environment for e-commerce business in Southeast Asia's largest economy.



Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara said on Wednesday that an e-commerce roadmap draft had been finalized and that it was waiting for Jokowi's endorsement.



He said that the e-commerce roadmap was expected to be launched this month in the form of a presidential or government regulation.



The development of the NPG, coupled with other initiatives like startup funding and cyber security, aims to create a healthy e-commerce ecosystem so that a target of US$130 billion-online transactions can be achieved by 2020, he stated.



The NPG will focus on building interoperability between local interbank network providers, also known as switching companies, to make transaction payments more efficient.



The implementation of the scheme, which will be supervised by Bank Indonesia (BI), will pave the way for the establishment of a central institution overseeing the interconnectivity of all electronic payments, including debit and credit cards, as well as e-money.



There are currently four switching companies that provide a network for e-banking payments in the country, namely Artajasa Pembayaran Elektronis (ATM Bersama) Rintis Sejahtera (ATM Prima) Data Network Lestari (ATM ALTO) and Sigma Cipta Caraka (ATM Link).



With the support of the central bank, all the switching firms agreed to enable interoperability with each other in 2013 with certain fees charged to customers of different banks. However, implementation has been limited.



Spokespeople for BI were not available for immediate comment on the issue.

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Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta  Sat, February 13, 2016

The torrential rains that hit Jakarta and its upper areas ' Bogor and Depok in West Java ' starting Friday have caused flooding across nine subdistricts in the capital, in East and South Jakarta, forcing hundreds of people to seek temporary shelter.

About 60 members of the East Jakarta rescue team managed to evacuate 229 residents trapped within inundated houses, said head of East Jakarta's Fire and Rescue Agency Gatot Sulaiman as reported by beritajakarta.com on Saturday.

One of the flood victims was rushed to a city owned hospital in Ciracas, East Jakarta, as he had shown signs of serious illness when rescuers had arrived at his house, he added. 'The 229 residents were taken from nine areas in East Jakarta. One of the victims was rushed to a hospital,' Gatot added.

Jakarta's Disaster Management Body (BPBD)'s spokesman Bambang Suryaputra said that in East Jakarta the flooding had affected 1,080 people living in six subdistricts, while in South Jakarta the flooding affected three subdistricts.

The BPBD Jakarta website also reported that some 40 to 50 centimeters of water continued to inundate Jl. Sirsak in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, on Saturday as a result of the heavy rains on Friday evening.

Pekayon subdistrict, Cibubur Market and Cipinang Melayu sundistrict in East Jakarta were still inundated by 50 centimeters of water.

Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama said that the remaining flooding in Jakarta was caused by the clogged drainage system. He said his administration was currently trying to find a way to eliminate anything that may still be blocking rain water from flowing into the river.

'In the past, when workers repaired the sidewalks, they closed the water way. We have found the causes of the inundation and we are working on them,' the governor said.

A number of river walls collapsed when they were hit by flood waters, causing flooding in a number of residential areas in Ciracas, East Jakarta, the governor said as reported by kompas.com.

He promised to start to repair the river walls in March and in May so as to protect residential areas from flooding. 'Generally, flooding was caused by the collapse of the river walls. If there is no wall collapse, flooding would immediately recede,' he added.

Meanwhile, Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said that light and medium levels of rain would continue to fall in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Bekasi and Tangerang on Saturday. (bbn)
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Linkedin Grace D. Amianti and Tassia Sipahutar (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 13, 2016

The government has decided to increase the target for its subsidized micro loan program from the initial allocation set earlier this year despite failing to meet its target last year.



The government announced on Thursday that the target for the micro loan program, dubbed People's Business Credit (KUR), had been increased slightly to Rp 103.2 trillion (US$7.69 billion) from the Rp 100 trillion set in January, saying it was now preparing new participants to take part in the scheme.



Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution said the meeting had approved the target, which was agreed by 19 banks that would participate in the program this year, far higher than the number involved in 2015.



The decision to increase the target was taken during a coordination meeting held at the Coordinating Economic Ministry's headquarters attended by ministers and officials of state agencies as well as executives of state-owned banks.



He said the ministry was also expecting that the Financial Services Authority (OJK) would soon complete its ongoing review of four multifinance firms that were deemed as prospective candidates to join the KUR program.



The four multifinance firms are BCA Finance, Adira Finance, Mega Central Finance and Federal International Finance, which are expected to disburse at least Rp 1.5 trillion of KUR loans this year.



'Apart from those four companies, there are several other multifinance firms who have already submitted their proposals to the OJK and are still under review,' Darmin said.



Darmin said the government had also added seven guarantor companies to provide insurance for the program, namely Jamkrindo, Jamkrindo Syariah and Askrindo as well as guarantors owned by the regional governments of Riau, Bangka Belitung (Riau Islands), South Sumatra and Central Java.



In 2015, three state-owned lenders ' Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), Bank Mandiri and Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) ' participated in the KUR program, along with one private lender, Bank Sinarmas, which played a relatively small role, mainly offering loans to Indonesian migrant workers (TKI).



As of Dec. 31, 2015 total loans disbursed by the KUR program reached Rp 21.4 trillion to 960,424 customers, lower than the Rp 30 trillion targeted.



According to the Coordinating Economic Ministry's data, the three state-owned lenders had continued to disburse Rp 6.48 trillion of KUR loans to more than 290,000 customers between Jan. 1 and Feb. 5 this year.



In order to achieve the 2016 nationwide KUR target, the government has allowed more banks, including privately owned and regional development banks, to join the program, with certain requirements in terms of financial situation and business portfolios.



OJK chairman Muliaman D. Hadad said at least 70 percent of the total allocated amount would be disbursed by three state-owned lenders ' BRI, Bank Mandiri and BNI ' while the rest would go to other participants.



With more participants in the program, Muliaman said the financial regulator was intensively reviewing the candidates, including studying its plan to involve rural banks to act as channeling agents for some banks.



'We've also paid special attention to seven regional development banks involved in the program in order to ensure their readiness,' he said.

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Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta  Sat, February 13, 2016

JAKARTA: Jakarta Health Agency has deployed 464 doctors, 464 nurses and 464 midwives to low-cost rental apartments (rusunawa) and community units (RW) as part of the implementation of the program of providing one nurse, one doctor and one midwife in each RW.



Health agency head Koesmedi Priharto said, after the inauguration of the 230 nurses to be deployed to RW by the Indonesian Nurses Association at City Hall on Friday, that the city would focus on deploying nurses to each RW.



'Each team, consisting of a doctor, a nurse and a midwife, should serve every 1,250 people in one area,' he said.



Kusmedi said that as the city had 2,700 RW, the agency would first focus on low-cost apartments.



'They serve the residents door-to-door as well as writing up the medical records of the residents,' he said, adding that the program was aimed at promoting health and preventive measures.
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Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta  Sat, February 13, 2016

JAKARTA: The West Jakarta Police launched an app on Friday called the Whistle Blower System (WBS) to make it easier for citizens to report all kinds of criminal activity.



The app, which is currently only available on the Android platform, is specifically designed for corruption reporting but West Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Rudy Heriyanto Adi Nugroho said the app could be used to report any type of crime. 'So, we want all crimes reported through the app,' he told reporters during the launch of the app at the West Jakarta Police headquarters.



Although it had been launched by the West Jakarta Police, he said, the app could be used by all Indonesians to report criminal activities.



The West Jakarta Police, he added, would forward reports of crimes that occurred outside their jurisdiction to any related police authorities.



The West Jakarta Police have called the app: Whistle Blower, Solusi Untuk Indonesia, or Whistle Blower, Solution for Indonesia.



Meanwhile, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian said reports on corruption would be handled by the police and would not be forwarded to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).



Rudy said his force had so far received 80 reports since it became available on Dec. 13 last year.



The app, which can be found on Google Play Store under the name WBS Polres Jakbar, had been downloaded 500 times as of Friday evening.
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Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta  Sat, February 13, 2016

JAKARTA: Comic and actor Kemal Palevi finally fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a superhero in the upcoming action flick Jagoan Instan (Instant Hero).



'Indonesia did not have superhero movies for some time. Thus, when director Fajar Bustomi asked me to join the project, I said yes right away,' he told kompas.com.



'Besides, I always wanted to be a superhero when I was little. I used to watch Spiderman and Batman movies while thinking, 'When can I uphold justice like them?''



In the film, Kemal plays the role of Bumi, an ordinary boy who briefly possesses superpowers every time he receives an injection of special serum.



Premiering on Feb. 18, Jagoan Instan also features young actor Kevin Julio, seasoned action star Dede Yusuf, Meriam Bellina and Nikita Mirzani.
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Linkedin Prima Wirayani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 13, 2016

Infrastructure companies recorded growth in assets value and profits last year thanks partly to the government's mammoth budget allocation in the sector.



State-run construction firm PT Waskita Karya booked a stellar 104.89 percent year-on-year (yoy) growth in its net profit last year to Rp 1.05 trillion (US$77.81 million) from the Rp 511.89 billion recorded in 2014.



Waskita corporate secretary Hadi Susilo attributed the growth to the increase in his firm's revenues.



'Government spending on strategic infrastructure, such as toll roads, provided significant contribution,' he wrote in a text message on Friday.



Waskita's full year financial report, as submitted to the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX), reports that the publicly-listed company reaped revenue of Rp 14.15 trillion last year or 37.51 percent higher yoy than the Rp 10.29 trillion pocketed the previous year.



The company's costs of goods sales rose 33.22 percent yoy to Rp 12.23 trillion last year from Rp 9.18 trillion in 2014.



President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo boosted government capital expenditure (capex) funds ' a spending allocation that includes ministerial investments and infrastructure projects ' to around Rp 290 trillion in the revised 2015 state budget, compared with Rp 156 trillion in the original budget formulated by then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.



This year, the government initially set aside around Rp 201.6 trillion for capex in the 2016 state budget, which was approved by lawmakers in late October. However, in a bid to achieve its economic growth target, it plans to increase the amount to more than Rp 310 trillion during the upcoming revision of the 2016 state budget.



Hadi said that his firm would remain focused on infrastructure projects this year and has set a target to close new contracts worth

Rp 63 trillion by year-end, adding that 80 percent of the deals would come from the sector.



Meanwhile, following investments carried out by the publicly-listed company throughout the year, state-owned toll road operator PT Jasa Marga saw its assets value increase by 15.25 percent yoy to

Rp 36.72 trillion last year.



'Last year, we invested in the construction of 13 new toll roads, whose total length reached around 600 kilometers,' Jasa Marga finance director Reynaldi Hermansjah said over the phone.



The investments eroded the company's revenues, causing a decline in profits, he added.



Jasa Marga booked Rp 9.85 trillion in revenue last year, a 7.41 percent increase yoy compared to

Rp 9.17 trillion garnered in 2014. Its net profit increased 3.52 percent yoy to Rp 1.47 trillion.



Reynaldi said that his firm would allocate Rp 14 trillion capex this year, far higher than Rp 4 trillion last year, as the toll roads were near to completion and were slated to start operation in 2018.



BNI Securities analyst Thendra Crisnanda said that the government's focus on developing strategic projects would be a big slice of cake for infrastructure company growth.



'The higher infrastructure budget will also affect the firms' performance this year,' he said.



Responding to the higher budget, state-run builder PT Adhi Karya have set a target to seal new contracts worth Rp 25.1 trillion this year. The firm booked new contracts amounting to Rp 1.1 trillion in January, mainly contributing to its construction business line of 86.9 percent.

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Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jambi  Sat, February 13, 2016

JAMBI: A member of Merangin Police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) in Jambi was found dead early on Friday at his house after apparently hanging himself, the second police suicide in Jambi and the third nationwide since the beginning of the year.



Merangin Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Munggaran Kartayuga said the body of the officer, identified as Brig. Bobby Hermanto of Nalo Tantan district, had been found by his wife hanging from a staircase in his home at 4 a.m. local time.



Preliminary investigations suggested Bobby had committed suicide, Munggaran said. 'We are still investigating the motivation behind the incident,' he added.



On Feb. 4, an officer from East Tanjung Jabung Police in Jambi hanged himself in the parking lot of the police station compound, while on Jan. 21, Brig. Irian Mulyono, 30, died after shooting himself at his house in Keerom, Papua. The police are still investigating the two previous cases.
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Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jayapura  Sat, February 13, 2016

JAYAPURA: Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Paulus Waterpauw has denied accusations that officers from the Mimika Baru Police assaulted and tortured a local man, a picture of whom, stripped and with his hands tied, has gone viral on social media.



'In reality, officers saved the man in question from an angry mob that had caught him raping a 10-year-old child,' Paulus said when contacted by The Jakarta Post on Friday.



The man, identified as AW, 20, had been caught in flagrante delicto raping the child, Paulus said, adding that he had fled but had been caught. Locals then repeatedly beat him and bound his wrists before reporting him to the Mimika Baru Police.



Paulus insisted that his men had acted according to procedure, and that the video in question, by showing the suspect only once already in police custody, created the misleading impression that it was the police who had stripped him.
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Linkedin The Jakarta Post Medan  Sat, February 13, 2016

MEDAN: Although the event passed off smoothly overall, election supervisors in North Sumatra have revealed indications of administrative errors during the regional leadership election in Simalungun regency on Wednesday.



The Elections Supervisory Agency's (Bawaslu) North Sumatra head, Syafrida R. Rasahan, said that as of Friday her office had not yet received violation reports regarding the election.



'However, in Siantar district, for instance, there was a report that about 100 registered voters could not find their names on the published fixed voters' list [DPT],'she said.



In an effort to promote efficiency, the government scheduled simultaneous local elections on Dec. 9 in 269 regions. The General Election Commission (KPU), however, decided at the last minute to postpone elections in five regions, including Simalungun, following legal disputes over the nomination of certain candidates.



Data from the KPU showed that, as of Friday, incumbent regent Jopinus Ramli Saragih and running mate Amran Sinaga led the provisional tally with 34.7 percent of the vote.
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Linkedin The Jakarta Post  Sat, February 13, 2016

Feb. 9, 2016



The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) insisted on Tuesday that it would not alter a draft revision of Law No. 30/2002 on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) despite vociferous opposition.



As the prime driver of the KPK Law revision, the party remains firmly in support of the plan.



'Where do we want this draft revision to lead?' asked PDI-P lawmaker Ichsan Soelistyo, representing House of Representatives members who supported the KPK Law revision, as quoted by kompas.com.



Your comments:



Here is a group of people (the PDI-P) who haven't been able to get their own jobs done in the past 14 months but insist they know what other people's jobs should be. Perhaps they should show the nation they can do their jibs by cutting the backlog still hanging around from last year.



Listen PDI-P politicians, everyone knows what's driving you. You can't cover it up by eliminating one entity that can do something about you. You would have to eliminate every resident of Indonesia to escape the public opinions you are forming. Start working for a better Indonesia instead, if just for yourself.



Xsimaging



Corruption is the reason why such a rich country is still struggling with high poverty levels, very low levels of education, bad infrastructure and many other problems. And now these crook politicians can find nothing better to do than to weaken the only institution that was dedicated to fighting corruption.



Benam



No need for an oversight council, no need for advance permission from any parties to wiretap, the KPK needs to recruit investigators itself. Are you going to weaken your own party, PDI-P? Weaken the KPK first.



Syarwan



'Ichsan insisted there was no intention to weaken the KPK.' What a joke!



Sorong



Is Ichsan Soelistyo the best caliber politician Indonesia can elect? This article clearly contradicts his assertion that the KPK will not be weakened. The KPK must have organizational independence to carry out its work with authority and objectivity. All four amendments would effectively subordinate the KPK and hand control to a meddling oversight council.



Brucelee4444



What a coward, he's just afraid of getting caught by the KPK for his undisclosed deals.



Simba1991



The people won't stand together until that light bulb comes on telling them that it is the corruptors that are actually taking food out of their and their families' mouths. With the so-called mafia, siphoning off cash from projects, etc, that is just what happens. Come time for elections, the politicians hand out Rp 20,000 to Rp 30,000 to people and all is well. They don't know just how much has been taken from them before that.



XS



I still haven't heard a sensible explanation as to why one of the most successful and trusted institutions in the land needs reforming anyway.



Devanagari



It seems that Indonesia is not merely stagnating, but moving in a downwards direction.



Surely the people of Indonesia will not simply sit back and allow these criminals to diminish the KPK, surely?



Kate101



Its time for the people to think seriously about Jokowi, Megawati Soekarnoputri and the PDI-P and do something to correct it, perhaps even impeachment of Jokowi for not keeping to his presidential election pledges, and even his acceptance speech on the day he was sworn in.



Siang Malam



True to form, instead of outright condemnation my Indonesian patriot here has chosen to muddle the issue by asking for the harshest punishment for 'corrupt' oversight council members, the very members whose primary task is to defang the KPK. Is it not a tacit support for this 'revision' then? You did start off well, until the last two sentences.



Abu Abu



No wire tapping? Don't they realize the US National Security Agency (NSA) does it?



Abdul Malik
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 13, 2016

As a follow up to the central government's plan to develop waste-based power plants in seven large cities, the Jakarta city administration will soon realize its long-held ambition of having a waste-to-energy project in Sunter, North Jakarta.

The government announced its plan to develop the plants in Jakarta, Bandung, Tangerang, Semarang, Surabaya, Surakarta and Makassar last week at a limited Cabinet meeting chaired by President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo.

Since 2011, the city administration has planned to build intermediate treatment facilities (ITF) in several areas in Jakarta, namely in Sunter, Marunda, Cakung and Duri Kosambi that would convert waste into energy, City Sanitation Agency deputy head Ali Maulana Hakim told thejakaratpost.com on Friday.

Tenders for the projects were received in 2012 and some foreign companies have been selected to handle the project in cooperation with local companies. However, until now, no winner has been announced because of the changing of leadership in the city.

The tender was kicked off by Fauzi Bowo's administration. Then governor Jokowi asked for input from the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP) and National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) regarding the tender process. When the opinion was delivered to the city administration, Jokowi was elected as President.

Governor Ahok preferred to wait for central government regulation on the matter to follow up the development of the waste-based power plan, Sanitation Agency integrated waste management head Asep Kuswanto said on Saturday.

Ali Maulana expressed hope that the central government would issue the government regulation on the waste-to-energy program soon so that the city administration could immediately decide on which company would handle the project.

'The issuance of the government regulation will accelerate the realization of the waste-based power plant in Jakarta," Ali told thejakartapost.com, adding that the technology that would be used for the ITF, an incineration plant or something else, had not been decided.

Ali said the construction of the ITF would take around eighteen months. Therefore if the regulation is issued this year, Jakarta will be able to operate its first ITF in Sunter next year. "One ITF can process from 1000 to 1300 tons of waste. If Jakarta can build four ITF, Jakarta can process more than 4000 tons of waste," Ali said.

Currently, Jakarta relies on the Bantar Gebang waste treatment facility in Bekasi, West Jakarta to manage about 6,000 tons of garbage per day.

The construction cost of the project is projected to be between Rp 1.5 (US$ 111.32 million) and Rp 1.7 trillion. (bbn)
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Linkedin Erika Anindita Dewi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 13, 2016

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) arrested six people, including a Supreme Court official in a sting operation on Friday evening.

The six people included a Supreme Court sub-directorate chief, businessman, lawyer and chauffeur, KPK chairman Agus Rahardjo said on Saturday via SMS message.

The anticorruption body has not given details about the case as investigators are still questioning those who were arrested, Agus added.

Court spokesman Ridwan Mansyur confirmed the arrest of the court official, but identified the arrested official only as AS.

However, he denied unconfirmed information that has been circulating about the arrest of a court judge.

"KPK did not arrest a Supreme Court's judge, but a sub-directorate chief," Ridwan Mansyur said as quoted by Antara on Saturday.

AS was arrested at his house on Friday evening, Ridwan said.

The KPK has 24 hours to determine if the six people arrested will be named suspects or not. (bbn)
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Linkedin Hans Nicholas Jong, Arya Dipa and Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Bandung  Sat, February 13, 2016

After a series of grossly discriminatory remarks by high-ranking government officials targeted at members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, a senior government official has come to the defense of the minority group.



Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan became the first and most senior government official to publicly defend members of the LGBT community by saying that they had equal position before the law in Indonesia.



'Whoever they are, wherever they work, he or she continues to be an Indonesian citizen. They have the right to be protected as well,' he said at his office in Central Jakarta on Friday.



Luhut said that hostility was not the best way to deal with LGBT people.



'I disagree with evictions, killing or anything like that. I want us to become a civilized country. It [being homosexual] is not what the person wants,' he said.



The remarks came on the heels of numerous inflammatory statements made by government officials.



On Friday, Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Yuddy Chrisnandi added to the long list of government ministers to attack the LGBT community by saying that homosexuality had no place within the country's bureaucracy.



'Of course it is inappropriate for civil servants to be [homosexual]. Having more than one wife for a man is still normal, even though it is prohibited by regulations and the ethics code, but LGBT is another issue,' he said in Bandung, West Java.



Earlier in January, Technology, Research and High Education Minister Muhammad Nasir publicly called for LGBT people to be barred from universities because they 'corrupted the morals of the nation'.



Also in January, Culture and Primary Education Minister Anies Baswedan warned parents and teachers that LGBT people were deviant and a danger to adolescents.



Besides being targeted by government officials, the LGBT community has also been subjected to violence by community groups.



In October 2015, Sharia police in Aceh province arrested a pair of young women for 'hugging in public'. In November, Brawijaya University authorities canceled an LGBT event, claiming they had received threats of an attack.



Earlier this month, an LGBT human-rights workshop was disrupted by the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and its hotel venue heavily pressured to remove the group. The police at the site did nothing to protect the LGBT group and instead pressured it to cancel their event.



The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) recently confirmed that it was preparing a fatwa (an Islamic, non-legally binding edict) that will recommend the prosecution of Muslims who join in LGBT-related activities. Earlier this week, social-media users lashed out against the popular smartphone messaging app Line for putting stickers with gay themes in its online store.



Line has already dropped all LGBT-themed emojis, after saying it had received complaints from users. Now the government is asking major players like Facebook and WhatsApp to follow suit and remove LGBT icons for users in Indonesia.



'No social media should have material that smacks of LGBT. Because we have our own rules, like religious values and norms, which they must respect,' Information and Communication Ministry spokesperson Ismail Cawidu said.



Attacks have also targeted human-rights campaigners fighting to promote the rights of LGBT people.



'There has been increasing pressure and discrimination against our LGBT friends. LGBT activists also feel that they are receiving more pressure. I also receive strange messages, saying that I am not worthy of using the name Muhammad because I defend LGBT people. The message is fueled with hatred,' National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) commissioner Muhammad Nur Khoirun told The Jakarta Post on Friday.



Khoirun said that all this hostility stemmed from a lack of education and information regarding LGBT people.



'Awareness can only come if they know that LGBT people are people who have to be protected and that that is mandated in the Constitution. If state officials were aware of those constitutional rights, then this situation could be fixed,' he said.



The increasing hostility toward the LGBT community has prompted New York-based Human Rights Watch to demand the government defend the rights of LGBT people in a letter sent to President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo on Friday.



'President Jokowi should urgently condemn anti-LGBT remarks by officials before such rhetoric opens the door to more abuses,' said Human Rights Watch LGBT-rights director Graeme Reid. 'The President has long championed pluralism and diversity. This is an opportunity to demonstrate his commitment.'

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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 13, 2016

Following a social-backlash and warnings from the government, Japanese-based mobile chat application Line issued an apology on Friday for offering stickers featuring same-sex couples.

"We uphold the global standards, we filter culturally sensitive content," Line Indonesia spokesman Teddy Arifianto said in a statement received by thejakartapost.com.

Teddy said that the company is sorry that the sensitive stickers were deemed as offensive as they were meant as an elaborate version of an emoticon, which are created by external parties from around the world and can be bought by Line users on its online store.

Line is reported to have subsequently removed all stickers considered to be culturally sensitive for users of the messaging app within the Indonesian market and would continue to monitor its search engine for any other inappropriate content.

Information and Communication Ministry spokesman Ismail Cawidu said Thursday that social media and messaging platforms should drop stickers that expressed support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) community.

The government's recent warning to Line is the latest in a string of visible discouragement shown toward homosexuality within the socially conservative country. Although homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia, it remains a sensitive issue.

Technology, Research, and Higher Education Minister Muhammad Nasir previously said, on the basis that a university is deemed to be a moral safeguard, that LGBT students should be banned from university campuses following news that a proactive organization at the University of Indonesia (UI) named the Support Group and Resource Center on Sexuality Studies (SGRC) were organizing activities and offering counseling for LGBT students.

Nasir's statement sparked a weeks-long public debate and other officials, including the Culture and Elementary and Secondary Education Minister Anies Baswedan, the People's Consultative Assembly chairman Zulkifli Hasan, House of Representatives member Reni Marliawati and Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil, have voiced similar sentiment with regard to the LGBT community. The Indonesian Ulema Council, the influential board of Muslim clerics, also voiced their concerns.

Meanwhile, human rights groups with the National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM), describe the statements made by the public officials as a violation of human rights and suggest that they are contradictory to the fundamental principles of the nation. (kes)
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Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta  Sat, February 13, 2016

JAKARTA: The National Police have detained two of three suspects allegedly connected with corruption in the sale of state-owned condensates in 2009.



Director for special economic crimes Brig. Gen. Bambang Waskito said that investigators had finally moved to detain former head of the now-defunct Upstream Oil and Gas Executive Agency (BPMigas), Raden Priyono, and former BPMigas financial deputy Djoko Harsono, after they received the results of an investigative audit conducted by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK), which stated that the alleged graft caused state losses of up to US$2.7 billion.



'Last night [Thursday] we decided to detain two of the suspects,' Bambang said.



Investigators, however, failed to detain the third suspect who is currently overseas.



The third suspect, former owner of PT Trans Pacific Petrochemical Indotama (TPPI) Honggo Wendratno, was in Singapore having undergone a heart bypass operation. Investigators may decide to detain him later if his condition improves.



Between 2009 and 2010, TPPI collaborated with BPMigas to market condensates in Indonesia. Although the firm never paid profits from the sales to the government, BPMigas continued to extend its contract with the firm.



Furthermore, TPPI began selling the condensates before its contract was finalized in April 2010, after which BPMigas continued to supply condensates to the firm.



Bambang said that given the scale of the state losses the police might start investigating possible money-laundering charges.



'We will continue our investigation and there is a possibility that there will be other suspects named in the case as the state losses are so huge,' he said.
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Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta  Sat, February 13, 2016

JAKARTA: The National Police's counterterrorism unit Densus 88 arrested two men on Thursday in Sumedang, West Java, who are suspected of being connected to two of the perpetrators of last month's terrorist attack in Central Jakarta.



National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti confirmed the arrests on Friday.



'[This is] part of our investigation into the Thamrin [in Central Jakarta] attack and we have made two arrests [this week],' he said at the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta.



The National Police arrested the two men, identified only as IS and H, for allegedly hiding another individual, known as KH, who is thought to belong to the same radical group as one of the Thamrin attackers, Dian Juni Kurniadi.



The police suspect that IS also took part in terrorist training in Aceh with another one of the attackers, Afif, alias Sunakim.



Meanwhile, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Agus Rianto said that although IS and H were not directly connected to the attacks, they would be questioned over the next week, after which they would be released if no evidence was found, as stipulated in the Terrorism Law.



'I don't yet have information on whether the two have been immediately taken to a police office for interrogation or have been moved elsewhere for further investigation,' he said.
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Linkedin Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 13, 2016

The movement to oppose an amendment of the 2002 Corruption Eradication Law has gained momentum, with the Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) joining the coalition to fight for the cause.



Spokesperson for the PKS faction at the House of Representatives, lawmaker Nasir Djamil, said that his faction opposed the proposal as the provisions in the draft bill seemed aimed at weakening the antigraft body.



'[We] reject any further discussion of the amendment if the President [does not have the support of] the House of Representatives. We also decline [to cooperate if Baleg [the House Legislation Body] does not involve the KPK in the bill's deliberation,' Nasir told The Jakarta Post on Friday.



Leader of the PKS faction at the House Jazuli Juwaini confirmed that an internal faction meeting on Thursday had come to a unanimous decision to oppose the proposal to amend the law.



The PKS is the third party to block the amendment proposal after the Gerindra Party and the Democratic Party, whose stonewalling prompted the House to delay the bill's endorsement.



The PKS has seen a number of its politicians, including former party chairman Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq, prosecuted by the KPK for graft.



The Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced Luthfi to 16 years in prison for graft and money laundering in December 2013.



The House delayed a plenary session to endorse the revised draft after the Democratic Party rallied the House's Steering Committee (Bamus) to support such.



Bamus resolved to schedule the plenary for next Thursday to accommodate the endorsement of other bills also up for discussion.



In Wednesday's meeting of the working group (Panja) to amend the law at Baleg, nine out of ten factions endorsed the draft proposed for deliberation. Only the Gerindra Party outright opposed going ahead with the revision.



On Thursday, the Democratic Party went through a change of heart after former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who chairs the party, instructed lawmakers to follow Gerindra's lead and oppose the plan.



Following the move of the Democratic Party and Gerindra, other factions in the House are beginning to reconsider their stance.



Lawmakers from the NasDem Party and the United Development Party (PPP) have said that they would support the government's position on the amendment plan.



NasDem lawmaker Johnny G. Plate said his party would closely monitor the issue, while PPP faction leader Dimyati Natakusumah fell short of saying that his party might reverse its opinion if the President decided to oppose the amendment plan.



'We'll wait on the political will and the good will of the President,' he said on Friday.



In the meantime, the National Mandate Party (PAN) has pledged to maintain its support for amending the law, dismissing the move by PKS and the Democrats as a bluff.



'Their official stance regarding the issue remains the same as it was in the Baleg meeting a while ago. It is the media who make it seem like the Democratic Party and the PKS have reversed their stance ' I haven't received any such information,' said Mulfachri Harahap, PAN's faction leader at the House, on Friday.



Mulfachri said it was still too early in the legislative process to reject the law amendment proposal, with discussions still revolving around the draft bill that was first proposed.



Not even the government was involved in the early deliberation stage, he said. 'We haven't seen a single finished product yet, so how can people reverse their opinions?' Mulfachri said



The PAN lawmaker, also deputy chairman of House Commission III overseeing legal affairs, said that his party had agreed with most of the amendments made in the early stages of deliberation, only taking issue with the excessive authority of the KPK supervisory body.



'We will see later on whether there is any indication that the revision is aimed at weakening [the antigraft body]; I think it wouldn't just be Gerindra that opposed that notion, but the entire House,' Mulfachri said.

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Linkedin Indra Budiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 13, 2016

The sun was scorching on a recent Saturday morning when Siti Salwa tied a rope in her school's front yard, trying to make a stretcher with three other students in her group.



Siti and 20 other students of SMP 26 state junior high school in Jatinegara, East Jakarta, were divided into several groups to make the stretchers while the school's Junior Red Cross (PMR) trainer walking around to inspect the students' work and correct mistakes.



'I always want to learn how to make a stretcher, but it's not as easy as it seems,' the eighth grader said.



While most of the students in her class were spending the weekend away from school, Siti believes that learning first-aid skills could be handy as the peak of rainy season is approaching.



Having lived in nearby Kampung Pulo for her entire live, she said she knew that first-aid skills could be crucial in saving lives.



'Almost every year my family and I must move to an emergency shelter when the rainy season starts,' she said. 'I have seen people helping us with their medical skills or even just cooking us food there. I want to help as well someday.'



Kampung Pulo is a neighborhood nearby the Ciliwung River. The area experiences regular flooding during rainy season, forcing residents to move to emergency shelters. All residents there build their houses vertically and move their important belongings upstairs when rainy season comes.



'When the mosque announces over its loudspeakers that the flood is coming, we must move our belongings to the second floor, even if it happens in the middle of the night,' Siti said.



In August last year, some residents in Kampung Pulo were evicted by the city administration to make way for widening the river. About 500 families out of the 1,000 that were evicted moved to low-cost apartments (rusunawa) in Jatinegara Barat.



Acep, PMR trainer at SMP 26, said the school's students had adjusted to the annual flood as most of them were residents of Kampung Pulo and the rusunawa.



He said 59 students had registered as PMR members and participated in the training every Saturday between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.



The weekly training, he said, not only provided the students with the ability to give first aid, but also raise their sense of solidarity. He said he believed that such character building would help a lot in their lives after graduating.



'Some of the PMR members even helped flood victims with cooking in the shelters a few years ago. I am proud of them,' Asep told the Post.



The school's principal Sapto Riyadi said that as most of the students lived in a flood-prone area, the school's PMR program had been known as one of the best in the city. 'I believe that was because the students here have better survival skills and want to help others as well,' he said.



Sapto said students coming to school out of uniform was not an unusual thing during floods as their uniforms get washed away. 'I have told them that the most important thing is their safety,' he said.
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Linkedin Syamsul Huda M. Suhari, Slamet Susanto and Andi Hajramurni (The Jakarta Post) Gorontalo/Yogyakarta/Makassar  Sat, February 13, 2016

In a country where the celebration of St. Valentine's Day is considered taboo among many conservative Muslims, young people across the archipelago are looking to use the opportunity to promote and express love in much broader contexts, including clean governance, arts and local culture.



Valentine's Day falls on Feb. 14 and is celebrated in countries around the world, with couples expressing their love by exchanging gifts, eating together or simply saying, 'I love you.'



In Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, Valentine's Day, however, is greeted stonily by the authorities, with religious organizations, local governments and even schools calling on students and local residents to eschew open celebration of the day, citing various arguments, including that it falls outside Islamic and national tradition and, in some extreme cases, accusing the holiday of promoting promiscuity.



Gorontalo-based activist Steven Polapa is familiar with such attitudes.



Steven believes, however, that Valentine's Day, which has strong appeal to youth, can be used to promote important public causes, including the anticorruption movement.



Supported by local social media users and anticorruption activists, Steven is organizing a jomblo (singles) festival for Sunday, with the city's youth given the chance to express support for the anticorruption movement.



'Valentine's Day is usually associated with flowers and chocolates. Why not try to identify it with something else, like anticorruption efforts?' he said on Friday.



The event, Steven added, would feature various programs, including games, stand-up comedy and a joint declaration in support of the national anticorruption movement.



'With this declaration, we are trying to place the expression of love in a broader context,' he said.



In Sleman, Yogyakarta, a separate jomblo festival is set to be held on Sunday featuring art and cultural performances and photography competitions.



Janet Cynthia, one of the event's organizers, said the event was aimed at encouraging young people to develop their creativity in the face of the struggle of everyday life, including relationship problems.



'Every person has skills that can be developed,' Janet said.



'This event will remind young people that they can do something positive despite their relationship problems.'



As in previous years, a number of local administrations, including in Makassar, South Sulawesi, and Kediri, East Java, have banned students from celebrating Valentine's Day this year, arguing that the event is unethical and inimical to teenagers' morality.



Makassar Mayor Mohammad 'Danny' Ramdhan Pomanto has also sent a circular to local stores and pharmacies reminding them not to sell condoms to underage consumers in the provincial capital.



Meanwhile in Manado, North Sulawesi, the arrival of Valentine's Day has been warmly welcomed by local residents, with local malls and stores thronged with gift-buyers.



In Palu, Central Sulawesi, the local Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) chairman, Zainal Abidin Ishak, said that there was no need to ban Valentine's Day celebrations, as long as they were carried out in accordance with Sharia, religious and moral norms.



'Islam teaches us to love others as well as love ourselves,' he said.

' Lita Aruperes in Manado and Ruslan Sangadji in Palu contributed to this article.

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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 13, 2016

Russia is seeking stronger relations with Indonesia in an effort to boost economic and other forms of cooperation between the two countries, according to Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Mikhail Galuzin.

'We would like to see greater economic exchange between Russia and Indonesia,' Galuzin said on Friday, adding that his country was also interested in increasing the exchange of tourists between both nations.

The ambassador said Indonesia remains an important partner of Russia, displayed by the recent official visits to Jakarta made by Russian Trade and Industry Minister Denis Manturov and the Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, during which the prospect of cooperation in the area of security and defense was explored.

Galuzin said that Russia would like to see more cooperation for mutually beneficial economic integration in the Asia Pacific region and expressed his enthusiasm about the response to President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's confirmation of the Russia-ASEAN commemorative summit in May.

Jokowi will visit Russia to attend the forthcoming summit in Sochi in an effort to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries.

Broad prospects for cooperation had been opened by the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin on beginning consultations between the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and ASEAN on building economic partnership, Galuzin said.

The ambassador reiterated Russia's disinterest in joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, saying the agreement lacked transparency while emphasizing the potential of cooperation between the three aforementioned organizations.

Jokowi has invited Putin to be an observer at the Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to be held in Jakarta on Mar. 6-7, with his attendance still yet to be confirmed. Russia is one of four countries that has been invited as observers of the OIC Summit on the issue of Palestine.

Galuzin said Russia remained one of the strongest supporters of Palestine's independence. (bbn)
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Linkedin The Jakarta Post  Sat, February 13, 2016

Your comments on President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's demand for regulatory breakthroughs and accelerated development of 10 of the nation's key tourist destinations, including Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara and Morotai in North Maluku, to boost the tourist sector:

Better organization, infrastructure (roads, airports, safe boats, buses and taxis, clean restaurants and hotels, competent local authorities ' Yes! Go for it!



Right now the country may be cheap and ideal for backpackers who will not stay long, come only once and spend the minimum. There is 4 to 5 percent more tourism worldwide every year, which means the Indonesian share of it is not yet getting any better (3 percent in 2015).



People come on vacation not only for beaches or mountains. You find that everywhere around the world.



There are more tourists every year in tiny Singapore than in Indonesia as a whole and inside Indonesia there is only one success story in tourism: Bali (1.5 percent of the Indonesian population), which still attracts by itself without help more than a third of the total.



Generating tax revenues for the government, giving lots of jobs to locals and hundreds of thousands of Indonesian people coming from other islands (in building, restaurants, bars, hotels, spas, taxis, on tours, as safety personnel).



Why? Only infrastructure? No.



To get a more decent share of the huge revenues brought by tourism every year, add to this effort: welcoming the foreigners (safety, respect of differences, training of the people who work in tourism), environmental education (nothing is done now by the governments ' a trail or beach or snorkeling site littered with plastic is horrible) and improving the image of Indonesia outside its borders (religious intolerance, justice system, execution of foreigners and the unbelievable religious-backed alcohol prohibition on the rise).



Sure, tourism may be a huge boost for the country: jobs, tax revenues for the government, modernity, education. In order to benefit from it, serious and consistent choices have to be made: nobody is obliged to take his vacation here. Right now most foreigners don't and it's a shame.



Papsjik



Acceleration of the development of 10 of the nation's key tourist destinations should definitely include stopping the export of exotic birds from Papua, the sale of elephant tusks, the killing of orangutans, etc.



Indonesian tourism promotion should include the peoples' cooperation to make tourists feel welcomed and happy.



The English language would be very handy in making tourists feel at home to understand what the tourists see, hear and taste in the new environment. Make it heaven to the tourists who may come from far away, close to the very cold north and south poles.



Even the Indonesian climate is a haven to most visitors from the North and South cold climate countries. Our patience to entertain them shall be rewarding to both parties, socially as well economically.



They can consider our archipelago be their second homes during their dreaded winter time.



I am calling on my fellow Indonesian citizens to 'share' our pleasantly heated archipelago with European and American citizens to escape their extreme winter and to share our nice and warm summer in our archipelago, where the birds share their chirps and frolic during the tourist sojourn in our land of vacation and tourism.



Our restaurants with the different Indonesian taste of cuisine in the archipelago is one way to bind the different tourists to the desire to come back later with more friends to taste the unforgettably tasty local cuisine.



It is necessary that our restaurants shall be completed with all kinds of ingredients to produce the particular favorite food of such destinations.



Likewise, the sale of souvenirs such as batik, paintings and other local products, including artifacts, are to be made ready upon request.



MA






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Linkedin Ganug Nugroho Adi, Ruslan Sangadji and Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Klaten/Palu/bandung  Sat, February 13, 2016

Indonesia's bureaucracy is notoriously corrupt and inefficient, and the competition to secure positions within it is fierce, particularly at the regional level, with some willing to pay millions of rupiah in bribes to secure even a low-paid state job.



Others, meanwhile, have fallen victim to ersatz recruitment schemes targeting desperate job seekers.



In Klaten, Central Java, the regional employment agency reported that dozens of people had recently been taken in by scams promising employment with the local administration.



The agency's employment affairs unit head, Dodhy Herman, said those duped had been contract civil servants (CPNS), and had been promised to be appointed as full civil servants without having to undergo any of the usual selection procedures, in return for payments of between Rp 50 million (US$3,700) and Rp 160 million.



The ruse, Dodhy said, was convincing, with every victim receiving, after paying the money, a 'notification letter' purportedly sent by the National Civil Service Agency (BKN) confirming his or her appointment.



'This is obviously a fraud,' Dodhy said on Thursday.



'How could a CPNS receive confirmation so quickly? The Employee Identity Number [NIP] takes time to be processed and issued.'



The state currently employs 4.5 million civil servants and 400,000 contract employees.



Although contract employees and CPNS receive much lower salaries than civil servants, vacancies are always vastly oversubscribed, as the positions are widely seen as a route to financial security.



Hermawan of Klaten, a victim of the hoax, said he had spent Rp 30 million to bribe a person claiming to be a regency administration official responsible for recruiting civil servants. The person, Hermawan said, had asked him to pay another Rp 20 million after he received the official placement letter.



'I waited for six months but never received a letter,' the 31-year-old said.



'After I crosschecked with the local administration, it turned out there was actually no CPNS registration that year.'



Meanwhile in Central Sulawesi, a recent investigation carried out by the provincial ombudsman revealed that extortion had been commonplace during CPNS recruitment processes in Sigi regency between 2013 and 2015.



The ombudsman found that some local officials did not immediately hand over CPNS appointment letter to individuals who had passed the recruitment, instead pawning them to money-lenders or loan sharks for between Rp 10 million and Rp 25 million per letter.



'A CPNS who wished to obtain the letter would be asked to pay off the debts with his or her own money,' Central Sulawesi Ombudsman head Sofyan Farid Lembah said, adding that the institution had forwarded the findings to the regent of Sisi.



Attempts to take advantage of job seekers are also evident in the emergence of websites falsely announcing CPNS recruitment for ministries and other state bodies.



Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry spokesperson Herman Suryatman said that the ministry had recently reported 17 websites to the National Police's Criminal Investigation Bureau (Bareskrim) for falsifying civil servant recruitment information.



'The websites publish recruitment schedules and even quotations from the administrative and bureaucratic reform minister. It is exploitation,' he said.
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Linkedin Bambang Muryanto (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta  Sat, February 13, 2016

Eliminating the production and distribution of bootleg liquor, locally known as oplosan, in Yogyakarta will not be easy with law enforcers even expressing doubts about their capacity to crack down on sales of the dangerous substance, which resulted in dozens of deaths in the province recently.



Earlier this month, 26 people, most of them university students, died after consuming oplosan at a variety of venues in the province.



Dozens of others, meanwhile, are in a serious condition in hospital after drinking the substance.



Despite the high death toll, local authorities seem to be reluctant to take initiatives to eradicate the root of the problem: the oplosan producers and vendors.



Although the police, as of Friday, had arrested five suspects for allegedly making or selling the oplosan that killed the young people, there has so far been no attempt by local authorities to seize oplosan products in local markets to prevent another deadly incident from happening.



Yogyakarta Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD) member Eko Suwanto lambasted on Friday the slow progress made by the Yogyakarta Police and the province's Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) in cracking down on oplosan sales in the region.



He also said he suspected that many oplosan makers and vendors were receiving protection from local security personnel and mass organizations in running their illegal activities.



'Both the police and Satpol PP exercise the state's authority. They must not bow down to any power behind the vendors,' Eko said.



Many residents of Yogyakarta ' considered to have a relatively low cost of living ' prefer oplosan to beer or branded liquor because of the price disparity and greater alcohol content.



A 300-milliliter bottle of oplosan with an alcohol content of around 40 percent is sold for around

Rp 30,000 (US$2.23), while a 330-ml can of locally produced beer with an alcohol content of 4.7 percent costs around Rp 18,000.



Regular oplosan consumers in Yogyakarta, meanwhile, said it was easy to purchase the illicit alcohol in the province.



'Oplosan sellers are available in various places in the region,' said Arcie, a university student who regularly drinks and trades oplosan.



Separately, Yogyakarta Police spokesperson Comr. Sri Sumarsih urged local residents to report to the police should they find any indication of any group assisting the oplosan trade. She added that if there was support from state institutions, the Yogyakarta Police would coordinate to resolve the matter.



'If the support is being provided by the police, just file a report to the police internal affairs division. We will follow up on it and definitely impose sanctions on the culprits,' she said.



Traditional fermented-drink researcher Raymond Micheal Menot, however, said oplosan was not the correct term to refer to the alcoholic drink that had caused the deaths.



The term oplosan, or mix in the Javanese language, refers to drinks, such as cocktails, which are mixed by an expert who is familiar with the alcohol content.



'A drink that kills people should not be called oplosan because it's a blend of alcohol and mosquito lotion, or battery fluid and headache pills,' he said.
(lead article)

Join the Socialist Workers Party

2016 US presidential campaign!

Alyson Kennedy for president  Osborne Hart for vice president

Militant photos: Left, Laura Anderson; right, Hilda Cuzco

A working-class alternative to the capitalist parties

Join Alyson Kennedy and Osborne Hart, Socialist Workers Party candidates for president and vice president, and other SWP candidates and their supporters fighting alongside workers in cities, towns and farming areas against depression-driven attacks on our living and working conditions. The bosses and their government are escalating assaults on the working class and our unions to shore up profits at our expense.

All the bourgeois candidates  from socialist Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Party to demagogue billionaire Donald Trump, John Kasich, Marco Rubio and other Republicans  aim to rescue capitalism from an economic, social and moral crisis as production, trade and employment contract.

In Flint, Michigan, Democratic and Republican officials alike told working people it was OK to drink poisoned water. In workplace after workplace job safety goes out the window as employers impose speedup and either lengthen the workweek to increase exploitation or slash hours to boost their bottom line. They scapegoat immigrant workers, seeking to intimidate them with deportations to drive down wages and divide the working class.

The ruling capitalist families use Washingtons economic and military forces to protect their investments and interests abroad against any who rise up to struggle for national sovereignty and to close the chasm between their conditions of literacy, electrification and sanitation and those in the imperialist countries.

The Socialist Workers Party campaign poses a working-class way forward out of the dog-eat-dog, crises-ridden capitalist system.

The SWP strives to advance the class-consciousness and self-confidence of workers as we fight together. We know from history that working people, relying on our own power, solidarity and mobilization, can take over and run the mines, mills, railroads and factories  without the bosses.

As we gain experience in struggle we become different people, capable of organizing our class and its allies  millions strong  to overthrow rule by the billionaire capitalist families and establish a government of workers and farmers.

Socialist Workers Party supporters fight within the ranks of labor to transform the unions into effective fighting instruments against the employing class and its government. The labor movement can become a powerful force for human solidarity  championing the fight for $15 and a union; for a government-funded public works program to create jobs, build schools and medical, child care and recreation centers, replace crumbling infrastructure and other things working people need; the fight for Puerto Rican independence; for free preventative and comprehensive medical care for all; to extend equal protection under the law to women who seek an abortion; to demand that cops who kill or brutalize working people be prosecuted.

SWP campaigners point to the need to break from the bosses parties and build our own independent labor party based on the unions.

Kennedy and Hart point to the example of how Cubas working people made their 1959 revolution, an example for working people in the U.S. They demand Washington end its brutal economic embargo against the Cuban people and return the Guantanamo naval base. Hart is in Cuba at the Havana International Book Fair, the better to tell workers here about Cubas socialist revolution.

In the 1950s workers and farmers across Cuba, led by Fidel Castro and the July 26 Movement, learned as they organized and fought to overthrow the U.S.-backed Batista dictatorship. They became different men and women, capable of working together to change society to meet their needs.

Working people took over and began to run U.S.- and Cuban-owned factories, sugar mills, utilities and banks. The revolutionary government backed landless rural laborers in an agrarian reform that turned cultivation of the land over to the tillers.

They destroyed the old army and police and built new armed forces, militia and police out of their own ranks to defend, not oppress, working people.

The revolution enforced laws putting an end to racial discrimination, drew women into the workforce and revolutionary political activity and made abortion a womans choice.

The Cuban Revolution extends internationalist solidarity, from sending almost 400,000 volunteers to fight against apartheid South Africas invasion in Angola to sending doctors to help lead the fight against Ebola in West Africa.

A similar transformation began among many Blacks active in the fight against Jim Crow, worker combatants in the building of the CIO and stalwarts of the decade-long fight against Washingtons war in Vietnam. Malcolm X said fighters find their self-worth in the course of such struggles.

A victorious revolutionary struggle by working people here in the U.S. can inspire emulation worldwide.

Candidates who are fighters

The Socialist Workers Party candidates have taken part in rallies of Pennsylvania Steelworkers locked out by Allegheny Technologies and Verizon workers without a contract. They are part of the fight for $15 an hour minimum wage and to organize unions.

The fight against police brutality and killings is their fight. They have joined protests at home and across the country, demanding cops who killed youth and others  African-American, Latino and Caucasian, from Freddie Gray in Baltimore to Laquan McDonald in Chicago to Andrew Thomas in Paradise, California  be charged and jailed.

They are part of the effort to free Dwight and Steven Hammond, Oregon ranchers jailed twice on trumped-up arson charges. The SWP candidates demand the arrest of the FBI and Oregon cops who killed Robert LaVoy Finicum, one of the ranchers who occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge to protest the imprisonment of the Hammonds.

The Socialist Workers Party speaks out against Washingtons imperialist military attacks  from Iraq to Afghanistan to Syria. SWP candidates fight the rulers efforts to use workers revulsion at Islamic States terrorist acts to scapegoat Muslims and roll back workers rights.

Through our experiences, workers will see more and more that all political questions are class questions. We will see that here, as in Cuba, the only way forward is to organize independent working-class struggles that point toward overturning the dictatorship of capital, building a new society based on human solidarity and joining the worldwide fight for socialism. This is a life truly worth living.

Join the Socialist Workers Party campaign!









Related articles:

The SWP candidates

Sanders socialist reform program aims to save crises-ridden capitalism

Workers need control on job to ensure safety







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(front page)

The SWP candidates

Alyson Kennedy grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Indianapolis. She was attracted to political action in high school as she watched TV coverage of workers and youth who were Black battling racist cops and KKK thugs across the South and overturning Jim Crow segregation. She moved to Kentucky, where she was part of the fight to desegregate Louisville public schools in 1975.

Kennedy works at Walmart in Chicago and is part of the movement for $15 an hour, full-time work and a union that has sprung up among fast-food, Walmart and many other workers.

A socialist and trade union fighter for more than four decades, Kennedy, 65, is a member of the Socialist Workers Partys National Committee. She was the SWP candidate for vice president in 2008 and for U.S. Senate from Illinois in 2010.

She has worked in coal mines in Alabama, Colorado, Utah and West Virginia. She joined the United Mine Workers in 1981. She became part of the Coal Employment Project, a group that championed womens fights to get hired in the mines and fight harassment on the job.

From 2003 to 2006 Kennedy was among those in the front ranks of a union-organizing battle at the Co-Op coal mine outside Huntington, Utah. The miners there, a majority immigrants from Mexico, fought for UMWA representation to win safe working conditions, an end to abuse by the bosses and improved wages, which started at $5 an hour. Their struggle won widespread solidarity and set a powerful example of how to fight.

In 2014 Kennedy went to Turkey to meet with coal miners there and help them get out the truth in the U.S. and elsewhere about their fight against deadly working conditions imposed by the owners with government complicity. A mine explosion in the town of Soma had killed more than 300 miners. She also met with a representative of the Kurdish-based Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) there, bringing solidarity to the Kurds fight against national oppression across Turkey as well as in Syria, Iraq and Iran.

Kennedy has also worked in plants and mills organized by the United Steelworkers, UNITE HERE as a garment worker, and other unions.

Kennedy is active in the fight to defend a womans right to choose abortion, has spoken widely on the fight for womens rights and has helped defend clinics from rightist attempts to shut them down.

Kennedy marched with members of the Chicago Teachers Union on strike against a bitter assault by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and city officials in 2012, walked picket lines with United Steelworkers locked out by Honeywell Corp. in Metropolis, Illinois, in 2010 and again in 2014, as well as with United Auto Workers members on strike last year against Kohler Inc. in Wisconsin. She joined protests in Kentucky, West Virginia and St. Louis by union coal miners fighting attempts by Patriot Coal bosses to use bankruptcy to tear up union contracts.

She has been active in the fight against Washingtons wars, from protests against the war in Vietnam to speaking out against the bloody aggression in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Shes been a stalwart in demonstrations against the cop killings of Laquan McDonald, Rekia Boyd, Quintonio LeGrier, Bettie Jones and many others, as well as actions over years demanding the release from prison of men tortured into making false confessions by former Chicago Police Lt. Jon Burges Midnight Crew.

Osborne Hart

Osborne Hart, whose father was a career soldier, spent his youth traveling around the world with his family.

Since getting involved with the civil rights movement in the 1960s, Hart has been a lifelong fighter for Black rights. Hes joined struggles against police brutality and school segregation and the movement to bring down apartheid in South Africa and free Nelson Mandela.

He was politically active in the 1970s in the fight to end Washingtons war against the peoples of Vietnam and Indochina.

Hart joined the Socialist Workers Party in the mid-1970s and for decades has been part of helping to build and strengthen the labor movement. Hes lived in Atlanta, San Francisco, New York, Detroit and now Philadelphia and has worked in industry, including as a meat packer, steelworker, loading trucks in a TJX warehouse and on the railroads. He currently works at Walmart.

He joined actions in defense of United Steelworkers-organized oil refinery workers forced on strike in 2015, demanding workers control over safety to counter bosses speed-up drives, job cuts and attacks on unions.

Hart, 63, ran for mayor of Philadelphia in 2015, gaining a wide hearing among working people. He participated in protests against cuts in Medicare, demanding free, government-funded medical care for all; against police brutality and in solidarity with workers fighting concession demands by steel giant ArcelorMittal. He explained the need for independent working-class political action, urging workers to fight for a labor party based on the unions, to challenge the Democrats, Republicans or other capitalist parties.

Over the past five years, Hart has joined in building protests in Philadelphia against the relentless drive by state and city governments to slash funds for public education, with massive layoffs and spiraling class sizes. These moves have been accompanied by assaults on teachers and other school workers wages, pensions, health care and their unions.

Hart is active in the fight against government attacks and discriminatory laws against undocumented workers, protests against deportations and efforts to organize the unorganized.

Hes spoken out and built meetings in defense of the Cuban Revolution, demanding Washington end its 55-year-long economic embargo of the island and return the territory containing the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo to Cuba. He was part of the international movement that won freedom for the Cuban Five, revolutionaries imprisoned in the U.S. for working to defend their countrys socialist revolution.
(front page)

Sanders socialist reform program aims

to save crises-ridden capitalism

The contest is heating up between socialist Bernie Sanders, who beat former front-runner Hillary Clinton by 22 percentage points in the Feb. 9 New Hampshire Democratic primary, and the Clintons pursuit of a third family term for U.S. president.

Billionaire Republican front-runner Donald Trump trounced his opponents with over 35 percent of the vote, more than double any rival. In his New Hampshire victory speech, Trump vowed to be the greatest jobs president, stressing one of his key appeals to working people. Dont believe those phony figures, he declared. If we had 5 percent unemployment do you really think wed have these gatherings? The real figure, he suggested, could be as high as 42 percent.

The entry of the Socialist Workers Party campaign of Alyson Kennedy for president and Osborne Hart for vice president now poses a working-class alternative. They call for a break with the Democrats, Republicans and bourgeois candidates of all stripes and, through the course of workers struggles, for building an independent working-class political party advancing a fight for workers power.

Sanders win underlines the most significant development in the 2016 campaign, one dismissed earlier by bourgeois commentators. He is running as a socialist candidate advancing a program of radical reform to save capitalism.

Something like this hasnt been seen in U.S. politics for some time, though it isnt uncommon in other imperialist countries, where social democratic parties have formed governments on and off for decades when the capitalist rulers face a crisis. Sanders platform, in fact, is to the left of those of most bourgeois parties in Europe today that go by the name Socialist or Social Democratic.

The response to Sanders reflects growing dissatisfaction among workers and many in the middle class who have faced years of grinding depression conditions as the world capitalist contraction drags on. In his stump speeches Sanders calls for an infrastructure program to put millions of people to work, raising the minimum wage over several years to $15 an hour and making public universities tuition-free.

He points out that unemployment and underemployment for youth is over 35 percent, and more than 50 percent for young people who are Black, while the United States has the worlds highest incarceration rate. This has to be addressed, he says, for young people to begin their adult life. This resonates with many workers, including those who are African-American.

Sanders has begun to win some endorsement from political figures who are Black, including former NAACP President Ben Jealous and Erica Garner, daughter of Eric Garner whose 2014 killing by a New York City cop met with local and nationwide protests. (Eric Garners mother, Gwen Carr, has endorsed Hillary Clinton.)

Covering up class divisions

Sanders also focuses on income inequality, as well as campaign finance rules that he says perpetuate an oligarchy in government. He calls for raising taxes on corporations and the super-rich to end a rigged economy, create an economy that works for all.

This echoes the Occupy Wall Street protests of 2011-12, which popularized the catchphrase of a wealthy 1 percent versus the 99 percent. The Occupy movement, and Sanders, obscure the fact that the capitalist crisis and growing attacks on workers are the product not of opposing percentiles or well-endowed campaign Super PACs. Instead, they register the reality of irreconcilable class interests under capitalism and state power held by a handful of ruling-class families whose entrenched power, property and privilege are defended by the armed forces, cops and courts.

The Sanders campaign, like the Occupy movement, peddles the false notion of a classless we encompassing nearly all Americans (99 percent or more of us, in fact), who can be brought together if only capitalism and bourgeois election campaigns can be made more fair.

Sanders presents himself as a modern Franklin Delano Roosevelt, proposing another New Deal. Roosevelt won office in 1932 in the midst of the Great Depression. What Sanders doesnt say is that the steps implemented by Roosevelt  from make-work jobs programs to the start of Social Security  were aimed at blunting the rising social movement marked by the CIO industrial union battles in those years, a working-class movement the rulers feared could threaten capitalist political power.

Roosevelt turned the FBI into a national political police, joining state and local cops in targeting and framing up trade union fighters and communists.

By the late 1930s, Roosevelts program increasingly became a War Deal, slashing public works and other jobs programs set up earlier as Washington and the propertied families it represents prepared to enter the second world imperialist slaughter. It was only with the conscription of millions of young men as cannon fodder in World War II that the unemployment crisis ended.

Sanders speaks in opposition to new U.S. military deployments in the Middle East and elsewhere. He touts his record in Congress of having voted against authorizing the U.S. war in Iraq in 2002, in contrast to Clinton  failing to note that he often votes to authorize funding for that and Washingtons other wars.

Sanders would be the first Jewish president, something that has not become an issue in the campaign. He says he is not actively involved with organized religion, and thats not been an issue either  which is also new for a U.S. presidential race.

As Sanders has risen in the polls, Clinton has said that shes a progressive too, but one who gets things done. She says she wants to rein in the excesses of Wall Street, even though she has accepted substantial contributions from Goldman Sachs and other too big to fail banks and financial institutions. The problem with Sanders, Clinton says, is that hes utopian.

Sanders response is that real change comes from the bottom on up. He calls for a political revolution  one whose content amounts to voting and pressuring Congress to carry out the program he proposes to reform capitalism.

Leading up to the New Hampshire vote, Clintons campaign took on an increasingly panicky tone. She didnt get much help when Gloria Steinem, a founder of Ms. magazine, said the reason so many young women are active in the Sanders campaign is to meet young men. The big majority of women who voted in the Democratic primary in New Hampshire cast their ballots for Sanders.

Trumps nationalist demagogy

Like Sanders, Trump owes his position in the Republican race to broad discontent caused by the grinding capitalist crisis. Both speak in opposition to another U.S. ground war and Washingtons involvement in so-called free trade pacts. But beyond that, their campaigns are qualitatively different.

Trumps campaign centers on nationalist demagogy. At the same time, he says hes the one who will create jobs, and steers clear of calls for the cuts in social benefits that most of his Republican opponents demand. John Kasich, who ran second in New Hampshires primary, gains at the polls from attacks by rivals for expanding Obamacare-linked Medicaid benefits as governor of Ohio.

Trump presents himself as speaking for the little person, a straight shooter who says what he thinks and a successful businessman who can get things done. But some concrete proposals he pounds away at are anti-working-class, such as building a wall along the Mexican border to keep out immigrants (which hes now begun presenting as a solution to growing heroin addiction as well!) and announcing this week he supports waterboarding and worse for those Washington accuses of terrorism.

One of Trumps notorious positions, his call for a temporary bar on Muslims entering the U.S., was dealt a political blow Feb. 3 when President Barack Obama visited a Baltimore mosque and spoke against such inexcusable political rhetoric against Muslim-Americans.

Meanwhile, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg confirmed he is considering a bid for the White House in a widely reported Feb. 8 interview in the Financial Times. The race today is an outrage and an insult to the voters, said the billionaire media owner.
(front page)

End US economic embargo of Cuba

Since Washington and Havana re-established diplomatic relations last year, Cubas revolutionary government has built on that victory to press for an end to the economic, diplomatic and financial warfare that 11 U.S. administrations, both Democratic and Republican, have imposed on the island over more than five decades. This is a fight that deserves the support of working people everywhere.

There can be no normal relations between Cuba and the United States as long as the economic, commercial and financial blockade continues to be fully implemented, said a July 1 statement issued by the Cuban government announcing the opening of its embassy in Washington. Havana also called for the return of the U.S.-occupied territory housing the Guantanamo Naval Base and an end to Washingtons destabilization programs.

The revolutionary leadership has made clear that Cuba will not abandon a single one of its principles, nor cede a millimeter in defense of its national sovereignty.

So far Washington has removed Cuba from its self-proclaimed list of state sponsors of terrorism and opened access to banking services for Cubas diplomatic mission in Washington. In three different rounds, the latest on Dec. 17, the White House eased some travel and trade restrictions. All these measures have been executive orders by President Barack Obama.

Cuban officials point out that despite the latest changes, the web of legislation aimed to block Cuba from international trade still has a big impact on the countrys economy. Most purchases from U.S. companies are impossible under existing restrictions, which specifically prohibit any interaction with many Cuban state companies and entities. All sales to companies that would primarily generate revenue for the state are denied. Cuba cannot use dollars in international financial transactions. And many banks in other countries still wont conduct business with Cuba, because they fear possible U.S. penalties.

French President Francois Hollande called on Washington to end the economic embargo on Cuba at a Feb. 1 joint press conference with Raul Castro in Paris, during the first-ever state visit by a Cuban president to France. The two signed six bilateral accords on economy, tourism, trade, railroads and development aid.

Castros visit followed a deal in December between Cuba and the Paris Club of imperialist creditor countries, in which Havana agreed to pay off $2.6 billion in debt over a period of 18 years. Some $8.5 billion in interest that had piled up since Havana suspended payments in 1986 was written off.

The opening of diplomatic relations came only after Washington released the remaining three of the Cuban Five, revolutionaries framed up and imprisoned in the U.S. for up to 16 years.

Want to destroy us with bear hug

We have reason to be very cautious. The U.S. has always seen my country as its backyard, and there are powerful interests who now see an opportunity to achieve what they have been unable to do by other means during half a century, Gerardo Hernandez, one of the Five, told the Spanish dailyJan. 28. He was visiting Spain to thank supporters for their solidarity and to visit his mothers birthplace in the Canary Islands.

Influential congressmen and the administration itself havent given up their objectives with respect to Cuba, Hernandez said. The goal has always been to destroy the revolution. Now they are wagering they can do it with a bear hug.

Hernandez pointed to the large appropriations of money by the U.S. government, both public and covert, devoted to subversion in Cuba.

For the fiscal year 2016, the U.S. Congress increased funding for democracy assistance and international broadcasting to Cuba and provided direction on denying the issuance of visas to members of the Cuban military and the Communist party.
(front page)

1,000s flee Moscows bombings, assault on Aleppo by Syrian regime

AP Photo/Bunyamin Aygun

Tens of thousands of Syrian workers and farmers fled toward the Turkish border over the last week during a brutal assault by Russian warplanes, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assads forces and Iranian and Hezbollah troops on Aleppo in northern Syria, who pounded opposition forces that have held the city for four years.

Reinforced by Moscows massive bombing, Assad has reversed gains by opposition groups, strengthening his position in any negotiations on the countrys future. Aleppo was a center of popular mobilizations against the Damascus regime in 2011. They were violently crushed by Assad, leading to the ongoing civil war.

Washington has forged a bloc with Moscow and Tehran, seeking to establish a cease-fire in Syria, to achieve some measure of stability for U.S. interests in the region, and carry out united moves against Islamic State.

The assault on Aleppo marks another devastating blow to Syrian working people. The war has claimed the lives of a quarter of a million people and displaced more than half of the countrys population.

Human Rights Watch reported Feb. 8 that Moscows planes have dropped cluster bombs  anti-civilian weapons that detonate in the air, shooting out lethal shrapnel  at least 14 times in five provinces in the last two weeks.

Secretary of State John Kerry said Feb. 5 that the bombing has to stop. But for some time he has led Washingtons increased collaboration with Tehran and Moscow as the 20th century imperialist-imposed borders and stability in the region crumbled and Islamic State seized large areas of Syria and Iraq.

While Washington has given lukewarm verbal support and paltry aid to the capitalist Syrian opposition, none of its components are anywhere near strong enough to stabilize the country.

As a result of decades of betrayal by the Stalinist Communist Party of Syria, which promoted collaboration with Assads Baathist Party and other bourgeois forces, there is no revolutionary working-class movement that can chart an independent road to power. This vacuum, along with the brutal civil war, opened the door for Islamic State.

The Barack Obama administrations nuclear accord with Iran allows Tehran to resume trade on the world market and escape imperialist sanctions. Washingtons goal is to cement the broader political deal they are now working to consolidate.

Assad and his allies threaten to impose a starvation siege on those remaining in Aleppo, as they have in dozens of places across the country. By Feb. 8 more than 35,000 Syrians were massed near the Turkish border, hoping to enter Turkey. Ankara closed the border some time ago, but the next day Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said 10,000 refugees had been allowed to cross.

Indirect negotiations between Assad and opposition forces started Feb. 1 in Geneva under the auspices of the U.N. Security Council, but blew up after two days as the regimes offensive advanced. Members of the opposition delegation said the Saudi and Turkish governments pressed them to pull out.

Seeking to push Obama to back away from Moscow and Assad, the governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates offered to provide troops if Washington would lead an expanded ground war in Syria.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem ridiculed the offer Feb. 6, saying they would return home in wooden coffins.

More refugees flee to Europe

Capitalist leaders in Europe have reacted with alarm at the continuing flow of refugees from Syria. German Chancellor Angela Merkel traveled to Ankara Feb. 8 to press Turkish leaders to keep them from heading to Europe.

Capitalist governments in northern Europe are pushing for Greece to be a holding pen for refugees, threatening to send more border guards, and possibly troops, to hermetically seal Greeces border with Macedonia.

Islamic States territory and armed strength in Syria and Iraq is being shrunk by growing unpopularity in areas they rule, U.S. bombings, and ground attacks by Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) and Iraqi special forces. The reactionary group carried out a suicide car bomb attack that tore up a police officers club and vegetable market in Damascus Feb. 9, wounding dozens and killing at least eight people.

Washington is no friend of the Kurdish peoples aspirations for an independent homeland, but depends on YPG units to push back Islamic State. After Ankaras determined insistence, Kurdish representatives were excluded from the Geneva talks. In an effort to assuage the exclusion, Brett McGurk, Obamas envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS, met with Kurdish leaders in Kobani, a town in northern Syria where heroic defense by YPG forces drove off IS attackers in January 2015.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reacted angrily. Am I your ally or are the terrorists in Kobani? he said Feb. 5.

Erdogan has stepped up its military assault in Turkeys majority Kurdish southeast since December, targeting the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and terrorizing the population. Thousands fled the Sur district of Diyarbakir, the largest city in the region, Jan. 27 after government authorities expanded a stifling 24-hour curfew.

In a Feb. 7 editorial, the Wall Street Journal referred to Obamas actions in Syria as a let-it-burn policy. But the U.S. capitalist rulers have no interest in getting caught in a new Middle East ground war. Whoever wins the presidency in 2016 is unlikely to stray from the current course.





Related articles:

Rallies in France demand End state of emergency!







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(feature article)

Cuban 5: We extended solidarity and received it

Cuban revolutionaries, fellow workers in US prisons resist

justice system organized to break them

RENE GONZALEZ: Prison was a learning process for all of us. We set a goal to leave prison stronger than when we entered.

The jailers want to destroy you. They want to break your physical, moral, and mental integrity. You understand that immediately. You learn the first day that you have to resist this, and that the measure of your victory in doing so will be to leave prison a better person than when you walked in. Each of us, according to our own individual characteristics, adopted that as our strategy. 

For me, the hardest thing at first was making sure I didnt react the way they wanted me to. It didnt take long. The turning point came when my daughter turned fifteen. Id saved up my weekly minutes to make sure I had enough to call her that day. We were in the hole, however, and they figured out a way to deny me the call.

That night I suffered, but when I woke up the next day I was a different person. I realized I couldnt allow myself to suffer because of their actions. And when I finally was able to call, I told my wife that from then on, if I could communicate, that would be fine, but if I couldnt, that would be fine, too.

I realized that if I thought that way, Id be in control, not them. Id remind myself that I had very strong moral values, and that they could never change that. Like Ramon, I also turned to physical exercise  I ran a lot  and to reading to load up my intellectual backpack. 

ANTONIO GUERRERO: From the moment we were convicted, people in Cuba began to hear about our case. The billboards began to go up. People learned about the seventeen months in the hole and the seven-month trial, which we faced with tranquility and dignity.

We began receiving hundreds of letters, not only from Cuba but from the US and around the world. There was news about us in various publications. All that started getting known in the prisons, too. And apart from that, other prisoners could see we were ordinary human beings, that we didnt create problems for anybody. To the contrary, we were the easiest people in the world to get along with. We helped others. And, of course, we had our own opinions.

RENE GONZALEZ: Most important, I think, was our conduct. We earned the respect of others, even Cubans and prison officers, because we treated others with respect. If thats how you act, and if you keep away from certain activities  like drinking, using drugs, gambling  people respond by showing respect in return. 

RAMON LABANINO: Id like to add something on the question of solidarity. Actually its not exactly solidarity; its about the guards. Usually, when wed get to a new prison  and I was in every type: maximum, medium, and minimum security  the guards would be afraid of us at first. Theyd seen our files, which say we were convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage. Youd feel the tension. But as they got to know us, even the way the officers viewed us began to change.

A big part of that was the solidarity that started coming in from all over. We began to receive newspapers  like the Militant  with front-page articles about the Cuban Five and books with photos of us in them. You wouldnt believe how much this helped. It was testimony to the solidarity with us around the world. 

MARY-ALICE WATERS: Fernando, you were in prison at different times with both Oscar Lopez and Carlos Alberto Torres, the Puerto Rican independence fighters. That must have been quite an experience.

FERNANDO GONZALEZ: In the two prisons where I did most of my time, I was able to share that time with two individuals who were politically conscious revolutionaries sentenced to prison for political reasons. I consider myself privileged.

At the federal prison in Oxford, Wisconsin, for more than five years, I got to know Carlos Alberto Torres, and I spent nearly five years in the Terre Haute, Indiana, prison with Oscar Lopez Rivera. My relationship with them was different from that with other prisoners. You establish good relations with many people, but Oscar and Carlos became my companeros and brothers.

MARY-ALICE WATERS: Did you share a cell?

FERNANDO GONZALEZ: With Carlos Alberto, no. We were in the same unit but not the same cell. Oscar and I shared a cell for some time.

Most prisoners have a relatively low level of political consciousness and interest in political questions. But with these two companeros I could have a different kind of discussion. They are well-informed companeros, with solid political education. Our conversations covered many topics, including daily events.

When I got to prison, Oscar and Carlos Alberto each had already been there a long time, and I benefited from their experience. Their view of prison life was different, not the way other prisoners saw things.

Thats why I say I felt privileged. Its not just having gotten to know them personally. Its the kind of human beings they are. They are extremely humane and supportive of others. They know the history of Puerto Rico, the struggles of the Puerto Rican people. And both companeros are also very well informed about Cuba.

Oscar is older. His experiences go back to the struggles of the 1960s and 1970s in the United States. Not only the Puerto Rican independence movement but also struggles by African Americans, Chicanos, Native Americans, and others that were part of the radical left.

ROGER CALERO: Oscar says his political views were profoundly changed by his experience as a young man drafted into the US army to serve in Vietnam during Washingtons brutal war there.

FERNANDO GONZALEZ: When I met Oscar in prison, I went over and said hello. Yes, I know who you arethats the first thing he said to me. Remember, we had never met each other. But he knew about our case, the names of all five of us, the history of our fight, and a lot about Cuba, too.

Carlos Alberto and Oscar both understood what our case represented politically. And because of the political education I had received in Cuba about the history of Puerto Rico  which is so close to that of our own  I could understand perfectly the situation they were in. Within the possibilities at hand, I could contribute to the campaign for their release.

MARY-ALICE WATERS: The fight to win Oscars freedom is gaining momentum, especially with mounting anger among Puerto Ricans at the economic crisis hitting the island so hard due to its colonial status. Theres a notable increase in the breadth of forces demanding Oscars freedom. He was officially honored by organizers of the Puerto Rican Day parade in New York last year, and again this year there was a big contingent demanding his freedom.

FERNANDO GONZALEZ: If theres anything I would call my best years in prison  if you can use such an expression, since I dont wish prison on anyone  it would be those years with Oscar. It was an exceptional experience.





Related articles:

End US economic embargo of Cuba







Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home




Militant/Seth Galinsky

NEW YORK  Alyson Kennedy, the Socialist Workers Party candidate for U.S. president, campaigned at construction sites on the West Side of Manhattan Feb. 9. Kennedy and her supporters spoke with workers on their lunch break about the fatal collapse of a 565-foot crane in Lower Manhattan four days earlier that crushed cars parked on the street and killed a pedestrian. A construction worker fell to his death at an East Harlem site the day before the crane incident.

Several construction union members told her that the union backs us up if they refuse to work under unsafe conditions. Ive walked off many times, Thomas Portelli, 38, right, said. When its too windy and the load is spinning around. Im not going to allow that.

While unionized workers get safety training, unorganized workers do not, he said, but the bosses and government officials are trying to get rid of the unions.

Thats why we need to organize all workers into our unions, Kennedy said. Workers need to control conditions on the job to guarantee safety.

One ironworker said he thought we needed a businessman as president, like Donald Trump, who could get things done. Workers need our own party, a labor party based on the unions, Kennedy said.

There is no we, she said. There are two main social classes  the workers and the bosses. The Socialist Workers Party joins in actions against employer and government attacks against us and helps to advance class consciousness.

 DEAN HAZLEWOOD
MADISON  Just because there arent taxpayer dollars to advertise the full roll-out this year of the states unnecessary voter ID law doesnt mean there arent political dollars that could accomplish the same thing.

The same concerns about electoral integrity that drove Republicans to pass the photo ID requirement should compel them to spend money making sure the integrity of this years elections arent unduly harmed because voters dont know about the requirement or dont have photo IDs.

Even better, back in the real world, Democrats have major cause for coughing up some cash: They believe their voters are more likely to lack the IDs and wherewithal for getting them that the new law requires.

There wouldnt be anything illegal about either party or either partys candidates spending campaign dollars to run ads letting voters know about photo ID, according to Government Accountability Board spokesman Reid Magney.

They could even pay for transportation to get people to the DMV to get their drivers licenses or state ID, or for programs to help the most needy get the documents they need to get IDs.

And boy oh boy, could they pay.

The Republican Party of Wisconsin, for example, raised more than $1.9 million last year and had about $647,000 left in the bank as of Jan. 15, according to its latest semiannual campaign finance report. The state Democratic party raised about $563,000 and had $376,000 in the bank.

The Republican Assembly and Senate campaign committees raised about $808,763 and had about $637,054 left over. Comparable numbers for the Dems were $718,158 and $376,924, respectively.

Then theres donor darling Gov. Scott Walker, whose gubernatorial campaign raised $6.4 million last year.

For just a few hundred to a few thousand bucks, politicians could run an ad in, ahem, this very newspaper to alert voters to the photo ID requirement. Thats money spent at least as well as the $350 the state Republican party paid to Vegas Karaoke last year (for meeting expenses).

Republicans obviously have the greater moral obligation to let voters know about photo ID because they passed the 2011 law (its been mostly held up in court), and they control state government and get to decide whether to set state money aside to educate voters about photo ID.

But morality is optional in politics, and given scant evidence of anyone committing the kind of voter fraud that a photo ID would deter, cynics contend that Republicans have no incentive for letting folks know about the new law because its really about disenfranchising Democratic voters.

State Republican campaign officials did not respond when I asked whether they would spend campaign dollars to publicize voter ID  suggesting that deep down, they concede the cynics point.

State Democratic Party spokesman Brandon Weathersby, however, said making sure people know what they need to vote ... will be a large part of our efforts to get out the vote this year, although he didnt yet have a figure on how much the party would spend.

But any amount spent on something other than misleading ads for candidates is money well spent.
Bernat murdered at city condo, say police

BANGKOK: DNA testing indicates the room of Artur Segarra Princep, the prime suspect in the gruesome murder of his Spanish compatriot, was where David Bernat was killed and dismembered, Pol Gen Panya Mamen, the lead investigator, confirmed on Friday (Feb 12).

crimehomicidepolice

By Bangkok Post

Saturday 13 February 2016, 09:13AM

Corrections Department officers take Artur Segarra (wearing glasses) from the Criminal Court to Bangkok Special Prison after a police request for his extended detention was approved and bail formally denied. Photo: Bangkok Post / Patipat Janthong

Pol Gen Panya asserted DNA samples retrieved from bloodstains in Mr Segarra's room at PG Rama IX Condominium in Huai Khwang district belonged to Bernat, 40, whose body parts were discarded in different locations in the Chao Phraya River late last month.

Bernat, a consultant to a foreign company, was reported missing from his apartment in Nantiruj Tower, Klong Toey, district on the night of Jan 20 after he was last seen on CCTV footage riding a motorcycle with Mr Segarra from his apartment.

Pol Gen Panya said forensic results and witness accounts were sufficient to take legal action against the suspect.

According to the investigation, Pol Gen Panya presumed Bernat was detained, tortured and killed by Mr Segarra in the room. His body was chopped up before being dumped into the river.

Pol Gen Panya said the investigation has made significant progress. However, police are still trying to identify locations where the body parts, tools used to commit the crime and the victims motorcycle were discarded.

Police said they found no DNA of the victim at Mr Segarras rented house in Soi Ramkhamhaeng 174. However, DNA of an unidentified man and woman were found at that location.

Pol Gen Panya suspected Mr Segarra was acting on his own when he allegedly killed Bernat. However, other people could be involved in dismembering the body and discarding the parts.

He said DNA samples on Mr Segarras motorcycle were also collected to confirm he used the vehicle to escape authorities.

Last Saturday (Feb 6), the motorcycle was abandoned near the Sombat border market in Surins border district of Kap Choeng, according to accounts given by his Thai girlfriend, Pritsana Saen-ubon. The suspect rode the motorcycle after fleeing a karaoke bar in Surins Muang district after he had seen his photograph on the TV news.

He was later apprehended in Cambodia on Sunday (Feb 7) and extradited to Thailand the following day.

Apart from DNA samples, Pol Gen Panya said the money trail between the suspect and the victim also indicated Mr Segarra could be behind the brutal murder.

The money trail indicated more than B37 million was wired twice from Bernats account in Singapore to Mr Segarras account.

On Feb 4, Mr Segarra withdrew several million baht of the wired money from his account.

The withdrawals were made from ATMs in Bangkoks Min Buri district and Ayutthayas Wang Noi district and over the counter at Kasikornbanks Suwinthawong branch in Bangkok.

Despite the clear evidence and a useful account from Ms Pritsana, Pol Gen Panya said police still had to gather more clues in the case to ensure Mr Segarra will be brought to justice.

He said he was not worried about the case as Mr Segarra was still in the first period of his detention. Police will wrap the case up and forward it to prosecutors, he added.

Read original story here.
Change of helm at Rolly Tasker Sails Phuket

PHUKET: Sven Cornelius has been appointed CEO at Rolly Tasker Sails (Thailand) Co Ltd, the renowned international sail-making firm based in Phuket.

marineeconomicstourismtransport

By The Phuket News

Saturday 13 February 2016, 10:45AM

Rolly Tasker Sails crew holding up a 200sqm headsail. Photo: Rolly Tasker Sails

The announcement follows the retirement of Mike Tasker, who was at the helm of the Rolly Tasker for more than a decade.

Mike is retired and no longer working for the company. We thank Mike for all his good efforts he spent to the company and wish him a well-earned retirement, Mr Cornelius said in a statement issued this week.

After restructuring the management positions and responsibilities, Kerry Tasker has appointed myself as CEO of Rolly Tasker Sails (Thailand) Co. Ltd, Mr Cornelius added.

I will take over some important key positions, including continuing Rollys production policies and processes, support and training of sail design department, controlling, the distributor and export responsibilities and other strategic management functions, he added.

Im very glad to confirm that David Desage, who previously developed our Mast & Rigging Department successfully, joined the management team as Operations Manager. While I will travel between Thailand and Europe, David is permanent in Phuket and ensures an efficient management of the sail loft including all concerning departments.

David is a highly skilled and motivated professional in the sailing business and Im convinced that his strong ambition will help to improve the efficiency, products as well as the development of our growing local market in Thailand.

David, myself and our dynamic team are exited for the challenge to continue developing Rolly Tasker Sails and look forward to working with you in the future, Mr Cornelius said.
Court acquits first protester arrested after coup

politicsmilitary

By Bangkok Post

Saturday 13 February 2016, 11:00AM

Police and troops arrested hundreds of anti-coup protesters immediately after the May 22, 2014, army takeover, sometimes in scuffles like this. Photo: AFP

The ruling by the Pathumwan Magistrate Court was on a technicality regarding police powers in the investigation.

But the acquittal should be regarded as a landmark ruling for honest and non-violent citizens who defend their basic rights, said the temporarily freed man, Sgt Maj Apichart Pongsawath, 26. He still faces a lese majeste charge but vowed to continue his peaceful political activism.

He was the first anti-coup protester to be arrested and indicted for defying the ban on political rallies after the 2014 coup and fought the case with support from the Thai Human Rights Lawyers Centre.

He was detained by the military after showing a sheet of A4 paper saying, We dont recognise the coup in front of the Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre the day after the coup took place.

The prosecution said Sgt Maj Apichart and about 500 demonstrators held a noisy protest defying the NCPO order.

He became the first anti-coup protester arrested and indicted for defying the ban on political rallies and gatherings of more than five people, issued by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) on May 22, 2014. The same order activated the Martial Law Act of 1914.

He was the only arrestee who fought the case, with the support of Thai Human Rights Lawyers Centre.

Sgt Maj Apichart was nabbed by the military after showing an A4 page saying We dont recognise the coups authority at the SkyWalk in front of the Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre, a day after Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha staged the coup.

The prosecution said Sgt Maj Apichart and around 500 other demonstrators staged a noisy protest defying the NCPO order on political rally bans.

The protesters also defied warnings by troops and police on duty in the area to break up the gatherings and leave. Prosecutors said warnings were issued in the area near the Sra Prathum Palace as night fell.

After his arrest, Sgt Maj Apichart was detained at the 2nd Cavalry Division, Kings Guard, at Sanam Pao. After one night, he was handed over to the Crime Suppression Division police, where he was held for five days, during interrogation and investigation.

His case was not sent to the military court because the NCPO order on security-related arrests had not been issued.

Sgt Maj Apichart testified to the court that he joined other anti-coup protesters who were brought together in flash mob style via social media.

At his arrest, he was gabbed by four or five soldiers, who gave him no notice of his rights or charges. He claimed protesters were exhibiting civil rights and liberties to express their opinions, and the protest created no disturbance.

IRRELEVANT

In acquitting Sgt Maj Apichart, the Pathumwan Magistrates Court cited the Procedural Criminal Code Articles 16 and 18, which stipulate details of who has the authority to interrogate and investigate suspects. It ruled authorities did not follow the guidelines, and acquitted Sgt Maj Apichart.

The ruling stated that the incident took place in Pathumwan district, and the prosecutor had failed to show how or if the CSD even took charge of the case as required by law.

Therefore, The lawsuit prepared by the prosecutors based on the CSDs unlawful investigation is irrelevant, the ruling stated.

There was no need to consider other points of arguments.

PRAISE

Ratsada Manooratsada, the lawyer for Sgt Maj Apichart, thanked the court. If people cannot exercise freedom of expression with sincerity and non-violence, society is denied basic rights, he said.

He praised his client for fighting strongly for freedom of expression.

The prosecution has a month to appeal the ruling.

Sgt Maj Apichart was not prepared to let the matter drop. He thanked the court but insisted on speaking about a few other points that were not mentioned in testimony.

The fact that the court acquitted me today should be testimony that another 30 or so anti-coup protesters who pleaded guilty and were convicted, should also have been freed because of the unauthorised investigation, he said.

Those who remain firm on democracy should have their morale boosted (by this ruling). Todays verdict could be a benchmark for our descendants, setting the standard that peaceful and innocent expressions of democratic aspirations are allowed, said the activist.

He criticised careless and mismanaged police investigation and prosecutors that deprived me of my rights and dignity.

After his arrest in 2014, Sgt Maj Apichart was detained for 30 days without bail.

Being acquitted, I now will engage more in political debate, especially in this significant time, to discuss the constitution and the works of the government.

Of course, I will do this in the spirit of peace and non-violence as I always have done, he said. He is currently studying for a master's degree in liberal arts at the Puey Ungphakorn College of Thammasat University.

The small courtroom was packed for the ruling, with 35 media, activists and diplomats from the European Union, Germany, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. Staff of the International Commission of Jurists attended.

LESE MAJESTE

Sgt Maj Apichart now faces the lese majeste charge, which was added by the military in the first week of his detention in May, 2014.

After the judge read his ruling, he immediately switched to criticise the defence team, saying that their attempt to dismiss him from presiding over the case was an indecent move. He stressed he was appointed to his position by the King, and he was not biased against either the military or the red shirts.

Pre-judgement events had included a defence request to the Court of Justice that the judge be removed. Lawyers cited a photocopy of a photo of him browsing a web page of the Military Reform Thailand, now closed.

 Achara Ashayagachat

Read original story here.
Dutch police to counter drones with winged warriors

NETHERLANDS: Dutch police are turning to a phalanx of winged predators to solve the problem of unauthorised drone flights in restricted areas such as airports and over crowds: eagles.

Saturday 13 February 2016, 10:00AM

Police released video footage of the tests, which shows an eagle in flight firmly grasping the drone with its talons. Photo: Dutch Police/AFP

Police officers, who are looking for the best way to intercept unauthorised drones, are conducting tests with the birds of prey together with a specialised Dutch company called Guard from Above, a police spokesman said last week.

Its a low-tech solution to a high-tech problem, Dennis Janus said.

We use the birds age-old hunting instinct to intercept and neutralise drones, he said.

Police released video footage of the tests, which shows an eagle in flight firmly grasping the drone with its talons before landing a few metres away.

The eagles are trained by Guard from Above, which describes itself as the first company in the world that uses birds of prey to intercept drones.

Like elsewhere around the globe the use of drones in the Netherlands is booming.

For obvious security reasons, you cant fly a drone just anywhere, said Janus, adding that it is forbidden to fly drones in airports or over large crowds.

If a drone falls on somebody it could kill, Janus added.

Police are also testing a method to hack a drones controls or to catch it in a net carried by another drone.

The test using birds of prey is expected to be finalised by the end of the year, and will examine the raptors reaction to crowds.
German man found dead in a bedroom in Rawai

PHUKET: Police are yet to confirm the cause of death of a German man who was found lifeless at his home in Rawai yesterday morning (Feb 12).

alcoholdeathpolice

By Darawan Naknakhon

Saturday 13 February 2016, 10:11AM

Empty bottles of Thai rice whiskey lao kao were found throughout the house. Photo: Darawan Nanakhon

Police and rescue workers arrived were called to the home, in Soi Hayaek, near Chalong Circle, at 11am.

They arrived to find the body of the 47-year-old man crouching on the floor with his head on the bed, said Maj Thada Sodarat of the Chalong Police.

We found no sign of assault or no injury on the body, Maj Thada said.

However, the body smelled strongly of alcohol and there were empty bottles of alcohol all over the house. We also saw some trace of vomit on the bed.

Among the evidence present were empty bottles of Thai rice whiskey lao kao.

Paijit Buthchan, who said she was a friend of the man, told police in a statement that she stayed with the him from time time.

When she called him at 11:50pm on Thursday, he said he was drinking with his German friends, so she did go to see him that night, Maj Thada said.

She also said that he drank every night and hardly ate. This morning (Feb 12), she discovered the body on the bed when she came to his place to take a shower, so she called for help, explained Maj Thada.

The body was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital for doctors to determine the cause of death, he added.

The German Embassy in Bangkok has been notified, Maj Thada said, but added that he had yet to confirm that the mans family had been notified of the mans death.
Phuket police yet to conclude probe into death of Chinese tourist

PHUKET: The Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MoTS) Phuket office has revealed they are powerless to do anything more in their investigation into whether or not a tour guide was present when Chinese tourist died during a day tour to Racha Island earlier this month.

Chinesemarinetourismdeathpolice

By The Phuket News

Saturday 13 February 2016, 05:27PM

Rescue workers bring the body of Lu Weidong ashore at Laem Ka in Rawai. Photo: Courtesy of Phuket Rescue

The tourist, 50-year-old Lu Weidong, died whilst being transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital after he was pulled from the water unconscious whilst swimming at Batok Bay on Feb 2.

Following reports that no tour guide was present, Mr Santi said that his office would investigate the company regarding whether or not a tour guide was present on that day. (See story here.)

We cannot do anything more until the police have concluded their investigation, which I hope they will conclude by next week, Santi Pawai told The Phuket News today (Feb 13).

After the incident, I ordered my office to investigate Nonthasak Marine about the allegation that they did not provide tour guide, but my officers told me that the company assured that they did in fact have a tour guide with the group that day.

However, in carrying out investigations, we (MoTS) have no power alone. We must have police leading the investigation, hence we are waiting for their conclusions, he said.

Regardless, Chalong Police Chief Col Nopphadon Thiriprawat yesterday declined to reveal any details of the police investigation into the death.

The investigation for this case is still ongoing, is all he would say.
With relish, Kabuls middle class embraces the food truck trend

AFGHANISTAN: When the first Lazeez food truck arrived in Kabul many mistook it for a rickshaw and wanted to hail a ride  the yellow chassis and three wheels so reminiscent of taxis popular in South Asia.

culture

By AFP

Saturday 13 February 2016, 01:00PM

Parked on one of Kabuls busiest roads, Obaidullahs truck  emblazoned with a giant hot dog, and the Lazeez logo  is unmissable. Photo: Shah Marai/AFP

But it took little time for the citys emerging middle class to embrace the novelty of canteens-on-wheels serving Western fast foods around town.

Parked on one of the capitals busiest roads, Obaidullahs truck  emblazoned with a giant hot dog, and the Lazeez logo  is unmissable. He serves a handful of customers, who are seemingly undeterred by the roadside pollution, and bullish about the sourcing and sanitation of the meat.

Us Afghans are immune to all sorts of illnesses, jokes Mohammed  an oral hygiene student buying a quick burger.

Food hygiene is terrible in Afghanistan, with 60 children out of 1,000 dying from diarrhoea before the age of five, according to the French NGO Acted.

So for Naveed Noori, who founded Lazeez with his cousin Abdullah Karim, finding meat without breaking the cold chain  the series of transportation and storage options that maintain a given temperature  is a challenge.

Naveed buys his hot dogs  made of chicken, with pork a hard sell in mostly-Muslim Afghanistan  frozen from Karachi, the Pakistani port megacity located 1,400 kilometres from Kabul.

We have to pay attention to the conditions of the journey to be sure everything is going well, otherwise our cargo rots, says the 26-year old entrepreneur.

For now, Naveed has found a successful route: Mohammed says his burger tastes just fine, as does the hot dog he also purchased, even if the fare is a long way from the tempting morsels available from food trucks in Paris or New York.

It has been a year and a half since the six food trucks emblazoned with the Lazeez logo  meaning delicious in Dari, one of Afghanistans two national languages  began crisscrossing the streets of Kabul.

Today, Naveed has 15 employees and business is going well  for example, Obaidullah says the truck he manages serves between 30 and 60 customers a day.

After expenses and paying his employees, Naveed pockets $150 (B5,343) a day, a fortune in Afghanistan where 72 per cent of households earn less than $150 a month and social inequalities are enormous.

His success is even more impressive given that spiced dishes of lamb, mutton and rice still enjoy pride of place in Afghan cuisine, rather than the American fast food which has become so entrenched elsewhere.

Unfortunately no food truck offers Afghan dishes, laments Nassir, a student who is getting ready to chow down on a chicken sandwich from Manoto, a food truck also doing the rounds in Kabul like Lazeez.

Sure Id prefer rice and Afghan dishes but they dont have them, says Saifuddin, a cleaner.

I work for the council so I get a special price  I pay 50 afghanis (less than a dollar) for my hotdog instead of 100, he explains.

Even so, thats expensive because I earn 6,000 afghanis (B3,099) a month and Ive got 12 mouths to feed, he says wearily.

The popularity of food trucks in Kabul owes less to their culinary offerings than the slow lifestyle changes of an emerging middle class.

The countrys middle classes speak English and work in foreign NGOs, government ministries or Western companies based in Afghanistan.

They stand apart from the vast majority of the population, in which just 32% of adults can read and write, according to a 2011 UNESCO figure.

Congregating in Kabul, this worldlier group has a need for speed.

Take Idriss Atef, a telecommunications engineer who is paying a flying visit to a Lazeez food truck.

Its the first time Ive eaten from a food truck, he admits.

But, echoing workers in London or New York, he adds: Im busy, I dont have time to go to a restaurant, sit down and order something.

Naveeds success is all the rarer in Afghanistan, far from being a haven for entrepreneurs despite all the promises from President Ashraf Ghani, himself a former economist with the World Bank.

Red tape, renewed violence, and endemic corruption have not helped to create a business-friendly environment in the country.

In 2014 Transparency International ranked the country 172 out of 175 in its Corruption Perceptions Index.

Naveed knows something about corruption and can always count on the police to stop him from selling his hot dogs.

They dont know that its only a food truck, nor do they know where were allowed park, he explains.

So, for a quieter life, he resorts to bakshish  a bribe in the form of money or burgers.
South Dakota high school football playoffs scores and pairings

The South Dakota high school football playoffs start tonight with the Class 11B and 9-man teams facing off in the first round.
If Hillary Clinton makes you weary, direct your attention momentarily to Ursula von der Leyen. Single minded. Mentally muscular. Ballsy, even.

An oft-presumed successor to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, von der Leyen is the politician who, as labour minister and against great odds, fought for statutory quotas for women on boards, because, how shall I phrase this, its the right thing to do.

Shes defence minister today  Germanys first woman in the job  but she made her first big mark in her prior portfolio, waging a fight few thought could be won.

The legislation was finally approved by Parliament last March, so it is only now, in 2016, that Germanys largest, publicly listed companies are compelled to fill 30 per cent of their supervisory board seats with women. If a woman cannot be found, the seat is left vacant. (German companies are constituted with supervisory and management boards, the former superimposed upon the latter.)

Merkel herself was initially opposed, watchful of those members of the business constituency who protest mandatory representation. In the end, the chancellor recovered her political bearings and declared the statutory gender quota an important step for equality because it will initiate cultural change in the workplace.

German Justice Minister Heiko Maas offered a more vibrant take, declaring the legislation the greatest contribution to gender equality since women got the vote. In other words, the greatest contribution in 100 years.

Heres the message: when companies wont budge, legislate.

Heres the underlying message: left to their own devices, companies wont budge.

Germanys experience is not unique. Of course it isnt. Watch as jurisdictions introduce voluntary quotas. Observe the snails pace of change across a decade or two.

Observe Ontario. Nine months after securities regulators, including the Ontario Securities Commission, adopted their so-called comply or explain policy, a toothless bit of silliness if ever there was one, fully 65 per cent of TSX issuers sampled reported that they had not adopted a policy aimed at identifying and nominating women directors.

Let me amend that: its not that those issuers had yet to adopt the recommended policy, but that they had made the decision not to adopt.

We are in the dark ages.

In 2002, women in Norway comprised six per cent of the countrys board members. The government of the day initially took the voluntary approach, appealing to publicly listed companies to up their game. That didnt happen. The solution: amendments to company law. New rules, introduced in 2006, demanded that boards of publicly listed companies be comprised of at least 40 per cent women. That did happen.

France took a two-stage approach, giving publicly listed companies until 2014 to reach 20 per cent representation. As of next year, the requirement jumps to 40 per cent.

Iceland (40 per cent). Spain (40 per cent). Finland (40 per cent). There are too many examples to be documented here.

Some quota skeptics have been brought on board, including an initially resistant Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund.

One of the arguments against quotas is that board parity, or a move toward parity, hasnt thus far equated in the research to a significantly higher number of women in top management. Women CEOs remain as scarce as hens teeth.

Yet it has been demonstrated, most recently in a report this week by the Washington-based Petersen Institute for International Economics, that the representation of women in the C-suite correlates to improved corporate profitability. For profitable firms, a move from no female leaders to 30 per cent representation is associated with a 15 per cent increase in net revenue margin, the authors found. (The report was based on a survey of 22,000 firms across 91 countries, albeit it was a single-year snapshot.)

The researchers qualified their analysis as possibly too crude  their words  to discern the significant positive effects of board quotas. But they did cite a correlation between the presence of women on boards and the presence of women in executive ranks. If increased gender diversity in corporate leadership contributes to firm performance, if quotas have negligible costs, and if the presence of women in the C-suite enhances the pipeline effect by encouraging more women to pursue these positions, as is often claimed, then some kind of quota system may warrant consideration.

What we do know is that any expectations that boards will organically reshape themselves into balanced assemblies of men and women have not, and will not, be met.

In June 2014, Kellie Leitch, then Canadas minister for the status of women, announced that a reasonable national goal was to aspire to 30 per cent representation on boards by 2019. The result: inertia.

I find aspire to be a very genderized word. Like upset.

Lets choose instead anger and a need to force a dynamic outcome.

Quotas are the way forward. We can discuss a range of sanctions for failure to conform, from empty board seats (I agree) to, as in Norway, threatened dissolution for non-compliant companies (a step too far).

A chorus of voices will no doubt rise in opposition here, citing the argument that directors should be chosen on merit. Excellent idea. Move to parity and you just might find that future members are indeed chosen on merit and merit alone.

Jennifer Wells column appears on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Mondays. She can be reached at jenwells@thestar.ca

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BUJUMBURA, BURUNDIThousands of Burundians on Saturday participated in government-sanctioned demonstrations against neighbouring Rwanda whom it accuses of supporting a rebellion to topple Burundis president.

The demonstrations highlight the souring of relations between the Central African neighbours since Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza was re-elected for a disputed third term.

Burundi was rocked by violent street protests for months after Nkurunzizas April announcement that he would seek another term. At least 400 people have died since then in violent street protests, assassinations, attacks by a rebel group and a failed coup attempt.

More than 200,000 Burundians have fled to neighbouring countries, mostly to Rwanda. Burundi is accusing Rwanda of training and arming rebels in the refugee population.

Rwanda on Friday said it plans to relocate 75,000 Burundian refugees to other countries following the accusations.

Burundis Interior Minister Pascal Barandagiye, in a radio broadcast urging people to participate in the demonstrations, accused the Rwandan government of trying to topple Burundis government through military means.

Demonstrators camped at Rwandas embassy in Bujumbura Saturday morning, singing songs against Rwanda President Paul Kagame.

The songs described Kagame as an enemy whom Burundians are going to kumesa or wash. During Burundis civil war a decade ago, to wash someone up was a euphemism for killing people perceived to be enemies.

A UN panel of experts has made similar allegations against Rwanda, saying in a new report that refugees from Burundi received training from Rwandan military personnel last year with the goal of removing Nkurunziza from power.

The experts spoke to 18 Burundian combatants who said they had been recruited at the Mahama refugee camp in eastern Rwanda in May and June 2015 and that their numbers total four companies of 100 recruits each.

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What is it about the thought of Western planes bombing Arab lands that is so alluring to many of our most prominent political, journalistic and academic minds?

I dont only mean here in Canada, where the heroic cause of six lonely Canadian CF-18 fighter jets and their 230 bombing missions in Iraq and Syria  fewer than three per cent of all coalition missions  have been embraced with such unbridled enthusiasm by a wide range of Canadas chattering classes.

It captivates other Western capitals as well. In November, after a dramatic debate, the British parliament voted to expand air strikes against so-called Islamic State militants into Syria. Prime Minister David Cameron said that Britain must act with expanded bombing: If not now, when?

In the U.S. presidential campaign, the political rhetoric about bombing is soaring to the stratosphere. The two front-runners for the Republican nomination appear to be competing over how many war crimes they will commit if elected to office.

Referring to Islamic State, Donald Trump promised he would bomb the sh-- out of them, while Texas Sen. Ted Cruz went one step further: We will utterly destroy (them), and yes, that means carpet bombing them into oblivion.

For Arabs who know their history, this will come as no surprise. In 1911, the first airplane-delivered bombs were dropped on Arabs by Europeans. In his book, A History of Bombing, Swedish author Sven Lindqvist describes Italian aviators dropping grenades on nomadic camps in the desert outside of Tripoli, in North Africa. He cites newspaper reports about the impact on the ground: Noncombatants, young and old, were slaughtered ruthlessly, without compunction and without shame.

Impressed by this apparent effectiveness, other European powers soon joined in. Between 1915 and 1920, Britain bombed Arab towns and villages in Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Transjordan and Afghanistan.

That is how the 20th century began. A hundred years later, we have experienced the bombing of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the first Gulf War in 1991 against Saddam Hussein and then the disastrous invasion of Iraq in 2003 by the U.S. and Britain that blew apart the region and led to the death of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. And now, we have the bombing campaign against the extremist ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria that emerged from the post-2003 anarchy.

We may choose to blot these events from our memory, but that is the unacknowledged historical background to Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus announcement this week. In ending the limited Canadian bombing mission, Trudeau said the people in Iraq and Syria who are suffering at the hands of the Islamic State dont need our vengeance, they need our help.

According to Trudeau, Canada will do what we do best to help in the region and that is to focus on Canadas historic strengths in military training, humanitarian aid and diplomacy. This includes increasing counterterrorism efforts in neighbouring Lebanon and Jordan.

Many have criticized Trudeau for not providing persuasive reasons why the CF-18 bombing mission has been cancelled.

I find that criticism baffling. If you listen to what he and his ministers are saying, and use a bit of perspective to read between the lines, they are providing three very compelling reasons:

One: Bombing is not the sole answer, and never will be.

Two: For any long-term solution, only local forces can triumph.

Three: Canada needs to be laser-focused and strategic in its approach.

In the debate about Canadas new approach to the Middle East, there has also been little reference to this countrys dismal track record in this region in recent years.

Former prime minister Stephen Harper discarded Canadas historic role as a peacekeeping nation in favour of his idea of Canada as a warrior nation.

But it is worth remembering that Canadas two major military operations while Harper was in office  Afghanistan and then Libya  produced very little. Although the notion of Canada as a warrior nation was a failure, it was embraced by many in Canadas political, media and academic worlds.

For the Harper era to be relegated truly to the past, it may take some time for this addlebrained conceit to be driven completely out of our body politic.

Tony Burman, former head of CBC News and Al Jazeera English, teaches journalism at Ryerson University. Reach him @TonyBurman or at tony.burman@gmail.com .

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Re: No right to having a discriminatory defence, Opinion Feb. 8

No right to having a discriminatory defence, Opinion Feb. 8

If courts were to adopt standards of court behaviour advocated by Joanna Birenbaum, Pamela Cross and Amanda Dale, they might as well demand that every accused plead guilty from the very start. Courts have an obligation, not just to defendants but to society as a whole, to determine if witnesses are credible and they have this obligation no matter how excusable the reasons for a witnesss failure to recall what happened. No one should think less of witnesses who cannot remember what happened, but they should think twice about what that means for the things such witnesses think they recall correctly.

Patrick Cowan, North York

The defence has to be allowed to call the victims testimony into question during a sexual assault case. In the Jian Ghomeshi trial it was absolutely valid for the defence to ask why the first witness sent an email to the defendant with a bikini photo attached after the assault took place. This questioning cast doubt on the assault allegation. For the exact same reason it was also absolutely valid for the defence to ask about the letter sent by the second witness to the defendant. Often the victims testimony is the key (or only) evidence the prosecution offers. So of course the defence is going to attack it. If the defence is required to be too gentle with the victim, that erodes the defendants right to a fair trial.

Dave Keeley, Mississauga

The writers of this column complain that we do not treat sexual assault like other crimes. They are correct that we do not; they are wrong to argue we should.

Sexual assaults are different from most offences: there is no forensic evidence whatever to substantiate the assault. It is vital that we prosecute in those circumstances, even when the only evidence is the allegation. However, in the absence of forensic evidence, we look at evidence we would not look at if forensic evidence were available.

In this case, it is evidence that makes it more or less likely the complainant or accused is telling the truth. Emails sent after the fact are relevant. The inference that should be drawn from those emails, of course, is a matter for the trial judge. That judge should not rely on wrong assumptions or stereotypes  but the evidence is admissible and relevant.

Brian Casey, Dartmouth, N.S.

As a retired defence counsel, I wish to commend Marie Heinen for a job well done. I am a bit surprised by what appears to be a not very thorough investigation by Torontos Finest (police) and by the usually quite competent Crown Attorneys Office. Looking in from the outside, it does not appear that the Crown witnesses were properly prepared by the Crown Attorney, who knew they would be subject to vigorous cross-examination. For the Crown and the police to miss so many emails is unusual, to say the least.

Joel L. Hertz, Thornhill

The only relevant question: Did you explicitly tell Mr. Ghomeshi that punching, choking and the other behaviours you have listed were welcome, prior to him engaging in them?

Answer: No. Case closed.

Rob Questor, Toronto

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On the site Best Places In The World To Retire, one of the most common questions is whether someone can get by just speaking English.

Along with concerns about safety and healthcare, not being able to understand others or be understood is among the main reasons for not moving abroad. People fear that they may not be able to attain basic services if they can't communicate what they need, or that they will be unable to build relationships.

Knowing the local language will give you a richer experience, but there are several places where it's not necessary.

Algarve, Portugal

There are so many British expats in Algarve in the southern part of Portugal, that English is widely understood there. Algarve has a population of just 300,000 but receives over 5 million visits a year, many of them from Brits.

Luis Teixeira da Silva, who has lived in six countries and now splits his time between the UK and Algarve, said, "I have English friends who have been in the Algarve for 22 years who speak hardly a word in Portuguese."

But foreigners can get by with English in other parts of the country, as well.

Duncan MacGregor, who lives in Cascais about 18 miles from the capital city of Lisbon, said, "The reason is because the Portuguese like to please foreigners and make the effort to speak the same language. In addition, English is taught in the schools in Portugal."

Lake Chapala/Ajijic, Mexico

Mexico has many areas in which a large proportion of the population is American. As such, there are many areas where you can easily get by without much Spanish.

"In Mexico City, educated people will speak at least some English, and many will be fluent," said Carmella Peters Romero, originally from Toronto and now living in Mexico City.

According to Ivan Castillo, a native Mexican who lived in California as a child, service providers in areas with large numbers of tourists or expats are likely to speak English. "In these areas where there's an important community of foreigners, it's easier to get around just speaking English."

Dr. Santiago Hernandez, who lived in Chicago for 30 years, said it was easy to get by with just English in the large American expat community around Lake Chapa and in Ajijic. "It is rather ironic because I probably spoke more Spanish when I was practicing in Chicago than I do now here in Mexico," he said.

Boquete, Panama

Boquete is a mountain town in the highlands of the province of Chiriqui, Panama. Until about 2000, it was almost completely unknown to anyone but the locals. Since then, Boquete has become one of the most sought after locations for North American retirees and other expats, who now comprise about 5,000 of the population of about 25,000. The foreigners have been drawn by the area's scenic beauty and mild climate.

Georgina Chanapi a native-born Panamanian who lived in Switzerland and speaks fluent French, Spanish and English, said English is spoken widely. "In Boquete, it is not like when you go to Swiss Park in Switzerland where people only speak German or Swiss-German, because we have many English speakers here in Boquete," he said. "If you only speak English in Boquete, you are not going to have any problems."

Roger Pentecost, originally from England and now a resident of Boquete, said service providers hire many individuals who speak fluent English, "Restaurants and hospitals in the area prefer to hire staff who know how to speak English. Most of the doctors in Chiriqui speak some English because they received their education in North America or in other places that speak English."

Linda Jensen moved to Boquete fro Texas in 2012, knowing close to no Spanish. But Jensen said she was able to cope without major problems. "I can do my transactions at the dry cleaners or other places with no problems, at all," she said. "The locals in Boquete understand enough English and there are enough gringos here to help that you can go to any place and get what you need. If I speak English slowly, many of the people here understand me. Maybe it's my Southern accent that keeps them from understanding when I just talk normally!"



Belize

Situated just south of Mexico, facing the Caribbean, Belize (formerly British Honduras) is officially an English-speaking country. In addition to using British Common Law, all legal agreements and all government transactions occur in English.

Irma Quiroz-Yuque used to live in Southern California and now lives in Corozal in northern Belize. She said that she moved to Belize partly because she knew that she could get by speaking English. "Having pretty much everyone speak English is one of the things that caused us to decide to retire to Belize," Quiroz-Yuque said.

By contrast, Quiroz-Yuque said that if she had retired to Ecuador, she would have needed to understand Spanish to speak with the locals. She was especially concerned that in an emergency, she wouldn't be understood in Ecuador. "All medical personnel in Belize speak English," Quiroz-Yuque said. "All police and firemen speak English, and English is the main language here. "

Boris Mannsfeld, a former resident of Colorado, said that foreigners could even understand the Belize dialect. "The locals, especially in Placencia, can switch in the middle of a sentence from Creole to English and the average American would probably understand around 80% of the Creole," he said. "In Creole, they would say 'dat' instead of 'that.' They cut some vowels and consonants in the end, but you can understand the basic conversation."

The most popular areas in Belize for expats are the island of Ambergris Caye, Placencia, inland in the Cayo District and Corozal.

Coronado, Panama

Located approximately 60 miles from Panama City on the Pacific Ocean, Coronado has become a popular expat destination among Americans and Canadians. English is common at happy hours and social gatherings in the area.

Corrin Skubin, who used to live in Pennsylvania, said that few people speak Spanish. "They get by just fine," she said. "I have a lot of clients who do not speak a word in Spanish and they can get by, too. They just do charades!"

Kevin Painter, originally from Yorkshire, England, now lives in San Jose. The town is about a half-hour from Coronado in an area with less of an expat concentration. Painter said Coronado is mainly English speaking but "if you go outside Coronado, it's not."

Painter added that "My wife has been here for eight years and she speaks only English. She doesn't have a problem at all, even in those places where they don't speak English, like at the local butcher shop. She just points to items and the butchers have a great time helping her. My wife is very comfortable and everyone has a good time."

This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.
Donald Trump may run a real estate empire and be leading in many G.O.P. presidential polls, but he is not a "superboss" because of his inability to share the spotlight, said Sydney Finkelstein, author of "Superbosses."

"One of the things they have is an ability to make room for other people, no matter how big their ego or personality is," said Finkelstein. "They need to step to the side when they need to, and it is not clear that is exactly Trump's method."

Finkelstein, a professor at the Tuck School of Business, said Trump's rival on the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton, has more of the traits of a superboss because of her ability to create a network.

"You look at all the people that have worked for Bill and Hillary over the years and they've been placed in all kinds of places," said Finkelstein. "There is a gigantic network that they can draw on and create some value for them and for each other over time."

Finkelstein said Trump's success in the business world does not necessarily equate to being super by his definition in the corner office or Oval Office.

"What makes you a superboss is not just success, but your ability to have a legacy and continue that on by developing a bunch of other people," said Finkelstein. "That's the part that's a little unclear for Trump."

A clearer example of a Superboss in Finkelstein's view is Ralph Lauren, founder of the company that bears his name. And while fashionable clothes don't necessarily make the boss super, Finkelstein said Lauren's ability to motivate his employees does.

"He had this ability to energize people and people love innovators and he, of course, is a great innovator," said Finkelstein.

Finkelstein also placed Oracle (ORCL) founder Larry Ellison among the ranks of Superbosses because of his creative and smart hiring practices.

"He loved hiring super-smart people," said Finkelstein. "There is an old story that he would ask people in interviews 'are you the smartest person you know?' and if the answer was 'yes' he would continue the conversation. If the answer was 'no' he would tell the applicant to 'get out' so he could go hire that smarter person."
A child navigates rubble and barbed wire in Aleppo, Syria, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. The fighting around Syria's largest city of Aleppo has brought government forces closer to the Turkish border than at any point in recent years, routing rebels from key areas and creating a humanitarian disaster as tens of thousands of people flee. (Alexander Kots/Komsomolskaya Pravda via AP)
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Lycamobile, the telecoms firm that is a major donor to the Conservative Party, has narrowly missed being struck off the register of UK firms after failing to file accounts on time.

The UK arm of the company, which sells phone airtime and is owned by Sri Lankan group chairman and founder Subaskaran Allirajah, is more than two months late filing its accounts and last week was issued with a notice for compulsory strike-off.

However, the strike-off action was discontinued the next day. The company told The Mail on Sunday that it didnt know why the action had been suspended and that it would not be making any comment on the situation.

Timings: Lycamobile, the telecoms firm that is a major donor to the Conservative Party, has narrowly missed being struck off the register of UK firms after failing to file accounts on time

This is not the first time that Lycamobile has fallen foul of Companies House regulations. Similar notices for compulsory strike-off were issued last year and in 2012.
Sir Terry Leahy, the former chief executive of Tesco, has warned against blaming too much on Europe and said most business red tape was created in Britain.

Leahy told The Mail on Sunday: There is a slight danger that you can blame too much on Europe. Most of the regulation, most of the bureaucracy, lies within Britain. Were not going to become the Singapore of Europe overnight just because we leave the EU.

Leahy said he favoured the UK staying in the EU if the Prime Ministers negotiations over its membership were substantive and made a real difference.

Voting in: Sir Terry Leahy, the former chief executive of Tesco, has warned against blaming too much on Europe and said most business red tape was created in Britain

Weve spent nearly 40 years as part of Europe and I fear we would waste huge political and economic and social capital negotiating the new relations.

'If we just invested in making Britain more outward-looking that would be a better investment  confidently engaging and competing with the rest of the world.

David Cameron is preparing for this weeks crunch meeting with EU leaders in Brussels amid mounting criticism that his talks have failed.
There is a buzzword in finance that has taken off in the past year  unicorn. It is used in investment circles to indicate a company that is thought to be worth 1billion or more, but which is still privately owned, never having come to a public market.

Among the obvious examples are minicab service Uber, photo-sharing website Pinterest and video messaging app Snapchat.

Such companies may or may not have a long-term future, but what is notable about the unicorn phenomenon is that the companies have remained privately owned and that ordinary investors who might buy into young, innovative firms like these in the hope of high returns have been shut out.

Looking ahead: Fastforward Innovations aims to create a way for small investors to take a punt on the possible technology successes of tomorrow by buying stakes in small innovative companies at a very early stage

The big returns have been made by Silicon Valley venture capital funds, super-rich individuals and sovereign wealth funds.

The idea of Fastforward Innovations is to challenge this and create a way for small investors to take a punt on the possible technology successes of tomorrow by buying stakes in small innovative companies at a very early stage in anticipation of future flotations or takeovers by larger groups.

Having started with talk of billion-pound companies, it should be said immediately that Fastforward is a very small operation and we are a long way from Silicon Valley unicorns. This AIM-listed investment trust has a market value of just 15.1 million.

But its rationale is that it offers a way for ordinary investors to invest  some might say speculate  on the Ubers or Pinterests of tomorrow.

Fastforward was previously known as Kuala, but it has been renamed following the arrival of veteran investor Jim Mellon as chairman and a change in investment strategy.

Last month, Lorne Abony joined the board as chief executive and took a 21 per cent stake in the business. Abony has already made one personal fortune as the co-founder of online games company FUN Technologies, which was bought out by US group Liberty Media.

Private: Some of the best-known 'unicorn' firms include Snapchat, Uber and Pinterest

Abonys personal wealth is estimated at 200million, but in the grand scheme of things he still considers himself excluded from the big Silicon Valley deals, which he regards as sewn up by a handful of big West Coast private equity groups.

Other investors include Norbert Teufelberger, co-founder of online bookmaker bwin, which sold for 1.1billion recently. He owns almost 5 per cent of Fastforward. Without question, these are serious investors with track records.

So what is Fastforward putting its shareholders money into? So far, there are five companies into which Fastforward has put money  all stakes of less than 10 per cent. Most are in information technology.

Satoshi Pay, in which Fastforward holds 10 per cent, is a UK-based company developing payment services to enable consumers to buy extremely small-value items  valued in a fraction of a penny  on the internet in a simple way. These items include individual newspaper or magazine articles, or paying per minute of viewing or listening to video or audio content such as a song once only.

A trial launch of its product is now under way and a full launch is due within the next few months. Another investment is in Vemo, an education technology business in which Fastforward holds just over 8 per cent.

Its service is designed for the American college education system to help students work out the best ways to finance and repay their student debts, and there are expansion possibilities into new markets.

Fastforward has also invested in biotechnology. It is a near 5 per cent shareholder in The Diabetic Boot Company, which has a product to help heal foot ulcers and improve impaired circulation, which is a common symptom of diabetes and can lead to foot ulceration.

Fastforward sounds exciting, but there are some very significant unknowns. First, the Guernsey-based company has no meaningful profit to report. The nature of its business as an investment company is that returns will depend on the saleable value of the interests it has bought. The groups last financial report valued its net assets at a little over 1million.

Last month it raised 8million in further investment, largely from those wealthy backers.

The shares closed on Friday at 15.62p, meaning the whole business has a market capitalisation of 15.1million.

Midas verdict: This is an investment for the very brave. Any meaningful value in the shares depends on the value of the underlying investments. Some of these firms may fail. Some may be great successes.

Buying shares in this business places one almost entirely in the hands of the investment judgment of the management and investors would be wise to examine the nature of individual businesses being backed by Fastforward for their own satisfaction.
Defence giant BAE Systems will this week name oil industry veteran Charles Woodburn as its chief operating officer, lining him up as the favourite to take over as chief executive.

Woodburn, whose appointment will be announced alongside the groups annual results, will join from oil services group Expro where he is chief executive.

The position will make him clear favourite to take over as chief executive of BAE when its current boss Ian King steps down.

Firing line: Saudi usage of Typhoon fighters in the civil war in Yemen has proved controversial

King is not expected to leave for at least a year, and Woodburn, 44, will shadow King for a prolonged period before the group makes a final decision on succession.

The process would match the appointment of King, who was made BAEs chief operating officer in 2007 and worked closely with his predecessor as chief executive before taking on the role himself in 2008.

BAE is set to unveil a slight fall in underlying profits to from 1.49billion to 1.45billion in the year to the end of December on turnover up to 17.6billion from 16.6billion previously.

It is likely to see its dividend increase from 37.9p to 38.1p per share, bucking the trend for some major firms which have slashed their dividends.

The group is also likely to say it is confident that its long-awaited order from Saudi Arabia for 48 Typhoon fighter aircraft remains on course.

Fall: BAE is set to unveil a slight fall in underlying profits to from 1.49billion to 1.45billion in the year to the end of December on turnover up to 17.6billion from 16.6billion previously

The deal for the additional Typhoons follows the original order for 72 of the aircraft from Saudi Arabia to the Eurofighter consortium of which BAE is a part in 2007.

It had been expected by the end of last year and BAE had to slow down its production line, axing nearly 400 jobs, when it failed to materialise.

Saudi Arabia is using the aircraft in its war in Yemen where it has been accused of killing civilians. Last year the British Government cancelled a 6million contract to provide a training programme for Saudi prisons after allegations of human rights abuses.
UPDATE: Since The Mail on Sunday last wrote about the HSBC cull - less than two months ago - the tally of branches already closed this year has risen from 28 to 54. Meanwhile even more closures have been announced, which means a further 56 are set to go before the summer.

The bank's network of branches is already the smallest among its biggest competitors, although all of the big four are withdrawing from Britain's high streets at an alarming rate.

Here we publish an update list of the branch closures so far this year and those still to come.

The Mail on Sunday has been campaigning tirelessly against the closures of Britain's bank branches, which are leaving many communities without a branch altogether and millions of households and businesses without access to banking services in their community.

If you have been affected or have views to share, we'd love to hear from you. Email jeff.prestridge@mailonsunday.co.uk

54 BRANCHES ALREADY SHUT THIS YEAR... 1. Amesbury, Wiltshire 2. Attleborough, Norfolk 3. Bewdley, Worcestershire 4. Brunel University, London 5. Builth Wells, Powys 6. Bulwell, Nottingham 7. Buxton, Derbyshire 8. East Sheen, London 9. East Dulwich, London 10. Epping, Essex 11. Faversham, Kent 12. Gidea Park, London 13. Grays, Essex 14. Harlescott, Shewsbury 15. Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire 16. Howden, East Yorkshire 17. Kineton, Warwickshire 18. Kingsthorpe, Northampton 19. Kirby Stephen, Cumbria 20. Knowle, West Midlands 21. Leeds University, Leeds 22. Leek, Staffordshire 23. Llanfair, Caereinion, Powys 24. Llanfyllin, Powys 25. Market Drayton, Shropshire 26. Mill Hill, London 27. Mitcham, London 28. Morden, London 29. Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire 30. Okehampton, Devon 31. Pennfields, Wolverhampton 32. Rhayader, Powys 33. Sheerness, Kent 34. Shenfield, Essex 35. Sherborne, Dorset 36. Southam, Warwickshire 37. Southfields, London 38. South Molton, Devon 39. Stamford Hill, London 40. Stanmore, London 41. Stoke Newington, London 42. Sunningdale, Berkshire 43. Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottingham 44. Waltham Abbey, Essex 45. Welling, Kent 46. Whitchurch, Shropshire 47. Wickford, Essex 48. Wigton, Cumbria 49. Wincanton, Somerset 50. Woolacombe, Devon 51. Worcester Park, London 52. Wroxham, Norfolk 53. Yarm, Stockton-on-Tees 54. Yiewsley, London

...AND ANOTHER 56 TO GO BEFORE SUMMER 1. Accrington, Lancashire 2. Astley Bridge, Bolton 3. Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf 4. Amlwch, Anglesey 5. Betws-y-Coed, Conwy 6. Birches Bridge, Wolverhampton 7. Broadstairs, Kent 8. Buckingham, Buckinghamshire 9. Caldicot, Monmouthshire 10. Chapeltown, Sheffield 11. Chirk, Wrexham 12. Chislehurst, Kent 13. Clapham, London 14. Clerkenwell, London 15. Cliftonville, Kent 16. Cradley Heath, Warley, West Midlands 17. Cranleigh, Surrey 18. Deptford, London 19. Ebbw Vale, Gwent 20. Grove Park, Leicester 21. Harlesden, London 22. Hyde, Greater Manchester 23. Leagrave, Luton 24. Ledbury, Herefordshire 25. Marsh, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire 26. Menal Bridge, Anglesey 27. Middleton, Greater Manchester 28. Moortown, Leeds 29. Nelson, Pendle 30. Neston, Cheshire 31. Paddock Wood, Tonbridge, Kent 32. Penistone, Barnsley 33. Porth, Thondda Cynon Taf 34. Plymstock, Plymouth, Devon 35. Poulton-le-fylde, Lancashire 36. Rawtenstall, Lancashire 37. Risca, Newport, Gwent 38. Ruabon, Wrexham 39. Sandwich, Kent 40. Southall, London 41. Stockton Heath, Warrington 42. Stonehouse, Gloucestershire 43. Studley, Warwickshire 44. St Marychurch, Torquay 45. Tadley, Hampshire 46. Tarporley, Cheshire 47. Temple Fortune, Golders Green, London 48. Thatcham, Newbury, Berkshire 49. Totnes, Devon 50. Treorchy, Thondda Cynon Taf 51. Usk, Gwent 52. Victoria Road, Derby 53. Wanstead, London 54. Wantage, Oxfordshire 55. Western Road, Brighton 56. Willesden Green, London

Published February 14, 2016:

Bosses of high street bank HSBC will sit down today and decide whether to keep the banks headquarters in Londons Docklands or move abroad.

Although a difference of opinion among the banks 20 board members means a final decision on whether to stay put or move to Hong Kong may be delayed until it reports its annual results in eight days time, one fact is irrefutable.

Europes biggest bank is withdrawing from Britains high streets at a rate more rapid than any one of its main competitors  Barclays, Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland including NatWest.

Update: HSBC has announced that it is to keep its HQ in the UK

Decision time: Bosses of high street bank HSBC will sit down today and decide whether to keep the banks headquarters in Londons Docklands or move abroad

Figures obtained by The Mail on Sunday reveal that less than two months into the year, HSBC has already closed 28 branches, taking its overall branch network down to 949, the smallest among the big four.

But more startlingly, it has told customers at 52 other branches that their banks will shut in 12 weeks time.

The closures are nationwide but many of the doomed branches are in rural communities, with a big concentration in the Welsh counties of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Powys and the Isle of Anglesey. Some closures will result in the loss of the last bank in town.

For example, in Rhayader, Powys  often described as the gateway to the stunning Elan Valley  HSBC was the last bank standing following Barclays withdrawal in early 2011. Despite many Barclays customers transferring their accounts across to the bank, HSBC has now served time on the branch.

Closures: Branches HSBC has closed or is planning on closing

Derek French, director of the Campaign for Community Banking Services, describes HSBCs latest push to shrink its branch network as the most intense he has witnessed since Barclays Bank announced on one day in 2000 that it was axing 172 branches.

He says: Bank branches, especially in rural communities and deprived urban areas, are under siege like never before. The banks are determined to drive down costs and to get us all to bank online, irrespective of the heightened threat from fraudsters. HSBC is leading the march.

Last year, HSBC shut a record 109 branches. But with 80 closures already confirmed for this year, it looks likely the 2015 figure will be easily exceeded. In 2013 and 2014, it shut 47 and 95 branches respectively.

In charge: HSBC chief executive Stuart Gulliver

HSBC is not alone in axing branches. Barclays has already announced 26 this year while Lloyds earlier this month confirmed 26 closures across its Lloyds and Bank of Scotland brands. Royal Bank of Scotland has paused for breath although it did shut 234 last year, including 193 NatWest branches.

French says new rules governing how banks conduct branch closures have done nothing to slow their pace. Introduced last May by the Government, the rules now require banks to assess the impact of a closure on a community before going ahead. They then need to engage fully with the communities they are withdrawing from.

This means informing local councillors and local MPs as well as ensuring that all impacted customers are made aware of the nearest alternative branch and the fact that they can use the Post Office to conduct their banking.

French, who believes banks should be working together to support community-style bank branches  an idea repeatedly pooh-poohed by the big banks  says there has only been one instance of this greater engagement leading to a closure being delayed.

FORMER BRANCH MANAGER: 'BIG BANKS ARE IGNORING CUSTOMERS' Former bank manager David Bretherton, pictured with his wife, Detsy Former bank branch manager David Bretherton believes the big banks have lost sight of their core business and customers. David, now 79, worked for Barclays Bank for nearly 40 years before retiring in 1992. He is proud of the fact that he turned the last branch he ran  in the suburbs of Liverpool  into a profitable unit. It was all about the attention we gave to customers, he recalls. Late last year, David, who lives in Liverpool with wife Detsy, wrote to Barclays chairman John McFarlane, expressing concern about the imminent closure of his local Barclays branch on Booker Avenue. It shuts on Friday. He said the bank was the only one in the locality and believed that with a little imagination and marketing it could generate plenty of new business from the local community. His letter was ignored, as was a follow-up letter to new chief executive Jes Staley. Last week, David told The Mail on Sunday: Barclays continues to face fines for wrongdoing but has lost sight of its core business and customers. Its a crying shame.

In a way, this so-called access to banking protocol has given the banks the green light to shut branches, he says. Provided they adhere to it, any amount of local protest will not change their minds. It has legitimised closures on a grand scale.

HSBCs Penistone branch, near Barnsley in South Yorkshire, is among the 52 on the banks doomed list. It will shut on April 29. Although Penistone will still have a local NatWest branch after April, residents are frustrated that HSBC is pulling the plug on what is a thriving market town.

Among those angry over HSBCs decision to desert the town is 43-year-old Claire Throssell. In October 2014, Claire tragically lost her two young sons, Paul and Jack, in a house fire started by their father, Darren Sykes, who also died. Both sons died in their mothers arms.

Among those angry over HSBCs decision to desert the town is 43-year-old Claire Throssell (pictured). In October 2014, Claire tragically lost her two young sons, Paul and Jack, in a house fire started by their father, Darren Sykes, who also died

Since that fateful day, Claire has been trying valiantly to rebuild her life. Part of that healing process has involved the setting up of a charity  Heads Together Barnsley Charitable Trust. Its objective is to provide support to families affected by trauma.

The idea is to keep my dear boys legacy going, says Claire, shedding a tear in the process. We raised money last year on the anniversary of their death by holding a music concert. Both Paul and Jack loved their music. We also have various events planned for this year.

Establishing the charity has not been easy although Claire has been able to draw on support from Reverend David Hopkin at her local church, Saint John the Baptist in Penistone. Late last year, after three months of filling in various forms and declaring  much to her annoyance  that the charity would not be doing any trade with America, Claire finally managed to get a charity bank account opened with HSBC so that any donations could be paid in easily.

But within weeks of doing so, she received a letter saying the Penistone branch was shutting. It was all so deflating, says Claire. Of course, its an irritation but its the wider message the closure sends out that I find difficult to fathom. Its as if HSBC has decided to give up on Penistone when the town is actually doing remarkably well. It has a vibrant high street and a thriving market.

On Friday, HSBC said: We never take the decision to close a branch lightly  and we understand it is unsettling for the local community. Unfortunately, with an increase in online and telephone banking, use of the Penistone branch has fallen significantly.
Hundreds of workers at Royal Bank of Scotland have been told they could lose their jobs in an overhaul of its service to firms.

About 400 staff in its business division have been warned that the state-owned bank is cutting staff at local branches and is also replacing dozens of call centres with just four sites.

RBS is the largest provider of accounts to small and medium-sized firms and it has more than 20 per cent of the market in England and Wales. The figure for Scotland is almost 40 per cent.

RBS jobs: Those at the highest risk of losing their jobs include business specialists in charge of lending money to small firms

Those at the highest risk of losing their jobs include business specialists in charge of lending sums of up to 25,000 to small firms. Business managers at call centres responsible for larger firms are also under threat.

The four call centres will be in Croydon, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

RBS, which is 73 per cent owned by the taxpayer, admitted that some staff had been told their jobs were at risk, but would not confirm the number. It said the changes were aimed at improving its service to business clients.

In a statement, the bank said: We are making changes to provide a simpler, more efficient, more customer-focused service based on the changing way our customers want to interact with us.

Some staff will be offered new positions, making the number of jobs lost less than 400.

Lloyds said earlier this month that it was to shut 29 branches and cut 1,580 jobs.
Britain's biggest residential energy supplier British Gas is set to unveil a sharp increase in profits made from ordinary households despite the wholesale price of energy nosediving and the exceptionally mild weather.

The City expects the company to report that profits rocketed by nearly 30 per cent to 563million  though some analysts reckon the rise could be more than 40 per cent to 620million  for the 12 months to the end of last year.

The wholesale price of gas and electricity plunged over the last year by 34 per cent and 23 per cent respectively, according to leading market analyst ICIS.

Profiting: Wholesale gas prices dropped 34% over last year but British Gas will reduce bills by 5% from March

British Gas  owned by Centrica  came under fire last week after announcing a 5.1 per cent cut in its gas prices and saying the reduction will not take effect until March 1. It will not bring down its electricity bills. The average dual fuel energy bill is 1,264, up 25 per cent since 2010.

Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at price comparison website uSwitch, said: Wholesale energy costs are at a five-year low and while Im pleased British Gas has cut its prices it has been for gas only and it should have done so for electricity, too. We should have seen double digit cuts to both.

The soaring profits will leave Centrica, under new boss Iain Conn, facing accusations of exploiting his companys dominant position in the market. Conn took over at the start of last year on a salary of up to 3.7million, plus pension and other benefits.

British Gas is one of the so-called Big Six energy companies  along with EDF Energy, Eon, npower, SSE and ScottishPower  which dominate the residential energy market.

There is an ongoing investigation into the consumer energy market by the Competition & Markets Authority. The CMA said profits from the Big Six energy companies shot up tenfold from 2007 to 2013.
The highest earners in this country are being hunted down like witches and taxed as if they are the anti-Christ, says TV presenter Anthea Turner.

Turner, 55, who would halve the highest rate of tax if she were Chancellor of the Exchequer for the day, wants to prevent wealthy people in Britain being penalised with colossal tax bills that take away their incentive to earn and spend money in this country.

She would be in favour of replacing the higher rates of income tax with a voluntary scheme that incentivises top earners to spend their spare cash on local community and charity projects. Turner is a strong supporter of charity Action for Children.

Wealthy: The highest earners in this country are being hunted down like witches and taxed as if they are the anti-Christ, says TV presenter Anthea Turner

When she is not gracing our TV screens, she enjoys renovating property as a hobby and on occasion has more than doubled her money.

Turner divorced from second husband Grant Bovey last year and now lives alone in Richmond, South-West London.

What did you learn about money from your parents?

That there was never enough. I grew up in a world before people had credit cards. There were no magic cards  it was all about budgeting.

Money: Turner, 55, who would halve the highest rate of tax if she were Chancellor of the Exchequer for the day

What was the first paid work you ever did?

When I was 16 I got a school holiday job at Mintons pottery factory in Staffordshire, packing plates. For a months work, I was paid 44. Everything I now know about the birds and the bees, I learnt there.

I took the job because it enabled me to buy clothes. I have always liked clothes  throughout my life, my saving grace has been my own vanity.

Have you ever struggled to make ends meet?

Yes, in the mid-1980s. I had started working in television but it did not pay that much. I was 27, renting this little one-bed flat in Shepherds Bush, West London, with a bathroom so small only someone of my size could actually get in it. It was a trial.

Have you ever been paid silly money for a job?

Often, there is a job  say, for a voiceover or an appearance  and you think: Blimey! From the outside it would seem like you are being paid a lot for a short amount of your time. It would be inappropriate to share how much they pay, but in the industry we call it doing a bank raid. Unfortunately, those jobs do not happen every week.

What was the best year of your life in terms of the money you made?

The late 1990s were good to me. I was doing the Lottery, GMTV and I had a good contract with ITV. But I was working so hard, I never had time to celebrate. I never thought I was lucky.

What is the most expensive thing you have ever bought yourself?

My horse, Caramello, sadly no longer with us. I bought him in Spain in 1998 for 12,000 and used to ride him three times a week. He was an Andalusian stallion. He brought me a lot of joy over the years. He was my indulgence.

Property: Anthea Turner's former home in Surrey

What has been your best money decision?

Buying property. I have made six big home moves in my life and I have never lost money on one I have lived in.

One wise decision I made was buying a plot of land with planning permission in Richmond, and building my own five-bedroom home on it.

I sold three years after I completed the building and more than doubled my money. I like Richmond and always have my eyes open for other properties in the area.

What is the greatest financial challenge you have faced?

Divorce. It is the biggest drain, outside of school fees, and nobody wins. People think it is always in the womans favour, but it is not necessarily. I have worked and earned all my life and have found that divorce is an expensive process. Whichever way you look at it, you are going to halve your wealth. If you can avoid it, do. It is an awful process.

Do you save into a pension?

Yes. I am now at the age where I can withdraw a 25 per cent tax-free lump sum. I do not put in a set amount because my earnings are a moveable feast. I put in what I am not going to miss. A lot of people live in a property that will one day be part of their pension, and that is true for me too. I have an investment I can sell with ease.

Do you invest in the stock market?

No. Unless you completely understand the investment world, do not mess around with it. It is not something I would go anywhere near.

Do you own any property?

Yes. I have a buy-to-let portfolio and a three-bedroom apartment in Richmond  my home  that I absolutely adore. I gutted it and changed the layout.

What is the one little luxury you like to treat yourself to?

Once a fortnight, a manicure and a pedicure. I spend 38.

'Indulgence': Anthea and her former horse Caramello

If you were Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is the first thing you would do?

I would lower the rate of income tax for higher earners, knowing that it is going to encourage them to spend more in this country. Of course, we all have to be taxed, but once you start to earn more than 150,000, and start paying 45 per cent tax, you are penalised. It is like a witch hunt.

People who earn reasonable amounts are being turned into the anti-Christ. I think 45 per cent tax is a colossal amount to take off somebody, and it is taking away the incentive to earn.

Instead, I think we should halve the rate, and everyone should pay the same percentage. Why do we consider that just because people have more money, they do not deserve it? It is totally wrong. They deserve everything they have earned.

I do not think we should tax people to a point where they are looking for tax loopholes and getting their money out of the country.

Instead, we should be encouraging people to earn a lot of money. I do not know one wealthy person who does not spend money  and most of them employ other people.

I know a few people who have taken everything off to Monaco. I always say: What a shame. Stay and spend your money here. It all filters down.

Do you think it is important to give to charity?

Yes. I support Action for Children and fundraise for them. There are 80,000 vulnerable children in this country at any time aged 16 to 23 who are too old to be fostered and too young to live on their own.

The Government is not helping these kids and if we do not look after them, they are going to be our problem later on down the line.

Maybe, instead of paying so much in tax, the very rich could be incentivised to help their local community and young people who do not have a home.

Those who earn money know best how to spend it.

What is your number one financial priority?
Entrepreneur: Julie Deane

Banks should offer flexible mortgages and other specialist products tailored to suit Britains self-employed workers and the Government should carry out a review of the way they are taxed, according to a Government-sponsored report being released today.

A study by entrepreneur Julie Deane, founder of the Cambridge Satchel Company, concludes that 15 per cent of the workforce  4.6 million people  are now self-employed, but financial services are still geared up to deal with traditional employees.

And she reports taxation is creating a burden of red tape that is holding back the self-employed.

Admitting the issue of taxation was outside the remit of her review Deane said action was needed to simplify the system. Taxation was repeatedly raised by all of those interviewed, she said. Given the scale of concern I recommend that Government looks at this in more detail.

Her report goes on to call for the maternity allowance paid to the self-employed to be extended to match statutory maternity pay and the introduction of an allowance to help the self-employed adopt children on the same terms as the employed.

Dr Adam Marshall, Executive Director of Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, welcomed the report. Julie Deane is right: its time to sweep away the barriers that stop people from working for themselves.

The challenge of getting a mortgage was identified by the report as a particular problem in the last five years, mainly as a result of rules brought in after the financial crisis, which banned self-certified mortgages in which people did not have to provide payslips to prove their income.

The requirement for proof of income was a particular obstacle, Deane told The Mail on Sunday. Thats causing problems because banks are still offering the same sorts of mortgages. Theyre asking for the same kind of financial history and theyre looking at things as if they havent changed.

REd tape: Admitting the issue of taxation was outside the remit of her review Deane said action was needed to simplify the system

However self-certified mortgages are once again becoming available in the UK from companies operating offshore.
Pippa Middleton has become an ambassador for Dassi Bikes, the only high quality cycle maker to use all-British components.

This weekend, Dassi launches the first totally made in Britain high performance cycle at the Bike Show, which takes place at the ExCel centre in East London.

Middleton, the sister of the Duchess of Cambridge, chose Dassi for a 3,000-mile race across America in July 2014.

Ambassador: Pippa Middleton has become an ambassador for Dassi Bikes, the only high quality cycle maker to use all-British components

Dassis founder, Stuart Abbott, 48, said: We are talking to her about standing up for British manufacturing and riding more events. The relationship with Middleton comes after a rapid rise for the firm, based near Hook, Hampshire, which custom-builds its bikes costing about 5,000 each.
Bristol has been named the best city in the UK to launch a company in a study by University College Londons School of Management.

Thriving: Bristol has been named the best city in the UK to launch a company in a study by University College Londons School of Management

The review analysed the availability, quality and cost of amenities on offer to entrepreneurs, including broadband speeds, the cost of office space and the number and value of Start-Up loans accessed by new businesses. Greater London came second, followed by Birmingham, Brighton & Hove, Nottingham, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Belfast, Cardiff and Leeds.
The Governments digital marketplace, which helps the public sector buy IT services from a wider range of suppliers, has reached 1billion in contracts, and the Cabinet Office boasts the majority have gone to small firms.

Launched in November 2014, the marketplace was designed as a single website to replace a range of others, which it was claimed were confusing for buyers and suppliers.

More than half  521million  of sales have now gone to small businesses, which make up nearly 90 per cent of the websites 2,700 suppliers.

Scheme: The Governments digital marketplace, which helps the public sector buy IT services from a wider range of suppliers, has reached 1billion in contracts, and the Cabinet Office boasts the majority have gone to small firms

In 2014, chief executive of cloud computing provider Outsourcery and former star of BBC2s Dragons Den, Piers Linney, advised the Government on how small IT firms could be helped to win contracts.
Shares in European banks slumped to multi-year lows last week amid increasing concerns over their profitability.

But Hampshire Trust Bank, a small bank formed in 1977 and relaunched in 2014 as a specialist challenger focused on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, has reported significant growth in its first full year of trading.

In the year to the end of December 2015 it made its first profit since a management buyout in May 2014, with assets increasing by more than 400 per cent to 243million from 57million at the end of 2014.

Successful: Chief executive Mark Sismey-Durrant, said: We do not have the legacy issues experienced by older banks. To be in such a strong financial position at this stage of our development is a great start to 2016'

Deposits increased by more than 800 per cent to 189million, against 23million at the end of 2014, and customers soared from 1,200 to 7,500.

The bank said it is increasingly working with small and medium-sized housebuilders and is funding more than 600 new homes. It recently said it would launch into commercial mortgages and professional landlord sectors later this year.
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.
Petersburgh

A toxic chemical that polluted public water supplies in Hoosick Falls was previously found at another manufacturing plant on Route 22 in the town of Petersburgh that recently became the focus of a new investigation by the state.

A person familiar with the case said the company, Taconic Plastics, approached state officials recently and asked to undertake groundwater sampling in and around its manufacturing site, located in a valley along the Little Hoosic River. The company expressed its interest in testing the groundwater for traces of a man-made chemical, perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA, that has been used since the 1940s to make industrial and household products such as nonstick coatings and heat-resistant wiring.

The plant is located in a rural area that has a smattering of residences nearby with private wells.

The person briefed on the talks said the company and two state agencies, the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Health Department, are discussing a remediation program through New York's Brownfields program, which would allow for public hearings on any cleanup and abatement plans.

"The company's legal representatives contacted DEC and Department of Health officials and informed us that their plant has previously been the site of PFOA contamination," said Emily DeSantis, a DEC spokeswoman. "Officials from both agencies have been on site this week and are aggressively investigating the situation. We are taking every step possible to protect the public health."

Taconic Plastics contacted the state after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently lowered its health advisory for PFOA in groundwater from 400 parts per trillion to 100 ppt. Taconic Plastics uses chemicals similar to those used by Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics in Hoosick Falls, where in 2014 groundwater sampling found levels of up to 18,000 ppt under the factory. The Saint-Gobain plant is a few hundred yards from the village water treatment plant; officials are investigating whether it contributed to elevated levels of the toxic chemical that were found in the public water supply.

A spokesman for Taconic Plastics could not be reached for comment Friday.

The state's focus on other sites potentially contaminated with PFOA comes as the mayor of Hoosick Falls said the village was correcting a timeline it created to document its controversial handling of the village's water contamination problem. Mayor David B. Borge acknowledged Friday he lacked documentation for his contact in December 2014 with state and federal lawmakers.

"It is critical to me that the community receive the most accurate information possible," Borge said in an email. "I now realize, upon reflection, that the timeline entry for December 2014 should be modified because I do not have documentation of the specific calls and outreach I made at that time."

The Times Union reported Thursday that several state and federal lawmakers disputed the village's timeline stating they were "updated" on the water pollution problem that month. State Sen. Kathy Marchione, U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles E. Schumer, and Congressman Chris Gibson said they were first notified about the village's water-supply contamination last March.

The mayor attributed the error to a discrepancy in a memo he drafted and made available to the newspaper about his outreach efforts to multiple public officials and agencies as he sought guidance on the situation.

Borge was first alerted to the water contamination in July 2014 by a resident, Michael Hickey, whose father had died of kidney cancer. Hickey researched PFOA and conducted his own water tests, which he presented to Borge. Elevated levels of PFOA were later found in the village water system and also a series of private wells in and the around the village.

The state DEC on Wednesday sent a letter to Saint-Gobain and Honeywell International, whose predecessor company used to own one of the manufacturing plants suspected of causing the pollution, stating those corporations are potentially responsible for the contamination and asking them to sign consent orders agreeing to clean up any sites where PFOA is found.

"From the time I first learned about the potential presence of PFOA in our water supply in August 2014, I was reaching out to numerous state and federal offices to learn about the contaminant and obtain guidance," Borge said. "Most of this outreach was done by phone. At the time, I did not keep records of each conversation I had; I didn't understand it would be important to do so."

The village's timeline also said Borge contacted Gov. Andrew Cuomo last fall but was told the governor was "unavailable for a meeting" on the issue. That portion of the village's online timeline remained intact Friday. Cuomo's office confirmed the outreach but said it offered in October to set up a meeting between the village and state authorities who could assist with the problem.

blyons@timesunion.com  518-454-5547  @brendan_lyonstu
"Nick Haines, Mara Rose Williams, Steve Kraske, Dave Helling and Steve Vockrodt discuss the Kansas Supreme Court ruling that block grant funding is unconstitutional, lingering problems for Mizzou, the new plan for East Side blight, the ban on Missouri traffic ticket quotas, the reallocation of Kansas pension funds, KCMO school closings and abortion putting MO tobacco tax hike in political jeopardy."

This week a collection of Dead Tree Media newsies gathers to discuss stories that have already been talked to death on social media.Still, it's a somewhat informative conversation revealing insights into the printed record of this town read diligently by retirees and other malcontents.More in a bit . . .
Kansas City Insider: "Of course, if Carrier closing a plant that employed 1400 near Indys new terminal has nothing to do with the terminal, then opening a plant (were that to ever happen) near a new terminal likewise would have nothing to do with it. So why is it that when a business closes along the streetcar route, it has nothing to do with the streetcar but when one opens it has everything to do with it?"

Anand tragic bit of outsourcing inspires our TKC blog community to make a troubling connection.First, a bit of background . . .Now, here's how this applies to Kansas City's economic development crusade at the airport, on the streetcar line and beyond . . .This logical perspective from one of the best and brightest of our blog community reveals a fundamental flaw with all of the hype from the Administration of Sly James.Time and time again Mayor Sly & Co. are willing to take credit for everything great that happens in Kansas City from the World Series win to a sunny day . . .these same civic boosters are nowhere to be found when something bad happens orfor every challenge that confronts Kansas City.Developing . . .
A really condescending note from apartment managers and a description of the attack from Fox4:Checkit: Independence police continue investigating gang rape case
Banque Centrale Populaire (BCP), one of Morocco's three biggest banks is preparing to invest 400 million dirhams ($41 million) in an Islamic subsidiary, a director of the bank said.



Islamic banks and insurers are being established in Morocco after the government and parliament adopted legislation allowing Islamic financing in its domestic market.



Morocco's central bank has also set up a central sharia board with the country's body of Islamic scholars to oversee the nascent industry. Sharia boards vet Islamic finance products to check they are sharia compliant.



Islamic banks are called participative banks under the Moroccan legislation.



"Once we get the authorisation, we will launch an Islamic subsidiary as soon as possible in 2016 with Guidance Financial Group," Laidi El Wardi, BCP's retail banking director told Reuters on Thursday via email.



BCP's subsidiary will be called Banque Participative du Maroc, in which the bank will control an 80 percent stake, with Guidance Financial Group owning the remainder.



The partners are planning to invest 400 million dirhams to begin with in the Islamic offshoot, BCP said.



Guidance Financial Group, a subsidiary of Geneva-based Capital Guidance, was created in 2000 to invest in the growing Islamic financial industry.



"Legally, the subsidiary exists already and we have asked the central bank for the authorization," El Wardi said.



BCP's director said it will take time to build a strong Islamic finance industry in Morocco as operators will have to offer Moroccan customers adequate products.



El Wardi said surveys had shown there was strong demand for Islamic products among Moroccans, and expectations were high.



Qatar International Islamic Bank (QIIB) said in December it had signed an agreement with Moroccan lender Credit Immobilier et Hotelier S.A. (CIH Bank) to set up an Islamic bank in Morocco. Morocco's Attijariwafa Bank has also been developing its own participative subsidiary called Dar Assafaa.



Mohamed Benchaaboun, BCP's CEO told Reuters in 2014 that BCP may raise up to $500 million in short-term debt on the international markets. Moroccan companies are turning to international debt due to a shortage of domestic liquidity.



"We still planning to do it, it was postponed because of the current context, slowing credit growth and recent liquidity relaxation," El Wardi said.-Reuters
Saudi Arabia is sending aircraft to Nato-member Turkey's Incirlik air base for the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was reported as saying on Saturday.



Saudi Arabia has resumed its participation in air strikes against Islamic State in recent weeks and US Defence Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday welcomed its commitment to expand its role.



"Saudi Arabia is now sending planes to Turkey, to Incirlik. They came and carried out inspections at the base," Cavusoglu told the Yeni Safak newspaper, adding it was unclear how many planes would come and that the Saudis might also send soldiers.



Saudi officials could not immediately be reached for comment on Cavusoglu's remarks.



US President Barack Obama has ruled out sending US ground troops to Syria. But Saudi Arabia this month offered ground forces to fight Islamic State and Cavusoglu said Turkey and the Saudis would support a coalition ground operation.



"We said that if there is such a strategy, Turkey and Saudi Arabia can join a ground operation," he told the Yeni Safak paper on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich.



Major powers agreed in Munich on Friday to a pause in combat in Syria, but Russia pressed on with bombing in support of its ally President Bashar al-Assad, who promised to fight on until he regained full control of the country.



Four months of Russian air strikes in Syria have helped Assad wrest back territory from rebels fighting government forces, alarming Gulf Arab states who back the insurgents.



Asked if Saudi troops could enter Syria from Turkey, Cavusoglu said: "This is a wish, not a planned thing. Saudi Arabia is sending planes and says, 'I can send soldiers for a ground operation when it is necessary'".-Reuters
Thousands of Iraqi refugees who arrived in Finland last year have decided to cancel their asylum applications and to return home voluntarily, citing family issues and disappointment with life in the frosty Nordic country.



Europe is in the grip of its worst migrant crisis since World War Two, with more than a million people arriving last year, fleeing wars and poverty in the Middle East and beyond.



Germany and Finland's neighbour Sweden have taken in many of the migrants but Finland too saw the number of asylum seekers increase nearly tenfold in 2015 to 32,500 from 3,600 in 2014.



Almost two thirds of the asylum seekers last year were young Iraqi men, but some are now having second thoughts, so Finland will begin chartering flights to Baghdad from next week to take them home.



Officials said about 4,100 asylum seekers had so far cancelled their applications and that number was likely to reach 5,000 in the coming months.



"My baby boy is sick, I need to get back home," said Alsaedi Hussein, buying a flight back to Baghdad at a small travel agency in Helsinki.



Somalia-born Muhiadin Hassan who runs the travel agency said he was now selling 15 to 20 flights to Baghdad every day.



"It's been busy here for the past few months," he said.



A majority of the home-bound migrants have told immigration services they want to return to their families, but some expressed disappointment with life in Finland.



"Some say the conditions in Finland and the lengthy asylum process did not meet their expectations, or what they had been told by the people they paid for their travel," said Tobias van Treeck, programme officer at the International Organization for Migration (IOM).



"TOO COLD"



Echoing that comment, travel agent Hassan said: "Some say they don't like the food here, it's too cold or they don't feel welcome in Finland. There are many reasons."



Nearly 80 percent of the migrants returning home are Iraqis. Just 22 of the 877 Syrians - whose country is racked by civil war - and 35 of the 5,214 Afghans who sought asylum in Finland last year have asked to return to their home country.



Along with other Nordic states, Finland has recently tightened its immigration policies, for example requiring working-age asylum seekers to do some unpaid work.



Hostility to migrants has also increased in Finland, a country with little experience of mass immigration and which now has economic problems.



Germany too, which took in 1.1 million people in 2015, has seen small numbers of Iraqi refugees choosing to go home.



Finland had been preparing to reject up to 20,000 asylum seekers from 2015, but the number of voluntary returnees could significantly reduce that figure.



"The number of returnees is increasing steadily ... All asylum seekers are informed about the options for voluntary return and about the available financial assistance," said Paivi Nerg, a senior official in the Finnish interior ministry.



However, most Iraqi returnees pay for their own flight home or seek help from Iraq's embassy in Helsinki, she added.



Last year the Finnish government and the IOM provided financial help to 631 returnees and a similar number is expected this year.



The charter flights will carry up to 100 passengers back to Baghdad from Helsinki every week for as long as demand lasts, officials said.  Reuters
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Washington/New Delhi, February 13

The US has decided to sell eight F-16 combat jets to Pakistan to "support (its) counter-terrorism and counterinsurgency operations", prompting India to summon American ambassador Richard Verma to lodge its strong protest against the move.

Verma was summoned after India reacted strongly to the US decision taken on Friday.

"We are disappointed at the decision of the (Barack) Obama administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan," the external affairs ministry said in a statement in New Delhi.

"We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism. The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself," it added.

The Obama administration on Friday approved the sale of eight F-16 Block-52 aircraft to Pakistan worth $699 million in the face of US lawmakers' opposition to the deal over Islamabad's alleged support for terrorist groups The US State Department has approved the sale, the Pentagon's Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said as it notified US Congress of the possible sale.

"We support the proposed sale of eight F-16s to Pakistan, which we view as the right platform in support of Pakistan's counter-terrorism and counterinsurgency operations," a US government officialcited by DefenseNews said.

"These operations reduce the ability of militants to use Pakistani territory as a safe haven for terrorism and a base of support for the insurgency in Afghanistan, which is in the national interests of both Pakistan and the US, and in the interest of the region more broadly."

The official, DefenseNews said, confirmed that there had been Congressional objections to the sale, but said that contrary to recent "erroneous reports", "concerns were raised in regard to financing the sale, not the transfer itself."

According to the DSCA's statement, the proposed sale will "facilitate operations in all-weather, non-daylight environments, provide a self-defence/area suppression capability, and enhance Pakistan's ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations."

According to the DSCA, Pakistan is not expected to have difficulty absorbing these additional aircraft into its air force. The sale is also meant to increase the number of aircraft available to the Pakistan Air Force to sustain operations, meet monthly training requirements and support transition training for pilots new to the Block-52.

The pending sale to Pakistan includes: eight F-16 Block-52 aircraft - two C and six D and models with the F100-PW-229 increased performance engine; 14 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems; eight AN/APG-68(V)9 radars; and eight ALQ-211(V)9 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suit.

The approval of the sale came days after Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker wrote a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry objecting to subsidised sale of up to eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

Citing Islamabad's relationship with the Haqqani network, an extremist group that has a history of destabilising Afghanistan, Corker in a February 9 letter to Kerry notified the Obama administration of his intention to block the F-16 deal.

"After years of pressuring the Pakistanis on this point, the Haqqani terrorists still enjoy freedom of movement, and possibly even support from the Pakistani government," he wrote.

"This is highly problematic given the Haqqanis' clear involvement in killing the very Afghan army and police we have worked for years to train," Corker added.

IANS
New York: After the launch of Google Photos service, Internet search giant Google is shutting down its photo editing software Picasa, the company announced on Saturday. Picasa is a software that enables users to easily manage photos on personal computers, transform them with effects and upload and share them online. The company has said that the photos and videos, which are in the user's Picasa Web Album could be accessed, modified and shared through Google Photos. The Picasa desktop application will no longer be in service from March 15, 2016.  IANS

Don't observe Valentine's Day: Pak President

Islamabad: Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain has asked his countrymen to avoid observing Valentine's Day on February 14, saying the western tradition was not part of "our culture". Hussain said that a blind following of western traditions will lead to a degradation of "our values", and has led to several problems, including increase in attacks against women in a neighbouring country.  pti

Ranvir Trehan is Kennedy Centre trustee

Washington: US President Barack Obama is set to appoint an Indian-American philanthropist to a key administration post at the prestigious John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts here. Ranvir Trehan, who holds a degree of Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from Birla Institute of Engineering and Science (BITS), Pilani, is set to be nominated as a general trustee at the Kennedy Centre.  ptI

Poor air quality 'kills' 1.4m Indians annually

Washington: More than 1.4 million people die prematurely every year in India due to household and outdoor air pollution, researchers have estimated. Of the 5.5 million people air pollution-related global deaths every year, India and China together account for 55 per cent of these deaths, the research showed. In India, a major contributor to poor air quality is the practice of burning wood, dung and similar sources of biomass for cooking and heating.  IANS

Indian envoy to Tajikistan passes away

New Delhi: India's Ambassador to Tajikistan Biraja Prasad passed away on Saturday morning. "Our deepest condolences to the family of Biraja Prasad, our Ambassador to Tajikistan, who tragically passed away this morning," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted. Biraja Prasad, a 1998 batch Indian Foreign Service officer of Odisha, was the youngest IFS officer to be appointed as Ambassador.  IANS

Modi's faux pas on Twitter

New Delhi: In a faux pas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday wished Afghan President Ashraf Ghani happy birthday on Twitter. Ghani graciously accepted the wishes, but added his birthday was actually on the May 19. Modi tweeted: Happy birthday @ashrafghani. Praying for your long life & exceptional health and a joyful journey ahead. Ghani replied: @narendramodi Greetings from Munich Mr. PM. Although, my Birthday is on 19th May, but I'd still like to thank you for your gracious words.  TNS
Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 12

On a day of intense political bickering between the BJP and the Left over JNU Student Union president Kanhaiya Kumars arrest for sedition, top legal experts said the case itself was legally stupid and foolish and would never stand the scrutiny of law.

Experts based their contention on the interpretation of Section 124-A of IPC (sedition) by the Constitution Bench of Supreme Court in 1962 in the famous Kedarnath versus State of Bihar judgment.

It for the first time explained what constituted an offence of sedition. It said the offence would be made out only if something said against the state is also coupled with a violent act to overthrow it. In the JNU case, it is legally stupid and foolish on the part of Delhi Police to file an FIR for sedition. Even if anti-India slogans were raised, nothing was done later to overthrow the state. For instance, if someone says Nathuram Godse is a saint, he may offend national sentiment but cant be booked for sedition, senior Supreme Court lawyer Colin Gonsalves said. He recalled two specific cases where the apex court had rejected the states charges of sedition  one involved a Sikh who raised Khalistan zindabad slogans and another a Muslim who said arms should be distributed to fight the Indian state.

More recently, the Supreme Court had refused to accept charges of sedition against Binayak Sen, whom Chhattisgarh police had arrested in 2007. The court granted him bail in April 2011 saying no sedition was proved. Even in the case of Hardik Patel, charged with sedition by Surat police for saying kill four, five policemen, the apex court this January allowed the Gujarat government to file a chargesheet but added that it would see if a case of sedition is made out.

PDT Achary, former top law officer of the Lok Sabha, argues that sedition is unconstitutional. Even the original IPC draft of 1861 didnt have this Section. It was an afterthought by the colonial rulers to crush Indian subjects. In a democracy, sedition has no place.

Asked if the Delhi Police action was right, Congress leader and lawyer Abhiskeh Singhvi said, Sedition is a very harsh Section. Mere speech doesnt constitute sedition. Speech should be followed by action. Hope Delhi Police knows what sedition means in the eyes of the law. If anything seditious is thus proved, the law should take its course.
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 12

With Home Minister Rajnath Singh talking tough and Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani denouncing Tuesdays protest march on JNU campus against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru by saying they will never tolerate insult to the nation, the Delhi police today arrested president of the university students union on charges of sedition and criminal conspiracy for holding the event.

The university also debarred eight students from academic activities pending a disciplinary inquiry. The students will be allowed to stay in their hostels to enable them to represent their stand for a fair investigation.

The police also took cognisance of an event at the Press Club of India (PCI) on Wednesday, where pro-azadi slogans in favour of Kashmir were raised. In this connection, former Delhi University lecturer SAR Geelani has been booked. An FIR has been registered

against Geelani and other unnamed persons under Sections 124A (sedition), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the IPC in connection with the event at the Press Club in which anti-India sloganeering took place, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Jatin Narwal.

Following the case, which was registered yesterday under various sections of IPC against unknown persons at Vasant Kunj (North) police station on the complaints of BJP MP Maheish Girri and ABVP, Kanhaiya Kumar (student leader) has been arrested, said a senior police officer. The police first picked up Kumar for questioning and later arrested and produced in a local court, which remanded him to three day police custody. A group of students on Tuesday held an event on the JNU campus and allegedly raised slogans against the hanging of Guru in 2013. The event occurred despite the university administration having cancelled the permission following a complaint by ABVP members.

While directing the police to take strongest possible action against those involved in the event, the Home Minister asserted such activities will not be tolerated. He said: If anyone raises anti-India slogans, tries to raise questions on countrys unity and integrity, they will not be spared. Stringent action will be taken against them. HRD Minister Irani said: Today is the day of worship of Goddess Saraswati let mother India be praised. Nation will never tolerate insult to mother India.

The JNU students union said the students were being witch-hunted.

(With agency inputs)

"The right to dissent and debate is an essential ingredient of our democracy. The Modi government and the ABVP are bullying an institution like the JNU because it wont toe their line" Rahul Gandhi, Cong Vice-President

"What is happening in JNU? Police on the campus, arrests and picking up students from hostels. This last happened during Emergency" Sitaram Yechury, CPM Chief
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 13

Army Capt Shikhar Deep, who went missing after boarding a train from Bihar on February 6, showed up at Kotwali police station, Faizabad, in Uttar Pradesh this morning, the state police said.

The young Army officer said he had been kidnapped.

I have talked to Captain Shikhar Deep over phone. He is in Kotwali police station of Faizabad district and he is fine. The army personnel took him to Dogra cantonment (in Faizabad), Superintendent of Railway Police (SRP) Jitendra Kumar Mishra told PTI.

Mishra said Shikhar Deep called his sister on her mobile in Katihar this morning and informed her that he was at Kotwali police station of Faizabad.

She then informed their father Anant Kumar, a Lt Col-rank officer posted at Ranchi, who in turn told the SRP about his son's sudden appearance at Faizabad.

Mishra said Shikhar Deep told him that he got off Mahananda Express at Patna Junction to drink water and lost consciousness thereafter.

When he regained consciousness, the Captain said he found himself tied to a chair at an unknown place. He managed to free himself, ran a few kilometres and then took Kamakhya Express.

However, the SRP said, the Army officer could not tell him the place where he boarded Kamakhya Express and where he got down from the train.

The Captain said he somehow reached Faizabad and went to Kotwali police station where he introduced himself.

The Army had initiated massive efforts to trace the officer, who was missing since February 7.

A native of Purnia district in Bihar, the officer was posted at the LoC in Rajouri district of Jammu region and was returning from leave to resume his duties.

Captain Shikhar Deep, 25, is the son of a serving Army officer, Lt Col Anant Kumar, currently posted at Ranchi.

The captain was on 30-day leave from January 11 to February 10 and was returning to duty via Mahananda Express from Kathihar in Bihar to Delhi on February 6.

His luggage had been traced by Railway and Army authorities in Delhi and nothing except cash from a wallet was missing from his luggage. An FIR was lodged by the officers relatives with the Railway Police, Katihar, on February 8.  With PTI inputs
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 13

The controversy over the Delhi Polices crackdown on JNU students turned into a wider political battle today with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI secretary D Raja joining the protest on the campus.

The police today detained seven more students even as Home Minister Rajnath Singh told Left and JD (U) leaders that no innocent will be harassed, and that the guilty will not be spared.

WATCH: Black flag shown, slogan "Rahul Gandhi Go Back" being raised in #JNU campushttps://t.co/hgXCuv0slS  ANI (@ANI_news) February 13, 2016

The leaders had gone to meet him to seek the release of JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who was arrested on sedition charges yesterday for allegedly raising anti-India slogans during an event to mark the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Left-leaning students have threatened to go on strike from Monday if he is not freed.

The BJP attacked Rahul, saying he and his friends are speaking in the voice of LeT terrorist Hafiz Sayeed who had tweeted in support of the anti-India event at JNU.

Rahul, while addressing the students, said that most anti-national people were those who were suppressing the voice of students. He was shown black flags by a group of ABVP activists. Congress leader Anand Sharma later in the evening alleged that he was attacked by ABVP activists.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter: Using the police to terrorise everyone is not acceptable. At the same time, he said anti-national activities should not be tolerated. Kejriwal later ordered a magisterial probe into the alleged raising of anti-India slogans.

A group of ex-servicemen also threatened to return their JNU degrees, saying they found it difficult to be associated with an institution that has become a hub of anti-national activities.

Chancellor of the university and former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan visited the campus and took stock of the situation, even as four Deans wrote to VC Jagdesh Kumar to protest against the manner in which police crackdown was allowed by the university.

Kanhaiya's parents in Bihar said their son was being victimised for his opposition to Hindutva politics.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi, February 13

Alumni of The Energy Resources Institutes (TERI) University continued their protest against scientist RK Pachauris appointment as the institutes vice-chancellor on Saturday.

Former students objected to the institutes decision to allow TERIs executive chairman to go on paid leave of absence instead of dismissing him for allegations of sexual harassment. In a statement, some 350 alumni of the institute said they would continue to protest the appointment and would even seek governments intervention if needed.

TERIs governing council announced on Friday that Pachauri would take an indefinite leave of absence until the body reviews its decision later.

Pachauri, a former director general of TERI, has been accused of sexual harassing two female colleagues. Although he had resigned the position soon after a female employee made allegations, he was recently appointed to the position of TERIs executive chairman recently. He was also made TERI Universitys vice-chancellor.

"The TERI University alumni network condemns this decision as we believe that the council needs to understand that requesting the 'removal or suspension from a position of higher power' is not equivalent to sending him on a 'paid leave'. Even on Leave from all positions", Pachauri remains associated with TERI and TERI University, the statement said.
Manish Sirhindi

Tribune News Service

Patiala, February 12

The Portugal Ministry for Justice today ordered the release of former Khalistan protagonist Paramjit Singh Pamma, blocking the Indian Government's efforts to bring him back to India.

Justice Minister of Protugal Frances Van Dunem said: Most of the acts for which extradition is requested occurred in India at a time when refugee status had been granted by the United Kingdom. Amarjit Singh Bhachu, a UK-based lawyer, who has been contesting Pamma's case, said: " Since January 26, we had been in regular touch with the ministry as the Justice Minister was to decide on the extradition request by February 15, the next date of hearing."

Among Pamma's other legal advisers was US-based Gurpatwant Singh Pannu and a Portugese lawyer, Manuel Luis Ferreira, who contested Abu Salem's case. They were helped by Patiala-based human rights lawyer Birjinder Singh Sodhi.

Pamma's lawyers contended that the 'Red Corner Notice' against Pamma issued by the Indian authorities in 2012, leading to his arrest in December last year, was not sustainable as per the amended rules. They argued that Pamma was likely to be prosecuted by the Indian authorities and as per the treaties on the Functioning of the European Union, Dublin Regulations, duly ratified by EU member-countries (including the UK and Portugal) and the UNs 1951 Refugee Convention, this could not be allowed.

They also argued that Portugal's law did not allow extradition to a country that practises torture.
Kulwinder Sandhu

Tribune News Service

Moga, February 12

Senior Congress leader Jagmeet Singh Brar and former MLA Vijay Sathi met Aam Admi Party (AAP) leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia in New Delhi earlier this week and discussed the political scene in Punjab ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections.

Brar had praised the AAP leadership for drawing a massive crowd at the Megha rally in Muktsar on January 14, much to the chagrin of Congress leaders. More recently, he had posted comments against PCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh for his decision to boycott the Khadoor Sahib byelection.

Sathi claimed that the meeting with the AAP leaders was not a formal one. On whether he or Jagmeet were keen on joining AAP, he said: " We are and will remain with the Congress.

A senior AAP leader said that Sukhpal Khaira, former PPCC spokesman, who recently joined AAP, had "manipulated" a meeting between Kejriwal and Jagmeet by inviting them to a party hosted by him.

While introducing Jagmeet and Sathi to Kejriwal, Khaira praised the two for their leadership qualities. Kejriwal reportedly thanked Brar for speaking well of AAP on the social media. Thereafter, he asked Jagmeet to join AAP along with his supporters even as Khaira promised him "due respect" in the party.

Jagmeet and Sathi have been sulking for quite some time giving rise to speculation that they may join AAP ahead of the Assembly elections in early 2017.

Kejriwal visit after Feb 23

Chandigarh: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is likely to visit Punjab after February 23, instead of February 20. In state for a week, he will meet families of farmers who committed suicide due to debt, besides meeting victims of alleged Dalit atrocities.
Mexico City, February 13

Mexico greeted Pope Francis with mariachi music and thousands of Catholic faithful lining the streets after the pontiff held historic talks with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Cuba.

President Enrique Pena Nieto welcomed Francis at the airport while a mariachi band played before he climbed the popemobile to wave at crowds along the capital of the world's second largest Catholic country.

"Francis, brother of the Mexican people!" people chanted as thousands braved the evening cold, holding up telephones to light his way.

But before beginning a five-day trip that will take him across Mexico's violence-torn regions, Francis stopped in Cuba to mend a 1,000-year-old Christian rift with Russian patriarch Kirill.

"At last we meet. We are brothers," said the 79-year-old pope, in white robes and a skullcap, as he met the white-bearded Orthodox leader, 69, in black robes and a white headdress.

"Clearly, this meeting is God's will."

It was the first meeting between the heads of the Eastern and Western churches since the great schism of 1054 when the churches split apart, with the Eastern church rejecting the authority of Rome.

"For nearly one thousand years, Catholics and Orthodox have been deprived of communion in the Eucharist," they said in a joint declaration signed after they hugged and kissed at Havana's airport.

"We are pained by the loss of unity, the outcome of human weakness and of sin," they said.

"Mindful of the permanence of many obstacles, it is our hope that our meeting may contribute to the re-establishment of this unity willed by God," the church leaders said.

Their meeting was driven by rising violence in recent years in the Middle East, where Christian communities have suffered violence at the hands of extremists.

"We call upon the international community to act urgently in order to prevent the further expulsion of Christians from the Middle East," they said.

Between them, they are the spiritual leaders of more than 1.3 billion Christians, but the Orthodox Church's refusal to accept the primacy of the Roman pontiff has been the main barrier to a rapprochement.

The meeting on neutral ground -- hosted by the communist, atheist Cuban leadership of Raul Castro -- was decades in the planning, with the final obstacles swept away by the pope's determination and global politics.  AFP
Munich, February 13

The world has plunged into a "new Cold War", Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said today, as East-West tensions over Syria and Ukraine dominated a gathering of world leaders in Germany.

With tensions high over the lingering Ukraine conflict and Russia's backing of the Syrian regime, Medvedev said: "All that's left is an unfriendly policy of NATO against Russia".

"We can say it even more clearly: We have slid into a new period of Cold War," he said, speaking at the Munich Security Conference.

"Almost every day we are accused of making new horrible threats either against NATO as a whole, against Europe or against the US or other countries."

Medvedev criticised the expansion of NATO and EU influence deep into formerly Soviet-ruled eastern Europe since the end of the Cold War.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry told the Munich Security Conference that Russia must stop targeting moderate rebels in Syria and pull its troops out of Ukraine. "To date, the vast majority of Russia's attacks (in Syria) have been against legitimate opposition groups," Kerry told the audience. To adhere to the agreement it made, Russia's targeting must change," he said, referring to the international deal forged yesterday, in which foreign ministers agreed to seek a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria within a week.

He spoke shortly after Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the world had "slid into a new period of Cold War."

"Every single day, Russian troops, Russian weapons, Russian ammunition penetrate into my country," said Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko.

He addressed Russia's President, who was not present, saying: "Mr (Vladimir) Putin, this is not a civil war in Ukraine, this is your aggression. This is not a civil war in Crimea, this is your soldiers who occupied my country."

Kerry emphasised that sanctions on Russia would remain in place until it implements all aspects of the Ukraine peace agreement reached in Belarus' capital Minsk last year.

"Russia has a simple choice: fully implement Minsk or continue to face economically damaging sanctions," he said.

An emotional Poroshenko also warned that "pro-Russian parties" were undermining Europe from within with an alternative set of values.

"Isolationism, intolerance, disrespect of human rights, religious fanatics, homophobia-this alternative Europe has a leader. His name is Mr Putin."

Medvedev had earlier criticised the expansion of NATO and EU influence deep into formerly Soviet-ruled Eastern Europe, which Russia still sees as its sphere of influence.

But he also struck a more positive note, saying: "Our positions differ, but they do not differ as much as 40 years ago when a wall was standing in Europe."  AFP
ISTANBUL, February 13

Saudi Arabia will send aircraft to NATO-member Turkey's Incirlik air base for the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was reported as saying on Saturday.

Saudi Arabia has resumed its participation in air strikes against Islamic State in recent weeks and US Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday welcomed its commitment to expand its role.

"Saudi Arabia is now sending planes to Turkey, to Incirlik.

They came and carried out inspections at the base," Cavusoglu told the Yeni Safak newspaper, adding it was unclear how many planes would come and that the Saudis might also send soldiers.

Saudi officials could not immediately be reached for comment on Cavusoglu's remarks.

US President Barack Obama has ruled out sending US ground troops to Syria. But Saudi Arabia this month offered ground forces to fight Islamic State and Cavusoglu said Turkey and the Saudis would support a coalition ground operation.

"We said that if there is such a strategy, Turkey and Saudi Arabia can join a ground operation," he told the Yeni Safak paper on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich.

Major powers agreed in Munich on Friday to a pause in combat in Syria, but Russia pressed on with bombing in support of its ally President Bashar al-Assad, who promised to fight on until he regained full control of the country.

Four months of Russian air strikes in Syria have helped Assad wrest back territory from rebels fighting government forces, alarming Gulf Arab states, which back the insurgents.

Asked if Saudi troops could enter Syria from Turkey, Cavusoglu said: "This is a wish, not a planned thing. Saudi Arabia is sending planes and says, 'I can send soldiers for a ground operation when it is necessary'".  Reuters

Saudi Arabia to send planes to Turkey for Islamic State fight -media

ISTANBUL, February 13

Saudi Arabia will send aircraft to NATO-member Turkey's Incirlik air base for the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was reported as saying on Saturday.

Saudi Arabia has resumed its participation in air strikes against Islamic State in recent weeks and US Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday welcomed its commitment to expand its role.

"Saudi Arabia is now sending planes to Turkey, to Incirlik.

They came and carried out inspections at the base," Cavusoglu told the Yeni Safak newspaper, adding it was unclear how many planes would come and that the Saudis might also send soldiers.

Saudi officials could not immediately be reached for comment on Cavusoglu's remarks.

US President Barack Obama has ruled out sending US ground troops to Syria. But Saudi Arabia this month offered ground forces to fight Islamic State and Cavusoglu said Turkey and the Saudis would support a coalition ground operation.

"We said that if there is such a strategy, Turkey and Saudi Arabia can join a ground operation," he told the Yeni Safak paper on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich.

Major powers agreed in Munich on Friday to a pause in combat in Syria, but Russia pressed on with bombing in support of its ally President Bashar al-Assad, who promised to fight on until he regained full control of the country.

Four months of Russian air strikes in Syria have helped Assad wrest back territory from rebels fighting government forces, alarming Gulf Arab states, which back the insurgents.

Asked if Saudi troops could enter Syria from Turkey, Cavusoglu said: "This is a wish, not a planned thing. Saudi Arabia is sending planes and says, 'I can send soldiers for a ground operation when it is necessary'".  Reuters
Taipei: Rescuers have pulled out 115 dead a week since a powerful earthquake struck Taiwan's oldest city of Tainan, leaving only two missing in the rubble of a collapsed 17-story residential complex. All but two of the dead were found at the ruins of the Weiguan Golden Dragon complex, which toppled when the 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck last Saturday. A total of 327 people in the building survived. AP

Islamabad

Afghan ex-Guv abducted in Pak

A former Governor of Afghanistan's Herat province has been kidnapped from a market in an upscale district of Islamabad, Pakistani police said. Sayed Fazlullah Wahidi was going to a restaurant in the market with his grandson on Friday evening when he was abducted by unidentified men. The boy reported the kidnapping to the local police station and said Wahidi was in Islamabad to apply for a British visa. AFP

YANGON

Army chief to get extension

Myanmar's army chief Min Aung Hlaing and his deputy are slated to extend their terms for another five years, a newspaper said, as the military and democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi negotiate the terms of transition. The move means Min Aung Hlaing has consolidated his power base among the military leadership and would allow the army to avoid a top-level reshuffle. Reuters
OKLAHOMA CITY  A legal challenge was filed Friday against a proposed initiative petition to outlaw abortion.

The ACLU of Oklahoma filed the protest in the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

The challenge says the petition would criminalize abortion in all cases, without exception.

It would subject any woman who obtains or attempts to obtain an abortion, as well as any physician who provides an abortion, to criminal prosecution for homicide, the challenge states.

The proposed initiative petition violates more than four decades of U.S. Supreme Court precedent protecting the fundamental constitutional right of abortion, the protest says.

This court has explicitly and repeatedly held that an initiative whose enforcement would violate federal constitutional protections for reproductive liberty is invalid and cannot appear on the ballot, the challenge states.

Norman resident Thomas Russell Hunter filed papers on Jan. 27 indicating he wanted to circulate the petition, which would require 123,725 signatures to be put on the November ballot.

We will show up and defend the measure as constitutional, both the right to petition and the right to amend the state constitution in regard to killing unborn human beings, Hunter said Friday.

Hunter said abortion is not in the U.S. Constitution, although the nations high court may believe it is covered under privacy.

But the problem is that there is no right to do whatever you want with somebody elses body or somebody elses life, Hunter said. That is the issue.

He said the U.S. Supreme Court is wrong on the issue and the states high court should challenge it.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court could rule in favor of the right for the people of Oklahoma to amend their state constitution, Hunter said. Our state does have the right to pass laws in regard to murder.

Proponents of the measure say it would not prohibit contraception that prevents fertilization, but would prohibit contraception that causes the death of an unborn human being.

The measure would not prohibit practices such as in vitro fertilization, but any unborn human beings created as a result of such procures could not be deliberately destroyed, the ballot title states.

The challenge to the petition was filed on behalf of three Oklahoma City-area women and an Enid woman.
SAPULPA  Gov. Mary Fallin came to drive home the importance of Oklahomas A-F school grading system by issuing her first-ever recognition for a school that significantly improved its grade in one year.

Fallin presented the new Spotlight for Academic Achievement award at an all-school assembly at Holmes Park Elementary, whose state grade jumped from a D to a B+.

She even played the air guitar just like Holmes Parks 700 students as they performed their school song for her  Pride of the Huskies set to the tune of the 1980s pop song Eye of the Tiger.

Oklahomas A-F grading system is an important measure for administrators, teachers, parents and other school patrons, Fallin said. It offers a clear frame of reference for how well schools are doing their job of educating our children. These grades allow teachers and administrators a way to compare their schools with others, while providing insight on how they can improve. The grades also let parents know how the schools are performing, while showing other school patrons what is needed to help their schools prosper.

Fallin was joined by State Secretary of Education and Workforce Development Natalie Shirley, State Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa, and State Rep. Mark McCullough, R-Sapulpa, in a roundtable discussion with Holmes Parks principal, and select teachers and students.

Educators spoke of their efforts to improve student attendance, and students spoke of their schools strong sense of teamwork and encouraging morning rise and shine assemblies.

We all care about the kids and about each other, said fifth-grade teacher Tara Fancher. We work hard for our bosses ... theres mutual respect and they treat us like professionals.

Since the introduction of A-F school grades in 2012, Oklahomas calculation methods have been maligned by hundreds of school superintendents and had their statistical validity and credibility questioned by parents and teams of education research scientists at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University.

Questioning the validity and usefulness of the existing school-grading system was also a major theme of Joy Hofmeisters successful 2014 campaign to unseat then-State Superintendent Janet Barresi. Barresi first introduced the idea of replacing Oklahomas old numerical school scoring system with letter grades, and the Legislature quickly took up the issue after her 2010 election.

Sapulpa Superintendent Kevin Burr, who is one of 300-plus superintendents who have aligned in opposition to A-F grades, told Fallin some of his districts other schools actually demonstrated higher percentages of improvement than Holmes Park last year but it didnt show up in their grade.

With or without a report card, they know whats going on with each student, Burr said, looking to the teachers seated alongside Fallin. Their own motivation is enough, and they take great pride in their work.

Now that Congress has replaced the federal No Child Left Behind Act, state lawmakers are expected to have great latitude in altering the school improvement programs and accountability systems they created over the past 15 years  not only to comply with federal requirements, but also in an attempt to implement public education reforms of their own.

Those include Oklahomas student testing and teacher and school leader evaluation programs, as well as the A-F school grading system.

Fallin told news reporters afterward that she intends to recognize other Oklahoma schools as Spotlight for Academic Achievement winners to serve as role models for all schools in how to significantly improve or maintain high marks.

Asked by the Tulsa World about persistent questions about the statistical validity of the states school grading methods, Fallin responded, I think we should always be in the mode of continuous improvement, whether its in our schools or whether its in looking at the performance of our schools. We can certainly make adjustments if we see that things could be better in how we grade our schools.

But the important thing is that we do grade our schools ... This is a start. Theres always room for improvement.
Authorities are investigating a shooting death that occurred late Friday at a Coweta hotel.

Coweta police responded to a fatal shooting just after 9:30 p.m. at Best Western, 13593 Oklahoma 51, Police Chief Michael Bell said.

When police arrived, they found a man who had died from a gunshot wound. A woman staying in the room with him alerted hotel personnel of the death shortly before 9:30 p.m., Bell said.

We know there was a 35-year-old male in the room with a female companion and they had been there for approximately three days, Bell said. There were drugs and alcohol in the room and, according to the female, they had had very little sleep for the past three days. They had been on some type of a binge.

Bell said the weapon was reportedly a recent purchase and the pair had been out shooting the past couple of days.

Coweta police called the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to assist with the case after it wasnt readily apparent whether the death was a homicide or a suicide, Bell said.

We know the male was shot and died from that, but we do not know who did the shooting at this point. We have to let OSBI complete their investigation, Bell said.

There were two people in that room and something took place, but I dont know if it was a suicide, homicide or an accident at this point. It could have been a game they were playing with each other. We dont know.

Authorities gathered evidence from the hotel room and in the victims vehicle for about three hours Friday night.

OSBI will analyze the evidence and compile a report of its findings, which Coweta police will use to determine whether the case was a homicide, Bell said.

Specifically, OSBI agents are working to determine the trajectory of the gunshot wound and whether it was feasibly self-inflicted, Bell said.

Authorities will also interview the mans family to determine his state of mind before the shooting, Bell said.

The woman is not in police custody, Bell said.

Coweta American News Editor Christy Wheeland contributed to this report.
Correction: A box with contact information for area lawmakers with this story originally contained the incorrect party affiliation for state Rep. Jeannie McDaniel, D-Tulsa. It has been corrected.

Senate Finance Chairman Mike Mazzei asked the Tulsa Regional Chamber membership on Friday to help stop a 0.25 percent income tax rate cut that went into effect Jan. 1.

The cut is expected to cost the state more than $140 million during the budget year that begins July 1, and is part of the reason the state is looking at a $1.3 billion general revenue shortfall.

Who in this room, so we can deal with these problems, would actually favor delaying the tax cut? If so, raise your hand, the Tulsa Republican said near the end of the chambers legislative breakfast.

When half or more of those present complied, Mazzei said, I think us legislators need to pay attention to that.

Mazzei, who is in his last legislative session because of term limits, has advocated postponing the tax reduction before. He argues the revenue level required to trigger the cut was never actually achieved, and that with general revenue continuing to decline, the state cannot afford further tax cuts.

That has put him at odds with some of his Republican colleagues, especially in leadership, which may have prompted Fridays public appeal.

Im here today to ask for your help, Mazzei said.

Mazzei also wants to reduce or eliminate a number of business tax credits and incentives and reduce direct apportionments  commonly called off-the-top money. Both are popular in theory but difficult to achieve.

The Capitol is full of people who want to protect the special interest groups, protect their turf and protect their sacred cows, Mazzie said. If you really want us to have financial reform ... we need you to email your Oklahoma state senator .... We need you to email your Oklahoma state representative and give them the support they need to reform our state financial system.

Mazzei said some state agencies have already seen their appropriations cut 30 or 40 percent, and that the states financial management dysfunction ... goes back decades.

Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa, and House Speaker Pro Tem Lee Denney, R-Cushing, said at the event they still hope for a teacher pay increase this session, but House Minority Leader Scott Inman, D-Del City, reiterated his doubts.

When oil was $100 a barrel, nobody was offering up a pay raise then, Inman said.

Inman said Republicans have now come to Jesus because Democrats won special elections in House and Senate districts the GOP has long owned.

The Republicans disagreed.

Everyone at the Capitol ... realizes we need to get the teachers a pay raise, Denney said.

It hasnt been because of a lack of will that teachers havent gotten a pay raise, she said. Its been the lack of a designated funding source. ... Weve had some innovative ideas. Unfortunately, those innovative ideas are shot down almost before they get through the starting gate.

Bingman said lawmakers should look to policy decisions that have little or no fiscal impact but make teachers lives easier.

Yes, we need to address teacher pay, Bingman said. Im not going to sit here today and say, Yeah, were going to give everyone a $10,000 raise, but lets talk about what we can do. We need to do something about starting pay. We need to address that, and we will address it.
The Cherokee Nation gave $4.7 million to schools Friday as officials of the tribe and various school districts spoke out about the states classroom funding crisis.

As the state allocates less and less each year to public education, the Cherokee Nation is making a record-breaking contribution to area schools, Principal Chief Bill John Baker said in a press release from the tribe.

Thats something that every one of our tribal citizens can take great pride in. We are investing in our children, investing in our communities and investing in our future as Cherokees and as Oklahomans.

The tribe dedicates 38 percent of the revenue from its car tag sales to education. School superintendents can use the donations at their discretion.

Claremore Public Schools has had to curb spending for classroom materials this academic year.

We are so short right now that weve put a block on (buying) supplies, Claremore Superintendent Michael McClaren said. This gracious award from the Cherokee Nation will help out our teachers and provide some of the routine resources they have not had this year.

Jenks Public Schools uses the Cherokee car tag funding for student programs.

As state funding continues to decline, the donation from the Cherokee Nation is extremely important, Jenks Superintendent Stacey Butterfield said. The generosity of the Cherokee Nation allows us to provide additional resources to many of our student programs.

Cherokee Nation Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. and his father, state Rep. Chuck Hoskin Sr., spoke at the Public School Appreciation Day event at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa in Catoosa on Friday morning.

They asked those in attendance to vote, encourage others to get registered and vote, and contact their legislators about the state of education in Oklahoma.

The reason Im taking this opportunity to preach to you  is that we are in a crisis, and this crisis can be turned into an opportunity, Hoskin Jr. said.

He said Oklahoma has reached a point where officials cannot cut taxes and also support the needs of public education.

And theyre even talking about school consolidation  those little schools that dot the landscape of rural Cherokee Nation in places like Adair County that are the lifeblood of communities, he said.

We know that youre not going to solve this problem by closing down small schools. What youre going to do is hurt communities.

Classroom donations from tribal vehicle tag sales have increased 370 percent  from $1.26 million  since the program began in 2002. The first full year that Cherokee Nation car tags were sold statewide was 2015.

Since 2002, the tribe has awarded $40.1 million among about 100 school districts in northeastern Oklahoma.

School districts receive $165 per Cherokee Nation student enrolled this year, although the contributions benefit all students and classrooms in those districts, tribal officials say.
OKLAHOMA CITY  Oklahoma City Catholic Archbishop Paul S. Coakley would like the state to pick up part of the tab for parents who want to switch their children from public to private school.

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and I personally support strong public schools; at the same time, we support parental choice in education, he said in a letter Friday to the Legislature and Gov. Mary Fallin.

In the present environment, we dont want our Catholic schools to become preserves for the elite or wealthy, but rather be accessible to all.

Under pending legislation for education savings accounts, or ESAs, a portion of the money the state spends to publicly school a child would follow that child if a parent chose to enroll the child in a private school.
OKLAHOMA CITY  At least 100 employees of the Oklahoma State Department of Health are expected to take a buyout that includes a $5,000 lump-sum payment as the agency looks to avoid potential layoffs amid a budget crunch, agency officials confirmed on Friday.

Already, 101 retirement-eligible workers have accepted the voluntary-buyout offer that was made to 317 of the agencys 2,258 employees, said department spokesman Tony Sellars. Another 144 employees declined the offer, while the rest are undecided, Sellars said. Employees have until Feb. 29 to accept the offer.

The offer includes a payment equal to 18 months of health-insurance premiums, a $5,000 incentive bonus, the employees longevity pay, and the payout of accumulated annual leave.

The agency projects 100 buyouts would cost $2.6 million, with annual recurring savings projected to be $7.2 million.

Many agencies are contemplating staff reductions as oil and gas prices have plummeted, reducing state revenues and leading to deeper budget reductions. The Office of Management and Enterprise Services declared a revenue failure, prompting reductions in allocations of 3 percent to agencies beginning last month. Those cuts are expected to grow deeper next month, although the exact amount has not yet been determined.

More agencies will be considering these options in the coming weeks, especially after the deepened midyear reduction that will occur in March, said OMES spokesman John Estus. It gets hard to shield your biggest cost from cuts the more you are cut over time. Something has to give, eventually.

Two smaller state agencies  the Oklahoma Historical Society and the Oklahoma Real Estate Commission  have offered voluntary buyouts to one employee each, Estus said.

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services and the University of Oklahoma also have announced plans to offer a round of buyouts as they deal with budget cuts.

DHS still hasnt determined the number of employees interested in taking a buyout, but expects it will involve several hundred workers, said agency spokeswoman Sheree Powell.

In the last year, the agency already has eliminated 275 positions as a result of the closure of two state facilities for disabled adults in Enid and Pauls Valley and the Pauline Mayer shelter in Oklahoma City, as well as the elimination of several vacant positions and a voluntary buyout offered last year, Powell said.

As a result of those reductions, Powell said the agency reduced its payroll by about $17 million for the first six months of the current fiscal year. The agencys total state-appropriated budget last year was $679 million.
One of the candidates for Chairman in the People's National Movement's internal election says there is a major detachment between those in office and people at the grass root level. Kenneth Butcher says things need to change from the inside.
It was Doc Brown in Back to the Future who warned Marty McFly to never do anything that would affect the future but Jake Epping (James Franco) appears to have missed that movie.

In 11.22.63 he heads back in time to do just that -by stopping the assassination of John F. Kennedy. If he can pull that off he may avert even more of history, including Nixons presidency and the entire Vietnam War (theres no thought given to what other crises may emerge, but no matter).

The 8 part drama is based on a Stephen King novel of the same name, adapted by Bridget Carpenter, directed by Kevin Macdonald and produced by JJ Abrams, King, Carpenter and Bryan Burk.

The premise is the stuff of The Twilight Zone, a wonderfully hypothetical proposition steeped in American history. What if Lee Harvey Oswald could be stopped from killing the President?

Jake is an unassuming English teacher whose marriage has ended in divorce. But his dull life takes a colourful turn when local diner manager Al (Chris Cooper) ages bizarrely in the time it takes to serve a cup of coffee and pay for the bill, even collapsing insisting he has contracted cancer.

A perplexed Jake soon learns Al has a secret -his diner harbors a mysterious closet which transports anybody who enters it back to the 1960s. Al had spent 2 years in another era while just 2 minutes passed in the present.

Are you saying this is a portal? asks Jake.

Its a rabbit hole, Al tells him.

I need you to go back there and prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

Al has been collating all manner of evidence on Oswald, the CIA, FBI and possibly the KGB in preparation to save the President. Now hes too old and ill, he needs Jake to finish the job.

If Jake cant quite grasp the concept its an equally wild concept for TV viewers, but suspension of disbelief is part of the fun of this series and one you will need to commit to if you have any hope of going along for the ride.

Jake is also going to need some further encouragement from Al to sign up for the task.

I dont know who you think I am. I just dont think Im the right guy for this, he says.

Eventually Jake willingly heads back to 1960 to begin the hard work.Im hoping it wont take 3 seasons to get to the day JFK died. Al has even armed him with a foolproof method of making money, which is again borrowing from Back to the Future.

Texas in the 1960s looks like a neighbour to Pleasantville, with crisply-ironed skirts, shiny convertible cars and perfect main streets. There is a nice moment where Jake drives past the Book Depository, not far from the grassy knoll. But King has also placed ominous nameless characters warning Jake you shouldnt be here together with strange happenings of time pushing back against him changing history, the latter as great jeopardy to him.

But the first episode of 11.22.63 also takes too long to plant Jake permanently in the past and doesnt build to a satisfactory conclusion (nor does the second). Opportunities to bring a serious tone to the politics and mythology of an era take a back seat to the boys own adventure -its more Wayward Pines than Mad Men in this regard- and there are a few credibility questions that sat uncomfortably with me.

James Franco, at times sporting a bit of the James Deans about him, is entertaining enough as Jake but the script doesnt endow his character with enough reason to hang around in the 60s when the going gets tough (let alone show how he gets back). Aside from Chris Coopers sage-like soul giving him advice from the present (Frequency anyone?) most of the other supporting players had fleeting appearances that leave our sole hero very sole.

As imaginative as the premise is, Im hoping 11.22.63 isnt a shot misfired.

11.22.63 premieres Tuesday on Stan.
ABCs three part documentary series Afghanistan: Inside Australia War hears from those who were on the ground, to those in Canberra.

Narrated by Dan Wylie, it begins at September 11 2001 as America and Australia were drawn into war against the Taliban government in Afghanistan.

Never before have Australias fighting women and men talked so candidly to the nation about

war so soon after the shooting stopped. Afghanistan: Inside Australias War draws on the raw

experiences of our longest war  from private soldiers to Prime Ministers. In their own words

and through their own extraordinary helmet-cam battle footage (much of it never seen before)

Australian ground war warriors lay bare their hearts in a searing, profound 3 x 1 hour epic  not

just how they fought, but why and to what end.

The contributors to the series are all members of the Australian Defence Force who served in the

12 year war, the politicians who sent them to fight or Afghans with sharp insights into

Australians contribution to the war.

Their accounts are complemented by Dan Wyllies spare, down-to-earth narration and elegantly

cut archival footage. Afghanistan would become Australias first self-shot war and from the ADF

archives of professionally and personally gathered footage come images that are poignant,

dramatic and fresh. The series takes viewers inside the experiences of Australian soldiers in

action, on patrol and at base.

The series puts Australias war in Afghanistan in the context of a global war on terror. The events

of 9/11, Bali, Madrid, London and Iraq  plus candid reflections of former Prime Ministers John

Howard and Julia Gillard  sit up against the experiences of Australian soldiers who constantly

examine the reasons why they fight. Afghan commentators like Senator Hila Achekzai and

former Warlord Pacha Khan Zadran reveal the complexities of that country, the moral as well as

military maze in which our soldiers fought.

As much as a war story, Afghanistan: Inside Australias War is a portrait of a generation. What

Australias fighting men and women did on our behalf is chilling, fascinating and often inspiring.

The way they did it  the search for solid moral foundations from which to fight this confusing

war  is perhaps their most lasting legacy.

Tuesday February 23 8:30pm on ABC
This week, The Feed goes behind the scenes of If You Are the One, plus what you dont know about the the voice artist behind Masterchef and Spelling Bee.

Monday 15 February

If You Are the One  Behind the Scenes special

Looking for lovein front of millions. With exclusive access, The Feed goes behind-the-scenes on the worlds most popular dating show, If You Are the One, following a group of Australian singles as they compete for love  or, at least, at date  on the toughest reality TV gig in China. Its a wild ride from auditions, to the dressing room, and eventually to host Meng Feis side.

Tuesday 16 February

Dying wish: Most Australians would prefer to die at home than in a hospital but few do

The Feed goes inside the homes of two terminally ill patients coming to grips with their final days and trying to make sure they spend them with the ones they love.

Its estimated 70 per cent of Australians would choose to die at home, the reality is less than 15 per cent of us do.

The Feed looks at one Australian palliative care service that has bucked the trend by sending its hospice to the patients home.

Wednesday 17 February

Lofty Fulton

Most people in Australia would have heard Lofty Fultons voice on their TV or radio. He is the voice artist behind things like Masterchef and Spelling Bee and he is a regular feature on Sky TV and 2GB radio.

What people dont know is that behind that big voice is something pretty unexpected  Lofty was born with dwarfism.

I made a decision very early on in my career and very early on in my life that I was not going to go down the circus freak angle, says Lofty.

But thats the beauty of voice overs  its anonymous were faceless people and you generally wouldnt know we exist.

Lofty speaks to The Feed about what its like to be the voice over artist that no-one expects, and how living in a world built for people of average height can take its toll.

Thursday 18 February

Driving high: Why roadside drug testing is under the microscope

Does the science behind road side drug testing stack up? Its supporters say it is saving lives and getting dangerous drivers off the roads but a recent court decision has ignited debate over whether the tests are fair or faulty.

The Government says you must wait 12 hours after consuming cannabis before driving but many drivers say they have tested positive days after smoking weed.

The Feed travels to the regional town at the centre of the controversy, where a local magistrate criticised the testing regime as mysterious and uncertain. Ruling in favour of a young driver who said he tested positive a week after smoking marijuana.

The Feed speaks with drivers who say they are victims of a flawed test and the country lawyer who is campaigning for a change in the laws.

Monday  Thursday at 7:30pm, on SBS 2.
Udaku Special

Donald Trump: There Is No Shortcut To Maturity, Africa Should Be RecolonizedAmerican business mogul Donald Trump has said that Africa needs to be recolonized. This time around he has directed his anger to African leaders who according to Trump, have failed to exercise leadership and are keeping their people in worse conditions.Speaking yesterday in Nebraska, Trump said that Africans are slaves living like slaves in their own land yet they claim they are independent.Trump was responding to a question by a South African journalist on whether he thinks African leaders were right to seek mass withdrawal from the Hague based International Criminal Court.It is shameful for African leaders to seek exit from ICC. In my view, these leaders want to have all the freedom to oppress their poor people without anyone asking them a question. I think there is no shortcut to maturity and in my view, Africa should be recolonized because Africans are still under slavery. Look at how those African leaders change constitutions in their favour so that they can be live presidents.They are all greedy and do not care about the common people Said TrumpWhen I saw them gang up against ICC yet they cant even find an amicable solution for the ongoing quandary in Burundi, I thought to myself these people lack discipline and humane heart. They cant lead by example. The only thing they are interested in is accumulating wealth from poor tax payers. Before they think of exiting from ICC, they should first restore peace in Burundi and other war-tone countries rather than gathering like hyenas with the aim of finishing the poor people Added Trump.
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko met with President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite within the framework of the Munich Security Conference.

It has been reported by the press service of the Head of State.

"The President informed the Lithuanian counterpart about the current situation in Donbas region, noting the need for extension of sanctions due to non-fulfillment by Russia of its obligations under the Minsk agreements," the statement reads.

In addition, Poroshenko urged the European partners to maintain solidarity in support of Ukraine and to counter aggressive Russian policy directed against Ukraine and against the European Union.

President of Ukraine expressed his gratitude to Lithuania for its consistent support, stressing the efforts of President Dalia Grybauskaite.

ish
| By Alex Likowski

Three legal specialists from the University of Maryland Agriculture Law Education Initiative (ALEI) presented on a variety of topics at the 15th Annual Mid-Atlantic Women in Agriculture Conference Feb. 11 at the Dover Downs Hotel and Casino.

Ashley Ellixson, Extension Legal Specialist with the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, started off the morning educating operators on how to reduce exposure to landowner liability claims and agritourism issues. Ellixson explained that landowners have differing legal responsibilities to protect visitors to their farms, depending on the status of the visitors, be they trespassers, social guests or customers. "Hiring and firing practices are extremely important for producers and are often overlooked, Ellixson said. Having employee trainings on safety and requiring that they all read and are given an employee handbook is a great place to start." Ellixson also provided liability limitation strategies for U-pick and agritourism operators, and offered a sample liability waiver drafted by ALEI and available on the ALEI website.

Misunderstandings, poor advice, and neglect often lead to costly and difficult estate transitions, explained Extension Legal Specialist Paul Goeringer. Goeringer told conference attendees that a farm transition plan is an integral part of their farm businesses. Starting the farm succession process is not easy, he said, adding that his goal was to get the participants thinking about developing and strengthening their farm succession. Goeringer provided strategies for getting started in developing a transition or estate plan to better prepare the next generation of farmers.

ALEIs Sarah Everhart, JD, adjunct professor at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, talked about understanding a propertys full potential. The first step, she said, is to understand the legal ownership structure. Everhart described the impact that easements, covenants and most importantly zoning can have on the ability to fully utilize farm lands. You have no vested legal right to your zoning designation, she told attendees. What does this mean? You own your property not your zoning designation. Zoning can change over time. You have to monitor your local jurisdictions zoning meetings and actions, participate in the comprehensive rezoning process and be an advocate for your property.

For more information on these issues, take a look at these ALEI publications, Understanding Agriculture Liability- Premises Liability and Estate Planning for Maryland Farm Families. These and other publications are available at ALEIs website http://www.umaglaw.org.

About the Agriculture Law Education Initiative

The Agriculture Law Education Initiative (ALEI) is a collaboration of three distinguished University of Maryland institutions: the Francis King Carey School of Law in Baltimore, the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources in College Park, and the School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences at University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne. ALEI is supported by MPowering the State and by the Maryland General Assembly. University of Maryland: MPowering the State is a strategic partnership between the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland, Baltimore to significantly expand research collaborations, business development, and student opportunities at both institutions.
According to a report released on Friday, about 5.5 million people around the world are dying prematurely every year from breathing polluted air, Philly reports.

The report stated that majority of those deaths are occurring in developing nations such as China and India, where factories and coal-fired power plants are necessary for the economic growth.

The research is being presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington.

The report stated that disease from air and household pollution is the No. 2 cause of death worldwide. Smoking is the No. 1 cause of death worldwide, stated the World Heath Organization.

The report used data from the year 2013. However, coauthor Dan Greenbaum, president of the nonprofit Health Effects Institute in Boston, noted that "these things don't change overnight."

In countries such as India and Africa, household pollution is caused by burning of stoves that burn coal, wood, and animal dung for cooking and heat, which cause the death of nearly one million people annually in China, and more than half a million in India.

China's air pollution has also marginally increased air pollution on the U.S. West Coast.

According to The Independent, Professor Michael Brauer, from the University of British Columbia in Canada, said, "Air pollution is the fourth highest risk factor for death globally and by far the leading environmental risk factor for disease.

"Reducing air pollution is an incredibly efficient way to improve the health of a population."

At the AAAS meeting, Greenbaum said, a Chinese scientist is set to present an analysis showing that "coal is by far the largest health burden, about 50 percent of the problem."

Report coauthor Qiao Ma, a doctoral student at the School of Environment at Tsinghua University in Beijing, stated that outdoor air pollution from coal was the cause of about 366,000 Chinese deaths in 2013.

According to Qiao Ma, between 990,000 and 1.3 million people there will die prematurely by 2030 in China, unless the targets to reduce pollution are introduced in the country.
SHARE CHUCK KIRMAN/THE STAR A pair of shoes and a matching tie worn by groom in a 1968 wedding are among the items that will be on display from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at University Village. CHUCK KIRMAN/THE STAR Robert Gonzales looks at vintage wedding dresses that will be on display from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at University Village. CHUCK KIRMAN/THE STAR Marcia Fogel shows off her 1949 wedding dress, which will be part of Sundays display at University Village in Thousand Oaks. CHUCK KIRMAN/THE STAR Mary Norris adjusts her mothers early 1900s wedding dress, which will be part of Sundays display at University Village in Thousand Oaks.

By Robyn Flans

Wedding dresses worn by several women who now live in a Thousand Oaks senior facility  and two worn by their mothers  are going on display Sunday.

The oldest dress dates from about 1914; the most recent is from 1974. Each one reflects the fashion of the times.

It's rare for University Village in Thousand Oaks to open its events to the general public, but organizers agreed this Valentine's Day exhibit was too good to keep behind closed doors.

"This is a treasure," said Activities Director Jayne Austin, a self-professed romantic. "This is a historical display. It's not something you see every day."

The 13 dresses will be on display from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the main clubhouse. Photos of the actual weddings will accompany some of them.

Mary Norris, 86, said her mother, Elizabeth Trunzo-Frecone, married sometime around 1914. She found the gown preserved in a cedar chest after her mother died.

"It's a beautiful lace gown with a small train," said Norris, the last remaining of five daughters. "It has a sort of pleated collar."

Audrey Johnson said her mother, Elizabeth Martin, got married on June 22, 1927, having never been to a wedding. That might explain the 1920s flapper style of the wedding dress, but Johnson will never know for certain.

"She made the dress, and why she chose that particular style, I have no idea," said Johnson, 84. "But she did all the beading herself and sewed it."

Her mother had been in the garment industry. She had her own sewing machine and made all the bridesmaids' dresses, as well.

"I think it was economics, but I think she took pleasure in it and she was very proud of it," Johnson said.

Her mother gave her the dress, which was preserved in a cedar chest.

"It was made of silk, which is why I think it was preserved so well," Johnson said.

She has photos of the wedding that took place at the Good Shepherd Church in Los Angeles.

"It's going to be passed down now to my granddaughter," Johnson said.

Another University Village resident, Marcia Fogel, describes the dress she bought at I. Magnin for her September 1949 Denver wedding as very sophisticated.

The long-sleeved, high-necked, heavy satin dress with a long train was the last dress she tried on over several days.

"It was just perfect for me," Fogel said.

She recalled with a laugh that she'd had her wisdom teeth pulled a month before the wedding and couldn't eat anything. She kept losing weight and had to have the dress taken in several times before the big day until she was finally told it could not be altered further.

"The moral of that story is not to have your wisdom teeth out right before you get married," Fogel said.

Fogel said she has enjoyed seeing all the dresses.

"The ladies who have loaned their dresses are all, of course, as proud of theirs as I am of mine," she said.

IF YOU GO



What: Display of vintage wedding dresses

When: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday

Where: University Village, 3415 Campus Drive, at the corner of Campus Drive and Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks. Visitors are asked to check in at the safety kiosk at the front gate and indicate they are there to see the wedding gowns. They will be directed to the parking area.

Information: 241-3300
Check yes or no: These are the 5 ballot propositions in California.
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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 U.S. 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, Fla., 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.
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To NBVC

An active year has begun at Naval Base Ventura County as it prepares to receive the first Triton unmanned aerial drone command on the West Coast and to provide temporary quarters for the Coast Guard's MH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopters. For locals, it will be surf's up time as the Point Mugu Surfing Contest returns in August after a four-year hiatus.

To poets

Congratulations are in order for El Camino High School student Zayan Reza, winner of the Ventura County Poetry Out Loud competition. Reza now moves to the state competition, which will be held Feb. 28-29 in Sacramento.

To sun lovers

Summerlike weather has blanketed Ventura County. Though expected to continue through midweek, this respite from El Nino affect on weather is merely a brief interlude. Winter storms could return within two weeks.

To Thousand Oaks

Putting electric transmission lines underground will give your fair city a crisp look, but motorists should beware. When the $15 million project begins in March, travel along Thousand Oaks Boulevard between Duesenberg Drive and Via Merida will be disrupted because of lane closures. Information can be obtained online at http://www.toaks.org/undergroundtob or by calling 228-9020.

To Fillmore

Two mountain lion sightings remind all of the delicate balance that exists when civilization abuts nature. Authorities were unable to locate the first mountain lion reported seen; the second was tranquilized and returned to the wild. Still, caution is in order when it comes to small children and pets.

To Westlake High

Your Academic Decathlon team made history by winning the Ventura County Academic Decathlon competition for the fifth time in a row. That places the Westlake High School team in the record books next to Moorpark High School, the only other school in Ventura County to achieve that feat. Congratulations are in order, but expectations of a sixth win in a row will be high and pressures will mount as the 2017 Academic Decathlon draws near.

To veterans

The increased rate of suicides among military veterans has caused great concern in recent years. Since most veterans are males, little attention seems to have been given to the suicide rate among female military veterans. A bill by Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Westlake Village, hopes to change that. It should be a slam-dunk getting it through the congressional process and to the president's desk because saying thanks sometimes is not quite enough. Citizens and the government also must reach out to help those who so unselfishly served their country.

To businesses

Registration for the 2016 Corporate Games is underway. More than 90 company teams are expected to vie in the business-to-business team-sports competitions held from March 19 through May 7. Companies can register a team at http://www.venturacorporategames.org or by calling 658-4738.

To boaters

Good news abounds as the Army Corps of Engineers has begun dredging the Ventura Harbor after a buildup of sand forced closure of the entrance to all but the most essential boats. An extra $2.5 million has been added to the job, but disruptions are likely to continue during the operation over the expected month it will take to complete.

To lovers

If the bright red hearts and displays of heart-shaped candy boxes in stores haven't been enough clues, tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Average spending for Valentine's Day has grown to more than $130. That might sound like a lot to say, "I love you," but take it from Pa: A box of chocolates delivered with the sentiment goes a long way toward melting Ma Ventura's heart.
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Just a few months ago, it seemed as if the November election might produce the silliest "silly season" ever seen in modern California politics. But the essential good sense of shoppers around the state appears to have prevented that.

It's shoppers at big-box stores like Home Depot, Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart and Costco who provide the bulk of voter signatures needed to qualify initiatives, referenda and recalls for the ballot. Sometimes there's a fear that these shopper/voters will sign just about anything merely to get the petition carriers near the entrances out of their hair.

Plenty of silly measures were proposed for this fall, but virtually none made it through the process of gathering 365,885 valid signatures, even though that's the lowest total required in many years, the result of the very small turnout in the 2014 election.

One would have required display of the California state flag in the position of first honor when both it and the American flag are on view at public buildings from schools to stadia. Not only would this be offensive to many, but it also would have no discernible benefits.

There was also a plan to ban political contributions of all kinds from out of state donors to most campaigns conducted in California. Federal offices like U.S. Senator and members of Congress would have been exempt. Likewise, a plan to change the title of California's chief executive from governor to president didn't come close to getting the signatures needed to put it on the ballot.

Neither did a proposal to demand that anyone proposing a ballot measure advocating the killing of gays and/or lesbians (there was just such a proposal; it also went nowhere) would have to attend sensitivity training or donate money to a pro-gay or -lesbian organization.

A plan to multiply the membership of the Legislature by about 100 also failed, but might be back. Another failure aimed to ban sales of shrimp and other shellfish. This one carried a $666,000 fine and/or a prison sentence for each sale.

Also not making the ballot were a couple of referenda, measures aiming to reverse new laws passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor (still not California's president). One would have allowed anyone to avoid getting children vaccinated simply by stating that personal beliefs forbid it. Another would have reversed the new  and not yet in effect  law allowing doctors to administer lethal doses of drugs to terminally ill patients. A move to recall Democratic state Sen. Richard Pan of Sacramento for authoring the current law requiring almost universal vaccination of schoolchildren failed, too.

Some of these ideas would have had to be taken seriously by their opponents, who in a few cases were ready to spend millions of dollars fighting them off. Others would simply have cluttered a ballot that already figures to be the longest ever.

Their absence leaves voters to consider what is likely to be dozens of very serious ideas, most with significant consequences.

There could be, for example, three or more measures to boost taxes. Two aim to extend the levies of the 2012 Proposition 30, which mostly upped taxes on the wealthy. A third would surcharge tax bills for properties officially valued at $3 million or more, the new money going to anti-poverty programs. That's intended as a sort of Robin Hood system.

Tax cuts are also likely to be present and a plan to lift the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2021 might also make the ballot.

So could a plan to increase the time of service public school teachers need to earn tenure from two years to five, and another limiting the pay of nonprofit hospital executives to the same level as what the president of the United States earns  now $450,00 a year.

There are more, with four measures already assured ballot spots, 73 others now authorized to collect signatures and almost two-dozen awaiting official naming by the attorney general. The only one without wide implications is one to require use of condoms in all movies involving sexual intercourse.

That's all silly enough, but it could have been much worse.
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Looking at the photograph while inside the warmth of my home gave me chills.

The photo was taken two weeks ago more than 2,700 miles away from Southern California in Virginia; taken during Winter Storm Jonas; taken as Arlington National Cemetery was being buried beneath two feet of snow.

Snapped at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the photo shows a proud member of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment  also known as "The Old Guard"  keeping sentry during the blizzard.

The Old Guard's young guard is standing solemnly at attention, rifle resting on his left shoulder, both shoulders of his navy blue uniform coat dusted heavily with frozen dandruff.

His long vigil in the fierce conditions is more strikingly evidenced by two inches of snow that has piled up atop his dress cap like thick vanilla frosting on a fancy cupcake.

The chilly image gave me goose bumps of patriotic pride and a surge of gratitude for those who serve, and have served, in our military.

Another photograph, this one taken four days ago, taken in New Hampshire, taken late on primary night inside the campaign headquarters of Hillary Clinton, also made my spine shiver.

With sadness and with anger.

This photo was of an American flag crumpled on the floor in front of empty bleachers. Election night looked like laundry day.

Sadness. The warrior at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier gave his life fighting for this flag. Anger. Our young men and women warriors sacrifice life and limb for it today.

These two photos, of The Old Guard on duty and Old Glory on the floor, reminded me of another image, this one recorded in my mind a few months past at the funeral of a local World War II veteran.

Charles Banker McConica, Navy veteran and family man and successful auto dealer and beloved friend and longtime admired member of the Ventura community, lived to be 94. The eulogies painted a beautiful and accurate portrait.

Son Jim spoke about how his dad was his biggest cheerleader. Son Charles recounted  one by one with examples of each  how his father exemplified the "Boy Scout Law" of being "trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent."

And daughter Judy shared her parents' cutest of cute meets, how her dad spilled salt in a USO dining hall in Belfast and her Ireland-born mom, seated nearby, suggested he superstitiously toss a pinch over his shoulder. The luck of the Irish ensued as their shared future held 69 years of marriage, three children, seven grandchildren and six great-grandkids.

The spoken words were poignant, but perhaps more so was the silent ceremonious folding of an American flag performed by two soldiers from Naval Base Ventura County.

Performed in slow motion, in full dress uniform, in a church so quiet you could hear your own heart beating, the speechless choreography of the two soldiers was as moving as witnessing a member of The Old Guard marching back and forth in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

After each lengthwise folding, the flag was pulled taught. Each fold was creased with care. Next came the triangular folds, each made with perfect corners, each creased with reverence, 13 in all until the red-and-white striped portion of the flag met the blue field and white stars.

After the last corner was painstakingly tucked into an open edge, forming a triangle that represents a cocked hat to remind us of the soldiers who served under General George Washington, the two soldiers used their formal white gloves as though they were heated clothes irons and made the three edges crisp and sharp and perfect.

Hugging the folded flag to the chest as though it were as precious as a newborn baby, one soldier then lovingly presented it to Charles' widow, Rosena. Taps was played, more tears fell, and then the soldiers silently exited.

I wish the Clinton campaign staffer who ingloriously left Old Glory on the floor could have been at Charles McConica's funeral. The New Hampshire photograph would have been different.
As they say, two heads are better than one. Many major companies have adopted this mantra and have forged valuable partnerships with other brands, leading to effective campaigns and products that really captured the attention of their shared demographics. In such a busy consumer market, the joint force of two established brands can lead to a real impact that might not have otherwise been achieved.

Here are just some of the most interesting and successful examples of co-branding.

Aston Martin & Nokia



Aston Martin and Nokia seems like a strange choice to co-brand. One produces luxury automobiles and the other functional phones, but in 2006, they joined forces to release the Nokia 8800. This mobile phone model sported a sleek stainless steel slider, with the Aston Martin logo emblazoned upon it. Only a limited number were released, with a price tag of $1,640, making them a much coveted luxury item.

Rational Group & Cancer Research UK

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeEDAchrc1U

Last year, The Rational Group collaborated with Cancer Research UK to create a game app that could make a real difference in the fight against cancer. Play to Cure: Genes in Space is an extremely innovative app, which sees players collect a fictional space dust called element alpha, as they work through space missions. Their patterns are simultaneously identifying real faults in genetic data, which is then used by scientists to develop life-saving cures.

Robinsons Brewery & Iron Maiden

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfGE_8Val8s

The alcohol industry in the US is estimated to be worth over $400 billion a year. Standing out with your branding is therefore vitally important. Thats exactly what Iron Maiden, when they brewed up a storm with UK-based Robinsons Brewery. Their Trooper booze was a hit amongst their already established fan base, and proved to be one of the brewerys most successful products. Despite no advertising, Trooper sold around 3.5 million pints in one year.

Seaworld & Southwest Airlines



These two major tourism companies forged a valuable partnership back in 1988, when the Seaworld resort first opened in San Antonio. Tapping into a similar demographic of holidaymakers, the companies offered discount fares and offers that benefitted flyers. In addition to this, Southwest Airlines also painted three planes to look like iconic orca wales, with a new penguin themed plane being introduced last year to coincide with Seaworlds countrywide penguin tour.

Best Western & Harley Davidson

With motorcycle tourism proving majorly popular across US soil, Best Western decided to step things up a gear. Back in 2006, both companies paired up to provide a membership card for bikers across the country. Its since gone global and H.O.G. members can now receive special benefits and reward points for parking their ride outside a Best Western hotel and getting their head down for the night.


Heavy metal band Anthrax performed at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016 (Photo:  Erik Kabik/ www.erikkabik.com).

The band Lamb of God also performed at this event (click here for photos).

Photo:  Erik Kabik/ www.erikkabik.com.

Photo:  Erik Kabik/ www.erikkabik.com.

Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981 by guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker. The group was considered one of the leaders of the thrash metal scene during the 1980s. Of the Big Four thrash metal bands (the others being Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer), Anthrax were the only band from the East Coast. As of 2014, the band has released ten studio albums, a number of singles and an EP with American hip hop group Public Enemy. According to Nielsen SoundScan, Anthrax sold 2.5 million records in the United States from 1991 to 2004, with worldwide sales of 10 million.  Wikipedia

Photo:  Erik Kabik/ www.erikkabik.com.

Photo:  Erik Kabik/ www.erikkabik.com.

Photo:  Erik Kabik/ www.erikkabik.com.

Photo:  Erik Kabik/ www.erikkabik.com.

Photo:  Erik Kabik/ www.erikkabik.com.

Photo:  Erik Kabik/ www.erikkabik.com.

Photo:  Erik Kabik/ www.erikkabik.com.

Photo:  Erik Kabik/ www.erikkabik.com.

Photo:  Erik Kabik/ www.erikkabik.com.

Photo:  Erik Kabik/ www.erikkabik.com.

The New York-born band Anthrax, comprised of Joey Belladonna (vocals), Scott Ian (guitar), Jonathan Donais (guitar), Frankie Bello (bass) and Charlie Benante (drums), will celebrate the anniversary of its iconic 1985 release SpreadingTheDisease on Nov. 20.

For more information on Anthrax, please visit online at http://anthrax.com/, or on Facebook or Twitter.


MGM Resorts International is the presenting sponsor of the 29th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade to be held on Monday, Jan. 17 at 10 a.m. in downtown Las Vegas.

Hailed as one of the most popular annual parades in Las Vegas, thousands are expected to line the Fourth Street parade route to celebrate Dr. Kings legacy of promoting equal rights and human rights.

This years theme of the parade is Living the Dream: Rebuilding Americans Promise, Freedom and Liberty. Grand Marshals for this years parade are activist Sarann Knight Preddy, and education advocates Naomi Goynes and Theron Goynes.

As a strong supporter of equal rights, diversity and inclusion, MGM Resorts is pleased to support this effort and to join the community in honoring Dr. Kings legacy, said Phyllis James, MGM Resorts Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer.

MGM Resorts has supported the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade since 2003. In 2008, the Company was recognized as the best overall entry in the float competition. This is the first year the Company is the presenting sponsor of the event.

Wendell Williams, Chair of the nonprofit Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Committee, said this years event is expected to be larger than ever, with more than 150 entries including floats, marching bands, dancers, and motorcades featuring both cars and motorcycles. Public officials and representatives of area nonprofit organizations are also expected to be prominent at the event.

This is going to be a grand event to celebrate Dr. Kings legacy, and will be commensurate with the tremendous opportunity that Dr. King created for our society and for the future of America, said Williams.

The parade will cap a week of events honoring Dr. King and leading up to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. For more information about the additional events, go to www.kingweeklasvegas.com.

About 100 employee volunteers from MGM Resorts are expected to turn out in full force to march in the parade with an MGM Resorts float being created by volunteers from the MGM Resorts Events department. Floats will be judged in 18 categories including Best Overall Entry.

The parade route will start at Fourth Street, and head north on Fourth to Ogden, where it will conclude.
This March, Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino supports the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Southern California & Nevada Chapter by turning its fountain orange in honor of National Multiple Sclerosis Education and Awareness Month.

Beginning Tuesday, March 1, Miracle Mile Shops fountain will showcase a bright orange glow between regularly scheduled shows. All money tossed into the popular water feature as well as the centers indoor rainstorm will be donated on behalf of Miracle Mile Shops to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Southern California & Nevada Chapter. The money raised supports cutting-edge research for better treatments and a cure, as well as vital programs and services for the nearly 4,000 Nevadans living with MS and their loved ones. The fountain will maintain its vivacious orange hue until the end of the month.

Fountain shows take place at the top of every hour from noon to 11 p.m. daily. Miracle Mile Shops is open 10 a.m.  11 p.m. Sunday  Thursday and 10 a.m.  midnight Friday  Saturday.

About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society

MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesnt. They help each person address the challenges of living with MS. In 2009, through their national office and 50-state network of chapters, the Multiple Sclerosis Society devoted over $132 million to programs that enhanced more than one million lives. To move closer to a world free of MS, the Society also invested nearly $36 million to support 375 research projects around the world. To learn more about MS and the work of the National MS Society visit www.nationalMSsociety.org.


Christina Milian dined with girlfriends including former BET host Julissa Bermudez at LAVO. The group, in town for a bachelorette party, enjoyed favorites including the Kobe Meatball, Chicken Parmagiano and Oreo Zeppole for dessert. After dinner they made their way to TAO where she stopped by the booth to say hello to DJ Reach (Photo credit: Al Powers/Powers Imagery).

At Marquee, Marlon Wayans, comedian Kevin Hart and Antawn Jamison of the Cleveland Cavaliers were all spotted at separate tables in the Boom Box room.


The new Meatball Spot at Town Square Las Vegas hosted a tasting for friends and family with chef Carla Pellegrino on Saturday evening (Photo credit: David Becker).

The tasting included farm fresh menu items such as the Roman Style pizzas and salads. Chef Pellegrino served salad selections including the Strawberry Balsamic Salad, made with baby spinach, cucumbers, candied pecans and balsamic strawberry vinaigrette; the Caprese Salad, made with vine ripened tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, pesto vinaigrette and balsamic syrup and more. Friends and family also got a sneak peak of the venue as they noshed on the new eaterys delectable pizzas and salads, as well as its namesake meatballs in Classic, Beef, Lamb, Turkey, Chicken and Vegetarian.
Victoria Falls Rainbow Hotel is a stylish hotel within walking distance from the Victoria Falls, the town centre, close to the railway station as well as the Victoria Falls town centre. This hotel offers incredible attention to detail, personal service and offers the base from which to pursue adrenaline pumping sporting activities in Victoria Falls.

Victoria Falls Rainbow is easily reached by tarmac road and falls within the Victoria Falls districts confines. The distance from the hotel to the airport is roughly 21km and the town centre is a mere 100m away.

All rooms have air conditioning, colour television, computer hook up, telephone, ensuite bathrooms, and enclosed balconies. Suites have, in addition, a separate lounge, mini bar and another TV lounge. The hotel has 88 rooms in total..

Rainbow hotel Facilities

The Swim and Sip Bar

Enticing swim & sip pool bar

Serves an assortment of ice cold beverages

Provides all patrons with Complimentary snacks whilst enjoying their drinks

Open from 1000hrs to 2200hrs

The Panorama

Authentic vintage point, uniquely designed

Provides early morning breakfast overlooking the Smoke That Thunders

Exclusive dinners for groups

Ideal for cocktail parties

Rainbow Victoria Falls Hotel Conference Facilities

Conference Room Surface U Style Theatre Style Boardroom Style Classroom Style Cocktail Style Banquet Style 15.2mx9.5m 35 100 40 60 120 80

Conference Package

The conference package of the Hotel includes:

Morning tea/ coffee & sandwiches

Buffet lunch and or Buffet Dinner

Afternoon tea/ coffee & biscuits

Room hire

Stationery (pens & pads)

Mint sweets

Cordials

Mineral Water

The following equipment is complimentary:

TV and VCR

Flip charts and Markers

Overhead Projector

Email us for a quotation, or check availability for your dates.
Trade and Pacific security will be on the agenda when U.S. President Barack Obama meets next week in California with leaders of the 10 member states of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. U.S. officials say the meeting is part of an American rebalancing to the Asia-Pacific region.

The leaders meet Monday and Tuesday (Feb. 15-16) at the Sunnylands estate in Southern California, where Obama met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in 2013.

China, which is not an ASEAN member, is the number one U.S. trading partner. The ASEAN nations together rank number four.

At the side-by-side ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in California, trade with Southeast Asia is booming, totaling over $53 billion in 2014 and making the ASEAN nations the second-largest trading partner for Los Angeles.

"We have a Thai Town here," said Stephen Cheung, president of World Trade Center Los Angeles, which works to attract international trade and foreign investment to the region.

Southern California is home to immigrant populations from every part of Southeast Asia, and has the largest Vietnamese community outside of Vietnam and largest Philippine community outside the Philippines.

"These are all assets that we leverage," Cheung said.

Many American companies do business with Vietnam, from established brands like Starbucks and Pizza Hut to Silicon Valley tech startups. They are attracted by high growth in the region. Vietnam's economy is expanding at more than 6 percent a year. The Philippines sees similar growth rates and seeks investment in agricultural products such as cacao and coffee, and in manufacturing, medical tourism, and other sectors.

"You can service the various countries in Southeast Asia from the Philippines," said Gerry Palon of the Federation of Philippine American Chambers of Commerce. "We [the Philippines] are the gateway also to the Pacific, reaching out to Hawaii and on the mainland USA via the Pacific Ocean," he said.

U.S. vs. China

The United States and China are both working to boost trade ties with Southeast Asia, whose 625 million people share an economy of more than $2 trillion. A free trade agreement among the 10 ASEAN nations, known as the ASEAN Economic Community, went into effect late last year.

The U.S. is the driving force behind the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, which was signed this month in New Zealand. Four members of ASEAN  Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam  have joined the TPP.

All 10 ASEAN member states are also set to join a proposed Pacific trade group spearheaded by China, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

The meeting in California is expected to draw protests. International human rights groups have criticized Cambodia in particular and its longtime prime minister, Hun Sen, for what the critics call repression and human rights abuses. Human Rights Watch says most other ASEAN members also have "poor human rights records."

Opponents of the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership have also promised to hold protests over the trade agreement.

White House aides have said Obama will address security issues when he meets with ASEAN leaders, including North Korea's nuclear test last month and missile launch Sunday.

Obama is also expected to tell the visiting leaders that rival claims by China and other Asian nations in the South China Sea should be resolved through negotiation and not, as one U.S. official said, "through one bigger nation bullying a smaller one." China has engaged in building artificial islands in the busy shipping region, which U.S. officials say could have military uses.
Smartphones could become the makeshift quake detectors of the future, thanks to a new app launched Friday designed to track tremors and potentially save the lives of its users.

MyShake, available on Android, links users to become an all-in-one earthquake warning system; it records quake-type rumblings, ties a critical number of users to a location, and could eventually provide a countdown to the start of shaking.

Its inventors say the app, released by the University of California, Berkeley, could give early warning of a quake to populations without their own seismological instruments.

"MyShake cannot replace traditional seismic networks like those run by the U.S. Geological Survey," said Richard Allen, leader of the app project and director of the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory.

"But we think MyShake can make earthquake early warning faster and more accurate in areas that have a traditional seismic network, and can provide life-saving early warning in countries that have no seismic network."

Earthquake-prone countries in the developing world with poor ground-based seismic network or early warning systems include Nepal, Peru, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Iran, he said.

Measuring movement

The algorithm behind MyShake, developed by a handful of Silicon Valley programmers, relies on the same technology smartphone gamers depend on to sense the phone's orientation, known as the accelerometer, in order to measure movement caused by quakes.

What smartphones lack in sensitivity  they can only record earthquakes above magnitude 5 within 10 kilometers (6 miles)  they make up for in ubiquity.

Currently, 300 smartphones equipped with MyShake within a 110-km square area are enough to estimate a quake's location, magnitude and origin time.

There were some 3.4 billion smartphone subscriptions worldwide in 2015, according to the Ericsson Mobility Report, so the app's creators hope to build a seismic network covering the globe.

"We want to make this a killer app, where you put it on your phone and allow us to use your accelerometer, and we will deliver earthquake early warning," Allen said.

Sophisticated early-warning systems can warn of coming quakes as much as a few minutes before they begin, but cannot stop them causing death and destruction on a large scale.

Nepal is still rebuilding after two separate earthquakes in April and May 2015 that killed 9,000 people, injured more than 22,000, and damaged or destroyed nearly 900,000 houses.
Since World War II, the Holocaust has been the subject of countless films. Son of Saul by Hungarian Laszlo Nemes and Labyrinth of Lies by German  Italian Giulio Ricciarelli are two new additions in the filmography. Both have been nominated for an Oscar in the category of Foreign Language Film for their great cinematography, their exceptional acting and mainly their cutting edge approach to the Holocaust.

Son of Saul offers a gruesome portrayal of the Holocaust through the eyes of Saul Auslander, a member of a Sonderkommando unit at the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp during World War II.

Sonderkommandos were Jewish prisoners forced to work in the crematoriums. The film chronicles Sauls desperate search for a Rabbi to perform a proper burial on a young boy, one of the hundreds of thousands gassed in the chambers.

Using a handheld camera, filmmaker Laszlo Nemes focused almost exclusively on Sauls face throughout his two-day-long ordeal, while heinous acts are being committed in the out-of-focus background, leaving the details to the viewers imagination.

Nemes said he employed loud disorienting sounds of people pleading, screaming and dying in his effort to recreate the chaotic and horrific atmosphere the sonderkommandos described in their texts about life and death at the camps.

He said "the thinking process has no place in the camp and it is something that we never understood after the war. Thinking comes after the war. When you're inside, it is a different state of mind and we wanted to communicate that state of mind, and I think the audiences experience reflects the individual experience in camp with all the frustration, the sense of being locked or limited and the very limited access to what's going on."

Nemes said his film takes the viewer on a journey along with the victims, most of whom never survived to describe their experiences. So the viewer inhabits extermination camp testimonials that see the light on the large screen for the first time. Nemes said his film offers an internal look at the Holocaust, as opposed to the traditional approach of cinema on the saga where the camera observes but does not participate.

Despite its grim outlook, Nemes said there is humanity in a story where the main character, in the midst of death, risks his life to bury another.

There is this idea about leaving a trace. And its also something very human. That is also something that the sonderkommandos wanted: Even if the Jews of Europe are being destroyed let there be a trace of them, he said.

Watch the VOA Interview with Laszlo Nemes on the making and the meaning of his Oscar-nominated film about the Holocaust Son of Saul

Labyrinth of Lies, by Giulio Ricciarelli, told the story of Johann Radmann, a German prosecutor who  while investigating a suspected Nazi for war crimes in the late 1950s  discovers that massive crimes against humanity were committed at Auschwitz.



Labyrinth of Lies reveals how, for almost 20 years after the end of the war, Germany covered up its atrocities at Auschwitz, so the younger generation knew nothing about the extermination camps or the Holocaust.

The filmmaker said the code of silence was broken in 1963, when Nazi war criminals were finally tried in Germany for their acts at Auschwitz. Ricciarelli said that, as unlikely as the story sounds, it is true. He says the camps were not located in Germany, so they were not visible to many Germans who might have heard something about them, but they had received a sanitized description of them as "protection camps."

He said the Nazis even shot a propaganda movie about the Theresienstadt concentration camp in today's Czech Republic, calling it "The Fuhrer gives the Jews a new city." It was described like a summer camp, he said.

A character in the film said, "all we had to do was to open our eyes."

"But there was no wish to open the eyes," said the filmmaker. "And then you had a young generation growing up, somebody who was five or six or nine and when the war ended, they grew up in an atmosphere of silence."

Labyrinth of Lies runs like a taut thriller, but filmmaker Ricciarelli said as unbelievable as it sounds, this is a true story with the exception of Johann Radmanns character, who is a composite of real-life prosecutors.

He sits on a very high moral horse. He is convinced he knows what is right, and he will be a very changed man at the end of the film. He will be humble, but he will have matured to the point where he actually can deal with it. The process almost breaks him. He is the metaphor for the young Republic of Germany after the war."

Watch the VOA interview with filmmaker Giulio Ricciarelli on his film Labyrinth of Lies

Since then, Germany has been facing up to its past. Labyrinth of Lies is Germanys official endorsement for the foreign language Oscar.
Azerbaijan has arrested eight men it accuses of joining the ranks of Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq, government authorities said Friday.

The Azeri nationals "were trained in Islamic State training camps in 2012-2015 and took part in fighting in Syria and within the ranks of terrorist groups," the National Security Ministry said in a statement.

The men participated in radical religious and military training and gained experience in the use of firearms of various types, the government said. Upon completion of the training, they participated in the fighting actively.

The government said a former member of the Soviet military trained the men in firearms use and combat.

Fighting in foreign wars is a criminal offense in Azerbaijan.
Bruce Springsteen will publish an autobiography in September that he promises will show readers how his personal struggles inspired his music, including his classic 1975 hit "Born to Run."

Springsteen, 66, has been working on the autobiography, called "Born to Run," for seven years, publishers Simon & Schuster said on Thursday. It will be published worldwide on Sept. 27.

"Writing about yourself is a funny business," Springsteen writes in the book, according to Thursday's announcement.

"But in a project like this, the writer has made one promise, to show the reader his mind. In these pages, I've tried to do this," he added.

The book will recount Springsteen's drive to become a musician and why the song "Born to Run" reveals more than fans previously realized, Simon & Schuster said.

New Jersey-born Springsteen and his E Street band have become one of the most iconic U.S. rock bands in the past 40 years, releasing music like "Born in the U.S.A." and "Glory Days" that capture the dreams and disappointments of ordinary working Americans.

He has sold more than 120 million albums worldwide, won 20 Grammy awards, an Oscar, and is currently on a U.S. tour performing songs from his re-released 1980 double album "The River."
Long known for its cigars and rum, Cuba has added organic honey to its list of key agricultural exports, creating a buzz among farmers as pesticide use has been linked to declining bee populations elsewhere.

Organic honey has become Cuba's fourth most valuable agricultural export behind fish products, tobacco and drinks, but ahead of the Caribbean island's more famous sugar and coffee, said Theodor Friedrich, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) representative for Cuba.

"All of [Cuba's] honey can be certified as organic," Friedrich told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "Its honey has a very specific, typical taste; in monetary value, it's a high ranking product."

After the collapse in 1991 of the Soviet Union, Cuba's main trading partner, the island was unable to afford pesticides due to a lack of foreign currency, coupled with the U.S. trade embargo. By necessity, the government embraced organic agriculture, and the policies have largely stuck.

Now that the United States is easing its embargo following the restoration of diplomatic ties last year, Cuba's organic honey exporters could see significant growth if the government supports the industry, bee keepers said.

Cuba produced more than 7,200 tons of organic honey in 2014, worth about $23.3 million, according to government statistics cited by the FAO.

The country's industry is still tiny compared with honey heavyweights such as China, Turkey and Argentina. But with a commodity worth more per liter than oil, Cuban honey producers believe they could be on the cusp of a lucrative era.

Big Dreams, Little Cash

With 80 boxes swarming with bees, each producing 45 kg (100 lb) of honey per year, farm manager Javier Alfonso believes Cuba's exports could grow markedly in the coming years.

His apiary, down a dirt track in San Antonio de los Banos, a farming town an hour's drive from the capital Havana, was built from scratch by employees, Alfonso said.

"There is just a bit of production now, but it can get bigger," he said, looking at the rows of colorful wooden boxes.

Like other Cuban bee farmers, he sells honey exclusively to he government, which pays him according to the world market price and then takes responsibility for marketing the product overseas.

Most of Cuba's honey exports go to Europe, he said. He would like to be able to borrow money to expand production, but getting credit is difficult, he said, so for now his team of farmers build their own infrastructure for the bees.

"It's a very natural environment here," said Raul Vasquez, a farm employee. "The government is not allowed to sell us chemicals - this could be the reason why the bees aren't dying here" as they have been in other places.

Organic Advantage

While Cuba's small, organic honey industry aims to reap the rewards of increased trade with the United States, honey producers in other regions are under threat, industry officials said.

Beekeepers in the United States, Canada and other regions have long complained that pesticides are responsible for killing their bees and hurting the honey industry more broadly.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a study in January indicating that a widely-used insecticide used on cotton plants and citrus groves can harm bee populations.

"I don't think there are any doubts that populations of honey bees [in the United States and Europe] have declined... since the Second World War," Norman Carreck, science director of the U.K.-based International Bee Research Association told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Climate change, fewer places for wild bees to nest, shifts in land use, diseases and pesticides are blamed for the decline, he said.

Because it is pesticide-free, Cuba's organic bee industry could act as protection from the problems hitting other honey exporters, said the FAO's Friedrich, and could be a growing income stream for the island's farmers.

"The overall use of pesticides is fairly controlled, he said. "Cuba has been immune to the bee die-offs [hitting other regions]."
While world powers gathered in Munich negotiate an ambitious cease-fire plan for Syria, forces on the ground are growing increasingly desperate, resorting to shifting strategies and alliances to survive.

It is a scenario likely only to further confuse the military situation on the ground and potentially worsen a humanitarian crisis that already has grown to epic proportions.

The Syrian Center for Policy Research reported Thursday that at least 470 thousand people have been killed in Syria since the beginning of the war.

Some Western officials are beginning to despair of a solution.

It is an absolute mess there, a U.S. official told VOA, citing a part of northern Syria known as the Manbij pocket as an example.

There are so many competing parties," the official said. Its really difficult to tell you what the ground truth is.

Officials say alliances among the various rebels groups in Syria often shift by the day.

Its difficult to plan when things are constantly changing, the U.S. official added.

Although Russian and Iranian support for the regime of President Bashar al Assad is clear, there is no consensus on how far the Russians and the Iranians are willing to go once pro-regime forces ultimately take the city of Aleppo.

It is also unclear what the U.S. will do to protect its partners on the ground, such as the Syrian opposition rebels or the Syrian Kurds.

Kurds open office in Moscow

Perhaps sensing that the tide of power is changing as the Russian and Iranian-backed regime forces decimate the Syrian opposition, Syrias Kurds on Wednesday opened up a representation office in Moscow.

Russia is a great power and an important actor in the Middle East. It is, in fact, not only an actor, but also it writes the script, said Merab Shomoyev, chairman of the International Union of Kurdish Public Associations at the opening.

Michael Pregent, a former U.S. intelligence officer now an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute, said the move both helps protect the Kurds and allows Moscow to antagonize neighboring Turkey by allying itself with a Turkish enemy.

Its a brilliant move by the Kurds and a brilliant move by the Russians, Pregent told VOA.

It creates a buffer zone [with Turkey] and makes it look like Russia is establishing alliances on the ground, Pregent said. The Kurds on the ground now have a guarantor in Russia that they couldnt find in the U.S.

Still friends with US

Henri Barkey of the Wilson Institute said the Syrian Kurds decision would not significantly impact the United States, which has been working closely with the group to fight Islamic State (IS) extremists.

The Syrian Kurds are looking to make as many friends as possible, and the Russians clearly want to show the Americans and everyone else that if you dont treat the Kurds well, we will take advantage,' said Barkey.

I would not say it is a game changer by any stretch of the imagination, he said. Fundamentally, from the Syrian Kurd perspective, the most important relationship is the one with Washington.

According to Barkey, the United States has trained the Syrian Kurds since 2014, when IS swept up large swathes of land in Iraq and Syria; supplied them with equipment; invited Syrian Kurd representatives to the U.S. operations cell in Irbil, northern Iraq.



This relationship is much deeper than people think, said Barkey.

Protection from Turkey

Everyone is playing to the benefit of their own interests, explained Bassam Barabandi, a former Syrian diplomat turned co-founder of the international development organization, People Demand Change.

The Russians benefit because they want to give Turkey a tough time, and Turkey cannot attack the Kurds because they are under the protection of Russian planes," said Barabandi.

Turkey historically has had contentious relations with its own ethnic Kurds, who have agitated for autonomy inside Turkey and maintained armed wings in neighboring Iraq.

Ankara is trying to prevent Syrian Kurdish fighters, or YPG, from forming a proto-state along its border in the fear that it would further galvanize Kurds in Turkey.

Were not going to let Ankara, Tehran or Damascus ... any of those people break the bonds of brotherhood that holds Kurds together, said Osman Baydemir of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democracy Party (HDP) in Turkey.

Russias outreach to the Kurds while conducting a brutal bombing campaign against the Syrian opposition has effectively changed the dynamics on the ground in the fight against IS, according to Barabandi.

The people are asking the anti-regime fighters to give up in order to stop the Russian attacks, he said. We will soon be reaching a point where there is no military opposition with heavy weight, and Russia will tell the world you chose us, or them.'

Seeking new allies

Analysts fear a different outcome: that the currently West-supported moderate Syrian opposition groups who are quickly losing ground could turn to the al Qaida affiliate in Syria, Jabhat al Nusra, for a chance to fight back.

Russia and Iran, already working through various militias and Hezbollah in Syria, also may be looking for new allies.

Both the Russians and the Iranians are growing increasingly interested in using proxies rather than their own forces to fight in Syria, U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told lawmakers this past Tuesday.

The Russians are incurring casualties. The Iranians are, he said.

The shifting alliances do not bode well for an end to the conflict.

From a humanitarian point of view, it is sad, Barabandi said. The people, they lost everything.
In Cuba, friends must be face to face to have a conversation. This is not a matter of courtesy, but because the Internet and other forms of modern communication are still a luxury on the island.

Although almost everyone has a smartphone, ironically, the devices can only be used to receive and make phone calls. There is no accessing social media, no texting, no sending email.

Internet access on mobile devices is limited to a few public parks. Having it in the comfort of one's home is still only a dream. Except for a small elite  mostly senior government officials  no one has Internet at home.

Getting connected with the Internet begins in small shops called Center Agent Telecommunications. There, vendors who have government authorization sell small pieces of paper, the size of a matchbox, containing Internet passwords.

Each piece costs 2.50 CUC Convertible Pesos, one of the two currencies circulating in Cuba. Each CUC equals about 90 cents.

But that piece of paper is still nothing more than paper if it is not combined with a semi-open Internet connection, located in some parks and a handful of hotels.

In the Park Beach Township 30, for example, about 15 minutes from downtown Havana, hundreds of Cubans come day and night in search of Internet access. Recently, about 50 people were there, each holding a phone, chatting with friends or family abroad or catching up on social networks.

The only application that allows video calls from Cuba is Imo. For some reason, the government of Raul Castro has not restricted the service, as it has with other similar applications.

Seemingly big changes

Even though the Internet access here pales in comparison to that of many developing countries, New York native Suki John, a dance teacher who has worked occasionally on the island for many years, calls it a breakthrough.

"I was last here a year and a half ago, and to have Internet then was unthinkable, John said. There was none of this. Since President [Barack] Obama and Raul are negotiating, things have changed a lot, have improved. Having Internet in parks has allowed Cubans to take a look at the rest of the world, and know what is happening."

John also visits the park to make use of the Internet. For 50 cents, he bought one of the paper passes from a scalper, giving him access to the government Wi-Fi called ETECSA.

Jaziel Hernandez is among the many older people who use the park to communicate with relatives in the United States. She spoke with her daughter and granddaughter in Miami.

"It is a wonder, Hernandez said. Did you see me, how I was talking to my granddaughter?  It would be nice to have Internet in every house ... but this is better than nothing."

At about $3 an hour, the price for Internet access is still too expensive for many middle-class Cubans, who earn about $30 a month.

Charm for some

However, John said that limited access to the Internet has its good side.

"Here, people still gather to talk, he said. They go to a friend's house to ask him out. They have not lost that human contact we, particularly young people, have already lost. It has its charm. "

But for young people like 17-year-old Yaxon, the charm would be to have Internet on your mobile phone  or at home.

"That would be a dream," he said.

At least for now, that dream still seems distant.
Japan is frustrated with North Korea's decision dismissing an investigation into its abductions of Japanese citizens decades ago.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday it is "extremely regrettable" that North Korea has decided to discard the investigation.

Pyongyang opted to quash the probe Friday after fresh sanctions were imposed by Tokyo over North Korea's recent nuclear and long-range rocket tests.

In 2002, North Korea admitted to kidnapping 13 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and '80s to train spies in the Japanese language and culture. Five were allowed to return home in 2002. North Korea said the remaining eight had died, but did not provide any proof.

Japan believes hundreds more of its citizens were abducted and some may still be alive.
The International Criminal Court ruled Friday that some testimony against Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto and a co-defendant, who are on trial for alleged war crimes related to post-election violence, was inadmissible.

The judges said prosecutors could no longer use depositions made before the start of the case by five witnesses who later recanted their testimony against Ruto and broadcaster Joshua Sang.

Ruto's lawyers were expected to renew their argument that the case should be dropped because of a lack of evidence.

Prosecutors said they were "currently studying" the decision. They have alleged that the witnesses who recanted their testimony were bribed or threatened to pull out of the case.

A similar case at the ICC against Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta collapsed last year, also after witnesses recanted their testimony.

The Ruto-Sang trial opened in 2013. Both men deny accusations that they provoked violence that left more than 1,200 people dead after Kenya's 2007 disputed elections.

Kenya's government has strongly criticized the International Criminal Court, which is based in The Hague, and has urged African countries to pull out of it, saying it unfairly targets African countries.

The Kenyatta case was a major test for the ICC, which has secured only two convictions since it began operating in 2002.

In 2014, Kenyatta became the first sitting president to appear before the ICC, when he attended a key hearing meant to determine whether the case against him should be dropped.

Had the trial gone forward, Kenyatta would have become the first sitting head of state to undergo prosecution at the ICC.
The crisis in Syria has reached a turning point, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday, and decisions made in the near future could either end the war or define a very difficult set of choices for the future.



We hope this week can be a week of change, Kerry told the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

"This moment is a hinge point," Kerry said, using a seldom-heard phrase in English that means a turning point at which significant change occurs.

"Decisions made in the coming days, weeks and months can end the war in Syria," Kerry continued. "Or, if the wrong choices are made, they can open the door to even wider conflict."

Support for European allies



Kerry stressed two main themes in his address to the global forum about security policy:

He emphasized the United States' strong support for its allies in Europe as they confront multiple crises, including the tide of refugees from the Syrian civil war and the uneasy situation in Ukraine between the Kiev government and Russian-supported separatists.

The top U.S. diplomat also spoke at length about the international effort to bring about a cease-fire in Syria, and the focus on ensuring that humanitarian aid can reach besieged civilian areas.

'Defining challenge of our generation'

"Perhaps most urgently," Kerry added, "the United States and Europe are at the forefront of facing what has become a defining challenge of our generation: the fight against violent extremism."

He singled out the Islamic State terror group, declaring "we're going after their fighters" and "destroying their economic lifeline."

Using his customary term Daesh a scornful Arabic acronym  to refer to the Islamic State group, Kerry said: "We're going to defeat Daesh and... our progress is measurable and growing on a steady basis."

Summing up two days of talks among members of the International Syria Support group, Kerry said all sides agreed to work for a quick end to the violence in Syria as an essential first step toward a political solution to the five-year civil war. Despite the U.N. Security Council's demand that "all parties immediately cease any attacks against civilians," he said the Damascus regime's offensive aimed at civilian areas has only increased.

WATCH: Kerry Criticizes Russian Airstrikes in Syria

Russia has continued its airstrikes in northern Syria since the plan for a partial truce was announced early Friday, Moscow's spokesmen have insisted repeatedly that their forces are not targeting civilians. Kerry refuted those claims in his speech Saturday, although he deleted from his text remarks criticizing Russia directly.

"Free-fall bombs are being used, which are not precise," Kerry said. "We all know civilians are being killed."

More talks by Kerry, Lavrov

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Kerry met for hastily arranged private talks late Saturday in Munich. Lavrov had said earlier that Russian and military leaders should work together to help arrange a cease-fire in Syria.



The ISSG, which includes Russia, has declared a "cessation of hostilities" should begin in Syria by Friday, but the terms of that partial cease-fire are being widely questioned.

Lavrov said that everyday military cooperation between Washington and Moscow in particular is the key tool to ensure delivery of humanitarian supplies and an end to hostilities. Until now, Lavrov said, U.S.-Russian military contacts about Syria have not gone beyond an agreement to avoid incidents among military aircraft.

Russia, Ukraine urged to resolve differences



Kerry also addressed the ongoing unrest in Ukraine during his speech, which took place shortly before he sat down for talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.



Their talks took place as a multi-national effort is underway to resolve instability in eastern Ukraine and fully implement the Minsk agreement, which calls for a cease-fire between the government and Russian-backed separatists.



Kerry said Russia had a simple choice  fully implement the Minsk agreement or continue to face economically damaging sanctions imposed by the U.S. and European Union.



The path to sanctions relief is clear, said Kerry. Withdraw weapons and troops from Donbas; ensure that all Ukrainian hostages are returned; allow full humanitarian access to occupied territories.



He added that Ukraine had responsibilities to respect the Minsk agreement as well.



Officials from both Russia and Ukraine referenced the ongoing tensions during their speeches to the security conference.



Mr. Putin [Russian President Vladimir Putin], this is not a civil war in Ukraine. This is your aggression, said President Poroshenko.



Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told the group, "Without doubt, all sides have to abide to the Minsk agreement, but primarily the implementation depends on the authorities in Kiev.
Jesse Tahim spent most of his short, adult life helping other people.

He worked for the Boys and Girls Clubs, Meals on Wheels and Hands for Africa, a non-profit that works with amputees.

But he wanted to do more.

On the side, he wrote hip-hop music and lyrics.

A week before his sudden death in 2014, he told his sister Pamela that he wanted to create a movement to make popular, mainstream hip-hop music more socially conscious.

"It was really my last conversation I had with my brother," Tahim's sister, Pamela, told VOA.

Pamela Tahim is a lawyer and, before her brothers death, she had nothing to do with music. But she decided to make her brother's wish come true.

He already had written lyrics about a call to activism with hip-hop music.

"We basically found all of that after he had passed away, but he told me all about it, Pamela said. And I shared this information with different people and the people were inspired. They heard his song.

I had a music producer remake this song. Some human rights activists put a video to it. And a conversation just developed with a number of people that we need to start a non-profit organization that furthers this mission and purpose."

Compassion into action

In 2014, Kind-Hearted Compassion in Action Foundation was born.

The organization offers a platform to musicians, artists and activists who come from adverse circumstances, allowing them to share their work and create positive social change. The foundation provides mentors and grants.

One of those grant recipients is inLeague Press, which describes itself as people protecting people, with cameras.

"inLeague Press, these are human right activists," Tahim explained. "They basically created a forum through their organization to help mentally ill individuals in particular, and homeless individuals who have been targeted through police brutality."

AJ Redkey is an inLeague Press member.

"We try to stay on top of social change, economic change," he said. "Pamela's [Kind-Hearted Compassion in Action Foundation] gave us the money to get our system upgraded, our computers. Now we can make all our videos, cover those stories throughout California, country and the world."

Artist of the Year

Kind-Hearted Compassion in Action Foundation picked musician Fatell as the recipient of the foundation's Socially Conscious Artist of 2015 award.

"Fatell, he's an amazing musician in the hip-hop industry," Tahim said. "He's all positive work. He doesn't have access to resources, so we're supporting him."

Fatell said his hope is to get his positive music into mainstream hip-hop.

"There is a lot of negative music out that's really influencing our culture, and it's making kids really grow up too fast," he said. "It is making them turn into people that they shouldn't ever be thinking about being. I have a daughter, I'm a young father and I don't want to be an addition to that negative pollution out there the artists put down in the mainstream."

But making music as an independent artist is challenging, Fatell said, not to mention expensive.

"You have to pay for studio time," he explained. "You have to pay for mixing, for mastering, for outfit, for performances, interviews. It's a lot of things. Usually a major label would assist with those things, but since I'm not with a major label right now, a lot of it is self-funded, it's one of the things the Kind-Hearted Compassion is helping me out."

Dream lives on

And the foundation's co-founder, Pamela, said this is just the beginning.

"In the course of this year, we're planning on having several educational seminars," she said. "We're partnering with Chapman University to do that. We already have a partnership with them and we're giving scholarships to students at the university who basically are in line with this mission. [We're] planning on having collaborations of artists and musicians just to network with each other and creating these symposiums where this can take place."

Pamela said she now has a dream of her own: for Kind-Hearted Compassion in Action Foundation to expand and support artists throughout the United States and worldwide.
Aid agencies are gearing up to help millions of people in southern Africa survive one of the driest years in more than three decades.

The United Nations says 14 million people across southern Africa do not know where their next meals are coming from. It says 2.5 million people are in crisis and require urgent humanitarian assistance.

The region is in the grip of an intense drought, driven by one of the strongest El Nino climate events of the last 50 years. El Nino produces extreme drought and acute water shortages in some parts of the world and heavy rainfall and flooding in others.

Lack of rain across southern Africa has caused long delays in planting and has resulted in widespread crop failure. World Food Program spokeswoman Bettina Luescher told VOA that people have struggled to cope with the losses.

They eat fewer and smaller meals," she said. "They take their children out of school so the children can get little jobs and somehow help their families to make some money and try to get some food. They sell off their animals, their livestock, at really low prices. And we have also seen  for example, in Malawi  that there are more and more children being admitted to nutrition centers run by the aid agencies.

People in Western countries spend, on average, 15 percent of their incomes on food. In developing countries, people typically spend up to 60 percent of their incomes. And now, because of the food scarcity, prices are soaring.

The U.N. reports the drought has worsened this situation to such an extent that people can hardly afford to buy even the bare minimum. For example, Luescher said, the cost of maize in southern Malawi has gone up by 175 percent.

So, you have poor harvests last year, the prospect of a bad harvest this year and El Nino lasting into the next year," she said. "The situation is tough.

Luescher says the WFP has been pre-positioning food in warehouses so it has a stock on hand to help people who are on their last legs. She said people often are given cash vouchers to buy food if it is available in the market.

She said the WFP also works with governments to give farmers the tools they need to better withstand crises.
Pakistans president, Mamnoon Hussain, has urged the nation not to celebrate Valentine's Day, the romantic holiday that hardline Muslim clerics want banned but officials in the capital say they cannot suppress.

The president criticized Valentine's Day, which falls on Sunday this year, as a Western import that threatens to undermine the Islamic values of Pakistan.

Despite its roots as a Christian holiday, Valentine's Day has gained popularity among Pakistanis, with flower vendors reporting booming sales this year, as in recent years.

"Valentine's Day has no connection with our culture and it should be avoided," Hussain said at a ceremony celebrating a nationalist leader.

Local media reported earlier in the week that Islamabad would ban celebrations on Valentine's as an "insult to Islam", but city officials later said such a rule would be unenforceable.

Local ban also

In Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, members of the district assembly on Friday unanimously passed a resolution to ban Valentine's Day celebrations.

"A particular segment of our society wants to impose Western values and culture on our youth by celebrating Valentine's Day," said the resolution, which was presented by a member of Jamaat-e-Islami, one of the largest Islamist parties in Pakistan.

Several members of the civil society criticized what they called governments interference in peoples lives and supported Pakistanis right to choose whether or not they want to celebrate Valentines Day.

The ban and opposition by some sections of the society have not deterred people in many cities as they buy flowers, chocolates and red balloons, a leading Pakistani news channel, Geo News, reported.
Pope Francis opened a long-anticipated visit to Mexico on Saturday, demanding that Mexican leaders provide "true justice" and security in a country wracked by years of endemic drug violence, official corruption and poverty.

Francis told President Enrique Pena Nieto and assembled lawmakers in Mexico City that they have a responsibility to help citizens gain access to "indispensable material and spiritual goods," including housing, employment and a peaceful environment.

In a country where drug trafficking has corrupted entire police forces and where drug violence has claimed more than 100,000 lives in recent years, Francis warned against permitting privilege for an elite class at the expense of the rest of society.

"Experience teaches us that each time we seek a path of privilege or benefits for a few to the detriment of the good of all, sooner or later the life of society becomes a fertile soil for corruption, the drug trade, the exclusion of different cultures, violence, and also human trafficking, kidnapping and death," he said.

Thousands of faithful outside the National Palace cheered as the pontiff spoke.

Challenge to clerics

In a separate address to Mexican bishops, Francis urged the clerics to take a more aggressive stand against drug trafficking and corruption. He challenged church leaders to denounce what he called the "insidious threat" posed by trafficking.

Thousands of people packed the streets Saturday to greet the Argentina-born pontiff, who had received a red-carpet welcome late Friday.

On Sunday, Francis will celebrate an open air Mass in Ecatepec, one of the many suburbs of the capital hit by spiraling crime.

Earlier this week in Ecatepec, protesters demanded that the security measures put in place for the papal visit become permanent to combat the daily robberies, kidnappings, extortion and homicides in Ecatepec and elsewhere in the state of Mexico, which includes the capital.

According to the National Citizens Observatory on Femicide (killings of women), in 2011 and 2012, nearly 1,300 girls and women  more than half between the ages of 10 and 17  disappeared in the state of Mexico, while 448 were slain, many in gruesome fashion. Further data show that only about one in four such cases were investigated, with less than 2 percent of those leading to arrests and convictions.

The pope travels Monday to Chiapas, Mexico's poorest state, where he will preside over a Mass conducted in three indigenous languages. He then will visit Morelia, capital of the western state of Michoacan, where farmers in 2013 took up arms to battle the so-called Knights Templar drug cartel.

Francis will cap his visit Wednesday in the U.S.-Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico's former murder capital, where he is expected to address issues of crime, trafficking and migration.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has accused the West of restarting the Cold War, speaking at a security conference in Germany where Ukraine is high on the agenda.

Medvedev told delegates Saturday that "NATO's policies related to Russia remain unfriendly and opaque. One could even go so far as to say we have slid back to a new Cold War."

His words echoed a similar assessment by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the same Munich Security Conference in 2007. But Medvedev said the situation has worsened since then. He said Saturday "the picture is more grim; the developments since 2007 have been worse than anticipated."

Increasing tensions



Tensions between Russia and NATO countries have been increasing over Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine, and backing the Syrian government in that country's civil war.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Saturday said Moscow and Kyiv, the major players in the dispute over Ukraine's Crimean peninsula, must move forward on implementing the peace deal worked out in Minsk last year. He said "not talking to each other in times of crisis can't be the answer," and said in a written statement the parties are "a fair way" away from implementing the deal.

Lavrov concerned about NATO's plans

On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with the head of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, on the sidelines of the security conference after the Western military alliance and the United States announced plans for the biggest military buildup in Europe since the Cold War.

Russia's TASS state news agency said Lavrov expressed concern about the Western military alliance's plans to strengthen its presence on Russia's borders.

Earlier Friday, Russian news agencies said Lavrov and Stoltenberg discussed holding a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council, but agreed that the agenda for the meeting still needs to be worked out.

NATO said on its website Friday that Stoltenberg and Lavrov "reviewed NATO-Russia relations and agreed to continue exploring the possibility of a NATO-Russia Council meeting."



The United States is to quadruple military spending in Europe to $3.4 billion in 2017 as NATO increases troops on rotation and training, stockpiles military hardware and arms, and forms a rapid reaction force.

Russia has called NATO's moves a threat to stability in Europe. The military alliance says the news plans are aimed at reassuring eastern European allies concerned about Russian aggression.
South Korean companies hit hard by Seoul's decision to suspend operations at an inter-Korean industrial complex are trying to save the joint venture from being permanently abandoned.

Until recently, the Kaesong Industrial Complex was a rare example of substantive economic engagement between the two Koreas, raising hope for serious economic exchanges and better ties between the two nations.

The industrial park, situated in the North Korean border city of Kaesong, was home to 124 South Korean companies that employed about 54,000 North Korean workers. Last year, the output of the companies at the complex exceeded $500 million for the first time since its opening in 2004, according to the South Korean government.

Nuclear tensions

A monthlong standoff over Pyongyang's provocative nuclear posture, however, turned it into a military zone.

South Korea suspended all operations at the complex Wednesday in response to North Korea's nuclear test and long-range missile launch. North Korea responded by expelling all South Korean employees from the facility, forcing them to leave on short notice.

The communist country also froze assets in the complex and ordered its military to take over the zone.

"We are appealing to both governments to revive the Kaesong Industrial Complex, which is a symbol of inter-Korean economic cooperation and peaceful coexistence," said an association of the South Korean companies in a statement.

Heavy financial toll

Park Yong-man, who ran a garment factory in the complex, told VOA the two governments should allow company representatives to visit the site and bring back equipment, goods and raw materials to South Korea.

"We are sincerely hoping that the South Korean authority will ask the North Korean authority for talks and the North Korean authority will cooperate on the request," Park said.

The shutdown is expected to impose a heavy financial toll on the companies, mostly small- and medium-size firms. Some experts estimated the move could cost them more than $1.6 billion.

Seoul announced a plan Friday to provide financial assistance to the companies and vowed to minimize the damage as much as possible. The plan includes a measure to provide them with $230 million immediately through insurance.

Reopening unlikely

Despite the appeal, experts say there appears to be little hope that the complex will reopen.

Nam Kwang-kyu, a professor at Seoul-based Korea University who specializes in North Korea, said Seoul is not likely to budge unless Pyongyang changes its nuclear stance.

"Given growing nuclear and missile threats posed by North Korea, Seoul must have felt it had to use its last leverage over Pyongyang," Nam said.

On Friday, Seoul said it had completely cut the supply of electricity and water to the complex and areas nearby. This marked the first time that Seoul took such a measure since the opening of the complex.

Before the shutdown, Seoul provided 17,000 tons of water a day to Kaesong, which was used by the park's factories and area residents.

Seoul is also keeping its military vigilant against further aggression by Pyongyang.

U.S. sends support

On Thursday, Washington expressed support for Seoul's decision to close the complex, calling it a "principled and firm approach" toward Pyongyang.

Katina Adams, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, told VOA the decision "reflects growing concern in the region about North Korea's growing threat and flagrant disregard of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions."

In defiance of international sanctions, Pyongyang conducted its fourth nuclear test Jan. 6, followed by a long-range missile launch Feb. 7. The launch marked the country's sixth long-range missile test since 1998.
South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar has said he will return to the country's capital, Juba, once his troops are in place to provide security. Machar held a news conference in Addis Ababa a day after South Sudan's president reappointed him as vice president.

Rebel leader Riek Machar told reporters he will soon return to Juba, now that he has been re-appointed vice president of South Sudan.



In this preparation we have difficulties. The government has not committed to transfer our troops," he said. "The international community has committed to a small portion of 400. We are still asking others to help transport these troops in the shortest possible time, so that I can be in Juba. If they transport within three days, I will be in Juba in the next day.

South Sudans warring parties signed a peace deal in August that called for a transitional government of national unity, and a division of powers between the government and the opposition.

Implementation stalled and looked impossible after President Salva Kiir changed the political landscape by establishing 28 states, although the peace agreement is based on an understanding of 10 states.



Machar said the issue of the number of states will be dealt with swiftly:



Once the government is formed, even if it were formed tomorrow, the 28 states will be suspended. And within one month, we should negotiate and come up with a number of states that are agreed. If we fail, we revert to the 10 in the peace agreement, he said.

Machar was previously vice president of South Sudan from independence in 2011 until July 2013, when President Kiir fired him and the rest of the Cabinet.

The political rift erupted into violence that December and has never entirely stopped despite multiple ceasefires. The conflict has displaced more than 2 million in an already poor and underdeveloped country.



Both sides are accused of having committed grave human rights violations during the conflict.


The appointment of Riek Machar as South Sudans first vice president demonstrates President Salva Kiirs commitment to the full implementation of the peace accord signed in Ethiopia on ending the young countrys conflict, according to foreign minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin.

In a press release Friday, Kiir asked Machar to report to Juba next week Friday to be sworn in as part of the process to form a unity transitional government as required in the peace accord.

However it appears Machar and his team are unlikely to meet Kiirs demands to return to the capital, Juba.

The Sudan Tribune newspaper quoted James Gatdet Dak, a spokesman for Machar, as saying that without the implementation of the security arrangement in the peace agreement that includes the demilitarization of Juba, Machar will not return as demanded by Kiir.

This is the reason we said the appointment of the first vice president was rushed and did not follow the sequence of the implementation of the peace agreement. Although it is in line with the provisions of the power sharing agreement, it is a redundant action because the first vice president will not take oath of office until he arrives in Juba, said Dak.

We will not accept this. Dr. Machar will not return to Juba until the capital is demilitarized and our forces are deployed. This is what the peace agreement says. It is for rebuilding trust as well as for protection and deterrence. Somebody has to understand that this is very important.

But Foreign Minister Benjamin says it was wrong for Machar and his team to claim that his appointment as first vice president was rushed.

Really it was not a sudden appointment according to the agreement on the resolution of the conflict in South Sudan. We are at the implementation stage of this agreement and President Salva Kiir had implemented a lot of areas within the agreement and one of those areas was in fact to appoint Dr. Riek Machar because according to the agreement he is the first vice president designate, said Benjamin.

This is a message to the rest of the community, the rest of the world that President Salva is committed to implementation of the peace itself.

Benjamin says there is a need for the first vice president to take up the post he was appointed to, and return to Juba to be sworn in as part of a unity transitional government in an effort to push the country forward by restoring peace in the implementation of the peace accord. He says the process could be expedited if Machar and his team will send troops to be trained as stipulated in the peace accord.

As far as the demilitarization of Juba is concerned in fact the government has been waiting for the SPLM/IO [Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement  In Opposition] and Dr. Riek Machar to send in about 1,500 to be recruited into the joint integrated police with the government police and also his personal 350 who are supposed to be his personal bodyguards are expected to be in Juba, said Benjamin.

The fact that those things are not in place, then the delays are from Dr. Riek Machar. After all now, he is the first vice president of the republic. He can come and oversee those things and become a part of its implementation. Because the implementation process is not by President Salva all alone, he should also be in the country so that they can work together in order to implement it together because this is peace management by the way.
The U.S. State Department voiced fresh concern Saturday over reports of Turkish military strikes on Kurdish militia in northern Syria, urging both Turkey and Syrian Kurds to exercise restraint as tensions approach the breaking point in the troubled region.

Spokesman John Kirby, in a statement, urged both sides to step back, saying they should instead focus on defeating Islamic State extremists who occupy large swaths of northern Syria.

Earlier, Turkey's military shelled Kurdish militia targets north of the embattled city of Aleppo. That bombardment came just hours after Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned that Ankara would act if it faced a threat from across the border.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors Syria's war, said the shelling had targeted the air base and a village captured from insurgents by the YPG militia.

Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its YPG militia to be branches of the Kurdistan Workers Party, (PKK) which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the country.

A Kurdish official confirmed shelling had taken place at the Menagh air base, which he said had been captured by the Kurdish-allied Jaysh al-Thuwwar group rather than the YPG. Both are part of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces alliance.

The shelling took place amid growing anger in Ankara with U.S. backing for the PYD in its fight against Islamic State militants.

The PYD is in control of most of the Syrian side of Turkey's border, and nearby bases in Iraq's Qandil Mountains have been bombed repeatedly by the Turkish military.

Speaking Saturday in Erzincan, in eastern Turkey, Davutoglu said, "When there is any threat to Turkey, we will take in Syria the measures that we took in Iraq and in Qandil and will not hesitate to implement the necessary measures."

Rising refugee numbers

Turkey has been concerned by the tens of thousands of people fleeing to the Turkish border after attacks by Russian-backed Syrian government forces, increasing refugee numbers in the area to 100,000.

Turkey, which already hosts 2.6 million Syrian refugees, has kept the latest arrivals on the Syrian side of the border, in part to pressure Russia to stop its air support for Syrian government forces near Aleppo.

Davutoglu condemned the attacks in Aleppo as "barbarity, tyranny, a war strategy conducted with a medieval mentality," and said hundreds of thousands of people in the region faced starvation if a humanitarian corridor was not opened.

"We will help our brothers in Aleppo with all means at our disposal. We will take those in need, but we will never allow Aleppo to be emptied through an ethnic massacre," he said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, quoted in Turkish newspapers, said Riyadh and Ankara were coordinating plans to intervene in Syria, where Russia has been backing a successful regime offensive against rebels.

"If there is a strategy [against the Islamic State jihadist group], then Turkey and Saudi Arabia could enter into a ground operation," he said.

Cavusoglu said Saudi Arabia was also sending planes to the Turkish base of Incirlik, a key hub for U.S.-led coalition operations against IS already used by Britain, France and the United States for cross-border air raids.

World powers on Friday announced an ambitious plan to stop fighting in Syria within a week, but doubts have emerged about its viability, especially because it did not include the Islamic State militant group or al-Qaida's local branch, which is fighting alongside other rebel groups in several areas.
Ugandan police have sharply denied local media reports that rising tension in the ongoing presidential campaigns could undermine the countrys peace in the run-up to the February 18 general election.

Police officials say they are working with the military and other security agencies to ensure a peaceful environment to enable voters to participate in the electoral process.

This, after the electoral commission issued a directive banning the use of effigies ahead of the election. Officials of the electoral commission say there has been a surge in the use of effigies by political parties for their campaigns, despite an imposed ban by the electoral body in the 2010 general election.

Fred Enanga, spokesman for the Uganda police, says police officers have launched a nationwide campaign to remove all effigies, since, he says, they pose a security threat ahead of the presidential, legislative and local elections.

The police also urged citizens to help with the removal of effigies.

Carrying an effigy, you can find criminals taking advantage of it. Sometimes when its been transported on a truck, you cannot know what is hidden inside. So, for security purposes it was found that it was not proper to continue using, displaying in roadsides, on verandas indicating a liking for them, said Enanga.

Social media



He called on politicians and their supporters to stop using social media platforms including Twitter and Facebook to engage in fear mongering, which he says create unnecessary tension. He says the police have the manpower and are ready to make sure elections are peaceful. Opposition supporters have accused the governing party of intimidation and harassment of supporters - an accusation the ruling party denies.

Officials say, all political parties are heavily using social media as a strategic campaign tool for the first time in the countrys polls. Enanga also says police have beefed up security details for all the presidential candidates, particularly in areas where there have been previous isolated incidents of violence. He denied reports suggesting there are early warning signs of possible election violence.

We want to come out and inform the public and the world that this has been one of the most peaceful electoral campaigns. I must say it has been the most high-tech and at the same time tension-free, because out of 900 campaign programs, I have to confirm that we have less than 10 incidents of violence, said Enanga.

The only difference is that this campaign has been very competitive and it has been very popular that the public has actually shown interest and understood the relevance of the vote as far as elections are concerned In the region that we are today, it is Uganda and the Kampala city which stand out to be one of the most peaceful countries and cities in the region, he added.

Volunteers controversy



Critics say the training of volunteers to help the police to prevent violence at the polls is a ploy by the government to intimidate, harass and ultimately suppress their vote to ensure President Yoweri Museveni wins the presidential election.

That is not true that there is continuous training of militias and equipping them with tools claiming that they were to be used in the protection of votes and so on, said Enanga. It is something that the government came out strongly to condemn and to prohibit, and all those militias were disbanded by the police.

Local media reported a senior member of the governing party warning that there is intelligence that opposition supporters could create chaos in the capital, Kampala, if their candidate fails to win the presidential vote. This prompted Ugandans to demand police ensure peace during the electoral process.

In every campaign you would find there are certain acts of negative campaigning and dirty politics done by candidates who are probably, are behind in the polls. For this we do have credible information of plans by individuals who wanted to promote violence by declaring parallel results to those of the electoral commission, said Enanga.
Energy market watchers credit an increase in oil prices to rumors of a possible production-cut deal that would include Saudi Arabia, other OPEC nations and Russia. The average oil price had dipped well below $30 a barrel recently, but is now around $31.

The rumor that has been circulating in oil markets around the world this week involves a possible deal between Saudi Arabia, other oil-producing states in the same region and Russia. The Saudis would be key, though, because of the desert nations large reserves and its ability to increase or decrease production to affect the world market acting unilaterally.

In an interview with VOA, Jim Krane, geopolitical energy analyst at Rice Universitys James Baker Institute for Policy Study, said that the Saudis would need some large oil-producing states outside of OPEC to cooperate, and they would need to see some cutbacks by large private oil companies as well.

When they see a large enough drop in production and investment and, if indeed, the Russians and a couple of others are willing to go along with it  I could see them cutting production, Krane said. If they did, it would probably be a modest reduction, and I would suspect it would be in heavy oil.

Heavy oil comes out of the ground without natural gas, which the Saudis rely on for much of their domestic energy. Citizens of the kingdom enjoy some of the lowest energy costs in the world.

Krane says one reason Saudi Arabia might like a deal to stabilize international crude oil prices is that the current slump is taking a toll domestically.

The Saudis are very concerned about oil prices, he said. This is on everyones mind over there. We have a new king in power and some new administrators, who are launching some interesting new policies. We are seeing an increase in domestic energy prices in Saudi Arabia for the first time in decades. The price increases themselves have been modest, but the government is saying there are more to come.

Saudis wary of competition

Krane, who recently visited Saudi Arabia and plans to return there next week, says Saudi leaders will be cautious about any deal because they are concerned about competition from the United States and Iran, which is expected to start selling more crude now that international sanctions have been lifted.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration has said that the United States has even greater proven oil reserves than Saudi Arabia based on estimates of what could be produced from deep shale deposits. U.S. producers have used horizontal drilling and rock fracturing technology to free up both oil and gas trapped in shale rock deep underground.

The slump in oil prices has driven some U.S. companies out of the shale fields, but others, working in lower-cost areas, have continued, adding to the glut of oil on the market.

For this reason, Krane does not think the Saudi government will be in a hurry to make any deal to bring prices back up.

Longer term, he said, I think the Saudis see lower oil prices as good for them. Low oil prices can kind of rekindle global demand for oil and make oil competitive with other types of energy, including renewables.

Maintaining market share

Saudi Arabia has been investing heavily in its own solar energy industry, which could one day provide revenue from exported electricity. Krane also thinks the Saudis see some long-term benefit in U.S. shale oil development if it would provide the world a steady source of oil to stabilize markets and take some of that burden off Saudi Arabia.

But, he says, Saudi Arabia does not want to see too much competition develop and risk losing the market share that makes the desert kingdom a rich and important nation on the world scene.
Former Grain Marketing Board (GMB) workers, whose contracts were terminated following a Supreme Court sometime last year which gave employers the right to sack workers after giving them a three-month notice, are camping at the company headquarters demanding outstanding salaries and allowances.

The former workers say the government should intervene as they are now living from hand to mouth.

Stephen Machaya, GMB Workers Union president said they will stay put as GMB has not bothered to address their grievances.

At the time of our dismissal GMB was owing us salary arrears of more than 10 months and here we are not even talking about terminal benefits. We have nowhere to go right now as landlords where we are staying are demanding rent.

We will stay here as long as it takes  We have nowhere to go because we do not even have money for transport.

Over 1,264 GMB workers were dismissed last year following the Supreme Court ruling.
First Lady Grace Mugabe on Friday tore into a Zanu PF faction allegedly led by Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa calling itself Team Lacoste as factionalism continues to ravage the ruling party.

Indications are that the first family appears to be in panic mode.

Addressing thousands of Zanu PF supporters at Kanyemba School in Chiweshe, Mashonaland Central Province, Mrs. Mugabe said President Robert Mugabe is not happy with growing factionalism in his party.

Mrs. Mugabe took a swipe at Team Lacoste, a Zanu PF faction allegedly led by Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, saying the camp is fueling divisions in the fractious ruling party.

Mngangagwa is reportedly angling himself to succeed President Mugabe when he eventually leaves office while the First Lady, who allegedly leads a group calling itself Generation 40 or G40, today said she is concerned about people linking her to the group.

Mrs. Mugabe told supporters  without mentioning names - that some people in Zanu PF have too much zeal for power in such a way that they now want to remove President Mugabe from his position even through illegal means.

She warned that such people would be expelled from the ruling party. She openly defended Higher Education Minister Jonathan Moyo, who has been trading barbs with presidential spokesperson George Charamba on social networking sites over Mr. Mugabes succession question.

The first lady said she was aware that the recent bombing attempt on her dairy project was engineered by some unnamed Zanu PF stalwarts, who want to be at the helm of the countrys leadership.

Mrs. Mugabe reiterated that her husband would be the Zanu PF presidential candidate in the 2018 elections saying he is the only person who can ensure that there is peace in the country.

She added that President Mugabe has lost confidence in some of the people that he was touting as his successors, warning that votes of no confidence would be soon be passed on these people.

Studio 7 failed to get a comment from Mnangagwa, who was said to be busy attending state business. Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko, who attended todays rally, said he was

not happy with some Zanu PF leaders that are pushing the tribal card as the race to succeed Mr. Mugabe intensifies.

At the same time, Mrs. Mugabe also warned Zanu PF to be on high alert as the People First movement, which would be allegedly led by former vice president Joice Mujuru, is making in-roads countrywide.

Mrs. Mujuru was expelled from Zanu PF ahead of the ruling partys 2014 congress on allegations of plotting to assassinate Mr. Mugabe. The former deputy, however, has dismissed these allegations as completely fabricated to tarnish her image.

Speaking at the same rally, Local Government Minister, Saviour Kasukuwere, who is also the ruling partys secretary for the commissariat, told the rally he was prepared to die in the defense of Mr. Mugabe.

Kasukuwere also warned the partys provincial chairpersons in Midlands, Mashonaland East and

Masvingo, where violence reared its ugly head ahead of the explosive Zanu PF politburo meeting held on Wednesday, that they would be expelled from Zanu PF for allegedly sabotaging the president and bringing the name of the ruling party into disrepute.

Some political analysts told Studio 7 that first ladys remarks Friday, indicate that it would not be so long before Mr. Mugabe reshuffles the presidium and cabinet.

The First Lady, who started a relationship with the head of state when the late First Lady Sally Mugabe was on her death bed, stunned supporters when she said she was not a woman of easy virtue.

Mrs. Mugabe also called for a non-partisan process in the distribution of food aid saying hunger knows no politics. This comes at a time when supporters of the MDC led by former prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai have been accusing authorities of denying them aid as the El Nino-induced drought ravages the country. The first lady said the Chinese will provide money for the construction of a new house of parliament in Mt Hampden just outside Harare and criticized some legislators who were bunking parliament.

The controversial first lady took the opportunity to distribute food supplies, farming equipment, computers and clothing, among other goods.
The trial of former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe adviser and Zanu PF legislator, Munyaradzi Kereke, who is accused of raping his two nieces about six years ago continued Thursday with the prosecution centered on the gun used in the alleged commissioning of the crime.

Kereke is accused of raping his then 11-year-old niece and fondling the breasts of the other, then 15, all of them at gunpoint.

Kereke is denying the charges saying the gun in question, a property of the central bank, had already been returned to the bank during the alleged assault.

Kereke had been issued with the revolver after he alleged that there were people threatening his life. He reportedly took it back after saying the threats were no longer apparent.

However, appearing before private prosecutor, Charles Warara, head of RBZ security, Gracium Muradzikwa, said his superior, one Mirirai Chiremba, approached him sometime in 2010 asking if he could take the gun and back-date it in his records so that it would appear like it had been surrendered at an earlier date.

Muradzikwa told the court that he refused to take the gun which Chiremba wanted to smuggle back into the banks security division.

The case against Kereke is that sometime in March 2010 he fondled the breasts of his niece who was 15. He is also accused of raping the girls younger sister three months later.

The parents of the victims reside in America and United Kingdom respectively and the court heard the girls were staying with their grandparents when the alleged incidents occurred.

Kereke is represented by James Makiya and Nathan Chigoro after firing his previous lawyers, James Makiya and Nathan Chigoro for reason not yet explained.

After continuously refusing to allow the case to go for private prsecution, Prosecutor General , Johannes Tomana, was in October taken to court and the judge slapped him with a 30-day imprisonment for contempt of court if he did not issue certificates of private prosecution for the case including two others involving, Telecel Zimbabwe and a Harare man Francis Maramwidze.

For analysis Studio 7 asked legal commentator, Kucaca Phulu, if the delay in prosecuting the case may go in the accuseds favor.

In such a matter, it is open to the accused person in conducting his defense to request that the matter be referred to the Constitutional Court because he will allege that there has been an undue delay in the prosecution of the case and it is prejudicing him in a number of ways.

Phulu said at the Constitutional Court Kereke can succeed if the state is able to justify the delay, adding the the accused persons rights cannot be breached by the state because Tomana represents the state and is the one who delayed the prosecution of the case.
The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) led by Morgan Tsvangirai has expelled its lawmaker, Matson Hlalo, accusing him of dragging the name of the party in the mud, disrespecting its leadership and fomenting factionalism.

Officials say Senator Hlalo has caused a lot of conflict in the party by litigating against its leadership and refusing to withdraw his cases from the courts.

Hlalos ouster comes amid lingering intra-party tensions in Bulawayo between his followers and a faction allegedly aligned to party Vice President Thokozani Khupe.

The two factions have fought running battles before. Hlalo was defiant on Friday, telling Studio 7 he remains a member of the party.

Thokozani Khupe is the one causing all the commotion in the party, Hlalo charged.

These people are bringing their friends and relatives and give them positions in the party. But we are saying no, we cant have that.

Khupe was not available for comment.

Party spokesman for Bulawayo province, Felix Magalela Mafa, said Hlalo has no one but himself to blame because he refused to attend his disciplinary hearing.
War veterans Minister Christopher Mutsvangwa and his wife, Monica, have been expelled from the War Veterans Association following accusations that they are undermining the authority of President Robert Mugabe.

In a statement, the war veterans said they have also suspended two war veterans leaders Headman Moyo and secretary general Victor Matemadanda.

The war veterans noted that they were disowning Mutsvangwa due to his wayward and functionally sabotage leadership as a result of recent utterances mismanagement and undermining the authority of the president.

Mutsvangwa was recently caught up in a war of words with Education Minister Jonathan Moyo, who pinned the war veteran on allegations that he was a front for Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The vice president, who allegedly leads a Zanu PF faction calling itself Lacoste, is believed to be harboring presidential ambitions. He has already dismissed these claims saying he is loyal to the president.

Moyo and Matemadanda are accused of supporting failing to abide by some war veterans regulations in conducting business of the association such as elections and related issues.

Matemadanda told Studio 7 he is not going anywhere. There was no comment from Mutsvangwas, who were said to be busy attending some meetings.

Another Zanu PF faction calling itself Generation 40, which is fronting First Lady Grace Mugabe as a likely successor of the president, appears to have a strong backing of Mr. Mugabe.

Zanu PF has been unstable since last year when it expelled several members, including former Vice President Joice Mujuru, who allegedly wanted to topple President Mugabe.

They have dismissed these allegations as baseless.
into it

Taylor Swift Is the Greatest Self-Portraitist of Our Time As we near the release of her new album, Midnights, we try to figure out whether well truly know her  and if that even matters.
As Jean, an alcoholic single mother in Glassland, Toni Collette seethes and laughs and screams and flails, allowing herself to become animalistic, unbalanced, terrifying. Shes terrific, and terrifically committed  but believe it or not, its not her movie. The performance holding the film together belongs to Jack Reynor, as her son John, a young Dublin cabbie trying to keep her alive. Addiction dramas are a dime a dozen, and they usually traffic in the same kinds of cliches and broad, look-at-me-Im-wild-and-fucked-up performances. Collette is better than most others at it, but Glassland smartly plays off Jeans unhinged disintegration against Johns tense, subdued control. In that contrast lies the power of this film.

Glassland is really Johns story, and its steeped in his frustration. As John drives around in his cab, director Gerard Barrett places the camera in the backseat, looking out through the windshield, giving the sense of both movement and entrapment. (Is that the glassland in question here?) Unlike his friend Shane (Will Poulter), whos planning to leave town despite a doting mother and a baby he barely sees, John dares not go anywhere. His family is too broken for him to do something so selfish as to give up and go away. His younger brother Kit (Harry Nagle) has Down syndrome and doesnt live at home; Jean, who was never able to love Kit, doesnt want the boy there. She cant even bring herself to go to his birthday party.

So much of Glassland is about John quietly trying to keep things from falling apart, and it takes a special performer to make this kind of internalized torment compelling. Reynor is a young Irish actor who has already lined up some impressive credits: He had the riveting lead in Room, director Lenny Abrahamsons 2012 feature What Richard Did, and he gives excellent supporting turns in A Royal Night Out and the Sundance sensation Sing Street. (Along the way, he also somehow managed a big role as the young hunk in the last Transformers movie, so, um, yeah, that.) So much of the film just requires him to stare and react, or not react, as it were. But we can feel that there is something going on in his head. We read his melancholy and his slow, simmering anger.

Glassland doesnt fuss with the details of addiction and quitting. Rather, it focuses on their emotional and existential toll. Early on, John finds his mom unconscious and at the edge of death; at the hospital they tell him her liver is slowly failing. But for him, getting her to quit the sauce is less about making her healthy again and more about bringing the person she once was back to life, even if its for the last time. He shoots a video of her having a drunken meltdown, and later shows it to her, in a rare moment of defiance and anger. This woman is not my mother, he yells. Shes an animal, and an impostor. I want my mother back!

But John is also dying, in a sense. He keeps himself largely closed off, and its almost as if hes slowly disappearing as a person  especially later in the film, when he finds himself taking on some unsavory jobs (kept suggestively vague) in an effort to get the money to put mom in a better place. Its an act of doomed mutual sacrifice. Both mom and son are headed towards oblivion, but he wants to find a way, even if its ever so briefly, of making his family whole again. At least theyll all go down together.
Baylor University gospel choir Heavenly Voices will headline Gospel Fest 2016 at 7 p.m. Saturday at Carver Park Baptist Church, 1020 Herring Ave.

Local and college choirs from area institutions also will perform.

Tickets cost $10 and are free to ages 10 and younger.

To purchase tickets, visit http://goo.gl/forms/aKq9FmW0XV.

Chamber Family Expo

The Centex Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a 2016 Family Expo from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Waco Convention Center, 100 Washington Ave.

The event will include 60 vendor booths; fashion shows at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.; a car show from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; live music at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; and a lunch buffet at 11:30 a.m.

Admission is free. People who donate two canned food items will receive a free raffle ticket for hourly drawings.

For more information, call 754-7111.

Cat show

Big Tex Cat Club is sponsoring an International Cat Association cat show from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Extraco Events Center, 4601 Bosque Blvd.

The event will feature 150 cats and approximately 35 breeds, as well as vendors and rescue organizations, with cats available for adoption.

Admission costs $5, $4 for seniors or military, $3 for ages 6 and older and is free to ages 5 and younger.

For more information, call Jenny Hamons at 716-1356.

Concerto finals online

On Saturday in Washington, D.C., Interlochen Arts Academy student and flute player Mei Stone, of Waco, will compete as one of seven finalists for The Presidents Own U.S. Marine Band Concerto Competition for high school students.

The competition finals can be viewed live online at 2 p.m. Saturday at www.marineband.marines.mil.

The competition winner will receive a $2,500 scholarship from the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation and an opportunity to perform a solo with The Presidents Own U.S. Marine Band on April 10.

Pet health clinic

Animal Birth Control Clinic, 3238 Clay Ave., will conduct a pet preventive health and microchip clinic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

Services will include microchips, distempter/parvo vaccinations, feline vaccinations, heartworm testing, flea treatment and heartworm prevention.

For pricing information, visit www.animalbirthcontrol.org or call 776-7303.

UU book discussion

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Waco, 4209 N. 27th St., will host a discussion group about the book Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, by lawyer and activist Bryan Stevenson, at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.

The discussion continues at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 28, March 13 and 27 and April 10.

Stevenson represented death row inmates for more than 25 years.

For more information, email Pastor Kris Cervantes at minister@uuwaco.org.

Submit items for Briefly in printed or typed form to Briefly, P.O. Box 2588, Waco 76702-2588; fax to 757-0302; or email to goingson@wacotrib.com at least one week before an event.
The trial of a biker arrested in the deadly May 17 Twin Peaks shootout was postponed Friday as evidence in the complex case continues to be analyzed and other pretrial matters unfold.

Judge Matt Johnson set an April 1 hearing date to consider a change of venue motion filed by the attorney for Hewitt biker Matthew Clendennen, a member of the Scimitars motorcycle group, whose trial had been set for Feb. 29.

The judge considered other pretrial motions Friday during a brief hearing in Clendennens case.

McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna assured Clendennens attorney, Clint Broden, of Dallas, that his office is providing evidence for the 106 bikers indicted in the incident as quickly as it becomes available.

Broden filed a motion seeking the identities of any undercover police officers used by law enforcement as they investigated escalating tension between the Bandidos and Cossacks motorcycle groups.

Reyna asked the judge to review in his chambers  and to seal them from public disclosure  documents that contain the name of a confidential informant and determine if the officers name should be divulged. Broden concurred, and the judge agreed to do so.

Reyna told the court that the identities of any undercover officers used in a two-year federal investigation of the Bandidos in San Antonio are sealed by the federal court and he has no current access to those records.

Three national leaders of the Bandidos were indicted in federal court in January on racketeering and other charges.

Reyna filed a motion for a continuance in Clendennens case last month, but he said Friday that it would not be necessary to hear it.

Reyna sought the continuance because, according to his motion, it could be up to a year before certain evidence, including ballistic and DNA analyses, is completed at various state and federal labs.

Because of that, Reyna said Brodens motion for the state to reveal its expert witnesses also would have to wait. Reyna said until the evidence is analyzed and returned, he cannot provide an expert witness list to defense attorneys, but promised to do so as quickly as he knows.
Touting experience and hands-on work, the three candidates vying for the McLennan County sheriffs seat are making their last campaigning push before early voting starts Tuesday.

The three Republicans face off in the March 1 primary, but residents can cast their ballot early for incumbent Parnell McNamara, Waco police Sgt. Patrick Swanton or Pastor Willie Tompkins.

Early voting starts Tuesday and runs through Feb. 26.

Tompkins, 66, of Robinson, said a lot of things over the years would have been handled differently if he had been sheriff, and he plans to bring common sense to the office. A sheriff needs to have a relationship with each police chief in the county and work alongside other agencies to ensure the protection of residents, he said.

I bring experience and common sense in an effort to bring the whole county together, Tompkins said.

Tompkins said he has more than 17 years of experience in law enforcement in McLennan County, including nine years as a Waco police officer, seven years as chief investigator for the McLennan County District Attorneys Office and a stint as chief of the McLennan Community College Police Department. Tompkins said hes also educated, with two masters degrees, and knows how to develop relationships as shown by his 36 years as a pastor.

I have some administrative experience that these guys dont have, he said.

Tompkins said a sheriff should be more involved in the community, and if elected, he would attend city council meetings in each city to listen to concerns and encourage cooperation. He said he would also institute more sensitivity training for deputies. Tompkins said hed also like to start a program for youths to connect them with deputies and give them positive role models to help keep them law-abiding citizens.

Swanton, 54, Waco Police Department spokesman and team leader of the Hostage Negotiation Unit, said hes already developed a plan to quickly implement when he takes office, but it doesnt involve firings.

Mr. McNamara made that mistake initially and cost the taxpayers $2 million in litigation costs, Swanton said.

Swanton said he wants to bring stability back to the office and, through professional leadership, allow other people in the office to shine.

Waco is on the rise, and I want to be part of that leadership to see our community grow and be a sheriff our community and citizens are proud of, Swanton said.

The role of sheriff is about more than just throwing people in jail, Swanton said. It is not an accomplishment to tout how many people have been arrested, when thats what law enforcement does, he said. Accomplishments are how the department has progressed, through training or employee retention, and how it works with other agencies, among other things, Swanton said.

I think we can be a real leader in that, he said. What youre seeing is a stagnant role from the leader in that organization and all he focuses on is throwing people in jail.

Deputies also need to be moved back into the unincorporated areas of the county, which have been neglected as theyve been directed to work inside city limits, Swanton said. The county has good law enforcement throughout its cities, and the sheriffs office should work with, not around, those agencies, he said.

Swanton said one of the first steps he would take is assigning a deputy to the local U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force. Waco police use that asset in the community, and the cost savings for the sheriffs office would be tremendous as the U.S. Marshals arrest the high-risk offenders, he said.

Swanton said his leadership skills, varied experience and track record of law enforcement work make him the best candidate. Swanton served in patrol, as a SWAT officer, as a DARE and Crime Prevention officer, spokesman, sergeant and as supervisor of the Hostage Negotiation Unit.

McNamara, 69, of Waco, said he stands on his record and work done over the past three years in office.

McNamara said he has worked to protect and serve the county and make it a safer place to live.

I think the one thing Im most proud of is the way the men and women of the sheriffs office have been motivated in their effort in every front, McNamara said. Just the effort they are all putting forth is a total law enforcement effort, and thats what makes me the proudest, to watch the men and women of this good organization working so hard for the common goal.

Since hes been in office, McNamara said, hes increased patrols and arrests and also established an Organized Crime Unit and a Fugitive Apprehension and Special Task Unit. He touted the department bomb squads efforts in assisting surrounding counties as well as his efforts to increase training for the SWAT team and other departments.

Were addressing the drug problem very strongly, he said.

McNamara said the Criminal Investigation Division has conducted four prostitution and child predator stings in the past year, resulting in 139 arrests.

As your sheriff, Im going to continue that effort, he said.

McNamara said he wants to continue to serve on the front line with his fellow officers.
Earlier this year, U.S. marshals announced the arrest of Rosain Moreno, a 27-year-old Pennsylvania man, who allegedly convinced a 13-year-old girl to run away from her parents and travel with him to South Carolina. Once the child was reported missing, police asked the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force to get involved. Fortunately, they acted quickly, locating and arresting Moreno in South Carolina and bringing the young girl home safely.

Days before Morenos arrest, the Presidents Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons met in Washington. Eleven human trafficking survivors were introduced as members of the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking. The council was created in accordance with the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation we introduced and President Obama signed into law last year. These survivors all have different stories, but they have all lived the nightmare of human slavery. The council will convene to make policy recommendations on how to continue the fight against this despicable scourge in our nation.

This year, instead of calling for new legislation, we are marking the impactful changes in federal law to combat human trafficking. While we have already seen positive outcomes in the first eight months of this law, the work is just beginning in the fight against 21st-century slavery in this nation.

The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act includes a wide variety of reforms that help victims get the shelter and services they need and provide them with a fresh start. Importantly, it ensures that those sold into the marketplace of sex slavery are treated as victims rather than criminals. The law also strengthens law enforcement tools to target the predators who purchase trafficked human beings.

As former judges, we strongly believe in not only punishing the people who commit these horrendous crimes but also in helping victims rebuild their lives. And as fathers, we refuse to sit back while children are bought and sold in our own country. Thats why we authored the act  to provide law enforcement with new tools to apprehend those who commit these heinous acts and to provide resources for the survivors to restore their lives. We are proud that this bipartisan bill is now the law of the land.

We dont know what the fate of this young girl would have been had the authorities not rescued her. But we do know that, because of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, and the increased authority given to the U.S. Marshals Service, that child is home today, safe and sound.

This column by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and Congressman Ted Poe, Texas Republicans and former judges, was originally published in Texas Tribune. Sen. Cornyn was in Waco Friday to participate in Wacos Not In My City Human Trafficking Awareness Night hosted by UnBound, an international network that interacts with communities to fight human trafficking through prevention, professional training and survivor advocacy.
NSW gains an extra position in a cabinet that grows from 21 to 22 people, Victoria has gained an additional three members of the outer ministry and while Queensland has lost an outer ministry, it picked up two new assistant ministers. Replaced: Mal Brough and Jamie Briggs. Credit:AFR Ms Nash will be Minister for Rural Health, Regional Communications and, importantly, Regional Development,overseeing the stronger regions fund that has at least $200 million. Mr Chester becomes Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and Mr Ciobo becomes Trade Minister, on the recommendation of Mr Robb  who becomes special envoy for trade between now and the election. Darren Chester, the new Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, with now Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce. Credit:Andrew Meares

Announcing the reshuffle, Mr Turnbull said his new team was "dynamic" and combined youth, new talent, experience, and sense of innovation and enterprise. The Prime Minister noted that there are now "six women in the cabinet, 10 in the executive, and both deputy leaders of the Liberal and the National Party are women for the first time in the Coalition's history". Leading the charge for decentralisation: Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce and his deputy Fiona Nash. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen He paid tribute to Mr Robb and Mr Truss, said he did not "anticipate" any further changes to his front bench and dismissed suggestions it was embarrassing to have to reshuffle so soon after becoming Prime Minister. "They have left us, their talents are immense, but what it has underlined to me and this has been the hardest part of my work, since then is the enormous talent we have in our party room," Mr Turnbull said.

Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells will take on the role of Minister for International Development and the Pacific. Credit:Andrew Meares "Change offers opportunity, the loss of Andrew and Warren in particular is a loss, but there comes a time when you need to transition from older leadership to newer leadership." "Turn over, change, is goodthis is a revitalised government and it is revitalised because of new blood coming in." Barnaby Joyce, the new Nationals leader, retains Agriculture and Water portfolios, while Finance Minister Mathias Cormann will keep the Special Minister of State job he had been acting in for Mr Brough. Scott Ryan has been promoted to Minister for Vocational Education and Skills, while Alan Tudge becomes Minister for Human Services, and Dan Tehan becomes Defence Materiel and Veterans Services Minister.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells becomes Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Nationals senator Matt Canavan becomes Minister for Northern Australia In the ranks of the assistant ministers, formerly called parliamentary secretaries, Keith Pitt becomes Assistant Minister to Mr Joyce, Craig Laundy becomes Assistant Multicultural Affairs Minister, Jane Prentice the Assistant Minister for Disability Services. In addition, rising star Angus Taylor becomes Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, with special responsibly for cities and digital transformation. Peter Hendy has become the Assistant Minister for Finance and Assistant Cabinet Secretary, James McGrath will work as Assistant Minister for Immigration. Earlier on Saturday Mal Brough, who who stood aside from the ministry last December because of his involvement in the James Ashby/Peter Slipper affair, resigned. Mr Brough said he was disappointed to stand down but did not expect the AFP investigation into the matter would finish for several more months and that it was not appropriate for the two portfolios to be left open. He again denied any wrong doing.
Two resignations, one sacking, the GST off the table and a front bench reshuffle  it's been a difficult week for Malcolm Turnbull and his Coalition team.

But Mr Turnbull is not the only political leader under pressure; he enjoys a commanding lead in the opinion polls over Labor leader Bill Shorten, and that fact has not escaped the notice of opposition MPs.

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten with his family at the NSW Labor Conference at Sydney's Town Hall on Saturday. Credit:James Brickwood

Fairfax Media spoke to a dozen Labor MPs this week to gauge the mood of the federal caucus about the opposition leader and the party's chances in the 2016 election year.

Labor currently hold 55 seats in the lower house, compared to the federal government's 90 seats, and 11 of those Labor seats are held by margins of less than 3 per cent.
Tax cuts funded by simpler tax returns could put more money back in the pockets of millions of Australians under a plan being closely considered by the Turnbull government.

Following the release of modelling that showed a GST rise to 15 per cent would raise $35 billion to pay for income tax cuts  but do little to boost economic growth after compensation  Treasurer Scott Morrison declared work on tax reform was "never done" and vowed to press ahead in an exclusive interview with Fairfax Media.

Economic growth and tax relief for working families, Mr Morrison said, would remain the government's key focus in the lead up to the budget but income tax cuts would be more "modest".
A Jakarta-bound flight was forced to return to Perth Airport on Saturday evening for an emergency landing after experiencing technical difficulties.

It's understood Garuda Airlines flight 725 was forced to circle around the Bindoon area for a period after running into trouble shortly after its 5.40pm takeoff.

The purple flight path shows how the Garuda plane was forced to turn around and head back to Perth

It then returned to Perth, where it landed safely.

The plane was then assessed by engineers.
New York: A budding group of American flower-delivery start-ups filling orders for Valentine's Day this week were shunning the most popular way to say "I love you": red roses.

You won't find traditional cellophane-wrapped buds, teddy bears or heart-shaped chocolate boxes anywhere in the product selection of companies including Farmgirl Flowers, BloomThat, BloomNation and The Bouqs. Those products, and the online models that so often deliver them have become stale, say this new crop of entrepreneurs.

Instead, the companies are tucking plants like decorative kale, ranunculus and eucalyptus into arrangements as they attempt to tone down the Hallmark holiday cheese factor with hipper designs, locally sourced stems and gift box add-ons like gourmet gummy candies and red-tinted lip balm.

Valentine's Day marks the biggest day of the year for the flower industry around the world  nearly $US2 billion is expected to be spent this year on flowers in the United States alone, according to the National Retail Federation. To be sure, with their romantic undertones, roses remain the most popular way to celebrate the date. And some of the start-ups still offer one or two red rose options.
Bogota: More than 5,000 pregnant Colombian women are infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus, the country's national health institute said on Saturday, as the disease continues its rapid spread across the Americas.

Cases of the virus total 31,555, the institute said in a epidemiology bulletin, among them 5,013 pregnant women.

Zika, which has spread to more than 30 countries, has been linked to birth defect microcephaly and to neurological disease Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Total reported Zika cases increased by 23 percent over last week's figures, while the number of pregnant women with the virus was up 57.8 percent.
by Adrian Gibson

THE so-called Swift Justice Programme has yielded little and has, in all truth, the potential to negatively impact the publics perception of judicial independence, undermines any notion of public confidence in the justice system and infringes upon the constitutional separation of powers.

Attorney General (AG) Allyson Maynard-Gibson promotes the swift justice initiative as being about case management, bringing all stakeholders and the administration of justice together so that we would take away avoidable inefficiencies and, in her opinion, ensures that persons are routinely brought to trial in 2 years. Firstly, who are the stakeholders that the AG has brought together in all the time that she has been touting this concept of swift justice? And, secondly, it is clear that trials are not routinely being held in two years. Clearly, swift justice is nothing short of a catchphrase and a political scheme.

It is a political scheme that boasts about conviction rates but fails to consider the fact that swift justice should also account for those innocent persons who have had their matters ventilated within a reasonable period of time and been found not guilty, of the facilities being provided to judges and court staff and the conditions under which they work, of having properly functioning registries where documents could be filed without having to wait forever or file them once more because the hard copies were lost and the registries have yet to enter the 21st century with large-scale computerised record keeping.

Where is the improved system relative to jurors and jury selection?

Since we are talking about swift justice, why do our Supreme Court Justices have to endure working conditions that are less than that of Supreme Courts throughout the region? I am in Ansbacher House every week; sometimes, I am there almost daily. I have said before that, when one considers the condition of the Supreme Court building, the executive branch of government must view that court as the Supreme Court of Samana Cay and surely not the Supreme Court of The Bahamas. Otherwise, they would have much more pride in the facilities and the judges comfort.

If the AG wishes to tout her swift justice scheme, could she also explain to the public why one elevator in the Ansbacher House building is operational? Could she explain why the elevators move slow as snails so much so that one could eat an apple and a banana, and perhaps drink tea, without much of a rush? Could she explain why the elevators are so rickety? These are simple, basic questions.

Okay, heres an easier question for the AG. How is it that there are no microphones in the Magistrate and Supreme Court for judges and counsel? How is it that there is no open wireless internet? Why have judges been relocated to such jam-up quarters where their staff can hardly manoeuvre without bumping into a piece of furniture, their comrade or walking into the judges office? The staff and the judge are in such close quarters that they practically share the same office.

And then there is the rat and rodent issue... why hasnt that been addressed? And what about those on-again, off-again air condition units at the Supreme Court building?

When will lawyers be able to get a transcript from the Court Reporters Unit within a reasonable time, without having to write, beg, plead and chase down court reporters over and over and over before a transcript is produced?

Does the AG have any empirical data to show how the backlog has been reduced since she launched her swift justice scheme?

Allyson Maynard- Gibson, a self-appointed Queen Counsel (anyone doubting this can read the Act), is perhaps the first Attorney General in the history of The Bahamas to talk so much.

Mrs Gibson seemingly fails to understand that, due to her position, her never-ending political statements on swift justice could potentially compromise matters before the courts.

I have always held the view that Mrs Gibsons utterances amount to wind-baggery.

Clearly, I am not the only one.

On November 6th, Supreme Court Justice John Lyons (as he then was) made a critical and controversial ruling that accused the government of having broken the law twice!

According to Justice Lyons ruling, in what appeared to be a deliberate act to circumvent the law, the government failed to establish a commission in October 2006 to assess the salaries and pensions of judges as mandated by the Judicial Remuneration and Pension Act.

He wrote that the Act stated that, subsequent to the first report of the original commission (in 2000), two other committees were supposed to be constituted in 2003 and 2006 - according to the Constitution, commissions are to be constituted at three-year intervals.

However, neither commission came to fruition, although an ad hoc commission (2005) that relied heavily upon the former commissions (2000) report, criticised the governments posture and strongly recommended that it comply with the committees report in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

Because the government failed to adhere to the Act, judges salaries remained stagnant  undoubtedly a violation of Article 135 of the Constitution of The Bahamas.

Indeed, Justice Lyons was correct in his estimation that the government had broken the law and so now, due to the present governments ineptitude, The Bahamas now faces a constitutional crisis.

I wrote then: It is not unreasonable to assume that the Constitution was ignored for political gain. Why would the government attempt to put judges at an economic disadvantage  could it possibly be a ploy to manipulate judges into granting favourable verdicts, preferably convictions?

In his judgment, Justice Lyons espoused the virtues of an independent judiciary. In schooling Mrs Maynard Gibson, he said: The Judiciary is not an agency of government. It is an independent body established under the Constitution. The role of a judge is to ensure a fair trial; fair to the prosecution and fair to the defence, as mandated by the Constitution. A judge is never to be judged by a conviction rate.

The independence of the Judiciary is the pillar upon which our Constitutional freedoms are built. Judicial independence is at the heart of practically every UN charter on human rights, he said.

Justice Lyons stated that the prosecutions role is to assist in the prosecution of a fair trial and that no prosecutor, as a minister of justice, should be judged by an inane criterion such as their rate of conviction. He asserted that any person holding that view needs to be disavowed of it now.

It has become clear that the Chief Justice and the wider judiciary must pronounce, loudly and publicly, that the Office of the Attorney General and the judiciary are separate entities, the former being headed by the AG and such a person having a mandate to develop relations with the other.

I concur with one of my mentors former Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes when he stated, in one of his previous columns that perhaps the time has come for another minister to be given responsibility for relations with the Judiciary as this might remove any lingering confusion in the publics mind. In some jurisdictions, there is a Minister of Justice.

Following Justice Lyons 2006 ruling, Mrs Gibson responded, calling the ruling a scurrilous and venomous attack that she felt was unwarranted.

The AG also said: Bahamians believe in decency and good order and I believe that you just have to listen to the public. People are shocked that a judge would speak in such a manner and there are appropriate ways in which concerns are brought to the public.

Mrs Gibsons comments appeared to be rather vindictive in nature. Where was this nobility when former Registrar Elizabeth Thompson was unceremoniously attacked in the House of Assembly and forced from office in 2005?

Because Justice Lyons ruled that the judiciary is not independent, Mrs Gibson attacked him with fighting words, objecting to his use of the bench to highlight his concerns and seemingly suggesting that it was contrary to the Bahamian publics belief in decency and good order.

Another issue of contention was Justice Lyons ruling that the swift justice initiative, promoted by the AG, was merely a self-promoting piece of headline hunting.

The learned judge said: I will now turn to the press release. It is, at best, a self-promoting piece of headline hunting. It purports to be under the authority of the Attorney General ... At worst, its clear inferences and implications give a chilling picture of (a) dangerous situation existing within this country. To even contemplate writing a press release like that (let alone actually releasing it to the public), clearly shows that its author has no concept of judicial independence, no idea of its importance and above all, absolutely no respect for the judiciary. That it is under the hand of one of the highest legal officers in the land immediately prompts the critical question. Why and how, is it that such disrespect and ignorance is present in one so senior? For surely if such an attitude is found there, like the fair trial issues, it must be systemic and thus present in the attitudes of many other lawyers here. Where, I ask, does this come from?

He went on to say: It is easy now to see why there is such disrespect for the independence of the Judiciary, and the Judiciary generally in The Bahamas. If those in control of the daily business of government feel free to act in that manner, why shouldnt anyone else? That explains the press release with its inference that the Judiciary is one of the agencies of government: the review of the judges performance; the performance criterion of a successful conviction rate. And published just eight days after the six-month time limit expired... is too cynical to suggest that the press release is capable of carrying the inference that if the judges keep up those sitting days and delivering those convictions (regardless of a fair trial or not), that the judges will stimulate the will of the government enough to get a little something in their next pay packet?

I am deeply disturbed by all of this. I am in no doubt that, whichever way it is looked at, this is a very serious constitutional crisis. I (and other judges) have warned against this repeatedly, trying to get some action to prevent the obvious. I could see it coming. Now we are exactly where we feared it would end up,  he added.

Whats more, Senior Justice Anita Allen (now President of the Court of Appeal) addressed the issue of the independence of the judiciary quite lucidly in her February 1, 2007, judgment in the case Regina v Jones. In that case, Wayne Munroe, QC, had submitted, at a re-sentencing hearing on behalf of his client, that the judge was constitutionally infirmed due to then Attorney General Allyson Gibsons publication of a report card on the judges performance and by a public statement by her that judges were accountable to the public, and the failure of the government to appoint a commission in accordance with the provisions of the Judges Remuneration and Pensions Act.

The judge stated that she understood Mr Munroes argument to be that a result of the actions of the government, the court was not independent and impartial to afford his client a fair hearing in accordance with Article 20 (1) of the Constitution.

In her judgment, which could be viewed as a clear rebuke of the AGs/governments overreaching, Justice Allen wrote: The foundation of judicial independence is the freedom of a judge to hear and decide cases without undue or improper influence, inducements, pressures, threats or interferences, direct or indirect from any source or for any reason.

Lamer C.J. in The Attorney General of Quebec v Lippe [1991] 2 S.C.R. 114 expressed it in this way, he observed: Historically, the generally accepted core principle of independence has been the complete liberty of individual judges to hear and decide the cases which come before them: no outsider - be it Government, pressure group, individual or even another judge - should interfere in fact, or attempt to interfere with the way in which a judge conducts his or her case and makes his or her decision. Indeed, Article 20(1) provides that a person charged with a criminal offence shall be afforded a fair hearing within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial court established by law, she stated.

Ultimately, she held that she was not constitutionally infirmed and that she met the requirements of Article 20 (1), however the judge highlighted the importance of an independent judiciary, public perception, following the law relative to judges salaries and urged that judicial independence must be jealously safeguarded and any incursions or assaults on it must not be tolerated.

In my opinion, the current manifestation of swift justice infringes upon the judiciary.

The swift justice promotion is nothing more than a farce, a political scheme dreamt up to portray the image of being tough on crime, particularly as crime is likely to become a pressing election issue since it has skyrocketed over the past five years.

The swift justice mumbo-jumbo should be swiftly abandoned as there is no such thing in a democratic society where judicial protocols must be followed. Whilst the AGs swift justice scheme may appeal to some, in a country where a fair trial is mandated by our constitution, justice as it is promoted is implausible without trampling upon the rights of both lawyers and the persons/entities they represent.

Justice Lyons condemned a report that emanated under this AGs earlier tenure, likening it to a school masters report or human resources managers report of what is happening in a named judges court.

Amazingly, after the scathing remarks of the judge, where he apparently dressed down Cheryl Grant-Bethel (now Justice of the Supreme Court) who he had presumed to have released the report, the AG attempted to portray herself as nobly running to Mrs Bethels rescue, conveniently forgetting to confess that she (Gibson) had released the report for publicationnot the prosecutor.

In Mrs Bethels defence of herself, she stressed that the report was not issued by her, but was an internal document disseminated by Mrs Gibson. Was someone being scapegoated?

Although Mrs Gibson may wish to be celebrated as a crime-fighting wonder-woman, she should get on with ensuring that justice is afforded to all Bahamians in a timely manner, rather than what appears to be selective justice.

It is a shame that it took an Australian-born judge to lobby  in most colourful pronouncements  for judicial independence and adherence to the law.

Prime Minister Perry Christie should now set about reshuffling Mrs Gibson or request her resignation, particularly as it appears she has been a major player in a conflict between the branches of government  but I doubt he would!

_________________________________________________________

First published in the The Tribune under the byline, Young Man's View, here

View Adrian Gibson's archive here
By West Kentucky Star Staff Feb. 12, 2016 | 04:48 PM | PADUCAH, KY

A Providence man was arrested at the McCracken County Courthouse Thursday morning on drug charges.

At around 10:00 am, 31-year-old Kyle Bouland came into the courthouse and was stopped at a security checkpoint after he set off a metal detector. A deputy spoke with Bouland and thought he was acting nervously. The deputy conducted a weapons patdown on Bouland and discovered a glass meth pipe in his pocket.

Bouland was arrested and booked into the McCracken County Regional Jail on charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was out on bond out from Mayfield at the time of his arrest for possession of cocaine and carrying a concealed deadly weapon.
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By Sen. Danny Carroll

Feb. 13, 2016 | FRANKFORT, KY

By Sen. Danny Carroll Feb. 13, 2016 | 09:45 AM | FRANKFORT, KY

Hollywood stars, international organizations, and winter weather greeted the Kentucky General Assembly during week six of the 2016 Session. With many guests, packed committee meetings, and energetic rallies, it was another exciting week in Frankfort.



The international organization Save the Children, which promotes health, nutrition, and education for children around the world, had its Action Network President Mark Shriver and actress Jennifer Garner testify in Frankfort on behalf of the organization and their work throughout Kentucky. We were pleased to welcome Mr. Shriver and Ms. Garner to Frankfort, and we thank them for all the work they do for children across the state.



We also welcomed the Kentucky Right to Life Association to the Capitol this week for a Rally for Life in the Capitol Rotunda. As part of the rally, Governor Bevin held a ceremonial signing of Senate Bill (SB) 4, the first piece of pro-life legislation the Kentucky General Assembly has passed in over 12 years.



Another pro-life bill, SB 152, passed out of committee this week and would require women to receive an ultrasound before having an abortion. I am a cosponsor of this bill. The Senate is still working to pass additional pro-life legislation, and we hope to see those bills move forward as the session continues.



Other bills that passed the Senate this week include:



Senate Bill 20, which is one of our priority pieces of legislation and another bill I proudly cosponsored, creates an appeals process for Managed Care Organizations (MCO's), will allow health-care providers to appeal a decision relating to the Department of Medicaid. This bill is another step in much-needed health-care reform.



Senate Bill 53, a bill I sponsored, would offer civil immunity for a person who forcibly enters a locked vehicle believing a cat or dog is in immediate danger of death if not removed from the vehicle. In order to receive immunity, a person must do due diligence to locate the animal's owner and contact the authorities before entering the vehicle.



SB 78, a bill promoting colon cancer prevention measures, passed this week, and I was proud to be a cosponsor of that legislation.



I am also pleased that two of our priority bills passed out of committee this week:



-SB 5, which would remove the names of county clerks from marriage licenses. This bill was crafted after Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis was criminally charges for standing up for her religious beliefs.



-SB 1, which is the education reform bill that would take control of our own standards and free up Kentucky teachers to teach and also allow Kentucky teachers to develop our standards. We had many teachers call and write in support of this bill, and we are proud to move forward with legislation. I would encourage all who have an interest in education to read the most current version of this piece of legislation. It can be found on the Legislative Research Commission website at www.lrc.ky.gov.



Finally, I pleased to welcome many guests from the Second District this week on City and County Days. I was honored to have Miss Avril Cole of Calvert City serve as my page Thursday, and I also had the pleasure of presenting Mr. Bryan Carner, outgoing president of the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce, with a Senate Citation for his leadership and contributions to the Chamber and the community.



If you have any questions or comments about these issues or any other public policy issue, please call me toll-free at 1-800-372-7181 or email me at danny.carroll@lrc.ky.gov. You can also review the Legislature's work online at www.lrc.ky.gov.



Senator Danny Carroll (R-Paducah) represents the 2nd District encompassing Ballard, Carlisle, Marshall and McCracken counties. Senator Carroll serves on the Senate Appropriations & Revenue; Education; Health & Welfare; and Judiciary Committees. He also serves as Chair of the Budget Review Subcommittee on General Government, Finance & Public Protection and as a member of the Budget Review Subcommittee on Education.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff Feb. 13, 2016 | 12:28 AM | CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO

Saturday is the last day to visit the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center at the Salvation Army office in Cape Girardeau.

The center has been offering in-person support to individuals and businesses in any of the 33 Missouri counties included in Missouri's federal disaster declaration after widespread flooding in January.

The office's Saturday hours are 9 am to 7 pm. Recovery specialists from FEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration and other agencies will be there to discuss aid and assist anyone who needs to fill out an application.

The center is at the Cape Girardeau Salvation Army office, at 701 Good Hope Street.

After today, flood victims can get help at any of the other centers that will remain open. To locate them go online to fema.gov/drc.

Help is also available by calling the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 (800-621-FEMA).
Alexis Gerred's theatre credits include Dreamboats and Petticoats in the West End and Our House on tour. He is currently nominated for a WhatsOnStage Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his performance in the West End revival of Green Day's American Idiot.

Gerred will join Amelia Lily and Newton Faulkner on the UK tour of American Idiot which kicks off at the Curve, Leicester next week.

We caught up with Alexis and asked him: "If you were stranded on a desert island, which five showtunes could you not live without?"

1. "We Are The Champions" from We Will Rock You

AG: My family are huge fans of Queen, always have been. In fact, my Dad was in the "Radio GaGa" music video and a signed white suit of all the band members hangs proudly at his work.

It was huge part of my upbringing. I had no aspirations to sing or act until I saw We Will Rock You, but my personal childhood soundtrack being acted on stage? Mind blowing. There was no doubt that I wanted to attempt a career in musical theatre and "We Are The Champions" is a huge anthem not just for the show, the band but the whole British music industry.

2. "Letterbomb" from American Idiot

AG: It'd be wrong for me not to include a tune from a show I care so much about. I'm extremely proud to be apart of the London and touring cast, and I think all of the songs could fit in this list, easily. However, as much as I could listen to the songs "Holiday" or "St. Jimmy" all day long I have my jaw dropped to the floor whenever I hear my fellow cast mate Amelia Lily belt out this one. It's a huge song that needs huge pipes and gets me rocking every time.

3. "Heaven On Their Minds" from Jesus Christ Superstar

AG: It's iconic, right? A huge tenor song that hits you hard with powerful vocals. One of the first songs I attempted at college, it was like a fat man trying to beat the 100 metres world record without any training. It needs experience and maturity to be able to sing/act a song like this. Judas is a role I'd love to play one day and hope I eventually get the chance.

4. "Clean" from Rooms: A Rock Romance

AG: I was lucky enough to be in the original London production and this is a song that I always looked forward to. It tackles the struggle of alcoholism and the journey through it.

In rehearsal, I always had the vision of the images around the origin and evolving of man. Something underdeveloped, simple and helpless evolving through slow stages into something complete, complex and confident. It's a great song not just to sing but act through too.

5. "In My Defence" from Time

AG: The show was a bit before my time, although I enjoy the entire score. But it all relates back to my families healthy-ish obsession with Queen and Freddie Mercury. He did an incredible version of this song, one that always sticks in my memory and not just because of his blistering vocals but the melody and lyrics which feel so accomplished and complete. A perfect song in my opinion.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/02/2016 (2442 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Sayed Kashua has devoted his career to telling the stories of Palestinian citizens of Israel. Writing in Hebrew as an Arab, he gives his readers a rare glimpse at what life is like for this particular Middle Eastern minority.

This book is a collection of his columns published in Haaretz, the liberal Israeli paper often likened to the New York Times. He has also published the autobiographical novel Dancing Arabs and Second Person Singular, a novel about an Arab lawyer living in the Jewish part of Jerusalem. Additionally, he wrote the script for the hilarious Israeli sitcom Arab Labor, some episodes of which are available free online.

Born in a small Arab village, Kashua proved to be a brilliant student and won scholarships to attend an elite private school in Jerusalem  one of only a handful of Arab students. He then attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; he has communicated in Hebrew since his first school days and publishes in Hebrew.

His family lost their land in the 1948 war of independence, in which his grandfather died. His father chose the route of resistance, was a communist for some years and spent time in prison.

But Sayed has chosen a different life for himself and his family, living in a predominantly Jewish area and sending his children to Hebrew language schools.

Sayed portrays himself as a rather bumbling husband and father. His wife and kids are regular characters in his pieces; he clearly loves them, and they love him in a long-suffering, supremely unimpressed way.

His writing, however, is principally devoted to showing Israelis what life as a minority is like, and he does so in an interesting way. The columns collected in this book are funny and self-deprecating, but with a kick. In one, for example, he describes how delighted he is to actually be chatting with a pretty girl in a bar, concentrating on saying all the right things and impressing her. She doesnt realize hes Arab; she proceeds to tell him all about how she doesnt really like Arabs and why.

In another piece he gives a hilarious description of going through security at the airport. He tries and fails to pass as Jewish, and receives all sorts of special scrutiny.

After his suitcase is x-rayed the security woman asks him to open it. I complied proudly. I have underwear and socks that are designated exclusively for the airport. Hugo Boss and Calvin Klein. To impress the guards. An Arab yes, but an Arab with class.

Kashua still writes for Haaretz although he now lives in the U.S., teaching at the University of Illinois. The last column in the book is also the last column he wrote in Israel  perhaps the saddest in the book.

Titled Farewell, it tells us that he and his family are leaving Israel for good and will not return. He says that throughout his career he wanted to tell the Israelis a story, the Palestinian story. Surely when they read it they will understand, when they read it they will change, all I have to do is write one day the Palestinians would be willing to forgive and together we would build a place worth living in.

But, he says, he has finally realized that he has lost his little war. In the over-heated Middle East, reasonable people on both sides have a hard time making their voices heard.

Jim Blanchard is a local historian who writes about Winnipeg.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/02/2016 (2443 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If youre in the market for some fancy new digs, youre in luck.

Point2Homes.com, a Saskatoon-based real estate listings website, has compiled a list of the 19 most expensive homes for sale in the Winnipeg area.

They include 15 homes in Winnipeg and another four in bedroom communities just outside the city.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS This 18,000-square-foot home at 1063 Wellington Cres. is for sale for $11 million. It tops the list of the 15 most expensive homes currently for sale in the Winnipeg area.

For those of you with pockets that are deep, but not really, really deep, theres No. 15 on the list  a 3,200-square-foot, five-bedroom, lakeside home on Highland Creek Road South in Bridgwater Forest thats listed for $1,228,000.

And for those of you who with bottomless pockets, theres No. 1 on the list  a sprawling 18,000-square-foot-plus art deco, European-gated estate at 1063 Wellington Cres. listed at the princely sum of $11 million.

And if neither of those tickles your fancy, theres a 6,000-square-foot five-bedroom home on swanky Hansard Boulevard thats priced at $2,890,000, and 16 others priced between $1,295,000 and $1,999,999.

In case youre wondering, that $11-million Wellington Crescent mansion has been on the market since last summer. As noted in a Free Press article that appeared at the time, its the largest and most expensive home ever listed on the local Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

Weve had expensive listings before, but never anything of this magnitude, said Peter Squire, residential market analyst for the Winnipeg Realtors Association. This takes it to a whole new level.

Re/Max Performance Realtys Glen Sytnyk, who is the listing agent for the $11-million home, said in an interview Friday the owner has received one offer since the home hit the market. It was rejected.

But the owner realizes its going to take time to find a buyer.

Hes not disappointed at all (in the response so far). Theyre getting calls. And theres no urgency to sell. No pressure at all.

He said a challenge is people who are willing to spend that much money often prefer to have one custom-built for them, rather than buy an existing one. But he also estimated that with the rising cost of new construction, it would cost a lot more than $11 million to build a home like that today.

Sytnyk said demand for luxury homes seems to be holding up pretty well. Particularly for ones priced between one and two million dollars.

He said he personally has two local clients who are looking for homes in that price range.

So there is a market for that. There really is.

But the strongest demand is still for homes in the $250,000-to-$450,000 range Sytnyk added. He said he was even contacted recently by a couple from North Carolina who are looking to take advantage of the high-valued U.S. dollar and buy a home here in the $450,000-to-$500,000 price range.

They are simply going to buy it as an investment because of the exchange rate. They have family here, so theyll use it (when they visit the city), but a lot of it is speculating and taking advantage of the good dollar, he said.

Thats the first client Ive had actually call me and say that, he added, but Im sure there might be other Americans thinking that way.

Not surprisingly, the homes on the Point2Homes.com list include four on Wellington Crescent  one of them a condominium at One Wellington Crescent. There are also a couple in Tuxedo and two on Waterstone Drive in South Pointe. Others are on streets such as River Road, Burnley Place, Eastoak Drive, Halparin Drive, Lake Bend Road and Zachary Drive.

The ones outside the city include two homes in St. Andrews and one each in Headingley and the Rural Municipality of Springfield.

murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 12/02/2016 (2443 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  The Liberal government should implement prison-based needle and syringe programs to address rates of HIV and hepatitis C estimated to be 10 to 30 times higher than in the general population, proponents say.

Emily van der Meulen of Ryerson University, the lead author of a recent study, said she wants to see the government review evidence on the effectiveness of programs that have operated in countries like Switzerland for more than 20 years.

Im hopeful that the government will look to this evidence, as well as to our recent research report, she said.

The issue is about health and human rights, she noted, adding that prisons where such programs have been implemented have seen substantial benefits, including reduced rates of needle-sharing and overdoses.

It would also be cost-effective, she said.

The costs associated with HIV and hepatitis C virus are very high in prison  roughly $30,000 per year for HIV treatment and about $60,000 for hepatitis C, she said.

Research has shown that needle and syringe programs are among the most cost-effective health measures for people who use drugs, whether in the community or in prison.

Canada lags behind on implementing such programs, said Sandra Ka Hon Chu of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network.

We have the resources in Canada to implement these programs, she said.

We have the evidence in Canada to implement these programs. There are many groups across the country who support these programs.

As the implementation push continues, the issue is playing out in court.

A former prisoner, along with organizations including the HIV/AIDS legal network, filed a lawsuit against the government in Sept. 2012 because it did not make needles and syringes available in prison to prevent the spread of HIV and hepatitis C.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, prison watchdog Howard Sapers said his office has previously recommended that the Correctional Service of Canada explore all harm-reduction options, including needle-exchange programs.

There are particular issues related to incarceration that accelerate the spread of infectious diseases, especially those that are blood-borne, Sapers said.

You have a high density of people living in fairly confined spaces. You also have contraband drug use, often injectable drug use. You have prison tattooing and you also have sexual contact. All of these activities really increase the chances of spreading disease and we see that manifest in things like HIV rates, which are much higher inside an institution than they are in the community outside the institution, and hepatitis rates.

In a statement on Friday, a spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said the government cannot comment on the prison-based needle exchange and syringe issue due to the ongoing litigation.

The government is committed to implementing evidence-based policies, said press secretary Scott Bardsley.

The minister has also been mandated to address gaps in services to indigenous peoples and those suffering from mental illnesses in the criminal justice system, including the often-interrelated issue of addictions, he said.

Aboriginal women were identified as a particularly high-risk group because they reported the highest rates of HIV and hepatitis C infections, according to a 2007 study by the Correctional Service of Canada.

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This article was published 13/02/2016 (2442 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  An Ontario aboriginal community on an island in the southeastern portion of Georgian Bay is in danger of losing its only link to the outside world  an aging ferry the chief of the Beausoleil First Nation says is on the verge of sinking.

Beausoleil, about 5,400 hectares of Ojibwa territory, is located primarily on Christian Island.

The picturesque First Nation  widely considered to be one of the real-life backdrops in The Orenda, the critically acclaimed novel by author Joseph Boyden is dependent on the ferry, which makes its hour-long round trip to the island and back 14 times a day, seven days a week.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks in the House of Commons during during question period in Ottawa on January 27, 2016. An Ontario aboriginal community on an island in the southeastern portion of Georgian Bay is in danger of losing its only link to the outside world - an aging ferry the chief of the Beausoleil First Nation says is on the verge of sinking. Optimism is growing, however, among First Nations communities across Canada -- along with a competing list of demands -- now that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has vowed to reform Canada's relationship with Aboriginal Peoples. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Chartrand

The service is the communitys lifeline, according to its chief Roland Monague, because its the only way to access the mainland.

Our people have to cross day to day to get access to all the goods and services as well as hospitals, medical appointments, he said.

Beausoleil First Nation is not alone in its accessibility struggle  the federal government is facing great pressure from a number of First Nations, many of them in remote locations, that are struggling to address crumbling infrastructure.

Optimism is growing, however, among First Nations communities across Canada  along with a competing list of demands  now that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has vowed to reform Canadas relationship with Aboriginal Peoples.

The federal response on the Beausoleil ferry issue will help determine whether that commitment carries weight, Monague said.

They promised to have a nation-to-nation relationship with First Nations, he said. So tell me  if this is not approved, what is our nation-to nation relationship?

Federal funding for infrastructure in communities will facilitate economic development and increase access to health services and education, according to Ontario Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Isadore Day.

Many reserves have inferior water systems, if they have water systems at all, and rely on winter roads because they do not have access to all-season roads, Day said. Its difficult to determine needs without a complete economic assessment, he added.

Beausoleils 65-year-old vessel  the M.V. Sandy Graham  was purchased by the government in 1998 as an interim measure to transport passengers and vehicles.

It is no longer safe and a replacement is urgently needed, Monague said.

They have a fiduciary responsibility to us as First Nations for health and safety, he said. Without a proper, safe, viable transportation for the community, we are going to be in a predicament soon.

Peggy Smith, an associate professor at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont., said the new Liberal government will need to look at collaborating with communities instead of reaching conclusions from on high.

Whats wrong with the way that we are making decisions about infrastructure in First Nations?  It is about the decision-making model, she said, noting investments shouldnt always be looked at as a sink.

Much of Canada is struggling with infrastructure, Smith added, but she said First Nations remain even further behind.

Weve got this failing infrastructure at all levels and how the government is going to figure out what is priority and what is not, I have no idea.

Beausoleils ferry has been a long-standing issue  it was slated for replacement when the federal Liberals were last in power, but the plan was dry-docked by the former Conservative government in 2007.

Replacing it is expected to cost $30 million, said Monague, who made a personal pitch to Finance Minister Bill Morneau during meetings last month with the AFN. Morneaus office would not comment on the request.

If the government cant commit, then we have to strategize and do this on our own, Monague said. I, in good conscience, cant continue to sail this ferry knowing that tragedy could happen out on that water.

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This article was published 13/02/2016 (2442 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  At the end of the Liberal governments first question period, newly minted cabinet minister MaryAnn Mihychuk emerged from the House of Commons and pretended to pout.

I didnt get any questions, the employment, workforce development and labour minister lamented Dec. 7, a mock frown on her face.

Mihychuk, whose gregarious personality and belly laughs make her one of the more colourful cabinet ministers, isnt pouting anymore.

I think they found me now, she said with a laugh, during an interview with the Free Press.

Mihychuk and Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr pack a powerful punch for Manitoba at the federal cabinet table. It is rare for the province to get two seats in cabinet, but rarer still to have two ministers in portfolios central to one of the governments critical policies. Quite often, if Manitoba has had a second seat, it has been a minister of state or another junior position without much influence on major policies.

Mihychuks portfolio is tasked with fixing employment insurance and figuring out how to get more people working  essential during a time of economic turmoil.

CP Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour MaryAnn Mihychuk responds to a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill.

On Friday, Mihychuk shared the podium with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a Toronto event where they celebrated their partys first 100 days in office and announced a doubling of the Canada Summer Jobs program.

Carr, a former oboist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, seems to relish the theatrical demands of question period. He has become one of the most called-upon cabinet ministers.

For Carr, pipeline development and approvals, as well as developing new energy technologies as the planets climate changes, are key elements of his portfolio. He is one of the big players on Trudeaus economic team since pipelines are generally linked to the economys recovery. He accompanied Trudeau recently to Alberta to meet with Premier Rachel Notley and Calgary oil executives.

He has also become the target of the Opposition Conservatives, who have made getting the Energy East pipeline approved a raison detre.

For the first few days (of question period), I didnt stand up, and then I didnt sit down, Carr said with a chuckle.

He has often been on his feet more than any other minister.

Carr and Mihychuk are challenging Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Citizenship Minister John McCallum for the title of the most vocal minister in the House of Commons.

I dont think there is a school that can prepare you for this job, said Carr, speaking to the Free Press while on the way to the airport in Vancouver last week. Its dynamic. Its busy. Its intense. Its constantly changing every day.

Mihychuk and Carr draw from the experience they gained in the Manitoba legislature as they navigate the pressure cooker of national and international politics.

Carr, 64, was a Liberal MLA for four years (1988-92), and deputy leader of the Liberal party while it had a short stint in Opposition. He said those years are helpful but were different and distant from his current role.

It was 23 years from the time I last sat down in the Manitoba legislature until I first sat down in the House of Commons, Carr said.

After leaving provincial politics, Carr spent five years on the editorial board of the Free Press before founding and becoming the chief executive officer of the Business Council of Manitoba, a collaboration of CEOs of large and medium-sized businesses based in Manitoba. He left the council two years ago to pursue the Liberal nomination in Winnipeg South Centre.

It was then he began working on a collaboration for a national energy strategy, pulling together the heads of nine think-tanks across the country to come up with common ground to energy development. That work, which is known as the Winnipeg Consensus, was used by premiers to develop policy, and likely will be, in large part, what Carr and the Liberals draw from to establish a national one.

A consensus can and will be reached, Carr said. It just wont make everyone happy  and hes not expecting to ever get to that point.

I can give you 100 per cent assurance we will not get 100 per cent agreement on anything, he said, a variation of a line he has used for a while. Ultimately, the cabinet will decide on the basis of what it believes to be in the national interest.

Like Carr, Mihychuk, 60, is a born and bred Manitoban. Trained as a professional geoscientist, Mihychuk worked in that field for eight years from 1984 to 1992.

She was a school trustee and chairwoman of the Winnipeg School Division for several years before making the jump to provincial politics. She was elected as an NDP MLA in St. James in 1995, and then in Minto in 1999, and again in 2003.

When the NDP formed the government in 1999, she became the industry minister and later moved to intergovernmental affairs.

Mihychuk left the provincial government in 2004 to run for mayor of Winnipeg, ultimately losing to Sam Katz. She spent the next 11 years in the private sector, running a government and business relations consulting company and working in Toronto for the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada.

But politics lured her back, this time for the Liberals  a party, she said, felt more comfortable. Its no secret Mihychuk and former Manitoba premier Gary Doer did not get along, and Mihychuk didnt hesitate to explain that Trudeau is different.

In my experience, the prime minister is much more open to dissent, arguments and a different viewpoint, she said. Its very refreshing.

For 100 days, Mihychuk has crammed everything she can into her brain about employment insurance and workforce development and labour codes and standards. The ministry was one she thought she might end up in, and initially not one expected to get a lot of attention.

It suddenly shot up in importance with the collapse in the energy sector, she said.

Mihychuk is one of the few Liberal MPs with time at a cabinet table. She said her experience is helpful, but the federal cabinet is different.

Its much more bureaucratic, she said.

They speak in a different language. There is so much more pomp and ceremony. Its all, Hello, Madam Minister. Its a bit more rigid and formal.

The files are bigger, the travel more frequent.

The biggest surprise for Mihychuk is how much she depends on the car and driver assigned to her while she is in Ottawa.

When I first found out about it I was like, How posh is that? she said, giggling. I was going to ride my bike. But I cant live without the guy now. Im totally sucked in.

With her hectic schedule, having a driver has become essential to getting the time to get work done.

Its like the U.S. television shows, where people drive with me to the airport just so we can talk about something, she said.

By being immediately named to cabinet, Carr and Mihychuk had to learn how to be MPs and cabinet ministers at the same time.

Mihychuk acknowledged she is struggling to find a way to spend more time in at her constituency office than the 1.5 days a week she currently books.

I havent found a balance yet, Mihychuk said, adding shes starting to get a better handle on her cabinet portfolio and hopes the lighter load of briefings will result in more time in her riding  even though there are 300 requests for meetings piled on her desk, and shes working 16 hours a day.

Carr opted to hire more staff for his Winnipeg office than his Ottawa office. (Theres one part-time and two full-time employees holding down the fort in his constituency office on Corydon Avenue and one in his Ottawa office.)

He said hes held a constituency town hall and spoken to students at Kelvin High School. He tries to spend as much time in his riding as he can.

Neither has a full complement of staff at their ministerial offices  a common problem for the federal ministry  but both have a chief of staff.

Mihychuk has a director of communications, who started last month, but she said her office is working at about half-capacity.

Carr was one of the first ministers to get a chief of staff, but his director of communications wont start until next week. He has been managing with a bureaucrat seconded from the department for the last three months.

The senior-level positions have been filled in large part with input and assistance from the Prime Ministers Office, but Carr and Mihychuk turned to their campaign teams to fill the assistant roles (the people who generally travel with them, oversee their schedules and generally make sure they have what they need and get where they need to be).

Jeff Kovalik-Plouffe, the former executive director of the Manitoba Liberal Party and Carrs campaign manager, started last week as Carrs special assistant, moving to Ottawa from Winnipeg. Richard Davies, who was the communications manager for Mihychuks campaign, was one of her first hires, starting as her parliamentary assistant in December.

Finding time to relax is a challenge. Carr, who has been to Paris and across Canada for speaking engagements and meetings, said travel time is useful.

Plane time, for me, is time to reflect, he said. The phone doesnt ring. Theres no one at my door. We are so busy, its very valuable to be able to take a breath and reflect.

Mihychuk and Carr each has three adult children (one son and two daughters), and both said it makes their schedules easier to mesh with family life, but they still wish for more time with them.

It may happen. Carrs son, Ben, 33, a longtime Liberal organizer in Manitoba, recently left his job as a teacher at Kelvin High School to move to Ottawa and take a job in the office of Heritage Minister Melanie Joly. Mihychuks daughters, Sarah, 20, and Hannah, 18, are planning to move to Ottawa to attend school.

But neither Mihychuk nor Carr has any resentment or concerns about the pace, saying being an MP and a cabinet minister is so rewarding it makes up for any of the tough days.

I look at the Parliament buildings, and I think about the opportunity I have been given, and a big smile breaks out, Mihychuk said. Its just wonderful.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 13/02/2016 (2442 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A bitter winter night, a house fire, a dreaded flashover with two firefighters trapped inside  the last time that nightmare played out in Winnipeg, two veteran firefighters died.

A flashover happened again overnight Saturday when a wall of fire trapped two firefighters conducting a search of a house in St. James.

The difference this time is both firefighters lived; they were at home resting Saturday after being treated for burns.

Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press A house fire on Bruce Avenue early Saturday morning that left firefighters trapped inside and needing to be rescued.

Two of four tenants at the house at 126 Bruce Ave. escaped with minor smoke inhalation. The other two tenants werent at home at the time.

Tenants said they believed the fire started with electrical wiring in the basement.

The cause of the fire has yet to be confirmed, and the blaze remained under investigation Saturday. Preliminary reports estimated the damage at about $100,000.

The two firefighters were trapped in the basement when the flashover happened. A flashover is a wall of fire that rips like a tide across the ceiling and wraps a structure in instant flames. Its the thing firefighters fear most.

Thats one of the most dangerous events in a firefighters career, Alex Forrest, president of the United Firefighters of Winnipeg, said Saturday.

This is similar to what happened on (Place) Gabrielle Roy when we lost the two fire captains. It was a cold night then, too, and there was a similar flashover.

That house fire in St. Boniface on a bitterly cold night in winter 2007 claimed the lives of 55-year-old Capt. Harold Lessard and 57-year-old Capt. Thomas Nichols.

This time, there was the added complication of wiring in the basement.

They were entangled in wires when the flashover happened, Forrest said.

By daybreak, Facebook was flooded with posts from relieved firefighters all over the city who followed Forrests social-media updates overnight.

I can tell you all the firefighters are breathing a sigh of relief today. Ive been to too many funerals in the line of duty, across North America and here, he said.

The union leader also credited procedural lessons learned in the 2007 flashover with the lives saved this time.

In the wake of that fatal blaze, Manitobas Workplace Safety and Health agency ordered the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service to improve a range of safety procedures.

The procedures and training following the tragedy on Place Gabrielle Roy made a huge difference Saturday.

There is a definite connection because after 2007 we put a lot more resources into things such as training, new-building construction, flashovers, mayday accountability  all the things that go into play was developed in the last number of years since Gabrielle Roy, Forrest said.

Twitter Emergency crews were called to the scene at a one-and-half-storey home in the 100-block of Bruce Avenue at 12:45 a.m.

The use of a mayday call, which was utilized during Saturdays blaze, means everything stops and all focus goes toward a firefighter who is in imminent danger.

Sixty firefighters on duty all over the city responded to the scene, Forrest said.

Everything on the fire ground stops, and everything that the firefighters are now doing goes to helping the firefighters, rescuing him or her from that situation, Forrest said.

In the case of Saturdays fire, a mayday call was made, and firefighters began sending water down into the basement in hopes of creating a safe passage for their trapped comrades.

They gave it one last try, and lo and behold, they were able to find the stairs with the assistance of the water coming down, Forrest said.

And thats what got out them out.

The two tenants in the house described smelling smoke just before the homes smoke alarm sounded.

Both ran to the basement and tried to throw water on the blaze before it got out of control. That didnt work, and the house filled up with smoke.

The two described a nightmare scenario that left them with minutes to escape the 1 1/2-storey home.

Fire crews arrived to find King Brown outside the house. He had run to a neighbouring home, banging on the door just before 12:30 a.m. and asking the occupants to dial 911.

The other tenant, David DeGagne was dialing 911 on his cellphone inside his truck, where hed taken shelter.

Both were gripped with fear a third tenant, Tom, was trapped inside the basement where the fire started.

One of the firefighters went in to double-check, search and rescue, to make sure nobody was in there. I heard his respirator fell off and he had an emergency situation, said Brown, describing the moments before the flashover.

DeGagne said he knew something was terribly wrong when he saw paramedics race towards the house with a stretcher.

Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press Two residents of 126 Bruce Ave., King Brown (left) and David DeGagne, talk to police officers after Saturday's fire.

You think the worst, and I thought, Oh, my God, they found Tom, DeGagne recalled.

The stretcher was for one of the firefighters, the tenants said.

Tom was later found at the home of a friend. The fourth tenant was at his girlfriends place.

Brown escaped with the clothes on his back but no way to contact family in Ontario. His cellphone was in the upstairs bedroom.

DeGagne managed to grab an overnight bag with clothes hed packed for a weekend trip. Both expected to spend Saturday night in hospital, where medical staff offered them beds and set up an emergency appointment with social services workers.

Most of the night, the quiet suburban area was lit with flashing lights, fire crews and police converging at the scene after the mayday call went out, one neighbour reported.

Beverley Swan said she and another neighbour stood outside for an hour or more in the bitter night, despite temperatures that dropped to about -30 C.

It was very scary. Very scary, she said in an interview at her home across the street.

The firemen put up a ladder and smashed the little bedroom window in the loft, and tons of smoke poured out.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca

kristin.annable@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 13/02/2016 (2442 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus decision not to name regional cabinet ministers in his government means the 16 regional offices established to support that function are staffed but have nothing to do, the Free Press has learned.

There are 16 ministers regional offices, known as MROs, across Canada as well as a national MRO based in Gatineau, Que. The Gatineau office has five staff, while the others each have one or two, all administrative jobs.

Winnipegs office has two staffers, a manager and an administration officer.

Justin Tang / The Canadian Press Files Conservative MP Candice Bergen.

The budget for the 2015-16 year is $4.7 million, although current estimates from the department show the cost to come in around $4.3 million.

A source within the Liberal party told the Free Press the employees in the offices are sitting idle because there isnt anyone using the office. He predicted the Prime Ministers Office will change its mind and appoint regional ministers within a year.

MaryAnn Mihychuk, employment, workforce development and labour minister and one of two cabinet ministers from Manitoba, confirmed the change has left the staff largely at loose ends and those seeking aid from Ottawa unsure how to proceed.

They, too, have not become engaged in the new model yet, said Mihychuk. This is an unusual circumstance right across the country. It comes up in every jurisdiction.

Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr, who represents Winnipeg South Centre, acknowledged its an adjustment for everyone.

It has meant both Carr and Mihychuk are called on to meet with the same local representatives or organizations, who arent sure who is best to carry their message or needs back to Ottawa.

A source from one Manitoba organization that has done a lot of work with the MRO in the past said, The jury is still out on whether it is going to work without a lead minister.

The source, who wanted to stay anonymous out of concern for ruffling federal feathers, said if organizations dont have a clear lead person to funnel requests through, those requests might fall through the cracks.

As well, decisions will always be made by the minister in charge of the area, but that minister previously looked to MROs for guidance on vetting such things as infrastructure projects. If those decisions are now going to be made in Ottawa without guidance from the MRO, it could make things tough.

I honestly dont know how it is going to work, the source said.

Portage-Lisgar Conservative MP Candice Bergen said she has heard from local municipalities there is frustration getting information on infrastructure projects in the queue with the previous government.

Local mayors and reeves have no idea who to speak with Conservative MP Candice Bergen

Local mayors and reeves have no idea who to speak with, she said.

Elmwood-Transcona NDP MP Daniel Blaikie said to have MROs without regional ministers doesnt make any sense to him. The NDP had concerns the MROs had become political operations for the previous Conservative government, but he said in principle, having a cabinet minister designated to manage Manitoba files is a good thing.

When that role is being played well, there is a purpose to it, he said.

Donald Savoie, a public administration professor at the University of Moncton and head of an institute specializing in research on regional development, said if the government has decided to do away with regional ministers, the offices will serve no purpose.

If theyre of no use, then just shut them down, he said.

But Savoie said governments have a lot of difficulty dismantling things once theyve been created.

Regional ministers have been around in some format since John A. MacDonald appointed Sir George-Etienne Cartier to be his Quebec lieutenant. MROs werent established until 1985.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 12/02/2016 (2443 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A lawyer representing 16-year-old shooting victim Calli Vanderaa and her single father, Corey, filed suit Friday against the Attorney General of Canada, the RCMP and the Mountie whose semi-automatic pistol was used in the attack last October.

The statement of claim, prepared by the familys lawyer, Robert Tapper, asks for unspecified general, punitive, aggravated and special damages as a result of life threatening and major injuries that also left the Winnipeg High School girl with post-traumatic stress disorder, according the suit.

While Calli finally returned to school after the Christmas break, the suit contends she continues to suffer from both the psychological and physiological consequences of the incident.

Gordon Sinclair Jr. / Winnipeg Free Press Calli Vanderaa, the 16-year-old high school girl shot late last month with a stolen RCMP handgun, smiles up at her father Corey during a visit at her HSC hospital room Sunday.

She will suffer for a lifetime, the suit says.

The shooting occurred Oct. 23 in the parking lot of a Windsor Park convenience store Calli and some friends had stopped at before the shooting began by an assailant she had never seen before.

The single bullet, that struck Calli as she sat in a car, hiding, damaged her lung, ribs, spleen and colon.

The suit states the firearm was stolen by the shooter earlier that evening from an RCMP cruiser that had been parked on a street in front of the southeast Winnipeg residence of the Mountie named as a defendant in the action, Sgt. Chris McCuen.

It also alleges that McCuen left his police belt, replete with firearm, taser and baton, visible on the back seat of the car.

In leaving it there in an insecure manner, the suit further states, McCuen violated police policy, common sense and safety regulations.

It specifically sites the protection of the firearm and its securing is fundamental to any trained officer, the statement says, and is so basic that it must have been that the defendant McCuen was not operating in any thoughtful manner.

It further states by not following police policy on the safe storage of firearms his actions were willful, reckless, dangerous and negligent.

Two men, Matthew Wilfred McKay, 22, and Matthew Andrew Miles, 25, face numerous charges. A statement of defence has yet to be filed.

Gordon.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 12/02/2016 (2443 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

wfpvideo:113160487:wfpvideo

Broken hearts usually mark the end of a relationship, not the beginning.

Unless youre Sherene Wright and her fiance, Russell MacDougall.

The couple, who are holding a social later this month followed by a wedding later this year, had each of their broken hearts mended, not by the passage of time, but through cardiac transplant surgery.

Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press Sherene Wright and Russell MacDougall, both heart transplant recipients, cuddle together at their home holding heart-shaped pillows made by MTS volunteers for heart surgery patients.

You could say their hearts were pierced by a surgeons scalpel instead of Cupids arrow.

And their path that will lead two hearts to beat as one took its first heartbeats inside the cardiac services program at St. Boniface Hospital.

I never thought Id find love because of a heart transplant, Wright said.

Everybody says we should write a book or do a movie. It is pretty unbelievable.

MacDougall said, I believe that what happens is meant to be.

This is something meant to be, and the paths we chose before led us here. Im as happy as Ill ever be.

How rare is this? The couple doesnt know, but just receiving a heart transplant already puts them in rarefied air.

The most recent statistics show only 129 Canadians received heart transplants in 2012, with another 123 on the waiting list for surgery.

The couple first met inside a hospital when the 36-year-old Wright, who received a new heart July 1, 2012, went a few months later to counsel MacDougall, 35, on what it would be like living with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) to keep him alive while waiting for a transplant. Wright herself had needed the same device before her transplant.

I went up and talked to him, and I told him how it was going to be, she said.

Wright said the two then saw each other when they regularly began going out with several people in a small exclusive club: people who had undergone or were waiting for transplant surgery.

We went out for movies in a group, but then about November (2014) Russ asked me for an actual date  just the two of us. We just started dating while he was on the LVAD.

Then, on April 29, 2015, Wright was at work when she got the call from MacDougall. A donor heart was suddenly available, and he was leaving for Ottawa for the transplant.

I raced to the airport, she said.

MacDougall said he was about to get on the air ambulance to take him to Ottawa when he suddenly turned around and took Wright a short distance away on the tarmac.

It wasnt a change of heart, but a question he wanted to pop to get off his chest before his chest was opened later that day.

I was prepared; I just wasnt so sure if she was prepared, but she was, he said.

It had to be done then, and I had to say it or I would regret not saying it.

Sherene Wright and Russell MacDougall, both heart transplant recipients, are getting married in September.

It was quite an emotional day, Wright said laughing.

A few weeks later, McDougall was transferred back to St. Boniface, but he wasnt discharged from hospital until September.

I tell him I began planning the wedding while he was still asleep after surgery, Wright said.

There are many things the couple have in common besides their love for each other: they both need to spend almost $2,000 every three months for just one of their anti-rejection drugs. They both have his-and-her matching chest scars.

And they both had the same nurse caring for them who has now become such a close friend she is part of their wedding party.

That nurse, Jolene Scharikow, said the odds of two people receiving heart transplants and then getting married are so small, she figures you have more of a chance of going into a field and hoping for a lightning strike, while even holding a lightning rod, than this happening.

I dont think it has ever been heard of. Its certainly heartwarming, and everyone loves it who hears about it.

But, besides their love, there is something else the couple is adamant about: organ donation.

Wright said she loves the idea currently being pushed by Manitobans for Presumed Consent to make organ donations the first choice unless you have opted out.

There are so many people who think they are donors and dont know they have to go online to sign up now, she said.

Everybody should be part of it. Everybody should just be on the list.

We wouldnt be here if it wasnt for people who were donors.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/02/2016 (2443 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Waverley underpass proposal is moving towards a February vote on the floor of council but the debate is revealing a deepening division among councillors over the project and how its been managed.

Members of the public works committee Friday were unable to agree on a motion to endorse the $155-million project, with a 2-2 vote that moves the project along without a recommendation.

Boris Minkevich / Winnipeg Free Press Photographed here is one of the proposed projects: Waverley underpass for this rail crossing. As a member of council, I dont have enough information to vote Yes on the Waverley underpass project and, quite frankly, I dont think full council does, Coun. Devi Sharma told reporters following the meeting.

Sharma (Old Kildonan) and Coun. Shawn Dobson (St. Charles) voted against the project, with Couns. Cindy Gilroy (Daniel McIntyre) and Janice Lukes (South Winnipeg-S. Norbert) supporting it.

Sharma and Dobson are concerned with how the administration has been maneuvering the project towards a council vote and refusing to ensure all councillors are brought up to speed on the project.

Im really disappointed that council wasnt briefed more thoroughly as we get closer to being ready to move on a project like this, Sharma said.

While Gilroy supported the project, she said she was doing so only reluctantly.

But there was no such second-guessing from Lukes, chairwoman of the public works committee  she was prepared to vote for the project regardless of the criticisms directed towards it and the administrations handling.

I voted for it. Im representing the residents in my ward who really want it, Lukes said. Weve got funding secured for it.This is a project that were not going to delay  its an important project to the area, to the councillors in the area, to the councillors in the area.

The underpass project seems destined for approval. A majority of councillors voted at the January meeting to reject a bid by Coun. Russ Wyatt to postpone the project until the Charest rail relocation task force submits its recommendations and they also ensured the issue will be brought back to the Feb. 24 meeting for a vote.

The project goes to executive policy committee Feb. 17 and then council the following week.

Supporters of the project argued council chose it as the citys top infrastructure project in March 2015 and contributing funding has been secured from the federal and provincial governments. Delaying the project will result in cost increases and complicate the construction of detour routes, which are planned for now-vacant land owned by the Reh-Fit Centre but which will be the site of a proposed new Pan Am Clinic.

The city's proposed detour route.

Several senior administrators were at the meeting, including CAO Doug McNeil and Lester Deane, director of public works, ready to refute criticisms raised by local consultant Ken Klassen.

Klassen, an engineering technologist specializing in energy efficient construction with clients around the world, had gone public with his concerns earlier and repeated them at Fridays committee meeting: the project cant be justified on a strictly cost/benefit analysis basis; the administrations criteria to judge the project doesnt comply with standards used by the provincial and the federal governments or other government agencies across North America; the administration is withholding critical information about how it measured the project from council and the public.

Klassens critique of the project forced the administration to admit that, contrary to what had been told to councillors previously, there had not been a standard cost/benefit analysis done on the project.

In fact, the administration admitted it doesnt measure the merits of similar infrastructure projects using a recognized cost/benefit analysis approach.

Klassen said the administration is in breach of civic policies dating back to 1998 and its not making any apologies for it.

The citys policy is crystal clear  they have to do a financial cost/benefit analysis (for all major projects) and the administration has taken it upon themselves, with no public debate, no approval from council or mayor, to not do that, Klassen said.

Thats stunning  Youre going to spend $155 million on a project and not do the proper financial analysis.

Klassen said while there are other factors to be considered, he said that a cost/benefit analysis is the most important hurdle any project needs to pass.they havent even done that type of analysis.

Klassen said hes seeing little evidence of Mayor Brian Bowmans claims of greater transparency at city hall.

It seems the city is going backwards rather than forward, Klassen said. The mayor has made a lot of progressive statements about greater transparency (at city hall) and access to information but in practical sense its going in the opposite direction.theres a breakdown between rhetoric and reality between the mayor and what he wants for open government and transparency and what the administration is doing.

Klassen said he remains puzzled as to how the administration promoted the underpass as the citys highest, most pressing priority when it had been repeatedly identified in the citys Transportation Master Plan, between 2011 and 2014, as a part of a medium-term package of projects that could be done in 2021, with 19 other projects considered more pressing.

McNeil dismissed Klassens concerns about the need for a cost/benefit analysis, telling the committee the city conducts an assessment management analysis that takes several intangible factors into consideration when judging the worth of a project.

McNeil said provincial and federal governments employ a traditional cost/benefit analysis because they receive tax revenue from their projects which Winnipeg does not, and added there are good reasons to proceed with the underpass now.

This is for the benefit of our citizens, for a standard of living, for ease of getting to work, for preventing greenhouse gases from all the cars idling, sitting at a crossing, McNeil said. There are a whole bunch of other, non-tangible benefits for the citizens of Winnipeg for us to proceed with this project.So, we look at mostly all those non-tangible benefits.

Lukes said the concerns raised by Dobson, Sharma and Gilroy are a reflection of how some issues can be complex and complicated and its important that they be given an opportunity to voice their concerns.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/02/2016 (2442 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Abruptly, I jam the Jeep into first gear. This is where the real off-road thrills of our safari in Cuba begin. The puddle up ahead, stained red from the crimson earth, is as wide as the narrow track and the ruts leading up to it are thick with mud.

My wife and I and our 13-year old daughter ram through this section as quickly as possible, splattering the jeep (actually a diminutive Suzuki Jimny) with sloppy muck and murky water.

STEVE MACNAULL / POSTMEDIA NETWORK INC. Tainos aboriginals entertain along the Rio Canimar.

Then its onto a smoother track. We take time to admire the yellow-flowered brush enveloping the Jeep and head for the beach to zoom parallel the Caribbean Sea.

The narrow opening here is sand  sea grape bushes snap off the hood and side of the vehicle. We could be taking main roads on this journey. But, what would be the point?

This is the Yamuri Jeep Safari and getting jostled and taking the path less travelled is what its all about. The first destination of this all-day adventure is Coral Beach for some snorkelling.

My daughter and I slip into the water while my wife chooses a waterfront massage.

Back in our vehicles, our convoy of nine vehicles snakes toward Rio Canimar where we change modes of transportation and race up the river in little speed boats.

As we dock, Tainos aboriginals welcome us with a dance, complete with bare-breasted women and loin-clothed men.

Back in the vehicles its off for a bit of history. Our convoy parks in a semi-circle around the monument at Massacre Bay, where a battle for Cuban independence was lost in 1898. The bay is also the closest Cuba is to Florida, just 145 kilometres.

A waiter brings us minty mojitos at San Carlos Bar in Havana.

Hungry, we drive through a series of ramshackle villages to Rancho Gaviota for a traditional Cuban lunch of roast pork, rice and beans and Cristal beer.

At the ranch we have a quick horseback ride around the sugar cane fields, say hi to the sugar cane rat in a cage, nibbling, of course, on sugar cane and sample the ranch specialty of fresh-pressed sugarcane juice with lime and white Ron Cubay rum.

On the way back, we take rutted roads where kids run out of their houses to wave at us.

Like many tourists to Cuba, weve come to a big resort, Grand Memories, on the Varadero Peninsula where the beaches are spectacular, the water stunning and the weather warm.

Our trip is all within Matanzas province where Varadero is located.

But a trip to Cuba isnt complete without the two-hour drive to the UNESCO-certified capital of Havana.

Cayo Blanca has a white sand beach, crystalline water and lobster lunches.

So, we sign up for the Colonial Havana all-day jaunt and first arrive at the modern side of the city to take pictures in Revolution Square.

But Havanas real charm is in the old colonial city where the oceanfront walkway  the malecon  stretches 12 kilometres, classic cars cruise the streets, forts and castles overlook the bay and plazas reveal cathedrals and bars that spill onto the narrow streets with music and mojitos.

However, before we can indulge in that cocktail of mint, sugar syrup, lime, white rum and soda, we cruise along the malecon in a cherry-red 1951 Chevrolet Deluxe convertible with driver Rafael.

We feel so cool, the wind in our hair, smiling and waving at other tourists also posing in their hired classics.

Back in Varadero the next day, we head directly to the ocean for a catamaran tour to snorkel some more, play with dolphins at Rancho Cangrejo, eat a lobster lunch and lounge in the crystalline waters at Cayo Blanco.

On a one-week all-inclusive Sunwing Vacations holiday at the 1,110-room Grand Memories Resort, we also have lots of time to hang out on the beach, bask in the pools and eat and drink at 16 restaurants and bars.

Sunwing is the largest provider of tourism to Cuba with non-stop flights and all-inclusive packages from 24 Canadian cities, including Winnipeg.

Rafael took us out in his 1951 Chevrolet Deluxe convertible in Havana.

Sunwings Nexus Tours, on the ground in Cuba, took us on the Yamuri Jeep Safari, Colonial Havana and Crucero del Sol catamaran tours.

 Postmedia Network Inc. 2106
Two candidates will challenge a four-year incumbent in the Sauk County Boards 25th district during Tuesdays primary election.

The district includes the Village of Loganville, the towns of Honey Creek and Westfield, and Ward 2 of the Town of Freedom. Voters will select two of the three candidates to move on to the April 5 spring election.

Tuesdays ballot will include two-term incumbent Brian Peper of Loganville, as well as challengers Lynn Zick and Charlotte Huelsemann, both of North Freedom.

Zick touts placemaking

Zick, 58, worked for 22 years as a Sauk County government employee and is now retired. She said her experience working for various county departments in budgeting and administration gives her the experience and insight needed to be an effective supervisor.

If elected, she said, she would work to promote the county as a place for people who are looking to vacation, or settle down. That includes securing the funding needed to develop the Great Sauk Trail and ensuring that local business are not harmed by the U.S. Highway 12 bypass that is in development.

Because I was born and raised here, I am passionate about Sauk Countys placemaking initiative, she said. Im very interested in promoting and making Sauk County a destination, and bringing in new residents so that Sauk County becomes home to them as well.

Zick said she wants to ensure fair wages and benefits for county employees. She was critical of changes to benefits packages that restricted county employees access to primary care physicians, saying the shift initially forced her to leave a doctor she had seen for 28 years.

Thats changed, she said. But that was really unfair to employees to be put into that position that we couldnt see our doctors, and I would not like to see that happen again.

Zick also said she hopes the county can take advantage of grants that would expand broadband Internet access in rural areas. She said many people in her area are forced to use satellite access, which is not always fast or reliable.

Zick also said she hopes to bring some semblance of ethics and morals to a 31-member board that has been seen as politically incorrect and uncivil.

Huelsemann concerned about heroin

A Sauk County native, the 62-year-old Huelsemann worked for 22 years with Teel Plastic in Baraboo, and currently is an employee with Cardinal Glass Industries.

She said she is passionate about an initiative to expand the Sauk Prairie areas Community Activated Recovery Enhancement program. The program provides an experimental medication and counseling to heroin addicts.

Sauk County recently was awarded a $1 million grant to expand the program to Baraboo, Reedsburg and Spring Green.

Anything I could do to help with that would be near and dear to my heart, she said, adding that the program is more effective than simply punishing addicts and then releasing them back into society.

Both Zick and Huelsemann were critical of Pepers November 2012 vote that thwarted a Wisconsin firms plan to bring mobile broadband to rural parts of Sauk County.

Under the proposed deal with Hilbert Communications, the county would have guaranteed a private $3 million loan to Hilbert to expand its network of towers.

The deal would not have cost taxpayers any money, unless Hilbert defaulted on the private loan. The boards vote of support would have allowed Hilbert to take advantage of a federal program designed to assist areas that have been hit by natural disasters. Sauk County qualified because the area was declared a disaster area after flooding in 2008.

That was very shortsighted, Huelsemann said of Pepers vote. She said the lack of broadband access hinders business growth.

Huelsemann said she does not support raising wages for county employees, and took issue with Zicks stance on that issue.

Peper: I support the farmer

Born and raised in Loganville, Peper, 54, said he has worked hard to advocate for his district, and has spoken up for constituents at county meetings. Having spent 28 years as a dairy farmer, he said its important to remember the countys rural roots.

He responded to criticisms about the Hilbert Communication broadband vote by saying it is not the countys job to prop up individual businesses. He said Hilbert could have secured a loan without the federal program, although it would have been more expensive.

I think the county was pursuing it wrongly, Peper said. They were putting one business in front of everybody else. Its not our job to back individual companies. Let everybody vie. We shouldnt be cosigning notes for them.

Peper listed one of his accomplishments as being one of the people who voted against the budget every time. He said he does not support the idea  touted by several board leaders  that the county must tax to the max each year in order to ensure that future budgets are not hindered by state imposed tax limits.

Documents show Peper voted in support of the countys 2013 budget. However, that budget included a tax levy freeze.

Peper said he supports construction of the Great Sauk Trail, but wants to ensure that snowmobilers will have access to all sections if snowmobile trail user fees are tapped to pay for development.

Peper said he does not support the countys plan to construct an assisted living facility near the county-run nursing home in Reedsburg. Although he said the Sauk County Health Care Center does a good job, he does not believe the county should be in the health care industry.

Peper said he believes the county could save taxpayers $1 million a year by selling its government-run nursing home for $1 to a private company.

Peper serves on the countys Natural Beauty Council, its Economic Development Committee, and its Highway and Parks committee. He said he would like to serve on the Conservation, Planning and Zoning Committee as well.

If elected for another term, Peper said he would advocate for a new office building at White Mound Park that is more user and employee friendly. He said the old building is dilapidated and falling apart.
The United States Preventive Services Task Force recently recommended mandatory depression screening for all Americans. The task force wants to force health insurance companies to pay for the screening. Basic economics, as well as the Obamacare disaster, should have shown this task force that government health insurance mandates harm Americans.

Government health insurance mandates raise the price of health insurance. Consumers will respond to this increase by either choosing to not carry health insurance or by reducing their consumption of other goods and services. Imposing new health insurance mandates will thus make consumers, many of whom already are suffering from Obamacares costly mandates, worse off by forcing them to deviate from their preferred consumption patterns.

Mandatory depression screening will not just raise insurance costs. In order to ensure that the screening mandate properly implemented, the government will need to create a database containing the results of the screenings. Those anti-gun politicians who want to forbid anyone labeled mentally ill from owning a firearm will no doubt want to use this database as a tool to deprive individuals of their Second Amendment rights.

If the preventive task force has its way, Americans could lose their Second Amendment, and possibly other rights simply because they happened to undergo their mandatory depression screening when they were coping with a loved ones passing or a divorce, or simply having a bad day. As anyone who has been mistakenly placed on the terrorist watch list can attest, it is very difficult to get off a government database even when the government clearly is in error. Thus, anyone mistakenly labeled as depressed will have to spend a great deal of time and money in what may be a futile attempt to get his or her rights back.

Mandatory depression screening will endanger peoples health by increasing the use of psychotropic drugs. These drugs often have dangerous side effects. Their use has even been linked to suicide.

The Preventive Services Task Forces mandatory depression screening mandate is based on the fallacy that diagnosing mental health problems is analogous to diagnosing cancer or diabetes. Even mental health professionals acknowledge that there is a great deal of subjectivity in mental health diagnosis.

Consider that until 1973 homosexuality was considered a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association. If mandatory depression screening becomes a reality, it is likely this mental health screening will be expanded to cover screening for other mental illnesses. This could result in anyone with an unpopular political belief or lifestyle choice being labeled as mentally ill.

Even if mandatory health screening could be implemented without increasing costs or threatening liberty it would still be a bad idea. Government health care mandates undermine the basic principles of a free society. If it is legitimate for government to tell us what types of health care we must receive, then it is also legitimate for the government to tell us what to eat, when to exercise and even how to raise our children.

To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, a tyranny imposed for our own good is the worst form of tyranny because it is a tyranny without limits. All who love liberty must therefore oppose mandatory depression screening, or any other health care mandate.
Wisconsin Republicans simply cant bring themselves to make it easy for citizens to vote in our state.

A new voter registration bill, SB 295, which could be acted on in the state Senate as early as Tuesday, would allow Wisconsin voters to register online. Thats the good news.

But, as usual, theres bad news to go with it. Online registration would be available only to those who have a current and valid Wisconsin drivers license or ID card. That excludes the thousands of people who are qualified to vote but dont have either of those cards, many of them seniors too old to drive, students and low-income people.

Worse, though, the new legislation would hamstring groups like the League of Women Voters and even municipal clerks from conducting voter registration drives to help eligible voters become registered for elections.

The league, for example, annually registers thousands of voters at senior centers, farmers markets, community fairs, high schools and colleges. Its an ongoing process, not just at election time. Deputized volunteers staff the leagues tables and booths to provide voting information and answers to questions about the voting process, and help people sign up to vote. Many city and village clerks do likewise, often at a local library, in an effort to bolster election participation.

Its time for the state to join the 21st century by allowing and encouraging online registration, but theres absolutely no reason to once again discriminate against the poor and elderly while doing so and at the same time make it next to impossible to encourage election turnout.

If state senators have a conscience, they will strip the bill of its restrictions, allow everyone to register online and encourage groups like the League of Women Voters to continue their historic role in getting out the vote.
Sinus headache? Feeling feverish?

Theres an app for that.

The wonderful world of technology may soon help us take a nostalgic turn that will return us to the days when doctors made house calls.

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 already has worked out agreements with a couple of major insurance providers in 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, 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.
Arianna Weinberger is only a junior, but she will have a year of college credits by the time she graduates from Beaver Dam High School in 2017.

Weinberger is part of growing trend of students earning credits outside the high school classroom.

Things in education have changed, Beaver Dam Virtual School coordinator Rebecca Droessler said. There are a lot of different programs. Its not just bricks and mortar anymore. There are over 20 AP courses where the students can get college credit and 20 transcript courses where they can get credit through MPTC.

In Beaver Dam schools, students can study through youth apprentice, the districts virtual academy, youth options or advance placement courses to gain college credit.

Principal Mark DiStefano said this year, 197 students at BDHS are earning college credit through advanced placement tests and 36 students are taking college courses through youth options.

Weinberger is using both the virtual academy and youth options in order to get a year of college credits before graduating.

BDHS will pay for my college courses next year, Weinberger said. I want to go to technical school in Fond du Lac to get my generals done.

Weinberger has taken two courses from the virtual academy. Nutrition Across the Lifespan during the first semester this year and Life Skills this semester.

Beaver Dam High School, Don Smith Learning Academy and Wisconsin Virtual Schools have partnered to provide the services to high school students within the Beaver Dam Unified School District. Droessler said there are currently 12 full-time online students and 25 students in total with the rest taking enrichment courses (like Weinberger).

I want to go into something in the medical field and this will help me get a head start, Weinberger said. It is something that is important to me.

Weinberger talked with her school counselor Nate Wilke about having a head start in school and that is where she learned about the virtual academy.

Weinberger accesses her online courses through Wisconsin Virtual School.

The teachers communicate with us through email, Weinberger said.

Weinberger has a full schedule at BDHS as well, and is active in clubs and track after school.

Its definitely a time-consuming commitment, Weinberger said. You can work ahead with the online courses, though, so on a night free I can get ahead or catch up on a couple of weeks.

Youth options allows public high school juniors and seniors who meet certain requirements to take post-secondary courses at a Wisconsin technical college, a UW System college or university, a Wisconsin tribal controlled college or a Wisconsin private, nonprofit college or university.

The school board determines if a college course can be taken for high school credit and is not comparable to a current course offered by the district.

With youth options, Weinberger will still be considered a student at the school so the district still will receive state aid for her. She will be able to continue participating in after-school activities and graduate with her class next year.

Weinberger will have to choose courses for the fall semester by March 1 and her spring semester courses by Oct. 1. The Wisconsin DPI form is used to notify the school board of her intentions to enroll in the college classes.

I dont think very many kids know how big this can be for them, Weinberger said.

Several students do it to take the certified nurses aide course at MPTC, Weinberger said. However, it also helps with graduation requirements at the high school since every four college credits are equal to a high school credit.

Weinberger said students thinking about the youth options program should look at filling their schedule during their freshmen year.

I wish I would have done that, Weinberger said. Then I would have all 27 credits and wouldnt even have to take online courses (to catch up with her graduation requirements).

To find out more information about Beaver Dams virtual school, contact Rebecca Droessler, Virtual Academy coordinator at 885-7313, extension 4229, or droesslerr@bdusd.org.

Students interested in the youth options program should contact their guidance counselors for more information.
A letter written by a traveler who stayed at the Tremont Hotel in 1928 found its way back to Columbus and will be framed and hung inside the historic downtown building when renovations there are completed.

Elgart and Eunice Bauman of Wausau came across the four-page letter, which was written on Tremont Hotel stationery and tucked inside an envelope bearing the Tremonts insignia, while they were cleaning out the house of a friend who had recently died. The woman was a widow who had no children or close relatives, so the Baumans were appointed power of attorney and tasked with figuring out how to dispose of her personal property.

Eunice Bauman said she believes the letter, which was addressed to William H. Masch of Wausau, originally belonged to an ancestor of the womans late husband because his parents had owned the house before he and his wife took possession of it, and many of the older couples belongings were still there. The womans husband was born in 1929 and was an only child.

With no family members to pass mementos on to, the Baumans decided to send the letter bearing the Tremonts imprint back to Columbus, hoping it might mean something to someone here.

Elgart Bauman found the address for the Columbus Chamber of Commerce and wrote a note saying, I was going through some old papers and came across this envelope and the old stationery. If nothing else, its a conversation article for a few minutes from 1928.

Back at the Tremont

Chamber president Lorraine Kasmiski was thrilled to get the vintage letter in the mail and knew immediately where it belonged: back at the Tremont. She contacted Winfield MacDonald, who owns the building today.

After its heyday as a hotel and headquarters for commercial men as the old letterhead states, the building eventually became low-income housing, until a fire in 2014 left it uninhabitable. MacDonald is now rehabbing the building, with plans to turn the top two floors into loft-style apartments and bring a restaurant back to the ground level.

MacDonald said he plans to display the letter inside the Tremont after renovations are completed.

Were going to frame it up and probably type up the whole letter so people can read it, he said.

The letterhead says TREMONT HOTEL in large capital letters, with MRS. F. C. LANGE printed in smaller type underneath.

According to the Tremonts abstract  which dates back to 1844 when Lewis Ludington owned the land  Emma M. Lange took possession of the building from E.E. and Frances Heisler in 1926. Emmas husband was Frank C. Lange, although his name isnt listed in the abstract until August of 1945, when a quit claim deed was filed that appeared to make him a co-owner of the property. He died several months later, and Emma Lange, as his heir, once again became the sole owner of the building. She sold the Tremont the next year to Edward and Lloyd E. Schaller.

Sample room in connection

At the top of the letterhead in fine print are the lines HEADQUARTERS FOR COMMERCIAL MEN and SAMPLE ROOM IN CONNECTION.

Local historian Alice Schmidt said headquarters for commercial men would have been a nod to the fact that the hotel was frequented by traveling salesmen and businessmen. The sample room line would have been a reference to a room in the hotel where salesmen would have left samples of their merchandise on display for store owners and others to come in and look them over.

Oftentimes samples were scaled-down versions of actual merchandise, to make it easier for salesmen to haul them around, Schmidt said. She owns a number of miniatures herself that were originally made as salesmens samples, including a cake plate and an egg beater.

It was a very practical way for salesmen to carry a number of different items with them, Schmidt said.

Life in 1928

The letter itself, written in a neat, cursive script, also provides a glimpse into life in 1928, with references to normal school, a bus ride from Manitowoc to Columbus and the old custom of women proposing to men in leap year.

When Kasmiski read the letter aloud at a Chamber of Commerce meeting, she tried to interpret some of the old-time references that would be unfamiliar to many people today.

It brings back history that the younger generation doesnt know about, Kasmiski said. They dont know about the county normal school. They dont know that a woman could propose in leap year.

Normal school was where teachers were trained back in the day. The letter writer refers to a supervising teacher taking us up to the normal with his car. The Columbia County Normal School was located at the corner of South Charles and West Seldon Street in Columbus from 1910 until the early 1970s, when it was razed to make way for a residential development, Schmidt said.

For her part, Kasmiski is getting a bit of a reputation as a reuniter of lost documents.

This is the second piece of memorabilia she has been entrusted to find the proper owner of in two years. Last year a woman from Onalaska mailed her an 1828 German baptismal certificate that was found behind a framed antique picture purchased at the Waterloo Antique Mall.

It took some digging, but eventually Kasmiski located a living niece and was able to return the document to a family member.

When something comes to me, I dont let it slide, Kasmiski said.

MacDonald said a lot of people have come up to him since a story about the Tremonts renovations was published in the newspaper in November of last year and told him how the building was woven into their lives or the lives of their ancestors.

This letter reminds me of that whole thing, he said. Its truly amazing.
Columbus Community Hospital took time to reflect on and celebrate the successes of 2015 during its annual gathering of area community members and business leaders Jan. 18 at Savanna Oaks in Fall River.

Total net assets increased by $3.2 million for 2015, as compared to an increase of $2.4 million in 2013. The positive trend reflects the addition of Prairie Ridge Health Clinics and the Prairie Ridge Center for Orthopedic Excellence, said Phil Roberts, CCH chief financial officer. The organizations positive financial results are critically important in order to fund investments in the routine replacement of equipment, as well as new technology and facility improvements, such as our new surgery center.

As a result of CCHs financial success, the organization provided more than $855,000 in community benefits, impacting over 11,000 lives. The benefits included uncompensated Medicaid costs, free and discounted patient care, health education and community outreach, health fairs, and other community support.

CCH has 313 employees and during the past year supported an additional 187 jobs created indirectly through hospital purchases and employee economic activity for a total impact of 500 jobs. Those 500 jobs account for nearly $30 million in wages and salaries which pay federal and state taxes, as well as local taxes to support our schools and local governments, added Roberts.

Other 2015 successes noted at the gathering included the opening of its new over 11,000-square-foot surgery center, the expansion of its medical staff and providers to improve access of care to patients, and the increased involvement of its more than 100 volunteers. Following these presentations, John Russell, CCH president and CEO, recognized two hospital board members and one foundation board member who had completed their service on the boards.

Sam Poser, MD, was recognized for his service on the hospital board as Chief of Medical Staff for 2014 and 2015. Berit Poser of Columbus was recognized for serving as secretary of the CCH Board of Directors for two consecutive terms, from 2010-2015. Russ Fredrick of Columbus, who previously served nine years on the CCH Board of Directors, was honored for serving three consecutive terms on the CCH Foundation Board of Directors.

Our hospital and foundation board members guide our journey to success by making informed decisions to benefit the health and well-being of the communities we serve, said Russell. We are thankful for their unwavering commitment to our hospital and community members.

A copy of Columbus Community Hospitals annual report may be requested by contacting Patti at 623-1280 or pwalker@cch-inc.com.
Beaver Dam Council President, Jon Litscher will once again take over as Wisconsin Department of Corrections Secretary after Secretary Ed Wall has resigned amid an investigation into allegations of abuse at the states youth prison the governors office said Friday.

As of Friday, the FBI had taken over the investigation.

Litscher declined to comment on his appointment from Gov. Scott Walker.

He is from Beaver Dam and has most recently worked as a school superintendent in Cambria. He is the Beaver Dam council president and alderperson for Ward 11.

Litscher has 15 years of experience in state government. He served three years as Gov. Tommy Thompsons executive secretary for higher education aids, eight years as secretary of the department of employment relations and four years as secretary of corrections. He worked for the state for 15 years and retired in 2003. In addition, he worked 21 years as the superintendent of schools at Lake Mills and at Cambria-Friesland.

He also came out of retirement in 2010 when the Cambria-Friesland administration was going through some changes after the departure of a superintendent/middle and high school principal.

The announcement follows the revelation that a judge sent a letter four years ago warning the governor of possible criminal conduct at the Lincoln Hills School in Irma. Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick has said the governor never saw the note and that it had been referred to the corrections department.

The state Department of Justice opened an investigation last year into allegations ranging from sexual assault to misconduct in public office.

Wall said in his letter of resignation that the time has come to turn the page for the department of corrections and step aside to allow a new person with fresh perspectives to lead the agency forward.

The letter makes no mention of the Lincoln Hills probe.
CAMBRIA  Library Director Jennifer Tallman opened the show-and-tell segment of Fridays Valentine Tea Party with something that is almost exactly 100 years old.

The book she showed to the approximately 40 people at the traditional Jane Morgan Memorial Library event included the minutes from the Cambria Village Board meeting in February 1916. This was the meeting at which the board established a community library and appointed a library board.

On or around St. Valentines Day every year, the library hosts a tea party, with a different theme each year.

The theme for Fridays event was 100, to mark the librarys centennial. Guests were invited to bring either 100 of something, or something that is at least 100 years old.

Many of the guests brought 100 coins  pennies, nickels, dimes  and donated them to the library. One guest determined that 100 dimes were too bulky, so she brought a $10 bill.

Linda Hughes brought 100 coins, too, but none of them were spendable.

In a plastic storage container for spaghetti  which looked like a pneumatic tube from a banks drive-up window  Hughes collected 100 different coins from all over the world.

Christel Sparks carried out the 100 theme with a sampling from her vast jewelry collection  100 pendants, most of them made of semi-precious stones like jasper and amethyst.

Im a jewelry-holic, said Sparks, whos a regular guest at the annual tea. I love Mother Nature. The patterns on these stones, I think, look as though somebody purposely designed them.

Each guest was invited to stand up, show what she brought, and tell a little story about it  then pass the items around the room.

Kathy Bultman of Oregon, Wis.  who was attending her first library Valentine Tea Party  looked simultaneously at Sparks pendants and at an incredibly well-preserved 1916 edition of Frank Leslies Illustrated Newspaper, brought by Fran Brende of Cambria.

Brende said the newspapers were stored in a trunk, decorated with Norwegian rosemaling, that is a family heirloom of her late husband, Herb. Another relative got the trunk, she said, but she got several editions of Leslies.

There was a whole stack of them in the trunk, she said, holding up an edition whose color drawings on the cover were still bright.

Many attendees brought century-old family photos, or heirlooms  like a wedding band engraved with the 1915 wedding date.

One of the two century-old artifacts brought by Joan Nelson of Wild Rose was a program from the 1913 commencement exercises of Cambria High School, at which nine graduates  three of them named Jones  received diplomas. Nelson said shes a postcard collector, but she doesnt recall how the commencement program came into her possession. None of the graduates are related to her, she said.

Nelsons other artifact was a matchbox, which some other attendees recognized as a premium given away a century ago by a local bank.

Betty Kloostra of Waupun, who grew up in Cambria, said she was delighted to attend her first Valentine Tea Party  for which she brought an antique scale for weighing infants.

I loved growing up in this community, she said. Thank you for having me.
In about four or five years, a dangerous and heavily-traveled intersection in Columbia County might be replaced by a roundabout.

That news didnt sit well with everyone at Fridays quarterly meeting of the Columbia County Highway Safety Commission  including one audience member who muttered, Oh, I hate those things.

But the committees chairman, Columbia County Sheriffs Office Lt. Richard Hoege, said a roundabout in the area where highway 51, 22 and 60 converge is likely to save lives.

You can about guarantee that there will be no more fatal accidents anymore, Hoege said of intersections where roundabouts had been installed. Taking a little time to educate people about how to go through a roundabout is better than giving a death notification.

Ryan Mayer, a Wisconsin Department of Transportation traffic safety engineer who is a member of the Public Safety Commission, said attendees at a December public information meeting in Arlington favored a roundabout as the best safety solution for the complicated intersection in the town of Leeds.

Mayer said applications for federal highway safety money to help fund the roundabout are due Monday, and if the federal money comes through, the project could be done in 2020 or 2021.

It would be a costly project  in the neighborhood of $3.5 million to $4 million  largely because it would entail acquisition of much neighboring land, he said.

Columbia County currently has no roundabouts, but the DOT is considering one at Highway 16, Highway 137 and Interstate 39 in Portage, and it could be built as soon as 2018.

Heres how Mayer described the proposed changes in the intersection in southern Columbia County:

The Highway 51 intersections with highways 22 and 60 would be eliminated, as would the Highway 51 curve that northbound drivers would take when they intend to continue on 51 into Poynette.

Where Highway 22 meets Highway 60, a one-lane roundabout would be built. Northbound drivers wishing to continue on Highway 51 toward Poynette would enter the roundabout, where theyd be routed to the left.

That area has been the site of numerous crashes, many of them resulting in injuries and at least two fatalities in recent years.

Mayer said the DOT has compiled separate crash data for the intersections in the area. At highways 60 and 22, there have been 17 crashes between 2011 and 2015, 10 of them resulting in injury but no fatality. During the same time period, there have been six crashes, with two fatalities, in the area where Highway 51 curves toward Highway 60. The intersection of 22 and 51 has had 13 crashes, six of them resulting in injuries, and the area where 51 meets 60 has had three crashes, none of them with injuries.

The route is a popular one for residents of Marquette and Columbia counties who commute to and from jobs in Madison. Many of them take Highway 22 south toward Madison, then hook up with Highway 51. Theres a stop sign at the intersection, and its often difficult, especially at night, to discern whether northbound vehicles are going to take the curve and stay on Highway 51 or go straight and get onto 22.

Roundabouts are designed to eliminate T-bone crashes, which often cause injuries or fatalities. In a roundabout, traffic goes one way around a circular island, with traffic coming into the roundabout yielding to traffic already there.

Harlan Baumgartner of the town of Otsego, who is chairman of the Columbia County Boards Highway Committee, said semi-tractor-trailer traffic can pose challenges for drivers in roundabouts.

The trouble with most roundabouts is, you try to see how tight you can make the doggone things, instead of buying a little more land, he said.

Mayer said roundabouts in Wisconsin are designed to accommodate semis, but drivers of passenger vehicles need to be aware that they must yield to semis in a roundabout.

Oh, you have a billboard saying that? replied Baumgartner, with tongue in cheek.

Mayer said the DOT will step up its education of drivers in how to navigate roundabouts.

Mayer said the town of Leeds roundabout is not a sure thing, and neither is it certain that the federal government will help fund it.

But among several road configuration alternatives presented at the December public meeting, Mayer said, the roundabout was the clear preference for those who attended.

Commission member Robert Andler of the town of Hampden asked, however, why he and the other members of the Highway Safety Commission were not informed of the meeting.

Mayer said information was distributed through local newspapers in southern Columbia County, such as the Lodi Enterprise.

However, he said, there will be more public meetings before any decision about a roundabout is finalized.
Reedsburg voters will help whittle the field in the election for a state Supreme Court justice in the spring primary Feb. 16.

Incumbent Justice Rebecca Bradley is challenged by Court of Appeals Judge Joanne Kloppenburg and Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Joe Donald in the only statewide race.

The Supreme Court race will be the only contest on Reedsburg ballots in an election in which new voting machines and voter ID requirements may hold more excitement than the candidates.

A primary election also will take place in the Sauk County Boards 25th district between two-term incumbent Brian Peper of Loganville, Charlotte Huelsemann of North Freedom and Lynn Zick of North Freedom. Voters in that district will select two of the candidates to proceed to the April 5 election.

The primary will be the citys first use of new touchscreen voting machines purchased last year, though traditionalists will be pleased to know the old paper ballots arent going away.

They have a choice, said Deputy Clerk-Treasurer Julie Strutz during an official test of the new machines Feb. 11.

Administrator Ken Witt, whos also city clerk, said the county purchased the new touchscreen voting machines for all polling places in Sauk County at a cost of about $2,000 each, though the city elected to buy a second out of its own funds.

The new ballot tabulators that work with the voting machines cost the county about $6,000 each.

The touchscreen voting machines create ballots for voters, who insert a blank strip of paper and, after making their selections, get it back printed with their selections along with barcodes, which are read by the tabulator.

The tabulator also stores a scan of the ballots, which allows for recounts and recovery from ballot emergencies.

So if somebody lost a bag of ballots like what happened in Monroe a couple years ago you could reprint all the ballots, Witt said.

The touchscreen machines come equipped with a touchpad attachment complete with Braille markings and a headphone jack that will allow the vision-impaired to vote by listening to candidate selections read to them.

The primary will also be the first election under Wisconsins voter ID law, which was passed in 2011 but put on hold while court challenges played out.

Voters will now be required to present a photo ID before voting. For most, that will be a drivers license. Addresses on IDs need not be current.

Its basically matching a name to a photo on the ID, Strutz said.

Those who dont have drivers licenses can get a free photo ID from the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

Witt said the new tabulator will be a time-saver for city election officials, who must deliver election totals to the county courthouse in Baraboo on election night after polls close at 8 p.m.

In the old days we had to modem in through a telephone line, Witt said. But then it would get a busy signal because theres 40 jurisdictions in the county all trying to get in at the same time.

The new tabulator uses cell-phone technology to wirelessly send vote totals, and the new system can handle simultaneous connections from election jurisdictions across the county, Witt said.

This article was edited to correct the names of the candidates in the Supreme Court race.
Brewsters Lanes in Reedsburg was the venue for the 16th annual Fish Family Bowling Tournament and Steak Feed to fund cancer research Feb. 6.

This years event was bigger than ever according to event Chairperson Becky Fish Vertein, who said 109 bowlers participated and 350 steak dinners were served.

Country music filled the air, while the sound of bowling balls, laughter and the aroma of steak dinner filled the bowling alley. Many wore Cancer Sucks T-shirts. An entire room was filled with more than 150 items for the silent auction.

We make a lot of stuff ourselves, Vertein said.

The event began as a fundraiser for the American Cancer Societys Relay for Life. A Fish family member, Fran Fish Kelly, was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma while still in college.

Fran, the youngest of 10 children in the family, was given a short life expectancy, but was inspired to bring the Relay for Life to Reedsburg with the support of the family in 1985.

All proceeds were initially earmarked for the annual Relay for Life held until five years ago, when the family ended its participation in the Relay and went their own way, although the family continues to donate to the American Cancer Society.

Although the event targets cancer, donors may designate where they want the money to go if they so choose. Beneficiaries of the funds raised this year will be the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center in Madison; Angel On My Shoulder, a nonprofit cancer-oriented, cost-free relief charity; and other individuals struggling because of cancer in and outside the area.

Forty family members and 13 friends helped put together this years event, which raised more than $16,000.

We are very appreciative of the support of the community, friends and family who come out every year to raise money for our cause, Corinne Fish said.
Strike continues at Racine Case tractor factory with no clear end in sight
Google has expressed interest in hiring for new positions in their self-driving car division

Google has announced the opening of a number of new jobs for its self-driving car project, signaling that the company might be looking to speed up its manufacturing process.

According to Tech Times, Googles parent company, Alphabet, recently posted 36 job opens for both marketing and manufacturing. Such a slew of new positions as this might indicate that the company is looking to either strengthen their position in the increasingly competitive autonomous-driving market or speed up their manufacturing process.

Among the freshly opened positions are jobs with titles like marketing manager and manufacturing process engineer.

A marketing manager in this case would be asked by Google to design a go-to-market strategy and storytelling to win hearts and minds of community members, influences and governments, according to the job description.

In the past, Google has expressed their disinterest in building and manufacturing cars. They have, in the past, outlined their intent to team up with an established auto maker that could implement Googles tech  without Google having to have anything to do with making the car itself.

However, among the opening described by Google, several require expertise in operations and engineering. This is a strong indication that the company might be considering building some of the hardware themselves.

This news, in concert with their recent expansion of their driverless car testing program to Kirkland, Washington, signals Googles continued commitment to its self-driving division, called Google X.

Kirkland marks the third testing ground for the company, who before has deployed autonomous prototypes in Mountain View, California and Austin, Texas.
One-day-old Nate was taken from his 31-year-old mother, Jennifer Melton, for what she assumed was a routine medical examination.

A newborn baby born in December in a Tennessee hospital was the victim of wrong-patient surgery after a doctor performed surgery on the wrong infant. One-day-old Nate was taken from his 31-year-old mother, Jennifer Melton, for what she assumed was a routine medical examination. Instead, the surgeon had mistaken Nate for an infant scheduled to have a frenectomy, a procedure to cure ankyloglossia, a condition commonly known as tongue tie.

The surgical procedure cuts the tissue underneath the tongue to free it up to allow for easier nursing, and later in life lets the person eat and speak more easily, as well as keep the teeth clean. When Nate was returned to Melton the nurse announced that everything had gone fine during the tongue clipping, and that the procedure would help with the nursing problems, which Nate did not have.

Melton and her partner, 33-year-old Dominque Harper, are outraged. Their baby was returned with blood dripping from underneath his tongue. The surgeon immediately called Melton to apologize, and told her that he had asked for the wrong baby, but that Nate did not experience much discomfort during the procedure, crying just for a little while. He reassured her that no serious harm had been done.

Melton and Harper are suing University Medical Center and the doctor that performed the surgery. Their attorney, Clint Kelly, specializes in medical malpractice cases and says he has never encountered such a horrific case of carelessness in his 20 years of legal work experience.

In the two months that have passed since the surgery, Nate appears well. He does, however, have occasional problems bottle feeding, and sometimes makes gagging sounds while lying on his back.
New VC Ready to Take Pioneering University to The Next Level

This article is old - Published: Saturday, Feb 13th, 2016

THE incoming Vice-Chancellor of a North Wales university says she is looking forward to leading the pioneering institution into a new era.

Dr Maria Hinfelaar will be joining Wrexham Glyndwr University in April, as she steps down from her role as President of Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT).

The 56 year-old is ready to make the move across the Irish Sea and has a clear vision for the future.

She said: In two months time I will be joining Wrexham Glyndwr University as its new Vice-Chancellor and I am really looking forward to it.

Wrexham Glyndwr is ambitious and has shown resilience in the face of significant challenges. It has a crucial role in the region, demonstrating remarkable widening participation metrics and excellent graduate employability outcomes.

I can see huge potential for Wrexham Glyndwr through deeper collaboration with industry in the region and partnerships with other educational providers.

Dr Hinfelaar added: The new Strategic Framework as the university of and for north east Wales sets clear direction, while leaving room for pioneering.

When I arrive in early April, a key priority will be to get to know staff and students and experience the facilities at the university across all of its campuses. That will give me a better insight into what the university can achieve in the future.

After 11 years at the helm of LIT, Dr Hinfelaar joins on April 1, replacing interim Vice-Chancellor, Professor Graham Upton.

Dr Hinfelaar joined LIT in 2004 and during her time has overseen a major period of expansion and innovation. A Netherlands native, she was a student at The Leiden University and holds a PhD from the University of Maastricht  ranked in the top 10 of THEs global list of universities under 50 years old.

She has overseen significant development at LIT, which was named Institute of Technology of the Year 2008/09 and 2012/13 in the prestigious Sunday Times University Guide.

It is now the fourth largest Institute of Technology (IoT) in Ireland with 6500 full time and part time students and over 500 staff. LIT has built up a strong enterprise incubation and R&D profile, which Dr Hinfelaar is keen to export to North Wales.

A keen cyclist, Dr Hinfelaar is also eager to explore the beautiful surroundings of North Wales and will be moving to the area together with her husband Graham in the coming weeks.

Maxine Penlington OBE  unveiled as chair of the Board of Governors in December  believes Dr Hinfelaars appointment will ensure further growth at the institution.

I am absolutely thrilled that Dr Maria Hinfelaar will be joining us next year to lead Wrexham Glyndwr into the next exciting phase of its development, building on the very strong foundations laid by Professor Upton and the management team, she said.

Maria comes to us with an excellent track record of institutional leadership and of business and regional engagement and I am confident that she will be an asset both to the University and to the community of north east Wales.

Professor Upton, who plans to step down on March 31, added: This is an excellent appointment and shows what an exciting proposition Wrexham Glyndwr University will be for students moving forward.

The institution has huge potential and Dr Hinfelaar recognises that. Her vision matches that of the University  to become bigger, stronger and bolder  so the future looks very bright indeed.

Reflecting on his own time at the university, Professor Upton said: It has been a challenging year but one that Ive thoroughly enjoyed.

The staff worked incredibly hard to turn a corner and lay the foundations for the years ahead, which should see Wrexham Glyndwr University grow in stature as an institution the people of Wrexham and north east Wales can be incredibly proud of.
Valentines Protest Against Heartless Decision To Knock Groves Down

This article is old - Published: Saturday, Feb 13th, 2016

Campaigners fighting to save the Groves school building from demolition held a valentines protest this morning, with hearts being tied to railings outside the school.

The original decision to knock down the building by the 10-strong executive board has been condemned as heartless by campaigners, who feel the historic Art Deco building should be preserved for future use as a school or arts hub.

Elaine Guntrip-Thomas, who chairs the Save our Heritage campaign group, said of todays protest: It was heartening to see another good turnout at our protest this morning. We put hearts and roses around the school railings on Valentines weekend to remind the council that some things are more valuable than they might appear.

We will meet as a campaign group tomorrow (Sunday) morning at 11am in Saith Seren to discuss our options and how we maintain the fight against the councils decision. Its far from over and support for the campaign is growing as people become aware of the executive boards decision.

The protesters also put up a No demolition sign in front of the building, along with a recovered banner that was previously removed by Wrexham Council.

Cllr Carrie Harper added: There are still many unanswered questions that we feel the executive board and council leader should answer before they go any further. We also need to have sight of the covenant that restricts development on the site before any demolition takes place.

The passion people feel for retaining this building is part of a wider concern that our heritage is being destroyed, that our town isnt best served by this administration and that we need them to listen more carefully. Not only is it heartless, it also gives the impression of being brainless and clueless as it makes decisions without consultation.

When Wrexham.com passed the protest earlier today several other vehicles were sounding horns in support and waving at the protestors.

Local AM Lesley Griffiths was also taking part in the protest, and tweeted us this picture of hearts and roses being tied to the railings:
At their meeting on Thursday morning, NATO defence ministers agreed to the immediate deployment of a flotilla to the Aegean Sea to support the European Union in deterring refugees by military force. Since NATO reconnaissance aircraft will also be deployed to monitor the Turkish-Syrian border, a direct NATO intervention in the civil war in Syria looks increasingly likely, with unforeseeable consequences.

The naval force is being deployed to the eastern Mediterranean with extraordinary speed. On Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke about a NATO intervention in the refugee crisis during a meeting with Turkish government leaders. Less than three days later, the supreme NATO commander, US General Philip Breedlove, had already ordered the flotilla to the Aegean, where it was intended to be in position within 24 hours.

Currently, the naval force consists of three ships: the German combat support vessel Bonn, the Canadian frigate HMCS Fredericton and the Turkish frigate TCG Barbaros. However, more warships are to follow. The Danish government has already signaled its participation in the mission with its own ships.

At the beginning of the NATO meeting, German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said the purpose of the mission was to make the treacherous business of smugglers and illegal migration more difficult. She then claimed that behind the smugglers who organize crossings for refugees was an extensive logistics infrastructure and organization of a highly criminal nature that we can no longer tolerate.

The European Union is criminalising the hundreds of thousands of refugees who want to escape the war-torn areas of the Middle East and Afghanistan and seek protection in Europe as illegal immigrants in order to systematically cast doubt on their refugee status. That the smugglers can pursue their unscrupulous trade in the misery and despair of refugees, however, has much less to do with their alleged connections to organized crime than to the walling off of the EU, which makes it impossible for refugees to seek shelter in Europe through legal channels.

It is as mendacious as it is cynical to claim, as did British Defence Minister Michael Fallon, that the NATO mission could definitely help save lives in the Aegean and it could help break the criminal gangs who are trafficking migrants from Turkey into Europe.

The primary purpose of the NATO flotilla is to ensure that the escape routes to Europe via Turkey are completely blocked. This was expressed by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg when he declared that the mission will help to stem the flow of refugees, to manage the human tragedy in better ways than weve able to do so far.

The human tragedy is a product first of all of the imperialist intervention in the Middle East and North Africa. The European powers have responded to the flow of refugees by pulling up the drawbridge even higher and to hermetically sealing off the EU. Already this year, at least 320 refugees have drowned in the Aegean, because they saw no other way to save their lives than to put to sea in totally unseaworthy inflatables.

However, Stoltenberg refused to state whether the NATO warships would rescue refugees who are in distress at sea. Instead, he only said that it is not about stopping or pushing back refugee boats ... [We'll] provide high-quality information to the coastguard of Turkey and the coast guard of Greece and the efforts of the European Union.

In fact, it is just such pushbacks that are planned to deter refugees. NATO officials stressed that unlike the EU-led mission in the Mediterranean between Libya and Italy, where apprehended refugees are generally taken to Italy, both the NATO ships and the Coast Guard vessels would take the refugees directly back to Turkey, even if they were apprehended in Greek territorial waters.

British Defence Minister Fallon stated explicitly that there is a significant change in refugee policy. They will not be taken to Greece and thats a crucial difference. This is the first time we have seen a group tasked with returning migrants. That hasnt happened before. So that is quite an important development.

Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos was even more explicit, saying after the NATO meeting that the agreement totally changes the conditions on the migration-refugees issue. The intervention of NATO solved the problem with the migrants. It remains unclear what will happen if refugees resist being deported back to Turkey. The appearance of warships, however, has the most ominous implications.

To preserve a semblance of legality in the sending back of refugees, which is illegal under international refugee law, the Greek government (led by the pseudo-left Syriza party) is seeking to recognize Turkey as a safe third country. But Turkey is anything but safe. The government there is conducting a brutal war against the Kurdish minority, with hundreds of thousands displaced internally. Journalists and opposition activists are arbitrarily arrested. The same fate threatens to befall refugees from Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan, who are also regularly mistreated by security forces and border guards.

The classification of Turkey as safe is more than doubtful legally. Turkey has not yet fully ratified the Geneva Conventions, although this is a mandatory requirement in order to be classified as a safe third country. The government insists that only those from Europe seeking protection can be granted refugee status. Officially, all other refugees are only tolerated as guests, but they are unable to work or access the education or health systems.

Nevertheless, Turkey is now to act as the EUs bouncer, undertaking its dirty work and detaining refugees from the war zones in the Middle East, even though they have no prospects there.

The unlimited cynicism of the European Union was expressed by the EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. Faced with tens of thousands of refugees from the Syrian city of Aleppo, who are holding out on the Turkish-Syrian border in the most adverse conditions, she reminded the Turkish government of its moral and legal duty to protect those seeking help, while at the same time the EU has called for NATO to help to block the stranded refugees in Turkey, stopping them from escaping and sealing up Europes borders.

The ruthlessness with which the ruling elite is acting against refugees is staggering. Led by the US, the NATO powers have completely destroyed Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, and deprived millions of people of any prospects of a normal life. Then they instigated a devastating civil war in Syria, which has now driven more than 10 million people to flee.

Now the European Union is using the same forces to prevent the refugees from seeking protection in Europe. They are even used as an excuse to further promote military escalation in the region.

In addition to the deployment of the flotilla to the Aegean, the NATO defence ministers also decided to send reconnaissance aircraft to the Syrian-Turkish border. This is supposedly to uncover refugee smuggling there. In fact, under the guise of a humanitarian intervention in the Syrian civil war, NATO is positioning itself for a direct confrontation with the Russian armed forces.
Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca pled guilty on Wednesday to allegations that he lied during a federal investigation into the abuse of inmates in the massive Los Angeles jail system. Under the plea agreement he may be sentenced to no more than six months in custody.

The Los Angeles Sheriffs Department (LASD) is the largest in a country. Bloated with war on terror funding, it enjoys a $2.5 billion budget and employs 18,000 officers and other personnel. The Los Angeles jail system has a reputation for being one of most brutal and overcrowded in the country.

The ongoing federal investigation into conditions in the jails reveals levels of corruption and gangsterism that would make an old-fashioned mafia don blush. While the media promotes the police as Americas finest, in reality the countrys law enforcement agencies function essentially as organized criminal enterprises, where murder, mayhem and perjury are standard operating procedure.

The federal investigation has its origins in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union in 1975, which documented inhuman conditions in the jails and resulted in closer federal oversight. In September 2011, the ACLU submitted 70 sworn declarations in court, which described an ongoing reign of terror, with guards beating, torturing and humiliating inmates with impunity.

Subsequently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recruited a prisoner to be a confidential informant. This informant was able to bribe a prison guard with $1,500 to obtain a cell phone, which he used to provide information to the FBI. When prison guards discovered the cellphone, they caused the inmate to disappear in order to prevent the FBI from meeting with him. A sordid game of hide-and-seek followed, during which the LASD secretly moved the inmate from place to place while the FBI tried to locate him.

In one of the most outrageous moments of the investigation, LASD deputies turned up at the home of an FBI agent and tried to intimidate and threaten her. The FBI responded by arresting the deputies.

Bacas guilty plea demonstrates that the illegal behavior in the Sheriffs Department went to the very top of this organization, federal prosecutor Eileen Decker said. More importantly, it illustrates that those who foster and then try to hide a corrupt culture will be held accountable.

During this interview, Sheriff Baca lied, Decker continued. He lied when he stated that he did not know that members of the Sheriffs Department had approached an FBI agent outside her home, and he lied when he stated he was unaware of efforts within the Sheriffs Department to keep the FBI informant away from the FBI.

In the final analysis, the prosecution of Baca likely had more to do with a turf war between the FBI and the LASD than the decades of LASD corruption and brutality. However, the episode provides a rare glimpse into the real conditions inside American law enforcement agencies, behind the puffed-up image promoted by Hollywood television dramas and the establishment media.

Hailed as a reformer and champion of progressive community policing, Baca held the position of sheriff from 1998 to 2014. In 2013, he was named Sheriff of the Year by the National Sheriffs Association, which represents about 2,700 sheriffs departments throughout the country.

In naming Baca Sheriff of the Year, Fred Wilson, the director of operations for the National Association of Sheriffs, said the award looks at what the sheriff has done in their community but also what the sheriff has done to advance the office of sheriff nationally. Sheriff Baca certainly embodies that. He is an exemplary sheriff.

Baca was elected in 1998 when his opponent, the incumbent Sheriff Sherman Block, died shortly before the election. Under Blocks administration, violent criminal gangs flourished within the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department, including, in perhaps the most infamous case, the Lynwood Vikings, which a federal district judge labeled a neo-Nazi, white-supremacist gang. Baca failed to curtail the gangs, and even promoted Paul Tanaka, who founded the Vikings as a watch lieutenant in Lynwood, to the rank of Undersheriff.

Tanaka is presently under federal indictment, and Baca may be called as a witness to testify against his former second in command.

New deputy gangs emerged during Bacas tenure, including the Jump Out Boys, exposed in 2012 as a secret society of deputy sheriffs who awarded themselves morbid tattoos to celebrate shooting civilians.

A recruiting pamphlet for the Jump Out Boys reads, We are alpha dogs who think and act like the wolf, but never become the wolf, and We are not afraid to get our hands dirty without any disgrace, dishonor or hesitation ... sometimes (members) need to do the things they dont want to in order to get where they want to be.

Frederick Engels described the police as belonging to the category of special bodies of armed men that constitute the coercive power of the state, the essential function of which are to uphold the capitalist system by force. This public power exists in every state, Engels explained; it consists not merely of armed men but also of material adjuncts, prisons and institutions of coercion of all kinds. The essential function of the police in capitalist society remains the same in the 21st century.

As social tensions rise, the police in American citiesarmed to the teeth, militarized, dehumanized, and steeped in a thuggish culture that celebrates brutalityare poised to unleash violence against the population at the slightest provocation. This is why the capitalist political establishment, behind public displays of handwringing, is unwilling and unable to undertake any substantial measures to stem the tide of police violence.

Law enforcement officers in Los Angeles County kill an average of one person per week. A 2014 report by the Los Angeles Youth Justice Coalition documented the deaths of at least 589 people since the year 2000.

One of those deaths, by way of example, was Carlos Oliva Sola, who was shot by LASD deputies Nicolas Castellanos and Anthony Forlano in September 2013. It subsequently emerged that this represented Forlanos seventh shooting. The 23-year-olds family alleged that the police planted a gun at the scene in order to try to cover up the shooting. An eyewitness reported that the youth had said, No! No! in a tearful voice before he was shot in the back.

A well-known phrase employed by LASD when an unarmed person is shot is that the person was reaching for his waistband, as if reaching for a gun, thus supposedly justifying the shooting. According to a 2011 study, almost half the people LASD sheriffs deputies shot at after they allegedly reached toward their waistbands were unarmed.

Baca is a prominent and well-connected figure in the military-intelligence-political apparatus. In 2010, he testified before the Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, And Terrorism Risk Assessment of the Committee on Homeland Security in the House of Representatives, then controlled by the Democratic Party.

Most of Bacas testimony was dedicated to the importance of establishing networks of informants to detect radicalization, a subject in which he claimed to be an expert. To maintain a safe and free society of terrorist attacks, police need to establish public-trust policing techniques that lead to appropriate channels of communication and participation by the public, Baca said.

Baca returned to the theme in a statement in 2011. All of these agencies recognize that you cannot arrest or enforce your way out of the radicalization issue. Outreach to community members and the building of relationships will lead to a trusted network for sharing of information and contacts. These relationships are crucial to mitigate a threat, or more importantly, recognize the threat at a stage where a person, or a group, on the wrong path can be righted.

The sheriff in neighboring Orange County, Mike Carona, was indicted on corruption charges in 2007, together with his wife and his alleged longtime mistress. He resigned in 2008 and was convicted on one count of witness tampering. He was sentenced to 66 months in prison, but actually served four years.

Baca resigned as Sheriff in January 2014. According to The Los Angeles Times, Bacas guilty plea will not affect his $328,000 annual pension.
A 60-year-old worker was killed while working alone on or near a bucket elevator that was part of a coal conveyor at the Tonawanda Coke plant just north of Buffalo, New York on the morning of January 6. The worker was a 10-year veteran at the plant who was well respected by his co-workers.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is launching an investigation into the death of the worker. OSHA officials say they will be looking into whether proper guards were in place to prevent people from being injured by the machine and that power to the machine was disconnected during maintenance, a necessary step to prevent the machine from accidentally being turned on.

OSHA has up to six months to finish their investigation of the incident, but indicated that they could release the results sooner. Such reports are often simply relegated to the archives, with OSHA admitting it is lacking resources to properly address the crisis of workplace injury and illness.

In January 2014, an explosion at the coke plant was caused by the improper venting of combustible coke oven gases that ignited. The resulting blast injured three workers: two full time and one temporary. The temporary worker was employed by Kirchner LLC, according to OSHA.

Reports by the local press on the 2014 explosion indicated that the company initially restricted access to the injured workers by first responders. The outcome after a months-long investigation revealed negligence. The penalty for the facilitys life-threatening safety violations was assessed by OSHA in late July and initially consisted of a $161,000 fine, which, after negotiations between OSHA and the company was eventually reduced to $115,370.

A search of OSHA records also uncovered another incident from 1999 where a worker was crushed to death between the door of a coke oven and a steel beam, called a buckstay, while patching the oven. It is worth noting that the fine assessed then by OSHA was a paltry $3,500, which was later trimmed to $2,450. Since 1970, there have been only 88 criminal prosecutions by OSHA in the US related to worker deaths.

In 2014 OSHA reported that 4,679 US workers were killed on the job. The number of serious injuries annually is estimated at over 3 million. The real death toll is significantly higher when including those killed by diseases caused by exposure to toxic chemicals. A Department of Labor report, Adding inequality to injury, noted, approximately 50,000 annual U.S. deaths are attributable to past workplace exposure to hazardous agents, such as asbestos, silica and benzene.

Tonawanda Coke operations were started by Allied Chemical in 1917, supplying the once thriving steel mills of the now deindustrialized Buffalo area. The plant was sold to JD Crane in 1978. Cranes holdings also include Erie Coke of Erie, Pennsylvania and Vanocur Refractories LLC, also in Tonawanda.

The worker killed in January 2016 was represented by the United Steel Workers (USW) trade union. James Briggs, USW New Yorks sub-district 4 director told the Buffalo News Right now, for us, for the union, its just a tragedy, a guy got up to go to work and planned on going home at the end of the day, and his family planned on seeing him. That didnt happen.

In an effort to deflect blame and attention for their lack of oversight, the USW has announced that it is undertaking its own investigation into the death. We will get to the bottom of what happened and we will make sure that this workerwhat happened to himis addressed in the proper way to make sure it doesnt happen to another worker at that site or any other site we represent.

In fact, the USW has worked with the company to cut jobs and employ contract workers while allowing steel companies to reduce safety standards.

In 2014, Tonawanda Coke was found guilty in federal court of responsibility for dumping toxic waste near Tonawanda. The federal government responded, after years of complaints by residents, with the criminal prosecution and conviction of Tonawanda Coke Corp. and its environmental manager, who received a light sentence of one year and one day, and a $20,000 fine.

The company initially faced a fine of $295 millionwhich was reduced to $12.5 millionfor the dumping of coal tar and allowing the widespread illegal release of hundreds of tons of carcinogens like benzene gas. Health studies revealed increased incidences of cancer and other serious ailments in people living in the vicinity of the coke plant. Soil tests have also revealed that the land in this mostly working class town is widely contaminated, and many homes are now considered worthless.

At the time, local radio station WBFO quoted a former Tonawanda Coke worker, David Velazquez, who said, at Tonawanda Coke, 20 minutes before your shift was over, you were allowed to go take a shower, paid for. First time ever, a company tells you leave that uniform there, [leave] your stuff there, and go take a shower ... Now, looking back I could see why, with the benzene and a lot of the chemicals. Local residents speaking at a public meeting described being unable to sell their homes after the soil tests revealed toxic contamination.
In the Democratic Party presidential debate Thursday night, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, seeking to rebound from her devastating defeat in Tuesdays New Hampshire primary election, repeatedly raised racial and gender identity issues in an attempt to undercut Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders appeals on the issue of economic inequality. Sanders, for his part, sought to counter Clinton with his own nods to racial politics.

Clintons effort to shift the focus of the debate to issues of race and gender reflected, in the first instance, immediate electoral concerns. The next two contests in the campaign for the Democratic nomination take place in states with large numbers of minority voters: Nevada Democratic voters are 20 percent Hispanic and 10 percent African-American, while 55 percent of all South Carolina Democrats are black.

But more fundamentally, the increased appeal to identity issues by Clinton, echoed by the corporate-controlled media, reflects concerns in the ruling elite over signs that basic social and class issues are dominating the political thinking of broad layers of the population, fueled by deep-seated anger over the 2008 financial crash and the further growth of social inequality in its aftermath. At the same time, the Democratic primary campaign to date has shown that there is relatively little popular interest in the narrow politics of race, gender and sexual orientation that have been used for decades to divide the working class and suppress the growth of class consciousness.

In the New Hampshire primary, Sanders won the votes of women, and especially younger women, by a large margin over Clinton, despite the latters emphasis in the days leading up to the vote on the prospect of her becoming the first woman president.

The powerful and unanticipated popular response to the denunciations of economic inequality and the crimes of Wall Street by the self-described democratic socialist Sanders is an initial expression of a broad political radicalization. The basic function of the campaign of the long-time independent congressman and senator, who has always backed the Democratic Party, is to divert social and political opposition to the entire political establishment and, increasingly, to the profit system itself, back behind the Democratic Party.

Clinton has been battered by attacks on her close connections to Wall Street, which paid her millions in speaking fees and has kicked in tens of millions in contributions to her campaign and her super-PAC. Since Bill Clinton left the White House, he and his wife have raked in $153 million in income, making it difficult for Hillary Clinton to maintain a credible pretense of sympathizing with the plight of low-paid workers, the long-term unemployed, debt-ridden students, and retirees living on fixed incomes. She is turning to identity politics as a way of concealing the vast class gulf separating not only her, but the US ruling elite as a whole, from the mass of the population.

The Democratic Party establishment is rallying to Clintons side. The political action committee of the Congressional Black Caucus endorsed her this week, and Congressman James Clyburn of South Carolina, the third-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, has said he will make an announcement before the February 27 Democratic primary in his state. Clyburn, who is African-American, is widely expected to endorse Clinton.

The White House is also on board. In a significant remark in a speech to the Illinois state legislature in Springfield Wednesday, the day before the Democratic debate, Obama declared his opposition to anyone presuming to decide whether he or any other Democratic politician is a real progressive. This was a clear rebuke to the Sanders campaign, which used that language in criticizing Clintons ties to Wall Street.

In Thursdays debate in Milwaukee, which was hosted by the Public Broadcasting System, Clinton set the tone with her opening remarks. She claimed to agree with Sanders on campaign finance and Wall Street reform, then added, But I want to go further. I want to tackle those barriers that stand in the way of too many Americans right now. African-Americans who face discrimination in the job market, education, housing and the criminal justice system. Hardworking immigrant families living in fear, who should be brought out of the shadows so they and their children can have a better future. Guaranteeing that womens work finally gets the pay, the equal pay that we deserve.

This became a recurring theme throughout the evening, as Clinton suggested that Sanders was focused too narrowly on economic issues like jobs, income inequality and health care, while she was concerned with broader issues of concern to African-American and Hispanic voters, like racial discrimination, police violence and immigration reform.

Sanders made little effort to expose Clintons pretense to being a champion of the oppressed. Like Clinton, he discussed such issues as job and wage discrimination, police violence and attacks on immigrants as though they were solely issues concerning racial minorities, and not the working class as a whole. Despite his occasional lip service to socialismthe word actually went unmentioned throughout the debateSanders separates racism, gender bias, and attacks on democratic rights from the capitalist system that gives rise to them.

He repeated his familiar criticisms of Wall Street and economic inequality, at a distinctly lower pitch than in previous debates and speeches. Significantly, he made no reference to the attacks on workers rights in Wisconsin in 2011, which sparked a statewide movement against the administration of Republican Governor Scott Walker. That movement was ultimately diverted and derailed by the unions and the Democratic Party. Clinton referred twice to Walker, disparagingly, but Sanders never mentioned his name.

The reactionary character of both the Clinton and Sanders campaigns was most clearly expressed in their competition for the mantle of Barack Obama. The sharpest exchange between the two candidates came when Clinton suggested that Sanders had made unwarranted criticisms of Obama, claiming he sounded like a Republican. Sanders angrily denounced this as a low blow.

After the debate, chief Sanders strategist Tad Devine complained, Theyre trying to place a wedge, a wall, a division between Senator Sanders and President Obama. Theres only one problem: It doesnt exist. No more devastating critique of the Sanders campaign could be devised. The Obama administration has been the principal instrument of the American financial aristocracy over the past seven years in waging war against the working class at home and upholding the global interests of American imperialism.

Clinton dropped the presidents name 21 times in the course of the two-hour debate, according to media tallies, and Sanders vainly sought to outdo her in aligning himself with the policies of this right-wing big-business government.

It was notable that during the foreign policy section of the debate, which was relatively brief, Sanders identified himself completely with Obama and pointed to Clintons differences with the White House on issues such as imposing a no-fly zone in Syria. Sanders made his most expansive comments of the campaign on the question of Ukraine and Russia, fully endorsing the policy of the Obama White House, which threatens an escalation to a direct military clash with Russia, the worlds second-largest nuclear power.

Sanders declared, Russias aggressive actions in the Crimea and in Ukraine have brought about a situation where President Obama and NATOcorrectly, I believeare saying, you know what, were going to have to beef up our troop level in that part of the world to tell Putin that his aggressiveness is not going to go unmatched We have to work with NATO to protect Eastern Europe against any kind of Russian aggression.
On Thursday, a jury returned a guilty verdict for second-degree manslaughter and official misconduct against New York Police Department officer Peter Liang for the November 2014 killing of 28-year-old Akai Gurley, who was unarmed. After a more than two-week trial, it took barely over two days for the jury to reach its decision. Liang faces a jail sentence of up to 15 years.

The shooting occurred when Gurley and a girlfriend were walking down a stairwell in the Louis H. Pink Houses, a public housing complex in the East New York section of Brooklyn. At the same time, Liang and his partner were conducting a vertical patrol in the building. When Liang, gun already drawn, encountered the two young people in the darkened stairwell, his gun went off and the bullet ricocheted off the wall, wounding Gurley in the chest.

Instead of rendering immediate assistance, the two police officers delayed for nearly 20 minutes, debating what to do, while Gurley bled to death. An ambulance was summoned by the victims girlfriend, using a neighbors phone.

Gurley was the father of two young girls.

The verdict against Liang is remarkable primarily for the fact that, despite the large numbers of killings by police, there are so few indictments, let alone convictions. The last conviction of a New York police officer for the shooting death of a civilian took place over 10 years ago, in 2005.

The shooting of Akai Gurley came only four months after the choking death of Eric Garner by the New York police. None of the officers involved in that killing were indicted. The last trial for a police killing was in 2008, when three officers were acquitted in the shooting death of 23-year-old Sean Bell.

Liangs lawyers argued that the shooting was a tragic accident rather than a crime. However, the virtual police occupation of public housing complexes and working class neighborhoods in New York, under the infamous broken windows policy of police commissioner, Bill Bratton, appointed by the citys Democratic Party mayor Bill de Blasio, creates conditions under which such accidents are inevitable.

Bratton himself stated that Gurley was totally innocent. Furthermore, the evident failure of both officers to render any assistance to the victim after the shooting represents gross, criminal negligence, indicating an attitude that such deaths are merely collateral damage. Despite this, the only change in the wake of Gurleys death has been to intensify police activities.

Evidently conscious of the growing anger across the country against police violence, Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson stated, after announcing the verdict against Liang, that the trial had nothing to do with Ferguson, referring to the 2014 shooting death of Michael Brown by police in Missouri.

In a sense, Thompson is correct. The conviction of Peter Liang stands in contrast to the overwhelming majority of such cases, in which police kill unarmed workers and youth with impunity. From Michael Brown to Eric Garner and so many others, no matter how clear the evidence of their culpability, the legal system is manipulated to protect police who commit murder. Consequently, the ever-more blatant brutality of police against the working class continues unabated.

In the latest reported incident, on Monday, police shot to death 17-year-old David Joseph in a suburb of Austin, Texas. The black high school senior, who was naked and unarmed at the time he was killed, allegedly was running toward the officer, Geoffrey Freeman, who is also black. There is no explanation why deadly force was employed against a youth who clearly posed no serious threat to the officer.

In a scenario reminiscent of the 2014 killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, police sources indicated that the shooting of David Joseph took place within seconds of the initial encounter. Josephs family has called for a thorough investigation.

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Manslaughter trial in police killing of Akai Gurley begins in Brooklyn

[28 January 2016]
Asia

Chinese construction workers protest

On February 2, over 100 migrant construction workers from a new residential complex surrounded a government building and blocked highways in Qianjiang, in central Chinas Hubei province, to protest unpaid wages. Riot police deployed to the site broke up the demonstration after three days.

According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), hundreds, possibly thousands of migrant workers were being left stranded and penniless, unable to travel home to spend the Lunar New Year with their families because employers failed to pay their wages. Workers told RFA that protests had broken out at struggling factories around the country as workers tried to put pressure on bosses to pay salaries often several months in arrears.

Hong Kong building workers strike over unpaid wages

Some 60 construction workers staged a spontaneous walkout and occupied an intersection in North Point in Hong Kongs Eastern District on February 4. Workers alleged that they were owed 1.5 months of wages by project contractor Tak Cheong Civil Engineering, amounting to a total of $HK3 million ($US390,000).

The building workers said they had expected payment before the Lunar New Year, as usual, so they could return home for the festival. In the afternoon, the workers negotiated with the main contractor and the incident ended when the firm promised to pay the wages in full.

Cambodian shoe factory closed after mass fainting

In what has become a regular occurrence in garment factories across Cambodia, over 30 female workers at a footwear factory in Kandal province collapsed on the job on Monday and Tuesday. Authorities blamed poor ventilation combined with chemical residue from pesticides sprayed to protect the shoes they were making for export. Workers were wearing surgical masks at the time of the incident. The factory owner stopped production and sent the remaining workers home for an unspecified period.

The Or Sambath Trading garment factory in eastern Prey Veng province was closed for four days in November following the hospitalisation of 22 workers from suspected work-related causes. All 22 fainted at their work stations and one later died in hospital. In December, workers at a garment factory in Kampong Speu province refused to re-enter their plant after 100 workers collapsed from chemical fumes.

Mass fainting at Cambodian garment and shoe factories is common and usually caused by poor health, unsafe working conditions and bad ventilation, combined with exposure to dangerous chemicals used in production and to protect materials from vermin and insects. At least 600 garment factory workers fainted in the first six months of 2015 with about 900 collapsing over the same period in 2014.

India: Delhi municipal workers suspend strike

Union leaders of thousands of striking workers in the three municipalities of Delhi suspended their two-week long strike on Monday after they were assured in the New Delhi Court that pending salaries had been released and would reach them before the end of the week. A court hearing was due to begin on February 10 to discuss other outstanding issues.

Over 150,000 workers from New Delhi, East Delhi and South Delhi municipal corporations, including teachers, para-medical staff, administrative staff, engineers and sanitation workers, struck on January 27. They were demanding immediate payment of three months of outstanding wages, salary increases, permanency for contract-based employees and unification of the three corporations in the city.

Some of the 40 unions involved in the strike refused to order their members back to work, saying that they should wait for a satisfactory outcome from the pending court hearing.

Tamil Nadu government workers strike

Over 200,000 Tamil Nadu government workers launched an indefinite strike on Wednesday with a 20-point charter of demands. The walkout was called after talks with the state-government and the Tamil Nadu Government Employees Association failed. Workers wanted a new pension scheme scrapped, pay-scale parity with central government employees and the filling of vacant positions.

Chennai garbage collectors protest

A group of temporary garbage workers in Tamil Nadus capital Chennai stopped work for the day on February 5 to demand full wages and housing facilities. Around 4,000 daily-waged workers are employed in the city to collect refuse. They complained that they were not paid their full daily rate of 297 rupees ($US4.34).

Other demands included repairs to compactors and trucks, permanency for 900 muster-roll workers and payment of wages on time.

Pakistan: Sindh health workers continue opposition to privatisation

On Tuesday, scores of paramedics from different parts of Sindh province demonstrated outside the Karachi Press Club against the proposed privatisation of over 200 health facilities in the province. Members of the Pakistan Paramedical Staff Association (PPSA) demonstrated in January over the issue after doctors and paramedical staff at the Dadu Civil Hospital walked out on January 5.

The PPSA alleged that the Sindh government is privatising the operations of 219 government hospitals in 24 districts throughout the province in an attempt to reduce staff and force patients to pay for treatment. Workers demanded that the government stop the privatisation and meet the chronic shortage of staff and medicines.

Australia and the Pacific

South Australian disability care workers protest

About 150 workers from Minda Inc., South Australias largest non-government disability services provider, demonstrated outside the companys North Brighton facility in Adelaide on February 6 in a dispute over a proposed new enterprise agreement. The United Voice (UV) union has been in negotiations for a new agreement with Minda since April.

Workers want 2.5 percent annual pay increases with no loss of conditions. A union spokesman said Minda offered increases as low as 1.5 percent and significant reductions to conditions and take-home pay.

A Minda representative declared that the company had to become more competitive with other service providers, following the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Under the former Labor federal governments NDIS, state government-run disability care centres are being closed and private operators invited to build and run new facilities.

New Zealand: Auckland bus drivers work to rule

Following a half-day strike last week, Auckland bus drivers began an indefinite work-to-rule campaign on Thursday in their long-running dispute over pay and conditions with NZ Bus. Metrolink, North Star, Go West, Waka Pacific, City Link and Outer Link services are affected. Drivers claimed that NZ Bus has been increasing working hours without providing toilet breaks.

The industrial action involves drivers strictly following the company rules instead of taking time-saving shortcuts, as is the norm. This includes drivers taking a 10-minute break at the end of each trip and asking passengers to leave the bus while the driver takes a toilet break.

NZ Bus is currently in wage negotiations with Tramways and First Union but no agreement has been reached. The company offered drivers a 1.7 percent wage increase. Meanwhile, at least 240 jobs are at risk after the company lost its contract to operate in south Auckland.

New Zealand meat processing workers refuse to work on public holiday

Affco meat workers defied a management order and took Waitangi Day, the national holiday, off work this week despite threats of disciplinary action. Affco, the countrys fourth largest meat processor, sent a letter to staff at its Rangiuru, North Island meat plant informing them that a refusal to work on the Monday holiday could amount to an unlawful strike. Not turning up could also amount to serious misconduct and workers being sued for damages, the letter stated.

All but two of the 35 staff covered by the old NZ Meat Workers Union agreement decided to ignore the order and stayed away from work. A union spokesperson said the workers could face vicious consequences from the employer for the action.

Industrial law changes contained in the Employment Relations Act Amendment Bill, brought in by the National Party government in 2013, make it harder for workers to take industrial action, allow employers to reduce meal and rest breaks, and remove safeguards on low-paid contract workers when the employers contract changes.

However, under the new law, if Waitangi Day falls on a Saturday, the holiday is observed on a Monday for workers who do not normally work weekends. Waitangi Day marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 between the Crown and various Maori chiefs from the North Island.
The Coalition government in Canberra has made clear it will do nothing to assist six Australian children trapped in the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)-held Syrian city of Raqqa, which is being bombarded by the US and its allies, including Australia.

Leading ministers have dismissed calls to help the children, aged eight months, 5, 10, 11, 13 and 14, return to Australia. Five are the orphans of two Australians, Khaled Sharrouf, a self-proclaimed ISIS fighter and his wife Tara Nettleton. The baby is their granddaughter, the child of their eldest daughter Zaynab.

The government bears a direct responsibility for the plight of these children. Last May, following reports that Sharrouf had been killed, the Liberal-National government, then led by Tony Abbott, rejected an application by Nettleton for her and her children to be permitted to return home.

Without any evidence of Nettleton, let alone her young children, committing any criminal offence, Abbott declared they would be shown no leniency because crime is crime is crime. Abbott insisted: It is a crime, a very serious crime under Australian law, for people to go abroad and fight or assist terrorist organisations.

If not for that refusal, Nettleton could still be alive. She died last September from medical complications stemming from an appendix operation, an outcome that could have been prevented had she received treatment in Australia. The residents of Raqqa reportedly face primitive hospital conditions, with inadequate medical supplies, as well as a food shortage and only intermittent electricity and water supplies.

On social media this week, former friends of Nettleton from Sydneys Chester Hill High School voiced anguish at the news of her death and posted photos of their early years at the school. Jade Koda posted: R.I.P. TARA very sad!!! You deserved so much better! Although you chose a different life, I will remember you as the reckless funny teenage girls we were.

There was no such compassion in Canberra. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Australian authorities had no capacity to provide consular assistance to the children. She described them as victims of their parents extremist ideology and reckless decision to travel to Syria.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton went further. He said the children would be scarred for life and therefore could pose a security risk. Ultimately the governments clear objective is to keep the Australian public safe, and wed have to look at  what theyve been exposed to, whether or not later in life theyd pose a threat, he told Sydney radio 2GB on Thursday.

The Labor Partys foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek provided bipartisan support. She said the children had suffered a form of child abuse at the hands of their parents, and it was unlikely the government could do much to get them out of Syria.

For all the governments claims to be fighting in Iraq and Syria for humanitarian motivesto protect the people of the Middle East from the atrocities of ISISits reaction to the fate of these children displays its true contempt for the millions of victims of the predatory US-led war in Iraq and Syria.

Toward the Nettleton children, the response is particularly vindictive. The family has been the subject of a protracted media-backed campaign to try to drum up public support for Australias involvement in the war and the accompanying anti-terrorism legislation overturning citizenship and other fundamental democratic rights.

In August 2014, just as Abbotts government was confronting widespread opposition to its proposed metadata retention laws and other anti-terrorism measures, the corporate media published a gruesome front-page picture designed to whip up a new terrorism scare campaign.

Purportedly taken from Sharroufs Twitter account, the image allegedly showed one of his young sons holding the head of a decapitated Syrian soldier in Raqqa. Whatever the exact circumstances of the photo, its broadcast throughout the media served a definite purposeto whip up anti-Islamic sentiment and beat back opposition to the legislation.

The governments proposed measuressince passed with Labors supportincluded requiring Internet service providers to retain data for two years so that intelligence agencies can trawl through it, reversing the onus of proof for Australians returning from overseas to require them to prove that their trip was for legitimate purposes, and broadening the definition of the offence of advocating a terrorist act.

The severed head photo also fed into the governments preparations to announce, in October 2014, its commitment of war planes and troops to join the US military campaign in Iraq. The deployment of six Australian F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter-bombers to conduct bombing missions in the region was immediately endorsed by Labor Party leader Bill Shorten.

Last May, when the government barred Nettelton and her children from returning to Australia, that decision was part of a stepped-up drive to stoke fears of terrorism as the government announced plans to arbitrarily cancel the citizenships of people alleged to have some connection to terrorism.

For all the government and media demonisation of Nettleton and her children, ISIS is largely a creation of US militarism itself. The war in Iraq and Syria, and all its atrocities, which have forced millions of refugees to flee Syria, is the outcome of the drive by US imperialism and its allies since 2011 to overturn the regime of Syrian President Assad. The real aim is to ensure US control over the Middle East and the entire Eurasian landmass, where the US confronts Russia and China.

The US and its partners, including the Saudi, Persian Gulf and Turkish regimes, turned to extreme right-wing Islamic fundamentalist forces to carry out their objectives. In fact, when Syria first became a breeding ground for Islamist militia, including ISIS, these forces were funded and backed by Washington and its allies, and that remains so for many of the extremist outfits. Having helped create ISIS, the imperialist powers then exploited its existence to justify further military intervention in Iraq and Syria and attacks on democratic rights at home.

Amid the denunciations of Sharrouf and Netteltonwho met as teenagers at Chester Hill Highthere is no mention of the economic and social conditions that provide fertile ground for recruitment of vulnerable youth by Islamists. In Australias working-class suburbs, young people from Middle Eastern and other immigrant backgrounds face high levels of unemployment, poor educational and social facilities and constant police harassment.

As the economic situation deteriorates, these social conditions will only worsen. Turnbulls government and the political establishment as a whole are committed to a path of war, deep cuts to social spending and repressive police and surveillance powers. This is the agenda behind the callousness displayed toward Tara Nettleton and her children.

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The Australian media and the severed-head photo

[13 August 2014]
An article published January 28 by Socialist Alternative, entitled Sanders Foreign Policy Falls Short: Socialism Means Internationalism, is an attempt to provide an anti-imperialist coloration to the organizations campaign in support of Bernie Sanders bid for the Democratic nomination and the presidency. What Socialist Alternative produces, however, is a crude apologia for Sanders pro-war policies and for American imperialism itself.

Socialist Alternative has hitched itself to the bandwagon of the long-time congressman and senator from Vermont, who calls himself a democratic socialist and has focused his campaign on the issues of social inequality and Wall Street criminality. Socialist Alternative, which already works closely with the Democratic Party in Seattle, where its member, Kshama Sawant, sits on the City Council, is doing its best to fully integrate itself into Sanders campaign for president.

In recent weeks, it has held rallies, fundraisers and meetings on Sanders behalf through its Movement4Bernie campaign. The pseudo-left organization makes little attempt to square its support for a capitalist politician who has for decades caucused with the Democrats in Congress, supported every Democratic presidential candidate and every Democratic administration, and is running as a Democrat, with its professed goal of building a mass political movement outside of the two-party system.

The January 28 article begins by praising Sanders call for a political revolution against the billionaire class. It does so completely uncritically, without examining the actual content of Sanders supposed revolution. Sanders himself has made clear that his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination is an effort to channel social opposition and disaffection with the two-party system back behind the Democratic Party.

But, the article continues, inevitably, the Democratic debates have also featured extensive discussion on foreign policy. Socialist Alternative has frequently pointed out that we have some serious disagreements with Sanders on foreign policy, but the sharpening of the political debate makes it necessary for us to comment on this at greater length.

The authors of the article barely conceal their frustration over having to discuss Sanders foreign policy, a political inconvenience for those who seek to paint the pro-war, pro-imperialist senator in revolutionary colors. They immediately seek to downplay the importance of Sanders support for US imperialism, writing, However, in doing this it must also be acknowledged that, to date, most progressive workers and youth see not so much Sanders deficiencies in foreign policy as the contrast with Hillary Clintons record.

Sanders fully backs the Obama administrations war policies in Afghanistan and the Middle East, which are responsible for the devastation of Afghanistan, parts of Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya and Yemen, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and the reduction of millions more to the status of stateless refugees. They also consume hundreds of billions of dollars, in the midst of relentless cuts in social welfare programs, and are responsible for the death and permanent physical and psychological maiming of thousands of American youth.

For Socialist Alternative, Sanders defense of US war crimes merely reveals his political limitations. Such a trivial issue, the authors insist, does not negate the enormously progressive aspects of his campaign as it politicizes millions of workers and young people.

Really? Please explain, Socialist Alternative, how it is possible for a politician to be opposing the interests of the corporate-financial elite at home when he is supporting the policies carried out to advance the interests of the very same ruling elite abroad! In reality, Sanders open support for US imperialism overseas exposes as fraudulent his supposed opposition to Wall Street within the borders of the United States.

The ruling class wars abroad are an extension of its class-war policies toward the American working class. In both cases, the ruling class is motivated by the drive for corporate profit, which requires cheap labor both within the US and internationally, along with access to natural resources and markets in opposition to the claims of American capitalisms international competitors. When Sanders repeatedly votes to fund the Pentagon and its operations around the world, he is not making a mistake. He is making a deliberate decision to advance the interests of the American ruling class abroad.

The January 28 article is aimed at those sections of workers and youth who are deeply opposed to the permanent state of war and skeptical of Sanders support for it. It underscores the fact that Socialist Alternative and similar pseudo-left organizations represent not the working class, but privileged sections of the upper-middle class, who are primarily concerned with expanding their access to privilege, positions and wealth, in this case through the promotion of the Sanders campaign.

Socialist Alternatives campaign for Sanders epitomizes the pseudo-lefts role as a political transmission belt to disarm leftward moving workers and youth in order to prevent them from breaking with the Democratic Party. The organizations apologetics for Sanders pro-war and pro-imperialist policies make clear that it itself is a pro-war organization, whose class interests align with those of American imperialism.

Its conclusion that the over 1 million dead in 25 years of imperialist war in the Middle East are negated by a mild social reform program, which Sanders will abandon with brutal rapidity should he get elected, not only has nothing to do with socialism, it defines Socialist Alternative itself as a right-wing organization, which, its radical-sounding rhetoric notwithstanding, defends capitalism and imperialism.
On October 23, 1993, 22-year-old Thomas Begley and 21-year-old Sean Kelly walked into Frizzels Fish Shop on the Shankill Road in Belfast carrying a bomb on behalf of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA).

Designed to direct the force of the blast upwards, where a meeting of the loyalist Ulster Defence Association (UDA) was supposed to be taking place, the bomb exploded prematurely as soon as Begley reached the shop counter. Begley was killed, along with nine others including a young couple and their seven-year-old daughter, the shops owner and a 13-year-old girl. 50 passers-by were injured, as was Sean Kelly. The blast was heard across Belfast.

The bloody fiasco triggered a wave of sectarian reprisals by loyalist paramilitary groups. Fourteen people were killed in the following weeks, including six Catholics and two Protestants murdered at the Rising Sun bar at Greysteel, County Derry.

Last month, an article appeared in the Belfast-based Irish News stating that the paper had seen evidence that the commander of the Ardoyne IRA unit that carried out the Shankill attack was a top level informant for the security forces. The paper also claimed that, prior to the attack, information had been passed to the informants handlers that an assault on the UDA office was in preparation. The plan to walk a bomb into the fish shop came from the compromised commander, named only as AA. The Independent reported former IRA members as suggesting that the bomb might also have been sabotaged to explode prematurely. The planned UDA meeting did not take place.

The prospect emerges that the Shankill attack was planned and allowed to take place with the full consent of whichever Northern Ireland or British intelligence unit was working with AA. Should the allegations against AA be confirmed, the episode can be added to the ever lengthening list of killings in Britains dirty war in which mass murders were carried out by British agents, or were allowed to happen to protect British agents seeking to intensify sectarian tensions by manipulating heavily-infiltrated paramilitary organisations on both sides.

The Irish News revealed that AAs role in 1993 was exposed following the IRAs theft of a cache of documents from the offices of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) Special Branch in the notorious Castlereagh base in 2002. The IRA is said to have been able to identify AA by cross referencing AAs statements to his handlers, as revealed in the documents, with the IRAs intelligence of its own activity. AA is said to have been quietly stood down and removed from his position, and until the allegations emerged continued to live in the Ardoyne. He denies the charges.

During the Castlereagh robbery, three unmasked men were able to flash security passes, walk straight into the RUCs high-security former interrogation centre, find their way straight to the offices of the Special Branch, tie up the on-duty officer, go through files for 30 minutes, then walk out unchallenged. Items identified and stolen were quickly reported by the authorities to be the names and address of serving and retired police and of the network of informers maintained by Special Branch.

At the time, the raid was compared to the 1990 break-in and fire at the offices of Sir John Stevens, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, which destroyed vital records of collusion between security forces and loyalist assassins, and which was attributed to the British Armys Force Research Unit.

The ease with which the 2002 raid was carried out suggested a level of compliance or direct assistance to the robbers by elements within the security forces, perhaps reflecting differences between British and Northern Ireland spy agencies over Sinn Feins position in power sharing, then in the midst of successive suspensions. Years of IRA silence on the contents of their document haul have done nothing to clarify this.

Some of the stolen files have now been shown to Irish News reporter Allison Morris. The Castlereagh cache clearly includes vital data on the network of informers maintained by the British state, including those in the IRA and Sinn Fein. Exposure is vital for workers internationally, given that the tactics used against Sinn Fein and the IRA have been used repeatedly against opponents of British imperialism worldwide.

In 2005/6, the Socialist Equality Party called for Sinn Fein to do all in its power, without compromising its own security, to make everything it knows publicly available.

Those previously exposed include Freddie Scappatici, who for years was head of the IRAs internal security department while working as an agent for British intelligence. Scappatici, whose military codename was Stakeknife, is said to have been responsible for as many as 50 murders, including innocent people accused by Scappatici of being informers. In 2008, Roy McShane, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams driver, was taken into protective custody by UK intelligence agency MI5. McShane had previously worked in the IRAs security department alongside Scappatici. In 2005, Denis Donaldson, for many years a leading Sinn Fein official and international emissary, was exposed as a British agent. Donaldson was assassinated in 2006.

To the extent former IRA members (the organisation officially no longer exists) belatedly drip feed carefully selected data on previously unknown informers, whom it has thus far protected, into the public domain, it is undoubtedly bound up with manoeuvres around the Fresh Start Agreement, reached between Sinn Fein, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and the British government last November.

The new agreement sets out terms for a cut in corporation tax to 12.5 percent by 2018, new cross-border infrastructure and institutions and a subsidy to pay for the removal of peace walls in Belfast as part of the imposition of the British governments austerity measures. The agreement is essential to maintaining Northern Ireland as a viable competitor to the Republic of Ireland as a low wage, low tax, investment location.

No agreement was reached on establishing a Historical Investigations Unit to continue the work of the former Historical Enquiries Team (HET). Set up in 2005 to investigate over 3,000 killings, the HET was wound down in 2014 following budget cuts imposed by Westminster and passed on by the DUP and Sinn Fein administration. The HET had already been condemned by the UKs Inspectorate of Constabulary for an approach which, the inspectorate conceded, led to state involvement cases being reviewed with less rigour in some areas than non-state cases.

By way of example, one of the numerous HET investigations was into case of the hugely popular non-sectarian musicians of the Miami Show Band, three of whose members were murdered in a botched loyalist attack in 1975.

The HET found that allegations that loyalist killer Robin Jackson, someone to whom as many as 100 murders are attributed, was an RUC Special Branch agent could not be rebutted and that is a deeply troubling matter. Surviving band member Stephen Travers told the Belfast Telegraph last year that his HET testimony regarding British Army involvement in the massacre was not fully reflected in the final report. Im absolutely certain, without a shadow of a doubt that there was a British Army officer there, said Travers.
An agreement announced early Friday morning by US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on a cessation of hostilities and stepped-up humanitarian relief in Syria has failed to produce an immediate halt to the five-year-old conflict that has claimed the lives of over a quarter of a million people and driven another 11 million from their homes.

Neither the US nor the Russian military has shown any indication of halting their air strikes, which both claim are being carried out in a campaign against terrorists, including the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Centcom, the Pentagons regional command that oversees US military operations in the Middle East and Central Asia, issued a bulletin Friday listing at least 20 bombing raids carried out by US warplanes over the previous 24 hours. Russian warplanes, meanwhile, were reported to have carried out strikes against the town of Tal Rifaat in northern Aleppo as well as hitting targets in northern Homs.

Meanwhile, neither the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad nor the Western-backed rebels has formally signed on to the cessation of hostilities agreed to after five hours of talks in Munich by the 17-member International Syria Support Group. The body could not refer to the agreement as a cease-fire as no Syrians, either from the government or the Islamist militias that are fighting against it, were present for the negotiations, much less consented to the deal.

Riyad Hijab, the chief of the so-called High Council cobbled together by Saudi Arabia to represent the rebels in United Nations-mediated talks with the Damascus government, dismissed the deal reached in Munich. No agreement is possible [while] President Assad remains in office and the Iranian Pasdaran [Islamic Revolutionary Guards CorpsIRGC] remain in Syria, said Hijab, a former Syrian prime minister, who defected in 2012 in return for a large cash bounty from French intelligence.

President Assad, meanwhile, told AFP on Friday that the aim of his government was to reestablish its control throughout Syria. If we negotiate, it does not mean that we stop fighting terrorism. The two tracks are inevitable in Syria, he said.

Similarly opposed views on the agreement were expressed by Kerry and Lavrov. Behind the facade of fighting terrorism, Washington continues to pursue a war for regime-change, utilizing Islamist militias as its proxy forces, while Moscow is seeking to prop up the Assad government, its principal ally in the Middle East.

Driving the Munich talks was the shift in the balance of forces within Syria itself, with Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air strikes and aided by the Lebanese Hezbollah fighters and other militias, having retaken key areas from the armed opposition in northwestern Latakia province as well as in the city of Homs and elsewhere.

Over the past several days, the Syrian army has largely encircled Aleppo, before the war Syrias most populous city, half of which fell under the control of the anti-Assad militias. Most critically, it has cut off the principal supply route that brought arms and other support to the Islamist militias, and is close to cutting off a secondary route.

The Western powers and their regional allies, principally Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, are hoping that they can use the Munich agreement to blunt the Syrian government advance and salvage their proxy forces on the ground in Syria.

In a press conference announcing the agreement in Munich, Lavrov rejected Kerrys description of the Syrian government offensive in Aleppo as aggressive.

Well, if liberation of the city that has been taken by illegal armed groups can be qualified as aggression, then, well, yeah, probably, the Russian foreign minister said. But to attack those who have taken your land is necessary.

He charged that Aleppo and its western suburbs had been seized by the al-Nusra Front, Al Qaedas Syrian affiliate, as well as two allied Islamist sectarian militias, Jaysh al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham. Defending the cutting off of the supply route from Turkey, Lavrov noted that a resolution passed by the UN Security Council forbade the supplying of groups deemed terrorist.

As part of the Munich agreement, two task forces are to be formed, one to oversee humanitarian relief, and the second, jointly chaired by the US and Russia, to supposedly pursue the cessation of hostilities. Reportedly, the remit of this body will include the resolution of disputes over what are legitimate targets in the US and Russian air campaigns.

The key sticking point in the agreement, however, centers around the fate of the al-Nusra Front and similar Al Qaeda-linked militias.

Ever since Russia began its air strikes at the end of last September, US and other Western officials have condemned Moscow for targeting opposition forces other than ISIS. They have proven consistently reticent about naming those whom they objected being targeted, because in most cases they consist of Al Qaeda-affiliated fighters.

If the deal breaks down, it will most likely be over Washingtons attempt to protect Al Qaeda, the same group that it has portrayed to the American people over the course of more than 15 years as the paramount threat to their security and which has served as the pretext for waging unending wars.

Kerry left no doubt that the Munich agreement may prove the ante-chamber of a wider and even bloodier war. If the Assad regime does not live up to its responsibilities and if the Iranians and the Russians do not hold Assad to the promises that they have made ... then the international community obviously is not going to sit there like fools and watch this. There will be an increase of activity to put greater pressure on them, Kerry told the Dubai-based Orient TV on Friday.

The US secretary of state added, There is a possibility there will be additional ground troops.

Kerry was referring to Saudi Arabias statements that it is prepared to send troops to fight in Syria, supposedly as part of the anti-ISIS campaign. There is no doubt, however, that the overriding objective of the Saudi monarchy, which has been a principal base of support for the Islamist militias in Syria, is the swift toppling of the Assad government and the installation of a Western puppet regime.

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Friday that he was confident that both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, another Sunni monarchy that has backed the Islamist militias, would send Special Forces units into the country. Meeting with both Saudi and UAE officials on the sidelines of the NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels, Carter suggested that the Saudi and UAE units would be used to back Syrian Sunni forces in retaking the city of Raqqa from ISIS.

The Syrian government has made it clear that it would view any entry of forces from Saudi Arabia or the other Gulf oil sheikdoms as a hostile invasion.

Once on the ground in Syria, Saudi and allied forces would not refrain from supporting the Al Qaeda-linked militias that Riyadh has played such a prominent role in creating. A Syrian government or Russian attack on Saudi or UAE units would in turn raise the prospect of a US counterattack providing the spark for a direct military confrontation between the worlds two principal nuclear powers.

Warning against such a deployment of Saudi ground forces in Syria, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told the German daily Handelsblatt, A ground operation would involve all participants in a war. Therefore, the Americans and our Arab partners must consider well whether they want a permanent war.

The results, Medvedev cautioned, could be a new world war.

On Friday, Russias state-funded RT news network claimed that the Russian prime minister had been mis-translated, using a Russian phrase that meant another war on earth rather than a new world war. Handelsblatt, however, pushed back against Moscows claims, insisting that Medvedev was accurately quoted, adding that Russian officials had approved a German-language transcript of the interview that included the term einen neuen Weltkrieg, or a new world war.
A joint investigation by BBC Newsnight and the Guardian has uncovered a second undercover police officer, known as Carlo Neri who infiltrated the Socialist Party of England and Wales between 2001 and 2006.

The first such undercover operative was Peter Francis, who infiltrated Militant Labour and one of its offshoots, Youth against Racism in Europe (YRE). Francis became branch secretary of the Hackney Militant Labour branch during the early 1990s.

The latest exposure relates to the activities of the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS), who had carried out criminal activity including having extended sexual relationships with at least eight female activists who in some instances had children by the undercover officers involved. The Metropolitan Police were forced to pay millions in compensation and the government established the Pitchford Inquiry into undercover policing.

In Newsnights January 18 broadcast, an anonymous woman is interviewed with whom Neri shared an apartment with for 18 months. She is now suing the Metropolitan Police, accusing them of abusive, cold-hearted, psychological torture. She also reveals that Neri claimed to be a locksmith and as such was trusted with keys by those taken in by him.

The response to the revelations by the Socialist Party has been characterized by light-minded indifference.

The SP issued a press statement on Neri that it is mainly composed of pat phrases from two of its members.

Lois Austin is the previous chair of YRE and a core participant for the SP in the Pitchford Inquiry. She writes blithely, There was no purpose to infiltrating YRE or Militant Labour. Far from being secretive we publicly advertised our eventsthe police could have read our leaflets and newspapers, or attended our public meetings, to find out what was going on.

The purpose of infiltrating the SP was to obtain information on its internal functioning, to collect names, addresses, personal information, not only of its members but all those that it came into contact with and to disrupt its activities and carry out provocations. The SDS would pass this information to MI5 and Special Branch.

Austins assurances of the open, democratic and lawful character of the SP only covers for the unlawful, anti-democratic and illegal offensive waged by the police on behalf of their capitalist paymasters.

This is made plain by the statement citing leading SP member Dave Nellist, a former Labour MP, who calls for the police to be made democratically accountable.

As Friedrich Engels, the co-founder of scientific socialism established, far from being a neutral arbiter that can be made to operate above class interests, the police are part of the states special bodies of armed men assigned the task of keeping the capitalist class in power and the working class oppressed.

They can no more be reformed or made democratically accountable than capitalism itself. Rather the fight for genuine democracy and social equality requires the political overthrow of the state apparatus and its replacement with a workers government.

Nellist closes by making a series of demands on the Pitchford Inquiry and for the labour and trade union movement to set up an inquiry alongside Pitchford.

Near the end of the statement, he says rhetorically, We demand to know what todays Carlo Neris are doing.

This begs the question, what does the SP intend to do about the revelations of state infiltration of its branches? Why has the SP refused, since the exposure of Francis in 2013, to carry out even the most cursory investigation of how he and now Neri penetrated the SP, who they spied upon and who might they have collaborated with. Based on Neris claims to be a locksmith, for example, on how many occasions was he given access to the homes of SP members or its own premises?

The response of the SP to Neri comes two year after it took a similar stance regarding Francis. On June 26, 2013, an editorial asserted that Nothing was gained by the state from infiltrating YRE or the Militant [forerunner of the SP], other than, it seems, opening Peter Franciss eyes to the reality of police brutality, and particularly deaths in police custody, which he says appalled him.

Nor was it possible, it continued, for police infiltrators to derail the movement against racismeven though Peter Francis did, at least in part, attempt to do so, acting to some degree as an agent provocateur, encouraging YRE activists to take part in individual vigilante actions against the British National Party.

The editorial then turned to a general statement on the function of the police, asking, In whose interests do the police and other forces of the state act?

It claims, In reality the police play a dual role. When workers suffer crime they turn to the police. As Neville Lawrence put it, while not completely trusting the police because of racism his family had no choice but to rely on them to investigate their sons murder, no other possibility existed.

However, the police are also part of a state machine, which has the role, ultimately, of maintaining and defending the dominant interests of the capitalists.

Ignoring the fact that the police investigation of Stephens murderers became an occasion to disrupt and discredit his familys support campaign, the editorial continues regarding the supposed dual rule of the police that attempts by the Conservative government to impose austerity on police as on other public sector workers makes them potential allies of the working class:

It is very significant that a majority of the Police Federation voted for the right to strike. Socialists should encourage these nascent class splits in the police force, which will strengthen the hand of the workers movement in the battles to come.

The SP then argues for a programme for democratic control of the police to make them accountable to local committees, and for The right of the police to an independent, democratic trade union organisation with the right to strike.

Flying in the face of all they have just written, the SP then declares, This does not mean that it is possible to gradually democratise the state, so that it becomes a genuinely neutral tool of society as a whole.

This is a case of swallowing camels and straining at gnats, especially given that the possibility of encouraging nascent class splits in the police includes winning over agents that have been tasked with infiltrating and disrupting your organisation. Indeed Hanna Sell wrote on September 4 that the observations of Peter Francis (known to us as Pete Daley), one of the ten-strong SDS squad were primarily of note because they indirectly confirm the correct approach YRE took on a number of issues.

Clearly, the brutality of the police against anti-racist activists shocked Francis, who they quote without criticism as stating, I became genuinely anti-police.

She goes on to state that this genuinely anti-police police spy did do serious damage to anti-racist activists and that Francis estimates that Special Branch already had around 100 files on members of Militant Labour and YRE, and that he opened another 25. This resulted in one member, Frank Smith, a construction worker, being blacklisted.

The Socialist Party cite Marxist sources on the state only in order to provide a sweetener for the poisonous reformist nostrums they peddle to the working class. In doing so they endanger not only their own members, but anyone who associates with them or looks to them for political leadership.
The World Socialist Web Site spoke to voters in Durham, New Hampshire during the Democratic presidential primary election on February 9. Many of those voting were students from the University of New Hampshire (UNH), which, with more than 12,000 undergraduate students, makes up a large proportion of the towns population.

A continuous stream of UNH students arrived by shuttle bus from the university to vote at Oyster River High School. The vast majority of students told me they were casting their ballots for Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders. Primary results showed that Durham voted 71 percent for Sanders and 29 percent for Hillary Clinton, an even more lopsided result than in New Hampshire as a whole.

For many students it was their first time voting in an election, and many were able to register to vote on the spot. They were anxious to speak to the WSWS, as a socialist news source, and in some cases lined up to get a chance to have their opinions recorded and their photographs taken. The comments reported here are only a small fraction of the interviews I was able to gather.

Zoe Parsons voted for Sanders. For me it was between Hillary and Bernie, and I find Bernie more trustworthy, she said. She explained that she was most concerned about health care. She was also convinced that Sanders had accounted for every dollar of the cost for his plans. He tells us exactly where he plans to get that money, she said, and how much its going to cost.

She was excited to be voting for the first time and was in strong disagreement with the statements of Gloria Steinem, supporting the Clinton campaign, who said that young women really didnt have any political ideas and were voting for Sanders because they wanted to meet young men.

Many students expressed their opposition to income inequality, poverty, and the disregard of the wealthy for the conditions facing the vast majority of the population in America today. There was a distinct anti-capitalist sentiment in the air. While many were opposed to war, most were unaware of Sanders foreign policy positions.

They spent their teenage years in the wake of the 2008 financial crisisand the ensuing entrenched joblessness and assault on social programs under the Obama administrationand their comments showed that they are seeking a way to express their opposition to the current state of political and social affairs.

Emily Bielfelt said, I voted for Bernie. Ill straight-up say it. I like his views on womens rights and I like the socialism aspect of it. I think that everybody should have access to everything. So I like that about it.

She said that in her opinion socialism means that everybody gets the same opportunities because the governments providing it and the 1 percent doesnt get all the opportunities.

While she didnt know much about Sanderss foreign policy, she thought cutting the military budget would be a good place to start. Thats how you would pay for things, she said, by not taking part in wars. Sanders was talking last night how it would take $70 billion to pay for free college and he was going to take it from Wall Street. But if we just werent overseas with all of our troops, then that could easily pay for free college.

Support among students for Sanders was motivated by his Medicare for all proposal, his pledge to make public colleges and universities tuition-free, his stance on the environment, and his call for getting money out of politics and fighting the 1 percent. Many students described themselves as socialists.

Nearly every student I interviewed, however, expressed the opinion that these policies could be implemented by Sanders, despite the fact that he has a long record of caucusing with the Democratic Party, one of the two big-business parties in America.

I am happy to say that I voted for Bernie Sanders, Cameron, said. I feel like he is our chance to get the country on the right road. I think that first and foremost we need to tackle getting big money out of politics.

He added: Its rather pathetic that people with millions of dollars, billions of dollars, like the Koch brothers, can pretty much hand-select what candidate they would like just by putting boatloads of money into that candidate, and then you have somebody like Bernie Sanders who gets all this money from regular Americans.

Asked what it meant to be a democratic socialist, Cameron said: In my opinion, a democratic socialist means making the system work for all and not just the 1 percent up top. I think that socialism in itself has a very bad stigma in this country, when in reality if you look at what it actually means, it just means being a compassionate, good individual making the system work for all of us.

I pointed out that real socialism means actually changing the ownership of the means of production, and that the working class, the people who produce all the wealth, actually control society. Cameron was still convinced that Sanders campaign was a step in this direction.

I think that what a lot of people mistake about Sanders is that it doesnt just stop at this vote here, he said. It will continue. Its a revolution; its a big change. We need to get Democrats in the majority and thats really what I believe is the start in order to move the system more so it works for everyone.

He also believed, as did several other students, that Sanders foreign policy stance differed substantially from Hillary Clintons. Sanders main competitor, Hillary Clinton, did of course vote for the Iraq War, he said, something a lot of her supporters just want to disregard. But voting yes for the Iraq War was a catastrophe, it was horrible.

Cameron was unaware that Sanders says he supports targeted drone assassinations and the war on terror and has pledged to destroy ISIS. Those are not socialist positions, I argued, He supports the interests of US imperialism.

Although many of the UNH students described themselves as socialists, there was a lot of confusion about what socialism actually is. Many see socialism as making capitalism more humane and compassionate and more in tune with the needs of the population.

Specifically, there was little understanding of the fight for socialism as a class question, and the necessity of building an independent party of the working class in opposition to the Democrats and Republicans.

Rachel Moss said she identified with Sanders background: Hes also a Jewish socialist from Brooklyn, like myself. I think that he would do a really, really great job as president, and I think that he has high hopes for the country, which is a lot more than some of the other candidates have.

For me, Rachel said, socialism means expanding on a lot of the programs that already exist in the country and updating them for the modern world that we live in instead of being stuck in 1900s America, which had different needs for the average citizen.

Commenting on Sanders foreign policy, she said, I think that he has the right idea of not being too involved. I think the fact that he voted against the Iraq War shows that hes not willing to spend human livesor American liveson something that we dont really have that big of a role in.

I pointed out that Sanders was more than willing to sacrifice human lives in imperialist wars, preferring to start with soldiers from US-allied states. Hes called on Saudi Arabia to put boots on the ground, I said. Saudi Arabia is a dictatorship and executed 47 people earlier this year. So from a class standpoint, he doesnt differ from any of the other big-business politicians in terms of his foreign policy.

We discussed the difference between the political revolution that Sanders promotes, and a socialist revolution, which would bring the working class to power and establish a workers government.

That weve been able to focus on an idea of a political revolution in this election campaign this long, I think thats incredible, Rachel said. She expressed the general conception among students that Sanders political revolution could somehow push the Democratic Party, and the entire political system, to the left.

Taylor Lindsay, an environmental science student, said, I voted for Bernie. I really value his view on how he wants to deal with environmental change, like working with global powers on climate change. So that had a lot to do with my choice.

I think global health care is very, very important, she continued. I was raised in a Canadian family, so theyre used to the health care system in Canada, and I think its a very effective way of making sure everyones healthy and making sure everyones taken care of.

Taylor said she thought Sanders claim to be a democratic socialist means hes very liberal, very far on that side. She added, In some ways, I think its a little too far. The free college tuition for all students I think is somewhat unrealistic, because it is such a huge thing. To get it completely free for everyone is a very, very daunting task.

I said implementing such proposals would require a radical change in the way society is organized. But thats not what Sanders is saying, I said. Hes saying hes going to work with the insurance companies and the pharmaceutical companies and try to convince Wall Street to give people a better deal.

The UNH students enthusiasm for the electoral process and support for Sanders express in a beginning and somewhat limited way a radicalization underway among this segment of student youth, who are fed up with years of reaction, corporate greed and rising social inequality.

Peter Bowers said, Im supporting Bernie Sanders because of how the system is rigged currently with Wall Street and how the rich get richer and how we have a disappearing middle class, and how we have rising health care costs, stagnating wages.

I think we do need to reallocate wealth to really take care of everyone in this country and not just people that have succeeded in the system we have set up.

He said Sanders would do this by raising capital gains taxes. You raise taxes on stock portfolios, because right now its really easy to hide your money and make money off of it without paying a lot of taxes on it, or with speculation. That money can be reallocated into a college fund, into a nationalized health care system so that people can actually get a leg up and survive.

I asked him how he thought the wealthy and big business would respond to such proposals. Theyre going to fight back hard, Peter said. But theyve seen the handwriting on the wall, for a while, so theyve had a chance. Theyre going to fight. Theyre going to kick. But Bernies a bit more magnanimous in how he talks to people, so I feel that things are going to work out a lot smoother.

Despite the pro-war policies of both Sanders and Hillary Clinton, Peter was of the opinion that the Democrats were less pro-war than the Republicans. I think the Democrats across the board are a lot on board about having conversations with other nations and trying to come to more peaceful arrangements, he said.

Asked about socialism, Peter said: Socialism is not full communism. You still have the capitalist system, but you have a situation where people really do help each other out, and you are considered to be at least partially responsible for the well-being of your fellow man.

He considered my argument that socialism required a new independent revolutionary movement of the working class and that Sanders political revolution had nothing in common with this. He was convinced, however, that Sanders campaign was a step in the right direction.

You know, I think it can happen, he said. We saw it with the labor movement 150 years ago. Hopefully, its not as violent as the labor movement. But it is going to take a lot of work. Its going to take a lot of time. There are a lot of companies that have a stranglehold on how things run in this country. I dont think it can happen overnight, but its a start and we need to see where we go from there.

The US ruling elite is well aware that sentiments like those of this group of students in New Hampshire are but a faint representation of growing anger building up among broad layers of workers and youth to the conditions they face. The Sanders campaign expressly seeks to channel this anger back behind the Democratic Party, and away from an independent movement of the working class based on genuine socialist policies.
At his first press conference since ramming through contracts at the Big Three in the US last year, United Auto Workers President Dennis Williams expressed nervousness about the signs of militancy and social anger building up in the working class.

In pushing through pro-company deals at Ford, Fiat Chrysler (FCA) and General Motors in 2015, the UAW faced a rebellion from rank-and-file auto workers. After FCA workers decisively rejected the first contract, the UAW responded by escalating its campaign of lies and intimidation. Despite these efforts, only with great difficulty did the union succeed in concluding the ratification process which included a rigged vote to get the deal through at Ford.

Then, in December, auto parts workers at Nexteer Automotive near Saginaw, Michigan, voted down a UAW-negotiated tentative agreement by a 97 percent margin, forcing the UAW to call a one-day strike, a stunt that was called off nearly as soon as it began. Again responding with a barrage of lies and threats, the UAW finally secured ratification.

During a roundtable last week with representatives of the corporate media at UAW headquarters, Williams spoke at length on the lessons of the 2015 contract negotiations, as well as the lead poisoning crisis in Flint, Michigan, and the ongoing protests by Detroit teachers and students.

In response to a question about the contract negotiations, the UAW president launched into a lengthy tirade. He attacked the role of social media and outside groups in helping give conscious voice to the opposition of workers.

There is a new dimension to contract negotiations, Williams said. Social media plays a big role today. There were a lot of things we learned about how to roll out an agreement to our membership and how we get the information to them so they can ask the right questions rather than getting information from people who really dont know.

I think there was another lesson learned ... [is] we need to do a better job in rolling out the tentative agreement and also that we were not prepared for the outside forces that attacked us on social media ...

He continued, We understand that there are people who have never voted for any agreement and will always attack agreements. ... What we werent used to is were the attacks from outside groups that have nothing to do with the UAW membership, have nothing to do with the process. We werent prepared for that, and we did get prepared during the process.

While not naming it, Williams was referring to the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter, which throughout the contract struggle provided workers with the truth and exposed the lies of the UAW and the auto companies.

What worries Williams and the UAWalong with the corporate establishment and its bought-and-paid-for media outfitsis that workers refused to go along with the process set out by the union. Instead, autoworkers began communicating between themselves, using social media to expose the content of the contracts and organize opposition.

Thousands of autoworkers signed up for the online WSWS Autoworker Newsletter and relied on it as a source of information every day. The Autoworkers Newsletter explained the conspiracy by the corporations, the UAW and the media against the workers. It revealed the broader political issues to workers and related the struggle of autoworkers to the fight to mobilize all sections of the working class in a common struggle against the corporations and their political representatives in both the Democratic and Republican parties.

A critical component of the perspective advanced by the WSWS was the call to form rank-and-file factory committees, independent of the UAW. This call won widespread support, a reflection of the growing hostility of workers to the unions which function as pro-corporate syndicates and labor contractors.

The UAW responded, as Williams indicates, with its own preparations. Following the rejection vote by FCA workers, the UAW hired a PR firm and repackaged its original sellout deal. It instigated a red baiting campaign against the WSWS and sent goons out to harass WSWS supporters. It threatened workers that their jobs were in danger if they voted against ratification.

Under these conditions, the UAW is now desperately seeking to restore its credibility.

Thus, at the press conference, while gloating over record auto company profits and putting forward his typical rant about unfair trade, the UAW president referred to recent events in Flint and Detroit, calling them areas of concern for the UAW. The past month has seen Detroit teachers organizing job actions over horrible conditions in the schools in defiance of their union, the Detroit Federation of Teachers. Meanwhile, residents of Flint, Michigan, are mounting protests against local, state and federal authorities who covered up the lead poisoning of 100,000 people in the city.

Williams feigned concern for the residents of Flint, calling their situation morally criminal. He also criticized Michigans Republican Governor Rick Snyder and the state legislature for their provocative attempt to victimize protesting Detroit teachers by making sickouts illegal. In doing so, he participated in the cover-up of the role of local Democrats and the Obama administration which have played a central role in both the Flint crisis and the Detroit bankruptcy.

Here we are with a crisis in Flint, and they attack teachers who are bringing attention to the problems in our schools in Detroit, Williams said. Ive seen the pictures, deplorable conditions, floors coming up, not getting the books they need to be educated  

What concerns Williams is not just that the Republican Snyder administration is being discredited by the crisis in Detroit and Flint, but that the entire political structure in the US, including the Democratic Party and the trade unions, are losing their credibility and their ability to block the emergence of struggles by the working class.

Indeed, Williams concluded the press conference with the following warning: People are getting fed up with this system. It is not just by chance people are angry ... They feel disenfranchised as Republicans, they feel disenfranchised as Democrats and people are looking at alternatives to get something done ... 

The alternative he clearly fears are the outside forces, i.e. socialists armed with an anti-capitalist program, who are gaining a hearing among workers being radicalized by the social crisis. His concern is that, as in the case of the 2015 auto contract struggle, socialists will find a receptive response among teachers, residents of Flint and workers across the United States, and impart to the emerging struggles a revolutionary direction.

More and more workers are realizing the commonality of their struggles and searching for a perspective on which to base their fight. Conditions are being created for uniting together the various sectional struggles of the working class into one politically conscious mass movement against the capitalist system. The Socialist Equality Party and the World Socialist Web Site are providing the program and leadership that is required for that fight.
STEINHATCHEE, FL (WTXL) -- 49 year old Raymond Joseph Parker, Jr. was arrested and charged with the first degree murder of his ex-girlfriend, Colleen Thomas this week.

According to officials, Parker was arrested without incident by deputies with the Leon County Sheriffs Office and booked into the Leon County Jail with no bond.

The Office of the State Attorney, 3rd Judicial Circuit, is set to prosecute this case.

Colleen Thomas was found deceased at her home Tuesday evening, February 9, 2016. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is assisting in the investigation.
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In February 2013, late in the evening hours in a secret apartment in Jerusalem, the family members of a young woman from southern Israel found out where she was, after a long period of not seeing her. Not long before, they found out that she was about to get married, so they decided to take action to free their daughter from the clutches of the cult she was sucked into.

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The date was chosen carefully, a few days before the wedding. The mother arrived at the entrance of the house while an escape vehicle waited outside, in which several family members waited. The mother went to the door, knocked and heard her daughters voice. "Come home, please, her mother implored in Yiddish. "We love you. The daughter did not even hesitate. "Get out of here!" she shouted, "I dont want to see you!

The operation failed. After a long discussion mediated by lawyers, the family members met the intended groom directly, but did not manage to reason with him and called it quits.

Aharon Ramati. Suspected of leading a cult. (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

This cult continued to operate until it was shut down by court order due to substandard health conditions, but in the past few weeks more testimonies have come forth that Aharon Ramati, who has in the past been arrested and suspected of heading the cult, has returned to run it from another apartment in Jerusalem.

he parents of the daughters who study at Ramatis seminary that managed to get inside, described harsh living conditions. The police and courts do nothing, a mother whose daughter belongs to the cult, said. Her daughter filed a restraining order against her, after a few dozen visits the mother made to the seminary. We have been in this struggle for several years and we are still not able to create any changes. We feel helpless.

They did not open the door

These events are just a small part of a nearly-hopeless struggle by family members of young women who have been drawn into various religious cults. This struggle almost seems impossible when the women are over 18, since responsibility over their actions is no longer in the parents hands, and the parents have to prove that the cult indeed brainwashes their daughters.

In Israel, this is twice as hard since there is no law that defines a harmful cult that has to be shut down. As a result, cults can operate in Israel almost without interruption, while authorities can act against them only by catching their leaders on legal technicalities such as sanitation violations, tax evasion and other crimes and other infractions.

One person who joined the fight in helping the families in their struggle against the seminary

is MK Aliza Lavie (Yesh Atid). She met with parents and appealed to the Ministry of Health to examine the conditions in which the daughters live .

Rabbi Elyashiv. Condemned Ramati. (Photo: Haim Zach)

"From the moment I discovered what was going on at the Beer Miriam (Miriams Well) seminary headed by Rabbi Aharon Ramati, who attracts many young women, I met many family members and I became aware of the size of the phenomenon," said MK Lavie. "I joined the struggle with the families who have daughters who study there."

"We brought about an investigation and the closure of the place, but unfortunately the activity has recently been started anew in another location. The sad thing is that years ago the senior rabbis - the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and Rabbi Shalom Elyashiv - called it a 'dangerous cult' and stated that 'the daughters of Israel must not study with him or go to his location, his branches, or any place under his instruction,' and called for the immediate closure of the institution. "

Unbearable helplessness

The Ramati affair exploded a year ago, after many parents filed complaints which suggested Ramati was running a cult. All those girls who came to his seminary came to learn with him, lost touch with families, and became more and more extreme. After examining what was going on, it was revealed that the girls live in a neglected apartment under austere and difficult conditions.

After receiving evidence of the cult, the Jerusalem Police raided Ramatis apartment and seized computers and documents. Health Ministry officials arrived as well, confiscating edibles that were improperly stored. Ramati himself was arrested and spent several days in custody, and then released on house arrest, but not indicted.

MK Aliza Lavie. Assisting the families. (Photo: Oren Aharoni)

Recently, following many reports, MK Lavie turned to the Ministry of Health to check living conditions in the apartment where the girls live, but the Ministry presented a claim highlighting the difficulty of dealing with the matter. "After receiving the request MK's request, the county's sanitation coordinator went to given address, where one of the women opened the and claimed that the place is not an institution or organization but merely somewhere a few girls are living together. Since we do not go into private apartments, we left," the Ministry reported, If there is evidence that the place is an institution, we will conduct further inspections."

"The helplessness faced by the families is unbearable and the ongoing question of how to intervene without harming the girls remains unanswered, floating in space," says MK Lavie, adding, "I'm working on all possible levels: Legislative, governmental, municipal and non-parliamentary, and I am currently co-authoring a bill together with Orly Levy-Abekasis, a bill that seeks to legally define an abusive cult in a way that will enable direct action against cults."
Four Border Policemen were lightly wounded on Saturday afternoon while chasing a car transporting Palestinians who entered Israel illegally near the Metzudat Adumim base, not far from Ma'ale Adumim.

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According to the Jerusalem Police, a police lookout spotted two Palestinian suspects, residents of the West Bank, crossing the separation fence and entering an Israeli vehicle that was waiting for them near the al-Zaim checkpoint. The vehicle started driving towards Jerusalem.

The police lookout reported the suspicious vehicle to Border Police teams who went after it.

Scene of the vehicular attack near Ma'ale Adumim

Near the Metzudat Adumim junction, the suspicious vehicle got stuck in a traffic jam. A team of Border Policemen got out of their vehicle and headed towards the suspicious vehicle on foot.

When the suspects noticed the officers, they tried to drive in reverse, hit another vehicle and tried to run over the officers.

The Border Policemen then opened fire at the Palestinian car, which kept driving, turning back towards al-Zaim, but another Border Police team blocked their way.

When the suspects noticed the Border Police jeep, their vehicle collided hard with it and came to a halt.

Two of the Palestinian passengers were moderately and lightly wounded from the gunfire. A third Palestinian who was in the car was lightly wounded from the collision.

Two of them, a 14 year old with a gunshot wound and a 40 year old with bruising in his jaw, where taken to the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem's Ein Karem. The third, suffering from a gunshot wound to his stomach, was taken to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in the capital.

The wounded Border Policemen, aged 21, 29 and 43, were taken to the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem's Ein Karem, suffering from bruising in their extremities.

Police said the incident likely occurred because the Palestinian vehicle was transporting illegal workers and was trying to evade capture.

Palestinian accidentally stabs another Palestinian

Earlier, a Palestinian woman attempted to stab an IDF soldier at the "Tnuva" checkpoint near the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, but instead stabbed a Palestinian passerby.

Soldiers from the IDF's Kfir Brigade noticed the woman, 17-year-old Kilzar Muhammad Abd al-Halim Azmi al-Eweiei from Hebron, who was acting suspiciously, and asked to search her belongings. She opened her bag and pulled out a knife and attempted, unsuccessfully, to stab one of the soldiers.

Knife used by the attacker in Hebron (Photo: EPA)

After being pushed back, al-Eweiei apparently collided with a Palestinian civilian, 52-year-old Abed al-Rajabi, and proceeded to stab him, moderately wounding him.

The soldiers then quickly shot and killed al-Eweiei, whose family is reportedly affiliated with Hamas.

Video footage from the scene of the attack

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Witnesses told Palestinian news agency Ma'an that al-Rajabi attempted to grab al-Eweiei, apparently trying to protect her from being shot by the soldiers.

Al-Rajabi, who is not suspected of being connected to the attack, was evacuated to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. None of the soldiers were harmed.

Al-Rajabi evacuated to hospital after he was stabbed (Photo: Reuters)

The attacks took place as Washington's UN ambassador, Samantha Power, arrived for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

"Arrived in Israel... to discuss US commitment to 2 states side by side in security & peace," she wrote on her official Twitter account earlier.
Imagine that one day the clashes between Jews and Arabs in the Temple Mount escalate into violence, and a wave of lone-attacker terrorism rises. Each day and its stabbing, each day and its vehicular attack; imagine that the local news morphs into protests in Jordan and Egypt, and the rulers there clarify to the rulers over here that things can't go on like this. Something must be done about al-Aqsa.

Just imagine.

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The Prime Minister somberly remembers that the King of Jordan has special status in regard to the Temple Mount. That status is not only recognized by the Arab and Muslim world, but is also part of the Israel-Jordan peace accords. The Prime Minister is championing a plan that will widen the scope of surveillance cameras at the Temple Mount. What those cameras record will be seen not just by Israeli law enforcement, but also by the Jordanians. Israel will give up some of its sovereignty, and receive calm in return.

The question of who will present this plan to King Abdullah II arises. It turns out that the King has little faith in the PM and his associates, due to a past incident. Someone the Jordanians will believe is needed.

Former Mossad Director Tamit Pardo. Has Jordan's trust. (Photo: AFP)

The person whose name comes up is Tamir Pardo, Director of the Mossad: His organization has the Jordanian's trust. Pardo is hesitant to accept the assignment; he's not so sure that whatever promises he gives the King will actually be kept. But the violence goes on  every day a stabbing, every day a vehicular attack, and each stabber that remains living shouts aloud the name al-Aqsa.

Protests in the Arab world also go on, and American Secretary of State Kerry starts traveling around, and amidst all of this pressure Tamir Pardo travels to Jordan.

Imagine that King Abdullah, after contemplation, accepts the plan. But then a problem comes up. It seems that someone in the Prime Minister's close circle, perhaps the PM himself, forgot to inform the Shin Bet of the plan. That's how strong the pressure was to bring about some solution.

The Shin Bet is a major player in any matter that involves Israel and the Palestinians. When you author a proposal that changes the rules of the Temple Mount game, the Shin Bet has to put its stamp of approval on it. Skipping the organization over was strange, insulting, and perhaps also damaging.

King Abdullah II of Jordan. A special status regarding the Temple Mount. (Photo: Getty Images)

In any case, the King approved the plan, but the Shin Bet opposed it. Wise men gathered at the Prime Minister's Office and searched for a way out of the mess. Days passed, nights went by, and the intifada changed: Terror attacks went on, daily; not just stabbings and vehicular attacks, but shootings as well. However, the calls for the rescue of al-Aqsa abated: The Temple Mount was pushed aside.

What was urgent - a matter of life and death - in December, could be postponed in January. When February came along, it turned into a negligible nuisance. And the PM lives headline-to-headline. No headlines, no problem.

Every police officer in Jerusalem knows the schedule: Twice a year the Temple Mount becomes an especially sensitive area; during the period of Rosh Hashanah, the Days of Awe, and Sukkot, and during Passover. Masses of Jews come to visit the Western Wall and the alleys of the Old City. Fundamentalists of both sides prepare for battle. Fortunately, this year Passover doesn't clash with any Muslin holidays. But all the current atmosphere requires is a spark.

And then, worrisome discussions will once again be had at the PM's office; and once again a representative will travel to the palace in Amman, carrying an offer the King can't refuse; and once again Israel will swear that this time it's real, this time it will be done, and the crazies of the Temple Mount can say what they will. And so on, and so forth.

The Temople Mount. Especially sensitive twice a year. (Photo: AFP)

The IDF code

IDF Chief of Staff (COS) Gadi Eisenkot is the most curious character in the Israeli establishment. In his articulate way, free of angry sentiment, he fills the leadership vacuum. Next week will mark the first anniversary of his appointment. It was a revolutionary year in several ways.

Eisenkot. Filling the leadership vacuum.

Eisenkot gave a speech on Tuesday during an event commemorating late former IDF COS Amnon Lipkin-Shahak at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya. When speaking about the activists of Breaking the Silence, he didn't speak of them as traitors.

"The IDF conducts itself at a high ethical level, but there are outliers," he said. "If the IDF did not operate according to the IDF code, it could dismantle the military from the inside. When a soldier joins the IDF, he's taught what an illegal order and a blatantly illegal order are. It is explained to him that his duty as a soldier is to not execute a blatantly illegal order. , not to get discharged and break his silence a few years later."

He continued, "I don't say a word about combatants who talk to the media. I can't argue specifics. I can say that after Operation Protective Edge I received complaints by Breaking the Silence people. I asked them to tell us what these complaints were about, and ordered the (IDF) advocate to examine every claim."

Members of Breaking the Silence. "We expect a soldier to hold those values, to act that way in real time," says IDF COS Eisenkot.

Eisenkot spoke of a threat assessment meeting he participated in. The topic of discussion was Palestinian terrorism. "Several commanders said that terror was taking place on social networks these days and not in the town square. That motif was a major thread permeating the discussion. When it was my turn to sum it up, I said the terrorism wave began due to three reasons: The change in the status-quo at the Temple Mount, the decline in the stature of Arab leadership, and a harsh economic reality. The events began in Jerusalem and trickled down to Hebron, where 67 casualties have been suffered."

"Peopled didnt understand, until I told them: I'm not talking about the current wave, I'm talking about the 1929 Palestine riots. Terror has been accompanying us long before social networks."

Eisenkot continued, "How do you deter lone wolves who are willing to kill when the likelihood of them getting out alive is low? How do you deter a knife-wielder who writes that he's going out to commit a terror attack and then goes out to commit an attack an hour later? How can we defend every Israeli citizen everywhere?"

"We developed a functioning tactical-operative pattern of action in confronting Palestinian terrorism over the years. We managed to defeat terrorism a decade ago with prevention abilities and intelligence. That perception, which led us to very good achievements, becomes much more complex when it's a person who isn't dependant on an organization's infrastructure. Everyone has a kitchen with a knife at home, and anyone can go commit an attack."

Palestinians at the Qalandia checkpoint. The more permits Israel can issue the fewer likely terror attacks there are. (Photo: EPA)

"We combine defensive components. Each night, six brigades operate in the West Bank. Dozens of battalions handle prevention. Those who aren't familiar with the realities in the field are calling for an Operation Defensive Shield 2. The IDF operates with total freedom, not distinguishing A, B, and C territories. Another component is our efforts to differentiate terrorism and the (civilian) population, allowing them to have hope and make a living."

The COS said he asked to be given a profile of a potential terrorist. The answer was that it could be almost anyone. He then asked to get a profile for someone who was likely not to become a terrorist. The answer was clear: Those who have an Israeli permit  a work permit in Israel or in the settlements, a healthcare permit, or a commerce permit. Other than once in the current wave, in Tel Aviv, people with permits did not commit terror attacks. Sons of Palestinians who have permits didn't go out and commit attacks either, again with just one exception. Who did commit attacks? Illegal workers. That's why the military is asking for completion of the separation wall's construction: So that illegal entries may be prevented, potentially allowing tens of thousands more people to receive work permits.
ISTANBUL - Turkey's foreign minister says his country and Saudi Arabia may launch ground operations against the Islamic State group in Syria, Turkish media reported Saturday.

After taking part at a security conference in Munich, Mevlut Cavusoglu said Saudi Arabia was "ready to send both jets and troops" to Turkey's Incirlik air base, Saturday's edition of the Yeni Safak pro-government newspaper quoted him as saying.

"Turkey and Saudi Arabia may launch an operation (against ISIS) from the land," he added, the paper said.

Cavusoglu did not specify the number of troops or jets, or the timing of a possible Saudi deployment, but said exploratory visits have been made.
An emergency campaign to save the last remnants of the Jewish community of Aleppo in war-torn northern Syria is being carried out by Moti Kahana, President of the Amaliah humanitarian organization. Kahana and his organization are engaged in an effort to preserve the Central Synagogue of Aleppo as well as its Torah and religious books.

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We need to act very quickly, Moti Kahana told Tazpit Press Service (TPS). We need approximately $100,000, some of which I will contribute myself. I gave over $2.2 million in 2015, but, unfortunately, its too much for me take on alone.

Kahana established Amaliah shortly following the outbreak of the civil war in Syria in 2011 as an organization that provides humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees.

Kahana has often been seen as a Raoul Wallenberg figure among the Syrian opposition for helping many of the Syrians who defected from the Assad regime flee the country. Raoul Wallenberg was a heroic Swedish businessman and humanitarian who helped tens of thousands of Jews escape the Nazis.

More recently, Kahana has been focusing his organizations efforts on preserving Jewish heritage, following his success last year in rescuing the remaining Jews in Syria. We rescued the last Jews of Aleppo and now we need to rescue the Torah, Kahana said.

The Central Synagogue in Aleppo in 2011, before it was destroyed.

There are 2,000 years of documentation and evidence belonging to the Jewish community in that synagogue and surrounding area, Kahana elaborated. We need to move them out before they get destroyed.

Kahana coordinates with many sources among Syrias moderate opposition groups in order to achieve his objectives.

My guys in the north started contacting me to tell me that the oldest synagogue in Aleppo was about to get destroyed, Kahana explained. My guys were watching and protecting it until Assad started bombing the area a few days ago.

Kahana emphasized that he is not as concerned about Assads bombardment as he is about what Assads Iranian and Hezbollah allies would do after taking control of Aleppo.

The Assad regime going back to Bashar Assads father has protected the synagogue for the last 50 years, but I do not think Assad has control over Syria any longer, Kahana said. I think the Iranians and Hezbollah are the ones making the decisions with Russian air power backing them.

Im afraid Hezbollah will try to clean out the area, Kahana continued. They are not going to necessarily look for Jewish and non-Jewish remains. They are just going to wipe the area clean.

Kahana also believes that unlike the Assad regime, the Iranian and Hezbollah fighters will show little respect to Jewish artifacts and places of worship.

Those guys dont care for Jewish artifacts, Kahana contended. They would come in and pretty much take over a building and make it their own.

Kahana also recognizes the potential dangers posed by ISIS as well as by the other radical Islamist groups that are fighting the Syrian government.

They are of course terrorists who would try to kill me and my family and of course I am not supportive of them or work with those groups in any way, Kahana acknowledged. If ISIS does take control, theyre going to destroy Jewish heritage as well, but ISIS is not at the gates of Aleppo right now.

Ruins of the Central Synagogue of Aleppo (Photo: Amaliah Organization)

Once smuggled out of Syria, Kahana plans to temporarily store the synagogues Torah as well as other rescued items in New York to be returned at a later date.

I would like to bring everything to New York for safekeeping. When the war is over and the Jewish community can go back and rebuild the synagogue, the Torah will be sent back, if that is the wish of the Aleppo Jewish community, Kahana explained.

Kahana would like Israel to assume a role in helping to protect Aleppos synagogue and its surrounding area as well.

Israel is trying to do as much as it can, but I think Israel should ask Russian President Putin to stop carpet-bombing the area, Kahana adde. There is a 500-year-old Jewish cemetery where the bombs went off, and Israel should be in touch with Putin to make sure the area is not damaged.

Kahana would prefer that Putin work with the moderate Syrian opposition in rescuing the synagogues items. Nevertheless, such a scenario is unlikely given that Russia has been backing the Syrian government.

The optimal scenario would have both the Syrian opposition and Russia working together to save the synagogues Torah and books, Kahana said.

Ultimately, Kahana believes that the many moderate Muslims in Syria can have a role in his emergency campaign. The ones who helped me and my organization save Syrias last Jews were Muslims inside Syria, Kahana noted. I help human beings because we as Jewish people will help any human being so long as they do not want to kill us.

This story was reprinted with permission from TPS
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that his country and Saudi Arabia may launch ground operations against the Islamic State group in Syria, Turkish media reported on Saturday.

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After taking part at a security conference in Munich, Cavusoglu said Saudi Arabia was "ready to send both jets and troops" to Turkey's Incirlik air base, Saturday's edition of the Yeni Safak pro-government newspaper quoted him as saying.

"Turkey and Saudi Arabia may launch an operation (against ISIS) from the land," he added, the paper said.

Cavusoglu did not specify the number of troops or jets, or the timing of a possible Saudi deployment, but said exploratory visits have been made.





Turkish F-16 fighter jet (Photo: EPA/Archive)

Turkish media later quoted military sources as saying between eight and 10 Saudi jets would be deployed in Incirlik within the coming weeks, with four F-16 fighters to arrive in a first wave.

The base is used by the US-led coalition in the campaign against the Islamic State group.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, meanwhile, said in a German newspaper interview: "There is discussion on whether ground troops are needed against ISIS.

"If a decision is taken to send in special units against ISIS, Saudi Arabia is ready to take part."

Saudi Arabia has resumed its participation in air strikes against Islamic State in recent weeks and US Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday welcomed its commitment to expand its role.

US President Barack Obama has ruled out sending American ground troops to Syria. But Saudi Arabia this month offered ground forces to fight Islamic State and Cavusoglu said Turkey and the Saudis would support a coalition ground operation.

"At every coalition meeting we have always emphasized the need for an extensive result-oriented strategy in the fight against the (Islamic State) terrorist group," the newspaper quoted Cavusoglu as saying.

Turkish troops on the Syrian border overlooking fighting in Kobani (Photo: AFP)

"If we have such a strategy, then Turkey and Saudi Arabia may launch an operation from the land," he added.

In an interview with AFP released Friday, Syrian President Bashar Assad said he "doesn't rule out" that Turkey and Saudi Arabia would intervene militarily in Syria, but said his armed forces "will certainly confront it".

Major powers agreed in Munich on Friday to a pause in combat in Syria, but Russia pressed on with bombing in support of its ally President Bashar Assad, who promised to fight on until he regained full control of the country.

Four months of Russian air strikes in Syria have helped Assad wrest back territory from rebels fighting government forces, alarming Gulf Arab states who back the insurgents.

Asked if Saudi troops could enter Syria from Turkey, Cavusoglu said: "This is a wish, not a planned thing. Saudi Arabia is sending planes and says, 'I can send soldiers for a ground operation when it is necessary'".

Saudi officials could not immediately be reached for comment on Cavusoglu's remarks.

Turkey hosts more than 2.5 million Syrian refugees and tens of thousands more have massed at its borders after a fierce government offensive around Aleppo.
Balad MK Bassel Ghattas defended his visit to terrorists' families on Thursday, telling Israeli Arabic language station Hala TV that he will resign if he is not allowed to meet with "the families of martyrs."

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The day Arab MKs abstain from visiting Martyrs' (Shahids) families who have lost their precious sons in the turmoil of the struggle against the oppressive occupation, we will have to vacate our (parliamentary) chairs and leave the keys at home, Ghattas said.

This is an idiot attempt to bring this affair back to the headlines," he bemoaned. "I said these same things to Ayala Hasson in an interview on Channel 10 last week. Our meeting with these families has only one objective. Our request is this - the return of the bodies. I am not justifying murder on any side. What I said in the interview was that these people were killed in the context of the struggle, in the context of the fight against the occupation.

Balad MK's meet with the families of dead terrorists (Photo: Screenshot from Arabic language news source)

The interview, which was translated by the Palestinian Media Watch, elicited many fiery reactions. Zionist Union MK Itzik Shmuli said These grave statements (by MK Ghattas) prove that Balad MKs continue to be provocateurs. At least this time the truth came out - that the issues of the Arab citizens of Israel do not really interest them. Maybe instead of getting on another flotilla to Gaza, he can take a taxi to see what is going on in Tayibe.
WARSAW - Poland is unlikely to send troops to fight against Islamic State, Polish state-run news agency PAP quoted President Andrzej Duda as saying on Saturday.

Poland's Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz had said on Wednesday the country would join the fight against Islamic State, 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.

"Perhaps some comments are over interpreted. Today there are absolutely no such decisions. These are open issues which we will discuss at the NATO forum," PAP quoted Duda as saying at a security conference in Munich, when asked about the defence minister's comments.

"I am as far as I can be from any decisions to send Polish soldiers anywhere. But let's remember that we are a member of NATO," Duda said.

"If we want to be treated seriously in NATO, if we want our expectations to be respected we have to understand that other NATO member states also have their fears and interests in other parts of Europe and the world," he said.
Turkey's military hit Kurdish and Syrian regime targets Saturday in the northern province of Aleppo, a state-run news agency reported, as Ankara mulled joint ground assault with Saudi troops.

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Anatolia, quoting a military source, said the armed forces shelled Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) targets around the town of Azaz, and also responded to regime fire on a Turkish military guard post in Turkey's southern Hatay region.

There were no further details on the nature of the Turkish strikes but they probably involved artillery fire from tanks.

Syrian regime forces shelling in Aleppo (Photo: Reuters)

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Minnigh airbase, recently taken by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia from Islamist rebels, was hit in the Turkish shelling.

Ankara considers the PYD and its YPG militia to be branches of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state.

Saturday's shelling, which Anatolia said was in response to incoming fire, came shortly after Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Ankara would, if necessary, take military action against the PYD.

"We can if necessary take the same measures in Syria as we took in Iraq and Qandil," he said in a televised speech.

The premier was referring to Turkey's bombing campaign last year against PKK targets in their Qandil mountain stronghold in northern Iraq.

A YPG source told AFP that the Turkish shelling targeted the strategic Minnigh airbase, which Kurdish forces retook late on Wednesday.
MONDAY 2/15

>> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Monday at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York.

>> Alcoholics Anonymous - How It Works meets Monday at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York.

TUESDAY 2/16

>> Alcoholics Anonymous - Womans Meeting meets Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York.

>> Sexaholics Anonymous, a 12 Step recovery group for those dealing with addiction to pornography, sex, and other forms of lust, meets Tuesday nights at 5:45 p.m. For more information please call our toll free number 1-877-889-8071 or visit sanebraska.org.

>> Parkinsons Support Group will meet Tues, Feb. 16 at 2 p.m. in the Willow Brook Gathering Room. For more information, contact Rita Maloley at 402.362.0440.

>> La Leche League of York will meet, Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m. Entrance to Hospital and Clinic are now reached only through the south parking lot door. Take elevator to lower level. Follow the signs to the Conference Room. Contact accredited volunteer leader, Gloria, at (402) 362-6875 or turnbull@inebraska.com during the month for confidential breastfeeding assistance or related information.

WEDNESDAY 2/17

>> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Wednesday at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York.

>> Alcoholics Anonymous - How It Works meets Wednesday at 8 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York.

THURSDAY 2/18

>> Weight Watchers meets in the basement of the York Towne House, 5th & Grant Ave., each Thursday. Weigh in 5:15 - 5:45 p.m.; Member meeting 5:45 - 6:15 p.m.

>> AL-ANON meets Thursday at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York.

>> Narcotics Anonymous meets Thursday at 8 p.m. at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in the Annex building.

FRIDAY 2/19

>> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Friday at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York.

>> Alcoholics Anonymous - AWOL Group meets Friday at 8 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York.

SATURDAY 2/20

>> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Saturday at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York.

>> Time To Heal - A holistic program designed to help women regain their physical, emotional and spiritual health after breast cancer treatment. Mondays at 8 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York. For more information, call Karrie at 402.362.0446 or Barb at 402.362.0411.
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With the release of new innovation on USB ports comes design and technical issues which can either make or break a manufacturer's reputation for its expertise.

But technical issues like these spare nobody, even the experienced, as it can be recalled that a lot of today's technology and innovations leaders have been caught up with a few. The very recent now is the USB-C cable Apple had admittedly identified as defective.

Although not all of its unit are affected, according to The Verge, Apple has made its announcement that it will be replacing all USB-C cables which were sold between April to June 8 last year. The company pinpoints that the culprit behind the defect is a design flaw incorporated in the cable. According to Apple, MacBooks sold alongside this cable will have charging troubles such as intermittent charging or not charging at all.

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The Verge noted that the company has already fixed the issue in its USB-C cables and has already sold a couple of non-defective units in the past months. But unfortunately, those MacBook users who bought their laptops early last year are still stuck with the defective cables.

Apple has recently made changes to the text which appears in the redesigned USB-C cable. Cables which were produced before June last year and are considered defective bears the following identification:

"Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China"

Whereas, corrected and redesigned USB-C cables contains the following identification:

"Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China DDOXEERRRRRA"

MacBook buyers who provided Apple with their mailing address will be able to receive their cable replacement before this month ends.

For those who haven't, they can directly communicate with Apple through Apple customer support or visit an Apple Store or an Apple Certified Service Provider to have their cables replaced.
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.
Hi, There is a new center in mumbai at JJ Hospital. However not enough information is available about the same. Here are some Traveler t...
"We should always remember that the danger to societies from security services is not that they will spontaneously decide to embrace [Stasi style] mustache twirling and jackboots to bear us bodily into dark places, but that the slowly shifting foundation of policy will make it such that mustaches and jackboots are discovered to prove an operational advantage toward a necessary purpose. ~ Edward Snowden





"America: just a nation of two hundred million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns and no qualms about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable." ~ Hunter S. Thompson



"Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws." ~ Mayer Rothschild



"News is what somebody does not want you to print. All the rest is advertising." ~ LACUNA



"What matters in journalism isn't politics, which are as universal and inescapable as breathing. What matters -- along with a fundamentally adversarial attitude toward government, without which "journalism" is simply public relations -- is integrity, transparency, evidence, coherence, and principle. These are the principles on which we should evaluate the quality of journalism, and their absence is why some journalists are so desperate to get you to focus on something else." ~ Barry Eisler



"There is no inverse relationship between freedom and security. Less of one does not lead to more of the other. People with no rights are not safe from terrorist attack." ~ Molly Ivins



"The brain of our species is, as we know, made up largely of potassium, phosphorus, propaganda, and politics, with the result that how not to understand what should be clearer is becoming easier and easier for all of us." ~ James Thurber



"The highest patriotism is not a blind acceptance of official policy, but a love of one's country deep enough to call her to a higher plane....When you hold up your arm and swear to uphold the Constitution, you dont say, 'Except in wartime.'" -- George McGovern



"Ill believe that corporations are people when Texas executes one." ~ Bill Moyers






MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION

BURSARIES COMMITTEE

CHINESE GOVERNMENT SCHOLARSHIPS

Applications are invited from suitably qualified Zambian nationals that meet the minimum requirements outlined here below to contest for Thirty (30) scholarships under the Chinese Government Scholarship Scheme for the 2016/2017 Academic Year. Available are: One (01) PhD, Nine (09) Masters and Twenty (20) undergraduates in the following fields of study: Aquaculture, Biotechnology, Biomedical Science, Biomedical Engineering, Pharmacy, Civil Engineering, Architecture, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Medicine, Banking and Finance, Economics, Fashion Design and Technology, Chinese Language and Literature.

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants should:

Be Zambian citizens with Green National Registration Cards (NRC)

Be School Leavers who completed Grade 12 in 2013, 2014 and 2015 (undergraduates)

Have Grades 1-4 in English, Mathematics and subjects relevant to the intended field of study

Hold a first degree (Masters) and a relevant Masters degree (PhD)

Be maximum age 24 years (undergraduates), 34 years (Masters) and 39 years (PhD) by September 2016

CONDITIONS OF THE SCHOLARSHIP

Candidates should meet own cost towards:

(i) Expenses to and from the Airport;

(ii) Any short fall not adequately covered by the scholarship.

This is dependent on the programme to be pursued, however, all include 1 year of Chinese language (5 to 7 years for Undergraduates; 2 to 3 years for Masters and PhD)

METHOD OF APPLICATION

Applicants should submit:

A typed application letter responding to the advert, clearly stating the field of study desired, age, mobile phone number for easy communication;

Curriculum Vitae, Certified Photocopies of Educational Certificates, Transcript/Statement of results, NRC, eight (8) colour passport size photos and colour photo copy of pages 2 and 3 of the passport;

Two Letters of Recommendation from Professors or Associate Professors (Masters and PhD)

A study plan or synopsis of summarized details of the preferred course and how the intended course of study will enhance ones contribution to Zambias development (200 words for undergraduate and 800 words for Masters and PhD applicants)

Employers' Recommendation letters stating that they would be granted leave to take up offers if selected (for Masters and PhD).

It is a requirement by the host country that all nominated candidates undergo comprehensive medical examinations including the HIV test.

Nominated candidates must note that last-minute withdrawals will attract serious sanctions from the Committee which may include being blacklisted.

Applications should be addressed to: or Hand delivered to:

The Secretary Room 21 (Registry)

Bursaries Committee Maxwell House, Annex Building

P.O. Box 50464 Los Angeles Boulevard, Longacres

LUSAKA LUSAKA

Closing date: Friday 4th March 2016

For any clarification, contact us on telephone: +260 - 211-250726, Lusaka.

Note:

i. Only short listed candidates will be contacted. Any applicant who would not hear from us by Friday 19th March 2016 should consider his/her application as unsuccessful.

ii. Students currently on Government sponsorship at UNZA or CBU should not apply.

iii. Applicants should apply only in one field of study.

Ireen Nayame Chirwa (Mrs)

Secretary to the Bursaries Committee

MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION
International Programme Manager  Womens Rights

1 year Maternity cover (starting 31st March 2016)

45,489pa

Any country where AA as an Office

A career opportunity has arrived with ActionAid International, to play a role in delivering lasting solutions to the problems of global poverty for women and girls in particular. We are seeking a 1 year maternity cover for the role of International Programme Manager for Womens Rights at a pivotal moment as we take stock of our current strategy and work to design our new womens rights and feminist-centred bold strategy to provide sustained improvements to the poorest and most excluded people in the world.

As an organisation, we are committed to putting womens rights at the heart of everything we do. Your role will be pivotal in drawing out learning on womens rights from our last 5 years of experience and framing inputs from a womens rights perspective into the federations new strategy (to be finalised in December 2016), working closely with the Womens Rights International Platform. You will be expected to bring extensive experience of using rights-based approaches to advance womens rights and a strong commitment to collaborating with others to build common positions. We are looking for someone with demonstrable experience working in a complex international organisation/NGO in multiple locations, at senior leadership level and who can demonstrate the ability to influence strategic decisions and programs without line management authority.

As International Programme Manager for Womens Rights, you will:

Provide strategic leadership for the continuation of high-impact rights-based programming in line with AAIs current global strategy, encompassing standalone work on VAW, the right to sexual/reproductive health, feminist economics, womens collectives and unpaid care work  as well as mainstreamed work for example on womens land rights, political participation, education and leadership in emergencies. Play a central role in taking stock of this strategy, drawing out learning about what has worked well and not so well and helping to guide an external review of our womens right work that is underway and will report in June 2016. Provide clear collaboratively-developed inputs into the development of ActionAids new strategy. Facilitate the Womens Rights International Platform during this time, working with our co-chairs, Country Directors from ActionAid Liberia, UK and Somaliland, both to complete existing strands of work and input into the strategy; Play a role in helping to position AAI as one of the leading NGOs globally on the links between poverty and womens rights, and help attract significant external funding to further scale up our work in these areas, including by acting as a senior spokesperson for womens rights. Oversee diverse multi-country projects to ensure they are both effectively managed and generating learning to inform the wider federation learning.

A postgraduate in a relevant field you will have extensive experience of working on womens rights programing, as well as experience providing strategic guidance, advice and monitoring on womens rights. You must possess strong analytical skills, the ability to communicate persuasively with different internal and external audiences and an eye for detail. Comfortable prioritising many competing responsibilities, you are able to meet deadlines.

To apply please visit our website via the link. and apply online.

ActionAid is an equal opportunities employer. We warmly welcome applications from all sections of the community and aim to promote diversity.

About your application: Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we regret we will not be able to respond personally to applicants who are not short-listed. If you have not heard from us within two weeks from the closing date, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
New Delhi: Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury on Saturday urged Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to establish an independent magisterial enquiry into the ongoing Afzal Guru-Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) row.

We've requested CM Kejriwal to institute Independent magisterial enquiry in JNU crackdown matter, he told reporters here, a day after arrest of JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar on the charges of sedition.

Yechury further said, Authenticity of evidence furnished by Central Govt can be established only through an independent enquiry.

Expressing their dissent over the ongoing row at the JNU, earlier today, a delegation of Left parties met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and asked him to release Kanhaiya Kumar, the university's students' union president.

Hours after Singh and Human Resource and Development Minister Smriti Irani denounced the raising of alleged anti-India slogans in the JNU, the Delhi Police had yesterday arrested the Kanhaiya Kumar, on charges of sedition and criminal conspiracy.

Yechury, who led the Left delegation to the Home Minister, further said that the actions taken by the police in the university, were even worse than what happened during the emergency

He also said that no one who would accept that JNU students are anti-national.

Reacting over the JNU row, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the premier academic institute cannot be allowed to be a hub of anti-national activities.

The Minister of State for Home also said that freedom of expression cannot be absolute and unqualified and reasonable restriction has to be there.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police today detained seven more students from the university.

According to reports, the students, who were trying to protest at Indira Gandhi Kala Kendra, have been taken to the Parliament Street police station for questioning in connection with the case.

After receiving an interim report from its disciplinary committee probing the involvement of the students at the event, the JNU yesterday debarred eight students from academic activities pending a disciplinary enquiry.

Kumar's arrest evoked strong reactions from JNU students and teachers, past and present, and Opposition parties even as the RSS's students wing ABVP 'thanked' police for arresting the "anti-nationals".

The arrest of Kumar, a member of the CPI's students wing AISF, was made a day after BJP MP from East Delhi, Maheish Girri, registered a complaint.

The alleged anti-India slogans were reportedly raised during a protest march on the campus on Tuesday against Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's hanging.

The protest was staged even though the JNU administration had revoked permission following a complaint from the ABVP.
New Delhi: In a preventive measure, seven students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) were detained by Delhi Police on Saturday, over reports that they might stage protest during a program at Indira Gandhi Kala Kendra.

The police detained the JNU students and took them to Parliament Street Police Station for questioning.

The arrests have no connection with the event at JNU against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, which has led to huge protests in the campus.

Delhi Police cracked down on a group of protestors at JNU on Friday and arrested a student leader on sedition charges for allegedly raising anti-India slogans during a demonstration in the campus to mark the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

Kumar was arrested two days after JNU witnessed clashes between two student groups over Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, who was hanged on February 09, 2013 in Tihar Jail.

The event was organised by a group of students to protest the 2013 hanging of Guru, an alleged Jaish-e-Mohammed militant, from Kashmir.
New Delhi: Amid the furore over an event at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kirren Rijiju on Saturday said the government cannot allow the institute to become a hub of anti-national activities.

While justifying police action against some JNU students, Rijiju said, they are not kids who don't know what they do, adding that in the name of freedom of speech you can't abuse the nation.

"Freedom of expression cant be absolute and unqualified, there has to be reasonable restriction," the MoS said.

Rijiju's statements come a day after Delhi Police arrested JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar in a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy.

Meanwhile, after receiving an interim report from its disciplinary committee probing the involvement of the students at the event, the JNU debarred eight students from academic activities pending a disciplinary enquiry.

Kumar was arrested two days after JNU witnessed clashes between two student groups over Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, who was hanged on February 09, 2013 in Tihar Jail.

Marking the death anniversary of Guru, a group of students on Tuesday held an event on the campus and shouted slogans against government for hanging him, despite varsity administration having cancelled the permission following a complaint by ABVP members, who termed the activity as "anti-national".
New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi was on Saturday shown black flags during his visit on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus to meet students protesting for the release of Student Union president Kanhaiya Kumar.

The protestors, allegedly belonging to ABVP, raised slogan of "Rahul Gandhi go back" in the varsity.

Besides Rahul, several leaders of the Congress and the Left parties, including deputy leader of Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma, CPI politburo member Sitaram Yechury, D Raja, also gathered on the JNU campus.

While addressing the protesting students, Rahul Gandhi indirectly hit out at the Narendra Modi-led NDA government.

"The most anti-national people are the people who are suppressing the voice of this institution," he said.

Further recalling dalit scholar Rohit Vemula's suicide case, the Congress VP said, "I was in Hyderabad a few days back and these same people or their leaders said that Rohith Vemula was an anti-national."

"A youngster expressed himself and the government says he is an anti-national," Rahul added.

He added: "You must question them at every single step. Question yourselves also. Look inside yourselves & question yourselves. Later, a Minister turns around and says he was not even a Dalit. Sushma Swarajji nobody asked whether he was Dalit or not, question is why wasn't Indian students allowed to say & fight for what he believes."

He further said, "While Anti-India sentiment is unquestionably unacceptable, the right to dissent & debate is an essential ingredient of democracy. Modi Govt & ABVP bullying an institution like JNU simply because it won't toe their line is completely condemnable."

Rahul also asked the ABVP activists, who showed black flags to him, to join Indian National Congress.

I would like to invite the protesting students here to come & join our group: Rahul Gandhi to ABVP students who were raising slogans at JNU  INC India (@INCIndia) February 13, 2016

"People who showed black flag on my face, I feel proud that in my country they have the right to show black flag in front of my face," he added.

Further hitting the Modi governmnet, Rahul said, "What is anti-national? Most anti-national people are those suppressing the voice of students in JNU."

Finally assuring students of people's support, Rahul said, "I came here to tell you, there are more than billion people in country who believe what you believe in & standing right behind you. When we fought the British, we fought them for our land and we fought them for our voice."

Scores of students have been demanding the release of Kumar, who was sent to a three-day police custody yesterday.

Gandhi had yesterday said that the Modi government is "bullying" an institution like the Jawaharlal Nehru University and it is "completely condemnable".

The Congress VP at the same time asserted that anti-India sentiment was "unquestionably unacceptable".

His remarks came after the arrest of JNU students' union president Kumar in a sedition case over a protest event at the campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, which sparked massive outrage among students.

The development comes even as Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, earlier in the day, reiterated that action will be taken as per law and called on the Opposition to openly condemn the `anti-national` activities at the varsity.

"Whatever incident had happened in JNU related to the anti-national activity and slogans` being carried out by some students is very unfortunate. Freedom of expression cannot be absolute and unqualified. There has to be a reasonable restriction," Rijiju said.

Amid the raging JNU row, Home Minister Rajnath Singh also asserted today that no innocent will be harassed but the guilty "will not be spared" as Left leaders met him questioning the police action against students including arrest of JNUSU leader.

Jawaharlal Nehru University students on Tuesday had organised a meet on the campus to mourn the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) co-founder Maqbool Bhat, where alleged anti-India slogans were raised.

Another commemorative meeting was held at the Press Club of India in Delhi on Wednesday where too, anti-India slogans were raised and placards were shown.

Watch the video here (Courtesy-ANI):
New Delhi: After making many sensational revelations on 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and Lashkar-e-Toiba member Ishart Jahan, convict David Coleman Headley on Saturday testified before Special TADA Court Judge GA Sanap in Mumbai on Saturday. The Pakistani-American terrorist today said that his handlers told him that "nothing will happen against" Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi and Hafiz Saeed and that actions taken by Pakistan Federal Investigation Agency against them and other LeT members in 26/11 case are "superficial".

Highlights of the testimony:

- Prosecution concludes recording of evidence of David Headley in 26/11 attacks case; cross-examination by defence adjourned for a future date.

- Lakhvi`s son was killed while fighting against Indian troops in Indian occupied Kashmir, says Headley.

Headley tells court that Abdul Rehman Pasha told him that the action taken by Pakistan Federal Investigation Agency against Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, Hafiz Saeed and other LeT members are "superficial".

- Shedding more light on terror activities post 26/11 attacks, the 55-year-old terrorist says that after Pakistan government started investigating the 26/11 attacks, he was told by his handler, Sajid Mir of LeT, that "both Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi and Hafiz Saeed are safe and nothing will happen against them."

- I sent this mail to Mir because after Mumbai attacks Pakistan was interrogating various people of Lashkar and I was concerned about it.

- Headley sent a mail to Sajid Mir and made a query "are most of the problem solved for uncle (Hafiz Saeed) and his friends (Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi)?"

- Headley admits, gulati22@hotmail.com was his email id and rare.lemon@gmail.com was Sajid Mir's email id. Both used to exchange mails by these email ids. Headley met Sajid Mir during his stay in Pakistan from June 1 to 30, 2008.

- Despite having apprehensions of being arrested in India, I still decided to visit India again.

- I sent the mail to Rana so that he could take care of my belongings.

- On March 3, 2009, I sent an e-mail to Rana, with the subject on the mail "Headley's personal will". I sent this 'will' to Dr Rana as I was going back to India again and I thought I may be killed or arrested in India.

- While deposing via video conferencing, Headley reveals that after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, he met Tahawwur Rana in Chicago. The latter was pleased with the terror attack, which left 166 people dead.

- I visited Indian Army installation in Pune. Major Iqbal asked me to visit the Indian Army installation in Pune and try to recruit Armymen so that classified information can be acquired. The ISI wanted to recruit military officers and get 'classified information' from them.

- After the 26/11 terror attack, Headley met Dr Tahawwur Rana in Chicago. Rana was pleased with the terror attack in Mumbai.

- I surveyed and videographed the Southern Command HQ Building between March 16-17, 2009, preceded by recce of Chabad Houses in Goa on March 15 and earlier Pushkar between March 11-13 that year - nearly four months after the terror attacks were executed in Mumbai on November 26-28, 2008.
New Delhi: The Congress party on Saturday blamed goons of BJP's youth wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), for the attack on its senior leader Anand Sharma at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

The party condemned the attack on Anand Sharma, deputy leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, at a protest meet in JNU on Saturday evening.

"Today is a black day for India`s democracy when Deputy Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma was publicly attacked with sharp-edged weapon by government protected ABVP goons on the JNU campus. We condemn this cowardly attack in strongest words," a party statement issued by spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala post midnight said.

As per reports, Sharma was at JNU to attend a protest meet held against the arrest of the university's students` union president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case and the police crackdown in the campus on Friday.

The attack took place when the Congress leader was leaving the varsity after attending the protest meet.

Sharma, a former Union minister, was jostled by ABVP activists who had surrounded him. The ABVP activists were protesting against Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi`s participation in the meet.

"This rank goondaism by ABVP goons reflects the mental frame of mind of BJP and Modi government, who want to stifle the voice of students, shut down JNU and curb civil rights with brute force of hooligans protected by Delhi Police," the statement said.

A sea of opposition leaders including Congress' Rahul Gandhi and Ajay Maken, CPI`s D Raja, CPM`s Sitaram Yechury and CPI-ML's Kavita Krishnan visited the JNU campus on Saturday to express solidarity with the campaign titled `Stand With JNU/Save JNU and Nation`.

The Congress statement added that the party "condemned the raising of anti-India slogans by a handful of persons on JNU campus on 9th February and had demanded strict action against them".

The BJP government has unleashed its anti-JNU tirade in the garb of this episode, the Congress alleged.

"None less than Prime Minister Narendra Modi (when he was chief minister of Gujarat) had branded JNU as a laboratory of secularists which needs to be shut down. Different BJP leaders have been tarnishing entire JNU as anti-national, the statement said.
New Delhi: In a shot in the arm for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), former Intelligence Bureau special director Rajinder Kumar on Saturday claimed, that he was pressurised to implicate the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in 2004 Ishrat Jahan encounter case.

Making the explosive claims, Kumar, a 1979 batch IPS officer who retired last year, said a very senior Congress leader hailing from Gujarat was the mastermind of the conspiracy to defame Modi.

While presenting his side of the story, the ex-IB officer said, "As Modi had emerged the biggest challenger to the UPA government, they wanted me to give a statement, which could be used as an evidence to implicate the ex-Gujarat CM".

Kumar maintained that he was allured with big posts after retirement, but he refused to give any false statement.

He further claimed that various witnesses were pressurised and a conspiracy was hatched to defame the IB.

"A detailed affidavit was filed by MHA on Aug 6, 2009 which proved that inputs provided by IB were all correct, following which some people got disgruntled and pressurised witnesses" Kumar said.

It was all part of the conspiracy in which a very senior Congress leader, who hails from Gujarat, was the mastermind.

Kumar alleged that the Congress leader was giving instructions to the people with an aim to somehow prove that the affidavit of the MHA was proven wrong.

CBI had filed a charge sheet against Kumar and three other IB officers despite Law ministry's denial of sanction to prosecute them. Besides Kumar, a 1979 batch IPS officer who retired last year, those named in the charge sheet are P Mittal, MK Sinha and Rajiv Wankhede. In the supplementary charge sheet, Kumar has been charged under sections 302 (murder), 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy), 364 (kidnapping in order to murder), 346, 364 & 368 (wrongful confinement) of IPC, besides sections 3, 25 (A) and 29 of the Arms Act.

Ishrat (19), Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjadali Akbarali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in an alleged fake encounter on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004.

David Coleman Headley, convicted in the United States for his role in 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, on Thursday confirmed that Ishrat Jahan, killed in an encounter in Gujarat, was indeed a Lashkar-e-Toiba operative.
New Delhi: Unhappy over the anti-national sloganeering in support of terrorist Afzal Guru at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University ( JNU ) campus, a group of ex- Army officers have threatened to return their degrees as protest.

According to the media reports, officers of the 54th NDA Course have told the JNU V-C that they find it difficult to be associated with the university which is turning into a hub of 'anti-national' activities. It will be difficult to be associated with such institution.

All the cadets, who join the National Defence Academy (NDA) after 10+2, are provided with a graduation degree of Jawaharlal Nehru University after the completion of the course..

JNU has been in the news after a group of students shouted anti-India and pro-Afzal Guru slogans during a function in the university campus.

The event was organised by a group of students to protest the 2013 hanging of Guru, an alleged Jaish-e-Mohammed militant, from Kashmir. The protest sparked clashes between two groups of students after which police were deployed in the campus.

A day later, another meeting was held at the Press Club of India in Delhi where anti-India slogans and placards were also raised.

Kanhaiya Kumar, the president of the left-dominated JNU Students Union, was arrested from a hostel in the university campus early on Friday in the police crackdown.
Washington: The Obama administration has approved the sale of eight F-16 Block-52 aircraft to Pakistan worth $699 million in the face of US lawmakers` opposition to the deal over Islamabad`s alleged support for terrorist groups

The US State Department has approved the sale, the Pentagon`s Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said Friday as it notified US Congress of the possible sale.

"We support the proposed sale of eight F-16s to Pakistan, which we view as the right platform in support of Pakistan`s counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations," a US government official cited by DefenseNews said.

"These operations reduce the ability of militants to use Pakistani territory as a safe haven for terrorism and a base of support for the insurgency in Afghanistan, which is in the national interests of both Pakistan and the United States, and in the interest of the region more broadly."

The official, DefenseNews said, confirmed that there had been Congressional objections to the sale, but said that contrary to recent "erroneous reports", "concerns were raised in regard to financing the sale, not the transfer itself."

According to the DSCA`s statement, the proposed sale will "facilitate operations in all-weather, non-daylight environments, provide a self-defense/area suppression capability, and enhance Pakistan`s ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counterterrorism operations."

According to the DSCA, Pakistan is not expected to have difficulty absorbing these additional aircraft into its air force. The sale is also meant to increase the number of aircraft available to the Pakistan Air Force to sustain operations, meet monthly training requirements and support transition training for pilots new to the Block-52.

The pending sale to Pakistan includes: eight F-16 Block-52 aircraft - two C and six D and models with the F100-PW-229 increased performance engine; 14 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems; eight AN/APG-68(V)9 radars; and eight ALQ-211(V)9 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suit.

The approval of the sale came days after Senate Foreign Relations committee Chairman Bob Corker wrote a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry objecting to subsidised sale of up to eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

Citing Islamabad`s relationship with the Haqqani network, an extremist group that has a history of destabilizing Afghanistan, Corker in a Feb. 9 letter to Kerry notified the Obama administration of his intention to block the F-16 deal.

"After years of pressuring the Pakistanis on this point, the Haqqani terrorists still enjoy freedom of movement, and possibly even support from the Pakistani government," he wrote.

"This is highly problematic given the Haqqani`s clear involvement in killing the very Afghan army and police we have worked for years to train," Corker added.

Asked about Corker`s charges, US State Department spokesperson Mark Toner Thursday suggested "US security assistance to Pakistan actually contributes to their counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations."

Corker, following a recent trip to Afghanistan, said he would shelve the funding needed to finance the deal. However, he offered to lift his hold on the sale of the warplanes itself.

"If they wish to purchase this military equipment, they will do so without a subsidy from the American taxpayer," Corker was quoted as saying in the letter by Foreign Policy magazine.
New Delhi: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Saturday deplored the ongoing unrest in Jawaharlal Nehru University and said the students should have projected their views in a more civilised way.

If they had to project their views, they should have done in a more civilised way, Abdullah said.

The remarks come hours after Delhi police made a series of arrests from the campus on charges of making anti-India slogans during an event.

However, several political parties have criticised the police action against the students and demanded the early release of those detained.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is likely to visit JNU and meet the students today. He will be accompanied by Congress leaders Anand Sharma and Ajay Makan.

Earlier in the day, CPI-M leaders Sitaram Yechury, Nilotpal Basu and D Raja along with JD(U) leader KC Tyagi visited Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to discuss the JNU issue.

Meanwhile, backing the police action, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said that anti-national slogans unacceptable anywhere.

This is an unfortunate incident. We cant allow JNU to be a hub of anti-nation activities. Freedom of expression cant be absolute and unqualified. There has to be reasonable restriction, Rijiju said on the JNU campus row.
New Delhi: The raging JNU row on Saturday turned into an ideological battle between the BJP and its Left opponents, with Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi lending them support and comparing the Modi government with Hitler's regime.

The Congress, CPI-M, CPI and JD-U today came together to participate in a protest meet against the arrest of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi accused the Narendra Modi government of trying to crush students' voices in university campuses by ordering police crackdowns.

Speaking at the protest meet held in the JNU campus here, Gandhi said: "They (government) do not understand that by crushing you (students) they are making you stronger."

He was referring to Friday's police action at the JNU campus and the arrest of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case on Friday.

"There was a person in Germany named Hitler who had destroyed millions and millions of people. If only that man had listened to other people, may be that country would not have gone through that much of pain," Rahul Gandhi said to loud cheers by Left-leaning students.

The students' union declared a strike in the university from Monday onwards.

At the end of the protest, senior Congress leader and former Union minister Anand Sharma was attacked by an assailant allegedly linked to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

The protest was held in a volatile atmosphere with the ABVP activists constantly shouting slogans against what they called "anti-India sloganeering" by students at a commemorative function held at the campus to mark the death of Afzal Guru who was hanged in the Parliament attack case.

Gandhi was received by the ABVP activists with black flags and cries of "go back".

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken, Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Communist Party of India national secretary D Raja, senior Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist leader Kavita Krishnan and others also joined the protest attended by a 2,000-strong gathering of students and teachers.

Gandhi drew comparisons with the Hyderabad university controversy involving students linked to ABVP and Ambedkar Students' Association (ASA) and consequent suicide of a Dalit student activist, Rohit Vemula, following his suspension from the university.

"I was in Hyderabad a few days back. A youngster there expressed himself and the government says that he is an anti-national. What did he do? Later the minister turns around and says that he was not even a Dalit," said Gandhi referring to the NDA government's reaction to the suicide of Vemula of the ASA who was suspended after an ABVP activist accused him of physically assaulting him.

Earlier in the day, Yechury, who was himself a JNUSU leader, met union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and demanded the release of the JNUSU leader.

"We apprised home minister that whatever is happening is worse than that happened during the Emergency. It should be proved that the 20 people, who are being targeted, are at fault," he told reporters after the meeting.

"Home minister guaranteed us that action won't be carried out on any innocent person. We demanded him to release the arrested student leader... which he assured us to look into the matter," Yechuri added.

A delegation comprising Yechury, Raja and Janata Dal-United secretary general KC Tyagi also met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and requested him to launch an independent probe to establish the authenticity of the evidence provided in the JNU campus incident.

Kejriwal later ordered a magisterial inquiry.

Kanhaiya Kumar's parents who live in Bihar also asserted that their son was being victimised for his opposition to Hindutva politics and was not an anti-national.

"My son is not anti-national. There is no question of his following an ideology of anti-nationalism. He is a nationalist like hundreds of thousands of youths of his age," said Jaishankar Singh, Kumar's paralysed father.

Kumar's mother, Meena Devi, said her son is a nationalist, but not a supporter of RSS-BJP's Hindutva politics.

Bharatiya Janata Party national vice-president Dinesh Sharma however hit out at the CPI-M and Congress.

"Both Congress and CPI-M who are supporting such anti-national elements, should drop India from their party names because they are pursuing anti-national politics. They are as guilty as the protesters," he said.

Meanwhile, a group of retired servicemen of the June 1978 batch of the National Defence Academy, who are recipients of the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees from JNU have written a letter to the varsity vice chancellor and said they are unhappy at the ongoing anti-national activities like celebration of Afzal Guru inside the campus.

"We have told JNU vice chancellor that if such anti-national activity will continue then we are constrained to return our degrees," said Brig. Rakesh Chhibber (retd.) of the batch.

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday slammed Prime Minister Narendra-Modi and warned him that targetting innocent students over Afzal Guru row will prove very costly to his government at Centre.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor took to Twitter to vent out his ire. No one supports anti-national forces. But targeting innocent students using that as an excuse will prove v costly to Modi government, Kejriwal tweeted.

Earlier on Friday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh asserted that government will not tolerate any anti-national activities in the country. Speaking to a news agency, Singh said that no one will be spared who raises anti-India slogans and tries to raise questions on national unity and integrity. He said, strict actions will be taken against them, who raised anti-India slogans at JNU.

The Home Minister said that he has given necessary instructions to Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi to enquire about the incident.

An event was organised by a group of students in the JNU campus on February 10 to protest the 2013 hanging of Afzal Guru, a Jaish-e-Mohammed militant, from Kashmir. The protesters allegedly shouted anti-India slogans during the event, which led to clashes between two groups of students after which police were deployed in the campus.

Two days later, on Friday, Kanhaiya Kumar, the president of JNU students union and an activist of a Left-linked group, was arrested from the hostel of university campus in a police crackdown on charges of sedition and conspiracy and was bought before Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen.

Dozens of policemen swarmed the campus in south Delhi to look for more students, suspected to be involved in the protest held on Tuesday in the India's top academic institutions.
New Delhi: The raging JNU row on Saturday turned into an ideological battle between the BJP and its Left opponents, with Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi lending them support and comparing the Modi government with Hitler's regime.

The arrest of JNU Students Union President Kanhaiya Kumar, a leader of CPI-affiliated student outfit, set the two sides on the warpath, with the government declaring that the varsity cannot be allowed to be a "hub of anti-national" activities.

The BJP also attacked Rahul Gandhi, saying he and "his friends are speaking in the voice of LeT terrorist Hafiz Sayeed who had tweeted in support of anti-India event in JNU".

The students, agitating for the release of Kanhaiya, who was slapped with sedition charge over an event on the campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, have threatened to go on strike from Monday if he was not freed.

Rahul Gandhi, who visited the campus in solidarity with the Left leaders, addressed the students. He said, "Most anti-national people are those who are suppressing the voice of students in this institution".

Students owing allegiance to ABVP, which is the student's wing of RSS, showed black flags to Rahul Gandhi and repeatedly disrupted his short address during which he often referred to the suicide by Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula of Hyderabad University and attacked the government for that.

"People who suppress the voice of this institute are anti-national. They are trying to crush the voice of the youth. I was in Hyderabad a few days back and these same people or their leaders said that Rohith Vemula was anti-national.

"There was a person in Germany named Hitler who had destroyed millions and millions of people. If only that man had listened to other people, may be that country would not have gone through that much of pain," Rahul Gandhi said to loud cheers by Left-leaning students.

Asserting that JNU cannot be allowed to be a "hub of anti-national activities", Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said freedom of expression cannot be "absolute and unqualified and reasonable restriction" has to be there.

"This was an unfortunate incident. But these are not small kids who don't know what they do. In the name of freedom of speech you can't abuse the nation," the minister added.

Meanwhile, the Chancellor of the university and former ISRO Chief K Kasturirangan, today visited the campus and took stock of the situation even as four Deans of JNU wrote to VC Jagdesh Kumar to protest against the manner in which police "crackdown" was "allowed by the university".

Earlier in the day, a batch of ex-servicemen, alumni of the university, threatened to return their degrees as they found it "difficult" to be associated with an institution that has become a "hub of anti-national activities".

Meanwhile, the HRD ministry has sought a status report from the university on the issue. However, the varsity administration maintained that it has not received any such communication so far.
Mumbai: Nailing Pakistan's lie over it's crackdown on 26/11 perpetrators, Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley's revealed on Saturday that the arrest of Lashkar commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi in Pak was "only superficial" and the terror outfit's founder Hafiz Saeed would not be harmed, his handler Sajid Mir had told him.

Headley disclosed the above information to a court in Mumbai via videoconferencing from a jail in the US.

Headley`s deposition over the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack entered its fifth day today.

The deposition which is happening via video conferencing began today as special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam arrived at Mumbai court.

In yesterday`s deposition, Headley made a startling revelation that a recce of Mumbai`s Siddhivinayak temple and asked the LeT not to attack the shrine as it was heavily guarded.

Nikam said that Headley was asked by Major Iqbal to recruit the people from Baba Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in order to collect confidential information from there.

"David Headley has made some new revelations today. He said that he had conducted a recce of BARC and he was asked by Major Iqbal to recruit some people from BARC to collect information," Nikam told the media here, ANI reported.

"He said that he conducted a recce of the Siddhivinayak temple and Shiv Sena Bhawan. He said that he asked the LeT not to attack Siddhivinayak temple and the Naval Air Base because they were heavily guarded," he added.

Headley, who deposed before a Mumbai court via video conferencing from an undisclosed location in the US, has disclosed the relationship between the Pakistan`s Inter-State Intelligence (ISI) service and LeT.

He had also admitted that he had met both Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Hafiz Saeed and then operational commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.

The nearly 30-hour-long examination of Headley -- for five out of six days this week -- before Special TADA Court Judge GA Sanap ended here today afternoon.

On the final day Saturday, Headley listened to three video tapes recorded during the attacks on November 26-28, 2008 and identified different voices of handlers who were guiding and directing the 10 Pakistani terrorists from a control room in Karachi.

Lawyer Wahab Khan of another Indian co-accused Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal started Headley's cross-examination, but could pose only five questions due to paucity of time.

Besides, Khan argued that he was not handed over the statement which Headley referred to during his deposition and also needed to study the confession of the captured and hanged terrorist Ajmal Kasab.

Following a heated exchange between Khan and Nikam, counsel Mahesh Jethmalani intervened and told Special Judge Sanap that even if the timings were extended by two hours on Saturday, it would not be possible to complete the cross-examination.

Special Judge Sanap then enquired of US attorney Sarah whether cross-examination could be resumed on Monday, but she replied in the negative.

Later, Khan said he would communicate to the Special Court the time required for the cross-examination by February 22.
New Delhi: In the backdrop of an ongoing row at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hit out at Modi government saying they are terrified of people raising their voice.

While praising the students of JNU campus for raising their voice against the arrest of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, Rahul said, You must question them (government) at every single step."

"They(government) are terrified of weak Indian people raising their voice. They do not understand that by crushing you they are making you stronger, Gandhi said at a meet at the Jawaharlal Nehru University that was organised to protest against the police crackdown on the campus and the arrest of the university students' union president in a sedition case on Friday.

The students' union has declared a strike in the university from Monday.

Gandhi drew comparisons with the Hyderabad university controversy involving students owing allegiance to ABVP and Ambedkar Student Association and the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohit Vemula following his suspension from the university.

"I was in Hyderabad a few days back. A youngster there expressed himself and the government says he is an anti-national. What did he do? Later, the minister turns around and says that he was not even a Dalit," said Gandhi, refering to the government's reaction to the suicide, ANI reported.

On Tuesday night, some JNU students organised a meet to mourn the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) co-founder Maqbool Bhat, where anti-India slogans were allegedly raised.

Another commemorative meeting was held at the Press Club of India in Delhi on Wednesday where anti-India slogans and placards were raised.

Gandhi said the government was terrified of poor Indians raising their voices against it.

"They are scared of the poor Indians, weak Indians getting a voice because they might turn around and ask them a question. They do not want to be questioned," he said.

"People who showed black flags on my face, I feel proud that in my country they have the right to show black flags in front of my face," Gandhi said.

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI national secretary D Raja, CPI-ML leader Kavita Krishnan and other leaders were present on the occasion.

(With ANI inputs)
New Delhi: Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven will be on a two-day visit to India this month to participate in the Make in India Week here and will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a bilateral dialogue.

Lofven leads a high-level delegation comprising State Secretaries, senior officials from the Swedish government, heads of agencies and industry leaders from Sweden to participate in the Make in India Week, where Sweden has the largest country pavilion with participation from 18 Swedish companies across all sectors, a release said today.

He will be visiting the country from February 13-14. Lofven will inaugurate the Swedish Pavilion along with Modi, after which he will deliver the keynote address at the Sweden Seminar on smart manufacturing, along with a senior representative from the Indian side. He will also participate in the Sweden India CEO Round Table together with Swedish and Indian industry leaders. Lofven will later visit Pune which is a hub for Swedish companies since the 1960s.

Swedish companies operations in Pune date back to 1957, when a large area of land was allocated to those firms in that city, which was strategically a good location considering the proximity to Mumbai. In Pune, he will visit the facilities of two Swedish majors  Tetra Pak and Ericsson. The Tetra Pak plant in Chakan, Pune is a state-of-the-art Swedish example with a modern footprint based on green technology which produces for the Indian market. The Ericsson plant will serve as an export hub for the company. Both are examples of how Sweden makes in India, the release said.

Over 1,000 business delegates from 60 countries, 2,500 domestic delegates, 192 companies and four heads of state are expected at the maiden MII week which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi on February 13.
New Delhi: India on Saturday reacted strongly over Obama administration's decision to notify sale of F-16 fighter aircrafts to Pakistan and summoned Ambassador Richard Verma.

India conveyed its "displeasure and disappointment" to the US envoy when he arrived at the South Block.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar summoned Verma to the South Block and told him about India's concerns over US military aid to Pakistan which New Delhi believes goes into anti-India activities.

Earlier today, New Delhi expressed its disappointment over the US' decision of selling eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistaan and disagreed with a rationale that such arms' transfers will help combat terrorism.

The Ministry of External Affairs made government's displeasure clear and issued a statement:

We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama Administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircrafts to Pakistan pic.twitter.com/NGdrAL2m9i  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) February 13, 2016

India's decision comes after, the Obama administration today notified the US Congress of its decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan worth nearly USD 700 million, notwithstanding American lawmakers' demand for stopping the proposed sale.

Despite mounting opposition from influential lawmakers from both the Republican and Democratic parties, the US State Department notified the Congress that it has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Pakistan for F-16 Block 52 Aircraft, equipment, training, and logistics support.
New Delhi: For the first time after the Lok Sabha polls in 2014, Varanasi will again witness Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal 's presence on the same day. Both the leaders are schedule to visit the city on February 22 on the occasion of Ravidas Jayanti .

Both of them had contested the Lok Sabha polls from the constituency where PM Modi emerged as the winner. Since then, PM Modi had visited the city several times whereas, it will the Delhi CM's first visit after then.

Prime Minister Modi is expected to address a gathering at Ravidas temple in the city. Kejriwal is also likely to visit the temple but his detailed planned is yet to be announced.

In view of Punjab Assembly polls, Ravidas Jayanti is significant as lakhs of Sikh followers (Ramdasia Sikhs) from across the country are likely to come to the city on this occassion.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has already its plans to contest the forthcoming Punjab Assembly polls.

Kejriwal's planned Varanasi visit is seen as an attempt to woo Sikh voters.
Karachi: At least 10 militants, including a top commander of a separatist outfit, were killed and 12 others arrested today in an operation carried out by security forces in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province.

The security personnel conducted an operation in Sangaan area of Sibi district and demolished three militant hideouts.

They also apprehended 12 suspected militants following an exchange of fire in which 10 terrorists were killed.

"A key militant commander was also killed during the operation," an official told Dawn News.

Spokesman for Balochistan government, Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, said a key commander of the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) Aslam Acho was reportedly killed by security forces in Sibi.

Kakar said, "the dead commander was allegedly involved in the attack in Quaid's residency in Ziarat."

The security forces claimed to have recovered a huge cache of weapons including rockets, improvised explosive devices and bombs from the possession of the militants.

All the dead and apprehended militants belonged to an outlawed militant organisation operating in the area, the security official said.

The arrested suspects were shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation.

The militants were reportedly involved in a series of attacks on security forces and blowing up of gas pipelines and other vital installations in the area.
Chennai: Senior Congress leader and Leader in Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad announced on Saturday that the party will contest the upcoming Assembly election in Tamil Nadu in an alliance with DMK.

Azad, after meeting the DMK chief Karunanidhi at his residence in Chennai, announced the news to reporters, DMK and Congress will fight Tamil Nadu assembly elections in alliance. Our mail goal is to put in place a government led by the DMK.

When asked about the party's strategy on seat sharing, the senior Congress leader said that further discussion will take place with DMK leaders on the issue. He said that the election would be fought under the DMK leadership and put on Karunanidhi's party the responsibility of roping in more constituents into this alliance, including DMDK.

As to what had changed between 2016 and 2013 when DMK snapped ties accusing the Congress of betraying Sri Lankan Tamils, Azad said that there were "compulsions and pressures" in politics and that the two parties had won elections together in the past also.

The DMK-Congress split had also come against the backdrop of the arrests of former Union Minister A Raja and Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi, a Rajya Sabha MP, in the alleged spectrum allocation scam.

Congress had contested the last Lok Sabha elections on its own and had drawn a blank. It had contested the last Assembly elections along with DMK but secured just five seats. Assembly strength in the state is 234.

Congress is out of power in the key southern state for nearly five decades and has generally been aligning with either of the Dravidian party- DMK or AIADMK. It has contested alone too but without much success.

A Congress delegation led by Azad on Saturday met DMK chief Karunanidhi at his residence in Chennai after which it was decided that the two former allies will join hands once again for the Assembly polls, to be held in April-May this year.

Earlier, reports were doing the rounds that the two parties were looking to revive their alliance and DMK chief Karunanidhi has invited Congress senior leaders at his residence to 'materialise the ties'.

The DMK came out of the UPA government in 2013 charging the then government in Centre of not handling the Sri Lankan Tamils issue properly.
Mogadishu: Somalia`s Shebab insurgents on Saturday claimed responsibility for a bomb attack which ripped a hole in a passenger plane shortly after takeoff from the capital Mogadishu earlier this month.

On February 2, Shebab "mujahideen carried out an operation targeting dozens of Western intelligence officials and Turkish NATO forces aboard an airplane bound for Djibouti," said a statement issued by the group.

The blast left a metre-wide (three-foot) hole in the fuselage of the Daallo Airlines plane shortly after it took off from Somalia`s main airport, killing the suspected bomber and forcing an emergency landing.

Two of the 74 passengers aboard were slightly injured.

A passenger believed to be the bomber, identified as Abdulahi Abdisalam, was killed, probably after being propelled out of the aircraft in the explosion, investigators said.

The man had initially intended to board a Turkish Airlines flight but the Turkish plane did not turn up and Daallo Airlines agreed to fly the passengers onwards to Djibouti.

Somali intelligence officials have released surveillance footage appearing to show a passenger being given a laptop in which the bomb was concealed.

Shebab said the bomb attack was "retribution for the crimes committed by the coalition of Western crusaders and their intelligence agencies against the Muslims of Somalia."
Damascus: President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to recapture the whole of Syria and keep "fighting terrorism" while also negotiating an end to the war, as international pressure mounts for a ceasefire.

His defiant stance, in an exclusive interview with AFP released yesterday, doused hopes of an imminent halt to hostilities that world powers are pushing to take effect within a week.

Assad said the main aim of a Russian-backed regime offensive in Aleppo province that has prompted tens of thousands of people to flee was to cut the rebels' supply route from Turkey.

He said his government's eventual goal was to retake all of the country, large swathes of which are controlled by rebel forces or the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.

"It makes no sense for us to say that we will give up any part," he said in the interview conducted on Thursday in Damascus, before a plan for a nationwide "cessation of hostilities" in Syria was announced.

Assad said it would be possible to "put an end to this problem in less than a year" if opposition supply routes from Turkey, Jordan and Iraq were severed.

But if not, he said, "the solution will take a long time and will incur a heavy price".

Assad said he saw a risk that Turkey and Saudi Arabia, key backers of the opposition, would intervene militarily in Syria.

World powers on Friday announced an ambitious plan to stop fighting in Syria within a week, but doubts have emerged over its viability, especially because it did not include IS or Al-Qaeda's local branch.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said there were "no illusions" about the difficulty of implementing a nationwide "cessation of hostilities" as he announced the deal in Munich alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

The US State Department also hit back at Assad's claim he wants to retake the whole country, with spokesman Mark Toner calling him "deluded if he thinks that there's a military solution to the conflict".

Moscow says its more than four-month-old bombing campaign in Syria targets IS and other "terrorists", but critics accuse Russia of focusing on mainstream rebels.

Lavrov underlined that "terrorist organisations" such as IS and Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front "do not fall under the truce, and we and the US-led coalition will keep fighting these structures".

He also talked about "direct contacts between the Russian and US military" on the ground, where they back opposing sides, although the Pentagon said there were no plans for increased military cooperation.
Washington: Demanding an end to Pakistan's "forceful" occupation of Balochistan , hundreds of Baloch- Americans and leaders from this restive Pakistani province held a peaceful protest in front of the White House to seek US intervention and deployment of NATO troops in the region.

"At least 35,000 Baloch are missing. There is a grave violation of human rights on the people of Balochistan and all this is being perpetrated by the Pakistan Army and the ISI," said Mama Abdul Qadir Baloch in an interview to PTI yesterday in front of the White House.

Vice president of the Voice for Baloch Missing Person, Qadir Baloch who came from Pakistan to attend this peaceful protest in front of the White House had carried out a 3,000 km long march from Quetta to Islamabad in 2013 against human rights violations in the province.

The White House protest was organised by the Baloch National Movement (BNM) to condemn the cold-blooded murder of its secretary general, Dr Mannan Baloch allegedly by the Pakistani army in Baluchistan.

"We urge US President Barack Obama to ask the Pakistani Government to immediately stop human rights violations against the people of Balochistan. We also urge US to send NATO forces in Balochistan to save its people from the atrocities perpetrated by the Pakistan Army on us," he said.

Calling for a free and independent Balochistan that can guarantee peace and stability in the region plagued by religious extremism and terrorism perpetrated by the Pakistani army, the peaceful protestors alleged that the military is currently engaged in a bloody campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing of the indigenous population.

"We are asking the US government to intervene and stop military aid to Pakistan as American weapons are used by them for genocide against the Baloch people," Waheed Baloch, former speaker of Balochistan Provincial Assembly said.

"Recently they killed three political leaders. There is a war going in in Balochistan. There are protests in the streets, in the mountains," he said.

Dr. Mannan Baloch was assassinated because of his unwavering struggle to end Pakistan's forceful occupation of Baloch lands, deep sea port of Gwadar, resources (natural gas, minerals, copper and gold mines) and brutal human rights violations of civilians, he alleged.

Senge Sering, president of Gilgit-Baltistan Institute, in his address supported the struggle for the independence of Balochistan.

He also condemned the brutal murder of the BNM leader Dr. Mannan Baloch.
Greenville: Donald Trump will face pressure on Saturday night to show a more presidential side to his personality at a debate with his rivals where he may draw more fire than in previous encounters.

With a week to go until South Carolina`s Republican primary vote on Feb. 20, the 9 pm. EST debate comes at a time of high anxiety for Trump`s opponents.

Trump, who won New Hampshire handily on Tuesday after placing second in Iowa on Feb. 1, has a big lead in the polls in South Carolina. Unless he is slowed down, he could be in position to roll to his party`s presidential nomination for the Nov. 8 election.

That means it is in the interests of Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush to try to raise questions about the New York billionaire before it is too late.

Those three candidates, along with Ohio Governor John Kasich, are competing to emerge as the top alternative to Trump for mainstream Republicans.

"My sense is this is going to be a melee," said Republican strategist Doug Heye.

Attempts to knock down Trump at previous debates have rarely been successful, as the former reality TV star has been quick on his feet and mercilessly dismissive of rivals.

Trump`s use of vulgar language during the New Hampshire primary campaign, repeating a comment from someone at one of his rallies who said Cruz is a "pussy," may raise eyebrows in South Carolina, where evangelicals form an important voting bloc.

At a candidates` forum at evangelical Bob Jones University on Friday, Bush told the crowd: "Is anybody worried about the front-running candidate shouting out obscenities at children?"

Trump was not at the event, sending instead a surrogate to speak for him, Pastor Mark Burns. When Burns told the crowd that Trump is "pro-faith," someone shouted out from the audience "Trump is profane."

`EACH HAS SOME IMAGE ISSUE`

All Trump`s rivals have something to prove at the CBS-hosted, two-hour debate, particularly Rubio, who needs to show he can rebound from a disastrous debate performance a week ago in New Hampshire.

Kasich must try to generate more momentum after a second-place finish in New Hampshire, Cruz must solidify his position with evangelical voters and Bush needs upward movement anywhere he can get it.

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, whose campaign has turned anemic, has to show he is still in the race.

"Each has got some image issue they need to fix," said David Yepsen, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University.

"Can Trump start acting more presidential without losing what makes him so appealing? Can Jeb continue the flicker of momentum he has coming out of New Hampshire? Have Rubio`s bruises healed? Can Carson show something that puts a spark back into his campaign? Has Kasich got more than his New Hampshire game?"

Heading into the debate, Trump was taking swipes at Cruz and Bush, who finished third and fourth in the New Hampshire primary.

Responding to an attack ad run by the Cruz campaign against him, Trump tweeted that he might sue Cruz to try to settle any remaining questions about whether the Texan can legally run for president since he was born in Canada.

Cruz and many legal experts say Cruz meets the constitutional requirements because he was born to an American mother and grew up in the United States.

But Trump, who famously questioned President Barack Obama`s citizenship, fired off a tweet against Cruz.

"If @TedCruz doesn`t clean up his act, stop cheating, & doing negative ads, I have standing to sue him for not being a natural born citizen," Trump said.

The Cruz campaign dismissed the blast with spokesman Rick Tyler saying Trump was demonstrating a "Trumper-tantrum."
Munich: French Prime Minister Manuel Valls rejected on Saturday the idea of a permanent quota system for distributing refugees across Europe, putting Paris at odds with Germany ahead of a summit to discuss the EU crisis over migration.

Speaking to reporters at a security conference in Munich, Valls said France would stick to its pledge to take on 30,000 of the 160,000 refugees European countries have agreed to divide among themselves, but would not accept additional numbers.

"We won`t take any more," Valls said. He expressed admiration for Germany`s readiness to take on more refugees, but added: "France never said `come to France`."

Merkel is expected to push European partners to accept so-called "contingents" of refugees at a meeting on Thursday in Brussels, shortly before European Union leaders come together for their summit.

Cobbling together a coalition of countries that is ready to accept more asylum seekers over time is crucial to Merkel`s efforts to convince Turkey to stem the tide of refugees fleeing countries in the Middle East, notably Syria. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will attend the pre-summit meeting.

"France rejects this," Valls said of the permanent quota mechanism. He said France had already received 80,000 asylum applications last year and was struggling with youth radicalisation and high unemployment.

In another sign of Europe`s deep divisions over the influx of migrants and refugees, Slovakia`s Prime Minister Robert Fico said Germany had protested against plans by eastern European leaders to help Macedonia and Bulgaria seal their border with Greece, the entry point into the EU for many migrants.

Leaders of Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, known as the Visegrad Group, meet on Monday in Prague with their Macedonian and Bulgarian counterparts and could offer them manpower and other aid, diplomats said on Friday.[nL8N15R1V5]

Closure of Greece`s northern borders could strand migrants in Greece, which has been struggling to protect its sea borders as the huge influx of migrants and refugees arrive via Turkey.

"We want an agreement among the Visegrad Four countries that if Greece is not working, and it`s not working, it makes more sense to invest money into the protection of borders between Greece and Macedonia, Bulgaria and other countries," Fico said.

Berlin, however, has said the countries should seek a different solution.

"We received a demarche (saying) how do we dare as V4, Bulgaria and Macedonia to discuss protection of external borders. Germany has filed a protest with our deputy foreign affairs minister because of this summit, saying we need to seek another way," he said.

As the European Union gave notice to Athens on Friday that its failure to control hundreds of thousands of refugees landing via Turkey over the past year will see a long-term suspension of some passport-free travel in Europe, EU officials said they expected more border tightening by Greece`s Balkan neighbours.

Concern at a "domino effect" of border closures rippling down the Balkan peninsula to Greece and leaving large numbers of Syrians, Iraqis and others stranded in some of Europe`s poorest countries, has prompted the EU to offer aid and cooperation to those states, all of them candidates to join the bloc.
Islamabad: Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain has asked his countrymen to avoid observing Valentine's Day, saying the western tradition was not part of "our culture".

"We should avoid Valentine Day as it has no connection with our culture," Hussain said while addressing a gathering of students - mostly girls - on the death anniversary of freedom movement leader Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar in Islamabad.

Hussain said that a blind following of western traditions will lead to a degradation of "our values", and has led to several problems including increase in attacks against women in a neighbouring country.

Hussain yesterday also said that Pakistan could achieve progress by adopting the philosophies of its great leaders.

Hussain's rhetoric against Valentine's Day came a day after the local elected council in Peshawar and Kohat district banned its celebration.

"There is no need to designate a special day where people give cards, chocolates and gifts to each other," district council chairman Maulana Niaz Mohammad said. "Valentine's Day has become a common and unnecessary part of our culture."

The celebration on February 14 has often been criticised by Islamists as an "insult" to Islam.

Police, however, said that the ban cannot be enforced as legally there is no bar on celebrating Valentine's Day.

Most people in Pakistan celebrate Valentine's day, usually observed by a limited number of people in major urban centres, at enclosed places due to fear of attacks by Islamists. In the past several such gatherings have been targeted and disrupted by activists of religious parties.
Mexico City: Pope Francis urged Mexico`s leaders Saturday to provide "true justice" to citizens hit by drug violence and called on bishops to courageously fight the scourge plaguing the country.

With President Enrique Pena Nieto by his side at the National Palace, Francis invoked the country`s struggles against corruption and crime, one day after arriving on a five-day, cross-country tour that will take him to some of Mexico`s hotspots.

The pope told the assembled officials that social, cultural and political leaders have a duty to help citizens get "real access to the material and spiritual goods which are indispensable: adequate housing, dignified employment, food, true justice, effective security, a healthy and peaceful environment."

"Experience teaches us that each time we seek the path of privileges or benefits for a few to the detriment of the good of all ... society becomes a fertile soil for corruption, drug trade, exclusion of different cultures, violence and also human trafficking, kidnapping and death, bringing suffering and slowing down development," he said.

It was the kind of message that many ordinary Mexicans, fed up with a decade of drug violence that has left more than 100,000 dead or missing, were hoping for.

Mexico was reminded of its troubles on the eve of the pope`s arrival, when 49 inmates were killed in a prison brawl between rival groups in the north of the country.

Thousands of Catholic faithful who stood outside the National Palace in the historic Zocalo square broke into cheers at the Argentine pontiff`s words.

"Bravo! How great that he tells the government the truth," one woman shouted.

"The pope put the government to shame with everything that he said. Let`s see if Pena Nieto does the right thing," said Ramiro Sosa, a 56-year-old shopkeeper from the crime-ridden eastern state of Veracruz.Pena Nieto gave Pope Francis a red-carpet welcome at the ornate palace, a symbolic location as it is the seat of governments that were militantly secular throughout the 20th century.

Previous visiting popes, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, were not invited to the palace, which features a mural of Mexico`s history by communist painter Diego Rivera.

While Mexico is the world`s second most populous Catholic country after Brazil, diplomatic relations with the Vatican were only restored in 1992.

"It`s the first time that a pontiff is greeted at this historic place. This reflects the good relation between the Holy See and Mexico," Pena Nieto said.

"Your presence contributes to the reaffirmation of our collective vocation for peace and brotherhood, for justice and human rights. The pope`s causes are also Mexico`s causes."

Francis then rode the popemobile around the square to wave at well-wishers before entering the capital`s Cathedral, where he urged Mexican bishops to take on the scourge of drug trafficking with "prophetic courage."

"I urge you not to underestimate the moral and antisocial challenge which the drug trade represents for Mexican society as a whole, as well as for the Church," the pope said.

He warned that the "immensity and its scope which devours like a metastasis, and the gravity of the violence which divides with its distorted expressions, do not allow us as pastors of the Church to hide behind anodyne denunciations."After his meeting with Pena Nieto, the pope will make a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a major Catholic shrine, where thousands of believers already waited for his arrival.

The basilica houses the image of a dark-skinned Virgin Mary that Catholics believe miraculously became imprinted on a piece of fabric after she appeared before an indigenous peasant in 1531.

The pope has asked for time alone to pray quietly in front of the image after the mass.

The following days will take the pope to some of Mexico`s notoriously poor and violent regions.

On Sunday, he will lead a massive outdoor mass in Ecatepec, a Mexico City suburb hit by an epidemic of murders against women.

The next day, he travels to Chiapas, the poorest state in the country, where he will preside over a mass in three indigenous languages and approve a decree allowing native languages at Churches.

On Tuesday, Francis heads to Morelia, the capital of the western state of Michoacan, were farmers formed vigilante forces in 2013 to combat the cult-like Knights Templar drug cartel.

He will cap his trip on Wednesday in Ciudad Juarez, the former murder capital of the world across from Texas, where he will lead a huge cross-border mass.
Munich: The world has plunged into a "new Cold War", the Russian premier said on Saturday, as Moscow came under attack at a global security gathering over its targeting of moderate rebels in Syria.

US Secretary of State John Kerry told the Munich Security Conference that "the vast majority of Russia's attacks (in Syria) have been against legitimate opposition groups."

"To adhere to the agreement it made, Russia's targeting must change," he said, referring to the international deal forged yesterday, in which 17 countries agreed to seek a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria within a week.

"This is the moment. This is a hinge point. Decisions made in the coming days and weeks, and a few months could end the war in Syria -- or could define a very difficult set of choices for the future."

He spoke shortly after Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the world had "slid into a new period of Cold War."

"Almost every day we are accused of making new horrible threats either against NATO as a whole, against Europe or against the US or other countries," Medvedev said.

His foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, hit back at Kerry's comments, saying the new deal on Syria could not only focus on Russia's role.

"The fact that the discussions on the truce are beginning to go towards prioritising putting a stop to the actions of the Russian air force creates in me suspicions, gives reasons for sad thoughts, about how our Munich adventure will end," said Lavrov.

Meanwhile, a panel of eastern European leaders lined up to add their own accusations of Russian aggression.

"Every single day, Russian troops, Russian weapons, Russian ammunition penetrate into my country," said Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko.

He addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was not present, saying: "Mr Putin, this is not a civil war in Ukraine, this is your aggression. This is not a civil war in Crimea, this is your soldiers who occupied my country."

Kerry emphasised that sanctions on Russia would remain in place until it implemented all aspects of the Ukraine peace agreement reached in Belarus' capital Minsk last year.

"Russia has a simple choice: fully implement Minsk or continue to face economically damaging sanctions," he said.

An emotional Poroshenko also warned that "pro-Russian parties" were undermining Europe from within with an alternative set of values.

"Isolationism, intolerance, disrespect of human rights, religious fanatics, homophobia -- this alternative Europe has a leader. His name is Mr Putin."

By contrast, Medvedev had earlier criticised the expansion of NATO and EU influence deep into formerly Soviet-ruled eastern Europe, which Russia sees as its sphere of influence.
Munich: World powers today agreed an ambitious plan to cease hostilities in war-torn Syria, but the Munich deal left out the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda's local branch, leaving analysts to doubt its viability.

The 17 countries agreed "to implement a nationwide cessation of hostilities to begin in a target of one week's time," said US Secretary of State John Kerry after extended talks co-hosted by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

The International Syria Support Group also agreed that "sustained delivery" of aid will begin this week, with a new UN task force meeting later today in Geneva to start pushing for much greater access to "besieged and hard-to-reach areas".

The deal went further than expected, with Lavrov talking about "direct contacts between the Russian and US military" on the ground.

But Kerry said they were under "no illusions" about the difficulty of implementing the agreement. Analysts were sceptical the deal would stop the bloodshed.

"It is ambitious and yet very tenuous... there are huge question marks," said Julien Barnes-Dacey, of the European Council on Foreign Relations.

He highlighted the fact that the Islamic State group (IS) and al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra would not be covered by the "cessation of hostilities".

The failure to include al-Nusra was particularly important, Barnes-Dacey said, since the group is active in Aleppo and surrounding regions, and many of the more "moderate" rebels have links with it.

"In many ways this Munich meeting was thrust to the fore by the situation in Aleppo, and yet the conditions of the agreement do not seem to apply to Aleppo," said Barnes-Dacey.

"Talking about Nusra works in Russia's favour as so many rebel groups have ties to Nusra. This effectively gives the green light for the Syrian government and its allies to carry on military action while paying lip service to the agreement."

A senior Russian foreign affairs official appeared to support the doubts, saying he was "not very optimistic" about a ceasefire.

"Despite the agreement, Russia will continue its anti-terrorist military operation," Vladimir Djabarov, vice-president of Russia's foreign affairs commission told the TASS news agency.

"There are too many groups that claim they are anti- government or anti-Assad when many are clearly terrorist groups," he said.

Peace talks collapsed earlier this month after troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russian bombers and Iranian fighters, launched a major offensive on the key rebel stronghold of Aleppo.

The bombardments have forced at least 50,000 people to flee, left the opposition virtually encircled and killed an estimated 500 people since they began on February 1 -- the latest hellish twist in a war that has claimed more than a quarter-million lives.
Patheticist Manifesto , Morbid Books, 2022 Patheticism refutes all action! The Patheticist is a capitalist with no capital. The Pathet...
The Force of the Sun Ladies is an all-woman brigade of fighters who were formerly enslaved by ISIS during the occupation of Mosul.

The women are part of the Yazidi ethnic minority, singled out for exception brutality by ISIS after the 2014 raid on Mount Sinjar. After being liberated by Kurdish Peshmerga forces, they trained as fighters and vowed to retake Mosul and free the women still enslaved there. There are 123 fighters on the strength, with over 500 more in training. The UN estimates that ISIS still holds 3,500 hostages in Iraq, most of them Yazidi women and girls.



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."

Former Isis Yazidi sex slaves take up arms for revenge, to win back Mosul and 'bring our women home'

[Adam Withnall/Independent]
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton listens as she is introduced at a

The campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton released a memo downplaying the importance of the four early voting states after she conceded defeat in the New Hampshire primary to US Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont).

Sanders was declared the winner of the primary quickly after polls closed on Tuesday night. His win comes after Clinton very narrowly defeated him in the Iowa caucuses last week.

The Clinton campaign said that this was an expected outcome.

Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said in the memo:

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: Nevada and South Carolina. We've built first-rate organizations in each state and we feel very good about our prospects for success.

At the same time the campaign emphasized Clinton's strength in Nevada and South Carolina, it downplayed the importance of February voting.

"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," Mook said in the memo.

He continued:

And whereas the electorates in Iowa and New Hampshire are largely rural/suburban and predominantly white, 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 said, "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."

The memo also took subtle shots at Sanders, whose support has been lacking among minorities.

Mook said in the memo:

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. 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.

Story continues

Clinton currently has a wide lead over Sanders in South Carolina and Nevada in recent polls.

NOW WATCH: Watch the most quotable moments from Trump's New Hampshire victory speech





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By John Irish MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) - China will back a U.N. Security Council resolution to make North Korea "pay the necessary price" for recent rocket launches, its foreign minister told Reuters on Friday, adding the goal was to get Pyongyang back to the negotiating table. Wang Yi also said he was concerned by a possible U.S. deployment of its sophisticated THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile defense system to South Korea, saying it could also be used to target China. North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions since its first nuclear test in 2006. It has conducted three more atomic tests since then, including last month's, and numerous ballistic missile launches. Washington and Beijing have appeared divided over how to respond to North Korea, with Washington urging tougher sanctions and Beijing stressing the need for dialogue. However, Wang told Reuters at an interview in Munich that it was time for a "strong" resolution covering a wide range of areas. "(We) support the United Nations Security Council to take further steps and in adopting a new resolution so that North Korea will pay the necessary price and show there are consequences for its behavior," the minister said, speaking through an interpreter. China has insisted it is already making great efforts to achieve denuclearization on the "Korean peninsula" and has previously rejected what it calls "groundless speculation" on its North Korea stance, following remarks from U.S. officials that China could do more. The U.N. Security Council is discussing a new resolution. Diplomats say the Americans have been pushing for tough measures that go beyond targeting North Korea's atomic weapons and missile programs, while China wanted any future steps to focus on the question of non proliferation. When asked whether Beijing was ready to support stronger economic sanctions, Wang said the resolution would be wide-ranging, but its objective should be to curb Pyongyang's efforts to develop nuclear and missile technologies. "Sanctions are not the end, the purpose should be to make sure that the nuclear issue in the Korean Peninsula should be brought back to the channel of a negotiation-based resolution," he said. After Wang met U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Munich, Kerry urged China to use its influence in Pyongyang to help the international community increase pressure on it, State Department spokesman John Kirby said. U.S. HIDDEN AGENDA? Tensions have been mounting in the region and on Thursday North Korea said it was evicting all South Koreans from the jointly run Kaesong industrial zone, calling the South's move to suspend operations, in retaliation for Sunday's rocket launch by the North, a "declaration of war". In response to the launch Seoul is set to begin talks with Washington as early as next week on deploying an advanced U.S. missile defense system. The discussions would focus on placing one Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) unit with the U.S. military in South Korea after the North's launch last weekend, a South Korean defense official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Wang said he was worried by the move and urged the United States to rethink its strategy. "The facts are clear. The deployment of the THAAD system by the United States ... goes far beyond the defense need of the Korean Peninsula and the coverage would mean it will reach deep into the Asian continent. "This directly affects the strategic security interests of China and other Asian countries," he said. He said Washington needed to clarify its motives. "It doesn't require experts. Ordinary people know that the deployment of the THAAD system is not just to defend South Korea, but a wider agenda and may even serve the possibility of targeting China." Wang said going forward China's policy would be increasingly attentive on the regional nuclear issue and guided by three principles. "First the Korean Peninsula cannot be nuclearized. This applies to the North and South. Second, there is no military solution to this issue. "If there is a war or turbulence it is not acceptable for China. Third, China will not allow its legitimate interests including in national security interests to be undermined." (Additional reporting by Warren Strobel; Editing by Gareth Jones/Ruth Pitchford)
There are growing calls inside and outside Egypt for authorities to investigate the torture and murder of Cambridge PhD student Giulio Regeni independently and fairly.

The 28-year-old Italian had been in Egypt for four months, but was a critic of the government through his research and reporting on labour unions.

He was last seen on 25 January, the fifth anniversary of Egypt's uprising, while on his way to meet a friend in downtown Cairo.

There was a heavy police and military presence that day as well as a massive crackdown on anyone security forces suspected of trying to organise protests.

Nine days after he went missing, Mr Regeni was found dead - his body dumped on the side of the Alexandria-Cairo desert road.

Prosecutors said there were visible signs of torture, and a post-mortem examination found his neck had been broken - leading to suggestions he was beaten to death.

Immediately, fingers were pointed at the police - but Egyptian officials vehemently deny any involvement.

In response to a letter signed by thousands of academics calling for an urgent investigation, Egypt's foreign ministry said "attempts to accuse the Egyptian authorities, in the absence of any proof or evidence, were counter-productive".

The spokesperson completely rejected "statements made in the letter regarding arbitrary arrests, torture and disappearances in Egypt".

But, according to rights groups, forced disappearances and torture have become common practice by the Egyptian police.

Sky News met several families who said their sons, all in their 20s, were taken while walking on the street or from cafes.

Ibrahim Ismail's son, Lotfy, was seen being bundled into the back of a police car last year.

After three months of the authorities denying they were holding him, he turned up in prison. His mother says he had marks on his body, and had told her police tortured him.

Lotfy's parents insist he is not an Islamist or an activist and has no interest in politics.

Story continues

The family claim there had been an attack on security forces in their neighbourhood days before, and the police were grabbing young men off the streets and forcing them to confess they had something to do with it.

Ibrahim Metwaly still does not know where his son is, and it has been almost three years since he saw or heard from him.

The father heard his son was in military detention from other inmates who had been released, but authorities will not confirm anything.

He started an organisation for families of the disappeared and says he is inundated with calls every day.

Mr Metwaly told Sky News: "If my son has committed a crime he should be tried and judged according to the law - but kidnapping and torturing them is unacceptable."

Human rights campaigners only record cases where there is strong evidence an individual was taken and held by security forces without charge, or without revealing the detainee's location.

Campaigners say that 163 people were forcibly disappeared between April and June last year.

The frequency rapidly increases by the end of 2015, with 340 cases between August and November.

In the first month of this year, a further 66 cases were reported - along with 42 people allegedly tortured while in detention.

"It is in the culture of the police and national security since the time of [former leader Hosni Mubarak] to practise torture," explains Mohamed Lotfy from the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms.

"Throughout the last five years after so much opposition and protest and uprising against the government, none of them were genuinely held accountable."

Egypt is investigating Mr Regeni's death in co-operation with Italian authorities. But, according to reports, the Egyptian officer in charge was himself previously convicted of torture and murder.
(Reuters) - Police shot and killed a machete-wielding man who injured four people at a Middle Eastern restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, police said on Friday.

Police identified the suspect in the Thursday night attack as 30-year-old Mohamed Barry. The four victims were a 54-year-old man who remained in critical condition and three 43-year-olds - three men and one woman - all of whom had injuries that were not life-threatening.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is assisting Columbus police in the investigation, said Supervisory Special Agent Rick Smith of FBI's Cincinnati division.

The owner of the Nazareth Restaurant & Deli told the Columbus Dispatch newspaper he believed his business was targeted because of his Israeli descent.

"Obviously we were targeted because there's a whole bunch of businesses around here," Hany Baransi, who is from Israel, was reported as saying, "I'm the only foreigner."

Columbus and federal officials are investigating the assault, police-involved shooting, suspect and possible motives, Kim Jacobs, Columbus police chief, told reporters on Friday.

Police said the officer who shot the suspect was John Johnson, a 25-year veteran assigned to the patrol bureau.

The suspect had walked into the restaurant and argued with an employee before leaving, returning with the machete a short time later and attacking customers, according to police.

Barry fled and police caught up with him about four miles (6 km) away as he exited a vehicle armed with a machete and a knife, police said in a statement.

Officers first used a Taser and were unsuccessful in trying to subdue Barry and then shot him multiple times when he lunged at an officer, police said.

Restaurant staff and customers did not recognize the man, Columbus police spokesman Sergeant Rich Weiner said.

(Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago; Editing in Bill Trott and Steve Orlofsky)
A Free Syrian Army commander in Aleppo has told Sky News that unless Russia unexpectedly changes its tactic of indiscriminate bombing, the city will fall to the government of Bashar al Assad in days.

In an exclusive interview conducted in Turkey, he predicted a "massacre" in Aleppo and a surge in refugees heading towards Turkey.

His comments came as Syrian government forces with Hezbollah militia moved within 13 miles of the border taking the village of Kfeen and moving further north towards the strategically important town of Tal Rafat, that has been a rebel stronghold for four years.

Aleppo city is surrounded on three sides by government forces with only one road towards Turkey still passable for refugees escaping the city to the northwest.

The Free Syrian Army and moderate Jihadi groups are also locked in battle with Islamic State who have headed west towards the town of Marea, north of Aleppo.

Abu Shakra said he has briefly crossed to Turkey for talks leaving his Free Syrian Army fighters defending Aleppo on two or three fronts.

"The regime controls much of the city right into the centre now," he told me.

"If they cut the road out they will take the city. There will be a massacre," he added.

Abu Shakra says the overwhelming firepower of the Russian warplanes combined with a resurgent Syrian army supported by Hezbollah makes defeat almost certain.

He passed Sky News video of his men attacking government positions near an industrial zone on the outskirts of Aleppo.

While full of determination they did not appear capable of putting up much of a defence.

In Aleppo itself, Russian bombs have continued to pound civilian areas.

Activists sent pictures of the latest attack in the centre minutes after it had happened.

Whole buildings were destroyed in the air raid.

The immense size of the bombs and the sheer volume of attacks marks the difference between a similar campaign conducted by the Assad administration over recent years.

Story continues

If Aleppo falls it is estimated a surge of more than 70,000 refugees will head out of the city to join about 100,000 who are already in camps along the border with Turkey.

Some 35,000 recent arrivals who were denied access to Turkey are now being housed in more tents hurriedly being erected near the border crossing point.

Some 2,000 families have now been registered by the Turkish authorities, raising hopes that they will be allowed to cross.

But the arrival of more trucks packed with new tents would suggest the Turks are determined to look after the refugees on the Syrian side of the border.

Government ministers have reacted angrily to calls for the country to open its borders but concede that they will do it in an emergency.

That emergency could be the fall of Aleppo.
A 76-year-old Ottawa-area man has died after being struck by a motorcycle in Jamaica while on an evening walk with his wife.

John Rowsom was walking along a road near Negril, a resort town on the island's western tip, around 7:30 p.m. Thursday when a motorcycle driver lost control and struck him, said the Jamaica Constabulary Force in a news release.

Rowsom suffered multiple injuries and was pronounced dead in hospital, police said.

The driver of the Cobra CG 150 motorcycle fled, police said.

'Out for an evening walk'

Rowsom's son Mark told CBC News Saturday that his parents had been "out for an evening walk" when the motorcycle struck his father.

His parents had been living just outside the small town of Clayton, Ont., about 70 km southwest of Ottawa, since 1976, Mark Rowsom said.

They had visited Jamaica every February "for roughly the last 30 years," he said.

His mother, Ina, was not hurt, Mark Rowsom said.

"She's grieving fairly badly. Kind of hard to be walking down the road holding your husband's hand and have him taken from you," he said.

'An honest man'

Known to friends as Moe, John Rowsom  originally misidentified as John Rowson by Jamaican police  had worked in the marine electronics field before retiring more than a decade ago, his son said.

After retiring, he worked as a part-time school bus driver around the Clayton area.

"He was a great man to work for, to have as a friend. He never asked anything of anybody that he wouldn't do himself. And he was always there if you needed him," Mark Rowsom said.

"He was a good man. Strict, but that's not a bad thing. You knew where you stood with him. He was an honest man."

An autopsy is planned, Mark Rowsom added.

Consular officials involved

A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada said Friday they were reaching out to Jamaican officials and Rowsom's family.

"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the Canadian citizen who passed away in Jamaica," the department said in an email.

"Canadian consular officials in Jamaica are in contact with local authorities to gather additional information and are providing consular assistance to the family."

Jamaican police say their investigation is ongoing.
By John Irish and Warren Strobel MUNICH/AMMAN (Reuters) - Major powers agreed on Friday to a pause in combat in Syria, but Russia pressed on with bombing in support of its ally President Bashar al-Assad, who vowed to fight until he regained full control of the country. Although billed as a potential breakthrough, the "cessation of hostilities" agreement does not take effect for a week, at a time when Assad's government is poised to win its biggest victory of the war with the backing of Russian air power. If implemented, the deal hammered out during five hours of late night talks in Munich would allow humanitarian aid to reach besieged towns. It was described by the countries that took part as a rare diplomatic success in a conflict that has fractured the Middle East, killed at least 250,000 people, made 11 million homeless and sent hundreds of thousands fleeing into Europe. But several Western countries said there was no hope for progress without a halt to the Russian bombing, which has decisively turned the balance of power in favour of Assad. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that if the peace plan fails, more foreign troops could enter the conflict. "If the Assad regime does not live up to its responsibilities and if the Iranians and the Russians do not hold Assad to the promises that they have made ... then the international community obviously is not going to sit there like fools and watch this. There will be an increase of activity to put greater pressure on them," Kerry, who was in Munich, told Dubai-based Orient TV. "There is a possibility there will be additional ground troops." U.S. President Barack Obama has ruled out sending U.S. ground troops to Syria, but Saudi Arabia this month offered ground forces to fight Islamic State. A White House spokesman, Eric Schultz, called the agreement "an important step," but added, "In the coming days, we will be looking for actions, not words, to demonstrate that all parties are prepared to honor their commitments." The complex, multi-sided civil war in Syria, raging since 2011, has drawn in most regional and global powers, producing the world's worst humanitarian emergency and attracting jihadist recruits from around the world. Rebels said the town of Tal Rifaat in northern Aleppo province was the target of intensive bombing by Russian planes on Friday morning. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring body, said warplanes believed to be Russian also attacked towns in northern Homs. The news agency AFP quoted Assad as saying he would continue to fight terrorism while talks took place. He said he would retake the entire country, although this could take a long time. Another week of fighting would give Syria's government and its Russian, Lebanese and Iranian allies time to press on with the encirclement of Aleppo, Syria's biggest city before the war, which they are now on the verge of capturing. They are also close to sealing the Turkish border, a lifeline of rebel territory for years. Those two victories would reverse years of insurgent gains, effectively ending the rebels' hopes of dislodging Assad through force, the cause they have fought for since 2011 with the encouragement of Arab states, Turkey and the West. The cessation of hostilities agreement falls short of a formal ceasefire, since it was not signed by the main warring parties, the opposition and government forces. REBEL MISSILES Two Syrian rebel commanders told Reuters they had been sent "excellent quantities" of ground-to-ground Grad missiles with a range of 20 km (12 miles) by foreign backers in recent days to help confront the Russian-backed offensive. Foreign opponents of Assad including Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been supplying vetted rebel groups with weapons via a Turkey-based operations centre. Some of the vetted groups have received military training overseen by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Russia suggested it might not stop its air strikes, even when the cessation of hostilities takes effect in a week. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would not stop bombing fighters from Islamic State and a rebel group called the Nusra Front, which is affiliated with al Qaeda, neither of which were covered by the cessation deal. "Our airspace forces will continue working against these organisations," he said. Moscow has always said that those two jihadist groups are the principal targets of its air campaign. Western countries say Russia, in fact, has been attacking mostly other insurgent groups. Turkey's foreign minister said on Friday Russia was targeting schools and hospitals in Syria. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Moscow must halt strikes on insurgents other than Islamic State for any peace deal to work. "Russia has mainly targeted opposition groups and not ISIL (Islamic State). Air strikes of Russian planes against different opposition groups in Syria have actually undermined the efforts to reach a negotiated, peaceful solution," Stoltenberg said. Britain and France said a peace deal could be reached only if Russia stops bombing insurgents other than Islamic State. The United States has been leading its own air campaign against Islamic State fighters since 2014. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday he expected Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to send commandos to help recapture Islamic State's eastern Syrian stronghold, Raqqa. Assad said he believed Saudi Arabia and Turkey were planning to invade his country. Russia has said Saudi ground troops would make the war last forever. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, said in an interview published on Saturday that Russia's military interventions will not help Assad stay in power. "There will be no Bashar al-Assad in the future," al-Jubeir told a German newspaper. Kerry had entered the Munich talks pushing for a rapid halt to fighting, with Western officials saying Moscow was holding out for a delay. The tactic of agreeing to a break in hostilities while battling for gains on the ground is one Moscow's allies used in eastern Ukraine only a year ago. A ceasefire there eventually took hold, but only after Russian-backed separatists overran a besieged town after the deal was reached. Diplomats from countries backing the plan met on Friday to discuss sending urgent humanitarian aid. "Convoys can go very soon if and when we have the permission and the green light from the parties," said Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, who chaired the meeting in Geneva. (Additional reporting by Denis Dyomkin, Shadia Nasralla, and Robin Emmott in Munich, and Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman; Writing by Peter Graff, Anna Willard and Will Dunham; Editing by Andrew Roche and Andrew Hay)
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.
Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad

The announcement of a timeline for "cessations of hostilities" in Syria on Thursday might actually allow the Assad regime and its allies to continue the Syrian Civil War on their own brutal terms.

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad told AFP on Friday that he expects to reclaim control of the entire country even if it takes a "long time."

And he can continue waging war as the partial result of yesterday's diplomatic development.

On Thursday, the International Syria Support Group, a group of countries with interests in the outcome of the Syria conflict that includes the US, and Russia, issued a statement outlining an imminent halt in fighting.

The agreement is being hailed as a potential diplomatic breakthrough after four years of war in the country.

But the "Statement of the International Syria Support Group" issued on Thursday contains several loopholes that could work to the Assad regime's advantage and that allow him to continue some of the most destructive aspects of his campaign even with a "cessation of hostilities" in place.

Here are five reasons to be deeply skeptical of yesterday's development.

The timeline. The cessation of hostilities begins in one week, followed by an undefined period of negotiation over a more formal halt in the conflict.

aleppo rubble assad regime air strike

That 2-3 week window could end up being a long time, in light of what's currently unfolding on the battlefield Assad's forces are closing in on Aleppo, Syria's largest city and an anti-regime stronghold, with the help of Russian airstrikes. Tens of thousands of refugees have already fled the city, and the opposition has had their supply lines to Turkey severed.

According to Nadim Shehadi, director of the Fares Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies at Tufts University, the timeline envisioned in the Munich statement gives Russia a free hand to continue and even intensify its bombardment of Aleppo.

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"This looks like a ceasefire proposal," Shehadi told Business Insider. "But it's in effect a license to kill."

Aleppoiswmap

The "terrorism" exception. Per the Munich statement, the cessation "should apply to any party currently engaged in military or paramilitary hostilities against any other parties other than Daesh, Jabhat al-Nusra, or other groups designated as terrorist organizations by the United Nations Security Council."

Under such conditions, non-jihadist rebel groups like the Free Syrian Army would be violating the cessation in attacking Assad regime forces. But it's unclear if the opposite is true.

Sergei Lavrov Russia Foreign Minister

Both Assad has repeatedly stated that he considers all anti-regime forces to be "terrorists," while Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has claimed a notably elastic definition of which Syrian militants his government considers to be "terrorists."

And given the degree of pragmatic cooperation between extremist and non-extremist anti-regime groups, Russia and Assad will have a built-in justification for continuing their war against the opposition.

One "US-backed rebel commander" told Mike Giglio of Buzzfeed that the agreement "is very dangerous for us."

The fact that the "cessation" even allows Assad to continue fighting gives him international sanction for continuing the fight against anti-regime forces.

So far, Russia has paid no apparent penalty for using an anti-ISIS operation as cover for airstrikes against non-jihadist rebels.

There's little reason to believe the "cessation" would change these dynamics, given that the agreement it was reached at a time when Assad and Russia are operating from a position of the strength, and are on the verge of achieving one of their most important battlefield objectives.

Syrians wait for an aid convoy in the besieged town of Madaya in the countryside of Damascus, Syria on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 as part of a UN-sponsored aid operation in this war-torn country. (AP Photo)

Slight of hand on humanitarian access. The agreement calls for the delivery of aid to a number of cities that are either besieged or outside the reach of humanitarian organizations: "In order to accelerate the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid, sustained delivery of assistance shall begin this week by air to Deir Ez Zour and simultaneously to Fouah, Kafrayah, the besieged areas of Rural Damascus, Madaya, Mouadhimiyeh, and Kafr Batna by land, and continue as long as humanitarian needs persist," the statement reads. "Humanitarian access to these most urgent areas will be a first step toward full, sustained, and unimpeded access throughout the country."

The Munich statement vaguely motions towards some future agreement on full humanitarian access  while explicitly stopping short of requiring it.

The agreement doesn't require the Assad regime to lift its siege on cities like Madaya. It doesn't even mention Aleppo, the source of a humanitarian calamity so severe that the resulting refugee stream could turn the Syrian Civil War into an event that "is becoming an existential threat to the EU," in the words of French ambassador to the US Gerard Araud.

The agreement allows Assad to continue the war, without imposing particularly stringent humanitarian requirements on his regime.

It helps Russia. The agreement makes it appear that Russia agreed to a fair solution to the conflict  when in reality that "solution" allows Assad to consolidate his gains with Russian assistance.

As Ulrich Speck, a senior fellow at the Transatlantic Academy wrote, "The goal of the 'ceasefire' is very likely to confuse the west about Russia's actions and intentions in Syria, to break western unity, and by doing so, to attack the west's political will and ability to resist and counter Russian actions."

Shehadi believes the entire agreement is timed to free make Russia appear a constructive actor in Syria  while giving it a temporary free hand in aiding the Assad regime in Aleppo and elsewhere.

"Russia is facing a lot of problems, a lot of pressure because of what's happening in Aleppo, and to divert attention from that pressure they have put this proposal forward," Shehadi told Business Insider.

syria

Just what is a "cessation of hostilities," anyway? The phrase "cessation of active hostilities" appears in the Geneva Conventions in reference to requirements for repatriating prisoners of war.

As University of Texas legal scholar Derek Jinks wrote in a 2003 paper, "It is important to note that many commentators have suggested that the 'general close of military operations' standard is distinct from the 'cessation of active hostilities standard.

The latter refers to the termination of hostilities  the silencing of the guns  whereas the former refers to the complete cessation of all aggressive military maneuvers."

Here's how another recent peace agreement, the January 2014 Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities in South Sudan's civil war, defined the phrase's requirements:

Screen Shot 2016 02 12 at 12.39.24 PM

A "cessation" could mean anything from a freezing of the conflict's frontlines (the Geneva Conversions definition, more or less) to a total halt in all armed activity.

The Munich statement says that the "ISSG task force will within one week elaborate modalities for a nationwide cessation of hostilities."

The agreement seeks to impose an as-yet undefined set of rules on the combatants. It creates an open-ended period in which it's unclear what the various sides' obligations really are  one that Assad and Russia will undoubtedly exploit as they continue their assault on Aleppo.

"Look at what they're doing on the ground," Shehadi says of Assad and Russia's offensive against the city. "They're not looking for modalities. "They're going full blast."

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El Chapo Guzman

Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, recaptured in January after a brazen escape last summer and six months on the run, is very likely to be extradited to the US.

What is less clear, however, is how long it will take for prosecutors in Mexico and the US to secure the transfer of one of the worlds most powerful drug lords.

Guzman has already filed several injunctions to halt legal proceedings against him in Mexico, and he seems intent on avoiding a trial in the US (although recent comments from one of his lawyers suggest he may be willing to cut a deal).

The two best comparisons of extraditions from Mexico would be Osiel Cardenas and Benjamin Arellano Felix, two major cartel heads that were extradited, said University of San Diego professor and Wilson Center fellow David Shirk during a discussion of Mexican security at the Wilson Center in Washington, DC, last month.

Benjamin Arellano Felix, one of the principle leaders of the Tijuana cartel in the 1990s and early 2000s, was apprehended in 2002. Despite intense efforts on both sides of the border to bring down his cartel, he sat in a Mexican jail for nine years before finally being extradited in April 2011.

Osiel Cardenas Guillen took over the Gulf cartel in the late 1990s and recruited as muscle the Mexican Special Forces soldiers who would soon form the brutal Zetas cartel. Guillen was caught in Mexico in 2003, remaining there until extradition in 2007. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison three years later.

Osiel Cardenas

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Arellano Felix and Guillen are not alone. Here are some other traffickers who have sweated out multiyear-extradition processes:

Alfredo Beltran Leyva of the Beltran Leyva Organization was captured in 2008, but not extradited until November 2014.

Jesus Zambada Garcia , aka "El Rey," the brother of Sinaloa cartel boss Ismael El Mayo Zambada, was arrested in Mexico City in October 2008. He was indicted in New York in July 2009, but not extradited until 2012.

Eduardo Arellano Felix, the fourth-oldest of the seven Arellano Felix brothers who ran the Tijuana cartel and the last of the them to be arrested, was arrested on October 26, 2008, but not extradited until 2012.

la barbie

Edgar Valdez Villarreal, aka "La Barbie," a lieutenant in the Beltran Leyva Organization, was arrested on August 30, 2010, but his "case gradually faded from the headlines," according to Vice News. He was extradited to the US in September 2015, and agreed to plead guilty in January 2016.

Jorge Costilla-Sanchez , aka "El Coss," took over Gulf cartel operations after Guillen's capture. He was charged in Texas in 2002, but not captured until September 2012. He was extradited to the US in September 2015.

Antonio Reynoso Gonzalez was indicted alongside Guzman in San Diego in 1995, but, in a unique case, he went uncharged in Mexico for the next 20 years. It wasn't until fall 2015, when Mexico ramped up its cooperation with the US on extradition after Guzman's escape, that Reynoso was finally sent north.

Each of the above cases is unique, but the delays underscore how long it takes for any complex case to work its way through a legal system.

For Guzman, that complexity will be exacerbated by his efforts to halt the process.

"This man will fight tooth and nail [against] extradition," Mexican security analyst and El Daily Post editor Alejandro Hope said of Guzman during the Wilson Center event.

"And he has a significant, significant resources to delay this quite some time," Hope added.

NOW WATCH: Forget 'El Chapo'  this is Mexico's most powerful drug lord





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BERLIN (Reuters) - Bashar al-Assad will not be ruling Syria in the future and Russia's military interventions will not help him stay in power, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told a German newspaper in an interview published on Saturday. "There will be no Bashar al-Assad in the future," al-Jubeir told newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung. "It might take three months, it might take six months or three years - but he will no longer carry responsibility for Syria. Period." Saying that the Syrian people's determination to topple al-Assad was unbroken despite heavy Russian air strikes and persecution within the country, al-Jubeir criticized Russia's involvement in the five-year-long war. He said that Assad's previous calls for help to his own military, Iran, Hezbollah and Shiite militia forces from Iraq and Pakistan were all in vain. "Now he called the Russians, but they won't be able to help him either," al-Jubeir said. Russia entered the war on Sept. 30 2015 in support of the Syrian president. At least 250,000 people have been killed, 11 million made homeless and hundreds of thousands have fled to Europe since the conflict began in 2011. Moscow has said its air strikes are against the extremist militant groups Islamic State and the Nusra Front, but other countries and rebel groups say the attacks target civilians. Asked about a more direct military involvement with 'boots on the ground', al-Jubeir said such discussions were currently underway among the member states of a U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State. "If the coalition should decide to deploy special forces in the fight against IS in Syria, Saudi-Arabia will be ready to participate," he said, using the initials IS to refer to Islamic State. At a peace and security conference currently underway in Munich, major powers said a peace deal could only be reached if Moscow stops bombing insurgents other than Islamic State. But Russia pressed on with its air strikes in support of al-Assad, who vowed to fight until he regained full control of the country. (Reporting by Tina Bellon; Editing by Andrew Hay)
Munich (Germany) (AFP) - The world has plunged into a "new Cold War", the Russian premier said Saturday, as Moscow came under attack at a global security gathering over its targeting of moderate rebels in Syria.

US Secretary of State John Kerry told the Munich Security Conference that "the vast majority of Russia's attacks (in Syria) have been against legitimate opposition groups."

"To adhere to the agreement it made, Russia's targeting must change," he said, referring to the international deal forged on Friday, in which 17 countries agreed to seek a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria within a week.

"This is the moment. This is a hinge point. Decisions made in the coming days and weeks, and a few months could end the war in Syria - or could define a very difficult set of choices for the future."

He spoke shortly after Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the world had "slid into a new period of Cold War."

"Almost every day we are accused of making new horrible threats either against NATO as a whole, against Europe or against the US or other countries," Medvedev said.

His foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, hit back at Kerry's comments, saying the new deal on Syria could not only focus on Russia's role.

"The fact that the discussions on the truce are beginning to go towards prioritising putting a stop to the actions of the Russian air force creates in me suspicions, gives reasons for sad thoughts, about how our Munich adventure will end," said Lavrov.

- 'This is your aggression' -

Meanwhile, a panel of eastern European leaders lined up to add their own accusations of Russian aggression.

"Every single day, Russian troops, Russian weapons, Russian ammunition penetrate into my country," said Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko.

He addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was not present, saying: "Mr Putin, this is not a civil war in Ukraine, this is your aggression. This is not a civil war in Crimea, this is your soldiers who occupied my country."

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Kerry emphasised that sanctions on Russia would remain in place until it implemented all aspects of the Ukraine peace agreement reached in Belarus' capital Minsk last year.

"Russia has a simple choice: fully implement Minsk or continue to face economically damaging sanctions," he said.

An emotional Poroshenko also warned that "pro-Russian parties" were undermining Europe from within with an alternative set of values.

"Isolationism, intolerance, disrespect of human rights, religious fanatics, homophobia -- this alternative Europe has a leader. His name is Mr Putin."

By contrast, Medvedev had earlier criticised the expansion of NATO and EU influence deep into formerly Soviet-ruled eastern Europe, which Russia sees as its sphere of influence.

"European politicians thought that creating a so-called belt of friends at Europe's side, on the outskirts of the EU, could be a guarantee of security, and what's the result?" he said. "Not a belt of friends but a belt of exclusion."

But he also struck a more positive note, saying: "Our positions differ, but they do not differ as much as 40 years ago when a wall was standing in Europe."

- 'Coercion and intimidation' -

NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg also addressed the forum, vowing to combine a firm stance against Russia with more dialogue.

"We have seen a more assertive Russia, a Russia which is destabilising the European security order," he said. "NATO does not seek confrontation and we don't want a new Cold War. At the same time our response has to be firm."

NATO is "undertaking the biggest reinforcement to our collective defence in decades, to send a powerful signal to deter any aggression or intimidation," Stoltenberg added. "Not to wage war, but to prevent war."

Earlier this week, Stoltenberg announced that plans had been approved for an increased NATO presence in eastern Europe -- which sources said would involve between 3,000 and 6,000 troops rotating through the region.

Lavrov hit back, criticising the "fashion for Russophobia in some capitals" and the "failure of NATO and the EU to fully cooperate with Russia".
Hillary Clinton says her life's work has been a battle to help women make their own choices, but the first rounds of the Democratic nomination race raised big doubts over whether America's women will choose her as the country's first female commander-in-chief. The former secretary of state is on the offensive after suffering a blowout defeat to Bernie Sanders in the New Hampshire primary, where she lost out heavily to younger women despite promises to be their champion in the White House. Two prominent Clinton supporters complicated her efforts to woo female voters last weekend with statements that triggered an embarrassing backlash by suggesting women were duty-bound to back the former first lady. On the debate stage in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Thursday night, the 68-year-old reached out over and over to the female electorate -- talking up her feminist credentials, but also insisting she does not take their support for granted. "I have said many times I am not asking people to support me because I'm a woman," she said. "I am asking people to support me because I think I am the most qualified, experienced and ready person to be the president and the commander-in-chief." Exit polls in New Hampshire showed Clinton -- the only woman still vying for the White House -- receiving 44 percent of the female vote, compared to 55 percent for Sanders. More troublingly, young women seem to be flocking to her rival: the 74-year-old senator from Vermont won 82 percent of the vote among women younger than 30, and 69 percent of votes from women under 45 in the state. - 'Empowered to choose' - New Hampshire was undeniably a blow for Clinton, who won the state in 2008 thanks to the women's vote, but she brushed off the setback on Thursday night. "I have spent my entire adult life working toward making sure that women are empowered to make their own choices, even if that choice is not to vote for me," Clinton said. Despite the drubbing, nationwide poll data suggests Clinton can still hope for solid support from the female constituency as the primary race intensifies, heading next to Nevada and South Carolina. "I think she's still in a position to get plenty of support from women in this contest, especially relative to men," said Geoffrey Skelley of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. Even in New Hampshire itself, she still fared considerably better among women than men -- losing them by 11 percentage points, whereas she lost the male vote by a full 35 points. And at the national level, 48 percent of women say they would vote for Clinton and 38 percent for Sanders, according to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted from February 2 to 4. Twelve percent remain undecided. But Clinton was put on the spot by the controversy unleashed by two high-profile backers, the feminist icon Gloria Steinem and another former secretary of state, Madeleine Albright. - With friends like these - Steinem apologized after suggesting young women aren't serious with their politics and were simply enticed to the Sanders camp because "the boys are with Bernie." And Albright was forced to explain her remark that "there's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other," although she has said the phrase repeatedly over the years -- so much so that it was printed on cups at Starbucks. Her statement prompted New York Times columnist Frank Bruni, who is gay, to ask whether there would be a "place in hell" for him if he does not support a gay candidate. "There's a weird strain of thought swirling around Clinton's campaign: that we should vote for her because she's a woman. Or that she's inoculated from certain flaws or accusations by dint of gender," Bruni wrote. "Voters don't like being viewed as simpletons who will support someone just because that candidate is the same gender or race," warned the University of Virginia's Skelley. Clinton was gently dismissive of Albright's comments at Thursday's debate, sticking to her credo that women are free to back her or not. "I think she's been saying that for as long as I've known her, which is about 25 years," Clinton said. But she also insisted the feminist struggle was far from over, whether on pay, family leave, or equal career opportunities. "We need a leader on women's issues," Clinton said, "to protect the hard-fought gains that women have made that, make no mistake about it, are under tremendous attack." The key question is, will her message resonate with the younger generation? For women born in the 1980s or 1990s, "to have a woman at the White House doesn't seem as historical for them," said Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.
By Michael Hogan HAMBURG, Germany (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron defended Britain's desire to protect its sovereignty on Friday, appealing for understanding from the European Union in his talks for better membership terms that could be decided next week. At a dinner in German city of Hamburg with Chancellor Angela Merkel and civic and business leaders, Cameron said he knew some may see Britain as "argumentative and rather strong-minded" by trying to renegotiate its terms with the 28-member bloc. But he underlined that he believed the reforms he was pursuing would help Germany and the rest of the EU, while he made "no apology" for Britain's need to protect its sovereignty - a possible signal to his more eurosceptic allies at home that he may yet find a way of securing the supremacy of parliament. "We have the character of an island nation - independent, forthright, passionate in defence of our sovereignty - and of institutions that have served us well for many hundreds of years," he told dozens of guests in the banquet room of Hamburg city hall. "But we are also an open nation ... And I never want us to pull up the drawbridge and retreat from the world." Cameron reiterated that he wanted Britain to stay in a reformed European Union and was fighting hard to address the concerns of the British people before a summit on Feb. 18-19 where he hopes to clinch a deal with his EU peers. British and EU negotiators say much of the reform package has been agreed, but Cameron will have to settle tricky final issues, such as on migration where the British leader hopes to be able to curb benefits for EU workers. He must also convince many in his Conservative Party that a draft deal agreed with European Council leader Donald Tusk offers the fundamental change in relations that he has promised. Many eurosceptics have described the draft deal as one which does little to bring back any meaningful powers from Brussels, and are poised to start campaigning to leave the EU before a referendum which could take place as early as in June. But some of his allies suggest Cameron may have something else to offer to defuse the criticism. He has suggested he would do more to assert the sovereignty of Britain's parliament within the European Union, a possible bid to keep some high profile sceptics, such as popular London Mayor Boris Johnson, on board. Cameron told the dinner he hoped to secure safeguards for countries outside the 19-member euro zone and an understanding that "we should be able to run our own welfare systems". "So if by working together we can achieve these changes, then I will unequivocally recommend that Britain stays in a reformed European Union on these new terms," he said, adding his oft-repeated mantra; "Of course, if we can't then I rule nothing out." (Additional reporting and writing by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Alistair Bell)
Former political detainee Dr Poh Soo Kai autographs copies of his book. Photo: Nicholas Yong

It took almost seven years of writing and two changes of venue before former political detainee Dr Poh Soo Kai finally launched his memoir on Saturday (13 Feb).

Almost 300 people were in attendance at the Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium, where Living In A Time Of Deception was launched.

Written by Poh and edited by historian Hong Lysa and playwright Wong Souk Yee, the memoir covers much of the history of Singapore during the turbulent 1950s and 60s, as well as Pohs 17 years imprisonment without trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

The source materials for the memoir include recently released documents from the National Archives in the UK, with the research process beginning as early as 1994.



Poh, former assistant secretary-general of the Barisan Sosialis, the breakaway faction of the ruling Peoples Action Party, was among 113 left-wing politicians and union leaders detained under Operation Coldstore on 2 February, 1963.



After the Coldstore arrests of a number of the top leaders of Barisan Sosialis, including its chief Lim Chin Siong, the opposition party took part in the general elections 21 September, 1963 and lost to the PAP.

The authorities have maintained that those arrested were communist subversives who posed a threat to Singapore.

Now 84, Poh insists that Coldstore was a political exercise aimed at opponents of then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. I am still defiant. I draw a strict line between what is just and what isnt, writes Poh, who once called Lee a political pimp in 1973.

We all have lived through the very dark period of fear, uncertainty, dilemma and downright frustration that followed on the heel of the mass arrests, said Poh in his address at the launch.

Poh Soo Kai (seated left) with (clockwise from left) Ngoh Teck Nam, who translated the book into Mandarin, Hong Lysa, Wong Souk Yee, R. Joethy and Tan Kok Fang. Photo; Nicholas Yong

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The book deals with his life in the context of historical developments in Singapore, said Poh. History, to me, is a subject that is based on facts. History is not a tale that can be fabricated or conjured out of thin air. A Singapore story cannot masquerade as the history of Singapore, he added. He welcomed criticism of the book, so long as it was based on facts and evidence.



Poh was scathing in his criticism of the Medical Alumni and the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI), who had denied him the use of their venues for his book launch. He chided the Medical Alumni for its discourteous attitude, especially in light of his stature as a founding member of the Singapore Medical Association.

In particular, he noted that the SCCCI had initially agreed to his use of the Tan Kah Kee Auditorium, owned by the SCCCI, before abruptly cancelling the reservation without giving a reason. Poh is a grandson of the late 19th century philanthropist Tan Kah Kee.

It is sad to note that I, a grandson, cannot make use of a hall that is in my grandfathers name to launch my memoir, which also pays homage to the old man. This, to me, is a sign of a very sick society, said Poh.

At times, the event had the feel of a political rally. Opposition figures such as the Workers Partys Chen Show Mao, Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss of the Singapore Peoples Party and SingFirst chief Tan Jee Say were in attendance.

Pohs address was also preceded by speeches from two former ISA detainees, Tan Kok Fang and R. Joethy. Strident criticisms of the late Lee Kuan Yew and the PAP were often greeted with loud applause.

Tan, who was also detained under Operation Coldstore, was particularly impassioned. The need to debunk Lee Kuan Yews Singapore story comes as a clarion call to action, said Tan.

The question and answer session at the launch was moderated by historian Dr Thum Ping Tjin, who also helped Poh with research for the book. Thum asked Poh if he had a parting message for young Singaporeans, and for the opposition politicians in the audience.

In response, Poh urged those in the opposition to be committed to the cause and to human rights, to be totally, absolutely honest with the electorate and with themselves, and to unite.

He added, Those in power will do everything possible to keep themselves in power. So those who are opposed will have to realise that the road ahead will be tough.

Published by social enterprise Function 8, Living In A Time Of Deception is available at major bookstores.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's military said on Friday it was mobilising troops to prepare for an offensive the government has pledged to launch this year to retake the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State. Hundreds of forces from the army's 15th division reached Makhmour base, 70 km (45 miles) south of Mosul, and more forces, including Sunni Muslim tribal fighters, were expected to arrive in coming days, said Brigadier-General Yahya Rasool, spokesman for the joint operations command. Defence Minister Khaled al-Obaidi told Reuters last month that Iraq would launch the Mosul operation in the first half of the year and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said 2016 would see the "final victory" against the militants. Some U.S. officials have endorsed that assessment, but a top U.S. intelligence officer told Congress this week any operation to retake Mosul would be long and complex and unlikely to finish this year. With more than a million people still living there, Mosul is the largest city controlled by Islamic State, which declared a 'caliphate' in swathes of territory it seized in Iraq and neighbouring Syria in 2014. Retaking it would be a huge boost for Iraqi forces who, backed by air strikes from a U.S.-led coalition, reclaimed the western city of Ramadi from Islamic State in late December. Mosul, however, is a far larger city with a populace made up of many sects. And even in Ramadi, Iraqi forces are still working to secure that city and its environs. Iraq's Rasool told Reuters on Friday that troop movements south of Mosul were being coordinated with the peshmerga, the armed forces of the autonomous Kurdish region north and east of Nineveh which are expected to join the campaign. "Once we complete all the preparations, we will officially announce the date for the start of Mosul operations," he added. The United States, which is leading an international campaign in both Iraq and Syria to defeat the jihadist group, has said its strategy is to regain territory at the heart of Islamic State's cross-border state, take Mosul and the Syrian city of Raqqa, and destroy the confidence of its fighters that it can expand as a magnet for jihadis. Iraq's army, weakened by years of corruption and mismanagement following the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, is trying to rebuild itself after collapsing 18 months ago in the face of Islamic State's lightning advance. (Reporting By Stephen Kalin and Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
By John Irish and Warren Strobel MUNICH/AMMAN (Reuters) - Major powers agreed on Friday to a pause in combat in Syria, but Russia pressed on with bombing in support of its ally President Bashar al-Assad, who vowed to fight until he regained full control of the country. Although billed as a potential breakthrough, the "cessation of hostilities" agreement does not take effect for a week, at a time when Assad's government is poised to win its biggest victory of the war with the backing of Russian air power. If implemented, the deal hammered out at five hours of late night talks in Munich would allow humanitarian aid to reach besieged towns. It was described by the countries that took part as a rare diplomatic success in a conflict that has fractured the Middle East, killed at least 250,000 people, made 11 million homeless and sent hundreds of thousands fleeing into Europe. But several Western countries said there was no hope for progress without a halt to the Russian bombing, which has decisively turned the balance of power in favour of Assad. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that if the peace plan fails, more foreign troops could enter the conflict. "If the Assad regime does not live up to its responsibilities and if the Iranians and the Russians do not hold Assad to the promises that they have made...then the international community obviously is not going to sit there like fools and watch this. There will be an increase of activity to put greater pressure on them," Kerry, who was in Munich, told Dubai-based Orient TV. "There is a possibility there will be additional ground troops." U.S. President Barack Obama has ruled out sending U.S. ground troops to Syria, but Saudi Arabia this month offered ground forces to fight Islamic State. Rebels said the town of Tal Rifaat in northern Aleppo province was the target of intensive bombing by Russian planes on Friday morning. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring body, said warplanes believed to be Russian also attacked towns in northern Homs. The news agency AFP quoted Assad as saying he would continue to fight terrorism while talks took place. He would retake the entire country, although this could take a long time, he said. Another week of fighting would give the Damascus government and its Russian, Lebanese and Iranian allies time to press on with the encirclement of Aleppo, Syria's biggest city before the war, which they are now on the verge of capturing. They are also close to sealing the Turkish border, lifeline of rebel territory for years. Those two victories would reverse years of insurgent gains, effectively ending the rebels' hopes of dislodging Assad through force, the cause they have fought for since 2011 with the encouragement of Arab states, Turkey and the West. The cessation of hostilities agreement falls short of a formal ceasefire, since it was not signed by the main warring parties - the opposition and government forces. Implementing it will now be the key, Kerry said: "What we need to see in the next few days are actions on the ground." Two Syrian rebel commanders told Reuters they had been sent "excellent quantities" of ground-to-ground Grad missiles by foreign backers in recent days to help confront the Russian-backed offensive. Foreign opponents of Assad including Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been supplying vetted rebel groups with weapons via a Turkey-based operations centre. Some of the vetted groups have received military training overseen by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. RUSSIAN TARGETS Russia suggested it might not stop its air strikes, even when the cessation of hostilities takes effect in a week. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would not stop bombing fighters from Islamic State and a rebel group called the Nusra Front, which is affiliated with al Qaeda, neither of which were covered by the cessation deal: "Our airspace forces will continue working against these organisations," he said. Moscow has always said that those two jihadist groups are the principal targets of its air campaign. Western countries say Russia has in fact been mostly attacking other insurgent groups. Nusra fighters often operate in areas where other rebel groups are also active. Turkey's foreign minister said on Friday Russia was targeting schools and hospitals in Syria. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Moscow must halt strikes on insurgents other than Islamic State for any peace deal to work. "Russia has mainly targeted opposition groups and not ISIL (Islamic State). Air strikes of Russian planes against different opposition groups in Syria have actually undermined the efforts to reach a negotiated, peaceful solution," he said. Britain and France said a peace deal could only be reached if Moscow stops bombing insurgents other than Islamic State. The complex, multi-sided civil war in Syria has drawn in most regional and global powers, producing the world's worst humanitarian emergency and attracting jihadist recruits from around the world. The United States has been leading its own air campaign against Islamic State fighters since 2014, when that group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, swept through much of eastern Syria and northern Iraq, declaring a caliphate. U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday he expected Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to send commandos to help recapture Islamic State's eastern Syrian stronghold, Raqqa. Assad said he believed Saudi Arabia and Turkey were planning to invade his country. Russia has said Saudi ground troops would make the war last forever. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said the main objective in Syria was still to remove Assad, and "we will achieve it". The main battlefields in the civil war are in the west of the country, far from Islamic State's strongholds, where Washington has largely steered clear, leaving the field to Russia which began its air campaign on Sept. 30 last year. Kerry had entered the Munich talks pushing for a rapid halt to fighting, with Western officials saying Moscow was holding out for a delay. The tactic of agreeing to a break in hostilities while battling for gains on the ground is one Moscow's allies used in eastern Ukraine only a year ago. A ceasefire there eventually took hold, but only after Russian-backed separatists overran a besieged town after the deal was reached. HIGH HOPES Diplomats from countries backing the plan met on Friday to discuss sending in urgent humanitarian aid. "I sense now that all of the ISSG (International Syria Support Group) members want to get aid to the besieged areas and also the hard-to-reach areas," said Jan Egeland, the head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, who chaired the meeting in Geneva. "Convoys can go very soon if and when we have the permission and the green light from the parties." The group, which includes Russia and Iran, had given "excellent feedback" and would meet again on Wednesday, Egeland told reporters after the 3 hour meeting. The sides in Munich called for a resumption of political peace talks, which collapsed last week in Geneva before they began after the opposition demanded a halt to bombardment. Syria's main opposition alliance cautiously welcomed the plan, but said it would not agree to join political talks unless the agreement proved effective. World powers all say they support a "political transition", but there has been disagreement for years over whether that requires Assad to leave power, as Western countries have been demanding in vain since 2011. A senior French diplomat said it would be Moscow's fault if it kept bombing and the peace process failed: "The Russians said they will continue bombing the terrorists. They are taking a political risk because they are accepting a negotiation in which they are committing to a cessation of hostilities. "If in a week there is no change because of their bombing, then they will bear the responsibility." (Additional reporting by Denis Dyomkin, Shadia Nasralla, and Robin Emmott in Munich, and Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman; writing by Peter Graff and Anna Willard; editing by Andrew Roche)
TOKYO (Reuters) - North Korea has declared void an agreement to reopen a probe into the fate of abducted Japanese citizens after Japan imposed sanctions in the wake of Pyongyang's rocket launch, according to North Korea's official KCNA news agency. North Korea planned to disband a committee set up in 2014 to look into the whereabouts of Japanese abductees, KCNA said, adding that Japan's "provocative acts of hostility" toward North Korea would ensure further countermeasures. "The Abe regime has to hold full responsibility for causing such a grave consequence," it said. Japan said on Wednesday it was imposing sanctions on North Korea after a satellite launch seen by Washington and allies, including Tokyo, as cover for development of ballistic missile technology that could be used to deliver a nuclear weapon. Pyongyang admitted in 2002 to kidnapping 13 Japanese citizens decades ago. Five abductees and their families later returned to Japan but Tokyo wants to know the fate of the remaining eight, who Pyongyang has said are dead, and others that Japan believes were also kidnapped. The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has made resolving the emotive abductees issues a signature pledge of his political career, had stressed it hoped to keep the door to dialogue open. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday it was deplorable for North Korea to unilaterally disband the committee, Kyodo news agency reported. He also said Japan was not going to scrap the agreement made by the two countries. Japan eased some sanctions on North Korea in July 2014 in return for the North reopening its probe into the status of the abduction issues, but little progress has been made. (Reporting by Junko Fujita and Linda Sieg; Editing by Richard Pullin)
One of the three jewelry collections seized from the family of the late former president Ferdinand Marcos will be auctioned off.

The Asset Privatization Council has approved for international auction the so-called Hawaii Collection comprising around 300 pieces of jewelry and other luxury items, the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) said in a statement yesterday.

Seized by US Customs authorities from the Marcoses upon their arrival in Hawaii in 1986, the jewelry collection was later forfeited in favor of the Philippine government through an agreement between former first lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos and the PCGG.

The collection includes an exceedingly rare 25-carat pink diamond, which has been appraised at around $5 million (around P235 million at current exchange rates).

PCGG Chairman Richard Amurao hopes that the Filipino people will finally benefit from the proceeds of the collection.

The jewelry confiscated from the Marcoses remain a singular manifestation of the misguided priorities of the Marcos presidency, he said.

Amurao said part of the jewelry collection will be exhibited prior to auction.

It has been long desired by the PCGG to put the jewelry collection on public display to inform the Filipino people of the excesses of the Marcos dictatorship, he said.

The collection is a critical part of the past. We believe that the exhibit of these ill-gotten jewels will be a great vehicle to raise awareness, especially for the younger generation and those who have forgotten, to remind the Filipino people of the perils of the two-decade regime of corruption that was under the Marcoses.

Jewelry collection worth P1 B

Conservative estimates put the value of the three collections at P1 billion, the PCGG said.

The jewelry collection also includes the so-called Roumeliotes and the Malacanang Collections.

Composed of only around 60 pieces of jewelry, the Roumeliotes collection is deemed as the most expensive among the three.

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It was seized from alleged Marcos associate Demetriou Roumeliotes as he tried to smuggle it out of the country.

It was later forfeited in favor of the Bureau of Customs as the attempt to smuggle it out of the country is a violation of the Tariff and Customs Code.

On the other hand, the Malacanang collection consists of over 400 jewelry and other luxury items that were left in the Palace after the People Power Revolution.

In 2014, the Sandiganbayan declared the jewelry collection part of the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses. The Marcoses are appealing the ruling before the Supreme Court.

Last year, the PCGG invited rival auction houses Christies and Sothebys to appraise the jewelry collections.

Estimates submitted by the auction houses showed that collective value of the three collections is at least P1 billion, the PCGG said.
Pope Francis (L) waves to journalists as he walks beside Cuba's President Raul Castro after his arrival at the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, February 12, 2016. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

HAVANA (Reuters) - Pope Francis landed in Cuba on Friday to meet Patriarch Kirill for the first encounter in history between a Roman Catholic pope and the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church. After a scheduled three and a half hours at Havana's international airport, the pope was due to continue on to Mexico for a five-day visit. (Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Andrew Hay)
Pope Francis will celebrate an open-air mass in a crime-plagued Mexico City suburb on Sunday after thousands of pilgrims spent the night outdoors, awaiting his message of peace in the cold. The Catholic faithful wrapped themselves in blankets, using plastic and cardboard to build makeshift tents on a university's field, where 300,000 were expected for the service. Ecatepec, a concrete maze of 1.6 million people, is in the state of Mexico, a region that has become infamous for a spate of disappearances of women, whose bodies sometimes turn up in abandoned lots or canals. Some 600 women have been killed between January 2014 and September 2015 in the state, according to the non-governmental National Citizen Observatory of Feminicides. Some pilgrims said that despite the city's bad reputation, they were not concerned about spending the night outside. Hundreds of police officers stood guard around the field. "We know that Ecatepec has a lot of problems like the lack of security and kidnappings," said Rodrigo Perez, a 25-year-old public security student. But the pope's visit, he said, is a chance to "talk about peace and unity." - 'Prophetic courage' - The Argentine-born pontiff made it clear before his arrival in Mexico that he would speak out about the corruption and crime afflicting parts of the country. He used his visit to the National Palace and the capital's cathedral on Saturday to bluntly tell political and religious leaders to do more to bring peace to the country. At the palace, with President Enrique Pena Nieto by his side in a patio packed with lawmakers and government officials, Francis told them they had a duty to give "true justice" and "effective security" to Mexicans. Later, he told bishops at the cathedral to take on the scourge of drug trafficking with "prophetic courage" and avoid hiding "behind anodyne denunciations." Many Mexicans, fed up with a decade of drug violence that has left 100,000 dead or missing, had hoped to hear such words from the 79-year-old pontiff. Pope Francis has chosen to visit some of Mexico's most troubled regions during his five-day trip to the world's second most populous Catholic country. The crimes against women in the state of Mexico, which surrounds the capital, prompted the federal government to declare a "gender violence alert" requiring protective measures in 11 towns, including Ecatepec. - Faith in God - "People who kill or who are wicked should think about the fact that we are women and that we should be respected," said Mariana Virginia Hernandez, 45, who came from the neighboring state of Hidalgo for the mass and wore several sweaters and a poncho to resist the cold. Ana Yeli Perez, legal adviser at the National Citizen Observatory of Feminicides, said the organization is "concerned about the lack of visibility of the issue because the government controls it. We hope the pope speaks about it." But Karla Paola Romero, a 21-year-old activist who was nearly kidnapped three years ago, said gender violence would not be resolved "with a miracle." Romero, who will not be at the mass, spoke near a hill where a woman's body was found in December. The victim had been raped and hanged. The pope will face other tough issues during his trip. On Monday, Pope Francis will travel to Mexico's poorest and least Catholic region, the southern indigenous state of Chiapas. He will visit on Tuesday the capital of Michoacan, a western state where farms formed vigilante forces to counter a drug cartel in 2013. The pope caps the trip in Mexico's former murder capital, Ciudad Juarez, for a mass that will span the US and Mexican borders to highlight the plight of migrants.
The world has plunged into a "new Cold War", the Russian premier said Saturday, as Moscow came under attack at a global security gathering over its targeting of moderate rebels in Syria. US Secretary of State John Kerry told the Munich Security Conference that "the vast majority of Russia's attacks (in Syria) have been against legitimate opposition groups." "To adhere to the agreement it made, Russia's targeting must change," he said, referring to the international deal forged on Friday, in which 17 countries agreed to seek a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria within a week. "This is the moment. This is a hinge point. Decisions made in the coming days and weeks, and a few months could end the war in Syria - or could define a very difficult set of choices for the future." He spoke shortly after Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the world had "slid into a new period of Cold War." "Almost every day we are accused of making new horrible threats either against NATO as a whole, against Europe or against the US or other countries," Medvedev said. His foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, hit back at Kerry's comments, saying the new deal on Syria could not only focus on Russia's role. "The fact that the discussions on the truce are beginning to go towards prioritising putting a stop to the actions of the Russian air force creates in me suspicions, gives reasons for sad thoughts, about how our Munich adventure will end," said Lavrov. - 'This is your aggression' - Meanwhile, a panel of eastern European leaders lined up to add their own accusations of Russian aggression. "Every single day, Russian troops, Russian weapons, Russian ammunition penetrate into my country," said Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko. He addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was not present, saying: "Mr Putin, this is not a civil war in Ukraine, this is your aggression. This is not a civil war in Crimea, this is your soldiers who occupied my country." Kerry emphasised that sanctions on Russia would remain in place until it implemented all aspects of the Ukraine peace agreement reached in Belarus' capital Minsk last year. "Russia has a simple choice: fully implement Minsk or continue to face economically damaging sanctions," he said. An emotional Poroshenko also warned that "pro-Russian parties" were undermining Europe from within with an alternative set of values. "Isolationism, intolerance, disrespect of human rights, religious fanatics, homophobia -- this alternative Europe has a leader. His name is Mr Putin." By contrast, Medvedev had earlier criticised the expansion of NATO and EU influence deep into formerly Soviet-ruled eastern Europe, which Russia sees as its sphere of influence. "European politicians thought that creating a so-called belt of friends at Europe's side, on the outskirts of the EU, could be a guarantee of security, and what's the result?" he said. "Not a belt of friends but a belt of exclusion." But he also struck a more positive note, saying: "Our positions differ, but they do not differ as much as 40 years ago when a wall was standing in Europe." - 'Coercion and intimidation' - NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg also addressed the forum, vowing to combine a firm stance against Russia with more dialogue. "We have seen a more assertive Russia, a Russia which is destabilising the European security order," he said. "NATO does not seek confrontation and we don't want a new Cold War. At the same time our response has to be firm." NATO is "undertaking the biggest reinforcement to our collective defence in decades, to send a powerful signal to deter any aggression or intimidation," Stoltenberg added. "Not to wage war, but to prevent war." Earlier this week, Stoltenberg announced that plans had been approved for an increased NATO presence in eastern Europe -- which sources said would involve between 3,000 and 6,000 troops rotating through the region. Lavrov hit back, criticising the "fashion for Russophobia in some capitals" and the "failure of NATO and the EU to fully cooperate with Russia".
By Paul Carrel, Shadia Nasralla and Tom Perry MUNICH/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Russia said on Saturday a Syria ceasefire plan was more likely to fail than succeed, as Syrian government forces backed by Russian air strikes took rebel ground near Aleppo and set their sights on the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa province. International divisions over Syria surfaced anew at a Munich conference where Russia rejected French charges that it was bombing civilians, just a day after world powers agreed on the "cessation of hostilities" due to begin in a week's time. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reiterated accusations that Russia was hitting "legitimate opposition groups" and civilians with its bombing campaign in Syria and said Moscow must change its targets to respect the ceasefire deal. The conflict, reshaped by Russia's intervention last September, has gone into an even higher gear since the United Nations sought to revive peace talks. These were suspended earlier this month in Geneva before they got off the ground. In another sign of that escalation, Turkey's military shelled Kurdish militia targets near the northern Syrian town of Azaz on Saturday, a Turkish military source said. A Kurdish official said the shelling targeted the Menagh air base in the northern Aleppo countryside, which he said had been captured by the Kurdish-allied Jaysh al-Thuwwar group. The Syrian army also looked poised to advance into the Islamic State-held province of Raqqa for the first time since 2014, apparently to pre-empt any move by Saudi Arabia to send ground forces into Syria to fight the jihadist insurgents. A Syrian military source said the army captured positions at the provincial border between Hama and Raqqa in the last two days and intends to advance further. "It is an indication of the direction of coming operations towards Raqqa. In general, the Raqqa front is open ... starting in the direction of the Tabqa area," the source said. Tabqa is the location of an air base captured by Islamic State two years ago, and the source said the army had moved to within 35 km (20 miles) of the base. The cessation of hostilities deal agreed by major powers falls short of a formal ceasefire, since it was not signed by the warring parties - the government and rebels seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad in a five-year war that has killed at least 250,000 people. If its forces retake Aleppo and seal the Turkish border north of the city, Damascus would deal a crushing blow to the insurgents who were on the march until Russia intervened, shoring up Assad's rule and paving the way to the current reversal of rebel fortunes. Russia has said it will keep bombing Islamic State and the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, which in many areas of western Syria fights government forces in close proximity to insurgents deemed moderates by Western states. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, asked at a security conference in Munich on Saturday to assess the chances of the cessation of hostilities deal succeeding, replied: "49 percent." Asked the same question, his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier put the odds at 51 percent. The complex, multi-sided civil war in Syria, raging since 2011, has drawn in most regional and global powers, caused the world's worst humanitarian emergency and attracted recruits to Islamist militancy from around the world. Assad, backed on the ground by Iranian combatants and Lebanon's Hezbollah in addition to big power ally Russia, is showing no appetite for a negotiated ceasefire. He said this week that the government's goal was to recapture all of Syria, though he said this could take time. The U.S. government said Assad was "deluded" if he thought there was a military solution to the conflict. Syrian state television announced the army and allied militia had on Saturday captured the village of al-Tamura overlooking rebel terrain northwest of Aleppo. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported advances in the same area, adding that Russian jets had hit three rebel-held towns near the Turkish border. Government offensives around Aleppo have sent tens of thousands of people fleeing towards the Turkish border. ISLAMIC STATE TARGETED Islamic State, driven by the goal of expanding its "caliphate" rather than reforming Syria - the original goal of the opposition when the conflict began as an unarmed street uprising in 2011 - is being targeted in separate campaigns by a U.S.-led alliance and Assad's government with Russian air support. Regional Kurdish forces supported by Washington are also fighting Islamic State in Raqqa province. Gulf states that want Assad gone from power have said they would be willing to send in troops as part of any U.S.-led ground attack against Islamic State. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday he expected Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to send commandos to help recapture Raqqa. In what may have been a response to those remarks, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Saturday in Munich there was no need to scare anyone with a ground operation in Syria. Speaking at the same conference, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls called on Russia to stop bombing civilians in Syria, saying this was crucial to achieving peace there. "France respects Russia and its interests ... But we know that to find the path to peace again, the Russian bombing of civilians has to stop," Valls said. Medvedev said that was simply not true. "There is no evidence of our bombing civilians, even though everyone is accusing us of this," he said. "We are simply trying to protect our national interests," he said, adding that Moscow wanted to prevent Islamist militants getting to Russia. Russia also has a major air base and large naval installation on Syria's Mediterranean coast. Kerry, however, accused Russia of dropping so-called "dumb bombs" in Syria that do not have a precise target, saying this has led to the killing of civilians. "To date, the vast majority of Russia's attacks have been against legitimate opposition groups. To adhere to the (ceasefire) agreement it made, Russia's targeting must change," Kerry told the Munich conference. Two Syrian rebel commanders told Reuters on Friday insurgents had been sent "excellent quantities" of Grad rockets with a range of 20 km (12 miles) by foreign backers in recent days to help confront the Russian-backed offensive in Aleppo. Foreign opponents of Assad including Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been supplying vetted rebel groups with weapons via a Turkey-based operations centre. Some of these groups have received military training overseen by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. The vetted groups have been a regular target of the Russian air strikes. (Additional reporting by Denis Dyomkin in Moscow; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Dominic Evans)
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Saturday said Turkey would, if necessary, take military action against fighters from the Syrian Kurdish PYD, which Ankara considers a terror group. "We can if necessary take the same measures in Syria as we took in Iraq and Qandil," Davutoglu said in a televised speech in the eastern city of Erzincan, referring to the relentless bombing campaign last year against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq on their Qandil mountain stronghold. "We would expect our friends and allies to stand by us," he added. Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia to be branches of the PKK which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state that intensified in the last months. Turkey this week reacted furiously to comments by the US State Department spokesman saying Washington did not recognise the PYD as a terror group and would continue to support its operations in Syria. "The leadership cadre and ideology of the PKK and PYD is the same," argued Davutoglu. "Those who say that they are not terror groups either do not know the region or have bad intentions," he said, in apparent reference to the row with Washington. "We will be sending documentation to the United States very soon to show that the PYD is a branch of the PKK," he said. Washington recognises the PKK as a terror group, as does the European Union. Davutoglu accused the PYD of cooperating both the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad -- who Turkey wants to see ousted -- and his Russian allies, as well as committing war crimes. "We are expecting a clear and unambiguous stand from the United States -- who we believe to be our allies -- against this slaughter of humanity," said the premier. US State Department spokesman John Kirby said last week that the Kurdish fighters "have been some of the most successful" in fighting Islamic State jihadists inside Syria. He said the United States had supported the Kurdish fighters, mostly with air power, "and that support will continue." Turkey last year claimed killing dozens of PKK fighters and destroying their hideouts in cross-border air raids on northern Iraq.
REUTERS - Global health officials have said that the Zika virus, which has been linked to severe birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil, is rapidly spreading in the Americas and could infect up to 4 million people. The race is on to develop a Zika vaccine. The following are some questions and answers about the virus and the current outbreak. How do people become infected? The virus is transmitted to people through the bite of infected female Aedes mosquitoes, the same type of mosquito that spreads dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said Aedes mosquitoes are found in all countries in the Americas except Canada and continental Chile, and the virus will likely reach all countries and territories of the region where Aedes mosquitoes are found. How do you treat Zika infection? There is no treatment or vaccine available for Zika infection. Companies and scientists are racing to develop a safe and effective vaccine for Zika, but the World Health Organization said it would take at least 18 months to start large-scale clinical trials of potential preventative shots. How dangerous is it? The PAHO said there is no evidence that Zika can cause death, but some cases have been reported with more serious complications in patients with pre-existing medical conditions. The virus has been linked to microcephaly, a condition in newborns marked by abnormally small heads and brains that have not developed properly. It also has been associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the nervous system. The suspected link between the Zika virus and the two birth defects could be confirmed within weeks, the WHO said. How is Zika related to microcephaly? Much remains unknown about Zika, including whether the virus actually causes microcephaly. Brazil is investigating the potential link between Zika infections and more than 4,300 suspected cases of microcephaly, a condition marked by abnormally small head size that can result in developmental problems. Researchers have confirmed more than 460 of these cases as microcephaly and identified evidence of Zika infection in 41 of these cases, but have not proven that Zika can cause microcephaly. It is unclear whether in pregnant women the virus crosses the placenta and causes microcephaly. Research in Brazil indicates the greatest microcephaly risk appears to be associated with infection during the first trimester of pregnancy. What are the symptoms of Zika infection? People who get Zika virus disease typically have a mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain and fatigue that can last for two to seven days. But as many as 80 percent of people infected never develop symptoms. The symptoms are similar to those of dengue or chikungunya, which are transmitted by the same type of mosquito. How can Zika be contained? Efforts to control the spread of the virus focus on eliminating mosquito breeding sites and taking precautions against mosquito bites such as using insect repellent and mosquito nets. U.S. and international health officials have advised pregnant women to avoid travel to Latin American and Caribbean countries where they may be exposed to Zika. How widespread is the outbreak in the Americas? Health officials said Zika outbreaks have been reported in at least 33 countries in the Americas. Brazil has been the nation most affected. Other nations and territories include Barbados, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Colombia, Curacao, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Maldives, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Suriname, Tonga, Vanuatu, U.S. Virgin Islands, Venezuela, according to the WHO. (http://bit.ly/1SxYwub) What is the history of the Zika virus? The Zika virus is found in tropical locales with large mosquito populations. Outbreaks of Zika virus disease have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Southern Asia and the Western Pacific. The virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in rhesus monkeys and was first identified in people in 1952 in Uganda and Tanzania, according to the World Health Organization. Can Zika be transmitted through sexual contact? Two cases of possible person-to-person sexual transmission has been described, but the PAHO said more evidence is needed to confirm whether sexual contact is a means of Zika transmission. British health officials reported Zika was found in a man's semen two months after being infected, suggesting the virus may linger in semen long after infection symptoms fade. The WHO has advised women, particularly pregnant women, to use condoms. The PAHO also said Zika can be transmitted through blood, but this is an infrequent transmission mechanism. There is no evidence the virus can be transmitted to babies through breast milk. What other complications are associated with Zika? The WHO says because no big Zika outbreaks were recorded before 2007, little is known about complications caused by infection. During an outbreak of Zika from 2013-2014 in French Polynesia, national health authorities reported an unusual increase in Guillain-Barre syndrome. Health authorities in Brazil have also reported an increase in Guillain-Barre syndrome. Long-term health consequences of Zika infection remain unclear. Other uncertainties surround the incubation period of the virus and how Zika interacts with other viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes such as dengue. Related material from the World Health Organization: (http://www.who.int/features/qa/zika/en/) (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/zika/en/) (Compiled by Will Dunham; Editing by Lisa Shumaker, Jonathan Oatis and Bernard Orr)
On a so-called day of action against the Zika virus in South America, the Colombian health authorities say over 5,000 women in the country have contracted the virus.

Colombia is the second worst affected nation after Brazil.

The national institute for health in Colombia also said on Saturday a total of 31,555 people have been infected with the disease.

In the La Maria district of Cartagena in northern Colombia we have seen why the authorities have such an uphill battle.

Thousands of people are living in slum towns right next to polluted stagnant water.

They have no mosquito repellents and do not wear the long sleeved clothes and trousers recommended to travellers.

It is currently the dry season but all around lie invisible mosquito eggs, laid the last time it rained.

When the rains return in a few weeks those eggs will hatch within hours, leading to an explosion in mosquito numbers and a major problem for the authorities.

The Zika virus is spread by the Aedes mosquito and is being linked to cases of microcephaly in babies as well as to neurological conditions such as Guillain Barre syndrome (GBS).

Microcephaly leaves infants with unusually small heads and can result in brain damage and numerous developmental and health problems.

GBS symptoms include muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. In the most serious cases, the muscle weakness can affect breathing and patients may need a breathing tube.

In Brazil, thousands of armed forces took to the streets to combat the spread of the disease.

Members of the army and navy handed out leaflets and warned people about the dangers of leavening tubs of stagnant water in their homes - the perfect breeding ground for the mosquitos.

President Dilma Rouseff herself led the campaign, going door to door in a working class neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro.

She said that while the government can play its part, there will be no success unless the people take precautions

"For our children to be healthy, the Zika mosquito cannot be born," she said.

Authorities in Peru and Venezuela are also stepping up the fight, fumigating mosquitos and killing their lavae.
By Ori Lewis JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said on Friday it had resolved its differences with the European Union after weeks of diplomatic tension following an EU decision not to allow goods produced in settlements in the occupied West Bank to be labelled "Made in Israel". Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, Israel's foreign ministry said. The two "agreed that relations between the two sides should be conducted in an atmosphere of confidence and mutual respect," it said. Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said that Israel would no longer insist on the exclusion of EU bodies from peace talks with the Palestinians over a two-state solution to the Middle East peace process. Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in April 2014 and there have been no signs of them resuming. While the United States has traditionally played the lead role in peace efforts in the region, the EU is Israel's largest trading partner and is the biggest donor to the Palestinians, and is looking to play a larger role in peace negotiations "The conversation resolved the tensions and we are, Israel and the EU, back to good and close relations," Nahshon said in a text message to the media. In November, the EU said that goods produced in settlements could not labelled "Made in Israel" and should be marked as coming from settlements, which the EU considers illegal under international law. The EU holds the position that the lands Israel has occupied since the 1967 Middle East war, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, are not part of the internationally recognised borders of Israel. After the guidelines were published, Israel suspended contact with EU bodies involved in peace efforts with Palestinians, although the government said bilateral ties with nearly all EU countries remained strong. The Palestinians want the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank for their future state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Nahshon said Mogherini had expressed solidarity with Israel at a time of heightened Israeli-Palestinian violence and had strongly opposed attempts by various groups to boycott Israel. Since October, 27 Israelis and a U.S. citizen have been killed in near-daily Palestinian attacks that have included stabbings, shootings and car-rammings. Israeli forces have killed at least 157 Palestinians in the same period, 101 of them assailants, according to Israeli authorities. Other Palestinians have died during violent anti-Israeli protests. The bloodshed has been partly fuelled by Palestinian frustration over the stalled peace talks and anger at perceived Jewish encroachment on a contested shrine in Jerusalem. (Editing by Hugh Lawson)
By Robin Emmott and Phil Stewart BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO ships are on their way to the Aegean Sea to help Turkey and Greece crack down on criminal networks smuggling refugees into Europe, the alliance's top commander said on Thursday. Hours after NATO defence ministers agreed to use their maritime force in the eastern Mediterranean to help combat traffickers, Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Philip Breedlove said he was working quickly to design the mission. "We are sailing the ships in the appropriate direction," Breedlove told a news conference, and the mission plan would be refined during the time they were en route. "That's about 24 hours," he said. The plan, which was first raised only on Monday by Germany and Turkey, took NATO by surprise and is aimed at helping the continent tackle its worst migration crisis since World War Two. More than a million asylum-seekers arrived last year. Unlike the EU's maritime mission off the Italian coast, which brings rescued migrants to Europe's shores, NATO will return migrants to Turkey even if they are picked up in Greek waters. Britain's defence minister said that marked a significant change in policy. "They won't be taken to Greece and that's a crucial difference," Michael Fallon told reporters. NATO will also monitor the Turkey-Syria land border for people-smugglers, said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. Although the plan is still to be detailed by NATO generals, the allies are likely to use the ships to work with Turkish and Greek coastguards and the European Union border agency Frontex. "There is now a criminal syndicate that is exploiting these poor people and this is an organised smuggling operation," U.S. Secretary of Defence Ash Carter told reporters. "Targeting that is the way that the greatest effect can be had ... That is the principal intent of this," Carter said. The numbers of people fleeing war and failing states, mainly in the Middle East and North Africa, show little sign of falling, despite winter weather that makes sea crossings even more perilous. A 3 billion euro ($3.4 billion) deal between the EU and Turkey to stem the flows has yet to have a big impact. SEEKING SHIPS Germany said it would take part in the NATO mission along with Greece and Turkey, while the United States, NATO's most powerful member, said it fully supported the plan. The alliance's so-called Standing NATO Maritime Group Two has five ships near Cyprus, led by Germany and with vessels from Canada, Italy, Greece and Turkey. Breedlove said NATO would need allies to contribute to sustain the mission over time. Denmark is expected to offer a ship, according to a German government source. The Netherlands may also contribute. "It is important that we now act quickly," German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said. Intelligence gathered about people-smugglers will be handed to Turkish coastguards to allow them to combat the traffickers more effectively, rather than having NATO act directly against the criminals, diplomats said. Greek and Turkish ships will remain in their respective territorial waters, given sensitivities between the two countries. NATO and the EU are eager to avoid the impression that the 28-nation military alliance is now tasked to stop refugees or treat them as a threat. "This is not about stopping or pushing back refugee boats," Stoltenberg said. ($1 = 0.8837 euros) (Additional reporting by Sabine Siebold in Brussels and Michele Kambas in Athens,; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
By Robin Emmott and Shadia Nasralla MUNICH (Reuters) - Violence in eastern Ukraine is intensifying and Russian-backed rebels have moved heavy weaponry back to the front line, international monitors warned on Saturday as Moscow responded by accusing the West of dragging the world back 50 years. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev described East-West relations as having "fallen into a new Cold War" and said NATO was "hostile and closed" towards Russia, in the latest sign that peace efforts have made scant progress almost two years since Moscow annexed Crimea. "I sometimes wonder - are we in 2016 or 1962?," Medvedev asked in a speech to the Munich Security Conference. Implementation of a deal agreed in Minsk a year ago, which would allow for the lifting of sanctions on Russia, and a lull in violence late last year raised hopes that the conflict that has killed more than 9,000 people could be resolved quickly. But Lamberto Zannier, who heads the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitoring eastern Ukraine, said the situation had "become difficult again." "We see a multiplication of incidents, violations of the ceasefire," he told Reuters at the Munich Security Conference. "We've seen cases of redeployment of heavy armaments closer to the contact line ... and multiple rocket launchers, artillery being used," he said, referring to the heavy weaponry that is meant to be removed under the Minsk deal. Medvedev accused Kiev of trying to shift the blame onto Moscow for the continued shelling in the industrial regions of eastern Ukraine now under rebel control. "The Minsk agreements have to be observed by everyone. But we believe that it's first and foremost up to the Kiev authorities to do that," he said. The West says it has satellite images, videos and other evidence to show Russia is providing weapons to the rebels and that Moscow has troops engaged in the conflict that erupted following Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea in 2014. Russia denies such accusations. NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Philip Breedlove said Russia had the power to "dial up and down" the conflict as it wished to put pressure on the government in Kiev but he said NATO did not want, nor currently see, a new Cold War. AMNESTY Extended at the end of last year, the Minsk peace deal signed by Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany aims to give Ukraine back control of its border with Russia, see all heavy weapons withdrawn, return hostages and allow an internationally monitored local election in the east. Zannier said the vote could not happen until there was a ceasefire and even then it would be difficult to do by mid-year because international observers need to be in place. Medvedev said Ukraine, not Russia, was in breach of the Minsk deal because Kiev was yet to change Ukraine's constitution to grant special status to eastern Ukraine. Russia wants an amnesty for mainly Russian-speaking people in the east who seized government buildings during the upheaval of early 2014, when pro-European protesters toppled Russia-backed President Viktor Yanukovich. "Without this amnesty, these people won't be able to participate in the elections," Medvedev said. Kiev's Western backers acknowledge the government of President Petro Poroshenko must speed up reforms, especially those tied to its $10-billion International Monetary Fund bailout, but say Russia must respect Ukraine's sovereignty. "Neither the people of Ukraine nor their partners in the international community believe they have done enough," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said. (Additional reporting by Warren Stroebel; Editing by Helen Popper and David Evans)
By Jack Kim and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea and the United States are expected to begin talks next week on possible deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defence system following North Korea's recent rocket launch, officials said on Friday, as Seoul cut power to a factory park run jointly with the North. The discussions would focus on placing one Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system with the U.S. military in South Korea, a South Korean defence official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Pentagon spokesman Commander Bill Urban said in an email that a joint working group would "review all aspects regarding the potential of deployment of a THAAD system to South Korea." "We expect the first meeting to occur next week," he said. North Korea launched a long-range rocket on Feb. 6 carrying what it called a satellite, drawing renewed international condemnation just weeks after it carried out a nuclear bomb test. It said the launch was for peaceful purposes, but Seoul and Washington have said it violated United Nations Security Council resolutions because it used ballistic missile technology. North Korea carried out a nuclear bomb test last month, also banned by a U.N. resolution. On Wednesday, South Korea suspended operations at the Kaesong industrial zone as punishment for the rocket launch and nuclear test. The zone, just inside North Korea, had operated for more than a decade. The North on Thursday called the action "a declaration of war" and expelled the South's workers. Kaesong was the last venue for regular interaction between the divided Koreas. The 280 South Koreans who had remained in Kaesong rushed to leave the industrial park on Thursday evening, completing the pullout at 11:05 p.m. (1405 GMT), according to the South's Unification Ministry, which handles relations with the North. A few minutes before midnight, the South shut off the supply of electricity into Kaesong that powered the factory zone, the ministry said early on Friday. It also cut the water supply. The United States, Japan and South Korea are seeking tougher U.N. sanctions against North Korea in the wake of the nuclear test and rocket launch. CHINESE, RUSSIAN CONCERNS Wang Yi, the foreign minister of China, North Korea's neighbour and main ally, said on Friday that Beijing supported a U.N. Security Council resolution to make Pyongyang "pay the necessary price" for the launch. He also expressed concern over a possible U.S. deployment of its sophisticated THAAD missile defence system to South Korea, saying it could also be used to target China. U.S. military officials have said the THAAD system is needed in South Korea, but Seoul had been reluctant to openly discuss its deployment given the risk of damaging ties with China, its biggest trade partner. Russia has also expressed concern about the potential deployment of THAAD, saying it could trigger an arms race in Northeast Asia. South Korea and the United States have said the system, built by Lockheed Martin Corp and designed to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles inside or just outside the atmosphere during their final phase of flight, would be focused only on North Korea. South Korea accused North Korea of "illegal" acts by freezing the assets of South Korean companies in Kaesong, and warned that Pyongyang would be held responsible for any consequences from the industrial park's suspension. The Kaesong project employed about 55,000 North Koreans, who were given a taste of life in the South, working for the 124 mostly small- and medium-sized manufacturers that operated there, about 54 km (34 miles) northwest of Seoul. Except for Kaesong, both countries forbid their citizens from communicating with each other across their heavily armed border. Despite volatile North-South relations, Kaesong had been shut only once before, for five months in 2013 amid heightened tensions following Pyongyang's third nuclear test. (Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Dean Yates, Toni Reinhold)
By Paul Carrel, Shadia Nasralla and Tom Perry MUNICH/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Russia said on Saturday a Syria ceasefire plan was more likely to fail than succeed, as Syrian government forces backed by Russian air strikes took rebel ground near Aleppo and set their sights on the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa province. International divisions over Syria surfaced anew at a Munich conference where Russia rejected French charges that it was bombing civilians, just a day after world powers agreed on the "cessation of hostilities" due to begin in a week's time. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reiterated accusations that Russia was hitting "legitimate opposition groups" and civilians with its bombing campaign in Syria and said Moscow must change its targets to respect the ceasefire deal. The conflict, reshaped by Russia's intervention last September, has gone into an even higher gear since the United Nations sought to revive peace talks. These were suspended earlier this month in Geneva before they got off the ground. Turkish forces shelled Kurdish YPG militia targets near the northern Syrian town of Azaz on Saturday, Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, demanding that the group withdraw from land it recently captured. The United States urged both Turkey and the Syrian Kurds to step back and focus instead on tackling the "common threat" of Islamic State militants who control large parts of Syria.[nL8N15S0H1] The Syrian army looked poised to advance into the Islamic State-held province of Raqqa for the first time since 2014, apparently to pre-empt any move by Saudi Arabia to send ground forces into Syria to fight the jihadist insurgents. A Syrian military source said the army captured positions at the provincial border between Hama and Raqqa in the last two days and intends to advance further. "It is an indication of the direction of coming operations towards Raqqa. In general, the Raqqa front is open ... starting in the direction of the Tabqa area," the source said. Tabqa is the location of an air base captured by Islamic State two years ago, and the source said the army had moved to within 35 km (20 miles) of the base. The cessation of hostilities deal agreed by major powers falls short of a formal ceasefire, since it was not signed by the warring parties - the government and rebels seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad in a five-year war that has killed at least 250,000 people. If its forces retake Aleppo and seal the Turkish border north of the city, Damascus would deal a crushing blow to the insurgents who were on the march until Russia intervened, shoring up Assad's rule and paving the way to the current reversal of rebel fortunes. Russia has said it will keep bombing Islamic State and the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, which in many areas of western Syria fights government forces in close proximity to insurgents deemed moderates by Western states. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, asked at a security conference in Munich on Saturday to assess the chances of the cessation of hostilities deal succeeding, replied: "49 percent." Asked the same question, his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier put the odds at 51 percent. The complex, multi-sided civil war in Syria, raging since 2011, has drawn in most regional and global powers, caused the world's worst humanitarian emergency and attracted recruits to Islamist militancy from around the world. Assad, backed on the ground by Iranian combatants and Lebanon's Hezbollah in addition to big power ally Russia, is showing no appetite for a negotiated ceasefire. He said this week that the government's goal was to recapture all of Syria, though he said this could take time. The U.S. government said Assad was "deluded" if he thought there was a military solution to the conflict. Syrian state television announced the army and allied militia had on Saturday captured the village of al-Tamura overlooking rebel terrain northwest of Aleppo. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported advances in the same area, adding that Russian jets had hit three rebel-held towns near the Turkish border. Government offensives around Aleppo have sent tens of thousands of people fleeing towards the Turkish border. ISLAMIC STATE TARGETED Islamic State, driven by the goal of expanding its "caliphate" rather than reforming Syria - the original goal of the opposition when the conflict began as an unarmed street uprising in 2011 - is being targeted in separate campaigns by a U.S.-led alliance and Assad's government with Russian air support. Regional Kurdish forces supported by Washington are also fighting Islamic State in Raqqa province. Gulf states that want Assad gone from power have said they would be willing to send in troops as part of any U.S.-led ground attack against Islamic State. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday he expected Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to send commandos to help recapture Raqqa. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was reported as saying Saudi Arabia will send aircraft to Turkey's Incirlik air base to support the air campaign against Islamic State in Syria. "Saudi Arabia is now sending planes to Turkey, to Incirlik. They came and carried out inspections at the base," Cavusoglu told the Yeni Safak newspaper, adding it was unclear how many planes would come and that the Saudis might also send soldiers. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Saturday in Munich there was no need to scare anyone with a ground operation in Syria. Two Syrian rebel commanders told Reuters on Friday insurgents had been sent "excellent quantities" of Grad rockets with a range of 20 km (12 miles) by foreign backers in recent days to help confront the Russian-backed offensive in Aleppo. Foreign opponents of Assad including Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been supplying vetted rebel groups with weapons via a Turkey-based operations centre. Some of these groups have received military training overseen by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. The vetted groups have been a regular target of the Russian air strikes. (Additional reporting by Denis Dyomkin in Moscow; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Dominic Evans)
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army intends to advance into Islamic State-held Raqqa province having captured positions at the provincial border of the jihadists' stronghold, a Syrian military source said on Saturday. A move into Raqqa province would reestablish a foothold for Damascus in a region where it has had no presence since August 2014, and complicate any attempt by Saudi Arabia to send ground forces to the area to fight Islamic State. The military source who was briefed on the matter said the operation had been going on for a number days. The army had captured several positions from Islamic State at the provincial border between Hama and Raqqa in the last two days. "It is an indication of the direction of coming operations towards Raqqa. In general, the Raqqa front is open ... starting in the direction of the Tabqa area," the source said. Tabqa is the location of an air base captured by Islamic State in 2014. The army had moved to within 35 km (20 miles) of the base. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war, earlier reported the army's had advanced to the provincial borders of Raqqa. Saudi Arabia, which wants Assad gone from power, has said it would be willing to send in troops as part of any U.S.-led ground attack against Islamic State. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday he expected Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to send commandos to help recapture Raqqa. U.S. allied Kurdish militia are also fighting Islamic State in Raqqa province, advancing into the province from the northeast last year with help from U.S.-led air strikes. (Reporting by Tom Perry/Laila Bassam; Editing by Toby Chopra)
By Pavel Polityuk KIEV (Reuters) - Hackers used a Russian-based internet provider and made phone calls from inside Russia as part of a coordinated cyber attack on Ukraine's power grid in December, Ukraine's energy ministry said on Friday. The incident was widely seen as the first known power outage caused by a cyber attack, and has prompted fears both within Ukraine and outside that other critical infrastructure could be vulnerable. The ministry, saying it had completed an investigation into the incident, did not accuse the Russian government directly of involvement in the attack, which knocked out electricity supplies to tens of thousands of customers in central and western Ukraine and prompted Kiev to review its cyber defences. But the findings chime with the testimony of the U.S. intelligence chief to Congress this week, which named cyber attacks, including those targeting Washington's interests in Ukraine, as the biggest threat to U.S. national security. Relations between Kiev and Moscow soured after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in March 2014 and pro-Russian separatist violence erupted in Ukraine. Hackers targeted three power distribution companies in December's attack, and then flooded those companies' call centres with fake calls to prevent genuine customers reporting the outage. "According to one of the power companies, the connection by the attackers to its IT network occurred from a subnetwork ... belonging to an (internet service) provider in the Russian Federation," the ministry said in a statement. Deputy Energy Minister Oleksander Svetelyk told Reuters hackers had prepared the attacks at least six months in advance, adding that his ministry had ordered tighter security procedures. "The attack on our systems took at least six months to prepare - we have found evidence that they started collecting information (about our systems) no less than 6 months before the attack," Svetelyk said by phone. Researchers at Trend Micro, one of the world's biggest security software firms, said this week that the software used to infect the Ukrainian utilities has also been found in the networks of a large Ukrainian mining company and a rail company. The researchers said one possible explanation was that it was an attempt to destabilise Ukraine as a whole. It was also possible these were test probes to determine vulnerabilities that could be exploited later, they said. (Writing by Matthias Williams; additional reporting by Eric Auchard; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
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...
Morro Bay, CA, February 10  Today, more than 1,000 concerned citizens, elected officials, former commissioners, staff members, and environmental and social justice advocates attended the Coastal Commission hearing in Morro Bay. Every single speaker emphasized the importance of the Commissions independence, and urged the Commission to retain Executive Director Charles Lester, a trusted leader that has championed the public good over special interest. In a show of willful disregard for the will of the people it is meant to serve, the California Coastal Commission voted to fire Dr. Lester.

The Coastal Commission was created to manage the public trust, said Marce Gutierrez-Graudins, founder of Azul. But today, they violated it, blatantly ignoring the will of the people by voting to oust a trusted leader that refused to submit to special interests, instead representing the people of California. The Coastal Program is, at its core, an environmental justice program, meant to provide beach access to everyone, regardless of race, culture or income. But today, there was no justice for Dr. Lester or the communities he served so tirelessly.Its a sad day when Dr. Lesters many good deeds are punished, said former Coastal Commission chair Mel Nutter. As a former Commission chair, Im dismayed that the Commission chose to side with invisible lobbyists and billionaires rather than the people of California. There is no excuse for their action.Todays hearing was not a review of Dr. Lesters performance. It was a review of the Coastal Commissions ethics, and the results are deeply troubling, said Stefanie Sekich-Quinn of Surfrider. Considering the outpouring of public support, this Commission is tone deaf and out of touch with the will of the people. The public trust has been broken and I believe a fundamental change is needed to restore public confidence in the Coastal Commission. We dont need new leadership on the staff. We need it on the Commission.The struggle continues, said Robert Garcia of The City Project. We are more than environmentalists, we are civil rights, social and environmental justice, health, and education advocates. We look forward to working with our sisters and brothers in the mainstream environmental movement to ensure compliance with civil rights and environmental justice laws by the Commission, and to diversifying the members and staff of the Commission so they better reflect the people of the new California. We propose a community workshop with the Commission at the Los Angeles River Center, in the Central Valley, and in the East Bay within the next six months. Environmental justice and the coast are never saved, they are always being saved. We must work on it together.The California Coastal Commission manages the most valuable strip of real estate on the planet. The states 1,100-mile coastline is on the front lines of climate change and the fight between private profits and the public trust. In January, it came to light that a group of commissioners were planning to terminate its executive director.Californians responded with an overwhelming wave of support for Dr. Lester. Citizens submitted more than 24,000 pubic comments. Over 150 Coastal Commission staff signed a letter supporting Dr. Lester. Thirty five former commissioners, 93 nonprofits, 16 California lawmakers and 10 members of the U.S. Congress did the same.The Coastal Commission declined to provide a reason for terminating Dr. Lester, couching it as a personnel matter, and making the decision behind closed doors. Dr. Lesters track record certainly does not reveal any performance issues. He has secured new authority for the Commission to remove illegal gates, fences and no trespassing signs, and worked with private property owners to restore access at a beloved surf break in Malibu, the Strand beach in Dana Point, and Martins Beach in Half Moon Bay. Under Dr. Lesters leadership, the Commission received the largest budget increase in its history to help coastal cities and counties plan for the future and prepare for climate change.For additional information about the Coastal Commission and the elected officials, former commissioners, and editorial boards that weighed in to support Dr. Lester, visit http://www.actcoastal.org Surfrider Foundation
As Israeli right wing lawmaker denies the existence of the Palestinian people, a Palestinian child is killed by Israeli troops during West Bank invasions. These stories, and more, coming up, stay tuned.The Nonviolence ReportLets begin our weekly report as usual with the nonviolent activities organized in the West Bank. one Palestinian youth was critically injured as Israeli soldiers attacked nonviolent protests organized in West Bank villages. IMEMCs Majd Batjali with the details :In central West Bank, nonviolent protests were organized in the villages of Bilin, Nilin and Al Nabi Saleh. Troops used tear gas and rubber coated bullets against the unarmed protesters. Both Bilin and Nilin villagers and their international and Israeli supporters managed to reach the Israeli wall built on local farmers lands.In Al Nabi Saleh, the soldiers attacked the protest at the village entrance. Later troops stormed the village and fired tear gas into residents homes.A Palestinian youth was critically injured in Nilin after he was hit by a rubber-coated bullet in the head. He was moved to the nearby Ramallah city hospital for treatment. Many residents suffered effects of tear gas inhalation in all three villages.Elsewhere, Palestinian activists and farmers planted 100 olive trees in lands close to the Israeli wall that belongs to farmers from Yabod village near the northern West Bank city of Jenin. The action today is part of a campaign by the Arab Society for Protection of Nature in  Jordan in cooperation with Palestinian NGOs.This campaign aim to plant one million olive trees in areas were Israeli built the wall on Palestinian lands and uprooted olive trees owned by local farmers.Staying in northern West Bank, Palestinian famers and Israeli activists from Combatants for peace movement organized a protest in Nabi Elias village near Qalqilia city against the confiscation of hundreds of donoms of Palestinian farmers lands to build a new road for illegal settlements in the area.The Protesters held the Friday midday prayers at the land then marched up to the main road holding flags and banners demanding halt to the destruction of Palestinian farm lands and olive trees by Israeli settlements. The protest ended without any clashes with Israeli soldiers.For IMEMC News this Majd Batjali.The Political ReportIsraeli lawmaker Anat Berko denies the existence of the Palestinian people and Egypt to open the Rafah Border crossing for two days. IMEMCs George Rishmawi has more:Israeli right wing lawmaker Anat Berko, said that there was no such thing as a Palestinian people, since Arabic doesnt have the consonant P.Berko made this statement in a speech to the Israeli Parliament known as the Knesset on Thursday. Israeli newspaper Haaretz said in its online edition, While the lawmaker was correct in saying that Arabic doesn't have a "P" sound, the word for "Palestine" in Arabic begins with the consonant "F," the same as in Hebrew, and is pronounced: "Falastin."According to Haaretz, Berko was met with derision in the Knesset plenum after she made this statement. On his part, Jamal Dajani, a senior officer at the Palestinian Prime Ministers office said that Israeli politicians have increased their rhetoric and incitement towards Palestinians.Dajani added that statements like this are meant to dehumanize Palestinians, and distract from the Israeli crimes committed against our people on a daily basis, especially in Area C, that is totally under Israeli control.This is not the first time that Israeli politicians have made hateful and racist remarks towards Palestinians; Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked was previously quoted calling for the slaughter of Palestinian mothers who give birth to little snakes.In Other news, the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Palestinian Gaza Strip will be open Saturday and Sunday, February 13  14.The opening was ordered by Egyptian President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi. Egypt wants to normalize the opening of the Rafah border crossing but insists that the Palestinian side would have to be controlled by the Palestinian Authority and not by any single Palestinian faction signaling to Hamas who controls the coastal enclave.The Rafah border crossing has been ordered to be reopened in both directions on Saturday and Sunday. It is the first time in three months that the border crossing will be open. The border checkpoint has been sporadically opened to facilitate travel and not least much-needed humanitarian aid for the besieged strip.Tensions between Egypt and Gaza arose when Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in 2007. Egypt has largely kept the Rafah border crossing closed with rare random openings since the ouster of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in 2013.The Rafah border crossing is the only passage that is not under direct Israeli control. Israel controls all other entrances and exits of the strip. This week, a European parliament delegation was blocked by Israeli authorities from entering the Gaza Strip.The EU said in a statement that members of the delegation were not given a reason for being barred from the blockaded enclave, where they were due to assess the damage caused by the Israeli military attacks in 2014 as well as the progress of EU-funded reconstruction efforts.Head of the seven-member delegation, Irish MEP Martina Anderson said "The systematic denial by Israel of access to Gaza to European Parliament delegations is unacceptable, and added, this raises questions: what does the Israeli government aim to hide? We shall not give up on the Gazan people."At least 2,200 Palestinians were killed and tens of thousands of homes were demolished by Operation Protective Edge in July 2014, which Israel's army claimed it launched to stop rocket fire into Israel from Gaza. Several Arab and European countries promised to rebuild the destroyed houses, however, it has been more than a year and half and the Gaza Strip is still leveled.For IMEMC News, this is George RishmawiThe West Bank and Gaza ReportThis week, Israeli troops kill a child during invasions targeting West Bank communities and in Gaza two Palestinians die in tunnel accidents. IMEMCs Ghassan Bannoura reports:On Wednesday of this week, Omar Jawabra, 15 was killed by Israeli troops in the al-Arroub refugee camp, north of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, after several military vehicles invaded it. Doctors at the al-Mezan Hospital in Hebron said the child was shot in the chest and that the bullet hit his heart killing him.Eyewitnesses said the soldiers clashed with dozens of local youths, after the army invaded the refugee camp, and fired many rounds of live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets and gas bombs, including at a number of homes.They added that a soldier pointed his gun at the child, and shot him in the chest. Many Palestinians suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation, and received the needed medical treatment.Also this week in the West Bank, Israeli forces, destroyed over 40 Palestinian homes and structures on Thursday in the Tubas district of the occupied West Bank.Meanwhile Israeli forces, on Tuesday, demolished more than 10 Palestinian homes and structures in the village of Khirbet Tana, east of Nablus, northern West Bank.Moreover, Israeli forces conducted at least 94 military invasions into West Bank communities and Jerusalem this week. During these attacks Israeli troops kidnapped at least 78 Palestinian civilians, including 13 children. In the Gaza Strip, one Palestinian was killed, on Monday at dawn, when a tunnel, used for smuggling goods into the besieged coastal region, collapsed on him. Moreover a Hamas fighter was killed on Tuesday, when a tunnel collapsed in the southern Gaza Strip.While the tunnels are used by Hamas as a source of tax revenue and inflow of weapons, they also supply highly-demanded necessities for Gaza's 1.8 million residents under the blockade, including food, medicine, as well as infrastructure materials like concrete and fuel.Staying in Gaza, a delegation from the European parliament was blocked by Israeli authorities from entering Gaza on Tuesday, the EU said in a statement.The delegation said, according news sources, that they were not given a reason for being barred from the blockaded enclave, where they were due to assess the damage caused by an Israeli military operation in 2014 as well as the progress of EU-funded reconstruction efforts.For IMEMC News this is Ghassan Bannoura.ConclusionAnd thats all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for February 5, to the 12, 2016. From the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at http://www.imemc.org , This weeks report has been brought to you by Maher Qasiess and me Eman Abedraboo- Bannoura.
A Los Angeles Superior Court plaintiff received a $1 million settlement for her lawsuit against the city for discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Plaintiff Danielle Wells, a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) employee, filed a government tort claim and eventually a lawsuit against the City for serious violations of California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and of Labor Code  1102.5.

Wells began working for the LAPD in 1995. After several years and a promotion to Sergeant, she experienced medical complications related to her pregnancy in 2009. Wellss Area Commanding Officer, Captain III William Hayes, actually complained that Wells would be off IOD (Injured on Duty) due to her medical complications. LAPD Command Staff violated company policy by demanding Wells return her gun and badge while she remained on maternity leave.When Wells returned to work on light duty status (with some medical restrictions), Captain Wall refused to let her work until her medical restrictions were completely lifted. After Wells returned to work, she suffered a serious knee injury, which eventually led to surgery. An investigation was launched by the LAPD into Wellss long history of going IOD, and the police department continued to prohibit Wells from returning to work until she was again capable of a full duty workload.When the LAPD ordered Wells to return to work with restrictions, her immediate supervisors continued to violate her work restrictions. At one point, Area Commanding Officer Captain Nancy Lauer ordered Sergeant Catherine Plows to visit Wellss physicians office in gun, badge and uniform. Plows was ordered to intimidate and influence Wellss doctor into lifting some of his medical work restrictions Wells practice to prevent further injury to her knee. When Wellss doctor refused to change her work restrictions, Captain Lauer called the doctors medical office and threatened to report him to the California Medical Board.Wellss attorneys Matthew S. McNicholas is a member of the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Attorneys. McNicholas is a partner with McNicholas & McNicholas and worked with fellow attorney Douglas Winter on the case. McNicholas has received countless multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts for plaintiffs, including practice areas ranging from mass torts litigation to employment litigation.Whistleblowers are people who speak out about what their employers are doing by complaining to someone at their company. The statute Wells used to sue the city of Los Angeles, California Labor Code section 1102.5, is generally known as the whistleblower law. Section 1102.5 protects workers who report illegal conduct. In late 2013, Section 1102.5 was amended in several ways. Each amendment expanded the protections available to people who complain about conduct in their workplace.Employees who complain of what they believe to be illegal conduct need not be right when they make their complaint. FEHA regulations and the Labor Code exist to encourage employees to come forward with their genuine employment complaints, so an employee need only have a reasonable belief that the employment conduct at issue is illegal. Under Section 1102.5, it technically did not matter whether Wells actually prevailed on her complaint against the LAPD. It only matters that the employment complaint is made in good faith, and Wells sincerely believed the LAPDs actions were illegal.The case isCase Number BC478742 in the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Top Class Action Lawsuits

Heads Up Owners of 2011-2012 Nissan Frontier Trucks Nissan North America got hit with a defective automotive class action lawsuit this week over claims its side air bags are, well, just a little too enthusiastic. Plain Englishthe air bags deploy unnecessarily.

Filed by plaintiff Bobette Brantley, the Nissan airbag 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. Adding insult to injury, Brantley also claims that Nissan refuses to pay for the resulting repairs.

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 Nissans knowledge of the alleged defect can be seen in the owners 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 plaintiffs contention, based upon plaintiffs own experiences, and based upon plaintiffs 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.

The case is Brantley v. Nissan North America Inc. et al., case number BC609400, in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles.

Target not on Target with Overtime Pay? The discount retailer got hit with an employment class action lawsuit this week. Filed in New York, by Robert LaPointe Jr, on behalf of himself and others similarly situated, the Target lawsuit claims violations of New York Labor Law, specifically, that Target failed to compensate him for overtime worked.

According to the suit, LaPointe worked for Target as an operations group leader in the company warehouses in New York from 2011 to 2015. While at work, the suit states that LaPointe regularly worked in excess of 40 hours per week.

LaPointe asserts that Target failed to pay an overtime premium to him and others in the class for additional hours worked. This, the suit states, is because the employees were misclassified as exempt from the overtime requirements of the New York Labor Law. Additionally, the suit claims Target failed to provide accurate wage statements.

LaPointe and others in the class seek to recover unpaid overtime wages, interests, statutory penalties, injunctive relief, attorney fees and other court costs.

The case is U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Case number 1:16-cv-00656-VSB.

Top Settlements

TVM Award for the VictimThis settlement makes two out of two for the plaintiffs. 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 Carlinos 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 transvaginal mesh 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 Countys 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 Ethicons 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 Carlinos 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.

Ok! So, thats a wrap folks See you at the Bar!
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- A pastor has fled after being caught pants down with another man's wife

- The woman's husband burst in on the pair while they were "praying"

- The couple's daughter informed her father that the affair had been going on for months

- The woman and the pastor are reported to be on the run

The house where pastor victor ran out naked. Photo: PM News

A pastor identified only as Victor, has reportedly fled after being caught pants down with another man's wife in Lagos.

According to a PM News report, the pastor sneaked into a man's house to have carnal knowledge of the wife before he was caught pants down in Ejigbo area of Lagos state.

Reportedly he had already pulled off his trousers but had to run out wearing only his underwear when the husband, identified as Vitalis Okere, barged into his home.

READ ALSO: Redeemed Pastor Arrested For Fraud

The pastor, it was revealed, had been repeatedly going into the man's apartment and sleeping the woman, identified as Chidinma, for several months.

Okere, who is a security guard and spends much of his time at work, did not know about the affair until he was informed by his 11-year old daughter.

The man would leave home in the afternoon to return the following morning and when he had left the house, the randy pastor would take over when their five children had gone to school.

The pair would continue with the act pretending they were praying, while the children were locked outside when they returned from school.

The eldest daughter was said to have informed their father of the incident and on the day nemesis caught up with the adulterous pair, Okere pretended that he was going to work and would return the next day and the pastor came as usual, expecting to carry out his practice.

READ ALSO: Meet pastor whose legs do not touch ground while ministering

But, the pair were stunned when Okore returned unannounced, met his children outside while the pastor and Chidinma locked themselves inside.

The man asked the wife to open the door but when it was taking too long for her to do this, he forcefully opened the door and Victor rushed out in his pants, leaving behind his pair of trousers and soutane in the room.

The woman reportedly denied the allegations when her husband confronted her as she claimed that they were just praying when he arrived.

Okere took the clothes to the police station and reported what happened and they were kept as exhibits at the station and Chidinma was asked to produce Victor, who has now gone AWOL.

The woman has reportedly fled to her home town in Imo state since Wednesday, when the matter was discovered.

Recently, reports surfaced that a Delta-based pastor slept with and impregnated seven single women and two married women, all members of his church.

According to The Punch, the man of God, simply identified only as Dukes, has been at the alleged act for over two years, a situation which has led to the impregnation of the women.

Source: Legit.ng
- Some members of the National Assembly have been alive to their responsibilities

- 2 top Senators visited the site of an ongoing rail project at the nation's capital, Abuja

Senators Dino Melaye and Ben Murray-Bruce led the team of lawmakers that inspected the ongoing rail project in the Federal Capital Territory.

The visit to the site of the project is part of the oversight functions of the 2 members of the upper chambers.

READ ALSO: Should Nigerians angelise or demonise President Buhari?

The project is called the Abuja Mass Transit rail project. The visit was made on Thursday, February 11.

Both men were encouraged by what they say at the site of the project. They urged the contractors to intensify their work in order to see that the project is completed on or before its deadline.

One of the serving Senators that went for the project was the embattled Senator from Anambra state, Andy Ubah.

Below are photos and Tweets from the inspection of the project:

Senator Dino Melaye in Kaftan top with a red Helmet and Senator Ben Murray-Bruce in a white shirt, glasses and a red Helmet among the officials that came to inspect the Abuja rail project

One of the contractors is seen explaining some details about the rail project to Senators of the Federal Republic

Meanwhile Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra state said his administration has spent over N34 billion in repairing the federal roads. The governor wants the federal government to urgently come to aid of the state financially.

Source: Legit.ng
- The acting director of the Nigerian army's public relations says the army is making progress in their fight against Boko Haram

- Lives are still being lost, but the efforts are successful

- Cameroonian soldiers have been helpful in carrying out anti-terrorism operations

Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, the acting director for the Nigerian army public relations, has posted a Facebook account updating Nigerians on the progress of the army in fighting Boko Haram terrorists.

He said the fight against terrorism and insurgency in the north-east is making tremendous progress.

Usman also told about an occurrence in Dogon Gida and New Marte when four soldiers lost lives after stepping on an improvised explosive device planted by suspected Boko Haram terrorists in the ground. Notwithstanding, the reinforced team continues their patrolling in search of perpetrators.

Clearance operations against Boko Haram have also been carried out by Nigerian task force brigades, together with their Cameroonian counterparts in Ngoshe and Sino villages, advancing to Mararraba, Angwan Fada, Dale, Wizha, Bokko Timit, Bokko Nasanu, Bokko Hide.

All Boko Haram enclaves there were cleared, and 17 women and 28 children rescued. Five IEDs were detonated by the troops and an IED manufacturing workshop destroyed.

The Cameroonian forces have also knocked out Boko Haram terrorists' gun trucks, and raided and cleared several IED-making factories along border towns.

The IEDs discovered by the Nigerian Army soldiers

Soldier of the Nigerian Army talking to his Cameroonian comrade

This news comes after a statement by the Nigerian air force that they have identified possible locations of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.

Source: Legit.ng
It looks like nothing was found at this location. Maybe try a search?

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Since its launch, the Jeep Compass has built its own fan-base. However, one variant which most SUV enthusiasts have been waiting for happens to be the Compass Trailhawk. And it is this variant, which has now been officially revealed. Dealerships are now accepting bookings, as well as offering test drive slots.

The Trailhawk variant is known for its off-roading capability and its distinctive look. However the model coming to the Indian shores will miss out on the signature red tow hooks which are available on the front. This is due to the upcoming safety norms in India which also take into account pedestrian protection. The rules want the cars to have smooth front ends, so that in case there is a collision with a pedestrian, there is minimal effect on the individual.

The Trailhawk is sold in similar configuration in some other countries like UK. In case, you want to get the hooks as an accessory, even that wont be feasible as they wont be sold, at least not at the official outlets. However, the single hook on the rear-end will come along as standard fitment. Watch the video you RajeNn MeeNa below.

Talking about the Trailhawk, it will come equipped with a four-wheel drive configuration along with low range. It will also have an additional Rock mode, over and above the other modes available in regular Compass. Transmission duties will be taken care off by a 9-speed automatic box, something which the Compass was lacking (no diesel AT option available currently). This will make the only Compass diesel variant with AT option.

On the outside, the Trailhawk looks fairly distinctive from the regular Compass. It gets dual-tone alloys and modified bumpers (which help in improved departure (33.6 degree) and approach (30 degree) angles). Also, it has an increased ground clearance (compared to the regular Compass) to help it tackle all kinds of obstacles it might come across while gallivanting around in the wild.

As the Trailhawk itself comes with multiple off-roading specific features, Jeep will mostly remove some creature comfort features to keep the overall price in check. Some features which customers will miss out, when compared to the top of the line 44 Compass Limited are: auto wipers, auto headlamps and powered drivers seat. Pricing is expected to be in the Rs 25-27 lakh range while competition will include vehicles like Hyundai Tuscon, MG Hector and Honda CR-V.
El Nino is fairly well understood, and by now it's a household word. But another huge system in the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans, which wreaks similar havoc in world weather, is relatively unknown and is just beginning to be explained.

University of Washington scientists have published a mathematical model that could help explain and forecast the Madden-Julian Oscillation, a massive cluster of thunderstorms that plays a role in global weather.

"Over the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific -- one of the warmest, most moist areas of the planet -- there is a colossal cluster of clouds every 40 to 50 days or so," said corresponding author Angel Adames, a UW doctoral student in atmospheric sciences. "When it's active, it's a very strong signal."

The MJO, as it is known, is a gargantuan cluster of rain clouds that pummels the Earth below it, bringing a moving collection of rainstorms that lasts a week or more, followed by a period of mostly clear skies, and repeats about every month and a half. Since people's memories of weather from more than a month ago tends to be fuzzy, the pattern wasn't discovered until weather balloons showed its existence in the 1970s.

Today, satellite observations can clearly show storms moving across the tropical Pacific every 45 days or so, before a quiet phase of about a month or more allows the system to rebuild. Several such cycles repeat, and then the system enters a quiet phase when it can be inactive for many months.

"We know what the MJO is doing now, but we have trouble knowing what it's going to do next," Adames said.

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His new paper, to be published in the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, presents a series of equations that describe how the cluster of storms moves, and where the next will pop up.

"We believe MJO will be the next El Nino," said co-author Daehyun Kim, a UW assistant professor of atmospheric sciences. Better understanding of the MJO would help predict tropical rainstorms and flooding over India, northern Australia, and Pacific islands such as the Maldives and Indonesia. It could also improve medium-range global forecasts, since the MJO can nudge weather patterns that affect the mainland U.S. For example, the MJO can amplify the effects of El Nino, as it did in early January 2016, when both systems were active in the tropical Pacific at the same time.

While MJO storm clouds move eastward, the equations in the new study predict that, in the weeks that follow, clear sky conditions will develop to the west of where the storm system started, which in turn will cause the development of another region of storminess even further west.

"We came up with a theoretical model that can explain almost all of the fundamental features of the MJO," Kim said.

"This is an idealized model, so it won't help with forecasting yet," Adames said. "But it shows that we're beginning to understand the physics behind this system."

The model explains three major elements of the MJO: Its huge size, its timescale of about 45 days, and why the storm clouds always move toward the east.

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To do so, the model combines several recent theories about the MJO. One is the idea that unlike places such as the continental U.S. during winter, where the interaction between cold and warm air masses drive precipitation, in the tropics humidity reigns. The model asserts that the MJO creates high-humidity areas which eventually develop into large thunderstorms.

"I'm from Puerto Rico, and I can say with certainty that there are fewer contrasts in temperature in the tropics," Adames said. "Another way to drive the weather is by changing the amount of humidity in the atmosphere. This is how the MJO changes weather conditions. "

The model also incorporates the idea that as the moisture wave we see travels east, it disturbs the atmosphere to its west, setting up the stage for the next cluster of storm clouds.

The researchers used satellite observations from NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission to check their math. Indeed, the data show that each storm begins slightly to the west of the preceding one, and matches the patterns they predicted.

Still mysterious is what first sets up an MJO. It tends to be more active in winter, but sometimes disappears for months at a time. Also unknown is why some MJOs reach the Pacific, where they affect global weather, while others just peter out in the Indian Ocean. These will be areas of future study, Kim said, as well as looking at how to improve representation of the MJO in global climate models.
Findings by Adriana Romero determined that fungi in Alaska begin to adapt to high temperatures, speeding up their metabolism, growing and reproducing at a faster pace.

Global warming is increasing with each day that passes and the poles begin to thaw. Several alternatives are raised but few talk about the harm caused by fungi (mold), which contribute to the production of greenhouse gases.

As determined by a research conducted at the University of California by the Mexican Adriana Romero, which indicates that fungi from Alaska begin to adapt to high temperatures and contribute to global warming by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in the atmosphere.

Master in Molecular Ecology from the University of Baja California, Adriana explained that fungi are responsible for destroying the organic matter such as leaves that fall from the trees, and feed nutrients to plants.

"Because in Alaska most of the time it's cold, fungi are asleep and do not contribute to global warming, but with high temperatures (10-30 C), the organisms wake up and generate CO 2 ."

The research is done growing mushrooms in tubes 30 centimeters long and exposing them to temperatures above 25 C.

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"We chose the orange mold as a model because it is a species that commonly grows in the area, plus all its physiology, life cycle, genes and what do they code for is known," said Romero, a native of Sonora, northern state of Mexico.

When this mold grows there is a cell division that is interpreted as a new generation. In the experiment, by cultivating 15 tubes for eight months 1,500 generations were achieved, after that a physiological assay compared this tubes to fungi not exposed to high temperatures.

The results determine that the fungus show a faster metabolism; it grows and reproduces more quickly, breathes more oxygen and exhales more carbon dioxide. With this information it is possible to extrapolate for the whole community of fungi in the planet.

Romero's work is complemented by field studies in Alaska, where she observed in real time how climate change affects the community of forest mushrooms.

"Fungi breathe as humans; they inhale oxygen and exhale CO 2 and although there are many of us, we are nothing compared with the amount of fungi," said the especialist.

She explained that Alaska is the region with most fungi in the world because there are blocks of land called "stock" carbon, reservoirs of this chemical, which is frozen most of the year; however, summers begin to last more (up to five months), so this organisms are active more and more time during the year.

Some scientific models determine that if fungi adapt to global warming, as Romero warns, they will not maintain a high metabolism for a long time, which means that there will be a peak contribution of CO 2 to the atmosphere, that later will drop and return to normal conditions; however, the climate damage will be irreversible.

"Although there are things we cannot control such as metabolism, evolution and adaptation of fungi, we can make changes in our daily life that may contribute to curb global warming and avoid drastic changes in temperature," concluded the researcher.
A James Cook University researcher has found more than three quarters of Australians regard the Great Barrier Reef as part of their national identity and nearly 90 per cent believe it is under threat from climate change.

JCU's Jeremy Goldberg commissioned two professional surveys of around 1,000 people each as part of his PhD, conducted at JCU and CSIRO.

He said the survey's results were surprising. "We expected people to care about the Reef, but the strength of that connection was a revelation."

77 per cent of people felt the Great Barrier Reef was part of their identity as Australians and 43 per cent of people listed it as the most inspiring Australian icon, more than five times the level of Uluru, the second most inspiring icon.

Mr Goldberg said the results produced another surprise too, with a huge number of Australians concerned about the effect of climate change on the Reef.

"89 per cent of people thought climate change was a threat to the Reef and 54 per cent said they would be personally affected if the health of the Great Barrier Reef declined," he said.

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"There seems to be a difference between the level of concern the public has for the health of the Reef due to climate change and the level of concern expressed in the media."

It was the first nationally representative poll about the Great Barrier Reef in terms of location, gender, age and other demographic variables. "We sought to have a solid representation of the Australian public, not just Queensland stakeholders or capital cities as other studies have done," said Mr Goldberg.

Mr Goldberg said the connection between people and special places is rarely quantified, and policymakers find it difficult to incorporate human dimensions into decision-making processes.

"We've described the personal concern and connection Australians have with the Great Barrier Reef and discuss how the results may help with its management," he said.

"Now we have a clearer understanding of how deeply people do connect. It seems that people see it as much more than just a Reef, but think of it as part of the culture and protecting the Reef may be part of what it means to be Australian, or that letting it continue to decline would be un-Australian."

The study forms part of a social and economic long-term monitoring program (SELTMP) for the Great Barrier Reef, established by JCU and CSIRO scientists, funded by the Australian Government's National Environmental Research Program.

Other key points from the survey:
One of the many dangers resulting from global warming is the melting of glaciers. To ascertain how this will affect sea levels in the future, it is important to know how glaciers behave.

Five years ago, Professor Jon Ove Hagen at the Department of Geosciences at University of Oslo in Norway affirmed that the melting of the smaller glaciers in the Arctic was just as important for the rise in sea level as the melting of glaciers on Greenland. Melting in the Arctic is staggering. During three summer months, the Svalbard glaciers alone lost four and a half million tonnes of meltwater per hour.

The Nordic Centre of Excellence in Arctic Research, Stability and Variations of Arctic Land Ice, headed by Jon Ove Hagen has studied a unique type of glacier found on Svalbard, which behaves quite differently from most other glaciers worldwide.

These glaciers can remain almost quiescent for 50 to 100 years, before advancing at an unprecedented velocity for some years. Then they retreat once again and remain quiescent for a further fifty to a hundred years before suddenly advancing once again.

"A better understanding of the dynamics of these glaciers will increase knowledge of how the tributaries of the large glaciers on Greenland and in the Antarctic behave. This will enable us to predict more accurately how much sea levels will rise when these glaciers melt," says Jon Ove Hagen.

Remarkable phenomenon

These special glaciers are termed surging glaciers. In this article we refers to them as pulsating glaciers.

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Pulsating glaciers behave so differently from the majority of glaciers worldwide that researchers have been attempting to explain this remarkable phenomenon for a considerable number of years.

At least one of five glaciers on Svalbard pulsates. Globally, the number is one in a hundred. This means that pulsating glaciers are twenty times more common on Svalbard than in the rest of the world.

Some glaciologists claim that as many as nine out of ten Svalbard glaciers pulsate. A 1993 glacier atlas estimates a total of a hundred pulsating glaciers in the period from 1860 to 1992, but many of these observations are imprecise.

Only a few glaciers pulsate at the same time. In some seasons all of them may be quiescent.

There are no pulsating glaciers on mainland Norway, or in the Alps. In contrast, some glaciers in Alaska and Iceland wake to life and move in the same way. Some of the glaciers on Greenland and in the Antarctic also pulsate.

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"Svalbard is therefore the best place in the world to study this remarkable phenomenon. These are living glaciers with their own special behaviour," says French researcher Heidi Sevestre to the research magazine Apollon.

In her PhD thesis at the University of Oslo and the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), she has attempted to explain why these glaciers behave in such a strange way.

Viscous mass

All glaciers resemble a viscous mass. Because of the enormous weight of the ice, these masses flow slowly towards the ocean. Most large glaciers move a few metres on an ordinary summer's day.

The classic glacier is the calving glacier. The glacier front ends in the sea, and blocks of ice detach and fall into the fjord. These glaciers are now receding faster and faster, and are continually losing more ice, like the Kongsbreen glacier innermost in Kongsfjorden near Ny-Alesund. Over the last 30 years, the glacier has receded by five kilometers, i.e. 166 metres annually.

The Nathorstbreen glacier in Van Keulenfjorden, 90 kilometres south of Longyearbyen, is an example of a pulsating glacier. It actually consists of many branches that join together to form one large glacier. In the course of a mere three years, from 2009 to 2011, the front advanced 20 kilometres.

"At the most, the Nathorstbreen glacier has moved over twenty metres per day, or ten times faster than a normal glacier. All the ice that ends up in the fjord will gradually melt, resulting in the ice front receding," Jon Ove Hagen relates.

But even though they are affected by climate change like all other glaciers, this is not the explanation for their pulsation.

Normal glaciers move at a steady pace thanks to the high pressure exerted by snow masses on the ice caps.

Pulsating glaciers are unable to move fast enough to dispose of the excess snow.

Some of the upper parts of these glaciers become a few tens of metres higher before starting to spread. When they have become heavy enough, the enormous weight will result in the glacier sliding faster and advancing. The volume of the glacier will nevertheless remain the same.

The Nathorstbreen glacier is 200-400 metres thick and 5-6 kilometres wide, thus consisting of many million tonnes of ice. The reason why this huge mass of ice can move over ten metres per day is that meltwater is formed between the glacier and its bed.

There are two types of ice. One is cold ice with a temperature that is constantly below melting point. Friction against the glacier bed is therefore so great that the ice moves slowly.

The other type is called warm or temperate ice. Here the temperature is close to melting point. When water is formed under the ice, the glacier slides more rapidly.

"When the glacier becomes thicker, the pressure in the ice increases, resulting in some increase in temperature. At the bottom of thick glaciers, the ice is so warm that it starts to melt. The secret of such pulsating glaciers is therefore increased pressure from above. As long as the meltwater does not run away, the ice surfs on the water," explains Sevestre.

When the meltwater under the ice drains off, the friction increases and the movement of the glacier comes to a halt.

Dangerous crevasses

It is of most interest to study pulsating glaciers when their speed has increased, but at that time it may be extremely dangerous to walk on the glacier to put measuring instruments in place.

"It is impossible to walk on glaciers that are moving fast. The entire glacier surface is a chaos of dangerous crevasses. The only period when you can study them properly is when they are moving slowly, but doing research at that time is of less interest. When the glaciers have started to advance, it is too late to find out anything about how the advance started," Jon Ove Hagen asserts.

A stroke of luck on the glacier

By a stroke of luck, the research group succeeded in placing five permanent GPS sensors on the south side of Europe's largest glacier, Austfonna on Nordaustlandet, some years ago, before discovering that the glacier segment with the uninspiring name Basseng 3 [Basin 3], was a pulsating glacier. The sensors were placed five to twenty kilometres from the glacier front, but unfortunately not on the parts of the glacier that moved at the greatest velocity some years later.

The glacier began to move faster in 2009, and the velocity gradually increased every summer. Even though the velocity naturally decreased somewhat in winter, it doubled in relation to the preceding winter nevertheless. The gradual increase lasted for three years. In 2012, the movement of the glacier rocketed. The fastest moving parts of the glacier moved twenty metres per day, and the cracks were up to ten metres wide.

The annual glacier calving rate for the entire ice cap of Austfonna is usually two and a half cubic kilometres of ice annually. Now the enormous ice discharge has tripled but this phenomenon is of short duration.

"We have also observed on Greenland that the speed is increasing on many tributaries. We can therefore learn from Austfonna on Svalbard something about what is happening to other big ice caps and ice sheets. The key question is how stable the tributaries are in Greenland and in Antarctica. This can be of considerable significance for sea levels," says Hagen.

To measure the movements and changes in the elevation of the glacier on Austfonna, both satellite measurements and GPS measurements on the glacier itself are employed. Previously, snowmobiles have been used to take radar measurements of the thickness of the ice. The glacier has become thicker in the central zones and thinner along the edge. Now it has become so dangerous that helicopters must be used to put measuring instruments in place.

This past autumn, the glaciologists travelled to the Tunabreen glacier, which is located a little to the south of the Russian settlement Pyramiden. The glacier advanced enormously ten years ago but is now receding. Here the glaciologists have installed instruments on the glacier and a camera on the mountain to take photographs at regular intervals over a period of months in order to measure the speed of the glacier. They will also study the topography of the fjord.

Heidi Sevestre has studied fifteen pulsating glaciers on Svalbard. The glaciers do not advance at the same time. While some are now expanding, others are receding. Thanks to satellite photographs, one can see which glaciers are changing.

In the 1930s, Svalbard experienced a warm period. Then it grew colder -- and then warmer again. Now the Svalbard glaciers are reacting strongly to climate change.

"Even though the process in the pulsating glaciers strictly speaking has nothing to do with the climate, the climate may affect how often they advance," emphasises Jon Ove Hagen.

Calculating the snow masses

In order to understand the movements of the glaciers, researchers must also take into account the volume of precipitation on the glaciers. Unfortunately they know little about local variations in precipitation.

"Regrettably we have far too few permanent weather stations on Svalbard. There is one in Hornsund, in the very south of Svalbard, one in Longyearbyen, one in Ny-Alesund and one in the very north of the archipelago. That's not enough. We need more weather stations. For the time being we have to use mathematical models to estimate the volume of precipitation on the glaciers, explains Sevestre.
A warming climate is likely to drive species to higher, cooler altitudes. A new study highlights a less obvious, yet crucial way in which their new habitat could differ from the one they leave behind.

Mountains are home to many living species, with biodiversity typically peaking at mid-altitudes. Scientists have long struggled to explain why this is the case, invoking factors such as low temperatures at high elevations or human disturbance further down. According to new research, mid-altitudes host the largest number of species because the size and the connectedness of similar habitats are greatest there. One implication of their findings, presented in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is that moving to higher elevations to adapt to a warming climate could drive species into habitats with a whole different set of spatial properties.

Many factors determine the number species that can co-exist on a patch of land. Large areas with similar properties typically host more species than small ones. And their biodiversity can be increased further if many similar habitats are connected. In mountainous terrain, other factors come into play, such as temperature, biological productivity, and exposition. By transposing the findings from flat land to mountainous terrain, a team of researchers from across Switzerland has found a new way to explain the observation that biodiversity in mountainous terrain tends to peak at mid-altitudes.

"In mountainous terrain, peaks and valleys are isolated habitats, like islands in the ocean, whereas mid-elevation sites form well-connected patches," explains Enrico Bertuzzo, a researcher at the Ecohydrology Lab at EPFL and first author of the study. "Given that habitat area and connectivity foster biodiversity, whereas isolation favors the dominance of few species, we hypothesized that topography itself could be playing a key role in regulating how biodiversity varies with elevation."

Biodiversity is often studied on idealized cone-shaped mountains, where similar habitats are assumed to be found at similar altitudes. In this case, habitats get smaller with increasing altitude, and their species richness is predicted to decrease, leading biodiversity to peak at foot of the cone and steadily decrease with elevation. Instead, Bertuzzo and his coauthors took a more laborious approach. "Rather than simplifying mountainous terrain to perfect cones or regular hills, our starting point was to consider it in all of its complexity," explains Florian Altermatt from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies at the University of Zurich.

To test their intuition that the very structure a landscape can shape biodiversity patterns, Bertuzzo and his coauthors let loose a large number of virtual species on a mountainous terrain in a computer simulation. Each virtual species was assigned an optimal altitude at which it could thrive, and these altitudes were distributed uniformly across all the elevations considered. When the researchers let the virtual species compete for habitats on landscapes modeled on real-life ones, their simulations confirmed their intuition: topography alone was enough to explain biodiversity patterns observed in nature.

"Other factors, like temperature, productivity, etc., are obviously also important, but they inevitably act on top of the unavoidable effect provided by the landscape structure," says Altermatt.

These findings are of particular relevance in a warming world. "Understanding the relation between elevation and biodiversity is crucial to predict how the distribution of species will change in response to climate change," says Bertuzzo. "Warmer temperatures will cause species' niches to shift upwards. The same ecological community will therefore move up the mountain, where it will find a different spatial composition, both in terms of available area and connectivity. Our findings underscore the importance of considering these factors to predict future changes."
Not only is Greenland's melting ice sheet adding huge amounts of water to the oceans, it could also be unleashing 400,000 metric tons of phosphorus every year -- as much as the mighty Mississippi River releases into the Gulf of Mexico, according to a new study. Phosphorus is a key nutrient that could, if it reaches the open ocean, enrich waters of the Arctic Ocean, potentially stimulating growth of the marine food chain, the study's authors said.

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient that feeds plankton at the base of the ocean food web. Glacial meltwater has long been known to contain phosphorus, but now new research shows that as the Greenland ice sheet melts it could be releasing far more of the nutrient than previously thought, reports Jon Hawkings, a Cabot Institute researcher at the Bristol Glaciology Centre at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom.

Hawkings and his collaborators spent three months in 2012 and 2013 gathering water samples and measuring the flow of water from the 600-square-kilometer (230-square-mile) Leverett Glacier and the smaller, 36-square-kilometer (14-square-mile) Kiattuut Sermiat Glacier in Greenland as part of a Natural Environment Research Council-funded project to understand how much phosphorus, in various forms, was escaping from the ice sheet over time and draining into the sea. They then used that data to extrapolate how much phosphorus was likely being released from the entire Greenland ice sheet.

They found greater amounts of phosphorus in the waters of the Leverett Glacier than had been detected at previous study sites, which have looked mostly at smaller glaciers. The large Leverett Glacier, however, is more representative of the glaciers that contribute the bulk of meltwater coming from the Greenland ice sheet, said Hawkings.

"We find annual phosphorus input (for all of Greenland's outlet glaciers) are at least equal to some of the world's largest rivers, such as the Mississippi and the Amazon," Hawkings and his colleagues report in a new study accepted for publication in Global Biogeochemical Cycles, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. That amount could increase as the climate warms and more ice melts, according to the study's authors.

It is not clear yet how much of the phosphorus being released from the ice sheet is reaching the open ocean, but if a large amount of phosphorus coming off the glacier makes it to the sea, the nutrient could rev up biological activity of Arctic waters, according to the study's authors. The nutrient could stimulate growth of plankton at the base of the ocean food web that could impact birds, fish and marine mammals higher up the food chain. The research also suggests ice sheet-derived phosphorus could eventually reach the northern Pacific and Atlantic oceans, which are connected to the Arctic Ocean.

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Unleashing nutrients

Oceanographers have historically thought of glaciers and ice sheets as frozen systems that don't add nutrients or water to the oceans, Hawkings explained. Research over the past couple of decades has shown there is flowing water at the base of glaciers. As climate change warms Greenland and more ice melts and makes its way into the sea, the ice sheet is potentially becoming a more important source of nutrients, he said.

Glacial meltwater gains phosphorus when it travels in moulins, or "pipes" through the ice -- through the guts of the glacier and down to the where the ice meets the bedrock. Where the ice meets the bedrock at the very bottom of the glacier, the meltwater is exposed to phosphorus-rich rocks that are pulverized by the moving glacier.

"Glaciers are very, very good at crushing up rock," said Hawkings.

The concentrations of dissolved phosphate the researchers found in the Leverett Glacier meltwater -- which is just one form of phosphorus found in the meltwater -- were similar to concentrations found in Arctic rivers, and among the highest levels recorded in glacial meltwaters worldwide. The total phosphorus concentrations found in the meltwater of the Leverett Glacier -- which includes phosphorus-rich particles -- was 10 times greater than concentrations found in Arctic river waters.

If the majority of the phosphorus found in meltwater from all of Greenland's glaciers reaches the sea, it would be equal to about 400,000 metric tons (440,000 U.S. tons) per year of phosphorus, more than Arctic rivers are estimated to contribute to the Arctic Ocean, according to the new study. However, how much phosphorus makes it from the meltwater into the open oceans is not yet known. The largest portion of phosphorus, which is in the form of powdered rock minerals, could be settling out of the meltwater and end up buried in Greenland's fjords before it has time to dissolve, Hawkings said.

"This is an important finding because it highlights the role that the rapidly changing Greenland ice sheet plays in supplying nutrients to the Arctic Ocean," observed Eran Hood of the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau, who studies the meltwater from coastal glaciers in Alaska, and was not involved in the new study.

"Now we need to understand how much of this phosphorus, especially in the particulate, ends up being utilized in high-latitude marine ecosystems form," said Hood. "I think that's an important open question."
Twenty thousand years ago, when humans were still nomadic hunters and gatherers, low concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere allowed the earth to fall into the grip of an ice age. But despite decades of research, the reasons why levels of the greenhouse gas were so low then have been difficult to piece together.

New research, published today in the leading journal Nature, shows that a big part of the answer lies at the bottom of the world. Sediment samples from the seafloor, more than 3 kilometers beneath the ocean surface near Antarctica, support a long-standing hypothesis that more carbon dioxide was dissolved in the deep Southern Ocean at times when levels in the atmosphere were low.

Among other things, the study shows that during the ice age, the deep Southern Ocean carried much smaller amounts of oxygen than today. This indicates that photosynthetic algae, or phytoplankton, were taking up large amounts of carbon dioxide near the surface. As dead algae sank to the depths, they were consumed by other microbes, which used up the oxygen there in the process. The scientists found chemical fingerprints of the oxygen level by measuring trace metals in the sediments.

The evidence "is a long-sought smoking gun that there was increased deep ocean carbon storage when the atmospheric CO 2 was lower," said Sam Jaccard of the University of Bern, Switzerland, the study's lead author.

Coauthor Robert Anderson, a geochemist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, said the study "finally provides the long-sought direct evidence that extra carbon was trapped in the deep sea by the buildup of decaying organic matter from above." He added, "It's also clear that the buildup and release of CO 2 stored in the deep ocean during the ice age was driven by what was happening in the ocean around Antarctica."

The study also shows that variations in carbon-dioxide storage in the Southern Ocean were probably behind a series of natural "wobbles" in atmospheric levels of about 20 parts per million that took place over thousands of years. The study suggests that the wobbles were probably caused by changes in the amount of iron-rich dust, which fertilizes phytoplankton, being blown from land onto the ocean surface. Levels may also have been influenced by varying amounts of carbon being released from the deep ocean as ocean currents changed, said the authors.

The study may hold powerful lessons for today. While the natural 20-part-per million wobbles took thousands of years to happen, carbon dioxide levels have risen that much in just the last nine years, due to human emissions. Levels are now about 400 parts per million, versus about 280 in the early 1800s. "The current rate of emissions is just so fast compared to the natural variations that it's hard to compare," said study coauthor Eric Galbraith of the Autonomous University of Barcelona. "We are entering climate territory for which we don't have a good geological analog."
In war, everything not censored is a lie.
Scientists have created the first map that shows how the Greenland Ice Sheet has moved over time, revealing that ice in the interior is moving more slowly toward the edges than it has, on average, during the past 9,000 years.

The findings, which researchers said don't change the fact that the ice sheet is losing mass overall and contributing to sea level rise, are published in the Feb. 5 issue of Science. Along Greenland's periphery, many glaciers are rapidly thinning. However, the vast interior of Greenland is slowly thickening, a process the new study clarifies.

"Scientists are very interested in understanding how ice sheets flow and how that flow may have been different in the past. Our paleo-velocity map for Greenland allows us to assess the flow of the ice sheet right now in the context of the last several thousand years," said lead author Joe MacGregor of The University of Texas at Austin's Institute for Geophysics (UTIG), a research unit of the Jackson School of Geosciences.

The study builds on earlier UTIG-led research that developed a database of the many layers within Greenland's ice sheet. Using this database, the scientists determined the flow pattern for the past 9,000 years -- in effect creating a "paleo-velocity" map.

In comparing the paleo-velocity map with modern flow rates, researchers found that the ice sheet's interior is moving more slowly now than during most of the Holocene, a geological period that began about 11,700 years ago and runs to the present.

"Like many others, I had in mind the ongoing dramatic retreat and speedup along the edges of the ice sheet, so I'd assumed that the interior was faster now too. But it wasn't," said MacGregor.

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The authors identified three causes for this deceleration. First is that snowfall rates were generally higher during the past 9,000 years, second is the slow stiffening of the ice sheet over time, and third is the collapse of an "ice bridge" that used to connect Greenland's ice to that on nearby Ellesmere Island. Of most interest were the last two.

"The ice that formed from snow that fell in Greenland during the last ice age is about three times softer than the ice being formed today," according to William Colgan of York University's Lassonde School of Engineering, a co-author of the study.

Because of this difference, the ice sheet is slowly becoming stiffer. As a consequence, the ice sheet is flowing more slowly and getting thicker over time. This effect is most important in southern Greenland, where higher snowfall rates have led to rapid replacement of ice from the last glacial period with more modern Holocene ice.

"But that didn't explain what was happening elsewhere in Greenland, particularly the northwest, where there isn't as much snowfall, so the stiffening effect isn't as important," said MacGregor.

The explanation of deceleration in the northwest lies in the collapse 10,000 years ago of an "ice bridge" across Nares Strait, which used to connect Greenland's ice to that on Ellesmere Island. The collapse of the ice bridge at the end of the last ice age led to acceleration in the northwest, but the ice sheet has since returned to a slower pace.

These changes, which started thousands of years ago, affect our understanding of the changing Greenland Ice Sheet even today. Scientists often use GPS and altimeters aboard satellites to measure the elevation of the ice surface and study how much mass is being lost or gained across the ice sheet. When correcting for other known effects on the surface elevation, any leftover thickening is assumed to be due to increasing snowfall, but this study shows that may not be the case.

"We're saying that recent increases in snowfall do not necessarily explain present-day interior thickening," said Colgan. "If you're using a satellite altimeter to figure out how much mass Greenland is losing, you're going to get the answer slightly wrong unless you account for these very long-term signals that are evident in its interior."

UTIG researcher Ginny Catania and scientists from University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of California Irvine and The University of Kansas worked on the study. This study was supported by the National Science Foundation's Arctic Natural Sciences Program, the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets, and NASA's Operation IceBridge.
The sheet of paper taped to the door of Keith Emery's office tells the story. On the paper is a simple fever chart showing the improvements made in increasing the efficiency of two dozen types of solar cells. Some of the lines marking record efficiencies date to the mid-1970s. Others start much more recently, with the advent of newer technologies.

More than anyone at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Emery has seen the lines on that chart move ever higher. Since joining what at the time was the Solar Energy Research Institute, Emery has made the process of recording record efficiencies of solar cells and modules more accurate.

"The community requires -- demands -- independent measurements because it's very easy to unintentionally inflate the measurements," said Emery, a principal engineer at the lab. "Most of the measurement errors a researcher would make would tend to make the efficiency higher, not lower. So it's our job to put everybody on the same playing field. That's what we've been working on as a group."

NASA originally was in charge of determining record efficiencies for solar cells. After taking over that task in 1980, Emery visited NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California where he was given a solar simulator, and the John H. Glenn Research Center in Ohio where he was given all of their primary terrestrial reference solar cells. Emery, who holds a bachelor's degree in physics and a master's in electrical engineering, was just getting started.

The original system for testing solar modules was set up atop a mobile home, and at that time the computers were bulky and unrepairable. One of the biggest challenges in the first 10 years of the program, Emery said, was the incompatible computer platforms. One computer used a cassette tape to back up its files. Another was booted up by entering binary codes with paddle switches and saved data to reel-to-reel tapes.

Since Emery's early days verifying how much electricity a solar cell generates, he's been joined in his work by scientists in Germany (at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, or ISE), in Japan (at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, or AIST), and in Italy (at the European Solar Test Installation).

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Together, Emery and four counterparts around the globe determine which companies or laboratories are included in "Solar cell efficiency tables," which is published twice a year in the journal Progress in Photovoltaics. To secure a spot in the efficiency tables, claims must be independently recognized by a recognized test center.

The scientists involved with measuring the efficiencies of solar cells have visited each other's labs to familiarize themselves with the available equipment and general procedures. An inquisitive group, the researchers toss out question after question. How did you determine what the edge of the cell was for area measurements? What kind of aperture did you use? What stabilization criteria did you use?

Having a select group of laboratories handle the validation of efficiency records gives the results credibility.

"The measurement labs have exactly zero enforcement," Emery said. "It's peer pressure that says, I'm not believing your result until you get an independent measured result. It is absolutely peer pressure that is making this whole thing work. This field is incredibly skeptical."

The efficiency of a solar cell or module is determined by the percentage of sunlight that's converted to electricity. To test how effective a photovoltaic (PV) device is, NREL uses solar simulators that can produce from 1-sun--which equals the amount of sunlight hitting the earth on a clear day, or 1,000 watts per square meter--to about 2,000 suns.

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Scientists Work Separately on Cells, Tests

The latest version of the "Solar cell efficiency tables" lists records set by 23 different technologies. In the field of silicon, for example, there are four different record efficiencies, ranging from 10.5% for a thin film mini-module made by CSG Solar to 25.6% for a crystalline silicon cell made by Panasonic.

NREL validated six of the records, including one for a mechanically stacked solar cell made of gallium indium phosphide and crystalline silicon that was developed jointly by NREL and the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology. The efficiency of the dual-junction cell was measured at 29.8%.

"Records are very important, both for the institution that makes them and for the researchers," Emery said. "NREL likes to hold record efficiencies in this or that material system, but other institutions do too, so there's a competition. My group is firewalled from people that make the cells at NREL, meaning they have no influence over me or on these tables. That's why I'm in a separate group. We've tried hard to do that so that people who make the cells don't have any influence on whether the group that measures them considers them a record or not. That's important."

Emery, who established the PV cell performance characterization laboratory at NREL, has eight people working with him in the lab's Photovoltaic Cell and Module Performance Characterization group.

In the most recent "Solar cell efficiency tables," the majority of the validations -- a dozen -- were done by AIST, the Japanese testing center. Other testing laboratories validate the efficiency of solar cells, but their results aren't accepted for the inclusion in the tables. The lone commercial lab whose results Emery backs is the Newport Technology & Applications Center's Photovoltaic Lab in California. "I stand behind them because I helped set them up. I worked closely with them, and any results they have, they supply all data and answer all questions so I can review the data as if it was measured in my lab. In that case, the researcher sends me the record result from Newport, and I then contact Newport and ask them questions. I have a whole list of questions I usually ask."

If Newport's testing yields a record, Emery adds the information to the "Best Research-Cell Efficiencies," a chart he tapes to his office door that is also published online. It's updated more frequently and contains more categories than the efficiency tables published in Progress in Photovoltaics. He also alerts his co-authors who compile the efficiency tables for the journal. That publication carries considerable weight in the solar community. It's peer-reviewed, with five authors having to agree on which records should be included.

"Just because I think a record deserves to be in that table doesn't mean it winds up in there," Emery said. "It's got five authors, and all five authors have to agree on what is a new result, what should be included, what should not be included. We discuss these before each version comes out, back and forth via email. Everybody submits results. We discuss each other's results, and then we reach a consensus on what the new version will look like."

Emery's co-authors are from AIST, ISE, the Institute for Energy's Renewable Energy Unit in Italy, and the Australian Center for Advanced Photovoltaics.

Efficiency Plays Role in Economics

Although manufacturers are quick to issue press releases about new efficiency records, one of their big selling points is how many watts solar panels can generate for their customers. But solar panels made up of less efficient solar cells or modules are going to have to be larger -- and thus more expensive -- than others that are more efficient. "Below a certain level of efficiency, modules are not economical," Emery said.

The Energy Department's SunShot Initiative wants to see solar-generated electricity cost competitive with conventional electricity sources by 2020, which will require the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for solar in the continental United States to hit 6 cents a kilowatt hour for utility-grade systems, 7 cents for commercial systems, and 9 cents for residential systems. To reach that goal, system prices will have to drop. Manufacturing costs will have to decline, while the efficiency rates will have to increase. If that happens, the amount of energy generated by the systems is expected to increase from less than a half-percent in 2014 to 14% by 2030, according to the SunShot Vision Study.

On the "Best Research-Cell Efficiencies" chart, the record for highest efficiency for a multijunction solar cell now belongs to two French companies, Soitec and CEA-Leti, which worked with the Fraunhofer Institute to reach 46% in December 2014. The record cell has four subcell converters, all in a stack only a few micrometers thick, that focus the sunlight through a lens and onto the cell. The record was confirmed by AIST.

NREL and the other the laboratories testing these high-efficiency solar cells are asking scientists to slow down. New records in what Emery calls "the over 40% club" have been set every few months. "We determined that as the efficiency went up, our errors went up. Everybody forgets about error bars. The difference between a 45% and a 48% cell is within our error bars. That was bad. But we also discovered that there were certain procedures that some of the labs were following that caused higher efficiencies than what they should be. They were in the higher end of their error bars, but everyone else was in the middle. So that didn't sit well. Now for the over 45% efficiencies, we want them to be measured at multiple labs."

Increasing Stability of Some Materials an Issue

Among the newest materials being used to make solar cells is the mineral perovskite. Since Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland secured a spot on Emery's chart in 2013, at 14.3%, the efficiency of perovskite solar cells has continued to increase. The current record, also held by EPFL, is 21.02%.

But neither perovskite solar cells, nor another emerging technology using organic electronics, are as stable as photovoltaics using more established materials. That's changing somewhat as scientists continue to make improvements toward improving the stability of the newer materials.

"The organic cells, when they first came into my laboratory in 2000, were shipped to us in containers with zero oxygen and zero water vapor, and were sealed in chambers that maintained zero oxygen, zero water," Emery said. "As soon as we opened the containers the cells started degrading, so we had to test on the order of minutes before they degraded. Now they're shipped in FedEx mailers with no special encapsulation. So they've solved some of their stability problems, most of them. Perovskites are the same thing. They degrade spontaneously in air. Every time you look at them, they're worse. But we just got some materials in that are stable on the shelves for several weeks, so they're getting better."

NREL measures about 4,000 samples of solar cells a year, but not all of those are trying for a record. Most are just sent to the lab because the scientists who made them want a measurement. Those that arrive with claims of record efficiencies occur about once a month, Emery said.

"It's been more than once where something sent to us as a normal sample we find out later has a record efficiency," he said. "We're not proactive in that regard. We are doing measurements for customers. If a customer wants to be considered for a record, they can ask. My goal is to support the customer, not necessarily to get their record efficiencies in some table."
European bison imported from Poland now roam Denmark's Baltic island of Bornholm in places where the animals haven't lived for thousands of years. Meanwhile, in a far corner of Siberia, scientists are attempting to reconstruct an ecosystem that was lost many thousands of years ago along with the woolly mammoth by introducing bison, musk oxen, moose, horses, and reindeer to a place they call Pleistocene Park.

These efforts to "rewild" the landscape have become increasingly popular in some corners, but researchers writing in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on February 8 say that scientific evidence supporting the potential benefits of this form of restoration is limited at best. As history has shown, the introduction of species into new places is often met with unexpected, negative consequences for the environment.

"Implementation of rewilding in the field is already occurring," says David Nogues-Bravo of the Center for Macroecology, Evolution, and Climate at the University of Copenhagen. "However, scientifically we are in the dark about the consequences of rewilding, and we worry about the general lack of critical thinking surrounding these often very expensive attempts at conservation. Practitioners mustn't assume that scientists are able to predict the full consequences of introducing novel species to dynamic and ever-evolving ecosystems."

Nogues-Bravo and his colleagues say that before implementing rewilding in the field as a major conservation approach, more basic research is needed about the consequences of modifying ecosystems. They argue that, for now at least, conservation efforts should focus instead on protecting biodiversity and on reducing major threats to the environment, such as deforestation, climate change, and invasive species.

"We don't know what the consequences of rewilding may be, and rewilding may also bring de-wilding in the form of local and global extinctions," says Carsten Rahbek, also a co-author. He and Nogues-Bravo note the potential also that rewilding might draw down already limited funds available for less splashy, but more scientifically supported, conservation projects.

Daniel Simberloff, a co-author from the University of Tennessee, says that the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park is often highlighted as a success story through its cascading effects on the landscape. But the influence of such reintroductions can be highly variable and hard to predict.

"Only in some cases do you find evidence of strong cascading effects of large mammals, while other examples show only weak effects or even unexpected, but dramatic, negative consequences," Simberloff says. "Therefore, we advocate caution and careful consideration both for the animals that are rewilded and the ecosystems they are placed into."

While hard work, vigilance, and creativity on the part of scientists, conservation practitioners, and policy makers are required to face the world's sixth mass extinction event, the researchers write, "our hope is that the hard work is grounded in detailed ecological theory and offers clear conservation benefits to all of biodiversity and not just the opportunity to see large, wild beasts roaming the landscape."

The researchers say that they are now exploring the feasibility, adequacy, and risks of rewilding by studying fossil remains and their DNA in museums around the world. Their goal is to understand changes in ecosystems that occurred in past "natural experiments" that resemble rewilding.
Agricultural policies aimed at alleviating poverty in Africa could be making things worse, according to research by the University of East Anglia (UEA).

Published this month in the journal World Development, the study finds that so-called 'green revolution' policies in Rwanda -- claimed by the government, international donors and organisations such as the International Monetary Fund to be successful for the economy and in alleviating poverty -- may be having very negative impacts on the poorest.

One of the major strategies to reduce poverty in sub-Saharan Africa is through policies to increase and modernise agricultural production. Up to 90 per cent of people in some African countries are smallholder farmers reliant on agriculture, for whom agricultural innovation, such as using new seed varieties and cultivation techniques, holds potential benefit but also great risk.

In the 1960s and 70s policies supporting new seeds for marketable crops, sold at guaranteed prices, helped many farmers and transformed economies in Asian countries. These became known as "green revolutions." The new wave of green revolution policies in sub-Saharan Africa is supported by multinational companies and western donors, and is impacting the lives of tens, even hundreds of millions of smallholder farmers, according to the study's lead author Dr Neil Dawson.

The study reveals that only a relatively wealthy minority have been able to keep to enforced modernisation because the poorest farmers cannot afford the risk of taking out credit for the approved inputs, such as seeds and fertilizers. Their fears of harvesting nothing from new crops and the potential for the government to seize and reallocate their land means many choose to sell up instead.

The findings tie in with recent debates about strategies to feed the world in the face of growing populations, for example the influence of wealthy donors such as the Gates Foundation, initiative's such as the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, and multinational companies such as Monsanto in pushing agricultural modernisation in Africa. There have also been debates about small versus large farms being best to combat hunger in Africa, while struggles to maintain local control over land and food production, for example among the Oromo people in Ethiopia, have been highlighted.

Dr Dawson, a senior research associate in UEA's School of International Development, said: "Similar results are emerging from other experiments in Africa. 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. And conditions facing African countries today are very different from those past successes in Asia some 40 years ago.

"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."

The research looked in-depth at Rwanda's agricultural policies and the changes impacting the wellbeing of rural inhabitants in eight villages in the country's mountainous west. Here chronic poverty is common and people depend on the food they are able to grow on their small plots.

Farmers traditionally cultivated up to 60 different types of crops, planting and harvesting in overlapping cycles to prevent shortages and hunger. However, due to high population density in Rwanda's hills, agricultural policies have been imposed which force farmers to modernise with new seed varieties and chemical fertilisers, to specialise in single crops and part with "archaic" agricultural practices.

Dr Dawson and his UEA co-authors Dr Adrian Martin and Prof Thomas Sikor recommend that not only should green revolution policies be subject to much broader and more rigorous impact assessments, but that mitigation for poverty-exacerbating impacts should be specifically incorporated into such policies. In Rwanda, that means encouraging land access for the poorest and supporting traditional practices during a gradual and voluntary modernisation.
Most people understand that investing in the future is important, and that goes for conserving nature and natural resources, too. But in the case of investing in such "natural" assets as groundwater, forests, and fish populations, it can be challenging to measure the return on that investment.

A Yale-led research team has adapted traditional asset valuation approaches to measure the value of such natural capital assets, linking economic measurements of ecosystem services with models of natural dynamics and human behavior.

This innovation will enable policymakers to better evaluate conservation and natural resource management programs, make apples-to-apples comparisons between investing in conversation of natural capital and other investments, and provides a component critical to measuring sustainability.

Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the authors demonstrate how to price natural capital using the example of the Kansas High Plains' groundwater aquifer -- a critical natural resource that supports the region's agriculture-based economy.

According to their analysis, groundwater extraction and changes in aquifer management policies, driven largely by subsidizes and new technology, reduced the state's total wealth held in groundwater by $110 million per year between 1996 and 2005. That is a total of $1.1 billion.

Measuring the value of natural capital can allow governments and business to redefine conservation expenditures as "investments," said Eli Fenichel, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and lead author of the study.

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"The idea that we can actually measure changes in the value of natural capital is really important," he said. "It shows that in places like Kansas, where groundwater is a critically important asset, there is a way to measure and keep tabs on these resources as part of a larger portfolio. And in a world where data is more and more available, it should be possible to do this more often. I think that bodes well for guiding policies aimed at maintaining all of society's wealth."

The study's authors say that achieving sustainability requires that wealth -- including the value of natural capital, human capital, as well more traditional contributors to wealth -- not decline over time. Indeed, such ideas have been advanced by the United Nations and the World Bank. However, a problem with measuring such "inclusive" or "comprehensive" wealth has been measuring the prices of natural capital.

In reference to the Kansas example, Fenichel said, "Most people would agree that losing $1.1. million year over year, or losing wealth at rate of about 6.5 percent for 10 years straight, is poor asset management. Though, it might be reasonable to reallocate assets to a different section of your portfolio. So the loss in water wealth might be OK is it were made up for by investing elsewhere, but if that is not the case, then there is need to be more careful about the rate at which capital is drawn down.

"The key is to convert one form of capital to another in order to allow society to continue to consume more in the future. Because that's what sustainability is really about. It's about the ability for society to go on producing and consuming in a way that provides at least a constant, or perhaps improving, quality of life."

The authors point out that the average annual losses in the value of western Kansas's groundwater aquifer were roughly equal to the amount of the fiscal surplus projected in the state's 2005 budget. So while the annual losses were significant, they say, they were in a range where Kansas could have offset the losses with investments in other areas, such as conservation, education, or infrastructure. The research provides means to make these types of comparisons.

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The authors say that the framework is applicable to the full range of natural capital assets, and are currently working to apply it other forms of natural capital such as fish and forests. It can also be utilized at the project, regional, state, national, and international levels.

"I'm not saying it will be easy or that we're going to be able to measure natural capital prices for everything, everywhere in the world," Fenichel said. "But I think we're showing that it's feasible. And I think we're laying the foundations for others to go out, collect data, and do the calculations to measure the wealth stored in other natural capital assets."

The paper was written in collaboration with researchers from Arizona State University (ASU), Michigan State University (MSU), California State University, Chico and the U.S. National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.

Erin Haacker, an MSU geological sciences graduate student studying hydrogeology, was asked to participate in the paper because of her expertise on the High Plains Aquifer. "Economics is very complicated, so economists try to simplify where possible -- otherwise you would never be able to take a model or method from one location and apply it to another," Haacker said. "But if you don't have a strong foundational knowledge of groundwater, it would be very easy to oversimplify in ways that would make the resource evaluation less realistic, so my role was to ensure that our description of the aquifer was as true to life as possible."

"A critical strength of our approach," said Joshua Abbott, a contributing author from ASU, "is that it combines natural science about resources and social science about human behavior to account for benefits derived from nature. We quantify the changing value of natural stocks by linking economic measurements of ecosystem services -- the income to society depending on nature -- with models of natural dynamics and human behavior. Both are shaped by the market context and our policy choices."
No longer satisfied to be washed out by epic seas and vast oceans, the world's lakes, rivers, streams, canals, reservoirs and other land-locked waters continue a push to be recognized -- and properly managed -- as a global food security powerhouse.

In an article today by Environmental Reviews, authors, which include six either currently affiliated with Michigan State University (MSU) and/or are alumni, offers the first global review of the value of inland fish and fisheries.

"Inland capture fisheries and aquaculture are fundamental to food security globally," said Abigail Lynch, a fisheries research biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center and an adjunct professor at MSU. "In many areas of the world, these fisheries are a last resort when primary income sources fail due to, for instance, economic shifts, war, natural disasters and water development projects."

The article shows that although aquaculture and inland capture fisheries contribute more than 40 percent of the world's reported fish production, excluding shellfish, their harvest is greatly under-reported and value is often ignored.

Inland waters comprise about 0.01 percent of Earth's water.

Topping the list of the value of inland fish and fisheries is food and economic security. These fisheries provide food for billions of people and livelihoods for millions worldwide.

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Inland fisheries, the review showed, support at least 21 million fishers, many of whom live in low-income countries and rely on these fisheries for both subsistence and their livelihood.

Other important benefits that inland fisheries and aquaculture provide include recreation, cultural and even spiritual values, and their contribution to species' and ecosystem diversity.

Michigan State has been working with other fisheries experts and advocates globally to push inland fisheries into the spotlight, especially in calling for better data to document inland fisheries' impact. The trouble, experts note, is that harvest amounts are vastly underestimated, particularly in remote areas and in developing countries. For example, only one-third of countries with inland fisheries submit catch statistics to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization.

"Fish always have been representative of how well humans are doing with their environment," said William Taylor, University Distinguished Professor of Global Fisheries Systems in MSU's Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability (CSIS). "It's time for us to make a move and speak for the fish to have them valued along with power, commercial, agriculture and other competition for water."

The current limitations to valuing the benefits that inland fish and fisheries provide make it difficult to incorporate them into resource planning on a national or global scale, Steve Cooke, second author from Carleton University, noted. "What is of great concern is that more than half of the inland fisheries' habitat is moderately or highly threatened, so populations may be lost even before they are documented."

A partnership between MSU and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) aims to identify opportunities and help develop strategy to bring freshwater fish to the global policy table.

In January 2015, Taylor helped MSU partner with the FAO in Rome for the The Global Conference on Inland Fisheries. That meeting brought 212 people from 45 countries to discuss ways to make fish a competitive part of global development.
Rather than the treeless, limestone expanse we know today, the Plain was flush with gum and eucalyptus trees, banksias and other flowering plants now confined to Australia's east coast.

Scientists at the University of Melbourne used new techniques to date fossilised pollen and reveal the Plain's 'big wet' -- a dramatic transformation in climate that occurred around five million years ago.

The finding sheds new light on the environmental history of the Nullarbor, a former seabed that was lifted above the sea 14 million years ago.

"The Nullarbor region had a relatively dry climate until five million years ago, but then the vegetation suddenly changed," said palaeoclimate scientist Dr Kale Sniderman.

"In just 100,000 years, it became a forest of gums and banksias, which suggests a rainfall of two or up to four times higher than today."

The Nullarbor Plain -- an area covering 200,000 km2 bordering the Great Australian Bight between South and Western Australia -- is today a treeless saltbush shrubland and the largest exposure of limestone in the world.

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It receives an average of 250 mm of rain each year, but before five million years ago the rainfall was approximately 480mm, Dr Sniderman said.

During the 'big wet' between five and 3.5 million years ago precipitation rose to an estimated 1220mm.

Investigating the climate history of Australia's desert regions is traditionally difficult for scientists, given the scarcity of fossils and the difficulty in accurately dating them.

This research successfully employed new methods of dating and analysis, by focusing on the dating of Nullarbor speleothems (stalagmites, stalactites and flowstones).

Until now, it has been impossible to date speleothems more than about 500,000 years old.

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Paper co-author Professor Jon Woodhead, also from the University's School of Earth Sciences, has spent the past decade perfecting methods of dating these old samples, and can now date speleothems of any age.

Dr Sniderman was then able to dissolve Professor Woodhead's dated samples to examine ancient pollen trapped within them.

"Most didn't contain any pollen, which isn't surprising since many speleothems grew in caves that had no openings to the surface," Dr Sniderman said.

"But some did contain fossil pollen, which revealed the nature of the vegetation growing at those times.

"Through that we've been able to develop a new understanding of the history of the Nullarbor's climate."

Prof Woodhead said the research showed there was much more to the Nullarbor than its iconic landform.

"It is also home to a scientific treasure trove of palaeoclimate information that has potential global significance," he said.

The research has been published in the latest edition of the journal, Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences.
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.
The timing of significant Great Barrier Reef coral loss captured by a series of historical photos has been accurately determined for the first time by a University of Queensland)-led study.

Professor Jian-xin Zhao from UQ's School of Earth Sciences said the photos were a powerful visual tool often used to highlight the recent decline of the Great Barrier Reef.

"These photographs taken from the late 19th Century onwards of two inshore Great Barrier Reef locations near Bowen, Queensland, reveal a dramatic loss of coral cover," Professor Zhao said.

"Yet until now no information has been available on when these changes took place, or what caused these changes -- which can lead to the photos being misinterpreted."

Using techniques including uranium-thorium dating in UQ's Radiogenic Isotope Laboratory researchers were able to determine when the corals had died with a precision of up to one to two years.

"Without the exact timing, the reasons for the loss depicted in the historical photos would have remained speculative," Professor Zhao said.

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"This technology allows us to link the coral loss to specific physical events."

Dr Tara Clark from the School of Earth Sciences said an integrated approach was essential to understanding past ecological changes on coral reefs before modern-day monitoring programs began.

"It's important to reliably assess the current state of these reefs and whether they are indeed undergoing a decline as a result of human influences," she said.

"For Bramston Reef, our results revealed that mortality was more recent than previously thought, coinciding with a big flood event and extreme low tide in 1990-1991 -- but showed some recovery by 2012.

"Just two kilometres away, Stone Island has shown very little change when similar events first wiped it out in 1918.

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"The impact of this earlier event was described as though a huge razor had shaved off all the coral growth and it is still like this today.

"The reasons why remain speculative and require further investigation.

"For Stone Island, which shows little evidence of recovery, any future disturbances may further hinder its ability to bounce back."

These findings provide a valuable benchmark for managers to be able to continue monitoring the recovery (or lack thereof) of these reefs.

The study, published in Scientific Reports, was conducted by scientists from UQ, James Cook University, and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

UQ scientists involved included Professor John Pandolfi of the School of Biological Sciences, research officer Dr Ai Duc Nguyen of the School of Earth Sciences and PhD students Nicole Leonard and Hannah Markham.

It was supported by a National Environmental Research Program Tropical Ecosystems Hub Project grant and an Australian Research Council Linkage, Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities grant.

Dr Clark said the researchers were seeking funding to allow other reef locations to be studied.
A new study co-authored by an MIT professor shows that China's new efforts to price carbon could lower the country's carbon dioxide emissions significantly without impeding economic development over the next three decades.

Based on a unique model that links China's energy system and economy, the study finds that China's coal use, a major source of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, should peak some time around the year 2020, while the country's overall CO2 emissions would peak around 2030, or perhaps sooner. Even so, the reduction in carbon-intensive economic activity would not prevent China from reaching its government's goal of being a "well-off society" by 2050.

"Using carbon pricing in combination with energy price reforms and renewable energy support, China could reach significant levels of emissions reduction without undermining economic growth," says Valerie Karplus, an assistant professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management and a co-author of the new study.

Details of the study appear in the paper "Carbon emissions in China? How far can new efforts bend the curve?" being published by the journal Energy Economics. In addition to Karplus, the other co-authors are Xiliang Zhang, Tianyu Qi, Da Zhang, and Jiankun He, all scholars at the Institute of Energy, Environment, and Economy, at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Da Zhang is now a postdoc at MIT.

Why spending, not saving, will make China greener

The impetus for the study comes from a headline-making set of recent policy shifts announced by China, including its toughest-ever set of regulations on local environmental pollution. In November 2013, China pledged to create more sustainable economic growth through a series of measures that included creating markets for CO2 emissions as well as other pollutants and scarce resources, such as water, more broadly.

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That set of measures also helped form the basis for an agreement to limit carbon use, which the U.S. and China announced in November 2014. Among other things, China committed to a goal of making nonfossil fuel sources account for 20 percent of its energy use by 2030; in 2015, that figure stood at 11 percent. The U.S. pledged to reduce its total CO2 emissions about 26-28 percent by 2025, in comparison to 2005 levels.

In turn, that bilateral agreement has been widely credited with paving the way for the larger set of carbon-reduction pledges agreed to globally at the U.N. Climate Change Conference held in Paris in late 2015.

The study uses a model of China's economy and energy output, called C-GEM, developed by scholars at the Tsinghua-MIT China Energy and Climate Project. Karplus served as director of that project from 2011-2015. She joined the Sloan faculty in the fall of 2014 as the Class of 1943 Career Development Professor. She is also a faculty affiliate of the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change and the MIT Energy Initiative.

The model compares and contrasts two main paths that China's energy consumption could take: One, which the paper calls the "Continued Effort" scenario, is a business-as-usual trajectory. The other, based on China's announced reforms and environmental initiatives, is called the "Accelerated Effort" scenario. In the "Continued Effort" scenario, China's carbon emissions would not level off until around 2040, ten years later than in the "Accelerated Effort" scenario, and at a level 20 percent higher.

The model outlines some additional broad contours of China's energy future given the more stringent set of policies. Coal would drop sharply as a source of primary energy, or raw fuel, from around 70 percent in 2010 to around 28 percent in 2050.

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"Coal today is used with varying degrees of efficiency across the Chinese energy system," Karplus observes. "The model is capturing the fact that you have a lot of low-cost opportunities to reduce coal, from heavy-industry direct use as well as the electric power sector, from facilities using less energy-efficient technology or processes."

In all scenarios, the model also simulates that over time, China's famously high savings rate will decline, as has been observed in many developing economies. As a result, more of China's GDP will be composed of 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 different carbon intensity, as a bundle of goods, relative to investment goods, so you automatically get a reduction in carbon intensity from that trajectory," Karplus says.

Think of it this way: At the moment, a larger portion of household earnings in China are tucked away in banks, where they are loaned out and used to fund massive infrastructure projects -- highways, dams, power plants -- which release huge amounts of CO2. In the future, if China's households save less, more of the country's money will be spent on services and everyday goods, which have a smaller aggregate carbon footprint.

Confidence levels

Karplus readily acknowledges that with any energy and economic modeling of this scale, many uncertainties remain. Still, she thinks it is clear enough that the "Accelerated Effort" scenario for China would produce a significant reduction in China's emissions.

"You can have some confidence in the relative numbers despite the huge uncertainties, if you look at the two cases," Karplus asserts. "The value in this exercise is in its ability to look at alternative levels of policy effort and the relative impacts those would have."
Statistical analysis by University of Wyoming researchers shows wide variation in the rates at which the bones of ancient animals in the Americas have been lost.

Considerably more of the fossil record of creatures such as mammoths, mastodons, camels, horses and ground sloths has been lost in what is now the continental United States and South America than in Alaska and areas near the Bering Strait. That variation complicates efforts to reconstruct the population sizes of those species across North and South America, conclude Professor Todd Surovell and graduate student Spencer Pelton in UW's Department of Anthropology.

"While bone preservation in Arctic regions is aided by cold temperatures and the presence of permafrost, considerably more bone has been lost over time in regions farther south -- in fact, at a faster rate than the sediments in which they were deposited have eroded," Surovell says. "That means researchers must adjust for those differences as they estimate the numbers of these animals, many of which are now extinct, across the Americas."

The research appears today in Biology Letters, a Royal Society journal that publishes short, highly innovative, cutting-edge research articles and opinion pieces accessible to scientists from across the biological sciences.

Surovell, whose past research has linked human hunting to the extinction of large mammals in the Americas, conducted the latest study by compiling radiocarbon dates of bones from animals of the Pleistocene era, which ended just under 12,000 years ago. He and Pelton also looked at the rates at which sedimentary deposits were lost over time.

While cautioning against applying their conclusions to the fossil record before or after the Pleistocene, the researchers suggest further research into the differences in the rates at which animal bones are lost from region to region.
Clams, mussels, scallops and oysters, sound like delicious items on a restaurant menu. But bivalves such as these are much more than that: they function as a delicate record of changing environments and climate.

They live for a long time in one place, all the while accumulating information about their environment in their shells.

Precise timing of a climate gas release

17,707 to 16,680 years ago, around the end of the last Ice Age, clams were alive and kicking on the seabed of the Arctic Ocean above 79 North. That is a pretty accurate time frame that proves persistent methane release from the Arctic Ocean floor for approximately a thousand years.

CAGE scientists discovered the colonies while X-raying two sediment cores from the ocean floor offshore Svalbard, collected at 1200-meter water depth. The discovery was published in Geochemistry, Geophysics and Geosystems.

" We have not discovered these chemosynthetic-based communities in any of the other cores found this far North, and as far as I know they have never been observed in the high Arctic at all." says principal author, professor William Ambrose, visiting scholar at CAGE.

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Dont need sunlight to thrive

The clams did not exist in a food chain based on energy derived from the sunlight and CO2, -- photosynthesis. The sunlight does not penetrate this deep into the ocean. Instead they derived large portion of their sustenance from a community of bacteria that convert carbon in the ocean into sugars and other byproducts with the help of methane seeping from the ocean floor.

"Our calculations show that 43 percent of their nutrition came from methane. The rest comes from different sources, among others photosynthetic material falling through the water. But at this depth that is not a lot. The methane is key to this species living there. " says Ambrose

Hot and cold release

Methane seeps out from the ocean floor in two environments: very visibly from hydrothermal vents, huge plumes of hot smoke that appear close to areas of volcanic activity. Or from less dramatic cold seeps that are more elusive. Both environments however are characterized as deep-sea biological oases that support an abundance of chemosynthetic-based communities.

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"Bivalves of this species on the modern seabed as well as in the sediment are a good indicator of methane release." says Ambrose

Natural observatories

The release measured in this study was recorded in Vestnesa Ridge. This is an area known as a gas hydrate province with at least a million years of methane release. Gas hydrates are a solid, ice like form of methane stored under the ocean floor. They release methane gas when they melt.

Several spots in Vestnesa are very active today, even releasing huge columns of gas up to 800 meters tall. Others are inactive. How the release gets activated has been established previously by CAGE- research. But the duration of the release event is not easily understood.

" Bivalves act like natural observatories. These clams have average life span up to 30 years. Some species can even be hundreds of years old."

Think of the clamshells as vinyl records, recording methane release through decades in the groves of their shells, without missing a beat. A shell bed of 30 cm, such as one found in the sediment core from Vestnesa Ridge, represents a formidable record collection, which can be played back by measuring isotopes and elements in the shells

"By dating when the clams lived, and the isotopic values in their shells, we were able to calculate that methane had to persistently leak out of its natural reservoir at this particular site for a thousand years for this clam collection to form."

Takes advantage of CAGE expertise

The precise, and robust dating of such an event in our planet's distant history is not a straightforward process, and does not depend on clams alone. A lot of elements must be in place to achieve this degree of precision: microfossils must be dated, carbonate crusts also, and tectonic movements must be understood.

"This study really takes advantage of the close proximity of all the different expertise that is available at CAGE and is a good example of interdisciplinary work. " concludes Ambrose.
A new study by Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) on the climate change and geochemical process of waters and lake sediments on the Tibetan Plateau show that global warming affects geochemical processes such as glacier melting, soil erosion and sediments release. This deteriorates water quality of rivers and lakes, thus significantly impacting the lives of 40 percent of the world's population living in the area.

According to the results concentrations of mercury, cadmium and lead in high-altitudes lake sediments where there is less human activity were significantly higher compared to low-altitude areas where more people live. This finding indicates that atmospheric long-range transportation of pollutants in remote areas of the Himalayas might deposit at high altitudes. Precipitation during the monsoon season in the region has high concentration of nutrients implies that atmospheric pollution is possibly being transported to the Himalayas from South Asia by the India monsoon, which means human activities in the surrounding area have effects on the waters of the Tibetan Plateau.

The research also found that arsenic concentrations in rivers in the Southern Tibetan Plateau were higher than the guideline for drinking water set by World Health Organisation (WHO) due to the existence of thermal spring in this region.

Tibetan Plateau has an extensive permafrost cover and there is a lot of carbon stored in it. The temperature in the area has been increasing for the past 500 years and the climate in the central plateau has been warming more than other regions in the last century. Rising temperatures export old carbon stores from ancient permafrost into contemporary rivers in the Tibetan Plateau. Global warming will continue to release more carbon to the water system, which will, in turn, intensify the regional climate change and affect water quality.

The Tibetan Plateau is the highest plateau on earth and is also known as the "Third Pole" and "water tower of Asia." Water quality is an essential issue for the inhabitants around the Himalayan area. The water quality in this region is under the threat of climate change as well as human activities as the two population-heaviest countries, China and India, are located in the area. However, local citizen's awareness on understanding of climate change on water quality and mitigation actions on are very limited. Researchers analysed the impacts of climate change on water quality of the lakes, precipitation, as well as headwaters in three major Asian rivers in the Tibetan Plateau: Yangtze River, Yarlung Tsangpo River and Ganges River.

Professor Mika Sillanpaa, the director of the project, also calls for urgent research to be done to understand the carbon cycle at the Himalayas.

"Global warming is releasing increasing amounts of carbon matter from permafrost to waters and then to the atmosphere. This will intensify the regional and even global climate change. It will affect human livelihoods, rangeland degradation, desertification, loss of glaciers and more." Mika Sillanpaa said.
The ocean's power to rein in carbon and protect the environment is vast but not well-understood.

But now, an international team of scientists has begun to illuminate how the ocean plucks carbon from the atmosphere, where it contributes to global warming, and shuttles it to the bottom of the sea.

The new study establishes the important role of plankton networks in removing carbon from the atmosphere and depositing it deep in the ocean. And it opens up opportunities for caring for the ocean in ways that encourage it to absorb more carbon.

The knowledge comes out of the unprecedented three-year Tara Oceans Expedition, in which a team of more than 200 experts took to the sea to catalog and better understand the unseen inhabitants of the ocean, from tiny animals to viruses and bacteria.

The latest in a series of studies from the project appears in today's issue of the journal Nature and includes work by Matthew Sullivan, an assistant professor of microbiology at The Ohio State University, and Jennifer Brum and Simon Roux, postdoctoral researchers in Sullivan's lab.

"We're trying to understand, 'Does carbon in the surface ocean sink to the deep ocean and, if so, how?'" Sullivan said.

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"The reason that's important is the oceans help mitigate our carbon footprint on this planet."

The Tara team used advanced genetic sequencing to survey tiny ocean dwellers and, through a complex analytical approach, was able to identify those clusters of ocean inhabitants most linked to depositing carbon in the deep ocean.

"It's the first community-wide look at what organisms are good predictors of how carbon moves in the ocean," Sullivan said.

For decades, scientists have sought a way to look at a community such as the ocean on a genetic level and to use that information to make larger measurements of complex communities and predict how the ecosystem works.

This study measured abundances of microbes (viruses, bacteria, archaea and small eukaryotes) and then used statistical approaches and computer modeling to determine which microbes are most closely linked with the downward movement of carbon in the ocean.

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Phytoplankton, or the plants in the sea, are known to be able to take carbon from the atmosphere and carry it deep into the ocean. However, few of the thousands of phytoplankton species have been studied in this way.

This new work employed cameras to capture images of organisms at different depths of the ocean to better identify sinking patterns for all plankton. These measurements, combined with new knowledge about the interplay between organisms and advanced analyses, enabled the researchers to determine which phytoplankton best predict the movement of carbon from the ocean's surface to the deep sea. And the strongest predictors were surprises.

Sullivan's team played a key role in better understanding the role of viruses in this process, by providing a global map of virus abundances. After the numbers were crunched, it appears that the abundance of relatively few bacterial and viral genes can predict variation in sinking carbon. The most important viruses appear to infect cells called cyanobacteria.

The Tara project's approach (fishing with a very large net rather than studying a limited number of organisms) allowed the team to establish a relationship between tiny viruses and carbon export in the phytoplankton community, Roux said.

"What was really surprising was that only a handful -- less than 10 out of more than 5,000 -- viruses seem to be specifically linked to carbon export. This means that we can now go after these key players specifically and try to characterize their impact on the ecosystem," he said.

The Tara work could also help scientists understand how high carbon levels in the atmosphere are affecting the ocean, Sullivan said.

More carbon entering oceans acidifies the waters, which stresses marine organisms and alters marine life. Ultimately, this could mean the difference between whether there's enough tuna for your sushi dinner, Sullivan said.

The study also included first-of-its-kind computer modeling that helps the team identify hotspots in the ocean where more carbon movement is happening, based on the microorganisms that are present.

"These findings help us better understand how the ocean works, but these new approaches can be used by anyone studying microbial processes in any ecosystem," he said.

The Tara project included thousands of samples of ocean life collected at hundreds of sites in the Indian, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, South Pacific and Southern oceans and in the Mediterranean Sea. It has allowed for a better understanding of the interplay of organisms in the ocean and of their role in the health of the planet.
It's official: There really was a giant, flightless bird with a head the size of a horse's wandering about in the winter twilight of the high Arctic some 53 million years ago.

The confirmation comes from a new study by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and the University of Colorado Boulder that describes the first and only fossil evidence from the Arctic of a massive bird known as Gastornis. The evidence is a single fossil toe bone of the 6-foot tall, several-hundred-pound bird from Ellesmere Island above the Arctic Circle. The bone is nearly a dead ringer to fossil toe bones from the huge bird discovered in Wyoming and which date to roughly the same time.

The Gastornis (formerly Diatryma) fossil from Ellesmere Island has been discussed by paleontologists since it was collected in the 1970s and appears on a few lists of the prehistoric fauna there, said Professor Thomas Stidham of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. But this is the first time the bone has been closely examined and described, he said. Gastornis fossils also have been found in Europe and Asia.

"We knew there were a few bird fossils from up there, but we also knew they were extremely rare," said Eberle, an associate professor in geological sciences who conducts research on fossil mammals, reptiles and fishes. In addition to the Gastornis bone from Ellesmere, another scientist reported seeing a fossil footprint there, probably from a large flightless bird, although its specific location remains unknown, Eberle said.

A paper by Stidham and Eberle appears in the most recent issue of Scientific Reports, an open access, weekly journal from the publishers of Nature.

About 53 three million years ago during the early Eocene Epoch, the environment of Ellesmere Island was probably similar to cypress swamps in the southeast U.S. today, Eberle said. Fossil evidence indicates the island, which is adjacent to Greenland, hosted turtles, alligators, primates, tapirs and even large hippo-like and rhino-like mammals.

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Today Ellesmere Island is one of the coldest, driest environments on Earth, where temperatures can drop to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit in winter, said Eberle, also the curator of paleontology at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History.

Originally thought to be a fearsome carnivore, recent research indicates Gastornis probably was a vegan, using its huge beak to tear at foliage, nuts, seeds and hard fruit.

A second Ellesmere Island bird from the early Eocene also is described by Stidham and Eberle in the new paper. Named Presbyornis, it was similar to birds in today's duck, goose and swan family but with long, flamingo-like legs. The evidence was a single humerus, or upper wing bone, collected by the same paleontology team that found the Gastornis bone.

Like Gastornis, Presbyornis was mentioned in several lists of Ellesmere Island fauna over the years but the bone had never been described, said Stidham.

Stidham compared casts of Presbyornis bones excavated in ancient Wyoming to the single bone from Ellesmere Island, including all of the marks for muscle attachments. "I couldn't tell the Wyoming specimens from the Ellesmere specimen, even though it was found roughly 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) to the north," he said.

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While the diversity of plants and animals on Ellesmere was surprisingly high in the early Eocene, one of the biggest challenges to life on the island may have been the Arctic winters, said Eberle. "Since Ellesmere Island is high above the Arctic Circle, the lights still went out there for several months of the year, just as they do today."

It is not known whether Presbyornis migrated north to Ellesmere Island every year or lived there year-round, said Stidham. "Given the fossils we have, both hypotheses are possible," he said. "There are some sea ducks today that spend the winter in the cold, freezing Arctic, and we see many more species of waterfowl that are only in the Arctic during the relatively warmer spring and summer months."

The paleontology team working on Ellesmere Island in the 1970s and who found the Gastornis and Presbyornis bones in the 1970s included Mary Dawson, Robert "Mac" West, Howard Hutchinson and Malcolm McKenna.

The new study has implications for the rapidly warming Arctic climate, primarily a result of greenhouse gases being pumped into Earth's atmosphere by humans.

"Permanent Arctic ice, which has been around for millennia, is on track to disappear," Eberle said. "I'm not suggesting there will be a return of alligators and giant tortoises to Ellesmere Island any time soon. But what we know about past warm intervals in the Arctic can give us a much better idea about what to expect in terms of changing plant and animal populations there in the future."
<p><a href="http://www.apathwaytohope.org/">A Pathway to Hope</a><span></span></p>

A beat-up, used-up, battered, bleeding old fighting dog managed to lick an animal control officer's hand - moments before he was slated to be put down. He was suffering so much, immediate euthanasia seemed the only answer. A Pathway to Hope

Dodo Shows Faith = Restored Couple Meets A Beach Dog In Mexico Who Changes Their Life

But Jude's last gasp was more like a prayer. For kindness. His name is Jude. And he's alive today because that prayer was answered. The animal control officer couldn't put Jude down. "He called one of our volunteers and said, 'I can't. I can't do it. Can you help him?'" Amy Hofer, co-founder of A Pathway to Hope animal rescue, told The Dodo. Jude, as the dog came to be called, was among three pit bulls rescued from a fighting ring in Paterson, New Jersey, last May. The other two dogs, in a tragic twist, were stolen from the shelter, presumably by the people who used them in this brutish practice. When Jude was found, his organs were failing, and he had a heart murmur and severe septic wounds - he was the poster dog for a blood sport. A Pathway to Hope

At the veterinary hospital, Hofer recalls, "they didn't even know what color he was because he was covered in blood." And, although Jude appeared to recover at first, his health took a sudden turn for the critical. His fighting spirit, however, may have been contagious. "We thought we were going to lose him again," Hofer says. The veterinarian refused to give up on him, taking Jude out of his cage for short walks, even when the dog didn't want to move. One paw in front of the other, Jude. Inch by painstaking inch, he got better. Finally, he found his way to a foster family - where he began winning hearts. And best friends. A Pathway to Hope

"He's such a great dog," Hofer says. "He's not a hard dog. He has anxiety, but, of course he has anxiety. He doesn't like to be in crate." "He's not aggressive in any way. He's extremely, overly tolerant of kids." Indeed. A Pathway to Hope
It turns out, he's so much more than 964 pounds of prime beef. Oatmeal, the blind steer whose heart-wrenching goodbye with the 13-year-old girl who raised him captured the world's attention, will no longer be processed by a meat packing plant.

Dodo Shows Foster Diaries Scared Pittie Gets So Happy When He Meets This Guy And His Pack Of Dogs

Instead, according to a press release from the Fort Worth Stock Show, Oatmeal is heading for Texas A&M; University as a donation to the school's veterinary and agricultural sciences departments. "This arrangement furthers the Stock Show's mission of educating tomorrow's leaders in the livestock and food industry," Texas state representative Charlie Geren, who's also the event's vice president, said in the release. "We're excited about what can be learned about the health and well-being of cattle and perhaps provide the beef industry with valuable information related to cattle care and handling for the future," added Geren, is up for re-election in the state's District 99. While it's unclear what Oatmeal's role will specifically be at the school, Geren told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he would "help teach kids with judging at livestock shows." At the very least, it's a long way from the Corpus Christi feedlot, where the steer had been awaiting slaughter alongside hundreds of livestock. The show also released Kane Beef, the company that bought Oatmeal at auction, of its contractual obligation to process Oatmeal. Oatmeal Blind Steer / Facebook

Over the past few days, Oatmeal has become a beacon of hope for legions advocating for change to the way the current agricultural system works with young Texans. "It's a system that provides these young children with a way to go to college, while teaching them that killing the animal at the end of the day is part of the food chain and they must accept this," Renee King-Sonnen, owner of Rowdy Girl Sanctuary told The Dodo. "It's called the trail of tears." In early February, Oatmeal, who was born with such severe cataracts he could only detect vague shapes, was sold at the Fort Worth Stock Show for $8,000. The story of the girl who raised the steer, and formed a powerful bond with him before sobbingly bidding him goodbye at auction, captured headlines around the world. "She's always gotten close to the animals she shows, but she never got this close before," her grandmother, Alicia Mazoch, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Bank of America awarded chief executive Brian T. Moynihan $16 million for his work last year, increasing his potential compensation by 23 percent.

Moynihan received $14.5 million in stock grants for 2015 and left his salary unchanged at $1.5 million, according to a regulatory filing Friday. A year earlier, the Charlotte-based bank, the second largest in the United States, gave the chief executive a $13 million pay package.

Moynihan, 56, survived a battle with investors in 2015 over whether he should be stripped of his role as chairman as the banks stock lagged behind those of its peers. The company also wrangled with regulators, as it was forced to resubmit its capital plan under the Federal Reserves annual stress test. Moynihan slashed expenses by 24 percent last year, partly by putting some of the banks biggest legal woes behind it.

Bank of America shares slid 5.9 percent in 2015, trailing the 3.5 percent drop of the 90-company Standard & Poors 500 Financials Index.

Half of what the bank granted Moynihan for 2015 is in the form of stock linked to performance over a three-year period through 2018, according to the filing. For Moynihan to receive the full value, Bank of America must meet growth goals for return on assets and adjustable tangible book value during those years.

Executives of some other major Wall Street banks saw their compensation for 2015 reduced as they contended with missed financial targets and waning stock prices. Morgan Stanley cut chief executive James Gormans pay last month by 6.7 percent, to $21 million, while the Goldman Sachs Group reduced chairman and chief executive Lloyd C. Blankfeins by 4.2 percent, to $23 million.

Jamie Dimon, chairman and chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, saw his pay boosted 35 percent, to $27 million.

Moynihan, an Ohio-born lawyer who rose through the ranks at FleetBoston Financial before Bank of America bought it, outlasted other executives in late 2009 as talks fell apart with CEO candidates from firms including Bank of New York Mellon.

He gained the chairman title in October 2014 after spending much of his time as chief executive dealing with the fallout from his predecessors acquisitions of Merrill Lynch and Countrywide Financial.

Bank of America stock rose 7 percent in regular trading Friday, amid a broad stock rally. But the stock is down about 29 percent, year to date.
Is Kurt Weills Lost in the Stars theater or opera? The question has been debated since the works premiere on Broadway in 1949. When it comes to the Washington National Operas production, which opened Friday at the Kennedy Centers Eisenhower Theater, lets call it both: The Washington Posts chief theater critic, Peter Marks, is reviewing it as well.

[Lost in the Stars falls short as compelling musical drama]

In practice, the labels opera or musical dont really matter in appraising this hybrid, flawed work. All that can be said for certain is that Lost in the Stars is not what it palpably longs to be: a great American vernacular opera-musical about race relations, transforming Alan Patons novel Cry, the Beloved Country for the stage in a final masterpiece. (Weill died the year after it opened.) At best, its a noble failure.

And WNOs production by Tazewell Thompson (already seen in Cape Town, South Africa, and the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, N.Y.) proved equally uncertain. The weaknesses werent where you would expect. The spoken dialogue was better than the opera-company norm  as far as better can apply to Maxwell Andersons preachy and dated text, delivered in assumed South African accents. (Unobtrusive floor amplification increased audibility.)

But musically, despite the assured conductor John DeMain, the evening kept falling short. The songs of Irina, a young woman whose boyfriend, Absalom, receives the death penalty for killing a white man, need something stronger than the gentle lyricism of the operatic soprano (and WNO debutante) Lauren Michelle. Linda, a good-time gal with one show-stopping number, needs to be a Broadway belter, but Cheryl Freeman, despite a starry resume in musical theater, didnt have strong enough pipes. Even the star bass-baritone Eric Owens as Stephen Kumalo, the country pastor whose faith is shaken by his son Absaloms crime and punishment, didnt quite muster full physical or vocal authority  indeed, he sounded oddly muted, particularly at the top of his voice, and kept shrinking into his body rather than inhabiting it.

Directorially, too, Thompson took an overly respectful approach to a work that needs a strong and critical hand. Lost in the Stars incorporates several songs Weill and Anderson wrote for a different show in the late 1930s; none of them, including the title number, quite fit their new situations or helped the characters become less two-dimensional.

Thompson, who also directed WNOs Appomattox, has shown he can be an effective storyteller and work with simple sets  here, Michael Mitchells rusted corrugated-metal walls, with lots of dramatic shadows (lighting: Robert Wierzel). But those shadows, or the stars that appeared at the climax of the title song, only augmented the works heavy-handedness.

There were a few highlights. The tenor Sean Panikkar, as a narrator figure called the Leader, sang well and became a dramatic fulcrum by default; and the young Caleb McLaughlin, as Stephens nephew, Alex, aced a solo song and dance number in the strongest performance of the night.

And the actor Wynn Harmon was respectable as James Jarvis, whose son is killed by Absalom  and whose role yields the shows most tone-deaf moment. As Stephen sits in his church in the last scene, waiting for the hour of his sons execution, Jarvis barges in and explains that he now understands the importance of overlooking racial boundaries and becoming friends. Although true to Patons plot, on stage this seemed less a poignant image of racial reconciliation and more another example of a white man assuming power in a relationship with a black one. In the 1974 movie, Stephen (Brock Peters) rebuffed Jarviss overture. Opera companies arent as free to rewrite the works they present, but a sense of historical distance wouldnt hurt.

Lost in the Stars continues through Feb. 20 at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. kennedy-center.org.


Centuries ago, Madeiras location on trade routes to the New World helped introduce its fortified wines to new markets, including colonial America. (Madeira Wine Co.)

America once had a love affair with Madeira. Our Founding Fathers hoisted glasses of this fortified wine to toast the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and it was a favorite tipple at dinner tables throughout the young nation.

About 75 percent of all wine consumed in the colonies in the 18th century was Madeira, says Chris Blandy, 36, seventh-generation chief executive of the wine company that carries his familys name. Today, Madeira unfortunately has the image of cooking wine.

Theres nothing wrong with filet mignon in a Madeira sauce, of course. But over the past decade or so, Madeira sales in the United States have grown steadily, up to about 12,000 cases a year, Blandy says. Thats still a niche wine, but as U.S. consumers explore wines from around the world, they have discovered Madeira again.

Blandy was in back in Washington recently to introduce new releases of vintage Blandys dating to the 1960s. He lived here from 2003 to 2007, working at the Willard InterContinental hotel before joining the family firm that was established in 1811.

[The Madeira voyage that starts downtown]



Chris Blandy, 36, is the seventh-generation chief executive of his family firm, established in 1811. (Madeira Wine Co.)

The Portuguese island of Madeira boasts picturesque vineyard views. (Madeira Wine Co.)

Madeira is in some respects similar to port; in others, more like sherry. It hails from the Portuguese island of Madeira, about 500 miles off the coast of North Africa. The islands location on trade routes to the New World fueled its early popularity here. Large casks of it were used as ballast on trade ships, and the wines actually tasted better after their ocean voyage.

Heres a three-point primer on Madeira:

 There are four main styles, named for the grapes used to make the wines and ranging from dry to sweet: sercial, verdelho, boal (or bual) and malmsey (an old British word for malvasia). Sercial can be searingly dry, with an appealing saline character and a flavor of toasted almonds: Think of a fino sherry on steroids. Even the sweeter boal and malmsey wines are not cloying, their sugar balanced by acidity. Dont limit these to dessert; their rich umami character makes them ideal for hearty, savory soups or stews.

 Within these four styles there are grades of quality: Five-year-old, 10-year-old, colheita and vintage. The first two are multi-vintage blends averaging those ages. Colheitas are vintage dated, from a single year, and aged less than 20 years in large oak casks. Vintage Madeiras have aged in cask at least 20 years, often much longer, before bottling.

As examples, the new Blandys releases  a 1979 verdelho, a 1977 terrantez (the most exotic of the lot, made with a grape that unfortunately is vanishing from Madeiras vineyards), a 1975 sercial and a 1966 bual  were bottled this past November.

 What accounts for the difference in quality? Time. Each year the wines spend in cask, a little volume is lost to evaporation, intensifying the flavors and aromas. And unlike any other type of wine, Madeira is indestructible: Once opened, it will stay delicious indefinitely, even without refrigeration. (Ive never succeeded in verifying that, to be honest. Once opened in my house, Madeira evaporates rather quickly.)

Up to the 10-year-olds, be as wild as you want with food pairings, Blandy says. The older, vintage-dated Madeiras have enough complexity that you should drink them by themselves. These are wines of reflection.

At Plume, the luxury restaurant in Washingtons Jefferson Hotel, diners often contemplate the history held in their glass, says Jennifer Knowles, the hotels beverage director. Knowles inherited and has expanded one of the strongest Madeira selections in the country.

Sipping a vintage Madeira from the 19th century, people will pull out their phones and look up what was happening that year and have their minds blown, Knowles says.

Indicating the new Blandys releases from the 1960s and 1970s, she adds: These wines are contemporaries. Theyre anniversary or birth-year wines. People have their own stories to tell.
Kevin Maxwell, right, the Prince Georges County school systems chief executive officer, lauded the countys improvement in its high school graduation rate. (Mark Gail/For The Washington Post)

Marylands high school graduation rate hit a new high for the Class of 2015, with students in Prince Georges County making some of the states greatest gains and reaching a record level, according to newly released numbers.

Statewide, 87 percent of students earned their high school diplomas in four years, a slight uptick over 2014 and five percentage points better than in 2010.

In Prince Georges, rates rose to 78.8 percent, from 76.6 a year earlier, a one-year jump of more than two points that comes as the school system has been pushing hard to boost student achievement.

State data showed the rate in Prince Georges at its highest since 2010, when Maryland changed the way it makes such calculations. The state now follows a cohort of students from ninth grade through high school, a method officials describe as more accurate.

This is tremendous improvement, and I am very proud of our students, staff, teachers and administrators for their hard work in achieving another impressive milestone, Kevin Maxwell, chief executive officer of Prince Georges County schools, said in a statement.

Maryland officials said the increase for Prince Georges stood out among the states 24 school systems, second only to Somerset County, a far smaller school system on Marylands Eastern Shore.

Monique Davis, deputy superintendent in Prince Georges, noted that the yearly increase is the second in a row and credited changes in the districts culture, a laser-like focus on data and stronger monitoring of student and staff performance.

The district also continues to use an early-warning system to target middle school and high school students who need intervention and support. Ten high schools improved by three points or more, Davis said.

On Friday, the school system delivered a presentation on its successes to the Maryland State Board of Education. It was absolutely wonderful to have the principals share their stories, Davis said.

In Montgomery County, the states largest school system, the four-year graduation rate was fairly flat, with a slight dip from 89.7 percent to 89.4 percent.

[Class of 2014 in Maryland: Graduation rates increase]

Across Maryland, there were major gaps by race and ethnicity. The graduation rate statewide was 96 percent for Asian students, 92 percent for white students, 82 percent for black students and 77 percent for Hispanic students.

Over a five-year period, the state rate for African American students was up by more than eight percentage points, while the rate for Hispanic students rose more than three points.

Each student who graduates from high school is a success story, and those students, families, and schools should celebrate that success, said Jack R. Smith, the states interim superintendent of schools, in a statement Friday.

Smith, recently named superintendent in Montgomery County  where he starts July 1  described a high school diploma as a first step. We continue to strengthen our standards to better prepare each student for life beyond high school  be it further education, the workforce or both, he said.
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller (D-Calvert) called on Gov. Larry Hogan (R) to tone down his rhetoric after the Senate voted to override his veto of expanded voting rights for felons. (Nikki Kahn/THE WASHINGTON POST)

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogans pointed attacks on Democrats who overturned his veto of expanded voting rights for felons appear to have tapped into a current of anger among some state residents, who are sending hate mail and making threatening phone calls to lawmakers who voted for the override.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) read excerpts of letters his office has received since the Senate voted last week on the felon voting rights bill, which will allow felons to vote while they are on probation or parole.

You need to check yourself, you moron, one letter said. You are only selfish fools.

At least one senator who voted for the override said his office received a call from a man who said he hoped that the senators wife and daughter would be raped and murdered.

Miller called on Hogan (R) to tone down his rhetoric, which included labeling those who backed the override as a radical minority and speculating that some lawmakers would lose their seats over the issue.

This is not Washington, Miller said. This is Annapolis.

The governor took to Facebook to urge constituents to contact their senators and express outrage after the override, which passed 29 to 18, without a single vote to spare.

This is the worst vitriol I have ever experienced in my 34 years in the legislature, said Sen. John C. Astle (D-Anne Arundel), whose office staff received the phone call about his wife. Its just unbelievable.

Doug Mayer, a spokesman for Hogan, called Millers characterization of the governors Facebook posts beyond outrageous and over the line. . . . If these senators dont want their constituents to be mad at them, then they should stop voting in favor of things that they despise.

Sen. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Montgomery) likened the response to some of what he experienced during debates in 2013 over abolishing the death penalty and strengthening gun laws.

This time, Raskin said, much of the fury seems to be from Republicans who think that Democratic lawmakers went out to find new voters. Most of the 44,400 people affected by the override are from the overwhelmingly Democratic city of Baltimore, advocates say.

Theres a suggestion of a political power grab, Raskin said. Emotions are high during election seasons. Things seem to be inflamed by this vote.

With the override, Maryland joined the District and 13 states, including Massachusetts, Ohio and Pennsylvania, that permit people to vote as soon as they are released from prison, according to the Sentencing Project.

Eighteen states, including New Jersey, North Carolina and Texas, restrict voting rights until after a felon completes parole and probation. Twelve others, including Florida, have stronger restrictions, such as waiting periods after a sentence is completed.

Jane Henderson, executive director of Communities United, a Baltimore-based group that pushed for the expansion of voting rights, said the bill was about allowing more people to participate in the democratic process.

She disagreed with Hogans assertion that is it opposed by most Marylanders.

Larry Hogan was elected in a very-low-turnout election, Henderson said. He must think about his election [when] he thinks about expanding the electorate.

Miller said that the continued partisan attacks could hurt the governors repeated calls for bipartisanship. He then offered his own warning to Hogan.

We need to continue to avoid the pinpricks to avoid the cannon shot, Miller said, noting that Hogan needs support from the legislature to advance his agenda. We have to continue to work together for three years.
MARYLAND

Professor is chosen to fill vacancy in House of Delegates

Montgomery County Democrats on Thursday night nominated Morgan State University professor Pamela Queen to fill the 14th District seat in the House of Delegates, ending an intramural scuffle over how best to diversify the countys legislative delegation.

Queen would replace former Del. Craig J. Zucker (D-Montgomery), who was selected by the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee last month to fill the opening created by the retirement of state Sen. Karen S. Montgomery (D). Queens nomination goes to Gov. Larry Hogan, who is required by law to act on it within 15 days. Although Hogan is a Republican, it is exceedingly rare for a governor to reject the recommendation of a county committee in such matters.

Queen, 56, is African American and a member of the Central Committee. She prevailed over two other candidates for the opening in the 14th, which runs north from Silver Spring along Montgomerys eastern border with Prince Georges County and includes some of Montgomerys most economically distressed communities.

Queens candidacy was supported by County Executive Isiah Leggett (D).

 Bill Turque

VIRGINIA

Funding to preserve Civil War battlefields is announced

The National Park Service says $5.3 million in preservation funding is heading to 17 Civil War battlefields, primarily in Virginia.

The Park Service says the federal dollars from the Land and Water Conservation Fund will help preserve 1,640 acres at battle sites in Virginia and six other states.

The primary source of the funding is fees paid by oil and gas companies drilling in offshore waters.

Among the Virginia battlefields receiving the preservation funding will be Appomattox Court House, Fredericksburg, Brandy Station, Gaines Mill and Sailors Creek.

 Associated Press

THE REGION

Officials warn against eating some fish from the Potomac

If youre in search of some locally sourced fish, be selective about what you choose to consume from the Potomac River.

American eel, carp and striped bass  also known as rockfish  caught in these waters have tested positive for elevated levels of toxic chemicals, according to an advisory this week from the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment.

The fish contain elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, a man-made chemical long banned in the United States that has been linked to cancer and other adverse health effects.

Our goal is to protect the health and well-being of our residents, Tommy Wells, head of the department, said in a statement. This advisory helps ensure that residents who enjoy fish from District waters are aware of the health risks associated with consuming certain fish species.

 Perry Stein
Bank robbery reports seldom tell how much was taken. But a sentencing in federal court in Baltimore on Friday suggests that the risk-reward balance in the crime involves lots of the former and not so much of the latter.

A 56-year-old Maryland man who pleaded guilty to bank robbery was sentenced to seven years in prison, the U.S. attorneys office for Maryland said. In the three July 2015 robberies cited in the plea agreement  in Hagerstown, Silver Spring and Rockville, with a note demanding money passed to a teller in each case  the total proceeds were $5,100, prosecutors said.

The allure of robbing a bank was once summarized in the saying: Thats where the money is. But $5,100, even if not small change, may not be the haul expected when bank robbery is contemplated.

In addition to the prison sentence, the robber, identified as Tony Linn Smith of Silver Spring, was ordered to pay a money judgment in connection with his guilty plea. The amount to be paid was $4,775, which is almost 94 per cent of the amount obtained in the three robberies
The electric chair at the Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt, Va. With a shortage of a drug needed for a lethal-injection execution, the state might turn to electrocution. (AP)

Virginia lawmakers are mulling a bill that would allow state officials to use the electric chair to execute those on death row when lethal-injection drugs are not available  a measure that might be needed to put an inmate to death next month.

The legislation passed the Virginia House of Delegates last week, though it still must clear the Senate, which it has failed to do in the past. But this year might be different because an inmate is scheduled for execution in March, and prison officials say they do not have the sedatives they need to do it.

Its our job to help carry out what they have decided in a court of law, said Del. Jackson H. Miller (R-Manassas), who introduced the bill.

[Virginia electric-chair bill dies in the Senate]

The proposal again thrusts Virginia to the center of a national debate on how the justice system should deal with those it has determined deserve to die. Historically, states turned away from the electric chair, believing lethal injection to be quicker, less painful and less likely to be declared cruel and unusual punishment, said Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. Now  with the needed drugs in short supply  they are being forced to look at alternatives, sometimes turning to practices that have fallen out of favor, Dunham said.

The irony is theyre looking for alternatives to lethal injection because lethal injection may be found to be cruel and unusual, or because lethal injection drugs are becoming harder for states to lay their hands on, Dunham said. Its pretty clear that states that adopt electrocution as the method of execution are going to face very serious constitutional challenges.

[After some concern, Texas finds more lethal injection drugs]

Virginia is one of eight states that already allow electrocution as a method of execution, letting inmates choose between it and lethal injection. The next inmate slated to die, Ricky Gray, has not yet picked a method. What will happen at his March 16 execution  or if it will go on as planned  remains unclear.

Gray, 38, was convicted in 2006 of brutally killing a Richmond musician, his wife, and their 9- and 4-year-old daughters. He picked the family because he spotted their door open and decided to rob them, court documents say. The documents say Gray also confessed to killing his wife, Treva Terrell Gray, and three members of another Richmond family.

In urging his colleagues to pass the bill, Miller gave a lengthy and graphic description of Grays crimes and asked legislators to help the victims families get the justice that they deserve and that our justice system has determined they deserve.

This isnt expanding the death penalty, but the case I just told you about is exactly why we have this punishment on our books, he said.

Marna Squires, the mother of Grays wife, said she does not care what method is used.

Id love to be there and lay him down on the gurney and put the needle in him if theyd let me, Squires said.

Executions by electrocution are far less common than those by lethal injection, though they are not unheard of. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 158 people have been executed by electrocution since 1976, compared with 1,252 by lethal injection.

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia permit the practice in theory, according to data from the center, though each state has different rules. The last inmate to pick electrocution in Virginia was Robert Gleason Jr., who was given a life sentence for killing someone to cover up his involvement in a drug gang, then death for killing two fellow inmates behind bars. He was executed in 2013.

Courts in Georgia and Nebraska have ruled that electrocution violates their state constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment, according to the center.

Lisa Kinney, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Corrections, said the state is out of one of three drugs it needs to perform a lethal injection  which is supposed to be the default method of execution. While state law would let an inmate pick the electric chair, it does not say explicitly that it can be used as a backup plan. The legislation would change that. Dunham said that even if Virginia lawmakers passed the bill, though, it would probably face a challenge from Grays lawyers, and that could delay the execution.

Efforts to reach Grays criminal lawyers were unsuccessful. Victor M. Glasberg, a civil rights lawyer who represents Gray in a federal case challenging the use of solitary confinement on Virginias death row, said the practice of execution by electrocution is barbaric.

Drawing and quartering is preferable, and what is even better than that is to import somebody from ISIS for instruction on beheading, he said derisively, using another name for the Islamic State extremist group.

Gray, of course, could pick electrocution nonetheless, or the state could locate the necessary drugs. Kinney said the department works to maintain an adequate supply of lethal injection drugs so as to be able to carry out court orders but noted it has become extremely difficult to obtain lethal-injection drugs.

Dunham said states across the country are wrestling with the same problem. Pennsylvania, for example, stayed the execution of one inmate to allow its corrections department to procure the necessary drugs, and Ohio put off its executions until at least 2017. Dunham cited a 2014 survey by Hart Research and Public Opinion Strategies for NBC News in which 1 in 3 people said that if lethal injection was off the table, executions should be halted.

States have to determine what options are available to them and what theyre going to do, Dunham said. Do they want to try to change which drugs they use in executions and can they obtain those drugs reliably, or do they want to change the overall method of execution, or have they had enough?

Jenna Portnoy and Laura Vozzella contributed to this report.
The man who was shot Friday afternoon inside a barbershop near Southeast Washingtons Barracks Row was struck by bullets in both legs, and his 2-year-old son suffered a graze wound, D.C. police said Saturday in an update of the victims conditions. Authorities said both have been released from area hospitals.

Meanwhile, a barber who was in the shop when police said at least one of three masked men stood in the doorway and opened fire in Wrenns on Eighth Street SE said it appeared the man was targeted as he waited for his haircut, cradling the sleeping child on his left shoulder.

It was crazy, the barber said, recounting how patrons who filled all four chairs and others waiting their turn dived to the floor at the sound of gunshots. The barber said the intruders didnt say a word, and police said they escaped in a white SUV that had no license plates.

The barber, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because police have not made any arrests, said that as soon as the gunfire started, the man fell to the floor holding his child under him, protecting him. That guy was targeted, the barber said. They were aiming just at him. They wanted him. But the barber praised him for shrouding his child: For that, he was father of the year.

[Man, 2-year-old son shot in barbershop in Barracks Row]

D.C. police said detectives are investigating and no motive has been revealed. Police have confirmed that one person inside the shop was targeted. We are working through the events that led up to this shooting in our community but I can reassure you all that this was not a random act of violence, D.C. Police Capt. Mark Beach of the 1st District station wrote on the departments Internet bulletin board.

The shooting occurred about 1:40 p.m. on a short stretch of Eighth Street between L and M streets, a block from the Washington Navy Yard. The barbershop is just south of an area bustling with shops and restaurants, situated near a charter high school, a grocery store and a busy construction site. Police posted a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

The barber said the shop was packed at the time of the shooting, and that the victim had been waiting an hour. Wrenns is temporarily being run jointly with Brices barbershop, which is down the street and undergoing renovation. Signs with both names are out front.

The shooting could happen anywhere, the barber said. But I tell you, how could people say they didnt see anything? It was the afternoon. People were in the stores. There were construction workers everywhere.

On Saturday, inside a cluttered corner of the shop, the barber piled the childs belongings left behind in the chaos: a book bag adorned with action figures, boxes of cinnamon crackers and the green socks and shoes he had been wearing. The chair where the wounded man and his son had been sitting remained where it was on Friday. There is a fresh bullet hole in the back.
Before the veterans hospital moved into the grand home on Mount Alto in Glover Park, it was a private home and a womens college. It was torn down in the 1960s for the Russian Embassy. (U.S. National Library of Medicine)

Do you know anything about this beautiful building in Glover Park, which was demolished in 1967 to make way for the Russian Embassy? I could find little.

 Patrick Hand, Washington

This is the Mount Alto Veterans Hospital, or as it was officially known: United States Public Health Service Hospital No. 32. It stood between Wisconsin Avenue  or High Street, as it was called before 1895  and Tunlaw Road NW.

Just outside the city limits of Georgetown, Mount Alto had a commanding view of the surrounding countryside. And countryside is what surrounded it. When District butcher Benjamin F. Hunt built a house there after buying the property in 1867, the neighborhood was decidedly rural.

Hunt called his wooden, nine-room, multi-porched house Mount Alto. The mount on which it sat had gone by various names: Pole Hill, Bohrers Hill (after a previous property owner), Red Hill (presumably after its reddish soil).

What Mount Alto is is a house name, a fancy house name, said Carlton Fletcher, who chronicles the history of Glover Park at his blog, Gloverparkhistory.com. It belongs to a genre of things like naming your new house Woodmont, Belvoir, Beauvoir, Altamont, one of those things that connotes elevation.

Carlton says he believes the name of the house became the name of the hill. Soon the area itself was known as Mount Alto.

In 1916, a womens college was built on the property. The National School of Domestic Art and Science aimed to teach home economics to women. In 1918, it changed its name to something less descriptive if more geographically specific: the Mount Alto School for Young Ladies.

The school was apparently not a success. Nor was a hotel next door  the Mount Alto Inn  which dutifully advertised it attractions throughout the summer of 1917. The hotel was located, the ads read, On the Balcony of Washington and promised beautiful views from the citys highest and coolest spot. (Not technically true. Fort Reno is the highest.)

In 1919, the U.S. government leased the land and buildings, purchasing them outright the following year. In the wake of World War I, the country was in desperate need of hospital space for its veterans, many of whom suffered from the Great Wars version of PTSD: shell shock.

Previously, many former soldiers were treated in contract hospitals. Now they would have a place operated by the government, with room, eventually, for as many as 300 soldiers, sailors and Marines.

Hospital buildings continued to be added atop the hill until they formed a horseshoe shape. The most imposing building was fronted by four, three-story columns and topped by a handsome cupola.

In 1920, a committee from the D.C. Chapter of the American Red Cross said the patients were not being neglected. Committee members had made 10 visits during the month of May to care for the bed-ridden men, bringing flowers, fruit, jelly, books, cigarettes, toilet articles, bright colored afghans and garments. The Red Cross also arranged for a case of ginger ale to be delivered every week.

And yet, as seems so often the case with our veterans, the reality was a little bleaker. In 1923, Gen. Frank T. Hines, newly appointed head of the veterans bureau, announced that Mount Alto was not up to proper standards. There were too many temporary structures, each a fire hazard, and there was an urgent need for a recreation hall and quarters for the attendants. Under Hiness leadership, conditions improved. (He would die there himself in 1960 at age 80.)

Efforts started as early as 1946 to build a larger VA hospital elsewhere in the area. Rockville was among the locations mentioned, but in the end land near the Soldiers Home was chosen. It would take years for Congress to approve the funds. That finally happened in 1960, despite objections from one Texas congressman that the proposed 710-bed, $20 million hospital would be too fancy.

The new VA hospital was completed on North Capitol Street in 1965. On May 3, 1965, 133 veterans were moved from Mount Alto.

Some were too old or too broken by war to know what was going on, wrote The Posts Richard Corrigan.

But what would happen to the old hospital? Local veterans groups urged that it become a military nursing home. Another option mentioned was turning it into a treatment center for alcoholics. The Soviet Union also needed a new embassy.

Certainly if it comes to a choice between having the Russians there or having the alcoholic facility, wed rather have the Russians, said Mrs. Edward B. Morris, president of the Glover Park Citizens Association. I dont think the Russians would bother anyone.

Next week: The Russians prove bothersome.

Twitter: @johnkelly

Feel free to bother Answer Man. Send your questions about the Washington area to answerman@washpost.com.

For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly.
Riders are seen on a Metro train as it stops at the Farragut North Metro station in January. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

Youre stuck on the Orange Line in the Rosslyn tunnel for 10 minutes wondering what the holdup is. Or maybe youre standing on a crowded Red Line platform, thinking if a train doesnt come soon youll just order an Uber or walk.

A couple of Washington-area data wonks and transit advocates have a solution: MetroHero, an app aimed at creating a real-time map of Metros trains. Its creators say its a way to keep Metro honest and ease rider anxiety  using the agencys own data. If Metro says its trains are running at eight-minute headways, the app can tell you if thats really the case.

But theres a problem. Metros data is at times faulty, unreliable and riddled with holes. And when it comes to data, a few imprecise numbers can spoil the whole set. Whats more, the apps developers say their efforts to address the problems with Metro have gone unaddressed for months.

Metro has done some good on its promise of making its data available to the public for third-party use, but it hasnt followed through, and so far it has actually shown a certain unwillingness to make change in a positive way, said James Pizzurro, 24, one of two software engineers behind the free smartphone app.

The other is Jennifer Hill, a 25-year-old George Washington University PhD student in computer science.

A map of Green Line trains Saturday on the MetroHero app, showing active trains and transfer stations Gallery Place and L'Enfant Plaza. (Faiz Siddiqui/The Washington Post)

The app, which launched on Android in September and on an iPhone-compatible website in December, has demonstrated its potential. In December, when Metro said it would run eight-car Blue Line trains all day for Arlington National Cemeterys Wreaths Across America event, its data showed that only 40 percent to 70 percent of Metro trains were running eight cars at any given time. From a riders perspective, fewer eight-car trains means bigger crowds on platforms and trains.

And if you followed the data during last months blizzard, you would have seen the gradual drawdown of trains before the system shut down at a rate of around eight per hour until, poof, at 12:33 a.m. Jan. 23, there appeared to be no more trains running.

Unlike other systems, Metro does not advertise third-party apps or have any preferred clients  but the agency says its data is open to any developer. The New York City subway system, meanwhile, hosts a catalogue of 86 iPhone apps on its website, many of which were created by independent developers.

Metros open data interface feeds wait times for trains and other relevant information to software developers for apps such as MetroHero and MetroMinder, a similar app that lets users see performance data for the system. Its like having displays from every monitor on every Metro platform on your smartphone.

Pizzurro says the information fed to his app is at times incomplete or erroneous, making it difficult to trust without confirmation from often-reluctant Metro officials.

Amtrak, MARC and VRE all offer real-time maps of their trains. Metro says it is evaluating the possibility of creating its own real-time map, but it says third-party developers offer many such options already. In New York and Boston, developers have drawn from those systems data to create real-time maps.

But in Washington, developers say they have encountered pushback from Metro. Metro says it has had phone, email and face-to-face conversations with developers over the past three years and continues to explore how its data can be used more effectively.

But as his frustration mounted over unanswered questions, Pizzurro petitioned Metros Riders Advisory Council in January, asking members to request that Metro work with developers to provide more accurate data through its interface. The 21-member body had already asked Metro to explore partnerships with third-party developers in an October recommendation. Pizzurro says he is doing just what the agencys planning director advised at a gathering of transit geeks in October.

[Government transit data gets techies gears spinning for new apps]

That director, Shyam Kannan, said at the time that Metro encourages developers to identify gaps in its open data.

Its really helpful for us for the geeks to get together and solve problems, Kannan said then. The private sector is much more nimble and agile when it comes to app development. . . . If the private sector can tell us where the warts are [in Metros data], we can fix them.

Pizzurro says he has identified a litany of such issues. For one, he says, trains that are idling for more than 30 seconds automatically disappear from the data interface, creating a chain reaction of inaccurate wait times.

Metro, in an email to The Washington Post, said that the disappearing trains are not a glitch, however. The transit agency said it knows where its trains are at all times but doesnt want to make that information public for security reasons.

If a train is holding due to a sick customer, a train ahead or another disruption, the train will disappear because the [platform displays] cannot predict movement after an extended holding period, Metro spokesman Richard Jordan said. There are some security concerns with making trains uniquely identifiable.

Theres also the tendency of trains to drop off the map when approaching the end of the line, and for trains in one direction to disappear during single-tracking  another limitation of Metros data, Pizzurro says.

The agency did not respond to requests asking why.

In New York, Michael Prude, a 28-year-old software engineer at Conde Nast, partnered with software engineer Ted Mahoney, 29, to create a real-time map of eight New York subway lines. Their data is based on live train locations fed by unique Trip IDs, something Metro does not provide for its rail system  citing security reasons.

This frustrates Pizzurro, who wonders why Metro offers Trip IDs for tracking its buses but not its trains.

No one is asking [the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority] to predict how long a medical emergency holding up a train is going to last. If a train is holding, dont delete any trace of that train ever having existed in the first place, he said. It stands to reason that if a train was three minutes away from its next station before it started holding, it is still at least three minutes away from that same station while holding, and we think thats valuable information.

He added: Were curious to know what these security concerns are, considering Amtrak, MARC and VRE all make their internal train identifiers available to the general public  in many cases, in real time.

Metro did not respond to a request that it outline its security concerns regarding its data. It also did not make available an engineer or other staff member who could speak to the complexities of its software interface.

Kevin Ortiz, a spokesman for New Yorks Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said issuing unique IDs for its trains was initially a security concern for that system, too.

It was, but it was reconciled, he said.

So, why is a real-time map so important to riders anyway?

Chris Barnes, curator of the Twitter account @FixWMATA and a member of Metros Riders Advisory Council who has advocated for MetroHero, says its about transparency and adapting to the 21st-century demands of a transit system. Plus, unlike a lot of Metros problems, he said, this is one of these things that can actually be fixed.

Barnes said it would be a way for Metro to generate some goodwill with riders, who are frustrated with chronic service disruptions and what many say is the agencys unwillingness to be forthcoming with customers. Riders want information they can rely on. Without a patch, he said, Metros data has to be taken with an asterisk.

Theyre itching to have that discussion with Metro, they just need them to come to the table, Barnes said. Everyone benefits when data thats made public is accurate and its presented in a proper way. Its such a great opportunity for Metro to gain a little more respect.

Prude, who helped develop the app for the New York subway, says a program such as his can foster goodwill in a different way. It gives riders an understanding and an appreciation for the complexity of a system, so maybe they are more forgiving when it does not work as it is supposed to.

Its really, incredibly easy to complain about your train being late, he said. But thinking about why its late, and the amount of work involved in keeping it on time, will hopefully get people thinking about the complexity of the whole system. That, we hope, will lead to better, smarter funding for infrastructure, new tech innovation for riders and a slightly less bad commute.

This week, Pizzurro received an invitation to speak at a Metro Hack Night this month, organized by Mobility Lab, an Arlington-based transit research and advocacy group. It will be the fourth such event for developers of Metrorail-related apps, and the first ever at Metro headquarters. Organizer Michael Schade directed a reporter to the event listing, which shows that Metro strategic planning adviser Michael Eichler will be in attendance along with chief executive Carey Anne Nadeau of data consulting firm Open Data Nation, to talk about the future of WMATAs own [data interface] and open data.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, back to camera, reaches to hug Virginia Supreme Court Justice Jane Marum Roush as he arrives to deliver his State of the Commonwealth Address in January. (Steve Helber/AP)

The Supreme Court of Virginia wrapped up last week by releasing a flurry of legal opinions, 10 in all, its newest justice having a hand in nearly every one.

Did two 16-year-old rapists deserve the sentences they got? Was a suspect in a drug case denied the right to a speedy trial? Did a construction project breach a wetlands conservation easement?

From the lofty perch of the states highest court, Justice Jane Marum Roush and the rest of the bench passed judgment on how lower courts had answered those questions. Hours later, Roush was out of a job and answers were in short supply.

At the stroke of midnight Friday, time ran out on the second of two temporary appointments that Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) had given the former Fairfax County Circuit Court judge. Both times, the Republican-led legislature refused to keep her on the bench.

Whats next is unclear  for Roush and her staff as well as the states now-short-handed high court. The same goes for a widening group of judges and lawmakers caught up in the drama, which in recent weeks has put a freshman Republican at odds with the rest of his caucus and exposed a racial rift among veteran Senate Democrats.

[GOP senator vows to block efforts to install new Va. Supreme Court justice]

McAuliffe has vowed to give Roush yet another recess appointment when the General Assembly concludes its 60-day session a month from now. He reiterated that point Friday night, just hours before her term was due to expire.

Ive said publicly Ill reappoint her, he told reporters after speaking at the opening of Hillary Clintons Richmond campaign headquarters.

Republicans seem as determined as ever to put someone else in the slot  a goal they are just one vote short of achieving. They appeared close to pulling that off twice in the past two weeks, as one Democratic senator publicly considered backing the GOPs choice and another explicitly did so in a committee vote. But in both cases, the Democrats ultimately stuck with their party.

[Democrat expresses deep frustrations with her party]

The constitution says it is the General Assemblys responsibility to elect the justices of the state Supreme Court, and the House of Delegates stands ready to act, said Matthew Moran, spokesman for Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford).

Amid the current stalemate, Roush is out of work and prominent members of the Virginia bar are incensed. For the first time in modern history, they noted, a governors Supreme Court appointee has not won a permanent appointment from the legislature. They described the episode as more than unfair to an eminently qualified jurist, casting it as a threat to democracy.

We urge our elected representatives to put aside partisanship and follow the tradition and examples of their predecessors in preserving the rule of law, they wrote.

Roush, who previously faced criticism from the GOP for speaking out on her situation, declined to comment.

McAuliffe gave Roush an interim spot on the states highest court in July, when the legislature was not in session. Such recess appointments expire 30 days after the legislature reconvenes, unless legislators elect the judge to the slot.

GOP legislators initially had no complaints about Roush, a highly regarded jurist who has presided over many high-profile cases, including the trial of D.C.-area sniper Lee Boyd Malvo. But they noted that judicial appointments are theirs to make and that they preferred Court of Appeals Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr., who has served on the Court of Appeals of Virginia since 2009. They also complained that McAuliffe had not conferred with House or Senate leaders before making his pick.

GOP opposition only grew after Roush accepted a second recess appointment in September, at a time when McAuliffes authority to grant it was in doubt. They said she had proven herself unfit for the bench by accepting what they deemed an unconstitutional appointment because McAuliffe made it a time when the House had not gaveled out of an August special session.

[McAuliffe asserts right to reappoint Supreme Court justice]

The Senate abruptly adjourned Aug. 17 in a bid to preserve McAuliffes power to put her back on the bench, but the House did not. Under the Virginia Constitution, neither chamber shall adjourn without the consent of the other. The governors administration argued that the language about consent is in a section of the Constitution that refers to regular legislative sessions, not special sessions.

The drama could turn on that sort of legal nitty-gritty as it moves forward.

If the GOP cannot break the impasse, legislative leaders seem likely to try to block a third recess appointment by not gaveling the current session to a close.

But that strategy carries several complications, including a need for super-majority of the legislature to approve extending a regular session. It would come with a financial hit: Legislators, several of whom are seeking statewide office in 2017, are prohibited from raising funds during regular sessions. That is not the case for special sessions.

For the moment, Roush and her staff are in a strange state of professional limbo. She was not immediately required to clear out the office space that the Supreme Court rented for her, as it does for every justice, in her home jurisdiction. But, having turned down the GOPs offer to put her back on the Circuit Court or give her Alstons Appeals Court slot, the paychecks and health insurance are gone.

After nearly twenty-three years of dedicated public service, she finds herself without a salary, Lucia Anna Trigiani, a supporter and a former Bar Association president, said in an email. If she retires, as some suggest she might do, she faces a life-long reduction in her pension, because she has not reached the full retirement age.

All that was certain were her plans for Saturday, attending the funeral of her father. Supporters said it was a sign that, even through controversy and personal loss, Roush cleared her docket and proved herself to be a dedicated public servant.

You know, shes burying her father tomorrow, McAuliffe said Friday. A tough time.

Tom Jackman contributed to this report.
OREGON

Surrendered refuge treated as crime scene

Police and federal agents searched a U.S. wildlife refuge in Oregon for explosives and evidence Friday, a day after the last holdouts in a protest over federal control of Western land surrendered to end a six-week armed occupation.

Federal authorities said the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon would remain closed for several weeks as agents secured what is now considered a crime scene.

After their surrender on Thursday, the last four protesters told authorities that they had left behind booby traps. FBI officials said Friday that they have found no rigged explosives or other booby traps at the refuge.

The final protesters had enough food on hand to last them for many months, an official said. The nearby town of Burns, which was caught in the middle as the occupiers protested federal government control of expanses of Western land, was quiet Friday as residents sought to resume normal life after the 41-day occupation. The takeover, which began on Jan. 2, was sparked by the return to prison of two Oregon ranchers convicted of setting fires that spread to federal property near the refuge.

 From news services

Ga. settles with former transgender prisoner: Georgia will pay $250,000 to settle a federal lawsuit filed by a transgender woman who was denied hormone treatments while serving time in a state prison, the state attorney generals office said Friday. The Southern Poverty Law Center said it was pleased with the outcome for client Ashley Diamond, 37, but disputed the settlement amount cited by the state. The nonprofit organization would not disclose a sum, however, citing a confidentiality agreement. Diamond was held in Baldwin State Prison in Milledgeville.

 Reuters
Elva Beltran of the Porterville Area Coordinating Council helps local families who need water because their wells have gone dry. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon for The Washington Post)

Living day-to-day in a community without running water finally wore the Serrato family down.

Their shallow well went dry more than a year ago, along with the wells of nearly a thousand nearby homes. The family of five turned to a government-provided emergency tank, conserving its contents like misers. A bucket of water for bathing replaced showers. A cup of water sufficed for brushing teeth. Nightly trips to the toilet required a walk outdoors to fetch a bucket for flushing.

It was like the end of the world, Yolanda Serrato said.

Out of desperation, her husband switched on the well in late January following a light rain. It belched brownish water. When that cleared, the Serratos all took showers, ignoring experts warnings that increased levels of nitrate contamination from leaking septic tanks and farm fertilizer runoff made the little remaining groundwater unsafe.

With the nations gaze riveted on a different disaster in Flint, Mich., where lead-contaminated water has caused a health emergency that threatens an entire city, East Portervilles own crisis has been overshadowed.

The emergency showers set up in the parking lot of Iglesia Emmanuel Assembly of God Church in Porterville, Calif., are in constant use since many residents in the county have no running water. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon for The Washington Post)

Seven months after The Washington Post first reported on the regions bone-dry conditions, a return visit found only deeper despair. Despite rains along part of the southern coast and encouraging mountain snowfalls to the north, Californias Central Valley is arguably in worse shape.

The problems from the grueling drought impact thousands of people here, not just in this parched enclave of mostly Latino farmworkers but in the wider county of Tulare  the states hardest-hit area. And those problems are far from being solved.

[Californias rural poor hit hardest as drought makes remaining water toxic]

Physical, emotional costs

The worst suffering is in East Porterville, an unincorporated community that has more than half of the countys 2,000 failed wells. It sits against the sloping foothills of the Sierra Nevada, where the ground is harder. Digging deeper wells is almost impossible closer to the mountains, and the $10,000 and $20,000 that it would cost to drill farther from them is out of the question for people who scrape by on farm wages. Thanks to drought-shriveled fields, hundreds of them have lost jobs picking, processing and packaging vegetables and fruits.

With emergency cash from the state, county officials sought to help by distributing bottled water and supplying hulking, black water tanks that hold up to 3,000 gallons. The igloo-shaped containers dominate browning front yards, about as tall as many of the tiny ranch-style houses they serve.

But truck crews struggle to refill them on schedule once a week, and activists say families are often left dry over weekends and holidays. Its breaking some of the people down, said Fred Beltran Jr., who delivered 300-gallon tanks of water to residents when wells started failing as early as July 2013.

Their struggle is affecting the relationships between spouses and kids, he explained. Its a stress and a burden on them. The kids are dirty. Feces stays in toilets. You can sense the tension. You can feel it and see it in their eyes.

Beltrans mother, Elva, who directs the Porterville Area Coordinating Council, is frustrated with the countys response and the pace of progress. Residents regularly visit the councils headquarters at an old packing warehouse to ask for water. They also ask for money to help pay bills because their jobs wont be returning any time soon.

As she drove East Portervilles dusty streets on a recent afternoon, Beltrans eyes hardened. She said she has only seen public officials discussing the situation at meetings or events. The real work  knocking on doors, asking questions directly, she said  gets left to the activists.

Why isnt the county doing more for these people? Beltran asked. Where is the state?

Bureaucratic red tape partly explains the slow response, according to Timothy Lutz, director of fiscal operations for the local Health and Human Services Agency. Tulare County, population 450,000, was not prepared for catastrophe on such a wide scale and lacked the money to deal with it, he said. So officials turned to the state for guidance and funding.

[Scientists say California hasnt been this dry in 500 years]

The difficulty with something like this is that there are so many players, Lutz said. Money flowed from Californias capital into multiple agencies led by different directors and guided by different regulations.

For example, county officials seized on the idea of drilling a deep well in Porterville, a more middle-class city next door where water remains more plentiful. The intent was to hook 150 East Porterville homes to a water main that bypasses them on its way to four schools. The well would increase the flow so that the schools wouldnt be affected.

At least 15 plodding steps were needed to accomplish that. The county had to work with the city to find a site, then it had to design the well, request $1.2 million to build the pump, get a federal grant to help drill it and finally test the water that was produced.

Then in October, Porterville officials pulled back, saying the project threatened to deplete too much of its own water supply during the duration of the drought. At that point, the entire process broke down, Lutz said. The shiny new orange and gray well still sits dormant on a concrete block on Olive Drive.

The county is looking at alternative ways to operate it and at other options to assist residents. There are other hurdles, too. Many of the migrant farmworkers here share a deep distrust of authority. Those who are in the country illegally shrink from public officials.

I dont think anythings changed

At the Iglesia Emmanuel Assembly of God in Porterville, the Rev. Roman Hernandez sat at a card table, adding names to a register of people receiving free bottled water and food. Across the church parking lot were two county-issued trailers equipped with more than a dozen showers. A few were occupied, and a few had been recently used, their doors flung open as children and women exited.

I dont think anythings changed, Hernandez said. If anything, I think we have more families affected. . . . Most are unemployed due to the drought. The unemployment only adds to the water situation.

Still, when the housing authority started offering vouchers so renters without water could move to locations with it, only five people signed up.

Theres this notion that the little rain we got will take care of this problem, said Miguel Perez, whos coordinating the voucher program. Maybe in the spring and summer, when reality sets in, well sign more people up.

[As water runs dry, Californians brace for a new way of life]

Not far from the church, as a 1,500-gallon tank casts a shadow on their small house, Serrato family members continue using water from their well during the day  despite the warnings about dangerous contamination. At night, they switch to water from the container.

Were alternating, said Yolanda Serrato, a mother of three. I turn on the well in the morning, and then at 4 or 5 oclock I turn it off. . . . We have showers now. The toilet flushes now. Were able to do everything.

County officials know that other families who have managed to draw well water are taking the same risk.

At this point, were not advising anyone to be drinking that water at all, Lutz said. Its not safe to drink by any means.

While the danger will probably dry up soon, other threats will replace it.

When summertime hits and rain conditions dont improve, he said, well be back in the same boat.
Antonin Scalia, the influential and most provocative member of the Supreme Court, has died. He was 79.

Antonin Scalia, the influential and most provocative member of the Supreme Court, has died. He was 79.

Antonin Scalia, the influential and most provocative member of the Supreme Court, has died. He was 79.

Justice Antonin Scalia, the longest-serving member of the current Supreme Court and an intellectual leader of the conservative legal movement, died Saturday, and his death set off an immediate political battle about the future of the court and its national role.

Scalia, 79, was found dead at a hunting resort in Texas after he did not appear for breakfast, law enforcement officials said. A cause of death was not immediately reported.

President Obama, who disagreed with Scalias jurisprudence, nevertheless praised him as a larger-than-life presence on the bench and a brilliant legal mind [who] influenced a generation of judges, lawyers and students, and profoundly shaped the legal landscape.

Obama said he would nominate a successor, even though the Senates Republican leadership and its presidential candidates said an election-year confirmation was out of the question.

[Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia dies at 79]

Washington Post reporter Robert Barnes explains where the Supreme Court stands after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia and how the vacant seat will impact the presidential election. (Whitney Leaming/The Washington Post)

Scalias sudden death casts a cloud of uncertainty over a Supreme Court term filled with some of the most controversial issues facing the nation: abortion, affirmative action, the rights of religious objectors to the contraceptive mandate in the Affordable Care Act, and the presidents powers on immigration and deportation.

An eight-member court could split on all of those issues.

It would seem to assure that the Supreme Court, often far down the list of voters concern when choosing a president, would become a prominent issue in the campaign.

Liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, soon to be 83, is the oldest member of the court, while Justice Anthony M. Kennedy is the same age as Scalia.

The jurists death leaves the court with three consistent conservatives  Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr.  and Kennedy, like Scalia a Ronald Reagan appointee but one who often sides with the courts liberals on social issues, such as same-sex marriage.

The court has four consistent liberals: Ginsburg plus Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

Despite their sharp ideological differences, the justices nevertheless often proclaim their personal affinity for one another, and it seemed especially true regarding Scalia.

Antonin Scalia died on Saturday, Feb. 13. Here's a look back on his tenure, his judicial philosophy and the legacy he leaves behind. (Monica Akhtar,Natalie Jennings/The Washington Post)

Ginsburg, with whom he served as an appeals court judge, was his closest friend on the court, and he and Kagan bonded when he took her on hunting trips.

The Supreme Court provided no details of Scalias death, only a statement from Roberts after reports of his death from Texas news media.

[Live updates: Reactions to Justice Scalias death]

On behalf of the court and retired justices, I am saddened to report that our colleague Justice Antonin Scalia has passed away, Roberts said in the statement. He was an extraordinary individual and jurist, admired and treasured by his colleagues. His passing is a great loss to the court and the country he so loyally served. We extend our deepest condolences to his wife Maureen and his family.

Scalia died at Cibolo Creek Ranch, a resort in the Big Bend area of Texas near the town of Shafter, according to a person in law enforcement.

That person said Scalia did not appear for breakfast when the rest of the party did. People in the group thought he might be sleeping in, but eventually the host of the group became concerned and found him dead, the source said.

Although the fate of Scalias successor seems likely to consume political Washington, the outcome of the many controversies will be complicated by an eight-member court. If the court ties in deciding a case, the decision of the appeals court remains in place, without setting a nationwide precedent.

For instance, the court already was working with one less justice in a case involving the use of race in an admissions case at the University of Texas.

Kagan sat out the case, presumably because she worked on the issue when she was Obamas solicitor general. That means only seven justices would decide whether the appeals court was correct to uphold the program.

The court is scheduled to hear in April arguments about Obamas plan to shield more than 4 million illegal immigrants from deportation.

The executive action was put on hold by a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. A split court would uphold that decision and keep Obama from implementing it before he leaves office next January.

In the case of faith-based hospitals, colleges and charities that object to providing employees with contraceptives under the Affordable Care Act, the court is trying to sort out competing court decisions.

Most appeals courts that have decided the controversy found in favor of the Obama administration. But one did not. Presumably, a split court would mean the law is interpreted differently depending on the region of the country.

Although Scalia was a polarizing figure, reaction to his death brought accolades even from those who disagreed vehemently with his view of the law.

His indomitable conviction and his fierce intelligence left a lasting imprint  not just on the way the Supreme Court resolves cases, but on the legal landscape that he helped to transform., Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch said in a statement. A lion of American law has left the stage, and it is up to all of us  every American  to keep our national constitutional dialogue as lively and as learned as he left it.

Sari Horwitz and Paul Kane contributed to this report.
Detention Center

The inmate count at the Platte County Detention Facility Friday was 80, with 44 from Platte County and 36 from out of county.

Police

Jan. 31

3:21 a.m.  In the 3200 block of 13th Street, Abbi Zywiec, 29, 1451 21st Ave., was cited for reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident and driving under the influence.

Feb. 9

6:30 p.m.  At the intersection of 23rd Street and 33rd Avenue, Marie Codr, 71, 1752 40th Ave., was cited for failure to maintain control.

Feb. 10

9:14 a.m.  In the 2100 block of 10th Street, an unknown vehicle struck a parked vehicle owned by Ellen Doughty, 1052 21st Ave., and left the scene.

1:55 p.m.  In the 800 block of 18th Avenue, a vehicle driven Wendy Gurley, 44, 853 18th Ave., struck a parked vehicle owned by Lourdes Cordova, 1110 Fifth St., No. 4.

Feb. 11

11:59 a.m.  In the 800 block of 25th Avenue, an unknown vehicle struck a parked vehicle owned by Larry and Tyler Reeves, 869 25th Ave., No. 4, and left the scene.

Sheriff

Feb. 4

3:12 p.m.  On Shady Lake Road, three miles west of Columbus, traffic accident. Drivers were Virgil Crumley, 61, Monroe, and Andrea Schumacher, 38, 27783 Woodside Drive.

Feb. 7

1:31 a.m.  On U.S. Highway 81, six miles northwest of Columbus, a vehicle driven by John Snitily, 50, Prague, struck a tire in the roadway.

Feb. 11

2:35 p.m.  Wanted person in the 2800 block of 38th Street, Charles Salak of Columbus jailed on a Platte County warrant.

2:36 p.m.  Traffic violation at the intersection of East U.S. Highway 30 and East 29th Avenue, Atlacatl Marin of Columbus jailed for driving under suspension and cited for speeding.

8:57 p.m.  Wanted person at 2219 Fourth St., Marlin Svitak of Columbus jailed on a Platte County warrant.

Fire

Feb. 10

10:43 a.m.  In the 3000 block of 17th Street, medical.

10:43 a.m.  In the 2800 block of Third Avenue, medical.

12:31 p.m.  In the 3900 block of 34th Street, medical.

12:53 p.m.  IN the 200 block of 23rd Street, medical.

Feb. 11

1:48 a.m.  On Lake Point Drive, medical.

9:55 a.m.  In the 3600 block of 16th Street, medical.

7:55 p.m.  In the 1300 block of 14th Street, medical.
The security shutters were pulled down at the Under the Sun salon on Georgia Avenue NW when I stopped by at noon Tuesday. Getting your storefront window shattered by gunfire can make a business owner take that kind of action. So, too, can a bullet flying through the front window, grazing the neck of a 2-year-old inside the salon.

That shooting took place last Saturday night a short walk from my home. A man standing outside the salon was also wounded in the leg. The man and the toddler sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Its still not clear who was the intended target of the unknown shooter, who also put bullet holes in several businesses and three cars before leaving the scene.

It was another moment in the life of a city where shots are fired almost as frequently as clocks tick.

Thats because of guns. Have we got guns.

We have revolvers, rifles, shotguns, derringers and loads of pistols, with calibers of all kinds. Name it, we got it: 9mm, .22-caliber, .38-caliber, .40-caliber, .45-caliber, .380-caliber, .357-caliber, .32-caliber and .25-caliber. The caliber of choice, however, is 9mm.

How do I know this? Because the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said so in its report on firearms recovered and traced in the District in 2014.

The illegal firearms in our nations capital have been used in assaults, drug deals, robberies, burglaries, sex crimes and, of course, homicides.

We have enough guns in the District to successfully conquer nations.

ATF reported that in 2014 alone it was asked to trace the origins of more than 1,300 firearms recovered in the District. The D.C. police departments public information office put the total number of firearms recovered in 2014 at 2,178. Not all weapons recovered by the police are referred to ATF for tracking.

The D.C. police reported that 1,609 firearms were recovered in 2015 and that this year is also off to a good start: 158 firearms recovered from Jan. 1 to Feb. 9.

Mind you, these are the weapons that authorities have recovered.

There is no way to determine how many illegal guns are present in homes and cars, or stashed in neighborhood hideaways or in the pockets and waistbands of passersby on the street. Illegal gun possession comes with no minimum age. ATFs 2014 statistics show that most of the firearms were found in the possession of those 31 and older. But one possessor was 17 or younger, and 13 were 18 to 21.

The prevalence of guns is stunning.

Thats how a shooting in the street can victimize a toddler inside a hair salon with his mother by his side.

As of Feb. 11, there have been 388 robberies this year, up 28 percent over the same period in 2015. Guns figured in many of those crimes. So, too, with the 10 homicides that have occurred since New Years Day.

It seems that in the District, every day is a day of the gun.

The scourge of gun proliferation fortunately is drawing attention beyond the D.C. line.

The regions attorneys general  Karl A. Racine of the District, Mark R. Herring of Virginia and Brian E. Frosh of Maryland  recently convened a first-of-its-kind meeting to discuss regional coordination in countering gun proliferation.

As Racine told his colleagues, of the illegal guns recovered by our police that ATF is able to trace, over half were last legally purchased in Maryland and Virginia. Most of the guns come from states along the Eastern Seaboard, he said, and any gun must travel through Maryland and Virginia before getting to the District.

The three AGs agreed that because gun trade is regional, solutions must be regional as well. The District, nonetheless, cannot let up on its efforts to catch and jail the shooters, and recover their weapons. School and community programs aimed at taking on the gun culture and the impulse to use weapons must be accelerated, too.

But the shooters cant do what they do without help. Many are aided and abetted by gun dealers who exploit legal loopholes to supply the weapons used to shoot up the Georgia Avenues in our city.

Going after unscrupulous gun sellers with a better background-check system and more federal agents, as President Obama wants to do, might help keep lethal weapons out of the hands of the lawbreakers terrorizing D.C. neighborhoods.

But lets not lose focus: The principal sources of the gun violence plaguing this city are the people pulling the triggers.

They do it by getting their dangerous hands on something most D.C. residents neither want nor need: guns.

Just ask the mother of that 2-year-old.

Read more from Colbert Kings archive.
David Wilson is president of Morgan State University.

Recent demonstrations highlighting the lack of diversity and inclusion at many colleges have brought into focus the role of these institutions in ensuring that all students are truly part of a campus community. Many of the black students who have protested have indicated that they feel unwelcome on their campuses and that their universities are doing too little to promote a culture of inclusion. As one student wrote in November after portraits of African American faculty members were defaced at Harvard Law School: We never have and still do not belong here.

Student protests at the University of Missouri last semester led to the resignation of the president and chancellor. The presidents of Yale and Brown universities announced plans to invest $50 million and $100 million, respectively, to hire and promote more black faculty  and in Browns case, to create a just and inclusive campus community.

The focus on providing a nurturing environment to ensure student success is certainly not new to the United States historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). These schools have a long, impressive history of developing black students into world-class leaders, including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. DuBois, Earl G. Graves and Oprah Winfrey. HBCUs have educated people endowed with confidence, who are culturally competent and who are well-prepared academically to shape a new society and a new world.

Given their rich history of educating such successful people, perhaps the HBCUs should develop some serious complementarity initiatives with institutions that are struggling to bend their cultures to be more inclusive. Perhaps it is time for us to begin, in a sense, dating each other.

Here is how such a relationship might work.

Imagine if Brown University partnered with Morgan State University to develop an exchange program allowing students and faculty from each institution to spend a semester on the others campus. Such an initiative would generate invaluable cultural experiences on both campuses, while underscoring a commitment to develop the whole student within environments that reflect the shifting demographics of the United States. After all, Morgans student body increasingly reflects the nations population more than the wealthy Ivy League institutions.

With such a partnership, the best of learning would occur, with successes to rival those of any global or international exchange. We could promote study away, not just study abroad. An upper-class white students study away experience on an HBCU campus, or a limited-resource, first-generation college students experience on an Ivy League campus, surely would be as transformational and educational as a semester spent in China or Europe.

Lets face it: Across higher education, todays black college students are rejecting efforts to sideline them. In our competitive society, such treatment is simply not acceptable. But the puritanical, centuries-old cultures that exist on many of these campuses cannot be modified by merely building a minority cultural center or recognizing a holiday. We must provide our students with prolonged exposure to cultures that are very different from their own. Doing so will give them a greater understanding of the American tapestry  and change our institutions themselves in ways that make students feel as though they truly are threads in the fabric. A partnership between HBCUs and the Ivy League could serve as a powerful example of what can be achieved in this way.

The Browns, Harvards and Yales of this country might find that those millions theyre setting aside to promote diversity can be used more effectively by supporting partnering experiences with institutions such as Morgan. Their students would be immeasurably more prepared for the world by having experiences beyond their own campuses that challenge their biases and cultural norms. We at Morgan are ready for those partnerships.
WITHIN HOURS of voting for a U.N. Security Council resolution in December mandating an end to the bombing of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian aid in Syria, Russia dispatched planes to pound a town held by U.S.-backed rebels. As Syrians in besieged towns continued to starve, Moscow joined with Iran in supporting a broad offensive that has allowed the regime of Bashar al-Assad to retake control of key areas around the city of Aleppo, while cutting off the supply lines of 400,000 more civilians.

The Obama administration responded to this ruthless and criminal strategy by soliciting Moscows terms for a truce. Early on Friday in Munich, it weakly agreed to a bad deal that will allow the Russian-Iranian-Assad forces to consolidate and expand on their gains, and to occupy a commanding position in any negotiation about Syrias future. Hours later, Russian planes were bombing again.

The salient feature of the agreement struck by Secretary of State John F. Kerry is a partial cessation of hostilities  a week from now. That will allow Russian planes to continue an aerial campaign that, as documented by human rights groups, has included dropping cluster munitions on civilian areas. It could allow Shiite fighters from Lebanon and elsewhere, commanded by Iran, to cut off the last supply route to the half of Aleppo held by U.S.-supplied rebel forces. That would put Moscow and its allies closer to their principal goal  which is to eliminate any forces in Syria other than the Assad regime and the Islamic State. If they dont succeed in a week, Russia has given itself leave to continue bombing terrorist groups, which it defines as including the rebels in Aleppo.

For the West, the reward of accepting all this is the promised opening of humanitarian access to civilian areas subjected to a surrender or starve siege strategy, such as the town of Madaya, where some 20,000 civilians are trying to survive by eating grass and insects, and children are dying of starvation. U.N. officials say they hope blockades will be lifted and aid delivered by early next week; but this is not the first or second time such promises have been made. As Mr. Kerry put it, what we have here are words on paper. What we need to see in the next few days are actions on the ground.

Vladimir Putins record does not suggest such actions will be extend beyond the token. In Syria, the Russian ruler has pursued the same tactics he adopted in Ukraine: gain a decisive military advantage, then offer lopsided terms for a cease-fire. After winning far-reaching political concessions in Ukraine, Mr. Putin never respected the cease-fire or subsequent security measures his envoys agreed to; fighting continues to this day. In Syria, he has less reason to keep his word, as no Western sanctions, nor any other tangible measures, penalize his intervention there.

Mr. Kerry continues to suppose that sheer jawboning will eventually persuade Mr. Putin to abandon the Assad regime and agree to a political settlement that ousts the Assad clique and empowers Syrias Sunni majority. In the real world, the best-case scenario after five years of U.S. inaction is a partial peace that leaves Syria partitioned into zones controlled by the regime and the Islamic State, with a few opposition and Kurdish enclaves squeezed in. Even that would require the Obama administration to aggressively step up its military support for rebel groups, and confront Russia with more than rhetoric. There was no hint of such U.S. resolve in Munich.
MADAM SECRETARY, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said to Hillary Clinton at Thursday nights Democratic presidential debate, that is a low blow. But was it? Ms. Clinton had just finished pointing out that Mr. Sanders has at times strongly critiqued President Obama. While she made his criticisms out to be more personal in nature than they were, her core point was nevertheless true: Mr. Sanders is running a campaign based on a blistering  and simplistic  critique of the status quo under this Democratic president.

In fact, Mr. Sanderss relationship to the politics of the past decade explains a lot about the differences between him and Ms. Clinton. The most obvious distinction is in the differing lessons each candidate took from Mr. Obamas inability to moderate the tone and conduct of the countrys politics. Mr. Obamas promise of that change animated his 2008 campaign and that years blowout Democratic win, yet Washington now appears more polarized  and gridlocked  than ever. The outside-the-Beltway, popular-coalition-building strategy on which Mr. Obama ran  the closest the country has gotten recently to the political revolution Mr. Sanders wants to spark  did not alter partisan political behavior.

Ms. Clinton, pointing out that Mr. Obama had to fight tooth-and-nail even for relatively centrist solutions such as the Affordable Care Act, draws the lesson that the next president must have a strong sense of practicality and realism; big rallies cannot wish away the complex politics of Congress. Mr. Sanders, by contrast, claims that Mr. Obama had insufficient revolutionary zeal. Thats why he proposed that the incumbent Democratic president be challenged by a primary opponent in 2012.

Of course, Mr. Sanderss rejection of realism didnt start when Mr. Obama stepped foot in the White House. At another point in Thursdays debate, Ms. Clinton pointed out that the senator from Vermont voted against a 2007 immigration reform bill, a bipartisan deal brokered by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), that would have made the countrys immigration system a little more rational. Mr. Sanders replied that the guest-worker program it envisioned would have been akin to slavery and that groups such as the AFL-CIO and the League of United Latin American Citizens opposed it. Such kowtowing to interest groups and indulgence in hyperbole are not uncommon for senators, who are rarely held accountable for failing to get results. But they would make for a disastrous presidency.

Mr. Sanders regularly assures his audiences that he respects Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton. But he attacks the pragmatism they have built their legacies on, even though they had no other option. The system  and by this we mean the constitutional structure of checks and balances  requires policymakers to settle for incremental changes. Mr. Obama has scored several ambitious but incomplete reforms that have made peoples lives better while ideologues on both sides took potshots. A key question in the Democratic race is which candidate would duplicate the presidents work and which would settle for rock-throwing.
The Feb. 11 editorial Unacceptable leaders lumped together the proposals of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as unrealistic. Why are expanded Medicare and free public university education for all unrealistic? Most developed countries have some kind of Medicare-for-all program, and many have free university education. Are these proposals unrealistic because we cant afford them, or because they wouldnt get through a Republican Congress?

French economist Thomas Piketty has shown that the inexorable increase in the concentration of wealth and inequality in the United States and the world, whereby the top 10 percent will soon own 90 percent of the countrys wealth, is a mathematical certainty, not because wealthy people are necessarily greedy but because the rate of return on capital is always greater than the increase in productivity. The only way to save capitalism and avoid more poverty and insurrection will be to have more redistribution of wealth; better through the ballot box than by riots and revolt. Mr. Sanders proposes we do it by the ballot box. This is enlightened capitalism, not socialism.

David Nicholas, Oakton
The Feb. 10 Campaign 2016 headline Vt. senators oddball coalition savors improbable, then inevitable, victory was offensive to supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders . Although I do not support Mr. Sanders, I admire his courage and energy and the passion of his volunteers.

Why are they oddballs? Because one man works two jobs on Long Island? Or because one formerly admired New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in his campaign for the Republican nomination? Or because another is a musician who performs under the name Fantastic Negrito?

Classifying people this way or looking for easy stereotypes among supporters of either partys candidates is degrading.

Geoffrey Lilja, Bethesda
Virginia Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, left, survived a knife attack by his son, who later killed himself, after the son was released by officials who could not find a mental-health facility for him. (Joe Mahoney/The Richmond Times-Dispatch via Associated Press)

Eli Sanders is associate editor at the Seattle alt-weekly The Stranger and author of the new book While the City Slept, on the murder of Teresa Butz.

Americas public mental-health system is in a dangerous state of disrepair.

President Obama sees this, as do candidates for president from both parties. Bernie Sanders wants radical changes. Donald Trump complains that too many politicians have ignored this problem for too long. Hillary Clinton sees a connection between the lack of funding for preventive interventions and our overstuffed prisons, noting that over half of prison and jail inmates suffer from a mental-health problem. Jeb Bush says this is an area in which theres a clear role for government spending so that people dont fall through the cracks toward tragic outcomes.

I couldnt agree more. Having spent six years exploring one young mans fall through the cracks of Washington states public mental-health system, and the terrible events connected to this fall, I strongly believe we need to devote far greater resources and attention to this challenge. In failing to do so, we contribute to a wide array of social harm: homelessness, suicide, the heroin epidemic, poverty and, occasionally, horrific violence.

To be clear: Violence is far from the normal outcome of mental illness. At the same time, when it occurs, we need to see the bigger picture. As the Obama administration put it recently, While individuals with mental illness are more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators, incidents of violence continue to highlight a crisis in Americas mental health system.

The case of Isaiah Kalebu does this quite starkly. He was raised in a fragmented and distressed family environment by parents of modest means, and as he grew into adulthood he showed clear signs of serious mental illness that, for him, was connected to violence. Hed long impressed people with his intelligence, but by the summer of 2009 he was 23 years old, unemployed, intermittently homeless and firmly in the grip of his disturbance. Kalebu needed a robust and attentive mental-health system to help him and protect those around him, but 2009, like many years before and since, was a bad year to be in this sort of need.

Between 2009 and 2012, more than $4.3 billion was cut from state mental-health budgets around the country in the wake of the Great Recession. In Washington state, where Kalebu was born  and where he will die in prison  the 2009 budgeting cycle alone saw more than $23 million cut from mental-health programs. In the years before that cut, the state held a D grade for its mental-health services from the National Alliance on Mental Illness. So did the United States as a whole.

During this period Kalebus family members, realizing they didnt have the resources or tools to halt his slide, sought help from the state. Unfortunately, as Maria Lymberis, a psychoanalyst who later examined Kalebus trajectory, told me: When the family turned to the system, the system had the same dynamic as the family.

When Kalebus mother prevailed upon police to take him to an overburdened, publicly funded hospital for an emergency psychiatric evaluation  rather than to jail for his alarming behavior  he was too quickly released. His mother said that the next day, her son told her to enjoy her last day on earth, and on the following day smashed her vans windows with a rock and struck her head with the metal end of his dogs leash.

When Kalebu was arrested for this, a judge sent him to an underfunded state mental hospital. He stayed four months, was released on the condition he continue treatment and soon stopped showing up for appointments. No alarms went off.

When his aunt called a crisis hotline out of concern for his continued deterioration, Kalebu was evaluated but not detained. The next day, he got into an altercation with police and wound up being Tasered and shot with non-lethal bean bag rounds. He was arrested again and released again  this time, in part, because the second judges computer, in the state that birthed Microsoft, couldnt communicate well enough with the first judges computer.

Soon Kalebus aunt was filing for a restraining order, expressing fear for her safety. The next day, she was killed in a fire caused by arson. Kalebu was briefly questioned in connection with her death and released. (The arson case has never been solved.)

After that, as his defense attorneys later wrote, Kalebu wandered homeless for days, accompanied by only his dog and his delusions, until he encountered Teresa Butz and Jennifer Hopper. The two women were engaged. On the night of July 19, 2009, Kalebu attacked them inside their home in south Seattle. He raped and stabbed both women, killing Butz.

Compare this long, unchecked descent into violence  observed by many but stopped by no one  with the vision put forward more than 12 years ago by President George W. Bushs New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. It declared Americas public mental-health system to be a patchwork relic and imagined a fundamental transformation after which, at the first sign of difficulties, preventative interventions will be started to keep problems from escalating.

All over the country, the transformation has failed to materialize. And while the cost of this is incalculable when it comes to lives forever altered, the public bill is worth examining. Bushs panel put the annual indirect cost of mental illness to the U.S. economy at $79 billion. A recent study by the Government Accountability Office found the federal government spending a comparatively low $5.7 billion in one fiscal year on the challenge of serious mental illness. In Washington state, taxpayers will spend more than $3 million to pay for Kalebus trial and life-without-parole sentence  far more than it might have cost to intervene earlier.

If we want to address the crisis in U.S. mental-health care, we will have to spend far more than the $500 million in new mental-health funding President Obama recently proposed. We will also have to admit that at many levels, across many systems, weve had things exactly backward for too long. We spend good money after bad outcomes when we should be changing lives, saving lives and saving money by spending now to prevent tomorrows tragedy.
Clarence K. Lam, a Democrat, represents the 12th District in the Maryland House, where he is the sponsor of the Poultry Litter Management Act. Wenonah Hauter is executive director of Food & Water Watch.

Marylands poultry industry has run roughshod over the Chesapeake Bay for too long.

The industry has successfully shifted liability onto the taxpayer for the massive amounts of poultry waste that run off Marylands factory farms into the states waterways. Fortunately, recently introduced state legislation would force the big chicken companies to take responsibility for their waste and its impact on the bay and local communities.

For decades, the historic Chesapeake Bay watershed has been polluted by excess levels of nitrogen and phosphorus from manure that runs off industrial farm operations. These factory farms have been choking the bay with excess pollutants, causing algae blooms that consume oxygen and create dead zones where fish and shellfish cannot survive. A U.S. Geological Survey report released last year pointed specifically to the Eastern Shore poultry industry for levels of nitrogen in the regions waters that are among the highest in the nation.

The legislation, the Poultry Litter Management Act, would help reverse this trend by requiring chicken companies to finally clean up after themselves, which other major industries in the United States already are asked to do. The companies would be required to pick up all excess manure from their contract growing operations while allowing contract growers to retain the manure necessary to fertilize their own crops. It also would ensure that chicken companies dispose of their excess manure in a way that does not harm the environment or communities. Its that simple.

This legislative session, youll hear from the big Eastern Shore chicken companies  Perdue, Tyson Foods and Mountaire Farns that wont be happy about having to use some of their big profits on cleaning up their own mess. Theyd prefer to allow taxpayers to foot the bill for picking up after the industry and protecting the bay. Since 2004, Marylanders have contributed $767 million to bay restoration . State taxpayers have spent $5.6 million since 1999 to move the chicken companies manure from overburdened contract growers. With some of these corporations enjoying annual sales of $6.3 billion, it seems only fair that they  and not struggling Marylanders  pay to clean up their waste and protect the bay.

Its not only the bay and taxpayers that have suffered from the free ride enjoyed by the chicken industry; its also the industrys contract growers. As the industry has become increasingly concentrated, the powerful companies that control it pay their contract growers a low wage while avoiding any responsibility for the at least 228,000 tons of excess manure produced by their hundreds of millions of chickens every year. Perdue and Tyson control these vertically integrated operations by shifting costs to growers. Growers and state taxpayers bear the burden of the waste while Big Chicken enjoys the profits.

The Poultry Litter Management Act would give us a chance to make the industry accountable for irresponsible corporate practices, relieving taxpayers. It is an equitable, common-sense approach that has support from the bay environmental community, including Food & Water Watch, the Maryland Clean Agriculture Coalition and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. It would protect taxpayers and contract growers while asking corporations to do their fair share to protect our historic watershed.

Passing this legislation is the right thing to do for Maryland and the bay.
Bernie Sanders, greedy for power to punish people he considers greedy, has occasioned 2016s best joke (reported in Bloomberg Businessweek): In the Bernie Sanders drinking game, every time he mentions a free government program, you drink someone elses beer. But neither Sanderss nor Hillary Clintons hostility to the First Amendment is amusing.

Both have voted to do something never done before  make the Bill of Rights less protective. They favor amending the First Amendment to permit government regulation of political campaign speech. Hence they embrace progressivisms logic, as it has been explained separately, and disapprovingly, by two eminent economists, Ronald Coase and Aaron Director:

There is no reason the regulatory, redistributive state should distinguish among various markets. So, government that is competent and duty-bound to regulate markets for goods and services to promote social justice is competent and duty-bound to regulate the marketplace of ideas for the same purpose.

Sanders and Clinton detest the Supreme Courts 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission , which they say their court nominees would reverse. It held that unions and corporations  especially incorporated advocacy groups, from the National Rifle Association to the Sierra Club  can engage in unregulated spending on political advocacy that is not coordinated with candidates or campaigns. The decision simply recognized that Americans do not forfeit their First Amendment rights when they come together in incorporated entities to magnify their voices by speaking collectively.

Opposition to Citizens United is frequently distilled into the slogan that corporations are not people, to which Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) adds this example of progressive insight: People have hearts. They have kids. They get jobs. They get sick. They cry. They dance. They live. They love. And they die. And a few teach at Harvard Law School, as Warren was able to do only because Harvard did not die: It is descended from the first corporation chartered in Colonial America.

Surely she learned in law school something she can relearn by reading Are Corporations People? in National Affairs by Carson Holloway of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The concept of corporate personhood, he says, is not an invention of todays conservatives. It derives from English common law and is deeply rooted in our legal and constitutional tradition.

William Blackstone, the English jurist who richly influenced the United States Founders, said that corporations are artificial persons created to encourage socially useful cooperation among individuals and are accorded certain rights so that they can hold property and have lives, identities and missions that span multiple generations. Early in U.S. history, many for-profit corporations were less important than the nonprofit educational and religious corporations that still produce the nations robust civil society of freely cooperating citizens.

If corporations had no rights of personhood, they would have no constitutional protections against, for example, the arbitrary search and seizure by government of their property without just compensation. And there would be no principled reason for denying the right of free speech (the First Amendment does not use the word person in guaranteeing it) to for-profit (e.g., the New York Times) or nonprofit (e.g., the NAACP) corporations.

In his attack on the Bill of Rights, Sanders voted to exempt for-profit media corporations from government regulation of corporate speech. Why? Because such corporations, alone among for-profit and nonprofit corporations, are uniquely altruistic and disinterested? Please.

In 2007, in a Cato Institute lecture, Judge Janice Rogers Brown of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit warned us: People who are eager to weaken protection of private property in order to enable government to redistribute wealth will also want to weaken constitutional protections of free speech in order to empower government to redistribute ideas.

Since then, college campuses have been responsive to people eager to regulate what others say, hear and see. Now, in the name of campaign finance reform, progressives such as Sanders and Clinton want to expand governments regulatory reach to political speech.

Both are ardent for equality and, as Brown foresaw, the argument for economic equality easily becomes an argument for equalizing political influence. The argument is: Government regulates or seizes property in the name of equity, so why not also, for the same reason, regulate the quantity, content and timing of speech intended to influence elections?

Progressives, with their collectivist itch, are ever eager to break private institutions to the saddle of the state, and to fill private spaces with regulations. Do they consider government uniquely altruistic and disinterested? Please.

Read more from George F. Wills archive or follow him on Facebook.
The Feb. 8 front-page article Clinton looks to sisterhood, but votes may go to Sanders omitted several factors concerning the status of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton among todays young women. One factor not mentioned is class. Ms. Clinton, a Democratic candidate for president, and too many of her supporters are disconnected economically and socially from the needs and struggles of working women. Young women and others today are seeking out those who are genuinely progressive and can articulate why capitalism has failed to be an economically and socially balanced system that benefits everyone. The Koch brothers and other billionaires are raising close to $1 billion to buy this election. These billionaires want to get rid of anything that smacks of a socialized system, such as Social Security, Medicare and childrens health programs. Billionaire policies adversely affect working and poor women, and billionaires have raised millions for Ms. Clinton.

Ms. Clinton has failed to see how her militarism turns off and frightens many voters. It is not just her vote for the Iraq War but also her support for policies that helped to destabilize Libya, where women were supported by the government in their efforts to obtain an education and more economic security. There is nothing left in Libya now for anyone, and womens development has ceased to exist.

Lastly, the Bill Clinton administration was one of the major architects of the current mass-incarceration policies that disproportionately target the African American population . Ms. Clinton doesnt seem to comprehend how these policies negatively affect communities of color. She and Mr. Clinton were quick to pull out the race card in the 2008 election , something many of us former civil rights activists remember well.

As a woman of color, I am not sure Ms. Clinton is worthy of my vote.

Lois Rosado, Greenbelt

The Democratic and Republican New Hampshire primary results sent a clear message to the nation: We are sick and tired of the status quo in American politics.

For many years, we have been content to allow the political establishment to write the rules of political competition and decide which policies are pursued. Years of inaction, political obstruction and legislative gridlock no longer play well to the electorate.

For the first time in a generation, we have two candidates, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Donald Trump, who are addressing the desire to make major changes in our political landscape. Mr. Sanders, a candidate for the Democratic nomination, appeals to the positive hopes and dreams of people. Mr. Trump, a Republican candidate for president, appeals to peoples fundamental fears and worries.

The establishment candidates should better articulate real policies and programs that appeal to a broad spectrum of the electorate. If they dont, well see those who are outside the Washington elite capture the interest and votes of the electorate.

Eugene Silverman, Rockville

Regarding the Feb. 6 front-page article The most radical thing hes ever done:

Whats not to like about Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president? If I were 55 years younger and someone held out the prospect of four or more years of free living, Id vote for him or her in a heartbeat! But who is supposed to pay for free college? Who is going to pay salaries of college professors and staff? Who is going to pay for maintenance, heating and cooling of college buildings and grounds? Who is going to pay for room and board? Not me. Im a 77-year-old citizen who worked to put herself through college and is living on a Social Security income, which did not increase this year.

Id like to present a quid pro quo for the free college benefit. Anyone who takes advantage of the free college benefit to earn a bachelors degree must invest four years after college in the military, law enforcement, firefighting, teaching or some form of medical assistance in a hospital. There is no free lunch. And the sooner young people learn that lesson, the sooner they can get over their self-importance and get on with paying their way in this society.

Carole E. Hunt, Arlington
COLUMBUS  Mayor Mike Moser will have a challenger in 2016.

Jim Bulkley, the longest-serving member of the current Columbus City Council, filed paperwork Thursday to make a run for the office Moser has held since December 2004.

Bulkley, who is in his fourth term on the city council, said he spent the past few months kicking around the idea of running for mayor before making the final decision this week.

Ive still got more to give to the city of Columbus and Im ready to try giving it at a different level, he said.

Since his election in November 2000, Bulkley has spent four years as the city council president and is currently chairman of the Public Finance, Judiciary and Personnel Committee.

Bulkley, who works in the environmental department at Pillen Family Farms, is already targeting city spending as an area of focus for his campaign.

As a city councilman, hes questioned the projected price tags for the proposed library/cultural arts center and public safety building, recommending the council set spending limits on the projects based on what the city can afford instead of designing the facilities without budgets in place.

Bulkley said the council has become too easy on spending.

Im at a point where I think there needs to be a little different direction given from a leadership standpoint, he said.

A resident of Columbus for the past 40 years, Bulkley also believes the council and citizens need a stronger voice on issues that impact the communitys future.

He said the council and mayor have given City Administrator Joe Mangiamelli too much control. Instead of leading the city, Bulkley said the city administrators job should be to guide the community using direction from elected officials.

Bulkley said he talked to Moser on Thursday to inform him of his decision to oppose the mayor.

I wanted him to hear it from me, he said.

Moser, who has filed for re-election, responded to some of Bulkley's concerns on Friday.

He said the city administrator is evaluated by the city council each year, and no negative comments regarding Mangiamelli's performance were made during the 2015 review.

Moser also noted that the city could have saved money by not hiring a fourth community service technician for the police department, and he suggested using a portion of the local sales tax revenue for property tax relief. Neither proposal was supported by the council.

"The city has one of the fewest numbers of employees per thousand of our comparably sized cities and our property tax levy is also one of the lowest," Moser said. "We attempt to get the very best value for our citizens with the money we spend."

Moser ran unopposed in 2008 and 2012 after winning the mayoral race in 2004. He ran unsuccessfully in 2010 for the Nebraska Legislature, losing the election to Paul Schumacher.

The mayoral candidacy prevents Bulkley from seeking re-election to the city council, which means his seat will be up for grabs this year. He represents Ward 2 in southwest Columbus.

Levi Abbott, who was defeated by Dennis Kresha for the other Ward 2 city council seat in 2014, filed paperwork Friday to make another run for the seat.

He is the only nonincumbent seeking a city council seat so far. Nonincumbents have until March 1 to declare for elected offices.

Councilmen Charlie Bahr, Ron Schilling and John Lohr also have filed for re-election in 2016, and the mayor is currently accepting applications from citizens interested in representing Ward 4. Terry Reardon will vacate that seat May 15 because hes moving outside the ward.
After his speech at the Illinois State Capitol, President Obama visits the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield. (Terrence Antonio James/Associated Press)

In the fevered atmosphere of an election for president, attention naturally drifts away from the one whos still there. So it is with President Obama. The day after the New Hampshire primary, Obama returned to the scene of his political education  and the launching pad for his own campaign nine sobering years ago.

In Springfield, Ill., Obama lamented the poisonous political climate and mourned that the tone of our politics hasnt gotten better since I was inaugurated; in fact, it has gotten worse.

His message, mostly, got buried  bumped off the front pages and evening news by the aftershocks of New Hampshire. Some of the coverage correctly understood the president as criticizing Donald Trump, as when he denounced politics that reward the most extreme voices or the most divisive language or who is best at launching schoolyard taunts.

But the more interesting aspect of Obamas speech was its implicit disagreement with Bernie Sanders, the previous days winner. Decorum dictates that an incumbent stay above the current political fray, yet Obamas speech can be interpreted as a rebuttal to Sanders, a rebuke of the Vermont senators unyielding approach to politics and an unstated endorsement of Hillary Clintons more-plodding pragmatism.

Contrast, first, Obamas ingrained tropism toward the middle ground with Sanderss call for political upheaval. Voters, Obama said, instinctively know that issues are more complicated than rehearsed sound bites. They understand the difference between realism and idealism. They possess the maturity to know what can and cannot be compromised, and to admit the possibility that the other side just might have a point.

This analysis is antithetical to Sanderss stark depiction of the political landscape. Like Ronald Reagan, Sanders paints in bold colors, not pale pastels. If the other side has a point, Sanders doesnt see it, or at least doesnt acknowledge it. The business model of Wall Street is fraud. The economy is rigged. The billionaire class has purchased a chokehold on Congress.

Obamas message was that voters should find what unites them, across red and blue America. Sanderss is that they must man the barricades.

Contrast, second, Obamas assessment of why voters are so repulsed by politics with Sanderss grimmer diagnosis. In Obamas analysis, a poisonous political climate . . . pushes people away from participating in our public life. It turns folks off. It discourages them, makes them cynical.

The consequence, Obama said, is that more powerful and extreme voices fill the void. . . . And thats how we end up with only a handful of lobbyists setting the agenda. Thats how we end up with policies that are detached from what working families face every day. Thats how we end up with the well-connected who publicly demand that government stay out of their business but then whisper in its ear for special treatment.

Sanders sees the situation in expressly monetary terms: a campaign finance system which is corrupt, which is undermining American democracy, which allows Wall Street and billionaires to pour huge sums of money into the political process to elect the candidates of their choice, as he said in Thursdays PBS debate.

In Sanderss view, the problem is not that voters are discouraged; it is that they are disenfranchised by the corruption of the existing system. He does not believe in political climate change but in political revolution.

Which leads to the third, striking difference: Obamas clash with Sanders over the role of money in politics.

Obama, correctly, perceives serious flaws in the system  in particular, undisclosed, unlimited dark money contributions. But he puts the problem in important historical perspective, while Sanders depicts the situation in far bleaker terms. Part of Obamas Springfield message was that folks who subscribe to Sanderss worldview should get a grip.

Theres also the notion sometimes that our politics are broken because politicians are significantly more corrupt or beholden to big money than they used to be, he said. Folks arent entirely wrong when they feel as if the system too often is rigged and does not address their interests.

Still, he noted, invoking the United States rich history of political pocket-lining, ward-bossing and vote-buying, the truth is that the kind of corruption that is blatant, of the sort that we saw in the past, is much less likely in todays politics. You wouldnt know this from Sanderss thundering.

Too bad Obamas speech didnt get more attention. Too bad voters wont get the chance to hear him and Sanders debate directly.

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Out on the hustings, people often ask me: Can you explain South Carolina?

I just shake my head.

Its complicated, I say.

The simple answer, eternal and everlasting, is anti-secessionist James Petigrus remark: South Carolina is too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum.

For those keeping an eye on the upcoming South Carolina primary contests, including the droves of journalists now combing the state for fresh fodder, a bit of background is in order. As to my bona fides, suffice it to say that my family settled hereabouts in the late 1600s.

Essentially, the state is three within one, each with its own personality and voting history  Upcountry (conservative), Midlands (mixed) and Lowcountry (liberal)  plus the nation of Charleston, which is its own, singular place. The city is a Democrats town, owing not least to its large African American community. But also, port towns tend to play a little looser than the landlocked. Most of South Carolina otherwise consists of small rural towns that honor tradition in all its forms.

Most important, however, South Carolina is the joker in the nations deck. Although increasingly difficult to put the state in a box politically  so many non-natives have discovered its charm and beauty  certain relevant characteristics of its indigenous peoples bear mention.

First, South Carolinians arent just anti-establishment. Theyre anti-everything if it means theyre expected to perform or respond in certain predicted ways. This tendency is especially acute when elites (a.k.a. those not from around here) are involved. Thus, a local might do the opposite of what is anticipated based on history or demographics, even if it is against his own interests.

Companion to this quirk is a strong current of what-the-hell-ism that courses through the veins of generations of good ol boys and girls (i.e., descendants of the Scotch-Irish with all their stubborn pride). If they dont much cotton to foreigners (see above), they also dont care much for authority. In their book, the fact that candidates think they should be president pretty much disqualifies them for the office.

But you gotta vote for somebody. May as well be Donald Trump. Is he everything a true Southerner dislikes in another human being? Absolutely. But if the elites dont like him, goes the thinking, then maybe I do. See how this thing rolls?

Same thing on the Democratic side. At any other time, Bernie Sanders would be an impossible candidate  unfamiliar and beyond the norms of southern rectitude. Hes loud, angry and graceless with an accent you dont hear much in these parts.

But Sanders has something the others dont. Hes real as dirt. If theres one thing a native son or daughter cant stand, its fakery. Whether from the ladies who smile and say, How nice, when they mean something extremely different  or the politician who suddenly cant take his hands off a gun or Bible  Southerners have a knack for spotting a fraud.

Hillary Clinton enters troubled waters here, particularly among African Americans. Despite a likely endorsement from the ever-influential Rep. James Clyburn, it may not matter enough. As just one signal, Clintons recent visit to the state for Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations left many feeling colder than the weather dictated.

She was nowhere in sight for the march in Columbia, where Sanders joined the front line. At a ceremony on the State House steps, she breezed out of the warmth of the building, took her seat and read her prepared remarks. People notice these things. At another service later in the day, half of the black audience held Sanders signs, according to Bud Ferillo, a longtime South Carolina political operative and now head of the nascent South Carolina Collaborative for Racial Reconciliation.

The message? The Clinton machine is showing its age and is out of touch with Democratic voters in 2016, says Ferillo. His prediction: Clinton might still win the Palmetto State, but if Sanders puts in the time Barack Obama did in 2007-2008 (he lived here), he could pull an upset.

An African American friend in Camden responded to my plea for comment with only a photo showing Clinton dancing with a black DJ on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The caption, playing off the rap hit Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae): Now watch me beg, for all the black votes.

Ouch. So there you have it, much condensed but representative based on my own conversations and interviews. Then again, what the hell, its South Carolina. All you know for sure is that whatever happens, there will be blood.

Read more from Kathleen Parkers archive, follow her on Twitter or find her on Facebook.
I am not an expert on art. I cannot tell you what there is about a piece of art that makes me like it. So it is with the photograph by Michael S. Williamson that accompanied the Feb. 7 Business article Whats left? I know only that I like a photo or painting when it makes me feel something. Williamsons photo does just that, and I cannot even tell you why. I am not from West Virginia, I have nothing to do with coal mines or what is happening in small coal towns, but this photo speaks volumes to me. I feel I have been there, or perhaps the photo is simply drawing me in to make me feel I have been there.

Whatever the reason, this photo is true art. Thanks to Williamson for sharing it.

Gene Nordgren, Fredericksburg

I read the Feb. 7 Business article on Walmart pulling out of Kimball, W.Va., with mixed emotions. I have lived in the rural South, where a trip to Walmart is a required social activity. My sister got a job there when a tanked economy stole her factory job. Yet I have seen so many towns where the big-box bypass has killed downtowns and have lamented that there must be a better way.

The article highlighted many opportunities for enterprising entrepreneurs to fill the building as a hub for start-ups or to supply the goods and services previously supplied by Walmart  a grocery store selling fresh, affordable food; a gas station; a place to buy phone cards; a tax preparation site; and a place to buy sewing and craft materials.

In the article, a local commissioner mentioned the need to bring in more small businesses. When I travel to developing nations, I see masses of small kiosks and shops providing all types of goods and services right in the community where they are needed: seamstresses, scratch-card sellers, laundromats, print shops and tiny markets selling cold drinks, local produce and basic groceries. Does this not work because of our car culture? Or have we lost the eye for entrepreneurship?

I hope someone can provide the training, financing and support to help local citizens grow their own small businesses in areas where they are needed most.

Jacqueline Wilson, Arlington
At the CBS Republican primary debate in Greenville, S.C., candidates weighed in on the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. (CBS)

At the CBS Republican primary debate in Greenville, S.C., candidates weighed in on the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. (CBS)

The ninth Republican presidential debate was in many ways the nastiest of the campaign, complete with raised voices, name calling, and criticism of family members Saturday night in South Carolina.

Donald Trump took sharp aim at former President George W. Bushs foreign policy and his brother, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, rebuked him sharply. Sen. Ted Cruz called Sen. Marco Rubio soft on immigration and Rubio accused Cruz of not telling the truth. Trump flatly called Cruz the single biggest liar on stage while Cruz told him not to interrupt.

The biggest news story heading into the debate was the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. But after consensus support at the top of the debate for a conservative to succeed him, Scalias death moved into the background as national security, immigration and the candidates records dominated the discussion.

At one point, Cruz accused Trump of glossing over his liberal past on Planned Parenthood and abortion. Trump angrily fought back.

Why do you lie? Trump asked him.

Donald Trump got into it with pretty much every other candidate at the Feb. 13 CBS News GOP debate. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

The two started talking over each other at another point and Cruz said: Adults learn not to interrupt. He also warned that with Trump, the country would get liberal nominees for the Supreme Court.

Trump blamed Cruz and George W. Bush -- who he bashed routinely during the debate -- for the nomination and support of Chief Justice John Roberts.

[Debate live updates: Republicans meet in South Carolina after Justice Scalias death]

Earlier, Cruz and Rubio hit each other hard on immigration, with Cruz decrying the Rubio-Schumer amnesty plan and Rubio accusing Cruz of lying.

Cruz argued Rubio has been too soft on immigration and disparaged him for supporting a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Rubio struck back by arguing that Cruz once supported legalization.

Things got personal when Cruz pointed to an interview Rubio did on Spanish-language television as evidence he would not rescind executive actions taken by President Obama.

I dont know how he knows what I said on Univision because he doesnt speak Spanish, Rubio shot back.

Republican presidential contender Ted Cruz and CBS GOP debate host John Dickerson sparred over when Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy was nominated and confirmed at the CBS News GOP debate on Feb. 13. (CBS)

Minutes later, Jeb Bush and Trump clashed on immigration. Trump said Bush had the weakest immigration record of all the candidates.

Bush pivoted to other issues in his counterattack against Trump, saying it is weak to disparage women. Its weak to disparage Hispanics.

Trump also hit former President George W. Bush hard, directing some blame at him for the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks and saying he erred badly by invading Iraq in 2003.

Trump clashed sharply on the issue with Jeb Bush, who came out swinging against Trumps foreign policy.

Bush accused Trump of dangerously advocating too cozy a relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Middle East. As Trump defended himself, he was booed by the crowd. He argued the people who were booing him were Bushs special interests and lobbyists.

Trump later hit George W. Bush for making a mistake invading Iraq.

Jeb Bush counter-punched: I could care less about the insults Donald Trump gives to me. ... I am sick and tired of him going after my family.

The World Trade Center came down during the reign of George Bush. He kept us safe? Trump said. I lost hundreds of friends in the 9/11 terrorist attack.

Bush dismissed Trumps foreign policy knowledge: This is from a guy who gets his foreign policy from the shows.

And in an exchange with Trump, Rubio blamed the Sept. 11 attacks on former President Bill Clinton. The World Trade Center came down because Bill Clinton didnt kill Osama bin Laden when he had the chance to kill him, Rubio said.

Earlier, Trump said that if he were president now, he would try to nominate a successor for deceased Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, but he said it is incumbent on Republican Senate leaders to prevent the confirmation of President Obamas eventual nominee.

I think its up to Mitch McConnell and everyone else to stop it. Its called delay, delay, delay, he said.

Other candidates at the debate said that Obama should not nominate a new justice, praised Scalias service on the court and urged a conservative replacement.

Barack Obama will not have a consensus pick, said former Bush.

I just wish we hadnt run so fast into politics, said Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said: The Senate needs to stand strong.

Scalia, who was beloved by conservatives, died hours before the debate began. His death and the subject of who will replace him immediately become major topics of conversation in the debate and in the broader campaign. After the candidates took the stage, debate moderator John Dickerson called for a moment of silence for Scalia.

Adding to the testy atmosphere Saturday, Trump issued a statement accusing the Republican National Committee of illegally putting out a fundraising notice using his name before withdrawing it at my insistence. An RNC aide said the notice Trump was citing was related to a straw poll where participants were asked to donate once they picked a candidate.

The straw poll allows supporters of all the candidates to help contribute to the presidential trust that ensures our nominee has the $23 million of RNC funds to take on Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, said RNC chief strategist and communications director Sean Spicer.

Saturdays debate was expected to test whether Rubio, who was ridiculed for mechanically repeating himself in the previous meeting, can regain his footing after a fifth-place finish in New Hampshire.

Several one-on-one competitions were expected to escalate on stage, because fewer candidates is likely to mean more talking time for each one. Among them: Trump vs. Cruz Rubio vs. Cruz, Rubio vs. Bush, and Bush vs. Kasich.

The two-hour clash, which CBS News is hosting, started at 9 p.m. Eastern time. This is the last debate before the Feb. 20 South Carolina primary.

Trump once again stood at the middle of the stage. He held a commanding lead in South Carolina, home to nearly 5 million people, including an eclectic mix of Republicans. There are many Christian conservatives, defense hawks and centrists in the state.

Trump released an ad this week focusing on his signature issue: immigration. The father of an African American teenager killed by an illegal immigrant explains why he supports Trump in the ad.

Trump is the only one saying: Youre going to be dealt with. Were going to enforce that, Jamiel Shaw says in the ad. Were going to enforce that. Thats a beautiful thing.

Trump has voiced hard-line positions on immigration, including banning all Muslims from entering the country over concerns about terrorism and creating a deportation force to remove undocumented immigrants.

But in genteel South Carolina, Trumps challengers have taken aim at his brashness as much as theyve targeted his policy ideas.

On the campaign trail this week, Rubio has criticized Trump for using crude language that he said he had to shield from his young sons. Right to Rise USA, a super PAC promoting Bush released an ad Friday calling Bush the better man and highlighting Trumps personal attacks.

Rubio is trying to reignite a campaign that fell apart in the final days before the New Hampshire vote. He is showing a personal side he hopes will wipe away accusations that he is too robotic. He also has adopted a more aggressive posture, hitting not just Trump but Bush, whom he argues does not have any foreign policy experience.

Bush, who finished just ahead of Rubio in New Hampshire, is trying to edge ahead of the senator in the battle for the mainstream Republican mantle. A strong showing in South Carolina, where Bushs father and brother won primaries, could deal a devastating blow to Rubio.

On Monday, former president George W. Bush plans to campaign with his brother at a rally in North Charleston, S.C., after mostly staying out of politics since he left the White House in 2009.

Rubio is not the only opponent Bush needs to worry about. Kasich, who finished a strong second in New Hampshire, has secured new financial support in recent days. He threatens to pull away some centrist Republicans also drawn to Bush.

Another battle that was raging heading into Saturday was the one between Trump and Cruz. Cruzs campaign released a video this week that says Trump pretends to be a Republican. On Friday, Trump tweeted: If @TedCruz doesnt clean up his act, stop cheating, & doing negative ads, I have standing to sue him for not being a natural born citizen.

Also on the stage is retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who has faded sharply after exploding onto the national political landscape last year. Carson is polling at the bottom of the field in South Carolina.

Jenna Johnson in Tampa, Philip Rucker in Greenville, Ed OKeefe in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Jose A. DelReal in Washington contributed to this report.
Two powerful organizations within the Democratic establishment announced steps Friday that have the potential to provide substantial financial firepower to presidential contender Hillary Clinton by drawing on the support of wealthy donors and corporate interests.

While providing a likely boost to Clinton, both developments also give rival Bernie Sanders fresh fodder to highlight her relationship with Wall Street and other special interests at a time when the two candidates are locked in an intense nomination fight.

Priorities USA Action, the main super PAC supporting Clinton, unleashed a $5 million infusion of spending on her behalf, upending plans to hold its fire until the general election. The move calls attention to growing concern within the partys leadership that her campaign may be in trouble, and it underscores how crucial several upcoming contests have become in Clintons battle with Sanders, a senator from Vermont.

In addition, the Democratic National Committee announced that it had rolled back restrictions introduced by presidential candidate Barack Obama in 2008 that banned donations from federal lobbyists and political action committees.

Both actions offer the potential for financial benefit for Clinton. But both also could backfire.

Sanders has gained traction with his core argument that special interests have rigged the economy against the lower and middle classes. Although Clinton has repeatedly denied that she has been influenced by donations or speaking fees from Wall Street, the likely new flow of money to her campaign could add grist to Sanderss case.

As if to prove the point, the Sanders campaign issued a news release Friday with this headline: Clinton Wall Street-Funded Super PAC Enters Democratic Primary Against Sanders. And later in the day, Sanderss campaign communications director, Michael Briggs, called the DNC decision an unfortunate step backward. We support the restrictions that President Obama put in place at the DNC, and we hope Secretary Clinton will join us in supporting the president.

Sanders has received the vast majority of his funding through online, small-dollar donations. He has said regularly on the campaign trail that the average donation to his campaign is $27.

Although Clinton carried a financial advantage for most of the campaign, Sanders has outpaced her in fundraising since the year began.

[Sanderss fundraising prowess boosts his post-New Hampshire efforts]

During Thursday nights PBS debate in Milwaukee, Clinton attempted to distance herself from Priorities USA and the donations it has received from Wall Street players, noting that the group was first started to support Obamas reelection. Its not my PAC, she said.

The early engagement by Priorities marks the first major infusion of super PAC money on Clintons behalf. The independent committee is spearheading a $4.5 million push to drive early turnout of African Americans, Latinos and women in March primary states. The effort is in partnership with the League of Conservation Voters, an environmental advocacy organization, and Emilys List, which works to elect Democratic women.

Separately, the super PAC is spending $500,000 to launch a radio ad campaign in South Carolina beginning Friday, casting Clinton as the candidate to build on Obamas legacy.

Guy Cecil, chief strategist for Priorities, said the new ads will solely focus on positive messages about Clinton. He described the early-vote campaign as an effort that will also pay dividends this fall if she is the Democratic nominee.

Its very clear for us that both in the primary and the general election, women, African American and Latino voters are an important part of the Clinton coalition, Cecil said.

The DNCs decision, meanwhile, was made months ago but announced Friday. It allows the party to collect money from lobbyists and PACs in preparation for the general election, a move that would benefit Clinton if she were the nominee. Sanders has condemned the decision and called on the DNC to reverse it.

The 2008 lobbyist ban was a symbolic way for Obama to put his stamp on the party during a campaign in which he promised voters that we are going to change how Washington works.

At the time, lobbyists and corporate advocates in Washington complained about the ban and other limitations imposed by the new administration. The only portion of the ban now remaining in place is a rule that lobbyists and PAC representatives cannot attend events that feature Obama, Vice President Biden or their spouses, according to Mark Paustenbach, deputy communications director for the DNC.

The DNCs recent change in guidelines will ensure that we continue to have the resources and infrastructure in place to best support whoever emerges as our eventual nominee, Paustenbach said in an email. Electing a Democrat to the White House is vital to building on the progress weve made over the last seven years, which has resulted in a record 71 straight months of private-sector job growth and nearly 14 million new jobs.

The decision allows lobbyists and PACs to contribute to the Hillary Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee between the Clinton campaign and the party that raised $26.7 million through the end of 2015. Sanders has set up a similar joint fundraising committee, but Federal Election Commission records show that it has not been active, raising just $1,000.

Campaign finance reform advocates decried the new DNC policy of accepting money from lobbyists, suggesting that it is a relaxation of ethical standards in place since 2008 and citing contributions already provided to the Hillary Victory Fund.

It is a major step in the wrong direction, said longtime reform advocate Fred Wertheimer. And it is completely out of touch with the clear public rejection of the role of political money in Washington expressed during the 2016 campaign. The new rules are already providing opportunities for influence-buying, he said, noting six-figure contributions to the Hillary Victory Fund.

Wertheimer called on Obama on Friday to reverse the DNCs decision. White House deputy press secretary Eric Schultz said a new set of party leaders will have to make such decisions.

Clinton spokesman Josh Schwerin emphasized the grass-roots nature of her campaign and the candidates commitment to campaign finance reform. In an emailed statement Friday, he said that the Clinton campaign is driven by the 750,000 people across the country who have contributed, mostly with low dollar donations. Hillary Clinton has fought for campaign finance reform her entire career and, as President, will make it a priority to overturn Citizens United and restore the role of everyday voters in elections.

The DNCs recent decision to lift the ban on donations from lobbyists and political action committees was confirmed by three Democratic lobbyists who said they had already received solicitations from the committee. The lobbyists spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk freely about the committees decision, which has been otherwise kept quiet.

For the most part, they said, the DNC has returned to business as usual, pre-2008. It has even named a finance director for PAC donations, who recently emailed prospective donors to let them know that they can contribute again, according to an email that was reviewed by The Washington Post.

While Clinton has many small donors, her campaign, her supporting super PACs and the Hillary Victory Fund also draw from wealthy interests.

Several of her biggest backers have given the maximum to the Hillary Victory Fund and also contributed to her allied super PACs. Among them are investor and philanthropist George Soros, who has given $7 million to Priorities USA, $343,400 to the Hillary Victory Fund and the maximum $2,700 for her primary election campaign. Other donors who gave to all three Clinton-related entities include Haim Saban, the head of Univision, and his wife, Cheryl, who together gave $5 million to the super PAC and $696,800 to the joint committee.

Hedge fund manager Donald Sussman has given $2.5 million to the super PAC so far and $343,400 to the Hillary Victory Fund.

Sanders, who decried the DNC decision to accept lobbying money Friday, has set up a similar joint fundraising committee, but records show that it has not been active, raising a total of just $1,000.

In recent months Sanderss supporters have accused the DNC of trying to prevent more primary debates, in an attempt to tilt the race in Clintons direction. Just this week, his backers were enraged that the DNC allowed the senior members of the Congressional Black Caucus to use the committees Capitol Hill headquarters to announce that their PAC had endorsed Clinton over Sanders.

DNC officials have said they had no involvement in the black caucus event. As a dues-paying member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the caucus can reserve shared meeting space at the DNC.

David Nakamura and Anu Narayanswamy contributed to this report.
State and national Democratic leaders backing Hillary Clinton say that even though the race for the Democratic nomination is moving to states more favorable to her, the former secretary of state must sharpen her message to channel some of the populist fervor that has propelled Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Even as these Democrats remain committed to Clinton and express confidence that ultimately she will secure her partys presidential nomination, many also say that Clintons near-loss in Iowa and drubbing in New Hampshire exposed weaknesses in her candidacy.

Two elected Democrats who support Clinton, Gov. Dannel Malloy of Connecticut and Gov. Jack Markell of Delaware, said that the power of Sanderss ultra-liberal pitch for income equality clearly resonated in New Hampshire, where he embarrassed Clinton with a 22-point defeat. However, both said that they think Clinton will rebound as the campaign moves into friendlier territory.

The scorched-earth framing around the rigged economy, making Wall Street pay for everything and calling for a political revolution, is something that is easy for people to respond to and I think they did [in New Hampshire], Markell said. The question is, as you get into some of these states, which demographically should be more attracted to Secretary Clinton, whether folks can get past the scorched-earth rhetoric and look at who can make real progress.

The primary is now a contest pitting Sanderss message and momentum against Clintons carefully built wall of support among state and national Democrats, unions and large interest groups who lined up behind her when she looked invincible.

[Super PAC prepares to ramp up firepower for Clinton]

As the unexpectedly close race moves into Southern and Midwestern states, where Clinton has maintained a substantial lead, many Democrats said they remain committed  at least until they see how she performs next. So far, she has suffered no public loss of support among the long list of elected and appointed officials she has racked up.

Some Sanders boosters predicted more elected Democrats would soon come on board after Sanderss strong showing in the first two nominating states.

No politician wants to support a campaign, no matter how noble and good, that isnt viable. And as Bernie demonstrates some true viability, which hes doing now, hell get more support. No doubt about it, said Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), one of two Democrats in Congress to endorse Sanders.

Erin Bilbray, a Sanders backer and member of the Democratic National Committee from Nevada, said in a recent interview that for her it was a deep struggle to switch allegiances at the end of last year from Clinton, who would be the countrys first female president, to Sanders. But Bilbray said she was persuaded by the Vermont senators stance on money and politics, as well as his grass-roots strength.

Much of Clintons support owes to the view that she would be the more formidable Democratic nominee against a Republican in the fall  the more likely candidate to buck the postwar historical trend against consecutive presidencies of the same party.

I had no illusion this would be easy, said Sen. Timothy M. Kaine (D-Va.), who committed to Clinton, and urged her to run, a full year before she entered the race. She is trying to do something thats never been done, which is as a woman be president of the United States. Shes going to be the underdog until the last vote.

Kaine suggested that Sanderss political moment has already peaked. Iowa and New Hampshire are two of the three best states for Bernie Sanders, the third being Vermont, he said.

At the same time, some Democrats who have endorsed Clinton or are expected to do so are warning that she must demonstrate that she is in command of the nomination and mindful of a populist mood that appears to favor Sanders.

If Hillary Clinton is going to be successful in the presidential race and be the nominee, she will have to earn more money with the grass roots and get more involvement in the grass roots, and I think shes working in that direction, said Colorado House Speaker Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, also an early Clinton supporter.

When he first ran, I feel that he was going to be very good for the race on the Democratic side, she said of Sanders. But I thought that would be more short-lived than it is.

Hullinghorst said she expects Sanders to remain a potential threat to Clinton past the Colorado primary on March 1. Clinton was scheduled to address a Colorado Democratic Party dinner Saturday, a sign that she considers the state to be competitive.

Others have greater concerns about the flaws Sanderss success reveals in Clinton and the damage he may have already done to her as a general-election candidate, though no officials and Democratic power brokers already pledged to Clinton would speak on the record about their qualms.

Theres a question of them allowing Sanders to gain momentum without drawing a contrast and then suddenly he got to where he was  the whole question of whether they were a little late to understanding what was going on, said a senior Democrat close to the Clintons.

On Wednesday, the day after the New Hampshire loss, campaign chairman John Podesta and campaign manager Robby Mook spoke to Capitol Hill Democrats via conference call to reassure them on the path ahead. Podesta told the lawmakers he is confident in the strategy for March primaries and caucuses. Senior campaign staff have also made calls to reassure state-level Democrats.

Malloy said Clinton and her advisers need to quickly absorb the lessons from Iowa and New Hampshire, which he said turned out far worse than he had hoped. The Clinton teams got to get out there. Shes got to be the great candidate she can be, and the teams got to do the work and execute.

That sense that Clinton isnt fully connecting, especially with key groups such as younger voters and women younger than 50, is behind much of the murmur of complaint and worry among the Democratic establishment that has long assumed to be locked in for her. In response, Clinton debuted a somewhat more optimistic, aspirational tone in her New Hampshire concession speech.

But Clinton needs to sharpen and boil down her pitch to voters, as then-Sen. Barack Obama did after losing to her in New Hampshire in 2008, said Jim Demers, who co-chaired Obamas campaign then and signed on early for Clinton this time.

Hope and change didnt really become the Obama mantra until after he lost there, recalled Demers, a longtime Democratic leader in the state.

Two words  they fit on a placard. People dont really want all the details. They want to know where youre going to take the country.

Malloy and Demers both said the calendar ahead should be more favorable for Clinton, due to demographics and the absence in some states of participation by independent voters.

I think this race could look entirely different in a short period of time, Malloy said.

Clintons campaign is banking on a near sweep of Southern states and other gains through mid-March  offset by a handful of expected Sanders victories  that would give her a near lock on the nomination because of the number of delegates awarded.

I think everybody will have a better sense of this after March, when 56 or 57 percent of the delegates get decided, Clinton chief pollster and adviser Joel Benenson said following the latest Democratic debate Thursday in Milwaukee. I think thats when well know . . . whether someone has an insurmountable lead or not.

Priorities USA Action, the main super PAC supporting Clinton, launched a major, $4.5 million infusion of spending on her behalf, upending plans to hold its fire until the general election. The move underscores how crucial several upcoming contests have become.

Gov. Peter Shumlin of Vermont, who also supports Clinton, said it was predictable that Democrats would have a competitive race for the nomination. There has never been, in the history of the Democratic Party in my lifetime, a contest for an open presidential seat thats not competitive, he said. I remain surprised that people are surprised that we are having a contest for the nomination.

Shumlin said Clintons performance in Thursdays debate in Wisconsin should calm nerves of Democrats who wondered about her skills as a candidate in the wake of the big loss in New Hampshire: If anyone had any doubts and watched the debate last night, its hard to believe they would have any doubts this morning.

Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado blamed some of the problems Clinton has encountered on the years of pounding by conservative opponents. I did not think the attacks on her would be as successful with Democrats as they have been, he said. I think theyve done what damage theyre going to do.

Hickenlooper described her as one of the best prepared people ever to run for office. Shes a workhorse, not a show horse, he said.

Hickenlooper cautioned against any major changes in her campaign. I dont think she has to retool and I dont think she has to hang on, he said. She has other choices.

Hickenlooper expressed confidence that, however challenging Sanderss opposition might look today, the campaign will turn decisively in Clintons direction as other states come into play. I dont think its going to go all the way to the floor of the convention, he said.

Ken Martin, chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer Labor Party, also endorsed Clinton early. He said the conventional wisdom is that the states penchant for progressive, outside candidates and its caucus-style nominating contest make it fertile ground for Sanders.

Clinton addressed Minnesota Democrats at a party dinner Friday.

Whether the primary goes as far as the Democratic convention this summer will depend on how Sanders performs in Nevada, which votes Feb. 20, and South Carolina a week later, Martin said.

The real test would be in Nevada and South Carolina. If hes able to do that then, I think people should start viewing him differently, Martin said. If he gets the nomination of our party, he clearly did something right; it says something about your ability to put together an organization.

Clintons campaign is already lowering expectations for her in Nevada, despite her advantage with the states large percentage of Latino voters.

Even if she loses there, though, many senior Democrats supporting her or remaining neutral agreed that she is likely to prevail.

All of this stuff is going to be a distant memory by the time we get to April, said Texas Democratic Party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa. So itll hurt for a little while, but she has an enormous ability to rebound and reestablish her position as a leader. Im not very concerned that thats going to be a big problem.

Dan Balz, Philip Rucker and John Wagner contributed to this report
Antonin Scalia died on Saturday, Feb. 13. Here's a look back on his tenure, his judicial philosophy and the legacy he leaves behind. (Monica Akhtar,Natalie Jennings/The Washington Post)

Antonin Scalia died on Saturday, Feb. 13. Here's a look back on his tenure, his judicial philosophy and the legacy he leaves behind. (Monica Akhtar,Natalie Jennings/The Washington Post)

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, the intellectual cornerstone of the courts modern conservative wing, whose elegant and acidic opinions inspired a movement of legal thinkers and ignited liberal critics, died Feb. 13 on a ranch near Marfa, Tex. He was 79.

The cause of death was not immediately known.

[Reactions on Scalias death pour in]

In a statement Saturday, Chief Justice John G. Roberts said: On behalf of the Court and retired Justices, I am saddened to report that our colleague Justice Antonin Scalia has passed away. He was an extraordinary individual and jurist, admired and treasured by his colleagues. His passing is a great loss to the Court and the country he so loyally served. We extend our deepest condolences to his wife Maureen and his family.

[Scalias death plunges court, national politics into turmoil]

1 of 20 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  The life of conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia View Photos Antonin Scalia, the influential and most provocative member of the Supreme Court, has died. He was 79. Caption Antonin Scalia, the influential and most provocative member of the Supreme Court, has died. He was 79. Oct. 8, 2010 Justice Antonin Scalia at the Supreme Court. Larry Downing/Reuters Wait 1 second to continue.

Justice Scalia, the first Italian American to serve on the court, was nominated by President Ronald Reagan. He took his seat Sept. 26, 1986, and quickly became the kind of champion to the conservative legal world that his benefactor was in the political realm.

Justice Scalia was an outspoken opponent of abortion, affirmative action and what he termed the so-called homosexual agenda, and his intellectual rigor, flamboyant style and eagerness to debate his detractors energized conservative law students, professors and intellectuals who felt outnumbered by liberals in their chosen professions.

He has by the force and clarity of his opinions become a defining figure in American constitutional law, Northwestern University law professor Steven Calabresi said at a Federalist Society dinner honoring Justice Scalia at the 20-year mark of his service on the Supreme Court.

[Why the death of a Supreme Court justice in office is unusual]

Justice Scalia was the most prominent advocate of a manner of constitutional interpretation called originalism, the idea that judges should look to the meaning of the words of the Constitution at the time they were written.

He mocked the notion of a living Constitution, one that evolved with changing times, as simply an excuse for judges to impose their ideological views.

Critics countered that the same could be said for originalism  and that the legal conclusions Justice Scalia said were dictated by that approach meshed neatly with the justices views on the death penalty, gay rights and abortion.





It is hard to overstate Justice Scalias effect on the modern court. Upon his arrival, staid oral arguments before the justices became jousting matches, with Justice Scalia aggressively questioning counsel with whom he disagreed, challenging his colleagues and often dominating the sessions.

He asked so many questions in his first sitting as a justice that Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. whispered to Justice Thurgood Marshall: Do you think he knows the rest of us are here?

Justice Scalia was just as ready for combat outside the court. He relished debating his critics at law schools and in public appearances, although he sometimes displayed a thin skin.

He tired of questions about his prominent role in the courts 2000 decision in Bush v. Gore, which ended a recount of the presidential vote in Florida and effectively decided the presidency for Republican George W. Bush. His response to those who raised questions years later: Get over it.

Despite his influence on the legal world, Justice Scalias views were too far to the right for him to play the pivotal roles on the court that his fellow Reagan nominees  Sandra Day OConnor and Anthony M. Kennedy  eventually assumed.

Justice Scalia was far better known for fiery dissents than for landmark majority opinions. One exception was the courts groundbreaking 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller.

An avid hunter and a member of his high school rifle team, Justice Scalia wrote the courts 5-to-4 ruling that held for the first time that the Second Amendment afforded a right to gun ownership unrelated to military service.

His views on textualism and originalism, his views on the role of judges in our society, on the practice of judging, have really transformed the terms of legal debate in this country, Elena Kagan said about Justice Scalia when she was dean of Harvard Law School, alma mater to both. He is the justice who has had the most important impact over the years on how we think and talk about law.

After Kagan was nominated to the court by President Obama, she and Justice Scalia became friends and hunting buddies  despite their distinct ideological differences and the fact that Kagan had never fired a gun. They went to Wyoming together in 2012 in the hope of Kagan bagging a big-game trophy like the elk, nicknamed Leroy, whose mounted head dominated Justice Scalias Supreme Court chambers.

But she shot only a white-tailed deer, which Justice Scalia later laughingly said that she could have done in my driveway in suburban Virginia.

Youre not everybody else

Antonin Gregory Scalia  Nino to family, friends and colleagues  was born in Trenton, N.J., on March 11, 1936, and grew up in the New York City borough of Queens. His father, Salvatore, came through Ellis Island at 17; he learned English and became a professor of Romance languages at Brooklyn College.

Justice Scalias mother, the former Catherine Panaro, was a second-generation Italian American and an elementary school teacher. Not only was Nino their only child, he was the only child of his generation on either side of the family.

The whole extended clan doted on him, biographer Joan Biskupic reported in her biography American Original, and expected achievement. Youre not everybody else, Catherine Scalia would say, according to Biskupic. Your family has standards, and it doesnt matter what the standards of [others] are.

In 1953, he graduated first in his class at St. Francis Xavier, a military prep school in Manhattan, and won a naval ROTC scholarship but was turned down by his first choice of college, Princeton.

A devout Catholic, he attended his second choice, Georgetown University, where he was the valedictorian of the Class of 1957. In his graduation speech, he exhorted his fellow students: If we will not be leaders of a real, a true, a Catholic intellectual life, no one will.

Justice Scalia then entered Harvard Law School, where he was editor of the Harvard Law Review and graduated magna cum laude in 1960. That same year, he married Maureen McCarthy, a Radcliffe student he had met on a blind date.

She, too, came from a small family, but they made up for it, with five sons, four daughters and dozens of grandchildren.

We didnt set out to have nine children, Justice Scalia told Lesley Stahl on the CBS show 60 Minutes. Were just old-fashioned Catholics, playing what used to be known as Vatican Roulette. 

He added that when their brother Paul decided to take one for the team and become a priest. his four other sons were relieved.

The Scalias moved around. After traveling across Europe for a year while Justice Scalia was a Harvard Sheldon Fellow, the newlyweds moved to Cleveland, where Justice Scalia joined the Jones Day firm in 1961.

On the cusp of becoming partner, he left private practice in 1967 to become a law professor at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

In 1971, he became general counsel to the new Office of Telecommunications Policy in the Nixon administration; the agency spurred development of the nascent cable industry. From 1972 to 1974, he was chairman of the Administrative Conference of the United States, followed by three years as assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel.

After Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, won election to the White House, Justice Scalia returned to academia as a professor at the University of Chicago Law School.

Then Reagan came into office in 1981 and the next year nominated Justice Scalia to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. His name quickly appeared on shortlists of potential Supreme Court nominees.

In 1981, Reagan made good on a campaign promise to appoint the courts first woman with his choice of OConnor, then an Arizona state judge and former legislator. His next chance to leave an imprint came five years later, when Chief Justice Warren E. Burger announced that he was stepping down.

The president decided to elevate Justice William H. Rehnquist to the chiefs job, and Justice Scalia and fellow D.C. Circuit Judge Robert H. Bork became the finalists for the opening. Bork was the more experienced jurist and a conservative icon, but the 50-year-old Scalia was almost a decade younger and brought the added political benefit of being Italian American.

Justice Scalia got the nomination. After a testy Senate battle over Rehnquists elevation, Justice Scalia sailed through his confirmation hearings and was approved 98 to 0.

Future vice president Joseph R. Biden Jr., then a Democratic senator from Delaware and a stalwart of the Judiciary Committee, later said that his vote for Justice Scalia was the one he most regretted  because he was so effective.

Textualism and originalism

Justice Scalia set out immediately to make his views known  and became exactly the justice conservatives had hoped for.

He had been an influential early supporter of the Federalist Society, a group that political scientist Steven Teles called the most vigorous, durable and well-ordered organization to emerge from [the] rethinking of modern conservatisms political strategy.

Reliance on legislative history as a key element of interpreting statutes was once common. But Justice Scalia railed against the practice, saying that only the words of the statutes matter  a view known as textualism. He likened judges use of secondary sources such as committee reports or statements made by members of Congress during floor debates to looking over the faces of the crowd at a large cocktail party and picking out your friends.

Even though most justices continued to think legislative history was valuable in interpreting statutes, lawyers arguing before the court learned that they would be upbraided by Justice Scalia for mentioning it. He refused to join opinions that cited legislative history, even in a footnote.

Similarly, Justice Scalia redefined and popularized originalism. His approach to understanding the Constitution focused not on the framers intent but on the meaning of the words to ordinary citizens in 1787. He rejected the notion that the framers wanted the Constitution to be a living document designed to accommodate changing circumstances and social values.

The starting point, in any case, is the text of the document and what it meant to the society that adopted it, Scalia said at his confirmation hearing. He added that this approach guarded against the passions of the moment that may cause individual liberties to be disregarded.

Liberals, he said, should like such an approach, because it constrained conservatives such as him from turning their personal opinions into public policy. To illustrate, he often said that the Constitution doesnt provide a right for a woman to have an abortion, but it also does not forbid states from making the procedure legal and accessible.

He cited his vote on flag-burning  he agreed with the courts majority that the guarantee of free speech allows the practice  as one instance when his allegiance to the Constitution outweighed his personal views. If it was up to me, if I were king, he said, I would take scruffy, bearded, sandal-wearing idiots who burn the flag and I would put them in jail.

But he did not note many other examples of originalism dictating views that contradicted his personal beliefs.

Even when he wasnt writing for the majority, his opinions provided an influential template for conservative lawyers and politicians. His writing style was certain and clever:

Frequently an issue of this sort will come before the Court clad, so to speak, in sheeps clothing, Justice Scalia wrote in his lone dissent in Morrison v. Olson. . . . But this wolf comes as a wolf.

But he also could be acerbic and dismissive of his opponents.

No justice in Supreme Court history has consistently written with the sarcasm of Justice Scalia, Erwin Chemerinsky, now dean of the University of California at Irvine Law School, wrote in a widely noted law review article.

No doubt, this makes his opinions among the most entertaining to read. . . . But I think that this sends exactly the wrong message to law students and attorneys about what type of discourse is appropriate in a formal legal setting and how it is acceptable to speak to one another.

New Yorker writer Margaret Talbot thought that Justice Scalias writing made him a rock star, especially among young conservatives. Of all the justices, she wrote, Scalia is most likely to offer the jurisprudential equivalent of smashing a guitar onstage.

Justice Scalias blunt critiques may have cost him in finding common ground with some of his colleagues. Students of the court think that his sharp-tongued put-downs of OConnor  he once said her reasoning in a case could not be taken seriously  affected their relationship.

He also could be a provocateur outside the courtroom. A reporter once asked him as he was leaving church if he caught flak for his Roman Catholic beliefs, and Justice Scalia responded by flicking his fingers under his chin, a Sicilian insult.

Unlike his colleagues, Justice Scalia eagerly discussed constitutional issues and his personal opinions in public. On several occasions, his out-of-court activities prompted critics to question his impartiality.

He once went duck hunting with Vice President Richard B. Cheney, who at the time was the subject of a lawsuit by the Sierra Club seeking the names of people who participated in the vice presidents energy task force. Scalia refused to recuse himself from the case, which the Supreme Court had agreed to hear.

In 2006, he spoke against giving alleged terrorists jury trials  right before the court was set to hear a case on detainee rights, prompting a group of retired generals and admirals to file a friend-of-the-court brief asking him to recuse himself from hearing the appeal filed by Osama bin Ladens alleged driver, Salim Ahmed Hamdan.

Justice Scalia participated in that case but had to sit out one that challenged the use of the words under God in the Pledge of Allegiance. In remarks to a Knights of Columbus rally before the case arrived at the Supreme Court, he suggested that an appeals court had erred in agreeing with the challenger.

That said, Justice Scalia often played the role of charming rogue.

In less-partisan times, he was a fixture at Georgetown parties; he loved opera and led carol-singing at the courts annual Christmas parties. Every year when Boston University law professor Jay Wexler compiled the number of times the notation laughter appeared in transcripts of the courts oral arguments, Justice Scalia was the leading instigator.

Nothing illustrated the dynamic so well as his close friendship with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, with whom he was in frequent disagreement. The two served together on the D.C. Circuit and respected each others intellect. Scalia and his wife, and Ginsburg and her husband, Martin, celebrated most New Years Eves together.



Ginsburg said no one made her laugh as much as Justice Scalia did. I love him. But sometimes Id like to strangle him, she once said.

Outspoken about faith

Justice Scalia once wrote in a law review article that legal views are inevitably affected by moral and theological perceptions.

After donning his black robe, he would insist that his religious faith and personal views did not determine the outcome of cases because his textualist, originalist approach insulated him from bias. He thought that judges should defer to elected officials on matters of social policy.

But Justice Scalias faith was integral to his identity. He objected to Vatican II and drove out of his way to find churches that celebrated Mass in Latin.

He was the courts most outspoken member on the subject of religion. He urged fellow intellectuals to proudly be fools for Christ and used an interview in 2013 to underscore his belief in the existence of the devil, whose latest maneuver, he said, was getting people not to believe in him or in God.

Justice Scalia wanted to lower the wall of separation between church and state, endorsing school prayer, nativity displays on public property and public money for religious schools.

But he insisted that there was no such thing as a Catholic justice and said his views were shaped by an understanding of the Constitution and a belief that a judges role is limited.

Dont paint me as anti-gay or antiabortion or anything else, Justice Scalia said at an appearance in 2015. All Im doing on the Supreme Court is opining about who should decide: Is it a matter left to the people, or is it a matter of my responsibility as a justice of the Supreme Court?

Justice Scalia narrowly read individual rights and disdained policies designed to remedy discrimination against women and minorities. He was the lone dissent in a case challenging the state-run Virginia Military Institutes right to exclude female applicants.

Justice Scalia believed that discrimination should be judged on an individual basis rather than by treating minorities as an aggrieved group; in his view, policies meant to address discrimination against a group in effect discriminated against individuals. I owe no man anything, nor he me, because of the blood that flows through our veins, he wrote in a 1979 essay.

He was part of majorities that made it harder for workers to bring discrimination claims.

He and OConnor clashed when the court said the University of Michigan Law School could consider race as part of a comprehensive review of an applicant because of the benefits a racially diverse class would bring.

In dissent, he wrote: This is not, of course, an educational benefit on which students will be graded on their Law School transcripts (Works and Plays Well with Others: B+) or tested by the bar examiners (Q: Describe in 500 words or less your cross-racial understanding.)

Notable wins, losing battles

For much of the public, the perception of Justice Scalia was formed by the polarized courts ruling in Bush v. Gore. Justice Scalia wrote for himself when the court issued an emergency stay to stop the vote-counting in Florida in the 2000 presidential election. The counting of votes that are of questionable legality does in my view threaten irreparable harm to [Bush], and to the country, by casting a cloud upon what he claims to be the legitimacy of his election, the justice wrote.

To Gore supporters, that sounded like an attempt not to find out which candidate got the most votes but to protect the integrity of Bushs win. Moreover, the five-member majority based its ultimate ruling on an expansive reading of the Equal Protection Clause, which in previous cases involving gays, blacks and women Justice Scalia had preferred to read narrowly. The case was also a departure from his reluctance to endorse federal intrusion in state and local affairs.

On gay rights, Justice Scalia fought a losing battle. He warned in his 2003 dissent in Lawrence v. Texas, which struck down a state sodomy law, that the court was paving the way for same-sex marriage. He was not any happier to see his prediction come true.

When the court ruled 5 to 4 in 2015 that the Constitution forbade state laws that prohibited same-sex marriage, Justice Scalia said the court had taken its most drastic step in overruling decisions made by the public.

A system of government that makes the People subordinate to a committee of nine unelected lawyers does not deserve to be called a democracy, he wrote in dissent.

His great triumph on the court came in writing the majority decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, the Second Amendment case.

Most lower courts had long interpreted a 1939 Supreme Court case, United States v. Miller, to mean that the Second Amendment guaranteed the right to bear arms only to members of state militias, like the National Guard.

Justice Scalias opinion made it unmistakable that the Constitution requires more than that. The Second Amendment, he said, surely elevates above all other interests the right of law-abiding, responsible citizens to use arms in defense of hearth and home.

More than just a victory for gun rights, the case was significant for being fought on the originalist grounds that Justice Scalia had long championed. He wrote 64 pages on why the authors of the Second Amendment meant to imply an individual right; Justice John Paul Stevens countered with 46 pages of history arguing only for the militia right.

Another victory for Justice Scalia on the court might seem surprising for a conservative who was such a full-throated defender of the death penalty.

Crawford v. Washington marked a revolutionary change in criminal law. Writing for the majority in 2004, Justice Scalia spelled out a bright-line rule that said testimonial statements by unavailable witnesses couldnt be used as evidence in court unless the defendant had a prior opportunity for cross-examination. Previously, such statements were admissible if deemed sufficiently reliable by a judge.

The decision was a great win for criminal defense lawyers and one in which the Supreme Court majority blurred its usual conservative-liberal dividing lines.

Near the end of his tenure on the court, as Justice Scalia was on the losing side in landmark decisions on issues such as gay rights, he condemned what he called the practice of constitutional revision by an unelected committee of nine.

In his dissent to the courts 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges recognizing a constitutional right for same-sex couples to marry, Justice Scalia summed up his objections.

Hubris is sometimes defined as oerweening pride; and pride, we know, goeth before a fall, he wrote. . . . With each decision of ours that takes from the People a question properly left to them  with each decision that is unabashedly based not on law, but on the reasoned judgment of a bare majority of this Court  we move one step closer to being reminded of our impotence.

Gail Sullivan contributed to this report.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a rally at the T. Ed Garrison Arena in Clemson, S.C. (Photo by Kevin D. Liles/For the Washington Post) (Kevin D. Liles/For the Washington Post)

Hes a villainous, predatory developer who seized an elderly womans property. Hes a corrupt power broker who sought to buy politicians. And hes a larger-than-life ice sculpture that melts away under the spotlight.

The Donald Trump attack ads have arrived.

The real-estate mogul faces a sustained, multi-front assault in South Carolina ahead of the Feb. 20 GOP primary, where his detractors are painting a dark portrait of the candidate and challenging his populist authenticity. His opponents and their allied super PACs are pouring millions of dollars into ads running statewide to weaken the billionaire ahead of election day.

With a commanding primary win in New Hampshire proving that he can transform his enormous crowds into actual voters, Trumps rivals now sense a closing window to stop his momentum ahead of Super Tuesday in March, when nearly a dozen states will vote.

The strikingly negative tone of the ads shows the extent to which the target on Trumps back has grown since his victory last week. For the moment, Trumps campaign is not fighting back with attack ads of its own in South Carolina, but the candidate is using two powerful tools to defend himself: speeches at rallies that attract thousands and a Twitter account with more than six million followers.

Right to Rise, the pro-Jeb Bush super PAC, released a blistering ad Friday criticizing Trumps business record and his positions on social issues, part of its $12 million ad campaign in South Carolina. Donald Trump: Look past the boasting and youll see right through him, a narrator says as an ice sculpture replica of Trump melts on screen and ultimately breaks apart.

[How Donald Trump learned to win in New Hampshire]

The Club for Growth, a conservative group that has been in an ongoing feud with Trump, also announced Friday that it would spend $1.5 million attacking the candidate in the state.

Donald Trump is not a conservative, said David McIntosh, president of Club for Growth Action. He is a liberal on taxes, health care, eminent domain, and government bailouts.

Another group, Our Principles PAC, has already spent at least $2 million attacking Trump in the countrys first two GOP nominating contests, with the bulk of those resources spent on advertising in Iowa. The PAC, headed by former Romney deputy campaign manager Katie Packer, says it will match those efforts in South Carolina. How much do we really know about Donald Trump? asks one ad.

Virtually every core position that Republicans take, he is at odds with, Packer said Friday. What we found in Iowa is that when we exposed voters to that information it changed minds.

During a rally in Baton Rouge on Thursday night, Trump addressed the attacks from Bush and others that he is not a true conservative.

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, shown here in New Hampshire, is attacking Donald Trump ahead of the South Carolina primary on Feb. 20. (Cassi Alexandra/For The Washington Post)

You know what? In a way I dont even care about labels, Trump told a rally crowd of more than 10,000. Im a guy with common sense thats going to make us a fortune.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruzs campaign also released an ad Thursday painting Trump as a corrupt donor seeking to buy influence.

Trump bankrolled politicians to steamroll the little guy, a pattern of sleaze stretching back decades. Worse? Trump still supporters eminent domain today, a narrator says.

Trump called the ad so false during the Thursday rally and told his supporters that attack ads are paid for by the special interests, the lobbyists and the donors and should not be believed.

Its difficult because Im a legitimate person, Trump said at the rally. Theyre vicious, and they say anything. They say anything.

[Republicans now see a Trump-Cruz race, with time running out]

The onslaught of negative ads marks an end to the kids-gloves approach that most of Trumps opponents have taken toward him. He has benefited from the fierce competition between candidates like Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), who have long focused on attacking each other in hopes of capturing establishment-friendly voters.

But Trump has now emerged as a clearer rival in South Carolina, where both Bush and Rubio need a strong showing to continue forward. Another ad released by Right to Rise Friday said that other candidates either suck up to Trump or run away in fear, painting Bush as the only candidate who has stood up to him.

The candidates arent just saving their attacks for the airwaves  they have also escalated their criticism of Trump at campaign stops across the state. Rubio tore into Trump on Thursday, questioning his judgment and character in one of his most direct critiques of the candidate yet.

Donald Trump has zero foreign policy experience. Negotiating a hotel deal in another country is not foreign policy experience, Rubio said in Okatie, S.C. Thursday morning.

Even in our political culture, I teach my kids to be respectful. There are certain words you dont say, he added. You turn on the TV and a leading presidential candidate is saying profanity from a stage.  All these things undermine what we teach our children.

Cruz has, for his part, increasingly framed the race as one between himself and Trump. A Cruz aide said that the campaign will continue to undermine Trumps conservative bona fides, painting him as part of the establishment ready to sell out conservatives to cut deals. The campaign will also continue its knocks on Trump for his support of eminent domain and making past campaign contributions to Democrats.

The Trump campaign has previously indicated it hopes to continue airing positive ads ahead of the primary. But the sheer number of ads released attacking Trump this week may make that difficult.

You know what it is? Youve got individuals who are running, and super PACs supporting those candidates, who have no vision for America, said Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Their only opportunity to win is to tear down candidates because they have no vision.

Weve seen it before, it doesnt work, Lewandowski added. They tried it in New Hampshire and it wasnt successful and I dont think its going to be successful in South Carolina.

Lewandowski said that the campaign is focused on pushing a positive message but would not rule out running negative ads in the future.

Trump himself also continues to sound negative messages about his rivals. During the Baton Rouge event, Trump criticized Bush for being low-energy, dwindling in the polls and acting like a child. He made a joke about Rubio losing the last GOP debate. And he ripped apart Cruzs latest attack ad, while explaining that eminent domain is actually a great way for average people to make a lot of money.

On Friday, ahead of a scheduled rally in Tampa, Trump fired off at least eight tweets attacking Bush and Cruz, plus a few going after the Club for Growth. He described Bush as sleepy and a light weight who has sunk to false advertising- desperate and sad! And Trump repeatedly questioned Cruzs ethics.

How can Ted Cruz be an Evangelical Christian when he lies so much and is so dishonest? Trump tweeted Friday morning. Later in the day, he sent this warning: If @TedCruz doesnt clean up his act, stop cheating, & doing negative ads, I have standing to sue him for not being a natural born citizen.

Philip Rucker, Katie Zezima and Sean Sullivan contributed to this report.


Norma Juberba, grandmother of one of the slain farmworkers, at her home last month in Tumahole township, in Parys, South Africa. (Graeme Williams for The Washington Post)

 They lived in a township where homes were decorated with pictures of Nelson Mandela and neighborhoods were named after anti-apartheid activists. A poster hung in city hall said, We restored the dignity of our people. The mayor and the police chief and the countrys president were black, like them.

But in early January, when Samuel Tjexa, 35, and Seun Tangasha, 25, bolted through the fields of this small city, it was four white farmers who chased them with guns. And it was those white farmers who allegedly beat Tjexa and Tangasha to death, in a case that has highlighted the racial divisions haunting the new South Africa.

Twenty-two years after apartheid, this country is in the midst of another racial reckoning. It is evident in the recent uproar over a white womans Facebook post that called black beachgoers monkeys. The ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), is trying to pass an anti-racism law that would jail anyone guilty of racial bigotry. An increasingly popular opposition group, the Economic Freedom Fighters, has called for a crusade against white supremacy.

This small farming city 60 miles outside Johannesburg offers a glimpse into the tensions flaring again in South Africa. When the four accused farmers had a bail hearing in their murder trial last month, whites and blacks gathered at the courthouse, separated by barbed wire.





I could see the anger in their eyes, said George de Beer, a white farmer.

They looked at us like we were nothing, said Ruth Qokotha, Tjexas mother.

The whites sang the apartheid-era national anthem and held the flags of the 19th-century Boer Republics, seen by most here as a racist relic. The blacks shouted: Kill the Boer! Kill the farmer!  a reference to South African whites of Dutch descent.

Like many parts of South Africa, Parys has evolved little since apartheid. Blacks live mostly in a sprawling township called Tumahole, next to an informal garbage dump, and whites live in a part of the city lined with antique stores, hotels and government buildings. There are 65 commercial farmers. All of them are white. In many cases, black farm laborers work for the same families that their great-grandparents worked for a century earlier.

We were expecting change. We were expecting to live together. But nothing changed at all, said Paul Oliphant, 48, a welder in Tumahole who was involved in the anti-apartheid movement.

The end of apartheid  apartness in Afrikaans  meant to many the beginning of social and economic equality in South Africa. Farmworkers could become farmers. Poor blacks could move from townships, underdeveloped settlements once reserved for nonwhites, into the same neighborhoods as their white countrymen. In some places, those changes occurred. A black middle class and an ultra-rich elite formed. The government mandated that private companies hire a certain portion of black employees.

But today, whites, who make up about 9 percent of the population, earn about six times what blacks do on average. Agriculture, mining and banking, three of the countrys most lucrative industries, are dominated by whites.

The continued economic inequality has contributed to a new wave of racial tension. The South African Human Rights Commission received 160 racism-related complaints in January, the highest monthly figure in its 20-year history, officials say.

Some say the ANC is using race to its political advantage, accusing its opponents of being anti-black to increase support from its base. The partys proposed anti-racism law has only been vaguely described but is intended to ensure that acts of racism and promotion of apartheid are criminalized and punishable by imprisonment.

The [ANC] organization is not in a strong state at this stage, and it needs an external enemy against which it can unite its own followers, said Susan Booysen, a political scientist at the University of the Witwatersrand and the author of a recent book on the ANC.

White farmers say theyre the ones under threat, their farms raided and their families attacked in crimes that often feel like the expression of racial outrage. In 2014, black men in Parys raped an elderly woman and put her body in a freezer, where she died. The previous year, a white farmer was killed when intruders dragged him behind his truck. Last year, members of a primarily white group, the Transvaal Agricultural Union, complained to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva that white farmers in South Africa were a persecuted minority. Sixty-two people were murdered during 270 farm attacks in 2015, according to the farmers, who say the number is growing.

In some ways it feels like theres more tension now than there was during apartheid, said Wynn Dedwith, a farmer in Parys. All it takes is a little spark to ignite a keg of dynamite.



One of the slain farmworkers rented a room in the brown shack at left, in Winnie Section, an informal settlement on the edge of Tumahole township. (Graeme Williams for The Washington Post)

There will be revenge

The spark came just before sunset Jan. 6, when Tjexa and Tangasha approached their boss on his farm outside central Parys. According to the 72-year-old farmer, Loedie van der Westhuizen, the men were armed with revolvers and were there to rob him of about $1,250. According to the families of Tjexa and Tangasha, they had gone unarmed to collect overdue wages, about $50 each. The police have found no weapons in their investigation.

The farmer told investigators that the two men hit him on the head and the torso until he managed to trigger a security alarm. That alarm alerted nearby farmers who had formed a self-defense force. They chased Tjexa and Tangasha to a field near a maize farm.

We got the message that the two attackers were on the run, said Pieter Kemp, a farmer who helps coordinate the self-defense force. There were a lot of us looking for them. Until that point, the system worked the way it was supposed to.

When police arrived, they found the black men had been brutally beaten. They both died within hours. The alleged assailants have not entered a plea.

For us, the reality facing farmers can sometimes lead to an overreaction, said Ernst Roets, deputy chief executive of AfriForum, an Afrikaner advocacy group helping to defend the accused farmers. You have a friend who was killed, or you know the lady who was put into the freezer, and maybe you think, Finally, we caught the bastards. 

Qokotha, Tjexas mother, heard the news about his death from a friend.

The whites think they can do anything here, she said. Its still apartheid.

The whites called into their local Afrikaans-language radio station, Koepel Stereo, and spoke about the threat of more farm attacks, their sense of insecurity.

Were being killed like flies, said the host, Sakkie van der Schyff. The only reason you arent seeing a revolt by the whites is that were good Christians.

The blacks called into Lentswe Community Radio, their own station three miles away, furious that the four farmers were granted bail.

If these guys are acquitted, there will be revenge, said Seun Tladi, the stations newsreader.



Farmworkers guide cows to a pasture 20 miles outside Parys. (Graeme Williams for The Washington Post)

Lingering exploitation

At his presidential inauguration in 1994, Nelson Mandela spoke of a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world.

Tangasha was a toddler when that speech was delivered, living with his family in the Free State, in South Africas breadbasket. His parents, like almost all black South Africans in the 1990s and early 2000s, were supporters of the ANC, Mandelas party.

Tangasha was part of the generation that would profit from the rainbow nation, his grandmother remembers thinking. He would go to university. He would own a house, maybe a business. But like most black South Africans, he dropped out of a crumbling public education system before he turned 16. He found work on a farm, earning about $10 a day. He was never paid on time, his relatives said.

He started voting for the Economic Freedom Fighters, the party led by firebrand Julius Malema, who said in a speech last year: We want a total overhaul of the state. We want a state that is not scared of the white minority.

The ANC had made attempts to provide for men such as Tangasha in Tumahole. It purchased land that was meant to be parceled out to black farmers. But the farm equipment never arrived. Neither did the fertilizer. Locals blamed the mismanagement of the country's land reform program. Part of what was meant to be black-owned farmland is now the unsanctioned dump, where the white-owned businesses of Parys throw their trash.

Ironically, the white farmers have thrived under the ANC, which removed apartheid-era price controls and in some cases enabled them to increase their profit margins. Unlike in Zimbabwe, where white-owned farms were seized by force, the South African government has said it will purchase land only from white landowners who choose to sell it. Unlike Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, South African leaders, including Mandela, have emphasized the right to political representation but have spoken much less about economic equality. Experts say Mandela was concerned about upsetting economic stability during a fragile time.

Farmworkers imagined that when we had a democratic government with black politicians in power that their exploitation would go away, said Moeletsi Mbeki, a political economist. But thats never what the democratic struggle was about.

In recent weeks, the police have been trying to understand how and why Tangasha and Tjexa were killed. The investigating officer, Maj. Serame Mahlatsi, has been collecting accounts from the farmers, trying to follow the laws of the new South Africa amid the polarization of the old one.

He is a black police officer investigating white farmers. He knows it is a sensitive matter. In a brief interview, he showed a flash of exasperation.

You cant take the law into your own hands, Mahlatsi said. You cant just kill people.

But the situation turned out to be worse than even he imagined.

Just before the trial was to resume Feb. 19, Mahlatsi and his colleagues got a tip from a witness. One of their own, a 46-year-old white policeman named Hendrick Prinsloo, had allegedly helped the farmers beat the two victims when he arrived at the scene.

Prinsloo was arrested and now stands trial as well.

South Africa still struggling to fulfill Mandelas hopes and dreams

Mandelas letters from prison built a new South Africa

After Mandelas death, ANC faces growing risk of losing power in South Africa
Join Dr. Jay Parsons, Dr. Kate Brooks, and Jim Jansen with Nebraska Extension, as they present a beef marketing workshop on information and tools designed to help manage market risk to achieve your production goals.

"Managing market risk  protecting profits in a volatile cattle market," is the title for this upcoming educational event. Allan Vyhnalek, Farm Credit Services of America, and Nebraska Extension, will be hosting a beef marketing workshop from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Farm Credit Services of America Office in Columbus at 4685 Old Monastery Road.

Topics covered during the workshop include determining your cost of production, understanding your market environment, and reviewing available marketing tools. Specific marketing tools covered during the workshop include futures and options as well as Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) Insurance.

The workshop is free and a complementary lunch will be provided by Farm Credit Services of America. Registration is required to ensure enough food and handouts. Registration will be limited to the capacity of the room, so register early.

To register, call the Platte County Extension Office at 402-563-4901 by noon on Feb. 22. For more program information, please call Jim Jansen at the Nebraska Extension Office in Cedar County at 402-254-6821.

Nebraska Extension, in collaboration with the North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center and USDA/NIFA, is presenting this workshop on information and tools designed to help manage market risk, and develop a marketing plan to achieve your market risk management goals.

Other workshops in the series include Feb. 18 in Bloomfield and Feb. 19 in ONeill.

Announcements: Feb. 18, private pesticide applicator training in St. Edward at 1:30 p.m.; Feb. 22, private pesticide applicator training at Pinnacle Bank in Columbus at 1 p.m.; March 3, nitrogen management certification, 9 a.m., Chemigation, 1 p.m. and private pesticide applicator training, 6:30 p.m. at Pinnacle Bank (near Applebees) in Columbus.
An employee works at strengthening the Mosul Dam on the Tigris River, north of the Iraqi city of Mosul, on February 1, 2016. (Safin Hamed/AFP/Getty Images)

If breached, it could unleash a 180-foot-high wave down the Tigris River Basin and drown more than half a million people, with floodwaters reaching as far as the Iraqi capital, about 280 miles to the south.

The collapse of the Mosul Dam would be catastrophic for Iraq.

The dam has been called the most dangerous in the world for the past decade. But recent assessments by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers say it is at a significantly higher risk of failing than previously thought.

The dams structural problems became evident as soon as the reservoir behind it was filled in 1985. It is built on layers of clay and gypsum, a soft mineral that dissolves when it comes into contact with water, and the dam immediately began seeping. Since then, about 100,000 tons of grout have been poured into the structure to prevent it from collapsing.

But even this stopgap measure has been disrupted by the Islamic State, which briefly seized the dam in the summer of 2014. The militants still hold the nearby city of Mosul, their de facto capital in Iraq. Political wrangling and a financial crisis in Iraq also are complicating repair work.

Employees at the Mosul dam in northern Iraq, February 3, 2016. The Islamic State briefly seized the dam in the summer of 2014. (Azad Lashkari/Reuters)

[Islamic State offensive in northern Iraq shows groups resilience]

The hydroelectric dam almost certainly has an unprecedented level of untreated voids in its foundation, according to the Army Corps of Engineers report of Jan. 30, which was made public this week when it was submitted to the Iraqi parliament. The monitoring team has identified significant signs of distress, it added.

When the Islamic State took control of the dam, a rigid daily routine of pouring grout into the structure to keep it from collapsing was missed for six weeks, and logistical issues have plagued the process ever since.

Meanwhile, a government decision to deprive Islamic State-held Mosul of electricity by blocking the flow of water put additional pressure on the dam as water levels rose.

Top-level U.S. officials have voiced their growing concerns to the Iraqi government, an adviser to the prime ministers office said. They have regularly invoked Hurricane Katrina but warned that the devastation could be a thousand times worse, the adviser said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he is not an official spokesman.

If the dam fails when water levels are high, the flooding would be disastrous. Mosul, about 30 miles to the southeast, would be hit by a 65-foot wall of water and wiped out within four hours, studies have said. Farther downstream, Tikrit is expected to be deluged in 50 feet of water before the torrent bursts another dam at Samarra. Within 48 hours, floods 13-feet deep would reach Baghdad.

Concerns are becoming more acute as Iraqi security forces prepare for an offensive to recapture Mosul from the Islamic State, the adviser said. In recent days, units from the Iraqi armys 16th Division have arrived in Makhmour, southeast of Mosul, to begin operations in the area, commanders have said.

[August 2014: Islamic State fighters take Mosul Dam]

The adviser said Iraqi security officials, worried that militants may try to sabotage the dam if they think they have lost the city, have drawn up emergency plans. Meanwhile, the use of heavy munitions could put additional pressure on the structure, he said.

We had to give a warning to these operations to observe the dam, but there shouldnt be anything nearby, said Shirouk al-Abayachi, co-chair of the Iraqi parliaments agriculture and water committee. The situation remains very dangerous, she said.

We dont have anything that tells us whats going on under the dam, she said. There are sinkholes, but we dont know how big they are now.

Iraqs Ministry of Water Resources has played down the threat but was persuaded to reopen the lower gates of the dam to relieve some pressure, even though it meant power was restored to the militant-held city farther south.

The Italian company Trevi recently won a bid to repair the dam and is expected to sign the contract soon. The cost is estimated to be more than $300 million, the adviser said, adding that the expense probably will be covered by the World Bank. But the repair bill comes as Iraq is desperately seeking financial assistance as oil prices hover around $30 a barrel.

Iraqs water minister, Mohsin al-Shammari, who is politically aligned with the anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, has dismissed U.S. warnings. He said in an interview with an Iraqi television station that there is only a one-in-a thousand chance that the dam will fail.

He has also criticized the predictions as an excuse for sending more foreign troops to the country; Italy has said it would send 450 soldiers to provide security for the Italian firm.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has stressed the need for the work to begin quickly. Melting snow and more rain are expected to increase pressure on the dam this spring.

Read more:

Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Goodbye, Chris.

You did your best in New Hampshire.

And you sure did put a good New Jersey-style hit job on Kid Rubio, whom you out-psyched and out-boxed at the debate last weekend.

But the primary voters of New Hampshire sent you a clear message Tuesday night  quit.

Gov. Chris Christie did the right thing for the Republican Party on Wednesday by taking himself out of the presidential primary race.

It was not a hard decision.

When you finish sixth and can't reach double digits in a presidential primary, it's time to start planning your career as a future U.S. Attorney General.

Carly Fiorina also has finally faced reality.

She also "suspended" her hopeless campaign  which is a way to call it quits but still be able to raise money, pay your bills and jump back in if a miracle occurs.

Ben Carson needs to join the rush of losers to the exits  and soon. The good doctor never should have cluttered up the over-cluttered GOP primary race in the first place.

As I said in last week's column, Republicans are rapidly running out of time if they want to stop the Trump Express. They have to settle on one candidate so all of the party's conservative voters can unite behind him.

The media likes to say there are three lanes in the GOP primary  the Trump lane, the establishment lane and the outsider lane.

But there are really only two lanes  the Trump lane and everyone else.

The everyone-else lane is now the conservative lane, which includes outsiders Cruz and Carson.

Trump has his lane all to himself  and always will. Except for his own ego, he has no competition that can split up the Trump vote.

He has the same advantage my father had in the 1980 Republican primary, when he was the only conservative candidate in a sea of moderates who were splitting the moderate vote.

The reverse happened in 2008 when John McCain, the only moderate in the primary, won because Huckabee, Romney and Giuliani split the conservative vote.

Meanwhile, this year, even with Christie and Fiorina gone, the remaining candidates are still be splitting up the conservative vote into six pieces.

Trump captured 35 percent of New Hampshire voters. Kasich had almost 16 percent and Cruz, Bush and Rubio virtually tied for third with around 11 percent. Fiorina, Christie and Carson collectively got almost 14 percent.

In other words, about 65 percent of New Hampshire voters didn't want Trump and voted for one kind of conservative or another.

Conservatives have to get out of their own way and choose their one hero to battle Trump before the wave of March primaries, when it'll be too late. But it's not looking good.

In South Carolina and for the near future, even if Carson and someone else quits, it looks like we're going to have three or four conservative Republicans taking turns beating each other up, while Trump gets his automatic 35 percent.

With Hillary Clinton's cruise to the Oval Office being sunk by a 74-year-old socialist, the Democrats seem to be trying their best to hand Republicans a victory this fall.

It'll be a major tragedy if conservatives in the GOP blow their big chance and America ends up with President Trump.

But that would still be better than Hillary.
Secretary of State John F. Kerry, right, joins Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a news conference after the International Syria Support Group meeting in Munich on Feb. 12, 2016. (Matthias Schrader/AP)

Within hours after a late-night deal was forged here to stop Syrias four-year civil war, reality and the fine print began to sink in.

The deadline to stop bombing is a week away, and Russia retains the right to continue its attacks against groups it deems terrorists. Along the Turkey-Syria border, where tens of thousands of Syrian civilians have been marooned since fleeing the bombs that continued to fall Friday, refugees were skeptical of deliverance.

Some Washington think tanks described the deal as a victory for Russia, enabling it to consolidate the territorial gains its bombing campaign has won President Bashar al-Assad in recent weeks.

Opposition political representatives, who last week refused to enter negotiations with the government until relief began to flow, said they would wait and see. An international task force, meeting in Geneva to organize aid operations, adjourned without announcing anything. Humanitarian organizations voiced despair at the delay.

[U.S., Russia and other powers agree on cessation of hostilities in Syria]

A senior Obama administration official here said it was worth pointing out that many other conflicts had required multiple tries at a cease-fire before succeeding, recalling that it took anywhere from eight to 10, depending on whos counting, to make an agreement stick during the 1990s Balkans conflict.

We expect it will not be smooth, and it will not be clean, almost certainly, the official said. But the bottom line is were putting a premium on stopping the violence, and for the first time, we actually have a date, a period of one week.

Within that week, a task force headed by the United States and Russia is to determine geographic and other limits on Russian air attacks that will still be allowed against the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaedas Syrian affiliate. Those forces have been operating in proximity to or together with opposition groups backed by the United States and its partners.

In an interview late Friday with Orient TV, a pro-opposition, Dubai-based Syrian satellite station, Secretary of State John F. Kerry was asked what it would mean when Russia continues to call all of this moderate opposition or any opposition for the Assad regime terrorists.

Well, thats unacceptable, Kerry said. We will work with the Russians . . . to make it very, very clear where there is legitimate opposition and where you have terrorists. And the Russians need to be more discriminating about where they are bombing and where they are engaging, and we hope that they will be.

[Syria, already a catastrophe, seems on the verge of an uncontrollable disaster]

The task force, the senior official said, will determine what exactly is permitted and what isnt, how monitoring will work, how remedies will work for perceived violation, and what mechanism will be established to oversee what the agreement calls a cessation of hostilities.

While the details are being worked out, administration officials who traveled to Munich with Kerry struggled to explain the difference between a cessation and a cease-fire.

While the concepts are virtually identical, said the senior official, the U.S.-backed Syrian opposition preferred the longer version.

In their mind, cease-fire means the formal end of the conflict. . . . Were obviously not there yet, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity under rules laid down by the State Department.

According to diplomats who participated in Thursdays nine-hour negotiation among 17 governments over the deal, the rebels and those who arm them wanted to avoid a legal framework in which weapons shipments and training would stop, potentially leaving them at a disadvantage if the cessation failed.

U.S. officials said those programs would continue for the foreseeable future.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in a news conference with Kerry after the agreement was completed early Friday, said that it also outlines a qualitatively new change in the military dimension of the Syrian crisis. Kerry was quick to note that there had been no change in U.S. policy of refusing to cooperate with Russia, even in joint attacks against the Islamic State.

We dont want to get ahead of the process going to be worked out through these task forces, the senior administration official said. Absent progress on a civil war cease-fire and humanitarian access, the official said, were not going to see a significant advance on anything else.

The Syria negotiations took place on the margins of the annual Munich Security Conference, where senior officials and experts from around the world come to discuss major national security issues of the day. This year, nearly all the talk has been about the Islamic State, terrorism and Syria.

In one session Friday, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen provided some clarification on a NATO maritime operation agreed in Brussels this week to monitor and disrupt smuggling operations that have carried hundreds of thousands of migrants, most of them fleeing Syria, across the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece.

It is clear that we only do monitoring, reconnaissance and surveillance, von der Leyen said. Emergency aid will be provided for boats that are in trouble, she said, and those who are intercepted would be brought back to Turkey.
Turkey will supply ground forces to an anti-Islamic State coalition in Syria and will allow Saudi Arabian strike missions against the militants from its air bases, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview published Saturday.

The Saudis have already visited the Turkish base at Incirlik, where U.S. warplanes are launching attacks against the Islamic State, in preparation for the new deployment, Cavusoglu told the pro-government Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak after speaking at an international security conference here.

Turkeys commitment comes after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said they would supply Special Forces troops as part of the U.S.-led coalition. Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter appealed to coalition partners this past week in Brussels to provide more resources. U.S. Special Operations forces are already working in Syria.

Cavusoglu emphasized that no strategy for joint ground operations has yet been presented to the coalition. If we have such a strategy, then Turkey and Saudi Arabia may launch an operation from the land, he said. Referring to criticism that Turkey has been unwilling to join the fight against the Islamic State, he said his government has been pushing for more tangible suggestions.

[Plenty of unfinished business in the deal to halt Syrias civil war]

In a speech to the conference Saturday, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said defeating the Islamic State is not an overnight proposition. Its going to take time. But I tell you this, Kerry said, President Obama is determined that it will not take too much time. And we welcome the recent announcements a number of countries have made to intensify their support.

Kerry also devoted part of his remarks to reassuring Europe that the United States understands the pressure it is under from the flood of more than a million migrants and refugees fleeing Syrias civil war and conflicts across the Middle East, South Asia and Africa. Some European leaders have said that the U.S. administration fails to grasp the seriousness of the fissures that the influx has opened in postwar European unity.

I want to make it clear to all of you, Kerry said. The United States isnt sitting across the pond, saying this is your problem, not ours. . . . The United States understands the near-existential nature of this threat to the politics and fabric of life in Europe.

That is why, he said, the administration promoted and would join a new NATO initiative to send warships to the eastern Mediterranean to close off a key access route for migrants traveling by sea from Turkey to Greece to reach the heart of Europe.

[The stunning acceleration of Europes migration crisis, in one chart]

In response to Eastern European fears that ongoing Russian intervention in Ukraine presages an attempt to expand Moscows influence throughout the region, Kerry said the United States had also upgraded our commitment to European security with a planned fourfold increase in spending from $790 million to $3.4 billion. This will allow us to maintain a divisions worth of equipment in Europe and an additional combat brigade in Central and Eastern Europe, he said.

Those who claim our transatlantic partnership is unraveling  or those who hope it might unravel  could not be more wrong, Kerry said. They forget  or they never understood  why we came together in the first place: not just to sail along in the best of times but to have each others backs when the seas are rough.

In remarks to the conference earlier Saturday, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that relations between Russia and the West have effectively entered a new Cold War.

As we see it, he said, NATOs political line toward Russia remains unfriendly and closed. I can say even more harshly: We have slipped into a new Cold War era. Due to Ukraine-related sanctions and the drop in oil prices, he said, European Union trade with Russia has dropped by nearly half, to $265 billion.

[Russian sub activity returns to Cold War levels, putting NATO on edge]

Medvedev also challenged Western assertions that Russian airstrikes in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have killed civilians there. No one has yet presented any evidence of our airstrikes hitting the civilian populations, he said.

He warned the West not to threaten a ground operation in Syria and said that regular cooperation between Russia and the United States will be crucial. And I mean regular  every day.

While Russia has insisted that its Syrian airstrikes are directed toward the same terrorists as U.S. strikes against the Islamic State, Kerry said that to date, the vast majority, in our opinion, of Russias attacks have been against legitimate opposition groups fighting Assads forces and that civilians continue to be struck.

Russia has repeatedly appealed for U.S. coordination, including shared intelligence, in what it describes as a joint fight against the Islamic State. The Obama administration has said it is uninterested in cooperation until the airstrikes against opposition forces and civilians stop.

The conflicting U.S. and Russian views of reality  and the growing overlap between the anti-Islamic State effort and Syrian civil war  are likely to clash directly this week, as the two countries head a task force to implement a Syrian cease-fire agreed to early Friday by a group of 17 nations supporting one side or the other in the civil war.

Under the deal, both sides in the fighting are to allow immediate humanitarian access to areas that have been cut off to all aid, primarily by the Syrian government. Fighting is to end next Friday, followed by a resumption of political negotiations between the government and U.S.-backed opposition forces.

To adhere to the agreement it made, Kerry said, we think it is critical that Russias targeting change.
Pope Francis blesses a boy after his arrival at Benito Juarez International Airport in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The pontiff is scheduled to wrap up his trip Wednesday with a visit to a Mexican prison and a stop at the Texas border.

Feb. 17, 2016 Pope Francis blesses a boy after his arrival at Benito Juarez International Airport in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The pontiff is scheduled to wrap up his trip Wednesday with a visit to a Mexican prison and a stop at the Texas border. Ivan Pierre Aguirre/AP

Pope Francis made his first trip to Mexico, the largest Catholic population in the Spanish-speaking world, during a week-long visit.

Pope Francis is making his first trip to Mexico, the largest Catholic population in the Spanish-speaking world, for a week-long visit.

Pope Francis is making his first trip to Mexico, the largest Catholic population in the Spanish-speaking world, for a week-long visit.

Pope Francis threw himself into the most contentious of issues roiling Mexico during his first full day here, calling on President Enrique Pena Nieto and his government to protect citizens and bring justice to a country racked by violence and corruption.

Kicking off the first leg of his six-day tour of the Spanish-speaking worlds largest Catholic country, the pontiff offered an unvarnished assessment of Mexicos troubles and the need for honesty and faith to overcome them. His first speech, addressing Pena Nieto and other top Mexican officials, took place inside the National Palace, as tens of thousands of people filled the Zocalo plaza outside and listened to remarks broadcast on jumbo screens.

Each time we seek the path of privileges or benefits for a few, to the detriment of the good of all, the life of society becomes a fertile soil for corruption, the pope said, drug trade, exclusion of different cultures, violence and also human trafficking, kidnapping and death.

Francis said Mexicos political class had the duty to give its people access to an adequate home, dignified work, food, real justice, effective security, and a peaceful and sane environment.

One of the worlds mega-cities ground to a halt to greet Francis, with roads barricaded miles from his events and police and soldiers out in force to maintain security amid the hundreds of thousands who came to get a glimpse of the popular pontiff. Students were off from classes Friday and many businesses closed as residents lined the streets waiting for a glimpse of the popemobile as it wended through the streets.





Francis plans to visit the extremes of Mexico, from the poor, heavily indigenous southern border state of Chiapas, which has become a way station for thousands of Central American migrants, to the northern border town of Ciudad Juarez, which is recovering from its dark drug-war years.

Those backdrops, plus a planned stop in the volatile western state of Michoacan, give Francis plenty of opportunity, if he chooses, to highlight Mexicos recurrent failings with violence, immigration, poverty and government corruption. Plus, with anti-immigrant sentiment surging in the U.S. presidential race, the pope could enter that fray by his example of showing compassion for the downtrodden. With all the problems in Mexico, we need the pope to show us the light, said Leticia Gutierrez Valderrama, a nun who directs an organization that works with migrants.

[Meeting of pope and Russian patriarch highlights ancient rifts, current fears]

After the pope spoke in the National Palace, he moved across the plaza to the citys Metropolitan Cathedral, which was built beginning in the 16th century on top of an Aztec temple. He addressed Mexican bishops, speaking in his hypnotic near-whisper, in his Argentine-accented Spanish.

I beg you, please dont underestimate the ethical and civic challenge drug trafficking poses to youth and the entire Mexican society, including the church, Francis said.

The crowd in the Zocalo, which had been sitting quietly in the bleachers listening to his words, erupted in cheers when the pope condemned drug trafficking. Mexicans seemed to be yearning for Francis to strike a serious tone, to recognize the gravity of their problems and to call their government to account.

There is so much injustice in Mexico, Ruben Sandoval said as he motioned to the National Palace. The 44-year-old accountant had come to the Zocalo to hear the popes speech, and to welcome the representative of God on this earth to Mexico. Theres a lack of work, a lack of education, a lack of opportunity. And I hope the government bears that in mind.

On Friday evening, Francis stepped down from his Alitalia airliner and was greeted by a field of waving lights, as cheering crowds roared their approval from bleachers erected on the flight apron of the Mexico City airport.

Francis was met by a beaming Pena Nieto and his wife, Angelica Rivera, who walked the pope down a red carpet and introduced him to a variety of Mexican officials. The scene was jubilant, with mariachis wearing sombreros and dancers performing lasso rope tricks in front of the smiling pope. At one point, Francis tried on a sombrero from one of the musicians.

Francis, friend, you are welcome here, the crowd chanted.

Many expect the pontiffs trip will be used to address the social upheaval here and in Central America, as thousands flee gang violence in search of safety and jobs in the United States. Francis was expected to meet, or have in attendance, relatives of the 43 students at a teachers college who disappeared in 2014, a scandal that has highlighted the links between government and drug traffickers and the inability of Mexican investigators to arrive at the truth.

Those who thought the pope was going to be sweet and diplomatic, that it was going to be a rose-colored visit, were wrong, said Bernardo Barranco, a sociologist who studies religion. That pope has come in strong. Very strong.

Read more:

The country with the worlds worst homicide rate now grapples with Zika

As Zika virus spreads, El Salvador asks women not to get pregnant until 2018

How Mexico secretly launched a crackdown after Penn met El Chapo

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Violence in eastern Ukraine is intensifying and Russian-backed rebels have moved heavy weaponry back to the front line, international monitors warned Saturday, as Moscow responded by accusing the West of dragging the world back 50 years.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev described East-West relations as having fallen into a new Cold War and said NATO was hostile and closed toward Russia, in the latest sign that peace efforts have made scant progress almost two years since Moscow annexed Crimea.

I sometimes wonder  are we in 2016 or 1962? Medvedev asked in a speech to the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

[As Ukraine enters 2016, peace remains elusive]

Western governments say they have satellite images, video and other evidence to show that Russia is providing weapons to the Ukrainian rebels and that Moscow has troops engaged in the conflict. Russia denies such accusations.

Implementation of a deal struck in Minsk, Belarus, a year ago, which would allow for the lifting of sanctions on Russia, and a lull in violence late last year raised hopes that the conflict could be resolved quickly.

But Lamberto Zannier, who heads the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which is monitoring eastern Ukraine, said the situation has become difficult again.

We see a multiplication of incidents, violations of the cease-fire, he told Reuters. Weve seen cases of redeployment of heavy armaments closer to the contact line . . . and multiple rocket launchers, artillery being used, he said, referring to the heavy weaponry that is meant to be removed under the Minsk deal.

[At security conference, Kerry criticizes Russian airstrikes in Syria]

Medvedev accused the Ukrainian government and the West of trying to shift the blame onto Moscow. The Minsk agreements have to be observed by everyone. But we believe that its first and foremost up to the Kiev authorities to do that, he said.

NATOs top commander, Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, said Russia has the power to dial up and down the conflict to put pressure on the government in Kiev. But he said NATO did not want, nor currently see, a new Cold War.

But Secretary of State John F. Kerry said the United States had also upgraded our commitment to European security with a planned fourfold increase in spending from $790 million to $3.4 billion in response to Eastern European fears that ongoing Russian intervention in Ukraine presages an attempt to expand Moscows influence throughout the region.

This will allow us to maintain a divisions worth of equipment in Europe and an additional combat brigade in Central and Eastern Europe, Kerry said Saturday at the security conference.

 Reuters

The Washington Posts Karen DeYoung contributed to this report.

Read more:

After four months, Russias campaign in Syria is proving successful for Moscow

As Ukraine enters 2016, peace remains elusive

Winter on Fire provides a worms-eye view of revolution in Ukraine

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Army soldiers in Rio de Janeiro set up a banner that reads in Portuguese A mosquito is not stronger than a whole country. (Silvia Izquierdo/AP)

More than 200,000 troops fanned out across Brazil on Saturday to raise awareness about the mosquito that spreads the Zika virus, which has been linked to a surge in birth defects.

Aiming to reach 3 million families in a single day, soldiers visited homes, parks and shopping malls in 350 cities, passing out pamphlets with instructions on how to prevent the accumulation of stagnant water, where the Aedes aegypti mosquito breeds. The effort, branded #ZikaZero, is part of a larger campaign by public health officials and the military to inspect buildings for stagnant water and treat potential breeding grounds with insecticides.

[Brazil says a third adult has died of Zika]

Marcelo Castro, Brazils health minister, said Friday that the government is absolutely sure that Zika is behind the countrys recent jump in cases of microcephaly, a condition where babies are born with unusually small heads. According to official statistics, 41 cases of microcephaly have been tied to Zika, and more than 3,800 cases are being investigated. As many as 1.5 million Brazilians may have been infected with the Zika virus.

Although the World Health Organization has yet to establish a definitive link between the virus and the rare birth defect, it is advising pregnant women to consider delaying travel to Brazil and other Latin American countries where the virus has spread. The outbreak also has raised questions about the safety of tourists and athletes at the Olympic Games, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro in August.

Highlighting these concerns, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff joined health officials in Rio as they swept through the cinder-block shacks of a favela  one of the countrys many informal settlements typically marked by poor infrastructure and scant public services. Because they allow standing water to collect, these are ideal conditions for the Aedes aegypti to reproduce.

In the past, we won the war against yellow fever, and we are going to win the war against the Zika virus, Rousseff told reporters. Were trying to catch up after decades of abandonment in terms of sanitation.

[In Zika-stricken Brazil, a Carnival of flesh and feasting  for the mosquitoes]

Rousseff championed her governments investments in basic sanitation, but some blame the Zika outbreak on years of neglect of public services such as trash collection. According to Trata Brasil, a nonprofit organization that studies sanitation, fewer than half of Brazilians live in homes hooked up to sewage lines, and 35 million lack access to clean drinking water. Last year, the country reported 1.6 million probable cases of dengue, a virus also transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

The red flags were already there, Marta Suplicy, a senator who recently left Rousseffs party, said in an editorial published Friday. The federal government is deploying the Armed Forces to assist in the fight against the mosquito that transmits the [Zika] virus. Very good. But the issue is deeper: If we dont solve the structural problems, we will keep suffering setbacks.

Luciano Pamplona, a biologist and the secretary-general of the Brazilian Society of Dengue and Arboviruses, estimates that as many as 90 percent of mosquito breeding grounds can be found in peoples homes. That means Saturdays effort may help raise awareness where it matters most. Still, he said, the benefits probably will be minimal.

Just the media impact is worth the trouble, Pamplona said. Unfortunately, its not an ongoing effort. People have to understand that we cant allow mosquitoes in our homes. Until we internalize that, well keep having epidemics.

On the working-class east side of Sao Paulo, 100 troops were deployed to a sprawling shopping center. Inside, as one group of soldiers played in a jazz band, others handed out pamphlets and chatted with shoppers. One of their recommendations: to properly seal water tanks, the kind that could be seen on the roofs of cinder-block homes on a hill behind the mall.

Shoppers shook hands with the soldiers and accepted pamphlets with a smile. But they also relayed stories that indicated the limits of the campaign. Osvaldo Cordeiro Souza, 70, said he had seen many residents of his neighborhood ignore health officials instructions.

In a nation with a high crime rate, trust is an issue. Another shopper, Andre Luiz, 27, used to work for the Sao Paulo city government to inspect homes for mosquito breeding grounds. They thought we were there to rob them, he said, or that it was some kind of scam.

Read more:

Brazil reports explosion of dengue, a bad omen for spread of Zika virus

Brazil pushes back at Zika critics, finds new evidence of link to birth defect

What is Zika? And what are the risks as it spreads?

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
A scientist shows a jar with Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes, which transmit dengue fever and Zika virus, at the International Atomic Energy Agencys Insect Pest Control Laboratory in Seibersdorf, Austria, on Feb. 10, 2016. (Christian Bruna/European Pressphoto Agency)

Brazil on Friday reported a nearly 50 percent jump in cases of dengue fever reported over a three-week period in January, a worrying finding because the disease is carried by the same mosquito that spreads the Zika virus.

This is a very strong indication that the Zika cases are increasing and that the combat against the mosquito is not being efficient, said Marcos Lago, an associate professor of infectious diseases and pediatrics at the State University of Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil has been panicked by thousands of suspected cases of the birth defect microcephaly, which the government has linked to an epidemic of the Zika virus that began last year.

We will probably have a dengue epidemic, Lago said. And this dengue epidemic will be accompanied by a Zika epidemic.

[What is Zika? And what are the risks as it spreads?]

Brazils Health Ministry reported 74,000 probable cases of dengue from Jan. 3 to Jan. 23  an increase of almost 50 percent from the same period in January 2015.

Dengue, Zika and another disease called chikungunya are spread by the same mosquito  the Aedes aegypti. The government is urgently trying to slow the increase in the number of such mosquitoes, which lay their eggs in standing water.

President Dilma Rousseff and government ministers plan to join 220,000 Brazilian soldiers who will visit homes Saturday to educate the population about the mosquito.

Next week, 50,000 members of the military will visit homes to try to eradicate breeding spots.

Rousseff and Health Minister Marcelo Castro have cautioned that Brazil is losing the battle against the mosquito.

The government has blamed Zika for a big rise in the number of babies born with microcephaly, a congenital defect that is characterized by an abnormally small head. The malformation can cause motor and learning difficulties along with other disabilities.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have yet to definitively establish a link between Zika and microcephaly, but many leading scientists think a connection is likely.

Dengue, a severe flu-like illness, has been in Brazil for decades.

Zika was first confirmed in Brazil in May 2015 and has rapidly spread across the Americas.

[Zika expert: Microcephaly may just be the tip of the iceberg]

If mosquitoes are spreading dengue, they could be spreading more cases of Zika and chikungunya as well, doctors warn.

If it is transmitting dengue, it can transmit all the others, said Jesse Alves, a specialist in infectious diseases at the governments Emilio Ribas Hospital in Sao Paulo.

The number of probable cases of dengue rose from about 600,000 in 2014 to 1.6 million in 2015, according to official statistics. The government estimates that as many as 1.5 million people may have caught Zika. In 2015, Brazil recorded nearly 21,000 cases of chikungunya, which, like dengue, is marked by fever and joint pains.

If there is a spike of all three of them, it could mean the mosquito is becoming more efficient, said Anandasankar Ray, associate professor of entomology and the director of the Center for Disease Vector Research at the University of California at Riverside.

The mosquitoes are attracted to the smell of humans, biting in the day and at night.

Dengue has spread dramatically around the globe in recent decades, according to the WHO. The number of reported cases in the Americas, Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific grew from 1.2 million in 2008 to more than 3 million in 2013, according to the agency.

Read more:

Brazilians panic as mosquito-borne virus is linked to brain damage in babies

As Zika spreads, El Salvador asks women not to get pregnant for two years

Miscarriages reported in 2 U.S. women with Zika virus, CDC says
LEXINGTON  The city of Lexington has sued the local mosque, saying it's been violating city zoning ordinances, but the ACLU of Nebraska says the south-central Nebraska city is violating the religious rights of Muslims who live there.

The Islamic Center of Dawson County wants to renovate the downtown property it has occupied for several years and now owns, along with a former laundromat in an adjacent building. But the lawsuit filed last week says a certificate of occupancy hasn't been obtained and a conditional use permit is required before the former laundromat can be used for religious purposes.

In the past 10 years, immigrants from Somalia and other African nations have moved to Lexington in search of jobs, particularly at the Tyson meatpacking plant.

The city is seeking fines totaling $600 a day for violations of city building codes and zoning ordinances. The city also is asking the court to bar the Islamic Center from expanding into the former laundromat, which it acquired Jan. 25 along with two adjacent buildings it's been occupying.

The City Council voted Dec. 22 to deny the permit, citing concerns about parking and what was best for development and redevelopment of downtown.

"We're not trying to deter people from practicing their religion," City Manager Joe Pepplitsch said Wednesday. "We're trying to help them be successful."

The city has suggested the Islamic Center acquire and develop other parcels that would better fit the mosque's needs. But attorney Claude Berreckman Jr. said most of them were in residential areas, far from the members' homes near the downtown mosque.

"My clients feared the location(s) would have caused problems with residents in those areas," Berreckman said. "More importantly, my clients have been worshiping in the same location since 2008 and wanted to remain."

Parking is not an issue, he said, because "the vast majority of the mosque members walk to the mosque for prayer. They feel that's part of the way they exercise their religion."

A hearing is set for March 3 on the city's request for a temporary order barring expansion into the former laundromat until all the issues have been resolved.
Gen. John F. Campbell, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, listens to journalists during a news conference Saturday in Kabul. (Omar Sobhani/Pool photo via AP)

Gen. John. F. Campbell, commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan, arrived here 18 months ago expecting to be the U.S. military leader who would bring the war to a close. On Saturday, as he prepares to hand-off command to his successor, Campbell was instead promising that coalition forces are here to stay.

Not only the U.S., but the whole international community, are now starting to talk about long-term commitment, Campbell told reporters at what was billed as his last news conference before Army Lt. Gen. John W. Mick Nicholson Jr. takes over command of coalition forces in early March. It ought to give confidence to the Afghan people and also send a message to the Taliban too: What they thought in 2015  everyone is leaving, and they could wait us out, that is no longer the case here.

Campbells remarks reflect just how much the Obama administrations posture toward Afghanistan has changed over the past two years.

[The U.S. was supposed to leave Afghanistan by 2017. Now it might take decades.]

When Campbell began his tour in August 2014, Obama had already announced plans to reduce U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan to 9,800 by the start of last year. The president then hoped to cut that number in half by the start of this year, paving the way for him to fulfill his 2008 campaign promise of withdrawing all U.S. troops before he leaves office in January.

But with the Taliban insurgency showing little sign of weakening and the Islamic State attempting to gain a foothold here, Obama abandoned those plans last year.

Obama is now keeping 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan through the end of this year. Administration officials say Obama still plans to cut that number in half before his presidency ends, but many analysts believe he may leave that decision up to the next administration.

For now, however, the scope of U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan is once again broadening.

Obama gave Campbell, who also oversees U.S. counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan, new authority last month to aggressively target Islamic State militants near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border through airstrikes and Special Forces operations.

[Campbell: A strategic stalemate without end is not the goal of this campaign]

Campbell said that authority was needed because the Islamic State hopes to use Afghanistan to plan and coordinate attacks on Europe and the United States. The Pentagon estimates there are only 1,000 to 3,000 Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan, but Campbell warned they have the ability to recruit quite well, not only around the world, but inside Afghanistan.

How much is coming from Syria and Iraq? Hard to tell, Campbell said. But we do believe the senior leadership here in Afghanistan does communicate with [Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi] in Iraq and Syria.

But Campbell said coalition forces biggest task over the next year will be the mission to train the Afghan army for its continued battle against the Taliban.

Despite more than $35 billion in U.S. support over the past 15 years, the Afghan army struggled to repel a major Taliban offensive this past fall into Kunduz, a commercial hub in northern Afghanistan, taking days to regain control. The Taliban also made gains in several eastern and southern provinces last year.

To prepare for another tough year, Campbell said the coalition is sending several hundred additional advisers to Afghanistans volatile Helmand province, where some of the bloodiest battles of the 14-year war have been waged.

On Saturday morning, Taliban insurgents packed explosives into several stolen Afghan army Humvees and attacked Afghan forces in Helmands Sangin district, according to Campbell and local officials.

U.S. military officials say the challenge facing the Afghan army is compounded by still being 25,000 soldiers short of its targeted strength of 195,000. Recruitment is especially poor in Pashtun communities in Helmand and Kandahar provinces, raising concerns about a potentially destabilizing geographic imbalance within the military, officials said.

Campbell, who plans to retire after nearly 37 years in the army, declined to say whether his job in Afghanistan would have been easier if he had more troops. He also declined to speak about what recommendations he plans to give Nicholson, except to say that he would not be bashful.

Despite recent setbacks, however, Campbell remains optimistic the Afghan military will eventually bring stability to the country.

The Taliban . . . are not 10-feet tall, Campbell said. They can be beaten.

Read more:

Pentagon will boost number of U.S. military advisers in southern Afghanistan

Campbell: A strategic stalemate without end is not the goal of this campaign

A $43 million gas station in Afghanistan? Not so fast

The U.S. was supposed to leave Afghanistan by 2017. Now it might take decades.
President Obama landed in Los Angeles Thursday afternoon and one of his first stops was The Ellen DeGeneres Show. But no, there was no dancing.

There was a selfie that DeGeneres tweeted out Thursday afternoon, though, to preview Obama's appearance, after tweeting that the host was "ready to Barack and baroll."

Obama landed in L.A. around 3:30 p.m. and headed to the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank for a taping of the show, which will air Friday. Los Angeles is just one of the stops the president made in California while fundraising for Democrats.

Selfie with the Chief. @BarackObama @POTUS pic.twitter.com/ggivtyPi6j

Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) February 12, 2016

Im ready to Barack and baroll. @POTUS @BarackObama

Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) February 12, 2016

The President talked at length about his life with the first lady, Michelle Obama, someone who DeGeneres still has issues with over a push-up competition.

Obama also talked about his love (and fears) for his daughters as Malia heads off to college. "As Michelle reminds me, our job is to prepare them not to need us." he told DeGeneres, though he's not ready for her to leave them.

The host also discussed with the president the hot button issues of equality in American society, with DeGeneres thanking the President for all he has done for the LGBTQ community. "We constantly want to include people and not exclude them," he told her, while giving DeGeneres herself an extra kudos for her work on equal rights as well.

Ever the old romantic, and with Valentine's Day on the horizon, the romancer-in-chief gave the first lady a special video message, but not before she read him a poem to mark the last Valentine's Day they will spend in the White House. The first lady even included a taunt in her own special video for DeGeneres regarding their ongoing push-up competition.
By Mia Fitzharris

In honor of Black History Month and Valentines Day, we interviewed two experts on the topic of single African-American women in America.

Theres a highly referenced statistic that more than half of black women are single. It comes from data from the 2009 census, which states that 70.5 percent of African-American women between the ages of 25 and 29 are unmarried. What is often not mentioned is that the same census reports that only 13 percent of women over the age of 55 are not married. This points to the fact that African-American women are getting married later in life.

Brande Victorian, the managing editor of MadameNoire, told Yahoo News and Finance Anchor Bianna Golodryga that the 70.5 percent figure started this hysteria that black women dont get married. She continued, Dating and relationships is an issue across all cultures.

The high number of unmarried African-American women in the U.S. might be caused by a smaller dating pool. The New York Times reported that 1.5 million black men between the ages of 25 and 54 are missing, largely because of death or imprisonment.

However, Charreah Jackson, the lifestyle and relationships editor of Essence magazine, does not want that statistic to affect dating for African-American women. Its important that women not lower their standards  to know that if you do want a quality partner, that it is possible.

On the topic of dating outside of their race, when asked in a 2014 Essence magazine survey, 53 percent of women said they were open to the idea. Jackson said, Its exciting to see the many ways we are exploring.

The bottom line is that black women are more than their martial status. Victorian said, Were the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs.  Weve always had a history of being self-reliant and self-efficient, and those things arent talked about because its a focus still for a lot of women that being married is the ultimate achievement, and thats not the case. Thats not how black women are operating anymore.
Featured Post The Occasionally Fabulous Cartooning Life of Eric Orner, part 1: Ethan Green and Disney by Mike Rhode Eric Orner has been a professional cartoonist for decades, and worked his way through many types of cartooning. Early in the s...

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Our First Principle "I try to be interested in very nearly everything. I always think boredom is to some extent the fault of the bored." - Julian Kestrel, the hero in Kate Ross's novel Cut to the Quick .




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.
Via The Washington Post: Brazil reports explosion of dengue, a bad omen for spread of Zika virus. Excerpt:

Brazil on Friday reported a nearly 50-percent jump in cases of dengue fever reported over a three-week period in January, a worrying finding because the disease is carried by the same mosquito that spreads Zika.

This is a very strong indication that the Zika cases are increasing and that the combat against the mosquito is not being efficient, said Marcos Lago, an associate professor of infectious diseases and pediatrics at the State University of Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil has been panicked by thousands of suspected cases of the birth defect microcephaly, which the government has linked to an epidemic of the Zika virus that began last year.

We will probably have a dengue epidemic, Lago said. And this dengue epidemic will be accompanied by a Zika epidemic.

Brazils Ministry of Health reported 74,000 probable cases of dengue from Jan. 3 to 23  an increase of almost 50 percent from the same period in January 2015.

Dengue, Zika and another disease called chikungunya are spread by the same mosquito  the Aedes aegypti. The government is urgently trying to slow the increase in the number of such mosquitoes, which lay their eggs in standing water.

President Dilma Rousseff and government ministers plan to join 220,000 Brazilian soldiers who will visit homes Saturday to educate the population about the mosquito.

Next week, 50,000 members of the military will visit to homes to try to eradicate breeding spots.
Via Nature News & Comment: Zika-microcephaly paper sparks data-sharing confusion. Excerpt and then a comment:

When researchers in Brazil posted four Zika virus genome sequences in the online repository GenBank on 26 January, they were complying with a call for scientists to openly release their data during public-health emergencies. By 10 February, the information had been used by Slovenian researchers for their own Zika paper in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)  apparently, a textbook example of the power of rapid, open data-sharing.

But the process didnt go entirely smoothly. Oliver Pybus, an evolutionary and infectious-disease biologist at the University of Oxford, UK, who works with the Brazilian group, has complained that the NEJM paper did not adequately credit the original data-providers when it only included the GenBank accession number for the data. And Pybus says that he is concerned that this lack of formal recognition could dissuade others from rapidly sharing data during an outbreak.

The very first big Zika virus paper in the New England Journal of Medicine has just created exactly the opposite incentive for groups in Brazil that we want to create. We want them to feel confident they can put their data immediately online without any possible disadvantage to them, Pybus says. The authors of the NEJM paper waited to release their own data until their paper was published, he notes.

Tatjana Avsic Zupanc, a microbiologist at the University of Ljubljana and senior author of the NEJM paper, says that her team meant no slight by not contacting Pybus and his colleagues. If you deposit something in an open domain like GenBank before you publish it, you would expect that people will just use it, she says. And Pybus says that he received an apology from the authors on 11 February, after he contacted them with his concerns. (A representative for the NEJM told Nature that the scientists should resolve the dispute among themselves.)

But the credit dispute suggests that scientists havent yet adjusted to the etiquette needed for acknowledging others public, but not yet formally published, data, researchers say.

Microcephaly link

Zupancs team reported a case study of a Slovenian woman who had been living in Brazil and terminated her pregnancy after an ultrasound scan at 29 weeks' gestation revealed that the fetus had microcephaly  an abnormally small head. Zika virus genetic material was discovered in fetal brain tissue and the researchers generated a complete genome sequence.

The team compared their sequence to other Zika sequences in public databases, including the four generated by Pybus's colleague Mario Nunes at the Evandro Chagas Institute in Ananindeua, Brazil, and his team. (In fact, Pybus says, this analysis was not needed to link Zika virus to the case of microcephaly; Avsic Zupanc says that the analysis was added during the review process at the recommendation of NEJM editors).

It's understandable, but unfortunate, that the culture of science puts so much value on the glory of first publication. But researchers seem to be in a war of all against allif you don't stake your claim, and defend it to the death, some opportunist will steal it from you.

If such squabbles (or the fear of losing credit) lead to withholding information, "etiquette" appears more important than saving lives.
The Farmington City Council held a public hearing on Thursday to align the city ordinance on open carry weapons to that of the state.

Ward III Councilman Dennis Smith, serving as mayor pro-tem in Mayor Mit Landrums absence, explained the ordinance will allow individuals with concealed carry permits to open carry a weapon.

Smith said businesses will still be allowed to regulate if weapons can be brought into their facilities.

Farmington City Administrator Greg Beavers said current city statutes do not allow for the open carrying of weapons. However, a recent change in state statutes allows for open carrying for those with a concealed carry permit.

A municipality can not prevent someone with a concealed carry permit from open carrying, he said. If you do not have a concealed carry permit, you can not carry open in the city of Farmington.

The individual must have their concealed carry permit on them at all times when open carrying.

Police Chief Rick Baker said any individuals asked by law enforcement officers to see the permit must have it on their person and be able to produce it on behalf of request by an officer.

If they arent able to do that, they will be in violation of the city ordinance, he said, which results in a $35 fine for the individual.

The council held a first reading by title only on the action. It will be up for a vote at the Feb. 22 meeting.

In addition, the city administrator discussed possible confusion voters may face on the April ballot.

Last month, the council voted to put before the voters an extension on the collection of sales tax for vehicles purchased outside the state of Missouri.

We have the continuation of the vehicle licensing tax, Beavers said. The way the city chose to word it on the ballot, we are looking for a yes vote  we want to continue that tax.

However, on the countys ballot, a no vote will allow for the continuation of the tax.

The way its worded on the county ballot is to not discontinue to the tax, Beavers said. For Farmington voters, were looking to vote yes on the Farmington issue and no on the county issue. It gets you to the same place.

I encourage people to get educated about it before they go to vote because it could be confusing, he said.
DEAR ABBY: I am 18 and in my sophomore year of college. A month ago, my family went through some major hardships. It came out that "Uncle Mark" has been cheating on my aunt for years and is moving his mistress to our area. They have two children, a son in elementary school and a daughter, "Dana," 13.

I feel bad for my aunt, but I'm absolutely devastated for Dana. My Uncle Mark has skipped all of her school events in the wake of this mess, and I can't begin to imagine how disappointed Dana must feel. Uncle Mark is a sociopath. He feels no empathy, manipulates others and has a sadistic streak. Dana was not close to her dad, but since this mess began she's even less so.

Abby, I don't want my cousin to feel like she's alone. Since I'm an older teenager, she looks up to me. How can I be supportive, and not intrude in this delicate situation? -- SUPPORTIVE COUSIN IN MAINE

DEAR SUPPORTIVE: You are kind to want to help. Your cousin is probably experiencing a range of emotions because of the turmoil that's going on around her family. The kindest thing to do would be to spend time with her when your schedule permits and allow her to vent when she needs to, because she will.

DEAR ABBY: I am a 10-year-old girl. I'm good at math and very intelligent. I have two questions: When I'm alone in a dark room, I feel like I have to run out of the room. Why?

My second question is, what kind of job can you get without going to college? -- SMART SOUTHERN GIRL

DEAR SMART SOUTHERN GIRL: Many people of every age -- especially children and the elderly -- have a fear of the dark. That's why parents use small night lights in their children's bedrooms and gadgets like The Clapper are popular.

Adults may be afraid of tripping or running into furniture. Teens who watch scary movies develop a fear of the dark because they imagine a "monster" is lurking out of sight who might harm them. The solution can be as simple as keeping a night light on or switching a light on as you enter a darkened area.

As to what kind of job a person can find without going to college, discuss this with a counselor at your school. College may not be for everyone, but I don't think it's likely you'll get a well-paying job without some advanced education -- if not in a college, then in an apprenticeship program or a trade school with a proven high job placement record.

DEAR ABBY: My girlfriend and I have been having a huge disagreement lately. Since we can't seem to settle it, I'm asking for your help. I say that because tomatoes are technically fruits, ketchup is a smoothie. She disagrees because tomatoes are the only fruit in ketchup. Please tell me -- is ketchup a smoothie? And if so, why? -- SPENCER IN ARIZONA

DEAR SPENCER: Your question is a first. In my opinion, ketchup is more a puree than a smoothie. "Smoothie" suggests a beverage that's drinkable, and I don't think ketchup qualifies.

DEAR ABBY: I am a 34-year-old male who reads your column regularly. I usually see people asking for advice about their concerns, so I figured I would send you something different.

My wife and I have been married three months now, after living together for a year. Prior to that, we dated exclusively for three years. Abby, she's my world. We took it slow, had fun and discovered each other and ourselves. We discussed our todays and tomorrows, our hopes and dreams, our fears and misgivings, and put together a solid foundation on which to build our future. We live in the present, look forward to tomorrow and consider yesterday a gift with fond memories and lots of laughter.

We have earned each other. We have worked hard for each other. Yes, we have had our share of trying times and difficult days, but we took our time and worked out our issues as a team and as equals -- with respect, courtesy and love. We didn't rush anything, and still don't to this day. We are totally loving being together! -- LOUISVILLE LOVER

DEAR LOVER: I wish you and your wife many, many more happy years together. Thank you for an upper of a letter. I can't think of a more appropriate message to print on Valentine's Day.

DEAR ABBY: I belong to a gym that is wonderful. It has great facilities and extensive services included in the fee that encourage lots of family activities. Among the facilities are family changing rooms, which are rarely used. Because of this, I am reduced to a Monday-to-Friday schedule because on weekends many fathers bring their little girls into the male changing room (infants to 4 years of age). Today I gave it a shot and went to the gym only to encounter a dad and daughter in the male changing room, buck naked. Is this the new normal, Abby? -- NOT A DAD IN BALTIMORE

DEAR NOT A DAD: Whether it's the new normal is beside the point. If you prefer not to encounter a child of the opposite sex in the men's changing room, you should discuss this with the manager of the gym or change at home.

DEAR ABBY: I'm puzzled. When was Valentine's Day designated as a day for FEMALES only? I have always been under the impression that Feb. 14 is a day of love! I sent my late husband flowers at work one year, and when the delivery man arrived at his office, the women all rushed over to the door only to find out they were for him. My husband told me that from the look on their faces they were astonished.

Perhaps you should remind women to spoil their men on Valentine's Day and not just expect something from them. The guys need love, too. -- LOVING WIFE IN GEORGIA

DEAR LOVING WIFE: I agree that Valentine's Day should be celebrated on an equal basis. Couples who last are those who make an effort to show each other they love each other EVERY day.

Readers, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy Valentine's Day. I deeply appreciate the relationship I have with all of you. -- LOVE, ABBY

DEAR ABBY: My mother won't stop nagging me about marriage. She insists that I "must" be married by the age of 22 and have kids by 25, which I think is inconceivable. Abby, I'm only 17. Marriage and boys are the last things on my mind.

I have told her that her "talks" make me uncomfortable and I don't plan on getting married anytime soon (if ever), but she won't let up. She keeps saying she knows she's right, and that when I'm 22 I'll thank her, which I know isn't going to happen. Other than this, she's great and we don't have any other problems.

She has been saying this a lot recently because I'm going off to college this year, and that's where she thinks I'll find a husband. How can I get through to her? -- VIRGIN TERRITORY

DEAR VIRGIN TERRITORY: It would be interesting to know why your mother feels this way. Could she have been born and raised in a culture in which early marriage and motherhood are expected of women?

With her mindset, I don't think you will "win" an argument with her over this. Be patient with her and when she raises the subject, point out that women of your generation are expected to complete their education and be able to support themselves financially before they marry in case the need arises later (i.e. divorce or widowhood). It's a fact. Women in the United States -- particularly college-educated women -- are now marrying and having children later than they did a generation ago.

DEAR ABBY: I am a single parent of four children ages 5 to 13. I want to go back to school to better myself and make a better life for them because I am raising them on my own. I keep putting off going back because something always comes up. I'm afraid if I keep this up, then I'll never do it and will live with regret for the rest of my life.

I don't have a stable support system, and I work full time, so I'm also worried about having no time for my children, although I hardly have any now. Most days I feel like a bad parent and want to cry. What would you recommend I do? Can you help me push myself? -- WANTS NO REGRETS

DEAR WANTS NO REGRETS: Set goals for yourself. Explore career counseling at your nearest community college and ask for guidance about child care options. When you do, ask if you can take one or two classes a semester, rather than a full course load, and if any of the classes you need are held online. That way, you won't be spending a lot of time away from your children, and at the same time you'll be setting an example for them to follow about the importance of education.

DEAR ABBY: I just think that as a child, I have too many responsibilities to take care of. My mother thinks I am stubborn and not able to take care of myself. What do you think? -- HELENA, AGE 9

DEAR HELENA: I think you have a good mother. The way to teach children responsibility is to place some on their shoulders. If you learn the lessons of independence your mother is trying to teach you, with time these chores will become easier and less overwhelming. And you will thank her for them later when you're older.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
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He has been cited by Rush Limbaugh, quoted in the New York Times, featured at Real Clear Politics and Lucianne.com and interviewed on radio, TV and in social media.





Inducted into the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame, for many years he served as a Lecturer in Corporate Communication at Penn State University. A former President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA) he has lectured at Rowan University, Temple University, The College of New Jersey and Arcadia University. He has conducted workshops on public relations for thousands of participants throughout the nation and has taught countless others the art of public speaking. He has also advised numerous lawyers, judges, public officials and political candidates.





Cirucci is a prolific writer and his op-ed pieces have appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Courier-Post and other publications.



A native of Camden NJ, Cirucci is a former President of the Philadelphia chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Cirucci served as Associate Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Association for nearly 30 years. He served as Chair of Penn State University's Professional Advisory Board for the Corporate Communication major at Penn State Abington and on the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Judicial Selection Commission.



He received his MA degree from Rowan University and his BA from Villanova University. He has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of Rowan's public relations program and received the E. A. "Wally" Richter Leadership Award, the highest honor from the National Association of Bar Executives' Communications Section. He has also been honored by numerous other local, state and national groups.









Cirucci's passions include politics, the popular culture, books and authors, art, communication, music, theatre, movies, dining and travel. In his hometown of Camden, Cirucci taught fifth grade at the Ulysses Wiggins Elementary School named for the founder of the Camden NAACP. There he was one of the first teachers in the country to teach African-American history to inner city students. He later served as editor of a local weekly newspaper, as Assistant to the Township Manager of Cherry Hill Township and as Associate Director of Communications at the New Jersey State Bar Association.

He's Dan Cirucci, the founder and editor-in chief of the Dan Cirucci Blog, Matt Rooney's sidekick on Save Jersey's videocasts and one of the most widely honored public relations professionals in his field. He's also been a public relations consultant to numerous organizations and individuals and hosted The Advocates on RVN-TV.
Our Experiences as Orthopedic Medical Missionaries in Kenya
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In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;

let me never be put to shame!

In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;

incline your ear to me, and save me!



Be to me a rock of refuge,

to which I may continually come;

you have given the command to save me,

for you are my rock and my fortress.

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,

from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.

For you, O Lord, are my hope,

my trust, O Lord, from my youth.

Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;

you are he who took me from my mother's womb.

My praise is continually of you.

I have been as a portent to many,

but you are my strong refuge.

My mouth is filled with your praise,

and with your glory all the day.

Do not cast me off in the time of old age;

forsake me not when my strength is spent.



For my enemies speak concerning me;

those who watch for my life consult together

and say, God has forsaken him;

pursue and seize him,

for there is none to deliver him.

O God, be not far from me;

O my God, make haste to help me!

May my accusers be put to shame and consumed;

with scorn and disgrace may they be covered

who seek my hurt.



But I will hope continually

and will praise you yet more and more.

My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,

of your deeds of salvation all the day,

for their number is past my knowledge.



With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come;

I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

O God, from my youth you have taught me,

and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.



So even to old age and gray hairs,

O God, do not forsake me,

until I proclaim your might to another generation,

your power to all those to come.

Your righteousness, O God,

reaches the high heavens.

You who have done great things,

O God, who is like you?



You who have made me see many troubles and calamities

will revive me again;

from the depths of the earth

you will bring me up again.

You will increase my greatness

and comfort me again.

I will also praise you with the harp

for your faithfulness, O my God;

I will sing praises to you with the lyre,

O Holy One of Israel.

My lips will shout for joy,

when I sing praises to you;

my soul also, which you have redeemed.



And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long,

for they have been put to shame and disappointed

who sought to do me hurt.


Today the Texas Forensic Science Commission issued a landmark decision recommending a moratorium on the use of bite mark evidence in future criminal prosecutions in Texas until the technique can be scientifically validated. The Commission also and ordered a review of every conviction in Texas where the unreliable forensic technique was used. The decision was in response to a request by the Innocence Project to investigate the forensic practice that has contributed to at least 24 wrongful convictions or indictments.





For far too long courts have permitted this incredibly persuasive evidence that is cloaked in science, when in fact there has been no scientific research to substantiate the practitioners claims that it is possible to identify someone from a bite mark, said M. Chris Fabricant, Director of Strategic Litigation for the Innocence Project, which is affiliated with Cardozo School of Law. By recommending a moratorium on further use of this unscientific evidence in Texas prosecutions, the Texas Forensic Science Commission has taken a giant step in purging unscientific and unreliable bite mark evidence from court rooms nationwide.





Before reaching its decision, the Commission conducted six-month investigation and a held day-long hearing in November where it heard from experts on all sides of the debate. During the hearing, it was revealed that Dr. Adam Freeman, the president-elect of the American Board of Forensic Odontologist (ABFO), and Dr. Iain Pretty conducted a study of board certified forensic dentists where they asked to analyze photographs of 100 injuries, and in most cases, the practitioners were unable agree on which injuries were even bite marks.





Despite the fact that for decades courts have permitted forensic dentists to testify in criminal trials, there is a complete lack of scientific support for claims that a suspect can be identified from an injury on a victims skin. This was noted in the National Academy of Sciences groundbreaking 2009 report, Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward, which found, no evidence of an existing scientific basis for identifying an individual [through bite mark comparison] to the exclusion of all others. Unlike the National Academy of Sciencess report, however, the Commission specifically found that bite mark evidence should not be admitted as evidence.





In addition to recommending a moratorium barring prosecutors from using bite mark analysis in future prosecutions, the Commission ordered a review of past cases where the forensic practice was used. The Commission will appoint a panel of experts, including forensic dentists, to review transcripts of the cases. The American Board of Forensic Odontology pledged to help identify these convictions and stated that there are nine ABFO members practicing in Texas who will assist in this process.





The Innocence Project urged the Commission to investigate the use of bite mark analysis on behalf of Steven Mark Chaney. After a thorough investigation by the Dallas District Attorneys Conviction Integrity Unity, Chaney was released in October after wrongly serving 28 years for the murder of John Sweek based on the discredited testimony of two forensic dentists. The case is now before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which must review the uncontested findings of the lower court reversing Chaneys conviction. In addition to the Innocence Project, Chaney is represented by Julie Lesser, exoneration attorney of the Dallas Public Defenders Office and the Southern Methodist University Innocence Clinic.








Resurgent local output of power-generating thermal coal has been one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's successes (Photo: Pixabay)

New Delhi: India is asking the country's big steelmakers to consider converting local medium-quality coal into premium coking coal to slash an annual import bill of more than $4 billion for buying that grade from countries such as Australia and South Africa.

Resurgent local output of power-generating thermal coal has been one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's successes, and the latest project could help India to partly make up for a shortage of coking reserves that forces companies like JSW Steel and Jindal Steel to import heavily.

Coal Secretary Anil Swarup - who has held talks with companies including Tata Steel and SAIL - said the government could ask state-run Coal India to sign long-term contracts with steel companies to supply medium-grade coking coal that currently goes into power plants.

The plan would require investment of a few hundred million dollars for specialised washeries and other equipment to improve the coal quality, but that could lead to savings of billions of dollars in imports, according to Swarup.

"We have raised the quantity of coal produced, the aim is now to improve the quality," Swarup told Reuters. "We are trying to formulate a policy."

This could aid in meeting Modi's goal of making the country self-sufficient in as many raw materials as possible, while at the same time exporting more value-added products like steel to boost local manufacturing and create jobs.

India, the world's third-largest steel producer and once an exporter to neighbouring countries, turned a net importer of the alloy in the past two years after China started to aggressively sell its excess steel across the world.

India is also the world's third-biggest importer of coal, and the surge in local output, mainly of thermal coal, is hurting suppliers of that grade in Indonesia. If India starts to boost coking coal output as well, there could also be a few losers in Australia and South Africa.

But India will be able to substitute only 5-10 percent of the total coking coal imports to begin with, according to Dipesh Dipu, a natural resources expert at Jenissi Management Consultants that advises companies like Jindal Steel.

That could mean annual savings of around $500 million based on India's imports of about 44 million tonnes of coking coal last fiscal year. The country's total annual coking coal need is about 90 million tonnes.

India is in talks with companies in Poland and Australia for technical help in upgrading its coking coal quality.

It is also trying to douse underground mine fires that have burned for a century in Jharia, in the eastern state of Jharkhand, to better tap the only source of top quality coking coal in the country.

Turnaround

India's total coal imports have fallen for the last seven months, a big change for a country that has struggled to feed its expanding power plants despite having the world's fifth-biggest reserves of more than 300 billion tonnes of the fuel, almost 90 percent of that in thermal grades.

Faster environmental clearances and acquisition of land to expand mines have led to the turnaround, although Swarup acknowledged that India will not be able to produce all of its own coking coal.

"Indian coals can be beneficiated to substitute some amount of imported coals," Tata Steel head spokesman Chanakya Chaudhary said.

Still, India expects its private steel companies and state-controlled SAIL to nearly triple production capacity to 300 million tonnes by 2025, which will further raise demand for coking coal.

"These steps may affect prices a bit but would not have a major impact on imports," said Waseem Ahmad, head of New Delhi-based Sarah Sourcing, which trades in coal from Indonesia, Australia and South Africa.

"India has a bulk requirement and its steel industry will expand."